My True Destiny

THIS IS A PRINCESS MONONOKE STORY ENJOY!

1: A new Princess is Born

It had been 7 years since the great Shishigami was able to rest in peace, and the great forest was reborn. San, the new leader of the (what was left of) the Immortal Wolf Clan (since the wolf brothers had not been stripped of their immortality), now at age 25 gave birth to her first newborn child. A healthy little girl wrapped in her mother's fur, sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms.

"She was born under the full moon, this kind of child deserves a name worthy and special of our clan." San's older wolf brother said to her.

"True...I think..and I thought that the best name for this little one," she started and smiled when the little child opened her eyes to see her mother and gurgled. San smiled back as she let her child play with her fingers curiously.

"That we named her after our mother. Moro." San finished with a sigh of relief.

"That sounds fitting for this little one." San's other wolf brother said with a yip as the little girl laughed as she was feeling his cold, moist, nose with her small, fragile hands.

"Yes...A good choice indeed." the older brother replied.

"Then, from this day on, my child's name will be Moro. And she will grow to become the next leader of this clan, and become protector of this forest." San said and the wolf brothers howled at the birth of their future leader. And so, Moro grew to become a warrior just like her mother. She had nice short chocolate colored hair, and her eyes were a light brown color. How she reminded San of her father, Ashitaka. It had been a while since Ashitaka had come to visit her, and some days she was worried. Although, she could not blame him for such short visits since he had promised that witch Eboshi to help rebuild Iron Town. At least letters helped her, but she had to read them over and over to understand some words in his letters. Yakul helped with that, and traveled from time to time.

"Mama! Mama!" a little voice cackled in delight. It had already been 5 years after Moro's birth, and she was now a bright, bumbling 5 year-old.

"What is it, my daughter?" San asked as she looked up to see her daughter ride atop of her uncle, with the other close beside them.

"I caught a fish all by myself! It was HUGE!" she cried happily and showed her mother the size using her hands outspread.

"That's good news Moro. But tell me, where is the fish?" San asked slyly.

"Uh..." Moro started.

"She ate it on the way here, Sister." her brother said.

"Uncle! I told you not to tell!" Moro whispered.

"Hahahaha! Becoming the next leader of this pack means secrets must not be kept to one's self young pup." her other uncle chuckled. San only smiled. It had now been at least a few hours after the little incident with the fish, and Moro went off on her own to go play in the forest with the Kodama spirits. Her mother warned her to be careful, and that if she were to spot a human to run away as quickly as she could. Moro only nodded, but didn't really listen that much.

"Kodama! Come out! Let's play hide and seek!" Moro cried. As she heard many clicks and shakes, she looked and searched for her friends. There were so many, but they stayed in one place so that the new Princess wouldn't stray far. In time she had found all of them, and then she had hid, and left them to find her. She searched for a good place to hide, but the only good one she knew of was deeper from where she was allowed to go. 'Mama won't know...and it won't hurt.' she thought and hid in her favorite spot, where the once great Shishigami had been, and where her grandmother met her death. The spirits looked and looked, but had no luck in finding her. They finally went to Moro's two uncles, and they were able to pick up her scent.

"It's so peaceful here...I wonder why Mama doesn't want me to go here." Moro wondered as she peacefully swam in the lake. She suddenly heard a rustle, and then a low whisper of voices in the far distance. This made Moro alert, and she looked at her surroundings clearly with her eyes. "Wh..who's there?" the little girl asked. There was no reply, only a gust of wind. Moro looked around, but saw nothing. She was scared now, and decided that it would be better to leave as soon as possible. As she got out of the water, she took one step on the grass and heard a noise she had never heard before. It was a booming noise, and it scared her. It was loud, and she wondered where it came from. Soon enough she heard more powerful bangs, and loud pigs squeal. 'Those are...those squeals are from the boar tribe!' Moro thought, and ran to that direction, using her quick speed her mother had taught her. As she ran to the spot quickly, she looked over through the trees curiously, staying as silent as possible. Her eyes went wide in fear of what she saw next, and it made her sick to her stomach.

"All right. Fire!" a woman cried around the age of 32. She was missing her right arm. More shots rang out, and Moro could see in the distance the boars running toward them. 'No..she's killing them!' Moro thought and her eyes flickered to pure yellow. Boars squealed in pain as one by one they went down. Moro felt so cold, and she couldn't bear to watch anymore. Though, she looked down to see a little boy standing next to the woman. He seemed to be her age, with nice, short black hair. Moro heard the woman say to the boy, "Did you see that Enishi? Those wild, savage beasts were taken down by mommy's rifles. One day you will wield one of them and take down all of these savage beasts on your own." The boy nodded silently, but a smile did appear on his face. Finally when the gunshots had stopped, and the people had left, Moro went down to the scene and walked up to all the boars who had been killed. She then fell on her knees in front of one of them, and sobbed.

"She was here. She was not allowed to come to this place." the other brother said.

"Yes. She was here. But now she is somewhere else. Somewhere with the scent of boar's blood and human blood." the younger one replied and they ran to where their niece was.

Moro cried and cried, and couldn't believe someone could do this. "Why Mama?...Why are humans so cruel? What have we ever done to them?..." Moro asked herself and whimpered. Suddenly she heard a boar squeal silently, and she ran over to it. It was a younger one, and it looked at her with tired eyes.

"What are you doing here girl?" it asked her. She did not answer the boar and cried.

"I'm sorry that they did this to you and your clan! Why do humans have to be this way?" Moro sobbed.

"Humans..they are wretched creatures...They only live..to kill us! Stay away from humans girl, if you know what's good for you...You are the daughter of the wolf leader so I have no fear in your presence..." it replied and snorted, breathing slowly. Moro only cried more and more, and then gasped when the boar finally passed away. She ran up to it and sobbed in it's blood red fur.

"There she is." the older brother said as the two ran up to her. Moro was covered in the boar's blood, her arms covered her face as she held her legs closely to her chest.

"Moro. Why did you come here?" her uncle asked her. There was no answer.

"Answer us. Why are you here? What happened? Why did you disobey your mother?" her other uncle asked.

"Why do humans kill us?...Do they take pleasure in it?" Moro asked, not even moving up to look at them. She was too ashamed to even have human blood in her.

". . .Humans are terrible creatures...only two can be trusted. That would be your mother and father. Come. Let's clean you up so your mother does not know." her older uncle said and she climbed on top of them, and they rode to clean her up. Hopefully, this battle would not scar Moro for life...

In Iron Town, it was finally a bustling town once again. Full of life, the women were still as cheerful as they were. Toki had given birth to twins, a girl and boy. The girl had light brown hair that went down to her neck, while the boy had nice dark brown hair with some spikes sticking up. Her husband happy as ever, although, he got in trouble a lot with her. Eboshi of course had a son, and he was growing up to learn to kill the animals of the forest, only if they tried to hurt them.

"Ma'am? I was hoping if you would be able to um, babysit my kids for a little while. I need to go out in the fields to pick some lovely flowers I found." Toki said.

"Of course Toki. I'm sure Enishi will enjoy the company, isnt' that right?" Eboshi asked.

"Mm-hm. I will gladly like to play with Ares and Aoshi." Enishi replied with a smile.

"Thank you so much Lady Eboshi! I'll be sure to pick some for you too as a gift of thanks." Toki said, bowed, and left. As the three children then went off to play in the town, a young man around 25 came out into view.

"Eboshi, I thought we established that there would be no more bloodshed." he said to her.

"Come now Ashitaka. You didn't really think I'd agree to that? I mean, there will only be bloodshed if those creatures ever try to hurt us. Besides, they are only boars. Meat for our people." Eboshi replied and sipped her tea. As she was finished, she was able to get out her sword.

"Now then, it's time for training. I still haven't quite mastered my sword skills with my left arm, so I'm hoping you will be my partner." Eboshi said and the two faught a hard core battle.

"Say Enishi-sama, do you think you're gonna become a great fighter like your mom?" Ares asked.

"Yeah! I won't be as good as her though. She'd be better though if those mean wolves didn't bite her arm off. I hate those beasts for doing that to mother." Enishi replied.

"We're sorry that that happened to Lady Eboshi, Enishi." Aoshi said to him and patted him on the back.

"Thanks Aoshi." Enishi replied with a smile.

"You went where!" San cried.

"I'm sorry, Mama..." Moro said silently. San only sighed, disappointment in her voice.

"And why weren't you with her?" she asked her brothers, and they only backed away slightly. Moro looked at the ground, and then sadly back to her angered mother. What would she say to her now? Nothing really, night was soon coming. She looked at her mother who only sighed.

"It's getting late. It's time to get some sleep my daughter." San said to her and Moro only sighed in relief. As they entered the cave, the two wolves cuddled up, and San kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Goodnight." San said to her as Moro cuddled up and pressed against her uncle's fur.

"G'night Mama.." Moro replied and fell quietly asleep right after. San only smiled, and took out her fur and placed it gently over her daughter.

"Get some sleep as well Sister. You need to be at your full strength." her older brother said to her.

"Yes. If we are to ever settle the score with that bi--woman, we need you to be at your fullest." the younger one replied silently as he tried not to wake up Moro.

"Yes. Don't worry I will." San replied and left the den quietly, and jumped up to the top of the den as she looked out and listened, using all of her senses. Soon, San too went to sleep, and slept beside her daughter.

After Eboshi and Ashitaka had trained for a while, Yakul called to Ashitaka, and he knew it was time to pay a visit to his wife. He bowed to Eboshi, and excused himself from her presence.

"Wait, Ashitaka. I must know, are you...married to that woman?" Eboshi asked.

"I guess I am my Lady." he replied.

"I see. I just want you to know though, that you've been like a father to Enishi, and I thank you for that. When you're done with your visit, you're always welcome back. The door will be open." Eboshi said to him and then waved her hand in good-bye.

"Yakul, let's hurry and visit San. It's been a while. I wonder how she is doing." Ashitaka said to his elk. Yakul whinnied slightly, and the two headed out to San's place. It would at least take them the next day to reach her.

The next day was training day. But Moro wasn't focused enough. She kept punching and kicking wildly, every one missing.

"What's wrong Moro?" San asked. Moro only sighed and wondered. Would she ask about her father? She had never met him. She only knew he was a human, and she remembered what the boar had said to her yesterday.

"Mama?..." Moro asked, uncertain.

"What is it?" San asked.

"I've never met daddy before...what's he like?" Moro asked. San was taken aback by this, and wondered what to say to her child. She never dreamed this day would come until a long time in the future.

"Your father, is a brave man. He's handsome, strong, and has a kind heart. He's the only acception to all the other humans. He is one who seeks peace and not war." San explained.

"Am I ever going to meet daddy?" Moro asked.

"Soon my child, very soon." San replied and embraced her daughter in a tight hug. It soon ended, and Moro wanted to ask so many more questions, but she thought she would just stay silent. After all, she was very young and asking questions like that wasn't really what 5 year-olds would ask. She thought she would ask her mother when she was old enough. But she wanted to know, it killed her inside that she didn't know the reason for everything she wondered about. How she questioned so many things now after seeing it with her own eyes.

"Now, let's get back to training." San said and the two began their fight once again. Soon enough, Moro was back in the game, and gave everything she had.

"That's it Moro. Come at me with everything you've got. Don't worry if you hurt me I can always be healed at the lake that you went to." San said to her.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Moro cried and flew her little fists at San who blocked every one of them.

"Hello?" a voice called. San stopped and was punched in the cheek by Moro who only gasped.

"Mama! Mama are you okay? I'm sorry!" Moro cried.

