Disaster had befallen Sunagakure. Thick black smoke not belonging to its smithies had crawled up, followed shortly by the screams of the devastated. The dead count was high. None was spared as debris flew around, wounding unsuspecting passers. Whereas civilians ran into one direction, the shinobi forces of Sunagakure ran into another to face an unknown threat. Destruction roared, chaos prevailed, the hidden village was falling.

The monks of Inari didn't get spared. As jutsu after jutsu crashed the labyrinth of streets that formed the Bazaar, the monks gathered what little they had within their temple and moved away, following the crowd towards the only exit that seemed to be available. Unlike the crowds, most of them were calm and kept their minds sober. Kits and carry bags alike were carried upon the backs of the adults, tails of young and old swishing alike. Kitsune and nogitsune cared little for their usual defences, creating the perfect harmony between both philosophies to keep the marching troupe of monks save and the aiding of lost civilians alike. Among them were Akemi and her daughter, Ami. They had recently arrived in Sunagakure to find a new home, settling with their own kin while Akemi worked on gaining a foothold in the new Village - work opportunities, mostly. All of that had changed in a single moment when a group of foreigner decided for whatever reason their minds could think of to assault a hidden Village and kill the thousands of innocents whom lived there in self-imposed righteousness. The world was a cruel place, they said, but there was a difference between being an ass, and starting a genocide while drunk on power.

However, Akemi would not be the one to walk up to them and slap her hand across their faces in hopes to bring some clarity in their fogged minds - neither would the hundred of shinobi being killed on the battlefield, unfortunately. She had a child to take care of, a future to build up for the kit she carried on her back, and as such her choice had been made: safety first. She, like most of the surviving Shinko, were moving away to a different place. A safer place. There were several places where they could go, since they were a scattered clan, but the elder of the temple had decided upon Kirigakure. As a place known to for its hardships, the kitsune of Inari would be a welcome sight to help those in need that couldn't handle the pressure, while the nogitsune of the temple would be more than willing to test their mettle in the shadier areas of the Village. The perfect playground for a trickster clan as them.

As the caravan of monks moved on, more and more people gathered up. Some were drawn by their calm and collected demeanour, hoping to find a foothold and guide in the ensuing chaos, others were drawn in by the clan's chakra molding abilities that allowed them to weave protective means to provide shelter against the falling debris. More even were drawn in about the large amount of tails present, as every Shinko had at least one of those. While it had been possible to spot a Shinko on his own with its tails out, it was much easier to spot the entire collective of tailed monks. Naturally, being considered civilians foremost, not all those whom flocked towards the ever growing troupe were mere people. Shinobi joined, having been given missions to escort the fleeing civilians to safety, and likewise, bandits hoped to pry on the weaker of the flock. Unfortunately, facing a caravan of chakra users was not their greatest idea.

Eventually, the caravan was able to leave the immediate danger of the assaulted Village, ending into the raging winds that were typical to the Lands of Winds. Even there, lost people seeing the mass of movement ran up in hopes to find shelter, some not even caring any longer where they were walking to, shocked by the aggression and lost in their personal grief as friends and family were found dead, or simply left behind in the chaos. They found a caring shoulder with the compassionate kitsune of the clan, but no matter how much fate and wisdom was passed on... the dead never returned.

---

719

Nova had finally determined the city to be unsafe to stay in. She has spent the better part of her morning helping some of the villagers evacuate their homes, her puppets ability to climb wall was useful in the destruction around her and she was able to help people evacuate from second floors where the first floor entrance had caved in. Feeling somewhat exhausted from her efforts she decided to quickly return home to pack and then leave the village as well. Steering Kurogokegamu in the direction of her small building, she made her way through though the throngs of people moving through the city with everything they held dear. She was pressing against the herd, pressing against the wall to try to be out of the way. The further into the city, the emptier the streets; the residue of people leaving shown clear on the streets of Suna. There were windows boarded up to try to protect the home while people were away, hopeful that their homes would still be there to return to one day. There were none of the pets that people let wander around the streets in the mid-day sun about, and there was no sound of festivities or daily activity. The only sound in the streets was the hushed talking withing groups, fearful and worried about the day to come.

Kurogokegamu skittered up the steps to her Novas home and collapsed gently beside the door. Letting her justu end, Nova released the restraints that held her into place and hopped out the top of her puppet, and dropped heavily to the ground. She swung open her door to her somewhat bare room, and started to form a mental list of all the things she needed to gather. The only things she refused to leave without was her set of tools for puppet-crafting. Other than those essential items, she would only pack what clothes she could fit by her feet inside of the puppet. Walking over to her work desk she glanced at the in work projects she would be leaving behind, she felt a pang of sadness and what she could only classify as homesickness. She had lived here for several years and had made the small space her own, this entire half of her room was dedicated to her craft. Previous renditions of Kurogokegamu sat in corners gathering dust and reminded her of her growth here. There were several smaller pieces littering the desk itself, varying from a magnifying glass that could be mounted on a book that she had been working on to give to the librarian she had helped with a mission not long ago. She grabbed a sheet from her linen closet and laid it out on the bed, grabbing each tool from its spot above her desk to be carefully packed. It was a large collection that she had spend a long time creating and they were essential to her now. Each metal piece was delicately placed in the sheet and once they were all together Nova bundled them all up in the sheet and put the wrapped up mass inside a travel bag. Setting that by the door she started scouring the room for any other essentials. She grabbed a small box that she kept stored under the top her bed and opened it, ensuring its contents was still there. Though she did not have much, all the ryo she had in the world, in addition to all her personal documents, was stored inside this wooden and silver inlaid box with a floral motif that she had inherited from her deceased parents. It had been one of the few items that had been salvaged from the fire that had lost her her leg, it had been a handmade gift from her father to her mother when he began courting her. Tucking that inside the same bag of her tools she grabbed one more travel bag that she hoped would fit beside her feet inside the puppet. This one she filled up with a limited wardrobe that included several plain tank tops, another long skirt, a short skirt, and a pair of trousers, along with all her intimates.

Grabbing her two bags, she headed out the door. She swung the clothes pack with ease and tossed it into the footspace of her puppet, however her pack with tools was heavy and she intended to be delicate with it. Carefully hoisting the bag with both hands she gently set it tucked between two of the cushions inside. It would not be nearly as comfortable a trip, but it would keep her tools and the precious box far safer. After making sure everything was in place, she turned and locked the door to her home, wondering if and when she would return here. A slight look of uneasiness on her face, Nova climbed inside her puppet and wove the emerald chakra strings she used to control her puppet. The puppet jolted to life and she headed off in the direction of the West gate, the final destination in mind Kiri. The town was quickly emptying, making Nova's trek through the village an easy one. She reached the gate in no time, where two higher ranking ninja were patrolling, trying to direct the mass exodus from Suna. One was occupied with a frantic looking mother who had not been able to locate her child since the fighting had broken out. Nova edged her puppet close to try to overhear the conversation. The higher ranking ninja seemed to be informing her that there were several children who were unattended when the chaos started breaking loose, and that they had been grouped with the Inari monks who were headed in the direction of Kiri. Interjecting herself in the conversation, Nova spoke, “Ma'am, if you would like I could escort you to group of monks, I myself am headed in that direction”. The woman looked worriedly at the bizarre contraption the auburn and emerald haired girl rode, but the look on her face told Nova that she would be willing to overcome many fears to find her child. Nodding determinedly the woman slung her bag further on her back and nodded, “ Thank you much child, it takes great kindness to make an offer like that”. The older ninja gave Nova a silent look of gratitude and Nova got the sense that the man was more suited to the battlefield than to be directing frantic people.

