The Ya-te-veo tree, meaning “I-See-You” tree, is a carnivorous plant native to the jungles of the Old World, and regions of Outer kingdoms such as Africa and Central America.
It possesses a thick, short tree trunk consisting of greenish brown bark, and several long tendrils which resemble huge serpents, darting side-to-side as if they were engaged in an angry conversation. There are five glowing green eyes at the top of the trunk, placed in such a way to allow full 360-degree vision, and under them, a circular mouth with two rows of trap-like fangs.
The Ya-te-veo starts life as a single flying seed pod which bears a resemblance to that of a coconut mixed with a dandelion seed. Upon landing and finding a suitable location, the seed will plant itself in the ground and sprout, immediately after initiating a rapid growth period by which it devours all plants within close proximity. When the plantling reaches full adult size of eight to twelve feet in height, it begins to release a sweet stench which indicates a shift from vegetarian to carnivore. When edible-sized animals such as birds, small animals, and if given the chance, humans, enter striking range, it sends out several tendrils to attack the creature and drag it into the mouth of the tree. Once the plant consumes a significant amount of food, it will wrap its’ tendrils around itself to sleep and digest, in a sort of hibernation state. After several weeks in a dormant state of being, the plant will open up, and resume its carnivorous ways of eating anything edible that crosses its path.
In Eliotian folklore, the Ya-te-veo were said to have once been a race of one-hundred handed giants whom served the dark goddess Selene during her warfare against the Helios. As a punishment for their crimes, the Hekatoncheires(Hundred-Handed Ones) were sentenced to be forever rooted in a single place, never again able to move across the lands.
