This time, when he awoke in the dream, he understood what it meant.
He was smaller, shorter, leaner. His body felt longer than it did in any of his previous forms, his stunted legs clawed and his head narrow, to the point that he was trying too hard to look in every direction at once. He twisted around to look at himself and discovered that he could almost fold himself perfectly in half, the new limber nature of this form much easier to manage than any other.
It was simultaneously exhilarating and confusing. It took him several tries to understand what he was trying to do and to make all of his limbs move as he wanted them to, and even then Fierce nearly fell off of the rock he had awoken on in the process. He managed to get everything together and, digging in his claws with a faint scratching sound, scuttled up the side of the rock and towards the sun.
It was a pleasant view, overlooking a small pond in the middle of the forest. The scent of marsh and wood and dirt filled his nose; Fierce inhaled deeply and then shot forward, skimming across the ground towards the pond. It felt almost as though it was calling to him, urging him forward, the water lapping gently at the muddy bank in rhythmic waves.
Fierce splashed into it noisily and joyfully. All around him he could smell the aroma of lavender, and then of something sharper and more woodsy. Something citrus followed, unfamiliar and warming, and something about all of these unlocked something in Fierce. He sank down into the water with a sigh, feeling the exhaustion begin to leave him, ebbing away like the tide. His bones felt loose and relaxed, his body engulfed, and while the water couldn't take his weight, Fierce still pretended to rest his head atop the surface.
It was a soothing scent. It also made his mouth water, just a little.
He stayed like that a long time, basking in the warmth, the gentle pond that made him calm, and wished he could stay there for longer. He knew, instinctively, that he would wake at some point and that he would have to go back to remembering and feeling and thinking - but for now he could simply stay here, wrapped in satisfaction and the knowledge that this was what he wanted.
(For now, said a voice inside of his head, this is what you want for now.)
He swam for a bit, back and forth, lazily, without any sort of need or pressure to be anywhere fast. Back and forth, from one side of the pond to the other, until at last he could feel the shape of the dream starting to fade away. Fierce allowed himself the minor pleasure of rising without walking, of getting to float up above the surface with no effort at all, until he was gliing around the top of the pond in idle strokes. It felt marveous, this floating, this flying; he felt, for the first time in a long time, simply free.
And then he awoke and the freedom was gone and he remembered.
He was smaller, shorter, leaner. His body felt longer than it did in any of his previous forms, his stunted legs clawed and his head narrow, to the point that he was trying too hard to look in every direction at once. He twisted around to look at himself and discovered that he could almost fold himself perfectly in half, the new limber nature of this form much easier to manage than any other.
It was simultaneously exhilarating and confusing. It took him several tries to understand what he was trying to do and to make all of his limbs move as he wanted them to, and even then Fierce nearly fell off of the rock he had awoken on in the process. He managed to get everything together and, digging in his claws with a faint scratching sound, scuttled up the side of the rock and towards the sun.
It was a pleasant view, overlooking a small pond in the middle of the forest. The scent of marsh and wood and dirt filled his nose; Fierce inhaled deeply and then shot forward, skimming across the ground towards the pond. It felt almost as though it was calling to him, urging him forward, the water lapping gently at the muddy bank in rhythmic waves.
Fierce splashed into it noisily and joyfully. All around him he could smell the aroma of lavender, and then of something sharper and more woodsy. Something citrus followed, unfamiliar and warming, and something about all of these unlocked something in Fierce. He sank down into the water with a sigh, feeling the exhaustion begin to leave him, ebbing away like the tide. His bones felt loose and relaxed, his body engulfed, and while the water couldn't take his weight, Fierce still pretended to rest his head atop the surface.
It was a soothing scent. It also made his mouth water, just a little.
He stayed like that a long time, basking in the warmth, the gentle pond that made him calm, and wished he could stay there for longer. He knew, instinctively, that he would wake at some point and that he would have to go back to remembering and feeling and thinking - but for now he could simply stay here, wrapped in satisfaction and the knowledge that this was what he wanted.
(For now, said a voice inside of his head, this is what you want for now.)
He swam for a bit, back and forth, lazily, without any sort of need or pressure to be anywhere fast. Back and forth, from one side of the pond to the other, until at last he could feel the shape of the dream starting to fade away. Fierce allowed himself the minor pleasure of rising without walking, of getting to float up above the surface with no effort at all, until he was gliing around the top of the pond in idle strokes. It felt marveous, this floating, this flying; he felt, for the first time in a long time, simply free.
And then he awoke and the freedom was gone and he remembered.