Something goes Awoo in the Night

Awooooooooooooooo:

It is in the dark forest that borders Yunagakure that our party find themselves. The full moon high above them shining its light through the thick orange canopy of the trees and only barely spattering onto the ground. The air is still, the only sounds breaking teh silence of the night being the crunch of dead leaves under the feet of the shinobi as they make their way through the night. According to the residents of this strange village they had found themselves in they had a problem with an odd wolf like beast. It would stalk the village and the residents at night and causing fear to spread amongst them. Ofcourse the ninja couldn't leave such a thing alone.

Mitsu stood in the back of the pack. His eyes closed and yet open to the forest around them. The entire feeling of the place so far had filled him with an unexplainable dread to his core. the people were strange, the town was so oddly decorated, the mission wasnt something youd just give to strangers, all of it didn't sit right with him. So he used the one thing that would make him feel safe. However even with it active... he couldnt shake the feeling he was missing something.

[210]

Murata hasn't been sure where they are, or why. The Land of Hot Water exists, she's seen it on a map, but the place they are feels... unreal.

That may be that she's just been feeling ill tonight. The world twists around her in wavering silver, companions behind her, and she tries to get a handle on both her circumstances and her stomach. At the very least, Mitsu and Pinoch have both been a joy in beast-hunting thus far, as unnerving as the whole situation is. Murata reaches up to scratch at the near decade-old scar on her throat where it itches. Her hand comes away covered with blood.

Murata blinks and slows, throat stinging in the cold breeze. Had she been cut at some point without noticing?

"Do either of you have bandages on you?" she asks softly, knowing they are all on edge and aiming not to startle anybody. "I think I've gone and scratched myself somehow..."

Between her sensory acumen and Mitsu's inheritance there is no chance of sneaking up on anybody. The three of them are perfectly safe with one another. Still, there's a disconcerting chill in the air.

Maybe she's just anxious from... her new role? Murata's eyebrows knit. That's the last thing she remembered. Neither of the others with her know that she is their new Mizukage. Why did she leave the village with them?

231
231 / 1,000

Neither of the others knew that she is their new mizukage. While none of this rag tag team of questing ninja knew the importance of that inner monologue, it would come into play quickly. Pinochio.... Was surprisingly getting into the spirit of the season. He'd been forced to put on a rediculous costume for missions with the twins, but the more he walked around, comparing outfits with the people dressed up for spooky season, the more he was starting to enjoy it. 

He'd decided not to take off his haloween costume when he set out for this mission, though beneath it still sat his mistruner's armor XL times 100 infinity X. Before you ask, yes he did come up with the name himself. It was a stroke of inspirtaion. What the team would see, was a three and a half foot tall man wearing an armadillo costume, his long flowing mizukage costume robes flapping in the breeze as they rushed off to wherever the mission was taking them. He shifted the large kage hat back on his head several times to stop it's shift to impede his vision. Impressively, he had no way of knowing that his outfit, sans the ram suit beneath, should be being displayed by the leader of their mission group. 

"No bandages here. Have you tried just punching it until it stops bleeding? I've found that most issues can be solved by just punching things really really hard--though... I suppose a wound wouldn't be on that list. Nevermind." Bless his heart. Pinochio had managed not to trip, slip, or otherwise screw himself over so far on the trip, though they hadn't been traveling for long. He knew they were looking for something. Probably an animal that was scaring the inhabitants outside of the village that they somehow were magically ported into?! Yea. This was kind of getting wonky real fast. 

(TWC 314)

Mitsu's eyes stay closed as he draws his sword, curring a slice of cloth from his robes to offer Murata "Won't do much but should atleast keep anything from getting inside until we can get back home." He tried to keep calm and collected. But he knew there was something more going on. He threw a glance to the new Mizukage's wound, when would she have even gotten hurt?

