A Bird's Obsession
By Vidofinir

It was a mild winter night. A light storm had ended hours earlier, leaving in its wake a sparse covering of snow over the forest's many paths. On one such path was Corvus, the aptly named raven, who stared intently at the road before him, trying his best to distinguish one animal's tracks from the next.

Corvus was searching for someone. He'd been following their tracks for much of the past hour, only taking flight from the path when an unwanted predator threatened his safety on the ground. His patience had paid off, as he was now right where he wanted to be. A hole gaped open in the hill before him, leading inward. Complete silence came from within, likely indicating that the occupant was sleeping.

This was it, Corvus thought. His little plan of following him home had worked. Now, all that remained was to step into the wolf's den, and hope for the best...

---

Inside the cave, Lumare the wolf let out a big yawn. He'd just recently returned from hunting, and what a successful hunt it had been. For a lone wolf, he was definitely well fed, though his body didn't show it. His weight was minimal, probably as much or as little as any other wolf. It wasn't something he thought about often anyways. To him, survival was all that mattered, and it was that thought that was keeping him awake now. Lumare could've sworn he'd heard something at the entrance to his den and was debating whether or not the noise signaled a threat that justified getting up from his comfortable position.

In the end, Lumare closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him once more, oblivious to the feathered intruder in his home. Little did he know, this peaceful quiet wouldn't last through the night.

As Corvus began to tread deeper into the cave, he wondered if he was making a mistake. Maybe wolves don't like to be bothered, he thought. But was that really enough to reconsider doing this? It had been something of an obsession of his to see a wolf up close. He'd always admired them, and thought that maybe someday, he could even have a wolf as a friend. To Corvus, the obvious danger of this plan wasn't evident.

The wolf's eyes opened once more as he heard another noise, though it sounded much closer this time. His instincts and natural paranoia wouldn't let him ignore it this time. However, he didn't know what it was, or where it was, so the best he could do is perk up his ears and try to keep his eyes open, hoping to catch sight or sound of whatever had woken him.

It almost surprised Lumare when he saw something moving in the darkness. It was a bird, and from the looks of things, its night vision wasn't nearly as good as his. How else would it have ended up in a place like this? It didn't appear to have noticed him yet. How easy it would be to make a meal of this dumb bird, Lumare thought to himself. But his hunger was already satisfied, so he didn't see the point. Not right now anyways, though he couldn't just let it wander around in here.

Corvus wandered through the wolf's den, resisting the urge to call out to the wolf. If he was sleeping, chances are he wouldn't want Corvus to wake him up. Little did the bird realize, it was already too late for that. It was far too dark in here, he thought. How was he supposed to see the wolf at all without any lighting? Maybe it was better to leave for now and come back in the morning, he began thinking.

It quickly became too late to put that plan into motion however, as Lumare made the first move. Not with claws or teeth, or even a growl, but with a friendly 'Hello'. Corvus was almost too shocked to respond, having thought to wolf was asleep. Not only that, but he hadn't expected such a friendly greeting. Things seemed to be going exactly as he wanted, which caught the bird more off-guard that he figured. In the end, the best he could manage was a simple "Hi'.

The two stared at each other, Corvus could see the wolf rather clearly, now that he knew where to look. His white fur contrasted sharply with the walls of his den, even in darkness. Both waited for the other to speak, the silence stretching on almost awkwardly until both started speaking at once, introducing themselves to each other.

Lumare immediately noticed that the bird seemed particularly interested in him, though he didn't know why. He didn't like being stared at, though despite this, he felt no immediate desire to rush this meeting to its logical conclusion. Instead, he chose a more diplomatic approach. "Corvus, that's what you said your name was, right?" The bird nodded excitedly. "What are you doing in here?"

"I followed you here!" Corvus stared, seeming almost proud of his response as a rather annoyed Lumare waited for him to truly answer his question, or at least elaborate on that.

"You followed me here? Why?" It was a question he truly wanted answered, and he hoped it wouldn't be avoided like the last one.

"I like wolves." Another short answer from the bird, much to the wolf's annoyance. Though the simplicity of this bird almost amused him right now. Were all birds obsessed with their predators like this? If they were, it was a wonder they hadn't gone extinct a long time ago. He'd give the bird one chance to leave intact, however.

"Well wolves like sleep, and you disturbed mine." Lumare saw Corvus look stunned, and then upset, but he couldn't let sympathy for this bird change his mind now. "Please, leave."

"But... Can't I stay? I don't mean you any harm." Lumare stifled a laugh upon hearing that, as if this little bird could harm him. The worst a bird had ever done was give him indigestion, and he hardly considered that sufficient payback for what his stomach had done to it.

"No. Leave now, before I get hungry and reconsider." Corvus stared back at him, apparently missing the implications of that statement. "What are you waiting for, bird?"

