Big game hunt
[ Eastern Continent | Near the camp of the 11th Brigade ]
[ Hideko Koyabashi | Hylli Hyuzu | Mamoru Senju ]
[ A collaboration between the amazing @Autumn Song, the equally amazing @RoranHawkins and @RedFox. After their previous agreement, Hideko, Hylli and Mamoru put their plan into action. What ensues is a big game hunt that has more than one prize at its end. Enjoy! ]
She felt
energized! It was 5 AM in the morning, she really shouldn't be up this early, but
woah man! She had first sneaked into the cook's tent while it was unoccupied, which was way harder to do than she had originally planned. She'd anticipated that it was best to strike during the night, but clearly that was wrong. The late-night watch was coming towards the cook's tents then. Less people, sure, but still a
lot of people. She had a new respect for camp cooks, who really were up night and day. Nevertheless, she had succeeded in her mission to 'relieve' them from the ingredients that she required. Especially fresh greens had been a problem, but fortunately there was a new batch of those just around the corner. Saved! While walking here, wearing a tiny rucksack with all of the ingredients in, she thought about the hunt. Ooohhh boy! She could not wait for her teammates to arrive! What fun they would have!
For the third time today, Hylli wondered why she had agreed on this unholy hour. Suppressing a yawn, Hylli continued towards the point where she was going to meet the others. It had been a hassle to get the components that they would need to hunt. Arrows, three bows, rope, materials to make traps and such. The weight of the tools and weapons were far from light, causing Hylli to arrive with a deep sigh. Placing a bag on the ground, she nodded towards Hideko.
"Mornin'," she said, trying to sound cheerful, gesturing to the bag,
"took me some convincing but I got the stuff that we going to need. The quartermasters are a stingy people, so far. Can you believe that I had to convince one of them that I was acting on the orders of the lieutenant before he was going to comply? Fat oaf tried to persuade me to hand over some coins. I swear, I have half a mind to not return this back."
Mamoru woke up to the experience of having his face sliced up again. He was panting and gapsing for a few minutes before he realised he was in no real danger. His hand grasped at the amulet he received from Meilin and it helped him to calm down sufficiently that he could think straight.
Hunt with Hylli and Hideko, he reminded himself. He got up and quickly prepared himself - got dressed, managed to wash his face and took his wakizashi, Ash. Also opening his chest, he grabbed his tea bottle and a small bag with some mint leaves and other ingredients to make his favourite tea. Walking out of the tent, he grabbed the bag he filled with firewood he gathered. Grunting a bit as he lifted it, he walked through their camp, stopping to fill his bottle. He made his way across the camp and then to their agreed spot. He smiled as he saw Hylli and Hideko already present. He waved at them and approached them, placing the bag with the wood down.
"Good thing we have so many fireplaces. A log from here and a log from there - should last us the day. So - how do we do this? And are we really doing this? Don't you feel bad about the porridge?" He asked, chuckling a bit.
Mamoru joining them made Hylli perform a polite nod towards the Senju. His questions made her think briefly, before she offered a response.
"We first go out. It is safest and best to not stray too far from camp. The best direction is to go north. More ground for wild to spot and take out. And less chance we get in contact with Rongese patrols." Hylli explained as she remembered her hunting with Kazumo.
"We then set up a spot and go from there. You guys ready?" She decided to then pose the question in return to the other two.
The Senju returned the polite greeting and listened to the Hyuzu lining out their day.
I'm so glad we decided to do this, he thought as he gave Hylli a smile.
It's so admirable, the certainty in her voice, it's firmness. I'll follow what she says to the letter, he thought to himself.
"Understand. I'll follow your lead, Hylli. Let me give you some extra help." He bit his thumb and performed some hand seals and placed his palm on the ground. A low, excited whine filled the air along with a puff of smoke and Mamoru reached out with his right hand, caressing the fur behind the right ear of Tenkó. His companion wagged his tail in excitement.
"Today is your big day, buddy. We're on a hunt today. Be a good boy and help Hylli out as best as you can." Another low, excited whine and the fox turned and approached Hylli, sniffing at her leg. His tail started to wag again. With a smile, Mamoru stood up and nodded at Hylli.
"He'll help you. And he'll listen to your orders. Right?" He asked, making sure the fox heard him.
