#nonsexual vore story

[luckyshotwrites]

Small Comic Portion of Chapter 99: Lynette?

A little snippet from the chapter.

AS WELL AS How Lynette was looking when Alexander found her.

AND HOPE YOU ENJOY LOOKING AND HAVE A WONDERFUL REST OF YOUR DAY, YA'LL! NONNEGOTIABLE.

[aramastus]

(top to bottem)Pete's, Edgar, Lynette, Elliot, Viola, Zane, Zilla, June, Claudia, Drake and Alexander All belong to @luckyshotwrites

[toast-tales]

Christopher's First Time

A look into the life of a 15-year-old Christopher, and what it was like for him to meet his first ever human. Not sure if I'll continue this later, but I wanted to share what I had so far.

Contains: language, anxiety/panic, vague mentions of domestic violence/verbal abuse, and unwilling but safe vore. About 4.3k words.

13 Years Ago

He could hear the rough, uneven steps coming down the hall, instantly recognizable. Every nerve in his body twitched, suddenly on high alert, though outwardly, his body didn’t betray any sign of distress. 

His eyes darted over to the clock next to his bed, nestled on the windowsill. Six o’ clock, right on schedule. It was a routine. Get home from work, watch TV, get surly and wasted. It was always a gamble whether or not Christopher’s door would get thrown open so his dad could “check up” on him. Not that his dad cared enough to ask how he was doing in school or anything—he usually just needed something to yell at. 

Christopher lost focus on the book he was reading, and no matter how many times his eyes scanned the words, nothing stuck anymore. The pages started to swim together in his mind. His fingers gripped the edge of the book a little tighter, and his heart began to beat in his ears a little louder. 

The footsteps got closer, taking the same path through the house he’d committed to memory. They stopped just outside of his door, and Christopher held his breath, waiting for the sound of his doorknob turning and the inevitable, senseless berating. 

But then his father continued down the hall, as if he’d simply lost interest in Christopher altogether. And from the sound of it, he’d simply found a new target for the anger—something in the kitchen that hadn’t gotten cleaned properly. 

He wished he could block out the sound of his parents arguing back and forth, but his ears picked up each word clearly, even through the walls. He grimaced, tossing the book down onto his bed and drawing his knees in to his chest, trying desperately to cover his ears. 

Every fucking night. Why can’t he just shut the fuck up. 

He hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and he was sure at this rate it was going to be forgotten about again. If he went out there to check, he’d just get yelled at. 

Perhaps it was because he was so hungry, but a scent caught his nose—faint at first, then stronger, until it almost assaulted his senses completely. His head snapped up—he recognized the scent. He’d only ever smelled traces of it on his father, but he knew what it meant.

Human?

But this wasn’t a mere trace of a human’s scent—this was an actual human, close by. His head swiveled around until his eyes landed on where his nose led.

There, on the floor across from where he sat on his bed, was a human. An honest-to-goodness human, staring at him with wide eyes and frozen in place. 

There were a multitude of things that ran through his head in that moment, but the one that seemed to take precedence was I can’t let him catch me with drugs in here.

Without thinking, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and landed on the floor, mindful of his weight distribution to keep his footfalls silent. The human, upon seeing his sudden movement, gave a tiny yelp, its entire body tense and ready to dart away.

Christopher held up his hands reflexively as he crouched down, as if to calm a wild animal. I’m not going to hurt you. 

Now that he could get a better look at it, he found himself studying the strange creature rather intently. He knew that humans looked sort of like miniature giants, like dolls, but he’d never anticipated the resemblance to be so…uncanny in real life. This one seemed to be male, with short brown hair and sharp features. He looked rather…unkempt, for lack of a better word. His clothes were tattered and worn, and he seemed to be covered in dirt and grime. His hair stuck out at messy angles—clearly, this human had had other things to worry about besides his appearance.

He didn’t look at all like the few humans he’d seen in movies. Those had always been made to look perfect—if they were real at all, and not fake replicas. This one looked like he’d just finished wrestling a rat out in the wild. 

The human took a step backwards, but he didn’t run—Christopher could tell the human’s focus was split between him and the loud shouting going on a few rooms down. The sound made the human wince—it likely seemed much scarier to someone only a few inches tall. 

Whatever the reason, Christopher was glad the human hadn’t dashed away yet. He kept his voice low and quiet, though he knew it was unlikely his parents could hear him with the volume of their own “discussion.” 

“Hey. It’s okay.” Christopher slowly lowered his hands, though he didn’t move any closer. He spoke slowly and deliberately, though he didn’t think the human would be able to understand his words. “I’m a friend.” 

The human’s eyes remained wide-open and full of fear. He almost looked nauseous as he looked Christopher up and down, his posture only relaxing slightly.

Finally, though, the human spoke up timidly. “Y-y-you’re fucking huge, man.” 

Christopher’s eyes widened a bit, his head tilted in curiosity. “I didn’t realize humans spoke English.” 

The human seemed just as confused as Christopher was, though his eyes kept darting back and forth towards the sound of his father’s yelling. 

“Don’t worry about him,” Christopher muttered, a bit of resentment coloring his tone. “It’s just my dad. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just…what are you doing here?”

“I…uh…” The human seemed to shrink further into himself. “I snuck in,” he squeaked. “I nearly got killed trying to make it out there,” he said, gesturing towards the window, “and um…figured I’d take my chances with the house. I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

Christopher hurriedly made a shushing sound as the human’s voice increased in pitch. “Keep it down,” he hissed, though he tried to keep his voice gentle so as to not scare the human more than he already seemed to be. “I don’t want my dad to hear you.” 

“Right, right…” The human seemed to take a few deep breaths, calming himself, before he stood up a little straighter. He tried to speak confidently, though there was still a healthy amount of wariness about him. “I’m Joey. What’s your name?” 

Christopher wasn’t sure why he was surprised that the human had a name—he’d just never thought about it that way before. He found himself blinking a few times before answering. “I’m Christopher.”

“You’re…what, a teenager, right? You look pretty young.”

“I’m fifteen.”

“Uh-huh.” Joey jumped at the sound of what seemed to be breaking glass coming from the kitchen. “Listen, Christopher, I don’t want to be any trouble, but…do you know somewhere I can stay that’s…safe?”

“Uh…no, I don’t.” Christopher had only heard vaguely of human enthusiasts in the city that supposedly made secret places for humans to live. But there definitely wasn’t anything like that in Red Tree. “Sorry.”

“Okay…” Joey said, a little cautiously. “Look, could I just…stay here for a bit? It’s raining outside. I nearly drowned earlier.” 

Christopher had barely noticed the sound of the rain picking up outside—he’d been far more distracted by the sound of the storm inside the house.

That’s right. He couldn’t possibly survive outside in this weather. 

He swallowed nervously, keeping an ear out for the sound of his father getting closer. “I…listen, I can’t let my dad catch me with a human—”

“You can hide me, right? Listen, anything is preferable to dying out there. You can stuff me in a drawer for all I care. Just don’t send me back outside. Please.”

Christopher shook his head. “Your smell. Your scent is…really strong.” It was making his own stomach twist in knots to inhale it—he couldn’t put words to the sharp scent. It wasn’t like anything else in the world. It was totally distinct, almost alien—but not unpleasant. Not at all unpleasant, actually. 

He found his mouth watering slightly, and his empty stomach growled.

No. That’s disgusting. You’re not like him. You’re not going to EAT this human.

Despite his mental protests, he found that he was curious. It was a common enough thing—everyone ate humans in secret. Even some of his classmates had done it—or at least, talked like they’d done so. Smelling this human now, he could see the appeal—the scent twisted around his lungs and teased the back of his tongue, all but begging him to get a taste of this human. Of Joey.

He’s got a name. He’s a person—you can’t just eat him. Even if it’s safe.

“Yeah, okay, kid, I haven’t exactly had time for a bath—”

“That’s not what I meant,” Christopher said, grimacing slightly from another painful, hungry twist of his stomach. “I mean giants can smell humans really well. My dad would find you.” 

“...ah.” Joey’s face looked a little paler all of a sudden. “Does your dad, uh, have something against humans?”

Does he not know…? 

Christopher felt a bit awkward all of a sudden, not entirely sure how to go about explaining to Joey that humans were drugs to most giants. He didn’t want to scare the poor human more. 

Could he keep Joey in his room? He might be able to get away with it. His father’s senses weren’t all that sharp, not as much as his own were. Maybe he could find a way to mask the scent somehow. He wondered if it would be suspicious for his room to suddenly start smelling like lavender. 

“He—”

A sound interrupted Christopher’s sentence, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. His father’s heavy, thudding footsteps were making their way back down the hallway—towards his room again. 

“Shit,” Christopher hissed. Panic gripped his mind, and in that panic, his hand shot forward and grabbed Joey—eliciting a tiny yelp of surprise from the human.

“Hey! Wh—”

Christopher desperately put a finger to his lips to silence Joey, his heart beating furiously against his ribcage. His father wouldn’t take it well to find a human in his room on a good day—and this definitely wasn’t one of his good days. 

The footsteps got closer and closer. Christopher knew the door would be thrown open soon—he doubted he’d get as lucky as he’d gotten before. And surely, any closer and his father would be able to smell Joey…

He stared down at the human, his own wide eyes reflected in the human’s terrified face. He gave a nervous swallow, realizing what he might have to do.

It would hide his scent—

“Sorry,” he whispered quickly, hoping to convey a sense of apology before he shoved Joey into his mouth and closed his lips behind the human’s feet. 

He’d expected it to feel much stranger, but something like a shock of adrenaline burst through his chest when he got that first taste on his tongue. He didn’t have time to revel in the feeling, though—he took a deep breath and, whether through sheer luck or panic, managed to swallow Joey entirely on the first try. 

He thought he could hear the human’s shouting at first, but the sound disappeared as Joey slid further down his throat, past his collarbone, and into his stomach. 

The clawing, incessant sensation of hunger melted away as the human filled the space. 

His mind was a blur as he stood up quickly and whipped around, just as his bedroom door flew open and his father glared back at him.

“What’the fuck’re you doin’ in here,” his father slurred angrily. Christopher could smell the alcohol on his breath from where he stood in the middle of the room—it made him nauseous.

“I was getting to my homework,” he muttered quietly, averting his eyes from his father’s and instead staring just past him.

The human was moving frantically inside of him, kicking and punching at his insides—luckily not enough to hurt him, but it was still rather distracting. He did his best to keep his face even, and not betray the guilt and panic rising up within him.

I’m sorry, Joey. I should have told you it was safe. 

His father narrowed his eyes. “Quit FUCKIN’ mumbling and look at me when you talk.”

Christopher swallowed the swell of anger that rose in his chest, Joey temporarily forgotten. He forced his eyes to meet his father’s, only just barely keeping the mess of emotions contained inside of him as he forced his lips into a thin line. 

It’s not worth it to cause a fight right now. Just do what he says and get it over with.

“I’m going to work on my homework,” Christopher lied, making sure to enunciate each word clearly. 

His father’s glance swept around the room—his eyes passing over the otherwise spotless interior and landing on the clothes Christopher had forgotten to pick up earlier today, after getting home from school and changing. He was worried his father had picked up on the last traces of Joey’s scent—Christopher could still just barely smell it himself—but luckily, he didn’t seem to notice. “Your room’s a fucking mess.”

Give me a fucking break. It’s ONE change of clothes. 

Christopher could feel his own blood pressure rising, and he dug his nails into his palm. “I’ll pick it up.”

“You fuckin’ better. Whole damn house is a shitshow.”

His bedroom door slammed closed, and Christopher was once again left alone. 

He’d gotten off relatively easy today.

The pressure in his chest eased up slightly as he took a few deep breaths, calming the anger and the panic that had overtaken him. 

And then his focus drifted downwards.

He placed a hand over his stomach. Joey’s movements had slowed slightly, but the rapid beating of his own heart hadn’t. 

There’s a PERSON inside of me. 

It was such a weird sensation, to be able to feel so much movement in his stomach—he’d never noticed how sensitive his stomach was before. Was it just how it was with humans? He pressed at his own skin curiously, lifting his shirt up. There was no indication that there was anything out of the ordinary—Joey was far too small to make any sort of impression.

There was a sort of relief that began to flood his mind—a pleasant, almost hazy feeling that touched the corners of his thoughts, almost like he was floating on a cloud. And more than that—his empty stomach had calmed down, and he felt…almost full, as if he’d eaten an entire meal instead of a relatively tiny human. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten enough to feel this satiated.

But he’s fine. He’s fine. I’m not digesting him. He’s safe. It’s just a temporary thing.

The nagging voice, however, didn’t leave—what if he’d hurt Joey somehow? What if he couldn’t get him back out? What if he fucked up and—

His breaths began to come in short bursts again, panic rising in his chest. His eyes darted from the door to the window behind his bed.

He had to get out of the house. 

“Hang on, Joey,” he muttered, placing a hand against his stomach—though he doubted Joey could hear him. He climbed up onto his bed and thrust the window open. It slid upwards with little resistance, thanks to Christopher’s careful maintenance of its hinges to keep it soundless. This wasn’t the first time he’d snuck out of the house, and it wouldn’t be the last.

The rain was still coming down, though it had lightened up slightly. He didn’t care—he could deal with a little rain. Slowly, he lowered himself down onto the ground and closed the window behind him before sprinting off into the woods behind the house, taking the path he knew like the back of his hand. 

The rain drenched him, sinking into his clothes and dripping down his hair. He ran and ran, desperate to get to his place in the woods, to the only place he felt like he could actually breathe again. The wind whipped at his back, as if it was helping to carry him further and further away towards his sanctuary.

His house disappeared as he got further past the trees until he was surrounded by nothing but green and the smell of wet pine needles. The soft, rain-battered dirt beneath his feet caked on the soles of his tennis shoes, and he knew he’d have to be careful bringing them back inside later. 

Finally, the clearing came into view—his place, his little fortress out in the middle of nowhere. The trees covered the whole place like a vibrant canopy, keeping some of the rain at bay. He headed towards the trunk of the largest tree, his favorite, and leaned against it, closing his eyes as he caught his breath again. 

He slid down the trunk until he sat down against the earth, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that he’d need to do laundry when he got home to clean all the mud off of his clothes but being far too overwhelmed to care.

How do I get him out?

He took a few slow, deep breaths. Panic probably wasn’t going to help. He tried to focus on that nice, pleasant feeling that teased the edge of his mind, doing its best to break past all the fear and anxiety that tried to tear into him.

Breathe, damnit. 

His chest rose and fell slowly, and the weight in his middle rose and fell with it. 

“Joey?” he said, his voice cracking slightly. He didn’t know if the human could hear him, and he didn’t feel any sort of kick or punch in response. “I’m sorry. You’re fine, you’re not gonna get hurt. I’m…I’m gonna get you out.” 

Silence. He may as well have been talking to the trees. 

I can do this. 

He had no idea what the first step even was. No one who ate humans talked about what it was like to bring them back out, but surely…surely it just sort of happened, right? 

He tried to imagine the human moving back up his throat, contracting his stomach slightly as if he was trying to tighten his core muscles. Nothing happened—he could still feel Joey’s weight securely inside of him. 

Fuck. 

Did he have to make himself throw up or something? It wasn’t the most elegant solution, but what else could he do? 

He carefully reached into his mouth, towards the back of his throat, and tried to make himself gag. He choked and spluttered, almost doubling over on himself, but nothing came back up his throat. It felt like his stomach held onto Joey with a greedy vengeance, unwilling to let him go.

FUCK.

He began to panic again, his mind speeding up to a crescendo of anxiety that thundered in his brain. The rain fell down his face and made him shiver, getting in his eyes and making his hair hang in wet, messy strands about his face.

The human moved around inside of him again, almost agitated now—as if Christopher’s failures were freaking him out too.

“I’m sorry Joey, I’m sorry…I’m trying. I’m trying. I’ve never done this before.” 

He pressed his nails into his palms, hard, and winced at the sharp pain. He had to figure this out. He couldn’t stay out here all night. He couldn’t just leave Joey inside of him like this. 

“I just…I couldn’t…couldn’t let him find you. He would’ve…” He would’ve eaten you. Just like I did. FUCK. 

He could feel the corners of his eyes getting warmer, but the rain and the tears mixed together as they ran down his face. He only ever let himself cry out here, when he was alone—and he wasn’t alone right now, but it felt like it. All he could hear was the wind whistling through the trees and the rain that refused to let up. He couldn’t even see where the human rested beneath his skin—the only indication Joey was even there was the soft, small weight in his center that had stopped moving altogether. 

He tried to make himself gag again, but once again, his efforts proved fruitless. He clutched his knees to his chest, out of breath, choking on air. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he wheezed, his fingers clenching and unclenching around his legs. 

I can’t. I can’t do anything. All I do is fuck things up. 

His eyelids blearily fluttered open, his eyelashes dripping with rainwater and salt, and he squeezed them shut again. 

He put a hand to his stomach again, in a likely futile attempt to reassure Joey. He pressed into it slightly, feeling the human’s form beneath his touch. It was still so surreal to think about. He might have enjoyed the feeling if he wasn’t terrified and overwhelmed. 

Suddenly, though, he felt a strange sensation in the back of his throat as he pressed into his stomach. Curious, he slowly pushed even further, trying to press under where he felt Joey with his fingers, and his eyes shot open as he felt the human move upwards and into his throat.

Yes. YES.

It wasn’t anything like throwing up—the human slid up his throat just as easily as he’d slid down it. It was like his body was made for this. Despite all his struggles, this felt natural and easy. He did his best to keep his breathing steady, focusing only on the motion of his throat, placing a hand underneath the bulge that formed in his throat and helping it up towards his mouth.

He felt the human reach the back of his mouth as the flavor burst onto his tongue again—almost overwhelming in its potency, enough to make the breath catch in his throat.

He kept his mouth closed until the human emerged fully into it, and he felt tiny hands grasp desperately at his teeth as Joey pulled himself forward. 

“L-let me out. Please,” Joey whimpered—he could hear the human’s voice clearly now. 

For a moment—just a moment—Christopher considered swallowing Joey back down. He could feel the hunger rising back up in him, squeezing his stomach with sharp, clawed fingers. It begged him to keep the human inside of him a little longer, to feel that satisfying weight within him again.

No. NO. I’m not like HIM.

Christopher used his tongue to keep Joey pressed gently against the roof of his mouth as he tried to swallow all the excess saliva around him. Then, he parted his lips and reached in with a few fingers, pulling Joey out by his hands before letting the human fall soggily into his palms. 

Joey looked much worse than he had earlier—covered in saliva, shivering and huddling in Christopher’s hands, and staring up at Christopher with wide, understandably terrified eyes.

They only stared at each other for a while, both unsure of what to say. Christopher tried to shelter Joey from the rain slightly by covering him with his other hand, but it only did so much. 

“H-how the hell am I alive?” Joey squeaked, his lip trembling as he curled in on himself—as if he was trying to back away from Christopher as much as he could, despite the fact that he was sitting in Christopher’s hand, very far from the ground.

“Giants…eat humans,” Christopher mumbled, somewhat apologetic, “but not for food. Giant stomachs are safe for humans to be in. We can control our digestive systems.”

Joey blinked in disbelief. “What…what the hell?” His mouth fell open. “Why…if not for food, then—”

“Drugs,” Christopher muttered bitterly. “It’s…” his lips tightened, “kind of…a nice feeling. And, um…I guess humans taste good to giants.” His face scrunched up in apology. “But I didn’t—I didn’t eat you because of…that.” He sighed. “I didn’t want my dad to smell you. He would have…”

“Yeah, hey, I…get it,” Joey said, albeit somewhat warily. “I’m just…um…well, thank you, Christopher.” 

Christopher nodded, unsure of what to do now. He couldn’t leave Joey out here in the rain, in the wild…how did humans even survive out in the wild like that? 

He should take him home with him. He could probably hide the scent well enough…he only had to worry about his dad bursting in occasionally, but neither of his parents lingered around his room for long. He might be able to hide Joey…at least for a bit.

“Hey, uh…you good, kid?” 

Christopher’s focus got pulled to Joey again, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m…I’m fine.” 

“Uh…” Joey’s face took on something a little softer. Concern. “You just…didn’t sound too good. From uh. From in there.” 

Christopher shook his head quickly, reflexively. “I’m fine, really.”

Joey nodded slowly, clearly disbelieving. He looked up at Christopher, and hesitantly placed a hand against Christopher’s palm. “You know…the way your dad treats you…it’s not right.” He moved his hand back and forth in a tiny, soothing motion. “You seem like a good kid.” 

He felt his chest hitch. “T-thanks, um, Joey.” He grimaced as he stood up slowly, making sure to keep Joey well-protected in his palms to prevent the human from falling off. “I can…I can probably keep you in my room for a bit. I don’t think my parents will check for a while. And I might find something to keep your scent covered.” 

Joey nodded tersely, a new wave of fear settling into his face as he glanced down at how far the ground was below him. “I…I appreciate it, kid.” 

They walked in silence for a bit, Christopher holding the human close to his chest both to shield him from the rain and keep him from falling. 

“Um…and, hey, kid…” Joey muttered, a twinge of nervousness in his voice. “If you gotta…if you gotta do that again, because of your dad or whatever…it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” He looked up at Christopher, forcing half a smile through his features. “I trust you, alright?” 

“...y-yeah. Okay.” Christopher tried not to think about the way Joey’s suggestion made his stomach growl hungrily. 

That hunger persisted all the way back to the house—and only got worse the more the human’s scent filled his lungs. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[dragons-eat-people]

Being a predator such as myself can sometimes...be confusing. At least, to most.

Like, I get it. I'm a dragon. A big, scary, frightening being who'd crush you into itty-bitty bits without a second thought.

But...that doesn't mean I HAVE to be. But...that also means you don't have to know that...do you? *Wink*

I enjoy being who I am. If you're a dragon and you don't eat people...you're missing out~

Speaking of which, you and I, meeting on this special and fateful day...

Vore Day.

Haven't heard? That's okay. Your day schedule has just been filled, and soon, my stomach as well~

[coldtwaer]

Crossed Paths

Summary: Marcel is a normal pred living in the city of Cyviriar. Reece is a not-so-normal prey on a mission. When they meet, both of their lives change forever…

This is a story in a time where the concept of being pred or prey has been around for a long while but laws have made it so that preds and prey can live together. Also, the idea of consuming prey is seen as taboo.

This is a nonsexual vore story however there may be mature themes (minus sexual stuff)

Read it on: AO3 | Wattpad

Tags: Serial, Vore, Vore-based world, Futuristic, Adventure, Fantasy, Same size vore, Half sized vore, Nonsexual vore

TW (as of now, more will be added if needed):  Mentions of fatal, Violence, Strong language, heavy topics/themes, Manipulation

————

Crossed paths

Chapter 1: A meeting and a promise 

Word count: 1,314

Notes for chapter: No vore yet, Just setting up the main two. Enjoy ^^

——

Some say that rain is a symbol of change

That may be true, things always did seem to change when it was raining. That may be the way things were. 

For example, one change that happened is that Reece decided to move his heist to tonight.

—

Reece could hear the rain pouring outside as he snuck through the hall of one of the more heavily guarded places in Cyviriar.  But no security was a match for the infamous Reece Satcliff. 

The man hid behind a pillar as a Cydex bot passed by on patrol. “Top-tier security my ass, this is too easy,” he said quietly to himself with a chuckle. 

Reece pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch. Before he read the time his eyes drifted to the black marking that spread across the lower half of his arm like an unfinished sleeve tattoo. Prey. That was its meaning. That was what he was, and, he didn’t mind one bit. 

He realized that he was getting distracted so he quickly looked back to the watch to read the time.

His watch read 7:00 pm

“Alright, one shot to do this. No pressure” he thought as he took a small moth-looking device from his pocket and coded it to fly over and override the security barrier. The moth flew straight into the barrier and released a strange type of electricity which ended up short-circuiting it and both the moth and the barrier were disabled. 

Once that was taken care of he pulled up his mask and used the cloaking feature to slip past the Cydex guards while they scrambled in confusion.

“Guess that’s what you get for putting your new toys on the front lines of security oh ‘Most Technically Advanced City” He stuck his tongue out at the bots. 

With the biggest obstacle out of the way all that was left to do was simply walk to the seemingly bare stand that had glass encasing it. But that was only for show, a decoy for what was really being protected.

Reece got onto his knees and started feeling around on the checkered floorboard until he heard a beep. When he tapped on the same square he saw a white keypad illuminate on it. 

He looked at his watch, 7:03, he only had two minutes left to do this. 

“I’m guessing the code isn’t 1-2-3-4” Reece chuckled before using his watch’s other function. 

“Ness, decode this would ya?” he pointed his arm towards the square. 

The watch worked as fast as it could but time wasn’t on Reece’s side right now. 7:04

Finally, the decoding finished and the square slid open which revealed the true prize, the hard drive. 

As “luck” would have it, as soon as he picked up the drive, it was 7:05. His cloaking turned off to recharge.

Even better, the Cydex bots recalibrated and looked directly at him.

”Hey guys, I’m just gonna take this and go” Reece threw down a smoke bomb and took off.

—

Marcel made the mistake of thinking he was going to have a normal day.

 The sun was starting to set which would usually make an orange and lilac sky but it was raining so instead it was a dull grey that would eventually fade to black by the time Marcel got home. It was a monotone detail to what had been a monotonous day. 

He held onto his umbrella tightly as he ran across the crosswalk to beat the timer that was already down to 10. As he ran he could see the reflections of multicolored neon lights off of a large puddle that was waiting for him on the other side. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t avoid it. 

“Green, Pink, Yellow…” Marcel started listing the colors he had seen in the puddle as he sat on a bus stop bench and dried off his legs with the end of the hoodie he had taken off. Talking about colors made him feel calm. As an artist, colors were everything.

A small thing was that now that his hoodie was off, the pred marking on his arm was visible. But sometimes big changes only needed small sparks.

“I think it was more of an emerald than a chartreuse,” Marcel said as if he were talking to someone else.

Of course, he wasn’t. He didn’t have friends. At least, not anymore.

Once he had finished drying off he got back up. “I need to get home quickly so I can at least get a few hours of sleep” Marcel muttered. 

Currently, the fastest route would be to cut through Raygate Street and take the eerie-looking alleyways that winded all around the city.  Marcel hated going through those alleyways, but considering he only had four hours before his next job, he didn’t have a choice.

With a twirl of his umbrella to watch the colored light reflect off the droplets, he started to make his way across Raygate

Meanwhile, located on the other side of the town, a short man didn’t care at all about the puddles that were making his socks soggy. He was busy running from enforcer bots as he carried something small in his left hand.

-

Reece loved the night. The vibrant atmosphere made him feel like anything was possible. Or at least, whatever fate had planned.

 He came upon two alleyways as he ran. With his right hand, he quickly pulled out a coin, an old kc cent from a time long before the world had switched solely to digital currency, and flipped it. 

“Heads for left tails for right” he stated in his mind.  He trusted the world, more specifically this coin, would give him the right choice.

The coin landed on tails. He darted to the right and barely missed being hit by a T.A.Z.E dart. “Phew that was close” If there was something that Reece hated, it was being tased by those things.

“Cease resistance immediately,” a Cydex bot said.

”No” Reece looked back at the bot and winked before he went and knocked over a loose pipe to slow the guards down

Though he could evade these bots for hours, he needed to find a way to lose them. 

That’s when he remembered the unpleasant alleyways near Raygate. They were a lot less safe than the ones he was going through here since they were in the lower-class area but he knew them well enough to get by.

”Is it worth testing my luck?” Reece flipped his coin in the air again

 “Heads for yes tails for no” He called as the shiny piece of metal spun.

It landed and ‘the world’ gave him his answer. 

—

Marcel wondered why the world was so cruel. 

He tried to keep his eyes off of the unfortunate souls who were sitting in the alleyway with nothing more than cardboard and some clothes to their names. 

If it hadn't been for his first employer, he probably would have been one of those people.

”I hope the nightclub isn’t too busy tonight I’ve dealt with enough drunk men for one day.” Marcel sighed as he thought about the encounter he had earlier that day.

It wasn’t his fault that he had a more feminine look but it was that guy’s fault for harassing him.

He tried to get his mind off of those thoughts by thinking about how he would see that beautiful woman who performed almost every night. The way her dark curly hair covered her eyes made her mysterious and enchanting. 

Plus, her singing. There was a reason why she was nicknamed ‘The Nightingale’. Marcel would love to talk with her one day if he ever got enough courage.

He probably never would.

”Despite everything It’s oddly peaceful he-“ Marcel didn’t get a chance to finish his thought because someone body-slammed into him.

[bichambered-reservoir]

x,tal save me....

x,tal

save me x,tal by a,phex t,win

hi so this is like my favorite song and like the fact i associate it extremely strongly with v,ore is like a good 60% of why i love it

the way that the song sounds elicits so much of the vore sensations and its noise. The bass sounding like a heartbeat and the the droning bass melody sounding kind of like a breath in my head and the twinkling . and esp because i associate the song really strongly with winter at dusk (i miss seasons So Much) it brings me back specifically to the one v,ore trope with Comet and Fritz where she eats him to keep him from the cold and now that I remember that, that specific scenario was one of the first things I ever wrote for Comet and Fritz. nsx v,ore has always been a part of them and i've just been a pussy about it (even longer rant in the image description of the last image)

like. the song just takes me back to the scenario of being swallowed up out of the cold and the safety and the warmth afterwards. my god. damn wodnsowjfoekpwmdkfkfngmtleltlgmgmmgn

x,tal images

[roseytoesy]

Disvord snippets 48

protective vore, talkative bellies, and a short story for two of my friends.

Protective vore aftermath. Say the pred had to do some quick noms to protect their friend and fight off a monster. Maybe the prey had to nom to keep prey out of a dangerous environment. But that's not the case now that they are now back home. Cradling their full gut and making sure that their prey friend is ok. That they weren’t hurt etc. The pred gently pokes at them and moves them around just needing to know they are ok. They were so scared. Maybe the pred gives reassurance that they wouldn’t let anything ever happen to the scared prey. Maybe the pred is freaking out at how close they were to losing their friend. And the prey has to help calm them down and assure them that they are ok. Then of course some aftercare. Gentle words and assurances as they clean up any wounds, getting comfort foods and drinks to relax and know that the other is safe and ok. They are home and nothing is going to harm them. Not on their watch

***

Super soft thoughts of a talkative belly. Happy blurbles and demanding growls. Maybe rubbing along it makes it murmur happily. Maybe it growls or even roars with hunger when it’s favorite prey is nearby. Maybe it growls and grumbles as the pred is eating just so excited to have its friend inside and close. Happily murmuring and groaning around the prey. Maybe it whines when the pred lets out the prey. And it continues to whine until it gets some other food or some rubs.

***

Just a shy pred and prey meeting up and hanging out. Silently pining for the other and wanting to eat them/be eaten. The shy pred stares often and tries to control their drool. Gently rubbing their grumbling stomach to try and shush it. Maybe even eating a lot of their stomach is getting loud. On the other hand, the shy prey keeps glancing at the pred's middle. Face warming with every grumble and growl of the organ. They maybe even use a tiny bit of double-meaning words to try and hint at it. They both just awkwardly laugh at that and go back to quietly hanging out. There’s tension and both are way too shy to admit their feelings. Eventually, things calm down a bit and the prey falls asleep near the pred. The pred's stomach growls again and it’s so much harder to resist their sent. How at peace they look. How delicious they would be. The pred might struggle for a few minutes to almost an hour with their thoughts before their stomach decides for them. Demanding grumbles and a deep hunger they know could only be satisfied by the one in front of them. They may have hinted at wanting it earlier too…. they wouldn’t mind, right? With a small nod, they quickly give in and swallow up their prey. Careful to not wake them. And finally, they get to enjoy that bliss of a satisfied stomach. Being able to hold their friend close. To protect them in that vulnerable state. And the pred drifts off shortly after too. Maybe the prey wakes up in a dark space curled up and it’s a bit startling at first. But once they hear a quiet groan from around them of the pred at their movements they realize there they are. They can’t help but blush at that. They got exactly what they wanted and it’s as amazing as they imagined it to be. So they just sit there basking in their friend's sounds, a symphony of inner workings keeping their friends alive and keeping them safe. When the pred wakes up they immediately apologize but before they could spurs the prey silently just starts rubbing and the pred just melts and knows that it’s all ok. That their friend really did want this. And that they both know that it will absolutely happen again

[munch-o-rama]

nahh cause in the vore discord community there's always gonna be that one fucker who just makes comments that make it obvious they do not like kids media in vore and. before anyone yells at me. yes i get that it's usually out of a spot of discomfort. yes you can be uncomfortable with my work and other people's work for that reason. but read what im saying next.

they're usually always one of those fuckers from the furry side of the community who like pokemon vore or something along those lines. again this site has horrible literacy skills so i have to express that I AM NOT REFERRING TO ALL FURRIES OR PEOPLE WHO LIKE POKEMON VORE IN THE VORE COMMUNITY. THIS IS JUST A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THEM. anyways uhh

but yeah its usually gonna be one of those pokemon vore fuckheads and its like. theyre always ignorant of the fact THAT POKEMON IS A KIDS CARTOON AND GAME FRANCHISE. like sorry that i like vore of kids cartoon characters but also isnt pokemon itself a franchise also geared towards children..?

like. make fun of me all you want. you can be uncomfortable with my work. but at least acknowledge that the only reason you're not being given the same treatment is that pokemon vore is more normalized in the community than other vore content of kids media.

[vore-scientist]

A Well Deserved Rest [safe/soft non-sexual GT vore with fearplay]

A Tale of the Mystic Woods! 

(After so long, i have returned to my fairytale comedy world!!!)

Story Summary/hook/plot: A party of adventurers are tired from a hard day of adventuring and need a place to stay! Unfortunately for them that place is Yonah’s tower, and he loves to play with his food guests.

Starring: Yonah Ha’Esh, Sophia of Orr, Myran the Witch, and our group of adventurers! 

Contains: Safe/soft non-sexual GT oral vore. Kick but action (well, i try), Fantasy violence and some gore/blood (think at worst, a smidge of Lord of the Rings level of gore/blood). Lots of swearing. Fearplay. 

Word Count: 11,000 words (yeah. Im sorry. I cant write short stories)

---

A snap of jaws and a disappointed hiss. They dodged the venomous fangs of the viper head of the dwarf hydra. What a stupid name for something with heads the size of horses! The head reared back to join three of its fellows, a tree boa head, a cobra head, and rock python head. Four of the six heads. While half were venomous, all were dangerous, and Avshi had barely avoided that last strike. They were slowing down, the fight had to end and end soon. 

To deter another from the same head Avshi shouted a quick spell and swung their staff to release it. It hit! The pained cries were their reward as magically manifested insects attacked the eyes and exploded into bursts of flame. Having used this spell just last week, they didnt have time to refill it with fireflies, so it mostly distracted the heads with a lightshow than doing any decent damage. That was fine with Avshi, it gave them the opportunity to run behind a boulder.

“Are you ready with that sleep spell yet?”

Tori didnt look up as they furiously re-strung their Oud “Im working on it! I didnt expect the damn thing to grab my oud and smash it! Be fucking thankful only the strings snapped.” Their long ears flicked in irritation. 

And pain. Blood trickled from a wound on his shoulder and he winced as he had to tense a muscle to tighten a string. They’d offer to help but Avshi wasnt musically inclined. 

“AVSHI, WE COULD USE SOME WIZARDY SHIT OVER HERE!” came a shout from Hilary who was doing surprisingly well! Ok not that surprising, she was very good at what she did. It was only surprising she was still doing so well. 

The elf jumped not the back of a non-venomous head and used the thicker scaled spines to hang climb to the base of the skull. With the hydra in a rage the head reared back, telegraphing its strike yet Hilary didn’t move. Not until it was too late. Too late for the other head to get out of the way and the cobra sank its long fangs into its sister. 

In theory a hydra should be immune to its own venom, but the envenomed head shrieked and the entire creature reered back in agony.

Had she done it? Defeated it all on her own?

No, that would have been too easy. Still, the head that had gotten envenomed slumped and even as the rest of the creature continued to fight, it shuddered as if it was ignoring an acute pain. 

Oren was occupying three heads all on her own, the half fairy had her wings spread. The forest around was too close for her to fly, but the feathers dazzled the eyes and kept the attention on her even as she had one of the heads bleeding from the eyes and one from the mouth. But where was Niran? 

They scanned the sky and spotted them, diving. There was one head left unoccupied, the one Avshi had just harassed. But it was regaining its bearings and looked up. Of course it looked up. So Avshi leapt and cartwheeled, spitting sparks from their limbs. The cries of “you idiot!” from Tori were ignored, or rather, Avshi’s momentum wasnt easily stopped. Hopefully it was worth the risk.

The head snapped towards them, shit! They had timed it wrong. The jaws opened as they were tall! They thrust forward their staff, or so they thought, it was really just their arm. The bite force of the hydra would be no match for them. They would crumple between the fangs. 

Only, that did not happen. The top of the jaw indeed rested upon their arm. It was still heavy, but there was no force. They peeked around and saw the neck lying on the ground, dark oily blood pooling around a gash. 

“Gottit!” Screeched Niran, who had a blade in her talons covered in the same blood, as she hovered a meter away flapping her wings with excitement. Then cried in pain and shock as one of the three TAILS whipped her and she slammed into a tree, going limp. 

Avshi was no healer, but Oren was. Only Oren was still occupied by the three remaining heads. But even as they joined Oren, it wasn't enough to let Oren get a break. And as they fought together, they were slowly losing. Avshi couldnt unleash any big magic without too much risk, and most needed more time than they got between breaths to cast. Simple spells only! Oren was slowing down too, magic at the limit, strength failing. Where was Hilary? Fuck, she had been pinned under a massive clawed foot, putting all her effort into being able to breath. 

Then music reached their ears, to be heard through the pounding of their blood. 

“Tumbala Tumbala Tumbala-laika”

The familiar, soothing melody flowed around them. Making their limbs become heavy. 

The world went black. 

The world was stars and colors! And their face stung. They sat up to find Tori slapping them in the face. They caught the next slap by the wrist “What about Chai?!” For their fighter… If the spell knocked them all out. For how long?

Tori jerked their wrist back and pointed. Oren had gotten out their sword, not their preferred weapon but much better to slice with than a morning star. Though the hide of the very dead hydra was proving very tough. 

“Why is it” Chai grumbled, climbing out of the hole Oren had cut open in the monsters belly, “That when we fight giant monsters, I always end up EATEN?!” she was covered in blood and stomach fluids and did not even bother to try and wipe any of it off as it was deep in every nook and cranny of her armor. 

“Not… always” Oren tried to say but Chai glared up at them. It was impressive to see the 4ft dwarf make the near seven foot half-fairy cower from just a glare. 

“Let me re-phrase” Chai swung her sword at the hydra corpse “Why is it, when a monster eats one of us, it’s almost always ME.”

None of them could dispute that, now that Chai brought it up. 

“We always rescue you!”

“And we always will!”

“That’s not the point!” Chai cried, “it’s always me and never one of you! And it’s always at the start of a fight! And then I dont get to fight! And that’s not fair!” she swung at the hydra again “Its not fair! it's not fair! It’s not fair!”

They let her rage a bit, partly because none of them wanted to poke that bear and partly because now that she said it, now that they thought back, she was absolutely right. Until she started to really carve into the hydra, going for the heads, and Hilary had to intervene. 

“Hey hey hey! We took a job to kill a hydra AND harvest it, we need the venom!”

Chai stuck her sword in the ground “Fine, so I will do the harvesting, since i didn’t get to do any fighting.”

What would have taken them maybe an hour working together took 3 with Chai insisting on doing the harvest all on her own, saying the blood and carnage was due to her. Hilary hovered around her, risking getting stabbed with venom coated tools to ensure that everything was collected properly. 

Hilary started to hold onto her foot long ears in worry, breaking the illusion that she and Chai were the same height. 

When Chai would start to get particularly irritated Hilary reminded her how badly they needed this money, and that her kind of elves were raised in the tradition of hunting beasts so Hilary knows what she’s talking about so please dont slice her ears off. 

The long harvest did provide Oren with time to at least start to treat Niran. They set the harpy’s limbs before giving them a healing potion. Pricey, and it does not perform any miracles. But the chance that Niran had no internal bleeding was incredibly slim and such potions stopped all bleeding. Very helpful to keep a grievously injured person alive long enough to get the help they needed. But niran needed more than what Oren could handle, especially without being in healing house with supplies and more hands. 

More experienced hands, which were clearly needed. 

“I believe I heard of a witch-” Tori began.

Chai stopped them “A witch! You want to take chances on a witch?”

Tori took a breath “I have heard tell of a witch who is *kind* and helps strangers who ask politely, and whose hut was recently seen nearby.”

“How do you know?” Chai accused. “And how recently! You’ve been with us this whole time!”

In response Tori wiggled their long ears, “I have sources! I…” their ears folded back “i hear the elves in the trees while they em gossip and em… decide whether or not to prank us”

Everyone but Hilary and Niran (because the latter was unconscious) looked at them in horrified annoyance. “And when were you planning on telling us this?”

“About the witches hut? It wasn't important, it was a piece of gossip until now”

“No about the imminent pranks that could be pulled on us from the shadows!”

“Oh, well, they’ve always decided against it. And why would I?”

“Why- Because people could get hurt! At least if they decided to attack we would expect it and not react so strongly!”

“But- ” Tori looked distressed and Hilary came to their rescue. 

“You all are too familiar with city and country elves that you haven't bothered to learn about forest elves. Different traditions.”

Now the stares were on her. “I also heard the voices, probably better than Tori. OW” she cried as she was struck by something. A small pinecone! 

“Which of you threw this!?” 

None of them confessed, but Oren muttered under his breath “maybe you deserved it, for keeping shit from us”

That started them all shouting. 

Tori’s ears twitched again “Hey everyone stop! I dont think any of us threw it, I think we’ve finally been pranked.”

The moment they said it, laughed erupted from all around in the trees and they all stopped arguing, though tempers did not calm, only redirected. And then honed on the elf that climbed down a tree. A contrast to Hilary’s plum purple skin theirs was a deep green, with bright green ripples. Their hair was straw yellow as well, Hilary’s was red. 

“Not the most cohesive group of adventurers, if just one pinecone can set you at each other’s throats!” they laughed. 

“Listen dod*” Hilary held her hands palms up, not acknowledging that her friend’s anger had finally disappeared, the astonishment causing it to be forgotten completely. (*Dod means uncle it is not a name)

“We have been tracking this hydra for days, and the fight was hard, we are tired and on edge. Perhaps we can come back to the village to rest and-”

“Not a chance! Your mother and isha’li* are still not on speaking terms and we dont want to add any fuel to that fire.” (*isha’li = my wife)

Hilary clenched her fists, “Fine, can you at least show us to the witch’s hut?”

“Which witch?” her dod smiled. 

“The kindly one that we heard gossip, supposedly nearby!” she explained “sorry but their name was not mentioned.”

“Must have been another village’s hunting party, but we do know the witch you speak of.”

And they gave them directions, obtuse ones of course but when in the Mystical Woodlands, obtuse was often the best that one could hope for. Chai, wanting to be helpful, led the way and carried Niran on their back looking like a coat made of feathers. They only got lost once, and only a little bit, before the witch hut came into view. It was more of a mound with hut-like qualities. And surrounding it were wagons! And destroying much of what must be the witch’s garden were the beasts of burden that pulled them. Many muffled voices could be heard as they approached the door. Chai knocked. 

The voices did not pause, but after a time the door opened. It unleashed a torrent of noise, happy chatter and singing, and revealed ruddy face of a dwarf who squinted at Chai. 

“I dont recognize you… are you trying to crash the party. That is a rather dirty looking shawl, even if feathered shawls were still in fashion it’s a bit uncouth to let one get so decrepid”

“What!?” Chai asked, quite confused.

“The family reunion!” the dwarf said angrily as if this would clarify. 

“My name is Chai bat L’SodGivah” then remembering that this witch was rumored to respond well to politeness quickly smiled “my friend is injured and we would be grateful for assistance”

The dwarf blinked “but, I am Pitri Ben L’MassaTzila, a mushroom farmer what-” then he finally noticed the crowd behind Chai and the harpy on her shoulders. “you are here for Myran!” he turned his head almost all the way around to shout. 

“MYRAN! YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS!”

“WHAT! DID THEY NOT SEE THE SIGN?” came another voice through all the others which did not quiet down. The dwarf looked sternly at them. 

Chai tried as politely as she could to show the dwarf there was no sign.

“YOU FORGOT TO PUT OUT THE SIGN!”

“FUCK I’ll be right there!” 

“They’ll be right over”

It took longer than expected for a voice that sounded fairly close by the door for a second dwarf to appear. Clearly related to the first, unlike Chai who had little resemblance aside from being a dwarf. These two had the same ears and same noses, the same eyes, and similar hands. They had rather different expressions of beard fashion however. The first had his beard cut fairly short and with small braids, barely long enough to make the pattern that formed a meaning “all the world is my teacher”. Very profound for someone so plastered. The second dwarf had a much longer beard and with absolutely no order to the decorations, or any cohesion except for possibly a theme: random shit I found on the ground. Buttons made up the majority of the objects braided in, along with trinkets and toys, intact and broken jewelry, and even some animal bones. 

“I cannot believe I forgot the sign” they sighed and waved their hand. On the other side of the open door a sign appeared 

CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT

DO NOT DISTURB

TRESPASSERS WILL BE CURSED

“Oh don’t look like that I’m not going to curse any of you, the sign wasn’t up yet” they said and bowed with a fist to their chest “Myran Bnei L’MassaTzila. The witch” 

They were let in and had to wade through a crowd of dwarves following the witch who had smartly put their pointy hat on so they wouldnt lose them and followed them to the kitchen. 

“How long has this party been going on?” Chai asked, having been mistaken by several drunk guests for a niece or daughter or wife and even mother. “I’m not that old!” she had exclaimed, as the person who asked was at least her own age, if not older. 

“We do so aplogize for having you work, you could point us to another witch if-” Oren started to say but Myran waved him off. 

“Oh don’t bother I needed a break from my great grandmother. Again nagging me to get married, as if she doesn’t know I’ve had a boyfriend for over a year. And just because he’s not a dwarf.” 

“IT'S BECAUSE HE’S A CONVICTED CRIMINAL!” came the voice of the aforementioned great grandmother. 

Myran shook their head. 

It was all a little more information than any of them wanted, and now they were standing in the witch’s kitchen awkwardly as the witch rummaged around cabinets and drawers. Asking them what had happened and becoming more precise until they had handed off half a dozen herbs and jars. Then they stomped their food on the floor. 

The ground didnt shift beneath their feet but the kitchen disappeared and in its place was clearly a witch’s workshop. Muffled party sounds came from… actually the direction wasnt clear. Myran had Chai put Niran on a hard pallet that was clearly meant for patients of a particular shape and size (humanoid). And they all let the witch do what witches do. 

After a few minutes the witch announced “Your friend sustained much less damage than it initially looked. Cheaper healing draughts will do fine, as well as plenty of rest.” they went over to the table full of the supplies they had brought from the kitchen and started to mix a few. “I will also replace the bandaging. It was well done but should simply be replaced for cleanliness sake I will use that opportunity to apply the healing draught as a salve directly.”

Oren asked if he could watch, as he had some medicinal knowledge but wished for a bit of on the spot training. Myran agreed “It would be very difficult to make things worse”. Oren wasnt sure if he should be insulted but Myran was the host and he was the guest, he had to be polite or he might end up a frog. 

Or a mouse. He thought as a cat almost as large as the witch lumbered into the room mrowing for attention. 

“No the party is not over it is only day 3.”

The cat mrowed again in what was clearly a questioning voice.

“Eight days! You know this, i told you. I am just helping some folks.”

The cat flicked his huge fluffy tail and immediately locked eyes with Chai who had stepped back. And trotted over to her. 

“Wait, no, I’m-” and she sneezed “Allergic…” it was mild but it was annoying. The witch did not call off her cat which proceeded to rub against Chai with evident affection, seemingly unbothered by the occasional sneeze. 

Hilary counted 20 sneezes, not really keeping proper time, before Niran stirred and everyone rushed over. Except Chai who tripped over a cat. 

The harpy was breathing much easier, and the clean bandages made a huge difference. Myran had even cleaned up Niran herself, getting the detritus and blood from her feathers. Even has her chest rose and fell with ease, her voice was a little shaky. If she were not covered in feathers, it would be clear her chest was very bruised. 

“Where are we? Did we kill the hydra?”

“You killed a hydra!” Myran whistled “and you all survived! Im impressed! Do you have some extra venom? Think of it as payment for my helping when im supposed to be on vacation.”

It was explained to Niran what happened and Niran took some medicinal tea and fell asleep. That prompted most of them to think about sleep. And one of them to voice the question that the rest did not out of politeness. 

“Um, if you dont mind, is there a place we can stay for the night?”

Myran sighed a very heavy sigh “Normally I would offer a room or even two, but even with many of my relatives sleeping in their carts, Ive got people sleeping on the floor.” 

