Come down, come down sweet reverence

The journey had been lengthy to say the least, but Jynn hoped it had been an eye opening experience to see such a diverse amount of terrain. They camped in various locations, eventually settling in the Redbud Nook. Summer was alive and well in Boreas and the warmth was a nice change from the wet, chill winter of Auster.

After breakfast and breaking camp it was time to invade Hemlock. The late morning sun stretched its rays across the mountain as the group neared the border. Jynn turned to speak to the raiding party. "It's time to begin. Remember, this is a practice raid, there is no place for maiming here. Carry yourselves with strength and with honor."

Jynn turned back to the border and called for Delphi and her wolves to meet Tojo's raiding party with her characteristic roar. Jynn then stepped across the border, trotting swiftly and deftly up the mountainside as if she were searching for storage dens to pilfer.

She followed the group through various terrain, many places she had never seen before. She had never really stepped foot beyond Tojo's lands save for once to the Boneyard, but oh how there was so much more to the world! She was in even more awe when they reached the lands of Boreas, the season shifting to the complete opposite of what was going on in Auster. No longer was it frigid and wet, but hot and sunny! She was at a loss for words if she were honest, and even during their camping and resting, she found it hard to settle when there was so much of the world she realized she was missing out on! But finally, when they came to their target, she listened quietly as Jynn explained that this was practice and to fight with honor. She nodded quietly before following the maned wolf into Hemlock's territory. Hinata

Prior to this the furthest from the bamboo Majima had ever been had been the bonfire. Now he was being exposed to quite a bit more than he'd ever even imagined... Part of that was his overall lack of imagination but a part was also simply not knowing what to expect. A part of his mind had drifted to Bancha with each new terrain he encountered. What was it like where they lived? Were they more used to the diversity of the world than he was? He wouldn't admit to hoping to meet them again at some point during the trip. No such luck prior to the raid however and as Jynn had gotten them up and fed and then marching towards their target Majima forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He followed behind her dutifully if quietly. He wasn't exactly the most social wolf but he'd kept a careful eye on her as she'd interacted with his less reserved siblings and had decided family or not she was good folk. Not surprising he guessed, he trusted his father's judgement unquestioningly. Jynn was a part of the clan blood or not and he would admit to being more than happy to follow her into battle. Even if the actual fights themselves weren't exactly going to be the type of violence a part of him craved. He refused to be the one to dishonour an agreed upon practice raid so much as he wished to really let loose Majima would keep himself tight laced. Only nodding as Jynn gave them a warning about not maiming anyone and then he pushed past the border behind her. Sneaking wasn't really easy for the boy, he was absolutely well and truely into the gangly teenage phase of his life and the sprawl of slightly too long limbs with little muscle to speak of certainly didn't do much to hide him, or let him move particularly well himself. Still he'd try his best, at least until he was inevitably spotted. "Speech"

Art by Dezigre

Keito padded along silently with the others, his lean frame moving easily over the rocky terrain. This journey had been a test for him, but he was more than ready to prove himself. The change in scenery had left him thoughtful, a deep appreciation for the mountains of Hemlock blooming in his chest. His pale eyes caught the sunlight as he listened to Jynn’s words. Practice or not, honor would be upheld.

The climb ahead didn't bother him, he had spent months tracking through the wilds searching for his mother. This was nothing compared to that. As they approached the border, Keito's gaze sharpened, falling on Jynn and then forward to where the raid would begin. With a curt nod to himself, he shifted into action, careful to balance stealth and precision. He wouldn't let himself fail here, not in front of his pack. It was time to make Tojo-Kai proud.

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

Kaizen had a lot to learn, he knew that. In a lot of ways, he didn't feel ready- not just for the raid but being out here beyond the saftey for the bamboo. He'd left home a few times of course, but the mountain air felt thin, the rocky crags and stoic peaks were not what he used to. Not like home. Still, he knew what he had to do and if nothing else he could learn and grow from this, even if change in his mind was not always a good thing.

Following Jynns lead, the small raiding party gathered. He had no quarrel with the idea of keeping it safe, no bloodshed, Hattori was not an inherently violent man and the same could be said for Kaizen. He would fight and do so to the best of his ability, of course but..would it be enough?