A Chimera's Hunt
Shwoopy was jerked awake from his cat nap by a loud, insistent growl.
He blearily looked around the forest. Where had the sound had come from? He saw nothing. He scratched his head in confusion, running his claws through the course brown hair on his head. And then he heard it again.
He paused, and then he laughed. It was his stomach! He was hungry. He took a moment to consider this, and then trotted off on all fours. He'd go find something to eat. And it was going to be great!
Moonlight the Fennec Fox was lost. He walked through the forest cautiously, flinching at every noise he heard, from the wind swooshing through the trees to the mice scurrying around underfoot. He'd never been in this area of the forest before. He didn't even know how he got here, but now he was lost.
Moonlight knew the stories that surrounded this section of the forest, tales of fantastic beasts and otherworldly creatures. He'd never believed in them. He'd always thought that the tales were just that - stories elders would tell them to keep them from misbehaving. And truthfully, nothing suggested that he was in any danger.
But there was an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"How will I find my way home?" he wondered.
He'd always trusted his instincts, and something told him to be careful. He looked over his shoulder, kept his head down, and made his way through the forest. Moonlight heard a rustle in the bushes. He walked a little faster.
Shwoopy searched for his meal, skimming his eyes through the tall grass and occasionally taking flight to get a better view of his surroundings - but not high enough to betray his presence. The brown fur on his belly was agitated with hunger, but he paid it no mind. There was plenty of plants and animals that would do, but Shwoopy didn't want a snack. He wanted something special, and he knew there was something here that could satisfy him.
The grey, striped ears on his head twitched. There was something nearby! He paused and listened as he heard the low, uncertain voice trail off not far in the distance. It sounded promising, and Shwoopy was practically giddy with excitement. But he decided against going in for the kill. Not yet. That would be no fun! He'd make a game out of it.
And so he silently took pursuit...
There were trees twenty times as large as his own legs, rivers that ran so fast that they could carry him away in a blink of the eye if he fell in. The vegetation was wild, and the path was obscured by vines. Moonlight cursed as he was bitten by insects that found their way under his fox fur to feast on his blood.
He still didn't know where he was, and if anything he was more lost than ever. The further he walked, the stranger things seemed. But he couldn't turn around or else he would become more lost. It was getting late in the day and he needed to find shelter before nightfall.
Moonlight couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed, but he had long since forgotten to notice it. He hadn't been attacked all day, and most preds bigger than him - if there were any - would be going to sleep soon, anyway. There were plenty of mice running around beneath him. He pounced on a few and made an early dinner for himself.
With food in his belly, Moonlight felt so much better. His walk became casual and his fears diminished with the sustenance. He felt stronger. He was a fox! He was king of the forest. He was faster than a bear, more cunning than a wolf, clever as an owl. Nothing could hurt him.
And then he heard the growl.
Shwoopy was a bit annoyed with how calm his soon-to-be-prey had gotten. What was the fun in chasing down something he couldn't even chase? And so he was happy to see the little fox skirt off like a cub when he let out a menacing growl, not far from where it was standing.
He followed effortlessly, hissing every once in a while to keep the fox moving. He was leading it right to his den. The chimera laughed to himself, and his black-striped, grey tail wagged with excitement. He knew he wouldn't be hungry much longer.
His tummy answered in the affirmative.
Moonlight was flat-out running now. He knew something was following him, though he didn't know why it hadn't come out into the open. He heard the noises, and they seemed to be closing in on him, closer each time. Or was that just his imagination? They seemed louder. And then they stopped. He kept running. Was it closing in for an attack?
A root suddenly appeared beneath him, and he tripped. Oh no! He was sure this would be the end of him, and Moonlight covered his head with his paws. But nothing happened. He looked up. Everything was silent.
He tested out his leg. No limp. That was a relief. But how much longer could he keep this up?
He hid behind a tree and gathered his strength. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay here long, but he needed to rest. Otherwise he had no chance.
Pant, pant.
Moonlight looked around wildly. That wasn't him. But there was nothing in front of him. He turned around completely. Nothing.
