A thick plume of steamy breath slowly rose skyward as Kaen exhaled. The cool, crisp night air was refreshing and comforting, as one might expect after a long and arduous day filled with scorching rays of sunshine. Stars twinkled with bedazzling light across the periwinkle easel that served as Wind Country's night sky. This was the time most looked forward to, finding that reprieve from the overwhelming heat, and not forced into covering most of their body in some attempt to shield themselves. But people were not the only thing roaming in the noir-esk darkness. In fact the night primarily belonged to the beasts of the land as it was the most opportune time to hunt under cover of darkness and safety from the sun.
Kaen was on his way back from Soon's Haven after attending to some private business, making various arrangements for the future and betterment of not only himself but the village as a whole. As he traveled down the path towards Sunagakure, lost in deep thought, a sudden and quick blur of movement caught his attention. The tip of a white tail whipping over a nearby dune was all the proof he had that something was actually there. With a raised eyebrow he thought to himself how there shouldn't be any white-tailed animals in this region, his eyes must be deceiving him. Curiosity got the better of him and Kaen veered off the beaten trail towards the dune.
As he crested the sand dune he gazed across the horizon of the shadowy ocean before him. An ocean comprised not of water, but golden grains of sand. Suddenly his eyes locked with the creature in question, a small fox. His eyes did deceive him, it would appear, as only the very tip of his tail was white and the rest a traditional copper-red. Tentatively inching forward to get a better view of the inquisitive creature the fox's ears would perk up and turn towards Kaen, his head quickly following suit. As if frozen in time the pair, Hybrid, and beast, they would stare at each other for a moment that seemed to last for minutes. He could see the tiny fox looking him over, sizing him up with his golden-hued eyes. Its coat of fur was beyond beautiful as it glistened in the moonbeams shining down from the heavens.
Upon closer examination, Kaen's veteran eyes trained in the anbu arts easily spotted a portion of his fur just above the right shoulder. It appeared to be wet as the moonlight shimmered in a different fashion on this particular section. Perhaps it had found itself battling for territory or combating a coyote for a meal. In this brief moment, Kaen was able to access the creature more thoroughly and another unique feature grabbed hold of his attention. An odd marking just below the left eye could be clearly seen, and most definitely was not a natural mark or damage sustained through a fight. It was then that Kaen began to suspect that this was one of those ninja foxes he had heard rumors of. Such things were not unheard of in the shinobi world, but to see one was a rarity. Naturally, the Sunan red-head grew more curious.
Just as soon as he made a step towards the creature it would dart away. The fox wasn't sure after recent events that he could entirely trust the race of humans again. Every so often, along the way, the fox would check over his shoulder to be sure it wasn't being followed. With no sight of the humanoid, Kaen, following him he continued his journey onward into the night.
In time, while tracking the vulpine creature, Kaen would find his way towards a cave. As he went further down into the recesses of the cave system the scene around him would slowly change. A lack of inky darkness would fade away as it was replaced by the glow of florescent, glowing moss that grew on the walls inside. As the path grew thicker with moss so too did the various colors the moss would give up. Some vibrant greens, others as blue as a clear sky, even some fiery orange hues could be spotted here. Tiny paw prints had been left, making a path as it traveled further into the cave, tiny puddles already had filled the indentations left by the fox as the moisture was quite prominent inside here. Still Kaen delved further downwards in search of the fox.
Eventually Kaen would discover an underground reservoir, one that had various, strange symbols all around, totems erected in the shape of foxes were also erected in various places. It seemed reminiscent of a shrine. But this was not the most surprising part, no. In fact the fox had grown into many foxes, or at least that was the illusion it was trying to portray. But Kaen easily noticed that these wern't many foxes, but instead only one. The marking he had seen earlier was present on each and every one of them, it was obviously clones. "Clones are a neat trick for a fox, quite ingenious really." A few of the foxes raised their heads in response to Kaen's sudden announcement. A few more got on all fours. A voice filled the cave, echoing off of the cold, wet walls around them. "Alright... You seem different than the other common humans. How about a little game, a test of sorts." A coy and playful tone resounded throughout the fox's words. Kaen would only smile at first, happy that he was right about the nature of the fox. "I accept your challenge, let us play your game."
