Princess Mononoke 2: The Shape Benders

Disclaimer: I forgot this in the previous chapter. I don't own anything for now, except Okrias and the bears. Oh, and I felt that San's wolf brothers needed names. They are Sakis, and Altren.

Chapter One: Lost Memories

…………….

Sakis the wolf bounded up the side of the mountain. With no trees left to hinder him, he was able to reach the top quickly. From his vantage point, he could see black smoke billowing into the sky towards the west. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. The fire was miles away but it still burned his nose.

"Are the humans still at it?" He wondered out loud. "There aren't any more trees to burn down, but…"

"It's a village on fire," a voice said from Sakis's right. "I believe the samurai are at it again, slaying the innocent."

A large raccoon had waddled up alongside Sakis. His cunning black eyes looked up at the wolf as he stood on his hind legs.

"How goes the rebuilding of the forest in your area? I'm fresh out of tree seeds."

"Ashitaka said he would bring more tree seeds soon, Okrias," Sakis replied, still scanning the horizon. "We're out of them on my side of the river, too. This rebuilding is going nowhere, though. There are too few of us left."

"It's almost Salmon Run time, though, isn't it? Okkeanos should be arriving from the west with his bears any day now. I'm sure they'll help."

Sakis narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. The bears were the most noble and respected of all the animals, but he doubted they would all help. Okkeanos, maybe, might help, but not all of the bears.

"When he gets here, let's ask him about that fire," Okrias said, nodding his head in the direction of the smoke. "He has to go through that mountain pass to get here."

Sakis nodded, continuing to watch the billowing smoke with narrowed eyes.

…………………..

Ashitaka was on his way to the former forest, leading Yakul. His elk friend was carrying several bags of tree seeds.

"We're almost there, Yakul," Ashitaka said, and then he smiled as he saw Altren trotting towards them.

"We're out of seeds," Altren said, eyeing the bags Yakul was carrying. "Did you bring more?"

"Yes, we brought more than enough for the rest of the week. How is it going?"

Altren was more upset about the lack of progress than his brother, and he shook his head. "It's going nowhere, Ashitaka. There are nowhere near enough of us to restore the entire forest." He fell into step alongside Yakul as they continued to head into the forest. "San's frustrated about it, too. We've managed to recruit a few of the animals, but we still aren't making much progress. All we can do now is wait for the bears to get here and hope that they help us."

Ashitaka glanced at the wolf. "You think they won't?"

Altren swished his tail slightly. "They come to this forest once a year, for the salmon run. It's their time to socialize with bears from different forests, and they might not want to stop to help us."

Yakul snorted. That's ridiculous. I think they'll help. They're friendly creatures, and this was their forest, too-why wouldn't they want to help?

Altren sighed. Yakul had a good point, but still-would the bears really want to give up their social time?

"I take it that Yakul just said something that makes a lot of sense," Ashitaka said. He couldn't understand Yakul when he spoke, but San and the animal gods could.

"Yes, he did, and now I don't know what to think," Altren looked to the west. "I just hope the bears get here soon."

……………..

As it turned out, the bears were getting ready to head through the mountain pass.

Henu, a young bear with dusty brown fur, sniffed the air and then gave a disgusted snort.

"Do you smell that?" He asked the yellow-furred bear next to him. "It smells like smoke. My nose is burning."

The yellow bear twitched her ears. "Forget the smell, can you hear that?"

"It sounds like screaming!" A cub with red fur exclaimed.

"It is screaming," A deep voice said, as Okkeanos the bear god came up behind the three bears who had talking. He was huge, with red-brown fur that had silver streaks through it. "Humans are near here, and it sounds like a battle."

"A battle?" The cub asked excitedly. "Oohh…you mean with like, riffles and stuff? I wanna see!"

"You'll do no such thing," The yellow bear scolded. "Let Okkeanos and the others handle this."

"Aww, mom!" The cub whined.

…………………

Okkeanos picked a few of his strongest fighters to accompany him to the area on fire. Bravely leading the way, the large bear followed the sounds of battle as they grew louder and louder.

"Position your selves in a circle around this area," Okkeanos ordered. "Do not move until I say so."

One by one the bears obeyed, forming a loose circle in the brush. The minutes ticked agonizingly by. A fly buzzed in Henu's ear and he flicked it in annoyance. Next to him, an older bear with yellow-brown fur shifted his paws impatiently.

Suddenly, a loud wail sounded throughout the area as a young child ran into the area, closely pursued by a samurai. Okkeanos reacted instantly. With a loud, angry roar, he reared up onto his hind legs threateningly, glaring at the samurai. The human warrior paused, startled by the sudden appearance of the large bear. He soon regained his composure and swung his sword at Okkeanos.

Okkeanos dodged the blade and snatched the man's sword arm in his mouth. He clamped down hard, yanking backwards. The samurai's arm was torn clean off. Okkeanos dropped the man's arm, still clutching the sword, to the ground. Shaking blood off his muzzle, he yelled to his warriors over the man's screams of pain. "Now! NOW!"

The bear warriors leapt out of hiding just as the other samurai, hearing their comrade's cries of pain, arrived on the scene.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

…………………………

The Shape Bender Village was a place of utter chaos.

