The Marked One – the one the shinobi called "Rin" – approached my brother and me. She stopped in front of us, only a light sheen upon her brow betraying her nerves. She gave a slight dip of her head, stating, "I'll do what I can." When she straightened up, her gaze had hardened, her hands had steadied. She moved forward.

Teru's muscles clenched beneath my fingertips, his ears flicked back. The rhythmic contraction of his lungs sped up, its conductor reaching a crescendo. His lips fluttered, fangs flickering into view, as he debated whether to release a deep baritone of hate or a falsetto of fear. I dug my knuckles into his straggled undercoat, both in reassurance and warning. One does not disobey the kamigami. While the rumbling stopped, I could still feel his heart pounding against its prison of ribs.

The girl settled into a stance before him. From here, I could see that while she was a bit taller than me – even a bit older than me – but she barely breached the height of Teru's whiskers. She appraised my brother, eyes wide, and then turned to me. "He needs to remain completely still. I haven't worked on ninken in a while, let alone a – uh – wolf." She looked to my brother and added, "Can he lay on his cheek? I need to be able to reach both eyes."

I nodded and quietly repeated the instructions to my brother. He squirmed, yet a low rumble from Kizuato made him obey. I stepped back, moving next to the girl as Teru settled on his right cheek, his hair poking at odd angles as it flattened. I put my hand upon his snout, surprised that even here I could feel the vibrations of his heart ramming his chest, doing its very best to shatter the bones and break free.

I glanced at Kizuato. The alpha was pacing, his amber eyes carefully taking in every movement of the shinobi. His tail swished behind him, his fur catching and tearing upon branches. He dug his claws nervously into the ground. For the first time ever, he looked trapped.

I ground my teeth, looking beside me at the Marked One. She had healed me – or at least, nearly so. There was still a twinge here and there in the bone – still a warning that it could collapse at any moment – but that pain was nothing compared to before. I put some weight on my ankle, testing it again. A shimmy of joy worked its way through my nerves as it only lightly buckled beneath me. How'd she do it?

For a moment, I entertained the hope that she could save my brother. If she could even slightly heal that desolation, then could she not help him? But, as I looked up at Teru, as I stared at those oozing scabs – stared at where once those brilliant fiery eyes had been – I felt the limitations of reality settle upon me, upon us all.

If she even plans to heal him, a malicious thought tickled me. I gritted my teeth and realized I had begun shaking. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I balled my hands and left it up to the girl.

The shinobi had already closed her eyes, her brows crunching as she gathered her focus. She raised steady palms, hovering them just beside the gouges that had been Teru's eyes. The rest of us remained silent.

I bit the inside of my lip and watched her carefully, anxiously. Curiosity battled suspicion within me as I finally witnessed a shinobi molding chakra. It had once been a dream of mine to see this – to see another craft the elements – but that vision had long since sickened to a nightmare. Shinobi now symbolized danger; they only reminded me of Death. My muscles tensed, preparing to rip her to shreds in case she tried anything.

I watched as the sheen grew brighter across her forehead, beads of sweat forming like a crown upon her brow. Her nose scrunched, sending one or two down the sides of her cheeks like tears. I could see her jaw tighten, yet her hands remained entirely steady. Visibly, that was all that was happening. But beneath it all-

I took in a sharp breath of air. So, it was true. Yori was right. I was like them. I was like these shinobi. Those universal threads – the ones that pulsed and comprised us all – did not solely obey my touch. This Marked One was gathering them, pooling them like liquid around her fingertips. Those threads huddled together, losing their edges to blend, mix, puddle together. The initial droplet grew and grew until-

I let out that breath of air. They had become visible. I could see them now. Everyone could. It looked like the air around the shinobi's hands had begun to glow, to shimmer, but the truth was so much more. The very fabric of existence had merged around her fingertips, the power building until it crudely revealed itself as light. This shinobi had just accomplished something even I could never imagine was possible; she had just exposed the undercurrent of existence.

Kizuato stepped forward, ears perked, fangs withdrawn, but I warned him back with a look. Teru, his own anxiety doubled by what he sensed, let out a whimper. I squeezed him, reassuring him to silence.

I watched her intently now, memorizing every movement – every tug and pull she played out on the fabric-turned-liquid. I could see her molding it, shaping it into something as the light grew brighter. It took me a few moments before I realized what she was trying to do. She was sculpting the matter, copying the infinitely complex template of threads that had once comprised Teru's eye. Borrowing from nature's essence, she was forming new threads and attempting to patch those that had torn at Death's kunai.

