Sketching Chapter 3
3
Into The Forest
Disquiet. Grudge. Grief. Perhaps the most accurate words to describe the feeling that such place inflicted on me in that very moment. I didn't know where I was or how the hell I got there. The only thing I knew was that I needed to get out of that place as fast as I could, and the fact that I could see next to nothing in the pitch-black and cold night didn't help me at all, making me stumble foolishly against almost every damned branch, stone or tree in my way; and it went on like that for a good while of wandering without any set direction in the infinite-feeling land, but that changed as soon as I heard a faint, ominous sound coming from somewhere far away. I twitched my ears and quickly turned my head in many directions, looking around for any indicator of the source, but unfortunately, in the same fashion as with my night vision, my ears failed me by not being able to make out the direction of the source of that whistle-like sound, but I somehow felt myself being drawn towards the source, like if it was calling out for something.
I reached my paws forward into the darkness so I wouldn't hit something again as I walked, with not much success, given that for once in my life, I was tall enough for the branches to keep hitting my face, but my paws reached no trunk as long as I kept walking forward. Trying to make sense of where I stood, I looked up towards the night sky, but all my eyes could make out was the dark outline of the tall pine trees that seemed to be surrounding me; but behind them there was the sky of the grim night, now holding an off dark-gray color, and no kind of celestial body in it, just plain gray, casting no light onto the forest nor me.
I lowered my head as I liberated a quiet sigh, being interrupted by a violent shiver that crossed my entire body all at once, making my fur prickle and my skin itch with sweat as I could faintly hear that sound once again. This time, I could tell that it wasn't a whistle at all, but a haunting sob filled with despair, and this time, it felt closer, but I still couldn't make out the direction from where it came from, no matter how much I tried. I reached out my paws once again, and closed my eyes this time, not like if it would make much difference, but I started to walk forward another time. My face didn't hit much branches for a couple of minutes, and I only stumbled over a couple of tiny mounds of what felt like moss on the ground. I began to feel a little confident now, trusting on the guide of my instincts, given that I didn't have much else at the moment. I knew I couldn't rely on my senses, any of them, only on my gut. And I wanted to hold on to that thought as a sharp wave of paralyzing terror cut through my body as I felt something gripping tightly on my ankle; I began to pant heavily with my eyes still shut as I gulped and tried to retrieve some courage to feel what had taken me, with not much success either, as whenever I tried to reach down, a tingle in the back of my head urged me not to, to stay calm and wait for it to disappear, and that's exactly what I chose to do; I stood there, paralyzed with my eyes shut and leaking with tears, my skin itching and my mouth panting, waiting for what felt like an eternity, and I grew tired of it after the long wait. So in an act of despair, I abruptly kicked my ankle free from the grip, which disappeared with a violent rustle on the dry grass surrounding me. I didn't care about hitting myself or stumbling upon something anymore, I just cared about fleeing as soon as I could, but the feeling of something glaring at me didn't cease for as long as I ran in the darkness, only making me run faster, and surprisingly enough, I didn't hit myself against anything. However, the more I ran, the louder my footsteps and panting became, as well as every other sound surrounding me, being the rustle of leaves or grass, or the wind hitting harshly against my body, slowing me down, and making me an easy target for whatever thing that was chasing me. The combination of loud sounds resonated violently in my ears, making me dizzy and unfocused, not that there was much to focus on to begin with. There was only running. And the worst part was that my endurance was and has always been short-lived, but not my determination. I not only had to fight against my surroundings, or my fear, but myself, too; I didn't surrender, I couldn't, I had to keep running, and hope nothing would catch me. I didn't care about the pain in my lungs, nor the constant chills running through my body, because the next thing I knew was that I was laying with my frontal body against the ground, my limbs tired and almost lifeless while my mouth and nose struggled for air. I did not surrender, but ultimately, my body did.
I tried to stand up once again, but my arms and legs failed me, making me fall flat over the dry grass one more time. And while the overwhelming sounds started to die down, I was able to hear that faint sob again, only that this time, my ears could make out the direction. Straight ahead. I made another attempt to push myself up the ground, now being successful at least to lift my head enough to shake it, and twitch my ears, trying to focus on my surroundings. There was the rustle of leaves and grass, and the occasional whistle of the wind, but no sob. But there was a new sound to be added, a yelp of mine as I felt another grip on my ankle, now tighter than before, but now there was another grip, and it was located on my left forearm. I tried to stay calm, and take deep breaths, but those were replaced with my own soft sobs, and a low, shaky, "Leave. . ." Unsurprisingly, there was no answer, actually, every other sound in the forest died out in that exact moment, making my ears almost buzz due to the lack of sound to fill them up. "Leave, please. . ." I pleaded once again as my eyes began to leak with tears.
