Starring:
Shemri, Yagyu
Date: April 29, 2017
Summary:
A desert sandstorm pushes a couple of ninja to take shelter, and they aren't the only ones.
"Who Let the Dogs In?"
Desert [Land of Wind]
The desert of the Land of Wind is a fickle beast. Even for those who are well experienced at predicting its whims and preparing for the worst, it sometimes shifts its mood wildly and unexpectedly. Today a fierce sandstorm has sprung up out of seemingly nowhere, sending all local and passing critters scurrying for cover. For critters of the humanoid size range, options are limited…with the most apparent one being a cleft in a sizable rock jutting up out of the sands.
Shemri and her cat arrive through said cleft and shake the excess grit from their respective robe and fur. "I have seldom seen such a sudden one," Shemri mutters, with an concurrent mrowl from Shiikaa. The lack of pressure against their ears alerts both of them that this cleft is more spacious than it looked from outside. Shemri pulls out a light stick and cracks it to reveal the details of the cave…
Yagyu was out in the desert, having been caught in the storm while she was out on a delivery. She was reasonably upset by what happened, but at the least, she came prepared. It was probably by luck, but she stumbled into the cleft and fell in. A number of choice words left her lips as she got up and rubbed at her body and arms. "What the actual…" She inhaled deeply and sighed the breath back out. "What is with this storm?!" She shouted. "This s*** ain't normal!"
Shemri is slowly exploring the alcove that seems more and more like a tunnel when Yagyu arrives. If it were possible to snuff her light when she heard somebody coming, she would've to give herself an advantage, but these chemical lightsticks don't work that way. So Shemri just holds the stick high, illuminating herself in the hopes that whoever it is will be less likely to take hostile action if they can see the cave's other occupants clearly. Shemri looks Yagyu over quickly, trying to discern signs that might indicate her loyalties and threat level. Then Yagyu opens her mouth, and Shemri's appraisal goes from 'potential adversary' to 'ill-raised child'. e.e "It is an unusual occurance," Shemri says, "but not unheard of. Spewing foulness shall do nothing to diminish it." Shemri gestures to the back of the cave, which curves away out of sight. "There may be other things in here. I must check thoroughly before we may rest easy."
"I know that, but it ain't gonna change the fact that I don't like it," Yagyu states. "Takes the sting out of my fall, though," she grumbled to herself until she was better settled. "You can go ahead if you want to. I'll just wait here until I recollect myself and figure out where the h*** I am," she paused. "Which part of the desert is this, anyway? That part where everything is dead?" She hasn't had much time to study the surroundings.
Shemri shakes her head. "You went into the desert without a clear knowledge of the territory you must cross? How foolish." Couldn't be because the narrator left it ambiguous, of course. "We are approximately one-hundred kilometers south-east of Sunagakure. I am Maneshi Shemri of Sunagakure, by the way." Shemri backs into the passage, keeping one eye on Yagyu until she's around the corner.
For a while nothing much seems to happen. The cave must be fairly extensive for Shemri to take this long exploring it. c.c But then, <strike>because something needs to happen to drive things forward</strike>as fate would have it, something else finds the cave. A pack of wolves squeezes into the alcove to escape the sandblasting outside. They were just looking for shelter, but it isn't long before they notice a potential meal in here with them and bare their fangs at Yagyu. >E
"Naah, no, that ain't how it happened. See, the way it really went down is that I left from here and delivered a package. I was on my way back when this freak storm hit out of nowhere. I know that junk happens and s***, but I just ended up getting turned around in the middle of the storm. So, I ended up here. If I didn't, I probably woulda got buried somewhere," she shrugged. Shemri up and disappeared to scope things out and Yagyu couldn't be any louder than she already was to have her voice carry after her, so she just sat to herself, listening to the wind howl.
