Jungle Brawl

A dark forest green cloaked figure wearing a humanoid white face-mask entered the wet jungle. A shadow amongst many shadows, the figure set a deliberate pace, neither fast nor slow, but enough to cover distances in a relatively short amount of time. The figure had the hood up and his hands deep into his pockets of his cloak. Physical features were impossible to distinguish, the only thing which can be seen is that figure could be male due to the broad chest and that he was rather tall. Everything else was covered; not even the black color of his dusty dress shoes showed up which kept sinking in and out of the mud as he moved through the jungle seemingly without purpose. Suddenly the man stopped and tilted his face towards the sky through the leafy canopy. The sun was going down and night was about to fall. The figure made a quick series of hand-signs and a clone of himself appeared in front of him, the real figure gestured for the clone to take the lead. One can never be too careful during the night.

The two figures continued to walk at that same deliberate pace, seemingly in unison with each other. The rise and fall of their legs walking through the mud set a cadence to which their entire bodies seemed to move. Efficiency was the hallmark of the organization which the figure was a part of. One must always cut and cut with intent. That is the one overruling law of the organization to cut with deadly intent. The weak of mind will die and the strong will survive. No better way to find the best of the best and the figure was surely the best. The sun soon fell below the horizon and the jungle was left in almost total darkness. The dark color of his cloak should hide his movements fairly well now. The figures soon stopped again and looked intently ahead. There seemed to be a small clearing with a large boulder ahead.

The figures continued to look at the clearing and the area surrounding it trying to discern any movement or evidence of an ambush. Seeing nothing untoward, but still being cautious, one of the figures gestured to the other to enter the clearing. The figure in front shrugged in response and continued its deliberate pace into the clearing. The other figure followed closely behind, but stopped right at the edge to the clearing. A vague suspicion entered to the back of his mind that there was something or someone there. A predator of some sort, either resting or laying in wait to ambush anyone who walked in. The figure at the edge of the cracked his fingers and knuckles with anticipating of any trouble. If there was any trouble, well let’s just say it won’t last for very long. Another lesson from that organization and a few years guarding caravans from robbers and the like; end trouble as soon as it appears and end it with finality.

Henshu yawned and lazed against a tree in the clearing, his back pressed against the trunk and his feet dangling off the enormous branches that lined al the tree’s in this area. He was high enough up in the air that his chilling aura didn’t affect anyone on the ground, and so he could relax in ease up here without fear of the predators down below. As it happened, once they started climbing the tree to get him, the sudden change from humid and hot to freezing, literally, startled all of them away. Most of the animals were used to this heat year round, so the sudden frigid air was a very nice deterrent. It also kept the bugs away from him. Closing his eyes and leaning his head against the tree, Henshu felt the comforting presence of his partner, Shimo, lying on the ground.

Shimo was actually quite hard to see, despite the fact he was a white wolf, with brilliant light blue eyes. The foliage and tall grass that was growing around the trees provided an excellent cover for such a bright and visible creature. It was also the perfect place to stage an ambush, or it would be if Shimo had any combat training. When Henshu first met the wolf, it was limping around with its rib cage showing. It had taken him quite a while to feed and nurse Shimo to recovery, but Henshu had done it. However he hadn’t had the time to teach him combat skills yet, so the best that Shimo could do would be to warn Henshu at the approach of an enemy.

This, about five minutes after Henshu’s eyes closed, was exactly what Shimo did. A low growl, too low for anyone without an enhanced processing mind like Henshu’s to hear, rumbled through Shimo’s body, causing the grass and weeds around him to shiver also. Henshu sighed and jumped down from the tree, noticing the figure enter the area. It wouldn’t do to have Shimo injured again before he could learn how to defend himself. Stretching as he hit the ground, henshu looked toward the figures general direction, the air around him still a freezing temperature. Henshu yawned slightly as he watched the dew and rain from previously freeze on the ground, forming ice crystals while he waited.