>the "floor," if you could even call it that, sinks with each step as your team made your way across

>you were a bit fuzzy on the details of why you were doing this

>willingly entering a dragon's stomach?

>you try to convince yourself again this is a dream

>...and fail

>all this time and you guys still haven't even found the artifact you went in for in the first place

>speaking of which...

>the monsters you've been sent to "exterminate" have thinned dramatically

>to the point where the team has started to have to hunt them down

>you offer to go off to search for the damned thing yourself

>they agree, making a snide comment about your "uselessness" in battle

>apparently they're imperceptive enough that even they fall for your stealth

>all those backstabs and crippling strikes unappreciated

>you walk past a pile of dead... gnolls

>how they even survived in here is beyond you

>same with the dea- well, re-dead skeletons over there

>suddenly, something grabs your ankle and you trip

>you twist, but in hardly a second, you're on the... "ground" with the wind knocked out of you

>the fall was soft, uncomfortably so

>under your back, wet squishy dragon gut

>atop your front, damp fur

>a paw clamps over your mouth, and your vision fills with a hyena-like gnoll snout

>"mouth near neck. you quiet, no stab, you live. you yell, I bite. yes?"

>a surprisingly feminine tone

>all the gnolls the team had killed were male, you thought

>then again, you clearly didn't kill her

>you nod, carefully reaching to draw your knife

>a sudden pain erupts in your forearm

>looking down, you see her kneeling hard on you

>she snarls at you

>"BITE. no stab, you quiet, you live."

>you nod again

>if she's not going to kill you, why-

>something warm and wet slaps against your face

>pink fills your view, you can see her teeth at the edges of your vision

>she yanks you up towards her, and your vision darkens

>her jaws press lightly around your head as she exhales

>you reflexively pull back from the smell of whatever she'd been eating down here

>the gnoll's paws tense around your shoulders, dragging you towards the back of her mouth

>the now-dull pain in your arms fades when she moves again, letting your arms free to lift them away from the dragon's stomach

>you feel points of pressure at the back of your neck where she rests her fangs against your skin

>the grip around your head tightens, forcing your face against the slobbering tongue

>good thing you already weren't going to shout

>you probably wouldn't be able to anymore

>one of her paws leaves your shoulder and rests against your chest

>it drags down your front, and a ripping sound joins the constant squishing noises from the dragon's gut and the gnoll's putrid mouth

>is she...

>the gnoll takes advantage of your surprise and manages to slip your shirt off, baring your chest and back to the stale air

>she shoves her head down, and you're treated to a glimpse down her throat

>with her paws presumably still on your ripped shirt, you bring your hands up against her furry chest and shove

>nothing happens

>her tongue presses firmly against your face as she swallows, squeezing your head into a tight, fleshy tunnel

>the gnoll laps at your chest, batting your hands down back against your sides

>another gulp, and you feel the sides of her jaws around your shoulders

>her teeth press firmly at your front and back, then she pulls back, lifting you up further

>she stops straddling you and raises you completely off the dragon's gut

>the gnoll pulls her head back, and you slip in up to your hips

>the sound of another heartbeat thumps by your head

>everything above your elbows is crammed together in her hot, wet throat

>apparently big enough to eat you, but unlike the dragon, too small to do so comfortably

>well, "comfortably"

>you kick your legs, hoping to discourage her from continuing, or maybe dislodge yourself

>one foot connects with an arm, and she draws back, then presses her teeth against your exposed flesh

>they are far closer to your pride and joy than you'd like

>you try to squirm about in discomfort, but her strong throat slows you to the slightest of wiggles

>you feel a paw, damp with warm stomach juices, on each side of your waist before they slide down

>taking your clothes with them

>wait, no

>your underwear stayed put

>well golly gee, reckon you should thank her for letting you keep a shred of dignity

>as she FUCKING DEVOURS YOU ALIVE

>you give a few half-hearted kicks as she slips your pants over your feet

>and are rewarded by losing your shoes as well

>fuck

>the gnoll grasps your legs and lifts them up, in line with the rest of your body

>her next swallow seems longer, and it ends in your head being forced into a relatively open chamber

>naturally, you take a deep breath in the stale air, straining your lungs against her constricting gullet

>it's remarkably similar to the smell outside the gnoll in the dragon

>which means you're already used to it

>it's a strange thought

>your focus breaks when you notice the she-beast is licking at your crotch

>it is in her mouth, after all, but still

>another swallow sends rings of muscle up your body, gravity aiding in letting about up to your elbow

>you could swear you hear her giggle as the last of your body still clothed is pressed tightly against the slick walls of her gullet

>you tell yourself there's nothing to be concerned about

>it's just a natural biological response to a fearful situation and/or physical stimulation

