"Come on!" her older brother teased her, "Hurry!"
"I'm trying!" San yelled back, attempting to climb up a small rock ledge.
Soon, they came upon an open field of wildflowers.
"Hey, pretty!" the young wolf remarked. "Let's play hide and seek!"
"No!" San whined. "You guys can always sniff me out."
"Not here," her older brother said, indicating the flowers. "These will make it hard to smell."
"Well…" San hesitated, "All right. But I get to hide!"
The younger wolf decided to hide as well, so the older wolf bent his head down into the tall grass and began counting.
"C'mon! Jump on, San!" her fellow hider whispered.
She complied, and he instantly tore off like a bolt across the field.
After they had gone a little ways, he dropped her off.
"I'm going to hide here!" he whispered. "Go and find someplace else, and make sure it's far away from me this time!"
"Okay," San murmured back as she trotted off through the tall grass.
Presently, she came to a small river where she spotted a small boy fishing. He looked familiar…
"Ashitaka?" she called out.
"Yes?" the boy answered back.
"Ashitaka, what are you doing?" San asked merrily, plopping down on the ground next to him.
"I'm catching fish!" he said proudly. "I almost got one a little while ago! Want to help me?"
"I can't," San answered. "I'm playing hide and seek with my brothers."
"No you're not," her younger brother answered her, coming out of the forest on the other side of the lake. He had grown into the fine, strong wolf that he would eventually become.
"Oh," San commented. "Well then, I'll help you!" she said to Ashitaka.
"Okay. Here," he said, handing her another fishing pole. "The bait's already on it."
San held up the pole to inspect the rather large fish that was attached to the hook.
San laughed quietly in her sleep.
"Are you sure we're going to be able to catch something with this?" San asked Ashitaka.
"Sure," he answered. "All you have to do is throw it in the water."
"That's not what I meant, silly!" San giggled. "How will you catch a fish with a fish this big?"
"It'll have to be a really big fish!" Ashitaka concluded.
"Are there any fish that big in this river?" she asked.
"Who knows?" he shrugged. "If there is, and we end up catching it, think of how much we'll have to take back to the family!"
"Family?" San asked, puzzled, turning to look at Ashitaka. She gasped.
He had transformed into the Ashitaka she knew today.
"Yes, our family," he said, again, smiling. "What did you think I meant?"
San jumped out of her sleep, swinging her legs wildly for a moment. Whoa!
Losing the effects of sleep very suddenly, San struggled to regain control of her startled body. Breathing deeply, she forced her pulse to slow, and soon she was calm.
Quickly standing up, San brushed the leaves off of her kimono, and trotted over to the river. She would never get back to sleep, now, she thought.
Wading ankle deep into the river, she sank to her knees and splashed a bit of water onto her face, rubbing the grainy feeling out of her eyes. On such a warm night like this, the cool water was refreshing. It wouldn't be this warm for long, however. With winter approaching fast, Ashitaka would have to work doubly hard to erect some sort of suitable shelter for himself. Maybe if they got to the mountains quickly, she would be able to help him build it. That would be fun! San never thought she would ever have the opportunity to build a house, since she had always lived in a cave. Still, she was always anxious to try out new things.
Cupping a bit of water into her hands, she raised it to her mouth and sipped slowly, letting the water move down her throat. It was very pure, clean water this far into the forest. She rarely had an opportunity to taste it of this quality. Pulling her canteen from its resting place under her wolf skin, she poured out its contents onto the shore and re-filled it with the newer supply.
Briefly, she wondered if it would be even better further down. The strange topography of the area made it possible for the water to be flowing towards the mountain, instead of away from it. If she wasn't too mistaken, she seemed to recall that the chain of mountains was actually set in a valley. That being the case, the water that flowed from the valley and the water that flowed from the mountains met at some reservoir near the base of the mountains, providing a constant supply of fresh water for the animals to drink.