Where could they possibly go that was safe? The elves, or at least the one village, had refused. Staying outside was out of the question. They needed proper shelter. They all looked to each other but no one’s face gave any hope. Except. 

“Avshi, do you have an idea?” asked Oren. 

“Well…” They said, “There is a chance that my friend Yonah is nearby.” 

It was always a chance in the Mystical Woodlands. Even if The Woods seemed to know exactly what someone inside it needed, it doesnt mean it would lead the someone to it. It could decide to be precocious and play keepaway. His friend’s tower could be within walking distance!

“Oh, I believe it is!” Myran said.

That lead to a brief conversation as Avshi and Myran discussed how they knew Yonah. As residents of The Woods, Myran and Yonah had run into each other, but there seemed to be more to it than that. Myran spoke with a high degree of familiarity, and was able to infer that Avshi’s years at the wizard academy had overlapped with Yonah’s. 

 “Unless the tower has moved since last night. If you can imagine, I ran out of… emm, a few things. I do owe him, canyou make a delivery for me? Consider it payment for my helping out” 

“I thought you wanted some hydra venom?” 

“This is more important. Just give me a minute to gather the items.”

Logically the members of the adventuring party had assumed Myran had requested consumables from this Yonah. Booze, snacks, maybe a blanket for someone to sleep on. But as they gathered more and more items, increasing in rarity and value, this logic fell apart. All of them were too polite and too unfamiliar with the witch to inquire. 

Suffice to say, it took longer than a minute, and then a minute longer for the witch to write a letter and tucked it into the basket of items. 

“If it is in the exact same spot as it was earlier…” they gave directions which were mercifully simple, relatively speaking. 

They all thanked the witch profusely as they were ushered out. Once again Chai was accosted by several drunk guests who believed her related to them or someone else at the party. At least a few were sober enough to be embarrassed when corrected, that she was the one dwarf at the party who had no relation to anyone else here. 

Finally they made it out, the sun was just starting to set. If they were lucky they could make it to Yonah’s before it got dark. 

They were lucky! And were even luckier to not run into any difficulties on the way. And it was very obvious when they arrived at their destination. 

It looked a little witchy to be a wizard’s abode. A huge orchard and sprawling garden surrounded the more classic looking tower. Many of them were hungry and had to be reminded not to take any fruit. Hilary pointed out that the corner section near the boundary to the forest would be free for those in need to take from. Avshi pointed out that they were not in need, his friend should be able to provide food. It would be more than a little uncouth to show up while eating apples from their host’s orchard. 

“So, how the fuck do we get in?”

They were at the base of the tower, but there were no doors and the only window was 50ft up. Avshi looked a little guilty. 

“You eh… climb” 

The rest of them groaned. Of course. And of course there were thorny vines that crawled up the tower, which provided the means of ascending. This would be fine normally, but one of them was currently incapacitated. The irony of it being the only member of the team who could have flown up was not lost on anyone. 

“I think i have enough strength to climb” she said

“You can’t even walk!” Chai pointed out, “Or have i been lugging around your feathered ass for no reason!”

“I have talons, climbing is easier than walking” she insisted. Chai’s disgruntled attitude towards Niran faded as she watched the harpy still struggle to climb, and she insisted she be underneath in case of an accident. And it was painfully slow. Until Oren slipped and was impaled by what was surely a poisonous thorn. 

Or rather. Wasnt. The thorns being revealed as illusions, of a sort. One could grasp the long thin shafts, but if you tried to get cut by one, or accidentally scraped up against one, it didnt exist. 

“Is this some sort of magical plant? Or is it not a plant and just a complex illusion?” Tori asked. They were asking Avshi, even if they couldnt look at them to indicate this. 

“Knowing Yonah, it’s probably both.”

“Woah!!! Does every wizard’s workshop look like this?” Hilary climbed up to the window ledge and out of sight. Tori was next and then Avshi, who gathered enough breath to say.

“No… this is what you get when you’re employed by the Mystical King.”

The workshop had everything a wizard could possibly want, and then some. Multiple desks with drawers of all shapes and sizes. Tools and materials littered the desks. There was a bench that was clearly dedicated to alchemy. There was a fireplace just for making potions and another for more general preparation of materials. Every bit of wall was covered by shelving and cabinets, and the shelves were full of bottles and jars and books and things that even Avshi couldnt identify. There were even things hanging from the ceiling! Baskets and cages and devices! 

“I see he’s gathered more junk” Avshi tried to sound less impressed and less jealous than they really were. Was that ether loom? What was Yonah doing measuring fae realm activity? 

“Oh, cool, so this is AHHHH” Oren had joined them at the window sill and walked forward. Falling to the workshop floor a few meters below.

They were so distracted by their friends impressive workshop they had forgotten to tell them that Yonah wa-

“THIS PLACE IS HUGE, Avshi is your friend… is he not human? I thought only humans could be wizards?

Seeing them down there and yet the workshop still looked midiscale from where the rest of them sat made their brain hurt. 

“Ugh, yeah em, so-”

Niran climbed up and squawked excitedly “Wow! THis place is amazing!” then she looked down and concerned. “What are- oh, my head.”

And they fell down, thankfully landing on Oren. 

“Yeah so Yonah is-”

“Holy fuck, this place is a mess! Are all wizards like- FUCK”

Avshi sighed and Tori and Hilarly laughed as Chai too climbed in and fell onto the floor. 

“What the fuck is going on here! Is this some wizard trickery or-” Chai demanded as she got off or Oren who had just been relieved of Niran. 

“As I was saying, Yonah is half-giant.”

“Bullshit! Only humans can attend the wizard academy” she spat as if she was personally victimized by this (admittedly specisist) restriction. 

“Well, half-humans are often allowed but-”

“As if they’d let a half giant? I cant see that happening” she said. 

“No… ehhh, they didnt really know…”

As they talked the ones who didnt fall down to the floor carefully made there way down. Avshi showed them to the corner of the windowsill. Once Avshi pointed  it out, the ladder was visible to everyone else. 

“I wouldnt do that if I were you!” Avshi warned as Hilary started to wander off towards a very interesting and mobile device that sat on its own pedestal off to the side with obvious intent to climb. “We aren't here to adventure, we are here to rest.”

“You aren’t?”  said a new, distressed voice from above. “A whole team of adventurers and not a one is here to rescue me. Just my luck”

Somehow the voice managed to be distraught and downtrodden and sassy. Its source was sitting in one of the hanging cages. The group scrambled up to a better vantage point on a workbench to see what had to be a princess. 

“He has a captive princess?” Oren sounded a bit put-off

Avshi sighed, they really should know before they- 

“We really arent in any shape to rescue-” Oren continued

“I’ll save you princess!” With a running start, Hilary leap up and out, right onto the cage. Causing it to swing. Hilary might just be 3ft tall but her leap and impact on the cage had plenty of force. The princess screamed. 

CREEEEEEEEEEEEK

Or they could make fools of themselves. That could be entertaining.

As if on cue low thuds could be heard, and then felt, in the pattern of footsteps. And as they got closer, the shadows in the room grew longer, the lights flickered. The creaking of the cage’s chain quieted but Hilary did not jump off. No one moved much at all. 

“Are… should we go?” Tori asked. 

“Go where!?” Chai snapped. 

But there was no more time to discuss. The trap door in the room flew open and the owner of the tower emerged. 

FEE FI FO FUM

The immense figure rose over their heads and the trap door closed with a slam. Half giant maybe, but still plenty large, with arms as thick as tree trunks, and fire behind the spectacled eyes. And yes, in wizard robes. Flashy, brightly patterned, with a matching hat. Smoke rose from under that hat, coming out of the explosion of black curls. He looked around before locking his eyes on the grouped up adventurers. 

---

Sophia screamed! It sounded like fear but it was delight. The powerful and rare magical items Yonah had set out were far inferior bait to herself!  Yonah would get all the credit if she didnt get to play her part. But she had! So she shrieked with all her might. 

---

Yonah did not know if Myran had called ahead so he could prepare to host visitors or prepare to fight adventurers. So he had prepared for both! He would know which it was when the time came. Still preparations had been made. 

First, he set up sophia in a cage and hung it by the oldest, rustiest chain. It wouldnt break, but it would be very obvious if someone tried to rescue her. If they noticed her at all. He set out Some very tantalizing treasures. Which would either fall or cause something else to make noise, if moved. 

And he had prepared food! He didnt prepare any extra food, not really, just more variety than he had planned for just him and Sophia. He also got out nice beds, made sure the bathing pool out back was clean and had fresh water. Tidied up the sitting room. It was last minute so he wasn’t going all out, but it was a good excuse to clean up a bit. 

When he heard the chain creak and sophia scream, he sighed. He had hoped guests, but he supposed adventurers were just as fun. 

First thing first, he got out his staff and pulled at the enchantments he’d set in his workshop. Nothing crazy, just to set the mood, before he stomped up the stairs. He had done enough wizarding today, so it was time to be a monster. It required a lot less brain power to be a monster. 

It required very little thought to stomp up the stairs. It took very little thought to take a deep breath and lower his voice and bellow as he lifted the trapdoor to his workshop. 

FEE FI FO FUM. 

He took another deep breath

I SMELL THE BLOOD OF

Wait SHIT there wasnt just one of them and he KNEW that. He’s been TOLD that! How could he have been about to say the wrong rhyme! Wow, and he called himself a first-rate villain. 

Time to switch tactics. Maybe a little bit more thought. He looked around but focused on the cage and the desk where it seemed all the adventurers had foolishly stayed. 

“Well well well, what do we have here” he smiled down at them. “Some foolish adventurers here to steal MY princess”

Oh watching the reactions of smallfolk was always so amusing. They pushed the one familiar face to the front. The one in robes as bright as his own, which made a really brilliant contrast to their dark skin. His friend smiled up at him.

“Ehhhh, Hi Yonah, actually! No! I brought-”

“Ah! Avshalom” Yonah chuckled, putting a hand on his desk, leaning casually yet maintaining his threatening aura. “I see you’ve brought me dinner.”

That got the exact reaction he desired: alarmed confusion. Well not exact, they also frozen in place. Pathetic! These folks were professional adventurers and a simple declaration by a giant that he was going to eat them had them petrified. Time to teach them a lesson. He just had to choose his victim. 

“Stay- stay back!” yelled the dwarf who drew her weapon pointing it at him. At least someone had some brains. 

“You’re the one in my house!” he snarled and moved the hand on the desk to quickly snatch her up, getting the arm holding the blade in between fingers as he squoze. 

“Thank you for volunteering to be the first course!”

She spat at him. Good aim too, if not for his glasses it would have got him in the eye. 

“Oh so rude, fine, be that way” and he stuffed her into his mouth, taking care to remove any other weapons she might have on her. Wow she tasted AMAZING! Better than any dwarf he had tasted before, which would never admit to Myran. As he swallowed he swore he heard her scream “WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!” and though he couldn't chuckle, he believed he had solved that little mystery. 

The rest of the adventurers on the desk stood there in shock, even Avshi’s eyes had widened. They were still all there once he had finished swallowing. So he growled at them, or tried his best  as he caught his breath, “Are you going to just stand there and feed yourselves to me?”

That’s when a small weight impacted the back of his neck followed up by a sharp pain. The elf! That’s who was missing from the group and she was perfectly positioned to leap from the hanging cage. And dammit she was not easy to shake off, having burrowed into his hair after the assault on his neck. Reaching under his ponytail he felt the warm blood but the wound was not deep and hopefully not-

Fuck. His vision swam from the exquisite pain. Poison. What had Myran said? Fought a hydra? He couldnt even begin to guess which head’s poison this was so a basic poison neutralizer would have to do and if more was needed at least he would be conscious long enough to get such aid. 

In his scramble to find the vial of poison neutralizer the adventurers had finally gotten their wits together and scattered, and he could still feel the elf on his head. Trying to stab his head actually. More of his blood ran down his cheek. It hurt a lot but the small blade couldnt even reach his skull. Still, it wasn’t ideal and he gave himself a few seconds to extract the little shit from his now tangled and bloody curls. 

He got ahold of the elf and held her by the ears in front of his face, licking his lips. “Elves always taste so sweet! OW!” 

He dropped her but he felt her get purchase on his clothing. Not that he cared, he looked in the direction the arrow in his hand had come from! One capable of flight had made it back to the window sill. The arrow had not gone deep at all and he could see as he approached the Harpy struggling to notch another arrow, all her strength spent on the flight and single attack. 

Right… an injured harpy Myran had said. Probably shouldn't eat her… that would be too cruel. But he was not above scaring her. 

“I’ll save you for later” he said, picking her up and trying, without making it obvious, not to hurt her. This wasnt entirely successful. And the others werent making it easy, something tried to trip him and something else flew by his releasing some sort of powder. Thanks to Sophia’s propensity for activating her curse in front of his face (which creates large amount of purple dust), he avoided breathing any in, though it did sting his eyes. 

He opened the hanging cage and placed the harpy inside. “I think i’ll rpluck you clean, then roast you, like a chicken.” Sophia climbed out and onto his shoulder laughing uproariously. 

“Dont worry Yonah, ive been keeping my eyes on them! There is a druidic half fairy and it would be very tasty.”

Good a mission. A fairy eh… he closed his eyes and sniffed. Yes. he smelled it. 

When he opened his eyes he was looking at a cabinet. Closed. He opened ione door. Nothing. 

Opened another. Nothing. 

Wait! Some of his jars moved. 

There! 

“ON YOUR LEFT!” sophia shouted. 

So confusing as she was sitting on his right shoulder. That’s where he looked first. 

The half elf, it was on his alchemy bench! It had out a flute and music filled the air. 

Logically he knew there couldnt be twenty of the same half elf when before there was just one, but the tune. The music said ‘no, there are twenty! Its a feast, you should gobble up every last one’

Try as he might, he couldn't get his hands on any of the tasty little buggers. 

A new tune filled his brain. It entered his right ear and chased the offending tune out the left. His vision cleared. 

“HEY! THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Yelled the half elf above Sophia’s singing, “Having your princess-” they were silenced when Yonah finally snagged his target. 

This time when his hand got shot, he did not release it, he embraced the pain and brought the little bard to his mouth.

---

“Fancy meeting you here” 

Chai didnt have to see to know Tori had a guilty shit eating grin on their face.

“Oh we are so fucked” she said. “This is how we die! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!”

Tori had conjured up a little light and it was SO MUCH WORSE. Never, in all the times she’d been eaten, had she been made to SEE the fleshy death prison. The pulsing pink walls, the disgusting fluids. To make matters worse, there was Tori.

“FUCK”

She grinned as she removed her foot from that formerly smug face. 

---

It was hard to focus now with two idiots fighting inside his guts but he had to! These adventurers may be tired and unprepared for fight, but if he let his guard down they could seriously hurt him. Probably not kill him in battle, but there was a decent chance of taking him down and surely they would want to cut out their friends. That would kill him. If they didnt kill him before performing such an extraction. 

No. No. Sophia wouldnt let that happen. Avshi woudlnt let that happen! However he really didnt want to end up in the possible future where his friends would be negotiating for his life. He would end the fight soon… he just wanted one more morsel. That half-fairy. He really wanted that half fairy. 

That half-fairy flew by his face AGAIN, this time casting some sort of spell. Yonah closed his eyes and held his breath again. 

The half-fairy swore as even from his closed eyelids he could see the flash of light. 

He opened his eyes and turned around to chase after them. 

What followed was a veritable game of cat and mouse. Or cat and bird. Yonah suspected he was being led on, he just had to figure out to what end! 

Avshi was still on the workbench, not helping him, not helping the other adventurers. They looked conflicted, eyes wide, gripping their staff and pointing it at Yonah occasionally, but pointing it at Oren too. 

“DONT JUST STAND THERE!” Screeched the harpy. It was so shrill it was like a saw on Yonah’s brain. “Why aren’t you DOING SHIT!?”

Avshi didnt have an answer. They must have assumed Yonah was just playing, they were right but Yonah was really selling it, and now he wanted to sell this betrayal. 

“Because they are my friend! And they always bring me the most entertaining dinners” 

Yonah wished he could see the expressions of the two he’d eaten as they kicked up a new storm of protests. The harpy shrieked again “Avshi is a hero! They would never!” 

“Wouldn’t they? I’ve already eaten two of you and. Oh!”

He finally spotted the fairy again. By the window. A strategically smart choice, they had in practicality infinite space behind them should they need to flee. But they wouldnt flee, they woudlnt leave their friends. 

He stepped forward. 

And a knee gave! 

Then CRACK, both knees hit the floor, the pain exploding though his nerves and he roared. He struggled to his feet, leaning on the knee that hurt slightly less, and saw the elf run out from under his robes. Anger flared and he snatched her up. 

“Another for the dessert cage” He laughed through the pain. Then swung around with the cage in front of his face. 

The half-fairy slammed into it, the magical spear they had summoned dissipating into golden sparkles. They screamed as they tried to fly away, only to tear at a wing that got caught in the rusty metal. Yonah turned the cage around to grin at them. 

“You can eat me just let the others go!” they begged. 

Yonah smiled wider as he peeled the fairy off the cage. “I already ate them, and I was going to eat you regardless!” 

Ugh the half fairy’s wings! Tricky to eat without harming them! So he didn’t try too hard to avoid that. They’d be bruised but nothing broke. But it was worth it. The fairy was big and would be so filling. And most important, tasted amazing. There is no way to describe it other than magically delicious. 

All the while the two in the cage screamed. At him. At avshi. And we’re sobbing as the last swallow sent their friend to his stomach which was now obviously full and twitched with its lively occupants. The fight was over. He sat at his desk, sighing from the relief in his knees and his fullness. 

“A glorious meal!” He declared as he poked at a thoroughly embarrassed Avshi. “I must thank you for finding such tasty victims!” 

Sophia climbed down to Noogie them, “good job.”

“Please, don’t.” Avshi muttered. 

---

Being eaten was bad. Being defeated? That was worse, it meant that they were going to DIE. 

“This is your fault!” Chai elbowed Tori.

“My fault! You’re just looking for someone to blame!” 

“Its Avshi’s fault.” Oren growled, trying again to claw at the walls but only ending up with handfuls of mucous. “We will get out of here! We just have to think.”

“Thinking isnt escaping! You’re out of magic, neither of us have weapons and the princess can out sing our bard! Fuck fuck fuck. Move the fuck over!”

The stomach was getting more active and the sharp burning pain all over her skin was getting worse. Shoving her feet at the opposite wall she grabbed Tori and swapped places. Tori screeched with pain as their face went under briefly, their exposed skin covered in fresh acidic fluids. 

Oren was doing his best to use his wings as a shield, but his back stung and the feathers were soaked and heavy and aching. Fluids may accumulate at the bottom of the chamber but they secreted from every inch of flesh. 

---

“Damn,” Yonah tried to move his knees and one did with a great deal of pain, another refused. He looked at the cage, at the Elf who glared back down at him. His eyes had actual fire, but her’s were hotter. 

“What did you do?”

“You think i’m going to-”

“Was it more poison?” 

The scrunched expression confirmed his guess. “And yet I can’t even move the other!”

Avshi hopped own onto it and yonah roared again. “FUCK.” Avshi didnt say anything but poked and prodded at it. “Oh yeah, this is broken, just a tick tho- YIPE” They squeaked as Yonah grabbed them and placed them back on the desk. 

Then reached across the desk to a set of drawers and pulled out one of his precious vials of healing potion and popped the cork. 

“Fuck” he hissed, “Can’t take this until i let them out.”

“YOU’RE WHAT!?” Screeched the harpy and yonah sighed “Avshi, you explain.”

--

What had the monster just said? 

“LET US THE FUCK OUT YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Chai screamed. 

That earned another jab from the outside

“So impatient!”

“GAHHHHH” she had no words but with renewed vigor did her best to give the giant an aching belly. Tori and Oren helping her. They all knew from the contented humming that it wasnt working but it made them feel better. 

---

For all Avshi had insisted they knew yonah was going to let their friends go, they still looked visibly relieved as yonah finally said it. Even as yonah chuckled as said friends became irate at this. Hilary and Niran, still in the cage didnt believe it at all, calling him a liar. Those in his stomach, though it was harder to understand the words, were either pissed about being made to think they were going to die or also didnt believe it and wouldnt until they were let go. Understandable. 

It would help if Yonah did indeed spit them up but the giant wizard wasnt interested in doing so immediately as he put his hands on his knees and stood up. Hold that. Nope. that hurt too much. He used his staff to get to his feet and make his way over to the cage to unlock it and held out his hand. The two women backed away and he sighed. 

Then he screamed as his hand was assaulted! He withdrew it with both of them attached. With his other hand he removed the harpy before he flicked his wrist. He flicked his wrist in an upward direction and the elf lost her grip to be launched into the air. And was quickly snatched in the same hand as she began her descent. Instead of placing them on the workbench he let them go onto the top of the cage. Less confined but not a place to easily run away. 

“I’m not going to eat you.” 

No surprise that didn’t win them over. New tactic. 

“I’m not going to hurt or kill you.” 

This was minimally more believable and then he added, looking directly at Niran, “I was told you were injured, I’m not going to do anything to harm you more. Also you have too many feathers.”

Niran ruffled said feathers but did not move, “you said you were going to pluck me! And roast me alive!”

“I did say that, but I’m not. I dont cook… people… I am not an ogre or a troll.” He extended his arm up to the cage again. 

“What about me!” Hilary demanded. 

That was a trickier answer. 

“Perhaps I will, indulge a little later” he licked his lips “but would let you go.”

Hilary was still untrusting, but she could believe he wanted to still eat her, and Niran had by now decided to scramble onto the giant’s arm. Hilary was pleased to see Niran was not being careful of how her talons gripped into the giant’s flesh. The trickle of blood down the arm didnt result in any retaliation from the giant so perhaps he was telling the truth. And Hilary climbed into the open palm. She failed to stay standing as he drew back his hand and walked over to the bench. He was about to set them down but Avshi smacked him with a bit of magic. 

“Yonah! Stop fucking stalling and release my friends. NOW.”

So instead Yonah snatched Avshi up rather roughly. Sophia leaped onto the arm and hung on, climbing up to his shoulder. Since he needed at least one hand for this he pushed Avshi into a pocket and with great effort went to the window. 

“Fuck, i can’t get out of my damn tower! I’ll need. Ugh i hate wasting these!” 

He reached into a sleeve and tossed down a small piece of quartz. 

CRACK! He was outside! On the ground! But also down one port crystal. 

“Yonah…” Avshi got out their staff again as yelps came from his middle. 

“Just a moment” Yonah winced, as he set his eyes on his destination. 

---

“What the FUCK! What is going on!” Demanded Chai. Something magical had happened, and she had no idea what. 

“Why dont you go outside and find out?” Tori snorted.

The chamber then squished considerably, and a moment later, lurched violently. 

---

Judging by the size of the wriggling mass that made its way up his throat, it was the half-fairy. Effort was almost so great that he couldnt enjoy the burst of flavor from said half-fairy as it reached his mouth. Almost. 

They came out cursing. Good. That meant they were perfectly fine! He reached into his mouth and felt clawed hands grasp his fingers. He pulled out the most disheveled looking half-fairy in the realm before SPLOOSH, dropping them into the bathing pool. 

Next was the… 

---

“I am NOT going last!” Chai dragged Tori back into the chamber as it convulsed again, “ I got here first so I should be next!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Tori insisted but Chai was stronger than them and at the next lurch got herself into position to be squeezed up and out. 

---

Finally the half-elf exited his throat and lay on his tongue. But did not spit them out. He was not done getting his taste. He was not done being a bastard. He reached into the river to get a handful of cool water into his mouth, swishing it around to clean off the sour fluids from his treat.

His audience watched with horror, but did not make any direct comments on his actions. 

With the little morsel now a little more clean he could taste them proper again. And he rolled his tongue around a few moments as he watched the rest of the smalls. 

All the adventurers except for Avshi were washing up in the pool, there was a pile of clothes by the river where Avshi was set to laundering. A punishment from their party members which they had accepted with dignity. Chai was submerged to her nose in the pool and was content to be like a rock. Hilary had her big black eyes locked on him, reflecting the starlight. 

Niran was helping Oren with his feathered wings. The ends of the feathers were raw and curled and brittle from the exposure to the acids. He had totally forgotten! He crawled over to them, which spooked them. From a pocket he drew out a small bottle and with a little encouragement the Harpy took it and sniffed the contents. Her eyes widened and she glared at him before taking out a small dab of goo and mixing it with water before applying it to the feathers. Oren shuddered as the suds were rubbed in, not with pain, but with relief. 

What was that bard doing! That was very brave, and very dangerous. 

Yonah stuck out his tongue which the bard clung to, with hands, and teeth! They had decided to bite back. That earned them a pinched midsection and a nice bellyflop into the water.

“That was very stupid” Yonah said with a slight slur as his tongue felt so odd, “I could have bitten down!” 

“Fuck you!” Was all they said before stripping and hastily getting every bit of offending stickiness off their skin. 

“Very forward, not so surprising from a bard” Yonah winked at Tori “Maybe later.” 

Tori’s ears folded back with fear and embarrassment and said nothing. Chai finally took pity and waded over to hand them some soap. It was lavender scented. 

Yonah flopped down on the cool mossy ground next to the pool, his whole body ached from he fight and from throwing up three people. He winced as a few arrows stuck in his person shifted. Arrows that, in all the excitement, he hadnt noticed. Sophia came over to him with a cloth and healing salve. Not nearly as powerful as the one Niran had been given, nothing so magical, just to keep his wounds clean.

“Is this really the duty of a princess?” Hilary asked as Sophia yanked the second arrow out. 

“That’s not a princess!” Chai snorted “that’s a minion!”

Yonah grinned “she’s a bit of both”, then he remembered the potion! He downed the healing liquid in one gulp. Even if it took a minute to start working, just knowing relief was coming was a start. 

Sophia smacked his nose with the bloody cloth “I am a princess! I am not just a bit of a princess.”

She paused in her work to bow to the company “I am Princess Sophia of Orr, captive to the great and terrible Yonah Ha’Esh. We are pleased to be your hosts.”

Most of them looked bewildered at this. One of the Mystical Kings' own children? They looked to avshi for confirmation and they nodded. 

“What makes you think we are staying?” Chai snorted. 

“What makes you think you’re leaving?” Sophia shot back, “None of you are in any condition to be out in the woods at night! Even if you all stuck together.” 

“No thanks to your giant!” Oren pointed out, trying to stretch his wings and wincing. 

“Aw I was just playing” Yonah sighs “It had been a while since I got to battle adventurers! I told Myran not to tell me anything about you, I didnt want to have an advantage.”

“You KNEW we were coming and you STILL ate us!?” Tori couldnt beleive what they were hearing. 

“Hmmmm yes, i wanted a nice appetizer. Or you can think of it as… payment.”

“We would have rather just paid you money” Chai points out. 

“I dont need money. I'm a royal mage.” He rolled onto his back and placed sophia on his chest where she lay down as well. He put a hand over her and stroked her. 

“That’s bullshit!” 

“No, he really is” Avshi said, “i told you before.”

“And I much preferred getting to eat you. Pity im only half-giant, i could only fit three of you in. So only three of you have paid your rent so far.”

Niran froze “but… you said…”

Yonah waved hand at up at the sky dismissively  “yes yes, I wont eat you, but the elf… hilary was it? I still want payment from you. Oh and Avshi of course.”

“Yes, Avshi, what do you say to that!” Chai sneered and all eyes except for yonah;s were on them. 

Avshi just shrugged “Wouldnt be the first time”

“Uch!” Chai rolled her eyes and splashed water in their direction “All this time! You knew this could happen! That he would eat us!”

“And that he would spit you out!”

“It's kind of my thing” Yonah admitted “Its delightful good fun to be a villain, but I’m not interested in taking lives so thoughtlessly!”

“Not… interested?” Hilary asked, not so sure she liked that choice of words. 

“It’s a lot easier to not spit people up. Takes a lot more thought to be merciful once ive gotten someone into my stomach, and it really wants to keep you tasty little morsels.” as if on cue his stomach growled loudly and he pat it affectionately. “My stomach is demanding I stuff one of you back in, but I dont think it’d let me be merciful again tonight” he laughed. 

Only Sophia and Avshi knew that he was joking. 

“Speaking of food!” he sat up, sophia falling into his lap, and looked at them with hungry eyes. “I think it's near time for dinner.”

---

All thoughts of leaving were gone by the time they were eating the dinner Yonah had set out for them. He had gotten out a very nice table to set on his larger one, and set a cushion on each chair! To go with the food he put out jugs of wine and cider. Finally he sat down. Fuck. Even with the healing potion he knew he shouldn't be walking so much, he dreaded what state his knees would be in tomorrow. 

Yonah used another teleport to get back into the tower, after Avshi took the crystal to the workshop. 

Then came the real difficulty. Getting down the stairs to the kitchen. Slow steps down the stairs, using his staff as a crutch. 

He needed booze. He reached for the cider that he had just put down. 

Giant’s Booze was rather low in alcohol but so delicious that it was still easy to get drunk on. 

But the food. The food! Chai was sure she had never eaten so well in her entire life, and judging by how little anyone was talking and how enthusiastically they were eating, her friends thought the same. There was lamb stew spiced with… that was dwarven spices, from HER mountain, he couldn't have known. And a squash soup loaded with plenty of vegetables. Spiced flat bread that paired perfectly with the cucumber and tomato salad and bean paste. 

“You must visit more” Yonah said to Avshi “especially if you bring such exciting guests!”

“Yonah you cant eat everyone I adventure with.” Avshi laughed. 

“Not with that attitude! But if you call ahead, I would consider” he winced as a brief shot of pain went through him “I would consider not tormenting them.”

“Promise?”

“I dont think a villain can make promises” Yonah winked.

“You’re an ass.” Avshi pointed out. 

“I do try my best”

Tori finally stopped inhaling soup to speak with Sophia. 

“How did you know how to cancel out my song?” they asked “That style of interference is a technique that Beit Ha’Kolanu* teaches, but you said you’re a princess!”

(*house of our voices)

Sophia grinned “Yonah had a bard come around to give me some pointers. And with my princess vocal training, picking up some bardic techniques was simple!” She would not give up the name of the bard.  

Hilary was still eyeing yonah nervously, “You… wont be taking payment tonight will you?”

It took a moment for Yonah to register she was talking to him and he disengaged from catching up with Avshi. 

“What, oh, no no no, that would be so rude of me.”

“Since when do you care about being rude!” Sophia called him out “You’re just fucking tired and don't want to toss up your dinner!”

“Both can be true!” Yonah said “but I am thinking about having a royal dessert”

Sophia ran a hand through her braid “we’ll see about that- Yipe!”

He took her in a hand hand brought her to his face to lick her “Maybe I should have dessert early!”

“Woah woah!” Chai shouted,out of her chair and with a knife in her hand. A dinner knife.... Niran screeched, and Oren spread his wings in a show of aggression. 

“What kind of villain are you! Your princess doesn't deserve being eaten! His Mystical Majesty would kill you!”

Yonah didn’t respond, for he had one of Sophia’s arms in his mouth. Sophia shoved at his face 

“He’s being greedy!” she huffed “I rarely deserve it anymore, if i ever did.”

It took a moment for them to realize that of course, if the giant and princess were being so casual about it, he wasn't intending to kill his captive. For one thing, it was extremely rare for giants to do that, and for a second…

“How long have you been a captive?” Tori asked. 

“Oh, about three years” Sophia yanked her hand out of Yonah’s mouth but he just licked her face. “Gross!” she yelled “Why must you do that at dinner! It's so gross!”

“Better her than me…” Hilary whispered but not quiet enough for Yonah to miss it. His ear twitched and he licked his lips.

“I could swap!” he said, but he didn't. He set Sophia down and she wiped herself off before finishing dinner. 

---

Morning came and his fears were confirmed. Knees nearly the size of his head they were so swollen. It was only with magical assistance that he managed to get out of bed, but he couldn’t make it to the kitchen. Stairs were not happening. He made it to the living room, picked out a few books so he wouldn’t have to get up for new ones, and sat on the couch. Then lay down on the couch, propping his feet up. That helped. 

“Hey IDIOT!” 

Oh right. His royal dessert. He’d be happy to spit her up… if he wasn’t so disinclined to move for the next several hours. At some point he would have to! He’d need to eat, need to use the toilet… he’d need to get to find someone to heal his knees. But right now, he just wanted to lay on his couch. 

Sophia grumbled at his reluctance but did understand why, so she didn’t insist on being released just yet. So he’d get his few hours on the couch with his books. And a belly full of princess. It would be so pleasant if it weren’t for the throbbing pain. 

Did he smell smoke? That was definitely smoke. From the kitchen. 

Since sophia could hear him he groaned very loudly before making his slow painful way down the stairs to the kitchen to find 6 small people attempting to cook on his stove and use his toaster. They weren't exactly failing, but were having some difficulties. 

“I have smaller appliances” yonah growled making them jump, thankfully none of them fell, not off the counter nor into any heated appliance. 

Instead of retrieving such things he sat at the dining table and directed his guests to each location. Avshi did a little magic to direct airflow and remove the smoke smell caused by bread stuck in his giant-sized toaster. 

“We were trying to make food for you as well” Avshi said. 

“That’s… nice” Yonah frowned a bit, suspicious. 

“Some of us objected!” Chai added and Yonah grinned. “But Avshi was… persuasive.”

“I am grateful for the effort, if you think you can manage it, kasha and eggs would be a fine breakfast.”

They could manage. Boiling the buckwheat and scrambling eggs wasnt so hard at a larger scale, especially with Avshi providing some kitchen magic, with Yonah’d direction. 

“These are basic spells Avshi!” yonah chided. 

“I don't really need cooking spells on adventures” Avshi pointed out.

Not as fantastic as dinner had been, but still a very enjoyable meal was prepared. Piles of toast and jars of jams were opened even though yonah protested at a few, made with rarer berries and fruits, there wasnt much he could do about it. 

“Will your princess be joining us?” 

He wasnt really sure who said it since siad princess thrashed, visibly, in his stomach while yelling to be let out and if he takes one bite of food with her still in she’d make him regret it.  But he barely noticed with all the eyes on him. It was annoying to feel embarrassed about it, Sophia was fine! They’d all been told the details last night. And most importantly, he couldn't get up to spit her up in the sink. He had to do it here, at the table. 

It was challenging as he couldnt even stand to get a better angle, but he managed it. And with a CLUNK Sophia hit the table and started to cuss him out. How he could have done this when he had woken up! When he walked into the kitchen and was already standing and could reach the sink! but NOOOOOOOO. 

Yonah chose to take a cleansing swig of water and then use a cleaning spell on Sophia before she dismissed her glass form and took seat at the midsize table full of silent seated figures. 

“Well? Don’t tell me you’ve never seen someone spat up before! I mean aside from last night. If this made any of you lost your appetites I will be severely disappointed.” and she took a piece of toast and a large spoonful of yonah’s most valuable jam. 

They did manage to eat breakfast, and even clean up. 

Yonah insisted they make their way to the living room, not upstairs to the workshop, when the adventuring party began to say their farewells. Most were intrigued and/or confused, with Chai being suspicious. Once again Yonah lay on his couch, though only after he picked out a few more books, smallfolk sized, and a scroll. He also piled some pillows to properly elevate his legs. It was very awkward but the relief was very worth it. 

The adventurers had been all placed on an ottoman next to the couch. Sophia sat on Yonah’s chest with her own book, thoroughly uninterested in what was going on and making sure everyone knew this. 

“You’re very good adventurers” Yonah mused. 

“Excuse me?” Chai squeaked.

Yonah snorted “Look at me! You nearly took me down and that was with three of your lot out of the fight, and the rest of you tired from a day of adventuring already. Of course, i was holding back, didnt want to hurt my guests.” he chuckled, “but you gave me a run for my money.”

“We werent being paid by you… to fight you.” Oren pointed out. 

“No. No you werent, so how about instead I pay you to adventure for me?”

“EXCUSE ME?” Chai nearly choked, “we are NOT accepting money from an evil wizard! Certainly not one who ATE THREE OF US!”

“Hush!” Tori elbowed her. 

“But, he’s evil! We’re the heroes, our reputations!” She continued to protest.

“I am not hiring you as an evil wizard” Yonah corrected her, “but as a royal mage. His Mystical Majesty has authorized me to fund quests should the situation call for it. And the situation calls for it.”

He lifted up a hand and twirled it in the air, making the books  and scroll he got out earlier levitate and open to fall upon the ottoman in front of the now curious smalls. Old books that he had managed to untangle about 90% of the mysteries of, and a scroll that remained wholly incomprehensible. All this led to the locations of a few magical items as well as means to do some reconnaissance on decaying fey realm structure. King Ben needed to beef up the protective wards on sensitive parts of the forest. 

Not that the adventurers needed to know this. Their job was to solve a few puzzles, survive the treacherous quests, and bring back the items and information. They didnt need to know what it was all for, even if they begged to know.

“I’ll tell Avshi upon your return, but i will have Eli draw up a contract that they will regret breaking should they tell the lot of you. Oh fuck i forgot! You all need to sign a contract for this quest” none of them looked happy, in fact they all looked like they were about to turn down the job.

“Dont worry,” yonah said which only made them worry more, “It’s just an employment contact for the king’s records, budget stuff mostly. Ok it has some magic binding but it just lets us know if any of you die on the job, it wont curse you for abandoning the story”

Finally he told them how much they’d be paid and Chai nearly fainted. No one had anymore objections. 

“What’s the catch?” Chai asked when she got her wits back. 

Yonah took a deep breath.

“Before you do any of this” he waved a hand at the books and scroll. “I really need you to fetch me a witch to fucking fix my knees”

[FIN]

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[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 102 // How Do You Feel? // Day 78

Contents (Warnings): Sum up what's left (Angst, character and monster info as always). Read full chapter on A03

Wordcount: 2,000+

Song I correlate to this Chapter: definitely not Mariah Carey's all I want for Christmas is you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

(Dec. 20th, Tuesday)

Lynette

It had been nearly two weeks since the incident.

After we were collected, given immediate care, exchanged our testimonies, and debriefed, we were allowed to go home. 

Most of it was mashed together in my mind. I figured it was due to how fast everything happened. Working at the pizzeria is a testimony to that statement. 

I knew there were mass casualties—most of the people in the basement were recovered, and Andras, along with Victoria, were in custody, most likely going to be put to death.

I didn't know the extent of the C.P.P.A.'s legal system and wanted to avoid asking Wicks. Despite claiming he was okay, I knew he wasn't. 

Lately, he was antsy. He'd check on me every hour, and each time he did, he'd offer me sweets—far more than usual. His excuse was that he had to dispose of the ever-increasing keep-away-from-Lentils stash.

And before I left today, he made me promise three things. 

"One, you won't go out with anyone, monster or not, unless Charletta, Mom, Dad, or I go with you."

It felt fair for now. I hadn't made any human friends. 

"Two, IF anyone bothers you after you tell them to leave or you feel uneasy about them in any way. Use your knife."

I received it after finishing my training last week. I currently had it strapped to my belt, concealed behind my jacket at my back. 

I was afraid to admit that even thinking about seriously stabbing someone scared me. 

It'll get more manageable if I keep training with Garter. I assured myself.

"Three, if you get in a coworker-related trouble again at any point, you're quitting."

It was the only compromise I'd give him. It wasn't their fault. Neither Claudia nor Drake expected that to happen. I convinced him to agree, but I wasn't sure if I'd go back or not.

"Here's your pretzel," my sister said. She unconsciously hummed the current Christmas song on the speakers: ' All I want for Christmas is no copyright infringements.' 

We were at the mall together, getting last-minute Christmas gifts for the family. All we had to do was wait for Wenna to arrive. 

I still think dragging me along with them is a bad idea. I thought.

After what happened, Drake wasn't permitted to be around me for the next month. Because of the extreme stress of being constantly deprived of energy and drinking my blood back to back to back, he got addicted. 

From what I understood, if a vampire was under pressure and continued to drink from the same person, their body deemed no other "resources" available, so it'd become possessive and protective over that "resource." That'd also mean they'd exclusively crave that being's blood. 

So, Drake would be drinking animal blood for the next month to 'reset his palette.' This apparently happened to him with Elise, Viola's partner as well.  

Wenna assured me she'd stay at Viola's house after she left the mall, so Drake wouldn't have exposure to my scent either. 

It made giving him a birthday gift a little more complicated. I said in my head as I took a bite of the pretzel while we walked. Charletta happily tore into hers beside me.

We had yet to walk into any festively decorated storefronts, but seeing them made my smile come alive. Not that I hadn't been to the mall in a while—Wicks and I'd come here at least once a month since the rock climbing place we visited every week was next door.

The adorning wreaths and garlands in cahoots with the cinnamon and pine scents delighted me. I loved buying gifts for people, and this was the holiday with the biggest and best excuse to spend my money on it. I hadn't had a reason to use much of the money I'd made at the pizzeria. 

This realization brought me back to what I should do. If I stayed, I planned on going back after Christmas. 

After I finished my pretzel, I threw away the napkin, and Charletta tugged my arm. 

"Hey, we should sit at those chairs you like." She slipped her phone back into her pocket. 

Before she continued to drag me, we waited for the excited kids to run by to see Santa at the huge, well decorated, Christmas tree.

"I remember when you and Madre had to put up with me pulling Wicks to Santa." I chuckled as I plopped onto the chair, feeling the motionless massagers underneath me awaiting my money. I also noted the other person using one behind mine. 

Charletta fell back on the one next to me and laughed, too: "That first time he was put on his lap. He was bawling and begging for Mom to get him." 

I whimpered, "I still feel so bad. I thought you guys knew who Santa was!" I put a dollar into her chair and mine. 

"We had a monster similar to Krampus back on Yexodele, but no Santa." She said with a shake of her head. 

A monster similar to KRAMPUS? I would have asked further, if the other part of what she said didn't get my attention too. "On Yexodele?"

"We lived there before we came here." Charletta closed her eyes and relaxed back. "We should get a massage at one of the shops with Wenna." 

"Then why did you..." It had been so long since it was mentioned to me, but I remembered what Drake said. 

"I never saw it, though, Yexodele. I was born on Earth." [...] "There was a big war that broke out between the strongest nations, and now nearly all of it is uninhabitable."

"Oh, right." I sheepishly replied.

Despite Charletta's smile, her face contained freckles of concern. She asked, "have you been told about it?"

"Yeah, Drake told me some things about the war."

"It was crazy. I was thirteen when we came here." She bustled with laughter and waved her hand around, seemingly to avoid the topic. "You know how hard it was not to use any of my tricks in front of people and to be around people that looked like me."  

I didn't press her. "I think it's similar to how I feel knowing about everything now." It was disorienting to see some people at the mall, knowing one could be a giant monster living here peacefully or, like Andras, not so much.

I followed her lead and shut my eyes, too. Beneath my eyelids, the images of what has happened so far, the good and the bad, fluttered about. It's been, what, a little over four months? 

"Speaking of things you can't always see," Charletta nudged my arm with her elbow. "What's on your mind?" 

I flinched as the massage chair got to my neck. I pulled away from it for a moment and sighed.

"What should I do?"

"About?"

"You know…" How could I explain it?

Charletta turned her attention to mean, leaning up in her chair. "What do you feel you should do?"

I shrugged and played with one of my curls. "I don't know. Claudia's nice, and Zilla's not bad. As long as she's not using me in some hair-brain scheme, she's fine. Lev is Lev, Drake... I don't blame him for what happened." It was all Andras. He abused us both and manipulated Drake. I'd attempt to treat him the same; even with the incident at the festival, he was the only one who acted friendly and genuine to me. 

"And Alexander," my thoughts sank. There had been so many things dwelling under the surface of my mind. Yet Alexander's face stuck out the most. I had never seen him like that. He was always annoyed, unbothered, or hungry, never terrified. 

"I-I never had someone look at me like that before." I kept vividly hearing his raspy, hard breathing and seeing his body shake and stammer in retreat. "He looked afraid of me when he's the scary opposing one-" I don't understand how Andras could derive satisfaction from it. It made me feel sick and overwhelmed with the need to chase him. I wanted to know why he ran away from me and refused to accept what I said.

"From what Wicks told me, things went down, and Alexander had other complicated feelings at the time," Charletta said calmly.

I didn't know Wicks talked to you about it. "That's why I was trying to get it through to him. He went back to help Wicks!"

"Knowing you, of course, you did," Charletta said as she paid the chairs for us this time when they ran out. "You shouldn't fret too much about that big softie. He'll be fine."

I did a double take and choked on my spit. I coughed, "wha-" I continued the fit for a little longer. "He's not a softie!"

Charletta pursed her lips together to hold back her giggles, then popped them when she got a handle over herself, "I did my own investigation during Thanksgiving because Wicks wouldn't stop complaining about him."

"Huh?" That's right. She sparred with Alexander during the party. "that's why you fought him?""

She tilted her head, "duh." She rested her hands behind her head momentarily before she realized the robotic massage went up to it. "I wanted to know if he was as stupid and rude as Wicks described. " 

He's blunt and abrasive. I didn't know whether I'd call him dumb or not. Just not as receptive?

"I think he's pretty simple," she scoffed. "He's definitely quick with magic and a lot more trusting than I imagined." Charletta rested her head back, "even after I threatened him." 

"Threatened?"

She brushed her wavy brown locks from her face. "What? You think I'm not a little peeved that he might not treat my little sister respectfully?" She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "It worked out well."

"I guess." 

"Do you think otherwise"

"I wouldn't fight someone for that reason," I muttered quietly. 

Charletta flicked her hand from mine and pushed my chin up, "And there's your answer."

I didn't move from the position she put me in, "not to fight people?" I could have told you that.

Charletta tipped her finger off my chin. "You decide what you do." She put her hands flat over her chest. "I can say what I think is best, same as I'm sure everyone else has or can for you, but we aren't you."

She pointed at me. "You're going through everything, Lyn. You know what you can handle and what you can take. And if you don't know yet, you'll learn." 

She's right. I was afraid to make this decision alone—why did I keep fighting with Wicks then? I don't want to give up, do I? 

"It's your decision, not theirs," she said, teasingly poking me. "I know it can be tough, especially with Mom and Wicks always coddling you."

My smile wavered. I let my head fall, staring at my knees, going over the side grooves in my jeans with my fingers, "What if I fail again?"

"You don't fail if you try. You fail when you give up and stop trying entirely. If you leave or stay now and leave later, that doesn't mean utter defeat. You tried, and you can work elsewhere if it doesn't work out there." She leaned closer; our chair timers were up. "Like, does it make you a failure at rock climbing if you can't do a wall?"

I shook my head. "No. I'd do a different one until I get good enough to do the one I couldn't." 

"Exactly, or you might never go back to that wall again. It might not be your style, fit your groove, or it'll change. So, you aren't a failure unless you stop entirely and deem yourself one."

I puckered and relaxed my lips, still brushing the seams of my pants, while in thought. I do plan on working more after the year. I want to get better at art so I can make silly animations. 

My hands rested on my thighs. And if I do quit, I will still do what I can to make that dream a reality. I'll work anywhere else and keep saving.

I looked up at her. "Thank you."

"We're always here for you, Lyn. We'll support you no matter what," she popped up from her chair and offered me an arm up, too. "just don't drive us too crazy, okay? Unless you want Madre and Wicks to seal you away like a Rapunzel forever."

Wicks is already doing that, I thought as I took her offer. "I'd also like to make another thing clear." She brought me close and sharpened her gaze. "When you ask yourself what you want, don't think of the money as a way to pay us back."

"But,"

"We're here for each other. If things didn't work out between Ulysses and me, you all would be there, showering me with everything under the sun. It's no different from us to you, no matter what your brain tells you. Got it?"

"O-okay"

"Good." Charletta glanced at the chairs back to back with ours. "Are you going to hide there all day or give us hugs?"

"Sorry!" Wenna popped up from the chair. 

My cheeks were red with embarrassment. People passed us during this conversation, sure, though none were listening. Knowing Wenna was there the whole time, my cheeks were hot. 

"I didn't want to ruin your sisterly moment." Wenna came around the chairs to us. 

"You're allowed to join them being our sister and all too."

Wenna squealed and grabbed me first in the hug, then Charletta. "Yeah, I am!" Because of Wenna's height to me, we were nearly cheek-to-cheek.

I glanced up at Charletta as she squeezed us back. 

My mind was still wrecked, trembling when I thought of what had happened so far, but for some reason, whether it be my stupid determination or the feeling of wanting to prove myself, I wasn't keen on making a decision until after the holidays.

…

Hey, you, thank you so much for reading. I'm glad I put out a story that people can enjoy! I hope you continue to enjoy it as WE have a LOT more to go! YOU BETTER KEEP PROSPERING! (Nonnegotiable, as always~).

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What I’d do for a Livable Income Part 2 (Synopsis/Chapter - List)

[aramastus]

@luckyshotwrites 's OC Garter (is my favorite form Widfali) Holding me he probably about eat me XD

[toast-tales]

Cursed Cravings, Chapter 3: Master of the House

In which Danny meets the ever-so-charming owner of the strange mansion, and gets offered a deal to save her friend. Contains: ~2.1k words | Chapter 1 | Read this story on A03!

