February 18th: Moo - Super Saturday word count - - pay an escalation cost for each add-on.
400 words - Saddle up, pardners! We're goin' for a ride in the Wild West today. The baddies are comin' in and, sure as shootin', your Character's the only one that can stop 'em!
+ 200 words - Y'all better get ready, there's a showdown at high noon!
+ 200 words - If all else fails, Character can always call on their faithful steed for a little help.
+ 200 words - It ain't no western if'n the heroes don't get to ride off into the sunset.

It had been weeks of silence. Absolutely nothing from Tien or his former master. Chiaotzu was too afraid to reach out. Trapped, facing his own helplessness, he had withdrawn into himself. Ino had tried to help, but there was nothing he could do to overcome the wave of apathy that had buried Chiaotzu deep. One day, when Chiaotzu was lying in the cave, curled up in a small ball, stinging eyes pressed to his knees, Ino had apparently had enough.

A gentle push, to start with. Ino's nose beneath his back. Tusks scraping against his skin. With a toss of Ino's head, Chiaotzu rolled on the stone, not moving or reacting until he splashed into a puddle left by the rain that had leaked through their roof.

The water was warm and full of dust, a murky sandy colour, and the shock of suddenly being immersed in it was enough to jolt Chiaotzu out of his stupor. He spluttered and coughed, pushing himself upright and glaring at Ino. In response, InoShikaCho huffed and tossed his head. "Very funny, Ino." Chiaotzu scrubbed at his face with his sleeves and winced as saturated fabric scraped on tender skin. How long had he been crying for? How long had he been lost in his grief? His pain? Long enough that he could feel hunger grip his middle in a painfully nauseating squeeze. Could feel his muscles ache and twitch with each movement. Ino huffed at him again, a low breath that blew hot air against the stinging skin of Chiaotzu's face, and nuzzled at his hands. "Okay, okay." Chiaotzu reached up and stroked the soft fuzz between Ino's eyes, down the length of his snout to brush against the ridges of scar over his muzzle. Big yellow eyes softened, slid closed. The huge weight of him pressed against Chiaotzu's hand as a slow sigh eased from his nostrils. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

This time when the hunger gripped him, the wave of nausea was so strong he leaned his head forward and rested it on Ino's cheek, squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing back the metallic taste rising in his throat. Ino responded, or so it seemed, with a pitchy whining grumble from his own stomach.

"You're hungry too." Chiaotzu bit his lip, looked around the cave. The cool corner where he stored their food was empty, the strewn remains of shredded plastic and paper evidence that Ino had gotten tired of waiting long ago and cleared it all out. "Okay. I'll go to town. Get some more. Do you want to come?"

One of Ino's eyes slitted open, slid across, fixed on Chiaotzu's face. The gleam there was all Chiaotzu needed to see, and he nodded.

"Okay, we'll both go. Let me wash up and get changed. Meet me outside."

Ino left with quick trotting footsteps, an excited jaunt, and Chiaotzu splashed water over his face and changed into clean clothes, grabbing them from the bottom of his little pile of folded laundry to ensure there was the least amount of dust on them as possible. Even so, there was a stale scent to them and he grimaced as he stepped outside into the sun for the first time in weeks. The sun was sinking overhead, past the height of noon and stretching his shadow in front of him, and the town below gleamed, wide empty streets shimmering with the mirage of deep water. Ino was snuffling at the dirt near the cave entrance, butterfly wings beating softly at the hot air. When Chiaotzu moved past him towards town, he glanced up and then went back to nosing at the ground. Chiaotzu took this as 'Go ahead, I'll catch up' and continued on without hesitating.

As he approached the town, he realised that while the streets were clear, there was still plenty of people milling around. Keeping to the relatively cool shade of the overhanging awnings, tourists perused the stall bins and dipped inside stores where wooden fan blades paddled at the hot air. He was a pretty familiar sight in town now, but some of the tourists still turned and stared as he walked past. Gratitude, warm and comforting, filled him as the shop owners who knew him well redirected the attention away from him. The gesture was greatly appreciated.

