Prologue
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She jumped through the trees, dodging kunai knives and shuriken throwing stars. She looked back over her shoulder as she ran, splitting her attention between what was in front of her and what was behind. Was she still being followed? Duh. Of course she was. Her followers were the type that, when given an order, would not stop until their mission was
fulfilled or they were dead. There were less than before. Had some given up? It was possible, but not probable. Five teams of ninja dropped in front of her from above the canopy. The young woman nearly fell off the branch she had just landed on. Unable to move forward or back, she crouched, waiting till her pursuers were almost upon her, then she uncoiled her legs like springs and shot straight up to the crown of the tree. Below her, the ninjas crashed into each other.
"Heh," she smirked. That should keep them off her back for at least a few precious moments. She brought her thumb and forefinger to the corners of her mouth and blew, producing a whistle that was almost too high-pitched for human ears to hear.
Wssh!
A moment later, a large hawk swooped silently from the clouds to hover beside the young woman. The hawk opened its beak and spoke. It had a deep, majestic, yet almost teenager-like voice.
"C'mon, let's go," the hawk said and flapped a bit closer so the young woman could put her arms around its thick neck. The hawk hovered, waiting for the woman to settle on its back. Once its rider had settled, the hawk flapped it's giant wings, gaining height, and
Shh-thnk!
A shuriken throwing star of giant proportions flew from behind and below and embedded itself in the young woman's back. She grunted and slumped forward on the hawk's neck, her grasp on its feathers loosening. The hawk screeched as it felt its rider start to slip from its back.
"No! Hang on, mistress! You've eluded death this far, you can't give up now! I'll get you to safety. Just hold on!"