At least screaming was out of the question, not while she seemed to barely be able to breathe in the first place. This was surreal. This wasn’t normal. But your eyes could only play so many tricks on you before you had to accept that what was standing before you was not an illusion, but a reality you had to face. 

And face it she would.

“Hey,” she said simply, wondering if the giant man could even hear her from all the way across the entryway. Surely her voice would be nothing louder than the squeak of a mouse to him. “I’m looking for my friend Nathan. Someone…said they could help?”

If I just talk to him like a normal guy, it’s less scary, right? He’s just a normal guy. Danny was at least quite adept at taking her own fear and crushing it up into a ball, shoving it under the rug of feigned confidence. She forced her own stiff posture to loosen, her arms crossing over each other in as casual a manner as she could manage. A small part of her wondered if she should address him more formally, because based on his dress and the state of the manor alone he at least seemed important, but she didn’t know how rich people talked to each other anyways. She’d never gotten so much as a glimpse of high society, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have the patience for it. Certainly not now, when she’d been traveling all day in the cold and had nearly reached the end of her rope as it was.

The giant chuckled, taking a few more steps toward her before he stopped in the middle of the room, and though he was still a ways away, Danny still had to crane her neck upwards just to meet his eyes—dark, and dancing with humor along with an upturned smirk on his face. “Slow down there, doll. We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet.” It wasn’t the same voice she’d been hearing before—he spoke with a low, quiet pitch, each word articulated clearly and deliberately.

She repressed a grimace as best she could at the way he addressed her—despite her current stature and every survival instinct in her body, she felt the urge to punch him right in the gut. 

He gestured lightly to himself with a graceful arch of his fingers against his chest. “My name is Christopher Penn, and I am the lord of this estate.”

He did not, however, ask Danny for her own name. Instead, he took a few more steps toward her and, so quickly that she did not have enough time to form an initial protest, he bent down and picked her up, placing her in his palm as he rose to his full height again.

For just a moment, she didn’t think about the fact that she was a hundred feet off the ground. All she could focus on was the absolutely unparalleled, brazen gall that this man had to just pluck her off the ground like she was some child’s toy. Her lips curled in an unfriendly snarl. “I don’t care who the fuck you are, but you’d better ask next time you try and pick me up like that.” 

Being a little closer to his face now, she made note of the fact that this guy’s stupid big nose did look incredibly punchable. If only there wasn’t a hundred-foot drop between her and it.

She forced herself to keep her glare fixed entirely on Christopher, to prevent herself from looking down or showing signs of panic. She did not think about how strange it felt to have the warm surface beneath and behind her consist of a man’s entire hand, or how she could feel every groove and crease in the skin that her own hands pressed against. 

“It’s not very becoming to begin a conversation with such vulgar language.” A sharp grin told her he was only amused by her antics, though, not offended—even so, he tilted his head, almost as if her behavior confused him as well. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she hissed. She was liking this strange giant less and less every time he opened his mouth. “I must have forgotten my manners midway through the air. Is that from the same rich person etiquette book that says it's okay to pick up people without asking?”

Irritation and anger were a great distraction from fear, and so she leaned into both now, regardless of the consequence. She had some small amount of pride to maintain, and quaking before this man in terror would only serve to shatter what remained of it. 

He chuckled—a deep sound that she could almost feel travel through her body, now that she sat in his palms. “Sarcasm, hm? I’m impressed by your bravery. Most people tend to prefer screaming and running.”

“Oh, you’re telling me screaming is the usual response people have to you? Gee, I wonder why,” she said dryly. “Must be your natural charm.” 

His sharp eyes flicked over her, a hint of their humor dulled slightly. “You said you were looking for your friend, correct?”

“Yes,” she groaned, exasperated. How many times had she said as much since finding this place? It was beginning to feel like the question was being deliberately dodged. “My friend, Nathan Hayes. He was traveling this way earlier this morning, and his horse returned without him. Have you seen him? Whoever spoke to me outside seemed to know where he was. Maybe you can just let me talk to them instead,” she grumbled quietly, trying to dampen her distaste for this stuck-up rich bastard as much as possible in the interest of acquiring any sort of help in finding Nathan. She couldn’t very well bite the hand that fed her—or, more accurately, picked her up and carried her at a height that would make even a high-flying bird a little nauseous.

Her instinct was to lash out at people who talked down to her, but even she knew when she needed to swallow her pride.

Something inscrutable passed across Christopher’s face for a moment as he seemed to absorb her words thoughtfully, as if she’d given him some clue in a particularly interesting mystery he was trying to solve. And then he gave her that sharp smile again, a grin that tipped just a little further than cordiality normally permitted. Yet it still didn’t reach his eyes—which regarded her in a strangely calculating, detached manner. 

“There’s no need for that,” he remarked impassively. “Your friend is here.” 

For just a moment, her irritation faded away to the overwhelming euphoria of relief, like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her and washed it away in an instant. Nathan was here. She’d found him. He was—

Why was he here? 

As suddenly as the relief had come, she covered it with a heavy cloak of suspicion, something beginning to claw at the back of her mind distrustfully. “...and you’ll take me to him, right? He’s safe? …we can leave?”

She didn’t like the idea of traveling at night, no, but she was in no rush to accept hospitality from this man, either. She would feel much better once all this magic, giant weirdness was far behind her, a forgotten tale she could think back on as some kind of fever dream brought on by the cold, or the fact that she couldn’t remember when she’d eaten last.

Christopher, to her dismay, lifted Danny a little higher so that she no longer had to tilt her head back to look at him straight on. 

“I’m afraid not.” 

Anger wasn’t even the first emotion to flare up this time—she was completely baffled by such a stark response that she was rendered speechless for a moment, staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. “...why?” 

“Your friend came here uninvited this morning, trespassing into my home. His punishment is to remain here in my service, as long as I require him.” Christopher’s smirk turned to a more matter-of-fact expression, like the humorless countenance of a lawyer. “So no, I’m afraid I can’t let you leave with him at this time.” 

A heavy weight sank to the very pit of Danny’s stomach as she listened in disbelief. Nathan was here as this guy’s…what, prisoner? Slave? She didn’t believe for one second that what the giant said was true—Nathan wasn’t the type to impose on others. He’d apologize for someone else bumping into him on the street, there was no way he’d wander into someone’s home uninvited unless he was desperate. And even then, Danny wasn’t sure he wouldn’t choose freezing to death over being an inconvenience to anyone. Why would he have stopped at this house anyways? Had he gotten hurt? Had he been looking for help? He certainly wouldn’t have broken in.

“...bullshit,” she hissed, a righteous anger rising up in her. If she had been at all confident in her footing, she would have attempted to stand up and take on a more intimidating posture, but she would take the slightly undignified position of sitting in Christopher’s palm over the much more undignified falling onto her face in his palm, or the loss of all dignity entirely by plummeting to the floor in a humiliating splatter of shame and stupidity. “You expect me to believe that? Nathan’s a good guy, he wouldn’t break into your stupid house.”

She set her jaw defiantly. “And even if I did believe you, he was probably desperate, or lost, or needed help. Are you really that fucking selfish, punishing someone instead of helping them? As if he’s in any way actually a threat or a burden to your sorry giant ass?” 

Nothing she said seemed to even make a dent in Christopher’s uncaring expression, her insults and slights at his character seeming to fall on deaf ears. His smile twitched and his eyebrows raised in mild contempt. “You’re quite bold, you know. Speaking like that to someone of my standing. And to a giant, no less.” 

His free hand came up to pluck her off of his palm, effectively pinning her arms to her sides in his grip so that she couldn’t even scratch and claw at him like she suddenly quite desperately wanted to. She could only thrash about uselessly, though her violent movement was quelled slightly as her feet made contact with nothing but air. As she dangled in front of Christopher’s face, she realized that his grip was the only thing keeping her from a horrifyingly long freefall. 

“A less patient man might not tolerate that kind of talk,” he muttered dangerously, his thumb pressing lightly against her collarbone and forcing her to meet his eyes, which remained lightly amused despite the darkened tone he’d taken on. “But, luckily for you, I’m rather generous, and I’m nothing if not fair.” 

She only glared at him in response, an absolutely twisted and poisonous scowl distorting her face. Words seemed almost too good for this bastard, and so she took on a disdainful and stubborn silence instead.

His grip around her loosened slightly, still restricting her movement and keeping her firmly from falling but no longer forcing her neck into an uncomfortable position. This must have been his supposed “generosity” at work. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing her with an even, shrewd gaze. “I’ll make you a deal. You stay in his place, and I’ll let him go free. How’s that, doll?” 

She would have spat in his face if she were closer. Instead, she seethed silently, though a frightened worry began to cloud her thinking. She hadn’t even seen Nathan yet, but the description the other voice had given her had been uncannily accurate. That couldn’t be a coincidence. And while this giant could be lying about a lot of things, Danny was very aware that she had little choice but to believe him. She couldn’t very well overpower him, or even escape on her own now. 

She refused to let her mind linger long on the choice—when her own life and wellbeing were weighed against that of her close friend, the rocksteady, kind, and loyal companion she’d known for years, who’d taken care of her through thick and thin like she were his very own sister, the decision was as easy as breathing. 

“My name is Danny, you smarmy bastard. And if what you say is true, I’ll…”

She swallowed the last bit of her pride, closing her eyes for a second in one last act of defiance so she didn’t have to look at the rich prick’s face when she spoke. 

“...I’ll take his place here. Just let. Him. Go.”

The giant smiled—a wide, cocky smirk that showed too many of his teeth for Danny’s liking. “Deal.”

* * * * * * * * * * 

Next chapter ->

We still haven't seen Nathan. Hopefully he's okay?

Thanks for reading, and see you next week with chapter 4, Small Mercies!

[fastfur07]

Ham Sandwich, Pt. 2

This is for one mutual. I channeled all my grossness into this piece, please enjoy it.

Soft, safe vore, semi-willing prey, foodplay (I suppose).

“How are you feeling?”

I slump into a couch, its military-grade foam not doing much for my back. With regard to how I’m feeling, there are a lot of things I’d like to say, but I hold my tongue, because I’m talking to an organiser and they might have a microphone somewhere. 

I’ve just spent the last ten minutes throwing up all eighty-six matzo balls I ate to place sixth in the featherweight division of the National Speed-eating Championships. Only the top three from each division go through to the International, but I knew I wasn’t going to get there. I never wanted to. Of course I want to eventually - speed eating feels like my life’s purpose - but it’s going to take a few more years before I’m ready to compete at that level. I pushed myself too hard.

“What time is it?” I groan, dodging the organiser’s question.

“12:40.”

My already angry stomach lurches again. “I– I have to go,” I cough, slowly getting to my feet and dashing down the hall. The heavyweight division begins at one o’clock. And he’s going to be in it.

I last saw Jeremiah when I arrived this morning. It had been a long journey into the city, and when I finally arrived at the hotel where the competition was going to be held, he was standing outside, almost like he was waiting for me. He winked when we made eye contact, and I hurried through the doors. I've managed to avoid him since then.

I despise him. He’s rude, he’s self-absorbed, and he ate me alive and got away with it. Sure, he did cough me up later, but I feared for my life. If he’s not a rival, I don’t know what is.

That’s why I have to see him stumble today. There has to be someone bigger and more shameless than Jeremiah in the heavyweights. He needs to know how it feels to be in my position. 

But I’m not going to let him see me. That would be more embarrassment than my weakened stomach can take.

---

It’s seven minutes to one, and I finally arrive at the indoor sports centre on the eighth floor of the hotel. I feel a twinge of envy, seeing how the place has been decked out: I and the rest of the featherweights had been crammed unceremoniously into the food court a few floors below. Just because we’re smaller, they think they can spare any expense? Oh well, perhaps one of those plastic chairs will collapse. That’d make me laugh, at least.

It shouldn’t be hard to hide from Jeremiah, considering the size of both me and the room. Even so, I creep up to the back row and crouch down in my seat. He’s at table number nine, looking as smug as ever, and now I realise I’ve never actually seen him eat. I’ve always been distracted. This could also be a chance for me to learn his strategy.

The food of choice for this event: pizza, cut into quarters. A cheer erupts from the stands as it’s wheeled in on trolleys and distributed around the tables. If I wasn’t feeling sick still, I’d be cheering for pizza too. Referees take their places behind competitors. Scoreboards blink to life on screens. I glance at Jeremiah - is he looking at me? I shrink back again. The crowd hushes. There’s a long pause. Then a single chime sounds from the speakers, and the contest is underway.

I won’t mince words - Jeremiah is a beast. He starts off by stacking slices and cramming them in his mouth two at a time, swallowing them easily. He seems so relaxed, like he’s not even competing. Like this is just how he normally eats pizza.

I can’t take my eyes off him. Something about his technique has me transfixed. He tries taking three slices at a time, and it doesn’t look like he’s struggling with that either. I try to look at anyone else, but he has me held. Just like he held me back in the stadium lounge, just before lifting me to his hungry jaws. 

Remembering being eaten is not helping me keep my composure. I can’t help but imagine myself in the place of those pizzas, my heart pounding harder with each one that disappears. Now he rolls one up and forces it in whole, and I swear I can see it making a bulge in his neck as he gulps it down. This is ridiculous; how is he so calm?! I think my face is going red, and I bury it in my hands, but even then I can hear the disgusting sounds of his gluttony. And the anxiety is creeping up on me that he might be planning to have me for dessert. 

Then, the finishing chime cuts through the noise, and I’m released. I sit up and look around. No one took notice, thank goodness. Then I look at the scoreboards, and my jaw hits the floor.

First place, Jeremiah Denver, with 72 slices.

Jeremiah stands up, the crowd roaring their approval. He won. I can’t believe it. Even though we weren’t directly competing, I still feel as crushed as I had back in the stadium. Someone approaches him with a microphone: great, another chance for him to be gross.

“Congratulations, Mr. Denver!” they say. “I think I speak for everyone here when I say, please tell us your secret!”

“Well, I’m not going to let up that easily,” he laughs, “but while you’re here, I’d like to put in a good word for Ham Lanolin, who you may have seen competing in the featherweights earlier today. He’s been a great inspiration for me.”

I jolt upwards as he says my name. Surely he doesn’t know I’m here.

“Ham, I know you’re watching this. Come see me after, we have lots to catch up on.” Jeremiah looks into a camera, his face looming over me from the screens. He grins, and licks his lips.

That’s too much for me to take. I get to my feet and half-run, half-stumble out of the room as Jeremiah shakes hands with the other heavyweights. He is planning to eat me again! I bolt for the elevator: I have to get out of here.

---

Within a few minutes I’ve shut myself into my allocated room and collapsed onto a bed. I just need to collect my things, and then I'll escape. I'm throwing my satchel over my shoulder when I hear a knock at the door. I freeze up.

"Go away," I strain.

"Mr. Lanolin?" says a voice that can only belong to an organiser. "You forgot your trophy."

I didn't know they gave out trophies for sixth place, but I suppose I need something to feel good about myself right about now. I pry my aching body off the bed, unlock the door, and slide it open - and standing in front of me is Jeremiah.

He's in the room before I can close the door. He wolf-and-seven-kids-ed me; how did I fall for that? I backpedal, bump into the bed, and scurry to the far wall. "Stay away from me! What do you want?"

He hands me a small trophy in the shape of a matzo ball. I retch, but was I wrong? Maybe he doesn't have any other reason to be here. Maybe he's even being friendly. "T-thanks," I manage, slipping it into my satchel.

Jeremiah sits down next to me. The bed frame bends, causing me to roll towards him. This gives him the opportunity to put a bulky arm around me, drawing me even closer. From this point of view he could be mistaken for a landmass.

"So how've you been, Ham?"

I'm a hair’s breadth from his belly, a small strip of which is poking out from beneath his tracksuit. It's giving off a bubbling sound that’s all too familiar, deep and volatile, quickening my pulse when it was just starting to slow down. 

"I, well, uh–" I fumble with my words. I try to push away, but his body is too soft; my hands just press in and I can't put any distance between us. Jeremiah laughs. "Nice going earlier today. Good to see you eating well."

"Thanks…" I mumble. "Congrats on winning. You were-- really, I mean, that was really something…"

"Aw, yeah, it was a bit of a challenge." He slaps his pizza-filled gut with his other hand, prompting a gurgle that sends vibrations through me. “I just wish we’d gone a little longer, though, I was just starting to get full.”

Oh my god, he’s not even full.

If I had any doubt about what he’s trying to do, it’s gone now. I know I can’t escape him; he’s probably honed his predatory instincts to the point that he could snatch me out of the air no matter what direction I run. I attempt to quell my fears, inhale the smell of pizza coming off him, and realise that I can at least go in on my own terms.

“L–” I begin, and a lump forms in my throat immediately. “Look, Jeremiah.”

“Hmm?”

“I can’t take it anymore.” It’s taking more effort to force out the words than it was to force in the food. “You’ve been hovering over me and keeping me on edge all day. I know what you’re going to do, but I just can’t stand not knowing when it’s gonna happen! So… can you just get it over with and… and eat me?”

Jeremiah cocks his head, playing dumb. “Eat you? You thought I was gonna eat you again? Well, aren’t you a little paranoid. Sure, if you insist.” 

The grin returns to his face as his giant hand scoops me up, and I do my best not to have a heart attack. I'm hoisted above him as he sizes me up, licking his lips again, and opens his vast mouth. I stare down into the abyss of his throat, hot breath washing over me, and feel like I'm about to be dropped into an active volcano. The impatient bubbling coming from within only adds to that image. Then I'm lowered, the pinkness getting larger until it's all I can see, and met by a slick tongue that wets my clothes almost immediately. I slide down it, leaning back to avoid the row of glistening teeth rushing past me, and feel my ankles be gripped by folds of muscle. Jeremiah's breath surrounds me now, a pungent mixture of something dull and fishy, something sharp and acidic, and pizza. Soon that stench is going to include a little taste of me. 

As my world goes dark and saliva soaks me to the core, I remind myself that I'm doing this the easy way, of my own volition, and that it was going to happen eventually.

---

I land into a slop of half-digested pizza, shuddering at the texture. I'm about to feel around for a wall when the walls find me instead, squishing me from all sides as Jeremiah looses a thunderous burp. I pout: he must have been saving that one up just for me. 

It's taking all my effort to stay upright, but I can’t sink down or I might go under. “Are you happy now?” I call, craning my neck.

“Sure, are you?” chuckles Jeremiah. He rises from the bed, his footsteps making me wobble up and down. “By the way, do you want a ride home? I think you might need it.”

I grit my teeth. Is it any wonder I hate this guy? He’s never satisfied. But I would appreciate a ride home: the public transport is hell at the moment. Not that it matters what I say. 

I press my back into the fleshy wall. I’ll get him for this eventually, but for now I can’t shake the feeling that this might be a tolerable experience - if it wasn’t so hot and dark and humid and noisy and acrid and, you know, crowded… 

The end

[the-real-ali]

Stupid twink gets eaten by goth queer

Puff lied in his bunk, it was around 3:25 AM. The other band members were asleep so had to be quiet to not wake anyone up. He would get up and quietly get out of his bunk to grab a snack. He opened the mini fridge and looked around and there was a container saying ‘Axl’s food DO NOT TOUCH’. Puff would take the container out from the fridge and softly mumble to himself “Eh who cares, it’s just some food i’m sure he won’t mind”, Puff would take the food back to his bunk and begin eating, and after a bit he would put the empty the container on the side and head to sleep. He would be awakened by Axel speaking “Puff, do you know who ate my food, because I swear to god whoever did it I'll teach them a lesson they won’t forget”. Puff would reach for his glasses and put them on before responding to Axel “Ugh no Axel I don’t know and I don’t care for your fucking food, just go buy more dumbass”, Axel would scoff and walk away to ask the other members clearly annoyed. Benatar and Deejay's voices could be heard, they would both stay if they didn’t take his food. Puff could hear the two say something about getting food then the tour bus door slamming shut. The two of them were left alone, Axel continued to give Puff dirty stares, like he knew Puff ate his food, “Sooooo uh Axel if I told you who ate your food, What would you do?” Puff would ask, his voice had a slightly guilty tone to it. He would hear the goth's stomach growl “You know I wouldn’t be so hungry right now if someone didn’t eat my food, and if I found out who ate my food, which I know. I’ll teach them a lesson, so puff would you like to explain why the container with my name on it was in your bunk empty”, Axel would respond to puffs question before going up to him. Puff stared up at his band member, his large height towering over him, “L-Look i’m really sorry it was late and I-I was just really hungry. Deejay and Benatar went out to get more food. We can just forget about this happening and we c-can be on good terms” Puff's tone was slightly scared. Axel would put his hands on Puff's waist “Puff I don’t care that Deejay and Ben went out to get food. I’m angry because you took my food while I was sleeping, you could’ve just asked. but now I’m hungry and upset and you have to deal with these consequences” Axel's tone was slightly rough as he picked up a puff, He would struggle and thrashed around in axels grasp, his tone was shaky “A-Axel wait we can talk about this I know you’re upset but let’s not do anything too drastic”. Axel would roll his eyes and open his mouth to bring Puff close, his warm breath against his band leader's face. Puff's squirms got more violent as he was brought closer to Axel's mouth, Axel started pushing Puff into his mouth, and his grip remained tight as he swallowed. Puff continued to struggle and squirm but despite his efforts, he was overpowered, his body begins squeezed down the goths esophagus, and after some hard forceful swallows puff was fully in axels stomach causing it to bulge out “AXEL YOU FATASS LET ME OUT!” puff would angrily yell out, squirming and struggling in Axel's gut. Axel lied in his bunk patting and poking his gut in a teasing manner “I’ll let you out later you big baby this is just a small punishment, well not small” he teasingly giggled then yawned. Knowing what his bandmate meant, puff got comfy and closed his eyes attempting to sleep while listening to Axel's heart beating, he sighed softly before asking “Axel.. just wake me up when you’re going to let me out”. The stomach walls expanded and contracted around Puff's body as he relaxed, the soothing feeling slowly pulling him deeper into his slumber. The last thing he heard was Axel's response followed by a soft sigh “Alright puff… but if you do this again I won’t hesitate to eat yo ass, wait that came out wrong know what just go to sleep.” Puff sighed and ignored what Axel said before falling asleep

[safety-writes-noms]

Blank Eyes

Summary; Miguel and you are separated after a mission gone wrong. You go looking for him… only to find him in an odd state.

This is a short story with vore in it!! It is sfw and nonsexual so if you don’t like that, don’t read!

Tw; there’s some fear play in this one but still all safe. There’s also some descriptions of blood and violence :D

—

The first thing you register is the crushing pressure over your chest, Your head is spinning and aching with a fury, sharp pain lancing down your side every time you try to breathe. Your hands scrabble at the hard edge of the thing holding you down, finding purchase and pushing.

Your arms tremble and your palms are tacky with blood – but you manage to shift the massive slab of concrete off of your body, and roll out from under. The second you let go, the thing crashes into the ground with a massive plume of dust. 

For a moment, you have no idea where you are and how you got here before your memory revives itself with a sickening flash. The mission. The explosion. The shadow falling over you as debris rained down from above, the sickening jolt of pain – then darkness. 

Your ribs have to be at least fractured judging by the ache nestled in your chest, you definitely have a bad sprain in your left ankle, and overall, you feel like all of your body is just one massive bruise. Everything hurts like hell, and you take a second to catch your breath and prepare yourself. 

“Okay – okay, come on,” You mutter, taking a fortifying breath, “You’ve got this – you totally got this.”

You delicately push yourself upwards, ignoring the concerning tightness in your chest accompanied by aching agony, struggling to your feet with difficulty. Your ribs practically sear with pain at the movement and you pray that they're not broken. 

You check your wrist, wincing at the cracked watch strapped over it — when you try to turn it on, it fizzles pathetically before the screen goes dark with only occasional glitches of light. Still, you should at least try to get a message out. 

“Hello? Uh. Can anyone hear me?” You ask, fiddling with the dial on the side of the watch as you try to get out a signal. The dial promptly pops off the damn watch and clicks as it bounces on concrete, disappearing into the debris coating the ground. You gape in disbelief. Miguel is totally going to give you shit for that. 

Miguel. 

He was closer to the explosion — there’s no way he didn’t get buried under the rubble too or at least somewhat injured. Something cold and frigid burns into your organs and you look around, searching for a glimmer of neon red or dark blue. It’s too dark in the partially crumbled parking lot to see much. It’s massive, compared to you and you silently curse this dimension’s — well, dimensions. It just had to be one of those giant ones, didn’t it? 

