Ember and Goose

Darkness had fallen deep in the backcountry, and Embers' world had flipped upside-down.

The fennec fox found himself in a fitful predicament. Hung on his head, swinging side-to-side, Embers waved and wafted around in the cool night air - strung up by a taut rope tied around his ankle.

"Ughhh... Ngrh..."

His paws fruitlessly fumbled around his midsection, the snagged end of the snare just a little out of reach. Above him, the rope rose and wrapped around a tree branch, a counterweight anchored down on the other side. Below him, a single head of lettuce sat idly on a plate; bait for unsuspecting wildlife.

Or at least, it was supposed to be bait.

"Ugh!"

Embers sheepishly resigned his efforts, dangling helplessly in the trap that he himself had set up. It had been a half-hour since the fox's poorly-placed paw got swept out from under him. He whined ashamedly.

"Man..."

The fox shivered as the breeze blew by. His cargo shorts and loose-fitting shirt weren't enough to keep him warm, and the temperature outside would only sink lower. The fennec fox meekly measured his options. His attempts at freeing himself had failed several times over, and he was now exhausted. He could wait until morning for someone to spot him, but exposure was a real threat, and spending that amount of time upside-down... No. He needed to act. He needed help.

Embers called out with an embarrassed squeak.

"H- hello... ?"

The rustling leaves drowned him out entirely. He tried again.

"Hello? ... Anybody?"

The woods responded with a quiet ambience. He waited a few moments, calling out once more.

"I need help. I'm... stuck..."

A pit began to form in the bottom of Ember's upturned stomach. The fox was miles away from the nearest town, and most hunters knew better than to stay out past sunset. It would be a miracle if anyone was around, even more so if they had heard him. He sighed softly...

Several more minutes would pass.

Embers spent the time sullenly swaying in the wind. Blood began to pool at the back of his craned head, making him dizzy. His leg, meanwhile, fell asleep, the numbness soon traveling down to his thigh. He began to sweat, even while shivering from the cold. The fox became increasingly worried, his fears rising until...

*SNAP

Embers' ears twitched. A twig had snapped nearby.

"Hmmm..."

A low, tired voice hummed from behind. Embers snapped out of his daze, a quick wave of relief washing over. Someone had come after all. He swung his body around, but before he could open his mouth to call out... He saw it:

The dark shadow of monstrously-sized grizzly bear.

STOMP

It tromped forwards with muffled thuds, rumbling the ground below Embers' head. Its muscles were massive, its claws cutting through the soil with ease. Its scruffy black fur glistened in the moonlight. Its soulless eyes locked directly with his...

Embers froze as the beast approached him. His heart pounded. His thoughts raced. His inverted gaze locked on the bear's as its frightening figure became more and more clear. Three steps away. Now two. The fennec closed his eyes, drawing back with held breath...

"You know, I don't think that's how you're supposed to use these..." "..."

Embers remained tense, the bear's deep, gravely voice reverberating in his chest. A few seconds passed by before the fox peeked his eyes open. Towering over him, the bear tiredly inspected the snare, continuing with a teasing tone.

"Unless... you're *trying to get eaten by a-" "NO!"

Ember erupted with a squeak, eyes wide open. The bear looked back down, its sleepy eyes sending the fox into a fluster.

"I- I mean... I'm not- I don't... I..."

The words tumbled out of his mouth. Stammering, Embers frantically tried to find something to say. Anything...

"... Hello."

Embers sucked in a timid breath, and a choking silence soon followed. The bear, slightly amused, let out a short scoff.

"Uh. Hi?"

The fennec shyly smiles, his voice quivering and reserved.

"What's... what's your name?" "... My name?"

Embers mind continued to race, his horror-struck heart ready to burst out of his chest. He flinched as the bear exhaled, jauntily answering.

"I'm Goose." "Ah..."

The fox swallowed, trying to steer the discourse onward. Maybe he could buy himself some time. Maybe he could talk himself out of becoming...

"Uh..."

Embers' face heated up. His conversating skills were failing him. His head twinged a dull ache. His voice was weak.

"... Do you... want some lettuce?" "Huh?"

Goose looked down at the plate below him. It snorted softly, seeming to appreciate the offer. It glanced back up, licking its teeth with a keen smile.

