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Rodent scurried through the party, the small brown rat ducking and dodging between the furs milling about as his tail flicked form side to side in eagerness. He chuckled a little, repositioning himself as he gained a few nods of acknowledgment from the other party-goers. Usually large social gatherings such as this weren't typically his cup of tea, mostly because with his small, one-meter stature it was easy to get lost in the crowd. That wasn't so bad, but the fact that the unsavory types would find him tended to be what dissuaded him. His friend, Cerija, had invited him over for a special occasion, and he simply couldn't pass; he'd never be rude to one of his friends, after all. He smiled as he spotted the Cerija's bright white ears among the crowd - being the only arctic hare in a subtropical climate tended to make him stand out a little more than most others. He ducked and darted his way through the crowd before snickering, coming to stop just behind the taller lagomorph. "Heya, Ceri. Finally found you! How's it going?" Rodent panted, slightly out of breath. The hare looked around, his whiskers twitching a little while his ears flicked from side to side as if trying to locate the source of the sound. Then, with an exaggerated motion, he swung his head from side to side, craning up and over the crowd before receiving a hearty punch to the side of his leg. "Oh! There you are, Roddy! I thought I'd heard someone talking to me. Man, d'you know how easy you are to miss?" The Hare said, his soft blue eyes glimmering with playfulness. Having known Cerija for almost six years, Rodent should have known better than to think the unusually lanky hare would have done his customary greeting while accentuating the rat's own diminutive nature. He should have known otherwise. Shaking his head and bouncing on his feet, Rodent simply snickered and brushed his paws through his brown fur, nose twitching a little. "Surprised you're still white with how much you brown-nose me, you crazy rabbit. Anyways, looks like your party's pretty hopping. Gets the heart a-thumpin', doesn't it?" He said with a wry smile, pleased as always to hear that pained groan even over the sound of the band. It was never any fun without torturing the larger hare, though he always responded well to the jesting. "You seem to be doing well for yourself. Was worried for a while that this whole staying vegetarian thing wasn't going to work out for you, not with your naive nature and everything. "Listen, just because beef broth on noodles smells like the most delicious thing on the planet, it doesn't mean that I don't have any self restraint. Besides, you can get a good simulation of the scent and, I presume, flavor from the right blend of nuts and spices. Anyway, I'm glad you could make it! It wouldn't have been the same without you here!" Rodent nodded quietly, surveying the room - and by that, he mostly saw the midsections of most of the nearby guests - before chuckling quietly. "Well, I needed to get out of my burrow. Was getting a little cramped and everything. Getting jittery to go out and do something, though I wasn't quite expecting this many people." He smiled nervously, to which the hare gave an understanding nod. "Though I am curious as to what's the cause for celebration. You seemed quite excited when you called." "OH! That's right, I'd wanted to make the announcement to everyone, and I didn't tell you because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. But I suppose I can let you in on the secret a little early, even if it's only by a few hours. At midnight tonight, my pilot company, Lagolicious, will be shipping out its first wide-spread distribution of vegetarian and vegan snack foods. So far it's centered around the coast, but I'm hoping that if the reception is good enough, I can quickly expand. My trial runs in convenience stores and smaller chain-stores have been immensely successful, so I feel like this will have a very positive outcome. Ah, sorry, I don't mean to ramble at you, but I'm quite jittery - you have no idea how much it's killing me to wait to make the announcement, Rod!" Chuckling, the rat simply nodded and looked back to Cerija once more, a grin crossing his face. "A hare running a vegetarian snack-food syndicate. Don't you think that's a little cliche? "And a rat that's constantly underfoot somehow finds himself face first in the punch bowl isn't?" "Ach, you don't have to be so ruuuuuude." Rodent squeaked meekly, the action in and of itself being quite adorable. Though that was likely what got him into so much trouble - others would find him and assume that he was a meek little creature, which in turn led to them thinking he'd be an easy catch, which would then end up with him struggling to get free. Of course, that wasn't to say that he didn't perpetuate that particular stereotype. He yawned a little, his eyes casting from side to side before he made his way over to the stairs and ascended a few steps so that way he could actually be at eye-level with his friend. He squeaked once more before smiling, bringing the hare's attention back to himself. "So, I'm guessing you've got a speech planned for tonight then, hmm? Or is it going to be just a quick one or two sentence blarghle like you usually