Silent Serenity by Ichisumi-sama

The Refined Beauty of the West

 The Refined Beauty of the West

It was a fresh spring day. With the passing of the torrential rains, life had begun to peak out of its winter boroughs to make itself known. The rich green fields filled with the sweetness of blooming flowers, carpeting the hills and valleys. The majestic trees stretched their great limbs toward the sun seeking its illuminating nourishment. The plum, peach, cherry, and apple trees had began to bud with the blossoms that inspired great poetry for all who surveyed them. Crystal waters of lakes and ponds, streams and rivers, and every babbling brook were crisp and pure with the promise of glorious bounty for the lands they fed. A magnificent sight to behold.

 As she gazed over the beautiful sight before her, the Lady of the Western Lands held much longing for it.  She had felt her Lords power as he entered the Western domain long before any other had become aware. She was his mate after all. Finally she might be freed by his return to once again bound though those same majestic fields. The exhilaration of the thought of bounding in her true form nearly made her breathless. She heard the footsteps of one of her ladies in waiting before she entered the room filled with an excitement of another kind.

"My Lady, my lady the Lord has returned! Shall I prepare your robes immediately? Court is to be held now that his lordship has returned after so long an absence." said the excited young female. She was one of the lords most fervent admirers, and frequented lovers. A pretty young thing belonging to one of the miner inu clans. She had willingly and happily ruined any chance of a noble match.

It was the price every young Bitch was more than willing to pay, hopeful even.

A lifetime of possible ruin just to have the honor of bedding the high Lord and current Inu-no-Taishou of the reigning Shiro inu clan of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru-sama. Oh yes, many propositioned, some were accepted, but very few were elevated from conquest to lover. This one was soon to find that she had been forgotten like all the others. As Lady of the house it would then be in her jurisdiction to make sure the girl was mated to some social climbing dog. One who would not mind that his mate had once bedded the Western Lord? One who would use such a past relationship to possibly further his own goals to obtain some semblance of status amongst his own pack and peers. So used to the routine, Ai had already begun preparations. It was inevitable after all.

Ichisumi-no-Nishi, the "refined beauty of the West". The perfect title for the perfect little Lady. Long ago she was simply Ai daughter of General Isamu and Lady Takako. She was the only surviving pup of her mother's first litter. Shortly after her mother joined her two brothers in death. Her Otou-san had been devastated but under the advice of his Lord and friend Sugimi-sama, former Lord of the West, he had quickly re-mated to Madoka-san of the gold inu clan. Madoka was a good mate but a mediocre mother. Even after the birth of her own pups, Madoka-san was still indifferent to the young of her mate and left them mainly to nurses and maids. She did only what was needed and never exceeded those expectations. Daisuke her younger half brother and Chinatsu her younger half sister still flourished under such care.

Her Otou-san was so loving of his children, but she had always felt a special closeness to him. Her Otou had let her run free through the fields of their estates at her own leisure. She was not forced into the confined clothes of a "little Lady" as her one-chan Chinatsu. She often raided her brother Daisuke's wardrobe for his hakama and haori. Her father would just laugh and pretend not to notice the disapproving stares of his mate. Ichisumi had to give Madoka-san credit though. She had tried most ardently to make her into a "little Lady".

FLASHBACK

 "You will someday be expected to appear before your Lord in the high court Ai-chan. I will not have your oba-sama Lady of the West believe me to have been negligent in my raising you. She will come for you one day Ai-chan. You are her sister's only living pup. Though your mother mated a common inu, she was still of royal blood." Madoka chided as the rambunctious youkai girl plotted her revenge on the five layered kimono she had been forced into.

 "Madoka-san you worry too much. Why would a great Lady like her worry about her wild country niece? She will or has heard from our Lord through my Father how unmanageable I am and she will deem me unworthy. Our clan is wild and free. Unlike the "pampered poodles of court." rebutted the adolescent. Ai had yet to escape the kimonos clutches. "All the same Ai-chan I will not allow you to forget that your mother was a Lady. She was wild and free when she went to court and she was still wild and free when she left it to become your Otou-sans mate." Madoka said sifting through matching obi. "Above all these things she was still refined and polished. Your Otou-san is of the Black inu as are you by default but your coloring is of the silver. You are one of the true silver females that are left. They are a dying breed unfortunately, you are quite the commodity my dear. If only Chinatsu had had your blood-ties what a hime she would be."

