She stood perfectly still, like a statue as he approached her, step by tiny step. He was so afraid of making a mistake, of being too hasty in his actions and scaring her off.
He laughed silently. In the face of this wolf, with her slanted golden eyes staring at him, he could imagine nothing that would frighten her. Monsters ten times her size, monsters of the like that had killed their queen and priestess... They would crumble at this wolf's... this god's feet.
He gasped as his fingertips suddenly met snow white fur, the silky strands sliding against his skin. For a moment he was too shocked to move, to say or do anything at all. What was he supposed to say?
'Where can I find him?' The words echoed in his head; he longed to move his lips, to form them on his tongue, but they felt lodged in his throat. Would she even know, this wolf? What if he was building his hopes on nothing?
"Who the heck are you?!" The tiny voice made him jump, his fingers jerking away from the wolf's head as if he's been burnt. His dark eyes searched for whoever the voice had come from. Surely the wolf hadn't...?
"Down here!" the voice snapped, sounding annoyed. Riyu's eyes glanced down in surprise at the wolf's head, where a bright green light was bouncing. On closer inspection he could see the tiny figure of a boy, black bangs covering his dark eyes.
'A Pon'cle...' He had never seen such a creature before, of course, but had heard stories of them, the tiny people who lived in Yoshpet Forest, deep within its bowels. They were artists said to be the messengers of the gods. It made sense, in his mind, to see the one with the wolf.
"I asked you a question, brat!" The voice piped up again, a sword the length of his forefinger suddenly pointed at his face. "You have a name, don't you?"
"R-Riyu," he whispered, his eyes still riveted on the sword, unsure of whether he should feel intimidated or amused. "Who... who are you?"
The green bulb seemed to glow brighter for a moment, a small grin stretching over the Pon'cle's lips. "Issun the Wandering Artist," he proclaimed proudly, his chest puffed out with pride. Riyu could only stare blankly at him, wondering if the name was supposed to ring a bell. After a few moments of silence the glow seemed to fade and wilt, a tired sigh escaping the Pon'cle. "Let me guess," he muttered. "You haven't heard of me."
Riyu shrugged helplessly, not wanting to offend him... Issun. "I'm sorry," he began, fingers twitching idly by his sides. The wolf continued to stand still, her paws set firmly on the ground, back legs curled.
Issun waved his apologies away. "Forget it," he grumbled. He kicked softly at the patch of fur beneath his head, obviously put out. With a huff he sat atop the wolf's head, crossing his legs and leaning a tiny hand on his cheek. "So, " he began, staring at Riyu. "What are you doing out here? It must be something important if Ammy here is stickin' around."
Riyu blinked, staring at the snow colored wolf. "...Ammy?"
Issun sighed, pointing to the head of silk fur beneath him. "Ammy," he repeated. "Or Amaterasu, as everyone else calls her."
"The sun god." So it was true. Riyu could only blink in amazement as he sat before the wolf's paws, much like Issun had settled atop her head. His fingers reached out again, slowly. Amaterasu stared at him, studying him with golden eyes, before leaning her head forward, soft muzzle pressing into his palm. Riyu smiled softly as he rubbed at her nose, scratching idly behind her ears for a moment.
Issun studied the little human for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. He supposed the youth posed no threat; if Ammy was this comfortable around him Issun had nothing to suspect him of. Still... "So, mind telling us why you're out here this late at night? It's not exactly safe you know." Even now he could feel the presence of evil plaguing Ryoshima; his and Ammy's work was far from done. He stared the boy over and frowned, taking in the dark smudges on his fingers. He knew those all too well. "You're an artist, aren't you?" he asked.
Riyu's eyes widened but he said nothing, nodding his head to the Pon'cle's question. "How...?" he began, only to be cut off as Issun snorted, waving a hand in the air as if to brush off his question.
"I can recognize the tools of the trade when I see them," he smirked, pointing a tiny finger at Riyu's hands. His frown consumed his lips again, however, as he glanced about them in the darkness. "You're no samurai, or swordsman," he said, patting his own sword Denkomaru, "and you have no means to protect yourself. These are dangerous times, brat."
Riyu glanced down at his lap, black bangs falling to obscure his eyes. His hand dropped from where it had been shifting through Amaterasu's fur; the wolf god gave a small whine but did nothing except lay her head on her paws, curling into a resting position. "I.. I know the dangers that lurk outside the city walls," Riyu confessed quietly, fingers clenching in the fabric at his knees. Pink flushed across his cheeks. "But I...I wanted to..."
