THE HUNT: Day Eight

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#12 of Vore Stories

This story is about an aspiring survivalist who attends an annual festival he has been watching online for years. By some stroke of luck, fate smiles upon the runt of a coyote and answers his prayers to finally attend "The Hunters & Predators Tournament!". In a world where 15fteen foot gryphons and hunky himbo beastmen attend this event, what will happen to this little woof~? Did fate truly lead him to this isolated mountain retreat? Or was it something more... Sinister~?

Listed tags are for the entirety of ALL NINE DAYS of the story


~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.]

~DayEight~

???: "Kyle!" A soft voice sounds, stirring me from my deepest, most wretched of interrupted slumbers I have ever had...

???: "KYLE!" Again, it sounds. Echoing louder than before, but not enough to free me from the torment and gloom that my death-ridden mind stews in. Light bathes my flesh and pain wracks my bones. But I cannot stir back to life...

???: "KYLE!" But with the third yelling of my name, something leaps upon me and starts to shake my shoulders, screaming right in my ear! Still, my eyelids are too heavy, my body too spent, my soul too crushed. I can't even react...

???: "KYLE!" Again, my name is screamed into my ear, and if obeying its command, my eyes flutter but fail to open. I feel dead to the world. And if this is the reaper himself, then he can take me without protest. I am done. I am too finished. I can't bear this burden of living anymore...

???: "WAKE UP KYLE!" Something familiar resonates in the voice calling that strikes a chord with me, but it's not the tone that finally rouses me, but the instinct in me to survive that has my eyes finally pry themselves open to not just the bright blue sky overhead, but a sudden rush of black fur is suddenly upon me and squeezing unforgivably tight!

Kyle: "A-AH! G-get off of me!" I bark and uselessly fight back as reality continues to sink in, but the dark mass of fur clings to me without remorse, sending waves of pain through me and refuses to let go!

???: "KYLE IT'S ME!!!" I freeze in place as the familiar voice finally registers in my foggy brain in a flash of recognition.

Kyle: "J-Jake??" The cat finally allows me to push him back till I can see his tearstained face. But as soon as I do, I am struck with such an overwhelming relief that I lung back upon him with just as much force as he first did to me!

Kyle: "JAKE! I-I'm so happy to see you!!!" I start sobbing uncontrollably, gripping the feline so tight that I hurt myself, but feeling my friends embrace right now is more important than any pain I can endure. Jake soon follows, his tears soaking into my fur as his claws sink into my back. But once again, there is no pain in this world that can stop me from enjoying this reunion.

It felt like a full hour went by before we were able to pull away from each other. And still quietly sobbing as we kneel in the sand, holding each other's paws and look into one another's eyes with shared, Jake finally speaks.

Jake: "S-sorry... I didn't mean to wake you up like that. I-it's just that when I saw you..." He trails off, but I nod in understanding.

Kyle: "I-I don't care. I would have woken you the same way were our roles reversed." I say through a sad chuckle as my eyes finally catch the position of the sun overhead. It doesn't seem too be too late into the morning, maybe an hour or two passed sunrise.

Kyle: "So... A-are you alright?" I ask throat a hoarse voice as I set my sights back on the naked cat in front of me, quickly clearing the spermy taste from my throat as I weakly smile to him. Jake's fur is mussed up in every which direction and he looks extremely tired. His whiskers and droopier than his ears and his eyes are terribly bloodshot and unfocused.

Jake: "Y-yeah... I'm alright." The feline says while whipping his snotty nose and putting on a smile just as forced as my own.

Jake: "A-are you... Alright? Wh-why do you smell like... Uhm..." Jake's paws run up and down my forearms, his frown deepening.

Jake: "Why are you covered in... In..." Despite the seriousness of the situation, my joy is unmatched by my sorrow of embarrassment, and I chuckle weakly.

Kyle: "In cum? Heh, it's... It's a long story." He eyes me off with an extremely worried expression for a moment before nodding.

Jake: "It was Connor. Wasn't it?" Despite having lost my last shred of dignity yesterday, I still feel ashamed by him stating it so plainly.

Kyle: "Uhm... Yeah. He offered me food and water for a sexual favour. Except... I had no idea what he really had in mind..." Jake's paws find my shoulders and draw my gaze back to his subdued blue eyes through a squeeze.

Jake: "S-sorry Kyle..." He says while kneading my shoulder but relents when I wince in pain. I try hard not to let the tears come out, for the expression Jake is giving me is so affectionate, it feels like my heart might break if that dame should be set loose again. Nodding through a sigh, I pry his paws from me and hold them both in my lap.

Kyle: "He... Isn't around. Right...?" I ask while taking a nervous look over his shoulder and down the dirt path I collapsed on.

Jake: "Nah... I've just..." He trails off and I can't stop myself from smiling once more as I know where he is going with this.

Kyle: "Heard stories, huh?" A slight smile makes its way to the cat's face as he nods before looking to the distance with me.

Jake: "Yeah..." We both fall into a silence after that. I clutch his paws tightly as they become a life raft for me in this sea of overwhelming emotions swamping my thoughts that are still very much dark. An anchor holding me down and bringing me back from the brink of despair. And after a moment longer of sitting in silence, I sigh out through a more assured breath.

Kyle: "We should... We should probably get a move on." It is a chore getting to my feet, but once I do, I offer out a paw to the black cat still kneeling listlessly in the dirt and he takes it.

Jake: "Y-yeah..." I raise him up, finding the feline to be much lighter than I expected and look out across the barrens towards the treeline that is so close by.

Kyle: "Do you want to try forage around here, or should we try to find something to eat in the forest?" I ask the downcast cat who perks an ear.

Jake: "L-let's just keep going. I'm alright for now... The forest is so close. I'm alight." Jake sighs and straightens himself out, sounding more like he's trying to convince himself that he is okay than me. But I can see the cat looks far from it. I'm actually really worried as I watch him wobble in place...

Kyle: "Alright. Just... Lean on me if you need to, okay?" He smiles in return through a nod and we start our trek towards the forest. Don't worry Jake. I'll be here for you. We can get through this together...

It takes us no less than two hours to make it to the forest, another thorn infested, acacia treed one, and at least another forty-five minutes after that to make it through the bushes. But once we do, Kyle and I come into an opening. Our jaws immediately falling slack at the sight before us. We both stand frozen in place for a full ten seconds before Jake breaks the silence through a war like cry.

Jake: "W-w-w-WATER!!!" We make a mad dash for the river and practically jump in! With our snouts and paws buried beneath the running stream, Jake and I practically inhale it more easily than fishes would!

I only pull my head back when I can no longer breathe, and after taking a few gasping and coughing breathes, that leave me feeling like a new man, I start using my paws to cup each mouthful. But the taste of cum and dirt immediately hit me, so I quickly rinse them off before drinking deeply once again.

Jake: "AAAAAAaaahhh~" Jake smiles through a drawn-out sigh in a state of utter bliss as he falls to his ass on the riverbank. The cat's face is sopping wet, and his whiskers are dripping with water, but I can't help but share the sentiment and join him in sitting on the cool sand.

Jake: "W-wow... I feel so much better already." I can't deny that. He even sounds more like himself. Not that I don't feel the exact same way.

Kyle: "I know what you mean." I say through a chuckle as I wipe my chin with the back of my paw and idly look across the water. The stream is almost transparently clear. Embedded by light, very fine sand that runs all the way to the forest twenty feet behind us, the gentle flowing creek seems to be flowing directly against the mountain side. Following the direction the water runs to my right, it seems to trickle downstream at a slight incline and immediately I realise my hopes of it being the same river I saw on my way up here reignite!

Kyle: "You know what this means right?" I ask through an ecstatic grin while pointing my finger to the right. But Jake's eyes are closed when he responds with jovially laughter and doesn't see my gesture.

Jake: "That we won't die?" The black cat speaks sarcastically while the grin on his face widens as his relief deepens through another drawn out sigh.

Kyle: "No, even better than that! Don't you remember the drive up here? We passed over a river, so if we follow this downstream then w-"

Jake: "WE CAN ESCAPE!!!" Jakes eyes shoot open wide as he cuts me off through a shout. He grabs me with both paws while looking from me to the river and back again before he starts laughing and crying at the same time.

Jake: "AAAhhh!!!" He wails out in a fit of illation mixed with relief and wraps me in a tight hug! Jake frail body shakes violently as his stutters in my ear.

Jake: "We're g-going to make it! We're ACTUALLY going t-to make it!!!" I cling to hum just as tightly, just as fiercely, as I reiterate the notion.

Kyle: "Yes! We _WILL_Jake! We just have to push a little further." I reassure him before pulling the cat to arm's length and looking into his blue, tear filled and bloodshot eyes while squeezing his shoulders.

Kyle: "We just have to push a little more. Just a little! This is almost over." The feline nods along with my words, his tears finally dying down into sniffles as his voice comes out in rattling shakes. Jake releases my arms with closed eyes and starts mumbling something under his breath that sounds like a prayer, so I let go as well and look along the riverbank with a squinting gaze.

Kyle: "But first-" I say while supporting my weight with my paws on my knees as I get to wobbly feet and strain into an upright position.

Kyle: "We need to find something to eat." I say wearily through my own sigh. Looking down to Jake, he has a soft smile on his face as he looks across the river with a thousand-yard stare. That desperate look he once held in his eyes has long since vanished. Replaced by the same hope I feel.

Kyle: "You look around here alright? And I'll quickly swim to the other side of the river and search over there." Jake stands at my words, legs just as wobbly as mine, if not more, and nods with determination in his voice.

Jake: "Alright." He sighs out, for what I hope will be the last time, and takes a deep breath, but directly after it, the feline makes two quick sniffs in my direction through his pink nose and chuckles with a playful grin.

Jake: "Err... While you're in the river. You might want to wash off Kyle." I respond with my own chuckle and lunge to hug the cheeky cat, using my body to try and spread the odour from my fur onto him in a jovial giggle.

Kyle: "We're _both_going to need to take a bath Jake!" He can only scream and cuss while failing to escape my grasp, which only causes me to laugh harder.

We're going to make it out of this Jake. You and me. Together...

After searching the riverbanks, we were fortunate enough to gather three grasorum plants and even found some blueberries growing just a little way up the stream! Jake and I sit next to each other in front of the bush as we eat our fill of the shrub, not stopping till it was completely barren before we leaned back in the sun-baked sands with full bellies and happy smiles.

Jake: "Ahh~ That was completely, fucking, utterly, DELICIOUS!" I laugh with him in agreement. It's weird how being in such a dire situation can bring out different sides of people. I never thought I'd hear this guy swear, he was so polite before, even while berating me! Hehe~

Kyle: "I know what you mean~ When was the last time you had anything to eat anyway?" I ask while flopping my head in his direction, finding his face illuminated by the sun, his black fur glistening in a rainbowed hue of colours.

Jake: "Yesterday actually. I found a tomato bush out in the arid area back there." He nods through closed eyes and a toothy smile.

Kyle: "Oh wow! Me too! They were so sweet and unlike any I've ever eaten!"

Jake: "I know right~?" He giggles while rubbing his stomach before flopping his head in my direction and revealing to me his eyes that shine in the sunlight just as magnificently as his fur. I can't help but notice how beautiful he looks.

Jake: "But other than them, I've been living off of grasorum almost entirely. It's not the tastiest thing around, but it helps with nutrition."

Kyle: "Eurg, me too. Though... I did have a loaf of white bread yesterday." Jakes eyes widen and his whiskers twitch as he blinks in surprise.

Jake: "What!? A-and what tree did you pluck that from?? Are you sure your hunger wasn't just making you see things?"

Kyle: "Haha, uhm... I-it's what I traded Connor for, with that sexual favour..."

Jake: "Oh..." His teasing smile falls as he realises what I mean. Jake's gaze returns to the blue sky with an almost empty look in his eyes. I quickly join him, suddenly feeling very awaked. But clear my throat and continue.

Kyle: "Y-yeah. He gave me a loaf of bread and some pink water before..." I trail off and decide not to finish. Instead, we return to a companionable silence as we look up at the shifting white clouds overhead with the sound of the flowing river in the background. When Jake does finally speak again, his words sound tentative, uncertain and measured.

Jake: "It... What was it like? Y-you know... I-in there?" I close my eyes at the question, the sun shining down on my face as I hold my breath in for a moment before trying to sigh out all the anxiety attached to this memory.

Kyle: "Terrifying... Hotter than a sauna and with such a horrible odour that I thought I would throw up with every breath I took..." I open my damp eyes and try to swallow down my emotions as my throat tightens at the imagery.

Kyle: "I... I honestly thought I was going to die... I thought he tricked me and that was it for me... I-I thought maybe I would..." Before I can finish my shaky words, Jake pats my arm and gives me a mournful smile with sympathetic eyes.

Kyle: "My whole body is actually pretty sore from being squeezed so tightly through his urethra and then thrown around like some pin-ball."

