Starring:
Rockpath (emitter), Hiei, Yori
Date: August 7, 2015
Summary:
It is time! After a week of recovery and preparations, the Goats launch an assault on the Tanuki to get their precious item back.
"Got Goat? - More Trouble with Tanukis"
Land of Summons
Well, after a long week of hard work, the Goat Village finally looks acceptable! No longer are all the houses looking destroyed/demolished into little bits of rubble. Instead, thanks to the fact that there are humans with THUMBS!, the houses look like actual houses instead of the past 'lean-to' form. Most of the goats are also healed up from their battle-wounds, though there are still marks on their fur. The houses, assumedly, look a bit more like houses with black shale roofings and stone walls that should at least withstand some attacks. Focused earthen chakra heated by fire to make it more stone than mud was probably the most-used tool, and a majority of the goats had Hiei and Yori helping with making the roofs.
On the side, Hiei would likely have learned quite a bit thanks to Head Battle Goat Vyren. The war-goat was all-too-happy to show Hiei the process of how smithing a goat's armor tends to work, where they place their weapons, /how/ they attach their weapons (because… they only have hooves…), and how they get all geared up for battle. It's a pretty interesting prcess.
Yori would, likely as he searched around the village, learn quite a bit about how the village is organized. There weren't many kids around, but there were a number of younger goats that had been born last year. They grew just a bit faster than a typical goat, and they were pretty big. Most of them were around 4 feet in height despite being young.
Eventually the pair would be called into the Slate Cave that the Four Leaders were staying in. The four were all just sitting there for the time being, discussing quietly what their plans were and drawing on the ground with their hooves.
Believe it or not, Hiei has had a really good time in Goat Village so far. He had used his considerable strength to help rebuild the houses. He even spent some time with Vyren the Battle Goat and the Sage Goat. But just because they're in a new place doesn't mean that Yori's lessons stopped. The goats would watch while Hiei sparred with Yori while continuing to teach him kenjutsu. Hiei was preparing him for battle, just in case the Tanuki came back. But the best thing for Hiei was learning all about the Battle Goats. It was plain to see that he preferred the company of Vyren to the others. Perhaps it was because he was a former general of Kumo, and the big goat had a lot in common with each other. Currently, he's making his way to Slate Cave where thee other leaders were. He motions for Yori to follow him and as he stands before the gigantic goats, he offers them a low bow in greeting, then waits to be acknowledged.
Yori had been busy! Between helping rebuild houses which was, let's face it, very busy and tiring work…and then training as well he was beat! Yet he didn't show it and in fact he only made it worse by equally tiring his mind. In the few minutes he found time to himself he had talked with some of the younger goats curiously and taken notes on some things he felt were important. It was all in his own code, however, so at least it was secret and known only to him. The rough maps he'd drawn up during the rebuilding had since been destroyed to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Now they'd been called before the Elders and Yori was quick to follow Hiei to the Cave where he bows deeply to them before he takes a small step back. It leaves Hiei in front which is only proper.
The goats continuing talking for a bit before Vyren steps back to nod to their guests, and the four all turn to watch Hiei. "We have decided that an open war on the Tanuki is a bad idea. At least for now. But there are many of us who wish to fight and take back what is ours. As such, we decided to come up with a two-front attack. One to take back what is ours, and one to wreak as much havoc upon the Tanuki as we can."
Vyren has been speaking up until now, and he's replaced with the medic, Zal. "We don't want too many injuries, so we'll need to double-check all of our armor. My herb supplies have, thankfully, been restored to their former glory. So we can at least be ready on that frontier." Croen, the Head Sage, adds, "Don't destroy /all/ of their homes. Or their food stores. We're not going to stoop completely to their level. Do you understand, Vyren?" The Sage's look is quite piercing as he looks to the battle goat, and Vyren bows his head.
"We'll be leaving at dawn. Tanuki have strange schedules and enjoy sleeping when the sun is out, but there will still be some patrols so they aren't completely caught off-guard. They make their homes in the trees, and they keep their treasure in the cave where the Mama and Papa Tanuki are. We are assuming that's where they placed /our/ treasure." Vyren pauses, as if remembering that Yori and Hiei haven't lived with them that long. The two might have heard complaints/rumors, though, on what was stolen. "We are looking for a great shield. It has the crest of the Goat Village on its front and is made of a pure metal that is so strong, we cannot dent it with our strength!"
