The Fox and the Princess Mononoke
Part 8
"What are you saying?" San eyed Ashitaka oddly. "You're taking me to see that damned Eboshi woman!?"
"San, if anyone would know the structure of the town, it would be her." the boy explained. "I understand if you're not comfortable coming with me, but the truth is that if there's something under the bellows that we don't know about and she does, the only way to know for sure is to ask her."
"She'll try to kill me!" San yelled, outraged.
"She made a truce to stay clear of the forest, San." Ashitaka tried to keep her calm. "And she has no interest in taking your life any longer. If you don't want to go, you are welcome to stay here."
"I can take care of myself! I'm not a coward!" she growled.
"I know." Ashitaka nodded simply as he sat down and pulled some bandages from a chest in the corner of the room.
San just watched him, intrigued by his behavior. He confused her to no end, and it drove her crazy not to understand why. Sitting with her feet together, San was content to watch him re-bandage his wounded arm as she puzzled over just what in the seven hells Ashitaka was.
He was human, in every shape and form of the word. It was the way he stood unbiased in any situation that bothered her. In her fight with Eboshi, he had parted them with ease, yet he took neither side, asking only for the fight to stop. When she had woken up after being knocked out by him, the first thing she wanted to do was kill him. She had had his own blade pricking his throat, and yet, instead of pleading for his pathetic life, what had he said? That she, the savage wolf-girl, Princess Mononoke as the humans called her, was beautiful.
What the hell was with that? What did he mean by it? At the time, she had taken it as another stupid human trick to throw her off her guard. But the frightening truth was that even if it wasn't a trick, it had startled her beyond belief. She had almost dropped her weapon, of all things!
But then, as time passed and she spoke to him more, San could not see him as a human in the least. She couldn't even call him a forest creature, for he respected man and beast alike. Yet, there was something about Ashitaka that never put him far from her mind even when she was in the heart of the forest and he was not.
Ashitaka tended mindfully to his wounds, unaware of the wolf-girl's unbroken stare. Carefully tying the ends of the bandage together, he at last turned to her and smiled.
"All set." he said plainly. "Do you want to go with me or wait here?"
San scowled disdainfully. As much as she hated Eboshi, she hated being left alone in the middle of a stinking human town far more. Grudgingly, she stood up.
"I'll go with you," she grumbled. "but I'm bringing my weapon with me just in case!"
"I understand." Ashitaka rose to feet, careful not to rest any weight on his bad arm. "and I will make sure that you're safe, ok?"
"I don't need you to protect me!" San glared at him, trying to make herself appear as fierce as she was. "I can take care of my-"
She cut herself short when he smiled to her. Since when had something so subtle been capable of quieting her? It infuriated her to no end that she yielded to his silent requests, and even moreso when something as simple as a glance from him made her stomach stir oddly. Damnation! What the hell was wrong with her, lowering her defenses like that? She was a wolf, for crying out loud, not a weakling human wench like those women down at the forge! How dare he trick her like that!
**************************************************
"No way, wolf-girl!" growled Gonza when San and Ashitaka approached Eboshi's quarters. The bodyguard stood firm, pointing his blade at the would-be company and denying them passage.
"Gonza, I promise that nothing will happen." Ashitaka tried to reassure the man, but the glare he got in return told him that Gonza wasn't the least bit convinced.
"Do you want to stop the fox or don't you?" San bared her teeth, her fingers just brushing the hilt of her blade.
"If you want the Lady Eboshi, then you'll have to get through me first!" Gonza challenged.
"Sir, please." Ashitaka spoke calmly. "We mean no harm. We only want to talk to her about the forge. Will you please let us pass?"
Before Gonza could answer, Lady Eboshi came out of the house. She eyed the situation, relieved to see that Ashitaka was present, but weary of the Princess Mononoke. She nodded gently to Gonza.
"Let them in, Gonza." She said sternly. "It's nothing to worry about."
Gonza growled, disgruntled with the turn of events, but let them follow Eboshi into the house. As a precaution, he stood guard in the doorway, glaring daggers at the wolf-girl all the while.
