Disclaimer: Contains anthro stuffing, weight gain, f/f oral vore, digestion + implied reformation, general descriptions of thiccness, implied lewds.
 
Recommended: View a version with better readability here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OHilib0LcqeLK7NP_KI-CdopilKfe_6ZyNzQaRSLsNk/edit?usp=sharing
 
(Heaven's Ring is a bustling trade route connecting countless cities and villages, far cut off from the rest of the world. Its people survive by subsisting at high altitudes, thousands of feet above sea level; for the world below is blanketed with a deep ocean of opaque, toxic smog, a single whiff of which is enough to steal the air from your lungs and drag you, coughing and gasping, into oblivion. Fearing the many pirates and Heavenly Beasts that soar through the skies, most people rarely if ever venture from their hometowns; those who are brave enough to regularly travel along the Ring do so in powerful airships, and are commonly referred to as Voyagers…)
 
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The Apostate
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Anything your heart desires, you can find it somewhere in the Ring, if you know where to look.
 
Knowing, however, tends to be the sticking point. That’s why, of the many goods and services exchanged along the Ring, one of the most prolific products is information. It’s a pretty easy industry to get into; just choose your ‘field of expertise,’ and keep constantly up-to-date on every little detail.
 
Pierre? Why, he was a knowledgeable cat indeed, although his field of expertise was rather specific; the underbelly of Jadeite. If anything perverse, bizarre, or even criminal happens in this city, this sly feline is the first to know about it. Usually, the people who walk into his office are surly gang members, lumbering outlaws, and leery deviants… so it was quite a pleasant surprise to see a rather refined and dignified-looking, albeit curvy, older dame come walking through his door.
 
“Well, well, well!” He smiled, gesturing to the comfy leather chair on the other side of the desk. “Please, please, feel free to have a seat! I must admit, a client like yourself is a nice change of pace. What brings a fine gentlewoman like yourself down to this seedy little part of town?” The woman sheepishly trotted over, taking a seat, although her hips were so wide, she had to take her moment just to squish and squeeze them into the chair!
 
She was a large woman all around — Pierre was fairly tall himself, and yet, this woman had him beat by about six inches at least! That was only accentuated by the fact that she was clearly blessed with quite the full figure, to say the least; her huge, generous breasts stretched the regal robe she was wearing to its limit, not to mention the rounded tummy poking out beneath the hem. Under her hood, he glimpsed the face of an ehtiopian wolf, nervousness and trepidation evident in her beautiful amber eyes. “Sorry, I… don’t mean to intrude,” she said. “I’ve just heard you were a man who offered, err… information?”
 
His chair creaked as he leaned back, proudly wrapping his arms around behind his head. “That I do. Nothing happens in this city without me hearing about it!” he proudly explained. “If you got any enemies in town you need dirt on, I’m your guy.”
 
The wolf woman’s eyes widened at this, though, as if she was shocked he’d think she’d ever want such a thing! “Oh, heavens! I wasn’t looking for anything like that,” she insisted. With a sigh, she averted her gaze, looking down at the floor. “I just need… a ‘job.’ Jobs provide money, right? And with money, you can buy food, yes?”
 
Now, he was getting a little confused, but he tried not to let it show. “Uuuh, yeah. I could hook you up with something. If you’re looking to roll with the Ivory gang, I hear they’re looking for folks who can transport some, uh, ‘precious cargo’ around the Ring,” he offered, but quickly shifted gears when he noticed the confusion on the wolf woman’s face. “...But you don’t look like the rough-and-tumble sort. Really, if you’ll pardon my saying, I think a dame with a figure like yours would make some serious scratch at the local cathouse, if that’d be your style.”
 
In response, she just tilted her head, curiously. “Scratch? ...A cathouse? What is that?”
 
His brow furrowed. “Uuuh, you know… a brothel.”
 
“I’m not familiar.”
 
He blinked, stunned! “Wuh? You know, like… where people go when they want to have their more intimate needs taken care of.”
 
She stared at him blankly, as if still having no idea what he could mean. “I’m… still not following you.”
 
