San returned to the village covered in scratches from the twigs which had dragged against her skin. She stormed past the crowd of villagers and found Eboshi.

"I found those humans," San hissed, "There's two hundred of them and they're going to be here soon." She continued past Eboshi without giving her the chance to speak. She grabbed her spear and sat back down on the steps. She examined the head, making sure that the edges were sharp and the tip was keen. As she ran her finger on the blade, a small cut opened and bled. She ignored the sting entirely.

Eboshi informed the commander of the samurai of the number of enemy warriors. He nodded in response and began to shout orders at his men. He wanted them to hide in the trees with their bows ready to fire. For those who couldn't get into the trees, they would hide in the bushes with their spears at hand. The commander restrung his own bow, a seven foot long daikyu yumi bow, and stood at the edge where the village and the forest met.

San was just about to head into the forest herself when she was stopped by Lady Eboshi. "What do you think you're doing, San?" She asked.

"I'm going to fight," San answered, "Those humans are heartless; they killed an injured and defenseless creature simply because it could no longer serve them."

"I can see why you're upset, but you stand no chance against these men. As skillful of a warrior you are, do you think you're fast enough to dodge an arrow? Do you think your knife will be able to reach the weak points in their armor? Your spear isn't very long, either; the ones being carried by our impending foes are twice the size of your own. I'm thankful that you took the risk to spy on those men, but that's all I ask of you. There's a chance you'll be killed by those warriors."

"I'm not fighting because you asked me to, I'm fighting because I want to."

"How well do you think you'll fare against those men?"

"Well enough." San replied as she continued on her way. Eboshi wanted to grab San's arm and stop her, but there was no convincing that woman. She shook her head and went to see how Ashitaka was doing. The last time she saw him, he was babbling nonsense while dancing on the verge of unconsciousness. Before entering the ishi's hut, she glanced over at Yakul. He was sitting close to the road, his eyes fixated on the forest. Eboshi knew that Yakul was no ordinary animal. She wondered if it truly could understand what Ashitaka was saying to him or if he was simply well trained.

Inside the hut, the ishi was crushing some herbs together in a pestle and mortar. Ashitaka was lying down on a futon with several empty cups and bowls nearby. Traces of liquid could be seen in them, varying in color from bright green to pale red. Eboshi bowed to the doctor and asked about Ashitaka's condition.

"You're very lucky that the village was close by," The ishi replied, "He ate a poisonous type of berry. If he hadn't been treated, there was a strong possibility he wouldn't have survived."

"Thank you, sir," Eboshi said, "Is he awake?"

"Hello, Lady Eboshi," Ashitaka croaked with his eyes still shut, "How long have I been here?"

"Only a few hours, thankfully. San has been worried about you."

Ashitaka thought he had misheard Eboshi; he found it hard to believe that San would be worried for a human, even him. He wanted to get up and see her but he was still too weak. "Where is she now?"

Lady Eboshi gave a little sigh, agitated with San's foolishness. "I suppose I should start by telling you that there are samurai in the village."

Ashitaka's eyes shot open. "What?"

"They're from the lord who rules over this region, sent to protect the village from possible attackers. There is another group in the forest at the moment. These warriors serve a different daimyo and they have twice as many men as the warriors here. There's going to be a bit of a skirmish."

"What does San have to do with this?"

"The samurai in the forest killed an animal of some sort. San said it was injured and helpless. In any case, she's going to join the fight."

"Do you think you can do anything to stop her?"

"I already tried, but she's made up her mind."

Ashitaka wanted to go to San and try to convince her to stop, but his body wouldn't allow it. He loved her and thought her to be an excellent fighter, but he wasn't sure if she could fight against an armored samurai warrior. The only thing between her body and the edge of one of their swords was her dress, the same dress which was torn from being snagged by twigs. A sword would do much more than a mere stick.

"Try not to worry, Ashitaka," Lady Eboshi said, "I'll make sure that she remains unharmed."

San sat in wait behind a hedge with her spear gripped in both hands. She was waiting from a signal from either side, something to alert her that the battle had started. She imagined it would be little more than shouting and war cries. She could already hear the samurai approaching the village. Every snapping twig, every crunching leaf, every brush against low branches against their steel armor rang in her ears. The sound grew steadily closer. The sound of two hundred boots thudding on the ground sounded like boulders rolling down a hill. They reminded San of the boars.

