7

Ayala lay in bed in her modest apartment, staring at the ceiling, a vacant expression in her eyes. In one hand, she had a bottle of wine. Her other hand simply rubbed.

Between orgasms, when the guilt set in, she would sit up, grab her laptop, and work on her resignation letter. She could only get so far; her mind melted between the buzz and so many soul shattering orgasms, that she struggled to list…anything. She couldn’t remember her accomplishments, her reasons for leaving, what her purpose was, other than…

Ayala lay back down. She took another sip of wine, and got back to her real work. This time, she edged to being turned into a delicious venison stew.

As she lost what was left of her identity to lust, Ayala’s phone rang. She glanced over, and saw an unfamiliar number through her blurred vision. Chalking it up to spam, she put her phone down, took another sip, and got back to gooning. She rubbed. She ached. She yearned to be dinner. To remove herself entirely from this stressful situation entirely and *be* something else. No, not something else. What she was always meant to be.

Ayala’s phone rang again. She lamented the persistence of robocalls – and considered answering, just for the comfort of having the only “normal” conversation she’d have today. At least the robot wouldn’t try to eat her; it just wanted to sell her an extended warranty on her car.

As the ringing stopped, Ayala sat up again, intent on finishing her resignation letter before she blacked out. She finished one additional sentence before her phone chimed, this time with a direct message. Ayala decided, in homage to her risk-taking younger self, she would answer honestly to whatever came. As she looked over, and focused her vision, she saw it was a text from Lily.

She smiled. But then, she remembered that she’d literally masturbated just hours before to the thought of her sweet, innocent friend eating her. She felt a sting of guilt and shame that she quickly drowned out with wine. Lily was probably lost to Remi’s indoctrination, anyway, Ayala told herself.
Or Rob’s – how could Lily date someone like Rob? Ayala realized that Lily had tried to tell her about Rob, but she's been so preoccupied with her own pending promotion, and then, with Remi, she had been ignoring her best friend. She had always been there for Lily - a bit more gullible than most - and now, not only could she not protect her, she couldn't even protect herself. It was more likely at this point that Rob would seal the deal of getting in Lily’s pants over Ayala’s dead body – serving her on a platter to Lily as a romantic dinner for two.

Ayala decided it would be best to just face the music and take a look. It would just be one more reason to move on. Ayala opened the text and read:

“Hey Bestie! Sorry you didn’t get the Sales Lead gig! But, I think the RIGHT thing is happening as it SHOULD!

PS: Sorry for tasting the venison. I hope it doesn’t change things between us.”

Ayala smiled, and for a moment, felt normal again. She then remembered, in a rush of irrational excitement, that she vowed to respond to whoever was calling, so she grabbed the phone and texted without thinking.

“It’s okay, really. It’s not like it was ME in that pot.” Ayala texted.

Ayala’s face suddenly flushed as she had a devious thought that was instantly impossible to ignore. Her hands shook as she continued:

“I’m sure if it was me, you wouldn’t have had a single bite.”

Ayala let the phone, and bottle of wine, slip from her hands as she quickly brought herself to climax at the thought of the wonder and fascination in Lily’s eyes as she saw her former best friend served on a plate. She screamed in her apartment, a guttural sound that was so loud that a neighbor’s dog began barking. Ayala collapsed down on the bed afterward, exhausted, her laptop crashing to the floor as well.

Ayala took what felt like half an hour to catch her breath. She realized that her guilt got a little quieter with each climax, being replaced with a quiet, calm acceptance.Maybe she’d stick around at Thompson for a while. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

Just as Ayala began to doze off, her phone rudelywoke her, the ringing piercing through her skull. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, and as she went to slide the call to silent, she accidentally swiped up to answer. She quickly rushed the phone to her ear to listen, expecting to hear Lily’s concerned voice about her drunk texts.

“Do you believe in destiny?” A female voice said.

“Who…is this?” Ayala responded, looking through blurred vision at the number she disregarded as spam before.

“Now now, isn’t your calling inevitable by now, Miss Dinner?”

“…Remi…” Ayala whispered, as one hand slid back to her sore, soaking cunt.

“That’s Sales Lead of Thompson Cookware to you, Miss Dinner.

“It’s Diner.” Ayala corrected.

“You still think so? I’m not so sure you do. But correcting YOUR purpose, or rather, your position at Thompson Cookware is exactly why I’m calling.”

Ayala stopped rubbing, coming to her senses for a second. She stood up and allowed her vision to focus. What could Remi mean?

“New position? I know I didn’t get promoted, but I assumed I’d keep my-” Ayala mumbled

“Your former position has been eliminated, Miss Dinner. We have…other plans for you.”

Ayala did not answer, her mind racing toward the one plan Remi clearly had for her.

