"Alright, everyone; that's a wrap!"
The crew of the Zootopia Newsroom all stand and stretch out, most of them dispersing backstage to have one last coffee before heading home. It's 4:45 PM, and the afternoon shift is ready to leave so the evening shift can take over.
The only one who doesn't head off for refreshments is a tiny human named Kitty, sitting on the anchor's desk. He had just been demonstrating an invention of his – A compressor bracelet that allows the wearer to shrink at will while staying safe from harm! The show had gone well, though he acknowledged one major downside of it – It takes quite a long time to recharge to allow the wearer to return to their original size.
So he's taken to keeping himself occupied in the meantime, figuring it'll be ready just before the evening news report starts; he reasons he can tell the anchors what's going on when they arrive.
Sure enough, the first of the anchors walks in – A tall moose that Kitty recognizes as Peter Moosebridge, wearing his blue suit jacket and matching trousers, pink undershirt, and red tie. The human waves up to him, and the newsperson looks down in surprise.
"Woah, what are you doing here?"
Kitty chuckles softly, quickly explaining the previous show, the device, and the cooldown time before it can be used again. Peter nods as he listens along.
"That's quite the gadget! I'll have to watch the tape of the show so I can see it! You just stay there; you'll be safe. I'll let Fabienne know about it when she gets here."
The human nods. "Thank you! I should be good to leave before you start, but worst case, you can move me backstage so I'm not in your way."
Smiling, the moose gives him a tiny pet on the head with a finger before heading off, presumably to freshen up before going on the air.
And Kitty sits back down, checking the device. It displays 68% charged, and he estimates another ten minutes to full – Just when the evening show would be getting started. He sighs softly, hoping he won't be any trouble when-
THUMP
The table quakes as something heavy lands on it.
Kitty, startled, looks up past the duffle bag now on the desk, spotting the other anchor – Fabienne Growley, the snow leopard! She's dressed in her usual purple button-up shirt and matching skirt, and she seems quite distracted. He can tell she's running late and trying to take care of something before she goes on the air.
"Gah, where is it," she mutters in exasperation, rifling through her bag. "Don't tell me I forgot to pack my lunch…"
The human tries calling out to her. "Excuse me, Fabienne?"
"Not right now," comes the snow leopard's reply, not bothering to look up from her bag. "Heck – Only when I'm running late does this happen…"
She eventually pulls out a baggie with two slices of bread in it, quickly taking them out and setting them on the table, before digging some more. But soon, she groans. "Oh, snowballs – Of course I left the toppings at home."
Fabienne storms off to the back, and Kitty shakes his head. He needs to get her attention somehow.
He decides to climb onto the white bread, hoping the contrast will let her see him when she returns. He's got about six minutes until he can grow again, but the show is due to start in five.
The snow leopard soon returns with a paper plate and some sandwich toppings on it – Turkey, lettuce, and cheese. Kitty can't help but imagine how nice it must taste.
Sitting down at the news desk, Fabienne takes one slice of bread and begins laying the toppings on it in a neat stack. The human tries again to get her attention. "Fabienne?"
"One second," is all she says, before grabbing the top slice of bread – With Kitty still on it – And flips it upside-down onto the rest of her lunch!
"Eep!" He yells as he's smushed gently against the cheese! "W-Wait, Fabienne!"
"I said one second, Peter; let me finish this real quick."
With that, she lifts the sandwich to her muzzle and takes a quick bite, her teeth just barely missing the human's feet! She munches her mouthful, swallowing it down once it's ready to be gulped.
Kitty squirms to the edge of the sandwich, sticking his head and arms out from under the bread, just as she takes another bite. But he pauses here, the idea of jumping down to the desk not exactly appealing to him – Apparently forgetting his device would protect him from such a fall. Instincts are hard to overcome sometimes!
But he spots the snow leopard's co-anchor taking his seat, and he calls out to him. "Peter?"
The moose looks over at Fabienne as she swallows her current mouthful. "Huh? Was that- Oh, no…"
Peter's expression drops when he spots the human, but it's too late as Fabienne stuffs the rest of the sandwich into her mouth – Kitty included!
