At first she didn’t even dare to look back, fearing that she might catch the men following her. After some time, however, the feeling of anxiousness would gradually fade. She pulled the hood far over her face out of habit; a habit she had lived with for two years now. There was still that tinge of insecurity inside her ever since her mother’s death. Thinking of her mother automatically made her thoughts go to her father as well. How was he? Had Razor been speaking the truth – Could they really protect her Dad from the Karisuma clansmen?
The way she was taking led to the Earth Country, to the village Iwagakure. Another fact that was giving her a headache. She didn’t like Iwa. Not at all. And on the other hand, she hated prejudices. Misoka sighed. In fact, she only disliked the events connected to Iwagakure, this horrible incident she’d had to go through. It was the memory of the three Iwa-nins threatening her and killing her mother. Of course she shouldn’t apply one thing to another accordingly. She shouldn’t be afraid of all Iwa men now. But she couldn’t help it. Emotions were weird and unpredictable.
The girl kept moving, every now and then taking a look at the map to make sure she was still heading in the right direction.
Hours passed by which stretched into a whole day. When the sun set down and darkness fell upon her, Misoka looked for a place to rest. A spot under a big tree seemed to meet her needs.
She sat on the moss partially covered with leaves and leaned against the trunk. The woods looked always more dangerous during night-time. Blankly staring into the darkness, she remembered all the scary tales she used to listen to as a child. ‘And then the bad man came around, searching for the little girl…’
She tried to recall the ending of the stories, but her mind felt hazy. The tiredness was getting to her bit by bit until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

The next days went by without any serious incidents. Once she had run into a single bandit who didn’t stand a chance against her, though. Quite the contrary, their unexpected meeting had left Misoka with supplies and a good coat which reached below her waist. It kept her warm at times when the wind was trying to give her goose bumps. What she was still missing, however, was company. After three days without saying anything, she caught herself thinking sarcastically if she could speak in general. In addition to that, another feeling crept up inside her: loneliness. It was this loneliness which constantly reminded her of her friends and family who she had left behind in Suna. It kept confronting her with the painful questions whether she would ever see them again and whether she planned to live this way forever. Always running away. Hiding. Of course she planned not to. But did she have a chance? Going to the clan was no alternative. Wasn’t it?

A disturbing noise gave her something else to think about. Some merchants were coming her way, chatting with each other happily. She decided to hide because she didn’t want them to see her and get any ideas. So the girl stayed behind a tree until the merchants had passed her.
The journey went on. She walked for another hour, then she saw a path leading into a town. ‘This must be it,’ Misoka thought, her heart sinking at the same time. The initial fear of Iwa kicked in right away. Again, she pulled the hood down as though it would make her invisible. Breathing in and out, she finally took a step forward.

[Exit Thread]