Street Cred - Part 2
The events that took place after the night of Ieniki Coon's first prey were blurred together almost as much as when he ate the wolf. Ieniki remembered glimpses of it later on, but the prevailing sensation that he recalled was that of him being filled, over and over, sending feelings of ecstasy and enjoyment through him. After getting the taste for it, he just couldn't stop, not that he wanted to.
Scaler warned him that he should slow down, because people would start noticing the furs who went missing, but Ieniki was careful. He selected only the roughest and toughest inhabitants of the city, the ones who no one would miss or even notice if they were gone. His feeding schedule became routine and he refused to go back to his former diet of normal raccoon food. He was no longer just an ordinary raccoon. He never went hungry for too long, and in a sense he became something of a vigilante. Whenever he got hungry that was all that he needed to remember before setting out to find his next victim.
There came a time when Ieniki had gone two whole weeks without eating. It wasn't that there was no one around - there were plenty of potential meals walking around him, their hearts beating, giving off a tantalizing aroma that Ieniki now associated with delicious food - but Ieniki had too much dignity and self-preservation to resort himself to a common thug and eat the weak and defenseless. He had long since given up the demand of, "Give me all your money," and had instead chosen to remind his victim of all the things he had done wrong, greatest of which was not being in his belly, and promptly sending him there to correct that mistake. There were times when Ieniki would divulge himself on a common thug, but the taste of victory, of justice, wasn't as strong there as it was when he took down the real criminals.
Ieniki looked at Scaler the Hybrid. He was standing on the corner with his usual tough-guy pose, trying to look cool for everyone who passed by, and Ieniki chuckled. He'd known Scaler long enough to know that he wasn't really as tough as he tried to make himself out to be. For the most part Scaler was kind-spirited and gentle, in his own way. He was friendly and clever, and often assisted Ieniki in spying and taking down his prey. There was something about Scaler that Ieniki could quite shake, though. Ever since he had gotten a taste of the hybrid, even if it was purely accidental, he couldn't stop himself from wondering what it would be like to have him, his partner, squirming in his own belly.
At times like these Ieniki would quickly dismiss the feeling as him getting excited for his next hunt, and indeed, times like this tended to happen only when he got hungry enough, when he was anxious to make his next catch. He couldn't deny that the feeling, the pull, was there, but he didn't think it was important enough to concern himself over. After all, he had long since learned to control the hungry urges that had taken control of him when he had eaten the wolf and so he was sure that he could handle himself just fine.
Right now, though, Ieniki's stomach growled and he moaned, "Where is he?" Scaler gave a slight shrug as he continued to keep lookout. They were waiting for a rather notorious fox to arrive at this spot for a secret meeting where he would be discussing a large bank heist. They had gotten a tip from a bartender bunny across the way, and they were sure the report was valid. The two had heard a similar story from a raccoon, whom they cornered a few weeks before, and had taken additional measures to make sure it was true, not the least of which was sending Scaler undercover as a member, an undertaking that came very close to ending very badly but that gained them invaluable information. It had taken a long time to track down the fox to this spot, and Ieniki was impatient to finally confront his latest meal.
Scaler nudged him and whispered, "Look!" as he pointed to a figure dressed up in a trench coat and dark glasses. He wore a hat and his face was covered in shade, but there was no mistaking the fox ears that pointed upwards from either side of his head. Ieniki nodded and started to make his way silently toward the fox, who was now greeting other hooded figures, some of whom looked very tough even at this distance, big and burly and ready to take out anyone who interrupted them. Scaler followed closely behind. They had not gone more than a few steps when a loud CLANK reverberated through the air and all of the hooded faces looked straight in their direction. "Oops . . ." Scaler said with guilty dismay. He had kicked a soda can and given away their position.
"Who's there?" a voice drawled from the shaded group. The hooded figures behind him seemed to hunch over and increase in size. The air went tense and the shaded figures began to whisper between one another. One of the figures cracked his knuckles. The figure to whom the voice belonged to held out a hand behind him, signaling the group to stop and be still, and he continued, "Come on out, we're not going to hurt you. Perhaps you would like to discuss a business proposition with us." There were a few snickers from behind him.
Scaler pulled at Ieniki and made wild hand motions, gesturing frantically for him to retreat, but Ieniki stood his ground. This was just another criminal, and as his belly reminded him, he'd never backed down from a fight before. He opened his mouth and started to form a clever retort, and Scaler's motions begged him to stop. He hadn't finished responding to the fox's challenge when two of the biggest figures from behind the fox started to come straight toward them.
"Come - on!" Scaler grunted, and he pulled at Ieniki's arm.
"Nah, I can take these guys. I just -"
"They outnumber us four to one! We can't win a fight like this - we need to leave!"
"But the fox -"
"He'll get away, but who cares! It's better than us getting destroyed!"
Ieniki laughed. "Come on, those guys don't look so tough. Me and you, we can -"
"You want to stay, it's your funeral. I'm getting out of here."
