Princess Mononoke

~A God, A Demon, and A Spirit~

The moon was beginning to rise in the sky. Ashitaka trudged through the pool when he saw a white mass laying, half in the water and half on land. He ran to it and said in a frantic whisper,
"Moro, what's happened to you?" He looked around the glade and called out, "San! It's me Ashitaka!"

"ASHITAKA!"

Ashitaka ran forward only to be stopped in his tracks. The looming figure appeared slowly and the boy gasped.
"Okkoto... he's a demon"
The fraud boars poured in, still in 'costume' "Leave boy" one growled quietly at Ashitaka.
"Fight me and the Forest Spirit will never come" he responded coolly. Ashitaka walked past them and stood with his arms out and cried "Lord Okkoto, calm your fury!"
Okkoto stopped in front of the boy.
"Oh mighty Lord, I beg of you let me have the girl! Please, let her go! San are you there? It's me Ashitaka!"
The boar roared and from it's now serpent covered flesh appeared a tiny kicking leg.
"San!" Ashitaka cried.
The demon flesh rained from the boars body and landed on the fake warriors. The dead skins immediately began to burn away. The men tossed them aside and one called out, "Stop that boy, he's going to ruin everything!"
The pups ran forward from the trees and attacked the warriors. Ashitaka ran past the commotion and leaped onto the boars face. He ripped the skin off looking for San. The boar shrieked and vomited more blood. He ripped until he saw San.
"Ashitaka" she gasped.
He grabbed her but the beast began to shake its head. It shook so furiously it knocked Ashitaka off and into the water.
"Ashitaka!" San cried.
Submerged, the water made the demon flesh glide off like mud.

Moro lifted her head and sighed, "And here I was saving the last of my strength to bite off that damn woman's head." She lifted herself slowly, "But I must save San"
The pups ran to their mothers side panting.
"Don't touch him" she warned. "He's no longer a God."
The beast walked forward, vomiting more blood which sprayed onto Moros white coat. "You can't even speak can you?" She sneered.

Jigo smiled. "Well done men! Now fall back and get the wounded out of here"
He peeked through the trees where Lady Eboshi was watching from. "What a revolting spectacle" he said seeing what was once Lord Okkoto. Suddenly, from the other side of the water emerged a deer. Jigo grinned evilly. "It's him"

The demon stormed forward and placed its head under Moro's chin.
"Give me back my daughter DEMOM!" She spat.
She sunk her teeth into it's face and began to bite through the flesh. The Forest Spirit walked across the surface of the water and as it got closer the serpents began to melt and turn into tar.
"Ashitaka, can you save the girl you love?" Moro whispered hoarsley.

Suddenly from under the water Ashitaka opened his eyes and popped his head out on the surface. "The Forest Spirit" he gasped as the creature walked past him.
A loud gunshot rang through the air and the bullet sailed through the side of the face of the Forest Spirit. But it moved onward.
"Eboshi hold your fire!" Ashitaka pleaded. "Your enemy is not the Forest Spirit!"
He swam behind the great deer.
"That should have killed it... "Jigo said in confusion.
"It's a God, this will take more than one shot." Eboshi replied.
Ashitaka ran and pulled a lump of tar from Moro's mouth. He jumped back into the water and allowed the tar to glide off of the lump revealing San.
"Don't die" he begged choking back tears.
The boar stepped back away from the deer but stopped in awe. The deer stretched it's neck and rested it's lips against the boars rotting snout. It closed it eyes, and breathed in Okkotos life.

Then the great boar collasped. And Moro followed by it's side.

Jigo gasped, "It took their lives away..."
The deer turned and faced the moon. It began to grow and change to the color of the sky.
"Quick he's starting to change!" Jigo said.
"Now watch closely everyone" Eboshi started, "I'm going to show you how to kill a God. The trick is not to fear him" she ran forward.
Ashitaka emerged from the water still holding San in his arms. She was awake now and gripping Ashitaka tightly. They spotted Lady Eboshi taking aim with her weapon and screamed.
"No! Stop!"
The deer turned to face Eboshi and leaves began to sprout from her gun. But nothing was going to stop her now.

"YOU! WILL! DIE!'

She fired her weapon. A single bullet shot through the deers neck and his head came flying off his body. Black ooze began pouring at a stupendous rate, the actual form of a Death.

Lady Eboshi ran forward and grabbed the head by the antlers.
"Jigo bring me that box of yours"
Jigo nodded. "Hurry!" He told his men.
"Be careful, don't touch it's body! It'll suck the life out of you!" Eboshi called out. "One head as promised" she said tossing it to Jigo, who caught it in his arms.
As if from nowhere the head of Moro leapt through the air and bit Lady Eboshi's arm clean off.
"Milady!" Gonza ran to her.
She chuckled to herself, holding her bloody wound. "I told you, a wolf's head can still bite."
Jigo threw the head into the tin case and cried out "Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Gonza this way" Ashitaka waved him over to the water.
"I can't swim" Gonza protested.
"Then walk along the bottom!" Ashitaka scolded and grabbed Lady Eboshi swimming to the other side of the glade and laying her on the grass.
"Give her to me! I'll slit her throat!" San growled.
"You've been avenged. Your mother saw to that" Ashitaka spoke quickly. He pulled off his shirt and wrapped the fabric around her ladyships arm.
"Don't waste your sympathy" Eboshi mumbled.
"I made Toki a promise" Ashitaka retorted.
A loud crash rang through the air. The gel like substance had come together to form a body that began to stand. A body with no head.
"He's looking for his head... we can't stay here" Ashitaka warned. "San you have to help us".
"No!" She was crying hard now, her body trembling with sadness and anger.
"You're on their side! You always were! Take the damn woman and just GO AWAY!" Ashitaka stood silently.
"San.."
"NEVER! I hate all of you humans!" She screamed in his face.
He closed his eyes and swallowed. "Yes San. I'm a human. And so are you"
"I'm a wolf you hear!"
He approached her slowly and wrapped his arms around her. She wanted to run, but didn't have the energy. All she could do was fall into his embrace and sob onto his shoulder.
"I'm sorry San. I tried to stop it"

"It's over" San sobbed. "It's all over. The Forest is dead"
Ashitaka placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.
"Nothing is over. The two of us, we're still alive. Now, will you help me San?"

The body of the Great Forest Spirit stood and reached all the way to the sky. It sprouted hundreds of arms and reached them out in all directions. They landed on tree tops and each tree they touched shriveled up and died. Jigo, still holding the tin, ran as fast as they could.
"Will someone help us?"
But no man stopped. They all sprinted away in fear. "A little crisis and they panic." Jigo chuckled.
Suddenly the men who were helping him carry the tin began to run too fast and they all lost their footing. They stumbled down a hill of rocks but managed to not drop the tin. It rattled and the lid shook.
"The head is moving!" Jigo gasped. "It's calling him to us!"
He and another man grabbed the tin and began to run again.

The decapitated, life sucking body of the Great Forest Spirit stood over the land. With each step it took there was death. And it was headed forward, right towards Irontown.