A pit opened in my stomach. She can do this? I didn't even know this was possible. I gritted my teeth and watched her attempt to connect the threads. And I am the daughter of a kami?

Out of the corner of my eye, I realized that the other shinobi weren't even watching the miracle that was occurring. They were used to this sight, this mastery of the cosmos's threads – mastery over what they called 'chakra'. They continued their careful appraisal of my pack – a caution not needed as the wolves had settled onto their haunches, watching what was occurring.

What are they? I whimpered to myself, now truly recognizing the strength of a shinobi.

A gasp stole my attention as the girl stumbled backward. The light faded from the air, leaving my brother with some strings barely repaired, others still dangling. The girl's cheeks were flushed as she pushed back strands of wet hair, panting, "That's- that's the best I can do." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's not much but-"

I dipped my chin at her but turned to Teru as he slowly got to his feet.

'How do you feel?' Kizuato whined, stepping forward and sniffing his son.

Teru's ears twitched. 'It's all still so dark.' He let out a gentle breath. 'But at least the pain is gone.' He lowered his snout and lightly sniffed. Catching the scent, he lowered his head until he was level with the Marked One. He sniffed again, the action pulling back lips and revealing fangs that were nearly as large as the girl.

The girl was frozen to her spot, blanching as hair and clothes rustled in the gust. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grey Hair grab and hold back Goggles again, but they had nothing to fear. All my brother did was dip his head – a semblance of what I had told him was a human's sign of thanks and respect – and, upon raising his head, give the girl a gentle lick.

His tongue was easily as big as the girl, and when he stepped away, the girl was drenched with his slobber. The girl blinked, the gunk sticking to her eyelashes, as the muscles worked in her face. Emotions battled with one another before a watery smile broke across her lips as she gave a light laugh.

My brother's ears perked, and he gave a tired, yet happy swish of his tail. With that, he turned to the woods and made his way into the underbrush. Kizuato watched him go before turning to Isamu and ordered, 'Go with him. Lead him back to the den.'

The grey wolf barked and got to his feet, bounding after my brother into the woods. Shizuka looked at Kizuato for her own orders, and the alpha motioned to the shinobi. 'We keep them from the pups and Hana.' He looked at me. 'Mira, we will follow your lead.'

I watched my brother go, feeling something ache within me, but turned back to the group. I gave a dumb human nod to our alpha's order and faced Yellow Man, entirely unsure of how to proceed.

The Marked One, 'Rin', had rejoined her comrades as she wiped the worst of the slaver from her face and uniform. Goggles was grinning at her, trying to stop from laughing, as he leaned forward and whispered something. Grey Hair too seemed amused – or at least more at ease – as he appraised his comrade.

The Yellow Man was smiling at her, murmuring some light joke before he turned to me. The smile fell away, but the blue eyes remained soft as he stated, "I take that to mean he's feeling better."

I grinned and nodded. "Thanks again, kunoichi."

He gave me a smile in return. I could nearly feel the warmth radiate off him as his eyes softened and his form subtly relaxed. I crinkled my nose, not expecting my own body to follow his lead and unwind. I shifted uneasily on my feet

Taking advantage of the lull, Akio stepped forward, raising both hands. His graveled voice tumbled out, "I won't trust you so easily, Yellow Flash, but we have our truce."

Yellow Man looked to Akio, his gaze ice. He clipped out, "You look a lot younger in the Bingo Book. Is this where you've been hiding all these years, Noburu? Or, do you still prefer to go by Shade of the Mist?"

I frowned, nearly everything he said going past me except for the growing tension in the air.

Akio straightened up, his hair looking much greyer as he stood in contrast to Yellow Man. "I abandoned that name a long time ago. I left the war, but I suppose there is no hiding from it." His brow darkened as he took the outsiders in. "Shinobi take it wherever they go." His eyes sharpened upon Yellow Man again as he growled, "So, why'd you brought it here?"

Yellow Man paused a moment before answering, "We were contracted by the villagers of Ojiro concerning an incident a few months past. With the level of destruction reported and the presence of the Mist in the Land of Fire, we've made this a top priority."

Akio looked at the kids behind Yellow Man. "A bit young for a 'top priority', eh? Even if their jōnin is the Yellow Flash. Has the war taken that much from Konoha?"

"I trust them with my life," was the response. It came out coolly, factually – there was no room to doubt his honesty. Yellow Man raised his hands, gesturing vaguely to the surroundings. "As you've seen, we are more than capable in handling any situation."

