AN: What's this? A new chapter?!

I don't own Okami or anything associated with it

Chapter 4: Growing Pains

Ammy jolted awake; her heart hammering against her ribcage trying to escape her chest in its panic. It took a few seconds for it to click that she wasn't falling anymore. The feeling of solid ground beneath her body had a soothing effect on her racing heart. Ammy blinked a few times trying to clear her blurry vision and sighed audibly when it failed. Though her eyes were out of focus she could still make out the wooden walls of her room and door flap from where she lay. I must be in someone's hut she thought to herself warily, though I don't remember any huts on the Plain. Her body tensed at the thought. On the plain everyone slept in caves or out in the open since there was no demons to bother them. An involuntary shiver went through her causing the rough wool blanket covering her to slip down a bit. She shivered again but this time because of the cold then stiffen as another thought came to her. The Celestial Plain is never cold. Unlike Nippon where she had experienced different seasons, the Plain was stuck in suspended state of early summer. Which meant she wasn't on the Plain anymore.

Ammy lay there in shock. How could that be? She decided to tuck the idea away, now wasn't the time to mull over the "why" but rather the "where". If she really was back on Earth that meant that she could be in danger. Maybe demons had captured her and brought her here though it seemed unlikely since she wasn't tied up. Then again maybe whoever had brought her here was in disguise like Rao and didn't tie her up as to avoid suspicion, and Kami forbid her savior be like the Cutters. Her nostrils flared as she tried to pick up the scent of the owner of the hut, but all she could smell was the lingering scent of wood smoke. She listened for movement but after not hearing any decided it was time to move. Ammy rolled onto her side and attempted to stand but suddenly something black fell into her still blurry eyes. Startled she jumped to her feet uttering a small growl towards the black stuff still clouding her vision. Ammy shook herself trying to get rid of the strange black thing which still remained attached to her head. Whatever it was had moved enough so she could see through it and since it didn't pose an immediate threat she decided to deal with it later. Right now she needed to know what she was up against. Whatever had brought her to Earth had to be powerful and could be lurking right on the other side of the door flap.

With her vision finally beginning to clear she took a tentative step forward towards the door, and nearly toppled over. Something was wrong with her back legs they weren't bending the right way or far enough for that matter. Then again her back legs were also too long making her back slope down towards her head which was rather uncomfortable. She swung her head around to survey the offending appendages; the black stuff getting in her way again with the quick movement. What she saw was confusing. There appeared to be white cloth wrapped loosely around her body creating a cage around her legs, the cause of their restricted movements. Ammy realized that the cloth was what the females in Nippon wore since they lacked fur to keep warm. Ammy grinned at the absurdity of a wolf, let alone a wolf goddess, wearing human clothes. A kimono is what Issun had called it. She tried to take another step still grinning about the white kimono. The grin died when she looked down at her paws to steady herself and found human hands. From somewhere Ammy heard a scream, too shocked to recognize it as her own. It was then that the door flap moved revealing a tall masked figure.

xxxxx

It had been three days since Lika had found the strange woman on the stone dais. Oki sat on one of the many mats that littered the floor of his hut. Though his eyes were focused on the fish that was roasting on a stick by the fire, his mind was miles away. There was something about that woman that bothered him but he wasn't sure what it was. Every time he thought he had finally trapped the idea it managed to slip from his grasp like mist. It frustrated Oki keeping him up long into the night as he paced his hut trying to recall the elusive memory. After three days of poor sleep he was thankful for the mask that hid the black half moons under his eyes. He sighed bringing his wandering mind back to the present in time to realize that the fish was burning.

Lika could smell something burning even before she entered the hut. "Oki I think you..." her voice trailed off as her gaze fell on the Oina warrior whose head hung in shame from the blacken fish that he held in his hand. He looks like he could grow mushrooms in a corner right now,Lika giggled to herself at the thought of Oki with mushrooms growing on his head. She walked over to where Oki sat and crouched down beside him turning her head so she was facing him. "Kia always scolds me when I burn the fish." Oki grunted still staring at the ruined fish. Suddenly Lika grabbed the fish from Oki's hand and stood up making sure that she had the warrior's attention for what she needed to tell him. "The woman woke up."

