Kirigakure: B-Rank Mission, Marauding Wolf

It was an early morning when Sylvanas had received the mission. Her sensei, dressed in a drab of all black handed her a document, which possessed the initial requirements for her objective. They stated that where was some type of wolf incident going on in the bordering villages. Apparently, it was a wolf who had attacked a civilian, and after getting its first taste of blood, has gone into a frenzy to get as much of it as it possibly can. Sylvanas knew the traits fairly well, and the creature was more specifically known as a Gray Wolf. Although wolf attacks on humans do occur, their frequency varies with geographical location and historical period. Gray wolf attacks are dangerous not only for the victims, but also the attackers, who are often subsequently killed, or even extirpated in reaction. As a result, wolves today tend to live mostly far from people or have developed the tendency and ability to avoid them.

Judging from the recent news Sylvanas had been introduced to, she'd murmur. "When it rains it poors.." She was talking about the past few weeks, news of bandits killing and robbing flooded the village of Kirigakure. She had actually participated in an objective earlier that month, where she was faced against fifteen different and uniquely skilled highwaymen, who were led by a skilled shinobi who specialized in summoning. Sylvanas quickly made way out of the village after strapping on her armor, putting her beautifully ornate necklace on, and proceeded to hunt down the wolf. About four hours after her departure from the village of Kirigakure, she had finally managed to reach the small village of Meiyona, a smithing cultured populace who pride themselves on the industrious livings they have achieved. After entering the village, she had been searching for information, or clues as to where the wolf will be. Sylvanas decided to use a little information gathering, swaying the passing peoples and draining them of any and all information partaining to the wolf and the recent attacks on the bordering city-states.

Apparently, the wolf comes once every night to attack, and then retreats to a lair outside of the village. Though no one knows where it is located, it has been known to leave the village in the southern direction. And so, Sylvanas made her way to the southern hemisphere of the sooted town of Meiyona, brimsmoke, charcoal and the smell of fresh steel saturating your nostrils as you walked, seeming to singe the very hair from your body. After reaching the south gate, she had found something she was looking for. After scanning around, she had managed to locate a paw print, with more following its trace and directional angling. From the size of the paw, Sylvanas interpreted that this would have been one rather large wolf. An alpha, or a dire alpha female who is feeding due to pregnancy. Behavior like this was uncommon, a wolf to attack a human, but it was not uncommon for the wolf to seek a source of food for her premature pups, and the most abundant one, seemed to be Meiyona.

After skilfully tracking the foot tracks and patterns left in the snow, she had come to a large, open-mouthed cave, darkness and an ominous aura seem to alleviate a straggler of their pride. Sylvanas had to keep her distance, while still being able to eliminate the wolf once it reappears tonight. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the sun finally went down, the clouds above beginning to swirl. A snow storm was brewing. Sylvanas then had her head snap, the rough, bellowed sound of howling emitted from the cave like a war cry. She took out a single kunai, preparing her arm for a throw. The wolf, fur matted lightly, with scruffy hair all around the head, proved Sylvanas` assumptions. It was a female, and it was hungry. Its claws were dark in color, stained red with blood, and was probably the cause of the matted fur upon the wolf. Its body was maimed, having scratches and flesh wounds, both healed and exposed to the elements all over its buttock, hind and front legs. It seemed the people of Meiyona had tried doing their part to kill the creature, but what they failed to overlook was the sheer ferocity and power of the beast. Once it is hungry, there is no stopping it head on. You must kill it without it being aware you exist. An assassination, if you will.

Unprovoked wolf attacks motivated by hunger are categorized as predatory. In some such cases, a cautious wolf may launch investigative or exploratory attacks to test the victim for suitability as prey. As with defensive attacks, such attacks are not always pressed, as the animal may break off the attack or be convinced to look elsewhere for its next meal. In contrast, during determined predatory attacks, the victims may be repeatedly bitten on the head and face and dragged off and consumed, sometimes as far away as 1-2.5 kilometers from the attack site, unless the wolf or wolves are driven off. And so, as it reached its head upward to momentarily gaze at the moonlight, Sylvanas unleashed the kunai, throwing it at a breakneck speed toward the neck of the large alpha mother. The roar of the wolf was only silenced, about fifteen seconds after the kunai had completely penetrated the sternum and severed the connections of the heart. The wolf had finally been killed, and Sylvanas walked to it, conquering it completely, but having respect for it all the more. Taking its teeth out, she stored all of them in a satchel on the back of her waist. She could use them for something later on in life. She traveled back to the village, declaring Meiyona was now once more safe from threat under the protection of Kirigakure. Returning home later that next day, she received her reward from the Mission Office, as well as congratulations on her successful MR, or Mission Report.