give? I'd be excited to hear a grandiose and verbose speech from you." He snickered, looking around the room once more, surprised to see a small stage being set up over in the corner, just opposite of the hopefully open bar. "Nah, nothing too wordy. Just a small celebratory initiation-type thing. Like... like christening of a ship by smashing a bottle of champagne on it, or cutting the ribbon for a newly opened building. Something like that, but with less mess to clean up afterward - at least for me." Cerija chuckled a little more, his ears flicking from side to side as he quickly caught sound from the nearby conversations. "Anyways, feel free to enjoy the festivities tonight - bar's free, and we'll have some entertainment coming up shortly. There's a band that'll be playing for a good deal tonight, and then afterward there will be some more arcane entertainment. You like magic, right?" Rodent simply shook his head as he was only partially listening, his mind still wandering to screwdrivers and a metropolitan. He blinked as he brought himself back to the conversation, giving a small nod of curiosity. "Yeah, I do, though... given the purpose of the party, it hardly seems to make sense to have a magician." He chuckled. "Unless you really do want to go all out and leave a mess for others to clean, of course." "Hypnotist, actually, but close. Gonna play some pranks on a few of my guests as a bit of light-hearted fun. Anyways, I've got to circulate a little more, lest they perceive me as disinterested; I would hate to begin the brand off with a terrible image, you know!" He bounced on the balls of his feet, chuckling a little as he hurriedly uttered a few more muffled sounds, his eyes casting about eagerly. It was quite surprising that the normally high-strung hare had taken this much time to calm down and have as much of a conversation as he did. Though it's not that Rodent could even really blame him. From the sounds of their discussion so far, he had every right to be excited. Especially with the news he was sitting on! Rodent gave a quiet nod and smiled, casually waving his hand to his friend. "I'll catch up with you later, Ceri. Go and mingle."He chuckled quietly as the hare speedily turned around and began to make his way through the crowd, his head bobbing back and forth as he acknowledged greetings and cheers from the guests along the way. Without anyone to really talk to, Rodent made his way toward the bar, a chuckle crossing his lips as he approached. Behind the bar, he could see quite a few different liquors, all arranged by type and quality with the finest liquors on the top. A yawn escaped as he approached the counter, placing his hand on it. "May I get a screwdriver?" He asked meekly, the bartender, some sort of cervine, only responding with a chuckle. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" He joked, turning around to grab the vodka from the bar's back, and a larger, slimmer glass from beneath that. As he placed everything back on the counter, Rodent shook his head; it was something he'd gotten used to, and no matter how many times he'd been asked it, it never ceased to make him groan internally. "Anyway, here you go." the barkeep said before handing the nicely frosted glass to the rat. Nodding his appreciation, Rodent took the class and put it too his lips. The sweet scent of the orange juice was quite enticing, and the light tang of the vodka complemented it quite nicely. He tipped the glass back and took a sip, the cold liquid flooding his throat, the vodka sharp, but not harsh. Coughing a little, chuckling a little more, he put the glass down and took a deep breath, smiling to himself. He normally didn't drink very much, and usually that was only with friends, but if the bar was open tonight, what kind of friend would he be if he didn't take full advantage of his host's hospitality. Furthermore, from the chatter he was hearing, nothing was going to happen until at least eleven because the band hadn't arrived yet and the hypnotist wasn't scheduled until after Ceri's announcement. So, what better way to kill time than with a few drinks and being the social wallflower he'd been trained to be? Of course, as he looked around the room, it didn't look like there were going to be many happenings anyways. There were pods of people just randomly interspersed throughout the room, and most of them comprised of people he barely or only somewhat knew. He chuckled once more, letting his mind slowly become watery as he drank the rest of his drink. Tapping the bar once more to order another, he just relaxed a little and let the time go by. What else could happen?

Rodent's head was swimming; he'd only managed to have three drinks by the time he'd heard the call for attention, but with his small stature, it was more than enough to warm him delightfully. He chuckled as he slipped from the bar stool he'd inhabited for the last few hours, his legs quite soft underneath him. Shivering a little, he just slowly made his way toward the stage where a lone microphone and a stool had been set up. He tried his hardest to not be a bother by running into the other party goes, which wasn't too difficult given his naturally nimble stature, though he was sure he'd accidentally given a few of the guests unintentional gropes when he did stumble. As he finally got into view of the stage, he groaned a little as the bright spotlight blinded him. Squeaking softly, he averted his eyes as to not be blinded completely. He could hear he soft footfalls of (presumably) his friend, causing him to squint his eyes. Within a few moments, he could see the swimming form of the white arctic hare, his body bisected by the dark microphone stand. He winced with every tap of the mic, the sound echoing throughout the room with a slight bass distortion. "Heh. Is this on?" The hare began, his words slightly shrill with anticipation, but quickly normalized when he heard himself reverberate throughout the room. He took a deep breath before looking around at the crowd, his bright blue eyes glimmering delightedly. "Well, It's a few minutes early, but I figured I'd make the announcement now. As some of you closer to me may know, I've recently embarked on the most noble of endeavors. No, I'm not trying to cure cancer like a few of you, so you've got nothing to worry about there. No, I've recently been developing my own brand of vegetarian and vegan based snacks under the company name of Lagolicious, LLC. I've been running my pilot trials over the last year or so, and I've got through all of the necessary approvals to begin widespread distribution and manufacture. And, tonight at midnight - so in just a few minutes - I will be shipping out my first few trucks of product for regional distribution. I'm quite excited since the feedback has, thus far, been quite positive and promising, and I feel as though it will continue to grow. I invite you all to take this moment to join me in celebration of what hopefully will be a new dynasty of healthy snack foods." His words came out quite quickly, the hare flittering from side to side as he spoke, practically jumping with excitement, the sight of which only made Rodent chuckle a little while trying to fight off the nausea that accompanied his slight inebriation. As the room shattered into applause, Cerija nodded and waved his hand before lifting his glass full of what appeared to be water and tipped it back. A few murmurs echoed throughout the room as the party-goers did the same. Within a few seconds, Ceri pulled the glass back and gave a small gasp. "Now, as the party begins to wind down, I invite you to take a little bit of time to enjoy the rest of our entertainment. In fact, on the main stage in about ten minutes we'll have a hypnotist to help the rest of you relax a little, and the jazz band will continue to help you relax with their smooth jams." He chuckled once more and nodded, spinning around as he shifted the stool around on the stage. 'And then the party will end at about four, so you've got some time yet to enjoy the festivities. Please, don't be shy to participate - I'd feel saddened if you did!" Rodent shivered a little as the hare practically hopped off the stage, the rapt attention of the room slowly shifting and dispersing back into its pod-based mentality. The quiet murmurs of conversation filling the air like the buzzing of insects throughout the room, giving a dull background buzz that was oddly comforting. Though his attention remained quite focused on the stage where a slender, tall coyote had taken his place amongst the center, arranging things around to suit his needs. He was dressed rather modestly in a button-down shirt and a nice pair of khakis - unorthodox for what he'd envisioned for a hypnotist. Of course, Rodent had always envisioned a hypnotist as a standard magician with the full tuxedo, bow tie and even the white-ringed top hat. Not that the guy's appearance really had anything to do with how he performed, even if it already seemed off-putting. Ah, well, what could he do? Have another drink sounded pretty good. His attention shifted away from the stage back toward the bar, groaning as he saw that the bartender was already beginning to clean up. If the party didn't end until four, why was the last call so early in the night? It was for the best, he supposed. Hangovers were especially hard on him, and with how much he'd already imbibed tonight, it was likely that he was going to suffer from one massive migraine in the morning. At least he could enjoy the night while it lasted, even if that enjoyment was comprised of listening to a hack of a hypnotist working his wonders on the crowd. Sighing, he turned back to the stage, watching as the hypnotist made his way back and forth on the platform, his footfalls surprisingly loud for his padded feet. It was also strange how rhythmic it seemed for how irregular his footfalls were. Or maybe the alcohol was affecting his perceptions more than he imagined... but he swore he could hear them regular thumping as the coyote paced. He came to a stop, shaking his head before casting his gaze out over the crowd, as if preoccupied by something. "How is everyone tonight? Doing well, I suppose?" He said while bobbing his head faintly up and down, his gaze piercing through each and every audience member simultaneously while seeming to look at no one in particular. Rodent could feel himself nodding his head in agreement as a warmth flushed through his body. Tonight was going pretty well, come to think of it. "That's good to hear. I'm guessing that you all are probably thinking the same thing - who's the planted