A warm day greets you as you arrive at your summer job, having taken a position as a farmhand for a friend of a friend. It’s your first day, and though you don’t really know the farm owner very well, you still can’t help but feel rather excited – You’ve always loved animals, and having the chance to work with them is quite an enticing proposition to you! As you walk the long driveway to the house carrying a backpack with a change of clothes, you take in the sight of the various animals out and about – A few cows, some goats, a couple of chickens, and even a stallion grazing nearby! He snorts at you in greeting as you pass by, and you chuckle and give him a wave, before making your way to the front door and knocking firmly.
You’re greeted after a moment by the person you’ve only heard over the phone so far – He’s a middle-aged man named Gabriel, standing tall with an athletic build; it definitely seems his line of work keeps him pretty fit! He smiles warmly and gives you a firm handshake, then steps outside to show you around while you talk. He’s quite friendly and down-to-earth, and you feel at ease around him, smiling as he shows off some more of his animals, even letting you pet the stallion that greeted you on your way in!
Once the tour is over, he gives you your task for the day – He wants you to clean and brush a mare in the barn. "Her name is Shadow; she’s a very big girl, but she's a real sweetheart, if a bit pushy sometimes…" he tells you. "But this should be simple enough for your first day, eh?"
You respond that you're up for the task, and he chuckles, giving you a pat on the back. "Awesome, I'm sure you'll do well." Gabriel leads you into the barn, where you’re taken by the sight of an absolutely massive equine in her stall, standing taller than any horse you’ve ever seen – Taller than even you or Gabriel for that matter! She’s an all-black Shire horse, her fur as dark as the night! She snorts when she sees you, and as you step to the gate of her stall, she leans over and nuzzles your shoulder, exhaling a firm puff of warm air on you!
"Heh, look, she likes you already!" Gabriel smiles warmly, giving his horse some scratches along her neck. "She’s a big ol’ snugglebug, so just watch; she might try to groom you while you’re grooming her!"
As if on cue, her long, broad tongue drags along the side of your face in an affectionate lick! You giggle, petting her muzzle and cheek, earning you another lick in response. You've made a new friend!
After you set your bag down on a nearby bale of hay, Gabriel opens the gate to let you inside her rather roomy stall; she's got plenty of space to stretch out in here. The stall itself has been recently cleaned, as it seems the farmer didn't want you to have to deal with that your first day; perhaps he's easing you into the tasks he expects of you, or perhaps he's just hoping you'll have an easier time taking care of Shadow. You step inside and immediately get bumped by the horse's hip as she nickers, asking for more pets!
"Hey, tell you what," Gabriel says as he closes the gate behind you. "I’ll get her some food to munch, then I have to run into town for a while – I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own here, alright? I shouldn’t be more than a few hours." Smiling, he adds "If you finish cleaning her, just keep her company; she enjoys the attention!" He chuckles, giving Shadow a boop on the nose, and the mare responds by playfully nipping at his finger, making him laugh.
You giggle as well at the sight and respond you’ll be fine looking after her, and Gabriel nods and reaches over to pat your shoulder. "Sounds good! Go ahead and use the coarse brush to get the bigger debris out of her fur, then you can give her a wash. The shampoo and the fine brush are out here by the hose. She likes the water lukewarm; not too cold and not too hot. And if you need a hand getting to her back, there’s a step-stool out here too. Just be careful if she gets pushy – She’s smarter than she looks!"
Seemingly in response to the farmer’s comment, Shadow snorts and drapes her neck over your shoulder, nuzzling her broad head against yours almost possessively. You chuckle and tell him you’re sure you’ll be able to handle her, and he nods. "Alrighty then! Let me get her food, then I’ll leave you two alone."
After Gabriel steps outside, you’re given some time to truly appreciate the mare – She’s easily seven feet tall or so at the withers (or twenty-one hands, you calculate after some quick mental math), and ‘Shadow’ is a very appropriate name with just how dark her coat is! She’s quite bulky, too; she’s certainly got a lot of muscle to her, and it’s evident the farmer keeps her well-fed as well! You can’t help but admire that hefty abdomen, full of strength and padding alike…
A snort catches your attention as Shadow noses at the brush, reminding you of your job; you blink at this display of intelligence, but then chuckle and pat her shoulder in acknowledgment. Taking the brush, you decide to start with her face and mid-length mane, combing it nice and straight while working out the dirt, dust, and other bits stuck in.
