Kara sat comfortably on Riba's shoulder as he walked with Mr. Toruga to the others. Once Gareth and Korra had joined them, they went to the village gates. Beyond those gates was the whole world. The several villages in their respected regions, the wilderness, the stench of danger awaiting them. Riba and Gareth were exhilarated and chatted the whole time, Korra kept to herself. Four horses, saddled and packed with supplies and other gear that was required for the journey they'd soon embark on.
"Alright, I'll give you a quick briefing of our mission." Mr. Toruga announced, "The mountain village of Mosu is being terrorized as of late, by a group of bandits known as the Swift Terrors. Their leader is presumably a Rogue Warrior, but that is to be determined until proof is provided."
The three listened closely. Rogues were illegal Warriors. In their world, anyone with magic is instantly deemed a Warrior. They also go by names like, "Magiks" or "Wizards", but Warrior is the preferred term. A Warrior is only allowed to use their magic freely and go on missions if they are given the title of Warrior by the High Order. If any Warrior, who hasn't been confirmed chooses to use their magic, they are deemed a Rogue, and an outlaw.
"Our mission is to stop them and arrest them for their crimes." Mr. Toruga finished and began to approach his horse.
The others followed and galloped off.
"The trip to the village is two days by horseback, imagine going on foot up a mountain." Mr. Toruga called from the front, as he lead the way.
Riba, who was in the middle, struggled to control his mount, for it chose not to cooperate due to Kara hissing at it.
"Kara! Bad girl, stop that!"
"Watch it!" Korra exclaimed as she nearly bumped into him.
"Sorry!!" He replied nervously as he tugged on the reins and adjusted back onto the trial.
Other than the slight scuffle, the rest of the traveling for the day was a success. The sun shined brightly in the sky, beaming down on everything below and covered everyone in a blanket of bright yellow The leaves flew through the softly howling wind as always, and the mountain loomed in the distance, towering over them more and more as they got closer.
"It's beautiful out here..." Gareth sighed as he scouted around.
"Indeed. That's why I like going on missions. I get to travel." Mr. Toruga replied with a hint of joy in his voice.
"How many missions have you been on before you became a teacher?" Korra asked curiously with a smile.
"About 300, maybe more."
"Wow...you must have been really successful!" Gareth smiled.
"Just because I've been on a lot of missions doesn't mean they were all a success.." Mr. Toruga sighed, "Every time I failed, grief and guilt infested my like a parasite, every time getting worse."
Silence. The leaves rustled in the wind. In an attempt to comfort him, Riba trotted beside him and gave him a soft pat on the shoulder.
Silence.
They rode in silence for the rest of the way. No one said anything, but it was obvious everyone internally felt remorse for their teacher. He had just revealed why his current nature was what it was, and it was sad. The ground slowly began to slope upward as they went on. Their horses would trip every once and a while as the once gentle trail became rough and rugged. Gareth suddenly perked up and stopped his horse.
"Something isn't right." he said flatly and turned his head to the trees.
"What? What is it?" Mr. Toruga asked and shifted to face Gareth.
Kara hissed and looked the same way as Gareth did.
"Kara agrees Gareth." Riba said to him and nodded to Kara.
"Someone's there..." Gareth whispered, his eyes looking like those of a cat's. "...two people."
Gareth had used his beast connection to harness the keen senses of a feline to figure this out. Silently, Mr. Toruga slid off his horse and motioned for the others to follow him into the trees and keep their voices down. Once hidden in the bushes, they peeked out. A hill in front of them lead down to a clearing in the trees. In said opening were two men, both wore bandanas and had more than enough gear strapped around them, giving off the impression that they were scavengers. Riba had to strain to hear what they were saying, while Gareth used his feline senses to do the same.
"Relax! All I did was steal a little gold!" said one of them as he pulled out a bag and poured a couple of shimmering gold coins into his hand.
"You can't go raiding on your own! You know that!" shouted the other.
"So what? It's no big deal!"
"You know the rules. Never go on a raid without the leader."
"Ok, fine, but why not? Why do we HAVE to whenever she wants?"
"There's another rule, never question the leader's motives. Now, I'll leave you off with a warning, but the next time you break a rule, I'll let the boss deal with you.
The one who supposedly "broke the rules" rolled his eyes.
"Whatever."
As he continued to listen, Riba noticed their voices were starting to fade and leaned a tad forward to listen.....
....and fell, creating an incredibly loud slam, and rustling noise.
"Someone's here!" One of them shouted.
"Horses! Now!" Mr. Toruga whispered and began to run back.
The other three were right behind him, tailed by the two scavengers who were quickly catching up.
They leaped onto their horses and kicked, making them gallop off at high speed.
"Shouldn't we follow them?!" Korra shouted.
"No. We don't know what'd we be walking into if we did." Mr. Toruga responded.