A smartly dressed cat with dark grey fur and vibrant green eyes stepped up to the counter. A look of 
confusion passed across her face for a moment as she wondered where the cashier was. 
     'Down here, ma'am.' A soft female voice called. The cat looked down and saw her, a white furred 
mouse standing just behind the payment terminal. She had neatly tied back blonde hair and eyes that 
were a striking hazel in colour. 
     'Oh, I'm so sorry.' The cat remarked, leaning down slightly to better make eye contact. 'I didn't see 
you there.'
     'That's alright.' The mouse replied. 'What would you like this morning?' 
     'Just a latte, please. Doubleshot.' 
     'Not a problem.' The mouse nodded, hitting several points on the tablet sized touchscreen before 
looking back up at the customer. 'It'll just be a minute. Thank you.' 
     The cat nodded and took a few steps to the side to wait. The sounds of a busy kitchen could be heard 
further into the cafe with the steam of a coffee machine one of the closest among them. It took just 
under a minute for the ocelot girl working the machine to step out from the doorway with the hot 
beverage. 
     'Here you are!' The girl chirped cheerily as she handed the coffee across. 
     'Thank you so much.' The woman nodded and smiled as she took her drink. The ocelot and the mouse 
both offered a curt nod in return and in the next moment the customer had gone. The food court in this 
mall was still fairly quiet at this stage, so there was no next customer to serve and no urgent orders 8to 
be put together. 
     'Doing alright there, Jill?' The ocelot asked.
     'Sure, everything's fine Kira.' The mouse answered. 
     'Alright.' Kira grinned. 'I'm gonna go get some cleaning done before the lunch rush.' She stepped back 
through into the back area, leaving Jill alone but for the noise and clamour from the kitchen behind her. 
     It was usually pretty boring this time of day. Not many people would be in the food court in the 
period between breakfast and lunch, and not all of them would visit Donny's specifically. It was a small 
but reasonably well known franchise, but not the sort of place you'd really think of unless you wanted a 
quick and easy snack or a coffee. 
     Jill guessed most of the other employees were simply cleaning at this point, and it was not the sort of 
thing she could easily help with. Being a mouse made her a hindrance in such circumstances, but her 
being able to operate the pay terminal did at least free up all the larger folk to work the kitchen. 
     After a few minutes, another felid stepped out into the front section and gave Jill a small grin. She 
was a cat of almost completely black fur but for a patch of white in the middle of her chest. Her yellow 
eyes narrowed slightly as she lifted her hands. She was carrying a spray bottle of cleaning agent and a 
handful of paper towels. 
     'Hi there Jill.' The cat grinned wider, aiming the spray bottle at the mouse. 'Gonna wipe down the 
front. Want a bath while I'm at it?' 
     Jill rolled her eyes. 'No thanks, Andrea. Had a bath this morning.' 
     'But you could smell like lemons.' Andrea offered. 'Wouldn't that be so much nicer?' She began 
spraying the surface cleaner across the front bench around where Jill stood, glancing towards the mouse 
every few moments. 
     Jill ignored the remark and let Andrea clean in silence for a few moments, making it clear that she 
wasn't going to feed the joke. Once Andrea had taken the hint, she finished wiping down the benchtop 
and turned to stare at Jill, still wearing a wry smile across her face. 'So, Jacob said you're leaving early 
today?' 
     'Y-yes.' Jill replied nervously, wishing the lynx manager hadn't said anything, especially to Andrea. 'I 
have an audition to attend.' 
     'Exciting.' Andrea replied. 'Ooh, need a lift? I can ask Jacob if I can leave early as well.' The cat 
savoured the brief but apparent look of unease that Jill displayed, lasting for a few awkward moments 
before the mouse shook her head. 
     'Oh that's alright!' Jill replied hastily. 'Don't cut your shift short for my sake. I'm sure the train will be 
reliable enough!' 
     Andrea smiled and nodded again. 'If you say so.' 
     'Besides, I doubt very much you have a mouse car-seat.' Jill remarked. 
     'That's true.' Andrea shrugged. 'But my car does have cup holders. You'd fit in a cup.' The same grin 
from earlier slowly crept back onto her face. 
