*** Digestion occurs after asterisks ***
 
The city dripped with the salt-spray from the sea, catalysing the rust that blanketed over most everything without protection. There was no purpose for this place anymore, not that it mattered, this was home to so many, and they weren't about to leave, no matter how many storms hit or how many rusted supports fell. Until the whole place collapsed, there was always going to be work to repair what was crumbling around them.
 
Plenty of wild pokemon used the dilapidated rail-line to nest and make their home, so much so was the assumption that trains would never run again. The once majestic bridge stretched as far as the eye could see; the pride and effort of two continents, reduced to mere metal. Pidgeys swooped down from the orifices and swept over the sea, hunting for fish like pretty much everything else on this god-forsaken heap of metal.
 
Dio breathed in the fresh salt air sweeping across the ocean, small droplets that skimmed off the surface coming to rest on his fur. The worn metallic smell was something you got used to, but not something you ever really became fond of. It had stormed the night before which had, as usual, left the skies a deep blue colour, almost as deep as the sea itself, the beautiful merging of the two on the horizon, the envy of many an artist. With a paw, Dio brushed his head fur back down, forcing his ears to lie back against his head for a moment, stepping over the old bare metal tracks that felt so harsh and cold underfoot. Peering over towards the huge bridge, a few old wind turbines slowly twisted in the sea breeze, but they were long since used for generating the electricity needed to power the city. Without the trains running, the demand for energy was grossly under what was initially assumed necessary. So much wasted money for nothing.
 
Other than the livelihoods right now of course, not that anyone really cared about this little blight in the middle of the sea. Still, the whole place had to be maintained whilst it was still standing, especially the overflow pipes dotted around the edge of the floating city. Not only did they pump away excess water build-up, but the generators the water was forced through provided enough energy to keep everything running. That was Dio's job, for today anyway: B7, the east side of the city. The storm had sent surge after surge over that pipe, clogging up the grill with all sorts of seaweed and debris, all of which needed to be cleaned out to keep it from failing. Dio sighed to himself as he reached the grill in the side of the city. It was a shit job, but at least it was a wage, something which over half the city desperately wanted, needed.
 
Dio unscrewed the grating and pulled it over to the water's edge, just letting it dangle there for a while as he dangled his hind legs into the lapping waves. Life had treated him well, but he was far from content. The city was huge, yet there was no hustle or bustle, some sort of metaphor for his own life Dio always thought. Acquaintances were plenty, but true friends? Few and far between, Dio could go all day without speaking a word. A life of such isolation wasn't so bad though, at least you didn't have to argue with anyone, other than yourself and your conscience of course. And then there was the job. His parents had always told him that life would be so much easier if he worked hard at school and got the grades, but Dio had done that and look what had happened. Stuck in a dead-end job, manual labour everyday, you didn't need �A' grades to know how to clean a blocked drain. A smirk washed over the furret's face; he should really stop thinking about himself in the third person. Fore arms strained, Dio tugged the rusted metallic cover back out of the water, scraping it across the floor towards the pipe.
 
It was at that point that all hell broke loose.
 
A shout was heard from up above, followed by an almighty crack and smash. If there had been anyone else with the furret, their eyes would have been cast upwards too, as steel pipes and aluminium panelling started to rain down from the sky. Dio dropped the grating without a second thought and stumbled over to the city wall, slipping a little in his haste, eyes half shut as his paws were held over his head and ears. The whole floor was shaking under his paws now, the grating getting bombarded and scattered about by falling metal where the furret once stood, his back hugged against the wall as his chest heaved, trying to regain his breath slightly. Just when the air seemed to be still again, another shatter echoed around the structure, more violent than before. Dio yelped out, finding it nearly impossible to stay balanced, his claws trying to scrape at the smooth metal surface. His eyes were wide and ears were splayed as the floor was most definitely not doing what it was supposed to do, starting to moan and creek, brittle cracks sending steel shards flying everywhere. Instinct told Dio to run, adrenaline furiously pumping around his body, but the furret was frozen in fear, the entire floor buckling and fracturing in front of him. It felt like the whole place was shaking itself apart, as the entire wall started tipping, taking everything with it. Dio's fur stood up on end as the roof blocked out the sun; it was now or never.
 
