     Jenn felt her cheeks go limp as she swallowed her last mouthful. The plate before her was empty 
now with the last of her spaghetti now resting in her belly. It had been almost too much for her to 
finish, with Ezra being a poor judge of portion sizes for someone as small as she was. Still, he had 
cooked it for her and she had stuffed herself almost to the point of a food coma. 
     The only thing that could have made it better, was for him to be here sharing it with her. The 
squirrel slid from the oversize chair to the polecat's kitchen floor and walked slowly to the living 
room. With some effort, she was able to haul her heavier self up onto the large sofa and between 
fumbling with her tail and feet, was able to bring the television remote to her hands. She switched 
the machine on and lowered the volume, setting the channel to the music network. There wasn't as 
much quality entertainment on commercial networks as there used to be, but at least the music 
industry had managed to hold onto some standards. Or at least, some of it had. 
     She started to doze as one of the latest songs from the artist Jackalope began to play. Her head 
lulled to her right and she rolled onto her side to get more comfortable, now facing away from the 
TV with her head resting just beside the armrest. She could afford a light snooze. She knew Ezra was 
hunting tonight, but as long as she was awake and sequestered herself in his spare room by eight 
o'clock there would be no chance that she'd witness anything she didn't want to see. She was 
already in her pyjamas, so there was nothing to do but crawl upstairs and into the spare bed. This 
would be the first time she'd been over his house during one of his hunts. Well, excluding the night 
they had met... 

     A loud banging woke her, and she cursed to herself silently as she realized what it was. Fleeting 
visions of a dream where she had been running for her life from an unknown hunting predator faded 
as she pushed herself upright. The banging had been against the front door, and the sound of 
muffled whimpering a moment after seemed to indicate that Ezra's hunt had been successful. 
     Jenn slid herself to the floor, but the door was already clicking and a moment later swung open. 
She saw the face of another squirrel first, a young woman in a torn blue shirt and long black pants. 
As she was pushed further into view, Jenn could see the grey fur of her neck gripped tightly between 
Ezra's claws. The polecat was in simple black shorts and a black vest top, his preferred garb for 
hunting at night since it covered the bright white fur on his chest and thighs but didn't restrict his 
movement the way longer pants would. 
     The two of them caught sight of Jenn as the door clicked shut and Ezra pushed his prey the next 
step into the living room. 
     'Oh, umm... hi.' She managed to murmur. 
     'I thought you were going to bed early?' Ezra asked her. 'If I'd known you were still up I'd-'
     'It's alright.' Jenn interrupted, doing her best to avoid meeting the eyes of the squirming squirrel 
still gripped by the larger polecat. 'I took a nap on the couch and overslept, that's all.' 
     'Yea...' Ezra sighed nervously. 'I was just hoping to avoid letting you see, well, this.'   
     'Oh, well... I knew you'd be doing this.' Jenn stammered. 'I-I'll just head upstairs.' She slid herself 
sideways along the sofa and made for the staircase. 
     The sound of whimpering caused her to hesitate on her next step. The sound of a fellow squirrel 
doomed to die an agonizing death evoked an instinct that she had hoped she would never have to 
feel again. It was easy to ignore the reality when it was so rarely one she had to face herself, but the 
fact that she had been on the verge of being a polecat's prey so recently made hearing the distress 
of another in the same situation so much more jarring. 
     'Are you alright?' Ezra asked. 'I didn't mean to bring home a squirrel, but sometimes letting one 
go means you don't find anything.' 
     'No, I understand...' Jenn took a deep breath. 'I shouldn't have been here. I'm sorry.' She 
continued at a more hurried pace towards the stairs and climbed them as quickly as she could. Once 
she was at the top, she put her hands over her ears and tried her best to ignore the sounds of the 
other squirrel begging Ezra to spare her. 
     It wouldn't work. No matter how horrific the prospect of being eaten alive was, Jenn knew that a 
hunting predator would not succumb to empathy. Not when their hunger was at its peak and their 
instinct driving their every action. The girl's protests were futile... 

