[kaname]

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[THREAD TAKES PLACE IN EARLY 1018]

It had been a long time coming, but the success of the bandit group was finally showing itself in piles of wealth and a growing population of youths and slaves both. Somewhere in the masses of servants tending fields ever starved for water was Kana’s parents. But it had been a long time since they’d seen their faces; the bandit troupe was their family now.

The bandits were nomadic by necessity, always having to uproot their homes and drag loot and luggage across the desert as soon as rival clans or, worse, shinobi caught wind of their trail. And it was about time for the next move as Kana saddled up the horses in one of the larger tents, safe from the shade, and prepared them for their riders.

As they reached their own horse, the young amber mare that peacefully sunbathed in a shaft of light coming in through a hole somewhere high above, Kana took a moment to address her. They closed the distance slowly before placing both gentle hands on either side of the horse’s face and pressed theirs to hers. No words were exchanged but the emotional connection between the two of them was palpable. Throughout the tent there was an air of calm unlike anything in the inhospitable wasteland they took shelter from.

But that calm would be short lived.

A commotion rose from outside as people began to rush and shout, all punctuated by a loud blare of a horn that signaled an approaching enemy. It seemed they’d lingered here overlong and had been found out. Kana knew their role as bandits rushed in to mount their steeds and grab their weaponry.

The timing couldn’t have been better, with all of the steeds prepared for the long march through the desert. Kana rushed along to each horse and cut their saddlebags away; this wasn’t the first time this had happened and they were efficient, cutting the extra weight off one horse as the one behind them was mounted.

A sea of mounted raiders tore through the front of the tent, trampling its tearaway front before rushing out to meet the advanced opposition. Kana was last to join them, hopping up on their horse and grabbing a small bow.

They were only 12 years old but they were far from the youngest sent out to fight.

When they reached the lines they saw immediately that they were in serious trouble. A rival bandit camp was no issue, the fast paced mounted style of combat the Fūrinkazan bandit group employed made quick work of most regular brigands. But these weren’t "regular brigands”. They were shinobi of the hidden sand. It seemed their time was up; they’d had a good run and done well for themselves but doing so had clearly attracted the wrong kind of attention.

Kana let out a steady sigh, doing their best to calm their shaking limbs and pounding heart. It was in vain but the child knew there was nothing left to do but fight. They leaned forward, resting one hand on the side of their horse’s neck and tightening their grip on the bow's shaft in their right, and prepared to ride to their death.

--- words | Arai Shimako

j.

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[Arai Shimako]

Breaking bandit camps had become a standard part of Shimako's employ. There was little that a ragtag group could build that could stand up to the might of her crushing puppets, her onslaught unshakeable. There was a certain pride it gave her. She had come so far from her youth, from a time when she had had to run and hide from bandits instead of being the one to flee from.

A horn blared from the camp, but Shimako did not dread being spotted. She did not favor stealth the way her fellow puppeteers did and even being seen couldn't stop the forces she was managing now.

She directed several shinobi out before her to meet with the first wave of horseback bandits, standing back to prepare her own attack. First, she summoned her beloved hawks, sending them out to fly and scout the surroundings. Then she pulled a gigantic scroll from her back, laying it out like a tarp and clapping her hands together to bring forth its contents.

The ground practically shook, sandbanks crushed down beneath the weight of the puppet as a gigantic form took shape. A colossus, 30 ft tall, made of reflective metal and oddly bug-like. It was enough to send some of the horses rearing and scattering, dismounting a few unlucky bandits who hadn't put their beast of burden's blinders on.

The chaos of battle became more raucous after that. Shimako did her part, directing the puppet into battle to disrupt structures and push the bandits out of formation, driving them into unfavorable positions from her perch. One of her hawks came to roost not long after.

"The reports from back home are true!" Kako crowed. "They have children fighting down there. Not even well-trained ones." Judgemental as ever. Shimako caught her meaning, though. Not professional soldiers like young shinobi, which were an odd enough sight, but regular children. There had been reports of this bandit group growing bolder. Kidnapping children. It seemed to line up.

