A soft breeze danced through the trees and carried the scent of wood smoke and roasting meat with it. The fragrant smoke wafted up through the canopy of leaves and dissipated into the afternoon. Such a scene would have been idyllic if Hannah had known where exactly she was, but she didn't. She was also alone and being hunted by a small group of strangely dressed men. They wore all black with the exception of the white and red masks covering their faces, which bore vague resemblances to animals.

All Hannah had wanted to do that morning was go shopping. The kitchen was completely bare and she needed new jeans, so she thought she could take the time after school to pick up something for dinner on her way back home. Well, that plan had gone up in smoke the minute she turned into the forest to take her usual shortcut to the local mom and pop shop. The woods crept right up to most of the buildings on the edge of town, including the only grocery store they had, which made cutting through the trees the fastest way to get to it from the school. Unfortunately, Hannah had tripped in an uncharacteristic bout of clumsiness and fell into a stream.

She had lived in that town her whole life and knew the surrounding forest like her own yard for twenty miles, and never once had there been a stream in the woods behind the school. Hannah had sat in the water for a minute fighting an inexplicable bout of nausea before standing. Her backpack pulled at her shoulders, making her wonder if the contents were dry. She heard muted voices as she climbed out of the shallow ravine the streambed wound through, but the words were completely alien to her. They sounded angry, from the way the words hissed out of their mouths, yet it was clear they wanted to remain hidden as well from the way they whispered. Unsure as to how the strangers would react to her presence, Hannah crept up to them as quietly as she could, which was difficult to do with her bag.

The sight that greeted her was terrifying. Four masked men were standing in a semicircle around a fifth man tied to a tree trunk. The fifth man wore no mask; in its place was a simple headband with a small sheet of metal secured to it. There was a symbol etched into the headband, but Hannah couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't make sense of anything that was happening, not until one of the masked men pulled out a strange knife and drove it into the bound man's throat. She crouched, frozen in horror, as she watched him bleed out. He looked up and met her eyes through the leaves, just for a second, before his head slumped forward. It was only for a moment, but it was long enough to alert the masked men that something was there, and three of them turned to look in her direction.

Hannah panicked and bolted away as they took a step toward her hiding place. She heard shouting as she sprinted deeper into the forest that was all wrong. They were the wrong types of trees, the wrong undergrowth, the wrong moss and insects, everything was wrong. This wasn't the forest she had grown up in, and that made her panic even more. She didn't want to have to spend the night in this unfamiliar forest, but she also didn't want to get caught by those masked murderers and be subjected to who knows what. She desperately wanted to find a town, preferably her hometown, so she could report the masked men to the police and maybe have someone collect the body of that poor man they had killed so coldly.

She spotted a wayward pine, which seemed very out of place in a coniferous forest, but dashed inside anyway. She slid down the side, sides heaving as her lungs filled with ragged gulps of air. She closed her eyes and started counting, trying to get her breathing under control and wrestle away the panic. She sat there for what seemed like hours, counting to herself in the silence of the pine.

Eventually, she heard more voices nearing her hiding place, making her heart stutter in fear. Refusing to let panic take control of her this time, she took a deep breath and slipped out of the pine's hollow interior. The voices were getting steadily closer, urging her to rush, but she tamped down her impatient fear and slunk around to the other side of the pine, away from the approaching people. Hannah chose a sturdy tree with dense foliage and scaled the trunk like a squirrel, where she found a comfortable nook overlooking the potential campsite near the pine she had previously vacated.

The owners of the voices finally appeared. One kept his face almost completely covered with a mask, his white hair standing up around his head in spiky disarray. His arms were bare down to the gloves covering his palms and wrists, and he wore all black save for a dark green vest. The other wore a bright green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers, with the same dark green vest as the other. They both had the same headband that the dead man had worn, though the jumpsuit man had his around his hips like a belt where the white-haired man wore it drawn down over his left eye.

The duo looked to be coming back from a recent trip, with heavy packs on their backs and a few stains on their clothes. It seemed they had opted to travel on foot rather than use a vehicle, which confused Hannah. There were faster ways to get from point A to point B, such as a car or plane.

Why would they deliberately choose to trek through the woods when they could have taken a faster and safer route? Hannah's thoughts trailed off as she watched the two strangers.

Even though it was still fairly early in the afternoon, the two men began setting up camp right where Hannah had predicted they would, stowing their packs inside the wayward pine. The jumpsuit wearer disappeared into the tree line, presumably to find either food or firewood, while his white-haired companion set up a firepit. The mundanity of the action was soothing, almost making Hannah forget what had happened only an hour before. But her gaze kept going to the headband he was wearing, and the dead man's face kept flashing into her thoughts when it did.

