~ A Recap ~

Ammy laughed a little and looked down at her brush. "Well at least we gained something," She said. "Guess we'll have to keep looking for our man, though."

"Yeah, but now you don't have to swim through the canal to get to Agata anymore!" Issun contradicted.

"True," She said, shrugging as they walked away. "But where should we go next?"

A moment of silence as, she assumed, Issun pondered her question. "Let's try working our way to Taka Pass," He said eventually. "I'm sure we'll find something there; I've heard lots of travelers have been settling down there."

Amaterasu nodded in agreement and changed her direction, heading onto the path that led to the river.

"I wonder if that log Kokari put there is still there~" Ammy said jokingly as she passed into the clearing and saw, to her great surprise, that the very same log had been made into a sturdy bridge that arched over the rushing river below.

"Wow," Issun said as Amaterasu began walking across, the planks creaking under her weight. She smiled. "I always knew that kid would make it in the world."

( Waka's P.O.V. )

"So you see, our situation is dire," Waka said to the nine forms positioned around him. A moment later, a sweet voice echoed through the air.

"I see," The voice contemplated. "I have trained my eight warriors to be loyal, fierce, and strong. If what you say is true, they might be able to help your friends."

The Tao Master dipped his head in respect. "Thank you, Princess Aya," He said. The Princess gave him a bow in return, as did the eight Canine Warriors that were positioned in a circle around them.

"We bid you safe travels," Aya said. "As well as Amaterasu and her pint-sized companion. May we be able to assist them in any way we can."

( Amaterasu's P.O.V. )

"Wow, this place is hoppin'!" Issun said as Amaterasu walked along the trail that led through the vast highlands of Taka Pass.

"At least it hasn't changed for the worse," Ammy replied. Almost the whole Pass had been transformed into a bustling village, which she assumed was an extension of Kusa Village. A Divine wind blew against the Goddess's face and through her hair, and she inhaled deeply.

"The air is as wonderful as ever," She commented as she exhaled. "Remember Crimson Helm? Susano called him Crimson something-or-other," She said with a giggle.

Issun bounced steadily on top of her head. "That guy was such a pain in the butt," He said. "Always taking the credit for all of our hard work!"

All of my hard work, Ammy corrected him mentally. "Hey, he ended up helping us when we fought Orochi, didn't he?" She said. "He really was a strong warrior."

She could picture the little Poncle rolling his eyes. "Yeah, but still."

As Amaterasu walked past the various houses that littered the countryside, she couldn't help but smile; everyone here seemed so happy and carefree, it almost made her forget about what she was doing there in the first place.

The Okami, lost in thought for a moment, looked down when she felt a sudden tugging sensation on the end of her kimono; a young girl stood there smiling at her with one of Kusa Village's famous pinwheels in her hand, holding it up as an offering. She took it and ruffled the little girl's hair, chuckling as the child ran off.

"Man, this place got so big," Issun commented. "I dunno where to start!"

"It's great," Ammy said. "There don't seem to be any problems here at all."

She continued walking, passing by inns, restaurants, weapon dealers, all kinds of things. It was a lot to take in after she had been gone for a century, but although she felt slightly overwhelmed by how much Taka Pass had changed, she felt a sense of joy and relief above all else.

"Ammy, focus! We need to be looking for our little runaway," Issun said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I say we check the Gale Shrine first, and if he's not there, we can check out some of the smaller shrines that have been built."

Amaterasu nodded absentmindedly, as she continued to take in all of her surroundings. Finally, they reached a break in the rows of houses and shops, and Ammy gasped a little as she felt something plow into the side of her head. She staggered a little and looked around wildly for the source of whatever it had been that had hit her.

She whirled around, and found what she was looking for; a sparrow lying on the ground, huffing and puffing from exhaustion.

"Help, help!" He wheezed with a few feeble flaps of his wings. "I-intruders…!"

Amaterasu shot an alarmed glance at Issun as the sparrow let his face fall into the dirt. She made sure no one was around, then picked the bird up and rushed to the nearby gates of Sasa Sanctuary.

"What the heck!" Issun cried as Ammy rushed through the village and up to the mystical entrance. "There goes that moment of peace…"

"Ow…" The sparrow in the Goddess's arms panted, his limp wings dangling over the side of Ammy's arm.