     Ezra tightened his grasp on his prey as Jenn ran up the stairs. He hadn't expected her to still be 
downstairs when he had gotten home, but she did have a tendency to oversleep. He growled softly 
as he cursed his own lack of foresight. Jenn was easily prone to oversleeping as a quirk of her 
species, with modern squirrels inheriting the hibernation trait of their less evolved ancestors. It 
caused him worry sometimes, the thought that she might leave herself vulnerable not unlike she had 
on the night they had met. 
     His focus came back to the other squirrel as she tried to squirm out of his hands again. He 
reaffirmed his grip and pressed her into a prone position on her belly on the floor in front of him, 
then knelt beside her. 'I remember your friend cried out your name just before I grabbed you.' He 
murmured. 'But I can't remember what that name was.' 
     'Like you even care!' The young squirrel retorted, trying vainly to twist herself around to look back 
at him. 'Why didn't you go for her? She was closer! You deliberately singled me out!' 
     'What kind of friend are you?' Ezra laughed. 'It's one thing to run and leave a friend behind, but 
it's another to actually throw her to the wolves, figuratively of course.' 
     'Doesn't seem to matter now...' The squirrel sighed, letting her body go limp with a long sigh. 
     'Well, I was gonna offer you a drink.' Ezra shrugged. 'But you seem pretty rude so I don't think 
you deserve it.' 
     'Are you kidding me?' She retorted. 'Why would I care about that? Besides... I'm not old enough 
to drink.' 
     Ezra let out a small laugh. 'I'm trying to be as nice as I can about this, but you don't have any 
escape options here. And personally, if I was in your position I would want to be as blind drunk as 
possible. I guess I can give you another chance. So... want a drink?' 
     The squirrel paused before her next words. '...You have scotch?' 
     'Of course.' He replied with a grin. 'One of the best things your kind have given to the world. How 
do you have it?' 
     'I hardly think that matters anymore.' She sighed glumly. 'But... on the rocks.'
     'That's the spirit.' Ezra grinned. 'Now then, if I leave you on the sofa, will you behave? You won't 
reach the door handle and even if you do find a way outside, this is not a district where you would 
last long at all.' 
     '...Fine.' She replied, not wanting to co-operate but realizing Ezra was right. The polecat was far 
from the only carnivore that lived in this part of the outer city, and she'd never make it all the way 
home while there were an unknown number of hunting predators between here and her own home. 
She sat still as Ezra deposited her into his sofa and stepped one room across for a few moments. 
     'This is the good stuff.' Ezra explained as he returned with a bottle and two glasses. 'I peeled the 
label off months ago and I don't remember what it's called. But it'll give you a buzz like nothing 
you've ever felt before.' He poured the first glass and handed it to her, holding it steady until her 
small hands had properly grasped the oversized glass. 
     She took her first swig and gulped hastily, taking a deep breath as the strong liquid passed down 
her throat. 'Ohh, I never expected it to burn like that.' 
     'A good burn, right?' Ezra asked, taking his own first sip. 
     'It's amazing.' She replied, taking the next sip, then another. 'How long does it usually take to 
start working?' 
     'Finish the glass. I'll pour you another.' Ezra answered. 'By the time you finish that, you'll be 
pretty light headed and buzzing.' 
     'Right...' She replied, taking another long swig and draining the glass. As Ezra poured her a second, 
she began to sway slightly with each slowing breath. 'I'm so... scared.' 
     'That's normal.' Ezra replied. 'If I could make this less scary I would. But an instinct gets stronger 
and stronger the more a carnivore tries to avoid it. If I try for too long to suppress it, I could hurt 
someone I care about.' 
     'Like... that other girl upstairs?' The squirrel slurred. 'Ohh... my head.' She glanced briefly into 
Ezra's intense stare, then drained half of the second glass in a matter of seconds before she had to 
stop. 
     'Exactly.' Ezra nodded. 'Someone like her I could never hurt. But you? I'm sorry. You are not as 
lucky as her.' 
     The squirrel blinked slowly, her eyes not co-ordinating on the effort as her head swayed from side 
to side. Her hands dropped the glass, but Ezra managed to catch it before the rest of the amber 
liquid inside could be spilled. He set it down gently on the floor beside the sofa, then knelt in front of 
it and leaned in close to his prey. 
     'You seem to be... buzzing.' Ezra smiled. 'I think it's about time your clothes came off so we can 
get this done.' 
     'P-pleease...' The squirrel slurred again. 'I dun... I don't wanna die...' 
     Ezra stood, looming over her. His hands gripped her top and began to tear the fabric with ease as 
his head lowered above her. His mouth opened, and she looked up into the terrifying sight just as his 
jaws clamped over her exposed chest, engulfing her vision... 

