The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass
By Dragoness
Written in response to: Reinventing the Classics with Priestess Skye
Inuyasha forest was strangely quiet. The animals that hadn’t run scared for their lives were now hidden safely in dens trying to be as quiet as possible. Word had spread quickly throughout the forest about the three nobles that had entered into an agreement to assist each other in the chase. They had run all over the countryside in their attempts to prove that they each were able to provide for their mate-to-be by securing a large booty.
The agreement was that three would split the booty and then along with those riches each would present a mating gift of their own making to the princess Kagome. The booty would prove their ability to provide for the princess. This was mostly just a formality as the princes all had great wealth. The deciding factor would be the mating gift the princes were to present. By having the princes make their own gift the princess Kagome would have a chance to see into the hearts of the ass, fox, and lion prince. What they made would be a reflection of them and Kagome felt this would be the best way to pick which of the princes she would mate. This was also the only way she could figure to solve the problem of the three without starting an all-out war between the lands.
Once this was done it would be up to the princess to make her final decision.
The first suitor was the Lion Prince Sesshomaru. He was ferocious and feared by all in his own right. More of a loner everyone in the kingdom were astounded when he announced his interest in taking the Princess Kagome for a mate. For some time before this it was speculated that the Lion Prince had no interest in ladies at all as he never gave them so much as a glance.
The second suitor was the Fox Prince Kouga whose kingdom was not nearly as grand as that of the Lion Prince but was more than enough to provide for the Princess. Whereas the Fox Prince's kingdom was not known for its strength it made up for this with their sly sneaky ways. They did excellent reconnaissance and were very fast. Once they got the information on their enemy they would set a trap to give them the advantage and then use what strength they had to be the victor.
Long had he had his eyes set on the Princess Kagome, even going so far as to nickname her his woman (though of course not in front of many people or very loudly).
The final suitor was the Ass Prince Inuyasha. Powerful in his own right but he was also very stubborn and rash. Had it not been for the kindness and fondness the Princess Kagome held for the Ass he would not be able to compete. Upon passing the marketplace with her entourage she noticed some of the people from the surrounding village making fun of Prince Inuyasha because he was an ass. Having nothing to do with the nature of his birth but not one to be made fun of Inuyasha started to kick those around him with his hind legs before everyone suddenly froze at the voice yelling at them. It was then that Prince Inuyasha first laid eyes on the fair Princess Kagome. As she stood there scolding those around him and chastising Inuyasha for letting his temper get the best of him he couldn't even reply with a smart retort. She was so beautiful and accepting that the ass prince fell head over heels in love and vowed to get to know the princess. From that day on they had become friends of a sort so when news of the intentions of the two princes reached his ears he instantly partitioned to take part in the chase for the chance to mate the princess Kagome.
The princess herself as stated was very kind. She firmly believed in not judging someone by what species they were or their looks. She treated everyone as a friend until she was shown different. She was extremely beautiful and had a warm and giving attitude that drew people to her. She had a great amount of land and her people were very well taken care of. She was also very powerful. It was said that she was a holy woman of extraordinary power. There was even speculation that her lands were so far ahead of everyone else’s because the princess Kagome could catch glimpses of the future. Of course the princess Kagome would neither admit nor deny such claims, stating that the only one who would ever know would be her mate.
It was assumed that the fox prince Kouga would be the one to mate the princess since he had been trying to court her for so long. Things go a little more complicated when she met the ass prince Inuyasha. At first no one thought anything about it as she often drew people of all types and species towards her. But before long it was clear to anyone who cared to look that the ass prince Inuyasha had become smitten with the princess also. No one saw the lion prince Sesshomaru as any kind of suitor until he stepped up and announced his intentions. His news left many gaping mouths open and more than a few broken hearts. The princess Kagome saw the troubles this would cause as the three princes were from different nations. Not wanting to start a war if possible the princess came up with this agreement so that there would be no doubt of her choice and also of her reasons.
As the day drew to a close the three princes agreed to camp for the night. They then decided that this would be a good time to split the booty evenly between them.
"Prince Inuyasha'" the fox prince inquired. "What have you decided to make to present as a mating gift to the lovely princess Kagome?"
"Feh," Inuyasha scoffed, "I don't need to make her anything. As far as I am concerned this is all a formality anyway. I've known the wench much longer than the two of you I don't doubt she would pick me in a heartbeat. We are friends after all."
Just as prince Kouga was about the reply to the statement he heard a low rumble from his right. Looking in that direction he saw prince Sesshomaru stand from his previous lounging position looking beyond angry. Letting out a roar he started to close in on the ass prince.
"What did you just call my future mate to be ass?" He all but growled out. He was so angry at the ass's disrespect that he could hardly speak.
Prince Inuyasha not realizing the danger responded haughtily, "You heard me. What of it?"
The fox prince was now looking between he both in dismay. This was supposed to be peaceful, but from the vibes he was receiving it was about to be anything but. While he was debating on the best way to diffuse the situation quickly the Prince Sesshomaru launched at Prince Inuyasha and started ripping him apart.
Not only was the Lion Prince brutal in his killing but he seemed to also be enjoying himself immensely. After completely eviscerating the body of the late ass prince Inuyasha prince Sesshomaru returned to his previous spot. Taking his time to slowly lick the blood from his claws he fixed the Fox Prince Kouga with a stare that could make the bravest men run for the hills.
Smirking while he flashed a fang Sesshomaru finally addressed an extremely uncomfortable fox prince.
"Prince Kouga, will divide up the up the ass's portion?" Sesshomaru asked in a way that left no room for argument.
"Of course prince Sesshomaru," Kouga answered as he immediately started to do as he was bid.
Kouga then proceeded to divide the booty making sure to give himself the smallest portion possible. After that last display he would have given it all to Sesshomaru but Kouga needed to have enough to make sure he still honored the agreement. If he could just make it look like he had lost some of it in their travel back to the kingdom he was home free.
With an evil glint in his eye prince Sesshomaru questioned, ""Who has taught you, my very excellent fellow, the art of division? You are perfect to a fraction."
To this the fox prince replied, "I learned it from the Ass, by witnessing his fate."
"How astute of you Prince Kouga,” prince Sesshomaru responded as he continued to lick the last bits of blood from his claws.
A chill running down his spine prince Kouga shifted to a better position in case he needed to use his speed before morning.
Fin
Happy is the man who learns from the misfortunes of others.