A warm afternoon on a pleasant day finds you out for a walk away from town, taking some time to relax and clear your mind from the goings-on in your life. You're currently in a rather large, grassy clearing, and while there's not much in the way of artificial constructions here, one building is visible at the far end of the area – It looks similar to a veterinarian's clinic, but with how big it is, you swear it'd have to be made for animals at least two or three hundred feet tall! Your curiosity grows, and you decide to take a closer look at the structure.
It takes you a few minutes to reach it, and sure enough, you find it seems to just be a normal vet’s clinic in the front, but with a twenty-story warehouse-like attachment to the back! As you make your way around the front, you notice something else unusual – The parking lot has just four spots, only one of which is currently occupied, and the road leading here isn’t exactly the most well-maintained either. It’s as though this building was made with a very specific purpose, only for whoever needs to use the facility, but you can’t even begin to imagine who – Or what – Would need such a structure.
Making your way around the side, you begin to hear some unusual sounds – Slopping? Not quite… Digging? No, the sounds are too wet for that… It almost sounds like… Eating?
Before you can investigate, you hear a faint female voice saying something you can’t make out, followed by a much louder male voice responding "Goodnight to you too, Agatha! Thanks again for the snacks!"
The sound of the front door opening and closing again catches your attention, and you peek around the corner, watching as a white-furred wolf with long red hair gets into the car and drives away, leaving you alone at the building – Well, alone with whoever spoke to her and has resumed eating, going by the noises reaching you once more.
You walk around the side of the clinic, making your way along the gigantic hangar-like expansion, until you round the far corner and pause at the sight that meets you.
Before you lies an absolutely gigantic mass of white fur with electric-green patches – It takes you a full several seconds to figure out what you're looking at, but when a long protrusion on the side facing you suddenly flicks side to side, you realize you're standing behind a lion – One that's about a hundred meters from rump to head, you estimate! The green patches, you realize, are the lion's mane, tail-poof, and the pads on their hind-paws and the tufts of fur on their digitigrade heels; the rest of their fur is white and pristine; evidently, the cat has been groomed recently! The scent of shampoo in the air certainly lends to this notion, though you can’t even begin to imagine just how much shampoo would be needed to wash such a gargantuan creature! Especially that dense, flowing mane… You feel a touch of sympathy for whoever has to maintain the panther’s appearance; it certainly can’t be an easy job!
Your thoughts are pulled by a realization that makes you shudder – As an obligate carnivore, the lion is made for eating meat and little else. And going by how happily he’s chowing down… Your stomach turns a bit as you try to imagine exactly what kind of snacks he had been given.
But there’s something odd about the noises, once you give it some more thought – There’s no snarling, tearing, or anything else to suggest violence. Nor does it sound like the lion is gulping smaller animals whole; there’s definitely chewing involved… But it sounds soft, and the aroma in the air is… Sweet?
Your curiosity grows again, and you walk along the lion’s side, passing his belly and then his chest – Pausing for a moment to admire that well-maintained, luxurious mane – Before you step beside his head.
The question of what he's eating is answered as you see he's munching on an absolutely massive strawberry-iced donut with sprinkles, looking like one that had been enlarged to match the lion's scale! Beside it, you see the crumbs of what you assume was a similarly large cookie, and on the other side, there's a swimming-pool-sized bowl that presumably held a decent giant-lion-sized serving of ice cream! As he chows with his eyes happily closed, it's clear he loves his dessert, whether he ought to be able to digest it or not!
He pauses mid-bite as his green nose sniffs, whiskers twitching, and you freeze as he opens his eyes and looks right at you curiously. He has heterochromia; his right eye is the same electric-green as his mane and other highlights, but his left eye is instead a deep blue – Not quite dark enough to be called ‘sapphire’ but not light enough to be called ‘sky’; it’s a shade unique to this individual.
"Uh… Hello!"
His voice makes you blink softly, and you nervously return the greeting.
The lion gives you a soft, friendly smile. "I thought I smelled something different; hello there!” Sitting up, he tosses his mane and takes a proud, majestic pose, before giggling softly. “Heh, don’t mind me; I just got groomed, and I feel really good. And I got treats after my checkup!” He leans down to look at you closer, saying “I’m Leroux; it’s nice to meet you!”
You chuckle softly, finding the lion’s mannerisms entertaining, and you introduce yourself as well before complimenting his mane, making him smile proudly. “Hehe, thank you! It’s so soft and clean and brushed the way I like it too! Wanna feel it?"
You blush softly at this offer, never expecting you'd be given the chance to pet a lion's mane, especially a gigantic lion – Especially by their offer! You step closer and softly run your hand through the dense green fur, stroking gently along the long, warm hairs; you're surprised to find it feels just as soft as a fluffy dog's fur, instead of the individual hairs also having been scaled up.
As you pet, you feel a rumble in the ground, and it takes you a second to realize it's coming from the cat – Leroux is purring in response to your touches! You giggle to yourself and continue, stroking the thick jungle of green fur, even scritching your hand at the base, which only makes the rumbling purrs grow firmer and louder, feeling like a small earthquake beneath your feet!
Leroux lets out a happy exhale, speaking in a contented tone to you. "Mrrh… I forgot how nice tiny hands are… Would you mind scratching my chin, too? I love getting attention there, hehe!"
You agree, and he moves to let you get beneath his head, eyeing the last few bites of his donut. “Heh, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna finish my dessert while you scratch.” Without waiting for you to answer, he leans over you to take another bite of the oversized pastry, leaving you to take in the sight of his rounded chin and his long green goatee-like fur growing from it!
You shrug and stroke your fingers through his goatee, making him purr quietly (well, relatively quietly), but as soon as you start scratching the white fur over his mandible, the lion shivers firmly, speaking through his mouthful of half-chewed donut. “Ooh, oh that’sh real nissh… Keeh goinh, pleash!”
You oblige the lion’s muffled request, using both hands to scratch the soft white fur of his chin, feeling the mandible moving up and down as it chomps his dessert; the constant moving makes it difficult to keep your pets steady, but you do your best to please him all the same!
A loud noise directly over you makes you flinch – A slow, happy gulp sends Leroux’s mouthful of donut down his throat; you get a close view of his neck bulging as the bolus travels down his esophagus, the swell disappearing when it reaches his chest. The sight makes you shudder softly, reminding you of the fact that, despite how friendly he is, the lion is still a predator. At least he seems content with pastries as his prey instead of anything alive…
Your scratches move under his chin, then along his neck, much to Leroux’s delight. You’re finding it difficult to maintain your footing with how much the ground is vibrating, but you keep going with your scratches, even as you reach the underside of his luxurious mane! You pet it softly, feeling like you could just sink into the warm softness of the jungle of green fur, like you could simply disappear into the lion’s mane and hide from the world. But you keep your focus, even as you hear another firm swallow passing over you, and this time, you feel the bulge of his esophagus as the muscles push down another bolus.
Leroux lets out a contented sigh after this swallow, and glancing back, you see he's finished his donut. With no other distractions, the lion rolls onto his side, before reaching a paw up to you, hugging you warmly into his mane while pressing his soft green paw pads against you!
You huff softly at the affectionate display, and you give both the warm fluffy fur and the soft textured paw pads some gentle rubs, showing your own friendliness back to him.
When he releases you, you move back in front of him, smiling cutely as he gently nuzzles you – Nearly knocking you over with the gesture! “Thanks, buddy; that felt really nice! I hope you weren’t having too much trouble standing with my purrs, hehe…”
You chuckle and shake your head, before commenting you didn’t think lions even could purr. Leroux’s expression drops just a touch at your words, though, the lion looking mildly annoyed as he rolls his eyes. "Ugh… I hear that all the time. 'Lions don't purr!' Yeah, and they're not supposed to be white and green and two hundred feet tall, speaking perfect English, are they? But that's your primary complaint?" He shakes his head softly. "Sorry… That one just gets on my nerves. I wish folks would just find it cute like they do with kittens instead of complaining about the technicalities…”
You apologize to him, giving his muzzle a gentle caress to reassure him, and he chuckles quietly. “It’s okay, you didn’t know. And I suppose you weren’t complaining; you were just observing. I guess it’s a touchy thing is all. But I forgive you. At least you didn’t get on me about not being a feline, heh; that one’s almost as bad…” He smiles and gives you a slow lick, the rough surface of his tongue dragging along your front half, the papillae creating enough friction to just about pull you off the ground!