*     *     *

     Jenn wasn't sure how long it had been, but she couldn't sleep. With how long the two had been 
together, she had become so accustomed to sharing a bed with Ezra that sleeping alone just felt 
somehow wrong. Whether she fell asleep in his arms or just curled up beside him, he made her feel 
safe. Usually. 
     Footsteps sounded up the hallway outside his spare room and she heard one of the floorboards 
creak. As he passed, Jenn wondered if she should join him in his bed. No doubt he'd have a stomach 
full of squirrel meat, but she'd be safe. Her only concern would be whether or not her nerve could 
handle it. Would the comfort of Ezra's arms outweigh the knowledge that a fellow squirrel was 
occupying his stomach at the same time? 
     She took a deep breath and reached her decision. She slid herself off the bed and dropped almost 
silently to the floor. Ezra had left a small chair in this room that she could use to reach the door 
handle, and after a few more moments she had traversed the hallway to his bedroom. He had left 
the door slightly ajar as he always did, allowing her to slip inside. 
     She climbed up onto his bed, hesitating as her eyes adjusted to the shape of his form with a 
noticeably distended abdomen. The other squirrel was inside there, being slowly turned into soup 
and chyme of her former self. The prospect was terrifying. But this was Ezra, and despite what he 
had just done, Jenn was convinced she was completely safe with him. 
     She took another breath and then kept crawling until she was close enough to lay her body 
against his. He reacted with a soft pleasant moan, evidently not completely in the grasp of sleep yet. 
     'So...' He began in a soft voice as his arm pulled her closer and lifted her almost onto his chest. 
'You still can't sleep without me huh?' 
     'Oh shush...' Jenn responded, nestling in between his arm and his torso. 'I was a bit worried about 
seeing... well, that.' She spared a glance to his belly just as it seemed to move slightly. 'Is she still...?' 
     'Alive?' Ezra finished the question for her. 'Yes, but probably not for much longer. I haven't been 
eating live prey for long but I'm told she'll make it to half an hour at most.' 
     'Told by who?' Jenn asked. 
     'My mother.' Ezra answered, prompting Jenn to swallow nervously and fall silent. Lucinda had 
been a very nice woman when she and Jenn had been introduced to each other, but Jenn had since 
experienced the full extent of her carnivorous instincts and almost lost her life when Lucinda had 
lost control. 
     Nothing more was said by either of them and after another ten minutes it became apparent that 
Ezra had fallen asleep. Only the sound of them both breathing and the soft rumbling of the polecat's 
stomach as it turned the less fortunate of the two squirrels into pudge. A louder rumble made Jenn 
flinch in surprise and moments later, she heard an even more terrifying sound. 
     A groan, then a muffled cry of distress. From a voice not Ezra's and certainly not her own. Jenn's 
heart skipped as the cry came again, only this time there was a faintly formed word. 'Help?' 
     'Ahh?' Jenn startled. 'Y-you're still...?' 
     'Help me please!' The devoured girl cried out again, her muffled voice seeming to resonate 
slightly louder through Ezra's flesh. 'Get me out of here, I can't breathe! Oh gods I should have had 
more to drink...' Her voice trailed off into a fit of sobs and Jenn forced herself to roll out of Ezra's 
arm and away from his sleeping form. Despite this, the sound was still present, albeit quieter. 
     'Stop it...' Jenn felt her eyes beginning to well with tears and she pulled her hands over her ears to 
blot out the sound. She knew what Ezra's nature meant. She knew what he would do to people of 
her size and smaller. She knew that his instincts demanded death. 
     She thought she would live with it, get past the fact that he and his family would regularly 
consume her kind. She thought she could still be close to him even while another squirrel was being 
slowly digested alive inside him. But this was... this was too much to process. Too much to simply 
accept without the weight of the horrific situation bearing on her mind. It was almost her once. It 
was almost her twice. She remembered Therese the white cat. Oh gods, three times?! 

     How could she be sure it wouldn't be her in the future? 
     
     
