[PB] Follow that trail!

[Red X]

Renshu sat a few yards away from the former wolf den in silence as he stared down at his lunch. There was nothing wrong with it, just onigiri with salmon and seaweed, one of his favorite meals. But after witnessing the carnage that the wolves wrought as well as the explosion that covered the area in blood, his appetite was lacking. Even after he expelled the previous contents of his stomach. But it would not do to continue on in hunger.

'Alright, just eat it. You know it's good, its mom's recipe. Just open you mouth, and eat it. Don't think about anything else besides the rice and seaweed. Just a little salmon, it's good.' His mental gymnastics seemed to do the trick. It was tasty after all, and he really did like onigiri. He continued to eat while pondering their next move. He'd told his partners of the tracks, and his concern over them. Then he saw Fuhen covered in blood, and excused himself. They agreed to take a bit of a break to.....get themselves sorted out.

Once his lunch was finished, he was more than willing to investigate.

[Kaguza]

They were done, the wolves den and it's inhabitants were all gone. Returning the drawn arrow to it's quiver, the young Hizashi emerged from his hiding place with his bow still in hand. Fuhen was quite a sight, covered in a red finish with the occasional chunk of bone, brain, and fur. It was almost funny as the gore didn't bother him, though he held back his urge to laugh. "I'd say you've earned a shower after today. Such a bang this little mission is." A smile painted across his face as he looked towards the Frog. His eyes shifting to the destroyed remnants of the wolves scattered about, "Hmm, their teeth might make a decent souvenir, least after I clean them up. Wonder if I can salvage a skull intact."

With a swift motion the bow in Kaguza's hand was slung over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the wolf carcasses. Knealing down he picked through the heads of the beasts removing any intact K9s of decent size. At the same time keeping an eye out for any whole skull that could potentially be cleaned up later.

[Nick]

The spray of blood and bone was nothing particularly new to the Frog. He was a hunter by birth, even if that mostly involved hunting fish, he still occasionally tracked down wild boar, deer, and of course, wolves. The smell of decaying corpses was more what disturbed him, as well as the site of human bodies -- He had made a few human kills before, but each was made with a certain degree of regret, even when it came down to killing off the scum of the earth. He sighed and covered his mouth and nose with one of his hands, looking around as his companions sorted themselves out, the man with strange eyes taking a break to eat a snack, while the red-headed man took a page from his own book, scavenging from the wolf corpses.

As far as Fuhen was concerned, he was right and ready to go. The combat had lasted less than a minute, which was fairly normal as far as combats went, and now with a bit of adrenaline pumping through his veins he was almost completely sobered up. His swords would float through the air in a theatrical fashion, wicking the blood off of themselves in smooth strokes before slowly floating back down into his massive basket sheath, finding their rightful places with slight clicking noises. "Yanno how hard a proper shower is t'come by out by 'ere? Of course ye woodent, ye spoiled ninja." The Frog grumbled back at the pretty boy, wiping his face clean with the front of his shirt.

He let the two finish their otherwise mundane activities, before looking down at the tracks that Renshu had pointed out, and rubbing at his chin gently, where a few whiskers had begun to sprout thanks to a day or so of not shaving. "'Aint much else t'be doin' except followin' the tracks, I s'pose." He said aloud, shrugging a bit. "If'n yer wantin' t'be backin' out, now's the time, eh? Or if'n yer wantin' t'be all sneaky like, I don't mind walkin' the straight line again as bait."

[Red X]

Onigiri consumed, Ren made his way towards their tallest member, "If we're lucky, this will be the worst of the violence. However, if we turn back now, then this will only continue." He had a hard time ignoring the blood and small streaks of.....flesh that still clung to the giant. Allowing his eyes to shift towards their ninja companion he tossed out a small piece of advise, "If we could limit the gore next time, it would be much appreciated. Tolks round here are hearty, but even butchers would balk at that level of violence."


Tuning his attention to the forest around them, he focused his senses and frowned at the silence, "We might as well keep on as normal, after that fight everything in the area knows were here. Seeing as how they haven't come storming out of the forest, then i'd think it is safe to say that we're alone for now."

The prints were clear, and their only lead. They would have to follow them. Once the party was ready, they would depart.

