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~THE HUNT~

By: Phamyne Plaguox

[WARNING! Contains: Male (???) on Male (Coyote) Oral Sex, Supersized Cocks, Cum Play, Second Person View Hard & Soft Vore, Non-Consensual Cock Vore, Soft Vore, and Asphyxiation (Fatal), and is not suitable for minors.]

~DayTwo~

My tired eyes slowly flutter open with much struggle, and I am immediately greeted by a pounding headache that splits my skull in two. A badge of proof that I drank far too much cheap beer the night before, for sure.

Kyle: "Ohh..." Clutching my paw to my forehead, I groan in pain as I very carefully try to sit up. Even the slightest movement makes my headache and dizziness worse, and I give up halfway. But just as I'm about to flop back down into bed, I realise then that I'm not sitting on the bed Eric helped me into last night. It doesn't even feel like a bed at all...

Kyle: "Wh-wha...?" I look around in confusion through bleary, dry eyes, blinking as my paw pads trace along the cold surface of my bed as my foggy mind finally comes back into focus. And through my clearing disorientation, I realise that I'm in some ten-by-ten foot iron cage!

Kyle: "Wh-WHAT!?" My body lurches faster than I can control it! Latching onto the smooth iron bars before me, I start furiously tugging and shaking them.

Kyle: "H-HEY! LET ME OUT OF THIS! WH-WHAT'S GOING ON!?" I bark out with my snout stuck between the bars and into what appears to still be Eric's tent. It's empty and the Alsatian isn't anywhere to be seen.

I rattle the bars once more and try to pry them apart for a moment before my reasoning sets in. I give up the impossible task of bending the thick metal and look around. I can't seem to find where they lock together on either side of me, but when I glance upwards, I make out a silver padlock around a loop just above me and my eyes gleam as I reach through the dark steel bars and grab at it.

The lock rattles noisily around the on iron without budging. I frown through a grunt as I perceive there is no way I'm breaking this open with just my bare paws. And it is as I pull my arms free from above me that I realise I am fully naked as well! My tan fur on full display for the entire world to see!

Wh-what the fuck is going on!? Where are my clothes!? I blink in confusion at seeing the beige fur that runs down my front and take a moment to run my paws across my body for any signs that I had been raped or injured in any way, but nothing hurts. Well, maybe I'm a bit stiff, and my head is pounding like all hell, but my body is likely sore from the solid metal base I slept on. Gingerly, I sit myself back down on the cold metal and wrap my bushy tail around my waist as I try to retrace my steps.

Alright... I snuck Jake into the VIP area after the archery event yesterday... Then I met up with Eric and we drank beers as we spoke for a few more hours before leaving to meet up with the black cat and Leo later in the night... I think we gathered with a few more predators after that? I vaguely remember them all sharing some stories about past tournaments. But then... What?

I start raking my memories for how the hell I got myself locked up in this cage when I suddenly hear the sound of people talking on the outside of the tent!

Kyle: "H-HEY! HELP ME! I-I'M LOCKED UP IN HERE!!!" I waste no time in screaming out. I try my best to peer through and passed the bars to the entrance flaps, but I can't see much. But I can tell the sun has long since risen by the way it illuminates the interior through the thick white canvas. The inside of the tent is also pretty humid, so it must be pretty late. The voices I call for do temporarily stop their conversation for a moment at my shouting. So I wait on bated breath for them to poke their heads inside and see me locked up.

But in the next moment, where I sit with tenses shoulders and ears perked, I listen as they renew their conversation and sound just as casual as before. The duo starts laughing about something I can't make out before their voices start growing more distant and I quickly realise they are walking away!

Kyle: "H-HEY! HELP ME! HELP! SOMEBODY! PLEASE!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs with my snout through the bars, each exerted breath cutting like a knife into my head ache with the strain of my voice, but no matter how loud I call, they just keep walking further and further away!

WHAT THE FUCK!? D-did Eric lock me up in here?? Or did something else happen during the night... As my mind races for answers, I start squinting through the bars for a telling sign of perhaps a scuffle, maybe someone attacked us in the middle of the night? But looking across the tent, it seems no worse for wear. Beer cans scatter across the grass, Eric's clothes are strewn across his unmade bed, and the papers on his desk seem untouched.

Looking to the entrance again, I really can't make out much other than a sliver of light beaming in through the flaps. I can hear some commotion in the distance, but no one seems to be reacting to my calls for help at all. Calls which have only made my headache even worse with each cry. I rub my temples in a poor attempt to ease the pain, clapping my dry lips as I look around through slitted eyes. What time is it? The colour of the sun shining on the canvas tent has me think it's setting. At least... I think those are the colours of dusk. After drinking so much last night, there is no way that is the sunrise...

Kyle: "HELP!!! ANYONE!? PLEASE!!!" I bark out again, enduring the throbbing pain my strained voice brings, but I am met with the same lack of care from before.

Slumping back onto the hard surface of the cage in disbelief, I raise my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs as I bury my snout between them and start crying uncontrollably.

Kyle: "Wh-what's... What's even going on..."

It is a few hours later and the tent has become darker. Dark enough that I am struggling to make out much without any lighting inside or outside the tent. My night vision has never been my strongest quality, I've always been more of a sniffer. A trait I had hoped would help me as a survivalist, but that skill is rendered useless to me right now.

Night fell steadily as I remain sat here without any hope of escape, leaving me with nothing but the low chirping of the crickets outside and my thoughts, which sought to drown me. Sitting up properly while wiping my eyes from the moisture, brought through the bouts of crying and screaming I did, I find myself feeling really tired. My hangover may have become a little better over time, taking my headache with it, but I am just as incredibly thirsty as when I woke up, if not more so. All that screaming for help did it no favours either...

I've been so lost in my thoughts for the last few hours that time seems to have been both trickling by at a snail's pace and speeding by faster than I could grasp it. I've been fighting the reality that I'm actually locked up in a cage, but with each passing minute, I fall deeper into despair and come to accept that this is real. This isn't some sick, drunken joke or even a mistake. This is real. Someone has purposely put me in here and has no intention of letting me out. I don't yet understand the purpose for it, but I sure as fuck don't plan on allowing them to sell me as a sex slave or whatever sick plan they may have. First chance I get, I'm clawing out their eyes and making a mad dash for my car.

