Soft vore, male pred, furry female prey.

One day, Yuki invited Edward and Ginger over to her house, where she was having an informal dinner party with friends and family. Denali and Victor were there, along with Oscar, Jessie, Phoenix, and Yuki's older brother, Kurono. Kurono had brought with him his wife, Amara, and their two cubs. Sika and Mori were rambunctious, spoiled little cubs who didn't seem to know when to be quiet. They raced around the house, screaming excitedly at the top of their lungs and pulling on their parents' tails when they were bored.

Edward cringed and covered his ears for a moment as the screaming ricocheted off the walls. On the other hand, Ginger had been captivated by the cubs at play since the moment they had arrived.

"Can I go play with them, Ed? Pleeeeease?" Ginger asked for about the fifth time that evening.

But Edward shook his head. "No, Gingersnap, it's too dangerous. They don't know how to play with a fragile little kitty like you, and I don't want you to get hurt..." He frowned when Ginger looked crestfallen.

"C'mon, don't give me that look...let's go see what Yuki's doing."

Ginger perked up immediately. "Okay!"

"Atta girl." Edward winked at her. He got up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen with Ginger clinging to his shoulder.

"Hey Yuki, what's - urghh." Edward growled under his breath as the cubs appeared between him and the kitchen door, racing around him in circles and shouting about winning a race. He waited for them to push their toy cars out of the way before he walked into the kitchen and slumped down on a stool at the kitchen island. "Can't you tell them to be quiet?"

Yuki set down the potato she was peeling and turned to give Edward an apologetic smile. "Sorry Ed, but those two won't listen to me. Would you like to help us out here in the kitchen? The cubs aren't allowed to come here while we're cooking."

"Uh," Edward looked around at his friend's working in the kitchen. Victor and Denali were making a filling for dumplings, and Phoenix seemed to be preparing a sauce of some kind in a large pot. The owl turned to him and gave him a hopeful smile. "Sure, I'll help out...why not." Edward stood up and walked over to the multi-colored owl. "What should I do?"

"You can make a nice fruit salad for us, dear. You'll need to wash some grapes and strawberries, then chop up some watermelon and bananas and put it all in a bowl with some orange zest."

"Ooh, can I help too?" Ginger poked her head out between the folds of Edward's jacket. "I can make salad!"

But Edward shook his head. "There are knives and fire and sharp edges everywhere - Yuki has a lot more than our little kitchen at home. It's way too dangerous for you, Gingersnap." The boy scooped Ginger up into his palm and carried her into the dining room, where he placed her inside the mouth of a ceramic bass meant to hold keys and other odds and ends. The fish sat on a shelf far out of the cubs' reach. "Promise me you'll stay in here, okay? It's safe, and I'll be back to get you in a little bit."

Ginger plopped down on the ceramic floor and crossed her arms over her chest, staring up at her friend indignantly. "Hmph." She responded.

"Please, Ginger, promise me you'll stay right here."

"Fine, I promise."

Edward sighed. "I'm just trying to keep you safe. See you in a little bit." He muttered before he disappeared from view. "Don't go anywhere!" He called from the kitchen.

Ginger sat still for exactly 30 seconds before her curiosity got the better of her. She'd never been on top of this particular shelf in Yuki's house before, and she felt a pull, as if an invisible string looped around her waist was leading her out of the fish and into adventure. The ocelot carefully climbed out of the fish's mouth and walked around to its tail to see what was on the other side. A row of nick knacks sat on the shelf leading to a wall with a window on the other side.

On her way to the opposite wall, Ginger climbed into the outstretched paw of a stone dragon statue, crawled behind skull-shaped salt and pepper shakers, and weaved between the columns of an ornate clock. Once she reached the wall with the window, she spotted another opportunity for adventure: a cloth curtain that was just within her reach and led all the way down to the floor below.

Ginger crept up to the edge of the shelf, grabbed hold of the curtain and swung onto it, digging her tiny claws into the fabric. She slowly inched downwards, passing another shelf on her way, until her paws touched the wooden floor and she let go. From there, she decided to jog under the dining room table and snuck into the living room by crawling under the couch.

"Ohhh!" Ginger's eyes widened in excitement when she saw the cubs' toys strewn all over the floor. There were different species of anthropomorphic animal dolls scattered around a collection of clothes, furniture, pets, and automobiles. One of them, a little red truck with open doors, caught her attention as though it was calling to her.

The ocelot raced to the car, slid in the driver's seat, and carefully closed the doors, giggling gleefully. She even put on the toy seat belt and pretended to lock the doors before she grabbed the steering wheel. "Road trip!" She laughed, spinning the wheel as she imagined herself driving along a desert road. In fact, the little ocelot was having so much fun pretending to drive that she didn't hear the toddling paw-steps coming up behind her.