Speaking of animals, San wondered what kind of animals lived in the mountains. For Ashitaka's sake, she hoped they were big enough to live off of. They would have to be his sustenance for the winter season, because his crops wouldn't be fully-grown until next summer, so he could not rely on them. To tell the truth, she seriously doubted he could grow anything in the rugged landscape the mountains had to offer. He'd probably packed the seeds to make her feel better. If Ashitaka were half as smart as she was, he would have realized that he couldn't grow anything…so he must've thought he wouldn't live through the winter…
San drooped her head sorrowfully. She didn't want him to die so soon. There was still so much they had to do together!
Perhaps Ashitaka would be able to find a somewhat hospitable area in the mountains so that he could live out the remainder of his life in peace. That wasn't so much to ask for, was it?
Sighing, she stood up, the water dripping down her legs. San sloshed about for a moment, watching the ripples as they slowly spread throughout the lake, before she headed for the shore.
Sleep was calling to her again, and she didn't mind listening to it. She was still tired from the day's journey, and, so far, the night had been a very restless one.
Approaching the campsite, she remade the bed she had messed up when she'd awaken, and laid down once more.
Soon she was asleep, herself, and aside from a few other uneventful dreams, the night passed well, bringing light to a perfect dawn.
As soon as the sunlight hit her eyes, San awoke and stood up wearily, stretching her restricted limbs.
She breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh morning air.
Brushing the leaves out of her hair, she cautiously approached Ashitaka's tent.
"Ashitaka?" she asked, quietly.
No response.
"Ashitaka!" San said somewhat loudly.
"Where?" came a voice from inside the tent.
San burst out laughing. "Ashitaka, it's time to get up. It's daylight."
"Humph," Ashitaka muttered. "Just a little bit longer, San. It's too early."
"Hey, no way!" San said. "C'mon, silly! You can't stay in there! Who's going to keep me company?"
"All right," Ashitaka moaned. There was a rustling sound, and shortly afterward, Ashitaka poked his head outside the tent. "There, you satisfied?"
"Very," San nodded, pleased that she had been able to awaken him without yelling at him. "Now come on and get washed up. We have to get going before it gets hot."
"What are you, my mother?" he asked. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he laughed. "All right, I'm going," and he ambled off towards the river.
While he was gone, San began to pick up the contents of their make shift camp. Pulling out the stakes, she folded Ashitaka's blanket neatly, and placed all of his belongings next to it before she began searching for her own equipment. She had laid her spear and dagger up against a nearby tree, so she had no difficulty in finding them.
By this time, Ashitaka had wandered back, now completely awake.
"So," he said, "are you ready to eat?"
"Already?" San asked.
Ashitaka laughed. "Hey, you need to eat on a regular basis," he informed her. "You may seem fine, but I'm willing to bet you'll do a lot better if you have regular meals."
"All right, then," San said, sitting down on the ground. "Feed me," she teased, opening her mouth.
Ashitaka smiled. "Okay. Let's see, where did I put it? Ah, here it is!" he said, pulling out the package that contained his salted meats. "You have a choice of beef…um…deer, and rabbit," he finished, waiting for her to answer.
San thought a bit. She was particularly fond of rabbit, but she wasn't sure if he wanted it or not. "You go first," she said.
Ashitaka laughed. "Oh no you don't! Don't worry, there's plenty of each kind, so take whatever kind you want."
"Okay," San said, "I'll have some of the deer."
Ashitaka pulled out a piece and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said.
"You're welcome," he answered, sitting down across from her, pulling out a piece of deer for himself as well.
"I had a funny dream last night," San commented between bites.
"Oh?" Ashitaka asked.
"I dreamed we had a family."
Ashitaka inhaled his meat, and began coughing horrendously.
"Are you okay?" San asked, concerned.
Ashitaka nodded briefly, swallowing the offending piece of meat.
"Did I say something wrong?" San asked.
Ashitaka looked at her for a moment. It looked as if she was completely unaware of the implication of what she had just said. "No, San," he answered, "you didn't say anything wrong. You're right, that is funny."
