[IC] The fifth ninja war

[Halvtand]

...

[13org]

Nari

It would be a good night of sleep, only if wasn't for that dreaded noise, waking up every single animal.
So loud that if it wasn't for her grabbing the branches, she would fall down of the tree she was sleeping.
Permeating the florest, the noise made every animal hide or flee.
"Now I will have to actually search for something to hunt..." she thought, annoyed.
"Well, I suppose I can try to look around and see what was all that noise... Its not like I will be able to sleep again for some time..."
But before that, a bath would be good. Nari didn't liked to be dirty after all.
Getting near the lake, she jumped on the water. Her beautiful hair and curvaceous body reflected on the crystalline water. That was exactly the vision who enchanted many of the men who kept looking for her on the forest. It was annoying, really... She hated to have them walking around in the forest and scaring her prey away... It was so harder to hunt or even sleep when they were there... Their loud steps echoed through the forest, without a clue about how to move inside it, they broke branches, walking around stomping the ground just like babies, making a mess wherever they passed. But even if they scared their prey away, she somewhat liked to have them around. She enjoyed playing pranks on them, and watching their faces as she got near them with their claws as she seduced them. The looks on their faces, a mix of arousal and fear, some tried to touch her, others even tried to propose to her, as she watched with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Well, I suppose I should go investigate the sound now that I am clean and fully awakened." she thought, carefully brushing her hair with her claws, wearing the golden chains and her earring that adorned her. It was a very weird thought, to think that the same woman who said that clothes and armors were useless, wearing something besides fur to protect her from the cold.
The truth is that she liked the chains and the earring. She thought that it gave her a special charm.

Moving around the forest in a feline way, she smelled the air, her senses on total alert, trying to find anything out of the usual, any sound, any smell or any unusual movement.
*GROWL*
"I need to eat something after I'm done with this..." she thought, with a grimace, continuing her search
@Halvtand

[Lord of Evil]

Satoi woke groggily, at the crack of dawn. He'd wanted to wake up earlier, but the hay had been so comfortable... It'd been so long since he'd slept on something soft that he'd fallen asleep like a stone. Taking a quiet breath, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and began leisurely stretching his limbs. Indeed, the hay had been a lot more comfortable than rough ground.

Satoi froze suddenly as a voice rang out outside the barn, alerting the ninja to the owners of the hay impromptu bed he'd enjoyed so much. He got up quickly, brushing the stray hay off his body, and glanced around. It was still early morning so the shadows were plentiful, so there wasn't exactly a lack of places to hide. Satoi directed his gaze heavenwards, towards the rafters. The shadows were particularly deep above and people tended not to look up very often.

His decision made, he began to cover his tracks. He scattered the hay to remove the human indentation he'd made in it, and began moving towards one of the barn's support pillars. As Satoi moved, he moved his feet in a sweeping motion, using his naturally large foot size as a makeshift broom to wipe away traces of his steps. He got to the pillar and grabbed hold. He wouldn't need his grappling hook for such rough wood.

Careful not to damage the pillar, Satoi began pulling himself up to the rafters. He hoisted himself up the sturdy beams as quietly and quickly as he could. He hoisted himself up onto the rafters just as the door to the barn began opening and stood stock still, squatting in the shadows. The wood was fortunately sturdy, he supposed they wouldn't have a problem holding his weight. He would wait until the occupants past and he could sneak out of the barn unnoticed. He could wait all day if he needed to.

[Halvtand]

@13org
As Nari travelled toward the sound she noticed how the loud noises suddenly stopped, followed by a part of the forest disappearing.
Many people picture the sound of a falling tree as a mounting straining groan followed by a rough crash. Few realize how the cracking and snapping of wood fiber speaks to the part of a humans brain that is responsible for being afraid to break ones bones. The falling tree created a sound so thunderous that birds fled even far away and sent a shockwave through the ground powerful enough to make Nari's metal footwear rattle.

