memory | open to both courts.

[illuminating]

[ There are stars. Countless, innumerable, a collection much more dense at this height than in most worlds. From the looks of things, the view is of space. Off in the distance, mingled among those glinting, sparkling lights, are little planets. Spheres with clouds hovering over them, or further back, shining more brightly than the pinpricks of light beside them.

Across the camera cuts loping, soft white legs, and following further up, the body of a wolf. This shape should be familiar to quite a few: she's here now, in the Drabwurld among them. The difference this time is, to both those who can see her true form and those who ordinarily cannot, she's shining brilliant white and she has more streaks of red than she does at current along her fur. Musical laughter chases after her, and two angelic beings, with wings folding down and extending upward from their heads, halos above, soar through the air after her.

The camera shows the floating island on which god and celestials run and fly about. It's hued in gold, emitting soft light and glittering motes. There's mountains, tall grass, a winding river of stars, flowers follow after the wolf. More celestials are floating or hovering or kneeling in grass, attending to their own affairs, some call out to the passing creature with 'Hello, Mother!' or, 'Okami Amaterasu!'

For a little longer, those two celestials and the wolf chase each other, they roll around, she nips at them, growls in a sound made of love and they smoosh her cheeks between their hands, nuzzling against her face. One, kneeling at the edge of the Celestial Plains, calls, ]

This one! Over here. [ With a groan, this god-wolf rolls onto her side, pushes up, and trots over, leaving the game she was involved in. She perches next to the one who called out to her, and the two of them peer down at a planet, round and blue and green with white clouds. ]

Do you see? They're having a drought. [ She gets a groaning-whine as reply, and puts her hand on the wolf's head. ] It's all right. It's a long way from here to Earth, but the rain will reach them eventually. You did a good job.

[ When the wolf offers a questioning grumble, the celestial looks thoughtful, peering up. ] No. I haven't seen anything too bad besides that yet. You did say to allow them to solve most of their own troubles. This was one you could take care of, though. [ A quick, joyful, small bark is given as response, and laughing, the celestial tugs her ear. ] Don't gloat, Mother! You should be more modest!

[ The sound of screaming interrupts, and when both turn to find the source, another celestial hits that heavenly ground, caught in flames, and doesn't move. Amaterasu is on all of her paws in an instant, the celestial next to her goes into the air and flies off to try to help others. A shadow, long and foreboding covers the land, with eight long necks.

She stands under it, baring gums and fangs, all her hair and feathers standing erect, and she snarls one last warning. Around the shadow and wolf, celestials are dropping to their deaths. From poison, bolts of lighting, flames, from large serpent heads lashing through the air and catching them in their teeth. It's a demon, an eight-headed giant of a snake, an eight-headed dragon whose body is a shrine with a large bell in the middle.

Unable to stand it any longer, she's dashing at him at a speed that surpasses most mortals, emitting a throaty snarl, aggravation and loathing erupting out of her. As she runs, a red-disk with swirling orange flames with a tail of blue materializes over her back, and once she's close enough, she leaps into the air, bashes one of the heads with the disk swirling in mid-air.

For sometime, this is how it continues: giant heads with fearsome long teeth slaying the angel-like creatures around her, a few of them diving for that white wolf herself, and she conjures up wind, she sprouts trees, and ignites fire, and explosives, and lightning upon the demon herself. Always countering into a position to hit him with the disk whenever an opportunity arises. Soon, a man with long flowing blond hair is fighting with her, they criss-cross when they've jumped or been thrown back, running past and in front of the each other, working like a team.

The fight seems never ending, and after being tossed back, Amaterasu stands with her paws splayed, head hanging, gasping breaths, tongue lolling out of her mouth. ]

It does not seem as if he's growing tired, does it, ma cherie? [ She gives the man addressing her a side-long look, and without waiting, she's charging at the demon once more, growling loudly, demanding that he either die or leave her territory. She is not followed by the man this time, but he cries out to her, a hand to his mouth to strengthen his voice: ]

Amaterasu! In the land of the mortals, the one who can slay Orochi will be born. [ This seems to stop her, and she skids to a halt to look back at him. ] It is true. I've foreseen it. There is no other way. You must go there and wait for him. I will take the celestials that remain aboard the ark to safety.

[ With doubt no longer an issue about what must be done, Orochi has her full attention once more. This time, as she charges, she dodges all of the attacks he has waiting for her, leaps twice in the air, and clamps the white fangs she's bearing into the eye of the head furthest back. All of the heads give snarls and screeches of agony, and the body, that shrine, begins to slide off the land.

In moments, god and demon, wolf and eight-headed serpent, are plummeting to that blue and green world she had been watching from before. The speed threatens to smash them both into nothingness into the ground, but she sinks her teeth into his eye, stains her mouth, which is forming into something more solid as they descend, with blood. Her coat, though still gleaming, produces the gashes he's left upon her the closer they get to earth, and her body takes on something more physical than what it had been.

They hit the ground with a rumble and the screen blacks out. ]



(note: Though she doesn't use the network often, she'll be using it more for this event, in the case of replying to this post and others! Since people can understand all languages here, if you want your character to understand that okami can mean both wolf & great diety, please feel free!)

Comments

video

[devotedqueen]

[Oh...oh wow. Oh, dear]

So your real name is Amaterasu and--you are a god?

[And all along she's been calling her 'Snow' and treating her like a giant, fluffy dog]

My apologies, I should have been more respectful.

[Oh dear oh dear oh dear]

video

[illuminating]

[ So, it was seen. What a personal account, that little knew of save the celestials, and Ushiwaka, the man, and herself—including the other brush gods she had split herself into much later, a hundred years later, having had to wait that long for the savior to come into the world. There has been no swift conclusion to the onslaught of evil that destroyed heaven, that plagues the earth she knows now.

Her locket must be on a branch, it's somewhat unsteady but not too bad. Worried that her whine might be taken as a disappointment in not being revered, she actually holds up a parchment with calligraphy scrawled over it to answer her properly. ]

you have been very good to me as far as i am concerned

[ The writing vanishes, and a new one appears in its place. ]

being what i am is not something i want to have a big fuss made over

video

[devotedqueen]

[Despite the revelation, Amaterasu still seems like a wolf. A very cute one albeit]

I see. I understand that feeling, somewhat.

[Hadn't she wished something similar? It was why she never introduced herself as Queen Elincia. Of course that was far from being on the same level as being a god but]

You've faced many difficult trials, haven't you?

video

[illuminating]

no more than anyone else [ Even if she's been around since the beginning of time, and surely there were other trials, but the last couple hundred years seem to have been the most taxing. ]

i am sure you have had to move forward through things that were not easy

Re: video

[devotedqueen]

[She smiles warmly, nodding in acknowledgement]

Yes. I believe everyone has had their share of difficult situations to overcome though some burdens are heavier to carry than others.

[The weight of a country versus the weight of the world for instance]

You seem to love your people very much. They are lucky to have you.

video

[illuminating]

[ They weren't all that lucky does cross her mind, but isn't thinking that way falling back. She shouldn't, and she cannot allow herself. If she were capable of a proper smile, she would, but since she isn't, she merely wags her tail. It's probably not easy to see, save for little wisp of white moving from side to side behind her on the screen. ]

if i am not mistaken you are royalty are you not?

video;

[boutant]

I didn't know gods spoke French.

[ ... okay, she just kind of blurted that out. But, well, 'ma chérie' and all...

Yeah, that was a dumb thing to say. ]

Were the others okay?

video;

[illuminating]

[ Though not as easily detected from a wolf than a person, she exhales amusement. After rummaging for a piece of paper, she holds it up and in a moment, her message comes scrawling in black, slanting ink across the page. ]

that is waka he is a prophet from the moon tribe he is silly using french when he likes all gods can understand all languages but i am not sure if he is capable of the same

to my understanding they were not

video;

[boutant]

[ Oh! That's quite the trick -- though she supposes that it makes sense, considering the wolf is actually a god. ]

Well, it is a nice language, [ she laughs, though her expression quickly fades at the next line. ]

Oh. I'm sorry. [ She really is, too; there has been so much loss, and she's been fortunate not to have truly experienced most of it herself. But these memories have almost all been heavy, loaded with feeling. ]

video;

[illuminating]

it is i like all of them however very very much and i like hearing them out loud

[ That is to say, she prefers to listen, and she's fond of voices, and, though it mayn't be too obvious, even writing this much isn't common for her. Exceedingly rare, in fact. ]

that is a kind sentiment

what is your name?

video;

[boutant]

I only know English and French, but if you'd ever just like to listen... [ She can talk for days about subjects that interest her, after all. ]

Ariadne. [ She offers another smile, tucking some hair behind an ear. ] And you're... Amaterasu, right?

video;

[illuminating]

i am happy we get to meet

yes though if it is too much of a mouthful a dear friend dubbed me ammy shortly after we met i do not mind any name you might prefer however

and yes please do talk to me all you like

video

[bythewaves]

Lady. [ soft and tired, all her hard work undone ]

You fought brave and hard. And did your morning come?

video (+written)

[illuminating]

it is still night and it has been a long one but i intend to make the sun rise by the end of it

[ If she's ever able to return, that is. ]

video

[bythewaves]

[ An acknowledging bow ]

Then may it come soon for you, Lady, and your Hope not prove in vain.

[ Aurë entuluva! echoes the voice of memory Auta i lómë! Utulië'n aurë!

Day will come again! The night is passing! The day is come! ]

video

[illuminating]

no hope is ever in vain you do know this don't you?

video

[bythewaves]

For me, Lady, I think it is become so, for there is no longer any way forwards that I can see that ends in joy.

video

[illuminating]

standing in one place will not earn you joy either

[ Accompanied with a little growl, a wolf's way of telling another to keep moving. To not lie down and die. ]

video;

[parallels]

[Clara is quiet for a few seconds before speaking.]

Sorry. I. Didn't call you by your proper name. Amaterasu.

[It's all rather strange to absorb, even for you.]

You were very brave.

video;

[illuminating]

patrasche is a beautiful name i like it and if it pleases you i would be happy if you kept calling me by it

[ Held up on parchment, scrawled with calligraphy for her like the others. ]

[parallels]

[Well, that allows her to crack a smile (and look rather proud of herself).]

If you're a deity, doesn't calling you by the wrong name seem a bit like disrespect?

[She's joking. Mostly.]

I'm glad you like the name. Really.

[illuminating]

i am hardly that serious! do you know i have been called chalky and wolfy and snowy and fluffy? patrasche is a lot nicer and more noble sounding than any of them

[parallels]

Well, I can't argue that one. [She has classy taste, yep.]

You need a name that's as brave as you were up there. Nothing silly or cutesy.

Video

[fatherlordandfool]

At last, Lady, I've learned your proper name.

Video

[illuminating]

had you been wondering about it?

[ It's good to see him! She's wagging her tail. And, of course, like the others, this message is written and held up between teeth for him to read. ]