FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

'Hhwulp! Hrrrk!'

Scraps watched the Houndoom work with awe, his body tense to keep his tail from thumping against the dirty alleyway floor. He never got tired of seeing The Boss' well-known and highly feared 'finishing move': The look of disbelief and terror on the victim's face, the way their body would disappear into his jaws and reappear as nothing but a squirming bulge in his rusty orange gut. The Persian he was handling tonight was putting up more than a fight than most, his hind legs still kicking as though his had a chance to break free as the fur of his tail stood on end with fright.

"I'm starting to think The Bawss bit off more than he could chew this time," The Houndour sitting next to him cocked his head to the side, his voice a hushed whisper. "This guy taste like Rare Candy or somethin'? When's he gonna swallow?"

"Give him a minute, Shiv," Scraps grunted, his ears tucking back to block out the distraction as he focused his attention on the Houndoom's bulging neck. He could see the muscles of his throat straining to bring the cat the rest of the way in, but judging by the way the bulges were positioned the cat had his forepaws firmly planted against the bottom of the stomach and was pushing back out. "He's got this, he's The Boss."

"First thing I'm gonna do when I evolve is eat one of those fancy contest Pokemon!" Shiv nodded decisively, "The second I turn Houndoom, I ain't eating trash like the rest of yous. I'm gonna be the king of Hearthome!"

"That's nice," Scraps shook his head as Shiv immediately tackled their Houndour sister and started play fighting with her, splashing in the murky puddles of water that littered the streets. It wasn't like Shiv could follow through on his bone-headed promise anyway; The Boss had never taught any of them his finishing move. 'You putz wouldn't want to know what to do with it! he had barked, his jaws yawning open at the three of them. 'But if ya keep hasslin me I'll give you a headfirst demonstration!'

The memory sent a chill up Scraps spine, and he immediately dipped his head and scuffed his paws against the nearest crack in the pavement. He couldn't stop his tail now, it was wagging in a frenzy at the memory of his boss' throat; the way his tongue had looked so wide and how it glistened with the fire light of his throat. The strange leap in his heart and sinking feeling in his stomach, like he was falling. It wasn't the first time The Boss had threatened to eat them either, or the last. 'You better find me some dinner, or I'm gonna make a meal outta you.' , 'If I catch you sneaking around my den you're gonna be evolvin' into assfat!' , 'Get outta my spot or you're gonna be sleeping in my gut, Snacks!' ....the Houndour had plenty to fall back on for teases, but he could never picture what it would actually be like.

He watched as the Persian's head bulged out of the Houndoom's belly in a panicked 'Rrroowl!' only to get smushed back into his fat gut with a single shove of his bone-braceleted paw. What had that looked like from the inside? What was the cat feeling right now, or even thinking? Pokemon didn't get eaten alive every day, much less swallowed whole by something that wasn't a snake. In all his years of living on the streets, the only Pokemon he had ever seen swallow someone whole was The Boss... and there was only one way to get him to eat you.

The Houndoom caught Scraps' eye, leaving his heart fluttering as he sat upright and alert. How long had he been staring at him? Had The Boss seen his tail wagging? Sometimes he wished he had been born a Zorua so he could evolve out of having one at all. The Houndoom gave another strained gulp, his paws pressing firmly into the creamy fur of the Persian's rump as he tried to force it past his jaws. He didn't even seem to notice the Persian was pushing off the bottom of his gut to keep himself in place.

Scraps took a careful step forward, and after a nod from The Boss he hurried over to his right side, where the bulge of the Persian's head and forelegs were the most pronounced. He stood on his hind legs, wobbling for balance for a moment before tumbling forward and collapsing against the bulge of the Persian. The cat collapsed under his weight, knocking his paws out from under him and leaving them slipping over the wall. The belly bounced back and forth as the Persian rushed to regain his position, but the slip-up had doomed him. With a definitive gulp the Houndoom swallowed up the last of his rump, and dragging in his powerful hind legs with it before slurping his tail up like a warm fluffy noodle.

"Hey! The Boss did it!" Eggbone shouted as she finally stopped holding Shiv's face in the puddle of murky water and ran over to the Houndoom's left side.

