'At least they intend to keep me alive... maybe 60 is really important to them.' I thought as I slid towards the snails above me. As I approached them, I tensed up. Stared at them closely and concentrated on their movements. I wasn't sure if they would push me off of the branch or not and I needed to react instantly if everything went south.
Luckily, the attack didn't come and I made it safely back onto the top of the branch. The three snails that were waiting for me, surrounded me instantly. I watched as they screeched and the other five snails joined them to box me in from all sides.
'I definitely can't escape now...' I thought. 'I hope I'll make it back to their leaf... I mean they could turn on me at any time. I can't piss them off...'
But they were already very VERY pissed off at me.
Slam.
I felt my body arching forward as the two snails that had crawled up behind me ram into my shell. I turned around and watched them point ahead of me as they screeched. They seemed to gesture to me to move. "Hey. I'm moving okay?" I called out to them as I moved. I thought the hits would stop there, but no. That wasn't their plan. The smacking and pushing didn't end just there as they insisted on showing me how much they hated my guts.
I kind of understood their anger though. I mean I did KILL two of their family members right in front of them...
Instead of letting their hits anger me as well, I chose to ignore them. It wasn't like their hits would kill me and I only had to endure their abuse for less than an hour. I had more important things that were on my mind such as my plan of escape, rescuing 7 and 11 as well as food. Yes. I thought about food.
As we moved, my stomach had begun to growl. It was an alarm that chirped "You should go eat soon" constantly. But it made sense that I had become extremely hungry I had used up way too much of my mucous and energy that day. The mental strain from that morning and the physical strain from sliding at high speeds was also getting to me.
After travelling for a few minutes, I felt my vision was beginning to blur. 'Maybe I shouldn't have used up so much of my slimy mucus...' I thought to myself as we trudged along.
When we were about ten minutes away from the Spike-shelled snail's leaf my stomach had become a small buzzing motor. It didn't stop rumbling. I looked forward in the distance. The sweet leaf that the Spike-shelled snails called home was getting closer and closer. I felt my mouth begin to moisten at thought of it as my stomach continued to growl.
"Gggggrrrrr... Mm.."
'What's that sound? It sounded like a voice.' I thought.
"Ggggrr... Mmmaaaaaass...." It went again as I heard something in between the growls of my rumbling stomach.
'Huh?' I thought as I shook my head and looked around me at the Spike-shelled snails. They didn't budge or didn't make a single movement. 'It's not them.' I thought as I continued to focus forward at the delicious leaf that was about to eat in a few minutes.
"Ggggrrr... Heeee..ll...oo"
I heard it slightly more clearly once more. It seemed to say hello and it came from an area below me. I moved my eyes and observed myself and the leaf below me but I saw nothing. Gradually, I began to hear a voice. A voice that shined through all the sounds of growls and rumbling that was being produced by my stomach.
'Grrr... GRHel...Hello... Hello Master." It said.
'Wait... I know this voice...' I thought to myself since it wasn't the first time that this had happened. Whatever it was, it came on faster than it did before.
"It's me, my master. It's your good pal, your best bud."
'And who's that?'
"You. I'm part of you. I only serve you, master. It's me, your stomach."
'I must be getting crazy from all this hunger.' I thought as I shook my head and continued to slide forward.
"No, you're not crazy. I'm here for you dear master. You're hungry. You should eat something and make us both happy." it said.
'Well, you are right... We will get something to eat soon. Look at their leaf in the distance. They wouldn't starve me. Right? Juicy leaf here I come...' I thought as I saw the blurred green expanse that was growing larger as I travelled forward. I don't know why I answered the voice but I did.
"You don't need to wait that long... my silly little master. There's delicious food all around you...."
'Where? I don't see any leaves anywhere except for the leaf of the Spiked-shelled snails...' I replied as I looked around.
"There. Delicious Food. Delicious and juicy. Just one slurp. Just take a slurp. It'll help your hunger." The voice said as I felt my stomach growl some more. "Are you thirsty master? They are well seasoned as well, covered in delicious salty liquid that will also quench your thirst."
'What do you mean?' I thought as I began to salivate at the thought of food.
"There. Around you. Mouthwatering morsels of flesh packed within Spiked shells." it said.
'No... I can't... I'm a snail... I only eat plants. I can't...'
"No master, you are special. You have me. Alone you are just a snail. But with me, we can enjoy the tastes of the world... starting with those delicious lumps of flesh that are surrounding you."
'No. It's not natural for a snail to eat other snails...'
"How do you know what you should eat or shouldn't eat? We are different. You can tear apart leaves and eat them whole... you can do it... just try a nibble... you won't regret it... just look at their meat... they are even juicier than a leaf. They are chalked full of nutrients that we need to grow big and strong. Don't you want to be strong?"
I looked at the snails that were surrounding me. Their shy glistening feet were looking more and more enticing. 'Are they really as good as my stomach says they are?' I asked myself.
"Yes! Go for it master. Treat yourself. Treat me as well!"
Without me knowing, I had begun to stare intently at the muscular body of the Spiked-shelled snail that was on the branch beside me. Their bodies were covered in a layer of mucus that glistened in the sunlight. 'Would it be a salty delight? Would it fill me up?' I thought as I slid closer and closer to the snail. My mouth had begun to water as I inched closer once more.
I stared at their glistening foot. I imagined how it would feel to have their foot in my mouth. Ew. No. I didn't have a fetish okay? I just wanted to know how their meat tasted like. What? No... you know what? Forget about it.
...
The voice I heard that was coming from my stomach continued to coerce me. Soon, I gave in and reached my head forward slowly over the side of the snail's foot.
"Good... closer master... just a little bit more.... take a bite... try it out... you'll love it," it said.
I reached in further and... I took a small bite.
Instantly I was filled with a sense of happiness as I felt my eyes tear up. I had never tasted something so good before in my life. '"More! I need more!" I shouted out loud uncontrollably. But before I took another bite, I was smacked across my head by the Spike-shelled snail that I had just bitten. It started screeching and slide sideways. Instantly, it slammed into my side. I felt its spikes prick my leg and poke into my flesh.
"OW!" I yelled out as I was instantly brought out of my trance and back to reality. I quickly slid back towards the centre of the eight snails and raised both of my eyestalks back against my shell once more.
"Sorry! Sorry!" I shouted as the snails stopped moving in front of me and turned to look at what I had done. I turned my eyestalks around and I saw a small hole in the foot of the Spike-shelled snail that was beside me. The snail continued to screech as I watched a small drop of blue blood drip out of its wound.
'What did I just do?' I asked myself.
But before I found the answer the Spike-shelled snails had begun to move closer and closer to me from all sides. Like crushing walls, I felt the points of their shells touch and then pierce into my body. "OW!" I shouted out before I withdrew back into my shell.
...