The Little Wolf [A Princess Mononoke Fanfic]

Chapter 5

A shadow suddenly fell over him and his eyes fluttered open. One of the Wolf Princesses was standing beside him, a shy smile on her face as she fell to her knees beside him.

"You're awake," she said in a quiet voice. Ashitaka felt a tremor run over his body. Her voice suited her perfectly. It sounded like the chime of bells in the wind, like the coo of a dove in the morning, and like a fresh rainfall after a drought. 

Ashitaka stared at the girl, watching as she pulled out a strip of dried meat for him. She lifted it to her lips and tore off a small bit before dropping it into her hand and slipping it between his lips. Ashitaka tried to chew the meat but found that all of his strength had left him. He sighed and the meat went slack between his teeth. He wouldn't be able to eat this. 

Y/N bit her lip. He needed to eat. But if he wasn't strong enough yet to eat by himself, then how would she get him to eat? She thought of what Moro had done for her when she and Sen were still babies, unable to eat anything that the rest of the wolves ate. Moro had taken the time to chew the food for her daughters before feeding them. Y/N smiled. If her mother could do it for her, surely she could do it for the boy, right? She took the piece of meat and slipped it between her lips before taking another bite of the meat in her hands. It was a struggle to chew and not swallow, but she managed. Once she was sure it was chewed enough, she bent down and placed her lips on Ashitaka's.

Ashitaka's eyes flew open and he tensed. What was she doing?! But he relaxed when he felt the meat slipping from her mouth into his, already chewed. He swallowed it and sighed when Y/N pulled herself away. He tried not to pull her back. As much as it had come as a shock for him, he liked the feeling of her lips on his. 

Y/N repeated this a few more times until she felt that Ashitaka had eaten as much as he would be able to in such a weakened state. Then, she sat quietly by him, her legs crossed as she sat on the mossy forest floor, gazing at the wound beneath his eye. It had left a scar. Her blade had left a scar on his face. She felt terrible.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment.

Ashitaka turned towards her, though his eyes remained closed. "What do you mean?"

Y/N lifted her hand so the tips of her fingers ghosted over the wound. "I cut you."

Ashitaka smiled. "It's all right. It's just a scratch."

It didn't make Y/N feel any better. 

"Y/N."

The girl quickly got to her feet upon hearing her sister's voice. Moro and her siblings emerged from the underbrush and stood at the edge of the clearing. 

The earth rumbled beneath Y/N's feet and she turned to see the boar clan emerging from the other side of the forest, standing before the wolf tribe. Y/N stepped around to the other side of Ashitaka's body and rested her hand on the hilt of Ashitaka's blade, which was strapped to her side. She would not let the boars take this boy.

"We are here to kill the humans and save the forest," a large black boar grunted. "Why are the humans here, Moro?"

"Humans are everywhere these days," Moro answered. "Go back to your own land. Kill them there. The girls are San and Y/N. My daughters."

The boars wouldn't take no for an answer. "We will kill them here, we will save this forest." They turned to the boy who lay behind Y/N. "What is that other human doing here?"

San glanced over at her sister, wondering if she would speak. 

"His own people shot him," Y/N said in a soft voice. "I brought him here and the Great Spirit healed his wounds and gave his life back to him. He is not our enemy."