And then he saw two horns.
He froze as he stared into the oddly misshapen eyes on the white face of the beast, at the perfect black markings on its face. He trembled as he saw the tail whip back in forth, as though it was going to pounce. And he turned and fled as fast as he could.
There was no mistaking it. He heard the chimera chortle with laughter behind him.
Shwoopy gave real chase now, happy for the chance to run. The fox was fast, but not fast enough. Nothing was fast enough to escape a hungry chimera.
Through the familiar trees and forest he followed. He was actually quite impressed by how the fox always managed to stay just ahead of him. But it was easy for him to keep up. He was built for capturing prey like this one. And as soon as he caught it, his hunger would end and he would be happy as could be.
Quite suddenly, he decided that he'd had enough.
Moonlight almost laughed. He was outrunning the thing! He couldn't even hear it anymore, and decided he was far ahead of it now. Could he take a break? No, that would be foolish. He turned his head to see just how far ahead he was and crashed right into something soft. He looked up in confusion and drool splashed into his face.
Chimeras could teleport.
Moonlight tried to run, but it grabbed him and held on tight. He squirmed, but for some reason the energy was quickly leaving him. He looked down and saw the tail that had somehow bitten him with long, penetrating fangs. He was quickly paralyzed from the shoulders down.
"Silly fox, did you really think you could get away?" the chimera mused.
"I-I've heard of you!" Moonlight gasped. "Chimeras - I thought they were fake! I didn't believe they were real!" His ears flattened and his tail drooped as it circled him.
The chimera clucked its tongue. "You should listen to the warnings, fox." He smiled and lapped Moonight across the face with his tongue. "Although, frankly, I'm glad you didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't have this beautiful, tasty fox lying in front of me!"
Moonlight whimpered, but said nothing.
"Oh come on, don't be so glum!" The chimera lifted his head off the ground and looked into his eyes. "I promise, it'll be nice and warm and comfy where you're going. For a while, at least!"
Moonlight lowered his head and was not surprised when everything went dark.
Shwoopy gulped on the paralyzed fox's head with excitement. He'd eaten foxes before, but never one this tasty. He purred and lapped at its chest and listened to the melody of whimpers now coming from deep in his throat. He swallowed the creature's arms and forepaws, and made his way down to its belly. His own tummy reminded him how impatient it was and he took another gulp. The paralysis was starting to wear off and every now and then the fox's tail would give a twitch. Its hind legs started to wiggle and it attempted to backpedal its way out of his maw, but it was no use. Shwoopy was confident he could handle his meal with ease.
He took another rolling gulp and watched the fox slide even further into him. He rubbed his belly as he felt the fox touch down and struggle. He closed his mouth at the footpaws and slurped up the tail before taking a final swallow and sending the fox to its final destination.
He grinned lazily.
It was completely dark and Moonlight couldn't see anything, but he could tell that he was completely in the chimera's belly now. He whined and struggled, as he now had full control of his limbs again, but it was no use. The stomach itself seemed not to care. It tossed him around and made funny noises. It was treating him like food. But after all, that's what he was now.
Moonlight gave up struggling. It was no use. He leaned back and sighed, noting that there was enough air in here for him to breath. Not that it would matter for long. For the first time he noticed that what the chimera had said was true: It was very comfortable. It was like he was curled up on the world's most beautiful sunlit day (though it was dark), in the most comfortable meadow imaginable. And the tossing and turning actually felt quite nice. Moonlight decided to take advantage of this, and to enjoy himself. His eyes drifted shut without him knowing as he relaxed, and he drifted off.
Shwoopy sighed as he felt his stomach start to gurgle, now making satisfied noises instead of hungry ones. That fox was really something, and he pet his own stomach appreciatively. He wasn't hungry anymore, and he thanked the fox for the wonderful meal.
"Oof. Time for me to rest. It'll be a while before I'll be active, hehe." He rubbed his belly again.
Shwoopy got up with some effort and trotted off. His den wasn't too far from here. As he walked his stomach gurgled away happily and worked at its meal. Satisfied, for now.