Snow drifted down on the desolate forest. Digging down, ignoring the biting wind, a wild rabbit searched for food. Winter had been good, with no shortage of food for this little bunny, but there was always more to be found. Its ears twitched as it searched, wary of any predators in the area. Suddenly snapping its head up, the rabbit froze. Something was inching towards him. Bright blue fur, and golden eyes; a never before seen threat. Lamy slid closer to the bunny. A bunch of berries held enticingly towards it, but before she could go any further it decided running was the safer option. A sigh escaped her lips as her head buried itself in the soft snow. She decided to just eat the berries, seeing as they had failed her once again. She wasn’t really sure what rabbits ate, but she was determined to find out.

Trudging through the heavy snowfall, Songbirds danced over the solitary figure. Those little songbirds had been a joy for her. Keeping her company, and raising her spirits every time she faltered. Giggling, she tried to mimic their whistle. At first staying true to the original melody, but soon having fun making her own tunes. Back and forth they went, filling the forest with their sweet music. Stringing together multiple melodies she whistled a particularly beautiful piece, at least in her humble opinion. And it seemed something agreed, her own song echoing back in the distance. Hesitantly, Lamy whistled again and strained her hearing. Once more the song danced out of the deep forest. Someone was near, there was no doubt about it. Somewhat recklessly, the girl ran after the echo. Stumbling over snow covered branches and roots, she dove deeper and deeper into the dark. Branches reached out towards her, one set finally catching her legs. Picking herself up, the girl scanned the darkening forest, only now realizing she had gone deeper than planned. Nightfall sparked urgency in the lost girl. Although she loved the forest and all it’s little animals, she wasn’t ignorant to the dangers that lurked in the dark.

        The full moon shone over a lost elf. Its pale light brought the lack of shelter to her attention. With shaking arms she pulled her jacket against her body, finding refuge in its warmth. Her trembling lips weakly sang once more. Her whistles, the only sounds in the dark night. Or they would’ve been, had her mysterious admirer not returned her shaky song. The whistle was loud and clear. Cleaving through the empty forest to remind Lamy that her search wasn’t finished. Running once more, Lamy burst through a thick knot of trees right into a clearing. The clear sky brought the night a comforting glow which relieved some of the girl’s fears. In the clearing was a pond, beyond lay a small building. Mostly red with a ribbed, blue roof, it reminded her of a Japanese shrine.

        As she approached the shrine, Lamy noticed a bench near the pond. It seemed more appealing than the dark building at the forest's edge. She decided to rest there, with the moon and stars mirrored by the peaceful pond, and take the time to catch her breath. She’d check the building later. She was tired from her run and whoever was whistling surely wouldn’t be sitting in the dark. So relaxing was the atmosphere that Lamy almost didn’t notice her reflection in the pond, and the silhouette standing behind her. A shrill scream tearing out of her, Lamy almost fell into the pond as she scrambled away from the strange shape. Unfazed by the strong reaction, the shape continued to study Lamy. They regarded each other, neither moving, nor saying anything. Until it stepped forward, somehow becoming more defined as if it were coming out from a shadow. The figure turned out to be a  young woman with sharp eyes and a slight smile.

        “I didn’t expect to see anyone around these parts.”

        “Huh?” Gasping for air, Lamy’s heart raced as her stunned gaze met the stranger’s purple eyes. “Where did you come from?”

        “Didn’t you see my house?” Behind the girl, the red building lit up the night sky. Warm lights spilled out over the snow, throwing Lamy’s shocked expression  into sharp relief.

        “When did… Who are you?”

        “Me? Just an artist.” Her shining eyes scanned the clearing, “and this is my favorite place to paint. Lots of good material to motivate me, you know?”

        “And you live here? Alone?”

        “You could say that, yeah. Oh! I’m so sorry! I should’ve totally invited you in!” Eyes wide, the girl ducked her head as a stream of apologies slipped out.

        “Uh don’t worry, it's fine!” Lamy really wasn’t too eager to go inside that freaky place. Excuses flew through her mind as her eyes wandered over the small house.

Suddenly, the girl grabbed her hand, easily pulling her up. “I should have some food left. Again, I’m really sorry. It’s nice and warm inside so let me make it up to you.”

        Any refusal Lamy could’ve come up with died as her confusion grew. She wouldn’t consider herself very heavy but there was no way this thin girl could ever pick her up that easily. Like a doll carried by its owner, Lamy was taken into a small sitting room. The walls were peppered with a kaleidoscope of colors. Paintings of all sizes adorned the room, with the biggest being depictions of the clearing during different seasons.

        “Do you like tea? Oh! I have some sake, maybe that’s better? Ah, I’m Ina by the way. And you?”

        “Lamy…”

        Ina took multiple trips to set up the table. She prepared a spread of finger foods, a tea kettle, and a small bottle of sake. Finally, sitting down in front of Lamy she gestured at the spread. “Have as much as you want.”

        Lamy’s previous diet of berries didn’t seem as filling anymore. “You sure it's fine?” She asked as she grabbed some snacks.

        “Yeah! I never run low on food so don’t worry about me.” Ina watched as Lamy drank her tea and picked at the different snacks.

        The tension leaked out of Lamy as she enjoyed the warm food. “So you come out here to paint?”

        “Uh-huh! It’s nice and peaceful.” Looking around the room and then back to Lamy she wondered, “Maybe you can look at some of the things I’ve made. Give me criticism, you know?”

        Lamy looked up with a slight grimace. “Uh… I don’t know much about art.”

        “That’s fine. Everyone’s a critic, right? You don’t need to know anything to see if something is nice or not.

        “Mmm… I wouldn’t wanna bother. I don’t think I should be staying long anyway.”

        “Really? Damn…” She dropped her head onto her fist. “...Wait. What are you doing out here anyway? Last I remember this was deep wilderness.”

        Squirming, Lamy fiddled with her cup. “Did you say you never run out of food?”

        “No? But-”

        “When we sat down, you said your food never runs out. Where do you get it?”

        “Oh, my friends bring me food when I run out. But you dodged my question.”

        “Uh, same reason as you I guess.”

        “You paint?”

        “No, I just enjoy the view.”

        “It’s pretty far out to just enjoy the view isn’t it?” Ina’s eyes peeked out over her cup of tea.

        Avoiding her stare, Lamy looked around. “Why is there a shrine in the middle of nowhere? I thought they were made to be visited?”

        “It’s isolated for a reason. What are you doing all alone?”

        “I can’t go camping alone?”

        “Not without any gear, but you’re not camping. You were abandoned.” Ina blurts out the accusation, even surprising herself. Her mouth pulled back into a knowing grin. “So that's what happened, huh? Your friends, they left you behi-”

        “Stop! No! I wasn’t left behind. I just had to leave.” Lamy’s chair clattered as she stood up. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I’ve had enough!” Turning to leave, a cold pit formed in her stomach. Instead of the exit, the very same room she had turned away from awaited her. Ina sat in this new room, smirking up at her.  Glancing back she saw the sitting room, unchanged except for where Ina should’ve been. The space around her old seat seemed to fold into itself, warping the room and the furniture around it. A shining outline of Ina was formed, and from underneath these folds came out shapes; like shadowy tendrils probing the air. The space around the outline’s head tore, and a slitted pupil stared out at her from a sea of impossibly dark shapes.

        “Would you like to see them again?”

        “...I can’t. Please, just let me go...” The words crawled out of her, shaky and rough.

        “One last question. I promise I’ll let you go after.” Ina stood up, her presence filling the room. “How much are you willing to sacrifice to have friends again?”

An old man found her curled up under a tree. The forest stretched out all around her, trees buried in a deep layer of undisturbed snow. She didn’t look hurt, or even cold despite the frigid winds. He took her to his cabin where he lived by himself, prepared a meal to warm her up, and offered his room to her. The next day, Yukihana Lamy woke up as the scent of cooking drifted in the air. Her ears catching the sounds of searing flesh and chopping knives. Walking into the kitchen, a blue haired girl turned to greet her.