>you most certainly aren't enjoying having to trust the stomachs of TWO predators to avoid death

>even if they're both female

>while reassuring yourself, the gnoll manages to finish off the rest of you

>you're forced to curl up as your knees and legs exit the wringer of her throat

>and just like that, you're in a belly

>again

>what a day

>"you live, yes? listen. I speak why I eat you"

>the gnoll's voice is muffled, but you can make out her broken sentences

>"I find magic thing many moons ago. find on dead snake man. if one has magic thing, live things no die when eat"

>"I has magic thing on neck. big dragon eat me. now I and she has magic thing! I has magic thing, you no die"

>you move around in her cramped stomach, continuing to fail at getting comfortable

>you ask her why she ate you if not for food

>"big escape plan! I play you, I and other humans escape dragon, I go away and un-eat you, I go away more to remaining tribe"

>"you help, I tell gnolls not kill you! you scream, I throw magic thing and eat for real, yes?"

>admittedly, it's a clever plan

>you finally find a way to rest that isn't entirely terrible

>"yes! I smart, just not know human words. gnoll words very good! human words not"

>"human. you name and other humans names? other humans think I not you, escape no work and I no need magic thing"

>you make out a few ripping sounds over the churning of her gut and her heartbeat

>dressing the part, likely

>well, your name or your life...

>you tell her your name and the names of your team

>"yes? yes. you quiet, I escape"

>if only you had your knives right now

>your team buys her story of an unseen polymorph trap

>...in the middle of a dragon's stomach

>and that the *pendant* you'd been searching for was around her *wrist*

>you consider taking your chances with the gnoll

>language barrier aside, your team is clearly 80% idiots

>you are, of course, the remaining 20%

>unseen by you, they manage to climb back out the dragon's throat somehow without falling into deadly acid

>well, not deadly, seeing as the gnoll was right about the artifact

>"You lost a human and picked up a gnoll?"

>somehow, the dragon's voice seemed to pierce the muscle and fat surrounding you

>"Well, I did say you could keep what you found... thank you again. You were useful and tasty; I wouldn't much mind a repeat visit."

>the gnoll's belly jostles around you as the team starts walking out of the dragon's cave

>she tells them she's going to wash the dragon acids out of her fur

>the team's fighter asks for the amulet

>you prepare to thrash around and hope your team notices the moment the acids sting

>"neck thing on wrist, yes? yes, you has. I no take team thing"

>oh, right, she lied about that

>after a while, the sound of rushing water hits your ears and you wake from a nap you didn't notice you were taking

>the already cramped stomach convulses around you again and again

>finally, your head is pushed back into the predator's throat

>going back up, her muscles violently yank at you, jerking you along

>the cool air feels frigid compared to the hot insides of her body, and the stream she's standing in doubly so

>as soon as you're out, you practically leap to the shore, shivering

>the gnoll looks at you and strips off her- no, your clothes

>"you cold?"

>she walks over, hands them to you, and wraps her arms around you

>her fur is wet from the river as well, but there's warmth behind it

>"thank. you save life"

>after you stop shivering quite so bad, you sit down, still huddled by her, and ask her for the amulet

>"hmm... magic thing not real magic thing, bad? team think team has magic thing. magic good, or thing good?"

>come to think of it, you don't know if her pendant is THE pendant

>the dragon might've just swallowed yet one more bit of jewelry

>you ask what she's planning

>"I have magic thing. one: I go away, you see me, I eat you with magic thing? two: one, and 'gnoll curse' stay for day or two more"

>she crouches by your legs, lifting them in still-damp paws

>"you enjoy, yes? I eat leg, say stop and I stop"

>wait, what?

>she plunges her head downward, and the warmth of her mouth envelops your feet and a good portion of your shins in one go

>maybe this is some strange gnoll thing

>her eyes flick up to you as she laps at your legs, helping coat them in thick slobber

>you're reminded oddly of a dog licking a new stranger's hand

>except, well, more

>she swallows, much smaller than the first time

>her warm throat seems luxurious compared to the cold water you were just in

>another gulp, and your feet vanish entirely from view

>her slow, panting breaths waft out around your knees and between your thighs

>all you have to do is say "stop"

>and you can go back to the group

>who will probably berate you for "not detecting that polymorph trap"

>and then laze about for a few days because they told the noble it'd take weeks, not days, to find the pendant

>the gnoll shuffles forward on her paws and knees, and you unthinkingly straighten your legs to fit more easily in her mouth

>looking over her back, you notice her furry tail, waving back and forth

>just a simple word, and everything's back to normal

>you look down at your clothes in your arms

>then at the gnoll slowly, carefully devouring your legs

>you put the clothes on the ground

>she'll need them once she's finished with you