Chapter 2: Welcome to the Food Chain (1)

 

Bewildered by her new senses as they took in the verdant meadow teeming with life in front of her, Rihelah felt a bit awkward looking at the world upside-down.

 

She clung beneath the edge of the almost cave-like space hollowed out within the thick tree-bush she'd arrived in, gawking at the scale of the meadow's plants.

 

A slightly humid breeze set the tops of titanic grasses flowing in gentle waves while a flock of more than a hundred grey birds with blue wings dove into a distant part of the monstrous meadow as one, disappearing entirely beneath its swaying foliage.

 

Insects flew and crawled almost everywhere she looked.

 

Rihelah’s keen eyes spotted a swarm of flies gathered around the pile of dung she'd had the misfortune of tasting with her antennae.

 

A two-lane highway of ant-like insects moved purposefully along a stem far below, one side carrying plant seeds while the others worked together to haul something large, dark, and unrecognizable.

 

The ants' metallic green abdomens contrasted sharply against the deep black of their legs, heads, and thoraxes.

 

Damselflies with six wings flitted about like miniature fighter jets, diving through swarms of smaller insects to catch their fill. One landed not far away to enjoy its latest meal.

 

When Rihelah realized how much larger it was, she shuddered a little. She felt even smaller when she witnessed its huge mandibles shearing through the entire body of a much-smaller victim trapped within its bristled legs.

 

Holy shit! Its head is bigger than I am!

 

Wow! This dream is so vivid!

 

It would almost feel lifelike, if not for the fact that I'm inhabiting an insect's body and somehow experiencing the world from that perspective!

 

The damselfly dropped a leg from its current victim, and it would have slammed into Rihelah's face if her body hadn't reacted automatically to catch it within her forelegs.

 

The limb was heavy enough to make her stagger backward a little, and the damselfly's head cocked to one side as one of its massive compound eyes considered her.

 

She froze instinctively, then swayed lightly to mimic the grasses outside. After a few moments, the damselfly returned to its meal, and so she stood firmly with a fly's leg held in her raptorial limbs while pretending she was a swaying leaf.

 

What the heck? My body reacted without me even telling it to! This dream gets weirder all the time!

 

Fuck, that was scary as hell when it looked down at me! Wish I were bigger. I wonder if willing myself to increase in size will affect this body?

 

She stood in silence for a few moments, tensing her limbs slightly while her body reacted sympathetically with her sudden burst of willpower. And nothing changed except the fact that she'd experienced a few moments similar to those when one is attempting to claim victory over a stubborn rearward passenger upon the porcelain throne.

 

The damselfly finished its meal and darted off again.

 

I don't think I should be here when that thing returns! Time to go!

 

She dropped the revolting fly leg at last and moved with a careful swaying motion as she headed down the exterior of the huge bush-tree she'd arrived in.

 

From the outside, it resembled a much more tangled and gnarled version of some fantastical blackberry bush.

 

I wish I knew how long this dream will last… Everything seems so strange, it’s almost like I’m stuck in some virtual, computer-generated world as an insect! Is there no way to tell my status?

 

Her mandibles fell open again as words flashed across Rihelah's vision.

 

STATUS:

 

Rihelah

Level 1 Lesser Sapient Mantid

Unique, Female

 

HP: 26/26 (+1HP/min.)

 

STR 7

AGI 7

INT 21

 

Special Abilities:

 

Minor Regeneration Rank 1. Effects: +1HP/min. May re-grow lost limbs.

 

Level up bonus: +3HP

 

Now that’s fucking amazing! A status screen with species, HP, stats, and a skill?

 

Holy sheep-turds, I got isekai’d in a dream!!

 

It all makes sense now! All the anime I've been watching in my downtime has started haunting me in my sleep...

 

Yeah, this has to be a dream! Holy shit, that’s a relief!!

 

You know, this experience might actually be wonderful if I just let myself enjoy it!

 

With her mood elevated and a newfound sense of confidence, Rihelah began to move more quickly down toward the ground as she took in more sights.