Kurogokegumo ambled along the sand at a easy pace to allow the woman to easily keep at her side. The sun beat down on the, and the wind whipped sand up into their face and eyes, but that did not slow the pair down. Nova looked with interest at the determined expression the woman wore. She looked aged, but not unattractive. She looked like a mother, brown hair pulled back tight and kind lines around her mouth and eyes. The expression reminded her of her own mother, a fierce protector and caring heart. She was glad she was able to help in such a way, and truly hoped that they would find her child among the monks.

Nova had never personally met the monks, but had  on occasions seem them traveling to and from the temple. The only reason she recognized the name is because when she was younger she had asked her mother why those people had tails and she didn't, in that way learning of the Shinkō clan. Off in the distance Nova saw a dusty cloud arising from the dunes, and below the cloud she thought she could make out the outlines of several people walking in a large caravan. Gesturing in that direction she spoke to the woman, “I think we have come upon them, if we can travel at this speed for just a little longer I'm certain we could catch up with them.” Kurogokegumos thin legs danced across the ground silently next to the woman's footsteps, she had started walking faster upon Nova's pointing out of the group they were approaching.

Now only slightly behind the traveling party, the swaying tails the Shinkō clan sported now visible. Near the back of the group walking somewhat away from the rest of the group was an ash blond woman, whos tail indicated she was one of the Shinkō, strode onward, a toddler strapped to her back somehow dozing off. Approaching from her right, Nova spoke loudly to try to get her attention, “Ma'am, sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you might be able to help us. This lady here has been unable to find there child, and we were told some of the children who were lost were sent with the Inari monks to travel for safety”

[1472 word count]

Chakra 125/130:

The parade through the desert moved on slowly. The sand under their feet made travel harder than it already was, what with all the luggage and the people of varying ages and the wind made it hard to get a feeling if they were walking to the right direction, but it moved on. As long as they would not hold still, there was a chance they'd get away from the chaos and reach safer lands. Hope burned brightly within them all, which Akemi credited to the Flame of Inari that regularly was being shared with the others, but its expression seemed most apparent in the cacophony of songs that rose up from the group. Shinko chanting mixed with the songs of he hopeful. It was oddly endearing as it staved off the horrible memory of what was currently transpiring in Sunagakure.

Looking over her shoulder to see if Ami was doing alright, the nogitsune heard a voice from behind her which tried to surpass the howls of the wind.

"Ma'am, sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you might be able to help us. This lady here has been unable to find there child, and we were told some of the children who were lost were sent with the Inari monks to travel for safety”

Ami, who had been dozing off by the cadence of the march and song, snapped her head up and the two of them looked behind them to see an older woman and a girl. Akemi halted for a moment, twin tails swishing playfully as she helped Ami get down from her back and urged her kit to run to another monk nearby for a moment. As the two strangers arrived, Akemi formed the fox hand seal, clapped her hands and grabbed the elder woman's hands in a warm gesture of welcoming, allowing her chakra to reinvigorate the woman by bolstering her endurance against the hardships of life.

"Blessings of Inari upon you two. I'm happy to see you were able to find us safely.", she said, letting go of the woman's hands and pointed at the crowd that marched further up. "Come, allow yourself to catch your breath for a moment and sit on the mule over there."

As Akemi guided the two of them to the appointed mule, its owner briefly halted so the woman could safely mount the mule. In the meantime, the nogitsune assessed the general health of the teenager's next to her. Nova too showed signs of exhaustion, and as such Akemi requested a second monk to bestow the blessing of Inari upon the child. After a similar hand seal, a clap and a brief touch of the monk's hands upon her front, the warmth of the blessing would help alleviate some of the weariness she suffered. While the monk was blessing Nova, Akemi took a basket with some rations and offered a loaf of bread and a gourd of water to the two new companions. While it wasn't much, she hoped it would help them to regain some of their strength for the long trek that had yet to come.

Eventually, driven by curiosity, Ami returned to her mother and eyed the teenager with the large spider puppet in safety from behind her mother's legs. Wrapping her tails over her child in a comforting gesture, Akemi smiled at Ami before addressing Nova in turn.

