"GLUMPH!" MMMMPHH!"
 
 
Back on Terra, the anthro silver-fox Sarah let out muffled protests, her head stuffed down Sepia's throat. Despite the fact that they were practically the same size, with Sarah even being slightly bigger, Sepia is a snake-bat hybrid, meaning, while she mostly resembles an anthro bat, her parents had been a bat and a snake, meaning she had inherited her father's capability to unhinged her jaw to accommodate rather bulky meals, as well as expand her throat and stomach for more room. Breathing through her rather sizable nostrils, Sepia rolled her jaws, forcing more of Sarah in. Sarah squirmed and struggled as Sepia swallowed her neck down, thrashing her arms wildly before pressing her hands to Sepia's cheeks to try and force herself back out. Sepia scowled at the futile resistance, grabbing Sarah's wrists and forcing her arms to her sides, pinning them there.
 
 
She may not look it but Sepia possessed quite the muscle strength in her arms.
 
 
With Sarah unable to do anything other than stamp her feet in retaliation Sepia slipped her mouth further down her form, easily engulfing her shoulders and down her chest. Sepia paused there, gumming and nomming at Sarah's breasts through her black tank top. Sarah's squirming redoubled at this assault on her sensitive furry globe's, her muffled protests so loud one might be able to discern her words, but not quite. Sepia continued to sample Sarah's bosom, nipping her nipples with her sharp fangs, and even plunging her bat tongue through the top of her shirt to slip inside her cleavage. Eventually however, Sepia grew tired of harassing Sarah's boobs, though it took some effort to squeeze them into her throat; they had to at least be D-cup.
 
 
From here Sepia made her way down Sarah's stomach, releasing her grip on Sarah's wrists upon reaching her waist, her arms now secure in her throat. With a heave, she was able to hoist Sarah off the floor, her legs thrashing in the air as she lay prone inside Sepia. Her arms now free, Sepia hooked her fingers into the waistline of Sarah's leather biker pants, as well as her panties, pulling both articles down to Sarah's thighs, exposing her lower extremities. Sepia's eyes gleamed at the sight of Sarah's bare ass, her furry glutes looking positively scrumptious. But she intended to savor them first.
 
 
Reaching up, Sepia grabbed hold of Sarah's buttocks, the silver vixen thrashing and murmuring at the intimate contact to her rear. Sepia moaned around Sarah, the glorious butt she had in her grip most appealing to touch and fondle. However, there was another body part Sepia felt deserved attention. Slipping her tongue out passed Sarah's waist, Sepia gradually slid it down the velvety lips of Sarah's sexy vulva. Sarah's attempts to squirm free of Sepia's grip had been hectic before, but with the molestation of her private area her kicks and flails became downright frantic, her legs kicking desperately, confined within her pulled down pants. It mattered not however, for Sepia barely registered her meals attempts, focusing solely on squeezing the round ass protruding from her mouth and tasting the womanly loins between the flailing legs, her fox tail whipping in conjunction with the tongue.
 
 
Sarah's taste was delectable on its own, the flavor of her pussy however was pungent to the degree it almost felt solid on her tongue. But this was far from the extent of her intent. Despite how obvious Sepia's actions were unwelcome to Sarah, the tongue's movements had caused her twat to involuntarily open up, her lips partially like an opening cabinet, allowing Sepia's tongue to slide within and up the fleshy canal. This further prompted Sarah to redouble her struggles, her pants almost ripping apart at the seams with how violent her legs were thrashing. Eventually Sarah was forced to climax, her intimate fluid dripping down Sepia's chin as she continued to viciously attack her sex.
 
 
Two more orgasms were forced from her through the same means, Sarah's ass practically limp in exhaustion outside Sepia's jaws by the end of it. Deciding she had tormented her captive long enough, Sepia tilted her head back and swallowed the rest of Sarah down, the scales that dotted her under her eyes like freckles expanding as Sarah's ass slipped into her mouth. Closing her mouth around Sarah's toes Sepia let out a final rolling swallow, sending the silver vixen into her innards.
 
 
"Ahh!" She said to herself, patting her swollen belly. "That was excellent!"
 
 
Sepia counted herself lucky for this experience. Dolores, the manager of the bar Sepia works at as a cocktail waitress, doesn't usually condone this kinda behavior while Sepia is on the clock, but if there's one thing the anthro st. Bernard hates more than unorthodox behavior from her employees; it's hoodlums disturbing the peace of her patrons. Dolores's place was, for lack of a better term, a dive, but it drew in a fairly good number of people, several being regulars. And Sarah, regrettably, was one of those regulars. She was the kind of unruly customer that everyone just tolerated because she always pays her tab, despite being a colossal pain in the ass whenever she frequents.
 
 
Phoebe was also a regular, but unlike Sarah, she was a well mannered customer that only came in for a stiff drink, rather than to cause trouble.
 
 
The anthro gazelle was seated at a booth, Dolores sitting next to her, holding an ice pack to the poor girl's face. Sarah had intercepted her Budweiser as the barkeep slid it to her and downed it before anyone could stop her. Of course, this led to an altercation between the two, with Phoebe taking the brunt of most of the damage, due to Sarah's tendencies for violence. And that's when Sepia had stepped in, snapping Sarah's head up to stop her beat down on Phoebe, Dolores tending to her while Sepia "tended" to Sarah. Sure, consumption might have been a pretty strict response to Sarah's violent behavior, but everyone at the bar, employee or customer alike, knew there was only so much that could put a stop to a confrontational Sarah.
 