I still haven't been able to stop myself falling into despair, and am currently sitting here in a miserable, snotty miss. Sniffing through my blocked nose, I strain my ears to hear if anyone else may be outside. But hear the same nothingness I've been exposed to since those beastmen I heard outside left. Sure, Eric's tent is on the outer reaches of the VIP sections, but certainly someone should be able hear me yelling for help, right? Those two chatting outside defiantly heard me, but why didn't they respond? They didn't even bother looking inside the tent... Are they in on this with Eric?

Thinking once more about those beastmen as they walked away while laughing only raises my ire, and I sit up while gritting my teeth. My throat may still be very raw from a combination of the screaming and alcohol, but I take another deep breath and call out yet again in a shaky, desperate plea for help.

Kyle: "HELP! ANYONE!? HELP ME PLEASE!!!" I almost fall back into another crying fit from the sad tone of my voice alone, but gasp on my breath as someone suddenly responds from the shadows!

???: "Do you really think anyone is coming to help you, little dog?" My fur bristles at the melodic voice echoing in the ten and I look around for its owner immediately as a spark of hope rushes through me.

Kyle: "HELP ME PLEASE!!!" I call out a little more optimistically, the person's words not really sinking in even as I look for them. I'm just so happy to hear someone actaully respond!

Between the swathing darkness and dim light from outside, I come to realise a shadow is hovering overhead, and as I look up, I meet it with wide eyes. A massive raven face is craning its head down to look at me! Its head is as wide as a desk and its pointed beak gleams, even in the darkness. But it's the yellow eyes that fully catch my attention, as they are almost luminescent in the darkness as they stare directly through me. A bright, golden yellow that glimmers with unmatched intelligence behind the intricate patterns in its iris's. The raven's form is all encompassing, even in the shadows I can tell it has a body to match its large face. As I am looking up at the almost hypnotising eyes, I catch its scent and know right away that this bird is a male from his smell alone. It's strong, milky and has very complex earthy tones. The scent he lets off is instantly familiar to me. He is not just an avian, but a feline too. This is a gryphon... And while I can't make him out too well in the shadows that compete with the umbra of his pitch-black feathers, I can tell from his voice alone that he is an impressive gryphon.

Gryphon: "No one is coming to help you little dog." His smooth voice is seethed in distain and indecorous. His tone wicked and cocky as he chirps these words to me like a sonnet sung for a lover. Looking up to his face once more, I can make out a pink tongue that protrudes from his maw as he runs it along his dark beak and involuntarily drips a long strand of drool from his parted beak and right onto the bars! I quickly scuttle aside to avoid the slime falling on me and look up in bewilderment as he continues.

Gryphon: "But you can howl all you like~ After all, it makes the experience all that much better~" The words fall from his beak like the finest silk would feel brushing against furless skin, but with a deep, sick and teasing candescence. The sudden taunting tone only adds to my confusion as fear starts to nip at the back of my neck and makes my hackles stand on end.

Kyle: "Wh-what's going on?? Why have you locked me up!?" I feel my ire rising and despite being leered at by someone almost three times my height, I start yelling at him in defiance of his snide expression.

Kyle:" Who do you think you are!? You can't just lock me up like this! Let me out right now!" I growl out through bared fangs, but the gryphon only snickers at me, wickedly, minaciously. His deep laughter echoing through the tent for a moment before he returns his piercing gaze upon me.

Gryphon: "Who am I? What am I doing? Heh. Very well then little dog. I shall give you the pleasure of knowing your fate." He clears his throat and raises his face from hovering overhead into an almost prideful stance as he steps from foot to foot in front the cage. Making out his features is a little easier from between the bars as he pulls away, but so too is his scale that much more threatening. I'm suddenly not so sure that I'll be able to gouge this one's eyes out and make it far without him catching up to me...

Gryphon: "My name is Ryan Ragaur. The most famous of hunters in these lands~ Perhaps you have heard of me?" Just like all of his kind, Ryan displays the perfect amount of cockiness to contest his pride. Urg... Gryphons really are the most arrogant of species there are...

Kyle: "I... Have." I admit softly as I bite the inside of my cheek. Ryan Ragaur. He was the reigning champion of "The Predators & Hunters Tournament" for a few years in a row. But that was maybe a decade ago. He stopped coming to these events for a variety of speculated reasons. Though, there are still updates on his latest accomplishments online. I've checked him out a few times, but I've not really been keeping track for a while now. Last I saw, he was overseas, attending some altitude endurance test against other airborne beastmen.

And I haven't seen him around the festival these passed six days, and I KNOW for a fact that he didn't re-enter this year. So... What is he doing here now? His appearance is defiantly a surprise, but I guess the more prominent question would be why he has imprisoned me up in this cage.

Kyle: "Why have out locked me up? This is ridiculous. Do you understand how much trouble you're going to be in for abducting me!?" I don't care how much I may respect him as a survivalist as I scold him, because this guy is freaking nuts! And while seeing him up close like this would have had me star struck in any normal situation, right now all I can think about is getting as far away from him as possible.

Ryan: "Oh, little doggy~ I am not the one who has locked you up." He says through a dismissive laugh before levelling his eyes with mine in front of the bars. His gleam bearing into me like headlights as I flinch away in response.

Kyle: "..." Shit... D-does that mean it was...?

Ryan: "The one who lured you here is responsible for that of course." He confirms my suspicions through a snide tone and a suggestive look.

Ryan: "But from what I hear, it wasn't even all that difficult~ You practically fed yourself to him on a silver platter~" Shit... So it was Eric all this time...

Kyle: "Wh-why...? Why would he do this to me!?" I feel myself shiver as those words fall from my lips, hardly believing any of this is happening. But looking to the black gryphon, who is able to compete with the shadows for intensity, the reality I have been abducted is abundantly clear. He licks his sharp beak with his pink tongue before speaking sinisterly.

