A damp climate; muddy, green water; the whining of mosquito wings: it was the very definition of a swamp. At least, that’s what William Prost thought when he observed his surroundings. According to his captors, however, there was no time for such matters as looking around. A humanoid-reptilian creature shoved Will forward to make his haste more obvious.
 “Move along, primate,” the lizardman grunted deeply.
 William, whose hands were bound together by vines in a makeshift-fashion, looked back with an expression that resembled disappointment. “Do you have to say it like that? I was hoping that there wouldn’t be any name-calling. I avoided calling you people ‘lizards’ this whole time, and you respond like this? Why don’t we just treat each other as equals and not bring up the issue of species?”
 “Because we’re not the ones who are trying to escape. We don’t have to keep a good reputation with the queen’s dinner, especially when he’s only half of our size,” said a female snake-guard that was helping with the escort. She raised a good point. Will was certainly a robust fellow, measuring at 6-and-a-half feet tall and sporting sizable muscles, but he wasn’t as big as the reptilians. They easily captured Prost when he adventured a bit too close to reptilian territory. He might be able to take one or two of these creatures, but he had no chance of escaping when he was in their domain.
 Will walked on the wooden rafts that floated atop the muddy swamp. Within the last few years, the reptilian races in the jungle combined their clans together with the goal of having more protection and productivity. They’d moved from their small tribes in the woods to build a floating village that would have enough room for all of them. While it wasn’t much, it was enough to colonize the swamp and act as an effective settlement.
 The real issue wasn’t the structural integrity of the huts surrounding him, though; from what Will could see, the real struggle at the moment was how the different races would get along. Although some of the reptilians dealt with the change very well and quickly adjusted to the other inhabitants, many of them were uncomfortable with the idea of living next to those who were from separate clans. This is especially understandable when you acknowledge the fact that many of the clans had big rivalries before they merged together.
 Whatever the issue was and how desperate it might be, it wasn’t much of Will’s concern at the moment. When you’re on the menu for dinner, you don’t think much about social groups and politics. As the reptilian guards brought Will bast the various shops and huts in the village, the villagers stared at him with eager eyes, possibly wanting the human delicacy for themselves. It was a disturbing feeling to be watched like that.
 The lizard guard gave Will a shove. “Keep your head down, mammal!” he commanded. Begrudgingly, Will turned his gaze down to his feet.
 After walking for a while, the two escorts stopped and tugged on Will’s vines, indicating that they’d arrived. Will looked up. In front of him was a temple made of stone. It was not particularly large, and it certainly wasn’t a castle, but it was a lot in comparison to structures in the rest of the village. The mere fact that it was made from rock showed the effort put into making it, as its base had to lie on the bottom of the swamp, unlike the floating boardwalks and the huts. Its door was also unique in that it was both made of wood and built well. It even had an iron knocker. The snake guard grasped the metal ring with a clawed hand and banged it against the thick door. After a moment, there was an answer.
 “What is it?” said a slightly distressed, feminine voice.
 The lizard guard spoke. “My queen, we have captured a human who was trespassing in our territory and brought him here. What would you like us to do with him?”
 There was a pause before the voice spoke again. “Bring him in,” it commanded with some urgency.
  The snake guard opened the door and gestured for Will to enter. He hesitated for a moment, but the lizard guard pushed him forward. The chamber in which he entered was dimly lit, only having torches on the walls to light the dark interior. In the center of the room was a massive mattress with silken covers, and in the center of these covers sat a scaly figure with its back turned.
 The escorts entered the temple no further than as far as they needed to get Will in. After pushing the human in, the guards promptly left and closed the door behind them. Will looked back at the door desperately, but he knew that there was no point in trying to escape. He looked back at the figure on the bed and anxiously awaited a response.
 “So, you trespassed on our swamp? You should know how territorial we can be.” The figure turned around as it spoke. Will’s eyes hadn’t quite adjusted to the darkness, but he could make out a few things about the being. It was hard to say exactly what type of reptilian she was, but the adventurer figured it was likely something between a lizard and a crocodile. The reptile queen had a mouth like that of a croc, but her scales were brilliant blue in color. She, like all the reptilians, was larger than Will, but not as tall as the guards. The reptilewoman was sitting so that her legs were to the side of her body while she propped herself up on one hand. With her other hand, she gestured Will to come closer. The adventurer complied, having little other choice.
 Will’s eyes had finally gotten used to the dim light in the room and he could finally make out the features of his captor. While much of her body was covered in turquoise scales, her underbelly and other sections of her body were pale and smooth, much like that of a regular reptile. Curled behind her was a long tail that was just as colorful as the rest of her. Rather than cloth or armor, the reptile queen was clad in chain mail undergarments. A bra covered her ample breasts, and she wore a loincloth made from long chains. In her midriff, she had a navel decoration (the navel is another thing that reptilians have that true reptiles don’t). The piercing had five ornaments; one bead in the center of her belly button and four talon-shaped pieces in a cross formation. The abdomen that the navel was in was actually somewhat lumpy, as if something solid and nonorganic was inside it. The adventurer thought that, although she was reptilian, the queen was rather beautiful.