 
"That better, Phoebe?" Asked Dolores, pulling the ice pack away, revealing the gazelle's split lip and black eye.
 
 
"I'm fine, Dolores, really. It's not your fault," insisted Phoebe supportively. She's such an understanding soul.
 
 
"Regardless, all your drinks are on the house tonight," said Dolores, holding up a hand to halt Phoebe's rebuttal. "I insisted. You are one of my best customers and I can't let this incident go unrectified."
 
 
"Well, okay," said Phoebe, looking over at Sepia as she walked over, the bulge that is Sarah stretching her cocktail waitress uniform out exponentially. "Thanks for stepping in, Sep, you really saved my rump."
 
 
"Not a problem," Said Sepia, slapping her bloated belly. "Bitch had it coming!"
 
 
Phoebe looked at the bulge that was her assailant, skepticism in her expression. "Isn't this…a bit extreme? Yes, she attacked me, but did you really need to eat her?"
 
 
"Believe me, that's the least she deserves," said Sepia, scowling at her stomach. "If you're worried about me digesting her, don't. This actually isn't the first time I've done this to her."
 
 
Phoebe blinked in confusion, "Do you…take her to the Rejuvenation Clinic?"
 
 
"Oh please!" Snarked Dolores, standing up to stand next to Sepia. "Bitch ain't worth fitting that bill. Sepia here will just take her out back and regurgitate her into the dirt." She turned to look at Sepia. "Speaking of which we'd better get that done soon, I don't want to have to take your uniform to the tailor again!"
 
 
With that Sepia and Dolores walked out of Dolores' establishment, leaving Phoebe to enjoy her on the house. They passed other customers on the way, which, apart from the few who got off watching Sepia tonguing Sarah's twat, seemed unaffected and uninterested in what had just occurred, being regulars who were used to seeing this sort of thing. Delores’ Dive was one of many places around the city where public vore was a pretty common occurrence. With a muffled, wet belch, Sepia upchucked Sarah onto the pavement in the alley at the back of the bar near the dumpsters, the silver vixen landing on her stomach, facing away from them.
 
 
"Sarah!" Chided Dolores, angrily kicking Sarah in the heel of her left boot. "This is the third time this month you’ve started shit touching people’s drinks and asses! Consider yourself banned for life!” She shook a firm finger at the spat-up drunkard. “And if I catch you around here again, I won’t stop any pred who wants to digest ya, got it?
 
 
Sarah's only response was to lift her head up, give a drunk hiccup, then vomit the beer she had swiped from Phoebe before passing out in her own sick.
 
 
"Ugh, there she goes again," said Sepia, rolling her eyes. "Guess we should inform the proper authorities. The last thing we need is a case of negligence on our hands."
 
 
"I'll do it," said Dolores, holding the back entrance to her bar open for the both of them. "Your shift ended an hour ago. Why do you always draw out the cunnilingus?"
 
 
"Hey, what can I say?" Said Sepia, looking back at Sarah as she walked forward and entering her place of employment, looking back for one last glance at Sarah's bare ass as she lay face down on the ground. "She may be a bitch, but she is still a fine piece of ass."
 
 
"Right…" said Dolores sarcastically, closing the door behind them. "Just get home already. I don't want to have to pay you any more overtime."
 
 
But Sepia didn't intend to go home, not just yet anyway. She had "plans" for this afternoon.
 
 
–
 
 
"Look at you! Sepia, you're so sexy!" Said Sepia to her reflection in the employee lady's room, blinking her honey-colored eyes.
 
 
She had changed from her work attire for her fashion of choice. She wore brown cowboy boots, a black banana top, and a faded but rugged set of daisy dukes that hugged her round buttocks and upper thighs nicely. Quite skimpy, but that was Sepia's way, going for a sexy country girl look. She ruffled her rusty, red-brown hair, returning it to her preferred look of messy waves swept to one side, doing the same for her like-colored cheek tufts.
 
 
"Mmm-mmm!" She said to herself, turning to point her duke clad butt at the mirror, waving her long, serpentine tail about temptingly, her attire complimenting her brown fur and brown belly scales. "Drake is sure to find me scrumptious."
 
 
Getting into her old microbus van, Sepia pulled out of Dolores' Dive and drove into town. It may sound as if she was looking forward to some kind of date, but such actually wasn't the case. This "Drake" wasn't Sepia's boyfriend or lover. He was a prostitute by trade, but his speciality was in being what was known as a “street pred”. Aside from sexual favors, people paid street preds to swallow them whole and alive, and Drake was one of the best in town. Although the “street” part was somewhat of a misnomer, as he was employed at the Carnivorium, a private establishment near the Rejuvenation Clinic where folks could indulge in professional predation, be they predator or prey. It wasn’t a “classy” establishment by most standards, but those who worked there took the job seriously enough to provide a high-quality and mostly hygienic experience.
 
 
It had taken weeks for Sepia to book a session with him, now her patience had paid off as she parked beside the largely unremarkable brick building, where a pair of red doors over which hung a black awning, the word “CARNIVORIUM” written in big red letters squished between two rows of white triangular teeth. Re-adjusting her top, Sepia slipped inside.
 
