As Strafe opened his eyes that morning, excitement shot out of them like a beam from a light bulb. Today was a special day for him. As he sat up and rushed out of his bed, he didn't need the usual stretch or eye rub. He was awake quite a bit more than usual. He rushed to the closet and grabbed some pants. He struggled to get them on as he was overly excited, but eventually conquered the attire. He threw on a shirt and ran to get his shoes. He slipped them on and grabbed his equipment before heading out the door in a blur of speed. He basically jumped down the wooden staircase and moved towards the door. He opened it and locked it in one smooth motion before exiting his place and closing it behind him. He peered out into the drab yard he owned to see his friend waiting for him as usual.

Momaru stood their majestically in the sunlight as he smiled. He saw Strafe exit his home and nodded towards the Sannin. How Momaru knew what time to be at Strafe's door every morning was beyond what the ninja could fathem. He choose not to be bothered with it and ran out to meet the animal. "You ready? We get to travel today!" Strafe said with a smile as he vaulted onto the large feline as usual. "Quite ready. I've never be too the Village Hidden in the Leaves before, so this will be new for both of us." The lion's baritone was soothing and exciting at the same time. Well, everything was exciting when you were as happy as Strafe was. Once Strafe was positioned correctly, he turned and they took off towards the gate of Kirigakure.

It seemed like forever, but it was only a few short minutes. That was the time it took to get to the gate. Momaru was amazing at many things, and running was one of them. As the duo approached the gate, Strafe turned to smile and wave at the guards. They had already been filled in about his trip today and waved back. "Be careful Strafe!" One yelled to him as he crossed their path. "I will!" Strafe screamed back before Momaru took off like a bolt of lighting out of Zeus' hand. He always managed to impress Strafe with his speed, and the lion was not even running at full speed. "If you keep this pace up, you will tire out quickly." Strafe said to the lion as he watched the area around him for any sudden movements. "Watch me keep it up." Momaru said with a grin as he continued towards the Fire Country.

IF the trip to the gate seemed like forever, this trip easily seemed like an eternity. It only took an hour to get too the boat that they would ride to the Fire Country's border. That was the short part. However, once they got on the boat, the speed was reduced quite a bit. Strafe sat in the back of the boat and twiddled his thumbs while the beast sat at his feet. It was an odd site when you looked at it. Momaru was probably five times the size of the Sannin, and yet he would be loyal to Strafe until the day he died. Strafe smiled as the thought of the opportunity to see and experience another country. Considering that the leaf village was an ally to the mist, he knew that he wouldn't be treated badly. When Kirigakure burned down from the attack by Hao, the leaf was the village that stepped up and helped them. That was a debt he planned on repaying in any way possible.

As Strafe stepped off the boat, he realized that he was in the Fire Country. Momaru was soon behind him and Strafe jumped into the air to land on the beast. It was time to get to Konohagakure. It wasn't far from what he had been told, so Momaru took off once again with blistering speed as they headed towards the village hidden in the leafs.

-Exit Thread-

Word Count: 694/600