Shadow whinnies softly and shakes her head in happiness as you groom her, and just as Gabriel had warned, she drags her wet tongue along your face again! Surprised by the sudden slimy lick, you sputter softly, which makes Shadow nicker in amusement as she turns her other cheek towards you to let you brush it as well, before lifting her head so you can groom her strong neck and powerful chest.
As you’re working on her chest, you hear the farmer returning, and looking up, you see Gabriel with a massive trough of food for his mare – Hay, oats, lettuce, carrots, and apples all mixed together in an equine-friendly salad! He bids you farewell for now as he sees you settled in with your assignment, and you hear the barn doors shut as he heads off to run his errands.
Once again alone with the mare, you brush along her forelegs, even combing out the feathering at her hooves. All your attentive care earns you more nuzzles and the occasional sloppy lick through your hair, and you chuckle as you carefully move beneath to clean the barrel of her body.
It takes you a while to realize, but you eventually notice something odd – Shadow hasn't started eating her food yet. You find it a little strange, figuring someone of her size would be more than eager to chow down, but perhaps she's enjoying your treatment of her fur too much, or perhaps she's just not hungry right now. You shrug and continue your work.
You spend about forty minutes or so just brushing and combing her fur while admiring her body, and you make sure her rump, tail, and back are all tended to as well – Careful not to let her knock you off the stool! Once she’s all brushed, you give her flank a few pets, resulting in her bumping herself affectionately against you in gratitude, before stepping back so you can access the gate; it seems she's ready for her wash!
You're quite taken by how well-behaved the gentle giant is, and you giggle as she gives your cheek yet another sloppy lick as you lead her out to the main floor of the barn. You can't help but feel like her licks are getting sloppier every time that tongue drags along you, as though she's been drooling, but you shake your head and pay it no mind – She's probably waiting until after her bath to eat, you reckon. And you further reckon, if that is the case, you shouldn't keep her waiting!
Setting the hose’s head to a Shower setting, you turn on the water and adjust it to the mare’s preferred temperature before hosing her down. Shadow bobs her head happily as you give her a nice soak, and she even turns to face her rear and her other side to you once they’re ready to be wetted as well! Once she’s had her initial rinse, she trods over to you again and gives you a slobber-filled lick – Her tongue seeming to linger a little as she runs it along your cheek. You shiver as you feel the bumpy papillae of her huge tongue, but she does step back, letting you prepare her shampoo and brush so you can give her a good scrub.
Aside from her continued licks seeming to grow both in force and frequency, Shadow behaves herself as you brush her fur to a nice, clean shine. She bumps herself against you a few times in that same affectionate gesture, not seeming to realize (or perhaps not caring) that she’s getting your shirt wet, but you don’t mind; you expected to get dirty at this job, and you prepared with that change of clothes you packed.
Something you aren’t expecting, though, is a slow lick along the back and top of your head as you crouch to brush her chest, followed by faint tugging sensations at your scalp – Looking up, you’re surprised to find Shadow lightly masticating with your hair in her mouth! As soon as she spots you looking at her, she lets your hair out with a wet splat, and you shudder and chuckle, asking her not to do that again. Looks like you’re going to need a wash too…
Carefully moving beneath her barrel again, you scrub her underside, feeling her belly squish softly as you brush it clean; plenty of heft to pad out the muscle! You giggle softly as you hear and feel the stomach rumble, and you give it a pet, reassuring Shadow her bath is nearly done and she’ll be able to eat soon.
Once you’ve taken care of every last spot of her fur, even getting her mane and tail nice and soft as well, you step back to rinse her off once again. Shadow whinnies eagerly and slurps along your face before stepping back to let you wash the soap out of her fur. You ensure everything is nicely rinsed, and once she's all clean, you take a moment to rinse out your hair from the equine's slobber too. Shadow nickers in amusement at this, watching you as she steps past towards her stall again… And then, the water suddenly stops flowing.