@Lord of Evil
As Satoi was safely hidden in the darkness he could see a young child enter the barn, about 12 years old. He looked tired, but not threatening. He sauntered around the barn, then bent over and picked up an armful of hay. Then he turned his head toward where Satoi had been sleeping and dropped his load. He took a few quick steps over there, bent down and easily tore away the straws that Satoi had kicked over his impromptu bed. Realizing what he was looking at the boy immediately yelled his father's name.
Quick steps came from outside and a big man appeared in the door and went over to the boy. He was big, a farmer for life, arms and legs like tree trunks. If he only knew a modicum of martial arts, know when to relax and when to tense up, he could probably prove to be a big problem even for a ninja. They talked in muffled voices for a second before the man slapped his son hard enough to be heard in the whole building.
“You say nothing of this, not a word!” Then he stormed away, only looking down right in front of his feet until he came to the door. “And hurry up with that hay!”

[Vashonn]

Izumi

Great, as if this thing wasn't hard enough to clean. Annoyance and discomfort quickly flushed over Izumi's face as dirty water seeped into her black Shōzoku, chilling the girl's skin as her whole body was drenced. The young kunoichi pressed herself down to the mud beneath the sitting water in the rolling field of rice, using the muck-ridden water as cover for her position. When she had heard the metal of arms clanking ahead of her, she had tried her best to gracefully dive into the water, so as to make as little a splash as possible - any noise at all and she'd probably have a few arrows in her back by now. Izumi lifted her head to the surface, only enough to let her eyes gaze about at the road ahead.

Earlier that day, there had been quite a bit of rainfall that had covered this region of the countryside, and above her, dense gray clouds still loomed across the sky, dimming the area and making everything feel pretty gloomy. Izumi looked up into the air, searching for the sign she needed. She saw the small glint of metal far above, and the black beacon that carried it. Kuro, her best friend - the night heron that she had saved not too long ago, and nursed to health. Their bond was unbreakable, and Kuro proved incredibly useful, too - the constant flashing of his fake metal talons signalled trouble ahead, and that Izumi had best lay low.

I suppose I could try and take a look... Better hunt for some cover. Izumi glanced around - what was she thinking? The small stalks and leaves of rice poked up in dense rows that spread on for acres, leaving no possible location for her to hide and dry off, other than right next to the road, which was conveniently quite a few feet above her, so she could at least kneel down - albeit, uncomfortably, but considering her circumstances, it wasn't like she could get less comfortable. She waded herself closer to the edge of the road, trying to keep her eyes the only part of her body above the surface. She scouted about for Kuro's location - good, he was still a ways further down the road, which means whatever it was that she should stay away from was, too. She finally got to the bottom of the small ledge and pushed herself along the path, trying her best to close the distance between her and her adversary.

When she got close enough to the clanking of armor and weapons, she tried to listen in on how many there were. From their pace and footsteps, Izumi figured that there couldn't be more than about 3 of them, walking along the road. But now, the real fun began, and she slowly and quietly rose up from the water to try and take a peek.

@Halvtand

[Bishop]

A new day. The sun rose behind his back as Grover made his way through the main road. Days of relentless travel had finally given fruition. A village was on his sights, food, water and proper rest just a few kilometers away. No more raw animal meat and mud water.

At last, entering the village he was greated, not to his liking, by a kid carrying a butter knife. Not actually butter knife but might as well be like that for Grover. This whole situation reminded him of his past. The fear, caution, someone ready to fight, it reminded him of his "glorious past" filled with countless slaughters carried in settlements just like this one, well except the lack of screaming and sheer terror. First things first then.
"Wow wow, calm down soldier boy. I want no trouble."-Grover said in a smooth and calm voice while raising his arms up. If he had to transform as a human, better pick a likeable avatar at the least.
"I've been traveling for days on end without food and water."-he continued while removing his mask, revealing his clean shaven, charming face.
"If you would point me to a place where I could get some food and rest, it would be appreciated."