Shimako opened her radio line and spoke to her team.

"Keep an eye on the age of your adversary. Anyone who looks young, bring them in. They might have their prisoners fighting with them."

[kaname]

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Lines of warriors, clad in layers of loose-fitting white fabrics charged forward to meet their attackers. With the wind pressing into their rider’s backs with clothes, cinched only at strategic locations like the wrists and ankles, billowing and growing, the charging horses looked like a navy with massive white sails.

They weren’t completely unprepared for a shinobi assault but there were seldom few among them who knew much more than your average genin would. Kaname was even less capable; she couldn’t even be compared to an academy student. She tugged at the fabrics which stuck to her sweaty skin. In contrast to her allies, to her the desert robes felt suffocating.

On cue, the bulk of the defending force rose their facemasks as a gargantuan wave of sand erupted out toward them, a hulking metal beast taking its place as the grains rained down on them. Kaname turned away, clutching the length of her steed’s neck and digging her fingertips into the soft leather of her bridle. But she couldn’t run now; she’d just be cut down.

She charged forward, clearing through a line made by fleeing horses and raised her gaze to meet the encroaching enemy force. There weren’t that many but… there didn’t really need to be. Quality over quantity and all that. She grabbed the reins and tugged her horse to turn left, allowing her to meet her enemy sideways before drawing back an arrow and letting it fly.

The sand had mostly settled, the sandstorm created by that giant beast giving way to the beating sun once more, and the futility of the battle grew only more apparent. Kana wasn’t alone but a good chunk of the horses had fled, some on their own and some with riders dragging behind in a trail of sand, their feet still tangled in makeshift stirrups. A lot of the force had taken to meeting their enemy on the ground, drawing blades of all types and clashing with the front line of shinobi.

Kaname reached up to grab her facemask and pulled it down, now that the wave of sand had mostly subsided, though she was still covered in it. A clear line marked where she’d spared her nose and mouth, her eyelashes and eyebrows dusted with the disturbed battleground. She called out to those around her that were still mounted. "Swing around for another volley!”

Her voice was high and shaky and broke mid-way through the order but she knew those around her age would listen. She dug her heels into her horse’s leg, spurring her onward in preparation for another attack. She drew another arrow and nocked it, eager to let another fly at the intruders so eager to steal her home.

--- words | Arai Shimako

j.

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[Arai Shimako]

She would give it to them, the forces were putting up a surprisingly decent fight for an untrained group. Humans were really impressive at the end of the day. If they had the will, they could face up against unbeatable odds. They knew it was victory or their way of life, so they would throw their all into it, even if for some it meant sacrificing their lives. Yet even the strongest of wills would find their mettle shaken if they watched their allies fall and bleed beside them.

Shimako watched as one of her forces, locked in conflict with a ground force, suddenly sprouted an arrow in the side. Clearly he had been too distracted to keep watch of the ranged forces who remained mobile on horseback. Allowing her gaze to search over the flurry of bodies, Shimako caught sight of a rider holding a bow and arrow. Small, dusted in sand, hair golden. When she pulled down her mask, it was immediately evident how young she was, even from such a far distance as Shimako was. 

When her voice rose above the din of battle, it was confirmed. Young, frightened, and somehow leading the charge. Her heart ached as she remembered being so young and so frightened.

Calling the Pillar of Seers to her, she gave the three bird sisters an instruction.

"I need you to dive and harass the group that one is leading."

"That young one? That should be easy," Genzai crowed.

"Don't underestimate her. She has good aim," Shimako chastised.

"Not good enough to catch Kako!" Jōrai unhelpfully offered. This led to bickering between Jōrai and Genzai, not important enough to be catalogued by history. Shimako interrupted,

"Don't injure her or the ones with her. They're children. Just separate them from the rest of the group so we can more easily gather them up."

With that instruction made, the three sisters would enter the fray, swooping low to the ground to try to pressure Kaname and the other children away from the main force.