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The Lost of the Marshes - Bonus: Quince's Fantasy

by Bad Manners

===

What was going on...? Quince's head was cloudy as they got their bearings. Whatever had happened, they'd ended up in an unfamiliar place that was hard to describe. They took a deep breath and focused.

From what they could remember, the yellow cat was sent down Suu's crop for the night, as usual. Their new kobold friend had let them climb into their mouth, hugged by his drooling flesh before being compressed down the tight throat to be packed away into his midriff, safe and cozy in the transformed dragon's hold. The smooth walls would press down on their fur, locking Quince into the tight chamber as they curled either to spend time throughout the day or sleep away. The sensations were everything that the feline had dreamed of, and it never became boring.

Wherever this was, it was dark, but there was no crop to cuddle into. In fact, Quince could stand up or stretch their arms and legs or jump, and no ceiling or walls could be felt. Somehow, their fur was still visible, down to the brown blotches covering their yellow body and paws. There was no way to tell where the light came from, and although everything still felt like a blur, the cat wasn't completely disoriented aside from their whereabouts.

A chirp called their attention, and their head turned to follow the sound. It was unmistakably Suu's. The dragon could also turn into an archaeopteryx - although Quince simply pictured him as a 'flying feathered reptile', incorporating Nikili's words -, and would make these high-pitched screeches not unlike a bird. The cat saw the black-and-blue creature zoom away into the distance, and they followed their tiny friend on ground.

Their mind was cast to their first encounter in Hamora Marshes, about a week ago. The yellow feline was also chasing the curious 'raven', stalking between sparse trees, before even knowing that it was, in fact, a dragon. What even guided them to follow their instincts that day, irrevocably changing their lives once they got acquainted with Suu? Curiosity, perhaps...? Maybe it was curiosity that motivated them again in this dream-like state.

Dream-like...hmm... Maybe that's why their senses were diminished, Quince thought. It would explain why everything felt light. Normally, if they ever remembered their dream after waking up, their memory would be of a recurring nightmare, starting with the cat escaping from pursuers by crossing a turbulent river. Their legs felt just as floaty in their sprint now, but there was no desperation or dread which they'd grown accustomed to. Hopefully, it wasn't the same dream.

The Urvogel had landed on that indeterminate floor, and the cat approached with a less hurried gait. But even as the tiny dinosaur grew in their field of vision, it still seemed distant...until Quince realized that Suu wasn't distant, but -smaller-. The feathered reptile never was big by any means - his body less than half of Quince's height -, but he wasn't this minuscule. The difference in size was only accentuated when Quince brought their paw down to pick him up, and realized that the archaeopteryx was even smaller than their fingertip! He was basically ant-sized... Or was Quince gigantic? Their claws carefully plucked him off the ground with his long feathered tail, and he gave another happy chirp, not scared at all of the enormous cat.

Quince brought him to their face, inspecting their tiny friend. They were hanging upside down between their two fingers, staring back with his cutesy eyes and reptilian snout. He was blown back and forth by the powerful nostrils, although the cat couldn't pick up any particular smell. Suu was completely unbothered from being handled like this, but it was almost like his blue eyes were telling Quince something. That it was okay- No, that he -wanted- to be eaten by them.

The feline had gulped down the dinosaur before, when he was at his real size. It'd felt nice for a change of roles, although it'd led to quite a troublesome end to their night after they failed to regurgitate him. Of course, this was a completely different situation, but Suu wasn't showing any concerns once more, and if this really was a dream, there was no harm in trying... Still, having only ever played the part of predator that one time, Quince wondered how different the sensation would be.

Their jaws parted to reveal their dry pink flesh to their friend, who chirped happily a few times. There wasn't any saliva on their barbed tongue or inside of their cheeks, but given how Suu was smaller even than any of their teeth, swallowing him down wouldn't be any issue. The gusts of cat breath once again balanced the archaeopteryx in a pendular motion, before he was gently placed on the muscle at the center of the mouth.

