Isaac Shadetail: For everyone else, a very simple thing was happening; something that has been coded by evolution itself into our very DNA. For Izzy, it was a perfect analogy for his current situation and, even though it wasn't visible or detectable by physical means, he could feel it in his entire body. Something was occurring throughout an entire side of the globe that perfectly encapsulated everything that was scary and wrong and horrible about his current surroundings. What was that simple thing? It was morning, the dawn of a new day...Izzy just knew it was. We have been programmed by virtue of repetition to have an instinct about the 24 hour day/night cycle and, through some kind of lingering internal sense of timekeeping, the little squirrel just knew that it was a new day even though he had no real way of actually verifying this; he couldn't check for himself. From this point on, the only glimpses of the outside world would come in the form of hearsay; he could never actually verify anything with any of his own senses anymore. The reason for this was simple - Izzy was in a belly. The little rodent had fallen victim to predation like so many millions upon millions of others just like him. He had lost the simple game of pred versus prey and now had an entire lifetime in darkness, alone with his own thoughts, to mull over every detail of what went wrong. Though it had only been a handful of weeks since his nightmare of getting eaten alive had been made a reality by one of the squirrel's most feared species, it seemed like it had been lifetimes. Getting eaten really was as bad as they said it was and he'd had loads of time to run through the various stages of grief by this point. At first, he had been just a completely broken down mess and spent the majority of his first few days and weeks simply sobbing and whimpering sadly. He'd had hope and that was the problem; he longed to escape when it was no longer possible, but he couldn't help it. The rather depressing blow came though, as he realized that he was inside of this cramped, churning, dark, wet chamber for good. At last, he finally settled into a vague sense of self-pity and sadness, no longer constantly openly weeping but certainly not accepting of his current status as food that had finally been put in its proper place. As he unwillingly registered that yet another day had been spent inside of this terrible living prison cell, he squirmed slightly almost in an effort to shake off the instincts that insisted on giving him information that he didn't want in the first place.

randomfox12245: As the morning rays of the sun spilled into the messy apartment  the creature within called his home stirred into the realm of awakening. Curiously though, the sun never actually hit the slumbering predator and brought that annoying sensation of being doused with light when you wanted nothing more than an extra five minutes in dream land, which could be clearly seen as the sunlight hit the empty and disorganized bedding. Instead a deep, fulfilled yawn of a good night's sleep echoed from under the suspended mattress, and the eccentric feline rolled out from under the thing he should have been sleeping on top of to greet the day. Were there someone else there in the room who didn't reside inside a belly to observe this it would no doubt have been pointed out as quite an odd habit, but it was something the kitty had done since childhood (an attempt to ward off naïve suspicions of monsters hiding in wait) that he'd simply never shaken over the years. If nothing else the hard, carpeted apartment ground made a much better surface to grind his belly against when snuggling in for bedtime then the mattress did! This cat was indeed the happy, full predator who currently held the hapless little squirrel within his belly, to keep him nice and satisfied for the rest of his life. Something that his own biology sought to remind him of even as another morning yawn was interrupted by a belch, a sudden current of trapped air that carried the flavor of squirrel on it as it passed into the waking world and leaving a delightful rodenty aftertaste in the back of his tongue. What a delightfully lewd way to start off the morning! With that small pleasantry, the feline stretched out the last of the sleep in his muscles before groaning in morning bliss and padding to his kitchen. He didn't require much in the way of breakfast anymore, as his own body decided to remind him as his stomach began a slow churning over the long since marinated rodent within to feed off his delectable flesh and send much needed energy to the feline's body, giving the cat a purr inducing feeling of satisfying his hunger before it even had a chance to surface. Instead, he was just putting some tea on to boil and give himself that early jolt of caffeine to truly wake him up, stumbling sleepily over to his living room area to switch on the TV while he waited. The buzz of the news emanated loud enough to be heard through the organic tummy walls for Izzy to enjoy, a small reminder of the outside world he could no longer ever be a part of again, even if it was an element that was attributed to predators alone. Prey normally didn't have the luxury of television or any other such modern entertainment, but somehow it just made things worse. There, beyond the slimy walls that contained him, was a wonder of the world he'd never gotten to experience in his life as a paranoid little rodent and now that he was food all he could be subjected to was the information that that thing he could never have and never will have the chance to enjoy simply exists, and the fact the person who had robbed him of that WAS indulging in something that had been stolen from him (even if he'd never had it in the first place) only made things worse. The feline (and for that matter his stomach which simply autonomously feed off Izzy as it would any food which he indeed was) paid no mind or effort to care about what his food was currently thinking or feeling as he went about his morning routine. He didn't think about how sad it was the acorns he'd eaten would never get the chance to grow into strong nut-bearing trees after all! That wasn't to say the cat didn't acknowledge or address Izzy ever, even after he'd been reduced to mere kitty pudge, but like with his sleeping habits it did mark him as a somewhat...out there individual. After all, most preds wouldn't talk to the preys they'd turned into food anymore than Izzy might have talked to his aforementioned nuts, but either way it was too early in the morning and the cat hadn't nearly the energy required to taunt or tease his tummy bulge, instead just resting about and watching the news while he waiting for his morning tea.

Isaac Shadetail: While a vague sadness seeped into the rodent's psyche at the "knowledge" that day number who-the-hell-knows of being trapped inside the body of another living creature, this was dwarfed somewhat in scope as the rodent suddenly felt that terrible sensation of the feline body that surrounded him and encased him begin to stir to life. It was the most disturbing thing to the little rodent - to 'feel' his predator wake up. It was simply an unexplainable experience, something you needed to actually have happen to you to fully grasp it at even a fundamental level. The little squirrel had experienced it so many times now, but it never got any less terrible. When his predator slept, his body would calm and fall into a predictable rhythm. The sound of the cat's breathing would even out, his stomach would slow to an almost dead stop (only very mildly kneading the rodent inside of it), and everything that seemed so hectic and overwhelming slowed to a much calmer and easier to take in pace. When his predator slept, he slept (or, at least tried to) because it was the only time he could catch his breath, as it were. Thus, the sensation of everything coming back online again after being silent for so long filled the poor little squirrelly with such cold dread, as if everything was suddenly turning horrible again. As soon as the feline woke, Izzy began to whine softly. That was another aspect of life as food that Izzy could do without - because he was INSIDE of the feline, he was always in his presence (even if the predator couldn't actually see him) and being in the line-of-sight of a predator always made him feel like he should behave with his trademark submissiveness going full blast. This, combined with the fact that he was inside of the pred's belly, created a very worrisome emotion. You'd better be nice to this pred, or...what, exactly? He'll eat you? You're already inside of his stomach! As the feline that contained him began to move about, the rodent whimpered pathetically as the stomach instantly began to reaffirm its dominance over the squirrel's life, beginning to slowly churn him again. That never got less awful. At first, the squirrel jumped slightly at the sudden sound of muffled voices coming from outside the belly, his prey mind taking a while to figure out that it wasn't actually other people in the room, it was only the predator's television. Yet another perfect analogy that just summed up what the rodent was feeling - the pred not only got away with gobbling the innocent little squirrel up, he was also free to continue to enjoy everything else that predators could do that prey couldn't while he was inside his belly! He squirmed a little again, squeaking softly in sadness.

randomfox12245: The feline sighed happily as he let the morning glow from the sun warm his fur, his hands idly moving to rub over his slowly churning belly in soft-hearted bliss. The first couple hours of having his little squirrelly meal had been absolutely hectic for the poor rodent. The chamber that had gone so long without prey inside it, as was the natural order or so his predatory biology demanded, jumped at the opportunity to work over some honest living meat and had done its best imitation of a washing machine in its efforts to feed off the little rodent within. Now, after so long, when it did work over the squirrel it was a simple slow rocking, almost like the gentle cradling of a mothers arms, at least such a comparison could be drawn if it weren't for the constant surreal horror of the fact that the organ was merely treating him as food. Which he was. But it didn't block out noises of the outside world anymore with the constant swooshing noises of it gurgling around him; now it was just like living with headphones on all the time, so to speak. Again, it might have been soothing if it weren't so unbelievably horrible. With all that said, it meant even over the slow motions of the stomach, Izzy could hear what the newscasters on the TV were talking about with only some amount of strained effort, and the story they were going over was not a very uplifting one. Apparently a prey slum near the city had just been raided by a particularly organized movement of predators and had been picked clean of any and all occupants, meaning the slum had to be quarantined off by local authorities to facilitate a deliberate growth in prey population to return to the place before hunting by the general public was deemed suitable once again. It was all so clinical, creatures at the top of the food chain merely discussing a shortage in food supply and a state mandated attempt to breed more stock, instead of speaking of it in the terms a prey news organization (if such an absurd thing were to even be fantasized) would speak of the events as a truly debilitating catastrophe and further subjugation of prey everywhere being treated and viewed as mere cattle. Not as if Izzy needed that fact pounded into him anymore than it already was, being in a belly and all, but that was the particular story he had the misfortune of overhearing before the boiling of the tea kettle encouraged the feline to get moving again. That whistle was loud enough for the squirrel to hear over an explosion, let alone a TV broadcast or organic soundtrack, and foretold of one horrifying fact: that he'd soon have an unwanted and boiling hot indoor pool to contend with in a very short while. If the feline had any sort of empathy for his food's comfort he might have had the thought (or if not that at least been able to convince by struggled pleading on the part of the squirrel) to only consume cold beverages from then on so the rodent wouldn't be cooked alive by the mixing of an already hot liquid along with the natural body temperature of the inside of the predator's body, but even if that thought were to cross the cat's mind it would have been dismissed instantly. If he cared about the poor squirrel's comfort he wouldn't have eaten him in the first place, after all!

Isaac Shadetail: Izzy shuddered at the all too familiar sensation of the feline's hand rubbing gently over the bulge he made in his stomach (along with the squirrel sealed up tight inside of it). That rippling sensation as if a small wave were cresting over the ocean that is the pred's belly just made a shiver go down the squirrel's spine. Every single thing now reminded him that he was just food; literally everything just couldn't help but remind the squirrel of his predicament. What else would the inside of a predator's belly remind you of, after all? There's no confusing it for anything else - food knows it's food and there isn't a single thing you can do to distract yourself from it. You can't help but hear the pred's body or speech (even if he clasped his paws to his ears painfully tight, he could still feel it resonating through his very body) and there's never a break from anything - the belly walls never give you a 'day off' after you've logged a certain amount of hours as food. There's no 'food union'. It is constant, every moment a reminder of where you are and what you've become. As the belly gently began to knead him in an attempt to use him as breakfast, the rodent whimpering softly to himself as the stomach fed off him (making him feel like he was becoming food all over again), the squirrel had no real choice but to take in the sound being broadcasted by the predator's TV. As the horrible story (horrible for a prey, at least) floated in and connected in Izzy's head, piece by piece, the squirrel felt a deep sense of pity for the poor creatures the newscaster was referring to as mere units of food. He couldn't help but think 'aw...those poor little preys', before the more sensible part of his mind chimed in with 'What do you mean, those poor little preys that you've never even met before in your life? How about the poor little prey that's currently curled up inside a cat's gut and is being forced to listen to a report on the predator collective's attempts at eating you out of existence?!" Another quick sound made the rodent jump, though, as the unmistakable sound of a tea kettle whistling ripped through the sonic spectrum as it always seemed to do. At first brushing off the noise once he realized what it was (what did it matter to him if the cat was having tea?), the squirrel quickly started to panic slightly as he realized that...of course it mattered if the cat had tea! He was in his belly! In a way, the repressed parts of his mind couldn't help but be insulted, like "What, am I not nutritious enough for you? Don't have enough caffeine in me, do I?" but the more prey-like parts of the squirrel's brain were far less snarky. Izzy began squirming quite energetically, whimpering sadly, as if silently pleading with the pred not to do what he clearly was set to do.

