The first novel for Columbia State has been completed! "The New Year's Gorge" follows three frat boys during one of the biggest parties of the year at Columbia State University. Plenty of permavore awaits you, along with digestion and weight-gain. This preview is the opening scene of the novel, giving a glimpse of the themes throughout.

Preview 2

And if you enjoy it and want to read more, you can purchase the full novella either on Itchio or Amazon.

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The New Year’s Gorge - Preview
By: Indi

“One. Two. Three!”

Gage lifted his side of the table. The silver wolf across from him took a second longer to match him, despite doing the count. They shuffled towards the far wall with well-practiced haste. The table pressed against Gage’s thick belly, pudge pushing over the edge. He sucked it in to relieve the pressure, but the anaconda was too fat to reign in his gut. Not that he minded it being unwieldy.

The two set the table down short of the wall, then shoved it against it.

The wolf leaned on the table to catch his breath. “Setup is the worst part of these parties,” he said.

Gage watched the wolf’s plump middle expand and contract as he breathed heavily. The creases on his shirt smoothed out, then rose again, over and over. Sheen had been dieting the last few months. He barely hunted, and only targeted lean prey when he did. His excuse was that he’d gotten the urge to skate again and wanted to be in shape for it. Gage didn’t expect the diet to survive the night.

“It’s just moving a few tables,” Gage said.

“They’re big tables. And we had to stack all the chairs, too.”

“Can’t turn the dining room into a dance floor if the tables are blocking the way,” Gage said.

They were setting up for the New Year’s Gorge, one of the biggest parties of the year. Most of the furniture had already been moved aside, leaving the dining room of the Tau Tau Psi fraternity wide open. Once the party began, it’d be crowded for the rest of the night. Gage imagined the dozens of students who’d be dancing, eating, and drinking as music shook the walls and drowned out their attempts at conversation.

So many distractions. As usual, it’d be a great hunting ground.

“We could at least get tables with wheels so we don’t have to lug them all over the place,” Sheen said. “Would be quicker.”

“Do you really want the tables rolling around during breakfast or dinner?” Gage asked. “My gut could probably push one a couple of feet without effort.” He lifted his belly, shook it twice, then let it drop. It bounced, causing his shirt to ride up and expose a dark green strip of pudgy scales. He saw the flash of nervousness in his friend’s expression. His gut tended to have that effect on anyone familiar with his appetite.

“You already push them whenever you lift your fat ass out of your chair. That’s why the floors are scuffed.”

“Those aren’t from the tables. They’re from claws and talons digging in as prey try to avoid becoming dinner,” Gage said. His forked tongue flicked out.

“As if you haven’t been the one stuffing yourself with those prey more often than not,” Sheen said.

“Guilty as charged.” Gage grinned and rubbed his exposed middle with a claw.

A short, slim alligator and a plump pine marten arrived with another table, setting it down next to the one Gage and Sheen had brought.

“Are you two done flirting and ready to help?” The gator said.

“Fuck off, Wes, we weren’t flirting,” Sheen said.

“Sheen was complaining about setup being the worst part of the party,” Gage said.

“What?” Wes asked. “Cleanup is so much worse.”

Sheen scoffed, turning away from Gage and focusing on the gator. “Only the freshmen and sophomores handle cleanup, that doesn’t count.”

“Yeah, and when I was still a sophomore, it sucked,” Wes said. “Sorting everything when you’re hungover is a pain in the ass. And having to reach under the furniture to grab stray garbage and bones. Or having to get shit down from the lights because someone thought it’d be hilarious to make a contest out of belching clothes as high as they could.” Wes glared at Sheen.

The wolf smiled and shrugged. “That was the best part of that night. I scored twenty bucks burping some frosh’s collar into the fixture.”

“And I nearly fell into Gage’s maw because he belly-bumped my ladder accidentally.” Wes’ glare shifted momentarily to Gage, who offered a grin in return.

“Not doing a good job of convincing me cleanup’s worse,” Sheen said.

“Cleanup was fun,” the pine marten—Cade—said. “I liked trying to guess who all the broken antlers or acid-stained shirts had belonged to. And you got first dibs on any jewelry you found.”

“Yeah, cleanup wasn’t bad,” Gage finally chimed in.

“You only liked it because you had a chance to eat stragglers,” Wes said.

“And that’s a perfectly valid reason to like it. Nothing cures a hangover like freshly plumped-up prey.”

