The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Shelter

Chapter 5 - The Shelter *Fortune* (Skye's Weekly Challenges)

"What the hell is going on here?" Inuyasha demanded loudly, making Kagome jump. "That's just great, guys. No one was paying any attention to your surroundings. Anyone could have snuck up on you and attacked! And for what?" he asked, looking over the creature Kagome knelt next to. "A fucking mutt?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. "Calm down. We're fine. Did you find shelter?"

"Yeah," he said while glaring at the animal. "I found a cave. It's big enough for us to be comfortable but not too big that a nice fire won't warm it up. We need to get going, and that thing is not coming with us."

"Yes, he is, Inuyasha. I'm not going to leave him out here to die. Someone else already did that!"

"Maybe they had a good fucking reason, too! Damn it, Kagome. We don't have time to be nursing some mutt back to health. You're already wasting our food on it."

"Actually," Miroku interjected. "It doesn't appear as though we'll be doing much for the next few days. It looks like a storm is approaching."

"See, he won't be a problem. By the time we need to start traveling again, I'm sure he'll be much better," the miko said.

"Fine, whatever. Let's get going then."

Kagome looked at the dog and smiled. "Think you can get up and walk, boy? It isn't too far, is it Inuyasha?" The hanyou just shrugged, and Kagome rolled her eyes. "Let's give it a shot. Can you stand up?"

The dog stared into her eyes for a long moment before struggling to climb to his feet. His legs wobbled dangerously, and as he tried to take a step, they collapsed under him. He hit the ground at an odd angle and whined in pain. Sesshoumaru was humiliated to be seen in such a pathetic condition, but there was nothing he could do. At least no one knew his true identity. He wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

"See? He's half dead already. Just leave him in peace to die," Inuyasha said in frustration, ready to move on. He had found Kagome the shelter she demanded, and now he wanted her to see just how good of a provider he could be. He wanted her to be proud of him. She was always taking care of him, but he could take care of her as well, and he wanted her to know it. Sure, he fought tooth and nail about stopping, but only because he was devoted to their quest. Sometimes he forgot how fragile human bodies were, and she only needed to remind him.

"I can't do that, Inuyasha. Look at him. He doesn't want to die. He's too weak to walk, and, even as skinny as he is, he's too big for me to carry."

"Oh, hell no," the hanyou protested, already aware of where she was going.

Kagome's eyes widened, and her bottom lip stuck out in a perfect pout that she knew he couldn't resist.

"Please?" she begged. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left him here to die."

"Alright, damn it," Inuyasha growled. "Why the hell do I let you talk me into this shit?"

The miko rushed to his side and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, smiling as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. "And you do it because I'm your best friend, and you want me to be happy."

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his nose on the side of her throat affectionately. She was right, of course. He would go to the ends of the earth for the woman in his arms. He tried to keep a tough exterior, but she could melt it away like the sun in winter. "That damn dog is awfully fucking lucky."

"I'm not so sure he'd think so with all he's been through. Hopefully, he’ll get better from now on." She returned to the dog's side with Inuyasha close behind. "Okay, Big Guy, I need you to stand up once more. Then Inuyasha will be able to pick you up and carry you to shelter. We'll get you warm and dry, and I'll get to work getting that rope out of your neck. I promise it'll be okay."

This was utterly humiliating. Not only had he been injured by a simple boar and a rope, but he was so completely inept at being a canine that he couldn't even feed himself. Now he was so weak that his hated half-brother had to carry him to safety, where a human woman he had once tried to kill intended to nurse him back to health. How had he fallen so low so quickly? Still, he had no other option. This angel that was Kagome was the answer to his pleas to the gods, and he would make this as easy for her as possible.

Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes and lifted his snout. Before she knew what was happening, he licked her face. Kagome fell back with a laugh. "You're welcome. Now, can you get up again?"

She watched closely as he struggled, and once he was high enough, Inuyasha slipped his arms under the large dog, one directly in front of his front legs and the other behind his back legs, effectively scooping him up. He lifted the animal off the ground and winced as the dog let out a whine of pain.

"Oh, please be careful, Inuyasha. His ribs hurt. I don't know if they're bruised or broken, but try not to jostle him too much, okay?"

The hanyou rolled his eyes but made sure to move the dog as little as possible as he led his pack towards the shelter he found for them. After a glance at the sky, Inuyasha took in a deep breath, only to frown as he got a nose full of wet dog. "Well, before I picked up this stinky fucker, I could smell snow, and a lot of it. I think you're right, Miroku. We've got a storm coming. As soon as we get to the cave, we will need to collect as much wood as possible to keep the fire going."

Kagome smiled. "I'll get everything set up in the cave and stay with him while you do. Maybe I can find a way to block off the entrance so we won't lose too much heat. If it's going to be a big storm, we'll need a way to block the wind or shelter won't do us much good."

"The entrance is small at least," Inuyasha replied. "You'll have to stoop down to get in. That'll help keep the snow out and the heat in." They continued walking in companionable silence, everyone eager to get their camp set up so they could finally get warm. About fifteen minutes later, the hanyou jerked his head to the side. "Entrance is right over there. It's half hidden by that bush. You see it?"

Miroku headed over and pushed the bush to one side. "Are you sure nothing's living in there already?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Something was. It ain't no more."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"We'll have a good bit of meat to get us through the next few days. I'm sure you probably don't have enough food in that bag of yours to keep all of us, and that dog, fed. See that big lump over there?"