"But -"
"I mean it! Let's go!"
Ieniki watched the figures approaching them for a split second longer. More were following behind now, and there was no doubt that they meant business. He probably could've taken them on with Scaler's help, but even he had to admit that he was no match for them on his own. Begrudgingly, he followed behind Scaler and fled the scene.
They ran down a few alleys and climbed a metal staircase. All the while the sound of running footsteps followed them and added to the urgency of the scene. They jumped from the staircase over a fence and to a nearby pole, which they slid down, and wasted no time in making their way towards a public street. Even when they got there they were on the lookout, avoiding glances from seemingly ordinary pedestrians and vehicles. They made their way through a crowded building, and then a restaurant to try to shake the tail of anyone watching them. Finally when they got to the back side of the restaurant they rested, breathing heavily, sure they'd lost their pursuers long ago.
"Well, that was a bust," Scaler said with disappointment, between breaths. "Maybe . . . maybe we can get in touch with that raccoon again. Or the waitress. Do you think they know anything? Or maybe -"
"We could have taken him down then and there," Ieniki growled, and Scaler stopped talking. "We had him, we were so close, and you let him get away!"
"Woah buddy, calm down. You're getting that weird look in your eyes again. If we just -"
"There's no getting to him now! That was our one and only shot! It's over. It's done with, and we can't do anything about it. And I'm still hungry." Scaler's ears drooped and he said nothing. Ieniki looked around once before continuing, whispering urgently, "Now what do we have? We haven't got any leads on anything else, and I haven't eaten in ages."
"Well," Scaler said slowly, uncertainly, "we are behind a restaurant . . . "
". . . and what is there to eat here?" Ieniki continued, ignoring him. "There's a dumpster, but I'm no scavenger, especially now. I could sneak into the restaurant and steal some food, but I'm no thief, either. And I've got no money . . ." Ieniki took a step and continued talking, an idea slowly forming. "I've got no money, but it's not like I can't take care of myself. I've always taken care of myself. I can get my own food. All I need now, is . . ."
At this point Ieniki had come very close to Scaler, breathing heavily, and Scaler was practically bent backwards, trying to keep away from the maniacal look in the raccoon's eyes. He had seen this look before, and it gave him a very bad feeling. He was trapped in a corner and he couldn't run to either side of Ieniki without causing him to possibly give chase. ". . . I have money," Scaler responded shakily, but Ieniki shook his head.
"I've got a better idea," he said, coming to a decision, and he ran a tongue slowly across the hybrid's face. He murred at the familiar flavor that he had been craving for weeks.
"What's wrong with you, man?!" Scaler demanded, punching the raccoon in the belly and causing him to double over in pain. "You need to get a hold of yourself! You can't just go eating me!"
Ieniki's raised his head to look at the hybrid, whose hands still formed a fist as he glared angrily at Ieniki. Ieniki rose to full height, an apologetic expression already set on his face, but as soon as the hybrid came back into full view the apologetic look turned into a hungry one. His vision began to fog up, all but for the hybrid wolf-fox-hedgehog-whatever, because that was all that mattered at this point. Ieniki stepped forward again and quickly pinned Scaler to the wall, oblivious to any fighting back that might have been going on.
"And why not?" he laughed, giving his lips a large, wet slurp. "You are tasty, after all, and aren't you kind of a criminal too? Always picking on the weak and making them think you want to rob them . . ."
Scaler's hand went back again. "Stay away from me! I don't know what's gotten over you, but -"
"Relax!" Ieniki laughed, his voice suddenly good-natured and friendly. For a split-second that's what Scaler did, but then Ieniki grabbed him and he started to fight again. "You were never much a fighter." Ieniki remarked, shrugging off Scaler's defenses. "I think I'm really going to enjoy this."
Ieniki's tongue slid over Scaler's face again, and confirmed that he belonged nowhere else but in his own belly. Scaler continued to fight, but that did nothing to stop Ieniki's descent on him. He was pinned against the wall and rendered incapable of moving an inch.
Ieniki was elated. His vision was still fogged, and the feeling of adrenaline was still in his veins, but he was in full control of what he was doing. He could experience and enjoy every minute of it, and for a moment he remembered Scaler's definition of a good predator, able to handle his hunger and always be in control of what he was eating. Ieniki grinned. This was not something that he was going to regret later. He opened his maw wide, saliva gleaming on his teeth, and every sense on his taste buds alive with energy. He could practically taste the hybrid now, but maybe that was just the aftertaste from earlier.