There were always a few guests still lingering in the frat house after every party, passed out in chairs or on the floor. The ones who had eaten people the night before would look extra soft, with their clothes clinging tightly thanks to their recent gains. Scarfing one down wasn’t an accomplishment, but Gage cared more about filling his belly than gloating. Besides, those prey always squirmed wonderfully, their night of triumph turned into a nightmare of a morning.

“That proves setup’s worse, since you can’t eat anyone during it,” Sheen said.

The wolf didn’t quite have his back turned to Gage, but his attention wasn’t fully on the anaconda anymore. Gage’s thick tail began slithering towards Sheen.

“That’s not entirely true,” Gage said.

Sheen glanced over. His eyes widened and he bolted backward, almost slamming into Wes. Gage’s tail stopped.

Wes and Cade burst into laughter. Sheen growled at the pair and hit the alligator in the shoulder. He turned back to Gage, his eyes darting frequently towards the anaconda’s menacing tail. “Not cool, dude!” Gage saw his chest rising and falling fast. “You can’t eat me before the party’s started!”

“There’s no rule against it. We’re just strongly encouraged to hold off on hunting our delicious, fellow frat brothers until parties,” Gage said.

The encouragement worked. While nearly every member of the Tau Tau Psi frat was an active pred, they rarely preyed upon one another casually. Any feuds and cravings were settled at parties or major gatherings. And—for the most part—few had any desire to eat anyone else in their frat. A similar culture existed in all the other fraternities and sororities at Columbia State University. It had prevented them from eating themselves out of existence, the most humiliating fate for any organization.

Gage and his friends maintained a very different set of values, though. They all believed friendship shouldn’t be a deterrent when it came to hunting. If anything, friends were seen as the greatest meals of all.

Gage privately took credit for the unusual attitude. The first person he’d ever eaten had been a friend.

Seb. The cobra had been one of his oldest and closest friends. He’d even crushed on Seb for a brief time in the past, though he didn’t believe the attraction was mutual. They’d arranged to become roommates in college, and had plans of pledging to one of the frats.

After only a week on campus, Seb had returned to their room with a squirming belly.

He’d been studying with someone in their freshman orientation group, a cat whose name Gage had long forgotten. The meal had been impulsive. He’d missed lunch, and the feline had looked more and more delicious as their session went on. Seb had seen people eating each other in person and movies before, but had never engaged in the act himself. It’d been a struggle. The cat had fought back, scratching up his tail and giving him a black eye. But Seb had endured. He’d crammed his study partner down his throat and sealed him away for good.

Seb had been euphoric as he’d told Gage the tale of his first successful hunt. Everything about eating people was amazing to the cobra. The taste, the fullness, the squirms, the begging. Gage had been envious of his friend’s joy.

The next night, the two roommates got drunk with another friend and played games. Seb’s rush from eating the cat hadn’t faded. All he could talk about was wanting to go hunting again. Eventually, he’d drunkenly suggested they up the stakes of their next game, and have the winner eat the loser. Inebriated and eager to eat someone himself, Gage had agreed.

The game had been close, but Gage proved victorious in the end. Seb had tried to back out of the deal.

“I was joking,” he’d lied. “I wouldn’t eat you if I’d won,” he’d lied. “Friends shouldn’t eat friends,” he’d lied.

Gage had ignored him. He’d wrestled his friend off the couch and to the ground, their tails snapping in a frenzy. As he’d lunged, maw open, there hadn’t been fear on the face of the cobra; only frustration.

On the sidelines, their other friend had watched in stunned silence as Gage gobbled up Seb. Awe had soon replaced it as one friend reduced the other to a belly bulge.

Predation had been everything Seb had claimed. Gage had moaned as he felt his cobra-stuffed belly spill over his lap. Every punch, kick, and wiggle had given him joy. Even the cursing had been wonderful. A frenzy of pleading, guilt-tripping, and furious yelling. Not a single bit of it had made him feel regret. He’d let Seb linger for a solid hour, only belching out the last of his air once he wanted to sleep.

Only two days later, Gage caught his second prey.

They’d tasted good and made him happy, but the experience hadn’t quite been on the same level as his first. He’d wondered if he just preferred snakes. Cornering and consuming a python shortly after had proven his theory wrong.

Through trial and error, Gage eventually realized his relationship with Seb had been the key to his most blissful meal ever. There was something about turning a friend into pudge that elevated the experience to a whole new level. He likened it to the difference between seasoned and unseasoned food.

Later, the tension of never feeling completely safe around his friends had strengthened his convictions.

