Chapter 4 is here, and was a lot of work to edit, so let me know if you spot any errors.

There's lots of vore in this chapter, so enjoy!

Chapter 4

When Sam awoke, it was still dark. There was something peculiar about this darkness, but surrounded by comfortable softness and still mostly asleep, she couldn’t find the will to care. The warmth was soothing and the embrace of sleep was once again closing over her when Sam became dimly aware of a shift in the darkness around her. Shrugging it off, she again began to drift off when the environment shifted again. Suddenly feeling very much awake, she felt the first tendrils of trepidation closing in. ‘Where am I?’

Suddenly, the world heaved upwards, and Sam found herself squinting into harsh, bright sunlight. As her eyes adjusted, she stiffened in wild, uncontrollable fear, seeing a gull spreading his gigantic wings right above her, bill yawning widely, huge jaws gaping above her. She stood frozen in horror at the sight of the morning sun illuminating the inside of the predator’s mouth, dull terror throbbing in her chest as she caught sight of the glistening tongue flowing smoothly into the dark throat, big enough to swallow her whole!

And then the events of the previous day came flooding back, and as she remembered, Sam began to feel control return. Yet still she couldn’t take her eyes off the sight before her. For a short moment, the cruel jaws shone in the sun, leaving no doubt as to Jake's predatory nature. The upper mandible was curved and wickedly sharp, reminiscent of a raptor. The gull's palate was ridged, evolved with tiny serrations to be slippery one way and rough the other. The ridges ran down the length of the bill, stretching straight inwards. In fact, the entire mouth suggested one direction and one direction only. Any prey unfortunate enough to be caught in those jaws would be forced straight inwards. The lower mandible, with its red spot was equally impressive. Brutally curved downwards at the tip to aid in swallowing, the lower mandible was also capable of unhinging to allow Jake to swallow larger prey.

Finally, the view was whisked from her sight as Jake closed his mouth. Having completed his yawn, he stretched his neck skywards and stood up from the ground, shaking his head to clear the sleep from his mind. Blinking, he cast his gaze fondly downwards.

“Good morning Sam. Did you sleep well?”

Shakily regaining her composure, Sam replied “Y...yes, I did sleep pretty well after you...”

She trailed off for second and then continued.

“It…was nice, I wasn't expecting …that…though!”

Jake smiled awkwardly.

“Well, you looked pretty cold last night and I thought you could use some company. I'm sorry if it was too close. I won't do it again if you don't want me to.”

Sam cast her eyes upon the ground.

“I... well, I was alright. I guess it was a bit cold...”

She trailed off in embarrassment, not wanting to cause offense. Inwardly, she had to admit that she had enjoyed it. The soft warmth of Jake’s feathers had provided much needed comfort after the ordeals of the previous day, and his presence was strangely calming and reassuring. Still, she hardly knew him, and didn’t trust the predator to be so close to her while she slept.

Sensing her unease, Jake changed the subject.

“So, how about some breakfast? I bet I can catch you a tasty herring if you're interested?”

“That sounds good. I could use something to eat.”

“Okay then. I'll be back in a few.”

Casting her a quick grin, Jake jumped through the cave entrance, taking skillfully to the air just outside.

……….

Jake soared smoothly down to the tranquil waters below, surveying the smooth crystalline depths with his sharp binocular vision. It was a lovely morning. The sun shone over the glassy water which was not disturbed by a single breath of wind. The heat of the sun was already strong, and it was rapidly burning off the remaining mist. The grey cliffs of Seascape Reach looked drab and barren as ever, but the water shone with a green crystalline clarity that resembled poured glass. It was a good weather for fish spotting.

Despite the clear glossy surface of the ocean sparkling gently below, there was no sign of a tasty fish anywhere. Scanning the dark waters intently, Jake floated lazily on the morning breeze, in wait for some sign of prey. From here he could just see gusts of wind beginning to ruffle the water. Looking closer, Jake noticed some of those ripples were not traveling the same direction as the others. This was it. He dove down, inclining steeply before leveling off at great speed just above the water's surface. Gulls never dive completely into the water. They prefer to skim over the top, picking off whatever prey wanders too close to the surface. Jake did just that, swooping rapidly over the school of fish and snatching one deftly out of the water with his beak. This one was too large for Sam to swallow easily, but there was no point wasting a perfectly good meal.

Jake tilted his head back, clacking his beak forwards and swallowing his still wriggling prey whole. His neck feathers protruded slightly as his salty breakfast was forced slimily down his gullet. The big meal was still fighting back, so he swallowed again, squeezing the prey downwards to fill his empty crop.

‘Tasty!’

Satisfied, Jake paused for moment, stomaching his prey before taking to the air once more. Sailing smoothly across the green water, he quickly relocated the school of fish and picked out his intended quarry. Judging by the size this time, he descended swiftly upon the unsuspecting fish and grabbed it from the water. Eyeing his catch, he noted with satisfaction that it was indeed a herring. Flapping his wings, he lifted himself gently back into the air and then banked sharply for home, ascending rapidly upwards towards the cliffs of Seascape.

……….

Sam was surprised and impressed when Jake showed her the herring he had caught. She hadn't expected him to be able to find one at all. Smiling shyly up at him, she reached forwards, gingerly taking the fish with her bill and carrying it a safe distance away. Until now she hadn’t realized just how hungry she was. The squirming fish tasted of the sea, and was cool and refreshing against her tongue, still alive as she hungrily gulped it down. A slight bulge distended her feathers as it slipped down her throat, leaving her with a pleasantly full belly. Then, ashamed, she realized she hadn’t left any for Jake, before remembering what he’d said the day before. ‘That whole thing’s not enough for me’

“What are you eating?” she blurted, suddenly curious what was enough for such a big bird.

“A bigger fish, which I already ate” Jake said dismissively.

Sam was confused. “Wouldn’t you rather eat in here though? It's a lot more protected.”

Jake shifted nervously, and cast his gaze out to sea.

"Nah. This way I don't have to go out twice, and you don't have to eat alone!"

Sam supposed she did prefer the company, and Jake didn’t seem to want to explain any further, so she dropped the subject. Sensing the silence, Jake changed the subject.

“So Sam, where were you heading before the storm the other night? I’ve never seen a puffin this far south.”

“I was on migration.”

“Oh! Migration...”

Jake paused and cocked his head in confusion.

“I thought you were older.”


Sam recognized his confusion. Migration was traditionally the first long trip made by newly fledged puffins each year. She was on a second migration, having fully fledged three seasons ago.

“Oh no! I made the first-trip three years ago” she explained.

“This is my second migration. More like a sabbatical really, I went out because-”

She stopped, not sure she wanted to share the mixed feelings that lead her on a second migration.

“I wanted to experience something different than the overcrowded colonies on Egg Rock.”

“Okay, three years makes more sense, seeing as you have your full plumage. That’d make you the same age as me. I'm a fourth-season gull, I got my adult plumage about seven months ago.”

“I...It's very nice” Sam complimented, not sure exactly what to say. She hadn't actually thought about how old Jake might be, she had assumed he was older than her, but now that she looked more closely, it was obvious he was a young bird.

“I'm glad you like it!” he said, obviously amused by the compliment. Extending his wings, he comically showed off his span, grinning and emphasizing their colors (or lack thereof) with a nod of his head.

“It's pretty run of the mill for a gull: black on white”

Seeing his wings extended to their natural six-foot span reminded her with a shudder just how large Jake was. Still, she smiled, finding his antics amusing despite being intimidated.

Jake looked to the side, first at one wing than at the other.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll have a preen.”

This consisted of methodically running his bill through his feathers, a daily avian ritual to keep them clean and aerodynamic. Sam realized she was in desperate need of it herself. Her feathers were still filthy from her ordeal two nights ago. She joined Jake, preening her feathers as well as she could. What she really needed was a bath, but unable to fly, she would have to make do without it.

Half an hour later her feathers still hadn't recovered. Jake had finished preening a while ago, and had fallen asleep, head tucked under his wing. The breeze was whispering coolly through the cave entrance now, driven by the sun. Already it was much warmer than it had been the night before.

Through the cave entrance, Sam could see miles out to sea. Carefully, she stepped towards the cave entrance to get a better view, moving quietly past Jake to avoid disturbing him. Despite her care, his head shot up alertly, snapping awake faster than she would have thought possible. Sam flinched away in surprise at the sudden motion, backing several steps away.

“Oh, Sam! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm used to sleeping alone.”

“It's fine. I didn't realize I was being THAT noisy.”

Jake laughed.

“No, really you were very quiet. I'm a light sleeper. What were you doing?”

“I was trying to get a better view. It looks like a nice day outside.”

“Weather’s coming” Jake said matter-of-factly.

A sudden gust of wind blasted through the entrance of the cave, ruffling Sam's feathers as it passed. The gust was heavy and moist, carrying a surprising coldness with it.

“How did you know?”

“It rains every afternoon this time of year.”

“Oh”

Sam had been expecting a better explanation. Jake seemed highly intelligent, and she almost expected him to know the reason for the weather after her quick biology lesson yesterday.


Jake looked like he was about to say something else when suddenly, a raucous challenge echoed from outside. Sam could hear a rush of feathers as someone buzzed the cliff ledge outside.

“Hide! Quickly!” Jake whispered, before stepping out to face the intruder.

……….

Outside it was already beginning to rain, fat drops beading up and rolling down the cliff face. Jake looked upwards, spotting two colony gulls circling above, raucously challenging him to come out. They were both black backs. The larger one was about his size, while the other appeared smaller. He was likely an apprentice and a newly-fledged; his feathers still had streaks of brown in them.

Upon seeing Jake, the larger gull dropped downwards and landed, aggressively stepping forward in a fighting stance, head upright and wings raised to either side. Since it fell away during the storm, there wasn't much room on the ledge for this type of behavior. In fact, there was barely room for two gulls to land on it at the same time.

Seeing that Jake was unfazed by his show of aggression, the other spoke, eyeing the cave entrance disdainfully.

“Stand aside. We are searching this…hole for prey concealment.”

“Prey concealment. How original. Did you come up with that yourself, or is the head gull unable to find a better excuse to harass me?”

“You reside within the territory of Brandon Island, and therefore must pay tribute to the head gull. Keeping live prey in colony territory is not permitted.”

“Sorry, I don't accept that authority on Tuesday. You'll have to come back tomorrow.”

The “official” looked angry now.

“On the authority of the head gull, I order you to step aside. We will search your living quarters to receive the required prey tribute.”



“You will not. This wasn't colony territory when I claimed it, and it still isn't. The head gull over-steps his authority.”

