     Jenn felt her lungs begin to burn as she picked up her pace. She had already been intermittently 
running to get home after she had missed her train by a scant minute and now, she was getting even 
more desperate to be off the streets. She wondered if she should have headed to her own place 
instead of Ezra's but the polecat's house had been much closer than her own house after her last 
delivery. She was almost out of time. 
     She almost cursed Ezra. After he had picked her up from work one day, he had asked her boss 
why his restaurant did not offer delivery to customers. Taking the idea to heart, Edras had asked for 
volunteers to trial the service among his employees. It had seemed like a good idea. 
     At the end of today's shift, Jenn had asked to accompany one of the delivery drivers when she 
had seen her train leaving without her. Though she doubted the young lynx was deliberately stalling 
for his own benefit, his terrible sense of direction had left her heading home later than she had 
anticipated. At least he was obligated to return the scooter before he could end his shift, so she was 
unlikely to find herself at his mercy. 
     But there were still plenty of other carnivores out and about, and the thought of being caught and 
eaten when she was so close to reaching safety was devastating. She had almost reached the district 
border and found herself crossing the line just as her phone began to vibrate. It was now 8pm and 
her life was forfeit if she was captured at this point. All she had to do was make it to Ezra's house, 
but the polecat lived in the same neighbourhood as other large mustelids his size as well as smaller 
breeds of felid. Any of whom would gladly make a squirrel like Jenn into the evening's dinner. 
     Despite her own ragged breathing, she heard the faintest sound of something behind her as she 
rounded the first corner. She cursed to herself. The mere fact that she had heard the noise meant it 
was doubtful to be a cat, but ending up on the menu of some otter or a larger weasel was no better 
a fate. With the sun having gone down almost fifteen minutes ago, the daylight had almost faded 
and now only the sparse streetlights offered any visibility. 
     The squirrel broke into a run again. At this point someone was already on her trail so speed was 
her best bet. She remembered what Ezra had told her about this situation. If she was late getting 
home, his door would be left open. All she had to do was make it there and across the threshold and 
she would be safe. 
     Then came the sound again. Louder this time, getting closer. Jenn's heart began to race as she 
realized she was being followed. No, not just followed, stalked. She turned around, but whoever it 
was had better vision in the dark than the squirrel did. 
     She bolted to her right into the next backyard. Panic had gripped her now in full, causing her to 
stumble and almost fall. Just as she regained her footing, she felt the impact of an open palm against 
the middle of her back. The force knocked her forward faster than she could run on her own and she 
fell onto her hands and knees 
     'Gaaah!' She screamed in pain and fear as the pressure was increased on her back, driving the air 
from her lungs and pressing her back into the grass of this house's front yard. 
     'Out a little late, aren't you?' A woman's voice asked. Though there was something vaguely 
familiar about the voice, Jenn was far too concerned with her diminishing safety to give the matter 
any further thought. 
     'No no noo...' The squirrel felt the tears come to her eyes as she felt a second hand wrap around 
her tail and begin to drag her backwards. Her feeble attempts to dig her own claws into the ground 
to stop the motion was as ineffective as she expected, prompting a laugh from her captor. 
     'You're not expecting to outmuscle me, are you?' The woman teased. By the size and strength of 
her hands, Jenn guessed her predator was either a large mustelid or a cat. 'It's been almost two 
months since I caught myself a squirrel. What were you thinking being out here alone?' 
     Jenn responded by bracing her arms against the ground and trying to kick outwards. Without the 
ability to see her attacker, she was aiming blind but nonetheless felt her feet impact against what 
she assumed and hoped was the larger woman's abdomen. Despite the attempt, and despite the 
grunt of mild pain the predator made, the tight grip of her clawed hands did not lessen. 
     'Grr, fine.' The carnivore snarled. 'I was going to drag you home, but it might be easier to carry 
you home in my belly.' She knelt beside Jenn, putting more downward pressure on the squirrel's 
back and immobilizing her completely with one of her knees. 'Now let's get those clothes off you...' 
     'No, noo! Get off me!' Jenn protested as the hand holding her tail released and unclipped the 
button that held her pants around the appendage. With another motion, her pants were being 
pulled free. Once they were off, and Jenn was once again held immobile under the large woman's 
weight, she heard a faint humming as she searched one handed through the pants pockets. 
Doubtless she was searching for her prey's registration card to submit once her hunger was sated. 
With Jenn reported as consumed, her employer would be notified and her job position made 
available, as well as her home visited by a cleaning crew before being put back on the market. 
     'Ahh, here we are.' Jenn heard the predator musing. 'Miss... wait, Jenn?!' 
