[The fear in her body starts to ebb away, replaced with a sudden jolt of surprise and warmth. She's heard this voice before-as an echo in the wind that told her comforting stories about courageous dogs and offered kind words when she needed them most. The voice itself doesn't shock her-it's the ease of which it comes out now. There's no hiding it in the breeze. Its origin is unmistakable and her eyes are transfixed on the dog that's staring at her.
The story begins to push away her initial terror over the trees and for the first time, she raises her head to look up at the pink petals. There's still a lingering sense of unease as she watches them, but knowing they're a part of her family, that they're meant to protect and honor is-
It makes it a bit easier.]
You made something-
[It's hard to shake her worries after the way she died, but the small, pink blossoms are-]
Pretty. That person would be very happy this is their 'tribute.'
[There's a faint smile that reaches into the wolf's dark eyes at Ren's words, and her head bows in quiet thanks. She'd like this think her cherry blossom trees here are indeed making the people back home happy, and pleasing the Hanagami, but it's nice to know someone appreciate them. It's minor, but Ren's gratitude and praise can be felt - a tiny spark of thanks - and again Amaterasu's image flickers, just a second, to reveal the red patterns and her colorful disc. Like before, however, it vanishes in a blink, never keeping steady for the child's eyes.
Ammy looks up again, to the light that shimmers down through the trees, remembering again just how sacred and blessed these tiny, fragile blooms could be. How they brought joy to the people of Sei-An City as well as far away in Kamiki Village. They're important, and signify a new beginning, the coming of spring, and the frailty of life...as well as the beauty of it. Her eyes glance back at Ren, and a smile curls the wolf's lips, her tail sweeping the ground slowly.]
[Lying isn't an option. The gentle look is piercing in its own right and it doesn't matter how much she tries to hide her anxious expression-Shiro's going to know.]
I don't want to be, but my heart-when I see this kind of thing, it beats really fast.
[She's not sure if dogs are afraid of anything. This one is brave. The others in her world were fearless in the worst possible way, so she raises a hand to her chest and pats against it, to show the quick way her heart's beating. And it's not because she didn't take her medicine. This is fear.]
[The wolf nods, she understands fear, of course she does - she has felt it a hundred times. Fear for the people of Kamiki Village, frozen like statues under the curse of Orochi, fear for Kushi when she faced down the eight-headed serpent, fear for the people of Sei-An, suffering in the streets from the poison mist of Blight's influence, fear for Himiko...rest her soul, when she saw the beastly Ninetails' true form, and fear for her world and its people when she faced down Yami alone, in the cold, crushing darkness inside the Ark of Yamato.
Fear exists in all creatures. Gods, too, are not immune to it.
But bravery, true courage, is standing up to those fears. It's knowing that, even if you fail, you still have to try. It's overcoming those fears. It's standing up again, and moving forward. It's remembering the good things, and people, in your life and letting that empower you.
It's faith.]
And yet you raced through them to come to me. [The wolf's lips tug up at their corners, and that smile reaches well into her dark eyes.] Think back, before the time when your heart would beat fast, what did these flowers remind you of? How did they make you feel? When you would weave them into your hair, or into my fur, and breathe your love and care into them...and help them grow. Share them with others.
[It hasn't been so long that she can't remember how it felt to wake in the morning and carefully place colorful flowers into everyone's hair. It's hard to pinpoint how it made her feel-a mixture of comfort, safety, happiness. They were pretty treasures she could collect and share. They were something she could come by and help create, with some water, a few careful words of encouragement, by patting the soil over tiny seeds and making sure they had a place to grow.
It didn't scare her.
And when she looks up at the beautiful pink blooms again, her fingers don't shake as much. She's able to reach for a couple, feel the soft petals in her hand and twist it around her fingers, knowing that the stem's not coming from her.
The pink would look pretty in this dog's fur, is her first thought.
The red that occasionally flickers across her, when the objects that feel like figments of her imagination appear with a blink of her eye, would look even better.]
My heart would be warm. It wouldn't beat that fast.
[And she feels it-the beat beat beat calming as she listens to the dog's words.]
They would make me really happy and I'd play with the flowers all day.
[As Ammy listens to Ren explain, the flowers gently swaying in a warm, calm breeze, she can feel the child's fear and anxiety begin to ebb away. Good, she's glad. It's okay to be afraid, it's okay to even be angry or upset for a time about the situation or circumstances that happened, but...it's not good to let that fear or that hatred blind you to how good something can be if you really and truly experience it in a positive way. There's always room to learn, to make choices to better yourself. To look past your own reservations and grow - just like a great tree sprouts from a tiny seed. It just needs time...
And a little guidance.]
But you stopped because you were afraid? [The wolf tilts her head to one side, and her words are calm and gentle. She's not accusing or pointing fingers, just laying down the facts in the easiest way to see and understand for the little one.] It's alright to feel afraid, little one. Everyone is afraid of something - that doesn't make them any less strong or brave... But losing your love for something because of your fear must be so lonely, don't you think?
[There's a chuckle, and it seems like the wind shares in the joke, because it carries through the air, letting flower petals tickle across the girl's cheeks and arms.] If you'd still like, I could use a helper to help me tend to my garden. You can play all you want with the flowers.
[The wolf may not be able to pinpoint the words that make Ren shudder or understand why it elicits that response to begin with.
Fear does make a person lonely and it's not only because of a loss of love. Maybe it's the fear of saying something aloud, of keeping things hidden because it's better that way and-
It makes her feel lonely, sometimes, to be without Seto. She misses the warm touch of his hand and lives in fear he won't be able to find his way back to her. Sometimes she's terrified she's going to join him. Sometimes she thinks about her disease, about Shin, about the project and-
It gets to lonely to be the only one that knows. That fear warps her judgement, her worries, the way she looks at the world and she doesn't understand how to stop it.
Doesn't, until those encouraging words reach her heart and she wonders, for the briefest moment, if anyone could look at her and think she's brave, the same way this dog is right now.
There's something beautiful about this creature-a god who has taken everyone's fears and turned it into something beautiful. Has taken the time to use her voice to express that sentiment, to offer support, to console her unspoken fears with a bravery that feels contagious. Like there was no reason for her to be scared to begin with.]
[The petals don't scare her when they flutter across her arms and she-
Reaches down to hold the wolf's head against her chest, running her fingers over her head and behind her ears in gentle, soft strokes.]
Okay.
[Because the flowers are beautiful and she wants to be a part of that again. She wants to pick out the perfect colors to lay against this dog's pure white fur and wrap them around her until she looks like one of the blooming trees she's created.]
I'll come by again-I won't let those flowers die. I'll keep them company and then we'll make a pretty crown for you.
[The tender embrace is allowed, obviously, and Amaterasu's eyes slide shut in relaxation as she leans her snout against the girl's arm and leans up to nose and lick her face. What a splendid child, so brave and so filled with life, despite everything. She continues to smile and fill others with her own sort of joy and happiness. She stands up to dangerous and scary things to aid them. It's miraculous, the strength of people who hold love in their hearts - more so than any seeming miracle a god could create. Truly, the most breathtaking miracles are those caused by the lives of people who overcome even the darkest of tragedies, and continue to grow and smile with joy and love in their hearts, like this one here.
It's why Ammy loves them all so.
When they pull away, Ammy nods her head in a sweeping bow, bending at the knee a bit before standing up again to her full height.]
We would all be deeply honored.
[And as if nodding in agreement, the branches of the flowering trees around them shake gently, rustling in a whisper of leaves and flowers. Truly, this child's presence would be a blessing - Ammy can feel it. She is loved by the earth. As Ammy turns to walk back towards the inside of the Monkey Compound, Ren can see a shift as she crosses the threshold of the gate, like stepping through a mirror to another plane. Color dances and spins in her fur, but it's unlike the previous images she's seen before. No, this time the colors are far more prominent, and tendrils of light shimmer off her back, much like the hues of the rainbow flames billowing from her reflector.
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no subject
The story begins to push away her initial terror over the trees and for the first time, she raises her head to look up at the pink petals. There's still a lingering sense of unease as she watches them, but knowing they're a part of her family, that they're meant to protect and honor is-
It makes it a bit easier.]
You made something-
[It's hard to shake her worries after the way she died, but the small, pink blossoms are-]
Pretty. That person would be very happy this is their 'tribute.'
no subject
Ammy looks up again, to the light that shimmers down through the trees, remembering again just how sacred and blessed these tiny, fragile blooms could be. How they brought joy to the people of Sei-An City as well as far away in Kamiki Village. They're important, and signify a new beginning, the coming of spring, and the frailty of life...as well as the beauty of it. Her eyes glance back at Ren, and a smile curls the wolf's lips, her tail sweeping the ground slowly.]