In an instant, their footsteps were silenced by the sudden twang of bowstrings. The cries of six dozen men echoed throughout the forest. Roars from both sides erupted as the samurai armies charged towards each other. Warriors jumped down from the treetops and out of the bushes, ambushing their foes with no warning. San rushed out from her hiding place, quickly finding an enemy samurai. The soldier had no time to raise his sword. The tip of San's spear cut through the leather protecting his neck. As the samurai fell, San hurried to find a new foe.

The originally two hundred man army had swiftly been halved. Once they managed to gather their bearings, they fought back with conviction. When too close to use their spears, they drew their swords or swung their kanabos. Metal clashed against metal, bodies smacked on to the ground, and moans of agony filled the air. San managed to take down another samurai, this time by plunging a knife into the back of his neck. He had been fighting with one of the defenders from the village and had no idea of the Wolf Girl behind him.

One of the invaders broke past the edge of the forest, bolting towards the village he was sent to wipe out. He knew that the task he had been sent to do was heinous, yet he was taught that his enemies would do the same to his home village. Reprehensible as his quest was, for him it was the only means of defending the family he had at home. There were no villagers walking about in the streets, but that didn't matter to him. They would be hiding inside with only farming tools to defend themselves with. He knew that if one of his enemies were at his home and his family begged for mercy, they wouldn't be spared. Why should he give these people any better treatment?

San caught up to the lone samurai and attempted to plunge her knife into his neck. He dodged the strike and swung at San. The Wolf Girl rolled out of the way and sprinted towards the armored warrior, beginning a series of strikes and dodges between the two. San was the more agile of the two, almost effortlessly avoiding every swing of the samurai's katana. He was the stronger of the two and had the superior weapon. He parried every strike directed at him while trying to create distance between himself and San.

An arrow from out of the forest bounced off of the samurai's helmet. Whether it was fired by an enemy or an accident caused by an ally was unknown. He staggered back in a daze as the objects in his vision blurred and split in two. San took advantage of the opportunity, charging with her spear aimed at his neck. Just as she was about to strike him down, the samurai stumbled out of the way. San's spear planted into the ground like a fence post. As she was bent over, struggling to get her weapon out of the dirt, the samurai drove his boot into her mouth, nearly knocking out her teeth. Had he used more force, she could have lost most of her front teeth. However, he was still reeling from the arrow to his head. Yet the kick was still enough to knock San onto her back and cut open her lips. She was about to scramble to her feet when she felt the heavy steel boot of the samurai press against her chest. He raised his katana high above his head, blocking out the sunlight which broke through the treetops. For a brief moment, San could see her life flash before her eyes. Tears formed in her eyes when she realized that she would never see Ashitaka or her brothers again, that they might die if the cure was never recovered.

The blade of Lady Eboshi's katana burst through the samurai's neck, splattering blood all over San. A second slash to his spine caused him to drop. His sword lay motionless in the grass, unstained and free of blood. Her own sword returned to its sheathe as she heard the samurai's death knell. She ignored San for the moment and calmly made her way to the still-implanted spear. It took only one strong tug to pull the spear out of the ground. She walked over to San, offering a hand to help the stunned girl to her feet. With stubborn reluctance, San accepted the hand and was pulled up, almost stumbling as she regained her balance. She picked up her spear and looked to see how the battle was faring.

"It seems that our allies are doing well," Lady Eboshi remarked, "I say that we should leave the rest up to them, don't you think? You can see if the ishi can do something about those cuts on your mouth. You can also visit Ashitaka; he wanted to see you earlier."

At the moment, San wanted almost nothing more than to see Ashitaka. She almost lost her life. If Lady Eboshi had arrived one second later, she would have had to carry back San's corpse and explain to Ashitaka what had happened. She had to go to him and show him that she was fine. With only a nod towards Lady Eboshi, San staggered out of the forest and towards the ishi's hut. Lady Eboshi smiled at the small gesture. It was another step in showing San that she was indeed human. A wolf would have left without any form of thanks, instead fleeing from the one who had saved it. It would take much more to open San's eyes. Lady Eboshi hoped that such moments would be less life threatening.

San entered the ishi's hut without any warning, startling the elderly man. She saw Ashitaka with his eyes shut tight. He couldn't have been sleeping. He must have been trying to avoid imagining the scenes of the battle outside. Even in here the cries and shouts of the warriors could be heard along with their swords, spears, and clubs smashing against one another. It was a wonder to her, how he was such a skilled warrior yet couldn't stand the idea of violence.