I woke up early that morning. The sound of the birds singing echoed around the forest, a cold chill hit me as I glanced around the small room. Snuggling back into the covers my back pressed up against two soft mounds radiating heat. It wasn't until I was pulled closer by a sleeping Gwen did I remember where I was.
My new name was Eveline and I was now a Satyr in a small village located in god knows where. I tried to pry Gwen's hands from my waist but it was a fruitless endeavor, the position I was in and my small stature offered little leverage.
Sighing I decided to take in the room I was in, the walls appeared to be made of animal hide and colorful cloth. Sturdy beams of oak, buried into the ground held the makeshift tarp up over our heads. The bed I found myself in was just a mix of soft wool and animal furs layered on top of one another to create a soft and comfortable surface.
In one corner was a bucket made from tree bark and sealed with tar, beside it was a set of clothes and a rough spun towel. In the opposite corner was a bowl of fresh fruits and berries, set on a small log just inside the open tent flap.
I saw a pair of eyes peeking inside and as soon as out eyes met they vanished. The sound of small hooves hitting packed dirt fading into the distance. I frowned at that sight but thought nothing of it.
I felt Gwen stir and her hands rose up from my waist and rested on my chest. I was startled because I felt her bare hands on my evidently bare chest. I looked down to see the chest wrap I wore yesterday had come loose sometime during the night.
It laid on the side of the bed in a tangled knot. My face reddened when I realized why we had eyes peeking through our door. I gave a heavy sigh when I realized that even if I wanted too I couldn't figure out who the peeping tom was. Everyone here was a stranger and one stranger looks a lot like another in unfamiliar lands.
I waited a while longer as I tried to figure out how to remove myself from the older sisters death grip. In the end I decided to wake her up, I placed my hands on both sided of her pelvic bones and drove my thumbs into her hips. Her eyes flew wide open and a yip of surprise escaped her lips as she suddenly sat up.
I was unceremoniously thrown to the floor, rolling a time or two before settling with my back on the ground and my legs above my head. Gwen was no sitting up ram rod straight looking at me with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
I couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at her deer in the headlights look she gave me. This however caused her to pout and reach towards me. Before I had time to react I was yanked back to the bed and she dug her thumbs into my hips in revenge.
I squirmed as she invaded my personal space and attacked a sensitive location, half yelping, laughing and crying as I flailed about uselessly. In the end I managed to fight back by pressing against her sides, she fought to keep from laughing but in the end we fell into a fit of giggles.
As I laid on the bed staring at the ceiling I couldn't help but wonder.
"Is this what family feels like?" I had a small smile forming on my lips "I never had a sibling in my past life."
My thoughts were interrupted when a blue berry smacked me in the forehead bouncing off and across the room.
"Are you going lay there all day or are you going to put your clothes back on. I swear even with out trying you always seem to loose you clothes one way or another" Gwen stated as she looked at me.
I gave her a quizzical look and the smile in her eyes faded a little. A pang of hurt and guilt hit me for a moment and I frowned slightly. Gwen saw this and begun smiling brightly again.
"Don't worry about it, you might not remember but you were always a restless sleeper and completely oblivious to your state of undress. If I didn't know better I would have thought you did it on purpose. So I watched you sleep one night and low and behold you managed to remove every piece of clothing. Seemingly by accident, it was a strange sight see I'll tell you what"
I looked down my attire and decided her words had merit. Being a guy before, a bare chest was just a common occurrence and didn't cause a stir. Now trapped in a female body such an act would be scandalous and frowned apon.
I sighed and mumbled to myself "Just another thing I have to relearn, old habits won't fly anymore"
I put my clothes back on, I struggled with applying the chest wrap unsure how it was supposed to stay snug to my body. Yesterday the women managed to put it together with out using any knots, its created a comfortable layer. But for the life of me I couldn't figure it out.
