Seeking a Warm Snack
 
By Minako Tomoka and Shyny
 
An Original Character Roleplay
 
 
Ryuji
 
  Ryuji was strolling through the woods on a cold, cloudy day, enjoying the peaceful stillness of nature on a day like this. However, he'd been walking for a while, and hadn't had the preparedness to bring any food with him.
Not to mention, the cold was starting to get to him, so something warm and filling would be ideal...
 
  As he thought that, he noticed a small lake nearby, with what seemed to be a little borrower collecting water from it. His stomach growled automatically and he thought...well, he's not going to hurt the poor thing, and she'd get somewhere cozy to stay, so what's the harm?
 
  Calmly and quietly approaching the small creature, Ryuji smiled the friendliest grin he could manage, before soon standing right over her. "Hello there, young lady. It's a rather chilly day today, isn't it? I couldn't help but notice you and wondered...would you mind if I ate you? It'll be perfectly safe, I promise!"
 
 
Emilia
 
  The young Borrower Emilia had spent most of her day so far tromping through heavy snowfalls- at least they were heavy to her size- nearly numbed and chilled to the bone, in her journey to collect enough water from a small stream offshoot of the lake to last her for the rest of the week. The water was just as freezing, the only reason it hadn't frozen solid like everything else was because it was still running, so it was no easy task.
 
  Not only that, but as she knelt by the stream and filled her canteens, her head was on a constant swivel, keeping an eye out for any wild animals or predators that might sneak up on her, like cats, foxes, or snakes. Most Borrowers normally had a lookout for such things, but since Emilia lived all by herself in a hollow of a small tree, that wasn't really an option.
 
  As Emilia collected water, the small girl felt large vibrations in the earth, which came from afar at first, but seemed to be approaching closer, growing in intensity. Her head jolted up, and she caught a massive, bulky figure emerging from the brush, sending powdery snow falling down along with it. It wasn't a human- no, far bigger than that, and far more scary...
 
  He was a griffin, a large demi-human with brown bird-like wings pressed against his back, a long lion-like tail, and feet in the shape of a big cat's paws, complete with long claws. He had brown hair, long, pointy ears, and a somewhat regal-looking red vest, that was notably strained thanks to the pressure of his pudgy belly. Emilia seized up in fear as he approached her specifically, addressing her in such a polite way...to ask her such a frightening question.
 
  What kind of predator faerie would ask their prey if they could eat them? Regardless of the reason, he made his intentions clear from the start, and the poor blonde Borrower wasn't keen to stick around. "Wha...what?" Before waiting for an answer, Emilia took off, diving into some nearby underbrush in an attempt to escape the beast.
 
 
Ryuji
 
  Watching the frightened little Borrower disappear into the nearby grass, Ryuji raised his eyebrows, before sighing as he followed after her. "Why do they always run? I said she'd be safe..."
 
  Following after her, it only took a few footsteps to cover the distance she could make at a full sprint. Eventually, she was pinned beneath one of his large, fluffy cat like feet, smiling down at her as he made sure not to apply too much pressure as to break her, but enough to stop her from wriggling free.
 
  "Can we please talk? As I said, it's going to be perfectly safe, I won't digest you or anything. And I think you'll find it a mutually beneficial arrangement!" Saying this, Ryuji began to squat down to get closer to Emilia, smiling his innocent grin, as if it would make him looking kinder, and not a terrifying beast taunting his prey.
 
 
Emilia
 
  Emilia was wracked with shivers, trembling uncontrollably- no longer because of the bone-chilling cold, but now because of the massive creature that was all too open with the prospect of making her into a snack. Even a human would be far easier to escape from or at least deal with, but a predator faerie like a griffin, a creature of such size and power, a hybrid of a lion, a raptor, and a man...it was too terrifying for the little Borrower to even think about.
 
  She attempted to hide among the brush and grass, but avoiding the keen eyes of a griffin was nearly impossible. Sure enough, Emilia was knocked down on her stomach, an immense pressure against her back as she was pinned down in the snow beneath the beast's massive paw. Whimpering, she tried to wriggle out from between his toes, but his sheer size left her completely stuck. He wasn't crushing her, but there was still no chance of squirming free like this...
 
  She gazed up at him in disbelief, as he regarded her with a wide, innocent smile. Such an expression on his face while he described how he planned to eat her...he must have been a creature who enjoyed teasing and taunting his poor prey. "W-why?" Emilia whimpered. "Why would you even care about not digesting me? You want to eat me, right? Isn't that the whole point? Or are you...just trying to make me agree with you, just to mess with my head and tease me even more? I...I'm not just a little snack you can play with! Let me go!"
 