Ginger stared at the steering wheel in disbelief when the truck started to roll forward. "I'm doing it, I'm driving! If only Ed could see me now, I'm perfectly safe and - uh oh." The ocelot glanced into the tiny rear view mirror and gasped when she saw the spotted paws pushing the truck along. The car sped forward and ran over a miniature picnic blanket before it soared bumpily into the air accompanied by zooming sounds from behind her.

Ginger squeaked and clung to the dashboard for dear life, grateful for the seat belt and plastic windows keeping her inside the car. Looking out the side window, she saw that Mori was running next to his sister, "flying" a motorcycle through the air next to Sika's red truck. He looked so unmistakably happy that Ginger laughed out loud with glee.

"Wooo!" Ginger now pretended she was flying through space in a magic car driven by giants from a faraway land. She pressed a little button on the dashboard and danced to the cheesy tune that played from the speakers.

Suddenly, Mori looked into the windows of the truck and pointed. "Kitty!" He shouted, looking beside himself with joy.

Sika pushed the car onto the couch and opened the driver's side door.

Ginger looked up into her big, hazel eyes and gave an uncertain smile. "U-Um, hi, my name's Ginger. Nice to meet-"

"Kitty!" Sika reached into the car, wrapped her fluffy fingers around Ginger and lifted her out of the seat belt and into the air. The ocelot glanced up at the adults sitting in the room, but none of them seemed to notice she was there. They must think I'm just another toy… She thought.

"I'm not one of your toys! B-be gentle, please." Ginger looked down at the carpeted floor below and quickly clung to the snow leopard's finger, carefully avoiding her claws.

"Lemme see! Be careful, sis." Mori reached for Ginger, but Sika yanked her out of his reach. She placed Ginger in a doll chair and brushed the red fluff of hair on her head with a tiny plastic comb.

Ginger snickered and batted her paw at the comb. "I already combed my hair today, thanks."

"My turn, my turn!" Mori held his paw out for Ginger and she crawled into his palm, deciding he was the more gentle cub of the two. He carefully set her down inside of a doll crib and rocked it back and forth. Just when she was starting to relax, Mori picked her up again and licked her head affectionately, like a mother with her cub.

"Mm, Kitty tastes like a Christmas cookie!" Mori concluded.

"I wanna try!" Sika snatched Ginger away from her brother and licked the ocelot's head. As she did so, the leopard's stomach rumbled and she whined. "Hungry."

Ginger shuddered. Maybe if I stop moving they'll think I was an enchanted toy that turned back into a doll! She went limp in Sika's paw and half-lidded her eyes so she could see what was going on, praying Sika would fall for it.

"Sis, be gentle with Kitty!" Mori shouted. "Gimme!" He tried to take Ginger from her, but Sika danced away from him.

"I'm hungry!" Sika growled playfully at him. She ignored her brother's pleas and lifted the ocelot above her head, dangling her above her fang-filled maw.

Although Ginger felt her chest tighten with anxiety, she forced herself to remain still in hopes Sika would grow bored and put her down. Her tiny paws were just about to touch Sika's tongue when a shout erupted through the house.

"GINGER!" Edward bellowed. He was racing into the living room, clapping his hands together and forming a sharp blade on his auto-mail arm. He pulled Ginger out of Sika's mouth and held her close to his chest while aiming his weapon at the cub's snout. He shook with anger as he fearfully glanced down at the ocelot. "Ginger! Please tell me you're alright!" He wanted to swallow her then and there, but all eyes were now on him. Too many people were watching.

Ginger quickly sat up in Edwards palm and clung to his finger, shaking a bit herself as she looked up into his golden eyes. "I-I'm okay, Ed. I didn't get hurt I was just pretending to be a doll-"

"You should never have left that fish! You promised me!"

Ginger cringed when Edward's voice broke and her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't trust kids." Edward glared down his arm at Sika, who sat pointing to the weapon and shouting about how shiny it was while her brother sobbed behind her back.

The adults in the room, who had stood awestruck, suddenly leapt into action. Amara and Kurono pulled the cubs away from Edwards blade, shouting angrily as they held their children to their chests to comfort them.

"They started it!" Edward yelled back, starting to advance on the family of leopard.

Phoenix ran in from the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Edward's waist to prevent him from lunging at the cubs in anger. He was breathing heavily, his golden eyes wild and filled with a mixture of fear and hatred as he struggled in her arms.

"Calm down, dearie, everything is okay now-"

"They could have killed her!" Edward cried hoarsely.

"But they didn't."

Edward looked up as Yuki calmly walked up to him. "Edward, please put your blade away."

"...Fine." Edward left Ginger clinging to his shoulder and clapped his hands together, watching the blade melt away into a metal hand and arm again.

"Thank you." Yuki looked up at Mori and Sika in their parent's arms. "Are the cubs alright?"

Amara nodded, shooting a glare in Edward's direction. "They're both a little shaken, but aren't we all?"

Mori had buried his face in his mother's stomach, but was no longer crying. Sika was shaking in her father's arms, startled by the shouting and her parent's obvious fear.

"I knew the shrimp would snap some day." Oscar chortled as he wrapped his arm around Jessie, who nodded her head in agreement. They had been sitting on the couch, quietly watching the noisy scene unfold. "He's not our kind, it was bound to happen eventually."

Edward stamped his foot on the ground and glared at the foxes on the couch. "SHUT UP!"

"Shhh," Phoenix whispered soothingly.

Edward snarled. "HE STARTED IT!"

"You're the one who pointed a weapon at a cub!"

"Stop yelling, please!" Yuki sighed, rubbing her temples with her index fingers. "Phoenix, why don't you and Edward head upstairs to my library? He needs to calm down. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes." She muttered before she went back to Victor and Denali in the kitchen.

Phoenix led Edward upstairs to the library, where the boy slumped down in a cushioned armchair so fast it made Ginger bounce on his shoulder. The ocelot let out a frightened squeak and buried her face against his collar, shaking with sobs she was trying hard to hold back.

The owl was about to sit down across from him when Edward held up his hand.

"Can we have a minute alone, Phoenix?"

Phoenix glanced down at Ginger and nodded. "Very well... but be easy on her, Edward. It wasn't her fault." With that, she left the room and headed back downstairs.

For a few moments, Edward sat in tense silence, listening to the cubs resuming their play in the living room and scowling at the noise. Then, he glanced down and waited for Ginger to look back up at him.

Ginger let out a muffled sob before she turned her tear stained muzzle to face the boy. "Ed, I'm s-sorry I didn't mean to disobey - " She squeaked when the boy picked her up and pushed her into his maw. Before she knew it, Edward had swallowed her and she was tumbling down his throat and into his tummy. She heard his muffled voice above her, and she could tell from his hoarse tone that he had been close to tears as well.

"It's okay, Ginger, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I was just s-so scared I d-didn't know what else to do. When I saw you lying l-limp in her paw, I...I thought you were d- " Edward's voice cracked as he wrapped his arms tightly around his stomach, sniffling slightly.

"Ed, it's alright!" Ginger quickly pressed herself into his stomach wall and rubbed her head up against it to comfort him. He thought I was dead! She winced. "I should've stayed put, but...I wanted to explore. And when Sika picked me up, I pretended to be a doll in hopes she would put me back down again… I'm sorry I scared you…"

"I never should have left you alone, it's all my fault." Edward whispered. "I'm just glad you're okay…"

"It wasn't your fault, I should've known better. I'm just not used to having young cubs around."

"I'm supposed to protect you forever, and today I couldn't even do that."

"Nothing happened, and now it's in the past. Right now, we should be comforting each other, right?" Ginger pressed her paws into Edward's stomach and rubbed deeply until she heard him give a contented sigh. His stomach was empty and had been grumbling and growling from the moment she slid into it. The ocelot giggled after a particularly loud, hungry rumble and massaged her paws into his belly.

"Thank you, Gingersnap, ahh…" Edward hummed softly as he relaxed into the chair. "I'm so...so hungry, I needed a little snack…"

Ginger giggled. "I'm sure Yuki will call us down to dinner soon."

Sure enough, the snow leopard announced to the whole household that the food was ready. At the dinner table, after everyone had been seated and after many pokes from Ginger telling him to make things right, Edward apologized to Kurono and Amara and the cubs. He was reluctant to do so, as he still felt the cubs were in the wrong, but their parents insisted it would never happen again. Kurono accepted his apology, but Amara refused to speak to the boy.

"Where is Ginger, anyway?" Kurono asked.

"She's, uh…" Edward caught Yuki's eye, and the snow leopard winked at him. "She's somewhere safe."

"Gotcha. Well, wherever she is, you'd better keep her there next time, okay?"

"I will."

While listening to the idle conversations at the table, Ginger watched the food pile up inside her friend's stomach. There wasn't much space for her to move around in by the time he was done eating, and she couldn't help but notice he had eaten it all a little faster than usual. And at dessert, he ate six brownies instead of his usual four.

"Ed...are you okay?" Ginger asked once they were alone in the library again. She felt him moving around, trying to get comfortable in one of the armchairs, grunting and huffing until at last he was still.

"Yeah. I was a little anxious after talking with Yuki's brother and I guess that made me eat too fast." Edward sighed. "My stomach kinda hurts…"

"I thought that might've happened. I'll help you. Is the pain bad?"

"Nah, it's just sore I think."

"Okay." Ginger pressed her paws into his stomach lining once more and rubbed it gently until she heard him hum contently. Not long after that, she heard Edward's gentle snoring, and soon joined him in a nap.