As Ashitaka neared the edge of the forest, he saw Yakkul's ears twitch as the sound of a stick cracking sounded behind them. He pulled the animal to a stop and looked back to see San chasing after him.
"San...?" he breathed.
"I want to go with you." she explained, trying to catch her breathe. "A fox god may not listen to a human, but they will at least hear a wolf out."
"That's very kind of you San," Ashitaka smiled. "but this could be dangerous, and I don't want you hurt."
"I'm not afraid." San glared. "and even if you tell me to go, I won't do it!"
Ashitaka stared at her. San's defiant personality had remained unchanged despite the passage of time. Even when they were conversing casually, San relentlessly clung to the ideals she held dearly. True, she still hated humans, but when she had asked that question the other time... about whether he was really human or not... did she think he wasn't because he had been kind to her? Ashitaka blinked the distration away.
"If you insist," he said. "but I'm going to Iron Town first, like I said. Are you alright with going there?"
"I've been there before!" she sassed. "And if I come out stinking like a human, I'll just wash up later."
"Very well." Ashitaka nodded. "Do you want to ride on Yakkul with me? You look kind of exhausted."
San blinked confusedly, but came over to Yakkul and pet his muzzle.
"Will it be too much for you if I ride?" she asked the animal.
Yakkul simply shook his head in reply. San kissed the creature's nose gently and went to climb on. Ashitaka gave her a hand and they were on their way.
********************************
Once in Iron Town, San began to regret coming along for this part of the ride. True, she had been here before, but only to cause trouble, and there were more than just a few people staring at her. She clung tighter to Ashitaka.
Ashitaka was having tensions of his own. People were staring at him as well as San, and despite having been the center of attention on previous occasions, this time he found it next to unbearable. He silenced a gasp that nearly escaped his throat at the feel of San's tightening grasp. Internally, thanks was given to the gods that the dark of night concealed the twinge of color that tickled his face momentarily.
"Are we almost there?" San inquired softly.
"Yes." Ashitaka gestured discretely. "The last hut on this corner is mine."
They were passing by the forge now, and Ashitaka urged Yakkul to go faster in hopes that the brothel girls would not stop him for a chat. His silent prayers went unanswered as Toki, Rin, and the other girls spotted him. Of all the silly grins the women beamed at him, none made Ashitaka as uncomfortable as Rin's.
"Hi, Ashitaka!" Toki waved."Hey! Why's Princess Mononoke with you?"
"He brought the wolf-girl with him?" a voice inquired from within.
"Yeah," answered another voice.
"Why?" the first voice continued. "Oh! Don't tell Naki! She's still upset about her husband!"
Rin stepped forward to take a look at the girl on the red elk. Her smile was saturated with smugness, and it gave San an uneasy feeling to be stared at.
"So you are the Princess Mononoke." Rin eyed San carefully. "I've heard much about you. Where I come from, the wolf-god Moro is well known and respected. She raised you, didn't she?"
"Yes," San nodded hesitantly.
"We have to get going." Ashitaka interceded. "We're going to try finding that creature that attacked earlier today."
Several gasps were heard from small crowd as it took in the information it had just been given. Toki and Rin chose to inquire further.
"How will you find it?" piped Toki.
"Do you even know where to look?" Rin added.
"We spotted it headed towards the eastern side of the mountains." Ashitaka explained. "We will start there and figure out which way it went."
"Be careful, Ashitaka." said Toki as other girls bid the same thing.
Ashitaka simply nodded politely and signaled to Yakkul to go. When they reached the hut, Ashitaka let out a huge sigh of relief. San had been quiet since they had entered Iron Town, and now, in the privacy of the hut, she relaxed her guard.
"Weird women." San remarked.
"They just love to gossip." Ashitaka held up some hay for Yakkul. "Don't let them bother you."
"You once told me that they came from the brothels." she asked nonchalantly. "What is that?"
"Places where women without work can earn a living by entertaining men." he said as plainly as he could.
"How do they do that?" San scratched her head.
"It's not important." Ashitaka stoked the fire and put some rice to boil. "Are you hungry?"
"I guess so." she shifted how she was sitting. Her gaze wandered throughout the small structure, admiring all the unusual objects neatly placed within it. Soon, Ashitaka handed her a bowl and spooned some rice into it.
"Will that be enough?" he asked. San nodded, puzzling as to why he had handed her two small sticks. As she watched, Ashitaka got some rice for himself and began eating with his own pair of sticks.
"Why eat with those?" San stared oddly at her own chopsticks. "Wouldn't it be easier to just eat with your hands?"
Ashitaka paused, and for a moment, San thought he was going to laugh at her for not understanding such a common, human custom. But instead, he set the bowl down, smiling warmly.
"It would be, you're right." he said calmly. "Having lived as a wolf, human modesty and customs must seem strange to you."
"Are you mocking me?" she challanged.
"No, San." he gestured for her to take it easy. "I meant that by living with Moro and your brothers in the forest, you were raised as a wolf, not as a human. Do you see what I'm saying?"
San nodded quietly, staring down at the bowl of rice in front of her. For a moment, she felt embarrassed, something Moro had taught her never to feel, as it was a foolish human trait that made them the beasts that they were. She quickly shut the feeling away, reminding herself that she was a wolf, not a human, and as such, she should act like a wolf.