He hummed softly to himself, a forced cheery tune, as he headed to the market. Making a mental note to buy a lot of pumpkins, as many as he could conceivably lug out of town—where he could begin to use his telekinesis without raising too many eyebrows—for Ino's trouble. Grief tried to rise in him again, a surging tide threatening to drag him under, and he managed to push it down. No point now. He had to get enough food for them to survive before he allowed himself to sink back into the depths.

Approaching the store, he was so intent on his mental shopping list that at first he didn't notice who was standing beneath the awning. Indeed, he didn't notice anything amiss until the shop assistant who had sold him his multi-tool crowbar grabbed his arm and pulled him into her store. "Wha-?"

"Shh." She held a finger to her lips, glancing over towards the grocer's. "I know you said you weren't from the Tsuru'sennin school, but everyone saw the surcoat you were wearing when you first showed up." He opened his mouth to reply and she shook her head, cutting him off. "It's fine, we know you're fine, but there's some actual Tsuru'sennin folks here and I didn't want them to catch you by surprise."

A cold fist closed around Chiaotzu's heart and squeezed tight, forcing the air from his lungs and causing a dizzy spin. He almost stumbled, but she caught his arm and steadied him. "Where? What? Who?"

"We don't know who. An old man and a kid."

The fear caught him then, a nauseating twist in his gut, and he pushed himself and he found himself biting the inside of his cheek hard. Coppery blood flooding his tongue. An involuntary jerk of his jaw. A kid? No. It couldn't be.

"This kid. Did he have three eyes?" he asked, hardly able to speak his voice was so weak. There was hope rising now, a warm silver beside the icy blue of his fear, and he tamped it back. There was no way. If Shen had found him properly, he would already be dead by now. However, if he was looking for him, why would he bring Tien? Why would he even risk it?

"Yeah. Weird kid. Just staring at all of us with this blank face." She grimaced. Chiaotzu's heart fluttered, an irregular beat that weakened his knees.

Chiaotzu gripped her arm tight, pleading with his eyes. "Can you get him away from Shen, do you think?" Then, after a short pause, "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Papaya," she said with a smile. "After where the tournaments are held. My parents met there, apparently."

"Okay. Papaya, do you think you can get the boy away from the old man? Maybe bring him here? Say you have some sort of weapon to show him, or some kind of armour for kids. That should do it."

Papaya bit her lip. Worry carving a deep line between her eyebrows. Eventually she nodded, a short jerk of her head, and squeezed his arm. "Do you have your crowbar? Just in case?" Surprised, he pulled the heavy metal hook from his bag. Swinging the crowbar in a few quick loops seemed to satisfy her because her lips set in a thin line and she nodded. "Wait here," she said. Chiaotzu watched, anxious, as she left the store and walked casually down the street. There was no alteration to her gait, no stiffness or reluctance, and Chiaotzu thanked Kami that she was so brave.

The grocer was just out of view, and he resisted the urge to move closer to the street so he could see. He didn't want to risk Shen spotting him. Instead he stretched his energy out, trying to sense the minds of those around him, and found a thorned barrier of telepathy that blocked his powers. Shen must have put it up. Unwilling to try to breach it, or even to test the strength of it lest Shen be alerted to his presence, Chiaotzu drew his telepathy back into him and locked it down behind his own barriers. Building them carefully so that they would be secure in case he was spotted. In case Shen tried to tear his way into Chiaotzu's mind.

Where was Papaya? It felt like hours had passed since she had left, and he was suddenly terrified that Shen had cottoned on to the situation. He wouldn't hurt her, surely. Not an innocent, not for curiosity. If she was caught, and if Shen was suspicious, and if she had spilled the beans, Chiaotzu wouldn't hold it against her. If their roles were switched, he couldn't say for sure that he would be able to keep quiet.

Then, finally, a pair of footsteps and a cold little voice saying, "Show me what you have to show me so I can return to my master."

