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What had been fast at first had now slowed down to a steady pace. Jett wanted to be done with this mission, and move on to others, since he took no pleasure in killing wolves. Having done it was already something that weighed heavily on him. As he continued his patrol of the woods, to make sure there were no others, he began to drift from his attention on the woods, and sink into his thoughts.

Wolves, the one group I idolize. A family unit that does everything together, takes care of the entire unit together, ensures everyone is fed together, and as a group, destroys those that would pose a threat to them. And I just killed a whole pack. Yes, they were attacking innocents, killing and stealing from them. Just like humans, they possess a bad mix as well. Yet still, what if they had been attacking for a reason? What if their food sources had been cut off elsewhere, and were attacking simply because they needed food? Could I have figured that out, and brought them food to stave off their attacks?

Trapped in his thoughts, he would be unaware of one last wolf alive, hidden in some bushes. Jett came to a stop in his movement, near the bush, and rubbed a hand over his face, fingers pinching in on his temples. He was really taking this hard, and he wasn’t sure what would come of it.

You are pathetic, you know that? Worrying over some wolves. They’re animals. They don’t have emotions or souls like humans do. Their entire existence revolves around survival, pure and simple. They attack to feed. It’s all they know. They know one day they will die, and they will be sustenance to the rest of the pack.

Yet I just destroyed the whole pack, and they don’t serve as sustenance to anyone. They were destroyed, as if on a whim.

Oh please, you did it because you were told to. You never do anything on a whim, you’re either too shy or too scared to do something on your own. That’s why I exist. I take charge where you lack the balls to do so.

A rustling in the bushes and the stirring of Jett’s anger occurred at the same time. A sudden sensation filled his mind, along with the scent of blood. In his mind, he could see a large wolf, with fur so stained with blood it was unclear what color the fur had originally been. The sensation creeping within him was that of pure fear and dread. Jett could not shake it. Yet, that anger was still peaked within him, and it gave him strength to act though he still felt the fear as well. The vision in his mind, h e was sure belonged to one of the wolves of the pack, specifically one that had survived and was about to pounce, Jett reached into his holster on his thigh, pulled out a kunai, and threw it into the bushes as he turned. He saw a flash of blood go into the air, though not enough to have been a fatal wound. He pushed past the bushes to see… a wolf pup. Just like that, Jett’s anger was gone, and he could take in the whole scene. The kunai was dug into the ground. The mother was laying in the grass nearby, dead. It had the strength to get its tiny black pup to safety, but died after getting it away from the explosion and destroyed cave. Jett frowned, staring at the pup who was now wounded on one of its back legs, because of the kunai. This tore at Jett’s heart, and he would hurry forth, to scoop up the pup, and carry it off. It offered no fight in exchange, too young and too afraid.

“I’m so sorry little guy. I had to do it, but I won’t let you die with them. I’ll take care of you from now on.” He glanced down at the small pup in his arms, and smiled though a tear glistened in his eye. “I’ll call you Shō.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Name: Wolf Runner
Rank: D
Description: Looks like we have a bit of a wolf problem in the surrounding area of the village. Apparently a few packs have been attacking travelers as they move to and from the village. We can’t allow something like this to damage not only our reputation but the safety of our residences. Move out and slice up some wolf burgers.
Reward: 100 experience, 500 ryo
Minimum Shinobi: 1
Mission Status: Interminable

Wolves were one of the denizens of Mizu no Kuni for a long time. For many years, tales of their ways in the wilderness were told everywhere. Even in the broken, uncaring home that Jett came from, he had heard such stories, and marveled in awe of the wolves’ ways. The way a wolf pack behaved seemed like a family, to Jett. Or at least, like the way a family should be; the strongest leading and protecting, the weaker being protected and lifted, not punished and beaten, and finally, those that harmed the unit… were disposed of. For a long time, Jett felt a connection to wolves on a spiritual level. He felt the ways of the wolf could teach others. Because of this, he felt bad having been assigned to go deal with a bunch of them that had been acting out. Now, they had caused damage, and harmed travelers. For that reason, he did agree to go, however, he still felt bad about having to do this. It wasn’t like he could try to talk the wolves down, and have them go peacefully. There would be a fight. This time, he would not have Rael with him.