“Your arrogance grows tiresome. Move aside now or you shall be removed by force.”

Jake sighed, realizing this would probably end in a fight.

“An old fuck and a newly fledged…maybe you had a chance ten years ago. I wouldn’t try it now.”

The official stiffened in rage.

“You...will...step...aside NOW!”

“Sorry, please try again later” Jake quipped.

“You cocky bastard!”

The official lunged forward, aiming for Jake’s eyes with his bill. It was a cheap shot, meant to end the fight quickly, and Jake had anticipated it from the start. Quickly, he ducked down and came up for the gull’s neck, drawing blood as he snapped savagely at his opponent's throat. The colony gull screeched in pain and rage at the blow and redoubled the strength of his attack, fighting viciously to gain an advantage. Seeing how the fight was going for his mentor, the apprentice was descending uncertainly now, hovering over the fight as if to join in.

“Stay back!” the official grunted.

“This one is mine!”

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Jake lunged forward, clamping his jaws down around his enemy's neck. Caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack, the official fell to ground. Jake pinned him down, flapping his wings to get better purchase. The other gull struggled fiercely under him, trying desperately to escape the locking grip around his neck, but Jake was the stronger of the two, and quickly had the official begging for mercy.

“Please…” he wheezed

Jake smiled, wiping a smear of blood from his beak against his right wing.
“Tell your boss he’s a coward, and if he wants his precious tribute, he can come and get it himself. Understand?”

Gasping for breath, the official nodded.

“Now get out of my sight” Jake said, shoving him roughly off the cliffside.

A moment later, he rose above the ledge, circling once and shouting downwards,

“Mark my words, you will pay for this! We'll be back, and we'll see who the coward is then!"

“I’d suggest sending someone less fat next time” Jake called back, knowing that the words only made things worse. He couldn’t help himself.

The colony gulls banked sharply away, sailing off in the direction of Brandon island. Jake sighed with relief as the two dwindled into the distance, fading into the rain. He stepped inside.

……….

“Sam?... It’s safe to come out now.”

Sam peered tentatively out from behind a large boulder. She was still reeling from the shocking violence that had exploded outside the cave entrance a few moments ago. Jake took a step closer, carefully to avoid intimidating her.

“Oh Jake, what was that?” She asked fearfully, stumbling in her fear as she did so and tripping into his feathers.

“Shhh, everything's going to be okay, you're safe now” Jake whispered soothingly, gently consoling her. Sam could feel herself shivering from the fear as he gently cradled her, enveloping her trembling body in a soft blanket of feathers, comforting her with his warmth. Sam took a deep breath, trying to relax.

“They... they came for me, didn't they?”

Jake grimaced, obviously pained by what he was about to tell her.

“Listen Sam” he said.

“It's not safe for you here anymore. Those colony gulls were looking for tribute, and they'll be back tonight in bigger numbers.”

“T...tribute? W...what are they g...going to do to me?” Sam asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

“If they find you, they’ll take you to the head gull, who will eat you.”

Sam shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being eaten alive.

“I can hide. They won't be able find me in here, Right? You can protect me, you fought them off before.”

The words sounded hollow. Jake would probably be hopelessly outnumbered in any fight against the colony, and she knew it.

“I can't stop them, there'll be too many to fight. If I tried, they’ll kill me too.”

Sam was beginning to feel sick. After all this time, she would end up eaten, killed the very way she had narrowly escaped just two days before. All the pain and fear and doubt and blind luck had been for nothing. She was crippled and helpless, with no way to escape.

“W... what c... can I do?” she asked. Sam was beginning to feel a hint of desperation creeping slowly into her heart.

“You need to leave. Get far away from here… I need to leave. The colony’s after my neck now, too.”

“I can't... my wing is broken, I can't fly, I can barely walk!”

“I know. That's why I'm going to help you.”

Sam stopped for a moment, suddenly feeling a glimmer of hope.

“C...could you carry me?”

“I could, but not past a whole colony that hates my guts. I can't outrun them carrying a puffin in my mouth.”

“There's no way to get past them?”

“There's no way out of here without passing Brandon island. The guards would see you if we tried. Unless-”

“Unless what?”

Jake shifted uncomfortably, mulling something over. “It would probably work...”

He trailed off awkwardly, and fixed his gaze rigidly on the stone wall of the cave.

“What would work?” Sam asked.

“Jake please tell me, what would work?”

“I was thinking, if we had a way to hide you while I was carrying you, we could probably trick the colony lookouts long enough to get past them. We'd need some way to make it look like you aren't even there, otherwise it wouldn't work.”

“Okay, but how can we do that?”

“You won't like it.”

“They're going to EAT me! What could be worse than that? Come on, just tell me. I'd try anything to get out of this!”

“Okay, just remember you don't have to do this if you don't want to, it’s just an idea.”

Jake looked uncomfortable.

“I know. You can tell me. I'm willing try anything” Sam said softly.

“All right then. I...”

Trailing off, Jake regained his composure and started again. He looked embarrassed even suggesting this.

“Before I tell you, just remember that you absolutely don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. You’re not going to like what I'm about to say.”

“Go ahead! Anything would be better than being eaten!”

Jake sighed nervously and looked her straight in the eye.

“To make the plan really work, that's just what you'd have to do.”

A moment passed in shocked silence. Sam stared at him aghast. Jake took a step back to give her some breathing room while the implications of what he said sunk in.

