Leshana wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings when she left the classroom. The fox's mind was still busy digesting the concepts of the class, orchestrating joins and positioning junction tables. Her eyes had a glazed, faraway look, and her two tails swished through the air behind her as she made her way out of the classroom, absentmindedly dodging the small pockets of students who had gathered to chat now that the lecture had ended. So she jumped nearly to the ceiling when the puma approached her from the side and interrupted her train of thought. "Hi. Leshana?" Still clutching her laptop in one arm, she put her free hand on her chest, as though to quiet her beating heart. "Geez, you scared me," she said. Trying to regain her composure, she looked her addresser over. The puma was perhaps half a foot taller than Leshana. He had an average build, maybe just a little chubby around the gut area. He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a large jacket that looked far too warm for the only mildly brisk weather. He had been leaning against the wall just outside the door, apparently waiting for her, but now he stood up straight as he talked to her. Leshana wracked her brain. She recognized him from the class, though she hadn't really talked to him before. "Richard, right?" She asked. The puma's grin widened. "That's right! Hey, would you happen to have a minute before your next class? I'd like to talk to you about something. I hear you're the top student in the class, and I could use your help." Leshana smiled at the compliment. He must be looking for a tutor! "Well, I am pretty busy with classes, so I can't guarantee anything. But sure, we can talk." "Cool. Here, let's find somewhere more private." Leshana followed the puma to a little-used stairwell on one side of the building. She walked in, letting the door swing closed behind them, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Alright, so here's the deal," Richard said. "We've got our midterm coming up, as I'm sure you know, and I need to do well. Like, I *really* can't afford to flunk this one. The problem is, Professor Cassell is *infamous* for giving hard tests. That's why he always grades on a curve." Leshana smiled and nodded. "Yeah! I had heard the same thing, but honestly, I haven't found his homework to be all that hard." It was exactly as she had thought. He was looking for a tutor, and maybe she could even make a few extra bucks helping him out. "Yeah, that's the problem," Richard responded. "So what I've decided is, the best way to ensure that I get a good grade is to get rid of the outlier that's going to wreck the curve." "Of course, I wouldn't mind tut... what?" Before Leshana could fully process what he had said, Richard was already on her. He charged into her, slamming her against the stone wall of the stairwell. The back of her head knocked against hard stone, leaving her dazed. When her vision cleared, she found herself looking into the puma's open mouth. His hot breath washed over her face, and she found herself staring into the dark void behind his lips, teeth, and tongue. The glistening, dark tunnel seemed to almost beckon to her. "W-wait!" Leshana shouted, her words echoing off the walls. "Don't...!" With a wet *schlup*, Richard engulfed her head with his mouth. Leshana's world became dark, warm, and moist. She felt his rough tongue sliding across her chin, and saliva soaked the fur of her muzzle. He was eating her. He was *EATING* her. She tried to struggle, to push her attacker away, but Richard leaned his weight into her, pressing her against the wall and holding her fast. She felt his hands fumbling around her chest, and for a moment, she thought he was going to try to grope her. Instead, he unzipped her jacket, pulling it off her shoulders and down around her arms, effectively (if temporarily) binding them behind her. Then Richard swallowed, and she felt the warmth of his muzzle cover her shoulders. His tongue pushed her head into a tight, undulating chamber. Richard did not seem to be interested in taking his time. He swallowed her chest down quickly, which of course only caused her to squirm more. Soon his muzzle wrapped around her stomach. She felt him pull the jacket the rest of the way off, twisting her arms painfully as he did so; with her arms pinned by the puma's gullet, it was no longer necessary. She felt a flutter of something around her legs, and she realized that he had undone her skirt, letting it fall to the floor, leaving her legs bare. She was halfway inside him now, and desperate to reverse the process. She kicked with all her might, hoping to catch the predator with her knee, but she couldn't see and she contacted nothing but air. Her two tails thrashed through the air. She squirmed with her upper body, trying to shoulder her way back out, but she only seemed to be wiggling herself in deeper. With a *gluk*, Richard swallowed her hips. Well, that was that: with the last major obstacle gone, the puma would have no trouble swallowing the rest of her. She still refused to give up, but her ability to do *anything* to fight back was rapidly diminishing. Her head pushed through a barrier and into a more open area. A powerful, acrid smell assaulted her nose, cause her to wince. Of course, she couldn't stop herself from being pushed further in, her shoulders popping out into the stomach chamber. When Richard had swallowed down to her knees, he stopped for a moment to remove her shoes and pull off her socks. Then he tilted his head back, and with a series of wet swallows, slurped down her kicking legs and her two thrashing tails. *Gluk glk glp GLCH.* With that final swallow, a combination of gravity and powerful throat muscles forced Leshana the rest of the way into the stomach. The chamber was tight, far too tight for someone of her size. She had landed in an unnatural position, with her head lying in a pool of sticky fluids, her body twisted, and one leg angled uncomfortably behind her. She fought to readjust her position, but it was like fighting with a wet sack: the walls gave with each push, only to slip back into place, preventing her from getting any kind of leverage. The stomach walls rippled around her as the Puma released a belch. Finally, she managed to get herself upright again, though she was still crammed into an uncomfortable ball. She started searching the stomach walls above her with her fingers, hoping to find the entrance and claw her way back out, but all she could feel was slippery flesh. "Oh god!" She screamed. "Please! Please let me out!" "Sorry," Richard said. "I already told you, I need to pass this test." "I can help! I can tutor you! I'm sure you would do fine!" She pounded on the stomach walls. "Please! I'm begging you!" A moment of silent passed, as though Richard were thinking it over. "No," he finally said. "Now that you're in there, I honestly think it will be easier to just digest you." "PLEASE!" She screamed again, her voice starting to grow hoarse. "What are you doing in here?" Leshana froze. The voice wasn't Richard's. It sounded older, possibly one of the faculty. It came muffled through the layers of fur and flesh, but she could still make out the words. "Um, nothing, sir," came Richard's reply. "I see." The other voice didn't sound like it entirely trusted Richard. "Look, I understand you college students are 'free spirits,' but if you're going to be doing recreational drugs, don't do them on campus. We don't need you filling the stairwells with your foul smoke." Leshana was aghast. *Drugs!?* He thought Richard was doing drugs!? How did he not notice the giant, fox shaped bulge in the -- The jacket. That was why Richard had worn that overly-large jacket. To hide his belly. "Of course, sir," Richard said, sounding cowed. "I promise I won't do anything like that on campus." "See that you don't," said the voice, sounding quieter as Richard hurried away. She felt her entire prison jostle and shake repeatedly as the puma descended the steps. It occurred to Leshana that she should scream for help. She opened her mouth and let out the loudest scream she could. The only response came from Richard. "Missed your chance. He's already gone." Leshana ignored him, continuing to scream and push on the walls as the stomach around her started to churn. -------- (DAY 1) Leshana sobbed quietly, her head between her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. She had worn herself out last night, fighting and kicking the entire way back to the puma's home. Either no one had seen, or no one had cared, because no one else stopped the puma; she suspected he had taken paths to avoid any crowds, anyway. By the time he had gotten home, her voice had given out and she was exhausted. Richard had relaxed for a while, taken a shower, and then gone to bed. At least, Leshana had hoped, she could get a little sleep, then try again to escape. Except then the burning had started. It was less a burn, really, and more of an itch. It started around her extremities and slowly grew until it covered her whole body. No amount of scratching relieved it, and it was obnoxious enough to keep her from being able to fall asleep. And, of course, it also scared her to death, because she knew what it meant. When morning had come, she had been exhausted. She could tell that she had dark circles under her eyes, after spending the whole night in Richard's churning gut, *almost* falling asleep only to be awoken by a new wave of the itching. Sores and cramps were starting to form, too, after so long without being able to really move or change position. She would try to push out her legs or arms, or arch her back, to stretched her aching muscles, only for the stomach walls to snap back without allowing her any real relief. She felt her prison moving around. Richard was awake. "Please," she said. "Please let me out." She heard the sound of running water, then a regular, repetitive brushing noise. He was going through his morning routine. "Please!" she repeated, her voice sounding more frantic. "Please! It's cramped and itchy and disgusting in here! I won't take the test. I'll even drop out of the class if you want! Just let me out of here!" She heard the sound of running water again, louder this time. Richard was taking a shower. "Please," she said for the third time, her voice betraying her growing hopelessness. Richard belched. -------- (Day 2, Midday) The itching was getting worse. It was starting to feel like an real *burn* now, and that terrified Leshana. She had to get out of here, and soon. She yawned, exhausted. It had been another sleepless night, making it now about forty-eight hours since she had gotten any kind of real rest. The stomach tightened around her, even more painfully than before. She suspected that he had put that jacket back on to help keep her hidden. She knew why: today was the day of the midterm. Rather than having professors give major exams in class, the campus had a "testing center." It was a large, squat building, where professors could send their exams and students could then take them on their own time under the watchful eye of proctors. Leshana heard