I don't know how long time has passed, but I've been walking for quite some time now. I went towards a direction that I've never headed before. I can hear the chirping of the birds becoming more and more livelier in the open field. I can feel the gentle sunlight that is shining through but the weather is still chilly, at night time it's colder since technically it is still Winter. I breathe in the fresh air the world is providing me, it's probably a good few hours now since I left the village, my heart seems a little lighter now. I wonder when I'll be able to find the next village or town, it could be days. Although that thought crosses my mind but it doesn't discourage me. I am far from the village now, and I feel like I left behind all of my pent up feelings there as well. Since I don't have any paper or charcoal left, I can't draw anything. I stop walking in the field of snow that is almost gone, I tilt my head back and face upward towards the openness that is above me. My eyes turns to the sun, I can't see anything. Normally, a person with sight won't be able to look up at the sky when the sun is out, you would have to squint your eyes to block out the sunlight, but I don't need to, the sunlight does not bother me. I sigh, I then lower my head and slide my feet along the wet snow. As an artist, when you don't have anything you have to procrastinate and use whatever you have. Since I have nothing in mind I have nothing particular to draw. I exhale and I begin to slide my feet while hopping on my other, I drew lines after lines. Occasionally some shapes, mountains, trees, birds and so forth. The whole field is my paper, I don't know when the sun will set but it doesn't matter to me. I continue walking a bit more, I feel slightly sleepy. After walking a bit further, I can hear the faint sound of water flowing I smile, I follow it. It's been almost more than half the day till I heard something different than the chirping of the birds, The soft ground beneath my feet soon turns hard and rocky. The sound of the water is louder now, it's a stream. I tap my walking stick along the rocky earth beneath me and walk towards the sound little bit little, soon, my walking stick hits nothing and that's when I realize that I'm at the edge of the stream. I put down my bundle and kneel down, I place my hands into the flowing water. The cold water hits my skin and I shiver slightly, I take a deep breath and put it back into the liquid again. I scoop up a palmful of water and I smell it, no unordinary smell. I drink it and I let the cold liquid slide down my throat, it quenches my thirst and refreshes my being. I take another deep breath and I stand up.

"I should take a nap here, rest my eyes a little." I say to myself.

I turn around and I walk to the side, I can feel tall presences around the stream, I assume they are trees. I put out my walking stick and I find something, I whack my walking stick on it a few times. The same echoless sound fills the space, it's a tree. I put down my bundle on the ground and I sit down, I then lean back. Against the hard wooden tree trunk and close my eyes, I put my walking stick on my lap. I begin to tap my fingers on the wooden stick and listen to the flowing stream, I think I'll be able to move on. In time, I doze off. When I come to, the air seem colder. The sound of birds has silenced, is it night time now? I sit up straight and stretch, looks like I got a good rest. I stand up and pick up my bundle and walking stick, but then I hear something. I stop what I'm doing and hold my breath, I can hear heavy footsteps on my left, they are becoming louder and closer by the second. I wonder who or what it is? Is it a demon? I begin to feel scared, I can't see so it adds on to the fear and the unknown. I hear the footsteps stop and a growl, I tense up and press myself against the tree trunk. I can smell a faint oder, it's quite strong and unfamiliar. It smells almost like an animal's, a smell that a feline would have without grooming, a bit oily but at the same time a strong scent that is intoxicating. Also I sense a strong aura that is so unfamiliar. I don't feel safe. I then hear the footsteps coming over towards me, I think it found me.

"A human? Well this is new." I hear the voice say with amusement but at the same time something in his voice makes me feel uneasy.

It's a male's voice, he sounds cunning although he only said a few words but I can tell it's not going to end well. He said "a human" which means he's most likely a demon, and probably a dangerous one too. I hold tightly to my walking stick, I'll swing it in case something happens.

"Who and what are you? What do you want?" I ask him on guard.

" A human with a high sense of danger, I'm impressed, but since I caught you here, it will be difficult for you to leave here." He says.

"What do you mean? What do you want and what are you?" I ask him again holding my walking stick up slightly.

"No names are needed, but I will tell you that I am a demon, a leopard to be precise. You see I have come out to hunt, since it's still technically Winter, food is scarce. It's been a while since I've encountered a human but luckily I've encountered one tonight. I haven't hunted a human in a while but I suppose I shall start again." It says with a chuckle.

I feel my blood run cold at his words, my eyes begin to wonder around in fear. I hold my walking stick up and fling it around.

"Hm? A blind human but with a fighting spirit? This hunt should be interesting." I hear him say again, his voice becoming lower and more evil sounding.

"You are not laying a finger on me, you come any closer I'll hit you on the head hard with my stick, I'll make sure you'll run away with your tail between you legs. Leave me alone!" I yell at him.

"We'll just see about that!" I hear it say.

I then hear fast footsteps, he's coming towards me, and fast. I widen my eyes in shock, I need to do something quick or I'll be food. I listen and I wait for his footsteps, a bit more, just a bit more. Now! I swing my walking stick in front of me hard and I feel it hit something, a loud crack is heard and a growl. I hit him! The impact of the hit vibrates through my hands and up my arms, the pain makes me drop the walking stick. I don't know where I hit him or how hard but I can't just stand here I need to do something fast, I turn around and I take a step forward to run. I then feel something sharp scratch my left ankle and I trip on a rock, I let out a gasp. I fall forward hard and I land on my hands on the rocky ground, pain shoots up my left leg. I twisted my ankle, a painful sensation runs through my ankle as well, something runs down my feet. It must be blood, he scratched me.

"Let's see how far you can run." I hear him say with a low growl.

"You won't get me that easily!" I shout back.

I can hear the water in front of me I drag my body to the edge and I pull myself into the cold water, the coldness submerges me. It's so cold that it hurts but if I want to survive I have to, I close my eyes as my head dives under the water. The water current carries me down the stream, I just might be able to escape. But I know I can't stay underwater forever or I'll die. I don't know how far down the stream I am now but I need to get out of the water, if I can run, I'll run. I lift my head out of the water and I gasp, I cough and I open my eyes. How I wish I can see, especially at a time like this. The coldness of the water and air is numbing my body, my ankle still hurts. I grab onto the edge and I shiver, I pull myself out of the water with the energy that I have left. I pant heavily, I think I'm on the other side of the bank. I can't feel my hands almost and I'm shaking, but my mind is telling me to run. I bit my lips and I prop myself up to stand up.

"You think you can run? Think again." I hear the same voice says from the other side of the stream.

My heart stops, oh no he followed me. I instinctively turn around at the sound of his voice, I wish I didn't. I then hear the wind swoosh and a growl from him, is he leaping across the stream? It's not a surprise since he's a leopard and a demon, he's going to have inhuman ability and agility. The next thing I know I feel his clawed hands push me back onto the rocky ground hard, I groan and let out a scream. The impact almost knocked the wind out of my lungs, I hit my head slightly on the ground. I feel dizzy. He has me pinned to the ground, my right hand is free, the bell on my wrist rings without stopping as I try to pry this demon off of me. I hit his face with my dominant hand which is the hand that has the bracelet. It hurts but it's the only thing left that I can do, I push against his chest hard, the bell still rings as I pushed.

"Quite strong for a human who's blind, but what will happen if you lose the strength in your limbs?" He asks me with a chuckle.

'What?" I let out shocked.

The next thing I know, I feel his claws grabbing onto my right wrist, and then ripping into my skin and flesh, the wrist that is pushing against his muscular chest. I hear the bell chime and falls from my shredded wrist, he cut my bracelet off. I hear it fall onto the ground and stopped ringing, pain shoots through my arm and fills my entire senses. I let out a pained scream, I can feel blood rushing down my wrist and down my arm. I can't move my right hand, he must have teared into my tendons. Tears are streaming down my face, I feel my entire body and mind going numb. I scream again in pain and I cry, how did it come to this? I'm going to die, alone and cold. I'm losing blood and it's making my consciousness become hazy, I'm blacking out.