Given the lack of response of any kind, I simply shook my head in a violent manner, trying to get my thoughts straight, and focus on anything that wasn't the gripping sensation. It turned out to be a hard task, as I could hardly ignore the tightening feeling on the grip. Just focus. I'd tell myself, and I did focus, but primarily on the multiple grips. "Just go." I quietly muttered to the darkness once I began to grow uneasy once again, and the urge to run away began to take over. I remained strong, and I remained still. I would not give the forest what it wanted from me; it wanted me to give in to it, and that was something I would not let myself do. But I was about to, once I heard another ominous and paralyzing sound, different from the earlier sob, this one was more of a hoarse groan, trying, unsuccessfully to build a word. As a response, I could only pant harshly as a moan-like sob escaped my throat, followed by me shaking my head once again after hearing another hoarse groan, only that this time, a brief tingle on the back of my head told me that such sound meant "No." And trying to keep it together, I softened my breathing, and let out a rushed "Why?" Now, not much for my surprise, I received another hoarse "No," from the void, now making the grip even tighter and rougher around my limbs. It felt like sandpaper against my skin through the fur it could penetrate. But somehow, I could make out that the . . . objects gripping me were mere wood. I don't know, the gripping objects felt like simple branches all of a sudden. The fact didn't make me feel very confident per se, but certain weight was lifted off my back. I cautiously gulped, preparing myself to speak up my next words, with not much courage, to be hones; but in the end, I finally demanded, "Let me go," and then I added, "I have to go."
"No." Was the answer I got, and I couldn't settle for that. There's when a brighter spark of courage and adrenaline lit up in my chest, making me demand again, but now with certain authority in my usually reserved voice, "Let me go, now." That was followed then by a very prolonged mutual silence, later on broken by the sound of wood retrieving violently from my limbs. I remained completely still as that brief rush of adrenaline started to die down, as well as the rustle of wood, now, apparently, getting progressively farther and farther. It was until I heard them considerably far, that I abruptly stood up, and began to run forward again as another rush of adrenaline began to build up, only that this time, they were the freezing shivers that crossed my spine with every step, speeding each every passing moment. I'm not sure for how long I ran that one time, but I'm slightly proud of myself; I felt like I had ran for hours, not slowing down at any time. Nothing could stop me. I don't care whether it was fear or courage what moved me, what's important is that I fucking ran like no other time in my entire life, and I only got faster when I heard that distant sob one more time; and as the last time, I could make out the direction. Left. I told myself as I changed direction and hoped I wouldn't stumble upon or crash against anything in my way. Fortunately, that was not the case; I kept my course towards the sob for a long while as my instincts guided me through the woods. I can even say that for a terse span of time, I felt confident, and slightly eager, even. However, I didn't know what I'd find once I reached the source of the sob, besides that, I didn't even know what I would do if I even reached my goal. When. I tried to reassure myself, but that moment of hesitation made me slow down gradually as I reached full stop. Such previous excitement made me not realize how exhausted I actually was; I placed both paws over my thighs, lowered my head, and let myself pant vigorously. And in an act of ignorance, I let myself fall back onto the ground, now facing the night sky. Unfortunately, I saw no noticeable change on it since the last time I saw it; it still kept that dead gray tone, only decorated by the black, messy outline of the trees. I sighed disappointedly at that, not being particularly excited by the almost nonexistent colors surrounding me. "Not even some stars?" I asked pointlessly to myself, but I also added a vague, "Nothing, then?" I just closed my eyes afterwards, trying to relax and calm down for a little while, only being partially successful. The sensation of something chasing me down hadn't completely disappeared just yet; besides, dry grass isn't exactly the most comfortable surface.
I finally decided to stay put and rest right there for a few minutes, trying to recover my breath and regain some strength in my legs before leaving again. Sadly, after some moments of short-lived relaxation, I heard the faint rustle of dry grass not too far from me. I unnecessarily opened my eyes and sat up as fast as I could, turning my head around to make out the direction I should run towards. Quite an impossible duty, as the hissing rustles completely engulfed my surroundings, leaving me nowhere to escape to. "Not again. . ." I muttered under my breath as I slowly and cautiously stood up, forcing my eyes into the pitch-black darkness, hoping to make out something. With no success whatsoever, I fearfully began to back away from the sound I felt closer to me, only to make another sound even louder. Now I really had nowhere to go. I was trapped, and I had no idea what to do next; so I ultimately decided to close my eyes and expect the worst outcome. It finally got me, it was grabbing tightly the fur on my nape; the sharp ends of its fingers threatened with tearing off my skin as soon as it pulled me back. This was it. I had been beaten.
"It doesn't look safe out here." I heard a soft and familiar voice say behind me as I fell backwards. I opened my eyes abruptly to that, and immediately tried to pull myself up again as my brows linked together, only to make me trip backwards and hit the rigid floor with my back. I could see that I was being pulled into a room with a noticeable wooden structure, and for once in ages, some warm color in them; but the brisk pain of the fall managed to shut my eyes closed for a moment; and as I tried to stand back up, I heard the voice speak again, "Look at those crummy clothes you have on! Those aren't appropriate for the evening at all, you must get changed at once."
"What the-" I tried to speak up, but I was cut off when I suddenly felt myself sitting over something a bit too comfortable. I opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed (Besides the much-appreciated colors) was the white cat from some nights ago, now in suit, sitting amusingly with a pleased smile on his face just across what seemed to be a living room. The cat's chair was exactly like mine, I soon noticed; a vintage wine-colored velvet chair, very reminiscent of the Victorian era; the chair was placed just by the side of the lit chimney, giving him a charming and warm orange dye to his shiny fur. I looked down to my own body as well, noticing that I was now wearing a very nice Oxford tux, too. I linked my brows one more time, and now looking at the cat that remained still in front of me, I spoke, "What is this?"
The cat just looked even more amused, giving me an arrogant look with those sharp, green eyes of his, not even mentioning the very cocky smile that came before he even replied, "Well, if by this you mean your clothes, I just. . ."
I cut him off immediately, not caring about my tone of voice, "Where are we?" I demanded quite sharply, almost erasing his smile completely. Almost. He just brushed his long whiskers with his right paw, and said vaguely in a calm tone, "In the safest place there is."
"Not quite the answer I was looking for." I stated flatly. I was preparing my next selection of words, but he ended up being faster, "What are you looking for, then?" I was way too confused and distracted to outwit him at the moment, so I just bluntly replied, "Something more specific."
"Well, I thought what I said was clear enough for you to figure it out." He presumptuously said as he crossed his right leg over his left. "So tell me," the cat added, going off topic, "how are you liking the place?" I immediately turned around my head over my shoulder and the voluptuous chair to stare at the vast room; quite charming and cozy, nothing too flashy or luxurious to remark aside of the warm and safe feeling that the dimly-lit walls of the cabin offered, besides the soothing crack of wood in the chimney. I could also notice a staircase leading to the upper floor at the very back of the room. Other than the atmosphere itself, I can say that the room was very well-put-together; every piece of furniture flowed nicely with everything in its surroundings, and the stone chimney, along with the chairs and the fine rug in between them added some class to it. However, I have to say that there was something in particular among everything within the room that caught my attention from the very beginning. And apparently, my face expressed exactly what the cat wanted, as when I turned back to him, he said with a delighted tone, "I'm glad everything is pleasant."
"Yeah," I said delightedly, almost seductively, "however. . . May I ask you something?" I could play the exact same game.
"What is it?" He asked in the same tone.
"Were you the one sobbing a little while ago?" I changed my tone very suddenly, going from seductive to dead serious in a second. That didn't seem to unsettle him at all, in fact, his enticing voice kept intact as he replied, "Oh no, not at all. He's out there on his own right now."
"It's a he then." I crossed my legs, mirroring him, "Who is he?"
"I will be absolutely honest with you, I haven't the slightest clue." That somehow did unsettle him, I could notice his ears twitching backwards for a second before regaining composure. I don't know why, but I think it disturbed me even more.
"Do you know what's out there?" I asked, arching a brow, "what was chasing me, I mean."
