Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter 1: Prologue

It had been several months since the demon known as Kumo had threatened the forest with enslavement and total domination until he was defeated by Ashitaka, San, the humans from Irontown, and the creatures and gods of the forest. While his terror over the land had lingered several days after his death, there were no scars that were left by the demon, except for the reduced number of apes in the forest. The pond which belonged to the Forest Spirit was cleansed not long after the demon's tainted blood touched the water. Where his body had fallen, grass had regrown. The destruction in Irontown which was caused by the apes under the demon's curse had been repaired before the winter months.

It was now late-December. Snow had begun to fall in the region. Ashitaka had never seen snow before since it never snowed in his village before; it usually became colder around this time, but he couldn't recall there ever being snow in the village. He thought it was beautiful to see the hills covered in white, but very quickly found it hard to work or play in the snow. San, having grown in the region, was used to it and wore her pelt to keep herself warm during the winter. Ashitaka decided that he would stay in Irontown for most of winter because he wasn't prepared for the cold. His cloak offered some protection, but not enough to let him live in the forest for more than a week. He had begun alternating living in Irontown for one week and visiting San the next.

Ashitaka was preparing for one such visit to San on a cold winter morning. Snow had covered the streets of Irontown the night before and covered the rooftops in a thin blanket. Ashitaka was bringing his clothes and weapons with him; he would have brought food with him if he had any, but due to the snow, there was a shortage in Irontown. According to Eboshi, there was always a drop in how much food was available whenever winter arrived and the snow came, but it was particularly bad this year since nearly their entire stockpile was poisoned by one of Jigo's hunters when he was trying to capture or kill Ashitaka and San. After he had gathered everything that he needed, Ashitaka went to Lady Eboshi's house to tell her he was leaving for the week. Eboshi gave him her best wishes and continued on with her duty of overseeing Irontown. Ashitaka went to the stables where his red elk, Yakul, was awaiting him. He greeted Yakul by petting the elk's head before he mounted him and rode off to the forest.

For Ashitaka, it was relatively easy to navigate through the forest since he had grown up so close to one. But having never encountered snow before, except for the past few weeks, he had a much more difficult time finding his way in the forest than he would normally. Yakul was also being very cautious; one wrong step and the elk could trip and hurt himself and Ashitaka. The snow was six inches deep at the most and that was downhill. The snow was not as deep as they went up-hill, but they still moved carefully, making a slushing sound as they moved in the snow.

Finding the den was also slightly harder since the sides looked the same as the rest of the hills since snow covered most of it. However, he had been there enough to memorize the path there and was able to find it after some time trying to discern its location among the snow covered trees. He could see a small trail of smoke coming from the cave. Outside he could smell some sort of meat being roasted inside. He realized that he was actually very hungry; he hadn't eaten breakfast and it was already an hour and a half past noon.

Ashitaka didn't tie Yakul's reigns to any trees; he knew that his faithful friend would never leave him, even if there was danger nearby (unless, of course, Ashitaka told him to). He gave the elk a quick pat on the head before he began to climb to the mouth of the cave. On his way up to the ledge, his lost his footing and slipped, tumbling back down to the bottom next to Yakul. The elk playfully nibbled on Ashitaka's hair before the boy got back up and tried again. This time he got to the ledge, which was slippery from all of the ice on the ground. He tried to take a step but once again lost his footing. This time, he slipped and slid to the edge of the ledge. Ashitaka gasped and quickly grabbed the ledge to hang on. Ashitaka looked down below; if he let go of his grip, he would likely die from the fall.

San must have heard him slip or gasp because before he could call her name, he felt somebody grab his arm just as he slipped another half an inch.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she peeked over the edge and looked down at Ashitaka.

"I'm fine," he replied, "but I could use a little help." San pulled up Ashitaka while he used his free hand to help her by pushing himself up. San was eventually able to drag him onto the ledge. Ashitaka moved away from the edge as soon as he was able to get all four limbs back on the stone. "Thanks, San; I'm still not that used to snow or ice yet."

"You'll learn how to manage with it eventually." She said. She led him inside to a fire she had burning. "I usually don't light fires inside, but I can't do it in the snow. It becomes too wet for wood to burn properly." She offered him what looked like a squirrel on a stick, cooked well-done over the fire in the cave. San told him she had already gutted it and had gotten rid of most of the bones inside. Ashitaka took a bite of the squirrel, and then another. It only took him four bites to finish his food, so San offered him another. Ashitaka ate the second one in almost the same amount of time. "Did you eat at all today?"

"No," Ashitaka answered, "I didn't eat too much for the past couple of days. According to Lady Eboshi, the food supply of the town always drops during the winter. Since most of the townspeople are too afraid to go hunting in the forest, they've had to cut back on how much food they offer people and how often. Most of the food became poisoned a few months ago made the shortage even worse, so I usually save mine for later or don't take any so the other villagers can have more." Ashitaka removed his hood and placed it away from the fire. He and San warmed themselves by the open flame as the snow of their bodies melted into water. "I noticed your brothers are absent." Ashitaka said suddenly after taking a quick look around the cave.

"They're investigating a large bunch of broken tree branches further north in the forest. There are too many for it to be from the weight of the snow on the older trees. It also can't be because of the Ape Tribe; they haven't left their spot in the forest ever since the spider demon was killed a few months ago, except for a few who go out gathering food."

"How do the apes fare during the winter?"

"They usually let their coats protect them, but a few of them have blankets they've stolen from humans. They place their young in those blankets to shelter them from the cold. Moro did the same with me until I was older. My brothers' coats are thick enough to let them withstand the cold." San bit into one of the roasted squirrels and ripped the meat with her teeth.

"That actually reminds me of something I've been wondering for a bit now." San stopped biting into the squirrel and listened. "Who is your brothers' father?"

San thought for a moment before replying with, "I don't know. I asked my mother once and she told me that their father was dead."

"Do you know how he died? I thought gods were immortal."

"I always thought he was killed while fighting humans with my sister. I always thought my pelt came from him until Moro told me it came from my sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, it's alright. I never knew my sister or my father. It doesn't bother me very much." Ashitaka and San continued talking and eventually came to the subject of snow. San told Ashitaka about how she enjoyed the transition from heat to cold and how she used to play in the snow as a child. "It does become bleak after a while since most of the trees die and the animals sleep for most of winter, but at winters end the forest lives again. It always seems more beautiful than ever when winter is over." San's description of the forest only made Ashitaka hope winter would end soon.

Okami and Urufu arrived just as San told Ashitaka about the snow. They entered the cave and shook the snow off of their fur, getting small drops of water on Ashitaka and San. They had blood around their mouths from something they had eaten. Whatever it was they had eaten, it was a recent kill; the blood around their mouths was still wet.

"Did you find whatever came through the forest?" San asked as she went to get a bowl of water to put the fire out now that there was no meat left to be cooked.

"Yes," Okami replied, "it was a large group of apes from a region to the west. They are distant cousins of the apes which live in this forest. Hello, brother." Okami said looking to Ashitaka. Ashitaka bowed to greet them.

"What are they doing here?"

"They have come here for two reasons," Urufu replied, "the humans in their region have begun to cut down the trees in their forest at a rate faster than what the humans here used to achieve. They are also concerned that their apparent king is becoming careless about the lives of the forest creatures."

"Who is their king?" Ashitaka asked. San dumped the water onto the fire, causing a large puff of ash to rise into the air. Ashitaka covered his mouth with his arm and shut one of his eyes.

"They never said. But they follow his every command, no matter how dangerous it may be. Lately, he has been using the creatures in the forest to lure humans out so that he could kill them. He doesn't always save the creatures he sends out, though, and the amounts which have been dying have been rising."

"Do they know why the local lord has been cutting down the trees?"

"They have some theories," Okami replied, "Many of the apes which came from that region believe that he is preparing for war, though they don't know against whom. Some of the apes believe that he is going to war against another lord over land. The apes here and a few from the west believe that he is going to try and do what the humans here attempted and destroy the forest so he could reap whatever resources may lie there."

"Who is the human who 'rules' over there?" San asked angrily.

"A man I've heard Ashitaka mention once, when we were coming to help you and Lord Okkoto against the hunters." Ashitaka looked at the wolf, puzzled. He did not know any other humans outside Irontown except for the Emishi and Jigo, though he was still in Irontown, serving time in a prison. Urufu turned his head to Ashitaka and said, "I believe you called this human 'Lord Asano'?"

Chapter 2: The Calm Before the Storm

Lord Asano. Ashitaka knew it was only a matter of time when Asano would try to take Irontown once more. His last siege failed because the Forest Spirit created a gale wind when he died and fell on Irontown, causing Asano's men to lose most of their supplies and lose so many men that they retreated back to Asano's region soon after the fighting stopped. The guns that Eboshi had were also a major factor in keeping Asano's men out of Irontown. Now, the amount of guns in the town was much lower than it was previously and there would be no way to push back Asano's men if they were able to breach the gates. "I bet he's going to try and take Irontown. We can't let that happen. If he takes the town he'll resume digging in the mountain for iron, and I don't think he'll be any lighter on the forest than Lady Eboshi was."

"Judging by what the apes say, he may be worse than that woman was." Okami said, "They claim he captures the creatures in the forest regularly and tortures them before he impales them on stakes to make an example for the other creatures to see."

"Ashitaka," San growled, "I know you don't care much for killing people, but there is no way I will let this human live."

Ashitaka opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as he heard something outside. He heard what sounded like somebody in heavy boots walking through the snow. San and her brothers heard it as well and went outside the cave to see what it was.

"How far away are we from the town?" They heard as they got onto the ledge. The voice which said this was gruff.

"Not too far," Another, shriller male voice said, "but we still need to be careful in these woods. The animals here are supposed to be as strong as the ones back home."

"Ha! If they're as weak as the ones at home, then we shouldn't have anything to worry about." San's brothers barred their teeth and growled lowly and quietly. "Hey, there's an elk here."

Ashitaka instantly knew that whoever was down there was talking about Yakul.

"What's it doing tied up like this?"

"Who knows? Maybe somebody's out hunting and they rode this thing here."

"Who in the world rides an elk?"

"I don't know. Want to kill it so we can have something to eat later."

Ashitaka heard Yakul grunt in disagreement. He acted quickly before whoever was down there could hurt his friend; he stood from the ledge and readied one of his arrows. As he looked down to see who was there, he saw that it was a couple of samurai. The armor they wore was of the same design worn by the samurai Asano had brought with him several months ago.

"Stop!" Ashitaka shouted as he aimed his arrow at the samurai.

"What the…" One of the samurai muttered as they both turned to face Ashitaka.

"Hey, I think I've seen this kid before!" The samurai with the gruff voice remarked, "He deflected the arrows we shot on him when he and this elk went swimming to Irontown. Yeah, I remember this elk now too. What are you doing in this forest, boy?"

"I think it would be better to ask you the same question," Ashitaka replied, "since you two aren't even from here."

"Do you think we should tell him?" The shrill voiced samurai whispered to his friend.

"We're going to kill him," He replied, "but I still don't think we should tell him, just in case he slips away. Get your bow ready."

Ashitaka kept his arrow fixed on the two samurai. Behind him, San had her spear equipped in her right hand. Her brothers were ready to leap onto the samurai if necessary.

"Listen up, kid, I don't know who you are, but we have orders to follow, so you'll have to forgive me for this now."

The shrill voiced samurai drew his bow and took an arrow from his quiver. Ashitaka quickly aimed his own arrow at the samurai and fired. The arrow shot through the air and pierced an unprotected part of the samurai's armor near the neck. The gruff voiced samurai raised his katana in defense so he could try and deflect one of Ashitaka's arrows if the boy tried to fire another one. As Ashitaka readied another arrow, San appeared next to him and chucked her spear down towards the samurai. It hit the warrior on his helmet, knocking him down but not killing him. The spear landed nearby Yakul, who backed away from the samurai and hid behind a tree. Ashitaka and San made their way down to the samurai, who was now starting to get up and shake the cobwebs from his head.

"Don't make me kill you." Ashitaka warned. The samurai, unable to believe that he could be bested by these two, roared in defiance and charged at them with his katana, directing his fury towards the one who had knocked him down. San had her knife ready and deflected one of the samurai's strikes. Ashitaka attempted to hit the samurai with his sword, only to be blocked by the warrior. San quickly circled the samurai and was able to get behind him as Ashitaka distracted him with several quick strikes with his sword. With her dagger in between her teeth, San grabbed his legs and pulled him to the ground. Ashitaka kicked away the samurai's blade as he fell to the ground and let go of the grip. San got onto his back, hit him in the back of the head (which caused her hand to hurt since he was wearing a steel helmet), and grabbed the samurai's second sword from its scabbard. She placed the samurai's shorter blade at his throat and pulled his head up.

"Why are you in my forest?" She asked him as she pressed the blade against his skin.

"Please, I surrender; I'll tell you everything!" The samurai quickly said in hopes getting San off of him.

"Start talking or I'll cut your throat!"

"Alright; I am one of Lord Asano's warriors. This isn't the first time that we've tried to take Irontown, but it is the first time I've been in this forest. Me and my friend there, we were supposed to scout ahead and tell Asano when the townspeople were going to open the gates to bring in food or other supplies. After that, we were going to plan a surprise attack while most of the people along Lady Eboshi and her bodyguard were away. Lord Asano would then control the town until she returned and they would begin talking."

"So you were cutting down the trees in your forest to gather resources for a battle?" Ashitaka asked.

"Yes… how did you know that?"

San's brothers came down from the ledge and approached the pinned down samurai, snarling.

"The apes from your region told us," Okami growled, "they say you've also been killing the creatures in your forest."

The samurai looked at the two wolves with a horrified expression on his face. Ashitaka was confused, and even San was somewhat puzzled at his reaction.

"You…" The samurai whispered.

"What is it, human?" Urufu asked with his teeth directly in the samurai's face.

"It… it cannot be…"

"Answer!"

"Please, Forest Lord, please spare me!"

"Forest Lord?"

"Yes, you two, you are not the masters of this forest, correct?"

"The forest has no master," San said as she got off of the samurai and pushed his face into the ground, "not the humans, not the animals, and not even the forest gods which remain are the masters of this forest."

"Forgive me, then, but those two wolves, they look incredibly similar to the one which claims the forest as his."

"There are no wolves within many miles of this place. Our mother discovered this when she began to look for anybody who could help us battle the humans."

"I don't know who your mother is, girl, but why would you want to fight your own people?"

Ashitaka knew what would happen next. San kicked the samurai in the stomach, causing him to roll onto his back, and barked at him to never call her a human. The samurai apologized and tried to stand up, but Urufu stood next to him and shook his head.

"Who is this Forest Lord that you speak of?" Urufu asked.

"A great white wolf, just like you and that slightly bigger one over there, but much larger, larger than two quarter horses, who claims to be the king of the forest. His face is scarred from years of battle and he fights with the speed and power of a god and the ferocity of a demon. He arrived in the region probably eighteen years ago. I don't know when he began to call himself king, but all of the animals seem to agree with his claim."

San picked up her spear and went back to the samurai. She placed the pointed end on the back of his neck, but Ashitaka shook his head. San understood and took the spear's point away from the samurai and backed away. Ashitaka turned and looked down on the fallen samurai.

"Go back to your lord," Ashitaka said, "and tell him not to come back here unless he wants all of his men to die."

"Of course." The samurai stood up, holding his sword for support, and sheathed his weapon. "What's wrong with that girl?"

"I'm a wolf, you stupid human!" San snapped.

"You're crazy; that's what you are."

Ashitaka told the man to leave immediately, and he could see why. San's hand quivered as she held herself back, trying not to force her spear into the samurai's neck. The warrior left quickly and did not look back. San's brothers followed him for a bit, making sure he couldn't see them, before they were satisfied. San brushed the top of their heads when they returned.

"I'll kill that human if I ever see him again." San muttered. Ashitaka didn't say anything in protest. He untied Yakul from the tree and mounted him.

"San," He said, "I need to warn Lady Eboshi of Asano's plans. They need to be ready for an attack."

"I'll come with you." She said.

Ashitaka nodded and San got onto Okami. The five of them headed to Irontown with Urufu following close behind. The wolves' fur coats made them blend in with the snow almost perfectly. They didn't seem at all hindered by the deepness of the snow, though they did walk at a slower pace, mostly to keep up with Yakul.

As they continued through the forest, the wolves suddenly halted, prompting Ashitaka to make Yakul do the same.

"Do you smell that?" Okami asked.

"I can," San replied, "it smells like humans."

"Irontown is still an hour away," Ashitaka commented, "I don't think that it could be any of them."

Just then, in the near silence of the snow covered forest, a loud high pitched whistle ripped through the air. Ashitaka had heard the sound before: it was an alarm, of sorts, used by Lord Asano's men. The sound was made by firing a special type of arrow into the sky, causing a very loud whistling noise to sound off. Following the whistling, the five heard the sound of many footsteps coming from all around them and turned to face whoever was there. Coming from the sides, fourteen samurai in total came charging towards the five with their weapons ready to attack. Ashitaka jumped off Yakul and told him to run to Irontown. San got off of her brother and readied her weapons. As the samurai warriors moved closer, they began to roar in a battle-induced fury. Ashitaka readied an arrow and San held her spear at the ready. Urufu stood next to San and Okami to Ashitaka, snarling and barring their teeth as they prepared to meet the samurai in combat.

Chapter 3: Prisoners of War

Ashitaka knew that if they stood there to face the samurai directly, they would likely fall. The samurai were little more than five seconds away.

"San," He shouted over the samurais' war cries, "get onto Urufu and follow my lead!" San nodded and hopped onto her brother's back. Ashitaka told her to split up. Urufu ran to the left while Okami ran in the opposite direction, just before the samurai were in the reach of their katanas, kanabos, and naginatas. Ashitaka quickly fired an arrow into the group of bunched-up warriors. He didn't actually expect to hit anybody, but his arrow was able to find its way into a samurai's eye. The arrow dug three inches into his skull and killed him, leaving thirteen samurai remaining.

San was able to eliminate two more by causing them to accidentally hit each other; her brother leapt high into the air between a couple of samurai who had broken off from the group to chase them. One samurai swung his studded club wildly into the air but missed. Another samurai across from him attempted a downward slash at the two. His slash missed San and Urufu and instead made contact with the other samurai. The samurai who had been cut deeply groaned and brought down his club, his strength leaving him. The club fell upon the head of his killer, causing his skull to fracture, killing him. Eleven were left.

By now, a few of the samurai were somewhat worried that three of their comrades had just been killed by two people who did not look older than twenty and a couple of large white wolves. Ashitaka fired another arrow at a pursuing samurai and hit his neck. San charged at another samurai who tried to meet her head on. Her spear was longer than the samurai's sword, allowing her to strike him down without a scratch on her or her brother. Two of the nine remaining samurai dropped their weapons and fled. One samurai called them cowards before San leapt off of Urufu and onto the samurai with her dagger in hand. She was able to find the weak points in his armor before he could get her off. Three of the six samurai fled from the battle, dropping their weapons so they could move faster.

The three remaining samurai were now back to back. Ashitaka got off of Urufu and drew his sword. He didn't actually want to kill them, though he did need to make them surrender. San had blood on her face from the samurai she had taken down, caused by her wiping her hand over her mouth. Urufu and Okami circled the two, enclosing them in an inescapable circle. After a moment of hesitation, the samurai laid down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.

"I guess we underestimated you," The largest of them, who stood at six feet, three inches in height, said, "We'll go with you wherever you take us."

"Thank you," Ashitaka said, "I didn't want to have to kill you."

The three samurai were told to follow Ashitaka as he led them to Irontown. San followed them closely with her brothers next to her. If they tried to pull anything funny, they would be ready for it. Ashitaka asked the men if there were any more ambushes on the way, to which the samurai replied no. He still kept his hand near his sword, just in case he would need it.

Ashitaka could see the wooden spikes which made up the wall of Irontown as they neared the road which lead into town. He saw Yakul standing on the road, nibbling at some grass which had managed to poke through the snow. Ashitaka took the elks reins and led him to the gate with San, the wolves, and the samurai behind.

"Ashitaka," The gate guard called, "who are those men you've brought with you?"

"A few of Lord Asano's men," Ashitaka replied, "we captured them when they tried to attack us. I need to speak to Lady Eboshi immediately."

"Of course." The gatekeeper called down for men below to open the gates. The heavy wooden door slowly groaned open and dug into the earth, pushing the snow into a little pile. Ashitaka had Yakul go to the stables while he walked next to San, as she was still uneasy around so many humans. Even her week-long trip couldn't make her discomfort around them completely disappear. She told Ashitaka she would wait for him at his house along with her brothers. Ashitaka continued and directed the samurai where to go. They eventually reached Lady Eboshi's home. Ashitaka told the warriors to wait outside and knocked on her door.

"What is it?" A gruff male voice called from behind the door. Ashitaka could instantly tell it was Gonza.

"It's me, Ashitaka," He replied, "I need to speak with Eboshi. I have some warriors from Lord Asano."

"What're they here for?"

"They attacked me, San, and her brothers in an ambush. They claim Asano is planning an attack on Irontown."

"I'd better let you in; Lady Eboshi will want to hear about this."

After Gonza had told Eboshi that they had company, he slid the door open to let them in. Gonza stood aside and showed Ashitaka in. Before he let in the others, he searched them to make sure they didn't have any weapons on them. After he was satisfied, he allowed the three men inside, though he kept a keen eye on them as they made their way to the main room.

Eboshi finished folding a paper in half, using her fingers to do so, just as Ashitaka and the others arrived. "Ashitaka," She greeted with a bow, "this visit is unexpected."

"Hello, milady," Ashitaka said as he returned her bow, "I wish I could be here under better circumstances."

"Yes, Gonza told me about the men you've brought." She looked at the three samurai who had surrendered. Their armor was still damp from hiding in the snow. Their faces remained stoic to show they weren't weak. "Ashitaka, I would like to speak with these men in private."

Ashitaka nodded and bade her goodbye. Although he was interested in what they were going to talk about, he didn't want to disrespect Lady Eboshi's wishes. He knew she was very busy, overseeing Irontown, dealing with the other lords around the land, and didn't want to take up her time by contesting her. He said goodbye to Gonza before he left and returned to his house.

Okami and Urufu were standing at the sides of the front door when Ashitaka arrived, almost as if they were guarding it so none of the humans could see San.

"This place isn't awful when the humans leave us alone." Urufu commented as Ashitaka made his way to them.

"They're probably scared of you two more than anything." Ashitaka jokingly said. He knew it was probably true though. Most of the townspeople wouldn't want to try the two wolves, seeing as to how they were larger, stronger, and faster than the humans. "You two don't need to stay here if you don't want to."

"You're right about us not wanting to remain in this place," Okami said, "but we must protect our sister."

Ashitaka understood; the wolves were very protective of each other since there were so few of them left (however, if the one samurai they had defeated near the cave was being truthful, there was one more somewhere near the land ruled over by Lord Asano).

San was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall as Ashitaka entered. He could tell she was bored by the way she held her head in her hands. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I just don't like being cooped in in here," She replied, "I don't know how you can stand it." She stood up and stretched her arms and back. "When do you think we'll be leaving?"

"Hopefully by tomorrow; I feel like Eboshi is going to want me to do something about Lord Asano."

"I'll gladly help you if it involves killing him. This human sounds even worse than the one who runs this place." As much as Ashitaka disliked Asano, he didn't share San's enthusiasm in killing him.

Outside, the sky was beginning to darken. San told her brothers to go back home and that she would stay with Ashitaka for the night. After the wolves had left town and returned to the den, she came back inside and changed into some nightclothes. She and Ashitaka washed their faces in a water basin before they lied down next to each other on a futon.

"I'll have to admit," San said as she got under the covers, "this is much more comfortable than sleeping in the den."

"It's also much warmer." Ashitaka remarked. He didn't enjoy the cold very much. The fact his clothes weren't very thick didn't help.

They got around to talking again. Ashitaka liked to talk with San, but she mostly asked about his life and past; he had never asked about hers very much. The main reason he almost never brought it up when they began their relationship was because of Moro's death. He never did get to asking her afterwards; now seemed like the best time to do so.

The first question Ashitaka asked was about San's mask. "It's from an old shrine," She told him, "long ago there were a few humans who worshipped the forest spirits. They were called yambushi and would conduct rituals to show their dedication to the forest. They would sometimes wear masks like this one." She went to the bottom drawer and pulled out a full-face mask. "I found it along with my other mask and the one I wore when I first… met you in Irontown." Ashitaka knew which one she was talking about. It was similar to the mask she had now and was shattered by a bullet as San got up from a fall off of the ironworks. "Those humans are all gone now. The shrine I found these at hadn't been touched in years. I found my spear and knife there as well."

"What about your dress?" Ashitaka asked, "I can't imagine your mother or one of your brothers were able to stitch it together."

"My mother found it after she took down a shipment that was meant for the humans. I've had others before, but they were all worn out easily. I found out that the water in the Forest Spirit's pond was able to get rid of the bloodstains on my clothes a few years ago; that's how I keep them clean."

"Alright, last question: what do you think would have happened if the fighting continued; if I didn't show up?"

"Well, if you didn't show up, I would probably have been killed in this town when I attacked. There's a good chance that woman would be also. I'm pretty sure the entire forest would be dead, but I'm not too sure since the Forest Spirit would have found his head anyway."

"Actually, we did help a bit by stopping Jigo long enough for the Forest Spirit to get closer."

"That's true… where did he go after we killed that Spider Demon?"

"He's still in prison."

"Oh. Well, if he did escape, the forest would have died and not come back like it has."

"I'm just glad it didn't turn out that way."

"Me too; I can't imagine the entire forest being destroyed. It's my home, it's always been, ever since I was abandoned by humans."

"Did you ever find out who they were?"

"No. Moro was only able to catch the man, but whoever the woman was escaped. She never heard them call each other any names, so she couldn't tell me who they were." San talked about her human parents with a bitter face, as if she hated mentioning them. "I'm not a human, I'm a wolf." She said with her teeth clenched, "My only parent was my mother, Moro; my only family was her and my brothers and... now you." San said this as if she kept on forgetting that she had chosen Ashitaka as a mate (or, more or less, he chose her). Perhaps it was because she couldn't believe she would spend the rest of her life with a human. Perhaps it was because he wasn't around very often because of his duties in Irontown. It didn't matter to Ashitaka. He still loved her, and she loved him. She went back next to him and they held each other. Surprisingly, as they began to fell asleep, she fell asleep first. Ashitaka would follow her very soon.

Just before he could fall asleep, Ashitaka thought he heard something outside, walking around in the snow. He thought nothing of it, believing it to be somebody in town stumbling home after having too much to drink at a friend's house.

Chapter 4: A Blade in the Dark

San woke up early in the morning to the sound of a great deal of clamor going on outside. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms as she went over to a nearby window and peeked outside. She saw many humans crowded around the center of the town, having various conversations amongst themselves. She couldn't make out what they were saying –as there were so many of them talking at once- but she kept on hearing that woman's name, "Eboshi". She went over to Ashitaka and lightly shook him awake.

Ashitaka slowly opened his eyes and began blinking. "Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"The humans outside seem excited about something," She replied, "it looks like almost all of them are out there."

"Why, is there something wrong?"

"They keep mentioning that woman's name; perhaps it has something to do with her."

Ashitaka knew that if there was a problem in Irontown, Eboshi was, or would eventually become, part of it somehow. She wanted to keep her people safe, even if it meant sometimes getting in their business. If the problem was about her, then there was something amiss in the town. Ashitaka quickly got dressed and went to see what was going on. San decided to wait in the house and listen in on the conversations, not wanting to be so close to so many humans.

Just as Ashitaka exited his house, he was met by Toki and Kohroku, both of whom looked extremely worried.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Kohroku exclaimed, "We thought that he might have gone after you too."

"Who?" Ashitaka asked, "What happened?"

"It's Lady Eboshi," Toki replied, "somebody sent by Lord Asano came into her house last night and tried to kill her."

"How was he able to get in? I thought there were more guards up at night."

"We do, but this man isn't a normal samurai or one of Jigo's mercenaries, or hunters, or whatever that group he orders around is composed of. This man was an assassin."

"Is Lady Eboshi alright?"

"Nobody knows," Kohroku replied, "Gonza just told us what happened since people living nearby her house heard a lot of commotion coming from inside. He told us that she was attacked, but we don't know what exactly happened."

"I'll go see if I can figure it out."

"Thank you, Ashitaka."

Ashitaka wasn't completely sure if he would be able to find out exactly what happened. Gonza always treated outsiders with suspicion, and, since Ashitaka hadn't lived in the town for a half a year yet, Gonza still considered him an outsider, though he still trusted the boy very well, considering how he saved Eboshi's life after she had shot off the Forest Spirit's head.

Ashitaka made his way through the crowd and to Lady Eboshi's house. He noticed that there was a group of people shouting at Jigo, who was sitting in his prison cell. He calmly dismissed the accusations against him and continued to eat a bowl of soup. Another part of the group was shouting curses at the three captured samurai, who were arguing back and proclaiming their innocence. Two of Eboshi's bodyguards, both female, were at the door, not allowing people to enter and trying to keep a relatively orderly atmosphere. Ashitaka approached them and asked if he could be let in. At first, the two bodyguards didn't allow him entry. However, Gonza came from the inside and ordered everybody to be quiet in a loud booming voice. Just as he was about to give another order, he saw Ashitaka.

"Is Lady Eboshi alright?" Ashitaka asked.

"I think it would be best if you come inside," Gonza replied in a low voice so the others couldn't hear him, "I don't want the townspeople to know or see what happened to Lady Eboshi."

Ashitaka understood and bowed. Gonza allowed him to pass and then told everybody to go back to work. It took a while, but the crowd eventually dispersed. When the last man had left, Gonza closed the door and went inside with Ashitaka.