 The queen was accustomed to the look that Will had on his face. Whether they were human or reptilian, people couldn’t help but be infatuated by her appearance. She would toy with this human, though; he looked like might be a bit more vigorous than some of her other meals. After a long pause, the reptile queen turned so that her legs dangled off the side of the bed and spoke.
 “What is your name, human?” Her voice was powerful and commanding, but not brutal.
 The man remembered where he was and what he was doing. “I’m William Prost, but most people just call me Will. I’m an explorer and adventurer,” he said without a lick of irony in his voice.
 She smiled. “I am Rythandra, the chosen queen for the united reptilian clans. You should know that it’s an honor to be in my presence.”
 “Well, I’m not sure how much of an honor it is when I’m your meal.” Will wasn’t particularly excited at this point. His normally upbeat personality was fading as despair set in. Rythandra wasn’t going to have any of that. Her long tail swooped back around Will and pulled him towards her. The shocked adventurer tripped towards the reptilian queen, who continued to sit on the bed feigning innocence. He reached out his hands to prevent him self from falling.
 Although he caught himself before he fell, Will was surprised to see what he’d stabilized himself with. One of his hands rested on the thigh of Rythandra, while the other was on her shoulder. His knee was on the bed to keep himself balanced. A sudden flush of color in his face told the reptile queen that she was succeeding.
 “You seem hot. Is there something wrong?” Rythandra teased.
 “Er- Well…” Will wasn’t sure what to do. He was too afraid to move from the position he was in.
 “Well, I suppose I could do something for you before I eat you.” Rythandra held the man’s bearded face with her hands and leaned in for what appeared to be a kiss. Will, not wanting to go against the flow, closed his eyes and leaned forward.
  Of course Rythandra wasn’t leaning in for a kiss, such as the one she’d been leading on to. Instead, her reptilian jaw unhinged as she continued leaning towards Will. By the time the queen’s front teeth had passed his chin, Will opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize what the pale red space in front of him was supposed to be. He jerked backwards, but Rythandra wasn’t going to let him go so easily. Quickly, the reptile queen grabbed Will’s broad shoulders and stuffed his head further down her gullet. The man thrashed about as a long, pink tongue caressed his face. Rythandra wasn’t letting up, though, as her mouth widened to allow Will’s torso within its confines. She tilted her head up, allowing gravity to ease her work in devouring her prey. Will began sliding down the reptilian’s long throat.
 “No, no, no! Stop! I’ll do anything!” the man shouted desperately. The queen didn’t care; she merely ignored his pleas and swallowed, sending Will’s legs into her gaping maw. For a moment, the reptile queen didn’t gulp the man’s legs down into her stomach. Will was positioned upside down with his legs still in her throat, forming a long bulge in Rythandra’s body. Despite Will’s struggles, the reptilian swallowed hard, finally encapsulating the entirety of the man’s body within her gut. Her stretchy skin easily accommodated the brawny adventurer. Rythandra patted the huge bulge at her midriff contently. She cradled her enormous gut as she swung her legs back up onto her bed and laid sideways on her soft mattress.
 William, who was feeling the opposite of Rythandra, adjusted himself out of his awkward position. The inside of the reptilian’s gut was moist and hot, even more than the swamp had been. He kicked and struggled, hoping to create some sort of disturbance. However, even his strong muscles failed to give anything but enjoyment to the reptile queen. She savored every blow to the walls of her belly, treating the sensation as if it were a massage. Rythandra caressed the soft skin of her stomach which laid on the bed, experiencing the heavenly feeling of her meal on the soft mattress. It was pure ecstasy.
 “Just let me go! I’ll force my way out if I have to!” he shouted in rage.
 Rythandra smirked. “Well, you should have plenty of time to figure something out. We reptilians have very slow digestive systems, much like our ancestors!” She rubbed her tummy patronizingly. In response, Will outstretched his arms and legs, trying to put tension on the stomach walls. His muscles tired and he paused to rest. When he stopped, he felt something hard beneath him. He pulled it out from below where he was resting and felt its surface; it was a rock. There were several more like it in Rythandra’s gut.
 Will remembered something that certain large reptiles did; to aid with digestion, many reptiles swallowed rocks to help break down food within the stomach. Fortunately, these rocks weren’t big enough to do any damage to Will. They were meant for smaller meals. However, they might be useful in getting him out. The adventurer was not about to give up, even if things were looking grim.
 To be continued?