 
After some brief paperwork and exchanging of information and cards at the front desk, Sepia was ushered down a long hallway lit with ominous red lights. Between the many doors locked with keycard slots like a hotel, there were several photographs and paintings depicting folks like Sepia in various stages of being devoured: head first, feet first, butt first, being held down and licked all over, swallowed halfway, and being reduced to either a tail or limb poking out of some predator's grinning muzzle, or a round belly with visible handprints bulging from within. Others simply focused on the yawning maw of various carnivores, from wolves to eagles to a dragon or two, or prey models sitting on platters tied up and garnished with various sauces and toppings like fancy entrees. Though the walls and doors were thick enough to block most sounds, the speakers in the ceiling continually pumped out soft, ambient music like something from an old-fashioned porno, save for the occasional voice softly purring the line “mmm, you look good enough to eat…”
 
 
Sepia was shivering with barely-contained anticipation by the time she turned the corner halfway down the hall, the conflicting feelings of prey instincts and raw lust clouding her mind. At the very end of the hall was the door she sought, walking down the dimly-lit corridor with nervous glee. She couldn't help but feel she was already heading down the throat of some huge beast before reaching the door, which her keycard swiftly unlocked and allowed her inside.
 
 
The room was one of the largest in the facility, with the walls painted to look like the middle of a thick, dark forest, rows of fake ferns and shrubbery lining the edges. Support beams made to look like tree trunks reached up to the ceiling, which was covered by what looked like army-surplus camo netting decorated with thick garlands of plastic leaves and ferns. Beams of soft golden light shone through the faux-foliage down to the glittering swimming pool in the middle lined with stones covered in soft artificial moss. The soft gurgling of an unseen “creek” serving as the pool filter filled the air, occasionally interrupted by muffled recordings of bird calls and rustling leaves.
 
 
Sepia shivered once again, her tiny wings flapping like a hummingbird as she slowly approached the gllittering waters. Taking a deep breath, the young snake-bat took off her boots and set them aside, stepping towards the water’s edge as she assumed the role she had previously agreed to when signing up for this session.
 
 
“La dee daaaah…” Sepia muttered out loud to no-one as she sat down on the edge of the pool, dipping her shins in the cool blue water. “Ah, what a lovely day in the forest… no-one around for miles, just me and this lovely little fishing pond… oh, if only I remembered my fishing rod!” Sepia put a paw up to her cheek in fake embarrassment, lazily kicking her feet beneath the surface. “Well, perhaps some hungry fishies would like to nibble my toes while I’m here? I’m sure they’d find me tasty…”
 
 
She giggled to herself at the campy porno dialogue she was improvising, before simply leaning back and humming some random melody to herself, enjoying the ambience of the forest room. It was then out of the corner of her eye that Sepia noticed a dark shape beneath the surface of the pond gliding towards her. The ripples and refracting light made it difficult to judge size, but it was definitely larger than Sepia. Despite this, she kept up the oblivious act until the dark shape was right beneath her, before it rose up from between her legs, looming over her like a great sea monster.
 
 
It was no monster though: it was a giant river otter, rising more than a head above Sepia as he gazed down at her with black, dewy eyes. His dark gray-brown fur was slick with water, rivulets of it rolling off his coat as if it were waxed. Twin rows of small but sharp and gleaming white teeth revealed themselves as the colossal otter licked his chops hungrily, long silvery whiskers twitching as droplets of water flicked off them and landed upon Sepia’s lap. She had seen pictures and videos of this otter before, but this was the first time she had met him in person: it was Drake, one of the most prolific and popular predators of the Carnivorium.
Fighting against her instinct to grin and squeal fangirlishly, Sepia put a paw up to her mouth in mock shock, her eyes wide as saucers. “Oh my! W-who are you?”
 
 
Drake grinned, and leaned back slightly to let the light hit his face better. “Oh, no-one important…” He growled with that deep and sonorous growl that made ladies like Sepia turn to horny putty in his paws. “I’m just a humble otter. I was just curious what a lovely little thing like yourself was doing here, so far away from anyone elssse?” He drew out his last word with a sensual hiss, something he was known to do when teasing his prey. Sepia often wondered if he had any snake in his genetics as well.
 
 
Sepia blushed, hugging herself tightly while gently pushing up her modest breasts, slipping her top down just a tiny bit as she did. “Oh, nothing… I was just going to do some fishing, make myself some supper, that’s all.”
 
 
Drake flashed his teeth once more, eyes narrowing ominously. “What a coincidence! I was thinking of making you supper as well.” And without letting her have a second of rebuttal, Drake’s lean yet strong arms lashed out and pushed Sepia down on her back, before suddenly hooking two of his webbed fingers beneath her top and yanking it away, letting her breasts pop free. In a panic Sepia slapped her paws over her mammaries to maintain her modesty, but the treacherous otter seemed to care little for that. Once the paisley garment was tossed aside, Drake reached down to take hold of her daisy dukes and, with another powerful yank, pulled the smaller snake-bat right into the pond with a sudden splash! Sepia could only let out a high-pitched “eep!” before being cut off by the waters rushing over her face, watching as her daisy dukes floated past her head, the otter apparently having torn them off as well.
 
 
Now fully nude in the water, Sepia breached the surface and looked around to try and spot the otter that so rudely derobed her. It wasn’t until she felt the water behind her ripple against her back that she realized he had swam behind her, breaching the water’s surface to reach around and grab hold of the bat’s breasts, making Sepia squeak in surprise as he fondled the small handfuls of succulent flesh. More squeaks and squeals of pleasure came out of Sepia’s mouth as Drake pinched and twisted her nipples, his long thick tail reaching around to slip up between her legs, teasing her pussy with the blunt tip while grinding his hips against the base of Sepia’s own thick, serpentine tail. With his prey now “at his mercy”, Drake curled his head down to give her neck a long, slow lick that trailed up behind one of her large pointed ears. Smacking his lips, Drake declared her “Deliciousss…”
 
 
Sepia shuddered— Oh how she loved it when preds teased her.
 
