Dreams were nice for hunting pretty, shiny things, but real collectors go looking in nightmares. That’s what she had always been told, at least. Her ancestors were known for their abilities to eat dreams. It wasn’t just dreams they consumed, but also nightmares. Hence where she found herself now—the nightmare of a little girl who followed behind the eldest son of the great dog daiyōkai, Tōga.

She wouldn’t normally stick this close to another yōkai, especially one as well-known as Sesshōmaru. However, she was starving, and she couldn’t help but notice the little girl’s struggles to sleep peacefully. Which is why she found herself devouring the nightmare. Once she reopened her eyes, she let out a startled yelp and backpedaled.

Standing in front of her was Sesshōmaru himself. Swallowing nervously, the dream-eating yōkai held up her hands in a defensive manner. She knew she couldn’t fight him. So instead, she’d simply try to show that she wasn’t harmful.

“Who are you?” His voice cut her out of her thoughts and she blinked.

“Just someone passing by!”

“You reek of dream-eaters.”

She blinked again, this time in confusion. She had a distinct smell? What did a dream-eater even smell like?

“Leave,” the dog daiyōkai ordered.

“Ah—wait! I am not here to cause harm!”

“You ate Rin’s dream. Do not lie.”

“She was having a nightmare…and I was starving,” the female yōkai mumbled. “I really did not cause any harm. I promise.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “I do not trust you. How can I be certain you did not cause harm?”

“If I wanted to cause harm, I would have done so already. Truly, I did not do anything to harm the girl. I ate her nightmare.” A silence fell over them, with Sesshōmaru examining the female yōkai for lies. She shifted awkwardly, slowly bringing her hands down to her sides.

He gave a short hum before turning away. “Leave now.”