% Important Product Testing % Naman Kamdrimar % July 11, 2016 License: [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) --- "Please stay where you are during the scan. You may feel a bit disoriented, but it should only last for a moment," Hendrix said, raising her "smartphone" (which was about as close to a smartphone as a smartphone was to a calculator, but she still hadn't thought of a good name for it) and opening the scanner application. "W-wait, uh... is this safe?" the otter asked, his fuzzy brow furrowed with uncertainty. "Don't worry, darling, you'll be fine!" Hendrix replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. The otter nodded, brushing a lock of sun-bleached hair away from his eyes. He was tall, probably around six feet, and somewhere between "chubby" and "fat", but there was a certain solidity to his arms and legs that belied a fair degree of athleticism. Though he was dressed in a respectable blue polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, his unruly blond hair and suspiciously immaculate shoes gave Hendrix the impression that he would have been more comfortable in flip flops, board shorts, and a t-shirt, if any shirt at all. Hendrix spotted the prototype unit in the otter's hand, safely secured to his wrist by a glow-in-the-dark rubber strap, and slapped her forehead, cursing silently to herself. She'd almost forgotten one of the most important parts of the test! Hiding the scanner application for the moment, she brought up her contacts and pulled up the entry for the prototype, placing a call to it. The phone in the otter's hand vibrated, and the smooth vibrato of a familiar song began, growing into a distinctive riff and the husky refrain: *"Foxey!"* The otter snorted in a half-suppressed laugh, covering his mouth with his free hand as he tapped the answer icon on the prototype. "Cute ringtone," he said, glancing down at the pudgy vulpine face that had appeared on screen, grinning. "Thanks!", Hendrix said, noticing with relief that the nervousness in the otter's silver eyes had been replaced with amusement. "For some reason everyone seems to use that as their ringtone for me!" "I can't imagine why," the otter chuckled, giving the vixen an endearing smile. Hendrix nearly blushed. She'd thought he was cute when she'd first opened the door to find him looking down at her with a bemused, but soft expression. (He had a nice butt too, she'd noticed as he entered.) She hadn't really thought much of it, though, as her mind was preoccupied with the test and the anticipation of what would come after. Despite that, however, she'd found herself growing increasingly more interested in the otter as they conversed. He wasn't just a cutie, he was starkly different from her previous test subjects. Where most of the test subjects had only seemed interested in getting it over with and getting paid, this one--no, *he*--was actually friendly, and while he had been nervous, it wasn't like the others. They had been nervous too, but while they seemed fearful and mistrusting (not that she blamed them--she really needed to rent out a proper office for testing one of these days instead of running the tests out of her living room) the sea otter was more bashful and self-conscious. She'd caught his eyes wandering to places her low-cut too-short tank top placed emphasis on as she moved, always darting away a moment later as if trying to avoid notice. "Okay, Sterling," she said, smiling inwardly at the thought of how perfectly fitting his name--Sterling Waters--was, not unlike her own. "Just keep the call up and stand still, this will only take a moment!" The otter did as he was told as she brought the scanner app back up on her phone, pointing the rear camera at him and tilting her phone until his entire body was in view. Giving him the thumbs up with her free hand, she tapped the button on her phone that would initiate the scan. *Click!* --- For a moment, Sterling felt like he was falling, even though he could still feel his feet on the ground. He braced himself, crouching and splaying his arms in a pose that came naturally from years of riding choppy surf. He looked down, just to make sure the floor was, in fact, still there. It was. He hadn't gone anywhere, or fallen down, he'd just felt like it. It reminded him of a sensation he'd felt sometimes when falling asleep--a sudden jerk that would instantly bring him to gasping wakefulness. *She wasn't joking about feeling disoriented...* "Can you still see and hear me?" came the vixen's voice from across the room and below his left hand--he now knew what the wrist strap had been for, as he'd dropped the phone, which was now lazily swaying back and forth as it hung from his wrist. He glanced at the vixen, who was still standing across the room right where she'd been a moment ago, staring intently at her phone. "Y-yeah," he stammered. Glancing down at the phone, he could see Hendrix's golden eyes watching him with interest. "On the phone, too," he added. The vixen laughed, shaking her head but smiling good-naturedly. "It worked! I knew it would!" she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet in such a way that made her prodigious form jiggle in a manner Sterling found most distracting. He nearly dropped the phone again as he watched the vixen's belly ripple and bosom slosh. Sterling caught himself, and looked back to the phone in his hand, hoping Hendrix hadn't noticed him staring. He had, as his friends had politely put it, an "eccentric" taste in women, preferring the big and soft to the slender and firm, and to say that Hendrix was his type was a bit of an understatement! The rotund fox woman was drop-dead gorgeous by his reckoning, and her revealing attire certainly did nothing to hold the unprofessional thoughts at bay. The purple fabric of her tank top hugged her form in ways that left only slightly more to the imagination than the parts it *didn't* cover, and her stretchy black leggings were no better. She'd even opted not to tuck her big round belly into her pants as more modest overweight people usually would, but instead let it hang out for all the world (well, just Sterling at the moment) to see. It wasn't just that she was physically attractive, either. Most of the women he'd thought pretty were demure and ashamed of their weight, but Hendrix flaunted it like she was proud, showing a rare confidence that Sterling found highly attractive. That along with her playfulness and humor made the otter wish he'd met her outside of a professional context. Sterling nearly jumped out of his skin when he suddenly felt Hendrix's hand touch his. He'd been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed her approach. "I'll be needing this, darling," she said, gently stretching the strap around his wrist and sliding it off as she took the prototype phone from him. He nearly ended up staring again as her height and position had combined to place her chest directly in view. His eyes moved up, and catching sight of his reflection in the vixen's glasses, he focused on it and tried not to think about cleavage he could hide a hand in. The vixen's eyes met his as she looked up, having recovered her prototype. Her eyebrow raised, and Sterling could have sworn he saw the faintest hint of a smirk, but Hendrix said nothing. She simply turned around and waddled to the other side of the room, giving the otter a view that was almost as nice as the one from the front. *Foxy indeed!* the otter thought, shaking his head. *She's your employer, Sterling, get a grip!* Perhaps, in hindsight, not the best choice of phrasing. "Thank you for your assistance, darling!" the vixen said as she turned around. "You've given me some wonderful data." She waddled towards Sterling, who felt another bout of embarrassing arousal as he watched her move. "Your payment should be wired to your account once it goes through payroll. If there are any problems do let me know!" "Wait, that's it?" the otter asked, taken aback. The whole process had taken less than half an hour, and most of that had been filling out paperwork beforehand. The actual test had taken a minute or two at most, which didn't seem to justify the pay the woman had promised. "Yes, darling. I know it didn't seem like much, but you've provided a lot of valuable data," Hendrix replied, already making her way to the front door. Opening it, she stood in the soft light of dusk as she watched the otter with an expectant look. Sterling nearly couldn't bring himself to move. So many questions were running through his mind, about the scan, the data, the phones; come to think of it, he still wasn't sure exactly what he had tested. The vixen, however, seemed to have rather insistently decided it was time for him to go. Doing his best to look nonchalant even though inside he was crestfallen, the otter approached the open doorway and looked out into the deepening twilight. He glanced at the vixen as he crossed the threshold, wondering if something he'd said or did made her want him to leave, but if she was annoyed, she was damned good at hiding it. "Goodnight, Sterling," Hendrix said waggling her fingers at the otter in a little wave. "You've been a wonderful tester, darling!" "I... I really enjoyed working with you, Hendrix," the otter said, standing outside the doorway. "Likewise, darling," the vixen said with a warm smile. "But I really must be going. Your work is done, but mine has just begun!" She backed away and began closing the door. Sterling watched as the woman of his dreams began to disappear, slipping behind the door as it closed. He couldn't believe that was it! He'd so enjoyed the time he'd spent in the vixen's company, and even though he knew it was nothing more than a professional relationship, he thought she'd seemed to like him too. But it was just a job, after all... *No!* His arm shot out as if of its own volition, stopping the door mere inches from closing. *A Waverider does not ignore his heart!* "Hendrix, wait!" he nearly shouted. The door opened enough for the vixen to reappear, looking up at him with a curious expression. "Yes?" "I-I'm sorry if I'm making things awkward, b-but... would you be interested in joining me for dinner some time?" the otter stammered. The vixen blinked, looking startled. *Oh dammit, Sterling, you fucked up good this time...* the otter thought, feeling his heart sink. *GwooRRllg!* A long, loud gurgle sounded from the vixen's half-visible tummy. The two stared at each other in awkward silence for an uncomfortably long moment. Hendrix was the first to crack, quietly shaking, her face bunching up as she tensed, and Sterling could see her nostrils flare as quick, sharp breaths escaped them. She snorted softly several times, desperately trying to contain herself, which set the otter off, who also began shaking. Within moments neither could contain themselves any longer, and the otter and vixen burst into uproarious laughter! "Oh--*snrk*--dear," the vixen wheezed, patting her tummy. "I think you have your answer," she giggled. "Though it'll have to wait for another day. I *do* still have work to do!" Sterling realized he was grinning like an idiot, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to stop. *She said yes!* "Of course!" the otter chuckled. "Would you like to make arrangements now, or..?" "Oh, I really *do* have important work to do, darling! How about I give you a call tomorrow and we can work out the details?" Hendrix said. "That would be lovely, Hendrix," the otter replied. "Excellent!" the vixen said, beginning to close the door again. "Oh, and Sterling, darling, please call me Henny!" "Okay, Henny," the otter replied happily. "Ta ta for now though, darling!" Hendrix said, waving again before finally letting the door close. Sterling turned around and watched as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, his heart all aflutter. He could hardly contain his excitement as he began to walk back to the street where he'd parked his car, a spring in his step. He couldn't wait for tomorrow! --- Hendrix leaned against her front door, looking up at the ceiling wistfully. What she had thought was going to be another boring "test session" had turned into something far more memorable. While the test sessions were a nice pretext to get her what she was really after, this time she'd actually enjoyed interacting with her "test subject", and become quite fond of him. The only reason she'd been in such a hurry to get Sterling out the door was because he'd gotten her so worked up she couldn't wait to "get to work". She'd never had a "test subject" who was attracted to her before, let alone one she herself was attracted to! She made her way down the hall, towards her bedroom, and pulled her phone out of her pocket, pulling up an application. An image of Sterling appeared on the screen--perfectly photorealistic, but in three dimensions, rotating as she dragged her finger across it--and she closed her eyes, rubbing her belly, which growled as if in response. She had a feeling tonight was going to be a very memorable one. A *very* memorable one! --- For a moment, Sterling felt like he was falling, even though he could still feel his feet on the ground. He braced himself, crouching and splaying his arms in a pose that came naturally from years of riding choppy surf. He looked down, just to make sure the floor was, in fact, still there. It was, but it wasn't the same floor he'd been standing on a moment before. That wasn't the only thing that had changed, either; while the floor was still there, other things weren't, as evidenced by the soft brown fur of his slight paunch and the bare feet that sank into the soft, furry-looking surface he was standing on. The mystery of the unfamiliar floor would have to wait a moment, though, as he realized that not only were his shirt and shoes missing, he couldn't feel his shorts either! Uncomfortably conscious of his sudden nudity, the otter lowered his arms to cover his privates, and discovered he was not quite entirely naked. *Thwack!* "ACK, SHIT!" he squealed, shutting his eyes doubling over as something heavy and solid introduced itself to part of him that was already regretting the meeting. The otter opened an eye and looked down at the phone still dangling from his wrist by a rubber strap, which was gently swaying in ignorance of the terrible first impression it had made on his crotch. Wheezing, he opened his other eye and looked up, finally getting a look at his surroundings. Suddenly, the soreness in his groin seemed to fade into the background. He froze, staring in stunned silence as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The room he was in--if you could even call it that--was impossible! Well, maybe it was possible, but he couldn't imagine how, or why. It looked like a bedroom; there was a dresser, a couple of doors, and what looked to be a writing desk, complete with a messy pile of papers scattered across its surface. There were even posters pinned all over the lavender walls, mostly of what looked like album covers and movie posters, a few of which he recognized. The problem was that it was as if someone had decided to make a replica of someone's bedroom, and scale it up to the point where you could fit a stadium--no, several stadiums--inside it! The desk alone was the size of a small office building, and each piece of paper was large enough that, were it folded into a paper airplane, he probably could have ridden it! The more he thought about the kind of engineering and money necessary to achieve what he was seeing, the more improbable it seemed, but there it was. *I must be dreaming,* the otter thought. Feeling the soft fuzz of what he now realized was a dark fleece blanket (which was covered in stars and galaxies) between his toes--a blanket that was covering a bed that could easily have held a football field with room to spare--Sterling shook his head. If this was a dream, it was more vivid and lucid than any he'd ever had before. A side effect of the scan, perhaps? A deep rumble from behind shook the "ground" beneath his feet, and not a moment later an equally thunderous, yet strangely familiar voice boomed out: "Turn around, darling." He did, and his jaw dropped. What he saw shattered any notions of eccentric billionaires and feats of engineering. At that moment he realized that the room he was in was, in fact, an ordinary bedroom, and it was not gigantic at all. In front of him, hundreds of feet up (from his perspective) a pair of golden eyes were looking down at him with a mirthful gleam. "H-Hendrix?" Sterling squeaked, still not believing his eyes. If the gigantic vixen could hear him, she gave no indication, merely continuing to watch him with a subtle smirk. There was no doubt it was her; though he'd met her less than an hour ago, and her clothing had made the same vanishing act as his own, he would recognize that pudgy face with its bright eyes, puffy white and orange cheeks, and long crimson hair anywhere. Sitting on the edge of the bed, and looking down over her shoulder at him with a playful smirk was none other than Hendrix, the lovely vixen who had only moments before been asking him to stand still while she scanned him. She'd also been significantly shorter than he was--he'd estimated by almost a foot--but now it was he who had the height disadvantage--a *very* significant height disadvantage! By his reckoning she was several hundred feet tall, though he realized it would be better to say that she was likely the same height she'd been before, while he couldn't have been more than an inch or two tall. He thought she'd been big and beautiful before, but now she was downright divine! Her looming presence awakened feelings of wonderment and arousal in him the likes of which he'd only felt in half-forgotten dreams--had he dreamed something like this before? Was he dreaming now? If so, he didn't want to wake up! --- Hendrix watched Sterling with quiet amusement. She'd nearly ruined the suspense earlier when she had to stifle a giggle at tiny sea otter's run-in with the prototype she'd given him. She hadn't seen it hit, but she had no doubt about what happened when the poor little guy bent over and wavered, his cute little butt and fat little tail wiggling in an adorable manner. She'd given him a moment to recover before finally announcing her presence. His reaction to seeing her like this for the first time was no less endearing, and she could tell from his expression that he was awestruck by what he saw, which was a very nice change from the usual panic and attempts to flee she'd gotten from her previous "test subjects". She'd usually ended up snatching them up and gobbling them down before they had a chance to do something stupid like fall off the bed, but she could sense no fear in Sterling, only wonder and admiration. *I'm going to have some fun with this one,* she thought, feeling a rising excitement and caressing the soft surface of her tummy. She wanted him in there more than ever, but first she wanted to have a little fun! As she thought of what to do next, the way the otter watched raptly as she stroked the furred dome beneath her breasts gave her an idea. *You like my big ol' belly, darling? Let me give you a closer look...* --- Sterling inhaled deeply, feeling a growing pressure in his loins as he watched the vixen stroke her enormous tummy, which quivered ever so slightly at her touch. What had been a big belly before was now downright gargantuan, defying description to anything short of landscape. He wondered what it would be like to climb that mountain of flesh, or at least to press up against it. He wished he could see it from the front, too, in all its glory. As if in response to his thoughts, Hendrix moved, twisting her torso towards the sea otter putting her right palm against the bed, which sank deeply into the soft material as she shifter her wait onto the dark-furred arm that now rose straight up like a towering redwood. She pushed herself up, rising what to her was probably no more than a few inches, and lifted her knee onto the bed, simultaneously pivoting to bring her left hand down onto the blanket somewhere behind Sterling, close enough to cause the surface he was standing on to lower, curving downwards in a gentle enough slope that the sea otter managed to maintain his balance. Oddly, while the bed did shake and shift as the ponderous woman moved, it remained fairly stable, and if the way the vixen's arms and knee sank into its plush surface was any indication, the mattress must have been foam. *Thank goodness for that!* the otter thought as he imagined what the vixen could have done to a spring mattress. He didn't ponder for long, however, as he caught a tantalizing glimpse of pink deep in the shadows between the vixen's legs--and only managed to stop staring as a shadow descended over him. He looked up to see Hendrix looking back, her chubby face cast in shadow and her dark red hair hanging in loose strands that reminded him of sitting beneath a weeping willow. Despite the relative darkness, her eyes seemed no less bright as they peered down at him, their glittering complementing her warm, if a bit impish smile. The vixen's face descended, slowly, her hair coming to rest against the bed and encircling him in a dimply-lit grotto. The tip of the fox's muzzle seemed to grow as it approached, filling Sterling's vision with white fur and dark skin. He could feel her warm breath flow through his fur as her nose came closer and closer. He realized too late that she had no intention of stopping, and the cool, wet surface collided him, bowling him over and pressing him firmly--but gently--into the soft comforter, pinning him there. Nostrils flared and a powerful wind rushed around Sterling as the vixen inhaled, drinking in his scent. A moment later, the nose lifted away and another wave of hot breath (which smelled surprisingly pleasant) washed over him, this time coming from between her slightly parted lips. He caught a brief glimpse of white fangs and pink tongue before Hendrix closed her mouth, continuing to pull away until the otter could see her eyes again. She winked at him, and began to move forward, replacing the otter's view of her muzzle with the soft white of her sagging chin, then her neck and upper chest, finally stopping with the otter between her pendulous breasts. To Sterling, it was like being in the hallway of some grand cathedral, walls of fur and flesh rising around his sides and the sagging dome of the vixen's belly walling off the front exit. He tilted his head to the side just in time to get a peek at one of Hendrix's soft pink nipples before it disappeared underneath the yielding flesh of her breast as it spread out on all sides. A rolling wave of supple flesh came towards him as the vixen descended, and before he had a chance to react, he was wrapped in warm, squishy darkness. The sensation of being trapped between the vixen's breasts was like nothing Sterling had ever felt before! It was not uncomfortable in the least--in fact it was more comfortable than any blanket he'd ever been under. The flesh around him was heavy, but remarkably plush, and easily folded around him, hugging his contours. He felt it shift from side to side, sliding him along with it over the soft fleece blanket, and it reminded him of being sloshed by gentle swells. Just as he found himself wishing he could stay where he was forever, the weight lifted from him, and he could see again. The bed shifted, and while the vixen's pendulous breasts continued to wobble, bumping against him, they moved on behind him, out of view as the vixen's hanging belly hovered closer. Sterling watched in dreamy delight as Hendrix's enormous tummy filled his view. He was so close, he could reach out and touch it! He didn't have a chance, however, as it descended upon him, once more blotting out the dim light and leaving him cut off from the outside world. The fox's belly pressed down against him, heavier and heavier, and he felt a pang of fear; she was laying on top of him! As turned on as he was by the thought of all that vixen on top of him, he was afraid she might accidentally crush him! By some miracle, he wasn't crushed. In fact, while he was pinned between belly and bed, the softness of both seemed sufficient to keep him safe. He'd never been in such a cramped space before, but once he realized he wasn't about to be squashed, his fear dissipated, and his attention focused on his surroundings. He could barely move, and he could feel a great deal more pressure than he had from her breasts, but the experience was far from unpleasant. Despite being completely covered in the vixen's heavy belly fat, he could still breathe through the gaps created by her fur, and there was something strangely comforting about being so snugly encapsulated. "Mmmf, this is nice," he mumbled to himself, wriggling enough to spread himself out under the fox's belly, almost hugging it, if such a thing were possible in his current position. He relaxed, focusing on the sensation of her flesh pressing against his, and listening to the sounds of her body. Somewhere deep inside her belly, he could hear fluids shifting and gurgling, and while faint, he could even make out the steady, rhythmic thrum of her heart. *I could get used to this,* Sterling thought, smiling unseen. The warmth, heaviness, and soothing sounds of Hendrix's abdomen made him feel at peace, and he nearly drifted off to sleep. He was suddenly snapped out of it, however, as a loud, wet rumble sounded above him, a much closer and more dramatic gurgle than the soothing ones from deeper within. His awareness shifted to the vixen's insides, and he imagined immense organs pulsing and squeezing somewhere above him, shifting fluids and partially digested food through a digestive tract that could make easy work of a grey whale, not to mention a little otter like him. *Why does *that* turn me on?* he thought as another loud rumble came from above. Once again, he had a sense of deep arousal and forgotten dreams, and he tried to imagine what it would be like to actually be inside of the fox; it couldn't be pleasant, and he knew that the destiny of anything that found itself in there was to be broken down and absorbed by the vixen's body, but he still found the idea strangely appealing, even feeling a rise in his nether region that pressed against the fur of the vixen's belly. Enticing though the idea was, he knew it could never be, and he doubted the woman who'd treated him so affectionately would do a thing like gobbling him up. Hendrix's stomach growled again, and suddenly lifted away, the returning light hurting his eyes, dim though it was. He squinted, holding an arm above his face as the vixen pulled away, rising up and leaning back, propping herself up on her arms. She was looking down at him again (he nearly reached down to cover his revealed erection, but thought better of it) and smiling, but this time there was something... hungry in her eyes. Something predatory. She lifted a hand and patted her belly (which jiggled in a most delightful way) and grinned at the Sterling, showing off rows of immaculate white teeth. "Mmm, the test chamber is ready for you, darling," she cooed, rubbing her belly and slowly, sensually running her tongue across her teeth and lips. --- Hendrix drank deeply of the otter's scent, enjoying it. He smelled strongly of the sea, and faintly of a sweet aroma she didn't recognize at first, but soon realized must have been the wax she'd seen surfers use to keep their boards from getting slippery. She could practically see the beach in her mind, feeling the warmth of the sun and hearing the crash of waves and cry of birds. It was such a pleasant smell, and even though there was nothing particularly food-like about it, it made her mouth water. *Mmm... I don't know how much longer I can hold out, darling, but I'll try to make it worth your while,* she thought even as she crawled forward and lowered herself onto the pleasantly surprised otter. She carefully played with him, "smooshing" her soft flesh against his tiny form without putting her weight on him. She loved the feeling of his tiny body against hers, and as she moved on to pin him beneath her belly, she found the sensation even more enjoyable! Just thinking of him there, trapped so close to her gurgly insides reawakened the powerful hunger she'd been keeping suppressed while toying with him, and she couldn't hold back much longer. The rumblings of her tummy were in agreement, and she decided it was time to go after what she really wanted! *Oh darling, you look delicious!* she thought as she patted her belly. *I wonder if he realizes what he's in for...* She gave him a not-so-subtle hint and watched, gauging his reaction. Usually the mention of her "test chamber" would send her prey running (as if her poor little snacks could get away!) or at least frozen in terror, but Sterling just lay there, looking back at her with a dreamy expression, as if what she had said and done hadn't registered. He was even sporting an erection, which was a first for her. While she wasn't too surprised that he was turned on--it had been clear from the start that the sea otter had the hots for her, and she'd been actively trying to get him steamed up--the fact that he wasn't freaking out in response to the revelation of her intent was unexpected, and it gave her an idea that sent a shiver of delight down her spine. *I wonder...* She pulled her left leg up onto the bed and crawled backwards, lifting her tail and rump high into the air and leaning forward, almost prostrate. Sliding her arms forward to wall in her little snack and settling down onto her soft chest, she lowered her head to the bed, resting her chin a scant few inches away from the otter. She wiggled her bottom and wagged her tail in much the way she'd seen dogs do when feeling playful, and with a salacious grin, she slowly opened her jaws, tilting her head back as far as it would go in her current position. When she'd gotten them as wide as she could without putting a crick in her neck, she slid her tongue out, bringing it to rest in front of the otter. While she couldn't see him behind her muzzle, and the taste of synthetic fleece against the bottom of her tongue wasn't exactly pleasant, she held her head still, waiting, hoping. She didn't really expect the sea otter to climb into her mouth of his own accord, but just thinking about it aroused her in ways none of her previous "tests" had. Sterling was going to end up inside her soon no matter what happened, but maybe, just maybe... *Come on little surfer boy, ride this wave!* --- Sterling gasped as the vixen's muzzle game down not more than a few yards away from him. She was looking at him in a way that spoke of appetites, both sexual and otherwise, and as he looked back along her enormous form, he could see the orange curves of her buttocks shifting back and forth and her fluffy tail swishing from side to side at the other end of the bed, though her enormous face blocked most of the view. He gasped again as Hendrix's mouth began to open, light seeping in past dark, rubbery lips and glistening white boulders onto a shifting floor of soft pink. As the aperture of her mouth reached its limit, he could see all the way past her smooth inner cheeks to the dangling bulb of her uvula--which quivered and bounced with each hot breath--and all the way back into the fleshy darkness beyond, which deepened towards the bottom, just past the dip of the base of her tongue. The massive carpet of muscle between Hendrix's teeth shifted and surged, almost seeming more liquid than solid. It flowed over her incisors like lava, sliding out over her lower lip out towards him. He braced himself, holding his arms over his face and expecting the wet flesh to inundate him at any moment, but it didn't. The tongue had stopped a few feet away from him, spread out on the blanket and twitching slightly, its wet surface rippling, but mostly stable. The otter stared, dumbstruck. *Does she really want me to...* Sterling sat up, looking into the vixen's gaping maw with a mixture of fascination and trepidation. There couldn't be any doubt what the vixen wanted; the only way it would have been more clear would have been if a neon sign had appeared with an arrow pointing inward. It seemed absurd to expect him to just walk into a place from which he may never return. Sure, she may have been joking about the whole "test chamber" thing, and maybe she just wanted to play around with him in her mouth a bit; he had to admit there was something powerfully enticing about the thought of that tongue rubbing against his entire body. He found himself standing up and taking a step forward, as if his body knew what it wanted and was going to get it regardless of what he thought. *I can't believe I'm doing this,* he thought, even as he lay his hands against the slick, pliant surface in front of him. Somewhere deep within him his instinct for self preservation was crying out "Stop!", but the rest of him wasn't listening. In truth he wanted this, and it was obvious that Hendrix did too; he also knew that if she really wanted to eat him, there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop her. *A Waverider goes where the waters take him,* he reminded himself, closing his eyes and leaning in, pressing his body against the vixen's tongue. *I'm all yours, Hendrix,* he thought as a shiver of excitement ran through him. --- Hendrix felt as if every nerve in her body tingled as Sterling's hands made contact with the tip of her tongue. *He's actually doing it! Oh Sterling, you really are something special!* she thought, her excitement building as more of him pressed against her tongue. She could hardly believe the tiny otter was actually giving himself to her, fulfilling one of her greatest fantasies! Even as she thrust her tongue forward, lifting him up and pulling him into her mouth, she felt a warmth in her heart and a deep affection the likes of which she'd never felt for anyone else. Part of her even felt bad about what she had planned, but there was no stopping her; if anything, her feelings for the otter only made her want him more! It was enough, though, to at least stall her lustful desire. She couldn't hold out for long, but there was one more thing she could do... --- Sterling felt the vixen's tongue push at his legs, breaking his contact with the blanket he'd been standing on and lifting him up in the air. He stared down the long corridor of the vixen's muzzle as hot, humid breath washed over him and damp drool began soaking into his fur. *No turning back now,* he thought, heart pounding. He spread himself out against the surface of Hendrix's tongue, feeling its bumpy, but ever-so-soft surface against his fur and skin, especially the sensitive part down below that was now pressed against the slick, pliant flesh. He watched as the dim interior of the vixen's muzzle darkened further, her jaws slowly closing around him and sealing him in total darkness. Or, not quite total darkness. To his left, a dim glow illuminated the area around his hand, and he could see the prototype phone--still strapped to his wrist--lying face-down against the vixen's tongue. Trying to grab it, he was interrupted by a sudden rise of the tongue beneath him. The phone forgotten for the moment, he tried to hold on as he was lifted up, squeezing his arms against supple flesh, but it was too slippery for him to actually hold onto. Fortunately, instead of tilting back and sending him towards the fox's abyssal throat, it lifted him up and pressed him against the smooth ridges of her hard palate. Just as Sterling wondered what she was up to, the tongue seemed to drop down from beneath the center of his body, while his sides were still being pressed up against the roof of Hendrix's mouth. He felt her tongue roll in from the sides, once more wrapping around his body, though this time he could feel a sort of groove beneath him, folding around his... oh my! *Hendrix, you seductress!* he thought even as her tongue began to slide along the sensitive surface of his engorged member. It felt like... well, he couldn't compare it to anything he knew. The firm but squishy embrace of her tongue as it slid along him drove the otter wild, and he couldn't help but thrust to the rhythm of the vixen's tongue, which steadily built in speed and insistence, pushing him closer and closer to climax. He moaned, burying his face in the slippery groove at the center of the giantess's tongue, feeling like his entire body had become as priapic and sensitive as his overstimulated member. "Ohfuck... HENNNDRIIIX!" he cried out as the orgasm took hold, drowning him in a sea of ecstasy as he came again and again, more times than he ever had before. Euphoria flooded through Sterling, filling him with an ecstasy that seemed to at once expand his awareness to encompass the whole of reality, while at the same time shrinking it to his body, and Hendrix's tongue, which was finally beginning to slow as the otter's involuntary thrusts died down. At that moment, she could have swallowed him and he would have been no less at peace. After that experience, she could do whatever she wanted with him! The tongue pushed up, squeezing him against the roof of Hendrix's mouth once again. He could feel her saliva pooling all around him, and he was sure she was going to swallow him right then and there, but instead he felt the saliva drain away, and heard a tremendous wet squelch as the vixen's saliva and his seed were sent down her throat. *GULP!* Sterling shivered at the thought of how easily it could have been him now sliding down the fox's throat. He was still right where he'd been pinned, though, and as Hendrix lowered her tongue, rather than sliding backwards he found himself in an indentation she'd formed, keeping him safely cupped near the front of her mouth. Sterling felt both relieved and disappointed; it would seem that despite giving him a good scare, the vixen wasn't going to eat him after all. --- Hendrix nearly swallowed out of reflex as she felt--and tasted--the otter squirt against her tongue. She could already feel her mouth watering something fierce, and she was surprised the little guy held out as long as he did, but grateful when he was finally spent. Holding him in place--*damn* the temptation was getting nearly impossible to resist--she swallowed the fluids that had built up in her mouth, closing her eyes and running her fingers over the moist and very much aroused lips of her nethers. She nearly started fingering herself, but there was one more thing she wanted to do before the big swallow. She nearly jumped out of bed, snatching her phone from the nightstand and shuffling into the bathroom and turning on the lights, looking at herself in the mirror over the sink. Her hair was a total mess, and she looked almost as hot and bothered as she felt, but she couldn't help but smile. Brushing the hair away from her eyes and running her fingers through it a few times to give it some vague semblance of neatness, she raised her phone and pointed its rear camera at the mirror, quickly pulling up the video app and hitting "Record". Gradually, she opened her mouth, revealing the tiny otter inside. He was still facing towards the back of her throat, but he turned to face the mirror, blinking blearily as he took in what he saw. As the reflection of his eyes met hers, she raised her free hand and waggled her fingers in a dainty little wave. The otter on her tongue smiled and waved back. His expression changed to one of shock when she lifted her tongue, this time angling it back so he would slide down along its surface, which he did, offering no resistance. She felt his slick little body slide all the way along it and dip behind, and pressing her tongue up against her palate, she finally did what she had been wanting to do since the moment she first laid eyes on the adorable surfer. *GULP!* --- Sterling slid around in the depression made by the vixen's tongue as the world around him shifted and shook. Despite all the movement, the sliding was not too intense, and even though he caught a sense of movement over what to him was a great distance, the incline of Hendrix's tongue and the slowly growing pool of saliva at the base of the recess served to slow his passage as he sloshed through it--and give his fur a good soaking as well. The movement stopped, save for the occasional twitch of the tongue and the steady rise and fall of the fox's breath, and after a few moments light began seeping into the darkened chamber of her maw, a zigzag of illumination widening across the back of Hendrix's mouth framed by the shadows of her teeth. Shakily rising to his hands and knees, the otter turned, slowly enough to let his eyes adjust to the light, and looked out from between the vixen's jaws. He was astonished to see himself looking back in amazement, kneeling on the broad expanse of the vixen's tongue. The back of her mouth was more brightly illuminated than before, and he could make out every detail from the smooth softness of her inner cheeks to the vertical folds where the side and back walls of her throat met, which flexed with each breath. Her uvula dangled and quivered as uvulas do, and the curved surface of the tongue he was on dipped away into a place no illumination could reach; a place he'd been sure he'd find himself not long ago. He could see most of Hendrix's face, too, including the chubby cheeks not far behind him, and her cheerful golden eyes peeking down at him--or, he realized, his reflection--partially obscured by her muzzle. She was smiling at him and looking quite pleased with herself, and he felt reassured by the warmth of her expression. As her hand appeared in view and waved, he couldn't help but smile and wave back. Suddenly the fox's tongue lifted beneath him, and the indentation he'd been in disappeared, allowing him to start sliding. He reached out and tried to grasp at the flesh beneath him, but of course it was far to slippery to find purchase. He'd thought after keeping him from going down with the previous swallow that she intended to let him out, but it was clear from the moment he lost traction that the message her cute little wave had meant to convey was most emphatically *not* "Hello!". Darkness enfolded him again as he slipped deep into Hendrix's maw, and Sterling knew this time the light wasn't coming back. He felt his legs and backside slip into a crevice of flesh, wedging there until the flesh around them loosened, letting the rest of him squeeze into the opening as the back of the fox's tongue pressed against him, pushing him through. He struggled at first as he slid down the tube of pulsating flesh, his instincts for survival overriding his enjoyment of the sensation of having the muscles of Hendrix's esophagus wrap around his body, pulling him deeper and deeper, ever downwards. He reached and grasped at the walls around him, but if her tongue had offered him no purchase, the slick, yielding inside of her throat offered not even the faintest hope of purchase. Still, he didn't give up; he continued wriggling and grasping as if trying to escape, though in truth at that point he was just hoping the vixen could feel him there. It took only seconds, but they were the longest seconds of Sterling's life. Just when it seemed like the descent would go on forever, though, his feet slid into a tighter spot, which moments later opened up to allow him passage. His legs met open air, and the otter panicked as he could feel nothing below him. With one last futile attempt he tried to grasp at the rippling flesh of Hendrix's esophagus, but it gave way, and he was falling. He could hardly see a thing, the only light coming from the faint glow of the rubber strap that still bound the prototype phone to his wrist, which only furthered the sensation that he was falling through an endless void. Fortunately it wasn't endless; the otter's upper back collided with something firm but yielding and covered in something slimy that stuck to his already sodden fur. He quickly slid down the steep incline of a surface he couldn't see, several times hitting bumps that sent him harrowingly airborne again, only to come back down and continue sliding. He was slowing down, however, as the gooey mucus--and who knew what else--lining the vixen's stomach dragged at him, and the incline was getting shallower. Soon he was sliding over the bumps (which he realized to be wrinkles in the stomach wall) instead of launching off them, and as the slope lessened, the tiny otter's descent slowed until, finally, he came to a stop between two folds flesh, somewhere deep inside the vixen's stomach. Sterling wiped some of the drool and slime from his muzzle and gasped, nearly retching as he was greeted with an acrid aroma that was, not to put to fine a point on it, pretty much what the contents of a stomach smelled like when forcibly ejected from it. Despite the tumble and odor, however, he managed to keep his own lunch from joining whatever was left of the vixen's--though the otter had the unsettling realization it was only a matter of time before the two became one anyway. He lay in the oppressively hot, humid darkness, panting in the unpleasant, but breathable air. He still couldn't quite believe what had happened, or where he was, but he couldn't deny the evidence at hand: he was really in Hendrix's stomach, deep inside the big, fat belly he'd admired so much from the outside! It was notably less appealing from where he was now, though despite the fear he felt, he was still excited by the feeling of having the beautiful vixen who had given him such a unique and profound experience all around him. *Besides,* he told the part of himself that was still freaking out, *maybe she will let me out before it gets too dangerous.* Somehow he doubted it, but worrying wasn't going to get him out of his predicament. He pulled his arms up over his midsection, looking at the glowing strap the phone was still attached to. The phone itself was unlit and lifeless, which didn't surprise him; unless it had some damn good weather proofing, it had probably gotten shorted out by all the liquids it had been tumbled around in. The phone's screen lit up and a soft chime came from its speaker as a message appeared: > Hendrix Hughes would like to send you a video! *I guess it does have some damn good weather proofing,* the otter thought, staring at the phone in disbelief. Taking hold of it, he hit the "Accept" icon, and a video popped popped up on screen. There was Hendrix, mouth agape with him inside, waving. He could see himself wave back before the vixen's tongue lifted and he disappeared behind it. Without even closing her mouth, the vixen lifted her tongue and pushed back, sending its tiny occupant on his way. Lowering her tongue to reveal that its was now devoid of passengers, she stuck it out and waggled it from side to side, playfully, before withdrawing it and closing her muzzle, looking proud of herself. With a sultry wink, she blew a kiss to the camera and waved, then the video ended. Sterling couldn't help but feel aroused by the display, despite the seriousness of his current situation. Even knowing what the vixen had done to him, and what that entailed for his very brief future, she could still push his buttons. The phone chimed, and a text message appeared onscreen: > Hendrix Hughes sent: > Welcome to the Hazardous Environment Test Chamber, sweetie! :9 I hope you're still with me. <3 *Hazardous Environment Test Chamber?* the otter thought, staring at the phone in disbelief. Even with him in her belly, she was still having a laugh at his expense! Well, he could be cheeky too! The gravity of his situation momentarily forgotten, he texted back: > Of course I'm still with you, I'm in your STOMACH! A deep, rhythmic rumbling surrounded him and the chamber he was in shook, nearly dislodging him from his nook. While the vixen's stomach had been far from motionless--or quiet, for that matter; if the gurgling had seemed loud from the outside, it was all he could hear from within until now--its slow ripples and pulsations hadn't threatened to toss him around too much. Her laughter, however--that had to be what it was--rattled him around good, causing the phone to slip from his hands. He heard it chime again as the motion died down and grabbed it, grateful for the wrist strap. > Hendrix Hughes wants to send you a photo! Sterling hit "Accept" to reveal a close-up of the vixen's upper torso, dominated by her pendulous breasts with their pink--and erect, he noticed--nipples. Beneath her left breast he could see a finger poking into the soft white fur and fat of her belly, and at the bottom of the photo was the caption: "YOU ARE HERE" The otter snorted in a half-suppressed laugh! He knew by rights he should be terrified, and angry with the vixen who'd decided to make a meal of him, but there was something undeniably endearing and oddly comforting about the way she kept playfully teasing him, even while he was inside her stomach. Keeping with the spirit of things, he typed out a reply: > Thanks for the clarification. He sent it, feeling grateful at least that he could still communicate with her. That wrist strap really had come in handy, it was almost as if... Suddenly, things fell into place. The prototype, the wrist strap, the way Hendrix had jokingly referred to her stomach as a "test chamber" on multiple occasions. *She planned this from the start!* Sterling thought, completely flabbergasted. This had been about getting him insider her belly all along! The otter felt a rising fear in his chest, not of what was going to happen to him, but that the kindness and affection she'd shown him was a lie, and she saw him as nothing more than an erotic snack. *No, no no no...* he thought, despair setting in. He began typing out a text message, and nearly dropped the phone as it vibrated, emitting a familiar sound of wailing guitar. He nearly jammed his thumb answering the call. The vixen's cheerful face appeared on screen, looking almost ecstatic. "It worked!" she squealed, her voice sounding normal from the phone but a deep, unintelligible rumble around him that sent vibrations all the way down to his bones. "Hendrix--" Sterling began, but was cut off by the vixen's enthusiasm. "I wasn't sure it would, but it really worked this time!" "Hendrix--" he tried again, this time cut off by his own thought: *"this time"?* "--wait, you've done this before?" "Yes, darling, but this was the first time it worked, and I'm so glad it did!" The otter's heart sank. She really had done it before. The ad, the "test"... it was all just a pretext to lure in unsuspecting victims so she could have her way with them. He couldn't help but feel a bit impressed (and turned on, much to his own surprise) by the cleverness of it, but knowing that in the end he was just another victim to the fox's outlandish and deadly desires was breaking his heart. "Hendrix..." he sighed, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. The vixen's smile vanished and her eyes went wide. Her ears folded down slightly, and her jaw hung open a crack in an expression of shocked embarrassment that, despite everything, reminded Sterling of how much he adored her. "Oh Sterling!" she exclaimed, making the otter wince as her voice boomed a too loud from above and around him. Noticing this, the vixen's look became even more apologetic as she explained, "I didn't mean like this, darling. I've eaten people before, but not like this." "What do you mean?" Sterling could feel a faint spark of hope, but he wasn't about to commit do it only to have it dashed away. "The others were just unwilling playthings, but you... Sterling, I'm not just happy the prototype worked, I'm happy because it worked for *you*!" Sterling could feel his heart pounding. He wanted to believe her, but part of him couldn't shake the suspicion that even know she was toying with her. He stared at the phone in silence as Hendrix continued: "You were--no, you *are*--special. While the others just wanted to get through the testing and get their paycheck, you actually seemed more interested in *me*!" The vixen's smile returned, though her eyes watered. "And dammit, Sterling, the more time I spent with you, the more I became interested in *you*!" The otter took a deep breath, but said nothing. Despite his misgivings, that spark of hope was burning brighter and brighter. She could have been lying, but if so she was a damned good actress. "I like you, Sterling Waters. I like your gentle laugh, and the kindness in your beautiful eyes. I like the way you tried so hard to hide the way you felt about me out of respect, even though I wouldn't have minded had you not. I like that when you found yourself the way you are now, and saw me, you didn't freak out or try to run away. The way you looked at me then made me feel like a *goddess*, Sterling! I've never felt that way before!" The vixen smiled, sniffling. "You were so much fun to play with! And gods, when you leaned against my tongue and let me take you..." She shuddered, almost causing the otter to drop his phone. "I wanted it so badly, and I didn't expect you to do it, but you did! It was the most wonderful thing anyone had ever done for me. You gave me the most precious gift I've ever received: *you!*" The sea otter could feel his own eyes beginning to water. Maybe she was lying, but he wanted to believe her. Even though his time with her had been brief, he'd developed a deep attraction to her, well beyond mere lust. He wanted to get to know her, inside and out (to be fair, it could be said he'd at least gotten the "inside" part taken care of) and have her in his life as more than a work acquaintance or friend. "Hendrix..." he began. "Please, call me Henny, darling," the vixen cooed. "Henny," Sterling began, liking the way it felt to say that, "Thank you. I did have a good time--a wonderful time, really. The time of my life, in fact." He smiled for a moment, but then went cold as an icy dagger of doubt pierced his heart. "But... Henny... if you really do like me, why did you... eat me?" The vixen looked away from the camera, folding her ears down again. She looked terribly guilty as she looked back, replying: "I'm sorry, Sterling. It's... gods, it's the greatest feeling there is, knowing someone is in my belly... knowing that they're mine, that they belong to me." She looked back at the camera with a piercing gaze. "Or so I thought until I met you, darling. The more I came to like you, the more I *had to* go through with it! I had to know what it felt like to keep you deep inside me, to feel the desire and excitement mingle with affection and the comfort of knowing it was *you* in there!" Strange as it was, Sterling felt reassured. The vixen was nothing if not passionate, and there was obviously something deeply erotic to her--and he couldn't deny it, to him as well--about devouring him. He could believe that with how worked up they'd both gotten by the experience leading up to his trip to her stomach, she would want to culminate it with what was to her the most erotic experience imaginable. "So," he asked, curiosity replacing his dread, "How does it feel?" "*Sublime*, Sterling! Nothing compares to how I feel right now, with you in there, knowing you're all mine, and you're going to become part of me..." the vixen's expression seemed more than a bit lewd. "That's nice," the otter said, actually meaning it. That last part, though... "But... part of you?" He'd thought maybe, just maybe once Hendrix was done getting off to him being in her stomach she might throw him up and let him out, but it certainly didn't sound like it. The vixen nodded, looking at once both affectionate and apologetic. "Oh darling, I'm sorry, but I can't just stop at having you in there. I want to wake up tomorrow knowing you're with me, part of me. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I'm not very good at letting go of what I want once I have it." Sterling swallowed. *So I really am going to die in here,* he thought, finally accepting the truth of his circumstances. Much as it should have scared him, though, it didn't. He didn't want to die, not really, but the way she described it... "So you're just going to leave me in here, to be digested? You're going to let me be broken down by your body and absorbed into it, becoming nothing more than a little energy and fat for your big, beautiful body?" "Mmf, Sterling..." the vixen half-moaned, her cheeks gaining a noticeably rosy tint. The otter smiled, feeling a perverse thrill at turning the teasing back around on her. "Are you getting off to it? You *evil* woman!" The stress he put on "evil" made it sound more like a term of endearment than an accusation. "Here I thought you liked me, and would never hurt me, but now I'm just food to you, aren't I? Just another little snack to tide you over." The vixen moaned, and her stomach began to shake in a steady movement, up and down, up and down... "You really are! I'm spending my last moments on this Earth inside your greedy gut, and you're... you're masturbating, aren't you?" The vixen grinned like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The image on the screen shook and Hendrix's face lifted away, the camera panning down over her bouncing breasts and jiggling tummy, coming to rest between her legs and giving Sterling a fine view of the spread lips and engorged clit of the vixen's pussy as she played with them, rubbing and thrusting and flicking as the otter's surroundings bounced and sloshed. He could feel his own arousal returning with force, his manhood erect despite the discomfort of his surroundings and having spent himself not long before. "Oh yeah? Well two can play at that game!" he shouted, hoping she could hear him with her phone where it was. Rolling over in his spot between the folds of her increasingly more active stomach, the otter began grinding himself against the flesh beneath him. While it was not so tight and textured as her tongue had been, it was soft and warm and slippery, and the sensation of it against him was no less stimulating. Holding the phone in front of his face in a grip the jaws of life couldn't have pried open, he watched the vixen finger herself and pushed against the folds of her stomach, thrusting in time with her own movements. "You feel that? I'm--mmmf--not going down without a fight!" If the moan that reverberated around Sterling was any indication, she'd heard him. --- Hendrix was in sheer bliss as she touched herself and thought of the little otter inside her sloshing tummy. She'd been worked up and wet from the moment he'd entered her throat, but she really had felt awful for making the little guy feel bad. Fortunately he'd not only recovered, but--much to her surprised--started teasing *her* about his predicament, and the intensity of her renewed arousal could not be denied! He'd even been getting off himself, and though she couldn't actually feel him rubbing against her stomach--the last she'd felt of him were the delightful squirms he made sliding down her throat--she had a good idea of what he was doing, and it turned her on like nothing else! "Oh Sterling!" she moaned, glancing at her phone to see the otter still on its screen, shaking but never taking his eyes off the view she'd given him. Faster and faster she rubbed, her body tingling with the approaching orgasm. "Oh! Steeerliiing!" she cried out as she climaxed, wave after wave of unimaginably intense pleasure flooded threw her, causing her to jerk and convulse as she lost control. It was the greatest feeling of her life, and for a moment that lasted an eternity she felt one with everything--the world, the universe, Sterling; *especially* Sterling! It was if he was already part of her, and she was part of him, too. The tremors began to die down as the last orgasm faded, leaving her in a state of peaceful ecstasy, panting heavily on her back with her fingers still partially submerged between her netherlips. "Ohhh... Sterling..." she moaned softly, placing a hand on her belly, just above where she expected her tiny lover to be. "You're *wonderful*!" --- "Hennyyyy!" Sterling cried in unison with the vixen as an orgasm even more earth-shattering than the first overtook him. His arms sank into the squishy lining of her stomach as he clung madly to the bouncing and quaking flesh, every muscle in his body tensing as he spent himself a second time. Thoroughly drained in multiple senses of the word, he collapsed, limp, letting Hendrix's still shaking stomach slide and slosh him around as it willed. He was too lost in euphoric afterglow to worry any longer. He was with Henny--in a truer sense of the word than he'd ever thought possible before--and nothing else mattered. Everything felt so perfect, so *right* that he wondered if what he was feeling was *satori*. Even though it seemed almost sacrilegious to think of it that way, he truly had found himself in the depths of the beautiful vixen's body. The world around him tilted, and he slid around in the fox's belly, putting up no resistance and letting the waves carry him where they would. Soon the sliding stopped and he once again found himself in between the creases of the vixen's stomach lining, and he lay there, quietly contemplating the sublime absurdity of life, and everything that had led up to this point. While nothing about the conditions inside Hendrix's stomach had improved--in fact, if anything the heat was even more oppressive than before--but to him it had become a paradise. Even the loud squelches and gurgles of sloshing fluids and the workings of the fox's intestines below--a place he would in time be acquainted with--were comforting to him, and he nearly found himself nodding off. The realization that if he fell asleep now he wouldn't wake up snapped him out of it, though; it wasn't that he was afraid any more, but there was a question in his mind, something he couldn't be content to leave unasked. Feeling around with his left hand, he found the phone and picked it up, lifting it back into view. "Henny?" he asked breathlessly. He couldn't see her any more, all he could see on the screen was a lavender, textured expanse that he soon realized was Hendrix's bedroom ceiling. Nothing happened at first, but just as he was wondering if she'd heard him, the picture shook wildly, and there was a flash of orange, white, and pink followed by the appearance of the broad dome of the fox's belly, and finally her face. Her hair was a mess and her fur was matted down with sweat, but she was no less beautiful for it, and the look on her face was one of serene contentment. "Sterling," she breathed, her smile tired but more loving than ever. "Henny, I accept this... no, I want this. I want to be here, with you, right now, and I want to be with you forever even though I won't be aware of it, but..." "What is it, darling?" Hendrix asked, looking concerned. "How? How did you do it?" The fox's stomach shook as a laugh bubbled up from within her. Her expression took on a more sultry, almost devious look, and her lips parted in a self-satisfied grin. "Oh *darling*," she cooed, "I was hoping you'd ask!" --- Hendrix felt her heart flutter at the otter's question. While she could have been content to drift off knowing her tiny lover was there in her belly, destined to become part of her, she'd wanted to tell him what she'd done from the moment she first realized how much she liked the "little" surfer boy. She owed him that much. Besides... while she didn't quite like to think of herself as an evil genius, per-se, she'd always found them fascinating, and she had to admit that what she did was straight out of comic book super villainy. There would never be a more perfect time to explain her fiendish plot to the hapless hero who was completely at her mercy. There would be no last-minute escapes this time, though, as even if Sterling had wanted to get out of her belly, there was nothing he could have done to escape, and no one to rescue him. Not only was she the only person who knew of his current, gurgly predicament, no one would even miss him except for her! It really was the perfect crime. "You see, darling, what my 'phone' did was not so much 'scan' you as 'download' you..." --- Sterling was having difficulty remaining conscious, but he watched and listened intently as Hendrix explained. "I placed you in Storage Space--I'm afraid I don't think we have time for a proper explanation of it, but it's a place you can store pretty much anything, and retrieve it later in the same state--and took you back out--most of you, that was. After the scan I returned you to the very spot you'd been in when I stored you, and you were none the wiser." "Wait, why don't I remember that?" "Oh! Well, you're not the same 'you', darling!" the vixen replied, as if that explained everything. She seemed to notice his confusion, though, and clarified: "Not long after I started working with Storage Space, I discovered that by tweaking a few parameters, I could make copies of things I had stored." "So you're saying... I'm a copy?" the otter could hardly believe it, but then again it was no less believable than everything else that had happened since that fateful "click" of Hendrix's "phone". "Yes dear, just a second..." The video feed cut out as she placed the call on hold, and with a soft chime a message appeared: > Hendrix Hughes would like to send you a video! Sterling accepted, and his likeness appeared onscreen, fully clothed and standing where he'd been before he'd been "downloaded" in the same stance he'd held when he had first found himself standing on the vixen's bed. He watched and listened with increasing astonishment as the him in the video and the Hendrix who was filming conversed: *"Can you still see and hear me?"* *"Y-yeah. On the phone, too."* The video shook as Hendrix laughed. *"It worked! I knew it would!"* Sterling could see himself staring back at the video, his eyes not quite pointing at the camera. *She had to have seen that!* he thought, feeling momentarily embarrassed before laughing at the absurdity of his worry. The video shook and then cut off, the message box showing that his call with the vixen was still on hold. He waited a moment, still trying to wrap his head around seeing himself doing things he had no recollection of, and resumed the call. "That was... me," he said weakly, a bit dumbfounded and feeling exhausted from his time in Hendrix's belly. "Yep!" the vixen said with a toothy grin. "In fact, you asked me out on a date!" "Really?" Sterling couldn't help but make a stupid grin. *Good on you, other me!* He was surprised his other self had mustered the courage to ask the beautiful woman out, especially considering that their relationship had started as work, but it wasn't inconceivable. Hendrix really was like no other woman he'd ever met! "Yes, darling! You really are a sweet boy!" Sterling chuckled. *If only you knew what you were getting into, other me!* he thought as he listened to the sounds of the belly he'd gotten into. "Henny, I... thank you," he said feeling his energy seeping away as his consciousness continued to fade. "Thank you, darling," the vixen replied, briefly darkening the screen of the otter's phone as she gave the phone's camera a kiss. He watched, eyes half-lidded as she pulled away. For a moment, the vixen seemed pensive. She swallowed--which Sterling both heard and felt--and brought the camera closer to her face, until he could see nothing but orange fur and golden eyes. "I haven't said this to anyone before, but..." she lowered the phone to the level of her lips and whispered: *"I love you, Sterling Waters."* Barely conscious, Sterling nonetheless felt a warmth in his heart that made the sweltering heat of the vixen's stomach seem frigid in comparison. "I love you too, Hendrix Hughes," he whispered back. "Hen...ny..." The phone slipped from his hand and a warm, peaceful darkness enveloped him in its welcoming embrace. --- Hendrix sighed, laying back and staring at the ceiling as she contemplated the otter's final words and her own. It seemed crazy, but she'd really meant it! In the brief time they'd shared, she'd grown to love the gentle otter who'd against all odds given her a night she would never forget. She ran a hand over her belly, thinking of the now unconscious little surfer boy within, and wished she could have saved him, somehow. She hadn't done it before, but she suspected it would be possible to merge a copy of someone back into the "original" and have them retain their memories as a copy. The problem was that while even that would be risky, it would require the original be stored while the copy was active, that way their memories could be merged seamlessly. Unfortunately, she had brought back the other Sterling right after uploading him in order to avoid pesky questions like why it was suddenly dark out, or why he wasn't in the exact spot he'd been, or why she looked different, or any other number of things that could have hinted to the fact that he'd been in Storage Space. He was out there somewhere right now, having experienced different things than the tiny copy of him in her tummy, so even if she had expelled the Sterling she ate, she couldn't have risked killing them both by trying to put them back together. At least this way there was still a Sterling out there, and though it pained her to think of having to earn his love all over again, she would do it, and maybe, just maybe, some day he'd learn what had transpired the night they met. But it would have to wait. For now, she could rest knowing that by this time tomorrow, the little copy of the man she loved would be spread throughout her body, become one with her. --- *The next day...* Sterling felt his phone vibrate, and as the wailing guitar of what was quickly becoming one of his favorite songs came softly from his pocket, his heart skipped a beat. *She called!* he thought, nearly dropping his phone in his eagerness to answer. Fumbling at it, he managed to hit "Accept" and saw, much to his delight, the cheerful, chubby face of the vixen he'd met yesterday appear on screen. "Sterling, *daarling*!" she drawled, "About that date..."