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

[Miroku Akkuma]

The trio of pack-mates had weighed the paths before them & made their decision. Opting to help the menacing simians lest they risk having their wrath turned upon them. Otami's technique would play for her various echoes of the mortally wounded individual prior moments. A silhouette stood beside another muffled discussion as if she were submerged underwater listening into their conversation. Even through the muffled veil the furious silhouette of Makuto thundered between them, in the blink of an eye he moved in to attack. All of a sudden the scene would shift rapidly, frantic gasps from a silhouette as it stumbled panicked through the forest. Distant cries of pain & pleading for mercy before a primal roar of fury echoed into the scene. Causing the silhouette to whimper as it picked up it's pace before the scene faded. They would need to get closer if Otami was to discern more using her Whispers of the Dirt technique.

After she had performed the ritual-like technique she passed the bloodied cloth to Keiyaku who in turn took in the scent. From deep within the Inuzuka shinobi the Primal Instincts of his kin came to life with the thrill to hunt. Adrenaline heightening not just his senses but his connection to the instincts ingrained deep within him. After this Keiyaku held the cloth down for Morutobu so that he too could take in the scent of the wounded individual they sought. Unlike Otami they would receive no visions of silhouettes in gruesome scenes or hear the cries of those they sought. Instead they would smell the metallic scent of blood still fresh in the air. Mixed with the scents of Chimpanzee troop. If they followed it back to the site of the incident between their combined skill-set they shout be easily able to track down their prey & the rest of it's comrades.

It would seem all hesitation was gone from the youth as Keiyaku leapt into the treetops of unreal celerity. Morutobu quickly in tow behind his pack-mate, following in the treetops with them were the other members of the troop who had come to take part in the Hunt. Four chimps followed in the treetops above, while Makuto & Akuto followed on the lowest sections of the tree canopies. Keeping a clear view on the earth below as they moved towards their destination. After some time following the scent the trio & the troop would find themselves at the scene of the incident. Here there were numerous signs of struggle; blood spattered trees, signs of someone or multiple beings tumbling in some kind of fall. Half-covered in mud & spattered with blood was a sealing tag.

Stuck near the base of the tree, perhaps their wounded prey had dropped it when he was fleeing the scene? Not far from it bits of flesh & even a finger lay half covered in mud. If Otami were to use her technique once more it would reveal his silhouette slumped against the tree before running away into the brush. Fleeing as fast as his wounds would allow while the silhouette of his comrade was beset upon by the troop. She would be able to watch his silhouette until it hit the small flowing river that was nearby. Keiyaku & Morutobu would be able to catch a myriad of scents. These scents would be those of tobacco, smoke & cooking food faintly upon the wind. Makuto would thud to a halt near the pack mates. Suspicion in his eyes while he watched the young shinobi. "Well? Which way are they?" There was an anger in his eyes that was immeasurable. Perhaps if the youths found the sealing tag, that would be enough to deter his wrath for now while they decided which path to take.

Who would find the Sealing tag? If they found the Sealing tag would either of them know enough about the art to realize what it was? Which route would they take to find their prey? Follow silhouette to the river & see if they could regain the tracks from there? Or follow the scent that Keiyaku & Morutobu had caught in the treetops that would lead them towards the border. Numerous eyes watched from above as their Leader waited on the Trackers. "Every moment we spend here is another moment they could be getting away!" While there was anger in his voice it was accompanied by concern, for whatever the reason Makuto could not allow these individuals to escape.

 

[Uzu]

Otami’s bare feet struck the branches of the dense canopy as she darted along behind Kei and his little brother. Fresh in her mind, the vivid scenes of their temporary companions kept replaying as she tried to pay attention and focus on the hunt. This wasn’t at all how she expected the day to go, even remotely. In the back of her mind the shy wolf-girl pleaded with her to stop what she was doing, to try and rescind and make an escape; the shameful though of even trying to do so without Keiyaku floated by once. Yet the wolf that she was no could find no opening. Above them four traveled with near by and below the leader who’s very presence turned on the girl’s danger sense. Even with every last bit of strength she had, every last technique she knew, Otami had already surmised she would last thirty seconds, tops. She closed off the pleading voice, the weakness of man, and fell into a more subtle vigor for their quarry as the Inuzuka had shown.

