Bearclaw Valley Green, green thunder and the loud, loud rain

And then another pup appeared from a burrow!

The family was wary. Cautious. One child even showed their teeth.

Keiko paused, but she was careful not to balk. The young priestess hesitated and dialed her enthusiasm down. Had they not pilgrimaged to this land to pray to the Kami of the valley? Were they not a family at all?

Perhaps they were a part of a Shougunate. Warriors. Or maybe a simple feudal clan. On second glance, the adults couldn’t have been any older than herself.

She collected herself and stayed at a distance, now a bit nervous herself. It was clear they did not share language, but she was eager to know them. Help them. Unaware they had ties to the land she believed Hokkyokusei-sama had created.

“Konnichiwa,” she said. The pale Miko bowed, elegant and formal. “Heiwa.”

“Onaka ga suiteimasu ka?” she asked. “Eto…” Keiko pointed at her mouth and then gestured with a paw in the direction of the shrine she kept.