He keeps his sword close at hand. A chill rising up his neck as the three walked together. "Is the costume really Needed Pinnochio? I can only assume it would get in the way of things rather than help you in searching a forest." He wanted to say more but seeing how often life decided to kick him down Mitsu wanted to tone down any criticism. Though maybe that might even be a good thing. I mean... If something bad were to happen surely it would take him f- Mitsu chastises himself for thinking in such a way. What on earth was he even saying?? No. They'd be fine. They find and kill whatever it was that was scaring the villagers, and they would get home, and everything would be just fine.

[413]

Murata takes the cloth with a word of thanks, wrapping it around her neck to stem the bleeding as they walk. Soon they come to a clearing in the woods flooded with moonlight, stones lining the edges.

"I personally appreciate the levity," she says tonelessly, rubbing at the edge of the silk around her neck. "Do you mind if we sit down for a minute, Lord Mizukage? I'm feeling a bit sick."

Of course, as the mission leader, she goes to sit down regardless of what the costumed Pinocchio says. Murata glances up at the moon, looking strikingly pale, absentmindedly rubbing at her neck. It'll be good for them to deal with this beast as soon as possible, but she's feeling like she'll fall off her feet, surely a minute of rest won't harm them. It feels like they've been out here forever.

Murata's movements slow, and she tenses up where she sits, eyes gazing expressionlessly up into the moonlight. She's conscious and upright, not slumping, but becomes totally unresponsive to her mission partners, sitting stiffly as blood bleeds through the cloth around her neck.

Then she begins to shiver.

190
TWC 421 / 1,000

"You know. I really should have thought of that." As mitsu offered a bit of his outfit to their team leader, Pinochio shook his head. Saya would have killed him if he'd destroyed her work, and that would have just been a bonus. 

"Yea. Well I was doing a mission with Tria and her sister earlier and you know how she is I assume. We HAD to be dressed up in haloween costumes for spoopy missions or she would have thrown a whole fit. Then we uh. Found some stuff that we swiftly had to move her away from. To keep her from asking questions Ai thought it would be a good idea to take her trick or treating. I think I might have fallen asleep after checking her candy so... Here I am?" Initially he didn't react at all to Murata's comment. Then it hit him. An extremely low hanging tree branch i mean. Right in the face. Goodness it hurt. He backflipped twice from the sheer force of the impact, thankful that the object couldn't actually do damage, and that his damage resistance would have soaked it either way. THen he landed on the ground with a concerningly heavy thud. 

"Yes. I... I think a rest would do us a bit of good honestly." He tried to roll into a lounging position to save a bit of face. Maybe they would think he just did cool flips to lay out while they rested? It looked nothing like he did cool anything before choosing to lay out. 

"OH BECAUSE I'M DRESSED AS MIZUKAGE RAM!!!! I GET IT! Yanno. I actually have a full back tatoo of my costume. Got it like a month ago on a whim. It's pretty cool.... right? pretty cool?" This is the part where the frame would zoom in slowly, building tension before the big reveal of whatever horrors plagued our protagonists. 

(TWC 621)

When the rest of the team arrives to the clearing Mitsu decides it could not be coincidence all these feelings, the moon shining down on them like this, surrounded all around by the forest and tree line. Ambush? Some genjutsu? Something else? His eyes frantically searched around for anything they could see but. It was just them. Just the three of them. Alone. Where was it they even came from?

"Murata...? Are you sure you're alright? If youre not feeling well we can head back, see if someone can heal that wound.." Mitsu bares his sword, obvious tension in his body as his mind screams to run, to hide, to disappear and leave this place. He was a ninja. He had to be resolute.

[538]

Murata's face snaps up to see Mitsu's hand on his sword. Her eyes are frantic and wide, face drawn tight, a portrait in red and silver. 

A noise like a hoarse moan comes from her, and her hands, shaking, move to her throat, pulling desperately at the length of cloth as though it is strangling her. It rips away, revealing blood-flecked fur in the wound - now clearly identifiable as a bite wound, the indent by each fang pressed through her skin - as she shudders to her feet.

