by Jacksomm Trifker

Courtneigh Doria was running late as usual, but then she was in no hurry to get to work. Her customer service job at the All*Mart was unfulfilling, to say the least. It was a sunny mid-fall morning, and the air was just beginning to take on a hint of wintery cold, complete with along the smell of woodburning stove and falling leaves. On a day like this there were several hundred thousand things she'd rather be doing than directing customers to the underwear department or running their unsold product back to the loading docks or listening to their complaints about the cheap mass-produced crap they didn't need in the first place.

She turned the corner of Stingrat and Dunbar and was hit with a chilly breeze. She buttoned up her jacket, took a sip of her coffee, then began fishing around in a waxy paper bag stuffed in an outside pocket. She pulled out a powdered nano and watched him dangle adorably by one leg, all naked and shivering in the cold. The two-inch human looked pleadingly into her brown eyes, though it was unclear if it was a plea to be let go or let in. She smiled sweetly at him, then opened her mouth and tossed him in, deciding to err on the side of hunger. She closed her eyes and smiled as she chewed. This was her favorite breakfast. Sweet cinnamon-sugar and salty nano skin were such a nice mix. She felt the nano squirm and fuss and try and dodge her teeth - that was so cute. If they didn't want to be eaten, they wouldn't have been born so delicious. She swallowed the saliva-drenched nano down and imagined him joining the half-dozen of his colleagues already tickling her stomach. She washed him down with another sip of coffee.

It was a simple pleasure, and one she relished every morning. And often at midday and in the evenings and sometimes late at night. It was not the healthiest diet, she was willing to admit. Nanos are surprisingly high in fat and calories, despite their tiny size, and Courtnaigh had a layer of soft pudge on her face and belly to prove it. Her weight was a nagging flaw on an otherwise beautiful canvas, and she swore every week that she'd start that healthy diet the next week. Her ex-boyfriend had insisted time and time again that it made her look cute and that she shouldn't change a thing. Courtnaigh almost believed him, too, until one day when she visited him at work and found him in the janitorial closet hooking up with an emaciated twig of a coworker.

This had rather the opposite effect on her diet for several months afterwards, and her intake of nanos increased substantially. She felt a little guilty about the way she'd treated the male nanos in that time period. They must have arrived at her stomach awfully bruised. But then they probably deserved it anyway. Men were men, no matter what species - they were all the same, and for the moment, she was sworn off of men completely. Unless they could fit on a sandwich, she wanted nothing to do with them. She had better things to do with her time.

What Courtnaigh loved unconditionally was animals. Ever since she was a child, she felt an innate connection with animals of all types. She often took in strays she found wandering the streets - cats, rats, dogs, snakes, rabbits, bears, dinosaurs - they all seemed to speak to her, and she always knew just what they needed. It was something she found difficult to explain, even to her parents (Particularly when they were yelling at her for feeding her younger brother to the T-rex for the fourth time). She just felt that they could speak to her.

Which was, in essence, true. They could. All animals on Aekallia are born with some psychic ability, though humans and other species that use spoken language tend to lose this ability very early in life. Courtnaigh was one of the few humans who still had it. It was a gift she was currently and frustratingly wasting.

What she really wanted to do was to become a veterinarian, but she lacked the money for veterinary school. So for now, she worked at All*Mart, saved her money, and contented herself by taking care of some of greater Vasco's many feral animals on a freelance basis. Her suburb of Benson Heights was home to many hundreds of them, from small rodents to large predators. She loved and cared for them all.

Even the nanos, she thought as she pulled the last one out of her bag. This one, a chocolate-skinned female bleached beige by the powder, wriggled nervously in Courtnaigh's fingers. Courtnaigh cared for these animals the best way she could - by giving them a good home. The nano squeaked as Courtnaigh planted a few licks on her little body and yelled angrily in some Dooroonian language. Courtnaigh just smiled. This was a frisky one - she liked that. She maneuvered the nano's feet onto the tip of her tongue, then sealed her lips around the nano's waist. The little woman thrashed and panicked, punching Courtnaigh's lips and nose with tiny fists and kicking her tongue with tiny, yummy feet. Courtnaigh just giggled, then suddenly sucked the little woman in. She subdued the flailing nano with a few vigorous chews. Not hard enough to cause harm, of course. That would be difficult - nanos were extremely resilient. She chewed just hard enough to show the nano who was the boss. Satisfied that the nano had learned her lesson, Courtnaigh pushed her to the back of her throat and swallowed. She sighed as she felt the nano slide down her throat, fighting all the way. All gone, Courtnaigh thought sadly as she dug through the empty bag for any nanos that might be hiding from her. Yup, no more. Not until lunchtime, anyway.