 
Ryuji
 
"Aww, don't be like that! I'm simply cold and a little peckish, I'm sure you can empathise? I can control my digestive process, so I was thinking if I've got you in my stomach, it'll satisfy my hunger and warm me up a little."
 
Snaking his tail under his foot, he wrapped it around Emilia, lifting her into the air. Gently pressing her into his gut, it growled lowly, clearly excited at the possibility of welcoming her. "After all, if I was just going to eat and digest you, why did I bother introducing myself? It doesn't make much sense. Plus, if you agree to this, I'm sure it'll be much warmer inside me than it is out here..."
 
 
Emilia
 
  The immense pressure on Emilia's back lifted for a moment, only to be replaced by the constricting sensation of the griffin's large tail coiling around her tiny body, carrying her high up into the air. "Put me down, you brute!" she squealed. Next thing she knew, she was greeted by the sound of his rumbling belly as she was smushed against his thick, pudgy gut. She let out a weak whimper at the sound. He sounded really hungry, and it seemed whether she refused his offer or not, she would be gobbled up anyway...
 
  "W-why are you trying to scare me?" she stammered. "You really say that I'll be safe inside your stomach? How can I trust you with such a thing? Though I suppose...I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I? It seems like I'll be eaten regardless...I guess there's not much point in trying to negotiate with someone who sees me as a snack..."
 
  But if he was telling the truth, it would mean she could get out of the cold for a while...it had been wearing her down all day, and her fingers and toes were so stiff she could barely move them, let alone make it home burrowing through all the snow...and his belly did seem quite soft and warm...
 
 
Ryuji
 
  "Now now, you don't need to see me so harshly! I'm trying to offer a perfectly reasonable deal, and I'll make sure to let you out later. Here, just to show I'm not trying to force you..."
 
  Ryuji brought a hand underneath Emilia before releasing the grip around her with his tail, letting her land softly in his palm. Bringing her up to his face, Ryuji smiled, able to get a good look at the small creature. She did look positively freezing and mortified, so surely she had to understand he was trying to do him a favour?
 
  I'll let you decide, okay? If you really want to go, I'll release you. I'm sure I can find someone else to take up my request..." Ryuji explained, before slowly rolling his tongue out, letting it rest on the base of his palm as he looked to Emilia expectantly. He wasn't tossing her into his maw, if she climbed inside it would be only by her own free will.
 
  Admittedly, she was also being held high above the ground, so it wasn't like she could just jump off and be on her way. But Ryuji hadn't considered that side of things.
 
 
Emilia
 
  Emilia landed in Ryuji's palm, gazing up at the huge griffin as he grinned at her. He seemed...oddly kind about all of this, even offering her a choice of whether or not she wanted to be eaten...what kind of predator was this? Surely if he was that hungry, he would have just tossed her in his mouth and gulped her down by now...why bother trying to talk to her? Perhaps she had misjudged Ryuji, maybe he was telling the truth after all...
 
  Left staring into his open maw, an abyss framed by sharp teeth, his tongue rolled out like a squishy red carpet, Emilia was left with a choice. She was scared, but also freezing, and if she had to go all the way back home by herself like this, in such a weakened state...she might just freeze to death.
 
  The humid breath exhaled from Ryuji's jaws was temptingly warm. Strangely enough, his maw seemed almost inviting, like it was welcoming her to come inside. His belly would likely be even softer and warmer. Maybe if just for a while...
 
  "I...I'll let you...swallow me," Emilia declared. "It does seem like it would help warm me up...and I think you're telling the truth...that you won't digest me, that is. But if you do anything weird, I promise I'll give you a belly ache!"
 
  She started to crawl inside Ryuji's maw on her hands and knees, entering the dark and slimy, yet warm space. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad...
 
 
Ryuji
 
  Smiling just a little as Emilia finally saw reason, Ryuji did his best to stay still as felt her hand and knees against his tongue, letting her crawl in fully before putting his hand back down. "Don't worry, little miss, I won't hurt you. But, before I swallow, let's warm you up first, hmm?" he said, as well as he could with the little woman in his mouth. Closing his lips, Ryuji did his best not to jostle her too much, even if he couldn't help a little taste.
 
  Breathing in through his nose, he exhaled into his mouth, filling his maw with his hot breath, to warm it up and let the waves of warm air waft over Emilia. Even with her clothes, she did taste rather sweet, and despite not tossing her around like a regular snack, Ryuji couldn't help but lift her up to the roof of his mouth, pressing her into it gently as he let his tongue massage her body, humming softly, his cheerful musings echoing around his mouth.
 
