Ukitake took a deep breath and slowly counted down from ten in his head before saying anything. Kyouraku was trying his patience in a way seven siblings never had, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper. He knew this exercise was a teamwork challenge as well as being a test of how well they could fend for themselves. It was just his luck to pull the class slacker.

"I strongly suspect most of those eighteen years weren't in the middle of the woods," he said finally, a clear edge to his voice. "And I'm not sure you've noticed, but it's starting to get pretty cold at night - and they didn't give us blankets."