Time Skip

Sunny was so confused right now. Even more so with Skip not nearby. She could see some windmills, plants, and hills in the area, but no Skip. She was quite afraid that it’d be night soon and that the monsters would come to get her.

The four-year-old put the walkie talkie she was holding in her backpack and got up, ready to see if someone could help. She didn’t care if she couldn’t speak the “normal” way like everyone else did, she could find a way to communicate.

She quickly started heading toward the direction of the windmills, focused on the dirt path as she walked. She’d find tiny bugs that she’d stare at for a brief moment before suddenly remembering why she was here. She didn’t seem to notice the people walking nearby, wondering why she was alone.

Alone.

Hearing someone say that made her realize that she really was alone. That, along with everyone talking at once, really frightened her. She closed her eyes and began to hum one long, continuous, monotone note to try and calm herself down. This was something her brother and other kids they knew called “that weird humming noise” she made. She couldn’t help it.

The child didn’t realize it, but the townsfolk around her were confused to see this. That is, most of them were confused.

“…Are you okay?”

Sunny felt someone’s hand gently touch the top of her head. She stopped humming and slowly opened her eyes to see a cabbit with black and white fur and golden-yellow eyes. Something about him actually felt familiar to her, comforting even. He’d crouched down to get down to her eye level.

“Hey, it’s alright…” he gently said as he took his hand off of the child’s head. “Are you lost?”

The four-year-old slowly nodded her head.

“Alright. Do you know where your parents are?”

She didn’t know how to respond, or even if she could at this moment.

It took a moment for things to click for the teenager. “Is it too loud here? We could go somewhere else if that’d help.”

Sunny instantly looked at him and tried so hard not to cry… only to end up hugging his arm and whining a bit.

“Whoa- hey, it’s okay..! We can find somewhere quiet.”

And with that, he gingerly took her hand and led her out of the small town, and to an area that was a bit closer to one of the bigger windmills.

“I’m Klonoa, by the way,” the boy introduced himself. “I’m a hero in training! So I’m more than happy to help out!”

The little girl smiled. The name seemed familiar to her.

“And who are you? I sure haven’t seen you in Breezegale before.”

Oh no. This was going to be a bit of a struggle. She took her backpack off, opening it to take the sketchbook and some crayons out.

Klonoa seemed to get the idea of what this child was going to do. It seemed that she couldn’t really talk yet, so this may be the best thing for now.

Sunny turned the sketchbook to an empty page, and tried to remember what exactly to draw. She took her green, brown, and yellow crayons and started to scribble something down.

“Okay, drawing actually might help… that’s a flower, isn’t it.”

She nodded her head. She then took her yellow crayon and drew a circular blob, along with some outward lines surrounding it.

“Oh! I think I get it. You drew the sun, too. Is it Sunflower?”

Sunny’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Okay, we’re getting somewhere! Though… I’ve never heard of anyone called Sunflower… Would Sunny work?”

She eagerly nodded her head as she jumped up and down and flapped her hands in excitement.

“Sunny it is, then! It fits you!” Klonoa chuckled. 

And that was when he realized that if he couldn’t find Sunny’s parents, she’d likely have to stay with him and his grandpa. Guntz would likely tease him for letting a kid this small tag along…

“So, where should we start looking…” he mumbled to himself.

As Klonoa tried to figure out where to search, Sunny stood up and started looking around to see if Skip was nearby. She took a few steps forward.

Maybe if she called out…

“Nii?”

That was what made Klonoa stop what he was doing and turn to the child. Wait, she could actually talk a bit?!

When she realized he wasn’t nearby, she began to whine a bit, sulking onto the grassy ground.

The older boy sighed, a worried smile on his face. “Whoever this ‘Nii’ is, we’ll find them, too. Maybe it’s best if I bring you to my house tonight? It’s getting dark, and I don't think you'd want to be out here alone.”

Sunny didn’t turn to face him, but she nodded her head.

As he was bringing this mysterious child back to his home, Klonoa pondered a bit.

He was sure that this child had never been in Breezegale before, yet for whatever reason, she was very comforted by him within the first minute of meeting him. Perhaps she was a cousin he hadn’t met yet? He had not seen any of his relatives aside from his grandfather (and his own parents on the rare occasion they weren’t busy), so that was a possibility.

Klonoa truly thought that this child was different from the other lost kids he had helped before on occasion. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but Sunny reminded him a bit of Lolo when the both of them were her age.