Hiei listens passively while the goats discuss their strategy. He nods a few times as they speak, indicating that he understands that some things are off limits. Once they're finished speaking, he crosses his arms over his chest, "A two front attack is an excellent idea. We can pretty much eliminate any patrols that might be in the area. They wouldn't be expecting a counter-attack so soon after theirs. I'm willing to bet that they think you're still rebuilding after their last attack. They're expecting your resources to be almost depleted, and that most of you are starving from lack of edible food." He lifts a finger. "However, we have an opportunity here. We have the best thing that we could hope for in this situation. We have the element of surprise. Therefore, we cannot allow the patrols to alert the main force. Once inside their village, we create a diversion with one team, then the second team infiltrates the village and steals back your treasure. The diversion team will attack directly, which leaves the second team free to persue the objective." He looks between them all to see how they feel about his plan. "Elders, this /will/ work. It's a tactic I've employed before back home."
Yori has nothing of his own to add to this discussion. Sure he may have read a great many books based on strategy but he hasn't been in such a position himself while there were two well versed people…er, well…living creatures here that had experience. So for now he watches in silence, golden brown eyes slipping over the goats as he listens to what's said.
Vyren gives a nod. "That sounds good to me, then. We can prepare tonight with a grand feast to thank you two for all your help, and then we can get a good night's rest before setting out in the night." The battle goat's eyes gleam in anticipation, and he seems almost giddy from excitement. War was fun, to say the least, for this goat.
Unless Hiei or Yori had anything to add to the discussion, the two would be lead away and the festivities would begin. The goats aren't meat-eaters, but they had a lot of grass, hay, and random other things that goats like. For their guests, they tried to bring in as many berries, nuts, and vegetables as they could. It may not be a feast to the two Kumo-nin, but it was probably the best the goats could offer. The good news for Hiei and Yori was that they were allowed to hunt down any rabbits or squirrels or whatever to supplement their meals.
The whole party was a relatively brief, but very cheerful, affair, and the goats were all anticipating the battle. The kids all played at war and the adults all discussed what was coming and various plans should any battle-goats die in the upcoming fight. They weren't concerned about injuries, as they knew the medics would be able to handle such.
Hiei had taken Yori hunting and gotten a few rabbits to eat with the berries and vegetables. Hiei had dressed them himself, but he let Yori do the cooking. Later on, he is standing in front of a fire with a bunch of kids and some adult goats around him and he seems to be telling a scary story while using his hands and body language to embellish it a little. "…there I was. A boy of twelve and standing in front of me on the path was the dreaded Goat-Ogre. This monstrosity was twelve feet tall, with red eyes and fangs the size of kunai. The smell coming from the beast was the most awful, foul thing that I have ever known. The stink was so bad, that my eyes began to water and I couldn't see two feet in front of me." One of the younger goats interrupts. "..what did you do?" Hiei gets an evil look on his face. "..I knew there was no way that I could defeat the monster. So I tried to be as quiet as possible and sneak around it while it was sleeping. But just as I thought that I was in the clear, it did something that I never expected it to do.." Another young goat bleats and then asks, "…what did it do!?" Hiei grins. "It let out the most horrific fart that I have ever heard. The stink was so bad that you could taste it in your throat. I almost passed out from lack of oxygen. The beast woke itself up the fart was so loud, and then it roared. It was enough to make your blood run cold.."
Yori bows to the Elder goats before following Hiei out of the cave. Together he hunts with Hiei then gets to the cooking, watching the meat carefully so it doesn't burn before finally pulling them off of the fire and putting them in a place where Hiei can get to the majority of the meat. He takes a little himself but he leaves the majority for that Yotsuki because he knows he loves his meat! As time passes Yori finds himself with some of the younger goats because, well, he's young himself! He actually seems to be enjoying himself as he occasionally laughs and says something to make the others laugh as well. At one point he's dragged off by the youngest ones and he plays a game of 'goat tag'. He'll probably have a few bruises from that. All in all Yori seems rather uncharacteristically overly happy.
Sadly, all festivities must come to an end. The goats all had a bunch of fun, though, and as well as the Kumo-nin. Now it was time to get serious! The moon was just starting its descent when goats were woken up for the assault. There was a little bit of clanking as they all donned their armor, and Hiei, because he was shown many of the techniques during the week, was even allowed to help dress some of the war goats. Armor over their bodies, helmet strapped on so that it covers the whole upper-half of their head and leaves the goats to see and use their teeth and horns. Some had sharpened their horns while others attached sharp weapons to them.
