DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI!
The Seventh Celestial Envoy
By Tamisin
Chapter 3: Painting
Issun
I groaned as I drilled another brushstroke. How did I get in this mess again? Oh yeah:
1. Nearly drowned.
2. Saved by Oki.
3. Brought to Ponc'tan for treatment by Kai.
4. Cut myself and fainted.
5. Told by the healers that I couldn't leave until my cut (much deeper than I thought it was) healed.
6. Caught by Gramps when I tried to escape again.
7. Forced to practice painting as a punishment.
And so, here I was, in my room, being lectured by the old beetle head (A.N: You wear one too you know... _).
Frustrated beyond all reason by the current stroke, I threw down my brush and knocked over the ink, spilling it all over the paper.
"ISSUN!" Ishaku ranted. "How many times have I told you? DON'T WASTE THE INK! Do you KNOW how many plants we have to stew for it?..."
I zoned out about there, and started worrying about Ammy. The furball could get into a lot of trouble without me.
I figured it had been at least five minutes until I decided to pay attention again.
"...now clean it up, and then we can continue with your lesson," Ishaku finished.
I groaned again.
Issun
Finally! It's over! I thought as I jumped out the door. The cleaning had taken about an hour or so, seeing as the ink had spilt all over the floor, and then Ishaku had to go teach the other Poncle children. While he was busy, I was free to roam Ponc'tan.
Like being confined in a dark, musty tree trunk was freedom.
But still, I'd rather be anywhere other than that room.
I don't know why I brought my sketchbook along with me (maybe out of habit), but I decided to doodle seeing as I had nothing else to do.
So, I found a comfortable spot by the water, took out my brush, and drew a line. Then a squiggle, and another line. Feeling a bit happier staring at those simple, meaningless streaks of ink, I drew a few more. Then I started getting the feeling that something was forming, so I trusted my artist's instinct and continued, faster now.
My hand moved like it had a mind of its own, and soon I could make out, if just barely, what my instinct was telling me. I did not just have a doodle. Nope, it was a picture, and not just any picture.
It was a picture of Ammy.
Ishaku
I sighed. My grandson was a lot of trouble sometimes, but I guess I couldn't really blame him. His parents had died when he was just a kid, so I raised him to be an artist, just like his family.
I still remember the day my son left Ponc'tan to explore Nippon, leaving Issun in the care of his mother and me. He never came home.
My daughter-in-law was killed in the Great Flood. She and all the other adults of Ponc'tan sacrificed themselves to save the children from the raging waters by creating a Poncle ladder high enough to reach the top of the stump. I desperately tried to convince them that I could help, but they refused, saying that I was the Elder and that I had to teach the young Poncles the Way of the Brush. They each drowned, one by one, as the flooded river swept them away. How I wish I could have saved them! But water cannot be tamed by my brush, nor can it be sliced by my blade. I was helpless.
And so, I guess one can conclude that I was the cause of Issun's short childhood, seeing that I was so set on Issun being a great artist that I overlooked his happiness in favor of practice, practice, and more practice.
If only I could turn back time...
Extras from Tamisin
~HELLO! I decided to try and update early, to make up for the long wait last chapter. :) Some background info on the death of the adults in Ponc'tan, but that's not all that happened, this is only a brief overview. I can feel some ideas churning around in my head, I just need to organize them, so IDK how long until the next update... I've got a lot of projects due since its the end of the term, so expect a bit of a wait. I'll update as soon as I can!
Also, don't forget that constructive criticism is welcomed now and always will be! If I'm doing something wrong, or you think a character is OOC, don't be afraid to tell me! If I don't know, I won't improve!
Review!
