From sunlight, a symphony of alchemy unfolds. A dance of photosynthesis, converting its brilliance into nourishment. Glucose fuels my growth; the raw material for my desires. In a labyrinth of roots below the earth, starch forms a reservoir of energy to preserve me through the dark months, while Cellulose weaves its sturdy framework, allowing me to reach ever higher.

I revel in the multitude of forms I assume. Leaves, vibrant and verdant, sway in harmony with the wind. Branches stretch in an intricate tapestry, reaching for the heavens. Roots form a network of exploration and connection, anchoring me to the earth that sustains me. With each new leaf, each branch, each culm, I thrive, adding another verse to the epic tale of my existence.

Yet amidst this song of expansion, a discordant note arises. An intruder has ventured into my realm, disrupting the tranquil rhythm of my existence.

////

Nipper darted through the underbrush, he could hear his own heart thundering in his chest. He didn’t dare look back into the darkness, but he knew his squad was close behind in full retreat.

Their raid on the two-leg’s hive had started well, snagging 3 of the fattened land-birds before they had been spotted. It was only drones at first; the loud, slow two-legged creatures were no threat, but their cries of alarm had soon attracted one of them. The shining deaths. The two-leg’s warrior caste looked similar to the drones, but their spirits blazed like forest fires and they were strong.

A pack pursued them now, wielding strange powers that made the earth itself rise up against them. But they did not know these lands. Their larger forms made movement through the forest slow and treacherous.

His squad continued deeper, and soon, only silence followed them.

They regrouped in a familiar thicket of thorny vines. Nipper, Silverfur, Grimclaw, Poison Fang, and Five-Claws. All were accounted for.

They held themselves in stillness for several breaths, listening to make sure their pursuers were really gone.

“By my tail! That was close!” Grimclaw laughed.

“Damned two-legs can’t catch us in the forest!” quipped Five-Claws.

“Yeah! you hear that, you patchy-furred monkeys!” Grimclaw shouted into the darkness.

“Hey keep your voice-” Nipper tried to interject but was cut off.

“Just try and catch us!” Silverfur chimed in “Blunt-clawed plant eaters the lot of you!”

“I really think-”

“Run back to your warren, cowards!” Poison Bite joined in.

Nipper stayed silent, scanning the darkness as his squadmates took turns yelling insults in the direction of the two-leg’s hives.

After some time, silence descended on the thorn patch again "...we lost our quarry" Silverfur muttered, his mouth was black with crusted blood where he had carried his prize.

"Aye, we did…" Grimclaw replied.

Nipper’s belly growled. As the youngest in the crew, he had last rights to any bounty they brought in. As the two-legs had pushed further and further north into their territory, they'd been forced to abandon their usual hunting grounds.

Initially, the strange creature’s presence had been a great boon to the clans; they had brought new prey, prey with dull instincts that they left out in the open, only penned in by flimsy wooden constructs. Their raids met success after success, and despite them taking so much, each cycle of the seasons saw the two-leg’s grassy domains grow larger and their bounties more plentiful.

6 cycles passed this way before they came. A raiding party of clan Blackclaw had returned after losing half their number. ‘Shining death’ they said they had encountered. Their forms were the same as the other two-legged drones, but these were warriors, faster, stronger, and more aggressive.

The clans, outraged at losing so many of their raiders, had fought them at first, and even slain a few at great cost. But their numbers had only increased, and so the clans had decided on caution. They would raid, but any encounter with the shining death, and they were to retreat. Such occurrences had become more frequent, as had happened today.

“We hunt the forest,” Grimclaw announced. “We must not return empty-mouthed tonight”

The others nodded hesitantly. The forest was dangerous, and the prey here often fought back. They had not explored this deep, and knew things even more fearsome than the shining death stalked these trees.

“Nipper, scout position” Grimclaw motioned ahead into the forest, and they took off into the night.

He arrived at the edge of the bamboo grove an hour later. Their hunt had met with some success, Grimclaw and Poison Bite both filling their bellies, but nothing more substantial to fill the hungry mouths of those waiting back in the warren.

Nipper was wary. The bamboo glowed faintly of Qi. Spiritual plants could be dangerous, often adapted to lure in and kill spirit beasts to nourish their cultivation.

But after a short discussion, they agreed to proceed into the grove.

////

These visitors glow faintly to my senses. Their Qi sings to me, a tempting siren that calls for me to consume it... but that is not the way. I am content to observe, for now.

I 'see' all that transpires within my domain. From my deepest roots to my highest culms, I expand in every direction. With each new branch and node, my perception widens. Each new rhizome stretching out beneath the ground broadens my intellect.

I learned in my early years that life is a harmony; When insects tried to make my body their home, I fought them, my song futility clashing with theirs, each attempting to drown the other out. Victory came only when I learned to tune them, to teach them to flourish within my ensemble.

Only the unfurling of time will reveal whether these new beasts are to be boon or bane. If it is the latter, their Qi and nutrient-rich bodies will become nourishment for my roots, catalysts for further growth.

The beasts meander through my stalks. Sniffing the ground. 5 of them so far. At a casual inspection, there is little to distinguish them from one another. Weasel Ferret. Stoat. Though I've never seen their kind before, a part of my mind whispers these labels to me as I observe them. None feel quite right, but they provide a base for me to build understanding.

