Judy practically dragged the tall and slender fox along into the crowd that began to form. Nick had once again been brought back to the harvest festival for another year of small country festivities. The smell of pies, pastries and candy flooded the fox's nostrils. This year he managed to convince his precious Judy to maybe slow down on all the Festival Treats he was often given at these events and to maybe lay low a little. Judy would always try to convince Nick to have a snack out here in the country where there were less cameras every time he was around. While Nick loved the treats he got, he felt like maybe he should lay low just a little more when he was here, considering how voracious Judy would encourage him to be. Surely someone might notice how many little bunnies and sheep would disappear when he was in town. The last thing he wanted was to get caught.
Regardless of their disagreements, Judy was still plenty happy just spending an innocent day with the fox as she pulled him along to her new favourite attraction at the carrot days festival. The pie eating competition. The two managed to find a place in the back of the crowd that formed below a raised ramshackle wooden podium adorned with paper flowers and produce related decorations. The couple having a clear view as a pig dressed in country fancy clothes walked up to the large table on top of the podium. It seemed that this event wasn't very well produced, but regardless, it seemed to draw many passersby into the fold of the crowd. Through pure tourist curiosity or from genuine enjoyment of the spectacle.
``Ladies and gentlemen...'' A deep smooth southern voice broadcasted over the speakers as the pig presenter brought his microphone to his mouth. ``I welcome y'all to our 3rd annual pie eating contest sponsored by...'' It took the pig a second to read the card in his hand, his wasn't completely sure if the business name was right. ``Um... Gideon Grey's Real good baked stuff.'' A mediocre applause rang out from the crowd. It appeared that some of the folks here at the festival knew the name of Gideons business. ``This year we have our four contestants...'' The pig took a pause and moved his microphone away from his mouth before returning to inform the crowd. ``Would you like to come on stage? Alright! We have... Jeremiah the buffalo! David the rabbit! Maxine the skunk! And of course, our 2-year running champ and proud sponsor Gideon Grey!''
Cheers and hollers from the odd folk in the crowd can be heard with each passing name as the contestants stood on the stage awkwardly. They each then took their seats on the podium. From left to right the audience could see the buffalo, then Gideon, then the rabbit, then the skunk sitting at the long competition table. Judy with her excellent hearing could hear a familiar sheep's voice also cheer for Gideon. A voice she hadn't heard in a while, a sheep's voice, and one she certainly wasn't expecting to be cheering him on. Each contestant took their seat at the table, the large crowd now fully formed, spilling a bit onto the pathways around the show.
Gideon looked around the crowd to see if he could find any familiar faces for encouragement. He found a few familiar faces that smiled at him from the crowd, but he wasn't truly happy until he identified the black sheep of the crowd. Sharla gave the stage nervous fox a wave accompanied by a cheerful smile. He knew she would be here, but it was good to confirm she was here giving her support. As he continued to look, Gideon was also surprised to see Judy and Nick in the audience as well. He had briefly run into them at the festival and got acquainted to Judy's fox friend, but he didn't think they would actually come watch him compete. The fact that they were there though also helped his competitive spirit.
``All right. Now, for those who are unfamiliar, the rules of this here pie contest is simple. Most Pies in your belly once all 20 pies...'' Gideon gave a subtle elbow to the pig presenting and gave an even more subtle little shake of his head, one of the younger pig assistants whispered into the presenter's ear. ``Sorry, once all 15 pies have been eaten wins you the prize.'' Gideon had unfortunately run low on stock at his stall and had to make do with the remaining 15. ``What might that prize be? Well thanks to our sponsor Gideon Grey here, that's 1 years supply of pies. Bet getting that prize won't be so easy, I'm sure the reigning champ here isn't going to let up that title without a fight.'' The pig host of the event explained the rules for all the newcomers watching as a stack of 15 large, full dish pies were placed by some pig helpers in a neat stack on the centre of the table right between Gideon and his rabbit opponent. ``Times up when the last bite off the last pie is swallowed. Or I'll just call it if one of y'all is taking too long. Alright we ready?'' Everyone at the table had a nervous buzz in their stomach to compete. Gideon especially, he really didn't want to have fork out a year's worth of free pies. ``On your mark, get set, Go!'' The pig commentator seemed to take a revolver out of a holster on his hip and aimed the gun away from any danger as a loud bang ran out. Nobody seemed to be too concerned about a gun being discharged at the festival. Nick imagined that it was probably just a blank or something. Judy didn't even seem phased.