     'Very funny.' Jill sighed. 'Are you done out here?' 
     Andrea looked like she was about to say something, then stopped. They both knew that the manager 
here, a lynx named Jacob, had some pretty strong views on predators bullying prey. 'Alright, I'll leave 
you to it.' 

     The rest of Jill's shortened shift went smoothly enough, and she finished shortly before the early 
dinner rush picked up. It was just before four in the afternoon as she made her way to the micro railway 
station built into the mall itself. From here she would be able to reach the Television studio before half 
an hour had passed, and if the advertised schedule was kept, they'd be finished by five thirty. 
     The train ride, as always, was a fast moving spectacle as the micro rail zoomed above the heads of the 
larger pedestrians on the streets below. Like the stations themselves, the railway lines built for the 
smaller rodent folk were kept largely inaccessible to those of a larger size. Jill had been told that they 
also ran overnight for those that found themselves out during hunting hours, but others had also told 
her the opposite. She'd decided it wasn't worth the risk to see for herself. 
     The train dipped as it approached the studio, and she looked out the window to see the large logo of 
the History Network on the huge building in front of her. The train followed its line directly into an 
opening in the building itself that would eliminate the need for its passengers to chance walking among 
the towering felids outside. The station here was like any other, a substantial waiting area with booths 
where fare was paid, and then an entryway into the building it was attached to. 
     Jill made her way past all this and looked around. The front foyer of the History Network studio was 
immense, even before remembering that she was a mere mouse. Numerous felids and the occasional 
canid or mustelid were bustling about the floor, tending to deliveries, appointments and various other 
business the studio required. 
     The mouse lifted her gaze upwards, following the walkway ahead of her to a platform raised above 
the heads of the larger citizens below. Here the scene was plating out very similarly, but with mice 
mostly. There were occasional rats and the tallest of those up here were one of the smaller breeds of 
squirrel. Jill approached the reception desk and stepped into wait behind a short line of others. By the 
looks of them, nervous and muttering softly, Jill guessed that at least a few of these people were here 
for the same reason as her. 
     The receptionist was a jerboa, not usually local to this part of the continent but no longer an unusual 
sight in Leona City. Jill kept her ears up and caught the conversations of the mouse three places ahead of 
her. As she suspected, they were here for the audition as well. It seemed there would be some 
competition... 

     A short time later, Jill was with nearly two dozen others in a waiting area off to the side of the foyer. 
This platform was at waist height to an average leopard and it was difficult to ignore every time one of 
the large cats walked by. After a short wait, the sound of rubber wheels on the polished concrete floor 
could be heard getting closer, and a leopard pushing a flat topped trolley lined with handrails 
approached. 
     As the felid pushed the trolley to line up with the waiting platform, he called out to the group of mice. 
'Auditions for the Pre-Sovereignty documentary? Climb aboard please.' 
     Jill had heard of these, trolleys retrofitted to function as a taxi of sorts that could be used to transport 
smaller citizens more efficiently around larger buildings and complexes. The closest few mice stepped 
across without hesitation, but a few of the others seemed slightly nervous. Jill tried to remain confident 
as she followed the first few. She would need to be confident for this. 
     Once everyone was on board and holding on, the leopard pulled the trolley away from the platform, 
then lined himself up with a set of double doors and started pushing towards it. An electronic tag on his 
shoulder beeped once he was close enough and the doors automatically opened. From here they went 
down several long corridors before arriving at a small waiting room. The trolley was pushed up against 
another platform in the corner. From here the rodents could access several restrooms, a table that held 
drinks and other mild refreshments, and some seats. 
     On the adjacent wall, a pair of rat sized doors opened. A chinchilla woman carrying an oversized 
digital tablet in both hands stepped through. The fluff of her pale grey fur was pronounced by her dark 
blue business dress, and she greeted the small crowd with a smile and a nod as her vibrant blue eyes 
panned across them. 
     'Welcome to the History Network studio.' The woman began. 'My name is Isabella, and I'll be liaising 
between all of you and the producers of the documentary. They'll be ready for the first audition in just a 
few minutes. Is there anyone who'd like to go first?' 