Dio swung himself round to the pipe entrance, trying to dig his claws in as best as he could, the angle down there seeming to become shallower and shallower every second. The sound was deafening now, although everything seemed to enter a sort of slow-motion. The furret swung his hind legs in front of himself, gritted his teeth and took the plunge down into the black abyss. The ride down didn't seem so bad at first, the slickness coating the pipe was kind of disgusting, but it did aid Dio to slide down without much trouble. It was only when the angle of descent increased dramatically that the situation became much worse. Like a water-slide gone wrong, the pipe seemed to toss Dio around like a rag doll, water gushing down the pipe now too, making it difficult to know when a deep breath in was going to end up being a mouthful of sickly salt water. The last part of the pipe was by far the worst; it twisted round and fell away slightly, initially forcing the distressed furret belly-down, claws desperately trying to hinder the descent, before the drop slammed his back into the cold hard roof of the pipe, knocking the wind out of him. A few more tumbles and a swift mid-air spin, and Dio landed headfirst into a mass of water.
 
Face down in the murky water and knocked for six, it was only a few brief moments before Dio winced his eyes open, feeling the salt sting, gasping for air and throwing his head backwards, splashing forth out of the surface of the water, gasp after gasp of air finally gracing his lungs. It took a couple of minutes just to regain his composure, but there was no way to stay completely calm with the current situation. Dio's hind legs already felt tired already from the ordeal he had just experienced; now he had to tread water constantly to stop his head from dipping back under. It was so dark in here; it even appeared to be pitch black at first, although the furret's keen eyes did start to adjust slowly but surely to his new environment. It hurt to open his eyes, abused and raw from the salt water, pushing his digits into them didn't seem to help much either. Dio whimpered out a weak "help�, hearing it echo around him, the only thing replying being the sound of pouring water, causing soft ripples to roll over his neck. The city creaked above him, muted shatters and muffled snaps seeming to reverberate around the mass of metal that encased him and the water. And it was cold, so cold. The shock of everything was enough to send chills down anyone's spine, but the sea water gave no comfort to boot. Dio arched his back, shuddering at the pain from the impact before, but he knew he had to get his blood circulation going again.
 
Time seemed to be lost for the poor furret, but as it inevitably passed, he began to discover his surroundings. After a bit of swimming, he had pretty much figured out the room in his head, not that there was much to figure out; the walls seemed to be curved in shape, a huge circle, maybe fifteen to twenty metres in diameter. More distressingly, however, the walls seemed so smooth, there was no purchase on any of them for which to climb and the water seemed to have absolutely no flow what-so-ever, like some sort of still underground lake. It was hard to refrain from panicking, but the furret knew that when he didn't check in after doing his job - heck, with the massive collapse of that part of the city - a search party would be sent out for him, he was almost certain of it. Until then, he would just have to stay put and try and keep his legs kicking. It was then that Dio trod upon something very different to the water that he had become familiar with.
 
Dio gave out a little squeak at the feeling, the sound of it echoing around once again, almost reinforcing how alone he was, however that interpretation seemed to be a false one. Fear swept over Dio now, he didn't generally fear the dark, but he was most definitely scared of what was within this watery tomb. There was no where to run (or swim) to, so the furret just did what he could, pushing his back up defensively against one of the walls, trying his best to squint his eyes through the darkness is get a glimpse at whatever it was his paw pads had touched. Maybe it was all in his head? Was he going insane? Being this trapped and confined would make anyone start thinking or feeling thing. Dio wasn't convinced though, he was sure he had felt something almost leathery, slightly silky, maybe even slippery.
 
It was at that moment when the other presence really made itself known to the furret, pushing it's muzzle up against Dio's chest and underneath his chin, giving him a small, almost affectionate lick. Shuddering at the feeling of another pokemon's slobber getting painted on him, Dio took a few deep, relief-induced breaths. For a start, whatever it was that was with him apparently hadn't felt the need to drag him under water, let alone tear him apart limb from limb, which was always a positive! Or maybe that part was to come later� Nevertheless, the furret was safe for the moment and went about trying to identify the occupier of this place. The watery depths were still difficult to actually look into, despite how Dio's eyes had adjusted to what little light there was down here. Before Dio could even think about trying to make another attempt at searching the murkiness, a dull glow began to emit from below; a bizarre blue and white aura, like a huge sea-bound firefly. Dio was captivated in awe, simply admiring the globe of energy as it approached the surface, slowly emerging out of the water, the light reflecting off the rippling liquid, creating a magnificent shimmering light show on the metal walls.
 
