Bearclaw Valley with sincerity, there is virtue

@Drust using an old bearclaw valley pack map as inspo here

Keiko and the spirit of the forest journeyed deeper into the valley. She discovered the clear river that ran through it, a glorious waterfall, and lush forests… but what was most peculiar about this territory was that there was only one entrance… and that meant one exit.

No wonder the great white Kami chose this garden. It was his own secret Shangri-la. Keiko couldn’t help but wonder if a bridge existed here that connected to the celestial plane - the kami’s homeland.

Soon, weariness overcame Keiko’s zeal. She began to fall asleep at the wheel, even as they walked.

Do gods sleep? She wondered. The teachings, scrolls, and stories never mentioned the needs of earth-walking spirits. Surely not, the priestess thought to herself. But what if…

=“O-kami-sama, forgive me, but I must rest. Your divine, tireless spirit is unparalleled, but I will arrange for you a bed should you find the desire to repose.”= She dipped her head and began to collect fronds of fern, comically tired, to craft a modest bed.

Bummer. The photo won't load for me... hmmm... could you PM it to me? Sounds like a good idea

The pair had ventured deeper into the valley past the coarse boulder filled entrance and into their serene surroundings. 

The snowy female with charcoal dustings began to waver. First one step, then two... He walked closer to her in case she were to fall. Was it fatigue? Hunger? 

His thoughts interrupted as she turned to face him.'Kami-sama...' it was a sound she repeated often. A single pebble within the vast pool of language Drust was only shyly on the track toward understanding.

Following a nod she changed her directory and began to rummage through the foliage. Taking this as a moment of reprieve to set down her leaf pouch, he moved his jaw and tongue around very aware of the strange taste that lingered.

A slow grizzly walk to the river, lacking any hesitation as he placed his front paws within the water, and lowered his head to drink. His massive tongue bringing up buckets of water to quench his vast thirst.

Then he stopped. Feeling the motion underwater push against his forearms. Movement. Still, he lifted his eyes and watched as it approached.

A low roar followed by a large splash of water enveloped Drust... then quiet. He slowly backed out of the water and turned in the direction of his companion, a medium sized fish thrashing between his jawels.

Keiko used her last ounce of energy to complete a sleeping place at camp for the forest god. She backed away to get a better look and cocked her head as a small paw tapped her chin.

She had neatly folded the fern fronds into a patterned circle. Bunches of moss and aromatic pine padded its center. Keiko felt it was too crude for her honorable deity… but, given the circumstances, it was the best she could do. The young Miko promised herself to create more appropriate sleeping quarters for Kami-sama… maybe, just maybe, she would find an apprentice or two to help!

But… was the bed large enough? Just as Keiko turned around (to get more accurate measurements) a great cacophony of sound made her lids snap open like shutters. A roar! Great splashing! Her jaw dropped, impressed by the sheer power of the spirit cutting through the river. He moved swiftly as if there was no water at all. Surely, any common wolf would have been swept away! When he turned around a fish, glistening with color, flapped in his jaws.

“Ehhh!?” She exclaimed. “Subarashii!!” Keiko clapped her paws together, face bright with admiration.

As he walked out of the water it flowed off his waterproof coat in streams and slowly began saturating the ground. The lively fish making its final efforts for escape annoyed Drust as its tail flicked up towards his eyes, and disrupted his view of her.

Her beaming gaze, pools of sweet dark chocolate, met his as he emerged. An excited exclamation and an applause. He'd succeeded.  

Biting down harder the fish's motion ceased and his vision of her was again pure.

Great slow strides were taken to close the gap between the two, and Drust dropped the fish at her feet, little streams of blood slowly leaving its body where his teeth had punctured it. Pausing for a moment to look at her before nudging the fish gently in her direction with his nose.

The feeling of remaining surface water penetrating deeper into his coat triggered the urge. He tucked his head in and began the thunderous shaking of his pelt. Opening his eyes as he finished he realized his lack of foresight as she stood before him lightly sprayed... oops. 

A soft apologetic look overtook his expression.

I got a little carried away…

Keiko swore she felt the earth shake with each step the divine man took.

She was surprised he moved towards her, and even more surprised when he dropped the fish at her feet! Her fine-featured face went blank, perplexed, as he nudged it towards her.

No, no, no! This fish was food of the gods. He couldn’t mean to share it with her, did he? If anything, it was the Miko’s responsibility to bring an offering to him.

Both of them looked at each other. Then at the fish. Then back to one another.

A classic lost-in-translation moment.

Thankfully, the long silence was broken by a rain of river water, shaken from his furs. Keiko lifted a paw to shield herself as she laughed with poise. Oh what a joy it was to learn his proclivities!

She felt rejuvenated and then, suddenly, an idea came to her. =“Oh!,”= she clapped her paws together, =“I understand. You must want it prepared.”=

With the speed of a wind sprite, Keiko gathered ingredients from her pouch and the river’s edge. Before she began, the girl wet her paws in the running water to clean them.

She laid the fish across a wide plank and artfully separated the skin, roe, and flesh into perfect cuts. Then, she took two river stones and mashed burdock root with dried salmonberries of her homeland into a paste. This was slathered onto a few broad green leaves of sorrel, which would match well with their lemony notes, and rolled around the skin to create a swirl. Atop the meat, she laid a grape leaf, sweetened with chickweed (simplicity was best when serving riverfish). For decoration, vibrant violet leaves popped among the fish’s shimmering salty orange eggs.

