handwritten-text (forward-dated to 20th-ish)

[brushy]

Hello, rambunctious children, with your magical self-writing rocks and magic-yous. I smell so many different yous, by the way! All these shapeshifter-sorts, angel-sorts and demon-sorts. Oh, demons, I’d be delighted to meet you, but if you are like the odds of dear Michael, then carry on. I will not bite. You all are welcome to call me what your heart tells you to, but Ammy, as much as Ammako, have always been the ones to soften my spots.

I'm very aware of the sun's disappearance, and these cursed lands have not allowed it to rise as of late, but, if you are to ask for it, in your thoughts and in your hearts, it shall come to you. Your plantlife shall flourish, your waters cleansed, and perhaps the air you breathe will taste less like a boiling pot of rot down your throat. In the meantime, it shall find a way. It always does. Fear not!

And if you have little interest in these things, then tell me, I am most curious: what is faith, to the lot of you? I am in the mood for the Good Chats as I carry on with my duties, yes.

Oh, and one more thing! If anyone manages to come across a bundle of bones that look and smell of the holy sort by the by, may I have them? They are my favorite snack.

[ as a note, people are welcome to find ōkami items! ]

Comments

[brushy]

[ amaterasu bows her head subtly, acknowledging the girl and her own politeness before heading off to the aforementioned tree. she'd like to see this tree. how was it, in terms of lacking sunlight? does it need some light and warmth? ammy looks upon it and regards it with care, while sansa prepares her return. ]

[dohaeris]

[weirwoods are sturdy and hard to kill. they withstood the first long night, and this one has the benefit of the moon presence shining gentle magic on its leaves. it hums along as ever with ancient, passive magic. sansa's white raven omen winter settles in its branches; he greets amaterasu with happy raven noises, and says "you honor us with your presence, Lady Amaterasu."

visenya the batcat flaps around, sniffing at amaterasu. she is still not entirely used to this guest whose smell doesn't seem to match her shape.

lady takes the rest of her fish in her mouth and follows amaterasu to the back room.

sansa deposits the salmon in the freezer; it had always traveled on ice from the white knife to winterfell. she walks briskly through the kitchen to the back room.]

I'm afraid I can't offer you anything to eat from my world, though perhaps an aurochs will wander out of a portal and into a butcher's shop, and I could buy you a magnificent rack of ribs.

[she walks over to stand by amaterasu at the heart tree.]

It's said the Old Gods peer out the faces of the Heart Trees. The first people of Westeros, the Children of the Forest, carved them a long time ago, in the Dawn Age. Then the First Men came, and they fought for a while, but they made a peace, and the Children of the Forest taught us to worship the Old Gods, and some of their magic. We don't have much magic anymore. And even though the Andals, who came after, and brought the New Gods with them, never conquered the North, the Children of the Forest disappeared from our lands centuries ago.

[brushy]

[ she continues to be welcomed warmly, and so amaterasu blesses the home she stands in; the raven seems to laugh in a way that brings delight to her, and, look at this . . . they have a tiny child that meows, and has wings! at the base of the old tree, she blooms small flowers of pink, warming hues all around to form a lovely necklace. the wise tree itself is given a burst of rejuvenation with a gentle stroke of her celestial brush. before she lays in a semi-circle right around the batcat, smacking her lips at the prospect of ribs, she shepherds the kitten into the warmth and blankets of snowy fur of her belly, and regards the omen in turn: "enjoy your blessings, my children."

but, now came storytime! with an erect back and perked ears, the she-wolf listens, and listens well. she sends a message to sansa, with golden eyes curious: ]

Did the Children of the Forest disappear because they were forgotten?

[dohaeris]

[visenya the batcat, faced with such soft and abundant fur, decides to groom it. winter repeats amaterasu's message as it appears in the omni crystal's display. sansa adopts a tiny frown of consternation.]

It was many, many centuries ago, and I couldn't tell you what the people of that time were thinking. But we haven't forgotten the Children of the Forest, in mine. [she smiles faintly to herself.] The North remembers.

[she walks over to the heart tree and admires the flowers.]

Thank you, they're lovely.

[she sits down by amaterasu, gathering her skirts up and smoothing them down as needed.]

