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The Perfect Pipe
By Whitestripe
In a rich looking office, laden with all manner of objects, a truly large gator sat on a plush, zebraskin chair. His eyes slowly roamed around his office, laden with his many, many trophies and conquests. From full bodied taxidermied beasts, to furniture made out of hypnotized animals. His eyes roamed and stopped on a large shelf, laden with some of the most beautiful and ornate pipes one could find. Each one looking to have been hand crafted, based on some sort of animal. From lions, tigers, bears, wolves, even more exotic beasts like dragon’s and gryphons.
They all had a representative piece on that shelf. All but one, an empty slot sitting in the center of the collection.
The gator let out a deep, low growl, rubbing his forehead. Seven years, seven years ago, he had found the perfect piece to fill that slot. A beautiful coyote pipe. He’d crafted it himself. It’d been perfect. The earthy tones of its tobacco, its sleek body. It’d been born to be a pipe.
The beast’s paw tightened into a fist, slamming down onto his desk as his temper flared for a brief moment.
But he’d been forced to abandon it. No, worse, he’d done fine worse. He had dissolved it with his own paw. His perfect coyote pipe, reduced to naught but motes of light.
And he’d never found a piece since, worthy of sitting in his collection.
“Come now, come now, since when did I ever let such a thing get me down.” The gator spoke to himself, as though trying to hype himself up. “You have a new life, a new face, a new name. You’re a brand new successful you since then. There’s no need to get down. If I want a coyote pipe, I just need to go out and find one. This is Lunar City, and we make our dreams come true.”
The great beast slowly stood up and stretched out his body, a proud smirk on his muzzle. His scales were pure, snow white. And he towered at just over seven feet tall. A change in look after an incident a few years ago. He’d once been called Pa, but that name had faded away, along with that life. Now he was simply Cyrus.
“Come now, Cyrus old boy, you’ve got the hunt in you. No more feeling down in the dumps, let us depart and find that pipe that eluded us.” He spoke to himself, a smile forming on his face as he did so. Heading for the door, a wave of his claw conjuring a beautiful red panda furred coat over his body, and his trust cane to his hand as he headed out into the bustling city.
He couldn’t let the failures of the past get him down. He was a collector. And every collector knew the first rule when it came to such things.
Regardless of how difficult the hunt was, the results were going to be worth it. He’d waited seven years to get his pipe.
Now, it was time for that wait to finally be rewarded.
The streets of Lunar City were as they were every day. Bustling, busy, packed with life. People going about their day to day lives, seemingly without a care in the world. But underneath that veneer of civilization, the heart of hunters thrummed its beat.
A strange looking anthro let out a soft whimper as he raced through the crowd of people. His body moving nimbly, dodging each and every person, even if only by the scantest of margins. A look of fear and terror on his face as he looked back over his shoulder, struggling to contain his breathing as he ran.
He appeared to be a coyote, with a beautiful brown coat and golden underbelly that spread out to under his muzzle, and to his arms and legs. But what really made him stand out were the beautiful white spots that covered his hide, like little bits of snow.
Karpenter was close to full blown panic mode. He and a few friends had been invited here, to Lunar City, the city of dreams itself. A chance to see the greatest city in the world. To see it’s wonders and delights that only powerful magic could hope to create. They’d been so excited. They’d been planning to see everything.
But from the moment they’d stepped off the train, everything had gone wrong. And it wasn’t until they’d lost almost everyone in their little group, that Karpenter had realized that they’d walked into a den of predators.
And they had been the prey.
“Come on, come on, keep it together Karpenter. You can do this. You can do this. You just gotta figure out how to get back to the train station, or better yet, just get out of the city. You can’t just stand around and panic. You can’t.” Karpenter whispered to himself, trying desperately to steady his nerves as he kept running as fast as his nimble feet could carry him.
He got a few curious looks, but that was all. Even surrounded by people as he was, Karpenter had never felt so alone then he quite did at this very moment. He had tried asking for help, begging for it. And he’d only been laughed at or shoved aside.
And that predator hadn’t ever slowed down, he wasn’t stopping. He hadn’t been able to sha-
Karpenter was torn from his thoughts as a hand close around the nape of his neck and ripped him from his feet. The hybrid letting out a sharp cry before he was pulled off of the busy street and into a bustling alleyway.
“Well, well, well, would’ja look at what I found, a pretty lil beast.” The deep, rumbling voice of a massive lion snarled out. The larger man smirking at Karpenter as if he was nothing but fresh beast. “Ye know, that’s a very pretty hide ye got, maybe I’ll start wearing it, it isn’t like you’ll be needing it, will ye, beast?”
Karpenter whimpered, wiggling and squirming as the lion turned him to look him in the eye. And as he looked into the feline’s radiant sapphire eyes, his own golden orbs began to feel heavy. The pain, the fear, the terror, that swirling storm of emotions that had been building just seemed to disperse.
No, he….he didn’t need to be afraid did he? Why would he need to worry about anything. This nice lion….he was here…..here to take care of him….right? He could…..he could just relax….just….let him…take care of things…..
The lion smirked as he watched the strange hybrid’s eyes start to glass over. His mind being shut down under the lion’s power. “Theeeeir we go. No more thinkin, or anything like that. Don’t you worry, I’ll make something very nice from ye. Now, what sort of clothing should you be….”
The lion had been so focused on his conquest, he didn’t see the shadow moving from the rooftop. A nimble, small figure taking flight and soaring down towards the feline as he began to let tendrils of magic move towards his prey.
However, mere moments before he could begin to transform his newest conquest, a biting pain tore through his concentration. The great beast letting out a sharp cry as he released his captive, his hand flying towards the back of his neck where the pain originated. Only to find nothing but blood matting his fur.
“What, what is? Where are you?” The lion roared, his gaze shifting around the alleyway. But there was no sign of….wait….
In almost a flash, almost right against his muzzle. A fairly small bat flapped his wings before his face. He was clearly an anthro, though he looked to be of the variety whose wings were part of their arms, rather then attached to their backs. Or, rather, perhaps it was better to say that his arms ‘were’ just wings. His brown fur shimmered in the light, with lighter blond, almost gold fur on his belly that spread up to around his face and his large dish like ears.
However, he only had a chance to process this for a moment before the bat’s eyes began to swirl and glow. Rings of gold and red spinning and swirling in the bat’s eyes as he glared at the lion.
“You’re going to leave this alleyway right now. And you’re going to forget about us, and what you were doing.” The bat spoke, his voice firm like iron. His command crashing into the lion’s mind like a sledgehammer and shattering everything it came in contact with.
The lion’s expression grew dull, blank, lifeless. Staring forward into the swirling eyes of the bat as they seemed to devour him alive. “I…..I’m going to leave…..and forget…..” He droned out.
The bat watched for a few moments before pointing with one wing. “Leave, now.” He commanded, watching the lion slowly stomp out of the alleyway before turning to the fallen hybrid who was slowly recovering his senses on the ground.
Karpenter let out a soft groan on the ground, rubbing at his head. It felt like he’d just gotten hit by a train. His brain straining to catch up to him as he saw a small bat flying above him, a great big grin on its muzzle as it stared down at him.
Though, rather then feel fear or worry, he just grinned widely. “Mesmer, I thought they got you when you vanished.” The coyote said, holding out one arm.