"Aw yeah, The Bawss wins again!" Shiv cheered, violently shaking off the puddle water before charging over to The Boss' right at such a speed Scraps had to leap out of the way to avoid getting tackled.

"No thanks to you Boneheads, Scraps was the only one learnin' anything!" The Boss barked at his two underlings before shoving his gut down with a wicked smirk. "Hah, shoulda run while you could, kitty boy! Now you're gonna be stayin' in our territory permanently!"

The Persian let out some muffled yells of alarm, but even when Scraps perked his ears he couldn't make out any of the words over his sibling's barking laughter, nor the bellowing laughter coming from The Boss. The Houndoom finally stopped and patted his gut with his paws. "Though y'know, that kitty cat wasn't too fillin' by himself, I could go for some dessert." He licked his lips hungrily, "And since you two Chumps weren't payin' attention..."

"We were practicing our fight moves so we could defend the alley!" Eggbone yelped, her eyes wide as she scurried away from the Houndoom, only to find his tail coiled around her side and dragging her back to his squirming gut.

"Y-yeah, Bawss! We was just making sure we could be like you when we evolve!" Shiv agreed, only for his voice to be muffled as the Houndoom wrapped a heavy foreleg around his back and pulled him firmly against his gut, smothering him in his belly fat.

'Oh, come on!' Scraps flicked his ears back as he searched for a way to join the fun, though each time he thought he saw and opening his sibling's legs would kick out, leaving him scurrying back again. 'I did all the work, and they're the ones getting teased about being eaten? How is that fair?'

"You twos better find me somethin' to eat, and it better not have any bites taken out of it, Understan'?!" The Boss barked, his throat lighting up with wisping orange embers. The two Houndour finally slipped out of his grip and scurried off into the night with their tails between their legs. Finally The Boss looked Scraps' way, his eyes still blazing with fury before glinting with mischief as he ran his tongue over his teeth. "They better come back with some leftover pizza, cause if nooooot~"

"HOoooororrrruuuuurrrrrppp!" The Houndoom let out a bassy belching blast, shooting a powerful flame right over Scraps' head skull, narrowly missing him with the impromptu Flamethrower. It wouldn't have mattered if it did, Scraps' Flash Fire had helped him avoid getting scorched by his siblings time and time again, but he had never been close enough to the boss to feel the heat of one of his flaming belches before. "Mmmhh.. It's gonna be Scraps for dinner," he slurped over Scraps' forehead skull, leaving a long line of sizzling drool right between the eye sockets.

'Now this a reward...' Scraps tried his best to look intimidated by the big hunky Houndoom before him, his bulging gut still sloshing and swaying with each move the Persian made. The Boss leaned forward, his jaws parting wider as he let out a long "AaaaaaahhhHhhhh~" of smoky steam directly in his face. The Houndour continued to stare wide-eyed, his eyes locked onto the back of the Houndoom's throat... The Boss' eyes narrowed, his playful expression fading into confusion. "Hey, You got a brain in there, Scraps? Run or you're dog food."

"O-oh! Y-yeah, right!" Scraps stumbled to his paws and quickly scampered away, only to trip and fall onto his head skull with a 'Bonk'! He quickly got back to his feet and kept running, his ears tucking in embarrassment as he heard The Boss' booming laughter behind him. As soon as was sure he was fully in the shadows he ducked into the cover of a nearby trash can, being sure the exterior bones on his back and ankles didn't clatter against it.

'I know I'm supposed to be scavenging but... that was so intense, how am I going to focus on finding food after getting so close to being eaten?' Scraps thought as he peered around the trash, his ears perked to listen to the sounds of the Houndoom in the distance. He could hear The Boss heaving himself back onto four paws, the groan from his muzzle joined by the gurgling one from his belly. "Hff... what a chump... comin' into my alleyway... you're as stupid as you look, cat. Maybe even stupider!"