She thought what she heard was the sound of Shemri returning, but that scuffling came from the wrong direction. She looked over her shoulder and spotted some upset wolves. "Well, ain't this s*** just great…" She got up onto her feet. "Alright, so y'all think you 'bout it. Come at me, then!" She braced herself for the pack to engage.
~Are you sure you're in a condition to fight against them?~ 4-Tails inquired of her.
~Maaaan, not really, but it's either I fight or become a piece of tack for them to chew up, so..we gonna do this or nah?~ She replied.
~I wasn't really feeling in the mood…~ 4-Tails groaned jokingly. ~But why not? You need the exercise.~
Man, it's hard to railroad ninja chars. Anything less scary than the Spirit of Death and they think they're supposed to slice and dice it with ease. Shoot, they probably even think they could take that. They'll say something about having a legendary sword that can cut anything or somesuch. Not that a few wolves really are a huge threat in context, to be fair.
Anyway, this the path that Yagyu has chosen, so let's follow it! The wolves spread out around Yagyu, trying to encircle her with standard pack tactics. It's hard to see in the cave with the sandstorm dulling the small shaft of sunlight from the entrance, but the sillhouettes of the wolves look rather thin. The alpha pounces suddenly, and the rest of them spring in on his cue.
"Friggin' a**, I'm already mad and gotta deal with this mangy piece of…" Yagyu's voice trailed off so she could focus on the matter at hand. Sure, she's still hurting, but it doesn't mean she can't at least dedicate what energy she has to the task at hand. Complaining won't change it. "There!" She shouted out, locating the alpha. She slipped out of the way, just barely at least and summoned up two earth shields to block off her and the alpha in an attempt to separate the pack. "You must be hungry enough to keep this goin'. I know I'd be in your shoes or paws or whatever the h*** you wanna call your metaphor." She spoke with the wolf.
"I'm seriously sittin' here talkin' to this thing, though?" She questioned herself.
~Not much different than talking with an invisible beast no one can see.~ 4-Tails chimed in.
"…You got a point," she remarked aloud. (re)
The wolves yipe as stones rise up and seal them out of the conflict. Well, that reduces the number of simultaneous threats nicely. One little problem, though: now Yagyu's trapped in close quarters with an alpha wolf, and it's practically pitch-black in here. #.# The wolf is disconcerted for a moment by the darkness too, but he can still smell his prey plenty well. Feral jaws snap at Yagyu in the darkness with the ferocity of a cornered beast.
"I can't see s*** right now, but I imagine you can…" Yagyu muttered, speaking to 4-Tails.
~I don't know what gives you the impression that I can see anything more than you can,~ he stated with irritation evident in his tone.
"Because you're a friggin' chakra beast. Thought stuff was different for y'all, but h*** if I know." She could at least still hear the wolf, although it did have an advantage at the moment. It was only by guesswork that she was doing any dodging, but not all attempts were succesful. The teeth of the wolf nicked her once and drew some blood. "Son of a…" She hissed and shook her arm. "Friggin'…"
~I can sense it, but similarly to the way lowly creatures always do. I can guide you through this.~ He explained.
"Why you ain't said that before I got hurt?! Coulda avoided all that, now I probably gotta go to the hospital. Thing been eatin' on everything and gave all its meals to me…" She was not looking forward to an infection.
With the 4-Tails help, she stomped at the ground and sent a spire of earth up to strike the wolf. Hopefully, once would be enough, but if needed, she'd give it another run.
The first spire is a glancing blow, making the wolf yelp and fall sideways, but not ending his assault. The second one digs into the space connecting the animal's foreleg and chest, the armpit in a sense, and leaves him scrabbling against the spire with no way to extricate himself. Not that Yagyu can see the creature's painful predicament.
Until, that is, the collapse. With the floor of the immediate area having been suddenly reshaped several times in quick succession by Yagyu's techniques and leaving empty space behind, it suddenly caves inward, leaving Yagyu in a pile of rubble. There's a bit of light again, but considering that means Yagyu's shields broke down, that's not a great sign. The remaining wolves climb over the remains and peer down at Yagyu. +.+ Then they pounce!
