The ocean, always warm and inviting, was the centerpiece to the home of a father and daughter. The two maned wolves lived peacefully on the coast, in a simple beach house. The father, Vernon, juggled a life of work and raising a child by himself, but always found the time to spend with his daughter. Vera’s life was pretty simple. The bulk of her time was spent out in the ocean, was an adept swimmer, and was acclimated to much of the life out in the ocean. Not that her father allowed her to swim out too far, or much at all without him supervising. The two loved each other and spent their free time together playing or helping out the wildlife of the ocean whenever they could.

“Vera?” Vernon called one afternoon, looking around for the little maned wolf and eventually spying her splashing about in the shallows. “30 more minutes then lunch is ready, okay?”

“Okay Daddy!” she called back, happily splashing salt water every which way. Her afternoon had already been something, collecting some fancy seashells, continuing the build of her sandcastle, and following little crabs around from a safe distance. Now, she was cooling off under the blazing early-afternoon sun, playing in the water and having a good time. Vernon could see her plainly from the kitchen window, with the daughter knowing she wasn’t to swim out while he was inside. And Vera herself had no reason to disobey, perfectly content where she was.

That is, until she heard a mewling squeal bubble out from somewhere in the water. Vera’s ears perked and she stood up, water lapping at her ankles, tail dripping wet. Her black-and-red swimsuit soaked in the sun’s rays more easily and served to keep her warm as she looked about for the noise. “What was that?” she asked herself, putting a paw over her eyes to help scan the horizon. Her ears swiveled when that same burbling cry echoed out again, Vera turning her head to see something gray flopping and twitching about deeper into the water. The maned wolf squinted, but couldn’t quite make out what it was… Though whatever it was, it would obviously in distress! “Hang on out there! I’m coming to save you!”

Vernon peeked out just in time to see Vera swimming out to sea. “Vera!” he called, rushing out of the house and trotting across the hot sand. His coat was the same colors and patterns of Vera’s – brown and pink – though a lot of the edges were starting to turn gray due to age. “Vera, what are you doing? You know you’re not allowed to swim out without me out here!”

“There’s a fish in trouble!” she called back, wading in place as she answered. She waited a beat then returned to her normal breast strokes, flowing with the current instead of fighting it, even if it pulled her away from her destination.

“Well, hang on a moment and I’ll come with you!” Vera stopped and paddled in place as Vernon stripped his t-shirt off, leaving him in a simple set of trunks. He waded his way out into the water, lamenting the lack of a boat, and caught up with Vera. Once he did, he plucked her out of the water and put her on his back. “Hang tight, Vera. I see the dolphin out there. Usually they don’t get this close…” He returned to swimming.

“A dolphin??” Vera asked excitedly. She kept balance on her swimming father easily, peeking out beyond to focus in on the creature. As they closed she could see not only the dolphin struggling, but why: The dolphin was caught in a segmented fishing net, it having broken off from wherever it came from, and was all tangled up and barely able to stay afloat to continue breathing. “Daddy it’s stuck in some kind of net!”

Vernon didn’t say anything a moment, concentrating on his swimming. He finally came to a stop a few feet from the crying dolphin, going vertical with Vera slipping into the water and wading by his side. “Alright Vera. We can get it out, but be careful. You never know what a wild animal will do.” But Vera had already swum forward and was consoling the creature, calming it down.

“There there, dolphin. My daddy’s gonna free you right up!” Vera insisted. The dolphin had indeed calmed further, uttering small squeaks and clicks instead. Vernon got closer and carefully began to disengage the net, occasionally dipping his head under water. “Hey… That’s what I’m gonna call you!” Vera declared as Vernon emerged from underwater. “Mr. Chitters!”

“Ms.,” Vernon corrected automatically, pulling some more netting off the dolphin. “It’s female.”

“Ms. Chitters!” she correct with a giggle. The dolphin, though calm, still clicked away, looking a bit morose. Vera helped remove the last piece of netting and pet Chitters’ snout. “There you go, all better. Right?”

“Maybe not. The net did a little damage to a couple of her fins,” Vernon observed, petting over the rubbery back of Chitters gently. “Think we’ll have to take her back and nurse her a few days, until she gets better.” 

