"Surprise attaaack!"

A brown and white blur sped down from the trees on my right, the side of my injury. I quickly dodged the line of attack, using my superior speed to my advantage. Expecting my move however, as soon as my attacker's paws touched the ground he used the momentum to attack again almost immediately.

As he launched himself at me and, instead of dodging, I started running toward him to meet head on. At the last possible moment, I fell sideways. As he harmlessly rushed past me, my paw shot out and snagged his front leg, tripping him. Pressing his moment of weakness to my advantage, I pushed myself up with my hind legs and pounced on his unprotected back.

We struggled for a little bit, rolling around in the dirt, but I came out on top, with my sharp fangs digging in to his throat.

"Ha! That'll teach you to be cheeky with me, dog!" I gloated after letting him go and prancing away with my tail held high.

It had been a couple weeks since I had started training with Akamaru. So far, we hadn't started training with ninjutsu, but we were supposed to start chakra training today.

He glared at me, "Don't be so cocky. I let you win."

"Yeah right!"

He glared at me some more, but then sat down and pointed to a tree. "Climb it."

"Um, OK." I walked over to the tree, and leapt at the trunk, digging my claws in as I started to climb.

"Alright, good. Now this is how you use chakra to climb trees." he started to climb the nearest tree, but instead of climbing naturally, he started walking up the side like it was level ground.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" I asked, my eyes round.

"By concentrating the right amount of chakra in your paw pads, you will be able to stick to the tree. But too little or too much chakra will result in you falling off."

I blinked. "That seems difficult. Why can't I just climb it normally?"

"It's an exercise, just do it!" he ordered me, annoyed.

"Fine, fine, keep your britches on." I sat still at the base of the tree for a second, gathering chakra in my feet. They felt tingly, like when you sit still for too long and suddenly get up. Just as I placed my first pawstep on the tree, a voice floated past us.

"Haru-chan, where are you?"

"Heh, gotta run!" I bolted past Akamaru toward the sound of the voice, but not before I heard him telling me to practice.

"Mrow." I greeted Hinata at the edge of the forest.

"Hello, f-first we need to get you t-to the vet's. Come on."

Oh yeah, the veterinarian's. I was getting my shoulder checked out, but I like the idea of the possibility of an infected shoulder much better than a trip to the vet's.

A couple minutes later, and I walked out of the vet's office without the bandages on. It was a wonderful feeling, to have the fur ruffling in the breeze, but it came with a price. A thick, ropey, scar stretched down my right shoulder, defacing my perfect feline form.

"C-come on, H-Haru-chan, I th-think N-N-Naruto-kun is c-coming back today."

Aha! That was why she was looking so nervous. Naruto was coming back from his mission in the Lands of Waves. We walked over to the gates, and I sat at the beginning (or end) of the village, staring out into the forest as Hinata hid behind a lamppost. Suddenly, I spotted them.

Naruto was strolling along with his hands behind his head, grinning like a crazy loon, which, essentially, he was. Sasuke was a little off to the side, just being the depressed emo-child he was. Sakura was alternately berating Naruto for messing up something she couldn't even dream of attempting, and following around Sasuke with lovey-dovey goo-goo eyes just because he's slightly attractive and has a brooding-hen face on all the time. Actually, I don't really mind Sasuke all that much. He's quiet where others are loud, and just sits in trees staring into the distance. Plus, he once threw me a piece of tuna, therefore gaining my eternal acceptance ('cuz it would take about an entire tuna fish to earn my approval).

"Meow!" I called out as I trotted over to Team 7.

"Hey, who are you?" said Naruto as he knelt down to stroke my head. "I don't think I've seen you around the village. Are you new here?"

Sasuke looked at me impassively. "It's that Aburame kid's cat, dobe."

"No it isn't, It looks totally different! And don't call me dobe!"

I walked away from the quickly escalating fight with new questions. Why had Naruto not recognized me? And did everyone think I was Shino's? On the way back to the forest, I stopped to look at my reflection in a puddle on the side of the road. What I saw shocked me.

I had grown since Kiba had found me in the forest all those weeks ago. My fur was very fine and medium-long in length, and it was the color of silver. And yet, it wasn't silver. Deep inside, the base coat was this shimmery blue, so when the sunlight struck me I shone with a light blue light surrounded in a halo of the purest silver. My gaze then turned into the most unusual pair of cat eyes I had ever seen. A fiery purple had replaced the usual kitten blue. They were narrow and slanted, and when I looked at even myself, I could see the unnatural intelligence in my gaze. I shook myself, and doing so, I realized I did not have the shape of the house cat anymore. I was wilder, with a distinct feral look to my long lanky legs and sharp fangs that slightly protruded past my lower lip.

I trotted off in the direction of Shino's house, slightly disturbed with my drastic change in appearance. I was the same on the inside, right? I was still the girl that only went to nerdy Band Parties, yelled at random strangers, and was the only female in the trombone section full of guys, right? Of course I was.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was changing. Into what, I don't know.

AN: Hey all, things are starting to ramp up a bit, yeah? Anyway, please, please, PLEASE review. Please. Heh, now the word "please" sounds weird. Pleeaaase. Pleassse. Yeah, I know I'm weird. Oh yeah, and Haruka's band life is kind of based on my band life. While I have never beat someone up with my case (I wish), I have been to awkward Band Parties, told this random stranger I had seen him on another ride in Six Flags (and then told him I liked his accent), and I'm also the only girl in the Trombone Section. You probably don't care at all about my life, and just want me to update sooner, but I just thought I'd let you know. ^.^

Love,

Sunlit Stars

p.s. You like the chapter name, Starslight21?