Memories of his childhood pushed out the adrenaline of the moment. The jaws of a great Sabertooth cat dripped saliva on his face, but taking a step back from the situation he remembered the words of his mother.

"A time comes when every Shinobi is cornered, outmanned, outnumbered and outmatched. All others try to seek a stillness within, a calm that quiets all fears and doubts… rubbish. You are an Inuzuka, boy, never forget it. We are masters of our rage. There is only one power – fury, only one direction – forward, only one goal – protect the pack. You have a long way to go cub…"

In his rage he ignored all his weakness, grabbed the Lion's jaw and shoved upward. With a moment to roll to the side and right himself, he felt his anger burn through his muscles and his senses. The Lion quickly rebounded but Kiba weaved to the outside and rammed his shoulder into the side of the Lion as it passed. Spinning his feet, he followed up with a roundhouse kick that missed as the Lion had simply jumped up to avoid the hit.

'Not only fast, but amazing reflexes.' He twisted his torso and legs into place for a familiar technique. Jumping to intercept the Sabertooth with Tsuga, the world began spinning yet to his eyes his target at the center of his gaze always spun slower than everything else.

Reaching the top of the jump, the Lion fell down and clashed with Kiba. Though he couldn't place it, there was something different about the beast – an intelligence in its eye. Its muscles relaxed as it clashed with Kiba, seeming to absorb the impact of the Tsuga and turning the rotation into momentum instead of damage. It all seemed to remind Kiba of the way cats go limp whenever one tries to pick them up against their will.

'Timing is too good to be instinct; this is the result of training somehow. But that's preposterous.'

A growl and a roar drew his attention away from the cat in front of him and he saw them come out of the tall grass in a ring. More Sabertooth Lions, about eight in total, each large enough to carry a rider on its back and riders they did carry. Men and women with copper skin, wearing animal hides and adorned with painted marks on their arms. One symbol in particular was a recurring theme, two horizontal lines, one ending with a point up, the other with a point down. It seemed familiar somehow.

Out of the grass next to the Lion came another man who patted the beast along the ribs. He looked at Kiba in a way that made him uncomfortable. Some enemies would give dismissive looks filled with disdain thinking to demoralize their opponent, but those sorts of stares would only work on someone who was already feeling unconfident. It was the knowing way his eyes seemed to weigh Kiba, serious and calculating that showed he was a true hunter. A man who treated every challenge with the same amount of respect stood before him, a dark eyed hunter. One thing in particular caught Kiba's eye, his hair was braided on the left side of his head and the right side looked scarred, unable to even grow hair anymore. The other hunters had the hairstyle, but did not have the scars.

"Don't tell me you're having trouble with this little one Kino." The man said to the lion, and surprisingly the lion answered.

"The way he was walking looked like he was the weak one; he just shows you can't trust what you see." There was a deep and resonating sound to the Lioness' voice, beautiful and knowing. It reminded him of the tone Kuromaru had when he spoke.

Rubbing the scarred side of his head the man agreed, "That is so." Giving a hand sign to the other hunters, they all lowered their weapons and came down from their cats. Two of the women hunters surrounded Karui and tried to take her sword, smelling of curiosity more than anything else. Scar-head hissed at them and they stopped; a smart move as Karui had a hint of anger in her scent.

Fear in the air was thick, and somehow Kiba knew the man smelled it. The villagers, the young Kiri Nin, even some of the other hunters. Kiba relaxed his defensive posture as Akamaru came to his side and growled at Scar-head.

"Your hound says much with a simple growl." Giving a command in a native tongue the Hunters moved over to where the refugees were gathering. "I am A'rai, pathfinder of Clan Yozo, and you are a stranger to these islands… Inuzuka."

The Lioness laughed and clawed the dry grass at her feet. "He's surprised."

"Of course he is Kino. But he stands as a man, courage for one so young."

"How far will courage get him?" The lioness began to circle Kiba, sniffing him as she went. "The acrid smell of gunpowder, crisp salt from the sea mingled with his own sweat, that sweet smell of blood. Battle follows this boy and these people, and they are even now on the threshold of the island's inner circle."

Other lions, half hidden in the grass gave low roars of agreement to her words.

"Send them back." Some roared.

"May the oathbreakers fall into the sea." Others voiced.

"There is no shade, no roof for those not of the blood."

"Silence." A'rai's word was low, but commanding. "The purpose of the Pathfinder is to lead and guide others though lands known and blaze a trail through paths unknown. All you have to do is look in their eyes, remember that desperation well – there is no way back for these people." The hunters and lions lowered their heads and all let out a low groan of submission.

"You, Inuzuka – what is your name?"

"Kiba."

A'rai sniffed Kiba again and chuckled, "Very well then. O'Kiba you are now the Speaker for these people. You will be responsible for everything they do while they travel through our lands. We will take you to OugoVillage where you may rest and meet with our elders. And what is her name?" He gestured at Karui.

"I am-"

"I did not ask you!" He cut her off; from her smell she was very angry.

"Listen here you arrogant-" This time Kino, the Lioness roared at Karui.

"I mean you no disrespect, but O'Kiba is the Speaker. He must be the one to answer, it is our way." Her glare said much that was best left unsaid.

"She is Karui." Kiba felt the scene was strained enough already, without Karui's famous temper getting the best of her.

"I'Karui, you shall be the Eyes for these people. Watch them and care for them, this is your duty." He pulled close to Kiba and whispered, "I am bound by formality at this point. When we reach our village there will be a few more customs to observe, but for now I can offer you safe passage and my solemn oath that I will answer what questions I can when we arrive."

Not liking the situation, Kiba nodded and helped the refugees back up and got them moving again after A'rai. The grasslands stretched out for many miles in the foothills below the shadow of the mountain. As they got closer to the mountain, Kiba felt unsure as to how tall it was. Sometimes the peak even seemed to disappear into the sky and reappear shorter than before. None of the villagers had any idea how tall it was, as nobody had ever scaled the peak before.

Randomly during the trek back to the village, hunters would disappear from the sides of the group. From the smell in the air Kiba could tell they were off hunting, and when they showed up with freshly killed animals strapped to their back, his suspicions were confirmed. There was a high level of skill to the hunters; they moved quietly but more importantly there were subtle changed in their muscle patterns which indicated they possessed chakra enhanced abilities.

The grasslands held several other curiosities, which kept Kiba's mind occupied until dawn when they finally arrived at the village. Somehow he was not surprised to see it was comprised of simple grass and stick huts, yet one thing stood out among everything in the dawning sun. A small bronze statue sat in a special shrine in the center of town, its shape that of a standing man facing outward in direction of the sea.