Since freshman year, Gage had managed to form a constantly-fluctuating
social circle of like-minded friends. They’d all embraced preying upon each other to varying degrees. Some only did so with games or bets. Others only at specific events. Few had matched Gage’s level of voraciousness. He simply ate friends whenever a good opportunity arose.

When Gage looked at Sheen, Wes, and Cade, he not only saw three of his better friends. He saw inevitable meals. He’d try his best to add every one of them to his waistline. And if by chance he ended up taking a one-way trip down someone else’s gullet, he hoped it’d be one of theirs.

“Maybe it’s not against the rules,” Sheen said, “but trying to move tables with me kicking up a storm in your gut would be a pain in the ass!”

“Not really. I can just wrap my tail around a table leg and drag it over. Both my claws would be free to rub every wonderful bulge you’d make~”

Sheen took another step back. Wes slapped him on the back, causing the wolf to jump in the air and yelp. He recovered quickly, smacking Wes on the snout and barraging him with curses.

Another table arrived, carried by a sea otter and a gryphon. The gryphon looked at Gage and his friends. “If you’re all gonna try and eat each other then just get on with it so the winners can finish helping with setup.”

“God, Derek, you somehow made scoring a meal sound like the worst outcome,” Wes said.

“It’s either that or you have to join the sophomores on streamer duty,” the sea otter said. Xavier was thin for an active pred, especially one in his fourth year of college. Proof fit preds were possible if you exercised regularly and only ate lean, low-calorie prey. Well, as low calorie as a whole person could be. Gage had seen him get chubby often, but never any bigger. “I heard my brother whining about the job from half-way across the frat house. He’s never been fond of ladders.”

“I’m fine with hanging streamers if I get a juicy otter snack out of it,” Gage said with a smirk.

The smug look on Xavier’s face instantly turned into a frown. “My brother’s off-limits, Gage. Don’t think I won’t break my diet if anything happens to him.” The otter bared his fangs in a rare show of force.

“I’m joking. But Xander is getting too plump for his own good,” Gage said. He really did think the other otter would taste delicious, but had no desire to get on Xavier’s bad side. If he ate Xander, he’d have to eat Xavier too. He preferred to direct his energy toward eating friends, anyway.

Derek was smiling. “He’s right. Xander’s only been getting more appetizing lately.”

Xavier elbowed Derek in the chest, sending the gryphon into a coughing fit.

“Fuck.” Derek glared at Xavier but didn’t strike back. “Are you still bitter that I tried to eat him last year?”

“No shit I am,” Xavier said. “You’re part cat. I’ve got no problem adding a gryphon skull to my collection.”

“Being stuck watching you get railed for all eternity sure sounds like
Hell.” Derek rubbed the spot Xavier had hit and winced.

“You’d be doing a lot more than that.”

“I always knew you were into freaky shit.”

“Says the dude with the cowboy hat and the assless chaps in his closet.”

For the first time, Gage swore he saw a hint of terror on Derek’s face.

“Let’s call it even and grab another table. Giddy up!” Xavier made a spanking motion with his paw.

“Oh fuck you.”

The two upperclassmen headed off, bickering.

Gage noticed Sheen was distracted watching Xavier and Derek. He crept close and poised his tail to strike. Sheen’s gaze suddenly shifted. The wolf tensed up, then dashed forward. Gage’s tail darted after the fleeing wolf, but was too slow, missing him by mere inches. It landed on the floor with a thud that jiggled his gut.

“So close,” Gage said.

Sheen retreated behind Wes and Cade, no longer the closest meal at hand. “Dude, give me a break! At least wait until the party.”

“But I’m feeling peckish and you’re looking delicious, buddy,” Gage said, his grin widening. “You won’t have to do setup if you’re in my gut.”

“I won’t be able to do a lot of things if I end up in there!”

“Just eat him later,” Wes said. “We still need him to carry stuff.”

Sheen glared at the gator. “Know what? I hear gators are a hell of a lot tastier than wolves are. Maybe I should fill up on one tonight.”

“You’re free to try. Though I have been meaning to sample wolf.” Wes quickly glanced down at Sheen’s belly. “And I know there’ll be at least one thick and juicy one at the party.”

Cade laughed. “There’s no way either of you will be bored enough to hunt each other tonight. This is one of the biggest parties of the year. Aside from us, there’s gonna be a shitload of people from Rho Lambda, Eta Alpha, Alpha Pi, and every other frat and sorority on the street. And of course anyone who just drops by because they heard music and belching and got curious. It’s gonna be a damn buffet!”

