Naoki loved the forest; it reminded him of home nearly as much as the mountains of his birth. There were few things quite as pleasant as the fresh scent of pine, or the whistling of the wind through the leaves. That's not to say he hated the city, there were many, many wonderful things about Kumogakure, but at times the crowded streets felt like they were suffocating him, especially in the slums where his new home was to be found. These chances to escape were something he cherished, even if it was a rare treat in his busy schedule. Of course, enjoy it as he might, he still had a job to do.
The forest itself was littered with trails, many that Naoki wished to explore and many more that he didn't even know about. This time he kept to a familiar trail. He only had to follow It a short while until he was in a clearing that was popular with loggers. There weren't any here today to disturb him, as Naoki had already anticipated. What was great about this place was the abundance of readily available scrap. They were the branches and twigs that had been scraped off of the trunks of much bigger trees. The loggers didn't want them, but they were exactly the sort of thing the he was after.
The whole job could have easily been done in less than an hour, there was certainly an abundance of wood to be found, but he wasn't expected back for at least three. This meant that he had plenty of time for breaks. To start things off though he made his way around the edge of the clearing gathering up sticks until he had an armful to lash together with a bit of twine. Not just any ol' branch would do. It was important that it wasn't already rotting, after all it'd be no good to burn if it was falling apart in the hand. It never hurt either to have a few pine needles for that extra fresh scent. He also needed a variety of sizes, from sturdy sticks to twigs. After that first bundle it was time for a bit of baseball, which in this case meant tossing a pine cone into the air and whacking it with a tree branch.
"And the crowd goes wild!" He yelled out every time the pine cone went flying off into the woods. He even ran bases, which for him was just running around the clearing.
By the time he'd gotten his second bundle all tied up, he was onto sword fighting with some trees. Slash. Stab. Parry. Thrust. He practiced the moves, hacking off the limbs of trees like the limbs of opponents, although thankfully this method was far less bloody. He'd produced more than a few broken sticks with his training, but these he could just throw into a pile to be added to the next bundle.
It was just starting to get dark when Naoki finally strapped the last of the bundles to his back. He had five in all, one of which he had to carry under his arm. By now he was thoroughly drenched in sweat, which only made the chill of the evening air feel all the sweeter. The trip home didn't take long at all and he was back just before the street lights were starting to be lit.
"I'm back!" He called out as he stepped through the door. Followed by, "I got a good haul!" while he set the bundles down against the wall. His foster mother was the first to meet him, looking non-to-happy.
"You missed dinner." She began with. "I bet you got lost again. You're always getting lost in those woods. I don't know how, you've been there enough times!" It was a motherly tone of voice she used to scold the young boy. He knew he was in trouble, but at the same time he was sure there'd be some food waiting for him.
"I know," he replied sheepishly. "I'll be more careful next time." Which wasn't at all true. It'd be the same as always, he'd goof off, lose track of time, and be late home. At least he always brought back a good haul, enough for the family to earn a little extra Yen for the week.
His foster-mother sighed and with a shake of her head she told him, "Go and wash up. I might have some leftovers for you to take up stairs."
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[WC 752]
The forest itself was littered with trails, many that Naoki wished to explore and many more that he didn't even know about. This time he kept to a familiar trail. He only had to follow It a short while until he was in a clearing that was popular with loggers. There weren't any here today to disturb him, as Naoki had already anticipated. What was great about this place was the abundance of readily available scrap. They were the branches and twigs that had been scraped off of the trunks of much bigger trees. The loggers didn't want them, but they were exactly the sort of thing the he was after.
The whole job could have easily been done in less than an hour, there was certainly an abundance of wood to be found, but he wasn't expected back for at least three. This meant that he had plenty of time for breaks. To start things off though he made his way around the edge of the clearing gathering up sticks until he had an armful to lash together with a bit of twine. Not just any ol' branch would do. It was important that it wasn't already rotting, after all it'd be no good to burn if it was falling apart in the hand. It never hurt either to have a few pine needles for that extra fresh scent. He also needed a variety of sizes, from sturdy sticks to twigs. After that first bundle it was time for a bit of baseball, which in this case meant tossing a pine cone into the air and whacking it with a tree branch.
"And the crowd goes wild!" He yelled out every time the pine cone went flying off into the woods. He even ran bases, which for him was just running around the clearing.
By the time he'd gotten his second bundle all tied up, he was onto sword fighting with some trees. Slash. Stab. Parry. Thrust. He practiced the moves, hacking off the limbs of trees like the limbs of opponents, although thankfully this method was far less bloody. He'd produced more than a few broken sticks with his training, but these he could just throw into a pile to be added to the next bundle.
It was just starting to get dark when Naoki finally strapped the last of the bundles to his back. He had five in all, one of which he had to carry under his arm. By now he was thoroughly drenched in sweat, which only made the chill of the evening air feel all the sweeter. The trip home didn't take long at all and he was back just before the street lights were starting to be lit.
"I'm back!" He called out as he stepped through the door. Followed by, "I got a good haul!" while he set the bundles down against the wall. His foster mother was the first to meet him, looking non-to-happy.
"You missed dinner." She began with. "I bet you got lost again. You're always getting lost in those woods. I don't know how, you've been there enough times!" It was a motherly tone of voice she used to scold the young boy. He knew he was in trouble, but at the same time he was sure there'd be some food waiting for him.
"I know," he replied sheepishly. "I'll be more careful next time." Which wasn't at all true. It'd be the same as always, he'd goof off, lose track of time, and be late home. At least he always brought back a good haul, enough for the family to earn a little extra Yen for the week.
His foster-mother sighed and with a shake of her head she told him, "Go and wash up. I might have some leftovers for you to take up stairs."
[Topic Entered and Left]
[WC 752]