With the emergence of the pulsing glow, Dio could now really see his surroundings, it was pretty much what he'd figured out before; a huge cylinder shaped room, along with a flat circular roof and the pipe that he'd fallen through previously, water still spilling out of it. The walls seemed pretty worn, the once protected surfaces obviously succumbing to rust many years ago. This was all in his peripheral vision however, as the furret's eyes were fixated on the orb, his pupils once again trying to adjust to the new brightness - he would have held a paw up to his eyes if he wasn't still treading water. Everything was starting to become clearer, until an ominous figure slowly rose out of the water, silhouetted before the orb. It was impossible to tell what the figure really was; it's outline revealing some sort of ears on either side of it, with it's entirety held up by a more slender base. Dio just looked up in a mixture of wonder and fear, his ears drooping slightly, noticing that he'd moved almost to the centre of the pool of water now, somehow drifting away from the wall all this time, as another orb started to come to life, right below the darkened figure. The ferret pokemon could really start to get a good look at the dragonair now.
 
It was an absolutely incredible specimen, it's skin so silky and perfect, Dio didn't even have to touch it to know, one could just tell. Water rolled off of it effortlessly, leaving the skin with a slight sheen, the hue of the white appearing to be completely untainted. As the orb's energy grew stronger, more and more of the wonders came into view, especially as the tail orb started to sweep around the sea dragon, casting new light on the pokemon. Those large wing-shaped ears on either side of the dragonair were even more beautiful with the light shining on them, as untainted as the underbelly, but with a fantastic, almost feathery look to them. Despite it's neck orb being positioned right underneath the dragonair's muzzle, it was fiendishly difficult to judge any sort of emotion from the creature. Deep, dark eyes did little to aid in the matter, as they seemed to stare straight through Dio, whilst the furret dared not break eye-contact. It was still so eerily quiet; the only sound was just the gushing of water from the pipe, the dragonair silent in Dio's presence. There had been many rumours about creatures such as milotics and dragonairs living beneath the city, but no one had really had any interest in them, even if they did exist.
 
But it was wholly apparent now that they did exist. Whether they were friendly or vicious was still to be discovered, and unfortunately, Dio was forced to be the test guinea pig. The dragonair began to approach Dio slightly, his tail already behind the furret, Dio's breaths starting to become laboured again as he looked up with pitiful eyes, eliciting a merciful whimper at the serpent. It almost immediately stopped in place, probably about three metres between the two, although the dragonair's tail was probably closer to the furret, not that he could see it. Blinking blankly and a tilt of the head was all the dragonair appeared to do in response, showing no real sign of aggression, even flashing a slight smile at the furret, revealing it's mouth for a moment. Dio blinked himself, blushing slightly at the smile, although starting to shiver once again, all that time floating around stationary making him cold. The dragonair was quite still now, but had made Dio much more comfortable, as he shyly and experimentally held out a paw towards the dragonair's muzzle. The sea dragon looked down at the furret with a bit of confusion, even some hesitation as the paw approached, but did allow it to be placed gently on it's nose. Letting out a sigh of relief, Dio stroked over the dragonair's muzzle softly, his arm out-stretched so as to not invade personal space, even though half of him just wanted to grasp onto the dragonair's neck to give his hind legs a rest from treading water all this time, they were really starting to get tired. Still, it was an amazing experience none-the-less, Dio starting to beam as he watched the dragonair chirr deeply and close it's eyes at his rubbing paw pads. Dio couldn't help but giggle as he felt the dragonair's tongue slide out of it's maw, licking at the caressing paw affectionately. Lost in the moment, Dio went ahead and ducked his paw a little lower under the dragonair's chin, briefly running a digit over the dragonair's neck orb.
 
Not a good idea.
 