"Time to move out," Vyren says to his goats (and Kumo-nin). Zal will be standing in the nearest clearing, should any goat get too injured in battle. If you cannot continue, retreat. I don't want to lose anyone." Then the goat bleats, which is sort of a fearsome battlecry?, and the whole troupe moves out. In total, there are about twenty goats for the battle. The smaller goats that were under six feet were assigned to take back their prized shield while the bigger goats caused the diversion and destroyed homes and opposing forces.
Hiei felt honored to help the battle goats get dressed out for the battle. After helping them, he then prepares himself by making sure his own armor and weapons are up to par. Then, he calls Yori to him for some last minute preparations. "Yori, I know this is probably the most unorthodox battle you're ever going to be apart of. But I want you to stay by my side. And remember, as long as we are true to ourselves, and we work as a team. Nothing can defeat us. Nothing." He lays his hand on his shoulder. "I've prepared you for this. This is the moment where all of your training thus far will come into play. Remember the lessons that I've taught you, and you will be fine." He offers him a smile. "I have faith in you."
Yori had helped with some of the more minor preparations, assisting wherever he was needed before seeing to his own things and, finally, making sure that Hiei was properly supplied and prepared. He wasn't about to let the Raikage go into a battle without verifying everything of his was in top form. In the end when the man calls him over he quickly bows before straightening to look up into the Raikage's eyes. Surprise at first shows in his golden-brown eyes, but then it settles into a proud sense of being at the words. "I'm ready Raikage-dono." It's all he really has to say. He'll be there by the mans side and do what he has to, not only to help these goats but to ensure of Hiei's safety.
For huge goats, they are surprisingly stealthy? One perhaps wishes that were the case. The group has to set out at a walk, which means getting to the Tanuki's home will be a journey. The sun is beginning to shine when they reach the edge of the Tanuki's forest. Vyren starts to split the groups properly. Hiei and Yori are going to be in the first group that charges in, but then the Kumo-nin would break off during the chaos to get the special shield. The smaller goats would raid homes and destroy buildings while the larger goats actually took on the Tanuki. "Everyone ready?" he asks the first team. Once he gets a confirmation, the battle would begin with a bleated, "Charge!" Then Vyren starts running into the he forest, leading the first team of goats (and the Kumo-nin) into battle.
The Tanuki were obviously not expecting this attack. But they got ready quickly, and the attackers would find themselves facing an onslaught of fiery missiles thanks to the Tanuki guards. A few flares were launched as a warning.
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Explosives! vs Hiei from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 47. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Explosives! vs Hiei from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 37. - Rolled by: Rockpath
COMBAT: Hiei focuses 3042 stamina to turn it into 4500 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DANCING-FLOW…51
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…38
As the explosion comes for him, Hiei seems to flow around it and then he peforms a corkscrew flip to avoid the other one. "Watch out, Yori!" He yells as he rushes towards one of the Tanuki. His elbow begins to spark with lightning as he executes one of his favorite combinations. He sends an elbow towards the thing's face and then he spins around sending a lightning infused knee towards it's back.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with DEVASTATING-LIGHTNING-ELBOW with a roll of: 40
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-KNEE with a roll of: 60
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Hiei from 40 to 70 and get(s) a 66. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Hiei from 40 to 70 and get(s) a 64. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Explosives! vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 26. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Explosives! vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: RockpathRPCOMBAT: Yori defends against with a DODGE…33
RPCOMBAT: Yori defends against with a BREVITY…42
Yori takes the warning to heart as he jumps back from one blast, then vanishes completely from the second, reappearing instead next to the fated Tanuki. Poor guy. Lightning starts to flow through his vambrace as his fist comes up, the sleeve sliding up to reveal the metal beneath before the fist strikes down towards the creature. He almost feels a little bad beating up on something so cute! But then he remembers the damage they'd done and that feeling settles back down. The lightning filled punch is followed up a roundhouse kick to try and knock the bugger out.
