☙ Astray :: Juni & Himchan
Adjustments were harder than expected. Adults were told the child needed time as her past caused speech to be unused, much to the deception of the adoptive parents. Whatever happened prior to her being found severely injured in Japan remained a mystery and one no one dared to unfold for the sake of the little girl’s sanity.
Juni seemed to do well though. After a few weeks of treatments and a few others of rehabilitation, she was allowed to head home. It was a mansion to the six-year-old. A traditional Japanese house with many rooms, extending near a forest. Cohabitation with nature was a necessity as her father believed that the making of tea should be done in a serene environment rather than a polluted one.
Her new home itself was a place filled with adventures she was allowed to take with a few conditions whatsoever. Nonetheless, her interest for them faded once lectures were imposed on her, restraining her to one room where homework should be done. It soon transferred to the tall greens surrounding the house, the wind and the other intriguing sounds of nature inviting her to venture the area.
She did. Quite often in fact. She allocated her free time to the forest, where tiny wild creatures greeted her and kept her company. Juni promised to not wander too far, to return home right before being called for supper-- this time, she should have payed attention to her surroundings.
It wasn’t her fault. The squirrel scurried away before she could make her greeting. It usually wouldn’t run off from her too. After a while of running and almost tripping on several occasions, the chase was deemed a failure. ❝ C-Come back, friend... ❞ Her voice barely passed through the heavy pants. The child then fell on the pile of leaves, shifting gazes being made in all directions.
❝ Friend... where are you? ❞