FSE

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It had been that damned red panda's fault, of course. Mei had come by to scoop her off to 'another dimension', as the capricious mage called it.

One minute, Ofenna and Zheil had been sitting in their lounge, the next, cage bars separated them from each other and they had both been twisted into feral animal counterparts to their usual anthro forms. Of course Zheil's tail was wagging, the blue furred wolf excited at the prospect of whatever this was, but Ofenna groaned, or tried to, instead she just let out a sound between a mew and a yawn.

She'd lost her ability to speak, as had the excitedly yapping wolf next to her, which meant it was probably one of those worlds, one where anthros and ferals co-existed but the latter were very much still simple animals.

The lioness and wolf were both naked but for collars with a little pet tag dangling at the front, and Mei had appeared before them, told them the effect would be temporary, and then vanished again before letting them know how long 'temporary' would be.

She and Zheil weren't the only creatures present either, all marketed as extremely intelligent and well trained pets, and the two friends had swiftly been separated as someone who came to view Zheil on the first day was enamoured enough to take her away.

Ofenna had waited nearly three days before someone had done more than look. The dietary and spatial requirements of a lioness putting off most who had come by, plus, sulking and brooding as she had been, she didn't do much to market herself.

A loud gasp had grabbed Ofenna's attention, making her look up to see a pair of shining, smitten eyes peering into her cage. A young bear, her mother behind her, with one hand resting on her shoulder. "A lioness? Is it safe?" The woman asked toward the seller, an otter who hurried over.

"Oh yes, Fenny here is a proud and powerful lass, but she's entirely safe to be around, isn't that right girl?" The otter asked, sticking his hand into the cage bars.

Ofenna eyed the hand, looking askance, surely he couldn't be seriously asking her to come to him...

The otter chuckled bashfully. "She can be a bit standoffish, probably just jealous at having been overlooked for so long, but I promise she's as sweet as a kitten, but with maturity and a calm dignity that would make her ideal company for those looking for a pet that can mostly tend to herself!"

"C-can we?" The daughter asked, looking up excitedly at her mother, but brought up well enough to not harass and beg.

"You claim they're intelligent for animals... so lets see." The bear lady said, crouching and looking at Ofenna. She returned the gaze, still laying down. "Can I trust you around my family? Hmm? My little Emmie has been wanting a pet for so long, but you are the first creature she's actually paid more than a moment's attention to."

Ofenna stood, walking closer across the large cage's floor. She sat down when she was close, calmly looking at the two bears. The child didn't seem too spoiled, and the air of the mother spoke of a protective yet loving figure. At seeing her stand, the bear woman had been slightly taken aback at the size, the lioness was easily half again as large as her daughter, but Emmie only grew more excited, reaching her hand in gingerly.

Ofenna slipped her paw forward, sliding it on the ground to rest under the bear girl's. If she was to be stuck like this for a while, it did seem this family might offer more comfortable terms than the cage bars. Even though a thought nagged Ofenna's mind, Mei was behind this after all, and the red panda had never given a purely positive experience.

The gesture had been enough to convince the bear woman, Cecilia. She took the otter aside, talking to him at length over what would need to be done. Deals were made, money was exchanged, and Cecilia had to figuratively pry her child away from the cage as they went home. The otter bade them a goodbye and came over to the caged lioness.

"Well, they seem nice, huh, Fenny? You go and have a great time with them! When we check their place to make sure you'll be comfortable, we'll soon let you join them, okay? Just a little more." The otter said. He did seem to genuinely care for his charges, and though she knew him for only three days, she felt that to him those memories had extended far longer, and seemed fond.

It was the following evening when the family came for her. She met Cecilia's husband, who was far more outgoing and jovial, confident and fearless straight away. He pragmatically pulled open the cage and gently coaxed the lioness out. She had to be carried in the back of a van, due to her size, but they drove slowly and had put down ample cushioning to keep the trip comfortable.