Sprawling his wings, Suu covered as much of the surface as a minuscule dinosaur could. His light weight wasn't very noticeable on their spiky taste buds, but knowing that they could relive this moment with their friend, who looked trusting and willing, was incredibly powerful to Quince. Especially closing their maw, and trapping Suu between the rough tongue and the soft palate, leaving him no room to move. The transformed dragon obediently lay still, and the cat felt his feathers tickle the roof of their mouth. The instinct to swallow him came and Quince mindlessly obliged, easily overpowering the Urvogel as he was instantly sucked into their throat.

Their dry swallow had cleared their mandibles of the tiny intruder, but it was hard to tell if Suu had really slipped down their gullet. Quince sat down to try and make out anything inside of their yellow-furred abdomen, and sure enough, a chirp made itself heard. Their stomach didn't feel heavy or bulge out in any way, but something similar to fluttering wings could be felt within the cat's walls. A very unique sensation, given how small Suu was compared to their actual attempt at eating him, when he'd filled their tummy. It made Quince realize how big they were, and how empty their chamber still was...

"Quince!" A familiar voice called. "Have you seen Suu?"

The cat turned their head in this dark void to answer Nikili, but there was no-one above them. Once they looked down, they saw the skirt-wearing brown mongoose staring back. He was so small, too! Still bigger than the archaeopteryx, of course, but not even as tall as one of Quince's palms. He almost looked like a cute doll, and the feline let out a happy trill at his adorableness.

"Do you know where Suu went?" The other scavenger asked again, seemingly ignorant of their huge size difference.

Unable to speak, Quince resorted to their usual method of communication - gesticulation. A simple claw pointing at their midriff should've sufficed, but Suu's opportune chirp emphasized the signal.

"You swallowed him?!" Nikili asked, more surprised than judgmental. After all, he knew of Quince's preferences, and had already witnessed the cat get swallowed several times by a blue kobold in the last few days. "Why?"

The feline's head turned away, flustered. It wasn't normal for the cat to answer complicated questions that required wordy descriptions, given their limited avenues of communication... But on top of that, they weren't sure what Nikili meant.

"Why did you swallow him?" The mongoose reiterated. "Because he tasted good?"

Taste? No, Quince hadn't given that any thought, even when he pushed against their tongue. Their mind was already set on eating him before that.

"Was it because you wanted to repay him eating you?"

That wasn't it, either. Quince would have been happy to be gulped down once more by Suu, but this was a one-time opportunity to live this situation from the other end; now, they were the big caring monster, and the transformed dragon was their willing prey.

"Was it simply because you could?"

Simply...? Hmm, perhaps... They wouldn't have tried it if it was physically impossible, but it sounded more like a requisite than a reason in Quince's mind. Then...no, it wasn't merely to sate their curiosity. The cat ate him because they wanted to. It wasn't really something that they could explain to themselves, much less communicate to Nikili. Sure, Suu apparently had some sixth sense that could figure out what was going in their head when it came to their fetish, but it was simply a frivolous desire. Not driven by mere lust or hunger, it was simply a separate, raw emotion. Perhaps Nikili would understand if they replayed that day in the ruins, when the mongoose joined Quince in the dragon's crop.

"W-What are you doing...?" He asked as the giant yellow face approached him. An open paw nudged his back, making sure that he could properly receive the incoming tongue.

The barbed muscle reached Nikili's ankles first, and carefully drew over the tiny mongoose's body, a huge fleshy brush grooming his skirt and fur. This time, Quince tried to pay attention to the taste - why had Nikili even mentioned it...? -, but other than the hair tickling their tongue, they couldn't place any other external sensations. However, their heart did thump powerfully in their chest, realizing that they could probably swallow Nikili on a whim, too. Their quirky roommate and scavenging partner, taking part in their fantasy... It really had to be a dream. Even if it was fake, they wouldn't squander their chance to show him how nice it could feel.

