Starring:
Date: October 12, 2015
Summary:
The minor lord of a small village in the Land of Fire is missing two of his precious cats! Konoha academy students Daichi and Nora are sent to find the missing cats under the supervision of visiting Kumo Chuunin Yori. Little do they know what adventures these cats have undergone during their absence. Everyone's surprised when the two adorable felines turn into giants and try to eat the entire group.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Fang & Talon - Pussy-Cat Attack"
Land of Fire
It's a beautiful day, full of sunshine and blue sky. The summer heat is at a level that's pleasant instead of sweltering and is further softened by a gentle breeze that blows through the area. This is a great time to be hanging out with friends or simply lazing around Konoha. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for some young shinobi, it just means that work will be a little easier than trying to perform during a rainstorm.
The minor feudal lord of a small village a few hours travel from Konoha has requested a team of shinobi to handle an important mission. Said mission? Tracking down and rescuing the beloved cats of his only daughter, apple of his eye. The cats disappeared over a week ago and his daughter has refused meals ever since. They're partially outdoors cat, but always came back for their meals and playtime, except when they suddenly didn't. One of the cats is a slightly older and larger tom, silver and black tabby. The other is a delicate little cream colored queen.
Since this should be a simple and straight forward mission, only two academy students were drafted for it. Daichi is supposed to be on lighter duty due to his recent injuries, so he's the first one picked for it. The second is Nori, young Yamanaka girl in the same grade, a sensor. Despite the low rank of the mission, students still need supervision, which is where the visiting Kumo Chuunin Yori comes in. At this time, the three of them are wandering the rugged hills surrounding the village, searching for clues.
Daichi would have got up early when he was told he would be going on a simple D-Rank. It shouldn't be anything hard, and he can participate in it. He would be out and about the hills around the village now. With him was Nori someone he knew whose clan also happened to come from Kadomai, and the other was Yori. He was a chuunin from Kumogakure. He had no problem with him being on the mission, and only thought he probably hated it himself. Honestly it is a simple enough mission Daichi, and Nori could have done it themselves, but the village wanted to be careful. So here we are searching now just the three of us.
Indeed everyone needs supervision, and since Yori was visiting for a week…why not! The young Chuunin had introduced himself as Saito Yorishiro, though he's generally called Yori. Even simple missions needed to be completed, and if his presence was asked for in order to allow the two students to go on the mission he had absolutely no qualms about it. In fact, on the way there he seemed quite pleased just to be out and about, doing things!
Nori, the young Yamanaka girl, is a quiet and unobtrusive individual. She doesn't act shy, but she doesn't act like the type that enjoys conversation for conversation's sake either. As the small group hike up and down all the grass-covered hills, she keeps most of her attention on her surroundings instead of her companions. So far, it's been mostly grass, grass, and more grass, with the occasional domestic sheep or goat grazing on that same grass. The grassy hills seem to stretch everywhere. How are they going to find two tiny cats that have been lost for a whole week?
"Sheep's dung ten feet to the right," Nori announces quietly. She points a spot not far from where Daichi's heading. "They should have sent a Hyuga or Inuzuka instead." She sneezes loudly. The small girl pulls a little white handkerchief from a pocket in the prim little schoolgirl uniform she has on and uses it to wipe at her nose. "Pollen. Achoo!"
Daichi would continue following Nori. Once she calls out the sheep dung he simply moves away from it so as to not come in contact. "They could have, but whats the point of that. We could easily do this, and plus they probably think they would be more useful spotting threats rather then missing cats." He watches on all sides of him trying to spot a cat anywhere if he could. Why is it so hard to keep track of your pets. "See anything yet?"
Yori's gold-brown eyes scan their surroundings while they search for the lost cats. He is here more for moral support at the moment, as he doesn't plan on having to do much of the catching himself. He could at least help try to find them though! His hands are clasped behind his back as the boy walks slowly behind the two students. "Keep your eyes out for cat poop or small cat prints."
Nori sniffs wetly and sneezes a third time. She gives up right there and ties the handkerchief tightly over the bottom half of her face. "The grass is a problem, Yori-san. It hides everything," she says. The girl's breath makes the cloth over her face flutter with each word that comes out of her hidden mouth. Nori stops walking and closes her eyes briefly. "I feel a few sheep over this hill, but…"
Daichi stops behind Nori when she finally stops herself. "But….? Is there more? I don't really see anything from here." He stretches, and rest his hands behind his head. He continues looking off to the sides though. No reason to stop looking around. Maybe he could actually see the cats before the other….unlikely…
Yori gives a small nod to Nori when she starts sniffling. "Ah, sorry, I didn't know you had allergies. Do you have any herbs or medicines to help with that?" He asks, not wanting her to have too much trouble with the allergies if it can be helped. Yori looks over to Daichi and nods slightly. "Well keep looking Daichi-san. We'll find them, don't worry."
Nori shakes her head without closing her eyes. "I try to stay out of grass… Oh! Oh!" And then, she goes silent. A puzzled expression grows slowly on his face. "I feel… there's a few more sheep in that direction…" The girl points a small finger to the west. "And another that way…" Her arm sweeps an arc through the air to point to the northeast. Nori's pointing finger curls slightly, as if she's unsure of something. "But it's getting dimmer and dimmer." Nori's eyes pop open. She looks to her two companions. "Should we take a look?"
Daichi follows Nori's finger as she points in directions. Then she asks her question. "Well if they are seeming to slowly dissapear might as well. Better to follow them instead of run around endlessely I suppose." He shrugs to add to his sentence, and looks to Yori expecting him to have a better idea of what to do. "You think we should?"
Yori nods his agreement with the two Students. "Hai, if they're moving away then it may be the cats we're looking for," he agrees. "They could have heard us and might be running away. Um, can you tell how fast they're going Nori-san?" He would motion for the two to follow him as he started going in the way that Nori had pointed.
Nori races to catch up to Yori. The three of them might not be that different in age, but she's still pretty short. And that skirt of hers is -just- long enough, or perhaps the grass is, that it hinders her movements slightly. "It's not the cats, Yori-san. It's one of the sheep, but it's dimming while staying still. It's very, very weird," the girl says. She keeps pace with Daichi, whom she seems to have a greater preference for, being on the same village. As she crests the hill with the two boys, the faint sound of a sheep's "baaaa" could be heard. It rattles and stutters in an odd manner.
He follows along with Yori as they charge up the hill. "Could it be getting attacked by the cats, or maybe they are hitching a ride on some sheep…" He obviously has no clue how her sensor ability works so he stops speaking. He arrives at the top of the hill with the other two, and hears the sheep. "Well I guess we should hurry then, and get down there?"
"It's dimming?" Yori asks, almost as if he might've thought he heard it wrong. "Slow down," he orders. "If it's chakra signature is fading then it's either being drained or is dying. I don't believe a normal house cat would be able to do that. We need to go about this very carefully and quietly." Yori looks around before looking up to the trees and pointing up. "You can both jump braches correct? It's one of the first thing you learn to do in the Academy in Kumo."
Nori looks at the closest tree and balks slightly. It's not very big, but any tree that juts out of these rolling grassy hills would provide a very good visual advantage. "I… I can't tree walk, Yori-san. But I can get up the tree and stay there if I hold the trunk…" Nori suddenly looks to Daichi. The handkerchief that covers the bottom half of her face doesn't fully hide her blushing. "You'll have to go first. Because…" The small girl grips the fabric of her skirt in her fingers. "You have to go first, Daichi."
Daichi looks up to Yori before nodding. "Yeah I can hop across tree. Just have to get up there first. Can't tree walk yet." He then looks to Nori when she speaks spotting her red cheeks. He notices what she means by he has to go first, and grows red in his cheeks at well before quickly nodding without a word. He goes over to a tree, and starts climbing up it as quickly as he can to get to the top. "Alright I am up."
Yori rubs the back of his neck nervously when Daichi starts climbing the tree. "Um…after we complete this mission remind me to show you how to better do that. Come Nori-san," he says then, crouching down so the girl can get a piggy back ride. Whether she does or doesn't Yori will hop up into the tree and set her down. "Okay now, take it slow and easy. We don't know what's ahead." Then he would turn to lead the way, jumping the short distance between branches, keeping it small so the others won't have too much trouble. Hopefully.