 As Madoka had her back turned sorting through her many kimono, or torture devices to Ai, the young inu female had nearly freed herself from the many kimono she was already wearing. Just as Ai had become free, Madoka turned to see all her hard work in a ruined pile made by the troublesome one. The young female had moved to the balcony and was readying to leap off. "Ai-chan you will not jump from that balcony in only your yukata!" yelled Madoka. Ai gave a perfect bow to the Lady of the house just before she bounded off her balcony and into the awaiting lake waters below. "My apologies Madoke-san there will be no silk purses made from sows ears today!" yelled Ai before hitting the waters.

END OF FLASHBACK

Madoka had been right. Hatsumiji-sama had requested that upon her Fathers, General Isamu, next visit to court that Ai join him for a formal presentation. She had just reached maturity and Madoka had made sure every male within sensing distance was aware. She was no longer an adolescent pup but a ripe young female ready to be mated. Her Lady Aunt had been very pleased by this to say the least. Hatsumiji-sama had broken her down and built her back up all over again but stronger and more beautiful than before. She had given Ai the name Ichisumi-no-Nishi. Her Lady had planned to mate her to one of her mate's kin to cultivate her powers into the next generation so that her son Sesshoumaru's pups and Ichisumi's pups might mate and once again the silver would no longer be a dying breed. How could she have known her very powerful son would find in her young ward a desirable life-mate?

'What's done is done' thought Ai as she accepted the help of her ladies in waiting. Hiroko had been going on and on about how the castle was in an uproar over the Lords long awaited return. 'It does not matter. All I want is my freedom from theses walls. For years I have waited to join the outside world.' She thought with great anticipation.

Hiroko was a wonderful lady in waiting but a fool to think her Lady had not smelt her arousal at the thought of the returning Lord. "Hiroko?" asked Ai as she gazed into her mirror. "Yes milady how may I be of service?" answered the young thing. She genuinely wanted to serve Ai to the best of her abilities and bed her mistress' mate. "I wish to wear the official robes of the Alpha female of the Shiro clan." Ai remarked as she gazed into her mirror. Her long silver strands a blanket around her voluptuous body. Blue-silver eyes surrounded by long, thick, black lashes that gazed at their own reflection. Full plump lips hid razor sharp pearly white fangs. The ivory column of her long neck, the alluring swell of her pert breasts, the small waist, ended by the fulfilling roundness of her hips and toned length of her legs and arms which both ended in strong and elegantly cultured claws.  Ai was not unaware of her beauty, she just chose not to acknowledge it as often as one might assume.

As she stood from her vanity mirror and began to done the kimono with the assistance of Hiroko, her ladies maids had joined them to help prepare their lady. Hiroko had begun to check more and more on her own appearance then that of her mistress. It had begun to grate on Ai's nerves "Hiroko might I remind you that the Lord is returning to his duties not his lovers". She truly didn't want to embarrass the girl but she had been confined to the palace for far too long and her patience was almost spent. Hiroko immediately blushed and dropped onto her hands and knees baring her neck before her Alpha female. "I beg forgiveness of milady. I meant no disrespect" the girl groveled.

Ai was no fool. She was neither blind nor ignorant of her mates' sexual escapades. No she was none of the foolish names that the pampered poodles of court wished to assign her. She just knew her place was all.

It was her place as Western Lady and Alpha female to insure the concubines did not become pregnant. It was her place to make doubly sure with the lovers. It was in her place that she planned the future mating of these females once her Lord lost interest and he always did. It was her place to make sure that when the Lord wished to replace a concubine or lover that she just so happened to have taken on a new lady in waiting, or invited some noble's daughter, sister, cousin, and sometimes wife to be her personal guest or companion at the palace. "Toys" Hatsumiji-sama had said, "Make these Bitches your toys. The court is your game board and they are the pieces. You can move them anyway you want as long as you know when and how much. My mate would never cross me in this because he knows well that I have mastered this game. None will challenge me, and none shall challenge you. That is the place of the Alpha bitch" She had been an excellent teacher.

Hatsumiji-sama had been an excellent mentor in the maneuverings of court. Ai had listened intently and learned much believing that someday such knowledge might lead to her freedom from the confines of that vicious world. She wished to return to her home in the country with her family and her first love Shin. She had hoped that after her aunt had lost interest in her that she might be allowed to return to her loved ones, but Hatsumiji-sama had other plans in mind.

