Miri was 100% sure that she was straight.

(Well, 95%. Gotta keep your options open, right?)

So when Bridget had invited her to a two-person "cuddle party," she had been dubious. That seemed rather intimate, after all, and she just wasn't interested in the mouse that way. Bridget was a good friend, but Miri wasn't interested in taking the relationship with her any further than that.

But Bridget had been very convincing. She had assured Miri that it wasn't a sexual thing: the sense of touch is just as important as our other senses, and something we don't indulge often enough. It would be relaxed, casual, and they wouldn't push any boundaries that Miri wasn't comfortable pushing. They would hang out, have dinner, then snuggle and watch a movie. It seemed harmless enough.

She had arrived at Bridget's place early. They had talked for a while, and Bridget ordered pizza. Miri hadn't been particularly surprised when Bridget inhaled three and a half of the four large pizzas she ordered. After all, she knew Bridget, and that mouse could eat. Finally, when dinner was finished, they retired to Bridget's couch, put on an old movie, and started their cuddle session.

It was nice. Nicer than Miri had expected, really. They cuddled up close on the couch, Miri's slender frame pressing against Bridget's ample one. Bridget put her arm around Miri, Miri responded in kind, and they began to explore each other. There was a lot of Bridget to cuddle, and every inch of her was soft and pliable -- it was like snuggling a huge stuffed animal, except this stuffed animal snuggled back. Hands wandered, and Miri found herself moving partially into the mouse's lap, sitting on her thigh, her body pressing up against Bridget's side. Bridget's hand slid along Miri's curves, but never got too frisky.

After a few minutes, Bridget asked if Miri would be comfortable removing some clothes. Remembering what Bridget had said about boundaries, Miri thought about what she would be comfortable with. Bridget quickly agreed to Miri's terms: shirts came off, pants would stay on. Miri did blush a little as she took in Bridget's mostly-bare upper body -- the mouse might carry a lot of weight, but she really did wear that weight well.

Okay. Maybe 80%.

Fur met fur, and they settled into a comfortable position to watch the movie, with Miri tucked up against Bridget's side, her head resting on Bridget's rather impressive chest.

They had been sitting like that for several minutes, bodies pressed together in soft, casual contact, when Miri first felt it.

Miri had one arm resting on Bridget's belly, and said belly was active, to say the least. It gurgled and rumbled as it worked on the large amount of pizza Bridget had eaten earlier. But then Miri felt something else -- a twinge, a bit of movement, that seemed a little too much to be just a rumbly tummy.

Perhaps she had imagined it. Bridget had eaten a lot, after all. Maybe it was just her stomach settling.

But then she felt it again, a clear push just under where her hand was resting. As though something was straining against the layers of fur and flesh.

Miri furrowed her brow and looked up at Bridget, but the mouse seemed completely focused on the movie. If she had noticed anything, she wasn't showing it.

Miri turned her attention back to Bridget's stomach.

Now that she was looking for it, the signs seemed even clearer. Bridget's belly would occasionally twitch or move, often followed by a heavy glorp sound as it resettled back into position. And some of those gurgles sounded an awful lot like whimpers.

Bridget had always joked about being a predator. She would respond to any comment about her larger-than-average belly by saying it was all thanks to some prey she had snagged recently. This caused everyone in their friends group to laugh, of course. Miri had always assumed it was just a playful way to joke about her weight.

Miri was starting to think that Bridget hadn't been joking, after all.

Had Bridget... eaten someone before their party even started? Had their been a whole person stewing in their gut this entire time? While she had eaten all that pizza? While they had been cuddling?

And really, would that even be that big a deal? So what if Bridget was a pred... it was unusual for a mouse, sure, but there were lots of preds out there. If anything, Bridget had probably been trying to be polite by eating before Miri came. Maybe she even ate all that pizza to try to hide it, so Miri wouldn't be uncomfortable.

Bridget's belly rumbled, and Miri, with her head still resting on Bridget's chest, felt the rumble slowly move up. Bridget opened her mouth and burped.

A melange of scents assaulted Miri's nose. It was mostly pizza -- that wasn't too surprising -- but there was something else there, too. Jasmine, and... honeysuckle? The scent of a perfume, Miri realized.

A perfume that Miri recognized. And why shouldn't she? It was the favorite scent of her and Bridget's mutual friend Jami, after all.

Miri's eyes widened. She looked up at Bridget's face again.

"B-Bridget... did you...?" She started.

Bridget just gave Miri's waist a squeeze, hugging her closer. Her eyes were still locked on the movie. "Shh. This is the best part."

Miri swallowed hard. She could still feel Bridget's prey moving around a bit. She pictured Jami in there, buried under all the pizza that Bridget had eaten earlier. Those muffled noises could be her screaming to try to get Miri's attention. Should she do something? Should she say something?

"Miri?" Bridget looked down at her. "You've tensed up quite a bit. Everything okay?"

A long moment of hesitation passed before Miri answered.

"N-no. Everything's fine."

Bridget smiled and turned her attention back to the movie.

Miri tried to relax and do the same. It really wouldn't help anything to let herself get freaked out now. Besides, there were certainly people other than Jami who used that particular brand of perfume. Just because she thought had caught a whiff of the scent, it didn't mean anything. She was just letting her anxiety get the better of her.

No, she shouldn't ruin this pleasant evening now. She would relax, give into the soft snuggles. Enjoy the movie and the company of her friend.

And if it turned out she was right -- if Jami "mysteriously" fell out of contact with everyone -- well, Miri would know where to find her.

She would just have to ask Bridget for another cuddle party.

Voretober Day 10! Bridget getting cozy with a friend.

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