The taste of the fruit exploded in her mouth, a sweet mixture of grapes and honey that was both refreshing and satisfying. After waiting for a while and seeing that she wasn't poisoned, Mira's confidence grew, and she started devouring the rest of the fruits. There were only a few pieces in each bunch - about 10 to 12 pieces per bunch - and she had managed to pick only three bunches. But she didn't care; she was too hungry and the fruit was too delicious. She ate eagerly, savoring the sweetness and texture of the fruit.
With her hunger and thirst satiated, Mira began to think about finding a safe place to rest for the night. She had hoped to find a cave near the falls, but the surrounding area seemed to be devoid of any natural shelters. Her eyes scanned the trees, and she realized that sleeping on one of them might be her only option. It wasn't ideal – she knew that trees could be home to snakes, insects, and other dangers – but it was better than sleeping on the ground, where predators might be lurking.
Mira spotted a tree with wide, crisscrossing branches that seemed sturdy enough to support her weight. She approached the tree cautiously, testing the branches before beginning to climb. As she ascended, she gathered vines from the surrounding foliage, thinking that she could use them to create a makeshift hammock.
Once she reached a suitable height, Mira started to weave the vines between the branches, creating a sturdy platform. She worked diligently, her fingers moving quickly as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Before she knew it, the sky was darkening, and the forest was bathed in the soft, eerie light of twilight. By the time she finished weaving the hammock, night had fallen, and the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky.
Mira settled into her treetop hammock, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but it was better than sleeping on the ground. As she drifted off to sleep, she listened to the sounds of the forest, her senses on high alert for any signs of danger. The rustling of leaves, the hooting of owls, and the distant roar of a predator all blended together to create a symphony of night sounds, and Mira felt her eyelids growing heavy as she surrendered to exhaustion.
Mira's eyes snapped open as the rustling of grass and the sound of footsteps pierced the night air. She was instantly alert, her grip tightening around the branch she had picked as a makeshift weapon. She cautiously peeked over the edge of her treetop hammock, her eyes scanning the darkness below.
What she saw made her eyes widen in shock. A group of plants – five of them, to be exact – were making their way towards the lake near the falls. There was a rose, a cactus, and three other tree-like plants, all moving with an unsettling fluidity. Mira's mind struggled to process what she was seeing – plants that could move? She watched in amazement as they approached the lake, seemingly intent on taking a bath.
As she waited with bated breath, the plants entered the lake and made their way to the center, where the moonlight was shining down. They stopped moving, their leaves and petals stretching towards the moon like they were absorbing its essence. Mira's mind was racing with questions. What kind of magical place had she traveled to? Were these plants somehow magical?
The plants remained still, basking in the moonlight, and Mira couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. If she hadn't seen them walking into the lake with her own eyes, she would have thought it was just a beautiful scene – a rose and other plants living in the middle of the lake, surrounded by water and moonlight. The sight was almost surreal, and Mira felt like she was witnessing something truly magical.
Mira remained guarded, her eyes fixed on the plants as they stood still in the lake. Despite their tranquil pose, she couldn't shake off the feeling that everything in this forest was potentially deadly. She was about to let her guard down when the rose suddenly whipped its vines, striking with deadly precision.
Mira's heart skipped a beat as she almost screamed, but she managed to stifle the sound, covering her mouth with her hand. She watched in amazement as the rose attacked a wolf-like beast that had been creeping towards the lake. The wolf's yelp of pain was followed by the sound of more wolves emerging from the shadows.
The cactus and the other plants joined the fray, with the cactus shooting thorns like projectiles and the other plants lashing out with their vines. The battle was intense and bloody, with the vines tearing flesh from the wolves' bodies and the plants' barbed tendrils seemingly injecting poison into their victims. Mira watched in horror as the wolves fell one by one, their bodies twitching and convulsing as the poison took hold.
Just when it seemed like the plants had the upper hand, the wolf king emerged, its eyes blazing with fury. And then, in a display of power that made Mira's eyes widen in shock, the wolf king spat fire, engulfing some of the plants. The plants recoiled, their leaves and vines charred and smoking, but to Mira's amazement, they began to repair themselves at an incredible rate.
The plants were enraged, and they launched a fresh wave of attacks, their vines snapping and whipping with increased ferocity. The wolf king let out a defeated howl, and the surviving wolves began to retreat, their tails between their legs. As the plants stood victorious, Mira couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at their ferocity and resilience. She realized that in this forest, even the plants were deadly predators, and she needed to be constantly on her guard.
Mira felt like her life was a never-ending nightmare. She had always fantasized about escaping her miserable reality through novels about transmigration, where the heroine would find happiness and love in a new world. But this...this was not what she had signed up for. The constant danger, the struggle to survive, the plants that could move and attack...it was all too much to handle.
She thought about her old life, with her toxic family and cheating boyfriend, and her severe illness that had made her life a living hell. But compared to this, it seemed like a walk in the park. At least then she knew what she was dealing with. Here, every step could be her last.
Mira felt a wave of despair wash over her as she clung to her tree branch, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Why had she ever wished for this? She would give anything to go back to her old life, miserable as it was, if only she could be safe. But that door was closed now, and she was stuck in this unforgiving world, fighting for her life every moment. The thought was almost too much to bear.