A tremendous rumbling rouses the monumental black dragon Manian from his slumber. Making the slow crawl toward wakefulness Manian rubs the sleep from his striking, icy-blue eyes. As the echo of the great growl diminishes Manian realizes that the sound emanated from his own stomach. He scratches his hungry belly with his claws and rises from his inviting nest. Once risen Manian stretches to his fullest extent. His light-blue wings expand to nearly touch the roof of his cave home. His back arches with audible pops and he swishes his muscular hindquarters in the air. The blue, feathered frills along his back quiver as Manian finishes his stretch and makes his way toward the cave entrance. The radiant sunlight and the pleasant scent of yesterday’s rain tell of a beautiful day; perfect for hunting. 

Manian has made a routine of first hunting and gorging himself on any prey he can get his claws on then sleeping for days until his hunger awakens him again. To his mounting excitement it is time for Manian to hunt again. He steps now into the midday sun, scales and horns glistening regally. At the mouth of his cave, perched high above the treetops Manian uses his piercing eyesight to stalk for entertaining prey. A single tree nearly one mile away twitches as though something had just alighted from its branches. Manian recalls that some of his favorite prey have been known to hide in trees. This particular movement of the tree is a clear indication of the prey animal.

Without a second thought Manian takes flight. He flaps his huge wings twice to gain altitude before falling into a glide. He keeps his eyes trained on the tree that had jostled as his wings carry his massive form forward. The sun is thankfully ahead of him which means his shadow won’t betray his approach. When he is nearly above the tree of interest Manian flaps in reverse to kill some of his speed. He licks his chops as he drops to the ground below. There is a tremendous boom as the dragon lands. He sweeps his long neck to blow away the cloud of dust. He can hear a telltale rustling behind a nearby tree. Certain of what will happen next Manian rests on his haunches. After half a minute a human wielding a crossbow launches from behind the tree. On his belt is a small, bloody mammal, presumably what he had dropped from his tree to catch.

“Back dragon! I have no quarrel with you. Leave me be!” The startled human yells.

‘I love this part’ Manian thinks, chuckling inwardly. ‘I have no alliance with your kind. I am hungry and you are food.’ A devilish smile grows on Manian’s lips revealing his rows of sharp, dripping teeth. Startled by Manian’s response the human releases his arrow. The human is a good shot and if his shot had struck an inch or two nearer to Manian’s chest it may have penetrated somewhat. As it was the arrow struck Manian’s shoulder and bounced pathetically to the ground. Sensing his impossibly hopeless situation the human stumbles backward mouth agape. Manian rises and slowly stalks toward his chosen prey. Seeing him now nearly drives Manian mad with hunger. As Manian’s shockingly heavy footfalls approach the human stutteringly tries to fetch another arrow. But before he can grip one Manian strikes and grabs the human in one enormous hand.

The human goes limp as Manian raises his hand to inspect his catch. When he opens his fingers he finds the human cowering with his face in his hands. The human is roughly the size of one of Manian’s knuckles and balled up as he is feels similar to a large marble to the dragon. Realizing he is being watched the human peeks up from his hands and into Manian’s looming face. The pitiful human screams.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. Please don’t eat me. I have a family to feed… Please don’t.” The human pleads on hands and knees. 

Manian hears none of this. His cool-blue irises have elongated and he stares at the human with an all-consuming hunger. The feeble pleas of the human, in fact, only tickle the animalistic and predatory aspect of Manian’s brain. Deciding he has had enough fun tormenting his prey Manian lifts his other hand and with two claws lifts the human by his leg over his gaping maw. The human lets out a final scream before the dragon lets his prey fall straight into his warm, hungry mouth. The human lands with a splat on the back of Manian’s tongue. Finding a fresh opportunity for torment Manian leaves his mouth agape as the human tries to climb from the base of the dragon’s tongue. It is thick with saliva and the roof of Manian’s mouth is tightly above him. The human slowly manages to climb up Manian’s tongue and closer to freedom. But just as the human has enough room to stand on Manian’s broad tongue the dragon shuts his mouth tauntingly slowly. The zigzag outline of Manian’s gnashing teeth against the sunlight is the last sight the human has before with a gulp Manian draws him into his throat.