Everywhere, families were grabbing what they could, saddling up horses and trying to flee before one of the samurai caught them.

Seto, a fifteen year old Shape Bender, had been trying to saddle his and his brother's horse, Borrego, when a samurai had appeared out of nowhere, knocking Seto down and chasing his brother into the forest.

"Mokuba!" He cried, getting to his feet. He was about to give chase when an older man grabbed his arm, restraining him.

"Don't be a fool, boy," the man, whose name was Rishii, said in a gruff voice. "You'll get yourself killed."

Seto struggled to pull free. "That's my brother! I'm not about to let him get…"

A pain filled scream sounded out from the forest.

The samurai all stopped what they were doing, turning and running into the forest. As soon as the last samurai disappeared into the trees, loud roars and screams were heard.

"Sounds like some beasts are giving the samurai what for!" A man cried out.

Seto's eyes widened and he continued to try to break free of Rishii's grip. "Let me go!" When Rishii did not loosen his hold, Seto growled and quickly transformed into one of his animal forms, an eagle with silver feathers. With a loud screech, he flapped into the air and flew towards the forest as fast as he could.

All that Rishii still held onto was a few silver feathers.

"Idiot," He murmured, but there was admiration in his voice.

………………..

Okkeanos dipped his head into the stream to wash the blood off the blood on his muzzle. He then raised his head, water trickling down his chest. Most of the samurai had been killed, but a few had fled the way they had come, killing more people in their frantic attempt to escape the angry bears. As for the valley dwellers, almost all of them were killed or had run off somewhere.

Henu ran up to him suddenly, coming up from further down the stream.

"Lord Okkeanos, there's a human child in the water!" He panted.

Okkeanos was immediately on his way downstream, following the younger bear. "Show me."

Henu lead Okkeanos along the bank for five minutes before stopping and pointing at the middle of the stream.

"Right there, Lord. He's laying on that big rock. He must have fallen and cracked his head on it."

Okkeanos bounded through the water. He looked down at the child. He recognized him as the boy he had saved from the first samurai. The little boy was soaked and his breathing was labored. Okkeanos nudged the boy gently with his muzzle. The child moaned softly.

"He cracked his head, alright. But you were wrong, Henu. He's not a human-he's a Shape Bender."

"A Shape Bender? I thought they were just a myth," Henu said in disbelief, trying to get a good look at the young boy.

"They have a different scent from humans. Here, help me carry him."

Between the two of them, the bears were able to carry the little boy away.

…………………

If it hadn't been for the urgency of his mission, Seto would have enjoyed the feeling of the wind through his feathers and the sheer freedom he felt when ever he flew. He loved flying, but right now, his love for his brother was what was driving him. Spotting a clearing in the trees, Seto tucked his wings close to his body and pulled himself into a spectacular dive.

"Perfect landing," He said to himself, changing back to his normal form. "Mokuba? Are you here?"

A soft snuffing in the bushes startled him, but he relaxed when he saw Borrego come trotting towards him. "Good boy," Seto said with a smile as he hoisted himself onto the horse's back. "Come on. Let's find Mokuba."

They rode off into the trees together.

……………………

Okkeanos and Henu gently laid the unconscious boy on a bed of soft leaves and moss. The red cub, whose name was Bosa, edged towards the area slightly.

"Is he okay?" Bosa asked curiously.

Henu shook his head. "Better not get too close, son."

Bosa nodded and backed away.

The boy stirred and groaned. He opened his eyes, rubbing his head as he moaned in pain. "Where…where am I?"

"In the Forest of the Gods," Henu said in a gentle voice. "I am the Bear God Henu. What is your name, little one?"

The boy appeared to be lost in thought. A panic look surfaced on his face and he looked at Henu, speaking in a frightened voice. "I…I can't remember…"

"Where did you come from?" Okkeanos asked.

The boy shook his head, panic still in his eyes. "I don't know…I can't remember anything…"

Bosa couldn't stand it. The young cub felt very sorry for the young, nameless boy. Bosa jumped into the child's lap and started licking his face. "Cheer up, friend, we'll help you!"

The little boy laughed as Bosa's tongue ticked his face.

"He needs a name, if anything," Henu said to his father. "My mate and I will watch over him."

Okkeanos nodded. "Very well. From this day forward, he will be your responsibility. As for the name, I will give him one. He will be called Mystery, because that is exactly what he is. We know nothing of him."

"Mystery?" asked Seka, Henu's daughter. She was a sensible young bear with orange fur. "That's a nice name."

"Call him Myst for short," Bosa yelled, now enjoying being scratched behind the ears by the young Shape Bender.

"Very well," Okkeanos said with a smile, then he turned as a black bear came up next to him.

"Lord, some more humans are coming-and they have rifles."

Okkeanos nodded. "Thank you, Blackie. Come on, bears. We must leave before they arrive." He headed off into the trees, the other bears following.

Henu turned to Myst. "Climb on my back and ride. The forest is hard for a person to travel through on foot." He lowered himself and the boy climbed onto him, holding on to the large bear's fur tightly.

Within a few minutes, the forest clearing by the water was as empty as if nothing had even been there. The bears were gone.

………………………………...

….end of chapter one….