Mist Forest.
"Sasha."
It was the faint sound of a breeze passing through the treetops.
The leaf stem trembled, the edges of the yellowed leaf, curled and worm-bitten, fell from the branch.
Spiraling downward.
Just like the countless others on the ground, in three seconds, it will become part of the forest's yellow-brown leaf carpet.
Then, over four to five months, gradually wither and decay, eventually becoming the weak nutrients nourishing some clumps of weeds.
Whoosh—
A gust of unnaturally strong, fierce wind interrupted this process.
The withered leaf, already abandoned by the trees due to the loss of life energy, was shattered by the biting wind almost instantly.
It turned into tiny, fragile pieces of leaf debris, drifting like dust in the air.
Falling on the rough, textured bark of an oak tree nearby, landing on the surface of tender green stems and leaves on the ground.
Also clinging to the fine black, messy tips of hair, caught in the swirling air currents.