Looking at the boy, he honestly couldn't remember the numbers, propably thousands upon thousands of kids his age, all slaughtered by him. As much as he might feel a little guilt, he also felt anger and hatred that it was them, the humans, who made him do it. But most of all, prevailed the feeling of adrenaline and his body raring to go and do it all over again.

[13org]

Nari

A thunderous sound roared through the forest, shaking it until its very core.
Upon hearing that cracking and snapping song the panicked cry of the other animals, one of the most primal instinct to every living being yelled into Nari's brain, fight or flight.
With her body trembling from the shockwave, Nari jumped away from the sound, her eyes darting rapidly, trying to find the enemy. Woodcutters were somewhat common in that area, but simple woodcutters couldn't be responsible for that amount of destruction, could them? No... That must be something else...

Although Nari was surprised by the ground shaking noise, she still lived in the forest and it was her responsibility to take care of it, plus she was really curious about what was that.

Getting closer to the ground, she started moving on all fours, without even making a single sound, she sneaked her way through the forest, almost invisible using its natural coverage and the shadows created by trees and bushes, getting closer and closer to the source of the noise. Her senses were in total alert as she prepared herself to fight, her muscles tensing up, her eyes looking for any movement, her nose always trying to smell the enemy's scent.

Maybe she was being paranoid by moving like that just to investigate a sound, but something in the sounds of the falling trees, its fibers snapping and their heavy weight slamming into the ground sent a chill down her spine. Something in that sound made her feel the need of being careful.

@Halvtand

[Lord of Evil]

Satoi's presence was discovered; this would make it significantly harder to get out unnoticed. Satoi watched the proceedings unfold. He didn't approve of the old man's methods of discipline but he wasn't in a position to object at the moment. Instead, his brain surmised that the farmer had some sort of martial arts training, judging from his physique and the way he carried himself. Regardless of what particular discipline the farmer practiced, it would make things more difficult to take him down. However, that only applied if Satoi fought him in direct combat.

As the boy left the barn, Satoi rifled through his pockets. He moved as little as he could to prevent any creaks that could give away his position. He slowly drew out his water skin, carefully extending his arm outwards towards in the direction opposite to where the large farmer now faced, apparently searching the barn for the intruder that prepared to strike him down.

Satoi dropped the water skin, letting It land on the hay with a soft thud. The farmer snapped around to look at the source of the disturbance and Satoi got ready. As the large man bent down to investigate, Satoi silently dropped from the rafters. The farmer turned at the creaking in the rafters, but by then it was too late.

Satoi's fist lashed out, connecting cleanly with the old man's head, knocking him to the floor. Satoi landed gracefully onto the floor before rushing forward, grabbing the large man in a choke hold, covering the old man's mouth. He was strong, the farmer, but not as strong as Satoi. His struggles ceased after a time and Satoi released the body, letting him slump to the ground. Light footsteps coming from outside alerted Satoi that the boy was coming back in so he sidestepped to a shadowy patch by the barn, trusting his dark uniform to conceal his form. The boy entered and gasped in alarm at the man's prone form, rushing forward to investigate. But as he passed by Satoi's hiding spot, Satoi delivered a single chop to the boy's neck, slamming him into the floor.

Satoi flipped the boy over and checked his pulse. It was somewhat faint and a little slow, but still evident. Satoi breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved his water skin, brushing the hay off of it. The large man was the same. Satoi liked to think that he was a professional, he didn't like taking needless lives. But despite his training, Satoi was perhaps not as hard headed as he should be for a ninja.

As Satoi opened the door to leave the barn, he turned back and looked at the boy. He was thin and had looked rather tired, and the big man's treatment of the boy didn't exactly display a healthy relationship. Satoi rummaged in his bag once again and took out a piece of dried meat, walking over and hiding it under the boy's clothes. An token of apology was in order, he reasoned. A good ninja leaves others completely unaware that he was ever there. A ninja normally takes responsibility for their own mistakes but the boy had already suffered due to Satoi's incompetence and he wanted to make up for it a little bit.