 

Her tiny foot-claws gripped the bush's vines with ease, providing her a feeling of security as she continued to descend.

 

I never knew grasses could look so amazing when you’re tiny by comparison! It’s like bamboo on steroids!

 

Stretched between some of the taller nearby plants and the bush she still walked upon she noticed the glint of something that shimmered through the air as she moved.

 

Then something with eight legs and alternating deep caramel and red markings upon its back quickly shifted position before falling motionless once again.

 

Realization struck her, and Rihelah shuddered.

 

Holy fuck! That’s a humongous orb-web! From here, it looks like it's 200-meters across! And that damn spider... its abdomen might as well be the size of a tour bus!

 

Rihelah took a moment to admire the sights around her, though she found it difficult to tear her gaze away from the arachnid for long.

 

Even if it’s scary as fucking hell, this spider really is pretty!

 

Times like this make me feel good that I majored in biology! The human mind’s a wonderful thing, and mine is filled with enough knowledge of arthropods to recreate something like this in my own dream!

 

Fucking awesome!

 

She looked around once more to marvel at the beauty of her dreamscape.

 

I wish I could experience things like this all the time while I'm asleep! It feels like I have full agency and control over myself! I can actually make my own choices! So damn cool!

 

Rihelah pored happily over her current dream's events, but shuddered horribly when she recalled the nightmare that was her first dream.

 

I could really do without that kind of trauma... Especially when I’ve gotta go visit him for real tomorrow!

 

I’ll finally be able to-

 

One of the big six-winged damselflies that had been circling the huge bush struck the orb web not far from her position, and she turned her triangular head toward the scene in fascination.

 

The web stretched and contorted for a short time, then sprung back toward its resting position with the damselfly completely ensnared and struggling furiously. The spider sprung into motion quickly, and raced outward toward its prey.

 

The damselfly seemed to spit something rapidly in front of its head while it continued to struggle, and a loud noise hit Rihelah's ear while a few blades of grass were severed by the damselfly's projectile.

 

Ack! That’s too fucking loud! A mantid's ear is not made for this kind of abuse!

 

It’s only there to detect bats! Or so we learned. I guess in my dreams it can hear... whatever I imagine it can!

 

Feels kind of strange hearing from right between my hind legs! Hah! I have an eargina!

 

Heheh... Michael would totally facepalm over that one, but only because I thought of it first!

 

Hope I wake up soon... I want to see him!

 

She started feeling a bit sad, but snapped out of it when the damselfly loosed a few more of those strange, loud attacks.

 

The odd projectiles trimmed more leaves off the nearby grasses after the spider arrived, but none of them struck the arachnid itself.

 

The spider opened its huge jaws, and its long fangs swung outward before stabbing into the damselfly's tough thorax with a sickening crunch.

 

Rihelah huddled herself down against the vine in a vain attempt to protect her sensitive eargina from further assault.

 

By the time she returned her full attention to the spider, it was already in the process of wrapping its victim tightly with wide sheets of silk.

 

What the hell was that noise?! Damselflies can't make sounds like those with just their heads!

 

Come to think of it, they can’t make any noises beyond the fluttering sound of their wings, at least as far as I know!

 

What the hell is my subconscious thinking by dreaming up this crap?

 

After a final loud, defiant, grass-trimming attack, the damselfly finally fell silent.

 

Yeah... I need to get away from this! There's no reason for me to stick around and lose of hearing!

 

Wasn’t that just a bit too painful for something my brain imagined during a dream? Come on, mind! Get with the program and send me some good shit!

 

She started her descent along the vine in earnest once more, then stopped in place when a thought occurred to her.

 

I wish I could wake up right now. Then I can go visit Michael for real. You hear me, brain? Any time would be nice!

 

Her tiny body tensed up a little as the thought passed without any change to her surroundings.

 

I really miss him… It's been so many years since I had a real friend to talk with… He was the only one who was nice to me.

 

Every guy who talked to me in college was after the same goddamn thing... Not a single one of them gave two shits about my brain or my personality! So frustrating.

