The morning after the strange encounter with Amaterasu, Oki found himself wandering listlessly outside the main entrance to Wep'keer.
The air was so thick you could cut with knife.
When he'd woken up, everything felt off. He knew Samickle felt the same way because he was pacing back and forth in front of Kemu's hut, waiting for some order to do something. Oki felt the exact same way. He wondered if the odd feeling had something to do with the Ones'ka tribe. They hadn't acted up in months – and it seemed Wep'keer was long overdue for their next bothersome meeting with the tribe's leader, Ska.
Ska.
Not only did it break tradition in the fact 'Ska' is a woman, she treats neighbouring tribe's like dirt – and she started badgering Wep'keer about moving their boarders the moment they appeared on the map. It was ridiculous, but that wasn't the point. Ones'ka had the man-power to pull off what she threatened, and that's what worried Oki. That they might actually do what they said they would do.
Not that he wouldn't fight to his inevitable death to protect Wep'keer – but when it came down to it, his tribe wasn't all that large. Sure, they'd gained two new members a while back, Xeska and her brother Narrk, but that wasn't the point.
Sighing, he shook his head. All the thinking was giving him a headache and he really didn't need one at that point. Especially since Lika had been continually pestering him about training her to fight. He'd laughed, but it might not have been such a bad idea because –
A scream interrupted his thoughts. Worse yet, he knew the voice. It was Kai.
He took no time to get there in wolf form, and see the mess Wep'keer had become. Samickle, Kemu, Narrk, and Xeska were all fighting against a mass of demons that seemed to have no end. Amaterasu and Kai were nowhere in sight, which aggravated him, but there was no time for that. He leapt into the fray and swung his sword in all directions, ignoring the fact that as soon as he hit one, another appeared in its place.
One of the Namahage's swung it's canon around to face him, just as his sword bit at the exterior of the demon's stomach and right through to cut it precisely in half. Letting out a growl, he moved on to fight his way through several others; all the while, keeping an ear out for Kai or Amaterasu.
By the time the majority of the demons had been defeated and the rest fled the battlegrounds, Oki was almost dead on his paws. Xeska and Narrk chased the last few monsters out of sight before Narrk split off to go assist Kemu and Samickle with their wounds, while Xeska approached him with a low head. She was exhausted, he could tell.
"Amaterasu is still missing, and Kai's gone too. We can't pick up a scent-trail out of the tribe. It's like they up and disappeared," Xeska growled. Oki let out a long breath before nodding and allowing the girl to bandage him. "Lika fought well, considering it's her first battle," She commented lightly.
That was the odd thing about the gray and white wolf – she switched moods almost randomly. One moment, she'll be at your throat, the next, she's asking you to go hunting like nothing had occurred. Xeska was nice, but if it came to choosing one or the other, Oki preferred the company of her brother. He was very attentive when it came to others. It seemed he just knew what you were thinking. If you were angry and wanted peace and quiet, he left you alone. If you wanted company and someone to talk to, he listened and he was there. All in all, the two had grown almost close, and Oki might call him a friend. Narrk looked a lot like his twin – dark, silvery hair that often covered one of his brown eyes, rather lanky, and about seventeen.
The two of them were extraordinary fighters and never missed a beat when it came to battle.
In any case, for once, Xeska was silent. The long-haired girl just finished his bandages and moved on to settle a distraught Lika. The girl was older now, and could transform into a wolf properly then. Her wolf form was lithe and agile, similar to how mature Lika looked – but Lika was still a kid inside, no matter which way you looked at it. She still depended on Kai more than anything else in the world.
"Is that..." He heard Xeska ask Lika, staring at something off in the distance.
"Kai!" Lika shouted, racing off, half-bandaged. Oki's head snapped around to stare at one profusely bleeding Kai. Amaterasu still wasn't present. He raced up the slope just as Kai collapsed into Lika's small arms, looking rather pale. "Kai! Wake up!" Lika shouted, shaking her.
"Relax, Lika, she's not dead. She's just passed –out." Narrk explained, coming up beside them. Oki growled and gathered Kai into his arms to take her down to her hut. Luckily, it was one of the few that hadn't been completely demolished.
Hours passed, and Amaterasu and Issun still didn't show up. Oki might have been worried, but he was too busy being livid with the fact she just wasn't there during the whole thing. Kai had woken up later, and was visited several times by Kemu and once or twice my Samickle. Xeska was always present to help care to her wounds, but otherwise, it was relatively quiet. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact Amater –
Well speak of the devil.
There, in all her quiet glory, stood the Goddess, with one bouncing green ball atop her head. She looked tired, but Oki didn't notice – he was too busy grabbing her by the throat and spewing death-threats.
"How could you not be here!?" He demanded furiously, eyes narrowing dangerously. The pale-haired girl just let her gaze shift to the side. "Did you even see the damage done to Wep'keer? Hm? Or were you too busy playing goddess to help us out!?" He half-yelled, glowering at her. She still said nothing. Issun looked like he was about to say something, but Oki shook his head and turned away. "Get out of my sight." He hissed, utterly seething. When he turned to look at Kai, who had seen the entire thing, he was surprised to see her glowering at him.
