Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Mountain ❯ Chapter 2: Part of the Pack ( Chapter 2 )

See chapter 1 for disclaimer! I don't feel like typing it again!

In ancient times, the land lay covered in forests where dwelt the spirits of the Gods. Back then, man and beast lived in harmony, but as time went by most of the great forests were destroyed. Those that remained were guarded by giant beasts who owed their allegiance to the Great Forest Spirit, the Shishi Gami. For those were the days of Gods…

…and of demons.

/|\

The Wolf Jaw was a mountain range of fifteen mountains, making it the second largest mountain range in the land. It lay as a boundary line, parting the forests and grasslands of human civilization, to the frozen Zulmyzulbri Mountains to the north. Only six of the mountains were inhabited by people the world called Mononoke: Mount Moro, Mount Kapu, Mount Naka, Mount San, Mountain of the Tatara, and Singing Mountain.

Singing Mountain was home to the most superior of wolf Gods. Unwelcome spirits fell pray to the giant wolves' jaws instantly, including unwelcome humans. Few humans that are welcome and that aren't Mononoke are very rare. Since the war between the human tribe known as the Tatara and the Gods of the Singing Mountain six thousand years ago, humans have not been welcome in the range…until one brave soul proved herself to the wolves.

Since that brave young woman decided to live with the Gods, she became their ambassador to the Tatara people. A few hundred years later, the practice of a priestess with the title "San" became available to any brave woman who could prove herself to the wolves of the mountain. No men were allowed into the tribe, the women went by the saying: "We can't trust men." So, the Mononoke Wolf Clan came to be known as the Japanese Amazons.

The wolf clan had no idea how lucky they were during the days of Cell's reign of terror. Just six hundred miles away from the Wolf Jaw were the ruins of Ginger Town and Nickey Town. Cell had decided to avoid the Jaw because he didn't have the power to face his "fellow Gods" just yet. He left the mountain's villages alone, and moved on to other cities.

The wolf clan had no idea how lucky they were.

/|\

"Hello there. You must be Cell."

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Who me? Oh that doesn't matter. Really."

"Yes it does. I don't like that look in your eyes."

"Oh, you poor thing! Do my eyes scare you? You should be scared of me, you poor unfortunate soul."

"I'm not poor or unfortunate! Now tell me who you are, or I'll ring your neck and rip your head off your shoulders!"

"Sheesh, I hate insistive men! Fine, the names Surreal, and I'm basically here to kill you!"

"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! You? Kill me? That's a good one!"

"Oh yeah, that's right, you're already dead."

"…"

"So, I'll do the next worse thing! Care to take me on into a fight?"

"Why not? You'll lose very quickly. I'm the perfect warrior!"

"Not as perfect as you think you are! Gimme your best shot, Cell!"

/|\

Cell hardly remembered anything about the fight with Surreal. He did remember the pain…the suffering…the chill as his collection of stolen souls were drained from his body. He remembered as Surreal did the unthinkable, and took Android 17's psychical form out of his body, making Cell imperfect once again. He could clearly remember Surreal's last words to him.

"Since I can't kill you, I'll just bring you back to life! Thanks for releasing me from my confinement last year! I'll repay you by coming back to kill you later!"

The menacing laugh of that spirit rang in his head as he felt a terrible heat flare in his body, like she had set his insides on fire. Then he felt like he was falling, and he heard a sickening thud as his body landed on something, then he tumbled somewhere deep and skidded to a stop on his shoulder. Then he blacked out.

Then he remembered voices of two women, and strange rattling sounds all around him. He heard one of the woman screaming, but he was too dazed to make out any actual words. They sounded like they were speaking an otherworldly language. He blacked out again, and when he woke up, he felt himself moving. He was too weak to even open his eyes. Then he felt a hand clutch his own protectively. He panicked, thinking it was Surreal again. He tried to squeeze the hand hard enough to break it, and he managed to part his eyes to see who he was trying to attack. He saw a foreign face…but he recognized it somehow…it was a human girl, not Surreal. Still too dazed to understand what was going on, he blacked out again.