Ryan: "Well... You seem like a learned little dog, from what I can tell at least." He leans in closer till his hard beak clacks against the bars, almost conspiratorially. I can smell his warm breath as he speaks again, and shy away from the fleshy and alcoholic smell.

Ryan: "Tell me. Why do the hunters gather in this very spot, year after year? What is the entire _reason_they go through the other six trials?" I look to him incredulously for a moment, but respond without even thinking about it.

Kyle: "T-to... To attend the hunt." My voice comes out weak and I almost don't recognise myself in the moment. Something about him is very domineering, just having him speak to me like this is causing my balls to pull up into my body and make me feel inferior beneath his imposing aura. Ryan chuckles at my response, leaning back before sitting upright on his hind legs, and when he speaks again, it's with an almost fatherly pride in his voice.

Ryan: "That's right little dog. "The HUNT!"." He enunciates the last word haughtily while raising a taloned claw to his chest almost mockingly.

Ryan: ""Only the greatest and most seasoned of predators are allowed a chance to claim the honour of participating in this yearly event!" He reiterates words I have read many times over from the tournament's site in a derisive tone before lowering his head back to sneer at me wickedly.

Ryan: "But let me tell you something, little dog~" I gulp under his intense gaze and intimidating voice, unable to stop myself from cowering away as his dominating eyes dig into me possessively.

Ryan: "The hunt you so fervently watch online is nothing compared to the one we hold right after~"

Ryan: "The eighth and final challenge really is something to... Die for~"

Kyle: "E-eighth challenge?" Shit... Why'd I just ask that? I didn't mean to. The words just slipped out, almost automatically...

Looking to the gryphon, I half expected to find that same intense, almost murderous gaze, but something in his eyes dulls at my question. After sitting upright once more, he moves to idly scratch behind his pointed ear with one of his feline like hind legs.

Ryan: "Well, that's why you're here after all." That dulled glowering glint is quickly awakened with these words as the arrogant tone returns to his voice.

Ryan: "We can't very well host the hunt without you little doggy~" Wh-what does he mean by that!? What the fuck are they planning to do with me!?

Kyle: "I-I won't be a p-part of y-your stupid games! S-so you best let me go!" I stutter out defiantly and jolt in shock as Ryan throws his head back, guffawing like a drunkard at a comedy club before returning his sadistic gaze upon me.

Ryan: "My my my~ I _DO_like your spirit! This year is surely going to be a lot of fun if everyone else has the same energy as you!" Ryan has this aura about him when he says that... I can practically feel the anticipation exploding from him in waves. Though... Did he say "Everyone else"...?

Eric: "What are you doing Ryan?" the Alsatian's apathetic voice sounds out behind the large hybrid and my whole body lurches forward in response.

Kyle: "E-Eric! L-let me out at once! What do you think you are doing!?" Eric looks my way momentarily before turning his snout up at me and walks up to the gryphon's side. No longer does he hold that charming smile he once so graciously gifted me with. The Alsatian looks almost bored. But something about seeing him with so little emotion is a little terrifying...

Eric: "You were supposed to help move him to the starting line, not sit and chat." As Eric says this, he moves around to the right side of my cage and looks down at me for a silent moment before beaming a wicked, almost evil smirk that sends a shiver down my spine.

Ryan: "Heh, _juuust_getting to know the lovely little snack you picked up this year is all dear boy. This one has a lot of fight it would seem." I rattle the bars in response as the teasing tone reignites my ire, barking out at them once again.

Kyle: "LET ME OUT!!!" I am probably only proving the gryphon's point by doing this, but seeing them leering at me with such arrogant faces maddens me like nothing else ever has.

Eric: "You can say that again." The German shepherd say through a listless chuckle while side eyeing me as I thrash uselessly in my cage.

Ryan: "I heard this little dog snuck his friend in here yesterday. I take it Leo bagged the other morsel for us?" Shit... They got Jake too!?

Eric: "Yeah, it's true. Wish I could have been there to see it. You know Leo always makes a bit of a spectacle out of capturing them." Eric kneels down to look at me while he continues talking with a stone-cold expression. My paws fly from the bars to my crotch, and I scowl at him while backing away.

Eric: "Kyle here was so eager to come and see me that he even helped sneak in one of the other winners of this year's pickings list~ Can you believe it?"

Ryan: "Wait... So you're telling me he helped in capturing one of the clawpicked prey?" The gryphon guffaws again, his laugh just as wicked as ever. His sights return to me as his voice dies down, leer drilling into me fiercely.

Ryan: "You are quiet something indeed! Aren't you little doggy~?" I growl in response to his taunting and lurching forward and spit at the gryphon's face! It hits him square in the beak with a satisfying "Splat!", and while I had fully expected him to pull back in anger or maybe even spit at me in return, the edges of his beak only curve into a deeper grin before he shamelessly licks the saliva from his face!

Ryan: "Hmm~ Is this my sneak peak of wants to come little one~?" He seems way too delighted in the taste of my spit. The sight actually causes my empty stomach to roil. The sound of Ryan humming in his throat while lapping it clean from his beak only causes to sicken me further and forces me to look away.

Eric: "Come now Ryan, enough of your games. The hunt is about to begin, and we need to get him to the line-up." I watch as they both stand up properly, the gryphon grunting in acknowledgement as Eric moves to open the tent flaps with one paw while looking expectantly to the bird.

Ryan: "Sure sure, I had my fun anyway." The gryphon leans forward and rakes his black taloned claws along either side of my cage teasingly while looking to me with a suggestive look.

Eric: "From what I've heard, you have a lot more fun with them once you catch them~" Ryan chuckles in response before lowering his face to the front of my cage and grabs hold of the bars with his beak before yanking me along the grass and passed Eric into the night in three lurching tugs. The air outside is much more pleasant than in the stuffy tent. All I can do, as I find myself frozen in places, is hold onto the bars as I am drawn out into the moonlight.

