on the digestive nature of tangleweeds

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

You watch Kai move away, edging towards one of the creatures that may or may not be nothing. Or it might be a predator in disguise. Even with this suspicion having a non-zero probability in your mind, you don’t call out and warn your twin. He is able to make his own decisions, and if one of those ends up killing him, then so be it. It will, in all likelihood given how the two of you will age. The world will kill you long before your organs fail (especially given the experiments the pair of you have been conducting to that end).

You do the mental equivalent of pursing your lips (which for you is merely remaining still). Grasses began to weave their way up your arms, and soon you are one with the grasses around you. Even your bright blue eyes are dimmed to a dusky-wheat colour as you ponder what Kai has said. Frey. The herald. You remember now, though you turn to your notebook for confirmation. It is one of the reasons you take such fastidious notes after all; part of what you are is human, and humans are prone to forget and misremember.

“No.” You confirm, looking up and causing some of your own camouflage to fall away. “Nothing larger than perhaps a wolf. Even then it could only sustain a small pack.” That anyone has survived here is impressive given the lack of resources. That in itself leads you to believe that Frey likely has had more to do with the success than was previously communicated to you.

“I wonder if Frey can give us a reliable account of the past three hundred and nine years.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

As you watch the tangleweed do absolutely nothing, life begins to sprout around your feet, long blades of grass sprouting up from the still cold ground, a patch of tulips blooming just to your left. There’s grass in your curly hair as well, and some mushrooms poking out where your forearms are bare. It’s not as impressive as Oia disappearing - in fact, it could be considered rather the opposite - but it’s enough to earn you a little less aggression from the tangleweeds.

The arm you extend out toward the plant is followed by a smattering of more grass and flowers. Carefully (but really not as carefully as you should be) you reach out with a single finger to prod the outside of the ball of sticks.

And then the ball of sticks prods back.

“Oh!” you exclaim, less alarmed than surprised as a length of stick coils itself around you, moving with a truly impressive level of speed for something that was stationary moments before. As Oia continues to discuss the merits of asking Frey for advice and the possible wolf population, you begin to gently shake your arm to free it, furrowing your brows in concentration as your hand begins to grow somewhat numb. “Prob’ly! Or one of the other heralds? Maybe we should go try to see ‘em before we find the people? They can prob’ly get us goin’ the right way.”

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

You’ve crudely drawn Kai reaching out, adding a speech bubble that says, oh! followed by a flurry of notes. But mere observation isn’t enough here. Nodding distantly in regards to seeing either Ludo or Safrin—neither of which seem appropriately well suited for this task—you narrow your eyes at Kai’s arm. Is (are?) the sticks trying to eat the mushrooms, or is it a form of greeting? “Are you under attack?” You ask casually, quill posed above the page ready to write down your twin’s account of his potential pre-death moments. “Can you describe any sensations you’re experiencing?” And then, because Kai is trying to train you, you add: ”..please.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

Maybe you should stop and think about Oia’s lack of regard for your possible imminent death, but honestly you kind of appreciate it. People tend to be annoying about your careless attitude, all ‘Kai wait!’ or ‘what are you doing?’ or ‘that kills people!’, but not your twin. She sees your antics as means of exploration - which they are! - and always wants to know why you’re doing something, not why you’re doing something.

The sticks, meanwhile, are wrapping very securely around your hand, and it’s not exactly comfortable. “Um... I think so.” They don’t seem particularly interested in the mushrooms, moreso in your flesh. When your twin asks for a description you’re ready to go, but when she adds a please you positively beam, thrilled that she’s picked up some of the social cues you’ve worked so hard to teach her. Ovlidgingly, you attempt to add in as much detail as you possibly can. “Um, well, it feels kinda tingly? I think my fingers are gettin’ numb, can’t really feel ‘em. An’, uh, there’s like a fluid, which is kinda neat but I dunno where it’s comin’ from. Maybe it’s tryin’ to digest me?”

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

”Mmhm.” You record studiously, feeling none of the accompanying pangs of worry that your twin’s statement ought to have prompted. If anything it would be rude not to take notes, lest Kai’s death (or mauling, mutilation, whatever) be for naught. You record every word Kai says before pausing to pluck a few questions blowing about in your mind. “So it’s a chemical numbing then, not one caused by cold or lack of circulation?” Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. Perhaps the theory about hidden predators is more apt than you had initially thought.

