Chapter 10: Bad to Worse

By late afternoon, Naruto and Shikamaru decided to take a rest by the side of the road. Both were tired and hungry. If only Naruto had though to grab some food while it was just sitting there on the table to stuff into his bag. He drank from his canteen and sat under a tall tree. Shikamaru sat beside him.

"I'm hungry."

"Me, too."

"Did you bring anything to eat in your bag?"

"I ate it."

Shikamaru sighed, annoyed.

"You want to look for food while I rest?"

"You look for food!" growled Shikamaru. "Why do I have to do it? I've been walking just as much as you."

"But I'm really tired. If I go looking, then you have to carry me when we get back on the road. My legs are about to give out."

"Already?"

Come to think of it, Naruto usually could keep walking much longer than this if he was properly motivated. Still, his body was telling him to take a rest.

Unable to wait for him to be ready and unwilling to carry him like a horse, Shikamaru went into the woods to find something to eat. Once he did, there was no way he was sharing it with Naruto. He ate like a pig and hardly offered him anything. It wasn't like Shikamaru could help himself. He had no hands. He couldn't open a bag or reach in and grab something.

He sniffed around, trying to find something good. He couldn't find any nuts or berries. These plants didn't bear any fruit. There were no streams either. He managed to find a spot between the trees that was clear. Nothing but grass. He stepped into the light streaming from between the branches. The grass looked so green here. In fact, was that an acorn he saw on the ground? He walked over and lowered his head. He tested it with his teeth. It was a stone. Just his luck.

Although... he did taste something decent surrounding the stone. Without thinking about it, Shikamaru nibbled on it. He ripped it from the earth and ate it. He was eating grass. It actually wasn't too bad. It was like eating spinach. Since there was nothing else, Shikamaru made do with this.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why he was doing this. Then another part of his brain reasoned that there was nothing else to eat and he was desperate. He kept eating.

His sensitive ears twitched with every sound that creaked, moaned, chirped and rustled. He ignored the noise, not wanting them to disturb his meal.

He thought he heard hissing, but he assumed it was the leaves blowing in the wind. However, this didn't sound right. The rustling had a certain rhythm to it and this was just out of tune. He paused and listened carefully.

"Take a look at that buck. Six prongs."

"Isn't that something?"

"I call it."

"Fine. Keep quiet or you'll scare it away. Aim carefully."

Aim?

Shikamaru's head jerked up and his ears moved from side to side, flicking, hoping to catch the noise. He had to know which direction it was coming from. Something moved. Something glinted. He quickly turned to his left as something flew past him and sank into the truck behind him with a thump. An arrow.

Danger. He was in danger here. That arrow was meant for him. He was being hunted.

"Wait! Wait! I'm not-" That's right. No one could understand him.

More rustling. They were on the move. Coming closer.

Shikamaru bolted, fearing for his life. "Naruto!" He was moving so fast, faster than ever, come to think of it. Fear allowed him to control these four legs in the face of danger. Or perhaps it was his body in control of him. All he knew was that he had to get away. "Naruto, help me!"

He made it back to the road and Naruto was sitting right where he left him. Naruto didn't stand, even when he saw the look of panic on Shikamaru's face. "What's wrong?"

"Hunters! They're after me!"

"Aren't we being a little dramatic?"

"I'm serious!" He heard rustling and hid behind Naruto. "Help me! Help me!"

"Calm down, will you?"

"They have weapons! They can't understand me! They think I'm a real deer! Do something!"

"Calm down! I'll set them straight. Just relax." Naruto stood up and faced the road. Two men came out with bows and arrows, looking from left to right. "Hey, there."

They turned and spotted Naruto. Behind him was the deer they were hunting. "Boy, either don't move or slowly get out of the way. There's a deer right behind you." One of the men started to load another arrow and Shikamaru flinched.

"Hey, hey, whoa!" Naruto waved his arms and stepped in the arrow's path. "This deer is my friend. You can't hunt him. What the hell?"

