ᴛʜʏ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ʜᴏʟᴅ
It was another mission completed, another without too much deviation from mission parameters, none of his team had died, none withstanding life-threatening injuries--Hound should've felt more at ease. He shouldn't have felt his nerves on fire, shouldn't have felt that tugging, burning, irritable sensation pulling at the barest traces of his gut, and he certainly shouldn't have felt it on such a calming night. Then again, it was on times like these that brought to mind the calm before the storm----and instantly Hound was even more on edge.
The rest of his ANBU team, consisting of two others--Hawk and Cat--were still asleep, surrounding the dying embers of the fire below, blissfully unaware of their captain's obvious irritation above them. It wasn't as if Hound was so easily irritated, after all, but the sheer fact that he was, was proof enough that something wasn't right.
Hound shifted from his position, now crouching on that branch, and pressed a finger against the bark, sending a small, indiscriminate amount of chakra down the tree's own network. It moved with two sole destinations at hand: Cat and Hawk's wrists. It was a motion all too familiar for the ANBU, especially those who took under Hound's command.
That borrowed crimson eye--for it was borrowed, a 'gift' such as that couldn't be a gift so grand--swirled beneath that porcelain mask, for once uncovered. His world expanded in a blaze of color and light and vivid sensory, far too enhanced for his normal vision, every detail seemingly burned into his retina, memorizing every little detail of everything that lived, moved, and everything that was.
Already his chakra reserves screamed in protest, not at all recovered from the mission, but the nineteen-year-old ignored the ache, just as he always had, and, narrowed as a small, fleeting amount of chakra--blinking!--appeared in the distance. With a barely visible nod to his now awake teammates, took off.
They all stumbled to a halt, however, as a crash erupted all around them, and the flickering amount of chakra Hound had seen exploded--and something shot toward them. There was no time, even with how fast each of their reflexes were, to all complete dodge, and the teenager braced himself as he was hit.
As soon as it made contact, however, Hound belatedly realized it was a person--a girl--and almost instinctively his hands moved to better brace her, digging his heels into the ground as he skidded to a halt.
"Captain!" his subordinates called, running to his side, but he paid them no mind, staring down at the unknown girl.
He didn't let his guard down, not in the least--but was she even conscious?