Chapter 6 - Of Endings and Beginnings
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." 'Ku quickly channelled chakra into her feet to prevent her from falling off the slim branch she appeared upon. She looked around, viewing her new surroundings with a curious eye, finding herself on the thin tip of a mid-lying branch on a huge, several hundred foot tall, redwood. A few branch levels above, a giant nest was woven around the trunk, with varyingly smaller nests scattered further out and above. Several birds could be seen flying between the nests and away from the tree, most somewhat large and black, though the occasional white one could be glimpsed, as well as a few much larger ones.
A slightly above average sized, white bird descended, alighting on a higher branch with its head tilted curiously to the side, simply staring with hazel eyes which had a thin ring of pale blue circling the pupil. A few minutes passed with the pair observing each other without words or movement, before a little, black bird descended and perched itself at 'Ku's head-height, the closer view making it apparent that the birds were ravens.
"Greetings, young, prospective summoner, and welcome to Ikusamesu. The Elder wished to speak with you." 'Ku nodded and ran up the trunk of the giant tree, following the small raven as it flew to the central nest. The white raven followed at a leisurely pace, keeping level with the girl as the rose. The sight that greeted 'Ku on her reaching the top side of the nest was of several groups of large ravens, presumably family groups going by the fluffy appearance of fledglings within each group. The white raven that had first approached 'Ku glided over to the sole group of white birds in the nest and got pounced on by the pair of fledglings there, much to the amusement of the others in the group.
'Ku turned from the sight with a small smile playing across her lips and jogged after her small guide to the shelter at the centre of the nest. The little bird landed on her shoulder as she entered and she paused, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light within. A huge white raven sat at the far end of the room, its beak sitting at twice 'Ku's own height of five foot one. It opened one white eye to peer at the first human to arrive in their midst in some time, and chuckled to see the small, black raven on her shoulder neatening the girl's hair from the rather haphazard ponytail it had been pulled into.
"Enough, Saya. You can mother the girl later if she stays." The low, rumbling words of the Elder caused the small raven to huff as she took to the air so the pair could speak privately.
"So, fledgling, you wish for the summon contract of the ravens? I expect you knew not which summon you would find when you used your jutsu, but for what purpose did you seek a contract at all?" The other eye opened and 'Ku felt the full weight of the Elder's piercing stare as he judged her.
"I sought an ally I could trust in battle, no matter what may happen in the future, and a friend I could rely on for I have few that I may call such. I know how some others likely regard summons, but I have no need for a tool to do my work for me, nor a flock of shields to die in my place." A blink broke the heavy feeling of that stare as the raven nodded.
"A good answer, fledgling, however your strength must be evaluated, as well as your eye for strategy. We have been called by weak or incompetent summoners before and I shall not permit such a waste of life while I remain Elder." The male stood and slowly walked out of the shelter, 'Ku exiting in front and shifting to the side to allow him past while she stopped to adjust to the light once more. The sun took that moment to break through the cloud cover, turning the black plumage of most ravens into a beautiful shine of iridescent blues, greens and purples, even the white ravens' feathers gained a blueish sheen, though not to same degree. With the sharp gesture of his beak, the elder summoned a large black raven, it's wingspan about fifty foot, towards them before he spoke again.
"This is Kiyoshi, he shall assess your strength and strategy, though if you would please use only Taijutsu, there is no reason to destroy the nest after all." The white girl then flew to a higher branch to observe, showing an impressive sixty five foot wingspan, while the family groups quickly shuffled their fledglings to the other side of the nest to reduce the possibility of them getting caught up in the fight.
The raven made the first move, rising on silent wings and diving after the human, talons slashing towards her but she dodged easily, sending a kunai flying after the huge bird. An easy tilt of the wings shifted him away from the weapon, leaving it to embed itself in a branch. He dove again, increasing his speed with each attack to see the extend of hers, but even at full speed he was unable to catch her, so the next kunai flung his way was caught instead of avoided and tossed back through a backwards loop, a forceful flap of wings giving it the speed needed to reach the girl before she could fully dodge, leaving a reasonably deep slash on her left arm.
'Ku smirked and chose her tactic, as she dodged the next attack, she grabbed the leg that was closest and pulled herself up to stand on the large taloned foot. She danced between and around both feet when their owner's beak tried to reach her even while the raven took sharp turns and lopped through the air to try and dislodge his unintended passenger.