Scraps crept forward, his body low to keep his orange underbelly from being visible in the darkness. His black fur blended well enough into the shadows, but his grey-white bones and the orange of his muzzle were much harder to hide. He continued to stalk forward, one paw carefully placed after the other as he retraced his steps back towards the center of their territory. His heart pounded in his chest; The Boss had never let them watch what came next, he always sent them off to scavenge while he digested his prey in his den. 'You boneheads gotta keep your innocence for as long as you can! When you evolve it's gonna be nothing but fighting and huntin', for now I don't want you to have to think about the real world.'

Scraps let out a breath of smoke through his nose. He and his siblings were adults, they could handle whatever 'real world' The Boss had been trying to protect them from. He was tired of his fantasies stopping at being pinned to the ground with the Houndoom's jaws in his face, being splattered with drool as he teased him; he needed to know what came after the maw... he needed to know what happened after The Boss went to his private den.

"Mmh, well if you're strugglin' with the heat already, I got bad news for you. It's gonna keep getting hotter," The Boss' voice was so close Scraps expected to turn the corner and find himself snout to snout with him, or at least snout to belly. As he peered around the edge of the alley he could see The Boss lumbering towards the cardboard tunnel that lead to his den, his heavy gut dragging along the ground. Scraps' heart skipped a beat as he saw a flash of red among the Houndoom's rusty orange belly; the Persian kept flashing his gem like he was trying to use a move to escape, but nothing seemed to work. "Haha, save your strength, Litterbox, you're gonna need it." The Boss taunted him with a swing of his muscular hips.

Scraps held his breath as he glanced about the alleyway, mentally mapping out the gap between him and the cardboard tunnel on the other side. He could probably hide behind the trash can, carefully climb up onto it, off the old power unit, pounce across and scramble up onto the brick ledge-

"HEY BAWSS!"

Scraps planted himself against the wall so hard he thought he heard his exterior bones crack. Shiv was running ahead while Eggbone followed along, a greasy pizza box held awkwardly in her mouth as she carried one side in her salivating jaws, the other side of the box dragging along the floor in front of her and kicking up grit and gravel. "We found pizza! And it's still warm! There's four slices and a buncha crusts!"

"Whh Muhhruuums!" Eggbone added before finally putting the box down and tearing off the top to reveal their tribute; half of a saucy cheese pizza, speckled with brown mushroom slices and pepperoni. The scent alone made Scraps' stomach growl hungrily, but he kept himself firmly pressed against the wall and out of sight of both his siblings and their leader.

"Great, share it with Scraps when he gets back from scavenging. Should be enough for the three of ya for tonight." The Boss nodded at back at them before lifting his hind leg, allowing his gut to wobble out underneath him. "Turns out this mook's enough for me after all, and I've decided he's not gettin' a last meal neither!" The Houndoom laughed before ducking his head into the cardboard tunnel and disappearing into the darkness, dragging his groaning gut along with him. "See ya in the morning, chumps!"

"See ya, Bawss!" Shiv called after him before grinning at his sister. "C'mon, let's eat before Scraps gets back."

"The Boss said we gotta share," Eggbone reminded him, though she was already halfway through her first slice and had her paw pinned firmly on the one next to it to claim it.

"That bonehead can have the crusts and that old banana peel we found, he's probably gonna find some food for himself anyway," Shiv shrugged as he bent over the box and started eating hungrily. With both his siblings snouts firmly locked into the greasy cardboard box, Scraps quickly darted across the alleyway, his pawsteps muffled but their hungry gulps and open-mouthed chomps.

Scraps relied on the momentum to keep himself from skidding to a halt when he reached the cardboard tunnel. It felt like there was a mental barrier keeping him from walking forward. Neither he nor his siblings had ever gone down the tunnel, even when The Boss first agreed to be their leader he had always kept his den off limits. It felt like walking into another world; a dark, musty, and... moldy..? Scraps cringed at the diverse barrage of smells assaulting his nose as he walked, the cardboard squishing under his feet, dented and misshapen by the huge belly that had been dragged over it moments ago. As he went further the tunnel steadily grew darker as the dim light of the alley faded behind him, for a while it felt like he was trapped in some sort of cardboard limbo.