Before he knew it, he was in the girl's house, lying on one of the two beds in her room, being nursed back to health by her. Now that he could think again, he had only one question:

Why was she doing this?

Singing Mountain: Chapter 2

Masq walked all the way to the valley where the wolf clan waited for her. She smiled to herself. At long last, she would finally get her place among the wolves, and she would become a San, just like she had always dreamed she would be. She couldn't wait to live with the wolves, patrolling the mountain for unwanted spirits, howling at the stars in the sky (since the moon had vanished), playing with the wolf cubs, riding on the backs of the magnificent beasts…just to be free from human society. That was her ultimate wish.

The valley was at the base of Singing Mountain. The valley contained a pool which was the realm of the Shishi Gami and his followers. The pool and the land around it were sacred ground for the Gods. No violence was allowed and evil spirits could not set foot inside. It was a place for meditation and learning. It was the main meeting place for the wolves and their priestesses. It was where some of the younger priestesses and wolf cubs could play and be raised. It was where sacred practices, initiations, and funerals were held. It was where Masq would become an official priestess instead of just a fellow Mononoke.

She entered the valley, and walked across the stepping stones of the pool the center island. She walked across moss covered rocks of the center island, soft grasses and mud of the bank, and under the shade of the giant trees that sheltered the pool and held home for many birds, small rodents, and of course kodama.

She felt her heart pound in her chest. She covered it with one hand, in an attempt to calm it. She hoped all would go well. She would get her mask and her shroud of faux fir that was soft and warm like wolves fur, and she would be trained in the protective arts of the Mononoke…oh, and the knife! Of course, she had to be granted her knife before she could be called an actual San!

Cell suddenly popped into her mind, and she stopped walking. She turned and looked back the way she came. Was he doing okay by himself? There was no one there to help him if he needed it. She sighed, and convinced herself that she should worry about him trying to escape instead. She continued walking, thinking of him as her prisoner.

…And just as soon as he's up and walking around, he'll be San Rhapsody's responsibility. She knows how to handle jackasses like him.

Then, she saw a wolf ahead of her. Only two feet taller than her, with snow white fur and black eyes. It appeared to be a male, very fit and healthy, almost full grown, old enough to have his own litter of cubs with a suitable female. He was beautiful. He walked into Masq's path, and she stopped just one foot in front of his muzzle about the size of her head.

"Hello, fair one." Masq greeted with a friendly bow. The wolf sniffed at her neck and stomach then lifted his head to her.

"You are the one named Coral DragonLore, but the priestesses know you as Masquerade?" he asked with a deep voice. Masq nodded. "My name is Ghen, son of Moro-sama. I have been sent to guide you to your ceremony."

"Thank you, Ghen-sama." Masq bowed again.

"You are late." Ghen reported.

Masq froze in mid bow.

" 'Late?' " she wondered.

"You should have been here an hour ago."

No one said anything about a certain time… Masq thought angrily as she straightened her back. Damn…I spent all that time waiting for Cell to wake up, I should have known to be here earlier than this. How embarrassing.

"San Rhapsody will excuse my tardiness." Masq began, blushing. "She knows why I am late."

"Follow." Ghen ordered, turning around and walking down the path that parted the great trees. Masq did follow, and massaged her face with one hand to make her red cheeks turn their normal color.

/|\

Cell naturally awoke from his sleep, and opened his eyes. He was still in Masquerade's house, on one of her beds. He stretched his arms and legs, and found his muscles more relaxed and easier to move around. He sat up, cracked out the kinks in his neck with one hand. He curled his three toes inward to crack them and he bent back his fingers together to crack them too.

He felt good.

