Sweetiepie

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#1 of Sweetiepie


Sweetiepie

a nice little tale of vore by Alex Reynard

* * *

"What a little sweetheart! She looks good enough to eat!"

Shana turned around at the voice. The little squirrel found herself looking up at a very handsome adult coyote. He had dark hair and was wearing a nice tan suit. He was smiling warmly at her.

Shana's mother looked over at the coyote too. "Why thank you. That's very nice of you to say." The older squirrel nudged her daughter. "What do we say to the nice man?"

"Oh! Um, thank you Mister Coyote," Shana said hesitantly.

She was a bit worried because she didn't know if the coyote had meant that second sentence literally or not.

Shana was a young red squirrel. She'd always had grown-ups coming up to her to say how pretty she was. Her fur was a bright orange, like fall leaves. Her eyes were a warm golden brown. Her tail was full and bushy, and her little bucktooth in front only helped make her even cuter. Today she was wearing her light pink dress that her mother said went perfectly with her fur, though she thought it looked a bit too 'girly'.

Being so cute was usually a good thing. She was always being given lollipops and balloons when she and her parents went out shopping. However, she also knew that the cutest children were often the ones that got picked to be eaten.

Her friend at school, a pretty skunk named Michelle, had been sold as food to a lion family a month ago. Michelle said she was actually looking forward to it, as some food cubs were. Shana was not at all interested in the idea of becoming someone else's dinner, so she was glad she was with her mom and dad, and not available for purchase.

The little squirlette and her parents had been out shopping today. They'd been at the supermarket, where Shana had met up with one of her old friends; a boy bunny who used to live down the street. He'd been sold to the store a while ago and was now on display with the other food cubs, happily awaiting being bought and taken home by some hungry predator. Shana had talked with him for a while, the whole time trying to understand why her friend was so looking forward to someday becoming a meal.

They were coming home on the bus when the coyote had sat down next to them. Shana had caught his eye right away.

"You didn't *really* mean I looked good enough to eat, did you?" Shana cautiously asked the coyote.

"Actually, I did," the coyote said matter-of-factly. "I have to admit, you look absolutely delicious."

Shana's eyes went wide with fear and her tail frizzed up.

Her father noticed this and chuckled at her. "Now Shana, don't be scared! This nice coyote isn't going to eat you."

"Though I certainly wish I could!" the cotoye added.

The grown-ups all laughed, as grown-ups often did when they thought a frightened cub was oh-so-precious. Shana tried to keep herself from scowling at them. This was serious business to her! She most definitely did not want to be eaten!

The coyote reached across the aisle to shake the older squirrels' paws. "Hi there. Pleased to meet you. I'm Lance Fairwood. I was just coming back from the grocery store."

"What a coincidence; so were we!" Shana's father said.

Lance nodded to Shana. "It's too bad she wasn't on display there. I would have bought her and taken her home in a minute!"

Another round of chuckles from the grown-ups. Shana crossed her arms huffily. She did not find this topic amusing.

"Well, sorry to dissapoint, but Shana's not for sale. She's our little sweetie," Shana's mom said. "Besides, she can't be your dinner; she still has to do her homework tonight!"

'Hardy-har-har.' Shana thought. 'You're a laugh riot, mom.'

The coyote took a long look at Shana. He inhaled her delicate squirrely scent. He slowly licked his lips. "Too bad... If she was for sale, I'd be willing to put up quite a pretty penny for her."

Shana was about to stick her tongue out at him and say 'No way! My mommy and daddy would never sell me!'

However, her father got a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Just how much exactly would you be willing to spend?"

Shana was shocked!

Her mother shoved her husband lightly. "Don't kid around, dear!"

"I'm not kidding, darling," Dad replied. "If this coyote wants to make us a reasonable offer, I'd be willing to at least listen."

Shana could not believe she was hearing this! "Daddy!!"

Her father patted her on the head. "Hush now, Shana. The adults are talking."

The young squirrlette growled. Considering she would be the one to end up as coyote chow, it seemed a little rude to exclude her from the conversation.

"Really? You'd consider it?" The coyote seemed both surprised and delighted by the father's willingness to barter. He'd really only been half kidding about buying their daughter, though she did look exceedingly delectable.

"It'd have to be an impressive offer," the male squirrel replied. "My little bushtail's worth a lot to me."

The coyote hesitated for a moment, chewing on his lower lip. Then he came back with a dollar amount that made all three squirrels sit up in their seats.

"You've got to be kidding!" exclaimed Shana's mother.

"Nope, not at all," said Lance. "In fact, I've got that much right here in my wallet. If that's satisfactory, we could do the deal right now."

Mom and Dad looked at one another, the enormity of the offer weighing in their gazes.

"Come on, Dad! I'm worth more than that to you, right? Right?" Shana pled, shaking his leg.

"Now sugarplum, that's a lot of money!" said Dad.

"That would be enough for us to take that cruise we've always dreamed about!" gushed Mom.

Shana's head spun back and forth between her parents. They were joking, right? They had to be!

The older squirrels leaned closer to whisper to each other.

The coyote looked down at Shana, doing his best to smile charmingly at her.

Shana was not at all charmed.

"We'll accept," said Shana's mother.

"WHAT?!?" Shana burst out.

Several of the bus' other passengers turned to the source of the noise.

Her mother shushed her. "Shana! Don't make a scene!"

"But mom!"

"No buts, young lady!"

"But... but..."

"Butts are for sitting on!"

Arrgh! Shana _hated_ when her mom said that!

The coyote took out his wallet and started leafing through a gargantuan wad of green. "There, that should be all of it," he said as he handed a stack of bills over.

The way Shana's father was staring at the money, he looked like he was a starving man gazing upon a Thanksgiving dinner. "Wow! Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome. I'm sure your daughter will be well worth the price!"

"I'm sure she will. She's put on a few pounds over the summer, so she should be nice and meaty!"

"Dadeeeeeeee!" Shana wailed in embarrassment.

Her mother nudged her father. "Honey, look. Our stop's coming up."

"Well, Shana, looks like this is goodbye," her father said.

Shana glared daggers at him. "Thanks a lot! Now I'm gonna get gobbled up!"

"Oh honey, I'm sure it won't be that bad," her mother said. "And think of how much fun we'll have on our cruise!"

Shana rolled her eyes. 'Oh whoop-de-doo. Big comfort there, Mom', she thought to herself.

The bus slowed to a halt and the two older squirrels got up. "Thank you again, Mr. Fairwood!"

"No problem at all. And I hear the Bahamas are nice this time of year."

The adults chuckled again. They waved to Shana as they exited the bus. "Goodbye honey! Be a good girl for Mr. Fairwood now!"

"'Bye," Shana grumbled to them. She watched them get off, their grins almost splitting their faces as thoughts of tropical getaways danced in their heads.

Then the bus pulled away from the curb, and her parents disappeared forever when they turned the corner, leaving Shana alone on the bus with the coyote who had bought her.

"Dang. First I slip and fall on my tail getting out of the shower and now this," she grumbled. "This is turning out to be the worst day ever!"

* * *

Shana and Mr. Fairwood didn't talk much for the rest of the bus ride. He asked her her name and where she lived and if she liked school and other assorted small talk. Shana kept her answers as monosyllabic as possible. She was concentrating on being mad at her parents. She figured if she could keep a good solid grudge going on them, she could avoid facing the fact that instead of her bedroom at home, she'd likely be spending the night in this coyote's stomach.

The little squirrel stared out the bus' windows as the ride dragged on. She noticed all the storefronts and billboards they passed. Eventually, she realized they'd entered the snooty part of town. Not entirely surprising, considering the pile of cash the coyote had had just sitting in his wallet.

The bus stopped and the coyote took Shana's hand as they got off together. Shana considered for a moment just biting his paw and taking off. She junked the idea. Not only would it probably not work, but it would be rather rude. This coyote had paid a heck of a lot of money for her, and he was at least trying to be nice to her. And she realized she wasn't really all that mad at him anyway.

"My house is just a few blocks from here. We can walk there; it won't take long," the coyote told her. Shana nodded and followed along quietly.

The houses were all big and fancy-looking. A short walk later brought them to a pretty white-painted one with six wide windows in front and a great big tree in the front yard. Shana was impressed.

The house looked even bigger inside. The front hall alone was bigger than her house's bathroom!

Lance went to his bedroom and came back a moment later minus his jacket and tie. "Well, sweetie, here's where I live," he told her.

"It's very nice," she said politely.