Jett was a capable ninja, and did not need someone with him at all times. At least, that was what he told himself, as was, apparently, the belief of the higher ups. Perhaps, though, they were simply trying to get Jett to be more prepared, and to act on his own better. Whatever the reason was, Jett had already agreed to set out on this mission, and there was no turning back now. After he had checked to make sure he had all the equipment he would need, he set off from his home, out of the village, and into the wilderness. The last report of their actions had them on a common trade route that went from Kirigakure, to a market village in the north, where people from all the other villages in Mizu no Kuni could meet to trade goods and buy supplies. Hopefully, the wolves didn’t get that far, because while the marketplace no doubt had guards, they were probably not shinobi guards. An organized wolf pack would tear through them.

Arriving at their last known location, Jett would begin examining the wreckage of a cart. The carcasses of two animals were picked clean, nothing but bones left, scattered somewhat, but still discernable as having been horses that pulled the wagon. The contents of the wagon were also picked through. All food that had been in it was gone, and all that remained were crafted goods such as clothing and home decorations such as statues, candles, and other small bits of luxury. No one had come back to retrieve anything, as that which was left behind was not all broken. The people probably hadn’t come out to retrieve it, not wanting to lose anything more to the wolves. Upon inspection of the wolves’ tracks, Jett could discern that they went back into the woods from this point, perhaps to find a spot to rest, their ‘home’ perhaps. With that in mind, Jett would move to follow the tracks. If he found this wild pack to their home, perhaps he could conclude this issue in a single encounter, and not have to torment himself with fighting wolves again.

Sure enough, following the tracks led to a small cave in the woods, where at the mouth of the cave, a trio of wolves was watching, while a literal dog pile of other wolves was situated deeper within the cave. Jett kept his distance at first, watching the group to see if what was going on. All seemed peaceful at first glance, but he wanted to make sure the pile of dogs was asleep before engaging. After continued silent staring, Jett would begin planning his assault.

Unfinished story. That was the optimistic view of things. It was also simply the true view of things. However, Jett could not help the thought that while his story was technically incomplete, that it was still not going to veer away from its pattern after all these years. The idea of it just magically getting better after all the hardships he and his sister had endured was too foreign a concept, it was simply absurd in his eyes. And what if it should get better? It would not erase the hardships, or make forgetting them any easier. In fact, the better life, a happy life, would no doubt simply remind them of their hardships each and every day. And yet, despite all the pessimism, Jett still wanted that better life. He was sure that simply with his sister at his side again, he could put the hardships behind them, and conquer the rage inside him.

How to do it? What would come first? It was a good question. One Jett did not have a real answer to. Of course, he had leads, ideas, and goals, but how those preceding plans fit into the end goal, he wasn't sure just yet. In short, he had a lot of training left, yet. He would not be hunting down his sister soon, and to get answers for himself, he would need to continue his training. "First things first, I need to continue training, and perform to my utmost capability in the Chunin exams. Once I'm a Chunin, I'll start looking for answers." Why did he have to wait? Well, that was simple. He needed to go out of the village for answers, he was sure. The family had never been a part of Kirigakure, and while the village may have had altercations with, and issues with, his family, Jett was sure there would not be any specific information within the village concerning his sister's whereabouts.

To become a Chunin, he needed to do more missions. Whether they were with Rael or not, was uncertain, but no matter what, he needed to finish more missions, test his skills and push his limits day in and day out. He really couldn't afford to take time away like he was in this moment, chatting with Rael. Jett stood from the table, and stretched, ushering forth popping noises from his neck, shoulders, and other various areas. "Well, I suppose I should get back to my training."

That was the beginning part. It was hard enough to explain, without mentioning the criminal world around him in those days, or who his family really was. But that wasn't the hardest part, the hardest part was the next eight years of his life. Between 8 and 16, he was surrounded in battle against his father's family and mother's family, and at the end of that part of his tale, his sister vanished. Or at least, that was what he had hoped happened...