Gwen watching my struggle took hers off to demonstrate. I immediately got a full view of her bosom. Perfectly tan tear drop shaped mounds, her nipples erect in the cold morning air. I couldn't help but stare and she needed to call my name several times before I reacted.
"Eve, Eve. Avalon to Eveline are you still there" She poked me in the forehead.
My eyes finally drifted up to her eyes, worry was etched on her face and she placed her hand on my forehead.
"Are you alright? You look like you have a fever, you face is beet red. You feeling alright?"
I carefully pushed her hand from my forehead and nodded my head.
"It's nothing, I was just suddenly distracted by whimsical thoughts. Nothing to worry about" I cleared my throat. "So how do I do this again?" I asked holding up the cloth.
She gave a small smile and a short nod.
"Well first you have too..."
After an undetermined amount of time later I finally managed to fold and roll the cloth in place. It felt loose but for my first attempt it was doable. Gwen scrutinized my work and snorted. She undid the whole thing and reapplied it with deft fingers. Giving a tight tug and making me wheeze slightly at the tightness, she tucked in the loose fabric and nodded her head in satisfaction.
"There, the wrap you did would have fell apart before you even finished warming up with the warriors. You always said it was better to have it nice and tight or else suffer from embarrassment." She paused as I gave her a slight head tilt "Yes there is more to the story but another time, your already late"
She handed me several large fruits I didn't recognize and shoved me out the door.
"Eat on the way, head towards the cooking fire, take a left and follow the trail. Listen for the sound of grunting and yelling and the rest will be easy"
Before I could say anything, she shoved what looked like an apple in my mouth, spun me around and slapped my butt. Effectively shoving me out through the open door. I looked back glaring, she replied with a small smirk and a wink before heading back into the tent. The last thing I saw was her waving me off dismissively.
I snorted and took a large bite of the fruit in my mouth and I gave a soft moan. The fruit was delicious, easily the greatest I've ever had. I wasn't sure if it was a Satyr thing or the remnants of Eveline again but the fruit filled me with joy.
I quickly devoured the fruits in my hands as I walked. Looking around I saw many more tents like the one I left haphazardly placed all over the forest floor. The floor was packed and sturdy, but I got the feeling that it had more to do with constantly being stomped on rather then a strategically placed road. The whole place reminded me of a gypsies camp. On one hand I felt at home but another larger part of me felt out of place.
I found myself longing for concrete sidewalks and actual buildings. The comfort of a proper roof over my head and cotton bed to lay my head.
I reached the cooking fire after a few minutes, the smoke of the constant flame giving away the proper direction. The few people there smiled and nodded but no one spoke to me, greetings could be heard across the village and so the lack of greeting towards me left me feeling alienated.
I picked up the pace and crossed the small clearing, ignoring everyone as I followed Gwen's directions. Overall I was ignored and allowed free rein of the village, a few children ran past playing a game of tag. They circled me a few times before they ran back the direction they came calling after one another.
A tight smile touched my lips as I watched them run off. I looked down at my small hands and sighed to myself.
"I'm so short" I said to no one in particular.
I was only roughly two heads taller then the oldest kid. When compared to Gwen who looked average among her peers, I was a head and a half shorter then her. Looking around for any Satyr's that could be considered teenagers I spotted a few gossiping under a low hanging tree. By appearances alone they looked to be between the age of fourteen and sixteen and I was roughly a half a head short of the smallest Satyr under the tree.
If the average Satyr was 5' 9" as was the norm for the average human where I grew up I would say I was between 4' 7" and 4' 9" tall. I was on the lowest spectrum I could be in with out falling into the dwarf classification.
I remembered the stories of Eveline and her life before me. I smiled at the thought of a small ball of fury, from what I was told the only thing bigger then her temper was her heart. The more she yelled at you or beat you up the more she cared.
Looking around at the faces again I felt uneasy, there was a clear sense of expectation in their eyes. As if by some miracle I would suddenly regain my former self and raze all kind of holy hell like I used too. Then I watch as those expectations are dashed and I am once again filled with the sense of isolation. I was welcome but no longer home it would seem.