“Wasn’t it great earlier, by the way, when everyone came together and shared a meal? I think it goes to show that all of US have something in common. And it’s all because of YOU, Miss Dinner.”

“My invention…” Ayala lamented.

“No, not your invention, little doe. It was what’s inside you, the VENISON, that brought people together. And I think…having you there, quiet and on display as everyone ate, well, what SHOULD’VE been you, honestly, if I had followed the recipe…well, it really brought the team together. And that’s what Mr. Thomspon and I talked about in our little impromptu meeting. How we could do the RIGHT thing and…reassign you…to the position you SHOULD’VE been all along.

Ayala let out a moan as she rubbed her sore, aching cunt. She really wanted to have an orgasm to Remi’s voice. It would be so fucked up, and somehow, SO fucking good. Besides, she hadn’t gotten anywhere with a confrontation with this woman so far, so she might as well try going with the flow.

“I take from your silence that we are in agreement. Good.” Remi said. “As for your new position? Well, we couldn’t really come up with a proper name for it. I started with “pet” and then we got to “mascot” but I think we settled on – “Morale Officer.” It has a nice ring to it, which is ironic, as it’s going to come with a special tag around your neck we are going to use to identify you. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

Ayala instantly stopped rubbing,anger rising within her. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard -an image of being paraded around her office in what sounded like a collar clear in her mind. Dyani had suffered along history of being forced to wear collars to designate inferiority, and the implication she’d wear anything similar struck a nerve.

“I don’t think so, Remi. Sorry. No, I’d rather quit.” Ayala said affirmatively and sat up to reach for her laptop tofinish her resignation letter. She noticed for the first time she’d knocked it over with her last orgasm, and as she picked it up, it was soaked in wine, now completely fried.

“You can’t just quit, Miss Dinner. You’re a contract employee, and you have an obligation to fulfill.” Remi said, with a chuckle in her throat, the arrogance of someone steps ahead.

“Then I’ll break my obligation. Have a good ni-“

“YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU LITTLE BITCH.”Remiscreamed. “If…you thought it was embarrassing what I did to you before, just imagine what it’s going to be like when I parade you around the office on a fucking leash. You’re on a three year deal with six months left. You signed a no-compete. If you don’t work for us, no, let me rephrase, if you don’t work for ME, and do whatever I say, then you won’t just be out of a job and unemployable. You’ll owe every dollar you’ve earned from Thompson back – with interest.”

Ayala felt a panic rise in her. She reached again for her laptop, which held her only copy of her employment terms, and realized for a second time that she’d just broken it masturbating. What Remi said couldn’t be true; but she had no way to confirm it until Monday.

“So, I think ‘Morale Officer’ is a perfect fit for you. You’ll come with me on my daily rounds, and you’ll see first hand as I bring people together by showing how much better WE are than YOU. Our little potlucks will be a weekly ritual – with venison on the menu, of course, as seeing your kind on a plate is something that truly brings us together.”

Ayala lay motionless in her bed. It was one thing to fantasize and imagine an orgasm to being humiliated, but she’d rather be eatenthan be ridiculed in real life every day for the next six months.

“There is of course, one other way out of this.” Remi said.

Ayala felt her spirits lift. Anything could be better than what she just heard – the thought of having to walk plates of venison to her co-workers every week while they eyed her hungrily and lost any remaining respect for her was a fate worse than, well, death.

“What is it?” Ayala sheepishly inquired.

“Well, if you really want to know, you’ll have to come to my apartment…tonight. It’s better a to discuss this type of thing face to face.” Remi said coldly.

“I’ve been drinking. I really can’t.” Ayala admitted.

“Perfect. I was going to wine and dine you anyway, but instead, I’ll just dine-you, Miss Dine-her.” Remi giggled. “You’re an accomplished Dyani; you deserve a proper last meal.” Remi paused for a moment. “I’ll call you a cab.”

Remi hung up. Ayala quickly looked at her phone, and saw it was just after 6:30pm. There was still time to talk Remi out of this; there just had to be a way. As she rushed to get dressed, the pain in her right oblique suddenly returned, as if her body already knew what the only alternative would be.

Ayala felt like a spider in a web, everything she’d done up to this point had just tightened her binds, with Remi bearing down on her. She needed help, she realized, but didn’t know who to turn to. She had no one on this Earth left she could trust.

Suddenly, she had a realization and rushed over to her closet. She brushed her clothes aside, and opened a door that had remained closed for many years. As she reached inside, and looked down in her hand, the honk from her cab ride outside startled her, the item slipping from her hand and crashing onto the floor.