patsy in the crowd that'll make this entire act worth watching? Who's rehearsed their lines so well that it the interactions between the performers are seamless and flowing?" He said, his voice lilting upward toward the end of each sentence. He began pacing once more, back and forth, while his voice remained energetic despite his slow and ponderous steps. "Well, The truth is, there's no plant. In fact, everything you will see tonight is genuine and unrehearsed. Don't you believe me?" He said, his voice hopeful. Rodent shook his head, finding himself swaying a little as he followed the coyote's pacing, his head's motions swinging a little from side to side so that his initial reaction was to shake his head. Though he caught himself mid-shake, flushing a little as he hoped no one saw the hurried transition to what he hoped would be perceived as aloof interest. He couldn't help but instinctively dismiss the notions put forth by the coyote - after all, what sap would believe in something so inane as hypnotism? The coyote smiled once more before nodding, offering his paw out to the closest member of the audience, a small and fragile looking grey squirrel who chattered excitedly. "My name is Tannis, Maestro of the Mind, and I do hope you'll be so kind as to help be instill belief in your fellows? I can assure you that no harm will come to you and you'll remain the cheery, bubbly squirrel you've always been when I'm finished. How about some innocent fun?" He flashed his shimmering teeth, nodding invitingly during the course of his small speech. As he finished, the squirrel simply nodded and offered her hand, the coyote pulling her up to the stage with little effort. As he pulled her up to the stage, Rodent watched with feigned disinterest as the coyote pulled out a piece of paper and pen. "Now, I'm going to want you to do me a favor. Write down one place you've always wanted to go on vacation. Doesn't have to be real, just somewhere you've always dreamed of visiting. Don't tell me or let me see." He said, flashing a smile to the crowd as he turned around once more, the quiet murmurs beginning to fill the air as confusion set in. Once the squirrel had jotted her response down on the scrap of paper, Tannis spoke again. "Now fold it up and put it away so that you, nor anyone else can see it, and then we'll have a little conversation about your dream vacation, alright?" "Now, tell me," he said, turning around to face her, gently grasping her wrists in his hands. "The location you want to visit. You can take brisk walks there, yes? It's someplace that makes you feel elevated, breathless." He smiled, pacing around the stage with her as if taking a walk through her imagination. "Is it somewhere that, when you've reached the pinnacle of your journey, you feel exalted, as if they stars themselves are within reach. Does the world seem small, insignificant when you've reached the height of your euphoria? Do your fingers and toes tingle with a frosty excitement when you envision your destination...?" He spoke slowly, his conversation taking the upwards of five minutes at least, during which he had guided her through different portions of the stage. As he came back around to face the front, he was grinning wolfishly as she faced the crowd once more, her breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps as he continued to probe her mind with questions, though he never got a response other than a faint blush during most of it. As he finally stopped his tirade of questions, his barrage of calm and measured questions for which he expected no answer, he smiled once more. "You look delightfully chilled. Tell me, where have you always wanted to go?" A final flush brought the squirrel back to focus on the crowd before she stammered and looked to him. "Well... I can... tell you?" "Yes, now you can tell me." "Well, I've always wanted to visit the mountains during winter. The scene's just so beautiful that I can't help but think that it would be nice to see." She stammered quietly, pulling her tail around herself to try and muffle her words, or, more likely, hide the immense flush that tinged her delicate cheeks. Tannis nodded quietly and smiled. "Please read out what you'd written before our chat, will you?" He grinned even wider, pleased to see her jump a little and uncrumple the piece of paper she'd clutched the entire time. As she unfolded it, she gave a gasp and then an embarrassed giggle."It... it says... the jungle? But... It's so hot there!" She said with surprise, her tail flicking a bit in confusion. Tannis simply smiled before nodding and reaching gently guiding her to the edge of the stage and helped her back to the position in the crowd. Rodent simply snorted at the climax of the display, quite bored to be honest - the act was hardly anything that required skill or even much memorization or believability from the squirrel, probably one of the easiest tricks to pull off. If this was going to be the entire show, this was hardly worth the effort it took to book the hypnotist, let alone what he'd surely be paid for his appearance. He gnashed his teeth a little, the alcohol making the small rat a little more audacious than he normally would have been. "How about you do something that requires a little more rehearsal, huh?" Almost immediately as he