Sango went to check it out and smiled at what she found tossed into a snow drift. "That's a big bear, Inuyasha. How'd you take him down and not get hurt?"

The hanyou huffed in offense. "I'm not that weak, Sango." He shrugged, his cheeks flushing pink. "Besides, he was hibernating. He didn't see it coming."

"Oh," Kagome groaned. "Tell me the cave isn't full of blood."

"It's not. I broke his neck. No fuss, no muss. Now, can I put this mutt down? He reeks."

"Hang on," the miko said while scurrying through the opening that only came up to her waist. "I want to lay out a towel so he's not on the cold ground." Once inside, she clicked on her flashlight and took in her surroundings. "Not a bad find, Inuyasha," she called out to him. "Lucky we were nearby." The cave sloped down from the entrance until the ceiling was high enough that she could stand up straight without hitting her head, and it was easily big enough for all of them to rest comfortably, along with a roaring fire. The bear had made himself a comfortable nest that would serve as the perfect fire starter, and quite possibly bedding of their own as well. Anything that could put space between them and the frozen ground would be appreciated.

Knowing Inuyasha would quickly be growing impatient, she dug out one of her towels and laid it out. By the time she turned around, Inuyasha was behind her, ready to put down her new patient. "Just be careful, okay?" she said softly. She watched as her friend lay down the dog, grateful he didn't just drop him and be done with it. When he stood up and went to leave, Kagome stopped him. "Be careful out there, okay? If it's snowing too hard, you could get disoriented and your nose won't do you any good trying to find your way back."

"I won't get lost, wench."

Everyone else came inside to drop off their belongings before heading out to gather firewood. Sango offered to clean the bear, and Shippo stayed behind with Kagome, using his foxfire to light the cave so she could begin to arrange things. The kit helped her make a fire pit with some loose rocks he found in the back of the cave, and they placed some of the dried grasses and leaves from the bear's nest inside. She took out the rest of her cooking supplies and directed Shippo to fill her two largest pots with snow. Once the fire was started, she would melt it for water for both cooking and dealing with the dog's wounds.

When she was satisfied that she had done all she could, Kagome towel dried the soaking wet dog as much as possible. She then went outside and collected a few of the bear's organs, things they wouldn't eat that a dog would still enjoy. She brought them in and set them in front of him. "Now remember, you can't eat too fast. You'll only upset your stomach. Here, you can eat this now, and I'll bring you more later." She watched as he ate quickly and she sighed. She would have to be careful how much she gave him at a time, because it was obvious he would eat whatever was put in front of him, he was so hungry.

She heard rustling and turned in time to see Miroku bringing in some small logs. They were wet, but they would still burn eventually. It would just take a little more effort to keep the fire going. He arranged them in the fire pit before heading out for more. When he ducked his way inside again, Kagome headed towards the entrance.

"How about I stay in here, and you stay out there and just hand me the wood. It might save time, and maybe your back won't hurt as much from all that bending."

"A brilliant plan," Miroku agreed.

Kagome instructed Shippo on where they would be storing their wood supply, and then they began, passing one log at a time. She could hear as Inuyasha arrived with another load, and by the time they finished, they had a fairly good supply, though she didn't doubt they would need more.

"We'll be back, wench," Inuyasha said through the entrance.

Sango came inside soon after, carrying large slabs of meat in sling made of cloth. Kagome laid out another piece of the fabric, and the two women began piling the meat near the door so that it would stay cold before covering it up to keep it clean. The slayer took Kagome's third cooking pot back outside and filled it with the less appetizing parts of the bear for the dog. She even included a few long bones, still lined with meat, that she thought he might appreciate. More meat followed, added to their store, and once Sango was finished, Kagome's eyes brightened.

"How big was the bear, really?"

"I don't know, big," Sango replied, more than ready to rest.

"Shippo, keep an eye on the big guy for me, okay?" The kit agreed, and Kagome rushed outside to what was left of the animal. Holding back the urge to throw up at the sight of all the blood, she forced herself to pick up the skin.

"Kagome? What are you doing?"

"Is there a way to clean this up a little more, get as much flesh off it as possible?"

"Sure, why?"

"I think this would be perfect to cover the entrance. It's thicker than any blanket I have, and we only have so many blankets, anyway. We could stretch it over the entrance, find a way to secure it, leave a vent for smoke of course, and it would do wonders to keep the heat in and the wind and snow out."

"That's a great idea," Sango exclaimed. "And since it's so cold, I don't think we'll have any problem with a smell. Usually you'd have to dry it and salt it to keep it from rotting, but it'll just freeze, and we'll be good. Fur side out or fur side in?"

"Ummm, fur side in? That way we won't have to see the gory side."

Sango laughed. "Sure, but we will have to smell that the bear hadn't had a bath in a while."

"Can't be any fucking worse than that wet dog," Inuyasha said gruffly. He tossed another armload of wood next to what he and Miroku had already collected,  and headed back into the forest. "One more load and I think we'll be good for a while. Miroku, why don't you stay behind, and get all that in the cave. Maybe then you can get the fire started," the hanyou called back over his shoulder.

"Will do," Miroku called back, relieved to no longer be wandering around, searching for fallen limbs under a thick blanket of snow. It certainly wasn't an easy task.