San and Ashitaka were invited to sit on the floor with Eboshi while the men and women who had once been lepers continued crafting their iron weapons. As they settled in, Eboshi eyed San, and a curious smile played across her face.
"I must say it's a surprise to see you again." Eboshi mused politely.
"The same." San mumbled, remembering that humans valued the lies of 'modesty' over the expression of one's true feelings.
"I take it this is about the fox problem we've been having down at the forge?" Eboshi turned toward Ashitaka.
"It is." the boy replied. "San and I searched the forest, but it seems that it came directly to us."
"Really…?" Eboshi stared at him, listening intently.
"We think it has something to do with the new girl down at the forge." Said San.
"As well as the forge itself." Ashitaka added. "Tell me, are there any hidden areas or rooms in or around the forge? Any place hidden from view."
Eboshi closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Recalling a map she had been given, she asked Gonza to go get it. He promptly handed it to her and she unrolled it onto the floor between her and her guests. It was a complete map of Iron Town, faded in some places and smudged slightly in others. She ran her finger along the design until it rested on the structure labeled Forge.
San had never seen a map before, but as she studied the curly paper more carefully, she soon understood its purpose. Ashitaka was also examining it, looking for anything that appeared different in real life.
"What exactly are you looking for, Ashitaka?" the woman inquired.
"I dreamt that the forge exploded from underneath." he explained, not taking his eyes off the map. "I need to know if there's some kind of chamber under the forge, particularly near the cauldron."
"You mean here?" the woman pointed.
"Around there, yes." he answered.
"There's a small trap-door around there where iron scraps too small to be hammered into bars are thrown." Eboshi explained. "Later on, these scraps are gathered and remelted to make into usable iron."
"That could be what we're looking for." Ashitaka nodded.
"Are we going all the way back there now?" San said.
As if to answer her question, the watchmen suddenly began banging loudly on their iron alarm slabs. Ashitaka, San, and Eboshi rushed outside and gazed down to the town below. A flicker of blue flame danced by the forge.
"It's here!" San drew her weapon and pulled the mask over her face, racing down toward the forge, taking as many dangerous shortcuts as she could. Ashitaka ran after her, trying his hardest to keep up with the girl who was almost as fast as the wolves.
Down by the forge, the fox grinned as the humans repeatedly tried to bring her down. Everytime they shot her with arrows, she swat them them away with her tails. When they came at her with sticks and spears, she set them on fire, all the while laughing maniacally. Her nose twitched, and she glanced about her, smirking broadly.
"Princess Mononoooooooookeeeeeeee!!!" the creature called out tauntingly. "Where are you? I know you're out there! Come out from wherever you are!"
A feral scream from above and a flash of white made the beast step nimbly out of the way of the attacking wolf-girl. The mask amplified San's aggressive growling, and the fox grinned at her mischievously.
"I knew you'd come, Princess of Spirits!" the creature's fangs glistened in the firelight.
"What do you want, kitsune!" San demanded.
"See for yourself, girl!" the beast replied as it reared back its legs and dealt a hard blow to the cauldron. The giant tub tipped uneasily backwards, nearly toppling completely over. There, at the foot of the cauldron and much more visible than before, was the trap-door Eboshi had known about. The fox shoved San away roughly, then made its usual escape.
Witnessing the entire scene, Ashitaka suddenly recalled the events of his dream; the explosion had erupted violently from beneath the trap-door. Sensing what was about to occur, he rushed to pull a dizzy San to safety. The wolf-girl was about the yell at him when they both heard a deafening explosion thunder from the forge and echo off the mountains. Ashitaka curled around San protectively and felt bits of debris fall all around him. When he was finally able to look, the forge was a blazing inferno. More debris continued to fall. Startled beyond belief, San watched as Ashitaka held out one hand to catch some of the falling material. The color drained from Ashitaka's face as he watched gold and iron bits collect in his palm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My apologies for not updating sooner! Inspiration is getting harder and harder to come by, but I'm not about to let that deprive you readers of the rest of the story! Also, sorry if this chapter's a little short; I was working on it at 3 A.M.
Like what you're reading? Hate it? Please tell me! I kid you not when I say that reviews help me to write!