randomfox12245: The cat smiled as he took the kettle off the stove and poured out the hot water into a quite unstereotypical tea cup (it was actually a wine glass, which ironically seemed like pretty drunken behavior to use as a receptacle for anything except wine) and was about to dip in the herbal bag before he stopped for a moment. The sudden panicked squirming of the rodent snack inside him got his attention for a bit and made him pretty curious; normally his food was so still and quiet during the mornings before the daily grind and being subjected to all manner of teasing and attention from congratulatory preds and such, why freak out now? Then it occurred to him that he was about to drink some pretty damn hot tea and turn his little snack into squirrel soup! No wonder he was squirming so much! Heck, it was enough to cause the planets to align and make a predator actually consider the feelings of not only a prey, but a prey who had already been devoured! That was some frantic squirming. This left the feline in a bit of a pickle actually; he wanted tea, but some small part of him felt at least slightly hesitant about subjecting his food to such torment. No doubt it would bring about some pretty nice feeling squirms (the panicked anti-tea ones he was giving did elicit some pleasured purrs from the cat after all) but boiling the poor thing alive seemed excessively cruel even for a cat. Then suddenly the solution struck, and the predator traded out the teabag he was going to use and instead pulled out some special hazelnut tea instead. Surely that would make up for things, right? Squirrels liked nuts, hazelnut had the word 'nut' in it, so it would probably like that! Well it made sense to the cat, and either way he was having tea like it or not. At least there was the small comfort that he was still too tired to properly tease the squirrel about his worries and the pitiful attempt he was making to dissuade them, but after he had a cup (or glass, rather) or two no doubt he'd get back into the sadistic spirit! Until then, the light blowing he applied to his drink to dissipate the scalding heat and make it tolerable to sip away poured down his throat and splashed into the belly with Izzy, a literal dunk of flavored water over his head. If being in a stomach was like being subjected to a slimy, sticky clingy sleeping bag, this was like having hot shower water go down a funnel to pour into said sleeping bag and make the pitiful occupant within even more miserable.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel's panic at the prospect of not only being boiled up like squirrel soup, but being boiled up like squirrel soup while already in a belly, was not mitigated in the slightest when all he received in return (at least at first) was that horrible sound and feeling of the cat beginning to purr. This was 47 varieties of terrible to the poor little rodent; not only was a cat's purr one of the most (if not the most) terrifying sound to the lowly little squirrel's ears, but the added bonus of hearing it while residing as food in the very feline producing the noise (not to mention the fact that he could feel it reverberate all around him almost more-so than he could hear it) just turned the panic dial up a few more notches in his squirrelly mind. Hearing various kitchen items clang around as the feline continued to prepare for his scalding hot beverage as if the rodent wasn't even there, the squirrel in question began squeaking in panic. Surely, he wasn't going to actually do this to him, was he? He may be a cat, but...even cats have morals right? Even a cat would at least hesitate for a moment of consideration before subjecting the squirrel to such thermal torture! He wasn't sure why he expected fair treatment from the terrifying cat that had gobbled him up in the first place, despite how he had pleaded and begged for his freedom and despite how much he clearly didn't want to be where he was but for some reason, he just felt as if this was something even this terrifying feline wouldn't do. He already had him, why did he have to do things like this in addition to that? The squirrel just continued to squirm and whimper pitifully as he anticipated the cascade of terrible liquid to come running down the cat's throat at any moment, the rodent convinced he was in for something very unpleasant. He didn't have to wait long. Even though he was expecting it, Izzy's mind suddenly exploded with the sensation of wanting to be anywhere but his current location as he heard quite a terrifying sound indeed (whether or not it indicated boiling tea) - *gulp*. That terrible noise that had come to symbolize Izzy's misfortune sent the squirrel into a flurry of panic, the rodenty squirming like mad as he seemed to try to tear himself out of his feline containment. As the liquid came splashing down on him, Izzy let out a squeal of fear, his mouth open slightly as the fluid drenched him from above. Although the rodent winced at the sensation of the way-too-hot-to-be-pouring-on-my-head tea (though it wasn't nearly as bad as the rodent thought it would be), his squirrelly mind couldn't help but perk up slightly as his tongue finally got around to informing his brain of what the terrible liquid tasted like. The familiar taste combined with the knowledge that he wasn't going to die a slow and horrible death in the pred's belly calmed him down in strides, his squirming slowing to a stop but his pitiful whimpers remaining a constant as the situation (though no longer deadly) still was no fun and a very humbling thing to go through.

randomfox12245: The cat sighed as he felt the warm beverage cascade down into his belly, and let out a moan of pleasure as his meal went a little crazy from the experience and squirmed about against his inner walls. It felt absolutely divine for the predator, feeling his food struggling in a blind panic inside of his belly, it just sent shivers down his spine to the tip of his tail! When they died from after the initial sip he actually mewled a bit in disappointment at the lack of activity, perking up in devious intent when he took another loud gulp of tea to try and encourage more, eventually finishing the whole cup in energetic bliss. The feeling of his food chest-deep in some wonderfully tangy liquid and trashing about in a panic against his slick stomach walls was wondrous in and of itself, but the caffeine from the tea surging through his bloodstream put a perk in his whiskers; the day had officially begun! With a gleeful meow he rubbed over his belly, giving the pudgy bulge there an overly cheerful "Good morning! And how are you this fine day, my good little belly filler?" As mentioned before, this cat was kinda weird. Most predators put the fact that there was a shivering little prey in their belly out of their mind beyond some good natured squirm induing teasing here and there, but this feline actually attempted to converse with Izzy, no matter how one sided the conversations were and how they eventually just devolved into ignored begging on the side of the squirrel to be let out. Never the less, the sound of his predator's voice resonated all around the walls surrounding him, sending ripples and waves through the bitey tea he now had as a room-mate, making it utterly unignorable if nothing else.

Isaac Shadetail: As the hot liquid poured over him in the belly, Izzy whined softly at what he was powerless to stop. As if he needed one more thing to remind him that he was inside of someone's stomach, nothing rubbed that point in your face like the knowledge that you were being doused in something because the predator was drinking it. Again, that situation was only true for one location and that location was a predator's belly and nowhere else. It was unmistakably a part of being food and one that made the little squirrel's ears lower flat against his head as he sat there, drenched in tea, simply forced to experience it. There was nothing he could do but let it happen to him. He couldn't help but jump, though, as that horrible sound reprised itself as the predator gulped down another mouthful of tea. Even though he already knew it wasn't going to hurt him, he didn't dare assume any situation carried with it no intrinsic risk. Being in a belly does that kind of thing to you - since you are completely in the dark (literally and figuratively) and completely subject to whatever the predator wishes to do to you more-so than ever, assumptions feel unsafe and it was a good idea to act as if everything is the first time you've ever experienced it. Sure, it may have been tea coming down his esophagus that first time, but whose to say it won't be something worse this time? You could never know. Thus, the squirrel (despite himself) treated his predator to another bout of pleasurable squirming as the terrible liquid once again rained down upon him, another sad squeak of despair sounding from the poor little guy. Soon enough, the entire cup of tea had joined him in the belly and he could do little other than simply slosh around in the unwelcome addition to his new home, whining sadly as he wiggled about in the tummy. Right on time, something worse happened and made the little squirrel's heart sink even lower - that terrible sensation of the predator rubbing his full belly washed over the rodent again and, just as things couldn't get any worse, the feline chose this moment to speak to the humbled little critter. The squirrel let out a particularly sad whimper in response to the cat's words, his defeated and humbled squirrelly mind unable to allow himself to form words even if he weren't terrified of saying the wrong thing (and perhaps getting another cup of tea for his trouble). Instead, the rodent simply whimpered softly at the cat's inquiry, wiggling a little to try and get into a more comfortable position in the ocean of tea.

randomfox12245: The feline giggled at the pathetic response, groping at his protruded gut in confirmation of the little guys 'safe' reply.  It might have disappointed the feline if it wasn't so adorable at the same time, though it did make him lean back and stretch out a bit, his own abdomen muscles pulling at the stomach and squeezing the squirrel into an even smaller chamber and forcing the difference in pressure and surface area to raise the tea level up to his neck. Oh that couldn't have felt good, literally almost being drowned from the sole action of the predator who'd ingested you performing an action to give himself comfort. It was like no matter what the feline did, Izzy suffered. Even the fact this particular cat had been born at all had sealed the squirrel's fate from day one, since this predator existed on the planet it meant the rodent would one day inhabit his belly. Even the weak justification that if that hadn't been so he might have just been eaten by another didn't hold up since that nagging doubt that anything might have happened to avert this horrible fate, but because this cat was alive and had stumbled across Izzy when he had, it meant the squirrel was doomed to a lifetime of suffering a prey's worst nightmare, day in and day out. All that, all those horrible facts and might have beens and should have but never wills swirling about, and all the cat could think about was how disappointed he was in his meal's whimpering reply. "You know, you're not much fun anymore. You squirm nice enough and all, but before, you used to whine and beg to be let out...but lately all you've done is just whimper like a little bitch." He frowned and gave his gut a small pat, causing the prey filled belly to jiggle a bit comically, giving Izzy a nice sloshing bit of tea to be dunked under as a result now that things had recomformed back to their natural shape. "What are you scared of, honestly? It's not like I can do anything worse to you...well, okay...I could, but I wouldn't! I mean come on, you're my food and all, but is it really so much to ask to have something in the way of a conversation with ya once in a while?" The feline gave a small hopeful smile as he questioned his tummy. If one didn't know any better it would be easy to mistake the cat for a schizophrenic, but as it was it'd have been more accurate to say he was just immature. Clearly this one hadn't heeded his mother's advice to not play with his food, though knowing him he probably figured that playing with it after it was already eaten qualified as a loophole.

Isaac Shadetail: The sound of the cat's laughter seeped into the rodent's very bones; he was right next to his lungs, after all and he let out a barely audible squeak as his pitiful sounds got the reply they so often got from the feline. One needn't worry if they had a hard time hearing the pathetic little sound, though, as it was followed by another much louder one in response to the sensation of the walls of flesh all around him begin to tighten and constrict, almost completely collapsing in on the little squirrel. Of course, this was only made worse by the sensation of simple physics displacing the liquid that had pooled all around the feeble little rodent, causing it to rise higher and higher as the muscles around the stomach collapsed the organ more and more. The squirrel panicked as he felt the hot liquid rise further and further up his body, terrified that this simple act of his predator's self-pleasure would drown him in the terrifying (though tasty) liquid all around him. The squirrel let out a string of desperate, squeaky whines as the tea level peaked and hovered at his neck, the squirrel certain that it would continue and do him in. It finally receded, though, and the squirrel breathed a (literal) sigh of relief, another pitiful sound coming from the squirrel as an emotional result of his second near death experience in only a few seconds. As the squirrel climbed down in small steps from yet another one of his plateaus of fear, the sound of the cat's taunting voice was what greeted him at the bottom. Relief at having avoided drowning quickly gave way to more pitiful noises and wiggles as the cat taunted him and his submission to his fear. The cat's words still stung, though, as he critiqued Izzy's quality as a meal and he found himself merely reenforcing the cat's statement by supplying him with even more pitiful little whimpers. Of course, this was not helped by a quick confirmation of his fears as the cat confirmed that he could indeed make the squirrel's situation even worse if he wanted to, a little squeak mixing into his pathetic soundtrack as he winced at this news. Sitting there, drenched in tea, up to his chest in uncomfortably hot liquid, forced to feel the vibrations of the predator's words echo through his very fur, the squirrel suddenly formed words.

