Chapter 2 - The White Omen
Oki felt uneasy. The past few years had been peaceful and prosperous for the Oina, since after Amaterasu boarded the strange Ark of Yamato. He wasn't sure what happened after the doors closed; the Ark remained suspended for a while, then flew into the skies, leaving only a hole on the thick ice covering the lake as proof of its existence.
Since he made peace with Samickle, Oki had moved into the village and agreed to serve Wep'keer as its guardian, ensuring they were safe from any attacks, be it from animal or any remaining demon. It was strange, being so well-received by people that once hated him, but he had stolen Kutone, the sacred sword, after all. He would never admit it, but being treated as a friend once again warmed his heart.
And yet his blood was boiling; he hadn't pick a real fight in years, the demons had mostly vanished from Kamui and the wild animals didn't offer much of a challenge. The Oina warrior was glad for his clan's safety, though; or at least for the remaining members'.
That day was proving as uneventful as the rest; Oki had spent the entire morning training in the snowfield close to the village; so concentrated on his strikes he hardly noticed the eclipse. He was approached by Kai as she went to retrieve some of the food the hunters had brought in. She smiled widely upon seeing him and ran to meet him.
"Why, Oki! Have you been here the whole day?", she inquired. He nodded, slightly uncomfortable at the wave of affection she had. "You must be very hungry after practicing all day. You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?"
"Uhm, no, but-" He started, but she interrupted him with an exclamation.
"Why don't you have supper with me and Lika then? We'd love to have you with us!" She clasped her hands together. He scratched his head, her excitement slightly intimidating him.
"No, it's okay, I…don't want to trouble you — "
"Oh, but it won't be any trouble, really! I'm sure Lika will be happy to see you too!", she insisted. Oki sighed, seeing no way out.
"Well, okay then." He resigned. Kai gasped excitedly and took his hand, leading him to her hut while carrying the food in her other hand. They arrived there and found Lika laying down against the mats, waving her legs in the air.
"Hurry Kaaaai I'm so hungryyyy~" she yelled, turning to the hut's entrance and gasping upon seeing Oki. In one quick movement, she stood up and ran up to him, jumping at him and hugging him. Oki was slightly taken aback, and patted the girl's back until she let go."Oki! You came to see me! Are you going to eat with us?"
He nodded, chuckling as she did a little happy dance at his answer. Kai laughed, and started cooking the meat she had brought. As she prepared the meal, Lika and Oki played catch outside in their wolf forms.
When the meal was ready, they shifted back into their human forms and sat with Kai around the fire. As they ate, they talked about current events and gossips of the Oina tribe.
"You know," Kai started, "One of the hunters told me an interesting thing today, when I got some of his meat. He said he saw a bright flash of light coming from the sky and disappearing into Laochi Lake. No one has any idea what it was. Do you think it might be something bad?"
Oki thought as he ate. "Could it be something from the Celestial Plain? It seems far too much of a coincidence that such a thing would happen in the same place where the Ark sat." He felt worried, curious and excited, all at the same time, at the possibility of something happening again , after so long. "Maybe I should check the place?" He contemplated, trying to keep the excitement off of his voice.
"Oh, oh! Can I come with?" Lika jumped in, raising her arm. Kai glared at her with her arms crossed.
"Of course not! It could be dangerous, and I think you've had enough of that for a lifetime !" Lika growled in response, and Oki couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face. He stood up, thanking Kai for the food, and left for Laochi Lake in wolf form.
By the time he arrived there, the sun had long left the sky and the moon shone brightly over him. He had to admit, it was still a bit strange to find the frigid waters of the lake without the sunken Ark protruding through it. It made him think of the ones who had left in it; he wondered if the goddess watched the mortals she had left behind, in her place high above the clouds. He came closer to the margin and walked along it, observing the water for anything strange.
Oki was almost giving up when he noticed something white shining deep under the lake. He inched closer, trying to take a good look and understand just what it was. The thing seemed to flow and move with the water, just like thread or… hair. Without thinking twice, he jumped into the lake, trying to ignore the sharp iciness of it. He swam as fast as he could towards what he guessed was a human body; as he came closer, he saw his suspicions were correct: it was the body of a woman, her luxurious kimono torn and stained with the same blood that tinged the water around her. Her hair was long, and such a bright white that it almost seemed to shine. He reached around her shoulder and bit into the cloth, dragging her along with him back to the shore.
