Become the Hunted by Randomguywhosthere

Beams of sunlight pierced through the dense canopy as Kena leapt between the huge trees. Her pink-furred tail kept her balance as she quickly scampered along a thick vine. Her similarly coloured ears flicked about as she moved, instinctively listening for potential threats. Her tattooed, muscular body was bare of any coverings, ensuring she was not weighed down or overheated from the hot jungle air around her. Her orange hair was tied back in double braids to prevent it from getting in the way of her movements. Following behind her was a party of fellow nekos, five in total including herself. They were each just as agile if a bit less muscular than herself.

“Alright, this is where Cissah’s hunting party went missing,” she said to her companions, a jump landing her on a particularly wide branch of a tree. Below, the underbrush was just as thick as ever. It was impossible for Kena to gauge any significant detail from this height, even with her keen eyes. Her companions followed her as she slid down the trunk, leaping the last few feet and landing on all fours.

“Are we even going to find anything?” asked Nariko. She was a rather stubborn girl. A redhead like Kena, only she preferred to keep her hair cut short, and her fur matched its colour. “Considering how long they’ve been gone I doubt they’re alive.”

“If there’s a new predator in this area, we need to know about it,” Kena replied. This region of the jungle was nearly devoid of giant predators, which resulted in many neko tribes being established in the area. Because of this, an entire hunting party going missing was unprecedented. “If it’s bad enough, we might need to relocate the tribe.”

Kena sniffed the air, but only smelled grass and flowers. “Spread out, and if you find something, let everyone know before you investigate it.” The group scattered, hunting through the brush for their lost friends. After nearly half an hour of fruitless searching, Kena heard Yumi calling for her.

“I found something weird!” she exclaimed. There was a hint of concern in her voice, which was interesting as Yumi was generally a lot more carefree than the rest of the group. Her blonde hair and calico features framed an hourglass body with pale skin and very few tattoos. She didn’t seem suited for jungle survival but managed to keep up with the others and maintain a positive attitude regardless. The group converged around her.

“What is it?” Kena questioned.

“It’s a faint smell, I barely noticed it!” Yumi declared, obviously proud of this observation.

“If it’s a sweet smell, then we should steer clear,” Kena said cautiously. The only predators in the area were giant man-traps. The carnivorous plants were easy to avoid if you knew what to look for, but the scent of their nectar was very similar to the sweet berries nekos and others loved to eat, making them a potentially deadly hazard.

“No, it’s not sweet. It’s something I’ve never smelled before!” Yumi’s excitement was visible as her whole body was practically vibrating with it.

“Even if it leads nowhere, it’s probably still worth checking out,” suggested Nariko. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and Kena quickly relented.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Upon reaching the spot where Yumi had been searching, Kena immediately noticed a strange scent in the air. It was almost... bland. The air seemed dry, despite the humidity not lowering at all. She raised her nose in the air and slowly advanced forwards. Then, a familiar scent appeared.

“I can smell Cissah,” Kena stated, still advancing forwards. “It’s faint, but she definitely went this-.” In an instant, Kena’s danger sense went into overdrive, but she could barely turn away before a surge of blue light burst forth from within the grass. Kena was blinded and tried to rub her eyes, but she found herself completely unable to move her arms or any muscle in her body.

“K-Kena! What’s happening!?” As Kena’s vision returned, she saw the source of Yumi’s distress: Every neko in her group had glowing blue chains wrapped around their arms and legs. The chains weren’t tight and seemed to be merely resting loose against their bodies, but regardless they found themselves unable to move an inch. Kena could still move her eyes and after a quick second of experimenting she found she could move the muscles in her face and neck as well as her tail. Every tail in the party was flicking and swaying uncontrollably with distress.

“It must be some kind of magic trap!” Kena shouted to her allies, though she was at a loss as for what to do other than continue to strain herself trying to regain control of her body. Looking down, she saw an additional chain wrapped around her middle, just below her breasts. Could the others move their bodies, but not their limbs? “Try jerking around however you can, you might be able to break free of the spell!” Not that this advice would work for herself, as the chains seemed most thorough on her, likely because she was closest to the trap when it went off. Yumi seemed to be the most successful in resisting the magic, as her bountiful breasts bounced around while she shook her whole upper body against the supernatural hold. However, nothing they did caused the chains to relent.