Chiaotzu's heart stalled in his chest. Anxiety suddenly flooded him, an awful yawning feeling that emptied out the pit of his stomach. He was heavy now, like he was set in stone, and he was unable to move. A statue frozen in place.

Papaya entered the shop, a placating smile on her face, and Tien followed.

It was definitely Tien. Grown to a child now, maybe close to six or seven years old—had that much time passed?—shaved bald in the Crane style, his face a mask of disapproval and suspicion. The Crane surcoat highlighted his narrow shoulders, his arms folded in front of him with his left sleeve tucked into the right. The baggy yellow cloth hid his hands, and Chiaotzu found himself wondered if, hidden from sight, Tien was doing what Chiaotzu had often done in the early days: intertwining his fingers and drawing pictures on his palms. Those three familiar eyes, narrowed in a suspicious stare, landed on him, and he said, "Who is this?"

Unable to stop himself, Chiaotzu felt tears welling in his eyes, hot and stinging. A shuddering fear spread through him, momentarily stealing his voice, his breath. What if Tien hated him? What if Tien was angry after all this time? Shutting that voice down completely, he forced a smile on his face and lifted one hand in a gesture of greeting. "Hi, Tien," he said, keeping his voice soft and steady. "It's me."

A moment of silence. Stretching between them, miles of uncertainty. An eon in that moment. When Tien approached, he did so with slow uncertain steps, his arms still deeply buried in his sleeves and a suspicious frown contorting his features. Chiaotzu did not push it. He remained still and kept his face relaxed, trying not to show the anxiety that was still twisting in him like some venomous serpent, ready to bite. Tien squinted, blinked, frowned, and faltered a few steps away from him.

"Ch...Chiaotzu?" Tien asked.

Tears spilled down Chiaotzu's cheeks as relief sapped the strength from his body. Knees buckling, he leaned back against the counter and nodded. "Yes, Tien. It's me."

"Really?" Tien hugged his arms closer to him, pressing the sleeves into the thick green fabric of the Crane surcoat. The uncertainty in his voice cut deep into Chiaotzu's heart and he tried not to grimace. "If it's really you, where did you go? Why didn't you help?"

Underlying his words was a note of accusation, an unvoiced but very present and dark hurt that made Chiaotzu's guilt rise again. "Shen didn't hurt you, did he? After the last time we spoke?" Tien averted his eyes. Dropped his gaze and squeezed his lips in a tight line. The sight made rage rise in Chiaotzu's mind, clouding his vision with red. A fury that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. "What did he do, Tien?"

"It's none of your business," Tien snapped. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes—tears? Anger? Sorrow?—but it was hidden deep and with their telepathic connection blocked, Chiaotzu didn't know what it was. There were years stretching between them, and in that time Tien had grown so much. "Master Shen only wants what's best for me."

The sentiment, words Chiaotzu had heard so often in years past after beatings and cruelty and pain, unbalanced him and sapped the rage away. Unsure what else to say, he decided to be honest. "The last time he was really angry with me, before I left, before he forced me to leave, he tried to make me kill someone." Tien's gaze swung back to meet his, horror and a deep familiar pain sparking deep in his three dark eyes. "The time before that he sparred with me until I was so tired I couldn't protect myself." Chiaotzu pushed back his own sleeve, revealing a thick gnarled scar that twisted up his forearm. "He hit me too hard…split the skin."

At last, Tien reached out, his right hand trembling, and gently touched the scar. When their skin made contact, their telepathic link opened and a flood of emotion rose in both of them. Familiar energy, their minds connecting with an almost audible snap. A clasp finally coming together. Tien's chest heaved, a hoarse cracking sob bursting from him, and lunged forward to wrap his arms around Chiaotzu. The movement filled Chiaotzu's heart and he hugged back, arms wrapped tight around a narrow chest. He was so much taller, almost a head taller than Chiaotzu. There was something wrong with the embrace, and it took a moment to realise what it was.

