Amuse-gueule or very short stories

I'm really liking this thread a lot
All those stories are very interesting , especially because they are short and convey their messages so efficiently ^_^

This one tips the scales at 1200 words. Oh well.
And now for some giant fire-naga silliness. What has Galya gotten herself into this time?

Just Act Naturally

Towering over the human male groveling before her, Galya licked her lips and gave him a disdainful pout. “This is pathetic. You’re doing it all wrong.”

Looking up at the giant flame-haired naga with tear-streaked eyes, the man said, “Please, I beg of you, don’t eat me.”

“There we go. Now that’s more like it. Continue…”

“I … I promise I’ll do anything you ask if you spare me. Anything!”

Galya’s sharply clawed fingers tapped impatiently against the scales along her hip. “Beyond being useful as a snack, what could I possibly want with anyone like you?”

Thinking frantically, the man blurted out, “I could help polish your scales and clean your den.” Galya’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I could tell you stories?” Her frown deepened. “Help tend your lovely hair?” Were those flames in her eyes? In desperation, the man said, “Please, surely you can find some use for me? I don’t want to die.” Lowering his head into his hands, he began sobbing uncontrollably.

Tsking at the man, Galya shook her head. “My scales do not need polishing as they are already perfectly smooth. My den is always immaculately clean. Your human stories would likely bore me to sleep. No one touches my hair but me.” She reached up to tug her long ponytail over to one side. “And your wants have nothing to do with this; it’s all about me and my needs. I’m the predator. You’re the prey. Now, can you think of anything else before we begin?”

Wiping at his eyes, the man sniffled. It was obvious the giant naga felt no sympathy for him, a mere human. Knowing he was going to die, he lowered his gaze and said, “I’m sorry … I can’t. Just get it over with.”

Scoffing in disgust, Galya leaned down to bring her face just above the man, who kept his eyes firmly on the ground. She coiled her length into a nice, comfortable pile behind her. “I knew you humans were feckless, but you’ve outdone them all. How do any of you manage to survive?”

Trying to keep from weeping, the man said, “What do you expect? Look at me! I have no chance against you. What am I supposed to do?”

Galya gave him a menacing smile. “It’s good you know your place, morsel.” Looming over him, she added, “I’ll be nice and let you face your superior standing up. Give you a chance to show you have a spine after all. Isn’t that incredibly sweet of me?” She let out a huff of warm breath that flowed over her prey.

The action proved too much for the man to bear. He scrambled backward before springing to his feet. A moment later, he was fleeing with all the speed his legs could muster. A moment after that, he was suddenly lifted high into the air and held firmly in the naga’s grasp.

His panicked scream was abruptly cut off as Galya shifted one finger over his face, pressing against his mouth. “Hush that pointless yelling. You had your chance and you wasted it. You want me to squeeze?” She gave a meaningful push with a tiny fraction of her strength. The man went limp with fear. “Excellent. You aren’t completely worthless after all.”

Lifting her torso upright, she brought her arm high above her head to hold the man dangling above her mouth. “Any last words? No?” She opened her mouth wide and loosened her grip–

“Cut! Cut! Cut!” Down below, a well-dressed man was running onto the set. He did not look pleased.

Both Galya and the man she was holding watched as the other ran directly up to the naga’s enormous form and yelled, “What the hell was that? That was the worst bit of ham acting I have ever witnessed in my entire directorial career!”

“Now wait just a moment there good sir. That’s uncalled for,” said the man in Galya’s hand. She deftly flipped him up so he was sitting in her palm, which she then lowered to the ground.

“Stuff it, Hartwell. Prey actors are a Skevol a dozen. Anyway, I wasn’t talking to you.”

Galya’s eyes widened in shock. “Me then?”

The director made it a point to glance around the area. “Is there another giant naga on this set? Funny, I don’t see one.” His gaze zeroed in on hers. “Then it must be you, my dear.”

“What did I do wrong? I thought I did great.”

“Great? You call that great? No one in their right mind would believe that drivel you spewed. ‘It’s good to know your place, morsel.’” Stomping his feet and shaking his fist, he raged on. “No predator ever talks like that! This is supposed to be a serious movie about serious issues! Not some mindless action flick with fourteen forgettable quotes of the day in every scene.”

“But I thought–”

“First mistake! Don’t think! Did you ever bother reading the script?”

Galya chewed her lip. “Um, I read part of it.”

Rolling his eyes to the heavens, the man pulled hysterically at his hair. “What did I do to deserve this?” Pausing for dramatic effect, he held up a reassuring hand. “All is not lost. Let’s all just keep it together. Everyone stay calm. Let me think.”

Galya looked confused. Hartwell shook his head and waited. The rest of the crew kept quite while the director cogitated.

“Listen up!” The director glared at Galya. “My dear, I want you to listen carefully. We are going to do a retake. Forget everything that just happened. I want you to just act naturally. Do what you normally do. Don’t try to improvise. Don’t try to be cute. You are not a special snowflake. You are just one of countless giant nagas. I can have my assistant go get an identical replacement in fifteen minutes, got it?”

Galya nodded with enthusiasm. “Yep.”

“Right. Everyone back to your places. Don’t mess this up.”

Galya slithered back to her original position. She knew exactly what to do. The scene would be perfect. Hartwell walked over and knelt before her. The rest of the crew settled in for the next take.

“And … action!”

In the blink of an eye, Hartwell found himself scooped up, lifted, and tossed headfirst into Galya’s warm, wet mouth. The next instant, he was gulped down.

The director stood open-mouthed for almost a full minute. Galya watched with growing apprehension as his neck muscles bulged while his face twitched and slowly turned purplish red. No one on the set dared to move. Finally, his assistant reluctantly reached over to tap his shoulder. Erupting with a blood-curdling scream, the director knocked his cameraman aside in his haste to flee the set, yelling obscenities the whole way.

Galya had never heard so many colorful curse words in such a short span of time. Sighing, she said to the stunned crew, “Guys, I think I’ll go take a break. Let me know when he comes back.” With that, she slithered dejectedly off the set toward her temporary den. Acting was a lot harder than it looked.

It was not until much later that one of the crew said, “Hey … what about Hartwell?”

“Uh-oh. Maybe we should prep the stand-in?”

Ha! Wonderful to see this thread so lively! Great stuff here!

Slimetoad wrote:

Mind If I try something real quick?

I always liked the 'recounted by a grizzled veteran' trope, and that was a nifty example of that.

MrNobody13 wrote:

A bit of nonsense that decided to show up in my head and demanded to be written

Hahah! He actually makes a few valid points, though obviously somewhat biased. ;P

timing2 wrote:

here's my own little contribution

Those are both fantastic, especially the second one. Had me laughing out loud, as the kids say. Makes me wanna give your longer works a look. Which, now that I think, is another cool thing about this topic; advertising for authors.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

I don't particularly like that perception, it paints the whole "Silly, incompetent humans" picture again.
I'm not saying 'no vore' or anything. I'm saying show sometimes that expeditions from Negav actually are a challenge to predators.

The bit you quoted was technically me trying to make a joke, and normally I ignore critique of this kind (more vore, less vore, more nagas, less mermaids, more violence, less boobs etc) because it doesn't relate to actual skill, and everyone has preferences, so there's no pleasing em' all. However, I actually agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment, but upon reflection most of my stories are a little short on humans kicking ass. So thanks, I suppose. I'll keep it in mind.

Ah, Galya. There aren't many who can handle her. She certainly knows how to make a point.

Eh, I really like the idea of this thread, so here's my contribution. A little over 1,000 words, but the length seems about right for the content, I think.


Breakfast conundrum

Lucilya zipped her way cheerfully through the warm morning air, swerving between the giant trees, taking fun in this simple activity.

She was, as most often, in a good mood. She had woken to find it raining, warm drops catching the rays of the early sun, which had provided her with a pleasant shower to cleanse away her lingering sleepiness. After a quick breakfast of sweet, juicy berries, she was ready to discover what the new day might have in store.

Moving about tiny-sized, she noticed the human before he noticed her. She paused, fluttering her minuscule, translucent dragonfy wings, and observed him for a moment. Simple, sensible clothing for the climate. Short, dark brown hair. Quite an ordinary build. A smallish rucksack, but no weapons drawn. Eagerly, she flew up to him, and grew to human size as she faced him. He stopped, wary.

“Hello!” she said, cheerfully.

“Hi.” He gazed at her, perhaps trying to read her playful expression. “I suppose you intend to eat me.”

She nodded, happily. He seemed undisturbed. Perhaps he wouldn’t put up much of a fuss. That would be nice. She prepared to draw on her magic and shrink him.

He held up a hand, palm outwards. His expression remained calm, and the gesture was non-threatening.

“Wait,” he said.

She paused. “Why?”

“Have you considered that eating me might be dangerous to you?”

She giggled. “You’re not dangerous.”

“How do you know?” Still he remained calm.

“I eat humans all the time. Now, if you’ll just stand still–”

“I’m not talking about humans in general,” he interrupted her. “I’m talking about me in particular.”

Lucilya blinked. “If you could hurt me, you’d have done it by now.”

“No I wouldn’t. I don’t want to hurt you. Unless you try to eat me.”

She frowned. “All right.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Occasionally, humans tried to make a nuisance of themselves. Usually, they did it by begging, or something equally ineffective. She had no intention of spending much time listening to this one. He would make a nice finishing touch for breakfast, complementing the berries in her tummy. “What can you do to hurt me, then?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“What?” Her frown deepened, perplexed.

“I’m not telling you,” he repeated.

“Well, if you’re not telling me, I’ll just eat you.”

“Then you’ll have to take a risk.”

She breathed out a sigh, impatient. “What are you talking about?”

“If you eat me, you’ll find out whether I can hurt you or not.”

“If you just mean scratching my tongue, or something…”

“No. I’m talking about causing you serious pain.”

She gazed at him, trying to read his face, his eyes. What game was he playing? Surely he had to be bluffing. And yet… He did not seem afraid. In fact, he seemed downright confident. In a human, in this particular situation, that was almost unnatural. She repressed a little shiver, feeling the first flicker of doubt grow within her. She moistened her lips, thinking.

“Are you saying you can kill me?”

“Maybe. Or at the very least, cause you serious pain.”

“But the only way I can find out whether that’s true…”

“…is by eating me. Yes.”

She shifted on her feet, impatient and uncomfortable, her face a picture of frustration. “That’s not very clever of you then, is it?”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. Still, that confidence in his eyes… “Isn’t it?”

“What if I just eat you anyway?”

“Then you’ll be taking a risk.”

“I think you’re bluffing,” she breathed out, annoyed.

“So eat me. Take the risk.”

“Gah!” She fluttered up for a moment, wings beating, the frustration building inside her, before landing once more before him. “Give me proof!”

“No.”

“If you don’t give me proof, I’ll just eat you!”

“So do it. Take th–”

“Yes, all right, I know what you’re going to say! We’re going round in circles.”

Again, he smiled ever so faintly, and she glared at him.

“I think you’re harmless,” she said, at last. “You haven’t got any weapons that could hurt me.”

“You think I need a weapon?” he retorted, without hesitation.

She scowled. He was really beginning to annoy her. “How else would you hurt me?”

“I’m sure you can work that out by yourself. How else do people hurt one another?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Magic?”

“Clever girl.”

“But you’re not a magician.”

“How would you know that?”

“Because…” She trailed off, uncertain. Once more, she peered at him, searchingly. “You don’t look dangerous,” she said, hesitant.

“Do you remember the last human you ate?”

“Um…” She thought back for a moment, then nodded, cautiously, wondering where this was going. “Yes.”

“Did he look as if he could hurt you?”

