What...? I'm alive? Yeah my password and email combination came back to me after a bajillion tries to log in. This chapter is dedicated to Senom, who is probably the only person reading this. Sorry I left everyone at a cliffhanger. For three and a half years.
Oh man sometimes it hurts to read your old writing. So many mistakes. But I think I'll keep everything as it was so it's authentic.
"Amaterasu!" Chi wailed tearfully.
The goddess was lying sprawled out underneath the bell of the shrine. Next to her was Chibiterasu, stretched out as if he were sleeping. He lay against his mother, their noses touching, barely moving. It looked as though they were already dead.
"Now I get it!" Hayabusa barked, "The arrow hit the rock where her statue used to stand!"
"That is correct…" Orochi hissed gleefully, "And I even have the newborn god. Oh, how long I've waited for this…feel free to watch as I devour them, blue wolf…"
Oki's jaws parted and an ear splitting roar burst forth. He leaped forward, sword pointed directly at Orochi, but there was a loud, drawn-out zapping sound as Kutone met with the protective barrier surrounding him. At first, the great snake gave a startled hiss, but when he saw Oki failing to break through his shield, he gave a loud laugh.
"O foolish blue wolf." He jeered, "You seek to destroy my barrier just as last time? This will only end in miserable defeat for you, just as bef-!"
ZAP!
The barrier practically exploded as adrenaline surged through Oki and he broke through. Orochi reeled backwards, looking stunned, just as all his other heads were. Except for the Lightning head, which was currently trying to see how far it could twist its head around.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Oki roared, causing the serpent to cringe.
"Hey, Oki, um, I think it's time we let the Canine Warriors do what they came to do…." Ninetails interceded.
Oki stopped and let his fur lie flat. "…You're right." He agreed.
"I am?" The fox said in surprise.
"Canine Warriors!" Oki whipped around to face them, eyes ablaze with fury. "The time has come! The time for you to fulfill your destinies! You are truly noble dogs, and you will become legends after this night! Now join me, my brethren. Join me in howling to the moon, the sole witness to our battle of life and death. Let Orochi know that his time has come!" The wolf lifted his eyes to the sky and howled bravely to the moon.
Each of the Canine Warriors echoed him. As they howled on, the Satomi Orbs around their necks began to shine brilliantly.
"What's happening?!" Ko wondered, the purple light from his orb filling his vision.
"My Satomi Power Orb is glowing!" Chi breathed, eyes wide with amazement.
"The howling has powered them up." Tei said wisely, not taking his eyes off the moon, "They know the battle is near, so they are ready to protect us."
Orochi snorted disbelievingly. Then he opened his enormous jaws, powering up for the first attack. The warriors could see the flames licking the edges of his throat…
"Canine Warriors…" Tei roared, just as a giant fireball came hurtling towards them, "ATTACK!"
The fireball just missed them as they exploded off the cliff and down to the battlefield. Tei leapt, with lightning-quick speed, straight for Orochi's main head. He scoured his claws down Orochi's face, injuring his eye. Orochi shrieked in pain and rage.
"Whoa!" Ninetails gasped, from where he sat, atop the cliff with Oki. "Did you see how high he leaped there?! And his claws! Those stubby little dog claws pierced Orochi's skin! Ohh, I wish I had my camera, the look on Orochi's face…MAN, just imagine what those teeth can do!"
"That is the power of the Satomi Orb…" Oki said quietly.
"Wow, I've gotta get me one of those! Hehe, not that I need it…"
But Oki was no longer listening. He kept his gaze fixed on the helpless Amaterasu and Chibiterasu. She looked so fragile as a simple white wolf. Hang in there, Amaterasu… Oki thought, casting a silent prayer up towards the heavens.
VRRROOAAARR!
Earth Orochi's snout was stretched wide in a deafening screech. Hayabusa could see straight down his throat. But instead of gobbling him up on the spot, Orochi lifted his head into the air and drove it into the ground with an earsplitting crash. Remembering his training, Hayabusa leaped over the wave of earth that came toward him and buried his jaws in Orochi's snout. The skin peeled away as easily as peeling an orange and the great serpent shrieked in pain.
Flecks of blood flew from the end of his nose as he lifted his head and bellowed angrily, sending an avalanche of rocks to rain down on his opponent. Hayabusa looked up helplessly as a large rock came out of nowhere and crashed down right on top of him…
One spot over, Rei was facing the Poison head. It had already belched a toxic gas in the Pointer's direction, but he held his breath and plunged right into it. Once he came within striking distance, he clamped down onto Orochi's hard belly, digging his teeth in as far as they would go.
