The Wolf Girl

Chapter 5

    The warmth of mother slowly brings me to sleep until my eyes close. I dream of The Forest Spirit. I dream of meadows and how I used to run with mother and San through the forest chasing each other until we became exhausted. Suddenly I wake up. I hear birds chirping and shoot up. I look around and find the cave empty. I sigh and run off to where I and San left Ashitaka. I find him slowly waking.

    "Yakul." Ashitaka smiles as his companion walks up to him. I smile as I see that the Forest Spirit had taken all signs of the bullet wound. I sit next to Ashitaka and I frown when Ashitaka lifts his cursed arm and the curse has spread to his palm. I lay next to him and suddenly his arm wraps around me, and then brings me closer to him. I look up in shock. He smiles down at me and sets his head back down. I smile back at him and cuddle into him. After a couple seconds of laying there I hear the sound of footsteps. Not wanting to move I stay still, but open my eyes when the footsteps come closer. When I look up I see San smirking down at us.

    "Comfy?" I blush and nod slightly and her smirk grows bigger. "Finally you're awake. You really should thank my sister and Yakul. My sister hasn't stopped being worried about you and Yakul hasn't left your side this whole time."

    "How'd you know his name's Yakul?"

    "He told me, and he told me about you, your village, your people, your forest and the connection between you and my sister. The Forest Spirit brought you back to life again. He wants you to live." She hands me the food she brought with her so I could feed him.

    "I had the strangest dream. There's been a golden creature." I brought the food to his mouth and he took it.

    "Chew." I told him as he slowly chews. He coughs in strain and the food falls out of his mouth. I sigh and take the food off his chest and chew it myself. I bring my lips down to his and transfer the food to his mouth. I keep doing this with each piece of food San hands me. At the last piece tears reach his eyes and I sigh in sadness. All of a sudden Mother comes through the bushes followed by my brothers. Across from them a group of boars come flooding in.

    "We are here to kill the human and save the forest. Why are there humans here, Moro?" the boar asks my mother with a tone of ungratefulness.

    "Humans are everywhere these days. Go back to your own mountain. Kill them there. The girls are San and Luka, my daughters." she sneers at the pigs as I stand up and walk so I stand next to her.

    "We will kill them here. We will save this forest. What is that other human doing here?" I open my mouth to speak in Ashitaka's defense, but before I can San is already talking.

    “He was shot, and then the Great Spirit healed his wound. This man is not our enemy!" she yells to the pigs.

    "The Forest Spirit saved him? Saved the life of that loathsome runt? Why didn't he save Nago? Is he not the guardian of the forest? Why?" the boar squeals. I yell back at the boar.

    "Nago was afraid of death! The Forest Spirit gives life and takes it! It's the way of life." Mother looks down at me and nods. I smile up at her, but the squeals back at us.

    "You lie! You just have begged the Forest Spirit to spare his life! But you did not beg for Nago, did you?" I snarl at the pigs as mother repeats what I said.

    "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." I pet the fur where the bullet had entered my mother's chest in sadness. I knew nothing could help my mother. The Forest Spirit would take her life even if we begged.