A Little Wild Kratt

Chapter 9

Things seemed to somehow only get worse from there, and Cassidy was shouting for her dad almost nonstop now as she felt the throat tugging and sucking at her hungrily. This strained the licorice, but didn't break it, though it did cause her to moan between cries as her arms were pained from being forced backwards so uncomfortably. They were caught between the soft, supple tongue and her back, rendering them useless. She looked 'upwards', able to see out of the mouth, seeing the world ringed by those teeth. She trembled, trying to squirm for that freedom, crying out, "Dad! Dad, please! Hurry!" As long as that licorice held, then she had a chance! Her dad would be able to rush in and save her [literally] from the jaws of death and they could throw these two in jail and they'd go home to the Tortuga and Cassidy would settle in her warm, safe bed an-- The click of the teeth snapping shut on the licorice seemed to echo, shutting out all sound and for a split second, Cassidy could only stare upwards in shock, not really understanding what she was seeing. Why were the teeth closed? Why was there a loose strand of licorice now flopped over her shoulder? The harness and the restraints were still tight, but now she was no longer attached to the bowl... Her blue eyes were wide as she felt the throat tug at her hungrily again and now without the restraint, she started to slide backwards... towards the eager gullet. "N-No..." she moaned softly, trembling as she let out a heart-breaking wail of "DAD! SAVE ME! PLEASE!" as she was squeezed backwards, the tongue easily compressing her between itself and the soft palate and squishing her backwards and downwards to oblivion, muffling her wails. She thrashed as she cried out for her father, not realizing she was crying now, thrashing as she tried to get loose, but the walls were tight and smothering and slippery and she just kept bumping and tumbling down into the darkness, the throat so eager to accept her. She whimpered as she felt her long body spilling into a small chamber, but all too quickly, she filled it up even before all of her had arrived! She was too big! She would be crammed inside and ground up into paste from the sheer pressure! She wailed again, not even really words this time as she struggled, but then whimpered in horror as the chamber pulsed, and then just... kept pushing her downwards! Where was she going?! Things were suddenly tossing around like crazy now, and she cried out for help again and again as she was shaken up, still being forced down into an unknown darkness. There was a sudden directional change and she felt herself get sort of tugged heavily to the left, and she sobbed as this seemed to tug her downwards heavily and with a sloshing splash, she popped free of the throat to spill into a small chamber. Thankfully, the walls were close and soft, which meant she didn't harm herself. She filled the small space up from end to end, having to coil herself up tightly in order to fit, and there was still that hot soup in here, along with various hunks of vegetable here and there. She tried to shout again, lying on her back on her coils to avoid the soup, but there was a loud thumping, like a drum, that kept drowning her out and she felt so exhausted now and-- Soup. Close, soft walls. A loud, drum-like thumping. With a shudder that went down to the tip of her tail, the eleven year old girl moaned softly, "Oh... Oh noooo..." She gulped hard, wincing as she tasted some of the delicious soup that had splashed into her face. Delicious. It was delicious because SHE was mixed into it... She coiled up tightly, the feeling returning to her body as the temperature regulated itself, feeling like she was going to cry as she murmured softly, "Daddy... I'm sorry..." Chris worked his wings hard to fly into the trees, trying to ignore his daughter's heartbreaking shouts for help, flying lower than he really should as he heard Zack's jet starting up behind him... he rushed even more, spotting a clearing, he dropped into it, and then shot through the trees, risking his own safety in a crash to fly into the thickest part of the undergrowth that he could find, and finally halting himself abruptly, skidding on the muddy ground as he finally put his clawed feet down, and stopped, panting hard. He quickly crouched down, and deactivated his suit, crawling into the middle of a bush, and stopping there, his heart pounding desperately. Finally, he sat down, and touched lightly at the roundness of his stomach, trying to feel for his little girl as he said gently. "Cassidy? You okay? It's me, sweetheart... it's daddy. I'm so