The inner forest's root architecture that had seemed formidable as terrain from outside was, from inside and at ground level, the provider of exactly the kind of sheltered space that someone who needed to sleep in the field looked for.
The arched root formations created spaces that were enclosed on multiple sides, that had the compressed ground for a floor and the root structure for walls, that were large enough to occupy comfortably and small enough to be manageable from a defensive standpoint.
He found one.
Larger than the alcove, the space between two of the inner section's oldest root arches producing a floor area sufficient for a person to lie down in without being cramped, the walls of the arches providing coverage from multiple directions.
He sat.
His body's assessment of the sitting was immediate and detailed.
He lay down.