"And when it is all over, I'll take care of the cooking." She said to hylli, before noticing a little fox.
"Oh my God, are you kidding me? It's so cute! Why didn't you summon that before?!" She exclaimed while she was practically all over the fox.
"What's its name?" She tried to get the fox used to her smell, but she might have acted too impatiently at first.
When she learned they were hunting North, she took that as common knowledge.
"But yeah. I don't have any arguments there. That is your territory." As she smiled towards Hylli and Mamoru.
Crouching, Hylli also seemed quite happy upon the sight of the fox.
"What a cutie!" The Hyuzu exclaimed, almost forgetting that they were going on a hunt. When Mamoru explained that the fox would help and listen to her orders, Hylli rose up. She was about to response but Hideko stating that this was her turf made Hylli raise her hands slightly.
"Okay, wait, wait!" A nervous chuckle escaped her lips before she could say anything more,
"I am not an experienced hunter like sergeant Dagrún or master Scylding,"
Lowering her hands, she did grab the bag of before and hoisted it. The warm rays of the sun started to down upon the camp. A sign that they should probably get going.
"Okay, let's move northwards then!"
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The hike was actually pleasant, if one would ignore the weight of the equipment that they had to carry with them. Remembering what Dagrún and Kazumo had taught her, Hylli wanted to look for a proper place first. If they were planning to use the entire day, then a place to make preparations for both before and after the hunt would be best.
Finding a small clearing, Hylli dropped the bag as she knelt next to it.
"We can use this place, I reckon!" A slight excitement evident in her voice,
"now we just got to decide what we should aim for. I hunted deer last time I went with Master Scylding. The bow is a bit tricky but else we can try to set up traps. For small game, like rabbits," Hylli explained as she laid out some tools, pulling them from the bag and removing the attached bows from it.
The trekking as one might call it that team 8 did was cool. They traversed over little routes known to no man but a hunter, and saw sight that were at times pretty wonderful. Then again, most of it they spent in the underbrush, tracking and seeing where the animals were. or rather, as Hylli paused and set her bag down, they weren't on the actual trip yet. She blushed as she put down her bag as well.
"Well, aren't we here to actually hunt something? I mean, traps are cool and all of that, but I know it can take several days for something to get caught in it." She said.
"But, to be fair, I've never actually used a bow before. Is that a problem?"
As they made their way across their nature, Mamoru felt a sense of calm wash over him, the kind he didn't feel in a long time. Tenkó kept running around them, sniffing at everything in their path. Eventually, the fox came up for scratches to both Hideko and Hylli, interrupting their trek for a few seconds a few times. As Hylli stopped them, Mamoru looked around and nodded. It reminded him of the trips his father used to take them on. He placed down the bag of firewood and knelt down, his buddy coming up to him, and he scratched his ears again.
"Okay, okay buddy. They like you too. Now be prepared, the real hunt is about to begin." He looked up at Hylli explaining.
"I have only scant experience with bows as well. But my guess, Hideko, is that we'll set up traps and move out on our own, hoping to hunt down something ourselves. Do I get it right, Hylli?"
Hylli listened to the questions, the Hyuzu nodded after Mamoru posed his.
"Yeah. Though Hideko isn't wrong. Trapping is a matter of patience. But also luck. Ah, I also want to try something out," gesturing to the other two as well the fox to stand back, Hylli would deeply inhale and exhale.
Biting her thumb, the pain was quite annoying, even if it was necessary. Not quite happy with the obnoxious aching in her thumb, Hylli would start to weave a distinct set of hand sings before crouching. Placing the hand with the painful thumb on the ground, she watched as black lines rapidly crossed the ground. The black lines seemed to herald something large as they kept expanding before summoning a cloud of smoke.
Rising up, Hylli pressed her fists against her hips as a loud and deep vibration seemed to originate. As the dust slowly started to settle, a large shadow became visible. Only for a sudden gust of wind to sweep the dust aside - towards the sides. Two savage scarlet eyes narrowed as the beast Hylli summoned observed who dared to be in its presence.
The wings briefly stayed stretched, making the dragon seem much larger and intimidating. But upon sighting only the trio 'hunters' and a fox, the antler-crowned dragon clearly seemed disinterested. Its wings folded and slowly it turned around.