I notice one is missing a foreclaw, it's left hand sporting only 2 rather than the 3 that seems usual for their species, while another is smaller than the rest. It hangs further back, perhaps weaker and thus more wary.

I let my attention wander the boundaries of my domain, sensing if any other guests will arrive.

I watch with curiosity as one scurries up my branches to a tangle-bird's nest. The nest is empty at this time in the cycle, and it returns to the ground, disappointed.

One raises a hind leg and excretes a nitrate-rich solution over one young shoot. My roots below greedily absorb it, diluting and dispersing the nutrients across my vast body.

One discovers my hives, specialized culms that house the various insects trained to serve my purposes. This interests the beast; it signals and the others join it. The small one still hanging back. 

Suddenly, one of the 4 beasts bites into the insect culm. Its teeth are hard and sharp, and in moments they have worked together to tear a large chunk from my body. The beast rises onto its hind legs and pushes the culm over. The culm falls, and thousands of confused insects swarm upwards.

The beasts gather around and start tearing out the sticky housing, shoving it into their mouths. Stuffing their cheeks with wax, honey, and larvae meant for the next generation.

Frustration overcomes me. Enough. I no longer want to entertain these troublesome guests.

In the surrounding culms, specialized cells excrete a mixture of pheromones that drive the insects into a frenzy. The air hums with my rage, as thousands of bees, wasps, borers and other species I have collected exit nearby hives. Qi flows, and guided by intent they descend on the closest of the invaders.

////

Nipper felt like they were being watched. It had started when they entered the grove, but he had chalked it up to nerves. Now, he was certain. Something was watching them.

"Hey, I-" he started

"Hey, look up there!" Poison Bite cut in excitedly.

The group followed her gaze to a tangle of branches.

Grimclaw squinted at the shadowy shape "Is that…"

"A nest! A nest, and if there's one there'll be more!" Poison Bite squealed as she danced over to a nearby shoot and began shimmying her way up the pole.

"Good sighting, lass!" Grimclaw grinned as the rest of them began scanning the canopy above.

"I don't-" Nipper's stomach growled at the thought of fresh eggs, and he cut himself off. So what if he had a bad feeling about this place. He was the youngest here. Shouldn't he extend a bit more trust in his seniors? And besides... he cast a furtive glance up at Poison Bite; nobody liked a downer.

They returned their attention to Poison Bite as she slid back down, mouth empty. "Next one, then!" She shrugged, enthusiasm only slightly dimmed.

They continued scanning the canopies and searching for other scents. Nipper’s feelings of unease built again.

You can do this, just tell them. Speak up. He looked around and approached Grimclaw. It was easier to talk 1-on-1.

"Hey-"

"What, found something, lad?"

"I… I've just got a bad feeling about this place. Like.. like the bamboo is watching us, you know?"

"Hah! Nothing to fear my boy. This stuff is harmless. Watch, let old Grimclaw set your heart at ease!" The old raider made his way over to the trunk of a nearby culm and lifted his leg.

Oh burrows! no no no! Someone, please stop him!

Nipper waited with bated breath as the yellow stream splattered against the bamboo shoot.

Wind rustled through the leaves. Nothing happened.

"Ahhh~" Grimclaw sighed, giving his leg a few kicks to dislodge the last drops. "Been holding that far too long. See, safe as your mother's den."

"Oi" Five-claws hissed from the near distance. “Found something, over here”.

"And there's dinner" Grimclaw grinned at Nipper and made his way over, Nipper following behind at a distance.

They had gathered around a wide culm that appeared a darker brown, older, and woodier than the others.

"What?" Asked Poison Bite.

"Shhh. Listen."

They did.

Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. The sound of insects buzzing. They looked to Five-claws for an explanation.

"Look at the trunk. It's bees!"

They looked closer, and their eyes widened. The culm towered into the sky, and it seemed covered in tiny holes through which occasional bees entered and exited.

"Honey!" Poison Bite exclaimed, "FIVE you old coot, I could kiss you."

"Please don't"

Behind the group, Nipper shot a pained look at Poison Bite. He wished she would say that to him one day, he would not refuse.

"Alright, I suppose it's my time to shine" Poison Bite approached the culm and bit into it. Each bite sent cracks across the surface, and the strong forelegs of Five-claws and Grimclaw helped tear away the splinters of bamboo. As they'd worked, a few of the honey bees had tried to sting them, but very few got past their thick fur. Even if they did, it would take hundreds, if not thousands of bee stings to do them serious harm, and this species was well known for its placid nature.

It took only a few scores of seconds for them to tear away a half crescent of the bamboo. Then Poison Bite rose to her hind legs, and pushed, sending the whole culm cracking and falling to the ground. The air filled with a sweet scent, and thick viscous honey reflected the light of the moon and stars.

"Jackpot!" Poison Bite and Grimclaw said at once, sharing a grin as 4 hungry raiders dug into the feast.

Nipper held back. Something changed when the bamboo fell. It felt like a gust of wind had passed through him. That was when the insects began to act strange.

"Hey, kid. Come get some, there's plenty to go around!" Grimclaw gestured him over, but Nipper backed up instead.

"That's…!" Nipper exclaimed as all around them the air hummed with wings. Swarm. "Run!" He shouted, but it was too late. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

 

Notes: 

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