‘Did he really just say that?’

A dizzying wave of emotion assaulted her as she struggled to find words to match the gravity of the situation. Strangely she felt no fear. Jake's reassuring words from a few moments before were still fresh in her mind. In a stupor, she blurted,

“Wait, would that work?”

Jake looked at her curiously, cocking his head off to one side. He looked surprised that she was still interested in the idea.

“I think so” he answered.

“I've eaten things your size before. If you don't struggle it should be pretty easy.”

“What about my wing?” Sam asked.

“It probably won't survive-” She swallowed nervously “-the trip down.”

Sam had seen gulls take puffins before. Being swallowed had looked nothing short of bone crushing. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought and forced herself to be calm. She had to remember that this was very different from an act of predation.

“Oh no, don't worry about that, I'd swallow you whole. It would be very gentle” said Jake.

“What about... digestion?” she asked. Jake looked a little uncomfortable. This was a somewhat embarrassing conversation to have with someone you had only just met.

“You'll only be in my belly for a short amount of time” he said, shifting slightly and stretching his wings.

“Not long enough for digestive processes to set in.”

“Oh.”

Sam felt slightly overwhelmed at the strangeness of it all.

“I think I need some time to think about this.”

Jake stepped back.

“Sure, take your time.”

Without her wing, there was no way Sam could leave under her own power. There were only two real options. She could stay here and risk being eaten, or she could trust Jake and let him eat her. She still didn't trust him. Couldn't trust him. He was a predator, killing her would be in his very nature. Still, the fact she was still alive spoke for itself. If Jake took advantage of the situation, she would die, but at least there was a good chance he wouldn’t. If the colony gulls found her with a broken wing, they wouldn’t show the same mercy.

Sam shuddered, not believing she was agreeing to this.

“I'll do it!”

Jake visibly relaxed, clearly relieved she didn’t think he was crazy.

“Great! I think we can make this work. We'll wait until its dark and then I'll fly us out of here, right past the guards!”

Sam nodded, taking time to absorb the magnitude of her commitment. She would be swallowed up, gulped down whole and alive, willingly giving herself up to a predator. She shivered, hoping that this would not prove to be a grave mistake. Jake picked up on her trepidation and moved closer to her, golden eyes gazing reassuringly down at her.

“I know it's going to be scary” he said.

“You are very brave agreeing to do this. I don’t know anyone else who would be willing to give themselves up like that.”

She nodded appreciatively, burying herself against him, trying to keep her mind off what was about to happen.

“If we wait until after dark won't that be cutting it a bit fine with the officials?” She asked.

“Nah, it always takes them a long time to get moving. The Brandon island colony is not what you might call organized. Besides, they'll want to catch me off guard which means coming when we are asleep. I’ve dealt with them before, just not like this.”

“Why risk waiting that long?” Sam asked, almost wanting to get it over with quickly rather than wait around dreading it.

“If it’s dark, it’ll be easier to get past the colony without them noticing” Jake said.

“Trust me, it’ll be better that way.”

“Okay” Sam said, realizing she was already placing a lot of trust in him as it was.

……….

The hours passed slowly as Sam watched the sunlight slant further and further across the cave floor. The gold shone brightly against the drab rock, highlighting every crack and crevice with miniature shadows. Jake was pacing restlessly back and forth, gazing repeatedly at the sun with each turn. She admired the precision with what he moved. Each step was smooth and well balanced, suggesting coordination and strength of movement.

Eying his gently curved neck tapering elegantly up to his fierce bill, Sam found herself wondering what it would be like to be snapped up in those jaws and swallowed, pressed helplessly inside those feathers. With the sun striking his plumage, Jake looked truly magnificent, the stark black of his back standing out in sharp contrast to the creamy white of the rest of his feathers. Feeling her gaze on him, Jake stopped pacing and looked at her. The cave dimmed slightly as the last rays of the sun disappeared beneath the sea.

……….

Time wore on and the darkness grew into pitch outside the cave entrance. Now that the sun was gone, the air was cooling off quickly. Sam shivered, and began counting the pebbles strewn across the floor to take her mind off of the fear that was gnawing inside of her. She was hungry; they both were, but Jake dared not leave her alone for an instant. The colony gulls would come for her if they discovered she was alone. The moon rose, shining dimly on the ocean's surface. It was a waning crescent, a small sliver that barely lit the outside world. Still, it would make things more complicated for Jake. Sam began to pace back and forth nervously, mentally preparing herself for the ordeal that waited just minutes ahead. A gentle night breeze had spring up, scudding clouds across the dark sky. The light dimmed as one passed over the moon. Jake stood up, turning towards her.

Sam swallowed dryly.

“Is it time?”

He nodded, casting his steely gaze across her body as he assumed a predatory stance. For some strange reason, Sam was aware of a predatory excitement in Jake's movement as he advanced towards her. His jaws were held agape slightly, poised and ready to swallow her up. Shuddering, she realized she was beginning to feel some of his anticipation herself! She kneeled submissively as he approached, playing the role of the trapped prey. Interestingly enough, now that the moment had arrived her fear had subsided somewhat.

Jake smiled inwardly to himself as he established dominance over her. He gave her a reassuring grin before lowering his head down towards her and gaping his jaws wide above her. She could see rivulets of drool cascading across his long, glistening tongue as it flowed rippling into his dark throat. Glistening strings of gooey saliva dripped from Jake's slavering jaws as he lowered his curved predatory bill around her. She could feel the heat of his breath on her feathers, and suddenly the wet warmth of his tongue as he eagerly tasted her. She shivered at his teasing lick with his long, wet tongue, feeling a wave of thrilling fear at the feeling of the predator's warm avian spit matting down her feathers.

Jake carefully lowered his jaws around the prey huddled below him. He licked her playfully, getting a first taste of his meal. It awoke a predatory instinct deep within him, urging him to swallow her and be done with it. Obligingly, he acquiesced, clamping his beak down on her midsection.

Sam felt Jake's sharp upper mandible press on her back as he glommed down on her, but as promised, it didn't hurt. His warm tongue pressed wetly against her, matting down her feathers with thick, warm drool.

Jake gently firmed his grip, enjoying the taste of living prey on his tongue. Once Sam was firmly grasped within his jaws, he raised his head, lifting his prey into the air. With a practiced predatory jerk, he tossed her further into his waiting mouth. He repeated the maneuver, working his jaws and pulling inwards with his tongue until she was almost completely inside.

Sam felt her feet leave the ground as Jake lifted her effortlessly into the air. He tossed his head back, eagerly sliding her deeper into his hungry mouth. She felt his jaws working around her, hungrily snapping her up as his slick tongue pushed up against her chest. He pulled her inwards on it, sliding her deeper into his jaws until she was almost completely inside.

Salivating in anticipation for what was to come next, Jake tilted his head back and opened his mouth wider, loosening the muscles in his throat to allow his prey to slide the rest of the way into his jaws. He spread his wings for balance, flapping to help gravity pull her the rest of the way into his mouth.

As Jake jerked his head upwards, Sam felt herself begin to slide down his long, slick tongue towards the back of his throat. His jaws came completely around her as Jake flapped his wings and thrust his beak forward, eagerly scarfing her the rest of the way into his mouth. Her head slid into the edge of his gullet as he guided her feet into his jaws with his tongue. She felt the curved tip of his upper mandible brush lightly past her feet as Jake closed his mouth around her. Sealed tightly inside his hungry jaws, she was no more than food, the next prey to be eaten by this magnificent predator. His quavering, wet tongue supported her from beneath, while his warm, ridged palate pressed softly upon her back. She trembled slightly in the tight slimy darkness of the gull's drooling mouth, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for what would come next.

Jake paused a moment enjoying the feeling of live prey squirming on his tongue. He licked and tasted her, savoring her delicious flavor. He drooled, reveling in the taste and texture of his living prey. Sam felt Jake's tongue rub across her belly as he tasted her, coating her in his thick, avian saliva. He continued to lick her, soaking her in wet drool and slaver. She was also being drenched in drool from above as he lavished and slurped her with his tongue. She felt his warm saliva matting down her feathers, soaking her down to a gullet sized morsel as he teased her with his long, wet tongue. He continued licking her, enjoying her delicious flavor, and savoring the way she filled his mouth entirely. The sensation awoke a predatory urge to feed within him. He spread his wings wide for balance and swallowed, forcing the prey into his waiting gullet.

After one final lick, Sam felt Jake tilt his head back and swallow. His long tongue surged beneath her as he gulped, slimily squelching her and much of the drool surrounding her head first into his waiting throat.

Jake’s neck feathers protruded slightly as the prey was forced into his gullet with an audible ‘ulk!’

Sam felt a wave of fear wash through her as the tight throat convulsed around her. She shuddered involuntarily at the helpless feeling of being swallowed whole by a hungry predator. Jake swallowed a second time, forcing the lump in his neck deeper into his throat. He reveled in predatory delight, enjoying the feeling of the helpless prey sliding deeper into his gullet. Jake felt the food become lodged in his neck, so he swallowed a third time, forcing the bulge in his throat further through his gullet and into his chest. Sam felt her progress slow until another convulsion pushed her deeper, forcing her into a section of throat that was more horizontal than vertical. She could tell she was nearing Jake's hungry belly now.

Jake angled his body back, and gulped once more to force the long lump in his chest the rest of the way into his waiting stomach. He flapped his wings to aid the prey's progress towards his belly. Sam felt herself tilted forward as Jake angled his body back, using gravity to help him swallow her. The slick walls of the gullet convulsed one last time as the predator swallowed powerfully, squeezing her the rest of the way into his waiting belly. She flopped into his tight stomach, coated in saliva and gullet slime. The gull's crop stretched to take in her body entirely as his gullet sealed shut behind her.

Jake felt the prey slide into his stomach and heaved a sigh of contentment. A wonderful full feeling spread through him as Sam filled his belly. He folded his wings and ruffled his feathers enjoying weight of a living meal imprisoned inside of him. Jake was surprised by how easy it had been to swallow her, Sam hadn't struggled much beyond a few nervous wriggles as she slipped down his gullet. He could feel her squirming nervously in his belly, a satisfying feeling that pleased the darker side of his predatory nature. It wanted him to stop and rest after eating such a large meal, but Jake ignored his instinctual urges, feeling guilty that he had enjoyed eating the puffin in the first place. Regardless of trying to be gentle, he had made it last longer than it should have.

“You did just fine” he said loudly, hoping Sam could hear it stuffed inside his crop. There was a slight wiggle, and some sort of muffled acknowledgement, which sounded strange coming from inside his stomach. Remembering he meant this meal to survive, Jake swallowed some air and then took flight, flapping his wings vigorously so they almost met as he took off, heavily gaining altitude. Flying immediately after a meal always gave him an upset stomach, but that was the point, no digestion.

