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One bedroom. Five friends. Four Predators. One Prey.\n\nStacy, Fuchsia, Pauline, Tina and Lucy are staying up all night to have fun and share secrets. There's been an unspoken desire amongst all of them throughout their intergenus friendship. One of them looks mighty tasty. And she wonders if maybe she really is after all...", "description_bbcode_parsed": "One night. One bedroom. Five friends. Four Predators. One Prey.

Stacy, Fuchsia, Pauline, Tina and Lucy are staying up all night to have fun and share secrets. There's been an unspoken desire amongst all of them throughout their intergenus friendship. One of them looks mighty tasty. And she wonders if maybe she really is after all...", "writing": "\n\nThe Sleepovore\nanother cute little cub tale by Alex Reynard\n\n*****\n\n\n[i]Twenty years have passed since the rise of the Great Predator Army. Their plans of peace between predators and prey succeeded beyond expectations, albeit slowly. When the Fences came down, there was less violence than the news networks predicted. Both sides were simply tired of hate and ready for the war to end.\n\nThere were still holdouts though. Zones which refused integration, insisting on keeping the cities split between genus. But these places were rare, and seen as old-fashioned. Elsewhere, millions were commingling. Noses and tails twitched as Prey and Pred citizens had their first real interactions. It was easy to see that both sides' propaganda had lied about the other. 'They're just like us,' many realized. Apart from some species' differences though, which many found intriguing. Even alluring.\n\nSoon, the first generation of post-war cubs were being born. They grew up in a world where genus-hate was seen as absurdly antiquated. Something to shake one's head at over how stupid grownups could be. A world where half their classmates had Newbrains. A world where Rejuvenators were plentiful. A world with heroes like Cody St. John and Petra Penmark; ambassadors of peace, and the first intergenus couple to legally marry. A world where the last of the GPA were finally stepping down, letting democracy back in, secure that their mission was well and truly fulfilled.\n\nIt is in this happy time that our story is set.[/i]\n\n\n*****\n\n\nThe girls all froze silently at the sudden pounding on the door.\n\n\"WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GET TO SLEEP!?\" Fuchsia's dad bellowed theatrically. \"ARE YOU RUNNING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT IN THERE!?\"\n\n\"No, daddy!!\" the little fox called back. \"We'll shut up! I [i]promise![/i]\" she lied.\n\nThe door opened and a vulpine snout poked through. \"Allright, puddin' pop. I guess you can stay up a skosh later if you turn it down in there. Keep in mind, your mother and I have to work tomorrow, and you've got school.\"\n\n\"Oh-kaaay.\" She hopped up from her seat on the floor, nightshirt billowing around her paws, and stretched her neck to touch nosepads with him. \"You get your sleep. We don't want you driving off a bridge tomorrow morning.\"\n\nHe ruffled her pink headfur affectionately. \"Li'l smartass. See you in the morning. Love you.\" A kiss between her ears, then the door closed again and his footsteps receded down the hall.\n\nFuchsia whipped around and grinned maniacally. \"Allright, where were we!?\" she whisper-shouted. She dashed back to her spot on the floor and plopped down cross-legged. Popcorn flew out of the communal bowl in the center of the ring of seated cubs.\n\nFive friends, all in seventh grade together. Integration had not produced perfect numerical equality, so their hometown was still predominantly Pred. The group reflected this: four to one. Fuchsia and Pauline were both little vixens, Tina and Lucy were skunkettes (classified as Pred during the war years, but now understood to be Omnis), and Stacy, a squirrel.\n\nStacy knew that some Preys went against traditional genus roles to be bold, independent, assertive, etcetera. But she wasn't. She was hopelessly Prey through and through. And her friends teased her endlessly for it. Not that she minded. They loved making her blush, and she loved it too. She was like the group's mascot. For all they joked, she knew their friendship went beyond fur-deep.\n\nThe game was truth or dare; a sleepover favorite since long before the war, even back to the time of humanity. The quintet of wiggly cubs were huddled around a massive tub of popcorn in their pajamas. They'd tried to keep the noise down, really. But it was hard to hold in gasps at some of the secrets revealed, and laughter at some of the goofy stunts they'd pulled already.\n\nFuchsia, ever the leader, was the arbiter of the game. At the start of the new school year, her parents had finally given in to her requests to let her live up to her namesake. She'd gone to a dye-pit at the mall and now her fur dazzled with magenta and purple. Colors to match her personality. Her parents had actually given her the middle name Petra, after the GPA hero, and hadn't realized their daughter would also live up to that name with her brash, I-can-do-anything attitude. Her light blue nightshirt was currently covered in stray kernels and husks.\n\nTo her left was Pauline. A tall, quiet fox with perfectly-reasonable orange fur. She and Fuchsia made a good pair of matching opposites. Pauline was sweet and sensible and beloved by grownups and for being such a model child. But while Fuchsia drew all the attention, Pauline would be the mind devising all the crazy schemes. She was the group's idea girl. Tonight she had nautical-themed pajamas with a blue glittery anchor on the front.\n\nTina was a dreamy little skunkette, eager to please. After Fuchsia's dye-job, she'd followed the trend and gotten her own fur changed to a sea of pastel violet. She loved her new colors and would twirl in front of her mirror at home, wondering who this new girl could be. She was a cub with her head in the clouds, where the air was fresh and sweet. To show off as much fur as possible, tonight's sleepwear was a simple white t-shirt and panties.\n\nLucy had the same shirt-and-undies combo as her sister. She was the group's grump. Never really mean about it, she was nevertheless a counterpoint to her sister's sunshine. (And she approved of her sister's new purple, as it made her own lustrous black and white stand out even more.) Lucy would be the one to drag the others back to reality if Pauline's plans got too loony. The others teased her about being a sourpuss, likely even more than they teased Stacy. But that was fine. It gave her opportunity to fire back. As a skunk, if she couldn’t spray with musk, she could do it with snark.\n\nAnd then Stacy. Cute, curvy little Stacy. The others often said her fur was the same color as a graham cracker, and the white patch on her tummy could be the marshmallow to make a smore. Her friends found all sorts of ways to compare the little squirrel to various desserts, and while outwardly she weakly protested, inwardly it gave her a tingle. Sometimes she felt like maybe she didn't belong in a group like this, with four such vivid personalities. 'I'm just quiet. That's about it,' she'd think. And yet they never left her behind. They always smiled to see her. She loved to feel so included. Although part of her sometimes wondered, when she saw the others' pearly white canines, if there was a hidden reason they liked to keep her close...\n\nIt was Lucy's turn. \"Truth or dare!?\" Fuchsia thundered in the tone of a judgmental Goddess.\n\nLucy crossed her arms. \"Dare. Throw something interesting at me this time.\"\n\nFuchsia spun the little plastic arrow from an old board game. It landed on 3. that meant Pauline could choose the dare.\n\nLucy looked a bit worried as the vixen steepled her fingertips and grinned. Pauline's fur was almost wholly white around her face, making her look a bit like a mime, or someone who'd been recently pied. \"Interesting, you say? Mmmmmyes. Would you be willing to...\" she drew out the suspense, \"go get the soap from the bathroom and hold it in your mouth for thirty seconds?\"\n\n\"What!? No!\" Lucy said reflexively.\n\nEveryone else giggled at seeing their normally-scowling pal look so panicked. \"Come now, Lucifer,\" Pauline said, \"that filthy mouth could use a good scrubbing.\"\n\n\"Eat a shitbutt of fucks,\" Lucy shot back.\n\nLittle paws clasped over muzzles to keep their laughter from bringing Fuchsia's parents back.\n\n\"I'll go get it!\" Tina piped up. In a flash of violet, she'd skedaddled from the room to aid her sister's torture.\n\nLucy fumed until Tina returned, but when the time came to face the music, she held her mouth open without complaint. Tina looked to Pauline, who nodded permission to do the deed. With a huge smirk, thinking back over all the sisterly torments they'd put each other through in the past, she jammed the big white oval right into Lucy's maw.\n\nLucy made several horrible faces.\n\nBut they all admired her effort. She didn't say a word as the others all breathlessly counted off the seconds of her dare. She squirmed and clenched her paws, but kept the soap right where it was.\n\nAs soon as the others all said, \"Thirty!\", Lucy 'p'tooo!'ed the soap across the circle, scoring a bullseye. Pauline yapped in surprise as it bonked her nose. Lucy guffawed while spitting into the wastebasket.\n\nStacy leaned in. \"How'd it taste?\"\n\nLucy scraped her tongue with her claws. \"A little better than your mom's cooking.\"\n\nThe squirrel huffed while the others tittered. \"She's a good cook! You guys just can't stand it 'cuz it's not all meat, meat, meat!\"\n\n\"I know, I'm just kidding,\" Lucy said sincerely. \"Sis, could you get me some soda or juice or something?\"\n\nTina popped up, nodding. On her way to the door, Pauline suggested that cranberry juice could erase any bad taste. The purple skunk returned with a glass, which Lucy snatched out of her paws and guzzled.\n\nFuchsia's turn now. The pink fox knew she was really in for it, as she'd been quite evil in giving out dares all night. She kept her outward confidence though. \"I can take whatever you can dream up!\" She spun, and it landed on 4.\n\nLucy's eyes sparkled. Her luck had reversed.\n\nFuchsia and the others had to wait in delicious anticipation til the skunk finished gulping and her juice was gone. \"Ahhhh! That actually worked, Pauline, thanks.\"\n\n\"You're welcome. I know everything,\" she said with a playfully-smug smirk.\n\nLucy did a double-take. \"Wait, why am I thanking you!? I wouldn't have had to drink it in the first place if you hadn't made me eat soap!!\" She glared a bit at her friend, then turned her vengeance on Fuchsia. \"Okay, you. T or D?\"\n\nFuchsia decided it was good strategy to not say 'dare', as Lucy looked like she probably had something atomic in mind. \"Truth.\"\n\nThe skunk bristled. \"Damn. Now I can't make you stick your tail out the window and moon the whole neighborhood.\"\n\nFuchsia's tail wagged. \"I'd almost be willing to do that for a freebie!\"\n\nEveryone chuckled. Stacy poked Lucy. \"You oughtta know her better. She'd love the attention!\"\n\nFuchsia nodded shamelessly.\n\n\"Yeah, true.\" Lucy narrowed her eyes, trying to come up with a good question. \"Allright. If you could eat anyone, ANYONE, even another Pred, who would it be? And you have to answer with TOTAL HONESTY! Or we'll [u]knoooow[/u].\"\n\nFuchsia reeled back on her tush like a bop bag. She bit her lip, looking around at her friends' faces. She couldn't say it!\n\nEveryone else smelled blood in the water. Lucy had stumbled onto a juicy secret indeed. Their fearless leader almost never blushed, but pink was definitely showing through her white cheekfur.\n\nPauline reached over to tickle her ribs. \"Come on! You gotta say!\"\n\n\"Hee hee hee! Allright, allright! Stop tickling me or I'll hafta borrow one of your pullups!\"\n\n\"Hey!\" Pauline turned red. She was still a bit sensitive about that.\n\nFuchsia gave her a brief retaliatory tickle, then sighed and prepared to answer. She could hardly make the name come to her lips.\n\nStacy was eager to find out. She was always curious what went on in the minds of her Pred friends. But then she noticed how Fuchsia was looking right at her. And suddenly, she knew exactly what the answer was going to be. Her heartbeat sped up.\n\n\"Ummm...\" Fuchsia mumbled. \"There's a lotta Preyfurs I've thought about. Like, how good Troy Greene might taste.\" (A popular teen movie star.) \"Really though... I know we joke about it all the time, but... the one I think about most is...\" Barely a squeak, she let it out. \"Stacy.\"\n\nEveryone's heads swiveled to see their squirrelfriend's reaction.\n\nNow it was her turn to hop on the Blush Train. The young Prey fidgeted and pawed her PJs. \"Um. Well. I s'pose I appreciate your honesty, Fuchsia. I mean, I guess I always suspected. I mean, I'm not naive. I know you all musta wondered about it, at least a little. It's natural, right?\"\n\nFuchsia scooted over with an apologetic look and hugged the shivering squirrel. \"You know it's not anything mean, right? Like you said, it's just natural. I can't help it! You smell soooooo good!\"\n\nStacy felt a little flush of confusing emotion at that. Fright, but also maybe a bit of pride. \"...Thanks?\"\n\nThe vixen couldn't resist a sniff. \"Mmmmm! If you're okay with total honesty here...\"\n\nStacy gulped. \"I am.\"\n\n\"...then I gotta admit, I've always kinda hoped you'd let my mom cook you up into a nice roast or something one of these days. You drive me nuts, Stacy! I know I'm supposed to be a good girl and treat Prey as my equal like they say in school, but, but... It's like having a chocolate chip cookie following me all around all the time!\"\n\nNervous giggles all around. Stacy squirmed, cheeks warm, feeling Fuchsia's fur rustling against her pajamas. Knowing her friend wanted to actually EAT her. Having suspected it ever since they first met, but hearing it explicitly for the first time now. Confirming all her fears. Or were they fears? Stacy knew there was another side to her feelings. She'd asked herself before, 'Why else would you hang around with Preds unless...?'\n\n\"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable,\" Fuchsia said sincerely.\n\nStacy could see that her vixen friend really did care about her as more than just a morsel. \"No, no. I mean... Well yeah. A bit. But it's okay. 'We're different and that's allright',\" she quoted a common Great Predator Army motto. \"What about you?\" she asked the other girls. \"Do you ALL wanna eat me?\"\n\nTina, Pauline and Lucy exchanged startled glances at being put on the spot. They all muttered a bit, till finally Tina admitted, \"I do. But just a little. Maybe a leg?\"\n\nStacy snickered.\n\nLucy rolled her eyes and grunted. \"Allright, yeah. Me too. But I love you, Stace. I'd never even think about it without your permission.\"\n\n\"I appreciate that,\" Stacy said, happy to hear the gruff skunkette show some care.\n\nPauline had her thinking expression on. \"You know, we [u]have[/u] joked about it a lot, Stacy,\" she said. \"Maybe we were all just afraid to bring it up directly. I...\" she faltered a bit. \"I admit, I was. Fuchsia's right; you do smell heavenly.\" Stacy wiggled. \"But it's like, is there a non-rude way to ask a friend, 'Hey, do you mind if we kill and eat you?'\"\n\nStacy's tail frizzed up at hearing it put so bluntly. She saw Pauline was about to apologize, but held up her paw. \"No. It's okay. You're right, it's kind of a shock to hear. But...\" she looked down at the popcorn. \"I guess I've been waiting all this time for one of you to ask. Like I said, I'm not Little Miss Food-Prude about this. I mean, how many times have I had supper at one of your houses? You've seen me eat meat. I know where it comes from. I've seen videos about places like Starkite where Preys like me volunteer, and they get all cut up, and...\" She felt warm all over. Flushed with embarrassment, but also excitement. She'd watched the furs in the video happily stepping up onto the conveyor belts. She'd thought about what it would be like. \"...And I know they get Rejuvenated afterwards so it's okay and there's no danger. I admit, I've been curious. But it's scary too. I could never make myself just come out and say anything. I was waiting for one of you to mention it.\"\n\nEveryone in their little group felt the change. The elephant in the room had finally been acknowledged. The topic they'd always tiptoed around was finally under honest discussion. This was a momentous moment in their friendship.\n\nPauline reached out a reassuring paw on top of Stacy's. \"I've wondered what it'd be like too.\"\n\nStacy's head popped up. \"Really? But you're a Pred! I mean, I know [i]sometimes[/i] Preds volunteer, but...\"\n\nThe vixen snorted. \"Come on, we all know it's not just 'Preds' and 'Prey' anymore. We got two Omnis sitting right across from us,\" she indicated their skunk friends. \"Foxes aren't Apex Preds. There's a bit of Preyish instincts in us too. Enough to make me wonder if some family might like me for dinner, or might like my pelt,\" she admitted with a coy smile.