The bat soared down and landed nimbly on his arm, looking very proud of himself. “What, you think those slowpokes could catch me? Naw, I had to take off when a few tried to cage me, but I managed to slip away. I’m just sorry I had to leave you guys alone. I’ve been flying over the city ever since looking for you and the others. But you were the first one I saw. You doing okay Karpenter?” The bat, Mesmer asked gently.
“My head’s pounding, but I’m managing. The others….most of them are gone. I don’t know how many might have gotten away like me. We all sort of just started panicking and running when it was happening.” Karpenter admitted shamefully. “Right now though, we need to get out of this place, then we can try and get help and come back to help them.”
Mesmer smiled at his friend. “Ya, we’ll do what we can to help them, you can count on that.” The bat glanced towards the mouth of the alleyway before looking back at Karpenter. “How about this, I’ll get a bird’s eye view, see if I can find a path or a way for you to follow. Hopefully we can get you out without attracting too much attention. You stay here, stay out of sight as much as you can. And I’ll come back as soon as possible, sound good?”
Karpenter couldn’t help but smile at his best friend. Ever since the two had met when the hybrid had seen Mesmer being bullied by some fur’s due to his small size, the two had become almost inseparable. Sure, Mesmer could more than take care of himself, as seen by the fact he’d been the one to save Karpenter from the lion.
Still, not many looked out for the little guys. And for that, Mesmer had been his permanent companion, and one of his closest friends.
“I’ll do my best Mesmer, you be safe too, alright? You might be able to fly, but you never know if there are bird predators out there, waiting to grab ya.” He lifted his free arm and made a fist, gently bumping it against one of Mesmer’s wing claws.
The bat just smirked, spreading his wings. “Hey, since when could anyone catch me? You just wait, I’ll be back before you know it.” The bat soon bounded into the air, wings flapping as he took to the air and soon vanished beyond the buildings. On the hunt for a path to lead his friend to safety.
Karpenter watched the bat go for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, leaning against the wall of a building to support himself and letting his eyes drifting shut. He felt so very overwhelmed. But there was nothing he could do to bear it. Once he made it out of here, he could break down and collapse. But for now. He needed to stay focused, stay on alert.
“Well, I’ll be, you poor thing. Are you alright?”
That voice drew the coyote from his thoughts, his eyes cracking open to see a snow white gator smiling down kindly at him. “Ah….I’m….I’m okay….really, I’m okay. Please, just leave me alone.” He said drawing back from the gator in fear.
Cyrus stared down at this anthro before him, and his heart ached. He looked to be some sort of coyote, but no breed he’d ever seen in his long life. And not just that, but he’d looked like he’d been knocked around a bit, and was utterly terrified.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting. Here was something that could be pristine, be perfect. And it had been marred by some lesser being’s claws. A moment that should have been perfect and beautiful turned into one of fear and despair.
No, no, no. He would not be having that at all. “Now, now, I swear upon my magic. I will cause you no harm. I simply wish to help you get to where you belong. I want to help you get away from all of that nasty fear and pain you’re in and find happiness once more.” Cyrus spoke warmly. An aura of magic radiating from his body as he gave his vow.
Every word of it, was absolutely true, even if this strange coyote clearly didn’t understand what Cyrus actually meant.
Seeing the gator make such a vow, Karpenter relaxed slightly. He knew about such promises. If he broke it, then he would lose his magic forever. “I…..me and my friends, we got jumped, and….” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I’m Karpenter. I’m a coyote/quoll hybrid.” He said with a weak smile.
“Charmed m’boy, charmed.” The gator said with a deep bow to Karpenter. “My name is Cyrus, and it’s a delight to meet you, Karpenter. And I’m so very, very sorry that you were exposed to such rudeness and mistreatment. Here, let me help clean you up a bit.”
Without waiting for Karpenter’s answer, Cyrus strode over, conjuring a soft white cloth in his hand that he began to wipe over Karpenter’s fur. The cloth felt…..heavenly, soothing, relaxing. It helped to wipe away the aches of his muscles from his running and being tossed around, it wiped the dirt and filth from his pelt.
A low, happy sigh slipped from the hybrid’s muzzle as he grinned at the gator. “That….that feels very nice, thank you.” Karpenter said slowly.
“Nonsense, nonsense, no need to thank me. In fact, I should be thanking you. I’ve been struggling, I was starting to think I’d never be able to find what I was looking for. But then, when I laid eyes on you. I knew I had finally found it. You are a treasure Karpenter, a beautiful treasure. And you were not appreciated, no, no, no. But that is all about to change now m’boy. Just you relax and let me take care of you. You want me to take care of you, don’t you Karpenter?” Cyrus asked him, his voice warm and jovial.
And all the while the cloth continued to stroke over his fur. From his head and face, all the way down to his feet. Gentle rubs and strokes over his furry body, cleaning it, wiping away the dirt and filth as he continued to work him over.
As he did so, Karpenter’s fur began to smooth out a bit, growing rigid and shiny, though the coyote didn’t seem to notice at the moment.
“I….nobody’s ever asked me that before.” Karpenter admitted to him slowly. But after all the fear and the nightmare he had been thrown into. To be able to finally have someone who he could count on. Who could just take the reins and guide him through all of this. To protect and help him. That….that didn’t sound so bad, did it?
“Well, I don’t want to hurt you, or scare you, or anything of the sort, Karpenter. I think you are wonderful. You just need a bit of spit and polish is all, to help you be the best you can be. And I’d be delighted to help bring that potential out of you, if you’d allow me too. Doesn’t that sound nice, my new friend?” The gator asked gently. His voice sounding so very welcoming and warm. Like hot water washing over the hybrid’s mind, after being trapped outside in the freezing cold.
He swayed from side to side for a moment, his eyes starting to glaze over as the subtle power washed against him, and Karpenter allowed it into his mind, not realizing enough to try and fight back against it. Unlike the lion, there was no fear, or terror. Cyrus just seemed like a kindly friend wanting to help him. He seemed wonderful. Why couldn’t he just trust his friend? Why couldn’t he let him help him bring out his potential?
“Ya….can you…help me….Cyrus….I…wanna be….perfect….” Karpenter mumbled, his eyes clearly showing nobody was home anymore. His mind falling into blissful slumber as that polishing cloth continued to work over his body, preparing him for the next step.
“Wooooonderfull, simply wonderful. Worry not by dear friend. I swore to you you’d be safe and happy and find your place. I will help you with all of that. You shall never fear anything again. I will keep you forever safe. Now, let us get to work, dear Karpenter. Let us bring about your wonderful potential.” Cyrus told him excitedly. His voice brimming with excitement.
The gator’s arms gently grasped Karpenter’s arms and pressed them against his side. His hands slowly slid up and down, as if he was molding and shaping clay. Karpenter’s arms beginning to smooth away into his sides, as if they were being rubbed right into his body.
“Our first step, dear boy, is to help reshape you. You don’t need arms, now do you. They’ll just get in the way. So, we’ll just press them tightly against you and wipe them right off.” The gator said happily as he worked. Karpenter’s arms, his hands, his shoulders, all of them vanishing under the diligent paws of the gator.