You giggle at the gesture, finding it quite adorable! What you find less adorable, though, is the way his expression turns contemplative, as though regarding the flavors on his tongue. You’re met with another stroke of that wet muscle, and then a third, before the lion sits up and licks his lips softly. “Mmmh…”
Growing increasingly worried for your safety, you step back, quickly excusing yourself by saying you’re needed elsewhere, but the lion moves his paw behind you, making you stumble into it. “Heh… Sorry, buddy, but you taste real good… Lion’s gotta eat, you know?”
You panic, questioning how his dessert wasn't enough for him, and he chuckles quietly. "Well, it was enough, until I got a taste of you… Then I felt a little rumble that'll bother me all night if I don't sate it. You understand, right? No hard feelings?"
Trying to pull yourself off his paw, you shout that you don't want to be eaten, but Leroux gently curls the digits to hold you in place. "And I don't want to go hungry – If tinies don't want to be eaten, why are they made of food? Look, I don't hate you; I enjoyed your pets! If you want, you can pet my belly from the inside, okay?" He shakes his head softly. “I really enjoyed your visit, and I promise I’ll remember you. But right now, I gotta eat you. Bye, friend, and thanks for everything today!"
Even as you attempt to protest further, Leroux just opens his mouth widely in front of you, lifting you up with his paw. You're treated to the terrifying sight of a gigantic lion's maw up close – Those massive, saber-like canine teeth are easily as big as you are, and the rest of the dental bones look every bit as destructive! You watch his tongue rippling eagerly for another treat, and his gullet flexing as though ready to swallow you already. His fleshy uvula sways with every breath he takes, and when he exhales, you’re met with the scent of donut, ice cream, cookie, and faintly, something a bit heartier – Beef stew, perhaps?
You can’t really focus on figuring out what it is; right now, your focus is trying not to become lion food! But that seems to be the fate you’re destined to meet as Leroux extends his tongue and places you neatly on it, before pulling you into his mouth, closing his jaws and trapping you in wet darkness!
The lion's saliva readily soaks into your clothes and covers you, and despite being dressed, Leroux doesn't seem concerned about it, simply sucking gently on you to enjoy your taste further. You try to find your bearings, but being swished around the predator's mouth makes you lose track of where you are inside. You recoil as your hand meets the smooth enamel of a tooth – At least he's not biting you. You take a guess and try moving where you think 'forwards' is, but regardless of what direction you're actually facing, you barely make any progress; despite the rough papillae of his tongue, it's still a very slick surface, and moreover, the predator is just too powerful for you to make any difference!
The tasting continues for another minute or so before you feel gravity shifting somewhere to your left – As you start to slide on the lion's tongue, you realize he's getting ready to swallow you! You scramble, trying to hold on to… Anything. But the entire interior of his mouth is covered in slippery saliva, and you can't get a grip; your hands just slip off of anything you attempt to grab.
But then, you have a last-ditch idea to save yourself – You flip onto your back, and just as you reach the back of the lion's tongue, you blindly reach upwards right as he swallows, clinging tightly to his uvula!
Leroux's muscles tense, and he gags as he feels you holding on. "Ack – Buddy, that's really uncomfortable!"
You shout back that you'll let go only if he lets you out, and he whines. "But I've already caught you! That's not fair!"
To which you retort it isn't fair to you to be eaten, getting you the response "I said I'm sorry! What more do you want? Why can't you just be good food and get swallowed?"
Before you can reply, Leroux shakes his head firmly, the sudden jerking motion yanking the uvula from your grip! You yelp as you drop into the lion's pharynx and are immediately swallowed, pulled into the grip of his esophageal muscles!
You squirm as the snug flesh squeezes you deeper with peristaltic contractions, working you through the esophagus, the grip of those muscles ensuring your continued descent. You hear the squishing of wet flesh all around you, and as you continue further, you also hear the deep, steady whooshing of air in those large leonine lungs as well as a firm and powerful heartbeat – And a low rumble as he purrs softly, evidently enjoying your wiggles!