\n\n\"Oooh, I've thought about that too!\" Fuchsia perked up. She ran her paws all over her soft self. \"The thought of seeing all this turned into a coat gets me hot sometimes!\"\n\nThe others giggled. Fuchsia was so in love with herself, that made perfect sense.\n\n\"What about you two?\" Stacy asked the skunks.\n\nLucy tapped her lips. \"I've never really thought much about being eaten. I guess I'd be okay with trying it though.\" Tina nodded agreement.\n\nStacy let out a deep breath. \"Whew! Okay! That's a load off. I'd felt kinda unsure about, y'know, thinkin' to myself about this kinda stuff. But if all of YOU have, then probly all the other Preykids at school have too!\"\n\nPauline giggled. \"Probly. And hey, maybe that can be our next adventure. There's a Starkite place not too far from here. We could take the tour. I've heard they let people try out the track. You could volunteer and be our dinner that night, Stacy.\"\n\nThe little squirrel trembled at the words. Her instincts were telling her 'no', but another part of her, just as deep, was screaming, 'YES!' Being food was terrifying, yet irresistible. And there was something wonderful about imagining all her friends smiling and licking their lips as they sat down to a big plate full of her. She'd be making them happy. Her meat would. It'd be like thanking them for being such wonderful friends for so many years.\n\nStacy had to slow down her breaths to answer. She looked right at Pauline. \"I think I'd like that.\"\n\nBoth vixens grinned, and Stacy nearly swooned at seeing their teeth.\n\n\"Allright!\" Fuchsia cheered. She gave Stacy a big squeeze. \"That's really brave of you.\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" she said bashfully. \"It was brave of you too, to be honest.\" She giggled when Fuchsia nuzzled her ear.\n\nPauline flipped through her mental calendar. \"How about next Thursday we can go?\" \n\nLucy shook her head. \"Me 'n Rainbow-Brain got lessons.\" Tina giggled at the nickname.\n\nPauline remembered now. Tina was learning the piano and Lucy the trombone. Both seemed quite fitting. \"The weekend then? So long as we go in the afternoon after swimming, I'm free.\"\n\nEveryone else checked their upcoming schedules and found they had free time. Stacy felt a shiver go up her spine. They were actually making plans on when to eat her!\n\n\"Stacy?\" Pauline asked.\n\n\"Huh!?\"\n\nA snicker. \"Is Saturday okay for you?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes! No problem!\" She grinned, practically glowing. \"Wow, I feel kinda electric at finally just admitting it! I've always loved when you'd all tease me, telling me how tasty you thought I'd be. I always wanted to say, 'Go ahead and try me!' But I was so embarrassed! I'm really glad the bubble's popped now and we can all just admit to it. I'm Prey and that's okay!\"\n\n\"We're Pred and you'll soon be dead,\" Lucy joked.\n\nThere was a perfect moment of stunned, horrified silence. Then everyone started laughing their tails off and knocking popcorn all over the place.\n\n\n*****\n\n\nMore truths followed, more dares followed, and then it was time for bed. The five furballs couldn't stop their yawns any longer, so snacks were cleared away and sleeping bags were unfurled.\n\n\"Need any help changing your diaper?\" Lucy needled Pauline.\n\n\"It is not a diaper, it is overnight wetness protection,\" the fox said stiffly. \"I'm sure Fuchsia's parents wouldn't want bodily fluids all over their carpet.\" She grinned. \"Though, do you wanna borrow one? Y'know, to hold in your stink?\"\n\nStacy snickered. She'd gotten the luck of the draw to share Fuchsia's gorgeous big bed. Soft as a cloud.\n\n\"Why would I wanna hold it in?\" Lucy replied, turning around and lifting her tail. Pauline flinched for just a moment, which made Lucy and Tina guffaw.\n\n\"We wouldn't really,\" the purple skunk said. She and her sis slipped into their cozy bag together.\n\n\"Oh, I know,\" Pauline said. \"Sweet dreams, stripetwins.\" Her own sleeping bag rustled, as it was lined with vinyl for extra protection.\n\nThe room's lights were voice-controlled. Fuchsia spoke the six-digit code and the room dimmed to a tranquil glow. The standby lights from Fuchsia's various electronics created the appearance of a fairy village.\n\nStacy smiled in bliss as she wriggled her paws deep into Fuchsia's smooth, clean sheets. She snuggled in beside her Predfriend and felt the fox's tail brush against her own. The comforter was thick and toasty.\n\n\"Not too hot?\" Fuchsia asked.\n\n\"No, it's just perfect!\"\n\nThe fox nodded. \"Good. And, um, it's nice to see you're not scared to share the bed with me. After, you know, that question earlier.\"\n\n\"Are you blushing again?\" Stacy asked.\n\nFuchsia giggled. \"Well, obviously! I don't wanna get caught. Mom said I couldn't have snacks in bed.\"\n\nStacy giggled too, so hard she snorted.\n\n\"I'm glad we can be honest about it now,\" Fuchsia whispered.\n\n\"Me too. I'm looking forward to Saturday.\"\n\nFuchsia smiled and her whiskers bounced. She exaggeratedly smacked her lips and Stacy shivered in delight. \"Ditto. Goodnight, Stacy.\" She rolled over to face the wall, clutching her pillow as she always did. \"Goodnight, girrrrls!\" she called to the others.\n\n\"Goodnight, Miss Pinkbutt!\" Tina sing-songed.\n\nPauline snerked. \"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle pink.\"\n\nMore hushed laughter, then the room finally quieted. There was just the rustle of pajamas now. Fur shuffling against fabric. The hushed drone of the highway several blocks to the east. It was a still night. The wind didn't even disturb the trees.\n\nYet suddenly all of Stacy's tiredness had vanished. She was as awake as if she'd been gulping down coffee all night. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers Fuchsia had decorated her ceiling with.\n\n'Saturday,' she thought.\n\nSome part of her was kicking her own tail for having agreed to such insanity. She was a pushover with Pauline, really. The fox could talk her into anything. Had she [i]really[/i] agreed to go downtown to a [i]meat factory[/i] next weekend!? A place where they chopped up Preyfurs in big machines. Turned them into little vacuum-packed slabs of hamburger. She'd seen them in the supermarket. Starkite's new gimmick was little photos on the label of the furson who'd volunteered, so you could see who you were eating. Fursons of all ages and species, even Preds sometimes. Some of them were even kids her own age. And they were always smiling.\n\nThe two images swirled in Stacy's mind. That cold, ground-up pink meat. But the bright smiles in the photos.\n\n'They enjoyed it,' she thought with awe. 'Going on the conveyor belt. Getting turned into food.' She thought about the machines. Would there be great big cleavers, wielded by white-gloved cartoon hands? Would they dice her into little circles, like a carrot on a chopping board?\n\n'But it's safe though,' she reminded herself. 'They give you a shot first. No pain. And there's always the Rejuvenators afterwards.' She'd been in one before, but hadn't really experienced their full potential. Two summers ago she'd fallen out of a tree (which made her feel like an absolute failure as a squirrel) and shattered her elbow. The pain had been interstellar. As in, she had come close to blacking out and her vision filled with starbursts. And then the nurse had laid her down in a big tubelike machine. She froze stiff, like a big doll. She couldn't see what happened next, but something was poking her arm. Fifteen minutes later, she was walking out of the hospital, flexing her fully-repaired arm and marveling at it.\n\n'An elbow's different than fixing death though.'\n\nBut they could. She'd seen it in class, on a video. In movies too. The whole post-war society revolved around Rejuvenators. Along with the Newbrain, they were the twin technologies that had allowed peace to flourish through non-permanent natural predation. Yet it was still so hard to believe.\n\n'If my friends really did eat me up, could they really just put me in a machine after and bring me back?'\n\nStacy dwelt upon these thoughts for a while. She lay in Fuchsia's bed, stiff as a board, surrounded by the scents of Pred fur. She didn't realize her teeth were chattering as if she were cold. She didn't notice the waves of warmth coming from between her thighs. But her body knew, much more clearly than her mind would allow yet, that the thought of being eaten was causing intense feelings of both terror and allure. It was the thing which all nonev Prey centered their lives around avoiding. Yet, of course, anything you put so much effort into fearing, you cannot help but also be fascinated by. The horror movie you can't stop watching, because the thrills are so delicious.\n\nStacy nearly screamed when she felt movement right beside her.\n\n\"Sorry!\" Fuchsia whispered. \"Didn't mean to scare you! I just can't sleep.\"\n\n\"Oh, okay,\" Stacy said, sighing in relief. \"Did my chattery teeth wake you up?\"\n\nShe pulled the covers away and sat up. \"No, I'm just hungry. Lemme scoot by.\"\n\nThe sheets rustled as the two girls maneuvered around one another. As Fuchsia passed, her tummy grumbled loudly. Stacy had an intense, inexplicable reaction to that sound.\n\nWithout thinking, she blurted a little too loudly, \"Why not save time and eat me?\"\n\nFuchsia's head turned. She blinked, not sure if her squirrelfriend was serious.\n\nStacy yanked the covers up to hide her mouth, scarlet with embarrassment. \"I mean, ha ha! A joke!\"\n\nA grin slowly unrolled across Fuchsia's mouth. She leaned forwards over the quaking little squirrel. \"Didja mean it though?\"\n\n'[i]Don't say yes, don't say yes, don't say yes,[/i]' Stacy’s brain warned her. \"Yes!\" she squeaked.\n\nFuchsia's eyes sparkled. Her grin showed off her teeth. She leaned in even closer, tugged down the cover (making Stacy 'Yipe!') and gently, playfully, nibbled her Preyfriend's nose. \"I guess I could.\"\n\n\"Right now!?\" Stacy's voice was high-pitched, panicky. Fuchsia was just teasing, right? Right? 'But I hope she's not!' a part of her thought, and she scolded herself for it. 'No, no, we can't!'\n\nFuchsia’s lower jaw trembled. She licked a drop of saliva away. \"Um... We c-could. Stacy. If you wanted to, I mean. We'd have to be quiet though. Or are you just playing?\"\n\n\"No! I, um, I mean, if you really are hungry, then...\" She was shaking all over. She could feel the body heat of her vixen friend pressed so close to her. Looming over her. Ready to bite. \"But we can't, right? We planned for Saturday. And, and, and... the carpet will get all messy!\" She exhaled in relief. Good! A perfectly valid excuse to not go through with it.\n\n\"Not if we turn my sleeping bag inside out,\" came a voice from the end of the bed. \"It's vinyl, remember?\"\n\nNow Stacy was doubly horrified that Pauline had eavesdropped her shameful confession. And looking across the room, she saw that Tina and Lucy were faking sleep quite poorly. Their ears were perked up and hearing every word.\n\nFuchsia pulled away from Stacy. \"No, no. This is crazy. Bonkers! We can't eat Stacy right here! Like, it'd wake up my parents! We'd hurt her!\"\n\nStacy eagerly nodded, yet recognized that Fuchsia was also making excuses not to go through with something her body language and scent clearly showed she wanted. And the thought of pain gave her pause. The thought of her friends all pouncing and feasting on her was incredibly electrifying, but she had to be realistic. That'd hurt like heck! And she didn't want-\n\n\"Don't you have some Hurtblock in your medicine cabinet?\" Pauline asked Fuchsia. \"I thought I saw some.\"\n\nStacy swiveled her head and stared in shock at Pauline. Curse her levelheaded problem-solving!!\n\n\"We do, actually...\" Fuchsia realized. She licked her lips again without realizing it.\n\nPauline realized how close Stacy looked to full-blown panic. \"Hey, I'm sorry! I was just trying to help. You said you wanted to, and I thought-\"\n\n\"I do!\" Stacy exploded. \"But I'm scared to! But I want to!\" She ran her fingers through her headfur. \"I want you guys to give me an excuse not to, but I also want you to do it [u]right now[/u] no matter how much I scream and yell!\" She clapped her paws over her mouth.\n\n\"I'll go get the Hurtblock,\" Fuchsia said, springing from the bed and nimbly avoiding stepping on any part of Pauline.\n\nWith their hostess out of the room, that seemed to signal that this thing was really going to happen. Decisions had been made and direct action had been taken. Stacy swiveled to sit up at the edge of the bed. She thought she was going to pass out.\n\nLucy and Tina were suddenly at her side. Fluffy skunk fur braced her like a pair of crutches.\n\n\"This is completely nuts!\" Tina said with a mouthful of giggles. \"Are we actually gonna eat you?\"\n\nLucy rubbed her friend's shoulders. \"We don't have to, y'know. You don't have to feel pressured.\"\n\nStacy gave Lucy a grateful smile for that. \"I know. But I think maybe I [i]want[/i] to feel pressured. Maybe it's a Prey thing. The thought of you four all closing in and [i]catching[/i] me... oh, I'm shaking!\"\n\nPauline was busy scooting out of her sleeping bag and unzipping it into a single huge square. The white vinyl inside had patterns of little green birds and snails on it. She checked her blue jammies: still dry. Good. If they really went through with this, she'd definitely have to bunk with someone else for the rest of the night.\n\nThe two skunks held Stacy while she quivered and stared down into the carpet. The squirrel asked, \"Would you really do it? Bite me? And eat me?\"\n\nLucy and Tina looked at each other, neither one wanting to say it first. Though their tummies were rumbling too, wanting more than just popcorn.\n\nPauline shuffled forward on her knees and took Stacy's paws in hers. \"Sure we would,\" she said lovingly. \"'Cause we're Pred and you're Prey, and that's allright. It's normal. And thanks to science, it doesn't have to be scary anymore. Remember that video with the GPA and Cody and Petra, and he let her bite his throat right there in front of all the people? He died, but then he was okay again. And remember that kiss he gave her afterwards?\"\n\nShe did. It was an iconic moment in history. An intergenus kiss on live television. It had sent thousands of people online to rail against such shocking, inappropriate obscenity. But it had made a lot more people blush and tingle, overwhelmed not just by how hot it was, but how right it felt. Some people even said it was the moment the war truly ended.\n\nStacy thought about the first Prey pioneers, bravely stepping forwards to test the new machines. And that had been decades ago! That had to prove they were safe, and there was nothing to worry about, and if she really did want to have her wonderful Pred friends tear her soft and tender squirrel body to bits, and-\n\nThe door burst open and Fuchsia slipped on the carpet, barely avoiding a faceplant thanks to catching the knob. \"Got 'em!\" she stage-whispered. She shook the little white pill bottle.\n\nStacy gulped. This was it. If she took a pain pill, then they were really going to do this. For real. Like, for actually real. Not just a fantasy. Not just something to daydream about when she was home, and frisky, naughty thoughts would dance through her mind, of 'What if my Pred friends all ganged up one day and [i]pounced on me?[/i]'\n\nPauline smoothed out the vinyl in the center of the room and the two skunks helped Stacy stand up. Tina kissed her cheek. \"I'm so glad you're our friend, Stacy. I'm sure you'll taste great!\"\n\nStacy was blushing so much she wondered if her cheeks looked like cherries. \"I hope I do,\" she admitted.\n\nFuchsia held out the Hurtblock bottle to her. \"Ever had these before? Mom 'n dad've had Prey friends over and given them these before cooking. I had one once when I tripped with the fork, remember?\" Stacy [i]absolutely[/i] remembered wincing as her friend had bragged about the gory details. Fuchsia tipped out two into Stacy's palm. \"If one was enough for me, two oughtta be plenty for this.\"\n\nThe squirrel had heard of this stuff. Potent. It nullified pain almost too well. But that was by design. It was for emergency use only. After a few hours, the side effects would kick in. You'd want to be in a Rejuvenator before then. There was a reason there were no Hurtblock addicts.\n\nStacy stared at the little black ovals in her palm. They looked like magnets. She hesitated, knowing exactly what it would mean if she took them. Part of her still couldn't believe the night had taken this turn. In any rational world she should have been curled up asleep and dreaming. Instead she was standing here, surrounded by four Preds, about to let them...\n\nShe gulped down the pills.\n\nThe other girls all cheered for her. Quietly though, so the grownups wouldn't wake up.\n\nStacy felt exhilarated. Like she'd just accomplished something eventful. And maybe she had. This was certainly a victory over her fear.