gore

and other wormy matters

VERDANT

and then the universe screamed

Twinkle, twinkle
Little star
How I wonder what you are.

Verdant was singing to themself. It wasn't as acoustically pleasing as you'd think, though, because he didn't have any ears. They also didn't have a vocal chord. Or eyes. Not even a nose. Instead, the song existed in their head as a spark of synapses, a release of chemicals. Their own little melody.

Meanwhile, their host was on the brink of death. A little rat's brain can only withstand so much destruction. Its eyes were milky and bulging as it staggered into Monoceros, wandered far from its home cave in delerium. Occasional hisses were heard from it. Verdant saw its misery with mild entertainment. It was a star, not a living being, after all. Why not watch the supernova?

It was around this time the Rat stumbled over a rock and collapsed on the ground, too weak to do anything. A flash of annoyance burnt in the worm inside its brain. Why did it stop moving? They were just getting settled!

"Ghet h uph" they hissed, activating their magic to project a garbled, almost incomprehensible sound. The rat twitched weakly. "Ie saihd, gyet uup." They thumped their tail in frustration, dislodging a few neurons here and there. Why won't their star obey them? Such poor quality.

Looks like they're stuck here, in the brain of a dying animal far from home. How fun.

"hsow funnn..."

@Assistant

Home- if anyone could call a dry, dusty cave with a raging whirlwind in it's center a Home. Luckily for Assistant, it both less dry and windy within the trenches that they currently roamed. They weren't doing anything in particular, right now, really just going for a walk. Researcher was asleep, right now. They worried about leaving Researcher alone, sometimes, but it felt safe when she was asleep. The river was long dried, but sometimes Assistant tried to imagine what it might've looked like, water filling the canyon they current stood in. They knew it was ridiculous, but they felt as though something horrible would happen if they turned their back for too long.

Strange hissing caught their attention. Ears pricked, their head swiveled in the direction of the noise. One of those big, nasty black rats- not too uncommon in Monoceros. Heck, not too uncommon anywhere, really. What was strange was the way it was acting. It was stumbling around in wobbly circles, swaying like a leaf of one of Monocero's short, scrubby shrubs. It's eyes were closer to pink or white than a Pitch rat's iconic red.

They watched the rat from a safe distance, in case it would be aggressive in this state. It was.. morbid, essentially watching a rat die. But they couldn't just leave it, nor could they save it. Maybe they could learn something from this that could be very helpful very soon. They knew Cortex did dissections- maybe they'd be interested in this specimen?

Then it spoke.

No, something spoke, because the rat was catatonic on the ground. Fur fluffed with unease, they listened to the incoherent whispers, waiting for whatever was trying to speak to finish. "Um, hello?" They called in the direction of the... whatever it was, "What are you.. and where are you?

For good measure, they threw a pebble at the rat. It twitched in response.

@Verdant

VERDANT

and then the universe screamed

Verdant, in their cocoon of stardust and brain matter, did not immediately understand what was going on. First: a series of strange, muffled vibrations crept through the rat's skull, distinctly different from the background noise of the dying star. And then-- suddenly-- something hit them! Their world rocked as the rat twitched weakly towards the thrown pebble, Verdant struggling to keep a grip on the slurry of brain juice that surrounded them. 'Bad bad bad bad,' their neurons chanted. 'Not good.'

They did not immediately recognize the action as the act of a conscious being. But wait! Weren't those strange vibrations very similar to the ones the Star gave off? Perhaps another Star was out there! How exciting! Perhaps they could parasitize that one too...?

They tried something new-- a far-off nebula they hadn't dared explore yet. A new spell.

But nothing did happen. The rat simply twitched listlessly as they cursed their incompetence.

@Assistant

The rat twitched weakly, but otherwise nothing else happened. No more of the strange almost-words, or any other reaction from the whatever-it-was. They frowned, squinting at the rat. Maybe it was just their imagination? Had they caught whatever Researcher had?
"...Hello?" They called once more, feeling increasingly on edge, "Are you... there?" Maybe they should get someone else to help investigate? But what if the rat died before they returned- if it even WAS the rat?

They knew a spell. A unfamiliar spell.. a WEIRD spell, but in this case a potentially useful spell.

It had been so long since they had done magic. Assistant would focus on the space between them and the rat, trying to summon... a "banana."

And it appeared- a long curved yellow fruit that vaguely sparkled. Assistant would reach forward to push it just within the rat's reach before scooting back a safe distance to observe.

@Verdant

VERDANT

and then the universe screamed

The rat, while dying, still felt hunger. Milky eyes watched as a magical banana plopped to the ground and was scooted within mouth's reach. Several seconds passed, hesitating, before the overwhelming sensation of starvation compelled it to drag itself forward with the last of its energy and take a bite. It's head was tilted almost horizontally as it ate, and sloppy muscle movements resulted in most of the banana falling out of its jaws before it could swallow.

To Verdant, this was a new and fascinating discovery. So the Star can move, if compelled to by an outside force. They heard the vibration again, so it might've been the same Other Star. Can Stars generate food? So interesting. They wondered if they could eat their brains.

But right now wasn't the time for that. Right now was the time to thank the Other Star for its hard labor. The previous spell didn't work, so maybe it was time to try something else. Something easier.

"Thhhanks," a garbled voice started, randomly placed behind Assistant. "Thhe [unintelligible] foood... needded move..." The rat flinched slightly at the sudden whispering, slightly rejuvenated by the meal. "You... traveller... or.... [unintelligible]?"

@Assistant