From the shadows at the edge of the room, a lion stepped out, and Nick and Judy both noticed the exact same thing: he was rather chubby. His lack of clothes made it very easy to get a look at his build, too. He wasn’t obese, to be sure; he obviously took care of himself, with a defined layer of muscle lining his body. His every move showed that there was quite a lot of power in his body. Still, there was still a noticeable layer of pudge doing its level best to conceal that power. He had a round beer belly and thighs enough that Nick and Judy probably couldn’t connect their arms around them. His face was round and friendly, framed by soft fur, a lustrous mane, and a warm smile.
 
Judy was the first to recover. “Yep!” she said, nodding with enthusiasm. “I can’t wait to hear what you have to say! I think this class could be super interesting!”
 
“Well,” the lion chuckled, “my session is a bit more…activity oriented. There’s plenty of idle time once we really get in the middle of it,” he patted his belly for emphasis, “but really, the main event is, well, the event! I hope that isn’t disappointing to you?”
 
Judy shook her head. “No, not at all!” she responded, just as eagerly. “It sounds interesting. But…what is the activity, if you don’t mind me asking?”
 
The lion’s smile changed, but the meaning was lost on both Nick and Judy; it was at the same time amused and embarrassed, welcoming and apologetic, like there was an inside joke he couldn’t share. “It’s easier to demonstrate than explain, and, well, I’d prefer to wait until everyone has arrived,” he said apologetically. He then gestured to the two of them, one with each hand. “You are here together?”
 
“Uh-huh,” Nick replied, finally beating Judy to the punch. “We got free passes for the day, and I had a session saved on my membership card. She choose where we’d go.”
 
“Ahhhhh,” the Lion nodded with understanding, smiling toothily. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!” Somehow, it seemed that last part was directed mostly at Nick. The fox tilted his head, but said nothing, and Judy didn’t seem to pick up on it at all.
 
It was at that point that the first mammals began to trickle in, and the Lion strode over to greet them as well. Left alone, Nick and Judy wandered to a nice-looking corner with a mat large enough for the two of them. They of them sat down, noting the cushiness of the pad, Judy in a proper criss-cross while Nick simply splayed himself on the pad, propped up by his elbows.
 
The vulpine sighed. 
 
“Well Carrots,” he began, a leisurely drawl in his voice, “is the Naturalist club everything you hoped and more?” 
 
He quickly followed that with a groan of pain, thanks to the swift elbow to the ribs his comment had managed to earn him.
 
“Okay, okay,” he said, tentatively rubbing the spot where she’d managed to hit him. “Geez, you really got me. Are your arms spring loaded like your legs?”
 
She wound up to elbow him again, not bothering to turn, and he covered his face with his arms. “Ack, I surrender, I surrender!” he plead.
 
“Only if I dictate terms!” she smirked, not moving her arm or her eyes from their position. Nick quickly nodded.
 
“Anything! Just please don’t elbow me, oh spring loaded one!”
 
Judy shook her head, though she smiled and slowly lowered her arm. “Alright, let’s see…what should I demand?” She finally turned to face him, considering the fox carefully while her foot tapped idly against the pad. Nick eyed her warily, half in jest and half in genuine concern. Suddenly, Judy smiled, an idea clearly having reached her head.
 
“Ahem,” she started, clearing her throat. “Clause one in fox-bunny peace treaty. No making fun of me for being weirded out in nudist clubs. Clause tw-”
 
Nick had opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a finger to the muzzle and a soft, sweet smile. “Ah ah! I’m not finished! Clause two: the bunny - that’s me - gets to choose dinner tonight.” 
 
Nick thought on it for a second. He supposed it couldn’t be too bad, as long as she didn’t choose one of those places that served only salads and vegetable soups. Salads and vegetable soups! How was a predator supposed to get a good me-
 
“Clause three: I get to call you Nicky for the rest of the day.”
 
Nick rolled his eyes. She’d do that anyway, but who was he to stop her when she was so cute doing it?
 
“And clause four. You have to give me a kiss. To show you’re sorry and all.”
 
Now that had his attention. He sat up, finding that she was staring at him through half-lidded eyes, her mouth open just slightly. 
 
“So…what do you say, Nicky?”
 
He felt a smile tug at his lips as he leaned forward. “My dear...” he gently grasped her form, pulling her close, “…it would be my pleasure.” He pressed his lips to hers, and she pressed right back.
 
The kiss was fairly short - they were in public, after all, and there was no reason to completely lose themselves in each other - but those few moments felt absolutely incredible. Nick could feel her breath hold steady, her little lapine nose twitching above his own canine one, their fur mingle where their lips didn’t, and most importantly, her heart beat just a bit faster.
 
