[Flooberoid]

Carnation marched the tranquil gravel path through the Emerald Forest with sword and shield hanging at her sides, drawn but not ready. A warm, comforting light of midday sun penetrated the sparse canopy, illuminating the spacious pathway. What little threat this area posed- the occasional Creep and some miniature Nevermores above- dared not strike out against Cara and her newly appointed team. Besides, their radiant positivity kept the dangers at bay, as Cara insisted on saying. There was indeed nothing to fear on this portion of the journey.

If only the entire forest could be like this. Every resident of Vale- well, the still living ones at least- knew the dangers that lurked deep within the forest. It was indeed typical for huntsmen and huntresses to be sent into the wilderness to best these horrors for the sake of their people. Even so, on occasion certain beasts had been known to evade detection, or to triumph over their assailants, and be given time to grow. They grew bigger, stronger, faster, smarter than any others of their species, until finally they were deemed a high priority target by the kingdoms of the world. It was one of these Grimm that Cara, with the help of her freshman team, was to exterminate on this mission. Why a freshman team? Beg the headmaster hard enough, and any mission can be yours!

Knowing the feeling of security would not last into the deeper parts of the forest, Cara took this time to chat with her new friends. "So... lovely day, isn't it? Everyone excited to cut some Grimm down to size?"

[nathan67003]

Helena walked slowly besides her team leader, a large, honest smile plastered accross her face. The Sun was shining through the trees, a slight, cool breeze making the leaves sway in a beautiful melody. The weather was, of course, a good reason for her to be feeling so good, but it was most probably due to the fact that she was walking with friends.

She was a bit bummed that she couldn't possibly bring Kari along on a mission, but oh well. She'd have the opportunity to have her lazing about on her later. Plus, look! There were all kinds of cute critters everywhere! She'd seen at least three curious squirrels so far, had two chickadees come stand on her hand for a bit and even spied an absolutely adorable bunny in the tall grass besides the path. Everything was just so pretty, she was almost giddy with joy.

When her team leader spoke, she turned her head to face her, her hair regretfully following the movement. "It really is a wonderful day! I can't wait to snipe a Grimm with Artemis!", she said as her smile grew even brighter.

[Vwyx]

"They won't know what hit them," Eamon cheerily agreed. He walked through the radiant forest with his polearm across the back of his neck, supporting his two arms stretched over its length. The entire arrangement looked like nothing less than a shoulder yoke, a relaxed posture for the slow amble that the beginning of the mission permitted.

As he walked, he flexed his Aura, barely-noticeable patches of power appearing over his body. It would be good to get a real workout, flex out some of the kinks, he reflected. Speaking of which... "Remind me exactly what our mark is, again," he asked, flushing a bit at forgetting the very premise of the job.

[Zerco]

Shiro put her hands behind her neck and leaned slightly back with her head as she walked with the rest of the group, enjoying the nice weather. "Yeah, its a wonderful day. Nothing beats exterminating some Grimm on a day like this!" She said as she gave a warm smile towards her team and stretched her arms out.

"As Eamon asked, it would be better to refresh our memory about our target so that we know what we're dealing with." Shiro said, but she couldn't help but add "Is it strong?" as her eyes lit up in excitement. She couldn't wait to beat some Grimm up.

[Flooberoid]

Cara enthusiastically relayed the details of their mission to her teammates. "We're hunting a King Taijitu, and yeah, it's strong. A couple of huntsmen before us have tried to fight it and barely escaped with their lives.

"The weird thing is, every report of our target so far says that the huntsmen were holding up okay before they were unexpectedly blindsided. It seems like this beastie is fast, even able to shake the watchful eye of experienced professionals." There was really no encouraging way of saying that, so Cara added, "But hey, between all of us there are eight eyes to go around, eh? I think we can count on each other to watch our backs!"

[nathan67003]

With a large smile still on her face, Helena said "Yeah! And I'll be covering from afar, so it'd be even harder for it to take us by surprise!"

[Vwyx]

"Hmm..." Eamon mused. "I suppose it would be interesting to fight a Grimm that can surprise even trained Huntsmen." He unlevered his weapon from his shoulders, giving it an flamboyant spin, before bringing it down to the ground in a loud thump.

"I'm looking forward to it," he confessed, eagerness tinting his voice. "Snakeskin wallets for everyone!"

[Zerco]

"If you need someone to cover you, I've got your back!" Shiro said as she pointed at herself and puffed out her chest. Remembering that she doesn't know where the King Taijitu is located, she turned towards Carnation and asked, "So when do we get there?"