"The livingroom's to the right. You can go in and watch some TV for a while. I'll be in the kitchen getting everything ready."

"Okay," she said quietly. Without much enthusiasm, she toddled off to the livingroom. There was a great big leather sofa there that she plopped herself down on. She found a remote with about a gajillion buttons and managed to figure out how to turn the enormous widescreen television on with it.

Even despite the fact that her favorite afterschool cartoon was on, Shana couldn't concentrate. She kept hearing sounds from the kitchen: Lance padding back and forth, the clatter of cooking implements, him humming some unknown song to himself.

Shana let out a long sigh and rested her head on her paws. "Well, this is it. I'm gonna get eaten."

There was no way to deny it any longer. The coyote was in the kitchen right now getting ready to... To what? How was he going to cook her? Boiled? Barbecued? Skewered? Shana was creeping herself out, so she decided to worry about that part when it came.

She instead laid down on her back, staring up at the ceiling and thought about everything else. She wondered who'd get all her toys. She wondered if her friends would miss her. She briefly wondered if she'd be tasty, and was surprised that had even occurred to her.

The more she thought about it, the more she was able to believe that it might not actually be so bad. Her skunk friend at school and the bunny at the supermarket, as well as plenty of other kids who were sold as food, were excited by the idea. Shana didn't think she could go _that_ far, but she could at least try to look on the bright side. No more chores. No more of Mom's Monday Meatloaf. No more having to wear silly pink dresses. No more tests or papers at school. And she certainly would have a good excuse for not doing her homework tonight.

Inbetween pondering such thoughts and halfheartedly staring at the television, time passed. Before she knew it, the coyote was calling her into the kitchen, saying he was ready to start preparing her.

Shana sat up on the couch. She gulped. "Okay. Time's up. I'm gonna be brave about this," she promised herself.

The little squirrel found her way to the kitchen. It was all done in black and white tile, making it look like a great big chessboard. Lance was standing there in an apron, which had a cartoon on it of a happy kitten sitting in a stewpot.

"Hiya, kiddo!" he said brightly.

Shyly, Shana approached him.

"Why don't you hop up on the counter here," he asked her. "Need a hand?"

"No, I can do it," she said, and hoisted herself up. The counter was marble, and she could feel the coolness of it through her panties.

"As you might guess from the apron, I'm a bit of a cub connoisseur. Little furs are so tender and tasty! And you're fun to cook, too!"

Shana did not think she would be having much fun.

"I've been in here trying to think of a good recipe for you, and..." Lance trailed off. The coyote finally noticed how quiet Shana was, and how sad she looked sitting there, staring at the floor.

"Hey, Shana..." He reached out to lift up her chin with a slender black-furred finger.

"What?"

"Gosh, you're really not having a good time, are you?"

"What was your first clue?" she asked with a wince.

The coyote whimpered, looking very concerned now. "Gosh, I didn't know you were really serious back there on the bus. If I'd known you were this dead-set against being eaten, I never would have suggested it."

She was about to say something sarcastic and mean, when she stopped herself. He did seem to be honestly concerned about her after all. "So why didn't you just ask me then?" she said softly.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just assumed you were a bit surprised, and that was all. All the kids I ever eat are willing volunteers."

She looked up to him with big sad brown eyes. "Will you let me go then?"

He bit his lip. "Um... Well, I did pay a lot of money for you..."

"I know." Something occurred to her. "Why? Do you really think I'm worth that much?"

"Well sure! The moment I saw you, I thought 'Now that's one adorable little squirrel! She'll cook up beautifully!' I was already reviewing recipes as soon as I sat down."

Oddly, Shana felt a bit flattered at that. "Really?"

"Mm hmm. I've eaten lots of tasty children, and I must say, you look positively scrumptious!"

Shana felt her cheeks flush a little. To her surprise, the idea that he thought she looked so delicious made her feel proud, in a weird kinda way. Did this have something to do with why other kids wanted to be food cubs? She supposed that getting all the attention from fursons wanting to eat them would be sort of appealing.

She kicked her little pink shoes back and forth. "Um, I'm glad you think so, but I'd really rather you didn't eat me, if that's okay."

He put his paw to his chin in thought. His belly was telling him how much it wanted this little cutie inside it, and his heart was telling him that he could never eat someone who looked so sad about it. Finally, he came to a compromise. "Tell you what, would you be willing to at least give it a try?"

