Kiba bent down to examine the ground at his feet and noticed Akamaru's paw print faintly in the hard dust. Standing he felt the rock wall to his left and found the mark he had made with his Kunai not ten minutes prior. Akamaru let out a low whine, and Kiba shook his head before agreeing,

"Yes, not only are we lost but we're also going in circles now." Kiba sighed before saying, "Come on Akamaru, let's try another way."

The large Ninken let out a confident bark, which helped raise Kiba's own spirits. It was Team Eight's first mission after they had been promoted to the Anbu corps, and not three days into the Lightning Country's territory and Kiba had gotten lost from his team mates Hinata and Shino. Kiba was not worried about their safety, as he knew them both to be perfectly capable ninja; neither was he concerned about the mission, as Hinata alone was more than capable of following a single courier to his destinations and report whom he was meeting with. Kiba learned long ago that keeping tabs on people is one of the most fundamental tasks in politics and subterfuge.

This new path was a mountain pass, right on the edge of a steep cliff. The river below had a swift current, but at this altitude it was avoiding the fall in that preoccupied Kiba's thoughts. A gust of wind brought more of that rolling mist that the land of lightning was famous for and an unsettling feeling came upon Kiba as it seemed to dull every scent around him. Were Akamaru not so close, he doubted he would be able even to smell his dog.

Kiba quickly removed his mask to wipe off the condensation, he was eager to put it back on. Early Autumns in Konoha were warm and Kiba remembered how uncomfortable the mask had felt during his summer training; but the Land of Lightning was in the north, and temperatures were colder here and the mask was a good shield against that.

After hours of traveling the narrow pass Kiba arrived at what seemed to be a niche carved into the side of the mountain. It was large enough to fit at least four tents, so Kiba figured it was a rest stop for any who traveled these paths. Going in Kiba found a small fire circle, though lacking wood Kiba would have to forego that luxury. The rock overhead proved to be most fortunate as the moment the sun set behind the western mountains, the clouds overhead gathered and a heavy rain began.

Pulling out his bedroll Kiba laid himself on top of it and went to sleep. His dreams were uneasy, distant. When morning finally came Kiba felt no more rested than when he had gone to sleep. A quick breakfast of dried meats, which had been enhanced by a special blend of vitamins and spices, for himself and Akamaru and the two started back on the trail.

The day went on and for some reason he could not figure out, Kiba felt physically drained. Deciding to write it off as not having had a good night's sleep, and needing a break Kiba stopped at another rest site. The sky was covered with a light sheet of clouds that made seeing the sun, and telling what time it was, impossible. That was not all that unsettled Kiba. Yesterday had been colder than he liked, yet today it seemed many degrees warmer. The humidity in the air made for a rather uncomfortable and sultry day.

Kiba barely noticed a low growl coming from Akamaru, but didn't respond to it at first. When his dog barked loudly Kiba got up with a startle. Barely able to see anything through the eye slots in his mask, Kiba removed the uncomfortable thing just in time to see a figure coming his direction in the mists. Akamaru was on his right, he rubbed the dog's back to silence the growling, as he was unsure who was approaching or how they would react.

Finally coming into view Kiba saw that it was just one person, a woman. As more details became clear Kiba saw that she was dark-skinned, but with striking red hair. What eventually captured him was her golden eyes that seemed to take in every detail she saw with a bold honesty.

"Kiba Inuzuka of Konoha?" she asked with a tone that seemed to imply that she already knew the answer.

Akamaru began growling again. Her eyes passed over the dog, as she extended her left hand downwards towards his muzzle; Akamaru began sniffing her and stopped growling again. When she lifted her gaze, she also lifted her right hand to the sword hilt that stuck out above her right shoulder.

"Yes," Kiba finally answered, "and there's no need for trouble." Motioning towards her sword arm, Kiba sighed in relief as she finally let her arms drop. It was at this point that Kiba finally noticed her head protector which marked her as a kunoichi of the Hidden Village of Clouds.

"Of course." she replied, but that did little to ease the tension.

"I suppose you're curious what I'm doing out here?" Kiba asked, not wanting the situation to escalate.

"Not really," she replied bluntly, "Yesterday my team ran into yours in a nearby town and because they aren't familiar with the area I got volunteered to find you and escort you back."

"Oh that's just great." Kiba said resignedly, "Those two are never going to let me live this down. Needing a rescue after getting lost."

"Don't feel so bad, the Nan Shan range is famous for tricky passes. That's why it was chosen for the Lightning Country's southern border; these mountains have broken the back of more than one invading army."

"That's not it though. My whole team are tracking specialists, I can't see why I couldn't have found them myself, but for some reason I'm unable to pick up their scents."

A glance at Akamaru seemed to tell her everything she needed to know about Kiba's powers; the look of knowledge flashing across her eyes was irritating.

"Hmm…" she mumbled, wondering aloud, "Well, this area is also known for very strong storms and wind currents. Even the best trackers would be hard pressed to keep their bearing up here."

Kiba wanted to be agitated, but her simultaneous reasoning and reassurance eased his temper.

"You're right."

"Great. Now let's not waste anymore time. If we hurry we can get back to town by midday tomorrow."

"Lead on."

Akamaru growled and barked.

"Quite so." Kiba realized, "Akamaru says he wants a name to go with your scent."

A strong smile parted her lips as she confidently said,

"I'm Karui, it's good to make your acquaintance Akamaru. You ready to go Kiba?"

Laughing at the civility that she showed towards Akamaru, where most ignore Ninken, Kiba decided that she was alright; Kiba responded and motioned for her to begin.

"Lead on Karui."

It was an effort to keep up with her, as she set a good pace; but Kiba felt less fatigued that he had that morning, and her arrival had helped to raise his spirits. But as the day wore on Kiba found himself concerned again. He couldn't shake the fact that he still couldn't pick up any odors at all while in the mists. Not Akamaru's, not even Karui's; particularly odd in that she was ahead and they were running into the wind. Getting all other thoughts out of his mind, Kiba focused on getting out of these mountains and out of the mist as quickly as possible.