A Hero’s Journey

There once was a carbuncle by the name of Tart, a mythical creature that was known throughout their land for their legendary adventures with Soul the dragon king. They were a baker by day and an adventurer by night, their journeys known throughout the land for saving the world and being all the while so darn cute while they were at it. They weren’t exactly strong by themselves but with them focusing on taking commissions from the guild by themselves they’ve slowly but surely become stronger and more confident, soon to one day be a great adventurer. Today was a cold winter night, the streets empty as everyone had already gone to sleep but among the barren streets stood a bunny looking at a quest board for late-night adventurers to take part in. Their energy being essentially limitless didn’t let them feel tired in the slightest even after a full-day’s work at the bakery, they were more than ready for more to do throughout their day or more rather now night. One particular quest caught their eye quite a bit, an eevee who stole during the day and hid with their rewards in the depths of the forest nearby at night. This was a quest quite above what they usually did at the moment, being two ranks higher than their usual quests which were C rank. They wouldn’t let that demotivate them though! A true adventurer never gives up is what they’d say to themself, and they for sure weren’t going to shirk away from their work just because it was a bit more intimidating than usual. “Alright I can do this! I CAN do this!” Tart would say trying to psyche themselves up, taking a deep breathe before grabbing the wanted poster of the infamous duo.

He’d travel down the empty streets till he reached the end of the town, a forest arching over it and showing the dark path lying in front of them. The darkness looked thick, so much so they could barely see in front of them. They wondered if they went inside if they’d ever come out from it, giving them second thoughts. “Am I really prepared for this…?” They’d say but shake their head, they HAD to do this! “A true adventurer doesn’t hide in the face of adversity!” And with that they’d proudly march on into the darkness! …To get lost immediately! They’d be in there for hours, aimlessly roaming around the thankfully quiet forest, the only sounds them hearing being their own rustling through the bushes and the sound of grasshoppers. It was exhausting feeling like they were making no progress and even more so humiliating knowing that they were lost. The place wasn’t ever explored at night due to how easy it was to get lost and is actually quite why the quest was such a high rank, during the day it was easy for even random pokemon to just pass by but in the night only seasoned adventurers could travel without any problems. He should’ve realized there was a reason no one else was doing quests at that time, it wasn’t out of laziness.

Every moment inside the forest seemed to meld together as their surroundings became a blurr, wondering if they were going in circles at this point as everything kept feeling so familiar to where they had gone before. Eventually though they’d make a breakthrough as a new sound broke the silence, the rustling of bushes coming from nearby. It wasn’t from them, something was moving and quite fast at that too. They knew now to go much quieter to try and sneak up on whatever was moving about, it couldn’t have been a small creature with how loud the rustling was. Maybe it was the eevee? They’d sneak ever so closer to the point the rustling was right next to them and the pokemon wouldn’t even notice they were right next to them, with the opportunity presenting itself they’d quickly jump the creature to pin down a small eevee about their size! “Aha! I found you! What do you have to say for yourself, criminal?” Tart would say trying to sound intimidating, maybe blushing a bit from feeling like they sounded cool just then. “Oi! Let go of me right this instant! What is a fool like you even doing here right now!” The eevee would say trying to get out of Tart’s grasp but they had dealt with situations like this before, they knew how to keep them pinned down and as such they couldn’t move! Tart had already gotten the criminal he needed and he was quite proud of himself! “Says the fool who's gonna go to jail for a long time! Hehe I did it!” They’d say a bit cutely and proudly as to put the eevee in handcuffs, they wouldn’t even notice the shadow lurking behind them. “...You can have them big guy.” They’d say causing Tart to look behind him for a second, before he even got the time to react he was pounced on by the strength of an elephant. Pushed to the ground immediately by what appeared to be a gigantic luxray, they looked at them dead in the eyes with anger. Crimson eyes staring at them with evil intent, this was the true reason that the quest was so high up. It wasn’t an eevee causing all this trouble at all, it was their friend who accompanied them. They were a duo and he had just been tricked, and now he’s gone from the hunter to the hunted. “H-hey! What are you doing?! Let me go! I didn’t mean to hurt your friend, I mean it!!” Tart would say in a panicked voice, their pleas going on deaf ears as the luxray merely rolled their eyes.

By this point the eevee had already broken out of their handcuffs and was right next to their luxray friend, staring at the pinned carbuncle with a smug grin. “So what should we do with him boss?” “He woke me up and looks small enough to be a nice midnight snack, doesn’t even look that strong.” Tart upon hearing that would immediately try to wiggle even more out of the luxray’s paws but to no avail merely meritting a few mocking giggles from the eevee. “Don’t even try it, boss is more than strong enough compared to your weak puny body! If he wants you he is going to have you, little fool!” They were starting to realize the gravity of the situation they were in, they were way over their head and if they didn’t get out soon they’d pay greatly for it. Knowing that this was a criminal he was dealing with too made him even more terrified, he didn’t know if they’d ever let him out knowing they wouldn’t be just like his friends keeping him in there for a day and that was that. They could be in there forever for all he knows if he doesn’t escape now and yet… He’s just not strong enough to escape their grasp, he knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t but he has no way out. He can’t even cry out from being all alone here in the forest, if it were daytime it might’ve been different but it was night now. “I think I will, he’s a bit cute. You’re all mine now.” They’d say chuckling a bit too along with their eevee friend, he couldn’t help but squirm more to try to escape.

