Predator [On-going]

[Shadow]

A small makeshift boat floated across the misty waters. Ripples formed as the oars of the boat lifted out of the water and dipped back in. Upon the boat was Shadow. He was adorned in a black cloak that covered all of his body, except his head and feet. It seemed to match perfectly with his hair and eye color, dark and unyielding any signs of light. He looked over the area ahead of him and sighed heavily with relief. It had been a long and drawn out travel across the waters to get here and Shadow really did miss land. As the boat softly grounded against a sandy beach area Shadow grabbed up his green hued supply pack and flung it onto his back. He set foot on the soft sand as a small smirk crossed his face. "Finally land again." He took a moment to regain his sense of balance after having the waters trash him and his small boat around as they pleased. Soon enough he was ready and as he took hold of the boat, drug it across the beach so the tide wouldn't steal it from him while he was away. "Now then.." He muttered to himself as he bent over to retrieve a scroll and walking stick from within the confines of the boat. "Time to...." His voice trailed off as he opened the scroll. The contents of it seemed to be a makeshift map drawn with various scribbles of days passed and distance thought to have been traveled in a measure of his paces on foot.

It took a few minutes to record the last part of his travel over water mostly due to having to guess the distance traveled since he hadn't devised a way to measure it. "Where to go." He rolled the scroll back up and placed it in a pocked located inside his cloak. With walking stick in hand he pushed forward into the unknown.

[Deleted]

Barely a sound left from the small woman as she moved from branch to branch. The cool atmosphere was kept at bay from the thick layers she wore, face covered by her usual fox mask. She was lost in her thoughts as she pressed on, something to keep her out of boredom's reach while she patrolled the area she was directed to.  It was proving futile, however. She rarely found anyone lurking in the area, but patrolled she would. 

The small ferret curled up against her neck suddenly stirred, as if sensing something amiss. Taking notice to the movements of Hibi, Asouka stopped her forward movement, resting and crouching down on the branch she was currently roosting in.

"What is it Hibi?" the woman whispered, mask muffling the words even further. In response, the creature stuck its head out from behind the scarf he always hid behind, nose flaring, catching the sent of the area. His eyes blinked a few times before his head stilled. 

Burrowing her fingers into a pouch upon her hip, Asouka fished for a treat for the ferret. "Good boy. Time to see who it is." 

Once Hibi was given the treat, he returned to his usual place, warm little body curled about Asouka's neck. The ivory haired woman pulled her scarf up about the lower half of her face before shunshining off towards the direction her animal companion had pointed out. 

Suffice it to say, her boredom was cured for the moment.

[Shadow]

Shadow stopped for a moment and took in his surroundings. He had left weeks ago to travel here and now as he aimlessly pressed further into the unknown a sense of unease started to take root. Sighing heavily he took his walking stick and swung it backwards to where it rested securely on his back. He needed to rid himself of thinking to much lest he'd start to go mad. The only way to cure boredom while traveling was to do it faster or so he thought. Shadow took to the trees not only was this to move faster, but also to get a sense of where he needed to head.

He'd peek out over the treetops to gaze over the massive line of trees for a break in them and that was what he saw. A few miles ahead of his current position was a good sized opening that could mean a settlement had been made there. Now with a hint of what could be Shadow jolted to that position the mans natural hazel hued eyes spiraling into a pool of blood red dotted with black entities. He hoped there would be no confrontation, but as it was known across the lands he visited, Water country didn't have the label of friendly to anyone not even their own people.

[Deleted]

Asouka didn't have to search for long; the person who didn't belong was heading in her direction, making the game of cat-and-mouse less enticing to the woman. It was too late to make a bunshin of herself, something she was mentally kicking herself for, so instead, she made her presence known by stopping her forward motion on a branch, hopefully in the line of sight of this newcomer.

"Halt. I ask that you state your name and reason for being here." Even though she still wore the mask, it didn't keep her from being heard, the only distorting the timbre of her voice. Hopefully the form before her wasn't wanting a fight.

"You must turn back. You are trespassing." Her left hand twitched slightly, involuntary as she continued to keep her eyes on the person before her if they had listened to her first statement. If not, well, then she'd have to get into action.

[Renkai]

Some several hundred meters from where the two shinobi were soon to have their encounter, there was a large stirring amidst the forest. Shrouded entirely by a thick veil of mist, it'd be nigh impossible for anyone to tell what it could have been unless they could sense it, and even then they'd only know that whatever it was, it was enormous. Trees moved for the creature, bending and breaking beneath its weight as it tromped around. It's exterior seemed to leave behind a thick ooze that quickly eroded and dissolved whatever it came into contact, leaving a large barren trail in its wake. Out here, the creature felt at ease, with no natural predators aside from any fool who dared to initiate combat. Those who had tried were never successful, and for the longest time, the natives of the land came to fear the creature, avoiding it at all costs. Of its species, this one seemed to be one of the more mild-mannered specimens, though any creature backed into a corner would lash out. It was purely instinct for them to do so. However, at this moment the creature feared nothing.