"Sleep must have been what I needed." He mumbled to himself. "I guess I should give the girl credit for making me stay here." He pulled back the blankets that covered him and swung his legs around to stand up. "Well, her service is over. I must go find Surreal." He stood up…suddenly, his knees buckled and he collapsed on the ground, landing on his face. He rolled over to his side, covering his beak. "Dammit!" he screamed in pain. "I'm still too weak! I don't believe this!"

He clutched a fist in frustration and anger, growling in his throat. "If I still had my perfect form, this wouldn't have happened! Damn this body!" he lifted himself on his hands and knees, and crawled back to the bed on all fours. "And damn you too, Surreal! You'll pay dearly for this!" He climbed up on the bed, and curled up into a ball, resting his head on his arms and wrapping his tail around his legs. Feeling more comfortable like that than he did laying on his back, he fell asleep again much quicker and easier.

/|\

Ghen had two tails. She thought that was a little uncanny. It was almost like his great grandmother, the great Moro Gami herself, has been reincarnated. Masq jogged from Ghen's back end to his neck on his left side. She put her hand on his flank and walked with him. He turned his eye to her, and she smiled pleasantly. He looked away from her.

"You are a brave one." Ghen congratulated dryly.

"Nah." Masq smiled and shook her head. "I just thought that maybe we could be friends. Whadaya say?"

"That depends if the clan will except you or not."

"Of course they will. San Rhapsody said she'll initiate me herself, and I've known your mother ever since I moved here six months ago."

"That doesn't mean you will qualify." Ghen notified. "You must prove yourself to the whole clan. Not just the High Priestess and my mother."

"Knowing me," Masq gloated with a confident smile, "that shouldn't be too hard."

They soon came to a clearing of land that opened onto the bank next to the pool. Priestesses with their white and blue outfits, hidden behind their half faced masks, and draped in their fur cloaks sat along the tree line, or in the branches of the trees. A little over a hundred wolves sat or stood along the line of trees next to their friends or littermates. Each wolf a relatively different color than the next, and they ranged in different sizes, from cubs half as tall as the average human to giant pack leaders the size of a mobile home. At the bank edge stood the leader of the wolf pack, Moro-sama, an old, tan colored wolf mother roughly the size of a bus. Next to her stood San Rhapsody, her full-face mask resting on top of her head, a spear in hand, and clothes neatly cleaned and free of wrinkles. Masq took in a breath as Ghen led her to Moro-sama and Rhapsody. Rhapsody began speaking in rapid Japanese:

"We have a new one joining our pack. We have a brave woman who shall run with the wind, protect the trees and land, and respect all forms of life. We have a new Mononoke among us." The land was silent. Ghen stopped walking as Masq carefully approached Moro-sama, and stood still and straight at the wolf's muzzle. Moro-sama's entire mouth could swallow Masq whole, and that made the human a little nervous. Sure, she met Moro a few times during her six-month stay, but Masq had never gone this close to her. They usually talked at a distance, respecting each other's security.

"Konnichuwa, Moro-sama." Masq greeted politely. Moro-sama sniffed at Masq's clothes, hair, and stomach. Moro-sama lifted her head back, and spoke softly.

"I have heard that you have accepted an evil presence in your house." She stated. Masq grew nervous. She tried to hide it, but goosebumps were snaking up her neck and she was shivering all over.

"I respect all life, Moro-sama." Masq answered with a quivering voice. "He was injured, and is still weak. As soon as he is healthy enough to move around, San Rhapsody agreed to care for him, and then he'll leave and mind his own business." She smiled to look like she knew what she was doing, but her mind was racing in contained panic. Did she know what she was doing?! Housing a dangerous man who killed people for kicks?! Moro-sama turned her massive head to Rhapsody, and the High Priestess nodded in truth. Moro-sama turned back to Masq.

"You have proven yourself already." She announced, pleased. "I welcome you into the tribe. After you initiation, I wish to see this 'presence' you are nursing to health."

"Yes, Moro-sama." Masq abided, bowing swiftly. Moro rested her bottom on the ground and panted through her mouth. She appeared to be smiling in satisfaction. Rhapsody nodded her head once, and pulled her mask over her face. A nearby priestess handed Rhapsody a shroud of faux wolf fur, and the High Priestess walked up to Masq, unfolding it.

"You now wear the skin and scent of the wolf." Rhapsody chanted in Japanese, tying the shroud over Masq's shoulders. Then she pulled the top half of the shroud over Masq's head, placing the attached half mask over the girl's face. "You now see and speak through the face of Moro Gami." Masq smiled, wishing the mask would cover her full face and not just her eyes and nose. Unfortunately, only the High Priestess could wear a full-face mask. It was tradition. "With the blessings of the mountain and the Shishi Gami, you are welcomed into the company of the Mononoke Wolf Clan." Masq bowed to Rhapsody, and Rhapsody bowed back.

Then all the priestesses and wolves erupted into loud, forest shaking howls. Rhapsody and Moro-sama joined them, sounding the loudest. Masq smiled and laughed, finally feeling free from the stress and worry of human society. She gave out a loud, mighty howl as well. She was going to love being a Mononoke priestess.

/|\

Cell opened one eye as he heard hundreds of wolves' howled from a distant part of the mountain. He closed the eye again, thinking about the girl, and how happy she must be now that she too had become one of the savages that thought more strangely than he did. He had mixed feelings about the Mononoke in general…and the Gods they worshiped. Something about the giant beasts…no, he wasn't scared of them. He felt…uneasy around such powerful and…outlandish creatures. The people who worshipped them were, in his opinion, crazier than he was.

Well, he had to put up with one of them until he was healthy again.

Then, he would leave the mountain range forever.

/|\

Ghen and Moro-sama walked with Masq to her house. Rhapsody followed, carrying the knife that Masq would soon carry and become and official priestess with. Masq rode on Ghen's back (with his permission, of course) on the way to the house. Rhapsody walked by Moro-sama's side with her hand on the wolf's flank. Masq was explaining who her bedridden guest was and how she and Rhapsody found him.

"The so-called fearsome Cell…" Moro-sama mumbled to herself. "Has he resisted your help?"

"Only when he woke up, Moro-sama." Masq explained, looking at the massive wolf. "He tried to fight me, but he was so weak that I threw him back on the bed and tried to hide his face when I shouted at him…"

"Why did you shout at him?" Moro-sama interrupted.

"He was rude. I didn't think attacking me was the proper way to thank me for helping him." Masq answered casually.

"I approve." Ghen laughed.

"Don't shout at him again." Moro-sama advised Masq. "He is at your mercy, and you should be showing mercy to him, not hostility to his hostility. Violence has never cured any ailment."

"Yes, Moro-sama." Masq bowed her head. Masq still believed she did the best thing in that situation. Cell did need to learn who was boss, after all. He was in her house.

"How is he doing?" Rhapsody asked Masq, looking up at the new priestess. Masq looked down at her, and slid her mask over her head.

"He said he was going to sleep for a while, so I think he'll be okay." Masq answered with a shrug. "Are you sure he'll be able to move around in a week?"

"Don't want him in your house anymore, eh?" Rhapsody smirked through her mask. Masquerade heard her fellow priestess's sly tone of voice, and shot her a challenging look.

"Well, if it's only for a week…well, it may be hell for the both of us. I'm scared to death of him, and he clearly doesn't like humans. I'm not sure what he thinks about Mononoke, tho…"

"We'll just have to ask him." Rhapsody suggested.

They soon arrived at Masq's house a few meters away from the forest's tree line. Masq hopped off of Ghen's back, and trotted to the front window. She peeked in to see if Cell was still in his bed. She saw him, curled on the bed sheets like a sleeping cat. She couldn't help but smile, seeing a fearsome creature like Cell sleeping in a cat-like fashion. She turned to her company of three, and put a finger to her lips, signaling them to keep quiet. One by one, she let them peek through the window at the sleeping monster. Moro-sama walked back to the tree line to make her announcement. Ghen, Masq, and Rhapsody followed.

