Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Princess Mononoke
Here's what I made up: Fokkusugaaru (Fokks), Kisa (kinda), Jisen (kinda)
Fokks perched in a tree, overlooking the human's town. It had been two weeks since she won her freedom back, but she still looked out over the lake every day.
She was wearing a mask, with pointed ears and fox-like eyes. Today, there seemed a difference in Irontown. She had sensed distress and fear wafting from the fortress, but it was none of her business.
Her ears perked up, and she caught the sound of footsteps. Humans again, but only one. She ran silently through the trees and threw herself through a bush into the human, knocking them over.
Her dirk was at the intruder's throat in the blink of an eye. "What are you doing in my forest, human?"
She got a good look at the human's face, and gasped, "Ashitaka!" The knife slid back into its sheath, and Fokks helped him up.
The Emishi prince dusted himself off, "Fokks?"
She nodded, and pushed the mask up onto the top of her head. "Why have you come? I noticed something different about Irontown today. Is something wrong?"
"A plague has spread throughout the town. And Asano's men are on their way. San refuses to help, so I came to you. Eboshi and many others have the sickness, and without them Irontown may fall. Will you help?" His eyes pleaded with her to agree.
Fokks was taken aback by his expression, so she agreed. They moved back the way the human had come, until the young woman spotted a chestnut mare waiting for them.
She turned to Ashitaka, "Where's Yakkul?" The human bowed his head. Fokks gaped for a moment, then jerked into action.
"Come on!" she barked, "No time to lose! Judging by the smell, Asano's men are only a couple of hours away. If we don't help the sick people soon, they won't be able to help defend your town."
Ashitaka wordlessly mounted the horse and held out his hand for Fokks. She shook her head, pulled down the mask, and ran at top speed towards the human town. The chestnut mare was hard put to keep up, even at full gallop.
They shot across the bridge into the town. Fokks' arrival was met by cheers. This was a very different greeting from her last visit, but, then again, the circumstances had changed.
She let Ashitaka take the lead, and he went straight to the sickhouse. Yakkul was lying outside, tended by several humans. She waved the others away, except for two. They were fairly young, and probably more open-minded than the older healers.
Fokks rapped out orders, and Yakkul was soon back on his feet, looking better than ever. She then went inside and did the same for all of the plague victims.
Eboshi she left for last, but eventually all the others were gone to the armory. The former captive stood over the woman, "Are you willing to accept help from a dumb animal?"
Irontown's leader grimaced, then nodded.
Fokks gestured to her two helpers, "She has an advanced case of the sickness. She must have been one of the first to get it. It's a particularly malignant strain, but we should be able to get rid of it."
It took the feral healer and her aides half an hour to cure Lady Eboshi to the point that she could walk and give orders. The woman strode out, not even bothering to thank her former captive.
Fokks spat, "I still can't believe I helped her…" She walked out, breathing deeply. The disgusting air in the human town was still better than the stench of death that still permeated the sickhouse.
Catching a certain scent, she sniffed again. "The samurai. They're almost upon us." The gate was closing, but it was once again not quick enough.
The invaders rode in, met by a line of spearmen backed by gunmen. Fokks ran through the streets to the front gate, where the samurai's charge was being held back.
The feral young woman screamed out a war cry. The red haze again obscured her vision. She threw herself into the fray, dirks in hands. She became a red whirlwind. No one could stop the death she brought.
Man after man took a swing that did not connect, and was killed the next moment. A couple scored good hits; one on the back of her leg and the other in her side. These did not even slow the warrior down.
She cut a swath of death through the very heart of the horde, leaving a bloody path. The samurai slowed the charge, confused. The Irontown defenders took advantage of the lull and drove their enemy out.
Fokks stayed with them, chasing along behind, driving the men away. All they wanted to do was get away from the red whirlwind of death. Most of the defenders dropped off after a moment, but Fokks continued chasing the samurai.
Ashitaka watched apprehensively as the entire group, including the feral young woman, disappeared over the ridge of the mountain. They heard a loud war cry, which made even the strongest willed tremble.
Fokks reappeared at the top of the slope. She waved her bloody knives in the air, then suddenly crumpled and fell. The humans gasped as one.
Ashitaka was the first to react, climbing quickly down from the wall and mounting Yakkul. The elk tore off over the bridge and up the mountain. The human dismounted, landing right next to the fallen Fokks.
He rolled her over onto her back.
She smiled up at the Emishi prince, "I'm sorry…"
He shook his head emphatically, "Don't say that. You were essential to the fight. Without your help, we might have lost. As it happened, we didn't lose a single fighter."
Fokks' eyes closed and she went limp. Ashitaka hurriedly checked her vitals. He was relieved to find a strong pulse. She was covered in scratches and bruises, but there were two serious wounds; one in the back of her leg, and one on her side.
Grabbing the dirks from the ground he quickly wiped them on the grass and replaced them in their sheaths. He sat her on Yakkul's back and climbed up behind. The Emishi prince wrapped an arm gently around the limp figure and signaled the elk.
Yakkul headed down the mountainside at a smooth, quick gallop. They arrived back in Irontown and continued on to the sickhouse.
Fokks was laid gently on a bed, and Ashitaka spun to face Eboshi, who had followed him inside. "Who is the best healer in all of Irontown?" he demanded.
She smiled in a sarcastic manner, "I don't really see a need to treat her wounds. She--"
Ashitaka's fists clenched. He strode out of the building before the woman could finish her sentence.
He called for Toki, and she was at his side in an instant. "Toki, do you think you could treat her wounds? They don't look infected…"
The woman nodded, "Of course. After all she's done for us; it would be incredibly selfish not to help." She bustled inside and made up a couple of poultices.
Fokks soon looked much better. Some of the color returned to her cheeks, and the blood was gone from her skin and clothes. There were a couple of bandages on some of the more serious cuts, but there weren't very many.
The fox-fur cape and the dirks were carefully arranged on a chair next to the bed. As Ashitaka stood watching the wounded warrior, Fokks stirred and groaned.
She slowly opened her eyes, and smiled at her human friend. "We won, right?"
The Emishi prince smiled back, "Yes. We couldn't have done it without you." The young woman relaxed back into the bed and fell asleep once more.
Ashitaka pulled the covers back up and tucked them in around her. He waved the other humans out and sat on a nearby bed, determined to keep watch while his friend slept.