And the feeling was indescribable for the hybrid. All those aches and pains he just took for granted, they were being washed clean as if they had never existed in the first place. An even deeper feeling of relaxation and peace taking their place. Cyrus was right. He didn’t need arms. He didn’t want arms. They just distracted him. His friend was helping him be better. He wanted to be better. To bring out his potential.
“There we are, now, let’s guide you down.” Cyrus spoke once he’d finished wiping away the beast’s limbs. Helping him sit down and lie on his back. “Now, you don’t need legs or a tail either, what you need is a nice stem instead. Something for someone to hold and smoke you with, dear pipe. That is your purpose after all. So, let me just grab those….and we’ll get to work.”
The gator grasped the near catatonic hybrid’s legs, drawing them together, and rubbing at the seam where they met. Watching with delight as they began to fuse together without a single seam showing they were ever separate. And once his work was done there, he grasped the beast’s tail and repeated the same process.
“As I said, I have an eye for this sort of thing. And I knew from the moment I saw you, you were born to be a pipe. To hold tobacco, to be smoked from. To help a gator like me relax after a busy day. Doesn’t that sound nice? My beautiful coyote pipe?”
It was true, he wasn’t a full blooded coyote. But perhaps his hybrid nature might add something special to his tobacco for his first smoke? And the designs he’d leave in the pipe itself were sure to be spectacular.
Karpenter, meanwhile was far past caring that he was being objectified. Being called a pipe, it simply didn’t register in his enthralled brain that he was in trouble. That he was in danger of becoming nothing but a simple, lifeless object.
Right now, all he wanted, all he cared about, was making his friend happy, helping him. He needed to be the best coy…..pipe….the best pipe he could possibly be, and his friend would take care of all that pesky living and those other difficult things.
Seeing his pipe’s resistance had all but faded away, Cyrus gave a happy nod. It was always nice to find people who understood the way of things. What they belonged as. And it warmed his heart to be able to bring their true forms to life. To give them the existence they always should have.
Not to mention, he would finally get the piece to complete his collection as well.
“Now, let’s just grasp your legs like this, and bend them a bit. Theeeere we go, such a good pipe, you’re taking you’re shape like a natural.” Cyrus complimented as he took hold of the coyote’s legs and bent them into an S like shape. And as he did so. His legs began to lock into rigidity, as his feet and his tip of the tail flowed together, like clay being shaped into almost like a little nozzle tip. The perfect spot for a predator to take deep puffs from the tobacco that would be burning within it.
The next change that sweeped over Karpenter was his size. He was obviously far too large. Whoever heard of a full, anthro sized pipe. No, he needed to be smaller, much much smaller. He needed to be perfect. He needed to be right. Otherwise, he’d never reach his full potential.
And as those weak, broken thoughts echoed through his mind. Karpenter began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller by the second. And in only a handful of seconds. The coyote/quoll hybrid fitted comfortably in one of the gator’s hands.
“Theeeere we are, you’re almost finished m’boy. Just one more step. And you’ll be the perfect pipe for me.” Cyrus complimented.
As he spoke, he gently grasped and tugged on Karpenter’s face. Adjusting his expression into a fierce snarl. His jaws open as if he was about to snap down on a limb. The perfect spot to store the tobacco in the pipe. “Now. Hold. That. Pose.” The gator growled. His voice thunderous.
And like a lightning bolt went through Karpenter. The beast froze in place. His body grew shiny, as if lacquer was being poured over him. A shiny layer of varnish flowing over his body. Smoothing out every inch of his fur, preserving his brown and gold spotted pelt beneath it. Almost as if it was a paint job applied to wood. His golden eyes grew dull, shaped as if someone had simply painted them onto his face, rather than having ever been a real living creature.
As Karpenter’s body finished changing, truly becoming a lacquered wooden pipe. A tuft of tobacco formed in his jaws. The hybrid’s essence, his mind, his very being being reduced to nothing but fresh tobacco in his old muzzle, waiting to be burned and smoked away.
Cyrus wanted to sing. Finally, finally, he had his prize. And what a prize it was. That boy Karpenter had been an absolute delight to work with. And now, he would make an even more beautiful pipe for his collection. “Ooooooh, I can’t wait to get home with you, I’m sure you’re going to be a delight.” The gator said proudly, running a thumb over his new pipe’s smooth finish.
However, his instincts screamed a warning to him, and his hand lashed out, almost without him even thinking about it. Rage and pure hatred bubbled up from his heart, replacing his mirth as his hand closed around something small.
No. No. NO!
He would not be denied his prize again. HE WOULD NOT BE DENIED.
The gator’s eyes zeroed in on the bat that was straining and struggling in his grasp. His razor sharp fangs trying and failing to bite into his scales as he glared spitefully at him. “You dare, to attempt to attack me after I had just claimed my new prize?” Cyrus’s voice was arctic cold as he stared at the bat.
Mesmer looked up at the gator and smirked at him. “He’s not a prize. He’s a person, and my best friend.” He growled, his eyes starting to swirl. “Now, let. Him. Go.” The bat intoned, through every ounce of power he had into his hypnotic eyes.
The gator stared at him for a few moments. As that power crashed into his mind, it met a steel wall of resistance. Built from countless years of hunting and razor sharp focus. Combined with the core of the obsessive desire to not lose his brand new pipe once more.
Mesmer’s power crashed into that wall of mental fortitude, and shattered like finaly spun glass. The gator’s expression not changing a bit, as he just stared balefully at the little bat.
“That’s it? You expect to steal my pipe from me with that? Pathetic.” The gator snarled, shaking his head. “Normally, I’d make something useful out of you, little thing. Something that fit what you were, just like I did your friend. But you….no, no, you don’t deserve that honor. You were going to steal what was rightfully mine. Take away something years in the making. You don’t deserve to be in my collection.”
As he spoke, Cyrus licked his jaws. “But don’t you worry little bat. I know exaaaaactly how to deal with you. A pest like you should be disposed of properly after all.”
Mesmer felt a thrum of fear go through his heart. The bat doubling his attempts to try and escape. But the gator had him in a vice like grasp. “No…let….let me go…..let me go.” He snarled, trying once more to throw every bit of will and power into his hypnosis.
But just like before, the gator didn’t even seem to notice it. His power crashing helplessly against the gator’s mental fortress as Mesmer was treated to the sigh of the gator opening his jaws wide. His rancid breath washing out over the bat as the little thing let out a soft, meek whimper of fear as he realized just what was about to happen.
CHOMP
Those jaws came down on the bat as he was tossed into his maw. The bat letting out a cry as he was suddenly sealed into darkness, narrowly avoiding being cut in two by the razor sharp teeth. Instead, he was treated to the feeling of being tossed around. The great reptile’s tongue lashing him around within his maw, tasting him sampling his flavor.
And a deep rumble escaped Cyrus. Despite being such a pest. He was certainly a tasty little snack.
Normally, he would have enjoyed toying and breaking his new meal. But he didn’t want to take any risks. If this pest had found him, then what if there were others? He needed to get home, and then, he could allow himself to relax and finally enjoy himself.
So thinking, he lifted his head. Feeling the bat’s desperate struggles and fighting for his life within his maw. Before Cyrus gave one great gulp, the pressure sucking poor Mesmer downwards and into the tight, almost crushing confines of his throat.
From the outside, all that could be seen was a tiny bulge sliding down the gator’s neck, before plopping down into his gut.
