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          A large cave in the mountains loomed just ahead as the draconic horde, led by a large, black dragon, soared through the air towards it. Their bellies were happily gurgling with the recent offerings from the nearby prison keep. Now, they were heading home to rest and let their delicious meals settle.

          Tynder felt the human inside his belly shift as he led his horde in a steep descent towards the cave. A smile spread across his muzzle. Soon, human. Soon.

          Sounds of flapping wings and heavy thuds were heard as each dragon landed near the cave's threshold. Being the leader, Tynder entered first with the rest of the horde following in suit.

          The shock of the landing woke Darren from his slumber. Slowly sitting up, he lifted his hands to his head and began to rub his eyes. However, a warm, wet sensation against his skin and clothes made him stop abruptly. Looking about his legs, Darren noticed that he was sitting in a pool of viscous liquid. Upon further inspection, the ground beneath the liquid was of a reddish-pink hue. He shifted his eyes to the walls around him; they had the same coloring as the ground, but lines of red and blue were crisscrossing through them. Where in the world was he?

          Darren’s memory was hazy. The last thing he could remember was being imprisoned in a cell and fed crumbs and stale water. Closer inspection of his body confirmed it as he saw his emaciated husk for what it was. But where was he now? And how did he get here?

          Tynder noticed the increased shifting in his stomach and assumed the human had awakened. Turning his head towards the group of dragons behind him, he called out to them. “I will be heading to my chambers. You lot can do what you wish, but do not disturb me.” The rest of the horde growled their understanding and Tynder continued on deeper into the bowels of the cave. His human treat would be in danger if his underlings found it.

          With each passing moment Darren was able to recollect more of his recent memories. His latest one was of the guards at the keep shackling his wrists and leading him up through the stone corridors to the roof. One of them had mentioned something about being a meal for a dragon…

          A meal for a dragon.... A meal for a dragon.... The words echoed over and over in Darren's mind. And then realization struck him like a heavy blow, as the rest of his memories suddenly came flooding back to him. He had been one of the sacrifices at Dragon’s Keep and remembered dragons landing and choosing their prey for consumption. One dragon in particular stuck out from the rest: the black dragon that had chosen him. Darren looked at his surroundings again. He was certainly in the belly of that dragon now.

          However, something seemed at odds with the organic prison he currently resided in. For starters, he had been able to breathe quite normally, clearly an indication that the air here was passable enough to sustain life. The muscular walls and floor also showed no signs of acidic residue. The young man had never heard of an organ such as this before.

          Tynder turned down another corridor and arrived at his chambers. Ensuring that none of the other dragons had followed him, he began prodding his large, dark gray belly.

          “Oi, human. You alright in there?”

          Darren heard the rough, male voice outside calling out to him. It was the same voice he had heard at the keep. The voice of his captor: the black dragon.

          “Yes, I am fine,” replied Darren. He stood up and moved closer to the edges of the fleshy vault. "But where exactly am I?"

          Tynder chuckled. “The safest place you can be at this moment: my stomach."

          "But...if it's a stomach, how am I still alive?"

          "Because the one you currently reside in is for storage, human."

          "Storage," Darren asked.

          "Indeed. Unlike a normal stomach, storage stomachs have no acids. Therefore, dragons use them to hold food during long-distance flights to prevent hunger."

          "I see."

          "You're also the first human I have put in there, by the way. The others before you weren't so...lucky."

          Darren didn't like hearing those last few words. "Then, why was I the only one to be spared?"

          "Because I promised you a reprieve back at the keep, didn't I? A dragon always keeps their promises, even with lesser creatures." Tynder answered. "That and you were the tastiest human I had ever eaten. I wasn't going to let your flavor go to waste."

          For a brief moment Darren was silent, but then he smiled and rubbed the fleshy wall before him. "Thank you for keeping your promise and sparing my life. And, although it was quite strange to hear, I am honored that my flavor appealed to your palate." he replied.

          The human's words of gratitude made Tynder smirk. It was strange hearing them from an inferior creature. And even stranger that it made him feel slightly happy.

