Me and GBBG did another role play. This time, a dolphin chows down on some birds

Gavin the Bottlenose Dolphin sliced effortlessly through the cool waters of the Atlantic like a torpedo, cruising a few feet below the ocean’s surface in search of prey. His belly ached, and he was ravenous. The pickings in this part of the ocean had been slim the past few days, and it was difficult to catch fish without the aid of other dolphins (who had rather unkindly expelled him from their midst for fighting and generally causing too much trouble). At 11 feet, it took a considerable amount of food to keep the young dolphin fed, happy, and in peak physical condition.

A small, bird was in the same vicinity as the hungry dolphin. She too, was hungry. Fortunately for her, she was having better luck. The fish she was going after were smaller than her, too small to be of much interest to any dolphin. She called herself Penny, and was mated to a male auk who was away at the nest they were building. It was almost egg season, instincts told the birds, so it was time to stock up on fish.
She flew above the water with a few other auks, who were darting in and out of the sea.

Up ahead, splashes alerted the dolphin of the presence of a potential meal. They sounded like fish of a suitable size, peering ahead and using his sonar to “see” what was in the water he could tell that whatever it was, it was of a suitable size to fuel his rapacious appetite.

Penny dived into the water to try her hand (wing?) at catching another fish. She was already carrying 2 in her stomach, but she wanted to catch more. A few more fish couldn’t hurt. Now, there were 4 auks in the water, nabbing fish when ever they could. One of them, a young male, had caught 6 fish my now. Penny as too focused in her fishing to worry if that auk would be too heavy to fly.

As the dolphin cruised closer to the noise, he saw with dismay that there were no sizeable fish for him to eat. Instead, a handful of small birds fought for small baitfish of the kind that his favourite prey sustained themselves on. He contemplated just swimming on to leave the birds in peace, but the increasing urgency of hunger churning within his belly gave him pause. It wasn’t much of a leap for his intelligent brain to consider eating the birds themselves…. they were small enough…or so he assumed. It would be a tight squeeze to get prey of that size down his throat, but at this point he was more than ready to try it.

The auks noticed the dolphin as soon as it came into their view. At first they were afraid it was a predator, but when they noticed it was a dolphin, they calmed down and resumed their feeding. Their instincts told them the dolphin was alright, they only ate fish. Still, the skittish birds kept their distance. Although bottlenose dolphins didn’t prey in birds, they were still larger than an auk. It could hurt a bird of their size by accident. Penny, tried to keep the most distance.

Gavin saw the birds were nervous at his approach and did their best to keep their distance. He decided to watch how they swam and observe their feeding for a moment, thinking of ways to catch one of the birds before they could escape to the surface…and then the air and out of reach. Already he could see that although the birds were adept and nimble swimmers, they would be no match for a dolphin’s hydrodynamics. (drag coefficient of only 0.0036, less than an airplane, bird, or modern car!)

The auks zigged and zagged in the water, using their wings and feet to their full potential. It wasn’t as majestic as flying, but it got the job done. After catching a fish or two, a bird would go back up to the surface, grab a breath of fresh air, and go back down for more. Penny as no different, she caught a fish in her beak, gulped it down, and swam back up to surface; making sure the large marine mammal was in sight. After a while, the auks got used to the dolphin and decided he wasn’t a threat. The young male, after getting a breath of air, let his young curiosity get the best of him and he swam over to the dolphin to inspect it.

Trying his best to be nonchalant, Gavin slowly gained the complacency of his prey in his non-threatening stance, leading them to assume he wasn’t a threat and resume their feeding. All he needed was for one of them to become careless and approach too closely…all it would take was a quick lunge with his tail and a snap of his toothed snout to snare one of the fat birds. His belly groaned at the thought, and he licked his chops in anticipation, already noticing one of the small birds approaching him almost directly. Just a little closer…. he waited patiently, appearing relaxed, waiting until he was sure that his strike would be successful, and then he lashed out. The unsuspecting bird felt delightfully soft as his jaws crunched down upon it.

The young male chirped in surprise and disbelief. One second, he was staring face to face with a dolphin, and the next he was being held in a tight grip with a dark tunnel of flesh in front of him. He struggled with his legs and wings, but the dolphin’s teeth were designed to keep struggling fish in place. And right now, he was the fish. The small chirp got the attention of one of the three other birds. Alerted to the danger, it swam away from the attacking dolphin. The other two didn’t hear the call of distress. Penny and the other auk (a female as well) were at the surface, getting a new breath of air before they would dive one last time.