 
But Drake was done teasing. Slipping his webbed paws around to grasp her shoulders, the giant otter lifted Sepia up like she weighed nothing and turned her to face him, his yawning maw stretching terribly wide as it slipped over her head, flattening her ears as she was forced headfirst into that tight, hot throat. His powerful esophagus and strong paws worked in tandem to devour the helpless snake-bat, even his tail lifted up between her legs like a bicycle seat to help hold her up. Sepia’s arms and legs kicked and flailed about, accomplishing nothing but splashing the surface of the pool as her breasts were enveloped by Drake’s mouth. Through his bulging neck came muffled cries for help as Sepia wriggled and writhed in the giant otter’s gullet, though if anyone could actually hear her cries for help, they might describe them as being unusually melodramatic. Those cries were muffled further as her head was pushed down past Drake’s collarbone, his head now tipping up to better accommodate the bat girl now trapped halfway down his gullet, her bountiful bouncing booty hanging out from between his jaws like a dog’s chew toy, and being squeezed just as much as one as well both by Drake’s small pointed teeth and his groping paws, each one seizing a handful of brown-furred asscheek to better hold her hips steady and savor the most flavorful parts of his prey.
 
 
Inside Drake’s throat, Sepia was squirming with fear and delight, her muzzle smooshed against the sphincter that would send her to his stomach as she gasped and cried out with each lick, stroke, and squeeze her ass and cunt received from his probing tongue and occasional finger. Combining that with the tight embrace of his throat muscles, the beating of his heart, and the guttural groans of pleasure that reverberated around her trapped body, Sepia never felt more like prey, completely dominated and doomed to be food. That thought, plus Drake’s tongue on her clit, brought her over the edge to orgasm, crying out in ecstasy as a burst of pleasure, along with a spray of feminine juices, exploded from her loins, Sepia’s legs going stiff and shaking as if she had been struck by lightning. Sepia’s muzzle finally opened up to cry out as she was suddenly pushed down into the cavernous stomach, Drake suddenly resuming his meal with a series of sudden gulps one after the other, the final gulp being almost theatrically loud as her little feet vanished between his jaws, and Sepia vanished from the world…
 
 
—
 
 
Sepia's older brother, Mono, sat at a bench at the Rejuvenation Clinic, polishing his skull belt buckle with a microfiber towel, breathing on it occasionally before resuming his polishing. His fur is gray in coloration, in contrast to Sepia's brown, his hair black with gray stripes, made up in a Mohawk, his tail was slightly shorter and less thick than Sepia's, and, whereas Sepia had a full set of bat wings, Mono merely had one, the other one missing, with nothing but a puckered scar seen through the holes torn in his jacket and shirt, meant to accommodate the missing limb. Feeling he had done an adequate job he stood up and ran the studded belt through his ragged jeans, completing the ensemble of his outfit, consisting of a spiked leather biker jacket, a Metallica T, and army surplus boots, giving him the cliche goth punk look. With that done he drew out his phone to check the time.
 
 
"Huh!" He said in a gruff, masculine voice. "Sepia's session should be wrapping up right about now."
 
 
He walked up to the nearest Rejuvenation Pod, pulled out a Ziploc bag with some of Sepia's hair in it, and deposited them into the machine, which immediately hummed to life. He had agreed to do this after he got off work at the warehouse, Sepia coming to him with her desire to meet a top notch street pred. He didn't fully understand the appeal, having a more mundane sexuality, but he didn't object. He would do anything for his little sis, after all.
 
 
Not much time had passed before the cylinder shaped machine dinged and split open like a wardrobe, a very nude Sepia stumbling out.
 
 
"Welcome back to the land of the living," he snarkily said as he caught her around the chest and supported her to her feet.
 
 
"Bro!" She chirped cheerfully, giving her brother a hug. "You came through for me!"
 
 
"Like I wouldn't do otherwise?" He shot back, returning the embrace.
 
 
"Oh, I don't know?" She said cheekily as he handed her a change of clothes. "If you ever wanted to get rid of me, all you would have to do is take advantage of my fetish."
 
 
"Please, that would be too easy," said Mono as he turned and leaned against a wall as his sister got dressed. Though he made no effort to watch her, Sepia didn’t care that her brother was there- aside from him being gay, she trusted Mono with her life and knew he’d never do anything to harm her.
 
 
"Oh, you would think that. Though I still think you should try vorarephilia at least once," she said, remembering her section with Drake.
 
 
Mono looked at the Rejuvenation Pod skeptically. "I think I will pass. I don't trust these crazy contraptions." He looked over his shoulder at his stump. "I'm already unwhole as it is. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't brought back with everything I used to have."
 
 
"You know a case like that hasn't happened in decades," insisted Sepia, slipping on her duke. Though she couldn't blame her brother. Ever since he had lost his wing he had been terrified of losing more of himself. "Besides, at least you could fly at some point. Mine aren't much use for anything but mood indicators.
 
 
It was true. Sepia apparently didn't inherit enough from their mother to receive a full set of wings, her's being too small for take off. The most they did was flutter uselessly, most of the time whenever Sepia was in a certain mood.
 
 
Once fully dressed, Sepia and Mono left the clinic on Mono's motorcycle, traveling back to where Sepia left her van so she could pick it up. Afterwards, they both returned home to their single story house out in the suburbs of Stoat City. It was well into the evening by the time they pulled up into the driveway of their shared house.
 
 
"Home at last," said Mono in relief. "I'm going to go feed Mango and then go to bed. I'll see you in the morning sis."
 
