It was a beautiful dreamy day; a day where subtle breezes stir clouds to play in the sky. Perhaps they were amused by the appearance their shadows cast upon the wilderness below. From a clouds' perspective, a single person looks so insignificant compared with the immense details below it. When a speck of a person raises ones body to bask in the warmth of sunlight, and suddenly the world seems to become dim and cool, a cloud feels no empathy as to what it has done.

Yukiko, the one whom the cloud had covered, opened her eyes and gazed at that which was passing over her. If only the puff of cotton could see her as more than a far away spot, for then it could see how splendorous the girl's eyes were. Each one a blue like that of the sky the cloud was blocking; however, the color of her eyes were not just one blue, but an assortment of tones.

It wasn't just the checker patched sky, but the gentle gusts in combination with the shade, which had caused Yukiko to raise her arms in an attempt to keep herself warm. Although her long sleeve top and tapered skirt covered most of her body, the thin material the clothing was made of did nothing to insulate against the moderately cool breezes. Even though she had her head buried between her forearms, Yukiko was able to see the hope of sunlight coming her way. Lining up the path of it's movement, anticipating the arrival of warmth, she hardly even concerned about the faint sound, of what seemed like wind blowing through the leaves and branches of the far-off woodland.

At long last, sunshine had arrived, the rays so intense it seemed as if her snow-blond hair might melt, and trickle down her shapely body. Immediately Yukiko shielded her eyes from the piercing light.

Paying heed to the distant racket may have been wiser than indulging in the temporary pleasure the sun had to offer. At the edge of the field where the clearing becomes tangled with brush and trees, burst out a deluge of creatures! They were like toads that could run, with rough skin camouflaged to blend into the stony ground around them. The most striking feature about these things was the single leaf atop each of the monster's head – as if they were holding it purposefully. One could almost consider them as peaceful creatures – if it were not for their distinct sets of claws and razor sharp teeth! As for what they do with these daggers given them, Yukiko might soon find out.

If Yukiko had not closed her eyes to the forest ahead, she would have seen what was making the escalating noise and might have had time to run away. The stampede of creatures continued heading in the direction of Yukiko. Curious as to why the strange noise was growing louder, she opened her eyes and to her surprise, she saw hundreds of the little monsters less than ten feet from her.

Yukiko froze up; even the simplest of instincts did not kick in. Her only thoughts were of her emanate demise. How painful it might be, torn to shreds by a thick blanket of beasts, so dense her screams of agony might not be heard under them. With such a grim prospect she found herself thinking of her family, how dearly she loved them. Oh how dearly she loved her mother, although irritating at times she was always there raising two teenagers on her own. She thought of her brother who wasn't always the kindest to her; it wasn't his fault, he just needed someone to play rough with. Although in the later years of her life, he was there for her just as their father would have been. The possibility of seeing her father made the though of death heartening. She actually began to wonder why she was not yet enveloped in little demons.

Looking down at her feet, she saw the creatures flowing around her as if she were an obstacle – even her shadow was an obstacle to these things. These animals were not after her; they must have been chasing something else. Keeping her feet firmly in place Yukiko turned to see what they might be chasing. Nothing, the creatures were headed towards nothing but miles of sunny fields.

The stampede was over, only a few stragglers trying to keep up with the swarm passed by. Without little monsters running around her feet, Yukiko finally felt able to move around freely. She noticed that the once beautiful meadow had been trampled down; it also seemed as if some of the grass was consumed. The path of destruction resembled a dry river bed. All but a patch of grass where Yukiko had been standing remained. A chill ran through her, not because it was once again shady; she realized that if those things had seen her as food, her thoughts of being torn to shreds would have been accurate.

Immediately Yukiko's attention shifted to an alarm seemingly coming from another world. Followed by a sweet voice calling, “Yukiko
 wake up Yukiko.”