Contract Search Enlightenment Through the Feral [Duo Contract Search|Keiyaku]

[Uzu]

Otami was in the forests today. Outside of Konoha, where the trees became thick between their village and the rest of the country, the feral girl found some sense of belonging. It wasn’t the open skies of the desert, and the moist heat bothered her on a spiritual level; but the abundant wild calmed her heart. Which was what she really needed right now. Lounging high in the canopy she laid on a thick branch with her limbs hanging off the sides. Her, green today, eyes were staring up at nothing as she was far more focused on the interactions with people the other day. By the time everything was said and done Otami managed to actually make a lot of friends. Nova had the same kind of ears as she did, so she couldn’t help but wonder if they were related. Take was still weird and Aria stranger, but the two worked off each other very well and they seemed to be okay people. Hayashi was also a delicious smelling friendly soul…but all of those people where actually far out of her mind today. The ones focused were the Glorious Rock Man, Keniwa, (ever shall He be praised less thou be squished)…and Keiyaku; and she’d be lying if the latter wasn’t the one hardest on the girl’s mind.

He was a wolf, just like her. She had no idea if it was something he was raised with, if he had been a creature of the wilds like her, or some other strange circumstance - but his origins didn’t matter in the least. It was how they were the only person in all of Konohagakure who could speak Bark and how she embarrassed the absolute hell out of herself getting caught up in wolf play. Right as the confused wildling was starting to bleed herself deeper into human society there came along another humanoid who could actually relate to her problems - and it was all she could think about. His snarls, his welcoming presence, the way he also just gave in to those instincts like she did…

The girl covered her red face and screamed frustration into her hands. Her mother had always been very stern about boys once she first introduced her wild daughter to humanity; and now Otami thinks she knew why. For the last few days she had been unable to focus on nearly anything but Keni’s smile or Keiyaku’s scent and it was really starting to bog down her shinobi learning. Words on books jumbled up and became illegible, training got painful when she’d get lost in thought just long enough for someone else to land a blow, and, worst of all, her appetite had gotten wonky. She was hungry, but her stomach had gotten a bit of a nervous squeeze as of late and she couldn’t even eat half of her normal meals. The Love Bug had bitten the crap out of the poor Wildling, and had no idea what a crush was. Far as she could figure, the two boys had placed some weird magic on her!

Swinging her arms around in frustration, Otami sat up on the branch and looked around the forest. The feral blond let the high wind blowing through the canopy to brush the hair out of her face as she stared at the leafy horizon. How the heck was she supposed to get over this? The thought made her stomach clench again and her heart jump. With a cry of frustration she punched it,
“Stop! Stop, stop, stop!” the skinny creature demanded before realizing she had lost balance. With a squeal Otami fell out of the high tree and down towards the ground, branches breaking her fall a little as a look of confusion and frustration was planted all over her features as she seemingly did nothing else to stop the fall.

[640|1500 TWC]
[MFT]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"You better behave yourself, boy."

"Dad, can you jus'... c'mon, I'm Chūnin-level now! I'm-

"Wasn't talkin' to you, pup. I was talking to-"

The old, grizzled, black dog pointed his nose at the small adolescent Shiba Inu at Keiyaku's side who was currently busying himself with chewing on his own leg. Keiyaku snickered, but then fell silent at the black dog's warning gaze. Kiiromaru, like Keiyaku, was fluent in both Wolf and Human language, but spoke with a voice that would make a death metal singer blush. It was gravelly, but with all the weathers of age, his fur was thinning in places, and his legs ached if used for too long. Some might find it odd that Keiyaku referred to this dog as 'dad', but it was true; his actual father, a retired ANBU Captain had succumbed to the consequences of a long, bloody career, coupled with the early demise of his wife. He'd became disociative and withdrawn, white-knuckling a bottle of Soju every night and staring into space. The shaggy wolfdog stepped in to raise the man's son as his own.

"Jus'... be careful okay?"

It was his warning everytime the two of them left the house; they weren't doing anything more than going training in the woods, but the old dog worried himself something dreadful regardless. He was a good dad.

"I know. Love you, 'kay?" He said with his usual gleeful grin, and he bumped his nose against the old dog's.

⁂
​

Today was a training day. Both boy and dog would take turns, pursuing each other through the tree tops, blindfolded. They would only be allowed to use their sense of smell, their hearing, and their muscle memory. The both of them had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Konoha's forests these days; exactly what was and was not edible, every tree branch and where their feet or paws would fall upon it. Today, though, was slightly different. A new scent distracted the Inuzuka, one that was faintly familiar but still quite novel. It lead him to stray off the path, descending to the forest floor, sniffing around, his headband, which was usually fastened about his arm, now around his eyes to blind him. He was just about to give up the search when-

'ARGH!'

He knew a back-breaking pain has a very suspiciously human-like object fell on his back. At first, he panicked, springing up and snarling with his fangs bared, still blind... but that scent had gotten stronger. This wasn't an attacker at all, it was-

It's her...

Without saying anything, he pulled off his headband which dangled limply in his hand. He leaned in frowning, sniffing at her for a moment... then, he went back to baring his fangs, slightly aggressively, as if reprimanded a younger wolf for pulling a nasty prank on him. But then, looking into her face, he couldn't stay mad at her... His snarling subsided and he 'extended the olive branch', namely by leaning forward, offering a nose-touch. Though of course, his posture remained stiff, and proud, brimming with confidence. Afterwards, he'd give her a quizzical look, silently asking himself if she really did live out here, he asked this question through a series of grunts and growls. It felt very natural; he spoke to Morutobu in this language all the time... speaking with another person outside of his clan like this felt simply surreal. He growled out his second question; 'what is your name?'

564/1500

 

[Uzu]

The girl’s hands gripped branches on the way down reflexively, even as her mind was just clouded beyond reason, but it was only enough to slow her fall down to be non-lethal. Had Keiyaku not been right there when she landed, it surely would have meant something other than the Inuzuka’s back would have been broken. The jarring impact with flesh, though, shook the blond from her daze as well. Otami flipped fast onto all fours the moment she touched the ground as he rolled away to survey the situation. She could move from this position into the martial art stances drilled into her body so visciously, but starting sudden combat in this stance still came the most naturally. Chakra zipped out of her body into the ground and then back, connecting her chakra coil to the endless supply of the world and preparing for a fight with some large animal when she realized who it was.

With a tiny gasp her heart stopped.

The interruption to her will broke the chakra link and she immediately positioned herself to apologize with a soft whine; even her long ears were dipped down in regret. His snarls were more than enough of a chastisement, each reverberation of Keiyaku's snarl a fang in her heart that kept her from looking him in the eye. Unlike the freespirited Keniwa this one held the proud ego of a wolf and did not take slights in their position in the ‘pack’ that was their military from someone like her. She felt her legs clenching and leaning back further as if to prepare and run, but the growls stopped and Otami’s eyes instantly looked up. He was close. Closer than she could have ever been prepared for. The wolf in the wild girl gasped at the honor, the human side screamed in embarassment - interanally, of course. She didn’t have the wherewithal to do anything but make a confused whine. Face red as a beet the blond leaned in and quickly bumped the tip of her nose against the boy's before darting away a little and turning back around to get some distance between them. Otami felt like her heart was going to explode.

To any and all questions the Wildling responded immediately, almost panicky.
"Trying to relax in a tree," she yapped back, her voice a lot more shrill than intended. It was also a lie, but not completely untrue. She couldn’t just very well blurt out she was thinking about them and that those two boys were tearing her mind apart for reasons the feral teen just couldn’t understand. Her eyes were having a hard time staying in one place, trying to look at the boy and not at the same time as her whole body language screamed “nervous”…but then the Inuzuka last question nearly melted it away.

"What is your name?"

That phrase, never spoken to her before in that tongue, sent a chill down Otami’s spine. He was asking for her name. Not the human name given to her by the parents she barely knew or understood…but the name the pack claimed the earth had given her when she was born. The other wolves had spoken of her birth often in hushed tones, which happened shortly after Okibi had found them, as the event of the century. Aside from having been born breached, there was also a once in a life time hurricane that had traveled up from the coast and into the dead center of the Wind Country. Shortly after her first screams rent the air, the eye of the storm passed over them and then just simply dissipated all together. The pack saw that event as momentous, as even the creatures of the world have their prophecies. Before her mother could speak the human name she had decided on long before the pregnancy, the pack gave her another.

Otami positioned herself to sit as canine do, three points of contact on the ground with a single arm raised up. She dangled her wrist and answered honestly,

“Princess.”

[1308|1500 TWC]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

It was hard to gauge what the girl was thinking at times; she reciprocated his kindly gesture, albeit with a bright red face, but almost immediately darted away. She didn't flee however. That told him she was curious of him as well. Her retort took Keiyaku aback a little, but he knew she was at least partially telling the truth - maybe she didn't jump him after all and it was just really bad luck that she fell at that moment. His eyes filled with concern, but she didn't seem to be injured at all.... maybe because the Inuzuka's back broke her fall. Man, it still ached. He watched the girl reposition herself in answer to his question, and elaborated.

Princess

The Inuzuka lowered his head to the feral girl, his eyes becoming a lot softer and his gait a lot less tense. Even this 'Princess' seemed a lot more at ease now the two of them were becoming much better acquainted, which meant it would only be polite to reciprocate the information she offered.

'Covenant,' he growled back in wolf-language. Names were simple, but names didn't mean much, especially when you tend to rely more on scent and body language than words. He was beginning to feel a little bad for the chastisement, maybe he shoul-

WHAM

It happened instantly. A small orange-ish white-ish blur slammed into Otami's side out of nowhere. The culprit, an adolescent Shiba puppy who was currently looking dazed from the impact. He wobbled around for a moment before regaining himself, and then realising what he had done. Moru's eyes immediately darted to Keiyaku, mouth open in surprise, obviously having meant to target him but misjudging his pounce. Ears lowering submissively, the Shiba would attempt to check if the girl was okay, offering conciliatory whines in way of an apology.

Keiyaku fell over backwards, laughing hysterically, almost wheezing. It took him a while to regain his breath, but when he finally did, he tried to explain in a series of growls and grunts.

'So, this is my little brother. I think he was aiming for me and mixed us up. We were playing tag out here. Guess we're even now though!'

Being already quite jumpy, he was worried the girl would react to this poorly, and he couldn't really blame her, but at least it was an honest mistake. Rather than sitting like a canine did, he remained crouched on two legs, rather like a monkey, or some sort of cave man.

'We were about to go swimming after. You're welcome to join us.'

[MFT]
985/1500

 

[Uzu]

Covenant…the name rolled around in her head like a playful puppy. It was a strong name that she had never heard before, but then maybe wolves had different naming conventions. She had known a Cactus, Spine, Fang, (lots of Fangs, actually), Rose, and her best friend growing up of course; Quack. She was a weird mutt who’s bark sounded like the birds who would occasionally migrate from the North to the Wind Country’s coastline, but they had been really close all the way up until the 3rd Fang 's decree of exile. She wondered how Quack was doing…

Lost in her deep thoughts, Otami kind of stared off into space for a moment as she tried to absorb everything that was happening. She had just shared her real name with someone, something she guessed wasn’t supposed to happen, ever. Her mother had been real harsh on Otami everytime she tried to introduce herself as Princess instead of using words, but it felt right; especially now. The mix of wild emotions, memories of a happier time, and general flustered attitude made certain that she never saw Morutobu coming. She felt the pup break right past her incredibly limited guard and right into her; sending the wild blond flying. Oh, sure, had she been on guard the Inu probably would have still tackled her down, knocked the air out of Otami, or just plain bowled her over; such was their strength. However, the Wildling did not see Moru coming at all, and thus she flew right into the brush with a thunderous crash; her head popped back out seconds later of a bush, wide-eyed,
“You eat thunder snek!? How so strong!?” the girl simply blurted out in her normal broken Common at the Inu. She looked back to Keiyaku with eyes of awe to find he had fallen over laughing. It was infectious. The blond’s face screwed up as she tried really hard not to start snickering too but then she had a self image of the small dog just out-right cannoning her ass out into the woods; and it sent her.

After the two wolf-children were able to regain a moment of composure, she looked back at him and finally felt something in her stomach settle. Perhaps it was the comedic timing of Morutobu, or perhaps it was something just even more simple that she couldn’t quite mentally grasp, but the tension she felt around Keiyaku had began to melt away. Her form loosened up and she sauntered out of the brush on two feet before crouching down to scratch beyond the pupper’s ears. It was something Quack had always loved Otami for - fingers. To further shattered the ice between them into sheer dust, the wolf-boy offered a swim. A red tint returned to her cheeks remembering the last time she went swimming, but for some reason she felt like Keiyaku wouldn’t be as…boysih, about her swimming habits.

“That sounds pleasant,” she whined back in a happy high-pitched tone, “just, please tell me there are no snakes. I really don’t like snakes.”


[1816|1500 TWC]
[MFT = 500+]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Finally regaining his composure, he cocked his head in curiosity when the girl said something in Fuego, the language of the Land of Fire... Her speech was rather broken and neanderthal-esque, like she wasn't used to communicating that way. Considering the fact that she, like himself, seemed to have canine-like teeth, he wondered if they might somehow be distantly related. Her scent, however, made him doubt this; it was just so intrusively foreign to him. He figured he could pick her out easily in a crowd without even using his eyes.

When the girl agreed to the offer, Moru was the first to react. He sank forward onto his front legs with his butt high in the air; the universal gesture of a dog excited to player. Keiyaku remained a little more stoic, but there was a rather a playful grin which showed a lot of fang. The Inuzuka gave her one last appraising look, his slit-pupil eyes curiously examining her features. Then, suddenly, he bounded away, Moru at his side, quickly scaling the trees and leaping on all-fours through the branches, his muscle memory and encyclopaedic knowledge of the woods guiding him to his destination. If Otami decided to catch up and remain level with him and Moru, he would regard her once more, growling another question in wolf-speak.

"Heard of the Inuzuka Clan, Princess? For a second, I thought you might be one of us.... You look a little like us, but you sure don't smell like us. You from this Land, or somewhere else?"

⁂​

After ten or so minutes, they would find themselves arrive at a sizeable clearing in the trees. A small lake, or perhaps a very large pond, was to be found there, with trees overhanging it and several rocky clusters dotted around its perimeter. Moru wasted no time in diving in head-first, but Keiyaku had the forethought to at least his bulky body armour and uniform so as to not simply sink like a rock. When he was down to just his shorts, he jumped, swung momentarily from an overhead branch with monkey-like grace, and canonballed into the water. Surfacing, he gave Otami another grin, seeing if she'd take the plunge too. There was something appraising about the way he looked at her too, seemingly curious if she could swim.

"Come on!" He shouted encouragingly, in Common-speak this time, his voice noticeably softer in this language than in Wolf.

1386/1500

 

[Uzu]

Otami felt the puppy’s energy from that stance and it made her instantly feel instantly giddy. Today was a day full of memories and great times but despite all of the wolfish tenancies of the pair she had stumbled into, she couldn’t help but feel her human side react when Keiyaku looked her over so intently; as if fully taking in her features. Normally she wasn’t a girl who cared about those kind of stares, being used to them from her clothing choices in the attempt to escape…well, clothing in general. However from him? She felt that red blush creep harder into her cheeks. Then he just, darted away. With a playful bark of annoyance the feral teen sprung into the trees after the other two canines. It took a second to catch up, as the male darted left, right, dipped, and moved about the path through the branches like an old worn-down dirt road. Otami did catch up though, and leaped through the air alongside the duo for a moment as they worked towards their destination.
“Heard of them, yeah,” she replied with an almost inquisitive low-growl, “…but you’re the first one I’ve actually met. A lot of people get me confused with your clan. I’m from a place where golden dirt stretches as far as the eye can see, the sun burns all, and the only shelter is rocks infested with…strange, things.” She concluded with an awkward whimper as wolves didn’t really have a word for ‘demons.’ “Mom was raised by a pack out there, and she raised me in a different pack…apparently society has this word for humans like us out there.”
“Wildlings,” she said in Common.