Nori climbs into the tree even more awkwardly than Daichi does. Her legs are shorter and her skirt fouled up her movements even more, mostly because they make her more self conscious. The small girl silently starts to hop after Yori once she gets into the tree. Her jumps are awkward, but functionally. She ends up flailing her arms a lot to keep her balance, which renders a stealthy approach mote. In addition, the cluster of trees end -very- quickly. It's no more than a dozen before the group of young shinobi reach the end.
Standing on a tree branch at the edge of the tiny grove gives all three of them a very good very of the hills spread out to the northeast for miles. They're on the tallest one, so the rolling ground slopes steadily downwards in front of them. Grass. Grass. More grass. White moving shapes in the distance that must be sheep. Occasional clusters of trees. There. At the dip between their hill and the next is a white, wooly shape. It's unmoving. It's also no longer completely white. Streaks of wet red soaks the wooly side exposed to air and they can see even from their perch that ropes of guts lie on the ground next to the sheep's ripped open belly.
Daichi looks down at from their perch on the tree at the maimed sheep. "So either there cat isn't so cute and fluffy, or there is something else out here. Which one do you think it is?" He looks to the other two with an akward smile on his face. He then quickly looks back to the sheep. "Yori… What should we do from here?"
"We need to complete he mission, but we also need to check this out. If it's something dangerous it will need to be reported to your administration so a team can come out. Um, both of you follow right behind me okay? Get your kunai out just in case," Yori drops to the ground in a crouch before standing and scanning the area, waiting for the kids to join him.
The look that Nori flashes sideways to Daichi is that of fear. She's never been in a dangerous situation before. It's always missing pets, doing chores for old ladies and community work. Nevertheless, the small girl's hand is steady when she pulls out her kunai, even though her grip on it is a -lot- tighter than necessary. White knuckle tight. Nori gathers her courage and jumps out of the tree. She lands on her feet, but has to flail her arms to stay steady again. She was never known for her physical grace and prowess.
He watches as Nori seems afraid, and at the very least uncomfortable. He hops down besides her with a kunai in hand. He leans over to whisper to her. "Hey don't be nervous… If anything happens I won't let you get hurt." He smiles slightly her not completely full of confidence himself. He knows he would probably be able to keep himself safe, but he doesn't know if he could keep others safe. Luckily Yori was here to make sure. "Yori is here anyways. We should be fine. Just stay between the two of us." He lets her take the middle so no matter where something could come from either Yori or Daichi could react to stop it.
Whether Yori can sense the nervousness or he just saw it, he gives a small pose to look over his shoulder at Nori. "It's okay to be afraid, but don't let that fear control you. Instead realize that you are still alive and moving because you can feel the fear, then push it aside in your mind. Take a few deep breaths and let it go." He waits for her to take those deep breaths, then moves forward again. "Remember, stay close to me okay?"
It only takes a few minutes to creep down the hill to the dead sheep at the bottom. The smell of blood and spilled body fluids grow strong enough by the time they're fifty feet away from the carcass that it doesn't take Inuzuka noses to detect it. The blood matting down the sheep's formerly all-white wool is still damp, so it was killed very recently. That's in line with what Nori felt earlier. All the grass around the carcass has also been trampled down and some are uprooted, as if ripped from the ground. Whatever did it isn't in sight. Either it's gone or hiding. Something big enough to kill a sheep would be easily seem while they had the vantage of the trees.
A small rustle draws Yori's attention, but not the two students'. There's still plenty of undamaged grass outside the trampled section, all tall enough to reach the shinobi's thighs. When Yori looks towards the rustling, he's see two pairs of golden eyes peeking out at him from a patch of that grass. "Meow," one pair of eyes go nervously. The sound's barely loud enough to reach his ears. Both sets of eyes retreats into the cover of the grass' shadow.
Daichi stares at the dead sheep, and is completely oblivious to the cats, and their one meow. He looks around the nearby area to see what could have killed the sheep, and keeps his kunai in his hand just in case something suprises them. "See anything? I don't see anything at least…nothing nearby at all. How could it just dissapear so quickly." The last bit turns into him seemingly talking to himself.
Yori looks thoughtfully down at the sheep, crouching to examine it with a critical eye to try and tell what might have happaned to it. Of course, that's until he hears a rustling in the grass nearby and his head whips over to see the two pairs of eyes. Poor things are probably frightening by whatever did this. Yori motions to the grass as he stands walks slowly towards the cats, crouching a bit as he gets close and holding out a hand for pets. "Here kitty kitty," he says softly, trying to draw the kitties out.
Nori starts slightly when Yori suddenly starts talking. It takes her a second to realize that the Kumo Chuunin isn't talking to them, but to a spot in the grass not far from them. She turns her gaze away from the sheep carcass, glad to be given an excuse to do so, and focuses her attention on what Yori's looking at. Just… grass.
But then, the grass rustles and two small cats hesitantly creeps out into the open. "Meow?" "Meow…" One silver-black tabby tom and a cream colored queen. Both felines are dirty, especially their paws, which are covered in a brownish-red substance. They'd both wearing slim jewel encrusted leather collars, which prove their identities. Strangely, both cats also have plastic medical bands around the base of their tails.
It seems like they've found the cats and completed their mission! But what about the sheep? Nori suddenly frowns and shrinks back towards Daichi. "There's… there's something strange about the cats. Their chakra feels different than they should…"
Daichi looks toward the cats awkwardly. "Oh there they are." Then Nori slinks back and says there is something strange. "Yori… I don't think these are the cats we are looking for… at least not on the inside." He holds his kunai up to his chest, and stares at the cats. He isn't going to be able to tell anything about their chakra, but maybe something on the outside will give it away.
"Something strange?" Yori asks with a glance over his shoulder, then looking back to the cats. "Hmm. Can you explain what you mean?" he asks as he watches the cats and looks them over. He didn't remember the owner or anyone in charge of the mission mentioning that they had medical bands around their taiis. What could that mean? His golden-brown eyes flick over the cats, looking for anything out of place. Like blood on their person somewhere.
Nori closes her eyes again, reluctantly. She doesn't really want to do it while there's a sheep killer around, but it's the only way she can focus her sensing abilities well enough to get a better idea what's going on. "They're definitely cats, not people Henge to look like cats," the small girl says after a moment. "But, their chakra's stronger than normal cats, more like how much would be in a ninken. And the texture of the chakra's wrong. Almost human-like…"
While Nori's talking, the cats remaining slinking on their bellies. Their golden eyes are glued on the shinobi, filled with fear and confusion. The poor things may be partially outdoor cats, but they've been pampered all their lives. Now lost for an entire week and with sheep blood stinking up the air, they must be out of their minds with terror. Speak of sheep's blood, the two shinobi with eyes still open, Yori and Daichi, would start to realize that the brownish-red substance on the cats' paws is crusted blood-soaked dirt.
Daichi would nod as she spoke not noticing her eyes are closed. "Do you think they could have been experimented on, and tested in some way?" He stares at the substance on their paws, and clues it in. "Blood…It isn't fresh enough to be the sheeps… Unless them walking in the dirt dried it up I guess. Yeah sounds possible actually. The sheeps blood plus dirt…." He stands there with the kunai still in hand, but his hand is hanging by his side to hopefully not make the cats feel threatened.
Yori notices the blood too and frowns slightly. He hesitates, then slowly starts reaching a hand towards one of the cats, prepared to withdraw it if they tried to swipe at it. Should he get close enough to give a few soft pets he'd also send a pulse of medical chakra through to try and see what might be wrong with them. "Small amounts of blood would dry faster, especially if you're moving and it's being partially absorbed by mud. For it to be dry already while the rest is still wet…I do believe we've found the killer. Now we must understand how and why."
Nori's eyes flash open. "Wait, if they're dangerous, shouldn't we go get help?" she asks nervously. The girl's hands tighten further on her kunai and she edges closer to Daichi again. She looks nervously at the cats. Her expression grows even more nervous when Yori starts reaching out towards them. "Wait, Yori-san. I don't think…" Nori suddenly stops in confusion. Her eyes widen. "That feels like Akimichi chakra!"
Yori's hand reaches close enough to to pet the cowering tom cat's head. He's also close enough to read the writing on the two plastic tail bands, which are printed with "Specimen 281046" and "Specimen 274916". The pulses of medical chakra don't have time to tell him what's wrong before the cats explode.
The shinobi only have a few seconds to act before everything suddenly changes. There's a concussion of expanding air that knocks everyone back. Then, both tiny cats expands a ten-fold… twenty-fold… thirty-fold. "Yowwwwl!" Two very stroked off cats, each bigger than an elephant, hisses down at them with ears folded back. Their paws flex and knife-sharp claws shred the grassy earth.
