A/N: Yo! Hopefully this chapter gets uploaded right this time haha. That was pretty embarrassing last chapter, yikes. Again, promise that action will arrive in the next chapter, but at least we get some good Kakashi and Appa fluff. Sorry for naming Appa "Shiro", but I don't think Kakashi's exactly the most creative person with names. Please leave a comment, follow, favorite, maybe all three! They're a real confidence booster and lets me know that my writing isn't bad lol
Chapter 4
Kakashi wakes to a large brown eye staring back at him. The bison had obviously woken before him as the white fur is mused from it struggling against the ropes. It lets out a low growl and tosses its head as if wanting to impale its horns into him.
Kakashi holds up his hands, trying to convey his friendly intentions. "Hey, can you speak?"
The bison only opens its mouth to release a loud roar that rattles the cave. Kakashi takes it as a no. He wonders if the difference between the land's animals and spirits is just lost on him. Still, Kakashi is careful to avoid getting within biting range of the bison, spotting the large teeth that could crush bones with ease. When he stands up slowly, the beast lets out another roar.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." He approaches one of the ropes still binding the bison down to the wooden structure. It's manipulative of him, keeping the bison bound until Kakashi woke up when he could've let the bison leave anytime during the night. But he needs the bison, having the ability to fly was would be invaluable for getting out of the desert with menial resources.
The bison obviously doesn't trust his words, shaking the wooden sleigh dangerously. It thrashes back and forth in rage and fear, its wide tail flapping against the floor of the cave. Kakashi kneels by one of the ropes, far enough that the bison can't whip its head to get him but close enough that the animal can see him from the corner of its eye. He quickly grabs a kunai and cuts through the rope binding its neck.
At the sudden lack of tension, the bison lifts its head and stops thrashing. It turns to face him, but Kakashi doesn't flinch. The two maintain eye contact with each other, black meeting brown. His hands are empty again when he raises them to the bison. "See? No harm done. Now, will you let me undo the rest of them?" Maybe Kakashi is going insane, talking to an animal like it's a human, but he's too used to hanging around his ninken.
Even though it can't talk, the beast huffs a breath through its big nose, musing Kakashi's already wild hair. Somehow, he can tell the bison still doesn't trust him but is willing to let him try. He moves over to the other ropes and cut through each one, expertly with one swipe but not nicking the bison at all.
When the last rope is undone, the bison rises to its feet, quickly backing out of the cave. Kakashi wonders if it's going to fly off and leave him stranded. And it looks like it about to do exactly that, legs bent and tail hanging in the air, ready to flap and launch its body into the sky. Instead, it eyes him again, growling as if asking a question. Why did he help it?
Kakashi stands where he is and figures that it wouldn't hurt to spill his story to something that can't speak and maybe can't understand him. "Look, I'm hoping to get out of this desert just like you. Maybe I can help you find your owner? As long as I can get out of here, I don't care where we go."
He grabs an apple from his pouch and holds it out as a peace offering. It's tiny in the face of the giant bison but he hopes that the animal is intelligent enough to understand the meaning behind the gesture.
The bison considers the fruit for a moment, getting an almost wistful expression on its face, as if it's remembering a long-forgotten memory. Kakashi has seen a similar expression when he looks into a mirror or on the polished surface of the memorial stone. For something that can't talk, the bison conveys what it's feeling well enough. It approaches him slowly until it's in reach to take the apple (or his hand). Kakashi carefully doesn't move as the bison opens its maw wide, wider than it needs to for the small apple. The bison's jaw snaps closed with far too much speed, making Kakashi tense, yet his hand doesn't move. With expert accuracy, the apple is gone from his untouched hand, easily swallowed by the giant before him.
"Guess this means we're a team." Kakashi scratches his head. "I guess you already have a name, but I can't exactly keep calling you just 'bison'. Hope you don't mind the nickname 'Shiro' for the time being."
