[Mission] To Catch a Predator

[Mortalvis]

Early morning drizzle and fog blanketed the countryside. Of the few homes that dotted the acres of fertile land, most had a cozy, sleepy look to them at the before-daybreak hour. The windows of many of these homes were dark as the residents slept through the gray morning, but one farmhouse was aglow.

A man, rocking slowly in a chair on his porch, basked in the light of a lantern that dangled on a portable rod. The porch's awning sheltered him from the light rain as his sunken eyes stared down the open road. He wore a stiff, but tired expression; one that matched his bruised eyelids and the stubble that grew upon his face.

He watched patiently for someone he was expecting that rainy morning. This someone, he hoped, would be the one to end the troubles that had been plaguing him for the passing weeks. Now if only he'd arrive...

[GardenSalad]

"Argh, it's so damn early!" Sieg was complaining to himself as he walked down the main road. All he could hear was the sound of his shoes grazing against the ground, with his eyes constantly closing. He was tired. Why? Because it took so long to get here. Who would've known this fog would lead him in the wrong direction. Firstly, he ran straight into a lake and it took him ages to get the water out of his hair. And secondly, because his robe got wet from the water, he waited for it to dry up, because he demanded he should wear it in case someone saw him. And now here he was, in tea country off to deal a problem. He wasn't too bothered about the mission. He was only bothered about the length of the travel. What he was really interested in however, was that there was a really cool bird around. And Sieg badly wanted to see it.

The early morning drizzle made his hair damp, and the slight breeze pushed his fringe from side to side. He didn't know why, but for some reason or another the weather didn't like him. He always thought it was because he was on par of looks of 'mother nature,' and she was beginning to get jealous. Either way, it didn't benefit his situation. If the person he was meeting was a very attractive female, he would have to do something to get out of it. He'd rather fail a mission than look bad; he always had his charm to back him up as a last resort. Now reaching the village after countless tries, he noticed a small light in the distance. Heading in that direction, Sieg breathed a sigh of relief. It was a man. And he actually wasn't that ugly. That was two things in one. "Yo. I'm here to deal with your problem. Awai, Sieg, at your service."

[Mortalvis]

As the boy approached, the old farmer stood up and grabbed the pole with the lantern attached to it. He held it just above their heads and got a good look at his hired help. His eyes, though sunken and tired-looking, showed a certain keenness as they scrutinized Sieg. It was a disturbing few seconds, but it seemed the old man saw the boy as fit for the job.

His gnarled hands gripped the lantern's pole a little tighter as he wordlessly brushed past Sieg. A gesture with his head was all the stiff-faced man gave as a signal to follow behind him. The fog's density deepened as he lead his company to the back of the house, where a great expanse of land stretched out toward the horizon. It was difficult to see anything outside of the lantern's quaint glow, and anything one could see was but a hazy form in the distance.

The farmer stopped and turned to Sieg as he came up to a large building with animal noises coming from inside.

"Boy, I've got a problem. I'm gonna be lettin' these here animals out soon but I ain't losing another one to that damn bird. No body's gonna be losin' another animal to it 'cause that's what yer here for. It likes to come soon as the animals are fresh out of their pens, so I've had to keep all them in my barn and it's gettin' mighty cramped."

The man paused and leaned the pole up against the side of the building. He threw open the latches on the barn door and used all the strength in his frail body to push them open. Most of the animals rushed out while some of the lazier or more frightened ones dawdled behind or didn't leave the barn at all.

"See what this damn bird is makin' of my livestock? Scaring them silly. It's a monster of a bird so I don't blame a single one of 'em." The farmer's bitterness surfaced violently only to simmer down as he returned his gaze to Sieg.

"It usually comes just before dawn 'cause it knows most of us are still snug in our beds. It's big and unlike anything I ever seen 'round here. You shoulda oughta brought somethin' to catch it in, but eh... just keep it alive, will ya? It may be a pest but it's a rare pest. I swear to the almighty, if it touches another hair on my livestock, you ain't gettin' any tips. Any questions?"

[GardenSalad]

Sieg followed the man and checked his surroundings, just in case he was lead to some strange chamber that would keep him stuck forever. He could imagine it now. Being fed what the animals would at his farm, being continuously licked by pigs, and horses and other animals while he laid naked, (only having his amazing body to look at) cold and continuously abused by the man. It made Sieg feel unsafe, and ran shivers down his spine. But that was only the beginning. What if he was ordered to work with him? Cleaning up after the animals, giving them their food, and having to wake up before dawn everyday. And not only that, he would be forever stuck having to be together with an ugly countryside woman. OH GOD NO!! The images ran through his mind of his future bride. KILL ME NOOOOW! However, most of his thoughts were wrong. He would never be together with an ugly woman, that's for sure.

