Voretober 2022 - HUNT

There was something else out here. Something inhuman. The original job was meant to be a simple smash-and-grab, but now Oscar was the only one left. The deer had run into the forest, still wearing a black tracksuit but having discarded a mask a while back. He wasn’t sure if he was still being pursued. It seemed like there was almost no way to know for sure, it had come out of nowhere.

An hour ago, three of them were standing outside of a mansion that was expected to be well-guarded. Understandably so, considering it belonged to a collector who had some very desirable items. One of which was desired by their own contractor. But by the time they got there it was quiet. Too quiet. The team’s sneaky panther decided to scout ahead, but he quickly ran into a horrible sight hanging from a light pole: A wolf guard, skinned and upside down.

They should’ve left then. But their third, a big alligator decided this must be the perfect opportunity. It didn’t matter what had slaughtered all the guards, all that mattered was that their target was unprotected. It seemed like it had been a while, so surely it was gone. So they broke in and even got as far in as the collection room itself before running into it. Then they heard, “Who’s there?” come from a connecting hall.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Just grab that tablet and let’s get out of here,” said the alligator as he went to go confront whoever was there. Oscar carefully lasered open the glass container, just in case, and then pulled out the tablet. It was an ancient thing, carved with a language likely long gone. But he still wasn’t back. It’d been over a minute.

The panther readied a gun to go see what trouble their third had found when he spotted something. In a dark corner. Not quite there, but... He swung his gun up, aiming at something invisible. Oscar pulled the tablet close to his chest and started inching towards the way they came in. Then an abrupt bolt of light shot out, sending his crewmate to the ground instantly and making him flee just as fast.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been running exactly, but hopefully it was more than enough distance. He noticed a hollowed out, rotting tree and decided to take a risk by hiding out inside it rather than run further. He could use the opportunity to call for evac, backup, anything to get him out of there. Almost as soon as he pulled out his phone, he heard clicking. It could’ve almost been dismissed as some sort of bug if it wasn’t for just how loud it was. Coming from every direction. He elected to pocket his phone instead of making more noise.

The deer held his muzzle shut to keep himself from making too much noise, but there was little else for him to do. It didn’t matter either, considering shortly after something heavy yet invisible thudded onto the ground in front of him. He tried to back up even further into the tree, ideally becoming one with it, but there was nowhere else to go. He reached for a small knife he had, holding the tablet with one hand while pushing the knife forward. “S-Stay back!”

The invisible figure approached, slowly shifting from thin air to a towering menace with a stony mask. Even though it was dark, Oscar could see he was wearing some minimal clothes. Mostly netting with an armor piece over where his heart may be, as well as a belt and shoulder pieces. The final detail he noticed was his pale flesh, with darker spots mottling and outlining it. “Wh-What the hell are you?!”

He tilted its head slightly and clicked. He knocked the knife out of his hand with the back of his left hand and then grabbed Oscar with his right. The deer became acutely aware of sharpened nails as they closed around his throat, and then equally aware of his strength as he was lifted high into the air. Choking, he tried to kick even if it was clearly a fruitless endeavor. He closed his eyes, waiting for himself to run out of air, or have his neck broken, or anything else... But then he heard a low growl.

Oscar opened his eyes again, though the monster wasn’t exactly looking at him anymore. He seemed to be looking slightly lower, thinking of something else. Then he reached for a tube connecting to his mask, twisting it off and letting air hiss out. He carefully lifted his mask off, revealing a terrifying face with four mandibles. Oscar could barely even see it, considering he felt like he was about to pass out...

He woke up quickly afterwards, still lightheaded. Still being held. But now he could feel something riding up his legs. He looked down, as much as he could, and saw he was waist-deep inside the alien’s horrible maw. “No! No no no no!” he shouted, trying to climb out even as he was held firmly in place. His clothes were gone, torn off perhaps, so he could feel the alien’s tight throat pulsating around his legs. His hooves were already dipping in burning juices further down. “P-Please, please, let me go!”

Gulk. The sound indicated him being pulled deeper, those tusked mandibles scraping his sides while sharp teeth dug into his back and front. The fact he wasn’t already dead was for the creature’s own sick enjoyment more than anything else. His guts were enough of a vice without his jaws, pulling the frightened deer down more and more without any other effort. He tried to punch the predator as he got lower, but his hand was caught and applied just enough pressure to warn him it could be easily broken if desired.

Gulp. “Look, do you- do you want the tablet? It’s on the ground in the tree just...” Oscar shuddered, looking into the alien’s yellow eyes. He didn’t seem to care, if he even understood. He was down to his shoulders now, but that wasn’t going to stop him considering where he started. Another powerful swallow confirmed that. But there was a pause while Oscar’s head sat within his stretched cheeks. For a moment, he wondered if his antlers were going to save him. His hopes were slashed as swiftly as his antlers by a slice of the predator’s wrist blades.

Oscar traveled down a crushingly tight tube, seemingly threatening to end him before even reaching the stomach. Unfortunately, blistering pain kept him aware it wasn’t the end yet. The moment he was finished being swallowed, caustic gasses burned at his nose and eyes. He coughed harshly, and he knew his body would never be able to take an easy breath again. His new home was soft, yet unyielding. Wet, yet burning. He tried his hardest to struggle against it all, wanting to rip out somehow, but it would never be enough.

The predator patted his belly as his meal got used to its final resting place. His netting sagged with his gut, leaving tight lines across it as they stretched to the limit. Not a typical practice for his kind, but the hunt was complete, and a hunter deserves a feast. He let out a celebratory roar through the forest, which soon turned into an equally loud RRRRROOOOUUUUURP. It was a shame his catch was slowing down so quickly, but he didn’t seem to be much of a fighter anyway. He stepped on the deer’s antlers as he started to walk back to his ship. They were hardly different from the branches of a tree. If the deer wanted to be remembered, the best it could do is survive as a skull to be belched out later. If not, it would just make for another thin layer of nameless fat to be burned away.