Gingersnap

Part 2

On one quiet summer evening, Ginger Farrel decided to explore the apartment she shared with her new friend, Edward. The girl was just about to step into the kitchen when she heard a distant rumble of thunder. She gasped and looked out the window to see dark clouds were gathering in the sky. A brief flash of lightning followed by another clap of thunder sent her running back into the living room. "E-Ed?!"

"Yes Gingersnap?" Edward, who was sitting on the couch, looked up from the book he was reading and glanced down at her.

Ginger scurried over to the boy and hid herself behind his right foot. "I'm scared..." she murmured.

"Of the storm?"

"Yeah – " Ginger nodded, clinging to his boot when she heard the first droplets of rain hitting the roof above them. "C-can you hold me?"

"Sure." Edward leaned forward, carefully picked Ginger up and held her in front of him. He smiled and petted her little head.

"Yay!" Ginger purred and rubbed up against her friend's finger.

Edward carefully placed her on his shoulder and picked up his book again. For a while he read, occasionally pausing to pet the little ocelot. Outside, the storm quickly grew stronger; wind picked up while heavy drops of rain crashed to the ground.

Ginger whimpered and hugged Edward's neck when they heard a particularly loud crack of thunder. Wrapping her furry tail around herself, she hid under the collar of his jacket.

"Don't worry Ginger, you're safe here with me." Edward reached up and gently petted her tiny head to comfort her.

A burst of lightning lit up the window on the other side of the room, causing Ginger to jump in fright. Despite being able to cover her sensitive ears in time, she could still hear the roar of thunder that followed. "I wish I had somewhere to go to escape from this scary storm..." she murmured. "...someplace warm and quiet."

Edward scoffed. "Sounds like you wanna go in my stomach again."

Excitement lit up Ginger's mismatched eyes as she peeked over his collar. "I'd love to!!"

"No, I was just kidding!" Edward fidgeted a bit as he set his book down on the coffee table. "I-I-I mean I wouldn't mind having you in my stomach again, b-but I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I'll be really careful!" Ginger offered. "You can let me out as soon as the storm's over!"

"No. I swallowed you on accident before – I don't think I could do it again on purpose..."

"Please? I loved being in your tummy once I got used to it. It's so relaxing and comfortable in there!"

Edward blushed and glanced down at his stomach. "Well, you do taste yummy..."

"Uh huh! You said my fur tastes like gingersnaps, right? Wouldn't you like to taste that again?" Ginger asked, flashing a hopeful smile.

"I want to, but I can't..." Edward sighed and stared down at the floor to avoid Ginger's pleading gaze. "...I just can't bring myself to do it."

"Aw..." Ginger frowned and anxiously flicked her long tail. In the silence, she could hear their apartment building creaking menacingly as a strong gust of wind blew against it, sending shivers down her spine. "Pretty please?" Ginger begged, opening her bright eyes wide and clasping her front paws together.

Looking back at her, Edward furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side. Aww, she looks so cute. I really want to protect her...and I'd love to feel her slide down my throat again... He thought to himself. "Alright, alright, I guess I'll swallow you again...but just this once because of the storm."