The Heroic and Super-Duper Trials of a Girl and a Demon by UnknownRandomness

Optimism

A/N: Update 4 of 6.

Prompt: Lazy (Week 28)

Word Count: 442

Small yet brilliant shafts of light offered illumination in the dark cave, where a young woman's heavy-lidded gaze followed the progress of miniscule dust motes and tiny clumps of pollen. Although she could clearly see how bright and lively the morning was outside, inside, the cave seemed to enclose her weary body in a stuffy embrace, making the very air seem lethargic.

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to muster up the energy to get up and forage for food and gather firewood, as well as hunt. She had so much to do! Now was not the time to be lazing about! With a quiet groan, the miko managed to sit up, hunger making her movements slow. If she didn't eat soon, a youkai might decide that she was easy pickings. Disentangling herself from her blankets,  Kagome brushed her hair with trembling fingers, shouldered her bow and began her food expedition.

As luck would have it, there were bushes laden with tasty, non-toxic berries in close vicinity to her cave and she quickly picked some, munching happily away for a few minutes before gathering more to store in her bag.

'Now that I have some nutrition, I need to find somewhere to refill my water bottle... and if I could find an animal to eat, I'd be sorted.' 

Utilising knowledge gleaned from Sango and Kaede, the time-traveller located a small brook, with cool, clear water. 'Thank you, Sango, Kaede. I'm so glad I listened to your lesson on the importance of moss. Drinking her fill, the young woman stilled as an interesting thought popped into her head. 'It's likely that animals come to drink here- so if I could set a trap or lay in wait for them... I could have meat!' 

Filled with renewed vigour, Kagome scoured the banks for tracks, moving further upstream, and she eventually arrived at the source of the brook; a low cliff trickled water into a shallow pool, which slowly moved down a furrow filled with pebbles- effectively blocking any large detritus from flowing downstream. Kneeling down, she splashed her face and caught a gimpse of tracks in the springy moss. They were quite small and not very deep, but there was no mistaking the print of a wild pig.

"A baby pig? I don't want to kill a baby! Ugh, this is why Sesshoumaru hunts!" Kagome scowled. "Of course, now I don't have Mr. High-and-Mighty to depend on, or my friends. It's just me now, so I need to grow up!" Muttering furiously, the miko stalked the tracks, too caught up in herself to notice the amber eyes that were studying her every move.