Orochi loomed over him, looking down at him with cold eyes. Then he slammed his whole body into the ground as if to crush the Canine Warrior beneath him. He brought his head back up, snorting with approval. The dog was gone and the wound on his belly was not very serious at all. What he didn't know, is that Rei had dodged at the last second and latched onto his headpiece…and was now gnawing and drooling on the part that was shaped like a bone.
Next to the Poison head was the Light head. It was sending out bright, blinding attacks in every direction, but Chi had kept Oki's advice in mind. She leaped through the air, right out of the light and into Orochi's face. Unfortunately, she had been partially blinded in the moment she attacked and her aim was a little off. She barely managed to grab the edge of his whiskers in her teeth. "Oops…"
With a roar, the serpent went to snap her up, but she let go just in time with a loud scream. The snake's jaws snapped on thin air. Chi landed roughly on the ground, but otherwise unharmed. She gave a sigh of relief and spared a quick glance to see another battle that was raging nearby.
Ko was barely managing to dodge the onslaught of lightning that was being sent at him. But suddenly, the lightning let up and he skidded to a stop. The Lightning Orochi had lowered its head and was sniffing, as if it had forgotten what it was doing, or wondering where Ko had gone, even though he was standing right in front of him.
Ko padded straight up to the monster's face, opening his jaws and taking a deep breath. Here goes nothin'…
SPLAAASH!
Ume had no idea what had just happened. One second he was standing on land, and the next, he was completely immersed in water with tiny little sea snakes that resembled Orochi swimming towards him. He screamed, but only bubbles burst from his snout. He turned and paddled to the surface as the snakes dug their needle-sharp fangs into his tail.
He splashed out of the water and onto a lily pad. Then he turned on the snakes and began ripping them to shreds, totally ignoring the much larger Orochi that was basking happily in the water. It lifted his head and glared at him as he tore apart its offspring.
"Get offa me ya little freaks!" Ume barked, "Haha, have fun DEAD." Then the Shiba Inu stepped back to admire his work. He didn't even see the massive jaws that were opening up behind him, ready to swallow him whole…
Not far from there, Take was faced with a small twister, but he seemed unphased. "That all you got?" The husky laughed, the wind whipping his fur all around him. He fearlessly dove into the tornado and allowed himself to be propelled upwards. "Taste my Golden Fury!" The warrior roared and…proceeded to pee all over the enemy.
The Wind head (who was hopefully not a germaphobe) swayed comically and then crashed to the ground. With a yelp, Take was taken down with him, and lay trapped under the giant snakehead, struggling to breathe.
Meanwhile, Shin was shrouded in darkness, but that didn't deter him at all. He closed his eyes, pricked his ears, and waited…
Then, to his left, he picked up the smallest sound of slithering. He whipped around and lashed out with his paws, striking hard skin. He shoved his face forward, latching onto Orochi's snout before the beast could pull backwards and escape his grip.
"I don't need to be able to see to kill you…" Shin snarled quietly, and dug his teeth in even further, until he felt them meet with bone.
At the last battle that was taking place, a ring of fire surrounded Tei and the main head. The great head of Orochi kept lashing out, striking at the hound as a snake would, but the old dog was surprisingly light on his feet. As Orochi struck and unsuccessfully reeled back for the tenth time in a row, Tei leaped after him and fastened his grip into Orochi's neck. There, he stayed, as the snake tried desperately to remove him, driving his head repeatedly into the ground.
"They're so strong…" Ninetails murmured, from atop the cliff that ringed the arena, "It's like they're not even them."
"I think part of it is that Orochi is weaker than usual and was taken by surprise." Oki responded, not taking his eyes off the battle. Also, of course, the Satomi Power Orbs and the training they had gone through.
Ninetails leaped to his feet, tails flailing behind him in a sudden panic. "Uh-oh, looks like Ume's in trouble! Ume!" He exclaimed, calling down to the dog in distress.
Ume was caught in the Water head's jaws, his paws splayed out on all sides as he tried to stop himself from being swallowed whole. The sharp teeth that surrounded him were painfully digging into his flesh, but he didn't pay any attention to them as he struggled to break free.
"I never thought it would come to this…!" Ume whimpered tearfully, his grip starting to slacken, "…Well, actually, I did. But-!"
Just then, Orochi snapped his mouth shut and gave a loud, final gulp. Oki and Ninetails just stood on the cliff top, stunned.
Ume was gone. Innocent, fun-loving Ume.
Oki felt sick inside, looking at the smirk that played along the giant snake's lips. The wolf dug his claws into the ground, preparing to avenge the Shiba Inu; when suddenly, Orochi's sneer disappeared. His eyes widened dramatically.
Then there was a loud explosion and his throat burst open, spewing blood and skin particles everywhere. Ume came flying out, covered in snake slobber and other disgusting things. The head wobbled and crashed to the ground, where it lay unmoving.
"Hope you liked the taste of dog crap." Ume growled, shaking himself off.
