Fourteen pairs of eyes looked back at Jian as she turned away from the whiteboard. She had just
finished writing up a comprehensive list of programming language, covering the basics such as input
and output, variables and leading into more complex concepts like higher and lower level
programming languages. She was glad to see the focus on most of the faces before her as they
looked between her and what she had written, various shapes of ears pivoting to her as she began
her explanation.
It had been almost a week since the beginning of the course, and the panda woman had taken to
teaching more smoothly than she had anticipated. Her students likewise had taken well to her
lessons, her method of explaining complex topics in simple terms to begin with one that was able to
reach even those with less experience than the others.
There was of course, tension. Half of her class were felids of one sort or another, but there were
also three lapids, a squirrel, two weasels and a fox present. Though they were more or less respectful
to one another, one of the rabbits had become the target of what Jian hoped was good natured
ribbing from two leopard students. When Jian had reminded them all of the university's rules against
eating fellow students and staff, he had simply replied that the girl was perfectly safe. Until the
semester was over.
Jian had chosen to keep teaching at that point rather than drag the issue further, but the boys had
at least seen fit to stay focused after that. That had been two days ago, and though they'd all been
better behaved since, the intrusive thought had wormed its way into Jian's mind. The young rabbit,
Lily, was the smallest of her students and the most fragile looking. Her pale grey fur and silver hair
made her undoubtedly pretty, but the panda knew that attractiveness in preyfolk was a different kind
of appeal to the predfolk. She was reminded of Evelyn's cautionary words about puberty and the
hunting instinct mixing in young predators, and was not really surprised that Lily had caught their
attention.
What Jian was not prepared for however was her own thoughts. The idea that Lily would be... easy
prey. Although Jian was not subject to the hunting instinct, indeed no panda was, she was still
fascinated by the idea. She was still an ursid after all, and other breeds of ursid engaged in hunting.
She knew her physiology could handle it, but could her mind? She found herself in her free moments
between segments of her lessons and after classes, wondering how it would feel to have the girl in
her mouth, sliding down her throat, squirming in her belly...
She snapped back to focus, answering the first few questions from her class before building on her
initial explanation. Jian was proud of her lesson structure, giving just enough information at the start
to prompt curiosity, allowing her students to be proactive in their own learning process. The rest of
the day went smoothly enough, she was satisfied with their progress and everyone left the class on
good terms.
Once back home, Jian found herself once again dwelling on the idea of hunting. It was so surreal
to think it was completely normalised here. The idea that a carnivorous citizen could capture a
smaller citizen, drag them back home and then devour them alive. Or even just eat them on the spot
And it was legal! She supposed the really surprising part was that preyfolk were given citizenship at
all. In her home country such a thing had been deemed absurd and impractical, yet the Eastern
Sovereignty had successfully integrated even murids into their citizenry.
From her favourite armchair, the panda was staring through the living room doorway at her
kitchen trash can. At the pieces of watermelon skin sitting visible near the top of its contents. She
remembered just two nights prior she had bought the watermelon, carefully removed the skin piece
by piece with a knife and her own claws, leaving the round piece of watermelon flesh inside almost
completely intact. She remembered how she had swallowed it whole, the piece of sweet fruit
roughly as wide as a rabbit or squirrel's torso. It had been easy. A living squirming person that size
might be a bit harder to get down, but she was sure she could do it.
She took deep breaths. Despite her enthusiasm on the day she had moved here, she had yet to
actually try and hunt on any of her free nights. Her confidence wavered as she began to really think
about the fact that she'd never hunted before. How would she go about it? She likely couldn't outrun
the likes of rabbits or hares, and she'd have trouble spotting squirrels in the dark. She wondered if it
might be worth simply taking a walk in the smaller districts and seeing how the other predators
managed it. And if she got a chance, well maybe she'd get lucky?
The streets were dark and eerily silent this time of night. Though it wasn't quite midnight black
yet, the sky was still dark enough by just after 8pm that it would be easy enough for a skilled hunter
to remain out of sight. She was wearing a long tracksuit of black she had bought for the exact
purpose of remaining hidden and was beginning to wonder at the lack of sightings. Was she really
that terrible at stealth?
She had wandered the streets of the third district for twenty minutes, only catching the occasional
glimpse of movement on her peripheral vision or slight scuffling sound from something or someone
too far away to be seen. When it became apparent that she was not going to manage anything here,
she headed towards home, back to the seventh district and her own area.
As she came close to her street, she finally got a glimpse of someone else. In the dim light, it was
difficult to see them at first but she was able to make out the unmistakable fur of a snow leopard on
the person's head and limbs as well as the fluffy tail standing out in the dark.
Despite her attempts to remain quiet, the snow leopard's ear twitched and they turned her head
to look directly at her. Jian saw that it seemed to be an elderly snow leopard woman, similarly
dressed in dark attire but not enough to have covered her entirely as Jian had. Her arms were
wrapped around herself as she walked, and she was still facing away from Jian as she looked over her
shoulder.
'Out for a prowl?' The woman asked, clearly intending the remark as a joke when she saw that she
was speaking to a panda. 'It's not very busy tonight.'
'Oh, I uh...' Jian stammered. 'I was actually just curious about... well...'
'Oh?' The woman asked. 'Are you actually hunting? A panda?'
'I... I wanted to try.' Jian admitted. 'But I guess I don't really know what I'm doing.'
The snow leopard regarded Jian for a few moments, then a smile creased her lips and she turned
and took a few steps closer. As she stepped into the light of a street lamp, it became apparent that
her arms were not wrapped around herself, but around two small prisoners. Rabbits, twitching and
trying to squirm free from the felid's powerful and secure grasp. Both were breathing rapid, shallow
breaths and trembling uncontrollably. As she got a better look at the pair, Jian could see that both
were females, and one was noticeably smaller than the other.
Jian's mind raced. Seeing the two lapids scared out of their minds and the complete nonchalant
attitude of their captor made her realise just how much the instinct divided predators from their
prey. The question rose in her mind and she felt compelled to ask. 'A-are you going to eat both of
those?'
The felid grinned and looked down at her catches. 'Oh, no no. Just one of them. I was planning to
choose by the time I got home. But since you're curious, do you want one?'
Jian's jaw dropped at the unexpected question, and her eyes looked to the pair of terrified lapids
on the verge of tears. It was baffling to her that this was so easy for predators. She had heard that
empathy vanished when instinct was active, but this was almost unbelievable. 'U-umm... I don't
know, I don't think I was actually expecting to find anyone the first time...'
'Come on home with me.' The woman suggested. 'I can help you figure this out. I can see the
moral dilemma all over your face. There's not gonna be much point trying to hunt if you can't move
past that little problem first.'
Jian nodded slowly, and felt herself falling into step behind the snow leopard. From a size
perspective, pandas were typically slightly larger than snow leopards but this woman seemed a bit
smaller than average. Despite this, she clearly had her instincts intact and was likely stronger than
she looked to have so easily subdued two rabbits so easily. As they walked, Jian realised that this
woman actually lived on the same street as her.
'Wow, we live pretty close.' Jian remarked as the pair approached the snow leopard's house. 'My
house is just four more up from here.'
'Oh, then welcome to the neighbourhood.' The felid smiled as she grappled both rabbits into the
grasp of one arm to open her front door with the other. 'My name is Mira.'
'Uh, Jian.' The panda replied, smiling back. She followed Mira's gesture inside, walking up the
hallway before stepping into the living room on her right. The house was a similar layout to her own,
but far more furnished. As she heard the door close behind her, Mira stepped past and approached
her sofa, forcefully dropping both rabbits onto the central cushion.
'Come on over.' Mira beckoned to Jian. 'Which one do you like? Mother or daughter?'
