When I was little I often fell and scraped my knees or elbows, often times both. In the grand scheme of things they're not very serious injuries at all. Obviously you would be fine. But to a small child's body with little to no experience, the pain is scream inducing. Like many children I'd scream and cry and the sight of blood flowing would panic me even more.
That's the kind of pain I'm feeling now.
It's nothing more than a scrape, bits of my outer roots.
But it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts IT HURTS SHIT IT HURTs- But I'm not a child, tiny plant body or not. My consciousness is not that of a child who who doesn't know any better so I grit my metaphorical teeth through the new pain. I have to access the situation, I have to address the danger if I want to stop the pain.
The land around tells me that a few wormies have fallen in defending me. Of course they have, they're just soft little earthworms. They're so weak but here they are protecting me.
One much larger than the rest is at the forefront of the danger, it's my first Wormie, bright in all its colors. It's fighting with its size, faring better than the others and before I can even identify the enemy I release a burst of stored energy.
I feed it it to the wall of defending me, making them collectively grow stronger, defending them.
I push that energy through from my core to the supporting wormies who glow brighter iridescent. And Wormie, my first wormie, I surround with that energy. It will be ok, we'll be okay- that's what I focus on as I let it wash over them.
A mess of squeaking reached my non existent ears and I finally identify what's been attacking me and my wormies.
Mice! Rodents?
I've been so threatened by rodents?! Like a common grain? As both a human and plant I felt so indigent it's frustrating. I never personally had a mice problem when I was living in a clean city especially with my orderly mom around. As a plant though, a new sprout even, I'm fair game to be food?
Whatever fear I previously felt is long gone. Instead I'm angry at myself for not preparing enough, to have put myself and my companions in this situation despite not knowing them long. But I'm the kind that repays favors twice no triple fold.
More likely though I'm just plain annoyed. Seriously? Mice?
The wormies have considerably calmed down with my emotion, they humm with an almost confidence. In what I don't know but it may be safe to say ...in me. They stay still with a newfound glow, literally.
"Go my wormies...get them. Get all of them!"
I seethe, my strongest Wormie and surrounding supporters launch with surprising speed. The wall stays reasonably still, content with just watching. Wormie is now the size of a small field mouse but with it's length, it was considerably larger than any mouse. It rammed a good portion of them, knocking back and forth with it's size, stunning the rodents.
Supporting wormies, no where near my Wormie's size but noticeable larger, come forth to restrain the weakened rodents. They make excellent ropes and that's when I noticed, they're somehow injuring the rodents further.
Were they squeezing them like a python? Wormie definitely seemed capable of that as it rounded around attacking another small group of mice that have yet to flee.
Ohhhhh I see it now that I look at Wormie!
Being much larger I can see in much clearer detail, the wormies are secreting a liquid substance from their skin. It appears to be acidic or at least somewhat poisonous as it burns away where it makes contact with the mice.
Of course! They're earthworms, they're digesting the mice with their membranes! I thank my cheap TV game show trivia and not so cheap college biology courses for the enlightenment on my evolved wormies abilities.
A few moments later there are no more mice to apprehend, the ones that escaped have long fled. It's not worth anyone's energy, mine especially, to chase after them. The wall slithers away, releasing me as I take a breath of fresh worm free air and dirt.
Oh the dirt around me is actually quite comfortable, as if I just got my bedsheets washed and freshly laundered. What an unexpected benefit though I already knew worms were good for the soil. I make a mental note to allow some of the wormies to "wash" my sheets once in a while.
Wormie proudly approaches closer to me, leading a procession of mice corpses carried by the other rope like wormies. I can tell they all held back from burning through and digesting the mice with stronger acid. All to present back to me and the other defenders.
I'm so proud, they grow up so fast.
I send a pleased wave to show my intent since wormies communicate by body language and such vibrations. I'm pretty sure the squirming the rest are doing is some worm equivalent of cheering applause.
There are 16 mice corpses in total, a rather reasonable amount for our troubles. I have nothing to compare to but I felt that this was not an unfair number for revenge.
The wormies laid them out one by one before me, as if they were an offering. As a human girl I would find such a sight nauseating, I might have even screamed in fright. However these mice and I have beef, who told them to dare try eating me?!
It's only fair that I eat them back.
The energy I spent would be nothing since I seem to be continuously replenishing by eating and absorbing from the sun. Still I quickly started to absorb my kills, my instincts scream at me to gather the nutrients in them. They're good things I can sense, different but more directly potent than the little mana candies I've mostly consumed thus far. More nutritious.
The taste however is meh.
The rush of victory may be sweet but actually eating or tasting things is different. The mice surprisingly aren't disgusting, but they could be described as mediocre as best. Like eating a low grade meat bowl from a shitty fast food joint without rice or seasoning. Well still better than my cousin's cooking, ah that was terrible.
With it's mediocre but gamey meaty taste I still happily consumed them. First taste of meat in this world!
I tried to offer some to Wormie and those who participated in the battle but they all sincerely declined. I could understand that they were trying to say something like " it's better if you eat and grow!"
Awww it feels like being around the dinner table as kid again. All the adults would place food in my bowl and tell me to eat up, how nostalgic. This kind of memory isn't so bad, I can remember the warmth just like this.
With that I graciously accept my meal and everyone's wish for me to grow up healthily.