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Why were these creatures fighting?
Was it over territory?
Over me?
It seemed ridiculous, but after crash-landing on an alien planet and being pursued by monstrous beasts, nothing could be too far-fetched.
However, one thing was clear: I needed to find a way out of this jungle, away from these creatures and whatever deadly battles they were inclined to engage in.
My eyes darted around, searching for a path or exit.
Therehadto be a way out of this place.
I took another step back and felt something writhe beneath the sole of my foot.
I hopped back, ready to take off in a new direction when I noticed it was the stem of a peculiar plant, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
It rose from the jungle floor, its stem unfurling like wire, until it was at eye level.
At its apex was a large, bulbous arc of petals, with colors swirling and shifting, almost hypnotic in its beauty.
The head of the plant leaned in my direction, seemingly curious.
It tickled my nose before drifting over my cheeks and along my chin.
Like a blind man’s fingers, I thought.
Despite the dire situation I’d found myself in, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was almost childlike in its movements and intense curiosity.
The plant seemed almost… sentient.
As if it wanted to communicate, to share the secrets of this world.
And as I inched closer, an overwhelming urge to smell it consumed me.
That was what you did with plants, right?
Smell them.
It also felt like the plant wasinvitingme into a quiet conversation.
It smelled of melted sugar and promises of something more.
The flower leaned backward and, with speed so fast it took me unaware, it spat a flurry of needle-like projectiles directly at me.
Two missed but the third embedded itself in my neck.
I staggered back, a hand flying to the injury.
Warm blood slid between my fingers.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled, the vibrant colors of the jungle blurring and warping around me.
Panic set in as my breathing grew labored, my throat constricting as though it was being crushed by an invisible force.
I turned to run away but the world tilted and spun like a terrible bout of vertigo.