"Oki! How could you do that!?" She growled, hands fisted at her side.
"Do what!?" He snapped, glaring at her.
"Yell at her like that! Amaterasu was here you idiot! She was protecting me! She's the reason I'm standing here as we speak!" Kai howled angrily. "And if you don't go find her this instant, I... I'll... I'll never forgive you! Ever!" She finished in a high-pitched scream. The brunette took a deep breath as though to calm herself. When Oki turned to look, Amaterasu was long since gone, and in her wake, was a thick trail of blood. He internally slapped himself for not noticing.
"Fuck." He hissed, and raced off in wolf-form, feeling guilt and shame burn and writhe in his belly. How could he have been so careless? 'It doesn't matter. If I find her and bring her back, it'll all go back to normal.' He mused, picking up the speed only a little more.
x x x x
It took longer to find her than he'd expected. She left blood where ever she went, yes, but she moved even quicker than Oki did – and that was a feat not many could accomplish. Not to mention she was in her human skin at that point, and human's aren't supposed to be faster than wolves. It was around this time he heard Issun's voice.
"Ammy! C'mon Ammy, don't give up here! If you sleep now, you'll... you'll..." He trailed off miserably. "And why'd you leave the village so fast, anyway!? I was about to give that flea bitten mutt a piece of my mind!" He said, switching topics. Oki followed the voice until he came to the entrance of a cave. There, he could smell blood coming from inside, but that was about it. The stench was too strong to smell anything else. Holding his breath, he jogged inside, peering blindly into the dark until he saw a small, sickly looking Amaterasu huddled in the corner. She probably wasn't used to the cold in her human body. That meant she was either dead, or something awfully close to it.
As he approached, he felt something prick his leg.
"Oki! If she's dead I'll... I'll... I'll kill you!" Issun threatened, pulling out Denkomaru for good measure. Oki didn't have to be told twice as he slowly pulled Amaterasu into his arms to take her out of the damp cave. "Not like that, idiot!" Issun scolded, motioning to the Goddess. "She'll freeze to death if –" He paused, "...If she's not already dead." He muttered. Nodding briefly, the blue haired boy took off his cloak and wrapped it around her limp body before picking up a run and heading back to Wep'keer.
About half-way back, he felt something in the air stir. Something sinister – something dark and horrid. Something that reminded him of a rotting carcass. It was strange, seeing as they were passing the tunnel to Shinshu Field, one of the most pure lands of all – seeing as it's incredibly near to Kamiki Village.
Plick.
Oki blinked and looked up as a droplet of water landed on the tip of his nose. So it was going to rain, eh? Frowning, he picked up the speed again, being careful not to let Amaterasu move around too much.
x x x x
By the time they returned, the bright lights and boom of thunder and lightning had already began accompanying the soft pitter patter of rain. It was that time of year where snow became rain and Oki didn't like it much at all. In fact, he could speak for everyone in the village when he said that; rain was horrible. Wep'keer was asleep when he finally got to his hut, deciding not to bother waking anyone up. Besides, Kai would only kick him out the moment she saw the state Amaterasu was in.
"C'mon, we gotta get these clothes off 'er." Issun stated. Oki did a double-take.
"Excuse me?" Oki asked, eye-brows raised significantly. Issun snorted and turned to look at him.
"Her clothes are wet. If she stays in them, she'll get hypothermia. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, you mutt," Issun told him, grinning slightly. Oki shot him a look before carefully peeling the clothes away – trying not to look. So yes, maybe Oki was still a bit childish, but usually it was the woman's job to handle problems like fixing hypothermia and all such other problems.
Okay, so he did look once. Or maybe twice. But enough times to notice the markings on her kimono were also engraved on her skin like a tattoo. They were red – blood red – and contrasted in a unique way against her pallid skin. Oki really couldn't help but admire them.
Then of course, he realized he was staring and quickly covered her with a wool blanket and retreated to the other side of the crackling fire. Issun hopped up and curled into the Goddess' ashen hair, like he would if she were in wolf form.
At this, something twisted in Oki's
stomach. Something he'd... never really felt before.
Envy?
'No, no, that's ridiculous. I don't envy anyone – especially that pain in the ass, Issun.' He decided, staring at the two of them. Yet again, he couldn't help but to contradict himself in thinking that he did envy their closeness. It was something he longed for – perhaps not with anyone in particular, but someone. Apparently – even Oki, the lone wolf of the Oina Tribe – needs someone to talk to every once and a while.
x x x x
When dawn finally broke out over the cloudy skies of Komui, Oki was there to see it, just like every morning. The lake shimmered brilliantly, covered only by a thin layer of ice. It was something to admire and respect. It was where the Ark of Yamato had stayed until Amaterasu had taken it back to the heavens. Although... if she'd really accomplished it, wouldn't she be there, still?
Dropping the thoughts, he mulled over the previous day. He still felt remnants of last night's embarrassment and shame, but Kai couldn't stay angry at him forever, could she?
Wait, he took that back.