sorry I had to do that to you sweetie... I needed my wings!" he explained, "Are you alright, do you have enough air?" he was worried that downing all that soup would make it difficult for his daughter to find the space to breathe... she was definitely packed in there good and tight... Chris poked gently at what he was fairly sure was a coil, hoping that the Gourmand had not hurt his baby girl in some way... Cassidy winced as the stomach churned and sloshed around her, making her cough and splutter as soup was splashed up into her face. She still had air to breathe, but with the soup level stopping just at her neck, she shivered, worried about the angle changing and putting her under! She couldn't really hear anything of the outside world anymore, now only hearing a thudding, heavy heartbeat and rushed breathing. She found that a little odd... She doubted Zach had ever done any exercise in is life, so what on earth was making the man's heart and lungs work that strongly!? Was he still fighting with Gourmand for some reason? She whimpered as there was a sudden change and he found herself squashed into the wall as the stomach stopped moving forwards and she felt some small motions before things FINALLY went still. Sighing heavily, Cassidy coiled up tightly, hiding herself in the midst of the powerful, slim coils. It wouldn't do much to actually protect her now, but at least it was something! She wriggled, frustrated as the candy was still intact for the moment, making her feel sore and compressed. She shivered as there was a loud gurgle around her and a drop of slime splatted right on her nose. She shivered at this, but as it didn't burn, and she felt a huge rush of relief to remember she couldn't be digested. But that still meant she was stuck in here...She trembled, wondering how to get out of this. Zach was being silent for the moment, but she knew the gloating would come and then the realization that the suits had a wonderful new trick. Cassidy bowed her head, sighing. It was her fault... She should have listened to her dad! Cassidy almost didn't believe it as she heard her dad's voice and for a few moments she just... lay there in the belly, jaw slack. As her dad followed up with worried questions about breathing and her health, Cassidy slowly started to shake. "Da... Daddy?" she whispered softly, unable to believe it. How had her dad found her!? And more importantly, how had he magic-ed her out of Zach and into himself?! She started to thrash and squirm, her coils writhing about madly as she fumbled for the front wall, headbutting the soft flesh repeatedly as she shouted in relief, "Dad! DAD! Oh man, am I glad to see you!" He then froze, shouting, "Zach! What happened with Zach?! Did you teleport me out of him or something?!" Chris 'oofed' a bit as Cassidy shifted wildly inside, pushing delicate organs around a little, but as he felt the headbutting and heard the relief in the little girl's voice, Chris sighed a bit, glad to know that his daughter was okay. "Wait... Zach? You were never in Zach... I performed a last minute, high-speed air rescue... but I couldn't fly off with a steaming hot bowl of you taking up my wings... I had to put you the only place that wouldn't stop me flying. Dodging saucepans the whole time I have to say..." he said, rubbing his shoulder where one had clonked him good. "But Zach never even got to taste the soup, I got there first. I'm sorry... I didn't have time to tell you that it was me," he said, gently stroking at his stomach, "but I am so glad to have gotten you back," he admitted, feeling relief flood him fully now that he knew Cassidy was alive and safe. "Are you alright? I know that Gourmand can be... intimidating. Surely you knew I wouldn't just leave you to get eaten by someone else! Me and your Uncle Martin are the only ones allowed to do that!" he said, chuckling gently. Feeling the big hand pressing in at her and gently rubbing one of her coils, Cassidy grinned stupidly wide as she squirmed to have her chest against that point instead, nuzzling the wall frantically, her heart feeling like it would give out with relief. As her father then spoke, she paused, confused. "Wait, what?" She was still and quiet as her dad explained the situation, and Cassidy started to smile, amazed at her dad's quick-thinking. That DID make a lot of sense! As the stroking came back, she pressed her chest to the wall again, wanting to be able to rub back, but with her hands tightly bound, she couldn't do a thing! She used her coils instead, squirming them all around in the belly, sloshing the soup around and 'kneading' at the walls the best she could. When Chris got