*Blatantly ignores the fact that I was unable to update on either my birthday (aka the second anniversary of this story) or the third anniversary of the day I joined this website like I usually do*

This is a God and/or Spirit talking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke or any characters thereof. Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki are the proud owners of the fantastic film, while I am just a High School student and am writing this for my own amusement and because I'm shocked that no one else had come up with the idea before me. I only own any possible changes I make to the plot of this movie, the dialogue of this movie, and/or any other things that I can't think of right now.

The Boar Clan

When San woke up, she did not get up immediately. She lay where she was for a long time, breathing quietly and taking the time to realize that she was alive. The wolves hadn't killed her the moment she was defenceless. She was still alive and breathing and feeling and her head hurt and she was exhausted but she was alive.

A drop of dew fell on her cheek and slid into her hair. San opened her eyes and nearly shut them immediately. The sun was so bright it made her head hurt even worse than it had been before. She slowly raised her left arm and draped it over her eyes, letting out a long sigh of exhaustion.

The feeling of her cheek being nuzzled made her lift her arm, and she smiled softly at the sight of Yakuul. Without a word, she put her hand to his muzzle and scratched him affectionately. Thank the Gods the wolves hadn't harmed him. If they had, well… any threat that came to mind wasn't nearly good enough for the pain she would have wished to inflict on them.

A small groan came from something to her left, and when she looked to see what it was, she sat up almost instantly.

The Wolf Boy - Ashitaka, she reminded herself, was lying next to her, unconscious and with a scar across his cheek under his left eye and blood staining his skin and clothes, but alive.

The feeling of relief that flooded her was so intense she felt like she had to lie down again. Ignoring this, she moved to put her hand on his chest, to check his heartbeat. Just to make sure it was beating normally.

She froze when her hand was almost touching him.

When San had last looked at her curse mark, the mark had only covered from her wrist to her bicep. Between then and now, the mark had spread once again. Now it stretched across the entire palm of her hand. Somehow, the thought that anyone could look and see it made her want to throw up.

A horrifying thought filled her mind, and then she was pulling the neckline of her tunic and white undershirt down, so she could see her shoulder. The Demon's mark had grown past her bicep - now it wrapped around her shoulder as well. Her entire right arm was covered by the mark.

She felt like screaming.

Only the thought of letting every creature in the forest - in this forest so far from her village and everyone she ever knew or cared for - know that she was there kept her from doing so.

Because - shit, shit, shit - none of this was supposed to happen.

She was supposed to be in the Emishi village. She was supposed to be with Kaya. She was supposed to be worrying about her engagement to goddamn Chagum of all people. She was supposed to be waking up and getting prepared for her day in the village watchtower.

She wasn't supposed to be here, in this forest full of things that wanted to kill her just because she was a human. She wasn't supposed to be alone, with only Yakuul as a companion. She wasn't supposed to be worrying about a curse on her arm that was eventually going to kill her if she didn't find a way to get it off in time. She wasn't supposed to be stuck in the middle of a war.

Because now she was stuck here. The Forest Spirit had been here and hadn't healed her, hadn't removed her curse, so she couldn't leave this godforsaken war behind and leave the Gods and the humans of Iron Town to wipe each other out. The Forest Spirit hadn't healed her, so she had a reason to stay. If she didn't stay and find a reason for the Forest Spirit to heal her, she would succumb to the curse, either turn die or into a Demon herself, but if she stayed she would probably die in the conflict anyway, killed by either one of Lady Eboshi's villagers or one of the animals of the forest.

She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do. She was going to die far away from her family and village, alone except for Yakuul - so at least she wouldn't be completely alone.

San miserably thought of the lepers in Lady Eboshi's garden. They were just the same as her. Dying and unable to stop it. But - she thought, remembering Osa - they, unlike her, had a reason to live. Helping Lady Eboshi. Being needed by Lady Eboshi. They all had reasons to live.

San's only reason for living was probably waking up right about then, in an empty hut, with the responsibility for an entire clan of people resting on her shoulders.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she instantly on her feet, her hand flying to the sword at her waist as she spun around.

The wolves had come. They both stood between two trees, watching her carefully with piercing eyes.

For a moment, neither San nor the wolves moved. Finally, though, San slowly let go of her sword, and her hand fell to her side. The wolves seemed to appreciate this, as they both came forward as soon as she had released her weapon. Mon kept his eyes on her, while Sune padded over to Ashitaka and sniffed his hair. He should have woken up by now.