the muffled voice of the student staffing the testing center front desk. "Hi. Can I see your student ID?" "Here you go," Richard responded. Leshana started to writhe, pushing and kicking on the stomach walls. Maybe she could get the other student's attention! She opened her mouth to scream for help... Only to have something hard slam right between her ears. Dazed, she let the stomach walls push her back into a ball. Her head spun, and she felt nauseous. He must have punched his gut to keep her quiet. "Are you okay?" The staffer asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," Richard responded. "Just got a bit of heartburn." "Okay. Database Design, right? Here's your test. Go find a desk in the room on the left, and make sure you drop it off in the drop box before leaving." "Thanks." Leshana felt Richard walk into the testing room. Her prison suddenly loosened, then tightened again; Richard had opened the front of the jacket, but then settled into a chair, cramming Leshana against and under the desk. "Please," she said. She kept her voice low, fearing another painful blow; she wasn't even sure he could hear her. "Please let me out. It hurts." Richard pressed his hand on his belly, patting Leshana through fur and flesh. Leshana sobbed again, settling in to the tight confines. She occasionally writhed, but only to try to stretch out her cramping muscles. Eventually, due to the combination of exhaustion and the quiet atmosphere of the testing center, she passed out. -------- (Day 2, Evening) Leshana awoke to the sound of raucous, though muffled, music. Through the combination of the music and the gurgling of the belly around her, she could make out voices. "So, how do you think you did?" The voice was deep and throaty. "Not too bad," Richard responded. "Some of the midterms were tough, but I don't think I'm gonna fail anything." "Glad to hear it, man. What about that class you were worried about... Database something?" "Oh, *that* one. Yeah, I'm gonna be just fine." Leshana felt her prison jostle as Richard slapped his stomach. "I already took care of the problem." Another voice -- this one female -- said, "Oh, so *that's* who's in there! That chick you said was gonna wreck the curve, right?" "Yep," Richard said. "Only curves she'll be wrecking now are mine." That prompted a round of laughter, and a groan from Leshana. "Oh, hey," Richard said. "I think she's awake." Leshana responded by pushing on the stomach walls. "Please let me out!" she begged. "It hurts! You've already made me miss the test! You're safe! Let me go! Please, anyone, get me out of here!" "She sounds frantic," the female voice responded. Leshana felt a hand pressing against her, and she somehow knew that it was not Richard's hard this time, but that of his friend. "Quite the squirmer, too." "Get me out of here!" Leshana screamed, pressing against the hand. "Make him spit me out! I don't want to die!" "I dunno," the female voice said. "I don't know if my good friend Richard here can really trust you. I mean, what if you pull the same thing for the final? Richard would be even more screwed than with the midterm." Leshana screamed again, this time an inarticulate wail. "Hmm," Richard said, sounding thoughtful. "She does have a point. I mean, she's probably learned her lesson." Leshana perked up. Was he actually thinking about letting her out? "Nah, man," the deeper male voice said. "It's not worth the risk. What if she reports you, or tries to get some bigger friends together to get revenge? Plus, only a moron would give up a meal that he's already eaten. Ignore her; she's meat now." "Yeah, you're right," Richard said. Leshana sunk back against the stomach walls. "That was adorable, guys," the female voice said, her hand still pressed against Leshana. "She actually got all excited for a second. Ooh!" The female's touch disappeared and her voice got further away. "The pizza's here! Who wants some?" Leshana heard a quieter exchange as she paid for the food. "Geez, how much pizza did you order?" the deep male voice sounded surprised. "That's *way* too much for just the three of us." "Ah, I bet we can put it all away between us. Though I guess Richard won't be helping. He looks pretty full." "Nah, I got room," Richard said. "I mean, I *am* celebrating. Who am I to turn down free pizza?" Leshana was sure he had to be joking -- until she felt the first piece of hot, chewed pizza splatter onto her cheek. -------- (Day 2, Night) Leshana whimpered. Richard had certainly done his part to eat his portion of the pizza. Now Leshana was buried in the chewed muck. Cheese and sauce stuck to her fur, and the smell was everywhere, causing her to gag. Her discomfort had only grown as the little free space around her was filled up with food. She tried to kick at one of the walls, thinking that maybe she could make the puma sick, but he had long since passed out into a food coma. The only consolation Leshana had was that Richard would *definitely* have heartburn after this. -------- (Day 3) The pain was becoming unbearable now. It had been promoted from a itch to a true burn. It was *everywhere*. Leshana couldn't escape it, no matter how much she writhed and screamed. She could feel her fur starting to fall out, mixing in clumps with the mostly-digested pizza residue that surrounded her. She couldn't have long left now. "God, it hurts!" She shouted. "Please, Richard, let me out! I don't want to die!" "Hello?" Leshana froze for a moment. Was he talking to her? "Yeah, no, I'm not gonna make it in today. Uh-huh. Feeling sick. Stomach problems. Must have been something I ate." Leshana clawed at the walls. "Don't listen to him! He ate me! He's going to kill me! Send help!" "Sorry about that... no, I just left my TV on. Thanks for understanding." She heard Richard hang up the phone. She felt the puma pat his belly. -------- (Day 4) Leshana wasn't struggling as much, now. Not that it didn't still hurt: quite the opposite. Her body felt like it was made of liquid fire. She wanted to scream, to get *someone* to notice and rescue her -- but she just lacked the strength. The combination of blood loss and lack of oxygen and sleep was finally getting to her, and she no longer had enough adrenaline to counter it. The burning had made its way down her throat and to her insides, filling her with excruciating pain. So she just stewed in the soupy mess around her. She was fairly certain that most, if not all, of her fur was gone now, and probably not an insignificant amount of the outermost layer of skin, too. She couldn't feel her feet anymore, and she was fairly certain that the large object floating next to her was one of her tails, no longer fully attached to her body. Occasionally she mustered up the strength to struggle a little, but it didn't do her much good. She wasn't surprised. Richard apparently didn't even consider her a threat of discovery any more, and he hadn't decided to stay in today. Judging from the sounds, he was at the supermarket, doing some shopping. Leshana could picture him, just doing his shopping like any ordinary person, perhaps pulling his jacket closed when someone else walked by to hide his gut. He seemed to be a bit shy about it when not around other preds. Leshana let out a gurgly sob. It had to end soon. She didn't know how long it had been -- it felt like years -- but someone would have noticed that she was missing. Someone would come looking for her, put the evidence together and figure out where she was. Then they would get her out, and she would finally be free. The belly around her gurgled, and another clump of fur fell off. -------- (Day 5) Though the pain had not exactly lessened, Leshana seemed to be getting used to it. One would get used to just about anything with enough time, she supposed. Not that she had much time left. She swam in what appeared, from the smell, to be chewed up cheeseburger. She no longer had the strength to lift herself out of it, so she just soaked in it, while more globs of meat and splashed of soda rained down on her from above. She drew in a raspy breath, struggling to draw in the hot, moist air. She wasn't really aware of what was happening outside of Richard's skin anymore. Perhaps she had just stopped caring -- or maybe she there just wasn't much left of her ears. It didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter because she wasn't going to escape. There just... wasn't enough left of her. Even if someone *did* figure out she was in here, and they got Richard to spit her out, he would just be vomiting out a ragged hunk of fox meat -- a pile of bones and muscle and fur. Even if she was technically still breathing, even if the shock didn't kill her, she imagined she wouldn't last long. Leshana was no different than the meat surrounding her now. She released a strangled sob as more hamburger dropped into the stomach. -------- (Day 7) The periods of lucidity were becoming fewer and further between. And when she was conscious, all Leshana knew was pain. Just an aching, never ending throb, a fire that was taking her apart, bit by bit. She couldn't feel anything below the waist anymore, and her arms were numb, if they were even still there. She thought she heard Richard's voice, but it was muted and dull, as if she were underwater. She couldn't make out any words, and even if she could, she wasn't sure she had enough mental wherewithal to make sense of them. The stomach walls pulsed and churned around her. They pressed against her, tight and unyielding, as if eager to wring out every last bit of nourishment they could get from her. She felt her chest cavity start to collapse... and then she felt nothing at all. -------- Richard stumbled into his bathroom, still trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. He wore only a pair of sweatpants, leaving his upper body bare. His fur was ruffled and unkempt. He dropped to his knees in front of the bathtub and retched. He felt something coming up, a thick, hard lump. It slid up through his chest, up his throat, and finally to his mouth. He opened his muzzle and dropped the thing into the bathtub with a wet, throaty gasp. He blinked his eyes and looked at it. Sitting on the floor of the bathtub was a large, damp ball of fur, cloth, and bone. A trail of fluid leaked from it, extending a long, wandering finger towards the drain. He could see an empty eye socket peering out from the mess. He blushed as he thought about the fox. She had been a pretty decent meal. Ultimately an unnecessary one, of course; he had gotten the results back from that midterm yesterday and had scored an eighty-three. He would have been fine even if she had aced it. Richard coughed, and something flew out of his mouth, landing in the bathtub next to the lump of fur with a tinkle of glass. A pair of glasses. Richard wiped his chin with his arm. He smacked his lips, trying to get rid of the aftertaste. He would deal with the ball of fur in the morning -- probably throw it in a trash bag and then drop it in a dumpster somewhere. Yawning, he stood back up, stretched, and then walked out of the bathroom, ready to get some more sleep. He had class tomorrow, after all.