Episode 2: Striking Wolves; Howling Winds

(scene 1)

(Starts out in a thick forest… there is a ton of trees filled with flowers and the sounds of birds… it is peaceful, bright day… a butterfly is resting on a tree…. Suddenly, a piercing howl rips through the tranquility, and a dark figure steaks by, disturbing the leaves slightly, and causing the butterfly to flutter away in fright… the shadowy figure races toward a clearing in the distance, running on all fours, and moving fast… in the center of the clearing, there stands a wolf with it s foot caught in a bear trap. The wolf's fur was light grey with a tinge of blue, and had a sleek, feminine looking body. Its eyes carried an intelligent look, and seemed to have a hidden power hidden within them…. The wolf feebly attempts to escape; first by trying to yank out it's leg, then by biting at it, in a vain attempt to pry it open. The trapped wolf gazes sadly around the clearing, looking sad and lonely. He begins to whine loudly…

hidden near the clearing, behind some bushes, were two males. One of them was a tall man; strong build but plain features, and a lean, skinny man with sharp, yet beady eyes that seemed to stare through you…the two are watching the captured wolf carefully, as if they were waiting for something…)

(the skinnier of the two turns to the larger man…)

Skinny Man: Do you think this will work, Kimura?

(Kimura turns to grin at his companion)

Kimura: Of course it will. (Kimura turns to look at the edge of the clearing to his right) In fact, (points to the direction he was facing…) look, it's show time.

(the skinny man looks in the direction Kimura was pointing… the shadowed figure reaches the edge of the clearing, slowing down just before entering it. The shadowed figure walks into the light of the clearing slowly and cautiously, revealing its form…the shadowy figure was a wolf. The wolf's fur was similar to the trapped wolf, however this wolf's fur was a darker grey, making it look midnight blue. The way the wolf carries, along with its' dominant gaze implies that it was a male wolf. As soon as the male wolf walked in the clearing, the female wolf stops its' attempts to escape and turns to stare intently at the male wolf. Their eyes lock… it seems that something passed, and the male wolf crouches into a battle stance, growling and shifting its' gaze from one end of the clearing to the other… the Skinny Man looks nervously at his brother…)

Skinny Man: (nervous) Kimura, I think he knows we're here….

Kimura: (turns angrily towards Skinny Man; whispering) Hitoshi, shut up! We washed ourselves in the odor-eliminating liquid, remember? There's no way he could smell us…

(the male wolf's right ear flickers… it stares in the direction of where Kimura and Hitoshi were hiding. Kimura stares back in astonishment…)

Kimura: (stunned) B-but how did he…

(Suddenly, the wolf starts sprinting towards the center of the clearing… Kimura stands up abruptly…)

Kimura: (yelling) HE'S ON TO US! CATCH HIM NOW!

(At that moment, people started jumping out of the surrounding brush into the clearing; about 20 people in total… the wolf continues to run toward the trapped wolf fearlessly, ignoring the other people as they began to run into the clearing… some of the men ahead rush in to cut off the male wolf's path. The male wolf's eyes focus and narrow in concentration… the male wolf's stride quickens, doubling his speed, and turning him into a dark blue streak. The men form a barricade in front of the trapped wolf. The male wolf howls urgently. The trapped wolf perks up at the sound, crouches… the male wolf dodged past each and every one of the men in his path to the trapped wolf. The man at the back of the blockade lunges at the male wolf as it gets near. The male wolf jumps over the lunging man then, pushing off the man, launches itself high in the air…)

(At that moment, the trapped wolf backs as far away from the blockade as the trap allows. The male wolf lands in front of the trapped wolf with only its front paws touching the ground… a spire made out of rock erupts from the ground, shearing off the bear trap from the trapped female wolf's leg. At that moment, the group of men recovered from their confusion, and turn to face the two wolves…)

Kimura: (shouting) THEY'RE GONNA GET AWAY! GRAB THEM!

( The men look at each other for a second in confusion, then all rush toward the two wolves. The female wolf crouches, growling, causing the men to pause uncertainly. The male wolf watches cautiously, then his right ear perks up to the sound a soft whistle, barely audible… the male wolf turns right to look in the direction of the noise it heard… after staring in the direction of the noise, he turns to the female wolf and barks urgently. The female wolf stops growling and turns to the male wolf looking curiously. The male wolf nods his head in the direction he was facing earlier. The female looks in the direction the male is facing, and after a few seconds, turns back towards the male wolf. Their eyes lock, then the female grunts in confirmation. The men seem to get over there confusion and begin to move towards the two wolves again… the wolves both crouch together, as if poised to strike… the Skinny Man and Kimura look at the two wolves uncertainly…)

Skinny Man: what are they...

(Kimura's eyes widen in horror…)

Kimura: (screaming desperately) IT'S A TRAP! GET OUT OF THERE!

( At that moment, both wolves raise their heads to the sky, and simultaneously howl… dozens of spires made from the surrounding earth erupted around the two wolves, erupting in wave away from them. The spires smash into the surprised men, sending them flying in random directions. The wolves both turn in the direction of the whistle and run to that edge of the clearing. Once they reach the edge, the male wolf looks back into the clearing, with a cocky, challenging look on his eyes. He then turns away and disappears into the forest…)

(The Skinny Man and Kimura both stare in astonishment at the clearing. The 20 men who entered the clearing are all lying on the floor moaning in pain. Some of them try unsuccessfully to get up. Others curl up into clenched balls. Kimura shakes his head, frustration on his face…

Kimura: (anger in his voice) this is a DISASTER! What are we going to do now, Komura?