He was a little baffled by all this. How could someone so oblivious to these sorts of affairs find their way to his office? Has she accidentally stumbled into the wrong place? “Wait a second… you’re looking for an on-the-level job, aren’t you?” His face scrunched up, shaking his head. “Listen, that ain’t my field of expertise. You need to go talk to an employment agency or somethin-”
 
She immediately stood up from her chair, looking a little panicked! After asking around all over town, she couldn’t stand to once again be told to ‘go ask somewhere else!’ “But I’ve been… sooo hungry!” she begged, clasping her hands together. “Please, sir, I’ll take any job! I just need to make some money!”
 
Despite not knowing what on earth she was doing here, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the desperate woman. “Uuuh… well, let me think…” he said, tapping his chin and straining his memory for anything that could help her. “I, er, vaguely remember seeing a ‘help wanted’ sign in the window of that nearby bakery.”
 
“A bakery!?” Instantly, the woman’s eyes widened, as the cutest grin of excitement flashed across her face. “Oooh, that sounds absolutely perfect! I love baking!”
 
“W-well, I don’t know if it necessarily involves baking, it’s probably more of a custodial thin-” Pierre tried to say, but the next time he looked, the wolf woman was already rushing to the door! “Oh, you’re already leaving.”
 
“Thank you so much for your help, small feline man!” she called over her shoulder as she quickly walked out… leaving Pierre to realize that, in all the confusion, he had forgotten to ask her to, you know, pay! But, really… that glimpse of the biggest rear he’s ever seen wobbling as she trotted out was payment enough.
 
Just as she was about to leave the dingy little building, though, she suddenly froze, as if a thought struck her. Sheepishly, she poked her head back into his office. “Actually, one last thing…” She gave him a nervous smile. “Do you happen to know of a woman named… Ophelia?”
 
——————————
 
The wolf, Maria, didn’t really mind how baffled the feline had seemed by her. After all, pretty much everyone around here reacted to her that way.
 
She was the definition of a fish out of water. Due to some… very particular life circumstances, she had no concept of money, or of sex or love, or even how society functioned at all. Everyone in Jadeite treated the strange woman with confusion, or amusement, or worse, pity… except for one. That damnable Ophelia. It was almost frightening, just how loved and desired that jackal woman had made her feel. The moment their lips first touched, it had been like lightning flashing through Maria’s body. The night she and Ophelia met was always on her mind; the first night she learned what it felt like to be truly intimate with another person...
 
“Young ma’am, how many times do I have to tell you to quit yer daydreaming!?” Maria let out a startled squeak as she was suddenly roused by the sound of that familiar chiding, accompanied by a firm smack of her bare tush, leaving it jiggling! “Dishes are piling up!”
 
“S-sorry, miss!” she quickly replied, nodding down to her boss; a rather cranky, stout, elderly chipmunk woman, who was always giving her slaps with that little wooden cane. Maria sheepishly got back to what she was doing, pausing to glance forlornly at the sheer amount of dishes yet to be washed. “Errrm, speaking of which, miss… do you think I’ll ever have an opportunity to show my skills in the kitchen? I assure you, I am quite experienced in bakin-”
 
“Hah! It’ll be years before yer prepared to so much as lay a finger on our world famous munk-brand pastries!” the old woman laughed, as if the very thought of Maria becoming an actual baker was ridiculous to her! “Now get back to work!” With that, the chipmunk disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Maria to sigh in exasperation at the prospect of having to put up with this for years.
 
Her first day of her first real job hadn’t really been going very well. Her first problem was the uniform, which was obviously made for a woman much more petite than herself. As it was, it hugged her full figure incredibly tightly, squishing down her plump breasts and rounded tummy. She was constantly paranoid one of the buttons would pop off and go flying into somebody’s eye or something, but luckily, the ill-fitting dress shirt managed to hold strong — for now.
 
Worst of all, though — besides the constant nagging of her aggressive boss, of course — was having to get accustomed to dealing with customers! She hardly understood money, couldn’t really give directions, and only had the most basic of social acumen, making her a verbal punching bag for all the easily angered customers. Not to mention the embarrassment of having kits curiously ask why she’s so ‘big and fat,’ or creeps wanting to ogle her curves as they strained against her uniform. “Stay strong, Maria.” She took a deep breath, trying to keep her frustration quelled. “This, too, shall pass.”
 
And so, she bit her lip and threw herself into her work, trying to learn as much as she could during her long ten-hour shift, hoping to make the most of this new experience. After all, she’d have to get used to this; there was little chance of her returning to the monastic lifestyle she had been so used to. As the hours passed, the place finally started to clear out, and the sun started to set in the distance, indicating her work was over. “M-my very first shift!” She smiled, a strange sense of accomplishment filling her. “Did I do a good job?”
 
“Oh, ya were just terrible! I woulda fired ya by now, but nobody else in town seems to wanna take this job. Buncha layabouts!” Her boss just laughed, giving her another smack on the rump with that little cane, completely taking the wind out of Maria’s sails. “You’ll do fer now, missy. Just take care of that cassionut stock before you go, alright?”
 
“Take care of it?” Maria paused. “What do you mean?”
 
“I tried a stock o’ cassionut flavored cupcakes, but I haven’t sold a single one! Guess ya youngsters are afraid of tryin’ something new nowadays.” The old woman gestured lazily to the storage room, still seeming bitter about the whole thing. “They’re in dry storage. Just dump ‘em in the trash, wontchya?”
 
As the old woman closed up shop, Maria trotted hesitantly into the storage room… only to be stunned by what she saw! “Oh dear!” Her eyes widened, as she realized the ‘stock’ was composed of dozens of beautiful, very large cupcakes, covered in white frosting and little brown sprinkles. It was the perfect display of sweets, the kind anybody with a lick of sense would be just salivating over… and she was supposed to dump it all in the trash!? “She can’t possibly be meaning to just let all this go to waste, can she!?”
 
Nevertheless, she obediently started to wheel them on a cart out the back door, towards the trash… but as she walked, she couldn’t pry her eyes away from the delightful bouquet of sweets! The loud growling of her tummy just reminded her of how hungry she was. Perhaps… her eating them would be better than letting them all go to waste, right? “... oh, to heck with it.” She eventually gave in, grabbing a cupcake and taking a seat on a nearby bench.
 
Still hesitating, she raised the cupcake to her snout, taking a sheepish sniff… only to immediately shiver at the aroma! Her tubby gut immediately growled out in desperation for it, and every ounce of her natural politeness went out the window as she stuffed the cupcake violently into her maw! “Mmmm,” she cooed, visibly relaxing as she chewed up the delicious pastry, swishing the yummy crumbs around in her maw with her tongue as if trying to soak up every bit of flavor she could.
 
With a single gulp, the gnawed-up cupcake was pulled down her gullet… as was the next cupcake she grabbed, immediately swallowed whole by a greedy wolf woman trying desperately to fill her growling belly. She laid a hand against her rounded paunch through the tight fabric of her uniform, feeling its hunger slowly being sated as she stuffed cupcake after cupcake into her slobbering maw, not having to mind her table manners while she’s all by her lonesome.
 
By the time a half dozen pastries had been sent down to her belly, her hunger was already more or less quenched… but she had dedicated herself to making sure none of these cupcakes went to waste, so she endeavored to eat every single last one. Already, though, her belly was starting to round out a bit, pressing uncomfortably against her dress shirt… and looking over the cart, she realized she wasn’t even a fifth of the way through it yet! “Huff… I might have, err… underestimated just how many there are.”
 
She didn’t even take the time to savor their flavor after a certain point, delicious and sweet as they were. All her focus was on filling her belly as much as she could, even as it started to strain harshly against her uniform, her rapidly filling belly pressing out against the fabric and stretching it to its limit. Just as she was about to swallow another cupcake, she suddenly felt a wave of air travelling up her throat… and the following shuddering uuuurrrRRRppp of a belch was enough to finally push her uniform past its limit, the buttons all popping off one by one and being sent flying!
 
“Eek!” She let out a startled squeak as her uniform finally burst, her huge tummy letting out a massive slosh as it bounce free from its confines. The fluffy, smooth, round surface wobbled as it swayed in the open air, leaving her dress shirt as a torn, useless bit of fabric as she was left completely nude. “Oh, fiddlesticks. My boss is gonna kill me…” She sighed, patting her glurping, bubbling round paunch of a gut, feeling how firm it was as it stretched around the cupcakes stuffed within.
 
It occurred to her that it’ll take forever to work off all the weight this gonna add to her figure! Getting even curvier is the last thing she needs right now! Regardless, she was intent on finishing what she started. “Might as well get this over with,” she sighed, taking hold of one of the trays of cupcakes… and tilting it over, so that gravity started sliding the sweet, earthy pastries right between her waiting lips! One by one, they fell into her maw, and were instantly dragged down her yawning, cavernous throat by the undulating muscles of her gullet, each expanding her rounded tummy a little more.
 
By now, she could feel the weight of her marsh melon-sized belly, forcing her to lean back a bit just to stay balanced. With every movement she made, it sloshed back and forth, compacting firmly around the foodstuffs packed tightly within. With a little wince, she finally managed to swallow down the last of her cupcakes, sucking her fingers clean of frosting… only to let out one last powerful uurAAArrppp of a belch from all the air displaced by filling her stomach completely with pastries!
 
“Been a while since I ate this well.” She smiled softly, wriggling herself back and forth just to listen to that belly slosh, giggling as jiggles were sent through its bouncing, round surface. While all the extra weight would be inconvenient, she had to admit, it felt good to finally be truly stuffed again; getting to lift up her weighty belly, and watch it bounce and slosh all around once she let it go. “You just do what you do best, tummy! I know you can do it!” She giggled as she gave her own stomach words of encouragement, feeling a tad silly.
 
Just as she was about to relax and let her meals digest away… she suddenly heard a pair of footsteps quickly approaching! Her heart immediately dropped, as she imagined just how her boss would react if she found her sitting here, naked, with a massive belly full of leftover cupcakes. Luckily, instead of that damnable chipmunk… a familiar cat poked his head around the corner instead! “Hey! Maria! I’ve been looking for you!”
 
Sure enough, it was Pierre again, coming trotting happily into the little back alley… only for his lips to curl into a big grin at what he saw! Maria must be quite a sight, her bare, curvy figure shown off to the world, nursing an absolutely massive, heavy paunch beneath those sizeable breasts. “Oh… oh, my oh my! I see you’ve been eating well,” he chuckled, stepping forward.
 
Maria’s cheeks instantly flashed the deepest shade of red at Pierre seeing her like this! “Uuuh… w-well, I had to dispose of a ton of… cupcakes…”
 
“Cupcakes, huh?” He grinned, taking a seat right in front of her, admiring that big, round, loudly gurgling potbelly with a smug little grin. “You don’t have to try and keep things a secret from me, hun. There’s nothin’ wrong with being a predator; not to me, anyway! I know every pred in town!”
 
She took a few moments to register what he had just said. “Wha…?” Did he think she… ate somebody? For some reason, that thought instantly caused her cheeks to flash a deep shade of red. “A… predator?”
 
“Mhmm.” He nodded casually, as if it was no big deal. He kicked his legs up in the air as he laid on his front on the ground, resting his chin on his palms as he admired that perfect, fluffy gut up close, a big wobbling sphere of plumpness capped with a cute little belly button. “So tell me, who’d ya eat? A cheating boyfriend? A dastardly purse-snatcher? Oooh, maybe the tantalizing delivery guy?”
 
She shuffled in place again, biting her lip at the way he was talking about her belly. By Aubade, why was this getting her heart racing? “I don’t… errr…”
 
“Well, whoever they are, your gut sure did a number on ‘em.” He playfully gave it a poke, feeling how it shook and wobbled in response to the contact, already becoming softer and squishier as it worked on its meal. “Mind if I help you digest?” She was already flustered enough, but she couldn’t resist giving him a sheepish nod, and an almost desperate little whimper. She could only shiver as his cool hands finally came up and pressed gently against the big, round surface of her tummy.
 
The contents of her belly shifted and sloshed all about by the way he was kneading and massaging that gut. He was obviously an expert at this, knowing just how to squish his thumbs down into all the right pressure points to make Maria let out little coos of bliss, and to help thoroughly soak her mashed-up meal in those bubbling stomach acids, letting it be melted down by her powerful body. Playfully, he pressed both hands up against it and pushed downwards… just to giggle at the embarrassed look on Maria’s face, after his squishing forced another, rather unladylike belch up her throat! “Man, I didn’t know ya were such a glutton!” He grinned. “No need to be shy, hun. You should be proud! I’ll have you know, pred gals are very popular in certain circles.”
 