When fighting ceases, Yagyu is left with the impression that the wolf is dealt with at the moment which is confirmed by 4-Tails. "Alright now I just gotta…" Break down those walls, which they're doing themselves at the moment. Subjected to rubble, she's now stuck and with two other buddies that were still waiting around to get in on the action. She didn't have much time to react in terms of fighting, but she did have other options. If she couldn't move her body, she could cloak up and make them fear her instead.
As they drew nearer, she called up the chakra from 4-Tails to overtake her and form only a tail. Should be enough.
Beasts will generally avoid confronting man unless desperate, such as parents trying to protect their young or very hungry predators like these wolves. But there are a few things most of them fear even more, including fire. That's not exactly what's wreathing Yagyu right now, but it's close enough to fool the wolves, and frankly it would have much the same effect anyway if they touched it. With their prey inexplicably ablaze and the sandstorm making retreat outside an undesirable option, the wolves tuck their tails and flee further into the cave, yowling. The alpha finally manages to extricate himself and totters after them on three legs.
A minute later Shemri returns, calling up the passage. "Hoi, are you all right? I had to stick to the ceiling on the way back to avoid some wolves." c.c
Yagyu calls off her cloak once the wolves flee further into the cave, leaving her still stuck in a pile of rubble. "Well, could be worse…" She sneered and sighed. "Am I alright? I'm…somethin', I guess." She looked herself over. "I'm stuck. Those wolves that passed are ones I had to fight off. One of 'em got me, but I eventually sent 'em off."
Shemri looks over the debris from the encounter. o.o Looks like this girl is a ninja after all. And she said she was headed back to Suna, yet she doesn't wear one of their forehead protectors? "…I see. Well then, I shall escort you back to Sunagakure when the storm lifts. My patrol is essentially complete anyway." Shemri and Shiikaa help Yagyu dig out of her little cave-in, and then it's just a matter of waiting a couple hours for the sandstorm to move on.
The desert of the Land of Wind is a fickle beast. Even for those who are well experienced at predicting its whims and preparing for the worst, it sometimes shifts its mood wildly and unexpectedly. Today a fierce sandstorm has sprung up out of seemingly nowhere, sending all local and passing critters scurrying for cover. For critters of the humanoid size range, options are limited…with the most apparent one being a cleft in a sizable rock jutting up out of the sands.
Shemri and her cat arrive through said cleft and shake the excess grit from their respective robe and fur. "I have seldom seen such a sudden one," Shemri mutters, with an concurrent mrowl from Shiikaa. The lack of pressure against their ears alerts both of them that this cleft is more spacious than it looked from outside. Shemri pulls out a light stick and cracks it to reveal the details of the cave…
Yagyu was out in the desert, having been caught in the storm while she was out on a delivery. She was reasonably upset by what happened, but at the least, she came prepared. It was probably by luck, but she stumbled into the cleft and fell in. A number of choice words left her lips as she got up and rubbed at her body and arms. "What the actual…" She inhaled deeply and sighed the breath back out. "What is with this storm?!" She shouted. "This **** ain't normal!"
Shemri is slowly exploring the alcove that seems more and more like a tunnel when Yagyu arrives. If it were possible to snuff her light when she heard somebody coming, she would've to give herself an advantage, but these chemical lightsticks don't work that way. So Shemri just holds the stick high, illuminating herself in the hopes that whoever it is will be less likely to take hostile action if they can see the cave's other occupants clearly. Shemri looks Yagyu over quickly, trying to discern signs that might indicate her loyalties and threat level. Then Yagyu opens her mouth, and Shemri's appraisal goes from 'potential adversary' to 'ill-raised child'. e.e "It is an unusual occurance," Shemri says, "but not unheard of. Spewing foulness shall do nothing to diminish it." Shemri gestures to the back of the cave, which curves away out of sight. "There may be other things in here. I must check thoroughly before we may rest easy."
"I know that, but it ain't gonna change the fact that I don't like it," Yagyu states. "Takes the sting out of my fall, though," she grumbled to herself until she was better settled. "You can go ahead if you want to. I'll just wait here until I recollect myself and figure out where the **** I am," she paused. "Which part of the desert is this, anyway? That part where everything is dead?" She hasn't had much time to study the surroundings.
Shemri shakes her head. "You went into the desert without a clear knowledge of the territory you must cross? How foolish." Couldn't be because the narrator left it ambiguous, of course. "We are approximately one-hundred kilometers south-east of Sunagakure. I am Maneshi Shemri of Sunagakure, by the way." Shemri backs into the passage, keeping one eye on Yagyu until she's around the corner.
For a while nothing much seems to happen. The cave must be fairly extensive for Shemri to take this long exploring it. c.c But then, <strike>because something needs to happen to drive things forward</strike>as fate would have it, something else finds the cave. A pack of wolves squeezes into the alcove to escape the sandblasting outside. They were just looking for shelter, but it isn't long before they notice a potential meal in here with them and bare their fangs at Yagyu. >E
"Naah, no, that ain't how it happened. See, the way it really went down is that I left from here and delivered a package. I was on my way back when this freak storm hit out of nowhere. I know that junk happens and ****, but I just ended up getting turned around in the middle of the storm. So, I ended up here. If I didn't, I probably woulda got buried somewhere," she shrugged. Shemri up and disappeared to scope things out and Yagyu couldn't be any louder than she already was to have her voice carry after her, so she just sat to herself, listening to the wind howl.
She thought what she heard was the sound of Shemri returning, but that scuffling came from the wrong direction. She looked over her shoulder and spotted some upset wolves. "Well, ain't this **** just great…" She got up onto her feet. "Alright, so y'all think you 'bout it. Come at me, then!" She braced herself for the pack to engage.
~Are you sure you're in a condition to fight against them?~ 4-Tails inquired of her.
~Maaaan, not really, but it's either I fight or become a piece of tack for them to chew up, so..we gonna do this or nah?~ She replied.
~I wasn't really feeling in the mood…~ 4-Tails groaned jokingly. ~But why not? You need the exercise.~
Man, it's hard to railroad ninja chars. Anything less scary than the Spirit of Death and they think they're supposed to slice and dice it with ease. Shoot, they probably even think they could take that. They'll say something about having a legendary sword that can cut anything or somesuch. Not that a few wolves really are a huge threat in context, to be fair.
Anyway, this the path that Yagyu has chosen, so let's follow it! The wolves spread out around Yagyu, trying to encircle her with standard pack tactics. It's hard to see in the cave with the sandstorm dulling the small shaft of sunlight from the entrance, but the sillhouettes of the wolves look rather thin. The alpha pounces suddenly, and the rest of them spring in on his cue.
"Friggin' ****, I'm already mad and gotta deal with this mangy piece of…" Yagyu's voice trailed off so she could focus on the matter at hand. Sure, she's still hurting, but it doesn't mean she can't at least dedicate what energy she has to the task at hand. Complaining won't change it. "There!" She shouted out, locating the alpha. She slipped out of the way, just barely at least and summoned up two earth shields to block off her and the alpha in an attempt to separate the pack. "You must be hungry enough to keep this goin'. I know I'd be in your shoes or paws or whatever the **** you wanna call your metaphor." She spoke with the wolf.
"I'm seriously sittin' here talkin' to this thing, though?" She questioned herself.
~Not much different than talking with an invisible beast no one can see.~ 4-Tails chimed in.