The inside of the house looked as if a tsunami had come and crashed on everything inside. Pots were broken and their shards littered the floor, scrolls and paintings were smudged, torn, or both, carpets were in clumps and rolls, and the table in the main room was broken in half. In between the two halves of the table appeared to be an ordinary man, though his clothes were not the same style worn by the people of Irontown. A sword, slightly longer than Ashitaka's, was lying near his hand. His forehead had bled earlier and his nose had a crusty layer of dried blood below the nostrils. There was a gaping stab wound in the man's chest. A jagged piece of the table he was lying on was sticking out through his stomach. Gonza's naginata was leaning on the wall in front of the dead man. The sharp steel blade had blood on it.

"Who is that?" Ashitaka asked.

"I don't know who he is," Gonza replied, "but I do know what he is: an assassin, hired by Lord Asano to murder Lady Eboshi."

"He hired him? I thought he would have men who served him loyally."

"Not somebody like him," Gonza said as he pointed to the dead man, "They are peasants who try to battle against the samurai class through stealth and trickery. They mainly use farm tools as weapons, but a very small few have actual weapons. Occasionally, they will be hired by a daimyo to eliminate a rival. This man carried a note from Lord Asano, saying that he didn't care how the job was done as long as he finished. He put up a pretty good fight, but it wasn't enough to save him."

"Did he succeed?"

"Almost; he made it into Lady Eboshi's room and fired a dart at her while she slept. It wasn't a poisonous dart, or, if it was, it was a very low dosage, as it didn't kill her ladyship. However, it did put her in a coma. Come here, I'll show you."

Gonza led Ashitaka upstairs and to Lady Eboshi's room. There was a bloody handprint on the wall next to the stairs, along with a smear that appeared to have started higher on the stairs and then moved downwards. A part of the railing had been broken, but he couldn't tell by what. The hallway before Lady Eboshi's room was in as bad of a condition as the first floor. One of Eboshi's bodyguards was being tended to by another. Gonza told Ashitaka that the assassin had managed to make a somewhat deep cut in the bodyguard's abdomen. He said that it wasn't serious and that she would live, but it did appear painful.

Gonza opened the door to Lady Eboshi's room to reveal her lying on her bed with a bandage on the side of her neck. She was lying perfectly still with her eyes closed but she was breathing. Her head was resting upon a white pillow with a spot of blood near the side.

"Does anybody else know what happened?" Ashitaka asked.

"Only I, the bodyguards, and the lepers know what happened to her. I've told them not to tell the others, at least not yet. I do need you to do something for me, for Irontown."

"Of course; what is it?"

"I want you to travel to Lord Asano's region and find some sort of antidote for the poison." Gonza reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial with a tiny bit of yellow liquid in it. "See if anybody there knows what this poison is and see if you can find an antidote for it."

Ashitaka took the vial and put it into a small pouch on his belt. "I'll be back soon."

Gonza went over to a wooden chest at the foot of Eboshi's bed and took a map out of it. "Lord Asano is not very far from here, but I know you usually get caught up with something, so I don't expect you back for quite a while."

"I'll do my best to come back within the month."

Gonza nodded and bowed. Ashitaka left with his mask on. He felt it would be best to leave for the region now than later. He made his way through the crowd of townspeople who kept on asking him what was wrong. He simply told them that he was forbidden to speak about it. He saw San peeking out through the window as he reached his hut.

Ashitaka removed his mask as he entered. "San," He said, "we're going to Lord Asano's region."

"We're going to kill him?" She asked. She had put on her normal dress.

"No, we need to find an antidote for Lady Eboshi." Ashitaka said quietly so that if there was anybody outside, they wouldn't hear him.

"Ashitaka-" San began.

"San, I know you want him dead, and I understand why. Listen… if you decide to infiltrate wherever he lives… I won't try to stop you."

San's eyes went from slits to wide. She thought for sure that Ashitaka would protest. "You weren't like this when I tried to kill that woman."

"That's because Lady Eboshi isn't all that bad. As for Lord Asano, I see nothing that would justify his actions."

"Alright then; when are we leaving?"

"I don't really need anything, so we can go when you're ready."

San quickly gathered her weapons, mask, pelt, and headdress from the bottom drawer. She and Ashitaka left promptly and went to Yakul. They would ride the elk to San's den, to where her brothers were waiting. When they arrived, Ashitaka explained what had happened in Irontown and why they were going.

"We will go with you." Okami said, "I want to help bring down this Lord Asano. I'm also interested in the other wolf mentioned by the man we almost killed."

"So am I." Ashitaka said as he produced the map Gonza had given him from his cloak, "I need to find an antidote for Lady Eboshi, you three can do whatever you want, but I don't want us to be there for very long. We'll go through the forest to save time and avoid Asano's samurai." The plan was simple and straightforward; the only thing they had to figure out now was how to take down Lord Asano. Ashitaka decided to leave that up to San and her brothers, as they would be the ones who would carry out the deed. Ashitaka decided to wait outside in the snow and let them talk about it.

"I don't know how we can be of much help," Urufu remarked, "if the humans there are as wary of wolves as the humans here, we won't be able to get close to the town without meeting some resistance."

"That's true," Okami said, "but those humans do not have guns. Their arrows will be useless against us, though they can still hurt you, San."

"Don't remind me," She muttered, "I think I can reach the human lord if I can get over the walls somehow."

"If they're made out of stone, we can't do what we've been doing here and fling you high enough to stick your spear in to use as a bouncing board. You will have to climb the wall if that is the case."

"If they fire arrows at you, we'll guard you until you reach the human lord." Urufu said "We'll help you battle him if we're able to."'

"Okay, but won't you two be hurt by the arrows?" San asked.

"They will be like bee stings," Okami replied, "painful and annoying, but they won't actually kill us. Do you remember when Nago led his boars on a charge against the humans? He shook off the arrows as if they were nothing. We can do the same, but they hurt us more since our skin is not as thick as a boar's hide."

"It seems like we have a plan." Urufu said. "Let's go find Ashitaka and leave for this human lord's region."

Ashitaka was on Yakul, ready to leave as San and her brothers exited the cave. San pulled her mask over her face and got onto Okami. Ashitaka held the map in one hand and Yakul's reins in the other. Studying the map, the group headed west through the snow-filled forest with their weapons ready to strike whatever may try to stop them.

Chapter 5: The Guardian Wolf

Ashitaka, San, and the wolves were able to complete the trip without running into any trouble from Lord Asano's men. Because they were able to take a shortcut through the forest, they were able to see the walls of Lord Asano's city by the end of their third day of travel. Despite the darkness, they could see the large town clearly. The walls sprawled several square miles in a complex shape, protecting a cluster of houses and other buildings within in it. The largest structure of all was a massive castle near the northeastern edge of the walls. The castle was built upon a low hill and the walls surrounding it were probably ten feet higher than the walls that protected Irontown. Unlike the walls in Irontown, these walls were made of stone. The castle towered over the walls and had several towers and turrets nearby the walls. Ashitaka was bewildered at the size of the castle and the walls; San looked at it with disdain.

"It must have taken them years to build the walls alone," Ashitaka commented, "I can't imagine how long it must have taken to build the rest of the buildings here."

"Not as long as it will take for the trees they cut down to grow back." San growled.

Ashitaka dismounted Yakul and pulled his mask over his face. "I'm going to go look for the antidote. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Alright; be careful. My brothers, Yakul, and I will wait up here. We're going to think of a new plan and should be ready in a couple of hours." Ashitaka nodded, hiding his concern under his mask, and walked down to the city below, making sure nobody was around to see him. He was already strange enough to most people because of his outfit; he didn't want anybody to wonder what he was doing in a forest full of gods and demons.

He made it to the bottom of the hill and hid behind a bush as a pair of samurai guards walked past. This place must be well guarded. He thought. I should warn San once I get back. He quickly walked down to road and to the gate of the castle where he was stopped by a pair of guards.

"Hold on, outsider," One of them said, "we can't just let anybody through. Is there a reason for you to be here?"

Ashitaka reached into his pocket and pulled out the near empty vial. "Do you know anybody in the city that sells this?"

The guards examined the vial and the liquid inside of it. "There is a man who makes all sorts of strange brews he learned from a hermit in the forest. He might know more about this. Where'd you find it anyway?"

"I found a cart that had been attacked by wolves. This was nearby a man's weapon and I was curious."

"Very well, you may enter, but we'll be keeping a close eye on you."

The guards called for the gate to be opened. The gate opened down the middle and swung open. Ashitaka bowed to the two guards and went inside.

The streets of the city were very busy. People were selling things on almost every street. Children ran around playing tag and hide-and-seek. Some people were outside, gleefully playing with small dogs and cats. They all seemed to be blissfully unaware of the violence that was occurring just days away from their homes. Several people looked at Ashitaka with puzzlement, as if he was some strange creature. Used to this sort of treatment, he ignored the looks and continued on his way. He decided he would find the alchemist himself.

Ashitaka spent almost an hour wandering the streets, looking for a sign that would indicate an alchemist's shop. At last, he found a small structure on a street nearby the castle with a sign that read "Rekinju's Potions and Salves". There weren't any windows in the front, though Ashitaka did notice one on the side of the building. It was much smaller than the other shops he had seen. It didn't appear to be well kept; the door in front had a small hole near the top and the wood that the store was made out of was beginning to rot towards the bottom of the structure.

Ashitaka pushed open the door to the store to find a dusty and unkempt room which appeared to be where the alchemist did his work and conduct business at the same time. On the counter, he saw a man of roughly sixty, wearing a faded grey and blue tunic that barely went past his knees, lying asleep and snoring loudly. Ashitaka went over to him and gave him a light shake. The alchemist groaned and blinked several times. The moment his eyes became fixed on Ashitaka, he gasped loudly and rolled off of the counter, landing behind on his back.

"Are you alright?" Ashitaka asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," The man replied, "just somewhat startled. I didn't expect to see anybody today, especially somebody dressed like you." The man got up from behind the counter and rubbed his lower back. "I need to buy a new mat. Anyway, I am Rekinju, alchemist extraordinaire! I know many recipes for potions that can't be found in any book in the world. I was taught by a man from the forest many years ago who gave me the knowledge of the plants and trees in the forest and what I can make with their leaves, roots, flowers, and anything else I find on them. Oh, but I'm sorry for getting off track. Is there anything you're looking for?"

"An antidote," Ashitaka replied as he took the vial from his pouch, "one for this particular poison."

"Hm?" Rekinju took the vial and examined it briefly before his eyes widened. "Where did you get this, boy?"

"A caravan attacked by some wolves. It was nearby a man's weapon, so I took it out of curiosity. There was a label on it, but it was badly faded and the only word I could read on it was "poison". I want an antidote just in case I accidentally poison myself or somebody I don't want to harm."

Rekinju looked behind Ashitaka and at the door, as if he was trying to see if anybody was spying on them. "Were you sent by Lord Asano?" He whispered.

"I'm here on my own accord."

"Alright then, I thought I had made a mistake by bargaining with his lordship. Oh, do not tell him I said that."

"It shouldn't be a problem; I'm leaving later today."

Rekinju disappeared to a small room located behind the counter and shut the door which led to it. Ashitaka took his time to look around to see what the alchemist had for sale. Nothing stood out; most of the bottles and vials were love potions which probably didn't work or were healing potions that likely didn't do much more other than aggravate the wound. He noticed a few things, such as a monkey's paw preserved in a blue liquid, a couple of non-human eyes within what appeared to be some sort of green-colored gel, and a large fang submerged in a clear but bubbly fluid. On a table in the center of the store, there were various powders and bits of roots and plants along with a short description of what they were meant to do. Ashitaka wondered if there was anybody in the large town that could even do much with what this man was selling.

A few minutes later, Rekinju reappeared from the room with a vial of a fizzy red liquid. "This is the antidote to the poison," He said, "just apply one fourth of the vial to the victim and they will be conscious within a day."

"Thank you," Ashitaka said as he reached into a pouch on his belt, "is this enough to cover the cost?" He pulled out a piece of gold that was roughly the size of his thumb's nail.

Rekinju turned the tiny nugget to see if it was truly gold and then bit into it. The gold dented slightly. "This should be just fine."

Ashitaka bowed in thanks and left the store with the vial in the pouch he had placed the empty vial in. As he exited into the biting cold, he heard a tumult coming from the walls of the town. Guards began running on the walls, armed with bows and melee weapons. Has San begun her attack already? Ashitaka worried. Despite San's skill in combat and her tenacity, it wouldn't be enough to stop the guards. Ashitaka ran to the walls and ran up to the wall-walk, pushing several guards out of the way. He noticed these men were armored, much like the samurai, but had more spots which were vulnerable. They're probably men who couldn't become true samurai.

"Hey, you!" One guard yelled as he raised his katana to Ashitaka, "Get down from here this instant!"

Ashitaka looked over the edge of the walls to see how long a fall would be. A quick glance was enough to tell him that he would probably break something, or even die, if he tried to jump to the outside of the walls. Instead, he ducked under the guard's blade and knocked him aside. Guards began to yell orders at each other to try and shoot him. Ashitaka began to spring on the wall-walk, dodging and blocking blows that were aimed at him. Most of the arrows which were fired at him missed entirely. As soon as Ashitaka saw the front gates, he jumped down the walls and began running through the streets.

As he got closer to the gates, Ashitaka noticed large amounts of blood were on the street. He didn't have time to pause, however, as there were still guards chasing after him. As soon as he cleared the gates, he looked behind him and noticed that the guards had apparently stopped following him as soon as they saw the heavy amounts of blood. Ashitaka hurried along as they were distracted and made his way back to where he left San, the wolves, and Yakul.

To his surprise, they were all there when he had returned, though Okami and Urufu seemed to be in shock. San had a slight smile on her face, though it grew bigger when Ashitaka stumbled out from the bushes.

"I thought you had already gone for Asano." He remarked as he sat down next to a tree to catch his breath.

"It wasn't us," San said, "it was a wolf, a huge wolf! It was even larger than my mother was."

"That's because that wolf was a male." Okami said, though he still looked somewhat surprised.

San took notice of this. "Is there something I should know?"

"Yes, there is, but I want to find this wolf first. I believe it would be appropriate for us to greet him."

"What about Lord Asano?" Ashitaka asked.

"The wolf that attacked dragged him off as he came to defend his territory with several other humans," Urufu replied, "a few humans were killed in the fighting, and the rest appeared to have retreated back inside."

Ashitaka looked down at the large town and saw people were now outside the walls with torches. It looked like they were looking for their lord; they were calling out his name and looking all around the area, though they never approached the forest.

"I have the antidote," Ashitaka said, "so we should meet this wolf as soon as possible."

"Of course, we'll need to find him." San said.

"That should not be much of a problem," Urufu said, "his jaws were dripping with blood from the humans and the one he carried between his teeth was also badly wounded. If we follow the trail, we should find him easily."

"If that human called Asano begins to scream again, it won't even be a challenge to find him." Okami remarked.

San chuckled and got on top of Okami. Ashitaka went over to Yakul and mounted him, but did not immediately go.

"Ashitaka," San called, "aren't you coming?"

"Uh, yeah," He replied, "I was just getting Yakul's reins."

"Come on, brother," Urufu said, "we won't have much time until the other humans come up here."

Ashitaka nodded and rode next to San and her brothers. As he rode next to them, he wondered if they even remembered he was human.

Chapter 6: The Wolf of the West

Ashitaka took out the map and read what little he could in the darkness. Between the dark sky and towering trees which blocked out the almost nonexistent moonlight, he could barely even see the lines on it. He could see that they were in an uncharted part of the forest, but that didn't bother him too much. He had gone into the forest near his old village many times and had never used a map when he did so. He guessed that San's brothers would be able to find their way back. They had a certain knack for memorizing paths they had taken before.

"Ashitaka," Okami said as they walked through the cold, icy snow, "when are you supposed to be returning to the humans?"

"Gonza expects me to come back in about a month," Ashitaka replied, "so we have plenty of time."

"We will definitely be back before then," Urufu said, "unless we get caught up in something again. The struggle between the forest and the humans here seems to be as bad as it was at home."

Ashitaka nodded silently. He hoped that it wasn't true, but something in him told him that Asano was even crueler to the forest than Lady Eboshi was. He didn't remember seeing any animal bodies or heads on pikes when he entered the city like the apes said there would be. Perhaps they had been taken down or maybe the apes had made up the story in an effort to bring in more forest creatures to help against Lord Asano. The biggest difference between him and Lady Eboshi was that Asano, fortunately, did not have access to guns or similar weapons. Of course, if Asano did succeed in taking over Irontown, then that would be different and the forest could be in great danger.

Though it was almost pitch black in the winter night, Okami and Urufu were able to follow the trails of blood clearly. San was asleep on her brother's back, so the two moved at a much slower pace. They never seemed to run out of energy; perhaps it had something to do with the fact they were forest gods. Ashitaka, still awake but drowsy, couldn't help but feel like the wolves were more than curious about the wolf they had seen earlier. He could only imagine the size of it; Moro was one of the largest creatures he had ever seen, and this wolf was supposed to be much larger than she. He just hoped that the wolf wouldn't attack him or San simply because they were humans (well, San was only physically human).

The forest in this region was not unlike the one close to Irontown, though there were far more trees since none of them had been accidentally destroyed by a mindless god of life and death. The amount of snow in this region was greater than the amount at home. Snow covered the wolves' legs three fourths of the way to their body. Even the sure-footed Yakul was having trouble moving through the deep snow. Ashitaka could feel the cold biting against his skin, causing his hairs to stand up on end. Perhaps it was the elevation, but something about the region made it feel colder than where they had come from. Ashitaka wished that he had remembered to acquire some thicker clothing while he was still in Irontown. Still, he didn't complain about it and patiently rode on Yakul as he followed the wolves in their search for their larger cousin.

One part of the forest, a long strip near the edge, was composed of dead trees which appeared to have been recently charred. The wolves and Ashitaka knew that it was Lord Asano's doing; there was no way a fire could have broken out by accident, not in the snow filled forest.

"Why would they do that?" Ashitaka wondered out loud.

"They would burn the trees for several reasons," Okami replied, "it kills one's sense of smell, it causes those which dwell in the forest to become infuriated as they hear the trees cry out, and it works well to get rid of a hiding place for creatures which can climb in the trees, such as the apes."

"It seems to be a bit excessive."

"It seems that many of your kind are willing to go to extreme lengths to attain what they want."

"Not all of us are like that."

"Oh really? The woman who oversees the human town was willing to risk her very life so she could dig through the mountains for iron. The monk risked his life as well so he could bring back the head of the Forest Spirit in exchange for gold. You can see that this man is willing to torture the forest to gather the materials he needs for war. Even you, Ashitaka, you went to great lengths so that you would gain San's favor." Okami felt San stir a bit on his back. Perhaps she was awake after all, though he doubted it. "You humans are ambitious creatures. While that often leads to destruction, I can see that it can be used for greater things."

Ashitaka sat silently on Yakul and pondered the wolf's words as the elk trudged on through the snow. Okami spoke true: Ashitaka did risk himself to bring peace between the forest and humans and to rid himself of the curse placed upon him by Nago. He went even further for San. As he thought of the past, he looked on his right hand, where the giant purple mark which revealed his fate had once been. There was no indication it had been their previously, not even the slightest mark. Ashitaka had worried that the mark might have come back, but he hadn't seen or felt anything that would indicate it doing so.

After several more hours of wandering around the forest –by which point Ashitaka had fallen asleep on Yakul's back- the wolves came upon a wide mouth of a cave. The wolves peered into the black void of the cave entrance and howled loudly, loud enough to wake up both Ashitaka and San. Before either of them could say anything, something large shot out of the cave and past the group. The wolves and Yakul turned to face whatever it was that had bolted out from the darkness. Despite the lack of light, save for a bit of dim moonlight which broke through the grey winter clouds, Yakul and the wolves could clearly see the giant wolf they had seen earlier, though this time the wolf stood merely ten feet away from them instead of far away like he was when they first saw him.

The wolf was three times the size of San's brothers. His fur, while the same color as theirs, was slightly greyer in color and much more matted. Parts of his fur appeared to have been burnt off at some point and had only recently grown back, likely from attacking whoever had set part of the forest on fire. The wolf had a gallery of scars on his face, the most notable of which was a long streak which went from his left ear, through his left eye, and ended at his mouth. He sported a very muscular frame with powerful legs that had enough strength to kick down entire trees with a single blow. He had four tails at the end of his body, each of which was connected together.

"Who are you two and why do you call me?" The wolf asked in a loud booming voice before his eyes turned to San, "And why is it you are carrying humans?" The wolf's eyes narrowed into slits and he barred his fangs with ferocity.

"Be calm, cousin," Okami answered, "The reason we came to this region was to stop the human lord of this region. The girl is my sister and the boy is her mate. They are allies, not enemies like most humans are."

"All humans are enemies! They do nothing to help the forests; they only destroy it to fulfill their needs and never do anything in return!"

"That may be true in many places but where we hail from the humans hasn't harmed the forest in many months, ever since the death of the Forest Spirit."

"You expect me to believe that the death of your forest's master is what caused the humans to release their death grip on the forest you live in?"

"It's not that simple," Urufu said, "the peace is because of the boy riding on the red elk. He was able to stop our fighting by helping the humans and the creatures of the forest coexist peacefully."

The wolf approached Ashitaka, who dismounted from Yakul and bowed to the mighty forest god. "Where are you from, boy?"

"I am the last prince of the remnants of the Emishi," Ashitaka replied, "our village is located far in the east, hidden by a forest within a valley."

"So your people often interact with nature? That is… an admirable trait." The wolf turned its attention to San. "And you claim this girl to be your sister? That is impossible! She is a human!"

"Quiet!" San shouted, "I'm no human!"

"You're insane." The wolf muttered.

"It would be best to explain why she is our sister." Urufu said.

"No human can ever be called a wolf's kin!" Ashitaka felt that this wolf hated humans even more so than San or her mother did. "I have been battling the humans ever since they threatened the forest. No, I have been struggling against their vile grip on the forest even before they began to rape the earth for their needs without so much as replanting a single tree or showing the slightest regard for the creatures which dwell within it. All the humans ever care about is how much territory they own, how much gold they horde, and how many battles and wars they can win so they can gain glory in the eyes of their friends and rivals. I have never met a human with even the slightest shred of dignity ever since the last of the yambushi were massacred by the ancestors of the human who believes he rules over the forest. Even before I decided to migrate here from where my home once was, I was constantly fighting against those filthy creatures as they began to burn and cut their way through the forest so they can only fulfill their own greedy desires. I lost my mate to these humans. I came here after her death so I could help defend the creatures here against the humans which hide like cowards behind a massive wall of stone. I was able to capture their leader just hours ago. I did to him what he did to many of my comrades. His blood now paints my walls, his flesh now fills my stomach, and his bones now lie buried beneath the earth of my cave. Now, I want you to explain to me, the one who the creatures here have chosen as the master of this forest, why you are carrying a human on your back and how you dare to call her your kin!"

"She was abandoned by humans and brought up by our mother. Since then she has battled against the humans until a truce was called several months ago. She would have made Moro proud."

The large wolf's eyes suddenly widened. "Moro? The wolf from the east who battles against Lady Eboshi and her soldiers armed with weapons powerful enough to turn a god into a demon?"

The wolves nodded, though they were unaware that their mother's name was even known in this region. "She is our mother, and she is San's as well."

"If you are San's children, then you two are… Okami and Urufu, correct?"

The wolves, surprised, nodded. "How is it you know our names?"

The wolf looked at the wolves dead in the eye and didn't move an inch as he calmly said, "Okami, Urufu, I was Moro's mate and your father."

Chapter 7: Moro's Mate

The Wolf, seeming to have calmed down, invited (or, as he put it, permitted) the group in his cave to, as he put it, shelter the "weak" humans from the snow. The wolves followed him inside without any problem, though Ashitaka was more uneasy about going inside, and even San looked hesitant to enter. Still, they both wanted to know more about this wolf so they went inside. At least it won't be as cold inside. Ashitaka thought.

Ashitaka could tell that the wolf wasn't exaggerating about how he killed Lord Asano the second he saw the inside of the cave. Blood was splattered on the walls and ceiling. There was far too much blood for it to have come from one man, so Ashitaka guessed that the wolf had probably brought many humans here. A few bones were protruding from the ground, so he guessed where the bodies of the humans were buried. Lying in a small pile in a corner of the cave was a heap of bloody clothes and a sword. Ashitaka had no doubt that they were Asano's.

"This is my den," The wolf said as he lied down on a large bed made of leaves and straw, "I have lived here for over eighteen years now, ever since Moro's death."

"Moro died less than a year ago." San told him.

"Not for me. For me, she died long ago. If she is truly dead, then my heart is saddened, but not to the extent it was eighteen years ago."

"What did our mother do to you to become dead in your eyes?" Okami asked.

With a simultaneous sigh and low growl, the great wolf said, "I should start from the beginning, from the time when the humans and those that dwell in the forest were not in a constant struggle."

Ashitaka dismounted Yakul, who went near the entrance of the cave. San got off of her brother and sat next to Ashitaka. The wolf glared at them momentarily before he turned back to Okami and Urufu.

"It all began when humans began to settle in the region. At first, there were only a very small few who only lived in camps. Eventually, this number grew to a point where the humans began to create a full settlement. They cut down the trees to build their homes and a wall to protect them from attackers. Moro and I had no problem with this, so long as they only took what they needed. That small settlement eventually grew larger and larger and Moro and I knew that the peace would not last forever. By now you two had been born along with a daughter, your younger sister, we named Saiai. At that point, tensions between the forest and the humans were beginning to mount. I do not remember who the humans' leader was, but he began to cut down many of the trees in the forest so he could go to war against the others around what he called his territory. It came to a head when Moro and I found the body of a pair of apes, killed by arrows made by the humans. We found a trio of hunters as we hunted for their killers and approached them to ask if they knew what happened. Before we could utter a single word, they suddenly panicked and shot at us, shouting 'They've found us!' as they drew their arrows. Their arrows were not much more than stings to me and my mate, and we chased them down. She was faster than I was and managed to kill all three of them, but we knew the humans would begin to question where the three had gone. The human lord, however, didn't seem interested in hearing what we had to say and instead sent warriors to try and kill us. It was a fruitless effort; the men that were sent did not return."

"This marked the point where the fighting truly began. Because our tribe was so small, the boars became the vanguards of the forest and the spearheads of our attacks. This continued for many, many years. Do you two remember this?" Okami and Urufu nodded. They had been raised to battle against the humans since they were young and could remember fighting alongside their father, mother, and sister. "Humans, however, are stubborn creatures which rarely give up even if they know they've been beaten. Even though we were not invincible, their weapons were almost useless against us. You two remember the fighting. We would ambush the humans to confuse them and would crush them while they scrambled to organize themselves."

"I believed that we would win the struggle. They began sending less and less of their own against us. However, it was also at this time that they began to bring humans from other lands to assist them. Because of this, all humans in the forest were considered to be our enemies. Moro and I swore that no human would survive, even if they were young, as they too would grow and begin to fight against the forest. When Moro broke this vow, I was furious beyond words."

"What happened was that there were three groups of humans arriving in the forest. I remember you two went to deal with one, I went off to find another, and Moro and Saiai were to take care of the third. I don't know how she died, but Saiai was killed in the fighting. Moro told me this as she came back with an infant human asleep on her back. She told me what happened to our daughter but my attention was soon focused on the human she was carrying. She said that the humans she encountered, a young woman and a few armored warriors, ran as soon as they saw her and threw the baby at her feet in an attempt to distract her. Saiai had given chase but Moro found her dead. I don't know what she saw in the human or why she saved her, but it enraged me to think that she would spare a human and try to raise it as one of her own. We argued for a long time, but she would not kill the child and said she would raise it as her daughter. I would have no more of it, so I left and headed west. Moro had broken a sworn oath, so from that point on she was dead to me, having spared a human after the humans had killed our daughter. I found this forest not long after and found that the humans here were just as bad, if not worse, than the ones which inhabited my old home. I began defending it as if it were my birthplace and the creatures here made me the master of this forest, much like the great Forest Spirit is where I am from."

"The Forest Spirit is dead," San said, "it was killed by the humans several months ago."

"I was afraid that was true. I felt a great pain in my heart and I thought something terrible might have happened, but I never thought it could have been the death of the Forest Spirit until some apes began saying that the Forest Spirit, along with many other gods of the forest, had died in a great battle against the humans. I had heard that the entirety of the Boar Clan had been wiped out in the fighting. I figured so once the boars from this region did not return. Not even Okkoto returned from the fighting, and he was one of the strongest gods in existence. They spoke of many other things, such as weapons which spew forth hot balls of iron at great speeds, a gigantic spider-demon, and how the humans and forest were somehow at peace. I believe little of it."

"You should listen to them," Ashitaka said, "they're telling the truth. Ever since the death of the Forest Spirit, the fighting between the humans and the forest has stopped. The weapons you're talking about do exist and they're powerful enough to turn a god into a demon. Moro was killed by one of these weapons, but she was fortunate enough to have not turned into a demon before then."

"How is it that the Forest Spirit's death is the cause of the peace between the forest and the humans? If I was still in that region, I would have charged the lines of the humans and torn them all to shreds until not a single one was left standing." The wolf stood from his bed and walked over to Ashitaka and San. "I don't know why I haven't done so to you two yet."

"The humans learned their lesson when they killed the Forest Spirit," Okami replied, "it destroyed their homes and town, and since many of the trees of the forest were also destroyed, they had to work non-stop to rebuild their town. Ashitaka, the boy, is from a different village far to the west, but he remains with the humans to help them and because he has not lived in the forest long enough to remain there for a long time. San is our sister, the one who Moro spared after our sister died."

The wolf turned his eyes to San, who remained unintimidated by him. "You are not like the other humans, are you? I can tell by the markings on your face, the work of the Ape Tribe, and they despise humans almost as much as I do." San remained still but kept her eyes on the wolf as he circled her and Ashitaka. "You wear the pelt and teeth of my daughter and carry the mask and weapons of a yambushi."

"She is the one that Moro chose as her daughter. She has fought alongside the forest against the humans since she was a child and risked her life many times doing so. She is a wolf, not a human."

It seemed as if the wolf was about to say something but stopped. He circled San and Ashitaka once more before returning to his bed. "If she is a wolf, then what is the boy?"

"He is human," Urufu replied, "but he is also San's mate."

"A wolf mat…" The wolf let out another sigh before continuing, "I suppose it is good to hear that the fighting has finally ended, but what will happen once it begins again?"

"There would be no reason for the humans to fight the forest," Ashitaka said, "with Lady Eboshi in charge, the only things that they will fight are other humans who try to take over Irontown so they can destroy the forest themselves and mine the iron in the mountains."

"And when she dies? You humans have lifespans that are much longer than most other creatures, but you are not immortal. A new leader shall take this woman's place, and what will they be like? What if they become greedy and begin to mine the iron themselves?"

"Then the forest will fight back like it always has." Okami replied.

"Can the forest fight back any longer? With the death of the Forest Spirit, the annihilation of the boars, and the increased destruction of the humans' weapons, how much longer can the forest survive? Eventually, perhaps not in your two's lifetime, the forest will fall. It is inevitable and no amount of fighting will be able to change that. My sons will be dead, you two will have long passed, and I will likely be the last of my kind, simply prolonging my death as I continue this endless struggle against the humans."

"The forest will never be completely destroyed," Ashitaka said, "it may become smaller, but it will not be wiped out entirely."

"I admire your optimism, boy, I truly do, but you have not been alive for as long as I have. I've seen what the humans are capable of. I am one of the last leaves in the great forest, as are my sons. Once the leaves are gone, the forest will die, whether you want to believe it or not." The wolf lied down on his bed and licked the blood around his mouth. "If you two do not mind, I would like to speak with my sons in private to hear what has occurred since my absence."

"What about San? She's your daughter."

"Moro simply adopted the girl. I have not accepted her as my own… yet. There is another cave not even two hundred feet from here that you can stay in. I have not used it in a long time, but there is still a small amount of straw and leaves you can use as a bed." San nodded and left quickly. Before Ashitaka turned to leave, he asked the wolf if he could tell him his name. "I am Hanto, Vanguard of the Forest. Now, go to your… mate, as I am eager to speak with my children once more."

Ashitaka bowed and caught up with San. As he walked next to her into the snow –with Yakul following behind- he noticed that she had a slight snarl on her face. He knew it was because of Hanto and how he seemed to utterly reject her. Once they found the cave, they would have a better opportunity to talk about it.

Chapter 8: A Summons to Contest

Although the cave was well hidden by several large bushes topped with snow, Ashitaka and San were able to find it with relative ease. They pushed their way through the branches and leaves and tumbled into the cave, failing to notice the sudden drop in the near blackness. San landed on her hands and feet while Ashitaka fell onto his stomach. Yakul was much more cautious and made his way into the cave with no problems.

"Are you alright?" San asked as she offered her hand to help him up.

"I'm fine." Ashitaka replied as he took hold and got up from the cold floor. "I can't see a thing in this cave."

"Don't worry; I brought a torch." Ashitaka heard something hit the ground followed by San sitting down. He heard what sounded like two stones being hit together and looked to see San's face in a flash of sparks coming from two rocks as she tried to light the torch. On her second attempt, the torch was successfully lit. She stood up and held the torch at head-level as they looked around Hanto's former den.

The inside of the cave was far less gruesome than the den they had previously visited. There were no bones, no bloodstains, and no bloody clothes to be seen. The stone floor was much dirtier and the cave itself felt much colder than the other one had been. They found what they assumed was Hanto's old bed when they saw a large pile of straw and tiny brown bits of dead leaves scattered amongst the pile. There were no signs of anything having come inside the cave for many years. There were no droppings, no piles of food, no tufts of fur, nothing.

"I wonder why none of the animals ever come inside here." Ashitaka wondered.

"Perhaps they're afraid to," San said, "they probably think Hanto still comes inside this place and don't want to anger him by accident." San found a crevice in the wall that could hold the torch. She carefully placed it inside so that it wouldn't fall out and extinguish the light. Yakul voluntarily slept near the drop at the mouth of the cave. San and Ashitaka lied down next to each other on top of the makeshift bed, lying under San's wolf pelt. Despite it being much warmer, they could both feel the cold of the cave seep through the fur. Still, it was better than sleeping outside, considering the fact it had also begun to snow again.

"When do you think we'll be going back?" Ashitaka asked as they began talking to pass the time.

"I don't know," San replied, "I didn't expect us to meet my brothers' father. Moro told me that he was killed while he was fighting humans. I guess she just didn't want to tell me about him."

"He seems to have cared for Moro. He must hate humans even more than you or your mother."

"He didn't seem to dislike you too much."

"I don't think he liked either of us very much. I guess he just hates all humans."

San opened her mouth to remind Ashitaka that she was no human, that she was a wolf, but she stopped. Even if she was a wolf by mind, heart, and soul, she still possessed the frail body of a human. Her teeth were dull instead of sharp; even though she could walk on her arms and legs all at once, she was more comfortable with just her legs; despite the fact she could hear, smell, and see in the dark far better than any human, it was not even close to the extent of her brothers. Her nails were not sharp enough to strike with, unlike her brothers who had nails as sharp as knives. The only hair she had was on her head while her brothers were covered in fur. Even if she was not a human, she sure looked like one. "I'll prove to him that I'm not a human."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'll show him that I'm a wolf. I can prove it easily, and then I'll show him that he made a mistake for thinking Moro was foolish for saving me. All I need to do is ask him how to prove myself."

Ashitaka turned onto his side and faced her. "What do you think he would have you do?"

"He's one of the oldest gods. He'll have a good idea of a test when I ask him."

Ashitaka nodded. He knew that San was very strong, but he didn't know if Hanto would give San a test that she couldn't pass. Of course that would need to be a very difficult test, but it was possible that San wouldn't be able to pass it. She was not as fast as a wolf, nor as powerful as one. He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it very much. "Do you really need his approval?"

"Of course I do; he was my mother's mate. Even if he did abandon her, I still want to show him that she raised all of her children to be strong."

"San, you're already strong. You, your brothers, and I already know that."

"I know, but he still doesn't see me as a wolf. That's why I want him to test me."

Ashitaka didn't protest any further. He instead changed the subject before they both began to feel sleepy. They kissed (well, San licked Ashitaka's face) goodnight before they fell asleep in the cold cave, kept warm by the wolf pelt and each other.

Back in Hanto's cave, the old wolf god was listening to his sons tell him of how the forest had managed to make peace with the humans despite the large amount of losses on both sides. Hanto, while intrigued, did not seem to change his stance on humans. "A new generation of humans shall arrive," he told them, "and the destruction wrought by their ancestors shall be renewed by them."

"Perhaps," Okami said, "but these humans are not evil creatures such as demons."

"Even if they are not, you have told me that they are responsible for turning not only Nago, the Great Guardian of the Forest, into a demon, but they even caused the legendary Lord Okkoto to become a twisted version of his former self. You also said they are responsible for both Moro and the Forest Spirit's deaths and for the near annihilation of the forest."

"The humans were indeed responsible for Nago and Moro's deaths, but it was a human from a different land far away from our region that caused Lord Okkoto and the Forest Spirit's deaths, all so their leader, whom they call 'The Emperor', could have a chance at immortality. These same humans also accidentally unleashed a demonic spider after the peace between the forest and the humans living in their settlement had been made."

"I've never heard of this 'Emperor' you speak of, but he doesn't sound like much of a threat. It seems like you've made your point with why you even tolerate the humans' presence any longer, but that does not explain why your sister, who, according to you two, adamantly calls herself a wolf, has chosen a human as her mate."

"She is a wolf in heart, mind, and soul, but she has the body of a human. Explaining it is difficult, father, but if you give her a chance, you shall see that she is worthy of being called a member of the Moro Tribe."

"That's what our family is called now? When I was still the alpha male, it was simply known as the Wolf Clan. Of course, now that you are the alpha male, Okami, you are free to call it whatever you please."

"Actually, father, because we have found that you are indeed still alive, I have been wondering if you would wish to reclaim your place as the clan's leader."

"No, my son, I have found my new home here. If you return back home, I will not be angered or disappointed. I expect you to lead the clan to glory and that you will defend the forest against the humans when they begin to destroy it again. If you decide to stay here with me, where the humans are still very much a problem, then I will once again call myself the Alpha Male of the our clan."

Okami and Urufu glanced at each other. They were sure that they were going back home with Ashitaka and San. Now, however, since they had found out that their father was alive, both of them were starting to have second thoughts.

"Will you give us time to decide?" Urufu asked.

"Of course I will. I do not have to worry about time wearing down my body unlike humans do… tell me, if you do decide to remain here with me, what will you do with your 'sister'?"

"She will be able to live with us," Okami replied, "she does not have any reason to remain there… except for her mate."

"I knew that this would become a problem. If your sister is unwilling to leave her mate, then she cannot remain here. Even if she does decide to leave him, I would first put her through a series of trials to prove that she is indeed worthy of being called a member of the Wolf Clan."

"What would you have her do?"

"The three would be a simple test of speed, another of her perception, and lastly a test of her skills in combat. A wolf must be adept in all three of these fields if he or she is to survive against the humans or the demons which occasionally pollute our forest. However, since she is not truly a wolf, no matter what she says, I will make it so she only needs to pass a single one."

"She's stronger than you think she is. She'll easily pass whatever tests you give her."

"What are the tests?" Urufu asked.

"To test her speed, she will have to run to the edge of the forest that is closest to the humans." Hanto replied, "She will start here and will have one hour to complete her task. To test her senses, I would have five different forest creatures hide in a small area. She will have one hour to find all of them. And lastly, to prove to me that she can fight like a wolf, she will have to fight a human, one who is trained to fight, not some lowly farmer or merchant. I will probably send her to fight one of the guards of the human settlement." Hanto's eyes narrowed into slits. "Of course, she would have to accept these challenges first."

"San is fearless, father." Okami said, "She will readily accept when asked."

"That's good, because I am anxious to see how well placed your faith in her is. If she does not manage to pass any of the trials, I will not recognize her as one of our own and will send her away."

Okami and Urufu flared their nostrils. "If San goes, we will go with her."

Hanto sighed heavily. "That is your choice. Of course, you can actually do good things here by helping me fight the humans that plague this land. It seems like you have already taken care of the humans in your home region, so there shouldn't be much of a reason for you to stay there."

"Didn't you just tell us that the humans will one day turn on us," Urufu questioned, "and that we will have to be ready for when they do?"

"I did, but that will not happen for many years. How old is the woman who oversees the humans?"

"She is likely in her late thirties." Okami replied.

"Then you have at least three decades until she passes. Once she does, you could return and make sure that their new master will uphold the peace she made."

"I do not know if she will live that long. That woman has many enemies, including the human lord that… once ruled here." Okami's eyes drifted to the bloody heap of clothing. He had almost forgotten that Lord Asano was dead.

"You are always welcome to leave and return as you please. Right now, I must rest. I have been up for a week now and my body is tired from battling the humans. Go find the girl tomorrow morning and tell her of the challenge I present to her. If she accepts, bring her to me. If not, send her back to where she came from."

The wolf brothers nodded, to which their father gave a slight smile and laid his head on the ground, closing his eyes as his chin touched the cold stone floor. Okami and Urufu slept in corners on opposite sides of the room. Before falling asleep, they agreed that whoever awakened first would go and find San and deliver Hanto's challenge. They both knew she would readily accept, but they were unsure if she would be able to pass the trials.

Chapter 9: Running with the Pack

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Princess Mononoke (Characters, Original Plot, etc.).

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The first thing Ashitaka heard as he awoke was the sound of something moving in the bushes that hid the entrance to the cave. His first thought was that it was Yakul, either eating the leaves off of the bushes, going outside for some reason, or coming back inside the cave. He rubbed his eyes and got out from under San's wolf pelt and stretched his arms and back. As he was stretching, one of San's brothers came around the corner. Judging by his size, it was Urufu.

"Ashitaka," The wolf greeted with a slight bow of his head, "is San awake yet?"

"Not yet," Ashitaka replied, "but she'll be up soon."

"Good; my father wants to speak with her, and he seems to be impatient at the moment."

"Why does he need to talk to her?"

"He does not believe that she is a wolf in any way. I know she will want to prove herself to him, and he will give her three chances to do so."

Ashitaka was somewhat surprised since San was talking about something similar last night. "She told me she wanted to show him that she was a wolf. She was actually talking about possibly going through some sort of test."

"Then she's fortunate that my father is thinking the same thing. Should I tell him that she's accepted, then?"

Ashitaka nodded. "Before you go, do you know what the tests he has in mind are?"

"Yes; one involves testing her speed by seeing if she can run from where my father's cave is to where we were waiting for you earlier in under one hour. It took us several hours to find this place, but I think she can still pass this test easily since we were walking slowly so we could keep watch for any tracks or other signs to lead us here. One of the other two was one where he would see how her senses are compared to that of a wolf. It is the only one I am concerned with, since the snow can mask some scents and allow some creatures to blend in with the environment. Her senses are far above that of a human, however, and I believe she can do it. The last test is to defeat a human in combat. This one is probably the easiest one for her, but I was told that she will likely face one of the human warriors that guard the nearby city."

Ashitaka was relieved to hear that the tests weren't as bad as he thought they would have been (though he was still sure San would have passed those too). The two noticed San was beginning to stir. "I'll tell her when she wakes up."

"Thank you, brother." Urufu slightly bowed his head before turning and leaving. Ashitaka still felt that it was a bit weird that a wolf was calling him "brother". Then again, he didn't exactly expect to spend the rest of his life with a girl who passionately believed she was a wolf after leaving his village due to being cursed by a rampaging boar god. He went over to Yakul and petted him as he ate some leaves off of the bushes. A few moments later, he heard San wake up and went over to her. The Wolf Girl quickly stretched her arms as she got up from the straw bedding.

After greeting her a good morning, Ashitaka told San about what Urufu had told him. "It's exactly what you wanted."

San nodded. "Let's go find them," She said, "I'll show my brothers' father that I'm no human." Before they left, Ashitaka told Yakul to remain inside the cave until he came back. They pushed their way to the branches and found that Okami, Urufu, and Hanto were already out of their den, waiting for the two of them.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would wake up," Hanto remarked, "I was awake before the sun had risen over the mountains."

San disregarded the comment and said, "I'll prove to you that I'm a wolf, not some filthy human."

Hanto snickered. "We'll see." The massive wolf moved over to San, who didn't move an inch as he stood in front of her and lowered his eyes to level with hers. "Which challenge do you wish to go through first?"

"The speed challenge," She said without hesitation, "I can move faster than any human."

"Maybe, but can you move as fast as a wolf?" Hanto moved over to his sons and motioned San and Ashitaka to follow. Ashitaka, who had been a bit tired earlier, was wide awake in the cold, icy snow. "There is a spot in this forest where one can easily overlook the humans' settlement without risking detection. It is a part of the forest which conceals a hilltop."

"We've been there before," Okami said, "that is when we first saw you battle the humans."

"Good; I won't need to show you where you are headed. You will need to get there in an hour, starting from where you are standing now. I can easily reach the spot in less than one hour, so my sons and I will be waiting for you there."

"What about Ashitaka?" Urufu asked.

"If one of you wishes to bear the burden of carrying him there," Hanto sighed heavily, "then it is your choice. If he does not want to go he can remain here and wait to see if his 'mate' was successful or not."

"I'll bring him." Okami said. Ashitaka didn't protest, though he wasn't enthusiastic about having to ride on one of San's brothers because of their father. He avoided Hanto's gaze as he got onto Okami's back. "Good luck, sister."

"Your one hour begins once I and my sons leave. We will be waiting." Without another word, Hanto began to dash through the snow towards the overlook. Urufu and Okami followed quickly. Ashitaka muttered a quick "good luck" to San as Okami took him to the spot where they would be waiting.

San nodded and got into a crouched position to ready herself for what would be a long run. She took a few moments to concentrate, and then, when she felt her blood begin to flow from her anticipation, she immediately began to run. She was able to remember the path clearly, though she still followed the footprints of her brothers as she sprinted through the snow. It was somewhat difficult to move quickly in the snow, but she managed to keep up a very quick pace. The cold from the snow did not bother her one bit. In fact, it was relaxing to her, cooling the sweat that began to form on her forehead and brow as she continued to run without stopping or walking. She noticed there were very few animals in the forest. She was not at all surprised at this sight. She knew that they would sleep throughout most of winter, awakening only to get food.

After thirty minutes, San guessed she was a little more than halfway there. Indeed, if she continued at the pace she was moving, she would be able to reach her brothers and Hanto in a little more than fifteen minutes. She didn't slow her pace one bit; she believed that if she did, she would continue to do so and not reach the overlook on time. By now, most of her body was covered in sweat. She was running at a rapid speed for a half an hour, and she could feel it in her legs with every step she took. The speed at which she began was beginning to take its toll, but she pressed on, refusing to stop for even a moment.

What San didn't notice was that Hanto, her brothers, and Ashitaka were actually watching her from a distance, making sure they were slightly ahead of her as she continued on. Hanto had wanted to evaluate her performance, though all he cared about was if she would reach the overlook in time.

"She's certainly a stubborn one," He remarked, "she reminds me of your mother when we first began to fight back against the humans."

"I told you that you judged her too harshly." Okami said, "She is not stubborn, she is determined. She will reach the overlook very soon."

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Okami. She still has a bit longer to go, and I doubt she will be able to keep up that pace."

"She has done so for the past half hour. She will be there in less than twenty minutes."

"Hm. What do you think, boy?"

Ashitaka didn't expect Hanto to even acknowledge his presence. "She never gives up. She may be tired, but that's not going to stop her from reaching her goal."

"Well, I can see that Moro taught this girl well, but that does not make her a wolf. Let's see if she can make it back in time."

Hanto, Okami, Urufu, and Ashitaka continued to track her, though they kept even further ahead of her than before. After ten more minutes, at which San was now very close to the overlook, they completely abandoned their tracking and went over to the spot. Ashitaka dismounted Okami and sat on a nearby fallen log as they waited for San to arrive. Hanto lied down on the snow, seemingly oblivious to the cold, while Okami and Urufu sat on a pair of large flat rocks as they awaited their sister.

After five more minutes, San had not yet showed up. Ashitaka guessed that she might have slowed down a little bit. Okami and Urufu thought that she may have accidentally made a wrong turn and overshot the target. They went deeper into the forest to see if she was there, but found nothing after five minutes of searching.

Eventually they got to the point where San had five minutes left, but she still had not arrived. Ashitaka and her brothers were beginning to become more worried than before, though Hanto largely showed apathy.

"She probably collapsed in the snow from exhaustion," The Alpha Wolf huffed, "she's foolish to think she could ever match the speed of a wolf. Okami, Urufu! Take the boy with you and see if you can find her. She has five minutes remaining and I do not believe she will be able to make it in time."

The two wolves nodded and went to find San. Ashitaka got onto Okami's back and rode on. "Do you think something could have happened?" Ashitaka asked as they broke through the ice and snow.

"I don't know if she ran into any trouble," Okami replied, "but there are thousands of possibilities in this forest, even in one of its most peaceful and least chaotic states. She could have twisted an ankle in the snow, fallen into a frozen river and had trouble getting out, or attacked by a bear who was searching for a meal after having slept for such a long time. I hope none of these have happened to my sister, but there is always a chance."

Ashitaka nodded and looked forward while scanning the area for any sign of San. The biggest problem with finding her would be that fur cloak she wore. The color blended in with the snow almost perfectly. Part of her dress was also white, which would not make it any easier to see her. Ashitaka knew that her brothers would be able to spot the difference, however. Their eyes were trained to hunt in this weather for all sorts of creatures of any color and size. Finding San wouldn't be a problem for them.

After five minutes of calling her name and scanning the area around them, the three heard San swearing under her breath. Her voice led the wolves to a fallen log covered in snow. They could see her hair and part of her pelt peeking from the other side. Ashitaka got off of Okami as they went over to see what was wrong.

"San," Okami asked, "are you alright?" As they came around the side of the log, they saw San sitting on the snow with her back on the log, wincing in pain and grasping the bottom of her left knee.

"I don't think so," She replied, "my leg is burning and I can't stand on it." San drew her hands away from her leg. In the palms of her hands were small drops of blood. The wolves and Ashitaka found it strange that San would have stopped just for a small cut.

"Let me see." Urufu said. San turned onto her side showed them the back of her leg. Instead of a cut or scratch, there was a large black-purple spot behind her knee. "That looks like a spider's bite, or possibly a snake's."

San cursed under her breath. "I've already failed the test, haven't I?" Okami nodded his head in response. "I need to get rid of the poison somehow."

"I think I know a way how to," Okami said, "Ashitaka, get San onto my back and ride with her. Urufu, tell our father what happened and meet us at the cave that San and Ashitaka were sleeping in."

Urufu nodded and went back the way they came. Ashitaka offered San his hand, but she refused and tried to get up on her own. She put one arm on the log for leverage and pushed herself up with her other hand. She was able to stand on her right leg, but as soon as she put weight on her left leg, she collapsed. Reluctantly, she took Ashitaka's help and put her arm over his shoulders. San didn't show how badly the pain must have been, but Ashitaka and Okami could tell by the way that she barely touched the ground with her toes that it was excruciating. She was able to get onto her brother without any help. Ashitaka sat behind her as they rode back to the cave.

"I can't believe I was stopped by some insect." San murmured.

"It isn't something to be ashamed of," Ashitaka said, "it's the poison that stopped you, not the pain."

"Yes, but I was still close. I could have kept on going if I just ran on all fours. I probably could have crawled there and still arrive on time."

"If you crawled to the overlook," Okami said, "my father would have seen you as weak and pathetic. Even if he would have decided that you passed, he would still hold you in scant regard and berate you for being as weak as a human."

"Has your father always been like this?" Ashitaka asked, "Always hated humans this much?"

"When I was still a pup, his hatred for humans and the thirst for their blood was unquenchable. He showed no mercy to any of your kind, including children as you heard. When Moro decided to raise San, I suppose his hatred for humans only grew. He seems no less vicious than the last time I spoke with him."

"What did the other tribes think of him?"

"The boars and the apes commended him for his battles against the humans, though they were not as keen when he decided to leave because of my mother's decision to spare San. They lost a great deal of respect for him that day and eventually his name was no longer spoken among the clans. I do not know what the Forest Spirit thought of him… I do not know much about what the Forest Spirit thought of any of the clans, truthfully."

When they reached the cave, Ashitaka checked San's leg to see if the bite was any worse than before. San assured him she was fine, and judging by how the bruise left by the bite looked, she was right. Still, the poison in her body had to be treated somehow. Ashitaka helped her into the cave and to the pile of old straw. San sat down on the bedding and extended her bitten leg.

"Ashitaka," Okami said, "where is the antidote you bought from the humans?"

"Right here," He replied as he produced the vial, "do you think it will help the venom of a snake or a spider?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it is our greatest chance. Do not use all of it; a small dose is likely enough."

"The man I bought this from said one fourth of the vial is enough." Ashitaka handed San the vial of red liquid. He wasn't sure if it would work, since it was for a different type of poison entirely, but he hoped that perhaps it would help a bit. San drank the recommended dose before handing it back to Ashitaka.

"This stuff tastes bitter." San commented while licking some of the makeshift antidote off of her teeth.

"It will have to do," Okami said, "but there is still something we should try, just to ensure the poison will be completely gone."

"What's that?" Ashitaka asked.

"An old human technique that was apparently used by the yambushi many years ago; it is simple, yet somewhat effective. You suck the poison out of the wound directly. San's cut, however, is no longer open, so you will have to use your sword or her knife to reopen it."

Ashitaka remembered seeing San do something similar to her mother when he first saw her. Moro had been shot and San was sucking blood out from the wound and spitting it into the river. San understood what she had to do and nodded. She handed Ashitaka her knife and got onto her stomach to make it easier to straighten her leg and for Ashitaka to make a clean cut. San didn't look away, but she did keep her teeth clenched behind her lips.

Ashitaka took the knife and pressed it onto the large blackish-purple bite mark. With one swift motion of his arm, the wound began bleeding again. San's face tightened a bit at the moment the blade cut the bite open, but other than that she didn't show or feel any real pain. Ashitaka did the next part, sucking and spitting blood out from the wound. Okami had left at this point, saying he was going to find his brother.

"Thanks you, Ashitaka." San said. Ashitaka, somewhat surprised, nodded to her before spitting the blood in his mouth out onto the floor. After he had done so three more times, they decided it was enough. Ashitaka sat next to her as the two waited for her brothers to arrive. After talking for a while, Okami and Urufu came in through the cave entrance. Yakul followed them towards Ashitaka and San.

"What did Hanto say?" Ashitaka asked.

"He says that it is unfortunate for San that she was bitten by some creature," Urufu replied, "but he also says that she still failed the test, so she'll have to pass one of the other two remaining ones."

"That shouldn't be a problem." San declared as she tried to stand up. The poison, however, was still causing her a great deal of pain in her leg, so she sat back down.

"You should wait for a few days before doing either challenge," Okami suggested, "you won't be able to concentrate as easily if you're constantly in pain, and there is no way you can defeat a human with only one working leg."

San nodded in agreement, though she was eager to pass one of the other tests. "I'll think about which trial I want to go to next. This time, your father will truly see that I am a wolf."

Chapter 10: The First Strike

For the next few days, San didn't do much other than rest so the snake bite could heal. Hanto had not allowed her to attempt another challenge until she was at her best, even though San insisted a small bite wouldn't affect her. Still, the wolf god forbade her from trying and she eventually discontinued attempting to convince him. Ashitaka and her brothers said it was probably best that she did rest before another trial, but they knew that she was adamant on continuing as soon as possible. After three days, she, Ashitaka, and her brothers went back to Hanto, who had decided it would be time to continue with her trials for becoming a member of the Wolf Clan.

"You know the two challenges you have been presented," He said, "you will either put your senses to the test or you will battle a human alone and defeat him. Which do you choose?"

San was instantly ready with an answer, as she had been thinking about which trial to perform next. "I want to battle a human," She replied without hesitance, "I can take on whoever you have me fight against."

A wide grin spread across the ancient wolf's face. "Very well then; I have found which human you will face. I chose this one because, from what my sons have told me, he is a great warrior." San looked to her brothers, who turned their heads to signify they didn't know who their father was talking about.

Just then, Okami had an idea of who it might be. He approached his father and whispered, "Father, are you talking about the boy?"

"Yes, Okami," Hanto replied loudly so everybody could hear him, "your so called sister is to fight against her mate if she truly wishes to prove that she is worthy to be called a wolf."

San was not at all pleased with what she heard. "No! I'm not going to kill Ashitaka!"

"You won't have to kill him. When wolves fight for dominance, we do not always fight to the death. We sometimes fight until one of us submits. That is what you two shall do tomorrow. If you can defeat your mate, then I will recognize you as a member of the Wolf Clan, San. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must make sure that there aren't any other humans in the forest."

Hanto stood from his bed and left the cave with Okami and Urufu. Ashitaka guessed that they were going to help him guard the forest. As soon as they were out of sight San's face tightened and her fists became clenched. Ashitaka went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm starting to think I made a mistake by talking to my brothers' father." San grumbled.

"Don't worry about their father," Ashitaka said, "he'll probably act better towards you once you pass the next trial."

"What if I don't? You're not very easy to beat in a fight, and I don't want you to let me win. He'll know if you aren't trying."

"So you want me to do my best?"

San smiled weakly and said, "I'm sure of it." Ashitaka smiled back and nodded. The two spent the rest of the day wandering the forest, often talking while doing so. San voiced her opinion about Hanto while they stopped nearby a small frozen pond. "He isn't anything like Moro was. She was caring and kind. Hanto doesn't seem to be either."

"He still doesn't consider you a wolf. It's like what me village thinks of me now. Even though I'm no longer cursed, I'm dead to them and cannot return."

"Hopefully you're right. I don't want to have been bitten and beaten for nothing."

"San, I don't want to fight you. Whenever we wrestle, it's for fun. The last time I seriously fought you, you were under the possession of a demon and we were both almost killed."

"I know, but we won't have weapons this time and one of us has the choice to give up."

Ashitaka knew that San was right, but he still didn't want to have to fight her. He still bore a scar under his eye from the first time he encountered San up-close. They were both good at fighting, weapons or no weapons, but San was faster than Ashitaka, and possibly stronger. The fact they would be fighting in the snow meant it would only be harder. He tried to forget it about it while they continued exploring the forest. Once it began to get dark, they returned to the cave. They ate only a little before going to sleep. Ashitaka was able to fall asleep rather quickly, but San was awake for a bit longer; she was not only thinking about tomorrow, but if anything would change once her brothers' father finally accepted her as a member of their clan. What if Hanto forced them to remain in this forest to guard it? What if he made her leave Ashitaka because he was human? He might let her return home, but her brothers might stay with him. San simply sighed and laid one arm across Ashitaka's chest as she slowly drifted to sleep.

Ashitaka was the first to greet the morning. He supposed he was ready for his fight, but he was dreading each minute leading up to it. Still, this was what San wanted and she wouldn't be satisfied until she proved to her clan's leader that she was a wolf. He didn't know why; she had just met the wolf a few days ago. Then again, he did fall for her the moment he saw her. She looked peaceful when she slept, very different from the intense girl she was when she was awake. As usual, he decided to let her continue to sleep instead of waking her up, since she didn't like to be woken up early. He found Yakul nibbling at the leaves of the bush which hid the entrance. He went over to pet his friend, but stopped when something caused the bush to rustle. As Yakul stepped back, Okami parted the branches and set foot in the dank cave.

"Is San awake yet?" He asked.

"Not yet," Ashitaka replied, "but she should be soon. She usually wakes up before I do."

"Good; my father wants the sparring match to start as soon as possible. When she wakes up, you two are to meet Hanto in his den. He is going to have you two fight there to give you a better environment than the snow."

Ashitaka nodded and Okami took his leave. Yakul gave Ashitaka a friendly nibble on his head. Ashitaka smiled and brushed Yakul's head. He wondered what Yakul thought of all of this: Hanto, Eboshi's poisoning, the fight between him and San. He wished he could understand Yakul like San could. Perhaps the animals had a universal language that Moro had taught San. He would have to ask her later, and possibly learn it himself.

About half an hour later, while Ashitaka was eating a mixture of berries and oats, San shot up from her sleep and began rubbing her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Ashitaka asked.

"I had a strange dream last night," She said as she went over and sat next to Ashitaka, who handed her some food. "My brothers and I were sitting near a river with Moro close to us. The forest was peaceful and the animals were happy and free. Then my mother disappeared and Hanto was where she was standing. All of a sudden, the animals began to circle us and were bowing while chanting his name. When I looked to my brothers, they… they had been killed. Their stomachs were torn open and they were badly scarred. Then I looked back at Hanto and I saw his claws and fangs were drenched in blood. The animals stopped chanting and bowing and instead began to shriek and run all over the area. When that happened, Hanto began to get closer to me and I began to run towards him with my knife aimed at his throat. His jaws opened and then everything went black. The last thing I saw before I woke up was the dagger you gave me flash in the blackness."

Ashitaka began to think. He knew that the wise woman from his village could interpret dreams and their meanings, but he didn't have any idea how to do such a thing. "That sounds more like a nightmare than a dream."

San nodded as she began chewing on a mouthful of food. "When are we supposed to start?" She asked after swallowing.

"Okami told me that we were supposed to go to Hanto's den as soon as you were awake."

"Let's go, then."

San stood up and helped Ashitaka to his feet. They left their weapons in the cave as they stepped out into the cold dark winter morning. Ashitaka told Yakul to stay inside and not come out no matter what he heard outside. Yakul tilted his head to the side, almost as if to ask why. Ashitaka smiled and brushed the top of Yakul's head before pushing through the branches and following San to Hanto's den.

"Your brother told me that we're going to be fighting in his father's den." Ashitaka mentioned.

"Good," San said, "the snow would only slow us down, though I hope there is enough space."

Outside the den, Hanto and San's brothers were sitting, awaiting the two's arrival.

"You humans always sleep for such long times," Hanto remarked, "I was wondering if we were going to be begin at the sun's peak. Well, now that you are here, allow me to tell you the guidelines for your battle for domination." San and Ashitaka nodded and listened closely, though Ashitaka couldn't imagine there would be many rules for this trial. "This fight is not to the death; it is only until one of you gives into the pain and submits to the other. Of course, if one of you does die, I will have no quarrel about it. You will be sparring in my den and are not allowed to leave. Therefore, my youngest child, Urufu, will be guarding to entrance."

"I know who your sons are!" San broke in, "I should know the names of my brothers!"

Hanto simply snorted at the interruption and continued. "I have already told you that your normal weapons will not be permitted, but you are allowed to use whatever natural weapons you may find, such as rocks or large sticks. Lastly, I will be watching over you two as you fight. If I have even the slightest feeling that either of you are allowing the other to win easily, I will deem this trial a failure. Is what I have said clear?"

"Yes." Ashitaka replied. San nodded in response. The great wolf ordered them inside with a booming voice. Ashitaka did so without hesitation, but San shot Hanto a spiteful look before she followed. Hanto either did not see it or cared little for what San thought of him. In any case he trailed the two and went over to his large bed and lied down.

"The fight will begin once the first punch is thrown." He said. Ashitaka and San nodded and went to opposite sides of the den. It had apparently been cleaned of the bones and other remains of Hanto's human victims. All that remained was the dirt floor with some scattered rocks, several stalagmites and stalactites, and the large straw bed Hanto was resting on.

The two looked each other over carefully before they began fighting. San was wearing her normal purple and white dress, her large earrings which occasionally rang, and her cloth shoes. Ashitaka had his tunic, pants, sleeves, and shoes. What he wore would normally be easier to fight in, but San's dress was cut off at the point where it would not make a great difference between the two. They were of similar build and close to the same height. Hanto himself thought that this would be interesting to see.

Ashitaka readied himself; he knew that San would begin the fight by charging at him.

He was right.

San would be the one to throw the first punch, making a head-on charge towards Ashitaka, shouting with her fists clenched together, ready to make contact.

Chapter 11: Double the Pain

Ashitaka stepped to the side and put his leg out to trip San as she threw his fist straight to where his face would have been if he had stood still. She fell over his leg but was able to catch herself before completely falling. Ashitaka's plan was to try to grab San's arm and force her into a hold, but he knew that would be difficult to do if all he did was keep dodging. Still, he decided to stay defensive for a bit to tire her down. He would have to match her speed or outdo her, a challenge he was unsure if he could clear.

San feigned an attack by suddenly jolting her upper body and left leg forward, but remained in the same spot with her hands ready to catch Ashitaka if he tried to charge at her. She knew he was more of a defensive fighter and that she would have to attack more than just his upper body if she was going to be recognized as a wolf. Of course, neither of them wanted to fight the other, but if they stalled for too long or obviously showed they weren't fighting, Hanto would declare her second trial a failure.

San quickly moved forward towards Ashitaka, ready for any counter he may have. She threw her left fist at him and was blocked. She met similar success when she threw her right. While Ashitaka was blocking her right hand with his arm, she tried hitting him with her left elbow. Ashitaka was able to block it, but the pain caused from the blow went deep into his flesh and caused him to drop his guard. San took this opportunity to hit him in the face with her right elbow. Ashitaka was quick enough to dodge the attack and got away from San by placing his right leg behind her left and pushing her over. He jumped back and put his arms up, ready to block any more of her strikes.

San kicked her legs and landed on her feet. The fall wasn't in any way painful, but Ashitaka's defenses were back up and she would have to take them down again. She moved closer to him and threw a punch towards his stomach. Ashitaka blocked the punch with one arm and tried to grab her arm with his other. She was fast enough to hop backwards before he could get a good grip on her. San kicked at Ashitaka's knee and hit her mark. The blow caused Ashitaka to fall onto his good knee while favoring the one that San had kicked. San tried to kick him in the head while he was kneeling, but Ashitaka dodged the strike and grabbed San's leg. He pulled her leg with a great deal of strength and caused her to fall onto her back. He yanked her leg hard enough to get her onto her stomach and then wrapped one arm around her ankle. San, however, used her other leg and kicked Ashitaka in the stomach as hard as she could. Ashitaka gasped as air left his body. He staggered back from the force of the blow and released his grip on San.

At the end of the cave, Hanto was quietly laughing to himself. San and Ashitaka were able to hear him; San became angry because she had to hurt her mate to be called a wolf while Ashitaka felt disgusted that he was enjoying seeing two humans fight each other. He understood why the Wolf God would hate humans, but neither Ashitaka nor San had done anything to hurt the forest, no, they had only worked to help the forest.

San moved quickly to get to Ashitaka before he had a chance to regain his bearings. She drove her elbow into Ashitaka's face before he could block it, knocking him to the side and onto his hands and knees. The blow had cut his gums, causing to blood to trickle out of the side of his mouth. Before he could get to his feet, San kicked him in the ribs. Ashitaka gasped in pain and landed on his back. San's strikes were fast and powerful, as if a rock had been thrown at his chest by a gale. He knew he had to get up or else San would make use of his vulnerability.

San pounced towards him with arms outstretched, poised to grab him by the throat. She only needed to make him submit, but she would go to great lengths to be recognized by her brothers' father as a wolf, even if she thought he was going too far with this trial. If the fight had been to the death, she would have refused. She shook the thoughts out of her head. Right now, she was fighting as if he had committed some horrible atrocity against the forest. Burning down a large group of trees, throwing poison into the river…

Killing your mother. The thought suddenly popped into her head. San missed as Ashitaka rolled out of the way and got to his feet. San looked up at him with vicious eyes and barred teeth. She was imagining that he was not Ashitaka, that he was that other human, the one who brought that woman the guns used to kill Nago, Moro, and the Forest Spirit; the one who almost caused complete annihilation of the forest, which by a miracle was growing back at a speedy rate, though it was still not what it once was, and it wouldn't be for a long time.

All because of him.

Ashitaka saw past her eyes, the anger behind them and the burning rage. He wondered what was wrong, but guessed it was San trying to find some good reason to hit him with all of her power. By the way she roared while pouncing at him once more, she found that reason.

San caught Ashitaka this time, grabbing both of his shoulders and driving him to the ground. Ashitaka struggled against her strength and tried pushing her off, but to no avail. San smashed her forehead against Ashitaka's, causing his vision to flash and blur. Just when it looked like she was about to do it again, Ashitaka, recovering quickly from his daze, was able to push San's arms off of him and drove his head into her chest, knocking her over. San landed on the ground with a light thud.

Ashitaka stood back up and readied himself for San to pounce again. She stood up and clenched her fists once more before slowly moving towards him. She saw several targets where she could aim an attack: the scar below Ashitaka's eye, a blow to the nose, or perhaps she could grab his arm or leg and twist it to the point where he would have to surrender. For now, she didn't see her mate, she saw that one human whom she hated so much.

San charged towards Ashitaka, who readied himself to catch her. However, to his surprise, she suddenly stopped just out of his reach, causing him to grab empty air. San took this opportunity and ducked under his arms and got behind him. She put her arms under his and raised his arms over his shoulders. She curled her right leg over his left and then kicked back. The resulting fall caused Ashitaka to land on his chest and caused his head to bounce off the stony ground. He let out a grunt as he made contact with a loud smack. His nose began bleeding, having hit the ground almost as hard as his chest due to the force of his head bouncing from the attack. San stood up and raised his head so she could get her arm around his neck, but Ashitaka, using his senses the second they returned, kept his head tucked in. He threw her off his back by arching his spine, causing her to tumble off and in front of him. She landed on her feet and hands with her arms stretched out. Ashitaka finally had an opening and took advantage.

Ashitaka dashed to her side, grabbed her arm, and rolled over to her other side, pulling her arm. San let out a slight yelp, likely out of surprise, as Ashitaka placed her arm in between his crossed legs so she couldn't escape. Ashitaka yanked at her arm, applying pressure to her elbow.

"It seems that you've been caught, girl," Hanto said after laughing at her, "do you want to give up yet?"

"No!" San shouted in anger. Ashitaka yanked her arm again, causing San to growl as pain began to mount in her arm. Ashitaka hated having to do this. He wished that he could surrender immediately, but he knew that Hanto would not permit it.

"San," Ashitaka whispered very quietly, unsure if Hanto could hear him with his advanced senses, "I can let go right now if you want."

"No!" She barked again. Ashitaka knew that she wasn't going to give. But he knew that if he continued the hold, San's arm would break. He wouldn't allow that. He decided to let go of her.

Just as he was about to release his grip, San kicked him full-force in the back, causing him to release her. Ashitaka fell onto his back and arched his spine in pain. He could clearly hear Hanto laughing now. It made him angry, so very angry. He would be glad once this was all over and he would be able to return to Irontown with San, Okami, and Urufu.

Ashitaka was about to stand, when he felt San grab his arm. The next thing he knew, San was now lying beneath him and he was above her. The arm she had grabbed was lying across her stomach, still being held by her right hand. With one fluid motion, San placed her leg under Ashitaka's throat and grabbed the back of his head with her free hand. In an instant, she pushed him against her leg, causing his trachea to start crushing against her shin. Ashitaka couldn't breathe. He had only one free arm but he didn't have the strength to use it to get out of the hold. Whatever she was doing, it was incredibly painful and effective. After a few seconds, Ashitaka felt very lightheaded. His throat was being crushed and he could feel blood coming up. This was much deadlier than what he had been doing earlier. When he looked at San, he saw nothing in her eyes except for hatred and rage, blinding her to what she was doing. He could not see what Hanto was doing, but he guessed that the wolf had a grin that spread from ear to ear at this moment.

"San!" He called, hoping that she was able to hear him in her rage, "San! I submit!" As he spoke, blood flew out of his mouth in a few large drops. Some landed on San's face, which instantly changed expression once Ashitaka relented. It was the last thing Ashitaka saw before he faded from the lack of oxygen to his brain.

San gasped as she released the hold on Ashitaka. He slumped onto his stomach with blood trickling from his mouth and nose. It was worse from his mouth since a great deal of force was applied on his throat. San turned him onto his back and made sure that he was still breathing. It was light, but she could hear him breathe and could see his chest expand with every breath. In the corner, Hanto wasn't grinning from ear to ear. Instead, he appeared to have a look of interest on his face.

"That was an incredibly vicious attack," He complimented, "I didn't think you would go to such lengths to win the fight."

"I imagined it was a different human," San said as she flashed an angry look towards the giant wolf before tending to Ashitaka, "the one who was largely responsible for the forest's destruction."

"I still believe that I underestimated you when I first saw you. You are much stronger than you appear: slender, shorter than most humans that I have seen; much like your mate there." Hanto stood from his bed and walked over to San. She noticed that he didn't make any noise when his paws walked on the stone floor. "Tomorrow, I will formally accept you as a member of my clan. I want the creatures in this forest to witness this, mostly so that they know that you are not an enemy of ours. Return to me tomorrow at midday in front of my den, where I will recognize you as one of our own."

San nodded, but her face didn't show any sign of joy or gratefulness. Without another word, she lifted Ashitaka onto her shoulders and walked out of the den. Urufu, who was waiting at the entrance, asked what had happened. "I won." San simply said as she continued to the cave she and Ashitaka had been staying in. He wasn't very heavy and she was able to carry him with ease. Still, she moved slowly in the snow. He was hurt badly enough; she didn't want to hurt him further by dropping him.

I never thought I would feel this way for a human. She thought as she reached the cave entrance. It was a thought that often crossed her mind when she was spending time with Ashitaka. He is not like the others. If he was, you would be dead, and so would the forest.

He didn't deserve the pain. If Hanto's personal quest was to make sure that the forest was as powerful as it could be, punishing the two humans who defended it as best they can was not helping.

Chapter 12: It Hurts to Set You Free

Ashitaka awoke in the smaller cave with a sore throat that he wanted to scratch with his tongue. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, which was feeling sore from earlier and from lying down on the stone ground. He remembered as much as he could before passing out: San had lured him into an odd hold that placed a great deal of pressure on his neck and throat. He vaguely remembered submitting to her before he passed out. He could also remember the smell, the taste of blood in his mouth, and he was very sure it was his own. Ashitaka looked around the cave to see if San was inside. He couldn't find her, so he went back to where he was lying down and sat against the wall of the cave. Yakul sat next to Ashitaka, who began to pet him on the head.

San was in the forest with her brothers, hunting in the forest. Hunting in the winter was never easy, since most of their prey was asleep during the winter. Still, they were able to sometimes find deer, rabbit, and other animals. San had managed to catch four squirrels and stopped there. They only ever took what they needed, unlike some human who killed for profit or pleasure.

"What happened to Ashitaka?" Urufu asked as they were heading back with a few squirrels tied around San's belt.

"I defeated him in the trial," San replied after a moment, "that's it."

"He was bleeding from his mouth," Okami commented, "You must have struck him with great force."

"He wasn't bleeding because of a strike; he was bleeding because I trapped him in a chokehold."

"What hold?"

"A type of choke called the gogoplata."

"I know how such a hold is executed," Urufu said, "I once overheard humans speak of it being used in a tournament in the north. It sounded very painful."

"Can we drop the subject?"

"We're simply curious, San." Okami said.

"I know, but…" San ran her finger along the edge of the crystal dagger Ashitaka had given her several months ago, "I don't want to talk about hurting my mate."

Okami nodded. Neither he nor Urufu spoke until they returned to the cave. Both wolves were still somewhat not used to the fact that their sister had fallen for a human, even if he was fighting for the forest. They themselves have been fighting against humans since they were pups. Not too long ago, they had fought alongside the humans that had tried to destroy their home only a few months before. It would take a while longer, but they knew they would get used to the idea. So long as it made their sister happy, and as long as the humans did nothing to harm the forest, they would learn to live with the humans.

As they were returning to the cave, the three noticed that there were a large number of animals eying them. What made it strange was that most of these animals would be waiting out the winter in their homes, hibernating until the snow had melted. San and her brothers ignored them and continued on. San was told by Hanto that the creatures in the forest held him in the same regard as the Forest Spirit in this region. Perhaps he had spread the word on how she was being accepted into the Wolf Clan, despite having been accepted almost twenty years ago.

The two wolves waited outside, keeping their eyes on the animals that continued to watch them. San entered the cave to see how Ashitaka was doing, carefully stepping over Yakul, who was resting near the entrance. She had been gone for only a few hours, so she expected him to be up by now. She pushed through the bushes blocking the entranceway and hopped inside. She remembered the squirrels she had tied to her belt. She untied the string holding them from her belt and tied it to one of the cave's stalagmites. She then heard coughing coming from around the corner. She knew it was Ashitaka.

She silently stepped out from the corner and sat next to Ashitaka. He didn't see her walk over to him; his head was held down and he was massaging his throat. She hoped he wasn't angry with him. To get his attention, she jumped onto the rock he was sitting on and grabbed him by the shoulders. Ashitaka jumped and turned his head to see what had grabbed him. His expression changed from surprise to joy when he saw it was San.

"I was wondering where you were." He said as he gave her a hug.

"I was hunting with my brothers," San said after she licked his cheek, "I'm sorry if I worried you."

"I knew you would be fine." Ashitaka smiled at her, but San could only return it with a weaker smile. "What happens now that you've passed your test?"

"I don't know yet. Hanto told me to wait until tomorrow. I hope whatever he has planned is quick; I want to return home, coming here was a mistake."

"It could have been worse."

"I know, but I wasn't expecting to have met my brothers' father. I wasn't expecting him to be so hostile towards you or me. I was definitely not expecting having to fight you to remain in my clan." San's fists became clenched and anger flashed on her face, but she settled down very quickly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I'm fine now; my neck just hurts a little. There isn't anything to worry about."

San was reassured and her smile became stronger. Ashitaka always noted that she looked very relaxed whenever she smiled, unlike when she became invigorated and would become wide eyed. The two exited the cave so they could prepare the squirrels that San and her brothers had caught earlier. When they had exited, they saw Okami and Urufu eating a deer, their mouths bathed in blood. San also noticed that the animals were still staring at them.

"Something is very strange about the creatures in this forest," Okami told San and Ashitaka as he looked up from the deer, "this deer, he simply came forward to us and lied down. We told him to leave, but instead of doing so, he kicked at us and lied down again. Urufu became angry at him and attacked him. He accidentally cut the deer's throat and killed him."

"So he willingly allowed himself to be attacked?" San asked.

"It appears so" Urufu replied, "I did not try to kill him, but when I lunged at him, he threw his neck towards my claws and cut his own throat."

San looked at the creatures eying them. She felt uneasy as she stared into their almost blank faces. Even the other deer seemed unfazed at what was happening. Ashitaka also noticed the animals. There were deer, rabbits, squirrels, various birds, apes, and even a few bears. He knew that most of these creatures were either supposed to be waiting out the winter within their homes or visiting a different region until the snow in their home region had melted. He tried to think nothing of it, but he couldn't help but feel unnerved as they stared at him, San, and her brothers.

San collected some straw from inside the cave and made a small fire to cook the squirrels over. Ashitaka helped with cooking them, all while trying to avoid staring back at the animals. Okami and Urufu finished eating their meal and waited as San and Ashitaka prepared theirs. The two were still unsure why the animals were acting like this, and they wanted to be able to protect their sister and her mate if something was to happen. When the meat was done cooking, San suggested they go inside. Ashitaka agreed and they hopped into the entrance with San's brothers soon following. Once inside, Okami checked to see if the animals had moved any closer. Surprisingly, they had actually left the area. Confused, he stepped back into the cave.

"They all seem to have left," Okami announced, "not a living soul stands outside the cave."

"I wonder why they're acting like this," San said, "I barely saw any of them when we first arrived. Maybe it has something to do with your father."

"How could he be connected with them?" Urufu asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but he did mention they think of him as the Forest Spirit's equal."

"Maybe in this forest he is thought of highly, but our father respected the Forest Spirit. I don't know if he would call himself his equal. He does act with arrogance, though."

Ashitaka, San, and Urufu all agreed on that. Okami and Urufu told Ashitaka and San that their father still worked towards improving the forest, even if he did seem prudish. The two wolf brothers told Ashitaka and San several stories of their father, all of which were about when they fought alongside him as when they were much younger. They both listened intently, with San seeming to enjoy the stories much more than Ashitaka. The wolves told several until night began to fall. The two brothers slept near the entrance while Ashitaka and San slept on the old bedding. They didn't talk too much, but Ashitaka asked San how she could speak with ordinary forest creatures. She explained that she was taught an almost universal language shared by all creatures of the forest and that each type of animal spoke the language in their own way, but it was still understandable by other creatures. She said that it was somewhat complicated to explain and that she couldn't teach it to him, though her brothers might be able to. The two fell asleep not long after. Ashitaka was looking forward to returning to Irontown. After all, he did need to bring the antidote back to Lady Eboshi. San was more looking forward to being recognized as a wolf by Hanto. Once that was done, they would be able to go back home.

Early in the morning, with the sun yet to rise, San, her brothers, and Ashitaka arrived at Hanto's den. However, instead of it simply being the Great Wolf at the entrance of his cave, they saw that there were hundreds, if not thousands of forest creatures standing nearby the area in a circle, some of them sitting or standing on the top of the cave. Hanto himself was waiting at the mouth of the cave. He did not appear to be unnerved by the animals that had gathered.

"Why are there so many of the forest's creatures here, father?" Okami asked.

"They are here to witness your supposed sister become a true member of our clan," Hanto replied, "this has never happened in this forest and I spread word that you were to join us in defending the forest against the humans."

"Thank you," San said, "but I can't stay here; my brothers and I need to return to our home in the west."

"Actually, San…" Urufu began before pausing. He continued with, "We should have told you this earlier but…Okami and I, we have decided to remain here with our father."

San was taken aback. Her earrings made their distinct ringing sound that occurred when she moved her head quickly. "If that's what you two want, I won't stop you, but…" San looked towards her brothers and then at Ashitaka.

"Here's the thing, girl," Hanto said, "I will only accept you into our clan if you remain here to help fight the humans. It will not be until the end of your life, but you must remain here for some time to truly prove that you are a wolf."

San hesitated for a moment before saying, "I need to speak with Ashitaka."

"Go ahead."

San grabbed Ashitaka's shoulder and they turned to face away from Hanto. Ashitaka had a mixed expression of melancholy and surprise on his face. "Ashitaka, I know I mean a great deal to you, and you mean so much to me, too, but… I don't know what I should do."

"San," Ashitaka said, "I know that you don't like Hanto, but I want him to at least think better of you, even if it means I won't see you for a while."

"So you're saying I should stay?" San asked. Ashitaka nodded his head in response. "I don't know when I'll come back."

"I know, but you want this and I want you to be happy." Ashitaka ran a finger under the red rope necklace San was wearing and lifted the crystal dagger out from under her dress, "Besides, you'll always have something to remember me by."

San smiled weakly as Ashitaka let the dagger fall into place. "Well then… I suppose I'll tell them now." San turned back to Hanto while Ashitaka went back to the cave to get Yakul. "I'll stay."

Almost as if on cue, the animals around them began to make a tumultuous clamor; apes were beating their chests and roaring, smaller animals such as rats were making small squeaking noises while standing on their hind legs, birds began to flap their wings rapidly while screeching, the bear emitted a loud bellowing growl, and the ordinary wolves began to howl. The noise startled Ashitaka and caused San to flinch slightly. Okami and Urufu were also alarmed at the sudden uproar. Hanto, however, had a grin on his face.

"Very well, my girl," He said over the thunderous sound of the forest creatures, "Welcome to the Wolf Clan!" Hanto threw his head to the still dark sky and howled with such a volume that it pierced through all of the other sounds being made by the ring of animals. Okami and Urufu looked at each other in confusion, but they eventually joined their father. Ashitaka came back with Yakul. The two embraced tightly for what seemed like hours before letting go. The animals were still making a great tumult when Ashitaka got onto Yakul. He bowed his head before San and headed back west to Irontown. San stood in the middle of the ring as she waited for the sounds to stop so she could find out what she was to do next.

It took several hours for Ashitaka to get out of the range of the commotion. The trip back to Irontown would take him several days, but he would still arrive earlier than expected, considering Gonza gave him a month to retrieve the antidote. The first day of his trip back, he tried not to think about San. After all, she would come back eventually. The second day, he began to wonder how long it would take. A month? A year? Two years? Longer? On the third day, the thought of San possibly never returning came up in his mind. This caused a tear to roll down his face, but he wiped it off. When he returned to Irontown, he was greeted enthusiastically by Kohroku, who was the current gate guard. He returned Kohroku's welcome before making his way to Lady Eboshi's home.

Chapter 13: But You'll Never Follow Me

Ashitaka rode up to the gates and called for the guard to open it. The man on the walls asked for him to remove his mask. "Everybody has been on edge ever since the incident a week ago," He explained, "they just want to be sure I know who's coming in and out of Irontown." Ashitaka nodded to show his understanding and removed the red hood that covered all but his eyes. The guard called for the gates to be opened and just one second afterwards the heavy wooden gate started to lift. Ashitaka put his mask back on and rode through into the town. He returned the greetings from the townspeople with quick hellos as he brought Yakul to the stables. After removing Yakul's reins, he immediately made his way to Lady Eboshi's house.

Ashitaka noticed that there were two bodyguards standing at the front door. Usually, her guards were inside the house. Gonza must have decided to increase the amount of security. Ashitaka couldn't blame him; everybody in Irontown looked up to Lady Eboshi and she was a tremendous leader.

"Were you able to find an antidote?" One of the two asked as Ashitaka approached the front door.

"Yes," Ashitaka replied, "and with much less trouble than I anticipated."

"We were beginning to wonder when you'd be back." The other remarked, "Did something hold you up?"

Ashitaka didn't know what to tell her. That he encountered a giant wolf that happened to be the sworn enemy of all humans? That the same wolf killed and ate Lord Asano just moments after Ashitaka retrieved the antidote for Lady Eboshi? That after being choked into unconsciousness by San and that she would be away for an unknown amount of time?

"I encountered a slight detour ." Ashitaka replied with a smile as he removed his mask. Ashitaka entered the building with the antidote in hand. He hoped that what the man he had bought it from was right about only needing one-fourth of the antidote for it to work. Of course, it worked for San, so it should work for Eboshi.

Gonza looked up from the letter he was writing when Ashitaka closed the door behind him. Gonza asked if he was held up in any way, to which Ashitaka replied with the same answer he gave to the bodyguard outside. Gonza brought him to Lady Eboshi's room, where she was still lying perfectly still. If Ashitaka didn't know what had happened, he would have guessed that she was dead. Her face was as pale as usual and her lips were still bright red. Ashitaka gave the vial to Gonza and told him that he only needed to use one fourth of the vial. Gonza nodded and went over to Eboshi to administer the antidote. He used up the rest of the vial instead of the amount Ashitaka had told him. After draining it of the red liquid, Gonza placed the vial on top of a nearby desk and returned to the doorway.

"Do you know how long it's supposed to take for that stuff to kick in?" He asked.

"It took San a few days to recover," Ashitaka replied, "Lady Eboshi should be fine by that time."

"The Wolf Girl? Why did she need to use some of it?"

"She was bitten by something venomous so I tried to see if the antidote would work for her."

"Maybe whatever that assassin used to poison Lady Eboshi used the same type of venom from whatever bit your friend. Did anything interesting happen on the way? You said you ran into a detour."

Ashitaka told Gonza that he had some trouble with the creatures in the forest in Asano's region but that he had no major problems. In truth, he didn't want to talk about San, Hanto, Asano, or much of what had happened. Thankfully for him, Gonza didn't try to have him elaborate on what sort of trouble he had. Gonza told him that he could have the rest of the day off. Ashitaka thanked him and bowed before leaving to return to his hut.

Ashitaka lied down on the futon in the bedroom, his hands behind his head. He tried not to think about San; that would be the best way for him to ease his mind on her absence. He began to wonder how things were like in Irontown without Lady Eboshi. He was only gone for a little more than a week, but he knew things could change in a mere second; memories of the Boar God Nago and the rage and fury that turned him into a demon reminded him of that. The purple mark on his arm may have disappeared, but the image of the writhing tentacles on the boar was as clear as if he was there once more. He could even remember the burning pain he felt when his arm was touched by the demon. It was a pain he had only experienced that time; even the times when the flesh in his arm would writhe and distort whenever he or the people around him became enraged was not as brutal as the touch of the demon.

Thoughts about his old village began to spring into his mind as he lay down staring at the ceiling. He had thought about his sister, Kaya, many times and how she was faring. She was respected in the village much like he was, but he was unsure if the elders would choose her as their next leader since she was female. He knew it wasn't fair but there was little he could do about it now. The village itself could be gone for all he knew, conquered by some feudal lord who had torn down the forest and killed the villagers to make room for his soldiers. Ashitaka tried to put such a thought out of his mind. He didn't want his judgment to be clouded by anger and hate like it did to the gods in the forest and the humans in Irontown.

Eventually, his thoughts came back to more present events. It was still early in the day but he still felt tired from the journey to the east. The cold didn't make him comfortable, but it did make him feel much more relaxed than when he was in the region's typical heat. Still, he was looking forward to the snow to melt in just a little more than a month. He missed the sun, the green trees, and being able to swim in the rivers in the forest. The snow did provide some charm, though, but he would need to be more accustomed to it before he could truly enjoy it.

Outside his hut, he could hear the people of Irontown begin going about their daily lives. Many of the townsfolk were farmers and worked outside of the walls, mainly bringing in rice since it was always a hassle to bring it in from other settlements. Others were often fisherman and would go out into the lake in two person boats in order to catch enough fish for the day. The women who previously worked the bellows for the iron went on to various professions after the town was destroyed by the Forest Spirit; some had joined the militia, quickly proving themselves to be more skilled than most of the men. Others helped to build whatever structures were needed in Irontown. More became craftswomen of various types along with the former lepers. Ashitaka normally worked as one of the guards on the wall or at the gate, though he sometimes helped with other tasks if he had the time. Most often, he would be helping Kohroku and Toki with construction when he could. It was the least he could do; they had allowed him to stay with them until his own house was built.

A knock at the door brought Ashitaka back to the present. He stood up from the futon and opened the door to find Toki.

"Hello, Toki," He greeted with a bow, "I was just thinking about you and Kohroku."

"Oh really?" She asked with a mischievous grin. Ashitaka stood confused before he realized what she meant. He blushed, causing her to chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding. Anyway, how was your trip to that bastard Asano's region?"

"It was alright." He replied. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure." Ashitaka stepped aside as Toki entered, removing her sandals once inside. "Kohroku and I aren't working today since there isn't anything to be built."

"I'm not working today either; Gonza told me to rest for now after my trip."

"I was meaning to ask you about that. How was it? Your eyes are dark and you look pretty tired."

"I didn't get too much sleep because of the snow. We spent a lot of the day walking too."

"We? Did you bring that Wolf Girl with you?"

Ashitaka nodded, "She wanted to come along because she wanted to kill Lord Asano."

"Really? I thought she stopped making it her holy mission to destroy as many humans as possible."

Ashitaka cracked a weak smile. "This time was a bit different. Asano was treating the animals in his part of the forest even worse than Eboshi did. She and her brothers came along and," Ashitaka paused for a moment, not wanting to tell Toki about Hanto, "Asano was dead soon after I left his city."

"Well, that's good for her, I suppose, and for us. That bastard has been a thorn in this town's side ever since we discovered all of that iron in the mountains. Did you have any trouble getting into the city?"

"Not really; there were a few guards outside, but I was able to get past them. The settlement there is very big, much larger than Irontown."

"Nothing to exciting, huh?"

Ashitaka shook his head. He did want to tell Toki about some of the things that had happened. He didn't like lying, even if the truth did hurt. "Toki…" Ashitaka began.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever heard of a wolf named Hanto?"

"Hanto? Not really, though I used to overhear Gonza mention that name every now and then when I first came to Irontown. After a while, I didn't really hear much more of it."

"San and I found him in the forest in Asano's land. He's her brothers' father and said that he used to live nearby Irontown until he left."

"Why'd he leave?"

"Moro decided to save San instead of kill her as an infant."

"Really? That was his reason? That's pathetic! A baby couldn't harm the forest even by accident!"

"I know, but he hates humans, even more than San and her mother. He left when Moro refused to kill her and became the forest's guardian in the west. When San and her brothers told him who she was, he shunned her. She decided to prove that she was a wolf by going through a few of his tests. She succeeded, but Hanto told her that she would have to stay with him for a while to cement her place in the Wolf Clan."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But why prove that she's a wolf? She's human."

"Try telling her that," Ashitaka chuckled, "she would have you pinned to the ground before you could react. I know that she's human, but she won't accept it, so I respect her wishes to be called a wolf."

"I still don't know what you see in her. She's pretty, but so are a lot of the girls in Irontown, and I'm willing to bet they know they're human."

"I know, but San is… special." Ashitaka knew that he could talk all day about why he chose her over the girls in Irontown, what he saw in her, and many of other Toki's questions. He knew he was going to miss her, though, so if he was going to talk about her with Toki, now would be the best time.

Chapter 14: Night Watch

A day after returning to Irontown, Ashitaka quickly returned to his normal routine. He was told by Gonza that he would be on guard duty during the night and that he would be posted on the inner wall. Ashitaka asked Gonza if Eboshi had recovered yet. Gonza told him that Lady Eboshi was awake but would resume her normal duties the next day. Ashitaka then returned to his hut and slept until late in the afternoon. He had never been on night watch before; he was still groggy when he went up to the wall.

There was still the same number of guards during the night as there was during the day. Most of the guards were drowsy compared to the daytime guards. Ashitaka was still alert enough to hear many of the sounds coming from the forest and around Irontown. It was a very lively town during the night; townspeople would gather in the center to receive food and socialize while paper lanterns lit up the town in hues of yellow, orange, and red. Those who had night duty were unable to go to the nightly soiree, but Ashitaka wasn't bothered by that. He had grown up in a sequestered village and preferred peace and quiet over the general chaos and noise that occurred in the town at night.

"Is this your first time guarding the walls at night?" One of the men posted close to Ashitaka asked.

Ashitaka nodded and said, "Usually I'm here during the day."

"So you will have done both daytime and nighttime watch. There aren't too many men around here who have done that, mostly because it can become somewhat stressful and confusing, especially if you keep alternating between day and night watch."

"Have you done both?"

"Yes, and I have to say that guarding the walls during the day is a lot less exciting than guarding them during the night. At night, you can hear all sorts of sounds but you can't see where they come from. It gets your blood pumping and your heart racing until you realize that it was a rat or some other small animal in the bushes."

"Has there ever been a time where it was more than that?"
"Well, the only time that anybody has gotten past both walls, we've actually never caught them. There was the Wolf Girl, though she didn't really sneak in, then there was one of Jigo's hunters, the one who I heard gave you some trouble, and the most recent one was Lord Asano's assassin, and it didn't turn out well in the end for him. By the way, do you know what happened when he got inside Lady Eboshi's home? She hasn't left her house in a week and some of the townspeople are starting to become very worried."

"I wish I could tell you, but I promised Gonza that I wouldn't tell anybody."

"Well, since he sent you out to Lord Asano's region, I'm assuming that it was a pretty big deal."

"How did you know he sent me to Lord Asano's region?" Ashitaka had just realized that he had never told anybody where he was going. He also remembered Toki mentioning it yesterday, though he somehow didn't pick up.

"Toki told me, and she apparently heard it from Gonza after he had been drinking too much. Almost everybody in Irontown knows you went there, even Gonza told us after we told him that we knew about it. He still didn't say why you were there."

"I see." Ashitaka told the guard a few parts of the story; he mentioned going there with San, he described the settlement which housed Asano's castle, and he talked a little bit about the forest nearby, but he knew that the man wasn't really interested in that. "San had wanted to come because she wanted Asano dead."

"She didn't actually kill him, did she? That could have some pretty bad consequences."

"For Irontown?"

"That's right; Asano's men, those who are actually loyal to him and not just protecting him for money, will instantly blame us. Considering the fact he's been after this land for years now and his assassin has yet to return back home, they will probably think that it was a plot orchestrated by Lady Eboshi. Of course, she's above that kind of stuff. She'd probably just wait for the man to show up personally and then shoot him."

Ashitaka gulped silently in anxiety. Despite the fact many of the townspeople in Asano's region saw Hanto carry off their lord, he did not know how they would react. If they knew about the wolves near Irontown, they might suspect that Lady Eboshi devised a plan to get rid of Asano. If they didn't know about the wolves then they might lay waste to the forest in an attempt to avenge their leader and kill his slayer. Ashitaka knew that if the latter were to occur, many parts of the forest would be killed and the people who caused the destruction would be torn apart by Hanto, and possibly San and her brothers. "Asano is dead," He said finally, "but San didn't kill him and I had nothing to do with his death."

"Really?" The guard asked in a low voice, "How did he die, then?"

"One of the forest gods killed him. It was a great white wolf, like Moro was."

"Well, I don't think we'll be in too much trouble for that. Of course, they might know about you and you relationship with the wolves, so just be ready for any of Asano's goons if they decide to show their faces around here."

Ashitaka nodded, knowing that it was very possible for one of Asano's agents to infiltrate Irontown. One had before, and even an increased amount of guards wouldn't guarantee that another wouldn't be able to enter. Fortunately, if they decided to show up at night, they would be disappointed to find that Ashitaka wasn't home. He didn't try to think too much about it, instead focusing on his duties. His head snapped towards every noise in the dark, no matter how small it was. It always turned out to be some small animal or just the wind. Even the sound of the guards' feet crunching in the snow would alert him until he realized that he was being paranoid.

Ashitaka's shift lasted eight hours, ending in the hours of the early morning while it was still dark. He collapsed onto his futon, catching himself before his body could smack onto the mat. He didn't bother to get into his nightclothes since he would be working at night for quite some time. His shift was surprisingly uneventful and left him slightly mentally exhausted from boredom. He had guessed it would be like this; his previous shifts as a guard during the day proved that walking around and staring at the forest was not in any way exciting. Still, even when he was on the wall during the day, he would occasionally catch a glimpse of San along with her brothers. He would wave towards them and, if she spotted him, she would wave back. On a small number of occasions, she actually got up onto the wall to talk with him. That was when she was close by. He knew he would have to wait a while before he would be able to see her again, but he didn't mind waiting.

Come morning, Ashitaka was greeted by a great deal of commotion from the outside. He peeked outside his window to see what was going on. Outside, more than half the town had gathered behind Lady Eboshi as she silently listened to another man as he spoke without end. Ashitaka couldn't make out what he was saying and wasn't able to read his lips from the distance between them. He left his house and moved closer, close enough to hear but not close enough to disturb either Lady Eboshi or the man she was listening to. Once close enough to hear them, he stood against the wall of a small house behind him.

"We are willing to pay greatly for a small amount of your rifles," The man said, "They will be returned to you immediately after our problem has been dealt with."

"My answer is no." Eboshi said calmly, "I cannot afford the chance of you copying down the designs of one of my rifles. Besides, your Lord attacked us not even a year ago and didn't even have the decency to send an apology. Those mercenaries he hired weren't of great help to our relationship either."

"Then you will have to forgive me, Milady, for my lord's actions. I would suspect he would send his own apology personally if he were able to."

"That man wouldn't apologize to the emperor. Now get out of my town. The people here have no love for you or your lord and your problem concerns none of us."

The diplomat scrunched his face as he asked, "What if the wolves come here? Do you think your pathetic wooden walls will protect you against them?"

"That depends. What are the walls in your city made of?"

"The hardest stone in the region."

"Then if they couldn't be held off, our walls wouldn't have a very good chance either." The diplomat opened his mouth to make a counterargument but shut it after several seconds. "We have dealt with the wolves before and, unlike your master, I survived the ordeal, even if it did leave me with a slight reminder of the power of the forest. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to my home and continue going over what we need to be imported. Do this town a favor and show yourself to the gate."

Without another word, the diplomat scowled at Eboshi before turning to leave. The townspeople behind Eboshi and those who he walked past, save for Ashitaka, jeered and taunted him. He passed through the gate without looking back. The heavy wooden gates crashed shut the second the diplomat had left the town. He shouted something from behind the walls but Ashitaka was too far away to hear what he said.

"Do you think he'll be back, Milady?" Gonza asked.

"Perhaps," She muttered, "though I doubt it will be for the same reason." She moved closer to Gonza and lowered her voice to a whisper and told him, "Tell the townspeople to return to their activities. There isn't anything wrong, but I want to speak to Ashitaka."

Gonza did exactly what Eboshi had told him to do and had the townsfolk resume their work. Ashitaka went to speak to Eboshi to see if there was anything else needed from him. "Hello, Lady Eboshi." He greeted with a bow. Eboshi turned to face him and returned his greeting. "It's good to see you awake."

"I have you to thank, Ashitaka. You've pulled through for this town many times, and I'm surprised how humble you are about it. Come with me to my home. We can speak on the way there." Ashitaka nodded and walked to Eboshi's right while Gonza followed behind, his naginata in his left hand. "I hope you didn't run into much trouble on your trip."

"The only problem was the guards in front of Asano's city. After I was inside, I didn't have any further trouble."

"What about on the way back? From what Gonza has told me, there have been whispers around town that you met another wolf god."

"Yes; he used to live in this part of the forest and was once Moro's mate."

"You mean you met Hanto?" Eboshi raised her eyebrows in intrigue.

"He said that he was the guardian of this forest until he left."

"I thought that he was dead for all these years. The last time his name was mentioned around here was almost two decades ago. Did he ever mention why he left? Before I took over, I had heard that he was doing very well against us humans."

"He left when Moro decided to spare San instead of kill her. She had been thrown at Moro's feet by her parents to allow them to escape."

Eboshi stopped dead in her tracks. "You say that she was used as a distraction by her parents?"

"Yes, why?"

"Perhaps it would be better if I showed you." Once they reached Lady Eboshi's home, she asked Ashitaka to follow her to her office, the room where she would write orders for imports and look over orders from other towns. "On the shelf is a small tome with a red cover. It should be located under the small pile of scrolls on the top shelf." Ashitaka carefully removed the scrolls, placing them on the lower shelf, and found the book that Eboshi was talking about. "Ashitaka… I want you to read the last twenty pages of that book. I think that it might interest you." Eboshi and Gonza left the room, the latter with a puzzled expression and the former with a pale face and a slightly disturbed look. Ashitaka, confused why he was here, did as she asked and counted twenty pages from the back cover, from where he began reading.

Chapter 15: Buried Memories

According to the men I hired, that town I've heard so much about is one week away. So far, the trip there has been rough. The road we had originally taken was rife full of battling samurai. Why they're fighting and for whom is none of my concern. I find this forest to be much more peaceful than the road. I still don't know why those hunters I hired were so hesitant to take this path instead of the road. It is much more relaxing here and there aren't any of those thugs either. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any other people around here. I asked them earlier today what they were so afraid about but they refused to tell me. They advised me to keep moving and not stop for any reason, unless it was very important. I'm suddenly wondering if hiring those mercenaries would have been a better idea. They cost more, but they must be less cowardly than this group.

I find it to be fortunate that my little girl has been asleep for much of this. The only time she's every cried loudly was when I suggested that we go through the forest instead of taking the road. I bet that really riled up the men! She's the only reason I'm still continuing onwards. Those large cities are very nice on the outside, but I no longer wish to step foot in another, especially with the widespread violence occurring around Japan. I feel as if the emperor is content to sit back as his own people fight against one another in the name of their feudal lord. Hopefully this new life in a smaller settlement will be easier.

One of the hunters refused to continue onwards. Although his comrades called him a coward, I could see the fear in their eyes. I bet they would all turn back if it wasn't for the fact I was paying them at the end of this journey. Still, they've been somewhat useful. They're able to tell the direction we're heading in this giant forest. The trees here make it almost impossible for me to even see the sky. Perhaps if we find a river, things will go much more smoothly.

It began raining after we had found the river. One of the hunters suggested moving away from it while the tide rose, so we pulled away from it for the rest of the day. After night fell, we set up camp nearby some large trees to provide cover from the storm. It's awful right now. I can barely read what I am writing with this dim light coming from the fire outside, which I'm amazed hasn't gone out yet. It is still raining and it hasn't become any lighter. My daughter is asleep and there are two men outside on watch. I pity them, but they chose to stay up and keep watch for the first four hours.

I can barely hear anything outside besides the rain. Occasionally, I hear the hunters talking, but I can never make out what they are saying. The only words I hear are "great", "leave", and "wolf". I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about it. If wolves do show up, I'm confident that the hunters will be able to take care of it. They all carry bows and swords. One of them has designs for a different type of weapon, one he says originated in the Far West, somewhere far beyond the ocean. He intends to show it to whoever is in charge of the town we are headed. I was told that the town's economy heavily relied on iron, giving it the appropriate name "Irontown". It doesn't sound like a bad place to live.

One of the hunters has gone missing. The other hunter said that his friend had claimed to have seen something and had wanted to investigate. He didn't return. The man who remained said that after a while, he began to think that there was something in the forest. He couldn't quite tell, but he thought he saw a large pair of eyes. I've decided that we'll continue on without him.

We just entered a region belonging to a man named Asano, a young man who only recently became daimyo. The hunters decided to go to his settlement to gather new supplies. I didn't go with them and stayed outside. Some of the guards began talking with me but it quickly became apparent that they were interested in my company for an entirely different reason. I turned quite a few away when I told them I had a child. They didn't even need to see her to believe me. These men think with the wrong type of head.

Another hunter dropped out, the one who was on watch when one of the others went missing. Nobody blamed him and I paid him his part, though I made it clear to the others that they would only be paid once we reached Irontown. Fortunately, the rain has died down and it should be safer to travel next to the river.

Walking along the river bank is far less annoying than what I assumed it would be. I don't get wet very often and there is so much grass that mud is cleaned off easily. The river itself has turned brown from the amount of dirt flowing through it. This is much more apparent whenever we reach a part of the river where the current is at its strongest. Parts of the river almost make it seem like it is churning the bed. Were it not for the strength of the current, I may have suggested swimming.

I feel as if we are being watched as we travel even deeper into the forest. I don't know by what and I haven't seen any humans around here other than us. I have seen a great number of these tiny forest spirits, the kodama. They're cute and the way they tilt their heads while making that clicking noise is adorable. Of course, the hunters believe that they are no good, but I know that they're harmless. They're everywhere in the area, mostly on tree tops. They walk up the trees as if they were walking on the ground. One of the hunters made a bet with his friend that he couldn't run up the tree for more than a fraction of the distance the kodama walk. The poor fool actually took the bet and ended up falling on the back of his neck. It took quite some time to get him back up, partly because the rest of us couldn't help but laugh, but he was able to continue on anyway.

We are only two days away. Camp is to be set up nearby a pond we stumbled upon earlier. One of the hunters said he heard several rumors about it, but I doubt whatever he heard must be about this one. There is a small island near the center of the pond, though there isn't any way for us to reach it without getting wet. Other than the mud, it is a very pleasant area. There is little noise, aside from the animals, and the environment is beautiful.

The hunters seem to be more on edge than before. Night hasn't even fallen, yet they insist on remaining where we are until tomorrow. They're crying even more than my daughter (which reminds me, I still need to choose a name for her). They're arguing on who goes first on guard for the night.

I woke up to one of the hunters screaming. He's woken up everybody else as well, including my daughter. When one of the others asked what was wrong, he told them that he saw a large pair of eyes. They believe that it belongs to whatever caused their friend to go missing. For once, I think that they may be right. I've decided to stay on watch with them for a while. None of them are able to sleep now. My little girl has fallen asleep, so that is fortunate. The others all have their weapons ready. I haven't seen the eyes that have haunted the others, but I feel somewhat excited to.

I'm currently writing this under a fallen log. I think I finally know why the hunters fear this forest. Late last night, we were attacked by a pair of large wolves. Not just large, they were as large as horses, if not bigger. They had white pelts and long sharp teeth that tore through one of the hunters as we began fleeing. I don't know where the others are, but I fear the worst has occurred.

Something horrible has dawned upon me. My daughter, my little girl… I left her behind as I fled. I can't comprehend why I did such a thing. Was it fear? Desperation? I will admit that it was probably both, and possibly more. I was holding her when I was confronted by one of the wolves, the larger of the two. I must have dropped her when I started running. Even worse, I might have even thrown her. I went back to find her and I couldn't find a trace of her. I don't know how long I remained in the camp, hoping that none of the hunters would see me crying over my missing girl. When I finally left, the only hunter I was able to find was the youngest, a man by the name of Gonza. He helped me search for her before we finally gave up. He suggested that we leave as soon as possible or possibly attract the wolves once more. Once we reach Irontown, I am hoping that the people can tell me more about this forest. Maybe I will be able to find my daughter one day.

Gonza and I found the body of one of the hunters on the way back. It was the one carrying a design for a new type of weapon. We decided to take the design back to Irontown. I don't know who to bring it to, but I should be able to find out soon.

We are only a few hours away from Irontown, but I feel like turning around to try and find my daughter. I know that it is unlikely for me to ever see her again, but I should remain hopeful.

I've finally picked up this old book of mine after ten years. Things have changed greatly since I last wrote in it. I've overcome the emotions that caused me to lose my daughter. It would be hard pressed for one to try to intimidate me anymore. I've become this town's new leader. Such a feat was in no way or shape easy. Many of the men did not take me seriously, though I was quick to prove to them that I could do more than any of them. I've begun to bring in girls from brothels around Japan, in hopes of giving them a better life. The ones who I have brought in so far have proven to be far better workers than the men. We're going to start digging further into the mountain soon. We need to if we're going to keep up with these orders for iron. There have been a few problems with the forest gods, however. They're constantly trying to keep us out of the forest but we are able to push on. The boars have been the largest problem; it takes many of our arrows to pierce through their thick hides and they're very powerful, able to smash into our walls and cause more damage than any battering ram used by a human.

I'm going to leave town tomorrow. I'm going to try and find more girls, but there is another reason I'm leaving. I need to find somebody to start making the weapons that one hunter had designs for. I'll bring Gonza and several of the men with me. Hopefully we will be able to come back before the forest creatures begin attacking again. They're starting to become more aggressive. The townspeople are becoming fearful, but everything will be fine in due time. Their fears have started to spur many different rumors about the forest gods. Supposedly, there is a little girl fighting for them now.

Chapter 16: Twilight

Ashitaka closed the diary and placed it back on the bookshelf with a shaky hand. He couldn't comprehend the possibility that Lady Eboshi could possibly be San's mother. The two used to despise each other! San probably still does. Then again, it was only a possibility. Perhaps Eboshi's daughter wasn't San. Perhaps she was eaten by the wolves. Moro had told Ashitaka that San's parents threw her and ran, though Eboshi's diary did mention that she may have accidentally done so.

"I never once thought it could have been her." Eboshi said as she appeared at the doorway, "I had given her up for dead many years ago, even before she began attacking the town."

"I don't believe it," Ashitaka said, "It can't be San."

"You might be right. Many people have lost family members to the forest, even their children. Still, she looks to be the age my daughter would have been today."

"She doesn't look very similar to you." Was all Ashitaka could manage to say.

"Perhaps she got her looks from her father, then, though I can't say I remember who that man was. Tell me, did she ever tell you how she was found by the wolves?"

"Not San, but her mother. She told me that her parents threw her at her feet so they could flee faster."

"Is that all? Not where or when?"

Ashitaka shook his head. "Perhaps San knows more. I never asked her about it because she hates the idea of her having human parents."

"She truly believes she's a wolf, doesn't she. Well, if she doesn't wish to discuss it, don't push her. It's your choice if you want to find the answer."

"I would, but I will need to wait before talking to her."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"She and her brothers are staying with their father. I don't know when they will be back."

"I see. If you do manage to ask her about it, tell me what she says. I'm very curious to whether or not she is my daughter."

"And if she is?"

"Then things will remain as they've been. She has a new family now and she seems happy. I wouldn't want to take that away from my daughter."

Ashitaka was happy to see that things wouldn't change if she did happen to be San's mother. "Thank you, Milady. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Not at the mom-" Lady Eboshi's speech was cut short by the familiar explosion of a rifle shot. "The guns shouldn't be out." Lady Eboshi hurried downstairs while Ashitaka followed. They found Gonza giving out orders to several townspeople who had gathered in front of her home. "Gonza!" She called, "Gonza, why are the rifles out and why are they being fired?"

"Forgive me, Milady," He replied, "that last shot was an accident; man has a bit of a shaky finger. The guns were brought out because a few of the townspeople claim to have seen some samurai gathered outside the walls.

"That can't be possible. That diplomat left not an hour ago. Are you sure they saw samurai?"

"That's what they say. It's possible that the man brought some men with him in case we didn't accept his help for… whatever it is he was talking about."

"He wanted our help to destroy a forest god that killed Lord Asano. I saw absolutely no way for us to gain anything in such a deal. If he did bring men, shoot at them if they get too close."

"Yes, Milady."

Gonza began to bark more orders at the townspeople. His speech seemed particularly heated at the men who had already taken the rifles from where they had been stored.

"Don't be surprised if Asano's cronies decide to get back at you, Eboshi," Jigo called from his makeshift prison, which was located on a street corner nearby her house. Lady Eboshi approached him to listen to what else he had to say, "They're some of the greediest bastards that I've ever met, and I have met many men who would sell their mothers for a small nugget of gold."

"You truly believe that they will remain loyal to a dead man?"

"They weren't even loyal to him to begin with; they were loyal to his gold, nothing more. I know that the commoners are supposed to believe that samurai are supposed to be loyal, but come on! You've seen firsthand what they're really after. That's why those assassins are running around, taking out every armored soul they can find. Of course, even they lose themselves on their paths of having peasants such as themselves receive better treatment. Nowadays they're just like the samurai, simple mercenaries, assassins for hire, gold-seeking blades."

"If they aren't being paid for their services any longer, what makes you think that they'll even try to attack us?"

"Because you won't help them reopen their gold mine. Asano's successor is going to want these men because he's probably familiar with them. If their city is destroyed by whatever god is out in that forest, then those men will be out of a job. Sure, they can go to other lords to seek work, but most of the daimyo already have men who are supposedly to them."

"Even if they do decide to attack just because we won't send any support, we would be able to fend them off. Besides, what makes you think they will want to waste more money and men trying to take this town? We still have enough iron to supply ourselves for a year-long siege."

"I suppose you're right, Milady, but remember: revenge makes men do stupid, unthinkable things. I once heard of a young man whose father was killed by a rival warrior. The boy wasn't even sixteen and he went off to go battle against this other man who was at least twenty-five years his senior. The boy hadn't even completed his sword training. It doesn't take a psychic to guess what happened next; he was cut down by the rival warrior before he could even draw his sword. His head was placed on a pike to remind others of who the older warrior was. If those thugs decide to show their faces here, I'm willing to bet that their heads will end up on whatever spears or pikes you have around here."

"Thank you for the child's tale," Lady Eboshi said with a sarcastic tone, "but I have more pressing matters to attend to. Being paranoid about a small group of well-armed bandits is not one of those matters."

"I'll talk to you later, then." Jigo joked.

Eboshi returned to her home, where Ashitaka had been waiting. He was sitting against the wall when she told him to stand. "I want you to tell me what happened while you were in Lord Asano's region. Let's go inside to talk about it. I don't want any of the townspeople to listen in on us." Ashitaka nodded and followed Eboshi to the main room of the house. He declined food or drink as he sat down at a small table with her across from him. "Just start from when you arrived in his city."

Ashitaka sat and thought on where to begin. "Well," He began, "I was thinking of going alone, but San insisted she come along, mostly because she had heard of many terrible things that Asano was doing to the forest nearby his settlement. I brought her and her brothers with me and they waited in the forest nearby. I was able to enter the city without any problem and purchasing the antidote wasn't difficult either. The trouble began when I left the store and readied myself to leave. A large wolf, the one I told you about earlier, had taken Asano and dragged him off to his den. I escaped the city and found San and her brothers waiting for me. They said they wanted to see who this wolf was, so we decided to follow him."

"So it wasn't your fault that Asano was killed?"

"Not at all; San and neither of her brothers knew who the wolf was when they first saw him. They had been observing and had nothing to do with Asano's death. When we did find the wolf, we found out that he was Okami and Urufu's father. His name was Hanto and he used to live nearby here until Moro spared San. He said that he decided to travel east and eventually came across the forest that was on Lord Asano's land. He had become the forest's guardian after he arrived. The creatures there view him as the creatures here viewed the Forest Spirit."

"Why exactly did he kill Asano? I hadn't heard of him boring into the hills surrounding his castle."

"I asked Hanto, but he only told me that Asano was treating the creatures in the forest with great cruelty and that he was also trying to destroy the forest so he could take its resources. I don't know for sure; he seemed to change his reason every time I asked him."

"I see. And you said that Princess Mononoke decided to stay with him?"

"Yes. Hanto told San that he didn't believe she was a wolf in any way. She continuously rebuked that statement, so he gave her a chance to prove herself. She was bitten by something during her first test, but she was able to succeed on the second."

"What was her second test?"

"She had to defeat a human in combat with only her hands. I was her opponent." Eboshi was about to say something to Ashitaka but he didn't notice and continued on speaking, "After we finished, he inducted her into their clan, even though she was already one of their own. When that was finished, he told her that she still needed to stay with him for a while so that he could really see if she was a wolf or not. He didn't mention how long, only that she had to stay with him and her brothers until he deemed her worthy. We were able to say goodbye, but only for a short while."

Eboshi reopened her mouth to speak, but she noticed that Ashitaka was quivering. She knew that he cared greatly for San. She had never seen a man with as much passion and affection for a woman as he had for the Wolf Girl. What surprised her most was how faithful he was to her. Every man in Irontown had at least one rumor that he had slept with a woman that was either another man's wife or a woman who was not his own.

Every man except for Ashitaka.

"Are you alright, Ashitaka?" She asked.

Ashitaka, who had been staring blankly at the floor, looked up immediately. "I'm fine," he replied, "I just need to stop thinking about this for a while."

"Is it because of the Wolf Girl?"

"No. It's mostly her father. He doesn't seem like the guardian of the forest. He orders the forest creatures what to do and only seems focused on killing humans, not protecting the forest."

"What did he think of you? If he didn't like the Wolf Girl, I couldn't imagine him liking you much better."

"He wasn't as hostile when I told him where I was from, my past, and how I helped the forest, but he still cared little for either of us." At this point, Ashitaka's quivering became much shakier. He himself noticed it and raised his hand to see how unsteady it was. "Forgive me, Lady Eboshi. Hanto described how he would defend the forest in great detail."

"He was remorseless, I assume? It's the nature of the wolves. Gods or not, they are very vicious. When I arrived in Irontown, they were that way. I was surprised to see that they had a human fighting alongside them when she first arrived, riding on one of them with a spear in hand." Ashitaka shook his head to shake the thoughts. He didn't know why Hanto's descriptions were giving him such feelings. He had fought terrible monsters before, though he had not once felt like this. His hands were still unsteady when he placed them on the table, causing a cup on the table to shake. "You really should go back home and rest, Ashitaka. I'll remove you from work until you're ready to return." Ashitaka wanted to protest, but he knew Eboshi would have none of it. He nodded in response and bowed. "When do you think she will be back?"

"I don't know," He replied softly, "but I will wait for her, no matter how long it takes."

Chapter 17: Killing Yourself to Live

It's been a while since I've done a disclaimer, so, without further ado…

I do not own the characters, title, distribution rights, or any other part of Princess Mononoke. The only original parts of this story are the plot and the character of Hanto.

This marks "Part II" of the story. Please review if you have the time.

Ashitaka had promised to San that he would wait. The first time he did, he had waited a month before he was able to see her again. He promised he would remain faithful to her, that he would return.