She was only growing more flustered at this! She wasn’t used to feeling… desired like this in general, especially over something so crude as her gurgling stomach! Of course, sooner or later, once that tummy calmed down a bit, Pierre cleared his throat, trying to act a little more professional. “Oh yeah, speaking of which… I wanted to let you know, I went and tracked down that jackal girl you asked about,” he said, still massaging the moaning woman’s belly. “Wasn’t that hard. She runs a little fruit stand in the plaza every day. Just head down there after noon, you won’t be able to miss her. Is she an old rival of yours or something? Ooo, or prospective prey?”
 
She shook her head insistently. “N-no! Nothing like that!” She let out a flustered huff, averting eye contact. “She’s… well, we met at the pub a few nights ago, and…”
 
“Let me guess; you fell madly in love?” He chuckled. “And then woke up the next morning to an empty bed and the bitter realization all they wanted was a one-nighter. Classic story, heard it a thousand times.”
 
She shuddered. “Well, actually… it’s the opposite. I was the one who ran away, once I woke up and… realized what I’d done,” she explained. “I’d really like to apologize to her, you know?”
 
He paused for a moment, gently kneading her stomach while reflecting on what she’s told him. “Oooh? Hell. That makes you a sweeter soul than most people in this town,” he said, having never heard of anybody bothering to apologize for such a thing before. “Of course, I’m sure Mister Appetizing in here would disagree. Hah!” He laughed, giving that belly one last playful pat as he stood up. Maria let out one last little moan; she had enjoyed the attention he gave her belly too much to let him know she hadn’t actually eaten anybody. Besides… some part of her liked the idea of being a predator.
 
“Well, anyway, looks like our business together is done.” Pierre turned around with a pleasant little wave. “Glad to have helped! And if you ever need any more info, well… you know where to find me.” And with that, he vanished once more, disappearing back into the labyrinthian alleyways of Jadeite city.
 
——————————
 
Maria had been right about one thing; all the extra weight was going to be exceptionally difficult to work off! If she thought she was out of place before, it only got worse when she packed on those extra curves, most of it going to padding out her already plump, fluffy cheeks, and pillowy breasts. She had to buy a new uniform with much of her own meager paycheck, but with her new figure, even the largest size available was bursting at the seams! Quite literally; you could see her fur through areas where her thickness had torn through the fabric, and her uniform squashed her breasts so tightly it made breathing inconvenient.
 
She was starting to question whether this job was even worth it, when her paycheck could barely account for anything. She’s been having to sleep outside on benches; which, at least, the extra cushioning all over her body made more comfortable. Still, it was a slog trying to take things day by day… all that was keeping her going was the thought of finally working up the courage to talk to Ophelia again. She’d watched the woman longingly from afar (in a way she assured herself wasn’t creepy), but just couldn’t bring herself to walk up to her stand and talk to her.
 
Until today. By now, Maria was feeling just about at the end of her rope. She couldn’t stand this city, or this job, or this boss, for another moment longer. All she cared about here… was Ophelia. Of course, when the jackal saw a silhouetted figure approaching her stand, she just launched into her routine sales pitch. “Good morning, miss! I don’t mean to bother you or anything, but you look like the exact kind of woman who could use a fresh pair of-” The jackal smiled… before doing a double-take, her eyes widening. “Wait… Maria!?”
 
Maria shivered as she stood before the jackal. Maria was the taller of the two, and yet, she felt so, so small at the moment. “H-hey, Ophelia…” she practically whimpered, one hand awkwardly holding onto her other arm, having no idea how the jackal was going to react.
 
To her relief, Ophelia didn’t seem to take it too poorly. “Well, look who it is! Almost didn’t recognize you in that little get-up,” she said with a nod. “Hell, I didn’t think I’d see you at all after you, you know, disappeared on me.” Maria flinched a bit, hearing the disappointment in Ophelia’s voice. It made her feel terrible!
 
“Y-yeah, about that! I didn’t mean to abandon you or anything, dear, it’s just…” she quickly spoke up, trying to make it clear that she had no intentions of just ditching Ophelia! “When I woke up, all I was thinking about was how… ashamed I was. The… guilt of what I’d done.” She sighed, her voice lowering to a whisper before falling silent, her eyes shifting away.
 
