{Investigate Thunder Ridge}

[The Care Bear!!]

Bukase awoke from his pleasant dreams of raccoons and squirrels dancing in flower-filled meadows to find the wreakage of the forest floor. He sighed half-heartedly, eating a pear that he pulled out of his pack while grabbing and storing some berries he found; from his travels with the squirrel cult, he knew exactly which berries weren't to be eaten. "Well, it appears the killer bunnies did come last night and marked up the entire woods. Hope you made it ok, Wolfe." His tone was quite sincere.

Bukase proceeded to pack up the tent, cleaning it off as well as he could. He searched for his missing needle for a while, finally deciding it was most likely buried and lost now, and turned to the group. "it would be best to walk on or near the roots of the plants and trees. Avoid big patched of mud, and as always, watch out for those killer rabbit traps." Then he went forward at his usual leisurely pace, eyes wandering but still managing to pick his way carefully.

[wolfe]

Wole scoffed, "It was no bunny that made this mess, it was a completely natural occurance.... there was a rather large storm." Wolfe walked alongside his comrades, trying his best no to betray his weariness in his steps. He had stood sentient the whole night, through the blistering cold, the soaking rain and the hideous crack of the thunder and lightning. It had been a long, cold, and stormy night. His every joint groaned in protest as he moved his soaken body into line, forcing his feet to walk. He was happy in the fact that there had been a storm

For once he was glad of the slow pace of his fellow shinobi but he steeled himself knowing that they had a mission to complete, despite his condition. "Let us pick up our pace today, I would hope that we could reach our destination before nightfall."

[lash]

[OOC: Give me a good, full days worth of travel in your posts and I'll say that you'd reached the beginnings of Thunder Ridge. Have fun, you three! Btw, I am very amused.]

[amaya]

"If you're tired you should say so Wolfe. We wouldnt want you to hold us back now would we?" Amaya said with a big grin to Wolfe. She started walking a bit faster but wasnt running. "The mud hinders our movement and jumping from tree to tree could result us into slipping which i dont feel like doing. Lets just walk, give Wolfe some time to rest and kick some killerbunny's ass." As Amaya walked on the scenery didnt changed much. Still nothing but trees, fog and messy forestfloors. The longer she walked the less dense the fog became and after a couple of hours there wasnt any fog left. She walked through the forest and looked back at times to check if Wolfe was still alive. She asked Bukase some questions about everyday stuff and the mission as well.
It took another couple of hours before it was completely sunny and she had something to eat. Now almost out of fruit they had to reach the ridge fast or else she realy had to eat the killer bunny. She slowly started walking faster and faster. It would almost be unnoticable but after a while she was as good as running as the floor became a bit less muddy. She sat down to have something to eat. "Does anyone wants to rest now? Or should we just go on?"

[The Care Bear!!]

Bukase perched himself on a downed tree nearby, taking stock of the group. "No, I don't think much more of a break is needed than it would require us to eat something. It shouldn't be too long before we reach the Ridge, and we can rest and find some more food there. Maybe the killer bunnies will be tastey, hands or not." He ate about half of the berries he had picked in the morning, then stood up. "Since the ground's drier, we should also move a little faster," and he took off at a moderate run as soon as the rest of the team was ready.

A few more hours passed without much changing in scenery. The sun was halfway down from its peak when the forest began to thin and still another hour before it opened up to a broad flat plateau. Just shy of the horizon, the target could be seen; Bukase estimated they they should be able to get close and establish themselves in good cover before sundown, but it was still an hour or two away. He turned to the genin, "Alright, we're almost there... One last push." He reached down, plucking a blade of grass out of the ground, and set it to his lips, making the high buzzing sound as he traveled toward the ridge. He had been there before in his previous travels, and intended to camp in a clump of bushes and trees a mile or so away, and hopefully whatever was infesting the ridge wouldn't know of their presence till morning.

