Spice of Life: Learning to Hunt
 
“Can we stop~?”
 
Volt cringed at the question, no matter how many times he heard it, it didn't make him come any closer to saying 'yes'. He looked over his shoulder at the Ninetales, keeping up his pace as he replied, “It would be best if we didn't, the canyon is too dangerous to stop for long.”
 
“But I'm tiiiiired~” Spice whined, limping along pathetically and holding his tails high to keep them clean, “And there's dust everywhere! Goodness, it's no wonder you left, I wouldn't be able to spend a night here, let alone my entire life.”
 
“I left to become stronger so that I could one day return and better protect the prince and his tribe.” The Manectric said, looking back at the Ninetales. He decided to stop long enough for him to catch up, “I was in the understanding you were eager to hunt anyway.”
 
“Well yes, but the last time I hunted in the wild I devoured five sleeping Rattatas and was then hand-fed berries until I couldn't eat another bite,” Spice noted matter-of-factly, composing himself as he looked around, “But we haven't come across a single sleeping pokemon yet.”
 
“You will rarely be so lucky as to find a horde of sleeping pokemon out in the open, I imagine your situation may have been aided by Sleep seeds.” Volt said, his eyes constantly scanning over the rocks around them, “Hunting takes time, patience and never-ending awareness of your surroundings. The slightest movement can reveal a hiding prey.”
 
“I know how prey thinks, Volt. It might surprise you to find out that I have been constantly treated as one since I first got lost in the wilderness.” the Ninetales huffed, his tails curling around himself protectively, “It's why I thought I'd get some hunting advice from you. You're a true predator, and unlike Malus or Typh I can trust that you won't devour me the moment we're alone.”
 
“Indeed... though I must admit, I've heard wonderful things about Ninetales.” The Manectric informed him, licking his lips as he looked over Spice's slender form, “I once watched the queen devour one who dared to suggest she was more beautiful than herself.” Volt recalled with a little chuckle, “She said 'Beauty is on the inside' after she had swallowed the last of her tails. No one would dare to be proud of their beauty after that, nor speak out against the queen.”
 
“O-on second thought, perhaps I'll just return to the Den after all,” Spice laughed nervously as he reached for his badge. His eyes widened in a panic as he patted his paw around in his bag, unable to find the metal badge he was looking for. “I-It's gone! I hope I didn't drop it.”
 
“I'm afraid I've taken it from you, Spice.” the Manectric said as he stopped and turned to face the fox. “I should probably take your bag too, but I'll allow you your scarf. It does compliment your fur wonderfully.” Volt replied with a murr as he took the bag from the Ninetales' side, “To understand what it means to be a predator in the wild, you must be void of all 'civilised' things. You must be one with your hunting grounds.”
 
“I'll be one with a pokemon's stomach if I don't have my items on me.” Spice yipped in response, his tails flurrying in frustration as he huffed angrily, “Honestly, what would happen if I were eaten and didn't have a Reviver seed on me?”
 
“You would join the food chain, as many before you have.” Volt replied solemnly, bowing his head as he spoke, “It is not for us to decide whether we are predator or prey, but those around us. It is wise to remember that no pokemon is safe from being devoured, and we are all prey to something.”
 
“Really?” Spicer chuckled dryly, raising an eyebrow at the Manectric, “And I suppose that includes Wailords in the ocean then? They're apparently just as much a prey as an Eevee or Pichu?”
 
“Even Wailords are prey to time, Spice.” Volt said as the wind blew through his fur from some unseen dramatic cue. He turned and continued along the path, now walking slower to allow the Ninetales an easier time keeping up, “The Canyon is filled with wild pokemon, we live to hunt and to be hunted. It is the way of the wild.”
 
“What a strange world you must live in, Volt.” Spice shook his head as he continued alongside the Manectric, “I could never be content with the idea that my whole life is just leading up to being a meal for another pokemon.”
 
“That is why we hunt. To experience life to its fullest before we become the hunted.” Volt replied. There was something reassuring in his voice, like he was promising the Ninetales something special, “And when we become prey, we can fight to escape or focus on being good meals. I understand that the pokemon of the Guild and Clearspring do not wish it to be this way, and I respect their customs. But to use a Reviver seed in the wild is to cheat the circle.”
 
“Sometimes you get the best results by cheating,” Spice grinned foxishly, his tails wagging back and forth alluringly as he looked into the Manectric's eyes, “While I have confidence in my ability, a little boost to nudge the odds in my favour puts my mind at ease.”
 