He needs his rest. Mon stated, looking away from San briefly to glance at his brothers. He did almost die last night.

San let out a sigh, and turned to Yakuul. The elk had been startled when she had stood up so suddenly, and she gave him a head scratch to make sure he knew she was alright. She turned right back around, though, when she heard a gasp that could not have come from a wolf.

The Wolf Boy was awake.

He was awake, groaning and blinking furiously as the sun's light attacked his eyes, one hand against the side of his head, looking exhausted.

"Mon?" He asked groggily. "...Sune? Where am I?"

San took a step forward, frowning slightly.

You're in the forest, brother. Sune said. Remember? The Forest Spirit healed you.

"Healed… me?" Ashitaka repeated, sounding confused. He was beginning to frown. "But I was - dead? I think… I was dead, I remember, I was floating in the dark…" He groaned again, clutching the side of his head.

What's wrong? Mon asked sharply, going to Ashitaka's side.

Ashitaka didn't answer for a moment, frown deepening as he looked at Mon. "Head hurts…" he mumbled, scratching his temple.

"Ashitaka," San spoke before either Mon or Sune could, kneeling at Ashitaka's side. "Can you hear me?"

Ashitaka looked at her blankly. "Human…" he muttered. "You're the human from the river."

"Yes, I am. Can you hear me?"

There was a pause. "Yes?"

"Can you see me clearly?"

Another pause. "Almost. You're blurry. Why is San here?" He directed his question at his brothers, glaring at them accusingly.

San blinked, surprised. "How do you know my name?"

You said it, at the river. Sune told her. Don't you remember?

San did remember, but she had forgotten that she had told the wolves her name. "Ah, right. Ashitaka, I brought you here so the Forest Spirit could save you." Save him, she thought bitterly, but not save me. "You were shot, remember?"

"Yes… I was dead, wasn't I?"

Ignoring his question, San looked up at the wolves, who were both staring at her with confusion in their eyes. "He's dazed. Must have a mild concussion. He was shot in the head at one point, last night, and he was struck by Lady Eboshi at some point, too."

He's been struck in the head before, and shot in the head before too, but he's never been this dazed afterwards, so that's not it. Mon said dismissively. Sune bobbed his head in agreement, while Ashitaka groaned in pain.

San gave the older wolf an odd look, before she sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure of it. A lot of warriors in my village have had head injuries, and I know the symptoms. Usually they're worse than this, so he must have built up some kind of tolerance and isn't affected as much." She casually put a hand to Ashitaka's forehead. "His illness must be affecting him too."

Illness?

"He's burning up. A fever, most likely."

I knew he was ill! Mon roared, looking furious. I knew it! But he didn't tell us, just so he could go and attack that thrice-be-damned gunwoman! The idiot! He-

The sound of a low growl made Mon stop mid-yell. Slowly, the wolves and San turned towards the source of the noise, and San's muscles tensed as soon as she saw what had made the noise.

It was the Wolf God from the river, the one who had been bleeding. Moro, the Goddess the Iron Town villagers had told her about. She was standing only a few metres away from them, head turned towards them and watching them all carefully. Now, close up, San could see exactly why the men of Iron Town were so frightened of her. The Goddess was easily three or four times bigger than both Mon and Sune, and the fangs she displayed as she snarled at San looked to be the size of San's hand and just as sharp as her sword. The way the sun hit her made her pure white fur gleam, making her look regal and threatening all at the same time - especially to San, who was the one the Goddess was glaring at so venomously. A chill ran up San's spine, and had she not been the warrior she was, she probably would have run off as fast as she could, or at least would have avoided making eye contact with the wolf.

Moro didn't say a word, but when her gaze went to Mon and Sune, both of the smaller wolves left San and Ashitaka and went to their mother, one of them standing on either side. San stayed where she was, kneeling at Ashitaka's side, meeting Moro's gaze almost defiantly. No one dared to make a sound.

The tense silence was broken as several shrill squeals pierced the air, and Moro finally turned away from San and looked straight ahead. San kept watching the wolf for a moment, before she looked as well. For a moment, she didn't see anything. But then she did - making their way through the trees were hundreds of black or brown boars, squealing and trampling grass under their hooves. All of them were larger than the average wild boars that lived in the forest around the Emishi village. (This was something that San had been realizing ever since she had seen the wolves at the river - most, if not all of the animals that she met in this forest would be much larger than they were supposed to be.) Their sharp, ivory tusks gleamed every time a ray of sun hit them, and their dark eyes were filled with both hatred and intelligence. While the boards might not have been as smart as the wolves were, the boars were still obviously smarter than the average wild pig.

The largest boar, the one leading the rest of them, stepped forward and spoke. We are here to kill the humans and save the forest. Why are humans here, Moro? His voice was rough, and his tone made it sound as if he was questioning Moro's sanity for allowing humans to be in the forest.

Moro chuckled. The humans are everywhere, these days. Go back to your own forest and kill the humans there. Her tone changed, and she growled softly. The boy is Ashitaka - my son. The statement practically dared the boar to try and harm the boy.

We will kill these humans! We will save this forest! The boar bellowed angrily. He turned toward San and Ashitaka, but his eyes were trained on San, who just met his glare with an stare of her own. Why is the other human here?

The girl saved our brother, boar. We brought her here so she could continue to give our brother her life source. It was Mon who spoke, though he only did it after looking at his mother for her permission, which had come in the form of a small nod.

The Forest Spirit allowed the girl to stay here. Sune spoke now. You wouldn't dare to go against His orders, would you? May we remind you that blood is not to be shed near His pool?

This only succeeded in making the boars angrier than they had been already. Quiet, outraged squeals could be heard from the back of the herd. The leader looked absolutely livid. The Forest Spirit saved him?! Saved the life of that loathsome runt?! Allowed humans to be in the most sacred area of His forest, and leave unharmed?! But He didn't save Nago? Nago was the guardian of this forest, and performed his duty as well as any boar could hope to! Why did the Forest Spirit not save him?!

Do not speak ill of my son, boar! Moro spat, momentarily losing control of her anger. Her fangs gleamed as she snarled, but she regained her lost control and continued to speak coolly. I do not pretend to understand why, but the Forest Spirit gives life and takes it as He so wishes. Have you boars forgotten that?

Liar! The boar roared. You begged for the Forest Spirit to save the humans life! But you did not beg for Nago, did you? You betrayed him!

I begged Him to save my son's life because Ashitaka is my son, Moro was barely able to keep from growling, and the Forest Spirit saved him because He wanted to, not because I asked Him to. The Forest Spirit did not save Nago because he was afraid to die. San sucked in a breath in horror. But it does not matter, because now I carry a human bullet within my breast as well. Nago fled, and the darkness took him. I remain, and I am prepared for death.

"Mother!" Ashitaka, who had been oddly quiet ever since San had declared him to be ill, suddenly gasped out. He made a move to sit up, and only managed to prop himself up on his elbows and look over his shoulder to address his mother. "You must ask the Forest Spirit to save you!"

Moro looked over to her son, and her gaze seemed to soften slightly. I have lived long enough, Ashitaka. Soon the Forest Spirit will let me rest forever.

Ashitaka shook his head furiously. "No, mother-"

The boar leader, looking irritated at the interruption in the important discussion he and Moro had been having, interrupted Ashitaka himself. Liar! Nago was the strongest of us all! He was not afraid of anything! He would never run! You wolves must have eaten him! The boar herd soon joined in, squealing and shrieking insults at the top of their lungs. Mon soon joined in, roaring insults right back, and Sune started quickly after Mon had.

San, who had been quiet for most of the confrontation, slowly pushed Ashitaka back to the ground. He had begun groaning, holding his head in pain. "It's too loud…" He muttered, mostly to himself. "It hurts…" San wondered briefly if he had forgotten she was even there, but she sympathized with him. She had seen how loud noises could pain people with head injuries, and the shouting, squealing and shrieking was getting louder and louder with each second. He must have been in agony.

Besides that, it was starting to irritate her as well. Her right hand had unconsciously formed a tight fist in her annoyance. She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. As the shouting continued, her eye began to twitch slightly.

A rush of fury filled her suddenly, and her eyes snapped open. "QUIET!"

Amazingly, San's yell managed to be heard above the noise. Even more impressive, the animals actually listened to her. They had all turned to stare at her, shocked that a human would be so impudent in the presence of hundreds of animals that could easily rip her apart.