In a split second, the dragonair's eyes had snapped open wide, pulling back away from Dio's paw slightly. Dio jumped from the shock, quickly withdrawing his paw, fearing that a bite was more than likely if he didn't. Apparently the dragonair was not impressed with Dio's manners, scorning down at him, his light purrs now replaced with a vibrating growl. The furret backed away in innocence, he would have held his paws up if that wouldn't have meant his head dipping under the water. The dragonair hissed at Dio, as the orbs slowly began to extinguish, turning the room dark again. The apologetic furret squeaked and finally spoke up in his defence.
"W-wait, I'm sorry! Please don't go�!� Dio said, his voice echoing around the watery room, looking from left to right to try and see the dragonair again. He had gotten so used to the newly found light that it really hit home how demoralising the darkness was, whimpering sadly, ears starting to droop. But ears started to perk up once again as those familiar orbs started to illuminate the room once again. Both tail and neck orbs were glowing out of the water, but the dragonair's head was facing away from the furret's in a certain air of disdain. Dio swam over cautiously, not wanting to anger the sea dragon anymore, although worried about what he should do at this point. Hind legs were really starting to ache now, and then some, starting to even hurt from the constant kicking, making Dio's once again out-stretched paw a little shaky, placing against the dragonair's body. A frown on it's face, the dragonair turned around to face Dio in the water, his guilty and apologetic face being all that was really needed to prove he was genuinely sorry.
 
It didn't take long for the dragonair to realise something was wrong though, staring down at the furret as it watched his face grimace. Dio let out a gasp and a yelp, swiftly clutching the side of his stomach as a hot sharp stabbing pain began to sink into him. Both paws grasping towards the dragonair now, Dio desperately wanted to grab onto the dragon for dear life, but he was still scared of angering the beast after what had happened previously. The pain was excruciating though and his thighs were starting to feel like jelly, the water trying to drag the furret under, consume him almost. At this point, manners were thrown out of the window, as Dio flung his arms at the dragonair, needing the support, except to his horror the dragonair just calmly backed away in the water, leaving Dio's paws to grab at the air and his head to fall under the water momentarily. The situation was getting really bad now, and Dio knew it, his stitch not showing any signs of letting up, finding it really hard to keep his head above the surface of the water, spluttering as he gagged on some salt water. Eyes wide open, crying out, words not even coming as the furret's head kept ducking under the water, arms flailing and legs nearly giving up. Just when Dio thought all was lost, his hind legs no longer able to keep his body afloat, he felt the dragonair's soft body whisk around behind his, scooping up his weaken form and supporting the furret in the water. Dio let out a gasp followed by a relieved sigh, gladly holding onto part of the dragonair's tail that looped around his front, feeling it curl around through his fur, keeping him held in a coil. It was an odd feeling, the hold half gentle and half powerful, which also made it a bit disconcerting for the furret, once again unsure of the dragonair's intent after it had seemingly so coldly backed off from him when he was in the most need. Still, the immediate danger had passed, and Dio was safe, for now.
 
All seemed still again in the water, Dio catching his breath and composure, whilst the dragonair seemed to just examine and ponder over the furret. Maybe the sea dragon just hadn't seen a furret before, or maybe it was confused at his seemingly brash and unpredictable movements. The dragonair's coiled body around Dio tightened slightly without warning, causing him to gasp out, even though the squeeze did not feel malicious. Soothing warmth came in the form of a smooth, firm object pressed against Dio's back, slowly working upwards as the furret lifted his head up, eyes closed and shivering at the incredible feeling. Apparently it was considered rude to make an advance on a dragonair's orb, but if one was so honoured, then they might just be treated to it's warming aura. Not that Dio realised that right now, but regardless, he knew this felt wonderful, especially after being in the freezing water for so long. The dragonair's tail orb rubbed up the back of Dio's neck, finally resting between his ears, making small, almost comforting circles. The furret shuddered within the dragonair's wrap, letting out a happy squeak as he felt that dragonair tongue lick at him again, the warm muscle giving his forehead a curious slurp, almost putting it back into place. Something like this had never happened to Dio before; it was so mysterious, so fascinating and although he had felt pleasure before, this was something completely different. It was more than just raw pleasure though, he could even feel a sort of deep emotion between himself and the dragonair, not in a lust filled way, but a sort of spiritual, enlightened way. Dio looked up at the sea dragon, unable to help his blushing face, almost biting his bottom lip out of embarrassment, whilst the dragonair's kind expression just about shone through it's face. Everything was so perfect. Yes, he was down in this horrible water-filled room, but Dio did not even care anymore. Fuck the city, fuck the job, this was out of this world and he never wanted it to end.
 