With a light splatter of mud, Otami landed with a full stop before dropping her face down to the reddish brown ground. Another deep inhale and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end to witness the carnage. Her hands clawed at the ground as she winced from the disgusting sounds of limbs being removed by force; a sound not changed much in her trance. Once broken free, the Ryuu jumped a little at the shout from their leader, but the concern didn’t skip past the fellow predator’s ears. With ease she pointed down towards the river while giving a simple explanation of what she saw. The multiple layered smells mingled with each other to a point she couldn’t smell anything being trailed off from the camp site; not without at least a few minutes of not being terrified. The seal was also out of sight, out of mind for the teen.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

There was a silent struggle going on in Keiyaku's mind at the moment, as the smell of blood and the promise of carnage excited his natural instincts, the promise of prey and perhaps even a battlefield feast. But he had to control it; he knew this was only partially his own instincts talking. Somewhere, deep inside his soul, he could feel that thing, that living thing that shared his soul, rearing its head and sniffing the air hopefully. Keiyaku needed to keep him under control at all costs.

Easier said than done when they arrived at the first big clue of where their quarry had fled. The smell of splattered, rusty-red life juice hit the back of Keiyaku's throat pretty hard, mingling with other sundry scents like cooking meat and rough tobacco. The Inuzuka could feel his fellows halt, and Otami too, as they came upon the scene. Taking a moment to breathe and center himself, determined to keep himself fully human, he cast his attention to Otami, deferring to her expertise with regard to the ground, and all the things this mud had seen. Keiyaku's eyes trailed along the river as his packmate described what had happened, meanwhile, Morutobu jumped into the clearing, beginning to sniff around for any further clues.

'River-bound, Princess?' Keiyaku asked Otami, though to the chimp troop, this would sound like so much meaningless canine-esque grunting and growling, 'we shoul-'

The Inuzuka was cut off by a sudden bark. Moving before his brain even registered what he was doing, Keiyaku appeared at Morutobu's side; the Shiba was nosing at a small slip, half-disguised in bloody grime and forest muck. It was, however, unmistakeable. Giving his little brother a compensatory scratch behind the ears, he withdrew the tag and held it up to Makuto, wondering if the chimp had any idea why it was there.

"This look familiar, boss?" He asked the chief a little cheekily, hoping he could shed some light on it, "it's a tag for sealing. No idea what it's doing here; usually these things are slapped on valuables to protect them or to stop stuff being summoned, I think."

As the Inuzuka spoke, that feral fervour from before was beginning to spark in his eyes again, threatening to overwhelm the calm, controlled attitude he'd mustered up. He looked up at Otami, as if appealing to her... Or maybe it was the thing inside him, wanting to be pushed back towards the hunt. He growled and barked at her, his head cocked slightly to the side.

'Lead, Princess. Into river, or different plan?'

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The troop watched on as the trio of pack mates investigated the scene under Makuto's tense gaze. Otami gave a concise explanation of what her Gift allowed her to witness, while her pack mates searched the area. While Keiyaku was asking his earthen coated pack mate if they were headed for the river. Morutobu alerted, in a moment Keiyaku was at his side pulling a mud encrusted Sealing Tag from the side of the tree. When the young shinobi produced the item to show Makuto the simians eyes flashed with a primal rage. He made a couple gestures & the treetops erupted with movement at the silent commands. The troop taking off towards the river bank, while Makuto took the tag & held it in his hands. For the briefest of moments his eyes were filled with grief at the thought of what could happen if they failed. When Keiyaku voiced his thoughts on the tag the chimps eyes flashed with suspicion momentarily before reason won. "You are correct. In particular these tags are to keep a creature bound...we have to go now." as he spoke the Sealing Tag was crumpled in his hand.