“Aaaaahhhh, mhmmm, you hit the spot, you little runt.” Cyrus said, giving his gut a few happy pats. “Don’t you worry though, you won’t last long inside of me. My belly should have you worked over in no time at all. And then, you’ll be nothing but more of me.”
A loud belch slipped from his maw as Mesmer’s faint screams and cries echoed out from behind the scaly flesh of the gator. “Mhmm, excuse me.” And with his meal completed. He started back towards his home.
He had no ideas of the struggles going on within his gut. Mesmer’s frantic squirms and wiggles only serving as a wonderful inner message for the beast. The bat squirming and struggling within his belly.
It was hot, disgusting, and pitch black. He was being tossed about in every direction. The sloshing soup of acid and the gator’s last meal washing against him. And he could feel the sting of the brew starting to get to work on his body. Getting ready to break him down and add him to the gator’s great gut.
But he couldn’t give up. He had too…..had too……
As the thunderous belch shook the air, and the faint footsteps tossed him about. The air within the gut suddenly grew very, very thin. The bat gagging and coughing, struggling to try and get air into his own lungs. The stomach around him tightening down on his body. Whimpers and whines of pain slipping from his muzzle as he felt it trying to mash and crush him. The acid sending arcs of burning pain through his body as the stomach walls pressed and almost rubbed it into his furry hide.
He needed……he needed…..
Mesmer’s whole world spun, the lack of air getting to him as his struggles, his frantic fighting began to grow weaker by the moment.
He needed…..Karpenter……
The gator never noticed when the bat finally expired within his belly, a soft, faint burp was all that signaled Mesmer’s end as the belly truly got to work melting and breaking him down.
Not that Cyrus would even care, as he finally made it back to the safey of his home. The gator heading to his office and taking a seat, sighing happily as he admired his pipe for a few moments. “Just look at you, so beautiful. The brown and gold truly compliment one another. And the spots. Beautiful, simply breathtaking craftsmanship. You truly were made to be a pipe, my dear Karpenter. Hehe, it’s almost in your name.” He teased the seemingly lifeless object.
“Now though, let us put you to the test. Let’s see what sort of tobacco a coyote/quoll makes, shall we? I hope you can impress me with your flavor as well as your appearance by dear boy.”
So speaking, the gator lifted one of his claws to the mouth of the pipe. A small spark leaping from the talon and onto the tobacco, lighting it up.
And for Karpenter, it felt……it didn’t hurt….it didn’t feel bad…..but he didn’t have words for what he was feeling. His memories, his thoughts, his very self and personality were just being burned away. One moment they were there, and the next they were…..gone….But it didn’t hurt in the slightest. In fact….it felt….right….
Lifting the new coyote pipe to his jaws. Cyrus took a deep puff, breathing in the coyote/quoll tobacco smoke and letting it fill his lungs. It had a deep, earthy flavor to it. The gator could feel his body relaxing as the essence of the hybrid flowed into his lungs. Everything he was, everything he could have been. His hopes, dreams, his memories. The gator could see it within his mind.
And then he released the breath. A few smoke rings puffing out of his jaws. Now empty of the essence that had previously filled it. It was naught but true, ordinary smoke. The gator smiling as he sat back in his chair, puffing away at his pipe, simply enjoying those wondrous flavors and the coyote’s very being and essence.
Oh yes, yes, this had been worth the wait. This had been moooooore then worth it.
Poor Karpenter had no idea what was happening. He didn’t even have the capacity to realize he was being burned away, turned into naught but smoke. The gator stripping him of all he was. Taking it for himself. His memories, his name, his life. Everything.
But…..that was…..okay….he was…..tobacco……he was….smoke….dancing…..swirling…..pretty smoke…..smoke didn’t need…..name….didn’t need….memory…didn’t…..did…….di…….
“Bhaaa, out already boy?” The gator asked with a chuckle as he took a puff from his pipe and got nothing from it. Cyrus reaching up to wipe a paw through the last few smoke rings he’d blown, watching them disperse into nothing. “Well, ye were a good smoke, I gotta say. You had wonderful flavors. And you left me such a nice parting gift. Such a considerate lad ye were.”
The gator smiled happily, pulling out a rat ash tray and idly tapping the head of the pipe to let the ashes fall out onto it. And once his pipe was properly cleaned out, he conjured out a cloth and began to gently polish the lacquered wood of his brand new coyote pipe, ensuring that it would shine and gleam once it was put in its proper place.
“For seven years, I’ve been waiting to find just the perfect pipe. And now I’ve finally got it. Hehe, don’t you worry little pipe, I promise I’ll put you to use quite often from now on.” Cyrus said, sounding almost tender as the white cloth wiped over the wooden pipe. “Not that you have to worry about anything. You’re just a pipe now. And a pipe doesn’t think. You just leave that to your owner. All you gotta worry about is me smoking you.”
His polishing and cleaning done. The gator took a moment to just admire the coyote pipe in his paws before walking over to the shelf and gently setting it down on the spot he’d reserved for it. Setting it on a little support stand before stepping back. “Perfect, simply perfect. You look….”
The gator grunted, cut off as he felt his belly bubble before he hit his gut a few times. Another ear splitting belch cutting through the air as something white and glossy tumbled out of his jaws and landed at his feet.
Cocking his head, the great gator knelt down, and let out a soft laugh. His fingers closed on the skull of the bat he’d devoured, lifting it up, he admired it for a few moments before looking at his new pipe. “Well, ye wanted to be close to this here pipe, did ye? Well, I think I can arrange that.” Cyrus said smugly before he reached over and gently hung the skull from the tail of the pipe.
“Hehe, there ye go boy, now you two can be together forever.” Cyrus said smugly before stretching and heading out of the room to find some dinner.
And there one the shelf, skull and pipe sat, just two more trophies for the gator.
And it was all they’d ever be again.
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The Perfect Pipe
By Whitestripe
In a rich looking office, laden with all manner of objects, a truly large gator sat on a plush, zebraskin chair. His eyes slowly roamed around his office, laden with his many, many trophies and conquests. From full bodied taxidermied beasts, to furniture made out of hypnotized animals. His eyes roamed and stopped on a large shelf, laden with some of the most beautiful and ornate pipes one could find. Each one looking to have been hand crafted, based on some sort of animal. From lions, tigers, bears, wolves, even more exotic beasts like dragon’s and gryphons.
They all had a representative piece on that shelf. All but one, an empty slot sitting in the center of the collection.
The gator let out a deep, low growl, rubbing his forehead. Seven years, seven years ago, he had found the perfect piece to fill that slot. A beautiful coyote pipe. He’d crafted it himself. It’d been perfect. The earthy tones of its tobacco, its sleek body. It’d been born to be a pipe.
The beast’s paw tightened into a fist, slamming down onto his desk as his temper flared for a brief moment.
But he’d been forced to abandon it. No, worse, he’d done fine worse. He had dissolved it with his own paw. His perfect coyote pipe, reduced to naught but motes of light.
And he’d never found a piece since, worthy of sitting in his collection.
“Come now, come now, since when did I ever let such a thing get me down.” The gator spoke to himself, as though trying to hype himself up. “You have a new life, a new face, a new name. You’re a brand new successful you since then. There’s no need to get down. If I want a coyote pipe, I just need to go out and find one. This is Lunar City, and we make our dreams come true.”