"Hhhhhheeemmmhh," her barely identifiable voice gargles, and she looks slowly between Mitsu and Pinocchio, looking... confused. "Hhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

Claws gleam in the moonlight, peeking from under the blood on her hands, Murata's pupils dilating and then engulfing her eyes in darkness ringed by a thin gleam of yellow. In the dark, it's hard to see the fur creep up her face until it's almost all the way there - but it's easy to track how she becomes taller, spindly and hunched, face lengthening and teeth gleaming in the moonlight. It's oddly quiet, save for hoarse breathing, the beast's eyes still looking unfocused.

The werewolf then leaps to tear Pinocchio's throat out with an ungodly snarl, a whirl of fur and moonlight.

206
TWC 627 / 1,000

As murata groans and shifts, Pinochio watches her with all of the focus of an inexperienced but very well meaning and attentive combatant. The snap holding his weapon clicks as he draws the kasurai-gama from the belt at his side, and then she lunges directly for his neck. SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT WAAAAAIIIIIIIITTTTT. This is everything he's ever wanted. Hidden beneath the ramkage costume, his mistrunners armor XL times one hundred infinity X sat, with the turtle neck nearly up to his chin to protect against the cold. Defiantly he pushed foward. The swipe that was meant to end his life quickly bounced off the protective chakra infused wire mesh, it's 150 health far too much for her claws to consider penetrating. Now it was his turn to fight back.

The chain rung as he sent it out, using it's length to wield it like a whip towards murata at a speed of 135. Unless she found a means to dodge, the heavy ball would allow his weapon to wrap around her body several times just high enough to pull her apendages into her body, holding her arms tightly locked to her side.

"MITSU AS THE PERSON IN THIS TEAM DRESSED AS THE MIZUKAGE I DEMAND YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!!" He'd done it. His entire life up to this point was a spiral of failing to actually succeed in any task he'd set out to do, but finally his training had won out. He'd not screwed anything up this time. He hadn't even found some way to make himself look like a fool--his face hurt for some reason. Right. While his face checking a tree had definitely made him look like a bit of a fool at least he'd turned it around. If things wen't as planned, he'd hold the rogue ninja turned wolf at bay with his weapon's chain and hopefully Mitsu could figure out how to solve the problem. If that didn't work, well. He knew what to do.

"DO IT MITSU!!!! FIRST GATE OF OPENING....... OOOPPPEEEENNNNNN" WHile he was definitely yelling really loud, the surge of speed and strength that poured through his body gave no actual visual effects that would tip their opponent off that he'd increased his power significantly--well. significantly for a genin. Baby steps.

(TWC 1002 my portion of the mission done!)

A ninja should not hesitate, A hyuuga would would hesitate. Mitsu knew these truths well. So why, why was it that now he was frozen. He watched as the monstrous thing Murata had become lunged for Pinnochio, He watched the claws slicing through the air and how Pinnochio bound her in chains and kept her at bay. All the while he had his sword drawn but his legs would not move, his mouth would not scream, his white eyes watch it all disconnected. Watching the horror bathed in the beautiful light of the moon.

That is before Pinnochio's shout snaps him out of it, In the span of one breath Mitsu is behind the beast. Whether bound or held off she was focused on Pinnochio. He takes his sword, a thick cloak of jagged blue chakra raced up the edge and past before curving inwards to the shape of a scythe, and brings it around her neck from behind. The weapon then loops back around into itself forming a snare pole bound around her neck with Mitsu holding its handle. It's then that he pulls and pulls hard , struggling against the monster to try and bring it down. Best case scenario he could suffocate the beast, worst case it focuses on him and he fucking books it.

He couldn't bring himself to try killing it, it was his teacher, someone he knew, she had people waiting for her in Kirigakure. He couldn't.

[782]