But then you think of something. “Has it spread to other areas, or is only ingesting the portion of your arm that you have placed inside?” Suddenly you’re considering whether or not this is simply another form of greeting; it wouldn’t be the stick’s fault that Kai’s skin reacted to its touch in this manner.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

You take Oia’s words into consideration, trying to do a mental check of your body and see where the effects of the stick predator extend to. “Uhhh… Just my hand. I think? Yup. Yea, I only feel it where it’s touchin’.” Which is now almost the entirety of your hand, save your thumb, which you use to sort of gently stroke the bundle of sticks that is trying to eat you.

“I don’ think it has teeth, exactly? But I think it’s breakin’ down the skin a little. With the fluid. Uh, venom, I guess.” Your tone is stupidly intrigued and delighted, given the words coming out of your mouth. Standing up, the tangleweed still firmly attached to your arm, you begin to walk toward Oia, figuring she will want to inspect the thing. “Wanna look closer? It- ah! Stop!”

As you sit down in the grass next to your twin, the weed begins to move again, as though it’s rather fed up with this shit. Which, let’s be honest- can’t really blame it. You are definitely more prey that it was bargaining for. With the hand not currently being consumed you grab the tangleweed on the other side, being careful to be gentle and not break any sticks. “Hey, stop that! We’re not gonna hurt ya!” Which, again, being honest? Probably not strictly true.

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

say] “I thought you said you couldn’t feel it.” You counter flatly. Then, you remember what Kai has told you time and time again about turns of phrases, and you wonder if this is an instance of it. Nodding, you write down venom, the word not at all accompanied by the flare of panic it should be.

Glancing up with a studious expression as Kai nears, you move to allow him whatever space he and this new specimen require. Several bits of stone and wheat fall away from you, but you hardly notice, so focused on the bundle (amalgam?) intertwined around your brother’s arm. Were you the frowning type, this would have been an opportune moment for one. Instead, you merely tap your quill against the page. “Freeze.” You say, and so it does. You aren’t strong enough to freeze Kai in time, so eventually sensation should return to his fingers—you just hope that he doesn’t squirm and ruin the results.

“Do you see anything?” You ask, meaning that now that it isn’t eating you anymore, do you see anything worth noting?

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

“Semantics,” you reply teasingly, sticking your tongue out at your twin. “I don’ feel it ‘cus it feels numb, but it doesn’ feel numb anywhere else. So I can feel that I can’t feel it, if that makes sense.” It makes sense to you, at least, and you figure she’s used to your mannerisms and style of speaking enough to be able to understand.

Oia moves away as you sit beside her, freezing the thing on your hand so she can take a better look. Very obediently, you don’t move it off yet, instead extending it for your twin to get a better view as the sensation begins to slowly return to your extremities with an uncomfortable pricking, burning sensation. Peering closely at the place where it meets your skin, you frown a little in concentration. “Ummm… not really. It’s kinda stuck on there. The sticks have a good grip on ‘em, an’ almost my whole hand is in it.” Which is really not something you should be this ok with.

“Want me to move it so you can look inside?” Gently, of course. As long as Oia has it frozen it shouldn’t feel any pain.

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

You nod. It semantics, although you think that’s a point in your favour rather than his. He sticks his tongue out at you, which you regard as a playful gesture (though you aren’t sure why; in the animal kingdom it has a decidedly different meaning and you aren’t sure how humans have adapted to the point where it means something so different. Though you feel the same about smiles.)`

“The sticks.” You repeat, clearly unhappy about the current name. It’s so imprecise. But with your twin’s hand currently inside of it, even you are aware that there are more pressing issues at hand. Oh look. A joke.

“Yes.” You agree, making sure that your hold of the magic that has frozen this creature in time is secure. Not for you or Kai’s sake, but for it. The line is blurry between what you will do to further your constant search for knowledge, but this certainly doesn’t require those lengths. Waiting for Kai to move, you peer inside. It looks like the branches of a nest all amalgamated together. There is no indication anywhere that the effects Kai felt should have come from this bundle of sticks. “You are clever.” You say, which, is fairly high praise for you.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

Yeah, she’s right- the sticks is a terrible name. “How ‘bout, um, the bramblebush? Or the planteatinger? Or, or- tangleweed?” You pitch each name to her in turn as she investigates the stick creature, having slipped your hand out of its grasp and placed it gently on the ground in front of Oia. Your hand is a rather unfortunate shade of red, and as your twin examines the bramblebrush/planteatinger/tangleweed you poke at your palm, wincing a little as a bit of skin sloughs off.

