In There Pt 1

Story by Lithier on SoFurry

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Just realized it's been a long time since I actually posted a story! Been sitting on a couple of these that pop up now and then, I like to space them out in between MVOL releases. Reading through this one again, I'd forgotten how much I liked it. It doesn't have all that much "payload" to it, but I think it has some pretty nice moments and sets up a lot of interesting ideas I'm looking forward to exploring in future parts when I have the spare time. I hope you guys enjoy!

In the forest, a bear hunts his prey, a small crowd of peculiar little hybrid creatures. Their lives are on the line, but one of them is more fearful than the others...


A chilly breeze swept through the trees, bringing leaves in brilliant orange and yellow raining down with it as it swept over an old, hollowed out log. The many fallen leaves would make excellent camouflage, but still the creatures stuck to the cover of the log's interior, noses and ears poking out through holes here and there to sniff at the passing wind and listen intently for any sign of their adversary. They were packed in tight into the small space, driven by some instinct to stay close together, whispering softly to one another.

"I think we lost him." Orange ears swung about, just poking out a gap in the top of the little makeshift tunnel. "Does anybody see him?" A soft, fluffy tail fell out one end of the log as they shifted about, but was quickly dragged back in. "It should be okay. It's been--" something crunched nearby, and the creatures went still.

For a moment, there was silence, but for the wind rustling the leaves, a constant scraping and crackling that set every ear a-quiver.

Another whisper: "we should--" a deafening roar overrode the voice as a beast loomed over the log, and before the creatures could react, one of their own was snatched from its hole and hauled into the air in a clawed grip!

Flailing and screaming, the creature scrambled to escape, wide-eyed and bristling, but the great paw wrapped around its middle held it firm. The creature looked strikingly like a fox, but the shape of its body was too sleek and flowing, reminiscent of something aquatic, like an otter. The beast hefted this odd hybrid high into the air, opening a great, toothy maw under the creature perhaps an eighth his size. The other creatures could only stare on in horror as their companion struggled-- only to be dropped into that wide-spread mouth head-first. That fearsome muzzle snapped shut with a heavy gulp, and all they could see of their captured friend was the tail poking from those closed lips, flailing about, and the bulge in the beast's throat, still squirming even as, gulp by gulp, it was dragged down until tail, then bulge, disappeared from sight. The beast's belly barely registered a ripple of extension in the middle as the creature met its fate.

The beast, a great, looming bear, brought his head down with a menacing grin to regard the creatures peering out at him from their violated sanctum. And one of them screamed, "RUN!"

A dozen sleek, orange shapes scattered suddenly from the log, shooting off in every direction as quickly as their tiny legs could carry them, but the bear managed to snatch another one by the tail, chuckling darkly as he hefted his second prize into the air. This one swung about wildly, gasping and panting, arms and legs all flailing for something to grab onto, and the bear rumbled a moment, considering the little one, before seizing its arms in a single fist, then its legs in the other. He drew it taut between his paws, then stuffed those little hindpaws into his mouth, wrapping its legs in his tongue. He gulped it down as it gave one last, desperate howl, struggling still as it sank to the waist in his throat, barely able to peer around at the world one last time before its head sank into that maw, and he released its paws at last as they disappeared into that muzzle. A few more gulps, and the bear rubbed his belly with a low groan and a burp. "Hrmmm..." His voice was a low rumble. "One more, I think..."

Behind a nearby tree, two of the creatures hid in a hollow between roots. They'd been among the last to escape the log in the mad dash, and they had decided to go to ground quickly. One peeked out for just a moment before huddling tight against its partner, the two holding paws, struggling to keep their panting to an inaudible whisper as the bear turned to prowl the area.

"Now, where did the little buggers get to? Come out, come out..." He chuckled darkly, flexing his paws to roll his claws back and forth in readiness.

The two creatures barely dared to breathe at all. They gripped each other's paws tightly until they nearly shook, and slowly, one of them shifted to take a peek. The other shook its head vehemently, but it looked anyway.

"Hello, there." The creature recoiled, but the bear was already lunging, and the other could only stare as its companion disappeared into a snarling maw pouncing out of nowhere, burying in the hollow, his rough fur grazing the survivor as he gobbled down the unfortunately curious creature noisily, only to rise slowly and slurp up its kicking little legs.