Ryan: "Hehe, don't go ruining the surprise by leaking my secrets to our little friend over here~ I don't need him informing the others of my plans~"

Eric: "Ooo, cocky now huh? What would Ethan think if he heard you've been riling up our guests prior to the hunt, hmm~?" The bird snorts as he raises his face from the cage and looks to the dog indignantly.

Ryan: "Well, maybe it would make the hunt more enjoyable knowing that I've ruffled that old bird's feathers~ He's always such a sour puss, he never knows how to have any fun!" The dog chuckles and folds his arms.

Eric: "Oh please Ryan, you know as well as I do that Ethan knows how to have fun just as much as you do~" Eric says with a lascivious grin while wriggling both his eyebrows to the gryphon.

Ryan: "Uh-ta-ta! Don't spoil the surprise for our little doggy over here~" They both laugh for a moment before Ryan raises to his hind legs, and kneeling down on flat feet, he wraps his avian like claws around the cage and lifts me up in both arms like the heavy cage and I weigh nothing!

I quickly cling to the bars as the whole thing rattles and lifts off the ground at least ten feet into the air! My fur bristles as I get the willies from the feeling, and before the sensation can pass, Ryan starts to walk forward with me in his arms, causing my prison to lurch and shake me back and forth.

I've seen Gryphons walk on their hind legs before, and while most quadrupedal beastmen have trouble walking on their hind legs like this, gryphons are surprisingly good at it. Despite how comical I think it may look.

It only takes me a moment of shaking around in my prison to realise my new proximity to the bird. I quickly spin around on my knees before I lunge and start slashing at his chest with my claws out! But as I'm swiping at his sleek black feathers, I realise I'm doing absolutely no damage. I slump as I remember that I had trimmed and filed them down just before coming here. I curse myself for worrying more about my looks that the practicality of sharp claws.

Moving instead to try and bite him, my teeth clang against the iron bars and I can't seem to get a good enough angle with how his body is pressed against it. D-damnit! While I wish I hadn't rounded my claws out for the trip, I doubt they'd even do anything against his feathers regardless. Ryan's plumage is thick and surprisingly very smooth. I quickly move to grab bunches in my paws and yank on his chestfeathers and pull back HARD! It draws a surprised squawk from Ryan, and I grin in satisfaction, but before I'm able to try griping them more firmly and try pull them out, the whole cage starts to shake! I slam my head against the top of it before face planting into the bottom! Ryan does nothing more than grunt his displeasure as he continues to walk forward.

The gryphon continues to walk forward without a care in the world, while he and Eric to talk as if I'm not even here. I push myself up onto my paws and knees while shaking my head. I'm a little dizzy after being rattled around and I can feel that hit to the back of my head will definitely leave a bruise. I guess that was pretty reckless... I don't know what I was hoping to accomplish by hurting him. I need to think more clearly, I can't let anger rule my choices or he's just going to hurt me again.

Wobbling in place as the cage jostles about, I slowly raise up to my knees and use my paws to grab the bars beside me to steady myself. Turning around and looking at where they are taking me, I am instantly met with two other beastmen walking in front of us. They both seem to be carrying cages identical to mine in their arms!

I know from the moment that I set my gaze on the leftmost one that it is Flynn. The murky green scaled naga is unmistakably hard to miss. He was among the top competitors this year like always. In fact, he has been the reigning champion for three years straight. Next to him is the fattest beastman competing in the tournament. Brian. He is a large and burly brown grizzly bear. A complete slob in both methods and appearance, but the southerner really knows what he's doing when it comes to plants.

I can't make out who they have in their cages as they walk silently side by side, but I poke my muzzle out form between the bars and yell regardless.

Kyle: "JAKE!? JAKE! Are you there!?" Only Brian's ears swivel to my voice as he spares a glance over his shoulder, but neither of them stop.

Ryan: "Quiet down in there little one." Ryan says this while shaking my cage around as if I'm a magic eight ball, which send me flying around once again! I slam face first into the bars and whack the back ones with just as much force before crumpling into a dizzy pile of twitching limbs once he relents.

My vision blurs and I see stars for a moment as lay there. Quickly, I use uncoordinated paws to try keep myself steady with each of his jostling steps, trying my best to stop the sick feeling from working its way further up my throat. And after another moment of just lying there, my vision clears, and I tentatively sit up while rubbing my head. Yeah, that was pretty stupid of me. He used even more force this time around and with how unfocused my thoughts feel, I might have a bit of a concussion. What happened to acting more careful? Even if Jake _is_in one of those cages, what good would screaming really do me?

Ryan: "Don't worry, you will see your little friend soon enough." The gryphon says through a blithe tone as his talons tighten around the bars.

Eric: "Can't say either of them will last long though. Leo did seem to have his sights set on the black cat. But I guess we won't know until later, but the little shit's probably his target this year." Eric pipes up to my right, stating this casually like it was just another boring day at the office.

Ryan: "Heh, that Lion and his cats~ I appreciate a man who has a particular pallet, but Leo should really try to broaden his taste in beastmen. There are so many out there and yet, year after year, he always picks some feline."

Eric: "Sometimes you just know what you like, you know?"

Ryan: "I guess... I'm more the kind to sample all there to taste before making up my mind." His voice rumbles in his chest as he says this and I listen quietly to them talking, my fur standing more and more on end as realisation sets in.

Eric: "Heh, even after all these years and you still can't decide which meat is best?" He asks teasingly with a wink before continuing.

Eric: "But don't play coy with me Ryan. You're well known for having a taste in canines after all~"

Ryan: "Hehehe, you better watch it Eric, I might just snap you up next!"

They both laugh amicably while walking forward behind the others. But as they casually continue their banter, I recoil in disbelief as my prison continues to shake back and forth. A_true_ understanding washes over me as their voices begin to almost echo hollowly in the background while my confusion turns to cognition. For throughout all my bewilderment since waking up in this cage, wondering why they have detained me, what they could possibly have planned, and all this talk about "Tasting", "Hunting" and "Prey"... It all comes together in one coherent thought, and finally has realisation strike like a lightning bolt surging through my brain. My fur bristles sharply as a primordial fear awakens in the deepest parts of my subconscious. My thoughts set on one and only one possible conclusion for all of these indirect words. These predators... They are planning on hunting... Us!