          "You're welcome, human." The response sounded odd, yet somewhat satisfying, as Tynder uttered it.

          "If I may be so bold, though, might I ask for your name?"

          "Tynder. And what tasty name does a flavorful human like you have?"

          "Darren. Darren Ocalor."

          "Darren Ocalor," the black dragon repeated, letting the words roll off his tongue. "A delicious name indeed."

          "T-Thank you, I guess," Darren replied, awkwardly.

          Tynder chuckled softly. "Well then, I have a request of my own."

          "And what would that be," the young man inquired.

          "If I release you, I ask that you stay here with me and become my human treat. If you do, I will grant you protection from the other dragons in my horde. However, as a treat, I can swallow you anytime I please, regardless as to whether you like it or not. It's a small request in return for sparing your life, don't you think?"

          "Smaller than you think," Darren answered in dismay. "After everything I did for my country, there seems to have been some who would have rather seen me gone. I do not know why, but it no longer matters now. I will not be returning."

          "So, you will accept?"

          "If it will repay my debt to you...yes."

          "Good. I'm glad. Then, with that settled...." Tynder began to constrict his stomach muscles, and felt the human slowly make its way up into his throat. The undulations going up were not as pleasant, but Darren's flavor made it bearable. When the bulge in his neck had reached his mouth, Tynder opened his jaws and gently plucked the young man from within with his talons.

          Placing Darren on the ground, Tynder then took another look at the human before him. Though the young man was but a withered husk, his flavor had been strong and pleasant. A flavor that Tynder was glad he would continue to enjoy.

          At that moment, Darren's stomach gurgled, making the black dragon grin widely.

          “Ahh, yes. You could use some meat on those bones. It would do much to accentuate your flavor,” Tynder said with a toothy grin. He gently nudged Darren’s gut with a long, black talon. “I will return with some food. I recommend that you stay put and avoid venturing about. I would hate to lose such...flavorful prey.” The emphasis Tynder placed upon those final words made Darren shudder. A snicker escaped the black dragon’s lips as he left the chamber, leaving the young man alone inside.

          After watching Tynder disappear from sight, Darren turned around to survey the large room in which he now stood. On the ground at the far back was a large pile of grass, its edges outlined with skulls of many creatures - most of them human. The sight made him shudder. How many lives had ended prematurely between Tynder's jaws? He figured it to be quite large amount. However, his life had been spared and, in his eyes, that at least counted for something. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he continued looking about.

          Near the bedding, makeshift shelves were etched into the rock walls, their contents not quite pleasing to the eye. From among the items, Darren saw an elephant’s ivory tusk, a piece of dried tiger skin, and what appeared to be a necklace made of human teeth. That last one made his stomach lurch, but he forcefully swallowed the bile rising in his throat. However, it left quite an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

          Soon after he had regained control of himself, Darren heard the raking sound of claws nearby. Unsure of whether it was Tynder or one of the other dragons, he dove into the grass bedding to hide himself. He wasn't going to take any chances. After making a tiny gap in the grass with his hands, Darren waited patiently.

          “Tynder, Brine wishes to speak with you regarding his earlier outburst,” spoke a raspy, male voice.

          A large, red dragon with long, black horns appeared at the entrance to Tynder's chambers.

          “I’d also like to— Ahh, you’re not here. Guess I’ll come back later.”

          As the red dragon turned to leave, a sweet scent permeated his nostrils and he couldn’t help but salivate.

          “Mmm. What is that delicious scent,” the large reptile purred out, as a black tongue snaked its way out of his mouth. “It smells like…a human.”

          The red dragon entered the draconic leader’s chambers and sniffed about. Darren recognized the dragon to be the same one that questioned Tynder during the feast. If he recalled correctly, Tynder referred to him by the name of Ash. Darren inched further back into the grass bedding. He was too weak to deal with another monstrosity, and Tynder was not yet back from his hunt. He was on his own.

