Ecology Management [Mission]

Mission Name: Ecology Management
Rank: B
Mission Location: Island Country borders

Challenges: --
Task: Due to Kirigakure's Storm Barrier, the islands' ecology has taken on a strange nature - an exaggerated sort of natural selection due to its isolation and altered weather. Largely, this results in a loss of biodiversity on the islands due to its native tropical species faring poorly.

Kirigakure is in contact with naturalists in Island Country interested in the preservation of unique wildlife, and willing to lend advice on how to keep the islands vibrant with their new climate. Make contact with these scientists, safely deliver them living specimens of Kirigakure's surviving native wildlife, and bring back to Kirigakure a few specimens of Water Country plants and creatures (obviously also quite rare) the scientists have secured that may in turn be appropriate to introduce to Kiri.

The scientists will inform you of sightings of a creature thought extinct with the destruction of Water Country and Old Kirigakure  - the crimson-breasted penguin, also known as the diving penguin. This will lead you to the next mission in the chain, Forgotten Survivors.

Word Count Requirement: 3,000
Reward: 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP

Character Requirements: Kirigakure shinobi
Character Exclusive: --

Link to Legacy Mission: --

Return to the Mission Directory

"I have eyes on the target," Shoko whispers through the radio. Somewhere else - Shoko cannot tell where, in the dense, foggy foliage - her mission partner waits. In front of her, plodding quietly through the trees, is the critically endangered Lesser Island Grouse. It's an odd bird the size of a chicken, frighteningly elusive despite the male's highly colorful plumage. They've cornered a male in the forest, presumably interrupting its attempts to woo a girlfriend with a silly dance, as Shoko assumes all tropical birds must do.

"Straight ahead - under the funny-looking flower. ...do you think we should take that too?"

These kinds of plants and animals were much more common on the islands before Shoko arrived. It's alien to her - the fog and cooler days are all she's ever known, so to her, this strange bird is the intruder. It'll be happier outside of the village, surely. She's curious to see what kind of creatures they'll be tasked to bring back with them after they've completed their delivery.

Once she's gotten a confirmation from her mission partner that she's been heard, Shoko brings her fingers to her mouth and whistles. The grouse clucks in alarm, running around in a tight circle, bright tail-feathers aflutter - and then it darts off in her mission partner's direction in a panic, right into their trap. Score. "It's right there!!" Shoko calls, stumbling out of the bushes after the bird. "Get it get it get it --"

241

Remembering the plan they’d decided on, Koutaku waited--well hidden--at the top of a tree, concealed by the leaves and branches. He looked down on the scene from his vantage point, wire at the ready to capture their target. Watching closely, he still somehow missed the red-breasted bird until Shoko directed his vision over coms.

“Copy, I can’t see how taking it would hurt our chances,” he replied quietly, making sure not to catch the attention of the bird. As Shoko made her move, driving the penguin his way, Koutaku reacted swiftly, releasing wires downwards from the tree. However, the bird was sharper than he’d expected and managed to evade, sliding across the high grasses on its stomach, before popping back up and bobbing in a new direction.

Swearing, Koutaku lept from his perch, and threw a wirebound shuriken into the ground, pulling to alter his trajectory. However, the bird was incredibly fast, oddly so considering how short its legs were relative to theirs. Then again, perhaps it was more the fact that it could more easily navigate the terrain than them.

“Dammit,” Koutaku said, his voice coming over comms even as Shoko caught up to him, the penguin disappearing into what appeared to be some kind of burrow. Frowning, Koutaku withdrew his shuriken and wire with a flick of his wrist and a dextrous manipulation. Snatching the weapon from the air, Koutaku stowed it and drew a kunai, spinning it and rolling it between his fingers as he considered their situation.

“I really thought we had it that time,” Koutaku said, sounding frustrated, “...but the damn things are considerably more tricky than you’d expect from such a small creature.” Glancing at Shoko, he continued.

“I suppose it makes sense that they’ve been able to survive though if they’re this good at evading capture, after all that kind of skill would likely transfer over to avoiding predators.”

Falling silent, Koutaku took a deep breath, composing himself and stretching out his senses at the same time. He wasn’t sure if it’d be better to find a new specimen or to try and get this one to leave its nest. Rather than make a suggestion though, he remained silent as his most recent suggestion that she run the penguin towards him had utterly failed.

How frustrating.

Spoiler:

Where there's smoke, there's fire, and where there's a shocking lack of discretion and flagrant disregard for personal safety, there's Goro. He'd been assigned a few hours ago to test water salinity at two points, as well as gather algae samples. All the results were neatly tucked into his apron, so he had nothing left to do but return. He took a shortcut through the temperate jungle- something about 'it used to be tropical', 'dangers of extinction', y'know. That kinda stuff. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about that directly. 

Or, at least, that's what he would say if he was otherwise noninvolved. Perhaps almost immediately after that thought, something small and sharp rammed into his leg, startling a foreign curse out of him. Goro looked down, seeing the tail end of a bird fleeing the opposite direction. What the fuck?

