Ginger sank back into the couch, letting the air from the nearby fan wash over her. It wasn't really helping much.

She and her friends had been lounging around at her apartment for the last two hours. It had originally seemed like a good idea: hang out with friends to get their minds off the summer heat. Except that only works if you actually have the energy to do anything. The lethargy was palpable; the heat had completely sapped their energy.

So now, here they were, all laying around and doing nothing. Ginger herself sat plastered to the couch. Lana, a fox, sat cross-legged on a large ottoman sitting in front of the couch, playing with her phone. Angela, a feline, lay spread-eagle on her back on the floor, her tail swishing back and forth occasionally. And Traci, a raccoon, sat on the couch next to Ginger, looking almost like a doll next to the enormous lab; Ginger was easily three times Traci's height.

They had tried to watch a movie, which had finished a few minutes ago and now played the DVD menu on repeat. Ginger had muted it, but lacked the energy to get up and find another movie. Her tongue lolled out as she panted heavily. She had stripped down to her undershirt and shorts (all the girls had removed some amount of clothing since coming here -- propriety had gone out the window when face with this intense heat) but it wasn't enough.

"Uuuuuuugh," Angela said, her voice rising up from the floor. "It's too hoooooooot!"

"According to this, it's record-breaking," Lana said. She tapped her phone. "Hottest day on record in five years."

"Please," Traci said, waving her hand. "This isn't hot. You girls don't know hot until it gets so hot your tires melt to the pavement."

Ginger pulled her lips back, showing her teeth, and she fought to stifle a growl. Traci had been making comments like this all day. "Just because you come from the south, that doesn't mean you've got a monopoly on heat. It's really damn hot here, too."

"Nah, this is nothing," Traci insisted. "One time back home, it was so hot I burned my hand just trying to open the car door!"

"Traci, seriously," Lana said, "it can't have been much worse than this."

"You girls just don't know how good you've got it!" Traci gestured with one arm. "One time, it got so hot that-- grrk!"

The odd sound that escaped the small raccoon was due to Ginger's large hand closing around her windpipe. The lab had had enough. On any other day she would have put up with Traci's boasting -- she always seemed to have something to boast about -- but today, the heat and frustration combined and Ginger was just done.

So, without moving from the spot where she sat, Ginger gripped Traci by the throat, lifted her into the air, and stuffed the raccoon into her mouth.

Well, not all of her at once, of course. Ginger was big, but not that big. Her jaws enfolded the raccoon's head and shoulders, though. She felt the surprised Traci start to squirm, letting out a squeaky noise as her face pressed into Ginger's tongue.

Ginger swallowed, her tongue pressing against Traci's face and pushing it back. Her throat bulged out, and Traci's chest disappeared into her mouth.

The raccoon had started fighting and shouting, now, though the shouts were muffled by fur and flesh. She kicked, trying to either land a blow on Ginger or get enough leverage to push herself out.

Lana watched in amazement as Ginger swallowed their mutual friend. She still had one finger poised to touch her phone, her hands frozen in place by the surprise at the unexpected turn of events.

Ginger gripped Lana's ankles, both to help push her in and prevent her from landing a lucky kick and hurting her. The raccoon's stomach pushed into the canine's jaws, and soon her wide tongue was lapping at the smaller mammal's hips and thighs.

Traci continued squirming, and though she couldn't make out any words, Ginger thought she could detect a change in the tone of the raccoon's screams. They had gone from angry yelling to frightened pleading.

Ginger tilted her head back, letting gravity help Traci the rest of the way in. She slurped up the kicking legs and bushy tail, and before long, both were disappearing between her lips. Ginger closed her mouth, her teeth coming together with a click. She swallowed, and the bulge that was Traci slid down to settle in her gut.

The small raccoon barely made a bulge on Ginger. Were it not for the squirming, an onlooker might have assumed she had just had a very large meal, or was perhaps just a little chubby.

"What happened?" Angela's voice came from where she lay on the floor. "I can't see from here."

"Ginger just ate Traci." Lana said.

"Oh." A long pause. "Wait, really?"

Before Lana had a chance to answer, Ginger felt a rumble start in her belly and work its way up. She opened her mouth and released a loud belch.

"Wow, I guess so," Angela responded.

The three sat in silence for several seconds.

"So," Ginger finally said. "Now what?"

"I dunno." Lana seemed to consider. "She is our friend. We probably should try to save her. What do you think, Angela?"

"Honestly?" Angela said, her tone matter-of-fact. "I think it's way too damn hot for a rescue attempt. Besides, we could never take Ginger. She'd probably just eat both of us, too."

"I would not," Ginger said. "I... I'm really not sure what came over me. I was just so frustrated with everything, and I just... reacted."

"It's okay," Lana said. "And Angela is technically right. If we did try to rescue Traci, there's no way we're a match for a big pred like you, even if we teamed up. Are you planning on letting her out willingly?"

Ginger thought about it. She hadn't eaten a nice, big meal like this in a while. She rested a hand on her belly. "No... no, I don't think so. It's already a miserable, hot day, and I don't need to add forcing myself to get sick on top of it."

That elicited a series of powerful squirms from Traci. Apparently she could still hear what was going on outside, or she could at least make out what Ginger had said.

"Then that's that," Lana said.

"Great, glad that's decided," Angela added. "What do you girls say to getting some ice cream? I'm gonna melt if it gets much hotter." After a moment's pause, she added, "I bet Traci thinks the same thing!"

Ginger laughed, and even Lana cracked a smile.

Ginger hefted herself up from the couch, and watched as Lana and Angela both started to get up as well. It seemed that the recent, if unexpected, action had helped them all find their second winds. They had shaken off the heavy blanket of lethargy, and the hot day no longer seemed as oppressive.

All in all, things were looking up.