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king-xineohp · 2 years

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The Prince and the Elk

Don't worry, the beginning confuses me too and I'm the one who wrote it

Main Masterlist Ghibli Masterlist

Princess Mononoke Ashitaka x Emishi outcast!reader

Y/n cried out as her red elk slipped on the rocky edge of the mountain path.

“Fekul!”

Fekul wobbled under the weight of Y/n’s pack and she quickly grabbed it off her elk’s back, setting it on the ground beside her.

“Are you okay, boy?” She asked softly. She bent down to examine Fekul’s leg, seeing that he had twisted his ankle, but at least his hooves seemed alright. “Okay. We’ll find a place to rest soon. I’ll carry everything for now.”

Y/n picked up her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder before taking her elk’s lead in her hand and guiding him slowly along the road.

They walked for what felt like hours down the barren mountainside road, littered with even more rock that Y/n had to kick out of Fekul’s way. After a long while, what appeared to be a mining town appeared on the horizon, large and seated at a turn in the road, a large wooden portcullis closing it to the world outside its walls.

“That looks like a place we can rest,” Y/n thought aloud. She looked to her elk. “Do you think they’ll let us in?”

She picked up the pace as much as she could with Fekul’s injury. When she arrived at the gate, she noticed men guarding the town entrance from a parapet above it.

“Excuse me!” She called to them loudly. “My companion is injured and we need a place to stay the night! Please, can you let us in to rest?”

The men leaned in towards each other, whispering something that Y/n couldn’t hear.

“Sure,” one of them said. “We actually have an expert on red elk here, maybe he can patch up your companion!”

“Really? That would be great!” Y/n responded excitedly. She pulled Fekul back a few steps as the gate was opened. “Thank you very much!”

Once the gate was open, she pulled Fekul inside with her to get him out of the way of the closing gate.

“Follow me,” the man from before said, rushing to get down from the parapet. “I’ll take you to him, he hangs out with the animals every evening.”

“The animals?” Y/n repeated, dropping Fekul’s lead as he kept following her without guidance. “Um- What town am I in?”

“The recently-rebuilt Iron Town,” the man answered, stopping at the gate of a pen filled with cows and swine. Just in front of them were stables, filled with horses and one red elk. The man set a hand on his hip, looking between the two elk. “I’ve only ever seen one of them before. They’re beautiful animals.”

“I haven’t seen another one in a long time,” Y/n said, awed. She walked over to the other elk and extended a hand slowly. “Hello.”

Y/n grinned as the elk nuzzled into her hand.

“He’s not usually this comfortable around strangers,” a second person said from behind her.

Y/n turned around, expecting this new person to be the red elk expert the guard had mentioned. What she hadn’t expected was another Emishi outcast.

Both of them gasped, eyes wide as they quickly turned away, not daring to look at each other. Y/n cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Um. Sir, please tell your elk expert that my companion twisted his ankle on the road,” she said. The man looked at her, confused.

“Can’t you tell him yourself-”

“Koroku, please tell our guest she can trust me to care for Fek- For her elk,” Ashitaka answered quickly. “And tell her that if she were to meet an old friend, they’d be happy to see her.”

“Koroku, yes? Please tell your elk expert that I would be incredibly surprised to ever see any old friends,” Y/n said, awkwardly fiddling with her fingers.

“Do you two know each other?” Koroku asked.

“No,” both the Emishi said in unison.

“I’ll get to tending the guest’s elk, a twisted ankle shouldn’t be much work,” Ashitaka said, keeping his eyes on anything but Y/n as he walked over to Fekul. Koroku could hear him mumbling under his breath.

Hey, Fekul. It’s good to see you again, boy.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me where I can get something to eat?” Y/n asked Koroku.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all!” He answered cheerfully. “Though if we say you’re a friend of Ashitaka, they can’t make you pay for anything.”

Y/n closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that her next words would sting like a nettle even if her prince knew it was a lie.

“Who’s Ashitaka?” She asked. Yakul whinnied sadly, but Y/n tried to ignore him.

“Wait, do you really not know each other?” Koroku asked quizzically. “I thought you were kidding!”

“It’s complicated,” Ashitaka interrupted, a sadness in his voice he didn’t care to cover. Y/n winced at the sound. “You and Toki take care of her, alright? Yakul and I are headed into the forest late tonight to meet with San.”

“Who’s San?” Y/n asked, this time genuine.

“She’s a wolf girl who lives in the forest,” Koroku said. He shivered. “She scares me.”

“She saved you,” Ashitaka reminded, still keeping his attention on Fekul.

“Yes, but the wolf clan tried to kill us all the time before that happened,” Koroku whined. He sighed. “Well, since we’re both hungry, let’s get something to eat. I’ll just say you and Ashitaka know each other, then no one’ll have any weird suspicions like they did when he first arrived. …Except maybe Gonza.”

“Who’s Gonza?” Y/n asked, trailing after Koroku as he led her through the streets of Iron Town.

“He’s essentially Lady Eboshi’s bodyguard,” Koroku said. “She’s basically the queen around here. She and San kept trying to kill each other until Ashitaka showed up.”

“Um… Did he ever tell you why he left his home?” Y/n asked, trying to pry while also dodging Emishi laws.

“Yeah, his village was attacked by a giant boar god who’d been turned into a demon from one of Lady Eboshi’s iron bullets,” Koroku told Y/n. “It cursed his arm, so Ashitaka decided to find the source of the iron, which was here. And then… Well, it’s complicated. Lady Eboshi killed a god, and Ashitaka and San un-killed it, and now we’re all friends who don’t try to kill each other anymorrrrrr- What is in your bag?!”

Y/n turned awkwardly to look into the bag resting on her back. She smiled, seeing a kodama.

“Hello, Little One,” she said sweetly. “Were you getting lonely in there?”

“You just carry one of those things with you?!”

“Are you scared of them?” Y/n asked. “They’re spirits that sprout from plants, they’re good luck.”

“Yeah… But they creep me out,” Koroku said, shuddering. “Limping through the forbidden forest with Ashitaka while all those things stared at us and shook their heads- The nightmare still haunts me.”

“Why were you limping through a forest with Prince Ashi- With Ashi- With your elk expert?” Y/n said, catching herself. “Wait, wait- A demon boar attacked his village? What happened to the village?”

“Uh- He never said,” Koroku said, stopping in front of one of the buildings. “Me and my wife Toki live here but we all usually eat with the rest of the village.”

“Oh,” Y/n said softly. “I normally eat alone… Maybe it’ll be a nice change to eat with others.”

“This way then,” Koroku said, leading Y/n down the streets again. “Ashitaka will be joining us all after he’s done with your elk, so it shouldn’t be long- Here we are!”

Koroku ushered Y/n inside a building filled with others already eating, finding that Ashitaka was already there, too.

Both Ashitaka and Y/n glanced away from each other. She walked in awkwardly, choosing to sit back-to-back with Ashitaka so they couldn’t see each other.

“Koroku, could you please serve the guest?” Ashitaka asked. “I’d rather her not get up right now- She must be tired from walking her injured elk all day.”

“Yeah, sure,” Koroku said awkwardly, sighing. “I’m a permanent go-between, aren’t I…”

“I’m sorry to drag you into it, Koroku,” Ashitaka said, a sorrow in his voice that worried everyone else eating with them.

“Drag him into what?” One of the men asked. “Who is this outsider?”

“A ghost,” Ashitaka answered, closing his eyes for a moment before he resumed eating.

“My name is Y/n,” Y/n said, resisting the urge to turn and look at Ashitaka. “I once knew a dead man who lives here.”

“What?”

“I don’t know why they’re acting like this, but they know each other somehow,” Koroku said, shrugging.

Y/n ate in silence for a few minutes, listening to the chatter of others. She paused as a realization struck her like an Emishi stone arrow.

“Koroku, ask your elk expert why he’s following a law he can’t be punished for breaking,” she said suddenly. She heard a heavy sigh from behind her.

“Koroku, tell the guest she already knows that answer,” Ashitaka said.

“Why can’t you just talk to each other?” Koroku asked. “Why make me do all the work?”

“Koroku, if someone dies, and then another person dies, those two people are both in the land of the dead, right?” Y/n asked.

“I guess?” Koroku said awkwardly.

“And the living have no way of knowing what happens in the land of the dead,” Y/n said, aiming her words at Ashitaka. “The dead don’t need to obey the laws of the living.”

“Koroku, tell her to remember who she is speaking to,” Ashitaka said firmly. Y/n bit her lip, knowing he was pulling the ‘I am royalty’ card without saying the words he meant.

“Remember who you’re speaking to,” Koroku repeated awkwardly. “Uh… Who are you to each other?”

“Wise woman, will you come with me to speak with the prince?” Y/n asked.

“Of course, young one,” the wise woman said, confused. “May I ask why?”

“I have an important question for the prince, and I think we’re both going to need your advice,” Y/n said. “Will you bring your prophecy stones?”

“Yes,” the wise woman said slowly. “Go speak with the prince, I’ll join you both once I’ve fetched them.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said gratefully, taking her leave of the wise woman and making her way to the central building of her small village. She walked in slowly, seeing her prince talking with Kaya.

“Y/n!” Kaya said happily, noticing her at the doorway. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working the fields today.”

“I need to speak with your brother,” Y/n said seriously. She smiled. “Don’t worry, though, the fields aren’t unattended.”

“Oh. I’ll go, then,” Kaya said, walking over to the door. “Don’t be too formal with the prince- It’s starting to get to his head.”

“Is not!” Ashitaka argued, sticking his tongue out at his sister as she left. He regained his serious composure as Y/n approached. “What do you need? You’re not usually so stern.”

“I’ve arrived with the stones,” the wise woman announced as she entered. Ashitaka’s brow furrowed.

“Why have you brought them? Is something happening?” He asked. Y/n walked over to the floor in front of him and sat, the wise woman joining them both on the floor a moment later.

“Every time I’m outside, the forest around the village is calling to me,” Y/n explained. “If I’m in the forest, it’s hard to come home. There’s also a little kodama who tries to follow me back to the village. I know our tribe grows smaller and weaker with every new generation, but… I want to leave.”

“You want to leave…?” Ashitaka repeated slowly. Y/n nodded. “You know that means you could never come back.”

“I know, that’s why I’m here,” Y/n said. She turned to the wise woman. “I want your advice, I want to know what the stones say, and my lord, I want your blessing to leave- The call of the forest is strong, but I don’t want to make a mistake by leaving if I shouldn’t.”

“It sounds like you’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Ashitaka noted. “This is no spur-of-the-moment whim, is it?”

“No,” Y/n agreed, shaking her head. “For the sake of our village, I want to stay. It’s my own selfishness that listens to the forest.”

“What do the stones have to say about this?” Ashitaka asked, turning his attention to the wise woman, already laying out her spread of stones, bones, and herbs.

The wise woman nodded gently to herself, tossing the stones onto her mat to read Y/n’s future. She said nothing as she examined the rocks.

“If you leave, Y/n, your future is dark,” the wise woman said, voice grim. “It is muddy, and unclear, and difficult, but there is a guiding light with you that will never abandon you as long as you live.”

“And if she doesn’t leave?” Ashitaka asked.

“The call of the forest only grows,” the wise woman stated. “Even without your blessing, she will find a way to listen and leave, but without the guiding light, she cannot find her way. The forest will swallow you whole, Y/n, your soul, life, and bones left to rot.”

Ashitaka grimaced, resting his arms on his knees as he weighed the wise woman’s words.

“I don’t want you to leave,” he admitted. “I also don’t want you to die. If I let you leave now, I at least know there’s a guiding light with you.”

“What is the guiding light?” Y/n asked the wise woman curiously. “Do the stones know, or is it a mystery for us all?”

“It is the little kodama, begging for your company,” the wise woman answered.

“A kodama?” The prince repeated. “Well, I at least know a kodama won’t let you die in the forest. Y/n, if you leave tonight, you can never return. Are you sure this is what you want?”

Y/n nodded.

“Yes, Prince Ashitaka,” she said seriously. “Though I know it’s selfish.”

The prince sighed, glancing at the wise woman.

“Cut your hair and go, then,” he said softly. “We’ll miss you.”