About ten seconds of walking alerted him to the fact that no, he wasn't alone, and there was two other genin (or so he assumed?) with him. He recognized Koutaku instantly, but the other figure was a complete stranger. Naturally, because he has the social capacity of a teaspoon, he immediately makes the situation more awkward. 

"So, uh. Come here often?" They're your village mates, Goro. They live here. After a silence that was likely uncomfortable to everyone else but not to him, he spoke up again. "In all seriousness, you guys on a mission or something? I just got back from some water testing, are you here for something similar..." he continued to talk, but nothing of value came out of his mouth. It's unclear if his noise was scaring the target animals away or not. Should he not be interrupted, he'd continue rambling incomprehensibly for about two minutes.

"...And that's why a wide range of mineral testing is important in determining not only water quality but any potential heavy metal deposits that may be underground. Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" He reaches up, feeling only his goggles. Hm. Where was he... He looked up again, but something in the other's demeanor or expression told him that it was prudent to stop talking. The first successful charisma check of the day. Great job, Goro.

WC: 376
Total WC: 376


Mission WC: 1,000

Approved mid-thread claim.

Make sure you re-state this at the end.

Shoko dives after the bird in a bold last-ditch attempt at capture. Unfortunately, the bird is a seasoned professional at the belly slide and Shoko is a rank amateur. Koutaku finds himself coming down from his perch to find that he has captured a very put-out Uchiha, Shoko glaring after the penguin from within a dense tangle of wires. 

She wiggles forward to catch up to Koutaku, resembling a metallic caterpillar, trying her best to roll into a vantage point where she can see the burrow. 

"Why are we trying to move it if it's already so good at surviving!?" she complains, rolling over in defeat. "Uhm, also... Little help, Koutaku...?"

Before Koutaku can cut her free, Goro arrives, Shoko raising her eyebrows at him from the ground. 

"No," she replies simply to Goro's question as to whether they come here often. It's one of the less built-up islands, still covered in nature, with a few houses near one end and a training field in some of the denser forest. That's all she has to say for the moment, as she will continue to listen politely to Goro going on about scientific fields she has zero understanding of while tied up in sharp wire in the middle of the woods. All in all, it does not feel very productive, and it's kind of physically uncomfortable.

225
TWC 466 / 1,000

Raising an eyebrow at Goro, who’d showed up rather unceremoniously--certainly in an unexpected capacity--Koutaku considered Shoko’s words as he approached where she’d gotten tangled in his wire. Crouching next to Shoko, he eyed the tangle of wire, narrowing his gaze as he focused on the exact pattern of it all. No distinct knots, but several points where the wires were snarled worse than normal. It was good that Shoko had stopped moving--and that he was using blunt wire designed for capture rather than for damage.

Reaching down, he began to deftly pluck at various bits of his wire as if at the strings of an instrument. At no point did he seem to directly untangle anything and yet...the once tightening vice of the trap gradually become looser. As he worked, Koutaku replied to Goro, not at all surprised by his strangeness or Shoko’s annoyance--at least...that’s what he thought it was.

“Yes, we’re doing wildlife survey and capture. Specifically for the species of penguin that just not handily evaded us,” the young shinobi explained to their new companion. Almost idly, he plucked at another few spots in the wire and then found one end of the entrapment and tugged. As if invisible strings holding the wires taut had been snipped, the wires seemed to just...fall away from Shoko in a loose heap. There was the faint sense of Koutaku having used the smallest quantity of chakra in the process, but it was hard to say exactly how he’d done it.

Rising to his feet, Koutaku offered his friend--and student after a fashion--his hand, even as he turned his head slightly so he could keep an eye on Goro as well.

“No, there’s nothing on your face Goro, you just went on a tangent again. Not a big deal.” Koutaku gave the Chemist a one-shoulder shrug. Once Shoko got up--either with his help or without it--Koutaku would turn back towards the burrow that the penguin had escaped into. “On second thought, smaller predators could pursue the penguins into the places they find themselves safest, which might be why we’re here.” Biting at his lip slightly, and then chewing the inside of his cheek lightly, the shinobi nodded to himself as he mentally measured the size of the hole.

It wasn’t exact enough, he needed better data. Turning, he glanced at Goro, “Do you have something we could use to measure the dimensions of this hole?” That said, he awaited the Chemist’s response, side-eying Shoko in such a way that almost screamed ‘I think I have a plan’

Spoiler:

"Huh? A hole?" Goro blinks awkwardly for a moment, having entirely forgotten the tangent bit. He scratches his chin, not wearing gloves for once. "Most of my measuring equipment's for measuring water, not distance. I'll have to go back to the lab to switch some out. I could probably guesstimate, maybe. But you probably want an exact measurement." Goro nods, evidently confident in his deduction. He tilts his head to the side. A pair of goggles block most of the hair from falling into his eyes as he looks around for the hole.


