I don't understand many things.
I don't understand why heaven is a place we have to go to.
Why isn’t every place a paradise? Doesn’t that make more sense?
I didn't understand why these non-birds were so eager to find my friends, who were on the east side of the river.
-Is she a creature that requires special attention? Or is the hunting of non-birds more indiscriminate? Do we always get involved by chance?
I don't understand why I am a sunflower.
-Maybe it doesn't get any better than this?
This seems like a reasonable assumption.
We left the river and continued our journey through the damp woods day and night.
My friends are getting stronger, and so am I.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 148/240 EXP(Birch): 26/55
soon.
Dozens of bones line the water's edge, lingering in the loose silt and mud of the bank.
My friend has always been craving fish, but starving doesn't seem like the right place here.
Apparently there are many other hungry things in the wet forest.
-In the water.
She surveyed the area, and then we continued along the river, making sure to keep our distance.
However, we seem to have discovered a bigger problem.
The river blocked us.
If we want to follow the sun and go west, the water flowing south will hinder us. It would be most unwise to cross it, as was evident from the strong deep current and the bones on the shore.
So, instead, we paddled against the current, hoping we could find a safe passage through the murky water.
or not. I guess I don't care, really. There's plenty of sunlight and water, too.
However, the soil was too wet for me to do well. My roots don't like the soggy, oversaturated soil that squishes with every step.
-Maybe I should reconsider my indifference? After all, there is still a lot to see in the world.
A huge shadow followed us upstream, hidden beneath the salty water.
What an interesting sight.
Wow.
Our campsite.
Birch read her book, lifting her upper limbs from time to time and pressing them against her torso.
I don't know what she is doing. But every time she did this, she seemed sad, then went back to the book, and tried again after a while.
How strange.
-If it makes you uncomfortable, why would you repeat this pattern?
She's such a strange person.
I'm tired of wet forests.
I never knew a forest could be so big and so wet. It's unbelievable.
Thankfully, its end is in sight.
My friend Birch and I stood on the river bank, looking at the water on the other side. They flowed downwards in the direction we started. A series of stepping stones made of smooth rocks connect this to the other side of the river and can be jumped over by anyone brave enough.
-Slips and falls, however, are indeed the most unfortunate. Maybe it's best that we don't slip?
Maybe we'd better not try to get through here, though?
Nature can be confusing when one thinks of nature's many spectacular sights. Beyond the water, to the west, a most beautiful sun shines in the world and shines upon us. It seems to tempt us to try; to live a little.
-After all, is there any other meaning to life?
ah.
What a fool I am.
Of course, my friend couldn't be a bee, otherwise we would have flown across the river. I've discovered this weakness before.
-But I made the same mistake again.
How stupid.
Maybe it's time to let her make a mistake? Even if it means the end of our adventure.
But what an ending it will be.
Very magical.
There are many ways to die.
I was in awe.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping, and she turned to the right, walking further along the coast as before instead of bravely trying to cross here, now, even though we were so close to the road to heaven.
-Blind luck? Or did she just know it intuitively?
I can't say.
As my friend marched along the embankment, wisely missing this opportunity to wade, I turned and watched those stepping stones, those rocks, rising slowly out of the darkness. A huge maw, belonging to one of the most terrifying, gigantic creatures that lived in the water, appeared.
-They are teeth, old and flat from years of prosperous hunting, not stepping stones.
Many fools have fallen for it. That's why there are bones lower down the river.
But my friend has a strong intuition.
Maybe that's what one needs if one wants to survive the journey to where the sun is.
We survived another day.
I was calm and excited.
Another day passed with very little sunlight shining on us, which made me saddest. Moist forests are thick and moist.
However, our journey was surprisingly uneventful, with none of those non-birds following us. It is the most peaceful.
But as the day came to an end, we finally found what we were looking for.
-crossroads.
It reminds me of those houses. It was built from wooden bones. It hung over the river like a fallen tree, and she stepped on it, testing the wood with her feet.
Looks solid.
I decided to take this opportunity, my friend crossed the river, and I looked around and wondered, how could such a thing be made? Her kind is indeed the most industrious of animals.
As we left, I stared back into the murky river, hoping to see the giant shadow of the water hunter again.
But there is nothing to see there.
Wow.
I never knew there was such a mysterious thing in the world.
We left the humid forest and entered a new place on the other side.
The grass here is well trodden, and many feet have carved a path through the soil.
We follow it, following in the footsteps of those who have gone before us. I wonder if they are on their way to heaven too?
Our campsite.
Burch sat down to read her book and then moved on to her new life, which I didn't care too much about.
I miss the quiet nights.
For the fifth time tonight, my friend lifted her thighs, the legs beneath her shoulders and neck, and stretched them out into the darkness.
(Birch) Use: (Small Pulse)
A word appeared.
But to be honest, not much happened.
I felt a small feeling spread throughout the world. The ripples went through the wet soil and it disturbed my roots. It disturbed a thousand creatures that crawled beneath her feet.
But despite the unimpressive results, Burch seemed delighted with what was happening, making a series of rat-like noises and movements.
-terrible.
I don't understand it, but maybe, like many things, it's simply not for me to understand?
After all, I'm just an overly wet sunflower.
-Something crawled into my roots. It itches.
The most unusual oddities.
Birch and I hid as usual, keeping to ourselves.
There, smoke rose in the distance.
In the distance, are some houses.
And, dare I say, many of her kind.
There are many.
I never knew there were so many people like her in one place.
Very magical.
Aren't they solitary animals? From what I've seen, they always live alone and travel alone. Yet before us, close to the horizon, were more than a hundred houses, nestled together like a honeycomb.
I wonder, what would she do?