\n\nFuchsia took charge. \"Allright Stacy, better get your PJs off. It's gonna get red in here real quick. In fact, let's all do that. Lemme know when the pills start working.\"\n\nStacy nodded. \"I will.\" She started unbuttoning her top. Her head was spinning. Part of her still wanted to back out, but knowing she couldn't produced a fresh zing of mixed fright and eagerness. The pills were melting in her tummy now.\n\nPauline blushed a bit at seeing all her friends disrobe. True, they all had fur, so it wasn't really a big deal anyway. But still... She had to admit they were a quintet of cuties. And she was very quick to vanish her pullup so no one else spotted it.\n\nLucy piled all the assorted sleepwear on the bed. She stood with the others in a circle around Stacy. Everyone's hearts were thrumming, their breaths quick. They could smell their pheromones. Four hungry Preds, one terrified, exuberant, joyful, fearful Prey.\n\n\"Feel anything yet?\" Pauline asked.\n\n\"No, I-\" And suddenly it hit. Like a hot towel, fresh from the dryer, wrapped around her whole body. Stacy wobbled on her feet and Lucy and Fuchsia reached out to steady her. \"Wow, that stuff [i]works![/i]\" She felt like she was protected by an aura of sunlight. She looked down and pinched her arm. Nothing, though not numb. She could feel her fingers, but no matter how hard she pinched there was nothing unpleasant about the sensation. Not even when she drew a bead of blood.\n\nThe scent of it hit four Pred noses.\n\nStacy saw them all stiffen, hyper-alert. This was the most intense moment of her life! Her four friends were just seconds away from going feral and tearing her to shreds. But they were still her friends, and they loved her, and they were waiting for her to give them the green flag.\n\n\"St-Stacy...\" Fuchsia stuttered. Her jaw quivered. A gleaming drop of saliva fell and trickled down her tummyfur.\n\nThe little squirrel closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath. The musk of Predators surrounded her. She sank to her knees and held her arms open. \"I-I'm ready! Okay! You can go! Eat me! EAT ME!!\"\n\nSurprisingly, it was Tina who took the first bite.\n\nStacy gasped as a wholly new sensation blossomed in her upper arm where the skunk's little sharp teeth sunk in. She had barely an instant to react before more teeth were diving into her delicious flesh. With vulpine growls, Pauline and Fuchsia let themselves go. Stacy was knocked to the ground as the two foxes dove in. Ripping, tearing. Stacy felt her hot blood spill. So warm and sticky. She felt her friends jostling around her, leaning in close, pulling her, tugging her. All the warm weight of their limbs. She could see flashes of wagging tails and perked-up ears. Glints of light from hungry eyes. It was terrifying. It was magnificent. It was the ultimate moment of her young Prey life. The moment that millions of years of natural selection had prepared her for; warned her against. Her fear instincts were going apeshit, but her lust instincts were boiling over too. She had never been so close to her friends before. So intimate. Their wonderful teeth drove into her meat, digging in, tearing away fur and skin, feasting on her. She was their meal. Their nourishment. Stacy cried ecstatic tears. She had never felt so fully alive. And here in this moment, she embraced the beauty of being Prey. Her body could feed her friends. They took from her, and she freely gave. She remembered the pleasure her favorite foods gave her. The meltyness of grilled cheese. The sweet chill of ice cream. The snap of sausage. She was giving that kind of pleasure to her friends now. Bottomlessly fulfilling. She envisioned herself inside all their tummies. There was the briefest worry of how her friends could possibly get her Rejuvenated at this time of night, but it was quickly dismissed. She trusted them. That was enough. The pills kept her from any discomfort as she felt her arteries splash and her muscles become mouthfuls. She was subtracted, bite by bite. Less of her with every chewing mouthful. She loved her Pred friends so much. She saw stars. Breathing was hard. She could smell her own blood. She understood how that scent could excite them so much. Warm, furry bodies on all sides, crashing her back and forth, their teeth caressing her bones. Stacy let herself drift as the sensations all blurred together. Every touch was wonderful. She felt her heart pumping so hard and so fast she thought it might burst. Let it. That would be fine. She was dying. Dying for her friends. Becoming perfect Prey for them. The tastiest midnight snack ever. And everything was fantastic...\n\n\n*****\n\n\nFull mouths. Bloodstained paws. Extended claws. Fangs bathed in flesh.\n\nAll civilized thoughts retreated as the five girls became four. Gone were the seventh-grade friends who helped each other with geography tests and rode bikes home from school. Who watched movies and concerts side by side and shrieked together on the roller coaster. They were feral now. Reveling in the ancient instincts of their nonev ancestors. And it was good. To feel the warm, living meat slide down their throats and fill their little bellies. To feel the Prey squirm and jerk and die. But she never cried out. There were no screams. Only a serene, grateful smile that lingered until her heart finished beating and her muscles went slack.\n\nFuchsia raised her head, chunks of squirrelmeat clutched in her jaws. She swallowed. The taste was ambrosia. Not simply a flavor, but a [i]feeling[/i]. This was what being Pred meant. To bring the life essence of another animal inside oneself. This was why the Great Predator Army had realized it was impossible to defeat instinct, and had instead embraced it. To every spark of primitive canine ancestry deep in her soul, this felt [i]right.[/i] This was why she was here. Born to hunt. To pounce and catch and kill and...\n\nShe swallowed. A fog seemed to clear from her eyes. She looked down. \"Holy shit, we actually just did that!!\"\n\nAt the sound of spoken language, the thinking parts of Lucy and Tina reawakened. They blinked, flecks of blood coating their eyelashes, and beheld the debauchery they'd caused.\n\nPauline took a bit longer to snap out of it. Normally the most rational among them, she was enjoying this rare chance to let every bit of her normal self slip and be a fox completely. The skunks jostled her shoulders till she snurfled and became aware she had her muzzle sunk into Stacy's ribcage right up to her eyeballs. \"EEK!\" Her shout was muffled by her squirrelfriend's flesh.\n\nTogether, the four Predgirls all sat up, staring down at Stacy's remains. There wasn't much left. They'd pigged out spectacularly. All four of their weighted-down tummies gurgled.\n\n\"Oh geez, oh geez, oh geez, oh geez...\" Tina started babbling.\n\nFuchsia's ears drooped. \"We killed her,\" she lamented softly. \"I killed her! She was our friend!\"\n\nKnowing that panicked crying would definitely bring parents on the run, Pauline resumed her role as the group's voice of reason and wrapped Fuchsia up in a tight hug. \"Yes. All that. But she said it was okay, and it is. Everything's fine. Don't freak out. There's no need to.\"\n\n\"Right, right. We can fix her,\" Lucy muttered. \"But how? It's-\" She looked at the clock. \"-past midnight! We'd have to wake your Mom and Dad up and get them to drive us to the hospital!\"\n\nFuchsia’s eyes went wide. \"They're gonna ground me sooo bad.\"\n\nTina looked around the room. The vinyl sleeping bag had kept in some of the blood, but lots less than they'd anticipated. The purple skunk's fur was now quite crimson. \"Yep, they are.\"\n\n\"That's only if they find out,\" Pauline said. \"Remember the vans? We can have a Rejuvenator come to us.\"\n\nHope lit up Fuchsia's face. \"Oh right!\" She jumped up and started looking for her phone. Her belly sloshed. \"Aw, I cannot believe we ate so much of her.\"\n\nLucy allowed herself to grin. \"She was good though.\"\n\nThat broke the tension; now everyone else could admit to it too. \"Absolutely!!\" Tina agreed. \"Cooked is good, but raw is amazing!\"\n\nPauline reached down to Stacy's head and raised it to kiss between her ears. \"I'm sure she'd want to know how super-scrumptious she was. Thank you so much, Stacy.\"\n\nThe two skunks both put their paws out to thank her too.\n\nFuchsia stepped around the blood puddles and began to fully realize just how screwed they were. Even if they did manage to resurrect Stacy without getting caught, her parents were still gonna throw a shitfit when they saw the carpet. The blood was streaked all over. Even on her dresser! 'Thank goodness the bed looks okay.' She spotted her phone on the bedside table, then licked her paws clean as best as she could before picking it up.\n\nShe rejoined the others, pausing as she saw them showing their respects to their friend. She rubbed her rounded tummy. Full of yummy squirrel meat. 'Geez, I'm gonna hafta go on a diet for a week to work her off!' For a moment her eyes went glazed and she thought she could eat a bit more... Maybe even a bite or two of skunk... 'No! No, no, no!' She was in enough trouble already, and plenty full enough. \"Though you really were totally delish,\" she told Stacy as she knelt beside her.\n\n\"I think we all agree on that,\" Tina said, and everyone nodded. She patted Stacy's cheek. \"She looks peaceful. I hope she enjoyed it too.\"\n\n\"I saw her smiling,\" Pauline said. That reassured them, though part of them still worried Stacy might be traumatized, or furious, once they brought her back.\n\nFuchsia shoved the phone towards Pauline. \"Here! You had the idea. You call them.\"\n\nShe was about to say she didn't know the number, but that wouldn't be hard to dig up. After cleaning her paws with a baby wipe from her overnight bag, a little searching on the touchscreen brought up Emergency Rejuvenation Services. Pauline dialed and held her breath as it rang.\n\nFuchsia wrung her tail in her paws. \"Oh piss, I hope we didn't, like, break a law or something. I don't think so? I mean, we're minors anyway, right?\"\n\nPauline hushed her as someone 'Hello'ed on the other end. She tried to keep her voice from cracking. \"Hi! Um, we've got a little problem here.... Yes, I sound young because I am, sir. ... Eleven, sir. ... I'd like to keep parents out of this, if possible.\" She visibly slumped in relief at whatever he said next, and the others hoped they knew what that meant. \"Well... to be honest, sir, we ate our friend. ... No, no, she was totally okay with it! We asked and made sure a buncha times. ... Yes. ... Uh-huh. ... I understand, sir. That's fine. ... I promise, she'll tell you the same when she wakes up. ... We're at-\" She blinked. \"I forgot the house number!\" she hissed at Fuchsia.\n\nThe pink fox snarled. \"Thirteen twenty-two!\"\n\n\"Thirt-\" Pauline started. \"Oh, it showed up when we called. Okay. That's efficient! ... Thank you. ... How long? ... Good! Uh, also, we... There's a lot of blood here, sir. Is there anythi- ... Really!? ... Oh thank you! You're a lifesaver! ... Yes. ... I understand. ... We'll be ready. Thank you, thank you, thank you, sir!!\" she flicked the call off and grinned hugely in relief.\n\n\"What'd he say!?\" Fuchsia begged.\n\n\"We might not be toast after all! Quick, wrap up everything with blood on it!\"\n\n\n*****\n\n\nNine minutes later, a streamlined white van pulled up to the curb where four red-soaked Predkids were waving their arms wildly and holding up a seemingly-cocooned fifth member.\n\nDispatch had told them this was a bunch of scared cubs who'd gotten a little overzealous at a slumber party and were scared shitless about getting in trouble with their moms. Natalie had encountered the same situation plenty of times before, though usually not with middle-schoolers. Kids didn't usually start experimenting with eating their friends until high school.\n\nWhen the four friends saw the Rejuvomobile's door open and an athletic squirrel lady step out, they all felt an added twinge of guilt. She and Stacy had nearly the same fur color.\n\nA similarly-aged male hedgehog emerged from the other door. \"I'll get the box hummin'; you take the squirts, eh?\"\n\nNatalie nodded to Shaun. He trotted to the back of the van and began prepping the equipment. She strolled over to the clustered cubs and put her hands on her hips. \"So. What's got you four standing around outside in the fur on such a nice night?\"\n\nLucy nudged Fuchsia. \"This is even better than mooning the neighborhood, huh?\"\n\nThe vixen bit her lip to suppress giggles and trod on her friend's foot. She straightened up and tried to appear mature. \"Good evening, officer.\"\n\nNatalie rolled her eyes. \"I'm not a cop, kiddo. I'm just minimum wage on the graveyard shift. You can relax.\"\n\nFuchsia visibly did. \"Oh good. So... Um...\" She glanced at the bundle they were all standing around. \"That's our friend Stacy. She's, um, currently dead.\"\n\n\"I would assume as much or similar, considering you called us. And, considering you pups're head to toe in red paint.\"\n\nTina giggled. Lucy shushed her.\n\n\"We didn't mean to! I mean, yeah, we actually did. But, like-\"\n\nNatalie held up a hand to the tongue-tied little vix. \"If she consented, then it's no big deal. We'll bring her back, ask how she's doing, and then you can all go to bed. Though you do understand, by law we'll have to take you downtown if she says you did this against her will.\"\n\nFuchsia gulped. \"She wouldn't! Like, I know it sounds crazy, but she suggested it!\"\n\nNatalie just grinned. \"Pup, you don't have to convince me that a Prey might like being preyed upon. I've been there myself.\"\n\nMore relief. Fuchsia's tail wagged.\n\nPauline stepped closer. \"How much will the charge be, ma'am? I think if we all pool our Talkcards, we might have enough.\"\n\nThe squirrelfemme had to stop herself from chortling at how green these cubs were. \"There's no charge. This is a public health service.\"\n\n\"Oh thank gawd!!\" Fuchsia burst.\n\nNatalie winked. \"Just, maybe think about donating to your local 'Juve service next time you get a chance.\"\n\n\"Oh, we will!\" Tina pledged.\n\nNatalie bent down and flicked on her flashlight. \"Let's see what we got here.\" Before any of the girls could speak, she hushed them. \"...And don't worry. I guarantee this won't be anything I haven't seen before.\" She unfolded the sleeping bag and found one extremely dead little squirrelgirl allright, alongside several pillows, clothing items, and other things that had gotten splashed in the feeding frenzy. \"Aww, she's cute,\" Natalie said, not flinching a bit. \"I can see why you had a taste for her.\"\n\nThe quartet giggled nervously. At Natalie's beckon, they lifted up Stacy and carried her towards the back of the van.\n\nIt was roomy, bright and clean on the inside. The Rejuvenator was prepped and standing open: a cylindrical apparatus with a diagonal couchlike interior and a raised glass lid. Lucy started to heft Stacy towards the hedgehog guy, but Shaun made a 'not yet' gesture. \"You guys first.\"\n\n\"Oh, right! Sorry.\"\n\nPauline had explained everything after the phone call. Since the Rejuvenator would rebuild Stacy from stored organic matter, it would be a big help if they could get as much of her original organic matter inside it first. The machine could collect the blood from their fur, leaving them squeaky clean, and obtaining more material to work with.\n\n\"Mind if I go first?\" Pauline asked. The others were fine with it, so the vixen unfolded Stacy to take most of the soaked items in with her.\n\nShaun glanced over. \"Yeesh! You little carnivores sure did a good job on her!\"\n\nTina piped up. \"In our defense, she was [u]really[/u] tasty.\"\n\nThe girls all giggled and the hedgehog joined in too. \"Nothin' the master meat mechanic can't repair.\" He took Pauline's paw and helped her into the vehicle. \"Hup!\"\n\n\"Thank you, sir.\" Her tail wagged as he helped her lie down inside the machine. She didn't know whether to grin more at him or the Rejuvenator. \"These things are so cool!\"\n\n\"Maybe you can do my job someday,\" he said. A push of the button closed the lid. Shaun began keying in instructions.\n\nAs tiny scrubber arms emerged to vacuum Pauline clean, Natalie herded the other cubs into the van as well. She didn't say why, but this was regulation. She believed their story (the concerned glances they kept aiming at their departed Preyfriend were enough to acquit them of any malice), but the rules were there for a reason. Anyone could pretend to be concerned, then try to bolt just before their food woke up and pointed the finger at them for a nonconsensual eating. Blocking of escape routes was part of the process. Though it wasn't really necessary in this case, as the girls all grouped around their vixen friend, watching in awe as the machine did its work.\n\nA few moments later, the Rejuvenator 'ding'ed like a microwave and Pauline popped out: all done. She stood up and ran her fingers through her fur. \"That's amazing!\" Not a speck of Stacy left on her. She collected the cleaned clothing and thanked Shaun.