Gavin squeaked in pleasure at the sensation of prey struggling in his “beak”. It was familiar, like the struggles of the many fish he’d eaten in the past, yet delightfully different as well. He had the feeling he’d injured the fragile bird even as it struggled desperately to escape. His teeth worked admirably well to contain this spirited morsel though, and he turned upside down with glee, angling his jaws towards the glimmer of the ocean’s surface some 20 feet above to get a good angle before glomming his jaws forward twice, (‘clomph clrch’!), pulling the prey in on his tongue with each clack forward. The cute auk felt wonderful slipping along his tongue, wiggling helplessly now that its wings were pinned on either side by the dolphin’s teeth. Gavin closed his eyes blissfully as he sealed his jaws shut around the bird, getting it’s succulent rump into his jaws with a jerk in concert with a loosening of his gullet to press it’s tiny head and neck inside. As his jaws came shut a few feathers spat themselves out into the water between the dolphin’s teeth. The bird’s full weight was now resting on his tongue, and he took the opportunity to savor his prey, slurping the bird up and using his tongue to squish the struggling morsel into his throat. With some effort he opened his throat to its full extent, allowing his gullet to stretch tightly around the hunk of meat shoved into it by his tongue. A slight bulge formed below his lower jaw as he gulped as hard as he could, an audible ‘hulch’ leeching it’s way into the ocean waters as his throat muscles convulsed, squeezing the tight lump into the slimy depths of his throat, swallowed whole and alive. This meal was rather large though, and he quickly felt it tighten within his throat, slowing and almost choking him!
He didn’t want to give up this meal, and the bird was already pressed all the way into his throat, so he proceeded, gulping hard, once, twice, swallowing his prey a little further down with each gulp until it disappeared entirely into his stomach. He belched happily, a few bubbles and feathers escaping from his mouth and floating towards the surface. The bird felt weird flopping and slapping helplessly inside of him wings hitting against the walls of his belly, drowning in the confines of his stomach.

The ingested bird was given the full fish treatment. He was shoved into the throat and took a one way trip down into the dolphin. Once he was past the maw, his world turned into complete darkness. In the time it took to get to the forestomach, his other senses heightened. He could hear the thumping of the heart and the breathing form the lungs. He could also hear saliva and muscles parting in front of him and closing behind him, pushing him further down. It was tight in the esophagus, he could barely move. The only movement the cramped confines allowed was his chest moving up and down rapidly, taking in any air it could in the tight space. When he landed in a much more open chamber, he flapped his wings wildly. He didn’t know how to get out, and all he could think was flapping his wings.
Other other auk that was underwater didn’t swim up, he swam foreword as fast as he could and hopped the dolphin didn’t notice him. He did not want to end up like his kin that was now gasping for breath in an airless stomach.
On the surface, the two females made small talk. They were full enough that they could waste time with such leisurely activities. Several feet away from them, a few bubbles floated to the surface, but they paid it no mind.

Gavin flashed a dolphin’s charismatic grin, spitting a few feathers from his teeth. Oh, how delightfully the bird squirmed within him. He could feel each wiggle as damp feathers slapped the walls of his belly. The sensation made him want more…as it was the single bird he’d eaten hardly filled his stomach…the bulged pressed into the outside of his sleek hide was almost imperceptible. All it took to reach this realization was a second…perhaps two at the most. After another second he was nearing top speed, following the second fleeing bird towards the surface. As his prey broke the surface it flapped desperately, hoping to escape to the safety of the air, but it was too late. Gavin broke the water like a breaching whale, clearing it’s surface entirely as his jaws snapped shut around his prey in mid-air! He felt a slight crunch under his teeth as his jaws came together around the bird’s outstretched wings. A split second later, he was underwater again, and wasted no time dispatching the second bird (likely too shocked to even struggle as the dolphin’s jaws clacked forward around him). A blissful gulp followed by another, and another, forced his prey down his throat. The bird’s passage down the mammal’s gullet was so tight it almost hurt, but the lubrication of saliva and gullet slime working in tandem with peristalsis eventually won out, pressing the meaty lump inwards with a thick ‘hlk-squelch!’

The bird in the dolphin’s gullet progressed slowly towards his friend who was still flapping in the dolphin’s stomach. There wasn’t enough room to flap his own wings, which were starting to look bare from the violent nature of the gulping. Feathers came loose easily because of the swallowing. Penny and the other auk just barley missed the commotion on the surface. Just as their unfortunate kin jumped out of he water, they both dived to catch some more fish. They were in the dolphin’s domain now. Sluggish from the fish they ate, they could just barely catch one more fish for themselves. Although they couldn’t see the dolphin, the dolphin could probably see them; thanks to his echo-location.

Gavin came up for air, and then dive back down again. There were two more birds in the water. As he felt the second one slip into his stomach he grinned wickedly, already envisioning the thrill of hunting and swallowing the remaining birds. Although he felt a satisfying fullness within him now, the oblivious nature of the prey drove him to continue his feeding. After all, opportunities such as this were few and far between in the emptiness of the sea. Turning towards the diving birds, he began to gain speed.

Penny and the other female Auk split up to chase different fishes. Penny, unknowingly, swam away from Gavin. The other was heading in a direction that would make him Gavin’s next victim. Just as she was about to catch her last fish, she found herself in front of the dolphin.

Jaws spread apart in front of the unsuspecting bird, revealing the dolphin’s, narrow rows of teeth and his long, pink tongue, curling in anticipation as the jaws stretched wider, flowing into the deep, carnal darkness of the dolphin’s gullet. She backpaddled frantically, but the effort slowed her too little to escape the jaws enveloping her. Gavin moaned in pleasure as she was crammed headfirst into that soft gullet, driven in by her own momentum, wings pinned to other sides as the throat stretched around her head. Gavin closed his jaws gently, engulfing his prey entirely, and relishing the feeling of her pressed against the edge of his throat. He could feel her avian warmth on his tongue, a pleasing and soft weight to lick and slurp up against. Bubbles of air leeches from his snout between the gaps in his teeth as he suckled her feathers down slick and slurped her down, gulping her whole. He closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of a heavy lump sliding slowly down his throat. A small bulge slipped its way down, driven by the young dolphin’s contracting muscles, before sliding into his belly. His stomach was starting to visibly distend now, and he felt a delicious fullness within him. It was tight enough now that the birds had some trouble moving around inside.

The frantically struggling birds clambered over each other to find a way out, making the bulge shake on the outside shake and wiggle. Even through skin and blubber, their desperate attempts at escape could be seen. By now the stomach acids, aided by the contraction of the stomach walls, made the belly unbearable. The acids loosened the birds’ feathers out of their skin. Between the 3 of them, they littered their organic coffin with dozens of feathers. Their squawking almost be heard, of one were quite and close enough.
Meanwhile, Penny caught her fish. Feeling satisfied, she swam up to the surface. She floated on the water, waiting for the other auks to show up. They should have been up here by now. *Something’s wrong here* she thought to herself

Gavin did a lazy loop below the surface of the water, spotting the last bird at the surface of the water. With his hunger largely sated he decided to play with this one for a while before eating her…after all, even if she escaped he’d already had his fill. A fourth bird for dessert was just gravy.
Carefully, he swam behind and then directly underneath her, and belched, blowing bubbles and a few of her friend’s feathers to the surface.

Soggy feathers floated to the top, where Penny could see them. She gasped at the sight of them. She also felt the tingling of burp bubbles on her webbed feet, and felt confused. *What is happening here? Where did my friends go?* Penny couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bellow her.

As the bird looked down, she met with the dolphin’s toothed smile. He gave her fluffy rump a playful boop with his snout, lifting her momentarily from the water.

Penny, scared of the sudden bump on her rump, flapped her wings to get away. Her wings and bloated belly didn’t get her far, and she only made it a few feat before landing back in the water.
“Who was what!?” She screamed her native bird tongue. “Do you know what happened to my friends?”

“Oh yes, little bird. I ate them!”

Penny turned around to see a dolphin. The same dolphin she saw before.
“You ate them!? I thought you only ate fish!”
The auks in the dolphin’s stomach we’re starting to slow down with their struggling. Digestion was starting to take a toll on them.

“So did I…until I got hungry enough. Now I’ve realized you little guys are quite a treat!”

“How could you do that? I thought you dolphins were supposed to be kind and gentle!”
To her horror, Penny could hear the faint squawks of her friends in Gavin’s belly.

“A common misconception” Gavin lamented, flashing his charismatic smile.
“After all, all one needs to be a predator is an appetite and someone small enough to be your prey. I am hungry, and you my dear, look small and very much like prey.”

“I can’t believe this could happen! How could creatures as innocent as us die in your horrible stomach!?”
Penny flapped he wings again. She got a little bit further than last time, but she still landed back in the water

“I’d be happy to show you!” Gavin said darkly, closing the distance between them with a flap of his tail and teasingly nibbling at her feet.
I'm going to need to go soon, have to get something to eat.

Penny tried to kick the dolphin away, but he was simply too big. He could easily overpower her.
“Let go of me, you gluttonous mammal!”

“Oh, I don’t think I will” the dolphin said, coming on to her with a rough lick.
“I’d really rather prefer to eat you.”

Penny could feel the lick through the needle-like teeth. She tried to kick the slimy organ away, but it only gave Gavin more of a taste of her. She tried to fly away, but the dolphin held her down.
“Someone, help! This dolphin is breaking the food chain!”

