San and her wolf brother raced wildly and freely through the forest of the late deer god. The wolf girl had promised to meet Ashitaka in the woods after he had finished some repairs in the new Iron Town. She urged her brother to run faster so that she would be late.
"What's the matter?" the wolf mused. "Afraid your mate will leave before we get there?"
"He's not my mate!" San kicked her brother playfully. "Quit saying that! One of these days, Ashitaka's going to hear that!"
"And so what if he does?" the wolf barked. "He's human. That's what he wants."
"Yeah, well, I'm a wolf, so stop talking as if I was human." San scratched behind the wolf's ears.
The wolf just shook his head. Arguing with San over her own species was a dead end conversation that he had learned to avoid. As they approached the edge of the forest, he slowed his pace and stopped as San dismounted. His ears twitched at the clicking of a few kodamas.
A short time later, the wolf picked up Ashitaka's scent on the gentle breeze. He turned to his human sister and grinned mischievously.
"Are you sure I can't crunch his face off?" he asked.
"No!" San glared at him, annoyed. "I've told you countless times already! No biting Ashitaka!"
The wolf laughed as he plopped himself down on the grass. Looking up, he could see the boy his sister was waiting for heading in their direction. He laid his head down, hoping a piercing stare would unnerve the human boy. But Ashitaka no longer showed fear towards this sort of behavior; respect was the only thing the boy would give back.
"San!" Ashitaka smiled as he approached. "I've got some important news that you may or may not already know about."
"What is it?" San blinked.
"Are fox gods native to these woods?" he asked. "You've lived here all of your life, so I figured you would know."
San looked at her wolf brother as though passing the question on to him. The wolf growled uneasily, and San turned back to Ashitaka.
"I've seen fox gods," she explained. "But they come from other lands. It's rare that they ever come here."
"They should stay in their damn forests where they belong!" the wolf snarled. "Nothing but trouble!"
"Hm? Why's that?" Ashitaka inquired.
"Foxes are tricksters and illusionists, deceivers and troublemakers!" growled San's brother. "Wherever they appear, they are an omen that change is about to take place."
"By the way you are making it out to be, it sounds you've had bad experience with them before." the boy stretched out his legs as sat on the soft grass.
"Before you or San were even a thought on this Earth, a fox came to these woods." The wolf lifted his head and glared at Ashitaka disdainfully. "Mother knew that there was going to be trouble and, sure enough, that damned Eboshi woman showed up. If there's a fox in this forest, you'd better not be a pawn in its game!"
The wolf snapped its jaws at Ashitaka, who flinched only slightly. San tugged on her brother's ear sharply, warning him not to touch her friend.
"I haven't seen it for myself yet." Ashitaka explained. "But if I do, I'll be sure to tell you as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Ashitaka." San said softly. "And if there's any trouble, you know where to find me."
The wolf bared its teeth to the boy, a threatening growl rumbling in its throat. He stood up to leave, but didn't take his eyes off of Ashitaka. In fact, he nudged the boy roughly with his snout.
"If I ever find out you're a part of that fox's plot," he clenched his teeth. "I'll rip you into so many shreds that even the worms won't know what you were!"
A light slap on the wolf's hindquarters was San's reminder to stop being rude. Without another word, the wolf left.
"He can be so mean sometimes," said San. "but I know he's just being protective."
"Moro was the same way, wasn't she?" Ashitaka rested a hand nonchalantly on her shoulder.
"She was the only mother I knew." she nodded as she continued to stare after her brother. "She's part of the reason I hate the humans so much."
"You only hate if you choose to."
San shook her head irritatedly. Her disdain of humanity boiled within her as she tried to control it.
"You don't understand!" she clenched her teeth. "Moro's not the only reason I hate them!"
Ashitaka was tempted to remove his hand from her shoulder, but resisted doing so. He wanted to hear more of what San was telling him.
"Your human mother abandoned you." he said quietly. "I know…"
San turned to him suddenly, as though in shock of what he had just said. She blinked curiously, with a hint of suspicion in her expression.
"How did you know about that?" she asked almost in a whisper.
"That night that you brought me to your den on the cliff," Ashitaka explained. "I woke up during the night and stepped out to the cliff to admire the view. Moro was sitting on top, and when we were talking, she told me."
San stared at the ground pensively. She had only heard the story a few times, and her hatred of humanity flared with every reminder. How could humans be so heartless as to discard their own young in favor of their own pathetic lives? At least here in the forest, the animals were willing to fight to the death in order to protect their offspring from harm. Her so-called parents hadn't even done that for her!
"San?" Ashitaka asked after she had been quiet for a while.
The wolf girl returned to her senses and glared into Ashitaka's concerned gaze. Something about him simply did not make sense to her.
"Are you really human, Ashitaka?" she asked seriously.
Ashitaka was a bit caught off guard, but he smiled weakly in return.
"Of course I am, San." he nodded gently. "What would make you think otherwise?"
"I'm a wolf," she returned her gaze to the ground momentarily. "but I look like a human. You don't act like a human, but you definitely look like one. How does one tell the difference?"
The boy seemed somewhat perplexed, but only for a very brief moment. He gently pulled San into his arms and rested her head against his chest. A deep shade of red rose to San's very confused face. She moved as if to struggle, but the sound of his heartbeat stopped her.
"Do you hear that?" he asked calmly.
"Yes…" she whispered.
"That's how you can tell the difference." said Ashitaka. "That's how you'll know."
He let go of her slowly, knowing that she hated the touch of humans, but still wanting to hold her a bit longer. San looked at him, confusion scribbled all over her face. She appeared as though she wanted to say something, but nothing would come out.
"I'm sorry…" Ashitaka stepped back, suddenly regretful of his actions.
"No…" San shook her head. "It's ok… I understand now. Thank you."
"Anyway," he cleared his throat, intending to break the tension between them. "If I see anything or hear of anything else, I promise to let you know, all right?"
"Yes." she nodded. "Same here. Well, I guess I had better get going. I don't want my brothers to worry about me."
"I understand." Ashitaka nodded knowingly. "Will I see you here tomorrow, as usual?"
"Unless something happens," she replied. "then yes, I'll be here."
They parted ways, San returning to the forest and Ashitaka to Iron Town. Pausing momentarily, Ashitaka glanced back at her, watching as she disappeared into the trees.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, a creature, lying hidden in the tall grasses, had been watching them. Its hazel gaze spied the two as they each went their separate ways. A broad, canid smirk revealed sharp fangs that glistened in the light.
"Moro," it uttered aloud. "My mother's prophecy shall soon come to pass by my hand."
~~~~~~~
This is Chapter 1. Where would you like to go next?
