Hunted-coax-alt
This story is similar to a lot of the other "Hunted" stories that include the shrink ray. The main difference is that Ellie doesn't capture Jason right away and coaxes him to come to her against his will. It also contains tickle torture.
Jason stalked through the tall grass, listening, breathing the scents around him. His prey was nearby. Silently, he pushed forward, his stealthy movements barely rustling the grass. It could have been mistaken for a light breeze. His prey would never see him coming until it was too late.
Finally, Jason heard the sound of munching, his prey feeding on the very grass that hid him, that his prey thought hid it as well, but the grass couldn't hide it from Jason. Jason padded just a bit farther, and then he could see his prey's long white ears sticking up in the grass, swiveling to catch the slightest noise. But Jason didn't make any, and now he was within pouncing distance.
Jason crouched, and then he sprang. Flying over the grass, he stretched his claws wide to grab his prey. The rabbit's head shot up and her mouth opened in a squeal of terror, but it was too late. Jason had her. He would grab her as she tried to dash away, but then the rabbit leapt right at him! Her head collided with his belly, forcing his air out in a whoosh. Unbalanced by the blow, Jason landed hard on his side and scrambled to his feet. He saw his prey haring away through the grass and, with a growl, raced after her. The rabbit was fast, but Jason was right behind her. He could smell her fear, and the scent made his blood rise, made him push harder. She wouldn't get away! Jason saw a hole in the ground a short distance ahead; the rabbit was making for it, but he would catch her. He was almost on her heals. He could hear her gasping and sobbing.
"No, no, oh please no, oh Zeus!" she gasped breathlessly.
The rabbit dove for the hole, and Jason dove after her. She slipped through the opening, but the hole was too big. It should have only fit her, but instead it had foolishly been dug amply large to fit him. It provided no protection. Jason dove in after her. He would have to run on all fours to follow, but that's how she'd be running too. He'd catch her.
Suddenly, he tripped. A piece of string leapt up out of the floor and snagged his back right foot. Jason flopped hard onto his belly, but leapt in surprise as the tunnel rumbled behind him. He turned just in time to see a heavy stone roll into place, blocking the way he'd come and sealing out the light.
Jason pushed forward. He'd still catch the rabbit and force her to show him the way out before he ate her, but after a short distance, the tunnel narrowed sharply, forcing Jason to stop. He reached into the hole, groping, trying to see how long the narrow section was. At first, it seemed the section was long and too narrow to fit through, but then Jason realized he could actually squeeze inside. He pushed himself in and writhed forward. The tunnel widened as he went, and soon he was crawling easily again. It was dark, too dark to see, but he would still catch the rabbit. In fact, he could smell her close ahead. Perhaps she'd thought he'd been closed out behind the stone. Jason grinned; she'd be in for a big surprise!
Jason's hand slipped over a ledge, and he halted. He carefully felt around the edge of the now quite wide tunnel. He found he could even stand without bumping the ceiling. He felt all along the edge but found nothing. He didn't know how high the ledge was, but it seemed the rabbit had made it down without trouble. Jason cautiously stepped up to the edge and vainly peered into the darkness. He'd have to jump and hope it wasn't far. He took a deep breath to fortify himself.
Suddenly, lights flicked on, momentarily blinding him. Jason blinked as his vision adjusted to the harsh light. As his focus returned he saw the rabbit, but not as she had been. The enormous rabbit, at least fifteen times his size, stood nonchalantly in front of the narrow tunnel entrance.
"Hiya, kitty!" she piped.
Jason whipped around and tore back down the tunnel in terror, leaping down onto the dirt floor on the other side. However, the rock still blocked the other larger tunnel. Jason heard the rabbit crawling back through the narrow section. He was trapped!
The rabbit poked her head out of the end of the tunnel, her form backlit from the other room. She paused, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Then her dark eyes fell on him, and she smiled amusedly. "There you are, kitty. Where did you think you were going?" She slipped into the larger section and crouched on her haunches in front of the opening. "Come here, kitty," she coaxed. "There's nowhere for you to go."
Jason trembled as he stared at the colossal rabbit. He was caught or as good as! What was she going to do to him?
"Come on, kitty-kitty," she crooned. "Come to your prey."
"P-please let me go!" Jason cried.
The rabbit shook her head. "Come here, kitty," she coaxed softly.
"W-what are you going to do?" Jason whined. "What did you do?"
"I shrunk you, silly kitty. I'd think that much is obvious."
"What are you going to do?" Jason whimpered.
"Come here, and you'll see."
"No!" Jason shouted. "Let me go!"
The rabbit watched him placidly for a few seconds. "I'm not going to let you go, kitty. If you'd caught me, you would have eaten me. There's nowhere for you to go, so make it easy on yourself and come here."
Jason stared at the rabbit fearfully for several more seconds.
