Chapter One: Forgotten

Four Years Later

Grinning from ear to ear, I was almost at my breaking point at my great new idea. I crept slowly towards the large slithering tail as it waved from side to side. The black stripes against the golden fur were mesmerizing on the tail. As softly as I could, I managed to be right behind the owner of the magnificent tail.

One, two...

"ARRRGGHHH!" A great roared echoed as I bit down on Taruga's soft spot. Greats bawls of laughter sounded through the gathering as the tiger deity brought his tail in front of his face. Elegant features of the tiger scrunched into a funny expression, mixed with amusement and annoyance.

"Mononoke." Taruga stated simply and I pull back my lips into a grin, since my teeth were still sunk in his tail, "Showwy, Tawuga-shama."

He sighed and looked over at his friend, "I swear, Gintaro, your human will be the death of me one day."

Gintaro, still wiping his tears away at my latest prank, smirked, "Oh, old friend. You know you love her as much as I do."

Taruga sighed and gripped my waist with his giant paws, gently pulling me off his tail.

I relented, since his fur was tickling my mouth and nose like a bad itch, and set me down in Gintaro's great arms. Snuggling in the familiar spot, Gintaro chuckled, "One day, kid, someone is going to eat you up and I won't be there to save you." I looked up at him and smile, "Don't wowwy, I'll just eat them fwirst."

That counter earned some chuckles from the other deities.

Then the gathering hushed as another deity stepped into the ring.

"Well, I won't know how you're going to eat me, little one." A soft growl said kindly. I blinked and nestled into Gintaro's warm body as a large horned head tilted towards me as I tried shying away from the great beast.

Tenryu. The most powerful of the deities. He was a beautiful, awesome dragon, with scales that shimmered ethereal colours in the sunlight. His sky blue eyes held secret wisdom and it's as if that when you look into them, he can see the inner parts of your soul.

I was petrified of him yet I love and respect him with all my heart.

The dragon chuckled as he patted my head. He turned to Gintaro and his kind tone turned serious, "Come, let us speak in private."

I felt Gintaro's heart skipped a beat anxiously under my fingers as the other deities took the hint to walk away. Taruga hesitated but after a nod from Gintaro, Taruga patted his good friend's shoulder and left.

The three of us were what that's left in the clearing.

"You sure you want to dismiss the Gathering because of me?" Gintaro asked, a tease hidden in his voice. It was his way of hiding his anxiety.

Tenryu sighed and looked down at me tiredly. It was a while before he spoke.

"It's time to let her go, Gintaro."

Let who go? I wondered as Gintaro replied hastily, "I will try to make her behave next time, Tenryu. But-"

The dragon lifted a clawed hand, "I understand that it must be hard for you to part with the child. You have after all raised her well. All of us know and understand that. But the child is a human. We are immortal. I do not want you to have a broken heart, Gintaro."

Tenryu sighed sadly as he tucked my hair behind my ear, "We all love you very much, little one. It's been a long time since us immortals have something so pure to enjoy. These four years have been pleasantly hectic since Gintaro decided to adopt you. But you've been taken from the human world for far too long."

I looked away and up at Gintaro, but his eyes were closed painfully. I felt tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged his great chest. I didn't understand what they were talking about but I don't like it when Gintaro's sad.

"If, it's any consolation," Tenryu's voice was hushed, "We will always be nearby to protect you." He touched my forehead, "Not only Gintaro, but me and Taruga. The other deities may or may not help as they are known to be fickle. But, we have and will watch you grow. At least we can enjoy some infuriation for a few more years."

I tried to return a smile to Tenryu, but Gintaro turned away quickly, "That's enough, Tenryu, I know what to do."

And with that, my great canine guardian walked away from the dragon god.

XxXxXx

Gintaro kept on walking, his eyes trained forward. He didn't speak for a long time.

I felt confused. What did Tenryu-sama mean? I didn't understand. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. It was all so sudden. Was it because I bit Taruga-sama? I swear I could be a good girl next time. I don't want to go away. I wanted to stay with Gintaro and everybody forever! I-

"Mononoke."

I looked up at the mention of my name. Gintaro's golden eyes were sad as he set me down on the forest floor. He placed his great paw on my cheek, rubbing it with his large thumb. I squeezed it tightly and looked up at him.

"Mononoke, I really don't want to do this but Tenryu is right. It's time for you to go back. It's not safe for you here."

I opened my mouth to apologize but his thumb touched my mouth for me to remain silent.

"You know too many secrets of the world, my child, and for this burden to be placed on you, I am very sorry." He pulled me close and I reached as far as my little hands could to hug him back.

"I will make you forget everything you saw, so that it won't be so hard on you."

I blinked once and I tried to pull back but obviously it was useless. Gintaro is three heads larger than a grown man. I should know, I've seen them before.

A sob wrack my whole body as I felt memories being dimmed into darkness, a part of my soul emptying.

Then everything blacked out.

XXXXxxxXXX

Wandering, wandering. The forest felt familiar yet strange. I didn't know where I was going. Wandering, wandering. I had woke from a deep sleep but I don't remember how I got there.

A name.

A name.