     'Wha...?' Jenn murmured through fits of panting as she finally recognized the source of the voice. 
As the hand still holding her down shifted its grip and the knee pinning her lower half lifted, she felt 
herself forcibly rolled onto her back so her face could be brought into the dim light of the streetlamp 
two houses down. 
     'L-Lucinda...' Jenn replied, looking at the shrouded form of Ezra's own mother. The polecat was 
barely visible in the dim light with the lamp being too far for it to help the squirrel's eyes. 
     'What in the world are you doing out here...' Lucinda mumbled, though it seemed more a gripe 
than a genuine question. She took hold of Jenn by the scruff of the girl's shirt and began dragging 
her towards the light, being no more gentle than she had been moments ago. When she was more 
illuminated, Jenn could see why. 
     The polecat woman's eyes were locked in a predator's expression, fuelled by hunger and 
managing only the barest hints of concern for Jenn's wellbeing. The sight made Jenn realize one 
thing clearly; Lucinda obviously didn't to break her son's heart, but that may not be enough to 
ensure Jenn's safety. The larger woman's grip on her shirt scruff had not released in the slightest.    
     'Lucinda...' Jenn spoke, doing her best to get through to the level headed and rational woman 
behind those eyes, the one that had been more than accepting of her son's choice of partner. 'My 
last shift was a little over, I missed my train. I-I tried to get a lift home but I...' 
     She trailed off as it became apparent that Lucinda was barely hearing what she said. Now in the 
light, Jenn could only freeze in terror as the polecat leaned in closer. With her mouth hanging wide 
open, Jenn could see Lucinda's teeth and tongue getting closer. A wave of stale breath hit her face as 
the carnivore began to envelop the squirrel's head with that hungry maw. 
     'Please... don't...' Jenn begged, hearing her own heart begin to thump faster and faster as 
adrenalin surged through her system. It was all for nothing. There was simply no way she could 
overpower Lucinda any more than she could overpower Ezra. 
     'Uhh...' Lucinda stopped just short, her teeth above and below Jenn's face. Another hot wet 
breath stung the squirrel's eyes as it wafted from the woman's flexing throat, before the tongue 
lapped across her cheek. After this, Lucinda's head moved back and her mouth closed, and her eyes 
locked into an intense stare with Jenn. 
     'W-what are you gonna do?' Jenn asked, fearfully. 
     Lucinda's lip quivered as she tried to form her reply, inadvertently making it apparent that she 
had yet to reach her final decision. It was clear that the rational part of her mind was clashing with 
her ravenous instincts, and it was unclear as to which side was going to triumph. For better or worse, 
Jenn was completely at Lucinda's mercy. 
     A low growl came from the polecat's abdomen, punctuating the hunger that currently seemed to 
be dominating the predator's thought processes. It was echoes moments later by a similarly low 
growl forming in the woman's throat as she tightened her grip and leaned in closer again. 
     'Please...' Jenn begged, carefully putting her hands up and trying to appeal to Lucinda's better 
side and convince her to take her to Ezra's place. 'Just let me get to Ezra's... then you can go back to 
hunting. We don't have to tell anyone about this...' 
     'I want to...' Lucinda nodded slightly. 'But I... I can't let a prey go. I need to... I need to eat you.'
     'W-wait, you can't-' Jenn tried to protest but her words froze as Lucinda opened her mouth again. 
This time there was no restraint, the jaws closing around Jenn's head amid a cry of panic from the 
smaller woman. With both hands, the polecat held her squirrel prey restrained as she worked the 
large morsel into her jaws. 
     Jenn squeezed her eyes shut, partially out of terror and partially to keep the carnivore's saliva 
from stinging her eyes. The heat from the polecat's rapid breathing was assaulting her nose with its 
unpleasant accompanying smell, but Jenn knew the worst was still to come. She felt the world shift a 
few moments later as Lucinda stood upright, lifting Jenn above her head and using gravity to help 
feed the squirrel into her open mouth. 
     The squirrel felt the folds of the polecat's throat around her cheeks, followed a split second later 
by the first swallow. Jenn had been through this before. Despite her best efforts to be careful, it had 
in fact been her own boyfriend who had ended up swallowing her alive. The son of the woman who 
was at that very moment doing the same. 
     She had jokingly told Ezra that if anyone was going to eat her, she wanted it to be him. To her 
surprise, he had done exactly that but had vomited her into his bathtub straight after. This time 
however, she was unsure of what Lucinda's final intention was. Would she also release Jenn once 
her predatory urges had subsided? Or would she let nature run its course, to keep Jenn silent on 
what had happened and allow Ezra to think someone else had caught his girlfriend? 
     These thoughts ran through her mind as quickly as Jenn herself moved down Lucinda's gullet. The 
fleshy tube was unbelievably tight, hot and slimy, every bit as terrifying and uncomfortable as Jenn 
remembered it to be. But even this was bearable compared to the sheer hell of the carnivore's 
stomach that assailed her senses moments later. Though she couldn't actually see anything in here, 
the sounds and smells were enough to bring tears to her eyes. A booming heartbeat and deep 
breathing were only eclipsed n volume by the disgusting wet smacks and squelches as her squirming 
form was carried down. 
     Her face was pressed into the lower walls of Lucinda's stomach as her feet were finally 
swallowed. She felt the night air on her tail for a scant few more moments before that too was 
slurped between the woman's lips. The polecat's body shook slightly as she coughed, undoubtedly 
not enjoying the dry fur of the final mouthful. It was of little consolation to Jenn as the peristaltic 
waves forced the rest of her body down, pushing her into a poetically appropriate foetal position as 
she started to weep at the pure terror of her situation... 

     Outside, in the glow of the street lamp, Lucinda felt her predatory rage begin to subside, rapidly 
giving way to panic and the realization of what she had done. 'Ohh... Oh no... Jenn? I am so sorry!' 
She started moving, using one hand to try and support the bulge in her abdomen while her free 
hand scooped up the squirrel's pants. In her hunger fogged daze, she hadn't even thought to take 
Jenn's shirt off, a decision that could cause some small discomfort if she allowed it to run its course. 
     No, her best bet now was to get home, get to the bathroom. Get Jenn out of her stomach and 
hope the girl was not too damaged by then. She couldn't run as quickly as she had been, but she still 
made good time back to the house. She had no idea what she would do if the girl was hurt... 
     She burst through the front door and crossed the living room, ignoring the confused look from her 
husband as he watched something on the TV from a reclined position on the sofa. Jedd was a few 
years older than his wife, and had given up hunting not long after he had been her age. The instinct 
to hunt faded with age, but it was not uncommon for it to go out with a bang. Lucinda's hunting 
instinct would be gone in the next year or two, but woe betide the prey she found before then. 
     The polecat practically kicked the bathroom door off its hinges and slid to her knees in front of 
the bathtub. With a few deep breaths, she leaned forward and started to heave... 

     Jenn was losing track of time. Lucinda's heartbeat just above her was like a booming clock ticking 
away the final minutes of the squirrel's life. The tight slimy confines of the polecat woman's stomach 
were compressing Jenn with each sickening pulse, and the deadly gastric acids were steadily rising 
around her increasingly cramping form. Her knees were close to her ears, her tail forced to curl to 
under and around her neck, and her hands and forearms were completely submerged.
     Her breaths had become shallow, not just due to the lack of air but due to her inability to move 
her chest enough to breathe any deeper. Such was the closest to mercy her situation could offer 
anymore, to suffocate before these lethal fluids could begin their work in earnest. 
     A sudden unbearable clench of her surroundings prompted her to scream. The acids around her 
bounced and clung to her face and chest. She tried to hold her breath and hold back more tears, but 
it was useless. Another heave, and the squirrel felt the pressure crushing in around her again, forcing 
her the only direction Lucinda's digestive tract would allow... 
     Following the crushing pressure and disgusting wet retches from above, Jenn felt cold air and saw 
light through her tightly closed eyelids. Her head slammed into something cold and solid and her 
limbs could once again move freely. The sudden cold was almost as unbearable as the heat had 
been. 
     'A-are you okay?' Lucinda's panicked voice called out. Jenn felt the woman's hand rest on her 
slime covered shoulder and recoiled blindly, only opening her eyes when she had wiped the clinging 
fluids as much from her face as she could. 
     'Get away from me!' She half screamed and half sobbed. 'Just... just get away... please...'  After 
this she let herself fall prone into the bottom of the tub, leaving Lucinda at a loss for what to do. 
Despite her effort to save the squirrel, Lucinda's eyes had not lost their predatory stare. 
     'What the hell's going on?' Jedd's voice came from the bathroom doorway. A moment later, his 
clawed feet clacked across the bathroom tiles and Jenn looked up just in time to see him lift Lucinda 
by her shoulders and pull her away. 
     'She... she's hurt...' Lucinda protested weakly. 
     'I can see that.' Jedd hissed. 'You go, get out. Finish your hunt, then come home and go straight to 
bed. I'll make sure Jenn's okay.' 
     'But...' Lucinda began to protest again, but a low growl from Jedd cut off her words and she slowly 
turned and left. 