Once the bang went off, every animal was off to the races. Jeremiah the rather beefy buffalo was first to act. Grabbing the top two pies off the stack. Gideon followed next and grabbed two also. It seemed a trend had formed as the ready rabbit and the small skunk followed suit. But maybe the smaller two should've paced themselves.
It seemed the contest wasn't the most well balanced. The buffalo was twice the size of the next opponent being Gideon, who was nearly twice the size of the rabbit and the skunk. The logistics of this competition never really were scrutinised, it was just another way to get free advertisement and to have a bit of fun. Due to Jeremiah's size, it was clear he had the advantage. He was taking bite after bite, simply scooping up the contents of the first pie in front of him with his hooves and shoving it in his mouth recklessly. The contestants weren't given utensils of course, that was all a part of the fun. The sides of the buffalo's mouth was well smeared with blueberry stuffing.
Gideon was surprisingly nearly on pace with Jeremiah. What the fox lacked in bite size, he nearly made up for in the rate at which he swallowed. The fox's strategy going into this event was to simply use his sharper claws to dig and hack and then swallow any piece he could quickly create. Eviscerating the soft blue interior of the helpless blueberry pie. A spectacle for the audience indeed seeing such a primal display. Gideon played it up a bit too for the audience. Acting a little more feral then was commonly accepted out here in the country.
David the rabbit wasn't going to be outdone just because he was smaller than all the other contestants. He made sure to grab the same number of pies to start with and made sure to match the pace of the fox next to him. The rabbit seemed to be keeping up. In fact, he even began to outmatch the fox next to him as he ate his first pie. His chittering teeth made quick work of any piece of pie that entered his mouth. Basically, matching the much much larger buffalo. David felt like he might actually have a chance at winning this thing.
Maxine took her first bite from her first pie. She tasted how rich the flavour of this sweet blueberry pie was. The tart of the sauce, the firm yet melt in your mouth crust, the flaky pastry top. It was delicious. She took her second bite with another scoop of her paw, making sure not spill too much onto her face or table. She wanted to enjoy every bit this pie had to offer. To be quite honest, Maxine didn't really have intentions of winning this competition, she knew she never could. Instead, the skunk just wanted to eat her favourite pie for free. Sure, it wasn't going to be a year supply. But in this moment that didn't matter, she just took piece after savoured piece. Placing the food in her mouth, rolling it around every single tastebud, until she was satisfied she had tasted it all before she swallowed. The look of satisfaction on this skunk's face was certainly a compelling advertisement for Gideon's brand.
The competition continued on a similar path. The three major contestants, Jeremiah, Gideon, and David were all on equal footing. With Maxine taking her sweet time. Once the trio had finished their first two pies, it seemed no one was game enough to grab 2 dishes at a time. Each of them grabbed one more began to eat their third pie. Jeremiah having the least issues continuing. Gideon also didn't seem too phased; he had done this a few years in a row now. And he usually had some spare pies to train on in the weeks leading up to the event. But David had the wind blown out of his sails. A few mouthfuls into his 3rd pie, and he was almost already at Maxine's pace. The small rabbit struggled to even get halfway through his 3rd pie before both Gideon and Jerimiah went in to grab more pies.
