The full moon shines brightly over a shadowy grove of trees. A gentle summer breeze rustles the branches and sets the surface of a nearby lake rippling. Skimming the surface of the lake, feet barely touching the water's glassy surface, is a young bat. His wings glide through the crisp night air, floating on the breeze. he quickens his strokes and rises above the lake.
With a twirling leap, the bat soars over to the forest, and deftly whips a shuriken at a target on the tree nearest to him. He lands silently, then bounds into the air again. This time the bat rebounds off a tree trunk and stabs another target with a kunai. Beginning to sweat, he swings on a low- hanging branch and delivers a swift kick to the stomach of yet another straw- stuffed target. He executes another flip and lands after slicing the last target in half with a sword. The bat crouches on the ground, panting.
"Well done, Doro a two- second improvement." Says a voice from the shadows. "But you could have done better without all the tricks." The figure emerges to reveal a woman with wavy orange hair and a wolf muzzle.
The bat nods with a slight smile. Standing up slowly, he responds, "Yes, mother. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." The woman sighs and shakes her head.
"You're such a skilled ninja, I don't want your talent to be ruined by your ego. My little showoff..." She embraces the boy lightly, "But then," she adds, "a two- second improvement is nothing to sniff at." The woman's mouth turns up in a smile. Doro looks up and grins back.
"Do you think I'd be able to go on missions now?" He asks, hopeful. The woman contemplates for a second, striking a thoughtful pose, hand on chin.
"I should think so. I'll have a word with your teacher about your status as and apprentice. Perhaps a field study with one of the senior ninjas would help improve your skill."
The boy's smile bursts into a full, open grin. Sweat continues to drip from his face, and he is still panting like an ill dog, but his voice quivers with excitement and energy.
"Thanks, mom!" He gives her another hearty hug, and begins to run. She jogs to keep up and calls after him,
"Hey, wait- you don't want to run out of energy!" When he still continues to run, she yells, "Okay, but just so you know- if you collapse, I'm NOT carrying you!!"
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