As Satoi exited the barn, he briefly wondered if he should've waited for them to stop looking for him. But he dismissed the thought quickly and went on his way. He had somewhere to be, after all, and good ninjas stuck to their schedules.

[Halvtand]

@Vashonn
The three soldiers marched along, apparently oblivious to the ninja's presence. They turned their heads around every now and then to look out over the rice fields. It was apparent that they were simply patrolling, and spotting something off in a rice field is often extremely easy, and so none of them took their work very seriously.

@Bishop
“You don't fool me!” The youngling replied, waving his weapon in front of him like he was showing it off. “I know who you are and why you're here. You don't scare me and neither does you little 'friends'. Just take your phony story and go back to the queen's dungeon where you belong!”
As he spoke several window shutters and doors nearby opened up, just a fraction, enough for someone inside to look at what was happening, but still not enough to be spotted from the outside.

@13org
Approaching the source of the sound, Nari spotted half a dozen men standing around a fallen tree, axes and saws all around. It was a tree that had made the sound, but not an ordinary one. It was a mighty specimen, so thick that even lying down it would've completely concealed half of the men if Nari hadn't positioned herself above them. Counting the rings would give a closer number, but that tree was probably at least a thousand years old.
None of the men seemed to pay much attention to their surroundings, and two of them climbed up on the fallen trunk to better reach and chop off the branches with their axes.

@Lord of Evil
The farm was quiet. Apart from the barn there was the house where the humans lived, and connected to that some form of building for keeping livestock. A small area next to it held brown cows that chewed lazily as they looked at the newcomer with curiosity. The farm was small, so it was probably empty apart from the farmer and the boy.
A path, to call it a road would be insulting, led away from the farm between green pastures and fields of rice and seemed to connect with a road further away.

[13org]

Nari

Nari couldnt believe on her sight. Why would these huntsmen cut down such a big and mighty tree? Obviously it was way easier to cut and carry small ones.
Very curious, she walked slowly on their direction, watching every movement their made.
Jumping on the tree and looking over the shoulder of one of them she tried to understand why they needed to cut a tree that big. Apparently, they were too occupied cutting the tree down to perceive her. Nari didn't like that, of course she didn't. Where was the fun of just observing someone if they didn't even knew she was there?
Grabbing his axe just as he was about to swing, she slid it out of his hand, making it fall on the tree trunk, making a big thump sound.
With a giggle, she jumped over the man, running to the other one, staring at him for a second then jumping out of the tree.
She enjoyed playing tricks on the ones who came to the forest. It was one of the few things she had to do to distract herself. Some were afraid, other were enchanted by her beauty, others even praised her as a spirit of the forest... All these reactions amused Nari.
Jumping to one of the branches they havent cut down yet, she looked at them, waiting for their reaction. It was one of the most enjoyable things, to watch their faces and their reactions.
With a mischievous smile, she stood there, waiting.

@Halvtand

[Vashonn]

Izumi

Izumi quickly summed up the three soldiers, knowing this fight wouldn't be terribly difficult to come out on top - the two men on either end were fairly small in stature, leaving the one in the center as any kind of difficulty to take down hand-to-hand. Well, the girl proposed, let's try and keep things civil.

A few drops of water fell from the heavens, signalling the coming of another rain. A small ripple in the water from behind drew the soldier boy's attention away from the road and he turned his head, letting his comrades pull on a little bit further. A great force against his chin thrust his head backwards, knocking him from his feet. A shadow spread across his face and was above him in an instant. Izumi pushed her feet against the soldier's stomach, lifting herself off of him and further into the air while shoving him into the ground. She landed, with a bit of grace, just behind the soldier on the left of the larger warrior and leaned into him, shoving him forward as she kicked up again, her hands now beneath her. Izumi put her hands around the great warrior's neck and pulled, tumbling him forward and on top of the soldier she had leaned against. She brought her legs forward again, landing one foot on the ground and the other on the out-stretched hand of the soldier.