This time, he waited over a year before he was able to see her again.

A little under a month following his return, Lady Eboshi had assigned Ashitaka to a new type of job: patrolling the forest to watch for enemy scouts. It was a task that she felt was best for Ashitaka; he had the most experience in the forest, he was fast, perceptive, and he was one of the few people in Irontown to have a mount. It also helped that he was the only human other than San that the creatures in the forest didn't react to with hostility. She also gave him the position for another reason: so he could see San again. She could see that he was worried for her for a good reason; the forest was a very unpredictable place that not even the eldest of gods could master. Ashitaka was ecstatic when he learned of his new task.

Many months later, he would be riding Yakul along the river where he first caught a glimpse of San. The current ran swift, crashing against the rocks protruding from the middle of the river. He caught a glimpse of a small brown rabbit sitting at the edge, taking tiny licks of water from the clear stream. The sight brought a smile to his face, but he had to continue on his way. It was only noon and he wasn't done until the evening.

He continued on north, when he came upon what appeared to have once been a campsite. There was a single tent, still propped up for use, a small bag containing food, and a recently extinguished fire. Water had been dumped hastily onto the logs, as the pail used to carry it from the river to the fire was lying very close to the circle of stones used to contain the logs. A tiny bit of ash was still lingering in the air, yet there was no breeze to carry them. Whoever had been there had only recently left.

"Wait here, Yakul." Ashitaka whispered to the red elk as he dismounted and drew his bow. He readied one of his arrows and raised his weapon. "If you're still out there," He called, "I can help you! I'm a friend!" Ashitaka scanned around the area to see any signs of who might have been there earlier. Though it was still not as it once was before the Forest Spirit died, the forest was still thick with trees and foliage. Bushes, bramble, and branches obscured his view, so Ashitaka relied on his hearing more than his eyes.

"Are you from Irontown?" A wheezy male voice finally called from behind a large tree.

"Yes," Ashitaka replied, "I am one of the town's residents. I have been tasked with patrolling the forest for any dangers that may present themselves to Irontown."

"You won't need to worry about trouble from me." A man in his late-fifties moved out from behind the tree. He was dressed in a faded grey tunic, torn near the sleeves, and was wearing a pair of light tan trousers. He wore a pair of leather sandals with the strap on the right almost completely torn. "I've been looking for that place for a while now, but I think I've gotten lost."

"Why are you looking for Irontown?"

"It isn't safe back home, anymore. You see, boy, I am from a region to the west, only a few days walk away from here. We lost our daimyo about a year ago to a giant wolf and his replacement has gone to war with the forest creatures."

Ashitaka's heart almost skipped a beat. He knew immediately that this man was talking about what had happened when he, San, and her brothers travelled to Lord Asano's city, so that he could retrieve the antidote and so that they could stop what Asano was doing in the forest. "What kinds of creatures are you fighting?"

"There are many types. Apes, boars, bears, even rodents are fighting against us. They're all lead by the same wolf that killed Lord Asano and he seems to have acquired some help; two smaller wolves are fighting alongside him. There's this one crazy girl with them, too."

Ashitaka immediately feared two things: San could be hurt or even killed in whatever fighting was going on and all of the time he had spent trying to convince her that not all humans were evil might have just been wasted. "How long have you been fighting them?"
"I can't say. It's probably been a month or so since our first warriors went out into the forest before coming back beaten, bloody, bruised, and defeated. I left about a week ago, when the fighting started to come closer and closer to the city."

One month. That was enough time for Hanto to have convinced San that he was right and that her mate was wrong. "I need to go there now. I know somebody there."

"Are you sure? You look like you can hold your own but these things are fierce."

"I know, but I have to go now." Ashitaka called for Yakul and the elk appeared at his side. Ashitaka hopped onto his back and put away his bow and arrow. "Irontown is that way." He said as he pointed south. "If they ask who you are, tell them that Ashitaka told you where to go and tell them where I went." Ashitaka sent Yakul into a gallop as he told him where to go. He heard the middle-aged man thank him, but he was already too far to return the thanks. He had no supplies, no extra food, and no idea what to expect. However, it wouldn't be the first time he went into the forest, not knowing what he was getting into. He just hoped that whatever was going on in Asano's land could still be resolved with minimal bloodshed.

Ashitaka travelled as far and as fast as he could. He knew that he was pushing Yakul, something he never liked having to do, but his time was limited. It was hard enough trying to convince San that he wasn't evil. He didn't know if she would be as accepting of humans if another forest was destroyed. Hanto loomed in the back of his mind. He still remembered the giant wolf as if he had met him the day before. He realized that if he set foot into the forest, Hanto may very attack him without warning. It was a risk he was willing to take. He had to help the Wolf God and San see with eyes unclouded by hate.

By neglecting sleep and food, it only took Ashitaka one day to reach the western region. The forest looked different without the snow. It was much more pleasant, much warmer, and looked and sounded lively. He dismounted Yakul and told him to rest while he searched for San, one of her brothers, or Hanto. He didn't have any weapons drawn; he knew that brandishing his sword or drawing his bow would be seen as an act of hostility by virtually every one of the forest's inhabitants.

His first thought was to look in Hanto's den. It was a long walk to the cave, but it was the only place he could think of. He told Yakul where he was going before heading off. He ran as much as he could and slowed down to a light jog when he became too tired. He was weakened by fatigue, hunger, and sleep deprivation. His legs ached and bruises were forming on the bottom of his feet. Ignoring the pain, he pressed on. He wiped the sweat off his brow every now and then as he ran towards the den, ignoring the strain and pain he was placing upon himself.

As he neared his destination, the signs of battle began to grow in number. Arrows were strewn on the ground and stuck in trees; weapons lay broken and stained in blood; the number of bodies began to rise, though Ashitaka noticed that as he neared Hanto's den, the amount began to decrease. Once the cave was in view, there were no longer any weapons or bodies. The wolves had made sure that the humans did not reach their home. It was untouched by the violence, unmarred by the conflict between the humans and the forest. It reminded Ashitaka of the Forest Spirit's lake when he first laid eyes upon it: peaceful and thriving with the beauty of nature.

Ashitaka stopped nearby a tree to catch his breath. He didn't know how long it took for him to arrive, but he felt as if he had just been thrown through a boulder. He collapsed onto the trunk and slid freely down the rough bark which made small tears in his shirt. He panted heavily with his arms hanging loosely and his legs flat on the ground. His mouth felt very dry and his throat pained him.

The sound of his panting had attracted attention. He heard the familiar sound of the wolves as their footsteps came closer. He pulled himself up, still supporting himself on the tree trunk as they came closer. They sounded like they were moving quickly. Ashitaka wondered if the wolves knew it was him by scent or if they thought he was simply another intruder. He wouldn't have to wait to find the answer.

Before Ashitaka could react, he slid around the corner of the tree and was immediately greeted by a headbutt from one of the wolves. The force knocked him onto his back and caused his head to smack against the ground. He clutched the back of his head groaning in pain as he looked to see which one had knocked him prone.

The wolf was larger than a quarter-horse; his face sported many scars and a pair of large eyes. He had a three headed tail on the end of his massive body. Ashitaka could tell that it was Hanto, though he couldn't tell if the wolf knew who he was.

Before Ashitaka could say anything, Hanto raised his head high into the dusk sky and howled, creating a sound which echoed throughout the forest and would be heard in the city. Right on cue, a figure jumped from the top of the ridge to Ashitaka's left and pounced on him. A wooden shaft was jammed against his throat, cutting off any ability to breath. Ashitaka fought for breath as he tried to push away the shaft. After a struggle with the figure, Ashitaka freed himself and stumbled away from the two, ready to draw his sword. However, he stopped once he got a good look on the figure. She was a female roughly his height or slightly shorter with slender arms and legs. She wore a white wolf pelt with a clay mask pulled over her face. He couldn't see her face under the mask, but Ashitaka knew that it was San. Judging by the way she lowered her spear once Ashitaka stood up, she knew who she had just attacked.

"What are you doing, San?" Hanto asked, "You need to finish off this intruder. He is threatening the sanctity of this place."

Instead of giving an affirming nod or "yes" to Hanto, San moved closer to Ashitaka with her spear in her left hand, the steel head downwards and almost dragging on the ground.

"It's me, San." Ashitaka said softly through tired gasps of air.

San stopped within an arm's reach of him and put away her spear. With steady hands, she removed her mask to reveal her face. Like Ashitaka, the year between them had barely, if at all, changed her appearance. Her hair was still short and uneven, largely because she always cut her hair with her knife. The tattoos on her face had not faded a bit, much like the beauty and fiery spirit that had attracted Ashitaka to her. Her large eyes gave away an impression of disbelief, as if she wasn't confident she was seeing Ashitaka. "I've missed you." She whispered. Ashitaka could not contain his smile and was about to tell her that he had missed her too. Before he could open his mouth, he instead received a knee to his stomach from San. He shouted out in pain and doubled over, holding his stomach while gasping for breath. "You said that you would wait for me, that you would remain faithful to me!" San yelled as her face twisted into an expression of rage, "I can't believe that you lied to me!"

"San…" Ashitaka wheezed, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to lie to me! Hanto- my father- told me about what you've been doing in Irontown! How you've had a child with another human!" Ashitaka tried to stand on his feet, but San feigned a kick, causing him to stumble back onto the ground. "I thought you would wait for me. I waited for so long, only to learn that you… mated with another."

"It's not true San." Ashitaka groaned as he got to his feet, "I never broke my promise to you. You can ask anybody in Irontown, I've always stayed true."

"But my father-"

"Hanto is a liar!" Ashitaka cried out, "And you know he isn't your father. He wanted to kill you when your mother- when Moro- found you in that camp. If he had his way, the forest would be dead by now. And I never slept with another woman! I have no child. I have been alone in my home ever since you left." The pain and exhaustion that Ashitaka had been ignoring suddenly spiked, causing his legs to burn and his head to pound. Breathing heavily, he dropped onto his hands and his left knee, keeping his head up so he could look into San's eyes so she could see that he was being sincere. "I heard what was happening in the forest in this region. I didn't even tell Lady Eboshi where I was going. I immediately came here because I was afraid that you might be hurt, even though I know you can protect yourself."

San looked into his eyes to see if he was being truthful. Inside, she felt that he was speaking the truth. But Hanto had told her that Ashitaka had lost his interest in her. "How long did it take you to get here?" She asked without changing her expression.

"One day." He replied, "Yakul was with me too." Ashitaka tried to stand up again but slipped in a small puddle of mud. He felt humiliated. He was too tired to stand and he was on the verge of tears. "If you want me to leave, then I'll go. Just please know that I never did anything that would have hurt you." San looked down at Ashitaka. She had never seen him like this before. Yes, there was the time at the pond when she brought him to the Forest Spirit, but even then he looked less pathetic than now. His hair was a mess, his hands and face were dirty, and his clothes had more tears in them. She walked over and stood before him. His head was at her knee level while his eyes were now facing away from hers, staring at the dirt that he was almost lying in.

"It took you only one day?" San inquired. Ashitaka looked up again and nodded. That was all San needed to hear. Without hesitation, she got onto her knees, licked Ashitaka's cheek, and hugged him as hard as she could. Ashitaka's labored breathing quivered. The tears he held back now flowed slowly down his cheeks, creating a warm contrast to the cold air. "I'm sorry that I doubted you, Ashitaka. I just had no way of knowing whether or not he was telling the truth." Tears were now flowing out of San's eyes. They fell from her face onto Ashitaka's neck, causing him to shiver.

"How did you know?"

"It took us three days last time. You wouldn't have come here so quickly if you still didn't care about me."

"I should have come sooner. I should have visited when I had the time." He pulled San closer as he embraced her with what strength he had. "I wouldn't think that Hanto would allow it." Ashitaka and San let go of each other and stood, though Ashitaka needed support from her.

"I thought for sure you would have given in," Hanto growled, "you humans are weak in willpower and discipline. You must be lying."

"I would never lie to San." Ashitaka retorted. "I've told her many times before, she's the only reason I've stayed here for so long."

San clenched her fists and gnashed her teeth. "Are you saying you wanted him to abandon me?" She asked Hanto in a near growl, "That you wanted him to break and leave me behind?" The Great Wolf did not answer her question. He simply stood with his eyes staring coldly at them both. "I don't need your approval to know that I am a wolf. I'm going back home."

Hanto merely continued his cold stare, seemingly looking through them. Ashitaka felt overjoyed that he and San would finally be able to be together again. He kissed her cheek, which she returned with another lick. "What about your brothers?" He asked.

San thought for a moment. "Wolves leave their packs when they find mates. I suppose it's time for me to go."

Ashitaka smiled and nodded. "Let's go find Yakul." San nodded in response. Ashitaka, still somewhat wobbly, told her to follow him to the elk.

"This is not over, San." Hanto called from behind. The two looked behind to see that the wolf was still looking in the same spot he had been. "Wolves fight for territory. Do not expect to be exempt from that fact, even if you were once part of this clan."

San became enraged again. She wanted to go back and fight Hanto but knew such a fight was one she would lose. She and Ashitaka continued onwards. Night had begun to fall and it would soon be dark. Ashitaka couldn't wait to get back to Irontown. He knew that Lady Eboshi would want to speak to him about where he had been and what he had been doing. He had nothing to hide and would tell her everything once they were back.

The trip back home took three days' time, during which neither Ashitaka nor San spoke very much. Ashitaka didn't want to ask San about what she had been doing until they were back. San told him that she wanted to hear about what he was up to when they were home, preferring to speak while they weren't travelling. They ate mostly small game and some berries on the way. At night, they slept together under San's fur pelt. It reminded Ashitaka of whenever he would spend time with San and they would hunt together in the forest.

When they reached home, Ashitaka directed Yakul to the wolves' den. However, when they reached the cave, San remained on Yakul.

"Do you think I could stay with you for a while?" She asked, "We haven't seen each other in over a year and I would like to spend some time with you."

"Are you sure?" Ashitaka questioned, "I didn't think you would want to spend time around humans."

"I did for one week, remember?"

"I remember," Ashitaka replied with a smile, "it's just that I heard what was happening between the humans and the forest in the west. I feared it had become the way it was when I first met you."

San sighed. "Much of it is similar. The only difference is Hanto shows no compassion for the other animals. I feel like they're being forced to fight for him, not for the forest."

Ashitaka looked towards the sun and saw that it was already beginning to set. "We can talk more once we reach Irontown. I just hope Lady Eboshi isn't too mad that I left without any notice."

Yakul trotted to the wooden walls of Irontown, where one of the guards greeted Ashitaka. The gates lowered for the elk, who brought the two to the stables. Ashitaka removed Yakul's reins and saddles before closing the gate door. San had a short conversation with Yakul before she followed Ashitaka back to his house.

San playfully raced past Ashitaka and reached the door before him. He grinned and caught up with her, grabbing her waist as he did. She wrestled out of his grip and spun around him, opened the door, and went inside the hut. Her eyes moved left and right as she examined the front room. There was a small table in the center of the room with two red and white pillows for seating on the left side. Across the room was a couch that once belonged to Lady Eboshi before she had it replaced. There was a small fireplace with a pot used for cooking on the side of the table opposite of the pillows. San walked more into the house to see if the other two rooms were still the same. The bathroom was as she remembered it: the smallest room in the house with only a tub, a basin used to wash one's face, and a pot used for business better left unsaid. The bedroom was familiar as well, with a large futon at one end and a dresser on the other.

"Do you want to change into something else?" Ashitaka asked. He still had the nightclothes that came with the dresser Toki had given him. San nodded, remembering what Ashitaka told her how his kind would change into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. Ashitaka rummaged through the dresser and found the pale blue set of clothes. He handed it to San while he looked for his own set, which was pale red in color. Ashitaka changed in the bedroom while San changed in the main room. She came in with her usual clothes in a bundle just as Ashitaka finished buttoning up his shirt. She placed her things in the bottom drawer and slid it shut with her foot.

Ashitaka had already pulled the blanket over himself when San slipped under. "This is very different from how I've been normally sleeping," San commented as she wrapped one arm around Ashitaka's chest, "Hanto had me sleep outside no matter how the weather was like. He had me sleep naked too." Ashitaka blushed so much that his face looked sunburnt, but San wasn't able to see it. "This place is comforting, warm, and I'm not sleeping alone for the first time in a year."

"Your brothers weren't able to keep you company at night?"

San shook her head. "They mostly stayed with their father. At times, they wouldn't even sleep and simply wandered around the forest hoping to find humans that were threatening the forest. They seemed to try to stay away from me, probably because I look nothing like a wolf." San sighed and rubbed her eyes before going on. "It's their father. I know he hates me, no matter what he says." San suddenly clenched her fists, grabbing Ashitaka's shirt. He turned to see if she was alright and found her face twisted in anger. Her eyes were not looking at anything; her eyes were clouded by hate. It was the first time he had ever seen her so angry at any of the forest gods.

"San, if you want to tell me something, don't hold back."

"I hate him!" San roared. Ashitaka was worried that she might have woken up the entire street. "He cares only for himself, not the forest, not the animals, not me, and not even his own sons! He treats the forest creatures like slaves, torturing or killing them if he doesn't have his way! I don't know why I ever thought staying with him was a good idea, but I should have driven my spear through him when I had the chance!" In her fury, San raised her fists high and brought them onto the mat, accidentally hitting Ashitaka as she did. He groaned and inhaled sharply. "Sorry."

"It's fine; I know how you can be when you're angry." He said jokingly.

"I'll try to put it behind me." San said with a slight smile. "It's great to be back with you, especially after that time I spent in the west." San rolled on top of Ashitaka, lying down on him as he grabbed her waist. She rested her head under his chin while he petted her hair. "He made me attack humans who weren't doing anything wrong, and for the first time… I didn't feel right doing it."

Ashitaka was shocked. As much as he could remember, San still hated humans before she began her stay with Hanto. He thought that her time away from humans would only make her hate them more. "You don't have to tell me about what happened."

"It wouldn't bother me as much. I know you don't feel the same way towards humans as I do, though, so I won't explain what I was told to do." Ashitaka smiled. He was glad to see that San didn't despise humans as much anymore. She did lighten up on how she felt about them when Eboshi, Gonza, and Jigo helped against Kumo, but even then she felt little about what happened to them. The fact she felt like she was doing something wrong by hurting humans astonished him. "The people here aren't afraid of me as much, are they?"

"Many of them still remember the battles from years ago, but I don't think they still believe that you're an evil witch. You surprised them the first time you were here. Lady Eboshi can help you if you need anything."

"I can find my way through things."

"I know you can." Ashitaka kissed San on the forehead, to which she licked him the cheek twice. They said goodnight, but neither of them fell asleep for another hour or so. Eventually, San would be the first to go to sleep. She was still on top of Ashitaka when she did, but he didn't mind. Her body was warm and the air itself was cold. He couldn't have imagined this happening over a year ago. He knew she still had a long way to go before she would fully accept humans, and even then she may never truly accept them. For now he was happy to see that she was willing to stay with him in Irontown for a while. He fell asleep with her lying on him and with left arm draped around her. She was more comfortable than ever before, much more than she had been for a year. And, for the first time in many months, they both had pleasant dreams of what the future may hold. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad living amongst humans for a bit longer after all.

Chapter 18: The Velvet in a Heart of Steel

I do not any part of Princess- do I really need to do this every story? I've made it pretty clear quite a few times I don't any part of the movie, including characters, plot, etc. Remember to review; it's my main motivation to continue writing these stories (That and I hate incomplete works. Seriously, the one that inspired me to start writing on this site, an untitled work, is incomplete itself, last updated in 2001!).

Ashitaka awoke little after midnight. He was groggy, tired, and his eyes were stinging. He had felt something bump into him several times. At first he thought it was just San rolling or otherwise moving around in her sleep, but it became too much for him to think it was just that. He sat up and turned to see what San was doing. To his surprise, she was looking down her pants.

"Uh… San?" He asked causing her to gasp, "What are you…"

"Sorry, Ashitaka, I'm just bleeding." She replied.

"Just?"

"I'm not hurt; it's just something that happens once in a while." Ashitaka looked at San's leg and saw that there was blood stained around her thigh. "I could change if I need to."

"I don't think I have another set of nightclothes. I'll see if I can get you a pair tomorrow."

San nodded and stood up. "I'm going to go clean myself." San left and went inside of the bathroom to wash the blood off her leg while Ashitaka lied back down. He rubbed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep, relieved that there wasn't anything wrong. The Wise Woman from his old home had explained to him that it was normal for women to bleed when they were older when it first started with his sister. He wondered if Moro had told San the same thing.

San returned but without the bottom part of her clothes on. They were both blushing brightly to the point where they could see the red on each other's faces in the dim light. He knew that he would get used to seeing San naked, especially if they were going to have children together. Neither Ashitaka nor San were ready for children but they both wanted a child. They knew that the time would come, but that time was not right now. San slid back under the covers and fell asleep rather quickly. Ashitaka dozed off not long after she did.

The next morning, Ashitaka went straight to Lady Eboshi before San had even woken up. He knew that Eboshi would already be awake. She was the kind of woman who put her work before anything else. Considering that her work involved watching over an entire town, she was often up early in the day. His hunch was right, as it was Lady Eboshi herself who answered the door when he knocked.

His conversation with her was to the point and lasted only for a while. He explained why he had left so abruptly without telling anybody in Irontown. Fortunately, Lady Eboshi was not mad at him because the man he had given directions to explained to her why he was going to the west. She was quick to guess that the person he knew was San. After he described the events which occurred after he arrived, he asked her if San would be able to stay for some time.

"I don't see why not," She replied, "she's no enemy of ours any longer and the scuffles we've had with her are history."

"Thank you, Milady," Ashitaka said with a bow of his head, "I just don't know what the townspeople think of her. Irontown seems to be attacked or infiltrated every time she is here. I even heard rumors that she led the apes here when they attacked."

"I told them many times that it wasn't her fault and that the apes were not acting under their own will. Not only that, but she helped fight the apes, killed the demon which possessed them, and helped nurse you back to health more than once. I would say that's enough to earn the people's trust." Ashitaka couldn't contain his smile and thanked Eboshi once more. As he stood to leave, Eboshi told him one more thing: "She will likely want something to do to keep her occupied. Ask her what kind of duty she would like; she can even join you in keeping watch around the forest."

"I think that will be fine." Ashitaka turned to leave, but remembered that he needed to get San a new set of nightclothes. Eboshi said she would check to see if she had any spares upstairs. She ascended to the second floor just as a tired-eyed Gonza came downstairs for breakfast.

"Where have you been?" He mumbled. Before Ashitaka could reply, Gonza simply went into the kitchen to find something to eat. Eboshi returned moments later with a new set of clothes for San. Ashitaka thanked her and tucked the clothes under his arm.

"You don't need to work today. I'm sure that if you were as far out in the forest as you say you were there won't be anything nearby that we need to worry about."

Ashitaka nodded and headed out the front door. Though it was still early in the morning, some of the townsfolk were already awake. Some were taking over guards' shifts; others were gathering what they needed for the day.

"What's with those clothes, Ashitaka?" A familiar voice called from nearby. Ashitaka could instantly tell that it was Toki. She was leaning against the wall of her home with a few farming tools in hand and a small pile of other tools near her feet.

"They're for San," He replied as he turned to face her, "not me."

"Obviously they're not for you," She laughed, "but the Wolf Girl is back?"

Ashitaka nodded in response. He wished that everybody in town would stop calling San "Wolf Girl". Even Eboshi still called her that. "She's going to be staying with me for a while before she goes back to her old home."

"Huh. I always thought that she wasn't coming back. That idea sure got some of the women excited. Anyway, I don't want to keep you. I have to wake Kohroku up before he oversleeps again." Toki continued gathering her tools while Ashitaka continued down the near empty streets of Irontown. Burnt out torches lined the wooden houses in their sconces, ready to be replaced. Ashitaka didn't have one on his house. Since he was close to the gates, which were kept brightly illuminated so that the guards could see better, he didn't require one.

San was already dressed in her normal clothes when Ashitaka arrived. She was sitting cross legged on the couch, examining the sharpness of her knife by tracing its edge with her finger. She didn't seem focused on her blade. Her eyes remained unmoving as she slowly dragged her finger on the dagger. By instinct, she snapped out of her daydream and shot her head up when she heard the door open. When she saw it was Ashitaka, she calmed down and placed the knife next to her.

"What did that woman say?" She asked.

"Eboshi doesn't have any problem with you staying." He replied. Like with the townspeople calling San "Wolf Girl" he hoped that one day San would call Lady Eboshi by her name instead of just "That Woman". "She said that you can scout the forest with me if you want to or you can do something else if you like. She also wants you to have these." He placed the set of night clothes on the table and sat next to San. "We're free to do whatever we please today. Eboshi's not having us work."

"I think I'll help you with the forest. I don't know any of the other humans here and I don't know how I can help them grow food or build things." San took the knife next to her and placed it on the table in front of her. "It's still preferable to working with my brothers' father."

"What is it he had you do?"

"Other than kill every human who even breathed in the direction of the forest? Not much. For the most part, he used me and my brothers as his enforcers. We had to make sure that every creature in the forest, from the mice to the larger creatures, was doing what they were told to do. If they weren't…" San took in a deep breath before continuing. "He would torture them, brutally and in front of whatever creatures were with him at the time, and then he would kill them. He didn't eat them; he would just drag their carcasses and throw them into a pond he discovered a few years ago. I went swimming in that pond before I discovered what he was using it for. There were many more animal skeletons than there were human skeletons." San began to quiver and began to rub her eyes. "He even hurt my brothers. When Urufu refused to help him torment a fox, Hanto thrashed him, bit into him, and clawed his fur. Neither of them disobeyed after that but that's only because he made them fear him." San clenched her hands into fists. Her grip was so tight that her arms were shaking. "If Moro were still here she wouldn't stand for this. I grew up around violence and anger and I still felt uneasy around Hanto whenever he barred his teeth. I'm fortunate he wasn't the one who found me as an infant."

This reminded Ashitaka of the diary and how Lady Eboshi… he didn't want to tell her, but he desperately wanted to know if San really was Eboshi's daughter. "Did Moro ever explain how she found you?"

"Only a little bit. She said that she found some humans camping in the forest and was told by Hanto to kill them. When she attacked, one human, a woman, threw me to distract Moro while she ran off. The others scattered off in different directions. My sister chased after them but was killed by one. I think Hanto explained the rest."

"I was just wondering since you've never explained how you were found by Moro, and she only told me a small bit about what happened."

"She told you how I became her daughter?"

"Only a tiny amount; it was some time after you brought me to the Forest Spirit when I was shot." What San told him seemed to match what Lady Eboshi had written: the camp, her dropping San, and the chaos that ensued after. He silently debated himself on whether he should show San Lady Eboshi's diary. On one hand, it might finally show San that she really is human. On the other hand, there was a good chance she would react very negatively to what she would read. While Ashitaka was weighing his options, it struck him that San probably didn't even know how to read. He asked her if she could, to which she replied that she was only taught how to speak the humans' language, not read it. "Is there any reason you didn't want to stay in your old home other than to spend time with me?"

San seemed to hesitate before answering, "Yes, it has to do with my brothers. Do you remember how I said they were acting coldly to me before? It's because they blamed me for bringing them to the west, that it was my fault they found their father. I told them that it was their choice to stay, but they told me that they wouldn't have if I never did those trials. Now they're too afraid to leave and they hate me for it." At this point, Ashitaka thought San might break down. Her breathing was rapid and erratic, her entire body was unsteady, and her eyes seemed teary. Ashitaka didn't want to see her like that. He hated seeing her like that. It was very much unlike her to cry for any reason. Even when Moro and the Forest Spirit died, she didn't even shed a tear, though she did come close. He hugged her tightly, making her hold him close, but even then she seemed unstable. "That's I why I don't want to go back to the den, not yet. It would feel too empty without them. When they stopped hunting and being with me, it was the first time I had ever felt alone. Before all of this, I had Moro, then my brothers after she died, but after they turned away from me I had no one."

Ashitaka could feel how tense San was, tense from her anger and hatred. "You have me San. You chose me to be your mate even though you said you hated every human." Ashitaka stroked San's hair as she began to tremble and ease. "I'll always be nearby and I'll always be ready to stand by you, against demons or other humans."

At first San didn't say anything. She took in long, silent deep breaths to calm herself down. After a minute of silence, she released Ashitaka and lied down on the couch. "Thank you, Ashitaka." Her eyes seemed red, but Ashitaka ignored that. He didn't want to feel like he was making her less of who she was. If she believed she was a wolf, he wouldn't tell her otherwise. She was strong and didn't even need him to survive. Ashitaka could also take care of himself, but they both would rather be with the other. They loved each other greatly, even if they felt differently about different things. "You said that you didn't need to work today?"

"Yes, and you don't need to start yet."

"Well, do you want to go wrestle in the forest or swim in the pond?"

Ashitaka smiled and replied, "I would like nothing more."

Ashitaka and San went to the stables and got Yakul. Once Ashitaka told Yakul where they were going, he was already off. He had memorized the path after only a few trips.

While they were going to the Forest Spirit's pond, San couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. She couldn't tell what it was, but something in the back of her mind told her that something was wrong in the forest. Perhaps it was just instinct, but she remained alert. She had felt the same feeling before, when one of Jigo's hunters missed her brothers and accidentally created a demon. She had felt it before she even saw the twisted spider. She decided not to tell Ashitaka about it, as he was probably worried about other things. She thought that it would eventually fade away and she would think nothing more of it.

Chapter 19: Death of an Immortal

The next few days after Ashitaka and San arrived in Irontown were days of peace and relaxation for them. Patrolling the forest wasn't much of a job for either; they had each other's company and knew the forest very well. With the troubles going on in the west, Ashitaka highly doubted that there were any spies from whoever was Lord Asano's replacement hiding in the forest. Since the people there -even the more experienced warriors- feared to even wander close to the forest, Ashitaka was confident that he and San were the only humans among the trees.