Either way, you decide to look at the bright side: You’re not dead (yet). Hooray! And Miguel is too stubborn to die too, you reassure yourself. There’s no way he’d kick the bucket from a measly bomb. 

You limp along, carefully stepping around bits of debris and rubble littering the floor, waving away the thick dust permeating the air. You’re thankful that this area is abandoned — you don’t need civvies to make things harder. 

“Miguel? Boss? You there?” You call out, cupping a hand to your mouth. No answer. You frown. He has to be here somewhere. You duck around humongous support pillars holding up what’s left of the second, third, and other floors up above. There isn’t much, but there’s still some. 

You scout out the bottom floor, finding nothing but more cracked infrastructure. It takes you a while with your injured ankle and throbbing abdomen, but you manage it, coming up disappointingly fruitless. How does one lose a 6’9 man with shoulders the length of a football field? Easily, you find out with annoyance. 

He’s wearing a neon suit brighter than Las Vegas. It really shouldn’t be this hard but it is.

However, you do find traces of bright crimson webbing, strung up messily. Erratically. Normally, Miguel is knife-precise with his webbing but you’re more focused on the fact that you found traces of him to really think about that. You also find deep claw marks from where he had probably dug himself out of. Awesome. That means he’s not collapsed in a pool of his own blood somewhere. All good signs. 

Unfortunately, as you follow the trail of webbing up, he’s climbed up to the second floor and is somewhere up there in the ruins. Is he looking for you? You had been on the second floor when the explosion went off initially, only to be knocked all the way down. That’s a little weird — you thought he would’ve taken a more methodical approach of searching all of floor one before moving on, but you dismiss it. 

Half the time, you have no idea what he’s doing anyways. It’s probably not that important, and you now have a cookie crumb trail leading you straight to the big boss himself. You plaster your palms to one of the support beams, hissing in pain as the scraped skin meets cool concrete, but you force yourself to climb anyways. Your hands ache, and you’re going at the pace of a snail, but at long last you manage to make it up there with some help from your webs. 

From there, you just follow the geometrical lines of Miguel’s webs, rounding corners and avoiding chunks of concrete and various pieces of rubble. It’s darker here, and the only sources of light are the neon webs glowing dimly from where they’re splattered randomly upon surfaces. 

Your healing factor must’ve kicked in by now, since the pain in your ankle is lessening — if not incredibly slowly. You’re able to put a tiny bit more pressure on it as you walk on, periodically calling out for Miguel. 

There’s no answer. 

You don’t let it get to you. And you do find Miguel, once you slip under a fallen pillar and see — a massive figure hunched over in a corner, suspended in a nest of crimson webbing. You mutter a curse, squinting up at him. He’s not moving and other than the occasional rattling hiss of breath, it’s utterly silent. You find your heart starting to constrict on itself. A fear response. Why? Miguel isn’t a threat. He’s fine. 

Why do you feel like this? There’s an impending sense of danger shrieking in your head but maybe your senses are just .. off. You swallow a bit nervously before clearing your throat loudly. 

“Miguel! I’ve been looking for you — you okay?” You ask, forcing your irrational fear down. He moves then, his huge frame tensing as he turns around, his eyes eerily blank. Jeez, his pupils are massive and his hair is all messy, errant strands flicking in front of his face as he stares down at you. “Hey, big guy.” You try for a smile, ignoring the way your voice goes high at the end. 

He clambers down from the web slowly on all fours, his eyes completely fixed on you and nothing else. He’s moving pretty gingerly and you spot a couple of lacerations and possibly some broken bones as he moves. Not the best, but you’re mainly just glad he’s fine. Miguel’s nostrils flare, and he opens his mouth slightly, inhaling slowly. He’s acting weird. Really freaking weird. 

“Miguel? What’s up with you?” You retreat a step. He advances a step, and you can see him bare fangs, the sharp points glimmering in the dark. 

That’s your only warning before he lunges, his huge body moving scarily quick as you throw yourself to the side, narrowly missing the outstretched talons. Your pulse is thrumming in your ears as you gasp, eyes wide as saucers. 

“Miguel — its me! Miguel —!” You shout, only to be cut off as he lowers himself to the ground again, reminiscent of a hunter’s crouch. You can’t see anything but Miguel’s eyes and you can’t quite strangle the scream of fear as one gigantic hand reaches out lightning quick and wraps around you. His talons retreat back into the pads of his fingers, and while his hold is surprisingly gentle, you’re still completely unnerved by the way he’s acting. You stay completely still as he raises you up to his face — and he inhales.

His brows twitch into a frown and he sits back on his haunches, using his other hand to carefully examine your hands, his eyes tracking over all the various bruises and scrapes spread over your body. The frown only deepens when he glances at your ankle. He’s still being oddly silent, and while you’re grateful he’s not being hostile, you still have no idea what’s going on. He tilts his head. Examining you with laser sharp focus. 

Then he opens his mouth — and you freeze up as you stare down the dimly illuminated maw, the plush flesh shifting and dimly, you realize you’re being lowered down toward the abyss. Saliva pools inside Miguel’s mouth in preparation and the warmth of his breath washes over you. For a second, you can imagine it. The sensation of slime soaked into your body, the visceral click of teeth sealing you away, the suffocating vice of being squeezed down that powerful throat, never to be seen again — no. 

You refuse. This isn’t how it ends. It can’t be. 

You snap out of your daze and throw out a massive amount of web, hitting him square in the eyes with a panicked flurry. Miguel jolts back with a loud snarl immediately, dropping you to tear at the thick coating over his vision, talons sinking into the web viciously. 

You can’t help but scream as you land on your ankle with a sickening crack— holy fucking goddamn shiiit, if it wasn’t broken before, it definitely is now. You glance up at Miguel — still trying to take off the thick webbing — and hobble away, dragging yourself with heaving breaths. Farther, faster. 

You have to breathe through the stars burning across your vision as you search for something to help. Anything. You used the last of the webbing in your canisters on blinding Miguel so now, it’s just you. Everything is hurting and you can barely see straight as you get as far as you can and crawl into a tiny hole barely big enough for your body, a shelter made from rubble and concrete. It’s tight and cramped and you can’t stop your chest from heaving. Tears of pain squeeze out of your eyes and you press a hand over your mouth to muffle any pained sounds that could escape. 

There’s a loud ripping sound as Miguel finally tears off the makeshift blindfold with a roar, and you press yourself back against the walls bracketing you in. He’s gone insane. He’s actually crazy. You stifle a hysterical sort of giggle.  How the hell is this your fucking life? 

There’s a quiet snuffling sound and your blood runs cold as you realize he’s following your scent trail. Plus there’s no way you didn’t leave an incriminating trail of crimson with how you’re injured — he’ll find you. There’s no doubt about it. 

Footsteps, nearly silent, pace closer and you hold your breath, willing your heart to stop beating so loud. This is utterly terrifying. Everything is quiet for a moment. You don’t dare make a single sound, and you can’t tell what Miguel is doing at all. 

For a moment, you hope that he’s lost interest and moved on. Maybe he’s looking somewhere else. Maybe he’s decided you aren’t worth it as a meal. You pray and you hope against hope. It’s quickly dashed as one bright crimson eye fills your vision as Miguel peers in through the hole, his pupils completely dilated, leaving only a faint ring of red. 

You scream as talons pry off the top part of your shelter with apparent ease, stabbing through concrete like butter. You’re too scared to move as his hand shoots out and captures you again. This time he looks distinctly grumpy with you, brows furrowed and mouth set into a down turned line. 

He sniffs at you again, somehow looking even more disapproving when he gets to your ankle again, glaring at you like it’s your fault. You can’t help but take mild offense to that. 

Miguel delicately plucks off your web shooters and discards them which — hey! Those aren’t cheap to make — before wasting no time and opening his mouth. You barely have time to blink before you’re eased inside his maw carefully, spit immediately covering you in a thick sheen. You splutter, wiping the thick fluid off of your face as warmth soaks you to the bone. His tongue shifts under you only a small amount, only flicking to drench more parts of you in saliva. Miguel makes a satisfied hum, the sound vibrating through your body as he takes you completely into his maw.

Oddly enough, he keeps you far away from any of his pearly incisors, only deciding to make sure you’re covered in slick spit. Once he’s determined you’re ready, he swallows once, dragging your feet toward the yawning abyss of his hungry, twitching throat. 

You shriek, trying to cling onto anything as another loud swallow gets you down his throat from your chest down. Your hands grab at his uvula, holding on as tight as you can as you desperately try not to disappear down his ravenous gullet. 

Miguel makes an annoyed sound, then you feel everything tighten around your body as he swallows forcefully and your grip on his dangling uvula is lost. You squeeze your eyes shut as he swallows one more time, sending you down his throat — not nearly as crushing as you had imagined, and letting you pool into a more spacious area. 

The inside of here is soft and extremely squishy. When you try to brace a hand against the ground, it just sinks into the flesh, plush and malleable. You’re in a shallow puddle of fluid — saliva? Acid? — and while it doesn’t burn, it coats everything. Including you, and you swear, this is the weirdest thing you’ve ever experienced. There’s still fear burning through your veins, and you can’t stop yourself from trembling. 

But fuck, you’re so exhausted and it’s so warm here. While the fluid is uncomfortable, it’s nothing against your acute tiredness and you can’t stop yourself from just sinking into the cushy, gurgling walls. 

Miguel purrs quietly from outside, retreating back to the web-nest he had created earlier, seemingly satisfied with the little weight inside his gut. He curls up, ignoring the lancing pain from his wounds. He’ll have to explain a whole lot of shit once he returns from this instinctual state but for now, he’s content to curl up, secure and safe. 

In the back of his mind, he can register something vaguely sounding like the completely freaked out human side of his brain shrieking it’s head off, but it’s so inconsequential that he finds himself blocking it out lazily. Something about not eating his subordinates…? 

Eh. He’ll figure it out when the rest of the spiders come to pick them up. He places a hand over his stomach, massaging it idly. 

—

@diningopossum

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

The Last Dragon

(I’ve been working on this for so long, and it IS so long, but I didn’t want to cut it up because it’s supposed to be a ONESHOT… On that note, I did kind of leave the ending open in case I wanted to continue at some point.

I apologize in advance, I feel like I wrote Malleus and Lilia very OOC, so if anyone has any constructive criticism on that end, I’d certainly appreciate it. That said, I hope you guys enjoy the longest fucking oneshot I have so far.)

Count: 14645

TW/CW: Soft, safe, nonsexual vore, fear/panic of dying, worry of being torn apart, etc

It was well after midnight when they saw it.  

They heard it first, an angered rumble that took them a moment to realize it was some kind of roar as it quickly got closer. Despite being beneath a tree and knowing that they likely couldn’t be seen from above, they couldn’t help but tense and press their back against the bark as they peered through the leaves over them. SOMETHING flew overhead, large enough to blot out the moon despite being hundreds of feet in the sky. It was quick, whatever it was. 

And it was losing altitude. 

Syn couldn’t help walking out from under the tree to try and get a better look, seeing the massive wings struggle as the creature tried to continue East. They watched it plummet a good distance before catching itself, flight staggering closer to the ground before it fell too far for them to see properly past the treetops. There was the sound of distant wood snapping that echoed in the valley along with a pained roar that lingered despite being from so far away. 

It definitely crashed, but what exactly IT was was unknown to them for now. After all, they’d only caught a quick glimpse of it backed by the moon and stars. They felt a chill down their spine despite the warm summer night air. 

What was that? Was it dead? Would it be good if it was dead? They’d never seen anything that large, were there more? What WAS it? 

Syn glanced around from their spot near the edge of the village where they’d sat beneath one of the wild apple trees to enjoy the quiet of the night and the spectacle of the lightning bugs blinking through the tall grasses. Aside from the returning ambience of crickets, there was no sign of life within the village. Anyone else who’d heard the creature fly by must be staying inside and quiet to avoid the perceived wrath of Fae.  

It’s why everyone stayed inside after night, all the wife’s tales and stories about the Fae that lurk around every human settlement, ready to snatch up naughty children or trap humans in Fairie rings or something. They didn’t really believe any of it considering the worst they’d seen was a wolf at the edge of the trees near the livestock, but they were also considered ‘Fae-touched’ due to their affinity for enjoying the night compared to the rather loud and noisy day. 

Syn listened for a good several minutes, but there was no further roaring or keening, no sound of more trees in the distance being broken in an attempt for the creature to launch itself back in the air. They suspected that whatever it was was either dead or dying. Any other villager would think good riddance, make the gesture of the Sun to silently pray for the village’s protection, and retreat inside until the safety of daylight. 

So why were they finding themself getting to their feet and going back to their home to collect a lantern and a dagger? Well, to investigate, of course.  

Rather stupidly, a large part of their brain told them. A potential suicide mission to satiate a surge of curiosity. Even if Fae didn’t do anything, which they didn’t expect given there’d been no Fae incidents in their lifetime, they could still potentially die to a pack of wolves or a catamount. Maybe even just trip and fall into a pit of poisonous plants. 

But that apparently didn’t stop them, their logic and instincts appalled as they left the relative safety of the village towards the East where the creature had been heading toward. 

Fuck, why am I doing this? Syn asked themself as they almost tripped on a root while walking for the third time. They weren’t very used to hiking through the forest. But even as they questioned themself, they couldn’t help but be spurred on. They’d already left the village; they may as well finish their self-imposed mission to see this unknown creature before any scavengers came.  

And honestly, they’d probably be blamed for the midnight disturbance by morning just because of their natural tendency to want to stay up into the night. They didn’t really feel like being cursed at for being ‘Fae-touched’ or whatever. 

As long as they kept walking in a relatively straight line, they should eventually reach where the large, mysterious creature crashed. Unless they got turned around somewhere, which was entirely possible and an outcome they tried to not think about, even as they walked on so long that their stomach began to growl. Perhaps they should have brought something else with them. Or at least thought this through for more than a few seconds.  

Then again, would bringing food increase the chances of them being attacked by some random animal in the night? Probably. Maybe it was good they didn’t bring anything. 

When they realized it was getting slightly easier to see in the gloom, they realized they’d walked so much that the very vestige of dawn was approaching with no sight of the creature. 

“How the HELL do I manage to somehow lose a creature large enough to blot out the moon,” Syn hissed to themself, swatting a branch out of way in frustration. They yelped and stumbled back when the branch apparently took offense to this, lashing back on their brow painfully. With a hiss, they raised their hand up and gingerly touched the area, coming away with a smear of blood across their fingertips. Further irritated, they looked to the tree and opened their mouth to curse it, pausing. 

They blinked in surprise as the light of their lantern shone off of jagged wood, lifting it slightly to see that the tree was broken in half, the top about six feet from the base of the tree trunk where it had been just at the edge of the lantern light. Lifting the lantern a bit higher, they could barely see more of the treetops broken. Any irritation or worry was pushed aside to curiosity, starting to follow the trail of broken trees.  

As the sun peered over the horizon and allowed more filtered light through the forest, they could see a huge gash in the forest trees from the creature breaking through with its body, ending in the side of a hill where it looked like there was either a cave entrance already there or freshly made. Cautiously approaching, the ripped-out tree trunks with their roots raggedly exposed nearer to the dark hole and the deep marks gouged along the edge gave them the impression that the creature had slammed into the side of the hill and broke through into an open space beneath. 

Syn thought they could hear something faintly from the hole, but they weren’t sure whether it was the creature, some other cave-dwelling animals, or their own imagination. Either way, they felt their heart begin to race as they stalked closer. For the first time since coming across the gash of broken forest did they realize that there was still no birdsong despite day breaking all around them. 

Reaching the base of the hill, they peered in barely and saw that there was a cavern beneath it. The edge of the hole showed that there had been more than a dozen feet of dirt and roots between the cavern and the outside of the hill, but the creature managed to break through with the impact. Given that the freshly made cavern entrance was at least a couple dozen across, the creature was large enough that it crashed through easily. The thought sent a shudder down their spine, unable to imagine any creature that size. 

But even though they couldn’t imagine it, they saw it when they gathered their nerves enough to get a bit closer to the edge and look down. 

Syn almost didn’t register it as a creature immediately, large enough to be a small hill in its own right. But it was a mass of purple-black too dark to match the cavern stone around it, even where parts of it spilled into the shadows outside of the beam of light that shone down from the hole. Parts of it glinted oddly bright in the sun with a weird almost zigzag pattern and its coloration wasn’t entirely uniform. There was also a large protrusion coming out the top that took them a few seconds to realize it looked like an awkwardly bent limb or massive protrusion. They thought they could see streaks of blood, at least on the stone around it. 

The bottom of the cavern was at least a couple hundred feet down, an impossible feat for them to climb down even if they could see a few ledges along the way. If they could make it down to the highest ledge, they could see a trail of natural handholds down to where an entire pillar of curved stone sloped to the bottom, but the way the cavern wall curved meant that it’d be impossible to reach the highest ledge without risking serious injury to themself. The cavern was so large that they could hear the wind inside. 

Syn began to look for anything around to help them down, catching the glimpse of something shiny trailing between a broken tree and the ground nearby. Curious, they went to investigate and saw a long chain of metal links the size of their fist. Given how the end of the base link was twisted, it felt like a good assumption that it had something to do with the creature, wondering if it belonged to a giant harpoon or other weapon. 

Regardless, they tested their curiosity by setting down their lantern and dragging the heavy metal to the side of the hole and securing it to the nearest tree nearby that wasn’t torn apart and seemed sturdy enough to hold their weight and the chain. 

Dragging the end of it and dropping it over the edge they could see that the chain didn’t quite reach the ledge they needed, but that falling from it wouldn’t cause any injury if they made the landing. Keyword being IF. There was also the possibility that they missed and fell to the bottom of the cavern, either breaking bones or impaling on some of the stalagmites. Was their curiosity worth it? 

“Am I really going to risk my life for this,” they asked themself under their breath, grumbling more as they debated with themself for several minutes. 

Sure, they could end up dying, but not if they timed it right. Besides, they thought they’d die of curiosity and regret if they just turned around and walked back to the village now. They HAD to know what the creature was, or at least what it looked like up close, unable to tear themself away from the crash site. Eventually they gathered the nerve to quit their pacing and walk back to the edge of the hole with another look down. 

Part of Syn quailed a bit at the sight of the height, not really good with being on a roof let alone at the top of a drop that was at least a hundred feet. 

“It’s fine, I got this, it’s fine, I got this,” they repeated to themselves under their breath. They forced themself to not think about the height and just focus on the cool feeling of metal against their palms as they gathered the chain in hand, forcing themself not to think about what would happen if they fell as they tugged harshly against it to test the tree’s strength. The branch it was attached to didn’t even budge an inch and they began to lower themself before they could even think of second-guessing the whole idea. 

‘Don’t look down,’ they told themselves adamantly, doing a rather good job. Up until the halfway point when their mind casually supplied, ‘Huh, my palms are getting kind of sweaty and my arms are starting to ache.’ 

Syn immediately froze and closed their eyes at the thought, willing themself to continue keeping their gaze from drifting downwards. They steeled their gaze on the, well, steel metal links in their hands and VERY carefully released each hand individually to wipe the sweat from their palms onto their trousers before making themself continue. They’d like to say that it was because they were very brave and determined, but it was more because they didn’t think they had the upper arm strength to double back right now and it’d be easier to finish going down. 

They really hoped they didn’t just trap themself down here. 

Eventually, after dozens of seconds that felt like eternity, they felt their boots slip off the end of the chain as it ran out. It startled them so much that they didn’t even gasp, heart skipping a beat painfully in alarm as they gasped and quickly tightened their grip on the chain, having to hurriedly curl their legs upwards and scramble to regain the purchase they briefly lost.  

Syn clung to the dangling chain of metal like a spider to its silk, panting for a couple seconds before gathering the nerve to look down to see the ledge below. It wasn’t TOO far away, maybe six feet, but it was in a place where they’d have to swing the chain to drop down without falling to the bottom. 

They had to be quick, feeling their arms shake from holding their weight to the chain and were terrified that they’d either fall because of it or the fact that their palms felt a lot clammier than a few seconds ago. 

With a shaky breath to try and steady their nerves, they carefully swung a few times more than they needed as they struggled to force themself to let go of the chain. It rattled as they dropped, a sharp jolt going through their knees as they landed and immediately collapsed to a kneel with quick breaths. 

“Oh, my fucking gods, I can’t believe I survived that,” they gasped out, now regretting their decision to climb down into the cavern with a corpse. A massive corpse of unidentifiable nature right now, but a corpse, nonetheless. “I can’t believe I DID that.” 

Syn froze a bit when they heard a noise behind them off the ledge, quickly bolting upright and looking back to the cavern. There was nothing behind them but the creature’s body. Maybe there were bats or something inside that were disturbed by them and the creatures crash landing. After waiting a few seconds, nothing moved and they managed to rest enough to gather themself to continue. 

It was a hell of a lot easier being able to use the cracks in the wall to clamber down further to where the pillar of stone sloped down to the floor, though their arms still ached and burned by the time they carefully slid down to the bottom of the cave. There, they decided to take a breather, really starting to regret not bringing something to eat as they felt their stomach ache in hunger. But it was manageable and entirely due to their curiosity and poor planning. Was it just them or was there another noise?

They lifted their head cautiously, looking around for the source of the phantom noise. Part of them thought they were just being paranoid now that they were close to the creature's body, but they wondered if part of it being in a different position was part of their imagination, or if the sides of the creature were actually moving as well.

Syn carefully got up to their feet, pulling out their little dagger from their boot as if it would actually do anything if the creature was still alive and carefully began to approach the body. With mounting horror, they realized the sound of wind that they'd thought was just from the cave system seemed to be the creature's shallow BREATHING.

Torn between fascination and the instinct to get the hell away from the creature, they couldn't stop themself from continuing to creep closer. They could see now that the creature was scaly with the purple-black scales, realizing that they were facing its underbelly with lighter purple scales going down its length between a set of foreclaws and back legs. 

The weird protrusion was a wing bent awkwardly at an angle to tower above the creature's body. Its tail snaked into the shadows towards the hole and they could see the way its neck trailed in the other direction. The entire thing was tangled in metal chains that forced its limbs to itself and kept its wing at an uncomfortable angle, some broken and dangling from its body. Those had been the source of the glinting from above, and the odd coloration was blood that had seeped from various marks across its body, though it looked like they weren’t actively bleeding anymore.

Another sound, louder this time, caught Syn’s attention and they yelped. Whirling around towards the noise, they held their dagger defensively, realizing that the sound was scales on stone as the creature's neck shifted across the ground. 

Their eyes widened and heart raced as its head slowly dragged itself into view, as though each motion was a painstaking endeavor. There was an underlying scraping noise that paired with the massive horns that sprouted from its skull, a ruff of a frill or fin lined the edge of its jaw with a droop. 

But what caught their attention and terror the most were the reptilian green eyes that glowed unnaturally in the darkness with an intelligence that left their insides cold.

A dragon.

A dragon whose gaze flicked over them and it began to snarl and rumble, jaws beginning to glow an unnatural yellow-green as well. If it weren't for more of the chain that tangled itself around its horns and muzzle, Syn had no doubt that they would have immediately been incinerated.

They made a strangled, panicked noise and instinctively backed away, their movement causing the dragon to lift its head and let out another series of rumbling snarls. 

Its frill flared and rattled against its neck and the chains dangling from it, its entire body shifting to try and lurch upwards to its feet unsuccessfully, the sound of clanking chains echoing with its angry vocalizations. The only thing that didn't seem to be entirely tangled down was its tail that lashed against a stalagmite harshly, cracking the stone.

Syn remained frozen in terror, finding their limbs weak and mind racing with what little they knew about dragons from stories. Which wasn’t much.

They were man-eating beasts that burned down villages and stole livestock; malicious, intelligent creatures with the ability of magic, fire, and chaos with a taste for human misery and flesh. The largest and most dangerous kind of Fae to ever exist that could singularly level an entire kingdom. And a creature Syn didn't believe in until stumbling their way into a cave to trap themself with one out of stupid curiosity, a decision that was giving them a heavy sense of regret.

They were startled from their thoughts when the dragon rumbled again with a hiss. It tossed its head slightly as it did so, as though angrily asking them something. Was it trying to challenge them? Did it think THEY were trying to challenge IT?

Maybe it was the long snout and startlingly intense eyes or them projecting their own fear, but they couldn’t help but think about the time they’d come across a fox stuck in a trap. It had been yelping and writhing in pain, but when it saw them approach it had immediately taken a more defensive and angry posture. It had bitten at their hands and ran off immediately when they managed to wrestle the trap open and free it. They hadn’t been able to make themselves ignore it in pain and had felt a great deal of relief that it was able to run, hoping it’d end up living a healthy and long life.

