((Commission for  autumnvector, of him and my character Tammi making a high-stakes wager.

As a side-note, if anyone’s interested, I still have several commission slots open.))

The Wager

Tammi walked up to the apartment door with Shyla just a couple steps behind her. She raised a fist and knocked, the sound slightly muffled by the glove she was wearing.

While she waited, Tammi hugged the heavy coat she wore, trying to ward off the cold. The massive black coat seemed to swallow up the chipmunk, with just her head poking up out of the insulated depths. She felt quite eager to get someplace warm.

She imagined that Shyla, standing behind her, felt similarly. The squirrel's teeth chattered in the cold.

After a few seconds, Tammi heard the deadbolt slide. The door opened, and a wave of warm air washed over her. In the doorway stood a male bat, tall and lanky, his large black wings currently folded up to his sides. He wore jeans and a t-shirt. He gestured to the two women standing before him. "Quick, come in out of the cold!"

Tammi and Shyla were more than happy to oblige, walking into the cozy apartment. Tammi let out a long sigh. "Thank you SO much for letting us come over, Autumn." she said.

"No problem." The bat shut the door. "I can't believe your heat went out on a day like this."

Tammi nodded, shedding off her coat to reveal a pair of baggy jeans and a loose t-shirt with a low neckline. "The whole dorm won't have any heat until later tonight. We could have just bundled up, but spending the afternoon hanging out with friends is much better."

"Yes, thank you," Shyla agreed, stripping off her own coat to reveal jeans and a t-shirt of her own, though hers fit her form much better than Tammi's did.

"Oh, right!" Tammi smiled. "You two haven't met yet, right? Autumn, this is my girlfriend Shyla. Shyla, this is Autumn."

Shyla held her hand out. "Nice to meet you!"

Autumn took Shyla's hand between both of his and brought it to his mouth, giving it a quick kiss. "Same. It's always a pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady."

Shyla coughed and averted her eyes. "Um, thank you."

Autumn smiled. "Here, let me hang up your coats and then I can introduce you to Doa."

Once the coats were put away, Autumn walked his guests out of the entrance nook and into a living room area. Sitting on a large couch was a male goat wearing a large black sweater and a pair of glasses. He also had an earring in one of his long, floppy ears.

"Girls, this is Doa, my pet," Autumn said.

Doa blushed and gave them an embarrassed smile.

Tammi smiled back. "I'm Tammi, and this is my... girlfriend, Shyla." She had been tempted to call Shyla her "pet" as well.

"Nice to meet you," Doa said.

They took a moment to get settled in. The couch wasn't big enough for all four of them, so Tammi and Autumn sat on either side of Doa, and Tammi convinced Shyla to sit on her lap.

"So," Tammi said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "What now?"

"Now we hang out until your heat's back," Autumn said. "I don't have any plans for the afternoon. We can talk, play games, whatever."

"Cool," Tammi said. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Um..." Doa's voice was barely a whisper, but all eyes turned to him. He squirmed in his seat.

"Yes?" Autumn said. "Did you have something to say?"

"Um..." Doa looked up at Tammi. "You're the one with the cheeks, right?"

Tammi grinned. "That's right! They're currently empty right now," she said, bringing up one hand to fluff the fur on her left cheek. "Why do you ask?"

Doa averted his gaze. "I just... find it fascinating. You can really fit a whole person in each cheek?"

"Yeah. They're pretty stretchy."

"I wonder it what it feels like in there." Doa mused.

Tammi smiled. "Shyla could probably give you a first-hand account. She's been in there plenty of times."

"Usually against my will," Shyla added.

"Have you really?" Doa asked, looking at the squirrel in awe. "What's it like?"

Shyla pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. She didn't look particularly happy with the direction this conversation was going. "It's hot and wet and very tight -- I can barely move when I'm in there. Tammi, I thought we were just coming over here to hang out and stay warm."

"We are," Tammi said. "We're just talking."

Shyla huffed.

Doa swallowed. "But it's safe?"

"Yeah. I mean, As safe as you can be in a predator's mouth," Shyla responded.

Autumn grinned. "You should give it a try, Doa. Have Tammi put you in there for a while."

"What!?" Doa's eyes widened in surprise. "That's not... that's not what I..."

"Are you sure?" Autumn put one long arm around the goat's shoulders. He leaned down and put his muzzle close to his pet's ear. "Are you telling me you don't want to?" He said, in a whisper loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "That the reason you're asking about what it feels like to be in Tammi's mouth isn't because you want to feel that yourself?"

"A-Autumn! You're embarrassing me!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Tammi said. "If you want me to put you in my cheek for a while, I will."

Doa swallowed, turning to look at Tammi. "Y-you would?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

Doa turned to look at Autumn, as if asking for permission.