 
"Good night, big bro!" Said Sepia chipperly, heading to her own room.
 
 
It wasn't too big but it was cozy, consisting of a single bed, closet, dresser and a TV stand with a wide flat screen, equipped with the latest gaming consoles, all decorated in colors of purple and black. Memorabilia was displayed throughout the room as well, such as posters and trinkets.
 
 
Sepia collapsed on her bed, burying her head in her pillow. All in all it had been a good day. Her job may be reputable for being bottom of the barrel in terms of employment but she appreciates it, especially considering there was never a dull moment whenever she clocks in. And best of all, she had had a lot of action today, especially when she got to see Drake at last. If she fell asleep right then and there it would have been a perfect day.
 
 
But such didn't turn out to be the case.
 
 
Rolling over to try and find a more comfortable angle, Sepia inadvertently spotted a certain object lying on her nightstand. Instantly any jubilation at the day's events dissipated like mist, sadness and grief taking its place as Sepia's ever present perky smile fell from her mouth for a look of despair. Sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Sepia reached out and picked up the object. To anyone else it appeared to be nothing but a simple black compact, a common makeup item girls use to apply makeup, but to Sepia it was a reminder of a recent hard loss. Looking over at the far wall, Sepia saw several pictures, all depicted four individuals: her and her brother and two of their very best friends in the world.
 
 
The Snerrets, Sonata and Grayscale.
 
 
She would never forget the day she went over to their apartment to find it empty, entering using a key Sonata and Grayscale had made for her. The Snerret's and the bat-hybrids were on such good terms that they fully trusted each other with access to their housings, Sonata and Grayscale having a key to Sepia and Mono's house too. She hadn't thought much about the empty apartment at the time, having only dropped by to borrow Sonata's compact so she could use it to make herself up for a rave that night. The same compact she now held. Sepia had tried day after day to try and return the compact afterwards, opting to not just leave it back where she found it so she could inform Sonata it was her who had borrowed it; just in case Sonata noticed it was missing, only to be met with an empty apartment again and again. She tried calling and texting next, but not only did she not get any response, but she never even succeeded in connecting with Sonata's phone. That was when Sepia began to get worried. After two days of no sign of Sonata and Grayscale her and Mono went out looking for them, checking their favorite hangout spots, checking their social media for any hint of their whereabouts, even going as far as to check in with relatives. Sonata's parents hadn't heard from her and Gray's hadn't seen him since last Mother's Day. Sonata hadn't even released any new content on her blog, and given how much of a media buff she is, not to mention how much she depends on her content for a living, that was really concerning.
 
 
At this point more than forty eight hours had passed so Sepia and Mono had gone to the police and filed a missing persons case. An investigation was initiated, with everyone in Sonata and Grayscale's life being interviewed, including Sepia and Mono. But the only details that turned up was that Sonata had bought a new phone recently and their landlord had to enter their apartment once to shut off the shower, which had been left on. Several weeks had gone by and no new information on the Snerret's whereabouts had come to light, despite the police's best attempts. The last time Sepia and Mono had gone to the police to check on the progress of the investigation they received a theory that shook Sepia's soul. There was no evidence of foul play, or any sign of a kidnapping, so the police began to suspect serial vorarephilia might be involved. Serial vorarephilia was a crime centered around voraphiles, like Sepia, only the perpetrators get off on the suffering and death of their prey, like a rapist or a serial killer. They were especially fond of eating people and not reconstituting them at a Rejuvenation Clinic, in fact, they seemed to get off on that fact alone, rather than the gender of their victims or anything else. It wouldn't be the first time someone vanished without a trace as a result of this crime, after all, there would be nobody afterwards.
 
 
Especially for preds that can swallow somebody whole.
 
 
Sepia didn't believe it at first, especially considering how ferocious Sonata could be; she doubted anyone could overpower her easily. But as time went by with absolutely no news Sepia began to have doubts. After all, there were other predators out there just as ferocious as Snerrets.
 
 
If it turned out to be true, however, Sepia didn't know what she was going to do. The police had also searched Sonata and Grayscale's apartment for stores of hair or other genetic material that could be used at a Rejuvenation Clinic to revive them but hadn't found anything. It was surmised that Sonata and Grayscale had recently used their stores of genetics themselves and hadn't restocked them yet. If it turned out to be serial vorarephilia, without any available genetic material, Sonata and Grayscale might actually be gone for good. If two years went by without any trace of them, Sonata and Grayscale would be declared legally dead.
 
 
Sepia didn't want to accept that.
 
 
Ever since they had lost their parents in that accident, Sepia and her brother had cherished everyone valued in their lives, including their friends. Losing Sonata and Grayscale, it would be like losing their parents again, if not worse, what with everything they had been through together. Sepia and Mono may not have been too serious with the physical aspect of their relationship with them, but they weren't the type to take someone to bed and not develop an emotional attachment, at least not with people they have slept with multiple times. And Sepia and Mono had definitely had a multitude of steamy bedroom activities with Sonata and Grayscale ever since their first meeting.
 
 
"First mom and dad!" Sepia mumbled to herself, stroking the compact that may very well be the only thing she had left of her beloved friends now. "Now Sonata and Grayscale? Why? Why is everyone we love being taken from us?"
 