"It's okay I was only caught off guard. You have a nice arm there." San chuckled. "Ready to meet your father?" she added as she knelt down to Moro. She only nodded slightly, and San replied, "Ashitaka!" At this her two brothers ran up to San, as they waited to see Ashitaka. Soon enough, the four could see an elk, and then dark brown hair belonging to Ashitaka. Ashitaka smiled when he saw San, but then wondered if the little girl beside her was his very own daughter.

"San." Ashitaka said.

"Ashitaka." San said expectantly.

"It's...been a while. I'm sorry I haven't visited you in a while." Ashitaka said. The two stared at eachother for a while, and then Ashitaka took a step closer and pressed his lips against hers for a nice greeting. Moro looked at this curiously, and wondered what this had to do with a greeting. Normally she would only bow to the Kodamas and the other animals in the forest that she had met. As the two finally ceased their neverending kiss, Ashitaka looked at Moro who instinctively hid behind her uncles, pressing against their fur to try and fade into them and not be seen. The wolf brothers only chuckled at this.

"Is that...my--our daughter?" Ashitaka asked. San blushed and nodded as she signaled Moro to come closer. Moro was nuzzled by her uncles as they pushed her forward. She looked at her father uncertain, but then big bubbles of tears burst, and she cried, "Daddy!" and was caught in Ashitaka's arms. As Ashitaka spun his daughter lovingly in the air, she laughed with glee and then smiled.

"She's...beautiful. What's your name daughter of ours?" Ashitaka asked.

"Moro!" she said with a laugh.

"Moro. What a lovely name your mother chose for you. I'm sorry that I've only met you once." Ashitaka apologized.

"It's okay! As long as...as long as I've met you once I'll never forget you daddy." Moro replied and smiled with joy.

"Didn't I tell you your father was kind Moro?" San asked. Moro nodded in agreement. As she finally went to play with the Kodama spirits, her uncles followed close behind, leaving Ashitaka and San to talk about private matters.

~End of Chapter 1~

A/N: i'm assuming that this was supposed to be like, a cliffhanger or SOMETHING lol.

Yay! I love it! It's so cute!
Ashitaka's a bad husband/boyfriend person and dad though.
5 years?! lol
I can't wait to read more!

have to agree with coal there, thats like an aaage!

hahahaha! sorry guys, lol it just fit with the story XD and he has his reasons XD anyways, here's chapter 2!! lol i wrote this so long ago, it's kind of funny. haha, i wrote this in 2006! XD

2: Coming to an Agreement

"I wish you would have come sooner. Maybe when she was born." San said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry. If I had known that you were pregnant, I would have come and lived with you." Ashitaka replied.

"Maybe after the fight with me and Eboshi ends, you can live with us." San replied.

"San, I thought I told you that you shouldn't bear anymore grudges with them. They've started a new life." Ashitaka said.

"Don't lie to me Ashitaka. I know that they've been slaughtering the boar tribe for some time now, and I even realized that Moro had seen it with her own eyes. She may not say it, but she probably wants to ask questions." San replied.

"Hm...this may not be in your favor, but why don't you let Moro stay with me for a while?" Ashitaka asked.

"No. I will not let her become a human. She is to be the next to become the wolf leader after I'm gone." San said.

"Please San, she needs to see the other side as well. She's seen yours, now what about mine? Please? Just give it a try." Ashitaka asked.

"Ugh. Fine Ashitaka. But! I will give her to you when she is older. She is only 5 years of age. I will give her to you when she is 13." San said.

"All right. Eight years. I can wait. I will visit you until then." Ashitaka said with a smile.

"Gosh Ashitaka, I hate it when I look into your loving, caring, eyes..and yet, I love every bit of it." San said with a smile. Ashitaka only smiled back with a grin.

"Why don't you spend the day with our daughter Ashitaka? I need to attend to some matters." San said and whistled for her brothers to come. They hurried to her with Moro on one of their backs, Kodama spirits all around her clicking like crazy.

"Honey, you'll be spending the day with your father today." San said with a smile.

"Okay Mama." Moro said with a smile. As Ashitaka rode on top of his brother with Moro in front of him, he smiled and looked down at her as she looked up at him. Yakul followed closely behind. The two waved good-bye, and San rode on her other brother as the two went to the boar tribe, to see how they were doing since only a few remained.

"Mother? Where did Sir Ashitaka go?" Enishi asked.

"He went to visit his friend in the forest Enishi." Eboshi replied as she wrote out a letter.

"Oh. Is his friend nice?" Enishi asked.

"She's all right for a wolf girl." Eboshi replied.

"What! You mean Sir Ashitaka is visiting the wolf girl who's responsible for your arm!" Enishi cried.

"No my son. She was not responsible. Her mother was. But she was my enemy and still is. She will probably attack some time soon, maybe today since Ashitaka isn't here. Anyway, I want you to know that when that time comes I want you to hide and stay hidden out of sight with your friends." Eboshi explained.

"No way! I want to help and fight alongside you!" Enishi cried.

"It is too dangerous for a child to handle. When you are older I may reconsider." Eboshi replied quietly. Enishi only gritted his teeth and clensed a fist and finally the anger subsided.

"Yes mother. I will do what you say." Enishi sighed and Eboshi smiled with satisfaction.

As Ashitaka and Moro were in a field filled with flowers, Moro happily picked so many that some fell out of her hands. She laughed joyfully as Ashitaka watched over her with a smile on his face.

"Look daddy! Aren't these ones pretty?" Moro asked as she ran up to him.

"They're beautiful honey." Ashitaka replied and picked her up and tossed her high in the air. Moro laughed as she came back down and landed in Ashitaka's arms.

"You're funny daddy!" Moro squealed in delight. As Ashitaka gave his daughter a piggy back ride, his brother-in-law and Yakul followed close behind. They walked for miles and visited the Kodamas.

"Let's play let's play hide and seek! Daddy you find us!" Moro cried and before Ashitaka could protest she ran off with Kodama spirits on her shoulders and some following her. As Ashitaka waited for a while, he soon found her under a log. The two laughed for hours, and finally they settled in a field near Iron Town. Both lay on their backs and watched the clouds go by.

"Listen, Moro...what would you say, that when you turn 13 you'd come live with me for a while?" Ashitaka asked. His brother didn't like what Ashitaka was asking, but then again it was not his place to speak, and so he stayed silent and listened.

"Really? Live with you? Where daddy?" Moro asked as she faced her father, flowers in her hair.

"In Iron Town. Only for a little while. With the other humans." Ashitaka replied. Moro sighed, and thought for a while.

"I don't know...maybe..Mama told me that humans were bad people and that they kill us just for power." Moro said.

"That's not all entirely true. Not all humans are bad. I'm a human and so are you, and we're both good. So is your mother." Ashitaka said.

"Maybe...Daddy..I'm not sure if I really want to be the next in line anymore...I mean, I don't like this fighting. It causes deaths I don't want that. Mama wants me to become strong, and I want to become strong too, but I don't want to fight anybody unless it's a last resort...can that be possible as the next wolf leader?" Moro asked.

"You have a really good question there for a five year-old." Ashitaka said.

"I know..I'm sorry." she said.

"It's nothing to be sorry about." Ashitaka replied with a smile. He even added, "I think it's possible. If you have to fight, then do so, but if you can find another way by peace then go for it. That's what I would do if I were the leader right now."

"Mama doesn't do that though...she fights." Moro said.

"Your mother has a lot of your grandmother's hatred of humans my niece. She might look like someone who loves to fight, but under it all she is trying to seek peace by not fighting." her uncle said.

"Oh...That's good." Moro said with a smile. Ashitaka smiled, and her uncle formed one as well. Finally, Moro was taken back by San, and the two said goodbye to Ashitaka and Yakul.

"Remember your promise San." Ashitaka said.

"Yes. Of course Ashitaka. Goodbye." San replied with a smile.

"Goodbye daddy! Come back sooon!" Moro cried and smiled as she waved goodbye. As the last view of Ashitaka was gone, the two went back to their wolf lives, and continued to grow. San continued to train Moro to become the next wolf leader...

~End of Chapter 2~

On a side note.. just as a it's 15 chapters in all. so BE PREPARED lol

Yay! I love long stories!
This was so cute!
btw, I thought the elk's name is Yakuo. ??? I donno.

lol that's how it's pronounced, but it is spelled Yakul ^^ i looked it up =P hah! XD

Oh, well everybody knows I can't spell, especially if it doesn't sound like it's spelled. lol
Thank goodness for spell check! XD

haha, tru dat. :3 here's chapter 3! and this one is long

3: A New Life, A New Beginning
Now it was 6 years after Ashitaka had visited, and Moro was 11. She had grown her hair a little longer now, and it was in a nice braid down to her shoulders.
"Dad's gonna visit right Mama?" Moro asked.
"Yes. He should be coming soon." San replied. When Ashitaka came, San left and Ashitaka spent the day with Moro. This time though, San was ready to take action against Eboshi.
"It's almost time Moro. Two more years and then you will live with me for a while in Iron Town. Do you think you'll be prepared?" Ashitaka asked.
"I'm not sure dad...maybe. I'll try my best but I won't be certain." Moro replied. The two were staring at the clouds again, and Moro only breathed in heavily, and then back out again and looked at Yakul who wanted to be fed. She gave him some good grass and flowers, and he happily ate them from her hands. She smiled and the hugged the great elk.
"Moro, you're growing up so fast. It's almost a wonder how you grew so much taller." Ashitaka smiled.
"Haha. I'm still growing dad to become...the next leader." Moro said and sighed, her tone filled with a little sadness. Suddenly, the wolf brother-in-law's ears went into alert mode, and he thought he heard a ruccuss at Iron Town. Soon enough, and before Ashitaka could say anything back to Moro, a gunshot rang through and the four ran to Iron Town where the blast was heard.