"...I...I w-want t-to...g-go h-home...."

His eyes closed as he made the simple statement, sniffling a little as tears threatened to form in his eyes. It wasn't even a plea or a beg or anything like that - he knew the feline was never going to actually let him do that, but...sitting there all drenched in hot tea and head swimming with thoughts of 'I have a whole lifetime of this ahead of me'...the little squirrel couldn't help but simply state what he was feeling.

randomfox12245: The cat smirked at the sound of his pitiful little morsel finally putting those vocal chords to proper use and saying something! It was quite a relief; after so long of only getting whimpers and sobs out of the poor thing he was worried maybe he'd gone all Gollum on the cat. And while the context of those celebration worthy words might insight sympathy or empathy in most who heard it, the cat could only sigh and shake his head condescendingly, as if finding something in that statement incredibly ignorant, but still cute. "Silly squirrel...you /are/ home! I'm your home now, because you're my food and cat food belongs in a cats belly!" He giggled at his own answer to the depressing statement, a pretty cliché predator line to be honest, and while that didn't make it any less soul crushing to hear for Izzy the cat at least seemed aware enough of that to add an attempt of comfort afterwards. "But isn't that kinda nice, in a way? Even if it's scarey in there, it's better than that dilapidated little building I found you in, isn't it? That wasn't a home, you just hid there."A feline attempt at comfort didn't amount to much, but the cold truth was probably a lot more uncomfortable to sit with than that tangy tea, even if it splashed against his already soggy fur like a bathtub in a mobile home thanks to the churning of the belly. Did that observation, that Izzy's life before he was devoured being quite clearly a horrendous experience in and of itself, mean the feline thought he had saved the squirrel and blessed him with an improved standard of living? Of course not - he just saw the rodent as food like any other pred, but being the little oddball he was he still held a very child like view of the situation; in that he'd rather Izzy was, well, accepting of his new lot in life and took all the usual predatory teasing in stride and good humor! Most preds took a rather sociopath view towards their meals, but this feline still wanted what he learned in children's books to be true, even if he knew the harshness of reality wasn't so positive. After a few moments of drumming his fingers against his tummy as if expecting some kind of response the kitty just sighed and shrugged, waddling about to get ready to venture out into the outside world by grabbing a jacket, his keys and cellphone, and wallet. This cat was a social animal, and he'd rather spend his day out and about amongst his fellow fursacks then cooped up all day taking cat naps!

Isaac Shadetail: The familiar sound of the squirrel's whimpering would only ring out again in light of the feline's response to his pitiful little attempt at a sentence. Even though he had expected as much, it still hurt to actually hear his predator say it. It was almost like setting himself up to fall - he practically knew what the cat was going to say before he even stuttered out his shaky muttering of words; why did he even say it at all? I guess, deep down, he still held on to a slight glimmer of false hope that he could, if he tried hard enough, convince this predator to let him go using simple submission and language. This was almost a little boarder-line insane; this was several weeks into life as food, after all. Surely, he had to have serenaded this pred with all sorts of pleas for freedom and mercy by this point, trying all different kinds of pitiful little pasted together sentences to try and sway the feline's heart, and yet...he was still in his belly. There was no escape, no matter how much he cried and pleaded; this cat merely saw him as food. The feeling was only hammered home due to the cat's continued statement, Izzy sniffling sadly as the predator then tried to toss in a bit of what some would call optimism onto the end of his predatory jab, chalking up life within the cat's body as one better spent when compared to what the squirrel was referring to when voicing his longing to return 'home'. While Izzy would be the first to admit that his squalid little home certainly wasn't going to be featured in any design magazines any time soon, it was all the little guy had. 'Where a prey hides' after all is the very definition of a prey's home. Not even homeless predators would even consider for a moment the prospect of living in something so squalid and meager, but...it was the only place where Izzy felt safe. It was the only place he felt like he was protected and the boogeyman couldn't get him. Of course, that turned out to be a bit of misinformation since...y'know...he got eaten and everything. Still, though, the squirrel's meager little dwelling was the only place he felt even remotely safe and now...all of that was taken from him. He would give anything to be back there, able to feel a small bit of comfort at the familiarity of his home...or anywhere other than a cat's belly, really. Everything after that is an improvement. As such, Izzy was only able to offer a few more sad sniffles as the cat waited for a more interesting response, wallowing in left over self-pity and despair.

randomfox12245: With his first attempt to drag a meaningful conversation kicking and screaming out of his little snack an utter failure, the feline was ready to strike out and seize the day! Unfortunately, it being the dead middle of winter, the cat had to wear a baggy hoodie to retain as much body heat as possible, which meant it wasn't as easy for people to notice his prominent prey filled belly and shower him with complements as was the norm and preference for kitty cats who enjoyed having their egos stroked almost as much as that little patch behind their ears, but thankfully there'd be plenty of make-up for the lack of street cred once he got to his job around noon. 'Til then the only other folk walking around the cityscape this time of year and at this hour were the ones who absolutely HAD to, which meant scruffy business peoples, the impoverished (which by non predator standards was still exorbitantly privileged) those paid to, and of course the odd prey here and there. Wasn't unheard of to see the random stray skittering about, willing to risk walking into the jaws of death for a chance at some decent food at a time when there was significantly less risk of being caught than usual, or hell maybe even the rare lucky prey who'd escaped predatory confinement and was striving out for freedom, who knew really? For a keen experienced eye, which was a given for this particular feline considering he was an officially accomplished and successful predator by virtue of the fact he had a belly full of prey (and tea), to pick out what would normally only be seen in one's peripheral vision clear as day. There were rodents scurrying across the rooftops, rafters, catwalks, alleys...these risk taking vermin were really hedging their bets on taking advantage of sleepy cold winter days to scavenge when there were comparatively few predators roaming the streets. He'd even caught a particularly delicious looking mouse red handed when he skipped through an alley as a short cut to his current destination, the little bugger scrounging for new rags to help keep him warm; the poor thing look terrified before he risked the cold and lifted his jacket enough to show off his squirrel-filled paunch, which gave the other rodent an instant sense of relief. This predator was off the market, that squirming bulge said, which was a pretty naïve stance for prey to take in the feline's opinion. After all, who was to say one little snack of a squirrel was enough for his appetite? Who was to say altruism wouldn't prevail and he'd decide to introduce the mouse to a new home where he wouldn't ever have to worry about being cold again? Who was to say he wouldn't just snag and tag the little guy and sell him at market to lazier or less successful predators? Well, whatever it was that made undevoured food do the stupid things they did, it was of no concern to this kitty. He was a one squirrel type of guy! The ridiculous risks prey took in blatant disregard of common sense was of no concern to him now that he had his special belly occupant, and if they wanted to engage in what would simply hasten their inevitable status as stomach stuffing, that was their business. And it was the cat's to finally arrive at his destination and sigh happily as he entered the heated establishment - a gaming store. This place opened extra early for the holiday season and was the kitty's preferred haunt for the morning hours to socialize with frazzled shoppers, disgruntled employees, and even work on a few of the saves he had on some of the display games. Not a very eventful way to spend the first couple hours of the day, but it got the blood pumping for how he'd spend the rest of it, and gave Izzy a chance to eavesdrop on some inherently predatory conversations, being something of an inside source and all.

Isaac Shadetail: The rodent was left to sulk in his predator's gut as the feline set off to do whatever it was predators did. Throughout his whole life, Izzy had been absolutely fascinated by the question of what life as a predator must be like. Of course, the crippling fear of living out your worst nightmare (which was an ongoing thing in this case, since even though getting eaten was the nightmare, being in a belly was a nightmare in its own right) had somewhat diminished the amount of neurons not completely devoted to depression, crying, begging, pondering one's existence as food, et cetera. All other thoughts and wonderings had been shut off in the wake of the biggest disaster in the squirrel's life. Deep down, though, he couldn't help but still carry with him a small flame of curiosity about what it must be like to be a predator. Being inside of one wasn't helping...this is what being prey feels like, and he was already an expert at that. This did, in a pro/con kind of way, sort of provide a unique way to answer those questions - in a weird way, he would be living a predator's life (or at least observing from the passenger's seat). In a bizarre twist, it was almost like Izzy had gotten his wish - he was indeed going to get first hand experience at exactly what predators do with their lives (or, at least whatever words he could make out through the cat's belly flesh). Somewhat cruelly, Izzy was getting the wish that had burned inside of him for such a long time granted...and he didn't like it one bit. Before, when he wasn't just a lump in a feline's belly, he would spend hours at a time staring out his window and observing the predator city he was currently in. Now, he would get his biggest wish and would be able to actually experience what it was like to be there...granted, he wouldn't actually be able to 'see' it and would experience everything through several layers of skin and fat and muscle and clothes et cetera, but his body was within the boarder of the city he had spent so long admiring from a distance. His biggest dream and worst nightmare had come true - he was finally able to be in the big pred city...but he was in a belly. That was the only way he would ever see it, though - he would never have been able to actually gather up the courage to trek out to the city from his home like all of those other preys seen skittering about. He couldn't believe it when he saw little groups of prey critters all scampering down the patchy road that lead to the predator city. He couldn't comprehend that prey could be that brave...or stupid, depending on how you look at it.

randomfox12245: The hours whittled away in the same monotonous drone of stomach churning and random tidbit conversations, but for Izzy every word about some unseen unknowable predator's life might have been at the very least a mini distraction from his horror show made real of a life. After all, in a way this was perfect: he couldn't see the predator talking, no way of knowing who or what it was, and was in no danger of ever having to worry about it eating him! Granted that came from the fact that he was already constantly surrounded by the worst kind of pred in the world, the one who had caught him, and he didn't need to worry because he'd already been eaten and thus would never have the chance of being eaten again. Well...he might have, if the feline allowed it one day, but it didn't seem feasible anytime soon. Regardless, the conversations struck up with the store's employees and customers was a treasure trove of information on a predatory lifestyle! Stacey was having trouble with her boyfriend, Greg just had kids, Steve hated his job, Janet just caught her first prey and offered it to a boy she'd had a crush on in lieu of chocolates but he never called back. It was a far cry from the mob mentality of prey, huddling together in small groups who could only worry about what could be done to guarantee survival for the most members of the community as possible until the next day. Hell, even when the feline hadn't anyone to chat with, Izzy was still treated to the soundtrack of his predator's voice buzzing around his surroundings, thanks to the feline's quirky habit of reading out loud to himself. Whether the cat was aware of whatever peripheral enjoyment his food was getting out of getting a story told to him or not, or even that reading and experiencing stories was one of the things that'd kept the squirrel sane in his pre-food life at all, was hard to say. At the very least it provided a nice distraction, but once it wore off the crushing realization set back in, that they were all just that - distractions. No matter what it was, positive or negative, nothing that could ever happen to the poor rodent from now on could be anything but a momentary distraction from his new lifelong imprisonment as mere food. And to the predator it was all just killing time, every slight gurgle and churn of his belly being another tick of the clock until he had somewhere more interesting to be, the feelings or foibles of the morsel inhabiting his gut the furthest thing from his mind.

Isaac Shadetail: Izzy was somewhat thrown for a loop as his in-tummy experience completely changed gears. Just today, he had gone from the silent stillness of the cat sleeping (Izzy always woke up slightly before his predator so he experienced a good amount of simply being alone with his own thoughts every morning), to nearly being boiled to death by a simple beverage the predator enjoyed, to nearly being drowned by the same beverage once the threat of third degree burns were no longer a possibility, to being taunted, and then being left a few moments to experience the stomach-shifting movement of the feline walking. Now, after all of that, his ears were greeted with a flurry of new sound. Voices. Voices of all kinds; male, female, younger, older, all conversing about a countless number of topics. It took Izzy a moment to really figure out what was happening, because everything going on was something he wasn't used to. He wasn't used to the murmured conversation that a crowd of people all conversing at once creates. He had never heard that before - he had only been around other prey and when prey get together, there isn't much time to chat like the kind of conversation he was hearing. Groups of prey could never stay in one place for too long - too risky. You might as well just hang up an 'All You Can Eat' sign. The squirrel couldn't help but get a little bit excited about what he was hearing when he finally put two and two together and realized that these were all predators talking. He even found himself leaning closer to the outside-facing wall of the cat's belly to better hear some of the things being said. For just a moment, while the cat carried on conversations that must have seemed mundane as anything to the predator, the squirrel found himself excitedly listening in, able to unintentionally eavesdrop on a predator conversation without the risk of becoming lunch! It was almost like a dream come true...again, a dream come true that could only do so in exchange for your worst nightmare becoming reality. The only way to remove the risk is to get eaten. Regardless, the rodent found himself not forgetting but momentarily putting aside the knowledge that he was inside of a predator's belly for just a moment and indulge himself in the plethora of information that was given to him just by accidental virtue of being food. Although he would eventually come down from this momentary high, for the moment, the squirrel allowed himself to actually enjoy hearing his predator speak as he read aloud, the act of hearing a story calming him in rather large strides.

randomfox12245: Eventually the day passed into lunch hour, and the feline had to be on his way, getting an accusatory glance from the teller for hanging around so long without making a purchase. Small price for good company; these kind of stores at this time of day always brought in such interesting people to toss the breeze with. But that time had come to a close and the kitty was off to punch in for his shift, traversing the criss-cross of the city once more with far more crowded streets to delve through than before. The kind of people going about their business around noon were a vastly different crowd then the ones skittering about in the day, and it granted the cat much more of an opportunity for on the spot connections. Oh this feline loved those, probably a result of his long lost ancestors rubbing their cheeks against everything they could reach to leave their mark, but whatever the reason this kitty just liked getting to know people even if he ended up never seeing them again. He took to it with the same childlike wonder that he did nearly everything else, but still with the same critical jaded view that reality simply wasn't always what you thought it should be. After all, he had living proof of that right there stewing in his gut! But as much as he liked to believe that more grown up view of things allowed him some measure of safety in his immature outlook, he still ended up making idiotic decisions from time to time...like when he decided to duck through that same alley as earlier for a shortcut, in the middle of the lunch rush, all alone without paying attention to his surroundings. It was almost prey like behavior and it was rewarded with only a moment to notice the stirrings in the shadows before he was pounced upon and pinned to the wall. His stomach lurched, no doubt giving Izzy the same jolt of reality crashing down like a ton of bricks as the feline was experiencing once his mind finished reeling and he found himself being pelted in the face with humid dog breath. Cats being what they were, it was sometimes easy for them to forget that, no matter how high of an opinion they held of themselves, they still didn't technically top the food chain, which made them at least slightly vulnerable. Even if common predatory society frowned upon it, sometimes the sight of some stuffed, oblivious, solitary little kitten wandering past when one was at the peak of hunger was too much for a canine to resist, which was how scenarios like the one facing Izzy's predator came about. Here he was, big bad predator condemning a squirrel to a lifetime of being mere food, and he was being subjected to the same skin crawling fear that no doubt filled every waking moment of that poor rodent's life. Of course, it wasn't the same octave per say, but the same general range of emotions that was common to anyone staring into starved eyes and a drooling maw. Of course he at least handled it a bit better than Izzy ever could, trying to convince the crazed mutt of what a stupid idea he was getting up to and even attempting to fight and push the dog away and claw at his face as a last resort, all transmitting to the squirrel as some painful jostling of the stomach that confirmed the suspicions a cold silent stomach might have raised after the initial pouncing. Exactly what was going on could only be guessed, but as a prey it might have been easier to figure out than first suspected, considering those feelings of life threatening fear were transmitting down like a lightning rod to the chamber containing him, but whatever pondering that might have been required to arrive at such a conclusion would have to wait until the violet trashing of his predator and his assailant ceased enough for thought processes to resume, since for now things were mostly just a flurry of curses and punches.

Isaac Shadetail: As the squirrel reveled in the sudden influx of fascinating information on predators as the cat went about his usual routine (the fact that he was carrying a little squirrel around with him as a passenger now not affecting him or his actions in the slightest), his mind ran on all cylinders as it tried to process and store all of this new input. His little squirrelly brain kept having mini epiphanies as it combined the information already stored within it with all of this fantastic new info,  puzzle pieces falling into place as he figured out and formulated answers to so many questions he'd had about predators and what their lives are like. It was like finding 100 new books, but even better! Again, this was something the squirrel would dream of doing, listening in as a fly on the wall to conversations between predators. Eventually, though, the wonderful conversations and reading ceased as the cat decided it was time to leave. Izzy's mind was still whirling at hundreds of miles per hour as it went over and over and over everything he had heard, analyzing everything that was said that he could remember to ensure he had heard it correctly. It was quite a nice distraction to the hellish existence that his life had turned into and his little head was still swimming with thoughts and all kinds of new questions that everything he'd heard had brought up as that all too familiar sensation of his feline predator walking started up again, the flesh around him flexing and moving in all kinds of directions. The squirrel let out a squeak of surprise when his container was suddenly jostled by some outside force, the rodent's mind instantly snapping out of its distracted escape and immediately trying to figure out what the cat was doing to him. A cold splash of confusion washed over the squirrel, though, as a familiar aura suddenly filled his living chamber - prey fear. Izzy could detect it anywhere, any prey could. Of course, it wasn't nearly as strong as the kind Izzy was used to (living in the middle of a prey slum and all) but it still was unmistakably that fear of a nearby predator that the squirrel inside of the cat's belly knew all too well. Izzy struggled to imagine that the terrifying feline predator that he currently resided in as food could actually be experiencing something the squirrel experienced, let alone something like this. Even though the squirrel knew of the food chain and all of its eccentricities, he had a very hard time imagining that something was actually fixing to eat his predator. Even just that sentence seemed so odd and out of place in the squirrel's mind. Be it true, however, that presented quite a scary situation - to be in a belly...in a belly? How the hell do you get out of that? Thankfully, though, Izzy had little time to ponder this as he was tossed about in the cat's belly as his pred attempted to ward off his attacker, something the squirrel could never imagine doing himself.

randomfox12245: Valiant as his attempts were, the feline's efforts were as fruitless as the squirrel's, though one couldn't fault him for his efforts, having given his own wannabe predator a new scar over his cheek to remember him by. Of course, having him within his abhorrent dog belly would probably have been a better one and certainly the beast's plan from the get go, and one that seemed inevitable now that he had his flexible but weak feline arms pinned harmlessly overhead, the forced stretching out of his upper body revealing his inflated tummy. The sight seemed to fascinate the stereotypically dimwitted canine for a moment, even encouraging a congratulatory rub over the belly with his free paw (the other one holding the cat's still struggling arms with ease) offering his intended meal some knowing praise, as if any potential guilt of intending to ingest another predator was assuaged now that he knew the kitty already had his own meal to enjoy. After all he'd fulfilled one of his life's duties as a predator, to fill his belly with a prey even lower on the food chain than him, and now he was going to fulfill his other duty as a helpless kitten in the grasp of a hungry brute of a canine. And while rodents or leporines or even raccoons might have begged or pleaded for a chance to be set free, instead the feline let out a vicious verbal assault of slander and insults, citing the law against unconcensual predator on predator consumption, and all manner of other venomous insight that the dog either chose to ignore or went over his head. At this particular moment after all, they weren't civilized higher beings enjoying their place as a natural and evolutionarily earned position of society. Right then, they were both just as senseless animals as their ancestors had been; the prey, fearing for life and limb and a future in the fresh air outside of a belly, and the predator cool and keen and in control. For a little bit there the feline was convinced that his number had come up, and the folks waiting for him at his job would forever have to wonder what became of him and why he'd never been able to come into work again, because now he was going to pass beyond those drooling, neanderthal dog lips and become nothing more than a lump in a belly himself. Fortunately for him, the feline possessed and unnatural luck Izzy simply didn't have and a sharp whistle cut through the air to interupt their encounter, the source of which turning out to be a police officer. The uniformed predator, a canine herself ironically, simply crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently until the senseless canine sighed and relented, releasing his feline prey in disappointment. Said cat wanted nothing more then to gouge the arrogant insult of a predator's eyes out right then and there, but instead he was allowed to pad away with a smile that half said 'like I was really gonna do it' and half 'you won't be so lucky next time' before leaving the alley in search of a more appropriate meal. Once well and out of sight, the officer snorted and offered the traumatized feline a pat on the gut before heading off into the afternoon crowd herself, leaving him alone in the alley to privately deal with his experience. Which he did so by utterly breaking down into a fetal position against the wall, clutching his knees to his forehead and squeezing around his own belly desperately as if trying to get to Izzy through his own layers of flesh and fur to get anything resembling a comforting hug out of the only person who might offer one within arms reach. He didn't cry or sob or anything of that sort, he was a self respecting cat after all, but a few minutes scrunched up alone to repress the experience as nothing but a bad dream was enough to flood the normally haughty, hungry belly with a more familiar feeling that Izzy could probably relate to a bit more. And it was interesting...humanizing. Suddenly the all powerful all manipulating feline predator who'd doomed him to a lifetime of snackery wasn't so untouchable, suddenly just as vulnerable, if only for the few minutes it took him to recover from the near life-ruining experience.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel was left in the dark as he was tumbled around in the cat's tummy, the feline valiantly giving his all to fend off the predator with their sights on him. The rodent squeaked softly with every impact, his eyes darting around uselessly (what was there to see in the dark?) as he tried to figure out what could be happening. It was terrifying - not only was he not in control of the situation, the person who controlled him had lost control of the situation as well. The supply lines were getting longer and harder to maintain here - what would happen to the rodent was now being decided by a THIRD party. The hierarchy would be ridiculous; he'd have to beg the cat to beg the dog to let both of them out! Made your head spin. Unfortunately, the rodent's head was spinning quite well on its own as he was tumbled around in the belly. Eventually, though, all went still in an eerie manner as the feline's angry words vibrated through his entire body as he was surged to and fro by jerky little movements, the cat obviously restrained and struggling to break the hold (though not succeeding). The little squirrel was panicking in the belly, a constant stream of squeaks coming from his lungs as he tried to right himself (he thought he was upside-down, but it was rather hard to tell). Things weren't made better on that front when he felt that familiar ripple of flesh across his container as Izzy's predator's attacker roughly rubbed over the feline's stuffed belly, complimenting him on his catch, the rodent in question letting out a squeal and squirming hard in an attempt to once again find some way out of the stomach and still coming up empty. The squirrel struggled to come to terms with this new turn of events, the shock that his predator was about to be eaten himself sending waves of emotion through his nerves. He couldn't believe this was happening! Just as earlier that morning with the feline's tea, however, a sharp whistle cut right through the air, clearly audible inside of the feline. It's meaning far less clear this time around (Izzy had never seen a police officer before; there were no cops protecting prey slums, after all), the squirrel's mind once again rife with confusion. As the goings on in the outside world passed in silence, the rodent was left to wonder what was happening as he waited for something...anything to tell him what was happening to his predator and, by proxy, him. The answer eventually came, however, and the squirrel at first squirmed with startled vigor as the belly squeezed him from all angles, the rodent scared that it was beginning to feed again or something. Suddenly, though, Izzy stopped moving when an overwhelming emotion flowed over him. For some reason, it just clicked into his head that this was not what he feared it was, it...it felt kind of like a hug. As that familiar aura of fear and vulnerability and desire for short-term comfort flooded his squishy chamber, the squirrel pieced together that his predator must have escaped uneaten and was now reeling in the post-pred-encounter stress disorder that prey like Izzy knew all too well. Suddenly feeling a desire to comfort his predator (as crazy as that sounded, Izzy knew exactly what he was going through and knew it wasn't a fun thing to experience), the little squirrel timidly nuzzled the nearest belly wall gently in a little attempt at mitigating the pred's fears. Suddenly, the big bad predatory feline that had gobbled him up and was intent on keeping him within his body for the rest of his life, despite his pleas and begging for freedom, seemed more like a creature of the preyish persuasion that Izzy felt the need to comfort, if not just for a moment before he came back around. Until then, though, Izzy continued to nuzzle the belly wall, hoping to make the vulnerable feline feel better.

