A young girl runs her gaunt finger across the front-cover of a frail book, surely ancient, as presumed from its broken appearance. Her violet eyes gaze into it, pupils refocusing at every glance. On the cover, complex characters from an unfamiliar language lay inscribed in faint ink. The brittle pages felt as though they were crumpling at the touch.

“Perhaps I've wandered too far...” Her soft voice murmurs, its source looking over her shoulder towards the uninterrupted wall of trees. Drawn-out, windy clanks fill the atmosphere as she stands, a sheath shuffling on her back. A long, covered object, perhaps a sword, points its handle upwards as she rises. She tugs the strap of her satchel to open the thin, cloth cover. She slips the book into her satchel.

“What an odd book..” She whispers to herself, absently glancing into the trees. It's not often that she finds something in her hunts. Her head turns towards the darkened sky, filled with dim stars.

“It's late...” 

After a few minutes of walking, she comes within vision of her village. Her eyes drawn towards the lights hanging between the trees, she seems to ignore the time. She enters through a simple gate, nobody around to greet her this late at night. She trails towards her home, walking along the familiar dirt path. She notices that no house lights were on, and most windows were closed shut. The only visible light resonated from between the trees.

She approaches vision of her house, more of a hut, really. It was only one floor, three rooms, divided with thin, paper-like walls. The bedroom, a small kitchen, and an empty living room. It was the only house on the street that still had its lights on.

Cautiously, she pressed her cheek against the wooden door, palms beside. Perhaps her sister had fallen asleep while waiting for her. If that were the case, she wouldn't want to wake her and ruin a blessing. She began to carefully open the door, cringing every time it creaked. She took a single step into the house. She paused the moment her she touched the cold wood. Deafining silence. She was very possibly in luck. She continued to step into the house, moving at a brisker pace, then closing the door behind herself. Suddenly, an ill-tempered voice spoke. “Where were you?”

Her heart drops. She keeps her hand on the doorknob, feeling her hearbeat through the cold metal. Slowly, she turns her body, pivioting on the balls of her feet. Her face expressed a guilty look. “...Hey...”

“You left eight hours ago.” Her sister spoke with a deeper voice than her. With an astute chin, she had white hair and violet eyes, a similar trait between them. Although her sister's hair only reached to her shoulders, wheras her hair flowed to her waist. Their hairstyles were also similar, a few thick strands raised from the sides, creating a messy impression. Long elf ears laid bare through the strands of her sister's hair, slightly shorter than her own. Her sister was two years older than her, about nineteen.

“I lost track of time.” She responds guiltlessly.

“You shouldn't lose track of time while hunting, Ryoko.”

That was her name, given to her by their parents.

“I got distracted.”

“By what?”

“Uh-... Trees, mostly.” She responds, shifting the bag slightly deeper in her arm.

“Distracted by trees?”

“...Yeah, I saw some rabbits too.”

“I don't believe you."

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

“I didn't know where you were.”

“You shouldn't care so much, Kota.”

And that was Ryoko's sister's name.

“Go to the bedroom; we'll speak in the morning.” She mutters, pointing towards the doorway.

Against her favored conclusion, Ryoko listens to the command, walking towards the only darkened room in the house. Ryoko lays her gear down besides the bed, lifting the sheets with her open palm. She lays into the soft pile of layered blankets, feeling it sink as her sister lays down. After that, it remained a silent night.