Hostel
A couple friends checks into a hostel for their stay in Berlin.
Eddie fumbled for a second to maneuver the key to face the lock of room eight at the creatively named Young Berliner Hostel. The willowy fox attempted to balance a handful of maps he had taken from the check-in desk, his cell phone, a bottle of water, and the key while still keeping a handle on his oversize suitcase. The two had checked in later than intended due to a long delay during their layover, and it was already dark outside.
"Just give me the key," Andrew, his heavier squirrel traveling companion, chuckled. Given that he was only carrying a smaller suitcase and a backpack, he actually had a free hand to operate the door.
"I've got it," Eddie said, nearly dropping his phone onto the concrete hallway floor.
Andrew laughed. "No really, let me do it."
Eddie turned to face his friend. "I told you, I've--" he was cut off by the door opening behind him. He spun around, almost launching the bottle of water at the stranger from centrifugal force alone.
"I thought I heard someone out here," the round porcupine smiled. "You two looking for this room?"
Eddie froze out of surprise for a moment, allowing Andrew a window to step around the fox. "Room eight, right? I'm Andrew, and the quiet one there is my buddy Eddie. Nice to meet you," the squirrel extended a hand.
The porcupine took it and gave it a firm shake. "Zdarlight, nice to meet you both," he gave a quick nod to Eddie as well.
Eddie glared at Zdarlight for a moment before pulling Andrew aside, their backs to the porcupine. "I thought you said you'd managed to find a few days where no one else was booked in this room," he hissed.
"Okay, so maybe I didn't pay the extra to make sure of that, but this trip was expensive enough as is," Andrew whispered back. "Besides, everyone I've talked to said the best part of staying at a hostel is the cool people you get to meet. Try to enjoy it. It's only one other guy."
Eddie grumbled under his breath for a moment. "Fine," he muttered.
"Attaboy," Andrew gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before turning back around to face Zdarlight. "Sorry about that, my friend here can get a little high strung sometimes," Andrew smiled apologetically and tossed his bag on the bottom bunk. "So what brings you to Berlin?"
"Been doing a bit of a gastronomic tour of Europe, trying all the different local fair. Tonight's my last night in Berlin, though. Tomorrow I'm working my way down to Prague," Zdarlight leaned back on his bunk, making the springs creak.
"Yeah? Sounds like fun," Andrew said as Eddie dragged in his suitcase and got to work rifling through its contents.
"Yup. Though after enough time traveling, you definitely get a craving for the taste of home," Zdarlight gave his stomach a pat. After a moment, he said "So where are you two from?"
"Idaho," Eddie said, not looking up from his suitcase.
"No shit, really? I'm from Oregon. Small world, huh?" The porcupine chuckled. "Hey, I know you just got here, but do you two wanna get a drink? There's a nice bar just a couple blocks away."
"Sure, seems like a nice way to relax after the long flights," Andrew smiled.
"I'm just gonna get my stuff together and go to bed," Eddie grumbled.
"Come on, Eddie. It'll be fun," Andrew pleaded.
"No. I'm tired, and if we go out drinking we might not get up in time for the walking tour," Eddie said in the tone of an overworked mother trying to keep her child in line.
Zdarlight shrugged and walked toward the door. "Well, if he doesn't want to come, we can't force him."
"Lame, alright," Andrew pushed himself off the bunk and followed Zdarlight. With a wave he said "See ya when we get back, I guess, then."
Eddie simply grunted in response. Zdarlight and Andrew made their way out of the hostel and started toward the bar the porcupine had mentioned. Despite the slight chill in the air, Andrew had no doubt the porcupine was quite warm given his slightly baggy sweatshirt and his natural insulation. He, on the other hand, was feeling it. He wished he'd packed a slightly heavier jacket.
His thoughts of warmer places were interrupted by Zdarlight letting out a small exclamation. "Oh shit, forgot my wallet in the room," he turned around. "I'll catch up with you in a minute, I just need to run back real quick. The bar is that one there, with the green sign."
"Okay, see you there!" Andrew called back as the porcupine half-jogged back to the hostel.
Zdarlight opened the door to room eight. Squatted there on the floor, just where he had been, was Eddie, still going through his suitcase. He seemed to barely even register that the porcupine had re-entered the room. Zdarlight quietly shut the door behind him, unzipped his sweatshirt, and walked up behind the fox.
"Excuse me, I was using that light," Eddie said, still not looking up.
"I really think you should go out with us," Zdarlight smirked. "In fact, I insist."
"Well I--" Eddie started to say as he turned to look at the unwelcome intrusion. All he saw, however, was a rapidly approaching porcupine maw.
The fox's head was quickly engulfed. He let out a muffled cry as he pushed against the porcupine. Despite his attempts to pull himself free, the fox only found himself drawn deeper into Zdarlight's gullet when the porcupine swallowed more of him down. Now that he was in up to his shoulders, trying to push away was growing increasingly more difficult. Zdarlight chuckled. He loved it when they refused to give up.
As much as he'd love to take his time and play with his food, though, if he were gone too long then Andrew might get suspicious. Zdarlight picked up the pace of his swallows, pulling the fox to his fate inch by inescapable inch. Within a couple minutes, all that remained of Eddie outside the porcupine was a pair of feet, still doing their best to put up some form of pointless, instinctual resistance. With a final gulp, even those disappeared, and the fox slid down Zdarlight's throat until his whole body came to rest in the porcupine's stomach.
