Anon asked: "So say a pred sees a small prey, real chunky. Would they be seen as appetizing or potentially a threat, say the prey is actually snacking on bigger preds and due to the difference in body sizes can't shed the pounds as easily?"
Well, first off, it depends on which setting we're talking about, because in The Den, most prey animals are biologically incapable of devouring live prey. However, in the New Haven City setting, absolutely! Any species could potentially be a pred there, and seeing a particularly chunky prey animal could definitely raise a few red flags. Or, maybe a pred would simply see them as an easy meal... which could go particularly badly for them if they DO turn out to be a predator in disguise.
Anyway, I really like the idea of a chubby shortstack prey-species pred, so I decided to draw one! I usually draw preds with their prey still struggling, because I like the implication of a long digestion process. But I've seen some fun art lately of preds belching up a "skull" symbol, which is an excellent cartoony way of illustrating that moment where a prey stops struggling.
Not that this meal is anywhere near done: it'll probably take a while for this gal's digestive system to process that bellyful of cat stew. But the process is underway; time to go spend the afternoon relaxing, watching movies and playing video games while she lets her stomach do its thing.
I'm really pleased with how this drawing came out and I need to be better about practicing different body types, so I'm thinking maybe I should turn this little lady into a recurring character? A prey-species character who primarily feeds on other preds, using herself as bait, could be fun!