Most good things have to come to an end though, and this was no exception.
 
Dio somehow managed to break his glance from those deep mystic eyes of the dragonair to observe the room again. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it had been enough for the room to have filled up with water noticeably, only about a foot left until the dragonair's head would bump up against the roof. Panicking again, Dio looked around frantically, his head snapping upwards to the pipe whilst the dragonair just tilted it's head in the furret's peripheral vision. Still gushing with water and showing no signs of letting up, the pipe that Dio had entered through continued to raise the water levels, catching the dragonair's attention now too, although not showing the concern that the furret was. The poor furret was almost becoming hysterical, desperately trying to weigh up his options, not that there were many. Getting back up the pipe was all he could really try and do, but how? It was absolutely pouring with water and he could still feel his legs had not recovered, his stitch only slightly giving him a dull ache in his side at this point, but threatening to return at any time. And even if he was up for treading water in the cramped pipe, all the different angles would make it so hindering, how was he supposed to tread water on a near horizontal section of the pipe, and even more so, how long was the damn thing? The slide down had all been such a blue, Dio really had no idea how far down he really was. Dio's breath was frantic, watching as the dragonair's head nudged up against the roof whilst his chest heaved up against the dragonair's coil.
"Please�� Dio cooed out, weak and frightened, "Please don't let me drown��
The dragonair was still, glancing up at the roof, before glancing back down at the furret, parting with him a subtle motion of his head, almost a nod, Dio thought.
 
Lowering his muzzle close to Dio, the dragonair pushed it up against him, in a sort of kissing motion, making the furret recoil in surprise and embarrassment, watching as the sea dragon went to lick at him once again. This lick was different though, the tongue really pushing into Dio's chest fur and up over his neck, the dragonair's mouth opening up more than before, giving Dio a glimpse of rows of pearly white fangs. Scared, but mesmerized at the same time, Dio couldn't help but submit slightly, running his fore paws against the slick muscle, looking up tentatively at the dragonair. It pulled away for a moment, unable to look down at the furret anymore, the water had risen so much so. Dio was shivering, not just from the cold of the water, but out of the inevitable too; his fate was just starting to sink in, but somehow the tranquillity surrounding the dragonair was enough to prevent him from becoming hysterical. Once again, as well as for the last time, the dragonair's head approached the furret's own, both of them staring into each other's eyes, Dio's own head almost touching the roof now, as he watched the dragon's maw spread open, revealing the soft fleshy insides. Even that was almost beautiful, the wet saliva seemingly running over the pink silk with ease, as it slowly approached the furret's face. Dio eagerly pushed his muzzle forward, feeling his chin slide over the outstretched tongue, his fore paws exploring the insides of the dragonair's cheeks a little. His breathing was laboured and stunted, all logic and meaning to anything and everything just seemed to go out the window; what was once a deadly embrace now became a safe haven. The coil around Dio squeezed a little, making him gasp out as he felt the dragonair shifting and adjusting position a little, pulling the furret out of the water as much as he could, his tongue pushing further down Dio's neck.
 
The water was getting really high now; Dio could see it below him, near his chin. He kicked with his hind legs, using his fore paws to try and force his way in further, not that he was able to get much of a purchase on any of the slick flesh. Vibrations could be felt in the dragonair's mouth, a distinct smell of fish emanating from the back of the throat, but it was masked by the constant flow of musky saliva, sliding down from the roof and sides of the maw. Dio squeaked out as he felt the small fangs on both sets of jaws dig into his chest and back slightly, as he just clung onto the tongue for some sort of comfort, feeling it squelch and splatter below him. The dragonair close it's jaws over the furret's shoulders, blinking and letting up at Dio's muffled squeak; there wasn't really anything it could do about it's fangs digging into such a large furred form, but it was obvious that it was doing it's best not to. Both furret and dragonair breathed heavily in their respective positions, almost a sense of insecurity from both of them. Dio couldn't help but smile shyly at the hot air blowing across his wet cheek fur, but it didn't last long as he felt water spilling into the far-from-watertight dragonair mouth. He tried to arch his back and lift his head up, but he was only greeted by the rigid roof of the sea dragon maw, his ears pressed right up against it. They were out of time, both of them knew it.
 