Eddie yelled and did his best to bang on the walls of the stomach to try to catch the attention of anyone around. Zdarlight simply leaned against the bunk bed, rubbing his belly, and let out a burp, pushing out some of the air that had followed the fox down his throat. Eddie continued to struggle for a bit, but the oppressive heat and diminishing air supply meant that he soon lost consciousness.
Once his occupant had stopped moving, Zdarlight gave his stomach one more pat before zipping up his now much more snug sweatshirt. He gave himself a look in the mirror hanging on the wall, hoping that Andrew wouldn't notice his now rounder belly. With a slight stumble as he adjusted to his new weight, Zdarlight let himself out of the room and started back toward the bar.
Andrew glanced at his watch. Zdarlight had been gone for a bit now, and he was starting to wonder if he was still coming. Just as he was about to get up and head back to the hostel to check on him, the porcupine opened the door. Zdarlight spotted him right away, and lumbered over to the seat next to him at the bar. As the porcupine sat down, Andrew noticed that his sweatshirt didn't look as loose as he'd thought when they were walking over. Probably just a trick of the light, though.
"You get lost?" Andrew smirked. "Thought you were just getting your wallet."
Zdarlight shrugged with a smile. "I thought I'd take the opportunity to take another stab at getting your friend to come along," Zdarlight turned to the bartender. "A pint for both of us, please."
"I coulda told you you'd be wasting your time there," Andrew laughed as the bartender put a beer each in front of the two of them. "Once Eddie sets his mind on something, there's no shaking him."
"Well, I thought I made a pretty good case," Zdarlight picked up his beer. "Still, you're right. Stubborn to the end. Cheers," he raised his glass. Andrew clinked his glass against Zdarlight's, and the two drank deep. Andrew thought for a second he saw the porcupine's gut twitch, but with the dim light in the bar it was probably just his eyes playing a trick on him.
A couple hours and several drinks later, Andrew was well and thoroughly drunk. He didn't realize just how far gone he was until he stood up to use the restroom and nearly fell to the floor. His drinking partner noticed his heavy stumble and let out a laugh.
"Looks like it's about time for us to get you back to the hostel," Zdarlight said, helping Andrew regain his balance. The porcupine put some money on the bar and half-carried Andrew out into the cold German air. The earlier chill had progressed into a properly cold night. Andrew, almost without thinking about it, leaned into the porcupine for warmth. His eyelids felt heavy from the drinks, and he allowed them to close for a bit, content to let Zdarlight carry him back to their room. The sound of the street, their footsteps, his breath, it was all so relaxing. He let out a small sigh as the cold night air gave way to the warmth of the hostel and the sound of the street receded to the quiet of the sleeping residents. After a moment, he felt Zdarlight stop. Must be at the room, he thought as he heard the click of the door unlocking. As the porcupine guided him inside, he opened his eyes and saw
nothing.
There was no one else in the room. Eddie was missing. He tried to take a step further into the room, but Zdarlight's grip was solid. He turned to face the porcupine, and as he waited for the room to stop spinning from the sudden motion he said "Eddie's gone."
The door clicked shut behind them. "He sure is," Zdarlight said.
"Well we gotta find him," Andrew said, trying to turn back toward the door.
"I know where he is," Zdarlight held him firm.
"Where?" the squirrel looked up, confused.
"He was with us at the bar the whole time," Zdarlight said, pulling Andrew's head close to his gut.
"What do you..." Andrew trailed off as he noticed the porcupine's gut wasn't as soft as it should be. A loud gurgle was the final piece his drunk mind needed to put two and two together. "You ate--"
He was cut off by his head quickly disappearing into Zdarlight's maw. It was dark and wet and... and warm. It was warm like Zdarlight's body was when he was leaning into it in the cold. The thought that he was getting so cozy when Eddie was right there made Andrew shudder.
He felt his body shift farther into the predator's throat, but he was too drunk and stunned to put up any significant resistance. His mind went back to the bar. His sweatshirt had been tighter. Was that little movement he'd seen really been a trick of the light, or was Eddie not completely gone at that point yet? Had he been sitting there chatting and drinking as his friend...
He couldn't finish the thought. He felt himself move farther down into Zdarlight. The tight throat began to give way to the porcupine's stomach. As his head entered the gut, he felt it press against something hard and still. Eddie. He finally shook off enough of the shock to let out a scream. He could find any words, but he found noise. All around him, a deep omnipresent laugh reverberated. He felt a pat on his head through the stomach wall.
The taste of home, he thought. He had meant them all along. Does that mean that this tour across Europe... how many...
Half thoughts and waves of panic were all that came to Andrew as he felt his feet fully enter Zdarlight's mouth. In short order, the rest of his body joined him in the crowded stomach. As much as he wanted to struggle, there was simply no room. There was simply no room, and not long afterward, no air. Shortly, he feel unconscious.
The next morning, Zdarlight woke up to a very welcome sight: a nice, round belly several inches bigger than it had been the day before. He pushed himself off the bed, and without getting dressed admired the new additions to his flab in the mirror. He ran his paws over the massive, soft mound of fat that his meal last night had added to his already substantial gut. He gave it a quick squeeze before getting dressed. His sweatshirt was snugger than before, but still with enough room to continue his tour. His jeans, however, could barely cover his expanded ass. After miraculously managing to fasten the button, he turned his attention to the luggage of the newest additions to his waistline. After rummaging through for a while, he found what he was looking for: their emergency funds. Suppose these are mine through right of conquest, he thought, rubbing his gut. Who says you need a lot of money to travel Europe?
Shoving the money into his own wallet, he stepped out of the room to head to the train station and continue his tour.