They finally reached the barn as he breathed a sigh of relief.. well, until he started talking. The man was crazy. A large rare bird my ass. They are just afraid to get their hands dirty. And so was Sieg. He hated getting his hands dirty. If he had to even come close to touching some animal poo, he would make sure the man would pay. No-one tells Sieg what to do but himself; unless another beautiful woman persuades him otherwise.

The smell of the barn started to make Sieg gag as his eyes were filling up with water. He couldn't stand being here anymore. Everything about the countryside he hated: the women, the animals, the women, the area, the food, the women and lastly, the women. But hopefully he wouldn't have to stay here much longer. Sieg wanted to wash himself, and he wasn't going to do it with the dirty countryside water.

"Nah, I've got everything. Beat the bird, don't let it touch your livestock and go home to get some dinner. Perfect." He completely underestimated the bird. It's only a bird. A bird for christ sakes. That thing won't even leave a scratch on me. With a small smirk present on his face, Sieg nodded his head and rushed out the barn door, breathing numerous times after holding his breath from the stench of the barn. This is going to be a piece of cake. Maaaan, I should be the animal exterminator. No animal is going to get past me, that's for sure. He positioned himself in the middle of the pack, moving into a pair of handseals and transforming into a sheep. He proceeded in another set of handseals, and made a raiton clone look exactly like his transformation. The clone walked into some free space, where it would be the perfect target for the bird; with Sieg nearby to catch it. Come here birdy. I'm waiting for yooouuuu~

TechniquesShow

*Henge no Jutsu [Transformation Technique]
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
Henge no Jutsu is a ninjutsu technique which every ninja learns at the Ninja Academy. Henge allows the ninja to tranform themself into any person or object. This allows the ninja to move with stealth or to trick their opponents.

*Raiton Bunshin [Raiton Clone]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user does the needed hand seal, then creates a Bunshin that has Raiton chakra in it. It is able to interact with the environment, but once it gets hit or poofs, it poofs into a bolt of electricity, shocking anyone near.

[Mortalvis]

Things became eerily quiet. The fog was beginning to disperse, but gray clouds remained blanketed across the uninviting sky. It would a surprise if the bird even made its appearance in such weather, but wait-

A loud, hair-raising cry broke the silence.

Something dark loomed just outside of the fog's cover. It seemed small due to distance, but because of how loud the cry was, it made it appear as though the bird was closer. Junders' sharp, blue-gray eyes pierced the fog as she scanned the grounds below. Many of the animals had scattered upon hearing the raptor's cry, and the animals stupid enough to remain behind would become her next meal. Junders' feathers were ruffled by the cold air blowing past her as she glided across currents over the field, scoping out her meal. The bird's intelligent gaze gleamed as she noticed one poor sheep had wandered out of its safety zone. It was rather big, but alone it would be a pleasant treat for the bird.

Without waiting a second longer, the predator rose higher in the sky and prepared her attack. She angled her wings downward before folding them close to her body as she dropped from the sky at an alarming speed. The large bird burst through the fog cover, ripping a hole in its thin veil. Twenty feet above her target, she righted her position by unfurling her wings, outstretching her talons, and coming in for the killing blow. The impact was so fierce that the clone's dissipation had thrown Junders into the ground due to 'missing' her target.

Dazed and confused, Junders got up and looked around to see what had happened. She checked under her massive talons as her head tilted back and forth, but she did not allow herself to be beguiled by such trickery. The massive raptor raised her head and became very still as though she were waiting for something.

[GardenSalad]

The bird was in the perfect position for him. Everything had worked well, and he planned to continue to keep it going. Locking his hand into a seal, Sieg returned to his normal form, being covered by the animals nearby. He moved his hand into another seal while grabbing onto a kunai via his pouch, essentially turning his body invisible. He held the last seal to keep it in tact, as he began to start dodging the animals while leaving as soft of a trace as possible. This form was quite useful; he was able to almost be un-noticed, all he had to do was keep quiet.

Suddenly, he was now close to the bird. He kept a small distance in case it was able to hear him, but he made sure he approached it from behind. Releasing the last seal and becoming visible, Sieg quickly switched his hands and locked in another seal. This time, his kunai began to glow of black hiton light. Launching it forward, it hanged in the air before slamming into the ground. Sending the chakra from the kunai, it exploded in a light to blind the bird. He continued on instantly, running forward as his hands filled up with raiton chakra. "Dageki Ryuu • Joumae Tacchi!" he said, sending his fists forward and aiming to hit the birds wings; making it unable to fly away.

Sieg was getting tired. The strain on the amount of jutsu he used made him breath heavily, with sweat running down his face. He knew this would happen. He wanted to test to see how strong he was, but obviously needed more training.

TechniquesShow

*Dageki Ryuu • Joumae Tacchi [Shock Fist Style • Locking Touch]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Requires: 4 in control, 3 in taijutsu.
The user will flood one of their hands with electric chakra that focuses on the opponent's muscles. A well placed blow will cause the afflicted area to be unable to move for 2 posts.

~Hiton • Hiai Hade no Jutsu - Light Release • Becoming Flashy Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Grabbing a weapon and flowing Hiton chakra into it, the user causes the object to both glow with their personal chakra color but it also essentially turns the weapon into a flash tag. The light generated by the object is essentially as strong as two candles and the infusion lasts for 2 posts. During those 2 posts, the user can also release the Hiton chakra stored inside once and cause it to let out a large burst of light equal to that of one flash tag, which blinds any within a 5 foot radius of the object for 1 post.

~Hiton • Shinkuhi no Jutsu Light Release • Empty Light Technique
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: Average Control
Focusing chakra into their body, the user performs hand seals and then manipulates the way light refracts around their bodies, allowing them to make themselves visually invisible. They still have a chakra signature, must breathe and still make noise, but they are completely invisible to the naked eye. The user must hold the last seal or the technique fades, so they may only walk while invisible. This lasts for 3 posts.

[Mortalvis]

If she had not been so sly as to prepare herself for an ambush, the bird would have most certainly met her doom as quickly as that. Junders was a clever bird, but more so than she was clever, she was fast.

The moment the light had burst around her, she launched herself from the ground and took to the air. The problem? She was practically blind; her sensitive eyes had been subjected to the flash from the Hiai Hade technique. However, even without her eyes, the bird's sense of hearing, although not as sharp, was still available to her. Currently, being in flight was her only true advantage. However, that advantage was soon to be lost as well.

Dark clouds were rolling in through the already gray sky and thunder roared not more than a mile away. Soon it would close in over their general location, and Junders would become the victim of environmental conditions. The eagle felt vulnerable; if she flew too low, she would certainly be attacked again, but if she flew too high, she risked being caught up in the storm that was approaching. The bird, doing all that she could, circled at around thirty feet in the air, and tried to discern the sound of the oncoming rain and thunder from that of the threat below.

[GardenSalad]

OOC: What the Bane?!

There was a cracking sound that was in the sky. It gave shivers down his spine; Sieg wasn't sure what it was, but the breeze coming in was getting more powerful by the minute, and he knew it wasn't good news. To be honest, he was already suspicious that something like this would happen. The weather doesn't like him. Wherever he goes, mother nature likes to do something that makes his life suck. At least it would benefit him a little. His attack obviously missed, but the bird was flying around like it was drunk because of his hiton technique earlier.

The only problem was how high it was. The bird was a decent 30-odd feet high, and Sieg had absolute no chance to get up there if his life depended on it. The bird was a rare species; if it died he would be in a lot of strife. And he didn't want this to happen. Even if the bird was really clever, it would get destroyed by what was coming. So his only option was to try and make it survive. He stared up at the bird, yelling with his arms out and tried to give hand gestures to lead to the barn, as well as running in that direction. The barn was still open, and from -practically- all the animals being outside, it should figure out that Sieg was trying to help it.

[Mortalvis]

Slowly, the bird's eyesight began to return. A sharp pain remained pulsing behind Junders' eyes, as the bird's sensitive nerves had taken quite a blow from the flash. It was nothing that would last, but what Sieg had done to her made it less likely for her to trust him.

Looking at the ground below, she could see his hazy figure gesturing and yelling up at her. Junders, miffed and unwilling to get near her assailant, continued to fly high out of his range. Her clouded judgment left her oblivious to the harsh conditions that were quickly rolling in. Thunder whipped the skies with each flash of lightning, growing more and more violent the closer it got to the farm.

Junders, too stubborn to leave her safety zone, circled above. The bird, threatened or not, was there for a meal that she hadn't gotten, and she would wait out the human below if it meant she would get what she came for. Her wait was about to come to an end as the situation took a turn for the worst.

A horrible screech pierced the sound of the storm as the skies flashed and thunder boomed. Junders' wings collapsed to her sides as she was stricken from the sky, dropping like dead weight to the ground below. She hit the wet grass with a thud, her body smoking and sparking...

How could anything possibly survive that? The mission, no doubt, had suddenly ended. But wait--

Slowly, signs of life began to appear in the bird. She moved. In fact, not only did she move, she lifted her head. Junders was still injured, but she was very much alive. Somehow, the lightning strike's full power had been dispersed by the natural raiton chakras in the bird's body. It was complete luck for Sieg, but if he did not move quickly, she could very well be battered to death by the storm's brutal conditions. All of the other animals had already taken shelter, so the raptor was alone in the field, being pelted by the constant onslaught of rain.

[GardenSalad]

His jaw dropped the moment the bird collapsed to the ground. nooooooooooooooo, you can't die here. He seriously thought the bird was more smart than that, but I suppose it was afraid from what he did earlier. With a sigh and the pelting of rain falling on his body, Sieg anxiously ran toward the bird; not to save it, but in fact, to save himself. He really wasn't a big fan of the rain, and he figured, he might as well take the bird seeing as he was already out in the field. His body shivered from the cold, and his hair looked like a helmet over his head from the amount of water on him.

He continued to rush to the bird, and as he approached it, looked like it was having a siezure. You could hear the sound of electricity as it tried to move, almost like pleading for someone to help it. "You know how much trouble you've caused me you damn bird? My hair is drenched!" He went down on his knees, peering at the bird for a moment. The goosebumps formed on his arms, and the breeze made him shiver. The bird was a complete wreck, and Sieg not having learnt any medical ninjutsu, regretted it. Well, the only reason he didn't learn it was because he didn't want to help others. I'd only be willing to if it was to save ladies, but then they'd force me to heal guys.. The memory made him crunch in pain as if he had been punched in the stomach.

Sieg molded chakra around his hands as he proceeded to lift up the bird, having to dig under it because of it's size. "Didn't know you were this tall until up close. Geeeeeeeeeeeze, you're huge!" He kept a slight distance by having his hands away from his body. Even though this bird was practically struck for dead, he wouldn't be suprised if it slashed it's talons at his beautiful face. And if it did that, the bird wouldn't be forgiven easily. He started to walk inside the house; he wasn't going to give the animals an early morning snack. Sieg yelled out to the man for help, as he placed the bird on the table inside. He also shut all the doors and windows, to try and keep it as quiet as possible. The bird must have been terrified in this situation, but Sieg wanted to calm it down as best as he could.

He analyzed the bird once again. He never really got the chance to see it thoroughly. "Wow.. what a beautiful bird. She would a great companion for me." A large grin now present on his face, as he waited for the guy to come in to see what they could do to save this bird.

[Mortalvis]

Weak but alive, Junders was aware of what was going on around her, if only barely. She whistled quietly to voice her pain, her blue-gray eyes fixated on Sieg as he carried her into the house. The avian had no strength to fight herself away from him; being inside a house was terrifying for a beast that knew only the grass and the sky, but she was in no condition to object to her environment either.

Hearing the commotion from inside the house, the old farmer's heavy boots stormed across the floor to see what was going on. Immediately, his sullen gaze fell onto Junders.

"I thought I gone and told ya not to kill the darn thing, consarn it!" he snapped. He moved toward the table and was surprised when Junders lifted her head to see him.

"...Ah, so it ain't dead. Pretty well near it, though. What in the hell happened?" The old man began to examine the large avian sitting on his table. He gently pressed his fingers into several of her joints and flexed her wings and her legs. Junders protested with weak whistles at first, but gave up shortly after and let the man tend to her.

"You managed to darn well near shock the life outta her. Funny though; there ain't a wound on her and I sure as heck don't know how ya managed that."