 
Sepia could not bottle it in anymore, the tears coming in full force, trailing her cheeks as she held Sonata's compact to her chest. She was so lost in her emotional turmoil she didn't even register her door opening, but she did register her brother wrapping his encompassing arms around her and pulling her to his chest. Looking up, Sepia looked into Mono's eyes, full of love and support, though carrying just as much loss as her. He smiled at her and leaned down to place a comforting, brotherly kiss on her brow. It eased her mind to a degree and she buried herself in her brother's chest. A slight nudge on her shoulder brought her attention to her side, looking down to see Mango had coiled around her body and was nuzzling her. Mango is a Titanic fruit python, a breed of serpent usually kept as pets by snake enthusiasts. They are bright orange and yellow with green frills on their heads, and possessed a high enough intellect to understand speech, though were incapable of vocalizing themselves.
 
 
Mango was actually Grayscale's pet, but they had taken responsibility for him after he and Sonata disappeared.
 
 
"You miss them, don't you?" Sepia murmured with a sad smile to the colorful python, stroking his head. Mango nodded and buried his head in her bosom.
 
 
"We all miss them Sep, so you're not alone," reassured Mono, stroking her hair as he held her.
 
 
Sepia seemed to calm in her brother's presence, her tears stemming, though not ceasing as she buried her head in his well toned chest once more. "I bet you really miss Gray, huh, bro?"
 
 
Mono chuckled dryly. "Yeah, the little pipsqueak had grown on me."
 
 
Their sexualities were known between the four of them, and Grayscale had approached Mono on more than one occasion. He didn't go through with it at first, usually preferring more masculine partners, but Grayscale had somehow worn Sepia's stoic brother down until it eventually happened. It actually was more fulfilling than Mono had expected, Grayscale surprisingly able to keep up with him, despite the obvious difference in strength and stature. And according to Gray it was all from his experiences with Sonata. Mono had almost been tempted to try females after that, if Sonata was such a dynamo.
 
 
Throughout the night, the snake-hybrid siblings held each other, along with Mango. Sometimes Sepia would break down again, Mono shedding his own tears as he comforted her. Eventually they cried themselves to sleep, brother and sister holding each other as they had always done ever since they found themselves alone in this world, the only family being each other, after mom and dad were gone.
 
 
Neither of them were awake when the rim of the compact, which Sepia still held tightly in her hand, began to glow a slight silver, a familiar male Snerret's voice seeping out from between the seams.
 
 
"So, Nillyna, I've been meaning to ask…?"
 
 
—
Back on Aquasa it had been a few weeks since the excursion to Azhore and Sonata and Grayscale were taking full advantage of Nillyna's hospitality and were staying at her estate. Nillyna had wasted no time in getting right to assembling the Arcane Capacitor, using the supplies she had obtained in Azhore. According to her, its construction was going as well as to be expected. However, there was one last hurdle to overcome. The Arcane Capacitor required one final key element, then it would be finished: Seismospheres.
 
 
From what Nillyna describes, it's these spheres that set Arcane Capacitors apart from talismans, being the primary component that amplifies the potency of the magic stores within. Not only were they rare, but extremely volatile and dangerous, a single one capable of blowing a hole in a mountain if handled incorrectly. It was the perilous nature of seismospheres that made Arcane Capacitors so forbidden in the first place. Sonata and Grayscale didn't like the concept of them either, sounding like they might as well be living next to a pile of C-4 should Nillyna successfully complete the Arcane Capacitor. But it was still their best bet of returning home.
 
 
In the meantime, Nillyna had insisted they take another reprieve from anything involving the Arcane Capacitor to divert suspicion; like they had in Artisan's Alley back in Azhore. Queen Miari might have been understanding to their plight, but, according to Nillyna, there were other organizations that kept an eye out for any suspicious activity, and if they were to just outright obtain seismospheres right after everything that happened in Azhore it would draw the attention of those that they were trying so hard to avoid. Only this time the reprieve had to be longer, a lot longer. Weeks. Not just to divert suspicion, but so Nillyna could get in touch with the proper contacts. There was only one way to get seismospheres without going through the proper channels; a process that could take three times longer than the required charge time of the Arcane Capacitor. The Tetra's. From Nillyna's description these sizable quadrupedal reptilians were the master race of shopkeepers, traffickers, vendors, and traders on Aquasa, able to pretty much haggle anything, even the air you breathe. Sonata and Grayscale had never heard of such inherent equivalents in a whole race before, with haggling virtually ingrained in the DNA of their entire species.
 
 
And until Nillyna could get in touch with the proper Tetra they had nothing to do but enjoy any hospitality Nillyna's home had to offer once more. That was something that Sonata and Grayscale would have a challenge with, considering Aquasa's lack of media and video games. But that wasn't to say that there wasn't "anything" to peak their interest: there was a very extensive library that Sonata and Grayscale could rummage through, the books within very interesting, be they academic, historical, and even fictional; both of them finding a book titled The Peril of Gloomy Pass a good read, very eerie and spooky. There's Nillyna's garden too, always so tranquil and beautiful. And there were also Sonata and Grayscale new abilities. They spent a majority of their time honing these unique powers, experimenting with them, testing their limits; under Nillyna's strict supervision, of course. They soon discovered that forming constructs like some Green Lantern knock off wasn't the extent of what they could do while basking in Aquasa's blue sun either, able to even cast spells with specific and prolonged effects who's limits were only what Sonata and Grayscale could imagine. They found themselves enjoying this immensely, to be able to virtually do anything with but a mere thought.
 
 
 It was like living a fantasy game.
 