“Who put this stupid trap here?” Yumi complained, exhausted from her escape attempt. She had a point: A spell always has a spellcaster behind it, though Kena couldn’t think of any wizards or shamans in the area who could cast such a spell. Perhaps some adventuring humans or elves passing through the area placed it here, but why?

“Uh, I think I know who might have trapped us,” said Nariko. She didn’t need to point it out, Kena immediately saw what she was referring to as a colossal figure approached them. It was a giant man easily a hundred feet tall. He had a brown wide-brimmed hat on his head which cast shadows onto his face, but Kena’s keen vision was able to make out his fair-skinned face with black hair and green eyes. He wore tan coloured, loose-fitting robes that dragged along the brush as he walked. He was also approaching them from upwind, so how the hell hadn’t she smelled him coming, or heard him considering how big he was!? Yet, his robes and footsteps didn’t make a single sound or even catch on any plants as he walked closer and closer, a dark expression of delight on his face.

“Oh, how wonderful!” the giant exclaimed. His voice was soft, at least as much as it could be considering his size and his clear excitement. “There’s a whole group of you again!”

“W-who are you?” squeaked Yumi. Her thrashing had resumed and become more frantic, especially as the giant kneeled down and reached for her with a white gloved hand. His fabric-covered fingers wrapped around Yumi’s body with his thumb against her belly. With a single tug, the chains faded away, and Yumi was lifted into the air at a staggering speed. With her arms and legs free to move once more, she began struggling even more frantically to pry herself out of the giant’s grip. “P-put me down!”

“I, quite obviously, am a wizard!” his voice was sickeningly cheerful. “And you appear to be a cute little cat-girl who’s gotten caught in my paralyzing trap of magical chains! As for my name, well, names don’t really matter where you’re about to end up.”

“No! Stop it! Kena, anyone, help me!” Already knowing what was about to happen, Yumi was practically spastic. The giant’s lips parted, and his tongue emerged, sliding over Yumi’s entire body like a wet towel. This produced a squeal from the girl and brought a blissful expression to the wizard’s face. “Please no!” Yumi begged. Just as the massive tongue retreated back into the mouth, she was shoved in at lightning quick speeds. Kena could still see Yumi’s legs kicking frantically before they were slurped up and the calico neko vanished between the giant wizard’s lips. For several agonizingly long moments, all the nekos were silent as they watched the subtle movements of the massive, closed mouth. He was toying with the poor girl, likely doing unspeakable things to her with his tongue.

Kena dared to look away from the horrifying sight and inspect the reactions of her remaining companions. They were mostly frozen in terror, though Nariko had her teeth grit with silent rage. She looked back up just in time to see the giant’s head tilt back slightly as a bulge formed in his neck, quickly sliding its way down and vanishing behind his shirt collar.

This was all so unreal. Kena always knew the safety of the region wouldn’t last forever. Predators would eventually move into the serene area full of potential prey, but this was much worse than any scenario she could have imagined. Not only was this a new predator, but he was a magic user. She had to retreat, to tell everyone about this new threat, to relocate the tribe, but she couldn’t move. No matter how she strained against the magic, Kena couldn’t move a single muscle below her neck. Looking up, her eyes widened as she realized the wizard was reaching for her next! However, his gaze, and his reach, were stalled by Nariko.

“How the hell did you sneak up on us!?” the orange-furred girl shouted. “We should’ve smelled your scent or heard your giant ass coming!” Kena couldn’t tell if Nariko was deliberately attracting the giant’s attention, or if she just really was that angry. Either way, she was grateful for the distraction and continued to resist the magical binds as she watched her fiery, redheaded companion defiantly snarl at their robed captor. The giant wizard was still hunched over, staring down at Nariko with a mocking grin on his face.

