For a plant, days become breaths and nights deep slumbers. By counting each moment I felt the sunlight pull away into the darkness, I figured I had been living here for a month. Besides the occasional rain, sunlight permeated every pore I had. It was dangerous. The tiniest amount of shade would have indicated surrounding vegetation. The most I found were the small tufts of grass around my base. The tallest plant is cut first.

  Although I sprouted quickly, growth slowed down to the movement of tectonic plates. If I kept sticking out in this area, I would return to Nyla’s garden. What species am I?

  Small vegetation-like dandelions had their entire life cycle within a week. You’d see them live, spread across the damn lawn and die. They made for a decent salad. Even larger plants like carniforous trees had quick growth cycles at the beginning of their life. Yet here I was, struggling to grow a third leaf. If this is my final form, Nyla isn’t hearing the end of it. I tried dreaming about her since our last talk, but nothing came about. How many charges does she have? Maybe I’ll try-

  A faint buzzing drew near. Six small points of contact scurried around my left leaf—small hooks at the end of each point. Two more points appeared at the front of this creature and began rapidly tapping. Don’t you dare, you better only eat other insects you piece of-

  A massive crunch rang down my entire stem. Fluids began leaking out of the wound left behind. That’s it, I’m beating the shit out of this thing. After almost being eaten by a squirrel, I can’t afford to take chances and wait it out. I raised my right leaf. Curling it into a cylinder as hard as I could without splitting it apart. I aimed at the place of the crunching. A thwack echoed out. No luck, the crunching continued at a heightened pace. I was going to lose this leaf. I threw down once again. This time, a crunch reverberated across. YES!

  The lump went still on top of me. Its corpse oozed fluid into my gaping side, as it entered my stomata, a gush of heat circulated through me. It was the same feeling when I was first attached to the tree…by the time I finished that thought, my injured leaf had already grasped around the carcass and wrung it dry. If plants had taste buds, I may have had an aneurysm.

  All that remained was a husk that drifted away from a sly breeze. My wound was gone, and my stem finally welcomed a third arm. Maybe I was reincarnated as a Venus fly trap? The day ended without a second meal, which I’m honestly thankful for.

  ……….

  “So how did it feel like taking your first life?” hummed Nyla. We sat in a small gazebo. Her legs were kicking in the air while her hands tucked a small cup of purple tea. Her sundress had hydrangea billowing their petals across the fabric.

  “Finally found time to talk to me? And here I thought I was your favourite huh?” I asked. My previous polluted form had evolved into a white, fuzzy mess.

  “Hmm, definitely in my top 50,” she chortled. “And before you ask, I don’t have a number one, it’s better that way.”

  “Uh huh uh huh, so are you here to unveil a new cheat? Maybe teach me how to reach my growth spurt? Or will you keep yapping?”

  “Answer my question,” Nyla said.

  I thought back to the willingness to kill something eating me alive, the disgust of having it lay dead on top of me, and the horror of knowing what I gained. “I don’t regret it,” I said, “Growing one leaf took long enough, I had to.”

  “Would you do it again?”

  The Pinta Island tortoise was hunted to extinction because of its meat…How do I know this? “Going on a quest to kill all the insects I can find is not healthy for your sanctuary. But, if one tries to eat me, I know my choice.”

  A burst of warm air flooded my consciousness. “Not bad of an answer.”

  “Not bad of a response. So you mind telling me who ‘Vila’ is?” I asked. A monarch butterfly landed on Nyla’s hand, drooping its wings across her palm.

  “I’m glad you asked. She’s an enchanting little fairy in the sanctuary. One of Veledub’s best caretakers.”

  “Veledub?” I asked.

  “I cannot guide you about everything in Krailas. It would upset the balance at play. You’re…a smart plant, you will uncover its identity.”

  “You know you’re a terrible liar right.”

  “I know,” replied her hemorrhaging voice. Her swinging legs were producing interlacing afterimages.

  “Gotta go again?”

  “I’ll be back for your next milestone.”

  “Yeah get ready to be wowed by a FOURTH LEAF!”

  “You know, insects aren’t the only things you can grow from.”

