ASEEDONCLOUD 2023AW -kigansai-

story

People who engage in long-term, large-scale grazing are called herders. In the spring, they are asked by the people to provide them with sheep, goats, cows, pigs, etc., and they set out with the animals to graze until autumn.
During the winter, there is no work and the people do not want them to settle down, so they are homeless.

Two girls were born to a shepherd. One was caring and reliable, the other was free-spirited and fearless. They would wear sheep's wool on their bodies in order to converse with the sheep they lived with.

In their village, they worship the animals of the forest as their guardians, and it is said that the reason the village is always peaceful is because the animals keep evil spirits and monsters from entering the village.

When winter comes, the girls, who have nowhere to go, are curious and want to meet their guardian deity, so they go into the forest. There, they meet many animals and become accustomed to talking to them. They become friends with them.

They became friends with the guardians of the forest: woodpeckers, hedgehogs, owls, moose, rabbits, and squirrels.

One day, the guardians of the forest came to consult with the women. They said that when the cold season came, their leader, the bear, would go on a journey in a boat, and they wanted them to help drive away the cold so that he would return home sooner.

They decided to chase away the cold with the animals.
By using various talismans, the cold was banished within a few months.
After driving away the cold, they celebrated with the animals and then decided to return to the village.

After that, every year when the cold season came, they transformed into bears and became leaders of the forest.
They are now revered by the villagers as seers who can hear the voice of their guardian deity.