This was when Jeremiah shocked the audience by grabbing two pies after Gideon grabbed his 4th. Gideon too was shocked for a moment, looking at his opponents stack, but he didn't want to lose focus. Jeremiah likely had just taken two to psych him out. He had seen how David went at a pace that was too quick for his rabbit stomach. Gideon could only hope that maybe Jeremiah was going to do the same by rushing. Gideon just had to keep on his pace. It was at this point Maxine moved to her 2nd pie.
Gideon was almost done his 4th pie as he looked over to see David next to him, seated with 3 pie tins before him. The full bunny unable to bring himself to grab the last pie dish remaining. However, still thinking he could at least tie with Jeremiah, Gideon's hopes were dashed as he saw the hooved hand of Jeremiah come down and grab the final plate of pie remaining. Gideon was shocked to see the buffalo to his right had finished both his 4th and 5th pie and was now moving onto his 6th. Just as he was finishing his 4th. Gideon definitely had room for more pie, but there seemed that there were none left. Even now if Jerimiah didn't manage to finish the last pie, Gideon would be stuck with 2nd place. He hadn't accounted for such a small number of pies, he knew he should have done another batch this morning.
The crowd watched intently at all 4 contestants. David, the bloated bunny, full and barely moving. Maxine, the skinny skunk, still only halfway done her 2nd pie. Gideon looking bewildered and shocked as it seemed he was losing. Jerimiah, the big buffalo, struggling to finish his 6th pie. The crowd was almost still with anticipation, watching closely to see if Jeremiah could do It. Gideon was beginning to panic, thinking about all the money he was about to lose over the year. He looked to see if any of the pie dishes in front of the others were still uneaten. They all were consumed. He looked to see if maybe he could snatch the last half pie from Maxine. That wouldn't be polite, besides It wouldn't even be enough. He seemed at a loss for what to do. Desperate to keep his title. He thought for a moment. Then, while looking out at the audience for encouragement, feeling he had let his friends down. Gideon saw Sharla looking sympathetic towards the fox, trying to comfort him while he was on stage. Then he saw his friend Judy at the back still hopping and cheering him on, standing next to a fox that was basically double her size. Then Gideon realised something as a brilliant idea struck his mind.
Gideon looked over and counted how many pie plates were in front of him. 4. In front of Jeremiah? Soon to be 6. But in front of David was three pie tins. If he had the bunny's total, he would be wining by one. He had to take his shot.
The crowd watched intently at the final moments of the show. Maxine getting down to her last quarter of her 2nd pie. Jerimiah struggling to finish his 6th dish. As the crowd and contestants were all shocked as they saw Gideon reach over towards the full and reclining rabbit. His buttons almost popping off his shirt. Gideon Grey without a second thought grabbed onto the sides of this unsuspecting relaxing rabbit and pulled him in towards his maw. With one quick fluid motion Gideon placed the bunny headfirst deep into the back of his throat, right there on the stage.
The crowd, full of different predators and prey, but most especially rabbits, gave off a collective gasp at the sight. The fox devouring the bunny right in front of everyone, right here on stage. Nobody knew what was happening, the crowd was basically still for a moment. Maxine even took a moment away from eating her last pieces of pie. The only noise that could be heard being the loud gulps as Gideon tried desperately to swallow his fellow competitor. The audience listened intently at these audible gulps, shocked. But then, luckily, a familiar cry from the audience called. The voice of his supportive friend, Judy Hopps broke the silence with enthusiasm. ``Woooo! Go Gideon! Swallow that bunny! You got this!''
Not a moment passed as this spurred on Sharla from the audience to call out as well. ``Woo! Yeah! You got this Gideon!'' Soon there were stranger voices calling out from the audience. A jaguar yelled with a bit of a laugh ``Go Gideon! Swallow that bunny!'' Another fox called ``You got this man. Go Gideon!'' Even more sporadic affirmations from most of the predator folk came through. All cheering on the reigning champ, using a very unorthodox method to defend his title. Gideon knew the rules were just How many pies could you get in your stomach. Surely if David was down there too, any pies the bunny had eaten would go to his total. That was his hope at least. All the cheering from the audience was invigorating him to reach his goals.