“Y/n,” the wise woman began, “follow the kodama to the tree he calls mother and take a cutting from its branches. Carry it with you, and your guide can follow you anywhere, even into the most barren desert.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said, standing up and walking over to the altar. She picked up the knife that lay on it and reached up with both hands, cutting the tightly-wound bun from her head. She set down both the knife and hair and walked towards the door, her breathing nervous.

“From this moment forward, Y/n, you’re dead to us,” Ashitaka reminded her, watching as she nodded silently and disappeared through the door into the evening.

“Who are you to each other?” Koroku asked. Both of them paused before speaking, once again answering in unison.

“Dead,” replied both the Emishi.

“You’re dead to each other?” Koroku repeated. “Huh. I guess that… Sort of explains things.”

Y/n stared down at her bowl for a moment.

“I apologize, but I’ve lost my appetite,” she said quietly. “I’m going to go check on Fekul.”

She stood, leaving her food on the floor next to Ashitaka, and left quickly, making her way back to the stables.

“Who is she really?” Koroku asked, wondering if Ashitaka might answer less vaguely now that Y/n was gone.

“A ghost from my past,” Ashitaka answered, still cryptic with his words. “She died a year ago. We were never meant to reunite.”

“Well, after all that, I have questions about who you are, too,” Koroku said slowly. “We know you’re a good person, ‘specially since you saved me, but we don’t really know you, do we?”

A few of the other men agreed awkwardly.

“You deserve to know me, and I wish I could tell you about my past,” Ashitaka said. “But if you knew who I was, I’d have to kill you.”

“Okay! No more questions,” Koroku said quickly.

Ashitaka finished his food quickly, using Y/n’s injured elk as a scapegoat to leave. He walked slowly through the streets of Iron Town, reminiscing about his home. He’d been preoccupied since he left, first determined to find the source of the iron ball, then to lift his curse, then to stop all the fighting, then to rebuild Iron Town- He hadn’t stopped to think about home.

Y/n, however, was a much more sentimental person than him, and she hadn’t been as busy as him. Ashitaka supposed she spent a lot more time thinking about home and what she’d left behind. Neither of them had expected to see each other again. As he’d told everyone at dinner, she died a year ago and remained only as a ghost. Still, it had hurt when she’d pretended not to know him.

Being dead was turning out to be more difficult than he’d anticipated.

As he’d expected, Y/n was asleep when he reached the stables. She’d always been one to go to bed directly after eating, never really doing anything in the evening.

She was on the ground next to Fekul, curled up in the fetal position. Ashitaka watched as a kodama sat on her bag, playing with a branch that had clearly been inside it moments ago.

“Hello,” Ashitaka said, crouching down to the kodama’s height. “You must be the light in her life. Thank you for watching over her, Little One.”

Ashitaka stood, walking over to Yakul. The kodama looked up at them curiously as Ashitaka mounted his elk, both of them trotting off into the night to meet with San.

“You’re making a big deal of it,” Kaya scolded. “Just ask her! You don’t need a prelude, I’m sure she’d be honored.”

“It doesn’t feel right, though,” Ashitaka argued. “I can’t ask her to marry me out of the blue, she doesn’t even know that-”

“Then tell her you’re in love with her,” Kaya said. “If you tell her, then it won’t be so surprising. I don’t think it matters, though. You’re the prince, it would be a huge honor to marry you, and also, Y/n thinks you’re great. I’m sure she’d- Y/n! You’re here? I thought you were working the fields today.”

“I need to speak with your brother,” Y/n said seriously. Kaya shared a glance with her brother before rushing to leave.

“I’ll just go,” she said, smiling. “Don’t be too formal with the prince, though, it’s really starting to get to him.”

“No, it’s not!” Ashitaka argued, making a face at his sister as she left. He looked up at Y/n from his spot on the floor, words catching in his throat like they always did around her. “You’re not usually so stern, Y/n, is something the matter?”

“I’m here, Y/n,” said the wise woman, entering the room. She and Y/n both walked over to the prince and sat down. “I’ve brought the stones like you asked.”

“Y/n…?” Ashitaka asked, confused.

“Whenever I go outside, the forest surrounding the village calls to me,” Y/n admitted nervously. “When I’m in the forest, it calls even louder. There’s even a little kodama who tries to follow me home. I know our tribe grows small and weak with every new generation, but… I want to leave.”

“…Leave the village?” Ashitaka asked slowly. He watched Y/n nod smally. “You know that would mean you can never come back.”

The prince’s heart sank at the very thought.

Y/n nodded again.

“That’s why I’m here,” she said. “I want advice. I don’t want to make a mistake by leaving, even if the forest is calling to me.”

“You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?” Ashitaka asked lowly, realizing by the way she was talking about it that Y/n had been stewing in these thoughts for quite some time.

“I have,” Y/n admitted. “For the sake of the village, I want to stay. It’s my own selfishness that listens to the forest.”

Ashitaka turned to the wise woman, looking at him with a knowing look.

“What do the stones have to say about this?” He asked.

He and Y/n both watched as the wise woman tossed her stones on the mat, reading them silently and leaving Ashitaka in suspense.

“If you leave, Y/n, your future is unclear,” the wise woman said. “Dark and difficult, I can tell, but unclear. However, there is a light to guide you through the darkness.”

“What if she doesn’t leave?” Ashitaka asked, hoping Y/n would have a better future staying in the village.

“The call of the forest will only grow, and Y/n will find a way to listen,” the wise woman prophecized. “Even without your blessing, she will leave, but without a guiding light in darkness, Y/n, the forest will swallow you whole, soul, life, and bones left to rot.”

Ashitaka grimaced, the thought of Y/n dying far worse than the thought of her leaving. He leaned onto his knees, deep in thought as he weighed the wise woman’s words.

“I don’t want you to leave,” he admitted quietly. “But I also don’t want you to die. If I let you leave now, I at least know there’s a guiding light to keep the forest from killing you.”

“What is the guiding light?” Y/n asked curiously, looking at the wise woman. “Do the stones know?”

“It is the little kodama, begging for your company,'' the wise woman answered. A soft smile crossed Y/n’s features.

“I’ve been calling him Little One,” she said quietly. The smile fell from her face, her expression turning serious again. “The kodama are trustworthy guides in a forest, I suppose.”

“That’s true,” Ashitaka agreed. He thought back to his conversation with Kaya- If he had professed his love earlier, would Y/n still try to leave the village, or would he have been enough for her to stay? “If you go, Y/n, you can never come home. Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes, Prince Ashitaka,” she said seriously. “Though I know it’s selfish of me.