The great beast slowly stood up and stretched out his body, a proud smirk on his muzzle. His scales were pure, snow white. And he towered at just over seven feet tall. A change in look after an incident a few years ago. He’d once been called Pa, but that name had faded away, along with that life. Now he was simply Cyrus.
“Come now, Cyrus old boy, you’ve got the hunt in you. No more feeling down in the dumps, let us depart and find that pipe that eluded us.” He spoke to himself, a smile forming on his face as he did so. Heading for the door, a wave of his claw conjuring a beautiful red panda furred coat over his body, and his trust cane to his hand as he headed out into the bustling city.
He couldn’t let the failures of the past get him down. He was a collector. And every collector knew the first rule when it came to such things.
Regardless of how difficult the hunt was, the results were going to be worth it. He’d waited seven years to get his pipe.
Now, it was time for that wait to finally be rewarded.
The streets of Lunar City were as they were every day. Bustling, busy, packed with life. People going about their day to day lives, seemingly without a care in the world. But underneath that veneer of civilization, the heart of hunters thrummed its beat.
A strange looking anthro let out a soft whimper as he raced through the crowd of people. His body moving nimbly, dodging each and every person, even if only by the scantest of margins. A look of fear and terror on his face as he looked back over his shoulder, struggling to contain his breathing as he ran.
He appeared to be a coyote, with a beautiful brown coat and golden underbelly that spread out to under his muzzle, and to his arms and legs. But what really made him stand out were the beautiful white spots that covered his hide, like little bits of snow.
Karpenter was close to full blown panic mode. He and a few friends had been invited here, to Lunar City, the city of dreams itself. A chance to see the greatest city in the world. To see it’s wonders and delights that only powerful magic could hope to create. They’d been so excited. They’d been planning to see everything.
But from the moment they’d stepped off the train, everything had gone wrong. And it wasn’t until they’d lost almost everyone in their little group, that Karpenter had realized that they’d walked into a den of predators.
And they had been the prey.
“Come on, come on, keep it together Karpenter. You can do this. You can do this. You just gotta figure out how to get back to the train station, or better yet, just get out of the city. You can’t just stand around and panic. You can’t.” Karpenter whispered to himself, trying desperately to steady his nerves as he kept running as fast as his nimble feet could carry him.
He got a few curious looks, but that was all. Even surrounded by people as he was, Karpenter had never felt so alone then he quite did at this very moment. He had tried asking for help, begging for it. And he’d only been laughed at or shoved aside.
And that predator hadn’t ever slowed down, he wasn’t stopping. He hadn’t been able to sha-
Karpenter was torn from his thoughts as a hand close around the nape of his neck and ripped him from his feet. The hybrid letting out a sharp cry before he was pulled off of the busy street and into a bustling alleyway.
“Well, well, well, would’ja look at what I found, a pretty lil beast.” The deep, rumbling voice of a massive lion snarled out. The larger man smirking at Karpenter as if he was nothing but fresh beast. “Ye know, that’s a very pretty hide ye got, maybe I’ll start wearing it, it isn’t like you’ll be needing it, will ye, beast?”
Karpenter whimpered, wiggling and squirming as the lion turned him to look him in the eye. And as he looked into the feline’s radiant sapphire eyes, his own golden orbs began to feel heavy. The pain, the fear, the terror, that swirling storm of emotions that had been building just seemed to disperse.
No, he….he didn’t need to be afraid did he? Why would he need to worry about anything. This nice lion….he was here…..here to take care of him….right? He could…..he could just relax….just….let him…take care of things…..
The lion smirked as he watched the strange hybrid’s eyes start to glass over. His mind being shut down under the lion’s power. “Theeeeir we go. No more thinkin, or anything like that. Don’t you worry, I’ll make something very nice from ye. Now, what sort of clothing should you be….”
The lion had been so focused on his conquest, he didn’t see the shadow moving from the rooftop. A nimble, small figure taking flight and soaring down towards the feline as he began to let tendrils of magic move towards his prey.
However, mere moments before he could begin to transform his newest conquest, a biting pain tore through his concentration. The great beast letting out a sharp cry as he released his captive, his hand flying towards the back of his neck where the pain originated. Only to find nothing but blood matting his fur.
“What, what is? Where are you?” The lion roared, his gaze shifting around the alleyway. But there was no sign of….wait….
In almost a flash, almost right against his muzzle. A fairly small bat flapped his wings before his face. He was clearly an anthro, though he looked to be of the variety whose wings were part of their arms, rather then attached to their backs. Or, rather, perhaps it was better to say that his arms ‘were’ just wings. His brown fur shimmered in the light, with lighter blond, almost gold fur on his belly that spread up to around his face and his large dish like ears.
However, he only had a chance to process this for a moment before the bat’s eyes began to swirl and glow. Rings of gold and red spinning and swirling in the bat’s eyes as he glared at the lion.
“You’re going to leave this alleyway right now. And you’re going to forget about us, and what you were doing.” The bat spoke, his voice firm like iron. His command crashing into the lion’s mind like a sledgehammer and shattering everything it came in contact with.
The lion’s expression grew dull, blank, lifeless. Staring forward into the swirling eyes of the bat as they seemed to devour him alive. “I…..I’m going to leave…..and forget…..” He droned out.
The bat watched for a few moments before pointing with one wing. “Leave, now.” He commanded, watching the lion slowly stomp out of the alleyway before turning to the fallen hybrid who was slowly recovering his senses on the ground.
Karpenter let out a soft groan on the ground, rubbing at his head. It felt like he’d just gotten hit by a train. His brain straining to catch up to him as he saw a small bat flying above him, a great big grin on its muzzle as it stared down at him.
Though, rather then feel fear or worry, he just grinned widely. “Mesmer, I thought they got you when you vanished.” The coyote said, holding out one arm.
The bat soared down and landed nimbly on his arm, looking very proud of himself. “What, you think those slowpokes could catch me? Naw, I had to take off when a few tried to cage me, but I managed to slip away. I’m just sorry I had to leave you guys alone. I’ve been flying over the city ever since looking for you and the others. But you were the first one I saw. You doing okay Karpenter?” The bat, Mesmer asked gently.
“My head’s pounding, but I’m managing. The others….most of them are gone. I don’t know how many might have gotten away like me. We all sort of just started panicking and running when it was happening.” Karpenter admitted shamefully. “Right now though, we need to get out of this place, then we can try and get help and come back to help them.”
Mesmer smiled at his friend. “Ya, we’ll do what we can to help them, you can count on that.” The bat glanced towards the mouth of the alleyway before looking back at Karpenter. “How about this, I’ll get a bird’s eye view, see if I can find a path or a way for you to follow. Hopefully we can get you out without attracting too much attention. You stay here, stay out of sight as much as you can. And I’ll come back as soon as possible, sound good?”
Karpenter couldn’t help but smile at his best friend. Ever since the two had met when the hybrid had seen Mesmer being bullied by some fur’s due to his small size, the two had become almost inseparable. Sure, Mesmer could more than take care of himself, as seen by the fact he’d been the one to save Karpenter from the lion.
Still, not many looked out for the little guys. And for that, Mesmer had been his permanent companion, and one of his closest friends.