“Awwww, I didn’t know you were hurt, Chitters!” Vera exclaimed, doubling the pets despite compromising her floating. The dolphin helped keep her afloat, and mewled sadly. “We’ll take good care of you, alright?” She nuzzled up against Chitters’ rubbery face, the dolphin returning the gesture in kind with a lick up her cheek. Vera giggled and blush. Chitters paused… and her stomach rumbled. The dolphin just made a discovery!

The little cub floating beside her was delicious.

But with the larger creature nearby, Chitters couldn’t just snap Vera up right then and there! She’d have to wait for a more opportune moment in which to devour the cub. Vera and Vernon were both busy petting and consoling her, the larger one even promising food when they took her back to wherever it was they dwelled. Such nice creatures. She would wait until she was back to full health, to wait and see if anything would present itself.

The dolphin couldn’t quite get rid of the simple thought of the little maned wolf being food, and dwelled on it all the way back to the beach. Chitters was set up in a little enclosure that Vernon had built in order to nurse injured ocean creatures back to health. It wasn’t the most ideal place for a fully-grown dolphin to be, but it prevented those on the mend from being bothered by other wild life. As the two maned wolves promised, they tended to the injured dolphin’s needs. First, feeding her fish. Frozen, dried-out fish, but food all the same. Chitters was happy to have a filled belly once again. In the coming days, they called out a veterinarian specializing in dolphins and other aquatic wildlife to come treat her injuries. It turned out it was nothing too serious, but nevertheless would take a few days to heal up. The vet provided Vernon with some medicine to administer once a night until she was freed, just in case, but otherwise, nature simply had to take its course.

The only other recommendation the vet had was to make sure that Chitters got some exercise in. Vera was all-too-happy to volunteer. She was in the water about as often as the sun was up, playing and swimming with Chitters. Clinging to an uninjured fin when she was let out to really get some exercise. With a lot of coaxing, Vera was even able to sit on the dolphin. Chitters seemed intelligent enough to not dive underwater when she was aboard, although that likely was also driven by being in shallow waters for most of the day. Her injuries, too, prevented her from going too fast for Vera to hang on. Vera loved every moment of it, as she did whenever she and Vernon were nursing some injured creature back to health. She showcase her usual empathy, and the dolphin responded in kind, never being aggressive to the maned wolf cub in any way.

Chitters, meanwhile, would never stop thinking about how good the girl had tasted on the first day. Her appetite was largely quelled by being fed generously by the two nursing her back to health. But when feeding time was delayed for any reason and her stomach was rumbling quietly underwater, Chitters couldn’t help but stare at Vera not as a companion, but as a hefty dolphin meal. It never lasted long enough for her to make a move, though, with Vernon always arriving with a fresh set of food to feed the mending creature. Chitters, however, still wanted to devour Vera, swimsuit and all, in order to really feel full and sated, and to experience the taste that she continually teased herself with. Vera only saw it as signs of affection whenever she was lapped and licked by Chitters, when in reality she was salivating over the tender furry meat that joined her in the water every day.

It was only a matter of time.

A couple weeks later, Chitters was back to full health. She was out of her enclosure and had no reason to return to it, the dolphin appearing fit as a fiddle to Vernon’s eyes. The elder maned wolf and Vera both were petting over Chitters, who was close enough to shore expecting food. She made the usual set of squeaks and clicks, but Vernon shook his head. “Sorry, Chitters. It’s time for you to go back to your home now.”

“Already?” Vera piped in, frowning while still petting over the dolphin.

“Yes, dear. You know we can never keep these creatures contained forever. No matter how nice it would be to keep them around. Feed them. Rest near their well-fed bodies to listen to them digest...” Vernon blinked and cleared his throat. “Yes, Vera, it’s time to let go. Do you want to go swimming with her one last time?” Vera seemed to accept this compromise, nodding up at her father and leaning against Chitters in a hug.

“Don’t worry Chitters. This’ll be our last great swim together and it’s going to be awesome,” she promised. Chitters leaned back and gave her a lick over her nose. She giggled and kissed her back, while Chitters contemplated her taste once again. She felt a yearning tug to return to her home in the ocean, and knew it was about time to sate that need. With her out in the water, even with the older one watching, perhaps she could get that meal she’d been craving for weeks now. What further coaxed the dolphin’s primitive thoughts was that, for a reason unknown to Chitters, Vernon was no longer feeding her. Encouraging her to go out for her normal food, of course, but to the dolphin that meant the time to feast was near.

Chitters felt the familiar weight of Vera on his back once more, little paws clinging to his dorsal fin. “Have fun you two, okay?” Vernon called with a smile. The two waved to each other and Chitters clicked, before racing off out into the ocean proper. Over the weeks, Vernon found that he could really trust Chitters with Vera. The dolphin never got more than a few feet from the cub, and any signs of distress – real or otherwise – brought her right to Vera’s side in an instant. As a result, Vernon picked up a book he was in the midst of reading, laid back in a chair, and quietly read under the late-afternoon sun while Chitters zoomed off with his daughter.

Vera giggled and clung tight to the dorsal fin. She was having the time of her life, tail and ears flickering in the wind as Chitters was almost back to full speed now that her injuries were healed. She was even doing little dives into and out of the water, much to Vera’s delight. Chitters kept at it for a few minutes, swimming in the usual circular paths that confined the dolphin near the beach, instead of going out too deep into the water. Now, however, Chitters was free, and in a way, Vernon had provided her with one last meal after all!

The dolphin belly growled, still masked by being under the waves, heard only by Chitters herself. The dolphin licked her lips quietly and snuck a peek up at Vera. The cub was laughing and kicking her stubby legs along happily. Her body, restrained by her swimsuit as always, stuck out particularly pudgy to the dolphin. Which just meant more sustenance for her. Another lick of her lips sounded out before she turned back to facing forward, narrowing her eyes. Chitters broke from the circle and began swimming in a straight line, headed out towards the ocean. Vera didn’t notice for several minutes, too lost in the moment to question where Chitters was swimming or what her true motives were. The cub hung on tight and let out a happy cheer, it lost to the winds and the waves.

Only when the dolphin began to slow did she open her eyes fully (with the wind dying down), peeking about her surroundings and noticing just how far she was from the beach. Her tail, wagging away with the wind died down, came to a stop. “Uh… Chitters?  You’re not allowed to go back home until you take me home, remember?” She reached over to pet the dolphin’s snout. Chitters let out the usual affectionate clicks as she was pet, though was growing hungrier by the second. With the paw gliding over her nose, she could smell how tasty Vera was. The cub continued petting away, until her paw felt a bit slimier than usual. She pulled back, finding her paw coated with saliva.

“Ewww, where’d this come from?” Vera pouted, sticking her paw into the water to wash it off. Chitters suddenly tipped, sending the maned wolf into the water. She let out a small yelp and splashed in, treading water and keeping her head above the surface. Chitters? What did you do that for?” The maned wolf looked confused, until the dolphin rounded on Vera and began to lick at her face. Vera dissolved into giggles, leaning into the elongated licks. “Awww, Chitters! I’m gonna miss you too!” she insisted, rubbing her cheek tenderly. The dolphin stared at the floating morsel and licked her lips right in front of her, maw opening wide as she did so. Vera got a great view of the maw within, long tongue busy along rubber lips, pitch-black gullet pulsating in the back. She felt the dolphin’s breath waft over her face. “Fish-breath!” she giggled, swimming a bit away. 

Chitters squeaked and clicked, rolling in place to expose his underbelly to the girl. It growled loudly, and the dolphin clicked again. Vera rubbed over the vibrating midsection, feeling pity for the creature. “Oh I’m sorry, Chitters. Daddy couldn’t feed you cuz then you’d never go away! I mean I want you to stay forever but you get to live in the ocean!” Chitters clicked some more, appreciating the rubs, but wanting more to devour the maned wolf rubbing it. He flipped back and offered her back to Vera, lowered enough for her to climb aboard. “Yeah… It’s probably time to head back now,” Vera admittedly sadly, worming her pudgy body back up onto the back of Chitters and re-seating herself comfortably. “Ready when you are.”