With the next peck, 'Ku let another kunai fly, aiming for the bird's eye, but his quick reactions left only a scratch. Though his irritation was enough to aim himself towards a nearby branch to try and knock the annoying girl off his feet. While the idea did work in that respect, 'Ku used the opportunity to hop off his feet and bounced onto his back instead, a little push of chakra giving her the force needed to get there, though Kiyoshi was decidedly unimpressed at the tugging on his feathers. Even more so when a kunai was held threateningly in front of a dark brown eye and no fancy aerial manoeuvring would even make it waver. A sharp cry from the Elder signalled the end of the spar, so 'Ku stowed her kunai and hopped to the nearest branch in order to run back down to the nest.
"Your strength and strategy are impressive for your youth, however there is one more thing we must test. In times past we have worked with summoners who refused to trust us, thus we could not help them as we should have and as they refused to rely on us it lead to their early deaths and the deaths of our brethren. You must be able to trust us if we are to put our trust in you." The Elder descended from his perch to stand at the edge of the nest. 'Ku followed and, at his indication, moved up beside him, staring over the edge down the clear path through the branches to the ground. A different large, black raven perched on a branch that sat along the opposite edge of the gap.
"Jump, little fledgling, and trust. Mitsue will catch you before you hit the ground, but it is a long way and you must trust he will do so." 'Ku turned to look at the Elder, and saw his words were true, not an attempt to test her foolishness. She took a deep breath as she nodded, and did as instructed, watching as Mitsue dove with her. The girl kept a tight rein on the panic that sought to escape and held to her belief in the Elder's words, instead letting the side of her that gave her an affinity to wind loose to enjoy the freeing feeling of the air rushing past with no restricting anchor to the ground.
At about fifty feet from the ground, a large taloned foot closed gently around 'Ku's middle, gradually slowing her to stationary, just as her foot touched the ground, before she began to ascend, carried back to the nest on swift wings. The girl was gently deposited beside the Elder with a smile on her face, highly tempted to jump again.
"I presume you have wind affinity then." The Elder's rumbling voice broke through 'Ku's thoughts and she tilted her head in question.
"Shinobi have fallen from a raven's back in battle before, but only those with an affinity for wind have been smiling in such a manner, as if wanting to do it again." 'Ku laughed as she nodded in agreement to the first statement. She got to her feet and dragged herself away from the edge of the nest before she did jump again. The Elder held a taloned foot before her head and dropped a large scroll into her hands.
"Write your name and leave an imprint of all five fingerprints of one hand, in blood. You will then be able to summon us, dependent on the chakra input. Though expect retribution if you summon a fledgling into battle, even accidentally." The girl nodded and bit hard into her thumb, pressing her index finger into the welling blood as necessary while she wrote. With business concluded the Elder took the scroll back and returned to his shelter, leaving ''Ku, sat on the nest's floor, with his name, Satoimu, and the instruction to seek out any adult to send her home when she wanted to leave.
With her acceptance among the ravens, the groups all returned to their former spots, seemingly unconcerned as their fledglings wandered over to examine the newcomer, the with the sharp eyes of a shinobi, 'Ku easily picked out the mothers who kept a sharp watch over them even as they interacted with the rest of their groups. The white raven from before also approached, though her own inquisitive nature was hidden under the guise of watching over the fluffy white chicks which had ambled over. It only took a minute for the fluffy group to decide they'd seen enough and it was time to greet this older newcomer as they did any other older bird. By burying them under a fluffy heap. Poor 'Ku was unprepared for the sudden attack by the fledglings and soon fell under their joint might, becoming the new baby roost as they settled on any place they could find. She ended up with two on each shoulder, four per lower arm, which were supported into horizontal positions by a pair of fluffy heap underneath them made of about ten each, another ten squeezed together on her lap and the pair of white ones with a tiny black one nesting atop her head. 'Ku glared at the watching, white raven.
"Yeah, laugh it up, I'll send them after you when I leave." The raven simply closed her eyes as she continued to convey amusement, even without lips to grin with.
The little black Saya, was the first to drag her protesting chick away from the human, extracting her tiny fluff ball from the white sandwich she'd found herself in. Gradually each fledgling was returned to its family and 'Ku flopped back, her muscles aching from holding the same position for the past couple of hours. The extent of her reaction when the white raven approached was to turn her head to face it, though she made a mental note to pay attention to the ravens more in the future to find an easy way to distinguish gender, it was impolite to think of them as 'it's after all.
