A commission for  Vellet, starring a character of my own creation. He let me have creative freedom with the theme he specified, which was a lot of fun! Watch out for those big eaters who never seem to gain any weight; who knows what they might be hiding? Enjoy!

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Group Outing

The bowling ball rolled down the center of the well-oiled lane, as straight and true as an arrow. It hit the end with an explosion of pins.

"Yes! Strike!" Martin pumped his fist in the air, then turned back towards the others. "Write that down, baby!"

Stacey smiled as she marked down the strike next to her boyfriend's name. "You're really on fire, honey. That's, what, your third strike this game?"

Martin grinned as he sauntered back to the table, sitting down next to Lea and wrapping an enormous arm around Stacey's shoulder. The difference in size between them was staggering -- he was a lion, after all, and she a mere calico, so that wasn't surprising. If they had been standing, the top of Stacey's ears would barely have reached to the middle of his broad chest. It was no surprise he was good at bowling: those muscular arms of his could lift the heavy balls like they were nothing and throw them down the lane with astonishing force.

"Yep, and the sixth of the night!" Martin said, answering Stacey's question. "I'm on fire!"

Stacey leaned into the her boyfriend's side. She resisted the urge to reach up and run her fingers through the thick fur of his mane, which bunched up in front of his wide-necked shirt. That could wait until later tonight.

"Ooh, hot stuff." The sarcastic, playful comment came from the slender female fox sitting across the table from them. She was wearing a blue tank top and jeans over her scarlet fur, and currently held a hot dog in one hand. She wore the fur on her head long and teased upwards. "You know I'm only, like, three points behind you, right?"

"Well then, Lea, you'd better get a strike this round if you want to keep up," Martin responded.

"I'm just sayin', you're not exactly blowing us ladies out of the water. Your girlfriend's doing pretty good, too, not to mention Tania here."

"I-I guess so," Tania stammered. The little mouse was easily the smallest of the bunch -- or at least the shortest. She had quite the curvy build considering her petite frame, and wore a red dress that accentuated her physique. Though, a large red bow, tied next to her left ear, pushed her looks more towards "cute," rather than "sexy."

"It's been a pretty good game so far," Lea said. "Any of us could still pass you up."

Martin laughed. "Well, time to put your money where your muzzle is! It's your turn."

"Happy to!" Lea inhaled her hot dog -- almost literally, Stacey wasn't even sure she saw her chew -- and hopped to her feet, walking up to the lane. As Lea stood up, Tania did as well, approaching the ball return to be ready for her turn.

Left momentarily alone at the table with Stacey, Martin took the opportunity to lean in close and ask a whispered question. "So, are you having fun tonight?"

"I guess," Stacey responded.

"That didn't sound very confident. Is something wrong?"

Stacey responded to the genuine concern in Martin's voice with a smile. "I'm fine, really. It's just... I'm not sure I'm getting along with either of your friends. Tania's barely said two words all evening."

"She's just shy. Honestly, we're not super close, I just thought I'd invite her to help her come out of her shell a bit. What about Lea?"

Stacey swallowed. "There's something... off about her."

Martin furrowed his brow. "I didn't think she'd been anything but polite to you," he said. His tone sounded confused and disappointed, rather than like an accusation.

Stacey shook her head. "No, that's not it. She's very nice, but every time she's near me, I get goosebumps. I can't put my finger on it, but something about her is just... throwing me off."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's not her fault, either. It's me. I know that she's been your friend since you were kids. But she's just... rubbing me the wrong way. Please don't be mad."

"Of course I'm not mad." Martin leaned in and nuzzled the top of her head in an affectionate kiss. "Thanks for being cordial."

"Of course."

Martin glanced over to Lea's seat at the table, where three hot dogs, a bowl of nachos, and a large meatball sandwich from the concession stand sat. "It could just be the way she eats, you know."

Stacey hadn't been planning on bringing that up, for politeness' sake, but now that the subject had been broached, she couldn't help herself. "I know! Whats up with that? She's been wolfing down food since we got here! And this is her third course! How can she afford to eat like that? Where is she putting it!?"