“Does that mean you’re planning to stuff yourself to bursting?” Gage asked. He imagined another hundred pounds on the pine marten’s frame.

Cade rolled his eyes. “I’m not gorging tonight. I just want a full belly, and I’ll eat whoever fits.” He tapped lightly on his belly with a paw.

“So no different than usual,” Wes said. “Space must be limited in there, ‘cause you don’t even catch a meal half the time.”

“You’re exaggerating. I don’t need to eat someone at every party, anyway. I’m not trying to blimp up like some people.” Cade looked straight at Sheen’s gut.

“Wow, I’ve got the weirdest craving for pine marten now, too,” Sheen said.

“Good luck finding one dumb enough to trip into your maw,” Cade said. He turned back to Wes but kept Sheen in his line of sight. Gage loved seeing the caution build amongst his friends when they got riled up. “Alright, Wes. Since you’re an apex pred, who are you planning on eating tonight? And you can’t say Sheen since that’s never gonna happen.”

“Never say never,” Wes growled. “But I’m gonna broaden my horizons tonight and eat something I’ve never had before. I’m gonna score me one of the sorority sisters.” The gator grinned.

Cade and Sheen started cackling, and Gage snorted.

“Dude, you’re getting eaten for sure,” Sheen said.

“You’re tiny. And not even in a sturdy shortstack sort of way,” Cade said. “Any one of them could eat you in two bites.”

“I don’t need a gut to be good at hunting!” Wes insisted. “I’ve got speed and experience; eating one of them will be easy.”

“I really should’ve eaten you when I had the chance. Oh well,” Gage teased.

“While Wes is busy becoming a skull trophy for some lucky Alpha Pi, I’ll be winning big at games again,” Sheen said. “Never takes long for people to get drunk enough to make dumb bets, and I’m still one of the best gamers on campus. Nothing’s better than a meal having to willingly wiggle down your throat to their doom.”

Sheen’s hunting skills had always been mediocre at best. Gage knew he could pull off an ambush from time-to-time, but close calls were far more common. At least the wolf recognized his weakness. Instead of getting into brawls, he’d learned to trick people into voracious bets.

Out of all his friends, Gage felt Sheen was the one most likely to eat him. Few had the size, strength, or confidence to face him head-on. Sheen knew the games he was best and worst at, and how drunk the anaconda needed to be to start taking risks; like betting his life on a video game. The thought of Sheen devouring him amused him greatly. He’d never let the wolf know that, though. More than likely it’d just make Sheen cocky, and he’d fuck it all up. Better to let him think he wasn’t seen as a threat, to increase the odds he’d grow bold enough to make a move.

“It’s gonna be hilarious when you’re the one doing the wiggling,” Wes said. “Bet you’re not even gonna go out losing at Arena of Fate. It’ll be one of those dumb knock-off party games.”

Sheen shrugged him off. “I’m way too lucky for that. But if you really think I’m overdue for a loss, then why don’t we have a friendly game tonight? It’ll need to be early so you don’t miss your date with a sorority gut.”

After a few more jabs back and forth, Gage felt the eyes of his friends on him. No one ever directly asked about his meal plans at parties; they already knew the answer. Despite the sheer number of potential meals at a party like the New Year’s Gorge, the anaconda would undoubtedly focus on hunting his friends.

Gage didn’t need a special occasion to eat them. Packing one away simply made the event more memorable. They would be watching their backs regardless since the party would be full of preds, but he’d be on their minds the whole night.

Gage wanted to end the year big. It was his New Year’s Eve tradition. He aimed to stuff as many people into his belly as he could before the night was over, until he was too full to move. During his very first New Year’s Gorge, he’d managed to consume five people, a record he’d yet to match. That was back before anyone knew how ravenous he could be, and when his friends were stupid enough to get within arm’s reach. At times he missed those days. Though if his peers hadn’t smartened up, he’d be a blob by now.

As long as the night went smoothly, Gage expected to score at least three prey. Perhaps only two, depending on how fat the party guests were. The average weight of the student body tended to raise considerably by the middle of the school year. Parties and finals week fattened people up as they binged on late-night snacks and off-guard peers. A final fattening of the year would occur on New Year’s Eve, inevitably followed by resolutions to slim down. For most, the cycle of gaining would begin anew in the fall as everyone ditched their diets to feast on the incoming freshman class.