“It’s a spell I call ‘nature walk’,” he said. Holding an open palm in front of him, he performed a few dexterous hand gestures, and green energy began to coalesce around his fingertips “It allows me to pass through the brush without disturbing the plant life, and it changes my natural scent to blend in perfectly with the surrounding wilderness!” Allowing the magic particles to fade, he turned his gaze back to Nariko. “Very convenient for sneaking up on otherwise attentive prey, as I’m sure you’ve seen?”

“Screw you!” the angry neko shouted back.

“My, someone’s prickly.” He lowered himself down further and reached a hand towards Nariko’s immobilized body. “While you have me talking though, why don’t I explain this little trap you’ve gotten yourselves stuck in. Now obviously, the spell activates when a human-sized creature gets too close to the spot where it was cast, and its effects reach out to all similarly sized creatures in an area. Any part of your body the chains come into contact with is completely immobilized unless it is moved by an outside force.” He reached out and prodded Nariko in the belly, tracing his gloved finger along her tattoos. “Your unaffected parts, however, can be interacted with just fine.” The massive finger found its way upward, drawing circles around her breasts. Nariko tried to reel herself back and, failing that, turned her head downwards to try biting the intrusive appendage. However, the other fingers eventually joined in and wrapped around her body just below the armpits.

“All it really takes, though, is a little tug,” the wizard explained. And with a yank, Nariko was pulled free of her chains and lifted in the air just like Yumi before her. Thinking fast, Kena decided to take his explanation to heart. Instead of straining her whole body at once, she focused all her energy on her right arm. Up above her, Nariko was struggling in the giant’s grip. With her arms now free, she flailed about wildly, focused on causing her captor as much pain as possible. Unfortunately, her biting and scratching did little to harm him through the fabric of his gloves. The tongue seemed the most vulnerable as it greedily took lick after lick across the angry neko’s body, but her claws and fangs seemed to simply slip along the fleshy organ’s length uselessly. Focusing further on her arm, Nariko could feel the magical binds straining to keep it in place. Straining, and failing.

Kena’s gaze was drawn back upwards as Nariko’s angry shouting gave way to a panicked yelp. Her entire lower body was already past the giant’s lips. She struggled with all her might, scrambling to find a handhold, but it wasn’t long before her chest, shoulders, face, and finally her flailing arms were pulled inside. She didn’t bother to look as the massive mouth savoured its treat, instead focusing on pulling her arm free, millimeter by millimeter. Her arm was visibly moving, straining against the chains and the invisible force they generated.

Suddenly, there was a crack, and the chains around her arm shattered into pieces, the fragments falling to the grass and dissipating into harmless magical sparks. It was immediately after that when Kena heard a small but audible *gulp* above her.

Her thoughts racing, she quickly reached over and gave her other arm a tug. Sure enough, that was all it took to dispel the magic binding her, and she set about groping all over her body to cause enough movement and break herself out the rest of the way. Her sensitive ears turned in an instant as she less heard and more sensed the hand descending upon her. Her reflexes activating instinctively, she jumped back and away from the attempted grab.

“Oh?” The giant sounded intrigued. But if he was shocked or concerned about Kena’s sudden ability to move, he didn’t show it. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Whatever, all that mattered was escape, survival. With his previous victim finished off, the giant wizard pounced towards her, but she was too fast for him. As she dove out of the way, he performed a horizontal swipe. Kena leapt over the hand, slipping between his finger and thumb. Her tail flicked around, allowing her to maintain balance and land on all fours, which allowed her to dodge forward as the other giant hand came crashing down behind her, nearly crushing her flat! The awkward movement on the giant’s part crossed his arms while he was leaning forward, causing his whole body to fall over.

Kena glanced at the other two trapped nekos a short distance away but knew she didn’t have enough time to free them before he got back up. She ran as fast as she could away from the whole scene, determined to make it back home and warn the tribe of this huge threat to their survival!

Suddenly, without warning, a massive fist closed itself around her body, pinning her arms to her sides and once again only leaving her head free to move.

Impossible! How had he recovered so fast? Not even that “nature walk” spell he mentioned should have allowed him to catch her. As she was pulled back, however, she was turned around to see the wizard still lying where he had fallen before. His hat had fallen off, revealing his long, pitch-black hair. He was reaching out towards her, a glowing white rune visible in his palm. The hand that held Kena was not that of the giant, but instead appeared to be an ethereal, floating hand which faintly glowed a similar colour to the chains she had just escaped.