Dio clenched his eyes shut, took as deep of a breath he could, and held it. For dear life.
 
Fortunately, it was not going to be needed for long. The dragonair could feel how distressed the furret was, despite the water not bothering it at all. Also clenching it's eyes shut, the dragonair widened it's jaws, before lunging them forward over the furret, both of them now completely submerged, but the wet swallow the dragonair made providing Dio with the oxygen he desperately craved, forcing his head into the tight darkness of the throat. Not that Dio could possibly know this, trying desperately to hold his breath as his lungs strained for air. The gulp around him took him by surprise though, as his natural instincts made him gasp out, opening his eyes in his desperation as he thought he had breathed his last. It wasn't to be though; Dio almost cried as he was sure his next breath was going to fill his lungs with salt water, but instead he was gifted with air, albeit moist, stale air. The shock of it practically made him cry anyway, greedily gulping down the air, even though it was in short supply now. Either way, with his need for oxygen sated again, Dio could really concentrate on his new surroundings, although there wasn't much to concentrate on in particular. First and foremost, it was tight, so very tight. His head was squeezed and wrapped in the tight flesh, his ears shoved flat against his head, not really able to open his mouth properly too. Everything was pitch-black too, despite having his eyes open, trying to look around within the confines. It was wet in here, but a different sort of wet from the sea water or even the saliva from before, this being much more slimy, sort of sticky, it made Dio feel a little sick whenever he felt his fur running through it. Heat was also very apparent, much more so than the furret would have ever imagined, assuming he had even imagined something so ghastly before.
 
The entire room was less of a room and more of a sort of massive container now, filled to the brim with the cold water. The freedom to swim around was there for the dragonair, but it did not take it, merely floating in place near the top of the room, half of a furret in it's mouth, the other half still floating around in the water. It was a bizarre feeling for Dio, and no doubt for the dragonair too. Throbs and pulses of slick flesh were all around Dio's head, making him wince at the feeling, whilst the dragonair had a similar expression, trying to overcome the natural gag reflex and relax the throat muscles. It proved to be difficult though, any extra space the dragonair spared Dio made the furret shift around a little, which just made it harder to stay relaxed. Eyes fully closed for a second, shuddering, tongue sticking out, the dragonair was forced to gulp over the furret again, the only other option available to prevent the gag. Dio let out a muffled mewl from within the dragonair's bulging neck as he was forced a little further down, his shoulder's getting shoved into the thick gullet, his hind paw digits sprawling at the tight sensation surrounding him. The dragonair's nose soon bumped up against it's own body, still coiled around Dio's midsection, as it loosened it's hold, shifting down to the furret's hind legs and binding them, pushing them forward as another rolling gulp massaged around Dio. It wasn't a feeling he was going to get used to, but Dio had to deal with it anyway he could, gritting his teeth as he felt his arms starting to join him in his tight, tight fleshy prison. Cold sea water could still be felt by Dio's sensitive fore paw pads, along with that broad tongue, as they were forcibly pressed into his sides, the throat entrance acting as a stronger bind than the dragonair's coil around the furret's legs. Another sickening swallow changed all that though, squeezing Dio's fore paws through the entrance and squashing more of the furret's slender form down into the tight, sloppy gullet. It was becoming difficult for Dio to breath again, not from the lack of oxygen (not yet), but from how tight his chest was being pressed by the toned gullet muscles, every intake of breath feeling like a chore. Something else started to happen too, as a slight fuzzy glow gave the otherwise dark gullet a dull illumination. Dio thought he might be hallucinating already from the lack of oxygen, but as his bulge was prodded at by something firm and warm, he realised what it was - the dragonair's neck orb, firmly pushing itself into the descending bulge, probably slowing it slightly, giving the sea dragon more cause to gulp harder and harder.
 