When at Irontown, San began to interact more with the townspeople. At first, she would stay inside Ashitaka's hut when he went to the nightly town gatherings at what used to be the ironworks on the second level of town. Eventually she began to come with him, though she only ever spoke to and sat with him. The first few times the townspeople tried to speak with her, she only stared at them with disdain. With Ashitaka's encouragement, she began to speak with them. Even though it was a few words at most, he was happy to see that she was less hostile to humans. Still, she stayed away from them as often as she could. After two weeks with Ashitaka, she decided she was ready to return to her old den. Ashitaka made the promise to visit her as often as he could, which was much easier due to his duty as a ranger. Eboshi still gave him time to devote himself to her every now and then.

During one of these visits, almost two months since San had returned, the two were sitting inside the den, preparing to go out hunting for food. As Ashitaka was tying a new string to his bow, he heard Yakul beating his hooves braying outside. Both Ashitaka and San dropped what they were holding and went outside to see what was wrong. To their astonishment, standing in front of Yakul was a large white wolf with matted fur that was torn in various patches.

"That's Urufu." San remarked, able to tell by his size.

"Hello, sister," Urufu greeted as he raised his head to the den, "I see you've been well. I cannot say the same for me or for our brother."

San stared at her brother with an intense hatred burning through her eyes. She clenched her fists and gnashed her teeth, as if she was readying herself for a fight. "What are you doing here? I thought you two were going to stay back with your father."

"It's a long story, San." Urufu walked past Yakul and leapt up to the den. Ashitaka backed up to make room for him, but San stood her ground and barred her teeth in challenge. "I know you are mad, sister, but you must believe me when I say that our brother and I were avoiding you for good reason."

"Is it because I look human? Is it because your father despises me and wishes for you two to hate me too?"

"I will admit that at the start, it was Hanto's influence that drove us away from you. You must understand that he is our father and we spent many years with him until we were almost full grown. Okami and I were exuberant when we learned that he was still alive. We were prepared to follow his every command, as he is the alpha wolf of our pack. We were sure there was a reason he wanted us to leave you alone. Perhaps he wanted to test you in solitude, we thought. It took us both a long time to realize we were wrong. By then, he had informed us that you returned here. We were going to follow you and ask why, but he forbade us from doing so." San felt that he was telling the truth and stepped away. Urufu entered the den and collapsed near the back wall.

"What happened to you?" Ashitaka asked.

"I fear what San about Hanto, about how he is trying to control the forest rather than help protect it, is true. After she left, his behavior became increasingly erratic. Not long after, Okami tried to question him about why you had left, San. I do not know why, but whatever it is our brother said to him drove my father to madness. He attacked Okami, and then our brother fought back. Okami challenged Hanto to become the alpha wolf. Hanto accepted and they began the fight instantly. I came upon them just as, to my surprise, Okami emerged victorious. Father was lying on the ground with bites on his fur, newly bleeding scars over his eyes, and bits of torn flesh strewn around his heaving body. I thought Okami had killed him, but I was wrong. At first, it seemed like Hanto would be standing under his own power. However, he collapsed and began to breathe erratically. He gazed at us with eyes burning with hatred until... it overcame him."

Ashitaka gulped. He knew what happened whenever a god became filled with rage. "Did he become a demon?"

"Yes. It was horrifying. Neither my brother nor I had ever seen what happens to a god once they become a demon. Black tentacles began to writher and break out all over his body. We only knew he was becoming a demon because we saw what Okkoto's body had looked like when he became a demon. We knew it was already too late. Once a god begins to turn into a demon, they lose their minds and are unable to think rationally. Our best option was to try and end it quickly, but we were too late. We pounced onto him, raking him with tooth and nail, but he threw us off as if we were cubs. He began to attack us like a raging storm, relentless in his assault. I did what I could to fend him off, but he was able to do what damage he could before Okami interrupted him. He told me to return here to find you two and ensure your safety. I fear that he is now dead, and if he truly did perish, I dread the possibility of Hanto finding us."

Ashitaka and San stood in silence while Urufu rested himself. Both were uncertain of what they should do. Ashitaka did not wish to flee, as Irontown would be in danger if Hanto were to arrive. If he was willing to attack his children, Ashitaka didn't want to know what the great wolf would be willing to do to humans. "We need to find a way to stop him."

"That is easier said than done, much easier."

"We've killed a demon before," San commented, "We can find Hanto's weak point and do it again."

"Kumo's weak point was that he was vulnerable to weapons made of stone, he didn't have a weak spot on his body except for his underbelly, which even then had to be cut with your crystal knife."

San tried to think of an idea before asking Ashitaka, "How is it you defeated Nago when he attacked your old clan?"

"I shot him in the head with stone arrows," He replied, "the first one bounced off of his hide but the second one managed to stop his rampage. The only difference between the first and the second is that the second arrow was released by my hand after it had just been cursed."

"As much as I hate to admit this," Urufu said, "I believe that using the guns the humans possess may be a way of defeating him."

"Maybe, but he could have the same immunity to bullets like Kumo did. To make things worse, there aren't that many bullets left in Irontown."

Urufu growled. "And it takes more than one bullet to kill a god, demon or not. We must think of an idea before my father destroys the forest."

"Do you know where he is right now?" San asked.

"No. When I fled here, he was battling our brother. I do not know if he followed me or if he went on a blind chase through the forest."

"There has to be some way. Hanto has to have a special weakness."

"Until we find one," Ashitaka said, "I need to warn Lady Eboshi that there may be something dangerous nearby."

"You would do the humans a service by warning her to not send any outside the walls." Urufu advised, "Hanto will detect their scent from afar and your town's location would be revealed to him. It would be best for us to confront him away from the humans as well. There is no telling what he will do if he can sink his teeth into the flesh of hundreds of your kind." Ashitaka nodded and made his way down the ledge. He told Yakul what they were doing and set off. San, alone with her brother, refused to look at him. "I've already told you why we were avoiding you. Just put it behind you."

"I'm not going to forget how my brothers abandoned me even if they knew I had done nothing wrong. Did you even ask your father why it was he wanted me alone?"

Urufu hesitated before responding with, "No, we did not, but we-"

"You what?!" San exploded, "Your father left you behind when the forest needed him most and for what? He left you and our brother to die because Moro refused to kill me, a harmless little baby at the time. I might not like humans, but even I wouldn't kill one of their children if they were no threat."

"Really?" Urufu chucked quietly to himself, "You seem to have lost your hatred of humans that aren't that boy."

"I thought you were done calling Ashitaka that."

"Forgive me, but that was what Hanto would always refer to him as."

"What do you see in him? I know he is your father, but he doesn't care for the forest."

Urufu didn't respond. He just gave San an empty glare before lowering his head onto the stone floor. San growled at him before leaving the cave to sit on the ledge. Both were stubborn and proud. Neither would admit that the other had some justification.

In Irontown, Ashitaka went to Eboshi's house immediately. He did not bother to bring Yakul to the stables since he would be heading out soon anyway. His friend remained outside while Ashitaka knocked on the door. Gonza answered, and Ashitaka informed him that he needed to speak to Lady Eboshi. Since Gonza never doubted much of Ashitaka said, he let him inside without question. Ashitaka looked around the house and eventually found Eboshi tending to her garden on the roof.

"Hello Ashitaka," Eboshi greeted as she placed a straw basket she was carrying down on the ground so she could place in some spices, "I must say that your… mate interacted with the townspeople far more than I expected. I was under the impression that she would be staying in your home for her entire visit. Still, you must be happy that she isn't acting like we are demons."

"I am happy for her," Ashitaka said, "but the reason I'm here isn't for a good reason."

"What is wrong?"

"Milady, one of San's brothers just came from the west and said that there is a demon in the forest and it is coming east. He believes that Irontown is in its path, so I thought it would be best to warn you."

"So there is another demon? Do you know if this one is able to control minds?"

"I do not know. I do know that this demon used to be the father of San's brothers."

Eboshi's normal composure began to show a hint of concern. "I know demons are largely blinded by their own anger, but if this is the same wolf that I heard stories of when I first arrived in Irontown, then we are going to become a focus of his rage."

"I thought it would be best if you readied the townspeople for a possible attack, but I don't think any of them should be sent outside the walls."

"I'll ensure they remain within the town, but I don't think I will tell them about this demon, at least not yet. Do you need help defeating it?"

"We are looking to see if it has a weakness yet. If we cannot find one, we will need your help."

"Then I wish you luck on your task." Ashitaka bowed and turned to leave. However, just before he reached the door, Eboshi called his name. "Ashitaka, bring my diary with you. I know that the wolf girl does not like to admit that she is human, but she should be reminded that she was born human. It would probably bring her down to earth if she realized who her mother might be."

Ashitaka was uncertain on whether or not he should do as Eboshi asked. San was in no way predictable, and her reaction to reading (or at least, being read) what was written in Eboshi's diary was something that Ashitaka could not guess. After what seemed like a long time spent debating himself, Ashitaka nodded. He found the diary where he last left it and tucked it away. He returned to Yakul and placed the book inside a saddlebag for safekeeping and mounted the elk. He told his friend that they were returning to San after he scratched his fur. For the entirety of the ride back, he tried to think of a possible weakness that Hanto could have.

And only seconds before the den was in sight, he thought of one.

Chapter 20: Striking A Nerve

San sat on the ledge with her head in her hands, gazing towards the horizon. When she heard something emerge from the forest, she shifted her sight to the direction of the sound, causing her earrings to jingle. The possibility of a demon roaming throughout the forest had her on edge. However, once she saw it was only Ashitaka and Yakul, she calmed her nerves and went down to meet them.

"Did you warn that woman?" She asked.

"I did," Ashitaka replied as he hopped off Yakul, "And I also have an idea of how to defeat Hanto."

"What's your idea?"

"I don't know if it will work, but it's still a possibility: what if we took water from the Forest Spirit's pond and coated our weapons with it?"

"It could work," Called Urufu from the ledge, "but I do not feel comfortable using that place to make your weapons more lethal." Inside, both Ashitaka and San agreed. They felt that the place was sacred and should not be used for violence. Of course, with what had happened there in the past, they knew that it wasn't untouched by violence. "Still, it is the only idea that any of us have given and I believe it's a good one."

"What do you think, San?"

"I agree with my brother," She replied, "it's our best option, even if it doesn't feel right."

Ashitaka nodded and went up to the den with San. He gathered his sword, his bow, and his arrows, which numbered twelve. San collected her spear and her knife; she also took her mask and headdress with her. It was dark outside, but they decided to go anyway. Ashitaka and San rode on Yakul while Urufu followed alongside them. Ashitaka felt like she was still mad at her brother. He hoped the two would be able to cooperate if they ran into Hanto.

At the pond, the two wasted little time in gathering the water they needed. Ashitaka wasn't sure if their weapons still needed to be wet when they encountered him or if dipping their weapons in the water would suffice. To be safe, he filled his waterskin with some water and dipped his weapons in the pond after it was full. San quickly plunged her spear and knife into the water while Ashitaka dipped his arrows in one at a time. After wetting his sword, the two thought of how they should confront Hanto.

"We can either wait for him," San said, "or we can try to look for him."

"Finding my father would be difficult," Urufu remarked, "even if he is the only demon in the forest. There would be too much ground to cover and we may even miss him."

"Well, it's been a few hours since you told us what happened," Ashitaka said, "how much longer do you think it will take before he arrives?"

"I don't know. What is strange is that he didn't appear to be chasing me when I last saw him. Granted, he was fighting our brother, but I thought he would have been chasing me."

"I think we should go to where Hanto last was," San commented, "demons leave a trail of death in their path; finding him will be easy."

Ashitaka remembered how the grass and trees around Nago would shrivel up, blacken, and die when he attacked his village. If Hanto was anything like that, the trail he left would have been massive. "It will take us a few days to get there." He remarked.

"True," Urufu said, "but San is right. He will have left a trail." Ashitaka weighed their options before agreeing with San's idea. Once again, the three set off.

Throughout the entire trip, San and Urufu did not speak one word to each other. Ashitaka tried to get the two to speak, but to no avail. He had never seen San so unwilling to talk with her brothers before. I can't imagine what she went through to have this sort of enmity. Ashitaka thought. He hoped that Okami would be able to expand more on why he and Urufu were avoiding her since he was the older brother.

During the three days of travel, Ashitaka kept on hesitating on showing San the diary. During nighttime on the second day, he asked her if she was able to read. "I never learned how to," She replied, "My mother only taught me how to speak the humans' language, not read it. I don't even know if she was able to read it. Why?"

"I was just wondering." He replied.

"Do you think you could teach me one day?"

"I will if you ask me to."

Finally, they reached the western region. None of them still knew the region's name; Ashitaka simply referred to it as Lord Asano's region even though the samurai lord had been dead for over a year now. San and her brothers called it the west, which Ashitaka occasionally called it. With every step that took them closer to Hanto's den, Ashitaka couldn't help but feel a longing sense of dread within him. He wasn't sure what it was about. When they went to confront the spider demon, he didn't feel anything like this. Perhaps it was because Hanto was possibly more dangerous.

"Ashitaka," Urufu said as they neared the den, "I just want you to know that I have no problem with you striking down my father. He is a demon now and can no longer think for himself. I won't hold any animosity for his death." Ashitaka thanked Urufu for the reassurance, as he himself was unsure how Urufu felt about this. The wolves rarely expressed their feelings and he had a difficult time reading their body language.

Strangely, as they inched nearer and nearer to the den, they didn't see the dead foliage or any sign of destruction on the way there. It was when they finally reached the den they saw it: tree trunks had become black and fallen, vegetation had withered up, and even the dirt looked like it had been drained. Ashitaka warned Yakul of what may happen and told the elk to hide somewhere, like he did with the spider demon. Yakul understood and disappeared into the forest.

The trail left by Hanto seemed to travel further west, away from the den. This seemed strange to Ashitaka, as the city in the region lied to the north. They investigated the trail until they suddenly heard something move inside the cave. San pulled her mask down and brought her spear up; Ashitaka drew his sword and slid his pinky into the ring on the hilt. He then drew his bow and readied an arrow. Urufu barred his teeth and began barking and growling, his legs poised to jump and strike at whatever may be inside. From the darkness, they were able to see a pair of glowing eyes. However, they were not the deep red that accompanied the spider demon or Nago. Urufu suddenly stopped what he was doing and began to move towards the cave.

"What are you doing?" Ashitaka whispered.

"This isn't Hanto." Urufu replied, "Brother, how did you manage to escape our father?"

Okami. It was Okami. Ashitaka breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his weapons. San lowered her spear and raised her mask. Okami staggered out of the blackness of the cave, revealing his tattered fur, several large gashes, and what appeared to be a broken hind leg. "I fear that our father may have become too powerful to stop." He groaned.

"Sit down, brother. I would like to know how you escaped."

"Very well. Hello Ashitaka, San." He greeted with a slight bow of his head that caused him enough pain to growl. Ashitaka bowed in return but San remained standing. "I see that our sister hasn't forgiven us for leaving her on her own." He remarked.

"If you had told me that you were ordered to leave me alone, I wouldn't be as angry." San said, "I can take care of myself."

"Perhaps, but I know that you have never been alone. You would always be with our mother or with us. After she died, you would always be with us or with your mate if we were elsewhere."

"I would have been fine if I didn't feel like you suddenly became my enemies."

"Perhaps that is because you fear abandonment, since your real parents abandoned you and left you at the mercy of our mother."

Ashitaka gulped and prepared to grab San in case she tried to attack her brother. But, contrary to what he believed was going to happen, she was stunned and stood silently. Not one sound was made, making the breeze and all of the leaves it moved audible. San's fists were clenched to the point that her knuckles were white. Her spear was gripped so tightly that Ashitaka was worried that she might break the shaft. She stared intensely at her brother with burning hatred.

Urufu gave a look of disparagement to his brother. "I think you might have gone too far." He remarked.

Okami felt a wave of remorse flow over him. "San-" He said as he began to apologize, but she turned away from him and began to leave. "San, wait!"

"No!" She growled without turning to look at her brother. She marched past Ashitaka and towards the forest.

"San!" Ashitaka called. But she didn't react to his voice. He followed her into the forest, though she didn't go very far. She found a large flat rock and laid her spear down on it. She then got on top of the rock and sat on it cross-legged. Before Ashitaka could ask what she was doing, he heard something he thought he would never hear see San; she was sniffling, her breathing was heavy and quivering, and she was visibly shaking. San seemed to be sobbing. "San, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She insisted. But Ashitaka felt that her brothers had struck a nerve. Her eyes had welled up and she choked after saying she was fine.

"San…" Ashitaka sat down next to her and tried to caress her, but she shot him a look of fury. She would never admit she felt grief.

"Go on ahead with my brothers. I'll catch up with you soon."

"San, I know you don't want me to see you like this, but I only want to help."

"I don't need help; I'm just not ready to talk with my brothers yet."

"No, San, it's more than that. I know what your brothers said was hurtful, but there's something I want to show you." Ashitaka called for Yakul and went to find him, assuring San he would be back soon. It didn't take him long to find his friend nibbling on one of the only bushes in the area that had not been tainted. He checked through the bags being carried by Yakul until he found Lady Eboshi's diary. He flipped through the pages of the book before he returned to San. He hated hearing her cry because it was very much unlike her. Then again, he never heard her brothers call her human, so it must have hurt her deeply.

"Ashitaka, I told you I can't read." She remarked between chokes when she saw the diary.

"I know, but I can read it to you." He turned the pages to the diary entry that Eboshi had him start at. "San, everything that I read to you wasn't written by me, it was written by one of the residents of Irontown a long time ago, and I feel that they may be your human parents."

"How could you possibly believe that they are my human parents?"

"I remember what you and your mother told me about how she found you. I think that she may have misunderstood why your human mother abandoned you. She never meant to." San stared at the diary in Ashitaka's hand and then back to him. He showed her the pages of the diary, but the characters on the pages were nothing but a bunch of lines to her. Still, she wanted to listen to what he had to say and paid attention as he began to read.

Chapter 21: Nobody Knows Your Heart

Ashitaka stopped reading at the entry in Eboshi's diary that skipped several years after she lost her daughter. He closed the book and set it down next to him on the stone slab. He had kept his eyes on the pages as he read, not seeing how San was reacting. When he turned to her, she appeared almost bewildered.

"Do you see, San?" Ashitaka asked, "Your human mother never meant to leave you behind like you thought." San sat in silence, taking in what she had just heard. She knew that Ashitaka wouldn't lie to her or try to hurt her. "I'm going to give this back to Yakul. I'll be back soon."

San nodded as Ashitaka went to find Yakul. She stared at the ground with wide eyes. She had grown up her entire life believing that her mother, her human mother, had thrown her to Moro because she did not care for her. While she felt better knowing that her mother had not purposely abandoned her, but at the same time she was shocked and still angry that her human mother would have left her to possibly die. Yet she also felt comforted knowing that she wasn't left to die due to the malevolence of a human. She thought she might cry, but she fought against it. She hated crying and refused to do so twice a day .She especially hated it if there was a human to see her, even if that human was Ashitaka.

There was one thing about what Ashitaka had read to her that clicked in her mind. I am a wolf, San told herself, but my parents were human. Wouldn't that make me human?

"No!" She shouted loudly. Her yell was so loud that it caused birds nearby to fly away and attracted a small group of curious kodama. The sight of them made her smile, but she still couldn't shake the thought of her being human. It enraged her whenever she was called a human. She didn't want to accept it. She never did, not when Ashitaka called her human, not when Hanto called her human, and not when Okami implied she was human. It was near-maddening.

The kodama weren't the only thing attracted by San's resounding shout. Having heard her, Ashitaka returned as fast as he could once he placed the diary back in one of Yakul's saddlebags. He was relieved to see that San wasn't hurt in anyway, though she did have a gloomy look on her face. "Are you okay?"

San took a deep breath and shook her head. "I guess I'm confused about this. I know that I had human parents, but I'm not human. I'm not!"

"It's alright." Ashitaka sat next to her once more and took both of her hands. "San, do you remember who helped you, your brothers, and I defeat the spider demon?"

"Yes, it was that woman, that one human who always seems to follow her around, and that other human who brought the guns that killed my mother."

"Still, they were humans. They helped protect the forest from something that tried to enslave all within it."

"I know, but it was also humans who made that demon in the first place."

"But it was an accident. Humans make mistakes all the time, but we always try to learn from or fix our mistakes. I do, Lady Eboshi learned that the forest shouldn't be destroyed to get the iron in the mountain, and you make mistakes too."

"Are you saying that I'm human?" She questioned in a more hostile tone.

"I just want you to know that not all humans are evil. Your mother, your human mother, made a mistake by accidentally leaving you to Moro's mercy. I know who she is and I can say she is one of Irontown's most respected citizens. She likely became who she was because she lost you and never wanted something like that to happen again."

"I know that not all of your kind is evil. You taught me that long ago when I first met you. I never did forgive the humans for what they did until they helped us defend the forest. I even thanked that woman for her help. And…" San took another deep breath, as if what she was about to say was stressful to even think about, "When Hanto told me to kill the humans who entered the forest without prejudice, I sometimes let them go. Most of them had families or were only children. He never found out about it, which is a good thing because he probably would have torn me to pieces if he did. But that's not the only reason I would let them go. Hanto had been pressuring me to act more like him and eat the flesh of everything I killed, including human flesh." Ashitaka gagged but made sure San didn't notice. She looked disgusted herself. "When he first brought me a human carcass and told me to eat, I instead became sick and threw up. It wasn't because the body smelled awful, even if it did, but I felt that I was doing something wrong by even considering it."

"Have you ever thought why?"

"Not really. Is it because I really am…" San couldn't bring herself to say it and Ashitaka understood why. All her life she had been fighting against humans alongside the wolves. To her, her only true mother was Moro and Okami and Urufu were her siblings, born from the same bitch. She didn't want to admit it, but even she felt that something in her had begun to slip, something that hid the fact she was indeed human. "Dammit, Ashitaka, why did you have to read me that stupid book?!" She cried out, "It didn't answer anything or solve any problems, it just created more problems and more questions!"

"I'm sorry," He replied, keeping a calm demeanor, "I thought it would help. I just didn't want to see you so hurt by what your brother said. I thought that showing you what your human mother really thought of you would help you."

"I suppose it did show me something." San said. She slipped her hands out of Ashitaka's and began to stare at them. Her eyes moved away from her hands and up to her arms, past the black armbands she wore on her biceps, up to her chest, and finally down to her legs and feet. "I know that I have human parents. I… I guess that part of me is human."

Ashitaka smiled, though somewhat sadly, that San finally admitted that at least a part of her was human. "That's why you couldn't eat human meat. That's why you refused to kill the humans that you knew did nothing wrong." San looked melancholic, as if something she held dear had just been lost to her forever. In her mind, that something was the belief that she was not human, that she was a wolf through and through. "It's okay, San. I know that you spent your entire life with the wolves. To me, you'll always be more wolf than human, and that's fine."

"I still believe that I am a wolf," San lamented, "or at least, mostly a wolf. It's much more comforting knowing that my human mother did care for me and never wanted to get rid of me." San embraced Ashitaka tightly, to the point where he had trouble getting his arms out from under hers so he could hold her. "I have to admit, my brothers are right about how I feel about being alone. Ever since Moro told me that I was abandoned by my mother to die, I never wanted that to happen. That's probably why I reacted the way I did when they brought it up."

"It won't happen again San. You have your brothers and you have me. I only wonder how your mother would react if I told her who you were."

"You told me you would tell me who she is when we had dealt with Hanto, right? Do you think you could actually bring me to her?" Ashitaka wondered how San would feel if he brought her to Lady Eboshi to tell her that the woman who she tried to kill –and vice versa- was her mother. Still, he felt that it would help her accept humans more, so he nodded in agreement.

"You will always be the Wolf Girl, Princess Mononoke, to the people of Irontown and to me."

San smiled and said, "Thank you, Ashitaka. I know I'm still a wolf, but I can live with knowing that a part of me is human." She stood from the stone slab and picked up her spear, planting the blunt end firmly into the ground. "Are you ready to return to my brothers?"

Ashitaka nodded and followed her. He had almost forgotten that they were looking for a destructive force of chaos that sucked the life out of everything it approached. But that was the reason they had come so far west, not so they could read through diaries or dwell on the past. San carried herself like one who was about to enter a fierce battle. She stood tall and walked at a brisk pace. Her spear was gripped tightly, ready to be plunged into the belly of the beast they were to face.

Okami and Urufu were still in the same spot as they were when San had stormed off. Ashitaka now fully saw the extent of Okami's injuries. He had horrible gashes around his stomach and sides. A large part of his upper left ear was hanging on by a very thin piece of flesh that looked as if it were going to give way any second. Blood had dried around the wolf's nose and mouth. He could see that Okami's hind leg wasn't only broken, but the bone itself appeared to be sticking out from the back of his leg. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that Hanto had put his own son through.

"San," The elder wolf said, "I am sorry for what I said to you earlier. I know and accept with pride that you are a member of the wolf tribe, no matter what you appear-"

"It's alright," San interrupted, "I don't need an apology from either of you. I know that I made you two angry by refusing to accept your apologies for leaving me on my own with Hanto. Let's just try to put this behind us and track him down. If we don't find him, there's no telling what will happen to the forest."

Okami and Urufu looked at each other in equal confusion. They were sure that San would be angry at them or at least refuse to speak with them. Instead, she seemed content, almost happy. "Are you going with us, brother?" Urufu asked.

"I cannot battle our father in my current condition." Okami replied, "I'm going to the pond of the Forest Spirit to see if I can be healed. If I can, I will return as soon as I can. If it is not immediate, I will remain in the den, our old home." Okami stood up and hobbled away. Ashitaka wished that there were some way to make the trip easier for the wolf, but Urufu and Yakul were both too small to carry him and they didn't have any sort of cart.

Ashitaka called for Yakul once more. He informed the elk that they would have to continue travelling and follow Hanto's trail. Yakul nodded and nibbled playfully on Ashitaka's hair. Ashitaka chuckled and brushed Yakul's neck before hopping onto his back. San hopped on behind Ashitaka and pulled her mask halfway down. "Come on, Yakul."

Yakul trotted off, following the westward path. Ashitaka uneasily rested one hand on the hilt of his sword. If defeating Kumo was a nightmare, fighting Hanto could potentially be a hell-on-earth. Still, he was confident that the water on his and San's weapons would do the trick. The only thing that troubled him was one question: what if the water didn't work?

Chapter 22: Dream Evil

The path left by Hanto seemed to never end. It sprawled through the forest in a winding line that continued west. Ashitaka wondered if they would even be able to catch up with Hanto. It took them two days of following the path before they finally noticed a change: it turned and began to stretch east.

"This is hopeless!" Urufu exclaimed, "Judging by the direction of the path, Hanto will have now gone in a full circle and be back at his own den. Coupled with the fact he does not sleep, he is probably halfway to reaching us if all he is doing is chasing his tail."

"There must be some reason he turned back," Ashitaka said, "Even if he can no longer fully control his mind, he must have had some reason to return."

"It wasn't to beg for forgiveness. He probably can't even speak anymore, let alone try to apologize to my brother for what he has done."

"What if he's going after the humans?" San asked. "He knows where that one city is and he also knows where Irontown is."

"True, but why would he have not simply gone after those places first?"

"Ashitaka said that he can no longer think or reason, so that could be why. Perhaps he had a moment of sanity that reminded him of what he hated most."

"Then we should turn back immediately." Ashitaka suggested.

"If we are to turn back, then we should split up." Urufu said.

"Why?"

"Look at the two trails. There is a large gap in between them and we might miss my father if we only take one at a time."

"How would we alert you if we find him?"

"I will howl if I spot him first. San, I don't know how loud you cam howl but you should try if you spot my father first." As much as Ashitaka didn't want to have to split them up, he saw why it would be a good idea. He and San nodded in agreement with Urufu's idea. The wolf took a quick look at each of the paths before he started to dash down the way they had taken.

Ashitaka and San took to the path that had only been recently made by the now demonic wolf god. It did not take them long to reach a more dense part of the forest. It was darker since the trees were tall and thick, causing the light of the sun to barely reach the ground. It was only the black twisted path left by Hanto that showed Ashitaka and San where they were going. The darkness and density of the woods proved unnerving to Ashitaka. He felt that Hanto could leap out of nowhere at moment without warning. The kodama, the sound of forest creatures, Yakul, and San's presence helped to keep him calm.

"This isn't a very safe path." San remarked, noting how they were both more out in the open than if they travelled through the trees.

"I know," Ashitaka said, "but if we go through the trees, we may stray of the path and lose our way in the forest."

"I suppose you're right, though I can probably get us out if we were lost."

"Let's just play it safe for now."

They continued on until it began to turn dark. Yakul stopped in a small forest clearing while Ashitaka found a comfortable place for him and San to sleep in. Yakul went off to eat and find some water. After a long while of searching, Ashitaka was unable to find a fallen log, large rock, or other barrier to sleep on or under. San told him that they would be fine sleeping in the open.

"I know," He said, "I just thought it would be more comfortable."

"And I suppose it would lessen our chances of being found by Hanto."

Ashitaka feared the possibility of waking up in the middle of the night to see two demonic piercing red eyes belonging to a twisted wolf god. Demons were terrifying enough in the day, no less during the still of the night. Still, he wasn't about to run away from the demon if they encountered it.

"Do you think your brother will continue on?"

"Maybe; he knows we have to sleep, but that does not mean he will wait for us. The only problem with him going on is that if we encounter Hanto or he does on his way, we might be too far away to alert him or to hear him call us."

Ashitaka crawled under San's pelt as she covered them both with the white fur. He lay flat on his back with his hands behind his head while staring at the sky. San had already closed her eyes to rest them and would probably fall asleep soon. Ashitaka was still too worried to fall asleep anytime soon. He knew that Yakul would alert them if Hanto was nearby, but that didn't mean they would be ready to face him. It took several hours for him to finally doze off, long after San had and still long after Yakul came back to the clearing and lied down nearby the two.

