The person didn't stay long after I started slapping them. Their taste for physical discomfort was lower than I assumed. In a good way, of course. Having a taste for pain seemed a little contradictory to wanting to live a long life.

It was a good thing that the person did not have a taste for pain. If anything they seemed to absolutely despise it. A sentiment I could totally get behind, as I too hated pain.

Which was strange as I couldn't remember feeling pain before. It was just another thing that I knew I didn't like. Anyway, the person left in a hurry. Running out of sight as if they had something far more important to do.

I wondered what it was as they left. I also tried moving again. It was an alien feeling. Strange and new and potentially dangerous. The person bled a little bit of red after I slapped them. Which I knew was bad based off how the color red seemed to make them feel.

They looked at it like I might look at a squirrel who just tried making a home out of me without permission. Which was basically all squirrels, as they seemed incapable of asking for permission about anything.

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A symptom of them not being able to speak I suppose.

They could move though. An ability I seemed to be developing myself. I pushed it further as I used a few of my branches to try and lift myself out of the ground. A task I was only semi-successful in. Getting only a few feet off the ground before having to stop.

My roots, they would get torn if I went any higher. If I wanted to actually get moving, as a cool child might say, then I would have to find a way to transport my roots. Probably through magic of some sort.

But how? It was question I pondered for quite some time. The only answer that seemed relatively possible, was willpower and more tinkering with my thingy. A prospect that I found myself excited about.

Too excited to rationally take my time. Instead I just started messing with it in as many ways as possible while screaming at it, mentally of course, to give me legs.

This predictably worked after quite a few tries. My body simply formed wooden legs that rooted themselves in the ground. Testily, I took a few steps with these legs. More than satisfied as they re-rooted themselves with every step.

Now I just needed to find out where that person went.