---

They had followed the prints for several minutes, the path direct and luckily left mostly intact. Ren offered up a small thanks to the winds of favor, 'Had these berserk animals not driven out the rest of the wildlife we would be hard pressed to keep such a trail.' But fortune and favor, did not last forever. Suddenly, Ren found himself looking at the last print.

They were near the edge of the forest, close to Guukhir but still a good distance away from the main road. The trees had grown sparse and he could hear the sound of running water, most likely the Shiyang river. His stary eyes looked about in confusion as he tried to find where it began again, but he couldn't. With a grimace he turned towards his partners, "I've lost the trail. It doesn't make sense, it just stops, no signs of fighting or anything that could have carried them away. It's like they flew away."

Unseen from the ground, hidden behind a small drop from raised earth were two carts. They were broken and ransacked, and likely worth investigating if any of the party could spot them.

[Kaguza]

Kaguza's eyes followed the floating blades as they moved through the air, a curiosity to him with potential for himself to apply later. In theory such a technique could potentially be learned when once he got back home, for now though he made a mental note and pocketed the few intact wolf fangs he had collected as the swordsman spoke up rather angrily. "My apologies, perhaps we'll find a river at some point then." His gaze shifted as he stood up completely. The bowman was done eating and seemed to be ready to head out, it wasn't very professional to hold up the group so that the young Hizashi could look for more wolf teeth. Simply offering a toothy grin towards Ren after receiving his words of advice, "I'll keep that in mind, though I can't promise such efficiency from here on. I will continue to do my best though." Maintaining a closed smile, he followed the pair down the tracks.

The trail ended and the bowman who had been leading the group seemed stumped. "Perhaps they did. It's not out of the realm of possibility." Kaguza looked towards the sky and while he saw nothing in particular other than the stray cloud. With a quick survey of the trees in the area he found a particularly tall one and with a gentle stride began to make his way up the side by focusing the chakra in his feet. Standing above the tree canopy he could see quite a distance and spotted a few pieces of debris below. "There's something off to the side there. Debris where the ground dips down."

[Nick]

As the man with starry eyes lost the trail, the Frog took a closer inspection. He wasn't exactly the best tracker in the world, but he'd done his fair share of animal hunting for survival purposes, and after getting low to the ground and feeling around where the last footprint disappeared, he shrugged. "Oi, ninja boy, how many of you's can fly, eh?" He asked with an eyebrow raise, turning around to notice that the redhead was... Gone. Fuhen raised his arms a bit, looking around in confusion, before hearing the familiar voice from up above.

Raising his gaze to look up for Kaguza, noticing him at the top of the tree, and where he was indicating. "Aye, I'll go for the inspection!" He called up to his temporary companion, before looking over at the young countryman who had hired them. "Yeh might wanna stay a bit back, eh? Surprising wolves is one thing, but ye never know when ye's t'be walkin' into a trap out in the open, aye?" Though he didn't wait for an answer, and instead marched off to the top of the hill, and over it, finding his way to the overturned cart, unsure of what he might be supposed to find.

[Red X]

Ren was at a loss for words as he watched the ninja literally walk up the side of a tree. Chakra, it seemed, knew no bounds. Kaguza called down to them from his perch about something interesting off to the side, hidden by a dip in the ground. Renshu could not know if it was related to their job, but he could not afford to leave any stone unturned. Luckily, Fuhen was there to volunteer to investigate, "I'll follow you. I'm sure we're capable of handling ourselves."

The cart that they found was strangely intact for it to be on its side. As he continued to approach, he found that there were remains of a second cart near the first, "Fuhen, keep watch. I want to get a closer look." He hoped that the giant would keep him covered in case any beasts came about, but regardless he wanted to confirm a few things.

As he walked around the carts, Ren took in every detail that his eyes would allow. Considering his kekkie genkai, that was a lot. There was blood on the carts, splatter from some conflict, and yet there was no sign of fighting in the area. At first he figured that whatever horse or mule was pulling the cart got spooked in the attack and booked it, but there were no prints to support either animal being here. 'The wolves we killed would likely have mauled a horse if it caught them unaware.' Something just didn't add up.

He moved to look into the carts interior, hoping to find some identifying marks to point towards the owner, but the insides were bare. A frown molded into his face, Ren turned back and made it was towards Frog, "Someone else haunts these roads," He paused to let that sink in before continuing, "The carts were stripped of their inventory, and I'd image given the size that it was likely a merchant cart. What's also strange is that there is blood but no bodies or signs of combat. No hoof prints from horses or any kind of animal big enough to be a predator."

