Fur, claws, and even - as you look over your fuzzy brown shoulder - a tail! And going by the size and limbs, you are probably a mouse. For a moment, you are speechless. Then you start to yell at the young man, only to realize you really are speechless. All that comes out of your muzzle are a few high-pitched squeaks. Nonplussed, the young man reaches over with his other hand and lifts you up by your tail, an uncomfortable feeling but thankfully not painful.
"I'd be quiet if I were you," he warns you flatly. "If anyone finds out you exist, you won't last very long." At the implied threat, you stop struggling, and the young man drops you into the inside breast pocket of his coat, putting his cloak back on. "Now try to be still so you don't draw any attention, and I'll explain things to you later." You're not very happy with this, but at this point you have no choice. Instead, you resolve to listen and learn as much as you can about where you are and what is going on, so maybe you can get out of this freaky nightmare.
It's only at this point, while you are being jostled around in the young man's pocket, that you realize you can understand his speech perfectly, which is a bit strange since from what you've seen, you're definitely not in your home country. From the looks of it, you're fairly certain you're not on Earth either.
"It took you long enough," you hear the man murmur, almost as though he can read your thoughts. Wait, can he? As though in response, you hear a soft chuckle, which unnerves you even further.
Although you hear nothing but the sounds of the man tramping through woodlands for the longest time, finally the voices of other people begin to drift by, and the young man's steps even out as you assume he has stepped onto a road. The footsteps change to the creak of wood, and a sudden barrage of voices informs you that the man has entered a well-occupied building. While you are grateful for the acuity of your ears, which can hear clearly even though the layers of fabric, you can't help but feel sensory overload at the amount of odors assaulting your rodent nose, which twitches in spite of your effort to remain still. Having whiskers doesn't help the matter.
"A room and meal," you hear the man say.
"Very well, Sir Mage Apprentice, I'm sure you'll find our accomodations to your liking," you hear a older man's voice unctuously reply, after which the young man climbs some stairs and enters another room, closing the door behind him. He utters a few strange words that you somehow know are magical wards, meant to prevent unauthorized entry or eavesdropping, although you can't figure out how you know that. However, you have learned something rather important. Your tormentor is an magician's apprentice, so he must have a teacher. Maybe the teacher will help you.
Someone knocks on the door, and the apprentice opens it to let in what your nose identifies as food. After setting the tray down, he removes his cloak and tosses it aside, then finally removes you from his pocket and sets you on the bed. As you look about, you see a sparsely-furnished room in a wooden building. The curtains are drawn so you cannot see outside, but there is no light peeking through, so you assume it is dark. There is an oil lamp on the table next to the covered tray of food, but there is no indication of technology or modern conveniences. In fact, a chamber pot sits in the corner, its odor making your nose twitch.
Pulling over the one chair in the room, the apprentice sits on it backwards, leaning his arms on the top of the chair back, resting his chin on his arms and looking at you thoughtfully. While you're tempted to make a run for it, you don't want to do it as a mouse.
"I'd rather you were in a slightly larger form capable of speech, but you have to promise to behave, and not make a ruckus," he says to you pointedly. Although you are fairly certain he could order you around like he did earlier, this time he is asking for your cooperation, which makes you curious. Reluctantly, you nod. "Good," he grunts, then points at your chest which, you find, still has a tiny brand on it. The roller coaster sensation returns, but not as extreme. Your perspective has shifted to indicate an increase in height, and looking down, you realize you are no longer a mouse, but a...