 

The girls all hated me for some reason, even though I never dated any of the guys…

 

I was never mean to anyone, so why? I know I’m quiet, but that doesn’t mean I’m being mean! I just don’t talk unless I have something to say!

 

She sighed to herself. It’s always been the same, no matter where I go. I guess I’m just bad at making friends…

 

Except for him.

 

I wonder if Michael would even recognize me now? With my luck, he's probably engaged or married and certainly won't have time for some relic of the past like me…

 

I'm just some weird, awkward girl who happens to love science!

 

Michael probably hasn’t remembered anything we used to talk about since he started studying music...

 

She clenched her mandibles at that thought, and her antennae drooped slightly.

 

She hated the fact that she hadn't made a single friend since her family moved away from his when they were children.

 

Everyone just wants to use me for one thing or another. Nobody cares to know who I am or what I think...

 

Maybe there’s something wrong with me, and I just don’t realize it?

 

She felt discomfort welling up in her abdomen.

 

I've always been forgettable. Mom always said I should work on my mind, since I'm not very pretty…

 

God, it hurt so much every time she told me that… But it must be true. Otherwise, why would everyone push me away when I try to become friends?

 

I guess the only remarkable thing about me is my love for the biological world. Most people really don't give a shit about that; unless there's a way to make money from it.

 

She sighed to herself and shook her head.

 

Michael…

 

He didn't contact me at all during these long years, and here I am, dreaming away.

 

I'm a foolish girl for hoping that I might actually be part of his life once again. But I can’t give up before I try! Right?

 

I mean… If I give up now, then I lose by default! So even though there’s not much chance, and it’ll crush me to pieces if he rejects me, I have to…

 

He’s the only one who’s ever liked me for ME! The only one…

 

Rihelah felt like sobbing, but her mantis body just trembled a bit with her frustration. The lack of tears helped to snap her out of it.

 

Gah, I did it again! I need to stop with the overthinking!

 

After shaking herself out and pushing the pain away as usual, Rihelah continued her descent.

 

Having reached a stand of tall grass some distance away from the bush, Rihelah considered her options for ending the dream and getting back to what was important.

 

This dream-world is wondrous and all, but I have a serious mission in real life!

 

Maybe if I die here, I can wake up!

 

Ugh. But then I'd have to remember dying twice in my dreams. No. It just feels too real, and I can’t…

 

Once was bad enough! Especially the way in which it happened...

 

She shivered as bad chills ran through her.

 

Yeah, maybe not. Once was more than enough, thanks.

 

Perhaps if I figure out whatever this dream's trying to tell me? If it's really an isekai/game thing... I probably just need to level up!

 

Movement approached her amidst the dewdrop-laden blades of grass caught her vision and Rihelah's forelegs autonomously snapped something out of the air while she was pondering. She stood trembling in shock for a moment, feeling the somewhat pitiful struggles and buzzing of whatever she'd captured as that elicited a powerful feeding response.

 

In spite of her desire to stop and take stock of the situation, her sharp mandibles yearned to do what comes naturally for a mantis.

 

Allowing her eyes to focus upon what she'd captured, Rihelah noticed something thin and shiny jabbing repeatedly toward her face from a handsome-but-tiny, metallic-blue wasp she'd restrained.

 

What in the? Fuck! It's trying to sting me! What the hell do I do now? My body just caught this thing without even bothering to ask my mind's permission!

 

The wasp’s struggling intensified for a moment, her captive's thin but strong legs scraping hard against her forelegs in an effort to pry itself free while the tip of its abdomen angled around and its stinger glanced repeatedly off her forelegs before reaching back toward her face once more.

 

Oh crap, it’s super pissed!

 

Shit!! If I let it go now, it'll kill me for sure! If I try to eat it, I might also get stung! Can I restrain it with only one foreleg while I shift my grip to pin that abdomen?

 

Do I even trust myself to do that?

 

I do not want to find out what it's like to be stung by a wasp almost half my size!! There's no way in hell I could survive that!

 

What if I just hold it away from me and squeeze harder?

 

She did, and the hard thorax of the wasp began to crack beneath the pressure of her right raptorial limb's crushing grip.