spoke, he felt a large paw clasp him on the shoulder, a hurried voice whispering in his ear. "Roddy, are you alright? Perhaps you should go lay down." Though before the words could really sink in, the coyote smirked and leapt upon his prey, hopping down from the stage and walking through the audience toward the rat. His tail bristled slightly while his amber eyes glittered delightfully in anticipation. "OH, it seems we've got a non- believer. What luck, as, unfortunately, it's really difficult to make things seem convincing without actually refuting those who need to be convinced. Tell me, would you like to be my next guest?" "No, he's drunk, Tannis. I think he's just in need of some rest." The voice continued once again before the coyote turned his attention back to the one who'd spoken. "Of course he is. I can smell it. But I can see your point - perhaps he won't be as convincing as someone who's of their right mind. Tell me, Cerija, how do you feel about joining him on the stage? He offers me suggestions for what to do with you while you're under the hypnosis, huh? It'll be fun." he said with a wry smile, those teeth uncomfortably close to the rat's snout. Shifting once more, without waiting for a response, he grabbed both of them by the hand, pulling them both back toward the stage amidst a sea of excited chatter. The dull rumble of the crowd shuffling around filled the room for a few moments before he settled down once more. Once on the stage, he pulled up a chair for the hare while motioning for the rat to sit on the stool. He inhaled deeply, beginning to speak. "Now, just be patient. As I mentioned before, you won't be any worse for wear once I'm done. Here. I just need you to relax. This is going to be a little more traditional than my last guest, so you'll probably be a little disbelieving at first. Though I can tell that the audience is practically ravenous to see how this turns out. Let's give them a good showing, eh?" He shifted once more before rummaging in his pocket, pulling out a small, golden watch. "And as for you," he said, briefly glancing over to Rodent, "I'm going to need you to just remain quiet until I'm ready for you, understood?" Rodent nodded in affirmation, his eyes swimming up and down as he stared out across the audience. He heard the coyote beginning to speak once more, the words oddly distant and distorted, quiet yet piercing enough that he could hear them regardless. "Now, Cerija, I'm going to ask you to trust me to guide you. Let me clear your mind of all worries and tensions and extraneous thoughts. Breathe in for me and hold it until the count of three." His words came out like a hiss, quieter and fainter than the inhalation from the hare who, presumably, just played along to not discredit the coyote. "One. Two. Three. Exhale. Now, do so once more, and focus on the watch. See how the light glimmers from it, as free and without worry as the breaths you take. Exhale. It spins, once. Twice, three times before returning on its chain, much like your breath. Exhale. It's beautiful, isn't it? Like the bliss you feel coming over you with each breath you exhale, your worries and cares pushed out with the dead air." Rodent blinked a little, watching his friend as he bobbed his head faintly, his breaths coming and going so that they were becoming quite in sync with the off-rhythm commands to exhale, each command slightly longer than the last so that soon, his friend's chest rose and fell in a deep, steady pattern. The coyote continued to speak, his words smooth to even Rodent's ears. "Very good. You are feeling quite relaxed now, with only my suggestions to guide you. You can hear them clear as day, though they are weightless on your mind, a light tether to help pull you higher into a state of bliss, only to be grounded when you hear my voice shatter the glassy lucidity of your mind with the word..." "Fraudulent." Rodent interjected, slightly grumpy that his friend seemed to be playing along so well. Of course, in his current state of inebriation, it was difficult to discern his own reality, though he couldn't help but stave off a slight feeling of contempt for this coyote who was quite simply wasting his time with this debacle. "Fraudulent... That will be the word I use to restore you to your senses when I'm finished with you." He murmured quietly before returning his attention to the rat squirming in his seat. "Fine then. You seem quite eager to interject yourself into this, so why don't you suggest the first thing I do to toy with your friend's mind? As you can see, he's but putty beneath my will, and I can make him quite literally dance if you so desired it." Scoffing, Rodent simply paused for a moment, his derisive laughter soon filling the silence as the audience watched with rapt attention. "Mmm, no. Dancing would be too easy to save your hide. He's quite a strict vegetarian, so why don't you make him eat a burger? Prove that your will alone is higher than his by making him break one of his fundamental tenets?" He said, his smile quite vicious and vindictive. It was perplexing, really, as he usually didn't get so mean while drunk, though with a creeping headache and no more alcohol to stave it off, he was becoming quite grumpy, quite fast. That, coupled with his mandatory participation in this utter farce of