Daichi would quickly react, but he knows Nori could possibly freeze up. He would stand between Nori, and the big cats while waiting to be told what to do. "Yori… These are dangerous now. We can't take them in so do we attack? Or should I try to get out of here with Nori while you keep them distracted. We can't complete the mission if they die, but we can't take them in with that being a possibility." He tries to slowly move away from them, but the whole time makes sure to stay between the catzillas and Nori.
Yori is knocked back but he uses the momentum to spring up, using a hand to vault him to his feet and interposing himself between the kids and the kittens, arms to either side. "These cats are very dangerous. It's unfortunate but we need to put them down…" and then find out who's using cats to experiment on. "I want you two to back up slowly. You see that farm house over there? I want you to backup a ways and then run for that house." Meanwhile Yori starts sidestepping to try and make the cats look away from the two younger types before waving his arms overhead. "Here kitty kitty."
Nori whimpers and glances behind her. That farmhouse is a -long- way to run. If Yori can't handle the cats, they'd be eaten before going halfway. The small girl tries to turn around and make the best of the time that the Kumo Chuunin is given then, but she can't get her legs to move. As much as she tries, she stays rooted on the spot with her knees knocking against each other. She makes a squeaking noise in her throat.
The giant cats are now prowling the grass in front of the shinobi. Their huge, gleaming eyes are mainly focused on Yori, as the most interesting prey. Whatever timidity they showed earlier is wiped away by the transformation that's taken hold of them. Instead, pure hunter's grace defines their every motion and there's a predatory spring to their steps. The tom's tail straightens and lash the air, straightens and lash the air again. The queen opens her mouth wide to hiss again, which exposes teeth longer than any of the shinobi's arms. This continues for a little longer, until the cats hear Nori's squeak. Both sets of ears twitch forward and the cats pounce… over Yori at the two Konoha students.
Daichi would sees Nori not moving, and instinctively stays there too. Then he notices the two cats. He knows he will be unable to help her but he would at least try to dodge the one coming for him. They move much quicker then he expected though, and before he can even move they are right above him. He watches them fall towards him, and just waits for what he expects to be getting hit.
Yori doesn't hesitate as he moves faster than the eye can follow, moving under one cat and launching in the air as his blade tries to cut the creature in half. On the way down he spins and aims his blade at the second cat to try and smack it into the ground. Hard to say whether or not he actually hit but…if he did they should be hurtin'!
Yowls of pain echoes through the hills and probably scares any nearby sheep into releasing their bowels. The two cats had almost reached their prey when Yori knocks them away with his blade. They're sturdier than he may expect, since both land on their feet clearly alive after gracefully twisting through the air to reorient themselves. Alive, but not untouched. Singed fur and blood mark both cat's silky pelt along the ribs. This just seems to enrage them more.
The cats stalks a circle around the small group and pounces from a different angle. The tom rushes straight at Yori's side with wicked claws outstretched to carve pieces out of the boy. This distraction allows the queen to attack diagonally from the behind. Unfortunate, Yori and a screaming Nori is in the way. As she arches over the two student's heads with her maw open to bite off Yori's head, her lashing tail slaps at the students with the force of a whip.
Daichi watches as the the cats jumps towards the group. He watches each cat seemingly surrounding them, but they seem to charge Yori. He watches them rush him, and notices the cats tail is swinging quickly towards them. He jumps quickly into the air over the tail. Then he looks to the side as the tail rushes towards Nori. "Watch out!" He doesn't expect to do much, but he throws his one kunai he has out at the back of one of the cats.
Yori vanshies away from the two cats when they try to attack him, appearing next to Nori and picking her up in time to vanish before the cats tail can even get close. "Daichi-san, are you okay?" Yori asks as he sets Nori down. "Nori-san, Daichi-san, I want you both to find some place to hide. Daichi-san, watch after Nori-san, okay?" Yori turns back to the cats then, seeing where they are before he vanishes from where he was and appears behind the two cats, his attack so fast the cats wouldn't even feel it for a few seconds.
The coordinated attacks of the two giant felines only rustles empty air as Yori disappears from where he was standing. Similarly, the cream-colored cat's tail strikes nothing, since Daichi manages to treat it like an extra large jump rope and Yori manages to get a much frozen Nori out of the way in time. For his troubles, Nori squeaks upon being grabbed and reflexively tries to slap her savior in the face before she realizes that she's -not- being attacked. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" the girl stammers as she's being set down in a safer location.
