Chapter 3: Down the Throat

RRRRRGH! ROOOGH! GLORRRB! Peter heard one of Agnes' stomachs, he wasn't sure which, growl. He was thoroughly disgusted that he would soon end up inside it. "Can't you let me out of the cage so that I don't have to get eaten?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure I can with my talons. But even if I could, you wouldn't get far."

"I can climb out the window."

"It's several feet up. How are you going to get up there?"

"I'll come up with some way."

"It's shut too."

Damn, she's right. Peter thought as he saw that it was not only shut but also latched shut too. It would take him hours, if he could it at all, to open it, even if he applied brute force. "Maybe I can hide in a corner and run out the door when one of them comes in."

"They have a few pet cats, and I assure you, they won't let you live if they catch you."

"Maybe I can outrun them all." However, he knew he was being ridiculously optimistic. Right now, he was still groggy from his big meal. If he got caught by the McGreggors or the cats, it would mean certain death. This route, at least, stood to give him at least a fair chance of survival.

"Evne if you could, it's very unlikely you'll find all the doors open at once."

"Well, I guess you're right. I have no other choice."

"That's what I said earlier."

"I know. I just wanted to see what my other options are."

"Option A: Being swallowed and likely surviving. Option B: Trying it your own way and getting killed. Those are your only options."

"I get that now."
They both suddenly heard footsteps coming down the hall. "Oh no, they're coming and I still haven't eaten you. Quick, hide behind me!" Agnes snapped.
As the door opened, Peter hid behind her, which was hard to do, but he managed, due to her spreading out her wings. Mrs. McGreggor entered the room. "Agnes, glad to see you got rid of that awful rabbit. He broke into our garden and ate a lot of our vegetables. Nasty little thing. Well, he won't be eating out of anyone's garden anymore." she said.
Agnes tried to act natural, as though she weren't hiding anything. Still, she was having a hard time not moving, as Peter was so barely covered by her wings, that the slightest movement on her part would have revealed part of the young rabbit. Thankfully, Mrs. McGreggor didn't stick around long. As soon as she'd shut the door, Agnes breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close!"
"Why don't we do that every time until night? Then, when they come to let you out, you can fly off with me." Peter suggested.
"They'd see you with me."
"So?"
"So, then they'd know I tricked them and they wouldn't let me back."
"Can't you make it on your own?"
"I suppose I could, but they bring free food and I don't want to lose that arrangement if I can help it."
Peter groaned. It looked like there truly was no way he could worm his way out of being swallowed if he hoped to get out of here alive.

"I guess there's nothing but to get it over with." Peter sighed.
"I believe so too." Agnes said.

As the hawk opened her beak, Peter gagged at the smell of her breath as it washed over him. "Ew! Ychhh! Your breath reeks!"
"I'm afraid it's never been so bad, for me, that I've been repulsed by it."
"Well of course not!" Peter retorted, rolling his eyes.
"I'm afraid it'll be much worse smelling once you are inside of my stomachs."
"I hope there is enough room in there for me to hold my nose."

"Speaking of you being in there, there is something I want you to do for me."
"For you?"
"Yes. You see, I'm going to miss a meal because I'm not really digesting you. So I want you to rub my two stomachs and my crop from the inside. A nice massage. Plus, I will need you to dance on my food to help process it, as there will be less digestion thanks to the water I'm drinking."
Peter didn't like any of this, but knew he had no choice. "Ok." he sighed.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to make this look convincing," Agnes sighed. She sank her fangs into Peter's back, not deep, but enough to tear his shirt and draw blood. "Now quickly, run around the cage." Peter, hurt, and wondering why she had attacked him, complied. "Why did you bite my for?" he snapped. "It would look odd if you just vanished without any blood left behind." "Got it." As Agnes moved her open beak over his head, he flinched, repulsed by the gooey and wet saliva that began to fall on him, as well as the stench of her breath. It soon became clear that, try as he might, Peter couldn't bring himself to willingly let her eat him, his self-preservation instincts kicking in subconsciously every time Agnes got her mouth over his head, causing him to pull back out.
"I can see that I'm going to have to hold you down." Agnes sighed.

Agnes held Peter down with a talon. The young rabbit still struggled, but it was clear that the hawk was stronger. She began to move his head into her mouth. He shut his mouth, not wanting to get any of her gooey saliva in his mouth. Soon, he head was fully inside of her beak, resting against her wet tongue. She used her tongue, as well as gravity, to move more and more of him in. Soon, he was halfway in, his shirt coated in gooey saliva, which made him start to shiver.

"You now, the taste of blood makes me want to bite down. It's really hard to resist. Makes me extra hungry."
"Thanks for your care." Peter replied, trying not to sound sarcastic.

A moment later, only his legs were sticking out. He was starting to slide down her throat at this point, his head making a bulge in her throat. She slowly eased him in, until only his feet were sticking out. Half his torso was now in the throat. He could hear her heart pounding somewhere below him, as well as her lungs breathing. Somewhere way below, he could hear gurgling, no doubt from one of her stomachs.

A few seconds later, she had him fully inside her mouth. "Ready?" she asked. He sighed. "I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to be." She moved his lower half toward her throat, then shut her beak and titled her head back. He was now in complete darkness. Luckily for him, he was not very prone to claustrophobia. Peter braced himself as she swallowed him with a powerful GULLLLLLLP! He was now sliding down, being pulled down by peristalsis. He could feel the air getting hotter and hotter the further he went down the esophagus. He couldn't move much as her throat squeezed around him as it pulled him down. He could hear the loud gulp as she continued to swallow. The air became fouler the deeper he descended. He approached an opening up ahead and braced himself.

He entered the crop. He hit the floor of this organ and finally stopped his descent. He had officially been swallowed and was now inside the hawk's body.