The prince sighed, glancing at the wise woman. He’d asked her earlier in the day if she’d read her stones for him after sunset. He wanted more advice about his love life, but it seemed that he wouldn’t be needing advice anymore.

“Cut your hair and go, then,” he said softly, deciding that letting her leave was better than keeping her in the village only for her to leave unprepared and die in the forest. “…I’ll miss you.”

“Y/n. Follow the kodama to the tree it calls mother,” the wise woman advised. “Take a cutting from its branches and carry it with you always and Little One can go with you anywhere- Even to the most barren deserts.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said, slowly standing up and making her way to the altar. She picked up a knife and closed her eyes as she used it to saw off her Emishi bun. She set down both the knife and hair and walked towards the door, both nervous and excited.

“From this moment forward, Y/n, you are dead to us,” Ashitaka said formally. He almost heard his own heart break at the words, and Y/n just nodded silently before disappearing through the door into the evening.

“Some decisions are difficult,” the wise woman said quietly, gathering up her stones, bones, and herbs. “And so is love, my prince.”

“I should’ve known she was anxious about something,” Ashitaka stated plainly. “She usually sleeps early, but something’s been keeping her awake at night. …Will she be alright out there?”

“The stones don’t know everything, Prince Ashitaka, so we can only hope,” the wise woman answered. “Will you be alright here?”

“I have to be,” Ashitaka said stiffly.

“This forest is older than it seems,” Y/n noted, riding Fekul through a budding forest, Little One sitting in her lap. “Beautiful though. I wonder if- Oh?”

Y/n watched curiously as Little One stood up, climbing to sit on Fekul’s head. He pointed a bit to the left, looking up at Y/n. In her year traveling, she’d learned quite a bit about spirits from Little One, and she knew better than to ignore the kodama.

“Lead the way, my guide,” she said, tugging Fekul’s lead and following Little One’s directions.

They trotted through the fields in silence for a while before reaching a shallow pool. Little One stood excitedly, pointing to a small island in the water. He lifted his hands to Y/n, begging wordlessly to be picked up.

“Okay,” she said, sliding off of Fekul’s back and putting the kodama on her shoulder. She kept Fekul’s lead in her hand as she approached the island. “…Little One, this place is sacred. I don’t know if we can walk here.”

Little One tilted his head, rattling enthusiastically at Y/n in encouragement. Y/n understood each rattle as a word, and she turned to look at Little One with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re sure?” She asked. The kodama just pointed at the island again and Y/n sighed. “Okay.”

She took Little One off of her shoulder and set him on Fekul while she rummaged around in the bag slung around her elk for the branch she always carried with her. Per the kodama’s instructions, she stuck it in the water of the pond, soaking it thoroughly in what Little One had confirmed as sacred water around a sacred island.

“Wait- There’s a human,” San whispered harshly, ducking behind a mossy fallen log, a remnant of the old forest. She pulled Ashitaka with her, hiding them both. In sync, they peered around the log to see a girl taking the lead off of a red elk. She removed the bag as well, letting it drop into the water. “She has a red elk like you.”

Ashitaka was silent, watching Y/n intently and straining to listen though she wasn’t close.

“You can go, Fekul,” she said softly. “I have all I need.”

Fekul didn’t move, choosing to stay near Y/n as she let Little One lead her to the island.

San’s brow furrowed.

“What is that kodama doing with her?”

They watched as Y/n handed the wet branch to Little One, gesturing for her to lay down. She turned and sat at the edge as Little One planted the branch awkwardly in the dirt.

Though it was a whisper, her voice carried perfectly to Ashitaka.

“The forest is calling me home.”

He saw her chest heave with a deep breath even from a distance, and panic surged through him as he watched Little One start walking away from her.

Throwing the laws of the living to the wind, he left his hiding spot behind the log and ran towards Y/n.

“What are you doing?!” He cried angrily, splashing through the pond as he made a beeline for Little One. He grabbed the kodama with both hands, carrying him to Fekul and setting him down on the elk’s back. “I’ll talk with you in a minute.”

“A ghost shouldn’t interfere with the plans of the spirits,” Y/n said, laying herself down on soft grass.

“This spirit is different,” Ashitaka argued. “Little One is meant to protect you, not lead you to die.”

“No,” Y/n said, staring up at her prince from the ground. “He’s meant to be my guide through darkness, but he’s done guiding me."

“Get up,” Ashitaka said demandingly.

“I’ve been listening to the call of the forest for a year, I’m not going to start ignoring it now,” Y/n replied.

“Remember who you’re speaking with,” Ashitaka said firmly. “I told you to get up. I let you leave because I didn’t want this to happen. Get up, please.”

Y/n sat up slowly, a lonely part of her desperate to listen to her prince and be a part of her tribe once more.

“Who is this?” San asked, joining Ashitaka finally.

“A ghost,” Ashitaka said simply.

“…Looks like a normal human to me,” she said, looking Y/n up and down. “This is the Forest Spirit’s island. Why are you here?”

“My guide led me here,” Y/n answered. She turned her attention again to Ashitaka. “Why?”

Ashitaka looked at San for a quiet while before sighing, looking down at Y/n. He held out a hand to her and she took it, letting him help her stand.

“I can’t bear to lose you again,” he said, his voice dull. “A part of me died with you that night. I wanted to marry you.”

“…Really?” Y/n asked, surprised. Ashitaka ignored her in favor of scolding the kodama.

“And you,” he said firmly. “I trusted you to look after her, Little One. You were supposed to be her light in dark and unclear times, right? I didn’t think you would lead her to the death I tried to spare her from.”

“You can be angry with Little One later, my prince,” Y/n said incredulously. “But I am asking an audience with you to explain what you just said.”

“What was unclear?” Ashitaka asked, giving Little One a warning pat on the head before turning to face Y/n again. “I wanted to marry you. You wanted to leave. I wanted you to be happy, not dead, so I let you go.”

Y/n fiddled with her fingers awkwardly for a moment.

“What happened to the village after the demon boar attacked?” She asked quietly. “Is Kaya-”

“I was the only one to suffer any injury,” Ashitaka said quickly. “I assume Kaya’s replaced me.”

Y/n sighed quietly, turning to retrieve Little One’s travel branch.

“Little One, looks like you’ve still got places to guide me to,” she said, walking over to Fekul and handing the branch to her kodama. “I know you’re not one of us, but when the prince speaks, we listen, okay?”

San looked at Ashitaka, confused, as Y/n dove into the water to retrieve Fekul’s lead and her bag.

“Prince?” She repeated. “You were planning to marry her? Who is she? She’s clearly not a ghost, Ashitaka.”

“Her name is Y/n,” Ashitaka said, watching as Y/n’s head emerged from the water, Fekul’s lead between her teeth as she dragged her waterlogged bag up from the depths. “We’re both outcasts from the same village.”

“A prince is an outcast of his own village?” San asked skeptically. “How does that happen?”

“Demon boars and cursed arms, apparently,” Ashitaka said, sighing. He watched Y/n try several times to sling her bag onto Fekul’s back, failing every time from the water weight. After her third failed attempt, he joined her, his hands on hers as he helped her finally accomplish the task. “…Just like that time you couldn’t get the rice bag on the cart.”

Y/n turned around and hit his chest playfully, scowling as he had her trapped between him and Fekul.

“I was fine on my own!” She protested.

“You said that then, too,” Ashitaka said, grinning.

“…I did, didn’t I?” Y/n reminisced quietly. She sighed, letting herself fall into her prince. He caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her and she snaked hers around his waist. “I miss home.”

“I know,” Ashitaka told her. “I do too.”

“…I’m going to go,” San said bluntly. “Visit later if you need me.”

“…Sorry,” Y/n mumbled, both Emishi still holding each other close. “I made your girlfriend feel awkward.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Ashitaka muttered back. “I could never love someone more than you. A year without you felt like a lifetime.”

“I don’t want to be ghosts anymore,” Y/n admitted.

“We’ve been breaking the law for a while now,” Ashitaka reminded her. “No need to start following them again.”

“You’re warm.”

“Am I?”

“You smell like home.”

“You are home.”

“…Thank you.”

#xineohp's fics #king xineohp #🍪 cafe employee #studio ghibli #decaf #cafe employee #princess mononoke #ghibli #prince ashitaka #ashitaka #ashitaka x reader #x reader #fanfiction #x female reader #reader insert #multifandom #fanfic #studio ghibli fanfiction #prince ashitaka of the emishi

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kaioken16 · 9 months

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AoNoSummer2023 Day 18 - Forest 🌳 💐🌺

The princess of the forest prepares for an upcoming festival and the arrival of her dear friends. (Fantasy AU)

I was inspired by elements from Princess Mononoke, RPG settings, and other fantasy-style settings. In this AU, Shiemi serves as a princess of the forest region and Amaimon is her protector and bodyguard as promised to her family, like the bond between him and Shiemihaza in the manga.

#AoNoSummer2023 #blue exorcist #ao no exorcist #fanfiction #my writing #fanfic #fantasy au #fantasy #kingdom #princess mononoke #shiemi moriyama #amaimon #okumura rin #izumo kamiki #shura kirigakure

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maelstroms-blog · 1 year

Link

Chp 2 of my princess mononoke/the sandman crossover. it’s short but hopefully in the next chp, Prince Hob will meet...him.

#The Sandman #princess mononoke #studio ghibli au #the sandman netflix #the sandman fanfic #au fanfiction #dreamling #Dream x Hob #dream of the endless #hob gadling #the corinthian #tom sturridge #ferdinand kingsley #dabble #criticism welcome

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arysthaeniru · 11 months

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Chapter 6 of the Breath of the Wild/Princess Mononoke Crossover I've been writing (very slowly) is out! In which Link and Ashitaka meet Sidon and Kass for the first time!

ALSO!! Please go and look at @alapest1's wonderful fanart of Link and Ashitaka here!! It's so cute!!

#botw #breath of the wild fanfiction #princess mononoke #oh they've changed the link editor on tumblr huh

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the-mononoke-facade · 1 month

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Hey so what needs to happen to put the medicine vendor in more Situations(tm)? He's got a lot of potential for that but we all seem just a little too scared to go with it

#mononoke #mononoke 2007 #mononoke 2024 #mononoke kusuriuri #mononoke medicine vendor #fanfiction #i mean im guilty of that too all my putting him in situations is behind the safety of a little-known discord server with friend #but like how do we shift the culture of the fandom just enough to expand the fic pool a bit?#theres a ton of gorgeous artwork #a lot of insightful and interesting theories #a healthy dose of shit-posting #but not much in the way of fics #and like the fics that are there are usually beautiful and profound #but theyre also usually short #and then i get sad #anyway if anyone wants to drop a situation for him in the ole ask box ill see what i can do with it #for all that a lot of my day is trying to translate this book #a lot of it is also just fucking off so its not like i dont have time lol

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rinofwater · 2 months

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Hey also, can anyone shoot me some info on some interesting sea-based yokai (that aren't umi bozu or funayuurei/ayakashi or umi zatou, and probably not one of the royal dragons either)? I was going through yokai.com trying to find some but I wasn't really finding much there that I could point to and say "yeah I can work with this" (probably because there are a lot of options to choose from but going through them one by one was getting dull after a while)

I need five (and one of them I don't think will need to be sea-based necessarily but the other four do)

It's the last piece of planning holding me back from starting to write this one fic

#mononoke #mononoke 2007 #fanfiction #yokai #ayakashi

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ruiniel · 9 months

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This fandom has created some of the most beautiful fanfiction, paws down

#fic rec #mononoke fanfiction #'shipping' matters not to me #it's the words and the emotion #mononoke

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manias-wordcount · 20 days

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hiya! just got my wisdom teeth pulled a few days ago. so I’m in need of an Ashitaka x reader rn.

👉👈 can I maybe get an Ashitaka x F!Reader who’s his wife maybe? Shes maybe a month pregnant and goes on the journey with him. and their relationship is absolutely adorable and cute. occasional bickering. she’s also a demon a kitsune. but his tribe didn’t know cause she kept it hidden so only he knew and still decided to marry her.

the fic ends with them reuniting as he returns to iron town. her running into his arms with bandages covering her legs and arms after being injured in the battle..