Martin chuckled and looked over at Lea, who was currently lining up her shot. The bowling alley lights seemed to accentuate just how skinny the fox was. "She's always been like that. She just packs food away and never gains any weight."

Stacey chuffed. "Maybe that's what's rubbing me wrong: I'm jealous."

"You've got nothing to be jealous of. You're way sexier than her."

Stacey felt her face flush, but before Stacey could respond, Lea stepped forward and threw her ball. It rolled down the alley and slammed into the pins.

"Damn it!" Lea stared at the one pin still standing, then turned to glare at Martin. "I am picking up this spare, and then I'm coming for you!"

"You can try!" Martin called back.

Stacey bit her lip. Why couldn't she suss out what the problem was? Lea's eating habits did seem a bit odd, but they weren't that weird. Stacey had wondered if maybe she was jealous of Martin's easy camaraderie/rivalry with Lea, but she didn't think that was it, either; Martin was close to Lea, but their feelings for each other didn't seem romantic. So then what was bothering her so much about Lea?

But, as nice as Martin was being, Stacey knew that he was disappointed. Lea was one of his best friends, and Martin had mentioned her several times in the two months that he had been dating Stacey. He wanted his girlfriend to get along with his best friend, so Stacey was determined to make that happen.

The game continued at a normal pace, with Martin and Lea continuing to trade the lead back and forth and exchange playful barbs. Stacey contributed to the conversation where she could, and Tania stayed mostly quiet.

And throughout, Stacey couldn't stop herself from watching Lea eat. It was fascinating, the way she shoveled large amounts of food into her mouth at once and barely seemed to chew, her throat actually bulging when she swallowed it. And yet her stomach stayed as flat as ever, regardless of how many hot dogs and nachos she slurped up. Sometimes Stacey thought she could see Lea's belly twitch, like it was straining to hold its contents even though it wasn't getting any bigger.

In the end, Tania ended up stealing the victory by pulling off a triple strike in the last frame, putting her ahead of Martin by five points. This resulted in raucous laughter from the table -- Stacey wondered if they were bothering other patrons of the alley -- before Martin stood up.

"Alright, it's been a fun night, but it's probably about time that I head out. That okay with everyone?"

Stacey smiled. "Well, since you're my ride, I guess I'm going, too."

"I'll probably stay and bowl another game," Lea said. "What about you, Tania?"

"My ride isn't going to be here for another half hour," Tania said, looking at a clock on the wall of the alley. "So I guess I'll stay for another game."

"Great! Thanks for coming out with us," Martin said.

The parking lot was cool and quiet compared to the hectic interior of the alley. Stacey took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"I had a great time tonight," Stacey said.

"Yeah, me too. Ready for me to take you home?"

"Well... I was kind of thinking that, maybe, you wouldn't want to drive all the way to my place. I mean, your place is closer, right?"

Martin's muzzle stretched into a grin at the implication. "I suppose you do have a point, there." He opened the passenger door for her. "Hop on in, my lady."

Stacey stepped towards the open door, then hesitated. She was already picturing their evening together -- their bodies pressed together, her fingers running through Martin's thick mane -- but something still didn't feel right.

"Actually... would you mind waiting here for just a minute?"

Martin raised his eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'll just be a sec." She stood on her tiptoes to stretch up and give Martin a kiss on the cheek, then sprinted back into the bowling alley.

It wasn't fair. Martin had just wanted Stacey to get along with his friend, and Stacey had acted aloof all evening instead. She couldn't just leave it at that. She had probably made a terrible first impression. The least she could do was go pull Lea aside for a second and apologize; maybe she could suggest that the two of them meet up some time to get to know each other better!

As Stacey approached the table where she had spent the evening, she saw Tania sitting down next to Lea, having apparently just finished her turn. Lea was taking a large bite from her meatball sandwich. Neither of them had noticed her approaching.

Just before Stacey could call out, Tania reached for the nachos on the table, apparently hoping to snag one of the remaining ones. At the same time, Lea reached for the cheesy chips as well, and instead of grabbing a handful of nachos, her hand closed around the mouse's hand. She lifted Tania's hand to her lips, opened her muzzle wide, and shoved it inside.

The action caused Stacey to stop short. Did she really just do that? She knew that the fox was a big eater, but to accidentally put someone's hand in your mouth...

Except she didn't stop there. Lea swallowed, and a visible bulge appeared in her neck as Tania was yanked toward her.

"W-what...!?" Tania exclaimed, before her voice was muffled as Lea pulled the mouse's head into her maw. Her teeth cought on the red bow, pulling it off and causing it to tumble down towards the table.

Stacey watched, dumbfounded, as the bizarre scene played out before her. Lea completely swallowed up the mouse's body. Her head, then her shoulders, then her chest each made a distinct bulge in Lea's throat, only to disappear past her collarbone and never reappear. Her belly stayed as flat as ever, in spite of the fact that an entire person was being shoved into it. Lea braced herself against her chair as she slurped up Tania's legs, and soon the mouse's paws were disappearing between Lea's teeth. Lea gave one final swallow, and the mouse was gone.

The whole thing had taken around seven seconds. It didn't look like anyone else had even noticed anything.

Lea smiled, running her tongue across her chops and using one hand to lift up the hem of her shirt, momentarily exposing her still-flat belly so she could run her fingers across it. For a moment, Stacey saw that belly twitch, and the clear imprint of a hand appeared before it sank back beneath the river of white belly fur.

One hand still on her stomach, Lea opened her eyes and saw Stacey. "Oh! I thought you left," she said, her tone nonchalant.

Stacey jumped forward, her eyes wide. "You... you ate her!"

"Uh-huh."

"What...? But..." Stacey gasped, trying to find the words. "But... how!? How is your stomach still so flat!?"

"I've got an odd metabolism," Lea answered. "Always have. Seems like I can fit just about anything in there."

"But... an entire person!? Why!?"

Lea shrugged. "She was right there. I thought she looked tasty. I was right, by the way." She licked her lips again.

"Is she still alive!?"

"For now."

"You have to let her out!"

Lea looked at Stacey like she was the crazy one. "What, like make myself sick? I'm not going to do that."

How could Lea act like this was all so... normal!?

Stacey's body moved on its own. Before she even realized what she was doing, she was upon Lea, using her fingers to pry the fox's mouth open. She peered inside, seeing only a very normal-looking throat. "Tania! Can you hear me!?"

She thought she could hear the faintest murmur of a feminine voice.

"I'm going to get you out of there! Grab hold!" Stacey brought her fingers to a point, then shoved her hand into Lea's mouth.

The fox gagged, but Stacey kept at it, pushing deeper, feeling with her fingers in the hopes of find fur she could get a purchase on. She saw Lea's throat bulge out.

It wasn't until she in almost up to her shoulder that she realized that this was a really bad idea.

Her eyes met Lea's, and the fox smiled at her, her lips twisting around the arm that was forcing them apart. Then Lea reached up and put her hand on the back of Stacey's head.

Stacey just barely had time to shout "No!" before Lea pushed her forward, and her world went dark.

Stacey tried to fight. It should have been easy; heck the fox was smaller than she was! But no matter what she tried, it didn't make a difference. She tried to punch and kick at Lea, but the fox didn't even seem to feel it. She screamed, but she didn't think her voice was carrying very far. She tried to pull herself back out, but she couldn't get any leverage.

Lea swallowed again, and Stacey felt the warm wetness of her gullet engulf her chest. She could imagine what this looked like from the outside, having just seen it herself: her body bulging out the fox's throat, then disappearing into her abdomen. On the inside, it didn't feel like she was being crushed or compressed, just pulled into a slick, tight tube.

Stacey felt hands fiddling around near her waist, undoing the button of her jeans, then sliding them off her hips as she continued to swallow. Either the fox didn't like eating denim, or she was hoping the jeans would help keep Stacey from kicking too much.

Not that she had time to kick. The walls pulsed around her, yanking her downward as she felt Lea swallowing her legs. Just like Tania before her, she was disappearing in an instant. Her head pressed against something, then was pushed through, the rest of her body following.

A powerful melange of scents assaulted Stacey's nose. The combined smell of meatballs, french fries, cheese, hot dogs, and whatever else Lea had eaten all mixed together as Stacey was forced into the fox's belly. She was pushed into an awkward position, with almost zero space to move, and pressed against something large and definitely breathing.

"Tania? Is that you?" Stacey managed to stammer.

"Y-yeah," came the reply. "What happened? Where are we?"

"You got eaten by that fox. We're in her stomach."

Stacey jumped. That voice hadn't come from either her or Tania. "Is there someone else in here?"

Stacey felt movement -- she couldn't not feel it, as cramped as their confines were.

"Yeah. My name's Sue. That fox grabbed me while I was having my morning coffee. One second I was reading the paper, the next I was breakfast. Guess she was in the mood for rabbit."

"Wait... this morning? You've been in here all day!?"

"As far as I can tell, unless it's been longer than that. It's kind of hard to tell how long it's been."

Stacey's heart sank. That meant that the entire time they were at the bowling alley, talking and laughing, this rabbit had been stewing in Lea's gut! No wonder Stacey had felt weird around her! "But... then why is she still so hungry? She's been eating all day!"

"Yeah, I know," Sue responded, sounded annoyed. "I've suspected she's trying to bury me in the muck. Apparently normal rules for 'hungry' don't apply to her."

"S-Stacey," Tania sobbed. "I want out of here. I want to go home!"

"We'll get out," Stacey said. She starting feeling around on the walls as best she could, looking for the entrance.

"Good luck, I've been trying all day," Sue said. "You'd better hurry before..."

Stacey heard a gurgle from somewhere above her before the remains of that meatball sandwich came crashing down on her, the sauce sticking into her fur. She gasped and spluttered, trying desperately to find the entrance where the sandwich had come from, but the opening seemed to be sealed tight.

"Hey!" She shouted, pounding on the walls. "Let us out! Please! Please..."

---

Martin pushed the door of the bowling alley open. He had to duck slightly to fit through the frame. Whatever Stacey was doing, it shouldn't be taking this long. He made his way back to the table.

"Hey, Lea, have you seen..."

Martin's eyes went wide as he saw the tip of a calico tail hanging from Lea's mouth. Lea looked at him in surprise, then slurped the tail-tip in and swallowed. His eyes wandered to the table, where he saw a very familiar bow and pair of jeans.

"Urp. 'Scuze me."

Martin stared at Lea for a moment, then sat down across from her at the table. "Damn it, Lea, what did I tell you when I invited you to come out with us? I asked you for one thing!"

Lea gave Martin a guilty-looking grin. "I shouldn't beat you too hard at bowling?"

"'Don't eat my girlfriend!' Come on, Lea, that shouldn't be that hard! I even brought along a mouse as a snack because I know how much you like them! Wasn't that enough?"

Lea used two claws to pick a tuft of fur from between her teeth. "I really didn't mean to. She stuck her hand down my throat! How could I not?"

Martin sighed. He knew it was too late to argue -- he had never seen someone come back up after disappearing into Lea's bottomless gut. "Alright, fine, I guess there's nothing to be done about it now. But next time I introduce you to a girlfriend, keep her on the outside of your fur, alright?"

"Alright, deal," Lea said, picking up the rest of the meatball sandwich and swallowing it in one gulp. "Now, that mouse only played a few frames before she 'left,' so why don't you hang out a little longer and finish the round with me?"

Martin shook his head. "Fine. You're hopeless, you know that?"

Lea grinned, and Martin could see another tuft of fur stuck between her teeth. "Yep! Admit it, you wouldn't have me any other way."

Martin got up to pick up his bowling ball. "I suppose I wouldn't, at that."