"Go for it," Autumn said.

Doa turned back to Tammi, only to find that the Chipmunk was already reaching for him.

"'Scuse me, Shyla," Tammi said, gently pushing Shyla off her lap.

The squirrel alighted on the floor, finding her balance and stepping away. She looked like she was considering leaving the room -- until Autumn reached out with a clawed foot and wrapped it around Shyla's ankle, causing the squirrel to release an eep and stop.

Tammi smiled, then turned her attention to Doa, pulling the goat into her lap where Shyla had just been. She reached down and started pulling his sweating up.

"H-hey!" He shouted.

"You don't want to ruin this, right? Then it needs to come off. Besides, sweaters aren't exactly tasty." She finished pulling the sweater off over the goat's head. He wasn't wearing anything beneath it, leaving the blushing goat now clad in nothing but fur.

Then Tammi put her hand on the back of Doa's head and pushed it forward, sliding it into her mouth.

Into the side of her mouth, more specifically. She pushed the goat's muzzle to the left of her teeth, feeling it slide into her cheek pouch. She licked his face as it passed, getting a taste of him.

Doa wiggled, but he wasn't fighting it. Now that he was in the situation, he seemed content to allow Tammi to put him away.

It wasn't quite like swallowing -- there was no peristaltic motion or pull. Tammi had to actively push Doa to get him in deeper. Her lips stretched as she worked his shoulders inside. She got his chest in easily enough as well -- it wasn't until she reached his waist that she started to slow down.

"Y-you sure you can do this?" Shyla asked. "He's pretty pear-shaped."

Tammi responded with a thumbs-up. Then she reached down with both hands, grasping Doa by the thighs, and pushed hard. The chipmunk's lips slowly stretched over the goat's wide hips, and once past those, it was easy to shove his legs in. Soon Tammi's lips were closing over Doa's wiggling feet.

Tammi leaned back and licked her lips. Her left cheek bulged out, wiggling as Doa settled in. "You've got a pretty tasty pet there, Autumn," she said. "I'm kind of disappointed I'm not eating him for real. He'd be quite filling."

"Don't I know it!" Autumn reached across the couch to poke Tammi's cheek. "I wouldn't believe he was really in there if I didn't see it myself."

"Well, a lot of him is settling down here," she said, running her hand along the curve of her left side. Her clothes didn't look nearly as baggy as they had before. "Now I just need something for the other cheek to balance myself out."

Shyla had been standing next to the couch for the entire show, squirming slightly as she watched. Autumn had kept his claws wrapped around her ankle. "W-wait a minute..." she started.

Tammi reached forward and hooked one index finger in the neckline of Shyla's shirt, pulling the squirrel toward her.

Autumn pulled back on Shyla's ankle as he released it, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward into Tammi's lap, facing her.

"Tammi," Shyla said. "Don't... mmph!"

Tammi had placed a hand on the back of the squirrel's head, pushed it forward, and pressed their lips together.

Shyla tried to push away, glancing over in Autumn's direction, but Tammi held her firmly in place. After a few moments, Shyla gave in to the kiss and closed her eyes.

Tammi let her hands start to wander downward, making their way down Shyla's back. Fingers wandered from the cotton of her shirt to denim, caressing her girlfriend's curves.

Then Tammi gave a little push, and Shyla's head popped into her mouth.

The squirrel's tail bristled, and she tried to free herself, but Tammi was already past her shoulders. The chipmunk ignored her girlfriend's protests as she crammed her into her right cheek. She paused for a moment to undo the button on Shyla's jeans, pulling them off as she pushed the squirrel in deeper, and soon she was stuffing her legs into her cheek.

Once finished, Tammi relaxed back into the couch. She let the discarded jeans fall to the floor, her own clothes now looking quite snug. Her fluffy cheeks bulged out and occasionally squirmed.

Autumn clapped his hands together. "That was quite the show."

"Thanks."

"So, what now? You want me to let Doa back out?"

Autumn shook his head. "Nah. Let him enjoy it for a while. How long can you keep them in there?"

"I keep prey stored for days sometimes."

"So what you're saying is, they should be fine for a few hours while we play some games."

Tammi grinned. "Absolutely."

---

The two friends spent the afternoon playing games, chatting, and ignoring the muffled requests to be released from their partners.

"So you're saying that your mom has no idea that you're a lesbian," Autumn said, leaning his body along with his motion-sensitive controller as they watched the characters in the cartoonish racing game they were playing zip across the screen.

"None at all," Tammi said, her character falling back to fourth place in the race. "Hell, I'm not even sure that's what I am. I'm still kind of figuring this whole thing out. Being out at college is the first time that I've had extensive time on my own to... experiment. I've certainly been enjoying dating girls so far."

