Mission Taken – Merchant Escort:

A yawn broke the stoney silence of her bedroom as Kaia Mai began to wake up. It was rather early in the morning compared to when she normally woke up, about five o’clock in the morning, but there was a reason for her waking up at this time: she had a mission she had to get ready for. She had been given the mission the previous day – she was to escort a small band of merchants to the next team waiting to take over – about a day and a half worth of a journey. She knew an advanced team had already cleared the way: she was simply there as added security and to make the merchants comfortable.

She threw the blankets off of herself and jumped out of bed. Once standing she stretched skyward so that she was standing on the very tips of her toes and fingers were pointed straight up towards the ceiling. She kept that stance for several seconds before relaxing with a pleased sigh. From there she moved over to her dresser where her outfit was already waiting for her: a pair of black knee length shorts with mesh netting going down the rest of her legs, her black shinobi sandals, a black mesh netting long sleeved top with a black top to go over top of that whose sleeves would go down to her elbows, and appropriate under-garments. With her outfit in her arms she went and wandered out of her bedroom and into the hallway. She looked up and down the hallway, wondering if her fathers were awake yet before crossing the hall into the empty bathroom.

She closed the door behind herself, striped out of her pajamas, and jumped into the shower. A quick wash later and she was dried off and dressed. She went back into her room and did a quick brush of her hair before throwing it back into a ponytail that she then braided and swirled into a bun – she had learned from past experience that a ponytail could be used against her. She then secured her village headband around her head; using it to keep any stay pieces of hair back and out of her face.

Now that she was ready she headed into the kitchen with a small bag; she grabbed some fruit and stuck it in the small big as well as some water. She grabbed some breakfast off of the stove that had been made beforehand and ate; quickly. As she took bites and chewed them she kept a close eye on the clock – she didn’t want to be late after all. When she finished eating she quickly rinsed off and washed her dishes she used before placing them in the draining rack and heading out of the door.

She had nearly fifteen minutes to go before she would have been considered late…

Word Count: 478 / 1,000

Kaia Mai made good time as she moved across the village to the main gates that the particular mission she was on started at. Of the fifteen minutes she had before she would be considered late she made it with five to spare. She had ran the majority of the way but had ensured she didn’t push herself too hard and end up tiring herself out sooner rather than later.

Her running slowed to a jog and then to a walk as she crossed the last several feet that divided her from the merchants she was to be escorting. When they noticed her they began to look around, but no one so much as Tanama Housuki. “What? We ask for an escort and the village sends a child to do the task?”, he asked, causing the laughter of his fellow friends and merchants.

Kaia Mai didn’t let their reactions bother her – she knew it was just something to be expected given her age and size. “I assure you, sir, I’m more than qualified for the task ahead.”, she responded with.

Her way of speaking, the way she sounded older than she looked, caused the merchants laughter to die down and them to take a closer look at her. She gave them a moment to speculate in silence about her before she raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the village gates. “Shall we get started then?” The merchants blinked and then started to walk in silence out of the village gate.

Kaia Mai had hoped that this would solve their speculations as to her capability in keeping them safe and escorting them to the next team she was going to hand them off to, but time would tell. The merchants moved slowly given the goods and wares they carried and Kaia Mai made sure not to push them too hard: if they tired out before nightfall then the trip would take even longer and she wanted to get this over with as quickly and safely as possible.

After the initial embarrassment and shock was over from them realizing Kaia Mai wasn’t just an average child the merchants began to chat amongst themselves softly. They traded jokes and stories: including some horrifying sounding ones of being held up by bandits and robbers. On several occasions Kaia Mai found herself having to remind them that another group had already gone ahead to ensure the path was cleared and she was simply there for added protection.

The journey was slow and steady but they were getting there one step at a time…

Word Count: 428 + 478 = 906 / 1,000

As night began to fall around them and darkness began to creep in Kaia Mai heard the merchants beginning to complain that they were tired. So, the group stepped off of the well beaten path and into a nearby clearing. Kaia Mai kept watch while they skillfully set up camp: it was obviously something the traveling merchants were all too used to. Kaia Mai had no intentions of sleeping since it was her job to keep the merchants safe and that was what she planned on doing.

It took the merchants little to no time at all to finish setting up camp and to get a roaring fire going. While they began to roast meat and cook for themselves Kaia turned her attention to her pack; pulling out an apple and a bottle of water. She worked on her food and drink from a position several feet up in a tree: able to see the entire camp and surrounding areas.

She kept watch as the merchants turned in for the night; tucking themselves away in make-shift tents. Within minutes she could hear snoring kick in – apparently they had been more exhausted than she had originally figured. But, with the merchants sleeping it allowed her to focus on the sounds around her: the very forest seeming to come to life as true night fell.

Several hours into the night; just as the first streaks of light were beginning to peak across the sky Kaia heard the sound of something odd: it was too heavy to be one of the rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, or other small animals running around – no this had to be something much worse. The animal was moving towards the camp and from the sound of the snorting it sounded like a wild pig. Kaia Mai focused on the sound and soon spotted the wild boar. She climbed down from the tree as the angry looking creature entered into the clearing. One of the merchants was on his way out of the tent to empty his bladder when the wild boar spotted him and charged.

The merchant shrieked in fear and Kaia Mai dived forward. She tackled the wild boar, taking one of the stones from the nearby smoldering fire place. She bashed the pig in the head several times, eventually killing the thing three blows later.

With a grunt she got to her feet, dusting herself off. While she had been busy killing the wild boar the other merchants had popped their heads out of their tents to watch – and all were rather awed by Kaia Mai’s abilities. However, she didn’t focus on these things and instead just simply looked to them. “Come on, let’s get packed up and moving, eh?”

The merchants got busy; several of them pausing long enough to pack up the wild boar as its meat would sell rather well in the market they were heading too and there was no point in wasting the dead animal after all.

Word Count: 495 + 906 = 1,401

When the merchants were ready they got back onto the road and moving. The journey wasn’t going to take much longer given how far they had made it before the merchants had wanted to take a break: they likely could have continued on through the night and made it by two or three in the morning but there had been no point in making the merchants suffer. Besides, now they had some food or rather a wild boar to sell on top of their other goods.

The merchants seemed far more confident in her abilities after the display back at their camp and were more joking and carefree as they traveled. Kaia Mai couldn’t help but smile: this was just something she knew she was going to have to get used to. People were going to doubt her due to her size and age up until she proved themselves and there truly was no point in allowing it to bother her.

Several hours of traveling later and she handed the merchants off at the gates of the next stop. She waved goodbye to them and ensured they were safe before turning and heading back towards home: this time the journey wasn’t going to take nearly as long since she could move at her own natural speeds and wouldn’t have to stop to rest. She couldn’t wait to get home to tell her fathers about her little adventure: the first mission she took of this sort being a complete and total success.

Word Count: 251 + 1,401 = 1,652 / 1,000