“She,” Lucilya corrected him. “And no. She didn’t.”

“And did she hurt you?”

“No!”

“Now… Do I seem more likely that she did to hurt you?”

The fairy bit her lip. Now that he put it that way… She couldn’t recall ever seeing a human so calm. It worried her. Which meant, in a way, that he did seem more likely to be harmful. She nodded, reluctantly, then sighed. “You’re trying to confuse me,” she complained. “All I want is to have you for breakfast. You’re making it all complicated. It’s not nice.”

The smile he gave her was almost sympathetic.

“I’ll help you,” he said, unexpectedly.

“What?”

“I’ll help you work this out, and make up your mind. All it takes is a bit of reasoning.”

“What?” she repeated, unhappily.

He continued, unfazed. “It’s quite simple, really. You have a choice to make. You think there’s a good chance I might be able to hurt you, badly, but you’re not sure. The only way you can find out for certain is by eating me. Which means you have to decide. It all depends on what’s more important.”

Her puzzled frown was close to distressed. “You’re a horribly confusing human!” she said, with a slight whine in her voice. “Just explain, please.”

“It’s simple,” he said again. “Your first choice is to eat me. If you do that, two things may happen. Either I’m actually harmless, and you end up having eaten a nice breakfast.”

A faint smile returned to her lips. “I like that option.”

“I thought you might.” He returned the smile. “But it’s not that easy. Because if I can hurt you, the cost of your breakfast will be that you end up in a lot of pain.” She sighed, and he gave her a moment for the thought to sink in. “Your other choice is to not eat me. If you decide not to eat me, you’ll miss out on this particular breakfast, but on the positive side you’ll be absolutely sure to avoid any pain.”

Lucilya bit her lip, conflicted. “You’re making it complicated,” she complained again.

“I’ll make it simpler,” he promised, gently. “This is what you have to decide: Is grabbing this human for breakfast worth the risk of perhaps being in great pain?” He looked at her, steadily. “You can find something else to eat. Something that won’t hurt you.”

She shifted her feet again, tense and frustrated. Her wings fluttered, anxiously, and she peered with mixed hope and discomfort into his calm, steady face. She hesitated, a long while, thinking over what he had said, and how it made her feel. Then…

* * *

The human watched as the fairy disappeared into the treetops, her fast-beating wings a little blur of sunlight.

He smiled, exhaled a discreet, quiet sigh of relief, and continued on his way.

To all those who’ve contributed so far, great job! I’ve truly enjoyed reading these stories.

PrinnyDood:
The Little Things was well written and you shined a harsh light indeed upon moment between two predators that few writers bother to deal with. Good one!

I got a laugh out of Practice Makes Perfect . The humor of the scene brought to mind the games my two slug-girls play with their hapless victims. Stripping clothes inside one’s mouth is a true art form, and practice does indeed make perfect!

MrNobody13:
Cute one with the chilotaur and the neko child. Methinks that child’s parents need to keep a closer eye on the little one. Else her future revenge upon the chilotaur may end up being cut short.

And Prey Complaints read almost like a Monty Python skit. Even suspecting the ending that took place, I still laughed.

Slimetoad:
Very vivid description that brought the scene clear to mind without even describing the creature beyond its eyes.

FrenchSnack:
Excellent work on keeping the suspense going between Lucilya and her prey right up until the end. Her frustration at wanting to eat the man but fearing the consequences was comical. The man was lucky. At the same time, I wonder how many fairies meet their end when they don’t consider consequences of their actions.

Very nice job on all of those

This is a really interesting format and a really great exercise !
It makes the writter have to be efficient in delivering the message, while allowing a variety of tones. For a drawer tht would be the equivalent of doing Yonkomas or speed-painting I think. A very good way to train

French snack wrote:

Breakfast conundrum

Man, I don't know how I missed this until now! In any case, a wonderfully interesting little exchange, wherein Lucilya learns about the good old risk-benefit ratio. Highly suspenseful, and proof that sometimes the most unconventional defenses can be very effective, under the right circumstances.


Anyway, seeing as my most recent full-length story was completely vore-free, instead focusing on the fragility of unlikely friendships, regret, and the quest for redemption, and the next one in the queue is likely to be similarly (semi)respectable, I decided I'd do a little bit of utterly shameless vore, free of any literary merit. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion, and I feel not the least bit guilty about it, but if that doesn't appeal to you, gentle reader... Well there's nothing forcing you to keep reading.

The technically unnamed but easily identifiable naga in question belongs to Karbo. :3


Enchanted

The whole world seemed to be made of soft edges. Everything slightly blurred, as though from a peaceful dream. Except for those eyes. Those beautiful eyes; so huge and depthless, like violet oceans, filled with playful interest, yet somehow also seeming to hide some deeper wisdom. Deidre had always felt her sexual orientation was quite nonnegotiable, but looking up at the impossibly beautiful, sensual creature before her... Even the magnificent waterfall and surrounding greenery seemed to pale in comparison to this being.

Deidre's breath quickened as she was seized gently and elevated to face level, but was not afraid. There was no reason for fear, she knew... And yet something about that belief was strange. Didn't quite fit with the rest of the world. But such niggling thoughts quickly melted away, when she once again stared into those amazing eyes.

She was breathing fast, heart racing, her skin uncomfortably warm all of the sudden. She was stripping out of her gear before she knew it, cool air tickling bare skin, but could think of nothing inappropriate about the course of action, when she paused. She was hot; undressing seemed very reasonable.

Equipment, weapons, various tracking devices and sensors, everything was tossed aside without care on the quest to free herself from her restricting clothing. With a sigh of relief, the adventurer finally tossed aside her last scrap of covering, the garment fluttering as it fell all the way to the ground, coming to rest amongst her other discarded items, looking very out of place amid the surrounding natural splendor.

