Recovery

By now, Kigen had already lost count over the number of insects, millipedes, centipedes, and other bugs in the forest. They were not that hard to find, and he had an advantage, he looked like a plant.

None of these bugs saw him coming, which caused him to wonder. Why did the eagle target him? Was it because he was flying about, making it obvious that he's not a plant? He did not have any answered yet. 

By now, his body was mostly healed, and the pain that had been radiating was mostly gone. However, something else was making him worry. His wings had not made a recovery. In fact, it was the exact opposite. 

Most of his wings had already started turning yellow, and in some parts, they were showing signs of withering. His hind wings were the most affected but so had his upper and mid wings. 

What if they would never recover? How was he expected to navigate this gigantic world while being the size of rodents? His wings had given him an obvious advantage, but it did not look as though they were coming back. 

Was this going to be his life now? Hunting down mice and bugs? All these questions were weighing heavily in his mind. 

Moreover, he was still plagued with disappointment and anger. He could still remember the person who hurt him. His own guardian. Someone who had raised him. How could they do that? 

In the past few days, he had been too busy trying to adapt to his new life, and later on, trying to survive, that he had not processed these emotions. Now, when he was at his lowest, the dam that had been holding back his emotions could not hold any longer. 

His emotional state was a mess, and he could barely think. He was so low that at some point he wanted to end all this. Maybe find some plant-eating beast and offer himself up. Perhaps it would be an easy way to go.

Kigen sighed heavily. He hated these feelings, but this was what life had dealt him. One thing about him though, was that he was no quitter. 

No, he would not quit. If he was going to go down, it would be in a glorious battle. There was really nothing he could do about those that had put him down, but he was not going to remain under. 

With this thought in mind, he decided to get up and stretch himself. He'd been sitting, enjoying some cricket he'd picked up along the way. 

As he stretched, he came to a disturbing realization. The pain in his wings was all but gone. This might seem like good news, but this meant that he was losing sensation over his wings. Were they dying? 

Argh! He didn't have any good options on how to get better. Plants usually shed their leaves, but they would grow new ones to replace the old ones. Were his wings capable of regrowth? 

He decided to stop all these questions. The one place he would find shelter was in the bosom of the mother tree, and that was where he decided to go. 

Some bad news come with good news, and this was one such case. His wings were dying, but they were still usable. With the loss of pain, he could take flight without torturing himself, and this is what he did. 

Though clumsy and barely moving, he managed to rise off the ground, up to a few feet in the air. However, he could not sustain flight for too long. He was straining too much, and everything felt unnatural. 

He quickly flopped on the ground, exhausted. However, he did not give up. Now that he knew he could fly, maybe he could rethink his climbing idea. Using his weak arms and legs, and some support from the wings, he managed to climb up a tree trunk. 

He made effort to jump from one branch to another, until he was at the top. He could finally see over the tree line. There was only one thing he was looking for, the mother tree. 

True to form, she stood out above all the other trees, and from his position, he could see her clearly. The tree was neither too far nor too close to where he was.

It would end up taking him a day and a half of arduous climbing, hiking and gliding from branch to branch before he finally made it to the vicinity of the mother tree. Finally, he was within reach. 

As he came closer, he took the time to scan the tree, and the branches. He wanted to see if there was anything resembling his species that was hovering or flying about the tree. Perhaps he might have a sibling. 

Unfortunately, he could not detect anything on the tree, so he decided to head to his usual perch. As he moved, he noticed that all the flora and fauna of the forest had somehow come to a collective decision to keep a wide berth from the mother tree. 

Around the tree, there was barely any vegetation or living thing. Even the trees did not grow close to the tree, and those that did, looked as though they had withered on the side facing the mother tree. 

While other life ran away from the tree, he had gotten his life from this tree, so he couldn't keep away.

As he climbed his mother's trunk, he felt absolutely relieved, and this was an understatement. After all that struggle, he was finally home. 

Finally, he was right above the stalk he came from. With great effort, he managed to get his roots attached, and he rolled up like a fern's fiddlehead once more. 

This time, he was ready. Once he was attached, he found himself in the mother tree's mind palace. This was the name he had come up with given the place's characteristics. 

To his shock, his wings were fully formed, and his body did not have any pain. He wished this would be the case in real life, but he knew all this was in his mind. Perhaps this place projected someone as they saw themselves.

Tired and exhausted, he did not have much strength to explore. He simply walked forward and placed his hands on the image of mother, who was still not conscious. He wondered what that was about. 

Once he touched mother, as he anticipated, he collapsed, falling into much needed slumber. Kigen was not sure if it was sleep, or just a state on unconsciousness, nor was he even concerned at that moment.

Several days passed by, without the fiddlehead that was Kigen showing any signs of activity. 

Finally, after five full days, Kigen finally rolled up. He'd been expecting to tumble down, but surprisingly, he was hovering in the air effortlessly.

Looking behind him, he was struck with pure joy as he realized the wings were fully grown, and the beautiful green color was back. There was no mark on them. 

Excitedly, he quickly found a perch to stand on. When he did, he started examining the wings once more. With increasing joy, he realized that the wings were even more durable and hardier than before. 

Just as he was caught up in joy, he made another startling realization. His body, especially the exposed parts, were slowly turning color. 

At first, he was worried since he was turning dark brown. However, when he touched himself, he noticed that his body was getting sturdier. 

It took him several moments to come up with a probable guess. He was a plant, but so far, he resembled an herb. However, some plants grew to form wood, which was hardy and much more durable than the herb.

Did this mean that his body was going to become woody? As weird thoughts ran through his mind, he started jumping up and down. The next moment, he was in the air again, ready to get the feel of his new body.