Savage Beauty
Chapter One
A soft stream of air ran its way through the forest causing the trees to sway gently back and forth in a bizarre rhythm. Moonlight poked a path through each sparse patch of foliage and landed on the cold, wet forest floor. It had been raining all day and had only let up a little over an hour ago. Raindrops still slowly dripped off each leaf, tracing a line of symmetry across their green surfaces before falling to the ground below.
She shivered slightly as she rubbed her bare arms in an attempt to create some heat. The wind and the rain had created this cold summer night, and she lamented that this was one substantial sign that it would soon be autumn. The leaves would slowly die and fall to the ground to eventually decompose. Trunks of trees would continue to stand, but they would be stripped of their rich green coats.
The beauty of the forest would disappear, but she would be left alone, untouched.
Before the Forest Spirit disappeared, autumn never happened. The entire forest was green all year round. Even when it snowed, they still retained their beauty. Now, their bare limbs reminded her of the destruction that the humans had caused to her peaceful habitat. She had witnessed the chopping, the burning, and the complete demolition of her world.
Previously, she had been laying at the base of a large tree, taking a nap before night fell upon her surroundings. After seeing the evening hours had already evaporated while she was lost in her slumber, she quickly jumped to her feet and took off running.
Her body was still set in sleep mode, and she fought her limbs to get them to work properly. The cold air entered her lungs and caused her entire chest to feel as though it was frozen, but she kept on running. She had to get there before they did.
She could already hear the loud chops as axe met wood. The screams of the trees reverberated in her head as she neared the intruders' position. Her legs felt rubbery and useless, but she pushed herself to keep going. There was the sound of splintering wood and a loud thud as one of the tallest trees fell to the ground. Everything seemed to shake around her including the ground that was beneath her feet.
It was as she feared. They had already begun.
She slowly crept up behind the thick trunk of a tall tree. The murderers were standing only a few feet from her, but they gave no sign that they were aware of her presence. Her bare feet dug into the fresh mud as she positioned herself for a surprise attack.
Her onslaught came without any warning or any forgiveness.
She drew her knife slowly from the sheath that was attached to her body by a loose strip of red-colored fabric. The mundane blade failed to reflect any sort of moonlight as she placed the hilt in her hand and closed her fingers around it. Her feet pushed further into the mud as she launched herself out of her hiding place and onto the back of unsuspecting man.
Their screams could have been heard from miles away, echoing down into the lowest valleys in the surrounding area. But in less than five minutes, the seven distinctly different voices were silenced. Their bodies lay lifeless with the red and orange withered leaves on the forest floor.
She stood, motionless, knife still in hand. Her breath was smooth and relaxed. Her body neither shook uncontrollably nor froze completely. No tears leaked from her eyes. She once again willed her legs to move, and she walked over to the nearest brook, where water flowed freely at a relaxed pace.
Her knees bent instinctively as she lowered herself to the water's cool surface. Her small cupped hands dipped into the water and brought a small amount up to her bloodied face. She rubbed vigorously, trying to remove the blood that covered her entire visage, but she could not rid herself of the smell.
The smell of a human. It was both intoxicating and disgusting.
The moon came out from behind another gray cloud that had tried to hide its brilliance, and its light illuminated the forest surroundings. She looked back down at the water, which now provided her with a strong reflection of herself. Small splotches of blood still covered her pale white skin, but that was not what concerned her. Her brown eyes stared at herself in hatred as she brushed the ends of her unkempt, roughly cut hair away from her face.
While most girls would have killed for a face like hers, she despised every feature of her face and body that made her who she was. Her hand ran its course over her forehead, down her small nose, and over her rough lips. She looked at her ears, which both had large shells handing from her lobes, and breathed in disgust. The fur that made up her clothing covered her smooth skin underneath of it, and she lifted up the pelts to observe more of her human qualities.
"Why must I be cursed like this?" she asked, her voice sweeping out in a low whisper. It was the first time in a long time that she had spoken at all.
She picked up a large, black rock that sat next to her at the brook's edge and tossed it into to the water, distorting her reflection.
"Why do I have to look like this?" she said as her image came back into focus after the water had stilled.
"You're beautiful," a strange, calm voice whispered.
She jumped up in fright, waving her knife around at thin air. No one was anywhere near her, but she could have sworn that she heard something. She kneeled back down at the brook again but kept the knife clenched in her fist just in case someone tried to sneak up on her.
"I almost forgot that I looked like this," she said, looking back at the reflection. "I've forgotten so much…"
"You're beautiful."
"No, I'm not!" she screamed, jumping up to face the dark trees that surrounded her. "Leave me alone!"
No one answered. A drop of sweat emerged from her forehead and slowly fell down her flushed cheek. She adjusted the leather strap that encircled her head and kept her dark brown hair at bay. Her hand traveled from her hair to the string of shells that hung about her neck.
As she was inspected this trinket, she noticed another chain that hung around her neck. She slowly pulled it out from beneath her shirt where it had been hiding. At the end of the clean chain hung a beautiful crystal dagger that shone brilliantly once the moonlight reflected off of it.
"I don't remember…" her voice trailed off into barely a whisper.
"San!" It was the same voice, only it was panicked and frightened.
"San?" she questioned. "It seems so familiar…"
Her gaze traveled back to the reflection in the brook. Her eyes softened a bit as she looked upon herself with remorse.
"San…" she took her gaze off of the small stream and looked up to the starless sky. "Yes…that was my name…once."
San dipped both of her hands back into the brook one last time before standing back up and preparing to leave. With one last look back at the spot where she had disposed of the seven intruders, she sprinted away from the area as the morning sun began to rise over the hill.
"I can't remember these things now," she said as she sped along between the trees. "The forest needs me. These memories will only distract me from my purpose."
San kept on her current pace, but her mind still was bothered by the voice she had heard. Was it familiar? She thought it was, but she was also afraid of what could happen if she remembered who it was.
"You're beautiful."
Stopping suddenly and shielding her eyes from the bright revealing rays of the sun, she frantically looked for the cave that she had recently made her home. It had been many weeks since she had been out in the daylight, and she felt as though it might burn her away in just a few seconds.
Luckily, her cave was only a few paces to the right of her. She stumbled inside of it and adjusted her eyes to the darkness. Lying down on the cold floor, she felt a strange sleepiness overtaking her body.
"You're beautiful." The voice repeated.
"You're wrong," she muttered as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Hello, all! This, of course, is my very first Princess Mononoke fanfiction ever. So, I'm really excited! I've taken some liberties with the story. Such as the whole autumn thing. And maybe some more descrepencies will pop up later, so please don't jump all over me for making minor changes. Anyways, read, review, and enjoy!