The cloud was already halfway across the moon by the time Jake reached to top edge of the cliff. He skirted its edge, rapidly skimming just inches over its surface to avoid detection. This low profile flying required much concentration, yet still Jake couldn't help but enjoy the thrilling rush of night air that accompanied such swift flight. Situated as he was now, he had the least chance of being spotted, residing on the boundary between dark cliff and light sky. Twice he had to suppress nausea, straining to maintain control as he fought the urge to be sick. With the rush of night air over his wings however, the feeling quickly faded and he sailed onwards, making for the southern channel past Brandon island.

Seascape Reach is roughly crescent shaped, with craggy cliffs topped by shady forest encircling a small cove. Brandon island is situated in the middle, slightly towards the southern end of the reach. It stretches mostly across the bay with two channels on either side separating it from the mainland and forming a sheltered lagoon fished by the many seabirds that occupy the area. These channels are the only ways in and out of seascape, and both lead directly past Brandon island and its lookouts. The shore inland of the cliffs is covered in miles of dense forest, an inhospitable environment to say the least for seabirds, while any other route would take you directly through Brandon Island.

Jake chose the southern passage after doing a quick survey of is surroundings because it was closer and narrower than the northern one, offering less chance of being detected. He was about two thirds of the way around the cliff face when he caught sight of movement ahead of him and to his left. There were several large shapes gliding leisurely yet purposefully through the night air, heading directly for his cave. The colony patrol had come far earlier than he expected, and once they discovered he was missing, there would probably be a search of the reach. They were unlikely to show him any mercy if they caught him, he’d had one fight too many this time.

He had to get out to sea as quick as possible, before being noticed. Banking sharply to the right to avoid a direct confrontation, Jake began a mad dash across the open water for the southern passage. Hopefully he would make it before he lost his cloud cover completely. Racing for the pass as fast as he could, Jake dove down to take advantage of added lift from the water's surface to gain greater speed. The sea flashed by below at a thrilling pace as he surged onwards towards his goal. The gap was close ahead now, one hundred yards. The moon was beginning to show hazily through the clouds, he had just seconds left now. Fifty yards. Jake could hear raucous voices rising from the cliffs behind him. Without looking back, he urged himself on. Faster! Ten yards. Five. And then he was through! There was no indication from above that he had been spotted, but Jake did not slacken his pace. They would know he had escaped soon enough.

Jake made for King Island, a long narrow stretch of rocky spit about two miles from shore. It was not a well sheltered island, but it was the only place close enough to hawk Sam up. Moving at such a tremendous pace, he would be there in three minutes. There were many raucous calls and shouts rising from behind now and when he glanced back, Jake saw several birds rising from Brandon island.

At that moment, the clouds scudded the rest of the way free of the moon, bathing the world in milky white glow. The colonists could definitely see him now. He pushed onwards without breaking stride in the hope that they hadn't spotted him, willing himself forwards. King Island loomed ahead in the darkness. Tantalizingly close now, it looked less than a mile away.

Jake glanced back again and to his dismay saw that he was being followed. The patrol had made up enough ground that he could already see the hard curves of their bodies and the black and white of their plumage in the moonlight. Jake knew they were chasing to kill, with vengeance and fear of their head gull as effective a motivation as any. He had mocked and humiliated nearly everyone on the patrol at one point or another over the last few weeks, and as far as they were concerned, he deserved it.

Outnumbered as he was, Jake’s only chance was to try and outlast them, as he wouldn’t be outrunning anyone weighed down by a full belly.

Turning away from King Island and heading parallel to shore, Jake brought all his powers of flight to bear and focused on staying ahead of his pursuers. Pure blinding speed was something he had always been good at. He was larger and stronger than the average gull and his former life in a flock had served him well in the avenue of skill. Tearing across the water at full speed, he managed nearly to match the speed of the others despite his disadvantage.

Hunters and quarry continued this way for what seemed like hours, the chase dragging out across mile after mile of dark unending ocean, tiring and slowing as time passed on. Jake was beginning to feel the stress of flying hard for so long. His wings ached, and his chest heaved with the exertion of keeping pace. He knew the patrol must be tiring rapidly as well. They had pursued him with remarkable zeal and Jake was surprised they had kept the chase this long. He wasn’t sure whether it was anger over their bludgeoned comrade, or fear of retribution from the head gull that kept them going, but whatever it was, Jake sensed they wouldn’t be bothered to follow much longer.

Ahead was an island, dark and wooded, the perfect place to shake them off. Slowly, it grew larger on the horizon. He sprinted the last agonizing mile as fast as his rapidly tiring body would allow, gaining some small distance on the tired patrol. Adrenaline coursed through Jake's veins as he made his final approach.

Now, there was a slight lightening of the sky appearing in the east; dawn was approaching. It was time to make a move. Jake faked a bank to the left and then fanned his tail feathers, stalling his wings and angling himself upwards. It was an extremely aggressive maneuver that required great physical strength to execute. Straining, he shot skyward, slowing rapidly as the patrol flashed by below. He corkscrewed around, briefly upside down, twisting away from his enemies and dove at an insane angle into the forest canopy below. The tree cover was thick, and Jake narrowly missed several branches as he plunged steeply into the forest. Flaring his wings in an attempt to slow down, he lost control, smacking into a low pine bough and tumbling to the forest floor.