Pausing, his eyes turned back towards the main road, "I think we should head into Guukhir. Someone there will know about a pair of missing carts. But we should also be on the lookout for thriving merchants or newly established shops. Someone could very well be using this madness to turn a profit."

[Nick]

While their temporary ninja companion turned out to be just that, temporary, Fuhen did as the starry-eyed man asked, feeling relatively secure that neither would be attacked by anyone from near the carts. He stayed up higher, where he could get a good view over the area, scanning the horizon carefully. Off in the distance, he could see a speck heading towards a village , almost off the horizon line, but not quite so. The speck moved further and further out, until finally it disappeared completely over the horizon, and presumably into the village that could just barely be seen from his position.

"Mebbe the local merchants use pigeons to pull their carts, eh?" The Frog joked down to Renshu. "Any cart tracks actually leadin' to the site? Wonderin' if'n they disappear like our footprints from afore..." The whole situation was strange to Fuhen, and while he had experience dealing with ninja directly, he wasn't fully aware of all the tricks they could pull, which seemed to include either making tracks disappear, which wasn't all that impressive, or some sort of flight. "Hope'n we're not dealin' with some vengeful ghost, or somethin'..."

As his new friend finished up his investigation of the crash site, the River Country Samurai slid down to join him, shrugging his shoulders to indicate that nobody had been around to interrupt them. "Goo...keer...?" He asked as the teacher mentioned some other city nearby, which may have been the source for the insanity, and then pointed off towards what he had seen earlier. "That the one o'er by 'ere? Saw somethin' beatin' out in that direction from atop the hill." And, without waiting for much of a response, Fuhen once more took off to lead the way, whistling a slow tune.

[Red X]

Ren frowned as he continued to study the area, hoping to find something to bring clarity to their more recent discovery. He wasn't in the mood to appreciate The Frog's humor, but his suggestion for tracks was one he intended to move on. Stary-eyes on the ground, he attempted to find the tracks but instead found a very odd looking landscape. Here and there the ground seemed to raise, in a warped kind of fashion. The only comparison he had was a to the marshes that he'd visited a few years back. There the ground shifted loosely and sat oddly thanks to the moisture, but here it was firm and still.

"Something's not right here," He shifted his gaze back up to his companions, but found that the ninja had not joined them, "Where is Kaguza, I need him to tell me if this is the work of ninjutsu." Needless to say, he did not like the news that their ninja companion had vanished. He fought down a sigh, 'Well, we started with 4 and now we're down to two. At least I can hope death didn't claim them.'

When Frog told him he'd spotted someone in the direction of the village it didn't bring him any surpises, "Probably some scout to see if the animals have cleared. That, or one very uninformed person. Either way, we need into that town."

---

Guukhir, a town known for its trade, was not bustling with the same amount of activity that Renshu had come to expect. People still shopped and peddlers still lined the streets with their wares, but there were too few karts. They were greeted with quite a few looks and questions about the state of things and Ren fought to keep them at bay, "My companion and I did have to put down a small number of wolves that were behaving strangely, but I can't say for certain that they're the only ones out there. We've just come into town to rest and recover. Once we've had our peace, we'll be back out to make sure this plague is removed once and for all."

It was tough talk, and not really why they came here, but the last thing he wanted to do was put anyone on guard. If they announced their intent to investigate, then they could lose what little lead they have. He just hoped Frog would catch on, 'Maybe I should have prepped him for that.' It was an over site, but either way they'd have to endure.

He glanced at his taller companion as they maneuvered through the crowd and spoke in a low voice, "Keep an eye out for the busier stores or carts. Whoever's peddling stolen wares will probably seem like a god-send to these folks. It'll likely be someone new whose appearance came shortly before the incidents." But who would that be, he wondered.

[Nick]

As the pair made their way into the town, Fuhen readjusted his satchel of swords, tightening up one notch on his buckle, as the leather had begun to stretch a bit from all the bouncing while walking. He felt slightly uncomfortable from all the attention the pair were getting as soon as they entered town, they all acted as though they knew Renshu, and the Frog was more used to being ignored, or at best, ostracized when he walked into a town. The only exception, of course, was when he returned home from one of his many trips, he was always given a heroes welcome even if he'd done nothing to deserve it. Rather than lock up, he decided to treat it like that. "Dinnae worry folks, es no need for a panic!" He started, thumping his chest theatrically. "These blades 'aint fer nothin', and nothin' seems t'get past me new pal by 'ere!"