Issun glanced at the blush on the youth's face and found a grin stretching across his own. "Oh," he crowed with delight, clapping his hands together. "I see!" His eyes twinkled. "You were out here visiting a lover! Is that it?"
At the word 'lover' Riyu's awkward blush only increased, his cheeks burning. An image of golden hair and graceful limbs flashed before his eyes and he shivered. "It's not..." he began, feeling foolish for venturing out here in the first place, wishing he had gone back to his home and slept instead. "I'm..." He took a deep breath, forcing his eyes to face the wolf's and Issun's. "I'm looking for someone. I thought...I thought Amaterasu could help."
Issun scratched his head, puzzled. "It depends," he said lowly, leaning his head on one of his hands. "Who exactly is it that you're looking for, brat?"
Riyu swallowed. "I'm looking for Waka."
For a moment all that was heard was a painful, grating silence. Not even the wildlife that inhabited the coast seemed to be moving.
"W-what?!" Issun's voice squeaked, the tiny Pon'cle bouncing atop Amaterasu's head with a sudden fury. "That...that phony prophet?! Why would you wanna go looking for that pretty boy?"
Riyu felt a frown pulling at his lips. Why was Issun speaking so distastefully of their protector? "Phony?" he questioned. "Why would you say such a thing? Waka protects us, all of us. For as long as I can remember."
Issun snorted, plopping down onto the wolf's head with a huff. "All for his own self interests, no doubt," he muttered, rolling dark eyes. He eyed Riyu curiously. "Why are you looking for him, brat?"
"..." Riyu swallowed nervously, avoiding eye contact with the Pon'cle. "I..." He felt a rush of warmth spread across his cheeks and nose, his fingers clenching. "I..."
Issun was not an ignorant bug, as some people seemed to think. He knew the expressions flitting across the boy's face, knew them like he knew his sword, like he knew the wolf beneath him. The chaotic emotions-love, lust, fear, confusion-melded as one on the pale boy's face, reflected in his dark eyes and tight limbs.
He could barely believe it even with the evidence right in front of his eyes. "You..." He wondered if he could even get this out with a straight face. "You're in love? With Waka?"
Riyu's eyes widened, breath hitching as the wolf raised her head, golden eyes fixing onto his own. It felt as though she could gaze into his very soul with her deep, time-worn eyes. Issun's words hit him like a blow to the chest, and he shivered at the intensity of them, that one word finally spoken out loud, no longer hidden within the depths of his heart.
His expression said it all. Issun's eyes stared at the boy in wonder. Did the brat even know what he was getting himself into? Did he truly know how slim the chances were, of that false prophet noticing him, let alone returning that fragile love?
"Kid," he began, his voice softening. He didn't want to crush this boy's dreams, but what he was asking for was impossible...
Amaterasu shook her head, startling Issun to the point of almost falling. He glared at the furry head of white beneath his feet and growled out a "Watch it!" The wolf simply ignored his outburst, standing to her feet and pressing her muzzle into Riyu's cheek. Issun watched her with wide eyes, barely even believing...
"Ammy?!" he squeaked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Don't tell me you actually want to help this brat?"
The sun god gave a small nod of her head, red markings flashing in the moonlight.
Issun blinked dumbly. "But...but..."
A slow flick of her tail and Amaterasu was pushing Riyu's shoulder with her nose, urging him to rise to his feet. Riyu obeyed with wide eyes, confusion clear on his face. Issun yelped and grabbed onto her fur as the wolf knelt before the boy, her back displayed to his dark eyes.
"She...wants you to get on," Issun explained slowly, unable to clearly understand it himself.
Riyu stared at him and then the wolf and felt his heart hammering against his chest, staring at the silky fur shaded the color of snow. Was Amaterasu...was she taking him to Waka? It seemed almost...too good to be true, like a dream he would wake from to find himself once alone, cold and hollow in his bed. He felt the rapid beat of his heart, imagined the golden haired god possibly waiting at the end of this road, took a deep, clear breath of the coastal air...
...and climbed onto the sun god's back.
Notes: School starts back Monday. -sobs- I'll only be able to update on the weekends for a while. Until then!