After passing through the many tents of the VIP area and walking across the field that divides the predator's camp from the market, we hastily make the trek through the desolate stalls and converge with the many beastmen all seemingly going to the same place. The throng of people are all chatting excitedly, trading words I only catch pieces of. Words I would rather not have heard, as they only deepen my fears. Rounding the corner through the shadowed marketplace with the gathered crowed, who pay no mind to the cages being carried or their occupants, we come into a field I know very well, for I was just out here yesterday, watching the archery competition. And just like before with every other trial they held in this open space, the field is once more emptied and set up differently. Only... This time, the arrangement is completely foreign to me.

Gripping the iron bars of the cage, I look out before us. Once where the bleachers were normally set up is now a large fifty-foot platform made from wood, lit up with bright, overhead stage lights and accompanied by a white material backdrop displaying the Hunters & Predates symbol in a daunting fashion that has me seeing the crest I once adored in a different way than I ever have before. The symbol almost bodes a bad omen as I watch us drawing closer from the shadows. The stage is set up against a variety of tents that weren't there before. They span about a hundred metres in either direction and are very similar in appearance to the VIP tents, some even bigger. And set in the darkness, just out of reach of the stage light, and in a perfect line, are four cages. All of which are exactly the same as my own.

I watch as Flynn and Brian set their cages down, one after the other, on the right most side of the line, leaving a few feet between each crate before walking off towards the white tents behind the stage. I catch sight of the prisoners within as we pass, a small canine and a rather rotund pig in the ones Brian and Flynn set down, but before I can further question what's going on, Ryan does the same with my cage. He sets me down at the far left, before he and Eric disappear behind the stage with the crowd still slowly swarming in.

Kyle: "H-hey! What do you think you're doing!? Come back here and let me go!" But just like that, without casting a single glance in my direction, I watch them disappear into the tented area.

???: "Kyle??" I spin around at the familiar voice calling to my right and spot the black cat in the cage right next to mine. Just as naked. Just as afraid.

Kyle: "J-Jake!" I reach out my arms towards him and he does the same. We interlock out paws and hold tightly. My eyes instantly well with tears and pour from my cheeks as our grip on one another clenches. We are just close enough that we can hold paws, but I have to strain my arms to hold them properly.

Kyle: "I-I'm so glad you're okay!" He only nods while sobbing just as heavily as me. His eyes are red and his fur all mussed up. Honestly, he looks much worse than I feel.

Jake: "I-I'm alright Kyle. B-but... This is bad. This is REAL bad Kyle!" His voice is frantic and hoarse. Obviously he's been depraved of water and kept in the cage all day like me. And by the looks of it, spent most of the time crying.

Kyle: "I-I'm so sorry Jake! I didn't m-mean to get you into this mess!" I try to grip tighter to Jake, but he pulls back his arms and uses his paws to wipe the tears from his eyes while shaking his head.

Jake: "Th-this isn't your fault Kyle..." He stifles and looks back to the other cages behind him. They are all filled with naked beastmen, most of which are quietly crying to themselves. The one next to Jake seems to be a white lion.

My friend takes a deep breath and lets out a shuddering sigh, seemingly trying to get his tears under control as he looks to me with more focus than before.

Jake: "These other people are all winners of the pass we "Won" online." He says with a much calmer tone, though it's still scratchy and every syllable seems hurt and make his eyes water as he speaks.

Kyle: "..." I sit back and run his words through my head for a moment longer before responding with a shaky voice.

Kyle: "W-wait. Does th-that mean..." I try not to say what I have been fearing all this time, but the feline nods as if knowing without my verbalisation.

Jake: "Yes. We have been pawpicked by the hunters this year." My contemplation of our situation snaps along with my expression.

Kyle: "Wait. THIS_year!? Jake. What's going on?? A-are they are planning on hunting... _Us. R-right...?" He can only nod before quickly raising his paws to cover his face in a failed attempt of stifling his sobs. And after a moment longer of him just balling into his paws, Jake pulls them away and tries his best to continue despite his voice hiccupping every other word.

Jake: "Y-you ha-haven't heard of the e-eighth trail?" I shake my head and watch as he once more calms himself down through a few short, deep breaths.

Jake: "Well... I only heard rumours of this long ago, so I didn't put much stock into it at the time..." I nod along when he looks to me with teary eyes.

Jake: "Apparently, after eating other beastmen became illegal all those years ago, it kinda ruined the tradition these predators had of hunting other sapients." I listen on as I feel myself starting to shake violently with each word he says.

Jake: "So after they could no longer _openly_conduct "The Hunt" in a traditional sense, they changed up the seventh trial to be tamer and introduced an eighth one in secret of the public." Changed the seventh trial? I always thought it's been the same forever...

Jake: "They would abduct beastmen form the festival and cage them up before setting them loose in the dead of night. And come morning... H-hunt them down..." His voice takes on a sombre, foreboding tone as his eyes become dead of all emotion with his next words.

Jake: "Seven prey, for seven predators..." Jake concludes before looking to the other caged beastmen behind himself. Some of which have been listening in.

Kyle: "Y-you're lying... P-please tell me this isn't true Jake!?" The black can only nod before hanging his head in shame. I came to this very conclusion earlier, but hearing it from Jake just makes it all that much more real. I try desperately to disbelieve his words, but I am already violently shaking form fear as my thoughts begin to run wild.

Jake: "I-I thought it was all a myth, or some stupid joke circling around the internet at the time, but now..." I cringe and sit like Jake with my knees to my chest and hug them close as I shudder through my rattle breaths.

Kyle: "Fuck..." My mind is going a mile a minute and that is all I can get out.

Jake: "Y-yeah..." I look to up to him and see the feline slump into his body a bit more. I am about to open my maw and ask him what he thinks we should do, if maybe he heard anything that could help us, but out the corner of my eye, I see a whole slew of beastmen begin to congregate around us as they flood from either side of the stage.