 
Especially when they had obtained talismans of their own. Grayscale was allowed to keep the ring they'd picked up in Azhore, when Nillyna had decided both of them should have a talisman on hand, in case they ever needed to defend themselves while outside of direct contact with sunlight. However, Sonata wanted her talisman to be different, though she did have to wait a few days, due to the grueling process Nillyna had to go through in order to obtain it for her. Apparently the magic bigwigs of this world were very fond of their complicated systems, almost like bureaucrats on Terra. Sonata had requested that her talisman not resemble some mundane piece of jewelry, like a ring or a necklace; she wanted something more her speed. And anyone who knew her wouldn't have been surprised to learn she had requested that her talisman be a nipple ring.
 
 
She often wore it in place of her left barbell, the ice blue crystals it had in place of beads shimmering whilst fully stocked up with sunlight.
 
 
They had also found a hobby all of them could enjoy shortly after returning from Azhore as well. After the run in with the Hydra, Sonata, Grayscale, and Nillyna had found themselves quite filthy; with Sonata and Grayscale actually being soaked in the monster's blood so had needed a trip to the Downpour Chamber. Lily had even joined them, despite not having the same gory problem, curious about the experience. They had all decided to use the Downpour in Sonata and Grayscale's room together, so Nillyna could observe them and make sure they weren't reacting to the Hydra blood in any way; other than being entirely disgusted, of course.
 
 
It was during this occasion that the four truly began talking amongst each other whilst they cleansed themselves and had rather enjoyed the experience, so every once in a while they would all convene at Sonata and Grayscale's Downpour Chamber to have friendly conversations while cleansing themselves. The first session consisted of mainly Nillyna teaching Lily the basics on how to use a Downpour Chamber while Sonata and Grayscale washed off the Hydra blood. This eventually grew to a conversation where Sonata and Grayscale shared the great lengths they occasionally go through for cosplay, the concept of which they had to explain to Nillyna and Lily from the ground up, but once they got the gist of it, they found it interesting, and after they were done, Sonata suggested they do this more often.
 
 
It was relaxing, and the tranquil warm water provided the perfect environment for them to talk and get to know each other better.
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale were permitted to go first. As unintentional as this entire situation is for all involved, they were still Nillyna’s guests so it was only polite. They first talked about their upbringing, growing up in the suburbs of Stoat City, Sonata experiencing an upper-middle class lifestyle, while Gray was moderately lower-middle class, but neither would change a thing about their childhoods. They then explained how they met. It was their freshman year of college and they were both studying the same course (photography), and had been inseparable ever since.
 
 
It was after graduation that they took up the lifestyle they live now, streaming online, with Sonata acting out certain endeavor’s for her online audience, most of the time sexual, while Grey handles the technical side of things. He rarely ever gets involved with the intercourse portion of the content, but will get involved under the right circumstances. Mostly when their subscribers want to see them together. Shippers! Do they not realize he and Sonata are just friends with benefits?
 
 
If Grayscale had any form of strong presence on Sonata's blog, it was in the speed runs. Sex was great and all, but Gray preferred the thrill of the challenge of a good speed run. Well, at least when streaming is involved.
 
 
All this backstory was revealed over the course of a few weeks, for there was only so much time one could spend bathing before becoming pruney, and they had decided to regulate these kinds of conversations to the Downpour Chamber. It was relaxing and therapeutic in a way and all the elements lined up for an enjoyable experience.
 
 
Eventually, Sonata and Grayscale wanted to know more about Nillyna and Lily respectively as well. They knew Nillyna was kinda like a merc and a solutionist by trade, and was pretty well known amongst adept magic-users, but hadn't heard anything else about her. It was here Nillyna explained that, as a Lepidopteran, she was highly gifted in magic, and at a very young age had dedicated all her time and energy towards honing those skills as far as she could. She attended the best institute of magical education and was top of the class throughout her education; even attaining valedictorian. Another parallel of their worlds.
 
 
It was during this recollection that Sonata and Grayscale realized that Nillyna was quite the philomath and lone wolf during her academic career and her working career. Never once mentioning anything about friends or family. It brought a question to Gray's mind.
 
 
"So, Nillyna, I've been meaning to ask…" Grayscale said during a lull in one of their Downpour sessions, lathering his hair with suds. “If you have always been so gung-ho about your smarts and career, how did you and Lily end up together?”
 
 
Sonata, who had been lying on the floor and allowing the warm droplets to slide over her form suddenly bolted up and gave him an indignant look.
 
 
“Gray! Don't ask such a personal question,” she reprimanded.
 
 
“What?” Grayscale said with a shrug. “I’m bringing up a valid point. Workaholics usually don't have time for a physical relationship. Remember your Aunt Aria?”
 
 
Sonata folded her arms and looked away, unable to hide her blush. Mostly because it could not be denied that Grayscale did have a point. Her aunt Aria, who was her mother's sister, was a whopping twenty years older than her mother, and yet, her mother had seen more action than her (Sonata herself was living proof of that), whereas her aunt was focused on financial success and almost nothing else. And, regretfully so, Nillyna's mannerisms were pretty much identical, except with magic, instead of banking. So how had she found herself a partner?
 
 
At Gray's question Nillyna and Lily exchange a nervous look, Lily sitting on the floor of the Downpour Chamber while Nillyna tends to her long luscious green hair. “It's alright,” said Nillyna reassuringly. “I don't mind talking about it.”
 