Jake: "Th-thrown around?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, and I feel my cheeks heating up. Urg... D-do I really have to spell it out?

Kyle: "H-he was jerking off... It's... How else was he going to get me out..." Jake's face flushes with realisation and I watch as the insides of his ears turn red before he turns away in embarrassment. Hey dude, you wanted to know. I tried to spare you the details...

Jake: "O-oh... Right... Of course..." Another wave of silence falls over us, but in it, Jake takes the initiative to shimmy closer to my side before wrapping a comforting arm under my neck and leaning in.

Jake: "You're still alive Kyle. It's over now. And you and me? We're going to make it! Alright?" I wipe a stray tear from my cheek and side hug with a paw across his sunken stomach.

Kyle: "Heh, Thanks Jake. I-I know we will." He nods and squeezes me tighter.

Jake: "But we should probably get a move on. Staying in once place for too long is dangerous." We both stand up in unison and dust ourselves off. Thank god I took that bath in the river before this, because laying in the sun like that really helped me dry off pretty quickly. It's just my back that is damp, but the walk will take care of that in no time.

Kyle: "Yeah, I know that. I sadly had to figure it out the hard way." Jake nods curtly before looking to the brush behind us then off down the river.

Jake: "There isn't much of an incline huh? Do you think the river just flows further down or do you think it might turn into a waterfall?"

Kyle: "Err... I-I don't think so. I just know that I drove over a bridge and there was a river coming from further up the mountain." Jake hums worriedly in response before a look of determination spreads across his face once more.

Jake: "Alright. Let's just keep going. We can deal with it when it comes." And with that, we set off along the riverbank, keeping to the shade of the thorn trees and bushes while hoping that better things await us on the horizon.

Jake and I have been walking for a few hours now. We stopped a little while back as we both needed to take crap. And sitting, barely five feet apart with only a single bush separating us, it was not the most comfortable experience I've ever had. But at this point, making embarrassing sounds from my tailhole are the least of my worries in the prospect of being safe. It would seem Jake has been doing the whole "Shitting in a hole" thing too. Heh... He is defiantly much more prepared for this lifestyle than I ever was.

As we walk along the river's edge, we have been able to drink water whenever we want, which for the first time in seven days, is a luxury I had been without. Jake too from what I understand.

We have been trading stories of where we have been since we parted at the camp, and what we have done in order to survive this long. Jake, for the most part, seemed to have been alone throughout his time on the mountain. He apparently ran into Leo and thought he was done for. But the big lion only teased him for a bit before offering help in exchanged for a sexual favour. Jake turned him down outright.

The black feline had somehow fallen behind me on the path to meeting me here. Perhaps we zigzagged passed one another and he got a little off course? He did say he spent a lot of his time sleeping, so maybe that's it? Because so far, I think I've done a pretty good job of heading in a straight line to the west.

Jake and I are taking another break by the water's edge, sitting on the sand under the shade of an acacia tree. The black cat at my side sighs out as he leans against the trunk, looking pretty worn already.

Jake: "H-how much further do you think we will be walking for?" I look down the river before shrugging weakly.

Kyle: "Can't really tell. The river seems to just keep going on." Jake sighs out yet again, sounding even more exhausted than before and hangs his head between his raised knees. Prompting me to reach over and rub his shoulder.

Kyle: "Tired?" I know he's tired, and I know I've been pushing him, but we need to keep going. Even if we are sore and nearing the point of collapse. We are so very close, and we can't just give up now because of our bodies.

Jake: "V-very." D-damnit... So far Jake's been saying he's fine, but it looks like he has reached his limit. The sun is still a few hours from setting... His stamina has gone to the dogs from lack of nutrition these past few days.

Kyle: "Yeah, me too." I say absent mindedly while looking to the sky to try judge the time before glancing back to our path that leads down the river.

Kyle: "Look. Let's keep going a little further Jake. The more ground we cover, the safer we will wind up being." The feline looks down the river with me, his eyes sagging and his ears drooping in defeat.

Jake: "C-can we at least rest for a little longer this time? I don't think I can go any further. My legs are killing me..." I bite my lip and look him over again. I guess this explains why I beat the cat out into the arid part of the mountain. His stamina must have been bad before even facing malnourishment...

Kyle: "A-alright Jake. I guess we can rest a little longer than before. But we can't stay here any longer than half an hour, it's no-"

???: "Not sssafe at all~" A oily voice cuts me off, sounding out right behind us! Jake and I both jump to our feet like crickets. Turning to face the intruder, we both yelp in unison as we take in who had somehow snuck up on us so silently.

Kyle: "Fl-Flynn!" I bark out in utter despair, his name leaving my lips like a bad omen being made reality under his slithering gaze.

The naga in question is only ten feet away in the bushes and leaning towards us with a sinister grin on his face. Flynn's pink, forked tongue flickers out from his scaly lips and tastes the air between us before pulling back with a chuff.

Flynn: "In the ssscalesss~" Time freezes over as I look up at his wicked visage.

Flynn Sylvaur is the last person anyone would ever want to meet. Out here, or even in civilisation. He is wicked in all he does. The snake in question is the nastiest person you could ever meet. At least from what I've seen and read online. Standing ten feet off the ground, the green and yellow scaled serpent is fear incarnate. His slitted orange eyes have long spoken to me of his murderous intent before I ever knew of this eighth trial. And being face to face with him now, it's even more intense.

Built like a beastman from the hips up, the rest of Flynn's body is about twelve metres in length and completely snake like. He has somehow coiled his long body to either side of us without our notice, completely trapping Jake and I between him and the river. The thickest part of the snake like portion of his frame is perhaps the size of a truck's tire, around maybe two or more feet across. Thicker than any naga I've ever seen. Bigger than any anaconda even.

Flynn has long been known as a voraphile. There were legal charges he faced a few years ago when the police found out he was consuming beastmen alive. The thing is, he swallowed these people with written permission, so in the end, Flynn got away with it. The people he ate whole were all too willing to live out their sexual fantasies of being vored by the snake and signed over their lives willingly. He was still taken to court despite all of this. But having all of his documents in order, the charges were dropped and he was set free onto the streets once more. I think the consensus was that it was like some type of legal euthanasia, a type of assisted suicide kinda deal? Either way, the serpent was released from custody and is still doing it to this day.

Jake moves to flee from the beast, but falls down as his legs give out! The black cat has been running on fumes for the last ten minutes and still hasn't recovered. I quickly pull my friend to his feet and start backing us up towards the river and away from the slithering monster.

