Starring:
Date: October 14, 2016
Summary:
A salamander informs Mushi
"Sparking a reunion"
Bridge between Land of Water and Land of Fire
A gentle mist sweeps across the surface of the ocean, transitioning seamlessly onto the beach, rocks and land beyond. The cool evening has provided such weather, with a near full-moon and cloudless sky reflecting against what water can be seen through the white haze.
While there aren't many lights in this part of the Land Of Water, the clear sky enables the moon to provide enough light to navigate around the general terrain. In terms of structures, there isn't a lot going on. A fishing port is several kilometers Southwards, while there is nothing to the North for good long while. All in all, this is a quiet place. Tranquil, almost.
A few owls can be heard hooting in the night air, ruffling their feathers and just generally being active. Perhaps trying to stay warm in the ever cooling night.
—
Mushi was staying at a nearby fishing village. Not to go to Kiri next. She’s been traveling around the Land of Water for quite a while. She wants to see what there is outside of the Bloody Mist. She wants to understand. Most of all she’s waiting to see if a displeased ANBU squad shows up and kicks her out of the country. But things seem fine now, either because they’ve forgiven Mushi’s small transgression or they no longer care. She’d helped them out after all. Proven, if not her loyalty, at least that she means no harm.
She’s living like it. She’d stayed at the village because a bad flu was running around. She helps to tend to the sick. They pay her with whatever they have, which is mostly fish. In this case so it lasts awhile it’s smoked fish. Mushi has a veritable pantry full of the stuff now stored away for later use. The result is that now by the ocean she sits on a ledge, breathing in the mist, which is a better smell than her cottage they’d lent her, full of medicinal herbs and fish.She breathes in the misty air deeply, and exhales slowly. It’s nighttime, quieter, with fewer complaints from the village. All is peaceful.
—
All is as it should be.
That is, of course, until it isn't.
Mushi's superior and excellent perception abilities may alert her to something significant approaching nearby. Not significant only in terms of chakra, but also in mass. It's not coming from the land though, but… the water. The ocean itself is brewing something large, evidenced physically by the mutating mist. While just before it was thin and low, it is now thick and ever-present. It has lifted into the sky, creating a thick, foggy haze. Ninjutsu?
Then it happens. It's almost hard to see at first, but something is actually walking in from horizon, out from the ocean. It's a huge creature, easily a hundred feet tall and just as long. With well girthed legs it steps through the ocean like an adult would a small pool.
Was it a dinosaur? Godzilla, perhaps?! No. It was a Salamander.
Walking on all four legs, the long necked Salamander looks down through the fog down to Mushi once it gets close enough. Legs still in the water. Its eyes glow a dull green in the night, head tilting just a bit in curiosity. Opening its mouth, a high pitched wailing can be heard. The 'roar' of sorts booms from its mouth. Unthreatening though it may be, it was still loud!
~"Mushi?"~
—
A voice will speak in the healers head. A strange voice. A telepathic one.
—
One moment Mushi is enjoying the cool night. The next her skin is tingling from the” nearby surge of chakra. She shivers. There isn’t anyone nearby who could make that kind of commotion except another shinobi. That may mean anything or it could mean danger. Mushi very discreetly draws on a bit of chakra, just in case. Then she goes to find the source of…
The wail is audible for quite some time, and instead of making her flee Mushi runs towards it. The sight of the salamander makes Mushi freeze in her tracks. It’d been a long time since she saw one. The only times she ever did were with Goh. She knows right away why it’s here, and her hands fly to her mouth. “Where’s Goh-kun?” she asks, her hands over her mouth. But then, realizing it’s rather rude to disregard the salamander, she bows and says, “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”
—
~ "Yes. It has been a long while." ~
The salamander shifts a bit, every movement causing the water to wave and ripple away from its legs. As it opens its mouth to wail again, a flock of birds nearby opt to flee from the area, taking off into the sky.
~ "How do you know he is not dead?" ~ It enquires, peering down to Mushi once more. ~ "How long has it been since you have even heard from him? And yet you presume his feet still grace the earth." ~
As the salamander exhales a flume of fog is blown away. In performing such a feat, the appearance of the creature is further revealed. It has slimey, pale-blue skin. As it has just emerged from the ocean, the moonlight is making it appear just a /bit/ shiny.
—
“You might want to keep that wailing down a bit,” Mushi suggests wryly, but her smile drops as the salamander continues. “Oh I thought your appearance meant that you knew something,” she says, clearly crestfallen. She lets out a small sigh, and shakes her head. “I don’t know if he is alive or dead. If he’s off somewhere living as a pickler, or if he’s dust. I will tell you this. Since I saw him I’ve wandered a decade over this entire continent, and I’ve never crossed his path.”
She goes to sit on a log of driftwood, and pats the area near her, an invitation. “Why come after all this time? For old time’s sake?”
—
~ "We believe we know why that is the case." ~ The creature replies, gigantic head shaking a bit at the invitation to sit on the floating piece of wood. It was far too big to make something like that happen! ~ "Goh left these lands a long while past. He travelled very far to the North, to parts of the world that are uncharted by your people. This much he discussed with us. But, we believe our Champion has returned." ~
Accepting Mushi's advice, the creature stops the wailing for the moment. It just shifts a little bit in the ocean a bit more, feeling its skin begin to dry in the night air.
~ "We believe something terrible has befallen him, Mushi. Something that no human, or creature, should suffer. We have tried to reach out to him, but he remains… oblivious to our calls. You need to see him. You need to help him." ~
And with this, the creature begins to turn around, causing huge waves rippling in the process. As it starts to head off towards the horizon, slowly dissapearing from view, it speaks once more inside the healers head.
~ "The bridge, where the Land of Fire connects to this country. Be there tomorrow at noon. You will find our Champion." ~
—
Mushi watches the salamander go with fascination. As soon as he’s out of sight, she feels sick. A clammy sweat beads her skin. The salamander made it sound as if Goh is going through some unspeakable horror. Maybe torture. Maybe capture. She slumps on the driftwood log, all the strength drained from her. Goh would never deserve such a fate. Why didn’t the salamander give her a bit more to go on? For a while she closes her eyes.
But when she opens them a much more powerful emotion has taken its place. Determination. If Goh is alive she’ll find him. And if there’s something in her way, she’ll just push it aside. Or kick it into the horizon if she has to. That means she needs to get prepared. She literally runs back to the village. She’ll get ready. In the morning she’ll help the villagers a bit more. And she does just that, though her sleep is restless. In the morning she’s said her farewells and handed out a liberal amount of her homemade medicine.
Then Kirameki is summoned. She describes the location. “Take me there at once,” she says. “We need to find Goh.” When the giant bird asks who Goh is, Mushi smirks. Her birds weren’t familiar with Goh. She describes him along the way, as they fly with lightning fast speed to the destination. And she’s there before noon. A few miles away. “Thanks Kirameki,” she says. “I’ll walk the rest of the way.” And so she does.