"Uh-huh. It's just, you know she's gonna figure it out eventually, right? You probably should tell her yourself instead of letting her find out some other way."

Tammi sighed. "Ugh, you sound like Shyla. And my sister. And everyone else who I talk to about this."

Autumn smiled. "Maybe we're onto something."

"Yeah, yeah. And maybe Mom will disown me when she finds out... dammit!"

Tammi dropped the controller into her lap as the race ended. She had just barely managed to eke her way back into second place, but hadn't passed Autumn before he crossed the finish line.

"Close one," Autumn said.

"Yeah, yeah. Good race. One more?"

"Sure. How about we make it more interesting? Want to place a wager?"

Tammi shrugged. "I like the idea, but I'm flat broke until next week. The only thing I have to put on the table is Shyla," she said, jokingly.

Autumn turned to look at her, his head cocked slightly to one side. He didn't hesitate a moment. "Deal," he said, smirking.

"Huh?"

"I'll see your bet. I'll put Doa up against Shyla."

Tammi felt wiggles in both cheeks, and heard muffled sounds of surprise. "What are you suggesting, exactly?"

"I'm suggesting we play another race," Autumn said. He scooted closer to Tammi on the couch, then reached up to pat Tammi's left cheek, where Shyla currently resided. "And when that race is over, you swallow the contents of one of your cheeks. The left if you win, and the right if I win."

"You mean for keeps?"

Autumn nodded. "For keeps."

Tammi thought about it for a moment. It was a ridiculous idea, of course. She couldn't just bet her girlfriend on something like this. She had no idea if she would win -- they had been pretty evenly matched in every race so far, and if she slipped up and lost, then that kiss she had given Shyla would be their last.

And yet...

How many times had she thought about doing the same thing? About just gulping Shyla down on a whim? That was part of the fun of their particular brand of relationship, after all -- the fact that Shyla was, at any given time, just a quick gulp away from going from "girlfriend" to "snack."

And damn, but Doa was a tempting prize. She could feel his heavy body right now, settled in her cheek, and she yearned to take him for real. When was the last time she had had such a filling meal?

"You're on," she said, smiling.

"What!?" Tammi heard Shyla's muffled voice coming from her cheek. "Y-you're joking, right?"

"Autumn?" Tammi could barely make Doa out. "Autumn, don't... you can't just..."

Autumn ignored both of them. "You ready?"

Tammi held up her controller. "Bring it on."

Autumn hit the button to start the race.

Tammi's heart pounded in her chest as the little cartoon turtle counted down the seconds to the start of the race. She licked her lips, leaning forward. She gripped the controller so hard she had to let up, worried it might break.

The light turned green and the racers squealed into action.

Tammi raced with more determination and fervor than she had ever put into a game. With the stakes this high, she could do little else. She was pushed back to sixth place in the initial rush to start, but she didn't give up: she could turn this around. Slowly, she started to inch her way back through the pack.

"Tammi?" Shyla's voice quavered a bit. "Tammi, please."

The crossed the halfway point of the race. Tammi leaned into a sharp turn.

"Please, Tammi, I know that this is probably part of the prank, but I really want you to just tell me that this is a joke."

One of the computer controlled racers slammed into Tammi, knocking her off the track. She had to wait for her car to get towed back into place, costing her another three places.

"Tammi, please, you're scaring me."

They were coming up on the end of the race now, and Tammi had been bumped back to fourth. Autumn was in the lead. She ran over one of the glowing orbs that would give her a random weapon.

She got the one that shoots a straight projectile, the kind that are almost impossible to hit a moving target with. Autumn was three places ahead of her, and about to cross the finish line, but he was still within sight. Tammi lined up her vehicle, said a short prayer, and fired.

The attack flew forward, past the two computer players, and hit Autumn's character square in the back, causing him to do a flip and come screeching to a halt.

"Hey!" Autumn shouted.

The two computer-controlled players flew past Autumn, but he was already starting to move again. Tammi pressed her thumb hard on the accelerate button, leaning forward in her seat.

She crossed the finish line. Third place.

"Yes!" Tammi threw her hands in the air.

"Damn," Autumn said, sinking back into the couch. "That was well-played."

"Thanks! I got lucky." Tammi's heart was pounding. She hadn't had a game this tense in... well, maybe ever. "So, we're good? I can really do it?"

Autumn waved one hand. "I suggested the idea. I'm not going to go back on my word now."

Tammi grinned. She flexed her cheek, and with a wet noise, Doa was pulled up into a large ball. The bulge in her left cheek became massive. She felt Doa's flavor on her tongue again.

"W-wait!" Doa's voice leaked out of Tammi's mouth. "Please, don't..."

Tammi tilted her head back and swallowed.

