"We're going out!"
"Okay honey. Stay with your sisters!"
"I know, I know!" Chiharo grumbled as she stalked out. She didn't even bother saying goodbye. She would see her mom later anyways. Or so she thought. That was actually the last time she talked to her mom. The last time she even saw her mom.
Her two sisters and herself left the large cave they called home and ventured out into the woods where they spent the day running about and jumping in streams. They caught lunch like usual, and then began to head back. Chiharo was only aloud to be out for half a day at the most, due to the fact that she was sick and could only take a half a day outside. So says mother.
But when they got back, something was wrong. No one was there. There were no scents of mother. Mother never leaves the cave; she always satay behind to look after it and be there in case Chiharo has trouble with her sickness. Father wasn't even home.
She entered the cave cautiously, sisters trailing behind her. The dark cavern held no interest to her. It was the bedding and food supply that caught her attention. It wasn't necessarily messy, per say. The straw would look untouched - normal - to anyone else. But for someone who has lived her entire life in this damp, rocky place, everything was out of sorts. The problem with the food pile was a bit more obvious, though. It was half eaten and bits had been flung everywhere. No one from the family ever ate in such a messy way.
Something was had gone terribly wrong.
**1**