Any Roof in a Storm

Wind gusted across the grassy fields, buffeting the young kitsune's clothes as he trudged toward the ruins of Kusagakure. The ruins were a place where wanderers sometimes gathered, as the remnants of the buildings at least offered mediocre shelter to those who had none to speak of otherwise. And Yuuhei knew he would have to find some kind of roof soon, or he would end up a very sad, very wet fox.

The boy looked upward towards the turbulent sky, paying close attention to the covering of grey clouds, dark and heavy with rain. He didn't have long before the rain would be upon him. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, smelling the minerals and the ozone. "Hey! Hey you!" he heard a voice shouting. Startled he looked ahead, where an old man stood next to a crumbling building. The man waved him over emphatically, and Yuuhei jogged closer, stopping a few paces from his solicitor. He was short for a man, barely taller than Yuuhei, and he was bald with a dirty kerchief tied around his head, his clothing dusty and worn.

"This here is where I usually sleep - but the roof's gone in and a storm's comin'. I'm too old an' tired to fix it... but a young fella like you, think you could find a way to stop the rain' comin' in? There's a hot meal in it for ya, and you can stay with me outta the rain til the storm passes. What do ya say?" Yuuhei's arms crossed, his head tilting as he looks at the building and peers through the hole in the roof. He could fix that, if he found some material. "You got yourself a deal, old timer." He grinned, reaching a hand out and squeezing the old man's, before quickly running off further into the ruins for something to work with. He'd need something flat, and big enough to cover the hole. Also some rocks to help hold it down.

It didn't take him long before he spotted a pile of debris and quickly rummaged through it, picking up a flat wooden panel and inspecting its size. 'Perfect,' Yuuhei thought as he ran it back over to the old man and set it down against the building. Next was the stones, and lucky for him, the ruins were full of them. He spent a bit of time hunting around, picking out ones that were just heavy enough to do the job without being too much to lift. He brought them back to the old man one at a time, until he had four decent sized stones.

Picking up the board first, Yuuhei hops up the two meters or so onto the ledge of the roof, carefully laying it flat over the hole, his tail swishing while he worked. The old man's fuzzy eyebrows raised while he watched him, scratching his head in confusion. "That's a funny tail ya got there, son. What are ya, part animal or somethin?" Blinking, Yuuhei turns around and looks down at him, pausing thoughtfully before grinning cheekily, a sharp tooth flashing. "Yeah, somethin' like that."

Hopping down, Yuuhei picked up the stones, bringing them up on the roof one at a time as before and fitting them carefully onto the edges of the wooden board. "Hmmm..." His head tilted as he thoughtfully considered his handiwork. It needed something else. The kitsune's eyes lit up with a sudden idea, and he hopped down again, grabbing a big basket and scurrying into the grass. There, he dug with his fingers into the earth, scooping up a bunch of mud and grass and collecting it in his basket til it was full and heavy. Grunting softly, Yuuhei lifted it up and carefully jumped back onto the roof, wobbling dangerously. Carefully, the boy set down the basket and began caking the stuff over the board, trying to give it some kind of seal. That way, the board was less likely to get soaked and leak through.

When he was finished, Yuuhei hopped back down and grinned at the old man triumphantly. "Well, I'll be!" he said, inspecting the boy's work from inside the building. "Yup, that looks about as good as it'll need to be. You've earned yourself a meal there, son. But uh... go to the creek and wash up first." Raising his eyebrows, Yuuhei looked down at his arms, which were covered up to the elbow in mud, and he laughed. "Sure, old man." Turning, he ran down to where the water flowed outside the village, dunking his hands in and scrubbing quickly, the cold water numbing his fingers as the mud and grass was gradually washed away. Drying his hand on his hakama, he ran back to the ruins, the first drops of rain speckling his forehead as he crossed the threshold and ducked into the small building, where the old man was setting up a small fire. Apparently, he had a kitchen pot and ingredients already on hand, and Yuuhei's mouth salivated as he watched him chop up a variety of fish and vegetables into a thick stew. He couldn't wait to swap stories with the old man over some well deserved grub.

[Exit]