The ten minutes were a blur. Before she knew it, Keiyaku came to a stop and walked into the small clearing with Otami right behind. She gasped at how pretty it was and laughed as Moru wasted no time getting into the water. The feral teen turned to Keiyaku to begin asking where he found this one, because it was a lot closer than the one she knew of; especially now that a few people also knew about it. However, before she could get anything more than a squeak out, her heart leaped into her throat. Shinobi training had a way of sculpting the body as it was but it wasn’t anything than any other fit human could achieve…but the Inuzuka training…well, there were muscle groups the boy was sporting by taking off that heavy army she had only seen on other, much stronger wolves. Before he could jump into the lake in his shorts, Otami was back in the tree, hiding well within the branches and beet red all over.

“Why!?” she softly whined to herself as her heart started to beat like a drum with the ol’ stomach twist returning with a vengeance. Not even a few seconds ago she was doing just fine! It was like being with the pack again…just friends and family. No one to judge, no one to make you feel weird things just by looking at them. The girl stayed hidden in the tree leaves for a good minute as she wrestled with the anxiety of her feelings before finally howling out her frustrations. Shortly after the sounds of her furiously pulling off her clothes echoed out of the tree. Then, she just flew naked out of the tree towards the deep center, tucking her legs in and leaning back to create a huge splash. For a moment she remained underneath the surface before her wet blond hair peaked up over the surface with her eyes like a crocodile…before eventually doggy paddling around. While they swam and enjoyed the cool water to avoid that moist heat she hated so much, Otami kept her distance for a little bit from the duo before finally gathering up the courage to swim back towards Kei and Moru. She felt her face burning up the closer she got, but fought through it before finally giving into frustration and splashing around in a mild tantrum.
“Aaaaagh! Bothersome!” she relented after a moment of just, yelling and splashing around.
“What do!? My heart,” she tapped her chest, “It squeeze like snek! Like wrapped around! Otami’s stomach it…” she swirled the water in front of her around to make a small whirlpool as she had forgotten the word 'twist', “it do this! Happen when…when I…” her eyes could not connect with Kei’s and deeply, did the girl want to just swim to the bottom of the lake until the boy went away, but she chomped down on her courage and dragged it back out,
“When see you, or Keni. Head gets furry, heart hearts, gut won’t eat. Not afraid, but body afraid! Otami doesn’t know why, and just want…want to be part of pack…”

[2613|1500 TWC]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

When Keiyaku looked back at the treeline, he felt a slightly jolt of disappointment; he could still pick up Otami's scent on the humid forest air, but she's seemingly fled, or was hiding somewhere for some strange reason. Giving a small sigh and shrugging his shoulders and paddling around on his back in the water, his stomach noticeably sporting an odd tattoo in the shape of a circular diagram with several different kinds of elemental kanji inscribed around it. Moru was paddling happily around the cool water, happy as can be, when suddenly-

WHOOSH

There was a brief sound, like something soaring like a bullet through the air, and then a massive inundation which bowled Keiyaku right over, straight under the water, practically swallowing half the lake in one gulp. Pushing himself back to the surface, he broke through the water and began coughing it up, pushing his hair off his face and starting to laugh himself hoarse. Not wanting to spook her to much, he likewise kept his distance, watching her from the other end of the pool for a moment before checking on Moru to see if he was okay.

"Yeah, you're a much better swimmer than me, buddy," he chuckled, giving him a little scratch behind the ears, earning himself a happy little whine in return. Then, he heard the feral girl say something, like she was growling her frustration, splashing about in the water, and giving Keiyaku another face-full.

"Hey, hey, chill, calm down," he said, getting near enough to her to try and placate her thrashing arms, his voice carrying a trace of a growl, as if he was hovering somewhere between Wolf-speak and Human-speak... but, now they were treading uncomfortably close to more philosophical territory; perhaps the two of them would be better served speaking in their mutually shared native tongue.

'You're scared?" He growled, Moru now turning to look at the conversation.

'Yeah, Covenant (Keiyaku) makes me feel kinda sick too,' growled Moru, piping up in Dog-speak for the first time. Keiyaku playfully thumped him.

"Maybe, you're just nervous... or worried you won't hunt as easy," growled Keiyaku, trying to find a substitute for the term 'fit in', also trying to address what he felt might lay at the heart of this. He couldn't say he knew exactly what she was talking about... the only time he ever felt constricted and wobbly was around Keni... Nah, that was just guilt, for taking him along on that suicide mission...

'Hey, pack is just the Wolf-word for 'Family'. If you're in Leaf-home, you've just joined the biggest pack there is. And look, us Inuzuka, we speak the same language as you do.'

He thought on what she's said early about her past, the fact she came from these 'Wildlings', raised in a place of golden dirt... She was from the Land of Wind, surely! No wonder she felt so out of place, and scared! He wanted to reach out and hold her arm comfortingly but, lately, anytime he did that, people tended to get the shivers; the 'strange-thing', as Otami put it, stirred inside him, baring its teeth silently.

"We're even more alike than that, I think. I was raised by a wolfdog. Human-father is always absent. You've got a hunt-mate (friend) who understands you, in me."