Izumi turned around to the scene of the three soldiers stretched out on the road and pitied them a bit - if it had been a ninja who had no remorse for these enlisted men, their bodies would be spread across the rice fields by now. Izumi lifted her left foot off the the soldier's hand and jumped back - the larger warrior had lept to his feet and grasped for his blade, decreasing Izumi's odds of getting out of here without a scratch. Izumi put her right hand behind her, gracing the tips of her fingers against the hilt of her wakizashi, and crouched down, signalling for the warrior to charge with her free hand. The brute of a man let out a cry of anger and raised his sword above him, swinging down as he came upon the girl. Izumi lept forward and dove, putting all of her momentum into her shoulder which was now shoved into the man's chest. The warrior let out a wheeze and fell, just as Izumi ducked and rolled away from the two smaller soldiers, who had risen and began brandishing their swords.

Awesome, this'll work out well. Izumi dashed toward the soldier in the middle, but the man swung his leg forward, kicking Izumi away and across the road. The other soldier readied his blade and sprinted in her direction. Wait for it... Now! Izumi kicked off of the ground and forced her elbow into the soldier's crotch, doubling him over and sending him to the ground gagging.

"One down," Izumi let the words escape as she forced air from her lungs, jumping away as the bigger guy returned, swiping his blade across the air where the kunoichi once stood. The other soldier pounced as Izumi landed, forcing his helmed head into the girl's stomach. Izumi felt her breath knocked out and she tumbled back, just as a fierce wind swept against her face. She heard a cry from the soldier and looked up - Kuro had dove from above, dragging his metal claws beneath him and across the back of the man's neck. I owe you for that one, buddy. Izumi clambered up to her feet, keeping her eyes on the large soldier who stood before her, anger and fear painting his eyes.

Izumi let out a small breath, focusing her chi toward the balls of her feet. She kicked off of the ground, leaving small pockets in the earth where she had stood. Within the blink of an eye she was above him, turning her body mid-air so that her feet were aimed at his head, and came down hard. She thrust her feet into his forehead, knocking the large soldier to the ground. She leaned down and opened one of his eyelids - yep, this sucker was out cold. She glanced back at the other two soldiers, both of which were writhing at the pain they were in. Izumi smirked and ran, thankful that it didn't have to get any messier than it already was.

A short distance later, Izumi looked around - the only things in her view were the continuous rolling fields of rice on both sides of her, and a farm a short distance down the road. Satoi had told her to meet up around here, and to signal for him when she arrived. Kuro came and rested upon Izumi's shoulder, silently staring into the girl's eyes. Izumi gazed back, talking to the bird in a language only the two of them could understand. Suddenly, the night heron was off and into the air far above, shining his metal talons for Satoi to recognize.

"Hah, I think I'll take a nap when we get where we need to go!" Izumi began walking toward the farm in the distance, hoping for somewhere she could dry off and hide from the rain that was now starting to fall more steadily from above.

@Lord of Evil

[Bishop]

His response was more bitter than the welcome. It would be so easy to just let go and end them all. This was the main reason he didn't their stay in human settlements anymore.

"I have no affiliation with the queen and do not know of what you speak. I'm just a lone traveler that needs food and rest."-he said while taking a step forward.
"Where is your father kid?"-Grover asked the kid but didn't leave him a chance to reply as he turned to the village.
"Where are the men here? Is there no village elder that I could speak to? Is this how you treat all travelers weary from the road and in need of rest?"- he yelled loudly enough for the prying villagers watching from the safety of their homes to hear. All the while he was walking steady, step by step closer to the boy, aiming to walk past him as he addressed the villagers.

