Reviving A Lost Jutsu (part 2)

Amane woke with a start. The sun was beating down on her, warming her skin and making her eyes snap shut again. This was bad. Sleeping in the desert was simply asking for death. Her black outfit was scorching her. She lay on the bank of the river, Odin was nowhere to be seen. It was of course rare to find a river in the desert, but there was always one somewhere, this one happened to be just north of the village, and had a slow and steady flow, so was convenient for this kind of training. If you could call it that. Amane panted and shielded her eyes. Her mouth was dry, and her lips were cracked. She pulled herself towards the river slowly, her breath rasping through her throat. She reached the bank and let her arm roll into the water. It felt cool and refreshing. She took it out after a minute or so and undid her belt. She slid her arm out of her top and pulled the material off of her. Her shorts and vest-top were light and a pale colour, and wouldn't drag her down in the water or get damaged. She kicked off her shoes and rolled in. The water hit her like a slap in the face. She kicked her legs and stretched her limbs and fingers, absorbing the moisture and feeling grateful she had passed out here instead of in the middle of the desert. She spun around and headed towards the surface. She breathed a lungful of air and swam slowly to the rivers edge again, laying against the warm rocks and closing her eyes.

Shouting came from behind her. she was still in the water, her arms lying on the rocks, keeping her head from going under the water every two seconds. She turned her head towards the sound to hear Odin's howl and the footsteps of many running towards her. "She's drowning!" one shouted. "Is she dead?!" another screamed. More followed, things like 'Oh my god!' and 'She's a goner for sleeping in the desert!' One voice rang clear though, Odin's. His howl had changed. He held so much authority in it, so much maturity. He was advancing on her fast, far ahead from the others. He had brought them. His eyes were fixed on her, and when he reached her he nuzzled her arm and licked her shoulders to make sure she was okay. She smiled a bit and stroked his mane, her eyes meeting his. "You're such a good boy." She told him. The ninja behind him were running towards her, one had reached her and was holding onto her shoulders to pull her out of the water. She sighed. She wasn't comfortable accepting help from strangers, but they were from the same village. "Okay miss, we're going to get you to hospital." The male that had her shoulders said softly. She shuddered at this.
"No. I can't go to hospital. Please. I'm okay..." There were seven people around her, and they all had their eyes on her. Amane hated this. "No! Please, let me go, I'll be fine." She pulled herself from the man's grasp and made an effort to crawl for her clothes. Odin stood tall beside the man. Easily half his height. He had changed. Maybe... She thought to herself.

She whistled to him after pulling her over-clothes back on, and looked him in the eye. "Are you ready?" She asked him. He nuzzled her shoulder and wagged his tail. He was. The other ninja watched her from the spot she had refused their help. She regretted that, and felt selfish. She apologized. They took it well. "We were just worried, when your friend came howling to us we thought it could have been a child or someone who couldn't handle the heat of the desert. We are glad you are okay miss." They ran back towards the village and left her.

She took a hold of his mane, placed a hand on his back and took hold. She looked him in the eyes and nodded. He wagged his tail. She closed her eyes and pulled herself up. She swung her leg over, and balanced herself on his back. She had never ridden before. And she had never expected her first ride to have been on the back of her beloved wolf. He looked back at her and sighed. Their bond was increasing. Everything would become clear. Amane leaned against him and put her arms around his soft, fluffy neck. She held him tightly in her embrace, and he licked her arm tenderly. She leaned back after a while, and positioned herself firmly on his back, making sure she wouldn't fall off. She held onto his silver mane with both of her hands, and pressed her legs against his sides. He shook his head and began to walk, giving her time to get the hang of things. She found it surprisingly easy, and signaled for him to go faster. He began to almost trot, and Amane kept her balance with no effort needed. Odin yawned before stopping and facing her with a wolfy grin on his face. His eyes lit up and he turned away again. She gave a smile back and held on tightly as he shot off like a rocket across the sand.