Sh-shit... Seeing this naga before me, I realise his appearance can mean only one thing. My hunter has finally cornered me... I've met ever other predator atop this mountain, so it has to be him. Fuck... WHY did it have to be him!?

As I push Jake towards the water's edge with my arms raised to either side in defence of him, I eye off the paths left and right. Flynn's coils lay on either side of the riverbank, just barely grazing the waters. The only option we have is to jump in the river. But I don't think the black cat is in any condition to swim.

I...I could always just leave him behind and make my getaway on my own... Flynn isn't able to kill him, so I could at least survive that way... But the more I think about it, the worse I start to feel... Determination seems to replace this fear of death as I steel my resolve. I pull Jake right up against my back and stand protectively in front of him. Maybe if I distract Flynn long enough for the feline to get away first, then make my escape in the river, we can both survive this... There is no way I can outrun this guy on land. I've seen him move and it's scary. But can the same thing be said about water? I know anaconda can swim really well, but in all the video's I've watched of Flynn, I've never once seen him in water... I'd be taking a big risk chancing this...

Taking a deep breath, I steady my racing heart and stare the villain right in his bright orange eyes and bare down my sneer through a growl.

Kyle: "Jake. You need to get out of here." I say with conviction and a tone I never knew I had. While I feel absolutely terrified, I sound calm and confident. A feeling, a deep _need_to protect my friend from any harm this snake might use against him in order to get to me takes over and I can think of nothing else.

Jake: "Wh-what??" He splutters over my shoulder, his warm breath washing over my neck and whiskers tickling me. But I don't falter in my response.

Kyle: "Escape this place. Make sure all the others didn't die in vain." Reacting to my words, Flynn suddenly flings his head backward and burst out in laughter.

Flynn: "HAHAHAHA! Aren't you a brave little thing~?" The serpent says while leaning towards me and flickering his tongue out.

Kyle: "Jake. Get going. He isn't allowed to hurt you, but he might still try keep you from escaping." I bark out right as the naga's laughter comes to a close.

Flynn: "Hmm~ And why are you ssso sure that you are my prey, sssnack~?" My defiant gaze upon him wavers for a second and I glance back to Jake.

Kyle: "Because I've met all the other hunters. They all let me go. And you are the last one to cross my path." The gigantic snake coils back as he gets into a sitting like position and observes. The green scales imprisoning us shifting and slithering as he raises a hand to his chin, a smug look spreading across his face.

Kyle: "Jake, get out of here NOW! Please!" My confidence in defending him is starting to waver as my legs shake, but Jake is just frozen in place! I don't want to leave him, but I don't really think I could swim with him in my arms. The naga on the other hand, looks annoyed with all my shouting.

Flynn: "Oh, but you are wrong, little morsssel~" Flynn says with piercing eyes no longer focused on me, but over my shoulder. A glower that has the black feline against my back tense and quiver.

Flynn slithers forward two feet, and in turn, I take two back. Jake's and my feet splashing into the river as I continue backing up until the snake finally stops his approach. Leaving us ankle deep in the river.

Flynn: "For you sssee... I've been hunting your little friend over there, not you, sssnack." My eyes widen and I jut out my arms wider.

Kyle: "YOU LIE! Why would the other hunters let me go then!?" I shout out while taking two more steps back when Flynn starts slithering forward again. The snake grins as he raises up fifteen feet into the air with folded confidently.

Flynn: "You naïve little thing~ Don't you know that each hunter hasss hisss own way of catching hisss prey~?" Up to my knees in water now, I stop backing away as his words capture my attention.

Kyle: "Wh-what do you mean?" The smirk on his lime green lips widens as he continues through an arrogant tone befitting his demeanour.

Flynn: "Well... Sssome of usss like to chassse our kill for a far dissstanssse until they are too tired to run anymore." He says with a proud look on his face and a hand gesture to his left while regaling me with predator's stratagems.

Flynn: "We will purposssefully ssstay a comfortable dissstanssse and tire them out before lunging in for the kill~" Flynn enunciates the last part with a flick of his tongue and a snide look in his eyes.

Flynn: "While othersss prefer to ssstalk our prey while they are ssstill full of vigour~ We'll wait for an opportune moment in the shadowsss until they are dissstracted and deliver a terrible blow to end it all. Right then and there."

Flynn: "Other timesss, we would guide our prey to sssertain areasss where we know we have them trapped before making a move." Flynn snickers and looks me up and down with a truly evil look on his face before continuing.

Flynn: "And then... And then there are predatorsss like your hunter, little sssnack~" Flynn's orange gaze gleams with a malignance I haven't seen in the other hunters as he bares his murderous eyes into me. I might have thought the other predators were cruel, but being face to face with this naga, it's like staring evil in the face. Cruelty practically bleeds off of him in waves.

Flynn: "They like to play mind gamesss with their kill. Toy with you. Make you feel comfortable and sssafe in their presssenssse before ssstriking out~"

Kyle: "I-if this is even true, it means you've just ratted them out! Why should I even believe you? Of all the hunters, you are by far the most deceitful."

Flynn: "Hmm... I sssuppossse. But I've never exxxactly had their trussst to begin with. But you sssee, I didn't have much of a choissse in telling you thisss after all~" Flynn says in an overly dramatic and sibilant tone.

Kyle: "A-and why is that...?" The serpent smirks down at us, pausing as he looks around with a smirk before hissing out once more.

Flynn: "You sssee little morsssel... I needed to dissstract you both long enough to make my move~"

Jake: "KYLE!" Jakes paws, that were clasped around my arms so tightly, suddenly fall slack and are ripped from my fur! As I look back to him with a jolt, I watch in horror as the cat is yanked away from me!

Kyle: "JAKE!" I hadn't realised it till now, seen as the naga had me distracted, but Flynn had slowly been coiling his body into the water. And now he's completely surrounded us on all sides! Using his tail, the evil serpent wrapped it around Jakes waist and hoists him back with one quick tug!

Kyle: "Nooo!" Flynn raises my friend mid-air, about ten feet from the ground and just out of reach. I watch in panic as more of the naga's tail quickly slithers and encases the feline's body, pinning Jakes arms and legs to together with practiced ease and speed I didn't imagine possible!

Jake: "H-HELP ME!!!" There is no way I can jump up to reach him being so high above me, so I lunge forward, and grabbing onto Flynn's body, just below his hips with my blunt claws, and latch onto his scales with my parted jaws and bite down as hard as I can!"

