Me: I find myself walking alone through a remote part of the forest late at night. Carrying a backpack and flashlight as it is a new moon. I know that I am lost once more but I don't mind as I like exploring new places. Eventually I get tired of my wandering and begin looking for a forest glade so I can find the north star. My tail swishes excitedly as I stumble across a clearing.

Dragon: I fall through a cloud, wind swiftly whipping across my body. Spreading my wings once more, I soar through the air, watching the moonlit trees pass beneath me. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot some movement. Flaring my wings, I turn and slow, searching for what I had glimpsed. A smile appears on my muzzle as I draw near a nearby clearing to land in and hunt on foot.

Me: I slowly step out into the open, the cool dewy grass tickling my feet. My ears pick up a soft flapping sound as they pan in all directions but I quickly dismiss to being a bat hunting for its prey at night. Reaching the center of the clearing I look up into the inky blackness of night, after a minute I locate Polaris and orient myself, "Looks like I need to head west a couple of hours to get out of here, but first let me see if I can find myself something to eat". I raise my snout and sample the air, I smell a warren of rabbits nearby. A sly grin forms on my face as I begin approaching another edge of the clearing, "they won't know what hit them".

Dragon: I give a few backstrokes with my wings to stabilize myself, then land behind what looked to be a fox. "Rather intent on something, aren't you?" I think, deciding to mess with my quarry. Folding my wings against my sides, I take a seat, sweeping my tail around myself in a tight circle. With glowing yellow eyes, I gaze down upon the antics in the clearing.

Me: I freeze as I hear something heavy land behind my with a muffled thump. I slowly stand up and turn around, holding two squirming rabbits in my paws. When I notice a large form sitting behind me, my ears fold back my tail frizzes up, I take an involuntary gulp. "Uh... ummm, well I managed to once again get myself turned around in these woods. A-and once I found the stars again I realized that I was famished". I meekly hold up one of the wriggling rabbits up. "D-do you want one?"

Dragon: I slowly crouch down, snaking my head towards the rabbits. After looking carefully at your catches, I grin, displaying a set of large, pointy fangs. "Well, if you're offering... I think I'll take the fox."

Me: "F-fox? Uh, I don't think I have any in stock, lemme look in my warehouse, meanwhile take these rabbits free of charge". I toss the rabbits at your face and begin running into the forest, unsure of what direction I am heading as the sudden fright disoriented me.

Dragon: I instinctively recoil slightly as the rabbits hit my snout, wings flaring out slightly. Shaking my head as I recover, I smile and begin to walk after you -- well, it's closer to jogging speed for you, but a brisk walk for me. I hardly have to try to scent you out, from the wide trail you leave through the greenery. Idly, I wonder to myself how long it'll take you to exhaust or trap yourself.

Me: I frantically run through the dark forest, not caring about being quiet or careful. "Fuck, there's dragons in this area, why didn't I know before hand? Maybe because everybody who runs into one never returns".
-wham!-
A branch clotheslines me and I find myself on my back. Groaning I roll over and crawl into a hollow log. "Goddamnit it's hopeless. If he can't hear me shaking, he can damn well smell the fear on me".


Dragon: I follow your trail, pausing as it comes to a close. I still hadn't tried to pick up your scent, so the sudden lack of an exit path almost seemed like a disappearing act.
Of course, most disappearing acts don't end with a fluffy tail poking out of a log. Sitting in front of the fallen tree, I pick up your hiding spot with one paw, breaking off the excess with the other. I lift the log up to my head's level, many feet off the ground, and look into the end with your head.
"If I offer you my paw to stand on," I raise an upturned forepaw towards the log, "will you come out of there? I'd rather not put your log in my mouth if I can help it."


Me: What should I do here? No matter what if he is hungry I will be eaten, why should I co-operate and make his task easier? Reaching out, I place my paw on the large scaly claws in front of me. My head emerges slightly from its hiding place and I look up at you. "Why should I come out? My fate is the same either way".