Quince's thumb wrapped over his shoulders to grab him off the ground and sat down again, keeping Nikili close to their face. They fiddled with him in their fingers, giving more licks across his body for his dry bath. They wanted to show him how much affection they could give, and how much control Quince had. The small scavenger simply seemed confused at the tongue repeatedly lapping at him to brush his fur. Quince stopped for a moment and brought him closer, poking his tiny belly with their cushiony nose, to deduce if their eyes had the same shared intent as the archaeopteryx, who was currently flapping inside of their belly.

No, it wasn't what Nikili wanted. It was what -they- wanted. After all, it was their dream.

Their maw opened again; this time, the tongue slipped under his feet and legs to receive him instead. His arms grabbed at the fur of Quince's snout, but a strong 'slurp!' pulled him into the warm maw. The feline once again toyed with the prey in their mouth, trapping him as Quince adjusted into a more comfortable position. They lied on their side, like they'd seen Suu do as a dragon in his hideout in Zugul, prominently displaying their flat tummy outwards near the ground. Hopefully, the mongoose would bulge it out after he'd concluded his fleshy journey.

Nikili wasn't really shouting or struggling like Quince had expected, he was just managing his footing while being handled by that large muscle. The cat tossed their tongue backwards, feeling their throat grab onto the food presented into it. Closing their eyes, Quince brought a finger to their neck, feeling as their friend traveled down the tunnel with a lump forming outside. It stopped moving as soon as Quince interrupted their swallowing, and gave them the opportunity to feel that weird sensation under their fur without the risk of choking. The trapped mongoose's paws pushed outside just enough to be noticeable, and they enjoyed the more palpable influence of this larger snack, soon to join the bird-like reptile in their stomach.

Quince suddenly felt something touch the fur on their tummy, and swallowed in their surprise, sending Nikili on the rest of his way down. When they looked down, Quince saw someone unexpected: Suu. He'd transformed into a kobold of roughly the same size as Nikili, and was rubbing his two big scaly hands on their exposed midriff. To add to Quince's confusion, they heard the archaeopteryx's muffled chirp as well. There were...two Suu? One in his belly, and one outside... There was no disputing the delirious nature of the situation.

As the identical copy of Suu kneaded Quince's fur, the cat felt Nikili push through the entrance of their stomach. A 'squelch!' could be heard as he landed into the chamber, causing the skin under the kobold's palms to bulge out slightly. The mongoose must have been pressing against the wall directly facing outside, and although Quince would have liked to prod the protrusion again, the small reptile's tenderness, which was in the way, felt really good...

"Kin like Suu push?" The kobold asked them, continuing his massage. Just a few days in this new anthro form which allowed him to speak, and he'd already learned so many words! Nikili was apparently a phenomenal teacher, doing his best to make sure that Suu could fit in discreetly to live with them in Logas. For many years, their household consisted only of Nikili and Quince; but now, this dragon had found his way into their lives. He was more than just a living bed to the cat; he could understand them in a way that no-one else could, or at least he gave that impression. Suu seemed to share in their interest of swallowing them alive, and had done nothing but show them love and care. Quince remembered their first encounter, when they'd lost their utility belt, but the dragon had kept it as a keepsake before returning it. To Quince, that was proof that their fateful meeting was meaningful to him, too.

"Kin like eat Ikky?" Suu questioned once more, pushing against Nikili's - or 'Ikky's' - squirms. Quince purred at the attention that both of their friends gave to their wall. The cat's taciturn Mannerisms meant that they never tried to be the center of attention; that responsibility would normally befit the blabbering mongoose, or more recently, the room-filling dragon. However, in a way, whenever Suu devoured Quince, it made them feel like the center of his attention, albeit in a much more discreet way. With the roles flipped this time, their dominance of the scene was indisputable. Eating the others - or being eaten, on that matter - almost felt like fulfilling a purpose...

The kobold talked again. "What purpose Kin want of Suu?" Quince's head turned to him pensively. The transformed dragon felt great kneading on their tummy, but the cat knew what they wanted even more. To stuff him down along with Nikili and his other archaeopteryx self, and keep them all snug and close in their stomach. Instinctively, their large paw approached him, sequestering him just as easily as with the mongoose before. Skipping the tongue foreplay, Quince simply stuffed his scaly torso between their lips. Suu's chubby arms and hands were now massaging their tongue instead, and the feline found it amusing to see his blue tail wagging just past their teeth. They kept suckling on the reptile for a bit, teasing his imminent entrapment.

