Chapter Text
Beneath his feet, the twigs and fallen leaves crunched with a fresh contrast. The seasons were on the cusp of changing, the air taking on the nightly chill it always did this time of year. Pausing in his trek, he turned his nose to the sky and took a deep breath. Holding it for a few seconds before exhaling through his nose, he began to decipher what exactly he was smelling.
The scent of Rin clung to him as it should, he had just finished his visit with her at the old Miko’s hut.
Layered on him were also the scents of the village, his little brother’s village, among them Inuyasha’s scent and that of his pack members. Minus one.
There was the scent of the greenery around him, thick with an oncoming decay.
The freshness of a nearby stream, the saltiness of the fish living in the passing waters.
Sesshoumaru took another deep breath in, his face strained in concentration.
He knew she was out here. He knew. He had seen her wander off this way earlier in the day when he had first arrived in the village. A quick nod of her head as she passed him and no more.
And yet, he could not scent her. Could not even sense her aura.
This would not do.