Reza looked distant for a moment before deciding to answer Shahar with sorrow in his eyes. "Indeed." Was all he replied before turning away and working to pack. The sun had starting rising and they all knew it would soon be time to get moving.
Ren lay motionless while slowly retaining consciousness. His mind flickered in and out of focus like a dying flame, before finally taking hold and becoming clear. Slightly opening his eyes, he knew that his time like this was short. Fleeting thoughts caught up to him as he decided what to do next. He wanted to run, to escape, it was always the first thing he though whenever the bands control temporarily lifted. But running never worked and he would shortly lose control to the band again. Instead he shifted his body until he lay on his back to look at the puffy clouds that began to turn golden in the red and blue sky. Sunrises had always be his favorite.
_____________________
It wasn't long before the group discovered Ren's inability to leave an animal from. All he could do was swap one form for another, if the group needed an extra pair of eyes in the sky then Ren would touch Reza and two bat falcons would take flight. An extra nose and two wolves would prowl, Anita came in handy for hunting and Elwin for the days were walking was the main task. Ren spoke little and only did what was needed to keep the group going.
Two weeks of walking and the group became hopelessly lost. For as long as Ren was stuck as an animal the map, which sifted with him was of no use. It was around the fifth day of the third week and sixth time the had passed the clearing by the river that Ren had to confirm their status.
"We are lost." Ren chimed in as the group slowly walked the same path for the seventh time.
"You think?" Reza growled, ticked that Ren had waited this long to point out something so obvious.
Ren shrugged to Reza's response. "Well I was kinda hoping I would be able to be a human again by now and that perhaps without the map we could scour the area and by chance find the ruins. But this obviously didn't work, so any other ideas?"