randomfox12245: The feline sighed after a minute or two of wallowing in his own overly dramatized misery, sniffing a bit and wiping at his face before leaning back and trying to relax. This was hardly the first time he'd been...accosted. Cats weren't exactly at the top of the food chain even if they were high enough to be protected by the law, but he was still teased every now and then especially in his younger years when he'd get 'volunteered' by his 'friends' to help them refine their hunting skills. But it was never something to let ruin his life or anything, but that was...well, more violent than he was used to dealing with. But felines had a knack for getting over things quickly and just moving on, so those couple minutes of fretting was all he needed! Now that he was back in his right mind though his whiskers twitched a bit as he noticed the contact from within his belly, feeling Izzy nuzzling at his inner walls in an attempt to be comforting to the very being who'd ingested him. It occurred to him that any other predator might have taken such an action as...well he didn't know, all he knew was how he reacted to it and the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it wasn't a very common one. He smiled and rubbed back against the sympathetic cheek nuzzling against the walls within. It actually warmed his heart a great deal to know the squirrel was willing to care about him and try to make him feel better, whatever and however the form, in his moment of need. If nothing else it really just gave him something to hope for, that maybe this meant his own childish pred/prey ideal would come about...someday. Until then, all he could do was lean in and whisper a quiet 'thank you' to his own belly before pushing himself up and taking a deep breath to shake off the experience. It was in the past now and he wasn't hurt, so time to put it behind him and move on to the rest of his life! He had a place to be after all, so with a final pat of his gut that he hoped would be taken the way he'd intended instead of as another cruel possessive claim, he set off back into the streets.

Isaac Shadetail: As Izzy continued to nuzzle at the walls of flesh all around him, the little squirrel wished there was something he could do to mitigate the aura of emotions that filled up the cat's belly almost as much as the tea had earlier. Being inside of the feline's stomach made it rather difficult to offer much emotional support, however, so he just resigned to his meager effort of cheek nuzzling. Though the main and sole reason he was doing so was because his compassionate nature urged him to try to ease others' negative emotions whenever possible, perhaps some deeper and repressed part of the rodent's brain believed that this might be his ticket out of his prison. Maybe by comforting the pred so, the feline would feel inclined to thank the squirrel by granting his wish and allowing him to see daylight again. Maybe the cat would realize what kind of emotional torment he had subjected the rodent to and, now that the feline had the opportunity to experience it first hand, would realize how cruel the whole thing really is and consider letting Izzy out. A little desperate, but hey...this was weeks into life as food at this point; the squirrel was willing to grab at whatever stray bits of hope floated through his transom. He squeaked softly as he received acknowledgement for his efforts in the form of a belly rub, the squirrel instantly sure that the motivator behind it was thankfulness and not gustatory pleasure or something scary like that. The rodent could just tell that the cat wasn't playing his standard role of 'big, mean predator muhaha I've got you in my belly!' but was granting acknowledgment of the squirrel's meager efforts at comforting the pred-nearly-turned-meal. Again, Izzy knew how scary that was and (though surprised that a creature like his predator could experience it) was happy that his attempt at soothing those feelings was accepted and appreciated, the feline's 'thank you' earning another happy little squeak as the squirrel smiled happily blushed in the belly (not that anyone could see it). As the feline pulled himself to his feet and started off again, the rodent couldn't help but feel a cold rising of dread in his system that his good deed was not, in actuality, going to earn him his freedom. Again, that wasn't why he'd done it, but...one could only dream in a situation like this.

randomfox12245: The feline breathed deep the crisp winter air as he strode through the crowded streets, feeling something like a new vigor for life stirring from the tip of his twitching tail, most likely as a result of surviving his most unwelcome experience on the other side of the predator/prey relationship, and actually felt a bit closer to the little rodent occupying his churning belly. Perhaps now they could be closer, he thought with dreams just as unlikely as the ones filling the squirrels nutty little head at that moment, since he'd gotten some first hand experience on what it was like to stare down some dark, hungry muzzle. The irony of it did occur to him though, that now that he knew how awful it was he really should take pity on Izzy and let him out, but there was just some kind of mental barrier keeping him from being fully committed to even entertaining the thought! After all there was one major difference in their mutual experience; the cat fought against it, the squirrel just cried and begged. It was like his own predatory instincts had convinced him that because of that difference in resistance technique, it meant Izzy really DID accept he was food and was happy to fulfill his life's purpose, and all the wet-works was just an act he felt he needed to fill in that role...or something. The thought just made him sigh, since he knew none of it was true, and the reality was poor Izzy was suffering beyond reason in his new surroundings and wanted nothing more in the world than to be let out to continue living that pitiful existence he'd enjoyed before being caught. But that simply wasn't going to happen, and they both knew his life would be much more tolerable if he just accepted that and went along with it like he was supposed to! But that was just another sign of the feline's childish dreaming of a better world again, something that didn't do much to improve his mood, but at the very least could be thought of as an appropriate way to look at things considering his job! Which he finally arrived at, coincidentally, letting a warm grin cover his face as he pushed his way into the brightly colored building and into the small receptionist area separating the outside world from what the place of business was about. Specifically, a pastel wonderland of toys, mini slides and swings, a TV set or two connected to some game systems, and a baker's dozen of little kits, kittens, and pups to run around and enjoy it all. The local day care center! And this particular feline just happened to be one of the employees who routinely came in to supervise and play with the kids, today being the first shift since he'd devoured Izzy that he was slotted for duty. Already, the muffled noises of playtime penetrated the squishy stomach walls to insight the rodents curiosity and horror.

Isaac Shadetail: The good feeling of having lessened the suffering of a critter stressed out over an encounter with a pred began to fade, only to be replaced with the depression that typified Izzy's experience so far as belly stuffing. Though it was detectably not as bad as it had been before the feline's little encounter, the squirrel still felt himself sink slowly back into the cold pool of dread that had grown so deep since getting swallowed. His fantasy of being given his freedom in exchange for the ability to see past his situation and offer the horrifying creature that encased him some comfort for being in the exact same situation as him now faded into the realm of 'I knew it wasn't going to happen, but it still kinda hurts'. Much like when a miniscule dusting of snow would fall and all of the school children would eagerly await news that school had been closed only to get their hopes dashed when reality reared itself and a few flakes were not sufficient to bring the entire system to a standstill. You knew it wasn't going to happen but just thinking about it had given you hope by proxy and it couldn't help but sting when that sad little scrap of hope was instantly torn to shreds by reality. Though Izzy let out a pitiful little muttering of sadness, he had to admit that the whole ordeal had really demystified the whole thing at least slightly. His predator was no longer the untouchable, omnipotent being that Izzy couldn't help but view him as - he had his struggles too. And he also was not an apex predator and indeed carried with him a risk that was very familiar to the little squirrel-made-foodstuff - fear of being devoured. Suddenly, he had a way to relate at least a little to his predator. For just a moment, it was as if they were both prey and on the same level playing field. Izzy was scared of dogs too, after all! They had that in common! Still, though, the shattering of his false hope had saddened the little rodent and he descended back to the mentality one would come to expect after having been in a belly for so long. The cat must be used to his whimpering and sniffling by now! The squirrel's ears perked up, though, as a familiar sound made its way through layers and layers of flesh to reach his sensitive squirrelly ears. Crowd noise! The squirrel's spirits lifted a little at the potential for yet another trip into the treasure trove of information on predator lifestyle. Preparing himself to listen closely to everything he managed to hear, Izzy's head tilted a little at what his ears picked up. The crowd noise was...different somehow. He couldn't place it, but the sound he was hearing didn't quite match up to the previous predator chatter he had enjoyed listening in on. Something about it was different.

randomfox12245: As the feline signed in for his ordeal of playtime with the gaggle of playing predatory children and wiggled out of his hoodie to slip into the institutions de facto uniform, the receptionist responsible for the signing in and out the various children who were dropped off perked and grinned when she noticed the felines distended midsection. "Finally got one, hmm?" she inquired rhetorically, making the feline blush a bit and rub over his squirrelly belly in pride. Despite the, well one could call is a 'mix' of emotions if they wanted to be generous that the cat had about his new occupant, it still was quite a shine to his ego to have his accomplishment acknowledged! After all, now he was officially one of the fed, an adult if you wanted to go by the old ways of thinking, catching a prey and confining it to a lifetime of service to a superior creature's belly being a manhood (and womanhood) ritual for almost every ancient culture throughout history, and even in this more civilized age a predator with a churning gut tended to be viewed with a deal more respect and admiration as everyday celebrities, so to speak. With the pointing out of his well fed gut putting another skip in his step the feline crossed the threshold into the den of the hatchlings. Oh, did this kitty love spending time with children!. He just felt he could relate to them more really, being one of those types who hadn't really grown up if you wanted to be blunt about it. It didn't take long before a group of the playful youngsters noticed one of their favorite chaperones watching over them and excitedly ran over to greet their older playmate. Needless to say once they got close enough they became instantly transfixed on the feline's midsection, practically tackling him to the ground after a few moments of slack-jawed staring, half a dozen furlings scrambling to rub and pat and embrace the prey filled belly, no doubt subjecting the poor rodent within to a hellish couple of seconds before the cat regained control and some semblance of order over the hyper children, inviting them to enjoy the spectacle at a respectful distance and manageable energy level. After all, while it was common to get a belly rub or pat from even strangers as way of congratulations, this was kind of overdoing things, but hey they were kids and at that age all they could think about was the stirrings of hunger for squirming prey flesh, something the cat remembered fondly. Once they'd enjoyed the new stimulus for a bit a number of the group moved away from the kitty to go back to playing, though now organizing a consensual bout of play hunting with each other now that the experience had fixated them on such thoughts of predation, those who remained instead opting to pepper the older pred with questions and playful banter. 

"What is it?" a particularly curious little cheetah asked, the fellow feline taking a shine to the new face instantly.

