Last time, on *Dragonball Z...
The boys excluded Aysel from joining them in their super-cool, super-secret hangout place. To make matters worse, instead of thanking her for saving his kitty Komame from a hazardous fall, Rowan insensitively accuses his younger twin sister of stealing the tiny cat. Newcomer Nozomi tells Rowan he should apologize, but Aysel has already run away in tears.
All she wanted was a friend to play with her. It was so lonely in the house...
She runs, and runs. Soon, her feet begin to hurt from the cold.
Snow was soaking through her sneakers.
Aysel only grows more miserable, crashing through the woods.
With the forest closing in on her, she feels scared now too.
"Where am I?"
In a panic, she looks back, but can't even find her footprints.
She is lost in Snow Forest.
Tired and sad, Aysel leans against a tree. She had broken its twigs accidentally.
"I'm sorry I hurt you," she says to the tree, "Please let me stay here."
Maybe this lonely cold place could be her very own super-cool, super-secret hangout.
But would her brother miss her if she never went home?
Meanwhile nearby, a mysterious creature prowls the snowy forest.
Catching a strange scent on the frigid wind, the forest wolf guardian follows the trail of broken tree limbs.
First, he finds a small lost bag.
Then he finds small lost footprints.
Taking the bag with him, he continues his patrol through his forest.
Hearing a sound behind her, Aysel whirls around and stumbles.
A giant forest monster is following her!
Breaking into a run, she dives even deeper into the woods.
"Help me!" Aysel cries aloud, tripping.
Scrambling back on all fours, terror pierces her heart.
Soft footsteps approach her, and her eyes widen in fear.
Aysel's body shakes from the cold and horror as the beast looms near.
She cranes away from him even more, as he sniffs her scraped knees.
Nonplussed, he takes the small bag with his sharp white teeth...
And drops it promptly in Aysel's lap.
Aysel sits up, staring at him in wonder.
"Thank you," she says quietly, "Who are you?"
'I am Doven,' he answers gently, his fluffy tail curling beside him. 'This is my forest, little one.'
"I'm Aysel," the little girl says more confidently this time, "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry for intruding, Mr. Do-Ven...sir?"
Amused with the child, Doven inclines his head, 'You may call me Ven.'
Aysel smiles for the first time all day.
'Now tell me, Aysel. Why are you alone in my forest? It is not wise for anyone to wander here during a snow storm.'
"It was an accident, I promise!" She struggles to stand, though her legs won't move.
Close to tears again, Aysel sits twisting her small hands in her lap.
'No more tears now.' Ven tells her comfortingly, 'Climb on my back, and I will take you home.'
As Ven walks, Aysel's tight grip on his fur relaxes.
She chatters animatedly as the wolf guardian listens to her stories.
Snow Forest does not seem so scary now that Ven is with her.
The snowflakes drift over them as the wind picks up.
The wolf guardian pauses as they near the edge of his forest.
"There's my house!" Aysel points out.
"It wasn't so far away after all," she marvels, "Back in the forest, I thought I was never going to find my way back."
As the ground grows steeper, the wolf guardian slows down even more.
'Hold on tight. We are almost there.'
When the forest is behind them, Ven lets her climb down. 'This is where I leave you, Aysel.'
"Thank you so much for helping me," the little girl beams at her companion, "Will we meet again?"
'I would like that,' Ven answers.
As Aysel moves forward, she stops in her tracks.
The air tingles like the air after a storm.
"Ven?" she calls out suddenly, turning around.
But there is no one there. Ven has vanished like a winter dream!
Smiling to herself, Aysel heads home to get out of the cold.
One day, she would find Snow Forest again.
She now has a new friend with whom she shared a super-cool, super-secret place in her heart.
(But until then, to be continued.)
*This post has loooooong been in the making. And finally, thanks to the global Covid-19 quarantine, I've had the time to plan this narrative. Thanks for visiting!