          “I know you’re in here, human. Come out and play. I won’t bite…too hard,” Ash taunted, as a sly, toothy grin spread across his muzzle. Darren’s scent continued to fill his nostrils, steadily intensifying as he neared the source.

          Darren felt the footfalls stop near his hiding spot. He held his breath and waited, his heart thumping loudly in his ears.

          Ash licked his lips and drove his right foreleg into the bedding. Shifting it left and right, his scales soon brushed by something warm.

          “Ah-hah! Found you!”

          Gripping his hidden meal tightly within his claws, he pulled his arm back and brought it close to his face. Opening his hand, his eyes widened at the sight.

          “You’re the human whom Tynder was supposed to have devoured! Damn leader must have found a soft spot in his cold heart for once. And for a human no less. Tch.”

          Darren tried to stand up, but the red dragon flexed its claws, causing him to topple over. He tried once more, but the dragon would not let him succeed.

          “Well he may have spared you, but I certainly will not. I guess I’ll be the one having seconds.”

          The large, red maw opened up in front of Darren, and the caustic smell of death invaded his nostrils, making him gag. Moments later, the dragon raised him up into the air and he got a clear view of the previous victim’s remains; blood stains were still present on the pearly-white teeth, and a shred of leather seemed to be lodged between two of them. The gruesome sight, coupled with the putrid smell defiling his nose, quickly overwhelmed him and he was on the verge of passing out.

          "Time to say goodbye, human," Ash said, before releasing his hold on his prey. He watched as the human plummeted towards his open jaws, waiting for the savory flavor to grace his tongue.

With the jaws of death upon him, Darren shut his eyes and his body tensed up a bit in anticipation. It wasn't anything new to him - not after what Tynder did. However, he was certain that this time he wasn't going to live through it.

          At that moment, Darren heard the sound of a loud roar nearby, followed by heavy footsteps and grunting. Seconds later, his free-fall ended abruptly. But what he landed on wasn't squishy and moist. No. It was rough and dry.

          The young man opened his eyes and found himself lying flat upon what appeared to be a large, black and scaly hand. As far as he knew, only one dragon possessed such a hand. Slowly shifting his gaze upwards, he smiled weakly when he saw the owner of the extremity staring down at him.

          “I’m glad…you’re back, Tynder,” Darren said with some effort.

          Tynder grinned. “Well, I couldn’t let anything happen to my delicious morsel now, could I?”

          The young man chuckled slightly, and slowly sat himself up. "Where's Ash?"

          Tynder nodded his head towards a large figure slowly raising itself off the ground.

          “Have a special spot for that human, do you,” asked the red dragon. “I wonder what the others would say if they found out.”

          Tynder turned towards Ash, and grabbed him by the muzzle with his free hand. “And if you would like to live, it would serve you well that they don't for the time being. Do I make myself clear?"

          Ash growled, but nodded his understanding. Tynder then released his grip, and the red dragon quickly withdrew from the room.

          After a brief silence, Darren finally spoke. "Thank you for saving my life, Tynder."

          "You're welcome. And before I forget..." The black dragon wandered over to a dead deer lying near the entrance of his chamber and picked it up. "This should help fatten you up."

          Darren's eyes went wide with surprise. "An entire deer? There's no way I'll be able to consume all of that."

          "Don't worry. Whatever you leave over, I'll finish. I'm not one to waste precious meat."

          After drawing in a small breath, Tynder exhaled a steady stream of flames, quickly cooking the deer. Content with his work, he placed the deer and human on the ground before laying down beside them. "Go ahead and eat your fill. I'm sure you're starving, after all."

          Darren ripped a small piece of meat off the corpse and bit into it. He hummed cheerfully as the flavor filled his mouth. "This is quite delicious. Thank you."

          "Don't mention it," Tynder replied.

          As the black dragon watched Darren eat, his mind wandered to the rest of his horde. Given that Ash wasn't too fond of it, how would the rest of them react when they did find out that a single human had captured their leader's attention? Would they still be loyal to him? Or would they leave to find another horde? These questions continued to plague his mind, while the young man below continued to fill his stomach, happily unaware.