“I’ll do my best Mesmer, you be safe too, alright? You might be able to fly, but you never know if there are bird predators out there, waiting to grab ya.” He lifted his free arm and made a fist, gently bumping it against one of Mesmer’s wing claws.
The bat just smirked, spreading his wings. “Hey, since when could anyone catch me? You just wait, I’ll be back before you know it.” The bat soon bounded into the air, wings flapping as he took to the air and soon vanished beyond the buildings. On the hunt for a path to lead his friend to safety.
Karpenter watched the bat go for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, leaning against the wall of a building to support himself and letting his eyes drifting shut. He felt so very overwhelmed. But there was nothing he could do to bear it. Once he made it out of here, he could break down and collapse. But for now. He needed to stay focused, stay on alert.
“Well, I’ll be, you poor thing. Are you alright?”
That voice drew the coyote from his thoughts, his eyes cracking open to see a snow white gator smiling down kindly at him. “Ah….I’m….I’m okay….really, I’m okay. Please, just leave me alone.” He said drawing back from the gator in fear.
Cyrus stared down at this anthro before him, and his heart ached. He looked to be some sort of coyote, but no breed he’d ever seen in his long life. And not just that, but he’d looked like he’d been knocked around a bit, and was utterly terrified.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting. Here was something that could be pristine, be perfect. And it had been marred by some lesser being’s claws. A moment that should have been perfect and beautiful turned into one of fear and despair.
No, no, no. He would not be having that at all. “Now, now, I swear upon my magic. I will cause you no harm. I simply wish to help you get to where you belong. I want to help you get away from all of that nasty fear and pain you’re in and find happiness once more.” Cyrus spoke warmly. An aura of magic radiating from his body as he gave his vow.
Every word of it, was absolutely true, even if this strange coyote clearly didn’t understand what Cyrus actually meant.
Seeing the gator make such a vow, Karpenter relaxed slightly. He knew about such promises. If he broke it, then he would lose his magic forever. “I…..me and my friends, we got jumped, and….” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I’m Karpenter. I’m a coyote/quoll hybrid.” He said with a weak smile.
“Charmed m’boy, charmed.” The gator said with a deep bow to Karpenter. “My name is Cyrus, and it’s a delight to meet you, Karpenter. And I’m so very, very sorry that you were exposed to such rudeness and mistreatment. Here, let me help clean you up a bit.”
Without waiting for Karpenter’s answer, Cyrus strode over, conjuring a soft white cloth in his hand that he began to wipe over Karpenter’s fur. The cloth felt…..heavenly, soothing, relaxing. It helped to wipe away the aches of his muscles from his running and being tossed around, it wiped the dirt and filth from his pelt.
A low, happy sigh slipped from the hybrid’s muzzle as he grinned at the gator. “That….that feels very nice, thank you.” Karpenter said slowly.
“Nonsense, nonsense, no need to thank me. In fact, I should be thanking you. I’ve been struggling, I was starting to think I’d never be able to find what I was looking for. But then, when I laid eyes on you. I knew I had finally found it. You are a treasure Karpenter, a beautiful treasure. And you were not appreciated, no, no, no. But that is all about to change now m’boy. Just you relax and let me take care of you. You want me to take care of you, don’t you Karpenter?” Cyrus asked him, his voice warm and jovial.
And all the while the cloth continued to stroke over his fur. From his head and face, all the way down to his feet. Gentle rubs and strokes over his furry body, cleaning it, wiping away the dirt and filth as he continued to work him over.
As he did so, Karpenter’s fur began to smooth out a bit, growing rigid and shiny, though the coyote didn’t seem to notice at the moment.
“I….nobody’s ever asked me that before.” Karpenter admitted to him slowly. But after all the fear and the nightmare he had been thrown into. To be able to finally have someone who he could count on. Who could just take the reins and guide him through all of this. To protect and help him. That….that didn’t sound so bad, did it?
“Well, I don’t want to hurt you, or scare you, or anything of the sort, Karpenter. I think you are wonderful. You just need a bit of spit and polish is all, to help you be the best you can be. And I’d be delighted to help bring that potential out of you, if you’d allow me too. Doesn’t that sound nice, my new friend?” The gator asked gently. His voice sounding so very welcoming and warm. Like hot water washing over the hybrid’s mind, after being trapped outside in the freezing cold.
He swayed from side to side for a moment, his eyes starting to glaze over as the subtle power washed against him, and Karpenter allowed it into his mind, not realizing enough to try and fight back against it. Unlike the lion, there was no fear, or terror. Cyrus just seemed like a kindly friend wanting to help him. He seemed wonderful. Why couldn’t he just trust his friend? Why couldn’t he let him help him bring out his potential?
“Ya….can you…help me….Cyrus….I…wanna be….perfect….” Karpenter mumbled, his eyes clearly showing nobody was home anymore. His mind falling into blissful slumber as that polishing cloth continued to work over his body, preparing him for the next step.
“Wooooonderfull, simply wonderful. Worry not by dear friend. I swore to you you’d be safe and happy and find your place. I will help you with all of that. You shall never fear anything again. I will keep you forever safe. Now, let us get to work, dear Karpenter. Let us bring about your wonderful potential.” Cyrus told him excitedly. His voice brimming with excitement.
The gator’s arms gently grasped Karpenter’s arms and pressed them against his side. His hands slowly slid up and down, as if he was molding and shaping clay. Karpenter’s arms beginning to smooth away into his sides, as if they were being rubbed right into his body.
“Our first step, dear boy, is to help reshape you. You don’t need arms, now do you. They’ll just get in the way. So, we’ll just press them tightly against you and wipe them right off.” The gator said happily as he worked. Karpenter’s arms, his hands, his shoulders, all of them vanishing under the diligent paws of the gator.
And the feeling was indescribable for the hybrid. All those aches and pains he just took for granted, they were being washed clean as if they had never existed in the first place. An even deeper feeling of relaxation and peace taking their place. Cyrus was right. He didn’t need arms. He didn’t want arms. They just distracted him. His friend was helping him be better. He wanted to be better. To bring out his potential.
“There we are, now, let’s guide you down.” Cyrus spoke once he’d finished wiping away the beast’s limbs. Helping him sit down and lie on his back. “Now, you don’t need legs or a tail either, what you need is a nice stem instead. Something for someone to hold and smoke you with, dear pipe. That is your purpose after all. So, let me just grab those….and we’ll get to work.”
The gator grasped the near catatonic hybrid’s legs, drawing them together, and rubbing at the seam where they met. Watching with delight as they began to fuse together without a single seam showing they were ever separate. And once his work was done there, he grasped the beast’s tail and repeated the same process.
“As I said, I have an eye for this sort of thing. And I knew from the moment I saw you, you were born to be a pipe. To hold tobacco, to be smoked from. To help a gator like me relax after a busy day. Doesn’t that sound nice? My beautiful coyote pipe?”
It was true, he wasn’t a full blooded coyote. But perhaps his hybrid nature might add something special to his tobacco for his first smoke? And the designs he’d leave in the pipe itself were sure to be spectacular.
Karpenter, meanwhile was far past caring that he was being objectified. Being called a pipe, it simply didn’t register in his enthralled brain that he was in trouble. That he was in danger of becoming nothing but a simple, lifeless object.
Right now, all he wanted, all he cared about, was making his friend happy, helping him. He needed to be the best coy…..pipe….the best pipe he could possibly be, and his friend would take care of all that pesky living and those other difficult things.
Seeing his pipe’s resistance had all but faded away, Cyrus gave a happy nod. It was always nice to find people who understood the way of things. What they belonged as. And it warmed his heart to be able to bring their true forms to life. To give them the existence they always should have.
Not to mention, he would finally get the piece to complete his collection as well.
“Now, let’s just grasp your legs like this, and bend them a bit. Theeeere we go, such a good pipe, you’re taking you’re shape like a natural.” Cyrus complimented as he took hold of the coyote’s legs and bent them into an S like shape. And as he did so. His legs began to lock into rigidity, as his feet and his tip of the tail flowed together, like clay being shaped into almost like a little nozzle tip. The perfect spot for a predator to take deep puffs from the tobacco that would be burning within it.
The next change that sweeped over Karpenter was his size. He was obviously far too large. Whoever heard of a full, anthro sized pipe. No, he needed to be smaller, much much smaller. He needed to be perfect. He needed to be right. Otherwise, he’d never reach his full potential.
And as those weak, broken thoughts echoed through his mind. Karpenter began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller by the second. And in only a handful of seconds. The coyote/quoll hybrid fitted comfortably in one of the gator’s hands.
“Theeeere we are, you’re almost finished m’boy. Just one more step. And you’ll be the perfect pipe for me.” Cyrus complimented.
As he spoke, he gently grasped and tugged on Karpenter’s face. Adjusting his expression into a fierce snarl. His jaws open as if he was about to snap down on a limb. The perfect spot to store the tobacco in the pipe. “Now. Hold. That. Pose.” The gator growled. His voice thunderous.
And like a lightning bolt went through Karpenter. The beast froze in place. His body grew shiny, as if lacquer was being poured over him. A shiny layer of varnish flowing over his body. Smoothing out every inch of his fur, preserving his brown and gold spotted pelt beneath it. Almost as if it was a paint job applied to wood. His golden eyes grew dull, shaped as if someone had simply painted them onto his face, rather than having ever been a real living creature.
As Karpenter’s body finished changing, truly becoming a lacquered wooden pipe. A tuft of tobacco formed in his jaws. The hybrid’s essence, his mind, his very being being reduced to nothing but fresh tobacco in his old muzzle, waiting to be burned and smoked away.
Cyrus wanted to sing. Finally, finally, he had his prize. And what a prize it was. That boy Karpenter had been an absolute delight to work with. And now, he would make an even more beautiful pipe for his collection. “Ooooooh, I can’t wait to get home with you, I’m sure you’re going to be a delight.” The gator said proudly, running a thumb over his new pipe’s smooth finish.
However, his instincts screamed a warning to him, and his hand lashed out, almost without him even thinking about it. Rage and pure hatred bubbled up from his heart, replacing his mirth as his hand closed around something small.
No. No. NO!
He would not be denied his prize again. HE WOULD NOT BE DENIED.
The gator’s eyes zeroed in on the bat that was straining and struggling in his grasp. His razor sharp fangs trying and failing to bite into his scales as he glared spitefully at him. “You dare, to attempt to attack me after I had just claimed my new prize?” Cyrus’s voice was arctic cold as he stared at the bat.
Mesmer looked up at the gator and smirked at him. “He’s not a prize. He’s a person, and my best friend.” He growled, his eyes starting to swirl. “Now, let. Him. Go.” The bat intoned, through every ounce of power he had into his hypnotic eyes.
The gator stared at him for a few moments. As that power crashed into his mind, it met a steel wall of resistance. Built from countless years of hunting and razor sharp focus. Combined with the core of the obsessive desire to not lose his brand new pipe once more.
Mesmer’s power crashed into that wall of mental fortitude, and shattered like finaly spun glass. The gator’s expression not changing a bit, as he just stared balefully at the little bat.
“That’s it? You expect to steal my pipe from me with that? Pathetic.” The gator snarled, shaking his head. “Normally, I’d make something useful out of you, little thing. Something that fit what you were, just like I did your friend. But you….no, no, you don’t deserve that honor. You were going to steal what was rightfully mine. Take away something years in the making. You don’t deserve to be in my collection.”
As he spoke, Cyrus licked his jaws. “But don’t you worry little bat. I know exaaaaactly how to deal with you. A pest like you should be disposed of properly after all.”
Mesmer felt a thrum of fear go through his heart. The bat doubling his attempts to try and escape. But the gator had him in a vice like grasp. “No…let….let me go…..let me go.” He snarled, trying once more to throw every bit of will and power into his hypnosis.
But just like before, the gator didn’t even seem to notice it. His power crashing helplessly against the gator’s mental fortress as Mesmer was treated to the sigh of the gator opening his jaws wide. His rancid breath washing out over the bat as the little thing let out a soft, meek whimper of fear as he realized just what was about to happen.
CHOMP
Those jaws came down on the bat as he was tossed into his maw. The bat letting out a cry as he was suddenly sealed into darkness, narrowly avoiding being cut in two by the razor sharp teeth. Instead, he was treated to the feeling of being tossed around. The great reptile’s tongue lashing him around within his maw, tasting him sampling his flavor.
And a deep rumble escaped Cyrus. Despite being such a pest. He was certainly a tasty little snack.
Normally, he would have enjoyed toying and breaking his new meal. But he didn’t want to take any risks. If this pest had found him, then what if there were others? He needed to get home, and then, he could allow himself to relax and finally enjoy himself.
So thinking, he lifted his head. Feeling the bat’s desperate struggles and fighting for his life within his maw. Before Cyrus gave one great gulp, the pressure sucking poor Mesmer downwards and into the tight, almost crushing confines of his throat.
From the outside, all that could be seen was a tiny bulge sliding down the gator’s neck, before plopping down into his gut.
“Aaaaahhhh, mhmmm, you hit the spot, you little runt.” Cyrus said, giving his gut a few happy pats. “Don’t you worry though, you won’t last long inside of me. My belly should have you worked over in no time at all. And then, you’ll be nothing but more of me.”
A loud belch slipped from his maw as Mesmer’s faint screams and cries echoed out from behind the scaly flesh of the gator. “Mhmm, excuse me.” And with his meal completed. He started back towards his home.
He had no ideas of the struggles going on within his gut. Mesmer’s frantic squirms and wiggles only serving as a wonderful inner message for the beast. The bat squirming and struggling within his belly.
It was hot, disgusting, and pitch black. He was being tossed about in every direction. The sloshing soup of acid and the gator’s last meal washing against him. And he could feel the sting of the brew starting to get to work on his body. Getting ready to break him down and add him to the gator’s great gut.
But he couldn’t give up. He had too…..had too……
As the thunderous belch shook the air, and the faint footsteps tossed him about. The air within the gut suddenly grew very, very thin. The bat gagging and coughing, struggling to try and get air into his own lungs. The stomach around him tightening down on his body. Whimpers and whines of pain slipping from his muzzle as he felt it trying to mash and crush him. The acid sending arcs of burning pain through his body as the stomach walls pressed and almost rubbed it into his furry hide.
He needed……he needed…..
Mesmer’s whole world spun, the lack of air getting to him as his struggles, his frantic fighting began to grow weaker by the moment.