[Lord of Evil]

Satoi glanced at his surroundings. Small, quiet, and out of the way. Which was ideal, considering what he'd just done. Satoi shrugged and began looking towards the road. He was supposed to meet up with an ally around here somewhere. A drop of water fell from the sky and landed onto Satoi's nose, bringing with it the fresh smell of rain. Satoi looked up and watched as the sky get grayer and raindrops began dripping from the clouds. He frowned at the rain; he'd have to find some shelter before it started coming down for real. But where was his ally?

As he lowered his eyes from the stormy sky, he spotted a familiar black shape in the air. He squinted into the distance and could just make out the dim shining of metal claws. The signal, and as luck would have it, his quarry was walking right towards him. Satoi could just alert her to his presence, but it was probably better to be safe. Satoi looked at the area Izumi was walking towards. She was getting close to a forest that sat next to the dirt road. Satoi shrugged and ran forward, disappearing into the brush.

There were 2 reasons for his sudden detour. The first was expedience; going in a straight line was faster than going around. The second was to find possible sources of shelter. The rain was only getting heavier and they had things to talk about. He found such a place, a small alcove made by a mess of trees and bushes which kept out the water adequately enough. He spread his camoflage blanket on the top for added waterproofing. He wanted to gather some dry sticks but he could do that later.

With a temporary spot established, Satoi whistled a complex series of bird sounds. A simple code, a signal that would alert Izumi to Satoi's presence. With that done, Satoi patiently sat down in the nest.

@Vashonn

[Halvtand]

@13org
The four men around Nari all reacted differently to what had happened. One who had been on top of the tree trunk when she appeared had become so surprised that he'd simply fallen over and landed hard on the ground. The second went for the axe the ninja had taken from him in order to fight back. On the ground one of the men brought out some kind of necklace from within his clothes and clutched it hard in both hands as the last man simply turned around and ran away, back toward the nearest settlement.

@Vashonn
Leaving the bodies on the road and walking away, anyone could stumble upon them... Someone did.

@Bishop
The houses remained still and quiet.
"Liar!" The kid shot out his right arm just when the ninja came into range, not a feat an ordinary kid could pull off without a lot of luck. His aim was off and the still undrawn sword passed a hair's breadth in front of the ninja.
Recognizing what had happened the kid pulled his arm back to a basic fighting stance. "I knew it!" He exclaimed, half triumphantly and half cursing his own bad luck. "Only one trained in the secret arts of the black tower could move like that! Lapdog! Pissant! Tell the queen that we're loyal, we're not hiding any refugees here! That is... Unless you wish to have a proper taste of my blade."
The kid grabbed the scabbard in his left hand, ready to draw.

@Lord of Evil
Shortly after Satoi had gone, the kid woke up. He clutched his throbbing head for a short while until he saw his father. Without a moment's hesitation he ran to the well and got some water which he threw over the adult, abruptly waking him.
They searched the farm quickly, but found no trace of their assailant. Later that night they agreed to never talk about that morning ever again.

[Bishop]

This was getting tiresome. Too much effort to be humane with these monkeys. One more try then, after that it was back to forcing things go his way.
Without paying attention to the kid he continued walking forward. The kid made to draw the sword but with a quick movement Grover made him trip, throwing him off balance and to the ground.
"Kid, everyone who has some skill in fighting doesn't make them the queen's dog."-he said after throwing him in the ground.
"And if I indeed was one of the queen's servants, do you think I would take so kindly to insults and attacks?"-he then continued.

[13org]

Nari

Nari was surprised to see the man trying to attack her with the axe.
"Why would he try to attack her? If she wanted to kill him, he wouldn't even had the chance to see her." She thought to herself, looking curiously to the man with the axe, simply getting away from his attack with no effort at all.
"So violent..." she said with a smooth and beautiful voice, gently touching his lips as she dodged his attack, giving a little tap on his back, just enough to make him lose his balance, but not fall, making sure he wouldn't hurt himself. She would hate to hurt an innocent without any reason.

