Amalind smiled and stretched her arms, letting the cool water pour over her skin and soak her fur. It always felt so nice to make oneself clean, especially after a nice meal.

The pool itself had formed where an offshoot of a lazy river made its way through an underground cave; holes in the ceiling allowed sunlight to enter, the light bouncing off the water to create shimmering reflections on the walls. Water from the main body of the river, which mostly remained aboveground, cascaded down through those same holes, creating a multitude of tiny waterfalls.

"Ho there, centaur!"

Amalind looked up to see a human approaching the secluded pool. She was female, wearing a sturdy traveler's cloak. She had her red hair up in a ponytail, and sunlight glinted off a small jewel at the spot she had tied her hair back. She had one hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword at her waist; not threatening, but cautious, as humans so often were when dealing with those of other species.

"Hello, human," Amalind said, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "I hope you aren't here to slay me? I know how you humans are with species you consider to be 'monsters.'"

The human shook her head as she approached, stopping at the edge of the pool.

"No," the human said. "I'm not looking for a fight. I'm looking for a person."

"Oh, are you now?" Amalind shifted her hooves beneath the water. She stood near the center of the pool, where the water reached up high enough to cover most of the "horse" part of her body.

"Yes. A human woman." The human held up a piece of red ribbon. "She usually wears this in her hair; I found it near the entrance to the tunnel that brought me here. I thought that perhaps she had come in here seeking shelter. Have you seen her?"

Amalind made a wide gesture with her arm. "Well, as you can see, the tunnel ends at this pool, so there is nowhere else for her to hide." She smiled. "But you are fortunate, for I did see the human with that ribbon in her hair."

"You did? Where!?"

"Outside the cave. She appeared to be having trouble finding her way through the woods."

The human placed the palm of one hand against her forehead. "Damn that girl, she's always getting lost! Did you happen to see which way she went?"

Amalind nodded. "I did. I can point you the way she was going." The centaur paused for a moment, then continued, "Actually, if you're willing to wait until I finish bathing, I'll even help you find her. I know these woods well."

The human considered for a moment. "I'm sure she'll be fine for a few minutes; she's capable, just scatterbrained. And it would be nice to have a local who knows the woods to help. But I don't know if I can trust a..." The human trailed off.

"A centaur? A 'monster?'" Amalind scooped some water in her hands and brought it up, pouring it over her head so it could run down her long, black hair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend," the human said.

"No offense taken, I assure you," Amalind said. "It is reasonable to fear the unknown. Fear breeds caution, and caution keeps us alive. Upon meeting a human and not knowing her intentions, I would be equally cautious." She ran her fingers through her hair as she turned to the human and smiled. "And yet you have not drawn your sword, nor have you given me any reason to believe that you wish me harm. I hope that I have given the same impression."

"I... I suppose you have." The human thought for a moment, then nodded her head. "You're right. I will accept your help, if you're still willing."

"Of course. Just give me a few minutes to finish up here, and I'll help you find your friend."

Amalind bent her knees, lowering herself deeper into the water. Her belly touched the bottom of the pool, and she bent her upper torso forward, submerging herself entirely for a moment. Then she lifted herself back up, water running down her torso.

She couldn't help but notice the human staring at her, with perhaps just a faint flush to her cheeks. "So," Amalind said, "who is this friend that you have lost?"

"She's not a friend, she's..." The human trailed off, the flush in her cheeks growing brighter. "I mean... yes, she's a friend. We wanted to meet in private, and she insisted on doing so out here in the woods. I think she thought it would be more dramatic that way, even though it would have been easier to find somewhere in town to meet."

"Ah, a clandestine meeting?" Amalind smiled as she continued washing herself. "Is the one you're looking for your lover, then? I know that some humans look down on such things."

The human's blush intensified. "She... I... I didn't say..."

"Don't worry," Amalind said. "I didn't mean to pry. I'll just say that I believe that reuniting two separated lovers is a task I feel worthy of my time and attention." She gave the human a smile.

The girl coughed, then began looking around the cave, as though eager to find some way to change the subject of the conversation. "This is a beautiful place," she observed.

"It is," Amalind agreed. "This is my little refuge from the world. A place where I can bathe and relax in peace." She gestured towards the human. "Would you care to join me?"

"Join you?" The human looked surprised.

"It will still be a few minutes before I finish, and you look tense. The water is nice, and if you're already waiting, you should have a soak. It will make you feel better."

The human looked at the water, then at Amalind, then back at the water again. She swayed in place for a moment, as if the act of weighing her options could actually throw her physically off-balance, then said, "Alright. It would be nice to be clean for... for my friend."

"Of course."

The human stood up and began removing her garments, and soon her cloak, sword belt, and smallclothes were in a neat pile on the cave floor, revealing a dusting of freckles on her neck, shoulders, and chest. She stood by the side of the pool, blushing brighter than ever.

Amalind didn't understand the human fascination with covering their bodies, but she politely looked away until she heard a splash indicate that the human had entered the water.

The human moved toward Amalind, half-swimming and half-walking on the bottom of the pool. She stayed low, so the water would cover most of her chest. "You're right. This is nice. The water isn't even as cold as I thought it would be."

Amalind nodded. "I'm not sure why, but the water does always seem a bit warmer here. It's fed by the river above, so you would think it would be colder. I suspect there may be a natural spring below that helps warm it."