Flynn: "Arrgg!" I tighten the grip of my jaw, actually succeeding in piercing the snake's scales! The taste of blood hits my mouth, and just as I'm about to pull back and rip out a chunk of his flesh, something is slammed HARD into the back of my head! It shoves my face further into his body and forces my fangs from his scales. And before I can even try to pull away and dig my teeth back into him, I am suddenly hit just as powerfully as before and sent flying away!

Kyle: "Hrrp!" I am thrown off my feet with such speed that I can't help but imagine those anime characters as they are flung away from their opponents before slamming into a wall and smashing it to bits. I too, am I slammed into a solid force, except its right into Flynn's thick body instead of a wall. It feels like my spine breaks in two with how I crumple around his coils! A painful wheeze escapes my lips as my eyes bulge from my skull. My body collapses under his coiling scales as the naga releases a threatening hiss of distain for my actions. And looking up, I find the large snake has his hand raised in what must have been the backhand which hit me so heavily. My whole head is throbbing and even my vision is slightly dizzy as I try to get back to my feet again.

Jake: "K-KY-!" Jake's cries for help are roughly cut off and becomes muffled. And as I look over to my friend, I see Flynn has wrapped his coils all the way around the feline's face, completely encircling his black fur in green scales!

Flynn: "Tshh tshh tshh~ Don't cry little one~ Your tearsss are sssweet to tassste, but you are making too much noissse right now~" Flynn says through an oily vocie while flickering out his tongue and lapping the tears from Jakes mortified face. The feline can't even shake his head. Only his tail, toes and a part of his face remain flittering outside the naga's wicked grip.

Kyle: "N-NOO!" I shoot to my feet through the dizzy spell and pain before charging forward! Through my bleary vision I watch as Flynn pulls his repulsive smile from Jake and sets his glare upon me, and before I can even pounce from the ground and dig my fangs into his scales once more, I am assaulted with even more force than before!

Kyle: "OOOFF!" I smack right back into the naga's coils, losing all the air in my lungs! And through my bulging eyes and gasping breath, watch as Flynn's tail recoils from where I once stood. It appears that while I was recovering from the first hit, the naga was already in the process of unfurling his tail from around my friend and moving him further down his coils, allowing him to bash me with his whip like tail as I stupidly charged in.

I crumple to the sand in a wheezing mess. Spit flies from my mouth as I start choking for air. The pain in my right side is even worse than when Shane knocked me into that tree! Looking up from the floor as I gape like a fish, I can see teas rolling down Jakes face and his eyes are wide with absolute fear. I grit my teeth through the pain and nauseous feeling while pressing my paws to the ground as I heave myself to my feet. But my arms buckle under my own weight and I smash my face into the ground once again!

Kyle: "N-no..." I choke out while looking back up, finding Jake squirming in Flynn's moving scales. The naga isn't even bothering to constrict the feline. Flynn is just barely stopping Jake from escaping his grip as he keeps coiling his body lower and lower until my friend starts to disappear into the thicker coils.

Flynn: "Now... Where were we my morsssel~?" The naga says while flickering his pink, forked tongue across Jake's face once more in ravenous delight.

Flynn starts to manoeuvre and shift Jake around in his coils, teasingly tightening them for a moment and watching as the cat's eyes budge in his skull before unfurling. This torturous game of suffocation carries on for a moment longer, through constrictions and an evil laughter as the snake practically drinks in the feline's misery and tears. But thankfully the naga doesn't torment Jake for long, for in a few quick coiling motions, Flynn sends the feline to the very ends of his tail with practiced ease. The serpent's body moves with one mind. Every inch, every coil, they all shift and twist with such nimble purpose I can barely keep track of their movements. He has more control over his body than anyone should ever have. I can't even match his dexterity with my paws.

Raising Jake up higher into the air, Flynn alters the stance of his upper body. Lowering his beastman torso down towards the earth, the naga spreads his arms to the either side and aims his head towards the dangling cat. My eyes widen as I watch the serpent begin to unhinge his jaws unnaturally wide! I hear the naga's bones creak and crack sickeningly as his entire torso literal starts to pull apart into two pieces! Flynn's ribs dislodge from his spin, one by one and splay out into his scales like spread fingers as his shoulders part so far from his chest that there is no way his bones are still connected to his spine!

As I look up in horror at Flynn's body coming apart like a contortionist on muscle relaxants, I don't have the foresight to understand what is really about to happen. But when I see Jake is being lowered towards the abnormally gaped maw of the snake, my heart lurches in my chest in realisation!

Jake: "!!!" Flynn's coils slowly shift in tandem with lowering the feline, bringing him closer to his waiting mouth while simultaneously unfurling a coil from the casts face until the entirely of Jake's head is freed. My friend doesn't waste this moment to finally scream for the first time since his capture.

Jake: "NO NO NO!!!STOP!!!" Jake flops his head around wildly, wriggling and thrashing his face about in an poor attempt to halt his decent and free himself, but the naga doesn't stop, he doesn't even pause. The feline's movements are nothing to the serpent, for Jake doesn't budge an inch or hinder Flynn in the slightest. The snake continues to lower my friend towards the pink tunnel of his obscenely wide mouth as the feline wails in despair.

I am still heaving for breath on the ground as I try to yell out for Flynn to let Jake go, but only a breathless gasp escapes my lips. The naga threw me so hard into his scales that I fear I may have actually broken a rib this time. Wrapping my paw around my abdomen, I grit my teeth and once more try to inhale properly through the pain. But as I gag through shut eyes and a gut-wrenching sound, I hear Jake's cries suddenly become muffled and my eyes shoot open.

My face flies towards the scene above me, and my stomach immediately twists into knots as I see my friends head being stuffed into Flynn's maw! The sight of the naga ingesting Jake sends a surge of urgency through me that pain cannot contain. With what little strength I have left, I force myself through the agony and up from the sand with a few wheezing huffs. Each one burns like razors in my chest, and I can feel my lungs clapping against each other as I choke through my clenched throat as my wobbly arms struggle to support my weight.

Kyle: "Noo..." I say weakly while crawling forward with a paw outstretched, but my arm buckles beneath me and I slam chest first into the ground! The air pushes from my lungs once more, leaving me wheezing, panting mess.

Raising my thrice abused face upwards, I watch in horror as Jake's shoulders easily slip passed Flynn's lips without any resistance! The black feline's body is nothing to this voracious predator. The serpent is not even struggling to fit my friend's lithe body into his gaping throat. And it seems the more that Jake struggles, the easier he slips into the naga's welcoming oesophagus.