 
From there, Nillyna relayed in detail about how, after amassing enough wealth to be completely independent many years ago, she had dedicated herself to a personal secret project, though instead of mentioning she sought eternal youth, Nillyna claimed she was looking for a method of harnessing magic without the use of direct sunlight or talismans- though she had grown to trust the snerrets deeply, she and Lily were still hesitant to tell them of the true properties of Lily’s fruit, thus she concocted this falsehood to prevent any temptation. Eventually Nillyna got to the point where she had hit a snag in her progress and nearly scrapped her current theorem altogether, when suddenly she had been contacted by an anonymous informant, claiming they had information to aid in her progress. Both snerrets wondered what sort of “party” Nillyna would get involved with, considering how secretive she was, but they didn’t press any further. Nillyna then explained how her mysterious unknown partner sent her a list of rare and powerful ingredients that could be used to make a potion that would produce the desired effects, the rarest and most potent of them all being a very special fruit; the fruit from Lily.
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale blinked in surprise and slight intrigue as they drew their attention to Lily, who was brushing her hair; a skill she was trying diligently to get the hang of ever since she was introduced to the prospect of bathing.
 
 
“You…produce fruit?” Sonata asked, Grayscale tilting his head in perplexion beside her.
 
 
Lily stopped mid stroke; thankfully not getting the comb tangled in her hair, for the umpteenth time. “Well, I am a plant,” she stated simply, eyeing Grayscale in particular as she noticed his eyes scanning over her figure. “And in case you’re wondering, no, it doesn’t grow on this body of mine.” Grayscale momentarily thought of making a joke about melons, but decided against it.
 
 
Turning their attention back to Nillyna, she then recalled meeting LIly for the first time: her journey to Lily’s meadow, how Lily originally ensnared Nillyna with her vines, and how they had “haggled” over the fruit.
 
 
“So, in exchange for your fruit that can apparently boost a magician's magical libido, you wanted Nillyna to fuck your brain's out?” Sonata asked.
 
 
Lily genuinely blushed through her green skin. “It was lonely in my meadow… don't be too quick to judge me.”
 
 
“At least not yet,” she thought bitterly.
 
 
“So, that’s how you two ended up together?” Grayscale asked.
 
 
Lily gripped her comb nervously. “Well, not initially, no. We did have some wonderful sex that night, but afterwards… well, I ate her.”
 
 
Their eyes widened in shock, memories of their first encounter with Lily suddenly resurfacing. “You ate her?” Sonata gasped. “But you made a deal!”
 
 
“Yes, but there was another deal I had made at the time, one with a woman named Shadow…” She went on to explain the pact she had made with the dark sorceress, how in exchange for her precious fruit, Shadow would lure unsuspecting people to Lily’s meadow for her to fuck and feed upon. She then described how Shadow betrayed her and nearly killed Lily, only for Nillyna to defeat Shadow and rescue Lily, spending the next several days nursing her back to health.
 
 
“Even after she betrayed you like that?” Sonata said to Nillyna, her brow furrowed slightly.
 
 
“Please, do not judge Lily too harshly,” Nillyna insisted gently, placing a comforting hand on her visibly deflated girlfriend's shoulder. “She was a different person back then, with different outlooks. She had lived a solitary life focused on survival, until I came around and showed her a different way of living.”
 
 
Sonata and Grayscale shifted uncomfortably in their seats, recalling how Lily tried to ensnare and devour them both when they had first arrived on Aquasa. It was all a misunderstanding of course, they had established that long ago and had considered Lily a friend for a while now, but knowing how she used to be a much more deceitful and dangerous predator than they originally thought shook them deep down. Still, it brought her relationship with Nillyna in a new light.
 
 
Grayscale, sensing the tension in between them all, decided to try and relieve the pressure. “I guess the sex was really that good, huh?”
 
 
That resulted in Sonata giving him an exasperated side-eye followed by an indignant smack to his side with her tail. Lily stifled a laugh, while Nillyna simply sighed. “Well, I certainly couldn’t just leave her to suffer and die, in spite of what she had done. And… even then, during our coitus I had developed a spark of compassion for Lily, and tending to her wounds afterwards only made it grow into… love.” She turned to look Lily in the eyes tenderly, before sharing a quick but passionate kiss.
 
 
“Lily,” Sonata suddenly said, looking at Lily with a look of deep sympathy. “I don't condone the deal you made with that woman, but even you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry about your forest.”
 
 
“Yeah, me too,” agreed Grayscale, wearing a look of equal sympathy. Lily said nothing but silently smiled back at them both, a look of warm gratitude on her face.
 
 
As their retelling went into Lily’s recovery and the Soul Contract they had signed, Grayscale and Nillyna went back to bathing their respective partners, working soft soap over their backs.
 
 
“Whoa, talk about a rocky start,” Gray commented, rubbing Sonata’s shoulder blades. “And that Soul Contract? Talk about extreme measures.”
 
 
“It was the only way to assure Lily how genuine my intentions were,” said Nillyna as she wrapped her arms around Lily briefly, pressing her breasts flat against her back as she rested her head upon Lily’s shoulder, Lily leaning her own head against Nillyna’s tenderly. “She had already been through one betrayal, after all.”
 
 
Grayscale continued to ponder the concept however. These Soul Contracts sounded extremely dodgy. A document in which neither signer can break the terms of. Nillyna's version sounded pretty straightforward and innocent, but something told Grayscale that they could be just as crafty and sneaky as any other contract, capable of being loaded with clauses and loopholes that could probably really screw someone over. He made a mental note to be on the lookout for now on.
 
 
Sonata, on the other hand, was contemplating something else. Ever since Nillyna brought up how Lily had devoured her after their first intercourse she had noticed ticks and flinching in her posture that she was very familiar with. Sonata's profession had experiences in certain aspects of certain phobias that were common back home, and if she was reading the room right, Nillyna was suffering from something similar.
 
 
And maybe she could help her out.