"Nah, plants aren't really my thing."

Its sinister gaze pierced Embers intensely. The fox's heart sank. He could read it in its eyes.

It was hungry.

Embers stuttered and stammered, looking around for any route of escape. The woods were empty, devoid of the ambience it once kept. Everyone else in the forest had evaded the bear's presence, leaving the fox utterly alone. Help wasn't coming.

Embers' voice cracked.

"Can... can you get me out of this?"

Goose hummed a crooked growl, accepting the invitation.

"Gladly."

The rustling of fabric suddenly blocked his vision. Embers could feel himself sway unevenly, tugged and spun in short bursts. He gasped, his eyes quickly uncovered. He felt the cool night air at once, his torso fully exposed.

"Wha- No!"

Goose disposed of the fox's shirt with a soft spit. Embers began to fully panic.

"Please no- no no no..."

The bear gently placed its muzzle on the fox's waistline, unbuttoning his pants and biting down on the belt buckle. With a smooth twist, he unfastened the latch.

"P- Please don't eat me..."

The bear began work pulling the belt off his shorts. It spoke with pinched teeth.

"Sorry... Sorta have to." "What!? No! W- Why???"

Tears welled up in Embers' eyes, the fox's timid composure unraveling. Goose replied nonchalantly.

"Because... You and your two legged friends keep settin' these traps out and stealin' all my food..."

The bear tugged the belt out from the beltloops, spitting it to the ground.

"...And besides, I'm starvin'."

Goose took grasp of the Embers' shorts with its front canines. With a few good yanks, it began pulling downwards on the band. It toiled with the fabric for a few moments, but then let go... It took a step back, looking up at inverted fox's paw with humored realization.

"Oh. Right..."

It thought briefly, but soon hummed with a new idea. Goose raised its claws, casually ripping through Ember's thigh.

"AAAAAAGHH!"

A searing wave of pain shot down the fennec's body, Goose's claws having sliced deep into his flesh. His shorts and undergarments fell with a dull thud revealing his balls and flaccid cock.

"AUUGH- NO."

Ember's voice quivered. He sniffed and squeaked as blood began soaking through his skin.

"Please..."

The bear sat for a moment and fancied the fennec's naked form; at the same time delighting in his desperate pleas. Goose always preferred to play with its meals, especially the ones that begged. Given how rare and sweet of an opportunity this was, the bear simply couldn't help it. It took a step forward:

Goose began to help itself.

Embers began to squeal, writhing and kicking as the bear began licking his bare chest. He could feel its hot, steamy breath against his cock and balls; the sharp, forceful teeth as they teasingly grazed his abs.

"AUUGH AAAAAAH!!!"

Goose sucked and slobbered, licking up the blood that pooled from Embers' thigh. It playfully nibbled at his skin, poking holes in his fur and slurping the sweat from his neck. It took its time savoring the fox, tasting every inch of him ear tip to tail.

"SOMEONE! SOMEONE HELP ME!!"

Embers shreiked, his soft voice becoming strained. Tears flooded from his eyes, his vision becoming blurry. The rush of adrenaline gave way to pain and anguish. His head pounded. His heart heaved. His words became a dizzy, disoriented stream of breathless babble. The predator played with him for an agonizingly long time. It chomped on his fluffy tail. It nibbled on his ears, taking bites when it felt like.

"PLEASE! NO..."

The more Goose messed with him, the rougher it got. The bear began growling, breathing heavy, possesive breaths with each nibble and swipe. Animal instinct took over. Goose got angry, dominant, the thrill of a meal fulfilling it deeply, driving it, consuming it. The fox could only squirm and struggle and shake until finally...

CHOMP

All went dark.

Embers' resisting was forced still. He opened his eyes, unable to see. The cold breeze of the outside was replaced by... warmth. It was warm. No. It was hot... and wet. Suffocatingly wet. He blinked a few times, enclosed by all sides by a sweltering force. He opened his mouth to speak, but right as he did, a sudden heft pressed down on his ribcage, taking the words from his breath.

"Okay, let's make a deal..."