“Did you really think the spells I told you about were the only ones I had? Stupid cat.” He had another annoying smirk on his face. The magic hand adjusted its grip to only hold her with a single finger wrapped tightly just below Kena’s shoulders, letting the rest of her body dangle. The giant wizard’s sapphire blue gaze looked along her body as she kicked her legs, struggling to break free of yet another magical trap, before staring her directly in her eyes. His playful glare sent a wave of fear through Kena’s spine, and she briefly wondered what the point even was of trying to escape from this predator, who could thwart her every effort with barely any action at all. He didn’t look determined, or fierce, or even hungry. He looked playful, like a cat with a mouse. Lifting her higher, the giant parted his lips, revealing the entrance to his dark, cavernous maw.

The giant man lowered Kena’s legs down toward his open mouth. Pre-emptively, Kena spread her legs out to make herself too wide to fit through. Before her feet could push against those massive lips, however, he pinched her ankles between two of his fingers, and the magic hand holding her up flickered out of existence. Kena released a yowl as her body abruptly fell forward. With her now free arms, she reached up and gripped tightly to his upper lip just as her head passed through the threshold of the hot, damp cave. But before she could pull herself out, the lips closed around her. A quick pass from the tongue immediately drenched her hair, face and shoulders in saliva. Her tail shot straight up in panic, and the rest of her body started kicking and flailing in an attempt to wiggle her way back out. For a moment, Kena thought she would make it out, then she was pinched around the waist and shoved the rest of the way in.

She lay sprawled out on the massive tongue for a brief moment, before seeing the gaping throat in front of her. The sight of the quivering, fleshy tube that threatened to send her to a place of no return sent Kena into another panicked frenzy. Her whole body working fast, she managed to push herself away from the deadly drop and turn around to clamber back towards the lips. Kena was strong, surely she could pry them open? Unfortunately, the tongue had other plans for her, moving upwards and pinning her against the roof of the mouth. It sloshed back and forth against her body jerking her this way and that. Gritting her teeth, Kena pushed against the strong wet muscle, managing to resist its pressure and pull herself forward inch by inch.

Against all odds, she reached the exit, squeezing her fingers between the massive lips sealing her inside and parting them just enough to start pulling herself free from the damp hell she had endured. She saw light again as her face broke free from the dark abyss. Her hair was damp and matted down, her fuzzy ears were folded back, and her face was gritted with determination. Hooking her arms around, she managed to pull her shoulders and chest free as well.

The jungle around her was blurry as Kena’s vision was covered by a thin, slimy film. She shivered as the free parts of her body made contact with fresh air. Her slickened body had very little traction, and it was becoming easier and easier to escape. Kena could see her friends still magically trapped on the ground below. Her aerodynamics would allow her to survive the fall unharmed, then she could free everyone else and they could escape together.

A realization hit her as soon as her waist slipped free.

Suddenly, her trajectory was reversed as the giant lips clamped down and slurped her entire body back up, and her freedom vanished in a flash. She was sucked up so fast in fact, her body skidded along the surface of the tongue and into the eager throat. With her quick reflexes, Kena was able to hug the base of the tongue just as her legs entered the pulsating chasm below. In her heart she knew it was futile. The only reason she came as close to freedom as she did was because the wizard was toying with her. There was no escape, but she fought regardless with everything she had. The tongue arched upward.

*Gulp*

With a single, simple movement, all of Kena’s struggles were rendered useless as she lost her grip on the massive tongue, sliding backwards deeper into the throat. The wet, squishy walls closed in on her in the darkness. She let out a cry of fury and desperation, determined even now to avoid succumbing to the fate that had consumed Yumi and Nariko before her. Despite her struggles, she couldn’t get a grip on the slippery insides of the hungry gullet, and it was only another second before her legs were squeezed into a deeper, tighter space, the rest of her body following shortly after.