"My, you're certainly an accommodating one, aren't you?" Deidre could only shiver in reply to the silky voice, feeling dreamy and uncertain of what to do next. It turned out she didn't need to do anything at all, as something warm, sticky and organic pressed against her front side a moment later, causing her fall back into a sitting position, inhaling sharply as she did. A tiny hint of uncertainty scratched at the back of her mind, as the organ tasted her more aggressively, covering her in wetness, the hand on which she sat shifting her closer still to those lovely lips...

...Wait, tasted?!

Reality came crashing back to focus in a dizzying rush, adrenaline coursing through her body in response, just before the giantess closed her mouth around Deidre's legs.

"Waah! No, get-let go you-gahh!" The enormous female ignored her prey's struggles, neither sympathy nor malice evident on her beautiful features; only playfulness, and a nearly sensual look of satisfaction. The suction applied to Deidre was utterly beyond any resistance: her squirming and flailing at those gently smiling lips mattered not a whit, and a moment later humid darkness engulfed her.

"You're already giant! Mind control is cheating, you-mmph!" Even her insults were denied her, as the tongue beneath Deidre, larger than her whole body, shifted and squished her firmly against the roof of the predator's mouth, sliding back and forth across her with relish. A hum of pleasure reverberated throughout, the giantess clearly enjoying herself, as the unlucky human within was shifted back towards the throat that would provide passage to her doom.

"Nooh, ugh, huuh!" Kicking and thrashing proved exactly as helpful as one might expect, Deidre's now-slippery form providing almost no friction as she was pressed down and back, summarily seized by the merciless throat muscles. The humid, claustrophobic trip down seemed lengthy, but was still too brief in Deidre's mind, the short fall into the stomach proper taking her by surprise.

Prone and breathing hard, shrouded in darkness, the 'ground' shifting constantly around the human, strange and terrifying noises issued ominously from the black. Even with all her equipment, there would've been little hope of forcing the naga to cough her up, but stripped naked? Not a prayer. Nonetheless, Deidre kicked furiously at the impenetrable, organic walls of the stomach. The only reaction she got was an even louder gurgle.

Not a great start to her adventuring career.

...

Meanwhile, a certain naga settled down to relax and enjoy her far more satisfying and pleasant afternoon.

Ah, the perspective of Vivian's enchanted prey has not often been seen - and you convey it excellently here! Deirdre seems utterly enthralled, her mind pleasantly numbed... until that sudden, belated wake-up jolt.

And she's quite right, of course. Vivian's hunting tactic is deeply unfair.

The scene as a whole is pretty much perfect, in terms of expressing Deirdre's experience; if I had one small critique to make, I'd say the final line is slightly jarring. It doesn't quite seem to flow on naturally from the rest.

Quote :

Highly suspenseful, and proof that sometimes the most unconventional defenses can be very effective, under the right circumstances.

Indeed! Sometimes, skillful bluff can work a lot better than the biggest of guns.

I really enjoyed this one, and the way you described Vivian's charm
Nice job ^^
And nothing wrong at all with shameless vore X3

Hmmm.... I may have to try this. A way to get some of my little ideas out and inspire my main project.

A True Dridder

“Haha, got one!”

Pint shifted uneasily back and forth on his legs as he watched Wanelle leap forwards and wrap her hands around the mousegirl, who squeaked in terror. Wanelle had said that she only wanted to play besides the river, but Pint had suspected she had wanted to go hunting for tinies there.

They stood by the muddy bank, rough houses crowded against it. They were in the dridder section of the Motamo Docks – they stern and precise architecture showed that. Further away, the cruder dwellings of nagas could be seen, as well as the elevated nest-huts of harpies and the log-dwellings of chilotaurs. The Motamo River flowed slowly and lazily. Behind them, ever present, the massive gleaming walls of Negav loomed. Across the river was sparse, indecipherable jungle.

“O-okay, let her go now.” Said Pint uncertainly. Though Wanelle was a girl, she was still bigger than him and could beat him up if she wanted to. His small size, small even for a child, made him rather ineffective at any sort of fighting and, even worse, had landed him with his derisive nickname. Pint. As in Pint-sized.

Wanelle started back at him impetuously. She was rather mousy herself, with brown, messy hair, an impudent nose, a freckled face and eyes that blazed anger and defiance at everything. Pint was pale, fair and small – much less of a threat. Her spidery legs stood firm while his small ones made him skitter nervously back and forth almost involuntarily.

“I’m not letting ‘er go, web-brains.” She said. The mousegirl protested loudly, but it sounded mostly like panicked squeaking. “I finally caught a tiny to eat.”

“Y-you don’t need to eat a tiny.” Said Pint softly. “I-I mean, I’m sure Jakk has more food, now that he won some money.”

“I’m not eating ‘er because I’m hungry.” Said Wanelle, rolling her eyes. “I’m eating ‘er because she’s a treat, ain’t you?” she said, licking the mousegirl from head to toe. "Mmm, that's sweetness right there."

Pint shuddered. He sympathized with being small and helpless.

“B-but Nessa says it ain’t proper to eat tinies.” He protested. “She says-“

“Who gives a damn what that stuck up twit says!” spat Wanelle. She put the mousegirl inside her mouth, giving him an impetuous glare as the neera’s legs and rear kicked and wriggled outside her mouth.

Wanelle suddenly spat out the mousegirl as a hand came down hard on the back of her head. The mousegirl flew through the air into Pint’s hands. He carefully put her down. She scurried off without a second to spare.

“Ow, who the ‘ell…” cried Wanelle, turning around, before she froze.

Nessa was standing there, her long pale hair billowing menacingly and her red eyes gleaming. Pint shuddered. Her ability to move in near silence was remarkable, and a little scary.

“Well, Wanelle.” She said in a smooth voice. “I do care what I say, regardless if I’m a stuck-up twit or not.”