I thought about giving a relaxed sigh when I saw his immediate smile as reaction, however, his answer was yet again not what I wanted, "Only you know that."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I demanded, raising my tone.
"It means what it means, darling." He stated firmly but still not losing his charm. "Now, may I offer you something to drink?" He added as he stood up and yet again, went off topic. I stared at him with an arched brow, thinking about any implication about his offer, but the tender way his eyes met mine made me almost melt; but still, I kept it together, and stated, "Water is fine."
That got me a twitch of his nose and a rather deceitful smile, as I wasn't able to tell whether it meant displeasure or something else. In any case, he replied, "No, no. You cannot drink just water in this lovely evening." I leaned back in my own chair, and gave him a disdainful stare, to which he gave me yet another of his captivating smiles and added, "Perhaps some cinnamon tea?"
"Well, I can't say no to that." I answered cautiously, and staying still in my chair with my eyes locked on him. He grinned to that, and in the blink of an eye, in his right paw sat a small porcelain cup over a dish. Porcelain, too. Then he offered them to me, and I discreetly took it, smelling instantly the sweet spice of cinnamon. "And how did you do that?" I asked tentatively, to which, again, he just grinned and said, "You tell me."
I delivered an annoyed sigh to his answer, but I didn't pay much mind to it. I just blew into my cup, and took a small sip. A bit too sweet, but still enjoyable, just as Mrs. Jefferson does it. I arched a brow in reaction to the awfully familiar drink; the cat soon noticed, and decided to ask, "Is anything wrong?"
Lots of things, dear. "Nothing. I just remembered something." I said with a polite smile, successfully hiding my unease. "So, tell me," I added, "why bothering with setting all of this up?" I asked as my eyes followed him closely while he began to gracefully walk forward, approaching me slowly.
"It seemed like you needed a break." The cat answered confidently, now stepping right behind me. I suddenly felt both of his paws fall firmly over my shoulders, and left them static in their position as I tensely asked, "Who are you?"
That was a question that had struggled to come out since the very beginning of this all, as it still deeply frustrated me the fact that I could not tell to whom it belonged such familiar face. His smug smile, his piercing green eyes, and that shiny white fur. I had all of those treats and features recorded in my head, and yet I could not relate them to anybody I knew. I never forget a face, I assured to myself, why yours?
The cat only replied with an amused snicker before answering my question yet with another display of his abilities to drive me insane, "I thought you would've already figured it by now."
"I clearly haven't." I acknowledged. "But still. . ." I began to speak right before I was cut off by his paws slowly starting to massage my stiff shoulders. I remained quiet, not knowing with certainty what to do next, but slightly enjoying the sensation; he clearly did know what to do, since he soon reached over for the lapels of my jacket and tried to remove it. I instinctively stopped him, only to put my tea down to the floor, and finished the job myself. "You're finally playing along. . ." He added in his strikingly seductive voice. However, I only took off my jacket because I was starting to grow nervous once again; I could not ventilate well inside that thick fabric.
As he continued to work his fingers along my shoulders, I finally pushed myself to ask another question that had been roaming in my head for a while as well, "Why do you sound a lot like him?"
"What do you mean?" He whispered as soon as he reached his muzzle down to the top of my head, and landed a small kiss on it. Part of me loved the treatment I was getting, but another big part of me urged me to stop it. Why do you sound like Gerald, you moron? "You know what I mean."
"You tell me." He replied almost automatically as he moved down to kiss and nuzzle the base of my left ear. That nearly killed me; you don't mess with a fox's ears. Don't let him take over. I kept telling myself as his kisses intensified and soon turned into agonizingly slow licks along my neck. Don't let him be in charge. He was not Gerald, but he sounded a whole lot like him; not in voice itself, this cat had a more juvenile-sounding voice than him, but in the way of speaking itself; always maintaining an I'm-way-smarter-than-you-and-I-know-it kind of attitude, besides certain sensuality behind all of that. The cat I'd met in the past nights lacked of those treats for the most part. He was not Gerald in any shape or form, but he acted in a strikingly similar way.
