In ancient times, the world was ruled by gods, and by demons. Atamhako slinked silently through the woods pulling a boar along with her. Suddenly she stopped and draped the boar in the water. She sat there twitching her fox-like tail back and forth waiting for some bigger animals. When she finally caught a few other boars, she hid her prey in a bush, jumped on a slick, gray stone, sat down, lifted her head into the air, and howled. Then a girl, about 18 years old, jumped out into a clearing with two other wolves; one was Marro, Goddess of the Earth and the other was Toroken. The young girl ran up the stone and began to pet Atamhako on the back of the ear.

The girl's name was San and Marro had raised her. Toroken and Atamhako were Marro's pups. San climbed onto Atamahako's back and Kaia's crystal dagger, that Ashitaka gave her, and her earrings twitched to the side before Atamahako, Toroken, and Marro jumped off the stone. Atamahako pulled out the boars.

"Can we eat them?" Toroken asked.

Atamahako pulled her lips back so that she could smile growlingly at him.

"No, you may not, this is for mother," San said, as she stepped between them.

"San," Marro said, "you know I will not eat before you."

San couldn't eat; she had gone through a lot during the last three years. It was all because Ashitaka saved her. When he had met her, she was Mononoke. Then she had to teach him how to live again, as his strength returned. As his strength returned, she had to learn to live with lies from Eboshi's men and how to show that she loved Ashitaka. Over the years she had thought more and more about what she had said to Ashitaka, that she hated all humans and that she would forgive them for what they did, and she knew that was the reason Ashitaka had set her on Atamahako's back and said that he would leave and help rebuild Irontown and she could return to the forest. She'd always remember Ashitaka saying, "As long as we have each other, everything will be fine," but now it wasn't. She always thought when she sat there, like now, he would be there for her to set her head on his shoulder.

San stood up and Marro asked, "Is something wrong, San?"

"No, I just wonder how Ashitaka is and if he's ok."

And even though she couldn't get in, she jumped off Marro's Stone into the forest. It wasn't long until Atamahako had caught up with her and tossed San onto her back. Atamhako had always been there for San and she knew that San loved Ashitaka.

'I've got to see him; even if it is just for a moment, I need to know that he's ok...'

The only way for San to get into Irontown was to ride Atamhako full speed, ram their sides into a spike, and then for San to jump up, spear the wall, climb on top of the spear, and jump onto a rooftop.

Cliffie, I know. I will update eventually, however. Unless no one RR's. Then this is all you'll get