This time around, I wanted to fill out the Columbia State cast with a few more women as preds! I admit they aren't as likely to get the same focus on the men simply due to my preferences, but I want still want to include them more in the background and as supporting characters. The sororities are just as voracious as the fraternities on campus, after all. This story focuses on the first such character, a horse named June.

Tempers and appetites flare at a study session in the campus library...

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Columbia State - Study Session
By: Indi

June sighed as she realized she’d re-read the same paragraph at least four times. Probably five, now that she really thought about it. The light gray horse brushed aside a strand of her teal-dyed mane and tried again, hoping even a little of the paragraph would finally stick with her.

Nothing.

She wished she could blame her distraction on the others in the study group, but conversation had been minimal. Jake—normally the most talkative—had barely chatted at all. She snuck a glance at the yellow dragon. He had an earbud in, tail wagging to the beat of something she couldn’t hear.

Across the table from him was Phil. The plump skunk had his full attention on his textbook, a detailed page of notes beside him. He was double-majoring in history and anthropology. Wait, maybe it was history and English. Some combination with a lot of writing. He took the group’s study sessions more seriously than the rest of them. A stark contrast to his utterly carefree personality when drunk.

The last member of the group was a ram named Bryce. He’d flirted with June while drunk on more than one occasion, though she had no interest in him. All they had in common were their major and the parties they went to. That was true for everyone in the group.

They’d all known each other for a couple of years, attending a few of the same classes at Columbia State University and getting involved in Greek life. June belonged to the Zeta Alpha Pi sorority. Bryce was in the Tau Tau Psi fraternity. Jake and Phil were both in Rho Lambda Lambda. At best, the four were merely acquaintances who happened to get drunk together once a month and eat people.

Roman history was the first class they’d all shared at the same time, and they were testing the waters as a study group. Phil had reserved one of the nicer study rooms at the library for them, a secluded space away from foot traffic. Three sessions in, and June still couldn’t tell if they were helping.

Jake took out his earbud and dropped it on the table. Eyes shifted towards the dragon. “Took us long enough to get to the fun part of Roman history,” he said. So much for him being quiet.

“What, the Year of Twelve Emperors?” Phil asked.

“Duh,” Jake said. “It’s all Professor Ellison’s lectured about the last month.”

“It’s not fun, it’s annoying as shit,” June said. For once she didn’t mind the distraction. “We have to remember so many damn names. Half of them didn’t even do anything important aside from claim a title and get eaten. Why should I care about the origins of some Senator who didn’t even last an hour as emperor?”

Bryce nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of ridiculous.” June wondered if he actually thought that, or if he was just agreeing with her to get on her good side.

“Oh boo-hoo, you can’t remember a few names. All the backstabbing and ambushes and gorging make it worthwhile!” Jake insisted. “Back then, you could just eat your way to power.”

“And get eaten right out of it by the next ambitious glutton,” June said.


“Only if you weren’t careful.”

“Guess that was a bad year, then.”

Bryce and Phil snorted, while Jake rolled his eyes. “I bet the real reason you dislike it is because half of those emperors happened to be horses,” he smirked. “They were just getting scarfed down left and right back then.”

“Plenty of dragons ended up as imperial pudge, too,” June said. She remembered the number one reason she avoided Jake at parties: he was as full of himself as he was others.

“A lot’s changed in two thousand years. No one’s even come close to eating me; they’ve all ended up as fuel for the furnace.” Jake slapped his chubby middle with a claw. Despite the dragon’s bold claims, June had never seen him get fat. Plump, once, but never fat. Then again, scrawny freshmen weren’t high in calories.

“So who ended up in there last?” June asked.

Jake grinned. “A delectable sheep. Danced with her until she let her guard down; after that, she spent the rest of the night swaying from my hips.”

“Such a harrowing meal.”

“At least I’m hunting.” Jake turned in his chair to face June. “You haven’t snagged anyone all semester. I don’t even think you ate over the Summer!”

“I had to slim down after overeating last year,” June said. She’d ballooned in size her freshman and sophomore years. Parties were fattening when you regularly scored two or three prey each one. Fasting had brought her back down to around two hundred pounds, though she missed the heft of her peak. “And I’ve been busy.” She gestured towards her textbook.