The consumption was becoming complicated for the dragonair, shuddering every so often as each slick gulp and wet swallow was trying to work down the furret. Small amounts of salt water were spilling down with him too, which gave the dragonair a nasty feeling in his gut. The dragonair looked at what was left of the furret in the coil as the jaws once again clamped down onto Dio, fangs once again pressing into the soaked fur, even sinking into the skin slightly, much to Dio's weak muffled protests from the depths. It couldn't be helped however, the dragonair had to rest every so often with such big prey such as this. Yes, prey, food, this is what the furret was to the dragonair now; in a different place at a different time, maybe they could have been friends, or maybe they were still friends� It was a peculiar scenario indeed, but at the end of the day, at least the sea dragon got to experience a meal of a lifetime. The furret's wriggling legs and tail were all that were hanging out of the dragonair's maw now, already soaked with water, soon to be soaked with drool and mucus too. The sensation of the water washing over a very slimy Dio was unnerving, one moment feeling hot wrapping flesh, the next feeling cool salty water. Both made Dio try and seal his lips and stop panting as much as he could, the taste of both of them quite foul, whilst he could just imagine the horrors of the sea water filling up the dragonair's gullet, leading to the same fate as before. It never happened though, the massaging becoming more prominent now, more and more of the sodden furret slipping down through the sea dragon's throat.
 
The dragonair was making struggled gulp after gulp now, it's jaws firmly pressed into what remained of the furret, practically disregarding the muffled protests. It wasn't that it didn't care anymore, but the strain of consuming something as big as a furret was starting to take its toll, especially as those thighs and hind legs were starting to ease down. The pronounced bulge wriggled a little, as Dio obviously tried to kick up a fuss at having sharp fangs push into him, being allowed to do so a little more as he felt himself getting shoved into a wider section of the dragonair's gullet. As the dragonair's coil finally fell away, the furret's hind paws were given their last freedom to squirm uselessly, before they were swiftly snatched up into the moist maw, getting squished between a soft tongue and a rigid mouth roof. The sea dragon would have weld up in tears at the pain and effort if it wasn't completely submerged underwater, slamming it's eyes shut as it lifted it's head back slightly, trying to make thick, powerful swallows around Dio's hind legs. Each rolling flex of muscle was accompanied by a soft wail from the dragonair, it throat starting to feel dry despite the almost constant secretion of saliva, most of it getting matted into the furret's fur. Not that any of this was any easier for poor Dio, each strong swallow forcing his face to get pressed right into the slick gullet muscles, making him gag and grimace. Opening it's eyes slowly, the dragonair watched as Dio's tail tip finally slipped between the lips, finally making the furret disappear from the outer world, as the long furred length dragged across the slick tongue, a feeling of bliss washing over the dragonair; with those thighs and paws finally pushed through the throat and into the gullet, the sea dragon could bask in the motions of slow, dragging fur slowly slipping deeper. It's tongue stuck out a little in the moment, just taking an unnecessary gulp to feel it's muscle roll over the ferret pokemon again, shuddering and smiling at the feeling. Whilst the feeling was most definitely something Dio had never experienced before, he couldn't really say that he enjoyed it, the warmth surrounding him seeming more intense than before as his tail was tugged away from the water, leaving him submerged within the sticky folds of the dragonair. Hot blush painted over the sea dragon's muzzle as it savoured the last of the furret's tail resting on it's tongue, able to push it around it's maw some now that it no longer needed to actively worry about gulping. Each twitch and spasm from the furret guest sparked tingles down the dragonair's spine, before the last gulp was made around the furret's tail, finishing him off.
 
