The sun shone down upon her back, an unpleasant reminder of the hours she had already spent scampering up and down the cliffs outside the village in search of her quarry. The padded pouch around her waist was about half empty, testimony to her success...or lack thereof. Naomi had originally thought that going at night would be the easiest way to get the eggs without incident, but unfortunately, she could not have been more wrong. Not only was she unfamiliar with the terrain around Iwagakure, having just moved not long before, but also those white-breasted hawk parents were seriously vicious when disturbed. It took her quite a lot of time stumbling around in the dark just to locate a nest, and when she did, the girl found herself face to face with one, if not two, very angry adult birds with sharp beaks and razor talons. Not to say she had not managed to get a few eggs, but now that she was several hours in, two dozen was still a long ways away. Especially with the one egg per nest restriction.
Grumbling to herself, Naomi took a deep breath as she focused a bit more chakra to her legs for a long jump, crossing a short gap of empty space with a dizzying long drop awaiting her if she had missed. Now that the sun was high up in the sky, most of the adult hawks were out drifting on the air currents in search of prey. The last two nests she had managed to find had been left mostly unguarded, though quite well hidden; it merely took a bit of distraction to divert the attention of the adult circling overhead, and then a speedy snatch and away to finish the job. Although she had mixed feelings about cradle robbing, Naomi put such thoughts out of her mind. It was sad, certainly, but a girl needed to eat. Her mother didn't believe in those allowances that her classmates at the academy used to talk about, so Naomi was on her own when it came to spending money. At least now that she had graduated, the missions she could take were a lot more meaningful.
The piercing cry of a hawk came from above. Shielding her eyes, Naomi quickly looked up for the source, her eyes spotting the large dark figure descending towards a ledge on the cliffs just twenty feet above her. Waiting patiently, she watched as the adult bird lingered for a few moments, settling in to nearly vanish from sight against the cliff as its coloring let it blend in with the surrounding stone. By this point, however, Naomi was getting used to picking out likely nesting areas from the nondescript rock face of the cliffs. She could even see the hawk sitting quietly, moving its head every so often as it surveyed the valley from its vantage point. Her lips tugged up in a mirthless smile, hands forming some simple seals. A finger pointed at the empty space several feet to the left of the bird, the name of her technique a whisper in her mind. 'Stormbolt.'
A bolt of lightning flashed from her fingertips, striking the cliff with a loud crack. Startled, the hawk let out a loud squawk, awkwardly taking to the air. Not letting the opportunity slip by, Naomi closed in quickly, navigating her way up the cliff with the ease of practice; after a year at the academy, climbing up and down vertical faces was nothing new. Her gaze found the nest at once, and with a deft motion, she scooped up an egg and added it to her pouch, carefully slipping it into the padded slot she had prepared. Without waiting for the parent to return for comment, the girl jumped lightly off the ledge, landing nimbly on a rocky outcropping ten feet below. A quick glance at her pouch elicited a soft sigh, a hint of her fatigue showing through. 'Nine more to go...'
It was dusk by the time she finished, her muscles sore all over from climbing. The grocery store had long since closed for the day, so the girl left her cargo just inside the delivery window; a little matter of locks was of no concern to her. Surprisingly, her mood was light as she headed home humming softly to herself, her animosity and frustration left with the note she had scrawled beside the delivery.
"NEVER AGAIN, BABY KILLER."