Komura: I don't know, but we can't let them get away…

Kimura: (waving his hands in the air frantically) DID YOU SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED? HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CATCH THEM?

Unknown Voice: I'll tell you how to catch them…

(Both Kimura and Komura turn around to see a well built man. The Man has close cropped jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a scar that reaches from his right ear to his lip, giving him the appearance of a perpetual grin. The man wears what looks like a commando outfit, with long chains crisscrossing across his chest, both ending with wicked looking barbed hooks. On each of the man thighs, are three long throwing knives. The man walks toward them with a confident stride. Kimura and Komura both look at each other, then turn to the man…)

Kimura: (skeptical) And just who are you?

Unknown Man: (in a cocky voice) The answer to your problems…(bows) the name's Jiroko Shiva, also known as…(voice becomes low and intimidating) " Jack the Trapper"

(Kimura and Komura both flinch at the sound of the name. Kimura starts to shiver, which makes Komura turn toward him in concern…)

Kimura: (voice shaky) Y-y-y-you're THE Jiroko Shiva, also known as "the legendary E.M-beast slayer"? (eyes widen in realization) wait? If you're here, then d-d-does that mean…?

Jiroko: (smiling mockingly) you're not as dumb as you look…yes that means that those two wolves are E.M.-beasts.

(Komura looks around in confusion…)

Komura: I don't get it. What's an "E.M. beast"?

Jiroko: (stares sidelong at Komura) you're lack of information on the target of your efforts is mentally nauseating…(sighs) the "E.M." in "E.M. beast" stands for "Element-Manipulator". What that means is they are animal who power to control the elements just as humans do.

Komura: (raises hand in surprise) So that's how they did it!

(Kimura looks intently at Jiroko) We don't care all about that… we just want to catch the two thieves that have been stealing food from our store room for weeks…

(Jiroko shakes his head in mock sympathy…)

Komura: (angry) what are you shaking your head for?

Jiroko: (amused) because your thinking too small. But I can't exactly blame amateurs like you to…

(At that moment, Kimura and Komura both rush at Jiroko, in an attempt to ambush him… Jiroko watches them both intensity, not moving. Jiroko calmly reaches down to the knives in the pouch on both sides of his thighs… once they got 3 feet of him, Jiroko yanks out four of his knives, and holds them in between his fingers… with a confident snort, he throws the four knives at Kimura and Komura… the knives fly straight past Kimura and Komura, not even touching them…the knives get buried deeply in the surrounding trees behind them. Kimura and Komura both glance behind them, confused… suddenly, Kimura and Komura became suspended five feet in mid-air, their arms held straight out from either side of them, as if held up by invisible arms. Kimura and Komura hang limp for a second, stunned, then struggled frantically against the force holding them up, but in vain…they both stare fearfully at Jiroko, who is staring back at them with a menacingly serious face…)

Jiroko: (tone intimidating) I wouldn't try doing that again… (Jiroko raises his right hand so that it was level to his face, then slowly clenches it… Kimura and Komura's breathing become labored. Thin marks appear on both of their necks…) I can't ensure your safety a second time…

(Jiroko unclenches his fist… Kimura and Komura fall to the ground, on their knees and gasping for breath… after a few seconds, Jiroko walks past them. Kimura raises his head, tears in his eyes, to see Jiroko bending over to pick up his knives, his back turned to him…)

Kimura: (coughing) you said… that you knew how to catch the two wolves…how do you plan on catching the beasts?

(Jiroko turns to stare in the direction the two wolves ran away in…)

Jiroko: (pauses for a second) you said that the thieves tend to steal food from your storeroom, correct?

Kimura: (confusion on his face) uh…yeah. What about it?

Jiroko: ( tone impatient) THINK YOU FOOL! (Kimura and Komura both flinch) if they are stealing from a MAN-MADE construction, then that means that they aren't just wild beasts… (Jiroko strokes chin) they were obviously trained by someone VERY skilled… all we need to do is lure them out…( a confident smile slowly creeps on his face) and the best way to lure a rat… is with good BAIT…

(end of scene one)

(Scene Two)

(The two blue wolves are running swiftly through the forest, dodging and weaving through the trees and bushes expertly… in the distance, a lone figure walks down a well beaten path, his back to him… the lone figure is Rinamori; wearing an onyx black sleeveless gi outfit… on his right arm, there is a tattoo of a falcon holding twin swords; one in each talon in black… his swords gleam in the sunlight. The two wolves see Rinamori in the distance… both glance at each other as if coming to a decision, then quicken their pace… Rinamori stops walking, as if sensing the wolves coming, his face serious…)

Rinamori: (tone serious) alright, now I'm sure…(the wolves both rush toward Rinamori, teeth bared…suddenly, Rinamori starts scratching his head, body relaxed, with a goofy grin on his face…) I'm totally lost

(The two wolves fall and slide past Rinamori on their bellies, tripping in their bewilderment… Rinamori looks down at the two wolves in confusion… the wolves stay lying face-down for a few seconds, then both simultaneously get up and shake themselves off and turn quickly towards Rinamori, fangs bared. Rinamori throws his hands up in surprise…)

Rinamori: Whoa, whoa, whoa! (waves hands in surrender) I'm not your enemy!