  “I’m fine.”

  ……….

  It was natural for things to grow off one another, food chains existed for a reason. A spider eats anything trapped in its web. A thousand blades of grass could be eaten indiscriminately by the wandering cow. Was I any better? Nyla’s final words lingered in my mind. My very circumstance is unnatural. So why follow the rules of nature? My principle was easy to carry out.

  Not many bugs tried to eat me after the first. A few would land on me. But if they wouldn’t bite, I wouldn’t fight. Why did I jinx myself? The light that my body was so desperately using suddenly vanished. Did a black hole eat the sun or something?

  Massive rumbling made its way toward me. The movement shook apart my smaller roots inlaid between rocks in the ground. Days of growing undone. It came to an abrupt stop. Ok, that’s messed up. I can deal with a bug, but a deer or something? There’s no chance. I held myself ready. An abrupt gust of wind blocked some of my pores. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.

  “Hey Sallix! How you been- Oh locusts, you look like…you smell like…” Vila didn’t stay long to talk today. For once, I was glad I had no sense of smell. At the very least, the nutrients from the ground would be richer for the next few days. Maybe I was reincarnated as the avatar of cope. Yeah, right, despite growing a fourth, and then a fifth leaf, Nyla did not appear back in my dreams. However, on a particular morning-

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  “HIIIIIIDDDEEEEE MEEEEEEEEE,” yelled a frantic voice.

  …What is it this time?!

  Rapid beats of a miniature drum rocked the surrounding air. The gentle but furious pitter-patter of minuscule feet travelled from the top of my stem to the bottom. All ten fingers desperately grasped my base. The haggard breathing behind me was no greater than the softest of gusts. Vila, what did you do?

  “Okay, okay, okay,” she said, gasping for breath. “Sallix, when she flies over, act natural. And don’t let her suspect a thing!”

  Vila, I have no idea who you’re talking about. Are we about to die? Multitudes of questions floated through my consciousness, yet there was no opening for them to exit.

  A deafening howl rang across the air. “Vila! You evolutionary cul-de-sac, you get back here this instant or so help me even Nyla will not be able to save you!” roared the banshee. The dirt behind me grew damp with moisture. I swore the last of the morning dew had fallen already.

  “S-sallix? When I die, please bury me next to your roots,” Vila whimpered. Her hands dug into my stem, each finger desperately trying to huddle in one of my grooves.

  Who are you hiding from? Why did you choose me as your hideout? How did this happen to me? You’ve made a mistake! We’ve got nowhere to run!

  The banshee arrived. Compared to Vila, who intermingled with the air as she flew through on each of our visits, this thing made the air move in subservience. It was brute force, wind resistance be damned. Like the refugees of Pompeii, the wind howled as it ran behind us.

  “Let’s see here, a small sapling growing by its lonesome in the center of the grass garden,” the voice muttered. The hoarse yell had morphed into a gravelly tone coming to a honeyed finish. A hand the size of Vila’s brushed against one of my leaves. It traced the veins, to the center line, down to the stalk that joined the leaf to my stem. “How convenient.”

  “Sallix, stay calm, she won’t hurt you. It’s me she wants,” Vila whispered. Pinpricks of cold energy infiltrated my stem and burrowed into my consciousness.

  “Oi, answer me. Did a small creature, barely the size of a leaf, land on you?” the voice muttered.

  “Even if I wanted to, I can’t speak-” I said. Vila’s hand squeezed my stem.

  “Yeah, yeah. Cut the surprise, plants can’t speak unless you cast Speech on them,” she replied. “You have a nice voice, low and soft, like a cowering cub.” This was too much to take in. So there were spells that let you talk! But how could I cast them? I need to ask this person when I get the chance…after she calms down.

  “…Thanks, you sound like you would love to kill me.”

  “Tsk, I apologize if I was forceful. A sister of mine, Vila, has been messing around again. Late to her morning tasks, disturbing the local birds, and casting unrestricted growth spells on flora she finds interesting. Moreover, she’s been spending an abnormal amount of time lately flying to the western edges of Himavanta,” she said.