Maxine began to slowly eat her pie once again, now even slower, consuming her pie like a theatre snack as she watched her fellow competitor, a bunny, getting swallowed by Gideon, the fox. She was very impressed with how much room this fox had left in him. But honestly for the most part she didn't mind all this strangeness. As long as she was enjoying her pie, she didn't care who this fox ate. She just now had something to watch while she savoured the tasty blueberry pie before her.
Soon the random cheers became uniform as Judy Hopps called out again in a sing song fashion. ``Swallow that bunny! Swallow that bunny!'' Soon the others chimed in. Even a large majority of the prey crowd were joining in the chant. It seemed everyone here wanted to see Gideon succeed at his attempt to win the competition. There were definitely some prey in the crowd that didn't chant and were mostly confused but even some of them joined in, thinking this was just some sort of carnival act and that the fox wasn't really swallowing the bunny. But most of the predators in the audience knew that the swallowing was very much real.
Gideon could feel the bunny's weak protests as he shoved him in deeper inside his gullet. He knew his stomach was already mostly full, and this was going to be a big gamble if he could even keep the bunny down. Gideon swallowed hard and almost felt his stomach reach max capacity as he brought most of the rabbit within him. Gideon was almost going to give up. But as he doubted himself, the cheers came through. Judy, Sharla and all his friends he heard from the stage, giving him that needed courage to take another swallow.
Gideon placed his paws on the backs of the bunny's feet and pushed down as he swallowed up. The crowd grew in suspense as it seemed that this would almost get the bunny down. David's feet were now In Gideon's gullet. But the bunny's bulge was still clearly visible in the fox's neck. The crowd paused for a moment seeing that the swallow hadn't succeeded. Gideon took one more powerful swallow. The crowd watching as the bunny mass travelled down and joined the rest of Gideon's pudgy round belly, his form completely disappearing. The crowd went wild. Chanting, cheers, and applause all erupted seeing Gideon complete his swallow. They had all come to see an eating competition and this show certainly delivered. It was really impressive seeing a fox swallow that much food and a bunny all at once. It was certainly not something you would see every day.
Maxine finished her last piece of pie. Jerimiah looked at the smaller fox dumfounded as to how he could fit so much food into his belly. All as the pig presenter walked back onto the stand. ``Well, well, well, Ladies and gentlemen it looks like the time is up!'' The crowd was still elated with the spectacle. But the mood seemed to die down just a little as the pig began presenting. An atmosphere of suspense fell on the audience as they weren't sure if Gideon had actually technically won. ``Wowzer, you don't get to see that in the city huh folks?'' The comment getting a little chuckle out of the audience. ``Well, considering the rules of this eating competition is how many pies can you fit in your belly, and well... It ain't all pies in there. I'd say we gotta take this to an audience vote. Now technically Jeramiah here ate 6 pies while Gideon here ate 4 plus a bunny that had eaten 3 making his new total 7. But considering the method he employed acquiring that last 3.'' The pig presenter was standing in between the two primary candidates as he tapped his microphone to Gideon's belly as he emphasised the unorthodox method. ``So, I believe, in the spirit of keeping this fair, we shall put it to a vote. Now, who thinks Jerimiah here ate the most?'' It was obvious from the pig's enthusiasm that he had a favourite in the candidates for the vote. It was clearly Gideon.
The crowd gave off mild cheers and endorsements. One particularly loud and passionate Buffalo guy carrying the audience mostly. ``Now... Who thinks Gideon here ate the most?'' The crowd erupted into a roaring cheer. Judy, Nick, Sharla, and many of the crowd all felt that Gideon, despite being the reigning champ, was the most underdog in this story and seeing the comeback the fox had to make to beat the buffalo was almost unbelievable. It was truly a well-earned victory.
``Well, there you have it folks. Three-year champ defends his title yet again. How does it feel Gideon?'' The presenter put his microphone towards the heavy breathing, very full fox's mouth.
Gideon was barely able to hold consciousness. He was going to slip into a food coma or throw up any second now. He wasn't able to come up with anything witty or try to hide the truth at the moment. So, he just said ``I feel pretty full.'' That answer getting plenty of laughs from the audience.
``Well, I can certainly see that! What made you decide to pick David here to swallow? How did ya know you could do it?'' The presenter seemed pretty curious as to how Gideon managed this unbelievable task and he was very certain that the audience would be curious too.
Gideon still struggling to hold his food down simply responded. ``He's a bunny... He had three pies... I honestly didn't know I could do it.''
``Hahaha. Well, you certainly figured out you could.'' The presenter made sure to always talk back to the audience with his responses. He was ultimately trying to ham up the most interesting part of this event, the swallow. ``Good thing little miss Maxine over here only had two Huh? You reckon if she had the three pies instead you would've had to gobble her up instead?''
Maxine's eyes went a little wide as the question was asked. She never actually thought it would have been her swallowed. She hadn't thought she was in any danger until now. Foxes normally just eat rabbits, right? Gideon gave a simple response in between panted breaths ``Um, I would have certainly tried to.'' This got another laugh from the audience. The pig presenter with Gideon's short responses were definitely killing it with this audience. The presenter loved how enthralled the audience was, this was the best show he had done all day.
``Well, Maxine what do you have to say about that?'' The pig brought the microphone over to Maxine who was shocked at Gideon's response.
``Um... I'd rather not get swallowed please...'' The audience chuckled a little hearing such a timid response. Maxine felt a little bit more in danger as the reality of the situation was sinking in. Maybe if she did have the higher count, she could have been the one stuck in Gideon's belly. The thought kind of scared her.
``Do you think he could have done it though, Maxine?'' The pig presenter was fishing for some more comedy out of the situation. Seeing how nervous Maxine was getting, he was hoping to get a bit of a reaction out of her for the audience.
``Um... I think it makes more sense that a fox could swallow a bunny... Not a skunk.'' Maxine's response sort of tried to dodge the question, getting another laugh from the audience. It wasn't that she didn't think Gideon could swallow her, she just didn't like the idea of him doing it so avoided thinking about it. The poor skunk wasn't exactly prepared for a post competition interview, but even if she had she could never have prepared for such questions. It was clear the 3 on stage getting interviewed were not up here because of their charisma. But nevertheless, the audience was still buzzing so anything the contestants said would have been interesting.
``What about you David? How do you feel about being a part of today's victory?'' The pig put the microphone onto Gideon's belly. The sound of stomach rumbling and movement could be heard over the speakers. The audience laughed with the absurdity of the question. ``Well, folks looks like you heard it here first.'' The pig presenter acting as if the stomach gurgles were something important. ``Hahaha. Well, how about we give David and Gideon here, as well as all Jeremiah and Maxine, a round of applause for giving us the most exciting pie eating contest ever at the harvest festival!'' The crowd cheered as Gideon and the rest of the contestants tried to stand after their large meals. Waving to the crowd as they managed to walk down the steps of backstage. ``Who knows, maybe we gotta make this ending a yearly tradition, huh. Thanks for coming out, folks!''
With the final comment by the presenter. The audience seemed to thin out as the event was over, pred and prey alike still whispering and talking about how crazy the event was. Was it real? Is David, okay? All the gossip possible was being had. Gideon had barely enough time to get off stage before he ran into two familiar faces by the grass offstage waiting to greet him. Judy and Nick were standing there conversing, ready to congratulate the champion. Judy beaming with excitement barely able to stand still.
``See Nick, I told you people don't really mind much around here...'' Judy then noticed Gideon walking down the back steps. ``Oh, there he is. Woo! Congratulations Gideon!'' Judy exclaimed as Gideon struggled to get steady walking down the wooden steps. He managed to lean on the railing as Judy ran up to hug the bloated fox. Judy didn't squeeze, she knew how to act around a full fox. But she certainly got her face plenty close to his moving belly. ``You swallowed him like a champ!''