a little quieter, Cassidy sighed, leaning back on a coil to keep her head out of the liquid. "I'm okay... He... He did tie me up though..." She squirmed, frowning. "Some kind of candy or something... My hands are behind my back, and there's a harness keeping my arms tied down!" She squirmed again, huffing a little as this tired her. "I can't reach it to bite, and it's not melting thanks to the soup diluting things in here!" She sighed though and then lifting up her tail, rubbed it firmly at Chris's fingertips. "Thanks, dad... I... I got real scared for a while back there..." Chris was relieved to hear that Cassidy was mostly okay, a bit worseforwear, and he could easily hear how shaken his daughter's voice had been left. He smiled, gently stroking at her again. "It's okay... I got there just in time, It was a close one though," he sighed, "We won't let that happen to you again ever, I swear it." He gently put an arm around his stomach protectively, wanting to help reassure her that she was safe and okay now... Chris wouldn't let anything happen to her. "As for the liquorice, either I can bring you out and take it off for you... or you will have to just press it against a wall, where the soup isn't diluting things and hope it melts quickly, there's nothing else I can do... but if you'd like to come out, we can handle it that way." He blinked as he heard Zach's jet slowly hovering over the treetops, and hunkered down a bit, "Quiet... Zach is trying to scan for us..." he said, keeping very still. The jet moved on shortly though, and he exhaled in relief. "He's gone... we're clear." As the strokes came against her tail, Cassidy smiled hugely, feeling so much better now that she knew where she was, and who she was with! She sighed softly in relief as her dad reassured her and then winced as the arm came to 'hug' her. It compressed the belly and made the soup level rise to be just under her mouth, but she tilted it up as much as she could, cuddling into the hug anyways, too thankful and relieved to mention this for the moment. When the options were given to her, Cassidy frowned a bit. "Uh, I think it's safer that we get me out to take it off, Dad... I... There's a LOT of soup in here, and I know it's not fun, but if we empty that out, it'll help. I'm..." She smiled a little. "I'm exhausted, and I think I'll crash hard soon... I'd rather not have to worry about soup at the same time? I don't have my air mask on me today..." She froze as her dad suddenly mentioned Zach and she also stayed still and silent, bunching up and hiding in the mess of coils. But she then had to squirm a bit to have her head near the top of the belly, as when Chris was tense, it contracted, forcing the level a bit higher. Yeah, they needed to get rid of this! She squirmed a little once Chris relaxed, saying, "Okay, so... Can you get me out? I know it's not fun, dad, but please?" Chris was not thrilled when Cassidy said she wanted to come out... it was an uncomfortable process, but he did understand why she wanted it... after an experience like she had just had, Chris would be surprised if Cassidy could ever bring herself to trust anyone... which was just too bad. But he would not refuse his daughter's request, "Alright... here we go..." he said, "This won't be nice... just hold your breath..." he said, closing his eyes and focusing. He had become quite well practiced at this, both from his and Martin's games, and just generally through their adventures around the world... sometimes one had to bring back up what they had just eaten in error... and it was necessary to do it fast. Leaning forwards, onto all fours, he tensed up, and soon, had managed to get things moving. The first thing to come out was soup, quite a lot of it... enough to really quite surprise him... but it did help things inside to be so very slick that Cassidy all but slid out without him feeling it. He did manage to catch a light grey coil though, so that Cassidy would not splatter into the puddle of soup, holding her off to the side as his body finished purging itself of the mixture, leaving him panting and a bit weak as he caught his breath afterwards, and finally straightened up to look at Cassidy, managing a small grin. "You look awful." He said with a weak chuckle. While she was nervous about this, Cassidy felt she could handle being outside as long as it meant all this liquid would leave. Plus, she didn't want to smell the soup anymore, to be further reminded of what she had just so narrowly avoided! She writhed a little in place as her dad agreed with her and then the angle of the stomach changed. Wriggling, Cassidy was able to put her tail