Kai could hold a grudge longer than anyone he'd ever known – even longer than Samickle – so it probably wasn't smart to jinx it. After all, Kai was his friend and he didn't want to lose her no matter what. Sighing slightly, he turned around to head back to his hut and see if Amaterasu was up, but paused when he realized he was no longer alone at the edge of the lake.
"Why are you out here, shouldn't you be resting?" He asked, moving his head only a little so he could see her out of the corner of his eye. As if to spite the tension Oki felt, Amaterasu looked almost... amused? He frowned at this and turned back to stare at the morning sun.
"You know, Oki," She murmured, coming up beside him. "You should really stop over-thinking things." At this, the blue-haired boy let out a light growl.
"What would you know?" He asked, shifting his weight. Amaterasu's lips curled up in a slight grin before she flicked him in the shoulder. He blinked and turned to look at her while she began making her way across the thin layer of ice that divided one side of the lake from the other. Oki stared, mouth agape.
"Looking like a fish out of water gets you nowhere," She called, nearly half way across.
"What, are you insane?" He demanded, "If you fall in, Kai'll kill me!" He shouted, earning only an unlady-like chortle from the Goddess.
"C'mon now, Oki, I haven't fallen in yet, have I?" She asked. On the other side, Oki frowned and said nothing. "Give it a try, it's actually quite fun!" She called, beginning to slide across the ice, spinning every now and again. Figuring he had to get her off the ice before she actually did fall in, the blue-haired one picked his way onto the lake and imitated how Amaterasu slid gracefully – though he looked more like a rampaging bear who didn't quite know which way was up.
Then there was a much less wonderful snap and he lost his footing, straight into the depths of the freezing water. All he knew was that he never should have trusted that –
Was that... a hand?
He blinked and swam forward, reaching for it, but his body was already reacting to the sudden cold and he felt stiff and heavy. Still, the hand dove deeper into the water, brushing his hand every now and again. Alas, he was falling further, and running out of air at an alarming rate. He let out a gasp underwater and began choking as it invaded his mouth and nose; though he didn't stop reaching for that hand.
The next thing he knew, he could breath, but he wasn't out of the water yet. Amaterasu's vibrant eyes were the first thing he saw, staring down at him with genuine concern. Irked, he yanked away and nearly sank again – though he just managed to grab a bit of ice to keep his head above water.
"What are you doing!?" Amaterasu demanded, grabbing for his hand or arm or anything to drag him up onto the ice with. Oki merely glared at her and pulled away again. The girl looked to be utterly fuming, but he really didn't care. "Oki..." She seethed, "Now is not the time to be stubborn," Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she reached for his hand once more.
"I d-don't need y-your help!" He snarled, batting at her arm away.
"Do you realize how long it takes for hypothermia to take over your body, Oki?" She asked, seemingly calming down.
"What does that have anything to –"
"Shut up and listen!" She snapped, cutting him off. "First, you start losing the feeling in your hands and feet; I'm sure that's happened to you by now. Then you stop being able to see straight and you'll lose your balance. Do you know what happens after that, Oki?" She asked, staring so intensely at him he could almost feel the heat in her eyes. Strangely enough, he could move his mouth enough to form a proper reply. She didn't wait anyway. "You stop trying to talk altogether and get extremely tired. If you lose consciousness, the chance of your survival is less than forty percent." She stated, her voice losing power toward the end.
"C'mon, Oki, gimme your hand. Trust me." She murmured. He frowned but reached out anyway, his hand meeting hers. Amaterasu, although a Goddess, wasn't very strong. She had to use all of her muscle power to haul Oki out of the water and onto the ice, his hand still clenched around hers as she sat up. The blunet, on the other hand, was breathing very shallowly as he sat up and looked around, eyes half-lidded.
Sighing, she turned to see Samickle crossing the ice with light paws – seeing as he was in his wolf form.
"What did that kid do this time?" He growled, beginning to drag him across the ice back to the shore.
"'Scuse me, but he already has hypothermia, do you intend to make it worse?" Amaterasu asked rigidly, tapping the wolf on the shoulder. Almost immediately, Samickle's body morphed and swam in and out of view until he was a human, which rather surprised him. The Goddess just gave a crooked grin and shot him a look. "It's all in the wrist."
x x x x
So... I'm not sure if that was too
full of (apparent) randomness, but it is leading up to
something.
And the Ones'ka tribe wasn't mentioned to throw you
off track; they play an important role in this.
So does the title
of the story, 'Peril.'
By the way, thanks for the reviews
guys!
I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you, but my internets
been on haywire and my laptop has been crashing randomly, so in other
words, computer issues are a drag.
Where was Issun during this chapter,
you ask?
Obviously not with Ammy xD.
But anyway, there will be themes to
the chapter from now on. The chapter names will be the song name, and
if you want, just review and ask for the band name.
Yes, it's a
clever ploy to gain review, but no one says you have to. I'd
just like some critique on my writing, because I've been picking up
on some badly worded sentences but I can't help it without...
help...
Anyway, third chapter will be kicking around sometime
soon.