"Come on, kitty-kitty."
"A-are you going to kill me?" Jason whimpered.
"You'll see," she replied gently.
"P-please don't hurt me," Jason whined.
"I won't make any promises. Don't make me pounce on you and scare you more than I need to. You can't get away."
Jason took a step toward her, "I-if I come quietly, will you make it quick?"
"No promises."
"A-are you going to torture me?" he whimpered.
"I could," she replied calmly. "Come to me, and I'll show you."
"Please let me go!" Jason wailed desperately.
"I'm not going to do that. I'll let you come at your own pace. I don't have anywhere to be." She sat down, leaning against the wall with her head blocking the hole. Her legs, partially drawn in, and her fluffy scut poked out in front of her. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Come whenever you're ready, kitty."
They watched each other silently in the dim light: Jason standing, trembling, and sick to his stomach with dread, and the rabbit sitting calmly, waiting. There was no escape, and at length, the fearful anticipation and dread became almost unbearable. Jason took a few steps toward the rabbit. He couldn't get away. He just wanted this to be over! He was sure the rabbit meant to kill him, torture him even, but was that really worse than this waiting? What was the point when the outcome was inevitable? He took a few more steps, now halfway across the chamber.
The rabbit's legs shifted, drawing in a little, and Jason started. But he took another step toward her.
"That's a good kitty," she crooned. "Come to your bunny."
Jason took a couple more steps. She loomed over him now, enormous and terrifying. What would she do to him? How much would it hurt? Jason took another couple steps, placing him between her long feet.
"Just a couple more, kitty," she coaxed.
Still trembling, Jason took a deep breath to fortify himself and took two more steps between her legs.
"Well done," she breathed.
Her arm silently slipped behind him, and her enormous hand touched his back. She gently pushed him forward until he was only a centimeter away from the tip of her scut. Her first hand still touching his back, she reached her other hand down and ran a clawed finger over his left ear and cheek.
"You belong to me now, kitty," she crooned.
"What are you going to do?" Jason whimpered.
The rabbit pushed him forward until he was straddling her scut then pushed him against her warm belly, her hand on the back of his head as she held him pressed into her soft fur.
"You're all mine," she murmured. "Do I smell good to you, kitty? Do I make you hungry?"
Jason's stomach was tight with dread; he'd never felt less hungry in his life. "P-please just make it quick," he whimpered.
"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you," the rabbit crooned.
Jason's stomach loosened just a bit, "Y-you're not?"
Her hand still holding him firmly against her belly, her finger ran over his ear. "I couldn't hurt someone so small and helpless," she murmured. "You belong to me now, kitty. I know you'll be good and do what I say."
"I-I will!" Jason yelped nervously.
"That's a good kitty," she soothed. "You'll be a good little pet. I usually sell the predators I capture, but I'm going to keep you for my own."
"Y-you're going to keep me? What happens to the predators you sell?" Jason asked anxiously.
"They're well taken care of," the rabbit soothed. "We know you only do what you do to survive. Prey like predators once they're too small to hurt us. Once you belong to us, we can show you how things should really be."
"How's that?" Jason asked worriedly.
"You should worship us," the rabbit whispered. "Once you're our toys, you learn to obey. You learn to be grateful for the kindness we show you. Every predator should know the ecstasy of becoming a toy for their prey, fully giving themselves to us because they don't have any other choice. One day, it will be all of you. For now, you lucky predators get to be the pioneers for a new way of life."
Jason was hardly comforted by the rabbit's explanation. This rabbit thought he should worship her? What did that mean? Whatever it meant, he wouldn't have any other choice: he was at her mercy. "I'll do what you want," Jason whined. "Please don't hurt me."
"Shh, I told you I wouldn't. You don't need to be afraid kitty. You'll get used to being mine. This is how it should be; you'll see that too." She carefully scooped him up with her other hand, fitting easily along her forearm as she cradled him to her chest. "Let's go home, kitty." The rabbit turned around and set him on the edge of the tunnel, "You go first. I'll be right behind."
Jason started back through the tunnel, and the rabbit wriggled in after him. He considered running again, but he had no idea where the tunnel led. The rabbit crawled close behind him, her breath washing down over him. Jason didn't glance back at her enormous form looming over him. He wished this was a bad dream. If only he could wake up and find it had all been a nightmare, but it was real. He didn't know if he could trust this rabbit who'd shrunk him, but he didn't dare resist or try to get away. Maybe she really would treat him kindly. Jason didn't want to think about what she could do to him if she was lying.
At the end of the tunnel was a brightly lit room. Hanging from the ceiling was an enormous ridged cone with a glass bulb at the narrow end. Is that the shrink ray? One of the rabbit's gigantic hands reached around in front of him, covering his belly with a single palm.
"Let me go first."
