[Contract Search] First Expedition

[Kenroujima]

OOC: Using Find Contract of Your Choice Card to find the Bear contract

It was early morning when Kenroujima had set off on his expedition. He had no real goal in mind when he had left on his outing but as per usual he never let his guard down. Uknown territory was something that could still pose a threat to him, luckily the young man was of Kyoujouran blood and while being as attuned to the earth as he was sensing danger was second nature. Kenroujima sought out mountains that had caught his eye as he hung around the forest below. Without much time and effort his body moved and the skin around his hands became a metallic sheen; a trait once more gained from his family. His hands pierced the stone face of the mountain with ease and he began his climb, jabbing his hands into higher and higher reaches of the mountain. Not quite near the peak the Kyoujouran had found himself in front of a dark cavern. "Heh.. Figures. Always something to find up a mountain." the young man spoke aloud, crossing his arms over his chest as his skin returned to normal. Lazily his head turned and his eyes peered over his shoulder, overlooking the forest he was once in and not noticing anything unusual to look into. "This is monster territory for sure, if there ain't tracks in the forest I might aswell check out his cave." Kenroujima announced aloud to himself akin to one keeping a log, "Ge-heh.. I got that feeling, I'd love to hunt me a flying monster. Those are always the most rewarding in the end." the young man stated with a wide grin, popping his knuckles as he ventured forth into the dark cavern before him.

His senses were piqued within the darkness, he could not see but he could feel the tremors of the earth. Using this to his advantage it was child's play to navigate to some degree the cavern and if there was anything else residing within. Though time continued to pass and Kenroujima grew more and more irritated "Nothin'! How can there be nothin'!" he said aloud, his voice carrying throughout the twisting cavern. He was too far in now to just give up and turn around and Kenroujima knew that it was just not worth the effort to backtrack since the cavern itself continued to descend further and further. Begrudgingly the Kyoujouran stomped through the lifeless cavern, descending further down the cave and had eventually it all clicked in his head. "Ah, damn it!", his body rushed forward and the stomping of his began to create tremors of their own. There was a light and parts of the cavern began to cave in as Kenroujima made his exit, once more finding himself in the same forest he began in "I knew it! What a waste of time.." he grunted. Looking back to the forest cavern entrance it finally caved in behind him and the young man sighed heavily and shook his head "Great.". The Kyoujouran proceeded further into the forest to continue his expedition.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Snort, snort.It cracked one huge pupil open, it's bright pink darting in and out tasting the air around it.Snort, snort. The huge hairy mammal was a deep shade of brown, two large black pupils and a face that bore the look of one who was wise. Right now, however, the beast had been rudely interrupted with all the accursed stomping that was echoing around his precious cavern residence. Growl.The animal shook it's furry mane to and fro getting up from it's deep slumber glancing around the looming darkness of the cave."So much stomp stomp, eh Yuna?"He said casting a glance at a tiny little sparkling diamond jewel that remained on the the ground encrusted with dirt and honey residue.The words carried for a long distance audible to any stranger within the bear's cavern territory. It trekked forwards, the well-built muscles in the animal's body working rapidly as he took a step letting loose a snort every now and then.Snort, snort.However, the stomping was getting to quite a high level of annoyance and seemed to be upsetting the balance of the cavern. The bear, a look of concern on his face quickly replaced by one of alarm as everything began to cave in around him!"Awww, no!No!No!"He had a whimpering tone to his voice, almost acting childlike as the thing scampered towards the opening, rocks and what-not caving in behind him. The furry beast turned around, a sadness in his eyes as the cavern went down with a rumbling boom. After all this, it kept repeating one word over and over again."Yuna...Yuna...Yuna....Yuna....No...Yuna"Snort,snort.This Yuna, it seemed was important to the animal and head hung low, a whimpering voice, he trod into the forest whispering."Yuna..Yuna...Yuna.."