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-VAMBRACE-STRIKE with a roll of: 34
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with PHYSICAL with a roll of: 20
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 28. - Rolled by: Rockpath
These guys may be cute, but they ain't no slouches! As evident by their destruction of the Goat Village… The Tanuki that Hiei tried to get just giggles at the silly Yotsuki trying to elbow something that is probably a third of the size of Hiei. He's in his smaller form right now. Of course, the knee is a bit more terrifying for the mite, and he skitters away from the incoming knee. Even as the Tanuki facing Hiei avoids the Raikage, several other Tanuki jump into the fight! They start launching explosive tags and fire jutsu like no tomorrow!
Yori's initial hesitation was taken advantage of quickly. His opponent gives really big wide-eyed Tanuki-eyes to try and throw- Okay, that's not happening! The little thief skitters away, but thinks he can handle Yori himself. So he waves away help and starts trying to scratch Yori's face up! He must be a young Tanuki….
The battle that the goats are facing is going interestingly. The Tanuki like to hit hard, and they like to hit fast. So the assaults are great and powerful, which is why it's probably a good thing the goats all have armor on. The morning light gets to give a faint gleam to their armor, and a lot of the goats are already covered in soot, some blood, and a lot of sweat as they tackle this challenge. Vyren seems to be giving it his all, and lightning seems to spark along his armor as she charges individual Tanuki.
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Bazooka Powah! vs Hiei from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Bazooka Powah! vs Hiei from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 57. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Bazooka Powah! vs Hiei from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Bazooka Powah! vs Hiei from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Rockpath
RP: Hiei transforms into LIGHTNING-AURA.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a BREVITY…64
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a ACROBATIC-FLOW…56
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DANCING-FLOW…80
RPCOMBAT: Hiei took 300 damage.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DODGE…52
Hiei growls when the little bastard manages to evade two of his tried and tested taijutsu attacks. He roars, and a light blue aura surrounds his body as he vanishes to avoid the first attack. He attempts to leap out of the way of the second one, but it impacts. Once the smoke clears, he is singed but still standing there. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." He snarls as he flows around the third attack and then simply steps to the side for the last one. "I'm done playing now." He states as he draws his blades and executes three slashes in strategic locations, followed by a double strike from both weapons at once.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with TRIPLE-SLASH with a roll of: 72
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with DUAL-BLADE with a roll of: 81
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Hiei from 40 to 70 and get(s) a 70. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Hiei from 40 to 70 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Scratchy Scratchy vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 24. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Scratchy Scratchy vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 26. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Scratchy Scratchy vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 33. - Rolled by: Rockpath
RPCOMBAT: Yori defends against with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…43
RPCOMBAT: Yori defends against with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…46
RPCOMBAT: Yori defends against with a BASIC-VAMBRACE-BLOCK…37
Yori is only slightly surprised at the agility of the little beast and decides it's best to not underestimate the little sucker. When it comes clawing at him he just brings his arm up to let it scratch his vambrace with little effect. Besides maybe some dulled claws. A mental sigh is heaved before that look of focus evolves over his features, eyes sharpening on the creature as he prepares to end this as quickly as possible. A flash later and Yori is next to the creature and his sword is slashing down at the creature before he attempts a very nifty kick. Maybe he'll make a field goal!
RP: Yori transforms into BATTLE-MIND.
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with ARC-SLASH with a roll of: 50
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with PHYSICAL with a roll of: 32
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 23. - Rolled by: Rockpath
[NPC System]: Tanuki roll(s) Dodge vs Yori from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Rockpath
Well, there's a reason why no one wants to fight the Raikage, and the Tanuki are only now finding that out. They squeal as Hiei slashes at them, clutching various appendages as they're wounded by Hiei. A majority of the Tanuki leave Hiei be from now on, many of them racing to fight off the goats. Angry war goats are much nicer to face than angry Raikages.
Yori's enemy gets a nice slash across his eye, blinding the Tanuki enough that he flees the fight. Darn, no field goal. At least the Tanuki is gone. Many of the sneaky thieves are also trying to escape the barrage of smaller goats that have been sneaking into the village and setting fire to the more isolated trees of the clearing. The fire, and the sun, lights up the area a bit more to show a big yawning cave farther in the 'back' of the battle field.
Hiei snarls as the little Tanuki run. He sheathes his swords and turns towards the buildings. He holds his palms out in front of him. As he turns them upwards, lightning begins to be generated from his body until a field of lightning surrounds him. It begins to pool in his hands and slowly begins to take shape as an almost maniacal expression comes over his face. Oh yeah, it was time to cause some collateral damage.