Slowly making its way through the forest, the sound of splintering trees would echo for miles accompanied by the slow hiss of the corrosive liquid eating away at everything that it touched. Six tails were carelessly thrashing about, carving a wide path of destruction across the land, leaving one large scar devoid of everything that once grew from the soil.

[Shadow]

As Shadow rushed about the treetops he gained a faint sense of something in his general vicinity. He was no sensor and as such couldn't dictate in what direction the signature came or from what. He was on guard and as he started to slow in order to look around he heard the voice of the shinobi that emitted from in front of him. He'd only hear the ending of her warning 'are trespassing'.

Shadow stood atop a branch as he locked onto the feminine figure. He'd study her for a moment with a mundane expression before speaking, "Trespassing you say?" He kicked at the branch with his foot while shaking his head, "I don't think so." A sly grin crossed his lips as he poked fun at her.

The scene would be interrupted by the distant sound of breaking trees making Shadow only smile more as he turned his attention to the sound. Only going on a hopeful guess, the sound was reassuring to him. He'd slowly start to step in the direction of the sound as he waited for the mask to respond. Not intent on hanging around too long lest he was made to.

[Deleted]

A chill went down her spine as the man before her grinned, her blood curdling. She didn't like this situation she put herself in, not in the slightest. He was creepy, and probably not right in the head. But instead of voicing her current opinion of him by words and body language, she tilted her head to the left, almost lazy in fashion.

"If you belong here, then what's your business... I'm sorry. What did you say your name was again? I don't think I got it." The sarcasm dripped from her syllables like venom, her patience being tried. 

Before she could finish her words, however, this dark haired bad boy was starting to move in a different direction, causing her to take a step forward, left hand raising  across her body, "Just where the hell do yo-" 

Her words were cut off as she caught the sound of something large moving through the forest. Hibi stirred once again, this time the fur upon his body rising up as he slinked out from under the scarf, a growl vibrating his lithe frame. 

The hand she held up dropped a fraction, fingers shaking as a sudden fear gripped her figure, "Wh-what the hell.."

[Shadow]

Shadow would barely listen to the female as she talked. He had a natural resistance to sarcasm and here was proof of it. He'd slowly lift his hand towards her and lower it in a motion to make her shut up. Not that it mattered as the sound of shattering wood and dissolving entities drew closer with each passing moment and made it harder to hear anything else. How weird he thought to himself, the animal that he came to hunt coming towards him. 

As the girl's shaken words left her lips Shadow jumped up to the tree tops and pointing one finger up to the female for one moment.

Taking a nice spot among a tall tree Shadow glanced out over the endless green sea of leaves. It wouldn't take him long to spot the enormous white mollusk. In it's wake it left a gash of corroding substances that trailed behind it for miles. With as much destruction as it caused Shadow thought someone would have done something by now.


He'd turn his attention back to the girl. She lived here and she would know more about the beast than he. His demeanor beforehand would make asking her questions, harder. Maybe he should have been nicer...then again she retorted with as much venom as he did. Having no other option he's slink his way over to her, close enough for her to hear. "What...is that?"


Shadow's family originated from the land of Water. The blood that ran through his veins had deep roots in the history here and he grew up hearing the stories of powerful creatures that traversed the world. The white slug being in many stories from his childhood he'd already know a good deal, but those were just stories and each time he asked his family would not go into the details of it.

[Deleted]

As her heartbeat elevated, Asouka found breathing to be more difficult with her fox mask upon her face. She didn't have any second thoughts when her fingers rose up to the ribbon holding the mask in place, letting it slip from her face. She did this all while this mysterious man had gone to take a looksee at the tailed beast, oozing its way towards their direction.

She took a deep breath of the chilled air through her nose, a slight twinge of pain as the cold air entered her lungs. It helped calm her nerves greatly, something she found solace in this dreary land she called home. Hibi was still clinging to the fabric of her yukata, sniffing and growling all the while as Asouka slipped her mask into one of her bags at her hips. "Shh, Hibi," the small woman whispered to the ferret, "go back to sleep. It'll be alright."

The lie tasted foul on her tongue. She didn't know if she was going to be alright or not. There was this man, telling her what to do, and then this loud crashing coming from deeper in the woods. It had to be the bijuu; that was the only explanation. That was the only thing large enough to cause such destruction.

Asouka's body shivered at the thought as Shadow returned to where she was. Her blue-green eyes took in his form, guarded before looking in the direction he was pointing. "It's the tailed beast of this land. Is that why you're here?"