"He was a squirrel! But now he's just some pudge on my belly!" he smiled as the kids giggled at his remark, one that no doubt horrified Izzy as the one being spoken of as mere food. By now things had calmed down enough for the realization of who the new crowd was composed of could be deduced, at least just in time before being subjected to the terrifying questions and statements he'd be exposed to by the prepubescent carnivores.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel continued his efforts in identifying what was going on in the outside world that he was so close to, but just far away enough to not be a part of anymore. It truly was adding insult to injury - the only thing keeping Izzy from experiencing the outside world was just a few inches of flesh; less than a foot of barrier existed between him and fresh air and freedom. But what a terrible couple of inches they were, though. It just stung a little bit more that, if the tummy walls weren't there, he could just reach out his arm and it would extend past the barrier of the feline. So little was in so much control of his body and it just made things feel worse. Thus, the squirrel was almost obsessed with knowing where he (and his predator) were; he was always trying to collect auditory clues from whatever scraps of sound his ears could pick up to try and piece the puzzle together. He was often wrong but he always tried as hard as he could. Being in such a compromised and vulnerable position made your mind fill with desires to know as much about what was going on around you as possible. It made you feel like you were at least a little in control of your fate. The information ascertained so far, though, left the squirrel none the wiser and the little rodent was still mildly confused as to where he was. He winced when he heard the receptionist's voice congratulating his predator on having eaten the little squirrel, the humbling thought that the predator didn't even know nor care of what species he was, she just referred to him as 'one'. She didn't even say the word 'prey'. The squirrel squeaked when he felt the feline's non-verbal response to the other pred's question and his ears lowered as he was reminded that, although he had a newfound minor comfort with this pred, he was still the same feline that had devoured him and was uninterested in letting him go. He was drawn out of his trance of self-pity, though, as he heard the mysterious sound grow louder as the cat made his way to the gaggle of mini predators. Izzy's head tilted again, though, as the noise level suddenly fell to zero decibels. Luckily, the confusion only lasted mere moments as the squirrel then squealed in surprise as he was suddenly hit with a wave of tummy movement, the jerking motions making the squirrel think that perhaps his predator's canine attacker had returned. Just as quick, though, everything went still again and Izzy was dumped back into that cold pool of confusion. The squirrel was scared now, squeaking slightly as he wiggled around a bit. The sound of the question coming from something high pitched and child-like stopped Izzy dead in his tracks though and instantly he knew what was going on. They were children...predator children...the squirrel's mind didn't know what that meant for him - he had never encountered a child predator before. He didn't know if this was really bad news or might turn out to be a reprieve from all of the terrible questions and comments and belly rubs that fully grown preds offered his predator. Maybe they hadn't started yearning for prey yet and were uninterested in the feline's new belly lump. His hopes were somewhat doused, though, at the predator's response to the question. Whimpering softly at the cat's words, Izzy squirmed a little as he suddenly found himself far less interested in knowing what was being said outside the belly. This wasn't going to be the exciting input of all previous encounters with other preds through a stomach...this wasn't going to be very fun at all.

randomfox12245: The small couple of children more interesting in satisfying their young curiosity than playing stayed clustered around the feline while the rest went about their usual business of imagination and fantasy. These youngins though, the stirrings of the hunt were growing inside them and their instinct to stalk and catch and claim had taken root, so anything even remotely relating to the wondrous experience they'd seen so many adults take enjoyment in, that of eating prey, held their complete undivided attention, let alone an actual prey filled predator sitting right before them! So of course Izzy was to be exposed to all manner of unpleasant information, but distinctly predator lifestyle information none the less. And so the questions came: what did he taste like, how did you catch him, the usual type of nightmarish thing preys might toss and turn in their sleep dreaming about what predators might talk about as they imagined the nightmare of their lives as food. But then the questions took a rather bizarre turn, at least relative to what Izzy might have expected! Like, how happy was he to be in there, what was his name, did the feline think he'd be his true meal for the rest of their lives or would he let him out at some point?  What on earth could they possibly mean by all that!?  But stranger still were the kitty's answers, said in the kind of finely crafted wording of a parent telling their child Santa Claus was real, like he was trying not to burst some childish fantasy with the merciless needle of real life. The curious nature of how things were going promised to be explained at least slightly though once one of the kids, extra excited by the turn of events, went to fetch a popular children's book for the cat to read to them; think The Cat in the Hat meets Everybody Poops. And while the squirrel could hardly see through the darkness of his churning surroundings to see the beautifully detailed pictures of the story, the wonderfully painted verbiage rang true as it reverberated through the inner chamber. It was the story of some young predator child being taken on his first hunting trip with his older brother, being left in some field of flowers to wait while his sibling went stalking until some hapless rabbit came upon them. Far from what would have actually happened if such a situation were to occur in reality, instead the story painted the ideal that the two got along like some romantic couple! At least, by the standards of a seven year old to which the story was marketed, but still the parallels were there to see for anyone mature enough to know of them plain as day! And it all ended with the rabbit delving into the behavior of what one would expect from a prey in such a scenario, fleeing and pleading and crying as it slid away into a lifetime of predatory ingestion, with a final page revealing how even after the process of fulfilling the fate's nature set before them they got along just as well as before and would be together forever. It was OBVIOUS predator propaganda that might have brought a number of things horrifyingly into the light for the poor squirrel. It was clear from an early age predator children were being, well, brainwashed with the idea that not only was their duty to devour prey, but painted it in some kind of romantic light. As very similar to the concept of a soul mate one could spend the rest of their life in a loving relationship with as ordained by fate, there was some 'lucky' prey out there who fate transcribed as some lifelong dietary companion! And furthermore the behavior of the prey critter in the story implied that the prey were just as receptive to the concept as the preds, and merely acted scared for their lives as an act to make things more 'fun' for the superior life-form. And not only that, but from the comments the children were making after the story, they were encouraged to take that 'pretend' time before devouring as far into the realms of psychological horror as they could possibly imagine! True some of that might have required a fair amount of assumption and connecting the dots, but most of it was practically handed to the eavesdropping rodent on a silver platter. Could NOT have been a very fun experience to be privy too.

"Mr. Kitty? Could you maybe let Izzy out so I could hunt him?" one of the kids asked, getting a couple of jealous glances from her peers. "He might even be my perfect prey! Come on, pleeeease, I'd paint him with food coloring and seasoning so he'd taste better and everything!" 

The squirrel's predator had to get a chuckle out of that. Oh, man...if Izzy were out and about in a room full of hungry instinct budding predator children he'd probably die of a heart attack before they even got one foot in their mouths! It actually almost made the feline look good in comparison, all he'd done was cradle the poor sobbing squirrel for a bit and asked him his name before devouring him, no mind fucks or physical torment or anything. These tykes were like baby rattlesnakes: no self restraint. "No, Bebe, he's my food. If you want a meal save up your allowance and go buy your own." 

The younger predator frowned at that, but then shrugged and rubbed over the pudgy bulge of squirrel before grinning with innocent childish glee. "Naw, I should really catch my own. It wouldn't be special unless I hunted my own little morsel and did stuff to 'em before yumyumming them away. Like asking 'em about their family! Like how they'll never see them again, and be all sad and stuff, but really I'd know what they meant." The squirrel could practically feel the young huntresses' grin as she pressed against the belly containing him, the surge of unpracticed instinct flooding into the chamber like a lightning rod. "I'd know my belly was where they belonged, and how they were really happy they'd get to be nothing but my food forever. We'd have so much fun." That warped sense of right and wrong, the sociopath outlook on prey life, and all coming from the sweet voice of a young girl who even kissed the squirrelly belly in an attempt to share honest if brutal affection with the rodent within. "It might even be a squirrel like you, Izzy~ That'd be really special..."

The feline himself was a bit torn, being forced to be a front row witness and all. On the one hand, it was beautiful to see such childlike, if naïve outlooks on how the world should be, on how wonderful it would be if prey really did see their place in life like these kids thought they did, like how it was in the book. And yet he knew it wasn't how it was, and that poor Izzy was being pelted with all this was probably driving him mad, maybe even encouraging a few frantic pleasurable squirms, but even that slight bliss wouldn't take away the sting. While he loved teasing his prey as much as the next predator, the fact the squirrel didn't enjoy it deep down like he and these kids thought he should have hurt a bit. Most predators just grew out of that childish whimsy and really looked down on prey as just walking foodstuff to be tucked away, but this immature feline wished for the best of both worlds. But that just wasn't the way it was, and hopefully as these kids grew they'd be just as numb to it as the rest of the adult world, so they wouldn't have their stomachs soured with unfulfilled wishes like his. Either way though, they couldn't spend all day lauding over his belly like he was pregnant or something, so eventually he had to encourage them to go play and take part in a few organically organized activities that probably shook up his belly like no tomorrow, but hey, work was work, and it was fun enough to take his mind off those depressing thoughts for a good number of hours that seemed to swim by far too quickly, with nothing but the slowly evaporating pool of morning tea to act as a clock for the poor prey barely separated from it all.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel within the belly getting all this attention and admiration had come upon a mental dead end. Though he was completely obsessed with learning about and trying to understand what a predator's life could be like, he still was far from knowing all there was to be known about it. In fact, the squirrel's prey mind prevented him from understanding most things about a predator's life. Facts were one thing but if you don't have the instinct and knowledge to apply those facts to real life and bind them together into something that makes sense, they are completely worthless. Izzy could read as many books as he liked about predators and still, the basic element of the entire concept would escape him. There were so many huge gaping, empty holes in the landscape of Izzy's understanding of predators. This was a prime example of such a logistical black hole - he knew absolutely nothing about what predators were like as children. He honestly hadn't even given the subject that much thought, he would often just assume that predators are predators and it doesn't matter what age they are, they are only concerned with one thing and one thing only: stuffing little preys like him into their bellies. The rather naïve view couldn't help but materialize in the face of what the little squirrel had witnessed or heard stories about what predators would do to their catches. All of the nightmares and daydreams he'd had of predators abusing and devouring him had consolidated the belief in his mind that predators lived to inflict pain and suffering on little critters like him. The cat had done little to assuage those fears so far, too! Thus, the rodent didn't know what to expect when it came to pred kids. Were they just as sadistic and taunting and terrifying as their adult counterparts, or were they just innocent little kids that didn't yet have the flame of desire for prey burning in their small frames? Either way, Izzy was about to find out...and he didn't like the answer he received. The myriad of predictable but heartbreaking questions instantly made the little rodent's spirits drop, the squirrel whimpering as he got the answer he was hoping wasn't true - predator children are the exact same as predator adults...just as terrifying. The only thing worse were the predator's replies to their questions, the feline's voice and choice of words carrying with it an aura of magic and child-like imagination, that fact just hammering in the realization that predators were always cruel and terrifying no matter the age. To hear such horrible and scary things spoken of with such a tone of innocence and harmlessness (as if it were all a game or something) just encapsulated that sensation of 99% versus 1% and Izzy was on the losing side. As he whimpered pitifully in the face of all these horrible inquiries, the squirrel's lifted his head from its downward (at least, he thought it was downward) glance when the questions suddenly took a more philosophical stance compared to what the little hunters in the making were asking about earlier. How happy was he to be in there? Were they serious? Probably not, it was most likely just an excuse for the feline to articulate to the little monsters how much pleasure he got from Izzy's suffering. They couldn't actually not know that he was terrified, could they? Equally surprising was a pred child desiring to know the squirrel's name. Now, /that/ was odd. Izzy (before becoming food) had said his name very few times because so few people would ask what it was. Surely no predator would have any interest at all in what name the rodent had been given. Izzy would dismiss the idea of nuts being given names as a little silly...why wouldn't predators do the same to him? While all of this buzzed around in his head, his mind allowed itself to wander slightly as he tried to process everything that was going on. By the time he snapped out of his confused trance, the words of his predator reading the tykes a story was reverberating all around him. The confused squirrel, desperate for any indication of what was happening, listened closely to the cat's words (as if he had a choice) as the words of the story flowed over him. As the tale began to take shape in the squirrel's mind (he was always calmed by hearing a story, no matter that it was a children's book and no matter that it was about some poor defenseless prey just like him getting gobbled up for dinner!), the rodent only grew more confused. Everything he had learned about predators up until this point clashed with this new information. To Izzy, the ending of the story was the biggest M. Night Shyamalan swerve a prey mind could imagine. The rabbit was...happy to become food? Was he mentally ill or something?! What would make a prey happy to be trapped in a cramped, uncomfortable den of humility and subjugation? This was a very foreign concept to the squirrel and he struggled to make sense of it.