Makuto would dash towards the river arriving only to find the rest of his troop also waiting. None having been able to find any sign of the human they were tracking. When the trio of pack mates arrived all eyes would fall upon them once more. "Where are they? I thought you said the river?" Unmistakable irritability could be heard within one of the chimps voices as he queried the pack mates. "They'll find her...you will find my Yumiko won't you?" Obvious concern was no apparent as one of the other chimps climbed down from a nearby low hanging branch. Her eyes full of desperation & hope as she held the Konoha shinobi in her gaze. No wonder the troop of simians were waging war against the group of poachers. They had taken a youth from their group, this Yumiko. There were stories of shinobi who had Contracts with creatures of an almost mythological nature. Yet these were Contracts agreed upon, to force one upon a being was said to be impossible.

Who was responsible for recruiting them for attempting to acquire the creature? Perhaps more importantly, what did they want with it if not to forge a contract with it's kin? Perhaps they had intended to use it as a negotiation piece for Contract terms? One could only guess for it was unlikely the chimpanzees had allowed their former victims to live long enough to divulge any of that information. Perhaps they would get the chance with their current query although if the bloodlust that blazed within Makuto's eyes was anything to go by. The youths may wish to turn a blind eye once they had located their prey. While the cruelty of man was something to behold, the savagery of chimps was jarring for most in a most primal manner.

If Otami utilized her Gift once more it would reveal to her a most curious vision. Only approximately forty feet from where they stood their prey had crawled from the river, through some shrubbery into the base of a decaying trunk. Hoping his pursuers would continue upstream or downstream in their pursuit of him. Having slathered himself in mud in an attempt to cover any scent as he slipped through the undergrowth. He might've gotten away to if he had not coated himself in the very thing that called to her. Whispered to Otami the subtle passings of what was transpiring. For he was unaware that they had with them a secret weapon for whom the earth divulged its secrets. "We'll go check the camp out." Akuto said as he approached Makuto, the gruff looking chimp would nod signing for the troop to go with Akuto.

Before that menacing gaze would move to the man-cub & his furry little pack-mate. "I would like for you two to accompany them. I will escort your pack-mate & ensure no harm comes to her while we hunt our query." Standing tall the formidable chimp would move his powerful frame beside that of Otami, as he leant down to be near her height. "Now which way to our prey little one?" Makuto asked with a gruff voice full of curiosity as he watched Otami. Meanwhile Akuto would already be attempting to depart the scene, pausing only briefly to re-assure Keiyaku. "Don't worry nothing is getting past dad. she'll be fine." With those words the chimp would leap up into the tree scaling it & begun making his way to the encampment with the rest of the troop.

It would take only a moments time of travel before they arrived on the outskirts of the camp. Where at least a half dozen rough disheveled looking men were packing up. One was busy trying to make a last minute meal on the fire, although his hopes would be dashed as one of his peers angrily kicked out the flames with dirt. Cursing him out, voice full of unmistakable concern & anger. From their location they would be able to faintly make out partial bits of conversation. One didn't need to be sherlock holmes to deduce that they were angry & scared. What they had been sold as an easy job was quickly turning into a horror story. Half their party was missing & the had been alive with screams hours before. If one wasn't aware they were poachers preying on defenceless infants one might've been inclined to feel sympathy for what was inevetably going to happen to them.

"We should go now while they don't suspect anything." One of the chimps said eagerly. "How many of them are there?" Akuto asked to which he got three different answers from his troop. "I think Five?" an unsure voice stated from behind a nearby tree. "No it's definitely no more then three." Said one so confident it was surprising someone could be so wrong yet so confident despite the evidence being right in front of their face. Lastly "What's it matter? They're all going to die anyway." Akuto looked to Keiyaku & it was apparent from the look on the young chimps face that he needed some help with how to go ahead.