Dragon: Insistent little foxy. No matter. I smile at the fuzzy head poking out of the log. "Simple. I'm going to get you out of the log      somehow.      I just figured you'd want to come out on your own terms and not from vigorous, scratchy shaking against what's very likely coarse wood."

Me: Whine
I quickly take inventory. In my trousers I have a small flashlight and a penknife. Hmmph, I don't think anything I own here or at home would really help me. Gingerly I crawl out on all fours onto your paw, and sit. Shivering, I try to maintain my composure and put on a brave face. My tail betrays me and remains straight and poofed up.

Dragon: Cupping you in my blue-scaled paw, I drop the log to the forest floor, from where the sound of splintering wood can be heard.
"Much comfier, no? I don't suppose you want to say anything before I eat you, at least aside from the normal pleading? Some people like to delay it, others want to get it over with." My voice has a very casual, conversational tone - after all, this is completely normal for me.

Me: I brush down my fur and dust off my clothes, and glare directly into your amber eyes. "Georgius adprehendet vos"

Dragon: I look at you in slight confusion, but the smile quickly returns. "You know he's just a myth, right? Wonderful last words, though." I part my jaws and dip my head into my paw. Hot, humid breath washes over you as I coil my slick tongue against your waist and pull you easily into my mouth.

Me: I attempt to untangle myself from your tongue but your strength is overpowering. My fur rapidly becomes slick from your spittle. "Noo! I don't want to die a slow and painful death!". The smell of your humid breath is a strong reminder of my final destination and drives me to kick and attempt to find a handhold among the teeth in your cavernous maw.

Dragon: I smirk inwardly at your plea, an idea forming in my head. I close my jaws, sealing out what little light came in from the night and unwrapped my tongue from around you, letting you lie free in my mouth. After waiting a couple of seconds, I begin to slowly tip my head backwards, turning the soft tongue beneath you from a warm resting-place to a wet slide towards my gullet, steadily growing steeper with each second.

Me: The tongue unwraps around my body, settles below me. It feels like a soft squishy slick mattress underneath me. For a moment nothing happens and I use the opportunity sit up (feet facing the front of your mouth) to attempt to get my bearings. I begin feeling around in the gooey oppressive darkness, running my paws over your bumpy tongue, finally my left paw grazes over your teeth. Suddenly I feel the landscape begin to tilt, gravity wanting to pull me backwards. Yelping I attempt to find purchase among your teeth, but they are too close together for me to find a handhold. Thinking quickly I lay forward and wrap my arms and legs around your pliable tongue in a full body bear hug as I feel myself on the verge of sliding. My body betrays me and decides that the contact with slick objects means it should get excited.

Dragon: Eventually, not even your grip can keep you still, and I slowly begin to feel your body being pulled down the length of my tongue, spreading the wonderful taste of scared fox all along the slippery muscle. I decide to tease a bit more, and my head stops tipping back as gravity ever-so-slowly drags your wet body towards the eagerly awaiting throat.

Me: Your triangular tongue acts as a wedge, forcing my arms and legs apart and loosening my grip. I attempt to press my face and body as tightly as possible on your tongue to increase my traction. But my fur is now completely matted with slick saliva and my attempt ultimately proves futile. I begin sliding backwards, and I find myself powerless to combat my increasing momentum. I feel your breath get stronger and stronger as I slowly but steadily approach your ready gullet. Desperately I call out: "Dragon! Before you damn me at least tell me your name!".

Dragon: I remain silent, the only audible sounds being my breath and the wet, squelching noises from my mouth and throat. Your legs slide off the back of my tongue, and I take a quick gulp, yanking you partway into the snug, soft grip of my throat. If any part of you below the chest was dry, it wasn't anymore; the wet flesh presses in around you, making you as slippery as possible for the trip down.
For a moment, small bits of starlight filter between my fangs as I grin, then with a swallow, everything is dark again. As you quickly slide downwards, accompanied by strong, rough squeezes around you, I smile, casually tracing a claw down my long, scaly neck against the small bulge working its way towards my body. I'm positive you'd be able to hear me from my insides.

Me: My slow descent across your tongue comes to an end as I finally reach the abyss. I lose the sensation of soft tongue under my feet and feel only open space and warm upwelling air. My mind races in confusion for a half second, when it finally dawns on me what is happening, I hear a loud *glurk* sound and I rapidly slide forwards. I sink up to my belly button into your gullet, my lower body held firmly by your soft slimy throat muscles. I am held in that position for a brief moment, long enough to finish soaking my fur in lubricating saliva and for me to see one last glimpse of Sirius shining through your slightly parted fangs. You hold me long enough that I begin struggling against your firm muscles in a vain attempt of finding a handhold in a location characterized by soft slippery surfaces. Once you see that I have the faintest sliver of hope you swallow once more to completely encase my body in the inky blackness.
	 I begin falling, partially due to gravity but mainly due to your muscles peristaltically propelling my body down your throat. I struggle and kick in a futile attempt to slow my descent, but all I get in response is an extra pressure emanating from below me. I can't move much as the combined pressure is doing a good job of keeping my arms pressed against my sides and my legs pressed together, as if I was riding a terrifying organic waterslide. I slide along for a while as your neck is very long, eventually the environment begins to change around me. My surroundings become slightly warmer and I begin hearing your heartbeat as I approach the bottom of your neck. As time moves on, your heartbeat gets louder and louder as I am reminded that I am being forced into the center of the blue nameless carnivore. I let out one last frightened wail before finally sinking into your torso. The mysterious pressure from below disappears and I have a little more give to push against. Which I readily use to flail and force my limbs apart. The steady drumbeat is now deafening as I pass your heart and becomes the dominant sound among squelching and around me and the gurgles from below. My descent stops suddenly as my feet hits a thick muscular ring. I place my feet on either side of the sphincter to delay my entrance to my final resting-place. But the hole rapidly widens as you take a couple of deep swallows. Dragon saliva showers me from above which adds extra, yet unnecessary lubrication to help me slip through.


Dragon: A contented growl rumbles throughout my body as I feel you slip into my crop. The heat and humidity inside are overwhelming, and the soft "floor" around you readily presses in, letting you sink into it and the shallow pool of liquid inside; although you could probably stand and only brush the top of the insides, the snug, almost smothering fit is scarcely looser than the throat you just left. Stranded in the dark, the only sounds you can hear are my slow, steady heartbeat and wet squishing noises from the organ around you.
Removing my claw from where it now lay on my chest, I lay on the ground, light blue scales sprawling against the deep green forest. Idly curling my tail around a tree trunk, I lean my head towards my stomach. My voice comes out, sounding almost perky, and easily carries through my body to reach you. "My name's Azurel. I don't think I caught your name. How is it in there?" Silently, I wonder with a mischievous grin across my muzzle how long it will be until you figure out your location.

Me: I splash down into a shallow pool liquid at the bottom of the soft pouch I find myself in. Since the floor is slick my feet slip forwards and upwards as the rest of my body is extruded out from your sphincter, forcing me into a semi-fetal position with most of my body submerged as I sink into the soft flesh. From the smell and taste it seems to be mostly swallowed saliva. A satisfied growls reverberates the chamber as I thrash around to try to right myself in this new environment, but the slippery mucus covered walls and the concave shape of the chamber made the task difficult. I cough a couple times in the dank air, while I am thankful that I can breathe it is a mixed blessing as asphyxiation would be a faster death than the dark thoughts invading my mind.

