7: A New Feeling
Now it had been a year since that day. Now both were 15, and now both felt more for the other. Love. Neither one said a word about it though, and so secret thoughts and feelings were left behind, and were replaced with masks of simple friendship. Moro woke up earlier now, and went out of Iron Town to go to her field. She picked some flowers for some of the villagers, and only smiled. But it faded when she saw her mother and her uncles, anger upon their faces. Moro only blinked, and wondered what she should do.
"Moro. You are turning into one of them." San said to her.
"No..No I'm not.." Moro said in defense.
"You are.. I have seen what that boy has been trying to do. If you turn into one of them you will not possibly be able to become the next leader of our pack." San said to her.
"I won't turn into a human Mama...Only one more year and then I can come back and become what I am meant to be. The leader of our pack...I will never become a human..I will not become a weapon that kills our kind I swear it." Moro said, holding back tears. San only walked over to Moro, and embraced her.
"This has been painful for you...I can see that...Do not lose your inner wolf, and all will not be lost. Lose that, and your humanity will take over." she said to her.
"I won't...I won't...Mama...I'm scared..." Moro sobbed, and dropped the flowers in her hands to hug her mother tightly.
"You know...you were born..right under the full moon, and it was a special night. That is why you were named Moro, for you were named after your grandmother, who was a god at the time she was alive." San said to her.
"Really? A god?.." Moro asked, tears still streaming down her face.
"Yes..and so, being born under that full moon...told me that you would be the next in line. And you will be..I know it." San said.
"Yes..I will..I won't become human Mama...I won't become what I hate..I will never become what I hate.." Moro said and burried her face in her mother's fur, and started to cry again. 'What am I?...' Moro thought. As the hug ended, her mother took out a pendant, and it glowed.
"Pretty..." Moro said as she stared a the gem.
"This is a gift your father gave to me, and now I am giving it to you. It shall help you through your difficult time, and most importantly it is a gift from me." San said and placed the necklace around Moro's neck. She stared at the gem, and looked at her mother.
"Thank you...I won't lose it. I will treasure it forever." Moro said with a smile, and San smiled back as her daughter continued to look into the beautiful jewel's center, as it glowed in the sunlight. As her mother and uncles finally left, she raced back to the village leaving her fear behind, and putting on a brave face. As she walked to the factory, Toki yelled at her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked sternly.
"I..I always come here..." Moro replied.
"Yeah well!" Toki cried and Moro closed her eyes in fear.
"Today you get the day off with Enishi and his friends." Toki said with a smile, her voice peaceful and calm. Moro only opened one eye, and then heard Enishi call over to her.
"HEY MORO! C'MON! My friends and I are waiting!" he shouted with a smile. As Moro curiously followed Enishi, she finally met his only two friends, Aoshi and Ares. Aoshi had his hair in a high ponytail now, and it went to his ears. He got a hair cut the day before. Ares grew her hair too and it went to her chest, now in a braid.
"So is this your 'servant' Enishi?" Ares asked teasingly. Moro did not find that too funny, and Enishi covered it up. Well, he tried to cover it up.
"Of course she is! Isn't she pretty? She's way more pretty than you Ares." he said. He hoped that made Moro feel better by saying she was pretty, but found it was the complete opposite. That made Moro even more angered. 'I guess that wasn't supposed to be said like that...' Enishi thought.
"Ahahahaha! Hear that Ares? You got competition in the beauty area! Not that you could ever compete with the wolf girl. She's far more beautiful than you'll ever be!" her brother laughed and Ares only blushed and started to cause a fuss. Moro smiled at this and began to laugh.
"What's so funny! I could probably beat you at being pretty any day!" Ares said with a huff.
"Don't mind my little sister. She takes after mom." Aoshi said and pointed.
"Shut up you! Why I oughtta! And I'm only 10 minutes after you!" Ares cried and chased her brother around and around.
"Your friends, they're nice." Moro said with a smile.
"They're my best friends!" Enishi said with a smile and then looked at Moro who only sighed and looked at the ground.
"What's wrong?" Aoshi asked.
"I miss my friends." Moro replied with a huff.
"You have friends? Can we meet them?" Ares asked.
