Chapter 1: Forest
The early morning whisper of a breeze shifted around the echoing forest, slipping in and out of rustling leaves. The sun glinted onto the dry earth bed, as the trees parted, revealing a three mile long path down the middle. An echo of a crow awoke the morning, revealing it to many inhabitants of the forest.
On the path, however, a heated debate was continuing after the long night before.
"I'm just saying you need to be more careful! Then you can partake in the role!" Satori exclaimed at his brother, Ji, walking just next to him, the sun gleaming on his snarling face.
"It's not fair that 𝘺𝘰𝘶 get to decide! I just want to hunt a wild boar you know?!"
Satori laughed, scaring a batch of birds happily feeding on a berry bush for their young ones.
"Well if you do want to do that, we will have to see because last time you ended up in a little bit of a pickle didn't you?" Satori finished and laughed again, clutching his stomach with aching laughter.
"It wasn't my fault no one told me that trap was there!" Ji snapped back.
"It was you who placed it!" Satori, retiring from his clutching laughter, looked behind himself and Ji to reveal a boy, focused on a rabbit ahead.
"What about you, Tao? You think I should give your big brother the chance to hunt a boar or a wolf or a.. ant!" Satori howled with laughter.
"Shut up! Tao I do, don't I? I'm the second eldest I know what I'm doing!"
Tao looked at them both with puzzled eyes. He had no idea, no idea who would be able to go hunting and also no idea why they had decided to ask him, their little brother.
"Well I think Ji should get a chance, but..."
The brothers stared at Tao and then back at each other, and then back at Tao.
They knew exactly what he was about to say.
"I want to come with you!"
The brothers groaned and looked ahead.
"Should never ask him, Satori, he just begs to do what he wants! He's the younger brother, he does fishing for a reason, it's a weakling sport!" Ji was now infuriated.
"And picking berries of dead bushes in the middle of a forest 𝘪𝘴 a manly sport then?" Tao said, raising his eyebrows to let his brother know he was wrong.
"Gah, whatever. You can come. If I go that is. But you have to not let things screw up, especially when I ask elder!" Ji ran forward and sprinted into a bush inhabiting three large rats, scrambling out for their lives before turning around to attack the one who had baffled them. As Ji struggled, fighting of the small and scrambling fiends, Satori stopped and let Tao catch up, before walking beside him.
"Tao, you are the younger brother and all, but I believe you are strong. Don't listen to that,"
They both looked over to Ji who was now covered in scratches and still fighting off the last one, "brat."
Tao nodded and opened up his leather pouch revealing a crunchy and juicy apple. He had originally be saving it but he was hungry so he decided to eat anyway.
"You think I could hunt?" He said with a mouthful of apple. Satori looked Tao up and down before staring into the blue sky.
"Maybe."
The sky was a pale blue with swirls of deep pastel pink and orange. The morning air was always fresh and a deep smell of pine and wood was strong.
The brothers walked on in silence for a while, Ji recovering from the rat attack. Footsteps on the crusted dirt was the only noise the forest could desire for miles.
Satori has been looking at his map for a while, inspecting the whole island up and down.
"It says here, Ji, that the village of Cxulan is not a part of any clan or tribe. Since the Yoabe tribe is right on our trail, we can move there. No other clan would go near the village as it's highly guarded and since it's not part of any clan no one bothers it. If we set up camp just on it's outskirts then we should be safe from the Yoabe's. If we stay where we are then they are more than likely to stumble across us and slit our throats in the night while we all sleep. Does that sound good?"
Ji was staring ahead and listening at the same time. He looked at his brother with disbelief in his eyes.
"That sounds very dangerous, the outskirts is all just plain."
Satori smiled.
"Yes, but there is a small ravine that is full of grass and dirt that is hidden from the outside world, no one can see us for miles unless we set our smoke of fire to high."
Ji smiled as well and they both shared the same look. It wasn't a bad idea.
"Tao, think it sounds good?"
Tao was to busy watching the world go by to even notice he was being spoken too. He looked at his brothers sharply as they mentioned his name and he spread a puzzled look on his face.
"What's the .. plan .. again?"
Satori and Ji groaned and turned away from him.
"We are nearing the stream Tao, have you got your net? And rod?" Ji said, mimicking and miming a rod being cast with his hands and net being thrown into deep water.
"Yes, everything. Do you think there will be as big of carp as yesterday? We can feed for days on those thanks to me."
Satori laughed,
"Fair point kiddo."
Tao then went on to explain one time that he and their father had gone fishing and caught a small hammerhead shark at Zaki beach on the bottom left corner of the island. That was way before the clan war started, where nothing mattered and the island was in piece. Ten years later, Tao realised the island was falling apart. Towns and villages burnt to the ground, clans at war with each other, it wasn't a great situation to be in. The first clan was their clan, the Shinrin clan, meaning forest clan. They didn't have much special attention or effects to them but they knew how to survive. The second clan was the Sunahama clan, the 'sand beach' clan. They lived among the large caves and rocks on the beach and underwater systems never seen before. They were a violent clan, so no other clans dared to go near them unless to declare war. The third clan was the Yukiyama clan, meaning 'snow mountain'. They lived among the mountains, and in the snow and ice conditions. They were just here to hunt, and are after all the clans. They want to be the last clan standing. The fourth clan was the Heiwa clan, the 'peace' clan. They lived among the mountains too, but only the mountains above hot and grassy plains. They lived in temples and believed in the Buddha, worshiping and praising the Buddhist god.
The fifth clan was the Sabaku clan, the desert clan. They lived in the hot climate in the desert, and though no one had ever seen them, rumours had said they lived in a large and empty ruined castle in the desert. They have been seen before by many people, but not how they are now. They used to thrive and be well but now they are a hunting mess, living to kill. No one went to the desert anyway because of the evil creatures such as the VennoMutes, giant and poisonous scorpions. The sixth clan was the Aruki clan, the 'roaming clan'. There was actually four of these clans, just surviving with their own names. The first roaming clan was called 'Cuki'. The second was called 'GiRu' and the third called 'Junakawau'. The fourth was a bigger clan, with over fifty members called the 'Wolf Hunters'. They were all just like the forest clan that Tao belonged too, but they wonder aimlessly, only hoping to run into another clan and kill it. Unfortunately, Tao's clan had have to move from their forest home. They were now a roaming clan as well, so there were now five in total.
"What do you say about that Tao?"
Tao shook up from his thoughts and nodded.
"Yes."
"Tao .. you sure? It's a joke you know that's dark if you want too," Ji had said, a frown appearing on his face.
"I didn't hear..." Tao watched his brothers shake their heads, before Satori turned around.
"Get your head on board with reality Tao! You can't just be with your thoughts all the time this is reality and we are going to die if we don't feed everyone you hear? We have to make smart decisions about our future if we want to survive so get your head out of the god damn clouds!"
Tao stopped walking. His brother was right. He had to get to the river and catch some fish.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone