The other Wolf Girl

A princess Mononoke Fan Fiction

All rights go to the makers/creators and I only own Mikaru

I yawn trying to stay awake as Ashitaka and the men talk but with how the day went I am exhausted. "It's said that a happy woman make a happy village." I scowl at the men who laugh. "Happy? Ha! Those kind of women working' here?" "Women like that...it's a disgrace. They defile the iron." "Lady Eboshi goes around buying the contract of every brothel girl she can find." "Milady has a kind heart, that's all." "You got rice on your chin, old man." "It's true. Everything here has turned upside-down since she showed up." "That's right. She's not even afraid of the gods, that woman. You should have seen the way she dealt with Nago. Am I right?" "Who's Nago?" Ashitaka asks the man that has squatted down by his side. ""Who's Nago?" The gigantic boar god. He used to rule this whole forest. We couldn't even get near the mountains with him around. Nothing to do but sit around on our backsides for months, starin' at a bunch of angry boars." the man across from us nods and hmms in agreement. "See, the iron in the sand under this town had all been dug out." "Then we tried to get at the iron under the mountain, but Nago wasn't gonna stand for that." "The problem was, before we could dig for the iron, we had to clear away the forest, and that's what made the boar angry." I could imagine how the gigantic boar was feeling when the men tried invading his territory. Anger, sadness, and protective for his brother boars. "Then one day Lady Eboshi came along with her warriors and her rifles." I could imagine the fire surrounding the poor boar god as his home was burned to the ground while he couldn't do anything. I clench my fists in anger just imagining all of this. "Young man, what's wrong? Is something hurting your arm" I look to Ashitaka who had an upset look to his face while gripping his marked arm. "Are you ok Ashitaka?" he keeps looking straight ahead of him. "I am fine. I was just thinking about the boar god. I was thinking how he must have died filled with hate." I nod as Ashitaka stands. I stand up as well as me and him both head to where the Lady Eboshi was. I carry my furs in my arm as I look over at Ashitaka. He had no emotion on his face which worried me. I hope this doesn't affect him much concerning his arm other that the iron from this town corrupted the boar god. We walk into the building and approach the woman. She was checking the iron with a tiny iron and for respect me and Ashitaka remained in silence finally she spoke after a couple of minutes. "Sorry for keeping you two waiting, strangers. That's good iron." she hands a piece of iron to the man Gonza. "We were running behind with tomorrow's shipment. Let's have a rest. You may tell the others." she tells the small woman helping Gonza. "Yes milady." "Some think you're either a spy for the wolf girl or for Lord Asano and his samurai. And that the woman who travels with you is the missing wolf girl who left before I came and help this town. There are a lot of people out there with their eyes on this iron. Why are you two here, if you don't mind me asking?" Ashitaka pulls down his arm wrap and shows Eboshi the ball iron from Nago. "I believe you'll recognize this. It shattered the bones of a giant boar, rotted his flesh and turned him into a monster. I fought with him, and for that I was cursed with this mark on my arm, and soon it will kill me." he pulls the arm wrap back up. Eboshi turns her head quickly to look at the both of us. "Where is it you two come from? I've never seen a red elk like that before or a girl with snow white hair with eyes of a wolf." "We have both come a very long way. I can't tell you more than that." Gonza clenches the sword which was at his side and yells in anger. "Answer milady's question or i'll cut you both in half." "What do you plan to do? What exactly are you here for?" "To see with eyes unclouded by hate." and I answer as well. "To protect the person that I think deserves to live more than it seems fate wants him to live." she answers in a sarcastic way. " "Eyes unclouded"? "Protecting one that deserves to live more than fate wants them to"? That explains it. Come. I'll show you all my secrets." she stands as her body guard gives her a worried look. "Is that wise, milady?" "Gonza, take over for me." she leads us through the town. We pass the iron plant and Ashitaka stops quickly. Ashitaka and I watch as the woman peddles back and forth the giant wooden plank. We stay there for a second but we continue catching up the Eboshi. "This is my garden. None of the town's people dare to come here. Follow me if you wish to learn my secret." Ashitaka and I follow her as she enters the shack. As we walk in I notice the people who were wrapped in bandages. Why are they wrapped? I wondered as we walked in. "Good evening." I look around seeing more wrapped people with riffles and weapons. "We only just finished it, milady." Eboshi picks up one of the rifles and weighs it. "It's still too heavy." "Perhaps if you didn't hold it so delicately?" "Milady, if we make them any lighter, they'll fall apart." "I trust you to figure it out. They're not for me. They're for the other women here. That'll be something to see." She turns to us showing off the weapon. "This is the latest rifle that I've asked these people to design. The ones we brought here have turned out to be too heavy. These will; kill forest monsters and pierce the thickest samurai armor." The closest bandaged turned half way around. "You better watch out there, you two. Lady Eboshi wants to rule the world." "I'm sorry to have to push you all so hard. I'll have wine sent down later." "Oh, that'll be nice." "First you steal the boar's forest from him and then transform him into a demon. Now you're making even deadlier weapons! How much hatred and pain do you think we need?" "Yes, I'm the one who shot the boar, and I'm sorry that you suffer. I truly am. That brainless pig. I'm the one he should have put a curse on, not you." I glare at the women with all the hate I could muster. All of a sudden Ashitaka reaches for his sword and seems like he is struggling with his cursed arm to either kill Eboshi or not to. I quickly grip onto Ashitaka's arm making sure I had a hold of it. "Get a hold of yourself Ashitaka! Please!" I whisper to him. "Does that right hand of yours wish to kill me now, Ashitaka?" I slowly loosen my grip as Ashitaka grips onto his arm. "If it would lift the curse, I'd let it tear you apart, but even that wouldn't end the killing now, would it?" she smirks at him "No, it wouldn't. It would have to kill all of us to be at peace." "Milady, Osa has something to say." I look towards the figure wrapped in a hay blanket. "Forgive me, milady. You must not make light of the boy's and girl's strength. Young man, like you, I know what rage feels like, grief and helplessness. But you must not take your revenge on Lady Eboshi. She is the only one who saw us as human beings. We are lepers. The world hates and fears us, but she took us in and washed our rotting flesh and bandaged us." the man next to Osa gets in closer in worry. "Osa?" "Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed, but still, you find reasons to keep living. I'm sorry. I'm making no sense." In respect to the old man I leave the building followed by Eboshi and Ashitaka. I look into where the forest used to and suddenly Eboshi shoots a flare into where the ape gods where trying to plant trees. "Oh, they just keep coming back. Every night they're out there planting trees trying to turn the mountain into a forest again. Stay here. Help me kill the forest Spirit, Ashitaka and Miki." I look over at Ashitaka trying to see what his reaction would be. "You would do that? Kill the very heart of the forest?" "Without that ancient god the animals here would be nothing but dumb beasts once more. When the forests has been cleared and the wolves wiped out, this desolate place will be the richest land in the world and Princess Mononoke will become human along with her missing Sister Princess Mikaru." "That will never happen." I whisper to myself. "Princess Mononoke? Princess Mikaru?" Ashitaka asks her. "Princesses of the spirits of ghouls, beasts and ancient gods. The wolf stole their souls, and now Mononoke lives to kill me. Mikaru has been missing long since I have been here. It's said that she abandoned the wolves to protect somebody close to her heart but ever since she has never been seen." I scowl at this trying not to snap at the woman. "The legends say the blood of the Great Forest's Spirit can heal anything. Perhaps it could cure my poor lepers. Might even be able to lift your curse, Ashitaka.