The Frog was larger than life in many aspects, not just his height. He had a certain charisma about him just from an infectiously good attitude, that despite his thick accent (or maybe partially because of it!) often made people like him. This particular town wasn't incredibly impressed with his outburst, but it seemed to at least assuage some of their concerns, and the Frog also inadvertently did as his companion silently wished, keeping quiet about their true goal in town. As the starry-eyed man spoke to him, the Frog listened, processed, and shrugged. That sounded easy enough. He looked left and right, and nothing immediately caught his eye, so he stepped to the side, interrupting a pair of chatting women to speak to them. "Be s'cusin' me marms, d'ye mind if'n I kin ask ye where a weary traveler might find a merchant t'be sellin' travel rations? Me supply is runnin' a bit low, y'see..."

The two older women were happy to comply, giggling a little at his accent before pointing him off in a direction. The Frog responded with a polite, small bow, stepping back up next to his companion, and sharing the information with him. "May's t'not be the feller we're lookin' fer, but it's a good start, at the very least!"

[Red X]

Ren felt a small weight off his chest as he watched Frog's antics, 'Perhaps there is more to this man than his size and strength. He seem's surprisingly charismatic.' Gathering intel, Frog was the one to discover their first lead, "You raise a good point. Even if this isn't our culprit, they might have some inside information about rumblings in the market."

They continued inward towards the indicated direction, Renshu making small talk and waving to the children who either stared awestruck by his Kyokugan or grasped their mother's leg in fear. It was a reaction that was far too common for his liking, but he grew to understand it, 'I'd imagine it's the same look I had whenever a ninja came around.' A brief flash of their gruesome battle made it's way to the surface, pulling his mouth into a thin line of worry. Some fears, even the seemingly irrational, turned out to have a merit of worth.

After a brief stint of travel, the pair found themselves approaching another cart. There were several children of various ages hanging around this cart. From what Ren could tell six of them were relatives with the other three being friends. At least, just from their features. The siblings all had dark curly hair and big brown eyes. Their skin was a few shades darker than his own. He wondered if these were his father's people, but that thought was quickly cast from his mind. Now was not the time.

The oldest of the siblings, a young man who looked to be in his mid-teens, approached them,"Are you here to trade?" His voice was welcoming enough, but not without a hint of concern. Renshu tried to be disarming with his smile, they were an odd couple after all. "Why yes, we are. My friend and I just arrived from a hostile road and we find ourselves in need of rations. We asked around was directed to your cart. Are you the owner?"

The boy seemed to relax at that, "Y'all really came from the road? I'll bet you guys had to kill those crazy animals huh?" Perhaps it was the thrill of adventure that brought excitement to his eyes, but then he continued with a huff, "Mom would have a fit if it were me out there. Come on around back, she's setup there."

Following the youth, Ren found himself standing before a woman who had to stand at least 5 inches over him. She looked to be in the best shape of her life, small amounts of muscle definition littered her body, scars formed here and there. Her body said 20's but her eyes were of those who had seen many, many winters. She took in the pair with a raised brow, "Been a while since I've seen a Tenbun round here," Her voice carried a smokey kind of tone, lower, but confident....and sexy? 'I....don't think I've ever heard such a beautiful voice.'

She pushed forward, unaware of her effect on the Tenbun, "Traveling with a big one ain't ya? Akemi, what kind of pair have you brought to me?"

Akemi just smiled, "They say they came from the road ma', looking to trade for rations."

She gave a humorless laugh, "From the road, eh? Now that makes some sense to your party. Only a warrior can walk these roads anymore. Guessing y'all are here to fix that so me boy's don't have to lay down their lives?"

[Nick]

Fuhen was somewhat pleased with himself that he'd managed to at least gain them a lead in their investigation. As the pair walked, the man's mind wandered, and he thought maybe, just maybe, he'd cracked the case with hardly any effort, and he'd be able to begin his long trek home tonight, before the darkness began to settle in. It was, of course, just a daydream, he realized, as the fruits of his inquiry led first to a younger child, and then to a beauty.

