((Thanks again, everyone, for the patience! ^_^ I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I've been EXCEEDINGLY busy, but could not sleep tonight, so wanted to go ahead and get 1/2 the next post out! Again, wait until I post the NEXT part before you post, but hopefully this gets you all back into the mood!<img alt=":D" src="./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" title="Very Happy"/>I'll be busy tomorrow, but hopefully more free the coming days, so expect something soon!))<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Around 3:00 the following morning, many, many miles away...</span><br/><br/>Exhausted was a good way to put it. Honestly, Tayna had never been quite so exhausted in her life. Never, EVER could she have suspected they'd be attacked in open daylight, right in the middle of a massive, bustling town, but the deep gash that ran down the side of her neck and across her shoulder begged to differ. It was HER job to do the surprising, not be surprised. Still, it had not come with too great a cost. She got a little cut up, a couple of the others got some nasty slashes - poor Ornan was going to require stitches for sure, as their magical healing capabilities were already overtaxed - but noone got capture, noone got carted off, and noone got dead. On the contrary, they'd taken a few prisoners of their own. Well. Sort of - she MIGHT have eaten the brightly-colored lizard fellow that had been trying to skulk away. He'd been digesting for six or seven hours, and he was STILL twitching around in there. It felt...pretty darn good, to be honest.<br/><br/>Resting a hand upon her stomach, Tayna gazed down at the human girl on the ground in front of her, giving her neck a light squeeze between her thighs, which earned a soft, choking cough "So, explain to me once more why you thought that little group of yours figured it was a good idea to ambush us in a busy street?" She squeezed her thighs together once more for good measure, inadvertently (but amusingly), mashing the girl's cheek and the side of her nose up against her softly gurgling stomach. Humans were an amusing bunch. Adapted to all ways of life, easily the most populated species on the planet, and yet sometimes they just made some stupid, stupid choices.<br/><br/>"Ngh.." With a little fidget, the dark-haired girl (whom Tanya had learned was named Jeenie, like the...well, magical-critter in a lamp type) twisted her head to the side enough to breathe again, though it left her cheek tightly squished up against what she was almost sure was Arata's head, hidden away beneath that tightly-stretched tummy. The 'draconian' had always boasted that he was quite resistant to acid, even going so far as to dip his hand in the vat of their alchemist, and yet that resistance sure didn't seem to do much when pitted up against the foxgirl's stomach - somewhere she was fervently hoping to avoid "W-we were paid. It was a job. You're a damn mercenary yourself, you know what we do. We get paid, and we do what we're paid to do."<br/><br/>"Oh, I know." Tayna replied, pausing briefly when another little squirm from inside her stomach made her shiver with delight. Mmm...the lizard fellow might not have tasted like a five-star meal, but so much squirming...ugh, it was worth it. Honestly, if she was not so damn tired, and her neck so sore, she'd have been aroused. She still was, just didn't have the energy to DO anything about it. Briefly, the thought of having the prisoner 'tend' to her in exchange for the promise of freedom crossed her mind, but ultimately it would have been an empty promise. Something she didn't make, ever "But who PAID you? Who in the hell has it out for us in the middle of this mess?"<br/><br/>Jeenie suddenly wished she knew the answer to that question. It was one thing to be stripped of her weapons and armor - but the fox had made a point of removing her clothing, too. Maybe it was just to scare her, or maybe....<br/><br/>She found herself staring sideways at the vague shape Arata made in the foxgirl's stomach, another little twitch briefly imprinting the vague shape of a hand somewhere just below where she suspected his head was. She heard...SOMETHING. A muffled whimper, or maybe a curse, but one thing was for sure - resistant to acid was not IMMUNE to it, and he was likely only going to make it out of the foxgirl in one way - and not back through her mouth. Swallowing nervously, she tried to find her voice, opened her mouth to speak, and was swiftly rewarded with another squeeze of the foxgirl's thighs around her neck, making her voice choke off into a faint gasp.<br/><br/>"You don't know, do you?" Tayna murmured, more to herself than her captive. Heaving a little sigh, she leaned back in the camp chair, idly eyeing the two other prisoners they'd taken. Honestly, they'd most likely let them go. Maybe. They'd seen the innerworkings of the camp, but they might be persuaded to 'forget what they saw'. Of course, someone might get the midnight munchies and come looking for a snack that wasn't hardtack, too. She was surprised Ylinne had not come slithering around already. The naga had been trying to strictly limit her diet to camp faire, and had done it admirably for several weeks...but she'd been practically DROOLING when she saw them parading the trio into the prison tent. Not to mention, giving her stomach an exceedingly jealous look. Giggling to herself at the memory of that ravenous naga, Tayna squeezed the girl's throat between her thighs again, perhaps a little harder than she'd intended. It's not until the girl let out a choked gurgle that she released her hold once more, giving her an almost apologetic look "Sorry. Was thinking of something else. Where were we? Oh, right...you don't know, so you're not really of any use, are you?"<br/><br/>Eyes growing wide, Jeenie tried to pull herself back, but her knees had no traction, and the foxgirl's calves were locked firmly on her shoulderblades "I...look, I wasn't told. It doesn't mean I'm useless, though! I can cook, clean up...we're not a big company, so there's really no information I can give you. Maybe I can set you up with a meeting with our leader? There's bound to be--"<br/><br/>"How many?"<br/><br/>Jeenie blinked. How many? "How many what?"<br/><br/>Curling her legs slightly, Tayna once more squished the girl's face up against her stomach. Normally, she'd hate this sort of thing. She was not cruel...mostly. But this girl had given her a hell of a cut, and it was still smarting "How many are in your group?"<br/><br/>"S-six. Plus our leader, Terathe"<br/><br/>"One, two..." Tayna counted off the two prisoners tied and gagged nearby, ignoring the glances they were throwing her way. "Three..." She gave her stomach a smug little pat, then squeezed her legs around Jeenie's throat again for good measure "Four. Lika got one of you, and he skewered another. That makes six. So, looks like your leader is without a company. Nah...no interest in meeting him. He's out of the game, and likely will be until this entire ordeal is over. For that matter, so are all of you. Though, that begs the question of what to DO with you. Those two..." She inclined her head towards the bound prisoners "..will have to speak with our leader, so their fate is not for me to decide. You, though...I have a personal interest in you. You gave me this nasty, nasty cut. You know, it might leave a scar." She frowned at that. A scar. On her beautiful skin. After all the care she took of herself?! No - she'd see if Ylinne could slip her one of those little potions, just to make sure it didn't leave a scar "So, it's up to me to decide what to do with you."<br/><br/>Jeenie swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling dry "I'm sorry, it was just--"<br/><br/>Again, Tayna interrupted, rolling her eyes "I know, a job. A dangerous job. One you were happy to take one. Had that cut been a little bit deeper, I might not be breathing. You know...I REALLY enjoy life. So much to see, so much to do...and you almost robbed me of that. An' this was supposed to be a safe zone, but oh no...had you won, all three of us would have been dead. Lucky for us, we've got a bit more experience under our belts than you did. So, the question is...what do I do with you. Oh! I know!" Her heart gave a little titter of excitement in her chest, and Tayna unwound her legs from behind her captive "You get to help me with Julora! That'll be your penance!"<br/><br/>The relief Jeenie felt might as well have been a physical manifestation soothing her tense muscles. Helping 'deal' with someone was something she could do, if that bought her freedom. Yet, as she continued to listen to the suddenly elated foxgirl, her blood ran cold.<br/><br/>"You see, I'm not much of a glutton. I mean, I love eating people, don't get me wrong. Been getting to enjoy myself alot here recently. Why, just a couple of weeks ago I had a cute little mouseboy. Y'see, Julora is a big girl. Got a solid two feet on me, and likely a hundred or more pounds. She keeps telling me that I can't handle what she can handle. So, you get to help me prove her wrong! I think a lizard and a human is MORE than enough to earn a lil' more respect! You'll get to be the FIRST TIME I've eaten two people at once! Isn't that EXCITING?!"<br/><br/>"WAIT, WAIT! THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE! I'M SORRY, ALRIGHT?!" But it was too late. The foxgirl had already leaned forwards in her chair and taken ahold of her shoulders, her grip surprisingly firm. It was almost hypnotic watching those soft lips part right before her eyes, the glinting white of teeth barely illuminated by the single, covered torch that burned in the tent's center. Jeenie had always thought foxes were incredibly cute. Those big, fuzzy tails, those cute ears. It had almost been a shame when she learned she'd have to cut off one's head. Even now, some strange part in the back of her mind told her that this fox's mouth was so cute. So tiny, such a little tongue, such pink inner-cheeks. Even her teeth were cute, slightly longer-than-a-human's canine teeth, and otherwise mostly blunt, similar to her own, if not just a tiny bit sharper. Yet, that part that was thinking 'cute' was quickly overrun by the rising realization that this was not a trick, some ploy to make her spill more information. This cute little foxgirl, matching her own height, was going to eat her "Y-you don't need to! You already ate Arata! You can't be--mmphh!"<br/><br/>Whatever else she'd been saying was abruptly cut short as those soft little lips descended over her head, utterly engulfing her in a slick, wet darkness.<br/><br/>Tayna's tail gave a happy wag of it's own accord as the flavor of her second course flooded across her tongue. The very faint taste of sweat was a lovely spice to the otherwise utterly delectable taste of human, certainly better than that green-speckled lizard she'd eaten hours ago. A part of her was a little nervous - she'd never tried to eat two people before. Could her stomach even handle it? It had taken her nearly a whole year of practice to even manage one person, and this was a FAR cry above that. Yet, the muffled cry from in her mouth, mingled with that utterly delicious flavor, threw the doubts from her mind. This was going to feel AMAZING.<br/><br/>Leaning forwards so most of her weight was resting on the softening-but-still-moving lizard fellow in her stomach, Tayna tucked her hands beneath the girl's arms and lifted her upwards, swallowing in the same fluid, practiced motion. The feeling of soft skin squeezing into her throat with practiced ease sent a shiver down her spine, and she couldn't help but moan around her food, her long, furry tail swirling around the back of the chair. Ugh, how much she wished she was not so sore. She would have masturbated to this like no tomorrow. If she could even move afterwards. Oh well - she'd still do it, just once she got a little rest. Squirming on her seat, Tayna closed her eyes and washed her tongue along the smooth, soft skin of the girl's throat, flicking it out just enough to lightly brush along her collar. Mmm..even after their scuffle, she tasted divine, and rather than just cramming her down like she'd initially intended, she instead found herself slowing down, savoring the taste. Another soft moan - this one abruptly silenced by her throat being too full - punctuated another 'bite' that eased her lips downwards along the girl's shoulders, her teeth just ever-so-lightly nipping the soft skin of her collar and the top of her shoulderblades. Nnnghhh....gods, she really needed to stop playing hard to get. To have a lover licking her most private areas while she was doing this would have been mindblowing.<br/><br/>The girl's squirming felt AMAZING, and again, Tayna paused long enough to truly enjoy the sensations of movement in her throat before she swallowed again, easing her hands downwards to clench them around the girl's waist to aid in lifting her upwards. Eyes closed, Tayna shivered in predatory pleasure once more as the girl's soft breasts squished over her bottom lip, her tongue immediately assaulting the soft orbs and working them completely past her jaws. She really preferred to eat guys - those few times they got all 'excited' by the stimulation just tickled her more perverse side in just the right way...but girls had their own perks. Like that delectable softness. For a few seconds, she merely allowed her tongue to explore the soft flesh, filling her mouth with the wondrous flavor of human...and then, tensing her throat, she swallowed again, lifting upwards on the girl's waistline in the process.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Glup..!</span><br/><br/>The noisy swallow had the desired effect, squeezing her shoulders and breasts completely into her throat, and Tayna once more adjusted her grip, this time scooping her hands beneath the girl's butt to heft her further upwards. Huh. She had a nice butt. Not that it mattered, but Tayna gave it a little squeeze all the same. Again, she swallowed deeply, her jaws irising down around the girl's waist, effectively pinning her arms against her side. It was just the opportunity needed to quickly yank the cord on the bindings around her wrists, freeing them...but it hardly mattered. Her arms were trapped, and her hands could do little more than flop uselessly at her side. Her fuzzy ears briefly perked upwards at the muffled cry that came from somewhere deep inside of her, and she half-grinned around her food, though wasting no time in swallowing again, hefting her upwards at the same time.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Ulp...Mmgglp...!</span><br/><br/>Inch by inch,  her lips descended over the girl's waist, and Tayna felt that strange, 'stretchy' sensation inside of her that always drove her wild. The stomach was not exactly sensitive, but still, she'd always loved that feeling of someone's head or feet or whatever squeezing into her stomach that first time. Now, she just hoped her stomach could handle it. Jaws widening around the girl's hips, Tanya smugly wormed her tongue past her teeth and over the girl's lower stomach, lightly curving it upwards to delicately lick at the girl's sex. She jerked, but then when right back to fighting. Aww. No fun. Oh well! Another hard swallow, and her lips irised down past the girl's butt, leaving nothing but two legs dangling from the front of her mouth. With a little roll of her shoulders, Tayna grabbed Jeenie's thighs and slowly settled backwards, picking her feet up off the ground and resting her legs on her stomach. Sinking down against the backrest of her chair, Tayna swallowed in slow, hard gulps, watching with ever-growing delight as the girl's thighs vanished, then the backside of her knees, leaving only two calves and feet dangling from between her lips.<br/><br/>Ugh. She was so full. Her stomach felt solid as a rock, and she still had to get all of her IN there!  Releasing her hold on the girl's legs, Tayna squeezed her stomach, massaging, squishing, rolling her around and pushing her down harder on the ever-more-compacted lizard guy. Squeeze. Swallow an inch. Push. Swallow another inch. Wrap her arms around her stomach and squish inwards. Swallow another inch. Just as her lips reached the girl's feet, her throat - and stomach - stopped cooperating. She swallowed. Nothing. She squeeze her tummy. Nothing. Ugh...she was stuffed.<br/><br/>"Glutton."<br/><br/>The voice made her jump and gag a little, and Tayna felt the girl come UP her throat just a tiny bit. Eyes wide, she glanced towards the tent entrance, the glow of the torch illuminating the soft, white fur of the big tigress, Julora. Great. Exactly what she needed - an audience. Well. Besides the prisoners. Determined not to give Julora something to tease her about, Tayna tensed her throat, grabbed both of Jeenie's feet, and CRAMMED. "Glp...ggglk...glp...glp...Ulp...Ahhhhhh...." The feeling of the girl's feet easing past her teeth, sliding along her tongue, and squishing into the embrace of her throat was elating...and exceedingly arousing. She felt stuffed. Even now, she could feel the lump of the girl's legs descending lower and lower, to be deposited with the rest of her in her swollen stomach "Yum...nggh...gods, that feels good..."<br/><br/>Utterly relaxing in her chair, Tayna let her arms dangle down at her sides, gazing downwards at her stomach. It was not as big as she thought it would be, but was stretched so tightly around her food she could make out the vague details within. The bump of Jeenie's head. The very faint bulges of her chest. The shape of her hips, right below her own breasts, which rested heavily on her overfull stomach. Her legs, no doubt, were just hidden out of sight somewhere...well, inside there somewhere. Towards the back. Whatever. She suddenly wished she could see the bottom of her stomach, to see if the lizard was squished in so tightly, but mentally waved it off with hardly a second thought. She didn't care. She was stuffed, and felt amazing, and was all manner of smug. Running her tongue smoothly around her lips, Tayna flashed a toothy grin to her tigress companion, her ears perking up atop her head "Totally a glutton. Told you I could manage two. In...your...face!"<br/><br/>The bemused tigress clapped her hands a single time, the rolled sheet of paper in her hands - and the porcelain trinket within - muffling the sound "Color me impressed. You're really going to hate me now, though. Got a little mission for you, from Rylee himself. He wants you to head out and let Johan know what's going on. We already have a messenger there, but today's attack makes things a big more urgent. We need them back ASAP. Something big is brewing, and it's all hands on deck."<br/><br/>Tayna's ears wilted. Ugh...she just wanted to lay down and gloat, rub her stomach, see if she could reach her privates to 'enjoy' herself, and just...digest her food. Not go running about the countryside "...Let me guess. He's giving me a token."<br/><br/>"He's giving you a token." Julora affirmed, a thin smile creasing her muzzle as she stepped forwards and pushed the written message, and teleportation trinket, into Tayna's hand "You know how it works. Snap off the head, works on way. Crush the rest, you return to point of origin. Wish we had enough to just get everyone back, but those things are incredibly expensive, so Rylee could only splurge for one. Get there, deliver the details to them, and get back. You look like you'll need a nap after all that." She flashed a sharp-toothed grin "...And yeah, I'm impressed short-stuff. That musta been the one that sliced up your neck, huh?"<br/><br/>"Yeah. Worth it." Tayna gave her stomach a slap, the sound less like skin hitting skin, and more a dull, soft *thunk* "Ugh. I don't think I could eat a grape now. Why can't you go? I'm going to need like three days to digest all this off, and if I don't work out, I'm going to get all pudgy!"<br/><br/>"Orders. I'm going to work with our feelers. We need some allies, and I'm going to see who's the most likely canidates. The earlier Johan's group gets back, the sooner they can start turning rocks. Otherwise, this whole thing is going to go bad."<br/><br/>Heaving a heavy sigh, Tayna opened her mouth to speak, only to be silenced by a loud, heavily muffled cry from inside of her stomach, and a sudden flurry of movement from the clearly distraught human girl "Mrrrphh! Mrp gghp mrph grm mmerrf!!!" Tayna shivered. Hard. Good gods, that felt good, even if she felt like she was going to pop "Aww, don't worry cutie. You have a date with my cute lil' butt. Give it a few days! Oh, and tell your lizard friend, in the next life? Try not to be so dry. I had to drink a gallon of water to wash him down." The taunt earned a muffled, whimpered retort (and something even less audible from the lizard squished into the bottom of her stomach, along with a sudden jerk that made her moan), and Tayna casually returned her attention to Julora "Alright. Alright. I'm going. I'm just going to...sit here for a bit, let my food settle in. They've both got a lot of digesting ahead of them, and I need a few seconds to catch my breath. Oh, and Julora? Can you help me out of my pants? They're unclasped, but doubt I can get them off. I got...um...something I need to take care of before I head out..."