Jian stepped over to the sofa, feeling her heart begin to race. She looked down at the pair of
rabbits, trembling on the cushion as the felid and ursid loomed over them. Though she had
suspected, hearing Mira confirm that the smaller rabbit was indeed a child had thrown something of
a complication into her otherwise strong sense of anticipation.
'Tough choice?' Mira asked. 'I know you pandas don't have the uh, instinct. So if the thought of
eating a child doesn't sit well with you, why don't you try the adult?'
'I guess...' Jian began, hesitating as her eyes met those of the rabbit woman clutching her
daughter close. What was going to be the last night for one of them had just turned into the last
night for both, unless Jian backed out now. Even then, Mira was fully intent on eating one of them so
would that really make a difference? 'I-I guess I just never really considered that doing this would
mean breaking up families. Wasn't really the first thing I thought of.'
'Never is.' Mira shrugged. 'Not like I planned it this way. But it's not on me that this one is such an
irresponsible parent. Seriously, being out with your kid after dark is bad enough, but she might have
still made it if she'd been willing to run.'
'You'd expect her to leave her child behind?' Jian asked, her tone betraying her disbelief.
Mira sent a wry smile to Jian before she replied. 'Believe me, when it comes to life and death,
plenty of parents choose life.' She reached for the pair on the sofa, resulting in the mother squeezing
her child close.
The girl whimpered as Mira's clawed fingers wrapped around her scruff and pulled her from her
mother's grasp. 'P-pleease, noo...'
'Don't do this!' The mother pleaded, trying vainly to pull her child back as the snow leopard
dragged her away.
Mira began to growl, and Jian could see the instinct beginning to exert its influence more
forcefully as the prey tried to resist their fate. The felid's teeth bared and claws dug deeper into the
small rabbit's skin. Empathy had truly left the leopard's mind in that moment, replaced only by the
drive to consume. Now Jian felt her heart beat even faster as Mira's free hand began to remove the
girl's top and pants. She looked ready to remove the underwear as well, but relented after a brief
hesitation. The fabric was manufactured not to survive in a predator's stomach, so it seemed Mira
had decided to allow the poor rabbit that shred of dignity at least in her last moments.
Both rabbits were hysterical now as the girl's exposed pale brown fur elicited a slow, deep breath
from her captor. Jian could only watch in morbid and conflicted fascination as Mira brought the small
rabbit close to her face. The cat's lips parted and her barbed tongue lapped across the rabbit girl's
cheek. The size difference between them was made painfully apparent, as Jian was reminded of her
watermelon practice. Even the girl's mother was smaller in width than that had been and Mira was
clearly an experienced carnivore. This child was doomed and they all knew it.
What might have been a scream caught in the girl's throat as Mira pushed her prey face first into
her wide open mouth. Drool glistened briefly in the living room's light as the leopard's jaws closed
briefly, only to open slightly as her tongue slipped farther down the rabbit's body, seeming to scoop
her by the chest and draw her in deeper. The child's head was halfway vanished into Mira's throat,
and disappearing by the second as the felid began to swallow.
Jian's heartrate increased yet again and the panda wondered how many times it could increase
before she would have health problems. The lapid mother was squeezing her eyes shut and sobbing
with small and violent shakes, unable to bear the sights but also unable to block out the horrific wet
slurps and the snow leopard's impeded but still audible moans of sheer ecstasy. After a few more
moments, only the rabbit's rear and legs were still outside Mira's jaws, and as the felid lifted her
head to fix that issue, Jian could see how much she was truly enjoying this meal. The girl was smaller
than her mother by about half, but that would still be enough to keep the snow leopard's belly full
for at least a day. With a series of rapid gulps and using her hands to force the girl's legs inside, it was
a scant few seconds before her feet were gone from sight with one loud, wet swallow.
Mira sighed with relief, panting with her mouth still hanging wide open. Jian couldn't help but
stare, seeing the shift of the felid's tongue and the arch of her throat rippling with every rapid breath.
It wasn't the first time she'd glimpsed inside someone's mouth, but the knowledge that a living
person had just moments ago vanished inside was surreal. Jian found herself looking down to Mira's
abdomen. As expected, the felid's belly was slightly distended, the small rabbit just enough to make a
slight impression on the snow leopard's figure. But even more intriguing than that, the slight but
visible movements from within as the woman's prey struggled desperately, vainly, to stay alive. She
could only imagine what such a sensation would feel like...
But she didn't have to. The other rabbit was right beside her, curled up and weeping as she finally
opened her eyes and saw that her child had indeed been eaten alive. Tears dampened the fur of her
cheeks and her hands trembled as she looked from felid to ursid, dreading what would come next.
'Your turn, dear.' Mira spoke, reaching for the lapid woman and dragging her to her feet on the
couch, still looking very small compared to the predators before her. Mira turned to Jian and raised
an eyebrow. 'Are you still wanting to do this? I can help you through your first time, otherwise I'm
gonna have to put this one up for the night so she can leave in the morning.'
'You would do that?' Jian asked.
'Of course.' Mira nodded with a smile. 'I have a spare closet I'd lock her inside with a comfortable
little bed she can sleep in until morning. There's no reason not to be hospitable at this point, if I toss
her back outside another predator could have her in minutes. My instinct needs sating, but I'm not
insensitive. It was my original plan to keep the survivor safe. But if you want to take this opportunity,
I'm perfectly okay with that too.'
'Please don't...' The rabbit woman spoke up suddenly, her broken voice cracking further as she
looked to Jian with pleading eyes. 'Y-you're a panda, not one of these monsters! Please let me go...'
'Monsters...' Mira scoffed. 'Happy to live in the infrastructure felids built, nothing but insults when
your own irresponsibility gets your daughter eaten.'
'I... I just...' Whatever the rabbit was going to say was lost as she squeezed her eyes shut and broke
into another bout of sobbing.
'What'll it be, Jian?' Mira asked, resting her free hand on her own belly. 'Instinct or not, I promise
you this feels absolutely amazing. Here...' She lifted the rabbit closer to Jian's face.
Jian blinked nervously. This lapid was close enough now that she could easily smell the scent of
panic and exhaustion. The musky scent of a day out and about before a bath or shower could be
taken compounded by the sheer terror of being chased and captured by a carnivore. It was far
sweeter than Jian had expected, and she realised that she was salivating at the lips. Almost
involuntarily, her hand lifted, bracing against the back of the rabbit's head as her jaw dropped and
she ran her tongue over the tear strewn fur and skin of the woman's face.
'There we go.' Mira nodded. 'Now you'll know what you want. So, am I setting up a little bed, or
do we need to get this one's clothes off for you?'
Jian barely processed the snow leopard's words as her tongue withdrew, the flavours dancing on
her senses in ways she could not have anticipated. It was incredible. Jian wasn't sure if it was the
tears or the rabbit's natural flavour, but it was unlike anything she had experienced before. Cooked,
even fresh rare meat prepared by a skilled chef could not compare to the tactile sensation of
knowing what you were about to eat was still... alive.
'I uh...' Jian stammered, swallowing nervously as her grip on the rabbit's fur tightened. 'I think I
have to do this.'
Pleading eyes stared back at her, more tears now mixing with the panda's own saliva on the
rabbit's face as she shook her head, begging with an inability to form words and a desperate denial
of her unfortunate reality.
'Sorry...' Jian breathed.
'It could always be worse, dear.' Mira said reassuringly as she set the rabbit back to a standing
position on the sofa. 'You could have been caught by someone who likes the taste of blood. They'd
nibble your limbs down to stumps piece by piece. Being swallowed alive isn't something I can
imagine being comfortable, but I'm sure you'll suffocate somewhat peacefully before you feel too
much of this nice panda's stomach acid. Your daughter is already starting to settle down.'
'Please stop...' The woman sobbed as Mira began undoing the buttons of her top. 'Just get it over
with already... Stop talking to me. Stop trying to make me feel better. My baby is dying... And you're
about to eat me too. Just do it already!'
'Arms up.' Mira instructed, lifting the shirt clear as the lapid limply complied. Once the shirt was
clear, the snow leopard ran a claw behind the rabbit's back and snipped loose the bra she was
wearing. She then pulled down the small woman's pants and underwear, lifting her by the scruff a
moment later and taking the garments off completely with her other hand.
Jian could only watch, transfixed, anticipation building despite her pangs of guilt for what she was
about to do. She wondered if this is what the instinct felt like in other ursids and felids, that the
desire to consume could really outweigh the empathy she was feeling right now. This small, helpless
rabbit woman had been stripped naked and Jian was about to swallow her alive. Part of her mind
screamed to stop, this was a horrible way to die after all. She could spare her, it was entirely within
her power and Mira was willing to let the woman live.
But that flavour, that intoxicating flavour. No, Jian had to have it. She had to experience all of it.
She wondered if different parts of the body would have different tastes. The instant Mira set the
lapid back down on shaky legs, Jian had her own hands tightly gripping her prey by the shoulders.
Her prey. Yes. That's all she was now. Jian's prey. Her mouth was salivating and her jaw quivered as
she lifted the shivering rabbit woman close. Her jaw was wide open as if by instinct before Jian fully
realised what she was doing and in the next instant the small woman's body was pressed against the
panda's tongue. She closed her jaw, holding the rabbit in place as she readjusted her hands. Now
gripping the woman by her slender hips, Jian began to push her in deeper, her tongue and throat
already swallowing vigorously.
Once she was halfway into the panda's throat, the rabbit must have felt a renewed surge of
desperation or her survival instinct kicked back into overdrive. It was an odd sensation, feeling a
squirming mass of small person writhing inside her.
'Use it.' Mira advised. 'Lift her up, let her squirming make her slip down easier.'
Jian did as Mira instructed, feeling the rabbit's body slip deeper into her throat just as the snow
leopard had said. Her tongue slipped inadvertently between the woman's thighs as she worked to
pull her deeper and she blushed in surprise. She hadn't meant to do that.
She gripped the rabbit's shins and pushed her legs back together, before forcing the last of the
small woman down with her hands and a series of rapid gulps. As the woman's twitching ankles and
toes brushed over her tongue and vanished between the folds of her throat, Jian felt the bulk of the
lapid's form as it was forced into her stomach.
That was when the real sensations began. Far more pronounced than what she felt in her mouth
and throat, the struggles from within her stomach were something she had tried to imagine but
failed to fully grasp. It was... it was utterly sensational. She could almost tell where the rabbit's feet
and hands were pressing from inside as she tried to right herself. She imagined what it must have
been like inside, how cramped and unpleasant it must have been. To be coated in slimy gastric juices,
churned by strong stomach musculature and surrounded by the foul smell of digesting food. How
long would she last in there before her consciousness faded? How long would Jian feel her in there
before she was digested enough to not be noticeable anymore?
She heard a muffled cry, indistinct but she could barely make out the words begging to be let out.
Before Jian could react, Mira had her hands and ears pressed to the panda's belly, listening and
caressing the soft fur and feeling the faint but desperate struggles from within.
'Uhh...' Jian lifted her hands, unsure of what to make of the felid's reaction. 'A-are you okay?'
'S-sorry.' Mira smiled as she stood up. 'It's just... it's kind of sweet, you know? How intimate this all
is. Sometimes it's nice to feel... N-never mind, sorry.'
As Mira stepped back, still smiling, Jian pressed her own hands to her abdomen. Between the
muffled crying and faint kicks, she could scarcely believe what she'd done. A live rabbit, a living
person, now inside her stomach and doomed to be digested. She had thought about this for so long,
and now it was reality.
And yet... the guilt was still there. This person's life was about to end and it was Jian's own doing.
Had she not agreed to Mira's offer... 'Oh boy...' The thoughts were hitting hard now.
'Something wrong?' Mira asked.
'This is a lot...' Jian replied. 'I'm not sure how to deal with it. Maybe it wasn't a good idea.'
'Shh...' Mira stepped closer and rested a hand gently on the panda's shoulder. 'Don't let feelings of
guilt get to you. This is natural. This is how the world works. The small become prey to the large. Just
relax and let your body do what it wants to do. Panda or not, you're still ursid. You just need to let
your mind catch up to what your body already knows.'
Jian took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down and accept what Mira was saying. She turned
her eyes to the ceiling, trying to temporarily forget that two rabbits, one of them a child, were dying
right there inside the two of them. Another deep breath. The movements inside her were slowing
down. The cries were getting harder to hear. She didn't have much longer to change her mind if she
was going to try and save this poor woman's life.
'I'm almost too scared to ask...' Jian began. 'H-how long do they usually...?'
'Not long.' Mira answered. She took Jian's hand and rested it on her own belly. 'Have a feel, the
kid's almost out of stamina. Her mother won't last much longer. Your stomach is probably slightly
bigger than mine, but she's bigger than her kid. They'll probably breathe their last around the same
time.'
Jian looked down as her hand was placed against the snow leopard's abdomen. She winced as she
felt the faintest of kicks from beneath Mira's fur. 'Ohh dear...'
'Sit down.' Mira instructed. 'Just relax. A few more minutes and it won't matter anymore. And
remember how much you wanted to do this.'
Jian did as instructed, taking more deep breaths as she sat down and trying her best to ignore the
desperate fading cries she could hear. Mira sat beside her, saying nothing but leaving a hand on the
panda's shoulder for emotional support. As the next fifteen minutes went by with Jian struggling to
contend with her conflicting emotions, the desperately writhing form trapped in her stomach
gradually came to a stop, leaving her with a still fullness no different than if she had simply eaten a
hearty meal rather than a living person.
'Better?' Mira asked. 'The little one stopped kicking too. Now they really are just food. With your
belly that full, you're gonna feel pretty tired before long. Best thing is to go home, get a good night's
sleep.'
'Umm, okay.' Jian nodded, still resting her hands on her belly. She wasn't quite convinced that the
rabbit was actually dead yet, but at the same time it also didn't seem like trying to save her would
really work out for the best either. Mira was probably right, there was nothing to do but let this all
play out the way it was going to. 'Is there... anything else I should know? Like, will bones be a
problem?'
'I don't think so.' Mira shook her head. 'For the size difference between you, even her skull will
break apart before it goes much further through you. Of course if you want to keep that, wait about
six hours and then throw up. By then it should be the only thing left in there.'
'Why would I want to keep that?' Jian asked, slightly disturbed by the idea.
'Lots of predators like to keep souvenirs.' Mira shrugged. 'Their first, their favourites, a difficult
hunt that made them feel good when they finally made the catch. It's up to you. I just thought I'd
make the suggestion.'
'Oh, I'll think about it...' Jian nodded slowly. 'This has all been a bit much. More um, emotional
weight than I expected? I think I need to sleep on it and decide whether or not this is actually right
for me.'
Mira nodded slowly, then smiled. 'I understand. If you do still feel conflicted about it, I'd
recommend having a chat to Firros if you see him. Je lives in the house just before yours on your way
home. He has a way of obtaining prey that might be better suited to your... demeanour.'
'Oh, okay.' Jian nodded her thanks. As Mira had said, she was indeed beginning to feel drowsy. As
she stood and stretched, she was unable to stifle a yawn, her movements seeming to coax a faint and
brief flux of movement from her stomach. She'd been right, the rabbit was indeed still alive, even if
only barely. 'I-I guess I'll keep that in mind. So it was... Firros, you said?'