Wanelle looked away, scowling. “Why don’t you just leave me alone to eat in peace?” she muttered. “Oh, wait, it’s because it ain’t “proper”. Well you can take your properyness and shove it up yer…”

Nessa smacked Wanelle upside the head again. “Mind your tongue, girl.” She said with a grim smile. “And I don’t think you do understand. Do you know why it “ain’t proper?””

Wanelle sighed. “Euh, I dunno, eating peoples is bad and all that…”

Nessa shook her head, sighing. “You urchins have so much to learn. It’s because it made you a coward, Wanelle.”

“I ain’t no coward!” protested the ragged dridderling. Nessa laughed. “Oh? I’m sure it was very hard fighting that big, tough neera. It’s cowardly to hunt or hurt the small.” She gave a glance to Pint as she said this.

“But all the nekos around do it, I know they do, even if they say they don’t.” protested Wanelle in a whine.

Nessa grabbed Wanelle by the hair, eliciting another cry. “Hrm. No ears. You don’t look like a neko. Pint, does she look like a neko?”

Pint kept his mouth shut and shook his head.

“I thought not. You are not a neko, Wanelle. You are a dridder. You do not hunt the small and weak. They are no challenge and there is no honour in that.”

“Well, I can hardly go around biting people and sucking out their innards, now can I?” protested Wanelle again.

Nessa nodded. “Indeed. But those are the laws of this place and we shall abide by them. If you want, you can leave the shadows of the walls and go to the jungle. There you can do as you please.”

Wanelle looked away again. “Oh, shut up.” She muttered. “Anyways, dridders in the jungle eat small things, right? I’m just tryin’ to be traditional is all.”

Nessa shook her head. “The depravations of feral dridders are not traditions, little fool. They are no better than nagas – true, they may look like a dridder, but their hearts are the weak, slothful, capricious and gluttonous hearts of nagas. Now listen well. A true dridder only hunts prey that is challenging. We do not gobble up hordes of the small for pleasure. A good meal is one that was worked for – struck down in the battle of the hunt. Our hunters bring plenty of food. There is no need to kill tinies as a sweet treat. Show some restraint.”

Wanelle groaned. “You go on and on and on with this. Why does it matter? None of this “old culture” nonsense you go about matters. That’s all old moldy history. We’re not living in the ruins of Supprozad with the loonies. These here are the Motamo Docks. That there is Negav. The humans don’t even let us in there, so why should we follow the rules of in there?”

Nessa sighed. “You act like this and wonder why the humans lump us in with nagas and harpies and the rest? If we act only semi-civilized only semi-civilization awaits us.”

“Oh, rot you and yer “civilization!” cried Wanelle. She skittered off as fast as she could.

Nessa watched her go and sigh. “What a troublesome girl.” She lamented. “She should be stuck in the regiment to whip some sense into her, but her mother is as daft as she is.”

Pint looked up at her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop her, Ms. Nessa.” He said softly.

Nessa looked down at him and smiled. “It’s alright Pint. Your time will come.”

Pint gave a faint smile. “I… I like what you say about the old culture.” He said softly.

Nessa gave her own small smile. “I’m glad some youth do. But I understand how it is hard for you to grasp it.” She sighed. “It is all so far away now… both in time and distance. Some days it seems it is gone for good…”

She raised her head, her crimson eyes gleaming. “But it matters not what it seems, now does it? All that matters is how we conduct ourselves here and now. We will not back down or skitter backwards, will we Pint?”

“No, ma’am.” Said Pint, gazing up at her. She had the same fire in her eyes when she gathered the local children around and told the old stories – of lords and ladies, explorers and knights, of adventure and grand tragedy.

She looked back at him, studying him. He quailed a little at her sudden speculation.

“You’ve grown lately, haven’t you, Pint?”

“I c-c-can’t say I have.” He replied, taken aback.

“Nonsense.” She said, waving her hand. “You are most certainly bigger. How would you like to come to regimental training tomorrow? In a few weeks we can have you whipping Wanelle good if she tries something like that again.”

Pint’s eye’s lit up. “D-do you mean it?”

Nessa nodded. “Of course. Report at dawn, soldier. I’ll make sure you grow up into a real dridder.”

Pint’s heart swelled with joy. He had always dreamed of this, but thought himself too small. He’d never heard of a small soldier.

But on the other hand, he’d never heard of a dridder giving up their dreams of glory, regardless of their size.

French snack wrote:

The scene as a whole is pretty much perfect, in terms of expressing Deirdre's experience; if I had one small critique to make, I'd say the final line is slightly jarring. It doesn't quite seem to flow on naturally from the rest.

Thank you, and double thank you for the critique; I have to admit I was back and forth about that last line myself. Might ought to have just left it out, keeping the whole thing focused on a single perspective.

Karbo wrote:

I really enjoyed this one, and the way you described Vivian's charm
Nice job ^^
And nothing wrong at all with shameless vore X3.

Thanks man. And a good thing there isn't, cause 'shameless' is my middle name sometimes. xD

Jætte_Troll wrote:

A True Dridder

Ohh, I liked this one very much! A fascinating look into an unusual place. All three characters were extremely distinct and fleshed-out, which is especially impressive given the tiny space this format forces you to work in. Good stuff!

Jætte_Troll wrote:

A True Dridder

Nice work! I've always been rather partial to "scene in the life" stories, and this one adds something quite vivid to Negav's surroundings. Pint comes across as very likable, too.

Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm glad that the characters were presented well despite the length of the story.

I actually enjoyed writing this quite a bit. My "main story" crawls along slowly - I know where I want to go with it, but that makes it seem like such a daunting task.

It's also a fun and quick way to shine some light into places not usually seen.

that was a nice one ^^ great insight on that place and interesting idea about that clash of culture among dridders.

What can I say, I think maybe I'm better at getting these little ones done than the meatier full-sized offerings. So, I've never had a dridder in a story, and I'm practicing actiony/tense stuff right now, thus this was created. Enjoy.