And then his forehead skull brushed a firm wall; a wooden crate. The Houndour's heart sank; there's no way he could move such a big box without making enough noise to alert The Boss to his presence. He could feel a howl of frustration rising at the back of his throat, but he gulped it back down and pressed his ear to the crate. At least it was hollow; he could hear the Houndoom dragging his gut across the floor on the other side.

"I'd better never see your stupid whiskers in my part of town again, numbnuts! 'Cause next time, I'm keepin' ya!"

'Next time'? Scraps tilted his head as he pressed his ear harder to the crate, straining to hear everything he could. He could hear choking and gagging, and the sound of fur dragging against the pavement. The Boss let out a powerful belch, and then quickly swallowed back some air to compensate before gagging again, though it sounded lower this time... like something was coming back up.

The sound continued, getting louder and more violent. Finally he heard a second pair of lungs starting to breathe; the Persian was gasping for air, drool splattered against the ground followed quickly by his scraping, struggling claws. Finally he pulled himself free, and The Boss let out one final groan as his throat was finally cleared. "Nngh.. consider this a warning. I can send ya back down as easy as I got you out!" He let out a coarse bark.

It hadn't sounded easy at all to Scraps, but it was enough of a threat for the cat to bolt, judging by the rattling of a chain link fence and the sound of pawpads beating pavement and disappearing into the night. The Boss remained in place, breathing and gasping as he quietly cursed under his breath. "Uughh... keep it together, keep it together..." he whispered hoarsely before taking several laps of water from a puddle ."Arceus, I'm starving..." "Should've taken the pizza but..." "...can't keep this up..." "...Scraps better pull through for me..."

His voice drifted in and out, Scraps felt his belly churn with concern. If he had been so hungry, why did he let the Persian go? Why start acting soft tonight of all nights? The Houndour's mind buzzed with questions, enough to keep him from paying attention to The Boss' approaching pawsteps. He leaped back as the wooden crate started to move, though as he looked around for somewhere to hide he quickly realised there wasn't enough space in the cardboard tunnel to turn himself around and run back.

The Boss peered through the gap he had made, his exhausted eyes widening at the sight of the Houndour in the entrance to his lair. Scraps took a panicked step back, but a bark of "Stay there!" locked his paws in place, and his rear firmly to the ground. The Boss shoved the crate aside, his teeth bared as he loomed over the meek canine. "What did I tell yous about coming in my tunnel?!"

"I'm sorry!" Scraps whimpered. "Boss, are you okay? It sounded like you were hurt just now."

"You was listening to me?!" The Boss snapped, drool flying from his jaws and smoke billowing from the corners of his mouth. The Houndoom shoved his head past him, his long, slender horns leaving scratches in the roof of the tunnel as he peered into the darkness. Finally he grunted and backed out of the tunnel before canting his head for the Houndour to join him. "Get in."

"O... okay," Scraps said, keeping his eyes on the floor and his head ducked as he climbed out of the tunnel and into the cold night air once more. The den was nothing like what he had pictured; there was a beanbag in the corner, a large gash through its side where The Boss' horns must have cut it open in his sleep. There were some empty cans on the floor, and a crack in the pavement filled with rain water. A chain link fence made up the left wall, another dark alleyway beyond it. The Boss stumbled as he pulled the crate back into place, sealing the entrance to the den once more. The dull red of the neon sign above cast a new light on The Boss: he was skinny to the point where Scraps could almost see his ribcage, his eyes tired and his posture slumped. "...Boss..." Scraps began again. "What happened? I heard you let him go, but I thought you were going to digest him."

"I changed my mind, he wasn't worth it." The Boss quickly deflected the question, snorting out a flame before turning his nose up at the Houndour. "Why were you eavesdropping? You got a problem with my rules, Scraps?"

The Houndour's muzzle locked before he could answer, his body tense as the Houndoom looked at him. His mind raced with the years of teasing, the long slurps, flaming belches and engorged bellies. 'How am I supposed to tell him the truth?' Scraps tucked his ears back. "....I got back from hunting, and I got you something to eat."

"Sure doesn't look like you're holding anything," The Boss padded around the Houndour to inspect him. "Eggbone and Shiv brought back a pizza box. Still had some slices too." The Houndoom stopped, his muzzle pressed firmly against Scraps' belly. It was enough to force it to let out a hollow 'grrrrrn' "...Yeah, that's what I thought. You tell 'em to go back out and finish their hunt until they've found you something to eat, or they're gonna have to deal with me from the inside."

"They don't have to hunt for me," Scraps dipped his head respectfully, then slowly lowered himself until he was lying on the ground, his forepaws covering his face. "I'm... I'm what I brought back from hunting. I don't want you to starve, Boss."

"Sc-Scraps, what're you saying? You're supposed to be the smart one." The Boss shook his head as he stepped around the Houndour and nudged his rear with his nose to get him back onto his paws. "C'mon, get up, I'm not gonna eat ya. I know a good garbage can behind a burger joint, kinda my little secret for nights like this. We'll raid it together, just watch out for onions-"

"It's not just because you're hungry! I've been wanting this for a long time." Scraps insisted as he stood up and quickly whirled around to face his leader. The Boss stared down at him, his jaw set as the Houndour continued. "I used to think it was just because I was afraid, but lately I've been getting excited when you say you're going to eat me. Like I actually want you to. I thought if I saw you actually digest a Pokemon the feelings would stop, or maybe I'd finally get over these weird fantasies but..." The Houndour took a step forward, his tail wagging in excitement. "M-maybe I'm having these feelings for a reason, maybe I'm supposed to feed myself to you as a last resort."

"Scraps, are you serious? You want me to eat you?" The Boss' eyes widened in surprise. "Arceus, if you ain't got the family brains, then who's holdin' em? You got another brother or sister I should know about?" The Houndoom shook his head, "If I eat you, you ain't coming back, you know that right? Who's going to look after Eggbone and Shiv?"

"You are! you've always looked after us, ever since you saved us and we made you leader." Scraps flicked his ears back, his heart pounding in his chest. It took all of his focus to stop his tail from wagging as he looked at the Houndoom, trying to keep a serious expression. "C-can't you just eat me to give yourself the strength to get to the burger place you mentioned? You wouldn't even have to digest me."

The Boss' ears twitched, his eyes darting to the fence. "I-I can digest you!" he blurted out, his tail lashing as he bared his teeth. "Who says I can't do it? They're lyin'!"

"I... didn't mean it like that," Scraps cocked his head to the side at the Houndoom's strange reaction. His eyes drifted to the puddle of the drool on the ground, and the trail of feline pawprints that lead to the fence. The Boss stepped around to block his view of the scene, his eyes narrowing as he snorted out a little flame. Now Scraps had to get in there and see what he was hiding. "Please, Boss, it'll only be for a little while. You can spit me back out as soon as you've had some real food."

"Maybe I'll just leave you in there," The Houndoom snarled, though nothing he did could phase or scare him now. Scraps looked up at him expectantly and returned to his spot laying against the ground, his paws tucked under him. The Boss let out a snort of flame; "...Grrrh.. Fine! I still don't know why you want me to eat you, but I guess if you're gonna go down willingly, it'll be a lot easier than hunting down some mook on an empty stomach."

"B-besides, it's only until you find something more filling to eat, right?" Scraps reassured him, his tail wagging as the Houndoom stepped forward until they were practically nose to nose. The Boss narrowed his eyes at him, but another painful groan from his gut won him over on the idea. His jaws parted, expelling hungry steam that wafted over Scrap's snout, still smelling of the Persian who had made the narrow escape before him. His long flat tongue trailed over the middle of Scrap's head bone, running between the eye-sockets until finally it slurped at one of his ears, which flicked bashfully at its touch.

"Hah, you flinched. Not so brave now, are ya, Scraps?" The Boss smirked down at him as he gave him another long lick over the exposed fur of his ear before putting one heavy paw on the Houndour's back to pin him to the ground. "Too late to change your mind now though; maybe next time you'll stay outta my den."

'So there'll be a next time,' Scraps thought, though he wasn't about to say anything that might change The Boss' mind about finally following through on all his 'threats' over the years. The Houndoom pushed down on his back, forcing Scraps to look up into his yawning maw. His tongue lolled out in a warm, slick path that led to the back of his throat, which glowed like the fading embers of a sleeping campfire. The Houndour's heart beat in his chest as the vision drew closer and closer to his face, until finally it encompassed his whole view... and the Houndoom's jaws rested around his face.