Similarly, while their instincts and rumors from the village screamed at them, they couldn’t help but feel a similar sense of sympathy creep up through the quick beating in their chest and shallow breathing. Likely, the chains were human made. How would they react if something attacked them and then a creature of the same species came upon them wounded? Probably something akin to the dragon’s response.

And even though it would be the smartest decision to just turn around and try to climb back up out of the cavern… they felt the same reluctance to leave as with the fox. Without properly becoming detangled, which it seemed unlikely to be able to do on its own, it would probably die down here alone in the cave to starvation or dehydration…

Maybe a dragon would be smart enough to understand if they tried to help it?... They could handle a fox bite, but this creature was large enough to swallow them whole. One bite would be lethal, if not entirely fatal.

‘Fuck. Fuck, am I REALLY thinking about doing this?’

The already several seconds of being frozen turned into over a dozen as part of them told them to NOT even get close to the creature that could kill them with ease, let alone release it. But they found their grip on the dagger hilt shifting almost feverishly as they realized that side of themself was losing. They bit their lip and closed their eyes for a second to steel themself, hoping that they’d survive this.

“Fuck,” Syn hissed shakily beneath their breath. It felt like an endeavor just to slowly shift the dagger from both hands to one, trying to show the dragon they meant no harm, swallowing hard to try and clear the lump of panic in their throat. They held their arms apart like a surrender, dagger hilt pinched between an index finger and thumb. 

They weren’t sure if it could understand them, but they tried to keep the trembling out of their voice as they spoke up, tone like they were trying to coax a village cat over and not like they were trying to appease a multi-ton beast that could squash them without thought.

“H-Hey, it’s okay,” they said, unable to keep their voice fully steady. They froze when the dragon's angry hissing paused, gaze training on them even more intently than before. They felt like they were having their soul read. They forced themself to continue even as they felt like they were going to faint, slowly kneeling to place the dagger on the cavern floor between them and the dragon. They really hoped the lack of rumbling snarling meant that it approved. “I’m n-not gonna hurt ya.”

They stood back up and carefully nudged the dagger with their boot, flinching when the dragon let out a low growl. But they kept at it and kicked the blade to the side away from them, startling themself when it clattered loudly against stone. 

They couldn’t help but yelp and jump away from the sound, freezing in place. They couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at scaring themself, even if the dragon didn’t care. They weren’t sure, its expression was so hard to read, though its head did snap around to stare at them TERRIFYINGLY quick when they yelped and jumped. 

It tilted its head slightly at them and narrowed its eyes.

“L-Louder than I expected,” Syn mumbled, very much feeling judged. Now completely unarmed, they cautiously kept their palms open for the dragon to see, trying to take a couple careful steps closer. Their heart pounded as it LET them for a few feet, crying out in panic when it snarled. They stared at its head with wide eyes, seeing… gods, it really looked like confusion, but they didn’t know whether it was just part of them trying to just make sense of the creature.

“I want to help,” they said, staying entirely in place. They tried to think of how to convey it to the dragon, gesturing to a length of chain on its side and tried to mimic the motions of taking it off. They felt rather stupid and still terrified playing charades with it, dumbly repeating, “Help, see?”

They waited a few moments, not sure what to expect. It wasn’t exactly like the dragon could just go, “Oh, help! Jolly good then, I shall allow you to approach and NOT eat you for your kinds attack upon me!”

Before they could second guess themself – well, more than they already have been – something in their peripherals caught their attention. They recoiled with a yelp as the dragon let out a pained growl and the clattering of joined the sound of scales on rock. It was shifting, a seemingly painful and arduous task if its labored breathing and quiet hissing was anything to go by. Its front legs, already folded against its chest, were pressed into the stone ground as it moved its towering column of a folded wing.

They backed away with their hands up as several seconds went by before the dragon painstakingly lowered the bent appendage in front of them. Even folded, it dwarfed their entire body. Then again it was also the largest part of its body.

The dragon let out a snorting noise, making them tear their gaze from the giant limb in front of them and they looked up to see the dragon looking at them expectantly through a pain-etched grimace that exposed sharp bone past the chains around its muzzle. It made eye contact with them and lightly gestured its snout towards the offered wing, letting out a sound that could be compared to a deep warble.

Syn blinked a bit, probably looking like a deer in a hunter’s sight as they looked startled at the dragon’s actions.  They couldn’t get past the shock until the dragon made a firmer sound and gestured, making them jolt in surprise. 

“R-Right, right, helping, sorry,” they said, nervously looking at the mass of scales and membrane in front of them. This close they could see the small details of the scales, the way the scales shone lightly iridescently in the light from the hole, and the texture as scales gave way to leathery folded membrane that bunched against itself.

And they saw the injuries caused by the chains that clung to the dragon. At first they thought it was just from the chains lashing onto the wings, but as they cautiously sidestepped slower to the nearest loop of metal they noticed that there was an underlying hiss that was almost too faint to hear. Startled, concerned, and VERY confused, they grabbed the nearest chunk of chain link and shifted it from where it clung to the dragon's wing. 

To their horror, they realized that the chains were slowly BURNING the dragon. 

“Iron,” Syn breathed, remembering the praise from some of the village people that iron was the most effective weapon and deterrent from Fae. They tried to move the chain more and stiffened when they heard a loud hiss from the dragon’s throat, but looking at its face showed that it wasn’t hissing at them but was just squinting its eyes against the pain. When it noticed them looking, it gave a light grunt. They were quite certain that the dragons’ noises were trying to converse with them, but they couldn’t understand it. 

Frankly, they didn’t quite feel all there, finding this whole situation almost nauseatingly surreal. 

“It’s going to hurt taking these off,” they told the dragon numbly with shock, pretty certain it also couldn’t understand them fully since it just kind of stared at them. Feeling a bit awkward under its intense gaze that they weren’t sure whether it was intentional, they kept an eye on the dragon’s expression as they carefully grabbed the chain again to try and make sure that they weren’t about to incur its wrath as they tested the metal links again. 

They tried to be careful and gentle, but not only were the chains flush against the dragon’s skin and scales, the metal had burned divots into the dragon that fit snugly with each link. They felt awful at inflicting more pain on the creature, but they had to tug the first loop as hard as they could to try and slip it over the thumb of the wing. They heard fresh sizzling and the dragons sharp breathing as iron dragged across previously untouched scales before they managed to wriggle the loop over and dropped it to the cavern floor with a clatter. It was only a small length of the chains entangling the dragon, but it was a start.  

Syn wasn’t sure how long had passed just trying to get the chains off of the one wing. They froze at first every time the dragon made a noise or hissed in a breath, but slowly became more confident that it wasn’t going to snap at them in pain as minutes passed by. As they worked, they tried to be as careful as possible, finding it easier as more and more of the links slowly fell off to allow slack to the rest. 

They found out that there were thinner links that clung as well, these links barbed to make them more difficult to take off. They had to tear those out and they were scattered around the thick membrane and scales from the smaller links being broken apart. They also saw a large metal ball attached to a section of chain links that slid off the wing, starting to picture what the whole network of chains must have looked like intact. From what they could guess, it wasn’t a giant bola in the sense that they’d thought but more of a net made from the thick links of iron with spider-webbing from the thinner, barbed lengths of iron. 

As they moved to another section of the wing, they couldn’t help but lightly brush their fingers against a length of wing bone, taking in the mix of leathery and scaly texture. They didn’t let themself linger too long but beneath the numb shock and underlying fear that continued to run through them, they felt a fascination and curiosity that they weren’t sure was normal in a situation such as this.  

They couldn’t help but wonder what any other villager would have done. They didn’t think any of the others would have been concerned or feel a startling anger at seeing the burn marks all over the dragon. 

The wing shifted slightly in anticipation as they walked up to the last length of chain that still held fast. They tugged smaller iron pieces like metallic burrs from where they could reach, the dragon watching and shifting its wing accordingly to allow easier access. Occasionally the dragon would make noises at them and they’d respond despite not understanding it. 

“Yeah, these ones are in there,” Syn said to a conversational warble, having to stretch their upper body over the wing to try and reach another barbed link. They couldn’t help but yelp when the dragon snorted in response and the wing surged beneath them with a pained hiss, pushing against their legs so they fell forward on the wing and within reach of the embedded metal. Taking a moment to calm their heart from the startle, they grabbed the link and awkwardly shimmied off of the folded wing while the dragon gave a huff that sounded rather close to what they’d assume was amusement.  

Tossing the small link on the ground with the others, they told the dragon, “At least warn me next time you try to help me reach.” 

The dragon, of course, didn’t respond understandably and let out a rumble while they walked to the larger length of the chain and began to tug and toss it off of the wing.  

They barely managed to step out of the way in time for the dragon to let out a relieved sigh and extend its wing from the awkwardly folded positions it had been in. The entire thing was large enough to shade at least an entire house in their village, membrane thick enough that the iron chains hadn’t eaten all the way through but also thin enough to allow the daylight from the cavern hole to filter through in an unintentionally grand display that had them staring in awe at the sheer size. 

Their awe was marred by the fact that they could see the patchwork of burns zigzagged across its skin through the membrane, feeling something cold settle in their chest as the dragon refolded its wing and ‘spoke’. Bringing their gaze back towards it, they saw it lift its wing enough to allow them to see the chains across its body, realizing that it was allowing them closer now. 

Syn hesitated slightly at the sight of its folded-up claws but still couldn’t keep themself from walking up to the underside of the dragon. Despite being able to see that the dragon’s underbelly was covered in thick, protective scales for most of the length that they could see, they also knew that anything would be protective of it considering that’s where most organs were. But this time the dragon didn’t snarl or hiss at their approach, though it kept a sharp eye on them. 

The easiest thing to start with was the dragon's tail thanks to its own flexible maneuvering to help detangle itself. Still, it wasn’t a walk in the park, and they still winced every time iron burned against new scales. It didn’t seem to bother the dragon unless the chains dragged across an already present wound, but they still felt bad.  

They could imagine that it was feeling better with every chain tossed aside though, and that drove away the upset feeling of seeing it in pain. 

Working from tail to neck, it became infinitely easier when they’d managed to detangle some of the chains on the dragon's back claws. Mostly because when they did so they found themself startled by the dragon's tail curling around them and moving them out of the way just as they were about to take a loop off, surprised until they saw the dragon take advantage of the slack in the chains to kick out its back legs powerfully. It took a couple tries and was a terrifying show as its back talons tore through the links with a bit of effort, but the result of mostly free legs was achieved. 

Syn blinked a bit in surprise when the tail uncurled from them after seeing the show of power. They’d been struggling for hours dragging off the metal and picking the burning iron from the dragon’s scales, and it just eviscerated a good chunk with its talons.  

The dragon dragged them from their surprise by rumbling again and tail lightly touching them. It was unphased as they yelped from the contact, lowering its snout slightly to gesture at its front claws, making them realize that it couldn’t quite reach its front legs with its back. 

They nodded a bit in renewed shock, trying not to imagine how easy it would be for the dragon to tear them apart as they walked up to its front limbs and helped to loosen the chains keeping the claws secure. As links slackened, the claws shifted beneath. Unlike with its back legs though, these ones were dexterous enough that the dragon began to carefully worm its claws through chains and pluck the metal off itself carefully with its talons. 

Syn realized that the talons were the only part of the dragon that weren’t burning against the touch of iron. 

With its arms and legs free, the dragon struggled to heave itself off of its side, managing to shakily get to its feet. While its other wing remained uncomfortably bent, it tried to shake off as many of the chains as it could. Some loose or broken ones fell off but a majority clung stubbornly to its scales. 

Huffing, the dragon rumbled to Syn and, after a moment of remembering that this was indeed happening, they took it as their cue to continue helping. Now that its limbs were freed, the dragon could move to allow easier access for them to reach spots and sections of iron that it couldn’t with its claws. They found themself unhooking links from spines on the dragons back and neck, releasing the other wing, and adding a considerable number of chains to the pile of iron already accrued. 

By the time most of the dragon’s body was picked clean of iron burrs and links, Syn was pretty sure it was around midday. Their body ached and they were exhausted. On the bright side they’d been so focused on helping the dragon that they hadn’t really felt hungry or thirsty. 

Syn panted a little as they backed away from dropping the last iron link from the dragon’s body, wiping their forehead with the back of their hand as it stood and looked itself over for anything missing. Now the only sections of iron were looped around its horns and muzzle, saved for last in the innate fear of being bitten if taken care of earlier. After the dragon’s consideration with its claws, they weren’t as concerned about that anymore. 

The dragon seemed satisfied with its self-check, rumbling something that they thought sounded like a good thing. Spending hours idly conversing with the creature, they felt like they at least were starting to get a hang of some of its tone. 

It turned its head towards them and said something else, making them nod in faux agreement. 

“Just your face left,” Syn replied, trying to ignore the way their heart pounded as they raised a hand and gestured for the dragon to lower its head. There was still an anxiety with working with the dragon, but they felt like they had enough of a rapport with it that it wouldn’t bite their arm off once the last of the chains were released… Hopefully. 

The dragon tilted its head at them, and they wondered if it was questioning their audacity to try and tell it to do something or if it was imagining how delicious they were. 

Thankfully, after a few seconds of worrying, the dragon made a light noise that didn’t sound angry at all and slowly lowered its head as though trying to not spook them. Which, to be fair, had happened a few times when it moved too quickly or touched them with its tail earlier. And they were struggling against their instincts to run away as the massive snout got closer and closer, part of them quailing at the fact that it seemed like its head was longer than they were tall. 

Syn swallowed their fear, heart racing and breathing shallow as the head stopped directly in front of them. Their instincts yelled at them to run, the dragon’s green eyes larger than their fist and staring at them. There was a curiosity to its gaze and a slightly resigned one that gave the impression that the dragon fully expected them to back out now that it was face to face with them. 

They felt a surge of spite and stubbornness inside of them at the idea that the dragon thought they would back out now after spending half the day fighting their fear and helping untangle it.  

“I said I was going to help you, and that includes this,” Syn said sternly, sounding far more confident than they felt. All too practiced now at this point, they began to deftly untangle and detach the chains from the dragon’s horns and face, ignoring the rather human-like startled expression on the dragon’s face as they practically tore off the chains. As steady and careful as their hands were, they couldn’t help but rush in the undercurrent of fear. Once done, they took several steps back, declaring, “There.” 

The dragon raised its head once the chains were off, shaking its head like a dog to probably ensure everything was off of it. It let out relieved sounding vocalization, allowing itself to stretch fully. It tested its jaw, arched its neck back and extended its wings for a moment, wingtips trailing off into the shadows of the cavern with how large its wingspan was as it gave a few tiny flaps to test the muscles. 

Syn watched in surprise as the dragon ‘talked’, getting up and walking around in a small circle to test its legs with its tail trailing behind it. They didn’t realize that the dragon was actually trying to converse with them until it spun back around and looked at them expectantly again.  

Wait, had it thought they somehow understood it this whole time? Was it because they replied randomly almost every time?  

But there was no way IT understood THEM because they were almost entirely certain that anything they said could not have correlated with whatever the dragon had been saying. 

Yet, the dragon looked disappointed after several seconds of waiting, saying something again in a rumble that had them hesitantly shrugging with a sheepish smile, nervously saying, “Sorry, dragon, but I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’ve been saying this whole time. I didn’t mean to get your hopes up…” 

Syn had hoped that would be enough to convey their ignorance. But the dragon wasn’t pleased with that, letting out a small series of disappointed noises before it turned to them fully. There was a curious look in its eyes as it walked closer and lowered its head, continuing to talk even as they started to back away anxiously with a yelp.  

“A—Ah, I said I couldn’t understand you,” they backed away until they felt their back touch a stalagmite, trapping them between stone and snout as the dragon stepped closer. A trill of panic ran through them as the nose came within a foot of them and they winced when the dragon sniffed at them experimentally, their shirt shifting with each exhale before the dragon snorted and straightened back up with an almost forlorn sound. A bit caught off guard, they only quietly repeated, “Uh, s-sorry?” 

They stiffened when the dragon looked down at them at their questioning tone, replying with a rumble of its own that they realized had an inflection at the end that brought to mind that the dragon was perhaps questioning THEM as well. 

“Still don’t know what you’re saying.” Syn hesitated slightly before giving a confused shrug and apologetic look. 

Somehow, the dragon's face looked both disgruntled and unamused at the response. It repeated the same series of noises again, looking at them pointedly before gesturing to the hole in the cavern with a light toss of its head. It didn’t really narrow down the amount of potential questions much.

“ … Yes?” they said hesitantly, unsure if they were agreeing with the dragon or what they were agreeing to.

If there was ever a dragon that could pout it’d be the one in front of them, somehow looking mildly crestfallen at their meager response. It tilted its head and actually murmured something to itself as it looked away towards the hole. They could see it ponder something as it glanced at the wall they managed to clamber down from.

Syn kind of felt awkward as the dragon pondered, not really able to do much and not really able to contribute to the conversation it was having with itself.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna try to get back up, I guess," they clicked their tongue nervously, gesturing to the pillar of stone they'd slid down and started sidestepping. They didn't think they'd get used to the way the dragon's green gaze naturally pierced through them as they caught its attention again. "I, uh… trust you're not gonna eat me while I do that… hopefully."

They honestly weren't sure if they'd manage to climb back out of the cavern, realizing as they hesitantly turned their back to the dragon to start climbing that the chain they climbed down was way too high for them to reach

With their back turned to try and start scaling back up the slope of the stone pillar, they only heard a huff from the dragon as a warning before they found the back of their shirt suddenly yanked backwards. They couldn’t help but let out a startled shriek of panic as their boots left the solid surface of the stone and they were lifted up to dangle over a dozen feet in the air. Feeling breath ruffle their hair, they realized that the dragon had grabbed the back of their shirt in its jaws, causing them to sway as it turned back around to the entrance hole. 

“Ooog, g-great gods, please don’t drop me,” their voice came out in a shaky moan, stomach dropping and feeling their heart in their throat. They tried to not look down, but it was very difficult to tear their gaze away from the drop, only looking up in surprise when the dragon reared back on its hind legs. 

The cavern wall was too high for it to just climb out of or even jump, hole still a couple hundred feet up while it only reached maybe a quarter of the way standing up on its hind legs and extending its neck to look up. Still, that was about fifty feet too many for them to be suspended in the air. 

“C-Could you please just put me down,” Syn asked, deciding that they’d rather die at the bottom of the cavern than continue to sway with their heart pounding in their chest and die from fright if this continued much longer. The dragon, of course, ignored them and made a considering rumble to itself. Whether it was the equivalent of a hum or actual words to it didn’t matter to them as the dragon dropped down on all fours. Still dangling, but it was lower and gave the human a tiny sense of relief. 

They felt nauseous though as the dragon turned around again and walked away from the hole despite having not eaten since the day before at this point. The nausea tinged their voice as they asked in confusion, “Wh-What are you doing? Where are you even going?” 

Maybe the dragon knew something about the cavern that they didn’t. They couldn’t see in the gloom past the beam of light that shone down from above, so maybe it saw something they didn’t in the darkness or heard something. Either way, they hated being entirely out of control, only hoping that the fabric of their shirt stayed intact so they didn’t plummet to the ground below and break a leg or anything. 

The dragon stepped into the darkness, Syn grateful that it at least obscured the swaying surroundings to allow a reprieve for their motion sickness. But then the dragon stopped after several paces and turned back around, confusion turning to alarm when then saw movement in the corners of their vision, seeing that the dragon was extending its wings in the darkness. 

“Woah, woah, wait,” they yelped, the dragon not listening to them. They made a small noise as the dragon began to crouch and prepared to take off, exclaiming, “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FLY OUT OF HERE!” 

The hole was large, yes, but it certainly wasn’t wide enough to accommodate the dragon’s entire wingspan to any degree considering the dragon had probably shot down like an arrow with its wings stuck to its sides. However, that didn’t seem to deter it as not even a moment passed between Syn’s shout and the dragon launching itself towards the hole. 

They couldn’t help but scream at the lurch that had them terrified that their shirt would be torn on the dragon’s sharp teeth, and they’d plummet, or that the dragon miscalculated and both of them would end up in a pile of rubble.  

Thankfully, neither of those happened. 

The dragon gave a hearty flap and darted upwards towards the hole, wings flaring out to control the burst before the limbed snapped close to the dragon’s sides, and it landed gracefully just outside the hole. It lowered its head and gently set Syn down, who immediately crumpled to all fours as their weak knees gave out beneath them. 

“Oooooh, fuck. Oooh, gods,” they gasped, struggling to settle their racing heart and panicked breathing. Their limbs shook beneath them as they barely kept themself from fainting. They were glad to be out of the cavern and away from a slow death from dehydration or starving, but they really, really wished it hadn’t been at the cost of what felt like losing half their lifespan to the panic of being grabbed and carried out by the dragon. 

Speaking of which, the dragon apparently didn’t just fly off like they would have expected after being released and getting out of the cavern. 

There was a snort against their back, feeling the air shift the fabric of their shirt. With a strangled yelp of surprise, they spun so that their back was to the ground and they faced the large snout of the dragon as it rumbled something, unable to ignore the brief sight of sharp teeth as it did so. It took them a second or two before their eyes met the dragon’s, realizing it was a look of concern. It sat beside them and rather unintentionally loomed over them with its large bulk.

“A-Ah, I’m fine,” they said, unconvincing even to themself. The dragon’s hovering certainly wasn’t helpful, making a shooing gesture that the dragon tilted its head at before raising its head away to allow them some room to breathe and calm themself from the scare.   

Something Syn greatly appreciated, feeling exhaustion beginning to settle in as adrenaline left their system, giving way to a bit of an emotional numbness from tiredness and a bit of shock.  

They could feel a bit of an ache from hunger beginning to creep up again and their throat was rather dry, but neither of those things really mattered to them now, just wanting to take a few minutes to rest. They could feel the dragon’s gaze on them as they shifted to sit against one of the torn tree trunks, trying very hard to not reciprocate and stare back while they settled. They didn’t sense any malicious intent, it just seemed content to watch them for some reason. They realized that they could see the unnatural green seemingly glow slightly even in the daylight. 

Maybe it hasn’t seen a human up close? Maybe the dragon had just been flying by when it was attacked? They struggled to think of why else it'd be staring at them so intently if it wasn't angry at them. Oh, wait.  

"Uh, th-thank you?" Syn looked up at the dragon, seeing its head tilt slightly in reaction. They thought that perhaps the dragon was waiting to be thanked for helping them out of the cave with its staring but the dragon either didn't register what they said as a thanks or they were off the mark. It continued to watch them as they wondered why it was sticking around instead of flying away, wondering if dragons were nomadic. They knew they should return to the village but found themself reluctant to. Perhaps the dragon felt similar. 

Regardless, they at least needed to drink some water. They weren't exactly the explorative type normally, nor were they a hunter that spent hours in the surrounding wood to make a living, but they had seen on a map from the library that there should be a river nearby. Some cartographer or hunter from the village would likely come across the new cave entrance and talk about it within a week. 

After a few more minutes of resting, they stretched and stood up with a yawn that they tried to stifle. For some reason this caught the dragon's attention and it stood up as well, asking something. Syn just shielded their eyes with a hand as they looked to the sky to gauge direction and tried to ignore the natural apprehension of being near the dragon. They ignored the instinct to keep an eye on the dragon to do so and absentmindedly replied, "Still can't understand you. I bet you're thirsty too though." 

The part of themself that had been against them going off in the first place was appalled as they gestured for the dragon to follow and said, "I think the river's this way." 

Half of them didn't expect the dragon to follow them. It expected the dragon to either watch them walk away or decide to fly off on its own, likely never to be seen again and leave them wondering if they'd encountered it in the first place tomorrow. Instead, they heard an amicable noise from the creature - or maybe it was curious - and the sound of it starting to trail behind them. Scarily enough, the dragon was far quieter than its size would suggest, though they could feel the vibrations of its footsteps through the soles of their boots as they picked their way through the half-torn tree trunks of the crash site and stepped into the trees.

They heard the cracking of branches and groaning of trees as the dragon easily pushed through to follow behind, resisting the urge to stare back at it. It had plenty of opportunities to kill or eat them while they were helping to untangle it from its chains and barbs, it didn’t exactly need to wait for them to walk away with their back turned towards it to do anything, though that didn’t stop the recurring instinct from sitting at the back of their mind. 

The dragon definitely seemed to have no qualms about staring though, Syn able to feel its gaze still on them. It was a bit unnerving when both of them were just walking through the foliage in vocal silence. It seemed to have given up trying to communicate with them, whether because of the walk or otherwise was hard to say but they were a bit surprised that the thought did make them a bit sad. They couldn’t help but wonder how intricate the dragon’s language was and if there was anyone that knew how to speak it.  

