Chapter 3

"Who are you?"

Kagome had been walking all day. It was already starting to get dark. The first stars were just starting to twinkle in the rapidly darkening sky above her. She had no earthly idea where she was. The forest that surrounded her was not familiar. All she knew was the this forest was ancient, and was full of magic. To any normal human, the forest would have seemed eerie. The trees were unusually tall, with deep brown, almost black, bark. The branches spread across the sky, seeming to shelter everything beneath them. There was a darkness to the forest, but it wasn't evil, or foreboding. Kagome felt calm. Like the trees wanted to protect her. The only thing that seemed really strange to her was, she hadn't seen any animals at all since she came to this forest. Not even a bird.

'Maybe that's what makes it eerie.' Kagome thought, 'There isn't any sounds.'

Kagome shrugged her shoulders and kept walking. The forest loomed around her like the walls of a dungeon. Kagome pushed back some bushes, she came out of the forest, and stopped. There, only a few feet in front of her was a cliff. She sighed.

"Dead end." She said to herself.

Kagome was about to turn around an go back the way she had come, when she heard that strange comforting voice again.

'Jump into the gorge.'

Kagome stopped, stunned.

"Do what?!"

'Do not fear, jump into the gorge.'

Kagome gulped, and took a deep breath. She turned back to the cliff.

'I have to be insane!' Kagome thought.

Slowly she came to the end of the cliff, and stared down. She gasped. The gorge was so deep, she couldn't even see the bottom! A dense fog swirled around inside the cavernous pit. Kagome stepped back.

"NO WAY! I'm not jumping in there!"

'Do not worry, you will not be harmed.'

"How can I not be harmed! I can't even see the bottom!"

'Erase your fears and your doubts, no harm will come to you. now jump.'

Kagome timidly stepped to the end of the cliff again. Looking once more into the bottomless abyss. She swallowed.

'I guess I just close my eyes and jump.' she thought.

'Do not close your eyes.'

"Okay okay." Kagome said, a little exasperated.

Kagome took a deep breath, and cleared her mind. Looking down into the gorge, she leapt. The fog swirled around Kagome's body. It was strange, the fog wasn't cold, or wet. Kagome watched as the fog began to take shape. Slowly, a large bird appeared from the twisting fog. Amber eyes looked into smoky blue. Kagome's eyes widened when she saw the full size of the bird. It was easily the same length as a big rig truck. And it's wings stretched on forever, it seemed. It's feathers where the color of new spring grass. A bright beautiful green. One deep blue stripe stretched from the corner of each amber eye. It's tail was long, and trailed behind it like a banner. Four strips of blue ran down it's tail. Slowly, the bird flew beneath Kagome. She landed on it's back with a soft thump. It's feathers were softer then silk.

"What? What's going on here?" Kagome asked.

The bird looked back at her, but did not acknowledge her beyond that. The bird flew threw the gorge, going lower and lower. Kagome looked around her, trying to see anything through the fog. Suddenly, one of the cavernous walls loomed in front of them. The bird landed softly on a large ledge. It looked back at Kagome. She stared into it's amber eyes. Impatience flashed across them.

"You can get off me now." The bird said.

Kagome was shocked out of her stupor. She blinked.

"You can talk!"

The bird sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, and you have a gift for stating the obvious. Now if you don't mind. Get off."

Kagome nodded and slid from the birds back. In front of them was a large cave. Big enough for the bird to walk in easily.

"Come." The bird said.

Kagome hesitated.

"Um, can I ask you something?" she asked.

The bird turned back to her.

"Yes?"

"Well, who are you?"

"My name is Saria." He said.

Saria turned once again to enter the cave.

"Um, Saria?" Kagome said.

Without turning, Saria said.

"What is it now?"

"Um, where are we going?"

"We are going to see my mistress, now come."

Quietly Kagome followed. She wasn't sure who his mistress was. But she knew that she had to be the one who had spoken to Kagome in her mind.

--At Kaede's hut--

"Waaaaaaaaaaa! I want my mama!" Shippo cried against Sango's shoulder.

She patted his back softly, and looked up at the Hanyo that sat brooding in the corner.

"Inu Yasha, are you sure you don't know where Kagome is?" She asked.

"Feh, what am I, her keeper?"

Sango frowned.

"No, your supposed to be her protector."

Inu Yasha flinched visibly.

"Look, all I know is that she got upset, sat me till I was out cold and took off!" Inu Yasha yelled.

Miroku shook his head. He looked up at his exasperating companion.

"Didn't you follow her sent?" He asked.

"Of course I did! But I was only able to follow it for a while before it just disappeared."