Tisis

Unexpected side effects (S)

Nym comes back home with a fairly substantial amount of meat, but when I look at her plate, there's only a few roots spread out over it.

I shake my head and ask, "Nym, that's not really all you're going to eat, is it?"
"Afraid it is. Not much else to be found...in fact I got lucky to even find that much. An animal showed me where to find it."

I look at the steaming chunk of meat in front of me and after a moment of contemplation I ask, "Nym...I know you said you're a har...her...plant eater, but you'll starve if you keep eating so little. I mean, just look at yourself! Your clothes are about to fall off, that's how skinny you've become."

"Heh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Nym retorts weakly, but I'm not falling for her attempt at humor.
Instead I take my plate and place it before Nym.
"Eat," I command her.
"Sirus, I told you before, I'm a herbivore, I cannot..."
"So you'd rather starve?! Food is food. Have you even ever had meat before?"
"Well, no, but..."
"Then how do you even know you won't like it?"

Nym looks up at me and responds, "Sirus, this isn't not about me 'not liking' it. It's about my body being unable to handle it."
"You just said you never tried it. Did you parents ever try it? Did you see any of your people ever eat meat and die or even just get sick from it?"
"Well, no, but..."
"Then how do you know that 'your body cannot handle it'?"
"Well, because I was taught, obviously."

I give Nym a stern look and respond, "You were also taught that humans were savage animals who are incapable of compassion or reason."
Nym gives me an angry look, which quickly softens up though.

She knows I am right.

She looks at the hot piece of meat, sighs in defeat and picks it up.

"I guess it is better than starving...fine, but just a little. To see how I can handle it...and I'll hold you responsible if I end up with food poisoning, just so you know! O-or diarrhea! O-or..."
I pick up the meat she dropped and shove it back into her hands, saying, "I get it already."

Nym eyes me suspiciously. The heavens alone know what's going on through her head right now, but it's only a little meat. What's the worst that could happen?

Nym takes a careful bite and while still chewing, she mouths, "Wow, thish ish really good!"
And takes another bite.
And another.

So much for 'just a little bit'.
She's eating the whole thing!

And she probably would've eaten the other critter too, if not for my reminder, that I also still need to eat, which causes her to look down to the ground a little ashamed.

"See now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"
She leans back against the cave wall and mutters with a light slur, "T'was frigging amazing."

Shortly after she's sound asleep and even begins snoring.

I shake my head at her messy appearance, lean back against my own wall and try to get some shuteye myself.

A little while later, I feel something warm press against me.
In my half-sleep I dream that it's my mother hugging me after a hard day of work, something she's done every once in a while.

Then I feel a...lick on my throat? Not something my mom would do.
At the very least not to me.

I wake up, look around and stare at Nym, half naked with a strange look in her eyes, who rubs herself against me.

"What...are you doing?" I ask, still more asleep than awake.
"Shh...issh alright..." she tells me while putting her hands beneath my shirt and on my chest.

I finally wake up properly, grab Nym's hands, and hold her in front of me.

"No, seriously. What. Are. You. Doing?! This isn't like you!"
"And jusht what do you know about m..." she starts, when her expression suddenly distorts, and she runs to the outside, where she starts coughing and wheezing.

After I got up and limp after her, I find her hanging her head over what we use as toilet sink.

She looks up at me and mutters, "Shirush, I dun' feel sho good..."
"I can see that! God damn it, Nym...wait...the meat! The meat must have done...whatever this is! I...I'm so sorry, I didn't..."
"Ish...alright..." she slurs again, plops herself to the ground and falls asleep on the spot.

I stare at her in disbelief.

After a few seconds, I grab her the best I can and drag her back inside.

Only now I remember her behavior and relax a little.
A few of my brethren acted somewhat similarly after drinking the juice of rotten fruits...I think they called it 'Alcohol' and the state they entered after having too much was called 'drunk'.

I just hope that the rest of her 'experience' will be similar as well...if I'm lucky, she won't remember a thing in the morning.

Honestly, just who gets drunk from eating meat?

...I guess, I know at least one now.