"Get out." Eboshi said calmly, her rifle in her hand. She had learned to use her mouth to help her wield her own creation
"I just want to speak and come to terms witch." San replied. She took Ashitaka's advice at trying being peaceful, and already she didn't like the result at all. She wasn't hit, but she was grazed in the cheek.
"Speak. Before I blow your head off." Eboshi said and San's brother growled fiercely. San quieted him down.
"I want you to stop killing the boars. If they ever try to hurt you I will stop them, I do not want you to cause anymore bloodshed." San said calmly.
"Why should I believe you?" Eboshi asked.
"Believe what you want. I'm telling you the truth. I just don't want anymore fighting. No more blood." San replied.
"Hm..." Eboshi thought.
"Don't believe her Lady Eboshi! She's one of them not one of us!" a woman cried behind her.
"Yeah! She's tried to kill you many times too! How do we know this isn't a trick?!" a man cried. San gritted her teeth and clensed a fist.
"Look! She's trying to pick a fight with Lady Eboshi!" another cried.
"All I want is peace no more fighting!" San cried.
"You sound like Ashitaka now." Eboshi said calmly.
"Don't do anything she says mother!" Enishi cried from out of the blue, his friends trying to hold him back. He was 11 now as well, and his black hair grew until he had a short ponytail in the back.
"Stop Enishi!! You're too hard to control!!!" Aoshi struggled. He now had longer dark brown hair that was in a high ponytail like his fathers.
"Enishi-san!" Ares cried holding his arms. She had grown her hair down that it was in two braids that were smooth going down to her back. As hard as they tried, they finally lost grip as Enishi ran forward to San. He punched and kicked, and she dodged all of them, not fighting back.
"Enishi stop this foolishness now!" Eboshi cried. Enishi did not stop though, and San finally had to take action. She knocked him out and said, "Here. Take your foolish son back. He's full of too much pride. What have you taught him?" as she returned Enishi to Eboshi. Everyone was speechless of what just happened, and all of a sudden more cries came. "THERE'S ANOTHER WOLF COMING!" someone cried.
"Mama! San!" both Ashitaka and Moro cried. As the two got by the guards who jumped out of the way from being eaten, they stopped at San's feet.
"Mama! Mama what happened are you okay?! What'd they do to you!?" Moro cried as she saw her mother's injury.
"San are you all right?" Ashitaka asked and she nodded as she comforted her daughter. Everyone was speechless. Enishi awoke again and tried to attack San again but then saw Ashitaka and another girl his age, 11. He stared at Moro who stared at him curiously. He then stopped staring at her and looked at Ashitaka.
"Sir Ashitaka why are you with that wolf woman!? She's my mother's enemy! Her mother took away my mother's arm! Why are you siding with her?!" Enishi cried.
"Enishi-sama, please calm down. I am not siding with anyone. She is my wife and she is my daughter." Ashitaka replied when he pointed to both San and Moro. Enishi was silenced at this, and growled. He rushed forward pulling out a hidden sword under his shirt to San and cried, "I HATE YOU FOR TAKING MY MOTHER'S ARM AWAY!" but was stopped by Moro as her dagger blocked the blow.
"Don't come any closer human!" she cried. Enishi stepped back and positioned himself for another attack. Moro had her dagger at hand, and another one in her mouth if she needed an extra.
"Moro don't do this." San said.
"Bring it on wolf girl! If you're with that witch then you're my enemy!" Enishi cried.
"DON'T CALL MY MOTHER A WITCH!!" Moro cried and rushed forward. As the two fought, San noticed something different with Moro. Her eyes changed. To pure yellow, the eyes of a wolf's. Enishi fought hard against Moro, and vice versa with Moro.
"You animals are all so cruel! What have we humans ever done to you!?" Enishi cried.
"You humans are worse! You're savages! Killing innocent animals in our forest when we have done nothing wrong! What have we ever done to you!?" Moro cried, her voice was combined with the deceased Moro. "Mother!!" San thought and gasped. As Eboshi was watching, she was getting ready to fire.
"Enishi my son get out of the way!" Eboshi cried. As Enishi quickly ran off, Moro had no time to react, and was shot in the waist. She fell down to the ground and she yelped in pain. This did not stop her though, and even with her injury she continued to fight against Enishi who had to fight back.
"Moro stop this! You'll kill yourself if you continue!" San cried.
"Listen to your mother! Stop this foolishness before it's too late!" Ashitaka added. Moro had to stop, she began to sway and lose her balance.
"Now Enishi! Strike her while she is down! Remember what those beasts have done to us!" Eboshi cried.
"NO!" both Ashitaka and San cried. Enishi was ready to strike with his sword, but then stopped when he saw an image flicker, a little girl that was about 4 saying, "Eni-chan!". He was shocked at this, and did not want to strike. He put his sword away, and looked down at Moro, whos eyes had gone back to brown as they slowly closed. 'They changed....What's going on?..' Enishi wondered.
". . .Instead of killing her, I want her to be my servant. I..I've always wanted one. This will be an exchange for her life. Would that be a fair exchange mother?" Enishi asked.
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE MY DAUGHTER AWAY! SHE IS TO BECOME TO NEXT IN LINE! I WILL NOT LET HER BE A SLAVE TO A HUMAN!" San cried as she ran to her daughter's side, Ashitaka following close behind. Moro was still concious at that time, and heard every word.
"San we have to take her to the lake." Ashitaka said.
"Stop! Put my servant down! How do I know that you'll return?!" Enishi cried.
"You can come with us Enishi-sama." Ashitaka replied as he rode on his wolf brother, with San and Moro on another. Enishi took a rifle and his sword with him, and rode on Yakul. As the six headed out to the lake of the once great Shishigami, Eboshi wondered if Ashitaka could be trusted anymore as one of them.

"We have to hurry. Do you think you can pick up the pace?" San asked her brother.
"We'll try." they replied and ran faster, Yakul running to catch up. As they reached their destination, they hoped that it wasn't too late.
"Come on Ashitaka. You! Boy! Stay there where I can see you! You two, keep an eye on that boy." San cried to Enishi, and then whispered to her wolf brothers. As the two helped Moro swim over, Enishi stayed where he was, not moving a muscle, but preparing his rifle just in case. As he watched silently, he saw Ashitaka hold Moro's head up when they reached the little island. San ran up to them with a plant and placed it in the soil. She then bowed and prayed, then looked at Moro. She came to her daughter, and pressed her hand lightly on her wound. Moro winced a little at the pain, but then it all subsided. A light was seen, and in a flash Moro's wound was healed before Enishi's eyes.
"B..but how?" Enishi asked in awe.
"Silence boy. This is a sacred place. We normally don't allow you humans to come, all with the exception of Prince Ashitaka." the older wolf growled, already his fur standing on end.
"Please Enishi, give her a few minutes to rest up, and then we will come back." Ashitaka said to him.
"No! I saw with my own eyes and she's healed! I expect that the three of us now return to Iron Town, and those three can return to where they belong." Enishi replied. He could see Moro awakening slowly, looking at her surroundings carefully before she got up.
"Do not treat us like dirt boy! We are more powerful than you can ever imagine. Why, even right now we could bite off your head and end your pathetic human life!" the younger one said and barked threateningly.
"St-stay back!" Enishi cried and pointed his rifle at them, struggling. He didn't realize how heavy it was.
"Do you honestly think mere weapons can hurt us, boy?" the older wolf asked teasingly. Enishi started to shake out of fear.
"See? He is nothing but a coward. A boy with fear building. He is not worth our time. Let's just end his miserable life." the older wolf laughed.
"I MEAN IT! STAY BACK YOU FILTHY, DIRTY MUTTS!" Enishi cried. This made the wolf brothers angered, and they began to rush forward toward him. "NOOOO!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!" a scream rang out.

Back in Iron Town, Eboshi began to worry. She wondered if her son was in good hands. Whether he had died by now, or if Ashitaka and the others got him lost. She was deep in thought, and did not even hear someone calling her name.
"Ma'am?" the 'someone' called again.
"Hm? Oh it's only you Seiryu." Eboshi sighed and summoned him over.
"We heard a scream in the forest. Some of the men went to check it out. We were wondering if you wanted to check it out with us." Seiryu said. Instinctively Eboshi got out her weapons and replied, "Let's head out now!" for she was worried now more than ever.
"Let's move out men! Enishi might be in trouble!" Seiryu cried.
"Let us come too!" Aoshi and Ares cried.
"You're too young. Don't worry I'll bring Enishi back." Eboshi said. "I knew it! Why did I let him go with them!? How foolish of me!" she thought and everyone stormed off into the woods, calling out Enishi's name.

"STOP!" Moro cried, and the two brothers looked at their niece.
"No more! No more! I'll do whatever you say boy." Moro said, and slowly swam up to Enishi, who now was holding his head and his eyes were closed shut.
"Boy? Hello? Are you awake? Or still acting like a scared little mouse?" Moro asked curiously.
"I'm not a mouse! And yes I'm fine! Who even asked you wolf girl?!" Enishi cried.
"You sure are...stubborn." Moro said and sighed.
"STUBBORN!? WHATEVER! You are coming back with me to Iron Town." Enishi replied, finally lowering his voice.
"Fine. Just don't hurt my family or the animals of this forest anymore. I'll only come with you willingly if you stop this bloodshed and stop killing the boars for meat." Moro said, her eyes changing to yellow wolf's eyes.
"I'll try. I will ask my mother when we get back." Enishi replied, a little scared.
"Don't try. Do it. I won't be your servant unless it's decreed that no more boars will die just to feed your people." Moro said, her voice now colliding with the deceased Moro. Again, San felt her mother's presence.
"Fine. I will ask, and make my mother say yes. Now, can we go?" Enishi asked. Moro nodded, and looked at her mother. "I'll come back to become the next leader, I promise." she said to San reassuringly who only nodded at her daughter's courage. She only hoped that Moro would not become a human. As Ashitaka also bid his wife farewell, he promised San that Moro would be safe. As the group went their seperate ways, San and her brothers went back to the cave, while Ashitaka, Yakul, Enishi, and Moro went back to Iron Town.

"ENISHI! You're all right!" Enishi heard his mother cry when they saw a group of villagers run up to them.
"Of course I'm all right mother." Enishi replied, and was startled by his mother's reaction. She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly, he never thought his mother would show him that much love in his life.
"Thank goodness. We heard you scream, and I thought that they killed you. Oh I'm so glad that you're alive!" Eboshi sobbed and Enishi was pleased to hear this.
"I'm fine now mother. Moro said that she would become my servant on one condition. For us to stop killing the boars to eat them." Enishi explained.
"Enishi, you know we can't do that. What will we do for food?" Eboshi asked.
"You will hunt fish. Or you can make food. Just no more killing. I will not be your son's servant unless you fulfill my wish." Moro said calmly.
"Then you will just have to go." Eboshi said and readied her men to fire.
"No Eboshi! Taking her life away will fulfill nothing but more hatred!" Ashitaka cried and protected his daughter. Eboshi thought about this for a while, and then sighed. She told them to stand down, and looked at Moro. She looked at Eboshi with angered eyes, full of hatred.
"You. You have the same eyes as your mother. Full of hate. You hate me. You want to kill me. And yet, you hold back that hatred so there will be no war. Truly you are the daughter of San and Ashitaka." Eboshi said to her and sighed. "Fine. We won't hunt the boars." she said and Moro kept her expression the same, making sure Eboshi would be true to her word. She finally let go, and smiled with relief. As the group headed back to Iron Town, from afar Moro's uncles heard everything.
"Should we trust Eboshi that she will not kill the boars?" the older wolf asked.
"I'm not sure right now. Let us warn the boars though just in case. The humans can always hunt them at night." San replied.
"We should have eaten that boy when we had the chance. I think it would have been better than selling Moro's soul to that devil and her child." the younger brother replied and growled.
"There's nothing we can do now. And if you did kill him, only more war would come. And nothing would be right." San replied, and the three ran off to the new leader of the boar tribe.

"All right. We're home. Well, I am. This will be your new home so get used to it." Enishi said to her. She only had no expression, but was ready to serve Enishi.
"Enishi-sama. I will not let Moro live with you. She will live with me at night." Ashitaka said to him.
"She's my servant now Sir Ashitaka. She swore her loyalty to me." Enishi said.
"That she did. But she is my daughter, and I am your elder. You will let Moro sleep with me." Ashitaka replied.
"Fine. She will sleep with you but then early in the morning will come straight back." Enishi said. Moro only nodded silently, and waited for her master's command.
"You will work with the other women in this town, and then do my chores that I must do around the house." Enishi said to her selfishly. Moro only nodded and followed Enishi to where the other women worked. Ashitaka followed close behind, just in case something were to occur. Most of the town's people stared as Moro and Enishi went to where the other women worked. Moro heard many voices singing when they came. It was peaceful, and she thought that this wasn't that bad.
"Why hello there Enishi-sama. What brings you here?" Toki asked and then saw Moro and looked at her sternly.
"Hello Toki-san. I was hoping that you would let Moro work with you and the others. Seeing that this and doing my chores is the only way to spare her of death." Enishi replied. The other women looked at Moro, who only looked at them back. Seeing her made them go back to work, and continue singing.
"Of course. But what can she do? She's been raised by wolves." Toki asked.
"Filthy ones too!" a woman addded and the others laughed. Moro tried to sustain her anger, and quietly clenched a fist.
"What do they teach her up there anyway?" another asked.
"Probably something stupid. After all, animals are said to be in that department." another added and laughter roared again. This made Moro snap, and her eyes changed and she started to run toward the women. They screamed, and many of the men rushed over to help. Thankfully, Ashitaka was able to stop her from her rampage, and all Moro could do was cry and growl. How was she going to live here? Taking all of these insults. It was too much for her, and she wondered if she was really up to this.
"Please ladies, when Moro is working with you, try not to make her angered. We want her to feel at home now don't we?" Ashitaka said to them.
"Yes. After all, Moro will be staying here and living here for a long time." Enishi added. As Moro's rage subsided, her eyes changed back and she watched what the others were doing. That was what she was supposed to do. Watch, wait, and then go back to Enishi to do his chores. After that, go with Ashitaka to get a good night's rest. At least, for the first day. Who knew what was to come the following years.
"How long will I have to serve Enishi? He's a spoiled pup." Moro asked.
"Not long. At least...maybe a couple of years.." Ashitaka said quietly.
"I'm not meant for this. Daddy...I'm not meant to live here. I'm meant to live with Mama and the others. I want to go home.." Moro whimpered and shook all over in her bed.
"I know Moro..I know..." Ashitaka replied and patted her softly.
"I'm different here. I'm not who I am. I need to go back to Mama and train to become the next wolf leader..." Moro said.
"Yes. And soon you will be back with her, and things will be the way they were before this ever happened." Ashitaka replied.
"Good...I hope things change soon..At least the boars are not being slaughtered anymore.." Moro said with a sigh.
"Yes..that is why you made this sacrifice. I am very proud of you Moro." Ashitaka said and kissed her on the forehead. She finally calmed down, and fell fast asleep. Ashitaka only smiled and whispered, "Good night, my beautiful daughter." and he blew the candle's flame out. As he got into his own bed, he thought, 'This is not what I wanted when I asked Moro to live me in Iron Town...'

"San, how long do you plan to sulk? You need your rest and your strength if you are to survive through this. Don't worry about Moro. She will be fine. She has the strength of her grandmother, and the courage of her mother." San's older brother said and rubbed his fur against her lovingly.
"How can I not sulk? She's my daughter and I let them take her away. I just hope that this isn't tearing her apart. I don't want that to happen. She is to become the next in line, and I cannot teach her if she doesn't return soon." San said.
"Don't worry San. You still have us, and you will see her soon I'm sure of it. Moro is strong, she will do fine. In no time you will see her again." her younger brother said to her reassuringly and licked her on the cheek.
"Yes...true. But still I can't help but feel that I let her down. My only child, now in the hands of my enemy...what to do.." San wondered and burried her face in her brothers fur, her other brother nuzzling her gently, comfortingly.

Woot!
Awsomefull story Silver!
The plot thickens... XD
I can't wait for ch4.

thankies ^^ here's chapter 4 and 5 cuz 4 is REALLY REALLY SHORT! XDD

4: Time Passes On...
So Moro had become Enishi's servant. It was a hard time being his slave, being the selfish boy he was, but Moro had managed their strange ways. It was still new to her, but at least she was getting the hang of it. Now, it had been 3 years since Moro started serving him, and she was now a beautiful young teenager at the age of 14. She grew her hair even longer now, and it went to her waist. It was in a ponytail now, and sometimes the women liked to play around with it and give her a nice hair day look just for fun. She did have some chocolate colored bangs to one side, which (from her father's point of view) made her even more beautiful. Ashitaka kept telling her that she was the prettiest daughter he had ever seen, and that her mother would be so astonished to see what a wonderful young woman she was growing up to be. Moro always blushed at this, and wondered how her mother was doing. She hadn't seen her in a while, and was getting quite lonely.
She still kept training up, and never forgot she was part wolf. Her mother would not be pleased if she were to become a human. Now, Moro went on to her normal routine now, and woke up early, slipping out silently not to wake her father up. She went to the women's workhouse as usual, and heard their singing, which made her relaxed. It was almost soothing to her. She felt that this job was easy for her if she were to just watch at what they did, and smiled happily as she listened to them. After all, that is what she did for 3 years now. She had done no work with them, which sometime made her wonder if Enishi truly was her master and she as his servant. One day though, when she came no one was there and she was puzzled by this. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard anything in the factory, just silence.
"Hey!" Enishi cried. Moro just looked at him curiously. Enishi, now the same age as her, had his ponytail longer now in a high one, and it went down to his chin. He had his black bangs to one side, but some always went into his right eye, but it only made him more appealing to Moro. She started to like him, even though he could be a total pain and a total selfish boy.
"There's no one here." she said and pointed to the factory. Enishi was shocked to hear Moro say anything, and only smiled.
"Well of course no one's there! Today is when the women get a day off and then they work the next day! Since you're a girl, you can come with me." Enishi said to her.
"But what about what I have to do? Your chores?" Moro asked.
"Haha. Today is when everyone doesn't do anything. Just consider yourself lucky that you get to hang out with me." Enishi replied proudly. Moro only giggled at the thought of spending the whole day with the selfish brat Enishi. But she felt like something inside herself, was telling her that in spending time with Enishi, she would get something even bigger out of it. So, the two spent the rest of the day together. They did what any other 14 year old would do. They 'played' with eachother, and Enishi was even able to teach Moro how to write like the humans did. Enishi taught her so much about the humans, that she wondered if the humans were really as bad as her mother said they were.