an act, it was hardly surprising that he would be so grumpy. Tannis smirked, his lips pulling back in yet another wolfish smile. "Someone grab me a burger, if you would?" He said with grandeur before turning his attention back to the hare. "Now, focus on my voice and what I'm telling you. With this state of relaxation, you feel your body as a machine fit for pursuit. There is nothing more thrilling than stalking your prey during the hunt and finally capturing your quarry. That is what you live for, to be the best predator that ever stalked the plains, forests, or tundras. Meat is what sustains you, and the scent of flesh alone is enough to make you salivate." He smiled, reaching down to grab the burger that one of the eager audience members had brought from the food table. By now it had become cold, and surely would have been even more unappetizing to a vegetarian like Cerija. "But fortunately, they knew you were coming and had a feast of seared flesh already prepared. Go on, have some." He said, waving the burger in front of the hare's nose. Tannis jumped back as the hare lunged forward and snapped nearly half of the burger into his jaws in a single bite. He'd reached up and greedily stuffed it in, taking little time to actually chew or even taste it! He smirked a little and pulled back, standing up before gesturing to the crowd to which he'd received quite a bit of applause - at least until the hare let out a belch and sniffed around for more. "Ah, that's nothing! I'm sure Cerija brought veggie burgers anyway, so it's probably not even worth the ruse. Now, if he ate something like me, then I'd be more impressed." Rodent said with a tinge of frustration. How could this actually be happening? Surely his friend wouldn't be doing this to spite him for his public intoxication. The coyote chuckled once more, his laughter but a short, sharp bark that pierced the air. He gestured to the hare who was still looking around for something more to snack on. He casually flicked his head to the side before barking out a quick command. "Hear that, Cerija? He wants you to eat him. Since you're still hungry, oblige his wishes. Eat him, and then when you're done, forget we'd ever had this little talk, hmm?" He said with a smirk before taking a bow, leaving Rodent to simply stew in frustration. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, Since I've pretty much exhausted myself with focus, and I don't think I could possibly top this little upcoming display, I think that I'll bid you adieu. Have a nice night!" He said before turning to take his leave of the stage, the first few scuffles beginning to happen. Yelping in surprise, Rodent felt his friend's paws quickly grasp him on the shoulders, roughly tugging him to the side. Because he was sitting on the stool, he quickly tumbled over with the hare pouncing on top of him. Scoffing, Rodent simply pushed back at his friend, a grin growing on his face. "Come on now. You don't have to humor him, you know. It's really not that big of a d-oomph!" said, cut short by a rough repositioning of the hare's knees into his stomach, pinning him in place. He struggled against the larger male, grunting a bit as he looked up into those glazed eyes, blinking a few times - was the alcohol playing tricks on him? "No, nngh, seriously. You can... stop now..." He muttered, quite loudly to the chuckles of the crowd. By weight, he was already outmatched, even though the hare was hardly thicker than a young tree. More surprisingly, however, was the feral ferocity with which the male handled him and struggled to get him into a good position. Rodent squirmed once more, his tail lashing behind him as he looked up into those bright blue eyes, shocked to see that they were as piercing as always, but... not with the warmth his friend had always had. The glassiness had gone with a snap of the coyote's fingers. "W-wait, Ceri, You're fine! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of your guest, really. I'm.. just... sick is all!" he said, his head squirming as that hot breath washed over him, the stench of the burger and whatever else he'd eaten bathing him. He shuttered and groaned as the first few drops of saliva dripped onto his snout as that gaping maw lunged forward. "Wait, I-!" He said before giving a loud squeak as that warmth entombed his head. The size difference alone was enough to put him at quite the disadvantage, though his struggles became quite useless as those paws gripped his forearms and pinned them to his sides. He shuddered and thrashed about as best he could, but with the larger hare's oppressive weight pinning his lower section down, he could only squeak and whimper as his snout pressed against the back of that surprisingly cavernous maw. He felt that tongue curling along his chest, the thick, long appendage dragging along his form and helping support him as the hare gave the first swallow. He shuddered, feeling the warm throat muscles clench and ripple around his snout, the slow, peristaltic motion tugging him inward bit by bit before sealing him firmly in that throat. As his head and eyes slipped in, he could feel the lagomorph repositioning his head a little so that his jaws could stretch around the smaller rat's shoulders. His tongue hooked under one of Rodent's arm's, and with the next swallow, helped