Dog Person

Find the Missing Puppy

Zeo's Stats

Dog Person:

The farmer on the outskirts of the village was very sad and adamant to try and find his lost dog. Apparently, the man was very attached to it and as an aid for his farm from chasing away vermin or other unwanted creatures. That and the companionship the two had. Zeo could sympathize with the man and the loss of his pet. But if there was one thing that Zeo knew, was how to track a target. At the very least, an animal. The puppy had been around the farm, so it was easy to find traces of its paw prints, its fur, and a general concept of where it could go. The farmer, a kindly elder man, described the dog in great detail. A white HAVEN malamute dog with small tuffs of grey fur on its ears and tail with blue eyes.  It probably got lost in the forest due to the amount of ground it could cover when unleashed. He didn't know if he would find the dog in good health or not, but even Zeo was passionate to find the lost puppy and bring it back home. With reassurance to the farmer, Zeo left for the forest to find the dog.

He crossed a small stream, easily hopping over it due to his new speed as a shinobi. Judging by the mere trail of parted grass and paw prints, he could see the general direction. Luckily there had been no rain of late to allow him to see the pawprints in the soil.  As he entered the woods, he thought the best means to find the dog and to possibly lure it back. The dog must be nearby. He wouldn't stray too far to be close to the owner for food, even if he is lost. At worst--- no don't think about the worst-case scenario. Track it down first, remember its needs, and likely trail markers. From there, you can find it. he thought as he moved through the trees. He wished he was there with others of a squad, but for now, he was on his own.

Zeo tracked the general signs of the animal through the woods, starting to zig-zag as it was clear the animal got turned around. He paid attention to tracks, markings-- leavings, as gross as that was, but effective to tell the dog was not far. He couldn't hear any definitive sounds to compare to a puppy's barking. It was midday as he reached the end of the trail, his intuition more than the evidence telling him the dog was near. Unable to tell much more, he tried to clear his mind and think. Finding a spot on the tree, he closed his eyes, crossed his legs, and listened. He listened for any soft sounds on the winds. The air, any kind of animal or sound of a hunting animal...

... it wasn't long till he heard it. A soft bark. Brief, but sharp and echoed. In an instant, Zeo snapped his eyes open and jumped towards the source. It was a long shot, but it did sound very much like the young bark of a dog. It didn't take him long to clear the gap. With a short landing atop one of the branches, he soon found it.

It stood out better now, its white fur cutting through the greenery as the dog barked. The little puppy had seemed to pick a fight or was instigated. Across the small grove was a large boar, twice the size of the puppy dog. Despite the size difference, the dog kept barking to try to scare it off. Its fur was muddied with dust and it seemed to have a small limp to its step-- likely from the boar. The boar grunted as it dragged its hoove back and forth-- preparing to charge.

With a wild row, the boar ran full force towards the puppy, intending to smash head-on into it.

Without even really thinking, Zeo wove signs and took a deep breath. Monkey, Rat,  Tiger,  Dragon,  Horse,  Dragon-- the signs just almost muscle memory after all the time he practices. " Suiton-- Snake Jaw Jutsu!!" he shouted and exhaled with his chakra.

His breath soon transformed from air to water right out of his mouth-- which spiraled and took shape right before his eyes. The water spout became that of a rough-looking serpent with an open maw. The moment the water crossed the boar's path, it was too late as it splashed right into it. The force of the snake caused it to push past it-- becoming a stream and reaching deeper into the woods. The boar squealed like a pig as it was tossed in the vortex, and sent 20 meters away back into the woods.

Despite the water and save, the dog still barked-- confused and startled by the sudden water. With the save and a dramatic landing, Zeo took a breath-- the just requiring more chakra than he thought to get it out.  After a deep breath, he turned to the puppy. "Hey, doggy. It's gonna be--"

WOOF! The dog barked at Zeo, clearly not recognizing he was a friend. Just another potential danger in this forest. The dog quickly turned tail and dashed through the bushes in the opposite direction. "W-wait! Come back, doggy! I'm just..." he sighed, realizing the dog wouldn't listen.

Luckily, the dog was alive and now tracking the dog wouldn't nearly be as bad. But what was worse, the dog was slightly injured. He couldn't tell the severity, let alone know if he could treat it. He was not a medical ninja after all. This was why he wishes he had a team-- others he could depend on for help than himself. He was growing sick of being alone too.

He soon followed the trail of the puppy. His white fur and movement made it easy to find him and he didn't have to search long. About 25 meters away, he found the puppy again. The little dog was now laying down in a nearby pile of leaves, exhausted and panting from the excitement. Zeo wanted to just approach, but it would only scare the animal. Luckily, he had taken this into account. Finding the dog was the hard part. Capturing it, or rather luring it back, was easier. Despite the trouble he was having, Zeo loved animals. He longed for animals to befriend, though he never owned a pet. Moreso, he knew how to interact with them. With a cool aura and patience.