"This kid has a pet deer?" They men exchanged looks. "Then again.. this kid looks pretty funny, himself. Just look at him."

Shikamaru coward behind him. "Make them go away, Naruto."

"Chill out, you big baby."

One of the men pointed to him. "You. Is that a sash or are you really sporting a tail? What exactly are you, anyway? Some sort of raccoon or a dog or something?"

"I'm a human, idiot," Naruto said, glaring at the man. "Isn't it obvious?"

"If it were, I wouldn't have asked."

Shikamaru nudged Naruto again. "Please."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto turned back to the men. "Look, you can't hunt this guy. He's my friend. Ok? He's off limits. So go find something else."

One of the men lowered his bow and used it to lean on as he spoke. "We've been searching and he's the first deer we came across. There aren't a lot of animals around here since we're so close to town."

"There's a town nearby?" Naruto's ears twitched.

"Yeah. A couple miles that way. That's where we're from. We're hunting for fresh meat to sell and trade. Not to mention feed ourselves."

"Well, you can't hunt Shikamaru."

"Then you'd better come up with something else quick, because we're not leaving empty-handed," said the second man. He still had his bow loaded with another arrow.

Thinking fast, Naruto came up with an idea. "If I help you find something else, will you leave us alone and not hunt Shikamaru anymore?"

The two men looked at each other. "Whatcha got in mind?"

Naruto looked into the woods. "Wait here and I'll see what I can find."

Shikamaru stepped in his path. "Don't leave me here with them! They could kill me the second you walk away."

"Then follow me and shut up."

What choice did he have? Shikamaru followed Naruto off the path and into the woods.

There was a natural trail through the trees which they took uphill. The ground was very uneven and dipped low in places or broke away entirely, leaving tree roots exposed and tangled. Naruto easily climbed the roots to the higher level while Shikamaru had to jump and run to keep from falling. Naruto could grab the roots with his hands to pull himself up but Shikamaru only had his hooves. Several times he was left behind and Naruto didn't seem to notice.

Higher and higher they climbed, deeper and deeper into the woods. The slopes were covered by thick strands of bamboo grass and shrubs. The path was getting more narrow now. They couldn't take a step without cattails tickling their legs or fallen sticks scratching them. Shikamaru flinched, spotting something move out of the corner of his eye and Naruto paused to look in that direction. Butterflies scattered from the bushes and tall grass as they passed by. Some came to rest further away, disappearing as their wings closed. The tall, straight trunks of the cedars were covered with ivy vines and pale moss. The leaves were so small and green, but the vines looked strong and tough to break. Naruto gave them a tug, testing their strength and the leaves slapped his hand as if shooing him away. As Shikamaru passed them by, he wrinkled his nose. The vines gave off an unpleasant smell, like a squashed bug.

It was hard going up the steep path with hooves and nothing to grab when he lost his footing. Several times Shikamaru had to stop to catch his breath. Naruto kept going, not bothered at all by the difficult climb. Shikamaru couldn't rest for long with Naruto in the lead. Gradually the trees started to close in and Shikamaru had to be careful not to trip over the roots that stuck up along the path.

Then Naruto suddenly stopped. Shikamaru stopped as well. Naruto's ears flicked, rotating from side to side. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, crouching. Shikamaru wasn't sure what he was doing until he saw some of the tall grass move slightly, separate from the rest. Something was there.

Naruto pounced, leaping high over the grass and straight down. Shikamaru watched where he stood. He couldn't see Naruto's hands, but he knew he was grabbing something. It started to squirm away and Naruto had to move to the side to get it. The grass stopped swaying and Naruto sat perfectly still. Then he stood up and held out his prize: a rabbit. "Ta-da!"

Shikamaru frowned.