I try to cry out for Jake to stop panicking and use hit teeth to bite Flynn, but I feel like absolute mush on the ground and can barely get out a squeak. My breathing is slowly becoming better with each pained inhaled through my constricted throat, but as I watch Jake's stomach pass into Flynn's gaping maw, I know I won't be up in time to stop the monster from eating my friend.

Beneath the naga's dislocated chest, I can make out the indentation of Jake's form passing through, sinking deeper and deeper into the beast as my friends twitching paws slip passed the wet lips of the snake. Even his muffled screams are audible form here. Seeing Jake moving and wriggling around inside the body of another person like this is... Truly terrifying... Far scarier than having witnessed that little Chihuahua ripped to pieces...

Once Jake's hips slide into Flynn's mouth, the feline's fate is all but sealed, for as they do, so too do the coils binding him detangle completely. I watch helplessly as the naga starts making strong gulping motions and aids in send my friend deeper into the warm depths of his insides! Kicking and screaming, Jake's thighs, calves and tail slide into Flynn's waiting maw with frightening speed! Seeing the serpent's throat undulating so effortlessly as he gulps down another person as if it meant nothing, tells me exactly how many times he's done this before, and the almost lifeless look Flynn has in his eyes while swallowing my friend alive, only makes my stomach feel sicker than it is. With one final upward motion where the naga raises himself a little higher off the ground, he completely ingests Jake! I watch in panic as the tips of my friend's wriggling toes pass into the naga's mouth and snap shut behind the snake's lips, leaving only his black tail twitching outside Flynn's mouth!

Straightening his head horizontally, Flynn's tongue flickers out his mouth before he makes another strong gulp, this one sending the last bit of Jakes tail passed his scaley lips and my friend deeper into his throat!

Kyle: "!!!" I watch in absolutely mortified as Flynn's throat budges out in the shape of the feline! Jake wriggles, thrashes, and writhes uselessly beneath the taunt scales and strong muscles containing him, slipping effortlessly deeper into the serpent with each powerful swallow made.

Flynn wriggles his head side to side like a cobra rising out of a basket to the tune of a piper, seemingly to aiding in forcing the feline down, and once the last indent of Jake's feet slips into his chest, my friend's body starts to slide through the slick tunnel of Flynn's oesophagus with disturbing speed. Bulging passed where the serpent's stomach would normally be, if he were a typical beastman, and deeper into his coils. Coils the naga now unravels to lay out before himself to allow both of us to see the feline's passage into his deepest reaches.

A final, audibly louder gulp is all it takes for the last shape of Jake's legs to pass through Flynn's scaled chest, that is already in the process of re-joining itself, and slip into his snake like body! The sight of my friend's form wriggling and writhing within a monster like this has all my fur sticking up on end in both utter fear and searing anger. It's sickening beyond words and boils my blood like fire. The feelings awoken in me are enough in fact that I am finally able force myself from the ground! I can still save Jake! I will rip his guy's stomach open if I have to!

Kyle: "I-I'll k-kill you..." With lips pulled back and my fangs bared, I weakly whisper through my still constricted throat as I stumble forward. My ire raising as my hackles puff out.

Flynn: "Hmph. Big talk for a sssnack like you." The naga says through an oily sneer and a cocky grin. But there is nothing that will stop me.

I almost trip as I slump my pained body forward a few more feet, watching as Jake continues to sink deeper and deeper into the serpent's body. Flynn is unravelling his coils and putting the feline's bulging form on display, as if drawing satisfaction form watching me see Jake still alive inside.

I stumble the last few feet forward and raise both paws in anticipation of throwing myself upon the thick body of Flynn and ripping his scales open, but before I can kick myself from the ground, my raised paws are caught by the snake's tail! The naga wretches me from the earth by my wrists and yanks me into the air as if I weight nothing! Flynn pulls me up to his face and flickers his long tongue across my cheek with a shiteating grin.

Flynn: "I mussst sssay. I've never met prey before asss brave asss you little sssnack~ It'sss almossst a shame you aren't mine~" As he continues to rabble through his sinister tone, I rear back both my feet and kick the overgrown snake square in the chest with all my might!

Flynn: "OOF!" I knock all the air from his lungs and a set a most satisfying look of surprise and pain on his cocky face. Smirking to myself in satisfaction, I pull back with the inertia and poise to kick him once more, but they too are snatched up into the naga's coil and pressed tightly together!

In one fell motion, Flynn coils the scales around my legs and flips me upside down! Through abnormally quick movements, the serpent's body wraps and twists around me before trapping me entirely! His thick body slides and grinds against me like polished leather, and before I know it, I am consumed by his scales! My arms are dangling awkwardly above my head and my body is fully encumbered by his heavy green coils as the serpent suspends me mid-air, right above his stupid smirking face!

Kyle: "L-let me go!" I growl out defiantly even while I hang upside down in the snake's grip. Much to his amusement.

Flynn: "Oh-ho-ho you little shit~ You actually pack quite the punch for a sssnack! You can count your lucky ssstarsss I'm not allowed to eat you too~"

Flynn: "I would be ssso incredibly happy to allow you and your friend to reunite~ You would like that, wouldn't you? You could hug each other goodbye asss my ssstomach asssidsss ssstart to burn the ssskin from both your bonesss~ Oh~ how the shared ssscreamsss drive me wild~!" The naga says through a form shuddering shiver before the look of pleasure fades from his sick face.

Flynn: "But rulesss are rulesss." As I lay suspended upside down, I can see the bulge of Jake has come to a stop in Flynn's body. He must have already been pressed out into the snake's stomach... Shit... At least he still seems to be alive. But if he continues thrashing about like that, he is going to deplete his oxygen and I might not have enough time to save him.

Kyle: "L-let him go! Y-you can't do this!" I scream through my tears, as my bleary vision shoots back to the snake. My anger now turning to desperation as I realise how powerless I am against someone like him. But my pleas are only met with mocking laughter from the naga as he sneers.

Flynn: "Hahaha! Are you daft!? Or have you forgotten the very reassson you are even here?" Flynn's eyes become sharper, more wicked as he slightly tightens his coils around me. My aching body groans beneath his light constriction, but it's nothing compared to what I endured yesterday.

Flynn: "Ooh~ It isss ssso tempting to jussst break the rulesss right now and ssswallow you whole~ You'd like to give your friend sssome company, wouldn't you~?" Flynn says in a sibilant hiss while lowering his head beneath me and starts opening his mouth wide before prying his jaws apart!