Goose's voice had become noticeably louder. It echoed into Ember's ears as a muffled gurgle... Embers gasped sharply, realizing what had just happened. No. What was about to happen...

"If you promise not to kick that much, I'll promise not to rip you in half, yeah?"

He wanted to scream. He was being eaten... Alive.

"Mmmph!"

Embers lifted his arms, flailing them up and around. He could feel the rough fur of his captor, the powerful jaws that now - also - had entrapped him. The fox was about to strike the bear's face before processing what it had said. Struck with terror, he remained unmoving. The bear hummed, satisfied.

It got to work.

Gulp!

Embers lurched backwards, his head sliding into the back of Goose's mouth. The defiance in him had left completely, replaced by a quiet gloom.

Grrrrr Gulp!

The slimy walls of muscles massaged the fennec, squeezing his twitching tears and pulling them downward. Embers could feel the bear's tongue fervidly caressing his neck - He shuddered as it slid smoothly down his spine. He could feel the bear's teeth sink between his ribs - He heaved painfully between each crushing bite.

With subsequent gulps, the fennec slipped further and further into the bear's gullet, his muzzle soon sliding into the innards of its powerful throat muscles. The hot walls compressed around him tighter; it was nearly impossible to inhale.

Goose had worked its way down to Embers' hips, now contesting with the rope snare around his ankle. With a violent crunch, Goose began to yank him from the trap.

"MMMPH!"

Embers squeaked in agony. A lightning bolt of pain shot up his back. The fox convulsed as the lower half of his spine was snapped completely, breaking him permanently.

"Mpgh-"

His free paw fell limp, and just as it did, so did the other, finally free from the snare...

THUMP

Goose chortled, murmuring with a full maw.

"See? Still in one piece... Sorta..."

It went on to finish the job, gulping the limp fox down inch by inch. Embers' paws twitched and twisted as they slipped between the bear's fangs, the tip of his tail hanging loosely in the wind. With a few more swallows, he was in completely, forever sealed away from the outside world.

The bear let out a hearty sigh, licking its lips with a content growl. Despite the low-effort hunt, Goose decided that it needed a quick rest...

...

Embers' senses were barely in tact, now deep in the bear's esophagus. His breaths were short and shallow, saliva smothering his airways. After what seemed like forever, the pressure on his head let up, and he was suddenly thrusted downwards.

SPLASH

The fennec's fevered daze had been quickly interrupted by the stinging burn of bubbling stomach acid.

"Ngh-"

Ember's journey had ended for good, now in his new-destined role as delicious bear food. He could hear the thunderous rhythm of the bear's heart, the low rumbling of each growling breath. It smelled of bile and hickory nuts. This is how it ended: buried in writhing flesh, pounded by an animal's insides.

"Hhgh-"

The nauseating liquids ate at his fur. Looking down, he could see the cuts and bitemarks that dotted his skin. He could faintly see the blood running out of him, diluting in the mixture that would eventually consume him. He could see the rope burns on his ankle. He could see his lower torso dented inwards...

"hh..."

The sight was sore, but it was short lived. The acids were quickly rising over Embers, softening him into a bloody, boney stew. His breaths had ceased almost completely, his brain starved of oxygen, his lungs melting into slush.

As the bile rose to his neck, the fox began to choke, his final moments passing. Despair still lingered in his mind, but it was only a trace thought. Part of him accepted his fate. He found comfort in the sweltering dark. It was over.

A few lingering tears rolled down his cheek, sizzling a it struck the rising surface. With a final squeak, Embers slipped under the bubbles

fully submitting to the beast...

...

BURRRRP

Goose lounged on its stomach, feeling the sweet release of a well-digested meal. It had felt the soft squirms of the fox as he digested, the fluffy tail and pointy ears reduced to shapeless meat. He had gone down smoothly. The bear hummed, grateful for such an easy meal.

"Hmmm..."

The bear pondered. If it wanted to, it could stay in the area, likely to catch some breakfast from another trapper the following morning. Tempting, it thought, but unnecessary; Goose was extra full from the night...

Fiddling with a lettuce leaf between its teeth, the bear looked back at the now empty plate.

"Plants, huh? ...Hm. Not bad..."

It yawned with a sleepy grin, satisfied for the night.