"What do you mean?" Shana asked. "Like, are you just going to eat part of me?"

"No no no!" he hastily reassured. "I mean, let me start cooking you. I'll take it nice and slow. Promise me you'll give it a chance, and if you're still afraid later, I'll let you go before you're fully cooked, okay?"

Shana turned the idea over in her head. It wasn't a bad deal, actually. He *was* being awfully nice to her, and she supposed she did owe him at least a chance. Mustering her courage, she nodded. "Okay."

He beamed. "Terrific!" He gave her a little hug, and Shana couldn't help but return it. "I promise I'll do my best to make it as fun for you as I can!"

The coyote's tail was wagging to and fro. Shana thought he looked so excited, it would be a shame to disappoint him. For the briefest of moments, Shana entertained the idea that maybe being food wouldn't be so bad after all. But that still didn't seem very likely to her. "Allright, so how are you going to cook me?" She cringed a little. "It won't hurt, will it?"

The coyote seemed shocked. "Oh, of course not! All my cub recipes are based around making the meal as enjoyable for the diner as well as the dinner." He grinned at the little joke. Shana groaned. "It took me a while to settle on an idea. I did notice how shy you were, so I thought something gentle would be best. It took me a while to realize that I didn't have to have you for supper at all!"

"What do you mean?"

He smiled craftily at her. "How would you like to be dessert?"

Something about the notion of being dessert sent a little tingle of excitement through Shana. "What do you mean? Like, are you going to scoop ice cream on me?"

"Not at all! I'm going to make a nice sweet squirrel pie!"

"A pie!" Shana pictured herself trapped in a cramped pie shell, being thrust into a hot fiery oven! Her tail frizzed up in fright.

Lance was quick to calm her down. He took her shoulders gently in his paws. "Sweetie, don't be scared. It'll be nice, I promise. Will you at least give it a chance? If you absolutely hate it, I _will_ let you go."

Shana looked deep in thought. Should she accept? "You promise?"

"I promise," he said solemnly.

She took a deep breath. "Oh, allright. I'll give it a try. What do I have to do?"

"Well first, you can get out of those clothes. No offense, but fabric is quite hard to chew."

She couldn't argue with the logic. She kicked her shoes off and started to pull off her socks. "Where should I put them?"

"Oh, just leave them on the floor. There's a homeless furs' charity I can drop them off with in the morning."

Shana smiled. "That's nice of you." The thought that some poor girl would get her silly pink dress, and might love it and wear it all the time, made Shana feel happy. She pulled the dress over her head and let it flutter to the floor in a heap.

"You can keep your panties on if you want," Lance told her.

She blushed. "Oh. Okay." She decided to leave them on for now. She realized how glad she was that she wasn't wearing the ones with the cartoon characters on them today. That would have been a tad embarrassing.

As Shana sat there, somewhat enjoying the feel of the smooth, cool counter on her tush, Lance went over to the other side of the kitchen and came back with a gigantic pie plate.

"Wow! I really *could* sit in that!" Shana exclaimed.

"That's the point, kiddo. As you can see, I already have a crust ready. You can hop in any time you're ready."

Shana eyed the enormous pastry shell. She was still nervous, but she couldn't deny that sitting in a huge pie shell did sound kinda fun. She nodded to Lance and gingerly stepped into the plate. Her paws made little footprints in the crust. She positioned herself in the middle and sat down cross-legged, getting into a comfortable position. "Like this?"

"Perfect, Shana! Now I'll get the filling."

"I thought I was the filling?"

Lance brought over a giant bowl full of some kind of fruit mixture, and another one filled with fresh dough. "You're the main ingredient, but this will help you taste even better." He picked up a stick of butter. "Here, you can start by smearing this all over yourself. Get it everywhere you can. Make your fur nice and slick."

Shana took the butter. "Um, okay." She started coating herself in butter. It felt weird at first, but she soon came to enjoy how naughty and fun it felt too. She giggled as she pretended like she was working up a good lather with the soap in the shower.

Lance chuckled as he watched her. He was very glad to see that she was smiling now. While Shana covered herself in the butter, he gave the dough some last-minute kneading.

When the butter was reduced to a sliver, Shana had become good and slippery all over. She took the last of the butter and tucked it into her panties. "What now?"