Upon agreeing to the tests one of the foxes would rise and approach Kaen before speaking. "Very well... Behind you on the ground you will find a drawing. On this drawing is a bottle on one side and a painting on the other. How do you make the painting disappear? You mustn't use an eraser or tear the drawing in any way, however." Kaen was never one for riddles, he found them silly and pointless. But that was probably just because he found them tedious and not as fun as others usually made them out to be. But he didn't go this far for nothing, he would play the fox's game all the same. And so after a moment of contemplation he would show the fox the solution. "Easy enough." Kaen would take the painting half of the drawing and fold that half into quarters, leaving only the portion of the bottle visible. "Voila!" The fox would stare for a moment and give a slightly audible 'Hmm' before nodding. "Very well, you may move on to the second."
At once the fox would leave Kaen and would be replaced by another fox. It wasted no time with the second test. "A couple went out to a restaurant. They had eaten the same meal, ordered the same type of iced drink and breathed in the same air, but the man died. But unlike the man, the woman was incredibly thirsty and had drank three whole glasses before the man even finished his single glass. Why didn't the woman also die?" Had it not been for his involvement with the Anbu he might never had been able to answer this question. But he was well versed in the art of deception, illusion but most of all forensics. Kaen would smile as he realized the answer and boldly proclaimed it. "That would be because the ice was poisoned, rather than the food & drink itself. The man took too long and the ice melted thus releasing the poison, while the woman finished hers before the ice could melt." These riddles were getting very convoluted now.
Having passed the second test all the foxes gathered together in front of Kaen. "Very well human. You've passed the previous trials, but can you figure this one out?" One of the foxes had spoken at first, but not another would continue the question. "Can you figure out which of us is the real one?" For most this would have been near impossible having not seen the jutsu actually being used. There were too many to tell for sure just be sight alone. But Kaen was clever enough and nodded without question. "Indeed. None of you are the real one. The real one is..." Kaen would then jump up onto a nearby shelf of rock that led to another level up above. "Right here!" A surprised expression washed over the face of the fox, they thought themselves overly clever and quite the trickster. But he didn't expect Kaen Shinku to be the one doing the answering, he had lost from the start.
The fox would chuckle lightly having just been defeated. "Well done, I'm quite impressed. You have passed all my challenges and so I must reward your intellect." With that it would turn and walk straight into the wall behind it. But instead of making contact with the cold, hard stone, it instead vanished leaving a shimmering ripple upon the wall. It was another illusion, of course. Kaen would enter as well behind the fox. As the pair moved forward a mist would envelope the area making it difficult to see with your eyes. In the distance the sound of moving water echoed off the walls. Still they pushed forward until the mist began to recede away and then...
[OOC using Contract of Choice ASP card to ensure I get Fox]
Kaen was on his way back from Soon's Haven after attending to some private business, making various arrangements for the future and betterment of not only himself but the village as a whole. As he traveled down the path towards Sunagakure, lost in deep thought, a sudden and quick blur of movement caught his attention. The tip of a white tail whipping over a nearby dune was all the proof he had that something was actually there. With a raised eyebrow he thought to himself how there shouldn't be any white-tailed animals in this region, his eyes must be deceiving him. Curiosity got the better of him and Kaen veered off the beaten trail towards the dune.
As he crested the sand dune he gazed across the horizon of the shadowy ocean before him. An ocean comprised not of water, but golden grains of sand. Suddenly his eyes locked with the creature in question, a small fox. His eyes did deceive him, it would appear, as only the very tip of his tail was white and the rest a traditional copper-red. Tentatively inching forward to get a better view of the inquisitive creature the fox's ears would perk up and turn towards Kaen, his head quickly following suit. As if frozen in time the pair, Hybrid, and beast, they would stare at each other for a moment that seemed to last for minutes. He could see the tiny fox looking him over, sizing him up with his golden-hued eyes. Its coat of fur was beyond beautiful as it glistened in the moonbeams shining down from the heavens.
Upon closer examination, Kaen's veteran eyes trained in the anbu arts easily spotted a portion of his fur just above the right shoulder. It appeared to be wet as the moonlight shimmered in a different fashion on this particular section. Perhaps it had found itself battling for territory or combating a coyote for a meal. In this brief moment, Kaen was able to access the creature more thoroughly and another unique feature grabbed hold of his attention. An odd marking just below the left eye could be clearly seen, and most definitely was not a natural mark or damage sustained through a fight. It was then that Kaen began to suspect that this was one of those ninja foxes he had heard rumors of. Such things were not unheard of in the shinobi world, but to see one was a rarity. Naturally, the Sunan red-head grew more curious.
Just as soon as he made a step towards the creature it would dart away. The fox wasn't sure after recent events that he could entirely trust the race of humans again. Every so often, along the way, the fox would check over his shoulder to be sure it wasn't being followed. With no sight of the humanoid, Kaen, following him he continued his journey onward into the night.
In time, while tracking the vulpine creature, Kaen would find his way towards a cave. As he went further down into the recesses of the cave system the scene around him would slowly change. A lack of inky darkness would fade away as it was replaced by the glow of florescent, glowing moss that grew on the walls inside. As the path grew thicker with moss so too did the various colors the moss would give up. Some vibrant greens, others as blue as a clear sky, even some fiery orange hues could be spotted here. Tiny paw prints had been left, making a path as it traveled further into the cave, tiny puddles already had filled the indentations left by the fox as the moisture was quite prominent inside here. Still Kaen delved further downwards in search of the fox.
Eventually Kaen would discover an underground reservoir, one that had various, strange symbols all around, totems erected in the shape of foxes were also erected in various places. It seemed reminiscent of a shrine. But this was not the most surprising part, no. In fact the fox had grown into many foxes, or at least that was the illusion it was trying to portray. But Kaen easily noticed that these wern't many foxes, but instead only one. The marking he had seen earlier was present on each and every one of them, it was obviously clones. "Clones are a neat trick for a fox, quite ingenious really." A few of the foxes raised their heads in response to Kaen's sudden announcement. A few more got on all fours. A voice filled the cave, echoing off of the cold, wet walls around them. "Alright... You seem different than the other common humans. How about a little game, a test of sorts." A coy and playful tone resounded throughout the fox's words. Kaen would only smile at first, happy that he was right about the nature of the fox. "I accept your challenge, let us play your game."
Upon agreeing to the tests one of the foxes would rise and approach Kaen before speaking. "Very well... Behind you on the ground you will find a drawing. On this drawing is a bottle on one side and a painting on the other. How do you make the painting disappear? You mustn't use an eraser or tear the drawing in any way, however." Kaen was never one for riddles, he found them silly and pointless. But that was probably just because he found them tedious and not as fun as others usually made them out to be. But he didn't go this far for nothing, he would play the fox's game all the same. And so after a moment of contemplation he would show the fox the solution. "Easy enough." Kaen would take the painting half of the drawing and fold that half into quarters, leaving only the portion of the bottle visible. "Voila!" The fox would stare for a moment and give a slightly audible 'Hmm' before nodding. "Very well, you may move on to the second."
At once the fox would leave Kaen and would be replaced by another fox. It wasted no time with the second test. "A couple went out to a restaurant. They had eaten the same meal, ordered the same type of iced drink and breathed in the same air, but the man died. But unlike the man, the woman was incredibly thirsty and had drank three whole glasses before the man even finished his single glass. Why didn't the woman also die?" Had it not been for his involvement with the Anbu he might never had been able to answer this question. But he was well versed in the art of deception, illusion but most of all forensics. Kaen would smile as he realized the answer and boldly proclaimed it. "That would be because the ice was poisoned, rather than the food & drink itself. The man took too long and the ice melted thus releasing the poison, while the woman finished hers before the ice could melt." These riddles were getting very convoluted now.
Having passed the second test all the foxes gathered together in front of Kaen. "Very well human. You've passed the previous trials, but can you figure this one out?" One of the foxes had spoken at first, but not another would continue the question. "Can you figure out which of us is the real one?" For most this would have been near impossible having not seen the jutsu actually being used. There were too many to tell for sure just be sight alone. But Kaen was clever enough and nodded without question. "Indeed. None of you are the real one. The real one is..." Kaen would then jump up onto a nearby shelf of rock that led to another level up above. "Right here!" A surprised expression washed over the face of the fox, they thought themselves overly clever and quite the trickster. But he didn't expect Kaen Shinku to be the one doing the answering, he had lost from the start.
The fox would chuckle lightly having just been defeated. "Well done, I'm quite impressed. You have passed all my challenges and so I must reward your intellect." With that it would turn and walk straight into the wall behind it. But instead of making contact with the cold, hard stone, it instead vanished leaving a shimmering ripple upon the wall. It was another illusion, of course. Kaen would enter as well behind the fox. As the pair moved forward a mist would envelope the area making it difficult to see with your eyes. In the distance the sound of moving water echoed off the walls. Still they pushed forward until the mist began to recede away and then...
[OOC using Contract of Choice ASP card to ensure I get Fox]