\n\n\"No sweat. By the way, do any of you girls have Newbrains?\"\n\nPauline, Fuchsia and Tina proudly raised their hands. Lucy drew back against the wall.\n\n\"They're free if you want one. 'Nother public service.\"\n\n\"I know,\" Lucy moaned. \"It's just...\" She did NOT want to admit that she was scared. Especially after her carefree little sister had gotten one on her last birthday.\n\n\"You totally should!\" Pauline urged. \"My grades went way up after I got mine!\"\n\nNatalie put a comforting paw on the conflicted little skunkgirl's shoulder. \"How about you think it over while we clean up another of your pals?\"\n\nFuchsia nudged Tina. \"You can go before me.\" Truth be told, the pink foxette was not eager to lose the exciting scent of drippy, yummy Preyblood on her fur.\n\nTina slid in and the Rejuvenator hummed. While she relaxed in its embrace, the two vixens cajoled Lucy about getting a Newbrain. It was all stuff she'd heard before. About how you could think clearer, and focus on your senses more, and remember better, and no more headaches... It all sounded good. But really, what was stopping her was the thought of that needle going in when it happened.\n\nAnd then she thought of Stacy. 'She went ahead with something she was scared of,' the young skunkette considered.\n\nIt wasn't until a few minutes later when Fuchsia emerged with clean fur that Lucy mumbled something into her chestfur that might have been, 'I'll do it.\"\n\nThe others cheered and hugged her (as much as they could without getting messy again). Lucy grumbled and groused as she climbed inside.\n\nShaun recognized her expression. He leaned in and whispered, \"It does hurt at first, I won't lie. But weigh a moment's pain against a lifetime's ease.\"\n\nShe smiled at him gratefully. \"Thank you. That helps.\"\n\nHe tipped her a wink, then she watched the lid close slowly and seal her in.\n\nLucy looked around with trepidation. The Rejuvenator was smaller inside than a waterslide tube. She felt the familiar calming paralysis take over, and then the machine's tiny arms went to work.\n\nThe other girls clustered around, watching through the glass and smiling encouragingly. Tina made sure to keep eye contact with her brave sister the whole time. She couldn't believe Lucy was really going through with it now, and after so little convincing! Her big sis had gone on and on before about how it was creepy and unnecessary and pointless and yak yak yak. Tina kept saying she loved hers, and knew Lucy would too if she just gave it a chance.\n\nLucy was trying not to laugh at the tickly mechanical fingers sweeping through her fur, cleaning her head to toe. Then she felt a frosty breath at the back of her neck. Anesthetic. A moment later, a sharp sting. Like someone had poked her with a pencil. She gritted her teeth, but then the pain was gone. Soon after, her eyes widened as she began to understand why the other kids raved about the procedure.\n\nShaun watched progress bars crawl across his screen. \"All systems normal.\"\n\nMinutes later, the glass rose and a joyfully smiling skunk popped out. Lucy bowled her sister over in a hug, telling her in a dozen jumbled sentence fragments that she'd been right about everything.\n\nBefore the cubs could get themselves all knotted up in a pouncehug, Natalie pointed out, \"How about we get her inside first, and [i]then[/i] your skunk friend can celebrate?\"\n\nLucy looked down at Stacy and momentarily felt terrible for forgetting her. \"Right! Yeah.\"\n\nTogether, everyone lifted the sleeping bag up and slid what was left of the little squirrel into the machine. Shaun said there wasn't room for the bag itself yet, but they could skip it for now, get Stacy back, then use the blood on the bag for their next patient.\n\nStacy lay in silence as the Rejuvenator lid closed over her. The other girls had really done a number on her. She was missing much of her arms, legs and giblets, but her face was intact, and on it was a trace of a satisfied smile.\n\n\"I hope this works,\" Fuchsia said softly, putting her palm on the glass.\n\n\"No worries,\" Shaun assured. \"It always looks impossible, and yet we always work our magic.\"\n\nThe little vixen smiled gratefully at him.\n\n\"By the way, can't believe I forgot to ask,\" the hedgehog hooked a thumb in Stacy's direction. \"She's got a Newbrain too?\"\n\nThe girls all nodded.\n\n\"Great! Less to fix. Brains can be tricky. But right now I'm sure she's well into shutdown mode and perfectly content. Let's do this.\" He turned back to his console and began issuing instructions. \"Lots to set right, but nothin' we ain't handled before.\"\n\nA flurry of fingers descended upon Stacy's lifeless form, each with a specialized job to perform. The other girls squeezed in close to watch, their breath fogging the glass. The Rejuvenator began to spin new nerves, veins and tendons for Stacy like a 3D printer. It recycled as much of her own collected tissue as possible, and built the rest from 'blanked' proteins it kept in storage. This same process had been repeated millions of times across the globe, and errors were rare. Usually nothing that couldn't be fixed by transferring to another Rejuvenator.\n\nFuchsia watched in rapt, reverent silence. She could feel her tummy gurgling. Digesting meat. Stacy had been an incredible meal, satisfying her hunger as well as her wild fox instincts. If she could come back unharmed, same as she was before, then this crazy, impulsive adventure might have all been worth it.\n\nPauline clutched her paws together and watched the machine work. She knew Stacy and Fuchsia had suggested the idea, but she was the one who'd enabled it by volunteering her sleeping bag and reminding them about the pain pills. So this all fell on her furry shoulders if something went wrong. 'But it won't. I know all about these machines. Plenty of Prey get eaten and come back every day. This'll be no different.' Her brain knew these things, but her heart still worried.\n\nTina didn't know quite what to feel. As the youngest of the group (by five months), she was usually a joiner. In agreement with whatever the other girls wanted to do. She'd been swept up in the moment, and next thing she knew, she was gobbling up Stacy just like the others. Deee-licious! The little skunkette didn't fret too much for her squirrel pal though. Partly because she trusted the Rejuvenator (it had cured a nasty ear infection she'd had last Spring), and partly because she was optimistic in general. Things usually turned out okay, so there was no reason to be scared for Stacy now.\n\nLucy really wanted to shout for joy and sing the praises of her new Newbrain, so it was a bit frustrating to have to keep quiet and wait for the machine to finish with Stacy. Not that she didn't want her friend back, whole and happy again. Just that she wanted to tell the others how foolish she'd been to let fear of a little pain keep her away from the silver wonder inside her head. Her thoughts felt smoothly oiled now. Nothing lost or changed; everything just flowed a little bit better. She loved her Newbrain. She wished Stacy could have seen her getting it.\n\nThe Rejuvenator worked diligently. Bones were redrawn. Muscles were repainted. So many tiny little arms all flowing over Stacy like a colony of hardworking ants. Fitting her back together, puzzle piece by puzzle piece.\n\nAnd finally, as sandy fur began appearing over pink skin, two eyelids opened.\n\nThe van erupted with squealing screams of youthful joy.\n\nThe four Predgirls pounded on the glass, bouncing in impatience for the lid to open.\n\nStacy was floating in a warm dream of perfect contentment. The last thing she remembered, she was sinking into quicksand. Red quicksand, made of musky Predfriend fur. And that was fine. That was the best. To just sink deeper and deeper into that feeling of being consumed. Of giving herself to her friends out of love. Fulfilling her destiny as Prey. And now, the dream was coming to a pleasant conclusion. Obviously, they hadn't really been so crazy as to actually eat her. She would never have had the courage to agree to it. 'Would've been nice though...' she thought. This was just a dream. She'd fallen asleep in Fuchsia’s soft bed and had a wonderful little nightmare about her awesome friends nibbling her to bits. Tasty squirrel bits. And now she'd wake up with the sun on her face, and eat a normal breakfast and go about her normal day.\n\nThere were images floating above her face. Swimmy, distorted. Bright lights. Shadows moving around. Furry shadows.\n\nWhen her eyes finally adjusted and she realized where she was, she just about pooped.\n\nThen the lid was opening and a tidal wave of paws were reaching in to pull her out and ensnare her in a galactic-class megahug. Stacy's ears were bombarded with cries of happiness and welcome. She could only stare in shock.\n\n'It was real. All of it. We [i]really did that![/i]' This was a Rejuvenator van. And there was the bloody sleeping bag at their feet. And Pauline and Fuchsia and Tina and Lucy were all crying and smiling and squeezing her. And there was a squirrel lady and a hedgehog guy (who was rather cute) standing by, watching everything. \"It really happened,\" she marveled. \"I was [i]food.[/i]\"\n\n\"You were [u]good[/u] food!\" Fuchsia lovingly corrected. \"Rich and delicious! My tongue was losing its mind!\"\n\n\"Absolutely! A feast!\" Tina raved.\n\n\"Four stars!\" Pauline cheered.\n\n\"Perfect Prey,\" Lucy said simply, and kissed her ear.\n\nStacy beamed. Returning to life and getting a welcome like this was sunny, sweet bliss. But best of all was knowing she'd been pleasing to her friends palates. She swelled with pride at being Prey. She could feel four full, wobbly tummies pressing against her and thought with elation, 'That's [i]me[/i] in there!' \n\nNatalie smiled at the cubs' exuberance, but winced a little at their volume. After giving them plenty of time to celebrate, she held up her hands and called for them to simmer down. \"Okay, OKAY, okay! Your friend's back and you're happy. We get it. Just ease off enough to let me ask her the standard questions.\"\n\nThe quintet quieted down, though they couldn't stop glowing from happiness at having Stacy back.\n\nShaun scooped up the sleeping bag. \"May as well save time and deal with this now,\" he said to himself as he loaded it into the world's most expensive and intricate washing machine.\n\nNatalie came closer and knelt to put her paws on Stacy's shoulders. She looked a bit dizzy, but that was commonplace after a ride in the resurrection-o-rama. \"This is just a quick checkup, cub. What's your name?\"\n\nStacy blinked. Everything felt fuzzy, like she'd just rubbed herself all over a plush carpet. \"Uhh...\"\n\n\"Your name is Uhh?\" Natalie kidded.\n\nThat coaxed a giggle out of the dazzled squirrel. \"No, sorry! My name is Stacy Emily Rayne.\"\n\n\"Good, good. Now, you have been eaten earlier tonight. Do you understand?\"\n\nShe looked to her friends, who were all on the verge of explosive giggles. \"I don't know if I believe it yet, but I understand!\"\n\nA nod. \"And was it fully agreed-to by all parties beforehand?\"\n\nHer cute buck teeth poked out of her enormous smile as she shouted, \"YES!!\"\n\nThe other girls all cheered and Natalie couldn't hold them back from swarming around to hug Stacy again. Cheeks were nuzzled and ears were nibbled. Stacy sighed blissfully to be embraced in her friends' warm, fragrant Predfur. \"I can do it again, can't I?\" She asked to anyone who'd answer. \"Again and again and again?\"\n\nNatalie shrugged. \"As many times as you want. A van like this is only a call away.\"\n\nPauline winced. \"Oh, we wouldn't want to bother you! Having to show up at the house every time we have a sleepover.\"\n\nThe squirrelfemme snickered. \"Kid, we get paid for each run. You can eat each other every hour on the hour as far as we care.\"\n\n\"Maybe we will!\" Stacy shouted happily, and squeezed her Predfriends once again.\n\n\n*****\n\n\nIt took some manic effort, but hours later Fuchsia's room was looking somewhere close to normal again. The pink fox had decreed that, since Stacy probably still needed some time to get used to her newly regenerated body, and since she was already busy still digesting in everyone else's tummies, she could sit on the bed while the rest of them did the cleaning. This decision resulted in many groans and thrown pillows, but they had to admit it was fair.\n\nBefore they'd left the Rejuvomobile, they'd all given thank-you hugs to Shaun and Natalie. Fuchsia ran back in the house for her Talkcard and bought some super duper blood remover from them, as it was something they always stocked lots of. The cubs also got a pleasant surprise when Shaun said he could transfer over the security vid from the van, just in case Lucy wanted to see what she'd looked like getting her Newbrain, or if Stacy wanted to see her rebirth. They definitely did. And while Stacy congratulated her skunkfriend on her new noggin, Shaun touched Fuchsia's Talkcard to the control panel and downloaded the video in a flash. They couldn't wait to get inside and watch it.\n\nStill full of giggles (in relief that Stacy was okay again, and from the naughtiness of being outside way past their bedtime with no clothes on), the quintet went back inside and faced the horrors of how much they still had to do to get the bedroom looking presentable.\n\nAnd so, Stacy got to perch on the bed and eat snacks while everyone else toiled and scrubbed. Natalie had said that it was a good idea to eat something caloric soon after a full regeneration. Fuchsia presented her with cake and milk. With a big smile and a full mouth, she told the others all about what it had felt like to be their food. They in turn told her of the bestial hunger that had overtaken them, and how absolutely freakin' yummy she'd been. Soon the talk turned to some of their parents' favorite recipes, and how much Stacy was looking forward to presenting herself as an ingredient in them soon.\n\nThe video was their reward for finishing up their work. When all the carpet spots were scrubbed away, the girls put away their implements as quietly as they could, then collapsed again in the bedroom. They thanked their lucky stars Fuchsia's parents had slept through everything. It was a bonafide miracle. Fuchsia touched her Talkcard to her phone, transferred the video, then projected it on the wall so they could all watch. Stacy was a tad horrified at the condition she'd ended up in, but had to admit it wasn't unexpected. She only wished the others hadn't crowded around the Rejuvenator so close; she wanted to see how the machine had brought her back. And now, finally, Lucy could go off all she wanted about her Newbrain. They all said they were proud of her for getting it, Tina especially. And Lucy gave Stacy a special hug, whispering that she'd given her the courage to go through with it. Stacy was touched to hear it. They'd both taken a risk tonight and had it pay off wonderfully.\n\nBy the end of the video, exhaustion had caught up with all of them. Fuchsia could barely focus her eyes to turn her phone off. Spreading contagious yawns amongst themselves, the five friends all squirmed unto their various beddings and prepared to finally sleep.\n\nFuchsia turned off the light. Everyone settled in.\n\nThen Stacy piped up, \"So, are we still on for Saturday?\"\n\nThree solid minutes of giggling.\n\n\n*****\n\n\nMorning came. Pauline was the first to rise at the sound of the alarm. She covertly checked her pullup and discovered to her happiness that, despite the night's excitement, she hadn't needed it after all. She ran to pee, then woke the others when she returned. Fuchsia had hit the snooze button. Pauline prodded her. \"We'll be late!\"\n\n\"How can you possibly be this awake?\" the pink fox mumbled. \"We only got, like, four hours.\"\n\nPauline shrugged.\n\nFuchsia rolled over. There was a sleeping squirrel beside her. She leaned in close till their noses touched.\n\nStacy's eyelids fluttered.\n\n\"Rawr!\"\n\nStacy 'Eep!'ed and backed up so quick she fell off the bed onto Lucy and Tina's feet. That got them up quick. Stacy hopped up and tickled the hell out of Fuchsia in revenge.\n\nSoon enough the giggling bunch were descending the stairs to the kitchen. Fuchsia’s parents were there, already sharing breakfast and coffee.\n\n\"Good morning, girls!\" Mom called to them.\n\nDespite bleary eyes and fuzzy mouths, they managed to fake some enthusiasm back. As if they had actually gotten a good night's sleep and hadn't spent half the evening cleaning up bits of Stacy.\n\nBowls appeared, and cereal boxes. Yawning cubs steadied their paws to pour milk. Soon five little mouths were chewing.\n\n\"Have fun last night?\" Dad asked.\n\n\"Oh! Um, sure, Dad. We played some games and stuff.\"\n\nHe nodded. \"I was glad to hear you rascals quiet down when I asked.\"\n\nThey all grinned angelically and tried not to snort.\n\nDad cocked his head at Stacy, then at Fuchsia. \"By the way, how was she?\"\n\nThe pink fox spat orange juice halfway across the kitchen.\n\n\n\n\n\tTHE END\n\tfor now...\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "

The Sleepovore
another cute little cub tale by Alex Reynard

*****


Twenty years have passed since the rise of the Great Predator Army. Their plans of peace between predators and prey succeeded beyond expectations, albeit slowly. When the Fences came down, there was less violence than the news networks predicted. Both sides were simply tired of hate and ready for the war to end.

There were still holdouts though. Zones which refused integration, insisting on keeping the cities split between genus. But these places were rare, and seen as old-fashioned. Elsewhere, millions were commingling. Noses and tails twitched as Prey and Pred citizens had their first real interactions. It was easy to see that both sides' propaganda had lied about the other. 'They're just like us,' many realized. Apart from some species' differences though, which many found intriguing. Even alluring.

Soon, the first generation of post-war cubs were being born. They grew up in a world where genus-hate was seen as absurdly antiquated. Something to shake one's head at over how stupid grownups could be. A world where half their classmates had Newbrains. A world where Rejuvenators were plentiful. A world with heroes like Cody St. John and Petra Penmark; ambassadors of peace, and the first intergenus couple to legally marry. A world where the last of the GPA were finally stepping down, letting democracy back in, secure that their mission was well and truly fulfilled.

It is in this happy time that our story is set.


*****


The girls all froze silently at the sudden pounding on the door.

"WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GET TO SLEEP!?" Fuchsia's dad bellowed theatrically. "ARE YOU RUNNING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT IN THERE!?"

"No, daddy!!" the little fox called back. "We'll shut up! I promise!" she lied.

The door opened and a vulpine snout poked through. "Allright, puddin' pop. I guess you can stay up a skosh later if you turn it down in there. Keep in mind, your mother and I have to work tomorrow, and you've got school."

"Oh-kaaay." She hopped up from her seat on the floor, nightshirt billowing around her paws, and stretched her neck to touch nosepads with him. "You get your sleep. We don't want you driving off a bridge tomorrow morning."

He ruffled her pink headfur affectionately. "Li'l smartass. See you in the morning. Love you." A kiss between her ears, then the door closed again and his footsteps receded down the hall.

Fuchsia whipped around and grinned maniacally. "Allright, where were we!?" she whisper-shouted. She dashed back to her spot on the floor and plopped down cross-legged. Popcorn flew out of the communal bowl in the center of the ring of seated cubs.

Five friends, all in seventh grade together. Integration had not produced perfect numerical equality, so their hometown was still predominantly Pred. The group reflected this: four to one. Fuchsia and Pauline were both little vixens, Tina and Lucy were skunkettes (classified as Pred during the war years, but now understood to be Omnis), and Stacy, a squirrel.

Stacy knew that some Preys went against traditional genus roles to be bold, independent, assertive, etcetera. But she wasn't. She was hopelessly Prey through and through. And her friends teased her endlessly for it. Not that she minded. They loved making her blush, and she loved it too. She was like the group's mascot. For all they joked, she knew their friendship went beyond fur-deep.

The game was truth or dare; a sleepover favorite since long before the war, even back to the time of humanity. The quintet of wiggly cubs were huddled around a massive tub of popcorn in their pajamas. They'd tried to keep the noise down, really. But it was hard to hold in gasps at some of the secrets revealed, and laughter at some of the goofy stunts they'd pulled already.

Fuchsia, ever the leader, was the arbiter of the game. At the start of the new school year, her parents had finally given in to her requests to let her live up to her namesake. She'd gone to a dye-pit at the mall and now her fur dazzled with magenta and purple. Colors to match her personality. Her parents had actually given her the middle name Petra, after the GPA hero, and hadn't realized their daughter would also live up to that name with her brash, I-can-do-anything attitude. Her light blue nightshirt was currently covered in stray kernels and husks.

To her left was Pauline. A tall, quiet fox with perfectly-reasonable orange fur. She and Fuchsia made a good pair of matching opposites. Pauline was sweet and sensible and beloved by grownups and for being such a model child. But while Fuchsia drew all the attention, Pauline would be the mind devising all the crazy schemes. She was the group's idea girl. Tonight she had nautical-themed pajamas with a blue glittery anchor on the front.

Tina was a dreamy little skunkette, eager to please. After Fuchsia's dye-job, she'd followed the trend and gotten her own fur changed to a sea of pastel violet. She loved her new colors and would twirl in front of her mirror at home, wondering who this new girl could be. She was a cub with her head in the clouds, where the air was fresh and sweet. To show off as much fur as possible, tonight's sleepwear was a simple white t-shirt and panties.

Lucy had the same shirt-and-undies combo as her sister. She was the group's grump. Never really mean about it, she was nevertheless a counterpoint to her sister's sunshine. (And she approved of her sister's new purple, as it made her own lustrous black and white stand out even more.) Lucy would be the one to drag the others back to reality if Pauline's plans got too loony. The others teased her about being a sourpuss, likely even more than they teased Stacy. But that was fine. It gave her opportunity to fire back. As a skunk, if she couldn’t spray with musk, she could do it with snark.

And then Stacy. Cute, curvy little Stacy. The others often said her fur was the same color as a graham cracker, and the white patch on her tummy could be the marshmallow to make a smore. Her friends found all sorts of ways to compare the little squirrel to various desserts, and while outwardly she weakly protested, inwardly it gave her a tingle. Sometimes she felt like maybe she didn't belong in a group like this, with four such vivid personalities. 'I'm just quiet. That's about it,' she'd think. And yet they never left her behind. They always smiled to see her. She loved to feel so included. Although part of her sometimes wondered, when she saw the others' pearly white canines, if there was a hidden reason they liked to keep her close...

It was Lucy's turn. "Truth or dare!?" Fuchsia thundered in the tone of a judgmental Goddess.

Lucy crossed her arms. "Dare. Throw something interesting at me this time."

Fuchsia spun the little plastic arrow from an old board game. It landed on 3. that meant Pauline could choose the dare.

Lucy looked a bit worried as the vixen steepled her fingertips and grinned. Pauline's fur was almost wholly white around her face, making her look a bit like a mime, or someone who'd been recently pied. "Interesting, you say? Mmmmmyes. Would you be willing to..." she drew out the suspense, "go get the soap from the bathroom and hold it in your mouth for thirty seconds?"

"What!? No!" Lucy said reflexively.

Everyone else giggled at seeing their normally-scowling pal look so panicked. "Come now, Lucifer," Pauline said, "that filthy mouth could use a good scrubbing."

"Eat a shitbutt of fucks," Lucy shot back.

Little paws clasped over muzzles to keep their laughter from bringing Fuchsia's parents back.

"I'll go get it!" Tina piped up. In a flash of violet, she'd skedaddled from the room to aid her sister's torture.

Lucy fumed until Tina returned, but when the time came to face the music, she held her mouth open without complaint. Tina looked to Pauline, who nodded permission to do the deed. With a huge smirk, thinking back over all the sisterly torments they'd put each other through in the past, she jammed the big white oval right into Lucy's maw.

Lucy made several horrible faces.

But they all admired her effort. She didn't say a word as the others all breathlessly counted off the seconds of her dare. She squirmed and clenched her paws, but kept the soap right where it was.

As soon as the others all said, "Thirty!", Lucy 'p'tooo!'ed the soap across the circle, scoring a bullseye. Pauline yapped in surprise as it bonked her nose. Lucy guffawed while spitting into the wastebasket.

Stacy leaned in. "How'd it taste?"

Lucy scraped her tongue with her claws. "A little better than your mom's cooking."

The squirrel huffed while the others tittered. "She's a good cook! You guys just can't stand it 'cuz it's not all meat, meat, meat!"

"I know, I'm just kidding," Lucy said sincerely. "Sis, could you get me some soda or juice or something?"

Tina popped up, nodding. On her way to the door, Pauline suggested that cranberry juice could erase any bad taste. The purple skunk returned with a glass, which Lucy snatched out of her paws and guzzled.

Fuchsia's turn now. The pink fox knew she was really in for it, as she'd been quite evil in giving out dares all night. She kept her outward confidence though. "I can take whatever you can dream up!" She spun, and it landed on 4.

Lucy's eyes sparkled. Her luck had reversed.

Fuchsia and the others had to wait in delicious anticipation til the skunk finished gulping and her juice was gone. "Ahhhh! That actually worked, Pauline, thanks."

"You're welcome. I know everything," she said with a playfully-smug smirk.

Lucy did a double-take. "Wait, why am I thanking you!? I wouldn't have had to drink it in the first place if you hadn't made me eat soap!!" She glared a bit at her friend, then turned her vengeance on Fuchsia. "Okay, you. T or D?"

Fuchsia decided it was good strategy to not say 'dare', as Lucy looked like she probably had something atomic in mind. "Truth."

The skunk bristled. "Damn. Now I can't make you stick your tail out the window and moon the whole neighborhood."

Fuchsia's tail wagged. "I'd almost be willing to do that for a freebie!"

Everyone chuckled. Stacy poked Lucy. "You oughtta know her better. She'd love the attention!"

Fuchsia nodded shamelessly.

"Yeah, true." Lucy narrowed her eyes, trying to come up with a good question. "Allright. If you could eat anyone, ANYONE, even another Pred, who would it be? And you have to answer with TOTAL HONESTY! Or we'll knoooow."

Fuchsia reeled back on her tush like a bop bag. She bit her lip, looking around at her friends' faces. She couldn't say it!

Everyone else smelled blood in the water. Lucy had stumbled onto a juicy secret indeed. Their fearless leader almost never blushed, but pink was definitely showing through her white cheekfur.

Pauline reached over to tickle her ribs. "Come on! You gotta say!"

"Hee hee hee! Allright, allright! Stop tickling me or I'll hafta borrow one of your pullups!"

"Hey!" Pauline turned red. She was still a bit sensitive about that.

Fuchsia gave her a brief retaliatory tickle, then sighed and prepared to answer. She could hardly make the name come to her lips.

Stacy was eager to find out. She was always curious what went on in the minds of her Pred friends. But then she noticed how Fuchsia was looking right at her. And suddenly, she knew exactly what the answer was going to be. Her heartbeat sped up.

"Ummm..." Fuchsia mumbled. "There's a lotta Preyfurs I've thought about. Like, how good Troy Greene might taste." (A popular teen movie star.) "Really though... I know we joke about it all the time, but... the one I think about most is..." Barely a squeak, she let it out. "Stacy."

Everyone's heads swiveled to see their squirrelfriend's reaction.

Now it was her turn to hop on the Blush Train. The young Prey fidgeted and pawed her PJs. "Um. Well. I s'pose I appreciate your honesty, Fuchsia. I mean, I guess I always suspected. I mean, I'm not naive. I know you all musta wondered about it, at least a little. It's natural, right?"

Fuchsia scooted over with an apologetic look and hugged the shivering squirrel. "You know it's not anything mean, right? Like you said, it's just natural. I can't help it! You smell soooooo good!"

Stacy felt a little flush of confusing emotion at that. Fright, but also maybe a bit of pride. "...Thanks?"

The vixen couldn't resist a sniff. "Mmmmm! If you're okay with total honesty here..."

Stacy gulped. "I am."

"...then I gotta admit, I've always kinda hoped you'd let my mom cook you up into a nice roast or something one of these days. You drive me nuts, Stacy! I know I'm supposed to be a good girl and treat Prey as my equal like they say in school, but, but... It's like having a chocolate chip cookie following me all around all the time!"

Nervous giggles all around. Stacy squirmed, cheeks warm, feeling Fuchsia's fur rustling against her pajamas. Knowing her friend wanted to actually EAT her. Having suspected it ever since they first met, but hearing it explicitly for the first time now. Confirming all her fears. Or were they fears? Stacy knew there was another side to her feelings. She'd asked herself before, 'Why else would you hang around with Preds unless...?'

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable," Fuchsia said sincerely.

Stacy could see that her vixen friend really did care about her as more than just a morsel. "No, no. I mean... Well yeah. A bit. But it's okay. 'We're different and that's allright'," she quoted a common Great Predator Army motto. "What about you?" she asked the other girls. "Do you ALL wanna eat me?"

Tina, Pauline and Lucy exchanged startled glances at being put on the spot. They all muttered a bit, till finally Tina admitted, "I do. But just a little. Maybe a leg?"

Stacy snickered.

Lucy rolled her eyes and grunted. "Allright, yeah. Me too. But I love you, Stace. I'd never even think about it without your permission."

"I appreciate that," Stacy said, happy to hear the gruff skunkette show some care.

Pauline had her thinking expression on. "You know, we have joked about it a lot, Stacy," she said. "Maybe we were all just afraid to bring it up directly. I..." she faltered a bit. "I admit, I was. Fuchsia's right; you do smell heavenly." Stacy wiggled. "But it's like, is there a non-rude way to ask a friend, 'Hey, do you mind if we kill and eat you?'"