Flashback

Ai had gone to her Lady's rooms that morning to tell her that she wished to return to her lover so that they might be mated. At this the Lady had laughed most heartily, "You can't be serious Ai-chan! Why would I allow you to return to such a provencial existence? No you were given to me by your father, and I plan on using you for much greater things." The Lady gave her an appraising look while sitting in front of her mirror, "I will not let my sisters only surviving pup become nothing but a simple bed warmer for some wild dog of no consequence and waste such precious blood on pups who would grow up to be nothing but soldiers, and common country maids who would be seeded and pupped by even more common country dogs." She explained with great distaste.  "No my dear, the females of our line are bred to be the dams of Taishou heirs. You Ai-chan shall be mated to one of my Lords nephews. Your first female pup shall either be mate to my son or his heir whichever comes first." Hatsumiji had begun to brush her hair, "I would have given you to Sesshoumaru but your Father has made you common, an official member of the Black Inu Clan. I have always respected your Father for his hard work and perserverance; truthfully it was why my father even allowed him to mate my sister. He rose quickly in the ranks of the army even faster than my mate had as a prince. But he is still common blood. Long ago when the world was still wild the Black inu were dominant among us. They were born with a fierceness that was unrivaled. As time went on and the other children of the Kami, ningen, multiplied Inu youkai needed more than fierceness to survive. You know the legend of the Silver Ai-chan?" she paused in her brushing to wait Ai's answer.

 "Yes my Lady. Two pups were born to the Alpha of the black, male and female. As they grew the male was fierce and strong and lived only for battle and bloodshed. The female was also fierce and strong but she was also very clever and better suited to be Alpha. Her sire would not name her heir though she was the oldest and better choice because she was female. Her brother as they grew always reminded her of that fact at every opportunity. So she began to pray to the Kami of white for a way to end her sadness.

One day the male heir raided a human village and slaughtered all within including the young lover of a Kami who was expecting. When the Kami of white found his lover and unborn child dead he demanded the Alpha give him his son bound and delivered to his shrine to do with as he pleased. The Alpha knew not what to do, He had only one son and was to old to sire another. His daughter though was practical and clever. She knew the Kami grieved deeply for the loss of his lover and child and was truthfully a good Kami to all and no murderer.

 So she went her brother and asked him to grant her any favor if she could prevent the Kami from ever doing him harm. She asked that any son of her body be made Alpha. He gave his word of honor that it would be so thinking the Kami would kill her instead. She then went to the shrine of the Kami in the cover of night and waited. When the Kami arrived he became angered and thought the Alpha had tricked him but the female told him that her Sire did not know she had come in her brothers place. The Kami then asked why she would come to die in the place of so undeserving a brother for he had heard her prayers about his cruelty to her. She replied that she had always been the better choice for heir to her Father but she was only female. And she would settle for her son to be Alpha rather than herself.

The Kami then asked why he should care for her desires. She then told him that she would become his lover and provide him with a pup for the one he lost on the condition that he let her brother live to be humbled before her son. The Kami quickly agreed because in truth he had heard her prayers before and thought her very intelligent and beautiful indeed. That very night she was pupped and mated to the Kami. The Kami kept his word and did not kill her brother. When she returned she told her brother the Kami's promise to not harm him. When later she was found pupped with no mate she was banished from her clan by her brother in his anger for her strength for surviving the Kami's anger and her audacity to hold him her male superior to his word.

Time passed

One day the Kami appeared before the new Alpha of the Black. 'You will make my son Alpha or I will kill you.' The Alpha replied that the Kami had given his word to never do him harm and his son could not be Alpha. The Alphas sister then appeared with a mature inu male of great power of the Kami and strength and fierceness of his mother and the combined beauty of both parents. 

Her brother humbled by his foolishness and stupidity stepped down as alpha and her son became the first Inu-no-Taishou. She and the Kami had many children who mated among the Black, Gold, and Brown Inu. The pups born to them became the first members of the Shiro Inu Clan." Ai finished as Hastsumiji turned to face her.

"So you see my dear divine blood runs through your veins. You will be mother to a true silver. As I stated before I would give you to my son but I think he needs a tame Lady. There is a wildness in you that is inherent in most Black inu. I believe Hiro will be an excellent match for you. He is a minor Lord but a high ranking official within my mates legions. That young rogue will make excellent use of you my dear." The Lady smiled at her conspiritorily and continued to brush her hair.

End flashback

A knock came at the shoji taking Ai away from her musings. One of the Ladies had gone to answer as the others continued to prepare Ai. "The Lord has returned Ichisumi-sama and he requests your presences in his chambers" said the messenger before bowing and retreating down the hall. As the shoji shut out the sounds of the retreating pages footsteps, Ai prepared herself for the coming confrontation with her mate.