"It was kind of you to help out the woman. The caravan is heading towards Kirigakure. I'm not sure what the shinobi of Sunagakure orders are, but you are welcome to travel with us if you so wish. You could safely drop your luggage on the sleigh over there."

She pointed at a rather long sleigh serving as a makeshift cart that was being pulled by several oxes. It was obvious it had first served as a wheeled cart, but as the shifting sands of Sunagakure's desert made it impossible to move forward, the cart had been transformed into a sort of sleight that easily glided over the sea of sand. A temporary solution until the road allowed the use of wheels again.

"That said, this is Ami, my daughter, and I'm Akemi.", introducing themselves, she ruffled her daughter's hair, who pulled away her head in defiance. "Should your duties require you to return to Sunagakure, however, would you mind if I requested your help to find the woman's child prior to that? Two pair of eyes are better than one, hm?"
"Can I help too?"
"Of course, dear.", she replied to Ami before moving her attention back to Nova so she could catch the teenager's answer. While it was true Akemi hadn't seen any sign that the puppet user before her was actually affiliated to Sunagakure, the spider puppet was enough to know she too was able to mold chakra. As such, the nogitsune considered it the safest bet to assume she was a trained shinobi burdened by duties rather than a ronin looking out for her own. That's to say... not considering the current chaos of which Akemi was fairly certain it would drive some towards defection.

---

872
Total: 1591

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Nova gratefully swallowed a few mouthfuls of cool water from the gourd she had been handed. The beautiful fox-tailed woman before her spoke, "It was kind of you to help out the woman. The caravan is heading towards Kirigakure. I'm not sure what the shinobi of Sunagakure orders are, but you are welcome to travel with us if you so wish. You could safely drop your luggage on the sleigh over there."  She handed the gourd back after another mouthful, then climbed clumsily out of her seat in the puppet. Fingers twitching, Kurogokegamu skittered over the sand to the sleigh being pulled, tucked its legs in tight and fell motionless as Nova ended the flow emerald chakra from her fingertips. She was grateful of the slow pace of the mass of people, it would give her a break from the chakra drain that was traveling in her puppet and allow her to stretch her good leg. Nova pulled her shawl around her arms as the wind whipped around them, trying to protect herself from the sting of the sand buffeting her skin. The long skirt that she wore was also being tugged at by the wind, flowing horizontally from the slit up the side. Her right leg was smooth and she wore a beaded sandal on that foot, but as the wind revealed her left leg it showed a different sight, just under the knee the smooth pale skin of her leg ended, and an ornately carved wooden calf began, curving gracefully into a wooden foot, etched with designs.


"That said, this is Ami, my daughter, and I'm Akemi.", the silver haired woman spoke, ruffling her small child's hair. Nova stuck her hand out to Akemi, a tired smile on her face, “My name is Nova, Nova Makato. It's lovely to meet you, and thank you for the water.”, Nova knelt down  in front of the short girl clumsily, her faux leg stiff, and stuck her hand out to her and continued, “Hello Ami, it is lovely to meet you as well” Ami hid behind her mothers leg shyly, before sticking her small hand out to meet Nova's. Nova smiled warmly at the girl and stood back up, smoothing her skirt and addressed Akemi once more, “Due to the chaos that has befallen Suna, I had decided to travel to Kiri for the time being. I will return when the city is no longer a dangerous place to be. I was about to leave myself and overheard the woman's pleas for help and offered to escort her as I would be heading in the same direction as her. She is a very determined woman, I'm sure she would have made the trek herself had noone stopped to offer her aid..... regardless. I am more than glad to help any who need out of that war zone.” The woman smiled at Nova. "Should your duties require you to return to Sunagakure, however, would you mind if I requested your help to find the woman's child prior to that? Two pair of eyes are better than one, hm?". Ami piped in from beneath her mothers silver tails"Can I help too?""Of course, dear." Akemi responded, patting her daughters head once more.