``Yeah wow. Good job. Could definitely give you some pointers on technique but certainly made up for it with enthusiasm.'' Nick couldn't help but get his own boast into his compliment. Judy just looked back at Nick and rolled her eyes. While yes, he was 100% right, Nick could give Gideon some tips. It was clear to Judy that Gideon was new at swallowing big bunnies and so was just proud that he could.
``Oh! Uhhh, Thanks...'' It seemed Gideon was feeling a little awkward. He couldn't help but get strange feelings from having a bunny hug him while another was in his stomach. He felt like Judy might feel a little offended at that fact. Seemingly she didn't though.
Judy noticed this. ``Oh Gideon, its fine don't worry. You earned that bunny fair and square. Trust me, I am not at all bothered by you having a bunny in your tummy.'' Judy made her best efforts to ensure Gideon didn't feel bad about eating his fellow contestant.
Nick chimed in with a cheeky ``Actually, I think she is feeling quite the opposite. Wouldn't you agree honey bun?'' With an added wink and a smirk.
``Hey!'' was all Judy could say as she gave Nick a love punch in the arm. She couldn't elaborate to Gideon further for fear of revealing too much private information. Gideon's nose was already starting to pick up on that private information. His face immediately turning flush, but like Judy refused to acknowledge it. It probably had nothing to do with his current situation he thought.
``Oh, well I-I a-appreciate that, Judy.'' Gideon spoke as he tried to maintain his balance with the nearby railing. ``Thanks for coming by and showing support by the way... I really do appreciate it.''
``Of course, Gideon! Wouldn't miss it for the world. Glad I got to see you in action haha.'' Judy absentmindedly touched Gideon's belly over his shirt with that last comment. It was clear to Nick that Judy was getting a little too excited. Gideon too felt a little odd having a bunny rub his belly, he wasn't complaining though, it did alleviate some of his discomfort. ``Oh, I'm so sorry for keeping you Gideon. You probably want to lie down and relax somewhere while you digest him huh?'' Judy asked a pretty leading question. Honestly the thought of digesting David hadn't crossed his mind, Gideon's main goal right now was to find a soft patch of grass to get David out. But having a bunny rub his belly made his brain second guess that in this moment.
``Oh, uhhh I don't think I was gonna... I don't think it would be very sportsman-like of me...'' from the way Gideon spoke you could tell he wasn't fully decided. He was thinking out his options. Getting the go ahead from a rabbit though was swaying him.
``Oh, you probably aren't going to digest him?'' Judy seemed a little quizzical, but it did make sense. A lot of people would know he ate David if the bunny didn't show up later. ``Oh, I guess you probably shouldn't huh...'' Judy then looked around for a moment to see if anyone was near, she then spoke in a bit of a hushed tone. ``Well, it's just that... Ok, you didn't hear this from me but... I've actually heard that a fox digesting a bunny actually helps with gut health. Something about how we evolved. So, if you kept him in there, he would actually probably help you with all those pies too.''
Gideon was a little taken aback at how Judy spoke. He looked up towards Nick to see him respond with a simple nod and shrug confirming to Gideon that Nick might have been the one to tell her this. Gideon had heard this wise tale from foxes in his family, but maybe there was some truth to the claims.
Judy perked up again. ``Well, whether or not you decide to digest that yummy bunny, regardless, you should definitely swing by Nick and I's new apartment whenever you're in Zootopia next. We would love to have you.'' Judy stepped back away from Gideon as she spoke to him about an open invitation to swing by whenever. It seemed Judy really wanted to reconnect with her former childhood rival/bully. It seemed like he had turned into such a thoughtful sweetie, and she certainly wanted to catch up more. That or she was just simply fascinated by the next fox she had seen swallow a bunny. Likely a combination of both.