"He blew a hole right through him!" Ninetails crowed, jumping up and down, "Awesome!"
Oki gave an inward sigh of relief. "One head down…" He muttered, looking to where Hayabusa was, "Seven to go…"
Rocks had showered down on Hayabusa earlier, and he had been unable to get away in time. Now his front paw was wedged painfully between two rather large stones. He struggled to remove it as the Earth head snickered at his plight. But what it didn't know was that Hayabusa was the hole-digging king, scraping at the hard ground with all his might to free himself.
As the monster lowered its head to finish him off, adrenaline burst through every muscle in Hayabusa's body and he heaved the rock upwards. It flew through the air and landed right on Orochi's nose, pinning him to the ground for a brief instant. Hayabusa wasted no time in ripping the serpent's throat out.
Another one downed.
Meanwhile, the Poison head had discovered Rei hiding out on top of him and was swinging his head back and forth, trying to dislodge him. Rei held on to the headpiece for dear life. Two over, Ko was running from his head, which he had bloodied up a fair amount. The two moving heads collided with the head in between them, which happened to be the Light head. The Poison head crashed into its side as the Lightning head stupidly dug its fangs into its neighbor.
Chi, thinking those darn male dogs were being sexist, shouted, "Leave my head alone! I can handle it myself!"
The Light head hissed at the Lightning head and went to pry it off. With both of them distracted, Chi and Ko took the opportunity to finish off both of their heads. Chi ripped the Light Orochi's jaw clean off. Ko also aimed for the throat, but just as he delivered the killing bite, a shock of electricity coursed through his body and he fell to the ground. Chi rushed to his side and the Collie weakly lifted his head, sparing her a smile that said, "I'm okay."
Rei followed suit, sliding down the back of Orochi's head towards the back of the throat. As soon as he was in position, he tore into it, just as Hayabusa had done. The Poison head writhed in agony, but it was no use. He couldn't get at Pointer dog that was ripping his life out of him.
"Only three left!" Oki barked, watching those three finish off their opponents.
"Make that one." Ninetails nodded to where Take and Shin were.
Take, who had been trapped under an unconscious head, had freed himself by completely mutilating it with his teeth and claws. He continued to tear at the beast's throat for good measure.
Shin had ripped apart the Dark head's throat and stomach, the skin around his nose wrinkled, his jaws dripping with blood. He looked so fearsome that he barely resembled the friendly, snoozing Boxer.
Now it was just Tei and the Fire head.
"You really think you can defeat me?" Orochi hissed, "You are nothing!"
"We already have defeated you, Orochi." Tei responded with a surprising calmness, "Just look around you."
"I do not need the help of my lesser heads to kill you…they were weak, just as you are!" He didn't even spare the rest of his defeated body a single glance, just kept his calculating gaze on the hound before him. "You're only an old cur covered in scars. A simple mutt that doesn't stand a chance!"
"No…" Tei growled, gritting his teeth and lifting his nose to the moon, "I am a Canine Warrior." His Satomi Orb radiated a brilliant yellow light as bright as the sun, causing Orochi to flinch. The rest of the warriors watched in wonderment as Tei leaped through the air, straight at Orochi. In a flash of teeth, he had driven his body right through the serpent's neck, separating its head from its body.
A look of surprise barely managed to register on Orochi's face as his head was torn clean off. Tei landed neatly on all fours and the head thudded lifelessly behind him.
The orb around his neck slowly faded, back to the way it had been before the battle. Everyone else's did the same. For a minute, they stood there in silence, wondering if the battle that had just taken place was real or not…
Then the warriors all gathered around Tei, cheering and laughing.
"We did it, we've won!" Ume howled, catapulting himself through the air and landing next to Ko. The Collie danced around his friend in little circles, a huge smile across his face.
"Is everyone okay?" Chi asked, looking concerned. Ume had tracked blood everywhere, making things look worse than they really were.
"I'm weak from the poison and Hayabusa hurt his paw." Rei responded, eyes glazed with fatigue as he scanned the pack, "Other than that, just some bruises."
"That was great!" Shin said, wagging his little stub of a tail at light speed.
"We'll go down in history for this!" Take said, nudging Hayabusa, who was standing on three paws, but still beaming.
Even Tei was smiling. His eyes searched the sky and he caught sight of Oki on the cliff. The wolf was outlined by the moon, and in the light of it, everyone could see his eyes shining with pride.
"They've done it." Oki whispered, hardly daring to believe it.
Suddenly, something smashed painfully into his side, sending him flying. His body collided into the side of a rock with a loud, earsplitting crack. His sword clattered lifelessly a few feet away from his unmoving body.
A tall, dark shape with gleaming yellow eyes towered over him.
"Didn't you ever learn, Oki…never trust a fox."