Easy Prey

The chlorophyll smell of leaves heated by the noonday sun mixed with the more familiar scent of the humid forest... and something more. Intrigued, Isuvi crept silently through the branches, her eight insectoid legs working in smooth symmetry to propel her along, the dense vegetation allowing her to travel with only infrequent, short jumps. Definitely not the normal scent of the forest, of even the native animals. Something better.

Long, silvery hair cascaded down her bare humanoid back, swaying ever-so-gently in rhythm with her movements. Her naked flesh was a pale grayish pallor, while the carapace on her lower half a shiny, immaculate black.

Isuvi's breath quickened slightly as a tickle of anticipation traveled up her spine at the sight of them. Five. Human, or something similar, though their coverings were distinctly different from those worn by the nekos she usually hunted. They moved along the ground at a brisk but careful pace, deftly avoiding the numerous web-traps she had riddled her territory with. Once she had them fleeing in blind panic however, such care would inevitably be forgotten, and they could be plucked from the webs at her leisure.

Easy prey. But first, they needed a little scare.

The dridder moved in perfect silence, until she was directly above the party, easily keeping pace with their movements. She observed them closely from her concealment in the dense foliage, staring down eagerly at those tiny, delicious forms, mouth watering already. But which one first? The apparent leader was always the best choice in this strategy, for sowing panic and disarray.

The leader in question appeared to be an elf, much to Isuvi's pleasure. Female, dark hair, and a bit taller than most of her fellows. And about to become very familiar with Isuvi's stomach, too.

Hurriedly fashioning her little 'fishing' line from silk, with a sticky ball at the tip to ensure the elf stayed attached, the eager dridder positioned herself just ahead of the party, tool in hand. As soon as the leader passed beneath, she sent her line down, aiming for the elf with unerring accuracy. Except she dodged. In a smooth motion, twisted out of the way at the last possible second, gesturing at the silky projectile in an almost mocking manner. None of them started panicking and blundering into her webs, either, instead looking around warily.

Irritated, Isuvi withdrew her line, lest they use it to discern her position, but then noted something tiny and artificial was stuck to the end. Shaped like a pebble, but it looked metallic, and... then exploded in her face.

The dridder shrieked, blinding light making her eyes water, minuscule flecks of heated shrapnel stinging her face and chest. Flailing in reply to this unexpected pain and noise, her legs slipped, and she felt herself falling through the canopy. The descent only lasted a few terrifying seconds before she caught herself on a lifeline of silken thread. With a sigh of relief, she opened her watering eyes, noting her vision was thankfully unharmed.

"There it is! Fire! Fire! Fire!" The humans certainly saw her now, dangling directly above their heads, but instead of fleeing, they aimed weapons at her, and then what sounded like hundreds of tiny explosions resounded through the forest. Painful stings blossomed from nowhere across her arms and torso, far worse than the little twigs her usual prey threw at her, and she found herself suddenly, embarrassingly fleeing under the assault.

Up the line of silk she scrambled, reaching the protection of the canopy with some relief. Her 'injuries' were barely more than welts, though the fact did little to sooth her bused ego. The little explosions had stopped once she was out of sight, confirming they were indeed coming from the humans weapons, but still the obnoxious little things did not panic and flee into her traps. Instead, they maintained a wary circle, looking for a target.

"Mmph, fine. Let's see you dodge this," the huntress murmured, fashioning another line. Slender, dexterous fingers wove the thread in quick, practiced motions, crafting it into a simple, but very functional little net. ...And then there was an odd whistling sound, followed by a section of tree next to her exploding in a shower of burning splinters.

Isuvi leapt back reflexively, staring in semi-awe at the smoldering, fist-sized crater in the side of the tree. She blinked several times, breathing hard, unable to stop herself imagining what a hole like that would do to her.

It was too much. Not worth it. Though she felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment over fleeing from what by all rights should have been a delicious lunch, the dridder nonetheless moved with all haste away from the party, hopping and climbing through the branches, back toward her safe sanctum, where she intended to do some very serious sulking.

Sometimes easy prey can be anything but.

Sometimes, the food fights back! At least she lived to learn her lesson.

Nice work - and neat idea on the bit of "reverse fishing" by the elf!

Indeed, this was a good one. I like how you showed the tactics the predator and prey used. Your descriptions were also good. I guess Isuvi's skin isn't so immacculate anymore.
I also think you described the pain of gunfire to a predator pretty well.

Yes, definitely a sound story, especially considering the clipped nature one would expect from a short story. Quick, to the point, and definitive... I like it.

An Unexpected Daughter


Caroline stretched her legs and arms, then walked out of her master's house. The nekos either watched over their crops or prepared for a hunting trip. Caroline, however, turned over to the nearby metropolis of Negav. She took a deep breath, then headed out of the safety of the lesser Isolon Eye. Her safety depended on her speed, agility, and stealth. Once on the other side of the gap, the tanned cat woman backflipped, then tossed both fists into the air with a radiant grin. She then walked to the main gate, her self-celebration over.

"Morning!" she said to the guards.

The pair of sentry didn't reply, but leered in her direction as she entered the human's haven. Her smile sank as they displayed their overt predjudice toward her kind. They really needed to let go of the past, because this attitude toward Nekos was becoming ridiculous, plain and simple. She then sighed and let the issue go, no sense lingering on silly disagreement.

Caroline walked along the crowded streets as people absent-mindedly went on with their lives. Even her revealing outfit, an orange stomach-revealing T-shirt, a pair of jean shorts, and a complete lack of footwear didn't even draw any glances. People in those streets either could get used to anything, or were so absorbed by whatever they had in mind that they didn't pay attention.

The rose-haired cat woman looked to her left and right. This city was so large, even she had trouble remembering where the small food stands were located. The Grand Market was quite a way on foot.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Caroline turned to the side. A portly man pursued a blue-haired Neko kitten with a fish in her mouth. The athletic Neko followed the two once they ran past her. The little kitten ran into an alley, but lead only to a stone wall. She backed up against the wall as the human approached, but then dashed past the merchant.