Courtnaigh crumpled up the empty bag and was stuffing it in an already overfilled municipal trash can when she heard something mew.

She stopped in her tracks. That sounded like a kitten, and it wasn't a happy mew. It was a weak, tiny mew of distress. She scanned the ground looking for the animal that produced it, and began gently kicking through the small pile of uncollected trash. She was just beginning to think she'd imagined it when she heard it mew again. She picked up a pile of crumpled newspaper and finally saw the curled-up golden-furred kitten that had made the noise. It was no kitten, she soon realized - this was a full-grown cat, but with the voice of a kitten. It must be sick or famished, Courtnaigh thought, her heart sinking. The animal lifted its head. Adorable black eyes connected with hers for a fraction of a second, and then the animal ran off, sprinting down a nearby alley.

Courtnaigh took off after the cat. She dodged the trash cans and dumpsters and sleeping peopleat the entrance of the winding alleyway and followed as best as she could. She just needed to examine it. Perhaps it was a lost pet. Perhaps it was a stray in need of food and water. Perhaps it needed treatment. She simply couldn't rest until she was sure the cat was alright. After a dizzying series of turns, she found the cat in the corner of a dead-end branch of the alley, mewing pathetically.

She could sense the animal's panic, and tried her best to calm it down. She needed to calm herself first, a task made more difficult by her own racing heart and a stomach full of kicking nanos who didn't appreciate the massive earthquake she'd just inflicted on them. Courtnaigh slowly approached it, softly whispering to it. "It's going to be okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to look at you. That's all. Just relax, sweetie," she cooed softly. This seemed to do the job - the cat hesitantly trudged over to her, and Courtnaigh knelt over to examine it. When she picked up the cat and looked him over, she found no tags or identification, but no injuries or symptoms of major illness, either. There was only one problem she could see.

This was no cat.

He was a lion cub.

This fact was confirmed by a sudden deafening roar behind her. Courtnaigh froze. A single thought popped into her head.

She hoped the lion was hungry. It was her only chance to survive the next few minutes.

Like all carnivorous creatures on Aekallia, lions never kill for food. They can't, as a matter of fact. They must swallow their prey whole and alive, and lions in particular have evolved to become quite good at it. Unlike the barbaric and inefficient systems found on other planets that break down recently-dead tissue in order to extract a pittance of calories and minerals, carnivores on Aekallia simply leech excess fat and nutrients through the skin of those they've swallowed, while oxygenated gastric gas in the stomach and intestines keeps their lunch alive, safe, and usually quite bored. After many hours of digestion, the prey is excreted unharmed, although a bit thinner and badly in need of a bath.

The lion's primary weapon when hunting is its psychic ability. It is in constant mental contact with its intended prey while chasing, catching, and consuming it, and sometimes for several hours while digesting it. The lion chasing the zebra through the savannah grass is in fact sending the zebra a stream of very persuasive reasons why it should stop running and become lion food, while the zebra is replying with a list of reasons why it would prefer not to be lion food at this time.*

Although all carnivores have this ability, the lion has made it an art. When hunting, a lion will only use its claws as a subtle threat - a Plan B if the psychic persuasion has been less than effective.

Lions can still be quite dangerous if provoked, however, and fatal lion attacks on humans did occur, though very rarely. They will only kill for two reasons: to defend themselves and to protect their young.

This was the exact line of thought running through Courtneigh's mind as she turned to see a very angry-looking lioness running towards her full speed, claws drawn and clicking on the pavement. In the adrenaline-soaked slow motion of panic, Courtnaigh realized that she was in all likelihood about to become part of a very unpleasant statistic. The irony was almost comical - animal lover dies trying to help animals. She gently dropped the cub and tried to back away, but only made it half a step before the animal was on her.

