Akatsuki

Chapter Four

From a far away hill, lost in the vast forest outside of Akatsuki, Peter Stumpp watched not the sleeping village but the rising sun that would stir the peaceful villagers from a comfortable slumber. Long shadows stretched across the earth as the sun climbed higher and higher, coming out from behind the buildings, its rays spiting a warm glow on Peter’s tired face. Slowly, slowly it climbed the sky, splitting the clouds and the further up in the sky it rose, the faster the growing shadows snapped back to where they sprung from.

For hours Peter sat and watched the land in front of him become illuminated until only in the forest, with the thickness of the tree trunks and canopy of spring leaves, the shadows found life. High up on the hill however he couldn’t escape the light, and after enduring its uncomforting strangle throughout the long hours of the morning he lifted himself to a standing hunch with a heavy sigh tumbling over the tip of his sharp and cruel teeth and onto the broken grass.

His eyes glowed dimly as he wondered, stumbled through the woods in a soothing bathe of shade. A mighty paw found itself planted firmly on the trunk of each passing tree to help support his huge body, always the right, never the left because it no longer existed. Despite the effects of his bad health Peter enjoyed a short walk in the brisk forest air, taking in all the sights and sounds of the wildlife bustling around him.

“The air is different here, nicer, don’t you think?” but no one replied to his hoarse voice, “Its cleaner than back home, I can’t smell the blood anymore.

Out of the darkness the sounds of cracking sticks rippled through the quiet air and Peter let his head drop in their direction, to see a big brute of a figure emerge from behind a tree with a cruel smile peeling from out of the dark shadows, revealing a set of particularly nasty teeth. He spoke with a similarly nasty set of vocals; “Talking to yourself again Stumpp?” followed by a more menacing cackle, “Or is that pup still following you around with his tail tucked between his legs?”

Peter didn’t reply, not verbally at least. His eyes became cold and bitter as he watched the figure kick through the fallen leaves and branches towards him. “What do you want, Razor?”

“Relax I mean no harm, pulling your tail as the saying goes but you’re still hiding yours I see.”

Peter continued his walk and his new companion travelled alongside him. “I only turn when I need to, you know that.”

“Yes, yes I do! Like last night, right? Good work making it in and out without being caught; you still haven’t told us how it all went down.”

The words escaping from Razor’s mouth were cut and sliced adding to the speed in which they were spoken and Peter’s ear ached when they captured their jagged edges.

“He was stronger than I thought, and I underestimated my own strength.”

“Your health?”

A pause.

“But you did it, right?”

“If I didn’t have Ghost with me we wouldn’t be having this conversation, we have to be more careful going up against the others. They will be on guard from here on out.”

Razor laughed again in his menacing way, something in the distance flew off with a crash through the high canopy.

“If you kick the bucket then we have no hope in hell, Stumpp, don’t let me down you old fool you’re the only that pass those stupid tests of theirs to get into that damned village.”

Peter had already stopped listening at this point, his body wondered through the forest, Razor following alongside, but his mind had slipped far behind, to the previous night.