"You're a strange one, summoner." 'Ku 'hmm'ed questioningly with a raised eyebrow as the raven spoke for the first time that she'd seen, the quiet melodious voice indicating that she was female.
"You appear silent and cold, as if rejecting the world around you, yet are content to be a perch for fledglings with a patience even their mother's likely wouldn't possess. Are you the same with your own kinds' young?" 'Ku couldn't help the snigger that escaped at that thought.
"Not really. The fledglings are cute and not that noisy compared to human children, who I have little patience for. Anyway, I'm Ogawa Miku, though you can call me Miku or 'Ku, what's your name?"
"Hakutsume, though 'Tsume will be satisfactory." The pair sat together and talked, getting to know each other quite well before it got late enough that 'Ku needed to head home, with the promise to summon 'Tsume the next day.
*o*o*o*
"'Ku-chan, 'Ku-chan, how'd it go?" 'Kuko excitedly glomped her best friend even before the smoke of her return had dissipated. 'Ku sighed and returned the hug, knowing from long experience that not doing so would only make her hold on longer.
"It went well, I now have a contract with the ravens. I'll show you tomorrow before you see what you'll get. For now I need food and sleep." 'Kuko dragged her friend from the garden to the kitchen, shoving her in a seat and presenting dinner which she'd been bored enough to make herself while waiting for 'Ku to return.
*o*o*o*
After breakfast, 'Ku summoned Hakutsume, which left 'Kuko babbling over how awesome it was and soon vanishing in her own puff of smoke to see what summon she would get. 'Tsume blinked at the strange brunette's actions and turned to her summoner, silently asking if that really was her best friend, given the vast difference in personality. 'Ku nodded and held out an arm for the raven to perch on as they went to see Ibiki-sensei and 'Nai before viewing the village, it had been a long time since any raven had been summoned to Konoha after all.
*o*o*o*
'Kuko appeared with a splash, ankle deep in water at the edge of a large island that sat within a lake. A trio of fox kits skidded to a halt where they'd been playing and stared as the girl splashed her way to dry land and sat upon a rock, removing her sodden shoes to leave them in the sun to dry. The inquisitive creatures slowly edged their way closer, freezing whenever the girl looked their way, as if playing Grandmother's footsteps. 'Kuko pretended to ignore them, letting them approach and investigate as to whether she was friend or foe. Though that only lasted until one decided to steal her shoe, at which point an epic game of chase began, the girl hunting for the little thief while its friends tried to interfere by continuously running around her legs in an attempt to trip her up.
She eventually caught the kit, taking the opportunity to snuggle the little fuzball while she nabbed her shoe back, which left the fox glaring while its friends were laughing at its misfortune, the two a noticeable distance away to prevent the strange human from assaulting them as well.
'Kuko froze at the sound of a much deeper chuckle which announced the presence of a full grown, russet fox as he emerged from the nearby bushes. The kit used her inattention as an opportunity to wriggle free and flee from the human and her strange snuggle attacks. 'Kuko gave the newcomer her best innocent look - which was pretty damn good after nearly eight years of escaping suspicion of committing pranks - as if she hadn't just been caught in a most unprofessional situation. The fox just nudged her forward and slipped in front to act as a guide to the Den, trotting on at a leisurely pace, showing no real hurry to get there.
"You arrived at a good time, young summoner," The fox chuckled again when 'Kuko jumped at his sudden words.
"The older kits have their coming of age test today and that shall be your test as well, for if you are not capable of becoming an adult to our eyes, you have no right to summon us." 'Kuko nodded in acknowledgement when she saw the fox's golden eyes focused on her.
"Do I get any hints on what to expect, or is it a secret?" She inquired as her guide showed no signs of saying anything on his own, however the persisting silence was answer enough and left her grumbling,
"Trust me to end up with the one even less talkative than 'Ku-chan with a newcomer…" A nudge sent 'Kuko stumbling towards a group of older kits, nearing full grown but still gangly enough to be differentiated. With a glare that showed the fox exactly what she thought of him right then, 'Kuko wandered over and deposited herself next to a young, white fox with black ears and black speckles spattered across its feet, ranting about annoying old foxes that see themselves as too good to talk. The white fox nuzzled her shoulder in sympathy while several other 'teenagers' shifted closer to join in the impromptu ranting session.