"Now we give you a good coat of dough. It'll be like an extremely lumpy pair of pajamas!"

Shana could not resist a laugh at that. Lance began to take handfuls of warm, squishy dough and plop them onto her all over, covering her up bit by bit. His hands were gentle and the dough felt nice, like when she would play in the mud in her backyard. To her complete surprise, Shana realized she was actually having fun!

Soon, except for her head, she looked like a little squirrel made of clay. "Comfy?" Lance asked.

"Very!" Shana said. "What's next?"

"Now for the stuff to make this pie sweet. I've got a mixture of fresh cut apples, raisins, maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon."

"Mmmm!" Shana licked her lips. That sounded delicious!

Lance set to work giving her a thin coating of the yummy-smelling stuff, and filling in all the space around her with the rest of it. "My mouth is watering already, Shana! I can practically taste you now!" He paused, and looked at her tenderly. "That is, if you do decide to go through with this."

Shana was grateful for the consideration he was showing her. "I'm still not a hundred percent sure yet. But I am enjoying myself so far. We'll see."

He grinned and ruffled her headfur. "I hope you'll decide to stay, sweetiepie." They both giggled at the appropriateness of that particular pet name.

"Last but not least," Lance declared, "the other half of the pie shell."

Shana got a bit worried again. "I'm not gonna be trapped in there, am I? I might get claustrophobic. Did I pronounce that right?"

"Yes you did, and don't you worry." He brought out the other pie shell and Shana let out a sigh of relief. There was a big hole right in the middle for her head to poke out. He held it over her and she popped her head through. It fit snugly around her, feeling like a nice thick blanket.

"That feels nice," she said. She wiggled a bit and settled in, enjoying the feel of dough between her toes.

"I'm glad you think so." he told her. "Now it's time for the oven."

Her eyes widened. "You're gonna cook me?"

"Well of course, darling. Have you ever eaten a raw pie? And don't worry; I promised you it wouldn't hurt. I meant that. You'll see. Now just relax."

Feeling an odd mix of apprehension and comfort, Shana was lifted up and carried to the waiting oven. It was as big as a fireplace, looking like she could probably lie down and stretch out inside it if she wanted to. Lance sat her gently down on a rack. The oven had been pre-heating all this time. To Shana's relieved surprise, the oven was just comfortably warm, like a summer afternoon.

"In we go, Shana. You'll be in there for a few hours. You can take a nap, or I could put on the radio if you like."

Shana thought about it. "I guess I'll just take a nap. I'm a little tired anyway." A sobering thought struck her. "Um... Will I die in here?"

At that, he couldn't help but lean in to give her a tender kiss on the forehead. "No, Honey. No." He ran a paw through her soft headfur. "Don't worry. Just relax. You'll be fine. In a little while, you'll come out roasty-toasty and ready to be eaten up. It won't hurt a bit. Just relax, my darling squirrel."

His sincerity touched her heart and gave her courage. If Shana was to be honest with herself, this had all been very pleasant so far, and Lance hadn't lied to her at all. She found herself actually quite interested in how this would all turn out. She looked into Lance's eyes and noticed for the first time they were a deep blue. "Okay. I'm ready then."

"See you in a few hours then, sweetiepie."

Lance closed the oven door.

Shana watched through the little window as he walked out of the room.

"I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared."

It was getting warmer in the oven, but it wasn't too bad.

Shana yawned.

Within a few minutes, she had indeed fallen asleep.

* * *

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Shana awoke to Lance, clad in oven mitts, gently lifting her from the oven. A mouthwateringly sweet smell was in the air, and it took Shana a few minutes to realize that it was her! "Ohmygosh! I'm cooked!"

Lance sat the steaming squirrel pie down on the counter. "See sweetie? That wasn't bad at all, now was it?"

Shana blinked and yawned again. She tried to sweep her dreams away and convince herself that this wasn't just another one of them. "No, it... *yawn* It was nice. It was cozy in there."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now do you understand why my other little meals looked forward to this?"

Shana smiled. "I think I'm starting to."

Lance leaned over to nuzzle her cheek and kiss her on top of her head. "You're so cute!" He turned the pie around, inspecting it from all angles. "Yup, you're done, Shana. Nice and golden brown. Cooked to perfection!"