Kyle: "A-AHH!!!" My skin prickles as I watch the naga's leathery lip's part and the pink insides of his yawning throat open up below me, revealing the slime covered, dark depths of his undulating throat. Flynn's breath is absolutely wretched and as I hang limply in his embrace, I can faintly hear the echoes of Jake's screams reverberating from deep within the fleshy tunnel. My eyes widen and I start thrashing around as the serpent lowers me towards his mouth!

I begin to sob without control as I weakly struggle against the scales tightening around my chest as visions of being pressed up against Jake inside of Flynn's stomach assault me. I start to conjure up images of how it would feel as the naga's stomach acids start to eat away at our flesh together, slowly melting us into chyme. Our sharp ribs would pierce our flesh once our skin erodes, and break through one another's chests before becoming interlocking our bones together as the churning organ continues to grind us into mush. We'd have no power against the movements as our bodies are melted in utter agony. The last thing we would ever be able to do is hold one another as tightly as possible while screaming before suffocating in one another's arms...

Flynn continues to lower me towards his gaping maw, and I am snapped out of these thoughts as I feel the first wave of his fetid breath brush across my face. My paws quickly find the rim of his mouth and I start pressing back against the elastic and leathery lips, but the coils holding me are too powerful to resist as he continues to lower my head into his mouth! I scream for what I think will be the last breath I take in this world, but right as I feel the first swipe of his tongue lash teasingly across my face, so too does the putrid breath of the snake leave my fur as Flynn once more pulls me back up and closes his mouth with a grin.

Flynn: "Heh, that isss what I thought~ You might act tough morsssel, but in the fassse of death, you all sssound the sssame going down. Everyone digessstsss with identical ssscreamsss of agony~ You will be no exxxeption."

The coils holding me suddenly tighten and my spluttering sobs turns into chokes and wheezes as the serpent's scales tighten around my body! I scream without sound as I feel my bones creak and strain beneath his coils! Flynn's orange gaze baring into me with malicious enjoyment as he laps up my suffering.

Flynn: "Don't think for a sssecond you could sssurvive if we met in the real world!" He shouts in my face as his coils tighten even more powerfully! My eyes bulge from my face as all the life is squeezed out of me!

The monstrous snake tightens his leathery scales once more and I hear what sounds like the cracking of my bones! Pain assaults me even more heavily than it did inside Connor's urethra, and I imagine Flynn breaking my spine without a second thought before casually casting my broken body to the ground and leaving me laying there paralysed, not able to do anything but hope my hunter will happen upon me and end my suffering before dehydration does. But just as I feel like I am going to snap like a twig between his unrivalled power, it all at once leaves me, and I am flung to the floor! I hit the sand HARD as breath once more returns to me in painful gasp!

Flynn: "Now ssscurry off before I beat you to a pulp and leave you out here ssso that your hunter can find you easssier." I groan as I lay face down in the dirt, His words not really registering as my entire body thrashes in violent waves of sharp pain that prickles my skin as blood returns to my arteries. I seethe through gritted teeth and endure the agony my body is once more exposed to.

But my eyes quickly fly open when I feel Flynn's scales press into me, he's in the process of reclining once more and carelessly pushes me out of the way with the form of my friend! Jake's body is shamelessly rubbed into me as the naga becomes more comfortable in the sand. Feeling the indentation of the feline as he screams and writhes inside Flynn's stomach has the notion of pain evaporating into a mix of mortified disgust. I scramble back and away with a wail of despair as I get to my knees and look on with a hollow feeling falling like a pit in the deepest reaches of my stomach. Looking to Flynn through my teary eyes, he is smirking something fierce. Leaning forward, the serpent sensually runs his hands along his scales, just above Jake kicking indentation. Anguish fills me completely as I finally understand that I'm absolutely powerless to stop him. I... I cannot save my friend from being digested alive...

Flynn: "Don't worry little sssnack~ You will get the sssame treatment sssoon enough. Essspesssially if you're planning on sssticking around here and watching asss your friend ssslowly burnsss to death in my ssstomach asssidsss~" Flynn says in a sibilant tone while he continues to watch me with a sickeningly pleased expression spread across his face. The naga's hands deepen their massaging of his scales, as he kneads his fingers into Jake's still thrashing form while the cat continues to scream within. The serpent is almost tempting me to attack him again. He seems to be drawing more pleasure from watching how powerless I am to save my friend than actually having eaten him. But I ignore his antagonizing sneer and get to my shaky leg in tears. Wobbling in place, I look to the snake's smug face and clench my paws as I hold back my fury. This only causes him to increase the teasing in his voice.

Flynn: "If it isss any consssolation, your friend wasss absssolutely deliciousss~ I thoroughly enjoyed tasssting every inch of him asss he went down kicking~"

Flynn: "Hmm~ I can ssstill taste him even now~ Hisss tearsss, hisss fearsss~ Ahh~ I can't wait to tassste hisss ssscreamsss asss he ssstartsss to digessst~" Flynn mocks me while flickering his tongue from his lips and looking directly into my eyes. The arrogance and spite in his voice has my blood boil once more, but I shut my eyes and turn my face from him as my body shakes with both anger and despair. Th-this guy... He's even worse than Brian! Than Leo... Connor... He is the worst of all these fucking monsters!!!

Flynn: "Heh. Run along little sssnack." The naga says with a deadpan tone while reclining onto the scales behind him, that fold like a chair as he puts both his hands behind his head. I catch him through my peripherals as he flickers his tongue into the air, looking absolutely bored with my presence now.

Flynn: "Your friend ssstill has about an hour left before he runsss out of oxxxygen. _More_if I desssire to prolong hisss sssuffering and ssswallow sssome for him~ Ssso unlesss you're waiting around to witnesss him digessst, I'd get going morsssel." I shut my eyes so tightly that even the tears stop falling while clenching my paws into fists until it feels like my blunt claws will pierce my paw pads. It's taking everything I have in me to not turn around and just take my chances with attacking Flynn. The snake's hissing laughter behind me only aids in shattering my resolve even more.

Flynn: "I thought you sssaid you were going to "Essscape" and "Tell the world about usss"?" He says while mocking my voice in a bad imitation of me.

Flynn: "How are you going to do that when your hunter findsss you sssitting out here with me? Besssidesss, do you really want to be around for your friend'sss final momentsss of life? Isss that sssomething you'd get off on?" I turn around with seething rage at his words, hissing through my teeth as I glower at him. My fury only seems to please the snake further. He flickers his tongue out at me and toys with Jakes form by running the tip of his tail along the screaming bulge.