"Hey!" Nikili called out from below. Quince's eyes followed the voice, and there he was, standing outside of their stomach with an annoyed look. Unsurprisingly, the bulge that Nikili made in their stomach hadn't disappeared, so it must have been another dream clone. "Why did you eat me and Suu?!"

"Actually, it's not so bad in here... It's weirdly warm and roomy!" Nikili replied from inside of their stomach...to himself.

"What?! S-Say it ain't so...!"

The mongoose sometimes had the habit to chatter on and on, and Quince was a bit scared at the prospect of the extrovert bouncing off himself ad infinitum - especially if more clones might appear in this dream. Although, the thought of filling themself with never-ending copies of their friends, each one having to adjust to their new environment, did seem very amusing... Their yellow paw reached into the lumpy fur, and pushed against the bulge, forcing the prey towards the center of their stomach.

"C'mon Quince...can't you let us out?" The frustration in Nikili's tone was dry. "What do you even stand to gain?"

The cat started thinking on their motivation, until Suu's further struggling in their mouth called their attention. A belly chockful of friends seemed like a good enough reason, and they mischievously disobeyed their small scavenging partner, shoving the kobold's feet in with their fingers before tossing their head back.

"Is that what this is about to you...?" The judgmental clone continued, simply watching the black-and-blue reptile slip out from view, before a bulge formed in Quince's throat. "We're just food?"

No - you're something way better.

Before the kobold even had reached their stomach, Quince's hungry jaws wasted no time to lunge at their next prey. Their teeth clasped and held Nikili in their grip, scooping him up. Quince lifted their head to try and gulp him down immediately. The mongoose grasped onto the barbs of their tongue, burying his feet against the indentations to lock himself in place.

This iteration of Nikili was definitely feistier than the previous one, Quince thought, but he surely must've known that it'd be toasty and nice inside - even the other Nikili had told him as much. Maybe he was reflecting how his real life counterpart would often displayed some resistance whenever confronted with something new or slightly discomforting, such as the cat's unusual desires. This could lead to awkward interactions, like the time when he'd resisted Quince's plea to meet the dragon a second time in the marshes; although thankfully, he'd later admitted to his mistake. His insecurities could be overbearing at times; and even now, his clone's uncertainty managed to be stronger than the large muscle trying to pry him off.

As Quince reflected on their relationship, a deep rumble brought their attention to a new actor. It was Suu, again for the third time, but in his real form. It was hard to mistake his black-and-blue squamous appearance, with large wings folded on his back. The dragon was gigantic in real life, but even he was smaller than the cat in their dream. Roughly half their size, they guessed, not unlike the archaeopteryx's relative height compared to Quince's in the real world; an opportune ratio, to say the least, given how the feline had already swallowed him down once. If there was any intentionality behind their imagination's scenario, it was clear to them.

Suu's tail wagged in the air, teasing them further. Just a few days ago, Quince was small and light enough to swing from its tip... But that moment felt like an eternity away at this point. The dragon had shown hospitality and affection towards Quince in ways they'd thought impossible and unimaginable, and not only in his large form... But most of all, the mythical creature had proven how their fantasies were more than unrealizable desires. And this revelation had completely changed the cat's outlook on their fetish; with Suu sticking around, there was no going back to who they used to be.

And there was no better way to keep him around than their intrusive thought shouting over all others. They gently grabbed that scaly tail and guided it into their mouth, looming over the mongoose still gripping their tongue. The dragon gave an acquiescing murr, letting his friend direct his extremity into the entrance of their throat. Suu wouldn't move an inch, knowing that Quince wanted to have full control over his somewhat plump body as it was swallowed down; sure enough, those yellow paws grabbed his hips, aiming his back legs towards the entrance of their maw.

