Hey, it's Gemralts. This chapter was a pain to write because of the spotty internet in this cabin I'm staying this week. I use google docs.
Edit: Fixed a uploading error
Ch. 2: Okami
This girl is standing on a pedestal. It seems to have been made specifically for her. She speaks with authority and acts the part, too. She stands taller than most people, even without her stand. The weirdest thing about her is that she has the same hair color as me, same eye color, same ears, and same tail. She must be from Yoitsu. Her actions show that she is some kind of leader of these people. At this moment, she is giving a day's summary.
"Good work my fellow villagers!" she says, "Another year, our winter crops are doing well. The food stockpiles will not be needed to be used this winter!" A cheer came from the crowd. "We shall focus our efforts on keeping our plants prospering. If this continues, we need not worry about a lack of food. However, anything extra will be saved. This is still the beginning; there may be unforeseen problems up ahead." The spectators are taking every word, trusting her judgement. Around me, I see why. This town is much more well off than other ones. Everyone looks happy and healthy. It seems that they have enough time and spare manpower to build great structure, such as what I assume is the town hall behind the speaker. It all made sense to me now. The extravagant church was the Vatican's way of showing they are more powerful than the pagan led village.
I turn my attention back to the wolf deity speaking. Her attitude, her appearance, she seems so familiar. I just can't put my finger on it.
"Looks like you are going to need my help, again," Prim pops up, "How can you forget her?"
"I didn't, since you, therefor I remember her."
"Again, I am not really you, I remember everything while you forget."
"Just tell me who she is," I say, tired of her "know everything" attitude.
"Oh no, I'm not going that easy on you. You will have to figure it out yourself; I will just tell you if you are right or wrong" She is really irking me.
I start thinking. I am pretty much alone on this. This feeling I have suggests that I have seen her before. I should first figure out her name. After all, I know almost all the names of those living in Yoitsu, unless she was born after I left. She seems older than me, though. I start searching my mind for a name. "A... B... … O. Yes! Her name starts with an O." The only name I remember that starts with an O is Okami.
"That is right!" Prim shouts.
"Who is Okami?" I question. I feel like I was once close to her, that I knew her since I was born. Has she seen me as a baby? I think she did. I get another piece of information, she has taken care of me before. Is she my mother? No, I would remember her. However, I do feel a familial bond between us. "Is she my sister?" I ask Primrose.
"Correct! Now what are you going to do about it?" she queries.
"I should go talk to her," I think. I start walking towards Okami. I don't pay attention to anyone else. In the background, I hear someone screaming, maybe at me. Through the crowd I go, getting closer to Okami. Before I even reach within three yards, someone grabs me. I go back to reality. In an instant, I hear the yells of the townspeople, they feel me as a threat to their "Lady Okami". Someone hits me on the head, so I defend myself. In the process, my cloak falls, showing my ears and tail.
"Holo?" I hear before I blank out.
~S&W~
My vision is fuzzy as I wake up. I survey my surroundings. I am in a luxurious room. Surrounding me are various paintings. The artist who made them, to my best judgement, were very talented. The paintings are mostly about nature. I see a bird, a tree, and a wolf. There are many landscapes of the forest. One especially interests me. There are two wolves together. One is taller than the other. The smaller one looks like me. I wonder who the other one is.
"That's my favorite one, too," I hear someone say, startling me. I see that the speaker is Okami. "Welcome to my home, Sister."
Instantly, I hug and start crying. "Okami! You are still alive."
She strokes my hair and in a calming voice she says, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Th- there was a moon hunting bear and- and- and."
"It is a legend, Holo," she comforts, "Everyone from Yoitsu is still alive."
Calming down, I ask, "Why are you in this town?"
She answers, "Everyone left, spreading throughout the north. They wanted to do something good, to actually help their worshippers."
"Even mom and dad?" I ask.
"They are not here, but if you keep going north, you will find them. Oh, it is so great to see you again, little sister."
"Me, too, big sister," I respond
"You want to tell me what happened on your journey?" I start to tell her about my travels. The many towns I visited, the warm south. I tell her about the town I chose to stay in, helping the people there. I then tell her about Lawrence. The many adventures we had, the many times we had to run from town because of the church. The long journeys on the roads. The apples, apple pies, and honey apples.
"Even after all this time, you still have a love for apples."
"What can I say, it's a part of as much as my tail."
"Tell me more of Lawrence."
I tell her the way I tease him. The way he saves money, and my way of making him buy whatever I want. The way I never get bored with him. The way we always get into trouble. I then tell her in detail of all of our adventures.
"What are you going to do now, now that you got to Yoitsu?" she asks me.
"Well, at first, I was going to go with Lawrence back south. Now, though, it seems that we will go north to find my friends."
"Tell me, what does Lawrence mean to you? Is he more than just a travelling partner?" A villager yells at her that she is needed.
I am alone with my thoughts. Okami is older and wiser than me, so I trust her judgement. She sees something I don't when it comes to how I feel with Lawrence. "What could she mean?" This is usually the time Prim pops up and something along the lines of "Oh, its so obvious to me, but you will just have to find out!" When I see that she isn't going to help me, I go back to thinking. "What does Lawrence mean to me?" He is nice and I can trust him. I certainly like his company. I think back to when I thought I was going to lose him, how sad I was. When he kissed me, I was so happy, yet sad. "That's it!" I think, "I'm in love with him. Just like last time...
Okami comes back. "By now, you should have figured out you love Lawrence, along with that he will eventually die, like the last one you loved."
"I don't want to go through that, again," I say with apathy.
"You will have to get over him, Holo."
"I did, but I can't put my heart through that kind of trauma again. You saw me, I wouldn't even eat after he died."
"So you won't love another human ever again?"
"As much as it hurts me, I know I will hurt more if I do open up myself to be heartbroken, again."
"So, you won't love Lawrence, no matter what?"
"Yeah."
"What if he won't die?" Okami questions.
"If that happens, I will embrace our love and never leave his side," I tell her sarcastically.
"Well okay." Okami has a mischievous look on her face.
~S&W~
Okami wants us to meet her in her dining room. She didn't say why. I have a hunch it has to do with our conversation from before. We see her sitting down with three clearly marked glasses in front of her. We sit down on either sides of the table.
"I would like to celebrate your safe return to Yoitsu, Holo," Okami explains. She gives one for herself, and the same drink to me. She gives a different drink to Lawrence. I choose not to say anything, and so does Lawrence. "Cheers!" We raise our glasses and drink our beverages. Lawrence seems to not like the taste of his. Okami seems to want Lawrence to drink every thing in his mug, it seemed important. I soon forget all of that, though, as I continually drink until I get drunk. Later, we go to sleep, Lawrence doesn't look well.
~S&W~
I wake to see Lawrence. He seems to have developed the most interesting of conditions. He has ears on the top of his head and a tail!
R&R