Wolves in the Snow...

The dwindling light of a twilight sun glistened over the western mountain top as the day grew closer to the night. The air throughout the range had hung heavy and colder than usual, the turning winds cutting through the leaves of grass whistling to the tunes of growing whispers of the nocturnal. Kensei moved effortlessly as he usually did, slowly and sluggishly as he moved about the thickening snow fall, the sounds of his crushing steps beneath him his partner in his travels.

He had set out earlier In the day to meet up with his usual travel companion, Sojiro, who had already taken his own trek to the mountain range. He had looked forward to returning to these mountain ranges after years being removed from them. He had often dreamed and longed for the cold snow fall, and the sounds of the prowling wilderness. Residing within the villages had made him soft, he thought, remembering the struggles he had endured living his nomadic lifestyle of the past, a simple lifestyle of little needs and wants.

The wind had picked up the higher he rose in altitude the sleeves off his long oversized black robe flapped on his sides as he moved, as usual his arms were tucked within the cloak itself. Although he would of preferred to travel lighter he had chosen to wear a heavier insulated cloak this time around that had matched his black cargos and combat boots fully expecting to have to deal with unsavory weather conditions.

As he picked up his speed, he popped out his arms from underneath his cloak revealing a bottle of sake in one hand, and a short cigar like in the other, lightning one and uncorking the other he began a full sprint while enjoying his pre game ritual. Only a few moments later he had caught a glimpse of a figure ahead sitting by a well lit fire. "Sojiro and his insatiable hunger" He called out once he had been at ear shot range. Stepping out of a bush he let out a chuckle as he watched his friend and his pet slobber over the cooking meat.
"I hope you've got enough for the three of us. It'll be a long night."
As he spoke he placed the sake bottle but he camp fire, the cigar still lit in his mouth, he puffed up a few clouds of smoke, releasing one in the direction of the small bunny on Sojiro's shoulder. The contents of the smoke strong enough to knock out joyful any who would inhale, he smirked at the two before plopping down next to them.
"Did you get started already?"

Kensei watched the animal consume his food curiously,suprised the small crater had indulged in the carnivorous antics of the humans around him. He smiled, as he grabbed the drumstick from Sojiro, he had instantly recalled how angry his mother would get then when he handled foods with his hands, and in contrast how he had sent the last few years living, eating like a savage with his bare hands. Taking a large bite from the meat, he came away with a chunk of meat which he scoffed down, the sounds of approval hummed with every bite. The meat was savory, he had wondered from what animal Sojiro had ripped it from. The tender crunchy skin only added to the overall impressive taste of the meal. Quickly finishing his drumstick he washed it down with a long swig of sake, as excess alcohol trickled down for the corner of his mouth. Wiping himself clean, he stood and dusted himself off.
"You've out done yourself here.You ever considered opening up a shop back at the village."
He asked before listening to Sojiro mission assessment, looking towards the northern part of the mountain range where Sojiro had pointed out the tracks led. Nodding to him, he stepped forward joining Sojiro in search for other clues or tracks.

0066ff]]Sojiro couldn't really help himself from giving Kensei a small laugh when he spoke about opening a shop, "No, I haven't really considered opening a place to cook. Was it really that good?" As they moved through the snow, he would shrug a bit, "When I found out you guys use spices and shit in the villages, I have to say I've taken my cooking very seriously." It was true, having spent nearly 12 years in the forest eating things raw or barely cooked, with only some plants on the side... Finding out that people actually seasoned their food and it could taste so much better... Well, damn right Sojiro would make sure that he was enjoying the best feasts! Hell, it made the hunt even better, because the meat was going to be amazing afterward.

As they strolled along, there were a few knocked over trees and some marks in the snow but it was mostly covered up, "Tch... Well, this is the right path, at least." He spoke to Kensei and would give his comrade a soft nudge with his own shoulder, "I have been thinking about opening up my own clinic in the near future, though. If I do, I'd definitely need some help around the store." And with that, Sojiro would smirk a bit and speak a bit lowly, as though pretending he didn't want Kensei to hear him, "And I'll need someone to try out the different drug concoctions I'm making..."[/center]

"No spices in the wilderness beast? I see you're not the adventurous type, you haven't lived if you haven't picked out some herbs and tried them out on your food. You'd be surprised what turns out to be a great spice or a great ride. " He remembered spending time running around the woods picking flowers and herbs around with his merry band of misfits. He had learned about the plethora of plants and herbs easily found indistinct ranges that had a multitude of properties from healing to flavor enhancement.. and some with other exotic effects. He remembered personally testing out herbs and plants in the forest, the tundras, and even the desert, and the few times he'd learn the error of his ways. A sly smile crept on Kens face as Sojiro made subtle comments knowing they'd peak his interest. He scoffed at the notion he'd be a testing mule, but couldn't be more happy with the idea. "I think i'm always down for some… pharmaceutical testing.. for the sake of the advancement of medical and our Village technology. I know you and many of our medical ninjas have excelled at pushing forward the envelop of medical and… recreational progress."
He chuckled he shook his head "i'm not stocking shelves or wearing a maids outfit Sojiro. Keep dreaming."
As they spoke he looked over the scene before him, a few knocked down tees and some covered up marks on the ground. Bending over them he looked closely at the marks and then the path they lead towards, other splintered trees and branches were severed off in the same direction.
"You think the snow fall covered the marks? or is someone else on the hunt as well?"

He asked his comrade before getting to his feet, walking forward.

