The hallways of the ship were dark and quiet, save for the distant sounds of machinery that echoed in the distance. Most creatures avoided the ship’s interior, its decayed structure home to beings and hives who didn't like being disturbed. The plant-wolf, however, wasn't like most creatures as it dragged the limp carcass of a Specimen-J behind it, leaving a faint trail of glowing fluid along the floor.

The air was thick and damp, carrying the smell of wet earth and blooming plants. Every surface was covered in vegetation. Moss grew in thick patches on the walls and floors, muffling the sound of the wolf’s movements. Vines hung from the ceiling, swaying gently as the wolf passed beneath. This area belonged to no one but the plants, which thrived in the absence.

Occasionally, the faint rustle of movement could be heard in the shadows, but the wolf ignored it. Faint glimmers of light reflected off unseen eyes peering from the overgrowth, watching its passage. The creatures lurking in the darkness didn’t approach; the wolf’s presence seemed to keep them at bay as the being it served was not to be trifled with.

As the wolf moved deeper into the ship, the overgrowth became denser. The chaotic spread of moss and vines started to show patterns. The vines grew in thick, deliberate coils that wrapped around the walls and ceiling, reinforcing the corroded structure. Glowing flowers dotted the walls, providing faint light in regular intervals. The temperature climbed steadily, and the air became heavier, carrying the faint hiss of escaping steam from unseen pipes.

The corridor then opened into a large chamber. In each corner stood massive spherical reactors, their metal surfaces glowing faintly as they emitted rhythmic hisses of steam. Pipes extended outward in all directions, running along the walls and disappearing into the floor as water and fuel cycled through them. The reactors worked to convert these materials into energy, which was pumped into the ship’s electrical grid—a system that, despite the decay surrounding it, still clung to functionality.

Three of the reactors were visibly damaged, their surfaces marred by cracks and scorch marks. The faint flickers of light they emitted suggested they were barely operational, each pulse of energy weaker than the last. Steam leaked from ruptured pipes, forming thin clouds that clung to the air and added to the already oppressive heat of the chamber.

The fourth reactor, however, was strikingly different. Its surface was mostly intact, though it was anything but untouched. A massive plant had grown over it, its thick vines wrapping tightly around the metal structure. At its peak, a colossal flower had bloomed, its petals shimmering with bioluminescent light that shifted between pale greens, blues, and reds. The flower pulsed faintly in time with the reactor, as though the two were linked, one sustaining the other.

The plant-wolf dragged the limp carcass of the Specimen-J across the chamber, leaving faint smears of bioluminescent fluid across the mounds of fungus and grass that grew on the floor. It reached the base of the fourth reactor and stopped, releasing the body with a soft thud. For a moment, the creature stood motionless, its glowing eyes fixed on the flower above. Then, ever so slowly, it extended one of its vines and touched it to a root that stretched out from the reactor’s base.

The flower responded immediately, its petals trembling as the vine made contact. A faint ripple passed through its structure, the glow within intensifying for a moment before settling into a steady pulse. The plant-wolf remained still; its vine connected to the root as if awaiting a signal.

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After a brief pause, the wolf retracted its vine and stepped back as the flower began to lower itself, its petals unfurling slightly as it extended thin, root-like tendrils downward. These appendages wrapped around the carcass of the Specimen-J, lifting it slowly off the ground. The body disappeared into the bloom as the petals closed tightly around it, the flower’s colors shifting in a subtle pattern.

For a brief moment, silence filled the chamber before the reactor’s hum deepened, and the glow from the flower spread through the vines that covered the reactor’s surface. From the flower’s stalk, a thick, oil chemical was pumped into the reactor. Under the reactor’s surface, the substance coursed through hidden channels, triggering a series of rapid responses. Gauges flickered to life on a nearby console, showing a spike in energy production. The hum of the reactor deepened further, now accompanied by a faint rhythmic thrum that echoed throughout the chamber.

The vines tightened their grip around the reactor, their coiled forms pulsating as though alive. Overhead, the flower’s glow steadied, casting the room in an eerie, shifting light. Steam hissed from ruptured pipes, the heat intensifying as the chemical reaction within the reactor gained momentum. It was then from the flower that a single small seed was borne.

It wasn't large, only a couple of centimeters long, but after a few moments, more and more seeds were made and dropped onto the floor. The seeds landed softly on the overgrown floor, bouncing slightly before settling into the moss and tangled roots. Each one emitted a faint, pulsing glow, their illumination intensifying as they absorbed the ambient heat and light from the reactor. Within seconds, thin tendrils sprouted from the seeds, burrowing into the ground with startling speed.

The seeds began to writhe where they lay, their tendrils coiling and thickening unnaturally fast. The pulsing glow within each seed intensified, casting erratic flashes of light across the chamber as they transformed. The moss beneath them parted as the tendrils twisted into limbs, elongating and solidifying into muscular, plant-like appendages.

Within minutes, the shapes took form—bodies hunched and canine-like, their surfaces a blend of bark-like armor and bioluminescent tissue, similar yet different to one that stood before them. The new plant-wolves shuddered as their glowing eyes flickered open, emitting a sharp, piercing light.

Each newly formed wolf turned its gaze to the reactor, as though seeking guidance from the central bloom. The original plant-wolf stood motionless, watching its progeny take shape. The faint growl it emitted was met with a chorus of low rumbles from the new creatures, the sound reverberating through the chamber like a vibration shared between them. It was then, from the silence of their minds, that a single word echoed.

“Watch”.

Immediately, the newly formed pack ran from the room, bolting down the halls as they sought to do their tasks. In a matter of seconds, the original plant-wolf was the only thing left in the room. As it turned to leave however, it suddenly stopped and turned to the flower. Dripping onto an extended leaf, sap collected.

The original plant-wolf stepped closer to the reactor’s flower; its glowing eyes fixed on the viscous sap gathering on the extended leaf. With deliberate motion, it extended a thorny vine from its back, coiling it around the droplet. Slowly, it drew the shimmering substance toward its maw and consumed it, the sap’s iridescence briefly illuminating the creature’s jaws.

The effect was immediate. The plant-wolf’s body trembled, a faint crackling sound emanating from within as its body flexed and shifted. It lowered itself to the mossy floor, curling tightly into a ball. From its back, thick vines extended outward, unfurling like a living shield before twisting around its form. Layer by layer, the vines wrapped tighter, their surfaces bristling with thorns and glowing veins that pulsed in sync with the reactor’s hum.

Within moments, the wolf was fully encased in its cocoon, the hybrid now sealed away in a shell of its own making. The cocoon glowed faintly, the light within shifting and pulsating erratically as something stirred inside.

The room fell silent once more, save for the steady hum of the reactor and the faint rustle of the vines that encased the plant-wolf. It wouldn't be long now until its transformation is complete…