Courtnaigh shrieked as the heavy weight of the lioness' paws slammed into her chest and threw her to the ground. She scooted away from the growling animal, but soon found herself backed into a wall. The lioness slowly advanced on her, claws drawn, teeth exposed, ears down. She stopped inches from Courtnaigh's whimpering face, glaring angrily into the terrified girl's eyes, shaking her body with the deep baritone waves of a menacing growl.

Courtnaigh's eyes lit up in panicked pleas. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please don't hurt me. I was- I was just trying to help. I wasn't going to hurt your baby. Please." She saw five more cubs trotting around the corner to join their brother, and all six sat in a small clump watching the show. Courtnaigh looked deep into the animal's eyes. She'd been around lions before, but never ones this agitated. She could feel angry, violent thoughts entering her brain, visions sent by the lioness, visions of all the things that didn't just happen to her but very well could have. "Your boy was wandering alone on the street," Courtnaigh said, lip shaking a bit with residual panic. "I just wanted to see if he was healthy," she added. "He's fine, look at him," she said, nodding to the pile of reunited cubs.

The animal turned her head and looked, then looked back at Courtnaigh, the anger slowly fading from her eyes.

Courtnaigh also got the faint sense that she was forgiven, though very much on a probationary basis . She saw the claws retract slightly, and exhaled a sigh of relief. The lioness stepped back and slowly walked away. She sat regally next to her cubs, who mewed at her pathetically. Now she was no longer sensing any anger from the animal, just an overwhelming sense of sadness and worry, mixed with a curious confusion. Like most animals Courtnaigh met, this one was not used to being understood by humans, and she didn't quite know what to make of Courtnaigh.

"What's wrong," Courtnaigh asked, with genuine concern. "You can tell me. I can help you. I can try."

The lioness told her. Courtnaigh was overcome by powerful feelings of weakness, helplessness, hunger, the frustration of trying to feed a litter of cubs from nipples that could barely manage a trickle of milk. Now that she had a better view, she could see that the lioness looked rather scrawny. So did the cubs, for that matter.

"You poor thing, you must be starving -but why?" Courtnaigh asked. "There are humans all over town - you should have plenty of food."

A feeling of panic and fear came back as her answer. The lioness didn't want to leave the cubs alone to go out hunting, even for a minute or two. This was a good instinct - lion cubs fetched a high price on the Vasco black market. An abundance of humans was both a curse and a blessing. Apart from occasional vagrants and drunks who wandered into the alley late at night, the lioness and her cubs had been living off of rotting table scraps pulled from nearby garbage cans.

"I'm sorry," she said, "isn't their father helping you?"

Courtnaigh's head then filled with images of a cocky old lion cavorting with any number of younger, sluttier lionesses. She grew angry.

"Oh for the --" Courtnaigh pounded a fist into the ground. Visions of Tony, her cheating ex, filled Courtnaigh's mind and soon leaked into the lioness' mind. "Men just suck, don't they?"

The lioness seemed to almost nod an emphatic yes, broadcasting an anger mixed with helplessness mixed with hunger that tore at Courtnaigh's heart.

"Well, at least I can help you with one problem," Courtnaigh said. She began unbuttoning her jacket. She took it off, laid it neatly on the ground, then began removing her shoes and socks.

The lioness got up, walked over to Courtnaigh and stared into her face, sniffing curiously. She cocked her head slightly and wondered just what the heck Courtnaigh was doing.

"I'm feeding you, that's what," Courtnaigh said as she sat on the woolly jacket and slipped out of her pants. The animal wasn't sure what to make of this - she'd never had a volunteer before. She was giving Courtnaigh a confused look that was part "are you sure about this?" and part "no, really, you don't need to do that, I'll manage." Courtnaigh was determined to accept no less than a "yes, please." She would pry open this beast's jaws and shove herself in if she had to.

This didn't seem like it would be necessary, however. As Courtnaigh got to unbuttoning her shirt, the lioness seemed more and interested in the idea, and began giving the girl a few tentative licks on the face, arms, and legs. Then came a few harder licks and deeper sniffs on her chest and belly as Courtnaigh slipped off her bra and panties. Courtnaigh was mesmerized, transfixed by the awesome strength and noble beauty of the creature.

A shiver of cold and anticipation rippled down Courtnaigh's body. She gently stroked the lioness' face a few times as it licked her face and neck. Any second now, those jaws would open and engulf her in darkness, and she was beginning to wonder when. "Come on, girl," Courtnaigh said with a smirk and a slight giggle. "It's getting cold out here." The lioness lapped her way down Courtnaigh's body to her legs. Courtnaigh then saw the animal turn her head, open her jaws, and gently but decisively close them on her shins.

“That's it, girl. Come on, eat me up,” Courtnaigh said. She lay down on the jacket as her legs were lifted awkwardly into the air. Her feet stuck out the other side of the animal's snout. The lioness seemed to be looking at her for confirmation, not quite sure what to make of Courtnaigh yet. Here was a very unusual human who didn't run from her, who could just slightly communicate with her. And she wanted to be breakfast. This was very confusing indeed. The lioness looked at the girl and sent her a message that would roughly translate as “are you sure?”

She looked the lioness in the eye and nodded. She was sure.

Wait - almost. She fished around in the jacket pocket and pulled out her mediaphone. She'd need that later. Okay, now she was ready.

The lioness moved very quickly after that. With a flip of the jaw she maneuvered Courtnaigh's legs to a more natural swallowing position. Another quick snap of the jaws pulled Courtnaigh's feet deep into her mouth. Courtnaigh squirmed as she felt the tongue pull her feet back into the the throat, and felt the powerful throat muscles grab her feet. There was no turning back now. Pointy rubbery teeth dug into the tops of her thighs and hot musty breath blew across her belly. A muscular contraction gripped her foot and pulled Courtnaigh in up to just above her waist. The moist warmth enveloping her legs felt wonderful.

Courtnaigh looked over at the pile of cubs and smiled. Soon, she'd be feeding all of them. That felt good, too. She felt the tongue slide under her butt and gently pull her deeper into the mouth, while at the same time another swallow sucked her into the lioness' throat up to her knees. It felt tight and confining, and she fretted just a little. The situation was completely beyond her control now. She was completely at the mercy of the animal. Her eyes grew wide in excited panic. She mentally felt the animal trying to calm her, and took a deep breath.

She felt another swallow pull her in up to her chest, and the lioness could now pick her head up. Courtnaigh's feet popped into the stomach, and her legs were squeezed tightly in the warm esophagus. Warm rubbery teeth pricked at her back and just below her breasts, which were being tickled by hot breath from the animal's nostrils. She stroked the side of the animal's snout gently with one hand.

As the lioness slowly swallowed her, Courtnaigh's mind began wandering to what it'd be like in the stomach. This was a very hungry lioness who was eating for six. She was going to get the fuck digested out of her. It was going to get pretty brutal down there.

She might lose five to ten pounds by the time it was over.

Another quick gulp pulled Courtnaigh in up to her shoulders. She slid her arms into the lioness' mouth and folded her arms, mentally preparing herself for the next swallow. She took a deep breath, and the lioness swallowed hard just as Courtnaigh exhaled. Her head was now completely within the animal's jaws, and her arms and the bottom of her rib cage were now in the tight throat. This was the bit she didn't like. She hated having her arms constrained, and it was hard to get a full breath, any one of which could be her last lungful of fresh air for a long time. She turned her head to take one last look at the cubs, framed on top and bottom by the dark shadows of the animal's jaws.

After one last deep breath, she felt the throat muscles strain and pull in her shoulders with a loud squelchy noise. The jaws gently shut, sealing Courtnaigh in hot, humid darkness. She was now Her legs were now completely in the stomach, which gave them a little more freedom to move, but not much. She felt hot, slippery stomach lining everywhere she moved.

This was going to be quite cozy, perhaps uncomfortably so. Oh, well, she thought. It was a sacrifice she was more than willing to make.

Courtnaigh felt the lioness trying again to relax her, and took as deep a breath as she could. She just hoped the lioness would get this part over with. Almost on cue, she felt the animal sit on its hindquarters and take a very deep swallow.

Courtnaigh's arms popped into the stomach, and she relished being able to move them again. The esophagus began closing just above her head, pushing her deeper and deeper in. One more swallow pushed her head through the rubbery ring into the stomach, followed by her soaked hair. There was nothing left of her to swallow. Now she was just a bulge in the lioness' belly, swinging gently as the animal walked.