"Yes. Of course. But they are in the forest. I know where they are. You can come with me if you like." Moro said with a smile.
"Cool! But we have to be careful right?" Aoshi asked.
"Yes. Very. The forest is a place of tranquility and serenity. Although I used to cause much mischief anyway." Moro replied with a smile. The other two smiled, and Enishi smiled too. He began to feel like she as a friend rather than a servant. He really did not mean for her to be his servant, but it was the only way to stop himself from killing her that day when they had met. Really, secretly, he thought she was cute the first day he laid eyes on her. As the four snuck out and into the forest, only one person saw them. It was Aoshi and Ares's father. He followed them close behind, silent as a snake that slithered to it's prey.
"This part of the forest is amazing." Ares said in awe.
"We're almost there." Moro said as she led them through the forest.
"Who are your friends? Are they the boars? If so then I'm leaving." Enishi said.
"No. They are not boars. They are spirits. Kodama spirits." Moro replied. Soon they heard the sounds of many clicking and shaking, and already the other three were afraid.
"Kodama spirits! It's me Moro! Let's play together again with some friends I brought along!" Moro cried. Soon, many faces appeared and it spooked the three out until one of them smiled, turned it's head clockwise, and then shook rapidly.
"What...are they?" Aoshi cried.
"They are Kodama spirits. I told you that before. They are harmless. Let's play hide and seek. We will come and find you." Moro said and all of them disappeared. As the four searched for the spirits, they finally found all of them after a long time. They smiled and laughed together as they chased eachother until they reached a field.
"This is an amazing place. I didn't think the forest could be this peaceful." Aoshi said as he looked up at the sky.
"Yes. It is quiet around here. Very peaceful to live here." Moro replied. She still didn't quite know how to react around humans, so she kept her words short. She really only talked when only Enishi was around, showing true trust and friendship, and, sometimes a little more than just friendship.
"Is this where you lived Moro?" Ares asked.
"No. I lived near here. Cave with my family." Moro said quietly.
"Who's your family?" Aoshi asked. Even though he and his sister were there that fateful day, they were too scared to watch.
"Mama, my two uncles and I used to live in the cave until I came here. Dad lived with you guys." Moro said.
"Wow. Is it cool living in this forest?" Ares asked.
"Very." Moro said with a smile. Enishi stayed silent through the whole conversation, and now felt very uncomfortable.
"What is wrong Enishi-sama?" Moro asked curiously.
"Nothing's wrong. I just was thinking about something that's all." Enishi replied and turned his back away toward them. Before anyone could ask what that something was, the peace was broken as a loud cry came from the forest. Everyone turned to see what it was, Moro getting her daggers at hand. At first there was more silence, and then a rustling came deep within. Moro's eyes changed color, and she looked deep into the forest to see a raging boar rushing toward them. "What..is it Moro?" Ares asked as she hid behind her brother. There was no answer, and before Moro could say anything, the raging boar roared down the hill, coming straight at them. As Moro blinked her eyes changed color, and the four were left in shock as the boar's loud cry shot through. Hatred echoed in it's voice.
As the wolf brothers and San were riding through the forest, one of her brothers perked his ears up and listened. The three stayed silent for quite a time before the younger one could say something.
"Moro. She has returned again and has brought humans with her. A wild boar sensed this and is now charging at them. They are in danger. We must go help our niece." he said and growled.
"Let's hurry then! I don't care about the humans, I want my daughter safe!" San cried and the two rode off in the direction of the attack. 'Once again she has brought humans into our land...is she truly not becoming one of them?' San thought and only sobbed inside of how hard this was for her daughter. Meanwhile, with the attack, Ares and Aoshi's father went off to the village, hoping to get help before his children were dead and Toki would kill him right after.
A/N: Thanx everyone for all ur reviews! I especially liked urs shelter. I shall keep that in mind and try to make it better than before! And I didn't know I got the age wrong for Ashitaka. If they're both the same ages, and San is 25 then so is Ashitaka. I'm confused about that cause I said...o! I guess when I said 'around 25' I meant 25. sorry about that folks! I'll fix that real soon! And don't worry as you can see this chappie was longer. Also, they will be longer from now on, and if not only 2 or so will be small. Anywayz, thanx again for the awesome reviews!