"Before that, I dreamed that we were little," she said, apparently satisfied with his answer. "I don't know what you looked like when you were little, but I know it was you. We were fishing with a pole."
"Well, that doesn't come as a surprise," Ashitaka said, taking another bite of his meal.
"Why is that?" San asked.
"Well, I only recently taught you how to pole fish," he said, "and I remember that you enjoyed it a lot. It doesn't surprise me that you had a dream about it."
"Oh. What about you? Did you have any dreams?"
Ashitaka thought a moment. "I had a dream about Iron Town," he confessed.
"Do you miss it already?"
"No. It wasn't like that. I dreamed that we were building a big house, but the strange thing was that it didn't belong to anyone. We were just building it."
San laughed.
"I guess that was funny, eh?" Ashitaka asked, chuckling along with her laughter.
"I-I'm sorry!" San said between breaths.
"Okay, stop it, or you're going to make me choke again!" Ashitaka stuttered, unable to prevent himself from laughing because of her laughter.
"I'll try!" she said, still chuckling.
"That's all I need. So…" Ashitaka paused.
"What?" San asked, glancing behind her to see what he was looking at. "What is it?"
"Your hair," he said.
"What about it?" San asked, cocking her head.
"It's covered with leaves," he informed her.
"Well, Ashitaka," she said, putting emphasis on his name, "I did sleep on the ground, you know!"
"I understand," Ashitaka said, reaching over and plucking a few of the leaves from her head. "I was just letting you know."
San grinned. "That's not very good for my…womanly pride."
Ashitaka laughed. "Since when did you develop a sense of womanly pride?"
"Oh, I don't know," San confessed. "I guess I don't!"
"Are you disappointed?" he asked her.
"No," came the reply. "Should I be?"
"Only if you want to be," Ashitaka said, spreading his arms in a gesture of submission. "I wasn't sure if you wanted a sense of 'womanly pride'."
San half smiled. "Perhaps I'll want one when I have to stop worrying about protecting the forest. Hmm, let me think…that'll be never."
Ashitaka snorted cheerfully. "Don't give up on humans too soon, San. I think we've almost got a pretty good system worked out, don't you?"
San shrugged. "I suppose. But deep wounds take a long time to heal. I may adjust my lifestyle to fit in more with humans, but I still cannot bring myself to forgive them, although I have to admit that my grudge against them has lessened over the past few months."
"That's all you need, really," Ashitaka commented. "As long as I know you're at least trying, then it's good enough for me."
"I'll keep that in mind," San remarked, dryly. "You are human, too, by the way. Do not forget that the grudge is held against you as well."
"Is it, now?" Ashitaka said thoughtfully. "Well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"
"Like what?"
"Well, I could always train to become a wolf!"
San hit his arm. "That's not funny! You can't train to become a wolf!"
"I know that, San," Ashitaka said, rubbing his arm where she'd hit him, "but there's nothing wrong with trying, is there?"
"I think," San said, standing up, "that this conversation is headed in the wrong direction. We shouldn't be talking about fantasies or imaginary whims. Such things do not make practical discussion material, especially for someone of our caliber!"
"Are you saying that we're better than everyone else?" Ashitaka asked her.
"N-no," San stammered. Great. He'd trapped her again. "It's just that…well, you…oh, I don't know! You always make things difficult!" she said hotly.
Ashitaka laughed. "It almost wouldn't be right if you weren't mad at something. All right, then, I can tell that this is upsetting you. What do you say we keep going?"
"All right," she agreed, reaching for her spear and dagger. "I notice your leg isn't bothering you much this morning, so I won't be merciful!" she said as she began walking at a brisk pace towards the mountain.
"Hold on, San!" Ashitaka said, struggling to his feet, "Let me get all of my stuff, first!"
"I won't be merciful!" San called back again.
Ashitaka sighed. Sometimes it was hard to tell when she was really mad at him.
Reaching down, he scooped up his things and slung them around his shoulder, and then raced after San.
"So, how is the weather going to be today?" Ashitaka asked, glancing up at the canopy. Without being able to see, he had to rely on her sense of smell and interpretation to tell him if bad weather was on its way.
San seemed not to hear him, and he was about to ask again before she answered, "There will be no rain today."
"Well, that's good, I suppose. After our little skirmish yesterday, we'll have to work extra hard to regain some lost time," Ashitaka commented.
"Are you in a hurry?" San inquired.
"Well," Ashitaka began, "I'd like to at least have some sort of suitable shelter for the winter months. I don't think it'd be a good idea to try and make one when it's freezing. Now that I think about it, what do you do for the winter?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it gets cold. You don't wear that do you?" he asked. "Do you have winter clothes or something?"
"Near my cave I have some extra furs that I can put on when it gets cold. Besides, that, I have nothing. What you see me in now is all that I have."
Ashitaka glanced at her clothing. Although they looked a little worse for wear, they were still very vibrant in their appearance. "They sure have lasted a long time," he asked.
San sighed. "Think, Ashitaka, think. Until recently, I had no need of clothes, aside from the fur that my mother gave to me. I made my kimono on my own, as soon as people began invading my forest. Besides, they would not have fit me while I was still a child, and the ones I had as a child, whatever they were, would not fit me now."
"Oh…" Ashitaka said stupidly. He tried to think of something to say. It must've been blindingly obvious that this conversation was making him uncomfortable.
San must've seen this in his eyes, because the next thing she said was: "I wonder the same about you, Ashitaka. I do not recall seeing any winter clothing in your possession."
"Oh, that," Ashitaka said, glancing at his cases. "Well, I sort of had to leave my village in a hurry, and since winter had just passed…I guess I just kind of forgot about packing any!"
"That's not like you," San remarked.
"I had a lot on my mind," he reminded her.
San raised an eyebrow. "You've got a point there. So, what do you intend to do about it?"
Ashitaka thought for a bit. "I suppose," he said, "that when I go hunting, I'll preserve the skins to make a few extra coats besides the oh, so lovely one you gave me."
"Oh, please!" San said, laughing. "You're so naïve!"
Ashitaka looked at her briefly. "Well, I think I'm still young enough to deserve some moments of adolescence, aren't I?"
"Not again," San teased.
"Again?"
"I'm just kidding!"
"Well…well it wasn't funny!" Ashitaka said, putting on a mock-hurt face.
San was about to apologize, but she paused. She briefly recalled the last time Ashitaka had put on a hurt face, and she had taken him seriously. Was he being serious now? Wolves did not behave in misleading manners, so she was still a bit confused about such things.
Ashitaka, it seemed, was one step ahead of her. "It's okay," he comforted, "I'm just kidding. I'll tell you what, since it seems to bother you so much, I won't do that anymore, okay?"
San's face brightened, as if deciding whether or not Ashitaka was upset had become some sort of major setback. "All right!" she said happily.
As they walked on, they continued talking about anything of interest that came up during their discussion. Ashitaka told her of his daily life in his old village- how every morning he would awaken, and the first thing he would see was his little sister, Kaiya, sleeping next to him. It came as no surprise to him, and he didn't mind because they were so close. After he had left, though, the thing that hurt him most was not being able to hear her little voice yelling at him in that way that she seemed so fond of doing. For the most obvious of circumstances, though, his attention was drawn away from that, and soon he almost entirely forgot about his old feelings for her. Still, he often wondered how affected she had been by his leaving, as it seemed that she was more attached to him than he was to her.