Did dragons write?  

They mused about the potential culture of dragons tiredly as their body moved through the trees on autopilot, rubbing an eye sleepily. This was way past when they’d fallen asleep yesterday and part of them was beginning to wonder if they really were out in the forest with a dragon tailing them towards a supposed river they saw once on a map. 

They jumped when the dragon spoke up after about half an hour without talking, inquiring about something as they looked up to give it a confused look. They tried for a second to decipher it but gave up rather quickly as their mind felt like it was full of cotton from lack of sleep, giving the dragon a shrug and trying half-heartedly to mimic one of the noises the dragon had made. 

Syn would have felt foolish afterwards if the dragon didn’t pull the funniest expression they’d seen on its face so far, bewildered enough to straighten its neck up a bit in surprise. It didn’t seem offended, but they hoped they didn’t insult its mother or something. 

They couldn’t help but laugh at the startled dragon, finding it far more amusing in their tired state and had their face hurting from laughter after a few seconds. They’d ended up needing to use a tree to hold themself up while they gathered their composure once more, straightening up and letting out an amused sigh as they told the dragon, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to confuse you, big guy, that was a habit thing.” 

The dragon thankfully didn’t bite them in half for saying its father reeked of ale or anything, so that was good. Instead, it continued its staring that kind of reminded them of when the village cats would just people watch anyone who caught their interest. Which, as long as that interest was benign, they didn’t really care. Still was a bit awkward as a few seconds went by before it responded something back, gesturing its snout towards a direction just slightly off of where they had been leading it. 

“Oh? Do you hear the river,” Syn asked, really hoping that was what the dragon was trying to point out. They were thirsty as the hells and knew that they had a lengthy walk back to the village. Hopefully a good splash of cold water would help wake them up for the trip. 

They started walking in the direction the dragon had pointed towards, able to hear the river after a few minutes and felt a surge of relief when both them and the dragon stepped out of the tree line and saw the coursing water shortly after. They didn’t hesitate to carefully pick their way to the edge of the river and knelt to grab a handful of water. After hours without, it tasted divine and helped alleviate the dryness in their throat that they hadn’t realized was that bad until the water washed away the scratchy feeling. 

Syn got a few more mouthfuls of water before grabbing another handful and splashing their face, making them yelp and gasp at how cold it was. It felt a lot better drinking it than drenching themselves in it. 

Sputtering and shaking off as much of the water as they could, they sat back unsteadily on their heels and ruffled their hair to flick water droplets from the strands as they got past the brief surprise of the chilled water. A sound from the dragon caught their attention and they glanced to the side to see it mostly crouched down but apparently paused long enough to see them startle themself yet again. It was definitely chuckling at them if the brief, deep sort of warble was anything to go by. 

“I never thought I’d be laughed at by a dragon,” Syn grumbled, flicking the residual water on their hands towards the dragon in disgruntlement. The droplets didn’t reach anywhere near the beast, but it understood that they weren’t as amused with their own reaction and turned its head to drink a mouthful of water.  

And more alert than before with both of them in daylight rather than the dim confines of a cavern, the reality settled in their mind once more that they were with a DRAGON. 

Angry red lashes and marks were present wherever the chains had been pressed against scales too long to burn through, yet they couldn’t help but think it an admirably elegant creature. Despite being scaled, its mannerisms seemed to be more bird-like as it gathered a mouthful of water to drink, yet it also had mannerisms more akin to the intelligent intrigue of a feline with the way it crouched at the water’s edge.  

Their eyes trailed down the dragon’s neck where they counted the spines from neck to the pronged tip of the dragon's tail that lay nearby. In the sunlight Syn could see how the scales glinted with purple-black iridescence with tiny flecks of green that glittered but were easily missed if you weren’t close to the dragon’s scales like Syn was, who had still taken several seconds to notice when the tail twitched ever so slightly. They vaguely remembered the feeling of the scales whenever their hands brushed against the dragon when taking chains off. 

Suddenly filled with the almost overwhelming urge to try and feel the scales again, they found themself slowly and cautiously reaching out. Surely the dragon wouldn’t even notice with how small they were compared to it, right? 

The tail lifted up out of their reach and Syn quickly leaned back while running the offending hand through their hair like that was their intention the whole time, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible even though their heart raced a bit in their chest from being caught. The dragon just continued its unnerving habit of not blinking at them, but at least it didn’t seem upset by their attempt to touch it, instead tilting its head slightly. 

“Nice morning. Uh, afternoon,” Syn said sheepishly to try and continue to play off their attempt to brush against the dragon’s scales, averting their gaze towards the river and watching a deer get spooked through the trees on the other side to try and distract themself from their embarrassment..  

After several seconds under the dragon’s calculative gaze, they saw movement in the corner of their eye and blinked in surprise at seeing it lower its tail back to the ground within reach. They looked up from watching the tail lower to see that the dragon was looking back expectantly. With slight hesitation and caution they slowly leaned forward once more, carefully extending their arm back out towards the tail. They moved slowly, keeping the dragon's face in their peripherals to know whether or not to draw back. 

The dragon didn’t snarl or bare its fangs, Syn’s heart starting to soar at the prospect of being allowed to touch its scales without the requirement of helping take off chains. They weren’t ambitious enough to say that the dragon trusted them, but it at least didn’t see them as a threat in this instance. 

The magical moment was broken harshly when an arrow barely missed their hand, sinking into the riverbank between them and the dragon’s tail. They couldn’t help but cry out in panicked surprise, chest heaving with startled breaths as they recoiled back and had to catch themself with their elbows to keep from falling entirely on their back. Heart racing, their head snapped up to the direction where the arrow came from as there was a shout from across the water, followed by several others. Multiple shapes that they realized were other humans moved just within the tree line and they saw the silhouettes of bows and swords.

They weren't given a chance to discern what the people were clamoring about, jolting and paling when the dragon whipped around and roared something very angrily and LOUDLY at the other humans. It caused Syn's ears to ring painfully and the dragon's wing almost smacked them in the face as it turned. 

They closed their eyes and clapped their hands over their ears, flinching away from the noise on instinct. Their back bumped against a thicker coil of the dragon's tail that ended up behind them and when they cautiously opened their eyes again they saw the dragon side-eying them with some kind of consideration. From their spot on the ground they could see the dragon flex its claws, saw a clench in its jaw as it thought.

Syn was finding it rather difficult to think in this situation, yelping in panic when a volley of arrows glinted in the sun as they were loosed from the bows across the way. The dragon snarled and blocked the arrows easily with its body, most bouncing harmlessly off of scales. 

A few, however, struck places where the scales didn't protect and they saw the dragon flinch with a hiss.

Before Syn could get up and try to get away or try to somehow attempt to make sure the dragon was okay, there was a flash of movement and they found themself snatched up by the back of their shirt again. This time, instead of just a quick jump, the dragon actually TOOK OFF with them dangling from its jaws.

Of course they screamed, unable to hear it over the wind that whipped the sound away from themself. There was no stability and they had the terrifying thought that they could feel the fabric in the dragon's jaws tearing from the force.

"STOP, S-STOP, STOP," they screeched, needing to hide their face with their hands to try and not see the trees below passing by in a nauseating blur. 

They felt like they were going to pass out from how fast they were going, not registering that the dragon was slowing until they were jarred by it landing. Now they felt faint with relief as they were set on the ground on their knees, taking far longer to try and calm themself than when the dragon jumped out of the cave.

"I-.... I-I think I should go home now," Syn gasped out after at least a minute of forcing themself to not faint. They shakily got to their feet, and checked their shirt. It now had a few sizable holes in it from the dragon's teeth, and they probably looked all sorts of disheveled. They weren't looking forward to the accusations of communing with Fae or the devil when they came back looking like this… well, if.

They were startled when the dragon's tail blocked them from walking off.

Looking up at the dragon, it tried to say something to them but they were too shaken up to really care about whatever it was rumbling about. Right now, they just wanted to survive this whole encounter and the walk back to the village.

"I have to GO," Syn said sternly, moving to sidestep around the dragon's tail. It only moved to press against their hip and stop them. The dragon let out a noise akin to a soft croon, making them close their eyes against the sad expression it had. They stiffened when they felt something bump against them and opened their eyes to see the dragon gently nudging at them with the end of its snout.

The sight was a bit terrifying, but they were so doused in shock from being shot at and the brief flight that they couldn't help absentmindedly patting the scales of the dragon's nose. They tried to take a steadying breath, something the dragon seemed to approve of as it gave a small exhale through its nostrils.

And then it began to open its jaws.

"Uuuh," Syn’s eyes widened as sharp teeth as large as their forearms split apart in front of them, lining the dragon's jaws that they were reminded were at least as long as they were tall. They couldn't help but question where they went wrong, or what the dragon was actually about to do. It wasn't about to eat them… right?

They briefly wondered numbly why the dragon's tongue and gums were yellow-green when the burn marks were pink and red.

All the numbness and shock turned into sheer panic as the dragon's jaws quickly snapped them up, feeling the forked tongue curl around their abdomen as they jolted and screamed in fear at being encased by flesh and teeth. Terrifyingly their entire body was able to fit, though it felt cramped. Perhaps that was because every inch of them was being soaked in warm saliva and they could feel the dragon's gums while being pinned between tongue and palate. 

It was hot and humid, and every surface was both squishy enough to give slightly when they moved yet firm enough to hold them in place. They felt utterly trapped, trying to press away from, well, ANYTHING. Their hands only sunk into flesh that they could only guess was part of the tongue coiled around them.

“L-Let me out!” they demanded in fear, grimacing and yelping when the tongue shifted against them, drenching them further. To their horror it didn’t seem like the dragon intended to make it a quick, painless end by using its teeth. Instead they felt their surroundings start to tilt and the tongue began to nudge them backwards towards its throat. They screamed for release and tried to plant their hands in place to try and prevent it, but they were no match against a muscle the size of their body. When they didn’t work, they cried out, “PLEASE DON’T EAT ME!”

There was the smallest bit of hesitation, the smallest inclination that the dragon didn’t exactly WANT to do this, but it didn’t stop and Syn was a bit more preoccupied with their panic and terror that they didn’t give it much thought as they felt their hands slip over the precipice at the back of the dragons mouth.

Syn found themself squashed briefly as the tongue pressed them to the dragon's palate for a moment just before it swallowed, the muscles in its throat latching onto their forearms and tongue pressing them back. They struggled and protested but it didn’t stop them from being dragged into the dragon’s gullet, able to feel it exhale once its jaws were empty. The sound of its exhale and rush of blood from its heartbeat overwhelmed them further than the cramped, constricting, and constantly undulating walls already made them feel.

They felt themself squeeze past the thunderous heart and billowing lungs of the dragon, finding themself spill into a slightly more open space that was hardly less cramped than the throat they just traversed through far quicker than they would have ever liked. Breathing shallowly, they tried to press themself away from most of everything, scrabbling back into one side of the stomach to try and stay away from the majority of the organ.

They clutched at the front of their shirt as they panicked, finding it difficult to breathe as their mind went over the fact that they were going to die in the belly of a dragon. They were jolted from being frozen in mortification when the dragon said something softly, crying out and flinching when something nudged against the stomach.

On instinct, they couldn’t stop themself from kicking at the stomach wall, earning a snort and disappointed sounding huff from the dragon as they shouted, “L-Let me out!”

The dragon rumbled something that sounded forlorn and resigned, something they were fully prepared to ignore until their body flickered with a slight green glow for the smallest moment and everything began to rattle around them. It took them a few seconds to realize the dragon was HUMMING of all things and that they could feel something tug at their exhaustion like a heavy blanket in their mind.

Alarmed and very certain that this wasn’t natural, they struggled to fight against the way their struggles began to still with how fuzzy their mind was becoming, fear and terror becoming muffled under the weight of sleepy apathy as their eyelids grew too heavy to keep open…

—------------------------------

When they woke up it was to the sound of someone being sternly lectured in a language they didn’t understand. Grogginess kept them in a sluggish hold until the response to the lecturing was a grumbling that immediately brought to mind the dragon.  

Syn immediately sat up as a jolt of adrenaline coursed through their system, blinking and shaking their head as it swam from the quick movement. They placed a hand to the side of their head to try and encourage their vision to steady, looking up blearily towards the source of the voice and the dragon. The dragon was easy to see, taking up the majority of the massive stone room they were in and stood right beside them, its scales edged with green from weird torches that lined the pillars and walls. 

And there, stood in front of the dragon was a person easily dwarfed by it that looked like they were SCOLDING it. Syn wouldn’t have thought the voice belonged to them if it wasn’t for the fact that the person’s mouth was moving, the voice far deeper than their smaller stature would suggest. It left Syn staring in bewilderment at the sight of a human scolding a dragon like it was a child. At least until the person noticed them awake and looked towards them, making them stiffen. 

Dark magenta eyes with cat-like slits that were absolutely not human met their rather normal brown human ones with round pupils. 

It didn’t help that the person’s changed gaze caught the dragon’s attention, who also looked to see that they were awake. Its expression immediately softened as it started to crane its neck to move its snout towards them, but it was no comfort after being EATEN... At least, they were eaten… weren’t they? How were they still alive?

Before Syn could flinch away, however, the other person stepped in front of the dragon’s face and said something. The dragon retorted something back.  

There was a back and forth between person and dragon for several seconds that ended with the dragon pulling away with a remarkably clear pout and lumbering off down a side corridor. The person watched the dragon walk off before sighing and muttering something under his breath, black and pink hair swaying around his face as he shook his head and showing tips of pointed ears that also weren’t human. With the matter of the dragon taken care of, the person turned to Syn with his hands on his hips, asking something that was once more not understood. 

“Uuuuuh,” Syn’s eyes darted around now that the dragon was gone to take in the rest of the room, unsure of what to say to the person. Or what they COULD say. Would the person even understand them? Still, they were being stared at so expectantly that they felt like they had to say something, eventually settling on, “Th-Thanks for handling the dragon, I guess?...” 

The person blinked back in surprise before giving a small, amused smile. 

“I see Malleus brought not just a human, but a human that can’t understand Fae. I can only imagine what must be running through your head with that being the case,” the person remarked in perfect Common. He walked up to where Syn was still sat and crouched down, offering a hand. “I’d like to give you a good introductory scare, but you seem shaken enough as is.” 

Syn’s mind raced a little, glancing at the offered hand with apprehension, only taking it when the person prompted with a hand gesture and a “Come on, up we get.”. They yelped when they were pulled up to their feet with ease, blinking a bit in surprise and were startled to find that the person was literally their size. They personally struggled to pick up the rotund cat that hung around the bread stall. 

“There we are,” the person said chipperly, planting his hand back on his hip once he helped them to their feet. “A little disheveled, I admit, but none too worse for wear.” 

“Where are we?” Syn blurted out, manners forgotten in the slew of... well, everything since meeting the dragon. 

The person blinked in surprise at their outburst, sighing and lifting a hand to his face with mild concern. "Oh dear. I suppose this is all a bit much to you. You're in Briar Castle within the borders of Briar Valley."

Briar Valley. The valley of magic and Fae, harboring THE Enchanted Forest that acted as a huge natural source of magic to Fae and everything magical and mythical, kingdom rumored to be home to the last living dragons and also NOWHERE near Syn's village. 

THAT Briar Valley?!

"I-I'm sorry," they blinked and shook their head a bit at the person's answer. Putting their hands together as they struggled to process the information, they said, "I must have misheard you, because I could have SWORN... You just said that I was in Briar Valley. And-And not just Briar Valley, but the castle, which can't be right.... right? I mean, why would I be brought to the CASTLE of all places, even if I am in Briar Valley? And, also, where did the dragon go, Malleus, and how were you able to just get him to... go?"

"So many questions, but you're in no state for all the answers you want. If Malleus is your main concern though, I sent him to his personal landing bay to wait for me to look over his burns. You can think of me as a caretaker of sorts for him," the person replied, still with that look of concern. He seemed to mull something over for a moment before adding, "Let me escort you to one of the guest rooms for the time being. Perhaps a nice, quiet environment will help you process everything until I can come back and try to help explain everything."

"Y-Yeah," Syn nodded numbly, watching the person turn on his heel and start walking off for a few seconds before realizing that they should probably follow. They trotted slightly to catch up as he began to make chipper idle conversation.

"I say, this is probably the liveliest entrance anyone's had in a long time. Unfortunately, the castle doesn't get many visitors, leaving the corridors colder and lonelier than they actually are. Of course, Malleus tends to wander off, much to the chagrin of Silver and Sebek,” the person blinked a bit when he mentioned the two names that currently meant nothing to Syn. “Ah, I should probably inform them of Malleus’s return as soon as possible.

“I’ll take care of it when you’re settled,” the person chuckled, waving off what Syn considered was a rather important thing to do. 

But, they were in a very unknown place with unknown customs, and a large part of them was in a state of shock as they expected to wake up from what definitely felt like some kind of weird dream. No secondary awakening came however, the unknown person that they very much suspected to be a Fae leading them to a guest room that was larger than the first floor of their village house with a huge fireplace taking up the wall opposite of the bed.

“Here we go! I hope that the accommodations are to your liking,” the person said, gesturing to the canopy bed that could probably fit five people comfortably without even touching.

“Uh, yeah,” Syn replied, stuck in a bit of awe at how large the room was. Despite it being a guest room, there was fancy metallic decor around the torch holders and a gothic chandelier of green flamed candles above. “Perfectly… perfectly accommodating.”

“Fantastic!” The person looked pleased with himself as he put his hands on his hips proudly. He looked like he remembered something and added, “Oh! Before I forget, here’s something to hopefully make things a bit easier for you.”

The person snapped his fingers and materialized a bell above a hand, solidifying the question of whether or not he was Fae that Syn had running on loop in their mind. The bell landed into his palm and he offered it to them, saying, “This is a translator bell! It’ll hopefully help prevent any pesky miscommunications that might come about you not understanding any Fae.” “Oh.” Syn took the offered bell, not feeling any different as they held it. As far as they were aware the Fae could completely be lying and just gave them a random junk bell that did nothing. “Uh, th-thanks.”

“No problem! Now, I need to tend to Malleus, but I’m sure one of us will-.”

“What’s your name,” Syn asked, part of them not caring that they interrupted him. Another part of them quailed at potentially incurring his wrath.

“Oh. My, I suppose introductions fell to the wayside with everything,” the person said, raising a hand to his face thoughtfully. With a smile, he told them, “You may call me Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge. Of course, it wouldn’t be out of place to ask what to call you in return.”

“Oh, uhh, my name’s Syn,” they replied awkwardly, forgetting that introductions tended to be a two-way street. Lilia made a face at their response that confused them.

“We’ll need to try and ensure that you’re conscientious about how you introduce yourself while you’re here. Your name is safe with me, but it’s unwise to give it out so freely to any Fae,” he told them, reminding them of the stories of Fae stealing names. “To give one’s name in such capacity could give Fae some control of your mind, body, and soul.”

“R-Right. I’ll definitely be more careful about that,” Syn nodded, paling slightly at the potential implications.This response seemed to be good enough for the Fae though as he nodded back in satisfaction and walked to the heavy door of the room.

“Good. I’m off for now,” Lilia placed a hand on the handle as he turned around to finish addressing them. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m able, and I’ll ask you to not leave the room. Briar Castle is rather large, and I think it’d be a bit difficult to find you before anyone else does and potentially cause trouble. Until then, make yourself comfortable.”

WIth a small, chipper wave the Fae, Lilia, closed the door to the room and left Syn alone.

Alone in a giant, stone bedroom with unanswered questions and their racing thoughts. Thoughts that spun through wondering why the dragon didn’t just leave them, how exactly they ended up safe, and why they were brought here. And if they’d manage to go back home. Sure, it wasn’t the best village and their rapport wasn’t helped by mostly sticking to themself, but it was all they knew.

Here in an entirely new and unfamiliar place with no prior knowledge of anyone besides the dragon that ate them, they found it incredibly difficult to keep themself from immediately disregarding what LIlia said in favor of leaving to try and find a way out of the castle.

Still, minutes dragged on in anxious worry that left them trying to idly pass the time. For a while they absentmindedly rang the little translator bell while pacing, noticing small glimmers that flickered out like stardust with every shake. It was fascinating and slightly calming to watch the twinkles fade away. 

After they managed to peel their fascination away long enough they decided to take a proper look around the room.

Aside from the massive canopy bed, chandelier, and torches there was a table set against a wall with two overly ornate wooden chairs and a fancy embroidered table runner on top. There was also a chest at the foot of the bed that could act as a coffin and they could see a dresser on the other side of the canopy bed. When they moved around to get a full look of the dresser they noticed a mirror on the wall above it and a large painting that had been mostly obscured by the beds canopy.

The painting depicted a rather regal dragon that looked similar to the one that ate them, but they couldn’t help the shudder that went down their spine despite it not being the same one. Objectively, it did look gorgeous though. They just couldn’t look at it too long right now.

Instead, Syn turned their focus to the mirror. And saw how positively awful they looked. Their hair stuck up in a disheveled mess, they were covered in various scratches, and their clothes were ruffled with the sizable holes in their shirt still noticeable.

“Ugh,” they groaned a bit at the sight. They weren’t much for appearances or petty vanity, but just seeing themself like this made them crave a bath to try and just… reset. Maybe some cold water would either make them more alert or let them wake up from this surreal situation. With a sigh, they ran their finger through their hair and settled it from an exploded birds nest to… a slightly less exploded birds nest.

They huffed in resignation, lowered their hand from their hair. Biting their lip a bit in thought they glanced towards the door. Surely it wouldn’t be too bad to explore a little bit, right? Maybe just a quick look around to figure out potential escape routes if they needed them?

Syn turned away from the dresser and the wall with the painting, walking back around the bed to go to the door and struggled for a moment to open it. When they did, they couldn’t help but jump into the air in surprise.

“BWAH, uh-uh, hello,” they said to the person on the other side of the door who was posed to knock, needing to step back to both get a better look at him and also to try and mask their embarrassment. They guessed he was another Fae with his cat-slit eyes, pointed ears, and horns on top of his head. Unsure if he was sent by Lilia to check on them, they didn’t want him to think that they were trying to leave, haphazardly adding, “I, uh, was just going to… leave the door open for some air?”

Horrible excuse.

“Ah. I never really considered whether the guest rooms were too stuffy to human sensibilities,” the Fae stated, seemingly not really questioning their shoddy attempt to cover up what might be considered an escape attempt as he lowered his hand. He tilted his head ever so slightly as he looked at them. “Most in the castle prefer the dark and cold, but if you’d like to be moved to a guest room in one of the towers where the air is clearer and warmer, that can be arranged.”

Well, now they probably looked ungrateful.

“No,” Syn exclaimed louder than they meant to, wincing at the sound and the way the Fae sort of tilted his head the other way in surprise. Taking a breath to try and steady themself, they tried an apologetic smile. “N-No, I’m good! The room’s nice! Lovely even! I like the, uh, the dragon painting…”

The Fae peered at them for a second, making them resist the urge to squirm under his gaze before he suddenly sighed and said, “I apologize if my behaviour has put you on guard around me. It’s understandable, but I still can’t help but feel sad that perhaps I have ruined a friendship that wasn’t even given the chance to come to fruition. I’m used to the sight of others' fear, and you held the same, yet you still took it upon yourself to help. Of that, I am grateful.”

Syn blinked in surprise, narrowing their eyes in confusion and thought as they struggled to think of where they’d seen the Fae before. After a second they shook their head and made a pause gesture with their hands that caused the translator bell to ring, going, “Wait, wait, wait. I-I’m sorry, you must have me confused for someone else. I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

The Fae blinked in surprise at their response, a flicker of sadness across his face before it was replaced with understanding.

“You haven’t seen me in this form,” he murmured to himself, a comment that gave Syn a cold feeling at the pit of their stomach. He gave them a cautious look like he fully expected them to recoil away as he said louder, “I am the dragon you helped in the cave of my own making.”

They felt a bolt of terror, yet they also felt a surge of fascination.

“You’re Malleus,” Syn stated bluntly.

“I- Yes,” the horned Fae nodded, still looking apprehensive in his own way.

“I, uh, I’m Syn,” they replied, hoping that was satisfactory for Malleus to not have control of their name or whatever it was Lilia warned them against. They couldn’t help but fidget their hands, finding this smaller, more human-like version of the dragon less imposing. But, that didn’t mean they should just blurt out the first thought that came to-. “You’re not going to eat me again, right?”

Malleus gave them a look of surprise for a moment before starting to laugh.