	To distract myself I begin feeling around in the fleshy sac. The chamber is ever so slightly roomier than the esophagus I just came from, but is still a near skin tight fit. The softly undulating walls slowly massage my entire body and is partly responsible for light squelching noises I hear. I notice that the slimy flesh around me is very pliable and could probably hold a meal much larger than myself, in fact I am surprised that it was empty upon arrival. I move my paws upwards and find that I can't find the ceiling of my prison cell, but the curvature indicates that it is close. I slowly try to stand to get as much of myself out of the probably soon to be caustic liquid, and to see if I can find my entrance. But I find that as I rise, the flow sinks further at an almost equal rate and that I am only slightly closer to my goal. As I start to raise my paws my world shifts as you lay down and I lose my balance. I find myself once more face down in the hot pool, fate has seen it that no part of me will ever be dry again.

	As I lay there I begin to notice something odd about my surroundings. First, that walls surrounding me are completely smooth and not wavy, and secondly, that I haven't yet found the pyloric sphincter below me. “Dragon anatomy is weird” I mutter to myself as I push myself out of the slimy liquid. But before I can think of the possible implications I hear your deep yet slightly excited voice call out to me. It is only slightly muffled by the flesh behind me and the heartbeat in front of me. “How am I?” I respond, “How do you think I am?! I was plucked from my pleasant night walk and tossed into your gullet like a rider on deadly waterslide, the whole experience could've been pleasant, even fun if I wasn't jumping from worrying about being torn apart to the thought of the terrible fate that awaited me inside you”. The anger rises within me as I continue my tirade, “My name? Why do you care about my name, do you even remember the name of the last person you condemned? Mother always told me not to play with my food, but you continue to tease even after you've eaten your prey.” My voice takes on a harsh undertone as I stroke the fire, an idea coming to my head “No, I will make sure that you always remember me, as a reminder that meals can fight back. Do you feel this?” I pull out my unlit maglite from my pocket and push the butt of it firmly into the flesh behind me, in what I assume is the exterior wall. “This aerosol canister if filled with a 1% mixture of resiniferatoxin a substance three orders of magnitude spicier than capsaicin, it is hottest chemical currently known to science. And this particular mixture is 48.5 times stronger than the best bear mace. I know because I made it myself. It would have protected me from any animal I thought roamed the forests, but because you aren't a mammal your goddamn nictitating membranes and scales made it useless.” My voice drops further into a cruel growl, “and I know for a fact that hydrochloric acid will eat through the steel walls of the cylinder, so that even in death I can make sure your insides are coated in a fine mist of nonwatersoluble oily resin, that you will feel every step of the way. And the best part?” I say with a maniacal laugh. “The bursting aerosol container won't even hurt you, they are designed to not cause shrapnel if they break, so you will live to learn your lesson. I hope you like spicy food, because you will never forget this mexican fox”.

	I pull the maglite away and place it back into my cargo pants. And I lay back down on my soft and surprisingly comfortable final bed, thinking that if it wasn't for the digestive juices that would soon consume me, I would actually enjoy resting here. “Poor dragon” I think to myself as I calm down “to think that I caused him all this stress in what will turn out to be a bluff, how long will he await for a soft popping sound?”

Dragon:
I wait in silence as you run through your tirade, lightly contemplating pushing you into my stomach proper but eventually deciding that this would be more fun. I tune out as you deliver your threat - prey trying to promise postmortem revenge isn't uncommon, after all - and instead listen to the hoots of some nearby owls declaring their place in the world. Eventually, I feel your body press against my insides, and realize that you've stopped speaking.
"Are you quite finished, anonymous fox?" My voice carries calmly, showing neither worry nor anger. "If you really want to know, the last three who gave me their names were, in reverse order, Cynthia, Willet, and Vincent. But, if you don't want me to know who I've sent down my throat, that's entirely fine. And as for your threat about fighting back or whatever... you don't really think you're the first to try, right? Although honestly, it's rather nice that you went for something with a bit more taste than some poison they thought would work."
I turn to watch a rabbit crawl from a hole unfortunately close to a paw, and quickly pin it. Moving my head back to my belly, I address you again, "so, how long do you think you'll last in there? I was thinking of sending you a rabbit. You had caught two of them when I found you, and I figure I ought to give you at least half of that."