As to not startle the dog too much, Zeo traveled to the far side of the grove and landed beside a tree. He approached now as a normal stride as if he was casually walking through the forest. His footsteps were soft so as to not startle the dog. No sooner did he step four paces ahead, the dog's ears twitched and turned to see Zeo. He cast a growl at him, clearly hostile at the sight of the strange blue-haired boy.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you," Zeo said soothingly, easing each step closer. He kept tall for the moment. A crouched position would only make the dog more agitated. To do so would be like an offensive pose to attack. Still, he kept to his plan. As he reached halfway there, Zeo soon crossed his legs and sat down on the grassy ground. He sat there casually and didn't proceed further. Though the dog still growled, the look of hostility soon vanished from its face. "Hi little guy. Don't worry. I'm a friend.. " he said.

He slowly took out a small pack from behind him and opened up the cloth wrapping. Inside were a series of snacks. Some rations with protean in it. While suitable for shinobi to eat-- more subjectable to canines for their carnivorous appetites. As he sat there, he relaxed. Animals had a keen sense of awareness. When any human or animal was hostile or alarmed, they sensed it immediately, like a smell or sound. High stress or danger was a clear tell. So he remained calm, centered, and at peace as he slowly raised the snack and ate some of it.

After a few minutes, the dog stopped growling and became quiet. A soft whimper came from him as he now felt more hungry. Sensing the change in the animal's behavior, Zachary took some of the food and placed a small bit in front of him for the dog. "Come on. Do you want a snack? You must be tired and hungry out here on your own huh? " he said.

Slowly, the dog kept low, but inch by inch, he moved closer. He noticed the limp in the dog's foot, a minor wound from likely the boar attack. It didn't look too bad if he could get the dog to relax and let him bandage it. Slowly, the puppy got closer and sniffed the food on the ground. After a moment, he took a bite and tasted it was good. The next bite came with more enthusiasm, and he gobbled up the small pile, clearly hungry.

Zeo took out another handful of the food, popping a single bit for himself, then offered the rest to the dog in his palm. Once more, the dog sniffed the hand, cautious. However, not sensing any negative emotion from Zeo, the dog soon lapped at the hand and ate up the bits of food he had. With that, Zeo cautiously reached with his other hand and scooped up the puppy into his lap, cradling him. The dog gave a soft whine, but didn't fight it as he was held-- and didn't resist as Zeo gave another bit of food to him.

With the dog distracted, he used his hand to treat the puppy's leg. It took a bit of doing and distracting the dog with the snack and gentle petting on his head, but he got the rear leg bandaged. Nothing the dog couldn't recover from, but wise to take to a vet when the owner could. He rested with the dog, tenderly patting him on his head and coddling him. It was a bit unprofessional, but he enjoyed the dog's company. He would have even wanted to take it home... but he belongs to someone else, who loved him just as much and missed him greatly.

With the dog now pacified, he stood up with the puppy in his arms. "Okay, little guy. Ready to go back home?" Zeo asked.

WOOf woof! The dog happily barked and wagged his fluffy tail. Keeping the dog close, Zeo jumped up into the trees once more and sprinted back to the farm where the owner was.

Despite the dog's energetic squirming every now and then, Zeo was able to get back to the farm in about 15 minutes. As he crossed the river and returned to the farm, the old man was waiting in a chair outside-- and his worried expression lit up with relief as he saw the white dog. "Kido!" the man cried, causing the puppy to bark at him energetically. Zeo lowered the puppy down, who sprinted towards his master. The old man knelt down, despite his age and ruffled the dog's fur, happy to see him. "Oh, thank you, young man! Thank you so much! I feared I lost him forever!"

Zeo smiled as he walked over and patted the dog as well. "My pleasure. He hurt his leg in the woods but I bandaged it up. I'd take him to a vet if he doesn't recover soon, okay? "

The dog gave a happy bark at Zeo and licked his hand, grateful for being saved by him. Despite the desire to pet the dog more, Zachary pulled himself away and nodded. "Take care sir. Glad I could be of help," he said and returned back to the village. Still, the happy memory of the dog continued to warm his heart even as he returned back home.

WC: 2006

Reward: 1000 Ryo+ 100, 3 AP,

Stat Reward: +5 Speed, +10 Vigor
Jutsu Learned: Suiton: Water Needles/Senbon 1000 WC, Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding 1000 WC.

Approved