Chitters clicked and chirped, and continued casually swimming towards the open waters. Vera began tugging against the fin. “No, Chitters, no. We have to go back first. You can’t leave me out here alone or take me with you!” The tugging on the dorsal fin was the last straw. Chitters suddenly dove underwater, much deeper than usual, since she was so far out to sea. Vera had her eyes clenched, cheeks puffed out while she held her breath. She gulped down air when the dolphin breached in a sudden shot through the air, before diving under again. Vera held her breath once more, heart pounding in her chest. Chitters had gone berserk! The pair breached the surface once more. Vera coughed and hacked, and tried to steady herself, but got distracted when a slimy dolphin tongue slid up her swimsuit and across her face slowly, deliberately, leaving a trail of hot smelly drool behind. Vera coughed some more and tried to wipe the saliva off her body, but found Chitters wiggling his body, sending the girl bouncing and sliding backwards towards the large flicking tail. 

“Ch-Ch-Chitters what are you doing?” she managed, finally settling on the tail and clinging onto it for dear life, all four paws clasped around it. The dolphin looked back, and their eyes met. No more were Chitters’ eyes grateful, or playful. They seemed alight in sheer hunger. “Chitters?” Vera squeaked, her tail swaying nervously behind her. “Wh-why are you looking at me like that?” In the quiet waters so far from land, the maned wolf heard a powerful growl from the belly beneath the water. She shot a glance down below, then looked back up to the dolphin’s face. The dolphin slowly licked her rubbery lips, never taking her eyes off the cub. “Y-you can’t be thinking o-of… e-eating me, r-r-right?” Vera stammered.

The dolphin’s answer was instantaneous. Chitters was very hungry at this point, and she was so far away from interference that there’d be no possibility of her meal from being interrupted. The dolphin began flailing her tail wildly, splashing through the waters and drenching Vera once more. The maned wolf cub clung hard to the tail. “No no no Chitters! Please don’t eat me! We’re friends!” she wailed. The tail swung side to side for a bit, before splashing under water. Vera held her breath again, before her heart skipped a beat as the powerful tail suddenly flung upwards. The cub lost her grip on the slippery dolphin and was sent spiraling through the air. “Eeeeeeeeeek!” she cried at the top of her lungs. Chitters dove beneath the surface and positioned herself accordingly beneath the flailing cub.

Vernon, who was lost in the pages of his book, snapped back to reality when he heard his daughter’s cry. “Vera?” he looked out, surprised to see her so far out in the ocean, with no dolphin in sight. “Vera!” he cried, tearing off his shift and diving into the water. He got several feet as he saw Vera cartwheeling through the air. Chitters emerged from the water beneath her, Vernon several hundred yards away from the duo. However, he could still make out the dolphin’s jaws spreading wide open, waiting to catch the maned wolf for dinner. “No!”

“Nooooo!” Vera screamed in unison with her father. She was falling from the sky headfirst, Chitters waiting with his beak-like jaws hanging open. The tongue swiped across her lower rubbery lip one final time before hanging unfurled, waiting for dinner to land. The maned wolf cub could make out every detail while she fell, with the black gaping gullet at the back of the throat standing out most of all. Vera’s shrill squeals cut off when she sank into the awaiting dolphin jaws, the beak slamming shut over her pudgy form. Her four limbs stuck out the sides of Chitters’ mouth, protruding, swimsuit-clad rump poking out in front of the dolphin snout. Vera squealed down the gullet, it inches from her muzzle and pulsating greedily. She felt Chitters sink her tongue against her fur, coating the girl in copious amounts of viscous slobber, matting her fur down more permanently than salt water could. “Daddy! Help me! Chitters is eating me alive!!”

Vernon, of course, could not hear her daughter, the dolphin or anything else with how far away she was. He witnessed Vera plummet from the sky and all but disappear into the awaiting mouth of Chitters. He could just make out her little limbs flailing tail swishing in panic. Vernon saw the tail grow smaller, the dolphin tossing its head back, gradually swallowing Vera whole. He grit his teeth and pumped his limbs as much as he could, swimming as fast as possible to prevent his daughter from being devoured.

