CHAPTER ONE

The Time Has Come

My eyes opened with a flash of golden light.

'At last the time has come. At last I am ready!' I thought to myself excitedly. 'After all this time- this is it!' I stood in the shade of a sacred cherry tree, in my home: the Celestial Plains. I took a deep breath, the wonderful scent of cherry blossoms filling my nose as pale pink petals fell around me. 'Mother's trained me for fifteen years, -my entire life- for this single day. For me to be able to face the world on my own.' My mind flew back to my endless days of training, months and months of work and practice. She taught me how to fight, and how to use all the brush techniques in strategy and art. I'd been waiting for this moment… Truly ever since I was a pup. However, since then I'd improved in body, skill, mind, and power- so I suppose it was well worth the wait.

I looked at the cherry blossoms falling around me, then to the great mountain that sprouted from the middle of the island- so high up that it must scrape the sun as it passes overhead. This was where I grew up, where all my friends and family were. The Celestial Plains are lands of such great beauty and peace… Why would I ever want to leave? Well, I'd always wanted to go on a great journey, like both my brother and mother had already. They inspired me with their tales of adventure, and ever since I first heard them, I was constantly waiting for this moment to arrive; and now it's finally here.

I got to my feet, snow-white pelt gleaming in the sunlight; crimson markings glistening. My markings differ from Chibi's and mother's, mine are darker, and more numerous than theirs and very bright. That's why my mother named me Akimeterasu, which means 'bright' and 'red'. My markings were bold even at infancy, and were the first things that she'd noticed about me, and chosen to name me for. Three spiral markings I have on each side grow smaller as they go farther down my back, and seem protected by a shield of red before them on my shoulder. The markings on my forelegs seem to have been painted, and drip down from the spirals on the fronts of my shoulders right down my legs. My eye-markings go along the top of my eye and the bottom and meet in the front to connect. The red circle on my head encloses a single spiral, starting on the right, and curling around the center.

I looked again a final time at the plains around me, and started to run. Flowers springing up from every pawstep as it touched the ground. Divine wind swirled around me as I ran, brushing me with a warm breeze and whispering- wishing me a well journey. Kazegami, the god of wind, was saying a final goodbye from the brushgods. We were close, -I had mastered his technique well- and his son was one of my best friends. My heart clenched as I remembered the feast mother had held in honor of me leaving the plains the night before. All the gods had gathered together in my mother's home, and for one last time we could all join together, gorge ourselves on offerings, tell jokes and laugh the night away one last time, before I left on my journey. 'I'll miss them all very much, but this is something I have to do. I feel it in my heart.'

I raced the wind, dashing through the fields of green grass. Daffodils, hyacinths, and other flowers growing from wherever my foot fell with each step. The sky was the clearest blue that day, the grass the freshest and deepest green, the weather was most pleasant- but I couldn't enjoy it. My hunger for adventure was gnawing at me, as it had been for the past decade. I knew I would return to the plains someday, and everything would be exactly as it was then. Perhaps the trees would be a little taller, but that is all. Nothing ever changes on the plains.

Eventually the wind died down and flew off in another direction, the horse god had work to do. I was drawing closer to the edge of the plains, when suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw a lone figure perched on a hill. I saw a white flash as the figure leaped down and start to follow me. Gaining on me- until it matched my speed and was running alongside me. "You don't have to do this yet." I heard her voice, my mother, gently speaking to me. "Waka and I can figure something out, you can st-"

"You know that can't happen." I broke in, stretching out, covering more ground with every leap. "No, you're too much like me to delay this adventure for another day." She said with a laugh in her melodious bark, and kept pace with me as we made a slight turn, so we were parallel to the edge of the plains. Side by side with one another, it reminded me of so many times when we would race together across the plains to pass time. "I raised you to be brave, and now I think it's turning against me." My mother barked, and I glanced at her to give her a teasing smile, she gave me a small smile in return and continued: "Because of that, I want you to be cautious. We have no idea how bad it could be down there. And once you get there, everything becomes real, not just a bed-time story Akime. Monsters, demons, traitors...The danger becomes very real." She said. I turned to look at her again, and she looked more serious than perhaps I'd ever seen her- the wolf that in her own time leapt forward into danger without a second thought- it scared me, but I shook it off. "Come on Mother," I said, smiling, teasing her. "Leap before you think, right?"

She gave me a true smile this time. "Leap before you think." She agreed, although I knew inside she was still worried. I turned back to look where I was running, then after a few seconds, said: "Mother...Thank you. For all you've ever done for me. You've taught me so much." We were racing across the landscape, my was heart pounding in my chest. "Don't be sad, you know that this is what I've wanted ever since I was a little pup. And you also know I will not fail. I will return to see you and everyone again. Please-" I turned to look at her again. "-don't worry about me, everything will be fine. You'll see." I said, consoling her. "I promise."

She nodded, and that was all I needed. I was drawing ever closer to the looming void, and Amaterasu slowed down so that she went out of my line of sight. "Goodbye Akime!" I heard her howl behind me, and I howled so that she could hear as I rushed ahead. "Goodbye, Mother!" Then I put on extra speed, my paws drumming against the ground. Nervous energy hummed through my body as I raced across the surface of the plains, drawing closer to my goal. We'd talked about how I would depart the plains many times over, whether or not I should take the ark- but I turned it down. I wanted a fast descent to the mortal world, one that wouldn't draw too much attention.

'Leap

I was springing across the grass, -covering almost ten feet a stride- tall grass exploding behind me. 'What will come next? What will I see down there?' I thought excitedly.

before

My eyes widened as my paws suddenly reached the edge, clinging to the ground.

you

Excitement pulsing through every vein in my body, I looked out into open space.

think.'

I launched myself off the edge of the plains, paws stretching out into nothingness. It was an exhilarating feeling, and it felt almost like flying. Soaring through the air effortlessly, just floating ahead- the sun on my back, the cool air covering me, lifting me up-

And then I was falling, plummeting through clouds. Wind pressed against my body as I sunk below the plains, gaining speed. I twisted my body around, and watched as my home vanished from sight in a flash of swirling white mist.

'And so, my journey begins...'

(AN: This chapter is mostly Akime being anxious and reminiscing. Well, she's leaving the only home she's ever known for the first time. Nothing really happens in this chapter, but it will get way more exciting, I promise! ^.^

To the next chaptaa!)