[Renkai]

By now, the massive slug had picked up on the presence of the two nearby shinobi. He had to make a decision. On the one hand, he could continue about his own business, paying no mind to the two small humans. The denizens of Mizu no Kuni had thus far been very kind to the tailed beast, making no attempts to capture it. On the other hand, the fact that there were two of them grouped together nearby concerned the creature. Were they up to something? Should he be worried? Ultimately, the slug would merely shrug it off, continuing on it's path through the forest, knocking down more trees and dissolving them into mulch as it passed through. Its course was aimed straight for the two shinobi; this would be the test. If they were smart, they'd get out of its way and allow it to roam freely. After all, the beast knew what it was capable of, and how to utilize its full strength, something most shinobi wouldn't stand a chance against. At east none that he'd encountered thus far. From the perspective of the other two, the crashing sound of trees bending and breaking along with the faint sizzle of the corrosive liquid melting everything down would grow louder as the creature neared.

[Shadow]

Shadow nodded as the woman replied. She was right of course, but it was odd to him. Did a lot of people come to Water Country for the tailed beast? He shrugged it off and kept his gaze in the direction of the oncoming slug. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck as he thought about the process of capturing it. The monster was slow, but it had a long range nonetheless that paired with the corrosive attributes of the slime that it secreted around it made short range also a hassle. He'd have to find a nice medium. Sighing he looked to the female. "You wanna help?" His remark was more of a joke than a real offer, but if she did agree he would not decline. Having only a limited knowledge of tailed beasts from his family and his village having one he'd have to think as he went along.

[Deleted]

She only hesitated a second before nodding her head in answer, "yeah..." Her voice trailed off as she helped the ferret back under her neckwear. "What kind of plan do you have in mind? I hope just charging in isn't at the top of the list." The ivory-haired figure had muffled the fear she was previously wearing, brows creased into a serious mask. Her eyes remained focused towards the sound of splintering fauna and sizzling ooze. The smell had to have been awful, especially for those unfortunate enough to not make it out of the path of the bipedal slug. 

Just thinking of it made her stomach turn, forcing herself to swallow back the bile that accumulated at the back of her throat. She finally returned her gaze back to Shadow, arching an eyebrow as the corner of her lips quirked into a smirk, "You own me a drink after this." 

Taking a second deep breath of air, Asouka retrieved the mask she had previously stuffed in her bag and placed it back upon her visage. "Ready when you are...umm.." She paused, drawing out that last syllable. She had yet to catch this man's name and it was starting to cause the muscles in her shoulders ache with a ping of irritation. 

"I'm Asouka."

[Shadow]

Shadow smiled at her reply. "Well charging is the first step. The next one would be to immobilize it. Not that it doesn't move slow enough." He shifted in his stance as his bloodline started to take affected on his body. Underneath his skin a layer of endoskeleton slowly molded into place. A sly smile crossed his lips the black tomes in his eyes starting to spin slowly around his pupils. He didn't mind the smell much. He had smelt worse and was actually kind of happy that the slugs acid was so strong.

He chuckled at her request for a drink after and shrugged. "Maybe. Have to survive through this first." Shadow would lunge into the air again and onto a tree. As he sprung into the air he shouted back to Asouka his name. He was tempted to ask about her furry friend, but didn't list it as a priority.


His hands came together as he crouched on a branch and the slug was now within a hundred meters from them. He was thinking of what to do as he went along not actually sure of how to capture it. He had gained a few tricks to help him in accomplishing the feat, but was still unsure of it being successful.

[Deleted]

After receiving his name, Asouka followed behind Shadow, sharp point of a bone starting to protrude from the middle of her left palm. While leaping from branch to branch, her right digits would grasp the bone tightly and remove it completely, two-foot long blade of bone in hand. This was going to be an interesting battle to include in her resume if she survived. 

Perching on the branch next to Shadow, Asouka crouched down, the movements of the bijuu much louder. The stench from the slug rose about her, causing the petite woman to scrunch her nose out of repulsion. She refused to gag, to allow yet another sign of weakness appear in front of someone she just met. She had given him too many hints as it was. 

From within her scarf, she could hear Hibi growling ferally. In turn, Asouka patted the outside of her scarf reassuringly before turning her masked face towards the man she was blindly following. "What now?"

[Renkai]

The giant slug felt the gap closing quickly, or at least quickly to a slug, closing between itself and the two humans. Things seemed like they could go either way at this point, but the creature charge in fearlessly, as one tends to do when the size of a bus. From its mouth, the tailed beast began spewing a thick stream of its own corrosive liquid, turning its head back and forth to start clearing the foliage out from in front of it. Its goal was to create an opening through which he could see the people and gain a better chance of defending itself if necessary. Now that the distance between the three had diminished to a mere twenty meters or so, the wide spray of the corrosive liquid would easily make a nice clearing, revealing the two shinobi. Saiken froze, eying the two, unsure of what to do. Fight or flight?