After that squirm though it seems that the luxray was getting ready to go through with their plan of making him their midnight snack. And he decided he’d be doing it painfully slow, making sure to drain Tart of every bit of hope they have left of escaping. They’d give a nice looooong lick across their entire body, drenching them in a thick saliva that made them shiver from the change in temperature. This wouldn’t happen once or twice but many times, slow agonizing licks while they stayed pinned under the luxray’s paws. They’d consider themselves lucky for a second with how their predator loosened their grasp for just a mere moment when licking them, allowing them to try and run away. Unfortunately though, that moment was incredibly short-lived as they would fall over on the very saliva drenching their whole form. Just enough time for the luxray to decide on something worse to get their meal to be complacent. They’d hold them in place for a second with their paws to decide to simply flop on top of them lazilly, smushing them under their giant belly. They’d be squashed underneath, struggling for air as they tried to push them off for even the slightest amount of room. They felt their body giving way for the belly as it became progressively somehow smushed more as they were squashed underneath, a lack of air being quite prevalent under there from their whole view being obscured with the luxray’s stomach. They heard the eevee tease them from closeby where they couldn’t see much to their annoyance but the part that was worse was hearing the groans of the stomach under them vibrate over them reminding them of what was going to be their fate.

They’d struggle under there for a good thirty minutes, their body becoming much weaker as their strength faded from them by the second. Completely in a daze by the time the luxray actually got off them, unable to even move or notice that their surroundings have changed for a good few seconds before finally trying to get up but being unable to from being so weak. Unfortunately, the luxray wasn’t exactly so patient as to let them get a hold of their surroundings first. Right when they got out of the daze they’d notice the steamy maw of the luxray approaching them, hot breathe washing in their face making them feel even dizzier. Before they even knew it *CHOMP!*, their whole body apart from the tail was trapped inside the slimy cavern. Their taste didn’t do them any favors from the cat immediately purring at their taste, licking them nonstop to have more. Their body now becoming bogged down from saliva and exhausted from the smushes and now along with it the dizzying licks as well. Their world had gone from one of freedom to one of captivity, everything felt so cramped inside the slimy cavern that was their predator’s maw. They tried to squirm weakly but all it brought was them being moved around the maw. They could hear the muffled laughs of the eevee from outside, mocking them for underestimating the quest they took. Knowing that they can’t go back now, that their fate has already been sealed and they truly were the fool. From their taste they couldn’t even begin to comprehend how long they were tasted, time was an illusion inside the mouth of their predator and every moment felt like an eternity. Licked endlessly and tossed around as their body was practically suckled on like a little candy, their tail still hanging out as the last remnant there was an outside world at all.

Eventually though with a *SLRP~!* it’d be slurped up along with the rest of their body, now all stuck inside the cramped maw of the luxray. Their body was approaching the gullet, a slimy abyss laying before them that opened and closed mockingly with each breath. All it would take is a single gulp to send them on their way, to send them down to where they’d never return. Tart would attempt to struggle and wiggle his way back out but to no avail, not only was it too weak but every moment back was made meaningless with a little push from the tongue. After all that they’d finally take that deafening *GLRP~!* and thrust poor bunny down into the throat. Their surroundings became even tighter as their body was covered in even more saliva and unknown slimes and fluids, the sounds of the outside world beginning to completely fade away as the last chances they had to escape finally truly end. They hear the growls and groans of the stomach waiting for them below as they slowly make their way down, a bassy heartbeat starting to become audible as well the deeper they descend. Soon they’d become all theirs, another meal and another treasure the thieves have hoarded. All while this is happening Tart can only think of one thing, “Will anyone ever find me?”

After a small and tight journey they’d find themselves fall into the stomach with a splash, soaked almost immediately in all sorts of odd smelling stomach fluids and slime. Their body now drenched inside of the fleshy sack they unfortunately weren’t alone either, inside they saw the remnants of past meals letting them know just what they were right now. Apple cores, splattered berries, soggy pastries and even some curry all lined the stomach walls to remind them they weren’t alone. He couldn’t even move away from them as he splattered right into them upon falling inside, and along with that his body was too weak now to even cooperate with him from how bogged down he was from slime and saliva. The walls made his head hurt from how they shifted every second, squishing his form all the while and mixing him with whatever was inside.

His predator let out a thunderous **OURRRRRRRRRPPPPPP~!** upon his arrival, making the stomach incredibly tight for a couple seconds before going back to normal. They could still hear both of their voices from outside albeit quite muffled now from the fat hiding them inside, “And another one goes down, not so tough are we?” The eevee would say with a mocking chuckle, their predator simply going to lie down and go back to sleep. They weren’t even worth their time to acknowledge, they were merely food to them. The only one with them now was the eevee rubbing their friend’s stomach from outside as the poor Tart within simply looked above hopeless and wondering what they could’ve done differently. Maybe they weren’t meant to be an adventurer, it didn’t matter now. All they were was just food. “I hope someone from the guild comes soon…”


Made this right before I had to go to work,,,