Bearclaw Valley shizukana kaze

Sorry for my delays! Keiko was giving me writers block!

Keiko’s echo faded as she looked around the snowy forest. For a long while the winter woods were silent, though her ears pricked to catch any sound. Then, thundering footsteps crescendoed in volume as a great creature approached.

The fur along her back prickled in anticipation. Hoping, but not knowing, if it was Kami-sama or a mountain black bear that made such mighty sounds.

Yet, when Hokkyokusei-sama’s form materialized from between the trees, Keiko thought she might cry with happiness. Her smile squeezed her cheeks so hard that tears beaded in the corners of her dark eyes.

“Tadaima,” she said enthusiastically – informally! For to be with Hokkyokusei-sama felt like…

Keiko caught her thoughts. Then, she slipped the pack of her belongings from her whithers to the ground. However, fatigue had made Keiko incredibly weak and she fell to one knee just as the ocelot pelt landed in the snow.