as Dense as Air [c]

For a summer in the lightning country, the sun was forgiving today. Positioned behind the perpetually cloudy, fog-laden skies of the valley with only the occasional warm ray of light peaking through. As if calling out the inhabitants of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, urging them to awaken from the mid-day slumber and carry on with productivity. Some would listen, particularly the predators driven by instincts like hunger. But others would continue their afternoon nap without a care in the world. Normally Haruka would've been part of the latter. Perched atop or beside a tree somewhere, letting the sound of running water lull her to sleep. The occasional breeze would toss her hair, chasing away the heavy, muggy heat of summer. Today, however, she was the predator. Moving silently and nimbly along the many rivers of the valley, allowing them to guide her back down the mountain from which she came. She'd spent the early morning tracking the Saito pack, a family of black panthers her clan paid tribute to. They'd seemed disturbed lately, and no amount of information gathering had given Haruka a clue as to why. On behalf of her clan and a healthy dollop of curiosity, the kunoichi had moved with the pack through it's morning rounds. She'd hoped to find clues, but it seemed she'd be returning empty-handed today.

Stopping at a nearby stream, she kneeled down to splash her face with the cool water. Willing her body to wake up and resist the urge to crawl under that beautiful tree behind her and take a cat nap. The pack had followed close behind her, dipping their muzzles into the cool stream for a refreshing drink. It was peaceful. Days like this reminded her why she so often forsook her human shell for that of a black cat. A shadow of the magnificent, predatory cats before her. Letting the beads of water drip from her face and onto her skin, golden eyes scanned the horizon. It was feeding time for the pack, and that was not something Haruka would be joining them for. She was no huntress, not in this sense.

"Now what do we have here?" she hummed. In the distance she could see a small, black figure weave through the terrain. They were quick on their feet, carefully navigating the mixture of rubble and water. But it was obvious to the trained eye that called this area home that they were an outsider. The matriarch would call them 'dinner', leading her pack into the hunt. But Haruka sensed something else. Following the shadowy figure with glowing, golden eyes until they vanished she became sure of it. Chakra. With a quick nod to the matriarch, she moved downstream hoping to cut the shinobi off.

Haruka had rather easily closed the distance and maintained pace with the foreign shinobi, waving around rivers and jumping over boulders. All the while keeping a comfortable difference so that the only one with a trained eye on their prey was her's. For the moment, the girl had stopped. Sinking down onto the earth next to a fog covered pond. Attire and demeanor told her this girl was no civilian. She was no stranger to the cruelties of the world, and seemed exhausted by more than simple navigation of the valley. But she was missing one key inisgnia: a forehead protector. The girl bore no mark of affiliation to any village, but a chakra pool like that wasn't one she believed had just sprouted one day. No, it had been shaped. Trained. And like a moth drawn to a flame, she stalked in closer to the pond, careful not to make a sound. It was situations like this where she performed best and should she falter, well, nine lives right?

Using the fog as a cloak, she formed her clan's seal for 'cat' and within a puff of white smoke she changed. Now appearing only as a small domesticated cat, she moved to close the distance fully between her and this mysterious girl. Golden eyes remained trained on her lithe figure as she meowed, alerting the girl to her presence before lunging and landing in her lap. Rubbing her head against the girl's hand, she purred, willing her to let her guard down further. Golden eyes stared back into magenta, as if to look right through her and read everything she was thinking. Now that she was closer, she could truly get a feel for the girl's chakra. It was almost lavender in color, and had sort of darkness to it that suggested more than simple elemental affinity. A kekkei genkai, perhaps? Time would tell. She would remain with the strange girl as long as she deemed necessary, assessing the level of threat and gathering information as always. Should things go south, she was well equipped to dispose of her if necessary. And the pack remained within comfortable distance to assist her. Though she hoped they'd remain out of view so as not to startle their new friend.

[attr="class","borderonel"]