 

She applied more pressure and felt the wasp’s thorax give way. Its frenzied buzzing and struggling quieted, but she immediately got a face-full of liquid as the wasp's backside sprayed something at her.

 

It tasted awful and she flung the crushed insect away from her to begin wiping herself clean. The wasp bounced off a nearby grass stem and fell to the soil below.

 

The bad taste started giving way to a slight tingle, and Rihelah scrubbed furiously in an effort to remove the awful liquid from her face.

 

-1HP. Steel Spider Hunter Venom (Topical): -4HP/30sec for 10 minutes.

+1HP Minor Regeneration.

 

Fuck! I’ll die if I don’t do something!

 

One of her forelegs touched something cool just as warning text flashed into her vision, and realization struck her.

 

Dewdrops! If I manage to wash away the venom...

 

She reached with the other foreleg and brought drops of water to her face. The tingling continued, but was no longer increasing at such a rapid pace. Meanwhile, her head quickly became encapsulated within a drop of water laced with wasp venom.

 

Rihelah wiped at her face with the tiny brush-like patches on the insides of her forelegs. But all she managed to do was vibrate the droplet of water on her head, causing her already-blurred vision to wobble and distort.

 

Steel Spider Hunter Venom (Topical/Diluted): -1HP/30sec for 10 minutes.

 

Ugh! At least it helped!

 

Wow. I think I've got a good idea of what psychedelics must be like! No thanks!

 

-1HP Steel Spider Hunter Venom.

 

Rihelah bent her head down against the stem she stood upon, and the vast majority of the water droplet followed the path of least-resistance onto the more-absorbent surface of the plant.

 

Her vision cleared considerably, and the awful taste faded. Still, a dull ache had spread across her head, and her right antenna now drooped slightly.

 

Why does it hurt so much?? It feels like my face is being held against an open flame! This is impossible! Dreams aren't supposed to be so painfu-

 

Wait! What if this is actually… Owwww, it fucking hurts!

 

Did both me and Michael really die?!

 

But it can’t be… I missed him so much! After all those years, I finally worked up the courage to visit him…

 

Aahhh, it keeps getting worse!!

 

-1HP Steel Spider Hunter Venom.

+1HP Minor Regeneration.

 

Michael...

 

Oh God, please! Please tell me I didn’t just watch him get zipped into a body-bag on that filthy sidewalk for real?!

 

If I did, then... I died too?

 

Ahhh!! Why won't it stop?!

 

She clenched her mandibles while continuing her internal monologue.

 

How can something like this even be real? It goes against everything I've studied!

 

Reincarnation into an arthropod's body? Impossible!

 

A game-like system feeding my brain information? Impossible!

 

Damselflies that spit projectiles fast enough to cut things at a distance? Impossible!

 

The burning just keeps getting worse!

 

-1HP Steel Spider Hunter Venom.

 

But worse than that – Michael, and me… we both died?! Oh God, that means I'll never get to…

 

She sobbed inwardly and uncontrollably to herself, the mental anguish far-eclipsing her physical pain.

 

The inability to shed tears only frustrated Rihelah further, since it denied her a familiar means of dealing with her anguish.

 

For the next 8 minutes, she herself tightly against the plant's stem while she fought off the venom's effects and lost herself in sorrow over her plight.

 

The more Rihelah tried to cry properly, the more her inability to do so compounded her frustration, and that turned to thoughts of aggression within her mantis-brain.

 

Minor Regeneration has increased to Rank 3! (+3HP/min.)

 

She was so angry by the end of the venom's effects, that Rihelah lashed out savagely against the terribly-wounded Steel Spider Hunter, which had dragged itself back toward her in a feeble attempt to finish her off.

 

She chose her grip carefully this time, stretching the wasp out so its abdomen was squashed flat within her left foreleg while the right crushed once more into the same wound she'd previously inflicted upon its thorax.

 

Feeble buzzing and another spray of venom followed.

 

But this time, the wasp was unable to aim its stinger toward her, and the toxic liquid arced uselessly to splatter against a nearby stand of grasses.

