Chapter 202 - Manducate (2)

The Big Provider of Food continues to tickle her, and Lola plays along. The amount of effort the little bunny needs to exert to get any form of attention these days is starting to get ridiculous. It began when everything started to stink of blood, but before Lola could investigate who dared to bleed so much, everyone had vanished.

Not the Black-Haired Girl, nor the Angry Soft One, nor the Not So Sad Anymore Metal One. Not even the new ones, like the Round Soft One or the Small Red One are around anymore. Out of sheer desperation, she had started letting The Big Provider Of Food know that she wanted to be petted by chewing on him.

The little rabbit is smart enough to never try this with the One That Smells Of Scales, though. She knows better than to chew on such a dangerous being. Kicking her in the face or beating her up through brute physical strength? Sure, Lola has done so on more than one occasion. Biting that one is an entirely different thing altogether, though. Especially because the One That Smells Of Scales just changed from a flighty person into a strict and merciless machine.

Completely and utterly lacking the knowledge of how to describe what she had felt, Lola nonetheless understands that the big and straight tree that had emerged from the One That Smells Of Scales was less than good news. The Big Provider Of Food had taken her and left, and now they are back at The Big Golden Plant again. Lola is pretty happy that she is getting the attention she deserved, but it doesn’t last long.

Instead of walking around, seeing new things, and experiencing new places like in the old days, he just sits there. The amount of power coming from his stupid mouth is impressive, but Lola knows that The Big Provider Of Food won’t hurt her, so she isn't scared. Instead, she chews on him some more, clearly indicating that she deserves more attention.

And she is sent flying as thanks for her kind reminders. Not even towards the Fun And Awesome Cold Place. No, The Big Provider Of Food had just sent her flying towards the Bubbling Rock With Red Lights. Landing inside one of the lava lakes with a splash, Lola is not happy. The adventure in the Cold Place With All The Heavy Stuff was good and all, but the large amounts of tasty power had done something funny to her chest. She had eaten and eaten from the plentiful cold qi that had been everywhere, and she had kept eating even when she had felt full. Then it had hurt for a bit, and then she had been big!

Lola still thinks that this move of hers had been brilliant. She isn't totally clear on whether or not she actually did this herself, but increasing your own size in order to eat more of the tasty cold power sounds like a smart idea. So Lola decides that she came up with the idea herself as she hops down from the volcano. Finding the otherwise lethal temperatures slightly annoying, she skips across lava streams and avoids volcanic vents that are spewing out massive amounts of superheated steam.

She leisurely saunters through the forest, unhurriedly making her way to the cold mountain. She is sure to play with all the new friends that are living in the forest and the desert. Some of them even play with her for a bit, but none of them wants to play for long, unfortunately. She is also sure to employ her nose to the fullest of her abilities. The Big Golden Plant has been putting small little stones in the ground everywhere. Sniffing again, she finds remnant traces of its vibrant qi. Lola is completely not sure why this is, but the chance of finding extra tasty roots, plants, and fruits is higher in places where she knows the Big Golden Plant has been putting stones in the dirt.

She is constantly chewing on mystical herbs, precious roots, and other natural treasures as she makes her way over to the Nice Cool Place With Lots Of Hard Water. All the power she gains from eating the energy-dense plants is slowly digested, strengthening her small little body in the meantime. The fact that the power around her keeps gaining a heavier smell of The Big Provider Of Food makes her slightly irritated, and she decides to chew on the annoying person some more when she sees him again. Inside her heartcore are three types of qi intent.

Her own rabbit qi is white of colour, a small trace of milky opaque power that is constantly saturating her flesh, bones, blood, and organs. The other two sources of power are clumps of cold and heat, a large blue pool and a small red one. The only reason the source of fire is still inside her heart is because of The Big Provider Of Food’s Big Heavy Hot And Cold Thing that he always keeps on his back. Lola does not understand the miniature sword hanging inside her heartcore, but it smells of the Big Provider Of Food, so it’s fine.

What is also fine are all the frost type plants she keeps finding now that she is nearing the cold mountain. Happily chewing on some rime covered branch, she starts exploring. Her nose wriggles rapidly as she takes in the thick ice intent qi.

What also isn’t fine is that he keeps throwing her back towards the stupid red mountain. It doesn’t take her long to return to the cool mountain, but the fact that he keeps interrupting her playtime is annoying. So Lola is sure to bite him savagely whenever she sees him. Only when he plays with her is her wroth cooled.

And then the Big Sucky And Stupid Provider Of Food throws her into the sky! Lola is outraged when she realises what he did just now. The Stupid Glowing Piece Of Junk Balls Of Stupid Hotness start revolving around her, and Lola is sure to let her displeasure be known.

Despite her masterfully crafted speech, each squeak containing another aspect in which The Big And Ugly Provider Of Food has wronged her innocent little self, he does not relent. Knowing when she has lost, Lola decides to get some shut-eye finally.

She is woken when he starts eating the universe. At first, she doesn’t understand what she is sensing. The Big Golden Plant is still there, but not really. Like looking at a very detailed image or sculpture, the golden glow of the massive tree feels empty to the Rabbit. She then sees The Big Provider Of Food suck up the grass around the massive perennial. Then the ground is sucked up by him, proceeded by the air, the buildings, and the trees around him.

“Why?” Verbalising the best way she can, Lola sends this question towards the big golden lump of wood.

The answer she receives - a collection of images, feelings, and meaning - is proof that it is still alive. Lola does not understand though. Why did it decide to become part of him? Why did it allow him to eat it?

An overwhelming feeling of love wraps the bunny, its golden glow letting her know that Tree is sending this. It tells her in no uncertain terms that it owes its life to the man below. It shows Lola what is and what would have been - staying rooted in its original spot, not even capable of conscious thought, not even knowing that there is a world outside of its small personal universe. Then this man came and gave it life, thoughts, and meaning.

And now it helps this man. Now it can grow with this man. Sure, the Tree acknowledges that its own growth is limited to that of the man, but it doesn’t mind at all. Without him, it wouldn’t have gotten to live a fraction of its current life. Being tethered to its creator on a much more intimate level doesn't seem so bad from its wooden perspective.

Lola understands very little of this. All she gets is that the Big Golden Plant is now inside the Big Provider Of Food and that it’s happy. All the new friends inside the forest and the desert also join the Big Golden Plant, none of them even capable of voicing any form of opinion on the weird shift. Then the Big White Thing In The Sky and the Less Big Green Thing That Makes Her Naked And She Hates are swallowed by him, and she feels him coming closer.

Lola wants to join now too. She knows that she will lose something important when that happens, but she doesn't really care. If it means that the Big Provider Of Food will always give her all the attention she could possibly want, she’ll be fine with that.

She feels warm, ephemeral hands wrap her up in a firm grip, pulling her to the side. The front of consumption somehow misses her, eating up the air in her lungs and the sweat in her fur, but leaving her a whole rabbit. Lola is sad at first, but the fact that the entire world around her feels less now makes her a bit glad. Lola doesn’t want to become less and thinks that she will be able to get his attention despite the fact that she hasn't given up a part of herself to him.

She lands on the ground, still spooked by the fact that everything seems to miss a certain something now. The Big Provider Of Food is so much more, somehow more than making up for the lessened reality. Despite all this, he still ignores her. Instead of giving her the attention she deserves, she merely feels him moving his mind throughout the forest, the earth, and the sky.

Opening her mouth, she bites down on his ankles, showing her displeasure at his lacking attentions.