Volt stopped in his tracks. Spice opened his mouth to apologize, only for the Manectric to hold his muzzle shut with one paw and point ahead with the other. At first Spice couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but as one of the rocks shuddered his eyes snapped to it. It was light tan, and more scaley than rock-like... he could hear quiet snores coming from it.
 
“You are lucky this time, Spice. We must find you a challenge before we finish for the day though.” Volt whispered, giving him a little pat on the rear as a signal to started. The fox grinned and licked his lips, treading carefully and avoiding stepping too heavily as he tiptoed towards the sleeping Sandshrew.
 
Spice opened his mouth wide, allowing his jaw to hang low enough to fit the entire pokemon into his mouth in one go. A drop of drool fell from his maw and landed on the Sandshrew's face, causing it to stir. It woke up just in time to see the Ninetales pink maw move forward before it engulfed its head.
 
Spice ate the pokemon noisily, slurping over every inch of the little pokemon as he jerked his head back, forcing the Sandshrew's head into his throat with a heavy gulp. He grinned as he watched its little tail wiggle for mercy, but Volt's pep-talk had seemingly sunk in for the Ninetales. He was a predator, the Sandshrew was prey. This was just him contributing to the food chain.
 
The Manectric continued to watch from a distance, finding himself staring at the Ninetales throat more than anything else. He watched as it bulged with the form of the Sandshrew, which was noticable even beneath the fox's red scarf. He finally made his way over and nibbled gently on the Sandshrew's paws, running his tongue over them and murring, “He's quite delicious, Spice. I'm sure you're proud to have had such a wonderful meal.”
 
“Mmph mph.” Spice agreed, talking around the Sandshrew's rear as it disappeared into his muzzle. He slurped the Sandshrew the rest of the way into his muzzle before taking one last gulp to send the wiggling bulge to his gut, where it continued to struggle away. The Ninetales coughed, “Ugh, he was covered with dust.”
 
“I see a pokemon's flavour does not keep you from devouring them,” Volt chuckled in amusement at the fox's reaction, allowing one of his paws to stroke over the Ninetales' belly, feeling as the kicks of the Sandshrew began to fade beneath the gurgling and sloshing of the fox's stomach. “Are you full?”
 
“That depends on what else is on the menu.” Spice replied with a sultry grin, batting his eyelids at Volt as he stared up at him, “A little Sandshrew isn't going to sate my appetite. I need something bigger, more...” his tails trailed under the Manectric's legs as he sized him up, “...Filling.”
 
“And I suppose I would be suitable for such a role?” Volt grinned back at him, seemingly as eager as the Ninetales, “I must admit, I've been wondering who among the Winners would devour me. I had hoped it might be you.”
 
“Of course, I'm going to have to break the laws of the wild a tad.” Spice interjected, gesturing to his bag, “I'll be swallowing a Reviver seed after you, just make sure you get it and the Sandshrew does not.”
 
“I am not adverse to devouring him the moment I arrive, I would not share a stomach with prey.” Volt replied with a little smile, running his paw over the Ninetales' stomach once more and picturing himself inside it, “I hope I satisfy you, Spice.”
 
“I'm positive you will, my Gorgeous Gourmet~” Spice giggled in response before resting on his back and opening his mouth wide, allowing Volt to take his first step towards becoming a full member of the Winners.
 
Volt blushed as he stared into the pink maw and slipped his forepaws into it, holding his breath as he did so. Spice murred and ran his tongues over the pawpads, staring into the Manectric's eyes and grinning flirtatiously all the while. Volt gasped as Spice took his first gulp, dragging his forepaws into his throat and holding them together in its grip. He found himself speechless as he stared into the Ninetales' purple eyes, only to feel two paws on the back of his head guiding it towards the fox's mouth.
 
The outside world became distant and muffled as Volt's head entered the Ninetales maw. His ears were pinned back and his mane was flattened against the top of his head to fit him into the mouth. He could see his legs up ahead, his paws hidden behind the wall of flesh that made the Ninetales through. The tongue lathered over his face, he could smell the sweet scent of berries coming from Spice's breath, and as the fox took another gulp he began to move towards the source.
 
He could hear Spice murring all around him even as his head entered his throat. The Ninetales tails were brushing gently over his sides, soothing him as he moved further into the fire-type. He had almost forgotten why they were even out in the mystery dungeon, being such a compliant prey wasn't teaching the fox anything new about hunting... and yet, he no longer cared, he wanted nothing more than to feel the walls of the Ninetales' embracing him eternally.
 
“Wait...” Volt blinked in realization. The thoughts seemed strange, they certainly weren't his own, he hadn't been thinking them until he had looking into the fox's eyes. His eyes widened as he squirmed in the Ninetales' throat, finally putting up a fight now that he was halfway to the fox's belly. “Did you just hypnotise me?”
 
