“Hey, check this out!”
	The light-gray-furred raccoon brushed a thin layer of dust off of a metal box no more than two-by-one feet in size. Something was inscribed in its scratched surface, but the dim glow of his lantern wasn’t quite enough to read by.
	“What’s that, Ieniki?” asked a wolf as he stepped out of the murky darkness. His light green eyes glimmered among his blue fur.
They’d been in the lonesome, abandoned library for over an hour, having taken shelter from a particularly nasty storm. A thin sheen of dust coated every surface in sight, stirring up into thin clouds as they walked. The only light came from the pair of lamps they had brought in with them and the occasional flickers of lightning that shone from the brown-tinged windows.
	“I dunno’. It’s some sort of box. It feels pretty heavy- I think it’s made of steel.”
	The old wooden walls groaned as a gust of wind rushed past. It wormed its way through rotten joints and jagged cracks, stirring up the scattered papers on the creaky floors. The gust grew to a peak, making the flames of their lanterns dance and sputter.
With a whoosh and a hiss, their lamps went out. Ieniki yelped as the room plunged into darkness and dropped the box. It hit the ground with a loud CLANG as its lid popped off. An intense blue light radiated from within, fading away over the course of a few seconds.
“Unex!” shouted the raccoon. “What’s happening?”
The world felt as if it were spinning. He stumbled forwards, only to run smack dab into the box with a slightly quieter clang. This surprised him greatly, as it couldn’t have been more than four inches tall.
Unex fumbled with his lantern for a moment, struggling to get a match to light. It sputtered and hissed as he struck it against the lantern’s rough hood; the frightened yelps of his friend did little to help. With a dull hiss it finally caught aflame. Relieved, the wolf re-lit the lantern.
Where his friend had been standing, though, he saw nothing.
“Ieniki?” he said. “Where’re you?”
“Why’re you so big?” sputtered the raccoon.
“What? Where’re-” said Unex before peering down and catching sight of the three-inch-tall raccoon. “Oh.”
“How’d you get so big?” asked Ieniki a second time.
“I don’t think I’m any bigger,” said Unex. “You’re tiny!”
“What? Tiny?”
“Something happened when you dropped that thing,” said the wolf as he walked over and knelt down by the tiny raccoon. “DO NOT OPEN, it says. I guess that’s why, then.”
“Well now what’m I supposed to do? I can’t just go around like this.”
“I’m sure you can get back to normal somehow.”
Ieniki groaned and rubbed his eyes. The low grumbles of thunder of the relentless storm seemed all the louder now; each rumble caused everything to shake ever so slightly. It was quite disconcerting, to say the least.
“Want me to carry you?” asked Unex. 
“I guess,” said the raccoon. “But be careful, alright?”
Unex reached down and scooped up his friend in his free hand. His gloved palm was just big enough to hold him comfortably, although he was still quite wary of dropping him.
“C’mon, let’s go,” said the wolf.
They searched through the shelves around the mysterious box for some time. Unex would lift Ieniki onto a high shelf to let him search about; being small certainly had its advantages. Even so, though, ten minutes passed without headway.
“Guh,” grumbled Unex as a shiver rippled through his fur. “It’s cold in here.”
Ieniki scurried back over towards him, standing on a shelf at just below eye level.
	“Yeah,” said the raccoon. “Feels like a freezer.”
	“Y’know, this is really weird.”
	“Yeah, tell me about it. First there’s a freak storm, then I wind up this short…”
	“I’m starving; I haven’t eaten much since this morning.”
	“Yeah. You’ve said that more than once.”
	“And, well, I’ve always wanted to…eat you.”
	“Yea- what?” sputtered Ieniki, backing up a step as his eyes widened. “Are you fnuts?”
	Unex blushed. “I’m sure you’d like it, though-”
	“But that’s crazy! Why would I want to-”
	“You’d be fine, honest.”
	“Huh? What’re you even talking about?”
	Unex reached into the pack slung over his shoulder. After a moment’s fumbled, he procured a small blue vial. Its contents shimmered ever so faintly.
	“It’ll reform you like nothing happened,” he explained. “Plus, it might get you back to normal size!”
	“I- I guess that’d work. But still- are you sure it’s safe?”
	“Promise.”
“O-okay.”
	The wolf held out his hand; Ieniki crawled onto its soft surface after a moment’s trepidation. Unex pulled him up close to his muzzle, breathing warm, murky air over his shrunken friend.
	“It’s so warm,” murmured the raccoon. “Better than the cold.”
	Unex set the lantern down on the shelf and opened his jaws nice and wide. The dancing light of the oil-flame glimmered off of the saliva-coated flesh inside his humid maw, interrupted by the dark entrance to his throat.
	“I dunno, though-” said Ieniki.
	He squirmed as the wolf’s tongue slipped out and spilled over him, enveloping him in its warm folds. The sensation, whilst frightening at first, quickly became strangely comforting. Gooey drool poured over him, driving away the cold.