Scaler whimpered pitifully as he realized that there was nothing he could do, although that didn't stop him from trying to get away. Before he knew it, though, his face was pressed into something dark, slimy, and wet. He yelped in response, but then he was pulled into an even darker and wetter chamber. White clamps closed around him, but not tightly - they were just there to hold him in place and prevent him from escaping. The soggy muscle below him suddenly became active, rubbing his face up and down and treating him roughly, like nothing more than food. He tried to call out again, once again in hopes of making the raccoon come to his senses, but every time he did the soggy muscle would be there to stop him from making any more than a muffled noise. He was completely trapped and at the mercy of his predator, and he could do nothing to stop it. His arms were pinned to his sides and his legs were pinned to the wall behind him, and not for the first time, Scaler regretted not being tougher than he actually was.
Suddenly Scaler felt a pull from behind his head and his insides clenched up with terror. He tried once more to fight his way out of the raccoon's grip but it did nothing but to help pull his head into the raccoon's throat. It was even slimier back here and Scaler did his best to keep the saliva out of the openings on his face. Not that it mattered anyway. He felt his head slide down the new passageway, met with much less resistance than he would think, although there wasn't much there to resist him. All that was there were the throbbing muscles that pulled at him and tried to claim him for their own. He felt his shoulders reach the raccoon's throat, and his descent grew quicker after that. He grimaced as he came to a barrier that remained closed until the raccoon gulped again and revealed a spacious chamber within.
At this point more of Scaler was inside his friend than out, and he could tell that his connection to the outside world wouldn't last much longer. He continued to spill into Ieniki's belly, having to curl himself up so that he would fit inside at least somewhat comfortably inside. And there was no doubt that there was a degree of comfort to Ieniki's belly, with its warmth and massaging walls. He almost hated himself for admitting it, but it actually wasn't all that bad in here. . . . What was he thinking! Surely he couldn't be considering a bright side in a time like this! He had to . . . to do what, though? Being a predator himself, he knew there was no reversing the process at this point. He was nothing more than raccoon food now. And so he came to terms with his fate and stopped kicking his legs, which were the only thing still left outside Ieniki's mouth.
Ieniki grinned as he pushed Scaler's feetpaws and bushy tail through his maw and sent them down his throat to join the rest of his food. Ieniki groaned with pleasure and sat down on the spot, reveling in his best meal yet, and he really couldn't figure out why he hadn't eaten Scaler sooner. Scaler had stopped struggling in his belly, and Ieniki attributed that to submission. He sighed lazily and began to rub at his belly, sated at last.
"It looks like you seemed to enjoy the ride too, eh, Scaler?" he muttered contentedly. Scaler squirmed a little in response, or maybe it was just a reflex. Ieniki doubted that Scaler could hear him from inside his active belly, which even now was groaning and bouncing with contented noises. It would be doing that for quite some time, judging from past experiences, although Ieniki thought that he might be able to control it so that his friend wouldn't get digested. Maybe. Only time would tell, although at the present moment, in the afterglow of his wonderful meal, Ieniki didn't really care enough to give it much thought.
There was the sound of swishing fur, coming from behind the dumpster, and Ieniki groggily opened an eye wide as he realized that someone else was here. What was it now? Surely those goons hadn't followed him all the way here? He could tell, anyway, that it was only one and not a whole group. He started to growl in hopes of scaring whoever it was away, but he could tell that they were still there. Couldn't they just leave him alone? Couldn't they see that he had just eaten, and all he wanted was some peace and quiet?
Ieniki was wide awake now, and he stood, his head darting back and forth with apprehension. A blue-furred wolf came into view, and Ieniki got ready to fight him. But he didn't attack or show any sign of aggression; in fact, the blue wolf was smiling enthusiastically.
"That was great!" the wolf cheered to Ieniki's confused expression. "I mean it, I've seen plenty of preds in my life, but a raccoon eating a wolf - that was awesome!"
Ieniki was startled, and he looked at the strange wolf's friendly face with a wary expression. He decided he was too tired to start a fight, and so there wouldn't be much harm in responding. "He was . . . a hybrid," Ieniki said, patting his belly uncertainly to make sure they were both talking about the same thing. "Uh, part wolf, part fox, part hedgehog or something like that. . . . And I'm just an ordinary raccoon. Who are you?"
"Ordinary raccoon!" the wolf exclaimed. "I've seen plenty of ordinary raccoons, and they couldn't have done what you just did." Ieniki blushed slightly, but that didn't answer his question.
"Who are you?" he repeated. "And why are you hear? What do you want from me?"
The wolf brushed aside the first question again. "Just answer me this: You like to eat, right? And you like to fight? How would you like to join in on my tournament?"
" . . . Tournament?"
The wolf nodded. "An island chock full with an all-you-can-eat buffet! That is, as long as they don't eat you first. It'll be a fight to the finish, with the winner emerging with a full belly greater than all full bellies! I can see that you're interested, Mr. Ordinary Raccoon. How about it? You want in?"
Ieniki's stomach was still full close to bursting, but the wolf's offer made his mouth water nonetheless. A whole island full of food - and all of it for him! He couldn't refuse and his stomach gave a phantom of a growl as he nodded to the mysterious wolf. He was definitely interested.
The blue wolf smiled and held out a paw. Ieniki took it.