VOCT 2: Black and White
By Jag
Contains: M/M vore, shrinking, micro-macro situations and digestion
Jag (c) myself
Ottsel (c) his player

Jag darted as fast as he could after Sefra, knowing full well that the rabbit would either lead him to some secret location or alternatively lead him to another opponent. Though with his added bulk it was hard for the jaguar to keep track of where Sefra was going. The digesting kitsune in his gut made it harder for Jag to squeeze into parts of the forest where Sefra had run off to, the rabbit being a bit cleverer than Jag had originally thought. An hour or nonstop running didn't bring Jag any closer to catching up with Sefra, so the feline decided that it was time for a break, his body sneaking out from some trees and back to the cleared path in the center of the forest. With a heavy sigh Jag sat on the ground, stretching his legs out ahead of him. He would mutter something about his last meal, griping about how he was no longer able to see his toes over his rounded, gurgling stomach. A second later Jag was on his back, belching upward and allowing his kitsune smelling breath to waft upward, a soft giggling coming from the feline afterward. Lying there and listening to his stomach made the feline wonder how many people were actually in this tournament and how many he would have to eat before he could go home. Idly counting the number of people he had seen on the beach when he had first arrived Jag's attention quickly turned from his mind to the world around him. 

Grunting as he sat up Jag turned to a few trees, perking his ears straight up and listening intently to the noises that were being made. There was a rustle of a few leaves above him, a couple of birds tweeting to each other a short ways away and then something else, a noise that shouldn't normally be heard in the woods. Getting onto all fours the feline carefully snuck over to the tree line and continued to listen, hearing that same noise just in front of him. It was like a metal sound against a tree or something similar, his mind just couldn't place what he was hearing at the moment. His rump wiggled slightly behind him as the feline built up some energy in his legs and in a flash of speed he'd pounce at where he thought the noise was coming from. Jag was stopped a short distance from his target by two trees that had decided to grow very close together, forming almost a circle like shape in the air. Had Jag not previously eaten someone he would have probably hit his mark, but instead he was now hanging in between those two trees, staring at the black fox in front of him. 

The noise had most definitely been coming from this new person, as there were many scratches on the trees around Jag and the fox just so happened to be holding onto a sword, another still sheathed on his hip. A very nervous giggle came from Jag as he started to squirm, unable to get himself out of the tree. It also didn't help that the fox was just grinning at him, making it all the more difficult to focus on getting free. As sudden as the feline had gotten himself trapped the fox came whipping toward him, blade readied in the air. Jag shut his eyes and screamed as loud as he could, causing numerous birds above him to fly off in every direction. After a good minute of keeping his closed the jaguar started to relax, knowing full well that he wasn't dead yet. Opening his eyes as slowly as he could Jag yelped suddenly as he saw a blade right in front of his eyes, his legs kicking madly behind him as he tried to escape the confines of the trees. The fox just snickered loudly and pulled the blade away from the feline's head, giving his head a ruffle with the opposite hand. Jag just stared ahead of him, wondering why he wasn't being beaten up and eaten by the fox, who he was sure was perfectly capable of doing both to him right this moment. 

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," said the fox as he proceeded to walk over to the feline. "Something as simple as getting caught in a tree gives an opponent enough of a chance to sneak up on your and gobble you up."

In two quick waves of his arm the fox used his blade to slice through the tops and bottoms of the trees that held Jag. Gravity then took hold of the feline's form and dropped him hard to the ground, a deep thud echoing out into the woods around the pair. The fox then nudged Jag with his foot causing him to turn over onto his back and then belch loudly once more, this time up toward the fox. The black vulpine just smirked and reached down, plucking Jag off the ground with one paw. The feline wobbled in place for a second before bracing himself against a nearby tree, a one trailing down to his pants to dust them off.

"Wait, so your not part of this big eating people tournament?" asked Jag with a curious glint in his eyes. 

"Well not exactly," replied the fox as he began stretching, sheathing his other weapon. "The name's Damien and I'm one of the Strikers. We just kind of pop up here and there to keep an eye on the actual competitors."

"Oh..." Jag drooped his ears a little bit and peered down to the ground, kicking a nearby stone in the process. "Cause I was thinking of just eating you and moving onto the next round."

Damien just grinned and moved closer to the feline, prodding his stomach with a finger. This made Jag mewl and gaze up into the fox's eyes, though that gaze soon turned into that of the fox's muzzle as a slimy lick trailed up over his chin and up between his eyes. A sputter worked its way from Jag's mouth as he wiped his face with a paw, watching as Damien walked away from him, swaying his tail and rump suggestively. 

"The game doesn't work like that kitty. Plus from all I've seen from you so far...you'd probably just be given a slimy stomach chamber to curl up within after starting a fight with me."

Jag grumbled and crossed his arms, almost pouting as Damien walked away from him. 

"I could so gobble you up foxie!" yelled Jag as he stomped over toward him. "You'd be just like the kitsune in my belly!"

Damien just shook his head and reached into his back pocket, tossing a small object at the feline. The item would bounce off Jag's chest and into his paws, the jaguar looking over what appeared to be a small package of matches. He would then look back to the black vulpine, who just smiled to him and then once again turned away. 

"It's going to be getting dark soon, so I'm gonna give you these just cause you're pretty cute to just watch do things. I'd still keep your guard up, just in case someone decides to be traveling at night. Wouldn't want to get gobbled up in your sleep would you?"

With that Damien vanished into the woods, leaving Jag alone with matches. Clutching them in his paw Jag moved back onto the main path, not wanting to set up a fire in too dense a wooded area. Wouldn't be the best of ideas to set a fire, mostly due to the fact that it would lead all the competitors to him as well as most of the people who were supposed to be watching out for them. The last thing he needed was the wrath of almost everyone on the island. A glance around the immediate area allowed Jag to spot a few large rocks that he could use for the base and it didn't take him very long to start gathering up everything he needed to make a small fire. 

---

Jag stared at the last match in his pack, the rest of the matchsticks half burned up and laying on the ground beside his still not started fire. Each time he had attempted to light his fire the wind would kick up, extinguishing his match or the small stick he had been trying to get lit. Nineteen times Jag had tried to light his fire and nineteen times he had failed horribly in doing so. It would explain the current stare down Jag was having with the last match, his mind wishing Damien had stuck around to at least help him. Of course Jag had searched the nearby area for the fox about a half dozen times since the sun started to go down and it was about time for him to start up another one of those trips. As Jag got to his feet he heard something rummage in the trees next to him, which only made his fur stand up on end as his eyes adjusted to the dark surrounding area. It didn't take long for Jag's eyes to move back to the ground, a small gray rabbit leaping out of some nearby bushes. A deep sigh of relief came from the jaguar as he squatted down next to the bunny, smiling at it. 

"Well at least I've found another bunny to hang out with, hehe!" said Jag calmly as he stood back up and turned toward the trees. "You stay here and out of trouble while I go get one of those Strikers to help me light this stupid thing."

The bunny would answer with a loud yelping noise, Jag spinning back around in time to spot a large owl dragging the squirming rabbit up into the trees. A deep growl came from Jag's chest and throat as he turned back and stomped into the tree line, wondering if he could find anyone to help him out with this blasted fire. 

"This is so stupid..." mumbled the jaguar as he pushed branches out of his way. "Everyone I meet on this freaking island either runs away from me or gets eaten. Not to mention all my crap is still on that boat. I better be getting it back once I'm done here!"

Jag's noisy movement and shouting allowed another creature in the woods to gather where the feline was, now changing directions and heading right for him. Jag kept shouting for Damien to come back to him, a soft whine-growl coming from him each time he didn't get a response to his name calling. Though a few seconds two unified shouts would come from the same place, Jag having bumped into something as big as himself. Staring ahead of him the feline stared at a white furred creature and it just so happened to stare right back at him. Lifting his right paw into the air the other creature did the same thing, both of them waving their paw at the other. Jag then leaned forward as did the white creature, the two sniffing at one another's face. They both rubbed over their chins as they thought of something to do and then suddenly leapt backward, dancing the same little jig before striking a thumbs up pose. The two of them grumbled and turned around walking a few steps away from the other. At the same time they then spun back around to face one another, running forward and meeting face to face before diving to the ground and doing a push up. Springing back to their feet the pair spun twice in a circle and just as quickly fell to their rumps, having gotten themselves dizzy. 

The two of them then lay on their backs, but it was then that Jag did something different that the other creature. Arching his back and raising his feet into the air the feline flipped himself onto his feet and then watched intently as the white animal tried twice to pull off the same move. The creature would slowly get to his feet and grunt as a finger poked into his nose, Jag staring intently into the other's eyes while holding his finger on that wet spot. 

"Jeeze, it's like you guys pop out of nowhere!" exclaimed Jag as he quickly turned and motioned for the other to follow him. "I've needed help lighting this fire for awhile now."

"Shouldn't you know how to start a fire?" questioned the other as he moved within arms reach to the feline's tail.

"I do know how to start one! It's just I need someone to block the wind from blowing out my last match. Oh, I'm Jag by the way, but I guess you already knew that."

"Ummm...no, I didn't. Though I'm Ottsel if it makes any difference."

"Hehe, I like that. Being named after what you are. Parents get lazy or something?"

"You're one to talk, aren't you?"

The feline just giggled as he made it back to the path, eyeing awesome fire pit that he had made. The only thing that could make it perfect would be having it actually be on fire. Jag shuffled around the area and then stopped, pointing to a spot on the ground where he wanted the ottsel to stand. As soon as Ottsel was in the correct position Jag acted, his body crouching down as his fingers lit the match. The wind blew slightly against the flame making it flicker slightly as Jag grabbed his small stick and then transferred the flame. The stick began to burn down, Jag placing it in the middle of his fire pit and watching as the dry leaves ignited. Soon enough a small fire was going which only caused Jag to yell excitedly into the air, which jumped Ottsel a little as he wasn't expecting a small achievement to be so thrilling. Jag then plopped himself down next to the fire, rubbing his paws above it to help warm himself up. His eyes soon shifted up toward Ottsel's face, the feline's nose twitching at him as he sniffed at him a few times, not noticing anything much about him. 

"So what brings you to wandering around at this time?" asked Jag as he massaged over his legs, trying to warm them up as well. 

"I've been trying to find a bar or something to get a drink," stated Ottsel as he sat across from the feline, a deep sigh coming from him afterward. "I swear this tournament is the stupidest thing I've ever been a part of. I didn't even sign up for any of this!"

"Well so far I think it's been very interesting."

"The real question is what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with the rest of your mastermind friends? I mean you don't seem like the most prepared person in the world."

"Don't worry, I have come prepared!" replied Jag with a grin.

His paw would reach into his pants pocket and pull out a small metal case. This drew Ottsel's attention making him sneak closer to the feline and stare at the opening case, looking at a few vials that were each a different color. Jag started to finger through each of them, making sure they were all in the correct spot before showing them off quite happily to the white ottsel. 

"I'm never too far away from these," Jag said with a giant grin. "Each one of them does something different. For instance..."

Jag pulled one of the red colored vials from the case, allowing Ottsel to hold and examine it for a few seconds. This gave Jag enough time to snap the case shut and stick it back in his pocket, his eyes watching both the ottsel and his vial of potion. 

"So what the hell does this do?" sneered Ottsel. "Provide someone with a quick burst of fruit flavor?"

Jag just snatched the vial and snickered slightly before responding, "Nope, it just so happens to shrink whoever gets splashed with it to about six inches. Course it also works in the opposite way as a second dose pretty much turns the person back to their regular size."

Ottsel nodded a few times and then rubbed his chin a few times in thought. 

"I'd admit that'd be pretty nifty to have in a fight. Of course I had something similar to that, but it sort of got wasted when my first challenger stepped on it."

"Well that's a shame as I would have rather gobbled up someone small in the first round instead of having to gorge--" Jag paused for a second as he stared at Ottsel, both of them almost having the exact same realization at the same time. 

"YOU'RE NOT A STRIKER!" yelled the two in unison, both of them scrambling to their feet at the same time. 

"I thought you were--" cried Ottsel as he pointed a finger a Jag. 

"Why would you even think that!?" hollered Jag at the top of his lungs, his eyes then darting to the vial in his hand. "Never mind, just take this!"

As quickly as he could Jag uncorked the vial and threw it at Ottsel, hoping to take him by surprise. In any case Jag was the only one with an actual weapon to be used, so he thought he should at least use it while having a chance. The vial bounced off Ottsel's chest, soaking a small patch of his white fur. A whine escaped from the white ottsel, but at the same time his paw moved up to catch the falling vial in his paw. Jag pumped a fist in victory before spinning around once and giving Ottsel a peace sign. 

"Haha! Looks like I'm going to win this round Ottsel! It was nice to meet you, but in a few moments you'll be nothing more than snake sized--pfftt!" 

Jag's monologue was ended as Ottsel threw the still half full vial at his face, most of the remaining liquid splashing over him. The vial dropped to the ground, making a soft tink as it rolled to the opposite side of the fire. Wiping his face with a paw Jag mumbled something to himself before hearing loud thumping coming toward him. Snapping his eyes open allowed the jaguar to see Ottsel collide with him, the two bodies taking to the air as they began to rapidly shrink. The white ottsel did his best to hold onto his shrinking opponent, but at the same time couldn't keep a grip on him as they both seemed to move further apart from one another. Jag's body seemingly vanished into his pants while Ottsel zoomed downward at them, both of their bodies landing with a gentle thud on the ground. There were two distinct groans from the small pile of clothing, Jag being inside of the musky smelling pants while Ottsel landed safely atop them, the jeans having broken both their falls. Moving about inside of the pants Jag did his best to regain as much movement as he could, the pants restricting him by trying to keep him forced on his hands and knees. Ottsel, who had the better landing, was already up and ready to go, his eyes darting about the pants and trying to see any sign of the jaguar within them. 

"You stupid cat! I'll make sure I kick your butt good for doing this to me!"

Ottsel locked onto a small moving bulge in the pants and proceeded to pounce down toward it with all his might. Jag didn't know what hit him as he was suddenly collided with, his body slamming hard into the ground. Soft mewling came from the bulge as Ottsel started to wail on Jag's body with his fists, tiny little blows being the best weapon that each of them had at the moment. After several more quick blows Ottsel stopped himself and began to feel around on the denim, hoping to locate the feline's head to he could start up once more. The ottsel could feel Jag moving and turning below him, his paws trying their best to keep the feline from going anywhere. Everything suddenly stopped underneath him, causing the white creature to peer down and wonder what was going on. It was then that he noticed two things press out at his chest, rubbing upward at through the fabric. Ottsel used one of his paw to rub at the outline shape and then gulped nervously, feeling toes just underneath. As Ottsel tried to scramble from the pants, Jag helped him a second later later by lowering his footpaws and then using as much speed and strength as he could to jab them right up into the ottsel's chest. This caused Ottsel to go flying some distance, his body landing with one thump before bouncing a few more inches and finally coming to a stop. Having propelled the ottsel from him allowed Jag the opportunity to find his way out of the pants, which luckily for Ottsel took Jag some time to accomplish. 

Just as Ottsel had regained consciousness and gotten back to his feet was when he saw Jag sneak out of the pants leg in front of him. Only able to teeter in place Ottsel watched as Jag got down on all fours and ran straight at him, bounding as fast as he could toward his middle. In one crushing blow the two went down to the ground again, Jag having speared Ottsel at about waist level. Things would have been looking pretty for Jag had he not knocked his head off the ground when he landed with his opponent, the black feline now laying motionless atop the white ottsel. Both were panting deeply and it seemed that neither had much energy to continue on. They each did their best to keep the fight going, Jag gnawing on his foe's chest while Ottsel raised a paw into the air and let it fall weakly onto Jag's back. 

"Had enough?" asked Jag through his panting, his body trying to sit on the ottsel's. 

"Sod off..." grumbled Ottsel as he wrapped both his paws around Jag's neck, trying to force the feline off him. 

That worked well enough as Jag quickly rolled from his newest rival, his body getting covered in dirt as he did so. Not too long after that they both managed to get to their hands and knees, their eyes meeting quickly. Daggers were stared and the two of them began to get back on their feet, each of them succeeding quickly in the attempt. Both jaguar and ottsel raised their fists and staggered toward one another. Taking numerous swings at the other each of them only managed to hit the air in front of them, a soft grumbling noise once again being emitted from Ottsel's throat. 

"This is stupid..." he said, glaring hard at the jaguar. 

"Should we just stop then?" asked Jag as he lowered his defenses. 

"No, I meant it's stupid I haven't had anything to drink yet I'm already fighting like I'm drunk!"

Swinging as hard as he could Ottsel managed to connect a blow with the feline's shoulder, making the defenseless Jag meep and try to cover up his body. This allowed Ottsel to get closer to his enemy, his form sliding forward while landing another punch to the feline's gut. Jag coughed loudly as excess air was driven from his gut, Ottsel giving the feline a quick hammer blow to the back of his head. This successfully drove Jag's face into the ground, his leg giving a gently twitch before going still. His body lay there, unmoving with the exception of a couple of tail flicks. Ottsel groaned deeply and sighed in relief, hoping that he had knocked the feline out cold. This would give him plenty of time to look for that vial that had rolled somewhere nearby. He was sure that he'd seen at least a few drops of red liquid leftover in that glass tube. That should be enough to turn him back to normal, allowing him a second snack for the day. Then he could just hang out by the fire until morning and try to find someone a little less threatening to make him a drink. Ottsel began to search around the nearby area for that glass tube, doing his best to circle the now huge fire pit, which was already beginning to crackle loudly and heat up the surrounding area. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he wandered around, eyes moving in every direction in hopes that he could just catch one glimpse of that magical tube. 

What seemed like forever seemed to past, his aimless wandering getting him nowhere until Ottsel let out a loud yay, his arms extending into the air as he spotted the tube. It had come to stop by the fire pit, the rim just barely touching one of the rocks Jag had used as a surrounding base. Sighing in relief Ottsel marched forward, happy to have gotten himself a second victory in this silly little tournament. As he kept marching Ottsel's mind wandered to what things he could possibly due with a shrunken kitty, a smirk coming over his face for a few seconds. It faded much sooner than he had wanted when he realized that all of his marching was getting him nowhere. Ottsel then noticed a clear pressure on his tail, not just in one place either. It felt as if someone was squeezing his tail in more than one place, his ears soon lowering as he glanced behind him to see a grinning jaguar. 

A loud barking like noise came from the ottsel as he felt his tail get pulled on, so hard in fact that his body fell to the ground. With his tail still being held onto Ottsel felt his body beginning to move, not backward as he would have liked, but in a circular motion. Jag was using every ounce of his strength to twirl the ottsel on the ground, the white creature trying to hold onto the ground with his paws. Momentum was key in what Jag was about to do, his spinning motion getting much faster as Ottsel felt his body start to leave the safety of the ground. Ottsel could only squirm in the air as he was spun, everything around him becoming one big blur. Sweat started to pour down Jag's face as he continued to keep his motion going, not relenting even as his body began to give out on him. Once Jag got to his desired speed he released, causing Ottsel to sail into the air. Arching upward it didn't take that long for the white creature to come crashing down to the ground, a little puff of dirt blowing up around him when he landed. Jag murred happily at what he had just done and then fell onto the ground, groaning and panting loudly as he tried to regain his lost strength, all of it having been sapped with that repetitive motion. 

For the second time in the fight both combatants remained motionless, the battle being anyone's game at the moment. Ottsel's body twitched under a little mound of dirt, his tail and head throbbing in pain. Jag was the better off of the two, every part of his body aching in pain however. Jag whined and clenched his teeth as he got up, managing to stand, but in a lot of pain. Ottsel just barely managed to get onto his knees before realizing he was once again in danger. Ducking his head Ottsel just watched as a half burnt match tip barely missed the back of his head. Turning his body Ottsel watched as the black jaguar swung the used match at him again, his body once again avoiding the blow from the wooden object. Raising the matchstick over his head Jag swung it down toward Ottsel as hard as he could, but groaned as it was blocked by a similar matchstick. Ottsel had managed to reach to his side, pulling one of the used matches into his lap, saving himself from a rather serious head blow. Ottsel jabbed his matchstick at the feline's legs, causing Jag to leap cautiously backward. While it would have put Jag at a safe distance the feline didn't look before he leapt, his footpaws coming to rest on a third burnt match. Jag quickly tripped and landed on his back once more, allowing Ottsel all the time he needed to run over to the downed feline. A quick jab was then driven down into Jag's chest, the ottsel grinning wide as he watched Jag start to gasp for air. 

"Take that you jerk!"

Ottsel tossed his matchstick to the ground and bolted off toward the tube, hurrying as fast as he could in hope that he could get there before Jag had time to recover. As he neared the tube Ottsel's worst feared became realized, that being that he wasn't going to get there at that moment in time. A black whiz shot by him as he ran, but before he could react Ottsel watched as Jag stopped dead in front of him and readied his matchstick like a bat. Ottsel cursed loudly at the amount of luck the black cat seemed to have, not to mention the fact that he could still have so much pent up energy to outrun him. Then again he didn't know how fast jaguars actually were. As Ottsel slowed his running Jag saw to it to stop him dead in his tracks, the matchstick coming across his chest and snapping in two. Once again Ottsel found himself on the ground, a soft groan coming from his mouth, his legs and arms pounding the ground around him in a bit of a temper tantrum. Ottsel didn't bother to move as he knew Jag would surely take advantage of his downed state, but when nothing happened it made Ottsel curious. Sitting up the white ottsel noticed Jag almost at the mouth of the tube, a loud shout coming from his mouth as he knew the feline had the same idea as him. Desperately trying to get to his feed Ottsel stumbled forward as he ran after Jag, knowing full well he still had time to catch up with him. 

Jag dove face first into the tube, his body coming into contact with what would appear to be the very last drops of red liquid. His eyes examined the tube quickly, making sure there wasn't any extra that the ottsel could use after him. Wriggling out of the tube Jag started to press the liquid into his body, turning just in time to see Ottsel running straight for him. Jag was able to dive out of the way just as Ottsel dived at him. Instead of hitting the feline like he had planned, Ottsel went head first into the tube, his body sliding easily into the opening before getting stuck about halfway inside. Unable to move the ottsel just groaned loudly and felt himself slide down a few more inches, his face pressing against the bottom of the vial. A few muffled calls for help came from Ottsel, but he soon went silent as a large shadow loomed over him. Jag murred happily as he started to grow back to his normal size, his body reaching his full size in no time at all. With his form returned to normal he felt a renewed amount of strength flowing through his body, but Jag felt it a shame that he wasn't going to be able to use it. Moving over to his pants the feline worked them back onto his body, zipping and buttoning them up before brushing them off with a paw, trying to get all the dirt from them. 

Jag then eyed the vial on the ground, a six inch ottsel stuck inside of it. A grin crossed those feline lips as he picked up the tube and looked it over, watching as Ottsel gave a little half smile to his opponent. Shaking the tube slowly from side to side, Jag worked the little ottsel as far down as he could go, giggling happily as he licked over his lips. 

"It's been fun little guy, but I'm afraid you lose," stated Jag happily as he put the opening of the tube to his lips. 

Sucking as hard as he could Jag felt the tube empty of air, the tiny Ottsel having nowhere to go but with the flow. With just enough lubrication on the sides of the glass the tiny ottsel slipped from the tube into Jag's mouth, the large feline closing his muzzle with a wet clack. Tucking Ottsel into his right cheek Jag licked over him with his tongue, using that slimy appendage to smear saliva into his furry body. This effectively coated him from head to toe in the greasy liquid, allowing him to slip quickly around the insides of the feline mouth. Opening wide Jag allowed Ottsel to gaze at the outside world, letting him see how well the fire was burning before casting him into wet darkness once more. Constant, albeit muffled swearing continually came from the inside of Jag's muzzle, Ottsel doing his best to tell the feline just how he was feeling at the moment. Jag didn't care much for the swearing, but did care for the nice taste that was currently washing over his taste buds. While the taste of dirt coated parts of the ottsel's body there was also a rather pleasant sweet taste that he managed to pull from his body. This only caused Ottsel's trip to become even worse. His small body would soon press into the roof of the feline's muzzle, those rough ridges getting ground into his back while the tongue slurped over his front side, making him sputter and gag at the stench that now hung in the air. 

Ottsel hadn't realized how bad the feline's breath was, but it was almost overbearing at the moment. The constant squishing sounds in the mouth were almost deafening, all of Ottsel's senses being warped in some way. Pushing the tongue away from him Ottsel found himself landing on it with a wet splat, his body writhing weakly against that slick limb. Ottsel did his best to crawl forward, but felt his body getting squeezed tightly as Jag started to suck on him, draining every ounce of flavor from his soggy body. A deep murr echoed into Ottsel's ears, making him growl at the enjoyment Jag was getting out of all this. Slamming his fists into the tongue only provided amusement for Jag, his head flicking back and causing Ottsel to slap against the rippling gullet. Crying out for help Ottsel tried to spring forward, but a quick gulp trapped his legs inside of the rippling, slick throat. Jerking his body around Ottsel hit the back of Jag's tongue, hoping it would be enough to send a gut wrenching chill to the pit of his stomach. Instead it just caused Jag to gulp once more, a happy giggle working out of his mouth. 

Jag opened his mouth, light from the fire casting a glistening view for Ottsel to look at. The shimmering pink insides were all around his body and the sight almost made him vomit, but he held himself back as best he could. He didn't need to make things even worse for him. The next thing Ottsel saw was a black finger coming straight at him, the tiny white creature whining as it pressed against his head. His stomach and chest sunk downward into the pulsating throat, that feline finger rubbing gently over his head afterward. Ottsel yelled as loud as he could for the feline to stop, but the only answer he got was that finger pressing down on his head, everything but his head getting sealed within the throat. Growling loudly Ottsel took a deep breath and moved as hard as he could within the esophagus, hoping to cause some damage to the feline's body. 

"You're such an ass---"

The rest of what Ottsel was about to say was muffled, his head getting poked right into that tunnel. Once again Ottsel found himself inside of a tube, this one being much slicker than the one had had previously been trapped inside of. Though like the other this one just led him to another destination, one that was currently gurgling hungrily for his body. A little bulge traveled down Jag's neck, the feline using a paw to rub at it before is vanished from view. The tiny Ottsel got squeezed and tugged down toward the waiting gut, which would squelch loudly up at him as his footpaws pushed past the entrance sphincter. The white creature made one last attempt to get himself free, but his constant squirming motion just helped sink him that much quicker into the stomach. His body pushed on through into the belly, one of his paws managing to catch the entrance to the stomach and hold on. Staring below him Ottsel couldn't see a damn thing. All he could see was blackness, but the wet noises all around him didn't make him that happy about it. A sudden wave of slime churned about in the stomach, knocking Ottsel's grip loose and causing him to plummet the few inches down into the murky juices that were still happily digesting his first opponent. The thick slime clung onto Ottsel's small body, burning patches of his fur as he struggled to remain afloat. It took mere seconds for him to be dragged into the liquid, a few bubbles rising from where he had been pulled before they stopped, a loud squelch finishing off any struggles that Ottsel may have had in him. 

Jag murred happily to himself and ran a paw over his stomach, enjoying the fact that he had already beaten two people in this little tournament. Stretching and yawning as he sat down the jaguar quickly flopped onto his side, his eyes closing slowly. It wasn't long before snoring came from the feline, his body finally coaxing him into a deep, sound sleep. 

---

Morning came a few hours later, Jag's body not reacting all to well to the light shining down on him. Had they next round started he would have surely been able to sleep through whatever could have happened to him. Though Jag was about to get a wake up call from Damien, the fox having returned to where he had last left the feline. He had kept an eye on him all through the night, having witnessed everything that happened to him and knowing full well that he was moving on to the next round. Nudging the feline with one of his footpaws it took some time for the black fox to wake Jag, but it happened. After a loud yawn Jag opened his eyes, staring up at Damien who just hovered above him, a sly grin on his face. 

"Wakey-wakey kitty," said Damien as he nudged the feline once more in the side. "You get to move on to the next round."

"How do you know I won?" asked the puzzled feline as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "You weren't anywhere around here last night."

"Oh I was, trust me, heh. I did all I could to not swoop down and grab you two tasty looking micros. It would have been fun to feel you both fighting a round in my stomach."

Damien grinned wide, which only made Jag shake his head and stand. He wasn't currently feeling that great, most of his body having several aches and pains, but on the plus side his stomach had returned to its normal size. Coughing into his paw the feline hacked a glob of spit to the ground, his breath smelling heavily of Ottsel. His ears then perked as he noticed Damien holding a folded piece of paper at him. Jag's eyes met with Damien's as he took the piece of paper, staring down at it with wonder. 

"Follow those directions and you'll probably happen upon someone else in the tournament," said Damien as he turned from Jag, his form slipping into the tree line. 

"Why give this to me though?" 

"Well you've surprised both Sefra and I with your unusual fighting and antics. I figure that the further you go in this tournament the more we'll see from you."

Without saying anything Jag would open up the piece of paper and read over the instructions that had been written. Cramming the paper into his pocket the feline kicked some dirt on his dying fire and headed in the direction that had been given to him.