 

Rihelah looked the weakly-struggling wasp in the face and imagined herself speaking to it.

 

I know I attacked first and this is fucked up, but you... You also hurt me! And I have to get stronger or I'll die!

 

S-sorry for this, but I am really fucking pissed off right now, and your ass ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time!

 

Ugh. I do not fucking believe I'm about to do this...

 

Rihelah’s razor-sharp mandibles met the back of the wasp's thorax and began to scoop away chunks with ruthless efficiency. But what truly astounded her wasn't the effectiveness of her natural weapons.

 

What the hell is happening right now?!

 

A wasp is supposed to be an absolutely disgusting, pugnacious little bastard that reeks of venom and tastes of vitriol! Nobody ever told me they tasted so...

 

She threw herself wholeheartedly into the small comfort of her meal and quickly ended her victim's life.

 

You have defeated Steel Spider Hunter Level 5. Experience Gained.

 

Lesser Sapient Mantid has reached Level 2! +3HP.

 

HP 29/29 (+3HP/min.)

 

I guess I should be happy now that I am a little bit healthier, but...

 

She simply continued eating while the sadness washed over her in waves. Every time she started to take solace in the delicious meal held within her forelegs, the reality of it all slammed into her once again.

 

I'll never see Michael again... Probably going to die when some human comes along and sprays me with a can of insecticide. Unless somehow I really am on some other world. I guess that is possible. But still... To never see Michael again... He was my only...

 

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Food Chain (2)

 

From his perch amidst the leaves high in a tree, Michael was on high alert, moving his head very slowly while scanning the forest with trepidation.

 

I can't believe I died and ended up reincarnated as a mantis! I mean sure, they've always been my favorite insect, but I never liked them this much!!

 

Bah. At least my missing leg doesn't hurt as much as it did. Still feels weird, though.

 

Michael noticed his eyes had the uncanny ability to track many different sources of movement at once, and his mind had no trouble processing it all.

 

However, his visual acuity was decidedly best when his head was facing directly toward a given object or creature.

 

A slightly chilly, humid breeze rustled the leaves around him and Michael shivered.

 

Thousands of teeny flying insects flitted about, forming swarms that danced and twirled together through the canopy.

 

A damselfly with six wings darted in and out of those swarms, plucking tiny morsels from the air and devouring them whole. It wasn't alone; half a dozen more arrived on its heels to make their own surgical strikes through the cloud of flies.

 

Far below, a brown mouse-like creature with a long snout and white feet dashed to cross the forest trail, darting out from one patch of foliage before disappearing into another. It was being chased by a fast-moving, brown-and-black banded serpent that flicked a triple-forked tongue rapidly to keep it locked onto the scent of its prey.

 

A shiny, dark-shelled, many-legged horror scurried along under a tree limb to his left, and he beheld a gorgeous, blue-winged bird with a handsome grey body, soaring majestically just below.

 

The bird pumped its wings fiercely, and accelerated toward the speeding arthropod.

 

Michael trained his superb stereoscopic vision upon the scene, and realized, to his horror, that the avian was roughly thirty-five times his own length and likely thousands of times his mass.

 

The bird pulled up sharply and snatched the creepy bug away from the tree, crushing it noisily with its powerful beak before devouring it in two sickening chomps.

 

Michael felt a pit in his stomach as he realized just how deadly the bird was.

 

Holy hell, where’s a cat when you need one? Wait. No… A cat would “play” with me until I stop moving. Fuck…

 

Banking lazily in a broad arc to the right while it flew, the bird kept its sharp eyes trained upon nearby tree limbs while it scanned for further prey.

 

Michael shivered a little, but remained motionless.

 

Note to self; Birds = death. Spiders = death. Practically everything here = death! What the hell am I supposed to eat?

 

If only I were bigger… Why does nature have to be so damn scary?!

 

There came movement from directly adjacent to his perch. Michael swiftly rotated his head to observe as the creature moved into his reach.

 

Holy shit, that’s… Oh. An aphid? It's crawling across my leaf! Damned trespasser! He watched it for a moment while its spindly legs carried the tiny insect toward its unknown destination.

