A/N: Hey everyone! This is basically just a short preview of my story. If you like it, and if you review, I will write more, but if you don't then I'll probably not continue with it....so you better read and review! :D
They say that life has ups and downs. Not for Mizuko. Her life has always angled down.
Since she was born, her father had abandoned her and her mother. She never even knew him. When she was twelve, her own dear cousin massacred the whole clan, leaving her, her mother, and himself as the only survivors. They had fled the Mist village then, bringing only a few loaves of bread for provisions. They were roaming around for just a few weeks when the assassins came, taking her mother's life away. She still remembered how she had been as coward not to face those assassins and protect her mother. But what could she do? She was just a child against four highly-skilled ninjas.
So there she was, shivering when the northerly wind blew. Her clothes were in tatters, and she wondered how long it would be when the assassins found her. How long? She had been living by herself for a full week now; she knew that the ninjas who had killed her mother would come for her soon. She was living entirely on any leaves she could find, any berries. But since winter was coming, there was less and less food for her, and there was many a cold night when she slept out in the open, her stomach growling for food. She could not light a fire for fear that it would act like a beacon, for both predators and people.
Mizuko huddled against the giant oak tree, feeling the rough bark against her skin. Although it was noon, the sun was obscured by thin clouds, and the wind was bitterly cold. She knew this was just the beginning; snow would fall in a matter of weeks and she would surely die of frostbite.
After half an hour of standing there, Mizuko decided to climb up the tree, even though it would be colder on top. At least she could see if there was anyone coming for her. Lifting her foot up, she grasped at the tree bark, propelling herself upwards.
A hand slipped, cutting itself on the sharp wood. Cursing, Mizuko wiped the blood on her dirty shirt. It left a pale red blotch there that quickly dried in the wind. She then continued to climb, reaching a place where a tree limb forked to the right. She quickly grasped the thick branch, seating herself so that her back lay at the trunk of the tree.
Mizuko could be easily seen in the bare branches of the tree, so she pressed herself as much as she could to the trunk behind her. She could feel splinters cutting through the thin fabric of her shirt, but it was better than being spotted or becoming a meal for some wild predators roaming the forest. She hugged her legs, her teeth chattering with every gust of wind. Trying to ignore the cold, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Hours passed when she finally woke up. Mizuko yawned and stretched her stiff limbs, holding on to the tree trunk for support as she did so. Her fingers were blue, and she had to move her arms around several times before she could feel anything. Then, she looked around to see how long she had slept.
The sun was already setting, and twilight was soon arriving. Mizuko watched as the pale yellow ball of light faded into the distant hills, alighting everything for one last time before it disappeared. Then, the soft pink and orange clouds that drifted ahead slowly turned to a deep navy blue. The skies were being taken over by different tones of gray and purple, and the full moon hung in the now-dark sky like a round silver lantern.
Mizuko felt a sharp pang of sadness. She remembered the day, a full moon exactly a month from now, when they had fled the Mist Village, knowing that her own cousin, dear Roka, had killed the whole clan, leaving only three survivors. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday, when the Mizukage had ordered that none of her clan should survive. And so, just a month before, her life was being hunted down to extinction.
Silent tears coursed down her pale, frost-bitten face, freezing into tiny droplets almost immediately after it left her eyes. Her azure eyes, wet and dark with tears unshed, burned with hate and anger. Hate at her cousin and the Mist Village, anger at herself for leaving her mother there. She should have stayed with her mother until the very end, so at least she could die with her, and to not follow the bitter path that she was sure was ahead of her.
She vowed she would avenge her mother, and to kill the cousin she once loved that caused her so much pain now. She closed her eyes again, this time letting the tears flow free, tiny ice droplets freezing across her face. She huddled her legs together so that her whole body was curled up into a tight ball, keeping the body warmth inside.
A lone wolf howl sounded nearby, a blood-chilling sound that made Mizuko shiver even more. Then more howls preceded the first, until the whole pack was howling together. This proceeded on for a few minutes, before it slowly died down.
Mizuko relaxed. The wolves sounded far away, so they would be gone by now. She wondered whether she should find something to eat, since she didn't have anything to fill her belly today. After a brief hesitation, she climbed slowly down, careful to make sure she didn't slip and cut herself again. Finally, her foot touched the ground, and she let go of the bark.
She bent down towards the ground to see if any shriveled berries had fallen to the ground. Mizuko felt a tiny lump from the ground, and picked it up to find a mud-covered blackberry. She brushed away the soil, cleaning it on her already-filthy shirt. Then, she popped the mini berry into her mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste. She then continued to crawl across the ground, not caring if her knees got muddy in the process.
A rustle from a nearby bush made her pause. Could it be that some animal was hunting her? A chilly breeze swept her long hair in front of her, and she continued with her work, not wanting to be on the ground any more than she had to. After finding one more less-than average berry, she stood up, careful not to make any sound. Slowly, she walked towards the same tree, one cautious step after another.
Once she reached the tree, she started climbing up, putting her foot in a niche that was perfectly suited for her foot. Her hand grasped the bark once again, and she winced when the bark grazed her cut hand.
Another rustle made her pause on her way up. That was her mistake. Mizuko felt her feet slipping, her hand losing her grasp on the tree trunk. With a yelp, she fell to the ground, which was, thankfully, not far away.
Mizuko had landed on the hard ground, and although her ankle was sprained, her hand was cut, and her leg was bleeding, those were the least of her worries. She was wondering whether it was just an illusion or it was really real, when saliva dripped onto her face.
Her eyes slowly focused, and she realized she was right: There were predators hunting her. Her eyes were gazing upon the fangs of a wolf, and as her gaze wandered from place to place, she could see that the whole pack had surrounded her, waiting for the alpha wolf to make the kill.
A/N: Well, so is it good? Tell me your comments, or any mistakes I have made, I would greatly appreciate it! Also, you can help me with developing my ideas, because I'm making it as I go on... :P Quick, the button is just below! It takes less than a minute for you to review, and to save me from not continuing this story!!! ~Rose~