Quince felt their throat tug on Suu's appendage, without any discomfort that'd be associated with choking on an obstruction that big. The Nikili in their mouth also slipped a bit from the scales shoving him aside, having to grab onto the dragon's tail to not immediately fall inside. Nonetheless, he'd still end up as another wriggling mass in the cat's stomach. There was no escaping his fate.

Focusing on the challenging snack, their lips stretched with surprising ease over each scute-covered feet, bulging out their cheeks as the rest of the tail snaked down their esophagus. The sensations of his body pressing and pushing against theirs were still dulled, but at least there didn't seem to be anything that'd impede his ingestion. Quince's tongue lapped at the smooth underside of Suu's plates, experimentally pushing against that big soft belly that could now easily fit in their maw. The fiercest creature that the feline had ever met, reduced to a mere meal... And a willing one, at that, with his rumbling encouragement throughout - unlike the squirmier furry prey being lowered into the esophagus.

A few more hazy gulps, and Suu's claws entered the back of their mouth. Quince purred in pleasure, using one paw to guide more of the dragon's body inside while the other felt the impossible distention under their neck. His toes rubbed at the flesh, the claws scratching pleasurably at the tight tunnel without causing pain. Of course Suu wouldn't hurt them, not even in a dream with warped rules. Quince wasn't sure why - or even how -, but the real Suu also would always encourage them to do what they desired. His three dream-like incarnations seemed to share that goal, but the cat wondered if it was a coinciding wish, or simply an act for Quince's sake. Having just begun to be socialized, after who-knows-how-long of simply being a feral dragon in the marshes, it was possible that Suu didn't even have such complex thoughts like people did. Still, there was some degree of mutual understanding despite all of the cultural barriers, and Quince was pretty certain that the dragon had done everything out of his own volition.

And it wasn't any different in this fantasy. Suu remained still as his folded wings were being shoved right past their teeth, the membranes pushing onto the roof of the filled mouth. His legs were at the back of the mouth, bending in the sharp turn before more of his body followed them into the throat.

Quince had been swallowing him for a while without interruption, and warily looked around, already expecting a third mongoose to appear and start being even more critical than the last. And sure enough, they spotted another angry Nikili next to their foot.

"Won't you ever be satisfied?!" He shouted. "How long-"

Quince didn't feel like hearing any further criticism from their imaginary friend, and simply grabbed him into their clutch, Nikili's muffled complaints doing nothing but blowing tiny warm breaths onto their fingers. Their yellow fist moved towards their head to simply pop him in, but stopped at the realization that there was still a large scaly obstacle ahead.

Suu only had his front legs and neck up hanging outside of Quince's lips, but he had an idea of his own to dispatch of the obnoxious scavenger. His own jaws parted, a second set of teeth just before Quince's, with his own squishy tongue hiding away from their view. The cat found amusement at the thought of having Nikili get swallowed twice at the same time! Without a second thought, they tossed the tiny scavenger into Suu's maw to feed their meal.

"You-!" was the only intelligible word from the flung mongoose before he landed in the dragon's mouth, which promptly snapped close and gulped. He would end up in Suu's crop, but not before a journey down the creature's throat. Quince stilled their swallowing to feel that bulge appear at the top of the feral's neck, the squirming weight perceptible on their tongue. The feline wondered how nice it would feel to join into the warmth of two friends at once, disappointed that Nikili wouldn't appreciate it as much as Quince would have.

The dragon's paws and tail were curling inside of Quince's stomach by now, and not knowing how much longer the dream would last, they were eager to stuff him inside completely, to properly enjoy a filled belly. Their paws pushed on Suu's snout to aid the supernatural swallowing, while his murrs were a reciprocal indication of his eagerness. More of their friend filled them from mouth to tummy, the widest part magically fitting through their neck and chest without issue. Suu's flat tongue gave their own muscle a few affectionate licks as Quince closed their jaws, tossing their neck back again to gulp a few last times. Finally, that horned head was slipping into their gullet, the outline of his skull clear to Quince's touch before it hurriedly squished down into their chamber, stuffing it unlike any of the other cloned occupants had done.