Akio tensed, prompting me to recognize the subtle threat in the words. I fidgeted, glancing at the other kids. They simply stood there, coolly appraising, simply waiting for a signal. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remain still as well.

My pepper-haired senpai let out a sigh, running a hand along the scar in his scalp. He shook his head, and rumbled, "I'm too old to play these games." He straightened up, and carefully stated, "Don't underestimate the Mist. The team is led by Habu – a former protégé of mine." His mouth twisted as if he had just tasted something sour. "She'll be ruthless," he stated carefully. "Just like I taught her."

Yellow Man narrowed his eyes. "You're Habu's sensei?"

Akio crossed his arms but gave a small nod. "Yes."

Yellow Man weighed that for a moment then gave a sharp nod. "Good. Then you'll know her weaknesses as well as their team dynamics."

Akio remained silent, but something seemed to harden within him. Grow cold. Dark. Territorial. I didn't know what caused it, but it had something to do with what Yellow Man had said. Silence welled between the two groups. Only the faint pit-pattering of a dying storm continued around us. A gentle wind rustled the leaves of the trees, sending a light cascade of wet droplets onto us.

I couldn't help but fidget again, feeling the tension return. But this uneasiness felt like it came from somewhere other than before – someplace deep, someplace ancient.

Was this what the kamigami spoke of? I considered, frowning. Are things really this bad amongst humans?

I was distracted when I heard Kizuato take a curious sniff. He shifted his stance, flicked his ears, signaling the arrival of something. A wolf's senses always being sharper, I quickly followed suit and looked to the woods. I sniffed and caught only the faintest, rain-trodden whiff of two new figures. I didn't need sight to reveal who they were – their scents felt familiar. I looked to the forest about a minute before the shinobi followed suit.

I glanced at Akio, trying to signal who was approaching. His brows furrowed in confusion, but when he heard the voices, he ran a hand through his hair and muttered something. The other shinobi readied themselves but paused as Akio waved them down; however, they only lowered their weapons when they saw who approached.

Yori's cold-induced nasal complaints had announced his arrival before he came into view. "Making me trek out here, carving a path for you! Now look here, I may not be as old as you, but I'm definitely not young enough to be doing this. I hope you pay up on your bet and do the sweeping for a week! When will you ever learn, old man? Only one of your dreams has ever managed to come true, and that's when Mira came. Don't confuse visions with senility! And what if those shinobi are out he-" He stumbled out of the thickets and let out a soft 'Oh' as the blood drained from his face.

Master Yūta shuffled in just behind him, beaming like a child. He looked at us all – at Akio and me facing down a group of shinobi, three of whom were children, as two giant wolves lorded over us all with their immense bulk. His bleary grin grew wider, the wrinkles nearly covering his eyes as he let out a soft chortle.

Yori rubbed his eyes and muttering, "Seriously?"

Master Yūta stroked his beard and cheered, "Welcome! Welcome! We've been expecting you!" He clapped his hands and waddled over to the Yellow Man and patted him on the arm. The Yellow Man glanced at the touch but couldn't help but give a warm smile to the old man who was nearly teetering with age and blearily blinking behind inch-thick glasses.

"Now, let's get you all out of the storm," Master Yūta continued, looking at the rest of the shinobi. "Simply preposterous that we're all out here tonight, though the kamigami do enjoy testing us." His bright grin widened as he asked, "Now, let's have some introductions, and, perhaps if our new guests are interested, a nice warm meal?"

GODLESS – OCs & TERMS

KAMIGAMI

Characters

Mother/Ōkami : wolf amatsukami

Unknown Kami

Terms

A) Levels of Kami

1. Kotoamatsukami (Originals)

2. Izanagi & Izanami (Creators)

3. Amatsukami (Heavenly)

4. Kunitsukami (Earthly)

5. Yokai

SHRINE

Characters

1) Master Yuta: Head Priest (technically, only 'officially trained' priest)

2) Akio: silent, gruff 'priest' with an unknown past

3) Yori: sickly, frail yet talkative priest

4) Azumi: a 'priestess' who had a hard past, once trained to be a miko

CANINES

Characters

- Wolves -

1) Kizuato: alpha

2) Hana: alpha/Kizuato's mate

3) Teru: oldest brother

6) Miyako: younger sister

7) Kotone: younger sister

Minor Characters

8) Kegawa: packmate

9) Shizuka: packmate

10) Isamu: packmate

SHINOBI

Characters

1) "Death": Mira's nickname for a mysterious shinobi assailant