I gasped awake but the minute I inhaled deeply, I choked on my pain.
The entirety of my body hurt to the point I was momentarily convinced I was being torn apart. Every muscle and joint ached as though I had been beaten from the inside out.
My chest heaved in and out. The dry air felt thin and foreign as it rushed into my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the agony would subside. It didn't.
Blinky rapidly, I slowly managed to push away the fog in my mind as the clarification of my situation settled in. As the pain simmered in, I became acutely aware of the cold sensation beneath me, pressing into my bare skin.
“What the,” I uttered a groan involuntarily. I was lying on the floor, completely naked too. Shards of dirt clung to my pores, stinging softly.
A wince eased out as I struggled to sit up. My body was protesting and my hands trembled as I tried to push myself upright.
I wasn’t in the forest. I wasn’t in the dreamscape. I was back in the den. Looking around, I found myself to