It actually made Shana feel proud of herself to hear that! "That's great!"

He leaned on the counter, eye level with her. "And what do you think so far? Do you want to go on to the next part, or do you want me to let you go?"

Shana gulped. This was it. The biggest choice she'd ever make. "Uh..."

"If you're still scared, don't say yes just because of me. I couldn't bring myself to eat you if you weren't willing and happy with your choice." His words were soft and heartfelt, and completely honest.

Shana still hesitated. Did she really want to end up in this coyote's tummy tonight? She knew how happy it would make him if she agreed.

And that's when she realized, it would make her happy too. Not just to please him, but because she knew they'd have fun doing it together.

"Okay. I've decided. You can eat me."

The coyote grinned and did a little jump for joy. "Oh Shana! Thank you! Are you absolutely sure now?"

"Uh huh. I'm sure. Besides, you went to all this trouble making a squirrel pie. It would be a shame to waste it. I just have one question."

"What is it, my little yummy dessert?"

"Can I have some of me too?"

He giggled and kissed her right on the nose. "Of course you can, little one!"

With that, he hefted the giant pie up in his arms and, with a spring in his step, carried it out to the dining room.

Looking about, Shana could see how fancy everything appeared. There were golden candleholders on the table, a big linen tablecloth, and all sorts of expensive-looking tableware. "Wow! Everything looks so nice!"

"Thank you! Normally I don't do things this flashy, but I thought you might enjoy it."

She blushed a bit. "Really? Aw, thanks!"

Lance sat the pie down gently on the table before him. He pulled up his chair, tucked a cloth napkin into his collar, and got ready to enjoy his dessert. "Ready, my delectable darling?"

"I'm ready."

"Then let's eat!"

With that, Lance carved out a large section of the pie to set before him. He was extremely careful to cut around Shana, and even used a blunt pie server so he wouldn't hurt her by accident anyway.

"Um, what should I do?" Shana asked.

"You can eat with your paws if you like, or I can get you a fork."

"That's okay. I haven't eaten pie with my paws since I was little!" Shana scooped up a big handful of dough and filling and popped it in her mouth. "Mmmmmmmm!" Incredible! She was the best pie she'd ever eaten! She gobbled up another handful in nothing flat. Not only was it delicious, but the fact that she was sitting in her food while she ate it was so delightfully naughty, it added a whole new thrill to the experience.

Lance wiped his mouth on his napkin. "Shana! Sweetheart! You're a culinary masterpiece!"

"Thanks! I think so too!"

Lance gobbled up forkful after forkful. "Marvelous! *gulp* Incredible! *swallow* Mere words don't do it justice!"

She burst out laughing and fell over in the pie, getting the sticky sweet filling all over her. She scooped up a blob of pie stuck in her hair and licked it from her fingertips. She had no idea being a pie would be one of the funnest things she'd ever done!

The two furs enjoyed their meal immensely. The dining room was filled with sounds of two cheerful furs messily devouring good food. Shana ate up so much that after awhile she could even see a little bulge in her tummy. When she could eat no more, she laid back in the pie tin and gave a dainty little burp.

"Oh! 'Scuse me!" she said.

"That's okay, I don't mind a bit," he said.

"Oh good!" she replied, and then let loose a much more impressive belch. Lance laughed so hard he got pie all over his shirt.

Lance patted his own tummy. It was somewhat round, but he knew it would soon be much, much fuller. He surveyed the pie tin. Half the filling was still there, but it would keep just fine for leftovers later. Now, it was time for the main ingredient. "Shana..."

"Hmm?"

"If I eat any more, I won't have room for the very best part."

She was about to ask what that was, when she realized that she was it. 'Okay. I knew this was coming. I'm not scared', she told herself. And to her astonishment, she really, truly wasn't scared anymore. It was time for her to be eaten. It was just her time, that was all. It had been a wonderful experience, and now it was time for the last part. Shana grinned contentedly. "Okay. I hope I'm as tasty as the pie was."

"I know you'll be even better!"

Lance pulled the pie tin closer. He picked up Shana's pretty little pie-covered feet in his paws.

Shana shivered, but not out of fear. 'He's gonna do it. He's gonna eat me!'

Slowly and gently, paying careful attention to Shana's reactions, Lance put her paws into his mouth.

The little squirrel cooed. That felt interesting!

