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A short story I wrote for a little contest The Kitty Named Terra over on Eka's Portal was holding. It's also the first thing I managed to finish in some months too, and I'm not sure why I was able to do this but not any of the other fun ideas I've got...

Maybe it's the short length and semi-prompt based style of it? I dunno, but I don't think I'd mind finding more stuff like this where I've got a more defined goal to reach for rather than be completely free-for-all.

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A Hard Lesson in Teamwork

"Oh no, oh no! I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna - ooph!"

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The armored knight turned to see who had bumped into him, and looked down at the dazed girl sprawled out on the ground before him. "You need to be careful, there's all kinds of armed warriors here, myself included. You wouldn't want to accidentally run into someone and get yourself hurt."

The large, shaken woman groaned and shook her head, sitting upright on the great hall's floor. "Uhh, I'm trying to find my party for the quest. All they gave me were their names and professions, I don't know what either of them look like."

"Well, there's probably more than twenty of us in here, that could take a while to ask everyone."

She climbed to her feet, brushing the dust from the clerical outfit tightly fitting around her busty chest. "But I need to find a fighter named Aldar and a fox person named Simon. They're the guys who I was placed with."

A voice came from behind the knight, "I'm Simon. Don't tell me you're Terra?" The speaker stepped forward and sighed. Short and dressed in leathers with a crossbow, his vulpine ears flattened out as he saw her.

"Yeah! I'm Terra! Are you two my party members?" she excitedly responded.

They both rolled their eyes in unison at the revelation. "So it seems we're all here now," Aldar said. "Let's go talk to the guild master and get this started. I'd like to be done with it as quickly as possible."

"Same here, I'm only doing this with you because the rules say we have to," the fox-neko added.

"But we all just met! Shouldn't we get to know each other first or something?" Terra scratched her head, a bit puzzled by the seemingly uncooperative men.

Before either could answer however, the well dressed man at the podium in the front began to speak, quieting the room. "May I have your attention everyone! It seems that everyone has gathered now, and we're ready to hand out assignments."

He pulled out a scroll, reading off names and the beast they were to slay. "As you all know, teamwork and flexibility are important qualifications to becoming members of the guild. You never know who you'll have to fight alongside here, and that's why everyone has been given randomly chosen team mates. Work together to take down your foe."

"Hey, what's a sphinx?" Terra whispered to the fighter.

"It's a winged lion of sorts," he sighed. "How can you not know that?"

"It's not like those things are too common," Simon interjected. "I've never seen one either."

"Once we call out your names again, step forward so the mages can teleport you to your destinations." One by one, each of the potential new recruits had walked up to the front of the hall and were whisked away in a flash of light.

Aldar, Simon, and Terra were finally called and stood in the arcane circle. "This isn't going to hurt or anything is it?" the cleric asked.

"No, but you may feel a slight tingling itch on the inside after arriving. It's completely normal, so don't worry about it." The group of mages started the incantation, gesturing and chanting their spell. Almost as soon as it had started the trio vanished, reappearing outside the dungeon where the target they were to defeat awaited.

Terra couldn't help but giggle and laugh as she scratched and rubbed her chest, trying to soothe the almost tickling sensation all over. "Well, it looks like someone's never been teleported before," Simon huffed as he watched the performance.

They were on the outskirts of the ruins of a large ancient temple in the desert. Many of the obelisks had been toppled over, and even some walls and structures were covered with sand from the passage of time. At the far end of the grounds was the huge main building, and presumably what they were looking for.

"I'll scout ahead and look for any traps and things. Wait here for my return," Aldar turned to go on alone, not even waiting for anyone to be able to object.

"I thought we were s'posed to stick together?" Terra questioned, fanning herself with her spell book.

"It doesn't really matter. I'm sure I can handle everything anyway. We'll give him an hour, them just head in and take care of this. I want to get out of this heat as soon as possible." Aldar leaned back against one of the walls in the shade and his partner followed suit, plopping down on a bolder next to him.

