Enter The Ninjaverse

CHAPTER 28

What Skylar said was only partially true; given that there could be someone tailing them, she'd left off the fact they were going to track them upon retreat. Nya gave a small nod upon hearing it. She was content enough that Skylar wasn't angry enough to forget the fact this mission relied upon the success of them playing the part of them going after the Vermillion for nothing more than revenge. Whether or not Skylar could keep it just an act was to be seen.

"Uhm... after this, I think we should go back to my tribe," Dorian spoke up, "We never got the chance to really trade at the Time Tribe, it might be a good idea, right?"

"Hrm... indeed, we could stand to do that," Alacr nodded, then turned to Skylar with a coy smile, "We always keep the majority of our supplies stashed elsewhere. Even if the wagon is damaged, we still have a business."

"Assuming that we still make it back there," Ray muttered, "I hate hunting like this. I mean, Skylar was the one that always wanted to hunt!"

"Mhm," Skylar responded plainly.

"Well... it could work!" Dorian smiled, "We just have to readjust our routes. Nothing too bad. There's a bunch of places we can go! And, we can even take you with us, Skylar!"

Skylar said nothing. Her three companions decided to drop the idea of talking to her.

The jungles of the Nature Tribe were thick and dense. The tribe lay between the Great Ocean, Water Tribe and Ice Tribe. If one climbed the trees, they would be able to see the massive icy plains the Ice Tribe inhabited, and just barely even the beginnings of the large ice spikes they called home. While the Nature Tribe had small territory, it was incredibly dense with life. Their main settlement was in the middle of a large rock formation that had formed from a basin, with waterfalls feeding a large ring of water around the tribe that poured out into one of the larger rivers in the area. Skylar recalled that it was common for boys in the Nature Tribe to leap from the waterfalls into the pool of water and see who could go the longest getting swept by the rivers until they needed rescuing. The challenge wasn't as fun as it looked.

That settlement was to the west. Currently, the group was moving east, towards the Form Tribe territory if she had her bearings right. The jungle became more dense as one moved away from the sea, and "Sir" Bolobo had said it was to protect against the icy winds of the Ice Tribe. How a jungle developed right up against snowy plains was beyond Skylar; the world was a rather strange one, the more that she thought. For now, it just meant that Alacr's speed-enhanced blade was quickly cutting paths that Skylar didn't just snap away, while Nya was doing her best to keep the humidity off them. Regardless of her attempts, almost everyone was soaked with sweat from the heat.

"...So, how long do we keep this hunt up?" Dorian asked meekly, "It's, a large jungle, right? Are, we sure they're here?"

"We walk until we find them," Skylar replied, "And when we do, we follow them. There's nothing more to it. It's a simple mission."

Dorian fell silent. Alacr gave Skylar another harsh look, but knew it would have little effect. Nya and Griffin both felt a bit of unease watching the daughter of Chen like that. They had both met her back before the war, and more importantly known her anger. This side of Skylar was far more in line with the version of her that Chen had toted around: angry, snippy, and feeling more like a bow that had been drawn taut and ready to fire rather than the more rude but charismatic girl she'd turned into. Nya wished Mage could have been her; he would have stabilized her, she was sure of it.

Alacr stopped moving. The rest of the group stopped as well, sensing what he felt: a presence. Skylar stopped a few feet in front of the group, then closed her eyes. She mimicked the power of mind, reaching out to feel the minds around her. She didn't have enough power with this to alter minds like Neuro or his guards could, but she could at least sense them. She could sense the lives of everyone around her. Everyone, perfectly in line behind her, and the one over-