Late evening finds the feline named Lysergia fluffing up a giant pillow as best as he can, getting it ready for the cub he's watching. It's Paige's bedtime, and Ly is ready to let her wind down and turn in for the night.

The huge, white and green-furred lion cub, though, whines softly. "But I don't wanna go to bed!"

Ly rolls his eyes – This is usually how it goes when he has to put her to bed. But he offers a gentle smile, speaking in his level, patient voice. "But the sooner you go to bed, the sooner we can play more tomorrow!"

Paige blinks her magenta eyes, then perks with an excitable grin. "Oh, right! Why didn't you say so!"

The smaller housecat shakes his head, tutting quietly as he resists the temptation to point out the fact that he's gotten her to go to bed with this exact same point every other time he's been over to look after her.

The young lioness gets comfy in her spot before flumping her head onto the pillow – Launching Ly off of it and into the air!

"Ack!"

But before he falls, the cub smirks and grabs him out of the air, holding him in her large, soft paws. "Gotcha!"

Lysergia, softly panting, offers a gentle smile as she immediately pulls him to her chest for a snuggle. "That you did, heh… You're definitely getting better with your reflexes and paw-eye coordination!" He chuckles, adding "Thankfully…" under his breath.

He relaxes gently, held against the green fluff of her chest, able to feel the steady thumping of her heartbeat and the subtle up-and-down movements from her breathing. Ly isn't particularly one for cubs in most situations, but Paige is a notable exception; he was surprised at how well they hit it off despite a few hiccups when they first met, and though she can be quite a pawful (as one would expect of a cub her age), Lysergia is one of the few adults his size that she willingly listens to!

"Mmm, I hope we can go swimming tomorrow before Dad gets home…" Paige mumbles sleepily, already drifting off. She lets out a loud "Nyaaahhh…" as she yawns, before her eyes close and she fades out of consciousness.

Lysergia smiles, gently squirming free from her paws once their grip on him loosens enough for him to do so. He listens to her gentle breaths as she rests, and he makes his way to her head to give her a goodnight pet on the nose.

"Rest well, Paige; I'll be-"

But he trails off as he notices her nostrils flaring, the young lioness sniffing the air – And the cat in front of her.

"Mmmmm, strawberries…" she mutters, taking in Ly's scent.

The housecat blinks, unsure of what to do. He gives her nose another pet before moving to step away – But he only makes it two steps before being knocked onto his stomach!

"Gah!"

Looking back, he sees the sleeping cub's head looming over him, sniffing once more before she lets out her tongue and drags it along his back. He feels her rough tongue stroking against him, coating him in her saliva – More so when she goes in for a second lick, then a third.

"Mmmmm…" she mumbles.

Before he can try to stand again, he feels the tongue sliding underneath him this time, lifting him from the ground. His heart drops as he realizes what's about to happen, and he calls out "Paige, wait! You're going to-"

thup

Pulled into the sleeping cub's mouth, Ly yelps softly but does his best to maintain his composure, not wanting to startle the young lioness – If she jolts awake, she might accidentally end up biting him! Her mouth isn't that much bigger than he is, after all. Instead, he tries to gently rouse her. He knows she wouldn't willingly eat someone his size, not to mention the world of trouble she'd be in if she ate her sitter. If she knew he was in her mouth, he reckons, she'd no doubt spit him out without a second thought.

"Paige, you need to-"

But his words are cut off as her tongue moves again, pressing him against her rough palate to lick him even more! He reasons she doesn't realize she has a person in her mouth, and instead, her unconscious mind thinks she's got a sweet piece of strawberry-flavored candy to enjoy!

"Mmm-mmm… Tasty…"

Lysergia tries to speak again, only to end up with a mouthful of young lion saliva, making him sputter while she continues to lick all over him. It seems a verbal approach won't work.

With that option nixed, he instead pushes back against the tongue, opting to squirm a bit, hoping the movement will get through to her that she has something alive inside her maw. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's his only real option at this point. Of course, he doesn't make much headway against the strong muscle as it presses readily back against him, pinning him to the palate and softer velum. But he keeps wiggling, trying to get her attention.

All that seems to happen, though, is that a deep rumble starts to build in the cub's chest. Ly blinks as he realizes what's going on – Paige is purring from the tongue rubs! He shakes his head – He's good at giving those kinds of rubs to larger folks. Evidently, he's too good at them, considering he isn't even trying to give a massage this time!

"Wiggly… Yummy…"

Hearing the young lioness's sleepy mumbles, Ly pauses, trying to think of what else he could do now. But as soon as he stops moving, Paige's tongue shifts again – This time moving the smaller housecat deeper into her mouth!

He tries to struggle harder, pushing against the large muscle, but when he feels the cub's uvula squish against his paws just before they dip off the back of her tongue, he knows it's too late. He calls out "Paige, don't-!" as desperately as he can, but he's cut off as she takes a deep swallow.

Half of Lysergia sinks into her young throat, the tight muscles squeezing him and pulling on him – Even more so when she finishes him off with a second, firmer gulp!

The smaller cat is squeezed tightly by the cub's esophagus, worked deeper into her body by the rippling contractions of peristalsis. Wet flesh squishes against every inch of him, and the small tunnel prevents him from making any real kind of movement. He just has to wait it out, guided by the movements of those muscles toward the young lioness's belly.

He can feel Paige's deep, rumbling purrs all around him as he passes by her chest, able to make out her slow heartbeat and quiet breathing as well. Despite what's happened, he still hopes she's having a pleasant dream right now.

Soon, his paws press against a tight ring of muscle, which holds taut for several seconds before eventually relaxing, allowing the cat to squeeze through and into the waiting stomach. The cardia squishes shut again once he's entirely inside, sealing the cat within the digestive organ.

Faintly, he can hear Paige's voice, mumbling "Mmm-mmm… Yummy in my tummy…"

The stomach is just big enough to allow him to stretch out, lying almost flat within the chamber. Thankfully, it's pretty empty aside from some swallowed saliva, and the walls shift slowly, barely moving at all. It seems the cub's slumber is keeping her digestive system more or less at bay for now.

After taking a moment to let it all settle in, Lysergia lets out a quiet chuckle. Paige might never willfully eat someone his size, but it seems he just smelled and tasted too good for his own good! While he certainly could try to struggle in an effort to make her sick, he doubts it would accomplish anything besides exhausting him and possibly giving her a stomachache – And he can't bear to hurt the cub like that.

Besides… It's not all that bad in here. The warm flesh and muggy air, along with the rather peaceful ambiance inside the happily sleeping lioness, begin to lull the small feline into a cozy comfort as well.

He snuggles against the folded, rubbery walls of Paige's stomach, giving them a soothing rub with his hands. The cub purrs deeper at this, and Ly feels gravity shift as she evidently rolls in her sleep while enjoying his touches immensely. A smile crosses his muzzle – He's always happy to give these kinds of rubs to those who swallow him, and knowing even the cub finds them enjoyable fills him with a gentle sort of pride.

A gentle yawn escapes him as he settles a bit deeper in the stomach, letting the harmless fluids soak into him like a warm bath. He relaxes, deciding he'll figure a way out of here when they're both awake. For now, he's in the best bed he could be in, and he's more than happy to spend the night within the lioness's belly.

"Mmmh… Goodnight, Paige… See you in the morning…"

And just before he drifts off, he hears her sleepily respond "Mmhm… Nighty-night, Ly…"