“Mmmh!” the dolphin enthused.
“You’re a delicious little one! I must confess that in my hunger I did not take the time to savor your friends perhaps as much as their demise would have deserved!”

The birds could barely hear the conversation going on outside.there was too much gurgling and blubber separating them from the outside was too thick.
Penny tried to keep her beak above water enough to breath and pleas
“Stop! Dolphins shouldn’t be eating birds! Our feathers are probably bad for you!”

“Oh, I doubt they’re any worse than bones and scales. Besides, I’ve already eaten three of you…any supposed ill-effects will already befall me regardless of whether I decide to eat you….so I see no reason why I shouldn’t indulge myself.”

“Bu-but...what if we give you constipation! Or indigestion! You should spit them all out right now!” Penny is able to break a wing free of Gavin’s teeth and flaps it frantically

“I don’t think I will” Gavin said dismissively, biting down harder.

Penny squeaked in pain at the bite, the sharp teeth bruising the skin under her feathers. “Stop, you’re hurting me!”
Meanwhile, the auks inside of Gavin have ceased their movements. Most of them have passed out by now, leaving their bodies to be broken down in the tight chamber.

“I’ll do a lot more than that, birdie” the dolphin replied, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

That comment made Penny struggle more. Now she was flapping and kicking harder than she ever had in her life. “Please! I’m too young to die!”

“If I let all my prey go after I caught them I would be the one dying. I’m afraid, even if I wanted to let you go, I cannot.”

Penny would take quick breaks in struggling to rest. But after a few seconds, she would get right back struggling. Instead of pleading, she instead opted to peck at any surface of the dolphin’s skin she could reach

“Ouch” Gavin exclaimed in surprise as Penny pinched his snout with her beak.
“For that I’m just going to eat you and be done with it!”

“Let me go, or else I’ll peck your insides too!” Penny proceeded peck Gavin, and would peck at his teeth when he brought her closer to his esophagus

“mmghmph…I think you’ll find little room for movement in my belly…your friends certainly did” he said, giving his head a quick jerk to reposition the prey more comfortably in his jaws. Pointing his snout skyward he heaved his jaws with two clacks forward, pulling in with his tongue as he did so, working Penny into his mouth. As she slipped down his wet tongue, he loosened his gullet muscles, using her own weight to cram her down head first.

Penny’s pecks became less effective. Gavin was starting to get used to them. They went from painful to annoying, giving him more motivation to gulp her down. Penny let out one last cry before sliding down into the Darkness of the dolphin. “SSSSTTTTTOOOOoooooopppp!”

In addition to the bird’s struggles, Gavin was also getting used to swallowing them. As he gulped Penny down, his stretching gullet expanded to take her in with ease. The gulp was far less difficult and painful than the first bird. It was pleasurable! Gavin closed his eyes, and swallowed hard, pressing the helpless avian down his throat with a squelch of drool and slime-soaked feathers against the slick flesh of convulsing gullet muscles. One, two, three more hard, blissful, convulsive gulps were all that was needed to send her the rest of the way to the his stomach. From the outside his belly distended visibly as it stretched to take in its fourth, and final occupant.

The stomach jiggled faintly as last bird wiggled inside. She was surrounded by her dead kin. They were naked by now, and looked more like cooked chickens than auks. Their feathers were all over the stomach. Penny used what little oxygen that was brought with her to scream and yell to the dolphin, pleading to be let go. “Please throw me up! My mate will be worried sick about me!”
After a few dozen, long seconds, Penny could feel her skin tingle, and her feathers come off.

“Begging will use up what little air you have left” the dolphin observed, with a belch. He was now some 20 feet underwater (although his prey may not be able to tell this from the confining darkness of the dolphin’s belly).

Bubbles of life-giving air escaped from Gavin’s snout, leaving the poor auk with nothing too breath. She took in a breath, and all that came in was rank, stale nothingness. She started to exasperate in the bottom of the stomach, under the bodies of her fellow auks. In no time, she started to lose conciseness

Gavin glided lazily beneath the ocean’s surface, driven on by an occasional kick of his tail. As the movement in his belly began to fade away he felt entirely satisfied and full, a pleasant turn of events from earlier. His belly gurgled and churned thickly, massaging the prey inside and gleaning nutrients from their lean avian bodies. He’d have to remember what the small birds looked like for next time. They had made a wonderful meal indeed.

By the time the stomach was done with the auks’ skin and organs, only bones and discolored feathers remained. In the end, the birds provided the dolphin with a bit of nourishment to keep him going for another day or so.
Penny’s mate waited a few days on the nest. By the 3rd day, hunger got to him and he gave up on the nest to look for food. The bachelor was going to have to try again next mating season with a different mate. As he swam through the water, fishing, he would have no idea that he would have to be on the look out for a different kind of predator