"Come back here you thief!"

Caroline then entered the alley. The kitten then jumped at the adult Neko, who caught by reflex. The man then walked toward the woman.

"Hey! Hand over that kitten!"

Caroline frowned and held the little girl closer to her chest.

"No way! What do you intend to do with her?"

The little kitten purred as the mature Neko kept her warm while eating.

"She stole one of my fishes! I'm not letting her hurt business like that!"

Caroline held the kitten with one hand, then reached for the back of her knapsack. She opened the smaller compartment and pulled out a small wallet.

"I'll pay for the fish."

"Deal. Gimme one skevol and get this little twerp away from my stand!"

Caroline took one coin and handed it over to the merchant.

"There. By the way, who's looking over your stand."

The merchant's black scowl instantly turned upon this realization. He then ran past the tall cat woman, leaving a dusty trail behind him.

"DAAAAAMN!"

Caroline burst in laughter. She did not intend to do that, but she'd take it anyway. She put her wallet back in her pack, then turned to the kitten. The little girl continued to purr and chow on the fresh fish. The adult couldn't help but stroke the kitten. The black furred infant turned to Caroline and licked her cheek, causing the mature woman to let out a giggle.

"You're so cute. I can't let you live in the streets like this." She walked out of the backalley, then looked left and right. "I wonder if there's an orphanage nearby." The infant Neko then began to meow loudly. Caroline looked at the kitten in her arms, then smiled brightly.

"Ah, what the heck. I know a place much better than an orphanage!" The tall woman headed back toward the main entrance of Negav. "You'll love where Master Aryeh and I lives. There are plenty of other kittens to keep you company." She let out a giggle as the little one meowed. "I'll have to think of a name for you. Hmm... what about Eiko? You like that name?" The kitten meowed and pawed Caroline's cheek. "Alright! Eiko it is! I'm sure you'll love your new family! I guess bringing food to the house will have to wait a little while."

(All right, kids. Zion's going for a vore-centric story. Prepare to be astounded by the uncharacteristic-ness of it all! It's even starring a pred! I must be on drugs, or an alien clone!)

There's Always A Bigger Fi- GULP!

___Usually, it was a bad idea to hunt at night. Most mermaids preferred the daytime, because night was spooky under the sea. Sound seemed to travel further, and each noise seemed menacing. Strange and frightening creatures roamed the waters of the Topazial Sea once the light died, and not even an adult mermaid was truly safe.
___This was of little concern to Vesi. She'd always had good night vision, and her favorite prey was active at night. She was out of her usual territory, but the very thought of the plump, squirming octohogs was enough to make the young mermaid's stomach rumble. They struggled more than anything else that she'd ever eaten, even more than the occasional human snack, and they took a long time to digest.
___She could see one now, in the dim light afforded by the moon high above as its glow filtered down through the water. It was snuffling around the rocky outcroppings, looking for its usual meal. The foraging cephalopod didn't notice the looming predator until it was too late, and any chance of escape had dwindled away. It hardly begun its flight before the huge mermaid swooped down on it, her mouth catching the fleeing octohog and closing around it.
___It wriggled and writhed the entire way down her throat once she swallowed, the resounding gulp traveling through the eerily silent waters. The mermaid took several seconds to enjoy her catch, lounging back in the warm waters as the thrashing octohog arrived in her stomach. Vesi planned to consume at least two more before the night was done, enough to fill her for the night. If she was particularly hungry, she might even eat a few other things along the way.
___The mermaid was quite engrossed in the moment, and so failed to notice the creeping, camouflaged bulk along the rocky ridge the octohog had been foraging upon. To be fair, the chlaena would have been almost invisible even in the day, so she was practically undetectable in the dark waters of the night. Vesi was jolted out of her reverie by the crushing grip of eight tentacles around her body, a yelp of shock caught in her throat as her breathing was halted. The beaming face of the tentacled predator materialized into view before Vesi's eyes, the chromatophores in her skin altering her color with astounding speed.
___Stunned, disoriented, and fighting to breathe, the mermaid felt the pressure on her upper body lessen, though her tail was still trapped and escape was still impossible. The chlaena grasped Vesi's shoulders, pulling the mermaid's torso towards her hungry mouth. The chlaena's plump, full lips parted and let the mermaid's head through, the captured prey screaming and fighting against the iron-strong grasp of the chlaena's lower body.
___Vesi was suddenly presented with the predator's tongue, its warm squishy mass pressed against her face. She could feel it on her flesh, tasting her as she was pushed forward. The chlaena's throat opened, letting the doomed mermaid through. Within mere seconds, Vesi the mermaid was within the cephalopodian girl's stomach, resigned to the occasional struggling fit.

___Tursa drifted back down to her perch on the rocks, her belly content with her captured prey. It was always such a nice feeling! That mermaid hadn't put up much of a fight, though... which was okay, because that meant Tursa could probably hunt again in a few hours.
___Her tentacles twitched, and her blank eyes remained open even as the chlaena prepared to drift into a short nap.

___The world of Felarya is often unforgiving. Its thick jungles hold countless creatures, all willing to make a meal of anything weaker than they. Its skies are home to massive fliers and ruthless harpies. Its desert sands echo with the ghosts of behemoths long-gone. Despite all this considerable menace, it all pales in comparison to Felarya's deep, unconquerable seas. The jungle may crown its king, the skies its top corsair, and the desert its hardiest survivor, but in the sea... oh, in the sea, there's always a bigger fish.

French snack wrote:

Sometimes, the food fights back! At least she lived to learn her lesson.

Nice work - and neat idea on the bit of "reverse fishing" by the elf!

Thank you. The outcome is never certain in Felarya, except in the case of red tent campers. Then it's pretty much in the bag.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Indeed, this was a good one. I like how you showed the tactics the predator and prey used. Your descriptions were also good. I guess Isuvi's skin isn't so immacculate anymore. Razz
I also think you described the pain of gunfire to a predator pretty well.