Dazed, he shook the pine needles from his feathers and stood up shakily, gazing skyward. Pine needles, leaves and pinecones were raining down from above and hitting the ground all around him.

The patrol, stunned by Jake's sudden aerobatic maneuvers, had failed to see where he landed. He could hear them cursing his sudden disappearance, and could just see them circling through the treetops. After a few minutes, they gave up and turned away for the long flight back to Brandon island.

Deciding that he was safe for the moment, he turned his attention to Sam. He couldn’t feel her moving. The sun was rising now which meant several hours had passed since he had swallowed her. It was a long time. Too long.

Jake felt his belly groan in protest as he induced himself to vomit. His gut muscles tensed, crop undulating, squeezing Sam from his belly, forcing a lump back up his neck as he coughed her up with a slick, sickening ‘ulch ulp!’

Long strings of slime stretched from Jake’s mouth as Sam spilled out of his mouth and onto the forest floor. She looked pitifully small and frail lying in a puddle at his feet. Completely still, limp and lifeless.

Jake felt a wave of dread wash through him.

“Sam?” he asked quietly, expecting the worst as he gave her a gentle nudge with his bill.

At the gentle touch, Sam stirred slightly. Weakly, her eyes opened, staring vacantly up at him. After a split second, a flash of recognition spread across her face, and she struggled to her feet giving him a look of pure shock before stumbling shakily into him in an unexpected embrace. Jake chuckled softly at the slimy hug and brought his wings comfortingly around her.

“It...it worked!” She said in amazement, gazing affectionately up at him.

Jake smiled.

“Of course it did! I said it would, didn't I?”

“Taking all the credit? That's modest” she said teasingly.

“I am the king of modesty. All bow before my humbleness.”

“Don't be too pleased with yourself. You took a lot longer than you promised!”

“You just tasted too good!” he teased, nibbling playfully at her with his beak.

“Watch it herring breath!” She said, pushing him away.

"Herring breath?" he asked, taking mock offense.

“I wonder what I've eaten recently that gave me that?”

"Hey!" Sam shouted, throwing herself at him. Caught off balance, Jake stumbled briefly, laughing at Sam's playful antics.

“I surrender!” He shouted, rolling over playfully in the moss. Sam jumped on top of him, landing on his belly so that they laid eye to eye.

“Hello” said Jake. “You…what's wrong?”

Sam's smile had faded and she grimaced, looking suddenly very tired. There was an indefinable air about her that suggested prolonged exposure to stress. Something was troubling her and Jake didn't quite know what. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, realizing she had almost been eaten twice, chased, wounded, fought over, actually eaten, and thrown up all in the last two days.

“Is everything okay?”

The faraway look in her eyes faded as Sam looked back at him.

“It's nothing” she said.

“I just need a bath, that's all.”

Jake suspected that it was her wing that was bothering her. It was not a good idea to engage in horseplay (let alone being eaten) with a broken wing. Sam surely knew that, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it, so he didn’t bring it up.

“I could a bath too, actually. Mind if I come with you?”

“I was hoping you would. Because I can't fly I’d feel safer with someone to look after me while I'm in the open.”

“Sure thing.”

……….

Sam reveled in the clean, cool feeling of the water seeping through her feathers. Soon, all the dirt and slime was gone and she finally felt almost normal. She swam back to shore and joined Jake, preening and straightening her feathers. The spent several minutes at it, drying out feathers in the morning sun and preening them to smooth, aerodynamic perfection.

After a few more minutes, she broke the silence.

“Where are we?”

“Um…actually, I have no idea. I think we’re about sixty miles offshore but I have no idea what island this is. I was being followed in the dark last night and didn't pay much attention to where we were going.”

“We could try asking for directions. Do you think there’s anyone else here?”

“I don't know if there is, but we can try. I was planning to go out to find something to eat anyways. I'm starving. Do you want anything?”

“Yes. I haven’t eaten as long as you.”

“Okay. I'll try not to be too long. I'll meet you back at the clearing when I'm done.”

“Okay.”

She smiled up at him.

“Good hunting.”

With that, Jake spread his huge wings and took off, sending big gusts of air along the ground. Sam watched as he rapidly ascended and sailed off around the corner of the island, wishing she could fish herself. Depending on Jake for her food felt unnatural. Actually, her whole relationship with the gull felt unnatural. Sam wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly she found herself liking him, even trusting him. It was hard to believe just how far she had allowed that trust to extend. She’d actually let him eat her! She definitely wouldn’t’ve done that two days ago…

……….

Jake’s thoughts were considerably more savage as he gorged himself on sardines. Driven by ocean currents, the schools of small fish formed a big bait ball at the surface, making it easy to pick them off one by one. Swallowing one mid-air, Jake dove downwards, flaring his wings and changing course ever so slightly to intercept the second course of his breakfast. He came down hard, breaking steadily with his wings as tail feathers to slow his descent and stretched his beak forwards, seizing the prey. He lifted his wriggling prize eagerly from the water, pleased that his intuition to look here for a meal had paid off.

