Chapter 4

They stopped when it was pitch black and when the sky was blanketed with stars. Wearily, Ashitaka took care of Yakul, set out some feed, and set up camp for himself and the brothers. Too tired to hunt, he pulled some food out of the packs that he'd been given and began to get supper ready for himself.

"What would you two like?" he asked, thinking that some jerky might be all right for the wolves.

Taro wrinkled his noise. "Human food? No, thank you. We'll hunt."

Ashitaka nodded. "Be careful."

"We will," Jiro promised. "We always are."

Ashitaka finished his meal off with some cool water from the stream nearby and got out his bedroll after banking the fire. He settled in to wait for the brothers and sighed, trying very hard not to worry about San. She was a strong young woman and was accustomed to taking care of herself. After all, Moro had taught her independence. Why should he worry?

Space

Taro and Jiro loped up to the campsite, smiling when Ashitaka did not stir at their approach. In some ways, the human was like their sister, but in other ways, he was hopeless. If something had approached San while she was asleep, she wouldn't have stayed asleep but would have leapt up instead. Sometimes they wondered if Ashitaka was still a pup.

Jiro sniffed at Ashitaka, trying to see if he were all right.

"He's asleep, Jiro," Taro said, settling down on the ground.

"I know," Jiro told him. "It will be cold tonight. Do you think he'll be warm enough?"

Taro looked doubtful. Instead of answering, he got up and lay back down by Ashitaka's side. Yakul, who had settled himself at Ashitaka's feet, looked at him but didn't comment. Jiro took Ashitaka's other side, protecting him from cold and whatever else might come along.

Space

San had no idea of how much time was passing. She was allowed out of the stupid box only long enough to eat, drink, and relieve herself, and for the rest of the time, she was trapped in the carry-box. Jigo called it a "litter," but she called it a prison. She was dying for a swim in some cool water since the box was stuffy most of the time and since she wanted a bath above all else. She didn't even care if she didn't get to kill the monk anymore, she only wanted out. How long had it been since she'd seen the sun? She wasn't sure.

Since she didn't have anything else to do, she slept to pass the time. She dreamed of her mother and the Forest Spirit, of her days growing up in the forest, the battle with Iron Town, and the days afterward spent with Ashitaka. She dreamed of the last day they'd spent together: swimming in a large forest lake, splashing one another, the water sparkling in the sun. She smiled as she dreamed, almost believing that she was there.

An ox lowing outside the box woke her, and she snarled, wishing that she could have ox for supper that night. She crept to the tiny slit that posed as a window and peered out. Dust, smell, and countless human buildings greeted her, and she reeled back in shock. Where was she? What sort of human dwelling-place was this? It was much bigger than Iron Town!

She looked again, marveling at all of the humans in one place, the noise, the smell, and the amount of activity. People shouted to one another, hawking wares or arguing over prices, livestock mooed, baaed, crowed, clucked, or squealed, and all sorts of tradesmen were working at their crafts with gusto, almost, but not quite, covering up the rest of the noise. She recognized the sound of a blacksmith, but beyond that things were strange to her.

The men carrying and escorting her litter wound their way through the city like a group of ants carrying a crumb, and she watched it pass by, wondering at it all. How could humans live so close together like this? Didn't they feel crowded? Didn't they feel cramped without any room to run around in? And the noise! How could they hear themselves think with all of this racket? And. . .what was that smell?

Sniffing, San pressed her nose to the tiny window and breathed deep. That was an interesting smell! It smelled like honey! Her mouth began to water as she thought about the honey she'd gotten in the forest from bee trees, and she wished that she could have some now. Whatever that smell was, she wanted some! How long had it been since her last meal?

Gradually, the noise faded until it became nothing more than a buzz in the background, and she felt the litter tilt slightly. They were heading uphill now. She sniffed, and the air was a little cleaner that it had been in the large human village. Watching things pass by outside, she saw a large gate, and she heard it shut behind her. The litter was set down, and the door opened up, streaming sunshine in, making her squint.

"We're here, girl," Jigo was saying. "Come on out."

"We're where?" she demanded, determined not to get out until she was certain it weren't some sort of trap.

Jigo groaned. "We didn't drag you all this way just to have you sit in a box, you know. Do you want out or not?"

Gingerly, San got out of the box and looked around. She was in the yard of a very large house, and there were people running here and there, but beyond that, she really didn't know what the place was. "Where are we?"

"The Emperor's palace," the monk said, smiling. "You're to be his honored guest, so be nice, okay?"

She started to snarl at him, but he stepped on her foot to make her stop. Two ladies were hurrying towards them, and she knew that they were there for her.

"Ah, ladies, lovely to see you," Jigo said, smiling with all of his charm. "This is your charge, the Princess Mononoke, and she has had a long and tiring journey. She is not used to people, so try to make her comfortable until the Emperor calls for her, all right?"

The women flittered and fluttered and giggled, and chattered to the monk that they would do all that they could, and taking their posts on either side of San, took her into the palace.

San had never been inside a human building before. On them, yes, around them, yes, but never inside. She was led through corridors and up stairs, and finally into a room that was wide open and airy. The women, whose names she learned were Nyoko and Kinu, chattered to her and asked her if she would like anything.

"A bath," she said promptly, thinking longingly of cool water. "And something to eat."

They chattered and giggled, but a tub of water appeared with buckets more next to it once they had given orders to some men out in the hall. Ignoring the buckets, San stripped as soon as the men were gone and jumped into the tub, but with a scream she jumped back out again, rubbing at her now-pink skin. "It's boiling!" she almost shrieked, still tingling from the heat that had almost cooked her in a moment.

"No, it's only hot," Nyoko assured her with a giggle. "Come, like this."

With that, San was seated on a stool, soaked with hot water, scrubbed with something that turned white and smelled like roses, and at last, was rinsed with cool.

"Now you soak in the tub," Kinu told her, but San refused to until a little cool had been added to the hot water. It was bearable after that, like part of a lake that had been getting sun all day.

The two women rubbed her dry with towels and wrapped her in a robe, and began to offer her food. In spite of being hungry, she still remembered to ask where her clothes had disappeared to.

"They're being cleaned," Nyoko said, smiling. "After all, you've been wearing them for days on end, and you'd want them clean, wouldn't you?"

San was dismayed to think that her clothes would smell like human washing, but she decided not to fuss. She already smelled like human washing, so what difference would it make?

Once her stomach was full, the two women stayed with her, ostensibly keeping her company, but she was sure that they were making sure that she wasn't going to be able to run off. A bed was set out for her, and they spread futons out on the floor for themselves, and San slipped under the blankets, wishing for her brothers and Ashitaka.