Paralyzed with horror, the remaining creature could only stare, open-mouthed, at the underside of the bear's jaw as a creature just like it pushed the bulge of a head, then shoulders, then a working rump down that flexing throat, until only the little kicks of two feet could be seen a moment, then nothing. The bear gave one more loud gulp, then sighed, licking his chops, his eyes falling to the remaining creature. "Tasty," he chuckled.

The creature had no words. It was staring at its death, and it knew any move it made would only provoke the beast to lunge. Its eyes followed those glistening teeth, behind which three of its kind had disappeared with casual ease, as the bear drew a deep breath.

"Alright! Thanks, guys, that should do me." He clapped a few times, and around the forest, bright orange heads poked out of hiding. A giggling chatter broke out, and they bounced from their respective hiding spots to gather and laugh and gossip, some of them flirting and groping each other shamelessly as they scurried off in the same direction the bear was turning. The sated predator lumbered off after the survivors, rubbing his somewhat swollen middle as it bounced a little before him. "Easy, guys," he murmured chidingly, still wearing a lazy smile. The little orange creatures laughed and chattered as they flocked ahead of him.

All except one of them. Still nestled in his little hollow with the feel of that rough ursine fur lingering on his arm and the sight of his companion disappearing in a flash of teeth fresh in his mind, the little one stared into the shadows of the canopy above as he wheezed out little pants, his heart still thumping wildly in his chest. The last few moments were playing through his head now, the frantic scramble, the sounds of muffled cries warped by massive, flexing muscles and sliding, wet flesh. The absolute certainty that still clawed under his hide that he was about to die, and there was nothing he could do. The events that had come after seemed a small intrusion from some other world, a hallucination, a frantic dream he'd summoned to stave off absolute terror as he slid down that throat to join his friends. Was he already dead?

But no, that was no passing dream. Just minutes earlier, that joyous chittering and teasing had been his life, had been everything he'd ever known. The joy of talking with the others, of joking and frolicking and humping without concern. Until one of the Big Ones told them to go play in the woods with the bear, a Big One he'd never seen before. And when they got out here, what had the bear said?

"Now, I'd like to hunt today, so you all be scared and hide, okay?"

And with that casual comment, everything had changed. His brethren had run screaming, and after a moment of confusion he'd hurried to join them-- and then things got much, much worse. His friends were... gone. At least three, maybe more he hadn't seen, had just been... eaten whole. There... there was no coming back from that, right? They were gone, and he could have been gone too, just like that... in a blink...

The creature curled in on himself, clutching at his face as sobs wracked him suddenly, and he lay in the hollow shaking and crying to himself, still smelling the scent of the friend he'd lost... and the drool of the creature he'd lost it to. What was happening? Why? How could the others just... go back to being happy after...?

"Hey," a voice came suddenly, much too close, "you coming?"

He jumped, nearly clawing up the tree, scrambling and throwing a terrified look over his shoulder-- but it... it was one of his brothers. Frowning at him skeptically.

"What're you doing? Come on already, the others are long gone." And with that, the other one scampered a way in that direction, though it paused to look back. "Come ON!"

He did feel a tug to follow. But... what about...? Swallowing slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. He'd feel safer with the others, he supposed. Maybe. Out here, alone, the woods felt too big, and full of strange noises... Hugging himself, he followed his brother back toward the buildings.

For the first half of his life so far, he'd known only the den. He'd frolicked with his brothers and sisters there, surrounded by toys and friendly Big Ones. Then he'd grown up, spent some time rutting his sisters in the shaded space, then was let out into the common area. It turned out the den was just one building of many, and there were many Big Ones out there, some that smelled of strange places and only came to visit for a little while. Now, he was a week old, and he'd never seen anything like this before! Were... were all the Big Ones secretly like that, or was that one just a... a monster?

Brooding and chewing at his lip, the bright orange little creature followed after his brother slowly. The first buildings rolled by tucked in between the trees, until the woods thinned and the sky opened up, in between towering walls and roofs. He shied away from the open ways, though. Many Big Ones walked there. When his brother noticed him turning off another way, though, the other one followed after him.

"Where you going? It's time to eat."

"I..." He swallowed, looking around. "I gotta talk to the others."

"Then come on. Everyone's eating now, talk there." His brother was frowning at him intently, trying to search him for the source of all these problems.

Eating... at the common slop, with Big Ones everywhere, all around. He shivered and shook his head. "Not hungry. I'll wait..." He trudged toward one of the play areas, one the Big Ones didn't come by much because a tree with many low branches made it hard to get around most of it for them.

