Ukiyo awoke, curled up in the center of her tree where several branches met to make a pit. It was cozy; leaves cushioned her body while moss provided a soft place to rest her head. Ukiyo hummed loudly as she tossed and turned, desperately wanting to fall back asleep. An acorn dropped and pelted her in the head, Ah- She rubbed her forehead where it had hit, feeling a small bump begin to form. Ukiyo pouted, then opened her eyes slowly and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day; the sun was already quite high and beating down intensely. A few clouds could be seen on the horizon though none blocked the rays of the sun. The azure blue sea they rested in comforted Ukiyo, welcoming her back to the waking world. Ukiyo yawned widely, stretching her arms up above her head in between branches. Several cracks sounded from her limbs and Ukiyo smiled proudly. She tasted dirt in her mouth, which was not uncommon, and decided she should get up for a drink. Ukiyo stood up and slowly made her way down the trunk, still a bit asleep. One of her feet snagged a chip in the tree's bark, causing her to trip and tumble on her way down. Ukiyo tried catching herself with her hands but only ended up sliding across the dirt, scraping them up. Ukiyo, annoyed, let out a low-pitched growl Mmmmm. She stood up and wiped herself off, then headed towards the stream.

As Ukiyo made her way to the stream, she watched various plant life going about their morning: leaves floating in the wind, flowers blooming, grass swaying left and right, and seeds of all kinds spreading themselves among the woods. Ukiyo looked down at her hands and thought to herself, They all seem to work flawlessly with each other. No one gets in each other's way, no one gets hurt, they all just coexist. Why can't I do that? Am I so out of place here that I can't match the flow of the plants? Do What if they're rejecting me? What if I'm just another human to them...no good...human. She lifted her head up as she heard the stream up ahead. It was roaring this morning, water splashing every which way. Ukiyo approached it and knelt beside the bank. She dipped her hands in slowly, observing as the tips of her fingers breached the surface of the water, then slowly dipped below as her entire hand was engulfed. Maybe I can match their flow. Maybe I can truly become one with them. I know I can do it...I just have to figure out how. How... Ukiyo looked down at the ground beside her. Grass was scattered among the dirt and mud, a few small rocks spread in-between. She dug her fingers in the dirt and tried feeling around for something, though she didn't know what. Hmm

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