You're still afraid. [It's not a question.]
no subject
I don't want to be, but my heart-when I see this kind of thing, it beats really fast.
[She's not sure if dogs are afraid of anything. This one is brave. The others in her world were fearless in the worst possible way, so she raises a hand to her chest and pats against it, to show the quick way her heart's beating. And it's not because she didn't take her medicine. This is fear.]
Like that. And I get scared.
no subject
Fear exists in all creatures. Gods, too, are not immune to it.
But bravery, true courage, is standing up to those fears. It's knowing that, even if you fail, you still have to try. It's overcoming those fears. It's standing up again, and moving forward. It's remembering the good things, and people, in your life and letting that empower you.
It's faith.]
And yet you raced through them to come to me. [The wolf's lips tug up at their corners, and that smile reaches well into her dark eyes.] Think back, before the time when your heart would beat fast, what did these flowers remind you of? How did they make you feel? When you would weave them into your hair, or into my fur, and breathe your love and care into them...and help them grow. Share them with others.
Did that make your heart beat fast?
no subject
It didn't scare her.
And when she looks up at the beautiful pink blooms again, her fingers don't shake as much. She's able to reach for a couple, feel the soft petals in her hand and twist it around her fingers, knowing that the stem's not coming from her.
The pink would look pretty in this dog's fur, is her first thought.
The red that occasionally flickers across her, when the objects that feel like figments of her imagination appear with a blink of her eye, would look even better.]
My heart would be warm. It wouldn't beat that fast.
[And she feels it-the beat beat beat calming as she listens to the dog's words.]
They would make me really happy and I'd play with the flowers all day.
no subject
And a little guidance.]
But you stopped because you were afraid? [The wolf tilts her head to one side, and her words are calm and gentle. She's not accusing or pointing fingers, just laying down the facts in the easiest way to see and understand for the little one.] It's alright to feel afraid, little one. Everyone is afraid of something - that doesn't make them any less strong or brave... But losing your love for something because of your fear must be so lonely, don't you think?
[There's a chuckle, and it seems like the wind shares in the joke, because it carries through the air, letting flower petals tickle across the girl's cheeks and arms.] If you'd still like, I could use a helper to help me tend to my garden. You can play all you want with the flowers.
1/2 oh
Fear does make a person lonely and it's not only because of a loss of love. Maybe it's the fear of saying something aloud, of keeping things hidden because it's better that way and-
It makes her feel lonely, sometimes, to be without Seto. She misses the warm touch of his hand and lives in fear he won't be able to find his way back to her. Sometimes she's terrified she's going to join him. Sometimes she thinks about her disease, about Shin, about the project and-
It gets to lonely to be the only one that knows. That fear warps her judgement, her worries, the way she looks at the world and she doesn't understand how to stop it.
Doesn't, until those encouraging words reach her heart and she wonders, for the briefest moment, if anyone could look at her and think she's brave, the same way this dog is right now.
There's something beautiful about this creature-a god who has taken everyone's fears and turned it into something beautiful. Has taken the time to use her voice to express that sentiment, to offer support, to console her unspoken fears with a bravery that feels contagious. Like there was no reason for her to be scared to begin with.]
no subject
Reaches down to hold the wolf's head against her chest, running her fingers over her head and behind her ears in gentle, soft strokes.]
Okay.
[Because the flowers are beautiful and she wants to be a part of that again. She wants to pick out the perfect colors to lay against this dog's pure white fur and wrap them around her until she looks like one of the blooming trees she's created.]
I'll come by again-I won't let those flowers die. I'll keep them company and then we'll make a pretty crown for you.
no subject
It's why Ammy loves them all so.
When they pull away, Ammy nods her head in a sweeping bow, bending at the knee a bit before standing up again to her full height.]
We would all be deeply honored.
[And as if nodding in agreement, the branches of the flowering trees around them shake gently, rustling in a whisper of leaves and flowers. Truly, this child's presence would be a blessing - Ammy can feel it. She is loved by the earth. As Ammy turns to walk back towards the inside of the Monkey Compound, Ren can see a shift as she crosses the threshold of the gate, like stepping through a mirror to another plane. Color dances and spins in her fur, but it's unlike the previous images she's seen before. No, this time the colors are far more prominent, and tendrils of light shimmer off her back, much like the hues of the rainbow flames billowing from her reflector.
The great goddess, Amaterasu, revealed entirely.]
May the fresh scent of blossoms protect you, always.