     Once she was gone, Jedd stepped back into the bathroom and tried to avoid looking directly at 
Jenn's vulnerable form for too long. Sparing just enough of a glance to make sure she wasn't 
seriously injured, he stepped up and turned on the tap, adjusting the flow until it was steady and 
warm without being too hot or too cold. 
     Jenn slowly pushed herself into a sitting position as the polecat stood up. She watched him loop 
her pants over the edge of the tub and retrieved her phone off the floor where it had slid out. He 
took a moment to rub his temples in exasperation and then set her phone carefully on the rim of the 
bathtub at the corner where it wouldn't accidentally slip in. 
     'Do you need anything else?' He asked. 'Do you want me to call Ezra?' 
     'No...' Jenn shook her head. She picked up her phone with her hand, still shaky and fur matted 
with gastric juices. There were four missed calls from Ezra. 'I-I'll call him in a few minutes once I'm 
cleaned up...' 
     'Alright.' Jedd sighed. 'Let me know when you're finished and ready. I'll get you out of here. It 
might be best if you're gone by the time Luci gets back. Just in case she doesn't... find someone else.' 


     Once Jenn had calmed her nerves and cleaned herself as best she could, she pulled her pants back 
on and unlocked her phone again. Taking a deep breath, she tapped the notifications bar and looked 
at Ezra's name. 
     What was she supposed to tell him? That his own mother had eaten her alive and only came to 
her senses after it could have already been too late? She sighed as she tapped the icon and her 
phone began making the call to his. 
     It barely took a second for him to answer. 'Jenn?! Is that you?' 
     'Yes...' She answered. 'I-I'm alright. I made it to... y-your parents' place.' 
     'That's a relief.' Ezra sighed. 'You sound a bit shaken? Did anything happen? Why didn't you come 
straight here?' 
     Jenn paused as she considered her next words. She didn't want to lie to Ezra, but neither did she 
want to be at the centre of a rift between him and his family. "I uh... I got cut off. There was 
someone hunting too close and I had to... I had to circle around and...' 
     'It's okay.' Ezra interrupted, hearing the fear rise in her voice. 'I'll come get you.' 
     'Okay.' Jenn nodded, then sighed as she realized Ezra couldn't see the gesture. 'I'll see you soon. 
Be careful...' 
     The phone clicked and Jenn lowered her arms to her side, now wondering what she should do 
about her ruined shirt. If Ezra saw it, he'd guess instantly that she had been swallowed and then 
more questions would arise. And if he turned up and she was topless? Even more awkward 
questions. 
     She stepped cautiously out of the bathroom and headed towards the staircase. When she was at 
the bottom, she saw Jedd on the sofa watching the TV. His ear flicked, alerting her that he had heard 
her despite her soft footsteps. 
     'Spare shirt.' He said, pointing to the end of the sofa without looking away from the TV. 'Left 
behind after Luci... well, the last time.' 
     'T-thanks...' Jenn replied, stepping more hastily towards the couch now and pulling the spare shirt 
on. It felt a size smaller than she was used to, but the label was torn off so she couldn't know for 
sure. It was a light pink with red bands on the sleeves, a fashion Jenn recognized as popular among 
younger girls. 'Whose was this?' 
     Jedd looked sideways towards her and slowly shrugged. 'Someone a little younger than you. Luci 
wasn't proud of it, but... well, I'm sure you know how much that helped.' 
     'Right...' Jenn remarked uncomfortably. She leaned on the end of the sofa, preferring not to sit 
down despite Jedd's lack of any aggression. A few minutes later, the door opened and rushed 
footsteps were heard moments before Ezra stepped into the living room. He had a look of concern 
on his face and was only dressed in basic grey shorts and a white singlet. He had clearly rushed out 
in a hurry. 
     'Jenn.' He called. He knelt down as she ran to him and lifted her to his chest once they were 
together. 'You... you've showered?' 
     'Oh... yea.' Jenn nodded. 'Got a bit dirty. Y-your dad found me a spare shirt.' 
     Ezra lifted his gaze to meet his father's and lifted an eyebrow slightly. 'So... where's Ma?' 
     'Hunting.' Jedd replied bluntly. 'Hopefully staying out of the central district, but she's not in her 
best mindset on nights like this.' 
     'Right.' Ezra nodded. 'Probably a good thing you didn't meet her out there, Jenn. Let's get back 
home. I made a pot roast. As long as the house hasn't burned down in the last few minutes, it should 
still be good.' 
     'R-right.' Jenn nodded, burying her head in his chest and glimpsing Jedd's blank expression for a 
moment as Ezra turned and began to carry her out. She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut as the 
polecat stepped out into the dark and closed the door behind him. She was dreading the future now. 
How long could this secret possibly last? And was it even... the right thing to do?  

     
     
      