Spice grinned around the Manectric's rear, giving it a teasing bite as Volt figured him out. He sat up and tilted his head back, allowing gravity to do most of the work as the Manectric's jagged tail and paws wiggled from his mouth. He ran his paw over his stomach, feeling the bulge of Volt's head as it began to enter it.
 
The Ninetales grinned smugly to himself, lapping his tongue over the pokemon's pawpads as he enjoyed his meal uninterrupted. Once he got past the layer of dust, he began to taste something else. The Manectric's pawpads were sweet, they tasted like a combination of mixed berries that the Ninetales couldn't quite put his paw on, but enjoyed regardless.
 
Volt blushed as he felt the tongue running over his pawpads, causing him to squirm and laugh involtunarily as it tickled him. He pushed against the stomach walls, sweating as the heat of the fire-type's belly began to get to him. Steam rose around him and clung to his fur, it was though he was in a Sauna, “Sp-spice.” he muttered, “Your tongue feels quite wonderful over my paws, really. But would you mind finishing me? The blood is rushing to my head.”
 
Spice murred and rubbed at his impatient stomach before letting out a muffled chuckle as he heard Volt's request. He tilted his head back and swallowed down the last of his meal, running his tongue over the paws to get one last taste of the Manectric's pawpads. Once Volt had slipped free from his throat and into his stomach he let out a low belch, “Ooh, my. Mhph. Pardon me, Volt.”
 
“I am hardly in a position to judge you, Spice.” Volt replied with a little chuckle, running his paw along the stomach wall, “It's actually quite pleasant once you get used to it. The heat is soothing, like a sunny rock... well, perhaps a little more damp than that.”
 
“Congratulations on passing your induction, my Manectric meal~” Spice murred as he ran both paws over his stomach, working Volt into a position where he could still lay down comfortably as he began to look through his bag, “Mmh, now I just need to-” he paused, “Oh.”
 
“Oh?” Volt repeated, glancing up as he heard the muffled voice, “'Oh' what?”
 
“Well, I'm afraid you might be staying a little longer than I had planned.” Spice admitted, reaching around in his adventurer's bag, “I don't seem to have brought a Reviver seed with me today. Perhaps it fell out when you grabbed my bag off of me before.”
 
“I... see.” Volt blinked slowly, suddenly feeling a lot less comfortable in the Ninetales' stomach, “Then I suppose this is where my path ends. I must admit, I feel foolish for allowing myself to fall prey to a pokemon I would usually eat.”
 
“W-well, clearly you just don't understand how Ninetales hunt.” Spice replied, turning his nose up as he pushed his paws against his stomach, “We lure our prey in with a false sense of security and employ hypnosis to weaken their minds until they feed themselves to us. Just because we don't pounce and chase it doesn't make us prey... we're just predators with different tactics.”
 
“And successful ones, it would seem.” Volt chuckled nervously, trying to see some humour in his situation as the stomach began to groan around him. Spice had worked through the Sandshrew at an astonishing rate, so he doubted he would receive treatment any different.
 
“So, do you agree that the rules of the wild should sometimes be cheated?” Spice asked, feeling over his bulging stomach as he listened to it beginning to churn and slosh the Manectric inside, gently rolling him back and forth and covering him with his stomach juices. “Given your situation, I mean.”
 
“There were never rules set in stone. I admit that if a prey has tactics to keep themselves alive, or a predator shows mercy to their prey, they are no weaker or less sincere for having done so.” Volt replied with a little murr, rubbing the stomach walls with his paws, “And I accept that you are the greater predator between us, Spice. You didn't need to learn how to hunt after all.”
 
'Gllrk'. Volt looked up as he noticed the sphincter leading to the Ninetales' through open. The Reviver seed slipped out from it and landed on his nose. He took it and examined it briefly before feeling the stomach walls, “B-but how? I thought you said we didn't have any.”
 
“It's the one from my scarf. So long as I use the guild badge to leave right away I shouldn't need it anyway.” Spice replied, gathering his and Volt's bags. He managed to find his guild badge at the bottom of the Manectric's bag, “Ready?”
 
'Grggle~' Volt replied. The Ninetales chuckled to himself as he held up the badge and activated it, sending them back to the Den in a flash of light. He was glad to have earned Volt's respect as a true predator, and Volt was glad to have finally completed his induction. Spice just hoped that Cyn wouldn't mind him returning so early with a stomach full of Manectric rather than a bag full of items and P.