to maneuver his still struggling frame past those waiting, saliva soaked lips. His body was quite tense now as he kicked his legs as best he could, feeling the rabbit's paws slip further down his own as those lips took over pinning his arms to his side. With the paws on his hips, he felt himself being lifted slowly upward. That fleshy tunnel worked its way around his body, his shoulders quite an easy task, especially since every struggle of his helped slide himself inadvertently deeper into that waiting gullet. He could smell the foul stench of that burger already mingling with partially digested greens and seeds, the scent alone enough to make him gag a bit. He felt that throat grow taut around his form, the rat's animated resistance surely making quite an impressive bulge to the viewers of this spectacle, but unfortunately this wasn't a show he'd counted on. Soon thereafter, he felt his hands slipping past the threshold of those lips, leaving just his lower section to kick and squirm from between those greedily closing jaws. The rabbit's tongue curled its way between his legs and helped tug him in quite quickly, those ravenous swallows growing ever more desperate the closer he got to being claimed. As his hips slipped inward, he felt his world beginning to shift a little as the hare sat back and tipped his head upward. As he did so, Rodent felt himself shifting and slipping a little faster into that gullet with each gulp, the momentary lapse of grip on his body enough to allow gravity to help force-feed the rat through that esophagus and into the waiting stomach. While the first portion of his legs vanished into those lips, his snout began to press into that waiting stomach, the scent quite overpowering his mind with utter terror. Though probably more terrifying was the faint tingling sensations that crossed over his exposed flesh, especially when complemented by the ominous sounding squelches from within that fleshy prison. The heat was overbearing, and every desperate gasp for air made his lungs burn a little. Though that burning was nothing compared to the faint coating his snout received when his knees slipped into those jaws. As the fluid coated his snout and body, it took all he had not to scream out as the searing sensation spread across his body and slipped through his nostrils and into the soft membranous portions of his throat. Of course, as his lungs began to burn from the lack of air, screaming wouldn't have lasted long even if he did scream. He felt the faint tickle - now that was a macabre thought - of the hare's tongue against his footpads before those too, along with his tail, were finally tucked away into those waiting jaws. As the hare finished his meal, the rat could feel his new prison squishing around him as his former friend repositioned himself for the comfort of digestion. He squirmed and struggled and flailed, each action becoming less forceful as he simply ran out of energy and air. As he curled up within that cramped gut, he felt it contract once more before clearing itself of any extra air that may have been swallowed along with him, leaving him to stew in a puddle of half digested meat and acids while his feet and tail soon joined the rest of him. He gave a soft whimper as the searing pain overpowered his senses, albeit briefly. After a few moments, he felt his sensations beginning to dull, more from lack of air than from any loss of nerves at this point. Soon enough, he felt nothing at all, his struggles nothing more than electrical impulses firing in response to the last ditches of his body to do whatever it could. From the outside, the spectacle was something to behold - the hare's form and ravenous appetite quite a sight to behold, especially when bulged out with a creature a little under half its size. But, shockingly enough, he'd made his prey fit, the final bulges quite animated for a few moments more - truly something the horror-struck crowd feasted their eyes upon. It's not like things such as this didn't happen in a community comprised of predators and prey, though it was a little jarring for it to be Cerija performing the actions. As he gave a final belch, the crowd quickly scattered while the hare caressed his gut, the loud gurgles picked up by the still-live microphone for the entire room to catch with uncomfortable clarity. In the morning, despite his best efforts to minimize work for himself, he'd have a lot to clean up. Though unfortunately, it would be quite hard to clean up his image now, especially given his new found taste for meat. Though for now, the only thing he was concerned about was his lips getting dry from licking them too much, the delicious taste of rat still quite well ingrained upon them.

A loud belch echoed from his very core, the delectable taste of the rat still lingering there while his paw traced along his still swollen and active, albeit much quieter than they'd been last night - not that the hare knew that now. All he really knew was what his hungover guests told him. Though, he supposed that something good had come of this after all - meat or murder, it was quite delicious either way. The only real mystery left about last night was why he hadn't eaten the rat - or anyone, really - much sooner than this! Maybe that coyote would know of a few good things to eat...