Day 15: Departure

Mei, accompanied by Gabu, Toto and Riri, made his way to the foothills of the vast mountain that overlooked the entire forest, the same mountain that had led to such great anguish only a few months prior. Mei wouldn’t be attempting to climb the mountain this time, but just being near it brought back unpleasant memories in a way that not even retelling the events over and over again had done.

As they were walking, Riri said, “Toto and I think we’ve found a path that you can take to get past the mountain safely without having to go all the way up or around it.”

Toto chirped in affirmation. “We saw it when we were flying over to deliver your message; it’s nearly impossible to spot from the ground. We spent some time yesterday, after the meeting, checking along it to make sure it’s safe and has enough vegetation to keep you fed on your journey. We think you can reach the other side of the mountain in about fourteen days if you hurry.”

“Really?” Mei said. “That’s incredible. I was expecting it to take twice that long to go around.”

“You’ll be back even sooner than you thought!” Gabu said with delight.

“I’ll still be gone for at least a month; we’ll definitely miss the next full moon.” Last night had been the new moon, meaning the next full moon was about two weeks away. “But I’ll probably be back in time for the one after that.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Gabu said with a sad smile.

The sparrows led Mei to the start of a long, winding path that led part way up the mountain before going around it. They assured Mei that there were occasional bushes he could eat from, but Mei made sure to fill his stomach with the rich meadow grass before he left, just in case the sparrows had misjudged how often a goat needs to eat.

When it came time for them to part ways, Mei said, “Toto, Riri, when you get back from letting Mii, Grandma and Kuro-san know I’ll be coming, please could you take care of Gabu for me? You’ve been like a mother and father to us, accepted us faster and more completely than anyone else ever has.”

“Of course, Mei,” Riri said. “And thank you for saying so. It means a lot to us to hear that.”

“Goodbye, Gabu. I love you so, so much.”

“I love you too, Mei. Goodbye.”

After sharing one last hug with Gabu, Mei set off alone on the path around the mountain.