And a tight bulge, too. The stomach lining closed in on her from all sides, and she couldn't stretch her legs very far, having to adopt a less-than-comfortable squatting position. There was just a small air pocket around her head, which suddenly disappeared with a loud blorping belch noise. Oh, shit, she thought, and began to squirm uncontrollably. The lioness quickly took the hint, and a few large mouthfuls of air soon bubbled their way into the stomach.

Courtnaigh began to relax and take in her surroundings. It was very dark, very hot and very very humid. The smell was musty and sour, a bit like old cheese. She could also begin to faintly smell the sweet, cloying smell of gastric gas.

Squelching, groaning noises were all around her, and the rhythmic thump of a heartbeat drummed just behind her head.

She shifted a bit and eventually found a comfortable position on her right side, but this was then completely ruined when the lioness lay down on her belly, compressing Courtnaigh between the rest of her guts and the ground. Courtnaigh moaned. The lioness purred. Well, at least one of them was comfortable.

It was going to be a long day.

Long day.

Oh shit, she thought. She maneuvered her mediaphone into the air pocket near her face and switched it on, blinking in the sudden light that illuminated the pinkish red folds of the stomach lining and the greenish brown globs of something she didn't really want to know about. She dialed a few numbers.

“Benson Heights All*Mart, Reggie speaking.”

“Reggie, it's Courtnaigh.”

“Where the hell are you, you were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”

“I'm sorry Reggie, I gotta take a gulp day.”

“Aw, come on, you serious?”

“Yeah, stupid lion just got me. Didn't even see it, it just came outta nowhere.” It was a bit of a fib, but telling Reggie she'd volunteered didn't seem like the best career move. “Is it really busy?”

“This is like your third gulp day this month. You only get ten for the year, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm just in demand, I guess.”

“Alright. Well, have fun. See you tomorrow.”

Courtnaigh hung up the mediaphone and watched its light fade into darkness. A tickle in her belly reminded her that she was not entirely alone down here. She patted her stomach, feeling a certain kinship with the nanos she'd eaten for breakfast half an hour ago. She began wondering if she could hold them in until the lioness let her out. Otherwise she'd be shitting them into a pool of digesting muck and that just wouldn't be fair to them. She'd just have to do what she could when the time came.

Speaking of holding in, she was also coming to the realization that she was going to have to pee pretty soon. This was something she'd been planning to take care of when she got to work, but her morning had taken a rather different trajectory. She shifted onto her back, took a deep breath of the little air in the stomach and slowly let go. A hot river pooled around her but and eventually around her feet. Fucking gross, she thought with a laugh. She felt a little guilty about defiling such a beautiful creature as this, but there really was no other option. Lions didn't have bathrooms. Neither did she, for that matter, and much as the thought made her gag, the nanos she'd been chewing on this morning were probably doing the same thing inside her. And this was a stomach, after all - there would be far nastier liquids in here over the course of the next few hours. Courtnaigh further allayed her guilt by realizing that the lioness was probably dehydrated anyhow.

With that done, she picked up her mediaphone again, eternally thankful that she'd splurged on the waterproof model. She clicked it on and started cheecking her text messages and electronic mail. The smell of gastric gas was getting stronger now, and she felt the walls and floor starting to contract and relax in waves around her, very gently. The light was comforting - she hated being in the dark for such a long time. Even if all there was to see were the slimy folds of a stomach at work, it was still better than complete darkness. She wondered how the heck people survived being eaten before the mediaphone.

Time passed very slowly. After an hour or two, she'd checked all her mail, caught up on the news, played all the games of solitaire her brain would allow, and tried calling a few friends who she hadn't spoken to in a while. This was the part where boredom really set in. Even the nanos in her stomach had settled down and were only giving her the occasional tickle of walking feet.

Gastric gas had now inflated the stomach pretty well, and she had a bit more room to move, though only by a few inches on all sides. She still couldn't stretch her legs all the way, though with a bit of manuevering she could get close. She lay with the mediaphone set to shine a soft pinkish light and sat staring at the walls for a while. Her mind wandered, finding familiar shapes in the wavy folds of the ceiling and walls of the stomach. She mostly avoided looking at her own body, which by now was becoming quite a messy sight. Specialized skin pores were opening wide, and a trickle of slippery, yellowish-orange liquid was beginning to drip out of them. Her body was beginning to look like a very large wet sponge, and Courtnaigh shuddered to think about it.