"What? If I bring something back for them, then they won't eat you." Naruto walked a short distance and bent down. He started digging a hole with his hands just a few steps away from Shikamaru. The hole wasn't very deep. He dumped the rabbit inside and started to cover it up. Naruto caught Shikamaru staring at him. "What? I'll come back for it later. I'm just leaving it here for now. I'm going to see what else I can find. You can wait here if you want."

Shikamaru looked at the backpack Naruto was wearing and wondered why he didn't put the rabbit in there. Perhaps Naruto didn't want a dead animal in his bag. Maybe he didn't want it to get dirty.

Shikamaru opted to stay where he was and waited for Naruto to return. He could hear Naruto moving quickly through the grass and heard him cursing when he missed his target. Then Naruto came running back. He was chasing something. Shikamaru watched Naruto run in circles around the trees and down the hill and to the side.

"Get back here! Wait up!" Naruto ran after it, refusing to let it get away. He made a sharp turn and ran back up the hill, then zigzagged and started to run to the side. He dove for it and nearly had it. Shikamaru could see the grass move, indicating that it had escaped Naruto's grasp. Naruto gave chase once again, this time on all fours. He ran a short distance and snagged it. "Gotcha!"

Shikamaru watched Naruto and started to get concerned all over again. He had just run on all fours to catch whatever it was he was chasing. Was he starting to change? Maybe he was over-thinking it. It might have taken longer for Naruto to stand up again before continuing the chase. That could have been his reasoning.

Naruto came back, out of breath but looking proud. He had a small cut on his cheek and small scraps on his hands and he was covered in dirt. In his arms were the results of his hard work. Another rabbit and a squirrel. "This should be enough for those two guys. There aren't very many animals around here."

They started back down the hill. It was easier getting down, but since the hill was so steep, they had to go slow in places to keep from falling. When they made it back to the road, the two men were still waiting for them.

"Here you go." Naruto handed them his catch. "Satisfied?"

The men looked over the two rabbits and squirrel. "I suppose it will do. It's no deer, but..."

Naruto put his hands on his hips. "Hey, I managed to catch this much for you. There isn't a whole lot here. You should be grateful. I caught more than you two did."

"What was that?" One of the men started to step forward but his friend held him back. "We saw that deer and it has more meat than all these things you brought back."

"What are you saying?" Naruto wasn't intimidated and stood up to the man.

"Easy, easy." The other man turned to Naruto. "Thanks for the meat. You did a good job catching these."

"The hell he-"

"We'll be going now." The man said this to Naruto but he was looking at his friend when he said it. "We won't go after that deer again."

The other man looked angry but agreed. Clearly he still wanted deer meat.

Naruto kept an eye on them as they walked away. Not only had Naruto made good on his promise but he also gave them meat for free. They didn't have to work for that. He had a feeling that was why they agreed to leave Shikamaru alone.

"Let's get out of here." Shikamaru started down the street, hoping Naruto would follow. Soon, Naruto joined him and they continued on their way.

If there was a town nearby then it could have been the one they were looking for.

They arrived at the town which stood at the bottom of the hill. Naruto was eager to get this over with and started down the path to their goal. Shikamaru hesitated.

"What's wrong this time?"

Shikamaru could hear the laughter of children and the chatter of adults. He could hear a dog barking and the clattering of pans. He wouldn't leave the safety of the trees. "I'm not sure. What if someone tries to eat me again?"

"You are such a baby!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Hey, easy for you to say! At least you have a say. You can say anything you want as a matter of fact. I can't. I tried telling those hunters I wasn't a real deer but they couldn't understand me."

"And that was because I wasn't with you at the time. This time, we'll be together and I can tell them that you're not food."

"Don't you get it? I'm a freaking deer. I'm something to be hunted and eaten. I'm nothing but meat and a trophy to them. Don't you understand how I feel?"

"You're being a baby. Now come on. Let's see what we can find out. For all we know, this could be over in just a few minutes and we'll both walk out of here as normal humans."

Shikamaru still had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen if they entered the town but his desire to return to normal was too great and he entered the town with Naruto without further complaints.