     There was silence for a moment, before Jill decided to size this chance. 'I'll go first.' She stepped 
forward, realising as she came closer just how much taller than her a chinchilla was. Isabella almost 
looked larger than a rat, but Jil was fairly certain that it was mostly due to the puffiness of the woman's 
fur. 
     'Right this way.' Isabella led Jill towards the double doors and pushed one of them open. As Jill 
stepped through with the chinchilla just a step behind, she saw that she was in another small room, only 
this one had been set up as a sort of stage for smaller folk, with the other half of the room taken up by a 
table and two chairs occupied by a pair of lynxes. One, a male, was dressed in loose fitting work fatigues 
while the other, a female, had a deep red business suit on. Both had pale grey fur and tan streaks 
leading into short cut ginger hair. They looked to be siblings. 
     'These are Jampa and Dawa.' Isabella explained, gesturing to the male then the female lynx in turn. 
'Jampa is a historian and an archaeological student, and his sister Dawa is an executive here at the 
History Network. They're the main movers behind this project, and the ones you'll be working for if you 
make it past these auditions.' 
     'Alright then.' Dawa began. 'I'd like you to tell me about yourself. Start with your name, a little bit of 
background, and then tell me why you want this part.' The lynx woman's gaze was not without a 
glimmer of kindness, bit Jill could see that there was definitely an air of scrutiny as well. It seemed she 
would be judged on more than just her acting ability here. 
     'Well, my name is Jillian. Or just Jill.' The mouse began. 'I'm in my late teens, lived in Leona City my 
whole life, and began looking for a career as an actress shortly after Equality was integrated.' 
     'That's quite impressive.' Jampa remarked with an intrigued smile. 'Am I correct in assuming you lived 
as a scavenger prior to Equality?' 
     'That's right.' Jill nodded. 
     'And late teens...' Jampa continued. 'That's uhh, well. Middle aged for a mouse. You're quite the 
survivor it seems. Hopefully your life experience will-'
     A jab from Dawa into his side with her pen prompted him to stop speaking. After exchanging a 
confused glance with the other lynx, he seemed to realise what he had been saying.
     'Oh. OH!' He exclaimed. 'I'm so sorry Jill. I didn't mean to make light of the life you were forced to live 
for so long. I only meant to imply that... well, the experience may prove to be somewhat useful...?' 
     Dawa rolled her eyed and rested her forehead into her palm exasperatingly. For her own part, Jill was 
caught between mild offense and amusement and managed to keep a small smile on her face. While it 
wasn't exactly pleasant hearing the plight of a former scavenger trivialised as such, it was at least clear 
that the lynx had not intended to be insensitive. 

     For the following ten minutes, Dawa presented numerous scenarios and asked Jill to act out her most 
realistic reactions to them. Jampa would chime in with suggestions and the odd question or two, making 
it clear that he had interviewed a number of former scavengers already but still held a keen interest in 
gaining further insight from others. 
     Jill gave it her best, drawing on memories of her childhood and early adulthood. Those had been 
unpleasant times and carried more than a light touch of trauma, but she had survived the reality and 
pressed on by affirming to herself that she could easily survive the pretend as well. Scenarios like being 
cornered by a hungry felid, trying desperately to hide and, of course, mimicking mortal terror. At one 
stage Dawa left her seat and wrapped her hand lightly but firmly around Jill, asking the mouse to squirm. 
It was by far the most uncomfortable part of the audition, but neither felid showed any signs of enjoying 
the experience. 
     When it was over, and Dawa had retaken her seat, Jill took a few moments to compose herself and 
waited for the pair to reach a verdict. 
     'It was definitely a solid performance.' Dawa complimented her. 'Naturally we need to see through 
the rest of the auditions, but I can say you'd definitely have reason to feel confident.' 
     'Thank you.' Jill replied, giving a small bow for reasons she didn't fully understand. It was an audition, 
not a meeting with nobility. 
     'I'll ask you to confirm your contact details with Isabella, and then feel free to head out if you like.' 
Dawa continued. 'We should have our final verdict decided in the next few days.' 
     At that point Jampa raised a hand, momentarily resembling a timid school student. 'Shouldn't we tell 
her about.. ?' 