The rodent was snapped out of his third or fourth trance that day by the feeling of tiny paws rubbing over his entire form through his predator's soft belly flesh. The little pred's words suddenly hitting him, the squirrel began to whimper pathetically as he squirmed in fear. He felt almost as if there was another predator stalking him...while he was already in a belly. Come on, having both is unfair - either fear of being gobbled up or being in a belly, not both! The child's further statements just made the squirrel's pitiful little sounds and squirms intensify greatly, the rodent suddenly terrified of the being rubbing his pred's tummy. She was terrifying...and the words she was saying made the squirrel squeak in fear. He was almost thankful he was already in a belly so she couldn't get to him! Thankfully, though, the assault of words and belly rubs ended as the little predator scampered off leaving the squirrel very shaken up and scared, squirming and whining quite pathetically inside of his predator.

randomfox12245: The squirrel's trance of depression and fear went quite unnoticed by the feline who contained him, who ignored even the wondrous squirms of a prey being churned upon by hungry stomach walls in favor of playing with the kiddies. It always felt so fulfilling, but sadly like everything else great in the world (aside from having prey in your belly) it had to end at some point, and since it was the holiday season that meant the feline's shift was ending earlier than usual, even as it meant more and more kids were being thrown into the fray by parents off to shop or hunt or enjoy the nightlife. As the cat signed out with a sigh of disappointment he was instantly replaced with a trio of other chaperones who were more equipped to handle the increased volume of children they had to deal with, leaving the feline to trudge out with his stomach-concealing hoodie back on into the hustle and bustle of late night city life. Normally after work he'd go bar hopping and down some nice drinks to keep him warm through the night and maybe snag some nice company to share a bed with, but tonight, well needless to say he already had both those needs taken care of by the warm little meal in his belly. Well, not that he could get the same kind of companionship from his squirrelly belly as he could from some desperate bar patron, but he still felt he could do without that for now. It had only been a couple weeks since he'd eaten Izzy and all, and part of him still felt like it might just be awkward, even if all he'd need to do to get some happy company from now on was show off that belly and watch the ladies line up, but even so it just felt too new. It was hard to explain...just seemed like it'd be awkward. So instead he just trudged back home, tucking his arms down the sleeves to rub over his belly blissfully, actually getting the chance to pay attention to the motions of his prey in solitude at least a little bit. He couldn't really contemplate what the little rodent was doing or talk to him or anything like that, but feeling his stomach gently churning on his soggy little body was nice enough. The time it took him to get from work to home wasn't nearly as long as the trip vice-versa, but then all of time eternal was just a nebulous blur to Izzy since he had only slimy organic walls to keep him company anymore, but none the less the squirming and stretching of his predator as he stripped down to more casual around the house attire could be felt and at least hinted that they were back at the feline's apartment. And with a groan of pure happiness the kitty flopped onto his bed, curling up atop the covers and drawing his stomach close as it let out a gurgle of displacement from within, eliciting a giggle from the feline as he squished around at Izzy's form beneath, trying to get his attention without scarring him too much. Probably too late for that, but hey, maybe tonight he'd get more than just some whimpering cries and begging to be let out this time! "So, dunno if you noticed but today was my first time back on the job since getting you! I had a lot of fun, and the kids really loved you...do you think you're used to being in there yet?" He asked with a bit of sad hope in his voice, that same childish desire that maybe the storybook could be right and prey could be happy being food, even if it WAS a ridiculous assertion...but maybe, if he believed or wanted it hard enough, Izzy could be the exception? Ignorant, naïve, or even just plain stupid of an idea sure, but you couldn't blame the feline for trying, even if his habit of teasing or tormenting the poor squirrel when he got a bit too into his own storybook role mitigated his attempts somewhat.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel's new found fear of predator children was certainly not helped or eased by the fact that, now that all of the belly admiring was at least mostly out of the way, the sound of the predator kids playing and talking and laughing filled the squirrel's ears. It was kind of a double whammy - right after developing a fear, you are suddenly confronted with it more-so than you ever would have in any other situation. The rodent was left to shiver and wiggle in the feline's belly as the now terrifying world that existed just beyond the feline's belly continued on without him. Even though it was scary and not at all enjoyable to the curled up little rodent, he couldn't help but once again take slight solace in the safety that being within the cat's belly presented in a situation like this. Though he would jump at every little sound as he simply waited for the whole ordeal to be over, he kept having to repeat to himself 'they can't get me, they can't get me, they can't get me' over and over in his head. The thought of actually being outside of the predator's belly terrified the little guy at this point. The only prey in an entire day care center filled with hunt-deprived little predator kids...*shudder*...the squirrel didn't even allow himself to think about it. For the moment, the cat was actually doing him a favor by having him in his belly and that was yet another odd that had thought formed in the rodent's mind that day. He was very thankful he was 'safe' and 'secure' in a place that, no matter what they did, the predators couldn't get him. For just a microsecond, the story Izzy had heard earlier flashed into his mind and he realized that...in this scenario at least...this predator was actually protecting him by having him in his belly. It was actually a good thing to be within a tummy at this moment. Quickly shaking the thought out of his head, the rodent resumed his terrified little sounds and squirms. After an uncountable number of hours (time carried no meaning for him anymore anyway...he had completely lost track of what an hour meant and felt like), the torturous ordeal ended as the feline clocked out for the night. The squirrel, though cautious and wary of what would happen next, couldn't help but breathe a sign of relief when the noise of the crowd faded and then ended altogether. Thank god that was over...for today, anyway...but Izzy didn't want to think about experiencing anything like that every again. It wasn't happening anymore and that was good enough. The rodent was now allowed a few moments of silence as the feline trekked his way back home (the trip thankfully free of any canine-related troubles this time!), a few moments to ponder over what he has just been through and shiver at the sensation of the cat rubbing his belly. Soon enough, the feline was back home and Izzy felt himself get jostled from behind as the cat flopped onto his bed, a quiet squeak of shock at the impact sounding from the predator's tummy. Another rodenty little noise was soon to follow as the predator squished at his stuffed belly, the stimulus making Izzy wonder what was going to happen to him now. The squirrel winced at the sound of the feline's voice and could only offer a quiet whine in response to his question at first. There it was again - that concept that a prey could be okay with being in a belly. Out of all the information he had received through this heard-it-through-the-belly-flesh method of learning, this was the most puzzling thing the squirrel had heard all day. A little curious at the notion (but more terrified), the squirrel managed to get his vocal chords to work for only the second time that day.

"...n....n-n-no, s-sir..."

Ordinarily, he would have thought the predator was just teasing him, but...all of this talk of prey accepting their place as food made the squirrel realize that he most likely was actually asking him the question. He whimpered again as he squirmed slightly, as if to back up what he had just said.

randomfox12245: The feline already knew what the answer would be before he heard it, but like with many of the preys own self aware desperate but futile hopes, it still made him frown when he received the answer he knew he would get but wished he wouldn't.  But even then it was hard not to understand why. After all the whole day, even when the feline had been acting nice, must have just been one long horrendous torture for the squirrel, with all the jostling and churning and teasing and pestering and who even knows what all the muffled conversations must have sounded like from beneath that stomach barrier, must have been like hearing the whole world under water. But then it was hard to say for sure, putting himself in Izzy's position even in an attempt to relate to him was practically impossible for the predator in every sense of the word. After all, he hadn't been eaten, and there was such a world of difference between the states of being and not being devoured that it was like trying to understand hieroglyphics. But, still...a Rosetta Stone or something would be nice. In the end though all he could so was sigh and rub over his belly disappointingly, not in Izzy, but himself. Well maybe a little bit Izzy, but mostly at the world. "Why?" He asked simply in return, sounding just the tiniest bit frustrated, but mostly curious. "I-I mean, I kinda get it I guess...I mean I didn't wanna get eaten by that dog earlier, but...I mean, you're a squirrel! What else could you possibly do with your life except this!? I just, I'm..." He was losing the words in some annoyed huff, finally getting to vent the words he'd had bottled up in himself since he'd first eaten Izzy, and weirdly enough it almost felt like his stomach was a bit less constriction, in a way. Like airing all that stuff out loosened him up inside, at least a little bit. But it still left him one disappointingly frustrated kitty, sighing and lying out on his back and letting his gut protrude towards the ceiling while he rubbed it gently. "Just... why? It's not that I feel guilty, I just...it'd be so much easier for you."

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel waited in apprehension of what the feline's response to his answer would be. It was still completely possible that the cat was just teasing him into admitting that he was inferior to him so the feline predator could justify all of his actions under the header of prey merely being playthings for predators. Cats play with their food, after all. At first, it didn't look good as he felt another belly rub, the disturbing notion that his pitiful little words had just given the predator pleasure quickly filling his mind before the feline's voice itself shattered the terrifying scenario taking shape in the frightened little squirrelly's head. What he said, though, just drove the rodent further down the winding road of confusion. Again, Izzy had been completely unaware of the idea that predators were taught early on that prey actually enjoy fulfilling their duty as food until just an hour or two ago. He was still trying to wrap his head around the concept that this horrible situation he was in could ever become any less terrifying, let alone something positive. The squirrel was completely floored by the notion that a prey could ever grace this terrible fate with a positive adjective. Izzy was at a loss for what to say; this was all so confusing to his little squirrel mind. To Izzy, saying that accepting his fate was easier than fighting it was kind of akin to saying you should just shoot yourself because it will eliminate the worry of when and how you will die. It just didn't add up, even though he was encouraged by his mind to ponder the idea since the predator seemed so convinced that it not only was possible, but how the squirrel /should/ be thinking. Although he let out another pathetic little whimper at mention that his species could never equal more than simple food, Izzy was inclined to coerce his throat into once again allowing words to squeeze through it and out into the stale belly air.

"...I...I c-c-can't...i-it's...i-it's s-so s-scary..."

randomfox12245: The feline had to bite his lip at that one. Now that was just an air-tight argument right there, and even if the cat couldn't put himself into Izzy's position he could still understand it. After all even if he could rationalize and justify all the positives of their existence, he still hated horror movies, and those were just fictitious cathartic thrill rides designed to entertain! He couldn't even deal with that, let alone the real fears of having your life stolen away from you like the squirrel's was, and even if he could do the same and justify that the squirrel barely had a life to be stolen from, that probably wasn't anymore a convincing reason then the ones he had about scary movies. And hell, the concept of being eaten WAS scary, he'd experienced that himself just earlier in the day at the hands of a crazed idiot doggy, and yet somehow he was expecting Izzy to be perfectly fine with it?

Well, apparently so!