Me: My ears flatten as I hear you dismiss my bluff without a second thought. “Damn, nothing phases him”, I think to myself. I would be falling into complete despair if it wasn't for the fact that so far, my surroundings haven't hurt me, and are infact quite pleasant overall. “Well Azurel, if you actually care enough to want to know, my name is Ulixes, Ulix is what most people call me.  I figured, that with the resin, you would avoid digesting me, else remember me permanently for the consequences. Because I would at least like to be remembered for something but preferably not for this. As for my environment so far it hasn't been hostile, and if it wasn't for the location I would be quite comfortable. I intend to survive as long as possible, but you would know the answer to that question better than I. Though you can't fault me for finding a way to quickly end the pain once it comes to that” I feel the outline of my multitool in my sopping wet pants. “But why do you care? Your job's done, you have earned your food, but if you are offering, I don't want to die hungry, and gulp of air or two would be nice, it would give me more room”.

I pull out my maglite once more and turn it on for the first time scanning my surroundings with the only sense I have not yet used. With a harsh white glare your glistening guts glow with a reddish pink hue. The my earlier questions are brought back to the front of my mind. The walls are too smooth. I slide my paw across the mucus covered veiny flesh pressing outwards, I then examine my pawpads, “hmm no tingling or burning or tenderness” I mutter. I then dip a finger in the vat of liquid I am partially submerged in and sniff it, I make a face and then tentatively lick it, blech, luckily it's still just drool. I carefully stand up, trying not to lose my balance in the slick environment and shine my flashlight downwards looking for my eventual exit.

 Strange...

I look upwards and see two rings of muscles, guarding against a forceful exit. By now I lost my sense of direction, and can't decide which one I slid out from, but my coming hot meal will quickly answer that question. I think about my situation and decide that if I can't climb out, I may as well try forcing my way further along. Conditions will probably be worse but if I move fast enough I may survive. But I will wait until my situation degrades before attempting it, hell at least I might be able to give the bastard indigestion. “Say  Azurel, I won't pretend I know anything about dragons anatomy or metabolism, but why hasn't this sauna started stripping the flesh off my bones?”

Dragon: I toss the rabbit into my mouth, snapping my jaws after it and quickly sending it down - the much smaller prey falls more than is dragged down my throat, and quickly squeezes through into the chamber. It lands with a splash, throwing up more of the liquid onto you, and frantically starts trying to scamper around the now well-lit flesh.
Returning my head to near my belly, I remark, "Ahh, things squirming around in there... just lovely. Anyway, nice to eat you, Ulix. I guess you've pretty much figured out that you're not really in my stomach. It's more of a holding chamber that's supposed to be used to keep food to feed to bring back to hatchlings, and you're more creative and - what's the word - loquacious than most of my prey, so I figured I'd keep you alive, at least for now." I pause, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Anyway, if you do want to die an early death, you seem smart enough to figure out which way's acidic doom. I've never been in a crop before, and certainly not my own, but I figure it's a quick crawl in. No return trip, though. If you aren't particularly suicidal, and I'd be rather surprised if you were, given your little rant about your place in the food chain or whatever that was, then we might as well keep talking, at least until I figure out if I actually want to kill you."
I stand back up, shaking my wings and tail out a little, and speak as though to an invisible dragon in front of me. "I'm going to head back to my cave now, though. Can you hear me, or are we going to have to suspend our conversation until then?" As I begin to walk, my crop bumps slightly with each step, and the newly-unstable footing is eager to drop you back to the bottom of the toasty, drool-flooded area.

Me: I look up at the two sphincters and study them, trying to predict which one my late dinner would come from. I have a feeling that it will come from the one that is the more horizontal of the two, as it seems to be in the direction of your voice and is thicker, probably to prevent persistent prey like me from trying to sneak out. Above me a loud gulp is heard as you swallow your latest morsel, and I notice the changes in my surroundings. Your crop in anticipation of a new plaything begins to undulate with a renewed vigor, pushing me around in the chamber, trying to force me back into the growing pool of dragon saliva. Eventually I notice one of the entrances begin to widen slightly and for my efforts I am rewarded with fresh splash of dragon drool. As I wipe my eyes a squirming mass of wet fur falls from your esophagus and hits me square in the face stunning me and knocking me over.