“That hasn’t stopped Phil from pigging out,” Jake said.

Phil blushed. Nerds on campus could be as voracious as anyone else, and the skunk was no exception. June saw him fussing with his shirt, as if he could hide how tightly it clung to his belly.

“I just told you studying was only a small part of it. Don’t worry, I’m already planning to indulge at Tau Tau Psi’s next party.” A treat to celebrate the end of the semester.

“Better hope you haven’t gotten rusty. Would hate to see your triumphant return end with you as frosh food,” Jake said. “Though it’d be fun to hear your muffled shit talk coming from a gut.”

“I’m not gonna get taken out by a newbie, ass.” Or anyone else, hopefully. June knew partying decreased her odds of surviving college, but she liked to think she’d be able to keep dodging preds for another few years. Though her dreams of becoming a professor meant predation would be a constant part of her life for, well, forever.

“I’m sure the upperclassmen you ate your freshman year thought the same thing,” Jake said with a wide grin, as if he’d made some stunning revelation.

“Only because they were all drunk or thought I’d be easy prey.” So many smug frat boys with egos larger than their bellies. The type convinced they could woo her with a few words, have some fun, and then finish the night off with dinner in bed. They’d made satisfying meals, at least until word of her voracious appetite had spread. Having other preds stay on guard around her was an achievement she’d cherish forever. “I’m smart enough to know a hungry frosh can still be dangerous.”

“They’re nothing compared to those of us with experience,” Jake said. He scooted his chair in closer and leaned in, no doubt trying to intimidate her. She’d almost forgotten how high and mighty he tended to get. “Maybe I’ll finally get to see what horse tastes like next party.” He let his fangs show.

June wanted to punch Jake right in his snout. She was tired of him being such a cocky shit, especially when they were supposed to be studying. If they were at a party and he was a few drinks in, she’d maybe let it slide. Maybe. But trying to pull the alpha pred shit at the library, with others watching? A challenge demanded an answer.

June smiled, and leaned in herself. “Too late for that now.”

She lunged and shoved the dragon’s head into her open mouth, swallowing it all down in a series of ferocious gulps. Jake pushed against her shoulder in a frantic effort to free himself, but she grabbed him by the wrist and continued swallowing, working her way over his shoulders. In all her time eating people, she’d found speed to be the key to success. Being able to physically overpower your prey certainly helped, but even a small prey could wiggle away if you gave them the opportunity. So June always scarfed down her meals like she was going for a record, keeping them disoriented until the moment she sealed them in her stomach.

While Jake had plenty of experience hunting others, no one could prepare for being on the other end. June saw the dragon panicking, trying and failing to get out of his chair as he slid further down her throat. He stomped blindly, but didn’t get anywhere near her. Every inch of progress she made increased his struggles.

On the other side of the table, Phil and Bryce watched in silence. The back-and-forth between Jake and June had escalated too swiftly for them to react. Predation tended to be that way, though. Arguments could turn into meals without warning. Of course, so could gloating, dares, and even jokes. Many preds couldn’t resist the temptation to get the final word in by simply consuming someone, regardless of the consequences.

Once the first few moments of shock had passed, Phil and Bryce relaxed. Despite being Jake’s frat brother, Phil had no loyalty towards the dragon. June knew he wouldn’t try to intervene. Bryce already had an amused look on his face, the ram obviously not caring if someone from a rival frat got eaten. And of course any feelings he had towards June would ensure he didn’t get involved.

Besides, interrupting a pred’s meal was considered rude.

Jake’s arms were pinned to his sides, his butt barely in his seat anymore as June started swallowing his middle. She grabbed the dragon by the pants and yanked him out of the chair, his frantic kicks sending it rolling backward into the wall. She lifted and gulped, angling him upward as best she could so gravity could speed up the process.

June’s belly swelled out from under her shirt, pushing away the open flaps of her jacket. It spread over her lap with every swallow, pinning her down so Jake’s struggles didn’t topple her. He was already yelling for her to stop, his furious voice reverberating throughout her stomach and chest. He’d shout himself hoarse if he kept it up.

The desperate thrashing of the dragon proved to be in vain. His best efforts didn’t slow his descent, and soon June was tossing away his sneakers and smiling in satisfaction as the last of Jake slid down her throat.

The chair groaned in protest as her rowdy gut wobbled on her lap. Fortunately, the library had furniture designed with preds in mind. Not that she could think of any place that didn’t. Even a second course might only strain the limits of the chair, not surpass them.

June leaned back, eyes narrowed, jaw shut to stifle a groan. She’d gone without a live meal just long enough for the act to feel somewhat taxing. The next would be easier, though. Eating Jake would ensure she was ready for her return to the party scene.

She winced as Jake’s horns pressed against the walls of her stomach. In an ideal scenario, she would’ve corked them, or at least tangled a shirt in them. Anything to blunt the points a bit. The slight discomfort was worth the meal.

“What the Hell, June! I was joking!” Jake shouted.

June tapped a hoof on her belly. “Oops, couldn’t tell. Maybe you should’ve practiced your material so you didn’t end up in the gut of a critic.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” The dragon pushed hard against the front of her stomach, likely an attempt to push her out of her chair so he’d get burped up. “I’m dumb and you’re awesome, so let me out already.”

“Why?”

There was a pause. “So I can get back to studying, damn it! What do you want me to do, grovel?”

“I want you to digest, ass.” June began to rub her belly, grinning as she felt Jake shifting within. She’d never put much thought into eating the dragon, but he was already one of her favorite catches.

“Not funny!”

“It’s not meant to be.”

Jake’s struggles picked up again. “Damn it! Let me out!”

“I’ve never let a meal go, and I sincerely doubt you have, either,” June said, enjoying the desperation coming from her gut. Jake was hers. He could whine and beg and fight all he wanted, but his odds of forcing his way out of her stomach were practically zero. His smug attitude had been utterly crushed. “Don’t feel bad. We’ve all got an equal chance of ending up as prey; today it was your turn~”

The kicking stopped. “June, come on. We should save the hunting for parties. You won’t be able to gloat about an ambush at a dumb study session. Just cough me up, and we can have a real hunt next party. No hard feelings.”

“Oh, I’ll still get plenty of laughs when I tell everyone how you let yourself get within gulping range of me while being a dumbass. And since when have you cared about honor among preds?” The dragon’s desperation was delicious. June liked to tease her prey—she saw it as a reward for victory. She freed her phone from her pocket and propped it up with her textbook so the camera looked towards her belly. Then she hit record. A memento for later, of Jake’s embarrassing demise.

“Give me a damn break! I never targeted you; I don’t even think I’ve eaten any of your damn friends! And trust me, I’ve thought about it!” Jake growled.

“How’s that supposed to convince me to let you out, horse chow?”

June’s belly began shaking as Jake’s squirms renewed. “If you don’t let me go, then say goodbye to ever going to a Rho Lambda party again! You’d get eaten the second you stepped foot in the door!”

“Why, because your brother Jonas is frat president?” June scoffed. “He’s the most chill dude in your whole frat. I don’t even think he knows how to hold a grudge.”

The slightly older dragon couldn’t afford to, not with the sheer number of people he’d consumed over the years. His gluttony was legendary. Jonas was one of the handful of immobile students on campus, having gorged his way to over a thousand pounds. June had been at the party that’d immobilized him, last New Year’s Eve. He’d spent most of the night beached on his enormous gut in the main hall of the frat, stuffed with eight people. Four he’d caught himself; the rest had been offered up by drunks eager for a show. He hadn’t lost a single pound since, having apparently embraced his immense size. The blob of a dragon wouldn’t exactly be ambushing June any time soon.

“You fucked up and became food, just accept it, dude,” June told her gut, pressing down extra hard with a hoof.

“God fucking damn it!”

June laughed as her belly bounced in her lap. She looked over at the other two. “Sorry for the impromptu lunch break. Idiots make me hungry.”

Phil shook his head and smiled. “No problem. We’ll probably get more done with him out of the group, anyway.”

June expected a similar response from Bryce, but he remained silent. Instead, the ram was eying up Phil. Amongst active preds, predation could be contagious. The sight of someone glutting would awake the hunger in others, or at least inspire enough jealousy to make them hunt. In the study room, the only options Bryce had were June—who was stuffed but still alert—and Phil. The skunk was oblivious to the danger building beside him. June certainly wouldn’t warn him.

Seconds later, Bryce pounced.

The ram grappled the shocked skunk, but failed to pull off a quick gulp. The pair fell to the floor and out of sight. June frowned. She could hear her classmates struggling, and what sounded like swallows, but she couldn’t see a thing. Damn, I wanted to watch.

June braced herself on the arms of her chair and lazily hefted herself out of it. Jake tumbled around within her as she stood, prompting a belch and a moan. Lugging around a belly full of prey would be a lot tougher to acclimate to again, but at least she’d get some practice in before the party. Jake’s stupidity was proving to be a blessing in disguise.

The gulping sounds had gotten more prominent, but she still couldn’t see the action. She waddled around the table, one hoof hovering above the surface in case she lost her balance. Despite Jake’s best efforts to topple her, she remained standing.

On the other side of the table, June found Bryce laying on his back, his bulging belly wobbling. The ram was panting, eyes half-closed and jaw open, as if he’d just woken from a bad nap. A narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless. It was the least a pred could hope for.

“Damn it, Phil, help me out!” Jake shouted at the top of his lungs. “Frat brothers aren’t supposed to abandon each other!”

“Hate to break it to ya, but Phil’s busy becoming ram pudge,” June snickered.

“What?! How’d that idiot get ambushed?!”

“He did better than you,” June slapped her gut.

“Bworrrrrrrp!” Bryce belched. He braced himself on his elbows and looked up at June, a pained grin on his face. “Rho Lambdas make a great lunch, right?”

“A-huh,” June said. She looked at Bryce, her gaze centering on the ram’s belly. He’d exhausted himself eating Phil, and looked exceptionally helpless. Eating prey and waddling around again had both been a little rough. She wondered if she would still be able to fill her gut with multiple prey like she used to. The horse grinned. There was only one way to find out.

June took a few steps forward, until she loomed over Bryce. “Ya know, I can’t remember the last time I indulged on a well-stuffed Tau Psi. I’m sure Jake would love the company.”

The smile vanished from Bryce’s face in an instant. He made a pitiful attempt to stand, but only managed to wobble some. As June moved in with a hungry look in her eyes, Bryce let out a whimper.



“Uworrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp!!”

June swore her belch rattled the door of the study room. She lay atop her massive gray gut, rocking from side-to-side as Jake and Bryce struggled to escape the stewing cauldron her stomach was becoming. She hadn’t been stuffed to such an obscene degree in months. The dueling sensations of pleasure and strain let her in a borderline stupor.

“Ugh, maybe I overrrp, overdid it,” she groaned. “Still worth it.”

The break from predation hadn’t dulled her skills in any meaningful way. She could still eat like the best of them. June took pride in the fact.

A few muffled curses escaped her stomach. The boys hadn’t accepted their fate yet. They could get lucky and make her nauseous enough to throw one of them up, but she bet her stomach would win out in the end. They’d plump her up good once they gave up and digested.

“Guess the study group just wasn’t meant to be,” June mumbled, holding back a yawn. “Pack a bunch of preds in a room together and of course someone’s gonna get eaten. Or everyone. Damn, you all tasted great.”

“J-June, please—” She didn’t hear the rest from Bryce, her attention drifting elsewhere.

Their next Roman history class was in two days. Would Professor Ellison be surprised by June’s dramatic gains and the disappearance of three students at once? He might put two and two together, but June doubted he’d care. Professors weren’t known for policing the eating habits of their students.

“Fuuuuck. This sucks, but it’s so damn good,” June moaned as her belly shook. Her prey only had a couple more minutes of fight left in them—less if she started belching. She liked the squirms, though. “Nothing tastes better than—braaap—frat boys~” June said, before slowly drifting to sleep.