Lance nibbled lightly on her toes. She giggled and wiggled them. The coyote pulled her paws closer and took the first swallow.

Shana watched in fascination. She was amazed to feel her feet actually slipping into his throat. She'd partly expected him to cut her up with a carving knife, or at least chew on her, but he was actually going to swallow her whole! How cool was that?

Her ankles and calves went in next. Lance moaned in contentment at her wonderful, wonderful flavor. She was beyond delicious. One of the very best little girls he'd ever eaten!

Her legs were slowly sinking into the coyote's mouth. Shana stared at the sight of it, barely believing her eyes, believing even less how nice it felt. There was no pain at all. She could tell he was paying extra special attention to keeping his teeth from grazing her skin. All she felt was a smooth, gentle pull as his throat tugged her inside.

Soon, her little round butt was on his tongue. He could feel the soft material of her panties. He reached out to tuck the tip of her big tail into his mouth. A few gulps and he had pulled the pie-sodden appendage down his gullet. She would slide down much easier now.

Shana bit back tickly giggles as he tasted her bottom. It felt naughty in a fun way, but she also liked that he was being a gentleman about it and wasn't going too far. Her tail went in next and she realized she was halfway inside. 'This is it! The point of no return! I'm really going in there, and I'll never, ever come back out!' Her thoughts were a bit scary, but it was the exciting kind of scary that she enjoyed. This was better than a rollercoaster, better than a horror movie. This was _real_! She was really being gobbled up by this nice coyote. And she was having the time of her life!

One by one he slid her dainty forepaws between his lips, readying her to take the final slide. Lance was immeasurably happy that things had turned out this way. Earlier, he'd felt like a fool for not seeing how scared and unhappy Shana had been when he first bought her. Now, he felt happy to know that she had chosen this on her own, and was enjoying it as much as he was. She was his very own happy dessert!

Just her head was sticking out now. If she was going to say any last words, now would be the time to do it. She gazed into Lance's gentle blue eyes. "Thank you."

He stopped. Had she really just said that?

"Thank you for eating me, Lance. I've had a lot of fun. I'm sorry I was so afraid at first. I feel kinda silly about that now. I can't wait to curl up in your tummy. I'm glad you liked how I tasted. Thank you, Lance. Thank you."

He wished he could say something back, but his mouth was a little full at the moment. All he could do was reach up to stroke her headfur, and touch her lightly on her nosepad.

She grinned. "Okay, finish me. Gulp me down!"

Lance took one last look at her pretty face, her adorable smile, the little bits of pie in her fur.

*Gulp*

Shana's head slid inside. She let out a little cry of excitement. She looked up and watched the room become darker until she could see Lance's teeth encircling her vision, and then everything went dark.

Lance felt the bulge travel down his throat. His beautiful, special little dessert landed softly in his tummy. His belly was hugely round, sticking way out in front of him. He ran a paw over it.

"Thank you, Shana. Not only were you delicious, I enjoyed spending time with you too. You're a wonderful, beautiful little girl. Thank you so much for being my food. I love you, sweetiepie."

And from deep within himself, ever so quietly, he heard...

"I love you too!"

A broad, satisfied smile on his muzzle, Lance hefted himself up from the table. He gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen to clean up a bit. Afterwards, he glanced at the clock and noticed it was later than he'd expected.

He went to his bedroom and sat down with a plop on his bed. He could feel the little squirrel in his tummy still wiggling about. He thought he could even hear her giggling.

He was only able to get his pajama bottoms on. His top wouldn't button over his full belly. But that was okay. He pulled the covers over himself and settled down for the night.

Running a paw over his belly, he could feel Shana within, also settling into a comfortable position.

"Goodnight, little one. Sweet dreams."

He reached over and clicked off the bedside lamp. The room was bathed in soothing blue night's glow. The coyote and the squirrel were soon fast asleep.

The end.

* * *

Author's Note: I wrote this in a single evening. All through it I was completely undecided about how it should end. So, I've left it up to you. Maybe Shana is digested and wakes up the next morning in heaven as a pretty little squirrel angel. Maybe, through some deux ex machina, she wakes up the next morning unharmed alongside her new coyote friend and they get to have more culinary adventures together. I think I'll just sit awhile and imagine what happens next. Care to join me?

Alex R.

11/22/04, 4:40 A.M.