Of course, there were those like Gage who would instead remain fat year-round, their bellies steadily growing heavier by the year.

Gage looked from one friend to another, flicking his tongue at each in turn. He imagined the three of them crammed into his stomach, pushing helplessly at the slick walls and trying to stay above the rising pool of digestive juices. They’d curse out each other as much as him. Eating so many of his friends at once would be excessive, and detrimental in the long run. He wouldn’t have friends to indulge in if they were all pudge, after all. Yet the thought of gorging on them excited him. One day he’d treat himself.

“BuuuuhHHurrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRP!!”

The loud, rumbling belch echoed all through the dining room, bringing setup to a standstill. A small group had entered, led by a pair of hefty arctic foxes. The foxes were nearly identical in every way, from their smiles to their laughs. Color was the easiest way to differentiate them, as Noah preferred blue and Nathan green. At that moment, Nathan’s wobbling gut helped him stand out more than anything else.

The twins were the joint presidents of the Tau Tau Psi fraternity. They officially alternated being in charge from week to week, but few bothered keeping track. In general, they delegated running the frat to others, while serving as enforcers to keep the voracious members in check so the house didn’t devolve into an unchecked buffet.

The others with them were all carrying take-out bags and pizza boxes. The foxes directed them to the kitchen before catching sight of Gage and his friends. Words and smiles were shared, and they waddled over.

“See, bro?” Noah told Nathan. “Told ya Gage would be able to hold off on eating someone.”

“Lucky guess, that’s all,” Nathan said. “Bet he’s still been trying to snack, though. Double or nothing?”

“No way. You’re not getting out of owing me a six-pack that easily,” Noah said.

Knowing his appetite had prompted a bet between the twins brought a smile to Gage’s face.

“Gage, you let me down by not stuffing yourself!” Nathan joked.

“Well, I could always go for an arctic fox or two. Doubt I’d have room for anyone else at the party, though.”

Gage and the twins all laughed. While the twins looked delicious, they were a bit too fat for him to casually eat. He wouldn’t be able to constrict either with his tail. They were also wrestlers and more than capable of overpowering him in a brawl. He didn’t doubt for a second that both had contemplated turning him into a meal before. Their gluttony matched his own, and often exceeded it.

“Dude, don’t tempt me,” Nathan said. “I don’t want to be beached before the party even begins, but you’d be fucking worth it.” Gage knew the fox wasn’t exaggerating. He saw them lick their lips, their gaze clearly on his middle. His heart sped up and he shifted his stance just enough to ensure his footing was secure. There weren’t many in the frat—or on campus for that matter—who could put Gage on the defensive. Preds like them served to remind him that no one was guaranteed to stay at the top of the food chain forever. “You up for it, bro?”

Noah shook his head. “I’m supposed to be the party host, I can’t be immobile right off the bat. Hit me up in a week and I’m sure I can squeeze you in.”

The three began laughing again.

Gage allowed himself to relax a little. His eyes drifted to Nathan’s belly, which was still shifting around from the prey within. “Anyone I know?” he asked.

“Nah, just someone who was behind us in line at Vitelli’s. He was making a fuss about the size of our order, and how he was running late, blah blah blah.” Nathan pressed down hard on his belly with both paws, provoking muffled shouts. The prey’s squirms didn’t pick up much. They were likely on the verge of passing out. “Not sure why he didn’t expect one of us to eat him on the spot for being an obnoxious ass. I’d like to think we give off a pretty heavy pred vibe.”

“Trust me, even on empty you both look like you’re scarfing people down left and right,” Gage said. “Some people don’t think before they speak.”

“Yeah, and now he’s gonna ring in the new year as fox fat.” Nathan grinned as he looked down upon his belly. “Man, it’s gonna suck for whoever has to follow after you later tonight.” He smacked his gut.

“Yo, it’s fun chatting about food, but we still gotta finish getting shit ready,” Noah said. He turned to face the room. “Alright everyone, hustle up! The quicker we get done the sooner the party can start! Happy hunting, and try not to get eaten before midnight!”

A mix of laughter and cheer erupted from the frat members in the room.

Spirits were always high before a party. Everyone would be imagining themselves ending the year with a full belly. Few would consider the possibility of becoming a meal instead.

Gage looked across the room. He wondered how many of them would end up as pudge and belched up clothing by morning. All that hard work setting up the party, only to become a surprise main course for one lucky guest. Of course, the guest list of any party doubled as a menu. He was on it as well, waiting for someone to dare to take on the eating challenge of a lifetime.