Jagged shadows cast by the mountains darkened the forest floor. San was the first to awaken and crawled out of her tent, redressing in her now dry clothes. Her joints cracked and popped as she stretched out her arms, legs, back, and neck. Yakul trotted up to her and brushed her cheek with his nuzzle. For a brief moment, the distractions of the day vanished and San felt some peace of mind. She glanced towards the mountain pass. Daunting as the path seemed, she was ready to face whatever dangers laid ahead. Lady Eboshi woke up several minutes later, rubbing her eyes as the sun forced them to squint. The two women greeted each other good morning. Both were still unaccustomed to the other's civility, particularly Lady Eboshi, but that did not stop them from smiling at one another.

"I see that whoever you saw last night didn't decide to visit." Lady Eboshi said as she sat to eat breakfast.

"I guess not." San remarked as she glanced at the looming peaks. Although she was sure that she had seen someone further up in the mountain pass, she knew that it was possible that she had something else or even nothing at all. There had been plenty of times before when she had been startled by a squirrel that rustled a bush, tiny twigs which dropped from the trees overhead, and once thought a snake had been crawling up her arm only to discover Ashitaka's hand. It didn't bother her either way. The two had a small, short breakfast, conserving their food for their trek through the desolate mountains.

San and Eboshi made one last check of their supplies before heading out. They had enough food to last no more than five days between the two of them. According to Lady Eboshi, it would only take them three to get through the mountains. Yakul's bags of food were filled with more than enough food to help him get through the pass. Lady Eboshi mentioned that there were small streams of water that they could use to refill the clay jugs they had brought. Lastly, the two checked their weapons. Both women had their respective blades, each with a fine sharpened edge which glinted in the sunlight. Ashitaka's bow and arrows were still hanging alongside Yakul's saddlebags, but neither woman could properly use it; San had fired it twice out of curiosity and it was impossible for Eboshi to even imagine holding it, much less shooting a target. Once both were sure that no more preparations could be made, they finally hopped onto Yakul's back and headed up the mountain pass.

Lady Eboshi could almost envision herself when she last made the journey through these mountains. The only thing about them which escaped her was their name. She was riding a dark brown horse, running her fingers through the beast's black mane. At her side would have been one of the women she tasked with acting as a bodyguard; she would have been atop a small brown horse with most of her face hidden. To her left would have been a younger Gonza, a time when he was less brash, more naive, and just as loyal. Others would have followed. Most were mercenaries hired by Eboshi for protection. Several other women, those who had been brought from brothels to instead work in the still-growing Irontown, would have been close behind.

Time had little effect on the mountains. Their slopes remained barren and brown. Higher up in the peaks, the stones gradually shifted towards a dark gray color. Signs of plant life could have been found there, but neither woman could tell from where they were. Even if they could see what grew above them, they would not have tried to scale further up the mountains, costing themselves time and possibly creating a dire situation should one of them slip. The only sound in the pass was the soft whisper of the wind. On occasion, Lady Eboshi would break the silence by giving directions to Yakul. Her voice echoed in the distance.

As time passed and the group made progress, the sky evolved from pale blue to light gray. San could tell that they weren't storm clouds and that they would soon pass. They had little effect on Yakul. He too knew that they didn't serve as the harbingers of another storm. The only thing they caused was the area to become a little darker. Lady Eboshi glanced upwards only for a moment before returning her focus to the path. She had wanted to tell the time, though the clouds made it difficult to do so. When she voiced her annoyance to San, she told her not to worry and that they would be gone in an hour or two.

To help try and create the illusion that time was passing faster than usual, San asked Lady Eboshi if she knew anything interesting about the mountains.

"Not much outside of superstitions from nearby villages, if you think those might be interesting." Lady Eboshi replied, "They call these mountains cursed, yet I never encountered anything other than a goat."

"What are some of these superstitions, then?" San inquired. Although Eboshi seemed to dismiss them, she had lived amongst spirits and deities her entire life. She wouldn't be too surprised if some of these fears had a hint of basis.

"Talk of demons and evil spirits, mostly. Most of the stories involve a monster that disguises itself as a woman to take advantage of weary travelers. Their tales end with that woman either eating them or stealing their belongings."

"And you don't believe any of them?"

"Let's just say that the people who told me these legends may not have been in an entirely reputable state of mind. I think one girl I spoke with mentioned a demon which rode the wind and attacked with spinning blades, something like that. They were rather interesting stories, I just don't believe any of them."

