| [Sep. 18th, 2013|10:57 pm] |
“We also kill them!” Raidou yelled up from the ground, ignoring radios entirely. The feedback screech made everyone wince. “Why have we stopped?”
“We’ve all been running missions in Fire Country since we were kids,” Genma said, swinging easily out of the tree and landing between Katsuko and Ryouma, who stepped aside for him. “Have any of you ever seen anything like this?”
Ryouma shook his dark head. “Ran into some giant spiders near Oitatezawa once, but they didn’t hunt people. Just hung out in the woods with their webs and ate anyone who came along.”
“Closest I’ve got is when a bear in the Forest of Death tried to eat me,” Katsuko said, with a tone that said the memory mildly amused her. “Mutated wildlife with a taste for human. Best to find the main burrow and raze it.”
Except people weren’t being eaten.
Theft always had a purpose, especially when it was live bodies.
“We should keep moving,” Kakashi said.
“Agreed,” said Raidou.
The trail stayed warm for almost five miles, cutting a knife-straight path through the ancient trees. The mountains loomed closer and the air grew colder. It had smelled like northerly rain when they’d set off yesterday; Kakashi hoped Genma wasn’t actually accurate with his weather suggestions. Six-legged beasts with claws, fangs, and career goals were enough of a challenge for one day.
Given that thought, he wasn’t at all surprised when the first droplet hit his mask.
He was surprised when the trail split, the less heavily-burdened tracks peeling abruptly away to the left, while the creature carrying Fujiyama’s deadweight stayed true. He paused, but Genma was already following the second set of tracks.
“I’ll chase this one,” the lieutenant said. “Stay with those.”
“Rat, go with him,” Raidou ordered.
Splitting up didn’t seem like a very good—
There was no warning. Twisted, steely chakra bust out from from two sides at once, and two black-armored bodies leaping in tandem. One slammed into Raidou’s back, taking him down. The other went straight for Katsuko with a hissing screech. It twisted around her alarmed strike, and buried long fangs directly into her bare shoulder.
She screamed. |
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