Through Wolf's Eyes (Princess Mononoke - San's POV)

Chapter Six- You're Blind

Yakul raised his head in alarm as he heard the approach of something rustling the trees. San stood her attention toward the direction of the noise. Her mother, Moro appeared looking straight ahead of her. San noticed this and suddenly a rumbling sound reached her ears. She turned toward the direction her mother was looking at and saw abnormally large boars approaching. A lot of them. San took a couple of steps forward, making sure to stand in front of Ashitaka. 'He is human and here in the forest. The boars will not like that. I will protect him.' San thought to herself as her two wolf brothers arrived, standing on either side of Moro.

"We are here to kill the humans and save the forest. Why are there humans here, Moro?" One boar asked, clear distain in his voice as he motioned toward San and Ashitaka.

"Humans are everywhere these days. Go back to your own mountain. Kill them there. The girl is San, my daughter." Moro told them.

"We will kill them here. We will save this forest. What is that other human doing here?" the boar demanded.

San felt compelled to speak, "He was shot, and the Great Spirit healed his wound. This man is not our enemy!"

"The Forest Spirit saved him. Saved the life of that loathsome runt? What didn't he save Nago? Is he not the guardian of the forest? Why?" the boar demanded, the other boars rallying in agreement of squeals.

"The Forest Spirit gives life and takes life away. Life and death are his alone, or have you boars forgotten that?" Moro growled to the boars, barely tolerating their insolence.

"You lie! You must have begged the Forest Spirit to spare his life! But you did not beg for Nago, did you?" The boar rebuked.

"Nago was afraid to die. Now, I too, carry within my breast a poisoned human bullet. Nago fled, and the darkness took him. I remain and contemplate my death." Moro told the boars.

'No! See can't die!' San thought to herself and spoke, "Mother! Please ask the Forest Spirit to save you." The young woman pleaded.

"I have lived long enough, San. Soon the Forest Spirit will let me rest forever." Moro said to her daughter, with no remorse in her voice. The wolf goddess had come to accept her death the moment the bullet entered her breast.

"All these years you defended the Forest Spirit! He must save you!" San replied her voice unyielding in determination, not ready to accept that her mother would soon die.

"You are not fooling us. Nago was beautiful and strong. He would not have run from anything. You wolves must have eaten him!" The boar accused of the wolf clan.

San turned her attention back toward the boars, with anger in her eyes, "Quiet! Watch what you say, you filthy pig!"

Ashitaka awoke up and heard the boars accuse the wolves of eating Nago.

"Gods of the mountain, please listen to me. Nago died far from here and I was the one who killed him. He had become some kind of demon. One day he attacked our village. If you want proof, look at my hand where he touched me." Ashitaka spoke softly, though even with superior hearing, the animals had quieted down to hear his words. San watched as the young man removed some sort of finger binding from his right hand that held the blue sleeve place. He raised his hand up and the sleeve fell down, revealing a deep purple and back mark that practically covered his whole arm. His fingers had yet to be consumed by the demons mark, but it was only a matter of time once his strength returned.

San's eyes widened in shock. 'He's still dying. But the Forest Spirit healed his other wound. Why would he not heal the demon's curse too if he wants this human to live?' she wondered to herself.

"I came here to beg the Forest Spirit to lift Nago's curse from me. He healed the bullet wound in my side, but the demon mark remains. First it will tear my soul apart, and then it will kill me." Ashitaka told them.

'No!' San thought, suddenly afraid for Ashitaka. She remembered Yakul's words about Ashitaka having a good heart. She did not want to see him become a demon or watch him die.

The boars began to step aside and make way for another boar that had reached the head of the herd. He was much larger than the rest of the boars and had a silver colored pelt and clouded eyes.

"Okkoto, finally, a boar who will listen to reason." Moro stated with relief.

San watched as the large boar approached Ashitaka, 'No! He's gonna eat him!' she thought and rushed up address the boar god.

"No, Lord Okkoto, wait! Please, you mustn't eat him." She stated respectfully.

The boar raised its head and turned to face in her, "Ah, you are Moro's human child, aren't you?" he asked taking a sniff with his large nostrils. "I have heard of you."

San looked up at his eyes and back at his nose as it took in her scent once more. His nose was easily the size of her whole torso. "You're blind." She gasped, having just realized this.

"Stand back. I will not eat him." Okkoto promised.

"It's all right, San." Ashitaka reassured her, having trust in the Boar God.

San looked shocked as she turned her gaze down toward Ashitaka, 'Brave, but stupid.' She thought again to herself. She knew the Boar God was capable of killing Ashitaka in many ways and the young man would be powerless against him in his current state.

"My Lord Okkoto, what I said about Nago's death was the truth." Ashitaka told the boar god and Okkoto approached the young man once more. Ashitaka raised his arm to the boar god's nose and the leader of the boar clan inhaled very deeply.

San took couple steps back and watched awe and remorse. She felt sorry for the boar god that he was blind, unable to see through eyes clouded.

"I believe you, and I thank you for it, young one. I am only grieved and ashamed that such a demon has come from our tribe." Okkoto said. The other boars lowered their heads and whimpered, accepting the tale as truth now that Okkoto believed it.

"O mighty lord, is there a way to lift Nago's curse from me?" Ashitaka asked, having a sliver of hope that the forest gods would know of a way, beyond that of the Forest Spirit's help.

"Leave this forest...for the next time we meet I will have to kill you." Lord Okkoto warned Ashitaka.

'NO!' San thought, her hand suddenly clenched into a fist as she resisted the urge to withdraw her fang out or even Ashitaka's sword that hung on her side.

Moro spoke up, "You cannot win against the humans. Their guns will destroy you all."

"Look on my tribe, Moro." Okkoto asked of her, "We grow small, and we grow stupid. We will soon be nothing but squealing game...that the humans hunt for their meat."

"You'd risk everything on one last battle? That's just what the humans want." Moro retorted.

"I do not ask for the help of the wolf tribe. Even if every one of us dies, it will be a battle the humans will never forget." Okkoto told her and began to walk away. The other boars began to leave, following him.

San looked down at Ashitaka and saw him relax into unconsciousness once again. 'Just speaking has worn him out. I'll must tend to him more.' She decided, she raised her head and looked around. Upon the water of the lake was the Forest Spirit.

"The Forest Spirit."San said, her voice barely above a whisper. She watched as the creature lookedover at her direction then seemed to have a grin upon his odd face as he paddedaway across the water's surface.