It had been a long and tiresome trek here. But the change in the environment was obvious. Greener, not the dry heat. It felt nicer here, more alive and green. Unlike the desert she just came from. Hachi was tired; she had camped at least twice, and she felt the ache in her body. She wasn't used to long journeys like this. Not on foot anyway.
Hachi was walking up a hill, and once she got to the top, she saw the canopy of green, and in the far distance, Konoha. "Whoa," Hachi mumbled before she saw a butterfly fluttering down the path. Her eyes lit up. "Whoa, wait up, little buddy!" She called out as she gave chase to the butterfly. It had blue wings; she hadn't seen a butterfly like that before. She had a smile plastered on her lips, and her ears perked up.
She felt a wave of energy, maybe a second wind. She was practically buzzing with excitement as she made her way towards the village that was far off.
The chase didn't last long, but it didn't need to. Her quick, unthinking steps—the kind that usually let her slip through the narrow market alleys back in Kurosawa—easily carried her over the uneven terrain. Her plush, chestnut-brown tail swayed behind her, acting as a natural counterbalance as she scrambled over a mossy log.
Beneath her skin, a familiar, comforting hum vibrated. Her Kikai were restless, sensing the sheer density of life in this new country. The dry, suffocating air of the desert had made them sluggish, but the humid, rich scent of the Fire Country's forests was like a feast waiting to happen.
She finally caught up to the blue-winged insect as it settled on the broad leaf of a fern. Hachi slowed, her silver eyes locking onto the creature with sudden, startling intensity. All her previous exhaustion vanished, replaced by the quiet brilliance she only ever showed around her beloved bugs. She crept closer, her tanuki ears tilting forward to catch the faintest sound of its wings rustling.
"Iridescent scales... likely a local subspecies," she whispered to herself, her hands moving with practiced gentleness as she leaned in, careful not to cast a shadow over it. She reached toward her waist, reflexively brushing against her coin purse to ensure it was still tied tightly. A new village meant new people. New people meant new mercenary jobs. And new jobs meant more shiny coins to collect.
But for now, the money could wait. She let the butterfly take flight again, her silver eyes tracking it as it fluttered toward the towering gates of Konoha in the distance. Adjusting the straps of her gear, Hachi let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Alright," she murmured, her ears giving a casual flick as she resumed her trek. "Let's see what else is hiding in these woods."
[run time: 1 hour]
Hachi was walking up a hill, and once she got to the top, she saw the canopy of green, and in the far distance, Konoha. "Whoa," Hachi mumbled before she saw a butterfly fluttering down the path. Her eyes lit up. "Whoa, wait up, little buddy!" She called out as she gave chase to the butterfly. It had blue wings; she hadn't seen a butterfly like that before. She had a smile plastered on her lips, and her ears perked up.
She felt a wave of energy, maybe a second wind. She was practically buzzing with excitement as she made her way towards the village that was far off.
The chase didn't last long, but it didn't need to. Her quick, unthinking steps—the kind that usually let her slip through the narrow market alleys back in Kurosawa—easily carried her over the uneven terrain. Her plush, chestnut-brown tail swayed behind her, acting as a natural counterbalance as she scrambled over a mossy log.
Beneath her skin, a familiar, comforting hum vibrated. Her Kikai were restless, sensing the sheer density of life in this new country. The dry, suffocating air of the desert had made them sluggish, but the humid, rich scent of the Fire Country's forests was like a feast waiting to happen.
She finally caught up to the blue-winged insect as it settled on the broad leaf of a fern. Hachi slowed, her silver eyes locking onto the creature with sudden, startling intensity. All her previous exhaustion vanished, replaced by the quiet brilliance she only ever showed around her beloved bugs. She crept closer, her tanuki ears tilting forward to catch the faintest sound of its wings rustling.
"Iridescent scales... likely a local subspecies," she whispered to herself, her hands moving with practiced gentleness as she leaned in, careful not to cast a shadow over it. She reached toward her waist, reflexively brushing against her coin purse to ensure it was still tied tightly. A new village meant new people. New people meant new mercenary jobs. And new jobs meant more shiny coins to collect.
But for now, the money could wait. She let the butterfly take flight again, her silver eyes tracking it as it fluttered toward the towering gates of Konoha in the distance. Adjusting the straps of her gear, Hachi let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Alright," she murmured, her ears giving a casual flick as she resumed her trek. "Let's see what else is hiding in these woods."
[run time: 1 hour]