It takes a good several seconds to travel the entire length of Leroux’s esophagus, but you soon squish against a tight ring of muscle that slowly opens, letting you squeeze past the esophageal sphincter and into his stomach.
You land with a splat on a pile of half-liquefied mush, and though you can’t see a thing, it doesn’t exactly take a lot of thought to tell this is the remains of his dessert. There’s a mild amount of air in here, and thankfully it’s relatively breathable, if a bit stale.
You try calling out to the lion, but he doesn’t respond; either he can’t hear you, or he’s just disregarding you as anything but food now.
Feeling around in the darkness, you find plenty of chewed and half-digested dessert, barely solid enough to support your weight without you sinking into it. You soon find the folded, rubbery walls of the lion’s stomach, and mapping it out, you estimate his stomach to be the size of a small car inside – Enough room for you and the mush, but not too much more.
The chamber shifts, and you feel yourself drop about half a foot into the slop; the stomach is churning to digest its contents. Which includes you.
You try to feel around for a way out, but to no avail – The esophageal sphincter is too high for you to reach, and the pyloric sphincter is no doubt at the bottom of the stomach, buried beneath all the mush. Even if the thought of escaping the lion’s digestive system this way appealed to you in the slightest, you’d have no way of getting to it through the remains of his dessert. You’re firmly trapped.
You make another attempt to get the lion’s attention by first pressing your hand against the rubbery stomach wall, then rearing back and throwing a punch at it. All you get in response is a pained wrist, and barely the faintest “Mmhf…” from the lion; you can’t even tell if it was in response to your swing or perhaps just a rock he stepped on.
But while Leroux doesn’t react to your impact, his stomach does; you feel the chamber quiver around you before squeezing in, as though attempting to strike you back. There’s a faint whoosh of air, followed by the distant sound of another burp; reaching upwards, your eyes widen in terror as you realize your air supply has suddenly been cut short!
More than that, you feel the slop losing consistency, your body sinking further into the mush as it really starts to melt. The stomach is kicking into gear, and the constant shifting makes it impossible to tell where you are inside – Not to mention how the churning contractions of those muscles work to mix everything together, making you sink further into the mess!
You struggle to stay afloat, even as your body begins to tingle; the gastric fluids may be somewhat diluted by everything else inside his belly, but they’re still very much capable of digesting the contents within said belly. It doesn’t burn; rather, it feels similar to being sat close to a warm fire, but it still means the same thing for what’s happening to you.
A firm squeeze of those stomach muscles pulls you under the liquefying mess, and you thrash as you struggle to surface, unable to tell which way is up. You keep your breath held as you frantically feel around, fighting the churning movements to return to your small pocket of air. But no matter which way you reach, you can’t find it. You feel yourself growing lightheaded and dizzy, and your panicked movements weaken – Before you’re suddenly thrust up again.
You cough and sputter as soon as you surface, hyperventilating in the thin air, and to your dismay, you don’t feel yourself recovering – The oxygen is too low. You take deep breaths, trying to steady yourself as much as you’re able, and it’s only now that you realize your clothes have more or less dissolved off of your body, which also has grown softer; you realize you can’t feel your fingers or toes. You weakly try to call out to the lion, but if he couldn’t hear you earlier, he certainly isn’t going to now.
As your lightheadedness continues to worsen, your energy drops, weariness overtaking you from your intense struggles, your continued digestion, and the apoxia setting in. You doubt, with how little cohesion your body has at this point, that you’d make it far even if he did let you out; you’re nothing but lion food now, and as you let out a soft sigh, you make your peace and accept your fate.
The stomach clenches again, forcing you beneath the slop once more, but this time, you can only manage weak movements, more on reflex than anything conscious. Your mind slips as the sounds and sensations fade away – At least the lion enjoyed himself with you, both as a friend and as a treat.
You pass out with a faint smile, finally reassured by the lion’s attempts to comfort you earlier. Your last thoughts are of Leroux’s happy purrs, and his promise to remember you after you digest.
You hope, somehow, you’ll make his mane even more luxurious.
