Shiro gaped at his unfamiliar surroundings.
He blinked twice…. And thrice.
"…Am I dreaming?"
Whoosh.
A cool breeze slipped between the colorful trees, rustling the leaves and sending a light chill down his spine.
"Achoo!"
Shiro shivered, wrapping his arms around himself as goosebumps bloomed across his skin.
'Unless this is some insanely hyper-realistic VR simulation… I'm gonna go ahead and assume this is real.'
The cluster of trees that surrounded the mouth of the cave displayed an array of many different colors. The change of seasons showed themselves through the blend of red, orange, yellow, and brown. The golden sun expelled rays of sunlight that slipped through the canopy of trees, illuminating spots of the ground which also sported dead leaves that fell from their branches and lay in rest within their companions on the ground.
Along with the numerous trees, the leaves within the bushes lost their green pigments, allowing the body to represent the skeletal construct of their being. In the distance, a brown sparrow flew down and perched on a branch in view of the stunned boy.
*Cheep* *Cheep*
"…"
Shiro stared dumbly at it while in thought.
"…Didn't I just get hit by a truck?" he muttered.
He shook his head and ruffled his hair, yawning in habit.
'Considering the fact that I can still feel stuff, I'm gonna assume that I'm not dead."
He bent down and picked up a dead leaf, twirling it within his fingers while rubbing his temple with his other hand...
'Did someone kidnap me? If so…. Seriously? A cave? This is the best you could do?'
Shiro should've been contemplating the situation. If nothing, he should be in horror of the sudden change in surroundings that preceded him. However, he only had one thought.
'Sloppy as hell. Should've used acid if you really wanted to avoid evidence."
As Shiro murmured with disappointment, he took a look at his clothes. Other than being damp and dirty around the back from laying on the floor of the cave; he was still wearing the clothes that he got out of his house with.
Blood that Shiro would have expected to find was nonexistent. He rubbed his elbows and knees for any signs of discomfort. No bruises or bones either. He was completely fine.
"The lack of blood should be something I need to be concerned about..."
*Whoosh*
That thought quickly snapped itself out of his head as he shivered once more.
"WHY is it so cold?!" he groaned. "It was like, what, 22°C when I left the house? Where the hell did that guy dump me? Canada?!"
The bird from earlier sat on a nearby branch, staring down at him with its round beady eyes.
Shiro narrowed his eyes.
"…What are you looking at?"
It kept Staring.
"Hey! Shoo!"
*Chirp* *Chirp*
It chirped… angrily? At him and flew high into the trees, disappearing along the barely remaining leaves of the trees as they dropped to the ground.
He sighed and tried to keep as much heat with him as possible by clutching his arms tightly to his chest. "I should try to find civilization or some resemblance of human structure… Then I can call for help."
He glanced at the space surrounding him. No signs of open space and roads. Just nature…
'…I should go left. No right...'
'....'
'Eh screw it. That way.'
With the solemn confidence of someone who definitely didn't know where he was going, Shiro picked a random direction and started walking.
. . .
(3 hours later)
"Achoo!"
Shiro was a shivering mess. His hoodie felt like wet paper, and the cold bit into his skin with every gust of wind. He dragged his feet through the occasional cracking of the dead leaves, as his breath steamed in the crisp air.
"I should've turned left like ten minutes ago. Or right like thirty minutes ago. Oh wait—"
He looked around at the endless forest of crooked trees and dry branches.
"—there's only trees. And more damn branches."
Irritated, he kicked at a pile of dead leaves, instantly cursing when a few slipped into his shoes. He was just about to change directions for the 12th time when he heard it.
*Rumble* *Rumble*
"!!!!"
Shiro perked his ears as he caught the sound of distant rumblings.
"PEOPL—UGH!"
In a hurry, Shiro nearly tripped over himself as he rushed towards the sound in desperation.
*Wheeze* *Huff*
Shiro covered some distance before he finally caught sight of a distant man pulling a wooden cart by its handles. It would occasionally bump along the jaggedy rocks and branches, which explained its loud noise as it rolled along.
"Hey!"
The wagon stopped as the man turned his head.
Shiro stumbled over himself as the man set the wagon down and stood, arms crossed, as he looked at Shiro with curiosity.
"Hello?"
Shiro caught his breath as he clutched his knees with his hands. After a short break, he caught his voice and coughed.
"Hi! Sorry. Um... do you know where the nearest village, town, or place with, like, roofs and people might be?"
The man raised a brow, then nodded slowly.
"There's a village about 5 hours north," he said in a calm tone. "But you look lost, traveler."
Shiro gave a sheepish nod. "Yeah. Looks like it..."
The man smiled and waved him over.
"That's good. My home lies just before that village. You can walk with me; better yet, help me pull the wagon, and we'll get there faster."
Shiro blinked. Now, that he regained some sanity from collectively panting over his burning lungs, he took in the man's appearance.
The man wore a rugged straw hat and a dark kimono, which spoke well of its aging by how wrinkly and tattered it was. He had a small goatee on his chin and a yellow glint to his eyes.
Ignoring the man's weird appearance, he politely smiled and nodded his head.
"Yeah. Sure. That's… totally fine. Let's go."
Shiro walked over, taking a look as he passed by to the front.
Wild shrubs and herbs, likely picked by the man lined within cloth bags to the side. In the middle, lines of fruits were carefully packed into a pile, visible to the boy's eyes from a small hole that was torn from the bag's side.
He picked up the handle of one end with both hands, hoisting it up onto his shoulder. On the other side, the man easily lifted it up with a firm grip and perched it onto his shoulder.
Together, they pulled, moving the cart once more .
As the two trudged side by side through the woods, the stranger glanced at him.
"May I ask your name, traveler?"
"..."
". . . Shiro. Shiro Tanekawa."
The man gave him a puzzled look.
"Your family's name is Shiro?"
"What? No, it's Tanekawa. Shiro's my first name."
The man let out a warm chuckle and shook his head.
"Ah. Forgive me."
He gave a polite nod.
"My name is Haganezuka Ryūchirō. It's a pleasure to meet you."