Mononoke.

Yes, my name is Mononoke. Wandering again. Where am I?

I stumbled over a root but I managed to keep my balance. Who am I?

A trickling sound reached my ears.

What is that?

Water. That's water.

Thirst. I was thirsty. I needed water. I started to walk faster, following the sound.

Soon I came to a stream, a river. A large one. But it didn't move quickly. A slow steady river. Exhausted, I fell on all fours and began to crawl to the miraculous source. Cupping my hands into the stream, I lift the sparkling liquid to my lips.

Paradise.

I scooped again and again until I was quite full.

Content, I fell back on the grass and looked up at the sky.

Sky. Something reminded me about the sky. But I couldn't, for the life of me, remember. I felt an pang in my heart. What is it?

As I touched my chest, I felt something extremely cold and hot at the same time. Curious, I pull open my collar to look inside. A large swirl with incantations bordering it was on my chest.

What is it?

I traced the swirl when suddenly I heard a noise.

A deer. It looked at me for a heartbeat before it pranced off.

I blinked. What was that all about?

Getting up, I tried to follow the deer's path. Maybe it knows where to go.

Following, following.

Suddenly, I'm somewhere in the woods where I don't recognize. Where is this place?

The plants here were thicker, the trees taller, scarier.

The forest was still. Quiet.

I looked around. No one?

No.

Someone is here. I looked up into the trees. Who is it?

Turning in a circle, I could feel someone. Or someones. There's a few.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked aloud, hoping that someone would answer me. Then, a small rustle. I quickly turned to the source but no one was there. I squinted and I saw a shadow, a few feet away from me, in the bushes.

"Hello?"

I moved closer to the shadow, curiosity filling me, "Who are you?" I asked. But the shadow didn't reply. Instead it began to move closer to me.

Suddenly, I felt something is wrong. Something is very, very, very wrong. Curiosity turned to fear in an instant and I turned to run back, to the place I was before. I heard it following me. I tripped over a root but managed to scramble away in time to see the shadow's true face.

I didn't know what it was but it scared me senseless. I gasped as it grunted at me and began to paw at the ground, its tusks gleaming. Frantic, I looked around for something to defend myself.

Then, I saw the little ones. Smaller versions of the creature before me. I sense the protectiveness of the creature over the small ones.

Feared froze me in place as the creature began to charge at me. I couldn't move.

So I screamed, closing my eyes as I braced for impact.

I heard an ugly noise as something thudded in front of me. Then silence. But I couldn't feel any pain. I winced and cracked open an eye a little.

Looking at the scene before me, my eyes grew as wide as saucers.

Large icicles sprouted from the ground in an arc in front of me, the largest one piercing the creature, red water flowing from its body and along the ice.

Blood. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on it. I've seen it before. And the creature. There is a name for it. It's a boar. I remember now. I took in deep breaths, the smell of death was strong. What else do I remember?

...Nothing. Nothing else.

Sighing, I tried to stand but only managed a wobble before falling on my behind.

Before I could stand again, I heard more rustling and looked up.

The someones are here. Four of them. They wore masks of animals so I couldn't see their face. Before I could wonder why, one of them asked me, "Who are you?"

I gulped and replied, my throat itching, "M-Mononoke."

They were quiet for a moment before another one asked, in a much kinder voice, "What are you doing here, little girl? You're supposed to be home, aren't you?" His question confused me, "...What do you mean?" I stood up on unstable legs, "What are you talking about?"

"Where are your parents? We can take you home, if you want." His voice was kind, but his questions made me even more confused.

Which scared me. Why are they asking me these things? What are parents? What is home?

"What's wrong?" He asked, when I felt my face twisted a little.

Frustrated, I screamed and held my head, shaking furiously. I heard the sound of the earth cracking and looked up, fear making me well up.

More icicles shot out, causing the people to jump out of the way and land in the tree branches above. The ice glowed slightly, as if it had inner light, casting soft colours into the forest. Wracking with sobs, I crumpled on the ground.

"Idon'tknowIdon'tknowIdon'tknow..." I muttered, over and over again.

I heard them talking quietly among themselves. I wanted them to leave me alone. Finally, I heard one of them drop to the ground and walked towards me.

"Mononoke... Come with us." I looked to see one of the masks watching me. "We'll take you to someone." I edged away until he sighed, "Please don't make this harder, kid. It's better to come with us than stay out here." He stretch a hand to me.

I didn't want to trust him but I felt a small pull towards him. Something tells me that he wouldn't hurt me. Slowly, I reached over to him and touched his fingers lightly. Then the pull grew stronger. Finally, I held his hand and he pulled me closer as he crouched in front of me.

"I have a small question for you, is that okay?" He asked softly and I thought for a moment before dipping my head a little.

"What are you doing here?" His question made my heart quicken. What was I doing here?

I guess he sensed my anxiety before shaking his head, "Never mind me. Hop on." I watched as he turned around and gestured me to his back, "I'll carry you." Obeying his request, I obediently climbed on his back. He stood up and tilted his head at the others, "Let's go."

I REWROTE THE WHOLE THING JUST BECAUSE. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK :3