Swallowing sequences are one of my favorite parts of vore. It's the natural conclusion to tasting any meal. It's the moment that a pred's body completely claims their prey, when the last hope of escape is crushed. The prey is turned over to β and absolutely dominated by β the automatic processes of the body.
How intimidating the throat is initially depends on the size of the prey.
For someone small enough to go down in a single gulp? The throat is an instant end. A yawning abyss that will easily claim them once their predator is done tasting them. Half of the fight is the prey getting away from the throat rather than out of the mouth. They'll spend all of their energy fighting against the jaws that make up their entire world, and simply disappear.
They're so small that they pass through like any other bite of food. Showing them how insignificant they are to the body surrounding them. The pred could've easily overpowered them at any time. None of their struggles mattered, the only thing that delayed the inevitable was their pred savoring them.
Larger prey start off with sense of disbelief. The pred is still much bigger than them; but there's no way they could get them down, right? Surely they can fight their way out of this! With each arduous gulp, the pred draws them in further and further. Progress might slow as the prey struggles, hitting their pred, lodging themself in place, holding into anything they can reach. Progress might slow, but it will not stop.
At the halfway point, they start getting more desperate. Peristalsis begins to aid the pred in swallowing. They have to grapple with the fact that they are actually going to be eaten. The prey is taken inch by inch, until the final swallow blots out the last glimpse of freedom. It's tight and warm and wet and overwhelming. They can feel the esophagus ripple around them as it drags them to their final destination. The pred follows along their progress, swallowing to hasten the prey's slow descent to their stomach. Now the hard part is over β for the pred at least.
Once someone is swallowed, their fate is sealed. It's the end of their life as a person, and the beginning of digestion. They're left at the mercy of a pred that could easily forget about them. At this point, both of them are just along for the ride.