"Shhh," She said to him. "We're getting help right now."

The sparrow closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as his body relaxed. "The…the beast…wreaking havoc…the Sanctuary…"

Amaterasu shot the little sparrow a worried look as they hurried through the entrance and up to the main gates. They were open; it was probably hard to keep watch for humans when all hell was breaking loose inside.

Ammy set the sparrow down gently right outside, to keep him safe from any further harm. "Issun," She said, reaching for the Poncle, who was still perched on her head. "Keep an eye on him. I'm gonna go inside and find out what's going on."

Issun nodded and bounced over to the injured sparrow. "Roger that, boss," He said with a quick salute. Amaterasu gave him a grateful smile and pulled the front door open, expecting the worst.

But, instead of finding some kind of monster tearing the place apart, she was greeted by the sight of Sparrow Inn maids running around in a panic.

She walked into the middle of the room. "What's going on?" She said loudly. One of the maids, who had been cowering underneath a table, pointed toward the upstairs hallway.

"A foul beast…" She said shakily. "Just horrible…treading mud, shedding everywhere…it's terrifying!"

Amaterasu raised an eyebrow. Treading mud and shedding? She knew that behavior a little too well.

She decided to investigate anyway, and ran up the stairs, where she found two more maids cowering, clenching dusters and swinging them like swords.

"Back, you foul beast!" One of them squawked fiercely. Amaterasu squeezed past the two of them and looked around. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking back at them.

"U-under the table," The other one said. "The horror…unimaginable…"

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Ammy knelt down at looked under the table that the two Sparrows were waving their dusters at. She grinned when she saw, sure enough, a ginger-and-white collie cowering underneath the table with its paws over its eyes.

"Aww," She cooed, holding out her hand and watching as the collie peeked out at her. "It's okay, friend," She said. "You're safe now."

The first Sparrow twittered nervously. "Don't get too close! It might…lick you," She said, as if the last two words of her sentence were the worst thing imaginable.

"Don't let them hurt me!" The collie whined, resting his long snout in Ammy's palm. "I just came here to look for someone!"

"Come on out, and you can tell me about it," Ammy said, gently moving her hand away to coax him out. It didn't take much though; as soon as she had pulled away, the collie bolted into her lap. She giggled when she felt the pup's wet tongue on her cheek.

"I'm Yin," He said, his tail thumping the ground happily. "I'm a canine warrior!"

Amaterasu nodded as she studied the purple bandana around his neck. "Okay, Yin," She began, scratching behind his ear. "What brings you here? Whatever it was, it must've been pretty important. You sure gave the locals a scare." As she said this, she looked back at the two sparrow maids, who were staring at her, dumbfounded.

"Back to work!" She snapped at them, and they scurried away without hesitation. It was pretty obvious they could sense something about her that was unlike other humans.

Yin licked his nose a few times and scratched himself as he watched the sparrows. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble," He said sadly, looking up at her with signature puppy eyes. "I was only trying to follow Princess Aya's orders…"

"Is Princess Aya your master?" Ammy asked. Yin nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup! She's my master, and all of the other warriors' master, too!" His tail resumed thumping on the wooden floor.

Amaterasu chuckled and stroked his long, soft ginger fur. "So who was it you were looking for?" She asked curiously. The collie let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he thought.

"Ama…Ame…"

"Amaterasu?"

"Yeah, that's it!" He said happily. "Amata…"

Ammy giggled and patted his head. "It's okay, just call me Ammy."

His pretty brown eyes brightened as she said this. "You're the one I'm looking for?" He said. "Cool! Now the other dogs won't yell at me again!"

They both stood, and Yin clamped his jaws lightly around the sleeve of her kimono. "Come on!" He urged, his words muffled by the fabric. "Princess Aya needs to see you!"

She chuckled and let him lead her back out the front entrance, where Issun still sat with the winded sparrow. "C'mon, Issun," She said, snatching him up as they walked by.

"H-hey, wait a second-" Issun stammered as he looked back at the now-sleeping sparrow.

"No time," Ammy said. "He just needs to catch his breath. Besides, we have someone who wants to visit us."