We both turn to watch as maybe a hundred or so people spawn from behind the wooden stage before filling out the field around us. The mob is loud and some of them are spouting mocking words directed at us in the cages. Some even bare hungry looks that have me reeling in fear. Further ahead I hear the other prisoners crying out as they are poked and prodded by some of the beastmen.

Looking forward once more with my paws protectively over my head, the beastmen settle down as a few well-known faces walk onto the stage before us. There is Shane, the muscled white wolf who is a master with weapons. He is followed by Brian, a fat brown grizzly bear who looks better suited for a trailer park than this event, especially next to the dignified wolf. Ethan, the white gryphon from the north follows the dirty bear, looking just as regal as always. Then comes Ryan, the black gryphon and ex reigning champion, I can't help but scowl as I see his smug expression again. And Flynn, the green naga who is the current champion form last year and a deadly man if there ever was one. They are all quickly followed by the yellow furred lion we drank with last night, Leo, who hastily scrambles up the stage before standing in the line-up with them. And then finally, coming to kneel beside the right side of the stage, with ground shaking footsteps, is the gargantuan black badger, Connor.

As I am observing all these well-known predators, many of which were competitors this year, a dark blue scaled dragon man walks up and onto the stage. He has a bit of a heavy-set, dad like bod, with very shiny scutes that gleam under the bright lights. Tying together his eastern aesthetic are his stag like horns that jut backwards and long, thick dragon whiskers that mimic a moustache. He's wearing a loosely tied yellow and purple yukata with swirly cloud patterns on it, displaying his expansive chest and rounded gut for all to see. The eastern dragon greets each of the men on stage with a handshake and a bow of his head with a jovial remark before making his way to the front of the stage. He stands behind a black microphone stand with a very pleased look on his face and as I'm watching him, something about the smugness of his smile disgusts me to my very core. The look on his face makes me physically sick and I am forced to look away as he speaks.

Dragon: "Welcome predators and hunters! It is my _privilege_to receive you all this year and an absolute HONOUR in being allowed to anoint this year's HUNT!" The crowd behind us goes wild under his words and starts hollering, whistling and howling like true savages. I cower in my cage at the wake of their accepting cheers, or rather, their ravenous hunger for what is sure to follow. It sparks a deep-seated fear right in the pit of my stomach where the dragon once sought to rile up with his smug expression.

Dragon: "Now, after the preliminaries held here a few months back and the received documentations proving their continued veracious appetites~ These seven predators here before us have been chosen as this year's_best_ and most skilled of all the hunters around the world!" His voice is deep but mellifluous, it commands all out attention, even those behind iron bars.

Dragon: "THEY and _THEY_alone, will be allowed to participate in this year's annual hunt!" The dragon growls that last part while pointing out a clawed finger to trace across the crowd.

Dragon: "I don't want to hear of a repeat of last year's debacle where other members of the club tried to help themselves to prey they had no claim to!" The mob murmurs amongst each other, and I look back and forth between them, absolutely flabbergasted at how casual everyone is being about this.

Dragon: "Now. All prey have been official claimed by our predators backstage and handed articles of their clothing for tracking. But this year, for the thrill of suspense, bequeathed so generously upon their prey, we shall not be announcing who their hunter is just yet!" The crowd instantly boos and the dragon raises his hands in apology with a bow of his still smirking expression.

Dragon: "Now now, don't be that way. We can't give away too much in front of the prey. But rest assured! We will be able to watch everything from our secret cameras set up around the entirety of the mountain side!" He riles up the crowd with his words, his chest puffed out as his words flow in propensity.

Dragon: "And if that isn't enough to wet your chops, you can watch a live feed of your favourite predator with our new POV micro cameras!" He gestures theatrically behind himself at all the hunters who are currently equipping headbands which I can faintly make out to have little cameras on the front.

Dragon: "This way we will ALL be able to see from their very eyes! Finally, we can admire their techniques and unique styles perfectly through these new devices!" He ameliorates through a grand gesture that the crowd practically eats up in a flurry of boisterous cheers.

Dragon: "For the first time in our history, we'll be getting a first-hand view at witnessing the fearful looks of the prey right before they're ripped to shreds!"

Crowd: "WOOOOH! FUCK YEAH!!!" The mob erupts into raucous screams and I have to pull my ears down over my head to try and block out the ear shattering, gut wrenching sounds of the crowd who seemed to turn feral with this news. Barking and howling like the animals they are beneath their anthromorphian guises.

Dragon: "Alright alright alright, settle down you beasts-" I couldn't have said it better myself...

Dragon: "I want to make one last thing clear to the attending predators before we begin!" He says while turning to address the stage with an open palm.

Dragon: "You have all chosen your prey yourselves from our online survey and we here at the predators club have graciously helped in not just arrange for them to come her free of charge, but even assisted in in capturing them for you!"

Dragon: "But hear me when I say this now... We will not tolerate one predator taking another's prey for himself." He says darkly with a creased brow.

Dragon: "I don't want to have to remind you of what happened to Graham six years ago when he decided to eat two of the other members prey for himself, do I?" He asks tauntingly to the beastmen on stage, but it is the crowd who murmurs, and turning around to look at the perturbed faces around me, I can actually see what looks like fear in their eyes.

Dragon: "Good. Now we have gone over the rules with you all backstage, and while all of you have already attended in prior years, I hope I don't need to remind you we are all watching everything that happens." He says pedantically before breaking into a cheery smile before addressing the crowd once more.

Dragon: "So! Without further ado, please help me in welcoming out predators one last time and may the grace of the hunt be forever with them!"

Dragon: "HONOUR IN THE HUNT!" He shouts out with both hands raises to the sky and is immediately followed by the crowd miming the same phrase.

Crowd: "HONOUR IN THE HUNT!!!" They burst once more into a deafening applause as the predators on stage step forward and bow to the crowd.

After their howling and hollering settles down, the beastmen surrounding us start to disperse to either side of the stage, forming a sort of crescent circle around us, facing out toward the open field.