Stacy's tail frizzed up at hearing it put so bluntly. She saw Pauline was about to apologize, but held up her paw. "No. It's okay. You're right, it's kind of a shock to hear. But..." she looked down at the popcorn. "I guess I've been waiting all this time for one of you to ask. Like I said, I'm not Little Miss Food-Prude about this. I mean, how many times have I had supper at one of your houses? You've seen me eat meat. I know where it comes from. I've seen videos about places like Starkite where Preys like me volunteer, and they get all cut up, and..." She felt warm all over. Flushed with embarrassment, but also excitement. She'd watched the furs in the video happily stepping up onto the conveyor belts. She'd thought about what it would be like. "...And I know they get Rejuvenated afterwards so it's okay and there's no danger. I admit, I've been curious. But it's scary too. I could never make myself just come out and say anything. I was waiting for one of you to mention it."

Everyone in their little group felt the change. The elephant in the room had finally been acknowledged. The topic they'd always tiptoed around was finally under honest discussion. This was a momentous moment in their friendship.

Pauline reached out a reassuring paw on top of Stacy's. "I've wondered what it'd be like too."

Stacy's head popped up. "Really? But you're a Pred! I mean, I know sometimes Preds volunteer, but..."

The vixen snorted. "Come on, we all know it's not just 'Preds' and 'Prey' anymore. We got two Omnis sitting right across from us," she indicated their skunk friends. "Foxes aren't Apex Preds. There's a bit of Preyish instincts in us too. Enough to make me wonder if some family might like me for dinner, or might like my pelt," she admitted with a coy smile.

"Oooh, I've thought about that too!" Fuchsia perked up. She ran her paws all over her soft self. "The thought of seeing all this turned into a coat gets me hot sometimes!"

The others giggled. Fuchsia was so in love with herself, that made perfect sense.

"What about you two?" Stacy asked the skunks.

Lucy tapped her lips. "I've never really thought much about being eaten. I guess I'd be okay with trying it though." Tina nodded agreement.

Stacy let out a deep breath. "Whew! Okay! That's a load off. I'd felt kinda unsure about, y'know, thinkin' to myself about this kinda stuff. But if all of YOU have, then probly all the other Preykids at school have too!"

Pauline giggled. "Probly. And hey, maybe that can be our next adventure. There's a Starkite place not too far from here. We could take the tour. I've heard they let people try out the track. You could volunteer and be our dinner that night, Stacy."

The little squirrel trembled at the words. Her instincts were telling her 'no', but another part of her, just as deep, was screaming, 'YES!' Being food was terrifying, yet irresistible. And there was something wonderful about imagining all her friends smiling and licking their lips as they sat down to a big plate full of her. She'd be making them happy. Her meat would. It'd be like thanking them for being such wonderful friends for so many years.

Stacy had to slow down her breaths to answer. She looked right at Pauline. "I think I'd like that."

Both vixens grinned, and Stacy nearly swooned at seeing their teeth.

"Allright!" Fuchsia cheered. She gave Stacy a big squeeze. "That's really brave of you."

"Thanks," she said bashfully. "It was brave of you too, to be honest." She giggled when Fuchsia nuzzled her ear.

Pauline flipped through her mental calendar. "How about next Thursday we can go?"

Lucy shook her head. "Me 'n Rainbow-Brain got lessons." Tina giggled at the nickname.

Pauline remembered now. Tina was learning the piano and Lucy the trombone. Both seemed quite fitting. "The weekend then? So long as we go in the afternoon after swimming, I'm free."

Everyone else checked their upcoming schedules and found they had free time. Stacy felt a shiver go up her spine. They were actually making plans on when to eat her!

"Stacy?" Pauline asked.

"Huh!?"

A snicker. "Is Saturday okay for you?"

"Yes, yes! No problem!" She grinned, practically glowing. "Wow, I feel kinda electric at finally just admitting it! I've always loved when you'd all tease me, telling me how tasty you thought I'd be. I always wanted to say, 'Go ahead and try me!' But I was so embarrassed! I'm really glad the bubble's popped now and we can all just admit to it. I'm Prey and that's okay!"

"We're Pred and you'll soon be dead," Lucy joked.

There was a perfect moment of stunned, horrified silence. Then everyone started laughing their tails off and knocking popcorn all over the place.


*****


More truths followed, more dares followed, and then it was time for bed. The five furballs couldn't stop their yawns any longer, so snacks were cleared away and sleeping bags were unfurled.

"Need any help changing your diaper?" Lucy needled Pauline.

"It is not a diaper, it is overnight wetness protection," the fox said stiffly. "I'm sure Fuchsia's parents wouldn't want bodily fluids all over their carpet." She grinned. "Though, do you wanna borrow one? Y'know, to hold in your stink?"

Stacy snickered. She'd gotten the luck of the draw to share Fuchsia's gorgeous big bed. Soft as a cloud.

"Why would I wanna hold it in?" Lucy replied, turning around and lifting her tail. Pauline flinched for just a moment, which made Lucy and Tina guffaw.

"We wouldn't really," the purple skunk said. She and her sis slipped into their cozy bag together.

"Oh, I know," Pauline said. "Sweet dreams, stripetwins." Her own sleeping bag rustled, as it was lined with vinyl for extra protection.

The room's lights were voice-controlled. Fuchsia spoke the six-digit code and the room dimmed to a tranquil glow. The standby lights from Fuchsia's various electronics created the appearance of a fairy village.

Stacy smiled in bliss as she wriggled her paws deep into Fuchsia's smooth, clean sheets. She snuggled in beside her Predfriend and felt the fox's tail brush against her own. The comforter was thick and toasty.

"Not too hot?" Fuchsia asked.

"No, it's just perfect!"

The fox nodded. "Good. And, um, it's nice to see you're not scared to share the bed with me. After, you know, that question earlier."

"Are you blushing again?" Stacy asked.

Fuchsia giggled. "Well, obviously! I don't wanna get caught. Mom said I couldn't have snacks in bed."

Stacy giggled too, so hard she snorted.

"I'm glad we can be honest about it now," Fuchsia whispered.

"Me too. I'm looking forward to Saturday."

Fuchsia smiled and her whiskers bounced. She exaggeratedly smacked her lips and Stacy shivered in delight. "Ditto. Goodnight, Stacy." She rolled over to face the wall, clutching her pillow as she always did. "Goodnight, girrrrls!" she called to the others.

"Goodnight, Miss Pinkbutt!" Tina sing-songed.

Pauline snerked. "Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle pink."

More hushed laughter, then the room finally quieted. There was just the rustle of pajamas now. Fur shuffling against fabric. The hushed drone of the highway several blocks to the east. It was a still night. The wind didn't even disturb the trees.

Yet suddenly all of Stacy's tiredness had vanished. She was as awake as if she'd been gulping down coffee all night. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers Fuchsia had decorated her ceiling with.

'Saturday,' she thought.

Some part of her was kicking her own tail for having agreed to such insanity. She was a pushover with Pauline, really. The fox could talk her into anything. Had she really agreed to go downtown to a meat factory next weekend!? A place where they chopped up Preyfurs in big machines. Turned them into little vacuum-packed slabs of hamburger. She'd seen them in the supermarket. Starkite's new gimmick was little photos on the label of the furson who'd volunteered, so you could see who you were eating. Fursons of all ages and species, even Preds sometimes. Some of them were even kids her own age. And they were always smiling.

The two images swirled in Stacy's mind. That cold, ground-up pink meat. But the bright smiles in the photos.

'They enjoyed it,' she thought with awe. 'Going on the conveyor belt. Getting turned into food.' She thought about the machines. Would there be great big cleavers, wielded by white-gloved cartoon hands? Would they dice her into little circles, like a carrot on a chopping board?

'But it's safe though,' she reminded herself. 'They give you a shot first. No pain. And there's always the Rejuvenators afterwards.' She'd been in one before, but hadn't really experienced their full potential. Two summers ago she'd fallen out of a tree (which made her feel like an absolute failure as a squirrel) and shattered her elbow. The pain had been interstellar. As in, she had come close to blacking out and her vision filled with starbursts. And then the nurse had laid her down in a big tubelike machine. She froze stiff, like a big doll. She couldn't see what happened next, but something was poking her arm. Fifteen minutes later, she was walking out of the hospital, flexing her fully-repaired arm and marveling at it.

'An elbow's different than fixing death though.'

But they could. She'd seen it in class, on a video. In movies too. The whole post-war society revolved around Rejuvenators. Along with the Newbrain, they were the twin technologies that had allowed peace to flourish through non-permanent natural predation. Yet it was still so hard to believe.

'If my friends really did eat me up, could they really just put me in a machine after and bring me back?'

Stacy dwelt upon these thoughts for a while. She lay in Fuchsia's bed, stiff as a board, surrounded by the scents of Pred fur. She didn't realize her teeth were chattering as if she were cold. She didn't notice the waves of warmth coming from between her thighs. But her body knew, much more clearly than her mind would allow yet, that the thought of being eaten was causing intense feelings of both terror and allure. It was the thing which all nonev Prey centered their lives around avoiding. Yet, of course, anything you put so much effort into fearing, you cannot help but also be fascinated by. The horror movie you can't stop watching, because the thrills are so delicious.

Stacy nearly screamed when she felt movement right beside her.

"Sorry!" Fuchsia whispered. "Didn't mean to scare you! I just can't sleep."

"Oh, okay," Stacy said, sighing in relief. "Did my chattery teeth wake you up?"

She pulled the covers away and sat up. "No, I'm just hungry. Lemme scoot by."

The sheets rustled as the two girls maneuvered around one another. As Fuchsia passed, her tummy grumbled loudly. Stacy had an intense, inexplicable reaction to that sound.

Without thinking, she blurted a little too loudly, "Why not save time and eat me?"

Fuchsia's head turned. She blinked, not sure if her squirrelfriend was serious.

Stacy yanked the covers up to hide her mouth, scarlet with embarrassment. "I mean, ha ha! A joke!"

A grin slowly unrolled across Fuchsia's mouth. She leaned forwards over the quaking little squirrel. "Didja mean it though?"

'Don't say yes, don't say yes, don't say yes,' Stacy’s brain warned her. "Yes!" she squeaked.

Fuchsia's eyes sparkled. Her grin showed off her teeth. She leaned in even closer, tugged down the cover (making Stacy 'Yipe!') and gently, playfully, nibbled her Preyfriend's nose. "I guess I could."

"Right now!?" Stacy's voice was high-pitched, panicky. Fuchsia was just teasing, right? Right? 'But I hope she's not!' a part of her thought, and she scolded herself for it. 'No, no, we can't!'

Fuchsia’s lower jaw trembled. She licked a drop of saliva away. "Um... We c-could. Stacy. If you wanted to, I mean. We'd have to be quiet though. Or are you just playing?"

"No! I, um, I mean, if you really are hungry, then..." She was shaking all over. She could feel the body heat of her vixen friend pressed so close to her. Looming over her. Ready to bite. "But we can't, right? We planned for Saturday. And, and, and... the carpet will get all messy!" She exhaled in relief. Good! A perfectly valid excuse to not go through with it.

"Not if we turn my sleeping bag inside out," came a voice from the end of the bed. "It's vinyl, remember?"

Now Stacy was doubly horrified that Pauline had eavesdropped her shameful confession. And looking across the room, she saw that Tina and Lucy were faking sleep quite poorly. Their ears were perked up and hearing every word.

Fuchsia pulled away from Stacy. "No, no. This is crazy. Bonkers! We can't eat Stacy right here! Like, it'd wake up my parents! We'd hurt her!"

Stacy eagerly nodded, yet recognized that Fuchsia was also making excuses not to go through with something her body language and scent clearly showed she wanted. And the thought of pain gave her pause. The thought of her friends all pouncing and feasting on her was incredibly electrifying, but she had to be realistic. That'd hurt like heck! And she didn't want-

"Don't you have some Hurtblock in your medicine cabinet?" Pauline asked Fuchsia. "I thought I saw some."

Stacy swiveled her head and stared in shock at Pauline. Curse her levelheaded problem-solving!!

"We do, actually..." Fuchsia realized. She licked her lips again without realizing it.

Pauline realized how close Stacy looked to full-blown panic. "Hey, I'm sorry! I was just trying to help. You said you wanted to, and I thought-"

"I do!" Stacy exploded. "But I'm scared to! But I want to!" She ran her fingers through her headfur. "I want you guys to give me an excuse not to, but I also want you to do it right now no matter how much I scream and yell!" She clapped her paws over her mouth.

"I'll go get the Hurtblock," Fuchsia said, springing from the bed and nimbly avoiding stepping on any part of Pauline.

With their hostess out of the room, that seemed to signal that this thing was really going to happen. Decisions had been made and direct action had been taken. Stacy swiveled to sit up at the edge of the bed. She thought she was going to pass out.

Lucy and Tina were suddenly at her side. Fluffy skunk fur braced her like a pair of crutches.

"This is completely nuts!" Tina said with a mouthful of giggles. "Are we actually gonna eat you?"

Lucy rubbed her friend's shoulders. "We don't have to, y'know. You don't have to feel pressured."

Stacy gave Lucy a grateful smile for that. "I know. But I think maybe I want to feel pressured. Maybe it's a Prey thing. The thought of you four all closing in and catching me... oh, I'm shaking!"

Pauline was busy scooting out of her sleeping bag and unzipping it into a single huge square. The white vinyl inside had patterns of little green birds and snails on it. She checked her blue jammies: still dry. Good. If they really went through with this, she'd definitely have to bunk with someone else for the rest of the night.

The two skunks held Stacy while she quivered and stared down into the carpet. The squirrel asked, "Would you really do it? Bite me? And eat me?"

Lucy and Tina looked at each other, neither one wanting to say it first. Though their tummies were rumbling too, wanting more than just popcorn.

Pauline shuffled forward on her knees and took Stacy's paws in hers. "Sure we would," she said lovingly. "'Cause we're Pred and you're Prey, and that's allright. It's normal. And thanks to science, it doesn't have to be scary anymore. Remember that video with the GPA and Cody and Petra, and he let her bite his throat right there in front of all the people? He died, but then he was okay again. And remember that kiss he gave her afterwards?"

She did. It was an iconic moment in history. An intergenus kiss on live television. It had sent thousands of people online to rail against such shocking, inappropriate obscenity. But it had made a lot more people blush and tingle, overwhelmed not just by how hot it was, but how right it felt. Some people even said it was the moment the war truly ended.

Stacy thought about the first Prey pioneers, bravely stepping forwards to test the new machines. And that had been decades ago! That had to prove they were safe, and there was nothing to worry about, and if she really did want to have her wonderful Pred friends tear her soft and tender squirrel body to bits, and-

The door burst open and Fuchsia slipped on the carpet, barely avoiding a faceplant thanks to catching the knob. "Got 'em!" she stage-whispered. She shook the little white pill bottle.

Stacy gulped. This was it. If she took a pain pill, then they were really going to do this. For real. Like, for actually real. Not just a fantasy. Not just something to daydream about when she was home, and frisky, naughty thoughts would dance through her mind, of 'What if my Pred friends all ganged up one day and pounced on me?'

Pauline smoothed out the vinyl in the center of the room and the two skunks helped Stacy stand up. Tina kissed her cheek. "I'm so glad you're our friend, Stacy. I'm sure you'll taste great!"

Stacy was blushing so much she wondered if her cheeks looked like cherries. "I hope I do," she admitted.