near the entrance, shivering a little. The soup would pour out first, so she didn't want to put her head into that just yet. The stomach gurgled around him, and then compressed tightly, causing Cassidy to hold her breath as she was forced under. The pulse ended and she came up for a gasping breath before she was pulled down again and this time, she felt her tail getting caught in the suction. Another pulse, and this time she didn't go under and was able to gasp quietly as the soup poured out around her tail, but then with a yelp, she was pulled into the throat as well! It was a slippery, easy, slick ride and she almost didn't react as the warm hand caught her tail as it slipped from the mouth and she just sort of hung there quietly, coughing a little as soup and slime dripped off her, making her look miserably pathetic. She grimaced as her dad vomited out the rest of the soup, and in a small, idle moment of amusement, she wondered if they should send a message to Gourmand that his soup had ended up being rejected so horrifically... As there was another gag and a small spill of liquid, Cassidy felt back and using her tail, coiling up around her dad's wrist, rubbing gently to sort of imitate the rubbing of  her Uncle Martin rubbing his back. When Chris finally finished and sat up, cracking a joke, Cassidy smiled back shyly. "This coming from the man who just puked his guts out. Wipe your chin! You're dribbling!" But despite her joke and her upside-down hanging, Cassidy looked so openly relieved, her blue eyes wet in the goggles, and not from soup. Chris chuckled weakly as Cassidy turned the insult back on him, and he wiped his chin before bringing his only child close to his chest and holding her close against it in a warm little hug. "I'm so glad I got there when I did..." he said softly. After he held that for a couple of minutes, he cleared his throat, and brought Cassidy up to his face. "Let's get that rope off..." he said, bringing the tiny hands to his mouth, and very delicately snipping the rope with his teeth, freeing the tiny hands without risk or concern. He knew how to be careful. Then he bit the harness as well, and pulled it free, dropping it with the rest of the soup, and then gently touching at his daughter's arms and chest, checking that she was alright, and working his fingers down the tail as well, making sure that every inch of Cassidy was still there with absolute concern in his eyes as he did so. As her dad only chuckled, Cassidy smiled, glad to see such a friendly, familiar face! As she was righted and brought in for a hug, she nuzzled against the big chest as best she could, her body and tail coiling tightly around her dad's fingers, scared to let him go for a moment! This continued for a good few minutes before her dad lifted her up to his face talking about the 'rope'. Nodding, Cassidy rolled over to her belly in her dad's hands, staying trustingly still as those huge teeth nipped near her delicate fingers and hands. But there was no damage and she just sighed in relief as her hands were released, and then her chest was no longer so terribly compressed! Oh it felt like a weight had been lifted off her! She rolled back to her back, lying there as her dad started to check her over. Her dad and Uncle Martin both had pretty decent medical training, so she lay there quietly, allowing him to feel every inch of her little form, knowing her dad would be able to keep her safe. As her dad worked on the tail now, Cassidy found herself close to her dad's face as the huge brown eyes squinted a little to check the little tail. She smiled, once again, glad her dad had-- The rumbling sound of the jet overhead made Cassidy's eyes constrict to pin-points and she had a rush of both fear and snake-instinct. She had stayed out in the open for too long! Zach was going to find her and take her away from her family! She panicked, trying to find a place to hide, and the snake-instinct gave her a great idea: the warm burrow nearby. The fact that said-burrow was her father's mouth didn't register, and with a little cry, Cassidy leapt for her dad's face, hitting the mouth and managing to crawl in, the coils bunching up and helping to shove her in so much that her human half actually managed to get entirely in the throat with one swift motion. She kept 'burrowing' downwards, saying in a panicked tone, "Hide hide hide!" Chris was so focused on his examination of the tail, as there seemed to be a slightly sore, bruised area, that he did not notice the jet until Cassidy had already flown into his mouth and started desperately burrowing down his gullet. He coughed a few times in surprise, but did