He had been this far a few times, usually when the Boss wanted to teach his siblings a lesson about paying attention. 'If you two don't pipe down and quit arguin' I'm eating your twerp brother!' he'd growl before thrusting Scraps' head into his jaws. It had been a threat that had become less effective overtime, but Scraps had rarely gotten to enjoy the sight of the Houndoom's throat for long, nor the texture of the soft, wet tongue slurping against his body. The Boss let out a murr of approval, the rumbles of his belly echoing from somewhere below him. 'It's like it's calling out for me...' Scraps closed his eyes, blinking to remove some of the drool that had run down his head bone and splattered over his face. His tail wagged faster than ever as the Houndoom's belly let out another impatient Gwrrrbbblle. 'Is that why I want this so much? Because it means he'll want me, in some way?'

The Houndour flinched as the Houndoom gave his first hesitant swallowed, though he quickly followed it with a more confident GLLRK! This too was something Scraps had experienced before, though it had been even rarer than having the Houndoom's maw over his face. He had only gotten this far once, when his misfired ember hit The Boss directly on the tail. His siblings' laughter had drowned out any apology he tried to make, and The Boss had swallowed him in past his shoulders before spitting him back out again. 'It felt kind of good to be punished like that,' Scraps' remembered as he played the scene over in his head, vividly remembering the rush in his chest as he wondered whether he would ever see daylight again, and the relief at being let go. 'Maybe it's the peril that makes me want to go deeper..? he frowned as he shuffled his shoulders forward towards the Houndoom's mouth to coax him into another gulp. 'But I don't feel like I'm in danger this time... if anything, I feel... weirdly safe...'

'GLLLRRP!' The Houndour's heart leapt into his throat as he found the front of half of his body slipping into the Houndoom's jaws, his forepaws pinned to his sides. His instincts told him to kick with his hind legs and escape, but he tensed his body to stop himself from moving even as the Houndoom rapidly sent him down his throat. The Boss' heartbeat throbbed through the fleshy walls around him. They were squeezing him from every direction, squishing him downwards towards the groaning belly that awaited him at the end of the long and slimy trail. He tried to take in the sensations and commit them to memory, but all he could focus was the Houndoom's rapid heartbeat, racing with his own. 'I guess we're both pretty nervous about doing this,' Scraps smiled anxiously as he tried to rub The Boss' throat soothingly with his forepaw. 'What have I gotten us into..?

Another gulp forced his head up against the tight sphincter ahead; the ride in The Boss' throat had been much shorter than he imagined, but he wasn't about to start complaining down. His head bone pushed against the stomach sphincter, breaking through it and leaving a harsh wind of hot air wafting over the Houndour's face, leaving him sweating through his fur. He took a deep breath to memorise the way it smelled, another detail he could use to bring himself back to this moment later... His opened his eyes, his ears perking in confusion. 'Clean...?' He had expected the scent of digestion and acid... but it just smelled like a concentrated burst of the Houndoom's breath.

Another gulp from The Boss forced the rest of his head through the sphincter, and his forepaws shortly after it. He tried to pull himself inside, though a grunt from The Boss quickly returned his paws to his chest. "S-sorry, Boss. You're the expert!" Scraps called, though he had seen from The Boss' previous prey how little could be heard from the outside once the prey was this deep inside of him. The Houndoom let out another grunt as he tossed his head back, lifting Scraps' paws off the ground and up into the warm night air, which felt cool by comparison to the sweltering heat of the Fire-type's stomach.

The Boss' jaws parted, allowing the Houndour's lower body to sink slowly down his throat until his rump came to a stop in his jaws. The Houndoom let it rest there for a moment, his fangs digging gently into his underling's scrawny rear and giving it a teasing squeeze. Scraps relaxed as best he could, barely containing his excitement as The Boss' tongue ran over his orange underbelly and over his black flanks.

