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Hazelwurm — Description

I must admit, I do get a little smug joy from creatures like these. For sure, their unique nature and incredible lives does get that research part of me all excited, but what I am talking about is a bit more selfish than that. Its when you have a family of flora, fauna or fungi that may cause you issue or make you fearful, yet many other folks don't take you seriously. When you are like "oh, these things scare me" or "I sure wouldn't want to deal with one of them" and then some smug knothead is like "you're scared of one of those?! Those little things?! Ha!" Just getting a good ol laugh at your expense! Honestly, I am sure I have made such a mean blunder before, I am not perfect. But I guess it really gets under my bark because us dryads have to face that a lot. Our worry around flame already gets quite a few folk making some mean comments, but then when we got issues with plant eaters, the ol meat people really get going. To them, something that eats grass and leaves is as harmless as they come! What could you possibly be scared of? For some reason, people dying to herbivores doesn't count or something. We gotta harp on and on about flesh eating monstrosities, and how scary things like wolves or cyclops are, yet when a hunting party gets flattened by a khalkotauroi, them lips are suddenly sealed.
But the joy I am talking about is when a species comes along that lets everyone share that fear. When suddenly the joke stops being funny because it is your own skin on the line. Like how humans like to get snarky with dryads who don't like being around horses, because so many people don't train them and they like to try and take a bite out of us. "Ooooo, worried my horsey is going to eat you?" So many hilarious lines like that! But then one day, some ship full of humans landed on an island looking to set up shop and then were immediately butchered by a herd of carnivorous horses. Then suddenly, those quips became less common! I wonder why?
The group of critters I am talking about in this entry, though, are caterpillars. Yes, human reader, those fuzzy, plump little things. The chubby little grubs that turn into big beautiful butterflies. "Well what is so scary about those?" Not so much "scary," and more nuisance and general health hazard. Those cute little buggers you all love so much absolutely love eating vegetation, obviously because they need fuel to grow. But that means stripping gardens (which we need), chewing on our houses (which we also need) and also taking a bite out of us (which should be obvious). There are indeed species of caterpillar that are real destructive to our communities, and pretty nasty for our bodies. Infestations in your homes that feed on you while you sleep, rotten little buggers that ruin crops and vital growths. They can be a nightmare! Yet humans sure think them swell! Farmers at least got our back a little here, but so many people can't stop being like "oh but they so cute and squishy! How could you dislike them?" I don't dislike them, I just don't want them eating my house or me! But like I said before, suddenly understanding strikes when people become aware of a relative to these species that would really like to gnaw on them instead. And in comes the mihhilwurms.
The mihhilwurms are indeed caterpillars, but ones much bigger and with a much wider diet than the little ones you know. Not so much chewing on your flowers and more so eating your horse. This drastic difference is why this group of caterpillars got its own distinction. "Mihhilwurms" are not just one species, they are a group of caterpillar species that share this increased size and different lifestyle. Outside of the visually obvious, the other big difference is the fact that these fellows don't become butterflies (or moths, for folks who keep forgetting that fact). They remain in the "juvenile" state of the insect cycle for their entire lives, always a caterpillar that never gets in a cocoon. Instead, they just grow and grow and grow, reaching the sizes that make them so iconic. And how do they gain such mass? By eating, of course! Let us look to a member of the mihhilwurm group, the Hazelwurm!
Hazelwurms can be easily identified amongst their kin by their brown (or hazel) coloration and hairy bodies. They can look like a walking fur carpet at times! Though like most caterpillars, I would warn you against going in for a pet, as their hairs hide some nasty venomous spines. And I am not just talking about the blatantly obvious size-of-swords spikes jutting from their back. They have other, smaller, ones hidden amongst the hair, which dig into the skin, injecting painful venom and just making your day quite miserable. Quite the potent defense! Which is good, because their fleshy bodies can be tempting meals to some! But the hazelwurm can turn that attitude right back around, and choose to feed on those that would be the feed-ers? The feeded?....the, uh, predator...
When it comes to diet, hazelwurms (and a lot of mihhilwurms) are omnivores, ones that have a bit more carnivorous leaning and an endless appetite. Their maws are built for shredding food and gobbling it down, be it plant matter or flesh. Hazelwurms are slow and methodical hunters, using ambush and persistence to bring in dinner. Obviously, they aren't fast and thus cannot chase down their food. Should point out that they only have six true legs, those things in the back are "prolegs" and are not the same thing. But they crawl and inch along like other caterpillars. The many legs may not give them speed, but it does allow them to climb almost anything and maneuver their bodies while hanging from precarious grips. Hazelwurms may wait in bushes or vegetation to launch forward and snare prey, or may grab onto a tree trunk and wait for food to walk below them. They coil their bodies like a spring and shoot their front half forward at incredible speed, grabbing hold with their hooked legs. Once they got a grip, they start chewing. Those mouthparts rip through hide, scale and flesh with ease, quickly dealing grievous wounds. They typically gnaw straight through limbs or into the neck, dealing damage that cannot be recovered from. Even if you were to escape their razor grip, you would bleed out pretty soon after, and the hazelwurm would simply have to walk a little extra to get its meal.
Since mihhilwurms in general do not turn into butterflies, their reproduction is more like insects who go through incomplete metamorphosis. Not much change to their bodies throughout their life, they breed, lay eggs and continue on with life. Those crops and cows aren't going to eat themselves! Though the larvae may eat each other when they hatch, which makes it important to come out of the egg strong, fast or just simply first.
Hazelwurms are a danger to pretty much anyone, as their diet includes pretty much everyone. Accidentally put yourself in a vulnerable position with one of these things around, and it will probably take the chance to attack. They are an absolute blight to farms and livestock, seeing it as a buffet. Warding them off or killing them is best done at a distance, as getting close means dealing with the venomous spines and quick strike. Their hide isn't that useful, since it is full of stinging hairs and it is very hard to clean those out. Their meat, however, is quite good! Very rich, juicy and full of nutrients! Humans may not be a fan, since they aren't too keen on bug flesh, but we dryads enjoy it! Obviously, they aren't really hunted as a viable food source, more so it is an added bonus when you slay one.
I feel I should point out the "wurm" in "mihhilwurm," as I feel it confuses a lot of people. When folks first hear the name, they think "worm," but that isn't right. "Worms" are more your limbless, slithering things. Invertebrates that are just long tubes. But then you start describing the creature and people go "ah! Wyrm!" And no, that isn't it either! You just think that because it is big and scary, it has a dragon-like name! "Wyrm" is indeed a bit more draconic, though it isn't even that specific! It isn't a slithering dragon, it is just a word that gets used randomly. I mean "Nipper wyrms?!" Do those look like serpents to you?! Or even dragons?! No, it is "wurm." Mihhil-wurm. That sort of "wurm" is pretty much used for these elongated buggy things, but more for caterpillars, because centipedes aren't really included. Giant millipedes, however, may get that wurm name in their common name because...well because it is all just one big mess, okay?! Worm, wyrm, wurm! I don't even know anymore! There is probably even a "wirm" out there somewhere! UGH!
Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian