Hungry.

 

Always hungry. 

 

Wrap tentacles around prey.

 

Interrupted.

 

Annoyance.

 

Wave tentacles, grow big. Intimidate interferer.

 

Undeterred. Pokes.

 

PAIN.

 

Move away, back to home. Safe.

 

Interferer sticks poking instrument iN NOT SAF- 

 

PAIN.

 

Move further.

 

Interferer removes poking instrument. 

 

Home smaller. 

 

Home always smaller when poking instrument leaves.

 

Vibrations in air.

 

Interferer is communicating.

 

Develop audio perceptor.

 

“-cucses. Sohudl we rcemomned X1 for highre tseitng?”

 

Confused. 

 

Do not understand.

 

“Preahsp. Wreti in your rpeotr that X1 has seuceced in mutllipe traisl agiats the rat-bsaed mtunat prtoytpes. Fylnig agrgesros rcemomneded for next tset.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Feed-”

FEED!

 

“-X1 duolbe the usual biomass bferoe rsemunig tseitng.”

 

Happy.

 

Move to feed.

 

Drop of biomass comes.

 

Wiggle.

 

Eat. Eat eat eat eat eat.

 

Tentacles replenished. 

 

Stasis. Must conserve biomass.

 

…

 

…

 

Loud.

 

Annoyed.

 

“X1, move to tse-testing grounds.”

 

Reluctant.

 

Loud again.

 

Move. Home opens. 

 

Move. 

 

Move to edge of other home.

 

Put tentacle against edge of other home… 

 

Still not free. See interferers looking at tentacle.

 

Vibrations in air. Refining audio perceptor. 

 

Wave tentacle. 

 

Pain.

 

Move back to edge of other home.

 

Wave more tentacles.

 

Pain GRAB!

 

Screech. 

 

Crush. Struggling stop. Vibrations stop.

 

Hungry.

 

Always hungry.

 

Drag prey to mouth. EAT BEFOR-

 

PAIN.

 

Drop.

 

Move. To corner of home.

 

No pain. Happy. Home smaller. 

 

Eat prey in mouth before pain. Happy.

 

New structure. Wing. Beak. Feathers.

 

“Smae biomass as last test. Ltes’ see if X1 dubolse in size aigna.”

 

Happy.

 

Move to feed.

 

Eat. Eat eat eat eat eat.

 

Tentacle replenished.

 

Unusual. Full. Not hungry.

 

Happy. 

 

Wiggle.

 

Stasis.

 

…

 

…

 

Loud.

 

Eager.

 

More prey. Maybe eat.

 

Move. Home opens, move more.

 

Vibrations in air. 

 

BIG!

 

BIG BIG!

 

Wave tentacles, grow big. STILL NOT AS BIG.

 

Big prey moves. FAST!

 

Push tentacle, move away. Big prey swipes-

 

PAIN! PAIN PAIN!

 

Angry.

 

Develop teeth on tentacle. Wrap.

 

No effect… PAIN! Tentacles gone. Body 10% gone. 

 

Develop more tentacles.

 

Prey bites. 

 

PAINNNN!

 

Prey tosses aside. Roll to stop.

 

Develop wings. Fly. 

 

Too heavy. Bigger wings.

 

FLY FLY FLY FLY land.

 

On prey.

 

Safe.

 

Wiggle.

 

Harden body. Harden tentacle.

 

PIERCE HEAD! 

 

Prey still.

 

EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT

 

PAIN.

 

New structure. Sharp teeth. Fur. Thicker skin. Fat. Bone. Simple brain. Brain?

 

PAIN. PAIN.

 

Move. Corner. No more pain, happy.

 

Tentacles regrown. More biomass to grow more tentacles. 30% increase. Wrap main body in tentacles. Leave audio perceptor uncovered. 

 

“Hloy siht! Did you see taht dcotro!? It grew wings! WINGS!”

 

Happy. Took 40% of mass to grow wings. Noticed.