With a final sigh of satisfaction The Boss tossed his head back, his jaws snapping around Scraps' tail to hold him in place, suspended between his maw and his belly, the curves of his lithe body and back bones making defined bulges in his neck. He slurped the tail slowly, prolonging it for as long as he could, holding his prey in limbo. Maybe he thought it would scare him into begging for mercy; but Scraps could have stayed like that all night if The Boss had let him.

Slrrrrrrrrpp~ Scraps felt it before he heard it; his stubby tail disappearing inch by inch into The Boss' muzzle in a long, wet slurp. The Houndoom let out one last gulp, though gravity did most of the work to drag the Houndour the rest of the way into his belly. As he arrived the walls moved around him, pushing and squeezing as The Boss pushed against his gut from the outside with his paws, compacting his prey until he was curled up with his head between his legs. "UURURRAAAAHHHP!" The Houndoom belched out, bringing with it a whooshing jet of flame that lit up the whole alleyway. "Mmhh.. not a bad appetiser. I gotta hand it to you, Scraps, you're a lot more filling than your name would imply."

"Th-thanks," Scraps managed as he squirmed to get his snout free from between his hind legs. He pushed his back against the wall as hard as he could, feeling as The Boss' paw trailed along his backbones with his heavy paw. He gave him a firm shove, followed by a teasing rub as he let out another breathy sigh of satisfaction. "W-wow, it's umm... tighter in here than I thought." 'A lot tighter...' Scraps thought with a blush as his tail twitched against the bottom of the canine's stomach. 'I-It's like getting hugged from every direction.'

"Yeah, bet you really wish you hadn't got me to eat you now, huh, Scraps? Can't be too comfortable in there. All cramped up and hot," The Boss growled as he finally stood up, his heavy belly wobbling out under him before hitting the ground with a dull thud. "Bet you're startin' to feel a tingle too. I can still let you back up again, if you beg me."

"A-actually, it's fine. Maybe it's because I'm a Fire-type but it's not too hot in here, it feels more... warm, kind of cosy," Scraps admitted as he rested his cheek against the wall next to him, its slimy surface rubbing against his fur. "And the walls are slick and slimy, but I don't feel any tingling... come to think of it, it doesn't even smell acidic in here."

"Y-you better remember those words when you're getting churned, Pup! My belly's probably working you over so fast you don't even know it's happening!" The Boss growled as he pressed his full weight down on the stomach beneath him, forcing the walls to squish against Scraps' body and hold him either tighter. "S-see? Now you've done it! You're gonna get digested for sure!"

"Mmh, I'm pretty sure that's just the way you're standing, Boss," Scraps muffled reply came as his face was forced back between his legs, curled up tighter than a Whirlipede in a Pokeball. He pushed back against the walls and rubbed his back against the bottom of the stomach. "I still don't feel any acids or anything, it's almost like-"

"Uurraahhp!" The Boss' antics had finally forced another bout of air out of his belly, though the Houndoom quickly replaced it by swallowing down some fresh air for his 'prisoner'. He grunted, pushing himself harder against the floor. "Urgh.. L-last chance, Scraps, you're about to be Houndoom hips!"

"B-Boss, what's going on with you? Why're you getting so defensive over this?" Scraps barked as he reoriented himself to get his paws beneath him. He gradually pushed against the bottom of the belly until he was practically standing up in it, his legs straining with the weight of the larger Pokemon bearing down on him. "You not being able to digest me is a good thing, remember?"

"Yeah, tell that to all the trespassers I've been lettin' go 'cause my stomach doesn't work right!" The Boss barked back. For a moment both canines fell silent, and the stomach slowly relaxed and shifted around Scraps as The Boss gradually rolled off it and flopped onto his side. "...Ah crap," he grunted as he huffed out some smoke through his nostrils. "...well, now that's outta the bag."

"You can't digest anything?" The Houndour asked as he felt around the stomach walls. He couldn't seem much, but nothing felt out of place or damaged. "Boss, that sounds serious! Are you dying?"

"I'm not dying, and don't go telling Shiv or Eggbone that. You'll make 'em worry," The Boss muttered. "I ate a Ninetales once to look tough, and they cursed me over it. Couldn't digest 'em, and I've never managed to digest a Pokemon since." The Houndoom swiped his paws over his horns. "Damn it, why'd I go for such a stupid first prey? You know what the other predators would say if they knew I was lettin' all my prey go?"

"Maybe it'd make you less intimidating, but it'd also make you less..." Scraps searched for the right word, his ears folding back in contemplation. "I guess I never really thought about it before but... isn't it better knowing you've never actually digested anyone? Scaring Pokemon off the territory feels better than killing them." He gave the belly wall a reassuring rub. "It makes me feel a lot safer around you anyway... takes some of the darkness out of the world. You made it sound like it's eat or be eaten in this city."

"It is! ...or it should be..." The Houndoom grunted. "Even if I can't do it, other Pokémon can and probably will. I figured it was better to make you think you'd been around a predator and get comfortable with the idea." The Boss shook his head as he rubbed the Houndour in his gut. "But you can see how that turned out."

"Sorry," Scraps tucked his ears bashfully as he pressed his paw against the bulge coming from the other side. "But I'm not taking back what I said... I'm glad you never digested any of those Pokémon."

"You're way too soft-hearted to be a Dark-type, Scraps." The Boss sighed. "But yeah, I guess it's not like Pokemon ever come back to our territory after I put 'em through something like that. Who wants to go through getting eaten alive twice?"

Scraps shuffled his paws against his chest, a blush crossing his muzzle. The walls pressed firmly against him until he could feel The Boss' wide pawpads petting over his ears from the outside. "...You know I can feel your tail wagging, right?"

"You know I can feel the vibrations of yours on the ground outside?" Scraps replied as he rubbed his cheek up against the paw.

"Hey, I had a good meal and got a full belly, I don't need an excuse to be happy," The Boss reminded him with a teasing prod of his paw before returning to stroke both his forepaws over the bulging gut in front of him. "So what's your excuse? you getting off to this?"

"I still don't know for sure, but I do like being this close to you," Scraps replied, his eyes closing in bliss as he listened to the gurgles and groans of the stomach around him. "And knowing it can't hurt me almost makes it better... that and knowing you'd want to keep me in here, even though you know I'm not afraid of it." He smiled bashfully, "I guess you can't punish me by threatening to eat me anymore."

"Eh, I can still use it to scare Eggbone and Shiv straight, and now I know I've got a willing volunteer when I need to give 'em a demonstration of what happens to Pokemon who cross me." The Boss ran his tongue over the bulge of his protogé's head before getting to his paws and shaking off his fur. "But I'm pretty sure I still need somethin' I can digest, and you need somethin' to eat. You can stay in there until we're back from getting burgers." The Houndoom licked his licks as he started to shift the crate to clear the path that lead to the cardboard tunnel.

"W-wait, you're going to carry me all the way there and back?" Scraps blushed as he felt the stomach swing back and forth around him like a hammock. "How are you going to get past my brother and sister without them seeing?"

"Well, I could tell them the truth about letting all those mooks go, and reveal it's you in there, and that you wanted me to eat you and I'm keepin' ya hostage until they learn to be better siblings." The Houndoom licked his lips thoughtfully as he made his way down the tunnel. "Or you can pretend to be what's left of the Persian sloshin' about in there until I can find the right way to tell 'em the truth." He gave his belly a shake, causing it to brush against the walls either side of him as he walked. "You're about the right size. So, you wanna pretend to be cat soup, or tell your siblings you wanted to get eaten by The Boss?"

"..Uuuhh..." Scraps froze, his face red as he thought over his options. Finally he tucked his paws against himself and curled up as much as he could. "...Meow?"

"Hah, have it your way." The Boss licked his lips as he sauntered towards the alley at the end of the tunnel, his long tail flicking the walls behind him as his stomach sloshed back and forth with the Houndour inside it. Maybe Scraps' was right; maybe he could find another way to be intimidating without holding the reputation that he digested everyone who entered his territory.

...After all, if 4 hours in a digestive stomach could scare Pokemon off; surely 4 days of getting teased about being stuck in a humid, food-filled belly without getting digested would be much worse.

The End