Trials and Tribulations
1
San stood on the stone roof of her mountain-top dwelling, short brown hair ruffling slightly in a gentle breeze. A strange scent caught her nose and she turned her head sideways, trying to place it with her finely developed senses, senses that were more like that of a wolf than a human.
But a human she was... San cursed her entire race. She was ashamed to be one. They cared only about material wealth, they were prepared to destroy a mountain beautiful and rich in spirits and harmony just to become wealthy. Thinking about what had happened not so long ago made San's fingers tighten. She felt the old anger course through her veins and knew her azure eyes must be aflame with rage.
She felt urgency in the air. Ah. That was the foreign scent.
Gazing down upon the valley with sharpened eyes, she spotted a small bunch of red dots moving through a clearing. Even from this distance she could tell that they were in a hurry.
But more importantly, what were they doing in here, in her forest?
San turned and ran swiftly through the trees until she reached her brother's den. The large white wolf, though still smaller than his mother had been, was dozing in the sunshine outside the den.
"Mao, Mao!" shouted San, shaking her brother. "Mao, wake up!"
"San," grumbled Mao, blinking as he opened his eyes and glared at her.
"Mao, there are strangers in our forest!" San explained quickly. "I've seen them just now from the hill. They're in the valley, coming this way!"
Mao immediately stood up and shook himself. "Go and get your brother," he ordered. "We will ambush these outsiders."
"Okay," San inclined her head and ran off to find her other brother, Maiku. He was drinking from a clear mountain stream and looked up quickly, surprised, as San flew towards him.
"Maiku, there are outsiders in our forest. We must go and help Mao," San cried.
"All right, get on," said Maiku. San leapt aboard his broad ivory back and held tight to the fur with her legs and hands as Maiku raced through the familiar trees.
What could these people mean by passing through the Realm of the Forest Spirit? Either they did not know what treachery resided here, or they were ignorants like other humans. Or... San could not help trembling at the thought... they were so strong that they could defeat two god's sons and the Princess of Wolves.
Some distance away from the intruders, San could smell them. She smelled sweat, smoke, and a strange, heady odour that made her nose burn slightly.
Maiku's pace dropped and slowedand San slipped from his back gracefully to hide behind a bulky rock. She pulled her combat mask over her face and withdrew her short dagger.
A group of men about fifteen or twenty strong came into sight, talking loudly and laughing. They wore samurai armour, kimonos red as strawberries, and boots made from a thick brown material tied with ropes fashioned from rice stalks.
Most of the men looked alike, with long dark hair pulled back tightly behind their heads, except for the man at the front who San supposed was their leader. He looked almost invincible. His muscles bulged clearly beneath his kimono and his tread was firm and steady. His hair was a black mess of choppy strands. The man's face was fierce and serious, ever watchful.
San recognised him with a shock. Ashitaka had told her about him on one of his frequent visits to her den. He was Lord Asano, the villain who had attacked Iron Town and forced Lady Eboshi to lower her guard.
At a sign from Maiku, San leapt out at Lord Asano and swished her dagger menacingly, with a high-pitched battle cry.
"It's that little Wolf-girl!" cried one of the samurai.
San growled and swung her dagger at him, slicing clean through his armour and kimono.
The man emitted a choked cry and jumped back onto the feet of the man behind him.
"To what do we owe your passage through our mountain valley?" Mao bellowed angrily, stance fitting for combat. "Dare you disturb the Realm of the Forest Spirit?"
"This is no longer the dwelling of the Forest Spirit!" a man shouted from the back of the group, safe behind Lord Asano. "The Forest Spirit is dead and gone!"
"He will never be gone from this place. His soul shall live on in it for many hundreds of years!" Maiku barked.
"We have come to claim what has been rightfully ours for years," said Lord Asano, speaking for the first time. He placed his hands on his hips and glared up and San's brothers. "Now that the Forest Spirit has been defeated, this mountain and the land beyond are ripe for the picking."
"You will have to fight through us first, and we are unforgiving when trifled with!" shouted San from her safe perch on top of the boulder.
"Ahh... Mononoke San, Princess of Wolves?" said Lord Asano thoughtfully, stroking his beard. San hated the way he looked at her, with such impurity in his hard black eyes.
"That's right. And you're not going to take away our forest!" San flared, staring down the much larger man.
Lord Asano continued his appraisal of her.
"Very well, then," Lord Asano agreed. "We will not take your forest. However, there will be a price. We will not go away empty-handed."
"Name it," said Mao steadfastly, shaking back his fur. Lord Asano smiled up at him for a moment, turned and positively grinned at San.
"We want the little Wolf-girl in exchange for the peace of this forest."