Shouldering her weapons, Kagome headed outside. On the last porch step, she paused, looking out over the sprawl of Edo village. Not that it was much of a village anymore.

Toward the coast, rows upon rows of hastily-constructed huts now lay in concentric rings around Edo proper, creating a spiderweb of new dirt paths and side streets, which either dead-ended or converged at a few key points. No doubt Kohaku would have eyes on all these main roads through town. If Kagome wanted to slip away without being spotted, the woods were the only option.

Setting her sights on Inuyasha’s Forest, Kagome stepped down into the yard. There were several old hunting paths that might serve, though most strayed too far west for her liking. As she considered which route to take, the click-clack of approaching hooves drew her attention.

“Kagome-chan,” Rin greeted as she turned. Holding a set of reins in each hand, the young priestess led along two placid—and thankfully, sure-footed-looking—horses. “Kanako-chan said to meet you here?”

At the uncertainty in Rin’s voice, Kagome flashed her a smile. “I know it’s a little unusual, but there’s a den of youkai to the north that needs clearing out, and I think it’d be best to approach from a different direction. We’ll head west through the woods and circle around.”

Rin paused, worrying at the reins. “But, Kohaku-kun says there are bandits to the north.”

Kagome watched as a shimmer of fear and loathing surfaced, mixing like two oils in her apprentice’s dark eyes. She knew the story, of course—of how Rin’s parents and siblings had been butchered by a band of marauders. She knew the feeling as well, every time she contemplated the Beast that had robbed her of her husband. Steeling her jaw, Kagome stepped forward nonetheless.

“Never mind what Kohaku-kun says,” the miko said firmly, taking a set of reins from Rin’s slim white hand. “We’re priestesses. Even bandits fear the gods.”

Still seeming hesitant, Rin climbed atop her saddle as Kagome swung up into her own. Leading the way, she cut a winding path through the woods behind her home, finding one of the old, overgrown hunting trails more by intuition than memory. There was a pool nearby that clued her in, its waters calm and deep and deceptively dark—

Mirrored like silver within the lush moss that framed it, a prey creature’s final reflection.

Circling around it, they followed the faded dirt path that trailed away toward the north and the west. Brush crunched beneath their horses’ steady plodding, a thick coverlet of leaves dampening the sound. All around them the forest seemed mutely to sag, wilted and melancholy at the turning of the season.

But Kagome’s eyes were bright, her posture alert, attentive. Perhaps seeing this, Rin regained a bit of her usual effervescence.

“Do you think the wards will hold this winter?” she asked. “I’ve been reinforcing them every day, at dawn and at dusk.”

In the cold dark months, youkai grew as mean and desperate as men to sustain themselves out of the frigid earth. Lean times were coming—hungry times. In the past, Kagome had trusted to Kaede to reinforce the outlying seals that protected Edo village. With the influx of refugees and Kaede’s waning health, Kagome was now trusting to Rin.

“I think the wards will hold stronger than ever this year,” Kagome said sincerely.

Warmly, Rin smiled.

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi