Chapter 3: Matzamuto

The Monks approached the party in a crouching style. The party backed away. The Monks from the sides shot poisoned darts through their fake paracels and narrowly missed San's ear which was as well hard to believe as she was as agile and cunning as the wolves themselves. Ashitaka told San to take Eboshi back to the cliff where she lived and to keep watch over her since he himself was going to be a tad busy for now. With that being said, San took Eboshi in her outstretched arms and ran for the distant hills.

Ashitaka was all but left alone for now. With impending doom upon him, he staggard backward over a fallen branch from the canopy of forest above him. "ZOOM" another dart he escaped, this was becoming a habit to look like a fool walking bakwards in a slow motion.

It seemed forever when the head Monk ran for his kill, or so he thought. Ashitaka withdrew his sword along his belt with a clank and beheaded his oncoming foe. The poor Monk ran for another couple of seconds before falling into a puddle of his own bodily fluids. After this most of the Monks had fled for thweir own lives since their shogun had been destroyed so brutally, Ashitaka, however, stayed. In his ready stance, the monks came one-by-one leaping unto their own demise in an almost synchronic ballet of death. The last monk came up to Ashitaka picking a fight formaly, but was struck with an arrow before he had the joy of his own head falling off by the blade Ashitaka now held full of blood.

"hmmm, I see that you have learned well somehow or another. Your mother must be a real wench to have brought you up like a sissy. Hmph!" The wounded Monk hopped and strafed unable to get anywhere it seemed.

He collapsed onto a bed of flowers illuminated in light. Ashitaka thought he meant to die exactly there, just for the beauty perhaps. Although not one of them was a match for Ashitaka, all of them had fled and left Ahitaka to journey forward to the place where San resided. He thought of her face once more in his mind and how much she had changed since her last visit with him. She seemed so heavenly, a goddess wrapped in a fur veil. Black, silk hair flowing into the wind as the rain dropped on and on, massaging her hair as she galloped on her wolf steed. Lovely-

A cheap shot, a Monk had successfully shot Ashitaka in the back of his neck. As the poison worked its way into the bloodstream, he fell to his knees and tried to scream, but only the words that were whispered through his parched lips were "San". He fell over, unconscious.

"Ahahaha, if the Shogun were here right now to see me, he would definitely be pleased" The Monk whispered to himself quitely, "Too bad he isn't now, eh?"

It was San! on her snow-white wolf brother with her dagger in one hand and the Matzamuto plant in the other. She took one of the darts out of his palm without him seeing and jammed it into his throat. The Monk fell to the ground on to a sharpened tree stub, impaling the man.

"AHITAKA! Please come to! I havn't seen you in ages it seems and I don't want you to die on me now" San whispered with tears streaming down her cheek. One that happened to fall on Ashitaka streamed down his in the same manner.

It was too late, Ashitaka was sleeping ever so peacefully until he was awakened so abruptly, which hadhappened a lot lately. San was standing there with a mixture of somewhat triumph and worrieness.

"Ashitaka? Are you ok? I found a stalk of that plant you were looking for! Matzamuto? Is that right?" San's voice raised in pitch and a bit of relief as she saw his eyes open slowly and blink a couple of times.

"uh, yea, I think so. I can't seem to remem- oh yes, that's it. Where! Where have you found it!" San pressed her palm to his forehead and said, "Shhhhh, you are too weak from the dart, I found some down the road at the old barnhouse growing through the floorboards. I couldn't reach any, but I managed to sneak one from the railing, I figured it would help you and I guess it did, hehe." Her smile seemed more beaming and radient than it had been before.

"Eboshi, what about Lady Eboshi? Is she ok? How much time do we have until..." He stopped looking his head towards the ground contemplating the thought of actually losing her.

After he eliminated that thought from his head, he lifted it towards San who had had her hand stuck out the whole time. Using the hand as a brace, Ashitaka used it as a brace to get himself to his feet once more.

"We have to get Eboshi the plant...what's wrong" A bit of confusement was dabbled into areas in Ashitaka's eyes, he was baffled. "What is wrong?"

"I told you that it was in the barn right? Well, there are demons in there. actual demons D-E-M-O-N-S. You can't just walk in there and expect to just come out scarless, so to speak." Her voice was very serious and stern now, she wasn't kidding around with him.

"What do you suppose we do then, San? My lady will die by midnight definitely if we do not help her...NOW! I do not want to seem rude at all, i just feel we have to do this or else we will lose her for good." Ashitaka said

"HUH?!?! You want that "lady" to live! I can't believe you! We actually try and stop her reign over the forest and you try and save her! Now you MUST see why I was complaining back when we reunited a few hours ago! You really havn't changed, always have to serve your master." San stated, furious.

"She may have been a bad person before, but she is on our side now. Don't get your sides mixed San, it only brings bad things."

"Look, let's just get the plant and cure her so I can get home."