They reluctantly broke apart, smiling at each other, and Nick let her arms go. “I accept your terms, Carrots,” he said, without a moment of hesitation.
 
That would have been where Judy would have said something sweet back, if it weren’t for the fact that the large lion clapped loudly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. “Mammals,” he boomed, voice carrying to every corner of the room from his place in the center. “My name is Davey, and I will be your instructor. Please allow me to welcome you…to harmony.”
 
“Some of you may have been here before.” Looking around the room, Nick spotted a cluster of bunnies who weren’t paying a terrible lot of attention, but they seemed to know what they were doing; they picked out long animals around the room - those larger than them, anyway - and seemed to be arguing about something. Near them stood a wolverine, listening to the argument with apparent amusement. There was a tiger who was handsome enough to be right out of Gazelle’s troop, and judging from the grace with which he even just shifted from one foot to the other, he may well have been. A bull stood in a corner, arms crossed, quietly surveying the room. There was a trio of bears, one polar, one grizzly, one black, idly conversing. At their feet were three different prey species: a kangaroo, a deer, and a pony.
 
“Some of you may not have been.” In the corner opposite to the bull, a sheep still tried in vain to cover himself. Another lion, this one trim, athletic, and clearly young, shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. A wolf and an arctic fox, both of whom clearly came together, looked on with interest. An elephant stands next to a smaller ferret, both comfortable with the club but clearly new to this particular room.
 
“For the benefit of those who fall into that first category,” he continued, “Allow me to demonstrate. Emmet?” From where the lion had emerged from when Nick and Judy first came in, a rather familiar otter emerged, looking at the same time relaxed and excited. Nick had to take a second look, though; it was difficult to tell whether he was dripping wet, or just naturally oily - he was an otter, after all. The big, wet marks that he left on the stone pathway and then the grass floor quickly solved that one. He made his way to the portly lion, standing next to him and smiling.
 
As soon as the otter was there, the lion continued. “Since the dawn of our world, we mammals have been divided into two groups: predator and prey. As we know, this distinction and the guttural reaction some have to it has been the cause of many, many problems.” He cast his gaze around the room again, carefully gauging each and every mammal inside. As his gaze lingered on Nick, the fox could swear he saw a small smile, and the same happened to Judy, as well as a few others around the room. 
 
Or, he thought so, anyway.
 
“We here at the naturalist club believe that when we are in touch with nature, and thus in touch with the deepest parts of ourselves, we are, as mammals, better off and more able to tackle problems. That is why I created this class, session, what have you. To get more in touch with that distinction. Over the next hour, we, here in this room, will be engaging in predation.”
 
Nick was instantly at attention, tail straight out. Next to him, Judy stiffened, and he put a protective arm around her on sheer instinct. A few shocked murmurs ran around the room, and some active flurries of discussion broke out, but Nick was surprised by the number of mammals who remained unphased. He had known about places like this, but he never thought Mystic Spring Oasis was one of them. They certainly seemed safe, and clearly there were mammals here who had done this before. Still…he squeezed Judy tighter against him and cast his wary gaze around the room. No one was gonna touch his Carrots.
 
The large lion, for his part, calmly gauged the room and put up his hands for quiet when the chatter died to a manageable level. Then, he continued. “To repeat: some of us in this room are going to eat, and others are going to be eaten. I know that seems shocking. Let it process, bounce around inside your skull. I assure you, no one is going to be hurt. The reason this exists is to provide a safe environment for both predator and prey to get in touch with their natural roles, and have some fun. Believe it or not, you may come to enjoy this. Quite a lot. All that being said, if any predator and prey partners want to go all the way…”
 
The lion swallowed, patted his belly, then pressed it inwards. The fat compressed under his touch, and spring back out as soon as he let it go.
 
“That is to say, the predator is comfortable digesting and the prey is comfortable being digested, as long as you speak with me first you are welcome to do so. There are rooms with beds, hygiene facilities, and toilets that way,” he gestured towards the wall opposite the entrance, “We can’t let you leave this room with a full belly, but you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. All the rooms have locks as well. With that out of the way…”
 
The lion looked down at his feet, grinning at Emmet.
 
“How about a demonstration?”
 
The otter didn’t move as Davey reached down placing a powerful paw on each of his small sides. Nor when the lion began to lift him up easily, or when the big cat’s maw opened, then kept opening, wider and wider. It became a yawning, pink cavern in front of Emmet, the lion’s sharp teeth standing as sentinels while the large, rough tongue beckoned the little mammal forward. And forward is just where he went. 
 
With a wet squelch, Emmet’s face was planted into that tongue, which immediately began to slather him in sticky saliva. That explained the dampness at least. Before it happened, though, Nick was able to catch a glance of an eager smile on the little otter’s face. He kicked and pushed within the maw, but his every move seemed to be part of an attempt to drive himself deeper into the lion. An attempt which, by the looks of it, seemed to be working - whether that was a result of the little kicks and struggles of the otter or the slow, insistent pushes of the lion was neither here nor there. One thing was for certain: both parties were enjoying themselves immensely.
 
Davey’s tail flicked happily as he pushed Emmet into his waiting throat and took his first gulp, pulling the mammal in up to the hips. There was a pleasured look on the lion’s face, his eyes closed and features smooth. He swallowed again, one paw diverting to feel the bulge the otter made in his throat. Only a brown tail remained to the outside world, a tail which Davey eagerly slurped up like a noodle before swallowing one final time.
 
The bulge that was Emmet descended through the lion’s throat and disappeared into his broad chest, before making a reappearance as slight, wiggling imprints within the lion’s belly. Davey was too round around the middle for such a little mammal to make much of a difference! The lion gave his now-filled stomach a pat, sighing to himself. Then he let out a satisfied belch.
 
“Excuse me,” he said, smiling warmly. “Emmet here,” he patted his round stomach again, “tends to make me gassy. Something about the oils in his skin and my stomach juices. Speaking of which…”
 
The lion cast his gaze around the room once again, tilting his head down as needed to look each and every mammal head-on, “One hour is a perfectly safe amount of time to spend inside a stomach. Each and every one of you is too large a meal to be digested in that amount of time. The worst that may happen is some fur loss. If any of you want to go all the way, depending on your size compared to your predator or prey you could walk - or slosh, depending - out of here in as little as three hours, or you might be here for an overnight stay.” He picked out the new mammals in particular, paying special attention to those likely to be predators. “Check with me before you leave,” he stated firmly. “This place is very well controlled, but we don’t need to start a panic if someone’s stomach moves in a crowded place. And…” he slipped into a more easy manner, “if anyone is left without a predator, talk to me. I’ve got more than enough room, and Emmet doesn’t mind company.” Then he winked. “I’ll even go all the way, if you really want to. This is my last class of the day.”
 
Some mammals nodded their understanding, while others tensed up as if waiting for something. With his final bit said, the lion smiled again.
 
“Well…pair up! Triple up! Even more, if you want. Have fun, and experience harmony.”
 
If the lion knew how corny that sounded, he didn’t show it. Sensing that the speech was over, though, Nick turned to Judy to gauge her reaction.
 
The bunny’s eyes were wide, and in contrast her mouth was clamped shut. Her hands were balled into tight fists on her knees, though Nick couldn’t tell whether they were fidgeting with apprehension, excitement, or a mixture of both. He could hear her heart beating quickly - er, more quickly than usual - even from a couple feet away. Her ears were flushed pink, but perked up and listening for anything she could make out; she had been paying rapt attention throughout the whole ordeal.
 
So, mixed news, he decided. He probably had some room to play with her a bit, and really get into his role as a predator. All for getting back to nature, right? Worst-case, they could laugh about it later. He certainly wasn’t planning on going “all the way”, as the lion had put it, but he could certainly toe the line between true predator and her partner. What was a little high-stakes murder teasing between friends, after all?
 
Nick stealthily got to his feet and inched closer to his bunny, watching her intently: the slight flick of her ears, small movements of her body, and twitching of her soft tail all indications of whether she may know what he was doing or if she might scare. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was vaguely aware that he was hunting her, but for the moment he ignored it. Before he knew it, he was right behind her, his muzzle centimeters from the back of her head.
 
His cold, wet canine nose pressed into the thin fur of her neck, causing her to immediately stiffen. It sent a thrill up his spine, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. He took a deep breath in through his nose, feeling her scent tickle at his scent glands. Sweet. Earthy. Welcoming. Pleasant. And…mouth-watering. He hadn’t noticed it before, but among the many positive adjectives he would use to describe the rabbit’s smell, “positively delicious” was up there. Much to her credit, really, and it was one of the first things that ever caught his attention about her - but in this particular context, it brought a whole new rush of sensations.
 
“Hey there, Carrots,” he said smoothly, his silver tongue moving almost on its own accord, “you’re smelling absolutely wonderful today.”