He needed…..Karpenter……
The gator never noticed when the bat finally expired within his belly, a soft, faint burp was all that signaled Mesmer’s end as the belly truly got to work melting and breaking him down.
Not that Cyrus would even care, as he finally made it back to the safey of his home. The gator heading to his office and taking a seat, sighing happily as he admired his pipe for a few moments. “Just look at you, so beautiful. The brown and gold truly compliment one another. And the spots. Beautiful, simply breathtaking craftsmanship. You truly were made to be a pipe, my dear Karpenter. Hehe, it’s almost in your name.” He teased the seemingly lifeless object.
“Now though, let us put you to the test. Let’s see what sort of tobacco a coyote/quoll makes, shall we? I hope you can impress me with your flavor as well as your appearance by dear boy.”
So speaking, the gator lifted one of his claws to the mouth of the pipe. A small spark leaping from the talon and onto the tobacco, lighting it up.
And for Karpenter, it felt……it didn’t hurt….it didn’t feel bad…..but he didn’t have words for what he was feeling. His memories, his thoughts, his very self and personality were just being burned away. One moment they were there, and the next they were…..gone….But it didn’t hurt in the slightest. In fact….it felt….right….
Lifting the new coyote pipe to his jaws. Cyrus took a deep puff, breathing in the coyote/quoll tobacco smoke and letting it fill his lungs. It had a deep, earthy flavor to it. The gator could feel his body relaxing as the essence of the hybrid flowed into his lungs. Everything he was, everything he could have been. His hopes, dreams, his memories. The gator could see it within his mind.
And then he released the breath. A few smoke rings puffing out of his jaws. Now empty of the essence that had previously filled it. It was naught but true, ordinary smoke. The gator smiling as he sat back in his chair, puffing away at his pipe, simply enjoying those wondrous flavors and the coyote’s very being and essence.
Oh yes, yes, this had been worth the wait. This had been moooooore then worth it.
Poor Karpenter had no idea what was happening. He didn’t even have the capacity to realize he was being burned away, turned into naught but smoke. The gator stripping him of all he was. Taking it for himself. His memories, his name, his life. Everything.
But…..that was…..okay….he was…..tobacco……he was….smoke….dancing…..swirling…..pretty smoke…..smoke didn’t need…..name….didn’t need….memory…didn’t…..did…….di…….
“Bhaaa, out already boy?” The gator asked with a chuckle as he took a puff from his pipe and got nothing from it. Cyrus reaching up to wipe a paw through the last few smoke rings he’d blown, watching them disperse into nothing. “Well, ye were a good smoke, I gotta say. You had wonderful flavors. And you left me such a nice parting gift. Such a considerate lad ye were.”
The gator smiled happily, pulling out a rat ash tray and idly tapping the head of the pipe to let the ashes fall out onto it. And once his pipe was properly cleaned out, he conjured out a cloth and began to gently polish the lacquered wood of his brand new coyote pipe, ensuring that it would shine and gleam once it was put in its proper place.
“For seven years, I’ve been waiting to find just the perfect pipe. And now I’ve finally got it. Hehe, don’t you worry little pipe, I promise I’ll put you to use quite often from now on.” Cyrus said, sounding almost tender as the white cloth wiped over the wooden pipe. “Not that you have to worry about anything. You’re just a pipe now. And a pipe doesn’t think. You just leave that to your owner. All you gotta worry about is me smoking you.”
His polishing and cleaning done. The gator took a moment to just admire the coyote pipe in his paws before walking over to the shelf and gently setting it down on the spot he’d reserved for it. Setting it on a little support stand before stepping back. “Perfect, simply perfect. You look….”
The gator grunted, cut off as he felt his belly bubble before he hit his gut a few times. Another ear splitting belch cutting through the air as something white and glossy tumbled out of his jaws and landed at his feet.
Cocking his head, the great gator knelt down, and let out a soft laugh. His fingers closed on the skull of the bat he’d devoured, lifting it up, he admired it for a few moments before looking at his new pipe. “Well, ye wanted to be close to this here pipe, did ye? Well, I think I can arrange that.” Cyrus said smugly before he reached over and gently hung the skull from the tail of the pipe.
“Hehe, there ye go boy, now you two can be together forever.” Cyrus said smugly before stretching and heading out of the room to find some dinner.
And there one the shelf, skull and pipe sat, just two more trophies for the gator.
And it was all they’d ever be again.
Karpenter and some of his friends were invited to visit Lunar City, The City of Dreams.
Alas, he also learns just how much of a nightmare it can be for those unaware of the dark truth waiting for them. Will they be able to escape, or will the city claim yet more victims?
And here we have a commission I wrote for :IconProwler7". This was a really fun story to bring to life and I hope all of you enjoy it as well.
As always, I love to hear from all of you in the comments. And keep watch, over the next few days, I'll be posting a few more commissions I finished recently.
Enjoy everyone, and I'll see you at the next story.
Alas, he also learns just how much of a nightmare it can be for those unaware of the dark truth waiting for them. Will they be able to escape, or will the city claim yet more victims?
And here we have a commission I wrote for :IconProwler7". This was a really fun story to bring to life and I hope all of you enjoy it as well.
As always, I love to hear from all of you in the comments. And keep watch, over the next few days, I'll be posting a few more commissions I finished recently.
Enjoy everyone, and I'll see you at the next story.
Category Story / Transformation
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 120 x 120px
Ya know..... I don't even know what to say.
This is the most randomly disturbing thing I've read in a long time.
This is the most randomly disturbing thing I've read in a long time.
Lunar City can be a very very disturbing place. It is meant to be for basically anyone outside of it.
Gah. I can't believe I missed you posting this.
I tend to skip over story submissions until I have the time to read them, and this was already pushed to page 2 of my submissions backlog.
Thanks again so much for taking this commission and doing such a fantastic job with it.
I totally love the way you matured Cyrus from his previous appearance, making so much more fun and dangerous.
I also love the way you handled Mesmer and Karpenter, both in their personalities as well as their respective fates. The description of the transformation was perfect and I'm sure that Karpenter was honored to become a permanent part of Cyrus' collection, even if his mind no longer exists to enjoy that.
It's always a delight when Lunar City permanently claims some victims, and of course it's even better when it gets to be my character. People need to be reminded that bad endings do indeed happen to random people.
I tend to skip over story submissions until I have the time to read them, and this was already pushed to page 2 of my submissions backlog.
Thanks again so much for taking this commission and doing such a fantastic job with it.
I totally love the way you matured Cyrus from his previous appearance, making so much more fun and dangerous.
I also love the way you handled Mesmer and Karpenter, both in their personalities as well as their respective fates. The description of the transformation was perfect and I'm sure that Karpenter was honored to become a permanent part of Cyrus' collection, even if his mind no longer exists to enjoy that.
It's always a delight when Lunar City permanently claims some victims, and of course it's even better when it gets to be my character. People need to be reminded that bad endings do indeed happen to random people.
We missed your stories from Lunar Academy, Kyr! Also, how do you like Paph's digimon mannequin art? ^^
It was a really awesome picture he made for me, and thank ya, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I always love bringing tales to all of you.
I mostly enjoy the mannequin and puppet TF stories (the latter in The Lion King), but yeah. ^^
I wondered if you do any RPs tho. ^^;
I wondered if you do any RPs tho. ^^;
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