Vera was beside herself. The first powerful GLRK scared her to death, the throat expanding around her and surrounding her muzzle in slobbery muscle. Chitters’ tongue raced up and around the cub’s body as she was eaten, wanting to savor every bit of flavor she had to offer before she was gone forever. Vera’s legs hung over the edges of the lower lip, hinds kicking backwards up under the chin, trying to do something to escape. Chitters churred, ignoring the dull thumps from her prey’s feet, feeling the girl’s rear slide in between his jaws. She crunched her mouth down around her over and over, eliciting a muffled squeal with every compression as his beak squished down between her legs, making all her limbs and tail splay and spasm in unison. The chubby maned wolf’s body served to make the jaws bounce slightly, the dolphin’s taste buds exploding in delight as the pudge was mushed about in her muzzle. “Chitters don’t, stop! Don’t eat meeee!” she squealed in the darkness.

The dolphin slipped his slimy tongue up under Vera’s swimsuit, rubbing this taste buds all over the fattiest parts of his meal. Vera felt the tongue squish roughly up against her rear, her swimsuit pressing it harder against her fur and pudgy body. Her cries increased in intensity when she swallowed again. ULK! Vera’s protruding arms and hands slipped in between pursed slips, the slimy SCHLRP echoing out over the ocean waters. Her legs were similarly devoured, though her stubby feet feet remained protruding alongside the flicking, flailing tail tip. She felt the ocean water lap up against them every now and then, the maned wolf squirming her toes against the last bit of fresh air she could feel. Every time she felt the water linger she felt a pang of terror, thinking that Chitters was diving deep into the ocean with her jammed halfway down the gullet. Even if she was spat out at that point, she would easily drown! Vera’s squirming bulge stuck out under the water, pressing outward with every protesting motion she made. Chitters tossed his head back and swallowed again, Vera losing her breath as her belly was compressed and squeezed down the throat. Only her rear, legs, and tail, supported largely by the tongue anchored to her swimwear, kept her from being completely swallowed. “Mmmmffff!!!”

While Vera was busy being tasted and slurped at for her final moments in the mouth, Vernon kept up with the swimming. Though his rate was slowing down the more he worked. “I’m… coming… Vera!” he wheezed, pushing himself harder. Vernon was no marathon swimmer, and was pushing his body to its limit. He was halfway between the two and the beach at this point, barely able to see over the lapping waves… and dreading what he would find. Even if Chitters swallowed her completely down, there were means of setting her free. Vernon knew a few tricks that could keep them both alive. But he swore that if he could get them back and those tricks didn’t work, he’d do whatever it took to free his daughter.

Chitters murred softly, tongue idly sweeping across the tasty furry rump of Vera as it remained cupped up against her body. Vera never gave up her cries for help, though her voice was beginning to give out from all her hollering. She froze, however, when she heard the slimy tongue squelch noisily away from her body, only to cup up between her legs more. The gullet twitched and pulsated, pulling more of her down. Ulk, ulp, glk… “Please Chitters, stoooop!” she whined one last time. The squealing cub kicked her legs meekly, but couldn’t stop her descent: Vera was swallowed whole, Chitters tossing her head back and GLURKing loudly with his head and neck breaching the surface. Vera’s squirming bulges quickly sank down the dolphin’s body and underwater, squeezed instantly into the now-sagging stomach of the dolphin she’d helped nurse back to health. She sputtered and swayed to a stop, her knees up against her face and snout pressed into her tail, curled into a tight ball with stomach fluids already bubbling around her. Wads of slobber piled in after her, coating her completely in a combination of water, saliva, and stomach fluids. Vera felt, and heard, a rumbling, bubbly urrrp escape Chitters’ mouth, the bubbly trail dissipating on the surface, causing her to wail in horror and squirm fitfully against the pulsating muscles of the tight stomach walls. Chitters slowly swayed with the waves, so full and content she didn’t feel like moving for several moments, letting her stomach sway to and fro as well. Vera couldn’t be heard whatsoever. The combination of dolphin blubber and it being underwater left her squeals to be heard by no-one, the maned wolf nothing but dolphin chow.

