A/N I feel really bad that it took me so long to put this chapter up, but I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Five
Where's Ashitaka?
(Now I think that I'll actually get back to the plot, although the past chapters will come into play, eventually)
San was alone. The younger of her two brothers had left to the place where Cadje had supposedly come from, to see what was going on, and the other had left early in the morning, to hunt.
She immediately got up and went to a small stream that was near the cave for a drink.
Something was wrong. She splashed water on her face and looked around. The smell of blood came to her nose, and something else, a smell that brought hatred to her.
"Humans." She mused aloud, but quietly.
San ran to the direction of the smell, quickly directing her feet on the quietest path and let her nose guide her. As the smell of human grew stronger, she pulled out her dagger.
She stopped behind a bush through which she could see a girl, not too much younger than her, with brown hair like Ashitaka's, sitting under a tree, and slightly rocking back and forth as she bound up her bleeding arm.
San almost felt sorry for this child, but that feeling passed away quickly as her temper again flared.
It's a trap, San thought with hatred, Humans will do anything to get at the forest.
The girl suddenly looked up, looked directly at where San was crouched, and San leapt up, landing right in front of the girl.
"What are you doing in this forest?!" San pounced the question on her threateningly, the knife she had thrust very close to the girl's face.
The girl now looked frightened, but barely faltered, "Please," she begged fervently, "please tell me where I can find Ashitaka, I must find him, please!"
San's eye's narrowed at this small human, "I do not know any Ashitaka. Leave now, and if you ever come into this forest again, I will kill you."
The girl limped off as quickly as she could, and San noticed her leg was bandaged as well.
After seeing that the human had left, San went home, to see if her brother had returned yet, and he had. He was sleeping on the ledge overhanging the forest, seeming content with a full stomach, but lifted his head, alert when she came.
San seemed uneasy as she nibbled some of the meat that was sitting on the floor beside her brother, and he noticed her uncalmness.
"What is it San?" the wolf asked her in his tongue.
San seemed taken slightly aback but answered him, "What is what?!"
The wolf looked gently at her and if he were human she would have seen a small smile behind his great wolf figure. "You are nervous. There is tension in everything you are doing and you are sitting quite alert. And if I may ask you again, what is it?"
"I told you, it's nothing," San mumbled but with a look from her brother she suddenly jumped up, taking her brother by surprise and said in an urgent tone, "I must go to Tatara-Ba! I have got to find Ashitaka!"
Her wolf brother stood slowly and stretched.
"Is there any reason why you won't tell me what's going on?" he asked.
San gave him an exasperated look.
"I'll explain it all to you when there is time!"
"When is there time for anything? Never put something off till tomorrow; it may never come." He quoted from what Moro had told him when he was a pup.
San closed her eyes and hung her head momentarily then said, "If there won't be any tomorrow, then I have to get to Tatara-Ba, now!"
With that, San jumped to the grass below and ran as fast as her legs would hold her toward Tatara-Ba.
She didn't run alone for long, the wolf who all her life had been her brother ran beside her, matching her pace.
As the forest scenery flew by, he said, "Come on now, get on! As you said before, if there isn't going to be a tomorrow, we may as well hurry."
San grabbed the fur on his back and jumped on, and immediately felt a sudden burst of speed.
Soon they reached the mighty gates of Tatara-Ba, which were closed when San on the large white wolf were first seen, and someone looked down at San,
"What do you want wolf-girl?" called the feminine voice from the ridge above the gate.
San looked up boldly, and her brother growled directions to her from behind his clenched teeth.
A moment or so later, San spoke up.
"Where is Ashitaka?" was all that she said.
The woman turned around for a second, conversing quietly to someone behind her, but San made it out.
"Who is it Toki? Is it the wolf-girl?"
"Yes milady, and she has brought a wolf along as well."
"Well, what is it she wants?"
"....She wants to see Ashitaka."
"....Tell Gonza to come here. I must speak to this wolf-girl by my self."
"Yes ma'am."
It was a few moments before San saw Lady Eboshi appear, and when she did, she felt a rush of adrenalin and an urge to kill.
"Hello princess. We finally meet again." Eboshi said.
San ignored Eboshi's comment and repeated, "Where is Ashitaka?"
Lady Eboshi looked at her long and hard.
"He isn't here." she said simply, "He left this morning in haste, saying something about needing to go home immediately."
San conversed with her brother under her breath momentarily.
"Is she telling the truth?"
"I am not the one to know. She seems to be if that helps you."
Aloud she said to the mistress of Tatara-Ba, "In which direction did he go?"
"Why do you care wolf-girl?.... If you must know, he headed toward the east."
And with that, Lady Eboshi walked back into the village, Gonza watching San until she was safe, and after she had left, San jumped back onto the wolf's back and headed back to the forest to figure out what they would do.
**********
After a long discussion between her brothers and other gods of the forest, they decided that the younger wolf-god, who was better at tracking and a faster runner, would take San to find Ashitaka, while her eldest brother, who was as strong as Moro was during her time, would stay and defend the forest from anything that may come, or as San said,
"We don't know that it isn't a trick just to lure us out of the forest, that damned gun-woman with all of her riflemen and soldiers could be just waiting for an opportunity with no gods involved."
**********
"So, what did you decide?" San asked the younger wolf when he entered the cave.