Fuchsia held out the Hurtblock bottle to her. "Ever had these before? Mom 'n dad've had Prey friends over and given them these before cooking. I had one once when I tripped with the fork, remember?" Stacy absolutely remembered wincing as her friend had bragged about the gory details. Fuchsia tipped out two into Stacy's palm. "If one was enough for me, two oughtta be plenty for this."

The squirrel had heard of this stuff. Potent. It nullified pain almost too well. But that was by design. It was for emergency use only. After a few hours, the side effects would kick in. You'd want to be in a Rejuvenator before then. There was a reason there were no Hurtblock addicts.

Stacy stared at the little black ovals in her palm. They looked like magnets. She hesitated, knowing exactly what it would mean if she took them. Part of her still couldn't believe the night had taken this turn. In any rational world she should have been curled up asleep and dreaming. Instead she was standing here, surrounded by four Preds, about to let them...

She gulped down the pills.

The other girls all cheered for her. Quietly though, so the grownups wouldn't wake up.

Stacy felt exhilarated. Like she'd just accomplished something eventful. And maybe she had. This was certainly a victory over her fear.

Fuchsia took charge. "Allright Stacy, better get your PJs off. It's gonna get red in here real quick. In fact, let's all do that. Lemme know when the pills start working."

Stacy nodded. "I will." She started unbuttoning her top. Her head was spinning. Part of her still wanted to back out, but knowing she couldn't produced a fresh zing of mixed fright and eagerness. The pills were melting in her tummy now.

Pauline blushed a bit at seeing all her friends disrobe. True, they all had fur, so it wasn't really a big deal anyway. But still... She had to admit they were a quintet of cuties. And she was very quick to vanish her pullup so no one else spotted it.

Lucy piled all the assorted sleepwear on the bed. She stood with the others in a circle around Stacy. Everyone's hearts were thrumming, their breaths quick. They could smell their pheromones. Four hungry Preds, one terrified, exuberant, joyful, fearful Prey.

"Feel anything yet?" Pauline asked.

"No, I-" And suddenly it hit. Like a hot towel, fresh from the dryer, wrapped around her whole body. Stacy wobbled on her feet and Lucy and Fuchsia reached out to steady her. "Wow, that stuff works!" She felt like she was protected by an aura of sunlight. She looked down and pinched her arm. Nothing, though not numb. She could feel her fingers, but no matter how hard she pinched there was nothing unpleasant about the sensation. Not even when she drew a bead of blood.

The scent of it hit four Pred noses.

Stacy saw them all stiffen, hyper-alert. This was the most intense moment of her life! Her four friends were just seconds away from going feral and tearing her to shreds. But they were still her friends, and they loved her, and they were waiting for her to give them the green flag.

"St-Stacy..." Fuchsia stuttered. Her jaw quivered. A gleaming drop of saliva fell and trickled down her tummyfur.

The little squirrel closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath. The musk of Predators surrounded her. She sank to her knees and held her arms open. "I-I'm ready! Okay! You can go! Eat me! EAT ME!!"

Surprisingly, it was Tina who took the first bite.

Stacy gasped as a wholly new sensation blossomed in her upper arm where the skunk's little sharp teeth sunk in. She had barely an instant to react before more teeth were diving into her delicious flesh. With vulpine growls, Pauline and Fuchsia let themselves go. Stacy was knocked to the ground as the two foxes dove in. Ripping, tearing. Stacy felt her hot blood spill. So warm and sticky. She felt her friends jostling around her, leaning in close, pulling her, tugging her. All the warm weight of their limbs. She could see flashes of wagging tails and perked-up ears. Glints of light from hungry eyes. It was terrifying. It was magnificent. It was the ultimate moment of her young Prey life. The moment that millions of years of natural selection had prepared her for; warned her against. Her fear instincts were going apeshit, but her lust instincts were boiling over too. She had never been so close to her friends before. So intimate. Their wonderful teeth drove into her meat, digging in, tearing away fur and skin, feasting on her. She was their meal. Their nourishment. Stacy cried ecstatic tears. She had never felt so fully alive. And here in this moment, she embraced the beauty of being Prey. Her body could feed her friends. They took from her, and she freely gave. She remembered the pleasure her favorite foods gave her. The meltyness of grilled cheese. The sweet chill of ice cream. The snap of sausage. She was giving that kind of pleasure to her friends now. Bottomlessly fulfilling. She envisioned herself inside all their tummies. There was the briefest worry of how her friends could possibly get her Rejuvenated at this time of night, but it was quickly dismissed. She trusted them. That was enough. The pills kept her from any discomfort as she felt her arteries splash and her muscles become mouthfuls. She was subtracted, bite by bite. Less of her with every chewing mouthful. She loved her Pred friends so much. She saw stars. Breathing was hard. She could smell her own blood. She understood how that scent could excite them so much. Warm, furry bodies on all sides, crashing her back and forth, their teeth caressing her bones. Stacy let herself drift as the sensations all blurred together. Every touch was wonderful. She felt her heart pumping so hard and so fast she thought it might burst. Let it. That would be fine. She was dying. Dying for her friends. Becoming perfect Prey for them. The tastiest midnight snack ever. And everything was fantastic...


*****


Full mouths. Bloodstained paws. Extended claws. Fangs bathed in flesh.

All civilized thoughts retreated as the five girls became four. Gone were the seventh-grade friends who helped each other with geography tests and rode bikes home from school. Who watched movies and concerts side by side and shrieked together on the roller coaster. They were feral now. Reveling in the ancient instincts of their nonev ancestors. And it was good. To feel the warm, living meat slide down their throats and fill their little bellies. To feel the Prey squirm and jerk and die. But she never cried out. There were no screams. Only a serene, grateful smile that lingered until her heart finished beating and her muscles went slack.

Fuchsia raised her head, chunks of squirrelmeat clutched in her jaws. She swallowed. The taste was ambrosia. Not simply a flavor, but a feeling. This was what being Pred meant. To bring the life essence of another animal inside oneself. This was why the Great Predator Army had realized it was impossible to defeat instinct, and had instead embraced it. To every spark of primitive canine ancestry deep in her soul, this felt right. This was why she was here. Born to hunt. To pounce and catch and kill and...

She swallowed. A fog seemed to clear from her eyes. She looked down. "Holy shit, we actually just did that!!"

At the sound of spoken language, the thinking parts of Lucy and Tina reawakened. They blinked, flecks of blood coating their eyelashes, and beheld the debauchery they'd caused.

Pauline took a bit longer to snap out of it. Normally the most rational among them, she was enjoying this rare chance to let every bit of her normal self slip and be a fox completely. The skunks jostled her shoulders till she snurfled and became aware she had her muzzle sunk into Stacy's ribcage right up to her eyeballs. "EEK!" Her shout was muffled by her squirrelfriend's flesh.

Together, the four Predgirls all sat up, staring down at Stacy's remains. There wasn't much left. They'd pigged out spectacularly. All four of their weighted-down tummies gurgled.

"Oh geez, oh geez, oh geez, oh geez..." Tina started babbling.

Fuchsia's ears drooped. "We killed her," she lamented softly. "I killed her! She was our friend!"

Knowing that panicked crying would definitely bring parents on the run, Pauline resumed her role as the group's voice of reason and wrapped Fuchsia up in a tight hug. "Yes. All that. But she said it was okay, and it is. Everything's fine. Don't freak out. There's no need to."

"Right, right. We can fix her," Lucy muttered. "But how? It's-" She looked at the clock. "-past midnight! We'd have to wake your Mom and Dad up and get them to drive us to the hospital!"

Fuchsia’s eyes went wide. "They're gonna ground me sooo bad."

Tina looked around the room. The vinyl sleeping bag had kept in some of the blood, but lots less than they'd anticipated. The purple skunk's fur was now quite crimson. "Yep, they are."

"That's only if they find out," Pauline said. "Remember the vans? We can have a Rejuvenator come to us."

Hope lit up Fuchsia's face. "Oh right!" She jumped up and started looking for her phone. Her belly sloshed. "Aw, I cannot believe we ate so much of her."

Lucy allowed herself to grin. "She was good though."

That broke the tension; now everyone else could admit to it too. "Absolutely!!" Tina agreed. "Cooked is good, but raw is amazing!"

Pauline reached down to Stacy's head and raised it to kiss between her ears. "I'm sure she'd want to know how super-scrumptious she was. Thank you so much, Stacy."

The two skunks both put their paws out to thank her too.

Fuchsia stepped around the blood puddles and began to fully realize just how screwed they were. Even if they did manage to resurrect Stacy without getting caught, her parents were still gonna throw a shitfit when they saw the carpet. The blood was streaked all over. Even on her dresser! 'Thank goodness the bed looks okay.' She spotted her phone on the bedside table, then licked her paws clean as best as she could before picking it up.

She rejoined the others, pausing as she saw them showing their respects to their friend. She rubbed her rounded tummy. Full of yummy squirrel meat. 'Geez, I'm gonna hafta go on a diet for a week to work her off!' For a moment her eyes went glazed and she thought she could eat a bit more... Maybe even a bite or two of skunk... 'No! No, no, no!' She was in enough trouble already, and plenty full enough. "Though you really were totally delish," she told Stacy as she knelt beside her.

"I think we all agree on that," Tina said, and everyone nodded. She patted Stacy's cheek. "She looks peaceful. I hope she enjoyed it too."

"I saw her smiling," Pauline said. That reassured them, though part of them still worried Stacy might be traumatized, or furious, once they brought her back.

Fuchsia shoved the phone towards Pauline. "Here! You had the idea. You call them."

She was about to say she didn't know the number, but that wouldn't be hard to dig up. After cleaning her paws with a baby wipe from her overnight bag, a little searching on the touchscreen brought up Emergency Rejuvenation Services. Pauline dialed and held her breath as it rang.

Fuchsia wrung her tail in her paws. "Oh piss, I hope we didn't, like, break a law or something. I don't think so? I mean, we're minors anyway, right?"

Pauline hushed her as someone 'Hello'ed on the other end. She tried to keep her voice from cracking. "Hi! Um, we've got a little problem here.... Yes, I sound young because I am, sir. ... Eleven, sir. ... I'd like to keep parents out of this, if possible." She visibly slumped in relief at whatever he said next, and the others hoped they knew what that meant. "Well... to be honest, sir, we ate our friend. ... No, no, she was totally okay with it! We asked and made sure a buncha times. ... Yes. ... Uh-huh. ... I understand, sir. That's fine. ... I promise, she'll tell you the same when she wakes up. ... We're at-" She blinked. "I forgot the house number!" she hissed at Fuchsia.

The pink fox snarled. "Thirteen twenty-two!"

"Thirt-" Pauline started. "Oh, it showed up when we called. Okay. That's efficient! ... Thank you. ... How long? ... Good! Uh, also, we... There's a lot of blood here, sir. Is there anythi- ... Really!? ... Oh thank you! You're a lifesaver! ... Yes. ... I understand. ... We'll be ready. Thank you, thank you, thank you, sir!!" she flicked the call off and grinned hugely in relief.

"What'd he say!?" Fuchsia begged.

"We might not be toast after all! Quick, wrap up everything with blood on it!"


*****


Nine minutes later, a streamlined white van pulled up to the curb where four red-soaked Predkids were waving their arms wildly and holding up a seemingly-cocooned fifth member.

Dispatch had told them this was a bunch of scared cubs who'd gotten a little overzealous at a slumber party and were scared shitless about getting in trouble with their moms. Natalie had encountered the same situation plenty of times before, though usually not with middle-schoolers. Kids didn't usually start experimenting with eating their friends until high school.

When the four friends saw the Rejuvomobile's door open and an athletic squirrel lady step out, they all felt an added twinge of guilt. She and Stacy had nearly the same fur color.

A similarly-aged male hedgehog emerged from the other door. "I'll get the box hummin'; you take the squirts, eh?"

Natalie nodded to Shaun. He trotted to the back of the van and began prepping the equipment. She strolled over to the clustered cubs and put her hands on her hips. "So. What's got you four standing around outside in the fur on such a nice night?"

Lucy nudged Fuchsia. "This is even better than mooning the neighborhood, huh?"

The vixen bit her lip to suppress giggles and trod on her friend's foot. She straightened up and tried to appear mature. "Good evening, officer."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "I'm not a cop, kiddo. I'm just minimum wage on the graveyard shift. You can relax."

Fuchsia visibly did. "Oh good. So... Um..." She glanced at the bundle they were all standing around. "That's our friend Stacy. She's, um, currently dead."

"I would assume as much or similar, considering you called us. And, considering you pups're head to toe in red paint."

Tina giggled. Lucy shushed her.

"We didn't mean to! I mean, yeah, we actually did. But, like-"

Natalie held up a hand to the tongue-tied little vix. "If she consented, then it's no big deal. We'll bring her back, ask how she's doing, and then you can all go to bed. Though you do understand, by law we'll have to take you downtown if she says you did this against her will."

Fuchsia gulped. "She wouldn't! Like, I know it sounds crazy, but she suggested it!"

Natalie just grinned. "Pup, you don't have to convince me that a Prey might like being preyed upon. I've been there myself."

More relief. Fuchsia's tail wagged.

Pauline stepped closer. "How much will the charge be, ma'am? I think if we all pool our Talkcards, we might have enough."

The squirrelfemme had to stop herself from chortling at how green these cubs were. "There's no charge. This is a public health service."

"Oh thank gawd!!" Fuchsia burst.

Natalie winked. "Just, maybe think about donating to your local 'Juve service next time you get a chance."

"Oh, we will!" Tina pledged.

Natalie bent down and flicked on her flashlight. "Let's see what we got here." Before any of the girls could speak, she hushed them. "...And don't worry. I guarantee this won't be anything I haven't seen before." She unfolded the sleeping bag and found one extremely dead little squirrelgirl allright, alongside several pillows, clothing items, and other things that had gotten splashed in the feeding frenzy. "Aww, she's cute," Natalie said, not flinching a bit. "I can see why you had a taste for her."

The quartet giggled nervously. At Natalie's beckon, they lifted up Stacy and carried her towards the back of the van.

It was roomy, bright and clean on the inside. The Rejuvenator was prepped and standing open: a cylindrical apparatus with a diagonal couchlike interior and a raised glass lid. Lucy started to heft Stacy towards the hedgehog guy, but Shaun made a 'not yet' gesture. "You guys first."

"Oh, right! Sorry."

Pauline had explained everything after the phone call. Since the Rejuvenator would rebuild Stacy from stored organic matter, it would be a big help if they could get as much of her original organic matter inside it first. The machine could collect the blood from their fur, leaving them squeaky clean, and obtaining more material to work with.

"Mind if I go first?" Pauline asked. The others were fine with it, so the vixen unfolded Stacy to take most of the soaked items in with her.

Shaun glanced over. "Yeesh! You little carnivores sure did a good job on her!"

Tina piped up. "In our defense, she was really tasty."

The girls all giggled and the hedgehog joined in too. "Nothin' the master meat mechanic can't repair." He took Pauline's paw and helped her into the vehicle. "Hup!"

"Thank you, sir." Her tail wagged as he helped her lie down inside the machine. She didn't know whether to grin more at him or the Rejuvenator. "These things are so cool!"

"Maybe you can do my job someday," he said. A push of the button closed the lid. Shaun began keying in instructions.