``Wow, thank you Judy. Ya know, I'm actually looking into getting a new van off from a family friend there in a few weeks actually. I might take you up on that offer pretty soon.'' Gideon's belly squirmed. It seemed David was nowhere near given up on trying to get out. Gideon was going to have to get him out or lie down quickly to digest him. ``Oof, David's still kicking. I think I gotta go lie down somewhere... Man, if only I was more like Maxine and just enjoyed my pies instead of getting into this mess huh.'' Gideon didn't have the energy to think internally and blurted out his inner thoughts to Judy and Nick. Gideon felt a bit rude telling them he needed to leave, but honestly the poor fox couldn't stand any longer. Judy and Nick didn't seem to mind much.
``Yeah, totally fine. We'll see you around Gideon...'' Judy waved at Gideon as the fat fox stumbled towards a patch of grass nearby and flopped down onto his back. Gideon could overhear as suddenly the bunny realised something. ``Oh my god Nick, What about Maxine?''
``Huh?'' Nick didn't immediately follow the bunny's epiphany.
``What about Maxine? You said wanted to try something other than bunny, right? But what about skunk? She even said she didn't want to get swallowed AND that bunnies are more fox food! Which I mean, she's right, but still. Mmmmf... it's perfect.'' Judy seemed to be continuing on a conversation the two had earlier, that Gideon only caught the last bit of.
``Hahaha, I guess she did say that...'' Nick mulled it over. ``Hmm, Yeah I could go for skunk.'' Judy beamed and hopped. She was ecstatic.
``Yes! Oh my god Yes! Alight, let's go find her!'' Now the bunny and the fox seemed to start to walk away from the backstage of this wooden fair attraction.
``I don't think I can swallow her on stage though.'' Nick added. Their voices slightly fading from Gideon as they started to walk away. ``I definitely can't beat that.''
``Oh my god! Could you Imagine swallowing her in front of everyone right after she said she didn't want to get swallowed? Or what about in front of her family or something just casually?'' Many more of Judy's rambling ideas fading out as the two walked away.
The last thing Gideon heard was Nick simply say with a chuckle. ``Hahaha, maybe carrots.''
Meanwhile as Gideon was laying down on a patch of grass he found off by the podium, the sunlight in his face was suddenly blocked by a short yet fluffy black cloud of a sheep. The familiar Sharla was standing over the fox's face as he peeped one eye open.
``Wow, congratulations Gideon!'' Sharla spoke with genuine admiration. Her high pitch southern accent immediately recognisable to Gideon.
``Oh, it's you darlin. I was dreading you might have been an angry bunny.'' Gideon spoke with his belly still moving rather rhythmically. It seemed that David's protests continued.
``Well, looks like an angry bunny beat me here.'' Sharla kneeled down and brushed Gideon's belly. Some of the fox's buttons had broken so Sharla's hoof easily slipped under his shirt and felt along the fox's soft fur. She could feel the bunny inside still moving. ``Wow, I can't even believe how you managed that. He's basically as big as me...''
Gideon could barely respond. He was just enjoying the new belly rubs he was getting from his sheep partner. It seemed she was very proud but was also a little shocked and surprised at the events that happened on stage. She had never really known Gideon to be the type of fox to eat someone. It was impressive watching him do it, but she knew he likely did it to save his position as champion.
``He's gonna be pretty mad once he gets out huh... So how much longer you think of keeping him in there?'' Sharla questioned the fox. She was a little concerned that maybe Gideon had forgotten. This felt like the politest way to remind him.
``Oh Uh... I should probably let him out soon huh?'' Gideon seemed to be asking Sharla if he should let out the bunny. Every part of the fox's body was telling him to hold onto the well-earned meal. But maybe saner heads would prevail.