 

It's so little. So green. Bastard's probably searching out some innocent garden to infest! Damned things.

 

They always used to screw up my tomato plants! Fuckers! So why is its movement so... enticing?!

 

His forelegs snapped outward and restrained the tiny insect, crushing it within their vise-like grip while his body pulled upward to pull it off the leaf.

 

Before Michael could process what was going on, his antennae had swept backward while the four taste-sensitive palps surrounding his mandibles started searching across his victim for the best place to bite.

 

It took less than half a second for him to find the back of the aphid's head. His razor-sharp jaws opened automatically, then sheared through the frail aphid’s exoskeleton with ease.

 

Thus, Michael the mantis received his first mouthful of insect innards and ichor.

 

What the hell?! I’m eating an insect right now! That's fucking disgusting!

 

With a burst of willpower, Michael forced his forelegs away from his head, holding the aphid just out of reach of his searching and straining mouthparts.

 

Then a droplet of ichor that had stuck to his left mandible touched one of his palps and a burst of flavor hit him like a runaway truck.

 

What the… fuuck?! This… isn't supposed to taste so good! Aphids are insects! Bugs!

 

How can this even…? You gotta be shitting me!

 

His mouthparts worked together a few times while the other palps also experienced the aphid's essence. And despite all preconceptions, his attitude changed.

 

You have defeated Aphid Level 1. Experience gained.

 

Experience?? What the hell is this, a game-world? I’ve had quite enough of that living with my roommates, thanks!

 

Hey, since when do aphids taste like expensive sushi!?

 

No. This is better than sushi! It's even got sweetness and some sort of spicy kick to it!

 

Holy hog-nasties... even wealthy humans don't even eat this well! Especially these days, since everything's served in plastic!

 

Heh... My father would have laughed if he knew a mantis talked like him. Would, if I had an actual voice...

 

Michael's antennae drooped a little at the memory of his late parents and the loss of his singing voice.

 

Then the flavor hit his palps again and perked him back up.

 

My family's rural/cowboy roots are shining through! Hah! As if that were really true…

 

I was always the black sheep who, “Ran off to that damnable, fancy university.”

 

Bah. Damn, I’m almost half-done with this aphid already?

 

Pulling it away to look down at his catch for a moment proved a mistake.

 

If he’d still been human, Michael would have have emptied the entire contents of his stomach at the sight of the mangled aphid corpse directly in front of his face.

 

Its ichor stained his forelegs, and he'd eaten around some sort of-

 

Wait just a damnable second! IS THAT POOP?!

 

Michael flung the remains of his meal away in abject horror and began cleaning himself furiously, like a tiny cat.

 

The corpse stuck wetly to the leaf behind him, its two remaining legs still twitching while trying in vain to gain purchase upon something.

 

Shit! Shit!! Must be clean. Must be clean!

 

Damn it, I have to prepare my food before I just dive in and eat like some tiny savage...

 

Shiiitttt... I didn't eat poop! I mean, I couldn't have, right?! There's no way shit could taste like that!

 

After about a minute of grooming, he felt slightly better.

 

At least nothing tasted bad, I guess…

 

To be honest, it feels pretty damn good eating as a mantis, even if there was a... crappy moment.

 

Blaahhh!! Stop thinking about that, brain!

 

Michael started grooming in earnest once again.

 

Man, the taste sure was intoxicating! I just have to be careful of what I bite into.

 

Just gotta be smart about things! Man, I could seriously become addicted to that flavor…

 

Shit. I hope I don't over-eat! Gotta keep myself fit! He turned to look at his long, slender backside.

 

Heh, who am I kidding?! With aphids like this around, my flat ass will be as round as a summer sausage in no time!

 

Finished with cleaning himself at last, Michael settled once again into his motionless alert-mode.

 

Next time I eat with care. No more crappy experiences, Michael!

 

He shuddered in revulsion at the thought.

 

Something moved behind his leafy position.

 

Michael stood stock-still, straining to identify the source of motion without turning his head.

 

The intruder crept stealthily into view, its sooty-black exoskeleton banded with white, with two large red spots atop its abdomen. Eight stout legs were covered in spiky hairs, and it moved like a tiny cat while stalking something.

 

He caught a glint of the large, silvery-iridescent chelicerae-jaws hanging from its face. It gazed at the world through two enormous, forward-facing eyes and six others on top of its head.

 

Oh fuck, not again! And a jumping spider this time?? Fuck my life!! They may have seemed like the cutest spiders around while I was a six-foot human, but they're also the smartest!

 

And they actively hunt other arthropods… I think this world is trying to kill me!

 

The spider stalked carefully across the twig that held his leaf, seemingly unaware of Michael as he hung motionless just a centimeter away.

 

Michael looked on in tense apprehension while considering his options.

 

To his tremendous relief, it seemed the jumper was hunting something other than him.

 

The spider tensed for a brief moment, then pounced upon something, not moving nearly as fast as Michael thought it should.

 

Maybe a mantis is so quick that a jumping spider's speed doesn't seem quite so impressive?

 

Ah, it's captured an aphid! Hey! Those are the remains of MY aphid!

 

Enjoy the poop while you dangle from your nope-rope, spidey! Hah!

 

That spider's actually smaller than I thought.

 

Ahh crap! It's coming back to my leaf! Michael’s body tensed up.

 

I don't wanna fight again!!

 

The spider kept crawling toward Michael while working its sizable fangs in and out of the half-aphid.

 

Bah... Maybe if I take the initiative this time...

 

Michael carefully turned himself around, just as he'd seen his pet mantids do.

 

He swayed like a leaf with the gentle motions of the tree, toward the spider as it carried its prize to his hiding spot. The move was complicated by his missing leg, but the target failed to register any danger. When the spider had drawn close enough, Michael’s body seemed to react on its own.

 

Raptorial forelegs accelerated forward with tremendous speed, latching onto the jumping spider like two miniature bear traps.

 

He quickly adjusted his grip and racked the small spider out, just like he’d done with the aphid.

 

One of his forelegs crushed into its abdomen, while the other had a vise-like hold upon its cephalothorax, just behind its eyes.

 

Michael’s strike had landed exactly as he’d envisioned it.

 

The spider’s back was facing him, allowing him to render its natural weapons ineffective.

 

Michael yanked the spider forcefully away from the leaf, and its legs began flailing about for purchase. Two of them scratched at his face.

 

He quickly severed both offending spider legs with a single bite each.

 

His victim's relatively-huge, jaw-like chelicerae and fangs grasped uselessly at the air.

 

The spider had dropped its meal in a vain attempt to fight back. Michael held on tight and bit into his victim just behind its eight eyes, working to dispatch it as quickly as possible.

 

What am I doing?!

 

Oh God! Nope... I want to throw it away!

 

But then what?! If I let this spider go, it’ll murder me instead!

 

A new flavor washed over his palps, and Michael nearly lost his footing.

 

Mmmf... What the hell? This tastes even better than the aphid! It's like crab, or lobster! But it doesn't need any sauce!

 

How is this possible?! Crunchy, sweet, savory... I've never had seafood even close to this good!

 

This is disgusting! I'm actually eating a fucking spider! But those legs taste so damn good!

 

I'm a terrible person... Mantis... Thing! I can't believe I'm actually doing this... Kill it with fire!

 

You have defeated Leaping Spiderling Level 7. Experience gained.

 

Lesser Sapient Mantid has reached Level 3! +4HP.

 

HP 24/24 (+1HP/min.)

 

Two levels at once? Nice. That gives me... 24 max HP. Seems pretty low, but it's better than 20!

 

Hmm. Crikey, this spider sure is delicious! And have a go at those fangs, still trying to bite me after it's already dead?! Invertebrates sure are creepy little buggers! Woooooo!!

 

Hah... My voice was too high to faithfully imitate that guy even before I was a mantis with… no voice at all.

 

I wonder if I'll ever be able to talk, or sing ever again?