Ofenna was suspicious for the first few days, there had to be a reason Mei was doing this beyond this strange escapism, but it didn't seem to manifest. Indeed, young Emmie's excitement was infectious, and the bear doted on Ofenna almost constantly when she was at home. From her surroundings, the lioness would hardly have called the family rich, but they were also able to splash out on the occasional luxury.

Soon, she stopped being quite so wary and let herself enjoy the time. The whole family took a liking to her, though Emmie was the most outwardly expressive, and soon Ofenna stopped trying to avoid the frequent hugs, and instead cherished the contact.

Time passed calmly, when Ofenna seemed happy in the home they started to take her on accompanied walks, though they tried to be discreet with location and time as the lioness would always attract attention. The locals soon grew accustomed to the oddity, though, and so, whenever Emmie went to visit friends she would ask if she could take Ofenna along too. That decision mostly fell on the family she visited, of course, but many were happy to allow the strange company. It was just a pet to them, after all.

It was several weeks later and Ofenna was with Emmie, visiting James, a badger and one of her best friends. His family also owned a fairly unusual pet. A huge serpent named Jessie who was as tame as Ofenna had been. It had been an unnerving experience at first, the large snake lounging in the same room, tucking her body where she pleased, sometimes gently coiling or cushioning around James, who seemed to encourage it. Ofenna tensed instinctively whenever the scales came near to her or Emmie, feeling wary for herself but strangely protective and alert for the bear.

Nothing untoward happened, and soon the two children were called away for dinner. "You stay here, Fenny, we'll bring you back something afterwards, okay?" Emmie said, giving the lioness a hug and stroke. The lioness had expected as much, she'd picked up that the snake was fed after dinner time and so she'd have to cope for the moment. "Play nice!" James said to them before they both scampered away.

Left alone with the snake, Ofenna cocked her head, assessing the creature. Jessie peered back, but didn't share her intelligence. Seemingly just an animal, as Ofenna's attempts to spur it into more action all fell flat.

She didn't really see what more she could do, and padded over to a cushion that had been splayed out for her, stretching, yawning and settling down upon it to nap. A light rustling tipped her off to the snake's motions and she opened an eye, it was staring at her and slowly working closer, a forked tongue wiggling at the air near her.

She rumbled under her breath, maybe the snake would get the message and either rest, itself, or at least let her be. A few seconds later she felt a light brush at her flank. The snake had slipped past her and was brushing along the lioness' curled back, the tingling feeling of something running along her spine was quite distracting and Ofenna let out a soft breath, showing teeth to try and let the snake know she was not helping. The snake seemingly ignored her, resting its head over her shoulder and then pausing.

Ofenna rolled her eyes, maybe it was sleepy too, it just needed her body warmth for comfort. Either way she let herself try and doze, but there was soon another interruption, the coils of the body followed behind, brushing her, the tail weaving in to press between her legs then coiling against her, lightly at first. Napping was not going to work after all, she let her eyes open and made to rise, but with the excess weight of the snake it was more an attempt than a success, and the snake itself rolled its tail around further, cushioning below her. It was moving quicker than before, its head rolling across her chest and neck, the strange feeling of the body still moving without relinquishing its hold had Ofenna nervous once again. The snake had fixed its neck in place and its tail took over, moving in deliberate and stronger motions. It forced its way under her paws, and even though she kept moving them, pulling them out of the slipping coils, the snake just unfurled and tried again.

Ofenna reared up, trying to push away, and Jessie took the opening with surprising speed, dropping the play at her limbs to grasp around the trunk of her body. Loops curled, overlapping and pressing down. The tight squeeze that followed made Ofenna gasp out, she knew it was a constrictor, and this was beyond a simple hug at this point. The instinct within her told her she had to claw it apart or bite down, but her rational sense protested! It was a pet, she couldn't do that!

Her delay in finding a solid resolve cost her precious seconds, and she felt her stretched rear legs slip under the worming tail, being bound together by the pressure. One last squeeze squashed her breath from her and made her fall forward into a bed of coils. The snake had her in its grasp, but it seemed to be playing too. Its coils loosened just enough to let Ofenna take in breaths, but they kept moving to start snaring her large fore-paws, coiling around the elbow and under the forearm. She let out a growl, but couldn't find the breath to turn it into a full roar or cry for aid.