During their talk, Ashitaka discovered that San had been torn apart from a very special wolf friend she had had, and in a very similar manner. She commented on how young and rambunctious he was, and, unlike most other wolves, always lived in the moment, almost never looking on to what the future would hold. Most of the other wolves criticized him for it, but it made her respect him all the more. Although her feelings for that particular wolf were never as strong as her feelings for Ashitaka (and for some reason she kept insisting that over and over), she admitted that she loved him in a very different way; a way that only a wolf and a human could love, and that was at a distance. During her younger years, they became as brother and sister, almost never leaving each other's side. Then one day, he followed a group of wolves that were going to investigate the new problems that would hitherto be referred to as "those tall, lanky, white creatures". She had never seen him, or the entire band of wolves that he'd gone with, again.
San seemed somewhat reluctant to admit this to Ashitaka, so he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and told her that it was okay. Any feelings that she had for anyone in the past were all right with him, no matter what species. Besides, he understood that they loved more as a brother and sister would love, rather than as a potential mate.
"But you don't mind?" she asked him.
"Why should I? I already told you that I loved Kaiya. I loved her very much, but now I have you to fill that void for me, San."
San smiled. That was almost exactly what she needed to hear right now- to know that she was in a special place in his heart. "I think…" she fumbled for the right words. But then, his arm around her…it was starting to get claustrophobic. Did he hold her to make her feel better, or was it a sign of affection? "I think it's time for us to eat," she said suddenly, breaking away from his consoling hold and running ahead to clear out a small area for them to sit.
Ashitaka, again oblivious to the fact that he had made her uncomfortable, set down his belongings and removed the preserved pieces of food, as well as a few vegetables.
"We may as well eat them before they decompose," he said humorously.
"I didn't know you packed vegetables!" San said, surprised. Having grown up on a diet that consisted mostly of meat, she considered vegetables and fruits to be somewhat of a delicacy, and she loved eating them almost as much as swimming!
"Oh?" Ashitaka said, holding up a tomato. "Do you want one?"
San's eyes widened, and she nodded her head fervently.
"Okay," Ashitaka said, tossing it over to her. Almost as soon as she had caught it, San took an enormous bite out of it. "Whoa! Slow down, there! You're going to get sick."
"I am not," San said, swallowing a bit of the bulk in her mouth, "going to get sick. You think so little of me."
"Well, at least you like them," Ashitaka said, studying her as she took another huge bite out of the vegetable.
He took out a large pepper for himself, and began munching on it.
"You know," he said, "that would probably go good with a bit of meat with it."
"You mean mix it together?" San asked.
"Yeah, that's right."
"That sounds gross!" San said quickly.
"You won't know until you try it," Ashitaka urged her. "People mix different foods together all the time. It makes them taste better."
"I know," San said, licking her fingers clean of the remains of the tomato. "I used to put flower petals on my meat to give them a bit more flavor."
Ashitaka grimaced. "Trust me, San, this would taste a lot better."
"Well," San said slowly. Ashitaka gazed at her, giving her the impression that he would be terribly upset if she didn't at least taste it. "I suppose I'll try it, since I'll have to have another vegetable to try it with!" she said in a conniving manner.
"Such a negotiator you are!" Ashitaka mocked. "You just want another tomato."
"So?" San said, grinning evilly.
"Fine, here," Ashitaka said, passing her a strip of the deer and another tomato.
For a moment, it looked as if she was about to throw the piece of meat to the ground and immediately start eating the vegetable, but a squinted look from Ashitaka made her reluctantly tear off a piece of the meat and put it in her mouth before she hungrily attacked the tomato.
She chewed feverishly, but then slowed, savoring the new flavor that slid over her tongue and all around her mouth. "Hey," she said, "this is very good!"
Ashitaka laughed. "I told you. Now only if you had listened to me sooner."
San stared at him. "What about that time when you suggested we play hide and seek using anything in the town as a hiding place?"
Ashitaka blushed. "It sounded like fun, San, and you know it! Besides, how was I supposed to know you'd pick somebody's house to hide in?"
San grinned. "Well, you said 'anyplace'. I knew we'd end up getting in trouble, somehow."
"I doubt that what happened to you could be defined as trouble, San," Ashitaka laughed. "The people who owned the house you were in were prepared to offer you anything in their possession for you to leave them in peace."
San pursed her lips, her mood suddenly darkening. "They make me sound like such a demon. I did not antagonize them on purpose! I did not kill without reason. They started it by attacking my forest! They attacked us first! You remember the first time I saw you, don't you?"
"Yes," Ashitaka nodded slowly, "I remember."
"I did not attack you. You were alone, and you were simply passing through, so I let you live."
"What about the caravan that you and your family attacked?" Ashitaka countered. "They were passing through as well."
"In a war," San said ardently, "do you not try to crush the viper's head before it has a chance to strike? We were there for Eboshi, and Eboshi alone. Anyone else who was foolish enough to get in our way paid the price with their lives. Even though we were in a war, I did not intentionally hunt out helpless civilians and kill them, although there were always people looking in the forests to ambush me," San said acrimoniously. "So for them to regard me as a dangerous killer is not only unfair, but also untrue."
Ashitaka nodded thoughtfully. "I understand where you're coming from," he said. "But try to look at it from their point of view," he began, trying to ignore the fact that she had darted off after a squirrel she saw rummaging about through the leaves. He was just going to have to get used to the fact that San still had the personality of a wolf. Like a wolf, she had many habits and quirks that Ashitaka found strange, but they did no harm to her, so he did not mind it when she indulged herself (as she often did) in a wolf fashion.
"Most of the townspeople never saw you. They only heard about you, and even then, the only thing they heard about you was that you had killed this or destroyed that. Of course they're going to get the idea that you were antagonistic. When there are two disagreeing sides, each side thinks that the other is wrong, right?"
"I suppose," San said, ambling back to his side, matching pace with him as she did so.
"But it's over now, so why worry about it any more than you have to?" he asked her.
"I may as well ask you to forgive the people who burned down your village and murdered your family," San countered. "Just because the town is no longer burning and people are no longer screaming doesn't make the pain go away. The way I see it, my no longer attacking Iron Town is a good enough sign of my forgiveness."
Ashitaka hung his head, staring at his feet. He'd forgotten to take into account the fact that the forest had been her only home. "You're right," he said, finally. "I'm sorry. I suppose I should have thought about it a bit more before I said something."
"Hey," San said, petting his head for a moment before she immediately withdrew her hand, "it's okay." San did little things like that so often that Ashitaka almost didn't notice them anymore. "I know you're just trying to get me more open towards them, and, despite myself, I cannot help but begin to lean towards the idea of maybe even liking other humans. What were those two people's names? Toki and…Kuroki?"
Ashitaka smiled. "Koroku," he corrected. He remembered that the last time he saw him, Koroku was bringing Toki (who was pregnant with their first child) to a more hospitable location to live in, like a fully developed city. He wondered if they were both doing all right for themselves? Not that it mattered. Whatever the circumstances, those two were spirited enough to overcome any obstacle.
"Yes, Toki and Koroku. Those two seemed to be decent enough. I seem to recall that Koroku helped you once or twice."
"In a way," Ashitaka grinned. Koroku, despite all of his shortcomings, had actually turned out to be quite an admirable fellow.
"And Toki," San continued. "I remember how she took charge when the Forest Spirit was attacking them. She helped save all of those people. That was very thoughtful of her."
"Yes," Ashitaka agreed, "it was. Now if only you can understand that there are a lot of people out there who are nice like they are."
San sighed. "Maybe one day. For now, I like myself just the way I am. I don't think I'm ready for a big change like that."
Ashitaka, like San had done a few moments ago, patted her on the head. For some reason, San had discovered, whenever he showed signs of affection in a wolf manner, she was less apt to get upset.
"Just be patient, San. You don't have to change at all, if you don't want to, and nobody's expecting you to, either" he said.
"Oh, don't worry," San informed him, "I have no intention of changing anytime soon. In fact, I think I may even be changing you."
"How is that?" Ashitaka asked, curiously.
She stopped walking. "Why don't you take a look around and tell me what you see?" San asked.
Confused, Ashitaka looked all around the forest. "I don't see anything," he confessed.
"Are you sure?" San persisted. "Why don't you take a closer look?"
So Ashitaka did. He stared at the forest, and at the trees, until he was about to give up again. But then a thought struck him. Was she trying to tell him something? Maybe there wasn't necessarily anything to see, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything there, so to speak. There were animals all around him, while plant life and vegetation also thrived.
"Are you telling me that once I look more closely at the forest as a whole, rather than in individual areas, I am more in line with the teachings of a wolf?" he asked her.
"You cannot have one without the other," San explained. "To look at the forest as a whole can be good in some ways, but dangerous to individuals, while, likewise, looking after the well being of individuals is not in the best interests of the entire forest. True knowledge of wolf teachings is obtained when you finally realize that there is a delicate balance beyond the reaching of awareness between forest and individual, and that there is no right way to go about living in the best interests of everyone involved. When you understand that, you can more fully appreciate the forest for the way it is, rather than the way it should be, or the way it would have been if things had gone in a different way. That is one of the most basic principles of wolf philosophy."
Ashitaka took a moment to absorb the magnitude of what she had just said. "I had no idea the Wolf Tribe had its own philosophy, nor would I have expected it to be so…thorough in its teachings."
"Some of the wolves dedicated their lives to trying to discover the like that holds forest and individual together. Like all major philosophies, however, there are gaps that cannot be filled, and must remain a mystery," San said sadly. "Yes, very much thought went into the discussion of how everything relates to everything else."
Ashitaka snickered, which in turn caused San to grin. "That's sounds suspiciously a lot like some other religions I know," he said, "but I won't confuse you with those. They aren't really important, anyway, since it seems you already have your own ideas about life."
"It's what I grew up with!" San said merrily, running off ahead to go splash a bit of river water onto her face. The sun was now well overhead, and it was starting to get a bit warm.
Ashitaka, likewise, was a little too warm for comfort, and decided that taking a small break wouldn't really hurt anything.
"Hey, San!" he called out, pulling his hood back, "you wouldn't happen to know whatever became of that little red pouch I asked you about, would you?"
With her back turned to him, he could not see the startled expression on her face. Should she tell him? With days numbered, she wanted the moment to be faultless…
"No, I haven't, sorry," she called back to him.
"Oh well," he said, stepping into the river. The cool water was refreshing, and he immediately felt the relief it offered his hot skin.
Turning around to look at Ashitaka, San was inclined to run over and attempt to shove him into the water, a kind of payback for what he had done to her before. He looked like he was enjoying himself, though, so she decided against it. Anyway, as long as the river was here, she'd have an opportunity someday! Then she caught sight of Ashitaka staring at her.
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, I may be dirty, but I know I'm not that filthy!" she insisted.
"It wasn't that," Ashitaka assured her, sitting down on the edge of the bank, letting his legs dangle in the water. "I was just thinking about when we'll have to say good-bye."
"Oh, Ashitaka!" San whined, "We've both been having so much fun together! Don't spoil it by bringing up something like that! Let's just worry about that when it gets here!"
Ashitaka paused. He wasn't really sure how much time they had left. For all practical reasons, this wasn't intended to be a fun trip, even though it had ended up turning into something like that. He recognized that they couldn't have fun all the time, even though he enjoyed it, because at a moments notice, it could all disappear…he wanted to have everything settled with her before the time for that ever came.
"All right," he said, giving San a smile so that she would feel better. He looked at the river. "After it gets a little deeper," he commented, "we might be able to go fishing. Would you like that? Would you like to go pole fishing?"
There was no answer.
"San?" he asked, looking around.
His eyes widened, but it was too late- there was a shout, and something heavy fell on top of him, pushing him under the water.
He burst back up out of the water, his eyes focusing on a deliriously laughing San, who was pointing a finger at him. "I got you back!" she shouted.
