I ruffle my white fur and yawn. Waka facepalms. Yeah, I wasn't listening, do you have a problem with that? I want to curl up and go to sleep. Or maybe pretend to be an ordinary wolf and observe the wonderful people of Nippon. Or visit Issun. Yeah that could work. Surely the Celestial Envoy is allowed to spend some quality time with his best friend, who coincidentally is the goddess whose message he's spreading.
Waka is telling me something, about some mission I need to go on. I bark in response. I don't care if he gives out that I'm degrading myself, I like being a wolf. It just feels right. Maybe it's because my title, 'Okami Amaterasu' can mean not only 'Great God Amaterasu' but also 'Wolf Amaterasu'. Being human just feels wrong.
Ponies? Waka, I really don't care, go ramble on to someone else. The only thing I know about those greedy equines is that they absolutely lay waste to my feedbags. Still, they are among my subjects, and therefore under my protection. If they want to savagely devour all of my food, so be it. At least they give me Praise for it.
To show Waka how little I care for his idle prattle, I turn around and wander off. He calls after me, before sighing in defeat and walking away, calling how sooner or later he'll get me to listen. Good luck with that. Just because I'm a goddess doesn't mean I have to pay attention to his problems with small horses. He can deal with it himself.
I wander down towards a stream. The Celestial Plain is beautiful as always. When I first returned after being imprisoned in stone for a hundred years, it was cracked and broken from the demon's attack. Everything was cursed. Some of the celestials actually died from the strength of the dark residue. But, with blood, sweat, tears, and a hell of a lot of ink pots, we finally restored it to its former glory.
Rainbow hued birds flew overhead. Many badgers and foxes scurried through the undergrowth. Kitsune tricked others with cleverly constructed sentences, and tanukis pulled pranks without reserve. I reach my destination, a small river winding down to the edge of the Plain. The water was clear and pure. Kazegami stirred up a gentle breeze. I whip out my ink and draw a loop. The wind intensifies. Much better, I was getting a little too hot.
Maybe I should lower the temperature of the sun. Oh, but the people of Nippon love good weather. It helps further their crops, especially since Nuregami sent a massive deluge of rain their way yesterday. I wonder if she's still stuck in her bottle, actually. I haven't seen her in a while, and last I checked, no one bothered to help her. Normally we gods would be a little bit more compassionate, but there's just something so amusing about seeing a snake stuck in a bottle, that no one really wants to ruin the spectacle.
Still. It's way too hot up here. Even with the wind, and the cool water, my sun is still beating down mercilessly. Some clouds would be perfect right about now...
As if on cue, rain begins bucketing down. I notice something about this rain. It's doing its job, making things wet, and giving life to the plants, but it's been very crudely made. No one of the Nuregami line could have done this. They're far too skilled for that. No. I think I know exactly where this came from.
"Mom! Look what I made!"
A ball of exited white fur bounces up to me. My heart melts from the sheer adorableness of him. A little white wolf puppy, with crimson swirls on his shoulders and face. His little tail is wagging happily. On his back is a perfect miniature replica of the Divine Retribution, its orange flames swirling with power.
Chibiterasu, soaking wet, spattered with spirit ink and looking very pleased with himself, reaches up and nuzzles me, licking the end of my nose.
"Did you make it rain?" I ask him. I already know the answer, but I also know that he wants me to ask.
"Yes! I was practising Waterspout and I wanted to try Deluge and I did it I made it rain because I sensed you were too hot and I really wanted to make my mommy feel better so I made it rain and now you won't be too hot anymore because I made it rain with Deluge because I was practicing with Waterspout and wanted to make mommy feel better!" he answers excitedly.
I wonder if human boys are this hyper? He must have repeated himself four or five times. And he didn't pause for breath once.
Now he's gasping for air as I respond, "Well, I'm very proud of you, Chibi. I'll show you how to do it even better next time. Would you like that?"
"Oh, yes yes yes! I would!"
Repeating himself is one of Chibi's less desirable traits. But on the whole he was adorable, and brave, and adorable, and kind, and adorable, and strong, and adorable...Did I mention he's adorable?
I whip out two Inkfinity stones (I want to kill whoever named them that). I'm going to need them, if the ink splashed all over Chibi is any indication of how clumsy he can be when he's exited sometimes.
I hand one of them to Chibi, who proceeds to use it. I don't really need one, I know my brushstrokes, but when educating someone else it's best to be prepared.
For about an hour, I show Chibi the strokes. Then we practice them for real. We cause a bit of a flash flood, but the sun will dry it soon.
A white and red bird is soaring overhead. It's flying too high for me to identify it, but it seems to be descending. Now is the perfect time to teach Chibi about animals. Besides, I think we managed to flood the surrounding area enough for now.
"Chibi, gaze up at the sky. What type of bird is that?" I quiz him. Knowing about the different types of furred, feathered and scaled creatures who live on the Earth and in the heavens was important. Species don't like to mistaken for one another.
"Oh I know, I know! It's a phoenix!" he replies jovially.
"No, way off the mark. It's a...never mind, you're right."
It was a phoenix swooping down from the skies. Not just any phoenix either. A phoenix who bore a resemblance to a rooster, and who carried a smoking pipe in his beak.
Moegami, god of fire, was descending upon us. And he didn't look pleased.
"What the balls are you doing? Every time I set up a torch, you make it rain and put it out. What the fuck are you doing? Speaking of putting stuff out, you put me out earlier! And with some half-assed attempt at Deluge no less. The hell is wrong with you?" he fumes.
I can see he's dripping wet. Phoenixes don't like cold or wet, understandably. But still, something has to be addressed.
"Calm down, Moegami. There is a pup here," I reason with him, trying to calm him down.
"Oh, grow a backbone. I swear in front of my chick all the time, nobody gives a shit. It's not like children's lives shatter when they hear a stray curse," he chastises me.
"I'm going the ignore the fact that you said that, and address your initial line of query. I was practicing brushstrokes with my son. Now did you come to insult us, or do you have a purpose in visiting us? If not, then by all means, take your leave," I patiently tell him.
If he had flexible nostrils, I'm fairly sure he'd be flaring them.
"No, I had another reason. Waka wants to see you. Something about a mission involving, what was it...sheep?"
"Ponies," I correct him.
"Whatever," he dismisses my statement.
"Tell him I'm not interested. I'm enjoying spending time with my son, and don't feel like dealing with his issues with small horses," I state to Moegami.
"Ma cherie, I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter. It's urgent, and your nonchalant attitude cannot be allowed right now. If the situation was less dire, I'd let you delay it, but such an act would cost time."
I turn and see Waka behind us. I wonder why Chibi didn't alert us, he's usually both observant of and vocal about details. I see he's been pacified with a Holy Bone. It's big, and sturdy, it'll take him a long time to chew through it. Waka, that crafty Moon Tribe member.
"Fine, ok. But can I at least rest? Last time you sent me someplace, a mountain fell on me!" I complain.
It's true, the last place Waka sent me, to rescue two injured humans who had been caught in a landslide on a mountain, the original landslide's brother decided to fall on top of me on my way up. But of course, once started I couldn't really stop on my quest, so I kept going, which turned out to be a terrible idea. I returned home exhausted and injured. I still haven't fully recovered.
"Non, there is no time for that, ma cherie. You must leave now," he refuses my demand. He plays a tune on his flute, causing a rift to open up. Why the portal? Can't I just walk, or use Mist Warp?
"Nope, I'm visiting the healing gods first. Then I'll go," I flat out refuse. I don't know why I'm so against this new mission of his. I don't know, I just have a bad feeling.
"Must I use force, ma cherie?"
"I don't know, must you?" I counter.
"Apparently so. Au revoir, ma cherie," he says sadly, before whipping out his sword, and striking out at me. I dodge, only to crash into a bundle of angry feathers.
"Damn it! Watch where you're going, dumbass!" yells Moegami.
"Mommy! Look at this!" Chibi bounces up, shoving a crude drawing of Waka in my face.
Fascinating, Chibi. Any other time, I'd be showing him how to improve it, but I'm in the middle of a crisis here. What about this mission is so important that Waka has to use brute force? I'm still in a bit of a daze, so I don't do the most sensible thing, which would be to go into the portal. Instead, I aim a Power Slash at Waka. I manage to miss. Wow, how clumsy of me.
Seizing the opportunity, Waka, leaps forward and slashes again. This time I block with the Solar Flare, but the force is still enough to push me back, towards the rift. It also pushes Moegami and Chibi. Figures, since I'm tangled up with Moegami, and Chibi is on top of us, that they'd get dragged along too.
Chibi looks confused and frightened. "Mommy? What happening? What's happening?" he asks, concerned, right before another impact strikes.
The world turns white as we fall into the portal. Moegami belts out a list of profanities that would make a veteran sailor blush. I'm fairly sure he invents some new ones along the way. If I could find my paws, I'd cover Chibi's ears.
~~~
The journey lasts for only a few seconds. We find ourselves in a forest. We're near the edge, I can see some form of human settlement nearby.
I probably should have listened when Waka was explaining the details earlier. I have literally no idea why we're here. I turn to check that the others are ok. Moegami is currently raging at the sky. He's so furious that his flames have ignited, turning him into a living candle. He must be really pissed, because his fire defied natural law and lit when he was wet. It's probably best not approach him right now. He's literally reduced his pipe to a pile of ash, and I certainly don't want to suffer the same fate.
Meanwhile, Chibi has begun to cry. I rush over to console him. While I groom him, and comfort him with words, I catch a glimpse of something odd. A small horse, no, a pony is watching the spectacle. But that isn't the problem. The problem is that it is hovering above the air, suspended by two dainty wings. These wings bear sky blue feathers. Matching the sky blue fur that covers the rest of its body. The cloud and tricolour lightning bolt that shouldn't be on its flank stands out. But the real eye catcher is the mane and tail. They are streaked in all the colours of the rainbow, bright and vivid.
I forget I have a pup snuggling up against me, and three words escape my gaping mouth, in a most unladylike fashion.
"What...The...FUCK!?"