"Well, I--" Hylli started, half turning around, only for the dragon to curl down on the ground and disappearing in a large puff of smoke. Staring back, the lips of Hylli curled down as she stared at the place where the dragon had been.
"Guess that was one disappointment. Dear gods…"
Mamoru listened closely to the reply and he felt that luck would be on their side. Before they could say anything, Hylli gestured them to stand back and so he did, gesturing for Tenkó to get behind him. Mamoru was curious about what Hylli's summon was, and a few seconds later, he learned. He slightly dropped into his knees, ready to turn tail and run. A low, terrified whine was coming from behind his legs and he gestured to his companion to stay. He looked at Hylii and shook his head.
No, she's got the situation under control. I trust her, Mamoru thought to himself. He avoided the crimson gaze of the dragon as he didn't want to provoke it by accident. He observed it turning around and - disappear.
He stood motionless for several moments, trying to process what he witnessed. He slowly made a step towards Hylli, Tenkó sticking to his leg. Another few steps and he was right next to her, and he slowly reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
" It's - It's okay, Hylli. It really is. Not many people can do what you just did. You're - you're impressive."
"So, am I wrong, or was that a dragon?" Hideko said almost idly. She had spent most of the time working on her pack, partly to hide the blush, partly to adjust her things once she had set them down, and was suddenly faced with this massive reptile.
"That's … amazing? Well, was amazing?" She said, still not comfortable with the idea of just summoning a dragon. What if she went home like; "Oh yeah Mamoru was a chunin and Hylli could summon a
fucking dragon." That wouldn't look too good on her. Really, at all. Woah. How did she even have enough chakra to do all that?
"Woah, hahaaaahh… Indeed!" She said after Mamoru, but her face spoke other parts. She
really has to catch up with them, but she simply did not know how.
Hylli didn't respond to Mamoru and Hideko's words. Ironically, there was a whole pack of Hyuzu that could summon similar or even more powerful creatures than what she had done. The disappointment and frustration drowned out the sting of exhaustion that had followed by trying to summon and have the beast aid them. Feigning a friendly smile, Hylli raised a hand - giving them a thumbs up.
"Thanks guys. But let's get to work and what we came to do," she simply replied, turning to the few tools and weapons she had brought. Even if her skill and experience with the bow was minimal, she imagined it would be a better choice than trying to kill with a shuriken or kunai throw.
"Okay, we need to search for tracks first. How good are you guys at reading them? And how do you both fare at staying stealthy?" Hylli questioned as she hoisted a shoulder bag, together with a quiver that held some arrows in it.
"I'll just use my rocks. Tiny ones. I know of a guy who tried to use a bow and got hurt, so yeah." Hideko said, and with a minor earth jutsu formed a rock or two and put those in her equipment bag. She listened to Hylli with a newfound respect, until she realised that she was talking about tracks. Huh. I actually already know how to do that, just for humans. Well, sort of. She didn't really receive any training in it, but she knew what routes you should put your traps on and lie in ambush, and what routes you shouldn't take. Her old sensei would have been very eager to learn that she needed this. She sighed. Damn him. Maybe it'd translate to animals as well?
"Maybe I can? At least, tracking. Or I hope. About moving stealthily? I mean we learn that at the academy, right? I can do that. Just don't make it too fast." She said a bit too sassy for her own good, hoping that her brashness spoke for her.
Pulling back his hand from Hylli's shoulder, Mamoru took a step back. Not wanting to press the matter any further, he listened closely. Observing Hideko create stones in her palm, Mamoru opted to do this without the aid of any Ninjutsu. He would save that for setting up their fireplace. He reached for a bow and the notch to tie it.
"I'll take my chance with the bow. It was years since I used one, but I feel like I could learn something today. " He gave Hylli a smile as he started to tie his bow, securing the nktch at one end of it, then at the other one, doing his beat to avoid it from being too loose.
He did his best to recall his trips to the forest with his father, but the memories were hazy at best.
"I can keep myself stealthy pretty decently. As far as I do it, I take it slow. Think over every step twice before making it. And for tracks, basics, basics I learned years ago. But I'm sure together we'll do just fine."