     'Oh... I suppose so.' Dawa nodded slowly. 'Jill, if you are accepted for the role, some of the scenes we 
plan to film may be more uncomfortable than the grip I had you in before. You may need to get 
somewhat close to a felid actor's mouth. Maybe even inside. Temporarily of course and every safety 
precaution would be taken.' 
     'I... understand.' Jill nodded slowly. How like a cat to overlook a detail like this until the last second. 
     'Although...' Dawa paused thoughtfully. 'We could probably apply for a hunting exemption pass given 
the nature of the project. If we can, you'd be given immunity from hunting for the duration of the shoot. 
Is that a term you'd accept for agreeing to this?' 
     Jill had to restrain herself from answering too quickly or excitedly. Exemption from being hunted was 
a goal of many smaller folk, the kind of thing that could only be achieved by being a diplomat, a 
government official or by buying it on an ongoing basis. Most of those who could afford this status were 
either successful celebrities or high end business executives. Jill had developed the aspiration to be a 
successful actress partially for this very reason, as well as the financial rewards and respect from others 
that such status would bring. After a few moments of these thoughts rushing through her head, she 
finally managed a suitably toned down response. 'Well, I suppose that would be acceptable.' 
     'Good to hear.' Dawa seemed to sigh in relief as she replied, her trepidation vanishing as the worry 
she'd offend the mouse before her faded. 'Again, so sorry I overlooked this detail. Thank you again for 
your time.' 
     As Isabella stepped forward and began to beckon her over, Jill gave one last curt nod to the lynx pair 
before following the chinchilla back out into the waiting area. 

     She waited for almost an hour, enjoying some snacks and making small talk with some of the other 
mice present. After another handful of auditions had gone through, another lynx brought in a trolley taxi 
and offered to take some of them back to the waiting area. 
     Against her better judgement and with a faint hope that the lynx pair might reach a decision  sooner 
rather than later, Jill elected to stay. It was another hour and a half before everyone was finished and 
another trolley arrived to carry them all back, a development she accepted with a small amount of 
disappointment. Once back in the foyer, the group began making their way back towards the train 
station across the walkways overhead. Jill lingered near the back of the group part of the way across, a 
feeling growing in the back of her mind. Something... unpleasant. 
     'Jill!' A familiar voice called. Jill's heart sank as she recognised the voice above the cacophony of other 
voices echoing across this space. 
     'A-Andrea?' She called in response, peering over the handrail and glimpsing the black fur of Andrea's 
face below. She was still in her Donny's uniform and carrying the satchel she substituted for a more 
elegant purse. She looked comically out of place in the foyer, where everyone else was in some ort of 
business attire or the clothes of a worker or delivery driver. But in typical Andrea fashion, she paid the 
thought no heed and thought nothing of the attention she was drawing to herself. 
     'Came to see how it went.' Andrea continued. 'Did you ace it all? You did, right?'
     'Why are you here?' Jill asked exasperatingly. 'L-look, I have to go so I don't miss my train. The next 
one is too close to eight o'clock.' 
     'Haven't seen the news, have you?' Andrea shook her head, the smile fading as she became serious. 
'There was damage to one of the train lines that connects to the Rodentia District. They're trying to 
make up for it with taxis, but capacity is being stretched.'
     Jill's heart sank and she almost felt sick. With the trains down and so many of the smaller folk 
hoarding taxis to get home, Jill could find herself in real trouble. She took out her phone and 
investigated the public transport network's most recent updates. Andrea was telling the truth. 
     'Want a ride home?' The cat asked. 
     'Are you serious?!' Jill asked, unable to hide the frustration from her voice. 'Why do you think I'd fall 
for that?'
     If Andrea was offended at all, it didn't show as she reached into her satchel and drew out a mouse 
sized seat with harness that could be fitted into any felid sized car. 'I'm serious. It'll be dangerous if you 
try to wait for a cab or another train.' 
     'I don't think so.' Jill shook her head. 'What makes you any more reliable than a taxi, huh? At least 
they have legal obligations.'
     'We're co-workers aren't we?' Andrea shrugged. 'You know how Jacob feels about this sort of thing. 