That got Oki's attention. "When?" He didn't mean for his tone to sound as demanding as it did but Lika took no notice. She was use to Oki's ways by now after spending many hours with the warrior. She knew that he became very focused when he cared about something or someone. "About an hour ago. Apparently the woman screamed and Tuskle ran in to check on her which scared her even more. Can't say I blame her though what with us wearing masks." Lika smiled behind her mask as she remembered Samickle putting up a fuss about not being allowed inside of his own home after he had come to check was the commotion was all about. "Tuskle said that she's calmer now so people can visit. I figured you'd want to know cause you've been worried right?" It was Oki's turn to smile. The little girl beside him knew him well. He nodded his head; finally he might get the answers to his questions.

xxxxx

Ammy took some shaky breaths trying to calm herself and ran her fingers across her face for about the hundredth time. It was a strange sensation. Her face was flat and her petit nose dry instead of wet which explained why she couldn't smell anyone earlier. Ammy looked up as Tuskle entered the room with a tray of tea cups. She handed one to Ammy, who held it awkwardly in her hands, then said "I expect most of the village will be in here when the word spreads that you're awake." The older woman smiled at her patient. She was a strange girl, who looked to be about the same age as Kai, behaving almost feral at times. The younger woman had even growled at Tuskle when she had come rushing into the room following the scream though she calmed down quickly enough. Tuskle had the oddest sensation that she and the girl had met before but knew it to be impossible. Not many travelled to Wep'keer and so far none of the villagers had recognized her.

A knock came from the outside the large hut. "See? What did I tell you." Tuskle joked as she rose to get the door. Samickle was the first inside, which didn't surprise her since she had kicked him out earlier, followed by Kai and Kemu. She gestured for them to sit in the large room by the fire as Tuskle went to fetch the younger woman from the other room. "Come the others are waiting in the other room." she said to Ammy as she helped her to her feet. Ammy had no idea how to use her new legs so Tuskle, assuming the girl was just weak after her fever, kept a firm grip on her as they stumbled out to the main room.

Ammy was met with the three familiar masks as they entered the larger room. She felt relieved to know she was safe among friends. Though they wouldn't know me looking like this Ammy mused to herself as Tuskle sat her on a mat on the far side of the fire so she could face everyone. The silence was broken my Kemu stating, "We're glad to see you up and about my dear, you had us pretty worried by how long you were out for." Ammy cocked her head to the side questioningly though it was Samickle who answered.

"Three days." the warrior stated a bit coolly, which earned him a nudge from Kai who sat beside him.

The young Oina woman then shifted her attention to Ammy. "And you are welcome to stay for as long you like." Samickle sighed at Kai's words but knew there was no use arguing with her.

Samickle cleared his throat and asked what everyone was thinking, "So who are you and what were you doing at the base of Effuizo?" Everyone in the room looked at Ammy with baited breaths. Ammy opened her mouth then closed it again. What was she doing by the lake? The last thing she remembered was Yumi coming to wake her, then drawing the sun, and then?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lika and Oki entering the hut. "Did we miss the story?" Lika asked as she realized everyone had beat them there. Kai smiled at her sister and held out her hands that the little girl took as she sat beside her sister. "We just started" Kai reassured her while stroking her hair.

Oki still stood in the doorway looking at the stranger the door ajar behind him. Ammy looked up from her thinking and their eyes met. He felt like the answer to why she stirred his memory was locked away in her golden eyes. So lost in thought was he that he nearly jumped when she gasped and pointed at him. "Me?" he said questioningly as he pointed a finger to his chest, his heart racing. She vigorously shook her head and his heart sank. He looked behind him at the open door "Outside?" he asked again and this time she nodded. The black haired woman tried to stand but was too shaky and Tuskle and Samickle caught her between them before she fell. "She wants to go outside." Oki concluded.

"But she hasn't even told us who she is yet." Samickle complained as he tried to get the girl to sit back down. It was a losing battle. Women he thought to himself. "What if she runs off? She might be in league with some demons."

"She looks upset though" Kai joined in. "Why can't we let her?"

"I'm just afraid that her fever will come back if she goes outside. The air still has a bite to it and it's been looking like rain for days now." Tuskle voiced her own concerns and Samickle was glad that someone had finally backed him up.

Oki argued back, "But look at her she's desperate to get out there." He pointed to Ammy who was still struggling to make her way to the door. The debate went back and forth some more until Kemu put an end to it.

"Let her go." he said calmly from where he sat. Everyone went quiet and listened to their Elder as he gave directions. "Oki you carry her out and Samickle will go with you encase she tries to run off though she can barely stand." He added the last bit under his breath and Lika who sat closest giggled slightly.

Oki walked across the room to where Ammy sat; her gaze never leaving him as he bent over and scooped her up in his arms. She was impatient to go hoping her fear was wrong. The two warriors left the hut and Ammy nearly cried out in horror when she looked up her fears confirmed. The sky was covered in think dark clouds. Ammy pointed towards the sky hoping to convey her question. Oki noticed her pointing and looked at her puzzled, "What? The sky?" Ammy scrunched up her nose and tried again this time using her hands to make cloud shapes.

"The weather? Rain?" Samickle asked from beside them and Oki turned so Ammy could see the other warrior. Again she signaled no. "Then what?" he asked a little frustrated.