“Vera! Vera!” Vernon shouted from so far away. He could see neither the dolphin nor the maned wolf cub anymore. He pressed onward for several more minutes, feeling like the ocean was pushing him away from his destination more than anything. The elder maned wolf found himself starting to sink after a while, limbs giving out and being utterly exhausted. Half-passed out, he was shocked when a rubbery missile shot from the depths and caught him, providing Vernon with something to cling to. He did so with what strength he had left, hanging on as a dolphin led him back towards the beach. “Chitters?” he mumbled, the dolphin clicking back in reply.

Vernon’s mind drifted in and out for a few moments, until he found himself back near the beach, knees resting on sand not two feet deep. He planted his hands to the ground and caught his breath, tail drooped, trying to focus his thoughts. “Vera and Chitters went out too far. Then… Then the dolphin… Vera!” Vernon spun in place, expecting to see nothing but a tailfin swimming away. Instead, he found Chitters right next to him, the dolphin having swum up as far as she could near the beach without getting stuck. The full, well-fed dolphin was on her side, exposing her plump squirming belly to the maned wolf. Chitters knew he gave the best belly rubs, and seemed oddly fascinated with the dolphin after her meals.

It seemed this one was no exception.

Half-drunk from exhaustion, Vernon sank down towards Chitters. The elder maned wolf stared down at the series of bulges along the rubbery surface of the dolphin gut. His ears picked up the subtle churns and growls emanating from within. Mesmerized, Vernon placed one hand to it, then the other.

Vera gasped, feeling a sudden pressure from outside the belly. Her environment was pitch black, with viscous drool and stomach fluids coating her body from every which way. The light gurgles and churns were much louder to her, and felt much worse. “Daddy? Daddy, help!” she squealed, the muffled cries incomprehensible from the outside. For a moment she thought that’s what Vernon was up to: Trying to find some way to save her. But after a few minutes passed, with the pressure building more and more as time went on, Vera sadly realized that her father was doing nothing to help, and in fact was speeding up the process of digestion. Her plump body was squeezed harshly against the rubs, the bulges squirming hard every time the hands pushed. Vera sniffled and whimpered, feebly flicking her limbs and tail about, trying to break free. But the air, light as it was, was no longer able to sustain her. She passed out moments later, succumbing completely to the whims of the dolphin stomach.

Vernon rubbed and massaged the splayed, bulging dolphin belly for hours. The sun set completely and it was well into the evening at that point, Vernon having rested his head against the plump, churning stomach. Chitters was resting peacefully as well, having had the best belly rubs of her life. Vera was no longer a presence in her stomach, the maned wolf having been digested completely. The pudgy cub was digested, swimsuit and all, leaving nothing but nutritious goop and some bones floating about in the stomach. A particularly loud grumble emanated from the gut, Vernon snapping awake and rubbing his eyes. Another churning grrrrrn sounded out, the elder maned wolf looking down just in time to see Chitters spread her jaws wide open and… OOOOOOORUUUUP! A guttural belch from the dolphin ejected gobs of drool, splotches of fur, patches of a half-digested black-and-red swimsuit, and Vera’s skull, the latter tumbling through the water and ending up resting on the beach.

Vernon got up and slowly approached the skull, with Chitters awake and loudly smacking her lips. Her meal complete and belly rubs obtained, the dolphin turned her tail to the beach and gradually made her way back home, out into the deep blue ocean. Vernon cradled the skull in his hands, in tears, cursing his lack of strength and endurance. Blaming himself for trusting a wild animal – something he always explicitly told Vera not to do – leading to her own demise.

The shamed father wobbled drunkenly indoors and cleaned up, washing all the sand and saltwater from his body, and doing the same to the skull he carefully held. When all was said and done, but skull and maned wolf were cleansed, physically at least. Vernon set up Vera’s skull up on a shelf, to remind himself of his failures, of his guilt, swearing to do better at protecting those who think too lightly about interacting with wild animals. No one would lose themselves on this beach for the rest of his life, Vernon swore. Not while he drew breath.

He owed it to Vera to try.