The town was busy and loud. The streets were packed with customers buying from venders and unloading fresh food and goods. He stayed close to Naruto every step of the way. They could hardly walk without someone bumping into them or coming very close. A lot of people were too busy with their own business but others stopped and stared at the deer wandering the streets with the blond-headed boy. Shikamaru tried to keep his head down and avoid their eyes.

"What do you think?" Naruto was saying. "We could get something to eat here. I have money on me in my bag. What do you feel like having?"

Shikamaru wasn't in the mood to eat at the moment. He just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. He quickened his pace, bumping into Naruto from behind.

"I'm going to get something here. It smells really good." Naruto started to walk away and Shikamaru quickly turned to follow him. They couldn't afford to get separated. Naruto stood in front of a vender behind a woman in a hat and looked at the food cooking inside. Steam and smoke shrouded the cooks working under the cloth roof. The food did smell delicious but Shikamaru still didn't feel like eating.

The woman stepped away and Naruto stepped forward to place his order. "Oh, wow, this all looks good. How much for..?"

"What the hell is that?"

Naruto looked up. "Huh? What's what?"

"Is that a deer behind you?"

Naruto turned. "Uh... yeah. He's my friend. Don't tell me you want to eat him, too."

"It would make good barbeque."

Shikamaru shivered.

"You can't eat him. You want me to buy something here or not? I can take my money elsewhere if you insist on eating my friend."

"Alright, alright. He's your pet. Ok, what do you want?"

Shikamaru hated this. Either he was food or a pet. Was everyone going to stare at him like this? He wanted to be human now. "Naruto, we can eat later. Let's just go and find out how we can change back."

"I'm starving. This will only take a second."

Shikamaru was getting impatient. "I want to change back now! I can't take much more of this!"

"Chill out. You're making a big deal out of this. I promise we'll change back. Just relax."

"How can you be so calm about all this?" Shikamaru spat. "I know why. Because you have a say! You can talk and I can't! You have hands and I don't! You can pick things up and I can't! No one tries to eat you, but me..!"

"I said we'll change you back so stop complaining!" Naruto snapped back.

Shikamaru wanted to argue further but there was no point. It seemed, however, that Naruto still wanted to fight.

"If you're going to complain, then get lost." He took his food from the vender and started eating. "And you can forget about me sharing with you if you're going to be like that."

"Naruto..."

"I said get lost! Get out of here." Naruto shoved him away with his free hand. "You're such a pain in the ass."

Was Naruto really doing this? He was acting like a little brat. Maybe Shikamaru was being annoying by complaining all the time but he had good reason to. Why couldn't Naruto see how hard this was for him? If only he could make him understand.

Shikamaru started to walk after him. The least he could do was say something to get Naruto in a better mood. He didn't want to leave it like this. As he got closer, something wrapped around his antler and yanked his head to the right. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw some men with ropes coming closer. "No!" Shikamaru went straight into panic mode. "No! Stay away!"

"Let's get this stray animal out of here. It's going to bother the venders and eat the customers' food."

Was that what they thought? That he was following Naruto around for his food? Then again, Naruto had just told Shikamaru to go away so it was no wonder they thought such a thing.

He tugged back. "Leave me alone! It's not like that!" He was afraid of what they were going to do to him. Would they simply release him or were they going to kill him? There were plenty of venders around with grills and lots of cooks. Were they going to tie him up and sell him for meat? Those options seems most likely. He had to get away. "Stop it! Leave me alone! Stop!"

He bucked his head and stomped his hooves on the ground. They brought more ropes and were pulling him away. One rope was fastened around his neck and another around his front leg. He bellowed loudly and bucked and kicked. He feared for his life.

"Stop it! I'm not a deer! I'm not! I'm a human! Please, stop it! Let me go!" It was no use. They couldn't understand him. "Naruto! Naruto, help me!" He could only pray Naruto wasn't too far away to hear him or that he thought he was being dramatic. "Please, help me! Naruto! Please! Naruto, help me!"

