"Geez I'm starting to think you really are human." Makoto said

"Really? What makes you say that?" I asked

"Because you're slow as hell." He replied jokingly. We've been traveling all afternoon towards this mysterious bathhouse Makoto keeps talking about. "You didn't say we'd be traveling uphill!"I said "You didn't say you'd be complaining the whole trip!" he said back. Makoto has been helping me through the more physically demanding parts of the trip since I'm still pretty week from the trauma last night. He's starting to remind me of the older brother I've never had. The kind of older brother who likes to pester and tease his younger siblings, half for fun, and half just because he can. I quickly learned that he can be stubborn at times, but overall he's very friendly. At first I wasn't sure what to think of him, but now I can see that I was defiantly lucky to run into him last night, or he ran into me rather. I still cant believe he cast a holding spell, that just seems something too outrageous to be true.

"So Makoto…" I said, he stopped momentarily to look back at me. "Tell me about your parents." He took a moment to think about that that statement, he must have felt a little taken aback since it wasn't really a question. His parents seem to be a sensitive subject for him, why?

"What would you like to know?" He asked and continued down the path in front of me. "Well, you said that you're a half breed right? How does that even happen, no offense of course, but it just seems like something that doesn't usually happen right? Or does it?" He chuckled at my rant.

"Well little bird, even though it isn't a very common thing for a pure bred and a human to mate, that doesn't mean it can't happen. My mother loved to wander the human world even though at the time it was forbidden to make contact. She said it made her feel like she was truly free in the human world. She told the story of how one day she was hunting out of bounds and looked for a catch on a farm far west from here. Instead she ended up being the hunted and got caught in a trap. A human man, a 'trapper' came along to check his traps and that's how my parents met."

"Wait so the trappers your dad? Wouldn't he be scared to find a live wolf in his trap?"

"He would have been if she looked like a wolf, because my mother was full bred she is able to take on a human form. I cannot take on a second form since my human half is too weak to do so."

"Wait pure bred? I thought you said she was a spirit, does that mean she's a pure bred spirit?"

"Well let me put it this way, there are three types of known species around here which fit into three separate categories around here. Humans, Spirits, and Gods. Anything that isn't a God or a human is basically put under the 'spirit' category, if that makes sense."

"There are gods around here?" Gods really? This is bigger than I thought.

"Yes, but only a few. It can take millenniums to earn the title of 'God', it's a great deal of leadership and responsibility which isn't for just anyone. Some have to earn it, others are just bred for the right." Makoto explained. We walked in silence for a while before coming to a hill. He went first, he zigzagged up the hill no problem in record time and set his pack aside to turn around and reach out a hand down for me to grab on to so he could help support me up while I tried to climb up the steep edge. Makoto can be a prick, but he never hesitates to help me during physically demanding times on our trip.

"Here we are!" He held out his arms wide open as if he were trying to hug the village. We weren't far at all, I'd say it's a 5 minute walk from where we were standing. It didn't look like the village Makoto explained at all. "It's abandoned?" I said my thoughts out-loud. He chuckled. "Is it now? Are you sure?" He led me down a small trail through the large grassy field. With sculptures sticking out jaggedly from the ground "I think so, I mean there isn't anyone here." "Oh they're here alright. You must not be a pure bred, otherwise you'd be able to pick up the occupation though genetic hypersensitive nerves. I'm a half breed, but I can still pick up the slight tingle of spirits in the area." Makoto said.

"So your not human, your not God, and your not pure bred." Makoto thought ou-tloud.

"I know I'm human!" I said, Makoto isn't convinced. "You can't be, humans have a distinctive smell around here. Since there really aren't that many around, human smell isn't hard to distinguish, you'll know it when you smell it."

"What do humans smell like then?"

"They stink."

"Oh. So does that means you think I smell nice?" I teased, he reached back to mess up my hair, I took that as a 'yes' we continued along our path quietly for a few moments before I decided to break the silence.

"So you said that there are definitely spirits, but why can't I see any?" I asked

"You can't see any because Sprits are fueled by moonlight or course. The moon is the very heart and soul of spiritual energy, making it impossible for spirits to solidify in sunlight. Since you are still visible tells me that you can't be a pure spirit. Will figure out what you are sooner or later little bird." He pondered on that thought for a moment while we make the last few steps before arriving in the small village. He stopped to stand beside me and pointed in front of us. "Look, here's the homes where the community resides mostly" He then pointed in another direction. "And if we keep heading down here then we will end up in the village square, where the bathhouse resides." It seemed easy enough.

"Hey Makoto?" I asked

"Hmm?"

"What happens when we reach the bathhouse? Are we going to leave a message in a mailbox and just leave?" I asked, he laughed at my comment.

"Silly bird, that's not how it works." We began to see more and more shops and restaurants instead of small homes.

"We need to formally present it to the lord of the bathhouse. Now remember, this is a royal parchment from the Jasmine Emperor himself so we need to make a good impression. Since we are his messengers we represent the Jasmine palace during the delivery. You should know that this isn't just any lord that we are delivering too. This is one of the most respected pure breds in this land, so we must show our regards okay?" he further explained.

"So, this lord that we are seeing. He's Okami?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he's a pure bred right?" He practically threw his head back and laughed whole heartedly.

"You're such an innocent little bird."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I'm starting to get frustrated.

"Well I'm sorry, but you're the one who doesn't know your real name! You look like a 'little bird' to me." He smiled at me and gave a wink. His wink made my heart flutter a little, but I thought nothing of it. "Do you want me to call you something else?"

"Well, no actually. I guess little bird is fine." He's right, I really don't know my name so if he had to call me something I prefer 'little bird' to something ugly or insulting.

"O.K. I'm glad you like it, now to answer your other question. No, not all pure breds are okami, pure breds could be any creature on the planet. However, what makes this lord special is his heritage."

"What's his heritage?" I asked

We passed a line of shops and eventually came across a large clock tower in-front of a bridge which lead to an impressive structure which had to be the bathhouse.

"He's a dragon."