All the light vanished around Kena to the point where not even her night vision could give her the slightest view of her surroundings, not that there was anything to see as she was pulled down the tight esophagus. It was over, she was nothing but food now. The strong muscles massaged at her entire body, pinning her arms and legs together, preventing her movement nearly as well as the magical trap she had only just escaped from. Barely able to breath as her chest was squeezed tight, she could do nothing but whimper in defeat as her body was drawn deeper and deeper down the digestive tract of the gigantic predator.

After several agonizingly long seconds, the space became even tighter for a brief moment before Kena was deposited into the stomach. To her surprise, she was greeted by a cacophony of flailing bodies and mewling voices. It almost seemed like she wouldn’t fit into the crowded chamber, but the walls stretched out ever so slightly to accommodate its new occupant. She fell into the middle of the slimy, squirming ball of women who’s fate she now shared.

Soft, slick bodies squished against her from every direction. It was still impossible to see anything, but through the groaning stomach Kena imagined she was surrounded by fellow nekos, and the passing wet fur of someone’s tail seemed to confirm that theory. She thought she could hear the voices of her companions through the maelstrom of panicked mewling around her, but it was nearly impossible to make out any individual sound among the squirming, squelching chaos. It was so tight, Kena barely had any control over her own movement, her limbs instinctively trying to push the other bodies away from her but finding no reprise. Suddenly, there was a notable shift in stomach muscles above them, and another wriggling neko girl was deposited into the group.

Everything was getting tighter, as the pulsating walls squeezed the group into an even tighter ball to conserve space. It seemed unbelievable that the giant could still be hungry with a stomach this full! Unable to even think of an escape and doomed to digestion, Kena could do nothing but cry out alongside her fellow nekos as they were all churned together within the dark depths.

-

Khandel patted his belly through his robes as his latest treat joined the squirming contents of his stomach. He licked his lips and ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth, gathering the last of tiny catgirl’s lingering flavour before sighing with contentment.

Khandel was a giant wizard, clothed in traditional magic robes made from tan, beige material to both protect him from the elements and not build up too much heat. He was human, or at least had been before growing to enormous size thanks to the wonders of magic. Looking down in front of him, he retrieved his brown, wide-brimmed hat which had fallen off his head when he had tried to pounce on that one neko who managed to break free of his magical trap. Fortunately, he’d managed to snag her with a quick mage hand spell before she escaped. Even more fortunately, the last of the catgirls was still stuck, and seemed to have tired herself out trying to break the magical chains which prevented her limbs from moving.

Like all the nekos Khandel had encountered, the tiny girl was a rather attractive individual. She had light brown hair tied in a braid that fell down her back and a pair of emerald-green eyes that stared up at him with fear and desperation. Her fear caused her similarly brown coloured cat ears to fold back, and her fuzzy cat tail rapidly flicked from side to side. Her tanned skin was bare all over save for intricate brown, red and green tattoos that ran all along her body. They were likely cultural as well as for camouflage but now, they only served to accentuate her features, tracing lines all along her otherwise modest curves. With her diminutive size compared to Khandel’s massive form, she looked cute… and tasty. Khandel’s body was hunched down, leaning over the terrified little cat who had watched him swallow all her friends alive. Licking his lips, he reached out to grab her.

“W-wait! Don’t eat me!” the neko suddenly cried out just as Khandel’s hand was hovering right over her frozen body. “I-I’ll give you anything you want!” Her cries piqued his interest.

“What an interesting choice of words,” he said, setting his hand down in the grass and foliage right beside the little tattooed girl. “I assume you have something in mind?”

“Y-you like eating nekos, right?” The neko girl put on a nervous smile as Khandel heard her out, though her fear was still very much visible. “My group comes from a whole tribe of nekos living hidden in the jungle, I can lead you there!” She seemed to think that if Khandel gorged himself on her tribemates, he’d become full and no longer want to eat her. Little did she know that he was nearly full already with all those other wandering groups he had managed to catch earlier. He could still feel the mewling crowd massaging the inside of his stomach, though this was completely unnoticeable from the outside. She was right about one thing though: Khandel did, in fact, love eating nekos.

“You’d really sell out your own tribe like that?” he smirked down at her.