Once finished, she wasted no time to slide the prepared plate back towards him with a bow.

“Meshiagare,” she said. Then, Keiko tucked herself into a neat sitting position, ready to watch him take a bite.

Pretty <3

Her expression did not fill with anger or disappointment but instead, the air filled with the sweet sound of her giggling, and Drust felt as though he could taste it. A sweetness beyond his imagination... though he was in for another surprise.

It fueled him and she seemed too energized as she reached into her pouch and took the fish to the river. An artform commenced and he followed her looking over her shoulder, his burly shoulders over her petite frame mesmerized at each step of the sequence. A look of ah spread across his face.

The final product so clean and elegant the thought of eating it brought a hint of guilt to his stomach. They sat in front of the bed of ferns and foliage, not yet tested by the bear, too enamored by what was previously just a simple carcass.

The wooden plate was pushed in his direction and she sat prim and proper before him, looking to him expectantly.

He paused a moment, wanting to be sure she intended for him to eat her masterpiece.

Taking a bite of the center flesh first, a deep captivated purr bellowed from his throat. Undoubtedly the best bite of fish he'd experienced in his life. His eyes widened, unsure if he'd mistaken the taste. Going in for a second bite confirmed the reality. 

The wooshing of his large tale propelled through the air.

A lick of the roe and a nibble of the roll, indulging in each of their unique flavors, leaving roughly half behind. 

Taking hold of the tail he took a few steps back and laid down. Holding it between his paws, gnawing at it with his back teeth... it was then that he realized his companion remained fixed, unmoving, unsatiated.

A confused bellow huffed from his lips. Looking to her and the fish before nodding his head and bellowing again. He had left her the better half after all.

Keiko watched with bated breath as the Ookami savored the meal she had meticulously prepared.

Was it to his liking? Was the flavor bold enough? Keiko was a walking dichotomy of master and novice. Some complex skills, such as the culinary arts, came easily – quickly mastered by the Miko. However, she did not possess the same confidence as a more wisened priestess and fretted because of it.

Her brown gaze widened when she heard a sound of pleasure humming from his throat.

Then, came joy. A smile made her cheeks grow so big that they nearly eclipsed her eyes. “Yokatta!” she exclaimed with long, drawn-out vowels.

Then, there was no mistaking Kami-sama’s next expression. He wished to share! Keiko hesitated but felt that if she refused him then it would be impolite. To refuse a god was an even greater transgression than a Miko tasting food touched by the one.

“Arigatou Gozaimasu, Kami-sama,” she lauded graciously. Then, with a cheerful tone, she announced “Itadakimasu!”

Keiko dined with formal movements until her portion of the food was gone.

Then, she cleaned the area and returned the stone to the riverside.

Meiko gestured to the fern futon she had made with a long, outstretched paw.

=“For you, Kami-sama. So that you may slumber peacefully.”=

'Yokatta' He did not know the meaning of the word but in that moment he thought it had been the sweetest babble to come from her lips. The tone lifting along with the corners of her mouth. An infectious smile filling him up, even after such a delectable meal. And the feeling only continued as she comprehended his offering and accepted.

She finished her meal and carried their platter to the water's edge. With a respectful distance between them, he planted his paws firmly into the soil he again shook his coat, this time without showering his companion.

Large claws scrapped against the ground as he stretched out in a deep bow, closing his eyes as he hit the sweet spot.

Opening his eyes she appeared before him again and gestured to the bed of ferns. He rose from the ground, previously looking up at her in his bow, now looking down standing before her.

He turned to face the bed and cautiously hovered a paw over the strategically placed foliage. Another work of art he felt hesitant to ruin. Then he slowly dropped his paw, allowing it to be pressed into the bed.

For a moment he turned his head to look at her in surprise.

Then, a small pause, before the bear rolled into the bed, falling into it like a timbered tree. The coziest thing he'd laid on. Sooo soft. Mysteriously so. And his chest rumbled like a purring motor in delight.

Sprawling himself out, the edges of the bed expanded and he curled up to one side. A portion of the bed unoccupied at his side.

Keiko could tell the Ookami was pleased by her creation because of the happy rumble in his chest. Her dark eyes traced the edge of his muscles, his broad crown – yes, he was a noble deity, indeed.

She dipped her head as a gesture of reverence. Though he had left a spot Keiko-sized upon the futon, the thought of joining him never occurred to the young Miko. Instead, she turned towards a more humble bed made from pine fronds and curled up in a tight ball.

“Oyasuminasai,” Keiko breathed as she fought back a yawn. Unexpectedly, today became the first day of the rest of her life. Everything would be different now.

Exhausted, the priestess quickly fell into a deep slumber.

~

The night sky. Keiko stared at it and felt small like a pebble in a river. Cold air rushed around her body. A visceral feeling. Was this really a dream?

She walked but there was no ground beneath her feet. Just a starry blanket of infinity.

Then, a large white light hung in the sky. Flames made its silhouette dance, but despite the fire, there was no heat. A sound like a singing bowl sent a shiver up her spine.

Amaterasu.

Daughter of the creator god.

Tears welled in her eyes as she stood before the heavenly being, breathless.  Then, something broke free from the light. A shooting star tumbled across the night sky. A gift. A blessing. Then, it found its place upon Amaterasu’s tapestry and became the brightest star of all.

~

Keiko’s eyes fluttered awake in the early morning.

Songbirds whistled in the distance.

Frosty dew clung to the grass.

I know your name, Keiko realized.

Hokkyokusei-Okami.

Her North Star.