"She means the clouds." Both men turned towards Lika who had followed them outside. Ammy nodded then whined in hopes the girl could tell her more but the girl held her tongue. Amy sighed and allowed herself to be brought back inside. Oki sat her back down on her mat and Samickle decided to continue the questioning.

"You still haven't told us your name or where you're from" he was growing tired of this. Ammy thought for a moment then began to make intricate gestures. "You can't talk can you?" the Oina warrior guessed and Ammy shrugged her shoulders apologetically. "Alright then charades it is. Let's start with your name." Ammy nodded and gestured up towards the ceiling and drew a circle with lines around it.

"Is it a flower?" Kai guessed and Ammy shook her head and repeated the action but this time drawing clouds as well.

"The sky!" Lika said excitedly and Ammy clapped her hand to show that she was on the right track.

"So a name that has something to do with the sky" Kemu mused from his mat. "Why don't we list some off and see if we can't guess."

"What about Sora or Sukai?" Tuskle asked.

"Kumo means cloud." Lika said thinking of before.

"Is it Aoi, blue?" Samickle guessed and Kai gave him a glare "Not everything is blue." She stated pointing to his attire "What?" He said defensively. "I was thinking like blue sky. You come up with something better." Kai took this to be a challenge and started listing off all the names she could think of. "Taiyo? Koku? Tsuki? Arashi?" she asked. "That last one was a boy's name." Samickle pointed out and Kai gave him a good shove.

To all of these Ammy shook her head to say no. the former wolf didn't really expect them to guess her true name but she wanted something that at least sounded similar. Oki, who had remained quiet up to that point then spoke up. "What about Amami? Ama means heavens and mi means beautiful." He was glad that his reddening face was hidden behind a mask. Ammy thought about it for a second then nodded her head. Close enough she thought to herself and though she hated to admit it she did like the meaning behind the name.

"Next where are you from?" Samickle wasted no time with the next question. Ammy was going to have a harder time explaining this one. She quickly made the decision not to tell them she was from the Celestial Plain, it would be too hard to explain the rest. Ammy had noticed a map earlier when it had just been her and Tuskle to which she now gestured to. Samickle caught on quick and got up and took the map from its place on the wall bringing it over to where she sat. Ammy didn't hesitate in pointing to Kamiki Village. It was where her original adventure had started after all. Plus Ammy was secretly hoping that Sakuya, the tree spirit, could help her with destroying the ink wolf. "That's pretty far away." Samickle mused as he looked to where she was pointing. "Don't suppose you could tell us why you're so far from home?" Ammy shook her head and the blue warrior sighed. Since the now named Amami couldn't speak he figured this would have to do.

"All right I think it's time we let Amami get some rest. Is it alright if she continues to use your house Samickle?" Tuskle asked and the man gave his consent. Ever since her strange arrival the Oina warrior had practically traded houses with the healer so Tuskle could watch over Amami. After everyone left Tuskle helped Ammy back to her bedroll and settled herself in for the night.

xxxxx

It was well past the middle of the night when Ammy heard someone enter the house. She sat up and strained her ears for the sound of footsteps. They were faint and she noted that there was only the one pair. Tuskle's snoring from the other room told her it wasn't the healer. The footsteps were quickly coming in her direction and Ammy briefly considered going to light a lantern to make up for her weak human eyes. The decision was made for her when the door flap moved and a small shadow entered her room. "Amami?" a small voice called out and Ammy was surprised to recognize Lika's voice coming from the shadow. Ammy hummed a little to let the girl know she was up then stood up from the bed to go light that lantern. The two weeks she had already spent in the village had strengthen her legs so she could now walk unaided abided that she did stub her toes a lot. She returned to her bed lit lantern in hand to find the small Oina child already there. Ammy cocked her head to the side silently asking Lika why the late night visit. The young girl hesitated for a moment then burst into tears. "Oh Amami it's all my fault!" Lika sobbed wrapping her arms around a surprised Ammy. "I should have told them about the clouds to begin with." This caught her attention. Ever since her arrival back to Nippon the skies had always been covered in the thick black clouds she'd seen on the first day. Ammy whined at the crying girl in her arms prompting her to continue. Lika nodded once in understanding then went on. "I first noticed them after we brought you back to the village. I didn't want to make everybody worry, but they feel heavy, wrong, like something is unnatural about them. You can feel it to can't you? That's why you reacted the way you did when you saw them." Ammy looked at the small girl with pain in her eyes knowing that a large of this was her fault. The next words out of the Lika's mouth sent a chill throughout Ammy's body. "Their spreading too. It's not just here they're all over Nippon."

AN: Well this is officially the longest chapter yet and really only took me a day to write. I'd forgotten how much I liked writing until I started and promise to never leave this story for two years again. So on the plus side I've started the fifth chapter and will keep going from there. As always let me know what you think. Thanks!