The human is pressed on all sides by the slimy and muscular lining of the dragon’s throat. He is compressed at odd intervals by the swallowing muscles. He can barely move an inch as he slides deeper and deeper into Manian’s belly. Finally with a feeble yell the human descends into Manian’s stomach where he will remain immobilized, awaiting digestion. As the human yells Manian rubs his stomach and feels the faint vibration of the sound. While the dragon enjoyed his sadistic game the human could barely qualify as a snack. He would need to hunt down some more … filling quarry. 

Manian sat back on his haunches and tried to sense potential prey in the vicinity. The frills around the dragon’s temples are extra sensitive to sounds and serve to enhance Manian’s hearing. The feathers on his right side twitch. A target has been found. Manian can hear the distant pounding of footsteps. It is bipedal and enormous. Most likely a member of the resident saurian population. They often roam while the dragon is slumbering. Even they fear the hungry blue beast. Keen for some exercise Manian stands on all fours and prepares to chase the dinosaur down. Standing thusly Manian’s shoulders are level with the tree tops and his head extends well above. He will be upon his prey in minutes. 

Anxious for a more filling meal Manian’s legs tense before he launches himself forward. The trees in his path are merely annoyances. With his immense hind paws Manian tramples the ground and leaves huge, deep paw prints. As he is running he can feel the human struggling and pushing weakly at his stomach lining. The dragon smirks. He can sense that the dinosaur is just ahead. It had heard Manian’s intentionally thunderous approach and is presently attempting to flee. When the trees ahead of him part Manian gets a look at his next meal. While relatively the size of a small dog to Manian the dinosaur is a plump and sinuous specimen. Its thick, strong legs propel its hefty girth forward at an impressive clip. 

When Manian closes in sufficiently he lifts one hand and brings it down on top of the lesser reptile. The dragon’s enormous hand presses the dinosaur into the ground, its feet kick helplessly. Manian lifts the dinosaur into the air. The giant reptile is a sausage squirming and writhing in the dragons claws. It lets out a growl so pitiful that the dragon snorts aloud. With the dinosaur’s taut, muscular form still struggling Manian brings the creature to his mouth and works his tongue around it. He lets his saliva coat the creature’s broad head. The leathery creature has a vaguely salty taste, Manian’s favorite. With agonizing slowness the dragon lowers the dinosaur into his dark, gaping maw. When it is fully inside Manian shuts his mouth, but doesn’t swallow. He allows the dinosaur to attempt to flee for his own sadistic satisfaction. Manian can feel the dinosaur stomping on his tongue and ramming the interior of his teeth. 

The dinosaur finally tires and collapses on Manian’s wide tongue. When he does so Manian begins to swallow. The dinosaur claws feebly at the dragon’s tongue, but can gain no purchase. He drops into the throat where he becomes coated in the giant dragon’s saliva. The dinosaur notices the passage is a tight squeeze. He is entirely immobilized by the pressure, yet he attempts to move. The dragon’s blue-scaled throat is distended into a round lump as his meal continues its hopeless descent. Soon the dinosaur reaches Manian’s digestive muscles which painfully massage him and drag him deeper. The creature can hear only the squelches and squeals of Manian’s innards. He experiences a rumbling as Manian lays on his back and growls in pleasure. At last the dinosaur slips into a relatively open space. Here waits the human Manian had consumed earlier. The stomach’s two occupants are now pressed impossibly close to one another. Blind as they are they can only feel that the other is there. Neither can move and both groan and squirm ineffectually.

Manian lays on his back against a grove of trees he had felled. He moans in contentment. Running his hands over his rounded belly he can feel his meal grumbling and groaning. This had been a substantial meal. When his meal has digested further Manian will hunt down more and larger prey for typically a week’s time or until he is fully sated. But for now the black dragon relishes the fullness and the perverse glee he receives from swallowing lesser animals whole.