The journey became much more pleasant after the first day. The Rain only last about a day and a half. Although Dania would be able to move much quicker in her beast form, she walked with me at my pace.
She was an endless source of knowledge and entertainment. Her mouth was constantly moving; either she was talking or eating. I started to wonder if her backpack was filled with nothing but food.
We took some time to rest now and then, as my stamina was still not as good as hers. She brought materials with her for sewing; which came in handy since she didn't have a tent. I used the giant foxwood tree leaves (those are the waterproof leaves she used for her umbrellas) and sewed them together to make a tent. The leaves here are all very thick and hardy, it was more like sewing two tarps together.
During our breaks and sometimes I night I found myself whittling away at wood, trying to craft a bow and arrows. I was having a hard time sleeping at night, I kept having dreams of Marshall. Sometimes I would dream that he found me in the woods and took me home, other times I would have nightmares that he thought I was dead and decided to be with Kara.
Eventually my sleepless nights paid off and I finally crafted a working bow. It's trial and error with the trees here. The first ones were too light and snapped under the pressure. Some trees were too elastic and bent with the pressure. Finally I found a branch that worked! I'm not sure which tree it came from since I picked it up off the ground, so I will have to be careful not to break this bow.
Dania found my creations very interesting and occasionally helped me. Within the first week we had crafted 2 tents, my bow, a quiver, and a couple dozen arrows.
We set up camp a little later than usual; we walked farther today to make up for lost time. We set up the tents and started a small campfire by a stream. The stream was slow moving and wide, hidden almost completely by foliage. If it weren't for my super hearing I wouldn't have known there was water nearby.
"How far do you think we are?" I asked as she passed me the water skin.
"Just shy of half way I think." Dania replied.
I closed up the waterskin and handed it back to her.
"I wasn't sure before, but I think your ears are getting bigger." Dania said to me as she put the waterskin back on her pack. "You should go wash up first, I'm going to cook something good tonight!"
In any other world I'm sure that would be insulting. But here, I'm not so sure. I reached up and touched my ears, they did indeed feel larger, but I couldn't be sure.
"Okay, be right back." I said as I headed off towards the stream.
It was a beautiful sight to behold. The moonlight shone off the ripples in the water, light wisps were floating in the wind, and the embankment was covered in odd blue flowers. They looked like cat tails but the tops were large blue flowers that were almost iridescent in the moonlight. Along the shore were thickets and trees, dense with leaves and flowers. It was peaceful and private - the perfect place to wash up.
As a modern woman who is used to showering daily, having to go almost a week with nowhere to clean up was rough. Without hesitation I ripped off my clothes and ran to the water. Before I stepped in I caught sight of my reflection.
My ears definitely got bigger! They looked like Marshall's ears now, they were tall and pointy. They were starting to get little fuzzy hairs at the base of them too. As I scanned my reflection for any other changes I saw my eyes flash.
I turned head side to side ever so slightly and noticed how when the moonlight hit my eyes a certain way, they shone like reflectors. Like a cat's eyes in the dark! I have been able to see in the dark much better now, maybe I'm getting night vision! I waded into the water to start washing up.
My whole body was toning up and my muscles more defined. I could see them moving under my skin as i flexed, especially my thighs. They used to be thin little sticks, and now they looked like well defined, healthy, normal legs. I feel stronger every day, I can go farther without feeling tired or out of breath.
I held my breath and ducked under the water to scrub my hair. Surprisingly my hair didn't feel oily at all, despite not having washed it properly in a while. I came up for air and floated on the surface of the water, basking in the moonlight. The light wisps came over and hovered around my body, they seemed to glow even brighter up close.
I felt a kink in my back, probably from sleeping on the ground all these nights. I stretched out and felt a sharp pain in my low back. What the heck is going on?!
I stood up in the water and again i felt as if someone had jabbed me in the back with a stick! My hands flew to my low back to find the source of my pain.
something had latched on to my back and was moving. It was stiff and hard, and when i tried to turn to look at it, it moved away.
"Dania!!!" I screamed, scared out of my mind. I kept trying to see what it was but I couldn't get a good look.
She came running over, mouth full of raisins, trying to talk. "Wha ish ong?!" (What's wrong?)
I was frantically splashing in the water and turning every which way, I looked her pleadingly and begged her to come help, "There's something on me, get it off!!!"
She darted into the water, just as frenzied as I was, accidentally tripping and bringing my clothes into the water with her. I moved towards her as she rushed over and tried to get me to hold still. I tried to calm my racing heart and hold as still as possible as she inspected.
"Aaaaaahahahahahahahahaha" She burst into laughter.
"What is it? What's on me?!" I asked, still panicked
She continued to chuckle uncontrollably. She doubled over in laughter and had to practically climb onto shore on her hands and knees. She was laughing so hard she was crying.
"Please tell me what it is?!" I asked as I followed her towards shore. "Is it a bug?" I shuddered at the thought of a giant bug or snake attached to me.
She was sitting on the bank, soaking wet, holding her stomach while tears streamed down her face from her uncontrollable laughter. "No, no, no." She said, wiping the tears from her face, "it's definitely not a bug. I guess more than just your ears have been growing."
I felt my face drop. It was long and hard… there's no way! Please tell me I wasn't growing one of THOSE from my back?! My eyes widened in shock as I tried again to look at what it was. "Oh god no!" I said out loud, horrified.
Dania watched me with amused curiosity and asked me, "what are you looking for back there, hmm?"
I can't believe she is so calm about this! "How did this happen??" I started to rant, "Is it a disease? Did I eat something strange?? Please tell me it's reversible?!!!" I practically begged her.
She went from amused to puzzled, "why are you so worried? Isn't this a good thing?"
"HOW CAN THIS BE A GOOD THING?!" I asked, pointing towards my backside. Maybe I was mistaken and Dania is actually some sort of pervert.
"Once it grows in, you will be able to control your movements so much better. It should improve your balance too…" She said, cautiously, but in a matter-of-fact way.
"A p*nis growing out of my back is going to help with my balance?!" I called back, saracstically.
"Ahahahahahahahah- a what?!" She roared with laughter again, rolling around on the bank holding her stomach.
"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" I was so mad at this reaction, I had the urge to pick her up and throw her across the stream!
"You think your tail- ahahaha- your tail is a- ahahahahaha" She was laughing and crying and couldn't form a sentence to save her life.
Wait… did she say tail?
"YOU THINK YOUR TAIL IS A P*NIS! AHAHAHAHAHA" she finally finished her sentence.
I felt my face turn beet red. I reached back again to check it out. It felt strange, I couldn't even begin to describe it, but i could sense this new appendage. It was short, about the length of my hand. As I leaned left or right it would move to counter my weight.
Dania finally stopped laughing. She stood up and dusted herself off as I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me, still feeling embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I have never seen something so funny. Your tail…" She giggled a little and struggled to be serious again, "It's all very unusual. I shouldn't have laughed. "
I didn't want her to feel too guilty so I added, "I guess the idea of a back p*nis was a little absurd.."
There was a moment of silence before we both burst into laughter.