Karyn had just started to get comfortable in the cool waters of the river when she heard a more-than-slightly girlish shriek, with more than a little avian squawk to it. She was just about to lunge out of the water to see what was wrong when Jon burst over the top of the river bank and skidded to a halt at the water's edge, nearly falling into the river in the process. "Gah!" she gasped. "How do you balance with these things!?"
Karyn cocked an eyebrow, not quite able to hide a smirk. "Balance issues?" she said. "Seriously? They're not even that big, Jon."
The harpy looked down at her breasts. "Yeah, well, they're still a whole lot bigger than what I'm used to," she replied.
Karyn suppressed a chuckle. "Anyway," she said, "what was all that about? I thought you were in trouble or something."
Jon looked a bit sheepish. "Well," she said, "I woke up and you were gone, and I was just afraid I'd gotten left behind again." She noted Karyn's inquisitive look. "Right, guess I'd better explain."
Jon gave a brief recounting of her adventures since she'd arrived in this world and body, providing as much detail on her prior companions as she could remember. Karyn listened intently, though there were a couple occasions where she got distracted trying to comprehend the fact that the creature in front of her was Her best friend.
"So, uh, anyway," Jon said, "that's kind of why I got worked up. Getting accidentally abandoned once was bad enough."
Karyn nodded. "I don't doubt. So are we trying to rescue them, then?"
Jon shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I'd like to, but frankly, I have no idea where they went or how I could help. I mean, I didn't even manage to stay conscious through a full battle. They know way more about what they're doing than me."
"Then what were you planning to do?" the naga asked. Jon shrugged. "Not sure," she replied. "I know they were looking for a way to get home, and the fox-girl was looking for a way back to normal, same as me. I figure if we can find either or both of those, then when we do find them again, we'll have a way to help."
Karyn considered it. "I suppose so,"she said. "So the land east of the forest is kind of a war zone, right? We'd better stay away from there. Do you have any idea how far the forest is across?"
Jon shook her head. "It didn't look too wide when I was airborne," she said. "But I have no idea what kind of scale I was looking at, or even how high I was."
"Which reminds me," Karyn said. "Why haven't you just flown out of the forest?"
"Not enough room," Jon replied. "I only got enough lift the first time because I fell from way, way up high. From the ground I think I'd need a running start, and there's not even thirty feet of clearing in most of this place. Plus, even around the river here, there's a canopy overhead."
Her friend nodded. "But if we follow the river far enough downstream, it should open to a lake or something. That'll give plenty of clearance, and then we can get our bearings and find civilization."
Jon brightened. "And food! And people, and maybe a way to get home. And clothes." She frowned, bothered by how that seemed to be vecoming less of a concern.