RP: Hiei transforms into YOTSUKI-CONDUCTIVE-ARMOR-II.
RP: Hiei uses B-RANK-CHARGE.
Yori watches as the Tanuki skitters off and he quickly realizes that the rest have also run in a very different direction. Hmm. The boys eyes turn to latch onto the Raikage as he seems to prepare for…something. Wait, he'd seen this before. Yori sheathes his sword and walks closer to Hiei, though he remains well behind him. There's nothing he can do if the Raikage plans to unleash this besides watch. And he'll be happy to do so.
COMBAT: Yori focuses 2519 stamina to turn it into 3000 usable chakra!
All around Hiei (literally… None of the Tanuki want to enter within a ten-foot radius around the man), there's a pretty intense battle between the goats and the Tanuki. Thanks to sheer numbers, the Tanuki were winning, but only barely. A lot of their ammunition had been used up, so now they were frantically trying to hold off the goats while the alarm to retreat sounded through the woods. Mass evacuation: begin!
Vyren is just stomping through the forest and knocking into trees with Tanuki to try and loosen the raccoon-dogs so they can be picked off from the ground later by his troops. So far, the tactic seems to be working! There are only 13 goats in the clearing not including Vyren, so a few must have retreated to get some healing.
Hiei begins to chuckle under his breath as the image of a large bear takes form in front of him. The bear stands up on it's hind legs and roars. A sound not unlike thunder. If there are any Tanuki in the blast radius of what he's about to release, then they were idiots for not running far enough. "Lightning Beast!" Hiei yells before pushing both hands forwards, he bear moving at the speed of lightning towards the buildings of the little raccoon looking things. "Never mess with the goats again!" He roars.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-BEAST-ONIKUMA with a roll of: 63
Yori's eyes shift from the Raikage to that of the fighting going on around them. He considers only a moment before he's again gone, reappearing not too far away at the closest goat being attacked and slashing quickly, then moving to the next. Hiei stays within his line of sight the entire time so he can watch the man, but he wasn't going to stand idly by while the goats were still being attacked.
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with TRIPLE-SLASH with a roll of: 54
COMBAT: Yori attacks target 1 with TRIPLE-SLASH with a roll of: 41
Thanks to Yori, the goats that were being overwhelmed by the Tanuki are able to drive them into retreating, ferocious bleats trailing after the dog-coons. When Hiei's Lightning beast rears its ugly head, many of the Tanuki, and the goats as well, pause in what they're doing to watch the destruction of the Tanuki's homes. Sob… The goats all seem happy though, chasing off the last of the Tanuki with vicious bites to their ringed tails. The clearing, once filled with the sound of battle not many minutes ago, was suddenly empty. It was a bit strange how quickly that all happened, too, the Tanuki all seem to have deserted their posts. "We must find our Shield!" Vyren says, sending goats and humans that weren't injured as much.
Hiei turns to Vyren and inclines his head. "It will be done. Yori.." He kneels down. "Climb onto my back." Assuming he does as he's asked. Hiei says, "Which direction?" Once he gets an idea of where the cave is located, and with Yori on his back, the younger shinobi is about to find out first-hand just how fast the Raikage is. Gathering his chakra into his legs, Hiei vanishes. The air is displaced as he leaves the area rapidly, kicking up dust and debris in his wake.
Yori's sword is sheathed as the Tanuke beat their hasty retreat and he turns back to Hiei once the man speaks to him. There's no hesitation as he simply climbs onto the Raikage's back and hangs on for dear life. He's seen the man vanish before and knows he has great speed, but experiencing it is something else! He's pretty sure his ears popped after they broke the sound barrier.
It's pretty easy to find the cave. The Tanuki only have one cave in their territory, and it's pretty clear it's that huge one that Hiei is racing towards. Zoom! And Hiei and Yori are at the entrance facing two very very large Tanuki that don't look all too happy with Hiei…. "Is there a reason you humans are meddling in the affairs between the goats and Tanuki?" asks one of them. A male voice, pretty deep and rumble.
