Ori’s eyes opened and blinked away the bright sunlight. His breathing was slowed and weak, yet calm and soft.  His fur was still unkempt and several wounds were dug deep into his skin. Even while he was near the Spirit Tree, he felt weak.

The mid-day sun hovered in the sky, its rays shining down from Thornfelt Swamp’s canopy. Dragonflies and other insects flew above the crystal clear water. Fish of all sort swum underneath the surface and breached to catch unsuspecting insects. Towering trees covered the land along with moss. Some branches hung so low that they barely touched the water. The buzzing of insects and frogs croaking were the only things that were heard.

While Yuki’s bouncy personality brought light into Thia’s once-gloomy life, it was hard to raise such an energetic spirit alone. It did not help that the spirit’s diet was almost completely different from her. Yuki did eat meat from time to time, but preferred to eat fruit and berries. Luckily for them, the particular part of the forest where they lived was abundant in juicy delectables.