Woohoo! I got a review! And it was a good one! Thank you! Ok, here's more. I'm typing this up from my notebook on my lunchbreaks at work so sorry if the updates are a bit short. I didn't have time to do the next section as well.

What would people prefer? I can try to give you an update on most days - though it will be short like this one - or I can give you a longer update once a week.

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"Ammy, Ammy, Ammy!" Issun bellowed. He'd already leapt in to the water and frantically paddled to where he'd seen Ammy go under, ignoring the needles of ice that drove straight through his clothes, but just as he was about to dive after her, Oki plucked him off his feet by the back of his tiny cape.

"Hey! Gerroff!" snapped Issun. Grabbing his sword, he jabbed it at Oki's fingers but Oki didn't flinch, even as the tiny blade left dots of blood on his skin.

"You'll drown," said Oki simply. "I'll get her."

"And I'll get you for this, you blue-faced bas- ouch!"

Oki plonked him hurriedly by the edge of the lake. Before Issun could leap back to his feet, Oki was already diving in to the water, his shadow quickly disappearing beneath the surface. Grrrrrrr! Issun couldn't stop himself from bouncing up and down on the spot, and the worse thing was that Oki was right. Issun knew he would drown long before he reached Ammy.

But waiting was agonizing and he felt as if he was going to burst. Surely it couldn't be Ammy… and if it was, could she survive the fall? It looked as if she'd fallen from the heavens… and there had been that weird sparkle to the air too…

Oki re-emerged and Issun didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the bedraggled white wolf in his arms. Ammy's red markings were unmistakeable. So many times Issun had wished he could see her again, but he hadn't want to see her like this. She wasn't moving and there was more red on her matted fur than there should be. She was bleeding. A thick gash marred her left side.

"Ammy! Furball! Ammy, please, please wake up!" Leaping back in to the lake, Issun scrambled up Oki's leg and then buried himself in the half frozen, blood-soaked fur. Her skin was pale and icy but as Issun pressed himself against it he felt a slow, tired thump deep inside her. Her heart was beating. She was alive.

Oki placed her on the ground and then gently ran a hand over her face. He mumbled something that sounded like a quiet prayer before pulling off his shirt and using it to cover Ammy. Touching her once more, he started back to the lake.

"Hey, where are you going? We need to get her back to the village! She needs help!" said Issun, bounding after him.

"There was someone with her."

"What!" Issun froze. He hadn't seen anybody with Ammy, but it had been difficult to see…

Leaving Oki to do the rescuing, Issun returned to Ammy and jumped on to her nose. He patted the wet fur between her eyes. There was a thin line of yellow crust staining her fur, as if her eyes had been running. Could a wolf cry? Gently he rubbed her nose. "Hang on, Furball," he said.

She opened an eye. Her gaze was more tired and dazed than Issun remembered and he hated it. She had always been so graceful and strong and alive…

She raised her head and Issun heard her give a faint grumble; the kind she'd always made when she was happy. He smiled. "I'm glad to see you too, Furball."

She looked around and Issun heard her sniffing the cold air. With an awkwardness she'd never had before, she sat up and then stood. Issun felt her quivering but she didn't fall. She stood straight and proud.

"Hey Furball, just rest a while, OK? You're-"

Barking, she lunged towards the lake so fast that Issun was almost thrown off her. Frantically he grabbed her fur, just as she jumped in to the water.

"Ammy, what are you doing!" he gasped, scrambling to the high ground of her head. "Ammy!"

Oki re-emerged and for the first time ever he seemed breathless, though he still wore his mask. Issun had never seen him without it. "I can't see anything," he said, "but there was definitely someone else with her."

And Ammy's worry seemed to confirm Oki's suspicion. Again and again she barked as she paddled round in circles.

"Who was it?" said Issun.

"I don't know. I was just certain someone was holding her."

Ammy barked once more and then she dived. Issun didn't even have time to hold his breath and he felt as if he was going to explode as the water filled him. Desperately he clung to one of Ammy's ears but the swirling lake threatened to wrench him away at any moment. He tugged at her, silently urging her to save them. Ammy wasn't well after her fall. She'd never been a good swimmer and Issun could feel it in the way she moved that she was exhausted. With every movement she made he felt her growing weaker and more tired. Maybe she couldn't get them to the surface, but Issun wasn't going to let go of her. If she drowned then he would drown with her. He'd left her on the ark but he wouldn't do that again.

Suddenly they were rushing upwards. Issun gasped as he felt the cold scraping his chest again. "Furball…" He felt limp and dizzy, but still he clung to her.

"It's all right, Issun. I've got both of you."

It was Oki who spoke. He was holding Ammy in his arms as he swam to the edge of the lake. Ammy moved her paws faintly, as if she was trying to push him away so that she could jump back in to the water, but she didn't seem to have the strength any more, and Issun could feel her frustration as she gasped to herself.

"Ammy, it's not worth it. If someone else fell with you they probably didn't make it. You almost didn't make it," Issun patted her face as he stared at her eyes.

They reached the edge of the lake and again Ammy struggled weakly, and even managed a shrill bark. Carefully Oki placed her down, but Issun noticed him watching her closely, ready to make a move and stop her if she tried to jump back in to the lake.

But she didn't. Fighting to stand on her wobbling legs, she was perfectly still as she stared at the lake, still untouched by the morning sun. Even her breathing didn't seem as haggard and as tired as it had a moment ago. Issun had always thought he'd remembered her well, but he'd forgotten how resilient she could be. Blood still leaked from the gash in her side, but she gave no sign that the wound was hurting her. She stood firm, as if determined to stop her legs from shaking.

Throwing her head back, she howled. The sun that had only just risen suddenly sunk as the clouds of night rapidly rolled to cover the sky. Through a tiny gap Issun saw the corner of the crescent moon.

Raising her head again, Amaterasu unleashed the most terrifying growl Issun had ever heard.