The snake suddenly let her go almost completely, dropping her on to its body, weakened and exhausted. The coil around her rear legs held on, twisting around. The serpent's eyes watched her own, staring at them and reflecting her expression on the glassy surface. The twisting coils moved under her, bouncing her body around and flipping the lioness onto her back with the help of the still-held legs. There was no space for her to recover however, the second thick band of the snake rolled up over her head to press across her proud chest, squeezing to trap her arms there against her body. She felt the sliding coils move against her as it made a simple and neater coil, her fur disappearing under the scaly hide.

Desperation rose in her mind, her own breaths were made shallow by panic as it was, the extra weight, squeezing playfully every few breaths, meant she was intaking less than she needed to. She felt its weight shift under her, pulling some of its slack up to extend its neck. The creature rested its upper neck on her head, almost as if it was posturing and bragging about its catch, but if so, no one was present in the room to congratulate it, save for the lioness, who was too busy trying to strain and stretch her way to freedom.

Her paws were trapped at such an angle that even if her claws came out they'd do nothing. Jessie's body had just enough pudge on it to let her squirm but the strength held her from prising the coils at all. She took one breath in for a desperate roar, but as if feeling it, the snake squeezed in retort, crushing the air out before Ofenna could vocalise. It held on, vice tight, the scales shifting softly but without letting up a gram of pressure. Her ribs let out a creak, lungs now unable to draw any breath in at all as that serpentine head dropped back into her view. The snake's tongue lapped out once to tickle the feline's nose, the coil around Ofenna's neck bunched up to close her jaw as it slid behind her cheeks and head.

Her eyes were soon covered by the coils but in the seconds before she saw the snakes jaw part, opening wide. It came like a strange kiss, the wet, close feeling around her snout as coils slid back bit by bit. When her eyes were uncovered they saw only a trace of light reflecting from behind her, and the soft fleshy interior of the beast's mouth before her. She couldn't do anything to fight the inevitable approach of that tight throat, slipped closer to it with every passing second. Her lips peeled back in a snarl as the point of her nose pressed in, and then with effort from behind, the snake started to shove her inside.

Her body shivered, chilled by the horror that she was being swallowed alive by a snake, all because she was too weak willed to attack it back and break a child's heart. Instead she'd end up vanishing and the thought of Emmie, alone without her, suddenly made Ofenna's heart sink further.

The snake didn't stop, it had no qualms after all, likely seeing anything that didn't talk back as a potential snack. The squeezing coils unfurled around her neck and shoulders, the feeling of the tight, soft flesh of the snake's throat passed along until the back of her skull was fully inside, and it kept going. Jessie tilted to use gravity and strength together, slipping the lioness deeper.

Her struggles grew, becoming a wiggle than a thrash as the snake slowly relinquished its grip, but when she fell into its throat the muscles around her squeezed tighter than the coils had. The squeezing scales kneaded at her, stirring her fur and skin as it worked to push her out of the grip and into the waiting belly. The slick moisture of the throat taking her in and soon up to her arms.

Once it had crossed her ribs the passage was swiffer. The snake was using the freed coils to push the hapless Ofenna in faster still, her flanks stretched its throat, but still far from the limit, and then the snake was sliding over her rear legs. The lioness gave one last kicking flick of her paws before they too were swallowed. All that was left was the rest of her tail, and in showing just how strong the snake was, its throat had already contracted behind her so that it was tight around the tapering limb.

Ofenna's prison was dark, slick, hot, and above all, airless. The pressure was less focused, spread all along her. Had there been any lurking in the depths her lungs would have been able to take in the air. The snake lifted her up inside itself, raised into the air as a series of squeezing muscle contractions drew her in inches at a time. She tried to use her last drops of air to roar for attention, a muffled sound far quieter than a mew pressed out... Was this really it for her?

