One morning Yuki the Tanuki awoke after a long winter's nap. She uncurled from her mother’s side and stretched her legs out as far as she could, reaching out all her fingers and toes warming up for the spring fun to come.

“Don’t go too far” said Mom, who was still waking up from her own long nap.

Wandering out of the den, the beams of spring's first light shined down on her, coating her tufted fur in a light and soft warmth. A breeze danced ever so gently around her, encouraging her to move further into the forest to play once more.

Yuki followed the nudges of the wind. Together they danced over all the little bumps in the ground. They leapt over the old wooden trunk that had settled itself on the ground in fall preparing for its own winter's nap. They ran through the forest as far as the last tree would direct them. 

Then when they were tired and out of energy Yuki and the wind sat to collect newly grown berries from the bushes. These were Yuki’s favorites. The wind watched and continued to dance as is its nature to do. 

At the very end of the forest where newer, younger, trees would grow; the forest stretching itself further and further each year to cover and experience more of the world, just as Yuki desired to. This was also where the watering hole that Yuki and Mom would go to clean and play in when the weather was nice again.

Something was not right this year though. The forest ended sooner than the water Yuki and Mom bathed in for the last time in fall before their long winter's nap. Stumps littered the ground, a mark of remembrance of the shade that she once sat under and watched the wind and light dance together.

The wind did not dare step out far from the end of the trees. It danced quietly against Yuki’s back as a reassurance of what had happened. 

BOOM! CRUNCH! BEEP BEEP!

The loud sounds startled Yuki as she found herself fixated upon yellow and green giants that moved without further thought about who they were or where they were. 

The giants then proceeded to cut down the trees that she had befriended so long ago when they were both young and new to the world. Her friends fell with a loud thud that shook every tree big and small. Men then took smaller creatures who spoke in WRRRs that cut the once great trees even smaller. 

Yuki and the wind ran as fast as they could; past the berry bushes, over the old trunk and through all the tiny bumps on the ground. Yuki crawled back into the den where she found Mom finally awake.