"Alright then kiddies, up you get else you wait 'til next month." In seconds all eleven young foxes were lined up to start their test with 'Kuko, somewhat awkwardly, stood at one end.
"The course you must follow for the first part of the test is marked by red fur, you have fifteen minutes to follow it back here. Any logs that are higher than your head - waist for the human - you must go over, any lower than that must be ducked under, you must cross any rivers without getting wet, you must also avoid the Suiton Jutsu that various adults will throw at you. Once back here, you must find the scratched branch on that tree and sit upon it until I acknowledge your presence. You are all forbidden from using any chakra during this part of the test. Begin." The black vixen which had dictated the rules stepped to the side and the group surged forward, a particularly energetic, red furred fox easily taking the lead with 'Kuko just behind. The girl had a slight advantage on the high logs, being able to simply vault over them, where the foxes had to scramble up surrounding trees to find a way over, however this was countered by their ease at sliding under the lowest logs where 'Kuko's longer body was a hindrance especially as it just didn't bend back as easily. The red fox and 'Kuko swiftly pulled ahead of the others, the girl barely paying attention to the trail as she tried to keep up. Fortunately her competition kept to the right path, not falling prey to the false trails of brown fur which led a couple of others astray. The lack of chakra led to 'Kuko playing stepping stones to cross a river, barely avoiding the Suiton fired at her as she hopped from stone to stone, the other river sent her into the treetops to run across the shading branches instead with its lack of convenient rocks or bridge.
It was after eleven minutes and thirteen seconds that the red fox reached the marked branch, balancing somewhat precariously on the thin piece of wood, claws dug deep for support. Twenty seven seconds later 'Kuko joined her, huddling close to the trunk for the widest part to balance on, holding on to the branch above for as much stability as she could find. They were acknowledged half a minute later and dropped to the ground just before the next runner arrived, robbing him of an easy way to find the branch.
'Kuko flopped onto her back, quite content to take advantage of the bright sun shining over the foxes' home. Though she could probably have done without the large, red, fuzzy lump which dug its paws into her kidneys as it curled up on her chest like an overgrown housecat.
Once the time ran out, there were four other foxes that passed, three with the typical russet fur with white chest and tail tip and black ears and one brown with black chest, ears, socks and tail. The six were then sent on to the second half of their test, to track down and slay the pair of golden eagles which had decided to nest on the island and had no qualms with snatching fox kits if they came across one or two unguarded.
The foxes, having better noses, were delegated to tracking duty while 'Kuko would be in charge of finding a way to ground the birds once found as she was the only one with any ranged capability.
The plan they eventually implemented was to have one fox pretend to be injured - a couple of shallow slices providing the scent and sight of blood to make it more believable - and when the eagles tried to nab him, 'Kuko would catch them with either a net or a makeshift bolas constructed from steel wire and kunai. In practice the net was fat too slow and ended in failure. The bolas were much more effective though, trapping the birds' wings to their bodies so they fell heavily to the ground to be easily finished off by sharp teeth and claws.
The success gave 'Kuko the right to sign the summon contract, and signalled nap time, which left 'Kuko snoozing under a big puppy pile of the five foxes who had passed their coming of age. She ended up being firm friends with the brown, Masaru who tended to be quiet but showed a fierce intelligence, both of which reminded her of her best friend, though the fox was a lot easier to get on with from the offset rather than needing a long time to befriend, as well as the russet, Akane, who had beaten her on the obstacle course. The vixen, likely due to sharing 'Kuko's belief in frequent short naps whenever the opportunity presents itself, managed to be just as energetic as the human and the pair bonded over driving everyone around them nuts with their hyperactivity.
However, there was one duty that remained before 'Kuko could allow herself to leave. She could not abandon a fresh target pool without at least one successful prank- i.e. a prank which gets its target but prankster remains uncaught either through use of scapegoat or simply no traces to follow. The target was to be the annoying, too quiet fox that had been her guide. Due to lack of supplies, thus the return to an old favourite, sticky sap and feathers. Preparations were quick, execution perfect and, without even trying, a scapegoat - or scapefox - was assigned by reputation as a prankster.
