Choumi

The sweet, chalky taste of strawberry milk was Choumi's anchor. While the other locals of The Heart of the Forest expressed their joy through loud songs and dancing, Choumi spoke only through the soft scratch of charcoal on paper, their beret pulled low. They sketched the celebrations from a distance, too timid to join, until Mokuzai found a forgotten drawing of a laughing family tucked into the bark of a tree. Mokuzai never mentioned it. Instead, the next day, a perfect amber leaf lay on Choumi's favorite rock. Then a strangely shaped root. It became a silent conversation. Choumi’s sketchbook filled with the forest's quiet gifts, and eventually, they began leaving their art for others to find, a shy offering that brightened everyone's day.