(the two wolves crouch, as if preparing to strike…then, just as they were about to pounce…)

Unknown Voice: don't worry… he's not an enemy

(the wolves immediately stop crouching and sit straight, staring behind Rinamori… Rinamori turns toward the direction that the wolves were staring at in confusion… standing on a branch in a tree, is a man looking about 21. He wears a burlap brown sleeveless vest with no undershirt with frayed edges, the front of which is open, revealing a sculpted athletic chest with black leather pants. He has sharp grey eyes, and matching grey, unkempt hair… the gaze of his eyes was as fierce as the wolves, with matching pupils… the grey haired man leaps from the tree, flipping in a graceful arc over Rinamori's head, and landing directly behind the two wolves… the two wolves look up obediently at the grey-haired man, who tousled their fur playfully…)

Grey-Haired Man: Ryko, Shizune… no need to get so worked up all the time…(the grey-haired man stared at Rinamori) I don't mean to be rude, but just WHAT are you doing in the middle of the forest by yourself?

(Rinamori chuckles awkwardly, an embarrassed look on his face…)

Rinamori: well you see… I was on my way to Nirva City, when I lost sight of the path and sort of wandered off, so now I'm kinda lost… heh heh

Grey-Haired Man: ( in head) he got lost following a PATH? Just what was he looking at? (out loud) I see… well its getting dark… why don't you come crash with us tonight?

( the male wolf turns toward Rinamori, then back to the grey-haired man… the grey-haired man turns toward the male wolf as if it called him…)

Grey-Haired man: Yes I do think we can trust him… (in his head) although you didn't know it, when you two charged, he had already grabbed the hilt of his two swords AND pulled away in the matter of seconds…if he wanted to kill you, chances are you two would be dead.

(the male wolf snorts indignantly while the female wolf looks down at the floor, as if in embarrassment… Rinamori looks at the exchange in confusion…)

Rinamori: (tone confused) Is there a problem or something…

(suddenly a booming male voice that seems to emanate from everywhere burst forth…)

Omnipotent Male Voice: (irritation in his voice) THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU! (Rinamori looks around in confusion…) DOWN HERE, YA AIR-HEAD!

(Rinamori looks down to see the male wolf looking up at him, an annoyed look on his face… the male wolf's tail wags impatiently, as he stares defiantly at Rinamori… the female wolf growls at the male wolf in irritation… an omnipotent voice, this time female, rang out from out of nowhere…)

Omnipotent female voice: you know you were told not to talk to strangers, brother…

(the male wolf throws the female wolf a backward glance…)

Omnipotent male voice: oh? And what of it? What's gonna happen if HE knows our secret… if he tells anyone…(male wolf bares his teeth) we'll just kill him…

Rinamori: (horror) This…this is crazy!

(the grey-haired man and the two wolves stare at Rinamori intently)

Rinamori: (begins looking around himself frantically) Where is that voice COMING from?

( the grey-haired man and the two wolves all simultaneously give an exasperated sigh… )

Omnipotent male voice: (looking backwards at the grey-haired man) he's not too bright, is he?

(end of scene two)

(scene three)

(Scene opens in a different part of the forest… it is night time. Rinamori, the grey-haired man, and the two wolves sitting around a campfire, with fish cooking on sticks; Rinamori sitting on the floor on one side and the grey-haired man and the two bluish-grey wolves on the other…Rinamori is staring intensely at the male wolf, while the male stares back)

Rinamori: (without taking his eyes off the male wolf) So… you're saying that these two wolves can communicate telepathically with people?

(the male wolf yawns loudly, obviously bored)

Grey-haired man: Yeah, more or less… because they are E.M. Beasts, their connection to nature is far closer than any other animal on the planet. Rumor has it, that because of this fact, E.M. beast are capable of intelligence akin to a human's…

Rinamori: (interrupting) really? So that's it!

Grey-haired Man: (confused) hmm? What's it?

(Rinamori crossed his arms, eyes closed in thought…)

Rinamori: back in my old village, we used to have wolves with light green and white fur that lived side by side with us…

(the male wolf raised its' head in interest…)

Omnipotent Male Voice: green and white fur? (turns to the female wolf) sounds like a wind-type E.M. beast…

Rinamori: they used to fly through the air, even more freely than us wind-elementals… the wolves coexisted with us, living with us while guarding us from the shadows… and as a result, they came to be known as "the Kazegami Wolves"…

(the male wolf snorts…)

Omnipotent Male Voice: they deem themselves to be gods of the wind? Prideful little mutts…

Rinamori: (continuing from where he left off…) but none of them ever spoke to any of us. It's AMAZING!...( Rinamori quickly comes up to the male wolf and puts his face up close; their faces almost touching…) come on, Mr. wolf, won't you talk for me?

Male wolf: ….

Rinamori: PLEASE? Come on, speak!

(Rinamori and the male wolf stared at each other for a few seconds)

Male Wolf:( … Woof)

(Rinamori continues to look into the male wolf's eyes, then a grin slowly creeps onto her face…)

Rinamori: …coooooooooooooooool.

(the male wolf puts it's head down in boredom. The female wolf turns toward Rinamori…)

Female Wolf: it's not that we're speaking, per say… but we are connecting our minds to yours in order to communicate.

(Rinamori turns toward the female wolf, mild comprehension on his face)

Rinamori: oh, well I guess that makes sense then

(the male wolf raises his head, then cocks it to the side in confusion…)

Male wolf: he was surprised by the fact that we can talk, but he's perfectly ok with the fact that we were instead speaking telepathically?

(the male wolf yawns loudly then rest his head in his paws once more)

Female Wolf: On to the matter at hand…( turns to the Grey-haired man) I believe introductions are in order?

