No point in making you guys wait for the next chapter. Heck, I'm bored enough at the moment. When I get caught up, I might reread all of it myself and see where I stand as far as the story goes. Maybe I'll write more, I probably won't though. But I will work on that summary! Oh, I played a bit of Okamiden… does it get better? Because it sucks so far, I'm massively disappointed in the game.
After another day's worth of travel, Amaterasu and Issun finally made it to the Ancient Forest, hence dubbed due to the fact that it had changed very little over the course of many centuries. The trees and plants in the forest had the time and the resources to grow, undisturbed and reached incredible size, as well did some of the animals that lived deep within the forest's heart.
Although the forest was a place of peace, Issun felt nervous to enter. Like most travelers, he did not want to disturb the peace there. It seemed sacred.
Amaterasu, fearless as ever, trudged ahead through the trees along the path. There were two paths; the larger one that cut around the forest and the smaller one that went right through. The smaller path was quicker but no one traveled on it. It was said that the forest itself was alive and, to guard its secrets, it would lead people astray. Some were never seen again.
"You sure about this, furball?" Issun asked.
Amaterasu barked reassuringly and followed the path.
The trees and plants increased in size the further in they went. The sounds of animals grew closer as they pressed onward. Issun became increasingly aware of eyes watching him from just out of sight.
It was about noon before Amaterasu stopped running at the base of a gigantic tree.
"That's incredible; I've never seen something alive get this big in my life! It must be the size of a mountain!" Issun exclaimed, craning his bead back to try and get the full picture. Amaterasu ignored the tree for the time being and walked over to a shrine nearby with a statue of a spirit wolf.
"Hey, that thing looks like you." Issun commented before getting off of Amaterasu's back. He walked over to the shrine and picked up a red flower that was wilting a bit. "Pretty meager offerings, if you ask me."
"I wouldn't touch those if I were you, they were given to the goddess from the most devoted and loving heart." An echoing voice floated on the breeze.
"Who said that?" Issun looked around, the flower still in his hand. Amaterasu also perked her ears up and tried to locate the voice.
"I did." A beautiful woman materialized from the center of the tree. She had peachy skin and a pink kimono that showed off her nice figure.
Issun stared at her, awestruck for a very long time before a huge grin spread across his face. Screw never talking to girls again!
"Hey, there. My name's Issun." Issun introduced himself. "What's your name, sweetness?"
"I am Sakuya, the guardian sprite of the Ancient Forest." The woman spoke.
"That's nice…" Issun said, staring in her general chest area. Lucky for him, she didn't notice him. She was focused with Amaterasu.
"Amaterasu, please forgive me for sending you off without preparing you at all. My power was too weak and so was yours. Now that you have gained back a tiny fraction of your strength, you should be able to revive the Guardian Sapling in Agata Forest to lift the curse." Sakuya said, petting Amaterasu on the head.
"Wait, you sent Amaterasu to Agata Forest knowing full well she wouldn't be able to do anything there?" Issun asked in mild annoyance.
"I did not send her to Agata Forest, I sent her to get some of her divine power back. Once retrieved, she would be able to track down cursed zones." Sakuya explained. "She smelled my scent on the dead Guardian Sapling of Agata Forest and then returned to me."
"So you're saying you know how to fix that, eh sweetness?" Issun asked, crossing his arms.
"Yes, but I don't have the strength. True, all Guardian Saplings are essentially parts of me, but some are spread too far out into places that I no longer have power over. Only the goddess, Amaterasu, has the power to do such a task." Sakuya said.
"I hate to disappoint pretty women, but we ended up coming here because Ammy DIDN'T have that power." Issun told her, Amaterasu emphasizing what Issun just said with a bark.
"She does not have that power now, but I've been guarding it for some time now for her return." Sakuya explained.
"So with that power we can revive the tree in Agata Forest and remove the curse?" Issun exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes and the others that are scattered over Nippon. Demons have been attacking them in order to reduce the power of the earth, but if you restore them, I will be able to aid you in your journey to restore the earth and rid this world of evil." Sakuya said to the duo.
"Don't worry you're pretty little head, the great Issun will take good care of you." Issun winked to her.
A large shoulder bag materialized out of thin air at Sakuya's side and then floated down to Amaterasu.
"This is your Astral Pouch, the infinite storage for all things that you will need on your quest. Within it are a few basic supplies and your power to regenerate the land to its healthy state. May the fresh scent of flowers protect you?" Sauna said as she faded into a wind of flower petals.
"Whoa, momma. That was one sexy babe." Issun commented. "I can't wait to see how she rewards us for a job well done!"
Issun gave an almost lecherous laugh. Amaterasu cocked her head and gave a curious sound.
"Anyway, we should make out way back to Agata Forest as fast as we can, we don't want to keep Sakuya or that Guardian Sapling waiting for too long." Issun said, hopping up on Amaterasu's back and helping to fit the pouch around her shoulder considering she had no opposable thumbs to do it herself.
"Let's just take a look in this thing, shall we?" Issun asked as he opened the pouch. Something suddenly burst forth from the pouch, nearly causing Issun to fall. Out of the bag shot a glowing ball and from the glowing ball formed a human sized monkey. Much like Amaterasu, the monkey was white and had colorations of crimson on its fur. It also bore the wisps of fur on its shoulder and wrists and ankles.
"Greetings, Amaterasu. I am Hamagami, god of flora. It has been a long time since I have seen you but it is comforting to know that our power will once again be one. With my power, you can control the living plants around you and give new life to ones that are dead. The technique is dubbed Greensprout and I trust that you will use this power well." Hamagami said before disappearing.
"That sounds pretty awesome; I'd like to see that in action. Why don't you try it on something… like this?" Issun picked up the wilted red flower that was lying before the shrine.
The sight of the dead flower caused something inside of Amaterasu to stir, a feeling that she could not understand. That flower held some importance, her instincts screamed that fact in her head but her mind willed her not to remember what its importance was. She shook her head to get rid of the feeling and then touched her nose to the flower, her ears twitching in annoyance with the familiar feeling that kept tingling through her like an itch. With her touch, the flower regained its color and it perked up again to become as beautiful, if not more so than the day it was picked.
"Alright! Good job, Ammy! That was just a tiny little thing but I'm sure that you can master this by the time we get back. If you could do it a hundred years ago, it shouldn't take too long to figure out." Issun said, tossing the flower over his shoulder. Amaterasu grunted in surprise and ran to the spot where the flower hit the earth. She picked it up very carefully.
"What, you want to keep it?" Issun asked her.
Amaterasu wagged her tail in reply.
"Alright. I suppose even girl wolf gods like flowers too." Issun shrugged and opened the Astral Pouch for her. "Go ahead and stick it in here, then."
Amaterasu stuck the flower into the infinity that was the Astral Pouch and then barked at Issun.
"I know, I haven't forgotten about Agata Forest." Issun jumped back on top of her. "Let's head out to save the world."