44 Roots

The island had somehow grown a head. It's long neck craned over and stared at the tiny dragon that had disturbed it. Looking at the moving island's features, it appeared to be a massive long neck tortoise. Its head was covered in moss and its eyes were glossed over. The massive spirit beast appeared to be blind.

" Rwaark" The tiny dragon squeaked at the tortoise.

" MWOAAHHhhhhhh" The tortoise responded in what sounded like a low pitched quack.

The sound was so loud that I had to hold my head as what was dirt and lake matter attempted to land on my body.

" Wraaakkk" Puff responded as if nothing had happened. It puffed out its little chest as if it was picking a fight.

" Please don't make the nice tortoise beast eat me…" I said quickly.

Puff looked at me for a brief moment. Although I don't think dragons can sigh, this one very much appeared to.

The massive tortoise then plunged it's head underwater again with a massive splash. I held on for dear life as it wandered around the pond.

Puff jumped onto the tree on the tortoise's back to stop itself from falling. My clothes after the tortoise dived were soaked through, I now looked like a drowning rat.

As my arms started to get tired the tortoise sprung its head back up again. It held in its mouth a sprig of some sort of lake plant and craned it's neck over before it dropped the plant on its back.

" Rwark!" Puff seemed excited looking at the plant. It eagerly ran down the tree and ran over to the plant and squeaked excitedly.

I looked at the plant covered in dirt and lake matter unable to make heads or tails of what had just happened.

The giant tortoise moaned again before dipping its head under the water one last time. I had to grab on to Puff as it held the plant in its teeth for dear life.

" A .. Little... Warning... Next time?!" I huffed through deep breaths angrily.

My legs were clinging to the tree, in one hand I had my wet clothing and the other was puff with the plant still between its teeth.

[ I am sure anyone who walked by would laugh ]

Everything had finally stabilised. I stood up feeling slightly motion sick.

Puff then gestured to me to go back to the lakeside that we had come from. The tiny dragon was not even slightly flustered at what had just happened. Puff was acting as if seeing a 20-foot tortoise that was big enough to have a tree and be mistaken as an island was normal.

I looked around and gathered my bearings, but my now wet clothes on my soaking head as well as Puff who then jumped back to nest on my shoes didn't exactly put me in a great mood. I begrudgingly set back across the lake. My eyebrows had formed some stiff peaks on the top of my nose.

Kibbles had taken one look at me drenched from head to toe and began pointing and laughing.

" Are you sure you are a cat and not a hyena?" I said with a snarl.

" I can't help it! You just look so silly!" Kibbles said still laughing.

" Can I sit by the fire to dry off? Or is it still of use to your magic?" I said as I attempted to change the subject.

" Yeah, you can use the fire and look! " Kibbles said as he made a click with his fingers.

Nothing happened, so he clicked again.

Still nothing.

" Wait wait! I have got this!" Kibbles said frustrated.

Finally, after another click, a tiny fire appeared on his palm.

" Wow, so you got it!! Congratulations!" I said as I walked closer to the fire with cheer in my voice.

" What about you Yuki? Did you figure out how your magic works?" Kibbles said smiling.

I sat by the fire and explained everything that had happened while Kibbles had been meditating. He laughed for a solid five minutes. He was either laughing or apologising for laughing. By the end of it, I couldn't help myself as I slapped him on the arm due to embarrassment.

Puff in the meantime had walked over to the cave entrance and removed the dirty plant from its mouth. Kibbles and I watched as it then dug a hole near the cave entrance and put the plant in with the roots facing downwards.

The dragon's tail began to glow as it touched it gently on the plant. The plant seemed to spring to life as it grew rapidly. It's leaves curled against the stalk looking like green grass and a clear substance formed in the middle of the curls. It looked like someone had blown some glass to merely look like a plant.

The plant wrapped around the entrance of the cave. It choked out all the plants around it. While the plant had grown the rest had shrivelled just as rapidly.

The plant didn't seem to want to slow down there and made its way inside the cave that we had used as a bedroom.

A thick green smoke began to form and rushed out of the cave like a wind had blown it.

The whole sight was equal parts beautiful and terrifying. It was an up and personal view of the cycle of life and death materialised right in front of my eyes.

Puff who seemed tired at this point, walked up to the cave entrance and then looked at me.

" Am I to walk in there?" I said questioningly.

Puff nodded before sitting on the floor.

I walked over and picked up the tiny dragon and nodded.

" Thank you for your hard work!" I said to the tiny Puff.

The dragon may have been annoying to begin with, but the little lizard had grown on me somewhat. Now that it was helping me learn magic, I couldn't be more grateful. I carried it on my head and walked to the cave entrance.

" I will be back in a bit!" I said to Kibbles and smiled.

Kibbles nodded back to me, I could feel his eyes on me as I entered the cave. The strong scent of dirt assaulted my orifices.

My heart began beating heavy and slow.

I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment and walked towards where my bed was. My eyelids were getting heavy. The last thing I felt before I fell into a daze was the tail of Puff at it hit the back of my head.

The next thing I saw was darkness.

In this darkness I couldn't move nor could I see. It felt like it was normal not to move about but the feeling of wanting to become taller overwhelmed by my impulses.

Steadily I grew taller and taller till I could feel a wide amount of warmth on my skin. I had realised at this time that I had become a plant. I felt as the seasons changed, bugs crawled upon me and the earth under my feet moved.

I wanted so much to grow and reach the sunlight growing taller and taller. Sometimes there was a time when my leaves were chewed upon but there was never any pain only discomfort.

Being a plant was a lot like being a bystander in your own life, there are things you can affect but most of the time you can only do your best to struggle against the wind. I being a plant had learned to be more patient and observed. The feelings of frustration that I had felt from not being able to change the world around me had calmed into a feeling of acceptance.

I had been a plant for so long that I had forgotten how to be human. One day I knew that my life reaching its end. My roots had trouble taking in water and my sturdy trunk was rotting slightly. I knew that my body would give shelter to knew life. My arms would become places for birds to rest and my body would become a place for new plants to grow.

I died truly content.

As I had taken my final breath as a plant I could feel my limbs again and slowly opened my eyes.

It was at that moment I had opened by eyes to see Kibbles crying at my side.