	Unex withdrew his tongue and grinned toothily.
	“Ready?”
	Ieniki nodded.
	“Yeah,” he said, with the faintest hint of elation.
The wolf’s tongue slurped back out, wrapping snugly around his little friend’s chest. With rhythmic convulsions, it began to draw him inside. Hot, humid breath spilled over the raccoon as his head and shoulders slipped into the damp maw. Saliva dripped from its vaulted pink roof, drizzling him with even more of the slime. Unex released his grip, allowing the rest of Ieniki’s light-gray body to slide deep inside.
	Unex churred lowly as he shut his jaws with a soft clack. He worked his slick tongue about, tasting every inch of his miniscule friend. His maw positively dripped with drool, soaking Ieniki from head to toe. The raccoon continued to squirm, gasping for breath as the canine slushed him about like a boat amid the waves of a tempest. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel strangely content as he squelched about amid the pleasantly soft cage of fangs and flesh.
	The raccoon began to rub the inside of the wolf’s maw with his paws, pressing up against the soft flesh. Unex chuckled and relaxed for a minute to give his friend a chance to enjoy himself upon that long, sticky tongue. He could only imagine how warm and soft it might feel.
Ieniki splayed out, stretching delightedly and wiggling his toes. The muscle beneath him gradually rose and fell, bobbing him about within the dimly illuminated maw. 
	“Don’t stop,” he laughed. “This is amazing!”
	Unex nodded and curled his tongue up around Ieniki, embracing him in a wet chute of muscle. He tilted his head back, sending him sliding towards the back of his maw. The tongue beneath Ieniki lurched upwards at the last moment, preventing him from tumbling down into the dark, cavernous gullet. It smushed him up against the wolf’s soft palate, enveloping him in warmth.
	“It feels…great,” murmured Ieniki. “Go ahead…”
	Unex shifted his tongue ever so slightly. So slathered in drool was Ieniki that he slipped back without resistance, brushing against the wolf’s dangling uvula before tipping into his yawning throat. There he hung for a brief moment- staring down into the void from which came the impatient groans of an empty stomach.
Unex shut his eyes and swallowed with a wet GLURK, sending a shudder of pleasure rippling through his blue fur.
	Muscular walls squeezed Ieniki, shuttling him deeper and deeper inside Unex’s tight gullet. Although no less slick than the interior of the wolf’s warm maw, they gave him little room to move. He pressed against them to without avail as they squeezed him along with their rhythmic contractions. Each rippling surge of muscle worked more of the swallowed saliva into him; his fur was completely drenched with the drool. He could see nothing, but the waxing lub-dub of the wolf’s heartbeat left no doubt that he was nearing the end of his journey.
	Unex traced the wriggling bulge down his throat with a finger, then burped softly and smiled. He lay down on the creaky wooden floor, peering up at the ceiling as lightning flickered through the rattling windows. He didn’t intend to let his friend stay conscious for too long- lest he suffer undue pain in his stomach- but he couldn’t help but swallow a gulp or two of air. It worked its way down his throat, following his prey deep down inside.
	Rippling walls of slimy muscle enveloped Ieniki as he slipped into Unex’s stomach. The heavy rasping of the wolf’s breaths and the dull thuds of his heartbeat reverberated within the fleshy prison, mingling with the slow surges of gradually pooling acids. They stirred as the stomach walls churned rhythmically, lulling him into a trance. The raccoon rubbed the fleshy folds, writhing with delight. It felt safe and secure within the wolf’s belly; the storm felt to be worlds away.
	“Happy in there?” said Unex, his muffled voice rumbling throughout his stomach.
“Yeah!” said Ieniki. “It’s all warm and squishy in here!”
“Well, you just get comfortable in there, little guy.”
	Ieniki nodded to himself and continued to rub. So pleased was he that he barely even noticed as the air became heavy and stale, causing him to drift off into a deep sleep.
“So…warm…” he murmured.
The acids continued to rise as Unex stretched out and settled down for a brief nap. The wolf started to knead his gurgling belly, squelching Ieniki about with each press of paws. He let out a long, low, rippling uuuurrphhhh and shut his eyes as his pleasantly full stomach gurgled and groaned.
	Several hours later, the blue wolf’s eyes flickered open. A light rain pitter-pattered against the windows; dim light filtered down onto the musty bookshelves around him. He poked at his now-flat stomach and smiled as a gurgling groan rippled within his belly. His pack lay nearby; he reached in and pulled out one of the flasks. With a deft motion he popped out the cork and swallowed the blue solution.
	A few seconds passed before it reached his belly. A few more went by as a blue smoke began to rise up his gullet, filtering out through his maw and into the outside world. Rather than dispersing, though, it coalesced into a vaguely humanoid form. The last few wisps escaped his fangs as the cloud took on a more detailed form. A glowing blue light suffused the mist, then flashed blindingly for a moment. It faded to reveal Ieniki- standing just as tall as he always had.
	“See?” grinned Unex.