Flynn: "Do you want to come rub him goodbye maybe? I do jussst LOVE the way he isss sssquirming around in me right now~ I'll even allow you to masssage my ssstomach while you jerk off to hisss dying ssscreamsss~"

Flynn: "Don't you jussst love the sssoundsss they make when they ssstart to sssuffocate~? Hhmm~ I might jussst rub one out myssself and ssspray my ssseed all over hisss wriggling form if you want to watch that inssstead~?" I am filled with so much anger that it feels as if I am about to explode! But instead of allowing this asshole to rile me up any further, I bark out at him with all my frustration before quickly turning tail and running off into the distance!

Flynn: "That'sss it sssnack! Jussst keep running with your tail between your legsss! I'll be sure to tell your hunter jussst which way you went!"

I want to turn back so desperately... I want to stop myself from running away more than I have ever wanted to do anything else in my entire life. Every fibre of my being is fighting my body right now. But I can't... I have to keep going, or this is all for naught. So gripping my palms tighter as I run forward, I grit my teeth and whisper an apology under my breath and don't turn to look back.

Kyle: "I'm so sorry Jake... Please forgive me... I'll make sure you don't die in vain..."

I ran for hours without stopping... I run until I just couldn't anymore. The sun has just set and I'm feeling absolutely exhausted and drenched in sweat. The combination of everything I've physically been through these past few days seems to catch up to me as I come to a slumping halt by the river side. I collapse to my knees, and after heaving for breath, I crawl towards the water's edge and drink deeply from it for a few moments before pulling back to catch my breath.

Looking off into the distance, it doesn't seem like I am getting any closer to the highway. I can't even see where this river ends yet. It's just mountains, forest and rushing waters for miles and miles ahead of me. I start to wonder if this is even the same river or not... This mountain can't seriously be this big...

Standing up on shaky legs, I start deciding on my next plan. I probably need to rest here for the night. I'm absolutely spent. Emotionally, physically and mentally. My heart is still heavy. So heavy it has sunk all the way into my legs. And the feeling of a rock being lodged in my throat hasn't left me even after those mouthfuls of water. The image of Jake's body wriggling inside Flynn's stomach all but burnt into my brain...

Looking back the way I came for a moment, I shake my head and clench my eyes shut and let out a shuddering breath.

Kyle: "I will make this right... I will make this right..." As I say this, it occurs to me that even when I do make it off this mountain and back to civilization, that this moment will stick with me forever. Out of everything that's happened to me so far. From seeing that Chihuahua being torn apart, to being swallowed by Connor's penis,THIS is by far the worst. I know I shall be forever changed by what happened to Jake...

I try to shake off these feelings as best I can and wipe the tears from my eyes. I'll have all the time in the world to cry once I'm home. For now though, I need to find somewhere safe for the night.

I start looking around at the bushes on my right and see a reasonable spot to set up camp. A thick trunked tree is clumped together with some foliage, and once I lay down a few bushes, it will look even better. So I started to gather the materials I for my makeshift hideout and anything I can find to keep the cold at bay, but when I turned to look on the other side of the river...

Kyle: "Is that..." I squint my eyes and try to better make out the shapes through the darkness on the other side of the river and perk up when I do.

Kyle: "It is!" I drop the plants in my arms and quickly swim to the other side and once I reach the shore, I stand up in a sopping mess as my eyes grow wide while my tail gives out idle flicks of tentative joy.

Kyle: "A-a cave!" This will make for a much better hiding spot that some stupid cluster of bushes and branches! I walk the ten feet from the shore towards the rocky entrance and peer inside.

It's really dark. I can't make out much from peering down the tunnel, but I'm sure it's a better bet than hiding out in the open. There is a long passage before me, cut from hard, sharp looking grey stone. The entrance is pretty wide, and the tunnel appears rather long. I wonder if there is even an opening deeper within or if this just cuts off after a little while?

Turning back to face the river and looking to the area I wanted to make a camp, I shake my head. No. I think I'll take my chances with the cave. Sleeping next to the water was going to be freezing anyway. So, making one last trip to the creek and taking a few more sips of it, I take a quick piss on the mountain before making my way into the dark tunnel.

The entrance is wide and pretty spacious, and once I get a few feet in, it is much easier to see than I thought it would be. I can't make out where it leads, but so far, the passageway is stable and solid. It almost looks to be carved out of the rock by tools. I shouldn't have to worry about it caving in.

As I press forward, I feel the chilly air from outside completely leave me, replaced with the almost humid wafts from within. I really don't know what I was thinking before. I would have frozen to death sleeping next to rushing water like that. However, I should probably have brought a couple of those plants with me to make a bed... Looking to the grey stone I walk upon, I wonder if there might be sand further in or if I'm going to end up sleeping on rocks...

I don't have to wonder for long, for the tunnel starts to widen out even more before me, and as I pass through the last stretch of it, I am greeted by a very wide, very spacious area.

Kyle: 'Woah..." In front of me is a vast cavern that runs ahead of me for miles and miles. So wide that I can't even see where it ends!

About three-hundred feet separate the walls to my left and right, and overhead is a ceiling just as high. The cave carries on further in, stretching out into the darkness and rugged rock. There must be holes or something in the rocks above, because I can make out what appears to be faint light shining off the gleaming walls. Everything is pretty visible down here. Even the air smells kinda fresh. I always imagined caves to stink of dirt and earth. Maybe even be a little musty. But inhaling deeply the rich scent of cold rock and dark soil, I find that not to be true. Taking a few steps forward, I try to make out the end of this cave by standing on my tippytoes.

Kyle: "Hmm... Well. I don't really want to stray too far from the entrance..." I monologue to myself as I observe my immediate surroundings. The floor has thankfully turned to soil akin to that of the lush forests I once tread, and there are only a few areas along the walls and cave floor where the grey rock juts out the ground. Picking a corner where there is a cluster of these jagged rocks, I make quick work of digging a little trench into the earth for my bed.

Settling into my little hole, I look up to the ceiling above me and indeed am able to make out some of the stars. So long as it doesn't decide to rain tonight, I think I'll be fine. God... Now that I think about it, I'm very lucky that it hasn't rained these past few days. While that might've help mask my scent, it would prove just as deadly as being tracked by a predator. If not worse.

Kyle: "Alright Kyle. One final push tomorrow and you should make it to that road." I yawn and settle into the cool dirt as I reassure myself.

Kyle: "Just... One, final push..." I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. My tired body surrendering to exhaustion as hope kindles in my dwindling thoughts.

~To Be Continued~