A Man and a Pen

Guren had finally made some progress in unveiling the secrets of his clan. Since he had set out from Kumogakure, he underwent numerous challenges. They began with immediately needing to impede his own capture, whether by fight or flight. That obstacle taught Guren of the real world implications of life or death scenarios. Although there will always be some regret for making that decision, he had come to live with it and learn from it. From there on, his trip was to the Valley of Hell. There he had faced his largest challenge: being unable to escape from the immediate danger that presented itself, yet also being incapable of killing when he should have. Had he done so, he may have more successfully developed as a shinobi. But at what cost? The cost of his morality, of course. But the Valley of Hell was all too fitting for Guren to take his first kill. It was the former resting ground of his fallen clan, surely it would have been good for his character development. It would have also extended the bloody history of the location.

As he reflected upon his progress in life, his mind recounted the numerous challenges of traveling across the continent. From land to land, location to location; the living conditions were difficult. Yet he persevered all the way up until he reached Wind Country. Robbing, stealing, fighting, deception, trickery, eavesdropping, and the list goes on; that was Guren’s new way of life. And for what it’s worth, he was good at it.

(WC = 256)

It was his only option. In this stage of his life, it was either eat or be eaten. And he quickly learned that he had to get his money, food, and other necessities however he could. This was true until one faithful day when he came across a traveler within a tavern, who offered Guren the information he sought after for months: information on the Cave of Carnage. Naturally, he immediately traveled there and came across the closest things to relatives that he could: the Bearded Blood Vultures. Although they had put him through what seemed like endless tests to prove himself, a sense of loyalty was finally nurtured between the two parties. And it would blossom in the process, as Guren became well received by all the members of the summoning race. Although there had not yet been a time to call upon their services, Guren knew what they were capable of.

As he thought to himself, he leaned back in his chair within the hotel room he resided in and thought to himself. Perhaps instead of needing to walk down memory lane every time he needed to remind himself of his development, it might be easier to document his findings instead. Guren was never much of a writer, but reading was his true passion. The initial task of authoring all of the events of his life truly seemed monstrous, but the reward of being able to go back and read it later was quite attractive. Thus, he pulled his chair closer to the desk which stood in front of him and rummaged his hands through his backpack which laid upon the desk. He sifted through the bag until his fingertips finally fell upon a single pen and his journal. It was time to begin.
(WC = 296)

He firmly grasped the cover of the journal with his left hand and pulled it to his left, opening it and revealing the blank canvas that lied within. As his eyes fell upon the empty page, his mind began flustering with numerous ideas for the beginning of his memoirs. He propped his right hand upon his chin and thought to himself. Should he start with his actual beginning, being his birth? No, that wouldn’t be very detailed as he had very few memories of his life before the age of 4. Of course he knew of the tragic fates his grandmother, mother, and father all faced but he wasn’t sure of the specific details. At least not enough to write about.

“Scratch” he thought to himself as he mentally removed this notion from his list of options. A new, intriguing approach would be to write about his life with just the straight forward events. Although this might be a more accurate approach, Guren worried with how enjoyable it would be, both to write and read. That’s when the idea struck him. What if he were to write about his life but in a series of short, semi – fictional stories? When the thought hit him, he couldn’t help but think further on it. It seemed like an entertaining yet informative way of detailing his history. The more he chewed on this thought, the more he began to like it. And the more he began to like it, the more it unraveled in his head.

(WC = 253)

What if he were to make each page a story, and on the next page there was an illustration that matched the story? This would be quite a bit more creative than his initial idea, yet very possible. Since he was a child, Guren was very artistic. Before he became heavily involved with being a shinobi, he would spend a lot of his time drawing childish pictures for his father, who never seemed impressed. Yet this never discouraged Guren from sticking with it. At one point in his life, it was one of his passions. Thus all he could do was try. Besides, his first stab at it could simply be a rough draft anyway.

He removed his palm from his resting jaw, and picked up his pen. Then he placed the tip of it upon the white sheet of paper before him and began the brush like motions of his hand to print the script he thought of. It begun as the following:

“Chapter One: The Dove and the Eagle

A dove, free spirited and curious, once left its nest in search of a new beginning….”

As he continued to write, he became more and more satisfied with his progress. It would seem like the way his sentences were constructed, they would flow like poetry when read aloud. When he would finish populating the page with his penmanship, he diverted the tip of the pen to the adjacent blank page. As he had planned, it was now time for him to draw the story to match the text.

(WC = 259)

At this point, Guren’s pen began to dance across the boundaries of the page, making sure that each swirl and stroke were satiated with style and poise. After some time, the integrity of the illustration began to become more apparent. A dove soaring through the sky was clearly draw out, with long and elegant wings. Just beneath the dove was a nest perched atop a branch on an ominous tree. Off in the background was a vicious eagle, looming and awaiting for his moment to pounce upon the flying dove. Amongst the drawing were numerous details specific to the story, which each seemed to carry its weight in pulling the imagery together. Time flew by as Guren drew, and nothing but pure progress was made.

Once it was completed, Guren took a brief moment to admire his work. Perhaps writing and illustrations really were things that fit his skill set. It was immediately self-fulfilling, and made him excited to see the product of his effort. But this session was enough for one day. He didn't want to expend all of his energy and creative juices in one sitting. Thus he laid the notebook out to allow for the ink to dry and stood up from his desk. He tucked in his chair and threw on his haori jacket over top of his pin striped, climate control training shirt. In all honestly he really appreciated this new style that he was going with. It was lighter and made him appear more mature and well kept, fitting of a shinobi. 

~Exit~

(WC = 258. Total = 1322 x 2 Event Bonus = 2644)

1875 towards Suffocation by Water once approved
750 towards C Rank Tearing Earth Palm

* For clarification,  Guren used his Max Stat Discount to claim both jutsus *
 Exit claims Approved!