She didn't mind being eaten, per se. Often it could be quite fun, usually on the way in, and it was certainly an easy way to shed a few pounds. Intellectually she knew that it was all just part of the cycle of life. But the actual process of being digested simply creeped her out - the mental and physical feeling that part of her was being dissolved and drained away. And this was just the beginning. It was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

Courtnaigh shut off the mediaphone and lay in the darkness a while, listening to the rhythmic thumping and churning noises around her, feeling the soft folds of stomach lining cradle her. Eventually she dozed off.

She woke approximately an hour and a half later and immediately wished she hadn't. The stomach was now hard at work on her. She could feel her skin yawning, pores open to the limit, and the stomach lining was now contracting around her in waves, squeegeeing the fatty juices out of her. She gasped and whined as a groaning muscular wave squelched its way over her nauseatingly, starting at her head and squeezing its way to her feet. The air was becoming more and more putrid and it stung at her nostrils. She whimpered to think that this was at best the halfway point in the process.

The panic of claustrophobia began to grab at her as well. Her legs were now quite sore from not having stretched in a few hours, and the thought that it'd be a few more hours before she could stretch them was seriously disturbing. She shifted uncomfortably onto her side and tried to stretch something, anything, but the walls kept squeezing her back to where they wanted her. She meekly pushed and prodded at the walls of her prison with her hands, feeling the folds stretch and contract under her fingertips. Her entire world now consisted of this space, from the tightly puckered rings at her toes and the top of her head to the undulating walls at her sides to the very unpleasant atmosphere she breathed.

Just an inch or two away from her, through several layers of skin and muscle and fascia, was the rest of the world - the part with fresh air and sunshine and trees and grass. She thought of all that she could be doing today and began cursing her decision to volunteer as lion food. Even her shitty job would be nicer than being stuck in here, she thought. She wanted out. She wanted out right now, and there was no getting out right now. She was completely at the mercy of this beast that surrounded her,, and she hated it. She hated the feeling of helplessness, of confinement, of being completely and utterly trapped. Courtnaigh shifted onto her side again, then yelled furiously as the stomach again shifted her onto her back.

The lioness seemed to sense Courtnaigh's stress, and got up and began pacing. Courtnaigh could feel the gentle, rhythmic swaying as the animal moved, and it shook her out of her funk just enough to let some gentle thoughts creep in.

She pictured happy, healthy lion cubs and a very grateful lioness and a deep spiritual connection with all living things on the planet. Her thoughts also shifted to the nanos in her belly who were right now probably experiencing much the same feeling of trapped helplessness, and began to feel a tinge of guilt over the hypocrisy of her complaints. She took a few deep breaths and began to relax again. This wasn't so bad, she thought. She could use some fresh water, though.

The lioness sensed this as well, and a minute or so later, Courtnaigh felt a few splashes of lukewarm water begin to cascade in from the sphincter above her head. She switched on the mediaphone and saw some of it pool in a few stomach folds near her head. She carefully shifted to her side and sucked up a mouthful or two, trying to ignore the taste.

It tasted somewhat like rainwater collected in a trash can lid, mixed with saliva, and then drank from the floor of an animal's stomach. But it was badly needed hydration.

She lay back and relaxed a bit, breathing deeply, slowly, dragging herself back from the precipice of panic. Soon she was back to feeling relatively comfortable in the noisy and nauseating surroundings. She shut off the mediaphone and closed her eyes. Soon she was asleep again.

Courtnaigh woke again about three hours later as another splash of cool water hit her face. Rubbing her belly and thighs with her hands, she could feel that the pores in her skin had closed up. She was quite pleased to note that the soft cushiony layer under the skin of her belly and thighs was considerably thinner now. The lioness had taken quite a lot out of her, and Courtnaigh didn't mind a bit. She could feel that the lioness was lying on its side, and wondered if she was nursing the cubs now, with milk made from her. It was a pleasant, if somewhat perverse, thought. Those cubs would survive another few days, perhaps another week, thanks to her. It was the least she could do to help the local wildlife.