I got lost in the middle of a kiss on my right ear, and I have no idea of when it happened; suddenly, I felt separated from the back of my chair, and felt an extra object in between. I didn't need to think much about what it was since my doubts were eradicated as soon as I saw a pair of white bare legs sprouting from the object that I rested on, letting themselves fall over my lap; as well as a pair of uncovered arms working their way across my chest, still covered by the fine white shirt I had on. Soon after, the kissing and licking session resumed, focusing primarily on my neck. "It's all right," the cat whispered slowly, "we're safe here."
I wanted to believe him, I truly did, but my gut told me otherwise; especially when his fingers made their way towards the buttons of my shirt, rapidly undoing them, and leaving it open. Unfortunately, I got truly lost in the ecstasy of the moment, it was almost like if I was unaware of his movements on me. "Okay." I panted in delight as the cat ran both of his paws across my naked chest and pressed himself closer to me. He replied with a muffled purr against my neck, and I carefully landed a paw over his right thigh, soon starting to stroke it firmly but tenderly; that got me another purr from his part.
I let him finish undoing the remaining buttons on my shirt, and when he was finally done, he didn't doubt about focusing on massaging my rather firm stomach. I looked down at his dancing fingers as I pushed my backside against him, noticing a slight nudge on the small of my back, just above my tail. I stopped doing it as soon as I felt the nudge, and focused again on his paws; I got a little distracted again when he nibbled the zone where my neck merged into my shoulder, making me pant even harder. That almost got a gasp from me and luckily nothing came out, but it did when I felt the next spot his playful paws reached for. I lifted my ears and widened my eyes almost immediately, and retrieved my paw from his nude thigh only to hold his invading paw. "Hmm. . . Something wrong?" the cat mumbled rather calmly against my shoulder.
I subtly nodded my head and then whispered a simple, "Don't." He didn't seem to like that answer very much, since he only pressed himself to me with more strength and muttered in a commanding tone, "Why not?"
"Just don't." I demanded pathetically, "Please." I couldn't help myself from noticing that the slight nudge had turned into a full hardness against my back; I tried to push myself out of his embrace, but his arms were like tight ropes pressing my body.
"There's no rush, no one will know." The cat had chosen a very particular selection of words that immediately clicked in my mind, giving me a major flashback. For the worse. I shut my eyes closed tightly and with a rush of primal fear, I yelled, "Gerald, stop it!" and ultimately finished it launching my right elbow against the side of my invader. I heard a mere grunt, and that was it. Then I suddenly fell back on the back of my own chair; the cat had just simply vanished into the air.
I quickly regained my posture on the chair, and like if nothing ever actually happened, I found the cat fully dressed in his tux once again, sitting with his legs crossed on his own chair right in front of mine. He glared directly into my eyes with raw disappointment while we shared a prolonged silence that was only disturbed by my loud panting and the cracking of wood in the chimney.
"I am not him." The cat stated firmly as his judging eyes penetrated my skin.
"I know you're not him!" I demanded in the afterglow of the rush. "But you are absolutely mirroring him! What the hell is this all about? " I couldn't quite make up my mind on whether I wanted him to tell me why he did everything he did or why did I know him from somewhere else. Either way I just wanted him to answer me. "Who the hell are you?"
He slowly began to stand up while he closed the button of his black jacket, and with another stupid smug smile drawn on his face, he said vaguely, "In here, you've got all of the answers you need. But in case you cannot find the one that suits you, just take a look on your history." After that, he simply started to walk towards the main door.
"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I snorted loudly and stood up to catch him. Wrong move.
The main door opened in a flash and a loud thud, sending in an overwhelming stream of wind that shoved me back on my chair and even managed to put down the fire. Darkness engulfed me once again.
I regained composure and put my right paw on the back of my neck; that fall messed up something back there. I pressed my fingers on the lower part of my neck, and winced at the sharp pain of a tensed muscle. I closed my eyes and rubbed my fingers against it, trying to ease it a little bit; in that instant, my ears caught the sudden sound of rushing footsteps. I widened my eyes and perked up my ears as I followed the source, almost turning my head completely. But something was different than before, as now, my night vision had just partly come back; that didn't mean that I saw what ran into the cabin, but I could almost see where it--he (as the cat said) headed. The staircase.
I hesitantly stood up and focused my hearing and sight onto the staircase at the end of the room; I didn't hear much. Mostly my agitated breathing, which I tried to ease after I noticed it; but there wasn't any sound for a good three minutes, until, once again, the somber sob could be heard, now closer than ever.
