Kigen's heart, if he had one, was palpitating with anxiety and fear. He really did not want to find out what fresh hell was coming for him, but it turned out that he did not have a choice on the matter.
Whatever was underneath those leaves had decided to come out, and it was quite close to Kigen. Thinking fast, he decided not to make a move. He even dug his feet inside the ground, trying his best to look like an ordinary plant in the forest.
As the horrified humanoid watched, the beast revealed itself for all to see. Its big eyes, bigger ears, whiskers, and sharp claws. When Kigen saw what it was, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
A mouse? A garden variety mouse? He muttered under his breath as he stared at the new arrival. Almost the size of a small water tank, the mouse's height reached up to Kigen's waist.
All this time, he had been anticipating some dangerous or poisonous creature, maybe a combination of both. While the mouse was definitely gigantic compared to what Kigen saw when he was human, it was definitely not the most horrifying creature he could think of in this forest.
However, just as he was discounting it in his mind, he realized the little thing was making its way to where he was. Suddenly, a scary thought entered his mind, what did mice eat in the forest?
As a hunter, he had quite a wealth of knowledge about various animals, but never had he taken the time to study a mouse. Why would he? He had no business with them, save for killing those that lived in Mistress Kering's barn.
All the information he could gather were sourced from the interactions with the mice he hunted as a boy.
They usually ate seeds mostly. Sometimes, they would indulge in some fruit. One time, they managed to gnaw some meat that had been stored. Also, there were hardly any insects in the barn, which was sometimes a good thing.
As such, he did not think the mouse had any business attacking him, unless it was not attacking. Looking at it well, he realized the thing did not look like it was hunting, just casually catching a snack, as he would grab an apple from a tree as he passed by.
Wait, if he was the apple tree, then what was the apple? His head? It was the only thing he could think of.
Once this thought crossed his mind, he began to panic. He was still injured and could barely make a run for it. Was he going to die so pitifully, as a snack to a lowly rodent? What irony, he had survived the onslaught of an eagle to get eaten by a mouse.
As Kigen was panicking, a different emotion was growing within. Right then, Kigen was angry.
He was mad that something this puny would even dare come close to him. In the food chain, he might not be at the top, an apex predator, but he was definitely not this low. How had he ended up in such a state? He wondered.
Now was not the time for useless thoughts. Since he could not see a way to run from the mouse, it was time to fight the thing.
Finally, he stopped thinking like prey and adopted the hunter's mentality. Even if the mouse ended up getting the better of him, he was not going down easily.
Then came the strategy. How was he going to bring down the mouse? Alternatively, how would he at least hurt it so bad that it regretted drawing close to him? Either way was good with him.
Unfortunately, no plan came to mind. He did not have wings, and even if he did, he did not have any attacking capability, at least, none that he had discovered yet. He was just a plant, and like many other plants, he had been rendered immobile.
Critical minutes passed. Kigen was still at a loss on what to do. Meanwhile, the mouse had drawn so close he could feel the whiskers on its face. It was sniffing him, trying to identify what manner of being he was.
It seemed, to a mouse, that he was ruled to be safe, since it approached him. Kigen felt his heart beating, as his adrenaline levels spiked. He was anticipating a tough duel.
Tap!
First contact, the mouse had placed its paw on his legs, using it to support itself as it raised its body to stand on its hind legs. Its nose was still sniffing as it drew closer to Kigen's head.
From the corner of his eyes, Kigen could see it begin to slightly open its mouth. It did not seem to be in a hurry. "Probably savoring the taste of the meal to come," Kigen thought grimly.
Finally, it was time to take action. He was not going to tally any more. Time had run out.
Moving instantaneously, Kigen pounced on the mouse's back, placing his body far from the destructive paws and teeth of the mouse. He could tell that if he got bit, he would take heavy damage.
The mouse was completely unprepared. In fact, Kigen's movement completely freaked it out. It seemed as though Kigen had shaken it's understanding of reality. The next moment, the mouse was running for its dear life.
If this had been on a normal occasion, Kigen would burst out in laughter. This was anything but a normal situation.
Since he was successful, Kigen decided to get off the little critter's back, only to realize that he couldn't. He couldn't even lift his arm or leg, as they were firmly fastened on the mouse's back. That's when it dawned on him.
Unknowingly, his arms, and especially his legs, had already produced tendrils that had dug deep into the mouse's body. He could vaguely feel them sucking up life from the little critter.
Running for dear life, the mouse was headed to its hole, where it believed it would be safe. The hole itself was dug quite narrowly, to prevent predators such as bobcats and snakes from making entry. As it turned out, there was another creature to consider.
Puh!
Kigen's head came crashing onto the walls of the cave. The damage on his wings was even more damaging, as it felt as though he was scrapping his wings. The pain was sharp and immediate.
With no alternative, he decided to flatten himself on the mouse's body. Between the running mouse and the rough cave walls, he ended up in an awkward position. However, he did not mind at all, he needed to keep the pain at bay.
After much effort, the poor mouse found that it could not continue running. Its body was weak and wracked with pain. At some point, its legs buckled, and it came to a standstill. It let out some faint whimpers before finally succumbing to Kigen's tendrils.
Kigen felt the mouse die, but still, the tendrils did not move to release the prey. Instead, they seemed to dig deeper. He could also feel some fluid coming off the tendrils.
As he was wondering what was happening, he noticed the mouse's sturdy back was beginning to give way. The mouse was dead, and all movement had ceased, yet it seemed to be shrinking.
Could it be?
He wondered as he investigated further. Much to his horror, it was as he suspected. He was consuming the poor thing from the inside out. Thinking up to this point, he decided he did not want to know anymore, so he let stupid thoughts and fantasies run through his mind, allowing the tendrils to do their thing.