Before San could wonder if she had done something stupid, some of the stunned boars parted and made a pathway. One normal sized brown boar walked through the path, leading another boar. Only, this one was the same size that Nago had been, if not even larger, was a grayish-white color, and had four tusks instead of the usual two. Okkoto. Moro's voice became relieved. Finally, a boar who will listen to reason.

Okkoto approached San, who watched him cautiously but didn't move. Yakuul tensed behind her, and she immediately raised her right hand to stroke his muzzle while not looking away from Okkoto.

The moment her right hand came in view, Okkoto stopped in his tracks, and Moro let out a soft growl. Young one, Okkoto's voice was like Moro's - it was calm on the surface, but had a quiet threat underneath. You carry the scent of an indecent darkness.

That was when San caught sight of Okkoto's eyes. They were an odd shade of milky blue and white. San had only seen eyes like that once - on Yoshi, the eldest man in the Emishi village. He's blind.

Tell me why I can smell the scent of evil on you. Okoto said. It was not a request.

San removed her hand from Yakuul's muzzle and stretched it out in front of her, displaying her hand for all to see. An ill feeling formed in the pit of her stomach as she saw the curse. "I was the one who killed Nago." San stated. A gasp of horror came from the boars, and she continued. "He had become a Demon, and rampaged far to the east of here, where my village was. I tried to calm him, but he would not stop, and I was forced to kill him. If I hadn't, he would have destroyed my village, and I could not allow that to happen. But he managed to catch me before I killed him, and he gave me this mark." She lowered her hand and placed it on her lap. "I came here because I wanted to beg the Forest Spirit to save me. The curse will tear my soul apart, and then it will turn me into a Demon, or kill me. But either way, if the curse is not removed, I will die."

There was nothing but silence as Okkoto took a few steps forward. San extended her arm, and let Okkoto breathe in her scent. As he did this, all the boars seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for their high leader to give his judgement.

Finally, Okkoto pulled away from the girl and breathed out, causing San's hair to flutter back and her earrings to shine as they caught the sun's light. I believe you. And I thank you for it, young one. I am only grieved, and ashamed, that such a Demon would have come from the Boar Clan. All the boars looked down or closed their eyes or both, and San couldn't be sure if they were showing their shame in Nago, or grieving for the loss of one of their own.

San pulled her hand back, looking down at the mark briefly before she looked back up at Okkoto. "Lord Okkoto, do you know of any way that will free me from this curse?"

Okkoto didn't speak for a moment, but when he did, his voice was cold. Leave this forest. If we meet again, I will have to kill you.

San let out a small sigh. She had expected for there to be no real answer to her problem. The only creature that could free her had refused to do so.

You will not beat the humans. Their guns will destroy all of you. Moro sounded tired. She had long been resigned to this fact. She had been long before she had been shot. But she fought, her children fought, because even when they knew they wouldn't win, the Wolf Clan would not give up without a fight.

Look on my tribe, Moro. Okkoto said harshly. We grow small, and we grow stupid. Soon we will be nothing more than squealing game that the humans hunt for their meat.

You would risk everything for one last battle. The Wolf Goddess sighed. That's just what the humans want.

I do not ask for the help of the Wolf Clan. Even if every one of us dies... it will be a battle the humans will never forget.Okkoto's words made it very clear - they would fight the humans. They would die. But they would fight. When this was said, Okkoto walked away into the trees, followed closely by the rest of the boars. Soon, all the squealing disappeared into the air, leaving the lake a peaceful, silent place once more.

Then they all saw it.

Standing off in the distance, where the sunlight was shining through the trees onto the lake, was the Forest Spirit. He was standing on the water, head down, drinking the lake water. San heard herself breathe in sharply, her shoulders tensing.

(She had to ignore the fact that her mark seemed to burn a bit more than it usually did at the sight of Him.)

As if He had heard her, the Forest Spirit looked up from the water, staring directly at her (her scar burned again, even stronger this time). Then He turned away and walked off, not making a single noise. He disappeared, leaving only the ripples in the water to remind them all that He had been there.

But they too, faded away.

(So basically Ashitaka had a cold/the flu and then it turned into a fever)

I'm not a doctor. I don't pretend to know medical information. I did the best I could.

(This was originally supposed to be… better. This chapter always seems to give me trouble.)