"So, why not eat with your hands?" she continued.
"To keep our hands clean." he replied.
"But can't you just wash them afterwards?"
At this, Ashitaka looked down and the bowl and chopsticks in his hands. San had a point; water was always on hand, and the only reason he ate with utensils was because that was how he had been raised.
"You're right." Ashitaka set the chopsticks aside and smiled to her. "We can just wash them afterwards. Enjoy."
With that said, they dug in. San watched Ashitaka over the rim of her bowl. For her, it was all the norm to eat with her hands, but Ashitaka was having a clumsy time of it despite his efforts. She could not help but grin at the sight, but she carefully concealed it behind her own bowl.
Ashitaka had San stay at the hut while he went to the bath house to wash off the fox's scent. As he sat scrubbing himself, he could not help but wonder as to how the creature's scent had gotten on him. True, he had come within striking distance of the animal god, but it had not touched him by any means; only stared at him. Lifting a bucket over himself, he rinsed clean, dressed, and returned home.
Several items out of their normal places told Ashitaka that San had been poking through his things. He found her running a finger over a polished stone. The soft sound of his footsteps made her set the object down quickly as she turned to him.
"It's alright." Ashitaka assured her. "I don't mind. Are you ready to go?"
"I want to stop at the river on the way there to wash the human smell off of me." she got to her feet.
"Fine." he nodded.
*********************************
Riding on Yakkul made the trip down to the river's edge much faster than on foot. Leaving the elk to graze, Ashitaka headed off into the tall grass to give San her privacy. She watched him as he left, curious, but let him be nonetheless. It was probably just another human practice she did not understand. She shrugged her shoulders and waded into the water.
Though San was well out of his range of sight, Ashitaka kept his back facing toward the river. He decided to meditate to keep his mind from wandering. After all, a bit of concentration might help to figure out what this new problem was and how it might get solved.
"It attacks the forge, then disappears." He recalled carefully. "Aside from the iron, why go for that particular building? If it wants to destroy Iron Town, why not try attacking Eboshi? She is, after all, it's leader and founder..."
So deep was Ashitaka in thought that he nearly leapt out of his skin when Yakkul gently nudged against him while grazing. The boy let out a sigh of relief and scratched the animal's chin. The only reply was a happy 'wuff' and a curious nuzzling.
It wasn't until he had recovered from his shock that Ashitaka noticed something familiar on Yakkul's saddle. Picking it up, he recognized immediately what it was: San's long shirt and vest. For a moment, his hand trembled, knowing that when San needed these, she's have to come and get them...
"Yakkul!" he scolded the beast. "If San put these on you, you should've stayed there with her! You go take these back to her! Now!"
Yakkul looked at him as though Ashitaka had suddenly started speaking a foreign language. He cocked his head to one side and wuffed. Ashitaka, on the other hand, gazed down at the fabric in his hands, a slight blush tinting his face. Without even thinking, he brought the worn cloth to his nose and inhaled deeply. They smelled like the forest, the trees, and the flowers. They also carried the scent of the wolves on them, and combined together with a hint of musk, they made up what Ashitaka recognized as San's scent. His mind began to cloud, but before it could take over, he shook his head and laid the clothing back over the saddle.
"Go back to San now, Yakkul." said Ashitaka gently. "Go on. She'll need those."
This time, the animal did head back to the river, and Ashitaka slumped back down on the grass to regather his thoughts. The wind whispered gently through the grasses, and Ashitaka closed his eyes, appreciating it. The air never smelled this fresh or this sweet in Iron Town, so it was an opportunity to take advantage of. He laid down, staring up at the stars. Aside from the breeze, the weather was clear and comfortable, and soon, Ashitaka fell asleep.
*****************************
San was just coming out of the water when Yakkul returned. She shook as much water off of her as possible before reaching for her clothes. As she handled her garments, her well-senses told her that they had been handled by someone. Bringing the material to her nose, it was, for the most part untouched, but something was different; Ashitaka's scent was faintly, but freshly wafting from it. When had the boy handled these? Did Yakkul go to the boy while she had been washing? If so, why would Ashitaka handle them? Dressing quickly, she promptly pulled herself onto Yakkul's back and told him to lead her to Ashitaka.
She found Ashitaka dozing peacefully. With her lupine prowess, she bent down beside him, simply watching him. Every so often, he would twitch slightly, as though dreaming. San touched his shoulder gently and he woke up.
"Let's get going." she said plainly.
They searched the mountainside until far past sunrise. Nothing unusual had been turned up aside from a few singed leaves, and until they could get some rest and a bite to eat, San and Ashitaka decided to take a break from their search. Ashitaka boiled up the rice he had brought along with some roots San had found during their trek. Their stomachs full, they laid down on the soft grass and soon fell asleep. Yakkul, too, laid down beside them and dozed off.
Unknown to the sleeping trio, a pair of eyes was peering down at them from a nearby hiding place. A canine grin sprawled across its face in an all-knowing manner. The creature's two, orange tails rustled the grasses behind it.
"The wolf who is not, and the human who is not shall end the peace that is not, and man and nature will once again walk in harmony."
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This is Chapter 4. Where would you like to go next?