"…You got a point," she remarked aloud. (re)
The wolves yipe as stones rise up and seal them out of the conflict. Well, that reduces the number of simultaneous threats nicely. One little problem, though: now Yagyu's trapped in close quarters with an alpha wolf, and it's practically pitch-black in here. #.# The wolf is disconcerted for a moment by the darkness too, but he can still smell his prey plenty well. Feral jaws snap at Yagyu in the darkness with the ferocity of a cornered beast.
"I can't see **** right now, but I imagine you can…" Yagyu muttered, speaking to 4-Tails.
~I don't know what gives you the impression that I can see anything more than you can,~ he stated with irritation evident in his tone.
"Because you're a friggin' chakra beast. Thought stuff was different for y'all, but **** if I know." She could at least still hear the wolf, although it did have an advantage at the moment. It was only by guesswork that she was doing any dodging, but not all attempts were succesful. The teeth of the wolf nicked her once and drew some blood. "Son of a…" She hissed and shook her arm. "Friggin'…"
~I can sense it, but similarly to the way lowly creatures always do. I can guide you through this.~ He explained.
"Why you ain't said that before I got hurt?! Coulda avoided all that, now I probably gotta go to the hospital. Thing been eatin' on everything and gave all its meals to me…" She was not looking forward to an infection.
With the 4-Tails help, she stomped at the ground and sent a spire of earth up to strike the wolf. Hopefully, once would be enough, but if needed, she'd give it another run.
The first spire is a glancing blow, making the wolf yelp and fall sideways, but not ending his assault. The second one digs into the space connecting the animal's foreleg and chest, the armpit in a sense, and leaves him scrabbling against the spire with no way to extricate himself. Not that Yagyu can see the creature's painful predicament.
Until, that is, the collapse. With the floor of the immediate area having been suddenly reshaped several times in quick succession by Yagyu's techniques and leaving empty space behind, it suddenly caves inward, leaving Yagyu in a pile of rubble. There's a bit of light again, but considering that means Yagyu's shields broke down, that's not a great sign. The remaining wolves climb over the remains and peer down at Yagyu. +.+ Then they pounce!
When fighting ceases, Yagyu is left with the impression that the wolf is dealt with at the moment which is confirmed by 4-Tails. "Alright now I just gotta…" Break down those walls, which they're doing themselves at the moment. Subjected to rubble, she's now stuck and with two other buddies that were still waiting around to get in on the action. She didn't have much time to react in terms of fighting, but she did have other options. If she couldn't move her body, she could cloak up and make them fear her instead.
As they drew nearer, she called up the chakra from 4-Tails to overtake her and form only a tail. Should be enough.
Beasts will generally avoid confronting man unless desperate, such as parents trying to protect their young or very hungry predators like these wolves. But there are a few things most of them fear even more, including fire. That's not exactly what's wreathing Yagyu right now, but it's close enough to fool the wolves, and frankly it would have much the same effect anyway if they touched it. With their prey inexplicably ablaze and the sandstorm making retreat outside an undesirable option, the wolves tuck their tails and flee further into the cave, yowling. The alpha finally manages to extricate himself and totters after them on three legs.
A minute later Shemri returns, calling up the passage. "Hoi, are you all right? I had to stick to the ceiling on the way back to avoid some wolves." c.c
Yagyu calls off her cloak once the wolves flee further into the cave, leaving her still stuck in a pile of rubble. "Well, could be worse…" She sneered and sighed. "Am I alright? I'm…somethin', I guess." She looked herself over. "I'm stuck. Those wolves that passed are ones I had to fight off. One of 'em got me, but I eventually sent 'em off."
Shemri looks over the debris from the encounter. o.o Looks like this girl is a ninja after all. And she said she was headed back to Suna, yet she doesn't wear one of their forehead protectors? "…I see. Well then, I shall escort you back to Sunagakure when the storm lifts. My patrol is essentially complete anyway." Shemri and Shiikaa help Yagyu dig out of her little cave-in, and then it's just a matter of waiting a couple hours for the sandstorm to move on.
