Boomer was resting and doing his best to rid himself of a headache. The woodpecker often had those, but it was enhanced by yet another failure in capturing one particular caterpillar. Dinky the goldfinch was out on his own, not as worse for wear as his avian friend, but still having to nurse a wound or two – his ego in particular. The frustrated little bird wasn’t gonna give up again! Sure, that blasted caterpillar had evaded them again, but this time Dinky was totally gonna get him! He was glad his friend was resting up instead of accompanying him: Boomer was an asset as much as he was a liability. Without the big loud woodpecker on his tail, Dinky was certain he’d have himself quite the satisfying caterpillar lunch!

Squeaks, meanwhile, had just gotten himself to calm down. Contrary to what the predatory birds assumed, he wasn’t out to tease or torment. They were trying to eat him! Probably even share him! That thought alone made the ever-sought-after bug shiver in terror, but he did manage to keep it in check after hours of calming down. He’d gotten away from the two birds through a combination of dexterity and luck again, holed up in a hollowed out tree branch and far enough away from the large open knot in the bark that even that deadly woodpecker beak couldn’t reach! Despite what the birds thought of him (beyond “food”), Squeaks didn’t want the birds to come to harm. He just wanted to be left alone.

Dinky was on the move, motivated by hunger and the desire to get back at that blasted Squeaks once and for all. He’d not eaten all day (as per usual whenever he and Boomer went after the evasive caterpillar) and was famished. He flapped his wings to keep aloft infrequently to conserve energy, fluttering around the tree they’d last spotted their prey. Eventually he alighted on a thin branch, it bowing but holding the tiny bird’s weight without issue, giving the goldfinch a great scouting position. Boy was Dinky glad to have perched in that exact spot, for what did he see? A large hole in a tree, and, as he focused his beady eyes, the goldfinch spotted the blasted bug, half-asleep, completely vulnerable! Dinky didn’t make a peep, only slowly licking his lips with his triangle-shaped tongue as he stealthily hopped forward. It wouldn’t be too hard to wedge his body through the hole, something Squeaks hadn’t considered! The caterpillar had only considered the bigger bird’s reach, and while he was indeed safe from the piercing woodpecker’s blows, Dinky himself was small enough to squeeze through! Indeed, the nearly-asleep Squeaks caught something moving in his sleepy vision, daylight going dark, hearing the ruffle of feathers… what was that? His antennae twitched as he squinted to focus, then eyes went wide as with a fluffy pop Dinky fully invaded what was Dinky’s only safe haven!

“Ha!” Dinky gloated, standing tall now that he was fully in the tree, tail feathers flicking and wiggling. A soft growl emanated from the feathered tummy, which sounded all the more ominous as it echoed in the small hollow of the tree. “Gotcha cornered, you tasty little bug! You’re mine.” Squeaks, well, squeaked loudly, terror etched across his features. He glanced between the skinny legs of the goldfinch and made a desperate dive for freedom, and for a fleeting instant he thought luck was once more on his side, catching the hungry bird off guard.

But his luck had run out.

A sharp pain roared out from Squeaks’ body! He yelped as Dinky, beak closed around the meaty bug’s backside, yanked him backwards. Squeaks was smacked against the back of the tree and was laid out on his back, prone and dizzy. He shook his head to clear his vision to again see the terrifying presence of a bird looming over him, licking his beak, staring over him like nothing but a filling meal. This had to be a nightmare! He was just falling asleep, wasn’t he? Squeaks shook vigorously again and blinked several times, but Dinky was still there, leering. The caterpillar squealed when the goldfinch lowered into a sitting pose, legs folded under him, using his small body to completely block the exit. Only his tail feathers stuck out through the hole, and nothing else was getting in or out. “Not getting away this time. You’re lunch.” The simple, matter-of-fact statement nearly made Squeaks’ eyes bulge from their sockets, mouth agape as he squealed in his squeaky way, to try and persuade the starving bird not to eat him alive!

In response, and tired of waiting, Dinky’s beak opened wide. A string of drool beaded down onto the caterpillar’s body. Squeaks looked down at himself in disbelief, then back up just as Dinky’s head lunged down! His final squeal cut off when the beak clamped securely around his head, leaving the bug’s face mushed into the tongue of the predator. Dinky felt waves of pleasure course through him as he finally tasted what had been one of the more elusive bugs in his career as a hunter. He savored the sweet taste of success, rubbing his triangular tongue all over the babbling bug’s face and head, pressing Squeaks to the wall. He wasn’t gonna wriggle his way out of this one! With a delighted murmur, the goldfinch swallowed the caterpillar’s head and another segment with a very satisfied GLK! Squeaks couldn’t believe it! This was it! Never would he become a butterfly, or see the light of another kind morning. Nor would he see that adorable fox cub thrive. His world was nothing but the compressing innards of a bird’s gullet, and the acidic belly that waited not far below… GLRP!

Dinky’s eyes fell half lidded while eating Squeaks. This was the life for sure. Already seated, and with a good chunk of the caterpillar swallowed, he lifted his head back up into a more neutral position. His beak opened and closed, more of Squeaks bulging down his feathered neck. Every crunch of the beak featured another noisy swallow, forcing more of Squeaks inward. The poor caterpillar wailed again when he started gathering in the small bird stomach, which ground and churned all over him. The goldfinch was rather hungry indeed! Dinky’s saliva dribbled down what remained of Squeaks, already half-eaten and more being guzzled down by the moment. Squeaks flicked his rear half desperately, splashing drool everywhere but otherwise accomplishing nothing. The bird delightfully ate the wormy critter over the course of several minutes, knowing he could take his time and truly savor this wonderful meal. Dinky’s belly bulged out more and more with every pleasurable, slimy swallow, and soon he was left with the last wriggling bit of Squeaks left to eat.

Squeaks was rolled over on himself many times in the tight, unyielding avian stomach. He had been reduced to whimpering noises, knowing any further cries were completely useless. His lengthy antennae were a tangled, bent mess, unable to sense a thing, as stomach acids began to dribble from the walls and rub into him. The caterpillar was utterly blind in the fleshy walls, only able to feel the stinging sensations and scents from the eager stomach acids. He was nothing but a singular meal for a tiny bird now, life cut short, and no-one would remember him... except perhaps Dinky, who would revel in this happy memory for weeks, perhaps months! The bird’s beak clenched and clutched around the springy back end of the caterpillar, Dinky even greedily slurping the last little bit of the worm in, another gulp following, as opposed to working his beak more. Said beak clacked shut when the last of that wriggling caterpillar rear was housed entirely within, and Dinky mumbled happily around it. Drool dribbled down the sides of his beak as he spent the last moments just basking in his victory and flavor.

Then without warning, and to Squeaks’ unending fright, Dinky’s eyes squeezed shut and he swallowed down his lunch in a juicy, meaty GLURK! Dinky sighed euphorically, and adjusted to lean against an inner wall of the tree, legs and tail in front, belly sloshing outward and swollen. He folded both wings over his protruding feathered gut and smiled serenely. “Ah… Hic! Gotcha, Squeaks. You were definitely worth the wait!” While the goldfinch sunk into a happy state of being full, Squeaks writhed his compact wormy body for all it was worth. Every last centimeter of his form had been squelched and sealed into the active bird stomach, and avians weren’t known for keeping their food undigested for long! The occasional imprint of a terrified caterpillar face or body part would illustrate across the fattened goldfinch belly, only to recede an instant later.

Dinky casually rubbed a wing over his soft, distended midsection and couldn’t stop licking his beak. He hiccuped again, then eventually rocked himself back up onto his talons after. He leaned forward and fanned his tail, underbelly squishing between his legs. A telling chrrrgle erupted from his stomach, and Dinky looked down at his noisy self and grinned. “Can’t wait to tell everyone I finally ate ya’ up! Boomer’s gonna be jealous!” With that, Dinky hopped twice to turn around, Squeaks yammering out as acids sloshed all over him. The goldfinch squeezed out of the hole, fluffed his feathers, then took off, his stomach sagging and swaying to the full bird’s flight. It didn’t take long for the fast-working stomach to silence Squeaks for good, as the acids and incredibly squeezing belly walls overtook him, working to digest him into a bundle of delicious nutrients for Dinky.

*	*	*

“Wait, you actually got Squeaks?” Tod’s snout budged up to the softer feathered belly that Dinky was showing off. He giggled at the ticklish sensation of the fox cub sniffling away, before gently brushing the fox’s muzzle away.

“Yep, caught him at last!” The goldfinch stood proud and tall, and Tod had never seen such pride emanate off his feathered friend. Dinky wasn’t any taller than normal of course, but he seemed to have packed on a little extra weight, just in time for the incipient winter season. “Finally managed to corner that delicious, juicy bug and gobble him up!” He peeked an eye up and laughed at Todd’s grossed-out expression. “Hey, you got your food, us birds have ours. Can’t help that Squeaks was so scrumptious!”

“Whatever you say,” the playful Tod replied with a giggle and flick of his fluffy tail. “I’ll stick to milk, thank you very much!” It was Dinky’s turn to express his distaste, which made Tod laugh again, his tail playfully swishing away. “Well, congratulations! I’ll let you know if I ever sink my teeth into something tasty one day… What do bigger foxes eat anyway?”

“Not birds!” Dinky said, way too quickly to convince most… but Tod was very young, and very trusting of his friends. The cub did quirk his head to the side, though, an ear going askew. “Ah… ask Big Mama. She can tell you all about that. When you’re older of course!” Dinky bounced around in place a couple times and fanned his wings out. “Anyway gotta go! Remember we’re friends forever, no matter how hungry we get!” he insisted, really wanting to make sure Tod didn’t get any funny ideas. If that particular scenario would arise, it would be months from now, and nothing to worry about for a long time. Tod waved goodbye as Dinky returned to his nest. The goldfinch had no worries, a full belly of completely-digested Squeaks, and was ready for nice long nap. He budged up against Boomer, who of course was still napping away, and settled down. The plush underbelly Dinky still carried squished out comfortably, and the fullness he got from it warmed the goldfinch’s heart. He was set for winter, and the elusive caterpillar was now all his. Dinky fell asleep with a wide smile across his beak, and had many happy dreams about his scrumptious victory.