It is clever, and you nod your agreement with your twin’s assessment, scooting over to peer into the unassuming hole where your hand was being digested a moment before. “It doesn’ look like it has, like, muscles n’stuff- d’ya think it can move independently?” Besides, y’know, eating people. You can try to move it yourself, of course, but it would be more interesting to see what it’s capable of naturally.

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

Of them all tangleweed at least sounds as though it isn’t demarcating a drawing made of crayon, and so you find yourself nodding in vague agreement with that one. “Possibly. But that would mean each individual stick is its own entity which I doubt is able of movement on its own. Perhaps it is this shape with a tangle of its kind, that allows for movement.” Which, they are right, is very clever indeed.

Reaching behind you, you pick up a stone and gently place it within the opening left by Kai’s hand. It falls right through. Considering this—and noting it in your book—you pick up a leaf and do the same. It too, falls through. “Not a herbivore, then.” You tentatively conclude. Shifting your pen into your other hand, you then reach your fingers into the opening and immediately feel the sensation that Kai had previously described. “Ahh yes. It is definitely trying to eat me as well.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

“Maybe it’s like a bug. Like a hive, y’know- each one able to work independent, but there’s a big one in charge somewhere.” Looking up at the ligering herd/pod/bed, you tilt your head as Oia continues her experimentation, far more interested in the social machinations of the creature than its diet. Rising up carefully, you begin to approach the group, though part of you is still listening to your twin. “Seems like it otta be an omnivore- it mus’ be hard to get ‘nuff food from jus’ animals, somewhere like here.” Though if they are largely sedentary perhaps it takes very little for them to maintain their body functions. And they certainly don’t seem to be-

-oh wait never mind.

“Hey!” Like a herd of startled deer they make they have suddenly started to scatter, rolling off with an astounding swiftness in every direction. “Hey, hold up!” And you, you beautiful little idiot, what do you do? Why, you pick the largest one you can find and run along after it, doing your utmost to keep pace, the better to observe as its amalgamation of stick-like appendages sends it spiraling along the hard ground.

Kaimana

OIA'I'O

and i asked myself about the present:

“Interesting. I wonder if we could view them at a more minuscule level if we would see more movement.” You think that, if you were a sufficiently large creature viewing a swarm of bees, you might only see them as one thing depending on your optics. Perhaps the same could be said here. Perhaps lifelessness was a result of the way your eyes viewed it. Or...them.

Rather than being worried for your twin (we’ve covered this already), you’re merely flustered. You’ve one hand in a potentially new species and the other is recording your findings. But now that Kai is off you feel compelled to follow: not to look out for him, but to record. Rising with the tangleweed still digesting you slowly and with increasing symptoms, you dash after Kai. Pressing your book against your chest in an effort to run and record at the same time, you eventually give this up not wanting to sacrifice penpersonship. “Try to see how intelligent or instinctual it is—“ You call to Kai. “Cut it off, or see if it will swerve to avoid an obstacle.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep

so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear

From the corner of your eye you can see your twin rise and follow you in your mad dash after the swiftly escaping tangleweed. The grin that splits your face is wide and electric, but she will likely be unable to see or appreciate it as your attention returns quickly to your prey research subject.

Oia wants you to slow it down, though, and you’re nothing if not obliging. “Okay!” you call back to your twin’s instruction, voice bright and enthusiastic. In an attempt to redirect the tangleweed you pick your pace up, while simultaneously reaching out with your powers to gently nudge it- not enough to interrupt the natural movement of the thing, but enough to make it slow it to the point that you can put yourself into its path.

Once you’re in front of it you release the tangleweed to its own devices, kneeling down and raising your arms to be an obvious deterrent to its path. In response, the plant-animal-thing careens to a weird, unsettling stop, its many stick like limbs scrambling out to find a point of purchase on the dry grass of the ground. It doesn’t so much turn around as, well, reverse, flipping its trajectory around entirely and sending itself rolling in the opposite direction - straight at your observant twin.

Kaimana