ALL NOVEL Chapter Twenty Two
AN: Sorry for the irregular waits between posting this week! Had a bunch of medical stuff pop up all at once for my family, and it's been hectic. Should be all back to normal in a week, though.
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So yeah, I totally went back the next day (night) and tried way too long to convince my body to just digest the damn slimes. I tried beating them up with my tentacles first, I tried letting them stew inside of me for a few hours… I even tried different slimes, in the hope that it was only just a few of them that were super resistant to my acid! But nope, none of it worked.
It’s such a freaking shame!
And by the time I gave up and went to go get some actually edible food (too much even, because I was sulking), the sun was already back out, and some of the capybaras had already gone off into the woods to do whatever it is that they do. It happens every day, so nothing to be alarmed about, but I’m kind of sad that I missed out on seeing them go, you know? It’s like sending off the people you love before they leave for work or something. They’re really starting to feel like family to me.
Curse you slimes for making me late like this!
~~~
I did a super good job photosynthesizing, and I also snacked on a few tasty little creatures throughout the day. My little buds on my frond look like they’re just about ready to pop now, and I’m so excited for them! I’m sure I’ll get to finally see what kind of flower they are sometime within the next few days. Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t open up today; They look positively raring to bust open!
Sunset was approaching, and since I didn’t do such a good job at seeing them off in the morning, I made sure to welcome each of the capybaras back with some nice pets.
Pet pet pet!
Pet the little (big) capybaras~!
Let’s see, there’s one, two, that group that always likes to be together, seven, eight, eleven…
…Huh?
…Why are three of the capybaras still missing?
It’s been a week already, so of course I know how many capybaras live in the capybara paradise. One of the groups of 3 that usually likes to stick together is really very missing, and they don’t usually stay out this late like ever! Did they… Did they get into danger somehow? My capybaras?! NOOO!
I searched frantically all around the place, slinging myself from tree to tree with my tentacles for maximum speed. They weren’t there or there or this way or this way or-
Oh, they must have gone in one of the directions that I still haven’t been in.
Luckily the capybaras aren’t that fast when they’re not in a rush, so I won’t have to look too crazy far into unknown territory. But if they were being forced to run from something then they can actually move pretty darn fast, maybe even as fast as a horse, so I might just be in trouble! Please please pleeease let my capybaras be okay!
I ran (tentacled) over the area like a chicken with my head cut off looking for those poor missing guys. I’m sure it was only maybe 10ish minutes, but it felt like I was taking hours from how worried I was. And I wasn’t even happy or relieved or anything after I found one, ‘cuz it was running away full force from something with a really serious face on, and what’s worse, it was alone.
Like, thank god that that one is fine (hopefully), but WHERE ARE MY OTHER TWO CAPYBARAS?!
I snaked my way from tree to tree in the direction the capybara came from with what I’m sure would have been a very stern and worried face if I was capable of making any facial expressions besides the neutral closed eyed one that was plastered onto me. If I had a heart, it would be beating right out of my petals by now. Or maybe it would be out of my seed? Really, it’s so odd knowing that I’m feeling these emotions, but not actually physically feeling them in any way. Maybe it’s better for me, but I don’t think I really like it...
It took only a minute and a half before I found the second capybara.
I don’t at all like how I found it, though.
It had clearly been killed by something, from the way it was chopped up into separate sections.
Whatever it was that killed it had to be very strong.
It also must have had some kind of very sharp blade, from how clean the cuts were.
…And in the distance I could hear some very panicked squeals from my very panicked last capybara.
This is absolutely the worst.
I never wanted to see anything like this happening to them at all.
I had to leave behind the poor butchered capybara so that I could save the last remaining one, but I moved slower than I would have really liked to, and it certainly cost me. By the time the capybara entered the range of my vision, I could see it being attacked with a very large cleaver, and a big cut had been sliced into its side.
If I could produce any sort of vocal sounds, it’d be all screams right now.
What the FUCK are they doing?!
Are you trying to hurt my CAPYBARA?!
MY
Mother-
Fucking
Capy-
Goddamn-
Bara?!
I flung my body into the fat green back of the porcine looking assailant, immediately wrapping every tendril that I had around all of his limbs and head multiple times over, squeezing all of them as hard as I could against him until I could hear his bones cracking under the pressure. And then, with one last big pull assisted by my explosively fast inner tendril chompers biting a hold onto the thing’s head, I ripped it right off. I’ve become a really strong plant you know. Very strong and deadly, and I-
I can’t feel happy about it right now.
I quickly removed myself from the now limp ball of fat and rushed over to where the horribly wounded capybara had collapsed just a short ways away. I could tell it was definitely still alive because it was breathing, but with how labored its breathing was and how wet the soil around its stomach was getting, I could tell it was on its way to dying very quickly.
What… What do I do?
Is there anything I could do to help it…?
Maybe if I wrapped the wound with vines, it would work like a bandage? Ah, but they’re too round and bulky; I doubt they would do a very good job… Do I have to mercy-kill it? It’s not like I’m new to killing things, and I’m sure I could make it quick and painless (hopefully)… But look at its poor face. Even if it’s to help it, I don’t think I could hurt the things that I’ve spent so many nice days living with like this.
It was hard, but I knelt on my roots and tried to give the capybara as many comforting pats on the head with my tendrils as I could, in the hopes that it would be of any help at all.
Ahhh, I want to help it.
I want to help it so much...
Please, anyone, anywhere, please help it out!
I felt like I was crying as I moved closer to hug the capybaras head. It’s impossible, since my eyes aren’t real and the only thing wet about me is my well moisturized foliage and fizzling digestive acid, but I could definitely feel it; Something wet was dripping from next to my face. And on top of that, I could even feel my seed tingling like it was in the middle of casting magic. When I paid close attention to where the magic was flowing to and the wetness was coming from, I realized that the buds on my frond had finally popped open, and they were one at a time crying out little teardrops of nectar for me.
I’m sorry for doubting you plant body!
Thank you for giving me such a sweet gift in these trying times!
I definitely needed a good cry right now, and-
Oh, no, I’m being stupid. This isn’t about crying; My new flowers are casting some kind of magic! I watched the little teardrops drip one at a time onto the capybara, and marveled at how its wound seemed to be slowly creeping closed. Its breathing slowed down, and I got scared for a moment thinking that it was suddenly dying, but as its breathing continued like that and the wound finally closed itself shut, I was sure about what I was seeing.
My new flower has the power to heal!
That’s so amazing!
Both of these flowers are super duper amazing!
Maybe I don’t think I’ll use these new flowers nearly as much as the camellia, but having it around just in case something like this happens again is super nice!
The new frond had blossomed into pretty little lily of the valley flowers, with a cute splotch of purple at the base of their otherwise pure white petals! They were gorgeous, really! You know, maybe camellias are my favorite, but I’ve always really liked bell shaped flowers too, especially lilies of the valley, so I’m pretty hap-
Oh dear god, I’ve almost lost all of my nutrients!
Turn it off!
TURN IT OFF!