  Letting it lower back down, Ryuji opened his maw one last time, as he tilted his head back a little, to guide the Borrower towards his throat. "I'm going to swallow now, alright? I felt it proper to at least give you adequate warning, and one last chance to back out."
 
 
Emilia
 
  Crawling into the mouth of another creature willingly wasn't something Emilia thought she would ever do. After all, being eaten was the biggest threat for any Borrower. But something about Ryuji felt...strangely safe, somehow. He had a way of making her feel comfortable, despite the situation. His reassuring words put her at ease, even as they echoed around her in his wet, humid mouth.
 
  She knelt in place at the center of Ryuji's tongue, feeling gusts of warm breath wash over her tiny body. It warmed her up quickly, defrosting her stiff arms and legs. The Borrower felt a lot better like this, oddly enough...she didn't really want to leave. "T-thank you for that..." she stammered.
 
  Emilia tensed up as she felt herself sliding towards his throat. She stared into the dark abyss, knowing that once she went down, only the griffin would be able to let her back out. She mulled over his warning for a few moments, then slowly answered, "I...I'm ready...it'll be fine."
 
 
Ryuji
 
  With the final confirmation, Ryuji pressed his lips together, shutting her off from any light until he released her. Angling his head at a 45 degree angle, he waited until he could feel her hands tickling at the top of his throat, before gulping hard. She was pulled in up to her waist, her legs hanging in the open air and against his tongue. Another, firmer swallow, and she was gone completely from view, Ryuji sighing and letting his tongue loll out with a satisfied smile.
 
  Tracking her descent with one finger, Ryuji's tail swished back and forth like an excited puppy, able to feel the Borrower make her way down to his waiting stomach. After a few moments, she passed his chest, before finally dropping into his gut, landing with a satisfying little thud.
 
  Stroking his pudgy belly, Ryuji glanced downwards, smirking to himself as he began to walk again, savouring the fulfilling and warm sensation that radiated out of him after eating a delightful snack. Even if he wasn't actually going to digest her, just the process of eating her was doing wonders for him.
 
  "Mm, thank you so much my dear... I'll let you out in a few hours, don't you worry, and as promised I'll make sure not to digest you at all. I must say, you were even better than I imagined. You wouldn't, perhaps, be willing to try this again sometime...?"
 
 
Emilia
 
  The powerful suction of Ryuji's throat muscles effortlessly pulled Emilia into his depths. She let out a little yelp at first, not expecting such a strong force. But it didn't hurt, and slipping down the griffin's throat feet-first felt like going down a slide...a very long, very slick, very squishy slide, at that. Occasionally she felt a little bit of constriction and pressure around her body with his gulps, but it was completely painless, and after the long, slippery journey down his esophagus, the small girl was pushed out through a ring of muscle that deposited her into his waiting belly, where she landed with a soft plop.
 
  Sitting up and glancing at her surroundings, Emilia noticed the inside of his stomach wasn't as big as she was expecting. She envisioned a much more cavernous space, but she assumed his stomach probably expanded to contain much...larger meals. She pressed her hands against the fleshy gut walls, feeling them shift and recoil at her touch. She found herself instinctively curling up, growing more comfortable surrounded by Ryuji's belly walls. The stomach let out a low rumble, as though it were pleased with her presence. "W-well, it is much warmer in here...and a lot more comfortable...I take it this is keeping you warm too, just like you wanted?" Emilia asked.
 
  She listened to him speak, his booming voice rumbling all around her. He certainly enjoyed it...and his words helped her feel at ease. He was right after all, there was nothing to be afraid of. "You're welcome...and thank you for taking care of me," Emilia said. "I'm glad you...enjoyed me so much. And well...perhaps if we have more cold days like this...I might want to stay in your belly again sometime."
 
  The Borrower yawned, feeling her eyelids growing heavy. There was no point in fighting it, she was safe here, so she nuzzled into the side of Ryuji's thick belly and soon drifted off to sleep, her fear melted away, without a care in the world...
 
 
Ryuji
 
  "Of course. Well, for both our sakes, let's hope there are more cold days to come..." he cooed, as he felt the little Borrower stop moving inside of him, and settled down to sleep.
 
  And so, Ryuji went on with his day, enjoying the wonderfully still and beautiful nature around him, kept warm and content with his little passenger inside. He'd make sure not to move faster than a gentle walk to rouse her, and couldn't help but hope this would be the first of many interactions with her. He was quite taken by her unique flavour, and she was the perfect warm little snack, after all...
 
 
The End...
February 7th, 2024.