Struggling through the forest’s dense shrubbery, Susumu paused as he caught sight of a family of wild boars cuddling together at the base of a tree some feet away. Holding his breath, he slowly crouched down, quietly taking out his small pocket notebook to sketch out the small family as he took down multiple notes of the boars’ behavior. Once he was satisfied with what he had captured, Susumu tucked his notebook back into his coat’s inner pocket before standing back up.

The rest of his journey continued in a similar fashion. Each time Susumu caught sight of something interesting, he would pause to take detailed notes and a quick sketch of what he saw.

Hours later, as the sun began to sink past the horizon, Susumu finally decided to wrap up for the day. Finding a nearby clearing, he got to work setting up his campsite for the night. Numerous trips into all kinds of forests made Susumu an experienced camper, and soon, he was relaxing in a camping chair beneath the stars. A roaring campfire was burning brightly next to him, keeping him warm as he ate his dinner. After he was done, Susumu reviewed his notes from the day. He frowned as he reached the final page in his notebook, tucking it back into his jacket with a sigh.

Originally, this particular forest had not been a popular tourist destination. However, once rumors of a mysterious creature within the forest surfaced, overzealous celebrities and researchers alike all began to enter the forest, hoping to find the mysterious creature. Susumu was drawn to the forest for much of the same reasons. As an avid lover of the supernatural and unexplained sightings, he was always travelling to seek out the truths behind rare phenomena and strange rumors in the hopes of making contact with something outside of the normal conventions.

Before starting his search, Susumu visited the nearby village to confirm the validity of the rumors. While he was itching to explore the forest nonetheless, he had wanted to get at least a description of what he was looking for before heading in to make his search easier.

The villagers confirmed the rumours, telling him of the large shadow they’ve seen lurking in the woods recently. Having lived their whole lives sustaining themselves off the forest’s natural resources, they could tell that the shadow wasn’t made by a regular animal. It was too large to be a mere boar and its movements were unnatural and stilted.

Pleased with the fact that the rumours seemed to be real, Susumu headed into the forest the very same day. After coming back empty handed and replenishing his supplies in the village before heading back inside, today’s trip marked his sixth trip into the forest.

Lying underneath the starry sky, Susumu couldn’t help but wonder what kind of creature he would discover. Eager to continue his search, he closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

Crash!

Waking up with a jolt as a loud noise sounded nearby, Susumu opened his eyes in time to see his cooking pot clatter to the floor. Jumping to his feet, he caught a glimpse of a shadow escaping into the dense thicket of trees. The shadow grew smaller by the second, retreating further and further away.

“Hey—wait!” Susumu called out, scrambling to follow the mysterious figure.