Everything was increasingly becoming wetter and wetter, the heat of the muscles starting to get to Dio, trying to pant whilst also trying to avoid any mucus from dripping into his maw. Each peristaltic squeeze caused more slime to ooze over the furret intrusion, making Dio arch his back weakly, just listening to his own slick massage downwards. The gullet was really starting to open out in front of the furret now, evidence that he'd travelled far enough down the dragonair's body to make his large bulge less distinct, giving his head and fore paws a bit of movement space, although his hind legs were still quite crushed together. Dio could feel the dragonair moving around within the water slightly, forcing his enveloped body to contort to the sea dragon's will, before everything seemed still once again, presumably resting itself at the bottom of the watery room. Shaking his head as best as he could, Dio could hear the deep breaths of the dragonair beyond the deep gurgles all around him, before a particularly strong pulse shoved him forward hard, making the furret wince and whimper as a chamber of sorts started to part open for him. The belly of the beast - quite literally. Quite unlike the almost calming gullet from before, the stomach almost appeared to be utterly emotionless towards the furret, simply tugging him in with no remorse, making Dio whine out sadly. It wasn't like the dragonair could help it of course, it was his gut, it was used to process food, there was no distinguishing down here, no friend or foe, it was all food. Dio gasped as the belly grasped at him, greedily pulling more and more of him in, squirming around in fear at this sudden rough twist. The dragonair seemed to respond though, to Dio's surprise, lightly resting it's head on the emerging bulge in it's belly. It was somewhat comforting, despite the stomach now forcing the furret into a tight, uncomfortable fetal position, slowly easing over those thick thighs before shoving them against Dio's chest. The gut started to become really active now whilst Dio shook, his muscle's feebly convulsing, all around him starting to drip with a sickly slickness. Any movement the furret tried to make seemed to cause more goo to ooze from the walls, pushing an experimental paw into the slippery flesh confirmed that, as juice squirted itself onto the pressure. Before Dio could even react properly, his hind paws and tail were swiftly slopped in to join him, the belly taking no time at all to squelch and compact the furret into a ball of wrecked fur.
 
Dio wept softly, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sorrow swept over him, but he wasn't angry, just trying to get over the trauma of his fate, his limbs and muscles aching from the thick crushing, desperately trying to stretch them out within the confines of the belly, his back arching slightly. It was no use though, each time he stretched out, the stomach just responded by cramping his useless form up even more, marinating him with thick slime, almost constantly pasting itself into him. Lack of proper air eventually enforced itself onto the furret, finally putting an end to his struggles and ensuring that he was adequately sedated. Dio panted softly in his final resting place, sure that he could feel the dragonair's broad tongue licking over his dull bulge, bringing a shy smile to his face. Now he could be with the sea dragon forever, providing him with nutrients to grow stronger, or perhaps all Dio had done was given the dragonair a new taste for furrets. It no longer concerned him now though, as he was slowly massaged and squelched over by the tightening belly. The last proper intelligent thought that reverberated around Dio's head was why he had actively accepted his fate so well, why he had been so willing to take this fate rather than the other. Was it desperation, or some kind of bond between furret and dragonair? Or was there a more sinister twist to it all? Maybe those orbs of the dragonair's had clouded his mind the whole time, hypnotizing the furret in some way. It was all irrelevant now, Dio's vision starting to blur, finding it hard to concentrate on much of anything, the heat taking over. Dio closed his eyes calmly; at least it was all over now.
 
***
 
That is what he had hoped anyway, but the furret's brain was still functioning, at some level or another, and whilst his eyes were slammed shut, he could still feel the belly starting to get to work. The gastric juices were prolific, spread about everywhere, Dio could feel his paw digits sliding through the gunk of it all. Oxygen deprivation was mercifully starting to set in, making everything a dull haze as Dio clung onto consciousness, his entire body not feeling as it should anymore, a tingling sensation seemingly creeping up everywhere. Despite the thick heat of the gut, Dio could of sworn he almost felt cold, just shivering lightly in the pitch black, realising it was the feeling of his beautiful fur disappearing, melting away into a thicker goo surrounding him. Tears streamed down the furret's face as he made sure not to open his eyes, not wanting to feel any more pain than was necessary, as his extremities began to feel sore, the end of his ears burning slightly, the tip of his tail starting to ache with a dull stinging feeling. Dio practically prayed to arceus to not have to go through feeling any more, and luckily his wish was indeed granted. All the air had been consumed by now, and the nervous system along the furret's spine was rapidly becoming the first part to really disintegrate, his back almost fully submerged in viscous acidic liquid. The furret was calm now, laying still and lifeless within the dragonair, his blood slowly draining away as his soul soon joined suit, leaving his form to feed the sea dragon. Both dragonair and furret could fully relax now, sleeping at the bottom of the water-filled room.
 
The room would eventually be drained and the dragonair would return to the sea, but it would never stray too far from the crumbling city. Stories of the missing furret would actually circulate for many years to come, some reporting that his ghost still haunted the depths of the city, although most claimed that he had been taken to a mysterious island that only the sea dragons knew of. As for the dragonair, its own story would be told to its kind, making sure that the furret's unjust destiny and sacrifice was not soon to be forgotten.