The food squirmed futilely in his bill as he gave his jaws a flick, tossing his prey in the air so that it would align with his gullet. The moment Jake felt the prey land on his tongue he snapped his jaws shut around it, sealing off any possibilities of escape. There was only one passage of travel left to his prey now: a hungry avian gullet. Jake pitched back his white head and swallowed hard, ramming his unwilling prey all the way down his gullet with a single gulp. A slight visible lump slid slowly down the sleek length of his neck, disappearing into his belly.

The fish were breaking the water now, pursued by larger fish below the surface. Jake threw himself into the middle of the maelstrom, still eating ravenously. To stay healthy, he needed at least 20 percent of his body weight in food a day, which translated to quite a lot of sardines for a five-pound bird.

Catching another from behind, Jake quickly maneuvered the fish into a direction that facilitated swallowing and greedily wolfed it down, seeking only to satisfy the enormous hunger that raged within him. He gulped hard, stuffing the struggling sardine greedily down his gullet. Before the food lump even reached his stomach, Jake pounced on another, just clearing the water before landing almost on top of his prey. Jake took it head first in his jaws, and ate it much like the others, hungrily snapping it up into his mouth and then swallowing it whole. A small lump distended his neck feathers outward as he gulped, squeezing slowly downwards into his crop.

Jake grabbed another sardine and scarfed it down too, giving his prey a cursory lick with his greedily slavering tongue to help lubricate the prey before swallowing. He reveled in the cool, salty taste of his prey, giving it one more slurp with his tongue before gulping the drool soaked morsel effortlessly, gullet visibly convulsing as he raised his head and swallowed.

Jake was beginning to feel quite full now, after stuffing his crop for almost twenty minutes, but he still speared one last fish, unable to help himself in his current feeding stupor. With two snaps of his jaws he got the prey completely into his mouth and lifted his head, sliding the prey inexorably down his slick tongue headfirst into the edge of his throat. With a convulsive, pulsing swallow, Jake eagerly gulped, cramming the fish down his gullet. Completely stuffed now, Jake’s crop bulged out slightly, giving him an almost ‘thick necked’ appearance from all the undigested food pressed inside. He folded his wings, bobbing pleasantly on the water, enjoying the squirming food inside his belly.

Other seabirds were approaching the melee now as well, making it clear it was time to grab a fish for Sam and get out of dodge.

………

After a few minutes, Jake returned to the clearing with a fish flopping ineffectually in his beak.

Sam swallowed the meal gratefully, smiling in satisfaction as it wriggled its way down to her belly. She had been very hungry after going without food for so long.

As she was finishing, she glanced up and was surprised to see that Jake had disappeared from the clearing. Looking around, she finally spotted him, perching on a pinnacle of rock overlooking the sea. He faced into the wind, looking peaceful and content resting after his flight. When he saw her, he stepped down from his perch, spanning the distance between then with two flaps of his tremendous wings and then alighted lightly next to her.

“I know where we are!” He said.

“Where?”.

“This is Hen island. It's about thirty miles to the southeast of Cooper island.”

“How do you know?”

“From the air you can see the shore, and I recognize it, I’ve hunted along there before.”

Changing the subject, Sam asked

“You said you got chased leaving Seascape?”

“It wasn't much.” Jake said modestly.

“Oh come on, there had to be something? You obviously got out of it somehow?”

“Well, if you must know, I'm just the world’s best stunt flyer.”

Sam rolled her eyes.

“How modest”

Shifting to a more comfortable position, Jake gave Sam a brief account of the previous night's excitement.

“You lost them over those trees, right?” Sam asked, pointing with a wing towards the evergreens jutting up from the middle of the island.

“Yeah. I was hoping to shake them earlier, but a good opportunity never presented itself.”

“It would have been nice not to spend so long steaming in...” Sam went quiet when suddenly a realization struck her.

“If you lost the colony gulls right here, won't they know exactly where to come back and look for us?”

“They won’t bother, this is a long way away from Seascape.”

Sam sighed in relief. There was a brief silence.

“So what do we do now?”


“Well... I was thinking...” Jake trailed off for a moment and then continued.

“We made it out of Seascape and...” he paused again, awkwardly. Whatever this was, it was obviously bothering him quite a bit.

“I want you to know I understand if you don't want me to stay around anymore. I got you out of Seascape and that's what we set out to do. You're safe now and if you...if you want me to leave, I'll go.”

Sam stopped for a moment, nonplussed at the feelings that stirred inside her. Just a mere forty-eight hours ago she had wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Jake as possible. Now, she was ironically sad to see him go.

“If you want to leave, you can” she said.

“But I was kind of hoping you would stick around. I can’t fly, and I could use a friend.”

Jake straightened in surprise. “You...want to be friends?”

Sam looked at the ground, abashed. She hadn't thought she needed to explain herself to Jake after what they had been through, but now it seemed somewhat impertinent to have asked him to stay and help her.

“I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked you to do something so demeaning, it wasn't right I-“

“Oh, Sam don't say that! We can be friends, there's nothing demeaning about that at all. I didn't think you would want to because I'm a gull.”

Sam broke into a shy smile.

“I don't care if you're a gull, I just...like you, and you saved my life.”

“That's okay.” He said.

“I like you too. That's why I was willing to help you in the first place.”

Sam looked at the ground, trying not to feel embarrassed.
“It’s not really a natural relationship-” she said.

“Forget natural relationships!” Jake interrupted.

“They're not that important anyways.”

“So, you really wouldn't mind being friends with a puffin?"

Jake grinned.

“Not at all! I'm willing to break some laws of nature if you are.”