Meeting the Silver Wolf
She'd cut out the design for Kiba's jacket by nightfall when it happened; her father told her about Lord Sasuke's visit. He bid her sit down quietly in the main room of the shop, and stood in front of her with downcast eyes.
"Our Lord is coming again tomorrow," her father said quietly.
Yes! She cheered to herself happily. I may just get to meet him this time... please father, please introduce me to him! "Surely this is splendid news, father!"
"He wants two new cloaks," he continued as he started to pace about the room. "A sturdy one for the autumn month to come, and a fur-lined one for the winter months to follow." Ino frowned, thinking about their stocks of material; the one for autumn would be easy. They could remake the cloak the Lord wanted out of one's they already had... but the fur?
"Kiba gave me two pelts," Ino told her father. "Isn't that enough for the cloak?"
"He wants silver fur, from a wolf," her father said drearily. "And not only that, but he wants that cloak for someone else, specifically tailored to their measurements... it's hard enough that he only gave us rough estimates, but we don't have anyone to act as a maniquin in such short notice!"
"We'll find a way father, don't worry," she muttered quietly. She saw a letter on the table, and after a moment recognized the fancy signature at the bottom as Lord Sasuke's. Taking the letter into her hands, she scanned the page for any characters she could recognize; bits of phrases and words stuck out at her all other the place, but not in any comprehensible mannor. The only things that made sense were the measurements for the cloaks.
She stood up suddenly, knocking her chair back an inch or so as she stumbled across the room, pulling her own cloak over her shoulders and wrapping the warm cloth about her body. "Where are you going, Ino?"
"I'm going to go talk to Inuzuka Kiba," Ino explained, pulling her boots on over her stocking. "Maybe he'll have something... I don't know, anything to help us. He just went hunting yesterday, and I didn't have time to ask him about anything else he hunted... it looked like he brought back a lot. He could have what we need!"
"It's dangerous at night," her father said solemly, taking a few long strides to cross the short distance to his daughter. "You stay here and I'll-"
"No!" She glared up at her father stubbornly, hands on her hips. "You stay here and start on the other cloak! We have lots of leather that you can work with, and when I get home I'll help you... we only have until tomorrow, remember?"
"Yes, yes, I know..." her father sighed in defeat, but let her go.
Ino walked out of the Inuzuka's shop with a sigh, a small white pelt in her hands but nothing else. "This'll never do," she muttered to herself as she walked slowly back towards her own home. "How can I ever hope to win over Lord Sasuke if I can't even make this cloak for him..?" I'll never get to meet him at this rate... he'll get angry and never come to our shop for business again.
Letting her mind continue on it's downward spiral, she became dimly aware of the clouds covering over the moon, blocking off the last of her light. Shivvering, she pulled her cloak tighter around her figure, almost regretting not asking Kiba to walk her home. Nothing will happen. I've walked this path home a million times... just not at night. She heard footsteps behind her, and started walking faster. A stone skidded across the ground just to her left, and she almost tripped as she craned to see if anyone was-
She screamed as an arm grabbed around her waist, crashing her violently against someone's chest; the scream was lost in the material covering someone's hand, though she could still feel fingers against her check. That bum from this morning! He's kidnapping me! He's kidnapping me and he's going to rape me and-
"Be quite," he whispered in her ear.
Air was like a poison, cutting icily through her nose to stab her lungs as she fought not to breath too hard. Her heart thudded out a rhythm against her ribs, and she wondered feebly if that was the noise he wanted her to stop... and then two men stalked by, one of them tossing a stone in his hands. The men stopped right in front of them, looking too and fro, back and forth, trying to find her. One of the men locked eyes with her; terrified blue against calm black... but after a moment he looked away, swearing at his partner in crime and continuing to walk.
Only when the men's footsteps were completely gone did the bum behind her let her go; it took her a moment, but when she realized she was free she jumped away, only to look back at him to glare. "How dare you!"
"I just saved your life," he said non-chalantly. "You should give me food now; I haven't eaten in almost a day."
"As if I'd help out a bum like you!" she yelled at him again. He shrugged, and settled down, pulling a blanket over his arms and legs. "I'm not done talking to you, you lazy bum!" Reaching out, she yanked away his blanket, holding it up in the air as she was about to start yelling at him again... and then she realized exactly what she was holding.
The entire blanket, more than enough to cover a fully grown man from both sides with an extra foot or so to spare in both width and length, was made completely of silver fur. The leathery underside of the hide had hidden the treasure from Ino's eyes, but now that she saw it she couldn't help but gape. "... where did you get this?"
"My mother made it for me before she left both me and my father," the bum drawled out, sleep lacing all of his words. "Could I have it back now..? It's chilly out."
"... I have a proposition for you," Ino told him; she thought back to when she was against his check. His lips were just above my ear, right..? Then he should be about the right height... This is perfect!
"What kind of proposition?" He yawned, but opened his eyes to look up at her.
"I'll give you food, and a warm place to stay for the night," she told him sweetly. "And all you have to do is give me this blanket..."
"No," he reached out, tugging the blanket back towards him and curling into the material.
"Please!" Ino fell to her knees, pleading with him. His eyes didn't even flicker, and he continued to ignore her. "I'll... I'll make you food for an entire week!"
"A month," he pushed, still not looking.
"Yes, yes, a month!" she agreed. "So you will?"
He yawned again. "... nah."
He's impossible! She raged to herself, but continued to smile at him sweatly. "Pretty please won't you let me have that blanket? I'll do almost anything for you..."
"You don't even know my name."
"Well then," she sat down cross legged, ignoring the bitter cold around her. "What's your name?"
He groaned, and sat up properly, seemingly admitting defeat and casting her a dark glare. "Call me Shika."
"Shika," she repeated. I'm getting somewhere... this bum is just trying to milk me for all I'm worth! Well... it may be worth it, but he doesn't know what he's dealing with! "Do you want to know why I need that fur, Shika..?"
"You're going to make a cloak for Lord Sasuke out of it," he dead-panned. "Now can I sleep?"
"W-what... how did you know that!" her anger got the best of her, but she took a deep breathe and calmed down. "Yes... yes it's for Lord Sasuke... so can't you see what it's so important?"
"It's important for a Lord, who has a castle with fires and hearths, to have a warm cloak?" Shika mimiced her, and she nodded. "I see... but then isn't it even more important for the bum on the street, with no fires and no hearths, to have a warm blanket?"
"Well..." She hesitated, not knowing how to answer.
"But you really don't care." He rolled his eyes. "You only want a chance to meet him... maybe to marry him one day? Ah... troublesome."
"You're very smart, Shika," Ino continued sweetly, trying not to be unnerved.
"You have no idea," he settled back down to sleep. "Unless you can offer me more, go away."
"I'll make you a better blanket," she promised. "And until it's done you can sleep in my father's workshop, where it's warm... and for a month I'll make you food. Isn't that fair..?"
A few moments past in silence. And then several more. Finally, Shika groaned again, pulling himself to a slow stand and folding the blanket over his arm haphazardly. "I know when to give up, wench. Show me the way."