04-13-2017, 02:22 PM
Three Hours Earlier
Moving had become so difficult. So much ice had formed inside the Symbiote that moving was more shifting the chunks inside itself to roll forward. The large feline was becoming braver, moving in to sniff and even paw at Zenith. Every now and then it would move the Symbiote in the direction it wanted to go, but normally it hampered its travels, pushing it off course if not simply backwards. The creature quivered in aggitation, but the feline was not being hostile. Zenith would much prefer this roadblock than one toting another gun.
The interactions of the large feline were getting strange. As time rolled on, the Symbiote slowed. Each time the creature stopped, the large feline would move in close and nuzzle its near solid form. Zenith would just roll around the large cat and continue on, but the feline was persistent and Zenith was growing too weary to continue trudging on. The snow leopard had followed it for going on an hour, and the distance they crossed together was not very great, but the quadruped still lingered.
Exhaustion finally overtook the symbiote. It was starved, mostly frozen and still wounded from the attack hours before. It stopped moving, for what it felt would be the final time. Its form deflated slightly, as much as it could with the frozen chunks mixed in with its amorphous mass. The snow leopoard again nuzzled it. This time, it could not trudge on. It quivered in response, but it simply could not move.
The leopard laid there with it.
The snow had stopped falling and the air was still. The ground was still cold, but the warmth of the warm-blooded mammal next to it was comforting. Slowly, Zenith's mass pressed wider across the furry side of the beast. The warmth was welcoming, and the feline willingly gave it. Had the creature its telepathic qualities, it would thank the beast.
From the depths of its genetic memory an idea formed. Zenith had bonded with humans so many times it had forgotten that almost every living creature could be a potential host. It needed only a brain... and the large predator indeed had what Zenith needed. Warmth... Sustenance... Mobility... Zenith's form slowly began to spread across the creature. The oily mass mingled with the fur. For a moment, the beast allowed it, but when the symbiote had taken nearly half of its form, it was restless. It tried to scoot itself away from the mass, but that did little good. The symbiote had no hostile intent, no scent of pheromones or fangs to bare. The leopard's restlessness did not advance, but it did not settle as it was slowly overtaken - at lest till the slime reached up its thick neck.
As Zenith creeped closer to taking the head, which it left as last, the feline stood, shaking as if to free itself of the clinging mass. It had no effect. Soon, the leopard was completely overtaken by the symbiote. The salt-and-pepper fur of the beast was now a glossy black carapace. The long tail was further elongated and ended in a tip. Its head was surrounded by the mass, but it could still breath normally as air was filtered through the slime.
Bonding to a creature like this was foreign. Since landing on Earth, Zenith has bonded primarily with ordinary humans. This creature's mind was so much simpler, very rudimentary. It had no desires for greatness and so few worries. Humans were always riddled with worry, usually about things that did not really matter. This beast was so ... refreshing. Not just refreshing, it was almost enlightening. Zenith could relate to this mind more than any human before. This was pure instinct.
The Symbiote did its thing. As it slowly invaded the creatures mind, it increased the release of dopamine and adrenaline. Slow at first, too much might shock the poor beast. The effects begin almost immediately. Adrenaline gets the blood pumping faster, more warmth. The crunch exterior of the beast slowly softens back into a sleek liquid coating. The dopamine kept it calm, and opened its mind. The sleek black leopard bounds around in the snow, unable to sit still and easily excitable, like a little kitten. So care free...
Delving into the beast's memories, the Symbiote could see that this animal was a mother at one point in time. Her cubs had grown up and ventured off, but she still had that maternal instinct. With her progeny gone, she has been alone for some time. With the environment being so hostile, food was scarce. It was hard to find another predator that did not run her from its territory. She could not play with her prey, life did not work like that. The slime was neither predator nor prey. She had quickly taken an interest, hoping to sate her playful nature.
Both personalities just clicked, and Zenith enjoyed the change of pace. The playfulness was definitely a pleasant emotion to experience. For a moment, Zenith completely forgot its troubles and just enjoyed the way the leopard played. Eventually, the beast just started running, stretching its body with each stride, its speed enhanced by the symbiote. All was fun and games, when playing in the snow.