Quince gasped in relief at the feeling of their sphincter finally closing after Suu, before slouching onto their butt to examine their distended gut. The weight felt very familiar, just like when Suu had served as their prey, and although they couldn't really feel the scaly texture of his skin against the folds of their stomach, his constant shifting prominently pushed skin and organs alike. It was hard to tell which part was his head or his legs...only that the multiple bulges in Quince's midriff were constantly moving in that tight environment, their walls reshaping around his form. And it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

The cat pushed back on their lunch, seeing how much their belly could withhold without physical limitations. Their preys got pressed to the bottom of their belly, jutting onto the sides just above their hip, compressing with a bit more resistance and consistency than a bladder filled with water. Quince doubtlessly would have felt sick if they'd attempted this on their real stomach, and that realization frustrated them. Of course, they wouldn't want to try eating something alive again, given their latest scare, but Suu was too gentle whenever he swallowed Quince, and sometimes they simply wished that he'd just treat them a bit more roughly. It could be fun to make things more exciting from time to time if he'd agree to it...

However, now that the feline had the chance of being the predator and zero consequences, they had no qualms about squeezing and sloshing their friends around, if only to explore this new experience. How tight it must have felt for all the Suu and Nikili inside! They felt pretty jealous.

Letting go of the belly, it simply bounced back up, giving the occupants a bit more room. Thinking of their friends, Quince realized that it had been a while since a new pair of clones had appeared. Maybe that was as far as their imagination would go? They scanned around the darkness to try and spot someone else, but maybe they'd need to walk around and explore this void. Quince stood up, and the back of their head bumped on a soft roof.

The impact was surprising, and the cat turned around to look at its source. Their furry arms brushed against equally soft and smooth walls, while the darkness started to fade away. Their vision of the room was slowly improving, and what looked like a fleshy bag was materializing all around Quince. With a soft heartbeat soon to follow, and finding only one way out - a tightly clutched sphincter at the top -, they knew exactly where they were: Suu's crop. Was this the fourth reflection of their friend?

It did feel odd, but recognizable. It was much smaller, just barely containing Quince without pressing them down - normally, both Quince and the taller Nikili would have fit comfortably in here. The deep organ lacked illumination, but in this dream, the smooth pink surface was clearly discernible. A texture not unlike the familiar interior of the dragon's cheeks, perhaps, aside from the lack of saliva. This was something that Quince had never seen, and likely never would in the real world, which only made the sight that much more special.

The walls of the crop started to steal some of the space, shrinking down onto Quince. Or was Quince growing? The organ constricted them, holding the cat firmly in place. They weren't even sure if this was really Suu they were inside of, as the usual welcoming rumbles or tender rubbing were both absent. Only a heartbeat could be heard, repeating itself unwaveringly.

Quince tried to push out onto the wall of the crop to see if anyone would notice and answer, while the prey in their stomach seemingly did the same. Surprisingly, the gesture inside of them also stopped when they retracted their paw. Was Suu mimicking their actions? Slowly, they pushed both arms back into the flesh, spreading their fingers...and were surprised to see a pair of cat paws under their own fur! It was surreal, they couldn't believe it, even knowing it was a dream! Then, this crop wasn't Suu's, but...theirs? Not even of a clone of themself, no; it was the one in their body...and the one around them...

It made no sense, and despite everything that had happened so far, it still seemed ludicrous, but there was one way to find out for sure. They looked down onto their bulge and repeated the gesture from moments ago, squeezing down on their prey. Simultaneously, the top of the crop compressed tightly, a huge pair of paws forcing Quince down as they were pushed against the bottom of the chamber! Now they could feel the full strength that the prey inside of them had just felt - prey which had been replaced by Quince themself, somehow. The logic behind it was hard to wrap their head around, especially while being jostled inside of their own organ. Their heart rate increased, both inside of their chest and somewhere above. It was disorienting and turbulent, but still intriguing to witness first-hand, both as prey and predator. They now had a sense of how careful Suu really was every time that the cat was in his body.