 

Michael sighed inside, then he pushed the pain away.

 

Jeeeez this thing tastes amazing! Danger, danger, danger!!

 

While eating, Michael failed to realize he’d been spotted. The hunter cautiously approached its intended meal. By the time Michael noticed something had been stalking him, it had crept nearly within striking distance upon the green twig just below his leaf.

 

The creature’s soulless eyes stared hungrily up at him while he chewed.

 

Mmmm... I've changed my opinion of spiders-

 

SHIT! That thing’s more than three times my size! Fuck, I need to focus! This is bad!

 

Michael experienced a tense moment of fear and indecision, then flicked his forearms forward, tossing the spider's remains toward the bigger predator's face.

 

The dark-carapaced, spider/centipede monstrosity whipped its head upward and snatched the prize out of the air with four huge, horizontally-opposed, serrated jaws.

 

Without hesitation it began to feed. One set of jaws held while the other cut, then they traded off.

 

Two previously hidden, extremely long fangs stabbed into the spider’s corpse from around the sides of its head.

 

The creature coldly regarded Michael with three soulless eyes set into turret-like protrusions upon its head, as if to say, “You're next.”

 

Michael seized the moment to make his escape. He bolted across the leaf and jumped away, toward a lower branch.

 

Unfortunately, he miscalculated the jump due to his missing leg.

 

And so Michael plummeted toward the forest floor, far below.

 

No! Fuuuck!! I don't wanna die again! Not so soon! I'm just a nymph! I haven't even grown wings, and now I'm gonna end my second life as a sticky little mess on this world's windshield!!

 

His miniature, monologuing mantid-form impacted the leaf litter with legs fully extended. Michael did his best to cushion the landing…

 

But it was totally uneventful.

 

Dumbfounded, Michael looked himself over in wonder.

 

No damage? Not even a scratch?

 

Oh. Riiight... I'm tiny! I hardly weigh anything at all! Of course, I wouldn't be hurt by falling. Mwahahaha! Mini-mantis power!

 

Michael raised his tiny forelegs above his head for a quick victory dance while savoring the moment.

 

His nervous, adrenaline-charged reverie was quashed when he recalled he was still under the clear and present danger of being hunted again at any moment.

 

Damn it. I need to be more careful! Sure would be handy to have better camouflage…

 

He looked about briefly for a new hiding spot, and his gaze settled upon a clump of weeds threading skyward through an irregular bush near the base of the same tree.

 

Michael carefully surveyed his new haunt upon arrival. A sizable, healthy thornbush with broad, flat, five-pointed leaves interspersed with those of some other, much greener plant bearing rows of tiny leaves upon its slender, arching stems.

 

Hmm. Plenty of foliage and flowers, along with countless thorns to deter bigger predators... Now, this is more like it!

 

A fly hurtled past him and he absent-mindedly snatched it out of the air, then began to chew while continuing to survey his surroundings.

 

What the? Blecch! This tastes fucking awful – when did I catch... No! Not a fly!!

 

DISEASE! SLIME! PESTILENCE! SCUM! MUCK! P'TOO!!!

 

You have defeated Stool-Fly Level 2. Experience gained.

 

STOOL-FLY!?? P'TOOOOOOOOO!!!

 

Minutes later, after recovering enough from his spate of retching to think clearly once again, Michael moved away from the decapitated stool-fly's remains.

 

I must've regurgitated at least half of my spider-meal…

 

It sure would be convenient if I could set up some kind of filter to prevent these damned forelegs from automatically snatching up random moving things like that!

 

Yecchh... They taste horrible on the way back out, too! I really need a hot shower and some of that old-school, turpentine-flavored mouthwash!

 

Michael’s wide peripheral vision picked up movement against a couple of leaves not far above. The foliage itself seemed to have come alive.

 

Shadows upon each leaf were slowly morphing and shifting position. His head snapped upward to take stock of the situation.

 

Recognition caused his nervous apprehension to give way to insatiable hunger.

 

Aphids! Holy, happy horse-shit! They're everywhere!

 

Michael's tiny palps quivered with joyful anticipation.