When the morning had come, San was the first to awake. She sat up and scanned the area for any sign of Hanto having been there. There were no trails of dead vegetation (other than the path they were following), no footprints, and Ashitaka was still asleep next to her; she doubted that the wolf demon had been there. She brushed through his hair before rolling out from under the pelt and standing up to stretch. She saw Yakul eating some leaves off a bush near the edge of the clearing. She smiled, feeling at home in this part of the vast forest.

She went over to wake Ashitaka but stopped suddenly when she heard what sounded like a low growling coming from the path. She stood firm and stared towards the direction of the noise. She began to hear a low rumbling accompanying the growling, prompting her to crouch and pick up her spear.

"Ashitaka." She whispered. After he didn't wake up, she said louder, "Ashitaka, wake up!" He still did not move nor budge. In her frustration, she started to shake him, but that too failed to awaken him. She groaned and decided to face what she was sure was Hanto. She held her spear towards the blackened path and squinted her eyes.

It did not take long for the demon wolf to come charging out of the forest. Trees fell before the wolf god, covered in a mass of squirming black-purple tentacles, charged out like a man on fire. Hanto had become little more than a mass of cursed appendages, his former canine body almost unrecognizable. Red glowing eyes pierced through the tentacles and locked onto San as he continued charging.

"Ashitaka!" San shouted in warning. However, when she looked to see if he reacted this time, he was gone. She stared at the empty fur pelt in shock as a dark shadow suddenly loomed upon her. The wolf demon howled into the early morning sky, though his howl was more of a throaty growl than it was a true howl. San didn't have time to wonder where Ashitaka had went. She charged towards the wolf demon with her spear overhead. She thrust at him with intense speed. Just as her spear made contact with his body, Hanto vanished into thin air. She backed up in shock, nearly dropping her spear.

"You cannot defeat me, human." Hanto growled from behind her. She wheeled around and held her spear towards him, only to find that it was now gone from her hands. "Only a wolf can defeat me." San looked on in horror as the bodies of her two brothers appeared before her feet, both of which looked as though they had been thrown through a field of spears. San stepped back, only to step on something too soft to be the ground. She looked back and saw Ashitaka's body, mangled and bloody with bits of bone sticking out of his body and viscera slipping out from his midsection. "There are no more wolves, little human, because they have left the forest to die. If my sons will not fight for the forest, I will. And I will destroy every human who dares to step foot within them. Including you." Hanto roared in directly in front of San's face revealing his gargantuan fangs and razor sharp teeth. The tentacles engulfing his head pulled back like a mask and revealed his face, though it was marred with scars that pulsated red. "Humans are a blight upon the world. I may have become a demon, but sometimes you must abandon what many call good to defeat that which is evil." Hanto vanished once again and the bodies around San disappeared along with him. San looked left and right to see where the demon-wolf had gone. It did not take long for her to figure out; as San shifted her vision to her left, she saw Hanto once more, only this time he was more than one hundred meters away. He was charging directly at her like earlier. San stood in his path, unable to move her legs. As San looked on, Hanto leapt up into the air with his claws outstretched and his jaws wide open.

San shot straight out of her sleep with a loud outcry. Ashitaka awoke in an instant and raised himself on one arm while grabbing for his sword with the other. However, neither saw any danger in the darkness. San herself was sweaty and was wide eyed.

"What's wrong?" Ashitaka asked.

San looked around but didn't see any sign of Hanto. She collapsed back down to the ground and brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. "It's nothing," She replied, "just a dream, but it wasn't a pleasant one."

"You had a nightmare? A bad dream?"

"If that's what they're called, then yes. It was vivid, almost real."

"What was it about?"

San explained what she had dreamt from the moment she woke up to the point where Hanto showed up with her brothers' and Ashitaka's bodies. "The most disturbing part was how he looked like. He reminded me of Lord Okkoto when he was turning into a demon, except Hanto looked much worse."

"It's just a nightmare. You're probably worried about Hanto and what will happen if we find him."

"I'll get over it then." Ashitaka nodded and kissed her on the cheek, to which she licked his in return. Ashitaka lied back down, but San still wanted to talk to him about something. She knew that there was a chance that one of them, or even both of them, would not be returning to Irontown. There was one thing on her mind, something that she and Ashitaka rarely spoke about but both wanted. "Ashitaka, I've been wondering if..." San paused as if she was looking for the right words to say.

"Is this about Hanto?"

"No, it's something about us. After all of this is done, after we defeat Hanto, when we get back, I was thinking that we should... discuss when we should start a family since we always seem to be getting in some sort of trouble and I want to have a family before it's too late or if something happens."

Ashitaka was surprised; San had almost never brought up this topic whenever they would talk, though he could see why she was concerned at the moment. "Do you know what has to happen for us to have children?"

"All I know is that involves two mates and that the female is the one that gives birth. Other than that, not really."

"Then I should probably tell you more when you're ready."

"And when do you think that will be?"

"As soon as we return to Irontown."

Ashitaka was relieved that nothing was wrong and returned to sleep. San tossed and turned a bit in her sleep, though that was normal for her. Ashitaka stayed awake for a little while longer, anticipating hearing Urufu's call from somewhere in the forest. After a half an hour, it never came. Satisfied, Ashitaka drifted off to sleep to ready himself for the next day. Unlike San, he had a more pleasant dream, one about his old clan, the Emishi. However, he noticed something in his dream: a large pair of red eyes peering out from the forest. He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he stopped and opened them, the eyes were no longer there. When he would later wake up, still in the dead of the night, he would attribute it to him worrying about Hanto. However, he felt like there was a reason he saw them, as the wise woman of his old clan once told him that dreams held great significance. He shook off the thought and returned to sleep, trying not to cloud his judgment and his thoughts.

Chapter 23: Hate Is Living Death

"Ashitaka," He heard San's voice call, "are you alright?" Ashitaka opened his eyes to see San crouching over him in the morning light. "You've been tossing and turning for a while now. I thought that something was wrong."

"No, I'm fine," He assured her, "I guess I was dreaming too." Though he could not remember what he had dreamt. The one he could remember involved him back in his old village, though he remembered that it was a pleasant dream rather than a nightmare.

"Well, it's morning time now and Yakul and I are ready to continue."

"Alright, I'll get up." Ashitaka rolled out from under the fur pelt and hopped onto his feet. San handed him a piece of dried oxen meat for breakfast before she picked up the pelt and wore it like a cloak. "Do you know if your brother is ahead of us?"

"I didn't seem him when he woke up, nor did I hear him. He's probably already back at his father's den, waiting for us."

Ashitaka nodded and whistled for Yakul. "It looks like we're going back to square one, buddy." Yakul grunted and nodded his head. Ashitaka and San hopped onto Yakul's back and rode on as he continued on towards Hanto's den. They continued on for hours until it once again became dark. There was no clearing this time, so they slept under a fallen log near the path left by Hanto's destruction. They were not bothered that night and immediately set off the following morning. At all times, they kept their ears alerted to hear Urufu's call, though it never came. San at one point feared that her brother may have already been killed by his father.

Once they finally reached the den, they saw Urufu standing above the cave, sitting down and looking towards the east. The wolf took notice of them but quickly returned to gazing towards the rising sun. "I saw him not an hour ago," Urufu said, "he is heading east, though he has to true path."

"Why didn't you follow him?" San asked.

"I feared that he would spot me or detect my scent and I had no idea where you three were."

"Then should we continue following him or should we wait for our brother?"

"He has yet to return from the pond and I doubt he will be in any shape to help for a day or two. He will then have to travel a day or two to reach us, and Hanto will have gained a great amount of distance between us. I say we pursue him now."

"Ashitaka?"

"If he is close by, then I suppose it would be a good idea to go after him as soon as possible." Ashitaka replied.

"Then me must go, before he gets too far." Urufu dashed east while Yakul trotted very close behind. San readied her spear in one hand while Ashitaka held his bow in one hand while holding Yakul's reins in the other. The path they followed, the one left by Hanto, seemed to grow larger and larger every now and then. It could have been that he had grasped more trees and vegetation with his cursed arms, though he could have also seen a creature he deemed to be prey and chased after it. Ashitaka wondered that, if it were the latter that was the reason, if any of those prey were human.

After several more hours of near endless running, Urufu suddenly stopped in his tracks just before the three behind him were about to reach a small forest clearing. Yakul followed suit, panting and sweating from the amount of running he had done.

"Ashitaka," Urufu whispered at an almost inaudible volume, "now would be a good time to send away Yakul. He cannot fight, and I believe we're about to head into battle."

Ashitaka understood immediately. He and San dismounted from Yakul. He told the elk to run all the way back to Irontown and not come back, no matter what. Yakul nodded his head and bounded off.

"That smell," A deep, booming voice said, "I did not believe that I would one day have to destroy my own pups." Ashitaka and San recognized it as Hanto's voice, except that his voice sounded distorted and like he had to put in great effort just to utter a single syllable. Urufu growled and ran off towards the clearing, Ashitaka and San ran after him. After moving through the dense trees, they finally saw him.

Hanto looked very much like how San imagined her in her dream, only the amount of tentacles engulfing his body was much greater than she had dreamt. His body resembled little more than a fat blob of writhing tentacles with four large arms that reminded Ashitaka a little bit of Nago. His ears, still covered in the mass of appendages, stuck out, being the only thing that gave even the slightest hint of him once being a wolf.

"I am shocked you can still speak," Urufu remarked, "Okkoto and, from I have heard, Nago were both unable to speak when they became demons."

"You dare to place me in the class of the boars?! They were fools, risking their lives on one battle. If they were like us, they would still be here and the humans would be gone. And speaking of humans, I see you have brought that human girl you call your sister and her mate." San growled and almost took off towards Hanto, though Ashitaka grabbed her arm before she could. "Pathetic! You allow yourself to be held back by a human as if you were on a leash."

"I'm not going to charge blindly like you would!" San shouted, "I bet you're using all of your might to hold yourself back on attacking like the putrid demon you are!"

"You will never understand what it is like to become a monster like this, for you are a different type of monster already: a human. They are the ones who made me like this, who drove me to the brink of insanity and invoked my fury on countless occasions. Their destruction of the forest will end along with them, and all of the creatures of the forest will live in peace once more."

"Will they be treated the way you have been treating them, father?" Urufu asked, "You are not the benevolent guardian I once knew. The amount of animals you have killed is many, nearly all of which were cruel and torturous and without justification."

"They were weak. Those in nature who are weak are destroyed by the strong, as you will soon discover, as the humans in the west will discover, and the humans in the east, the ones the boy mentioned, will also suffer the wrath and pain that I have endured."

Ashitaka wondered what Hanto meant when he said, "the humans in the east, the ones the boy mentioned". He didn't remember mentioning any humans other than the ones in Irontown, those who lived under Lord Asano, and the Emishi.

That was when he remembered his dream for several nights before, how he was back in his old clan and how he saw a large pair of piercing red eyes gazing at him from the forest. "You're talking about my old clan, the Emishi, aren't you?" Ashitaka questioned the twisted wolf god.

"You are correct. While I admit that they are not as despicable as the humans who trespassed in the forest I once stood as a vanguard for, they are still members of your evil race."

"Not all humans are evil!" Ashitaka yelled, "There are many of us who are good at heart, and the ones which you call evil aren't as terrible as you believe!"

"Do you believe that those few humans that you live among represent your kind as a whole? You would be a fool to believe that all humans are benevolent creatures. They are indeed great evils that would sooner destroy the forest to help further their goals rather than help the forest recover from what they have done to it. Fortunately, humans are weak and fragile creatures. You two are no exception."

"Enough!" Urufu barked. He charged across the clearing and towards his father, dodging the mass of tentacles that attempted to entangle him and possibly give him the same curse that befell Ashitaka. He realized that if he was caught by one of those squirming appendages, he could very well be cursed. He knew that the Spider-Demon they had fought over a year before did not have the same curse, though he was unsure if the same rang true for his father. Urufu decided it would be best to have Ashitaka or San battle his father, as he would be unable to touch him. The younger wolf ran around his father in a wide circle before returning to Ashitaka and San, who had ran out with their weapons drawn to help him. "I can't reach him because of those damn things all over his body. I'm ashamed to say this, but I must leave this up to you two."

"It's alright," Ashitaka remarked, "I understand why you wouldn't want to get too close to him." Ashitaka gazed down at the arm that once bore the mark of Nago's curse. Though it was now little more than a scar, it was still a reminder of what hatred could do to damage oneself.

"San, you can ride me if you want so you can reach him faster. You don't have a bow like Ashitaka, so you will need to use your spear." San nodded and hopped on top of her brother's back. It had been more than a year since she last rode atop one of them, but she had done it enough times before that she was still comfortable riding them even when they broke into a lightning-fast sprint. "Ashitaka, you might want to get on too." Ashitaka mounted Urufu and sat behind San. His actions were timely, as Urufu bolted off the second he got on to avoid Hanto as he charged headfirst towards them. His head smashed into a tree, though the trunk itself turned black and fell. As Urufu dashed towards the middle of the clearing, Ashitaka let one of his arrows loose. Hanto, still very agile even as a demon, attempted to avoid the arrow, though his left hind leg would be grazed by the arrow. The pain was enough to elicit a screeching howl from the wolf demon. The sound was so terrible that it caused Urufu to recoil in pain. Ashitaka fired another arrow, though Hanto was able to avoid it entirely this time. The blood which flowed from his wound caused the grass to shrivel up and burn into the earth. As Hanto came charging once more, Urufu began to run around the clearing, making a ring in his pattern.

"Do you any plans on how we can actually hit him?" San asked.

"Not entirely," Ashitaka replied as he readied another arrow, "he moves very quickly and it's harder to aim with your brother sprinting like this." Ashitaka demonstrated this by firing at Hanto, only to barely miss as the arrow whizzed above Hanto's head and between his ears, only hitting a few of the black tentacles.

"I'm done stalking my prey." Hanto grumbled. He set out on a blitzkrieg as he nearly doubled his speed. He charged with such speed that Ashitaka wondered if the demon-wolf could outrun one of his arrows. Urufu, despite his supernatural reflexes, was not able to dodge as his father slammed into his side, throwing Ashitaka and San off of him and knocking him to the ground. Hanto was now in a frenzy, blind with rage. His red eyes pierced through the darkness and excitedly moved between the two humans. The girl was already up while the boy, who had slammed into a tree, seemed unresponsive to his name being called by the girl. It only took a split second for Hanto to make his decision. "You die first!" He exclaimed as he set his sights upon San. He bounded over his fallen son and pounced towards San, his extended limbs outstretched to grab her. San dodged back and avoided being grabbed by him, but Hanto made one more leap towards her, this time peeling back the wriggling mass on his face and open his jaws. San was slightly too dazed to react in time and was caught in his teeth. San cried out as the wolf's knife-like teeth sunk into her body. Ashitaka broke of out his stupor once he heard her. He hastily readied another arrow and fired, hitting the demon's side. The arrow caused Hanto to howl in pain once more, launching San backwards and causing her to land in front of Ashitaka as he threw his head up towards the sky. He stumbled before turning around and staring towards Ashitaka with his eyes burning with intense ferocity. The wolf-demon scrambled backwards and lowered his head, poising himself for another charge. Ashitaka reached for another arrow and fired, but this time Hanto grabbed the arrow with one of his tentacles and broke it in half. Before Ashitaka could ready his next arrow, the wolf-demon was already charging towards him with the black mass of tentacles surrounding his face peeled back.

San, was able to recover just as Hanto was in front of her and Ashitaka. She thrust her spear, driving down the wolf-demon's open jaws and through his throat. Hanto shrieked in pain, causing blood colored black and red to splatter over Ashitaka and San. San pulled the spear out from the demon, causing Hanto to stumble back in agony. Ashitaka took this time to ready another arrow. He aimed it at the leg he had wounded earlier, which was the closest at a little over three meters away from him. Hanto attempted to stand on his three legs, missing his right front leg, and tried to regenerate the wounds. Ashitaka fired the arrow, releasing it with a loud snap.

The arrow ripped through Hanto's left leg and caused it to collapse. The demon-wolf groaned in agony as he was brought down to his left front leg and right hind leg. Without missing a beat, San cut through his right leg with her spear, causing the tentacles to fall off and turn into black sludge on the ground that ate away at the grass. Ashitaka, wanting to end the battle now, fired another arrow at Hanto. However, he was still dazed from hitting the tree and missed his intended target; instead of hitting Hanto in the skull, he hit the wolf-demon's left front leg, tearing through it like earlier. Hanto howled towards the sky before he collapsed onto the ground, little more than a torso at this point.

"What is happening?" He wondered aloud, gurgling on the blood pouring from his cut throat, "The damage done by you humans should not be this powerful."

"We used water from the pond of the only being you probably truly respected." San replied.

"Water?" It took Hanto a moment to deduce that she was talking about the Forest Spirit. "So you have defiled that sanctuary by using it's resources for battle rather than healing?"

"Killing you will heal the forest. The very earth you walk on dies when you leave it in your wake, and you're accusing us of killing the forest?"

"No... you cannot be the ones who defeat me..." Hanto once again tried standing on the stumps he had for limbs, but to no avail. "You can never kill me! I cannot be defeated by a human! Only a wolf can kill me!"

"I am a wolf." San said coldly as she planted her spear in the center of the twisted demon's skull, staring into his hate-filled eyes with her own as she brought it down upon him. Hanto let out a sudden yelp as the steel effortlessly cut through his bone, killing him in an instant.

Ashitaka managed to get to his feet after he stopped seeing stars. The back of his head had made contact with the tree when he crashed into it and was still pulsing with pain. He saw San standing over the demon as the tentacles melted away and began to reveal Hanto's true wolf form. The white wolf's jaws lay open and his eyes were still wide. San was still bleeding profusely from the bite she received earlier. She removed the spear from Hanto's skull and used it to help keep herself from falling. It was not enough, however, as the amount of blood she had lost caused her to collapse. Ashitaka ran over to catch her, barely grabbing her before she hit the ground.

"San!" He cried, "are you okay?"

"Yes," She replied weakly, "I just need a moment to stand up." She tried to lift herself with both arms but once again collapsed. "I guess that his bite was more powerful than I thought it would be."

"Don't worry, San, me and your brother will make sure you're alright once we get back home."

"Alright... just let me rest for a bit." San fluttered her eyes before she closed them, seeing nothing but darkness as she did. She thought she heard Ashitaka call out her name as she began to slip away, but his voice was more of a distant echo.

Chapter 24: Love Is Life

Ashitaka threw the last bit of dirt on the mound before patting it down with the flat end of the shovel he had borrowed from Kohroku. He wiped the sweat off of his brow as he stuck the shovel into the ground and leaned on it. He had been digging all day and had become exhausted but he pushed on and was able to finish just before nightfall. Since he was at the forest's edge near town, some of the townspeople asked if he needed any help. He politely declined and said that he would be fine on his own. He smiled a bit as he stared at the mound of dirt, knowing that one day the tree he had just planted would grow to become as great and tall as the others in the surrounding forest. Ashitaka lifted the shovel over one shoulder and returned through the gates of Irontown and back to his hut. Around his neck, he was wearing a necklace of wolf's teeth that he received from her as a gift. She told him that it was her version of the crystal necklace he had given her when they had only begun to know each other.

The past few days had been been worrisome. After Hanto had been defeated, Ashitaka and Urufu immediately brought San to the pond. Ashitaka let Urufu go on ahead of him since he would only slow the wolf down, as he had sent Yakul back to Irontown. Before he returned to Irontown, he went to see if San was okay. When he arrived, she had regained consciousness but was still in the weakened state that seemed to befall anybody who bathed in the Forest Spirit's pond while injured. There were a few scars on her arms that were the result of deep cuts caused by the wolf-demon's fangs. Okami and Urufu were also present, the former having already recovered from his skirmish with his father, though part of his ear was still missing. The two wolves mourned for their father, though without any tears or much of a show of sadness. They lamented more on how he became a demon rather than his actual death, which they both saw as a better fate than living as a demon.

When he asked if she was going to stay in the forest, she said that she would she be returning to the den with her brothers, both of whom she had reconciled with. The brothers decided that now would be a good idea to tell her something they had been considering for several weeks. They told her that the two were going to leave their home and go on their separate ways so that they may find new packs and mates of their own. Ashitaka and San were both very surprised at the news. San also was somewhat saddened by the news but also understood why they would be going. She knew that the two wouldn't remain in their birthplace forever and supported them leaving to find a new home. The wolves informed the two that they would be leaving in a week's time, with Okami deciding to travel north while Urufu would be heading south.

After little while longer, Ashitaka decided to head back to Irontown. Before he did, San asked him to tell her who her mother was.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes," She replied as she stood up, though still somewhat wobbly, "I'm sure my brothers would like to know who she is as well." Okami and Urufu both nodded, as San had told them about the diary Ashitaka had read to her.

"Alright then, San..." Ashitaka had difficulty bringing himself to tell her the truth, but he did not want to lie to her, as that could hurt her more than the truth if she ever found out. "Your mother, your human mother, is Lady Eboshi."

Ashitaka had to keep himself from turning away. Okami and Urufu's ears had perked up and their backs were as straight as s board. San's eyes widened to the point where she looked as if she had just seen a ghost. After a brief moment, she said, "My mother is that woman?"

"Yes."

"That is not what I was expecting."

"San, I'm sorry if what I told you is not very comforting or welcome, but I'm telling you the truth."

San said nothing as her gaze lowered to the ground. Not wanting to see her upset again, Ashitaka hung his head and turned around to leave. Before he could take a step forward, he felt her grab his shoulder. He turned to face her, expecting a less than pleasant reaction. Instead, she hugged him tightly with a smile on her face. Ashitaka was astounded that she would react like this. Her brothers, too, were both surprised and confused; they expected San to go ballistic when they heard Ashitaka mention that woman's name.

"Thank you for telling me, Ashitaka." San said as she released him, "It may who I expected, but I feel much better knowing who my human mother is."

"You aren't mad?"

"I will admit that I was at first, along with being appalled, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. It's almost funny how the one human who I had been trying to kill for nineteen years was my human mother."

Ashitaka smiled and rested his head on her shoulder. "Things work out strangely. Look how I met you; look at how you were accidentally left behind and raised by wolves."

"I suppose you're right. I will see you soon."

"I'll be in Irontown. Goodbye, San."

As Ashitaka turned to leave once more, Okami said to him, "Come to the den in seven days. Me and my brother would like to say goodbye before leaving."

"I'll be sure to make it."

The next day, Ashitaka went over to Lady Eboshi's to tell her what had happened. When he arrived, she told him she was worried he may have perished when Yakul came back without a rider. He explained what happened when they had reached the trail left by Hanto and how they were able to eventually defeat him.

"He sounds like much less of a hassle than that oversized pest you fought against a long while ago." She commented.

"That's probably because we weren't being flanked by apes," Ashitaka joked, "that and it was easier for San and I to exploit a weakness he had."

"And what would that be?"

"The water from the lake of the Forest Spirit. It made it very easy for our weapons to strike him down."

"Well, it's good to see that nobody on our side was killed."

Ashitaka nodded, "I also told San about the diary."

"Really?"

"She reacted rather well when I told her that you were her mother."

"She didn't try to hit your or throw her spear into a tree?" Ashitaka shook his head; he knew Eboshi was kidding. "Don't try to have her change anything just because she found out about this. I'm fine with her living in the forest; she is very capable of taking care of herself and I don't want to change that. Anyway, I need you to do something different today. Gonza wants a tree growing too close to the walls to be replaced."

"I'll get right on it."

"Good, because it isn't a very small tree."

Ashitaka stopped by Toki and Kohroku's house to drop off the shovel he had borrowed before he returned to his own home. When arrived home, he quickly made a bowl of soup to eat and sat at the table in the center, staring outside the open window that faced the forest. He thought of what San had told him a few days before, about she wanted to start a family. He supposed that it would be a good time, though he didn't know how they would be raised if he and San had to live several hours apart and only visit each other every other week. Now that San seemed to be less hostile towards humans, perhaps it would be possible for their future children to be able to live with both parents more often, but he still didn't know how he would explain why San lived in the forest more often.

Life returned back to normal relatively quickly. Ashitaka's duties in Irontown changed once again; this time, his job was to patrol around the farms outside of Irontown, making it similar to his previous duty. He enjoyed this task as much as he did the last one since it gave him something to do other than stand around on the wall all day or all night long and it allowed him to ride around with Yakul.

Seven days after returning to Irontown, Ashitaka left to go to the den to say goodbye to San's brothers as they headed in opposite paths to find mates. He had informed Lady Eboshi of this prior and told her that he would likely come back to Irontown after he was done. He left mid-morning with Yakul and arrived at the den just after midday. San and her brothers were inside of the cave, telling stories of past hunts, times when they got in trouble with their mother, and the many times they tried to outsmart one another. Once Ashitaka arrived, they told a few more tales before the brothers decided it was time for them to go. The gathered outside the den and formed a small ring.

Okami and Urufu scrutinized their sister and her mate. San had grown to be stronger than they would have believed when she was just a pup. Her mate was a surprisingly decent human who they had even referred to as brother on several occasions. The wolves' gaze came upon the necklaces the two were wearing. Okami cracked a slight smile, knowing that his sister would be happy.

"I know that you'll be safe," Okami said to his sister, "our mother would be proud of you. And Ashitaka, I trust that you will make our sister happy."

"I won't let you down." He assured with a nod.

"You never do," Urufu said, "even before you were San's mate, you surprised us with how different you were from the other humans."

"Well, we are a diverse bunch."

"I know, I just wish our father realized that before his death."

"He chose his fate," Okami pointed out, "and he decided to meet it in the end."

"Indeed."

"Goodbye, San." Urufu said. San smiled sadly and scratched the tops of their heads. "If me or Okami are nearby, perhaps we will visit."

"I'll be sure to remember that if I ever find your tracks." She said. "I'll miss you two."

"We will miss you two," Okami said, "but you knew we wouldn't be remaining here for the rest of our lives."

"In truth, brother, I had expected us to be dead by now because of the humans." Urufu remarked.

"Well, we aren't, and neither is San. And I suppose we have Ashitaka to thank for that."

"If you had told me two years ago that humans would be helping us and our sister decided to make one her mate, I would have believed you hit your head against a boulder."

Ashitaka chuckled. "I wish you two the best of luck."

Their goodbyes didn't last much longer. Okami bowed his head and began his journey north. Simultaneously, Urufu turned towards the south and took the first step of an adventure with an end he had yet to see. Ashitaka hugged San and informed her that he was going back to Irontown and would be able to visit her next week. He hopped onto Yakul and the two returned home.

Just two miles outside of Irontown, when the orange sun had turned the sky pink, Ashitaka heard a loud howl come from the south, followed by one from the north not long after. A third but much quieter howl came from the den. Ashitaka laughed, seeing how the wolves had to have their final goodbyes in their own language. When he reached the gates, he was asked many questions about the howling, to which he simply told them, "It's just the wolves talking."

As Ashitaka was laying on his futon, he heard a loud howl coming from outside. "I guess San is practicing her howling." He muttered. He hoped that she hadn't woken any of the townspeople, partly because he would have to answer to them about the noise. He stood up and went over to the main room to close a window he usually kept open before sleeping. To his surprise, he saw San sitting on the windowsill.

"Is it okay if I come in?" She asked.

"Of course," He replied, "but I thought you were going to stay in the cave."

"I was, but with my brothers leaving I started to feel lonely again. I just need more time to adjust."

San changed into the pale red nightclothes Ashitaka kept in the bottom of his dresser. She joined Ashitaka, who cradled and caressed her. He noticed that she was still wearing her necklace. "Are you sure you want to wear that to sleep?" He asked, pointing at the transparent blue crystal.

"I almost forgot about that," She said as she removed the rope necklace and went over to the dresser, "I haven't taken it off in a while. I even kept it on when Hanto told me to remove it, threatening to force me to sleep without any shelter." She placed the necklace on top of her headdress before returning to Ashitaka. "By the way, have you thought about what I mentioned to you in the clearing?"

Ashitaka tried to remember what they could have talked about in the clearing. "The one where you had that nightmare about Hanto?" After San nodded, he went back on trying to think about what she could have been talking about. Then it hit him. "About having children?"

San nodded. "I want us to be able to have a family, and with all of the things that happen in our lives, I want to be able to have one before it's too late."

"Alright, San, I understand. But how are we going to raise them? Are they going to live in Irontown, the forest, or will they alternate?"

"We can figure something out. We always do."

Ashitaka nodded in agreement. "Are you sure you're ready?"

A smile formed on San's face and it appeared that she was stifling a giggle. Only a moment later, she began to howl with laughter. Ashitaka couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"What's so funny, San?" Ashitaka asked as San clutched her stomach, trying to regain her composure. She sat up and took in a short breath to calm herself.

"Ashitaka, I love you." San responded, "I'm ready to spend every waking day of my life with you so long as you feel the same."

Ashitaka gazed into San's moonlit eyes as he held her. He could tell that she was ready for what was to come. Even if he told her that he wasn't, she would be able to tell he was lying.

San giggled as she quickly rolled Ashitaka onto his back. Even though she only had a vague idea of what they were supposed to do, she believed that it would all come to her by instinct. This had been what they had been waiting for, the consummate way for them to profess their love. The two kissed deeply as Ashitaka stroked her back and she grabbed hold of his shoulders. They knew that this would only be the start of what would be a wild ride, which itself would lead to something much greater. But for the most part, they were ready. They were ready to face the challenges of parenthood and were prepared to overcome any and every obstacle that came in their path.

As San undid Ashitaka's shirt, he looked into her eyes once more. Something about them seemed different. They were brighter than ever before and full of life. Perhaps it was because what was happening at the moment. Ashitaka felt that it was something else, that San was finally, truly happy. The grudge she held against humans had lifted, leaving her without the anger that plagued her since she was a child. That's what it was; her eyes were unclouded by hate. It made Ashitaka happier than ever before. He interrupted her as he pulled her in for another kiss. There were no more demons, no more of Asano's thugs to worry about. For them, the future was bright, as bright as the rising sun. And nothing could separate them now.

The End

For Now