Clash of Alphas by sarhea

Bokusenou - First Person POV

~ooO First Person – Bokusenou Ooo~

Few know what a mori-youkai is capable of, especially one as old as myself. They think I am trapped, pinned to one location, unable to wander, helpless if attacked. Ignorant fools. They don’t know anything!

Anyone who dares to attack my grove would be subject to potent pollens and other pheromones that would incapacitate them before they even got close to my heartwood. I might not be able to wander but I know things no one else ever will, I know secrets that many have slaughtered to protect. How you may ask? Well let’s just say keeping secrets is useless around one who hears Everything. I hear the voices of not just speakers like ningen and youkai, but the voices of plants, animals, and the land itself. Whatever they see or hear of will eventually reach my ears. Most the rumours and eyewitness accounts take weeks to reach me, sometimes days, but something truly significant only takes minutes.

By truly significant I don’t mean who has killed which lord and taken over his holdings. I don’t mean when a noble heir is born or mated, not unless they were marked by the Fates. Such Fates-marked individuals can be sensed by the land which whispers to the grass which whispers to the wind. Such words will eventually reach my ears. But there are moments when I Know the moment a significant Event has occurred. Because the power ripples through the land in seconds and reaches my grove. I Knew the instant Midoriko pushed her soul out of her physical self and forged the Shikon. I knew when the Inu no Taisho fell in battle. When such an Event occurs the knowledge is unavoidable to one such as myself.

Of course having a reputation for wisdom and knowledge does have its downsides. Many daiyoukai and even a few brave ningens sought out the location of my grove, to seek my advice. The poor fools never knew they passed just a few feet away from my physical self. I never bothered to reveal myself because those interested in amassing purely material wealth never interested me. They were mostly violent short-sighted power-hungry fools. That’s why when the Inu no Taisho caught my interest I was willing to swear a vow of vassalge to him. Of course he was just plain Sugimi at the time, unmated young and fairly inexperienced. But there was something different about him. He was willing to truly listen and consider other views, youkai and ningen.

I was truly sorry when I was first introduced to his son and heir. A cold, dispassionate, narrow-minded being that was so unlike his sire. I truly think Sugimi did his lands a disservice by seeking a powerful mate and dam for his heir. I was not surprised when I eventually heard the Inu no Taisho had chosen to give his attentions to a ningen hime who bore him a second heir. InuKimi was too cold for one as warm-hearted as Sugimi.

Sometimes I wonder if Sugimi had anticipated his death. Despite his strength and relatively young age he had made plans for disposing his most powerful legacies…his swords. I had not seen much point in leaving Tenseiga to Sesshoumaru; he had no compassion in his heart. But what I heard in recent months has made me reconsider my views. Sesshoumaru had used Tenseiga successfully to revive a ningen girl-child. He fought to protect her. He had chosen to ally himself with Sugimi’s second son, his hanyou half-brother. He respected and trusted the miko with what he had chosen to protect. Perhaps father and son were not so different after all. And what I have just heard has only confirmed it.

The Western Lord has taken a human as a mate; a miko…the Shikon miko.

I pity Sugimi’s younger son. He has lost a treasure but it’s his own fault. He was foolish enough to not see the treasure he held within his grasp. He had not bothered to cement his claim on her, only chasing off her suitors. Did he really think he could fight off every single male interested in the miko? It certainly seems like it from his actions. Or more precisely his inactions. But the situation was mostly the result of his choices. He left her unclaimed, unmarked, and very available to any other interested male.

I am curious to know exactly how Sesshoumaru persuaded her to accept his mark. From what I heard the miko Kagome was very loyal to InuYasha. He must have done something truly terrible for her to accept Sesshoumaru’s suit. Or perhaps his inaction was what drove her to towards another male.

I do hope Myouga stops by with more detailed information. Hiding my location from ninety-nine percent of the populace off the well-travelled paths did have its downsides. I don’t have ready access to the more conventional sources of information…gossip.

TBC...