“I would not mind at all, though not an official mission I will follow my promise through to the end. All I ask is that I might travel with this group the whole way to Kiri. I will contribute all the aid I can.”, spoke Nova proudly, her long auburn hair whipped about her face, the teal tips shining in the light. She walked over to the woman she had escorted slowly, her faux leg an impediment to walking in the sand. Her face was less flustered and red now that she had sat for a moment and had something to drink. “I am glad to see you looking better ma'am, now if you would like, let us help search for the child.” Nova said warmly, resting her hand on the womans shoulder. “Of course, her name is Kiki, she is only four,” ,she raised her hand to ust above her hip and continued, “she stands about this tall, she has black hair that's braided down the back. When I saw her last she was wearing a pale blue dress with butterflies on the bottom.” The mother's eyes sparkled with tears that gathered in the corner as she spoke. Akemi took the mothers hand, and started guiding her through the flock of people. Nova followed slowly behind, trying her best to keep up without straining herself to far. She scanned the crowd for a girl of that description, or perhaps a group of children that seemed to be the group that was sent with the monks. Not seeing anything she watched the trio from slightly behind, smiling at the sight of the young girl clinging to her mothers leg. It reminded her of herself when she was young, trailing her mother everywhere. Akemi herself reminded Nova of her own mother with the sweet tone and warm demeanor that seemed so natural to her.

Falling behind she picked up the pace and caught up with them as the came upon a large group of children being attended to by some of the more elderly monks, some of the youngest resting upon the elders shoulders rather than walking. The children all looked uneasy and alone, they must have been the ones not near their families when chaos struck. They spread out through the crowd, looking for the girl in the pale blue dress. “Kiki! Kiki honey!”, Nova heard the mother shouting through the crowd. Off to her left, a small voice piped up, “Mama? Mama?!” Nova looked to see the little girl that she had been described looking about for her mothers voice. Striding over to her, in a soft comforting voice Nova beckoned the girl, “ Kiki dear, hi, my name is Nova, I'm here helping your mother look for you.” Nervous and scared  walked over to her and stretched her arms up. Hoisting the girl up on her good hip, Nova streamlined to where Kiki's mother, Akemi, and Ami had gathered when hearing the girls voice. The second she saw her mothers smiling face she shouted, “Mama! Mama I was so scared!” She practically jumped into her mothers arms, snuggling into her and hugging her hard. Nova had to stifle a tear from falling down her cheek, “what a sweet girl” she thought to herself.

[1098 word count]

Chakra 120/130:

Akemi nodded at Nova's request to remain with the group. She was more than welcome to do so, much like everyone else had been so far. While it made the sharing of food and water harder with every new head, the kitsune of the Shinko were of a mind that with new heads new talents were added, and thus the options towards survival would only broaden as such. There would always be someone who knew a thing the other didn't. To the nogitsune, it was knowledge ripe for the picking. The more they knew, the less they'd have to rely onto others, allowing their own growth to flourish. Still, even then, there was no denying that a brief relation was required to achieve this - given or stolen, it was almost impossible to learn something by their own without someone else already knowing this.

"You are most welcome to stay with us, Nova.", she replied, her eyes lighting up for a moment. "We're not luxurious, but every head brings in new talents. I'm sure your puppetting technique, or the insight thereof, will be a great asset along the road."

Akemi had noticed the difficulties Nova had suffered from, but the way the girl kept up her chin, strong and proud despite her lost leg, the nogitsune had refrained from offering help, turning compassion into respect instead. When Nova returned to the woman to inquire about the lost child, Akemi and Ami followed, listening to the description of the child. Black hair, long and braided. A pale blue dress with butterflies. She knew having seen a child with that description, remembering her thoughts on how well the braid looked on her, but she couldn't recall whereabouts she had seen the kid. Sunken in thoughts, Akemi looked towards the front of the caravan, being fairly certain that it had to be around the middle somewhere.

"If my memory serves me well, I saw a little girl with that description. I think she should be somewhere at the middle of the caravan, if she hasn't moved around since."

