New chapter! Please note that in the previous chapter, Sakura was in the River of Heavens.
AMATERASU POV
Amaterasu flew over plains of ethereal green grass, soaring high as the wind lent her its wings. Her white coat shimmered like sunlight on the surface of a river, her amber eyes burning as her breath came out in short gasps. She followed the curious scent as it tickled her nose, the night tearing past her eyes as she neared the source of the smell.
It seemed human, and quite young too. But she could smell an aura of power around them, a soft, warm glow like starlight on a cold night. Never had Amaterasu come across such an interesting scent, and the wolf goddess was determined to discover who it belonged too.
Leap before you think.
Amaterasu faltered in her flowing stride as the familiar words fell into her head. That was what Issun used to say whenever the infamous duo were heading into dangerous territory. She hadn't seen the little Celestial Envoy for a long, long time. Twenty years had passed since she and her good friend Waka had defeated Yami, and Amaterasu, longing for Nipponese sol between her paws, had returned a few moments ago.
A few hours ago, Waka had sensed the wolf's sorrow, and immediately guessed that Amaterasu missed her bouncing friend. Indeed, the Celestial Plain was a place of magnificent wonders, but these wonders could easily become tedious when one yearned for companionship. So, with a compassionate smile, Waka had taken Amaterasu to the River of Heavens via a space shuttle, one of the strange Moon craft that had been scattered across the Celestial Realm. The prophet had landed in this particular place because of the strong magic in the area, meaning that it would be easier to reach the mortal world, as the River of Heavens was a link between the realms of humans and gods.
A golden glow appeared for a brief moment up ahead, and Amaterasu now clearly saw a girl of no more than eleven years with a pink staff with a bird like head. She clutched a crimson and gold card in her hand, and the goddess could almost taste the incredible power the cared emitted.
She was so close now that she could see the anxious green eyes of the girl, and hear the words she chanted.
"Windy! Release and Disp-"
There was a sudden burst of white light, and Amaterasu yelped as the grass fell away from her feet and she was smothered in a dark blanket.
The next thing she knew, she could feel a wooden floor beneath her fur, and see a sheet obscuring her eyesight. She could hear voices: a new, shrill one and what she assumed to be the girls. They were talking frantically and their tones were full of worry and confusion. She whined softly, as confused as the people behind the sheet.
The voices stopped abruptly. Then there came an outburst of cries and whispers.
Curious, Amaterasu poked out her nose and sniffed. Cautiously, she pushed her head through the sheet and saw a strange room with a frightened girl and an odd yellow creature that floated in the air.
The yellow animal landed next to her, a few inches from her snow-white muzzle. It examined her heavenly, scarlet markings and flares of pure light that radiated from her body likes rays of the sun. Her divine instrument, Solar Flare, hissed softly as it burned.
"What on earth is happening?" the little yellow thing whispered.
After a moment of thought, Amaterasu licked the creature affectionately. Her pink tongue covered the thing in slightly shining slobber, and it shrieked and leapt back a few feet in shock.
"EWWW! Gross!" it yelled, wiping the substance out of its golden fur. Amaterasu gave a bark of laughter at the comical expression on its face and wagged her ink stained tail. The girl, who still clutched her magical staff, slowly stepped forwards with a confused yet friendly smile on her face. Amaterasu whined happily as she stroked her glistening fur. The girl laughed a little and asked "What's your name?"
The goddess knew she could not answer the girl directly, for her wolfen muzzle could not form human words. Instead, Amaterasu cocked her head towards the still outraged little creature and sent the answer into its head.
"Huh?" it said, its forehead creasing, puzzled. It then gasped and cried "Sakura, I think I know what this wolf is."
Sakura. A common name in Nippon. But this certainly didn't look like Nippon.
"You do?" replied the girl called Sakura.
"Yeah. The wolf, she is a spirit of sorts, but one perhaps more powerful than all the Clow Cards combined!"
"What!?" exclaimed Sakura.
"She said her name was Amaterasu," continued the yellow animal, sitting down in between the wolf and the girl. "But she is also known now as Shiranui. And she says she has magical brush powers."
"Brush powers?" Sakura sat straighter with excitement. "Can you show me?"
Amaterasu quickly thought which one was best to use. Rejuvenation: no, nothing was broken; Power slash: no way, she didn't want to break anything! She didn't want to create sunlight either, for she didn't know what time of day it was and did not want to alarm Sakura and the yellow animal.
Ah hah! Bloom! She would create some flowers. Little girls liked flowers.
Focusing her power, she called up her Celestial canvas and using the midnight-black ink of her tail she traced a squiggly line at her paws. At the instant that her brush tail left the canvas, a dozen iridescent flowers flourished. Sakura gasped in delight, her eyes shining. "I can do that too!"
And Amaterasu watched in equal amazement as Sakura called upon the Flower card and created blossom as beautiful as her own. The wolf wagged her tail and panted happily.
"My name is Sakura Kimonoto," the girl explained. "And I'm a Cardcaptor. And this is Keroberos, Guardian Beast of the Seal of the Clow Book, but it's easier to call him Kero."
Kero smiled cheerfully and said "Hi!"
Amaterasu smiled. Perhaps these magical beings could help her return home.