One they arrive, Hiei allows Yori to slide off his back as he looks up at the Tanuki. "Yes. There's a very good reason. You busted up a good friend of mine. Goat by the name of Seer." He slams his fist into his open palm. "And I met one of your kind before and he rubbed me the wrong way. I don't like how you conduct business. But I'm a forgiving man. So I'll only say this once. "Give us the shield and leave the goats alone. If you don't…then you'll be destroyed right here and now." He flexes his aura, and it intensifies briefly. "You really don't want to see me angry."
Yori does slide off of Hiei's back once they arrive, luckily recovering his equilibrium quickly. He moves to stand next to Hiei though he doesn't reach for his sword…not that he /needs/ it to inflict damage, but at least it's less threatening. He's ready to step between should those Tanuki try and do something bad though and so he just watches them carefully for the slightest wrong movement…
"Is th- They could have done this without- *SIGH*" The huge Tanuki lumbers back into the cavern and begins to rummage through things, eventually pulling out a huge shield that is almost the size of Hiei. "Take it," he says, handing it to the Raikage. "Tell Croen I thought he had more sense," he mutters, shaking his head and essentially dismissing the Raikage.
Hiei takes the shield and then hefts it onto his back. It causes him to stoop over a little, mostly because it's just awkward. But it doesn't look like it's too heavy for him. "Arigato. I'm glad you've seen sense. Now, my friend and I are just going to walk on out of here. And remember, leave the goats alone. And if I get ambushed by any Tanuki on my way back, I'm gonna come back here and put a hurtin on you that your ancestors are going to feel. Understand me?" He gives the two of them a hard look before he turns to walk away.
Yori is faintly surprised at the ease that came with retrieving the shield from the large Tanuki but it doesn't show in his expression or stance. Instead he simply waits until Hiei starts to walk away before turning to follow behind, keeping a wary eye on those wily creatures behind them just in case they have a change of heart.
The large Tanuki just waves Hiei away, as if nothing is his problem anymore. Vyren seems pretty happy to see that Hiei has the shield. "Thanks for everything, Hiei!" he says. "We should all get back home and start working on healing up after that battle."
Hiei is happy that the shield has been returned, and he's glad the goats are doing much better. He asks Vyren. "What is that thing for anyway? And why did the Ma and Pa Tanuki say that they though Croen had more sense." He crosses his arms over his chest. "They didn't even put up a fight. I'm kind of disappointed by that. But at the same time, we got what we went after. And I told them if they mess with the goats, I'd go back and put a big hurting on them." He nods once.
Yori is relieved when they return the shield and aren't chased by giant Tanuki. That's kind of a relief. But he's also curious as to why it was returned with such ease though he doesn't voice his own concerns. It's not his to question, after all.
Vyren blinks. "It's a very old symbol for the Goats. It's also a part of how our Kids test their strength so we can figure out if they should be a warrior. Not everyone passes the test, and not everyone who passes or fails has to follow what the shield determines, but it's easiest." Then Vyren gathers the goats with a bleat and they all make their way back to the Goat Village. Hiei is praised by Vyren, as is Yori to an extent, when they show the shield to the three other goats.
Hiei bows low all during the presenting of the shield. He then smiles. "Elders. I..have a humble request. Your village is safe..and your shield has been returned. Your food stores have been replenished as well as your medicinal herbs." He looks off to the side with color coming to his cheeks. "I never thought that when Seer brought us here that I would grow so fond of a bunch of goats, but I have. So much so, that I wish I could bring you back with me."
Yori bows as Hiei does, feeling at least accomplished even if still confused as to why the Tanuke acted so…odd. But he remains silent, deciding if Hiei didn't need to know then it wasn't his place to ask either. Instead he stands silently and waits while Hiei makes his rather odd request. Doesn't he…technically…already have a goat?
The goats frown a bit. "We cannot really permit you to take one of us with you." says Zal. "However," Vyren says, cutting in, "We might be able to allow you a summoning contract for helping us so much." "But we must discuss this possibility," Croen adds calmly. "So why don't you two rest, and we may tell you our decision in the morning."
Hiei places a hand over his heart and then bows low. "It would be an honor." He turns and places his arm around Yori. "We await your decision, Elders." And then he continues onwards, making his way over to the building they've been staying in.
Yori's eyebrows raise when they talk about giving Hiei a summoning contract. Well now that would be interesting…and he had grown fond of some of the younger goats himself. Maybe he'd be able to visit again with Hiei some time. He gives another bow, pretty much following Hiei's lead as he prepares to depart for that rest…