As soon as they were both safely out of the water, the Oina pressed his head closer to her chest and was surprised to still hear a faint, but distinct heartbeat. He stepped away from her to shake the cold water from his fur and then howled in a call for help. He leaned closer to the woman, hoping that his body warmth — however fleeting it was at the moment — would keep her from getting any colder, and Oki heard the sound of paws on snow. Soon after, Samickle stood before him in wolf form, staring at the woman he had rescued suspiciously .
"What happened? Who is this?" He inquired in his feral voice.
"I found her unconscious in the lake. She's not breathing, but she seems to have a heartbeat, although weak . We have to do something." Oki quickly responded. The older Oina simply stared at him for a while before nodding , shifting back into human form before approaching the woman.
"You have to get the water out of her." Samickle said, solemn.
"How can I do that?" At that, Samickle failed to hold back a groan and Oki winced.
"We have to be quick , Oki. Just give me space." Oki was not-so-gently pushed by the Oina leader, standing by respectfully.
He saw as Samickle straightened the female's body on the ground and touched his lips to hers. Oki couldn't help but averting his gaze, looking slightly to the side. After a couple of nervous minutes, he could hear loud coughing sounds.
He quickly approached the other two, seeing that now the woman was breathing, though she was still unconscious.
"Come now, let's take her to Wep'keer." The older Oina ordered, and Oki nodded before shifting back as well.
They went back to the village, Oki carrying the girl and Samickle clearing the path while shooing other curious Oina away. The Oina scholar then ran ahead to Kai's house, to warn her that they were bringing someone there. By the time Oki reached her house, the Oina girl was already boiling some water and preparing herbs with Samickle's help. Lika was nowhere on sight.
"Lay her down over there, Oki," Kai commanded, a bit breathless with all the work she was doing. "What happened to her?"
"I'm not quite sure. I went to Lake Laochi to look for what the hunters had seen, and then I saw her there, passed out underwater. Based on her skin color and the purple on her hands and feet, I'd say she has been there for some time." Kai sighed worriedly at this.
"If she had been there for much longer, she'd surely been dead. Even now it's a miracle she's even alive . But who is she?"
"Well," Samickle started, crossing his arms. "There isn't a lot to be determined based on her clothes, as disheveled as they are, but the fabric does seem very expensive. Her white hair is probably the most unique part, though I'm not sure what to make of it. She's certainly not one of us, and yet…" He trailed off, hand on his chin.
"She seems to have beast blood." Oki finished. "I sensed that too. Her smell also seems quite familiar, but I'm positive I've never seen her before." They sat in a silence for a moment, pondering all this information, before Kai and Samickle began the process of undressing the woman, covering her wounds with a salve, bandaging them and then dressing her in warmer clothes. Oki, not wanting to intrude on the lady's privacy, decided to lie down on the other side of the hut, curled under a warm blanket.
He was half asleep by the time they were done, the shuffling of feet and muffled voices waking him up. He shook his head to clear the drowsiness and turned to Kai just as Samickle left the hut.
"How is she?" he asked as she placed warm, thick blankets over the injured girl. Kai sighed as she sat down, turning her tired eyes towards him.
"Surprisingly enough, most of her injuries aren't that deep, except for the ones on her shoulders." She moved her head away, deep in thought. "They look like bite marks, but they're so big. What kind of creature has a bite that large?" They sat in a grim silence before the Oina woman cleared her throat and continued. "She also has a pretty bad case of hypothermia, but fortunately, we are all pretty accustomed to that, so it should not be too hard to treat it." She failed to stifle a yawn, the action suddenly reminding Oki of a certain child he hadn't seen through the whole ruckus.
"Where is Lika?" he asked as he stood up and stretched his now dry limbs. Kai gasped in surprise.
"Oh! I almost forgot! I sent her outside so she wouldn't have to see the injuries." She then stood up, moving towards the doorway. "She must have gone to the snowball playground. I must go fetch her. It's getting quite late." Oki stared at her as she took one final check on her patient, an idea coming to his mind.
"Take Lika to my hut. You can stay there for the night," he suggested, watching as Kai cocked her head to the side in a clear sign of confusion. "I fear whatever attacked her might try to reach her again, and it wouldn't be safe for you or Lika to be here. Besides, we don't know how she will react when she wakes up. She might turn violent. You can both stay there, and I'll stay here and watch over her." Kai seemed to ponder this for a moment before she nodded at him.
"Alright then. You can take those furs over there. Make yourself at home," she instructed him, a smile clear on her voice. "Good night!" he simply nodded back, and waited for her to leave before moving towards the furs she had pointed to. Hesitating, he instead went to the sleeping girl, sitting before her and studying her face.
She truly did not look familiar to him, and yet his instincts told him otherwise. A troubled look suddenly crossed her features and she gasped, surprising him. This elicited a strange feeling of concern within him, one he fought hard to ignore. She was none of his business, and in fact, he wasn't even sure she was trustworthy. There was no reason for him to feel protective towards her. And yet… he sighed, uneasiness and embarrassment flooding his chest. ' Had I been in human form, I'd surely be blushing by now', he thought to himself as he gave in to his instincts. Slowly moving closer, he laid down beside her, letting his fur warm her. He huffed irritatedly at himself, when suddenly the girl shifted to her side and hugged him in her sleep. He stiffened at the proximity, his discomfort growing by the second. ' Well, I guess there's no going back now', he said to himself, grimacing once more at his foolish decision before closing his eyes and attempting to sleep.
She woke up to the sound of fire crackling and the feeling of something touching her arms. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around in a haze, vision still blurry. As her eyes began to adjust, she realized she was in a small, thatched hut, held up together by wooden beams; both the floor and the ceiling were adorned with a myriad of colorful rugs and furs. Her attention was quickly diverted to the strange pair sitting close to her, wearing strange masks and talking to each other in hushed whispers as they looked over her body. Before they could notice she was awake, she jumped at the woman with the deer mask, who was closer to her, and rolled on the ground with her, to then stand above her, holding her hands in a tight grip.
"Who are you? Where am I? What are you doing to me?" She nearly growled at the woman, who gasped in surprise. Before she could get her answer, however, the man with the owl mask grabbed her from behind and slammed her against the wall, choking her.
"We are the ones who saved you from drowning, treated your injuries and gave you a place to sleep, you ungrateful fool. What is your business in Kamui?" He barked back, and she threw him a venomous look before his words connected in her head.
"...Kamui? Where is that?" She pondered, her voice almost a whisper. The other woman stood up from her spot on the ground, hugging herself and moving towards her.
"You don't know where you are? This is the northern land of Kamui . More specifically, you are in Wep'keer, village of the Oina Tribe." All she could do was throw a perplexed look towards the masked lady, all those names swimming aimlessly in her head.
"...You truly don't know? Have you got amnesia?" The masked man, who had been looking towards his companion as she spoke, now turned his head back towards her and loosened his grip on her throat.
"What is your name?" He demanded. She glared at him, but failed to come up with an answer.
"...I...don't know." They both stared at her in what she could only presume was shock, their masks not letting her read their expressions. The masked woman cleared her throat and the man finally released her. She massaged it with her hands, noticing she was wearing clothes that somehow, she knew weren't hers. "I don't remember anything other than waking up just now. What happened to me?" The pair traded a look before the woman motioned for them to sit down by the fire.
"One of the other Oina, Oki, found you unconscious in the lake by the village last night. He and Samickle," here she tilted her head towards the man in the owl mask, "brought you here, and we've been treating your wounds and keeping you warm since then." As the adrenaline died down, she realized how sore and numb her body felt, and how her shoulders flared up in pain when she moved them, a pained growl leaving her mouth. The woman nodded. "You have some minor scratches on your back, and some really bad injuries on your shoulders that we haven't been able to figure out the cause, but they look like big bite marks. I actually didn't even expect you to wake up so soon, you must be stronger than I thought." She stopped, as if hoping the mention to her wounds would have jogged her memory, but it didn't. The woman sighed and stood up, claiming she was going to make tea. The man still stared at her, now shifting himself to an intimidating posture.
"You might be injured and forgetful, but that still does not mean you can be trusted. Don't you think you are allowed to just waltz around my village. For all I know, you might be a traitor, taking advantage of our hospitality to strike when we least expect it. I'll keep a close eye on you. And if you pull a stunt with Kai like the one before, it'll cost you your life." With that, he stood up and left. The woman, Kai, stared as he went, sighing as she sat by her, two cups of sweet-smelling tea in hands.
"Don't mind Samickle. He always has the best interest of the Tribe in mind, but sometimes he goes a bit… overboard. We Oina aren't very trusting towards strangers," she said, her voice indicating a smile, as she passed one of the cups to her. Her body still felt strangely cold, and she grabbed one of the nearby furs to warm herself. Thankfully, the warm tea also helped to increase her body temperature. Her hands, still shakey and purpleish, struggled to hold the cup. They sat together in an uncomfortable silence, neither knowing what to say to the other, until they heard the sound of footsteps by the door.
"Kai, I just spoke with Kemu, and he thinks…" A red and blue wolf with a bear-shaped mask began as he entered the hut, stopping in his tracks when he noticed the white-haired girl. She stared back with a threatening look. "...she is already awake?" He turned into a human, startling the outsider.
The Oina woman nodded energetically at him. "Yes, it seems Shiro is a lot stronger than she seems." At this, the male tilted his head to the side in confusion. Kai didn't seem to notice as she turned back towards the girl. "Shiro, this is Oki. He's the one who found you."
"Shiro?" They both questioned at the same time, and Kai gasped, embarrassed.
"Oh! Well, i thought since you don't remember your name, we could call you that. Is that alright?" She turned her face back towards her, and she hesitated.
"I guess…" Shiro answered, brows furrowed. Oki came in and sat next to them.
"She has amnesia?" He asked, not quite facing her.
Again, the Oina woman nodded. "She can't recognize or remember where she is, much less what her name is."
He sighed, seeming deep in thought. "Well, as I was saying, Kemu does not seem to believe she is dangerous, though he would like to meet her himself. Is she well enough to go see him?"
"Well excuse me?" The girl, Shiro, cut them off. "I'm right here and it's a little bad to be referred to like this, so…" She let her voice trail off, not really knowing what to say. "My body hurts. I don't know any of you and I don't know where you want to take me to. I mean , y-you turned into a human? How? What's happening here? What are you? " Shiro felt like a cornered animal, staring at her supposed saviors, not sure whether or not they were trustworthy. She couldn't see, but could feel the male's eyes on her. At that second, she really wished she could see their faces.
"O-oh, sorry! I guess I forgot to explain this. We, Oina, are capable of shifting into wolves." Kai raised her hands apologetically, while Oki just huffed. "Why don't you just walk a bit outside?" Kai offered after the silence became unbearable. "Oki here can show you around, right Oki?" She turned to the male Oina, who nodded after a while and left through the hut's only door.
Shiro held her breath as she slowly made her way after him. What she met outside was more than she expected. The land was nearly pure white, small flakes falling from the sky peacefully. She could see some masked wolves running here and there, apparently playing catch. At her side, she could see a tall cliff; at the top sat Samickle, noble and imposing. She definitely didn't want to get on his bad side.
A loud huff startled her, and she turned her gaze towards it just in time to see a small green wolf with a leaf-shaped mask on top of a very irritated Oki. The scene was incredibly endearing coming from such a stoic figure, and Shiro frowned; he didn't much seem like he was a parent.
The small wolf then turned her attention to Shiro, her tongue hanging out of her muzzle and her bushy tail wagging happily. With a bark, she got off Oki and ran towards Shiro, only to get a growl and a snap from Oki, a clear warning from a very angry looking wolf. Whimpering, the pup went away.
"Why did you do that?" Shiro questioned, baffled. The other didn't reply for a long while, until his low voice reached her ears.
"She has to know you can't be trusted. Yet."
AliceRU: We FINALLY finished writing this one and I have a pretty bad headache so please, if you see anything wrong or weird, just give me a shout.
Isa_Fuchs: And so the plot thickens! We hope you all are liking this! The next may take a bit more, but I compromise on finishing it! I blame any delay on my short attention span... HAUHAUAHUAHAUA
