DRACULEAF - TIMELINE #786100269

(Timeline Tuesday #62)

There are few activities more peaceful and meditative than getting bundled up for a quiet stroll on a brisk autumn day. Many folks have enjoyed sipping a warm beverage and setting out on this classic journey, but the arrival of the Draculeaf to our timeline has added a hint of danger.

Draculeafs are a species of small, flat creatures who float through the air thanks to the help of their lightweight bodies and a gust of wind. With even the slightest breeze they can lift themselves into the air and drift about, searching for their next target.

This species varies in shape, but always takes some kind of symmetrical form like that of a natural leaf on this timeline. Their coloration ranges between yellow, red, orange and brown, although this depends on where they’re at in their lifecycle. Young Draculeafs are green in hue.

When a Draculeaf lands on its victim, it will give them a sharp bite with its two top incisors. This bite is so sharp, in fact, that it’s often difficult to feel. The Draculeaf will suck a small amount of blood from its victim before releasing the bite, then drift away on the wind. This creature only needs to feed approximately once a week.

A simple bite from a Draculeaf can be annoying, but for those who have encountered these creatures the bite and retreat often comes as a relief. Once a year, Draculeafs partake in a much more frightening activity, a way of producing more Draculeafs through bodily transformation.

In certain cases, a Draculeaf will bite its victim, but instead of drinking their blood they will lay flat against a target’s skin. Eventually, this creature will dissolve into the body of their prey, disappearing entirely and prompting unusual effects to begin. Those who’ve been infected by a Draculeaf in this way will immediately start acting strange, climbing up into a quiet tree and clinging to one of the upper branches. It’s there they will begin their transformation, slowly taking on plantlike features and sprouting several leafy protrusions. Eventually, the victim’s body will be made entirely of small green leaves, melding with the tree and becoming a swarm of young Draculeafs. When fall arrives, this mass of the creatures will drift down and begin the process once again.