Grey haired Man: (clearing his throat) Yes, you're right…( Rinamori and The Grey-Haired Man's eyes meet) My name's Kenji Hiroshima…(Kenji Hiroshima gestures towards the female wolf…) this little lady is Natsume…( the female wolf inclines her head… Kenji then turns to gesture towards the Male Wolf…) and Mr. Personality over here is Kane…( the male wolf lazily raises a paw and waves it…)

Rinamori: it's nice to meet you all. The name's Rinamori Tsubasa.

(Kenji smiles, then reaches over and grabs one of the fish cooking on the campfire, and hands it to Rinamori…)

Kenji: Well it's nice to meet you, Rinamori… (pauses as Rinamori rips into the fish in a stick… he grabs another fish and tosses it to Natsume, who catches it with her teeth, then proceeds to rip into it hungrily… Kenji then picks up another of the fish cooking on the campfire. After staring at for a few seconds, he lets loose a curt whistle, causing Kane's right ear to perk up. Kenji then flicks the fish in Kane's direction without looking… As soon as the fish gets within range, and raises his paw and then slaps it back down on the ground… a set of earth vines twirl up and ensnare the fish on a stick, holding it by both ends, then gently brings it down to his eye level…Kane raises his head and rips a chunk of the fish off, lowering his head as he calmly chews…Kenji shakes his head as he picks up the last piece remaining on the campfire…)

Kenji: So… (pauses to take a bite out of the fish…) Where were you headed?

Rinamori: (throws away bones and stick) well… I was heading toward Nirva City…

Kenji: Nirva City? How come?

(Rinamori pauses, his expression somber…)

Rinamori: I need to find someone…( Kenji and Natsume looks at him, confused… Kane raises his head in interest…)

Kane: who ya lookin' for? A lost lover or something?

(Kenji throws Kane a piercing glare… Rinamori doesn't notice…)

Rinamori: …..my brother…

(Kane, Natsume, And Kenji all stare intensely at Rinamori…)

Rinamori: When I was younger, there was….an incident. The village where we lived was attacked…( the image of a burning forest appears… people screaming and the sounds of panicking animals can be heard over the roar of the blazing flames… standing in the midst of the chaos and confusion, stood a lone figure, a glowing object in hand… Rinamori leans forward with his hands clasped in front of him…) my brother was our strongest warrior. Everybody respected him… so when the ensuing battle began we all expected him to be on the frontlines…(Rinamori clenches his hands tightly…) However, when the battle began…( the lone figure turns around and looks down. Sitting there on his knees is a small boy with green hair looking up at him sadly… the figure bends down to one knee and looks into the small boy's face…)

Lone Figure: I'm sorry, Rinamori… but to protect you, I'm going to have to borrow your inheritance…

(the Lone Figure stands and begins to walk away… Little Rinamori reaches out to the Lone figure… the glowing object glows to a blinding brightness, then winks out of existence, taking the Lone Figure with it…)

(scene returns to the forest… Rinamori, Kenji, and the two wolves are all silent…)

Rinamori: (teeth grit in anger) He deserted us in our time of need, without any explanation!

Kane: (pausing to yawn…) So, in other words, you're looking for your brother in order to exact revenge on him for not preventing the destruction of your village…

Rinamori: (looks at Kane, confused) what? No! I just want my inheritance back!

(Kenji and the two wolves stare at Rinamori in bewilderment… Kenji recovers first)

Kenji: your…your inheritance?

Rinamori: yes… (Rinamori looks at the floor) it's all I have left from my parents…

( Kenji and Natsume look at each other sadly… Natsume turns to Kane, who's normally hardened gaze softened softly…)

Natsume: (sadness in her voice) I'm sorry for your loss…

Rinamori: (a sad smile on his face) it's ok…I didn't really know them that well, so I can't really say I miss them…

(the group is silent…)

Rinamori: (claps his hands together once, his voice cheerful) So, can you help me?

(Kenji rubs his chin in contemplation)

Kenji: to be honest, you're pretty far off the path…I'm not sure how you possibly got this far off the path in the first place… (Kenji looks off to his left in the distance) tell you what; in the morning, we'll take you…

(suddenly, the sound of a wolf howling in pain pierces through the night… Rinamori looks up curiously…)

Rinamori: (curious) what was that?

(Rinamori turns back to see Kenji, Natsume, and Kane all on their feet, poised as if ready for combat… Kenji's face is contorted with rage, and the wolves are both growling angrily… Kenji begins to snarl…)

Natsume: (while growling) You heard it too, didn't you?

Kane: (also while growling) Of Course…I don't think I can ever UN-hear it… (turns to Kenji) HEY!

Kenji: (more to himself) I know…(out loud) Rinamori!

Rinamori: (in surprise) yes?

Kenji: I need you to stay here…

Rinamori: ( in surprise) WHAT? WHY?

(Kenji begins to walk toward the sound…)

Kenji: (stops near a tree near the edge of the clearing) there's something I need to…"take care of"

(Kenji then runs into the forest, closely followed by Natsume and Kane…Kenji yells "we'll be right back" then disappears from sight… Rinamori cocks his head curiously… Kenji and the two wolves fly through the forest, Kane and Natsume on the ground and Kenji zipping through the trees… Natsume and Kane gracefully dodge any obstacles in the way of the path they were following. After jumping over a dead tree laying on the ground in front of him, Kane casts a sidelong glance at Kenji…)

Kane: Kenji…

Kenji: Yeah, I know…(Kenji swings off of an overhead branch and, using the momentum, flips over to another branch and pushes off it, keeping up his speed) that cry just now… it came from a wolf from the same pack as us…

Natsume: (while panting) this has to be a trap…

Kane: Of course it is, sis… what are the odds that the wolves they decided to torture JUST HAPPENED to be from our pack?

Kenji: (suddenly puts on a burst of speed) it doesn't matter… the point is our brethren are in trouble (Kenji's eye narrow in determination) LET'S GO!

(in the distance there are small lights… Kenji and the two wolves streak towards it… they come out of the forest into a brightly lit part of the forest… the wolves slow to a trot, their eyes darting around cautiously. Kenji swings off of the nearest branch, flipping gracefully in midair and landing in front of Natsume and Kane, who pause momentarily to allow him to land. Kenji and the two wolves scan the area with their eyes, looking for any signs of life… Kenji looks up and to his right to see a brightly lit lantern hanging from a high branch. Natsume and Kane look in opposite directions to see two more hanging from other branches of varying heights… Kenji reaches inside both sides of his vests, and pulls out a set of wicked looking curved combat knives with serrated edges, one in each hand. He holds up the two knives in front of him so they form a cross… Natsume and Kane's nostrils flare, then they both begin to stare fiercely ahead and growl…)

Kenji: you might as well come out… we can smell you

( from behind one of the trees, Jiroko strides in… from behind a large bush, Kimura and Komura stumble forward to form up behind him…)

Jiroko: (voice cocky) seems there's more to you than meets the eye…

Kenji: (an edge to his voice) you have to be one step ahead of the competition to survive in this world

Jiroko: (sneering) oh, that is so true!...( turns to cast Kimura and Komura a backward glance) see boys? This is the kind of self-confidence I'm looking for in a henchman! Think you can grow a backbone like this gentleman here?

(Kimura began to tremble with rage… Komura places a hand on Kimura to steady him)

Kimura: (voice quivering with rage) i….apologize…. SIR…

(suddenly, Jiroko seems to gain a sinister aura around him… Natsume and Kane fall back on their hind legs, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Kenji flinches, his eyes becoming hard… Kimura gulps, his knees knocking. Komura takes a stumbling step backward…)

Jiroko: (controlled malice dripping from his voice) is there a problem?

Kimura: (stammering) n-n-no s-sir…

Kenji: (suspicion in his voice) I find it strange that the vibe I get from a beast hunter seems more similar to the beasts that he hunts…

(Jiroko pauses, his aura receding, then turns toward Kenji…)

Jiroko: (a sinister smile on his face) Well aren't you a DELIGHT… (Jiroko's tone becomes serious) but you don't seem to understand the situation you're in…

(suddenly, a bright line appears out of nowhere, catching Kenji's eye… a second later dozens of silver strings appear out of no-where and ensnares Kenji and the two wolves. They are hoisted in the air, then left suspended 20 feet from the ground. Jiroko strides forward until he is almost under Kenji and the two wolves

Jiroko: (tone cocky) Now I understand you're eagerness to save your little "pets" and all, but don't you think you're a little tied up yourself?

(Kenji struggles futilely against his bindings. Kane and Natsume thrash around in vain… Kenji stops after a few seconds to glare at Jiroko…)

Jiroko: (throwing up his hands in mock surrender) oooh, scary… but you're going to have a hard time breaking that string. It's made from a flexible material called "Arachne's thread, and can only be cut by something made from the same material… (Jiroko pauses to chuckle to himself, then turns back to Kenji and narrows his eyes) So… what tipped you off?

(Kenji glares at Jiroko in disgust…)

Kenji: the smell of blood on your hands is suffocating me… ( Kenji strains against his bindings, then yells menacingly at Jiroko) WHERE ARE THE WOLVES YOU WERE TORTURING?

(Jiroko puts his hands behind his back and tuts)

Jiroko: now now, you should know better than that… (Jiroko's voice becomes ominous…) When hunting, after you catch the big game, you throw the little one's back…

(end of scene 3)

(Scene 4)

(the scene opens in the same part of the forest… Kenji, Natsume, and Kane are all held in the air by thin silver threads while Jiroko stares up at them… Kimura and Komura hang back behind Jiroko, looking worried… Natsume whines, gnawing on her bindings. Kane just growls, glaring at Jiroko from where is hanging… Jiroko looks over his shoulder to stare at Kimura and Komura…

Jiroko: (an annoyed look on his face) …why are you guys still here? Can't you guys find something better to do with yourselves?

Kimura: ( his voice shaking with rage) And just what SHOULD we do? You've caught the thieving wolves, not to mention their leader, what is there left to do?

( Jiroko pauses to ponder that thought for a few seconds…)

Jiroko: you're forgetting… there's still the clean up left to do..

Komura: (realization dawning on him) y-you can't mean…

Jiroko: (interrupting Komura) The mongrels have served their purpose… So kill them like the rest.

Kimura: (taking a step back in horror) But sir, they're only PUPPIES!

(Jiroko turns to look up at Kenji, who is glaring at Jiroko with deep loathing… a cruel grin spreads on his face)

Jiroko: … So? What does that matter to me? Kill them like the rest.

(Kimura and Komura stand there, uncertain of what to do. They look at each other, fear in their eyes… Jiroko gives the two of them a sidelong glance

Jiroko: (an icy edge creeping into his voice) did I not make myself clear? Get GOING!