The human's view goes dark as he's suddenly surrounded by the humid interior of the leopard's mouth. He pulls himself free from the sandwich, landing on her tongue, and he does his best to dodge her teeth as she chews her mouthful. Thankfully, she's taking it easy despite her hurry, and he doesn't have to try too hard to avoid being bitten.
A loud Glllp sounds behind him as she swallows the last of her sandwich, and he holds on tightly to her lower teeth – Managing to keep himself from being gulped as well! Now, he just needs to get her attention.
"Fabienne!"
The snow leopard's ears perk, and she looks over at her co-host with a "Hm?"
Peter, blushing, quietly says "You, uh… You kind of… Well…"
"Places, please! Going live in thirty seconds!"
Fabienne grabs her water and takes a swig, feeling something on her teeth. The human within does his best to hold on, but his grip slips with the rush of water, landing him on her tongue! She gulps the water, before gently smacking her lips.
"Huh, that lettuce tastes like strawberries," she mutters, before taking another sip.
Kitty is washed further back in her mouth, and he clings to her fleshy uvula, dangling above her gullet. He looks down at the flexing tunnel, knowing she's about to-
Glllck!
The water in her mouth swishes past him, and his grip slips, landing him right in her gullet as she swallows once more! He sinks into Fabienne's esophagus, gripped by the snug and powerful muscles, and he's pushed deeper into her body with ripples of peristalsis.
Outside, the snow leopard looks at the moose, chuckling softly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Peter stares for a moment, muttering "Well, almost… You, uh-"
"Did I get that bit of lettuce in my teeth?" She flashes him a grin, her smile sparkling white.
"Yeah… You got him- I mean, you got it."
Kitty, though, can't make out much of what's being said as he's taken deeper into the cat's digestive system. His ears are filled with the squishing of esophageal muscles, the steady thumping of her heart, the whooshing of air in her lungs, and the gurgling rumbles below him.
It's not the worst sensation, he thinks, but he wonders how he'll be able to grow back without hurting her or disrupting the broadcast.
The producer calls out "Five… Four… Three… Two…"
The human presses against a tight ring of muscle, smushing against the cardia for a moment, before it relaxes to let him into the stomach below. He falls a bit before landing on a piece of turkey floating in the deep-green sea of stomach fluids. He's surprised to find he can see just fine despite the lack of any light source, but he opts not to question it.
Faintly, he can hear the fanfare of the evening news, followed by the voice of the snow leopard. "Good evening, Zootopia; I'm Fabienne Growley." He hears Peter's voice as well, but it's too faint to make out any words – Especially when the leopard's stomach rumbles, working on the food within!
The noise of bubbling joins the digestive cacophony around him, and Kitty grows worried for a moment that he'll soon be churned away too, but he then finally remembers the protection his device provided him when it shrank him! He checks the device – 98%.
Outside, Fabienne sips her water as the program cuts to a live broadcast from somewhere in town, and she mutes her mic before letting out a quiet Oouurrp! She blushes, muttering "Excuse me" to the others in the room.
Her burp, though, shakes up the contents of her belly, and Kitty yelps as he slips from his life raft into the thick green fluids! He sputters as he swims to the surface, treading to keep afloat.
But his attention is taken by the sound of sparking at his wrist! He looks in horror as the display at 99% fades and goes dark – He realizes at the worst time that he forgot to let it protect itself, as it dies upon contact with the stomach fluids! He remains safe, but now he has no way of getting bigger.
"Well, heck," he says, trapped in Fabienne's belly. He shrugs and heads to the nearest floating piece of cheese, breaking off a piece and munching it for himself.
"Not bad," he mutters to himself.
----------
Outside, Fabienne reads the next story. "And earlier, we had a special guest – A human named Kitty, who's invented a compression device! This must be quite a thing; I wish I could have met him!"
Peter, blushing, chuckles and comments "I think you two would have… Come together, quite well."
The leopard snickers. "We'll have to have him on our program sometime. I wonder where he's at?"
Blushing deeper, the moose quips "He's probably closer than you expect… Last I heard, he's getting an inside scoop right now!"
