I'd like to thank those of you guys who follow and review this story. There are plenty more chapters to be included after this one. As far hurting Ashitaka or San very badly (again), you'll see.

The ride back to Irontown took a longer time than usual due to the gash in Ashitaka's stomach causing him great pain. He didn't know how far the wound went but it still bled a little. The pain was great and burned worse than fire. They stopped twice during the ride back and had to travel at a much slower pace. By the time they reached Irontown, it was morning the next day. The familiar sound of the gates being pulled up by ten men greeted them as they rode to the entrance of the town. Ashitaka and San dismounted the wolves when the gate was completely opened; Okami and Urufu waited outside.

Ashitaka and San immediately went to Lady Eboshi's home. Ashitaka quickly greeted the villagers who said hello to him while continuing to walk. San kept her head down, still uneasy around humans as ever, and kept close to Ashitaka. The town had made great progress from where it was when Ashitaka had last set foot inside. Many of the buildings that were being repaired had been rebuilt and all but a couple of the remaining buildings were being worked on. It wouldn't be much longer until Irontown had been rebuilt, which was why Ashitaka wanted to defend the townspeople from the demon within the forest.

Gonza greeted the two when they arrived at Lady Eboshi's house. Ashitaka bowed and went inside readily, though San was hesitant to enter the building. Gonza asked if Eboshi wanted her to come inside, to which she replied yes.

"Come on, San," Ashitaka said with an outstretched hand, the same one which he covered his wound with earlier, "there is nothing to be afraid of. It's just like my house, just much bigger."

"I'm not afraid, just curious." San muttered as she took his hand and came inside. The inside of Eboshi's house was made with the same materials that had built Ashitaka's dwelling. It was much bigger; the main room itself was almost as twice as large as the one in Ashitaka's house. San saw that there was a level above them. When she and Ashitaka were approaching the building, she saw what may have been a third floor, though it was not the same size as the others. San also noticed the decorations throughout the house. On the walls hung several paintings, some swords, and a few scrolls with writing on them, though San could read none of it since her mother only taught her how to speak the humans' language, not read it.

Eboshi led them to the main room and to a table in its center. Ashitaka sat on one end and Eboshi on the other; San sat next to Ashitaka while her eyes continued to wander throughout the room. To Ashitaka this scene was familiar; the only difference was that San was with him. Eboshi asked San if she wanted any tea.

"What is tea?" San asked. She had only heard of tea during her week-long visit to Irontown, though she herself had never tasted it before.

"It's a human drink," Ashitaka answered, "It's a mixture of water and tea leaves. You can also add honey or sugar if you want."

"Oh… I guess I'll try some."

Eboshi called for one of her servants to bring them three cups of tea before she returned her attention to Ashitaka and San. "I assume you two are here to ask if I've found out anything from Jigo." Ashitaka nodded in response. "That monk is a stubborn one. He won't tell us a thing, not where his men are hidden, not why he is here, and nothing about the demon in the forest. We haven't hurt him but I fear it may eventually come to that if he continues to remain silent."

"I don't want to do that," Ashitaka said, "We shouldn't torture him just to make him talk. It's wrong."

"Boy, that monk would have gladly hung you with a hook in your shoulders while he cut your arms and legs with a rusty knife just to make you talk. He would probably do even worse things to your mate."

"I can make him talk," San said suddenly, "and I can do it without laying a hand on him."

"Oh? Tell me how." Eboshi ordered.

"I can just scare him into telling me. He knows Ashitaka would never touch him but he knows I hate human, him especially."

"I actually think that may work. Very well then; Ashitaka, bring her down to the prison and see what she'll do with Jigo, after we drink of course."

After they had had tea with Eboshi, which San had thought tasted very good and much better than expected, Ashitaka took San to the prison. The prison was a crude structure made of wood with bars made of bamboo. Two guards, who were only a couple of townspeople armed with naginatas, waited outside to ensure that none of the prisoners tried to escape. There were three cells in total. The cells had no proper floor which made the prisoners sleep on the ground, though there was hay throughout the cells along with a blanket for sleeping. Two of the three cells were occupied; one of them was occupied by the hunter who had shot Ashitaka, the other held Jigo.

San stormed past the two guards when they asked if she wanted to see one of the prisoners. Ashitaka whispered to them why they were there so that Jigo could not overhear them. San took the keys from one of them while they were being spoken to and unlocked Jigo's door. His eyes brightened up and dimmed down in an instant when, instead of being released, the Wolf Girl entered his cage. She drew her knife in one hand and grabbed Jigo's shirt with the other.

"Careful there, girl," Jigo said unsteadily, "You wouldn't hurt me, not with that boy out there, at least."

"I don't care if he sees," San growled, "And I doubt that he would care if I killed you."

Ashitaka looked on with his eyes straight at Jigo. His face displayed apathy, though inside he feared that San would go too far and possibly injure, or even kill, Jigo. San drove the monk to the wall of the prison, causing the shaky bars to wobble slightly. She barred her teeth and pressed the knife up to Jigo's throat. She growled at him and snapped her head forward as if to give him a head-butt, though she stopped just before her forehead made contact with his nose and he thrust his head to the side.

"What can I tell you? I don't know anything about this forest demon."

"You lie!" San shouted as she pressed the knife so hard onto Jigo's throat that she thought she may have accidentally drawn blood. Ashitaka almost called off the interrogation but he hoped San would not actually hurt the monk. He knew she wanted him dead very badly and that now was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him. He didn't know how he himself would react if Jigo ended up dead because of his mate. Yes, the monk had tried to kill him and San, but he was still strongly against killing people. The fact that Jigo was defenseless and already in a prison was enough to satisfy him and he didn't want Jigo to die but he did want him to right his wrongs.

"Ashitaka, you have to call her off. I honestly don't know anything about Kumo." Jigo realized what he had just said and immediately shut his mouth.

"Wait a second, about whom?" Ashitaka asked.

"Tell me now, human," San growled, "Or I'll do to you what that woman did to my mother!"

"Alright, I'll talk!" Jigo exclaimed as he broke under pressure.

"Good." San muttered as she dropped him to the floor. Ashitaka entered the cell and stood by her as they waited for Jigo to begin speaking. "I told you I wouldn't kill him." She whispered to Ashitaka.

"Thank you." Ashitaka whispered back.

"I don't know much about the demon," Jigo began, "I only know that it was created when my hunters accidentally shot a giant spider when they tried killing your brothers. The spider had apparently been enraged its entire life and the bullet acted as a catalyst to make it into the demon it is now. It killed most of my men and I barely escaped while you two were able to sneak away. It caught up with me anyhow and it was about to kill me when it proposed an idea to me: I somehow lure you two into finding me and it would let me live. I agreed and you two showed up and here we are now."

"I want to kill him very badly, Ashitaka." San muttered.

"Please try not to." Ashitaka joked.

"That's all I know." Jigo said. "The only other thing I know is that it calls itself Kumo because it told me its name when it was it told its story."

"What about the apes? What happened to them?"

"I was there when it happened. The apes threw rocks and sticks at the thing, as if that was supposed to work. I suppose the rocks annoyed the creature, but it still took down many of them. Some were able to scratch it with their teeth and nails but they were overpowered far too quickly to cause any real damage."

Ashitaka looked to San, who shrugged her shoulders indicating that she didn't see much of a connection yet. They told Jigo that they may return later.

"That didn't tell us much except for the creature's name." San said as they returned to the gates.

"He said that the demon had been annoyed when the apes threw rocks at it," Ashitaka said, "and that it was scratched by their claws. The only thing that caused more damage than that was one of my arrows."

"Maybe the monster regenerated the scratches after a while. It could just be that the human had not taken a second look."

"That's possible, but I feel there may be some sort of connection."

As the two reached the gate, Ashitaka waved goodbye to the gatekeepers as they closed the several hundred pound gate behind the two. They then looked for Urufu and Okami but found they weren't around the area. Ashitaka asked one of the women on the ramparts if she had seen where they had gone. The woman told them that the wolves suddenly took off into the forest with their ears perked up.

"Perhaps they heard the demon, Kumo." Ashitaka said.

"But that means that it could be near." San told him, "What if it comes here?"

"I don't know for sure, but we had better get to where your brothers are and fast. I don't want either of them to get hurt."

San nodded and the two ran to the forest. Ashitaka realized he had yet to bandage his wounds but he fought through the pain. He had his sword drawn in case he would need it and San held her spear tightly in one hand. As they passed the forest's edge, they heard a loud howling coming from deeper within the forest, followed by barking and growling. San knew it was her brothers and began to sprint to the origin of the sound. Ashitaka barely managed to keep up with her as he kept one hand on his gash to prevent any further bleeding to occur.

When San and Ashitaka reached the origin of the sound, they found Urufu panting with several bruises and cuts on him. Not far in front of him was the great demon Kumo. In the demon's fangs, San's eldest brother, Okami, hung limp and unmoving.