 

“I swa-saw Dveno. Stay porfesisonal. Teh’yer still wtacihng. Still, we sohudl note that. X1 seems to aadtp wahtveer it cnosmues into its main body, rteiannig its structure.”

 

While communicating, develop the brain. Takes 70% of current biomass. Must be good structure.

 

Processing speed is increased. Strange. Have urge to consume. And… procreate? Find another of same kind. Produce another. Very strange. 

 

Tired. So tired.

 

Interferers communicating the entire time. Can’t pay attention. Too tired. But more biomass comes.

 

Eat. Eat eat.

 

Strange. Ate 200% increase in biomass from last feed, but still hungry. Must be brain. 

 

No more biomass.

 

Stasis.

 

…

 

…

 

Loud.

 

Eager.

 

200% increase in main body size. 40% increase in tentacles. Wings and brain structure still functional.

 

Move to edge of home before vibrations come.

 

Home opens.

 

“X1, move to te- oh.”

 

Already moving, eager. 

 

Hungry.

 

Brain increases biomass consumption. But processing speed is increased.

 

Worth.

 

Different prey. BIGGER prey. MUCH BIGGER.

 

Vibration in air. It stamps the ground. 

 

Hungry.

 

But patient. Always patient.

 

Move tentacles, circle around. Prey wtahces-watches me. 

 

Wave tentacles. Develop eyes on tentacles. 

 

Prey shakes.

 

Approach.

 

MISTAKE.

 

FAST.

 

MOVE TO SID-

 

PAINNNN!

 

Strange structure on head, not sharp, club. 20% of tentacles gone, 5% of main body gone.

 

Creature is dazed. Head structure not harder than wall. 

 

Fly. Fly. 

 

Harden body. Harden tentacles. Dive. 

 

PIERC-

 

Bounce.

 

Land on prey.

 

Odd.

 

Cannot pierce.

 

Skin is hard.

 

Harden more. Sharpen.

 

PIERCE!

 

Bounce.

 

1% of tentacles gone.

 

Strange. 

 

Annoyed. Frustrated. Wave tentacles in air. 

 

Remember earlier prey.

 

Wrap tentacles around current prey.

 

Develop muscle. Develop endurance muscle. 

 

Constrict.

 

Crack.

 

SATISFACTION!

 

Strengthen endurance muscle.

 

CONSTRICT!

 

CRACK!

 

Grunt from prey. Freed itself from wall.

 

Smug. Am on back. Does not mat-

 

PAIIIINNNNNNN!

 

50% of main body is gone. Main body is crushed, flat, still on back somehow. 80% of tentacles are gone. Core is still functional. Brain is still functional.

 

Prey rolled, crushing main body under it. Angry.

 

Move tentacles, remove endurance muscle. Sharpen.

 

Move tentacles in cracks. Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig.

 

Vibrations in air, louder noise from prey. Distressed?

 

SATISFACTION!

 

Prey rolls. Learned, move to other side before crushed. Test with tentacles.

 

Underneath is not as hard.

 

Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig.

 

Shudder.

 

Prey rolls to side, but is still. 

 

EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT MUST RESTORE BIOMASS EAT EAT EAT EAT 

 

PAIN.

 

Can feel this pain coursing through the main body now, traveling through the tentacles it hits. 

 

New structure: Rigid armor, toughened skin, stomach, intestines.

 

Move. Move because more pain is coming if don’t.

 

Brain is strange. Helping to learn. Grow. 

 

Quickly move to corner, wait for them to make home smaller. 

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Oh my god.”

 

“...”

 

“Dcotro-dcotor. Did it just... “

 

“Yes.... Yes… did. Un-mtuatde, infnatlie, yes, but… did.”

 

“The barss… going… lkie this. I think… both… they set up this mtahc. It… to… X1. And it just..”

 

“This is a… for… but fruhtre testing…”

 

Tired. 

 

Very tired.

 

Stasis.

 

…