Readying herself, Hylli did wonder if it was wisdom to not bring either Kazumo or Dagrún with them. But it was too late for regrets and this could else serve as some sort of training, the Hyuzu pondered to herself as she gestured to the others to follow. She wasn't sure why she had decided to take charge but perhaps it was due to neither Hideko or Mamoru being more experienced in tracking or hunting? Pushing the thought aside, Hylli continued to trek northwards. The ambience of the forest was a welcoming change from the constant activity that one would hear and encounter in the encampment.
While enjoying the change of environment, Hylli looked for tracks.
Finding some, Hylli crouched and observed the imprints.
"You see this," Hylli started as she tracked the outline of the small tracks with her right index finger,
"you can actually learn an awful lot of tracks. The depth of the imprints and frequency can tell a lot of how the creature or person traveled. Were they in a hurry? Then the imprints are deeper and further apart, due to the stride that many creatures have when sprinting." Hylli explained.
"It seems that isn't the case here." she continued,
"Some imprints can also tell you if its a male or female. Most species, males tend to be bigger. But I suppose that is a given." Pausing, Hylli frowned as she inspected the edge of the imprints.
"A way to tell if it is fresh? Look for moisture at the edge. The edge is soft but not deformed. So that means that its somewhat fresh actually."
Straightening her back, she shot a look around. Grabbing the bow that she had readied, Hylli nocked an arrow.
"If we can shoot down one deer, we will have our hands full on dragging it back and getting the best parts. Perhaps we can even later ask Master Ylfling to help us," Hylli suggested, certain that they could inquire Dagrún's aid once they would come back with a good bounty.
Hideko followed the genin-turned-master-huntsman around. She would've had questions if she did not attempt and
fucking succeed at summoning a dragon just now, but so was life! She enjoyed being away from camp for a while and took in the 'beauty of nature'. Soon it will bore her, but not now. Or at least, not yet. When they encountered their first set of tracks she bent over, cautious not to make too much noise. She nodded along with what Hylli said. If you let her say it, it actually made sense for once!
"So, judging by this here," And Hideko waved at the footprints,
"How long until we encounter this deer?" She asked.
"I mean, if we encounter it at all, y'know?"
Mamoru followed Hylli's lead quietly, his eyes on the lookout for any sort of movement. He felt invigorated by the nature around him, by the silence. The young Senju always felt close to nature. While it was true that he was spending a lot of time in nature during missions, it was nothing compared to a peaceful trek. All the killing and violence threw him off balance, something he seemed to be forgetting for the moment. As Hylli stopped them, Mamoru crouched over it and observed it closely. Listening to the Hyuzu, he felt his respect and admiration grow. He kept nodding, reminiscing about his childhood in the back of his mind.
She really knows her way around, he thought as Hylli stood up. Mamoru touched the track - she described it perfectly.
" Hylli's right. It's got to be near. Tenkó!" Mamoru called his companion to them and as it ran up to them, it gave both Hideko and Hylli a look. It walked up to Mamoru and rubbed it's nose against knee.
"Here. Can you him, buddy?" The fox started to sniff the track. After a few seconds, his tail started to wag and it headed out northwards. Mamoru stood up and notched an arrow as well.
"He'll find the deer. The rest is up to us."
It was actually fun to do the investigation. Hylli nodded as Mamoru stated that it had to be near. Glad that Mamoru's fox had much better scent than any of them, Hylli followed the fox. Yet, she kept her vigilance as well. Only for a moment did Hylli throw a look at Hideko, to offer something to the other genin.
"If you want, I can teach you later some other stuff regarding camping and survival. Or you should approach Master Ylfling or Master Scylding. They are much better in those skills than I am, heh," a polite smile would be flashed as Hylli refocused once more on where they were heading. Hopefully, they would have a clear sight on their quarry.
Hideko needn't much convincing. If the rest thought it was a good idea to go, then she went as well. She actually found it weird to be the follower of the group for once. This wasn't like their teacher was around, then they'd be at the command of their sensei. This was … new. But also kinda funny in a way. Usually she'd be the one calling the group to a halt back in Konoha. When Hylli said something towards her, she opened both of her eyes in amazement.
"Woah! Master Ilf-ling-u and Master Skil-ding-u?" She tried, hopelessly failing. It was all too clear that she spoke Taika, and not really anything else.
"Eh. Hopefully I'll remember those names when this hunt is over. I, how do you say, don't really get those names with their many syllables, sorry!"