As tiny scrubber arms emerged to vacuum Pauline clean, Natalie herded the other cubs into the van as well. She didn't say why, but this was regulation. She believed their story (the concerned glances they kept aiming at their departed Preyfriend were enough to acquit them of any malice), but the rules were there for a reason. Anyone could pretend to be concerned, then try to bolt just before their food woke up and pointed the finger at them for a nonconsensual eating. Blocking of escape routes was part of the process. Though it wasn't really necessary in this case, as the girls all grouped around their vixen friend, watching in awe as the machine did its work.

A few moments later, the Rejuvenator 'ding'ed like a microwave and Pauline popped out: all done. She stood up and ran her fingers through her fur. "That's amazing!" Not a speck of Stacy left on her. She collected the cleaned clothing and thanked Shaun.

"No sweat. By the way, do any of you girls have Newbrains?"

Pauline, Fuchsia and Tina proudly raised their hands. Lucy drew back against the wall.

"They're free if you want one. 'Nother public service."

"I know," Lucy moaned. "It's just..." She did NOT want to admit that she was scared. Especially after her carefree little sister had gotten one on her last birthday.

"You totally should!" Pauline urged. "My grades went way up after I got mine!"

Natalie put a comforting paw on the conflicted little skunkgirl's shoulder. "How about you think it over while we clean up another of your pals?"

Fuchsia nudged Tina. "You can go before me." Truth be told, the pink foxette was not eager to lose the exciting scent of drippy, yummy Preyblood on her fur.

Tina slid in and the Rejuvenator hummed. While she relaxed in its embrace, the two vixens cajoled Lucy about getting a Newbrain. It was all stuff she'd heard before. About how you could think clearer, and focus on your senses more, and remember better, and no more headaches... It all sounded good. But really, what was stopping her was the thought of that needle going in when it happened.

And then she thought of Stacy. 'She went ahead with something she was scared of,' the young skunkette considered.

It wasn't until a few minutes later when Fuchsia emerged with clean fur that Lucy mumbled something into her chestfur that might have been, 'I'll do it."

The others cheered and hugged her (as much as they could without getting messy again). Lucy grumbled and groused as she climbed inside.

Shaun recognized her expression. He leaned in and whispered, "It does hurt at first, I won't lie. But weigh a moment's pain against a lifetime's ease."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. That helps."

He tipped her a wink, then she watched the lid close slowly and seal her in.

Lucy looked around with trepidation. The Rejuvenator was smaller inside than a waterslide tube. She felt the familiar calming paralysis take over, and then the machine's tiny arms went to work.

The other girls clustered around, watching through the glass and smiling encouragingly. Tina made sure to keep eye contact with her brave sister the whole time. She couldn't believe Lucy was really going through with it now, and after so little convincing! Her big sis had gone on and on before about how it was creepy and unnecessary and pointless and yak yak yak. Tina kept saying she loved hers, and knew Lucy would too if she just gave it a chance.

Lucy was trying not to laugh at the tickly mechanical fingers sweeping through her fur, cleaning her head to toe. Then she felt a frosty breath at the back of her neck. Anesthetic. A moment later, a sharp sting. Like someone had poked her with a pencil. She gritted her teeth, but then the pain was gone. Soon after, her eyes widened as she began to understand why the other kids raved about the procedure.

Shaun watched progress bars crawl across his screen. "All systems normal."

Minutes later, the glass rose and a joyfully smiling skunk popped out. Lucy bowled her sister over in a hug, telling her in a dozen jumbled sentence fragments that she'd been right about everything.

Before the cubs could get themselves all knotted up in a pouncehug, Natalie pointed out, "How about we get her inside first, and then your skunk friend can celebrate?"

Lucy looked down at Stacy and momentarily felt terrible for forgetting her. "Right! Yeah."

Together, everyone lifted the sleeping bag up and slid what was left of the little squirrel into the machine. Shaun said there wasn't room for the bag itself yet, but they could skip it for now, get Stacy back, then use the blood on the bag for their next patient.

Stacy lay in silence as the Rejuvenator lid closed over her. The other girls had really done a number on her. She was missing much of her arms, legs and giblets, but her face was intact, and on it was a trace of a satisfied smile.

"I hope this works," Fuchsia said softly, putting her palm on the glass.

"No worries," Shaun assured. "It always looks impossible, and yet we always work our magic."

The little vixen smiled gratefully at him.

"By the way, can't believe I forgot to ask," the hedgehog hooked a thumb in Stacy's direction. "She's got a Newbrain too?"

The girls all nodded.

"Great! Less to fix. Brains can be tricky. But right now I'm sure she's well into shutdown mode and perfectly content. Let's do this." He turned back to his console and began issuing instructions. "Lots to set right, but nothin' we ain't handled before."

A flurry of fingers descended upon Stacy's lifeless form, each with a specialized job to perform. The other girls squeezed in close to watch, their breath fogging the glass. The Rejuvenator began to spin new nerves, veins and tendons for Stacy like a 3D printer. It recycled as much of her own collected tissue as possible, and built the rest from 'blanked' proteins it kept in storage. This same process had been repeated millions of times across the globe, and errors were rare. Usually nothing that couldn't be fixed by transferring to another Rejuvenator.

Fuchsia watched in rapt, reverent silence. She could feel her tummy gurgling. Digesting meat. Stacy had been an incredible meal, satisfying her hunger as well as her wild fox instincts. If she could come back unharmed, same as she was before, then this crazy, impulsive adventure might have all been worth it.

Pauline clutched her paws together and watched the machine work. She knew Stacy and Fuchsia had suggested the idea, but she was the one who'd enabled it by volunteering her sleeping bag and reminding them about the pain pills. So this all fell on her furry shoulders if something went wrong. 'But it won't. I know all about these machines. Plenty of Prey get eaten and come back every day. This'll be no different.' Her brain knew these things, but her heart still worried.

Tina didn't know quite what to feel. As the youngest of the group (by five months), she was usually a joiner. In agreement with whatever the other girls wanted to do. She'd been swept up in the moment, and next thing she knew, she was gobbling up Stacy just like the others. Deee-licious! The little skunkette didn't fret too much for her squirrel pal though. Partly because she trusted the Rejuvenator (it had cured a nasty ear infection she'd had last Spring), and partly because she was optimistic in general. Things usually turned out okay, so there was no reason to be scared for Stacy now.

Lucy really wanted to shout for joy and sing the praises of her new Newbrain, so it was a bit frustrating to have to keep quiet and wait for the machine to finish with Stacy. Not that she didn't want her friend back, whole and happy again. Just that she wanted to tell the others how foolish she'd been to let fear of a little pain keep her away from the silver wonder inside her head. Her thoughts felt smoothly oiled now. Nothing lost or changed; everything just flowed a little bit better. She loved her Newbrain. She wished Stacy could have seen her getting it.

The Rejuvenator worked diligently. Bones were redrawn. Muscles were repainted. So many tiny little arms all flowing over Stacy like a colony of hardworking ants. Fitting her back together, puzzle piece by puzzle piece.

And finally, as sandy fur began appearing over pink skin, two eyelids opened.

The van erupted with squealing screams of youthful joy.

The four Predgirls pounded on the glass, bouncing in impatience for the lid to open.

Stacy was floating in a warm dream of perfect contentment. The last thing she remembered, she was sinking into quicksand. Red quicksand, made of musky Predfriend fur. And that was fine. That was the best. To just sink deeper and deeper into that feeling of being consumed. Of giving herself to her friends out of love. Fulfilling her destiny as Prey. And now, the dream was coming to a pleasant conclusion. Obviously, they hadn't really been so crazy as to actually eat her. She would never have had the courage to agree to it. 'Would've been nice though...' she thought. This was just a dream. She'd fallen asleep in Fuchsia’s soft bed and had a wonderful little nightmare about her awesome friends nibbling her to bits. Tasty squirrel bits. And now she'd wake up with the sun on her face, and eat a normal breakfast and go about her normal day.

There were images floating above her face. Swimmy, distorted. Bright lights. Shadows moving around. Furry shadows.

When her eyes finally adjusted and she realized where she was, she just about pooped.

Then the lid was opening and a tidal wave of paws were reaching in to pull her out and ensnare her in a galactic-class megahug. Stacy's ears were bombarded with cries of happiness and welcome. She could only stare in shock.

'It was real. All of it. We really did that!' This was a Rejuvenator van. And there was the bloody sleeping bag at their feet. And Pauline and Fuchsia and Tina and Lucy were all crying and smiling and squeezing her. And there was a squirrel lady and a hedgehog guy (who was rather cute) standing by, watching everything. "It really happened," she marveled. "I was food."

"You were good food!" Fuchsia lovingly corrected. "Rich and delicious! My tongue was losing its mind!"

"Absolutely! A feast!" Tina raved.

"Four stars!" Pauline cheered.

"Perfect Prey," Lucy said simply, and kissed her ear.

Stacy beamed. Returning to life and getting a welcome like this was sunny, sweet bliss. But best of all was knowing she'd been pleasing to her friends palates. She swelled with pride at being Prey. She could feel four full, wobbly tummies pressing against her and thought with elation, 'That's me in there!'

Natalie smiled at the cubs' exuberance, but winced a little at their volume. After giving them plenty of time to celebrate, she held up her hands and called for them to simmer down. "Okay, OKAY, okay! Your friend's back and you're happy. We get it. Just ease off enough to let me ask her the standard questions."

The quintet quieted down, though they couldn't stop glowing from happiness at having Stacy back.

Shaun scooped up the sleeping bag. "May as well save time and deal with this now," he said to himself as he loaded it into the world's most expensive and intricate washing machine.

Natalie came closer and knelt to put her paws on Stacy's shoulders. She looked a bit dizzy, but that was commonplace after a ride in the resurrection-o-rama. "This is just a quick checkup, cub. What's your name?"

Stacy blinked. Everything felt fuzzy, like she'd just rubbed herself all over a plush carpet. "Uhh..."

"Your name is Uhh?" Natalie kidded.

That coaxed a giggle out of the dazzled squirrel. "No, sorry! My name is Stacy Emily Rayne."

"Good, good. Now, you have been eaten earlier tonight. Do you understand?"

She looked to her friends, who were all on the verge of explosive giggles. "I don't know if I believe it yet, but I understand!"

A nod. "And was it fully agreed-to by all parties beforehand?"

Her cute buck teeth poked out of her enormous smile as she shouted, "YES!!"

The other girls all cheered and Natalie couldn't hold them back from swarming around to hug Stacy again. Cheeks were nuzzled and ears were nibbled. Stacy sighed blissfully to be embraced in her friends' warm, fragrant Predfur. "I can do it again, can't I?" She asked to anyone who'd answer. "Again and again and again?"

Natalie shrugged. "As many times as you want. A van like this is only a call away."

Pauline winced. "Oh, we wouldn't want to bother you! Having to show up at the house every time we have a sleepover."

The squirrelfemme snickered. "Kid, we get paid for each run. You can eat each other every hour on the hour as far as we care."

"Maybe we will!" Stacy shouted happily, and squeezed her Predfriends once again.


*****


It took some manic effort, but hours later Fuchsia's room was looking somewhere close to normal again. The pink fox had decreed that, since Stacy probably still needed some time to get used to her newly regenerated body, and since she was already busy still digesting in everyone else's tummies, she could sit on the bed while the rest of them did the cleaning. This decision resulted in many groans and thrown pillows, but they had to admit it was fair.

Before they'd left the Rejuvomobile, they'd all given thank-you hugs to Shaun and Natalie. Fuchsia ran back in the house for her Talkcard and bought some super duper blood remover from them, as it was something they always stocked lots of. The cubs also got a pleasant surprise when Shaun said he could transfer over the security vid from the van, just in case Lucy wanted to see what she'd looked like getting her Newbrain, or if Stacy wanted to see her rebirth. They definitely did. And while Stacy congratulated her skunkfriend on her new noggin, Shaun touched Fuchsia's Talkcard to the control panel and downloaded the video in a flash. They couldn't wait to get inside and watch it.

Still full of giggles (in relief that Stacy was okay again, and from the naughtiness of being outside way past their bedtime with no clothes on), the quintet went back inside and faced the horrors of how much they still had to do to get the bedroom looking presentable.

And so, Stacy got to perch on the bed and eat snacks while everyone else toiled and scrubbed. Natalie had said that it was a good idea to eat something caloric soon after a full regeneration. Fuchsia presented her with cake and milk. With a big smile and a full mouth, she told the others all about what it had felt like to be their food. They in turn told her of the bestial hunger that had overtaken them, and how absolutely freakin' yummy she'd been. Soon the talk turned to some of their parents' favorite recipes, and how much Stacy was looking forward to presenting herself as an ingredient in them soon.

The video was their reward for finishing up their work. When all the carpet spots were scrubbed away, the girls put away their implements as quietly as they could, then collapsed again in the bedroom. They thanked their lucky stars Fuchsia's parents had slept through everything. It was a bonafide miracle. Fuchsia touched her Talkcard to her phone, transferred the video, then projected it on the wall so they could all watch. Stacy was a tad horrified at the condition she'd ended up in, but had to admit it wasn't unexpected. She only wished the others hadn't crowded around the Rejuvenator so close; she wanted to see how the machine had brought her back. And now, finally, Lucy could go off all she wanted about her Newbrain. They all said they were proud of her for getting it, Tina especially. And Lucy gave Stacy a special hug, whispering that she'd given her the courage to go through with it. Stacy was touched to hear it. They'd both taken a risk tonight and had it pay off wonderfully.

By the end of the video, exhaustion had caught up with all of them. Fuchsia could barely focus her eyes to turn her phone off. Spreading contagious yawns amongst themselves, the five friends all squirmed unto their various beddings and prepared to finally sleep.

Fuchsia turned off the light. Everyone settled in.

Then Stacy piped up, "So, are we still on for Saturday?"

Three solid minutes of giggling.


*****


Morning came. Pauline was the first to rise at the sound of the alarm. She covertly checked her pullup and discovered to her happiness that, despite the night's excitement, she hadn't needed it after all. She ran to pee, then woke the others when she returned. Fuchsia had hit the snooze button. Pauline prodded her. "We'll be late!"

"How can you possibly be this awake?" the pink fox mumbled. "We only got, like, four hours."

Pauline shrugged.

Fuchsia rolled over. There was a sleeping squirrel beside her. She leaned in close till their noses touched.

Stacy's eyelids fluttered.

"Rawr!"

Stacy 'Eep!'ed and backed up so quick she fell off the bed onto Lucy and Tina's feet. That got them up quick. Stacy hopped up and tickled the hell out of Fuchsia in revenge.

Soon enough the giggling bunch were descending the stairs to the kitchen. Fuchsia’s parents were there, already sharing breakfast and coffee.

"Good morning, girls!" Mom called to them.

Despite bleary eyes and fuzzy mouths, they managed to fake some enthusiasm back. As if they had actually gotten a good night's sleep and hadn't spent half the evening cleaning up bits of Stacy.

Bowls appeared, and cereal boxes. Yawning cubs steadied their paws to pour milk. Soon five little mouths were chewing.

"Have fun last night?" Dad asked.

"Oh! Um, sure, Dad. We played some games and stuff."

He nodded. "I was glad to hear you rascals quiet down when I asked."

They all grinned angelically and tried not to snort.

Dad cocked his head at Stacy, then at Fuchsia. "By the way, how was she?"

The pink fox spat orange juice halfway across the kitchen.




\tTHE END
\tfor now...







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