[Calling C-Mod]
[Using guaranteed contract of choice ASP Card to find Monkey Contract]

 

[Ninpocho Admin]

You've found Monkey! Do you accept?​

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

OOC: We do

 

[Uzu]

OOC: Yepper Pepper

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

So enraptured in their play the trio was that they had seemingly forgotten where they were. The sound of their play & banter echoed around the lake into the surrounding forest. Slowly the normally lively forest had begun to die down until there was silence. As if not a creature within its depths dared make a sound out of fear. Would they notice the sudden lack of ambient noise? How long would it take them to realize the rustling of the treetop canopies was not due to the breeze of the wind. But from the weight of the unseen observers who occupied them, causing the branches to bend & sway. Unfortunately for the bonding pack mates whatever was causing this was not alone. It would no doubt be an unnerving realization for the youths as the surrounding treetops began to sway under the weight of their unseen occupants.

Wolves weren't the only creatures that hunted in numbers. When it came to these forests there were few creatures that could compete with their tactics but these were an entirely different kind of predator. Unseen observers weren't uncommon in the forest but there were tells that distinguished the presence of danger. The absence of sound was one such tell, how would they react? For it was one thing to feel like you were being observed, but to have the knowledge that you were actively surrounded. What or was able to move through the trees in such a way? "I wasn't expecting to see this today." A gruff voice full of surprise would say from up in the treetops. "Man-cubs & a wolf-cub playing about talking about packs. I have seen it all!" This voice was full of mischief & each word spoken with a teasing tone.

"Listen to these little ones, talking of hunts as if they know how! They should be back at their den where they belong." Another voice this one full of adoration & concern. "I think they're cute, look at how flustered they get when talking to one each other!" How many of these observers were there? A chorus of amused chuckling & laughter would erupt from the treetops as the branches of the canopies crashed against one another. Clanging in an eruption of noise along with the laughter in a cacophony of noise. "Enough." A course rough voice, grainy & full of authority brought them all to silence. No longer swinging in the trees causing the clashing treetops to come to a standstill. The creak of branches bending under tension as the owner of the voice descended from the canopy. Before long the heavy thud of his feet hitting the forest floor could be heard.

Hunched over covered in black fur speckled with silvery patches aged from time. His body was littered with scars from numerous hunts & battles. Calloused knuckles dug into the earth as he exited the shrubbery bordering the lake. Revealing the muscular frame of a an unnatural chimpanzee as he held the trio in his gaze. A bandolier styled sheath across his chest that held a machete & a pouch full of goods. His gaze moving from the young pup to the two man-cubs. "I know how to help you little ones...but I wonder if you have the stomach for it?" his voice held the wisdom of a leader & yet there was an undeniable danger implied. What could he have to gain from helping these young pack mates become a better unit? The biggest threat to young hunters such as cubs were other hunters. So why was this troop of chimps despite their initial playful teasing offering help?

 

[Uzu]

Keiyaku’s placid growls calmed Otami again. Wiser words of wisdom had never been stated to the girl as the thought of considering the Leaf Village more than just her home had never really crossed her mind. Everything was different here. It was more civilized, people acted like…people. She was used to everyone and everything being a threat because survival was the one law she was forced to abide by; well, at least until she came to Konoha. The Wildling put a hand on her chest and breathed for a moment to repress those wild emotions back down. While the boy had done little to actually fix her problems, because they were of a confusing teenage variety, his calming tone and explanation were more than enough to run on. She didn’t have very many people she actually would have called a “friend”. Keni was an acquaintance she was more afraid currently than anything else, and the rest of her generation was really just people she knew. The girl suddenly dove down under the water and then raised back up with both arms to splash waves over Keiyaku and Morbu; officially tired of worrying and just wanting to play again.

Otami once again lost herself just playing with the two canine-inclined. The sudden silence, usually a dead give away for her that something was up, went by completely unnoticed. It wasn’t until she heard the chattering did the hairs on the back of the Wildling’s neck begin to rise. Then the voices came. The first thing that crossed her mind was to dip deeper into the water to cover herself better. Dealing with perverts around swimming holes was a big reason why she sought private swimming locations to start with; Keiyaku being the first male she had ever come across that didn’t react to her au naturel. Then she recognized some of the chittering that wasn’t the local language and realized there were monkeys in those trees. They mocked the pair, mocked their speak of hunting, and called them cubs; which did tilt the blond. A low growl of anger began to rumble in her throat but was quickly cut off by the last voice.

The chimpanzee that emerged from the jungle took Otami’s breath away. Every last single sense in her body screamed ‘run’, and the Wildling might have done just that, were she not too scared to look away. His equipment marked the monkey as different. Something about his stance, his words, and his challenge told the girl to observe caution above all else with this creature. It was that feeling in her stomach, that ‘clutch’ at the very center of her being that only happened when she stood before the truly powerful; or those not naturally of this world. It was a natural instinct developed in the Wind Country to avoid things that could make the very gods themselves despair.

The powerful creature offered them help, but what helped they offered would most likely be as dubious as the help demons offered. Without realizing it she had floated behind Keiyaku, close to him and shaking out of a natural fear but her eyes remained defiantly steady in staring down the chimpanzee; the only show of courage she had left.

[MFT]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Something felt strange here...

Though Otami seemed to relax a little, falling into a playful paddle and starting to good-naturedly splash him, Keiyaku reacted very little. The Inuzuka boy had gone rather rigid and was peering around the treeline, his nose twitching, an expression of utmost caution on his face. He knew that, in these woods at any given time, it was fairly safe to assume you were being watched, but Keiyaku had the impression something was closing in on them from all sides. Feeling supremely uncomfortable, he was about to get out of the water, figuring if he had to fight something, he'd rather not be stripped down to his boxers for it. But then, heard voices. At first, he rather thought he was going mad or something, hearing them from the trees all around them; it was only Otami's reaction to them that made it concrete that there were people around them.... people, out here? This many...?