Why don't you give him a call and let him know what's happening? That'll put the pressure on me. I like 
my job.' 
     Jill took a deep breath. It was hard to believe she was considering this, but at the same time Andrea 
was right. Getting a taxi was a risk, and waiting for another train practically a death sentence. A car 
could get her home in time, but this was Andrea. The co-worker that always made jokes about Jill's size 
and even implied how much she'd love to have the mouse as a coffee dunking snack if ever the legal 
opportunity arose. 
     'Running out of time, Jill.' Andrea interrupted her thoughts. 'Come on. I promise I will keep you safe.' 
     '...Fine.' Jill sighed. 'But don't think this is gonna change anything between us.' 
     'Why would it?' Andrea shrugged, following from below as Jill made her way back to the waiting 
platform where the taxi trolley had gathered and left them. Once she was at a height Andrea could 
reach, the cat held out a black furred hand. 
     'Because I know you.' Jill scowled as she slowly climbed into the felid's open palm. 
     'Well sure.' Andrea scoffed. 'I'm not gonna lie and pretend I don't wanna eat you. But as long as it's 
outside legal hunting times, you are perfectly safe with me.' She lifted Jill carefully and carried the 
mouse close to one of her breasts as she made her way to the felid sized elevators at the opposite end 
of the foyer to the rodent railway station. Held this close, Jill could smell the day's work on Andrea's 
clothes. Still, she decided to refrain from any complaints for the time being. 
     The elevator took them down into a large underground parking lot. As the cat made her way towards 
the upper size section, the area where lynxes and the largest of mustelids could park their cars. 
     'What size car are you driving?' Jill asked. 
     'Class three.' Andrea replied. 'My dad bought a lynx sized car and had it retrofitted for me. As a 
reward for proving I could be self sufficient or some such.' 
     'Doesn't that defeat the point?' Jill mused. 
     'I guess?' Andrea laughed, opening the driver door to reveal a spacious car's interior with seat and 
pedal extensions to allow the smaller felid to safely operate the vehicle. Andrea made two quick and 
agile jumps from the ground, off the larger original driver's seat and into the smaller one. Jill clung to the 
fabric of her shirt for good measure, but the cat's grip was firm enough without being crushing. She set 
Jill down on the dashboard while she began to unpackage the small seat she had purchased on the way 
here. With a few moments of confusion as the felid tried to decipher how this was supposed to attach 
somewhere, her gaze drifted back to Jill. 
     'Yes...?' Jill asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable again in her now very vulnerable position. 
     'I did ask you how it went in there.' Andrea asked. 'Did you keep your cool? Nail each line perfectly?' 
     Jill paused for a moment, not sure of how best to answer. 'I-I'm not gonna say it's a sure thing. But I 
feel fairly confident. I guess at the end of the day, all that matters is that I did my best. If I don't get the 
part, at least I'll know the role went to someone deserving of it.' 
     Andrea smiled and kept silent as she finally attached the mouse sized chair to the dashboard. 'Is there 
anyone you feel threatened by?' 
     'You.' Jill replied without missing a beat.
     'I mean the other actors.' Andrea laughed as she watched Jill climb into the seat. She fastened her 
own seatbelt as Jill strapped herself in and turned the key to ignite the engine. 'Like someone you feel 
might have outperformed you? Someone that might not get in your way if they were, hypothetically of 
course, eaten?' 
     'No!' Jill retorted. 'We didn't watch each other's auditions. And that, that is illegal and even if it 
wasn't it's not something I would ever ask you to do!' 
     'Alright, alright!' Andrea replied, shifting the car into gear and reversing out of her spot. As she began 
driving forward and panned her gaze around to search for the exit, she spared an almost apologetic 
glance towards the mouse. 'I was just kidding. All this time we've known each other and you're still not 
catching my sense of humour?' 
     'I understand your sense of humour.' Jill replied as the fading daylight of the afternoon sky replaced 
the carpark ceiling in her view out the windows. 'I've just never found it to be funny.' 
     From then on the car ride was mostly silent but for Andrea's occasional muttering or cursing under 
her breath as she navigated the early evening traffic. For the next twenty five minutes Jill kept an eye on 
the time. It took that long for Andrea to finally navigate her way out of the central district and transit to 
the smaller roads that connected it to the more diverse residential areas. Jill kept a hand on her phone 
the whole time. She hadn't called Jacob yet because she was hoping not to have to bother him after 
hours. It was possible of course that Andrea was being genuine in her actions, but if this took too much 
longer, she might need the lynx's help to put some more pressure on Andrea to make sure the mouse 
made it home. 
     It was almost half past seven at this point. A little over half an hour more and Jill, like any small 
enough citizen of Leona City, would be fair game for potential predators. She wasn't sure what it would 
be like driving the roads through this part of the city but if she had still been here by railway it would be 
definite trouble.
     'So um, you know where I live, right?' Jill asked, the nervousness in her voice impossible to hide. The 
question elicited a short giggle from Andrea as the car's speed slowed a little. 
     'Twenty... sixth?' The cat replied, glancing to Jill as she rounded the next corner. 
     'Yes.' Jill nodded. 'Is it much further?' She strained to see out the car's window, but from her position 
below the height of the windows she couldn't see much. 
     'Not too much further.' Andrea answered. 'It'll be close to eight, but you'll be fine. I'll make sure.' 
     'Fantastic.' Jill sighed. 'My life is in the hands of a cat who right before this car ride admitted she 
wants to eat me.' Her hands gripped her phone tighter and she swiped her hand across the screen to 
unlock it. 
     Andrea rolled her eyes, all but ignoring the mouse at this point as if even she had grown tired of the 
teasing game she had been playing. Another ten minutes went by with Andrea seeming to get more 
frustrated and Jill getting more and more tense. 
     'This is taking too long!' Jill shouted after another two minutes had gone by. 'Andrea! Hurry up!' 
     'Relax!' Andrea retorted. 'I said I'd get you home safe. There was more traffic than I expected and 
your house is further than I remember. I'm not gonna try anything. I'm not gonna risk my job for some 
ego trip over you, alright? No offense, but the satisfaction isn't worth it when any other mouse would be 
just as sweet. Besides, I hunted two nights ago. I am still very much able to keep myself under control, 
eight o'clock or not.' 
     'You've waited years...' Jill said darkly. 
     'And I can keep waiting.' Andrea retorted. 'Believe me, proving you wrong is gonna be just as much 
fun as when I eventually eat you.' 
     A tense silence followed as the car began moving again and the cat's intense stare returned to the 
road ahead. Jill felt herself becoming trapped between angering Andrea further and still being forced to 
trust her. She continued to sit, eyes on the verge of terrified tears as the car took several more turns and 
finally began to slow. By now it was less than five minutes to eight, and the mouse found the courage to 
look up from her phone as the cat met her gaze. 
     The car came to a stop, prompting Jill to strain herself to look out the window. She could see the red 
tiled roof of a house, one of the many in this area that had been refurbished into a host of mouse sized 
apartment complexes. It was a familiar place, but it was not where she lived. 
     'W-where are we?' Jill asked. 
     'You're at number twelve, right?' Andrea asked. 
     'Yes.' Jill nodded, almost frantically. 
     'This is number six.' Andrea gestured her thumb to the house outside. 'There are already cars outside 
your house. I guess we need to walk the test of the way.' 
     'W-what?!' Jill unfastened her harness and climbed up the dashboard. She looked out the windscreen 
and panned her gaze across both sides of the street. To her horror, Andrea had been telling the truth. 
There were other cars along the roads, six within view from this vantage point. Silhouetted inside each 
was the form of a felid, patiently awaiting the last few minutes before the rodents disembarking from 
the still slowly arriving trains would be fair game. 
     The mouse checked her phone again and felt her heart sink. One minute to eight. On foot, she'd 
never make it to the doors of her building before those cats would be on the street. There were a lot of 
other mice, so odds were in her favour, but still... 
     'Oops, out of options.' Andrea said, almost in a sing song voice. Almost as one, the other cars' doors 
opened and the occupants took to the streets. 