"I want to stay here, so I'm waiting for you to reconsider making me leave." Lumare was dumbfounded by the sheer ignorance of what he'd heard, until something occurred to him. If Corvus was just going to sit here, that gave him time to think of a way to have some fun with the bird, rather than just eating him and getting it over with. There'd be time for that later, or sooner, depending on how annoying his prey got between now and then.

Having fun with this bird was proving a more complicated concept than his mind could manage right now, as Lumare's thoughts drifted to other things. "Corvus, I have to step out for a moment." The wolf headed for the exit before turning around and speaking once more. "Don't leave... okay?" He'd decided that he didn't want such easy prey disappearing without warning, and figured that with his obsession with wolves, Corvus was bound to listen to him. Stepping outside would give Lumare a chance to relieve himself, and when he returned, he fully intended to devour the bird and salvage as much of a night's sleep as he could.

The wolf walked over to a tree not far from his den, not caring to stray particularly far for this at this hour. The pale glow on the horizon indicated that the sun would probably rise fully in a few hours, and he wondered exactly how much time of his Corvus had wasted already. It wouldn't matter soon, he realized, and so he decided to focus on the matter at hand. As he lifted his leg and prepared to do his business, Lumare noticed Corvus stepping out of his den, the small bird taking flight specifically in his direction.

"Hi Lumare. I didn't want to wait inside, so I thought I'd see what you were doing." Could this bird really be this stupid, Lumare wondered to himself.

"Go away, Corvus. What do you THINK I'm doing out here?" Not necessarily wanting to show more of himself than he needed to, the wolf lowered his leg again, waiting for Corvus to go away so he could relieve himself in peace.

"You're out hunting, right? Wolves do need to eat a lot. I saw you eat all kinds of stuff today when I was watching you."

"Watching me?" Lumare wasn't sure if he should be enraged or confused, ultimately deciding on both. If past experience with this bird was any indication however, it wouldn't do any good asking questions. "If I was merely hungry, I wouldn't have left my den." Corvus didn't seem scared, as if he misunderstood what the wolf was obviously trying to tell him.

"If you're not hunting, then wh--" Corvus stopped mid-sentence. "Oh, now I know what you're doing out here."

"Good." He was amazed that Corvus finally understood something, for once. "Now if you don't mind..."

"Can I watch?" Corvus interrupted, much to the wolf's dismay. How do you even respond to something like that, Lumare wondered. Then, the perfect idea dawned on him.

"Uh, yeah. You can watch." Lumare was making this up as he went along, wondering to himself if this was even going to work. He decided that even If the bird flew off, this would be worth a missed meal. "Stand next to that tree, alright?" Corvus complied without further prompting, leaving Lumare to wonder if he really knew what was about to happen to him.

"Just keep standing there, and you'll have a perfect view." It wasn't exactly untrue, Lumare realized as he lifted his leg and exposed himself to the bird. Knowing Corvus, he was probably enjoying the view far more than he should, though that enjoyment wouldn't last long. With both in their positions, the wolf saw no reason to delay any further. He relaxed his bladder and began peeing, the warm liquid splashing lightly against the bird's feathers.

Corvus squirmed uncomfortably, his mind unable to decide between disgust or shock. He opened his mouth to protest, barely getting a sound out before Lumare adjusted his aim and the warm liquid flooded into his beak and down his throat. The taste was even worse than the smell, prompting him to close his beak and allow the wolf's waste to simply soak into his feathers as the powerful stream carried on.

Lumare continued relieving himself over Corvus, surprised that the bird hadn't flown off by now. Eventually the fun came to an end as the wolf's stream weakened, the last few drops falling short of their target and merely adding to the puddle that was forming beneath the bird without directly touching him. Lumare took a moment to breathe in his scent before lowering his leg, satisfied to have marked the bird in such a way.

"How'd you like the view, Corvus?" Though he meant the bird no particularly ill-will, he had practically asked for this.

Corvus took a few steps forward, feeling the wolf's waste sloshing around uncomfortably in his stomach. "I feel sick..." His feathers were dripping wet, and he reeked of the wolf's scent.

"No wonder. You're not supposed to drink it, you know." This time, Lumare couldn't stifle his laughter. The sight of this bird soaked through with his waste was too much to ignore. "But that's alright. The smell doesn't bother me any. Shall we go back to my den now?"

"Lumare..." Corvus stopped himself mid-sentence, taking a moment to spread his wings and try to dry himself off a bit.

"What's wrong? Don't you love wolves? Don't you want to be near me?" Lumare's voice sounded like he was trying to gain sympathy, though he figured it was a lost cause. If the bird had any sense, he would try to leave now, and that's when it would all end for him.