The snake laid its head down on its own body, spiralling inward as it felt satisfied and full from the still squirming meal. It had never tried to eat anything that was still alive, but the feelings were oddly satisfying to it. There was a pause of quiet as it focused on the desperate meal losing the last of its energy and slipping into airless unconsciousness.

"Jessie, no!" The shout came out as the badger and bear returned. Emmie was staring around for Ofenna and then gasped at the sight. The last outward sign of the feline's tufted tail vanished from sight as the snake swallowed hastily as if in guilt. The thick bulge betraying what had happened even to one lacking a child's imagination.

Ofenna's heart leapt, even as the darkness set in and she passed out, deep inside the living serpentine bag.

Ofenna let out a gasp as she shot awake. "Oh thank goodness!" A voice called and a familiar pair of arms hugged around her still wet neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The bear said, looking up a short distance at the figure who stood before her.

"Oh, you're quite welcome, child." Another familiar voice replied, Ofenna blinked, her eyes too fuzzy to make out details, but she recognised the colouring of the hairstyle the blurred shape wore. It was Mei!

"I'm so sorry Emmie, I didn't think..." James was beside himself, feeling immense guilt that his pet had nearly killed his friends'.

Mei waved her hand toward him. "Now, now. Don't mistreat your lovely pet, she didn't know any better, and trust me, she's still a good girl at heart, she'll never hurt you."

Ofenna bridled, it all made sense, Mei's influence would cause a serpent to try a live-swallowing and allow for the seeming bad luck for Ofenna to be unattended for just long enough to be imperiled. Indeed for James' parents, the fact that Mei happened to be in the neighbourhood and seemed equipped to solve their problem made them wonder if angels were real and looked like red pandas.

"Well, time for me to go, I believe." The red panda said, leaning forward to pat Emmie's head and then give Ofenna's slick furred ear a playful pinch, that outwardly merely looked like a caress.

The world lurched around Ofenna and she and Mei were suddenly in a stone room. A vague image swam in the air at one wall, showing the scene as they'd left it, with both Ofenna and Mei still present.

"Don't worry, kitty cat, I've just pulled you back out of that alternate world~." She said, giggling along in her usual high spirits. "Your 'self' in that world will be a little shocked and soaked for a while, but she'll persist and pull through and give that little bear many happy days. And Jessie won't be any worse for wear either. Who knows, maybe the 'you' in that world will like that treatment and hang around snakes some more."

"Oh piss off and di-mm!" Ofenna replied, her thoughts coming out as speech only to be silenced by a magical cord that latched between her teeth, gagging her.

"Let me finish speaking, kitten, I mean, really!" She said, in mock offense. Ofenna was back in her normal anthro body and the clothes she'd been wearing. "Perhaps next time I'll intervene after you've been swallowed so deep there's no escape. But I couldn't let you die and break a poor bear's heart at such a tender age... well, I could, but in such a case I'd want her to know it was me that did it. This time, she gets a happy ending."

"Now, I'll release you to your drab and boring life again until I call on you. Have fun. Oh and don't look for Zheil, she'll come back soon, but I'm having a lot of fun watching her treatment still." The lioness had no time to respond. The red panda waved, a small sparkle of magical energy flashing around her fingers, and then the scene changed again. Ofenna was back home.

Her living room was as she'd left it when she'd been sat there last. The date and time remained unchanged. There were only two differences to be noted. First, her companion was missing, and second, a copy of the collar she'd worn sat on the table before her. The thing was sized to the feral lioness' throat and thus would be more of a dangling necklace than a collar, and a small part of her bridled with wounded pride at the reminder.

But she had admittedly enjoyed her time, and up until the end, it had been a pleasant trip of escapist calm... A small part of her wished she could have stayed longer, but that would require an altruistic version of Mei to exist, and it seemed there was only the one of her, no matter how many alternate worlds the red panda danced between. She had grudgingly grown to like the last few weeks, however, so perhaps Mei's endings didn't always have to be taken in the worst light.

She leant forward, taking the collar in hand, she'd keep it as a memento at the very least.