San's focus returned to the ever-continuing path. Though she had only seen demons like Nago and Lord Okkoto, her mother had spoken of others which dwelled in different lands. She could recall a number which dwelled in the mountains. Although her forest home itself was situated on a mountain range, these monsters never appeared. Perhaps they only dwelled in barren areas like where she and Eboshi were venturing through. The idea faded into the back of her mind after a few minutes.

As Yakul was turning a corner, a familiar smell drifted by San's nose. The scent was a vile, rotten smell that made San's face scrunch and her body cringe.

"What's wrong, San?" Lady Eboshi asked, having noticed her change in composure.

"Something smells awful," San replied, "Whatever it is, it isn't too far away."

"What is it?"

San sniffed the air, regretting the decision immediately. She spat to the side and pinched her nose. "It smells like a dead body." Eboshi sat silent while Yakul paused in his stride for a brief moment. After a few seconds of silence, San added, "Whoever it was died recently."

"How can you tell?"

"The smell is strongest when the body is still decomposing."

It wouldn't be much longer before San and Lady Eboshi found the source of the stench. Yakul was passing through a narrow corridor when they came across a corpse sitting against the stone. San told Yakul to pause for a moment. She hopped off of his back and approached the body, one hand covering her nose as she got closer. The body belonged to a man and had shriveled to the point where his skin hugged his bones. His skin was becoming mottled and green. Flies buzzed and circled around him. A large empty sack was draped over his legs, the strings which closed it still tangled in his fingers. There were no visible wounds on his body. Despite the overpowering odor of the corpse, San moved closer to see if she could find any indication as to how he had died. Even with the mild decomposition, she could tell that this man was rather young at the time of his death.

"No cuts, no bite marks; this human wasn't murdered," San remarked, "It's possible he died of an illness or maybe starvation."

"Perhaps he died of dehydration." Lady Eboshi added, "It doesn't look he has anything that could hold water. You would think that he would have brought enough supplies to get through these mountains... perhaps someone stole them."

San turned away from the body to rejoin Eboshi and Yakul. "Like who? Someone who was traveling with him?"

"It could have been a friend who lost what he had and did what he could to survive. Maybe it was someone who was traveling on the same path and stole his supplies in the night. In any case, let's hope that if somebody really did steal his belongings, they're long gone." San nodded in agreeance and hopped up onto Yakul. As he was continuing down the path, Lady Eboshi jokingly asked San, "You're not going to try and run off with our supplies, are you?" The only response San gave was a slight pout while Eboshi grinned.

The group traveled for a few more hours before they decided that they would finally stop for the night. Just as San slid her leg off of Yakul, stumbling to regain her footing, she heard what she thought was clicking in the distance. As the sound got louder, it sounded more like slapping. Her eyes focused on the path ahead as she tried to pierce through the darkness and find the origin of the noise. It wasn't long before she spotted a woman sprinting in she and Eboshi's direction. Eboshi must have noticed the sound as well because she pulled her katana an inch out of its scabbard. San followed suit as her hand drifted to her dagger. Yakul took several steps back.

The woman skidded to a halt when her eyes fell upon Eboshi and San's blades. She raised her hands. brushing some of her thick, dishevled black hair, and pleaded, "Please don't hurt me!"

San and Eboshi glimpsed at each other and stayed their weapons. The woman breathed a sigh of relief and bowed. "What's your name, miss?" Lady Eboshi asked.

"Akane," The woman replied, "I was passing through these mountains until some demons attacked me."

San heard Lady Eboshi swear under her breath. "Well, I guess those villagers were right after all. We're not going to hurt you, Akane, you can put your hands down."

Akane nodded and lowered her arms, breathing a sigh of relief. She brushed her hair back with one hand and said, "Thank you. I was afraid that the demons weren't the only danger around here."

"Where are these demons? We're headed north and would rather not run into them."

"I'm traveling north as well but I encountered them on my way. I've been running for a long time now; I can't go on much longer."

"Drink some of this." Lady Eboshi said as she tossed her jug to Akane. She gladly accepted and guzzled down every drop of water. "Why don't you stay with us for a while? We would have a better chance against any 'demons' if we stuck together."

San couldn't help but feel like bringing this woman was a bad idea. It wasn't because she was afraid that their supplies would dwindle faster. She thought that maybe it was her lingering hatred for humankind. For the meantime, she ignored her biting instinct and remained silent.

A wide smile appeared on Akane's face as she thanked them a dozen times. "I just need to get out of the mountains; my home village is close by."

Lady Eboshi nodded. She turned to San and whispered, "You don't have much of a problem with this, do you?" San shook her head, suppressing her true feelings. Eboshi smiled and returned her focus to Akane. "We're going to be making camp here. We have some food if you're hungry."

"Thank you," Akane said, "That would be wonderful."