Thanks. It was an interesting exercise.

ZionAtriedes wrote:

Yes, definitely a sound story, especially considering the clipped nature one would expect from a short story. Quick, to the point, and definitive... I like it.

Much thanks.

Sean Okotami wrote:

An Unexpected Daughter

Aww, that was positively sweet. Neko kittens are one of my few weaknesses.

ZionAtriedes wrote:

There's Always A Bigger Fi- GULP!

That was fun! Ya really never know what's going to eat who in Felarya, and like you said, that's doubly true in the deep blue sea. Good work.

Those new stories are great, very enjoyable to read

As quiet as I've been I've been thoroughly enjoying this thread heh. A lot of great stories here and lots of different themes to them from silly, dramatic and just ordinary days in certain places bringing more life to each place. Very nicely done on each of them! Seeing all of it, I wanted to contribute too heh. So here is my attempt- aaand just slightly over 1000 words...damn! Oh well, I got close heh...I take full responsibility for this random fun! This story is based on the art Karbo did of Melany of the same name- I found myself reading some of Rythmear's stories doing similar things to his older work and felt compelled to try my hand heh. Enjoy .


Gonna Need a Bigger Net

He could hardly believe it; he had actually found a fairy.

The young fairy hunter stared at the tiny sized fey that fluttered before him with awe from behind his hiding place of the giant root of a tree. It was a surreal experience to watch the fey dart from place to place in the clearing, her purple form stopping over certain spots as if inspecting them. Her butterfly wings complimented her form and she even appeared to have two antlers atop her head instead of antennae to add to the slightly unreal and magical appearance of the fairy. He shook his head and tightened his grip on the butterfly net as he focused himself once more. He could admire her beauty all he liked after he caught her. If half the rumors were true she was supposed to be among one of the most dangerous creatures in all the jungle…but how could that be from something that didn’t even fit in his net be so deadly?

His thoughts were interrupted as a loud fluttering sound caught his attention and he quickly turned around- only to be face to face with a red jaykay bird.

“Rawk! Jolly want a cracker!”

“Shhh! Go away, I’m hiding here!” he whispered angrily as the noisy bird tilted its head at him. As if waiting, the bird started pacing along the root behind him eagerly. Stupid bird was going to cost him the best find of his life if it kept squawking like that! “Go on, shoo! Scram!” he whispered to the bird as he tried waving it off. Taking the hint, the jaykay bird flew up towards one of the mushrooms growing off the side of the tree. He watched as the bird perched above him, leaving him alone with the fairy once more. Turning back towards her, he had to do a double take on the sight that greeted him.

He was gonna need a bigger net. The fairy had seemingly grown from out of nowhere, now being just over his own size. He ducked back behind his hiding place as her attention turned towards his direction, but thankfully more towards the noisy bird which had flown upwards. He had no idea they could change size like that! Was this why fairies were considered so dangerous? Still…she wasn’t larger than him so what harm could she be? If she were alarmed she would have grown to her full height to defend herself wouldn’t she? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. The real dangers were those of monstrous nagas, dridders, and other giants. Fairies were living treasures among the jungle, that was all.

His mind wandered back to the prize he was after once more after he steeled his resolve. The quick glance still had been enough time to observe her further as he thought of the lovely fairy he intended to capture. Even if it could be quite a challenge at her new height. The purple skinned fairy also appeared to have a variety of tattoos adorning herself, which he was certain would add to her value as being exotic, but he found his attention was drawn a bit…lower. She did seem to be generously gifted in that area, and he could almost swear she was showing it off when she had turned only her head around to glance at him while leaving her back, and behind, in view. “Nice ass,” he couldn’t help but quietly voice his opinion on the matter.

Almost immediately after he ushered the words he cringed as he heard the fairy’s voice ring out. “Hmmph, just a noisy bird I guess,” he heard her call out disappointedly, much to his delight. Still in the clear, she hadn’t heard him. Advancing once more, he leaned over the edge of the giant root in front of him to resume spying on her for his chance to strike. This time however, he nearly had a heart attack at the sight before him.

He let out a surprised gasp as he fell down and scrambled away, ducking beneath a smaller root and backing into a dark corner as quickly as he could. Ok, screw a bigger net- she wouldn’t even fit in a house anymore! Now she was in the class of ‘big giant things that will probably eat you’ that he had heard so much about. The fairy had changed size again and he was only lucky to have gone out as her eyes were closed, perhaps focused on her size shifting. If he had stayed back there he surely would have been caught, being god knows how tall now she easily could have scoped him hiding behind that root. It seemed the fairy was just trying to lure him into a trap, pretending to not have noticed him- which he only luckily escaped. Thankfully his new hiding place was a nice corner tucked out of her sight. He would be fine as long as he stayed quiet.

It was then that the jaykay bird flew back down and perched itself on the root right above him. He held his breath as the bird stared him down, suddenly being utterly terrified of the potentially lethal bird.

“Rawk! Jolly want a cracker!”

‘No! Go away damnit! I don’t have any crackers!’ he mouthed wordlessly at the bird as it stood waiting. Desperately he made shooing motions towards it to get rid of it, but this time it wouldn’t budge. Now he was in trouble, that thing was sure to get her attention if it kept following him- if it hadn’t already done so. He could swear it almost took on a devilish grin as it turned to face towards the giantess.

“Rawk! Nice ass!”

He had barely gotten up to run after the jaykay’s announcement as a flash of the fairy’s purple fingers enclosed his view and lifted him off the ground in a blur of movement. After the brief and chaotic movement he found himself stooped in her palm facing the giant fairy. “So I have a ’nice ass’ huh? I’m glad you approve! How would you like to stay for lunch?” she said taking on a mischievous and hungry grin.

Oh bloody hell.

I already said it on DA but this one was priceless ! I was giggling all the way until the end XD