"We can't have you die now, I would very much like to keep you alive and eat you when Spring comes around in the next few days." I hear his voice say.

He sounds far away, I feel my eyes closing. Before I totally black out, Inuyasha flashes in my mind. I'm never going to hear his voice again, I feel my heart beating faster. I try to calm my heart and mind down, because if it continues, I'm going to lose more blood. I try to move my drawing hand again but I can't, only my pinky moves slightly but all the others, no. My body is going numb and weak, I feel myself shiver involuntarily. I try to stay awake but I can't, my eyes eventually close, but not before I feel my body being lifted into the air and then thrown over the demon's shoulder. My conscious fades away. I feel my body shaking when I come too, my head is spinning and I feel weak, I'm on my side and I can feel the hard ground against my skin. Flush against my skin, am I ? I shake my head to try and wake myself but the more I try to wake myself up the more dizzy I become, I feel so weak and cold. I try to move my hands but they are bound behind my back, and when I try to move my hands only one of them does, I basically can't feel my dominant hand. I then remember the demon slicing through my wrist, I can feel dry blood on my arm. Something is tightly wrapped against my wrist I feel my circulation is about to be cut off. Where am I? I try to get up but I don't have the strength to, my hair is covering my face but I can't brush it away from my face. My heart is beating fast and I can't seem to calm it down, how did I end up like this. I then hear twigs and dry grass, someone is coming close to me.

"Looks like you're awake." A male's voice says.

It's the demon, he's here. I then feel him use his sharp claw and swipe away the lock of hair that is in front of my face, almost like he's playing with a toy.

"Where am I and where are my clothes?" I ask him trying to sound brave.

"Does food need clothes? I don't think so, and you are my food." He responds.

"How cruel... why am I alive? Why didn't you just kill me?" I ask him again.

"You have a strong fighting spirit, I want to see just how long you'll last. It's been pretty boring lately, so finding a human with a stubborn spirit will be good entertainment for a while. Your wrist has been cut open and deep enough to severe some tendons, having you dying so early would be boring so . I have tied a strip of your kimono below your wrist to prevent you from completely bleeding out. You are still losing blood bit by bit, but looks like you'll live for another three days or so. I'm going out hunting again, then when your time comes I'll feast on you." He says with a chuckle at the end.

"How can a being do this..." I say quietly.

"It's life, I'm not human. You never know when a life will come to an end, it could be yours or it could be mine, but until our time comes we live by our rules. Now, don't try to run, because you're in my den. If I remember you are blind, so there's no point in trying because you'll never get out of here, your ankle is swollen so I wonder how far you can get if you did run. Be a good girl and stay until I come back." He says.

