Catch Me a Pet! [M]

[mei]

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Catch Me a Pet!
Rank: D.
Shinobi Required: 1-4.
Mission Information: Oniyuri-san lives alone now that she has come of age, and has decided that it’s a lonely life. She has asked for a capable group of shinobi to go out into the desert and catch her a cute animal that she can keep as a pet.
Special Information: Repeatable. As always when traveling outside the safety of the village, be on your guard. Take plenty of water with you!
Reward: 25 EXP & 500 Ryo.

Mei stepped across the sand of the desert toward Oniyuri-san, a young woman about the age of twenty. Oniyuri-san waved to Mei, showing that she was expecting her, and received a meek wave in return. "I'm sorry, were you waiting long?" Mei asked, worrying that she had annoyed her client. "No, not at all," replied the young adult, and the shinobi let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was nervous, as this was her first mission, and she wanted to make a good impression. "Do you have any specific animals in mind?" She decided to get right to business. "Well, I don't really know for sure what I want.I definitely want something cute, and something that I can bond with. I'm looking for a pet that can be a friend of mine. A companion, perhaps." "I see what you mean. I'll try my best to find the ideal pet for you." Just as Mei turned to go, Oniyuri-san stopped her. "Here, take this. It might be helpful." She pressed a medium-sized water bottle into Mei's hand, and Mei could feel the water sloshing around inside. "Thank you very much," she said gratefully, and so she ventured out into the dunes to find her client a pet.

As she wandered through the desert, she made sure to keep an eye on Sunagakure, so that she could always get come home without getting lost on the way. She tucked a couple of stray strands of hair behind her ear and continued on her trip. She kept her eyes peeled for any signs of life among the sandy dunes. She was not disappointed. Although she expected to be searching for hours in the vast desert, before long, she spotted a small movement beneath the sand. She squatted down a couple of feet away from it to get a better look, and a head eventually popped out.

The head obviously belonged to a reptile. It was covered in shining grey scales, and it had staring green eyes with slit pupils. It had a lumpy, disfigured face that was almost shapeless, making it seem like an abnormal rock. It stared at Mei, unblinking, then slipped back underneath the sand. Mei stood back up. It clearly wasn't what Oniyuri-san was looking for. It looked almost repulsive with its formless face, with cold eyes that caused a shiver to run through your spine. She doubted that it would be easy to bond with it, as well. She stood and continued her search.

[mei]

As the young shinobi traveled, she glanced back to Sunagakure. It was quite far away, but not far enough to worry her. She could still get back to her home easily. Mei stumbled on, eyes trained on the ground in search of any wildlife. Sweat had long started to form on her forehead, and she took a gulp of water from the water bottle Oniyuri-san had given her. Mei had been so surprised when she was given it. Her client didn't have to give her the water bottle, and, now that she thought about it, Mei should have actually been the one who brought her own water. She made a mental note to thank her again when she returned.

As she thought, Mei suddenly spotted more movement. She stopped in her tracks as she watched a large scorpion crawling quickly across the sand. It must have emerged while she wasn't looking. It scuttled towards her, then paused a couple of meters away. Mei held her breath, attempting to remember all she knew about scorpions. ...There wasn't much. She backed slowly away from the critter, making sure not to make any sudden movements. She didn't know whether or not it was poisonous, but she didn't want to take any chances. The scorpion seemed to take no interest in her, but she refrained from making any sudden movements for fear of startling it. Mei crept away from the creature, until it was out of her sight.

After her little shock, Mei took another small sip from the water bottle, and urged herself to be a little more conscious of her surroundings. She focused on the area around her and traveled onward. About fifteen minutes passed before she spotted something. It was now the afternoon, and the sun was a little lower in the sky. A small fox was scurrying along the sand. It was clearly very young, with big, pointed ears and huge amber eyes. Its fur was light orange, and it stuck out in little tufts. It was certainly cute.

[mei]

This just might be what Oniyuri-san was looking for, thought Mei, who had slowed her pace as she approached the tiny beast. It hadn't seemed to notice her. Suddenly, she was struck with a thought. What if the creature is violent? Even though it's so small, it wouldn't be good if she came back with an animal that would attack her client. "What should I do?" she asked herself out loud. The fox looked up, finally noticing the girl. Its amber eyes gazed into her black ones, and Mei stayed as still as she could. She gently lowered herself to the ground, and held out one hand. The fox gingerly crept forward, then nudged her hand with its nose. "Hello, there," she said quietly. Suddenly, the fox clamped his teeth down onto her skin. Mei cried out in both pain and surprise, tugging back her hand. The fox released her and leapt back, snarling.

Mei held her hand to her chest, looking down at it. Tiny teeth marks cut her skin, and it had started to bleed slightly. She glanced up at the fox, who had, surprisingly, not ran away yet. It stared back, a look of terror in its huge eyes. Perhaps it thought that Mei was threatening it? Mei watched as the creature slowly lowered its ears and tail, and it cautiously made its way back to her. As though asking for forgiveness, the fox sniffed at her hand and looked at her with pleading eyes. Mei had never seen an animal do something like this, and she stayed still for a while. While her hand still hurt, it wasn't a major injury and would heal in no time. She lowered her other hand over the fox's head, and gave it a little pat.

It's actually quite tame, thought Mei. If I forget about it biting me, that is. As she looked down to the fox, Mei noticed something around the fox's neck. It was an orange collar, camouflaged by its orange fur. There was no name or address on the collar, just a plain one. It seemed to be too small for the poor fox, and so Mei gently loosened the strip of fabric. The fox looked up at her with wide eyes as she did so. Things actually made sense now. This fox used to be a pet of some sort, but perhaps they were abandoned or lost. That explained why it was so tame. Mei scooped up the fox, who squirmed for a second, then relaxed slightly. She gulped a small bit more of her water, realising that she only had about a quarter of it left. She tore off some of her clothes and wrapped the fabric tightly around her hand, and the bleeding quickly stopped. It would heal soon.

Mei left to go back to Suna, the fox in one arm and the water bottle in the other. By the time she reached Oniyuri-san's home, it was almost night time. She knocked softly on the door. Oniyuri-san opened the door, and her eyes widened once she saw the fox. "Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you so much!" The fox gazed back at the woman, curious. The woman smiled back. Mei handed the fox over to Oniyuri-san. "By the way, I'm sure you should feed it small birds, rodents, and lizards. Bird eggs should be good, too. Is that okay with you?" "Yes, of course. Thank you very much." Mei returned the water bottle, thanking her again, and said goodbye to the fox, and then she was off.