“Yes! I-I don’t want to die!” the girl stammered back. She certainly had her priorities straight.

“Well, unfortunately for your sake, I already know where your tribe lives, along with every tribe in this jungle.” It was partially true. Though he didn’t know the exact location, Khandel had established the general area of each tribe based on the travel routes of various hunting groups and patrols he’d spied on throughout his time in the region. He’d always made sure to only eat the group he was following when they were a sufficient distance away from their camps and villages, as to make sure they didn’t catch on to him.

All hope vanished from the neko’s face as the connotations of his’s words reached her fluffy ears, which drooped cutely with despair. Placing his other hand on the ground, Khandel leaned down so his face was right in front of the terrified catgirl.

“Anything else you have to offer?” he smugly questioned.

“I-I…”

“That’s what I thought, dessert.” The girl had no time to react as Khandel opened his mouth wide and dropped down, engulfing her body and scooping her up as his lips closed tightly around her ankles. The magic trap holding her still was almost immediately broken, though there wasn’t much she could do to escape as only the soles of her feet were visible outside of Khandel’s massive maw. With a flick of his tongue, the tiny girl’s toes vanished between his lips.

He hummed with pleasure at the feeling of tiny hands and feet scrambling along the length of his tongue. Khandel searched for a comfortable spot to rest while his tongue began the process of sloshing the wriggling treat around his mouth. She was the last one, and he intended to take extra time with her.

He settled down against one of the many massive tree trunks. The island continent of Frontier was quite fascinating. The vast majority of creatures were normal sized, the same scale of life he was used to living around before he began to dabble in magic, but the flora was all so huge, even by the standards of giants! This land was both bountiful and dangerous, and Khandel had long wished for the chance to become one of those dangers. His passion had allowed him to soar above his peers, even going so far as to dabble in forbidden texts hidden deep below the academy which had taught him everything he knew about defying reality, even as it tried its best to keep the darkest secrets from his mind. Khandel still remembered the apprehension as he stepped through the portal, and the surge of power as the forbidden magic imbued him with power, and size!

His reminiscing was interrupted by a particularly intense bout of squirming from the little tribal girl entrapped behind his lips. He responded by pinning her to the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue, dragging her around in little circles. The texture was delightful. Khandel was quite particular about his prey, some would say picky. He refused to eat humans out of principal, neither the primitive natives nor the adventurers from afar, despite them easily being the most numerous of the local populations. Elves were especially scrumptious, but he hadn’t managed to find many yet on the western side of the island. Nekos, compared to other prey, had a nice, zesty flavour to them, and they seemed to be bundles of pure energy with how much fight they had in them.

Khandel flicked the tip of his tongue all around the feline humanoid’s body. He tasted her squirming limbs, flicking tail, bouncing breasts, pert buttocks and yowling face. It was hard to imagine so much enjoyment drawn from such a tiny package. Alas, his stomach beckoned with a longing groan despite its fullness. Khandel leaned back further against the massive tree and let his tongue fall limp, opening the entrance to his throat as the saliva-coated catgirl slid down despite her struggles. He could feel the shape of her body pressed against the walls of his throat as she fell in headfirst. Once she passed the threshold, he raised his tongue back up and effortlessly swallowed the slippery treat down. As his esophagus passed her the rest of the way down, Khandel could feel her squeeze right into his crowded stomach after a few seconds.

This was not the first party of nekos he had ambushed. He had probably introduced over two dozen of the lively little treats to the intricacies of his digestive system. He could feel the squirming, feline mass squirming and kicking away at his stomach’s walls. Any attempt at escape was futile, as the groaning sounds of digestion began to emanate. With a few intricate waves of his fingers, Khandel recast his nature walk spell, ensuring he wouldn’t be bothered as he readjusted into a more comfortable position for a nap, tilting his hat forward so that the wide rim blocked the light from reaching his face.

A belly full of nekos was a satisfying compliment to an afternoon rest, but it took quite a bit of hunting to fill himself up. Khandel pondered his options while he rubbed his groaning tummy, preparing for digestion as his eyes fluttered to sleep. Maybe tomorrow, he could pay one of those neko villages a visit?