Jason looked up to see the rabbit hovering over him. He crouched down into a nervous ball as she crawled over him, shutting his eyes tightly. However, they popped open in surprise as he was whisked up, ending up back in the crook of the rabbit's right arm. He stared up at her nervously, and she smiled amusedly. She booped his nose with a finger.
"Don't look so worried, kitty. I told you I'll take care of you. I know it's scary and strange being so small, but it will seem normal in no time."
She carried him the rest of the way through the tunnels until they came to a wooden door. As she opened it, Jason was surprised to see a furnished living room with wood floor, walls, and ceiling. The rabbit bounded over to the dark brown couch and plopped down. She lay Jason in her lap with his legs propped up against her belly then stroked him from neck to tail. She gently kneaded her blunt-clawed finger tips through his fur, her claws grazing his soft, vulnerable belly. Jason's abdominal muscles tensed against the disturbing sensation.
"Isn't it nice to be vulnerable with your prey?" the rabbit teased softly. "You're so small now kitty, so delicate. It would be nothing for me to hurt you horribly, but you can tell I'm being gentle. Be a good kitty, so I can always be as gentle as I am right now."
"I-I'll be good," Jason whined.
The rabbit reached her hand up around the underside of his jaw and massaged his cheeks. "That's a good kitty. I know you're scared of me now, but I hope we can be friends. I want you to be happy here. This isn't meant to be punishment; it's just how things should be between predators and prey. You need us to survive, so we'll take care of you. That way no one has to die."
Jason had to admit there was a logic to that. He'd never thought about whether eating prey was wrong; it was just something he had to do. It was obvious prey would feel differently, but the rabbit's solution was a curious one. Jason didn't think predators would be as happy about it as she imagined, but it did seem a kinder compromise to predators than the natural order was to prey, at least if the rabbit was telling the truth.
"There are lots of predators like me?" Jason asked. "And they're all taken care of?"
The rabbit nodded, "I'll take you to play with them sometimes, kitty. Most of them are very happy in their new homes. You don't realize yet how hard it is to kill. Once you've live with me awhile, you won't want to go back to that life. It's not good for predators or prey."
Jason wasn't sure he believed he'd ever be happier being a rabbit's toy than his own person, but maybe it was possible he'd be glad not to have to kill anymore. "What are you going to feed me?"
"Bugs. Predators take very well to the insect diet."
Jason was dubious about that claim, not on nutritional grounds but just because it sounded gross.
The rabbit gently took his left ankle in one of her enormous hands and tickled his foot and toe pads with her finger, "I love your cute beans. It's delightful to have such a cute kitty all my own. Are you ticklish at all, little guy?"
"N-not really, not my feet," he replied nervously.
"Oh? Maybe somewhere else then? Do you want to tell me, or should I try to find out for myself?" She reached her index finger forward and scritched him under the chin, "Why don't you tell me, kitty? Be truthful with your owner."
"M-my belly," Jason admitted.
The rabbit grinned toothily, "Do you have a sensitive little tummy? You want me to tickle you now, don't you? Imagine being tickled by your prey, unable to escape. You wanted me in your tummy, but now it's all mine."
Jason's heart pounded with nervous anticipation. He wasn't sure whether he actually wanted the rabbit to tickle him or not. He was already helpless. Enduring the irresistibly elating sensation would only demonstrate how helpless he was. It wasn't pain, but the principle was the same. This rabbit could do whatever she wanted to his body. She could make him squeal in pain or in laughter. He was utterly at her mercy, and he likely would be for the rest of his days.
"I-I want you to," Jason mewed nervously. At least if it was his choice, he had that measure of control.
The rabbit grinned and wriggled her fingers over him, "If you say so." She gently placed them on his tender belly then began tickling.
Jason lost track of how long he'd been trying to catch his breath between bouts of giggles. The rabbit's wriggling fingers were relentless as they raced over his tender area. His abdominal muscles ached from straining against the overstimulating sensation, and he'd given up trying to squirm away. The rabbit's other hand gently pushed him back into place before he made the slightest headway. How long would she keep going? Hours? It could have been an hour already for all he knew or much less than that. At last the rabbit relented. Jason gasped for breath as she lifted him under the arms. She touched her nose between his ears then gave his left ear a little lick.
"I love you, kitty," she breathed. "Are you glad you belong to me?"
It was odd, but after the extended torment, Jason felt a sense of devotion to this rabbit. He really did belong to her, and while this was frightening, Jason also felt a sense of relief. His life was in her hands now. If he gave himself to her and was her obedient toy, then everything would be taken care of.
"I'm glad," he murmured. "I want to be yours forever."
The rabbit touched her nose between his ears again, "What's your name, kitty?"
"Jason."
"I'm Ellie. Welcome to your new life, Jason."
She laid him back in her lap, and Jason gazed up at her in adoration. She was right; this was where he belonged.