A young, grey fox, with white face, chest, socks, and tail tip, streaked past, a sap and feathered red adult on his heels, trying to escape retribution for a prank he, for a change, didn't commit. The young male pressed himself into the back of 'Kuko's legs just as she was sent back to Konoha, giving the girl an unintended passenger. The whole village gained a strange sense of foreboding when they arrived, unknowingly anticipating the hell the pair could cause if let loose to prank freely. Fortunately for the general populace, the fox, Shin, made a fatal error with his first targets.
'Kuko and her unintended shadow headed to her team's usual training ground, where 'Ku and Hakutsume were developing their team strategies against Ibiki-sensei. The brunette approached when they were taking a break, 'Tsume and 'Nai perched in a tree while 'Ku spoke with 'Biki-sensei, and Shin chose the tree perched pair as the better targets for depositing a bucket of water over their heads. Very muddy water. Needless to say, neither were very impressed. The white raven grabbed the errant fox by his bushy tail and dragged him skyward, towards the Hokage Monument, where she perched upon the Sandaime's nose, grey tail still trapped beneath her talons, its body dangling unceremoniously from the stone nose. After years of practice in the art of ignoring complaints, honed steadily through interactions with various generations of fuzzy chicks, Hakutsume gazed across the village from her vantage point, paying no heed to the continuous curses spewing forth from her captive. Eventually the fox calmed and started muttering apologies interspersed with pleas to be put down because everything was going blurry. After a few minutes enjoying his suffering, Tsume released the tail, allowing Shin to fall, and caught him just before he hit the ground, to prevent him from splatting, to deposit him into the hands of 'Nai so she could have her own revenge. A few hints from 'Kuko gave her a remarkably accurate illusion of the grey fox's mother whose lecturing and glares left the 'teenager' cowering and swearing never to prank again.
*o*o*o*
The months passed with a continuing population boom which had been kick-started with the end of the war a year before, though by October it had slowed somewhat back to the usual peace-time increase. Lasting peace, however, seemed to be too much to ask for.
Team Ibiki, minus their sensei who had some paperwork to do(/demons to destroy), were taking a break from their training when the first tremors rattled through them, a tell-tale sign of a large-scale battle nearby, as was the rising cloud of dust they could just make out through the night's darkness, on the far side of the village. 'Ku quickly summoned 'Tsume to scout ahead before the trio headed towards the disturbance.
"There's a giant, nine-tailed fox on a rampage over there, no one can really get close enough to do much to it though. There's a group of shinobi gathering in the woods to the south, you should probably head there to be of most use." With 'Ku's thanks the white raven returned home and the kunoichi turned south, dashing across rooftops with as much speed as they could muster, in part to avoid sliding off as roof tiles were shaken free and fell to the streets by the force of the tremors that rocked the whole village. They deviated from their course a few times to knock falling debris away from fleeing civilians, guiding them to larger groups that were headed for the shelters within the cliff which the Hokage Monument was carved from.
The three eventually found their way to the gathering of young shinobi, 'Nai looked curiously at her father who stood in front of them but made no comment, knowing that he would only speak when all were present, a state which took a few minutes to arrive as various individuals and groups approached from all sides of the village, though besides 'Nai's father, the two by his side and one perched up a tree with a seal, none were older than fifteen.
*"Listen up, your generation is to stay away from the Kyūbi." 'Nai's father finally spoke, though is words were not what anyone expected to hear.
"What do you mean?" 'Nai found it easiest to question him, seeing the man as her father first and superior second.
"This is not a war between villages. It is our own calamity. You have no need to risk your lives for this."
"You can't tell us what to do!" 'Nai bristled with the righteous indignation that permeated most there, though 'Ku held her and 'Kuko back, preventing them from ignoring the command and rushing off to battle anyway.
"You are all shinobi, like me. We do not normally live long lives. But you, as my daughter, must pass on the Will of Fire to my Grandchild! At least promise your father that. I have faith in you." The young shinobi reluctantly settled down, resigned to their fates of being barred from the battle and the three adults at the front vanished in a swirl of leaves, the fourth remaining perched with his seal activated to prevent any attempts of the youngsters' to leave.
The more restless individuals paced relentlessly, the most eye-catching of these being Hatake Kakashi, the only one among them who was already a Jōnin. 'Ku and 'Kuko sat either side of their teammate, offering silent support to the only one of them that had parents to worry about, both of whom would be fighting for their home.
None of them slept that night, worry forbidding it until grief took over to do the same. Few families were left untouched by the cold grasp of death, many friends were forced to live together until their own homes were repaired and those lucky few who escaped such pain still grieved for the loss of the Fourth Hokage.