They released the pressure on their guts, and regained their sense of direction as the crop uncurled back to its previously calm state. Quince slowly pressed a paw back onto their tummy while it faced the outer wall, wondering if they could feel the combined pressure of their larger self. The external hand appeared again, gently pushing down on their tummy. It was hard to tell if the paradoxical sensation was that much different from simply rubbing their own stomach, but the self-caring act still made them feel warm inside.

The pressure of the walls abruptly was on the rise again, although not because of Quince's hand. It was hard to tell if the world was shaking or if they were feeling dizzy, but the grip of the smooth pink flesh on them was definitely stronger. Something was happening to their stomach-crop-thing, and their five senses were getting even hazier.

Suddenly, the squishy ground raised them, forcing Quince directly onto the sphincter above. They were regurgitating themself...? A lump at the very bottom of their throat seemed to confirm it, though. However, the tunnel ahead was turning darker and darker, and their arms faded from vision. The cat's fur felt wet, too. Was this...saliva? It wasn't something they'd noticed in their dream so far; their own tongue and crop both had been completely dry. Quince could even feel something coming up to their mouth while they traveled up the esophagus. The sensations were getting almost as clear as the real thing, in fact. Reaching a bend at the top, they saw a bright light beaming onto their face, as they were forced in its direction...

The cat suddenly slumped down with a 'splat!', the surprise fall jostling them awake. Their fur and mouth were drenched in warm saliva, and they were held up high by two arms. As they coughed out the excess liquid, and their vision adjusted to the morning light, they could see a blue pair of eyes staring back at them. It was Suu as a kobold - the real one, holding the small Quince near his chest.

"Quince wake!" He announced happily, before his tongue began grooming the feline to remove the excessive drool. Quince's clarity returned, realizing that he'd just spit them out from his crop for the night. It really was all a dream, then... Regardless, they purred at their friend's licking affection, while the blue reptile's throat rumbled back in response.

"Morning, Quince!" Nikili called from across the room. The small scavenger turned their head in Suu's grasp to look at the smiling mongoose by the hearth. "Sorry for asking Suu to wake you up early. Today, as you recall, we're gonna escort Nurta to Kuir, so we gotta leave pretty early."

Their business partner didn't seem to judge Quince's and Suu's unusual interactions, at least not anymore. It seemed that their dream had missed the mark in some aspects...

"Well," Nikili continued, grabbing one of the urns they'd found in the ruins, "I'm gonna load our stuff in her cart, and you can get yourself cleaned up by the river. Nurta's probably gonna find it weird if you're smelling like the big guy's fish breath."

Quince simply gave him two affirming trills, and he chuckled before leaving. Suu was done with his morning licks and carefully squatted to set them down on the ground. While the cat watched him, he turned into an archaeopteryx and chirped, before flying out through the hole in the ceiling towards the Hamora Marshes, in order to find some fresh breakfast for himself.

Slightly less drenched in saliva, Quince simply stood alone in their house for a moment. It really had been quite a weird dream, with all of the self-indulgence and the multiple manifestations of their friends; not to mention the last part. It had all been fabricated by their mind, but still so vivid. Nevertheless, it was a much better memory than the recurring nightmares they usually had. Whenever they'd slept in Suu's crop, Quince could never recall the events that happened in their head after waking up. This was the first exception, and for once, their dream would be a cherished fantasy.

The cat stretched their body, noticing how well-rested they felt. Judging from the intruding sunlight's angle, it must have been quite early indeed. Ignoring the drool still dripping from their fur onto the ground, they made their way into the pantry for a quick breakfast, finding a piece of bread to eat on their way to the Second River. It was fun to engorge themself with their friends multiple times during their fictitious scenario, but in the real world, Quince would have to satisfy their hunger with actual food, just like anyone else.

The tiny scavenger planned to return home after a quick bath, to retrieve Suu and their belt, before meeting up with Nikili. As Quince stepped outside and took a bite out of the bread, they smiled, reimagining the curious sensations of their dream. It left Quince in a glowing mood, but it would be their personal secret, and their friends would never find out.