I stared up at the sky through the eyes of my equine servant, while also extending my new senses upwards. Though I saw the clouds billowing above me, I also felt it in a way that I could never hope to explain to a being that did not have experience being a plant. The closest I could describe was that I could detect the change in air pressure, and it was akin to feeling your bones itch.

A weird sensation, though one that felt oddly pleasurable. Not that kind of pleasurable mind you, as I was no longer a sexual being in the traditional sense, but still quite enjoyable. There was a palpable sense of anticipation hovering over my small grove, and I could tell that not all of it originated from me.

The other trees, bushes, and even grass gave off a sense of yearning, that I again, can't quite describe to a fleshy being. I could just tell that they were ready for the rain, and needed it desperately, based solely on the smell.

I couldn't help but hop from hoof to hoof as I watched the roiling, black mass churn overhead. Lightning could be seen in the distance, and a second later the crack of thunder rolled over the grove. As I felt the ground rumble, I couldn't help but imagine that my stomach was doing the same, my hunger growing to the point that it felt like I was about to die.

I didn't know if that was actually true, and my desire to feed wasn't quite normal, but it was close enough to my experience as a human that it was similar. I had only ever come this close to starving when I had a stomach infection that made me throw up constantly for nearly three days. Back then I knew I wasn't actually going to die however, though this time I couldn't be sure, as it had been nearly the same amount of time without sustenance.

The second crack, followed by a rolling boom sounded almost akin to a dinner bell for some reason.

Almost immediately rain poured down from the heavens in a great sheet, bathing the entire grove in a layer of liquid nourishment. I began to try and soak up as much as I could the moment I felt the water begin to penetrate the earth. My multitudes of mini mouths greedily drank all I could, desperate to ward off the burning hunger in the pit of my soul.

For a moment it almost felt like this was going to be it, and that my woes would finally be defeated. Then it stopped, and I was left feeling satiated, yet I wasn't anywhere close to full. The closest I could describe was that it felt like I had been starving and dehydrated now I was just the latter and not the former.

To say I was confused would be an understatement.

I am a tree, which needs only two things to survive, water, and sun. I suppose air as well, and a bunch of other minor things, but those didn't count. Everyone knew that a plant needed those two main things. Yet no matter how much I drank, I could not dismiss the fiery need in the pit of my metaphorical stomach.

My servant stomped angrily through the puddles before taking refuge beneath my spotty canopy, my anger spilling out through our connection. I reluctantly recalled the tiny horse back into my trunk as I got to thinking, attempting to find some reason for my continued suffering.

The first thing I considered was that I had some kind of disease, or that I was simply being impatient. So to cross one of those things off my list, I continued to drink as much as I could, while also relishing the feeling of being watered. Which felt amazing, let me tell you. It was like taking a long, cold shower after spending all day out in the hot summer sun.

Yet my hunger remained, and though I knew nothing of plant borne diseases, I didn't feel off. At least not in that particular way.

Perhaps I was a different kind of plant, one that required some manner of substance that I didn't know of. Magic was real here, so I thought to myself that it may be necessary for me to consume this energy. None of my new senses really allowed me to detect anything of the sort however, nor did I know how to eat it even if I could find it in the first place.

I decided to comb through my memories, attempting to think of some plant that required a different form of sustenance. My brain immediately latched onto the venus fly trap, though that felt wrong to me. I didn't have some kind of extra orifice, or container where I could dissolve and consume my prey.

I was just an old, ugly tree that had some kind of necromantic power which I barely comprehended. How would I even eat something like that? By sticking it in my trunk and waiting for it to decompose naturally?

Though I had reached a dead end, the thought of meat made my mind go back to the fox I had spotted. That response wasn't natural, I realized, and wasn't something any normal tree should experience. Clearly I required flesh, and though I didn't know how I’d actually eat it, I knew I had to have it.

To that end I extracted my servant from my trunk and set it to work searching out for some manner of small animal. Only to quickly realize just how poor my hunting skills were, at least while occupying the body of a hooved creature. Each step was louder than I wanted, though thankfully it was mostly covered by the downpour that had continued unabated.

I continued to search out any sounds which may indicate a living creature was in the area, but was coming up with nothing. Slumping down into the groove of a sickly evergreen, my servant grumbled to itself while I tried to think of something else I could do. Traps were the first logical conclusion, though it felt like I didn't have time for that, at least not while I was this hungry.

Now getting a little desperate, I decided to try and use my newer powers to try and locate some potential prey. Though I didn't know what I was doing, I managed to push the right amount of power into my trunk and release it in a pulse. One which allowed me to detect every living thing in what felt like the entire radius that I could send my servant.

My soaring hope quickly came crashing back down when I realized that ninety nine percent of what I had sensed was a fellow plant. There was at least one stationary target nearby though, but it was small, and barely larger then what my fist had been. Still, at this point I wasn't going to turn away a free meal no matter how small it was, so I focused on my servant once more.

This time I sent the four legged critter directly towards the tasty morsel I had picked up in my periphery. I did my best to remain stealthy, and though I knew I was only partially successful, the animal didn't move. Even as I approached the tree it was hiding inside of, the thing remained motionless, seemingly asleep.

I wanted to let out a whoop of victory, but I stowed that urge for the moment, as I had yet to actually catch it. I decided to try and remedy this by stealthily climbing up to where I had detected my prey. Though difficult to do with hooves, and a pair of useless wings, I managed to accomplish such a task with only a minimal amount of cursing.

With my tiny legs now balanced atop the slippery branch, I peered closely into the small hole present in the tree. There just inside was a squirrel whose brown fur had long since turned grey from age. Though it opened its eyes to gaze at my servant, I saw no hint of fear, and it simply laid back down a moment later.

Whether it had resigned itself to death, or didn't see me as a threat, I didn't know. What I did know was that I was hungry, and didn't care one way or the other. With my hunger piqued from seeing the small, vulnerable creature, I quickly reached into its hole and grabbed it with a hoof. It fought only briefly, squirming and biting at my rotting limb before swiftly giving up.

The squirrel breathed heavily, as if the brief bout of physical activity had exhausted it completely.

It was almost kind of sad, really. Though it did make me feel a little better about eating it, as it was likely on death’s doorstep already.

With the squirrel held tightly in my grip, my servant clambered back down the tree and dashed back over to me. Walking with three hooves was weird by the way, and it was only made worse by the growing puddles, as well as the continued downpour. I made it back to my trunk a few minutes later, squirrel still held tightly in my servant’s hoof.

There I ran into another problem, one that I had been wondering how to get past since first deciding to go out hunting.

I still didn't know how to eat the damn thing.

The squirrel’s squirming made me realize that I hadn't even killed it yet, and I swiftly remedied that by bashing its head against one of my exposed roots. The strike was quick, and clean despite the rain as well as the mud, stopping its movements after only a single blow. I followed this up by a second, then a third, just to make absolutely sure that it was indeed dead.

With that done, I dropped the thing and began to look around, rubbing my servant’s chin with a hoof. I considered squishing the thing, or perhaps burying it in between my roots, only for some strange instinct to activate. I immediately began to pull through my roots as if I was drinking more rain water, yet it didn't quite feel exactly the same.

I didn't see a reason to resist that urge however, and I actively poured everything I had into the action. This seemed to be exactly what I needed to do, as the skin and muscle of the squirrel began to slough off its body like water. In seconds the creature’s organs, and entire internal structure had sunk into my roots, leaving only a tiny skeleton.

Huh. I thought to myself, the hunger alleviated by the tiniest amount.

Though insignificant, it was still noticeable, and I couldn't help but feel like I had accomplished something great. That feeling of victory grew even more powerful when I suddenly felt a part of myself enter the squirrel. Now looking into my equine servant’s eyes, I was immediately hit by a sense of vertigo.

Looking down and up at myself at the same time was bizarre, and I quickly diverted my focus to the ground. Where all of the squirrel’s meat parts had seemingly vanished into, swallowed up by the soft, muddy earth.

“Huh,” I muttered to myself. “At least now I know where to start.”

I then took a moment to orientate my new bodies, practicing as I puppeted them both around the grove at the same time. The squirrel was faster, though smaller still than even the tiny horse thing. Though odd to control three bodies at the same time, I adapted surprisingly quickly, as if this form instinctively knew how to do that.

Right. I declared. Let's start setting up traps, and getting a steady food supply.

With that thought firmly in mind, I set off into the woods in search of bigger prey.

If you want to read the next updates for my biggest stories at the begining of the month rather at the end, or want to get a commission from me as well as access to patreon exclusive content, and the chance to submit story requests every month, head over to my patreon!

Join me over on patreon and get instant access to exclusive content and early looks at new stories, patreon only stories and other great stuff! Check it out!
Or just join the discord to ensure that you dont miss an update.
This update was made possible by the wonderful support of readers like you: Ech, Tailsic, Chrisb32, Nightwing, Tonoz, CoreyPeters, Thane, Renegade, Sunset Flash, Kyokimute, Monsterkittie, Louts Petals, Tacocat, Tom, MestreJ, Aang Slyver, Canary in the Coal Mine, Ceepert, Starless, Vi Watch, Facinus, M, Nfreak, Venerable Ro, Blade Tech, Cryil Shadeclaw, John Gonzales, Nightwing, Peter Coulthard, Srgtartman, Thane Kull, Victor, Dale, Dragons' Sheppard, Egery007, Gear change the earth pony, Ivar, James, Kali, Lich Lord Krosis, Menthol Qtip, Midnight Serenade, Mop Hop, Nathan Brown, Octavia Lowbar, Pacsik, Soundtea, Hannibal, Fiamgoku, Grub, Matias Duran, and Steven.