Blinking in confusion, you look at the nozzle on the sprayer, rotating it to a few different settings, but none work. As you turn it to Soak, though, you hear a whinny, and when you look up, you spot Shadow giving you a cheeky look, her hoof stood on the hose. The moment you notice, she steps off, and true to the sprayer's setting, you suddenly find yourself blasted with water all along your front half, making you sputter before you release your grip – Utterly soaked and dripping wet!
You groan, rolling your eyes as Shadow lets out a playful neigh, and you remember the farmer’s warning about her intelligence – She knew exactly what she was doing. You can’t help but chuckle softly despite your current state, though; you’re annoyed, sure, but you can’t bring yourself to be mad at the mare. You just sigh and walk past to turn the water off – Receiving a deep slurp from the mare as you pass her.
Shutting the tap off, you shiver softly as the water draws the heat away from your body, and you decide now is as good a time as any to change into your clean, dry clothes. You think about where would be best to undress, but you figure you’ll be fine here – It’s not like Shadow is going to say anything, right? You peel off your soaked work shirt, baring your upper half, before you slip off your shoes and socks, and then lower your drenched bottoms, standing in just your underwear. But as you turn to head to your backpack, you walk right into the huge mare; evidently, she snuck up on you!
Shadow snorts as she noses your chest, giving you another sloppy lick, but this time she drags her tongue along much more of you. The bumpy muscle strokes from the base of your sternum up to your neck, then slowly along your face, practically smothering you in her wet tongue! You sputter, your face drenched in horse drool, but before you can tell her off, she goes in for another lick, this time on your belly. Your eyes widen as she strokes her tongue here, before you giggle – The bumpy papillae tickle you!
Laughing as you receive this tickly attention, you don’t register as Shadow noses you while teasing your tummy, nudging you past your backpack and into her stall – Your attention is only caught when you stumble backward onto a bale of hay, landing on your butt! Looking up, you’re mildly alarmed to find the mare standing over you, her massive frame blocking the gate, her eyes focused intently on you.
You attempt to stand, but she presses her snout to your chest, licking you again; you realize she's got you where she wants you for whatever's on her mind, and before you can try again, her tongue moves up to your face, but this time it doesn't pull away – Instead, you feel a humid warmth lowering around your head, your vision becoming surrounded by darkness, and you freeze.
Shadow just took your entire head into her mouth.
The suddenness of this move keeps you from reacting properly, allowing the mare to work your head deeper inside her long maw, her blunt teeth holding you behind your head and below your chin. You hear her powerful breathing and the soft squishes of her gullet just ahead of you, before your vision goes completely black and the pressure drops – She’s sucking on your head like a lollipop!
Finally coming to your senses, you try to struggle, but in the awkward position she’s got you in, you can’t gain any leverage over her, not that it would do you any good if you could – She’s simply too powerful. You’re just made to endure the constant stroking of her tongue slurping all over you, drenching you in horse slobber, her rough palate and fleshy velum pressed against the back of your head while your face is smooshed into the squishy tongue in front as it worms all over your face and head. You feel the shifting of her jaw as well, gentle rhythmic squeezes of her teeth on your neck; she’s masticating again. She’s taking care not to hurt you, but it’s evident she’s enjoying both your taste and the feeling of your head in her mouth as she swallows down the you-flavored drool pooling in her maw.
By now, you’re starting to feel lightheaded from the lack of air, and your struggles weaken. In response, Shadow stops sucking on your head and relaxes her lips, though she keeps her teeth in place to make sure you can’t escape. You take deep breaths, and in the dim light, you look ahead into the horse’s pharynx, getting a close look at that eagerly rippling gullet. Feeling very uneasy, you try to reason what’s going on – Is Shadow playing some game with you? Is she in need of a salt lick? Is this something she does with Gabriel?
Somewhere ahead of you, you hear a rumbling growl, and you slowly piece together some of her odd behaviors. It suddenly clicks why she hadn’t touched her food, why she’s been licking you so intently, even why she let you get sprayed with water. She knew you’d undress if you got wet, and that’s exactly what she wanted.
She’s been planning to eat you this whole time.
Your yelp is cut off as she takes that exact moment to plunge her head down, cramming your face into the powerful grip of her esophagus, before a deep swallow tugs your head into the tight muscular tunnel. Wet flesh squishes all around your head, muffling the sounds from outside. You panic, trying to struggle free, but you just can’t gain any ground against her in your position – Precisely what she wants.