Typically, the Frog liked pretty things, and pursued them with an almost reckless abandon, much to the chagrin of local husbands, at times. To call the woman before him pretty would have been a disservice. She had the body of a fighter, and that much showed in both her musculature, as well as the scars that littered her body like a trail of blood. There was a strong, confident air to the woman, and as she spoke, it almost made the tall man weak in the knees to hear her voice. He shook his head, though. There were goals to pursue, and even if there weren't, the woman actually made him nervous, unlike many a maiden whose maidenhood he had taken.

"Be 'scusin our intrusion, marm." The Frog said, almost somberly, his hand moving over his chest. Had he worn a hat, he would have taken it off for her. "I'm's t'be appreciatin' yer kind words, callin' us warriors and whatnot." A little color flushed to the dark haired man's usually rather pale cheeks. "'Orrible wolves over by 'ere that have this place in a stranglehold, aye. Es nae an easy task t'make our way te yer village. It breaks me heart t'see folks sufferin' as these round by 'ere do." He smiled warmly, putting his hand back down. "So gracious they must be t'have such a strong, brave merchant such as yerself to keep breathin' life into the town, aye..."

His gaze turned downwards for a bit, and he cleared his throat. He had an innate like for this woman, and he wanted to flirt until it was time to harvest the crops, but now wasn't the time. Maybe he could come back later. "I'm's t'be wonderin' hows ya do it, yanno? Are ye really the sole provider for this towns travelers? Seems like an awful big task..."

[Red X]

Unable to compose himself as fast as his companion, Ren allowed him to take the lead and explain themselves. Lucky for Ren, he wouldn't be forgetting the sight of this beauty any time soon. When she spoke again, he was smitten, "Ha, ya' talk a big talk. Had I met you before me late husband, maybe we could have had some fun."
Never before had Ren felt such jealousy, 'Dam you Frog!'

"Lots of carts round here still hanging on by a thread. Helps that we got a few farmers able to hold us over, but that won't last." She paused in her work to give it some thought before a sneer marred an otherwise beautiful face, "You might want to look into that bastard, Sirugi. His stocks always seem to replenish and with new wares at that. Been talking with the constable but there ain't no proof of meddling, but I know that slime is guilty of something."

At this Ren perked up, this could be there guy, "Can you tell me where we could find him?" The woman turned her attention to him, "Oh, ya do speak? Was starting to think your silver tongued friend was the only one with the power of speech. You'll find him near the center of the village due south. Keep an eye out for that crowny of his Komoshida, eh? Not sure where he from, but I don't trust his eyes."

Ren struggled to keep his composure, offering a nod instead of a bashful bow, "Th-thank you again ma'am." Deciding it was best to leave before he made a fool of himself with his horrible flirting skills, Ren turned to leave headed back towards the center of town.

---

It was easy enough to spot the shop. For one, it was an actual building, not a cart like most of the other merchants. Also, it was swarming with people trying to buy or trade wares for the abundant supplies. Ren stopped short of going inside, not wanting to be direct in their reason for coming. Figuring that Frog had proved to be resourceful in the past, he wanted to get his opinion, "How do you think we should play this? Neither of us are easily disguised, you with your size and my eyes, but I doubt the direct approach will work."

[Nick]

The Frog would have loved to stay and flirt longer with the woman. There were a thousand compliments from a thousand books he couldn't read that he would have fumbled out as best he could. There was still a job to do, however, and it would be much easier to flirt once he'd done something as brave and daring as saving the town. A bargaining chip, he thought, and smirked.

---

As they arrived, the crowd was once more something of minor discomfort, but Ren quickly brought Fuhen down to earth once more by reminding him of their mission. He wasn't too used to working as part of a team like this, as most of his travels had been done by himself, but there was something comforting about having backup, especially in the form of someone as seemingly intelligent as Renshu.

"Tell ya what, pal." The Frog began, starting to ease his way backwards out of the crowd. "Findin' things out seems t'be yer specialty, from what's I can see. Why don't ye just go straight in, aye? Do yer thing, maybe ask a few worrysome question, get the boys in there thinkin', eh? I'll stick 'round out here, see if'n anything changes, and be ready t'be yer backup at a moments notice! You're in charge, aye?"