(Kimura and Komura flinch… both of them tremble in anger, then reluctantly turn and walk into the forest, where they disappear from sight… Jiroko turns back to Kenji, who is now desperately thrashing around, trying to get free… Jiroko begins to laugh coldly at the sight…)

Jiroko: what's the matter? Don't like my methods

Kenji: (voice filled with rage) YOU MONSTER! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?

Jiroko: (sneering) You're mad, dog boy? I don't see why, considering you separated from the pack a while ago…

(Kenji suddenly stops thrashing …)

Kenji: … how do you know that?

Jiroko: ( a cocky grin on his face) how could I not? You're actually quite famous, you know… "the boy who was raised by wolves" quite unique, don't you think? A modern day MIRACLE…

Kenji: (disgust in his voice) … and yet you're ok with killing the wolves who raised me? Why?

Jiroko: they don't call me "the E.M. Beast Slayer" for nothing. I kill E.M. Beasts for a LIVING.

(Jiroko tried to lunge at Jiroko, to no avail)

Kenji: (in outrage) why would you make a living out of killing E.M. Beasts?

Jiroko: simple… (Jiroko's eyes become hard) because E.M. Beasts shouldn't exist…

(Kenji is frozen in astonishment)

Jiroko: E.M. Beasts are an abomination to nature. They are already given the gifts of nature, but then on top of that, they have the power to control the ELEMENTS? If they wanted to, they could easily take over the world!

Kenji: you're insane!

Jiroko: oh am I? Then tell me, which of you is stronger, you… or your pet wolves?

Kenji: that's none of your…

(At that moment, Kimura and Komura both come flying through the air between them and slams into trees. Kenji and Jiroko freeze in surprise… out of the forest where Kimura and Komura flew from walks Rinamori, holding his twin swords aloof…)

Rinamori: if you're going to commit atrocities on nature, just for your own twisted personal reasons, the least you can do is do the deed yourself…

(Jiroko looks at Rinamori in bewilderment, then begins to laugh hysterically… Kimura and Komura sitr, attempting to get up, then fall completely unconscious. Rinamori raises an eyebrow at Jiroko, his eyes alert…)

Rinamori: …and just what is so funny?

Jiroko: (while still snickering) YOU ARE, of course!... (Rinamori tilts his head curiously) I mean, you could have just snuck up on me when those two idiots…(jabs his finger in the direction of where Kimura and Komura were lying, unconscious) went to go take care of business, but instead you decide to play "hero" and announce your presence to me in the most flashy way possible… it's just bad strategy

(Rinamori shrugs nonchalantly, his posture unafraid…)

Rinamori: yeah…but if I did, then those guys would have killed tons of innocent animals…(Rinamori flashes Jiroko a defiant smile) and besides, I believe COWARDS don't deserve to be treated like enemies, but more like rats…

(Kane rears his head back so he can look at Kenji…)

Kane: I'm starting to like this kid…

(Kenji smiles unconsciously at the comment. Jiroko's smile is replaced with a scowl…)

Jiroko: you got quite a sharp tongue in your mouth, ya know that?... (flips one of daggers on his thigh into the air and catches it…) want me to cut it out for you?

Rinamori: you're welcome to try, but don't be surprised when you're the one who gets silenced…

(Rinamori looks up to see Kenji and the two wolves hanging in mid-air…)

Rinamori: … what are you guy doing up there?

Kane: (tone sarcastic) just, you know, hanging around… thought we'd try floating in mid air once in a while… what do u think? He captured us

Natsume: the enemy uses wires to ensnare his enemies… be careful

(Kenji looks at Kane and Natsume, then looks at Rinamori in wonder…)

Kenji: (in his head) Kane and Natsume both trust him, even though they only met hours ago… they both are usually wary around humans, and are naturally biased against humans since their parents were killed by hunters. So to think that they would be so comfortable around him in such a long time… (Kenji looks at Kane and Natsume curiously) is there something about him that they sense in him that I don't?

(Rinamori attempts to make a step forward… but just as he is about to, a beam of sunlight catches off one of his swords and reflects in front of him, revealing a silver line of thread. Rinamori stops immediately and stares at the thread, then turns his sword upwards… as the light passes upwards, it reveals dozens of criss-crossing threads surrounding Jiroko… Rinamori raises his eyebrow questioningly…)

Rinamori: …interesting environment you've created here…

Jiroko: (smirking) you like it? It's my own special design… all made of a special, unbreakable thread…(waves his hand outward in a theatrical gesture) careful, just one touch and you're mine.

(Rinamori pauses for a few moments, then stares at Jiroko…)

Rinamori: (smiling) so all I have to do is avoid touching the wires, right? No problem…

(Rinamori narrows his eyes, and after crouching slightly, springs into action… he flies diagonally into the air, rotating left and right to avoid the wires. Rinamori seems to glide gracefully in the air… Rinamori reach a tree and uses it to launch himself closer toward Jiroko, all while constantly dodging wires… Jiroko watches this transpire with a look of stunned amazement on his face…)

Jiroko: (in head) but that's IMPOSSIBLE… how in the world can he see the wires…( Jiroko's eyes widen in realization…) the light from his sword! (replays Rinamori's journey towards him in his head) He's using the reflection of the sun off of his sword to reveal the locations of the wires! (out loud) that's pretty clever…( swings arms in a downward motion) but let's see if handle me if I take it to the next LEVEL!