Mamoru listened closely to the interaction between the girls and could not help but smile at it. He was glad they could stick together outside of a battlefield as well. His eyes kept scanning the direction they were heading.
"I might as well join you, Hideko. You can never know when these skills will come in handy. Especially in a place like this." He thought about possible situations that they could be useful, but it was taking him to places he didn't like. Shaking his head once, he returned his focus to the present, and as he did a low growl was let out by Tenkó.
Mamoru lifted his hand and signalled for the group to stop. He dropped to one knee and caressed the fox, resting his forehead against its for a second. He then looked up at Hylli.
"It has to be close . There are four of us, we can cover basically all the directions. We can have Tenkó go ahead and make it move against us. That way one of can get a shot off. What do you think, Hylli?"
Slight amused on how Hideko struggled with the names, Hylli didn't mind to speak again.
"I was speaking of sergeant Dagrún and a Scylding that I know," she began,
"and it is fine."
When the fox began to growl and Mamoru signalled, Hylli followed suit. The plan to cover it from four directions was a sound strategy.
Considering, however, some other possibility, Hylli replied.
"I would normally find that a good plan. But perhaps it is best to approach it with a wide fanned tactic. Before one of us makes a mistake and spooks it before others have circled it." Pausing, Hylli gained a wry smile before she spoke again.
"I am, after all pretty crap with a bow."
"Heheh, right! Those names I can remember. I'll just have to try with Skil-ding-u." Hideko said, raising her shoulders in a sort of apologetic way. When they moved on, chasing the deer, Hideko agreed and fanned out like Hylli had planned. No offense to Mamoru, but Hylli seemed to actually be the one with experience. She chose to go on the far left side, ready for anything. She couldn't see a deer
yet, but the caution was infectious.
Mamoru listened to Hylli's suggestion and upon a quick consideration, he realised it made way more sense in this scenario. He nodded his head at the Hyuzu.
"I appreciate your insight, Hylli. I'll be on your right." Mamoru looked at her after the statement and realised that he's not that much either. He slowly moved forward, eyes peeled for any movement on the horizon. Looking at Tenkó, Mamoru nodded and pointed at Hylli. The fox slowly approached her and brushed against her leg before slowly walking in front of her.
" Just give him the word when you think, Hylli. I'm ready." Saying that, Mamoru tightened his grip on the bow and the notched arrow.
As both Hideko and Mamoru moved away, Hylli was going to say something else. Sensing something rubbing against her, Hylli noticed the fox. Crouching, she scratched the animal behind his right ear.
"Okay, Tenkó was it? I want you to direct me where this deer is," she spoke softly in Taika to the animal, in hope it would be able to understand her. The fox threw a curious glance but then simply turned to the way it had growled before.
"That works," Hylli murmured underneath her breath. Slowly, she focused on her pacing and to remain silent. Her gaze was peering for anything that could betray the deer. A few tracks did show the animal was heading towards the direction Tenkó had pointed out.
Her heart pounded as she pushed some foliage aside, carefully and slowly. Spotting the deer up ahead, the animal had its back towards Hylli. In front of the animal was what appeared to be a creek, from which it was drinking.
Throwing a look to the right and left, Hylli raised her right hand. Gesturing as good as she could for both Hideko and Mamoru to move slightly forwards, Hylli waited. Her attention went back to the deer, raising the bow and using the arrow point as aim, Hylli's fingers already started to slowly pull the string back.
Hideko, forewarned by Hylli's signal, tried to spot the deer. She couldn't see the deer quite yet, and cursed the tree trunks in doing so. Slowly very slowly she crawled forwards until she could see the deer. It was strangely peaceful how it just sat there, drinking. Always an eye out for predators, but this time,
they were the predators. That made her feel somewhat uneasy. She grabbed one of the stones from her sack, and was about to throw them, just waiting for a signal. Hmm. Perhaps they should have agreed on that?
Mamoru held back his breath as Hylli gave Tenkó a command. Relief washed over him as the fox obeyed at first command and moved forward with Hylli and Hideko, holding the arrow nocked, prepared to draw on the notch on a second's notice.
