(A/N: Ok, this is not something I do, like, ever. However, if you've read my other stories, you'll find that I like to get into my characters' heads and portray what they're thinking and feeling, especially when I recap events. I find this happens most and strongest whenever I watch Princess Mononoke, particularly with San. I always find myself analyzing her and what she may be thinking and feeling throughout the movie. So I finally caved and write this. As you may have guessed, and as the story's description states, it's the events of the film through San's eyes. I tried to keep things as canon and as in accordance with the movie as possible, so this isn't me twisting things the way I would have liked things to have played out, but how I genuinely believe San thought and felt throughout the movie. I decided to break it into parts so it wasn't one long page. Also, I know the title may not be completely accurate, but it was too good not to use. Anyway, enjoy.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"PRINCESS MONOLOGUE"
The opportunity had to be taken. It wasn't too often that the Eboshi woman left the safety of Irontown. Not out of fear, no matter how much San wished that were the case, but because she was needed there to run the town.
Things had changed since she had come along. The humans had been a problem ever since they started tearing down the forest so they could harvest the iron, but the boar god, Nago, had been able to keep them at bay. That is, until the Eboshi woman came along with her guns and riflemen. She'd driven Nago away, along with his herd, and the mighty guardian of the forest had never been seen since.
The humans had become bolder and more ruthless after that, tearing down the trees in abundance, driving away the animals and the gods of the forest so they could fuel their own greed. And it was all that damn woman's fault. There was even talk that she intended to kill the Forest Spirit himself, as blasphemous as that sounded.
San would not let that happen. They would kill the Eboshi woman, and the humans would either flee or fall to them after that. San didn't care which, just as long as they got out of the forest. That was why she was riding on the back of one of her brothers, heading for the group of humans below as they made their way across the mountain with their supplies. Eboshi had accompanied them to make sure her people made it back home safely with their supplies. If there was one good thing San could admit about the woman, it was that she was caring and loyal to her people.
That didn't change anything though, she was still evil and needed to die. She'd caused so much pain to the forest and its inhabitants, and she planned to do more. What more, she didn't even care, not as long as she profited. She needed to be stopped, and that was why San and her clan had planned this attack.
Gunfire went off, the ground exploding around them as the humans turned their weapons on San and her brothers. She directed them down the mountainside, maneuvering them around the humans' attacks. They got as close as they dared before pulling back. But the plan had worked. The humans' full attention was on her and her brothers. That had been the intent. They were distracted, allowing her mother to go in for the real attack.
Her mother, Moro, the wolf god, was far more terrifying and magnificent than her brothers. Over three times their size, large enough to bite a person in two, she raced towards the humans with the Eboshi woman in her sights. She pounced into the group, knocking several humans and oxen off the side of the cliff as she fought her way through towards Eboshi.
She wasn't fast enough. Eboshi had time to turn her gun on Moro and fire off a shot. San gasped in horror as she watched a bullet fly through the air and strike her mother's chest. This was followed up by flames erupting from another weapon, engulfing her mother, and Moro went tumbling over the side of the cliff.
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They found her by the side of a stream. Moro rested by the running water, a dead ox beside her. It was of great relief to San to see her mother alright. Logically, she had known that her mother would be fine. Merely being burned and falling from a mountain wouldn't be nearly enough to kill a god, but she could still be injured, and she could still feel pain.
San hopped off her brother's back and approached the much larger wolf. Moro rose to greet them, and San froze as she saw the wound on her mother's chest from the Eboshi woman's gun. Nago had obtained a similar wound during his battle before fleeing. Those humans and their weapons, they were monsters.
She rushed to her mother and placed her mouth to the wound. Sucking out the contaminated blood, she spat it out, cleaning the wound. Even though her mother was a god, she was not immune to infection. Wounds caused by human bullets were unpredictable, and San would do what she could to treat it.
A warning growl escaped her mother, and San froze. Someone was here. A human. She looked over her shoulder, and spotted them in the distance. They were watching from behind a fallen tree. Whoever they were, they were alone, but even a single human could do considerable damage if they had a gun.
Turning to them, San spat out another mouthful of blood and wiped her mouth, glaring at the intruder. If they tried to harm her mother or brothers in any way, San would kill them without hesitation. But to her surprise, the human came out of their hiding place. They were wearing a strange costume, but they immediately unmasked themself.
It was a boy, she saw, about her age. He looked appeasing, for a human, but more importantly, he showed no fear or disgust towards her or her wolf family. Nor were there any signs of hostility. How strange. She had come to expect nothing but hate, fear, and a desire to kill from the humans she had come in contact with in the past. For some reason, this one displayed none of these things.
"My name is Ashitaka!" the boy declared. "I have traveled far from lands to the east! Are you ancient gods, and have I come at last to the realm of the Spirit of the Forest?"
San felt herself relax a bit. So he was a traveler. Perhaps he was unfamiliar with the war going on between the humans and the gods of the forest. That would explain the lack of hostility. He was an outsider, and was unaware of what was happening around these parts.
Or was he? Based on what he said, it seemed he was searching for the Forest Spirit. But for what purpose? She didn't know, nor did she care. The Forest Spirit was the mightiest and most sacred of gods in the forest. A lowly human had no purpose to be within a thousand meters of the Forest Spirit.
Still, there was no need for unnecessary bloodshed. As long as this human was no threat, there was no reason to kill him. But that most certainly did not make him welcome here either. No human had the right to be in this forest. She alone was the exception, having been adopted by Moro after her human parents abandoned her to the wolf god. San didn't even consider herself to be human, no matter what she really was.
Moro got up and began making her way into the forest. San climbed up onto one of her brothers while the other grabbed the dead ox. She gave one last look at the boy in the distance. "Go away!"
With that, she and her family made their way back into the forest.
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San and her brothers looked down at Irontown. Somewhere down there was the Eboshi woman. What they were planning was dangerous and reckless, but it didn't matter, it had to be done.
Her mother's injury was worse than she had thought. Though small, the bullet inside her was causing a terrible infection that was spreading throughout the wolf god. San didn't know how to stop it, and her mother refused to ask the Forest Spirit to heal the wound. She couldn't fathom why, especially since it would mean her eventual death.
They were out of time. With her mother dying, they couldn't afford to wait any longer. It was time to take drastic measures. This time, they would bring the battle to the humans inside their own home. No, not they, she would. She alone would enter Irontown, find the Eboshi woman, and kill her.
It would be incredibly risky, and incredibly dangerous. San knew she might not make it out alive. No, in truth, she didn't expect to. But as long as she was able to kill the Eboshi woman and save the forest, she didn't care. Before her mother died, she would do this one last thing for her.
It had taken some time to convince her brothers that this was the right course of action. Even though she was their adoptive sister, and a human at that, they still loved her like one of their own. She loved them just as much. It was for them that she was doing this, them, her mother, and all the creatures of the forest.
One of her brothers brushed against her, and she looked down at him affectionately, scratching his head. These could be there last few moments together, but if she was successful, then it would be worth it. She just hoped their mother wouldn't be too angry with her brothers for going along with this crazy plan.
Together, they headed for Irontown. There would be no sneaking up on the human settlement; her brothers' white fur stood out too much, and with the number of lookouts the humans had, there was no way they wouldn't be spotted. But maybe the unexpected attack would be enough to allow her to get into the town deep enough to find and kill locate Eboshi.
The alarm was sounded as they raced towards the town. San pulled down her battle mask as they approached. It didn't obstruct her vision too much, and it made her feel less like a human whenever she wore it. It also served as a good intimidating device in battle.
They were coming up to the town now. Logs with the ends sharped into points poked out from all areas, making it all but impossible to climb. But climbing wasn't exactly the plan. The brother she was riding on leapt up, slamming into one of the sharpened logs. San was launched from his back and sent flying into the air, going higher than the logs. Using her spear, she stabbed it into the wall, and was able to climb up the rest of the way.
There was a guard waiting for her at the top. She dealt with him quickly, knocking him down from his position, and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. The humans were scrabbling about, grabbing their weapons. They fired at her, but she made sure not to keep still long enough for them to aim properly.
They got close though, and splinters of wood went flying all around her as their guns went off. She tumbled down to the ground, ending up in a crowd of humans. They came at her, and she went on the attack. Her blade met with another one, deflecting her own. She didn't bother to take in who it was; if it wasn't the Eboshi woman, she didn't care.
"Stop!" the person told her. "Wait! I don't want to fight you! I'm a friend!"
A friend? As if she would believe that. All humans were her enemy, especially those in this town. But then she took a second look at him, and realized it was the same boy she had seen in the forest earlier. He was out of disguise now, which was why she hadn't recognized him right away.
What was he doing here? No, it didn't matter; she had a job to do. She slashed at him in warning before taking off, climbing back onto the roof. That was when she spotted her. The Eboshi woman was in the center of the town, surrounded by countless armed humans. San quickly ducked for cover and began to assess the situation. Her target was right there. She would need to plan this carefully.
"Can you hear me, Princess of Beasts?" Eboshi called out to her. "If it's me you want, here I am. If you seek revenge for all the animals we've killed, well there are two women down here whom I'd like you to meet. They want revenge as well, for husbands killed by your wolves."
"Come on out, you little witch!" one of the woman beside Eboshi shouted furiously. "My husband's dead because of you!"
That was not San's concern. After all, she wasn't the one who started this war, nor were any of the residents of the forest. It was the humans and their greed. They began invading the forest, cutting down trees, and chasing off the residents, if not flat out killing them. Of course the gods would retaliate. Anyone would if someone invaded their home and began destroying it and killing off your friends and family.
In fact, the humans of Irontown were facing a similar dilemma from a bunch of samurai who owed their loyalty to someone called Lord Asano. San didn't have a clue as to who he was, but she was somewhat grateful to them. He was giving the residents of Irontown a taste of their own medicine. How could they continue doing the same thing to the forest that someone else was doing to them?
But that was neither here nor there. She had a job to do. And Eboshi knew it as well. She was even calling her out, daring her to try for her life. Well, that suited San just fine; she would meet that challenge head on.
Coming out of her hiding place, she stared down at Eboshi and the rest of the humans, letting them see her, letting them know that she was not afraid. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. She would charge down there and kill that evil woman.
"No, wait!" a desperate voice cried, drawing San's attention. It was that boy again. He was up here on the roof as well. "Princess of the wolf gods, don't go down there! Go back to the forest!"
Go back? No, that wasn't an option. Even if she wanted to, it might be too late to go back. She was too deep in. She could only charge forward. But as long as she could kill Eboshi, she would be fine with whatever happened.
"Listen to me, please!" the boy continued to shout to her. "Don't throw your life away!"
She ignored him. There was no going back, especially now that she'd come so far. Raising her dagger, she charged forward running down the rooftop. She would pounce from here, covering as much distance as she could, then charge straight through the crowd until she reached the Eboshi woman. Then she would plunge this dagger into her black heart. After that, it would be up to her brothers and the other gods to deal with the rest of the human.
BANG! The ground exploded at her feet. One of the humans had fired at her. It had been close, too close, and she ended up tumbling down the roof the rest of the way. She rolled off the side, landing very much like a cat, slightly dazed.
Getting to her feet, she raised her dagger, and something hit her head. Her mask exploded as a bullet struck it. Her mask was shattered to pieces, but it also saved her life, protecting her from the bullet. However, the impact still knocked her off her feet, and caused everything to go black.
She wasn't sure how long she was out for, but it must not have been long, for she was still alive when she woke up. Had too much time gone by, the humans would have killed her or captured her.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw the face of a human leaning over her. She reacted on reflex, slashing at him with her dagger as she jumped to her feet. The blade cut across his cheek beneath his left eye, drawing blood. She briefly noted that it was the boy again, but she immediately put him out of mind as she saw the Eboshi woman in the distance behind him.
This was it, the moment of truth, and she charged forward to meet her enemy. The woman's bodyguard attempted to block her path, swiping at her with his blade. She jumped straight up to avoid it and came down directly onto his head. She gave him a nice kick in the face for good measure before leaping over the group of humans behind him.
Eboshi was directly in front of her, unguarded. San let out a battle cry as she charged forward, dagger raised. The Eboshi woman calmly waited for her, acting as if she didn't even view San as a threat. That would be the last mistake she ever made.
San lunged forward, but at the last moment, Eboshi tossed aside her robe and raised a blade of her own, catching San's. A smaller dagger suddenly appeared in her other hand, and she swiped at San. It cut through her wolf-skin clothing, sending white fur flying. San paid it no mind as she went on the attack again. Eboshi met her in combat, and the two engaged in a vicious fight.
The humans circled around them, shouting and jeering. They gave cries of encouragement to Eboshi while spouting insults at San. Those closest to her pointed their weapons at her, and San swiped at them with her dagger. They did not attack, however, and let her and the Eboshi woman resume their fight. At the very least it seemed that the woman had enough honor to face her one-on-one.
San let everything else fade out around her as she focused entirely on trying to kill Eboshi. The woman fought back, almost mockingly. Fine, let the woman be overconfident, it would make it that much easier to kill her. She was certain the other humans would kill her after that, but she was ready for it.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm, stopping her from lashing out at Eboshi. Likewise, they also blocked Eboshi own blade, stopping her from striking San. It was that boy. Again. Was why he constantly interfering? And now he was coming between her fight with the Eboshi woman. No, she had come so close, she couldn't fail now.
She tried to break free of the boy's grip, but he was incredibly strong, far stronger than any human should be. She struggled, but he kept a firm grasp of her. Not even Eboshi seemed able to overpower him, and she seemed just as irritated as San.
"What do you think you're doing, boy?" Eboshi snapped at him.
"Stay your hand," the boy told her in an strangely calm voice. "The girl's life is now mine."
Like hell it was! What did that even mean? Had he saved her back there when she had been knocked unconscious? Even if that were the case, her life was her own, even if he had saved it. She gave herself over to the gods of the forest entirely the day she learned how her human parents had thrown her away.
Lunging forward, she bit the arm that held her, but even then the boy did not let go. Even if she was biting into his sleeves, there was no way it didn't hurt, but he didn't even budge, or show the least bit of pain.
The Eboshi woman seemed to find the boy's claim to be humorous as she gave him a mocking smile. "I'm sure she'll make a lovely wife for you," she taunted, still trying to break through his defenses.
"There's a demon inside you," he told her, his voice as calm as ever. "It's inside both of you."
What did he know of demons? Humans were the real demons. They caused so much pain and suffering, yet always claimed to be the victims, even as they hurt others. And the leader of them was a mere foot away. All she had to do was break free and kill her.
She bit down harder, and suddenly something emerged from the boy's arm. It wasn't blood though; it was something else. A long transparent blue tentacle with some sort of snapping jaw. It was followed by another, and then another, until several squiggling ghostly tentacles squiggled all over his arm.
San jumped back in surprise, but was still unable to break the boy's grip. The tentacles moved around rapidly. There was something incredibly evil about them, the likes of which San had never seen before. They reminded her of the Demon Worms that sprouted from the bodies of gods when they became demons after being overcome by pain and hate. But humans couldn't become demons the way fallen gods did, so what were they?
She wasn't the only unsettled by the tentacles; horrified gasps ran out around them as the townsfolk stared in shock, seemingly unable to find the will to approach him.
"Look, everyone!" the boy shouted to the crowd. "This is what hatred looks like! This is what it does when it catches hold of you! It's eating me alive, and very soon now it will kill me! Fear and anger only make it grow faster!"
San barely registered his words. The ghostly blue tentacles continued slithering about, and she struggled to get away from them, but was unable to pull out of the boy's grasp. Those tentacles, they terrified her. They felt so evil, so full of pain and hate. She had come into this town ready to face her death, yet these tentacles terrified her far more than the thought of losing her life.
Eboshi seemed to be more in control of herself. "I'm getting a little bored of this curse of yours, Ashitaka. Let me just cut the damn thing off!"
She swiped at him with her smaller dagger. The boy dodged, and struck her in the abdomen in such a spot and with such force that the blow left her stunned, knocking her out. San was surprised, but before she could react, he pulled her to him and delivered to her the same blow. After that, everything went black.
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An up and down rocking sensation slowly brought San back to consciousness. At first she thought she was riding on one of her brothers, but then she realized that the ride was different.
This thought was immediately replaced by a feeling of pain in her abdomen from the blow that had knocked her out. A groan escaped her, and her eyes cracked open. To her surprise, she saw that she was riding a red elk that was not native to these parts. The next thing she became aware of was that she was not the only one riding it. Someone was on here with her, sitting right behind her.
With a gasp of surprise, she looked over her shoulder. It was the boy. He was her fellow passenger. Not for long, however, as her movement caused him to fall, and he tumbled off the elk, flopping onto the ground.
The elk realized it had lost its master, and began bucking about wildly. San attempted to steady herself as she looked back at the boy. One of her brothers, both of which had been following closely behind, skidded to a stop and lunged at the boy, clamping his jaws over his head.
"Stop it!" San shouted to him. If anyone had the right to kill that boy, it was her. "Leave him, he's mine!"
She hopped off the elk, and it took off. Her hand went to her aching abdomen as she limped over to her brother and the boy. Her brother let him go and backed away as she approached. San suddenly realized that he was bleeding profoundly from a wound in his torso. He hadn't had that back in the town, nor was it an injury either of her brothers could deliver.
As she got closer, she realized that it was a bullet wound, the bullet having gone straight through his chest and out his back, or the other way around. But a bullet wound meant that someone in Irontown had done this to him. But why? He was one of them. And why did he try to save her, and the Eboshi woman as well? Just what was this boy hoping to achieve?
"His own people shot him," she told her brothers as they nuzzled against her. "He's dying."
The boy's breathing was shallow. He appeared to barely be conscious. And with the amount of blood he lost, it was no surprise. He wouldn't live for much longer.
But why had he done all this? Just who was he? What was he? He was definitely not an ordinary human. She had no idea what had happened back in Irontown, and that was only one of the many questions she had. But right now, there was only one that really mattered to her.
Crouching down, she fixed him with a glare, even though he couldn't see her. "Why did you stop me from killing her? Tell me while you're still alive."
The boy's mouth moved; it looked like it took a lot of effort. His voice was low, but he stilled managed to get the words out. "I… didn't want them to kill you… That's why…"
San's eyes narrowed, unsure of how she should feel about that, of having a human care about her wellbeing, but she hung on to her anger at his interference from earlier. "I'm not afraid to die. I'd do anything to get you humans out of my forest."
His mouth worked some more. "I knew that… from the first moment I… saw you…"
His answer only infuriated her. Did he think she was some damsel in distress that needed to be saved? Did he see her as some frightened little wolf pup that needed to be protected? She was a warrior, a predator. She didn't need to be saved or protected.
"And I'm not afraid of you!" she snapped. Her eyes darted to his sheathed blade, and she went for it. "I should kill you for saving her!"
She pulled his sword free, turning him onto his back in the process. Raising the blade, she brought it down, stopping less than an inch from his neck. The boy didn't react. Did he trust that she wouldn't really kill him, or was he just too weak to defend himself? She suspected the latter, and for some reason, that helped dissipate her anger. She had to remind herself that this boy was an outsider, and probably didn't fully understand what was happening between her and the humans. He was probably eveb fed that same nonsense story about the gods of the forest stealing her soul and controlling her.
"That woman is evil," she told him, feeling the need to make him understand. Not just the situation, but her determination to end the Eboshi woman's life, and her tone gained a harder edge. "And there's no one who can stop me from killing her."
"No…" the boy whispered weakly, his voice barely audible. "Live…"
He was begging her to keep living? When his own life was coming to an end? She didn't understand this, not from a human. Why did he care about her so much? He didn't even know her? What drove his compassion?
She gripped the blade tighter, feeling her anger spark again for reasons she couldn't quite understand. "That's enough! I'm not listening to you anymore!"
Slowly, his eyes cracked open, and he looked up at her as he once again struggled to find his voice. "You're… beautiful…"
San gasped in surprise and jumped back, startled. He'd called her beautiful. And… and had her heart just skipped a beat because of it? In an instant, her anger vanished, and an unknown feeling suddenly overcame her. It felt like something akin to fear, though she didn't know why. She was even breathing heavily. But why? And why had he said that to her?
The older of her brothers came up next to her, looking confused by her behavior. "What is it, San? Want me to crunch his face off?"
San didn't respond. She was still trying to work out what she was feeling. No one had ever called her beautiful before. She had been called brave, fierce, loyal, all levels of praise by her mother and brothers, but never beautiful. In fact, she had never once thought of herself as beautiful. Whenever she saw her face, she only ever saw the face of the enemy. To suddenly be called beautiful by this boy, it made her feel… She didn't know.
The sound of a rock hitting the ground brought her out of her thoughts, and she turned to the source of the sound. A few yards away, she saw some more of the forest's residents. They had gathered together, hiding in the shadows as they tossed rocks and sticks.
"The ape tribe," she said out loud to herself. Another rock landed by her feet, and she glared at them furiously. "Alright, what do you want here?"
The fur one her brother's stood on end as they growled at the newcomers. San couldn't help but notice how the apes were keeping their distance. And with good reason too, for what they were doing. Tossing rocks and sticks at them like this, they certainly had a lot of nerve.
"Apes!" the elder of her brothers snarled furiously. "How dare you show such disrespect to the Wolf Clan!"
"This is our forest," one of the apes replied in a monotone voice.
"The human," another grunted in an equally as monotone voice, "give him to us."
"Give us the human and go," added a third.
"You go," her brother shot back, "before my fangs find you!"
"We will not go," another ape replied.
"We will eat the human," another declared.
"Yes, let us eat the man creature."
A wave of revulsion went through San. She had never heard of apes eating humans. The very thought disgusted her. "Are you crazy? Just what happened to make the ape tribe change this way? Since when do apes eat the flesh of a man?"
"If we eat the human, we will steal his strength, and we will drive the other humans away," one of the apes explained calmly.
"Give us the man creature."
Still his strength? How preposterous. What made the apes think they could do something so ridiculous? Had they seen his power back in Irontown and think they could somehow take it for themselves?
Her thoughts turned to that evil power that had seeped out of the boy's arm. She couldn't comprehend anyone wanting to have that type of evil power inside them. "Stop this! You know you can't possess the humans' strength by eating them. All that will do is make you into something else. Something even worse than human."
"We plant trees," an ape argued back. "Humans tear them up. The forest does not come back. If we kill the humans, we will save the forest."
There was something sad in their voices, something resigned, almost as if they had given up hope. Was this the cause for their unusual behavior? Were the apes so desperate to save the forest that they would be willing to commit such blasphemous acts, to become demons? The thought tore at San's heart.
"You mustn't give up!" she declared, trying to hide her own sadness for all the loss suffered from the humans' greed. "We'll find a way. The Forest Spirit is with us. Go on planting you're trees, and one day we'll beat them."
"The Forest Spirit will not fight," an ape objected. "We will all die. Wolf girl does not care. She is human."
San winced. She hated it when the other gods referred to her as human. She knew she was human, she didn't need them constantly reminding her, and she especially hated it being held against her, like it somehow made her wicked and greedy like the others. She couldn't help that she was human, but she was nothing like those monsters in the town below.
The younger of her brothers was insulted on her behalf as well, and had finally seemed to have enough with the ape tribe's disrespect. "Enough! I'll bite your head off, you chattering ape!"
He charged forward, snarling and snapping, as did his brother. The apes realized they had gone too far and fled as her brothers chased after them.
"Stop!" she called after him. "Wait, come back! Leave them alone!"
There was enough to be concerned about without worrying about a few insults and disrespect. Besides, the enemies were the humans. It was them they should be fighting, not each other.
"Don't worry about them; it's alright," she said, putting what the apes said out of mind. "You two go on ahead." She glanced down at the boy. "I'll stay here and deal with the human."
"What about the elk?" the younger of her brothers asked.
"Yes," said the elder of the brothers eagerly. "Can we eat him?"
San turned to see that the elk was still with them, keeping its distance. She was impressed by its loyalty to its master. She was also glad it stuck around; she would need its help.
"No, you may not," she told her brothers. She noted the hungry, hopeful looks on their faces as they stared at the elk, and couldn't help but crack a smile as she reached out to pet the one closest to her. "Go home."
Her eldest brother let out a grumble of disappointment, but they both headed off without another word of complaint. San looked back down at the boy, coming to a decision of what she should do. This was beyond her right to judge. Even if he was human, this boy may not be an enemy of the forest. Only the Forest Spirit had the right to decide what his fate would be.
She looked back at the elk. "Come over here." She noticed its hesitation, and gave it a smile. "Don't worry, I'm a friend. Don't be shy now. I won't hurt you. I need you to help me carry him."
The elk hesitated some more, but then it cautiously walked over to her. San gave it an appreciative smile and bent down to sheath the boy's sword. It seemed he had lost consciousness. It was surprising he had lasted this long. But it was out of her hands now. Whether he lived or not would be up to the Forest Spirit.
As she lifted him up onto the elk, she studied his unconscious face. She decided he was pleasing to look at for a human, not that she had ever taken the time to consider whether she liked the way any other humans looked before. This boy, however, was an enigma. She was very curious to know more about him. About who he was, and what his agenda was.
Ashitaka, she suddenly recalled him telling her. His name was Ashitaka.
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