The men were hauling him away. He pulled away, his hooves sliding on the ground as he was dragged. It was all over if he lost his footing.

"Help! Naruto, help me! Naruto! Naruto!"

A man grabbed his antlers and tried to force him to the ground. More came to help. Shikamaru was being pressed into the ground. If his feet came out from under it, that was it. There was no way he would get back up.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

He knew that voice. Naruto came after all.

"Stay back. This thing can gore you with its horns. We'll handle this."

"The hell you will! Get away from my friend!"

"Your friend?"

"Yeah! That's Shikamaru! He's my friend! Let him go!"

Some of the men started to climb down and step away. Now Shikamaru could see where they were taking him. They were pulling him toward the back of a truck. He could only imagine what else was to await him if they got him inside. Who knew what would happen to him then?

"So this thing is your pet?"

"He's my friend so let him go right now!" Naruto was in sight. He took out his kunai and started slicing the ropes, unable to wait for them to untie him any longer. "You ok, Shikamaru? Sorry about this."

"Easy, kid." One of the men put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We were just-"

Naruto threw a punch at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why were you doing that to Shikamaru?"

"You crazy, kid?" the man yelled. "Don't go around punching people like that! I thought it was just some dumb animal that wandered in here. We've never seen a deer walking around like that before so we just thought-"

"You thought you could just tie him up and throw him in the back of your truck?" Naruto cut the last of the ropes and freed Shikamaru. "Come on, Shikamaru. Let's get out of here."

The men stayed where they were, watching them. The man Naruto nearly punched followed after them. "Listen, kid, we were-"

"Leave us alone and don't ever come near me or my friends again, you got that?" Naruto growled.

"Would you let me explain, you dumb little brat? Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?" He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and tried to keep him from taking another step. "I said we didn't know it was your pet and he had good meat on him so we just thought-"

Naruto spun around and snarled at him, showing his teeth which had become longer and sharper. "Raughrr!" His ears rotated sideways and his tail was aloft. The man jumped back, startled. He backed away and said nothing further. Naruto slowly turned away and gave Shikamaru a gentle push.

They left the village, no longer willing to search. They didn't want to spend another minute in that town. Once they had made it back to the main road, Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

"Sorry I left you alone like that. You were right. I didn't think things would happen like that. You're not hurt, are you?"

Shikamaru looked away.

"What? I just told you that you were right. I shouldn't have left you like that. We need to stick together."

"I told you it would be like that. I knew I shouldn't have entered that town. I had a gut feeling." Shikamaru hung his head. "I hate this."

"I know. I didn't think-"

"I hate this!" Shikamaru cried. "I can't do anything! I can't grab things, I can't talk, I can't do anything! I couldn't even defend myself when they attacked me! I can't use hand signs and that means I can't use jutsu! What the hell kind of ninja am I?! I'm not a ninja at all! I can't fight! I can't talk to people and tell them what's going on! My own mother chased me out of the house because I look like this! People want to hunt me and kill me and eat me! They want to put my head on their wall!"

He had never known fear like this before. He was in constant danger of being eaten by his former kind. Humans wanted to kill him and eat him and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. He had to rely on Naruto for everything. He was the only one who could understand him. He was the only one who could explain. The only one who could help him. If they were separated for even an instant, something like that was bound to happen again.

"I... I... I don't want to be a deer!" Shikamaru wailed. He felt so scared and useless. He felt helpless and trapped. He was in constant danger and had no idea what he was doing. How could he survive without Naruto's help? What would happen to him if something happened to Naruto? He was afraid of everything. Anything that moved, even human beings. This was no way to live.

He so desperately wanted to be human again.

Naruto put his arm around Shikamaru's neck, giving him a gentle hug. "I get it. I know. We'll change you back. I promise."

Shikamaru calmed at his words and felt his sincerity in the hug he gave him.

"I won't leave you again. I promise."

Please review! ^-^