With half their house half rubble, 'Nai and her father were welcomed into 'Ku and 'Kuko's home, it standing relatively unscathed at the edge of the village, though were left largely in peace as they grieved the loss of her mother, just as the pair of girls mourned Morikawa-san who had helped them so much over the years. For the next couple of weeks, any shinobi, Chūnin or below, were delegated to rebuilding duty for anything that didn't require specialist jobs, most of them almost thankful for the boring duty which allowed them time to grieve and move on, when rarely do they get such an opportunity.
Nevertheless, 'Ku and 'Kuko were glad to take a mission outside the village, thereby escaping the depressing gloom that had shrouded it. Though, perhaps, escorting a merchant to Suna and back was taking that sentiment a bit far. At least the merchant didn't look down on them for their youth or gender, else it would have made the long trip nearly unbearable.
'Kuko walked next to the merchant's cart, eyes forward and ready to react to anything that may target him, also fulfilling his need to have someone to talk to on the six day trip, while 'Ku perched on the roof of the cart, keeping watch over the flanks and rear while frequently checking for any nearby, notable chakra sources.
Besides the interruption by a foolish group of bandits, the journey was peaceful, thankfully undisturbed by sandstorms. It wasn't long after arrival that 'Ku was pounced on by the, now three year-old, Temari, who complained that no one else would give her piggy-backs at an acceptable speed. 'Kuko wavered her friend off with a grin, the village's security good enough that they could take turns on guard duty. The most nerve-wracking part of being the girl's favourite person, however temporary that status, was the time the child dragged her along to dinner… With the Kazekage and her brother, Kankuro. It took all of 'Ku's will not to fidget under the Kazekage's intimidating stare as he silently assessed her. When he turned his gaze elsewhere without protesting her presence, 'Ku finally took a seat next to Temari - read, was pulled into said seat by said child - and the meal passed peacefully with the two children eagerly talking about their day while the older pair listened with appropriate comments where necessary, and 'Ku was eventually persuaded by a certain blonde child to recount the tale of acquiring her summon contract, which then led to promising to introduce her to Hakutsume tomorrow. Once able to escape, 'Ku fled back to her and 'Kuko's room to collapse into bed.
"Never again. 'Kuko-chan, if you are ever invited to dinner with Kazekage-sama, use whatever excuse you must to refuse, that was the most uncomfortable meal of my life." The ravenette glared when her friend had the audacity to laugh at her misfortune.
"Keep laughing and I'll let slip to your gossip-buddies about that time you got caught in your own sap and feather trap." Glare turned to evil grin when the laughter abruptly cut off and 'Kuko shuddered, deciding that bed was a much better plan than continuing to antagonise her friend as she knew the threat was no bluff.
'Ku took the morning shift, leaving 'Kuko to her gossip gathering and she watched as various herbalists and doctors gathered to buy the medicinal plants, the dwindling of the supply indicated that they'd be leaving tomorrow and their client confirmed this when 'Kuko arrived for lunch and duty swap.
Fortunately for Hakutsume, she wasn't big enough for Temari to ride, else she would have been hard pressed to avoid allowing such, though from the size of the adults from her family group, it likely wouldn't be long 'til she was. Instead the white raven flew at 'Ku's head-height with the ravenette chasing her, the blonde child on her shoulders, attempting to catch the bird when close enough. Temari was upset when told her 'mount' would be leaving the next day and tried to demand she stay or, when that failed, to visit again soon. 'Ku managed to expertly dance around that request, leaving the child believing she'd be back soon without actually promising such.
The trip home was even less eventful than the trip there but the two and a half weeks away had allowed the gloom over the village to lift somewhat and life had returned to normal, or at least what was considered normal for a Hidden Shinobi Village.
*o*o*o*
*speech here is take from episode 249 of Shippuden and whatever the fansubs told me.
Bolas - a throwing weapon made from weights on the end of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs.
Apologies for the lateness, Uni is doing the annoying, pile-everything-upon-the-students-at-the-end-of-term-right-before-exams thing it did last year, so I've been slightly swamped without the time to type this up despite having written it in time.
Anyways please review, I give cookies to whoever does.
Your-overworked-and-somewhat-knackered-but-still-heading-off-to-Costa-to-write-more-fanfiction-coursework-be-damned Author
Kouseki