Amid a lingering storm in the village, there were four men on the field, their faces displaying a mixture of joy and determination.
Despite the difficulty of staying steady against the gusting wind, they were determined to move forward, lifting each other's spirits:
"Come on! We need to check the crops—no time to waste!" said the first.
"Understood! Winter has returned again, but stranger than before," replied the second.
After a brief silence, the third added, "It doesn't matter, as long as we have work to do and a purpose to work for!"
The fourth nodded in agreement.
The men struggled forward despite the biting cold that pierced their bodies beneath their clothes.
At that moment, a rooster confidently emerged from a small coop beside Shun's house.
It flapped its wings and rose to the roof, letting out a deep breath as it stretched its neck and flared its comb like a flag. Then it crowed at the top of its lungs, and just before finishing its call, it screamed violently:
"Coo-oo!! Coo— woo?!"
It flew high, tumbling with the wind, its words scrambled as it moved across the hill.
Shun was carrying Roni in his arms, walking slowly toward his house, his expression distant, staring at the halfway point on the path ahead as the worn stalks of grain swayed violently.
Inside Shun, there was a blue entity, as if made of energy resembling him, taking the same form it had previously assumed.
It placed its hands on Shun's shoulders, looking toward the top of the hill. Its eyes were white, with white cracks extending from the eye to the eyelid. In a mature, masculine voice, with a gentle smile from its white mouth, it said:
"Thank you for listening to me at that moment."
Shun replied internally:
"I'm sorry for not using you for Roni, and also, I'm the one who should thank you."
He paused briefly, then continued:
"Without you… I wouldn't have known what would happen to that boy…"
The mysterious entity drifted upward as Shun continued walking normally, following his path.
Then, after stopping and looking at the sky, it said:
"What worries me more is that girl with him…"
"Luna? Hmm… True, she has changed or something happened to her, but that confuses me as well," Shun said.
The entity continued in a lost tone:
"…I cannot sense her or feel her presence."
Shun asked quietly:
"What do you mean by that? She's always with us."
"That's not entirely true… It seems she doesn't just blend with the background, she knows how to navigate it too. But still…" it replied.
"Hmm…?!"
"Still, I cannot pinpoint her, so… be careful," were the entity's last words before Shun regained full awareness.
Shun paused briefly, a sideways smile hiding another thought:
"This even includes the boy Toki; he is no less significant than her."
He sighed as he continued walking, then added:
"This pair has developed quickly, despite their limited interaction."
"You seem to be enjoying your time!" the entity chuckled lightly.
After a few minutes of walking, Shun reached the hill and lifted his gaze to meet the fearful eyes of the drenched rooster.
Shun flinched, a crooked, silly smile appearing on his wet face as well.
As the rooster slowly approached him, Shun asked sarcastically:
"What are you doing here? Don't you see the weather's bad?"
The rooster stopped and tilted its head to stare at the sheep Roni in Shun's arms.
"Look at what you've become, haha."
The rooster lunged at his face forcefully, scratching mercilessly with its beak.
Shun shouted as he ran around, trying to push the rooster away and make it stop.
At the very moment the rooster attacked, it spoke aloud in its mind:
"How long will you ignore us?! That sheep always accompanies you and yet you neglect us."
"Why didn't you tell me from the start that it wasn't the right time? Those fools in the coop don't care about their lives, short as they may be—"
The rooster stepped back, leaving clear scratches and wounds on Shun's face, turning away as if it knew nothing could be expected of him.
While the rooster turned its back, Shun coughed on his left side, then said irritably:
"What's wrong with you, Jaster?"
"Hmph! Why does an idiot like its owner care about me?" Jaster the rooster replied in his mind, for he could not speak aloud like humans or the flock leaders.
Shun sighed, warm breath escaping his mouth amidst the rain that soaked his clothes and wet his brown-gray hair.
He smiled gently, lifted the rooster by its belly with his right hand, while Roni rested against his left arm.
At the same time, Shun spoke quietly as he headed toward the coop:
"Thank you for your patience with me… You are the ones I've lived most among.Those were truly beautiful and enjoyable days… Honestly, I feel at ease when I'm with you."
Jaster stopped moving, feeling something strange and new, yet hard to believe.
Shun opened the door, letting his shadow stretch across the place, while all the rams glanced at him indifferently, and chickens and pigeons moved between the steps.
Shun raised his head humbly and shouted:
"I'm back, friends!"
.....
The author's note: Life and nature speak quietly.