(suddenly, the wires begin to move rapidly, making a high-pitched whirring sound. The wires slide down the trees, stripping them of their bark and sending pieces of wood and branches flying in random directions… one of the wires shreds through a small tree and flies towards Rinamori, forcing him to twist in mid-air to dodge it. Rinamori lands on a branch, then immediately leaps upward just before one of the wires saws through the branch he was standing on. Jiroko follows Rinamori's ascent with his eyes…)

Jiroko: OH YEAH?... (takes out four more knives from underneath his vest, holding to in each hand, in-between his fingers) well how about this?

(Jiroko throws each of the swords toward Rinamori, one after the other… Rinamori glances at the incoming knives disinterestedly…)

Rinamori: no problem… (puts his swords parallel from each other opposite each other out in front of him) Sonico Shouheki!

(a sphere of wind appears around Rinamori, surrounding him… the knives hit the sphere and bounces off of it, leaving Rinamori unharmed… just as the last knife hits the sphere, the shield suddenly dissipates, leaving Rinamori confused… Jiroko sees this, and with a savage grin, yanks the chain around his body off, holding it aloof like a whip.)

Jiroko: Gotcha!… (Jiroko rears back the arm holding the end of the chain) now…(whips the chain forward toward Rinamori… the chain wraps around Rinamori's waist and tightens. Rinamori's eyes widen in surprise…) GET OVER HERE!

(Jiroko yanks downward, pulling the chain and Rinamori with it… Rinamori plummets towards Jiroko, looking around frantically… Suddenly Rinamori sees a knife sticking in a tree… Rinamori swipes at it as he falls, dislodging it and sending it flying away from him… after a few more seconds, Rinamori hits the floor hard near Jiroko's feet. Jiroko theatrically pulls out a knife from behind his back… Jiroko grins menacingly as he idly tosses his knife in the air…)

Jiroko: you know…( Jiroko catches the knife and points it at Rinamori…) this turned out to be quite a lot of fun… I'm going to miss this little game of cat-and-mouse, but all good things must come to an end… SO DIE!

(Jiroko makes a stab towards Rinamori, aiming for his throat… but ends up being blocked by a earth spire shoots out in-between them. Jiroko's eyes widen in confusion, and he stands up and turns in confusion…standing there, crouched firmly on the ground, was Kane, his teeth bared. Jiroko took a step back in fear, his mouth open in shock…)

Jiroko: BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID YOU ESCAPE?

(Rinamori chuckles, causing Jiroko to turn and look down at him… Rinamori grabs the top of the spire looming over him and pulls himself into a handstand. He then pushes off of it, soaring through the air and landing behind Kane… after a few seconds, Kenji and Natsume fall and land nearby… Jiroko looks around in utter distress, then focuses on Rinamori)

Jiroko: (voice demanding) WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

(Rinamori raises and wags his index finger)

Rinamori: I figured out your "little secret"

Jiroko: (taken aback) WHAT?

(entire fight plays back…)

Rinamori: while we fighting, one of the things I noticed was that even though you had thousands of those unbreakable strings around you, you never seemed worried you might accidentally capture yourself. I wondered why that was… till you made that fatal mistake…

Jiroko: Fatal mistake?

Rinamori: yes… and that mistake was when you threw those knives at me. I realized that when you were throwing them, you were being careful to make sure none of the blades came anywhere near the wires at all. I also noticed that there were knives that stuck in the trees from before I entered the clearing at all…and that's when it hit me… a spider's web wouldn't be a very good trap if the spider could get tangled in it as well…

Jiroko: so when you were jumping around in the trees, you weren't trying to get to me at all… you were TRYING to get to one of the knives I had left up.

Rinamori: that's right. I had noticed that unlike most of the other wires, which were slack, the wire attached to that particular knife was taut, so I knew that something had to be attached to it, so I dislodged it and sent it towards Kenji, who picked up on what I was doing immediately…

(Kane looks up at Kenji, who nods affirmatively…)

Rinamori: NOW, GIVE IT UP! I know the secret to your technique! (Rinamori points an accusing finger at Jiroko) That string you use may be unbreakable, but your knives can cut it!

(Jiroko looks frantically at Rinamori, Kenji, and the two wolves. He bows his head for a few seconds, then raises it with a resigned shrug)

Jiroko: (with an amused smile on his face) not bad, kid… not bad… I think I underestimated you a bit

(Rinamori scratches his nose with his thumb, pleased with himself. Kenji gives him a sidelong look… after a few seconds, Kenji raises his hand and chops Rinamori sharply on the back of his neck. Rinamori wobbles for a few seconds, then begins to crumple to the floor, until he is caught by Kenji… Jiroko's expression changes from surprise to confusion as Kenji carefully leans the unconscious Rinamori against a tree…)

Kenji: (his voice low) I'm sorry, but it's not time for you know the truth yet…

Jiroko: I don't know why you knocked out your ally…( Jiroko pulls out a knife and readies himself to throw it) but if you want to make this easier for me, I'LL HAPPILY ACCEPT!