Both cats are confused for a second to find their prey missing, but quickly figures out what's going on. They whirl quickly on the three young shinobi. The queen knocks away Daichi's shuriken with a flick of her tail right before they strike a tender spot, but that same tail flies severed from her body only seconds later. Momentum sends the heavy length of flesh and bone flying like a missile at Daichi. Her yowl of pain matches that of the silver-blue tom, since Yori's now flitting among the two of them with blade drawn. Blood flies freely, even as the cats try to fend him off with a ferocious counter swipes of their deadly claws…
Daichi would be watching closely now as the tail is coming his way. He seems to easily use his hand to throw himself over the the tail, and back down to the ground. He turns around quickly throwing three kunai at it hoping for a major wound against these big opponents. "Nori are you okay? Yori I guess it was a good thing you came along huh?"
Yori shifts away from the flailing cats but some of the claws manage to snag his shoulder. He doesn't even flinch when the claws cut through his clothing and flesh, instead turning quickly to sidestep the second attack and counter slice with a blade tipped with lightning. Even after that he strikes out at both cats again, his blade dancing with lightning still as it flows through the air.
The entire battle is over in seconds. A barrage of shuriken from Daichi serves as enough distraction that the giant cats fall to Yori's lightning enhanced blade. Blood and body parts fly, followed by imminent collapse. As the badly injured cats falls dying to the ground, they shrink smaller and smaller until they return to their normal small selves, except much mangled. The tom cat's one remaining paw twitches and he lets out a confused "meow" before his lungs empty of their last shred of air. The plastic medical bands on the cat's tails (or tail stub in the case of one) are too soaked with blood to read anymore. The bands had grown with the cats and shrunk back down with them too.
Nori has stood on the sidelines and watched the whole thing with terror. She ducks her head as soon as Daichi turns to her. "I… I'll be ok. Sorry, I can't help more…" While the small girl's face couldn't be seen, her shame is clear from the tone of her voice. It sounds almost like Nori's on the verge of tears. She wrings her hands together in front of her disheveled dress. "What… what are we going to tell them? About… about this?"
Daichi walks over to Nori when he heard her voice. He crouches in front of her before speaking. "Nori you did help. Remember you are the one who spotted them. It just happened to be something you were not even expected to deal with." He would stand up, and set a hand on her shoulder. "We are going to tell the village heads first about what happened, and then they will tell us what to do or do it themselves." He smiles to try and lift her mood.
Yori flicks his blade to the side to clear it of blood before he sheathes the blade, then crouches to examine the cats and, more importantly, the tags. The boy goes to examine the tail that had been cut off, trying to see if the tag itself is salvageable. But they're not. Yori pulls off his small summer cloak and crouches to gently lay the cats in the center of it, then lays the bits next to them before carefully picking all four corners up and tying it in a knot so he can carry them. "We'll take these back to show the Village it's cleared, then we'll take these cats back to your Village. These aren't natural. They're some kind of experiement. I'm sure your people will want to look at them."
"It was strange… very strange," Nori speaks up. The small girl looks out from under her bangs before she ducks her head again. The brief glimpse that they see of her expression is a glum one. It doesn't look like Diachi's encouraging words managed to cheer her up at all. "Their chakra… It almost felt for a second like they were using the multi-size jutsu when they turned aggressive, but only the Akimichi clan can use it."
"Well if they are experiments then maybe they used DNA of an Akimichi to make them that way?" Daichi takes notice of Nori's glum expression, and remember to offer to cheer her up later. First they would have to get back to the village though. "Alright Yori we should head back now I guess." He would glance to Nori. "You okay?"
Yori was the only one to take injury from the cats but it wasn't so bad. He hefts the cloak over one shoulder carefully with the dead cat bits inside. "You both did well. I'm glad to see our ally Village has such strong and intelligent shinobi. Nori-san you found them when no one else could and caused a distraction so I could get to them. You too Daichi-san, if you hadn't distracted them that final time they would have gotten away once again. You are both exceptional shinobi." He gives them a smile before he nods towards the village the had to report to. "Come, let's go speak to the village elders."
