Poisonous Rage

Chapter Eight

In reality, Sundew had no expectations for anything to happen to Nettle. She would fly up, be furious, and that was when Sundew would really punish her. But then, there came the sound of roaring from over the cliff. Sundew rushed to the edge and looked over.

At the bottom of the cliff were massive pitched plants. One in particular was wobbling and swaying and producing a variety of sounds including, "I'm going to kill you when I get out!" and, "You stupid plant, I'm going to tear you to shreds!" that suggested Nettle was stuck in it.

By now, the rest of the group had come over. "Oh dear," Mandrake said.

"What happened?" Qibli asked.

"I shoved her off the cliff and she didn't open her wings in time to stop herself from being caught. So now we can either go save her or leave her there and stop wasting precious time, as she would put it." Sundew responded.

"Get me out of here! Do NOT leave me! SUNDEW, I WILL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" Nettle screamed.

Sundew sighed but spread her wings and glided to the ground, careful to avoid the other pitcher plants.

They moved towards the one in the center that held Nettle. "Can't she fly or cut her way out?" Qibli asked.

"Yes, I can, I've just chosen to STAY IN THE PLANT THAT WANTS TO EAT ME!"

"No, the pitcher plants are filled with a sticky ooze that makes her talons stick together and her wings heavy. Also, they have spikes inside that point downwards, so the prey can fall in just fine but can't get out easily. We'll have to cut our way in from the outside," Mandrake answered.

Sundew nodded in agreement and dragged her claws down the side of the plant. A small groove appeared in the thick skin and she began to work on deepening it.

Mandrake helped her by starting on the other side while Qibli and Willow searched for something that might be useful. They worked to the pleasant sounds of Nettle screaming, roaring, and yelling insults about just about anything she could think of.

Finally, they had cut most of the way through the skin and Qibli and Willow had returned wielding sharp thorns as big as their heads. When they stabbed them into the grooves, the relatively calm Nettle started yelling again.

"Are you trying to impale me? I swear, when I'm out of here I'm shoving that thing right into your mouth, Sundew, so you can never speak another word again!"

Finally, they pried the section of the plant out. A clear liquid oozed out and then, with a bit of wiggling, Nettle shoved herself through the opening.

She was dripping with the same clear liquid and covered in tiny cuts where the spikes of the plant had dug into her. She looked miserable and she hissed at everyone who came near her.

Willow fidgeted and then approached Sundew. Qibli raised his eyebrows and then backed off. "I'll give you a moment," The SandWing said.

Willow looked at Sundew, her eyes sad. "Sundew, what you did was incredibly reckless."

Sundew rolled her eyes. "Nettle has wings. She could've flown. How was I supposed to know there were pitcher plants at the bottom of the cliff? Besides, it all worked out. No need to worry."

Willow shook her head. "That's my point. You didn't know what was down there. Nettle could have been killed by any number of dangerous things!"

"She deserved it! No one gets to speak to you like that!"

"I can stand up for myself! And I can do it without getting furious and shoving someone off a cliff! Sundew, your anger isn't healthy. It makes you bitter and reckless. You need to let go, because otherwise, I'm not sure I want to be around you anymore."

The words stabbed into Sundew's chest like a knife. She took a step back, holding back tears. Willow stared sadly at her before turning and walking back to the group.