Ophelia tilted her head, trying to read the wolf’s sad expression. “Guilt? What is there to feel guilty about? It was a fun night!” She tried to calm her down… until another thought struck her! “Wait… shit, were you cheating on somebody with me?”
 
“Oh, heavens no! It’s nothing like that,” Maria insisted, much to Ophelia’s relief. She averted her gaze again, though, to shly confess, “in fact… I’ve never really had a relationship with anybody before. Never in my life.”
 
Ophelia was still confused by all this. “Never?” She asked, somewhat incredulous. “But you’re… gorgeous! Not to mention a sweetheart. Have you just been ace up until this point, or?”
 
Maria shook her head, realizing she was going to have to start from the beginning. “Listen, I’m… not from around here. For all of my life, I was raised in a monastery, dedicated to the Aubade.”
 
Ophelia’s eyes lit up! “Ooooh! So you really are a nun? I thought those robes you were wearing looked pretty religious, but I wasn’t sure,” she said, pausing as she slowly began to realize what Maria must be talking about. “Wait, so, does that mean you had some kind of vow of celibacy or something?”
 
Maria shuddered, remembering her vow. The vow that she had spent her entire life, up until this point, dedicating her every waking moment to. Before she betrayed it all for this… girl. Maria’s eyes watered a bit as she looked over Ophelia. Those eyes that had gazed so lovingly up into hers. Those lips that had offered Maria her first kiss. That petite body that Maria had explored, doted on, made love to. Love. What a curious thing love was, if it could conquer even her faith. She had always thought her heart belonged to the Aubade; who knew it could be stolen so easily, by a humble, beautiful farmer girl?
 
“Close. Expressing any love or sexual desire for any single person… it’s harshly prohibited, in my faith,” she said, trying to remain composed, even as her lips quivered. “Our night together… it was enough to get me excommunicated completely. Abandoned by… by my closest friends, like nothing but… but a disgusting, worthless…” At that, she finally broke down, people giving her uncomfortable glances as she started silently crying right in the middle of the plaza!
 
Just thinking of all those friends she used to have at the monastery, and how disgusted they were with her once she told them what she’d done. If only they had seen them together; if only they had witnessed how beautiful their love had really been; maybe they would’ve understood. If only. If only. “Oh, sugar! C’mere, c’mere!” Ophelia held open her arms, allowing Maria to stumble behind the stand and collapse into the smaller jackal’s gentle hold, her shoulder soaking up some of the freely flowing tears. “There you go, let it all out…”
 
Maria knew how to calm herself with just her breaths. It didn’t take too long for the larger woman to compose herself again, although she still remained cuddled in Ophelia’s arms, holding the jackal woman close, never wanting to let go. “Listen, what they did to you… it just sounds awful!” Ophelia said, nuzzling and snuggling the wolf woman close. “You’re not ‘disgusting’ just for wanting to be intimate with somebody. It’s really just as natural as can be.”
 
She took a deep breath, trying to work through her feelings. Some part of her was excited at the prospect of living a new life… but was it worth betraying everything she had ever believed, and everyone she had ever cared about? Even if it wasn’t, it seemed like it’d be too late to go back to the way things were. “I’m… I’m starting to realize that, now,” she said, quietly. “I just wanted to tell you, even though it caused the rest of my life to just fall apart… I wouldn’t trade my time with you for the world. It was the best night of my life; the first time I knew what it felt like to be… loved.”
 
“Awww!” Ophelia cooed happily, just glad she could help someone out like that! “Anytime, hun! I just counted my lucky stars I got to meet a woman as gorgeous as yourself.” Finally, Maria worked up the strength to pull back, gently letting Ophelia go…
 
… but not before the two shared one last, passionate kiss, which was so sudden yet so powerful that it left Maria stunned and breathless. “I-I… really need to get back to work…” She huffed, hardly able to think straight. With that, she finally turned around, trying to figure out the strange concoction of emotions bubbling about inside her. At least she felt like she’d finally settled things with Ophelia. While she wasn’t ready for a real relationship yet, she’d definitely never forget the friendly jackal.
 
“Alright! It was lovely to see you again!” Ophelia waved, admiring the wobbliness of Maria’s strangely huge butt as she trotted away. “Ta ta, darling!”
 
Finally expressing the truth to Ophelia left her with a feeling it took her a while to find the word for; ‘free.’ For once, she was free. Her faith still lurked in her mind, but at the moment, it was buried under excitement as she thought of all the new sorts of lives she could live! And the first thing she’d do with her newfound freedom? Split her uniform in twain with her claws, once again leaving the fabric in tatters and letting her heaving belly and pillowy breasts bounce and wobble free, unashamed as she strolled bare through the city streets. She felt like she could take on the world.
 
That’s why, when she finally faced down her boss again back at the bakery, for the first time, she was unafraid. “Young ma’am! Where have you been, you do-nothing!? And where is your uniform?” The chipmunk shouted angrily. “Your lunch break was a full two minutes longer than it should be! I have half a mind to kick ya to the curb right this instant!”
 
Maria let out another squeak at the sensation of that cane once against smacking along her even doughier rear, leaving it wobbling longer than ever! This time, though, instead of just letting it happen, she retorted by wrenching the cane from the crone’s hands, and angrily tossing the hunk of wood aside. “For the last time, quit smacking me!”
 
Needless to say, this bit of insubordination infuriated her boss more than ever! The much shorter anthro reached up to roughly grab Maria by her fluffy scruff, pulling her face down until they were looking each other eye-to-eye. “While you are under my employ, I can smack ya whenever I want!” she shouted in the wolf’s ear, shrilly. “Unless ya wanna go back to begging on the street corners for table scraps. Huh? Is that what ya want?”
 
“It’d be better than spending years working for you!” Maria snarled, finally pushing the chipmunk away from her! She didn’t care whether she got fired or not; she was a free woman now! She had already spent the first forty years of her life letting other people tell her what she should and should not do; not, she was dedicated to doing anything she pleased! And speaking of which, looking at how small the chipmunk woman was compared to her… Pierre’s words flashed in her mind. “Besides, why do I need table scraps when I have a perfect meal right in front of me?”
 
“What? What are ye trying to say, ya dingbat?” The chipmunk just glared at her, as if Maria was merely stupid; but when the huge wolf woman leaned over her, hands on her hips and her tongue travelling along her lips, the ‘munk finally realized what she meant. Before she could react, the wolf’s powerful hands were gripping her by the sides, lifting her up into the air, and facing her with the terrifying sight of that big, slobbery maw, that throat opening wide to welcome her into that deep, dark abyss... “H-hey! Let go of me right this instant, you-”
 
Before she could let out another vapid insult, the wolf’s jaws were upon her! “Whoa, what the hell? That chick’s eating the chef!” Someone in the bakery’s many booths pointed and shouted, bringing every customer’s attention to the sight of a massive, curvy, plump wolf lady, leaning back with a pair of kicking legs dangling from her maw! In a single moment, the stout chipmunk’s upper body had been shoved into that gullet, her panicked face bulging out that fluffy throat.
 
Even in Jadeite city, it was rare to witness a predator doing what they do so openly. Some were disgusted; some even rushed off to tell the city guards; and yet, others were downright supportive! One coyote woman just laughed and fist-bumped the air, shouting, “You go, girl!” But of course, all of their reactions fell on deaf ears. Maria no longer cared what anybody else wanted; all she was thinking about was fitting this shrill crone down her throat.
 
She’d always been good at swallowing large meals, but she was surprised by just how easily her throat stretched out to accommodate the ‘munk, as if her body was designed to handle large, squirming, lively meals just like this one. She groped her stomach with both hands, preparing it to accept its soon-to-be prisoner as she leaned her head back, straining to fit the ‘munk the rest of the way down her throat before she ran out of air. The other customers could only watch in awe as those kicking legs slipped deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until...
 
Maria let out a shuddering moan of bliss once her airways were finally clear, and her throat muscles seized her squirming preything completely, pulling her boss deep down into those tight, squeezing depths until it could deposit her into her stomach at last. She was so shaken by the feeling, she had to take a seat at a nearby empty booth, her tongue hanging from her lips as she panted desperately, her expression dopey with bliss. “Huff… huff… oh my goodness, I can’t believe I just…” She shuddered as she felt her prey kick at the walls of her stomach, almost crying out in pleasure! “Hmmmf… oh, this feels amazing…!”
 
