Swiftcurrent Creek Sunrise

Amaterasu sat and watched the sun rise over the horizon. She sat beside the creek - Swiftcurrent Creek, it was called - and wondered what was in store for her. It had been long since she had decided to settle down anywhere, as her lifestyle often resembled that of the wolf she was named for. Amaterasu - both herself and the wolf goddess - was a wanderer at heart. She found it difficult to live among the same wolves for very long, and she hoped wanderlust would not take her out of this place. It was time to settle down now. Although she was still young and restless, she was beginning to feel the need of family in her bones, and the need to protect those she loved. But... being who she was meant that she didn't have anyone to protect. She was hoping that by coming here - to the Teekon Wilds - that she could make bonds with those around her. The creek, she had decided, would become her home.

With these thoughts in mind, she continued to sit and watch the sunrise. The Goddess for which she was named was famed for having the power of turning night into day by drawing a circle in the sky with her tail, which became the sun. And so, Amaterasu always got up early in the morning to watch her patron deity do her work. And, if she could, she would also watch the sunset, and the rising of the moon. The moonrise was the work of Yumigami, the rabbit Goddess, who was once swallowed by a fish in a forest far away, so that the moon's light ceased to shine on the surface of the lake in which the fish lived.

To some, all of this was simply a fairy tale. To Amaterasu, it was fact, and was but one part of her religion, which she took quite seriously. Her religion made up the very fabric of her being, and she did not intend to forget it here, in this new place. She would remember who she was no matter where in the world she ended up. This she promised herself, and the Goddess of the Sun, Mother to Us All, Amaterasu, smiled down on her as she continued to rise in the sky.

This got a bit longer than I expected! No need to match length. Also, I'm assuming they exchanged names when Ama was accepted. :)

It seemed Ferdie and Jace were not moving willingly. It was no bother to the queen of the creek, who fully intended to pester them until they took the hint and fled somewhere far away from her home. She still failed to understand why they had set up shop so close to where they had been banished from. The lands to the south and west of here were many and uninhabited as far as Fox knew. Why choose somewhere so close to claimed land, especially a home they had been chased from? She did not think she would ever know the answers to these questions, so she pushed the thoughts from her mind.

There were better things to think of, like how she would invade or otherwise terrorize the small band of wolves—they could scarcely call themselves a pack—who were so bold as to think that they were stronger than the lot who lived here. They were not, of course, considering the creek held easily twice as many in numbers as they did. She could not know that count for sure, but she trusted Cutthroat's judgement. A funny thing, that. When he had first arrived, Fox had only mistrust for the captive. Now, she thought him a prospective mate. He was strong and able, after all, and he had proven himself loyal to the creek and its inhabitants.

The sun was well on its way to peaking over the horizon, and Fox was up and already about. Feeling peckish upon waking, she had scarfed down the rabbit Cutthroat had brought back a few days prior. The meat was still good enough, albeit dry around the edges, and she was soon on her way to the pack's namesake creek. Her strides were lazy and slow, feeling contented by the meal her denmate had provided. Still, she made her way before the sun had completely taken over the sky, and she stopped for a drink. Her belly now full of both water and meat, she began to follow the creek's bends. It wasn't long before she came across Amaterasu, the new recruit.

“Mornin’,” she greeted with a quick nod of her head. “I see you found our creek.”

Ammy's thoughts about the sun and her namesake deity were blown away on a gentle breeze when she heard the sound of a wolf nearby, hailing her a good morning. She looked to the woman curiously, and realized with a smile that it was Fox, her alpha. "Good morning, alpha," she said in response, dipping her head in respect and greeting. It was then that the woman's fur coloring made her realize something. Though she looked nothing like the fabled wolf Goddess, Amaterasu, she had the same crimson coloring on her body. This made Ammy's smile only widen.

"It seems the Sun Goddess has blessed you with her touch," she said, and for half a moment she did not realize how odd that must have sounded. A full second went by, and then she blinked and said, "Forgive me. You probably think I am a fool." She gave a laugh and explained. "In my religion, the main deity is a wolf Goddess who controls the sun. In legend, she wore a brilliant white coat of fur, and to most, this was all they could see. However, those who truly believed in her powers could look upon her and were able to see the crimson markings that criss-crossed her fur. The red in your own reminded me of this."

The white female paused, and then ended her speech with, "This Sun Goddess' name was... Amaterasu, my namesake."

Fox opened her mouth to speak, wanting to tell Amaterasu that she could just be called "Fox," but the (rather talkative) girl went on some long story-telling spree unprompted. The yearling waited patiently for the speaking to cease, and then replied with a, “Huh.” She had merely been looking for smalltalk, but she had managed to find quite the contrary—bigtalk. Fox absorbed none of it, if only because myths and legends had no place in her everyday life.

Remembering that she had meant to respond to Ama's first greeting, she did so now. “And, uh, you can just call me Fox. That whole formal title thing doesn’t usually do anything for me.” Sure, Fox adored to be flattered, but there was just something off-putting about being called "Alpha." She was still a wolf, after all, not just some emotionless robot put here to lead them (even if it seemed that way from time to time).

I'm sorry this is so short. I literally just had writer's block in the middle of typing the response...

Amaterasu nodded her head once, to show that she understood. And then she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry for talking so much." With that, she decided to simply stop talking for a while, and looked out at the sunrise once again. After a few minutes, though, she couldn't help herself. "It is beautiful, isn't it? The sunrise?"

She looked to Fox, wondering about the yearling's opinion.

Fox shrugged idly, indicating that the talking had been no big deal. Really, it hadn't. Fox just didn't know how to respond to such lengthy stories when she didn't have any of her own. Silence enveloped them for a time, and eventually, Amaterasu spoke up with a much easier to digest question. “That it is,” replied Fox. She remained there, looking at the sunrise until the earth was covered in light. It was the squawking of a bird that broke Fox's trance, and she excused herself to fill the day with border patrols.