     Jill watched in horror for a scant few moments as the mice and other smaller denizens on the streets 
began to scatter, some running for the building's modified small entrances while others simply fled 
towards the closest viable place to hide. The cats moved like swift demons in the darkening street, the 
fastest of them snaring pairs or handfuls of mice and beginning to make their way back to their cars in 
seconds. The others lingered, and Jill noticed two of them were in positions that meant she'd never get 
close to her building without being spotted. 
     'So...' Andrea began. 'What's your plan?' 
     Jill felt her heart sink, remembering after all she had just witnessed that she was still in the car with 
Andrea herself. 'I...I don't...' She trailed off, feeling the phone slip from her hands. It slid from the 
dashboard and fell down somewhere near Andrea's feet on the floor of the car. 
     Andrea rolled her eyes. 'Thought you'd at least keep a bit more of your pride intact when it came to 
this moment. Alright. Get in my hand.' 
     Jill's terrified eyes looked up and locked with Andrea's gaze, but she didn't move. Neither of them 
could tell if this was simply more mistrust, or if the mouse was frozen in fear. After a few moments of 
this bemusing stalemate, Andrea unclipped her seatbelt and leaned forward, wrapping her fingers 
around Jill's limp and shivering form. The cat brought the tiny woman close to her face and her lips 
curled into a smile. 
     'Still nothing?' Andrea asked, her nose twitching at the scent of Jill's fear. 'Well, alright then.' 
     Jill felt her lungs fail to deliver a scream as Andrea opened her mouth. The porcelain gleam of her 
teeth framed the terrifying sight of the pink tongue as it extended to receive her. The slick, slimy surface 
was covered in fine barbs that hooked into her clothes and fur. A wave of hot, foul smelling and wet 
breath wafted over her as the tongue drew her back into Andrea's mouth.  
     The small amount of light from outside was still enough to illuminate the deeper end of Andrea's 
mouth for the briefest moment before the lips sealed behind her. The sight of that flexing throat with 
the slimy, rippling uvula stayed embedded behind her eyelids and fuelled her every frantic movement to 
try and push herself away. Andrea's tongue nullified her every attempt to escape with ridiculous ease, 
coating her fur and clothes with the cat's horrible smelling saliva. 
     Jill felt her sense of balance shifting, more so than what would happen with the tongue's movements 
alone. 'Stop it!' She shouted, her brief bravado shattered as Andrea's tongue pressed her into the hard 
ridged roof of her mouth. She flailed about, feeling one of her hands and one of her feet press into the 
soft slimy surface of opposite cheeks. 
     A booming chuckle surrounded her as Andrea let her amusement be known. A moment later Jill could 
feel teeth pressing on both limbs, and squirmed desperately to pull herself back into the middle of the 
mouth to stop herself being bitten into pieces. The humid air was becoming difficult to breathe, and the 
increasing amounts of saliva pooling around her added to the trouble as Andrea clearly enjoyed 
savouring her meal. 
     The motion from outside stopped and Andrea's tongue lifted her up again. From her being tossed 
about and flailing earlier, she couldn't tell which way she was sliding with the tongue's gentle guidance, 
and began to panic. She let out a scream, as it seemed beyond doubt that Andrea was about to 
swallow... 
     Until cold air from outside washed over her. She felt her top pull tight around her chest as Andrea 
pinched it between her finger and thumb, lifting the drool-soaked mouse from her tongue. Still 
disoriented, she didn't realize at first that Andrea had lowered her to the ground, holding her just in 
front of the building's main door. 'Wake up, Jill. Are your feet ready?' 
     'Wha... What are you...?' Jill shook her head, letting her eyes become focused and adjusted to the 
light from inside. 
     Andrea placed Jill on the ground, prompting the small automatic doors to open. The cat tapped her 
finger on Jill's rear to push her inside. As the bewildered mouse turned back to face her from the 
doorway, the cat lowered her other hand, revealing the mouse's phone balanced on the tip of her index 
finger. 
     'Why?' Jill asked, wiping a mix of saliva and tears from one of her cheeks. 
     'Get inside and wash up.' Andrea retorted. 'It would have been really easy, you know? But like I said, 
proving you wrong, at least for now is just as sweet.' 
     'It really is just a game to you, isn't it?' Jill said, slowly taking her phone from the cat's finger. 
     Andrea smiled in response. 'I'll see you at work tomorrow.'