She stands at the edge of a cliff, gazing through the light drizzle and the mist at the water below. In the ever-dim and below the canopy, lights from bioluminescent plants and algae break the dark. It’s that algae that announces the water’s surface, with each rain drop a ripple of light extends outwards, colliding with all the other ripples to form a dazzling, mesmerizing display.

  And she takes a deep breath, not sparing the watching eyes a glance as she jumps.

  And after a brief lurch from the plummeting in her guts and stomach she hits that glowing surface and scatters the ripples. Water breaks beneath her feet and seals back up over her head like a scarring wound.

  Hamonike surfaces to hear cheering, as she shakes the water from her hair. But as she swims to pull herself back onto solid ground, and scampers back up the cliff, the cheers have become a scolding.

  “You know cliff diving is a dangerous activity.” Arashidoro is there, arms crossed in disapproval, the bright yellow stripes through his hair contrast the pale patches across his skin that give him his namesake. He’s an older apprentice, not too far off from completing the rite to become a fully recognized shinobi in the clan. He’s talented and he’s respected and she hears a lot of their clanmates mention how they think he has a real chance at some kind of leadership role.

  And most of all he’s kind of boring, with how strictly he follows the rules. Tch, laughable even that he’d lead anyone or anything if you asked her –nobody ever did unless it was to ask her why something was knocked over or if she had gotten into another argument. If she had to guess his shadow’s name, she’d confidently say it was Snitching Shadows with how he always seemed to know whenever any of them were trying to have any fun. And in an instant he was there to remind them that this was dangerous and that was dangerous and rules this and rules that, making himself very very bitable. ALL of Jargala was dangerous, she’d argue back.

  All of Jargala was dangerous.

  “All of Jargala is dangerous...” Himonike mumbles deliriously, when she finally wakes up. Confused for a minute, as to why she wasn’t in her hammock and why it was so- no, it wasn’t quiet. She could hear the sound of wind where normally she woke to the sound of rain beating on the stone overhang that sheltered the Soraame clan’s village. She could hear the whistles and calls she didn’t recognize. The world was still loud, but in a new, strange way she wasn’t used to.

  She pressed her hand to her forehead, claws peeling off strands of dark green hair dried and stuck to her skin and rubbing her eyes until the light ringing in her ears that buzzed over everything faded.

  Pangs of hunger rippled in her empty stomach, and a low, displeased growling followed. Really, stomach? She was somewhere weird and strange, still grappling with the whole flood being real and not some unpleasant dream, she was wedged in a crevice and had slept on the ground who knows how far from the jungle, and food was the biggest concern?!

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  Yes. Her stomach confirmed with another rumble and a rude scratching, entirely uncaring of the crisis on claw. Hungry. Go find something to eat, hunt like a proper shadow hunter.

  Her gaze flicked to the end of the tunnel, where the ever-dim and its windy, dry strangeness waited. Fangs clenched she got up, wiggling out of her shelter, manifesting with mutters under her breath that she was sore, hungry and in a very, very foul mood and everything would be wise to leave her alone. Emerging out into the open cautiously, she glanced about and along the cliffs, taking in a deep inhale of air to scent for either predators or prey.

  The furry noodly beast was gone, and she saw no immediate signs of it or anything other dangerous looking animals dotting the dizzyingly tall cliffs. The air was dry and scratchy against her tongue, as if the only water this part of Jargala knew was the sandy waters washed here by the flash flood.

  Hunting prey on dry land proved to be difficult.

  She had tried her luck with a tokage perched upon a rock, though it was more red and spinier than the ones of the rainforest, she figured it would’ve made a good meal. Had it not seen her coming well before she got close and snapped open a series of frills and flaps marked with alarmingly bright eye-shaped patterns and then disappeared amongst the stones.

  Stupid tokage, with its stupid trick that she had NOT fallen for and had NOT been caught off guard by.

  Some feather winged flighted creatures perched up on the cliffs, watching Hamonike with beady eyes and mockery. Scavengers, no doubt hoping perhaps she’d make a kill, or die. Tough luck, she hissed at them and chucked a rock, sending them squawking and scattering --a poor choice, she realized after the anger of things looming over and judging her settled, she had to move somewhere else that hadn't been alerted to the obnoxious cacophony-- as she sent the clear message that she had zero intent on sharing and even less intent on dying here. Truly they were lucky she didn’t have her throwing knives with her, as a pat down found her satchel with all her knives and other tools missing. Maybe it was here somewhere, but she wasn’t going to waste too much time on such a low possibility when the valley was vast and long. For now, she continued along the water.

  Ugh. How did ANY clan hunt in such open spaces? Hamonike had to worry about so many stupid things suddenly, like being spotted. Being quieter, her scent. There was no rain to hide in either, how was a rain dweller supposed to hunt with no rain? And finally she elected to head to where the washed away trees and tangles of logs and foliage lay in the flood waters. At very least, she’d have some cover.

  To her utter frustration amidst the pangs of hunger joined the longing to return to the jungle. Not- not that she missed it or her clan.

  Hamonike’s gaze snapped to the side when she heard a splash, and she pulled herself up on a branch, navigating along it towards the sound cautiously. The surface of the water was rippling, broken by dark skin wriggling, as she hovered on her branch above it, trying to see through the silt of it was something small and catchable, or something that would eat her faster than she could eat it.

  It was certainly pretty big for a unagi, and she realized it was trapped, squirming in the waters far too shallow for it. In the branches not meant to be here. Sad, but well, tough luck, she was hungry and it would be foolish to let an opportunity like this go to waste. The young shadow hunter pounced from her branch and into the water, ambushing it from above. Hunting in the water was a lot easier, she got her teeth around the slippery creature, claws pushing the face away to keep the creature’s own snapping teeth away, and she bit down hard.

  The struggle ended, and she dragged her successful hunt out of the water and to the shore to finally eat.