[Flooberoid]

"Well, we were given a general area to search..." Temporarily sheathing her sword, Cara pulled out the map that had been prepared for them. "We're over here..." She pointed to the path they were on, flecked with points of light green. "...and we're headed to this area, in the big red circle." She gestured to a reasonably large region, colored almost entirely with deep shades of green. On the far west side of this region was an outcropping of exposed rock, depicted as standing high above the surrounding foliage.

While they were looking at the map, Cara suddenly felt that the ground beneath her had changed. She looked up, embarrassed to find that she had absentmindedly walked off the end of the gravel path. "Uh, end of the road, guys! Hope everyone brought good hiking boots- it's nature's pathways from here on out!" Apparently the artificial path had given up by this point, as the bushes and trees of the Emerald Forest finally brought their A-game. Though it was still midday, the lights gradually dimmed ahead of them, impeded by the dense canopy. Rustling sounds around and above them revealed that the creatures in this region would not be so timid. Cara confirmed their location once more before putting the map away in favor of her weapon.

Spooky... I guess we're on the right track!

[nathan67003]

Helena couldn't help but giggle at Eamon's statement. It was entirely ridiculous.

She did, however, stop alongside her leader and read the map she took out over her shoulder. Wow, that seemed like some dense forest. Helena briefly pointed at the rocky outcrop that was pictured. "That spot seems like a great place to snipe from, but seeing as the foliage seems rather dense and how it would take me kind of far from you guys, I guess I should stick around?"

When Cara stopped and warned everybody about the fact that they were now entering the deep wilds, Helena's smile returned in earnest. "Great!", she said as she took Artemis off of her and into her hands.

[Vwyx]

Eamon gave the ground beyond the gravel trail a few hard stomps. "At least it's not muddy," he said, looking on the bright side. "Could be worse!"

He stole a glance at the map before Cara put it away. "Rocky outcropping, huh? That shouldn't be too hard to find. It could make for a good staging ground if we get separated, since we could see it from just about anywhere if we climb a tree."

It was a great tactical thought and not at all an excuse to climb one of the ancient, gnarled arboreal playgrounds around them. Even though that would be fun and cool.

[Zerco]

Shiro took a quick peek at the map Cara was holding while she explained where they are, and their destination. "That's it!" Shiro said out loud after Eamor's statement on the rocky outcropping. "I believe it would be a good idea to make our way to the outcropping and scan through the forest, see if we can find any major movement or anything that screams 'King Taijitu'." She looked around and saw that the shadows of the trees were longer and longer with every minute passing and heard the sound of cracking leaves and sticks in the underbrush. She signed and added, "Ooor we could camp there if nothing else...?"

Shiro got ready to advance through the forest and equipped her dual pistols that were hanging from her belt during the journey in their usual box form.

[Flooberoid]

"Alright then. We'll locate that outcropping and search the area east of it. If we need to regroup or camp out, we'll meet up there. Everyone understand?" Cara was a little dismayed that on her first mission as leader, it was everyone but her that made the plan. Still, listening to one's teammates and incorporating their best ideas is a key part of leadership as well, right?

Hearing the tone of Eamon's voice, Cara decided to encourage him a bit. "Hm... Pretty sure I know where we are, but... I dunno, anyone wanna climb a tree and verify where we're going?" It would be reassuring to have someone see their destination with their own eyes, even if Cara was almost certain of her sense of direction.

[nathan67003]

Helena answered Cara with a bright "Yep! Completely!"

When she then suggested to have somebody climb a tree, Helena simply smiled. She hadn't missed Eamon's not-so-subtle ploy. Even though she would've been able to walk straight to the outcropping without it, this was nicer.

[Vwyx]

"Oh, well. I guess I could climb a tree, if that's what you think is best." Eamon said, his aura of perfectly innocent obedience contrasting with his inner megalomaniac, who was cackling and eating potato chips. "I'll just hop on up..."

Seizing a low hanging bough, Eamon heaved himself up, onto it, the loud *CLONK* and sudden pain from his back reminding him to sheathe his weapon first. On his second attempt, he carefully navigated his way through the twisted wood, his passage marked by scuffed bark and broken twigs.

Poking his head up from the foliage and spitting out a few leaves, Eamon peered around from the top of the tree he'd chosen. Since it was fairly high, he had a decent view of the surrounding area. While nothing appeared to be too out of the ordinary -- surely those Nevermore in the distance were irrelevant -- he couldn't miss the outcropping that had been mentioned.

"Scouting mission complete," he reported, dropping down to the forest floor once again. "Looks good, boss. We're right on track." He began brushing off the splintered bark and loose leaves that now clung to his clothes. "Not that we ever doubted you, of course."