"Well...can't you just NOT be scared!? I mean, come on, I was scared too before, when I was getting mugged by that stupid dog, you must have felt it. It was no different than how you felt when I caught you, but did I just sit there and whine and beg?" He was grabbing at his belly now, staring at it as if trying to find eye contact with his prey through the folds of pudge to no avail "No! I fought, I kicked, I screamed, I scratched that fucker in the face! I EARNED my freedom. You just...ask nicely and except thing to turn out like you want them? You haven't done anything to earn any of the things you'd asked of me or everything else, I'm willing to bet." Suddenly it occurred to the feline that yelling at his stomach was probably not only pointless, but looked ridiculous and sighed in further frustration as he plopped back, laying on his side but still straight out, letting his belly spill to the side and almost give Izzy contact with the comfy mattress, were it not for the thin layer of stomach between them. He sniffed a bit, wanting to say something to dispel the hostility he'd fumed about while still staying on topic. "Why don't you claw your way out then, huh? You wanna be free so bad...just, I dunno, start scratching. That isn't exactly a...concrete prison, or anything, it's just skin, and you got little forging claws. If it's so scary and you want out, get yourself out."

Isaac Shadetail: Izzy winced at the feline's words as the cat yelled at him through his own belly, the little rodent starting to shiver and whimper as the predator got quite animated, his tone of voice frightening the squirrel. If there's one thing he didn't want, it was an angry or annoyed pred let alone one that was angry or annoyed at /him/. The feline's words hit close to home as the cat pontificated the squirrel unwillingness to put up a fight or attempt to ward off his predator. Izzy could never do something like that...not in a million years could the squirrel actually attempt any kind of physical rebellion of any sort to a predator's actions. From Izzy's perspective, it was a lose/lose situation that was pointless to even try to get involved in. He knew he couldn't actually fend anyone off; he was too weak and they were predators. There was no way he would be able to overpower a predator, anyone who got a good look at squirrel could see that. Therefor, it was completely pointless in his mind to even try; all it would do was potentially anger the creature that intended to munch on him. If some miracle happened and the squirrel managed to injure a predator keen on devouring him, the squirrel would be mortified! Predators were just so scary and powerful...if he actually had succeeded in giving one even a scratch, he would most likely instantly collapse into a heap of apologies and submission. It just seemed like fighting back could only do bad, in other words. Still, though, it kinda hurt to have his submissive nature articulated so bluntly and cast in such a negative light. The squirrel was scared now, the feline's annoyance frightening the poor little guy, making him tremble quite badly as he tried to cower away from the sound of the feline's voice, of course failing because it was all around him and coming from every direction. The squirrel was left confused by the predator's suggestion and challenge. Believing that he was being merely taunted or being taught a lesson or something along those lines, the little squirrel sniffled sadly within the stomach and another pitiful, fragmented attempt at speech sounded from his lungs.

"...I'm...I-I'm s-s-sorry..."

The squirrel could only apologize in response to his inability to defend himself or earn his freedom was insulted, the scared little squirrel only becoming more-so now that the feline's opinions were out there in the open.

randomfox12245: The feline sighed again, tossing and turning a bit as he tried to get comfortable, but since the reason he felt so displaced was because...well, he wanted to get out from his own skin so to speak. It was a lost cause and he resigned to just curling up and hugging at his squirrely gut once more. He felt miserable on account of the horrendously unfair conversation he'd struck up with his prey, and his first instinct was to try and get some physical comfort from the closest possible person and make it all feel better, even if that person was within his belly and half the reason he felt the way he did in the first place. But there it was all the same, and he grumbled to himself as he rubbed over the tummy bulge idly. "Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything...I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at... I dunno, life..." he sighed, clawing at his own bedsheets in an attempt to take out some of his physical frustrations, like hitting a punching bag but the cat version, and it didn't help. "I'm mad that I was lied to my whole damn life. They all told me you'd like this, that we were all so superior and amazing while you all...weren't, that you'd be bouncing off the walls at the chance to, you know...become part of us. I know it sounds stupid, but..." he sighed and squeezed at his own belly again, another fruitless attempt at a hug. "It seemed so nice...to never be alone again... I mean, you'll always be here with me! I know it sounds horrible to you, in there and all...but, I mean...to always have someone, share celebrations with, make me feel better when I'm sad, I...I don't know." He whimpered and rubbed at his eyes, trying to stave off potential tears before they could well up. It was such a ridiculous situation he had to laugh when he thought about it really; what they both wanted were such complete opposites that it was impossible to give either of them and guaranteed they'd both feel unhappy. There was no winning scenario, for either of them. "I know it's selfish and dumb...I'm not giving you your wish, why should you give me mine? Life isn't fair and all, but that'd be asking way too much." He uncurled himself with a sigh and went back to laying straight out on his side, reaching one arm under his pillow to cling to it, getting a better hug out of it then he ever could from a confined Izzy. "...it's not like it's my fault you're not enjoying it. You're the one who's a big fraidy-cat, not me...I'm nice. I know I'm a cat and kinda a jerk and all, but...I'm nice." he sniffed again, clinging to his pillow as he went on, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than Izzy, and not doing a very good job.

Isaac Shadetail: The squirrel let out a silent squeak as the stomach squished him as a byproduct of the feline trying to get more comfortable, the pitiful noise stopping short of his throat but his body still going through the motions of creating the sound. The rodent's fears were calmed somewhat when he felt the feline rubbing at him, following the action up with words that sent waves of relief through the squirrel's body - the feline wasn't mad at him. That was quite a nice thing to hear. The rodent was terrified that he had angered the predator somehow and hearing that it wasn't actually true made the squirrel breathe a sign of relief. The next step after his fear had been mitigated, however, was yet another trip down the winding road of confusion at what he heard the predator saying. This notion really was hard for the squirrel to understand. He had just never encountered anything like it before and was having a hard time digesting it. Thus, it was even more difficult to wrap his head around the feline's disappointment that it's wasn't what real life had in store. This was at the heart of everything Izzy learned about predators - at the end of the day, he would never be able to understand what it was like to be one because he just wasn't. The differences in prey and pred go beyond simple rote learning or even experience; you can only be raised as one and once you're a member of either team, you stay a member for life. The two are such polar opposites, you cannot possess elements of both at the same time; you're either prey or pred. With this in mind, it was easy to see why Izzy was having such a hard time understanding the whole thing - it was so predator-native that he probably would never be able to understand it completely. Still, though the cat's emotional appeal stirred something in Izzy and he managed to crawl out of his scared little whimpering mind set to speak once more.

"...b-but...b-but I...I d-do w-want t-to...sh-share t-those thing w-with y-you...b...b-but n-not...i-in here..."

A little squeak capped off the rodent's response, the squirrel surprised that he was able to get that whole thing out.

randomfox12245: The feline continued to wallow in a bit of self pity until his ears perked a bit at the entire stuttering sentence the squirrel managed to squeak out, a little surprised the rodent actually managed to say so much all at once like that; for Izzy such a feat was practically unheard of, literally! But he did...and it was an attempt to make him feel better, on top of being a halfway decent attempt of convincing him to let him free such that he actually considered it for half a second. The feline actually felt proud, his little prey was standing up for himself in his own unique squirrelly way! But that initial shock of it didn't take away the fact he wasn't gonna let the little guy free, even if that was an incredibly sweet appeal. It just wasn't what he wanted, and he pouted as he rubbed over his belly with a depressed sigh. "But why not in there? I mean, it's as good as anywhere else, and it feels soooo nice having a little rodent snack in my belly. I mean, just imagine eating a whole trees worth of acorns! You wouldn't give that up for the world, would you?" His pitiful attempt at trying to get the rodent to see things from his perspective fell flat before it even left his mouth, and even for him the constant comparisons of prey to nuts was beginning to get a bit stale. After all, nuts couldn't ask. "Isn't in there just as good as anywhere else? It's better than where you were! I mean...I can understand why you'd be scared of it, I was scared too...but I have responsibilities! People who would miss me! Property that would go unclaimed, all this legal stuff would pop up. You didn't have anything, except that pile of books, which I brought with me after I ate you by the way, haven't heard a thanks for that yet!" He grunted and face-palmed; he was getting frustrated and taking it out on Izzy again, he kept doing that. The idea of a compromise did occur to him, letting him out only to eat him again periodically, but he knew before he even considered it that it wouldn't work out. After all, he didn't WANT to let him out, and Izzy probably wouldn't wanna be eaten again after being let out, so it was a no win scenario no matter how you sliced it. Once more he sighed and rubbed his belly in an effort to apologize for his outburst, biting his lower lip as he thought about their little situation. It was that one thing that got between them - Izzy wanted out, and he wanted him in, neither was gonna budge on that and that was what kept things from progressing! It was something neither of them would possibly understand about the other, and it was thicker than a language barrier. "I just don't understand, I guess...I don't understand anything about you preys...except that you're tasty, I guess." He whimpered in defeat, finally shrugging it off and giving up by offering one last sad rub over his squirrelly belly. "Guess that's just nature...I think you belong there, and you'd rather be anywhere else. But you can't fight nature." he chuckled, not out of enjoyment or malicious pride, but just at the pointlessness of it all. It was the laugh of someone who had entirely given up and he plopped back against his mattress and curled up under the covers, ready to drift off to sleep on the right side of the bed for once, offering a final pat goodnight to the squirrel in his stomach. "The thing is...I'm not even happy...I have what I need, but not what I want." One last pathetic sigh, then sleep overtook. 'Spose it was all just part of growing up.

Isaac Shadetail: Izzy nervously awaited the feline's response to his first real sentence in a long while. He was still worried that he would say the wrong thing and just make the predator mad at him. While he was happy that his response hadn't angered the feline or made him any more annoyed than he already was, he again had to admit that there was a least a small jolt of disappointed sadness that shot through his veins when he was still denied his freedom. Again, the motivation behind what he said was a genuine desire to express something but every time he spoke, he would get his hopes up that the feline's heart would be moved enough to consider letting the squirrel out. Every time, he made that mistake and every time, he was disappointed. Still, though, he forced himself to remain focused on understanding the predator's words, everything the predator said having the potential to bring him one step closer to understanding this whole mess. It certainly was not very pleasant to hear the predator articulate the pleasure he received from having the rodent's body within his own; that was always a disheartening thing to hear, no matter how many dozens of times he must have heard it at this point. Again though, Izzy had a lot of trouble trying to understand the pred's point of view. Of course being in a belly was ALWAYS worse than being outside, no matter the scenario or where 'outside' is. Well, his brain reminded him, maybe not always (thinking back to just a few hours ago when the predator's belly was the only thing protecting him from a gaggle of vicious predator kids). But still...his prey mind just had trouble seeing the pred's point. Being in a belly was always going to worse than anything else; it was what prey made their lives a mission to avoid, every year they're alive devoted to avoiding that one singular thing. And now that he was actually experiencing it for himself, he had even more reason to doubt that anywhere else could be any worse. It was the one thing in a prey's life that is definite - when you're in a belly, you've lost. It is preprogrammed into his DNA to dislike it and avoid it above all other displeasure. He just couldn't imagine coming to terms with it. The squirrel perked up when the feline mentioned that he had taken care to bring Izzy's books back with him after having made a meal of the little rodent. It was like one huge shock after another with this feline! Izzy was touched that the predator had done that for him and was excited to see a sign that the predator had looked out for him if not just a little by ensuring that he still had one of the only things that had brought him comfort. As the feline rolled over and prepared for another night of sleep, the squirrel squeaked and squirmed in a cocktail of eclectic emotions. He was scared, touched, and terrified all at the same time. This day had really altered the rodent's impressions of his new life as belly filling. There were so many new and overwhelming things to mull over and think about. And even though the squirrel was still scared and wanted so badly to be let free and be able to get a proper hug from the feline after everything he'd been through, the one emotion in the mixture the rodent was feeling that was the strangest of all was a slight tingling of hope as another day inside of the feline's belly ended.