As I am watching them with nervous curiosity, a panther beastman walks up to my cage and a hyena up to Jake's. Looking along the line to my right, I see a list of other predators doing the same thing. They all come to stand behind the cages in uniformed motions. I look up at the panther and realise he is unlocking the padlock with a key. My head shoots to Jake's cage and find he is staring at me with a terrified look on his face that tells me all I need to know. My friend is shaking in absolute terror and tears accompany his despondent cries.

Shit... We... We have to get out of this! My mind races and before I know it, I start shouting at the top of my lungs as desperation starts to kick in.

Kyle: "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I'LL TELL THE WHOLE WORLD ABOUT YOU MONSTERS!!!" The other prisoners start to cry out with me, but our voices become lost in the crowd of beastmen who are cheering on our jailors as they undo our locks and cast them aside.

As I watch the padlock fall to the ground, the panther turns back to face the dragon with his arms folded as the other jailors do the same. It feels like all sound becomes faint around me in this moment, this point in time seems to slow down like some badly edited clip as dread rightens around my throat, grips my chest and stalls my heart as and as I look to the dragon announcer myself. He has both burly arms raised in the air, looking to the crowd with an oily grin, seemingly relishing in his control over us.

Crowd: "HUNT! HUNT! HUNT!" The mob all chant in strident voices while pumping their arms to the sky in unison, creating a bone chilling scene straight out of a horror movie. A horde of pitiless, bloodthirsty animals all cheering for us to be thrown to the wolves as if we were livestock!

I look up to the stage once more with tear filled eyes, just in time to see the dragon throw both his muscular arms down in the crescendance of their chanting, and right as he does this, so too are out cages upturned and thrown forward, spilling us all out onto the grass!

I slam heavily into the ground face first! But quickly jump to my feet with my paws raised, ready to fight my way out of this despite not having a chance against even _one_of these predators. I look to the side to see if Jake will help me in this herculean task, but he is already taking off into the distant field behind me! I watch his dark fur as it melds with the moonlight as he runs incredibly fast across the green pasture. I am just about to call out for him to stop, but am suddenly pushed form behind and sent flying onto my face one again!

I groan from hitting my nose harder this time and roll over to snarl at the person who shoved me, but my voice dies in my throat as I see the panther beastman standing over me. Both feet on either side of my thighs as he growls down at with his white fangs bared. His brown eyes are malevolently intense and install urgency in me once more.

I quickly crawl away from him and leap to my feet once more. And looking around, I find the prisoners who haven't already followed in Jake's footsteps out into the field, are all trying to get back to the camp through the throng of people, but the beastmen who released us are doing a good job of shoving each of us to the ground before pointing out towards the pasture.

Looking up to my captor, I find the panther doing the exact same. One paw is outstretched to the clearing and his face all but screams "GO!" as he continues sneering down at me, deeming me utterly unworthy of his words. I look once more to the plains bathed in moonlight before taking a deep, resolving breath as I turn around and just run...

The bloodthirsty crowd cheering behind me and the sight of my fellow captives scattering in midnights glow urge me forward as adrenaline starts to take hold. I have to make it off this mountain. I have to get out of here!

I run blindly out into the field before me. Accompanied only by the echoing of the predator's laughter and wolf howling, the sight of naked beastmen hurtling across the rolling hills beyond, and the moon that lights up the night with more than just an instinctual cry for life.

My heat hammers in my chest as warm tears stream down my face. All I can understand is that I need to run, the urgency overwhelming all other thoughts as my body begins to move on instinct. I sprint hard and fast, not even looking where my feet fall. I don't care when I stomp across sharp rocks that hurt my feet or pointed sticks that stab into my pads. I just keep going. Not even pain seems to register as I just keep charging forward into the endless night on a breathless flight for my life.

A while into my run and I start to lose stamina. Enough that I brave a look over my shoulder and realise I've actually made it a good distance from the stage. I've always been a fast runner and I thank god for that quality as I make out the glimmering lights and activity of those still present at the camp, maybe fifty metres away from me. What did that dragon say again? "Come morning and they will begin the hunt"? I look back towards the rolling hills for where the sun will rise and squint into the distance.

I'm not too sure what time it is. The moon hanging in the dark sky overhead is my only tell, and that alone suggests it's long past midnight, maybe even nearing early morning by now.

I feel extremely tired, but all I can think about is that I need to get as far away from those maniacs as possible. And I know if I stop now, I will just collapse. So I start to run again. I run towards the forest that is still a hundred or so metres ahead of me. Once I get to the woods, perhaps I can find a pond or something? I did cross over a river on my drive up here, so maybe I could even find that? I look out across the field once more and through my dripping sweat, my racing heart and the lingering fear prickling the back of my neck, I find new determination to press forward yet again.

After making my way over the highest part of one of the many hills in this valley, I am absolutely spent from running for hours on end without any rest or water. I am drenched in sweat, my heart beats so fast it feels like it's about to explode inside my chest and my legs are shaking so much that I feel like a newborn calf. I promptly collapse to the ground in a panting mess. I might have been training to build up my stamina by running every morning, but doing this without having eaten all day, and absolutely nothing to drink, and not to mention being cramped up in that cage, I'm just too tired. I can't go any further.

I roll over onto my back, panting like a feral dog and looking up at the stars as I try to slow down my erratic breathing through much concentration. My stomach aptly growls in complaint and cramps up as if on cue, causing me to curl up slightly under the pain.

Kyle: "F-f-fuck..." I heave for breath through a blank mind as I lay in the thick grass, taking a few minutes to recover before I'm breathing normally. Once I start to feel half alive, I roll myself into a sitting position with much struggle and look around the area I'm in before glancing back at the way I came.

The moon has lowered into the sky quite a bit, but there is still no sign of the sun rising, which I suppose is good. I really need to find something to drink, for I can't keep going on like this... My body is reaching a breaking point.

Just as I am sitting here thinking that, I catch sight of something through my peripherals. A few feet away from me is a plant I recognise. Slowly, I get to my paws and knees and edge myself closer towards it until I'm right in front of the shrub. Running my finger pads along its fat, juicy looking leaves, I am certain I know what this is. It's called "Grasorum" and is very similar in many ways to the aloe plant in appearance. It almost looks like a lettuce and aloe plant fucked and made this round thing. But unlike aloe, it's completely safe for eating raw.