Once again, her belly was just as big and round as it had been before, when she was stuffed with cupcakes; but now, she had the feeling of someone imprisoned beneath all those curves, getting to feel the way her plump body shifted and morphed around her prey, as her former boss fought against the swelteringly warm, bubbling confines of the wolf woman’s stomach! She let out a shuddering, powerful uuuurrraaarpp, loud enough to echo through the restaurant as her prey fought violently against her stomach, her entire belly jostling and sloshing with the force of her meal’s struggles.
 
She panted as she tried to compose herself, filled with all sorts of new, strange feelings. The sense of karmic retribution was palpable as she looked down at her belly, and saw just how furiously her boss was struggling against her powerful body. It was no use; that big, strong belly was going to digest her, no matter how much she protested. “Don’t you worry yourself. Bully or not, I shall preserve your spirit. This should be enough to bring you back soon enough, for better or worse,” she said, rubbing her gut with her hands. “Until then… you’re going to have to spend some time on those very same hips you were always smacking.”
 
Her eyes widened, though, when she peeked out a window and noticed some of the city’s guardsmen approaching the building! “Ooooh. Uh, looks like I might need to go enjoy you somewhere private, though.” She lifted up her belly with her hands to keep herself balanced as she made her way to the back entrance, wanting to find a spot to relax and enjoy digesting her prey to its fullest. All she left behind for the guards to find was an empty kitchen, and a bakery full of confused customers; some amused, some disgusted, and some plainly aroused.
 
——————————
 
At the crack of the next day’s dawn, Pierre licked his lips as he thumbed through the most recent issue of Cougars Weekly, each page filled with lurid photographs of quite literal cougars, of all shapes and cup sizes. He hissed in surprise, however, quickly hiding the magazine behind his back as someone suddenly strolled in! “M-Maria!?” he said, quickly shifting to hide his half-chub under his desk, scowling at the woman. “Could you knock before you stroll in here, please?”
 
“Oh! My apologies.” Luckily for him, Maria was completely oblivious to what he’d been doing. “This is a little awkward, I suppose, but… I was wondering if you knew of any other places I could work?”
 
He raised a brow. “The bakery job didn’t work out?” he asked, his eyes drifting over her figure and noticing that she was thicker than ever! She had already been a looker when they first met, but by now, she was twice as wide as she had once been! It was almost a wonder her hips fit through his door! “What a shame! I love what it’s been doing to your figure.”
 
“This is less a result of the bakery, and more a result of the manager.” Maria chuckled sheepishly, patting her belly, making it quite clear how she had gotten her revenge on the shrill chipmunk.
 
“Oooh? Is that so?” Pierre huffed, the sight of that big, wobbly belly, combined with the knowledge of who had been gurgled away inside it, did nothing to help him ‘cool off.’ “I gotta admit, that old crone looks a lot better on you.”
 
Maria smiled, nodding. She wasn’t quite as foolhardy today, now that the high of speaking to Ophelia had worn off, but she certainly still felt more free than ever. “It’s certainly a… strange feeling. But while I’m starting a new life, I might as well try new things, no?” She shrugged, her cheeks a tad red. “Really, though… I’m hoping for something that’ll let me get out and travel. This city… it’s just too mean for my tastes.”
 
“Aah, I understand that. A lot of people flourish in a place like this, but you always struck me as someone quite a bit sweeter than Jadeite’s average good-for-nothing,” he said. A lot of his customers were the more seedy types, so he had to admit, having a client like her had been a breath of fresh air. Not that he blamed her for wanting to leave, though. A woman like her could never fit in in a city like this. “Not many avenues for travel, though. You could become a Voyager, but I doubt you have the training for that…”
 
“Voyager… does that entail piloting skyships?” She tilted her head. “Because I have years of training, when it comes to that! It’s, aheh, one of the only things I can do well, really…”
 
His eyes widened, as if baffled that such a humble, gentle woman had knowledge of one of the most dangerous professions in the Ring! “Really? You… what!?”
 
“Well, I was trained as a missionary, after all! Piloting is a necessary part of the job,” she explained. “In fact, I was at the helm of the very skyship I rode into Jadeite on, you know.”
 
While he was still struggling to process this, Maria took a seat across from him, her plump breasts squishing against his desk as she leaned forward, until they were eye-to-eye.
 
“So, tell me about these… ‘Voyagers.’”
 
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Thanks for reading!