"Something Wonderful"
Chapter One
Bait and Switch
The prey bolted between the trees much faster than he would have given it credit for; it fled from him much like a rabbit or deer would, terrified and swift, single-minded in its escape as it sped through the underbrush. They looked comical on such clumsy, weak limbs, and watching them flee was fascinating. They did not look graceful on their two shaky legs, balancing with only two brittle arms, but they transcended their limitations and they moved. But he had a sensible body: fluid, flexible, and amorphous, and he could move in more than three dimensions. Running from him was not just useless; it was impossible.
He followed a distance from his prey, for the outcome was already assured. Occasionally he showed himself to it. The stupid thing was too simple to understand how he could move from behind to in front of it and made a shrill and ran in another direction, deeper into the woods. He did not perceive Sonics as they did, so most of the effect was lost on him. But he recognized the vibrational frequency as denoting a heightened emotional state in humans. Fear, hysteria, and other unseemly affectations were common for them.
Once, he had thought communication with this strange, weak, but apparently intelligent species could be possible. As was proper, he had assumed their form to the best of his abilities, to better adapt. But simply existing in the same space with them had been too much to bear; everything about them was offensive and incensed him. Occasionally, he tolerated them for his own purposes, but he doubted the universe truly required their continued existence. In any event, he had to sustain himself on something. His hunger was a constant, terrible force if not fed. It was the only thing he obeyed and feared.
As the prey stumbled through the forest over fallen branches and mossy roots, he felt the hunger sharply inside him, as if it were carving him out from within. It gnawed him with invisible teeth, much like his own real teeth, when he chose to have them. He decided to end the chase. A shift in his temporal and spacial position placed him directly in front of his target. It screamed, which he detected only as vibrations, and then it fell backward at the base of a gnarled tree, which in its leaf-less state reminded him of a more respectable life form. Unfortunately, trees were alive in only the barest sense.
The prey's heart beat frantically. Its chemical make-up was overcome with what he knew to be a bitter-tasting fear chemical; the rest of its bodily systems were out of balance, and some had been suspended altogether. If he did not end is life soon, it would probably end itself from the stress taking place in its body. He had more than once driven certain individuals to death in just that way before, but that was usually for other reasons besides the hunt. This was about his all-important sustenance. He did not care to experiment with the thing's endurance.
He unfurled himself by letting out more of his appendages from his back. It felt good, as staying in one contained form for too long began to feel limiting and stiff, especially in this shape. One thing he did like about the human form, though, was how easily it ripped apart: how it cracked, and split, and tore. It was a brittle center surrounded by softer parts, all of it wrapped in a thin outer layer of flesh. Eating one was a much easier process than eating something like himself.
The prey crawled against the base of the tree. The prey was not making intense mouth-frequencies anymore; they were less perceptible and the vibrational waves were further apart. He reached out with his appendages to grab the creature. It drew back from him, but it was essentially trapped. It had nowhere to go.
A shadow flickered across the prey's face. So intent on feeding himself, he at first paid it no mind, but then it occurred again. As he turned around to look at what disturbance was taking place, something sharp penetrated his back, right between the approximations of his shoulders blades, right where his secondary appendages met. It was such a shocking feeling he almost collapsed; pain, excepting the pain of hunger, was almost a foreign thing to him.
He did not bleed nor scream; he didn't do things like that, and never had; but he found it difficult to do what came naturally; to reshape himself and escape whatever weapon had pierced him. The weapon was barbed, but more importantly, seemed to be paralyzing the flesh around it. He felt almost sluggish as the numb feeling spread from the wound. He barely felt himself. He forced himself to stay alert, and concentrated on growing more tendrils to protect himself. As he did so, he was forced to the ground. Pain lanced through his back and he twisted. He fell onto his side. The prey next to him was lying still at the base of the tree. Its eyes were closed, but he detected some life. It might have been frightened until its body temporarily shut down. He looked away from it and to whatever had assaulted him.
His attacker was not one of the fragile, brittle earth creatures. It was looming and dark, and it possessed malleable appendages as he did; that was how he had been assaulted. But it was not truly like him—its frequency was too different, too alien, and its shrouded form glared down at him with one large, luminescent eye.
It spoke to him as more advanced creatures spoke—without primitive mouthparts and vibrational frequencies. I AM UNDERWHELMED. I EXPECTED TO LAY THE FIRST BLOW BUT NOT SO QUICKLY.
He did not answer. Instead he concentrated on freeing himself. He shifted both physically and temporally around the barb that held him, and that helped him, though just barely. And it required far more energy than it should have. At last he pulled free. He reestablished himself a bit past the tree where the prey, or perhaps the bait, lay. More slowly than he liked, his wound mended back together.
WE SHALL BEGIN AGAIN, said the stranger. YOU MAY RUN.
He had no eyes, but he glowered all the same; it was a unique talent he possessed. What, he said, have you dared to suggest to me?
YOU MAY RUN, it repeated. DO IT NOW. I AM BORED, AND VERY HUNGRY.