Disclaimer: Okami does not belong to me.
Author's note: OK, this fanfiction was REALLY hard to write, because it was written in not only in first-person, but in dude-first-person. I'm a chick. Either way, I love Okami, and this fic is my way of proving that. By the way, this is not my first fanfiction, but it's the first one I've felt confident about posting.
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The life of a lone wolf was simple. Wake up, kill something to eat, go to sleep. It was an easy enough pattern to follow, but it got boring after a while. I mean, sure, I had a basically endless supply of fish, but nothing to do. I just wandered around all day. My highlight was talking to that kid's dog, Jin, though he preferred to be called Ume.
"What's up?" I asked him one night, waltzing up to him as he laid outside of the child's house.
"Kokari needs to start listening to his dad and acting like the man he needs to be," he groaned. "He's so scared of adventure."
"Whoa, man, when I asked 'What's up,' I expect a 'Nothing much,'" I grinned as I laid down next to him. "Maybe you should show him what adventure's like. Then maybe he'll look for it more."
Ume sighed and laid his head down on his paws. "Maybe you're right. But how can I do that?"
"Maybe you could go sniff out the key to those freaky ruins," I joked. I didn't think I'd be taken seriously, though.
"That's a really good idea!" Ume barked. Unfortunately, he barked a little too loud. Kokari rushed out of his house with a lamp.
"Ume, get away from that monster!" the child screamed, waving the lantern in my face.
"Sorry..." Ume growled, jumping up and putting on an act for his master. But it wasn't like I wasn't used to it. I pretended to be afraid of him and escaped into the darkness. It wasn't too hard to hide, since I had fur as black as a starless night. I ran behind a tree and listened until I couldn't hear their voices any more. Then I slunk off to the cave behind the waterfall under the beautiful sakura tree.
That was the last time I spoke with Ume. Within a week, he had disappeared, and I always saw Kokari fishing in the Deep Abyss. Gradually, the animals started disappearing. I tried sniffing him out one day, and my nose led me to the locked Tsuta Ruins. Before I could think of how to get in, though, I heard a loud, monstrous roar. Suddenly the sky turned back, and the trees started wilting away. I saw a black and red fog quickly covering the ground. On instinct, I started running as fast as I could back to the tree. It always smelled sacred and powerful, so I thought it would protect me. As the fog was about to engulf me, I made it right to my tree, where I wouldn't be able to move away from for days.
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As I paced around in my grove, with no food or water, I began to notice changes. The grass and flowers died, the tree wilted, the water turned murky, and the smell became nearly unbearable. I knew that if I tried to leave the grove, I probably wouldn't make it. I got hungrier and thirstier until I wasn't even able to move.
Is this how it's going to end? I wondered. I mustered up as much strength as I could and limped over behind the tree, laying down in its shadow and closing my eyes.
"I really don't think it's around here..." I heard someone say.
I tried as hard as I could to meld into the shadow so I wouldn't be seen.
"Of course it is, though! I know I smell Sakuya, see?" And then I saw her.
The most beautiful wolf I'd ever seen walked into my grove, staring up at the tree. She had silvery fur as brilliant as the surface of the moon, and unearthly crimson markings. The fur on her shoulders stuck up in the shape of wings, and she walked with such grace that she looked like she was walking on air. Her dark eyes were deep and caring. Her beauty radiated like the heat of the sun. Her only imperfection was the bouncing green bug on top of her ears, the source of the annoying first voice.
"Wow, you were right, Ammy!" he said. Suddenly, the white wolf dipped her brush-like tail in an ink pot and swiftly drew a circle with it in midair, the scariest thing was, the ink stayed suspended in the air, as if there was an invisible piece of parchment between her and I. It grew until it encircled the tree. Then the most miraculous thing happened: it bloomed! I was able to see down the tunnel, and I saw the water become clear again. The fog dissipated and the trees and flowers started sprouting up again. A pair of rabbits hopped into the grove and stared hungrily up at the wolf.
"Are you little guys hungry?" she asked in a soft bark. She smiled down at them and pulled out a bag of herbs. They dug in gratefully, and I started to wonder if she had any meat on her.
"Hey, Ammy, look over here!" said the little green bug. He hopped off of the wolf's head and over to something shiny laying in front of the tree. "It's another divine instrument! Do you know how to use rosaries?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." the wolf sighed. She picked up the rosary in her mouth and threw it over her neck. It grew bigger until it was floating around her body. She jumped into a fighting stance, and then the beads turned into a whip when she slashed her head. The whip sliced down the flower she was staring at. I couldn't breathe for ten seconds.
"No need to sass!" the bug said angrily. He hopped onto her head and nestled comfortably between her ears. "Come on, let's go! We've got lots to do!"
The wolf started walking out of the grove, so I thought it would be safe for me to try to stand up. I tried to silently rise to my feet, but I was so weak that I feel back down again with a grunt. The white wolf's ears stuck up, and I froze. She spun around in a millisecond and assumed a hostile position, her ears back, and growled with such ferocity that I wanted to roll on my back and put my tail between my legs, but I was too scared to.
She lunged at me, fangs bared, and I used all of my strength to push myself off the tree and out of the way. I hit the rock-hard wall of the grove with a thud, but the adrenalin rush got me up on my feet again. This chick wanted to pick a fight with me! Well, if it's a fight she wants, it's a fight she'll get! I thought. I bared my fangs and put my ears back, but I didn't growl. I didn't know if she wanted to accuse me of being a monster or if she was going to use her magic beads to end it in an instant.
My second guess seemed to be correct. The gigantic beads turned into an electrified whip and shot out at my legs. I jumped out of the way just in time, but the whip came right back at me like a boomerang and hit me in the ribcage. I fell to the ground, panting, all my energy spent.
"Whoa, Ammy, calm down!" the bug ordered.
"Your fur, so ink black..." she growled, ignoring the bugs orders. "Are you some kind of monster?"
"No, only another animal of this land the two-legged ones call Nippon!" I barked back defiantly. I was sick and tired of everyone calling me a monster all the time!
The white wolf stopped growling and looked at me with pity and confusion, her dark eyes shining in the little light of the grove. The color of the outside light made me realize it was morning, and the sun was shining. But how did the sky turn blue again, as well as the tree blooming and the water clearing? The magic beads and crimson markings that were obviously not blood were all a mystery to me, and I was determined to find out what was going on. But before I could speak again, she was asking me another question.
"Then what are you doing here? This is the sacred Guardian Sapling of Agata Forest," she barked.
"It's my home," I explained, still out of breath. "It felt like it would protect me."
"You are wise," the wolf smiled.
"Ammy, let's go!" the bug shouted. "We have lots to do here!"
"You look hungry. Here," The wolf dropped a couple of bags of meat before running off.
The smell of the meat got me up off my feet. I practically inhaled the meat, then ran out and guzzled water until I was completely full. That was so nice of her... I thought, and then I remembered how strange she was. I started sniffing out her trail, intent on revealing her secrets.
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A/N: That's the first chapter. If people like it, I'll write more.