 

[Uzu]

Otami’s heart was racing, but she kept herself calm with memories of her own hunts. Tracking food across the desert until it grew weary and thought it could rest before Otami and her pack pounced them. It wasn’t the first time she had tracked humans, either, but after all the work she had done to fit into human society the girl could feel the wolf waking back up; strongly. As she inhaled the earth into her senses again the girl saw the blurry outlines become suddenly sharper. She could see the lone man to escape away from the original attack, covering himself with the same element that was speaking sweet nothings into Otami’s ear. She could clearly hear him and his disdain for the primates that had destroyed his friends but the hopeful sound in his voice at their prize.
“Now we got a little one…should sell…worth the loss…”

Otami snapped back into her mind as she heard the pack they were hunting with whisper their concerns. It all came together now. The monkeys who had enlisted the help of two feral humans, something no animal would have done unless desperate, all made sense now. For a time the girl thought they were simply running off poachers with children who had run across the wrong pond. Instead they were rescuing a child, a pup, a creature of helplessness that could not fight against the cruelty of man. The air around Otami shifted ever slightly. A sudden intense surge of chakra slipped across her hands as she preformed two seals and slapped the mud causing the ground beneath the river to raise up quietly against the rush of the river so that everyone could cross silently. She pointed to the other side and placed a finger to her lips - they were close. Slowly stalking across the raised muddy bridge on all fours, the girl darted up the road with a few wild companions following in their own way as the group stalked up on the camp.

Some idiot was trying to make a fire, and the wolf-girl smelled it before she caught them - which was just in time as she almost walked right into a trap. They were everywhere, and well hidden, but another quick trance as she could see where most of them were. The shinobi relayed the information back to a monkey that would tell the rest. She pointed out two guards who had their weapons already drawn and ready for combat, notating they needed to go first. Considering they could talk, she assumed the primates following knew how to count. She raised up her hand with five digits and then dropped them down one by one before sticking a thumb at her self. Five seconds, follow after me. Then she slipped beneath the earth using the Inner Earth Reflection Lure as if on reflex.

When the naked muddied girl appeared again it was in the very center of the camp. Otami waited for them to say something, to move towards her, to do anything. The moment someone made even the slightest move she would lunge, mouth wide and fangs ready, to tear out a throat.

And thus, the chaos would begin.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku and Moru certainly had their orders, and of course, they certainly weren't going to refuse with the threat of a troop of fanged, martially-trained monkeys looming over them. But now, Otami was taking the lead. Keiyaku trusted her instinctively, and perhaps not just because with those funky earth powers of hers, she was likely to be the best informed of the group as to any hostile action nearby. His suggestion of the river was headed, but rather than having to ford it on foot, Otami was using her Ninjutsu to create a mud bridge to allow them to cross more safely and swiftly. It was all so clear now; they were rescuing a hostage.

As Otami vanished beneath the earth, Keiyaku looked around at his fellows as they discussed the population of the camp.

"Yeah; we should just take the lot of 'em down. Princess is heading in, it looks like."

Sure enough, Otami had appeared, muddy and naked in the center of the camp, which would surely provoke open hostility as soon as people around her realised she was there. She had already pounced on one making a fire and had drawn the attention of two others before pulling her neat vanishing act.

"Whatsa matter, Akuto," said the Inuzuka, flashing a fanged smile to the monkey he'd been partnered up with, "never made carnage before. You got mine and Moru's backs, right?"

He didn't know why, but he kind of trusted him, in a similar way to how he felt he could trust Otami. Playfully punching the chimp on the shoulder, he exchanged a look with Moru and both of them charged into the fray, ready to provide support to Otami the minute said carnage broke out. His first priority was to ensure Otami had her backup, and then his immediate next concern was to sniff, to search. If this hostage smelled anything like the rest of her family's scent, he was sure he could find her easily enough. He had to make sure she was not in any immediate danger. Seeing how he'd be busy with the fighting, he turned to Moru who was snarling.

"Moru, find her. When you do, bark for me, and I'll come running."

And with that, the Shiba puppy began weaving through the combatants, dodging around the danger nimbly, trying to sniff out the captive hostage before things got ugly.

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

Otami moved like a spirit of the lands. Enshrouded in earth she moved forward, guided by the Primordial elements whispers. Utilizing her natural gifts she enabled the simian troop to approach the camp undetected. Reshaping the very land around them to make their approach undetected. Revealing snares & brutal metallic traps that snapped shut with enough force to break bones when triggered. A small group of the simians broke off with Otami & proceeded forward to get into position. Keiyaku was with the remainder of the group as he discussed their numbers & what they should do. His enthusiasm to take down the lot of the would be chimp snatchers, his casual demeanor as his pack mate incapacitated one of their prey. Akuto gave an awkward smile at Keiyaku's words, it was not that he was ill prepared for the carnage that was to come. His concern stemmed not from a lack of experience, but from experience. He knew what would come of the humans in this encampment & he didn't want the young shinobi to think less of them. "It's not that...of course I do!" he said almost flustered as he puffed out his chest. Despite this display the unspoken concern was displayed in his gaze, Akuto's inexperience weighed on him in times such as these.