The journey of sadness continued for the bear but wait! His eyes widened upon seeing signs, some broken twigs, footprints and a area where the soil was disturbed."Yuna? Yuna! Yuna! You're safe!" Suddenly excited and full of motivation, the gentle giant went into a frenzy dashing ahead in great bounds as much as it paws would allow, following the trail that someone had left under the false misconception that this would lead him to his beloved Yuna. The brief period of excitement was quickly replaced by one of concern seeing that indeed, this pathway had not led him to his true goal as he had so firmly believed. Instead, he zoned in on a creature, two legs, two arms, swinging in a strange sideways motion as it navigated the obstacles of the forest. The shinobi would have no idea of the large mammal approaching him from behind until it was almost upon him, the soft padded paws of the bear allowing it to move quietly. The thing was curious, whatever this...this...foreign visitor was, it didn't have four legs like he did and he was so tiny and small like a twig. Twig! That's what he was, a twig! Happily nodding to himself, the brown bear strode up to the shinobi in full view of the human and circled him happily humming a tune."Yuna, Yuna, shaped like a tuna. Yuna, Yuna, pretty like a diva. Yuna, Yuna, gentle like Mama. Yuna...Yuna.." He ended the song, his voice breaking off sadly the memory of the cavern collaspe coming back to him. First thing was first however, he should try to see if this creature knew anything about where his precious friend had gone. He had to know something, right?

The male animal laid down in front of Kenroujima, a happy look in his eyes as he looked up at the person playing every part the child."You Twig-man, you see Yuna? I look for Yuna, no find Yuna. Yuna very precious to me. My home go boom and crash and Yona lost now."He had a pleading tone as he begged the twig creature for assistance. The bear despite it's age and strength had a childlike behavior and it could piece together a few sentences but it wasn't the best at communicating. Worried that maybe Kenroujima had not understood, he lifted a paw pointing in the general direction from where he had come."Me travel far to find Yuna. Me no find Yuna. Me find you, twig-man. Me need twig-man help to find Yuna." He then buried it's face in the ground and a series of sobbing noises could be heard coming from the great hulking mass. It would up to the Kyoujouran to make his choice and his verdict would determine this "Yuna" ever had a chance at seeing her bear friend again.

 

[Kenroujima]

With arms raised up relaxing behind his head Kenroujima stood still within the forest, gazing up to the canopy above and sniffing the air. His eyes only shut for but a brief moment before the creature was upon him and as he opened his eyes to bare witness to the brown bear. A sly, toothy grin crept upon his features thinking it was finally time for some action. 'Bear must be hungry. Lets see who eats who first.' the Kyoujouran thought in his mind, fearless yet unmoving. His arms lowered down to his sides and he simply watched the bear circle him before it.. Spoke?! Of all the things Kenroujima had to run into within the forest it just had to be a walking, talking bear 'Good grief..'. The singing had thrown Ken for a bit of a loop and it was quite obvious based off his facial features that he was a bit confused about what the bear was even singing about, "A pretty.. Tuna? So you /are/ hungry?" he said aloud.

Witnessing the bear laying down infront of him and being quite evident not there for a fight but for information the Kyoujouran groaned and with a quick motion sat back on his rump and crossed his legs, propping his head up on his hand as he leaned against his leg "I ain't a 'twig-man' pudgy. The name's Ken." he began in a flat tone. The bear spoke heavily of a precious 'yuna' that it was looking for and something of its home crashing down supposedly around it. "Yuna.. Yuna.." he repeated aloud for himself as if trying to recall any memories that he might have of this 'Yuna'. Though, he would remember nothing and seemingly forgot about his little temper tantrum in the caves. Kenroujima continued to stare the bear down but soon fell back on his back as the bear pointed back towards the cave forest entrance. The Kyoujouran blinked a few times until it finally clicked, 'Shit! I'm an idiot!' he thought briefly, shaking his head and sitting back up on his rump. He brought his right hand up to scratch at the back of his head 'Gotta play it cool..' and with a pitiful attempt at a smile he spoke out "Back there huh? Uh, no idea. Nope. Never been that way. Got the wrong Hunter pal." a clear lie to any perceptive enough to pick up on signals. He rose quickly to his feet and feigned a few stretches of his arms and legs "Anyway, I'm wandering around here looking for a tough monster to hunt. I'll help you look for this 'Yuna' if you want, but I'm not so sure how we're going to find a.. Pretty thing shaped like a tuna.". There were still plenty of questions the Kyoujouran wanted to ask about this 'Yuna' but the pressure of being the one to blame for its disappearance weighed in the tiniest bit on his conscious and it didn't help that he lied while full on knowing how bad he is at lying.

[WC: 516]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Ken, he said his name was. The animal eyed him nodding to itself before getting itself up on all fours to stare down at the tiny twig-human, or as he said...Ken."Ken....Ken is friend....Ken is friend!
Ken help to find Yuna!"The bear spoke excitedly disregarding the fact of who would would be foolish enough to try to venture into a bear's residence and leave it all smashed to bits. Speaking of fish, the furry mammal was indeed craving for some meat and he knew exactly where to get some. However, the nearest watering hole was quite a distance and in order to have a sliver of chance of finding this precious thing that he had nicknamed Yuna, they would have to backtrack to the ruined cavern entrance."Lots of danger in forest, Ken must be careful."The gentle giant said despite his childish speech, it had a sense of seriousness to it and he shuddered. Apparently,, he knew something the shinobi didn't but that was all he would say on that matter. Motioning for the "twig-man" to follow him, the behemoth began trotting through the woods sniffing the air every now and then to see if he could catch the scent of any potential prey nearby.

If the Kyojouran had stuck close to the animal, he would notice something the bear would not. There would appear from time to time, flickers of movements in the trees almost as if they were being stalked. As they would near the ruined site of the cave, one only had to take a look at the ground to know something horrible had occured here. The beast stopped, it's face taking on one of concern. Blood littered the grassy surface and the scent of death lingered in the calm breeze."Something...bad happened.
Someone very hurt. We must help."The animal paced the scene of the crime sniffing the air every now and then to see he can catch a scent. It was then the duo would realize, they had made a grave mistake by taking this path. There was a long, piercing howl that resounded through the mountainside, it was as if it was warning someone to stay away. The howl repeated again, this time, it was closer and mkre threatning. The bear instead of taking on his childlike persona as usual, his animal instincts kicked in. Eyes flashing with a steely look, he let loose a roar that would travel for miles to come and then.....silence.

He turned to look at Ken and when he spoke, he had none of that babyish tone anymore, instead he was quite serious as if he knew what was coming."Me,You....Run....Now!"With that, the thing pounced off it's hind legs crashing through the twigs and branches. It was as if hell was descending upon the earth. The flickers of movements the shinobi saw earlier in the trees became visible again and he would able to make out more details. They were not human, in fact they were beasts. All of them had the makings of a furry, grey-maned wolf. In total, they numbered 6 and their fangs were bared, their yellow eyes gave off a sort of cunning. It was true, the duo had been stalked from the very beginning and now they had become the prey. One of the wolves opened it's jaws showing a full set of fangs and out came that ear--shattering how as the pack began to close in on the bear and his human companion, the eldest of the canine beasts locked onto the bear and spoke a command."Kill."With that, it pounced upon the furry giant ckaws flashing. Meanwhile, not too far away, Yuna sat safely in the hands of a much greater threat. What would Ken do?
[OOC: You may attempt to escape the wolf pack]
[OOC: You may try to rescue the bear]

 

[Kenroujima]

Upon being called friend by the burly bear in front of him his brow visibly twitched and his mouth was left agape. The word itself was something he was taught to never use for it was a weakness found in humanity and those who let emotions guide them. Ken shook his head briefly and chuckled under his breathe, rising to his feet and patting away the dirt from his pants "Yah, I'll help you find Yuna." he announced in confirmation, steering the conversation away from the friend subject. With his nose in the air sniffing the Kyoujouran followed his now bear companion wherever it was planning on leading him. The bear had announced to Ken about the 'danger' within the forest and to be careful "I've hunted monsters the size of mountains." he humbly bragged "Its the danger in the forest that should be careful about me." he said with a grin as he kept his equally serious composure. The Kyoujouran was no stranger to danger, with his harsh upbringing and all the trials he had faced up until this point he was confident with taking out anything of threat that would stand on his path for his hunt of the coveted 'Yuna'.

Ken watched as the bear sniffed the air now and then aswell, and the Kyoujouran nodded 'Good hunter's instincts' he thought to himself with glee. This act had only heightened his own hunter's instincts; competition drove him forward. From his peripherals he had caught movement now and then from their flanks a clear indication that they were not alone. Though Ken remained quiet and tapped into the attunement he had with the earth and sensed very minute tremors to confirm his suspicions 'Looks like we're the ones being hunted, huh?' he thought to himself and his eyes widened ever so slightly, his heart rate had increased not from fear but from the adrenaline now coursing through his being. Both Ken and the bear had noticed blood littering the grass before them and upon the bear announcing that they must help the Kyoujouran barked back "No! We don't have to help everyone, we have to find your 'Yuna' you oaf..". His speech would be drowned out by the sudden piercing howl of those that had been stalking them. Glancing over his shoulder briefly towards where he believed the noise was approaching from the bear had let loose its own equally savage roar.

Ken opened his mouth during the silence to speak but he was cut off by the bear who urged them to run. His brow furrowed with annoyance at such a cowardly statement from such a large beast. He let out a quiet breathe and regained his composure, walking slowly behind as the beastly bear rushed forward with devastating force, breaking everything in its path. Ken looked around and finally was able to lay eyes on the hunters that had been stalking them, pack hunters; wolves. They bared their fangs at their prey and showed confidence with their numbered advantage. Ken stood still and his skin turned from its flesh color to its proud Kyoujouran steel. A wicked grin crept upon Ken's features as his hunter's soul blazed within his depths. As one of the elder canines prowled around the bear and gave out a command, rushing forward and pouncing upon the bear he had chosen to help there was only one thing to do, hunt the hunters. Ken curled his hands into fists and entered his fighting stance, grinning ear to ear the Kyoujouran tapped into the ferocity of a monster hunter and unleashed his Devestating Aura.

"Your hunt ends here, mutts." he proclaimed boldly and with purpose to all before him. A single step forward shook the earth violently as if a giant had just stepped foot on it. This would not be the end of his approach however, his foot dug into the ground below and almost as if his step alone had moved the earth back and causing him to leap forward with great speed, his right arm poised at his side as he closed in on what he believed to be the alpha of the pack "RAAAAAAHHHH!!". Finally, without breaking his momentum he let loose his bloodlines most treasured technique; the Shattering Stone Strike.​

[OOC: Rescuing the bear]
WC: 713

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The wolf pack alarmed at this sudden exclamation of confidence instead turned their attention to the human creature. Apparently, he had drawn their interest and Ken was playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with them. All that was about to change however as the shinobi tapped into his powers unleashing a devestating aura of destruction. The pack leader, the eldest of the canines was flung backwards into a tree trunk and lay there sprawled, unconcious to say the least. Growling, the rest of the pack circled Kenroujima a bit shaken by the blow to their numbers eyeing the shinobi with utmost caution. However, in all the chaos, it seemed the group of carnivores had forgotten about the threat to their rear. The great brown bear that now loomed over them, a wide grin on it's face spreading from ear to ear."Ken not only helpful. Ken very strong also!"He replied raising a paw which had claws protruding from it and swatted at the nearest wolf leaving a deep slash on it's face. Howling and whimpering in pain, the thing backed up and with a second's hesitation, turned tail and ran, the rest of the hunter wolves followed suit not too keen to be the next victim of this bear and shinboi duo. It would seem they had a easy victory with this brief skirmish but all was not as it seemed. There was a crunching of twigs and a quick flash of movement behind them. As soon as they would turn to see what it was, there would be nothing, only a piece of paper pinned to a tree with a kunai and on it was a most cryptic message in the form of a riddle.

Paper:

Spoiler

You have passed the first test. I am close but I am far. That which you seek is within my grasp. Complete these trials and your goal shall be soon achieved. Your next trial lies close by. I provide you with these clues to find the next location should you choose to take up my offer.With clothes of green and bark of a dog, search me for the goods, I sleep like a log.You have until the sun sets to find that which I have described. Fail this and you shall not feast your eyes on that which you seek. Your time begins from the moment you reach the end of this note.

It was a interesting cryptic note and the complicated words were too much to process for the bear creature but the last few words, he understood. He began pawing at the ground in a gesture to get Ken to take action."Hurry!Hurry!Sunset not far from now! We hurry or Yuna lost forever, friend!"The friendly creature began to trot forward in a direction but then stopped unsure of which direction tot ake. The note had not specifed a direction, only that to find the next place, they had to decode the riddle and they were on a time limit. Frowning, on the giant glanced at the Cloud-nin curiously seeking some form of guidance."Me no good with riddles. Me thinks two heads better than one!Together,we find Yuna!"He had a positive outlook on the current situation but one could only imagine what the next step of this journey had in store for them. From a undisclosed location, four sets of eyes watched and waited, observing the actions of the duo.

 

[Kenroujima]

After all was said and done Kenroujima let out a quiet sigh and slouched aslight as the pack of wolves ran off with their tails between their legs "Pathetic.." he'd mutter under breathe. Thinking whatever it was that they had been caught up in was done Ken approached the bear only to catch a glimpse of a shadow run off and leave a note. The bear seemed to move with urgency and cautioned Ken to move quickly as sunset was soon approaching "Woah, woah. Calm down.." he said flatly as he reached for the note and briefly glazed over its contents with his eyes. "Damn, a riddle? You serious?" he said aloud seemingly to catch the attention of whatever it was that was testing them "I ain't no good with these riddle things either.. Uh.." he paused for a moment and looked around before shaking his head and stuffing the note into his clothes. Looking over to the bear he admitted "Honestly, I'm not too sure. I'm new to this forest. Maybe you'd know? Gotta look for something of green, a.. Bark of a dog? Maybe a tree? Says something about sleeping like a log too, so maybe there is a den of wolves nearby? Or is it referring to your old cave?" he said aloud hoping to get closer to the next clue with the help of the bear.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The duo trooped seemingly clueless as they wandered about the terrain. Someone was playing games with them and seemed to be enjoying it. The great giant tilted his head scanning for something...a ything that would provide a clue to their current predicament. Suddenly, his eyes lit up like a beacon and he began pacing exictedly."Me knows!Me knows! Big, huge tree not far! Very old! Ken follow!"With that, the bear took off crunching twigs and branches making a whole lot of odd noises that could easily be heard for miles. Soon, the pair would come to feast their eyes on a enormous mossy tree covered in thick vines and moss all over. Another piece of parchment pinned to the tree by a kunai fluttered at the very top. Who was leaving these mysterious notes and why? For now, they had much bigger concerns trying to plot how to get to the top of this thing. The furry creature tried scaling the tree trunk but due to sheer size and weight, simply slid down, letting loose a growl in frustration."Ken much smaller. More nimble. Me thinks Ken able to climb tree."Getting to the top however would be a challenge, not only was there vines here and there with moss adorned on the oaken surfaces. The parchment sat near a beehive and they were buzzing about. If it was but a little closer, perhaps Kenroujima's furry friend could have distracted them with a bear's natural love for honey but this was one trial he would have to endure alone unless he could find a alternate method.

As if to make matters worse, the breeze began to pick up and the wind really began picking up speed. If the shinobi was not careful, the gust could very well knock him off while he was scaling the tree. The sun began to dip below the surface and soon, the critters of the night began to appear. If they did not hasten, visibilty would soon be lost and that would make the already treachorous task even deadlier. If Ken focused enough, he would briefly sense a large chakra nearby but it would fade as soon as it came. It was almost as if they were being watched every step of the way. Even his normally talkative newly-made bear friend had fell silent as the night sky creeped upon them. There was something about the dark that offered a threat. The occasional chirping of the bird was replaced by the sound of crickets and every now and then, a howl would break the silence. Other than that, a eerie period of silence set in with the enormous obstacle looming over them, it's vines dangling loosely swaying from side to side as the breeze pushed it."Dark not good time. Ken must complete task quick. Big monster come at night. Me heard stories. Not good to be lurking in night."The bear flinched a little as the sound of a snake slithering through a bush surprised him a little. Shaking his head in apparent discomfort, the gentle giant began casting looks around him as if expecting...something. Clearly, he was afraid of something and what that something was, he was not planning on finding out. He would let Ken dictate their fate. Would the bear-human duo fall victim to the lurkers of the night or risk it all for the sake of a single piece of parchment?

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

DUE TO INACTIVITY IN THIS THREAD, THIS SEARCH IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE A FAILED CONTRACT SEARCH<i></i>