That was it; that was what I was looking for the whole time. Now I just had to walk up the stairs, which I did as I re-buttoned my shirt closed. The wood under my pads felt rather cold and very rough, creaking loudly with every cautious step I did.
I froze in the middle of a step as another sob filled the cabin. I was definitely getting close. What am I supposed to do now? What the hell am I going to find? I probably should let . . . him be . . . No. I'm here. At the very last. I will not go; now, I will take those . . . seven final steps and find him. Help him. That's what I'm supposed to do now. Okay, I'm doing it; so far so good. Stupid creaks, shut up already! I can't focus! Okay now . . . Where should I-- Another sob, and it came from very close. I refocused my eyes into the darkness ahead, now becoming slightly clearer and revealing a lengthy and seemingly empty hall. Cross that, it wasn't empty, there was a door at the very end. There was nothing else around, so I inferred that the person I was looking for awaited next to that single door.
"So, let's do this." I muttered to myself as I began to walk forward toward my goal. Every step felt heavy and unsure, and with every creak from the wood, my fur would prickle up and my back would get itchy and uncomfortable. I tried to walk it off, shaking my head, but there was no use.
And then something else began to happen; slowly, I noticed how every little sound became slightly louder and finished with a prolonged echo. So did my breathing, to the point where I almost got dizzy at the mixture of sounds.
My eyelids got heavy and so did my body. I could barely walk at the moment, but I didn't stop; I kept moving forward. One heavy step at a time, until I finally reached the cold, metal handle. I could feel how a smirk got drawn across my muzzle, but it soon disappeared when I noticed it was locked.
"No." I demanded with a whisper. "This can't be it." I carelessly banged a fist to the door, and helplessly fell to my knees, gritting my teeth and cursing under my breath.
Another sob came from behind the door, and then another from me. Beaten by a lock . . . Great job, Rosenthal, as always. Seriously, once again, giving in after a tiny obstacle. A lock! Come on, after all of that bullshit downstairs and out there, I thought better could be done. Thank you for proving me wrong. No, stop it, STOP IT. This is NOT it. I punched the door one more time, but only getting a sore knuckle as response. This is not it, it can't be. Another punch, and another sob from behind my obstacle. So, that's it? No! I punched again. I want more! I'll give you more! Another punch. That isn't enough. Another sob. Another punch. No change.
That's what I thought. I dropped my tired paw to the floor and my eyelids fell closed. As that happened, the overwhelming and unclear sounds began to die down a little. Not much, but enough to hear another sob and tell the deepness of the voice behind it. My ears perked up, and listened closely to the remaining echo.
There was something unnatural about it but I couldn't tell what. That drew my attention, and tried to focus a little more, awaiting for the next one. It wasn't too long until another came out and there's where I realized that I've heard something like that before, unluckily, I couldn't tell what, but I would find out if--when I open the door.
So I stood back up and landed both paws against the door and probed the wood under my fingers. I had to get in, and fast, only that I didn't need to. "Hello?" I asked into the air, "Uh. . . May--Do you need any help?" I rested my ear against the door and waited for an answer for a long silence. "May I come in?" I asked again, not sure of what would happen next, but I did hope that I'd be let in. In the end, that was the case.
The door opened slowly with yet another creak and the sounds began to grow lower and incoherent once again, making me feel heavy once again, but not enough to keep me from going in. So I did it, and what I found was a very tiny bedroom with only a single bed. I looked around to see what else I could find, but there wasn't much but more incoherent sounds all over the place. As I scanned the room, I could notice a broad, black bulge right beside the bed, and as it--he sobbed, I noticed what I thought were his shoulders, bounced slightly.
I tried to reach for him, and cautiously said a vague "Hey," that got lost within the other sounds that were starting to make my head hurt. "Are you all right?" I added, not sure about what I should do, and even less when I started to lose my night vision again. But before it was truly gone, I noticed the person standing up and revealing a tall and broad figure. That was all I got before all I could see was black once again, and all I could hear was a prolonged buzz in my ears. The next thing I knew was twisting on the floor with my paws holing tightly my head, and then waking up in my own bed and in my own room.
I sat up slowly, forcing my elbows to put me up. Looking around to confirm that it indeed was my room, I reached over to my eyes with my right paw to realize that the fur beneath was damp and still warm.