She smiled and switched on her mediaphone, letting soft pink light fill the room. She checked her messages - a few inquiring WHERE R U texts from her friends had come in while she was asleep. She'd answer them later. For now she was enjoying the last few minutes inside her new friend. Much of the liquid had drained out of the stomach now, and it was no longer churning. It just cushioned Courtnaigh from the hard, cold ground below. Courtnaigh lay back and admired the view, stroking the bumps and folds with her fingertips. She could feel the stomach secreting a bit of slippery liquid near her feet, preparing to send her on the final part of her digestive journey. Soon she'd be free again, naked in the cold autumn air. The thought chilled her, and she began to really appreciate the nice warm sac around her.

Similarly, she could feel a bit of rumbling and growling in her own belly. She imagined the nanos inside meandering through her intestines right now. It'd soon be time for her to set them free, as well. She hoped they'd enjoyed their stay.

There was a groan from all around her, and Courtnaigh could feel the stomach change shape as the lioness got up. She felt muscles near her head contract and the sphincter near her feet open. She felt herself thrust into the short intestine up to her knees. She said a quiet, nostalgic goodbye to the stomach that had been her home for the last few hours. Then another thrust pushed her feet out into the cold.

The stomach continued to push at Courtnaigh, and the intestine tightly squeezed her body as she pushed through, wicking any remaining nutrients off of her as she passed. She felt her toes touch cold asphalt, then her butt, and finally her back as she was ejected from the animal's backside with a small splatter of brown paste. She blinked madly in the bright sunlight as she sat up, shivering. Cold, fresh air filled her lungs, and she drank it in. There was a small clatter as the lion shat out the mediaphone and an additional blob or two of fecal matter. The lioness got up, walked over to her cubs, lay down and resumed feeding them, all without even looking in Courtnaigh's direction.

Courtnaigh picked the mediaphone up and wiped it off. It was covered in a thin film of smelly muck. So was she, for that matter. Her nose was still burnt out from seven hours or so inside a stomach, but she could only imagine how terrible she smelled. Oh, well, Courtnaigh thought as she got up. It was worth it. She got up and found a dirty rag she could use to wipe off her hands. It wasn't much of an improvement, but it'd allow her to pick up her clothes without staining them too badly. There was a pay shower at Dunbar and Grange - she could clean up there for an Arni or two.

She picked up her things and turned towards the lioness, who regarded her with callous indifference. She knew it was nothing personal, but couldn't help feeling a bit slighted. She wasn't expecting a thank-you card or anything, but she felt like some acknowledgment for the person who'd just spent the morning getting the shit digested out of her was in order.

Then again, Courtnaigh thought, the number of nanos she'd thanked after shitting them out she could count on one hand.

And she'd have to round down.

What was important was that the animal was fed, as were her cubs. “Well, if you need anything else,” Courtnaigh said. “I'd like to check up on you from time to time. If that's alright,” she added, awkwardly.

The lioness turned her head and grunted in Courtnaigh's general direction.

It was as close to a thank-you as she could've hoped for. Courtnaigh turned and headed back out of the alley, wondering what to do with the rest of her day off.

The End

Footnotes

* If it were possible to translate it into a human language, the psychic conversation between the lion and zebra might go something like this:

EXT. DOOROONIAN SAVANNAH, Daytime. A LION is chasing a ZEBRA through the grass.

LION

You are running quite fast indeed. You must be awfully tired. Wouldn't you prefer to rest a while?

ZEBRA

Not at all, not at all. I enjoy the exercise, actually

LION

Are you sure you don't want to rest? You'd be quite comfortable in my belly, I think.

ZEBRA

Perhaps, but I much prefer to be out in the open, enjoying the fresh air and the nice weather.

LION

Yes but it won't be nice for long. There are clouds on the horizon..

ZEBRA

Well, that is true. Do you think it will rain later?

LION

I believe so. Thunderstorms, I hear. All the more reason you should be in my belly. You will be protected from the rain.

ZEBRA

Thank you for the kind offer but I really do have a rather full schedule today. I have a pile of grazing to catch up on this morning and then I'm supposed to meet the herd this evening for happy hour.

LION

I see. Well, if I eat you now, I'll be finished digesting you long before happy hour.

ZEBRA

Perhaps, but I don't wish to arrive smelling like the inside of a lion. No offense.