I hear him get up and leave, I want to cry but I feel to frustrated. I feel humiliated and degraded, I'm going to die and I can't even get up to run. The worst part is, I can't see my surroundings and I've almost lost the feelings in my dominant hand. I have no other choice but to lay on the ground , I'm thirsty, hungry, cold and injured. I feel like giving up but then someone flashes in my mind, Inuyasha. I feel my heart beat faster, why am I thinking of Inuyasha at a time like this? I try to find reasons but in the end it all comes down to one, because I love him. I want to hear his voice again one day, I want to be able to talk to him again as well. For that, I'll hold on, I'll try my best to get up and escape. But I can't right now, I don't have the strength. He has to eat everyday so I'll try my best to regain my strength and escape when he's out, with a goal set I can't stay awake any longer as I feel dizzy. My eyes close and I tuck my body together as close as I can to keep my body warm, I try my best not to cry. I have to rest I have to regain my strength, my body may be broken but my soul isn't, not yet. I empty my mind as much as I can, but I keep one thing lit, Inuyasha. I don't know if I fell asleep or lost consciousness, but I black out. When I come to, I feel colder than before, I must be getting sick, I'm shivering all over. I don't hear the demon around, but I can hear the faint sounds of birds outside, is it morning? Afternoon? I feel tired still, looks like I'm not getting any better. How am I still alive at this rate? The weather is cold my immune system can't hold on when I'm bare, I'm getting a cold. Not a surprise I jumped into the cold stream as well, I let out a sigh. I need to escape, tonight is the night. I close my eyes and I wait a bit more, I think I fell asleep for about an hour or 2, I have no idea what time it is but if I want to escape it has to be as soon as possible. I wait and listen for any footsteps or sounds, but the chirping of birds have died down. He must be out hunting again, with my elbow and with the abdominal strength that I have left I prop myself up. My ankle is still swollen, but I have to endure if I want to get out of here, I don't know where I'll run too since I can't see, but I'll let the wind guide me. I take a deep breath and I back up, there has to be a hard surface that I can use as support. I feel cold bumpy surface behind me all of a sudden, I feel the surface with the hand that can still feel, it's a wall. I think I'm in a cave since he said it's a den, I push my body against the cave wall and stand up. Pain shoots up my leg but I bite my lower lips and shut my eyes, I take a deep breath. I'm shivering but I can't let it stop me, I'll run and I'll give my freedom a shot. Whoever finds me I hope that they will be better than the demon now. I feel the wall behind me and I slide to the left, if I keep going I'll eventually find the opening. Since I can still hear, I listen to the wind that's outside. I follow the direction of the faint wind blowing, the rough grass and twigs digs into my feet. Soon my bounded hands doesn't feel the wall anymore, there it is the opening. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the worst, but I'll take the chance.

"Let's do this_____________." I say to myself.

I turn back and I run, I can hear the outside wind in front of me. My hair flies behind me as I run, soon the rocky ground turns into cold melting snow. I'm out, I don't stop running, the hard snowy ground hits the soles of my feet and it hurts. The shock of the impact echos through my legs, I keep running with my hands bound behind me, bare and weak. My breath is laboured and I'm thirsty and dizzy from the amount of blood that I've lost. I don't know how long I've been running but I should be far away from the den by now, I might be able to get far enough so that he won't be able to find me. Suddenly I feel something slam against me from my right and knocks me onto the ground, strong arms pins me on my back. I let out a gasp of shock and pain, no it can't be...

"Strong soul indeed, I didn't think you would escape. Shall we head back now?" The familiar sly voice says.

"Let me go! I'm not going to be your toy or dinner!" I shout at him.

"Your life is in my hands now, I'll decide that, but it seems like I'll keep you a bit longer since you're still able to fight. Tsk look, because of your foolishness your wrist is bleeding again, the snow is dyed in red." I hear him say with a sigh of irritation.

I feel weak again, I feel liquid run down my wrist, I really feel like at this point I'm going to die. My head is spinning and the pain front the run finally registers completely, I shut my eyes in pain. I then feel him grab my arms and fling me over his shoulder again, I'm so weak and tired now I don't even have the strength to move anymore. Whatever happens next, let it happen. But for the time that I have left, I'll let the thoughts of Inuyasha be my light. I let my eyes close as the walk of the demon lulled me to sleep, when I regain my consciousness slightly I feel immobile completely, my arms are tied around my back still, I can feel slightly sticky liquid against my skin on my arm, must be my blood. I try moving my legs but they are stuck together, I realize that my legs are bound. I feel completely useless now, I feel dizzy and exhausted. I hear footsteps walking away.

"Now you won't be able to run anymore, I can finally go hunting a bit further now. Rest as much as you want, you'll need it." The faint voice of the demon says above me.

I don't even feel like talking anymore, I close my eyes and let my fatigue take over my senses. My body feels numb now, my body is broken. I'm shivering, will I ever feel the Spring breeze against my skin again? I don't know but I can only hope. I then black out.