"Tien...your…" He pulled back, grabbed Tien's left shoulder, and pushed the sleeve up. Empty. Empty. Empty. And finally a nub of stump beneath the angle of his elbow. Tien's left forearm was gone. "Your arm…"

Tien recoiled, snatched his arm from Chiaotzu's grip. Yanked the sleeve back down and averted his eyes yet again. Barriers rose, flimsy and thin but undeniably there, and Chiaotzu pulled his telepathy back as a result. To breach those walls, weak as they were, would be a betrayal. "It's nothing," Tien said in a biting snarl. "It's always been like that."

Chiaotzu's stomach dropped. His mind flashed back to the last time he'd seen his little brother. The boy reaching out with his right hand, desperate and crying, while Shen's hand sunk deeper into the soft flesh of his left forearm. A forearm that had been full and whole, with a hand firmly connected to the end. This was his fault. It was all his fault.

Clearly Tien didn't remember that time, the time before he had lost his arm, and the guilt that Chiaotzu felt wouldn't help at this moment. Instead, he held up both hands, forced a thin uncertain smile, and asked, "Tien, do you trust me?"

A curious, searching look. Left elbow still cradled in his right hand. Now that he knew to look for it, Chiaotzu could clearly see the empty folds of that sleeve, the heavy cloth hanging loose until Tien looped his hand into it and propped it up. With his arms folded like that, there was no sign of his lost limb. Even with the physical connection broken, their telepathic link had thinned but hadn't, to Chiaotzu's joy, disappeared. Chiaotzu could feel Tien investigating, a clumsy poke with his energy, and without hesitation laid down the barriers in his own mind. Opened his memories and his emotions to the scrutiny of this child.

The gesture surprised Tien. The movements of his mind became softer, gentler, and sensations of the past five years ruffled past in a quick shuffle, like a pair of cards in an experienced hand. The concentrated feeling of them made Chiaotzu's eyes sting with tears. He lowered his eyes and squeezed his hands tight around the crowbar. The emotions felt as they lingered on that last day, the rage and fear and sorrow and grief, swelled in an awful tide. Again, threatening to pull him under. But he wouldn't let it. He needed to be here. To be present.

A quick glance up. A sudden awareness. Not all the sorrow and grief was his. Tears shining in eyes that had become too big, too young. He was only a child, after all, and Chiaotzu had forgotten just how vulnerable his emotions were.

"You left me," Tien whispered, trembling. Shame washed over Chiaotzu, a sickening cramp of nausea. Aware that he wasn't sure which time Tien was referring to: the physical abandonment when he was a toddler, or only a few weeks ago when Shen had severed their connection.

"Shen made me leave." He pushed those two incidents forward in his memory, highlighting the fear and guilt. The pain and total loss of function. "But that doesn't make it okay. I'm sorry, Tien. I promised I would stay with you, and I broke that promise. I was afraid. Afraid he'd kill me. Afraid he'd kill you. Afraid he'd hurt you." Involuntarily, his eyes dropped to the propped up sleeve of Tien's absent left arm. "But he did anyway. And maybe I could have stopped him. I'm sorry."

Tien lowered his head a little, staring blankly at the floor. The tears in his eyes spilled onto his cheeks and down the bridge of his nose, a gleaming droplet glinting in the dim sunlight from the door.

"So?" Chiaotzu prompted gently.

"Yes." Tien looked uncomfortable, uncertain, afraid. "I do trust you, Chiaotzu. But…" He glanced towards the doorway. A tremor in his lower lip. White teeth catching at the skin there to stop the involuntary movement. "But Master…"

"If you trust me, please leave with me." Chiaotzu held out his hands, the crowbar slipping from his grip to land on the ground with a ringing clatter. "I can take you back to my house. Keep our energies low. Keep us hidden. Mas-" He cut himself off, biting hard at the insides of his cheeks. "Shen will not find us. I promise."

Shrinking into himself, Tien chewed hard on his lower lip. The tears didn't stop falling, soaking into the green tunic. "I'm scared," he breathed. "I'm...I'm his. I can't."

"Tienshinhan!" The pair of them froze at the commanding call, Chiaotzu reaching out in supplication, Tien shrinking into his chest, five eyes swinging to fix, horrified, onto the doorway. Papaya was standing right outside, her back blocking them off so they were hidden for the moment.

"He'll know." Tien's chest began to heave. Three eyes fixed, still glimmering with tears yet unshed. All the blood was draining from his face, leaving it a sickly ashy colour. "I can't. He'll know." His voice forced and shaking between panting snatched breaths. Chiaotzu grabbed him just as Tien started to shudder, a panicked uncontrollable shaking that rattled the wares on the shelves behind him. "He'll find me. I'm his. All his."

"It's okay. I've got you." Chiaotzu wrapped his arms tight around Tien and looked furiously around for another exit. Papaya would not be able to stall Shen. She was clearly afraid of him, and with good reason. There was no clear exit, no way out besides the front, and so he reached out his mind and latched to Papaya.

I'm so grateful for all you've done, he murmured to her telepathically, trying to ignore the muffled yelp and spike of fear from her. I'm afraid I need one last thing. Can you shout that a kid in the Crane uniform is running to the east of town? Please? You don't need to approach him. Just shout it out and get in here, hide wherever you'd like.

Her spine stiffened, back straightening and shoulders lifting, before he saw her head jerk in a nod. Keeping one hand hooked into Tien's right elbow, he guided them to the doorway, still lurking in the shadows, and tried to keep quiet. Tien was still shaking, his chest heaving with barely suppressed whimpers. Recognising the panic attack for what it was, Chiaotzu hugged him tight and whispered, "I'll keep you safe, Tien. Just trust me."

Then Papaya's voice, a loud, shaking shout. "Hey! That Crane kid took one of my crowbars! He's getting away!" She flung out one hand, pointing it east. "Towards the tailor, hurry!"

There was an immediate bustle of activity outside. Thieves were a drain on an economy that relied on trade and were swiftly punished. Chiaotzu managed to catch sight of the curved bird hat that Shen wore out, the arches of his hair just visible in the sunlight. He was looking their way. But they had to go, before the crowd dissipated.

Chiaotzu dragged Tien from the room. Saw Shen's mouth twist into a grimace, a furious snarl. The crowd was holding him back though, and he wasn't willing, it seemed, to start blasting innocents down out of nowhere just yet. Pulling his brother behind him, Chiaotzu started to sprint towards the east end of town. Ino! He concentrated all his psychic power behind the thought, transmitting it as far forward as he could. In response, a flash of purple then huffing breath and the trampling of heavy feet. He could feel Shen's telepathy behind him. Reaching out in a net to try and ensnare them. Tien shrieked, a high-pitched whine of terror, and Chiaotzu whirled around for the briefest second. Narrowing his eyes. Seeking out the crackling orange threads of Shen's power. For the first time, instinctively, he extended his own energy in a furious spinning arc. Blades of blue slashed through the orange, the net of Shen's telepathy reduced to ribbons. Chiaotzu lifted one hand, briefly flashing his middle finger, and ran ahead to the other side of town. Ino was there, pawing nervously at the ground. Eyes wide and mad as they slid backwards, to the man who had raised him, before Chiaotzu reached out and grabbed hold of one branched deer antler.

Ino tossed his head. Lifted both Chiaotzu and Tien from the ground. Tipped his head back. Landing them both on the broad slope of his neck. Chiaotzu held tight to Tien as this happened. Aware his hand was now sinking into a thin forearm, unable to stop his mind from drawing the comparison to the last time he'd seen Tien. The sight of Shen's hand sinking deep. Nausea cramped in his gut.

"Quickly, Ino. We've got to get back home. Unseen if possible."

Ino huffed. Gave a brisk shake of his head and ducked behind several buildings. Chiaotzu glanced over his shoulder and caught Shen's eye one last time. The crowd had cleared. Searching for Tien in the wrong direction. Now Shen stood alone in the middle of the street. Hands folded in front of him. And a smug smirk on his face.