Spoiler:

Verdandi walked down the streets of Kiri, it was late already. But she wasn’t out for fun. It was time for guard duty once more. Not something she particularly enjoyed. Arriving at the west gate she poked the guard already standing on top of the walls. Due to her light figure and silent steps he almost got a heart attack at that and Dandi had to hold him by his armour as he threatened to fall off the walls. “Cheez man, take it easy.” She said a little startled by the sudden ruckus made at this point. He excused himself and bowed softly. Before making his way out of this guard post and heading off towards the bar. Uhh the bar, how much she’d give to sit in that stinky little hole and just sip alcohol until she dozed off at the table. Underage drinking was certainly one of the more fun spoils she could experience in this weird village of ninja.

Verd watched random traders with their carts entering the village, obviously before dawn would claim their security and or their ability to see where the heck they are going to in the first place. Verd’s job wasn’t to check their carts, the soldiers behind the gate had that wonderful job. So, she just leaned to the wall, yawned a few times content into her palm. Scratched the back of her head and hallway closed her eyes. Certainly, a role model to any ninja in the village. Taking a little nap wouldn’t hurt anyone now would it? While Verd was snoring and sleeping in a hallway state of meditation, she would dream about some cute girls and handsome guys she lately had the pleasure to flirt around with. Putting a red thick blush on her cheeks as she imagined various scenarios of how they would kneel and ask for the princess hand in marriage before she would ultimately crush their dreams and tell them all that she way way too good for any of those losers.

Content with the fact that they are all properly punished for their silly idea that Verd’s hand could be easily won for she eventually woke from her nappy time cause her danger sensors were tingling. Verd sniffed the air and rubbed her sleepy eyes. But looking into the horizon and against the entrance of the misty forest. Nothing, not a single interesting thing was out there. She must have imagined it. Content with that answer to her situation she’d yawn and close her eyes again. But before she could attempt to dream about more people that would be forced to lick her boots in worship, she’d have to realize that something was indeed out there and it seemed to take it’s pleasure in annoying the poor princess on guard duty.

That being said. Verd knacked her neck and stepped slowly down from the walls. Her feet planting themselves onto the dusty floor beneath, she was obviously seen by whatever was out there as the noises suddenly died down once more. As Verd took slow steps she could yet gather that something was trying to sneak past her presence. It was a wolf. Interestingly enough he was cleverly trying to bypass Verdandi’s presence probably aware that she was a dangerous factor to him instead of trying to attack her. This one was smart. Not your common rabid dog that would blindly attack her with his teeth.


580

The problem was, he didn’t seem to be fully alone. Leaving Verdandi to worry about what was coming next. His partners in crime seemed to be less subtle. She felt hostile auras coming for her. Within a quick move she pulled her kunai from it’s holster and jolted it towards the young wolf making him scared and run off quickly. With him being dealt she could concentrate on the more hostile aura’s approaching. They weren’t subtle or hiding. They were summoned by the smell of good food within the air as it came from the very same bar that Verdandi dreamt to have a drink in earlier. Verd was in between them and their prey and they would not take kindly to such blasphemy within a world of prey and predators. She was going to be sacrificed and eventually even replacing part of the meal they were hunting for in the first place.

Verdandi made sure this idea wouldn’t actually come into shape at all. Pulling her Katana from her sleeve Before she made her hand seals to create a myriad of four water clones that would instantly rise into thin air and eventually even surround the two wolves. The four Verdandi’s would step slowly closer. Cornering their enemy as each of them was holding their blade straight forward. At one point when the four Verdandi’s were close enough and the wolves were screaming, roaring and howling at her, they started to feel that they were forced to move here. In a poorly executed attack the first one would launch forth and bite through the palm of a clone, startled by the fact that he was biting on water, the clone reformed itself and lifted his Katana before slowly bringing it down to impale the wolf from above. The second one actually managed to jump at another clone and bite into it’s neck, water splashing between his teeth as his crawls added insult to injury and actually defeated the clone or rather, turning it back into a puddle of water.