Ashitaka half laughed. He wasn't exactly sure how to react. She must've startled half of his spirit away, although he was sure she was only trying to cheer him up. "You sure do know how to keep a grudge," he managed at last, stumbling back onto dry land.
"Well, you were asking for it," she said, handing him the large blanket to wipe his face with. "You should know better than to try and ruin our good time together."
"Was it good?" Ashitaka asked. "I had no idea you were enjoying it so much."
San felt her cheeks start to redden, but she suppressed the action, maintaining a serene look. "Of course, Ashitaka," she said. "I enjoy all the time we get to spend together."
"You pushed me into the river!" Ashitaka laughed. "That's not exactly my idea of spending quality time together- that's more like…rough-housing," he said, unable to think of a better word.
"And what would be quality time to you?" San asked him, taking the blanket and putting it back in its place among his other belongings.
"Well…the time that we get to spend together and talk, like while we're walking." Ashitaka said. "Because every time, I learn a little more about you, and you learn a little more about me."
"There are some things that you shouldn't know about me!" San teased, baring her impressive display of white teeth.
"Aside from the fact that you like to play rough games?" Ashitaka said, motioning to the river.
"As you say," San said, bowing slightly in mock reverence. "But there are other things that you will learn as well."
"Like what?" Ashitaka challenged.
"Well," San thought out loud. "I seem to believe that you're always introducing me to new things of your culture, so I think I need to introduce you to some things of mine! How would you like to eat a raw rabbit?" Of course, she knew what he would say. He had discussed with her dozens of times before that, although he would do his best to try and understand her culture better, there were certain things he would not do, and one of those things was eating raw animal flesh.
"San, you wound me," Ashitaka whined. "If you keep asking me for much longer, I may have to concede, if only to get you to stop nagging me…one of the things I shouldn't know about you? That you're an incessant nagger?" he teased.
San grinned, squinting her eyes at him. The gesture made the hair on her head stand out more, almost giving her the appearance of a wolf about to pounce on its prey. Ashitaka always had to look twice whenever she did that, to make sure he hadn't fallen in love with a psychotic human being that he should fear, rather than love.
"Nagging comes with the territory," she hissed. "Moro always told me that if a mother is to raise her cubs in a suitable fashion, she has to be an incessant nagger! Otherwise the cubs will be unruly and wild."
Ashitaka stood up from where he was sitting. "I suppose you're right, in a way. Motherhood is definitely not something for the weak of heart."
"I am not weak of heart, Ashitaka," San said, pointing a finger at him, which caused Ashitaka to chuckle softly.
"I didn't say you were weak of heart, San. I said that motherhood is not something that a person of weak heart should consider attempting. It takes a person of strong will and character, such as yourself, to raise a fine litter," he said, using terms that she was more comfortable with. "However, if your idea of showing affection is by shoving somebody into a river, then I think that you need to consider a different job!" he laughed.
San growled. "You may find this hard to believe," she said slowly, "but I am perfectly capable of maternal aptitude. I just choose not to show it."
"I believe you!" he said quickly. It was never his intention to offend her. "I can see it in your eyes. Behind the fire that you've built up as your personality, I can see an underlying goodness and softness, and it occasionally comes out at times. I never meant to degrade your bearing on raising a litter, San. I know that your methods of raising a child and my methods of raising a child may be slightly different, but that is all. In all honesty, I suspect you would make a better parent than myself."
San smiled, her foul mood immediately lifting. "It comes with the territory," she said again, although a bit less sarcastically and a bit more seriously. "The mother is naturally more adept at raising a child."
"Is that so?" Ashitaka pondered out loud. "I wonder if that same method would work on vegetables?"
San nodded, and began to consider the possibility before she realized exactly what he had said.
"You!" she shrieked, and pounced at him.
Ashitaka rolled away, though, and she missed him, although just barely.
"Ha!" he laughed. "Bear with me, San. I have a humorous side that seems to surface a lot."
"You're making
me insane!" San growled good-naturedly, pointing an accusing finger at him.