5: ILA Lessons
"What is that supposed to say?" Moro asked as she pointed. They were in a dirt road where Enishi had brought two sticks with him to help her with spelling. The letters in the dirt spelled out H-O-W-L.
"It says Howl." he said.
"How-el?" Moro asked curiously. Enishi nodded, and then he spelled out another word. The letters spelled out W-A-R-R-I-O-R.
"That says Warrior." Enishi said to her. Moro only looked at the word, and tried to say it.
"War-ee-ore?.." she said puzzled. Enishi nodded once again, but added, "Try pronouncing it like this." and added two dashes in the word.
"War-ri-or.." she said. Enishi nodded again with satisfaction. Moro smiled at the progress she had made, and Enishi gave her a wide grin. As the two continued the spelling lesson, Enishi wanted to teach her more. He wanted her to become a human instead of what she was to become out there. Then she could live with him forever, and he liked that idea. He began to like her even more now, and wanted to treat her more than a servant and more than just a friend. He wondered if she began to feel that way around him too.
"Enishi..." she said to him. He only nodded for her to continue.
"Why are you teaching me this? It's all so..strange." she finished. Enishi was silent for some time, and Moro wondered if she should have asked him.
"I..." he started. He felt so hot and sweaty, he didn't really know how to answer that. Before he could start again, two butterflies landed. One on Enishi's right shoulder, the other on Moro's left. 'Pretty...' Moro thought as she looked at the butterfly on Enishi's shoulder. He got the courage then to tell her some of his feelings.
"I..I'm teaching you this cause I...I want you to...after your servantship is done I want you to stay here with the rest of us in Iron Town. You've made some great progress here and I..I just don't want you to leave." he said to her and began to blush bright red. Moro had no clue what to say. She blinked several times and thought, 'What is this feeling?..I feel...all warm...and...I feel as I have butterlies in my stomach...'
"Enishi..." she started and then looked down at the ground, her heart pounding like crazy. Enishi only looked at her, and wondered what she was going to tell him. His heart raced, and he needed to know, he needed to know as soon as possible before he lost it.
"Enishi I..I'm glad that you..don't want me to leave but..." she started with a smile, but then sighed, and a sad look replaced her smile. At this the two butterflies flew off into the distance. Enishi didn't like the looks of this, and quickly said, "Uh..Hahaha I'm sorry that was a strange thing I guess to say. Come on I want to show you something." and before Moro could say anything, he grabbed her hand and led her to his secret place hidden deep beneath the forest.

"San." her brother said to her.
"What is it? Is something the matter have they hurt Moro?" San asked
"No. It is nothing like that. But they are destroying her. That human boy is teaching her their ways, he is showing affection for her. It is tearing her apart from being one of us." her other brother replied.
"I was afraid of this...I hope that when she comes back she will leave her foolish humanity behind." San said and gritted her teeth.
"We saw the human take her somewhere in the forest. He said he wanted to show her something, and took her by the hand. Should we follow?" the older brother asked. San only nodded, and the wolves ran after the two, their scent a dead giveaway.

~End of Chapter 4 and 5~

Love conquers all! lol
I hope the brothers don't eat Enishi. ^.^'

heehh. we shall see soon enuf :3

^.^' uh oh.

Lol !! mina =P

6: The Secret Forest Underneath...

"Enishi..Wh-where are we going?" Moro asked as the two ran through the forest. There was no reply, but as soon as Enishi stopped Moro ran right into him and bounced back, falling on the ground. He held out his hand to her with a smile, and she took it as he helped her up. He put his finger to his lips to make her quiet, and then pointed. There was nothing there. She looked at him curiously, but then gasped when out of the blue, a forest shoot appeared. She wondered how that could be, but then wiped that question out of her mind. As she looked at him, and then at the shoot, she reluctantly went down with him following close behind. When he left, it disappeared. The wolves ran to their scent, and were puzzled when it ended with nothing in sight. They went back to San to report what they had been stumped by.

As the two finally made it down all the way, they landed with a thump. Moro rubbed her head, getting rid of the splitting headache she had recieved. As she opened her eyes the next thing she saw was a beautiful forest underneath the one she had lived in. It was different from hers, and this one seemed to have no sunlight, but still everything was alive and beautiful. She was amazed by all of this, and then saw Enishi look into her eyes, a smile on his face. She was about to say something when he pressed his finger against her lips. He shook his head no, but still smiled and led her down the forest. She looked across and saw a small river, with little fish swimming around. As the two continued their strole, they reached a place that was nothing but darkness. Moro was a little scared, but being with Enishi made her feel better.

The two stayed in darkness only for a short while. All of a sudden, lights began to shine down on them, and sparkles of little white lights danced around them. Moro gasped in more amazement, and saw a little blue orb circle around her head. She raced after it playfully, with Enishi only watching and smiling as he too played with his own little orb, but just in one place. Moro chased hers everywhere, until she came to a hug waterfall that was underneath the forest. She was amazed by this and wondered how a waterfall would be down here, but did not say a word. Enishi walked up behind her, and she smiled at him with delight. As the two finally left, they entered the heart of the forest, the very lake she had entered and was forbidden to when she was 5. She wondered if it was the right time to speak now, and looked at Enishi with confused eyes. He only smiled and nodded. Everything burst right there and then.

"That was amazing! How did you..When did that..IT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Moro cried in delight with a laugh.

"Hahaha! I discovered that place a long time ago. I don't know when it was there though, I guess it just has been. As long as this forest is alive so is that hidden place." Enishi replied with a smile. The two then lied down in the island of the lake, and sighed.

"Moro...only two more years before you're done serving me...if you won't stay with me, or the rest of us, will you visit?" Enishi asked her.

"I..I will try. I still need to train, to become the next in line.." Moro replied silently.

"Next in line?" Enishi asked.

"Yes. The next to become the leader of my family." Moro replied.

"My mother told me, that your mom was a princess of the wolves. Princess Mononoke." Enishi said. Moro was shocked to hear this.

"A princess? I never knew that...Princess Mononoke..." Moro said in awe and thought of her mother, a princess of the forest and of her pack.

"If I cannot visit you...will you visit me in that hidden place?" she asked him. Enishi smiled and nodded.

"Good. Then we will always meet there. We had better get back to Iron Town though.." Moro said and the two raced back to Iron Town.

"A hidden forest? Amazing." San said in wonder.

"We cannot access it though. We do not know how, and we do not know where it is." her brother said.

"In time we might be able to find it. Curse that boy. He is turning my daughter into a filthy, wretched human..." San said and only clenched a fist in anger.

k chapter 7 will up soon. ^^

Or maybe he's turning himself into a wolf. XD
Love the hidden forest! <3
chapter 7chapter 7chapter 7chapter 7
lol
Can't wait!