Ayala looked down at the omen that had again befallen her. She shook her head, trying to understand the message her ancestors were sending her. A second honk broke her concentration, and she quickly bent down to pick up her mother’s pendant from the floor, slid it in her pocket, and rushed out the door without another thought.

As the cab pulled off into the night, Ayala’s phone vibrated, laying hidden underneath a blanket on her bed. It lit up with one notification showing: a textfrom Lily. It read:

“OF COURSE I’d never eat you, you’re my best friend! Unless…that’s somehow what you wanted?”

8

The slam of the cab driver’s door rang through Ayala’s skull, her wine buzz quickly drifting into a hangover. Ayala was suddenly reminded that she wasn’t in her twenties anymore, and she hadn’t been in a situation like this in over a decade. She thought she’d changed, the world had changed, and yet, here she was, standing on the doorstep of destiny.

Every instinct in her body told her to turn back. She didn’t know what she was even doing here, and yet, she knew. There was only one other way out of this.

Ayala cleared her head, and wanted to gaze up to study the stars for guidance. But, first, she allowed just one last daydream of her meat spending hours cooking in a slow heat, her muscles reduced to fork tender venison. She shook as she thought of herself being passed around her office, of being consumed, enjoyed, valued, not for what she had worked so hard to be, but for-

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Remi was immediately in her personal space.

"I’ve been waiting for this moment all week." Remi said with a grin, a hand tracing Ayala's hip, before she just as quickly turned and walked into her home, beckoning Ayala inside.

Ayala walked slowly, cautiously, almost like she expected to be ensnared in a trap at any moment. She found Remi's apartment modest, sparsely decorated, like she had just moved in. No photos of family on the wall, no signs of any other identity than what she had shown at work, just a dark corridor into a kitchen, and a turn to the left where she saw the reflection of the light of a fireplace.
Ayala watched as Remi disappeared into the kitchen, but dared not follow her there. The last thing she needed in her state of mind was to see Remi preparing any venison. She instead took a quick turn to the left, and found a quick seat on a soft couch. She took a minute to collect herself, remembering her fate would be daily humiliation, or worse, if she didn't find her wits and find a way to talk Remi into another option.
As her eyes wandered, she found that this room WAS decorated – with bones hung on the wall, several Dyani pelts, and…three mounted Dyani headsover her fireplace. They stared lifelessly back at her, a look of shock and defeat frozen in their eyes as they all had their jaws left slightly slack as they hung lifelessly on display. Ayala mindlessly walked over, finding what appeared to be a nickname, and a date, engraved on a plaque under each one.

"Nothing more will ever be known about who they were." Ayala said sadly, now staring deeply into the eyes of the fallen Dyani to the far right. Her face looked familiar to Ayala, but she just couldn't place it.

"I can make some space for you if you like, Miss Dinner. Just say the word." Remi smugly said.

Ayala spun around to see Remi standing behind her, wearing a simple hostess apron over her work clothes. Remi forced a smile, while gesturing assertively for Ayala to sit again. As Ayala sat back on the couch, she realized she was sitting on a Dyani-skin throw rug. She tried not to think about it as her fur and the fur of whoever this once was had the exact same shade.

“That’s a good doe. Now, I promised you a last meal. And once I decide on something, I just won’t have it any other way. Remi commanded.

Ayala felt it was best to comply, being surrounded by so many Dyani that Remi had killed.Even though Remi could do nothing to her outside the bounds of a legal and fair hunt, there was something very unsafe about this place. She had to remain in control of her emotions here.

Remi nodded, and brought over a dish, covered by a metal dome.

“Please enjoy; I’ve been working on this recipe for years and the taste testers before you assure me it’s to DIE FOR.” Remi said, lifting the lid.

Ayala looked down at a scratch made, irresistible vegetable pot pie. She couldn’t believe it – if she had to choose a last meal, this would absolutely be it. She would’ve suspected Lily, but vegetable pot pie was nearly every Dyani’s favorite meal, so it was a good choice for Remi to master.

Ayala hated how Remi had used even this against her. Regardless, she decided to pick up a fork and dig in. She savored her first bite, the crust just PERFECT, her wanders to watch Remi ladle a small amount of…soup…out of a cast iron kettle that she had hanging over the fire. As Ayala stared, she saw a bone sticking out of the thick liquid, and watched as a crack formed, the marrow leaking out, and the bone sank into the broth.

“I always have broth before. You understand I’m a person who stands for tradition.” Remi said, sitting down and taking a sip.

Ayala started to see her own reflection again, this time, in the pot of soup, and decided it was time to make her stand.

"I really don't want to take this new role, Remi. Please just…let me go. I won’t come after you, I won’t bother you ever-“

“YOUR KIND has been bothering me my entire life, Miss Dinner. It’s time we settled this the only way that is known to our peoples. It’s that simple.” Remi said, taking a sip.