Then, a voice silenced the others. It was gruff and coarse, and belonged to a large chimpanzee who had cut himself free from the shrubbery and was advancing on them, clad in what looked like self-made battle gear.

"I know how to help you little ones...but I wonder if you have the stomach for it?"

Feeling Otami move behind him, and not able to reach his clothes and battle gear in time, he felt incredibly vulnerable, and rather responsible for Otami; she was beginning to feel more like a little sister he was obliged to take care of, which only made the Inuzuka more aggressive to the intruder. Jumping out of the lake, he dropped to all fours and snarled, baring his fangs at the ape. Morutobu, the adolescent Shiba puppy jumped onto his big brother's back and did likewise, mimicking him.

"Who says we need help? We ain't mere 'little ones' ya know," he growled, feeling a little stupid saying it without his ANBU uniform on... It wasn't a great introduction. He growled something at Moru on his back who then made a face of concentration and suddenly, in a puff of white smoke, had become an identical duplicate of his master, standing atop his back on all fours. [Human-Beast Clone]

"If.... this is some kinda ambush, we're gonna go down swinging, alright? I don't wanna fight, but I'll do it to protect her; she's only here 'cause of me, alright?"

[MFT]

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

How curious the reaction of these little cubs was. "Claim they don't need help, yet easy prey they could have been." More vocalizations from the hidden observers from those hidden above as they began to speak. "Yet huddled behind her kin in fear that one is." More vocalizations of agreement as the treetops swung about causing leaves to slowly rain down on them. "Look at these two so fearful it's clouded their judgement...so eager to make enemies of allies. Such an adorable protective display." The same voice that spoken with adoration before now held only concern for she knew the risk the youths were taking displaying such disrespect to the leader of their troop. "He's just worried for his kin I'm sure he didn't intend to be so disrespectful to..." her words were cut off by the rough looking chimpanzee's movements as he raised his right hand to silence his troop. Those brown eyes of his held the youths before him in their gaze along with their transformed companion. The upper & lower lip curled to reveal dangerous looking teeth easily capable of tearing into flesh.

Standing up straight so he towered over the stacked up duo of pack-mates. He beat his chest with a force that caused the sound to thunder through the forest. A warning & war drum all in the one action. Giving a snarl he performed a series of one handed movements that could have been initial perceived as handseals. But were in fact hand signs, a method of silent communication. A method used by the troop when hunting so as not to give away their presence to their targets. Upon completion two shadows would be launched from the tree tops. Landing with an explosive splash of water between the group of pack-mates & the troops leader. One of them was another chimpanzee, this one clearly younger then his leader & his form was revealed by the cascading water of his impact.

Something else would make its way into their refined senses the overwhelming metallic smell of iron. Was it coming from one of the trio? Had the troop of chimpanzees attacked them? No, the second figure that had been launched from the tree floated between the chimps & the trio. The overwhelming smell of iron originating from the various wounds on the individual. His hands were mutilated & from what was visible of his face the same could be said of it as well. Hunching over so his knuckles dug into the earth Makuto the leader would gesture at their victim. "He had been tracking your pack...we were hoping he would lead us back to his kin. When we realized what his quarry was..." his lips curled to reveal those dangerous primitive fangs. "They attacked one of our kin...I have no issue with you so long as..." his train of thought seemed interrupted as their victim gave a gurgled groan, swiftly the chimps hand swept upward with incredible speed clasping a rock & hurtling it at the body floating before them. Cracking into it with a sickening thud, Makuto beat upon his chest again in a terrifying display. Silence from the now still body that was being grabbed by the other nearby chimp & held under water.

An uproar of vocalizations could be heard from the treetops that was almost deafening. High pitched screeching & loud whooping noises as they shook the treetops. "I could be wrong but I thought this might be a hunt, your little pack might want to participate in." While the troop it seemed had done the youths a favor it was obvious they had lost their only lead. If they were to find their quarry they would need to be able to track them. Who better to do so then the trio of pack-mates before them? After all what creature didn't know how dangerous a tracker the wolf was? You throw in the skills of a chakra-capable human? Well that made for a hunter that even the mysterious troop of chimps knew was capable of being a relentless pursuer, when properly motivated. "Besides if you impress dad he might si...ow!" the chimp holding their former quarry under held his head as a small pebble bounced off it. Makuto had acted so swiftly the movement had barely been perceptible to the naked eye. Akuto bowed his head in apology as he looked in Makuto's direction but daring not to make eye contact.

 

[Uzu]

The voices came again and Otami felt herself sinking lower, and with the presence of Keiyaku removed from the water she felt incredibly vulnerable; but she waited. Every instinct in her body said ‘run’, but her training said ‘don’t, because you’re surrounded.’ It was a rare moment of fear-lock for the girl who had lived in one of the deadliest places on the planet that a creature can inhabit. In the Wind, there was so many thing that could just outright kill you. Creatures, demons, hell, even the land itself did no one favors. Yet never had she felt such a sickening twist in her stomach at the sight of the leader. As the clamoring began to rise once more he stood, pounded his chest, and a wave of raw power washed over Otami. It sparked her brain to break the fear and react, finally, as she turned to quickly swim towards the Inuzuka brothers only to feel something heavy land in the water behind her before she was even half way to the shore.