Shiro is obviously disgruntled with the new name but doesn't attempt to bite Kakashi, which he takes as a good sign. It moves so that Kakashi is facing its side, saddle reflecting the sunlight, and bend its legs so that it's easier to reach the seat above its body.
Kakashi gracefully jumps up to the saddle without the help of Shiro's fur, kicking up a cloud of sand behind him. Shiro gives a start, as if not expecting him to be able to jump that high, quickly moving to its feet. Kakashi hopes that he didn't startle the animal too badly. He sees a rope that's tied between its horns that acts as reins and thinks he should hold it.
Except, that's a bad idea because the moment Kakashi grasps the rope in his hand, Shiro gives a loud roar and tosses its head. He quickly releases the reins, but the bison is still growling. Kakashi settles back against the roll of thick cloth. "Alright, alright. Sorry." It seems that the reins are for Shiro's owner only.
At that, the bison is settled. It seems that Kakashi has no hope in steering it, so he hopes that Shiro knows where to go. With a powerful flap of its tail, they're in the sky flying towards wherever the bison is taking them.
Kakashi doesn't bother thinking about how exactly a heavy animal is flying without wings. In a world with spirits and people able to move elements without chakra, a flying bison fits in just fine. Still, it's definitely one of the weirdest experiences he's had. Flying doesn't sit well with him, preferring to have control of where he moves on the ground. From the high vantage point, Kakashi sees the closest edge of the desert and that they're flying away from it. He lies down on the wide saddle, hoping that Shiro knows where it's going. Their flight is silent, Kakashi never feeling talkative and Shiro being a nonverbal animal.
After the sun has reached and passed its peak, Kakashi feels the flying bison starting to descend. He looks over the edge of the saddle to see them landing in a large crater. Kakashi jumps off and examines the area around him. Shiro is obviously distraught by the sight, pawing at the ground with one of its six legs.
The crater is unnatural; it's made of sand but has steep, sharp edges instead of a rounded indentation. Striations lead to a point in the center, almost as if something sucked the sand down around them. Still, even with the odd landmark, Kakashi finds nothing of importance.
Still, Shiro collapses to the ground with a groan, its eyes shut in a pained expression. Maybe this is where it was separated from its owner. Kakashi carefully approaches and places a hand on its arrow, petting its surprisingly soft fur. It gazes at him with a half-closed eye.
Petting the giant beast makes Kakashi remember his ninken, remember Pakkun, his tiny pug partner. He misses them deeply, wishing he could summon them so he could have someone, anyone, from his world to keep him company. Kakashi wonders if this is how Shiro's owner feels right now. At that thought, Kakashi vows to reunite Shiro to whoever is its owner.
"Hey, come on, we got to get out of here," he says to the grieving bison.
Shiro just moans at him.
"We aren't going to get anywhere if you mope around this place. Your owner isn't here and the longer you wait, the further away he or she might get." At that, the bison straightens. "That's the spirit," and Kakashi leaps onto its back once more. "Now let's find some actual shelter. I doubt my stash of water and fruits will last long with you around."
They take off again into the desert, but this time heading towards the line of green on the horizon. Kakashi keeps an eye out on anything that stands out in the desert but sees nothing but sand.
The sun is setting and Shiro is dipping towards the sandy ground. Kakashi hears a deep growl beneath him, but it doesn't come from the bison's mouth.
Kakashi knows he needs to find a farm big enough to feed and house the bison. So it's with great luck that he spots a house in the fields near the desert. Kakashi pats Shiro's side, lowering his upper body so that the bison can see him. "There's a house over there that might give us a bit of shelter for the night. Hopefully, they'll have some food and water." He points at the barely visible structure.
Shiro makes a grumble and adjusts its course to head towards the house. It's a messy landing that digs up some of the crops, but Kakashi can bargain his way out of it. "Wait here," he says when he sees the bison eye the open barn house, in which lies piles of hay. "I'll get their permission, and then you can feast on that."