As Gwen described I heard the sound of grunting and yelling in the distance and picked up the pace, my Satyr legs sending my small form down the path like a bolt of lightning. Exhilarated by the sense of freedom I felt, I picked up the pace and soon the people around me nearly faded away.
I felt like I was leaving my troubles behind me as I distanced myself from the dark countenance of the village proper. The path towards the training grounds was down a well traveled path and I made sure to try and travel it as fast as I could.
After roughly a minute of running with no regard to stamina reserves I finally saw the light of the clearing ahead. Instead of slowing down I sped up, going from a fast paced dash to a crazed sprint. I was moving so fast I was having some trouble keeping up, I was constantly on the brink of tripping and eating the ground. All the while a wide smile was plastered on my face, that however didn't last long.
No sooner did my smile reach my ears did it turn into panic. Ahead of me emerging from the woods was a Satyr dressed in leather armor, he was tying his waist wrap around his hips. He much have left training to relieve himself in private.
Just as he turned in my direction, his eyes going wide like saucers, I barreled into him full speed. Acting on some kind of instinct I tucked in my shoulder and lowered my head a bit. In the end my head along with my curved horns, buried themselves in the mans gut. My little body managing to throw the man off his feet and into the air for a few seconds.
He spat out the last the air in his lungs and collapsed gasping on his side. My full body tackle knocking the wind out of the poor man. I however kept on going.
No longer able to maintain my balance I ricocheted over the falling man, continuing out into the clearing. In a last ditch effort to save my self from further harm, I tucked my legs into my chest and rolled into a ball. Hitting the ground I was forced from the tight embrace as I bounced back into the air.
My arms and lays splayed wide I belly flopped on to the ground, grinding to a stop at the foot of the biggest Satyr I have ever seen. And unluckily for me, my position allowed me a front row seat to his massive male physique. I felt my face redden at the sight, not sure of embarrassment or shame.
The man seemingly unaware that I had a clear view, bend down and picked me up by the scruff of my neck. I flinched in horror as a horse tea bagged my face, but before I knew it I was set back on my feet a permanent scowl on my face.
My face clearly red with simmering anger and embarrassment. I was certain I was going to have nightmares about what I just saw. The man oblivious to my thoughts patted me on the shoulder and addressed the man I laid out moments before. Looking back I saw some fellow warriors helping him stand on his feet.
"Now Derick, how have you not learned to stay out of the you ladies way? It's almost as if you like eating dirt" The men all snickered at the poor mans misfortune.
Swallowing my emotions to the best of my ability I made my way over to the man I threw to the ground.
"I'm sorry Derick, I was not paying attention to where I was going. I was lost in my own world and testing my limits." this silenced everyone here. I even heard one of them drop their training sword.
Realizing I needed to do something more, so I said the first thing that came to mind and just rolled with the punches.
"Maybe find a better latrine? The road to the training ground is not the safest place to relieve one's self"
This thankfully elicited laughter from the group and I sighed in relief, I held out my hand and the man who was moments before eating dirt. Grabbed my wrist in a handshake, he was smiling but he squeezed his hand around my arm harder then I thought was necessary. Knowing I deserved it but also not willing to back down I returned the grip.
This actually resulted in a positive response. He pulled me into a hug, he had to practically take a knee to comfortably do so. He patted my back roughly, treating me like he would a fellow warrior.
"Glad to see the spirits didn't rob you of your spunk. You'll be a warrior again, just you see. I'm certain that you'll take to the training like a fish in water. Your mind may have forgotten" He tapped my forehead "But the body never forgets" He placed his fist on my chest, bumping me right above where my heart would be.
Standing up he dusted himself off and I did the same, unbeknownst to me a bright smile, spread on my face shining through the dirt and mud now liberally coating my face and body. The men mirrored me grin with one of their own and for the second time since arriving in this village I felt at home.