[wolfe]

Wolfe's mental tiredness was soon overcome by the overwhelming ache in his sodden and leaden limbs. His fellows had said they would set an easier pace for him yet they had soon forgotten and sped up, he had said nothing of course. His pride and sense of urgency well overcame any thoughts of resting. He travelled in silence with them listening but not replying, his thoughts only on his goal. A mission down would allow him to start another... Wolfe had nodded at his fellow teamates words... One last push...... Wearing a rare smile Wolfe picked up the pace walking well in front of his fellow shinobi. He kept up the blistering pace for nearly an hour... the sooner we get there the sooner I can complete this mission... was the thought that kept Wolfe going, and would until they reached the destination. He was not one to give up.

[amaya]

"Hmm.. A'ight then. That means we're going on full speed eyh?" Amaya said as she Started jumping from tree to tree. It started to get dark and Amaya removed the cloth over her eyes. "Much better." The sun was now completely gone and at the same time the landscape began to have some more rocks and hills. "It wont take long before we reach it. Lets have something to eat and prepare a bit." She stopped, sat down and started to eat the last bit of bread she had left. She looked through her back and got out a dagger and three tubes filled with a green liqiud. She put the tubes in the dagger and closed the dagger. After that she stood up and walked further west, where it seemed that the landscape started to form into a mountain pass. "We're close. This wont take more than an hour." When she looked around she noticed the weather becoming a bit gloomy and with the darkness that already was there.. "We're close, and with this weather.. You better be prepared for any sudden attacks."

{Current surroundings}

Name: Foxglove.
Rank: B
Type: Offensive
Preperation: One must squeeze (is it called mingle?) the leafs and put them in 10 ml almost boiling water. After an hour one must do it again untill he/she has 60 ml.
Description: Causes dangerously irregular heartbeat and pulse, usually digestive upset and mental confusion.
Slots: 3
Color: Green
Special: It has 3 slots but they are all the same poison. They need a big dose in order to work.
Location/materials/cost: From the leaves of the foxgolve(plant) In the water and sea country. Can Also be bought from the Aistyn clan for ¥1750 per 180 ml.
Antidote/drawback: Osenjokyo no jutsu

[hotoka]

{OOC: Appereantly Lash is gone. I will play the NPC's for this mission. After this mission everybody will go back to the village and we'll have Kage-votings there. About Bukase's mission to live in the sound, we will send a letter to Hibiki and hope he understands.}

[The Care Bear!!]

After a little searching, Bukase found a nice, well-covered hilltop a ways off the path. "This will be camp for the night. Wolf, it looks like your paws could use a little rest, so don't complain." He set up the tent as discreetly as he could, and ate the remainder of the berries he had taken before leaving on the days journey. He ensured there was good cover in all directions, moving a few branches of some bush here and there while still making it look natural, and marked a good spot in a nearby tree for look-out.

"We are in killer bunny territory, so we need to have a good watch out at all times. I'll take the first watch, unless you wish to, Amaya. Wolf should sleep as long as possible, so he will either have a late third watch or none at all. I'd suggest you sleep with your hunting clothes on and skinning knives very near." And he nodded for a full minute in a sagely manner, eventually drifting off to stare out into space.

[The Care Bear!!]

The screeing sound of the hawk flying rapidly through the air alerted Bukase as he looked into the sky. It came down quickly, landing on his extended arm, with a tiny note attached to it. It read:

"Bukase, Amaya, and Wolfe:
The Kage has disappeared. It is imperative that all Cloud shinobi, even if in a mission, return to town immediately so that we can decide what to do with the fate of the village. Please move with all alacrity."

Bukase read the note aloud, making sure Amaya and Wolfe heard each little word. He then looked up and shook his head. "I guess hunting killer rabbits is going to have to wait; we need to return to the village." Passing the note to Amaya, Bukase turns around and takes off, back towards the village, running through the water puddles quickly.

[Exit Bukase]

[amaya]

A hawk flew to Bukase and dropped a note. Bukase read it out loud and Amaya looked at him with amazement. She recieved the note and read what was on it and it was exactly as Bukase said.. "Hm, yeah.. We better hurry.." She said as she passed the note to Wolfe and she started to follow Bukase, increasing speed with almost every step.
{Exit Amaya}

[wolfe]

Wolfe nodded and sped off understanding all too well the gravity of the situation. And so trouble is indeed striking the village at last.... thought Wolfe to himself. Perhaps he could finally find a job worthy of his time?

((exit Wolfe))