Unfortunately, the couple that owns the farm runs out of their small house to discover what made such a ruckus in their fields at night. The man holds a pitchfork while the woman holds a torch. They spot the giant animal before they see Kakashi. The people scream and wave their weapons at Shiro. The flying bison doesn't take their attack kindly, rearing up on its hind legs with a roar.
Kakashi steps in between them and waves his hands. "Please wait!" he hopes that they understand him through his horrible pronunciation. "We mean no harm."
The man lowers his pitchfork and the woman finally stops screaming. "Wh-who are you?" the farmer asks hesitantly. His eyes flicker to Kakashi's wild silver hair.
"My name is Kakashi, and this is Shiro." He motions to the bison, who falls back down to all four legs with a thud. "Please, we're just looking for shelter and food for the night. We were stranded in the desert and just managed to escape."
The man moves his pitchfork even lower but still doesn't drop it. "I'm sorry, but we just don't have enough to feed you and your… pet."
Kakashi needs to feed the bison. Without energy for the large mammal, there'd be no way for them to move anywhere. He moves into a deep bow. "I beg of you; we'll be out of your hair in the morning. I'll even work through the night to repair the damages and even more. I'll do anything you wish in exchange for hay for my bison. I can even stay in the barn."
At that possessive, the bison lets loose a growl. Kakashi has to silence Shiro with a look. The animal isn't exactly helping their case here.
"I don't know…"
"Oh, come on, Xi, look at them," the wife finally speaks up from behind her husband. Kakashi tries not to feel offended when she motions to his ragged clothes and messy hair. "I think they can take the barn for the night. And the man can pull up some of the harder crops in the early morning."
"But Nori—"
She places a hand on his arm. "That's spare hay anyways. You were going to toss it sooner or later. And with Kakashi here, we won't have to pay Bing's son for extra work."
The farmer looks at his wife and back to Kakashi and his traveling companion. He finally puts the pitchfork against his shoulder. "Fine, but you'll have to get up early to help me in the fields."
Kakashi finally straightens from his bow and doesn't even need to fake the gratitude in his voice. "Thank you so much. We really are grateful. Right, Shiro?" The bison huffs behind him.
The couple leads them to the barn and shows Kakashi what piles Shiro can eat from. Nori even brings out a plate of cooked meat and vegetables for Kakashi, to which he hands her a few silver coins. She tries to deny them, saying that he's already volunteered to help, but Kakashi insists.
Shiro happily munches on the wheat while Kakashi enjoys his dinner. He'd still prefer to have his favorite dish at Yakiniku Q, surrounded by his fellow jōnin teachers cooking meat on the grill as they gossip about their students, each trying to prove that their team is the best. Asuma and Kurenai would always sit next to each other, almost cuddling, while Kakashi would balance out Gai's enthusiasm.
But now he's here in a barn staring at an empty plate. He places it to the side and props himself on the nearest wall. Kakashi undoes the headwrap and tucks it into his sack now that he's not in the desert anymore. He still has the rice hat hung around his neck with its string. A low grumble brings his attention to Shiro, now well fed and watered. The bison is comfortably laying on its side and facing him.
"What?" Kakashi stands up to go check on his travel companion. He hopes the bison isn't sick.
Shiro rolls back onto its stomach and curls into a ball. The large tail gentle pushes him forward into the bison's soft fur.
"You feeling a bit lonely?" Kakashi asks with amusement. But deep down, he knows that the closeness isn't for the bison. Even though Kakashi has witnessed Shiro's intelligence, the giant bison continues to surprise him. He slides down and leans against the warm body. "Fine, fine."
Shiro lets out a loud yawn and Kakashi follows suit. He places the pointed hat upon his head and tilts it down to cover his face. "G'night, Shiro."
The steady breathing of the bison answers back. For the first time in many nights, Kakashi's sleep is undisturbed.