Kensei paused for a moment, thinking back to his own parents as Sojiro spoke of his. Although his memory could only pluck a few intimate moments out of the cold distant ones that laid in abundance, the thought had warmed him. Specifically his memory allowed him to escape into a moment in his life where he was most at peace. A bright sunny morning, the sounds of songbirds playfully soaring through the sky, the warm feeling from the suns pulsating beams against his soft child skin. His father had carried him over his shoulders, whistling a cheery tune while his mother hummed along. An astroprojected kensei stood in birds eye view watching the scene unfold, the three having a picnic within the Uchiha compound, the afternoon playing alongside some of the village children, something that he was rarely ever allowed to do. As vivid as the daydream was it ended too soon, leaving a now glum Kensei nostalgic where he stood. Shaking the memory out of his system, he rubbed his eyes with his left hand as he followed alongside Sojiro.
"So there may be someone else following the trail then. I doubt you could smell anything through the weather but keep your wits about you. The snow is coming down heavier now. Something big definitely made its way here. Have you seen anything quite this large out in the wilderness?"
Spotting the heightened hill in front of them he surveyed the area around them for any lurkers or an signs of life. Having found none he turned to his comrade, giving him a nod awaiting his next move.

"Yea knowing you you'd probably try to make a dinner out of it, just to find out you're the chicken stew." Kensei chuckled as he looked over the snowless hilltop ad then the large hole left in the snow. His eyes widen bewildered but his imaginations illustration of the beast that made its way through. Having noticed the print had yet to be piled away from the snow he determined the beast couldn't be more than a half a days away from the tracks, unless it had sheltered somewhere during he storm, or the print was left by something outerworldy, a monster so big it could travels multiple leagues with a single leap. He reached down grabbing a piece of a shattered fallen near the spot of the print, he assumed the creature itself had made contact with the tree before taking off. He raised the splintered wood in Sojiro's direction hoping he beastial youth could pick up even a fragment of a scent, or at the very least to show his comrade that this monster was definitely not something they could have ever truly encountered and lived to tell the tale alone.
"can you catch something off of this? If the moon or missing ninjas also took up the trial we should hurry along, I doubt wed make it to the beast at this rate anyway, but we could gain some valuable information if we reach those guys before they get ripped to shred. Nonetheless even if we find their remains we could use the battleground as recon and increase our intel further. If the Moon aims to catch the beast for their own reasons, we have to make sure we stop them before they get even a glimpse of it. If this. creature is as big and powerful as it looks we can't let it fall in the wrong hands. The Nikkousato can't lose any ground especially leverage like this."

He thought about the creature for a moment, if its power was as devastating as his size they wouldn't stand a chance subduing it right now, but they couldn't risk letting the moon advance. He felt a bit uneasy with the idea of capturing the beast fr the village, the thought of another animal, another being being subjugated and used as a weapon cut deep into him. "Are we wrong here?" for the sake of his village, or the honor of his clan he couldn't standby while the Gekkousato amassed weapons and threatened the balance of power, the thin veil of peace they had shared, but capturing the beast felt like a betrayal of his character. "What choice do I have?" He couldn't allow the beast to make its way to the minor villages and towns of the land, and he couldnt leave it in the wild to be a pawn for another.
"We have to make sure no one else can get it."
With that he began to cover the tracks left in the beast wake shoving the snow into the gaps between the prints.

As they moved Kensei thought hard over the beats they had now began chasing and what such an encounter would entail. Sojiro's words lingered a bit "smells Cold.. colder than the snow around it" this was not your average forest beast, there had been rumors of nigh mythical creatures wandering the lands had reached almost every corner of the lands, could it be one of those strange packs that are deeply hidden outside the grasp of civilization or something bigger…

As Sojiro caught the scent of what appeared to be fresh blood and called out to him, Kensei knew the answers to his many questions may lie up ahead. Bracing for what they might encounter he sped up pushing through the clearing expecting to encounter the beast.

"What the—"

His eyes widen as he walked into the aftermath of the scene laid out before them. The clean white snow they had traversed on was replaced by pools of blood, plastered about the grounds, the trees, and the fabric remains of the dead. Men hung impaled on broken off tree trunks, others skewered like pigs at a roast, against icicles. Some bodies had been dragged, the trail of their blood concentrated in the direction of where the perpetrator of the massacre must have gone. Most of the bodies had been dismembered, the beast was angered and his wraith showed. The mutilated bodies were spread across the clearing, which stunk now of death and iron… "Is this what you smell all the Time sojiro"
He asked his friends wondering how many of these Sojiro had ran into during his time. "Heightened senses huh? gift and a curse….. Whatever did this… its not your average wild animal, Ive heard rumor of exotic beast but this is is beyond them… this is outer worldy. There has to be at least a dozen men here."

He examined the scene, every few moments being down to closely examine remains. The gravitas of the situation was ever so apparent, just imagining the magnitude of the beast that had left such a massacre in its wake.

"Can you pick something up here other than blood? We've got to be careful how we push ahead, its best to work from the shadows and avoid being spotted if we do manage to track the beast. We down want to end up an after dinner snack."

He looked over the corpses once more before letting out a long sigh."I won't be surprised if these guys tried to violently subdue the beast without knowing more about it. These guys don't seem to be Moon Shinobi, most likely thugs and bandits hired out to hunt and dispose of the creature. They probably didn't know what they were hunting till it was too late. At this rate, im content with learning he creatures hunting grounds and movement patterns. Map it out so that we can return and hopefully… have more success than these guys did." Dusting himself off he turned in the direction of the blood trail and took a deep breath. "We give ourselves enough space between us and it, keep our visibility high while masking our presence as best as we can. "