Come on, Tenkó, don't let me down, he thought as the fox slowly advanced. He kept his eyes peeled, looking at his side. He tried to stretch out his senses as much as possible, but the first signal came from Hylli. Observing it, he made one last, quiet step forward and he saw the deer though the foliage. He nodded at Hylli, not sure whether she would be able to see him and pulled back on the notch. His thoughts went to the deer, praising its life, and asking for forgiveness in advance.
Fixating her attention on the animal, Hylli realised that they had missed several steps of their plan. But it was now too late to either back out or make themselves known. Not if they wanted to have any sort of success. Adjusting her aim through the arrow, Hylli waited for a second. Pulling the arrow back, she could feel the weight of the draw resisting as she did so - though it wasn't hampering her.
The mere moment she had pulled the arrow as far as she had done, Hylli released the projectile. With held breath, she watched as the projectile punctured through the deer's skin and flesh. However, the arrow had punctured the animal's right leg and did little to hamper as the spooked quarry started to sprint off.
"Damnit," Hylli mumbled as she panickedly wanted to notch a second arrow.
Oh shit! That was the signal! She realised too late, as the arrow hit the deer. In her imagination things went differently. The deer was struck by the arrow, and died. The deer did not actually die. It motored into full speed, and was off. The stone that she'd thrown was off, and she broke cover.
"Fuck!"" She said, as she pitched her second stone, already infused chakra, was on its way.
Mamoru watched in silence as the first arrow punctured the deer's leg and it sprinting away, panicked, it's fight or flight instinct taking over. He let his arrow fly a second too late, missing the deer. Not wanting their prey to get lost, Mamoru took off, somehow managing to nock another arrow. He saw Hideko doing the same as him. Remembering his hunts with his father, he was sure he was not doing the right thing, but under the circumstances, he thought it to be a good idea.
"Tenkó! Steer him back to us! Hylli, come!" Mamoru tried to follow the deer's path with a slight offset, giving the rapidly accelerating fox some room to steer the deer into.
Rushing out of the place she had used as cover, Hylli focused her attention on the deer. When Mamoru called her, she only threw a glance as she gave chase after. Her heart pounded as adrenaline shot through her body, the thrill of the hunt beginning to dawn on her. Keeping an arrow nocked to the bowstring, she barely registered the cold water that they had to cross in order to run after the animal.
In the corner of his eye, Mamoru noticed Hylli also taking off after their prey. Turning his attention back to the chase, he ran as fast he could think not get too far behind the deer.
He's wounded so that'll slow him down a bit, no matter the situation, he mused to himself. Maybe he just hoped it will slow down for them to catch up. Splashing water as he crossed at almost the same time as Hylli and Hideko, he turned a bit more to the right. He quickly lost track of time and before he realised, growling could be heard in the distance. Keeping up the effort to run at the same pace, when he heard Tenkó barking some distance ahead. He signalled for them to stop and aimed his bow in front of himself.
"Foxes use barking to mark their territory. The deer should be heading our way now, away from another predator. Be ready!"
A few seconds later, tumbling steps were heard approaching them. Mamoru pulled back his notch and aimed at the point from which the deer was approaching. Mamoru let an arrow that landed around the deer's middle, but not accurately enough. The sound the animal let out tore into Mamoru's core. Reaching for another arrow, he saw Hylli landing an arrow closer than him. The deer tumbled, sliding on the ground. The pain it was experiencing was obvious. Mamoru gritted his teeth and dashed forward, pulling out Ash. He knelt next to it and placed his hand on it's head, gently caressing it. His right hand was shaking as he placed it at its neck. Gritting his teeth together, he pushed the knife in, cutting through just under its vertebrae. He started to move his hand, and a few agonizing seconds later, the knife was out. The deer was out of its agony. He closed its eyes and turned to Hylli and Hideko. Mamoru dropped Ash and placed his hand on the ground, causing a small fissure to open for the blood flowing from the neck, and a few seconds later, he closed it.
"Balance above all things. We thank you for your sacrifice, and know it will not go to waste." He stood up and stares at the deer for and closed its eyes. He looked at it for a few seconds before turning to Hylli and Hideko.
"It is dead. My arrow pierced its lungs, but yours seemed to nick the heart, Hylli. Excellent shot. He would have died eventually, but it would be excruciating. I couldn't stand to watch it. My father taught me not to let them suffer. We- we did it. " There was a very slight hint of triumph in his tone, and he gave the girls the warmest smile he could.