As the Fox fell asleep for another night the Black Lily stretched her roots towards the pile of bones and flesh that were left from the Fox’s meal this morning. Wrapping the scraps of flesh and bones in her roots she slowly dragged the pieces to the base of her stem.

 

Slowly crushing the bones into powder and burying the flesh in the dirt around her she started to digest the remaining Qi that the Fox is unable to digest as a beast. As the Qi from the powder and decomposing flesh was fully absorbed the Black Lily felt she was there.

 

‘Evolve, Yes…… No?’

 

She knew that she had all of the energy that she needed but something seemed to be missing for her evolution to start. The Black Lily tried to activate the Qi through her thoughts but nothing happened. She tried to wait for changes but nothing happened. She tried absorbing more Qi from the dirt around her, but nothing happened.

 

‘No?!’

 

For the first time in her existence she became frustrated. She didn’t understand why the evolution did not come, what was missing! Something was missing and she couldn’t find the solution. 

 

Soon she started to stab her roots into the ground like spears to satiate her anger. After turning the ground into a minefield of holes and gashes, she felt a little better. Calming down the Black Lily then felt the Guidance, it was telling her what she needed.

 

The Guidance was pulling her to look at the Fox that was sleeping closeby somehow not disturbed by the tantrum she had moments ago. The Fox, the very one that she had given her energy to, to save him from the brink of death in a moment of pity. 

 

She had given a little power at first believing that would be enough to save him, but she was very wrong about that fact. The little energy she had given did little to save him, but she was a stubborn one. When she starts something, she refuses to just stop half way, before she knew it, all of her power was taken by the Fox to heal his injuries.

 

What baffled her to no end was, that still wasn’t enough to satisfy the body of this insatiable fox. She continued to give more of her daily absorbed energy to the Fox for the next few days so that he could at least regain mobility and start bringing prey back so that she can absorb his leftovers again.

 

Thankfully he finally became mobile and then soon after started to bring back more prey, the very prey she had so dearly needed after that foolish endeavor. After the past period of time her energy absorption per day increased to much faster than before the Fox started to reside here.

 

Satisfied with her decision bringing returns she had already put that mess behind her and started to enjoy the presence of this delivery boy. His overall worth should make up for that loss, besides she also felt that her passive absorption was greatly increased with his addition to the cavern.

 

‘Evolve…..’

 

Yet now the Guidance was giving her a signal. The Guidance was telling her to devour the Fox, this will let her evolve.

 

‘.....’

 

The Black Lily found herself to be stunned at this information. She had honestly become somewhat fond of the creature.

 

‘Evolve….’

 

She was fond of him but Evolution was important. Evolution was needed. She then spent much of the night in indecision. To devour the Fox to evolve, or to let the Fox live and find another way at a later time.

 

‘Evolve’

 

After finally hardening her resolve to evolve due to the urging of the Guidance, she decided that the Fox must die. It is only right that he must die for her evolution. She was born under the blessings of the 3 moons and nurtured by them, evolving is her right even if others must die.

 

She kept repeating these kinds of thoughts to slowly trick herself into believing that this was right, this was righteous. Her roots slowly stretched towards the Fox, two roots were moved above his head to hold his front down, another two for his back and one more for his tail. 

 

After making sure she would be able to restrain him she formed two more of her roots into spears to stab into his body, to start the process of slowly devouring his nutrients and his energy. 

 

Waiting another moment to check that the Fox was still asleep, she once more hardened her resolve and lowered her roots starting the process of devouring the Fox.

 

 

---

 

 

‘Pain!’

 

Snapping his eyes open at the sudden feeling of pain in his back, the Fox immediately used his instincts to find the danger.

 

‘Danger?’

 

Yet at this moment his instincts betrayed him, there was no source of danger according to them.

 

‘Pain!’

 

With his mind no longer distracted by his check for danger the Fox immediately felt the pain once again. Now the pain was even stronger. Attempting to move in response to the pain he realized that he couldn’t move his body at all he was completely pinned down.

 

‘DANGER! RUN! RUN!’

 

Now sure of danger even if his instincts say otherwise the Fox immediately attempts to throw his restraints off and make a dash for it. Putting all of his power into his stronger hind legs he tried to throw off the restraints only to fail. It felt like he would have to dig out the ground to escape the restraints in that manner.

 

‘RUN!’

 

Continuing to panic in his confusion the Fox tried all of the methods he could think, he tried to turn his head to bite the restraints: failed, tried to move his tail to slam into the restraints: failed, he even tried to dig his claws into the ground to make more room: effective, but far too slow to save him.

 

‘PAIN! PAIN!’

 

Suddenly added to the already unbearable pain the area that has been pierced now feels like it is burning. His body is burning. Continuing his various attempts to escape that continuously failed, he started to also concentrate on what was happening to him.

 

Two objects seemed to have been stabbed into his back and draining his blood and energy. As the two spears drained the energy the area stabbed started to burn, it felt like there was a sun burning in his body. 

 

The feeling of burning caused more panic and pain than the two spears themselves or the draining they are causing. Faster than the spread of the draining spears the feeling of scorching pain spread throughout his whole body.

 

Soon his entire torso felt like it was melting, his insides literally felt as if it had become liquid magma. As the scorching pain continued to spread the Fox’s attempts to escape rapidly became weaker. The scorching pain had now become the only thing the Fox could focus on. 

 

As the scorching pain started to climb his neck after filling his whole body, suddenly the two spears changed their actions. The two spears stabbed into his body rapidly started to stretch and grow. The path of their growth was towards his heart.

 

‘pain… death’

 

The feeling of imminent death started to take over the Fox’s thoughts as the spears grew closer and closer to his heart. After a few moments the two spears pierced into his heart and his body went limp immediately.