"We leave tomorrow morning. Get your rest."
Chapter Five
Where's Ashitaka?
(Now I think that I'll actually get back to the plot, although the past chapters will come into play, eventually)
San was alone. The younger of her two brothers had left to the place where Cadje had supposedly come from, to see what was going on, and the other had left early in the morning, to hunt.
She immediately got up and went to a small stream that was near the cave for a drink.
Something was wrong. She splashed water on her face and looked around. The smell of blood came to her nose, and something else, a smell that brought hatred to her.
"Humans." She mused aloud, but quietly.
San ran to the direction of the smell, quickly directing her feet on the quietest path and let her nose guide her. As the smell of human grew stronger, she pulled out her dagger.
She stopped behind a bush through which she could see a girl, not too much younger than her, with brown hair like Ashitaka's, sitting under a tree, and slightly rocking back and forth as she bound up her bleeding arm.
San almost felt sorry for this child, but that feeling passed away quickly as her temper again flared.
It's a trap, San thought with hatred, Humans will do anything to get at the forest.
The girl suddenly looked up, looked directly at where San was crouched, and San leapt up, landing right in front of the girl.
"What are you doing in this forest?!" San pounced the question on her threateningly, the knife she had thrust very close to the girl's face.
The girl now looked frightened, but barely faltered, "Please," she begged fervently, "please tell me where I can find Ashitaka, I must find him, please!"
San's eye's narrowed at this small human, "I do not know any Ashitaka. Leave now, and if you ever come into this forest again, I will kill you."
The girl limped off as quickly as she could, and San noticed her leg was bandaged as well.
After seeing that the human had left, San went home, to see if her brother had returned yet, and he had. He was sleeping on the ledge overhanging the forest, seeming content with a full stomach, but lifted his head, alert when she came.
San seemed uneasy as she nibbled some of the meat that was sitting on the floor beside her brother, and he noticed her uncalmness.
"What is it San?" the wolf asked her in his tongue.
San seemed taken slightly aback but answered him, "What is what?!"
The wolf looked gently at her and if he were human she would have seen a small smile behind his great wolf figure. "You are nervous. There is tension in everything you are doing and you are sitting quite alert. And if I may ask you again, what is it?"
"I told you, it's nothing," San mumbled but with a look from her brother she suddenly jumped up, taking her brother by surprise and said in an urgent tone, "I must go to Tatara-Ba! I have got to find Ashitaka!"
Her wolf brother stood slowly and stretched.
"Is there any reason why you won't tell me what's going on?" he asked.
San gave him an exasperated look.
"I'll explain it all to you when there is time!"
"When is there time for anything? Never put something off till tomorrow; it may never come." He quoted from what Moro had told him when he was a pup.
San closed her eyes and hung her head momentarily then said, "If there won't be any tomorrow, then I have to get to Tatara-Ba, now!"
With that, San jumped to the grass below and ran as fast as her legs would hold her toward Tatara-Ba.
She didn't run alone for long, the wolf who all her life had been her brother ran beside her, matching her pace.
As the forest scenery flew by, he said, "Come on now, get on! As you said before, if there isn't going to be a tomorrow, we may as well hurry."
San grabbed the fur on his back and jumped on, and immediately felt a sudden burst of speed.
Soon they reached the mighty gates of Tatara-Ba, which were closed when San on the large white wolf were first seen, and someone looked down at San,
"What do you want wolf-girl?" called the feminine voice from the ridge above the gate.
San looked up boldly, and her brother growled directions to her from behind his clenched teeth.
A moment or so later, San spoke up.
"Where is Ashitaka?" was all that she said.
The woman turned around for a second, conversing quietly to someone behind her, but San made it out.
"Who is it Toki? Is it the wolf-girl?"
"Yes milady, and she has brought a wolf along as well."
"Well, what is it she wants?"
"....She wants to see Ashitaka."
"....Tell Gonza to come here. I must speak to this wolf-girl by my self."
"Yes ma'am."
It was a few moments before San saw Lady Eboshi appear, and when she did, she felt a rush of adrenalin and an urge to kill.
"Hello princess. We finally meet again." Eboshi said.
San ignored Eboshi's comment and repeated, "Where is Ashitaka?"
Lady Eboshi looked at her long and hard.
"He isn't here." she said simply, "He left this morning in haste, saying something about needing to go home immediately."
San conversed with her brother under her breath momentarily.
"Is she telling the truth?"
"I am not the one to know. She seems to be if that helps you."
Aloud she said to the mistress of Tatara-Ba, "In which direction did he go?"
"Why do you care wolf-girl?.... If you must know, he headed toward the east."
And with that, Lady Eboshi walked back into the village, Gonza watching San until she was safe, and after she had left, San jumped back onto the wolf's back and headed back to the forest to figure out what they would do.
**********
After a long discussion between her brothers and other gods of the forest, they decided that the younger wolf-god, who was better at tracking and a faster runner, would take San to find Ashitaka, while her eldest brother, who was as strong as Moro was during her time, would stay and defend the forest from anything that may come, or as San said,
"We don't know that it isn't a trick just to lure us out of the forest, that damned gun-woman with all of her riflemen and soldiers could be just waiting for an opportunity with no gods involved."
**********
"So, what did you decide?" San asked the younger wolf when he entered the cave.
"We leave tomorrow morning. Get your rest."