The teen slowly turned around. Her eyes quickly went to the horrid wounds and she froze again. Somewhere in her head a voice said she needed to quickly get this man out of the water, and begin first aid treatment; training from the Boyin. Yet, his wounds were…they were beyond anything she had the talent to help. Even if she could get him out and heal him to the best of her ability, she knew from experience that wounds like that were fatal. It would take a professional team of medical shinobi to save that man’s life. Otami’s heart sank at her powerlessness as she quickly imagined the body as being any of her friends; still unable to do anything. Her heart only sank further when the man began to move as she could only imagine the terror and pain they were in before the rock smashed into the back of his head; triggering something deep in her instinct.
Death was a part of the desert, and despite being as young as she was, Otami had long ago bloodied her hands with human murder. Bandits, hunters, the rare demon possessed; they were all free targets that had to be put down for the sake of the pack. She had been removed away from that life for so long that seeing the brutal reality of nature once more had come as a brief shock - one that jolted the Wilding into finally remembering where she came from. The blond’s demeanor changed subtlety as the wolf within began to take back the reigns from her confused human self. She swam away from the chimp drowning a corpse slowly, running her front against the muddy bank of the shore to cover her natural form. As she rose the mud began to spread out as it interacted with the gentle Earth Chakra emminating from her body as she went to stand next to Keiyaku. The mud solidified into something like a bodygolve as it covered her entire form, stopping only at her neck, wrists, and ankles.

“Danger,” she whined gently, “We go along, their pack is much larger. Join their hunt. Survive.” Even her wolf-language had become more simple from the stressed fear the teen was in, but one look at her eyes would show her humanity all but gone. Old muscles she hadn’t used in forever began to tense as she felt her body raise up until she was standing only on the balls of her feet ready to move in a moment’s notice after watching a mysterious rock fly and hit one of the primates. She couldn’t see who threw it, only the impossible direction it flew from. Whoever was inviting them to hunt poachers had enough raw power themselves to no doubt stand toe-to-toe with Konoha’s elite, let alone the three cubs before him. Otami had seen this before with the pack Alpha’s, especially the last before her, and her mother, had been exiled.

They were being tested.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku felt all the muscles in his body tensing as the primates advanced on them. A quick, darting shadow, emerging from the brush at almost unnatural speed was revealed to be two more members of the troop, now separating Morutobu and Keiyaku from Otami. He did not like being this badly outnumbered one bit. The chief who stood before him moved, performing a set of hand signs which immediately had Keiyaku and Morutobu putting some distance between him and themselves, worried they were about to be bowled over by some startling ninjutsu, but nothing came of it. The thunderous chest beating, however, was more than enough to make Keiyaku's blood run cold.

"I don't understand what you-"

The impact of the badly beaten body on the ground swiftly silenced him. The smell of blood and pus stung at his sinuses, forcing him to wrinkle his nose a little. Was this some kind of threat?

"He was... following us?" He asked redundantly, giving a sudden jolt when the victim burbled incoherently, prompting the chief to swiftly execute him with a rock. He wished he knew the right thing to say that would get the three of them out of there alive. Before long, Otami had finally risen out of the water, communicating something to Keiyaku in wolf language while lathering herself up in Earth Chakra.

'Always be weary on first-meet, Princess. Beware of stranger-prey.'

He was thankful he shared this language with Otami and Moru, some private way of communicating just like the primates had. It would sound like a series of grunts and snarls to anyone else.

"You want us to hun-"

He broke off for a second, long enough to watch another ape be silenced by a rock thrown at his head. Keiyaku thought he could've gathered what he'd been about to say. The Inuzuka brothers separated from each other, Moru turning into a Shiba dog once more. He looked up at Otami and grunted and growled at her.

'I know this is awful timing, but I love your dress....

"You want us to hunt with you... or for you? Is this one from a bigger group? Will you promise not to murder us if we help you... uh... sir?"

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

Each question seemed more pointless then the prior, Makuto had given the pack-mates all the information they should have needed. At least in his opinion he had, the massive simian began to pace back & fourth grunting with each question. Obviously growing in frustration with the young man-cubs inability to grasp what he wanted. All the while his gaze stayed upon the trio as they moved into a closer formation to one another. The treetops above them rustled with tension only adding to the building tension of the scene. Turning his gaze to Keiyaku as it appeared the youth had fully grasped what he wanted from them. Holding the young man-cub in his gaze as he spoke his answers to the questions. "For or with I care not. So long as the Hunt succeeds." There was a primal anger that coated his words, his desire for retribution against those who had attempted to Hunt his troop was great. So great was Makuto's desire for it that he was willing to work with these young shinobi.

Although he doubted they could truly grasp what this Hunt could offer them. That in truth was part of why he had chosen the young shinobi, a more experienced veteran might have heard rumors of his kind. They may even know of what they could offer & only offer there services for the guarantee of his kin's true Gift. No, this way he could see firsthand if the youths were worthy. If they weren't he could always lose them in the forest, but if they were. Well, he'd wait to see for now. This was better with the bandits having tracked the youths, it gave them a reason to be invested. If they had gone to any personal spots they would be at risk of losing their privacy. "Deal! You help us, we don't eat you! I think that's fair." When he spoke there was an almost playful aggression to his voice. Well at least he said they wouldn't murder them or eat them. "Look at their use of Jutsu..." one of the voices commented from the treetops.

"This will be a fun Hunt." Another added with excited as it swung in the tree above. "I hope they do a good job, I don't want Makuto mad with them." Another said slight concern still apparent in her voice for the trio of young pack mates. Makuto held up another hand to silence his troop. Retrieving from a pouch at his side what appeared to be a very bloody clump of fabric. "One of his pack got away. If we take you to the area, can you track them from there?" Makuto would ask the youths before him with interest. They had been watching them intently & he had already gained a great understanding of what they would be capable of doing. But he wanted to know if they thought themselves capable of doing so. What kind of individuals were they? Perhaps more importantly what kind of pack were they? Just a couple of the questions he hoped to find the answers to by the time this Hunt was finished. While Makuto was assessing the trio from the forefront the rest of the troop did so from up high. Noting how Otami made her defensive preparations before moving in beside Keiyaku.

How effectively they worked together as a team, protecting one another. For a troop was useless if it could not defend it own. Was their pack the same? Did they prioritize the safety of their own kin just as highly? There was much the simians wanted to know about the youths before them. Yet Makuto had always been clear about their need for discretion when it came to such things. For their people & what they offered were highly sought after by the tribes of men. It was better to take caution when dealing with them, even their children.

 

[Uzu]

Thanks…. she whined gently.

Otami visibly flinched when the simian reacted to Keiyaku. It was still clear that though the wolf inside was awake again; it was due to a necessity to survive. She was still, however, a human teenage girl who was terrified of what the trio had managed to stumble into. A small part of her was already swearing off swimming all together at this rate. When the leader finally came to an accord with the group there wasn’t any relief. Just as she had expected they wanted to use them for their own ends, but she also couldn’t see any way out of their situation. The small voices in the back of her head reminding that the laws of Fire were vastly different from those of Wind was quickly beginning to fade. The idea of killing another person started to settle on her stomach completely now; one that made her sick, but she did good in hiding it. The Ryuu clansman at least took some small comfort that they had agreed to not kill or eat them, terrified as she was that there was a distinction between the two.

When Makuto brought out the bloody cloth that knot in her stomach tied harder. She could see the visible gore still hanging off by a bit and the audacious smell of death permeating it. Yet it was she who was the first to reach out and take it. The blood squelched in her hand in the most unpleasant manner, but she brought the cloth close to her face. Focusing chakra into her nostrils, the wolf-girl gave the bloody cloth a good huff and dropped to her knees. Otami’s eyes rolled back into her head as she took in not just the lingering scent of the human who had worn the cloth, but the lingering chakra as well. It was a special little jutsu unique to her that she wasn’t even aware of being a thing; she assumed all wolves had the talent. The bits of dirt and dust saturated in blood sang to the girl the grisly death of the man who’s cloth this was taken from, shown in detail that her visions had never produced before. They also showed her other things before that as well, like how the smell of dirt changed after he walked for a bit, the sounds of man hunting beast, and the comradery of his companions. The echoing canophany of people painted a picture that was easy for her to see.

When the jutsu finally broke Otami gasped a deep air of breath before clinching her teeth will the bile rising from her stomach back down. She stood back up on shaky legs and handed the cloth to Keiyaku and her hand that had not been tainted by the blood. She held her palm up to his face, her eyes asking to smell it first so he could assertain her scent completly, before doing the same for his little brother. She repeated the process quickly for the both of them, grabbing Kei’s hand and taking a deep breath of his palm before also getting a good smell of Moru’s coat. It was so they wouldn’t lose each other as she had no idea just how…much the primates wanted of them. Just in case they got scattered…

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Well. that certainly settled that, he supposed. Although Keiyaku wasn't sure if accepting some strange murder-quest from a mysterious bunch of primates in the woods was a wholly good decision, on the other hand, they had some pretty gnarly-looking teeth that he didn't fancy his chances with if they came near his throat, especially since, for all he knew, he was staring up into the face of a much superior combat specialist. He had a sudden vision of his ribcage having been rearranged into a tight pretzel.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," he said a little helplessly, slightly glad he had Otami at his back to watch for any sign of opportunistic attack.

Moru came back up to Keiyaku, slinking through his legs in a position of readiness as the tribal chief removed what appeared to be a blood-sodden rag from a small pouch. His brows knitted together as he looked up at the simian, but then seemed to realise what it must be. He was about to reach for it, but Otami had gotten there first, beginning to search for a scent in the thing. Her reaction was strange; her eyes moved in strange ways almost lie she was having some kind of premonition... that, or she really was just bad with the sight of blood...

When she was finished with it, he took the rag from her and gave it a good sniff, then held it down for Moru to get the scent of it too. Unlike Otami who seemed a little queasy at the scent of the thing, the blood only seemed to excite Keiyaku, awakening some sort of primal drive within. His eyes seemed to sparkle with something akin to hunger as he clutched the stained material in hand. On closer inspection, he seemed to be quivering, ever so slightly, as if excitement-stimulated adrenaline had flood his nerves and bloodstream. There was a big smile on his face now; he was in his element once again, hunting for the proverbial hobbled elk. It took Otami grabbing his hand to jolt him from his reverie; this action did not seem strange to him, as she picked up his scent, though having spent enough time tumbling around with her and wrestling her during Keniwa's little competition, he felt he already had a good idea of how to sniff her out should the need arise.

Not even waiting to see if Otami was ready, his face seemed to be possessed once more of that strange feral hunger, and he leapt into the treetops with surreal celerity with Morutobu, shouting back at the others.

"COME ON!"