I remember reading in my "A pawbook guide to the survivalist's natural lifeline" that this is one of the most common plants in this area that survivalists can eat in a pinch for nutrition. It is rich in proteins, electrolytes and fibre.

Running my fingers along the edges of the plump leaves once more, I feel out a fist sized leaf of the bulbous plant to make sure there are no thorns like the aloe plant has and am happily relieved to find none.

Kyle: "Y-yes..." I breathe out a bit steadier as I move to kneel in front of the shrub properly before grabbing at the stem to remove one of the leaves.

Yanking one of the fat blades from the round plant, I bring it up to my muzzle and give it a few idle sniffs. It smells like earth and wet mulch. It doesn't have a strong scent, but the plant is just sticky as an aloe. Slime drips from where I broke the blade off the stem, transparent and looks almost like saliva. Tentatively, I take a small bite from the tip and chew it slowly.

It's... Disgusting. It tastes like an unripe tomato slathered in anal lube. It's both bitter and sour all at once. But the thick juices running down my throat instantly quenches my thirst. I shiver as I swallow the pulp and pull at face at the aftertaste, which is even worse than the plant itself. It's literally like trying to swallow hay that was soaked in vinegar and mugwort. I shudder in disgust before looking down at the leaf in my paw and sigh out in defeat.

I don't know when next I'll run into anything like this, and I have no way of take the plant with me, other than carrying it in my arms. Not that there is much to carry. All in all, the grasorum is as big as a small head of lettuce. With a deep sigh, I raise the blade to my mouth and continue eating it, chewing as quickly as possible before swallowing it down and repeating the process.

After about half an hour, I was finally able to struggle down the last bit of that horrible plant. And while the meal was dreadfully cringe worthy, I can't deny that I do feel a lot better. And now that I've had a moment to rest and fill my belly with something, my thoughts are much clearer than before. My mind isn't running on adrenaline and fear, so I'm seeing everything through renewed eyes. Well... Fear is still nipping at the back of my neck, telling me I should really be pushing forward instead of sitting here...

The reality of what is going on is... Daunting. harrowing. Just... Inconceivable to believe that something like this is _actually_happening in this day and age. I keep having these moments where I tell myself this is all some big joke, some sick prank maybe. That perhaps James Trigot will jump out a bush and yell "YOU GOT, GOT!" with a camera crew at his side. That I'd be able to laugh about this after I punch his stupid face and sue them once I get home. But that scene back at the stage was too authentic. The other naked captive's tears too real. The predators screams too blood curdling for this to be fake...

It's been more than a hundred years since cannibalism has been banned, so does that mean they have been practicing this since then? The tournament is over five-hundred and something years old after all... Fuck. I still can't really wrap my brain around this. I've never really thought about other anthropomorphs eating one another... It's... Barbaric. Primitive. How can this be happening??

I-I need to get out of here. The more I sit around, the worse my thoughts race and I'm not going to wait to find out if my notions are worse than the reality I've found myself in. That plant can only hold me for so long after all, and I NEED to find a proper source of water if I intend to survive this. Once I find that river, I can follow it down the mountain side and it should lead me back to the road I took up here, and that means my way out of this!

Kyle: "Alright Kyle, you've got this!" I psyche myself up and stand with renewed energy, nodding as I look ahead. Throwing one last look over my shoulder to look down the hill and find the valley below is still silent and void of anyone, I turn towards the forest far ahead of me. It's still a few hundred metres away, but I can make it there before sunrise. I'm sure of it.

I slump forward on tired feet, my legs refusing to raise anymore. Fatigue forcing me to hunch over with my paws on my knees as I wheeze for breath through a frantically pulsating heart.

Kyle: "I-I... I made it." I stand on shaky legs and look out before me.

I am at the edge of a forest that is mixed with a number of different trees, all of them tall. I can make out the eucalyptus from its scent and what looks to be quite a few sequoia, even a few beech, growing sparely between them.

As my arms shake and struggle to keep me from collapsing, I raise my head to observe the mixing pot of flora and bushes, shrubs and plant life around me. They are just as lush and as vibrant as the forest a few metres away. I would be almost tempted into try eating a few of the leaves if I didn't know any better. I can feel my energy sapping faster with each second, my strength draining with each strangled breath I inhale, and soon my eyes follow suit, becoming overwhelmingly heavy. So heavy that they start close on their own.

I've been going at it all night and my body was already spent from being caged up all day. I feel like I am going to give out any minute now... And when I take two steps forward in an attempt to at least make it to some cover, my legs _do_give out! I promptly collapse to the grass in a heaving pile of fur.

Kyle: "I... I can't..." I pant heavily through a wheezing voice as my vision darkens with each tired breath I take.

Kyle: "I-I need to find s-some cover..." I can't pass out in the middle of the field like this, it'd be so easy to spot me.

So pushing myself up onto my paws and knees with all I can muster, my limbs start to shake like limp strands of spaghetti trying to balance a juicy meatball. I endure the exhaustion and begin crawling forward, pushing myself, refusing to give up until I make it to the few bushes nestled around a large rock just ahead of me. One of which I recognize as a juniper plant. Sadly, it isn't in season.

I crawl into the shrubs with much effort, their branches pocking and scratching my skin and tugging my fur as I burry myself in the leafy masses before giving into gravity and collapsing onto my stomach before clawing my way a little closer to the rock. This will have to do... I just can't go any further and the only other cover is the forest.

Rolling onto my back, I flop my head to the side and look to the treeline. It's so close I can almost touch it. But my eyelids start drooping more and more without my obedience as I struggle to remain conscious. Fuck... No. I can't make it there. I just need a few hours of rest and I'll be able to carry on.

Looking up at the sky between the bushes, I am still uncertain of the time, but at least I can't see any sign of the sun rising. The stars twinkle overhead in a hypnotising pattern as I continue to breathe heavily.

Kyle: "Just... Just a few hours..." I'll be good to go on with just a bit of rest...

~To Be Continued~