The new gods are the Seven. The septons sometimes call them the Seven-in-one. The Andals brought them to Westeros. They're more like people--the Mother, the Father, the Maiden, the Warrior, the Smith, the Crone, and the Stranger. He's just death. But they're all supposed to be one being, like a tree with different branches. [she smiles ruefully.] A septa or septon would say like points on a star. The seven-pointed star is their symbol. We light candles to them, and sing hymns. The septs all have pictures or statues of them, and you put a candle under one of them to pray. You pray to the Father for protection, and the Mother for mercy, the Warrior for courage, the Maiden for love, the Smith for strength, the Crone for wisdom, and the Stranger...people pray to him for different things. The Maiden is said to look after young girls, and the Warrior is said to look after soldiers. People pray to the Mother if they want to have children. There are stories about the Seven, but I don't remember them very well. They're mostly about how you're supposed to behave to please the Seven.

[brushy]

I'm sure they are proud of the north. I know I would be.

[ it hasn't gotten too long a story with details that amaterasu already had— no, this was all very new. so, she continues interested and vigilant in her listening. even if her eyes wander (a natural tick, for canines), the wolf regards the kitten and adds a warm lick right over her little head, simply to show that she is participating in all of her children's activities.

another message, if you will: ]

The Seven are then One. [ it sounds familiar; how there are thirteen brush gods, all representing an element— and their origin is all under one umbrella, one god, one mother— amaterasu, herself. ] It is amazing, how different faith can be, yet how similar they all are. I may have a story for you too, if you ever have an interest in hearing it.

[dohaeris]

[visenya lets out an extended kitten squeak. winter repeats the message. sansa beams.]

Of course! I love stories.

[lady delicately snaps up her last few morsels of fish and goes to retrieve the shankbone for amaterasu, which she lays at her feet, before lying down in a respectful posture with her paws curled up.]

[brushy]

[ well then, here came the story: complete, of course, with a meal in between. it doesn’t even seem like ammy is the one to produce these messages; she’s not moving in any way that brings suspicion. she only chews on her bone treat as any canine would! by grinding her teeth against them. ]

There once was a wolf. An older-me, a Grandmother-me, her name was “White Wild Majesty”, or in my mother tongue, “Shiranui”. She was one god, but carried with her the power of thirteen. When it was her time to pass on after a deadly battle, the remaining twelve gods within her scattered, and hid themselves in constellations until her return.

These gods were each holders of a celestial brush technique that controlled the very fabric of nature. Many people prayed to each, under their specific element . . . But in the end, who commanded them on earth was the one of Sunrise.

(That is me, a younger-me, a Now-Mother-me)

[dohaeris]

[sansa is somewhat overawed, but she nods anyway. lady had always known she was a great queen of wolves, and very powerful, but this is...even the pthumerians hadn't made the world. they had only changed it. that's how she knew they weren't gods.]

Your grandmother made your world, and you were her heir. That which was in her is in you.

[she rises to her knees, so she can bend one.]

House Stark serves life, always. We see it through the winter. You have my lealty in this world, for all it's worth.

[brushy]

[ amaterasu has come to respect any and all forms of tribute— prayer gives her strength. prayer is why she is alive, and why she walks among them, and lives among them, and tries to make happiness sprout between the cracks. a flower has been specked behind one of sansa's ears, blooming a beautiful pink that cherry blossoms do. ]

Even if you hadn't, I would still watch over you.

[dohaeris]

[sansa rises back to her knees, beaming. her eyes dart in the direction of her newly beflowered ear.]

That's what makes you good. A true and worthy queen.

[the kind of ruler she'd like to be, even if it's only of the north. or this house. she sits back.]

You know you'll always have a place here in my home, whenever you need it.

[brushy]

I know. The same way you will always have a place in my heart.

[ but there is something she’s considering, as her tail thumps and her paw curves around a bat kitten. ]

But I can’t say I am a Queen. I have met many, but I do not rule over lands and people. I nourish them. I am their Mother.

[dohaeris]

[visenya snatches at the paw and attempts to lick it.

sansa learned of amaterasu's status from lady, so there was some...translation involved. sansa furrows her brow.]

But...isn't it the same thing, for wolves?

[the head of the pack is always the mother, after all.]

[brushy]

[ oh, lady. you did your best, there is no harm done! ]

Perhaps if I were born mortal, and into a pack of wolves. That is not the case for me.

I was brought to life from stone.