Bearclaw Valley shizukana kaze

The bear had awoken in the late morning, undisturbed by the fleeting moments of what little sunlight still shined into the valley. Grey clouds were beginning to overtake the sky and light flakes of snow drifted through the air. A dismal affect hung around Drust and further seeped in as days continued to pass.

He could have lain beside the shrine all day had it not been for a grumble in his stomach. Slowly rising he shook off the layer of snow that had built up over his pelt and roamed into the wood. 

It was early evening before he managed to root out a fattened raccoon. Carrying it loosely in his jaws he began walking back, a fragment of himself would have him cache it, despite his less than full belly and previous morsels that had nearly rotted waiting for a patron that had not shown.

The memory of her melody played faintly in his mind perpetually, so much so that to hear it again initially perplexed him.

Was it another trick? Or was this based in reality?

'Hokkyokusei-sama?' 

A call... no... her cry out rang through the valley. 

Instinctively his muscles tightened and his grip on the strip-tailed creature clamped down before the towering giant raced towards the sound.

A large tree root nearly tripped him up and the branches from trees whipped cross his face and coat, but did not slow him.

Then as he approached the edge of the wood and she came into view his run turned to a gallop, then a jog, before he stopped right as he entered the clearing and laid eyes on her. Oblivious that his jaw had opened and dropped the coon at his feet.