  “Sounds like you’ve got quite the headache. What are you going to do with her?” I asked. I figured Vila was not the only fairy of her kind in this place. But based on how insanely scared she was of this ‘sister’, I wouldn’t let anyone harm the first friend I made here. Maybe a couple of leaf bonks would drive her away?

  “Urgh, she’ll cry if I punish her and complain if I chaperone her. Her deadliest weapons are those puppy eyes of hers. I guess I’ll punish and chaperone her then,” she said, her voice dripping with excitement. “Regardless, I’m sorry to have disturbed you, my name is Vehyr. And you are?”

  “Sallix.”

  “Charmed,” Vehyr replied. Her voice descended into a cavernous depth. “So, you have met her.”

  “You’re mistaken.”

  “Really?” she asked, hand clenching my leaf tighter, “Plants who can name themselves are Awakened, either by the Gods or from one of us. Sallix is a name that Vila has been yammering about for weeks now.” She did? I thought she came up with it on the fly…I’m definitely not giving her up.

  “Crazy coincidence,” I said.

  “While I do appreciate the undying and honourable bond that you share with her, this is a matter between the fae. I would implore that you do not intercede more than necessary…You need to focus on growing,” she said, her voice slightly wilting at the end. Vehyr was not budging from her position. She was centimetres away from Vila, a look around would spell disaster for us.

  “Okay, you’re right, you’re right,” I said. My right leaf did an overblown gesture of bowing towards Vehyr. “She did come by here, but flew away for a better hiding spot.” Vehyr’s hand extracted itself from my stem.

  “Excellent, do you happen to know the direction she cowered in?” Vehyr asked.

  “Cardinal directions aren’t my forte, but she rushed behind me if that helps at all,” I replied.

  “Inconvenient. Well, thank you for the help Sallix. The spell should wear off soon.”

  “Wait! Before you go, how would I be able to cast that spell?” I asked. Her hand rested back on top of my leaf. My soul shivered at the thought of what she would do to it.

  “You scare easily, your soul shrieks whenever I touch you…Am I really that scary?” Vehyr asked, her voice tapered into a hushed lilt.

  “N-no, I’m sorry about that-”

  “Anyways, casting spells requires a lot of mana sensitivity and training. I have neither the time nor energy to commit to a new charge. Perhaps you can ask Vila that next time she’s around,” she said. A burst of air blew my leaves backwards. Vehyr flew off.

  “How can I do that if the spell wears off!” I yelled. No response.

  “I think, I think she’s gone Sallix!” cried Vila. Vila barely made any movement during the conversation. I’d assumed she had fainted from the stress.

  “Yeah, you need to get out of here before she comes back!” I said.

  “I know, I know. You really saved me back there Sallix…thank you.” A leaf wrapped around her and wiped away the tears forming on her marble-sized face.

  “Before you go, is she always that terrifying when you miss out on work?”

  “Well…I did dump water on her as a prank earlier today…” Vila muttered. I regret ever helping you.

  “Just…just go Vila. And if you can, please teach me how to cast that spell. I really wanted to talk to you ever since you came to see me.”

  “I’d love to Sallix! I was waiting until you grew a bit more. At your size, I don’t think you’d handle the mana burn if the spell backfired-”

  “Gotcha,” an icicle had pierced our conversation. Air cowered as Vehyr landed next to us. “Good try Sallix, but I figured Vila was around here somewhere. Up we go.”

  I am an oblivious bystander. I see nothing, I hear nothing. I hold no stakes in this conversation. I will stay here and grow until I use mana.

  “NOOOooo! I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna!” screamed Vila. Her hands clawed at my stem as she was dragged away.

  “Oh please, just do your chores and then you can go sleep on the lily pads,” Vehyr chortled.

  “I don’t like you! Okay, I don’t mean that! But you’re still mean,” Vila said, her voice began to fade away into the distance.

  “Bye Vila,” I laughed. I suppose I’d have to grow a few more days to cast-

  “Sallix, you’re voice isn’t like a cub! It’s very nice and soothing. Kinda like the first autumn breeze after summer,” Vila yelled.

  “OKAY! THANK YOU!”