"You're probably just scaring them," he points out after a minute. "if you've been chasing the penguins around the forest, like. They'll recognize your behavior as... predator-y." it's certainly not from his exceptional linguistic ability that he works in research and development. "If you walk around, not get to close, and let them come to you, they'll be more receptive. Maybe feed them or something. Last time I was out here they really liked tater tots."

Were penguins able to eat tater tots safely? The world- or, at least, Goro- may never know. "Maybe rummage through some leaves or something so they think you're an herbivore? That's what I heard worked with deer." he rocks back and forward on his feet at the comment.

After a few moments, he finds the hole (or den, as the case may be) with minimal difficulty. He ignores that Koutaku was standing right next to it.

...

...

Well, with chickens, you were supposed to hold them gently and pin the wings. Penguins were basically water chickens, so the same rules almost definitely applied. Maybe. He wasn't confident.

With a quick mental 'why the hell not', he reaches his hands into the den- barely a foot across- and pulls out a squirming bird. He adjusts it in his hold, red plumage vibrant against its darker feathers, and it... largely settles in his arms. The penguin pecks half heartedly at his sleeve, but it's not a particularly aggressive lunge.

"This one's a boy, right?" a pause as he waits for Shoko or Koutaku to confirm. He continues. "I'm gonna name you Meatball."

Meatball adjusts his weight slightly in the hold. The human nods in response. What a wonderful conversation!

"Are there any other penguins we need? I only have two arms." He doesn't comment on the fact that the bird is notably docile in his grip, nor does he take notice. Maybe the sight of someone as horrible with people as him being good with animals didn't register.

WC: 424
Total WC: 800

Shoko brushes herself off and stands with Koutaku's help, doing her best to maintain some sort of dignity. It's not like she needed his help to stand up, or anything, though. He just thinks she's a jerk whenever she's trying to maintain her pride, so if he's trying to be nice, she'll roll with it. This time.

"If that little guy doesn't have another escape route, I've got him now," Shoko says, an evil little grin on her face. "Are we allowed to traumatize the birds?"

Shoko meets Koutaku's side-eye with a matching side-eye of somebody else who also has a plan. It looks like they've got two whole plans between them, and how many could that wily little bird have? One? It's gotta have a maximum of one plan. Then Goro starts fussing around the den, which brings the team's plan total up to three. This penguin has no chance.

"Right, predatory behaviour. Don't traumatize the birds." Shoko bounces on her heels impatiently and crosses her arms, though her eyes are curious as she watches Goro work. "Unless your plan doesn't work, Goro, then we do my plan. Uh, then Koutaku's plan, since you got to do the plan last," She adds in aside to her teammate. There! Turn-taking. They're cooperating.

...whoa, he just grabbed it? Just like that?

"You gotta be like, a bird whisperer, dude," Shoko says, stepping forward to take a closer look at the docile penguin, who only lets out a worried 'waaark' at Shoko's presence but is too soothed by Goro's arms to make a run for it. "Sexing birds is pretty hard. They'll probably figure it out when we hand it off to the ecologists."

282
TWC 748 / 1,000

Pulling Shoko up and giving her a small nod, Koutaku then turns back to Goro as he replies and sighs, letting out a somewhat resigned “Figures….” Staring down at the hole he lets the Chemist go on for a bit, half listening as he considers how they might retrieve the penguin. Another trap? Wait for the penguin to emerge? Use the transformation technique to mimic one’s appearance to lure it out? Huh, that one was actually a decent idea….

While Koutaku mulled over possibilities, Goro sidestepped them entirely, rambling largely to himself as he came up beside Koutaku, knelt down and then just...reached right into the burrow and pulled the penguin out. Koutaku blinked as Goro rose up, the bird barely even protesting as he handled it like some kind of animal expert. A look of stark confusion rested on the young man’s face in that moment, his eyes faintly’ narrowed, his mouth slightly open, his brows drawn together in an expression that screamed “How?”

Swallowing and trying to recover his composure, the Iouchiryo considered Goro’s query even as his gaze glanced over at Shoko, hoping that he wasn’t alone in his mildly frustrated confusion. However, much to his chagrin the girl had simply gone with it as if it was entirely normal for someone to reach into a wild animal’s burrow and just...snatch them out without issue.

Given that reaction, he had to consider something was that normal? He considered the possibility for the shortest instant before discarding it, there was just no way. He may have had some social failings, but this was too far off from that to be related and his real-world knowledge just couldn’t be this bad that he’d make such a banal mistake.

“Well, uh, glad that worked. I don’t think we need another Goro. I suppose we can take the animal--ah...Meatball--back to the village then.” He scratched his cheek slightly and flicked his wrists, recalling the rest of his wire with the action. That done, he was quite ready to be done with this rather bizarre outting. Really, sending shinobi to gather wildlife? What a world they lived in.

Spoiler: