“Actually Copper” said the fox as he picked his teeth with a claw “I think I’ll leave you in there.” Upon hearing this Copper squealed and started kicking the stomach walls “You can’t leave me in here” he screamed “I’ll be killed!”

“Well, I did say this game was about predators and prey” said Tod, surprised at how much he enjoyed taunting the dog “and this time, you’re the prey.” And with that, he rolled over and was rocked to sleep by the gurgles and churning of his stomach as it worked hard to digest the meat it had been given.

Inside the stomach, Copper was in a state of panic as he realised that his friend wasn’t going to let him out. “No wait!” he squealed “please Tod, you can’t do this.” But the fox had already slipped into a sleep he wouldn’t awake from until the next morning, by which time copper would already be digested. After a few minutes the hound stopped, Tears came to his hopeless eyes as he whimpered “p-please…” But no response came, only the snores of a blissfully sleeping predator.

“This is my fault for being friends with a fox,” the dog cried “I should have known he would eat me.” And there was that word again, eat. Copper still couldn’t believe the fox had actually done it, but the churning stomach and burning acid told him otherwise. The proud hound had been reduced to a piece of meat, a nice bit of food for a voracious predator, and there was no escape.

This realisation, coupled with the lack of air, finally caused the hound to faint into an unconsciousness he would not awake from. The stomach worked over him for the next few hours, dissolving and churning his body into a mushy soup, while all the good stuff was absorbed and stored for later use. Copper didn’t feel anything after the fainting, but the fox that had eaten him sure did. Tod spent the night moaning and twitching in his sleep as the gurgles and bubbling in his happy stomach spread throughout his entire body.

The fox awoke the next morning with a plump stomach, fattened with the contribution the hound had made. “Goodbye Copper.” he said without a hint of sadness, it was the circle of life after all. Tod was a strong, predatory fox and Copper was a delicious hound, He’d only reacted as any animal would have. And now it was almost time to feed again, the fox smiled a sinister smile as he thought of what to eat next...