His brother huffed and stared after him, but finally left to join the others.

When the others came around, he talked with them, quietly. Some smiled at first, but with growing uncertainty, waiting for the punchline. Others just looked at him like he was a complete idiot. Still others just laughed. Heart aching, he left that place and went to the quiet room. He asked around, but it turned out she'd already laid her eggs, so he had to search the open areas a while, ears low, skulking along the sides of buildings, until he found her.

He was pretty sure she was the cutest out of all his sisters. The Big Ones couldn't seem to tell them apart, but she had this little white spot by one eye that nobody else had. Nobody! He knew she was just the cutest of all of them, ever, and he'd hump her again if he thought he could get away with it. But for now, he just wanted to talk, and he was relieved when he finally spotted her in a crowd, chattering with a dozen other sisters. He managed to pull her away with a few insistent words, and explained the situation. She wouldn't hurt him, he knew. She at least, would understand.

She stared at him as he explained. He went into more and more detail the longer she just stood there, silent, until he was waving his paws frantically, trying to get her to understand. This was insane! That bear was KILLING them!! Couldn't she understand the problem??

Finally, when he realized he was repeating himself for the fifth or sixth time, his words faltered, and he stammered out a few last, pleading words, and fell silent, panting. Staring into those big, pretty eyes. Please. She had to... she had to see. They were being killed. She just... had to.

She swallowed. "Stay here." And with that, she bounded off on all fours. He stared after her, loving the way she bounced with her tail in the air, and when she was gone, he sat down. He was exhausted. Not like he'd been playing all day, but tired, deep down. He didn't know what to think anymore.

The Big Ones were all noisy, and he tensed a little when he heard one approaching, but part of him just... couldn't put up the will anymore. Nobody listened... what was even the point? If he was to be alone, maybe it would be better to die after all.

But it wasn't just any Big One that came around the corner. It was the dolphin, Becky. She was the nicest, and he liked her the best. She... she wouldn't... would she?

That uncertainty was enough to pull his feet up under him as she approached. It was well and good to think it didn't matter, but when he stared at her open mouth, he found he still had the strength to move!

"Hey, what's going on?" Her voice was a gentle squeak, not a great rumble like the other Big Ones. "Your sister says you're feeling sick...?" Sure enough, his sister was trailing behind her, looking worried.

He shook his head, tail lashing as the dolphin grew closer. In a flash, he darted away-- but she jumped, crashing to the ground, seizing hold of him! He thrashed, snarling, eyes watering, kicking at her as her arms closed around him, pulling him snug to her breasts.

"Hey! Hey. Shhh! It's okay! It's okay. I won't hurt you! Nobody's gonna hurt you. Calm down. Breathe now, love, breathe!" He whimpered and kicked, but... he was slowing, and he almost felt... petulant, shoving against her now. "You're going to be okay. You're safe. Sshhhh... Ssshhhh... That's it." He panted, twitching, pushing against that softness, until he couldn't anymore. Her hand stroked over his head, pulling him in to bury his face against her, and he quaked, tiny, pathetic noises pouring out of him. "That's it... it's okay, honey... Let it all out, you're okay..."

Slowly, she shifted, sitting up, though she still held him to her chest. For a while, they were silent, the trees whispering in the wind to one side, the little, confused creature panting softly into Becky's ruffled shirt.

Finally, she looked up. "Dear, could you find any of the others he's played with and bring everyone here? And Danny, ask him to come here right away."

His sister made barely a scratching noise in the dirt as she left. In the silence, for some reason, he started to feel... foolish.

When Danny arrived, though, he tensed.

"Hey, what's--?"

"Sshhh." She felt him start to struggle again and gave him a gentle squeeze until, quivering a little, he reluctantly relaxed. "Something different with this one. Tell the boss. I'm gonna try a circle." She nodded, and the male, a big wildcat that wasn't nearly as nice --but still kinda nice-- left again.

Soon, his brethren started to gather. He knew most of them-- and many of them were among those he'd just tried talking to.

"Okay," Becky turned and coaxed him to sit in her lap, facing the others. "You're safe here. You're among friends. Now, why don't you tell us what's wrong?" Many of those he'd already asked about this shifted or scoffed, rolling their eyes.

The scorned little critter heaved a sigh. Well... he supposed he could explain one more time. He tried to go over it slowly, how they'd gone in the forest, and things got scary, and that horrible bear ate some of them, and they had to... to do something about it! To stop the bear, or get away from him, or... something... Many of his brethren seemed exasperated, while others just stared in consternation.

Becky was very quiet until he finished. "Okay... so, um... well. I can kind of understand that, I think, but uh... well, let's see how your friends feel about this. Would anyone--?"

"He already came bothering us about this!" One of his brothers finally barked, arms folded. "He kept trying to tell us we should be scared and stuff. It's stupid, and he's the only one that thinks that!"

"Now, take it easy, honey," Becky waved a hand soothingly. "It's not stupid to think differently. I know people that think like he does, and I'm good friends with them. You can still be friends with him." She paused a moment, and looked around. "Does anyone else feel like it's scary to be eaten?"

His brethren glanced to each other, searching for even a hint of a response. The little one in Becky's lap could only stare at a sea of... he thought he knew them, he thought they were his own, but they all just...?

"Okay. That's fine. So let's talk about it a little. Can somebody tell me, how do you feel about being eaten?"

A sister, sprawled on her belly and kicking her feet in the air, smiled. "It's nice!"

"Nice, how?"

At that, she frowned thoughtfully. "Well... like... it can feel nice to go somewhere all warm and wet and soft, and then you get to be part of a Big One." She paused, and smiled again. "I think it'd be really sexy to sliiide down somebody's throat..." There were murmurs of agreement from around her.

He stared at them all. He couldn't just listen to this. "But you die! When they eat you, you DIE! And you can't ever do anything again! You can't hump! You can't play or talk with your friends! You're gone forever!"

Now they were all staring at him again. Like he was... some strange creature.

Becky sighed softy and gave him a squeeze. "I think... it's understandable to be afraid. I get afraid of things sometimes. Do any of you ever fear something?"

The brethren were silent. Then one perked. "I... I'm afraid, when I go out in the woods, sometimes. I'm afraid that maybe I'll get lost, and I'll die, and nobody will find me." That made the others stir uncomfortably.

"Okay," Becky nodded. "That's good. That's scary, right? So you're afraid to die, same as him."

"Not the same!" The angry one from before. "Sure, it's scary to think you might get lost in the forest." That one huffed, ears pointed indignantly. "Because you might die and never, ever be eaten!" That brought a definite croon of unease from the others, some whispering among themselves, hugging those they were close to. "But HE doesn't want to be eaten! What, you wanna go die in the woods or something?"

"That's where I found him," the one afraid of the woods spoke up, ears low. "When everyone was leaving, I stayed behind a little to make sure nobody got lost, and he was just lying behind a tree on his own... All alone. It's scary being alone..." Now the others were starting a rabble, a mixture of voiced fears and indignation that this one among them could act so strange!

He curled in on himself in Becky's lap, ears wilting, but the dolphin stroked over his head. "Okay, maybe this isn't going to work. It's okay, honey... We'll take care of you."

The others wandered off after that, and Becky squeezed him slowly. "Okay. I guess we better go see the boss, then." He whined softly at that, and she turned him in her lap so he could meet her eyes. "It's okay... you're gonna be okay. Listen. If that's really how you feel, then... I'll make sure nobody eats you, okay? No matter what. You'll always be safe with me. Understand?"

He stared up into her eyes for a while. He didn't know anybody he could trust more than Becky. Finally, he nodded, eyes falling. She squeezed him one more time, then gathered him close, rising to her feet.

He couldn't help but feel like all the Big Ones were looking at him as she carried him through the common area. Their mouths were so big... he'd never noticed that before, all those teeth, the way they could just split wider and wider forever, it seemed.

It was a relief when they finally went into a building. He'd never been in this one before, but it smelled... stale. Like paper. Lots of Big Ones were talking in little rooms or even little spaces made to be like tiny rooms missing the top half of their walls. Things kept beeping here and there around them as Becky carried them into a bigger little room. In there, a big, brown, shaggy dog sat playing with his fingers on a tappy thing in front of a game square, until he looked up at them.

"Ah, Rebecca. This must be our little, ah... oddball." The dog smiled, and the little one hid deeper in Becky's arms, staring at all those teeth. He thought he'd seen the dog sometimes, but the dog had never looked after them like Becky or even Danny. "You already tried a circle?"

The dolphin nodded over him. "It didn't work at all." She looked down at him then, and she smiled, but her eyes looked sad. "This little guy is afraid of being eaten. All the others seem to think he's got his head on backwards, but one of them found him hiding in the woods. I think that might have been right after Mr. Dallas went out for a session." Now she seemed to actually be talking to him. "Is this the first time you've seen anyone... eat your friends, honey?"

He nodded, head low.

The boss made a weird noise with his lips. "Well, now... they told me there could be an aberration here and there, but that's, uh..." The dog was staring at him, but didn't really seem to be looking at him. He didn't look very happy.

After a few moments, Becky asked, quietly: "what should we do, boss?"

Now, the canine blinked and actually focused on him. Finally, he sighed. "I didn't take this job so we could feed people sapients that didn't want to be eaten. I'm gonna have to talk with the head office, but for now... keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't end up going for any more sessions. Keep him separate when nobody's around to watch him." He paused. "And make sure you pull his eggs."

Becky nodded, and after a moment, she murmured, "...thanks, boss."

The little one had trouble understanding most of that, but Becky seemed relieved, so he supposed it wasn't too bad. He thought maybe he should say something, but the dolphin was already turning away, carrying him back outside.

After that, things kinda went back to normal. Becky spent a lot more time around him, mostly sitting and watching wherever he was playing with the others, which was nice. She was his favorite anyway. It was harder to play humps, though. The big ones always broke that up if they weren't in the shaded space, so they had to do it in hidden places like chewed out holes under buildings, or just risk it if there wasn't a big one watching right now. They tended to move around checking on everyone, but now they were pretty much following him all the time.

It turned out that was maybe a good thing, though. Some of the others didn't like how he'd talked so much about getting eaten being a bad thing. Some of his brethren wouldn't play with him anymore, and others gave him weird looks, like they were angry or worried, or like he was some strange thing they'd found under a rock. But some of them teased him, and they'd even try and bite at him to see if he got scared. He managed to knock one of them over before Becky broke it up one time, but after that they'd just bite each other and make a big fuss like it was scary, then laugh at him. Some of them had grown up in the same clutch as him. He'd known just about all of them his whole life, and they'd all played together, sometimes humped each other, and now...

He started eating less. Food just didn't sound so good now, and he'd try to hide somewhere, away from all those eyes, but Becky would always follow him, sometimes murmuring that he should eat. She started bringing him little bowls, and sometimes he'd eat a little, just so she'd stop hovering over him and let him sit in his little dark spot. He'd start to wonder, maybe if he just pretended he wanted to be eaten? Maybe Becky wouldn't fuss over him so much, and his brothers and sisters would play with him like they used to, and he'd stop hurting... He was trying to figure out how to do that, how to pretend, until the day things changed.

He had been playing with the others. They still let him join sometimes, when everyone was playing a big game together. They were in the fotter tree room, racing from one side of the room to the other without touching the ground. He wasn't so strong anymore, but he was really light, so he was better at skittering across the little ropes running between trees, or at jumping from one tree to the next without knocking it over. That got everyone in trouble, sometimes. He was starting to run out of steam, but he'd been winning a lot! Now he was pushing for one more win, wildly pouncing from tree to tree, his puffy tail fluttering in the rush of wind until, finally, he landed on the final tree and scrambled to the top! He stood upright, pawing at the air and giving a triumphant little roar between puffs as the others slowed or flopped, exhausted, below.

Then a big tigress grabbed him, giggling. "Well done!" And suddenly her mouth was huge, a valley of pink riddled with red, framed by a ring of immaculate white fangs like daggers, all pointing toward the dark abyss at the center, spreading under him as he turned upside down. Struggling for air against her grip, his mouth open, eyes wide, he flailed weakly, his limbs barely more than dangling. He couldn't speak. Couldn't stop her. Could only stare.

It was no more than a couple seconds of abject terror between her seizing him-- and his face mashing into her soft palate, sliding down it till the back of her tongue mashed in under his chin and hot, wet flesh was suddenly completely encircling his head. Darkness closed around him, the chirps of his brothers cut off by a rush of low, heavy noises, like a constant, humming rumble. Her tongue embraced his belly, snuggling up his middle, and her saliva soaked through his fur, the heat of her body pressing in around him. Walls of muscle seized around his head, and pulled.

Weakly, he kicked, he thrashed, his heart thundering under her wriggling tongue, his entire body suddenly alive with a desperate, jittering energy. He wrenched, he tried to grab for something, anything, he clawed into the flesh pushing in around him, but the tight walls closed around his shoulders, shoving his arms tight to his sides, and he couldn't reach much. An electric tingle ran through the whole of him as he felt waves of pressure roll over him, dragging him down into that tightness, his faltering legs sliding past her teeth. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. It was just a rush of wet, gurgling flesh, seizing and squeezing around him, rolling over him, bearing down on his bones with a heavy rhythm. Her tongue slithered across his poker, and he jerked, quivered, humped, his every nerve firing, his mind afire and empty.

His tail was sliding between her closed lips now. Seconds. Just seconds, but every twitch, every gulp, every drop of saliva running down his face or soaking into his fur, he felt it all, he could not stop experiencing this, his descent into oblivion, in terrific detail. She had all of him, now. Not even his tail knew the touch of cool air, and his feet were sliding down into this strange, rolling massage that only seemed to grow tighter, heaving around him, trying to squeeze out the whole of him through his nose, pushing him ever deeper. Hot, wet friction rolled over every inch of him, the very walls snuggling to him more tightly than any of his brothers and sisters, kneaded deep into his muscles, squeezed all thought, all fear from him, until there was only the journey, the waves of pressure, the incredible, all-encompassing warmth, the thunder of her body bearing down on his, dominating him.

When the pressure finally eased around his head, when he finally had the space for a thought, he couldn't come up with anything. For a moment, he just hung, ears flicking out and hanging wet into some odd space. Then he dunked into the vat proper, splashing down with a splutter. His body followed quickly, pushing in after him, forcing him to curl up entirely in this snug space, rolling about a few times to let his legs bend before his feet finally slipped out. A little struggling, and he got his head above water, gasping and shuddering faintly. He remembered thinking things, believing things, but here, now, there was just... a quiet, dazed awareness of his surroundings. The steady thump-thump of her heart. The strange gurgles and rumbles and creaks. She spoke, and the sound rang through him, wiping away all else, though he could barely make out the words.

"Geez, feisty little guy! I think he was trying to get his claws in me!" Distantly, other voices rose, some small, some large. He thought maybe one was Becky, but he couldn't tell what anyone was saying. "...What? What the hell are you talking about?" There was more talking, and he sat, listening, staring into the darkness. Curled up on himself, he quivered a little, feeling... utterly drained. There was a... a terror, deep inside him, but he could not really... connect it? He was trapped. Down, and down, and down he'd gone, and now he was at the bottom of it all, and... he was going to die.

Finally, he started to cry.

Becky's voice was muffled, but she was closer now. She had to be practically talking into the tigress' stomach. "Can you hear me? You're gonna be okay. We'll-- we'll get you out!"

The huge feline was incredulous. "What kind of damn business are you guys running? They told me I could eat any one I wanted in any of the free roam areas. What do you mean, you'll get him out?!"

He wanted to respond. He drew breath, but it broke from him in tiny sobs. He tried again, and again, and finally he managed a tiny cry. "Becky!"

"I'll get you out! Just stay calm. Just hold on!"

It took a long time. They dumped some stuff down on him that made the water less itchy, and there was a lot of lying around. Finally, the tigress swallowed this little harness thing on a little rope. Going up took a lot longer than going down, and all he could do was hold on, dizzy for lack of air, shuddering every time those walls of muscle convulsively closed and pulled around him again. She didn't want him to go. She wanted to keep him, forever. But he came up, inch by inch, until finally he could reach out into cold air and grasp one of Becky's fingers. And carefully, she pulled him out, soaking wet, into a world that seemed much colder and stranger than he remembered.

There were lights everywhere, and lots of Big Ones, all staring at him. The tigress wiped her mouth, panting, and stared at him. "I hope it was worth it, brat." She coughed and rolled away. "Water."

Becky folded him into a towel and hugged him close, whispering to him. He just lay shivering, squinting at a world full of blinding lights, faintly confused. Was he going to... keep living, after all? ...He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Panting faintly, he let the light swirl around him, the many big ones talking, Becky murmuring and stroking gently over his head, wiping him off.

After a while, it got quiet, and dark again. Becky gave him a drink, then told him to sleep.

But... in the dark, he started thinking again, finally. Thinking about in there. Finally he sat up. "Becky?"

It didn't take long to figure out: he had to sleep with a light on, now. So he didn't think too much about in there. Only a little, when he was snuggled deep into his towel, rubbing against it. He missed playing humps. Strange things, strange feelings. Even with the light on, he... he thought about it often.

In there.