"Give her the knife." Moro-sama commanded her High Priestess. Rhapsody gave the knife to Masq handle first. Masq took the handle, and turned the knife over in her hand. A stone blade on a steel handle, decorated in two stripes of red. Masq smiled in approval of her new token of priestess. "You are now San Masquerade of the Wolf Clan." Moro-sama happily announced. "Take care of Cell until he has the power to walk on his own." Masq bowed in agreement. Moro-sama and Ghen began to walk away, and Rhapsody followed them.

"See you tomorrow, San Masquerade!" Rhapsody called, waving goodbye as she left.

"San Masquerade…" Masq smiled with a pleased sigh. "At long last…" She walked to her house, and opened the door.

"Welcome back." Cell greeted, still looking asleep. Masq stifled a gasp of surprise, then smiled.

"Thank you." She said, closing the door behind her. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Yes." He answered, not moving. "But all those wolves woke me up."

"Sorry." Masq chuckled, slowly lifting her fur shroud off her shoulders and over her head. "You'll have to get used to it. Wolves are everywhere on this mountain."

"Mountain of the Tatara, right?"

"Singing Mountain." Masq corrected.

"Ah, I see. And do they know I'm here?"

Masq hesitated for a moment, then set her knife on her bed and headed for the closet.

"Yeah." She answered with a sigh. "No use keeping secrets from Moro-sama."

"What?!" Cell panicked, snapping his eyes open and raising his head.

"Don't worry, they approve of me taking care of you." Masq assured. "I know San Rhapsody approved. She was the one who found you."

"Who?!"

"The High Priestess."

"Oh." Cell decided to calm down. His heart was pounding. Just the thought of those gigantic wolves…made him shiver.

"Please don't worry about it. As soon as you recover, we'll let you go."

"You had better." Cell growled. "I hate being a prisoner."

"Don't think of yourself as a prisoner." Masq suggested, hanging her shroud on a hanger and putting it in the closet. "You're more…a patient."

"A patient taken prisoner." Cell mumbled, resting his head back on his arms.

"Can I get you anything?" Masq offered, changing the subject. "Anything to eat or drink?"

"Water." He requested. Masq nodded, and headed to the small refrigerator. Cell watched her carefully as she opened the door and plucked out a water bottle. She snapped the lid open, and walked towards Cell. Cell sat up and accepted the bottle as Masq pressed it in his hand.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Masq smiled as Cell started sipping. She headed for the refrigerator for a bottled water of her own. "So, talk to me, Seru. How did you get here?"

"Feh." Cell blew out of his beak. "It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it." He took another sip of the cold water. Masq opened her bottle as she asked the next question.

"Alright then, answer me this: how come you're not in your Cell Game form?"

"Cell Ga…oh, my perfect form? That's part of the long story."

"Shoot, don't you want to talk about anything?!"

"Not with you." Cell snapped, turning his head away from her.

"Fine." Masq snapped back, turning her head away from him.

They remained quiet for a long time.

It's just for a week, right? Masq wondered, taking long, noisy gulps of her water.

Do I really have to put up with this barbaric witch raised by wolves? Cell mentally sneered, sipping at his bottle. I can't wait to get my perfect body back and get the hell out of here.

They both remained quiet for the rest of the day. Even during the night, when Masq dressed in her nightgown and cacooned herself into bed. Both had long finished their water, but Cell still kept his empty bottle in sight on the floor. He looked at Masq as she lay with her back to him.

It isn't wise to have your back to a stranger. Cell mentally reprimanded. Especially if that stranger is me. He closed his eyes, and let out a relaxed sigh. Mental reminder: absorb the girl, Masquerade, before leaving Singing Mountain.