The moment Nami stepped off the plane from Australian arrived in Hokkaido, everything changed.
The air was crisp, cold enough to sting her nose. Snow covered the world like a thick blanket, soft and untouched. She had never seen anything like it.
“Nami!”
She turned to see Kai running toward her, bundled in scarves, her boots kicking up little flurries of snow.
“You made it!” Kai cheered. Happy to see her friend. Kai had been looking forward to seeing Nami since she had visited her in Perth.
“I told you I would!” Nami laughed, stomping her feet to keep warm. “Now, where’s our next adventure?”
Kai grinned. “Just wait.”
That weekend, they traveled deep into the mountains to a cozy wooden lodge. The days were full of excitement, sledding, building forts, getting lost in a maze of trees.
One evening, as the sun dipped behind the snowy peaks, Nami heard a soft hoot from the treetops.
She looked up and gasped. A great white Blakiston’s fish owl, the largest owl in Japan, was perched on a branch, watching them with golden eyes.
“You must be Nami,” the owl said in a deep, steady voice.
Nami’s breath caught. “How do you know my name?”
“I hear many things in the wind,” the owl replied. “I am Fuyu, and I guard the hidden trails of the north.”
Kai’s eyes widened. “Hidden trails?”
Fuyu spread his great wings. “Not all maps are drawn on paper. Some are made of memories, footsteps, and laughter in the snow.”
Kai and Nami looked at each other, a thrill running through them. They had spent all day creating new paths through the woods. They weren’t just playing, they were making a map of their moments.
“Come,” Fuyu said, gliding toward the lodge. “The snow is falling and your map is growing.”
And with that, Kai and Nami ran after him, their footprints leaving trails in the untouched snow.
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