(Jiroko hurls the knife with all his might… the knife flies straight at Rinamori… but is blocked by Kenji's arm. The knife spins around Kenji's arm, wrapping tightly leaving a circle of silver thread around Kenji's wrist. Kenji turns his head slowly and looks disinterestedly at the string around his wrist, almost bored… Jiroko flinches, caught off guard by Kenji's actions…)

Jiroko: (confusion on his face) but why would you…

(suddenly, Kenji flexes the muscles in his trapped arm. The string around his arm tightens, then after a few seconds breaks, falling to pieces in front of Kenji's feet. Jiroko's eyes widen in fearful disbelief as Kenji slowly clenches and unclenches his fist, then slowly stands up…)

Jiroko: (his voice cracking in fear) b-but… how is this possible? That thread is supposed to be…

Kenji: (interrupting) there is nothing in this world that is unbreakable…( Kenji's eyes narrow intimidatingly) nothing…

(Jiroko takes a hesitant step back, then turns away from Kenji and runs away… after a few steps, however, his path is blocked by two earth spires, which quickly rise up from the ground in front of him. Jiroko bounces off the spires and loses his balance, falling backwards on his butt. Jiroko looks fearfully over his shoulder to see Kenji standing directly behind him, Kane and Natsume growling on either side of him, looking almost bloodthirsty…)

Jiroko: (stammering) w-what are you?

(Kenji walks towards Jiroko…)

Kenji: …More than you could ever imagine… ( walks towards Jiroko…)

(End of Scene 4)

(Scene 5)

(Scene opens in a brightly lit area of the forest. Birds can be heard chirping in the trees and a soft breeze blows, gently rustling the leaves. Rinamori sleeps soundly, propped up against a tree. Next to him sleeps Kane, his head nestled in between his paws… after a few seconds, Kenji and Natsume walk in from a darker area of the forest, Kenji carrying cooked fish on sticks in each hand. Kane raises his head lazily for a few seconds, then puts it back down again…. Kenji nods to Natsume, who lightly gouges the ground with her claws. The ground near Kenji surges upward, making a table. After laying the fish down on the table, Kenji casts a worried glance at Rinamori…)

Kenji: ( worry in his voice) he still hasn't woken up… I'm not sure what to do…

(Kane yawns loudly…)

Kane: (sighing) I got it…

( Kane gets up, then nonchalantly slinks over to the makeshift table. There, he reaches over and grabs one of the fish on a stick then walks back to Rinamori. Kane pauses, then waves the fish in front of Rinamori's face… after a few seconds, Rinamori's eyes burst open as he bolts into an abrupt sitting position…)

Rinamori: (yelling) I SMELL FOOD!

(Rinamori sees the fish in front of him, and snatches the stick out of Kane's mouth… Rinamori then proceeds to rip into the fish with his teeth, chomping on it hungrily. Kane shakes his head resignedly and lays back down to sleep… Rinamori pauses in-between bites to look at Kenji…)

Rinamori: (mouth still full of fish) so…wah happun tah meh?

Kenji: one of Jiroko's knives hit you in the back of the neck when he tried to retract it, knocking you out.

(Rinamori swallows)

Rinamori: I see, so does that mean you defeated him? You must be pretty strong…

Kenji: (grinning) don't take us lightly… we didn't survive in this forest this long by luck…(Kenji's expression becomes serious) but he said something very interesting…

(Rinamori, already losing interest in the conversation, continues to devour the fish on a stick…)

Rinamori: really?... What?

Kenji: he said that he had confused you with someone else, someone who looked like you, but older… he even had the same tattoo…

(Rinamori freezes at the mention of the tattoo… he looks at Kenji, completely serious…)

Rinamori: (his voice urgent) WHERE DID HE SEE THIS MAN?

Kenji: (pondering) hmm… he said it was on his way here from Nirva City… to be honest, it's only about 5 miles south of here…

(suddenly Rinamori leaps up and runs past Kenji, quickly disappearing in the forest…)

Kenji: (turning his head in the direction Rinamori ran off to) Wait! where are you going?

Rinamori: (without stopping) I've gotta catch up to him… thanks for everything!

(Kenji watches the area where Rinamori entered the forest for a few more seconds…)

Kenji: (to no one in particular) he left… just like you said he would

(From behind a tree steps Saekard, wearing a thick brown hooded cloak. The hood was back so his face can be seen… Saekard walks into the well lit area and sits down near Kane. After a few seconds, he begins idly scratching Kane's ear, which Kane closes his eyes contentedly to…)

Saekard: So… What did you find out?

Kenji: not much… apparently Jiroko didn't work for the organization at all. He had bought the thread he was using from a black market that's supplied by them...( Kenji shrugs his shoulders) he's useless to us.

Saekard: I figured as much…

Kenji: but I don't get it… this Rinamori kid… he nice and all, but let's face it; one of my wolves alone are stronger than him. And you're stronger than us! Why do we need him to go against the organization? Why don't we do it? It would only take us 20 minutes tops to tear that place down…

Saekard: as sound as you're argument is, if we try to make a move, they'll see us a mile away… we're too well known. And besides (a twinkle of interest glimmers in Saekard's eyes) my instincts tell me that that boy's power could potentially rival, or even dwarf, my own…I've seen it myself, and I've decided to gamble on it

Kenji: alright, if you say so… but there's one little problem with your plan

(Saekard's eyebrows raise slightly…)

Saekard: Oh?

Kenji: remember how you made fake wanted posters of that boy in order to draw attention to him?...(Saekard nods) well it WORKED… perhaps a little TOO well… its drawn the attention of our target.

Saekard: I believe in the boy… I'm sure he can…

Kenji: they sent the "Reaper's Maiden"…

Saekard: …are you sure?

Kenji: of course I'm sure! According to Jiroko, the rumor's been spreading like wildfire….

Saekard: this does not bode well…

Kenji: I'll say…(Kenji narrows his eyes slightly in concern) I don't know where you got your confidence in him from, but I hope you're right… otherwise, your attempt to get him noticed is going to end up getting him KILLED…

(End Scene)