When Keiyaku gave him a playful punch in the shoulder before bursting out of the bushes to aid in the chaos that had erupted in the camp. Calls sounded out in alarm & horror as two members of the poacher looked on in abject shock as their peer was taken out by the element covered feral kunoichi. Makuto watched from out of sight, hidden in the shrubbery & plant life. Watching as the young canine separated from his human pack-mate, weaving between the clashing bodies on the encampment sifting through the various scents as he moved. Akuto burst out of the brush after Keiyaku & entered the fray. Lashing out in powerful strikes against enemy combatants alongside Keiyaku. The combined forces of the troop & young pack-mates easily overwhelmed the would be poachers.

The third tent Moru searched would reveal the last survivor of the foolish humans who had dared to trifle with forces beyong their understanding. When Moru alerted as directed by Keiyaku, Makuto would move towards the signalled tent. Inside a barrier was established that pulsed with energy, inside stood a mud covered poacher. Unfortunately for the human, Makuto was well skilled combat against shinobi. Members of the troop moved to the entrance of the tent to hold the assailants attention & ensure nothing would happen to the young pup who had found their kin. Makuto silently crept through the plantlife behind the tent, withdrawing his machete slowly with a focused look burning within his eyes. Akuto moved to the entrance & would signal to the young humans that they should follow him.

"You don't want to be here for what happens next...you should get Moru & follow me." Akuto's words were calm yet there was something burning deep within those compassionate eyes of the young simian. It seemed he desired to be present in the tent for what was to come but for some reason he was focused on ensuring they weren't concerned by what transpired. Partly out of thanks for they had helped aid in finding one of his kin. After seeing their ability to track & manipulate the element. He'd wondered if they would have been able to track the young pack-mates had they decided to flee rather then stick around & hear them out.

Moving a way from the designated tent the group would hear a swooshing sound & a 'THWUM' sound. Emanating from the single strike that Makuto performed that slashed through the tent & barrier. Before his quarry could do anything to escape or harm his kin the simian used his kins Art GuardBreak to combo into another powerful, single strike that severed the mans limb which held the weapon. Before the crimson liquid from his body had even hit the fabric of the tent, the simians at the entrance made their move. One proceeding to grab the youth from his now weakened grip. While two other chimps proceeded to unleash a multitude of strikes upon the now severely wounded individual. The encampment would fall silent in a matter of moments. Beside the sounds of the chimp troop achieving their justice.

Small vocalizations of building anxiousness would grow from the young chimp Akuto as he waited with his human companions for any sign that everything had gone right or wrong within the tent. A few tense moments would pass before Makuto exited the tent, clutched firmly against him was a young chimp helf in one arm. The other rested on the ground as they walked towards the young trio & Akuto. "Are you all okay?" the question seemed oddly warm & sincere given his earlier behaviour. Then again given his position & the stress of potentially losing a member of his troop. The suspicion & distant treatment of the pack-mates would now make more sense. That scarred face looked down at the young chimp nestled against him. If not for them would they have found her in time or at all?

Those eyes that had been previously filled with such anger & suspicion. Now held an appreciative warmth as he pondered one last question. Did he trust them? Akuto had certainly warmed to them & they had been instrumental in their success. "I'm okay, I don'r know about our friends though." with those words from Akuto a sigh would escape Makuto's lips. At least his kin were safe, that was all he had wished for these humans turning out to be trustworthy. They had more then lived up to what had been asked of them, not only had they found their targets but they had gotten them through the perimeter undetected. The rest of the troops members remained quiet, as if they were waiting for something.

[I shall take this into the Team. I hope you have enjoyed this Modded Rp no matter the outcome! (I appreciate your understanding & patience through this last leg of your Contract journey.)]