Moving had become so difficult. So much ice had formed inside the Symbiote that moving was more shifting the chunks inside itself to roll forward. The large feline was becoming braver, moving in to sniff and even paw at Zenith. Every now and then it would move the Symbiote in the direction it wanted to go, but normally it hampered its travels, pushing it off course if not simply backwards. The creature quivered in aggitation, but the feline was not being hostile. Zenith would much prefer this roadblock than one toting another gun.
The interactions of the large feline were getting strange. As time rolled on, the Symbiote slowed. Each time the creature stopped, the large feline would move in close and nuzzle its near solid form. Zenith would just roll around the large cat and continue on, but the feline was persistent and Zenith was growing too weary to continue trudging on. The snow leopard had followed it for going on an hour, and the distance they crossed together was not very great, but the quadruped still lingered.
Exhaustion finally overtook the symbiote. It was starved, mostly frozen and still wounded from the attack hours before. It stopped moving, for what it felt would be the final time. Its form deflated slightly, as much as it could with the frozen chunks mixed in with its amorphous mass. The snow leopoard again nuzzled it. This time, it could not trudge on. It quivered in response, but it simply could not move.
The leopard laid there with it.
The snow had stopped falling and the air was still. The ground was still cold, but the warmth of the warm-blooded mammal next to it was comforting. Slowly, Zenith's mass pressed wider across the furry side of the beast. The warmth was welcoming, and the feline willingly gave it. Had the creature its telepathic qualities, it would thank the beast.
From the depths of its genetic memory an idea formed. Zenith had bonded with humans so many times it had forgotten that almost every living creature could be a potential host. It needed only a brain... and the large predator indeed had what Zenith needed. Warmth... Sustenance... Mobility... Zenith's form slowly began to spread across the creature. The oily mass mingled with the fur. For a moment, the beast allowed it, but when the symbiote had taken nearly half of its form, it was restless. It tried to scoot itself away from the mass, but that did little good. The symbiote had no hostile intent, no scent of pheromones or fangs to bare. The leopard's restlessness did not advance, but it did not settle as it was slowly overtaken - at lest till the slime reached up its thick neck.
As Zenith creeped closer to taking the head, which it left as last, the feline stood, shaking as if to free itself of the clinging mass. It had no effect. Soon, the leopard was completely overtaken by the symbiote. The salt-and-pepper fur of the beast was now a glossy black carapace. The long tail was further elongated and ended in a tip. Its head was surrounded by the mass, but it could still breath normally as air was filtered through the slime.
Bonding to a creature like this was foreign. Since landing on Earth, Zenith has bonded primarily with ordinary humans. This creature's mind was so much simpler, very rudimentary. It had no desires for greatness and so few worries. Humans were always riddled with worry, usually about things that did not really matter. This beast was so ... refreshing. Not just refreshing, it was almost enlightening. Zenith could relate to this mind more than any human before. This was pure instinct.
The Symbiote did its thing. As it slowly invaded the creatures mind, it increased the release of dopamine and adrenaline. Slow at first, too much might shock the poor beast. The effects begin almost immediately. Adrenaline gets the blood pumping faster, more warmth. The crunch exterior of the beast slowly softens back into a sleek liquid coating. The dopamine kept it calm, and opened its mind. The sleek black leopard bounds around in the snow, unable to sit still and easily excitable, like a little kitten. So care free...
Delving into the beast's memories, the Symbiote could see that this animal was a mother at one point in time. Her cubs had grown up and ventured off, but she still had that maternal instinct. With her progeny gone, she has been alone for some time. With the environment being so hostile, food was scarce. It was hard to find another predator that did not run her from its territory. She could not play with her prey, life did not work like that. The slime was neither predator nor prey. She had quickly taken an interest, hoping to sate her playful nature.
Both personalities just clicked, and Zenith enjoyed the change of pace. The playfulness was definitely a pleasant emotion to experience. For a moment, Zenith completely forgot its troubles and just enjoyed the way the leopard played. Eventually, the beast just started running, stretching its body with each stride, its speed enhanced by the symbiote. All was fun and games, when playing in the snow.