Jumping down the trunk with a giggle, she went to the man that was with the strange necklace on his hands, gave him a gentle smile and looked at the necklace he was grasping, curiously trying to know what was it, and why the man was so attached to it, but it didn't matter how much she looked, he was grasping it with both hands, and it was impossible for her to see what it was. She didn't know why they had such reactions, after all, she never attacked them. Still, those expressions and their actions amused her, so much that she enjoyed teasing them.

Her attention was drawn to the man that fell on the ground when she got there. Quickly moving near him, she grabbed his hand, helped him to get up. After spinning around with him like a dance, she let go of his hand and turned to the man that was fleeing, running on his after him.

"Maybe I shouldn't scare him this much... Ah~ I wont hurt him anyways, so there is no problem right?" she thought to herself with a brief giggle running after him.

Although she was much faster than him, she kept her distance, close enough for him to hear and see her, but not far enough to let him think he was getting away.
After chasing him for some time, she pounced on him, pinning him on the ground. Baring her sharp teeth, she went to the man's throat, but instead, gave him a little bite on the ear.
Looking to him again, she giggled, giving him a mischievous smile watching him. Jumping away from him, she let him go away as she climbed the trees.

@Halvtand

[Vashonn]

Izumi

The forest past the small farm cut a gap through the spreading fields, an incision that leapt far into the sky and from horizon to horizon. Izumi approached with great care, knowing that what laid inside would be an ever greater threat than what she had previously encountered. She heard from in front of her the faint, frequent tapping of footsteps approaching, and dove again into the rice fields, careful this time to avoid the shin-deep pools of water that covered the plants. Izumi heard heavy breathing and a faint whimper come from the figure as it zoomed past where she had once stood, and Izumi glanced up from behind the small dip in the hill. A peasant who looked to be in forestry clothing, probably a woodcutter, was dashing down the main road, arms raised and legs spread all the way out as he stepped. She giggled a bit at the sight, and figured he wasn't turning back any time soon, and clambered back up onto the road. She waved up to Kuro, calling the bird down from his flight, and the bird rested upon her right shoulder as she walked into the trees.

Faintly to her left, she heard the familiar call of a bird and turned - maybe a few hundred yards from her was the source of the sound, in what looked to be a bulge in a densely packed grove of bushes and low-hanging tree branches. Izumi looked up to the branches, and jumped. In a black whir her body disappeared into the thick green leaves that covered the forest's canopy, and Kuro flapped up just behind her. From up here, she could better survey the area and be sure of what the sound was before simply getting right up to it - though she figured it was the ninja she had paired with for this journey, she still felt a necessity for caution.

As she gracefully leapt from limb to limb of each massive tree, she noticed a small patch in the grove's cover slightly shift, which she quickly figured to be camouflage, and approached the spot. From about twenty yards away, she whistled slightly to produce a noise similar to a cricket, and waited for a response.

@Lord of Evil@13org

[Lord of Evil]

Satoi calmly considered his options. From Izumi's response he could estimate her position in relation to his encampment, although not precisely. He could still, however, guess her general direction, which opened up his options. Satoi could do the normal thing and respond appropriately to her call but that'd be boring. Or rather, that would be a boring first impression. The renegades, rag tag group of runaways as they were, there was no clear cut pattern to their techniques and specializations. While Satoi had heard of Izumi, he'd never seen her actions up close, and it was likely the same on the other end. She had probably heard of Satoi's infamous reputation, but she would likely be curious as to how he stacked up in reality. Which meant that this would be a good time to check out his colleague's skills.

Satoi put his fingers to his mouth and whistled a similar bird call to the one before, one that tell her it was safe to come to the source of the call, before exiting his impromptu camp and setting off into the forest. He used his feet once again to erase his tracks as he made them, a habit he'd picked up as a child which was admittedly difficult to stop if he wanted to walk normally. He briefly wondered if he would ever need to stop it, however, and decided that it probably wasn't his worst habit. Satoi made for the closest tree and quickly scaled it, blending in with the trunk with his brown suit. He had a good vantage point there, and he watched and waited for the water hawk to arrive.