Hannah began to worry whether the two men were safe, and what connection they had to the man she had seen murdered in cold blood. The jumpsuit man came back with two rabbits and a bundle of sticks tucked under his arm. She sat back into the nook and settled down to watch the two set up the rest of their camp. Her general unease persisted into the night as she watched the two friends interact and chat. She did her best not to move so they wouldn't find out she was there, but her back was beginning to hurt and her legs were going numb. She had secured her backpack to a branch just above her head with a short rope and some carabiners she had on hand.

Her father had always insisted that she be prepared for any survival situation at any time, and now she was grateful he had been so anal about it. Half of the stuff in her backpack was either specifically for or could be used for survival in extreme situations, and the rest of it was schoolwork. In total, it had to weigh a good thirty pounds, and it was a pain to haul around even if it did build up her back.

Hannah dug a bottle of water and a granola bar out of her bag and pulled her knees up to her chest in an effort to get the blood flowing properly again. She ate in silence as she watched the men below her bank the fire and prepare for sleep, wishing she could join them without seeming suspicious. It wasn't like she could just drop down from her tree and tell them she was being hunted by murderers and thought that they might also be in danger, then curl up by the embers of the fire and go to sleep like nothing was wrong. That was also assuming that they spoke English, which wasn't likely from what she'd seen so far. She sighed and leaned her head back against the rough bark, eyes closed.

If she really thought about it, the day hadn't been all that bad. While she had witnessed a murder, and was now hiding in a tree fearing for her life, she couldn't help but think that this was better than her usual routine. She was having an adventure, albeit a frightening one, and was curious as to how things would turn out. It was better than being home with her abusive family, playing the role of housemaid, chef, and punching bag.

Why do they do that to me anyway?

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until a branch caught her across the cheek as she fell from her perch. The bark scraped her face raw as she tumbled to the forest floor and landed with a muffled thud. Her breath was jolted out of her and she lay blinking the stars from her eyes. She almost missed the slight rustle of moving clothes over the sound of her laboring breath. She clambered to her feet as quickly as she could, the scenery swirling unsteadily as she straightened up.

The men she had been watching were crouching by the fire's embers, the dim light doing little to illuminate anything. She could see they were holding something in their hands, probably weapons like the one she had seen used earlier that afternoon. Scared and still struggling to breathe, Hannah bolted back up the tree to retrieve her backpack. These men were clearly capable of handling themselves and were now hostile towards her. She needed to get away from them before they figured out she wasn't an animal and tried to hurt her. Her fear taste bitter in her mouth as she undid the knots keeping her bag strapped to the tree. Once again, she found herself thanking her dad's insistence on being prepared as her deft hands made quick work of the complex knotwork.

She shrugged into the shoulder straps and turned to jump to the next tree, hoping to get ahead of them before they could pinpoint where she was in the branches.

Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. Hannah gasped as she found herself face to face with the white-haired man, still wearing his mask even in sleep. She recoiled and leaned too far back, thrown off balance by the extra weight of her backpack, almost falling again. She collided with the jumpsuit wearer, saving her from another tumble to the dirt below, but was now trapped between the two of them like a rabbit. Now that she was face to face with them, she could see that they weren't much older than she was. They looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, which made her wonder even more why they were hiking through the woods like eighteenth century fur trappers.

White-hair spoke, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. It was that strange foreign language again, unlike anything she had ever heard before, and it frustrated her that she couldn't explain anything to them. White-hair seemed to be smiling, but it was clear he didn't think she was a friend. The weird knife in his hand was clearly visible and the grip his green-clad friend had on her shoulders was bordering on harsh. He was almost glaring at her, his mouth set in a hard line and his bushy eyebrows drawn together. He looked much scarier than his white-haired friend.

"I don't know what you're saying to me! Please, I don't mean any harm, I just...I'm scared, and...and lost. I don't know what to do anymore."

Hannah finished in a small voice, her gaze sliding down to the ground. Her eyes started misting up, and she angrily scrubbed away the tears before they could fall. She winced as her sleeve dragged over the raw flesh of her cheek, reminding her that of the way she had awoken them. The duo looked at each other over Hannah's head, understanding the tone of her voice if not the words she said. She looked like she was trying to shrink into herself, and her hair fell into her face. With a shrug, the white-haired one hopped down to the ground, making is companion call out to him grumpily.

He huffed and gathered Hannah into his arms, making her squeak in surprise, before following his friend to the ground. He was already talking to his friend heatedly as he set her on her feet, but the white-haired man didn't seem to care as he stoked the fire back up. All he did was grin back at him and shrug again. Hannah would have laughed at the exchange if she hadn't still been afraid.

Mr. Green, as Hannah had begun to think of him, looked at her and gestured to the fire. Unsure of what he wanted, she stood there and gave him a confused look. He rolled his eyes in response and placed a hand on her backpack, using it to guide her over to the fire and sit her down. She flushed as she realized how stupid she had just made herself look and focused on her hands in her lap, wringing them worriedly. A hand under her chin made her look up into Mr. Green's face, and his expression seemed softer than before. He held a damp cloth to her face and gently cleaned the dirt and bark from the scrape on her cheek. He seemed hyper-focused on the task, so Hannah kept quiet. He was taping a bandage over the small wound when he finally spoke again.

