Ukiyo awakened in her tree at the break of dawn, the sun's rays finding their way in and out of branches and leaves and gently nudging her eyes open. She rolled over in a pile of leaves in the nook she had made for herself, grumbling at the sun. The words "sleep" and "no" were somewhat audible, and something else about "evolve", but overall the mumbled words were incoherent. After a few minute, Ukiyo sat up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned widely, letting out a delicate "roar" and brandishing her teeth. She breathed in the morning air through her nose, analyzing its contents. So humid... Ukiyo felt around the tree to see how the bark felt, and sure enough, a thick layer of dew had made it soggy to the touch. She broke off a small piece of bark and placed it in her mouth, chewed it gently for a few moments, then took it out and placed it back where she had found it. This was common practice for Ukiyo, being one of the few ways she’s found to clean her teeth. I should start heading to Suna for the exams. I can’t believe it’s time already…She stood up and stretched vertically as much as she could stand; stretching her legs out below her onto her tippy toes, her arms above her with fingers spread wide, and her torso in a way that seemed to give her almost another inch somehow. Ukiyo then dropped her hands and placed them on her hips, pivoting about to crack her back. She continued these stretched for nearly fifteen minutes, then began making her way down the tree. Ukiyo landed in a squat, then calmly stood up and began walking at a relaxed pace. No need to rush. I have plenty of time to get there.

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The trees began thinning and rocks large rocks began taking their place as Ukiyo made her way to where the borders of Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni lay. They become blurry with the intermingling of sand and dirt, paths beaten and paths carved. Ukiyo reaches down and picks up the sand. Her eyes are wide and she thinks curiously, Sand? Like the river? That's odd. This was the first time Ukiyo would be leaving Hi no Kuni. She was extremely excited to see different lands, but she fealt uncomfortable walking on sand. She was always so used to dirt or rocks or grass. Now just this sand stuff and few, dusty rocks. The grass had ended about a quarter mile back; just dirt and sand remain. The dirt becomes scarce and Ukiyo looks up at the sky, Two fifths of the day's sunlight remains. Ukiyo had been running at a moderate pace, covering good ground without pushing herself much. She did lose a bunch of time stopping to observe/examine different types of plants she hadn't seen before. By about 4:30, One fifth left, the dirt had disappeared. It became window without the bushes and trees, only rocks here and there of all sizes. There was sand everywhere, What a bizarre sight, Ukiyo thought in awe. She ran up towards a rock and began running up it, getting almost to the top before flipping off and landing a in cushy sand. I will need to get used to this place; its topography is so strange. These rocks are so smooth, not rough like bark. And this sand absorbs so much energy to move around it. It is not nearly as responsive as dirt. It’s a good thing I brought my shoes. Ukiyo walked across the fields of sand in her bamboo-bottom shoes, So long as I stay as flatfooted as possible, I should be able to use this ground just fine. Ukiyo took a breath, Such a strange place, she said with a smile cheek to cheek and looking this way and that. Her smile twitched a little as she made the unpleasant realization that the air had become quite drier than it was this morning. “Sooo straange,” Ukiyo said, staring at some birds in the distance.

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