FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Banking his wings, Gravitas glided above the canopy, lowering himself just enough to let his claws ripple through the leaves on the tops of the trees. Twisting to the left, all four wings adjusting his angle of descent the rubber dragon dipped down into an open clearing and headed for the ground.

He had been flying for weeks, just exploring this solar system, enjoying the variety and differences inherent in someplace that wasn't a nebula. He'd been to all the other planets. Now though he had come down to the ground to see what this world with life was like. Landing gently the gravity dragon padded forward on all feet for a few yards as he slowed to a stop.

The sun was low on the horizon, gleaming through the canopy of trees; a dappled shade of green and yellow light playing across his white and purple body. Now he was down the dragon dug his claws into the springy loam and grass and started to walk down the slope toward the long lake that filled the clearing. Down here on the planet he felt a bit ungainly so he slowly adjusted his own personal gravity. As he did this the mane of nebula gas and stars that ran along his back and up through his ears dimmed.

Reaching the edge of the lake he lowered his head, long swept back horns gleaming as his rubber body squeaked gently with each movement. This place was definitely organic, the forest was a wild world of untempered nature and the lake looked cool and inviting. Lowering his muzzle into the lake he took a long drink, the water was fresh and clear, invigorating and so Gravitas stuck his whole head beneath the surface to have a look.

The lake-bed sloped down toward the dim darkness there was a ledge or ridge about two hundred yards out and then the lake bed dipped sharply. Gravitas could make out long fronds of wavering kelp or seaweed rising up from the depths beyond that ridge. The dragon considered for a moment then let his wings fold back along the sides of his body and walked down into the water. He'd seen plenty of forests but had rarely spent time beneath the water, so he headed on under to have a look.

Reaching the ridge the dragon peered over and his bright orange eyes opened wide in surprise at the mystical sight before him. The lake bed dropped sharply down to a literal underwater forest! Massive columns of kelp rose through the water almost to the surface and mixed between them were coral reefs, flowering underwater plants and rocky outcroppings. The whole underwater haven was home to fish and all manner of molluscs and crab like creatures.

Sliding down the steep ledge of wet sand and mud Gravitas headed down to explore. The setting sun illuminated the upper surface of the kelp forest but down on the ocean floor everything was illuminated by these beautiful coral blooms that glowed with a white bioluminescent gleam. It was beautiful and so Gravitas went wandering further. Moving into the kelp forest the gravity dragon pushed off the ground and started swimming, using his wings and feet to propel himself through the water, he didn't want to disturb the marine ecosystem by treading all over it.

Gliding between the massive fronds of kelp and wavering strands of seaweed the dragon kept his head down, watching the ground and all the myriad plants and creatures living down here. It was quiet but also at the same time so very beautiful, Gravitas was loving it watching the floor and not really looking where he was going. He was aware of the kelp forest growing thicker, the long green stems with the wavering fronds growing closer together but he was moving out toward the centre of the lake so that was only natural.

What he wasn't expecting or prepared for was for them to suddenly move! They swayed in from either sides and looped around his feet and wings. He let out a startled yell but of course just got a mouth full of water as the kelp fronds entangled him. The dragon found himself coming to an abrupt halt and muttered to himself, had they moved... or had he just caught himself in one of their fronds.

No... no they were definitely moving on their own! They literally pulled him through the water and then unwound from his limbs. The trajectory they had given the dragon left him floundering out into an open space. It had to be about ten feet across, a circular, empty patch of water banded on all sides by the thick green fronds of kelp. Gravitas had just righted himself when a current picked him up and pulled him down! He struggled, flapping all four wings and clawing at the water with his feet in an attempt to swim free but the current was too strong!

He was pulled down toward the lake bed and as he twisted around in the sudden suction of water he could see a large, dome shaped sea-sponge. He could see a large stream of water being sucked into the large opening at the top and bubbling its way out of smaller openings around the bottom. The downside to how beautiful it looked was that he was trapped in the stream of water being sucked into the plant and was pulled on into the large sea-sponge!

Twisting around the gravity dragon tried to aim himself so he could follow one of the paths back out. He should have realised it would be more complicated than that, especially as there had been a will and reason behind him being thrown into the path of the sucking current.

As Gravitas was pulled into the central part of the plant large arching lengths of Coral folded in from the sides of the circular chamber and clamped themselves around his wrists. They caught his tail, clamped over the back of his body to hold his wings down and then locked about his neck! The coral was literally moving with a will of its own, shifting around to grab hold of him and hold him suspended in the middle of the large sea-sponges central chamber.

Struggling in the grip of the weird coral holding him, Gravitas started to panic! Squirming and squealing as the flow of water roaring through the chamber increased! He was right in the centre of it, the pressure was increasing against his body but there was nothing he could do about it! Worse the pressure on his head was making his mind foggy, it was hard to think, to react, he could usually withstand the pressures of space but only if he adjusted to it gradually! This was too quick, too fast and he was being squeezed relentlessly.

If he had been made of organic flesh and blood he'd have been unconscious by now! Worse he was quite sure the coral wasn't done with him. It continued to lower him down toward the base of the pod, tilting his body so he was nose down, legs pulled up against his belly, tail pointing back up the way he had come.

Below him, directly in the centre of the sponge at the bottom was some sort of giant blue sea-anemone. It's swaying fronds formed circular bands but in the middle was a clear open space about six feet wide. Gravitas was perfectly lined up on it and then the coral released him. The current shoved him down and he slid straight through that wide opening, slick blue liquid clamped around his body as he passed through a membrane.

It was a skin tight, rubbery covering, it clung to his body perfectly, sealing him inside. A ready made cocoon of squeezing, skintight rubber like material. As his tail passed through the membrane he dropped! He could feel gravity and no water, it seemed like he was in an open space free of water!

He let out a soft whimper and tried to struggle, to fight back, he could feel himself hanging by the tail, the blue membrane covering him stretching up to attach to the top of this weird sea plant. But just as he was trying to twist around several long spikes of what he thought might be coral pressed in from either side, holding him in place. For just a moment more Gravitas hung there then the coral started to pierce his cocoon and then into his skin! Once those needles were inside his body he felt them starting to release some sort of sap or toxin into him!

It tingled, it made his whole body buck and twist but the cocoon just tightened around him to hold him in place. It was perfectly skin tight, enfolding and entimbing the dragon with no chance to escape. With a deep whine Gravitas passed out from the shock of it all! Entrapped in this weird underwater plant that had ensnared him with a devilish purpose.

-0-

Gravitas slowly became aware of something, a whispering voice at the back of his mind. It was gently instilling his mind with instructions, not-words but thoughts, images, instincts he was unfamiliar with. He should have been alarmed, his last memories were of being trapped underwater by some sort of weird plant, but the voice was calming, quiet, relaxing.

For a long time he just floated there listening, learning, it was hard not to absorb the information being whispered into his mind. There was more as well, other desires, thoughts and feelings being drip fed into the back of his mind alongside the strange instincts.

He was resolutely resisting the ones that wanted to make it seem fine and safe, to accept what had happened to him. He was not some easily swayed mortal mind ready to be reprogrammed. After several hours of resolutely resisting another thought entered his mind however and he heard them speak to him directly.

"Hello Gravitas," they said softly, their tone warm, welcoming, "I am Alare, I am afraid we need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Gravitas said, "You... you are behind this weird water plant that captured me?"

"It is one of our conversion pods yes," Alare murmured quietly, almost sounding embarrassed, "It was running on its instincts when you intruded on its home, I am afraid it has ensnared you and done its duty."

"What do you mean by... done its duty?" Gravitas asked warily and with a slowly sinking feeling of dread in his heart, "What have you done!"

"I think you should wake up and see," Alare said, "The conversion is complete."

The presence of the other person retreated from his mind and Gravitas opened his eyes! He was still underwater and as he looked around he became aware that the cocoon was slowly splitting open, letting him go! He drifted out of the tight, confining blue shroud and floated free up into the sea-sponge cavern.

There was no current flowing down through the top so he pushed off with his feet and drifted up back out of the trap. As he floated up amongst the fronds of kelp he looked down at his body and gaped in shock!

Gone was his elegant gravity dragon body, gone was the rubber though his skin still had a waxy, gleaming sheen to it. Except now it was natural rubbery plant-matter instead of supernatural living rubber! He was a rich admiral blue shade, long and sleek, smooth and strong like a raptor but adjusted for aquatic living!

He had two long, powerful legs that ended in writhing white tendrils, his feet were roots, like those of a plant. But each thick tuber of white flesh was joined together by a filigree like web to make swimming easier. Just below his long arched neck was a set of small raptor-like arms with long fingers, also webbed for aiding with swimming!

He was using them instinctively to propel himself up toward the surface of the lake. It wasn't just arms and legs he was using to swim with though. The sleek, tall lines of dark orange kelp sporting vines sprouted from his back where the biggest aid!

They rose in pairs from just below his shoulder blades down to the base of his tail. Twelve long vines adorned with webbed fronds of kelp. They were deployed out to either side of him, the leaves folding closed as he reached forward through the water then spreading wide, webbed fronds acting as a surface area to propel him forward as he dragged them back through the water!

Again he was swimming with them easily, they felt as natural to use as it had to drift through space!

For a moment Gravitas lost himself in the sheer pleasure of swimming, his powerful body cut through the water with ease! The long spikes of coral growing out of his tail ended in a hefty spiked ball and his horns had been kept! Albeit they were now two long curving natural rubber spikes of coral. It felt amazing to swim and coast through the water and he could hear the voices of the others! More raptors like him and the smaller, sleeker, humanoid forms of their kasvane brethren.

More importantly Alare was nearby, he was up on the shore and so Gravitas swam to the shallows and walked up out of the water. His long vines retracted to drape along his back, no longer able to wave free and tall. The purple coloured kasvane with the magnificent head of oak leaves was waiting for him.

"Hello Gravitas, how do you feel?" Alare asked as they sat on a rock, speaking out loud, "It felt like you were enjoying yourself down there."

"I warfgtgth...." he tried to speak out loud and lost control of the thick vine that formed his tongue and filled the space where his throat should have been. Talking would take a bit of practice so he switched back to thinking along the mental communication web that connected them all together.

"I feel great, but what did you do to me?"

"We made you Kasvane," Alare said, "At least the conversion pod did, it was just doing as it is instructed, to ensnare intruders and convert them."

Gravitas huffed and looked down at his body and wriggled his webbed fingers, "Well this is certainly new... what happens now?"

"Well you are one of us, you can join us in helping to protect our forest," Alare said with a smile, "Usually the pod would instill in you a new sense of duty, a rightness to being one of us but every now and then someone like you resists."

"Too right I resisted," Gravitas grumbled, "I don't like my mind being messed with but... well I guess I am one of you now, can you turn me back?"

"Possibly, it'll take time to work out how."

"Well until then... I guess I can give this a go! But keep working on how to turn me back ok?"

"Certainly," Alare sent, "Enjoy yourself Gravitas."

Gravitas waved their vines, turned and dived back down into the depths of the lake! Sure he hadn't planned this when he came to this world, but it was a new experience to be enjoyed! Here he was, a literal, living plant raptor and he had all these interesting minds to talk with across the hive mind. It was going to be good fun.

~fin