Ayala swallowed a particularly crunchy bite of pot pie as she processed the declaration she had finally made. She watched as Remi stood up and took down a bow from the wall, and set it on the table between them.

“You just want to hunt me, Remi, I’ve known that since the day we met. But, I won’t even give you even the chance of having the satisfaction of eating-“

“Now WHO would be the one who would gain the satisfaction of me eating you?” Remi interrupted, before leaning closer. “Me. Eating. YOU.”

Ayala felt her face flush and her desire for release return. Her hand slipped down her thigh ever so slightly.

“Oh, PLEASE go ahead. I wouldn’t want to neglect you your…playtime.” Remi said. “You sure seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier.”

Ayala gasped, her jaw slack as she processed that she was the only person, ever, who knew, who REALLY KNEW, about her fantasies.

“Oh, Miss Dinner, PLEASE keep your face JUST like that. That’s EXACTLY the look I want when I MOUNT YOUR FUCKING HEAD.”

Ayala quivered. She felt her desire rise to uncontrollable levels; the need to absolutely enjoy this exact sexual experience, this degradation she’d fantasized about her entire life, was beginning to overwhelm her. As her breathing became labored, she pulled herself back, digging deep into what little guilt she had about enjoying the thought of being cooked, served, eaten, and stuffed – and kept fighting back, before it was too late.

“No…I’m not going to let you eat me, ever. That’s what you’ll never understand about me. I’ll admit that I do I fantasize about it, but, but it’s not who I really am.” Ayala shared, feeling a strange comfort as she’d finally told someone the truth for the first time in her life. She just wished it was someone other than Remi.

“Oh, I’ve heard THIS before.” Remi snapped back, gesturing to her wall of assorted trophies. “Next you’ll tell me you’re just better than me, too.” Remi chuckled, taking a moment to take a sip of her cup of Dyani soup.

“I know what I am. I’m smart, I’m successful, and I’m not going to be your fucking pet for the next six months…” Ayala said, feeling her spirit swell at her declaration. “You’ve already humiliated me enough in front of my friends, and co-workers, and I’d rather die before being put in that situation again, so FUCK you!” Ayala said, happy to ride the high of her emotions.

“I’m glad to hear we’re on the same page about what WILL come next, my helpless little doe.” Remi said.

Ayala felt her gaze wander to the heads mounted on Remi’s wall. Then, she scanned the assorted bones, and lastly, the kettle hovering just over the roaring fire. She gulped loudly, before looking back into Remi’s eyes.

“Do you know why I like broth, Ayala? It’s the closest you can get to the essence of a Dyani. It can only be made when you…reduce…what they were into stock…just their thickest bones boiling away, cracking under the pressure of the heat so the life essence, the soul of a doe, leaks out, enriching a flavor that is impossibly familiar, yet absolutely unique.” Remi said, leaning in, her bleached white teeth showing again.

“I can’t fucking wait to taste YOURS. Then, anything you were before will cease to exist, and you will forever be a part of ME.” Remi declared, a snarl in her throat, as she took in a mouthful of broth.

Ayala could’ve withstood likely any other statement than this. But, there was something particularly overwhelming about being told she’d be made into soup that completely broke her. The Curse of Kohonta took control of her, just as it did thirteen years ago. Ayala’s conscious mind was awake, but felt trapped inside, no longer the one speaking, a prisoner of a lifetime of lust, restraint, guilt, and suffering through any identity besides what she always wanted to be – free in the forest, challenging destiny, and getting off on defeating women like Remi in the proud tradition of her people.

“I AM better than you. You’re a terrible, divisive person who hates my kind just for who we are. There’s nothing about me that isn’t superior.” Ayala said, proudly. “You think you’re going to bag me? You won’t be the first to try, and won’t be the last to fail. So, let’s fucking settle this.” Ayala challenged.

“Let’s.” Remi said, leaning back, observing the blankness in Ayala’s eyes reflecting in the broth between her hands.

“I want out of my contract when I win. On top of that, I want severance pay. I’m taking a long vacation and it’ll be at YOUR fucking expense. I want it in writing, and I want it TONIGHT.” Ayala declared, before a grin broke out on her face. “After all, it’s the RIGHT thing to do. You do that, and we can have our hunt, and settle this fair and square.” Ayala confirmed.

Ayala finished her last bite of pot pie, slamming the empty pie tin on the table. They both watched silently as the tin spun, round and round, like a top, dancing on the edge of the table, before it finally rolled off, crashing to the floor below.

“Perfect.” Remi declared, eyeing that the contents were completely consumed. “How absolutely perfect.” Remi confirmed, as her eyes narrowed on Ayala, taking one final gulp of soup.