"I... No. I don't want to go back with you." Corvus seemed upset. It was hard for Lumare to avoid feeling sympathy for him.

"Come, Corvus. Come back with me." Lumare wanted some time to savor the kill, when he eventually did devour this bird. If he simply tried to fly away here and now, he may be able to stop him, but it wouldn't be very enjoyable. Again, he tried a diplomatic approach. "I'll clean you off, and you can stay the night." Corvus didn't seem convinced. "I'm sorry for peeing on you." He wasn't, but apparently that's what the bird was waiting to hear.

"Okay, apology accepted..." Corvus took a few steps forward. "I still feel sick though."

"Let's just go back now." Lumare walked back toward his den, Corvus following slowly behind him. The way he saw it, Corvus was merely lucky he'd already emptied his bowels earlier, or else things could've been much messier. The thought made Lumare grin, but he knew he couldn't keep this bird around forever. As soon as they got back, he'd eat him and be done with this whole ordeal.

The two returned to Lumare's den, which was now partially illuminated as the sun began to rise. Another hour and it'd be morning. Corvus was eager to be cleaned, and upon returning, was disappointed to see that there was no water or anything to clean himself off with inside the cave. "Lumare. Shouldn't we go to the river to clean me up? No offense, but the smell isn't exactly pleasant..."

"Why would I take offense when you're the one that smells bad? Besides, it's not THAT unpleasant, and it's really not something to get worked up about." Lumare wandered over to the area where he slept earlier, curling up somewhat and closing his eyes, as if to sleep.

"Lumare! You have to take me to the river. I can't fly when I'm all wet like this!" Lumare's ears perked up.

"You can't fly right now?" How intriguing, Lumare thought.

"Not exactly. I can't fly well, or far, or for long though. Too much water-weight." Corvus attempted to shake some of the dampness from his feathers, sending a few droplets in random directions.

Lumare's eyes opened and he stood up, eyeing the bird. He really did look wet, and probably incapable of flight. Could he possibly escape right now? Probably not, he thought. With that thought in mind, he decided it was time to make his move.

"Okay, Corvus. If you can't leave, then now's a good time to tell you something." He figured that after all this deceit, he owed Corvus a few seconds of warning. "I'm going to eat you."

"You're... going to eat me?" Corvus seemed confused at the thought. "Just like that?"

"I've been planning to eat you from the start. Everything else was just a little diversion, that's all." The wolf spoke so matter-of-factly that Corvus was able to brush off his words as some sort of joke.

"You wouldn't really eat me now, when I'm all dirty like this."

"I told you, the smell doesn't bother me. I can probably look past the taste too, if you're as flavorful as you look." Lumare grinned, specifically showing his teeth to his prey.

"But... I don't... I don't..." Corvus couldn't finish his sentence, so Lumare finished it for him.

"Don't wanna be wolf food? Or, are you thinking of what's going to happen after my stomach is through with you?" Lumare was beginning to regret that he'd only marked the bird how he had, leaving the far messier option untouched. It would've been a nice preview of what's going to happen to Corvus, he thought.

"Are all wolves like you?" Lumare knew from his tone exactly what he was trying to ask.

"They are, mostly. We're all predators, and to us, birds are prey."

"But to me, wolves are more than that! They're supposed to be majestic, and nice, and..."

"We are lots of things, but to us, birds are food. That's all there is to it." Corvus looked heartbroken. "I'm sorry."

"I'm food to you... Nothing more?" Lumare couldn't help but sympathize.

"I wouldn't say you're nothing more... We had fun, for what it was worth." That seemed a small comfort to the bird, knowing that Lumare enjoyed having him around. It wasn't a lie either, though the times they remembered fondly were probably entirely different.

"Then I won't fight it... It's probably useless to fight it anyways." Corvus stepped forward. "You may eat me, wolf."

Lumare was shocked. "Really? Well I... I promise I'll try to make it as painless as I can." He opened his maw wide, revealing his razor sharp teeth to his prey, who began shaking with fear. "Are you... ready?"

"Your teeth look really sharp... Do you have uh... use them?" Corvus didn't really consider how painful the alternative could be, simply wanting to avoid being chewed to death.

Lumare hadn't considered that. The way he saw it, he was just going to eat quickly, and hope that that in itself was painless enough. After all, how long was Corvus going to live, being chewed up? He'd eaten birds of his size before, and their struggles never did last long. He stared at the fearful bird, considering his proposal. "You'd rather be swallowed whole?"

"I... don't want to be chewed." Corvus sounded close to tears, though Lumare doubted that birds could actually cry. Still, this reminded him why he never talked to his prey much in the past. He always ended up feeling bad for them.

"I think I can manage, if that's what you want. You have to promise not to squirm too much in there though, or you might make me sick and... Well, I won't swallow you whole twice." Corvus nodded, hoping he'd be able to keep his promise, and hoping he wasn't making a terrible mistake asking to be eaten alive. Not that he was really asking to be eaten at all. The whole thing was really just a big compromise.

"Ready, Corvus?" Lumare's stomach growled. Even if he wasn't ready, a wolf's hunger doesn't like to be kept waiting.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Corvus faked something of a temporary smile. "Goodbye, Lumare."

The wolf gave his prey a big, wet lick, his mouth watering more at the bird's taste. "Goodbye Corvus. I uh... hope you have fun in there." Lumare never was good at goodbyes. Instead, he gave Corvus a few affectionate licks before opening his drooling maw widely around the bird, quickly snapping his jaws shut and trapping his meal within.

Corvus lay sprawled on the wolf's tongue, not wanting to fight his fate, lacking the will to really move at all. He was grateful that Lumare had kept his word and not started chewing already, though he assumed that if the wolf wanted to lie to him, it wasn't too late. Lumare rolled Corvus around with his tongue, savoring the bird's taste, enjoying it immensely with his own flavors intermixed.

Corvus became coated with a thick layer of wolf drool as Lumare prepared him for swallowing. As Lumare tilted his head back, Corvus tumbled backward across the slimy length of his tongue toward the throat. He knew that his time in the wolf's maw was coming to an end, and prayed that his stomach would be equally tolerable, and equally painless. Undoubtedly that wouldn't be the case, but he couldn't help but hope.

Lumare determined that Corvus had to be ready for swallowing by now. If he wasn't lubricated enough to fit down his throat now, then he never would be, and would have to meet his end in the wolf's jaws. For Corvus' sake, he hoped as he gulped. Almost to his surprise, Lumare felt his meal travel safely down his throat and settle into his stomach. He had no problems swallowing prey whole, apparently. He may even try it again sometime, though that was a matter for another day.

The rising sun reminded Lumare of what he intended to do next, as he retreated to the depths of his den to curl up and sleep, leaving his stomach to do its job. By mid-morning, the bird in his stomach would be gone, or at least not be recognizable as a bird anymore.

Inside the wolf's stomach, Corvus landed with a splash in the residual liquid, which was not entirely acidic. Originally having been woken up from a comfortable sleep with an empty stomach, Lumare's digestive processes would take a moment to get particularly fierce again, his stomach now beginning to take notice of its contents.

Corvus tried not to move around too much, as he'd promised Lumare he wouldn't. He didn't want to make him sick, though the feeling of liquid moving around in his stomach reminded Corvus that the wolf hadn't exactly done the same for him. Still, what good would it do to make Lumare sick, just to taste freedom one last time before ending up right back here? It wasn't worth it, Corvus thought. He'd rather accept his fate, however disgusting he found it now that he was actually inside the wolf's stomach. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly pleasant in here.

A minute passed before Lumare's stomach really began digesting the meal within. More acid poured from seemingly everywhere, as Corvus looked around frantically in the darkness, many of his feathers quickly being burned away to float freely in the disgusting pool around him. He began to move around, exhausting his energy in the tight chamber, trying his best to stay above the surface of the rising stomach acids. It was mostly futile; he definitely couldn't swim, and the liquids crept higher and higher until he couldn't keep up.

As he sank below the surface of the churning pool, Corvus took one last breath, feeling the acids all around him eating away at his flesh, having already taken off most of his feathers. He squirmed and thrashed about below the surface, his movements going entirely unnoticed as the wolf's stomach continued mercilessly processing him. It didn't take long for Corvus to exhaust his energy and lose consciousness, the wolf's stomach continuing to work away at what little was left until all that remained of the bird was a thick, soupy liquid, hardly distinguishable from the surrounding acid.

The remains of Lumare's meal passed into his intestines where valuable nutrients were absorbed, though there was little nutritional value in such a small meal. What remained after that continued through the wolf's digestive tract as moisture was absorbed, leaving nothing but solid waste waiting to be released.

---

Lumare awoke a few hours later than usual, realizing it was probably early-afternoon already. Stretching his limbs, he quickly remembered what had kept him up last night, and what he'd done to solve the problem. A pressure in his rear reminded him of what still needed to be done, and so he walked outside and found the tree he'd done his business at the night before. It seemed a good a place as any, after all.

First thing was first, as Lumare lifted his leg, emptying his bladder against the tree. The stream didn't last long, though the scent was still noteworthy as he took a deep breath, lowering his leg and preparing to tend to something much more urgent.

Standing next to the base of the tree, Lumare pushed, the remains of his meal sliding easily out of his tailhole and piling on the ground below. It left a strong smell in the air, one that Lumare was glad to leave behind as he finished up and headed off in search of his next meal, hoping it'd be as enjoyable as the last one.