The small herbivore essentially cornered, attacks the nearest predator is can see, screaming, scratching, and biting at my now prone body. “Ow!” I cry out as I begin kicking and flailing in return in a futile attempt to get away from the ball of pain. “I have made a grave mistake! Why didn't I forsee this?!”. After a couple of minutes of splashing and squirming against your moving walls I manage to grab the offending rabbit by the scruff of its neck, I press the wriggling bunny into a wall to keep it away from me as I try to regain my footing.

My ears  perk up as I hear you talking to me once again. “Well I am happy that I am currently not facing imminent, death, you know if I knew I would have been safe I would have probably enjoyed the ride down, but from the happy noises you are making I guess you like the struggling and squirming of live prey. So I'll keep talking and try to figure out what else you like so I don't get forced further down your tract. Though if it comes to that I vow to try force myself as far as possible to sate my curiosity of anatomy and attempt to find less caustic areas.”

I rub the outer wall with my free paw, “plus how many people have you eaten that wouldn't mind repeating the trip?”

I stare at the still kicking rabbit in my hands “Uhh Azurel, I don't know exactly how to take care of this meal, I don't exactly have jaw capacity you do, and if I eat it in the regular I will make a mess of myself and this comfortable area. Also what if I need to empty my-”.

My queries are cut short as the chamber begins to shift as you stand up. Once you start plodding forward I find myself being tossed about the pink crop, shadows and vibrant pink flesh rapidly appearing and disappearing as the flashlight rolls about.

“Careful! I really don't want to accidentally slip into somewhere I don't belong!”

 The repeated bouncing is the final straw and I find myself falling face forward into the warm pool, the rabbit kicks free of my grasp and decides to settle on my back where it'll remain mostly dry.

Fox:
	“Ugh... nothing is going right today, first swallowed by a talkative dragon, secondly is this damned rabbit that I can't seem to be able to catch permanently, c'mere you!”. I roll over onto my back expecting to see a rabbit to snap up. Unfortunately at that exact moment you begin preparations to fly, which shifts everything in your crop downwards and backwards, which happens to be towards my snout. A small tidal wave of drool and slime plus rabbit rushes towards my face setting off another wave of coughing and spluttering. I hear powerful wingbeats from resonating around me, and with each flap your crop lurches. “Heh, I'd never thought I'd be flying with Azure Dragon Airlines, though if possible try to keep the turbulence down. I have a meal to eat.” I snatch the rabbit off my head and once more resume my preparations.

	“Sorry Ulix, no can do, there is a heavy storm up a head and you will need to brace for some heavy jostling.” The pink chamber around me begins bouncing with increasing intensity. Flashlight, Fox and Fuzzball are knocked about in a maelstrom of light, fur, slime. I notice that because all of your concentration is dedicated to flying, both entrance and exit have become relaxed. I shout a warning but the howling wind drowns me out. A strong downwind forces you earthwards and tosses your passengers upwards. First the flashlight is lost, tumbling through one of the organic doors. I can only assume that because peristalsis didn't return it immediately that it has found a new resting-place. Suddenly you dive, trying to get underneath the squall. In the near darkness I feel myself become airborne, and  flying feet first backwards. My feet make contact with a soft fleshy ring and slide inside. I slip up to my chest before I manage to get my arms out to hold me in the crop. I cry out “O Azurael, I am at your mercy, save me O Dragon! A few moments later a screaming rabbit smashes into my face and I lose my grip.

May the Cappadocian [where he was from] farmer [what his name means] smash your eggs and destroy your lairs.





Georgius occidit draconem
Ipse inveniet magis dracones