"Oh... why does it have to be so hot out here," the panting woman moaned. "Why couldn't we go someplace nice, like a tropical beach?"

Aldar opened his eyes and turned to face her. "Because the third group got the assignment to fight a scylla, not us, and probably because your outfit is too restrictive for this kind of environment. I don't know why someone as big as you would wear such tight fitting clothing anyway."

Terra jumped up from the rock, placing her hands on her hips in protest. "Hey! I get plenty of compliments about my clothing all the time! It's just that nobody told me we were going to the desert."

Her scolding didn't seem to faze the probably equally hot man, who just huffed at the display. "Whatever, let's go take kill this thing and get out of here," he stepped forward from the stone wall and shifted his armor around. "I don't know what happened to that fox, but it's not like I needed his help anyway."

The two adventurers started down the sandy pathway. Luckily it wasn't a very long walk in the scorching sun to the short flight of stairs leading up into the temple proper, and the large open entrance way into the antechamber. They stopped to examine the following series of rooms and catch their breath.

"Okay cleric, it looks like the beast's lair is just ahead, judging by the ranger's paw prints in the sand here." Aldar peeked around the corner as Terra rested one hand against the wall, wiping the sweat from her face with the other. "Just wait here; I don't want you getting in my way or anything."

He unsheathed his sword and marched in, the sound of his slow footsteps across the tiled floor soon growing quiet. Terra turned and leaned her back to the wall, then slid down to sit on the tail of her cloak.

"Stupid fighter, he doesn't know anything. I hope the monster gets him. Maybe then he'd stop being so stuck up." She brushed her hand across her big belly and thighs, clearing the sand and dust from herself. "Maybe I'm not dressed for the desert, but that doesn't mean he should be so mean about it."

The few minutes of pouting and stewing in silence over Aldar's words were interrupted by a faint scream from within the ruins, bringing Terra scrambling to her feet. "What was that?!" she asked aloud to nobody in particular.

A second, nearly inaudible voice yelled out only to be quickly cut short. Terra carefully looked inside to find the source of the sound, but found nothing. "T-that's the monster, right? And not Aldar or Simon?"

Against better judgment and warning, she stepped forward into the large hall with mace in hand and followed the pair of tracks off to the right. They led her past a number of smaller rooms to the one at the end of the hallway. "Aldar, are you there?"

"Yes, he's in here," a powerful, yet oddly feminine voice replied. "Please, step inside so that we may speak comfortably."

Terra cautiously entered, grasping the steel weapon tightly to her body, unsure what was going to happen. Sitting on a large, faded red rug atop a stepped platform was a large and very unusual creature. From what she could see of the thing it looked almost like a lion, except for the bird-like wings and feathery mane.

"Don't be afraid my dear, I have no intention of unjustly harming you." The human girl continued to slowly pace towards the smiling cat, nervously looking around. "Come, sit down next to me. I have some things I wish to ask of you."

"Where's Aldar and Simon? You said they were in here, I don't see them anywhere."

"Your companions are here, do not worry. They're merely spending time thinking over their responses." Terra stood just before the great sphinx, looking up at its face as it spoke. "How rude of me however, I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Imiruma, and who might my lovely guest be?"

Imiruma patted the colored rug with her forepaw calling for her to take a seat there. Terra hesitated a moment, but she didn't feel like she was in a situation where she had much other choice; the sphinx was nearly twice her height and who knew how many times her size. "I-I'm Terra."

"Mmm, a very earthy name," Imiruma smirked, although the joke did kind of fall on otherwise deaf ears. The large cat placed its paws in the girl's lap and gently pulled her back towards her chest. "So tell me Terra, what brings you into my temple today? Did you come seeking answers like many before you? Did you desire glory like your companions? Perhaps you're merely here to entertain a certain kitty?"

Terra let go of her mace and slung her arms over the sphinx's paws in turn as they rested on her round belly and legs. "Your fur is really soft Miss Imi... Imir... Miss kitty. I thought that all bad guys were supposed to be rough and dirty?" She brushed her fingers through the strangely silky fur that was holding her back.

"Thank you my dear, but no, things are as black and white as you may believe," Imiruma leaned down to nuzzle the cleric. "I have to say that you are very soft and smooth too, and quite nicely plump. I do love it when larger adventurers make their way in here to me."

"Thanks..." Terra wasn't sure exactly what Imiruma meant by that, but at least she was treating her a lot better than Aldar or Simon did. "So does that mean you're not really evil at all?"

"Good and evil are two very subjective labels, Terra. Most of the races of men and mer would consider me evil, but I do follow a strict code of rules. For instance," the sphinx grinned as she gazed into the human's eyes. "I will offer you a chance to make it out of here unharmed."

It took her a moment to realize the hidden meaning behind the cat's words, and she froze up when she finally did. "W-what do you mean a chance? Are you trying to say that I'm not going to get out of here? You're not going to kill me are you!?"

Imiruma squeezed her firmly, but not so much that she couldn't breathe. "Now now, there's no need for such unpleasantries. I'm sure we can be completely civil about the matter. All you have to do is answer a question for me, and if you're correct then you're free to go."

"And what if I'm not right?"

"It's best to not worry about such things my dear. Just focus on the task at hand."

"S-so what's the question then?" Terra gulped in a near panic, her anxiety not helping in the desert heat at all. "It's not the 'what's a man_'_ thing, is it?"

The sphinx laughed. "No, that one hasn't been asked in centuries, not after Oedipus spoiled the fun. Listen well Terra and take your time, here is your riddle: Who is it that arrogantly believes themselves above all others in this world, even after watching his brothers fall attempting to complete the same task that he was given?"

Terra withdrew back into the great winged cat's chest fur nervously. She had no idea what the answer was; puzzles and challenges like this were never her strong suit, and to make such high stakes of it only worsened the situation.

Several minutes of silence had passed before the girl softly spoke up. "I don't know... Is it Aldar?"

Imiruma slowly lifted her paws up off of Terra, breathing relief into her. She quickly scrambled to her feet and stepped back in front of the sphinx again. "Was I right?"

She shook her head. "You were close, but I'm afraid that wasn't the answer I was looking for Terra."

Before the surely doomed cleric could turn and make a dash for the door however, Imiruma leapt from her stand and pounced her, pinning her chest with one paw and her legs with the other. Terra shouted as she landed on her back and was left staring up at the grinning cat. "No! Don't! I'm sorry for ever coming here! Can't you let me go?"

The only response she got was Imiruma spreading her wings wide as she slunk back, opening her mouth wide at the base of the Terra's feet. Easing up with one paw a bit, she fit her lower jaw under and slowly took the panicking girl's legs into her maw with relative ease before they ran into the back of her throat.

Then, she started to swallow.

Even through her light leather boots Terra could feel the tight pressure of the cat's muscles taking hold and pulling. No amount of trying to wiggle and kick would work now. With the same kind of dexterity the first bite took, Imiruma let up with her other paw to slide her tongue up her butt and backside.

Terra tried to grab her pointed fangs to stop the decent, but it was no use. Imiruma brought her free paw around and used it as leverage to break her hold. Soon the entire lengths of her legs were down the sphinx's gullet and her clothing was being soaked with saliva as she was forced to lay in the slimy wetness.

"Don't eat me! It's not too late to stop, Kitty!" Much to her dismay and terror though, the plea went unheeded. Imiruma lifted her head upright to get gravity to help with the last part. Terra's big waist and belly were sitting at the opening of the esophagus with fluids pooling around her as she was continued to be tugged and pulled down by the undulating motions.

Finally, the girl's large size managed to get squeezed down in and Terra's breasts were nearly pushed to her face for the final part of the ordeal. The sphinx continued to swallow until she at last felt the hefty weight pass into her stomach completely, exhaling and catching her breath.

"And that, my friend, is why I love it when bigger humans come to explore my temple. Their challenge is one that comes much closer to my own." Imiruma climbed back up onto her rug and laid down. "Perhaps the three of you may be able to find the answer to my riddle now that you have no choice but to work together."