She offered her hand to the woman to help her off the cart she was resting on, and proceeded to guide her and her child through the ever moving crowd. It was impressive how many people had already flocked towards the caravan, and all together sad how many had lost friend, family and home. Once they had reached the middle section, the group found themselves in the middle of a collective of kids and elders, so Akemi reached out to the nearby monks asking if they hadn't seen a child fitting the given description, whereas the mother shouted hearable and Nova looked around the crowd on her own. Just as one of the monks pointed Akemi in the right direction, the lost child reared its head to shout back at the familiar voice it had heard, followed by Nova showing up a few seconds later. Eventually they all gathered together again to enjoy the reunion of mother and daughter, unlocking a smile on the nogitsune's face who tenderly pulled Ami closer in empathy. Akemi quietly wishes she'd never have to suffer anything like this with Ami.

"It's heart warming to see you two together again."

And a far better end to the story than having two more lost hearts in the crowd.


Leaving the pair to their well-deserved happiness, Akemi's gaze shifted to the spider puppet for a moment, then back to Nova. She had seen bunraku puppets before, controlled by the shinobi of Sunagakure, but none as exotic as this one. Most of them remained close to a humanoid construct, even if some had extra arms or eyes or compartments, but to see a spider... it was a fairly unique taste that piqued the nogitsune's curiosity and as such she moved over to Nova.

"I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, but I just had to thank you for your help despite ah...", she left the rest of her sentence unspoken, subtly nudging in the direction of her leg. "It couldn't have been easy for you to stride through the sand like this."

---

704
Total: 2295

Nova was used to the inquiring looks about the puppet and her leg, though more often than not the one expressing interest was not bold enough to voice their questions. She smiled as Akemi as she spoke, "I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, but I just had to thank you for your help despite ah...", she left the rest of her sentence unspoken, subtly nudging in the direction of her leg. "It couldn't have been easy for you to stride through the sand like this." Nova shrugged, “It is what it is, besides if I had been to troubled I would have just ridden around in Kurogokegamu. That's why I made him of course, due to this thing,”, she gestured to her missing limb and tapped the prosthetic to the sand, “I've never quite been able to keep up. When I was younger I was unable to keep up with kids my age, already able to sprint up walls an the like. In my workshop one day I saw a spider climb up my windowsill, and was inspired. Kurogokegamu travels everywhere. I made every piece of him myself, it took me months to complete him”. Nova smiled proudly and looked at the puppet, it's black shell glinting in the bright sun. “I've been fascinated by them ever since..... I try to style my puppet after a true spider, with webs and whatnot, its really incredible how they work.”, Nova ran her hand along the spindly metal leg that she had meticulously crafted to be accurate after studying a spiders anatomy.

After running her finger along the leg, she smiled and looked down at the little girl, “would you like to ride inside him for a moment? Hes very comfortable.”. Ami looked warily at the mechanical spider and up at her mom, cautiously curious. Akemi gave her daughter a reassuring nod and nudged her out from her hiding spot beneath her tails. Nova kneeled down to the girl and smiled, reaching her arms out to pick her up.

She hoisted the girl up on her hip and slid her into Kurogokegamu's cushioned seat and then started her weaving the chakra strings to move the puppet around. The puppet jumped to life and the small girl inside yelped, just her head sticking out the top and looking around wide-eyed. Nova started out slow walking the puppet back and forth between her and Akemi, and as Ami grew more bold she increased the speed, making the puppet a brief relief from the stress of the long trek they had before them. She smiled at Akemi again, “your daughter is lovely, she seems very kind. You are lucky to have eachother”. The girl was now giggling from within the spider, enjoying the new entertainment on the boring journey. “I hope you have a second puppet, I don't think we will ever get her out of there now”, Akemi said lightheartedly. “She can ride in it until we get there if she would like, it will ease the pain of having to make this journey” Nova said, glad to be able to make the young girl happy.

[Exit thread]
[534 word count]

Total word count 3104:

Chakra 115/130: