The vermillieri /vɜːˈmɪliɛrɪ/ is a tall, serpentine stranger with warm, magenta body, and a long black head and neck. Its proportions straddle the line between ungainly and elegant, with front limbs that are thin and narrow, contrasting with its plump^ჷ hind limbs, which, like the forelimbs, are attenuated and toeless. Its skin is soft and warm to the touch, while its inner flesh is yellow, fatty, and expresses a thin oil when squeezed. It possesses a body cavity which acts as a primitive stomach, lined with slick and untextured muscle tissue. Its mouth and body cavity are filled with a sugary, acidic bile, which does not eat through the vermillieri's own body, but slowly dissolves any other organic matter with which it comes into contact. The vermillieri's mealy flesh transitions into an extremely hard, cartilaginous substance at the ends of its arms and legs, which allows its thin legs to support its bulky form. Similar thickening of bodily structures is found around the vermillieri's jaws, although this stranger possesses no skeleton. It exudes a sweet, fragrant odor from its skin, akin to rose water and wildflowers.

The vermillieri's soft flesh is easily vulnerable to cuts and piercing. It heals slightly faster than a human being, with glistening scabs present during regeneration. Warm weather speeds up the vermillieri's rate of regrowth, while cold weather slows it considerably.^Ƒ

The vast majority (99.6%) of vermillieri speak with a voice that is harmonious and soprano, and even the small minority of baritone speakers pitch their vocalizations upwards into a strained lilt. The vermillieri speaks only through softly hummed melodies that emanate from within the entirety of its body.

The vermillieri appears in expansive, wooded areas, such as forested parks, overgrown lots, and lush gardens in the middle of otherwise industrial cities. It prefers solemn, shadowy surroundings,^Ꝭ and does not appear in wide-open spaces such as fields or golf courses, nor does it appear in wooded and undeveloped outskirts of cities in forested regions.

Rarely, the vermillieri develops too deeply in the ground for it to survive, or it develops in such a way that it is partially caught beneath tree roots or other structures. A "misguided" vermillieri struggles in its earthy prisons, and when unable to free itself, dies after several tedious weeks of agony. The presence of a trapped vermillieri appears to cause some detriment to any nearby members of the strain, which exhibit slight twitches of the head and neck, as well as a compulsive scratching at the ground.

The vermillieri possesses a cunning, beguiling disposition, its motions fluid, and its gait carrying its unwieldy carriage with a silent grace. Its days are spent lurking in the underbrush, where the stranger hums short sequences of notes to itself. It is particularly active during nighttime hours.

A social stranger, the vermillieri is often found in groups; these bands of up to six individuals travel together, sing to each other, and entwine their necks and tails when at rest.

The vermillieri is attracted to any nearby sensitive, and stalks them with great interest. It keeps itself hidden,^გ and watches through gaps in leafy trees and bushes. It never leaves the protection of this greenery as it hums soothing melodies, and attempts to lure sensitives into the underbrush, or otherwise away from open areas.^Ⴀ

Should the vermillieri successfully lure a sensitive into the leafy cover, approaches – and tenderly strokes their cheek and upper body, or curls its body around them. The stranger giggles when stroked for more than a few seconds, but otherwise, remains docile. It continues to sing its calming^Ɱ lullabies, which raise in pitch and intensity when the stranger is touched.^ყ

The vermillieri rarely stays placid for long, though. Once the sensitive is sufficiently relaxed, the stranger attacks by driving its front legs through the stomach, chest, or mouth of the sensitive. As the victim succumbs to their injuries, the vermillieri returns to its earlier, nurturing disposition; it makes a quiet hushing sound as it turns the stranger over with its front legs, pushes dirt or twigs into their wounds, plays with them, or dangles them like a "puppet" to lure other sensitive closer.

Groups of vermillieri often squabble over these coveted playthings. They hiss, smack their lips, jab at one another with their sharp, pointed limbs. The sensitive is usually yanked or ripped apart during these confrontations, with the individual vermillieri carefully hoarding any severed body parts.

The vermillieri eats its victim only 7% of the time. After several hours, an uneaten body is discarded^ɔ at the base of a tree, or pushed into a haphazard hole, or stuffed beneath a pile of dead leaves, chip bags, cigarette butts, and twigs.

As weather cools from summer to fall, the stranger's stripes first lighten and lose saturation, then take on a blue tint. Its behaviour turns more overtly aggressive,^Ӻ and its movements become shaky, with frequent falls and stumbles. It falls and stumbles as it tries to hunt, its energy manic in the morning hours with the cold straining its energy. Its now panicked lullabies diminish, as does its strength, making it of minimal threat.

In sub-zero temperatures, the vermillieri twists in on itself, and loses the ability to stand up altogether. It directs its hostility toward its own body,^ȷ and continues to hum, but only faintly; terrified, and sniffling.

Winter proves fatal to 98.2228% of vermillieri.

As the vermillieri ages, its flesh grows pulpy. Small, black patches appear on its skin, and grow larger and eat inwards with each passing day. The vermillieri licks and eats at the spreading wounds, until it caves in on itself like a rotting piece of fruit. As the stranger's sweet odor turns unbearably sour, it collapses under its own weight, corpse spilling out across the ground. The carcass liquifies into a golden-to-crimson juice, which then evaporates to a coyly astringent-smelling vapor.