LION

None taken, my dear chap. Well, I could shit you out by the river so you can wash up.

ZEBRA

Hmm. That is a good idea indeed. It's not out of your way?

LION

No, not at all. My den is just on the other side of the river, actually. So we have a deal, then?

ZEBRA

Yes, why not. I could use a rest. - this chase is wearing me out.

LION

Very good, thank you so much. This is most kind of you, as I really am quite hungry. So I'll just pounce and tackle you, then, shall I?

ZEBRA

Alright, though if I could make one request-

LION

Certainly, what is that?

ZEBRA

If you could avoid biting me on the neck it would be most kind. I slept on it wrong and woke up this morning all stiff and I don't wish to aggravate it further.

LION

Oh, yes, of course. I hate when that happens. Right then. Incoming!

ZEBRA

Huh? Oh. Aaa! Ooh! Ow.

LION

Ha! I have captured you. Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?

ZEBRA

No, no, just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all. Excellent takedown, I must say.

LION

Why thank you. I've had some practice.

ZEBRA

I can see that. You got me good. I'm still catching my breath.

LION

Well, I'd really like to get started eating you, if that's all right. I really am quite hungry and I can't take the chance of you escaping.

ZEBRA

Not a problem at all - tuck in. Head-first or- oh, yes. I see. Well, head first it is, then.

LION

Yes, I hope you don't mind. It makes you so much easier to swallow. You taste really good, I might add.

ZEBRA

Oh, well thank you very much. So I've been told.

LION

How's your neck, by the way? I didn't aggravate it, did I?

ZEBRA

No, not at all. Thank you for asking. Still a bit stiff, but no worse than this morning.

LION

Oh, good. Have you tried some eucalyptus?

ZEBRA

No, does that really work?

LION

I find it quite effective, yes. Say, if you could just, sort of, bend your front legs for me- that's it. Thank you.

ZEBRA

Not at all, not at all. So the eucalyptus - is it for internal or external use?

LION

Either, I suppose, though it probably doesn't taste too good.. I usually just find a patch and roll in it for a while.

ZEBRA

I shall have to try that. Lovely stomach, by the way -I've just popped my head in here. This is going to be quite nice I think..

LION

Why thank you. I do try to keep it clean for my guests.

ZEBRA

That's quite generous of you - there's nothing worse than a smelly stomach. So you live on the other side of the river, you said. Are you near the rocky outcropping or down by the mango grove?

LION

By the rocks. It's a lovely view in the mornings. And I like being on higher ground, especially during the monsoon season.

ZEBRA

Oh, yes, that must be convenient.

LION

It is - and it's a very short commute to the pasture.

ZEBRA

That must be nice. Say, you're really chowing down, aren't you old chap? You're up to my back legs already.

LION

Yes, I like a nice quick lunch. Are you comfortable in there?

ZEBRA

It's a wee bit awkward at the moment, I must confess. But I'll manage. It'll be better once you've swallowed my legs, I think.

LION

Coming right down... there! All gone.

ZEBRA

Ah yes. Much better, thank you. I can curl up nicely now. Yes, this is cozy.

LION

Good, good. Aren't you glad I talked you into this?

ZEBRA

It was a capital idea indeed. Say, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind sending some water down here? I'm a bit thirsty and I didn't get to stop before you ate me..

LION

Oh yes, of course. I was just on my way to get something to drink.

ZEBRA

Ah, good. Well, it's all going to the same place, isn't it? Heh heh

LION

Yes, I suppose it is. Here you are, some water's on its way down now.

ZEBRA

Oh, thank you kindly. Much better.

LION

Not at all, not at all. Well, do let me know if you need anything else. I think I'm going to go have a lie down.

ZEBRA

Ah yes. Am I giving you the food coma?

LION

And how! All of a sudden I.can't keep my eyes open. Well, have fun digesting.

ZEBRA

I'll try. Enjoy your nap.

And so on. This is of course a rough translation, but the basic gist of this psychic conversation is repeated daily by predators and prey of all shapes and sizes all over the planet Aekallia. Except when the prey is human, in which case psychic communication is usually shut down completely by the human's incessant pleas of "get off of me" and "let me go" and "let me out" and the like. And to think, humans have the nerve to call the other animals "uncivilized."