A Beautiful Morning


A bright and beaming sun slowly arose behind the horizon in a mixture of blue and violet splashed against orange and yellow. The morning mist evaporated, leaving fresh drops of dew on the grass and leaves of the trees. The calm chirp of a bird or occasional screeching of an owl circled the air, signifying the rise of day. A beautiful day.

Sunlight shimmered and danced upon the gentle waves of an azure lake surrounding the brow of two small hills. And on those two hills was situated, like a crown of thorns, the infamous Tatara-ba.

Or not so infamous as it was.

The last battle that the town's people were engaged in had taught them a hard lesson that cost their lives and town. But now, with the Forest's forgiveness, they had begun to rebuild their former abode. And this time, they had learnt from their mistakes, the most who had learned from being Lady Eboshi. She had her right arm's stub to prove that.

Sunlight began to creep up the foreboding walls and parapets enclosing the town and jumped from roof to roof, spreading the golden colors of the morning onto the buildings. A few women clad in loose kimonos and towels wrapped around their heads walked about the empty streets, some setting up small vegetable or rice stalls and others tending to their small plots of land. Lady Eboshi had decided that if they weren't going to produce iron, at least for the time being, then they would need to rely on agriculture and food trades to supply the still-growing populace of Tatara-ba.

Soon, the morning sun broke over the horizon and shone brightly upon the town and the adjacent Forest. Life began to stir; animals crawling out of their burrows and dens and birds flirting in and out for food. The apes began their usual business of planting and tending to their beloved trees.

The town also began to wake up, besides the early women. Bamboo shutters were drawn aside, shop signs were put in place, and the usual routines of the townspeople started. The clanking of hammers and planks resounded throughout, and smoke columns arose over fire-pits and small furnaces.


Ashitaka woke up with a start. The reality of the world crashed around him as he arose from a sea of dreams and landed back into his room, onto his crumpled futon and fur blanket. He stifled a long yawn and began to work his lazy limbs by walking to the ashen fire-pit and lighting a fire. He then started towards the bathroom, which consisted of a small round tub, a bucket full of cold water, and a wrinkling towel hanging mournfully upon a stubborn rope stretched across the ceiling. He disrobed and splashed the cold water, shivering, and then proceeded to dry himself with the towel. By this time the fire had begun to crackle and sent small waves of smoke up into the small opening at the top.

His house was a modest one, formerly occupied by a physician that had long been dead; Eboshi had given it to him as a gift. The derelict house was turned into a proper dwelling a few weeks later. And Ashitaka was grateful for it.

After having a quick breakfast of some plain porridge he slipped on a faded grey kimono and beige trousers, complete with a pair of leather moccasins. He then exited his house and started off down the road trail towards where the reconstruction was taking place. He smiled to himself; after seven months of working, this is what turned out of it. Worth the pain, blood, and sweat shed over that time period. And the peace between them and the Forest Guardians, especially the Princess Mononoke, was going quite well, though they still held some mistrust and spite for each other. Recently they'd been quite neutral, but the townspeople still feared them.

Nevertheless, things would sort out peacefully, thought Ashitaka, as the din of town life hit him as he entered the town centre.