The human reached the centaur's side, and now her brow furrowed. From the edge of the pool, Amalind's submerged form would been too distorted to make out, but now that she was so close, the human could see the centaur's lower body through the clear water.

"Your stomach," she said. "It's..."

Before she could finish, Amalind reached out and grasped the human by her upper arms, just below the shoulders. The muscles of the centaur's arms bulged as she lifted the human easily out of the water.

The girl struggled and kicked, her feet splashing the water. "I don't understand! I thought you were friendly!"

"I am," Amalind said. "As friendly as I can be; I don't go looking for fights without reason, like you humans. But I *do* protect what's mine, including this place. If I let you go, you'll tell other humans about it, and they'll swarm here to see it. They'll drive me out, maybe even kill me, take it for themselves, and ruin it. I don't want to let that happen."

The human continued to squirm in Amalind's arms. "I won't tell anyone about it! I swear!"

"I can't trust you," Amalind said. "Even if you mean to keep it a secret, you'll tell someone that you think you can trust, and then they'll tell someone they think they can trust, and soon every human in your village will know. But I will keep my promise, at least. I'll reunite you with your lover."

Her eyes widening, the human looked down at Amalind's lower body.

Beneath surface of the pool, Amalind's bloated belly swayed and moved in a way that had to be more than just the flow of the water. Even through the distortion of the water, one could occasionally make out the imprint of a hand or other body parts in the moving bulges.

"You... you ate her!" The human said, sounding aghast.

Amalind nodded. "And now it's time for dessert."

The centaur opened her mouth wide and placed it against the human's forehead.

"No, wait!" The human screamed. "Don't...!"

Up until this point, Amalind's mouth hadn't opened any wider than a normal human's could. But now, as it touched the girl's head, it stretched, her jaw sliding out of place. Her lips slipped over the human's wet skin and hair. In an instant, she engulfed the human's head, feeling the girl's face pressing against her tongue.

The human struggled, of course, but it was a lost cause. The centaur already had her in her clutches, holding her so tightly that bruises were starting to form on her arms. She managed to land a kick or two on Amalind, but most of the centaur's important organs were housed in her barrel-shaped horse body, not her human torso. And all her wiggling only helped her slip down the centaur's gullet faster.

And slip down she did. Amalind's lips slid over the freckled neck and shoulders. The girl's chest proved a bit more of a barrier, but with a powerful swallow and a shove, Amalind helped that slip into her mouth as well. Her throat bulged out as the human was forced into the tight tunnel of flesh.

The human screamed and squirmed, trying to get a foothold against Amalind's torso, probably hoping to force herself back out to freedom. But her foot slipped against the centaur's wet skin, providing no leverage.

Amalind swallowed up the human's stomach, and since her prey's arms were now pinned to her side, the centaur used her hands to grab the girl's ankles, so prevent another escape attempt and to help push her in deeper. Her lips had reached the human's hips, which provided another barrier, but Amalind just gave the girl another strong shove. The hips slipped into her mouth with a wet *pop*.

With the widest parts of her prey out of the way, Amalind tilted her head back, slurping up the kicking, dripping legs. She swallowed, and the human dropped into the centaur's first belly.

Amalind smiled to herself and let out a contented sigh, cradling her first stomach with both hands. She ran her tongue over her lips. The human had been delicious.

Her own "human" belly bulged out enormously, writhing as her prey fought for an escape. Though her flesh muffled most of the screams, Amalind could make out the occasional word here or there. "Please," "help," and "let me go" all seemed popular.

She ran her hands over her belly, caressing the squirming form within. "Oh, my dear, even if I wanted to, I couldn't let you go. Centaur stomachs aren't capable of moving in reverse. But I will keep my promise and send you to rejoin your friend."

The squirming and screaming increased in intensity and volume.

Amalind pushed down on her stomach with both hands while clenching her internal muscles. Her first stomach contracted, and then the large lump started sliding downward, squeezing into a second tight passageway. Her prey settled into her larger, second stomach, joining the squirming prey already there.

Amalind felt a rumble moving upwards. She opened her mouth and released a loud, long belch, which reverberated off the walls of the cave.

"Mmm. Excuse me," she said to no one in particular, running her tongue along her gums to catch the last traces of the human's flavor.

She felt something solid catch in her throat. She brought her right hand up to her mouth and, with a wet *schlup*, pushed it inside, all the way up to her elbow. She felt around inside her throat with her fingers until she found the offending item. She grasped it, pulled it out, and held it up so she could see what it was.

Amalind found herself looking at a small jewel attached to a band of fabric: what the human had used to tie up her hair. The glistening jewel twinkled in the light.

Amalind smiled, wrapping the band around her wrist and tying it in place. She wasn't usually one for accessories, but the jewel was pretty; she would use it to tie up her own hair, once it had dried off enough.

She could feel the two humans struggling in her gut below the water, causing small ripples in the surface of the pool. The pair of them, at least, would now finally get to spend some time together: it would take the centaur's equine belly days to process a meal of this size, and if she kept swallowing air, she could keep the pair of them conscious for most of it.

Still enjoying the sensations of her recent meal, she stepped under one of the small waterfalls that fell from the roof of the cavern, letting it cascade over her skin and hair. With lunch taken care of and her secret hideaway still secret, she could finally finish her bath.