" Might Guy."

Hannah looked at him blankly. He said it again, this time pointing to himself and grinning. Understanding dawned then, and Hannah returned his grin with a small smile of her own.

" I'm Hannah Bower," she said, pointing to herself the way Guy had. His grin widened and he pointed to his friend this time.

" Hatake Kakashi."

At the mention of his own name, Kakashi smiled behind his mask and waved at her. She slowly began to relax as exhaustion crept over her. Kakashi and Guy didn't seem the least bit tired as she yawned behind her hand. Something kept nagging at the back of her mind, but she was too tired to focus on what it was.

She heard rustling behind her, but ignored as the wind teasing the trees. It wasn't until Kakashi stood up that she thought to check behind her. To her horror, there stood one of the masked men from that afternoon. Hannah sprang to her feet and almost fell into the fire in her clumsy attempt to bolt. Guy caught her before she could do more harm to herself, but he didn't let go of her, much to her discomfort. She laid her hand over Guy's on her bicep, hoping he would understand what she wanted and let go, but he didn't seem to notice. His gaze was fixated on the masked stranger standing less than thirty feet away,

Kakashi started toward him, and Hannah couldn't help but call out and reach to stop him. She would have tried physically blocking his path, but with Guy holding on to her arm she couldn't go very far. She started to panic again, terrified that Kakashi was going to be killed by the masked stranger the moment he was close enough. This time she couldn't tamp down the fear choking her, and she started tugging at her arm in Guy's grip. She didn't make a sound, despite being very clearly distressed, afraid that she would draw the other three killers to them.

Kakashi stopped only an arm's length away from the masked murderer, the two looking at each other in silence. The eerie quiet stretched between all of them for what seemed an eternity before the masked man broke it. It was a greeting, and a warm one at that, like he and Kakashi were old friends. A shiver ran down Hannah's spine as she watched Kakashi and the masked man clasp forearms. She looked slowly to Guy, who appeared to be completely at ease, and felt her stomach drop to her feet. Her gaze wandered around the campsite, searching for signs of people in the shadowed undergrowth. She no longer registered the voices of Kakashi and the stranger, unable to hear past the blood rushing in her ears.

Then she heard her name, and focused back on Guy. He looked concerned, and she couldn't blame him. She knew she looked as pale as a ghost right then, but couldn't find the will to reassure him. She didn't know how the night was going end for her, and terror clawed at her heart. She almost wished she was back home with her brothers and her dad. At least those were demons she knew how to handle.

The masked man stepped around Kakashi and began walking toward her, one hand kept low and slightly hidden behind his thigh.

Hannah ripped her arm out of Guy's hand and practically flew across the space between her and the trees. Something tugged at her backpack, nearly pulling her off of her feet, but she just let the straps slide roughly down her arms and kept running. The undergrowth kept tugging at her face and clothes as she dashed carelessly through the woods. She ran as fast as she could, vaulting fallen trees and small boulders in the dark as if she could sense them ahead. She refused to slow or stop for any reason, nearly plowing into a cliffside before turning aside and sprinting along its base.

She almost missed he crack in the solid stone, but caught the edge as she passed by, scraping off a few layers of skin in the process. The crack was just wide enough for her to squeeze through, as scrawny and underfed as she was. Her ragged gasping echoed too loudly in the silence of the stone passageway. It stretched on into complete darkness, but Hannah would gladly face whatever was in that cave rather than the masked men that were friends with Guy and Kakashi.

Guy and Kakashi. Just thinking about them made her want to cry. They had seemed like good people, they had been friendly, but now she saw that it had all been a lie. They must have been sent by the masked men to lure her out into a trap. Well, they had underestimated how capable she really was in the woods. This may not be her forest, but she wasn't going to let some murderous strangers outdo her when it came forestry.

The tiny passage finally opened out into what felt like a vast cavern. The darkness was so complete she could almost feel it pressing in around her. Strangely, Hannah felt like she could finally breathe easily in the oppressive blackness. She took a deep breath and held it for a full minute before letting it out in a rush. She felt for the wall behind her ad slumped to the ground in a heap. Then she finally let herself cry. For the first time since she lost her mother, she let everything surface, forceful sobs shaking her entire body.

She didn't know how long she cried, nor did she care, she just knew that she was exhausted and would need to forage tomorrow. She didn't look forward to it, but she really had no other options now that her backpack was gone. She sighed again and curled up with her back to the wall, waiting for sleep to pull her away from her current nightmare, just like every other night since her mother's death.

Hannah's heart beat loudly in the silence of the cave, complemented by the soft rush of wind through the crag she'd used to enter. The adrenaline finally wore off and she drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep.