"There is no trouble...at least not of your own doing. Your scent has been carried through the wind and attracted the attention of another clan of demons...it is mildly irritating but it is not a problem that has no solution. I'd simply prefer to have you at a safe distance from it should a conflict arise" Seirei replied with ease, the tips of his multiple tails twitching as he continued to walk at a steady rate.<br/><br/>Running through the forest would have been far more agreeable and it probably would have helped them avoid the demon he felt was coming in his bones, but Hikaru did not have the speed of the Kitsune...nor was he familiar with their surroundings. While Seirei could easily still carry him, should the opposing demon attack, Hikaru would be in the way of danger and that was the last the fox demon wanted or needed. It was best that he got the mortal out of the direct area before he confronted the annoying pest that seemed to crave any oppostunity he could to cross blades with him. And perhaps, any other day Seirei might not have been so bothered by it but the fact that Hikaru was here had his protective instincts rising. Instincts that had seemed to linger throughout the years after the boy's departure from the forest.<br/><br/>Pausing in their stride when the human split away from them, Seirei watched the young mortal with a flicker of interest in his golden eyes before his attention was being drawn away again. The birds gathering around them could only mean that this nuisance was drawing closer and that was not particularly a good thing. If Touma caught sight of a human within their forest, the damned bird would want to dig his claws into Hikaru without a doubt. The crow demon's hate for mortals nearly outweighed the general loathing the rest of the beings within the forests harbored for humanity. And though it wasn't without cause, Seirei would sooner rip Touma's wings from his body than allow the other demon even the minuscule of a chance to hurt Hikaru.<br/><br/>Growling low in frustration when the number of birds increased around them, Seirei's eyes narrowed as he watched them swoop down to attack Hikaru. It took but a moment after the boy had spoken and the birds begun to come down towards the human in more numbers, that Seirei's tails extended from behind him and wrapped around the human protectively. Tatsuo and Natsume wasted no time in dropping their bundles to the ground and leaping at the offending crows, more than once coming down with a bird between their jaws and giving no thought in crushing them with the force of their bites.<br/><br/>Pulling Hikaru's somewhat behind him with the gentle pressure of his tails, Seirei scanned the area around them while paying the minimum attention to the crows around them. Once or twice his hand rose the slash a flying nuisance out of the air around them but for the most part he seemed to be searching for something around them. "To answer your questions, little one, yes these are tengu and yes, in this forest this is relatively normal. Tengu can take many forms, not just the ones you've heard about. Like my sons, they may choose to remain in their animal bodies or they may take a more humanoid appearance. And yes again, they were the trouble I was speaking about....though they are more an annoyance than anything else. Especially when they invade territory that is not theirs" Seirei responded in a rather absentminded fashion, seeming almost distracted.<br/><br/>Catching the movement of a large creature far above them and the attacking birds, Seirei's ears flickered in mild irritation before the claws on his defending left hand seemed to shine with a glow of their own. It took just a sharp motion across the air and down for a whip of demonic light to erupt out of his claws and slam into a dozen of the birds around them, cutting most in half and disintegrating a few others.<br/><br/>"Shall I kill more of your clan, Touma, or will you cease this foolishness?" Seirei spoke again but this time his words were directed to the man that could be seen hovering several feet above them.<br/><br/>A man with beautiful, massive black wings, piercing gray eyes and facial hair in the form of a goatee of sorts. Broad shoulders gave way to equally powerful arms that were crossed against a bare muscled chest, long midnight black hair flowed around him in the wind and a cruel twist of the lips had a cold smile appearing on his face.<br/><br/>"You seem to have found yourself in the company of a vermin, Seirei....I am simply trying to assist you in getting rid of it, lest it taint our forest with its foul presence" the deep, baritone the left the dark hair man was not welcoming nor warm in the least. If anything it was as cruel and hate filled as his eyes.<br/><br/>"You are in fox territory, pushing the boundaries of my patience and placing yourself into a situation that does not concern you. Clearly you have yet to learn your place from our last encounter" Seirei responded, tone noticeably aloof and colder than it had been when he had been addressing Hikaru.<br/><br/>Turning to look at the crouched forms of his sons who snarled up at the demon from either side of him, Seirei slowly released Hikaru from his tails and addressed the trio quietly "Natsume, Tatsuo...get the boy to the village and wait for me there. I should not take too long to reach you".<br/><br/>There was a stretched moment of silence when his kits eyed Touma high above them, debating whether or not they wanted to miss having a piece of the man...however, it didn't last. Dipping their head in acknowledgement at their father, Natsume quickly bent to pick up their forgotten bundles in the grip of his jaws again while Tatsuo rounded Hikaru and dipped low to the ground in order to push his body under Hikaru and lift him onto his back.<br/><br/><b>"Hold on tight, you're in for quite a ride"</b>the fox murmured before he was looping off behind his brother and speeding through the forest around them, leaving the sounds of explosions and beginning battle far behind them.