"Bring the Wolf Girl back here," Hī-sama instructed. "She has something she'd like to say to Your Highness."

Later that day, the same burly men hefted San back into the room. "Don't push me." A glance at the weakened prince in her periphery instantly softened her. "Sorry," she muttered, swaying a little like a chastised child.

This visual of the infamous Wolf Girl who terrorized villages and had no mercy in combat staring at her shoes was enough to make Ashitaka burst into laughter.

"Oh great. Now what have you done to him?" one of the men demanded.

"Is he broken?" his friend wondered.

"Oh he must be delirious…"

"Why Ouji-sama, this is the first I've seen you smile in a month," Hī-sama extolled.

"Is it any wonder? Being around all these humans every day has got him depressed."

"… And what do you think you are?"

"... A wolf."

Now it was Hī-sama's turn to laugh.

San turned to face Ashitaka once more. "And I mean it."

"It's okay."

"No it's not." San stepped forward. "It's wrong what they did to you." Then she whip-craned her neck towards the others. "And if any of you have a problem with that, or cause any more heartache to the prince, I'll rip your head right off."

"... I believe you," one of the men squeaked.

As Kaya bustled in and around Ashitaka's room the next morning, the prince noticed she had something bundled up behind her back. After a few minutes it was getting hard to ignore and he finally decided that he had to know. "What do you have there?"

"Nothing." She grinned.

His interest piqued, Ashitaka sat up, which Kaya knew caused him even more pain than staying down. "Please tell me?"

She couldn't not show him now. Kaya made a noise in the back of her throat - "Don't laugh" - and thrust it out in front of her.

It was a sketch of him on papyrus, rough but not crude. Ashitaka was perched atop the red elk Yakul, in his traditional ensemble of a blue tunic, peach pants and bottom warmers. Eyebrows set, he wore a stern face, ready to launch an arrow into the distance at an enemy only he could see. Kaya sat beside him, curling into herself. Could this get any more embarrassing?

But Ashitaka's finger stroked the edge of the drawn bow. "Is that me?"

She nodded, her fingers twitching, fighting the urge to snatch it back and work on it some more.

"And you made this?"

"Mm-hm. Too much freetime on my hands, I suppose." Kaya sat on her hands, giddy because she couldn't deny that he liked it right now - he really liked it! "I can ask the welders to bronze it for me tomorrow, if you want. And hang it on the entrance to the gate. So people won't forget… "

Ashitaka couldn't stop staring at it, and Kaya could tell that he was grasping for something to say. That made her puff up with pride.

Finally, he handed the picture back. "It's beautiful, Kaya," he said, then turned away sadly. "But you mustn't do that. Bronze is precious and so hard to come by. It's arduous to make. We don't want to anger the gods again."

Kaya's pride puffed out. What would possess her to show him that in the first place? The drawing was supposed to make him feel better about himself, not worse. "Oh."

"I hope you understand."

"Of course," she said. Even though she knew that she would probably have it done without him.