The sun has always been a fascination to me. Some how the sun always finds the strength to rise at dawn and greet the terrors of a new day and yet always retires back to it's slumber when dusk arrives. The sun seems to enjoy mocking me constantly with it's bright, burning strength; that's why the clouds have always been a dear friend to me, they cover what I'd rather not see. That's one of the reasons why this morning is an especially enjoyable one for me, when I wake the sky is overcast and small rain droplets hit the forest floor silently. I slip from the tree I was resting in with a yawn as I head towards a stream I often drink from , the tree's around me sway slightly as I pass,

" Good morning to you all."

I greet them with a smile and they rustle the leaves on their branches in response, when I reach the stream I sit and start scooping the water with my hands, as I bring the water to my lips I stare at my reflection; my dark gold hair nearly touches the surface of the water as I lean over it, light brown eyes with slight ripples in them stare back at me inquisitively as I continue to sit in silence. This is the way I've lived for almost nineteen years at this point, the forest has always taken care of me for as long as I can remember; I stand and make my way to plum thicket near the edge of the forest, the tree's make their view of my decision quite apparent as the violently shake their branches at me. I pout slightly,

" Why not? This is my forest."

The tallest tree out of the group extends a long branch towards the ground, " Where the forest ends you no longer hold your power, if you must go out please take one of the forests guardians with you."

A small dear nudges against the palm of my hand and I sigh, " Fine, I'll be back by midday."

I turn and head towards the thicket with the dear following after me leisurely, life can become very boring in this forest of mine; especially when I can only talk to the creatures of this forest.

The wind pushes against my back, " Move…"

I look out at the expanse of land before me and take a small step forwards, the grass is soft beneath my bare feet as I reach towards a plum. The sun peeks through the clouds slightly creating the pale sunlight that shines over the entire forest. I walk past a fresh water brook and jump in, my feet hit the bottom of the bank and I start to move forwards, suddenly I feel something wrapped around my leg. I flail about before losing my footing and falling into the water, when I pull myself onto the land I see it then; a small stuffed bear has wrapped itself around my leg, " Why is a stuffed bear in the brook anyway?"

I pull at it's arms in an attempt to pull it off, it then lifts it's back legs and kicks my feet out from under me, " Ow! It moves?!"

I toss the bear to the side and it goes limp as it hits the ground, I stare at the bear for a few minutes before I stand and walk over to it cautiously. It sits up and totters over to be with a piece of paper in it's paw, " This… is it for me?" I ask and it nods it's head, the letter is mostly still intact and I open it gently to not rip the delicate paper

Return to the sacred spring in the woods, my child of the forest.

I fold the paper and look down at the bear, " Many thanks, I hope you're able to find your way back by yourself."

It nods and I head towards the tree line only to feel a tugging on the hem of my dress and I turn to see the bear, we stand in silence for a few minutes before I break out into a smile, " If you wanted to come you could of just said so."

I pick him up and sit him upright on my shoulder, after we walk in silence for a few minutes I decide create some conversation, " You haven't given me your name yet, I'll start by saying that my name is Mikan and yours is?"

I prompt, he points towards his chest and I stare at him with a confused look on my face, " Your name is…. Bear?" Bear nods and gestures towards the woods urgently, " I know, I know. I'll hurry up." I sigh and try to quicken my pace.

When I reach the outskirts of the sacred spring I rest for a minute, my feet ache slightly, " You mean to tell me that you intend to send her away?! What was the point of hiding her in the first place if we couldn't keep her safe here!"

A rough voice shouts out and startles me, " Calm yourself, you know why we must send her away." I sneak a bit closer, intrigued by this discussion, " Mikan, if you're interested in this conversation then make your presence known."

I flinch slightly before entering the clearing where the tree's are discussing the problem at hand; grandmother mother tree gestures for me to sit, " I fear our time together has been cut short, my dear."

The surrounding tree's start to mutter their disapproval, grandmother tree let's out a dry cough, silencing them all. I look down at my knotted fingers, " And why is that? Has something happened?"

I ask nervously, " No, not yet. But I fear that trouble is soon going to approach, I fear that's all I can tell you for the moment."

All is silent for a moment before one of the younger tree's starts to speak, " We must send you away,"

I slam my fist against the forest floor and narrow my eyes, " I refuse to leave my home, you have no right no make me leave this forest." Grandmother tree slams a branch of hers against the ground, " You'd better remember who holds the absolute power in this forest, I am the main guardian of the forest of origin. You are my second in command and while you hold the power of nature you lack the strength to fight."

I stand abruptly only to have Bear kick my legs, making me fall, " Listen well, child of mine." Grandmother tree strokes my cheek with her soft vines, " I am sending you away to good friend of mine, she holds the power to protect you." A small tear runs down my cheek,

" We've prepared some clothes and money for you to use when you're out in the human world." A small bird drops a leather bag that I clutch to my chest, " I'm sending this bear with you as a guide, stand child."

I stand and grandmother tree hands me a small dagger made of a lustrous metal, " We call it moon metal, it's very sturdy and strong."

I run my fingers over the wooden hilt, roses and vines are intricately carved into the wood, " You should leave now, if the weather stays good you should be able to get there by tomorrows moonlight hours." I nod and Bear grabs my legs, " I think it's time you should go, stay safe, my dear child."

I turn and wipe my tears, " If you ever need us, call to the tree's and the wind. They'll carry your voice to us." I don't reply, instead I merely walk out into the forest and out onto the main path, Bear rests on my hip as we walk in silence. The rain starts the fall down harder and the sky is streaked with lightning as I walk past the sakura tree's, their petals are damp from the rain and they fall gently to the ground, catching in my hair and clothes as I leave my home and bound towards my new journey.

Hi, so this is the first time I've ever written a fanfic ( I've written stories on FictionPress, my username is " A Plucked Flower" I generally write romance stories, right now I'm working on two stories, " Estonia's Tea Shop" and " The Miserable Things" Check them out if your interested!) I'll probably introduce the others in the next chapter. Don't forget to review and favorite!