``Yeah, probably... You gonna need some help sweetie?'' Sharla kept patting the fox belly lovingly trying to alleviate his stomach. Gideon just gave a simple nod. Sharla gave Gideon a reassuring peck on the lips. Trying to comfort the fox before his soon unpleasant experience. She could taste the mix of blueberry and salty bunny fur; it was an odd sensation for her. ``Well, alright then, get ready Gideon.'' Sharla then took initiative in rolling the big fox onto his side. Despite her smaller stature, Sharla was rather impressively moving the fox into position. It seemed she knew her way around the big fox. She first got Gideon onto his side, asked him if he could manage to crawl onto his front, he couldn't really without more of her help. Until finally Gideon was down on hands and knees. Belly almost touching the grass. Gideon looked over at Sharla with an unpleasant look. ``I know sweetie but you gotta.'' Sharla pet Gideon on the back a few times, which quickly turned into comforting back rubs.
Gideon sighed, he really didn't want to have to go through with this, he wanted to keep the bunny inside. But Sharla was right, it wasn't the right thing to do. Luckily for Gideon, it wasn't going to take long. With how much pressure was inside the fox's belly. All Gideon needed to do push his belly in once as he let open his mouth. Very quickly after, Gideon could feel the bunny's pointed face slide up his throat, along the back of his tongue and out the fox's maw. Gideon's stomach hadn't really had much time to start its work, so luckily for him the majority of what he tasted was the filling of the blueberry pie that coated the bunny. It actually tasted rather sweet, not as good as a fresh pie, but nowhere near as bad as he was expecting. It was quite pleasant actually, feeling his belly reach a more comfortable size as the bunny's form continued to slip out his mouth. The only part of him that didn't like the feeling was a strange primal urge in the back of his mind, letting go of such an easy prey.
David's protests were finally answered as the poor bunny was pulled and pushed as he squirmed and wiggled his way up the fox's fleshy throat. The blueberry sauce acting as a lubricating medium that aided his journey. He could feel the flesh brush past his fur and nose as he soon felt the cool breeze of outside air fill his nostrils. The bunny kept his eyes closed for fear of getting the fox's saliva in them, but he felt the cool air begin to touch more of his body as soon his face touched some soft grass. His body began to slide out of the tight fox maw and onto the slightly damp grass. David could barely move; he could only manage to lay there on the ground for the moment.
For Sharla, it was almost equally as impressive watching Gideon get David out as much as it was seeing him get the bunny in. Just seeing how much her fiance could fit inside him was really something. She watched as David lay there on his stomach on the ground. The bunny could only manage to shallow breathe. The slight rise and fall of the bunny's back signifying that he was at the very least, still alive. Likely enjoying the newly found freshness of air around him. While he lay there Sharla got an even closer look at the bunny. He was definitely about the same size as her. That made her feel weird. It wasn't bad. Certainly not bad. But strangely her heart did race a little faster knowing that Gideon could swallow someone this size. Was it fear she was feeling? Well, she wasn't ever afraid of Gideon. It was just odd to her. She approached David with wide eyes, then looked back at her fiance. He was panting a little heavy as he had just exerted himself to save David. Although once it was all done, he looked back at Sharla and gave her a thankful smile.
``Wowzer! That's a lot of bunny...'' Sharla still a little in her own world. Snaping back to it she realised David was likely going to need some help. ``Oh, David, was it? You alright there, buddy?'' The bunny on the ground just kept breathing and weakly nodded as he tried to sit upright.
Gideon was now feeling a lot better and was able to stand himself upright much more easily. ``Hey, sorry about this David. I got stuck up in the heat of the moment...'' Gideon was basically talking to an exhausted bunny on the ground that was too annoyed or tired to talk. ``Ummm, uhhh. If ya want, I could get you free pies for a month or so?''
David managed to turn himself around so that he was now able to sit on his butt with his arms supporting himself and actually face Gideon as he talked. The bunny was still absolutely covered in pie materials. He looked into the fox's eyes. The sharp teeth poking out of Gideons super friendly smile. The sheep standing next to him, fully supportive of the fox in anything he might do. It was safe to say that David was a little shocked about the whole situation.
``Ummm....'' The rabbit looked around in a rushed fashion. Still trying to catch his breath while quickly nodding his head. ``Um, yeah... That sounds good.''