The massive bulge moved down, stretching out her throat. It slowed for a moment at her shirt, but the wide neckline stretched enough to allow it to pass. The bulge moved down past her chest and fell into her gut with a wet glunk.

Tammi released a satisfied sigh, patting her stomach and licking her lips. "Mmm... delicious. And filling. Thanks for the meal."

"No problem. He was a good pet, but he makes an even better bulge."

The bulge in Tammi's stomach writhed, and she could hear muffled shouting, but couldn't make out any words.

"So," Autumn continued. "Looks like you get to keep your girlfriend."

"For now, at least," Tammi said. "Though I imagine after all this, she's not going to be too happy with me. I should probably let her out. Mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Go ahead."

Tammi made her way back to the bathroom, a small room just barely big enough for a sink, toilet, and small bathtub/shower combo. She leaned over the tub, opened her mouth, and flexed her cheek.

Shyla came sliding out in an unceremonious mess. Her fur was matted and soaked, and her shirt clung to her body. She lay on the floor of the bathtub, shivering.

"It... it was almost me," she said, her voice quavering.

"Mmhmm." Tammi knelt next to the tub, resting her elbows on the side.

Shyla pulled herself into a sitting position. She still looked like she was in shock. "You... you wouldn't have really done it, would you? If you had lost?"

Tammi smiled. "Of course I would have."

Shyla gulped.

"You could always break up with me," Tammi said with a smile. "I promise that I won't eat you if you do. Just say the word, and we'll go our separate ways. But I don't think think you want to leave. Because all these things I do to you?"

Tammi leaned in close and whispered in Shyla's ear. "I think you enjoy them."

A shiver ran down the squirrel's body.

"There is one complaint you have that I do think you're right about, though."

Shyla looked at Tammi, a curious expression on her face. "What's... what's that?"

"When we get back home, I think I need to call my Mom."

Shyla stared at her.

"Anyway, you get yourself cleaned up. I think we're gonna spend the night. Autumn at least deserves to get to watch his pet get gurgled." Tammi slapped her gut, eliciting another round of squirms.

Shyla nodded. "O-okay. I will."

"Good girl."

---

Shyla shivered as she walked a step or two behind Tammi. She wore her heavy coat again, though it wasn't quite as cold as it had been a few days ago when their heat had gone out. In one hand, she held a large, empty paper bag.

"Do we really have to come back here?" Shyla asked. "I'm not... not sure I..."

"Don't worry, you don't have to see Autumn this time," Tammi said. "I don't think he'll be home right now, anyway. We're just going to leave something on his doorstep."

Shyla let out a sigh of relief. Her mind had already been a whirlwind for the last few days as she tried to wrap her head around how quickly Tammi had been willing to put her on the chopping block -- she didn't need to complicate that by seeing the bat again so soon.

"So what are we doing here?" Shyla asked.

They had reached Autumn's door. Instead of answering, Tammi turned to face Shyla. "Hold the bag open," she commanded.

Shyla did so, holding the bag out for her girlfriend.

Tammi took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Then she leaned over the bag and retched.

Shyla shook as she suddenly realized what was about to happen, but she kept holding back out.

Tammi heaved once, twice. She leaned close over the bag, reaching up with one arm to steady herself by grabbing Shyla's shoulder.

With a wet, organic noise, something large and heavy fell from Tammi's mouth and into the bag, which dropped a few inches before Shyla adjusted her grip.

Shyla tried not to look inside. But she couldn't help but peek at the wet pile of fur and bone, at the empty eye socket in the horned skull, at the glint of light off a broken pair of glasses.

Tammi wiped her mouth with her arm, then took the bag from Shyla. "Thanks," she said, her tone pleasant. She folded the bag closed, then pulled a piece of paper from her coat pocket, affixing it to the bag with a piece of tape.

Shyla leaned down to look at the note.

Thanks for letting me borrow your pet for a few days, but I thought you'd want him back. We should hang out again soon. --Tammi.

Shyla shuddered. How close had she been to being the one in that bag? Would Tammi have really swallowed her if she had lost the contest?

Tammi nodded, satisfied, then turned and started walking away from the door. She walked a few steps, then turned and looked over her shoulder. "I'm heading back to my place. Are you coming with me?"

Shyla hesitated. She could do it now -- she could just walk away. Go back to her own dorm, maybe ask to be transferred to a different one. She could stay out of Tammi's way, maybe never see her again except for the occasional passing on campus while walking from class to class.

Or she could stay with the predatory chipmunk, the one who made her heart pound and her pulse race in a way she had never experienced with anyone else. In a way she never could have imagined before they had met.

She stepped towards Tammi. "Y-yeah. I'm coming with you."

Tammi smiled. "Glad to hear it."