"My sister was treated poorly because she could not master her skills. I never even got training from my father or brothers. You asked me on our last mission when and why I decided to become a ninja. What I said then still holds true." He picked up his cup of tea, and took another drink. He stretched the act out. Was he buying himself time? Or was he trying to figure out how to say it?

"I watched my father. I hated him, and knew I could not beat him. Every time I voiced my displeasure with how he treated me, with how he treated my sister, I was merely beaten along side her. I watched, and I practiced on my own, whenever they decided to leave me alone. Did I choose it? If my father had not been cruel would he have taught me on his own? Or perhaps would I have lived a different life? I do not know. All I know is, I practiced on my own, so that I could one day take him down myself. I was much braver in thought than in practice, for after a certain time, I stopped voicing my displeasure. I took the beatings I could not avoid, and shut myself up to avoid the ones I could. My sister had no such luck, which infuriated me, but I couldn't do anything about it."

He paused then, and reflected on what he had said. He spoke a whole lot more than he had planned to, and now, he wondered if he had planted seeds of curiosity. He wondered if more questions would arise, and if he would still be able to hide the truth behind the truth. He thought frantically, on how to close this up.

"Well umm... I felt ashamed at how I had basically abandoned my sister to her punishment, and doing nothing to stop it. I vowed I'd protect her from that day on, and we searched for ways to learn. Eventually, that led to here, Kirigakure, but when I was 16, my sister mysteriously disappeared. I have no idea where she is now, and... well, now I wish to become stronger not just to protect her, but to scour the world for her. I need information and strength, to find her and protect her."

With that, he went silent again, and would sip at his tea till it was finished. That was the whole story, or at least the summarized version that did not include any truths about who any of the people in the story were. He never mentioned a name, and of course, he never mentioned that his family were criminals.

The attention acquired from his little outburst was not so easily lost. All eyes in the shop were still on the pair. Despite Rael's expert act of ignoring the stares, the stares were still there. At first, yes they would look accusingly at the white haired young lad, assuming he had been the one to make Jett distraught, and cause his outcry. However, after Jett's less than angered actions afterwards, confusing wiped away the frustrations in the room.

Despite Jett's distant stare into the nothingness around him, he was aware of their stares. He frowned. Well, he for sure could not tell Rael the full truth now. Too many people were listening. What could he get away with? Could he get away with anything now, without being forced to go into great detail. As he thought it over, he came to the conclusion that if he simply did not mention names, or specifics, he could still reveal the story while keeping the necessary secrets ... secret.

"Fear, Anger, Hatred, and Doubt. These are powerful emotions. Emotions that are, more commonly than not, linked together. As far as I know, you are here in Kirigakure on your own, right?" he questioned, with a slight uplift in tone, and a slight uplift in his eyes, as those emerald hues focused upon Rael. "Perhaps you can relate to this, in some degree. I..." Hesitation, seemed almost instinctual at this point.

However, despite his hesitation, and his desire to clam up, he would continue, in a quieter tone. "I was born into an unloving home. My family consisted of myself, an older sister, three older brothers, and our parents. Now, one might ask, if the home was unloving, why did the parents try having so many kids?" He grew silent again, and was fidgeting for a moment, actually having to think over the words he just said, and his willingness regarding them. He heaved a sigh in time, closed his eyes, and shook his head. "Well, I don't know. There's much I still don't know. I don't know anything about my mother, for instance. For within the span of a minute, maybe a little more, though I doubt it, I was born and she ... died."

This time, his pause had not been planned. His pause was a result of a large number of gasps stirring from his "audience". That green gaze settled on those within the shop, for only a moment, before he turned his head away, and muttered something to quietly to be deciphered. As he muttered, he fidgeted more and more, till eventually he would reach out and pick up his skewer again. He'd pop both remaining sweetened orbs into his mouth, and munched on them in momentary silence.