A planet-hopping parasite finally made its long journey across the stars and entered the atmosphere of an habitable planet. The rocky shell that it wore as protection for its journey became orange with heat and broke away upon entry but there was still enough to shelter the squishy innards from the impact when it landed within a dense forest. A roaring fire began raging through the forest where the object landed but thankfully there was no civilization for miles. The dark-skinned organism within waited for the fires to die down before it broke free of the still-warm shell and it buried itself even deeper into the soil.
Dozens of feet under the cool soil the man-sized parasite would gestate. Rains came and stopped the fire from spreading too far and the waters helped the nutrient-rich ash from the fallen trees reach the creature that grew underneath. Soon it sprouted 'roots' in the form of long inky black tendrils and they latched onto any vegetation it could get hold of to drain them further of nutrients.
Months went by as the monster swelled fatter from the fruits of the forest's labors and when it had adapted to the local flora it became a true parasite - letting the greenery barely live while still stealing much of the nutrients for itself. Months after that and it was getting complex enough to lure and trap the local fauna. It wasn't until a year had passed when the ever-sprawling tentacle monster became aware of its purpose; to find a host for eggs that were growing within its body so it could claim another planet just like its parent had done prior.
The central body had as far a reach as the radius of a city block and several of its long black tendrils hung from the branches of the trees it used for sustenance. It set its plan into motion by filling the air with a powerfully sweet and attractive aroma much like it did with the fauna during its gestation period, knowing that more complex organisms wandered through the forest all the time.
