Ukiyo hung from a branch, overlooking the woodlands below. She could hear birds all around her at this level; flying this way and that from tree to tree. It was the crack of dawn, and the winged critters were surely gathering breakfast for themselves and possibly some youngin'. Ukiyo smiled as the morning dew settled in, and feint drips crawled down her arms from the branch above, seeping into her shirt. The forest was slowly animating, emerging from its long rest of the night before. It was still chilly, as the sun hadn't yet been out for more than several minutes. The sky seemed to be a light robins egg blue, mirroring the scene below. Clouds drifted aimlessly within it, their edges spiraling as they dissolved into humidity. Ukiyo breathed in deeply. Her smile stretched wide, pushing her cheeks as far as they would go. She felt perfectly at peace, perfectly in sync. She was, literally, in her element. Bugs seemed to swarm near her, keeping a friendly distance. Small animals ran to and fro around her tree, greeting Ukiyo playfully. She giggled at their antics, glad to see them as comfortable with her as she was with them. Ukiyo let go with one hand and dangled for a moment, swiveling slightly in place. She yawned widely, stretching her tongue in the frame of her teeth. It had been a long night for Ukiyo. She had been somewhat restless, but with no clue why. She couldn't help but feel something was different about the woods last night. It wasn't something obvious; something one can see or hear or smell. It was far more subtle. It was as if the state of the forest itself had changed; as if a thousand unnoticeably tiny things had shifted ever so slightly on their own without being noticed, yet as a collective seemed oddly different. Or perhaps that was just another waking dream. Ukiyo thought to herself, staring off into the distance as her body hung limp from the branch.

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Ukiyo dropped to the forest floor, thumping the grass as she crouched on her landing. Blades tickled the tops of her feet and Ukiyo giggled. She enjoyed the cool touch of the grass, of their dew, everything. The morning was beautiful to her; the rise of the sun, the retreat of darkness, and especially the life it brings to the sleepy forest.

Hm, you know, one thing I never understood is why plants always seem to perk up in the morning. I mean, they're weighed down by dew, and its cold, so why are they suddenly so stiff and lively? You already know the answer to that, don't you? Just look at yourself. Ukiyo smiled and looked around at the grass coating the floor around her. Well... I'm lively because I'm excited. The night's ending, the warmth is coming, light, animals, everything wakes up. Do plants feel excitement? What you call excitement, we call instinct. We know what is coming, as we've experienced it every day/night. We intuitively know to "perk up" as you say, for survival. The early bird gets the worm, no? Hm, always had a problem with that expression. The early bird gets the worm, sure, but the early worm gets eaten. True. There is always a being out there that could be our bird, and one that could be our worm. Distinguishing between the two would be no more helpful than giving them names. They are interchangeable, ambiguous. I get it, I get it, it's an expression. Why do you always seem so much smart than me? We've existed for millennium, Ukiyo. It would surprise us greatly if you said something we haven't heard before. So I'm not the first to talk to you? It's not a matter of speaking, after all, you aren't speaking now, are you? It's a matter of feeling. We can sense motive, plotting, reason. It's your aura. We can sense other's the same way we sense yours. So now you can read other people's minds, too? You could say that. It's different, I suppose. You are more willing, and thus give a direct interpretation of your stream of consciousness. With other beings, we simply perceive the residence of their thoughts. Why haven't you shared that with me? I mean, I share everything with you. Literally, everything. I can't imagine you'd think I wouldn't find the information useful. You already understand it, Ukiyo. All living beings capture these vibrations and interpret them, even if its subconsciously. However because you also have your thoughts to deal with, they often take on a more particular form. You could call this your own intuition I guess. It's what you feel in your gut, the things you don't have a specific reason for knowing are true but for some reason can just tell that they are. And that's what you feel all the time, huh? So... the way I hear you, what's that? I hear you so clearly, like a voice talking directly to me. We are connected Ukiyo. You merely interpret our residence like with anyone else, but because we are chakra is infused, you can condense it into a stream of thought the same way you can condense your own consciousness into thought.

Ukiyo stood up straight and looked over to a couple squirrels scrambling around the trunk of a nearby tree. I know what you mean, I think. And she did. Ukiyo could feel the squirrel's presence. Not just from their sound, or sight, or anything physical, but by something else. Something strangely instinctive. Ukiyo smiled at them lovingly; the two critters turning towards her as they took notice of her watching them. They slowly climbed down the tree and, after reaching the bottom, began running excitedly towards her. They stopped a few meters short of her, waiting to see what she would do. Ukiyo closed her eyes and giggled. They trust you not because of your past with them, but because they can sense you aren't a threat.

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