Home (Ashitaka x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗶 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝟭𝗞 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗢𝗟. 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁! 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘆𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

He doesn’t what to think when he comes back and sees Iron Town completely destroyed.

It was what he was expecting. He had seen so much devastation come about from this battle. From greed. But he’s only human. He’s only a man- only one person. And so, his heart races fast and beats hard out of his chest as he rides Yakul down the mountainside to the site of where Iron Town once stood. Even after he had returned its head and made peace with the forest and his curse, he knew fear. Even after the spirit had washed over him and the rest of the valley, he knows anxiety. And so, he rides swiftly. And he searches. And he begs in his mind and prays to all of the gods and spirits he knows- including the one who just had to die to let the forest have a chance to live again for a chance to see you again.

And he does.

Although to be fair, you see him before he sees you. And he hears you before he sees you. But at the sound of your voice- at the sound of your shout of his name- everything slows down. Because he turns his head. Because finally, he sees you. The second he does, he knows he’s home. Because his home is where you are, after all.

And it starts as a sigh of relief that he didn’t know he was holding in. A feeling of long-awaited homecoming. Of freedom, even. Despite having seen you mere hours ago. But he can’t help it. You were put in harm’s way. You were stuck in Iron Town- fighting a battle you had no business fighting in. A battle that someone else caused. A battle that he dragged you into.

And now, you’re in the middle of the lake with the rest of the people from Iron Town- having escaped the black death that had flowed from the mountainside. But the numbers. The numbers have thinned. He swears, there used to be more people in Iron Town than this. But then he spots you picking up the bottom of your dark blue kimono, soaked by the water, as you begin to run towards him. Behind you are Toki and Kohroku, and a few other familiar faces. They look grim but alive. But it’s not them he focuses on. It can’t be them he focuses on. Not while the sound of your legs splashing in the water as you make your way towards him. Not while he’s dismounting from Yakul, ready to meet you halfway. Not while you’re so, so close that he can see every fresh bruise and cut and bandage wrapped around your body.

Not while he’s just so close to you.

And the second you make contact with each other, it’s just about a couple feet into the lake. The water is at his knees, but he doesn’t care about getting wet. Because now, your arms are around his shoulder, and your head is tucked into his shoulder. His hands are able to squeeze themselves around your waist. And your bodies are able to melt into each other’s. Your bodies are able to hold each other. Something he truly thought he wasn’t going to be able to do anymore. Something he almost lost. Something he could have lost.

“Ashitaka” You murmur his name. It’s a sound so sweet and so perfect that he can’t help but hold onto it at this moment. So he holds you tighter. So he holds you longer. Presses his lips against every single inch of your skin that he can find and promises to himself that he’ll never part from you again if he can help it. And so help him, he will. Even if it kills him, he will. “I was so scared, Ashitaka. We lost so many.”

The way you whimper. The way you whisper out your fears and your sadness to him nearly kills him. But you’re alive. The forest is alive. And not all of Iron Town has fallen. That’s what matters. Towns can be rebuilt. The forge can be lit anew. Bones can break. Wounds can heal. Scars can fade. But he just couldn’t lose you. Both of you.

“Shh, I know, I know…” He hushes you gently, pulling away just enough to look you in the eyes. There are tears dotting your cheeks. Threatening to spill over as your lip quivers and your body shakes. But he keeps an arm wrapped around you. Pressing your body into his as the water of the lake continues to lap at the two of you. But then he leans in close, pressing his forehead against yours while his hand travels down, down, and down. His voice gets serious and soft and relieved as you continue to stare deep into your eyes, his hand finally coming to rest on your stomach. “I’m just…so glad I didn’t lose you and the little one. I don’t know what I’d do…”

At that he trails off, watching as your expression morphs into slight surprise and realization at his words. Your eyes draw downwards as you put your over his and take a deep breath. Before nodding slowly. Still there, your wordless action tells him. The child that the two of you share- the one that’s growing slowly within your body- it’s still there. Even after all the stress. Even after all the fighting. He didn’t lose the two people he loves more than anything in the world.

“I had almost forgotten…” You say quietly. But he didn’t. He couldn’t have. You’re starting to show. It’s subtle. You haven’t grown that big yet. But he knows. And that’s why he never stopped thinking about you. About you and his unborn child. Because he almost lost you both. Because he almost lost you both. “...there was just…just so much-”

“Hey-” He calls out gently, cutting you off the second he notices your voice start to quiver more than he’s comfortable with. His hands squeeze at your body, and you respond by holding a little tighter as your eyes flicker up to his momentarily. “Let’s not worry about that right now, okay?”

You nod your head shakily. You don’t look convinced. Instead, you just breathe in and out slowly. Deep, deep breaths full of looming emotions that have yet to pass. So he tries again. This time, by holding you impossibly tighter than before. Like he’ll lose you if he lets go for even a second. Like he’ll wake up and find out that he’s still in the battle. Still in the war. Far, far away from each other. From safety. From home.

“Hey, don’t worry about that anymore, okay?”

But he’s not. And you’re not either. So he just has to remind you that. He has to remind you of what home feels like. Of what home is. Of who home is. And how it’ll always be…

“We’re home now, my love.”

…wherever you find each other.

#ashitaka #ashitaka x reader #ashitaka princess mononoke #princess mononoke #princess mononoke x reader #princess mononoke fanfic #princess mononoke fanfiction #x reader #xreader #fanfic #fanfiction

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thebluevipersden · 2 years

Text

Tales of the Flame and the Rain

Star Wars fanfiction / PART 01 / Words: 2598 // AO3 Pairing: Cad Bane X female OC Tags: Slow Build, Slow Burn, Creatures, Tension, Angst, Thriller(ish) Summary: Yrsa and her dangerous acklay, Cog live peacefully in their shipwreck home, until a mysterious man in a hat suddenly bursts into their lives. It turns out that not everyone can be tamed… Thanks to @deepbluespace4 for the beta reading! music for the vibe Next episode ➔

PROLOGUE

The acklay species

Acklays are amphibious reptilian crustaceans. Its mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth. The species has stretchy stomachs and three eyes. They walk on six hardened, skin-covered claws, and have grappling hands. They use an organ beneath their chin to sense the body electricity given off by its prey, which it would then spear with its pointed legs. Acklays are carnivorous, predatory animals. They were used as execution beasts. The species is lightning fast and aggressive. It's a creature that even a Jedi would be fearful of, thanks in part to its terrifying appearance and abilities.

The design of the acklay shares the characteristics of praying mantises and Velociraptors. Later refinements added lobster features to them.

Source: Wookieepedia

The location

The story takes place in a wild jungle-like forest with a large junkyard nearby. Nature has already begun to reclaim this environment. It’s full of destroyed spaceships and other smashed gadgets. The area may once have been the site of a war, but is now completely uninhabited. Almost uninhabited…

CHAPTER ONE Silence before the storm

It was a slightly cold and gray autumn evening. The landscape was covered in dense fog, from which the figure of a young girl appeared. Yrsa walked slowly alongside the creek and observed her mechanic traps in the water.

- What a catch! Today we’ll be feasting! Hey, Cog! Come here boy!

From the distance, a soft growl followed the sounds of clawed footsteps. The outline of a huge gloomy looking creature emerged and quickly approached the girl. The beast was an acklay.

- Heeey, who’s the good boy! - She gently scratched the animal’s giant head. - Catch it!

Yrsa threw a fleshy fish to the creature and he swallowed the whole thing in one big bite. His sharp fangs flickered.

- Oh my, you were very hungry, pal! - She said and caressed the creature. In response, he grunted deeply and rubbed his head to the palms of the girl.

- Aaaww… Come, let’s look at the other traps!

They both walked alongside the creek and the night slowly descended.

The girl and her beast headed towards home. Yrsa loved to walk in the woods at night. She was somehow reassured by the sounds of the nocturnal nature. The night air has the strangest flavor and she loved to inhale and sink in it. She felt a special attraction to the darkness. It filled her soul with serenity mixed with thrill. But of course, there was no reason to be afraid of anything with Cog on her side. He was a huge carnivorous predator and there were no creatures nearby bigger than him. In this very night the Moon shone subtly, periodically covered and uncovered with clouds. Everything was calm, but somehow the silence was strangely greater than ever. Yrsa found this a little bit unusual, but she didn’t attach much importance to it. They continued their way on the path they already knew, when Cog suddenly stopped...

- Hey! What happened, boy?

The creature didn’t move at all. He fixedly looked at a single point in front of them in the woods.

- Um… Cog? What did you see? Is it some prey of yours there?

Yrsa tried to look in the same direction. She narrowed her eyes but saw nothing, but the darkness itself. Cog, on the other hand, had excellent night vision.

- Cooome on pal! Let’s go on! We caught a lot of food for the next few days, it’s more than enough!

But Cog stood rigid and still. Yrsa started to worry. Restlessness slowly overcame her. Suddenly the animal began to growl loudly and ran into the thicket of the forest with really fast moves.

- What the… Cog! Wait!

She jumped over some bushes, rushed towards the creature and tried not to lose sight of him.

- He is fast. Cooog! COG!!

Yrsa ran a few meters after him when she suddenly spotted something. Something really strange. She shivered at the coldness of the sight. In the direction Cog was running, Yrsa noticed a shady figure on one of the taller trees. The shape of a man stood on a thick branch and stared firmly at her. The girl didn't see him well enough, the foliage casted shadows on his body. She only saw that the strange figure was distinctly tall and spindly and as if… As if his eyes were glowing blood red… Yrsa had an uneasy feeling deep inside her bones.

At that moment, Cog ran back to Yrsa and stood defensively in front of her. The animal also stared grumbling at the tree Yrsa had been watching so far. He began to growl and screeched in an almost deafening, unearthly voice.

- Is… Is anyone there? - She shouted timidly.

In response came only silence and the noise of the wind-blown leaves.

Cog shrieked so loudly that his voice shrilled through the night air, then trailed off a bit.

- Oh, are you all right? - Yrsa touched and gently stroked the side of the creature and looked at him for a moment to check if everything was okay with him. When the girl looked back at the tree, the figure had already turned into mist, disappeared into the darkness. She glanced away for only a split second, but that was just enough time for the mysterious shadow to vanish.

- Huh… - Restlessness settled over the girl.

They stood there for a while, as if lightning struck them. Before long Cog slowly fell silent and calmed down. Yrsa was still breathing heavily. She was scared of the unexpected encounter. They had lived in this forest with Cog for so many years, but had never seen anyone other than them and the animals of the woods. It is an isolated, uninhabited area where no one goes to. But this time someone else was present and lurked around...

Cog and Yrsa soon reached their campsite. The rest of the way was uneventful. Cog was much calmer, he walked so peacefully, almost as if nothing had happened before. The creature was silent behind the girl, only his six legs knocked rhythmically on the firm ground. But for Yrsa, this incident left a mark in her soul. That was a mark of something dark with a sense of foreboding. Who was that? Did he want something from them? Or was he just a lost or wandering stranger and nothing dangerous at all? On that night she couldn't sleep for a moment.

The campsite where they lived with Cog was a hideout converted from the wreckage of a crashed Tie Interceptor. Their small spaceship home was on the edge of a forest clearing next to a large lake surrounded by cliffs. Around their home there were a lot of various gadgets, machine parts, tools and other mechanical things, lying all over the place. Yrsa was an ardent engineer youngling. She was impressed by the way technology works. She loved to build, to make robots or devices. Her ability was useful in the wilderness, for her fishing traps or other practical uses. When she found an injured animal, she loved to build tiny tools for them. Once she met a beakless loth-crow and gave it a new mechanical one instead of the missing body part, then let it back into nature. That felt so good. Yrsa also made some reinforcements for Cog. She loved to craft anything useful or shield-like equipments to her beast. That was her favourite activity. The two of them lived undisturbed in this place, until yesterday.

In the morning Yrsa came out from the ship shelter exhausted and disheveled. She was tired because of her vigilance. The girl yawned, then looked around. Her gaze stopped at Cog. Yrsa was a bit sad that Cog had grown so much over the years that he unfortunately no longer fit inside the ship, next to her bed. Nowadays the creature slept in an outside shed, which was attached to their home. Cog lay there now and slept peacefully with a very loud snore. Yrsa watched the animal.

- Oh, my hero guardian… - She smiled at him, then stepped out the door.

She often thought about what happened the night before. The girl cautiously examined their surroundings but didn't notice anything suspicious or strange. There was no sign of movement. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and listened to the wind:

The branches are crackling… The leaves are whispering… A few smaller animals are nesting and scraping on the ground… Similar insects are circling each other constantly… A bird or two are chirping on the rattling foliages of the trees… The blanket of the lake is gurgling and splashing backwards and forwards… Backwards and forwards… Backwards… And forwards…

Yrsa opened her eyes. She could only hear the average layered sound textures of the forest. The girl knew them well enough. Yrsa was a little relieved but for safety's sake, she decided to fabricate some alarm traps, which she would later hide carefully around their home area. If any suspicious movement is detected during the night, the small devices will signal it to her. She immediately started to build them.

The night fell again. The Moon was already high in the sky when the sharp noises of Yrsa’s alarm devices violently broke the silence. Yrsa jumped up from her bed in horror and her heart pounded madly. - The traps… It’s… - She slowly crawled out of the bed to look through the window. She pulled aside the curtain and peered out.

- No, no, no… It’s him again… I knew something was wrong with him… - She said anxiously.

The red eyed shade from last night leaned his back to a large rock in front of their home. His dark shape was subtly illuminated by the pale blue moonlight. He revealed a little more of himself than he did yesterday. The man wore a long coat and a remarkably wide cowboy hat. He monitored the window where the girl stood and stared at her. In his right hand he held one of Yrsa's deactivated traps and tossed it up and down. Yrsa didn't move in front of the window, she stared back at him and started to breathe faster.

- ….What’s your plan? - Thought the girl, worried.

The dreadful figure formed a pistol from his left hand and then pointed his index finger to Yrsa. He stopped for a moment… Then pretended to fire with his handpistol. He grinned in a barely visible way and slowly blew away his “smoking gun”.

- That… Bastard… - She gave him a perplexed look.

The intruder didn't stay there too long because the deep growl of Cog broke the moment. The enormous animal emerged from the side of the shipwreck and started approaching their stalker. The man with the hat cheekily waved a goodbye to Cog and with quick acrobatic movements escaped into the dense forest.

Yrsa stepped out of the ship and sighed. Cog ran back to her and poked his head to her side.

- I’m okay, buddy. I just… I think I'm going to sleep next to you tonight…

Cog made himself comfortable on his bunk. Yrsa snuggled close to him, buried her face in the side of the animal and watched that very point in the forest where the ominous being disappeared from her sight.

The mysterious stalker with the wide flanged hat sat on a thick branch of a tree. He threw his back loosely against the trunk, stretched out one of his legs and hung down the other one. He chewed on a toothpick and observed the home of Yrsa and Cog from a safe distance. The shady man caught his red eyes on the lying creature and sighed a little bit annoyed. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and with quick movements picked up a comms device then started to dial:

- Kzzzt-Kzzt - Crackled the device, then someone picked it up. The caller didn’t wait for them to answer his call. He started to talk first:

- Fiiinally! - He said with mock in his voice.

- B... - Kkkzzzt - Bane! Is that you? The transmission is very bad!

- Yesss. You sent me off the map, don' be surprised... I’ve been tryin' to reach ya' for two days, it won’ be free for you, ya’ know…

- Sure, sure! The money isn’t a problem! We’ll pay you for the extra time!

- Obviously.

- Uh… What’s the status of the target? Did you find the corpse at the wreckage?

- Last time I checked, that so called corpse was very much alive… - He said with a ton of sarcasm in his voice and looked at the snuggled up girl and beast. His eyes locked on Yrsa, who huddled to the back of the animal. He pondered about her for a split second. Then Bane heard in the comms a cacophony of people:

- What? She isn’t dead?? How? Did you hear that Deng? Come here! Yes, yes I said that! - A third man joined the call and they started to discuss with each other.

Bane sighed deeply and buried his face in the palm of his hand. The people continued the idle chit-chat:

- ...Whaaaat? Alive? Yes yes, the bounty hunter said that! It’s great! Tell it to Reeda too! Reeda! Reedaaa! Come here to the dashboard!

- ENOUGH!! - Bane thundered and they all fell silent on the other side of the line. Then someone finally dared to speak:

- Umm, we are here, we are here!

- Dead or alive? - He asked, cold and fast.

- Oh, bring her to us, then we can ask her about her father, and… - Bane didn't wait for him to finish the sentence.

- I’ll triple my rate then, we’ll talk later!

- Wait, Bane!

* He disconnected from the call quickly *

- Idiotsss. - He said scornfully and put the toothpick into his mouth again. Bane took out a holo device and started to check some important data on it. It was a very useful hunting tool that contained significant scientific informations.

- Lemme’ see, lemme’ see… - The gadget showed holograms of various animals. He switched between them.

- Oh... That’s it! - The device stopped at a picture of a creature like Cog. Bane smirked wickedly.

- Well, well, well… Let’s see how to take down an acklay… This’ll be interesssting...

The forest was still under the cover of darkness. The early morning mist began to form. It was overall silent, only a faint melody broke it softly. The tune was like a low vibration of a cello. The source of the sound was Bane. The sinister bounty hunter walked at a slow pace in the woods. His long coat swished after his footsteps and he hummed an old cantina song in his raspy voice. His breath was visible in the cool dawn air. He carried an unusual metal box under his left arm. The hunter looked around and stopped, then crouched down and placed the box at the trunk of an old, gnarled tree.The following text was on the side of the box: “E.L.D. - Electrical Luring Device”. Bane opened a small door on the side of the box with a click, under which was a dial and a screen. The green light of the display illuminated his morose face slightly. He typed some numbers on the dial and picked up a remote control. The bounty hunter checked some settings on them. After he completed the procedure, the box began to buzz softly.

- Great, it'll be close enough. All set for the show… - There was a sly smile on his face. Bane got up and disappeared into the fog, leaving the metal box behind. The bounty hunter’s raspy, humming voice melted into the cold air.

Next episode ➔

Footnotes: - Thank you so much for the reading! ♥ This is my first ever fanfiction. I haven't dared to share something like this here until now. - This shipwreck concept art was made by Sergey Vasnev, all credits belongs to him. - The Bane gif was made by @cadbanee and came from here. - Everything else is my illustration. :) - Cog's appearance was inspired by the first concept arts of the acklays.

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