The Inuzuka Clan territory wasn't just a forest; it was a sensory map written in scent and sound.
Sunlight filtered through the high canopy of the ancient oaks, hitting the forest floor in dappled patches of gold and shadow. The air here was distinct—it smelled of pine resin, damp loam, and the sharp, territorial musk of a hundred generations of ninken.
Kiba walked with his hands in his pockets, his posture loose but his senses dialed to eleven. Akamaru trotted beside him, his white fur gleaming in the sun, nose twitching as he investigated a patch of ferns.
"Peaceful today, huh, boy?" Kiba murmured.
The wind shifted. It blew from behind them, carrying their scent forward into the unknown while pushing the smells of the forest away.
oowwooooo
The sound was faint, a thread of noise woven into the rustling leaves.
Akamaru's ears swiveled forward instantly, perking up like radar dishes. Kiba stopped, sniffing the air aggressively. He caught nothing but the dust of the trail and the distant scent of the Aburame bug-forests to the east.
"Nah," Kiba shrugged, kicking a pinecone. "Just the wind, boy. Maybe a stray mutt from the kennels."
They continued walking. The dirt trail crunched softly under Kiba's sandals. A cicada buzzed and fell silent.
OOOOWWOOOOOOOOO.
This time, it wasn't the wind. It was a vibration. A deep, guttural call that resonated in the chest cavity. It felt wild. Ancient.
Kiba froze.
Akamaru yelped—a sound of pure instinct—and shot backward, diving between Kiba's legs for cover.
"It's okay, Akamaru," Kiba said, widening his stance. He reached down to reassure the dog, his muscles tensing. "This is Inuzuka land. We're the alphas here. The animals are frien—"
SNAP.
A twig broke. Not on the ground, but in the air.
BAM.
Kiba didn't see it coming. A blur of brown and white slammed into his chest with the force of a battering ram.
The world flipped upside down. Sky. Trees. Dirt.
Kiba hit the ground hard, skidding backward. His instincts screamed combat. He flipped backward, his fingers digging into the soft earth, carving furrows as he anchored himself on all fours. Chakra flared in his legs. His canines lengthened.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Kiba roared, baring his teeth.
He was ready to rip the throat out of an assassin. He looked up to target the enemy.
The enemy was currently being assaulted by a tongue.
"Yip!"
Akamaru had bounded forward. He wasn't attacking. He was wagging his tail so hard his entire rear end was shaking, licking the stranger's face with frantic adoration.
"Ooo," the stranger cooed, accepting the bath.
Kiba blinked. The growl died in his throat.
It was a girl.
She looked to be about his age, but she didn't look like a ninja. She looked like the forest had grown a person.
She was fit—wiry and muscular, with skin tanned the color of polished teak. She wore no flak jacket, no mesh armor. Her feet were wrapped in tabi boots made of rough boar leather. Her shorts were deerskin, held up by a belt of rabbit fur. A crop-top of tanned hide clung to her torso, the collar lined with thick, gray wolf fur that bristled against her neck.
But it was her face that stopped Kiba's heart.
She had wild, luminous white hair that defied gravity, tangled with bits of dried leaf and twig. Her eyes were pools of dark, endless black. And her ears...
They were human ears, but they were slightly pointed, and Kiba watched in fascination as they twitched independently toward the sound of a bird overhead.
Kiba felt the hair on his arms stand on end.
His chest gave a painful thud. Then another. Heat rushed up his neck, making him sweat.
"Uhm—" Kiba started. He stood up, awkwardly dusting the dirt off his jacket. He tried to look cool. He failed. "Hey. I didn't... smell you coming."
The girl looked up from Akamaru. She stared at Kiba with an intensity that made him want to check if his fly was open.
"GAŌŌŌ!"
She barked at him. It wasn't a word. It was a challenge. A greeting. A sound of dominance.
"AH!" Kiba jumped, startled. "Wait, didja just say... gaō?"
The girl ignored him instantly, turning her attention back to rubbing Akamaru's belly. The traitorous dog was on his back, legs kicking in ecstasy.
Kiba lowered his eyes at his partner. Traitor. Lucky traitor.
He cleared his throat. This was his territory. He needed to establish order.
He started walking toward them, puffing out his chest. "Okay, look. Can Akamaru come back with me now? You can't just tackle people and steal their dogs."
She didn't look up. She was scratching Akamaru behind the ears, murmuring in a language of clicks and whistles.
Kiba scrunched up his face. Maybe she didn't speak the common tongue. Maybe she only spoke... dog.
"Oowooo—" Kiba tried, attempting a friendly howl.
The girl's head snapped up. Her eyes narrowed.
WHOMP.
Kiba didn't even see her move. One second she was crouching; the next, her leg—powerful and wrapped in deerskin—swept through his ankles like a scythe.
Gravity won again.
Kiba hit the dirt on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He stared up at the canopy, dazed.
Something wet and rough dragged across his cheek.
Akamaru was licking his face now, looking down at him with an expression that clearly said, 'Why did you fall down, Kiba?'
'Did she just sweep my legs...?' Kiba thought, his brain short-circuiting. 'She's fast. Faster than Hinata. Faster than me.'
He growled, dirt clumping under his fingers as he pulled himself up to a sitting position.
"That wasn't cool, wolf gi—"
The trail was empty.
A single leaf drifted down from the spot where she had been standing.
Kiba blinked. He looked left. He looked right. He sniffed the air.
He caught it now—a scent that had been masked by the wind before. It smelled of woodsmoke, rain, and wild animal musk. It was intoxicating.
His chest ached again. A sharp, stinging pang.
He put his hand on Akamaru's head.
"Who the hell was that, boy?" Kiba whispered.
Akamaru looked at Kiba, then turned his head to look down the winding, shadowed trail. He sat down on his haunches, tilted his head back, and let out a long, mournful howl.
AWOOOOOOOOOO.
Kiba waited. The forest held its breath.
Then, from deep in the woods, fading into the distance like a spirit:
AWOOOOOOOOOO.
Kiba touched his chest, grinning like an idiot.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I think so too."