Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Yay! Wag is finally awake! Sorry about the wait. I'm using all the scraps of quiet time around the house to write. :) It didn't help that I got a teensy bit of writer's block while working on this too. I hope you all enjoy! :D

*Wag's POV*

The first thing that I was aware of was the sound of a gentle breeze whispering through leafy branches somewhere high above me. I'm not sure how long I lay there listening to the breeze, unable to move or string thoughts together properly, but eventually feeling started to return to my leaden limbs. I became aware that I was very wet and cold and started shivering before I could manage any other movement.

Leaves of a low plant I was lying against shuddered and scraped softly against each other as they carried the vibrations of my shivers up its stem. The ground beneath me had become mud and clung to the side of my face and body where I lay. I did not see any light coming through my eyelids. Either my vision had not returned yet, or it had gotten dark out. I decided to try opening my eyes to find out which.

Where am I? My sluggish mind managed to ask a question as I struggled to pry my eyelids apart. I teleported from the realm of Mianite, right? I wonder how long I've been unconscious. My eyelids finally parted and after allowing time for my eyes to adjust, I could make out the towering forms of trees and the spreading fronds of ferns, like the one I was tucked under. It appeared to be late evening or early morning by the faint lighting. Wait, that teleport must be a memory or a dream. This place looks familiar. Maybe I'm still dreaming.

That would explain the extreme disconnect between my body and what my mind wanted it to do. That would also explain why the colors of this jungle seemed all wrong. The tree trunks and the yellow shelf fungi growing on them were washed out and pale versions of the colors they should be, while the ferns and tree leaves were in grayscale.

I blinked a few times, being able to move my eyelids more easily now. I tried to move my still shivering limbs next. I don't want to freeze to death out here, wherever I am. I had mild success. It appeared my left arm and leg, which I had been lying on, had fallen asleep. That familiar feeling of pins and needles raced up and down my trapped limbs. Well, at least I know I was out a long time to allow that to happen, I thought as I struggled to lift myself up.

Seeing a tree with cocoa pods hanging from the higher branches sparked my memory. All of the events that had happened since arriving in Ruxomar replayed through my mind at lightning speed. I was out here collecting potion ingredients, I remembered after my mind caught up. Then something went funny with a spell.

My arms and legs had returned to normal levels of cooperation, and I managed to shift into a crouch. Looking around more, I noted the clearing had been thoroughly drenched by the storm that had rolled through, the leaves of trees and ferns still dripping occasionally. The refreshing smell of damp earth and greenery filled the air. I remembered there had been an ocelot involved in all this and tried to stand up to better look for it. I did feel a bit concerned that my spell might have hurt the creature. I was unsteady on my feet and had to brace myself against one of the fallen logs to maintain balance.

I spotted a large grey and darker grey form motionless on the ground a few feet behind the fern I had fallen under. As I started to inspect it, I stiffened. That wasn't an ocelot. "That's me!" I shouted. If there was any doubt about it, I could plainly see the imbued sword in its sheath at his/my belt and the spell book lying where I had dropped it before passing out. "Okay, I must be dreaming still. I can't be having an out of body experience." I raised one of my hands to rub my eyes, but stopped as it came into my field of vision.

Glancing down to where my other arm was braced against the log confirmed it. I didn't have hands. I had paws. Looking over my shoulder and down my furry back, I could see a muddy tail lashing side to side from my growing concern. My soaked coat was a deep grey, almost black, with slightly darker points (tips of paws, tail, and face—though at this point he hadn't seen his face yet) where it wasn't caked in mud.