Shadow twists her head to the side as she parts her jaws wide, grabbing both your shoulders into her maw, and after a quick taste here, she swallows again, sinking them into her esophagus as well, your upper arms losing their freedom of movement as she works the widest part of you into her gullet. You realize she’s going to be able to swallow you all, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop her.
You don’t understand why she’s doing this – Horses are herbivores, right? They only eat plant matter! Apparently, nobody ever told Shadow of this as she gulps again, bringing your chest into her esophagus and your belly into her mouth – Making you giggle involuntarily despite your situation as she licks over your stomach again! You squirm in her gullet, your legs thrashing on reflex, and you feel an amused snort blow on your thighs as she teases you further before swallowing to take your waist into her mouth next. Covered as it is, she quickly gulps this too, then slowly slurps your legs down like noodles, letting the peristalsis of her esophagus bring you deeper on its own.
The steady thrumming of her powerful equine heart and the rushing air of her deep breaths fill your ears, and you reckon your head is deep in her chest now; you must be nearing the stomach. You know you can’t escape on your own, but you try to comfort yourself with a thought – As a herbivore, she wouldn’t be able to do anything to you, and once Gabriel gets back and finds out what happened, he can get her to cough you back up again. It’ll be a very weird experience, but you’ll ultimately be okay. Maybe he’ll pay you extra to stay working for him…
Reassuring yourself with this notion, you let your body relax, allowing her to finish you off, reasoning you’ll just have to wait this out. Shadow snorts and brings your feet into her mouth – Tickling your feet with her tongue to get you to squirm again – Before taking one last swallow to send you all the way down.
You advance a few inches further before your head bumps against a fleshy wall. You feel a very tight ring of muscle opening up in front of your face, surprising you that it's at nearly a right angle to the esophagus, but gradually, the peristalsis pushes you through the sphincter and into the mare's stomach. You're surprised too to find the chamber isn't nearly as big as you expected; despite Shadow's enormous size, you're still made to curl up rather snugly inside the fleshy chamber. Your head pushes up along the back wall, and you feel another sphincter here, but this one is sealed tightly, ensuring you don’t escape – Not that you’d exactly want to escape in this direction.
As soon as your feet enter the stomach, the entry portal tightens as well, trapping you within the chamber. You try to relax, knowing you'll only have to wait a while before Gabriel will let you out again. Deciding to try and get comfortable, you run your hands along the stomach walls. They're folded, even with as much as you're stretching the belly, and the springy, rubbery stomach pushes idly against you in little movements. It’s not all that bad, really; it’s warm and soft, and… Kind of comfortable, in a strange way.
You faintly hear some distant noises, and it takes you a moment to realize Shadow decided you’re not enough to fill her – The esophageal sphincter squishes a thoroughly chewed mouthful of her prepared salad onto your legs, then another, and then another. The space you’re in gradually fills with the mush of leaves, fruits, and grains, until you eventually find yourself about half-submerged in the slop. Bits of hay poke against you, and you shift around, trying to stay somewhat comfortable, even as the stomach begins to knead more firmly against the contents inside. It’s not entirely pleasant, but you hope it won’t be too much longer until Gabriel returns. However, with no way to tell how much time is passing, you’re just going to have to wait.
With the warmth around you, the soft stomach walls kneading against you in a sort of massage, and the gentle noises of Shadow’s body surrounding you, you decide to close your eyes, opting to rest for a little. It’s not like you’ve got much else to do, after all…
Sometime later, you blink your eyes open again, though you still can't see anything within the mare's stomach. Your attention, though, is taken by the faint noise of the barn door opening; it's barely audible through Shadow's body, but you do hear her neigh happily, and you perk – Gabriel must have returned! You press your ear to the stomach wall, ignoring the growing itchiness you're feeling (the hay must be poking you again) as you listen for him to come closer.
Despite the muffled noises from outside her body, you can make out Gabriel’s voice, greeting Shadow happily. "Hey, girl! Wow, you look amazing!"
Shadow whinnies proudly, and you can’t help but feel a bit of pride yourself in the job you’ve done.
Gabriel speaks up again. "But where's your helper gone? I asked them to watch after you; I've got their money… Wait…"
There's a pause, then you hear "They left their bag, and… And their clothes too… What happened, girl?"
You feel some movement around you, and you realize Shadow is turning her body – And going by the sudden gasp, it evidently clicks with Gabriel what's happened. "Oh… Oh, dear… You, uh…"
The gate clicks, and a second later, you feel a slight push on your side – Gabriel is feeling you inside his mare. "Are you… Are you alive in there?"
You speak up, your voice coming out a bit weaker than you expected, telling him you’re doing okay.
"That’s… Ah… Good, I suppose…"
You explain what happened, and he responds with the occasional quiet "Yeah…" and "Right…" sounding quite distracted. Confused, you ask him if he can help get you out, perhaps have Shadow cough you up.
Gabriel takes a deep breath before speaking softly. "You, uh… You don’t know, do you? Horses can’t vomit."
Your heart drops in your chest as he says this, and you ask for clarification.
"Their esophageal sphincter is built to be one-way… And the angle it's at means nothing can get pushed back up anyway… I uh… I'm sorry, bud…"
In a worried tone, you ask if there's a way you could get her to a vet to have them remove you, but Gabriel responds quietly "Nobody's open right now, and even if we could, I don't think you'd make it that long… Besides, I don't think Shadow would survive such an operation."
You pause for a moment, taking in his words, the part about ‘not making it that long’ lingering in your mind. You’re just stuck here, right? You ask how you’re supposed to get out.
"Well… Same as the rest of her food, I suppose…"
Again, you're confused by this. There's no way she could possibly squeeze you through the rest of her system – You're too big! You shift uncomfortably as the itchy feeling begins to tingle, and you say you thought horses were herbivores.
Gabriel sighs again, replying "Facultative herbivores; they primarily eat plants, but they can eat and digest meat too. That… That includes you, bud."
Now, you begin to panic. You yell out that he can't let this happen, to which he responds in an equally agitated tone "I'm sorry! I can't do anything for you anymore! I told you to keep your wits about you! Look, you did an amazing job cleaning her; I wouldn't want you to digest even if for no other reason than I'd want you to clean her again sometime!"
You yell out how he'll get in trouble for letting you die, to which he pauses for a while, before responding softly. "…I'd only get in trouble if they found out, bud. They'd put me in jail, and take my Shadow away to… To…" He sighs. "…I can't let that happen." Gabriel thinks for a moment, then says "You never showed up for your job, and I couldn’t get in touch with you. I was going to light a bonfire tonight, so that’ll take care of your clothes and your backpack."
You’re about to yell again, but Gabriel pats the mare’s belly and speaks to her. "I uh… I’m going to get that stuff sorted out, alright girl? I’m… I’m glad you had fun, at least…"
Your shouts go unanswered as you hear the gate close, and then the barn door shut. The tingling has only grown worse; it feels like you're sitting too close to a campfire. The stomach's kneading contractions churn the partially digested slop all over you, moving you about and making sure the fluids work over every inch of your being. You struggle, pushing against the stomach walls, even trying to force yourself through either of the sphincters, but they're sealed so tightly you can't even work a single finger or toe through them.
The stomach squeezes, forcing you back into place, those rolling waves of muscle squishing over your entire body. There’s truly nothing you can do. You’re trapped and being digested by the mare that turned predatory at the worst possible time for you, and her owner is dismissing you as little more than her food. Which, you realize, is all you are now.
Your will broken, you sigh and settle into the mush, feeling as your body seems to be growing softer and less cohesive – You can’t feel your toes anymore. You listen to Shadow giving a happy snort and a nicker, followed by another gentle pressure from the side and a louder snort – Realizing she’s nuzzling the bulge you’re making in her belly. Perhaps you’ve accepted your fate, or perhaps your mind is looking for any sort of comfort, but you smile and gently pet the stomach walls, showing her you’re glad at least that she’s happy. You close your eyes again, giving in and letting the stomach claim you as you let yourself drift off into a sleep you know you’ll never wake from.
You smile gently as you fade out, your last thoughts about how lovely she must look with a freshly groomed coat and a very well-fed tummy.