The rabid wold was getting angsty and angry at the prospect of it’s partner in crime dead and impaled by the enemy. The smell of blood stirred into its nostrils and with an angry growl it moved forth only to be kicked back down by the real Verd and coldly executed by a coordinated slice of tree Katana’s burying itself into it’s skin. Verd made sure to stab both wolves into their hearts. Making sure they were properly dead and would stay that way. Within that being executed she sheathed her swords and let the clones go ahead and tug the dead animals inside. They would be skinned for fur. Taken for meat, bones turned into tools. Everything used. Animals were a resource here and Verd would honour their dead the way she saw fit. Time would pass and Verd realized that her Kunai that she threw to scare the first wolf off had blood on it. Cursing that realization, she would pick it up and slowly follow it’s trail into the forest. One of the clones would take over the guard duty and the remaining two would make themselves on towards cooking some tasty prime wolf meat….


550 / 1130

Verd was making sure to not get too far away from the gate as the distance might disperse the water clones leaving the civilians to themselves. Not that she didn’t trust them but she was being paid to do this so it’d not be very fair if she just abandoned the post completely while going for her little side quest. Once she arrived at the end of the trail she would find a little cave hole against a large hill nearby. The wolf was whimpering and licking it’s wound and obviously startled as Verdandi tried to enter the cabin. Growling at her she eventually realized that four little wolf cubs were playing with each other, totally ignorant to their mother’s injury and the presence of the intruder. Though after some louder growls they too became startled and tried to quickly hide themselves behind mommy while barking at Verdandi. Verd sighed in return pretty sure that sooner or later they would become an annoyance to the city, one way or another. But she couldn’t really bring herself to wipe them out right here and now. But she eventually had an idea.

With a few seals of her palm she slowly froze the wolves’ lower bodies, including the cubs too. Making sure they were unable to move at all. Then she proceeded to use her very limited skill to fix the mothers wound. Eventually taking them all back to the gate. Verd would keep them frozen and close around the gates corner without bringing them in. She didn’t want the guards to actually see what was going on here. In her little corner behind the walls she would proceed to feed them. With… meat… not necessarily disclosing herself on the point that she basically just created a situation that supported an act of animal cannibalism but well… she was eating some prime wolf meat too and certain that the clones had harvested enough meat from their previous victims to feed half a town. Figuratively spoken. Verd watched the little rascals nomm their way through the steaks and proceeded to organize little medical supplies from the guard’s room. Eventually stitching the wolf back together and making sure the wound was properly cleaned. Using some of her own ice to freeze the skin above and numb her from further pain.

Verdandi was content with how her new friend was fixed up and continued to play a little with the kids. Well mostly her wiggling her fingers and the kids growling at her just unable to bite her cause they were still frozen. With that all done and a good slice of meat between her teeth she would scratch the back of her head and wonder what to do with the little rascals now. Considering that she had no intention to harm them but also no chance to actually indulge into their problem and pain too much. Leaving the little barkers in care of one of the clones she returned to the main gate and sent the remaining two off into the distance to search and hopefully find shelter for the wolves in a less likely area that’d make them collide with Kirigakure… and force someone to slaughter them.


540 / 1670

The clones searched for hours and hours. Verd returned to be in her half-asleep state and contemplated over her latest training, or well, her 'meditation'. The fights with Haka. The encounters at Sero’s mansion. The adventures within. She was thinking of home. Of Heidel and the time she wanted to spend with her sisters. Thinking of hunting down snow wolves not unlike these. But the ones that had a tame personality like this mother. Were often turned into pets for the snow folk. So eventually she had an idea. The morning would come and the ice on the prisoners was about to melt. The babies had fallen asleep and the mother was numb from the cold. It couldn’t have been avoided to keep them safe for now.

Verd walked up to the guard’s room and waited until her replacement stepped up. Making sure to get her time properly stamped on her working card. Once her primary job was over. She’d put the little wolf cubs into a bag and put the mommy on her shoulder. The clones had dispersed now and their findings had returned as knowledge to Verdandi’s mind. A farm not far from here. Maybe two hours…. It’d be a though sprint considering the company she was carrying but still. Good enough. Once she arrived there. Verd would meet up with the village elder. It was a familiar face. She could tell that it was one of the villagers she had saved from bandits before. Perfect. This way she didn’t have to negotiate too long. With something that could be called ‘foot down’ time she’d explain her demands to the farmer. Taking care of the mother and raising the cubs within human environments, letting them hunt the wild in the forest and making sure they wouldn’t turn towards Kiri again as it’d ultimately mean that Verd’s hand would be forced to go forth and slay them anyway.

Just as the deal seemed perfect Verd realized she couldn’t just walk out on them like this. Sighing to herself as she told the village elder to prep her a room, paying with some meat and wolf leathers in return. Verd made sure to make good use of the remaining meat and also properly feed the little monsters again. Verd would stay here for a while. The village elder didn’t complain as she was helping with the fields and even chasing away some more of those nasty bandits that were in the vicinity of the village. She’d watch the little cubs grow into a certain shape and influence them with her own way to become properly attuned and trusting towards the villagers. At last she could be sure they would behave the way she intended for them and slowly gathered her things together. This would have been an easy moment to snatch one of them and train him as her pet but she was certain that her polar bear Avalanche wouldn’t enjoy it if Mistress suddenly brought home another pet that he would have to rival with over her attention. Nah, they belonged here and eventually. They would have a good few years ahead of them.

540 / 2210

It was time to go home. Verd would pack her things and realized that a little guard duty had turned into some sort of foster parenting she didn’t really plan for ahead. Within that realization she yet wondered why those other wolves had become so aggressive whilst this family was so pure and peaceful it was technically an easy task to turn them into human companions. Verd decided to go after this mystery and made her way back to the guard post. Once there she heard that multiple attacks had been reported from rabid wolves against the ninja on guard duty here. Too many to simply call it a coincidence.

Verd would return to the cave she had found the wolves in. Nothing there anymore. But there must be a bigger nest… somewhere nearby. She searched for a good hour but couldn’t find anything. Eventually she could hear the laughter of humans though. Verd slowly concealed herself as good as possible and approached them as they sat by the fire. Listening to their tales and stories. Annoying little bratty bandits. Verd was already looking forward to toy with them. But one of them eventually mentioned ‘the cage’ which made her suspicious. But they weren’t going to pop all the fun information’s just like that. Verd would have to…. Persuade them. After half an hour. Five dead bandits and a last one coated completely in a block of ice. Verd had gotten all the info’s she wanted.

They were training wolves to become highly aggressive towards humans in a place they named ‘the cage’ needless to say Verd would pay them a visit now. The location was not too far away but the entrance was something she wouldn’t have found without specific location pin pointers. Entering the trapdoor into the cave system below would place Verdandi in a situation where she could see around twenty very weak bandits torturing caged wolves before letting them attack captures civilians and kill them. A gruesome sight. It was only fair that Verd made her way through this cave by cutting the bandits feet, either wounded or completely off. Stockpiling them in the large cage and of course…. Letting the well-trained wolves have their feast upon them.

Verd wasn’t a cruel monster by nature. But she always had a very wicked sense upon what would mean to be a fair type of revenge for monsters like these. They deserved to taste the very weapons they had designed to harm others. However, Verd would proceed to painlessly kill the remaining wolves and burn their corpses on the pile of bandits alike. She didn’t want to but they sadly had already been too corrupted to return them back into the light. With a soft sigh and a heavy heart towards the cruel bloodstain she had to go through. Verd returned back to the guard post. For once she was sure she earned herself the extra pay offered for extra effort. Considering that she probably found the source of all the wolf attacks and eliminated this one once and for all.

[EXIT]

520 / 2730

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