As Dark as the Forest

Chapter 10

Ori

Ori woke up disoriented, with a pounding headache, and with everything around her looking extremely large.

It took her a moment to realize that she was in mouse form - she'd never fallen asleep as an animal she'd transformed into. Though, as her memories of her most recent moments in consciousness began to fill back in, she realized that this might not be sleep in the way it was actually intended. The exhaustion that had overcome her back in her bedroom in the Nest had been insurmountable - and Ori was no stranger to running on little sleep. She'd spent her life adapting to irregular sleeping patterns.

As things began to register, she started to panic. Where was she? Had Remo found her? Had her locked her up somewhere? Wherever she was, it was comfortable and dark. And, she realized, she could sense movement or swaying. Was it a boat?

Very carefully, Ori crept up what felt like linen walls toward a small opening of light above her. Tentatively she poked her head out and sniffed.

Thank Quercus. It was Pit's earthy scent that hinted cedarwood and clove. Asher had told her that Pit used some sort of specially made oil blend that he purchased from the Quercians to fragrance his clothing when he was traveling.

"Oh! She's awake!" Ori heard Flor exclaim.

Suddenly, Pit's hand was reaching down and pulling her from what she determined was a pouch secured at his waist - his steps had been the rocking motion she had been feeling, not a boat.

"Sheesh, we were wondering if you would ever wake up!" Said Flor. "Thank Quercus." She nodded her head in reverence of the Earth god.

"Yes, you've been asleep for days." Pit put in, giving her a gentle tap on the head.

"I know she can understand us, but I still feel strange speaking to a mouse." Flor remarked, readjusting the pack on her shoulders.

Ori tried to wriggle out of Pit's grasp.

"Hold on, hold on, stop squirming. I'll set you down when we arrive someplace safe." He glanced at his gold pocket watch - a gift that Ori had helped Asher pick out for him last year for the Winter Solstice. "We'll be arriving at an inn within an hour or so."

Ori glanced around. From what she could see they were on a well traveled main road. Pit and Flor were on foot but leading one heavily laden pony, and another pulling a cart. Ori knew that Pit brought goods to the Quercians for trade - things like mage lights or magically purifying water flasks from different kingdoms that the Quercians could not produce on their own.

Each Kingdom and Elemental Territory relied heavily on trade with the others. It was what kept them unified, and many goods passed through Terrendia City either from the Quercians themselves to be sent onward to the neutral land of Interezzia in the center of the continent, or goods from the other regional kingdoms that were produced by the respective elemental territories.

Ori had probably missed the boat ride up the Aragain river if she had been asleep for days. She found she was slightly disappointed by this - she had been looking forward to it. With a mousy sigh, she resigned herself to burrowing back into Pit's pouch and closed her eyes again - she'd best rest up so that she had plenty of energy to change back to her true form once they arrived.

This inn was small compared to the inn that Pit had been staying at back in the city, and Ori was deposited onto one of the beds by Pit, who let her know that they were going down to grab a bite to eat. The three of them were to share a room, and for a moment Ori considered simply staying a mouse for one more night. But remaining in a body so different from her own was not recommended. She had read from one of the texts that Remo had provided her on the subject of shifting, that the more different a body that was shifted into, the worse it was as a longer term solution. It is easy to forget one's true self when one spends too much time pretending to be something else, the book had said.