The Blankets - 2

Yesterday, Rome and Rei had entered the woods to the west of the resort city of Ur. They were trying to track down Dan Steele, the one remaining would-be assassin. Unfortunately, one of the "falling blankets", the floppy creatures that hover above, in the trees, had fallen on Rome, trapping her and suffocating her. Will Rei be able to save her?

     “Rei!” Rome shouted mentally, “I can’t breathe.”
     Rei raced back to where the bundled form of his wife was writhing around on the ground. He straddled her body and pulled on the edge of the ‘blanket’ with all his might. The thing wouldn’t budge. He could feel its leathery skin constricting around her.
     “Rome, Rome,” he said helplessly. What he saw was the end of his life before him. The woman he loved more than humanly possibly was suffocating in front of his eyes. There was no way he was going to let this happen. He took a deep breath and pulled once more with all his might. Suddenly, the ‘blanket’ released its grip and Rei went somersaulting backwards over Rome and onto the ground.
     The ‘blanket’ removed itself from Rome’s form but she just lay on the ground, shaking. Rei got up and went over to her. He peered down at her. She was laughing.
     “Why are you laughing?” Rei asked, reaching down for her. “You almost died.”
     “It’s alive!” Rome said, excitedly, pulling herself to her feet. “It’s alive!”
     “Of course it’s alive,” Rei said.
     “No,” Rome replied. She turned and looked at the ‘blanket’ which was beginning to curl itself up like a rug. Once it was a tight cylinder, it bent at the middle into an ‘L’ shape. Rome went over and caressed it.
     “What are you doing?” Rei asked. “Those things are dangerous.”
     “No,” Rome said. “When I was touching it, it spoke to me.”
     “It spoke to you?”
     “Yes!” Rome said.
     Suddenly, there was a sound like a whump and another ‘falling blanket’, even larger than the first, fell in front of them. It wriggled its way over to the first one, the one that had covered Rome and curled itself up into a cylinder as well, leaning against the first. There was another whump then another. Soon, there were so many ‘falling blankets’ that Rei realized for the first time how very much in danger their lives were every time they went into the forest.
     The living creatures climbed over each other forming a tower nearly ten feet tall. Some of the blankets stretched over the ends to form an approximation of limbs. Along the ground, some of the smaller ‘blankets’ climbed up and inched their way toward the end. When the whole process was complete, the entity in front them looked vaguely humanoid. Huge, but humanoid nonetheless. Each of the components tightened up then the composite creature held its ‘arms’ out, beckoning to Rome. There was no hesitation in her actions. She walked toward the mass in front of her and let it/them envelope her in the equivalent of their arms.
     “Rome!” Rei shouted. “Do you know what you are doing?”

Isn't that the coolest image? One blanket alone was one thing but now they are face to face with an entire colony. And Rome can "talk" to them! What do you think they have to say?