[GardenSalad]

"Well, I'm sexy." There was total silence for the next thirty seconds from what he said. It just seemed to be a natural reaction to Sieg, it's just the way he works, even though the conversation had nothing to do with him being good-looking. Then, for the other thirty seconds, he went to a mirror and started fixing his hair. His robe and shirt was drenched, so he took them off and hung them off to dry. He wondered what the man would think, seeing as Sieg just randomly started taking his clothes off and calling himself sexy, but he was already starting to get comfortable, so he walked back to where he was before.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh, basically... I OWNED IT!" He built up an evil laugh that was gradually getting louder, before he stopped in complete silence again. "Actually I really didn't do much. I blinded the bird, so she started flying around and then got struck by lightning. Great story, yeah?" There was more silence. It was just never-ending, like Fusae's complaining. So for the next few minutes, he just waited and waited and waited for the man to reply to him.

[Mortalvis]

[OoC: (in reference to the cBox before) Don't worry about post size, mate. Doesn't matter to me. Let's just try to squeeze in a few more rounds before calling it done.]

The farmer deadpanned for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief.

"Kids these days..." he muttered. He continued to examine the bird; he was no vet, but he was familiar with animals and could at least figure out the basics. After a while, he sighed and scratched his head.

"Well, it's... uh, she's gunna be alright. Couldn't find a damn burn on the thing, and not a feather out of place. Struck by lightnin'? I don't believe it. She'd be crispy enough ta eat if that was true. Bah."

The farmer, giving up on his tangent, walked out of the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a few small pieces of meat that looked to be cut from a roast. He held them out to Sieg, eying him expectantly.

"Go on. Give 'em to her." The meat was raw and uninviting, which Sieg might have a problem with, but it certainly caught Junders' attention. The bird lifted her head and made a soft noise; despite her state, she hadn't forgotten about how hungry she was.

[GardenSalad]

Sieg shuttered so many times it looked like he was having a seizure. "Me.. touch.. that?!" He ran countless scenario's in his head on ways to go about it, but one way or another he had to do it. "Well, okay, but I aint touching it with my bare hands." He went over to the sink, leaned over and opened a drawer. He proceeded by grabbing some gloves and putting them on. These farmer gloves are actually better than I expected.. but so damn ugly. He couldn't bare to wear these, but having to have raw meat on his soft, perfect hands was against the law. So he used these gloves and gripped the meat, and walked over to the bird.

It instantly moved it's head forward, jabbing into the meat with it's beak. It was even that hungry it bit several of his fingers. "GOD DAMN IT." The pain jolted to his fingertips, as he released the rest of the meat and put it on the table. god damn bird, i'm going to kill you some day for biting my fingers.. he cursed, muttering under his breath. "So.. what the hell are we supposed to do now? Like in all honesty, if you ain't keeping this bird, I am. But.." He thought about it for a second. "In her current condition we might have to let the bird rest for a while. What do you think?"

[Mortalvis]

[OoC: One more post after this and I say that's the end of this.]

"For a while. Damn thing ain't even injured. It's just shocked 'bout what happened. She'll be good ta go soon enough." The farmer eyed the large raptor and shook his head. "I sure as hell don't want it staying here for too long. Soon as that thing feels better, first thing she'll do is go and chew up more of my livestock. By all means, gettit outta here and keep it out."

Junders happily gobbled down the meat rations given to her, having them gone in moments. She whistled much more brightly, and even rolled herself onto her stomach and unfurled her massive wings. It looked as though she was trying to get up, and with a little effort, she was on her feet again. The avian was... rather calm, surprisingly, given its feral nature, and it looked at Sieg with a strange adoration that was hard to misinterpret.

"Looks like she likes ya, kid. Now you best take that critter with ya and get goin'."

[GardenSalad]

"Well, this is going to be a lovely story. I'll come back with a very beautiful bird, and they'll ask how I got it, and I'll say she got hit by lightning. Very unbelievable, but at least now I have this companion to help me in my travels." He smiled back to the bird and nodded his head at the farmer. He could tell the farmer just wanted the bird and him out of here, seeing as they'd caused enough chaos for one day. He scratched his head and watched as the bird looked at him aimlessly, waiting for his command.

"Here... Junders, hop on my arm." He clicked his fingers and pointed to his right arm, and waited for her to respond. Surprisingly, she did. She did as he said and ducked her head afterwards, waiting for him to scratch it. Sieg knew exactly what to do, and reacted immediately by patting her head as they walked out the door. "Thanks mate. I'll be sure not to come back here for a while. Have fun without me" He waved his other hand above him as he started walking out of the countryside. "Thank god. Now I can get some proper food."

[Mortalvis]

[OoC: Alright, you passed. Just post the successful mission application in Junders' thread and she will be moved to the archive.]