not try to spit his only child out he did the only thing he could do. Hunkered down low in the bushes and swallowed firmly... he had not expected this level of panic from his daughter, but it was clear that right now, Cassidy could just not deal with the concept of being outside with Zach hunting for them... if the only way that could be handled was by her going back inside... Chris could cope with it... at least without all of that soup in the way, Cassidy would be able to rest much more safely and comfortably. Cassidy squirmed and wriggled, trying to push herself deeper, but the slime around her made it tricky to get any kind of grip! As her dad coughed around her, the muscles spasmed and tried to push her out, and she tried to cling, terrified of being out in the open again! Fortunately, her dad must have gotten the point because swallows started up around her, and Cassidy let out a shout as she practically FELL down her father's throat, her slim, sleek body zipping in after her almost comically! In mere seconds, Cassidy 'oof'ed as she splatted into the bottom of the stomach... and then yelped as her coils all fell on top of her, burying her. She sighed heavily as she finally all arrived, calling out muffledly, "I'm okay!" Chris panted as his baby girl slipped down too easily... still slick from all of that soup! He leaned back against the trunk of the bush they were in, and winced a bit, letting out a soft belch of all the air that Cassidy had dragged down with her unorthodox entry. "Oof... that wasn't a gentle entry sweetheart!" he exclaimed, able to talk now that the jet was gone again. "I thought you wanted to be outside!" he wasn't complaining... he was just surprised... he had been almost certain that Cassidy would want to take a break from their games to adjust to what had happened to her at the hands of the sinister chef. He softened his tone a bit to ask, "are you sure you're okay? That was... sudden." That kind of behaviour just wasn't the Cassidy that he knew. As her tail slipped into the belly with her, Cassidy moved and slithered around, getting much more comfortable in a pile of snakey coils, sighing heavily as she settled, her little heart still pounding, but she already felt so much safer! As her dad spoke up, Cassidy blinked, only now realizing what she had done and she perked up, calling up, "Dad! Dad, I'm sorry! The snake got scared and went to the first burrow it knew was safe!" As her father asked a softer question, Cassidy had to think about it for a moment, and then answered quietly, "I... The snake really got me before, daddy. I... I panicked. Bad. I was really scared..." She shivered, huddling down in her coils. "I... I needed the soup to go, and to have the candy off, but now I... I don't wanna leave..." she ended with a little whine, her coils unconsciously 'puffing' out a little in a defensive mechanism to make her difficult to move. It was a technique snakes used to stay safely in burrows and in rocks if someone was trying to grab them. Chris listened quietly to his daughter's little confession, sighing softly, and gently stroking at his stomach as the small form got so tense and stiff, feeling like she was trying to wedge herself in place. "It's okay Cassidy, you don't have to leave," he said gently, "you can stay there as long as you want, nobody will make you leave, I promise." He said, turning on his creature pod and calling the Tortuga base, as well as Martin, sighing as all four of the others answered, looking worried, bombarding him with questions about Cassidy. "It's okay! I have her... she's fine, but Gourmand and Zach are both after us, so we're going to lay low for a little while, you should do the same, go into lockdown and camouflage if you can, I'll make my way back to you through the jungle, they'll see me for sure if I try to fly there." He said, sighing, one hand still resting on Cassidy. "We'll be back soon." He sighed a bit, relaxing against the trunk of the plant still. "You're going to be just fine sweetie," he said, rubbing more firmly at Cassidy, trying to relax those tensed up coils. Cassidy looked up as her dad spoke to her gently, assuring her that she didn't have to leave. She heaved a sigh of relief at this, still huddled up, listening distantly as he updated the others on their situation. As the attention was turned back on her, Cassidy shivered, still 'puffed' out as she started mentally reviewing what had happened to her. She shuddered badly, squirming to be near the front wall and pawing at it, glad for her father's touch. She didn't really know what to say at this point, so she just sighed and cuddled by the wall, the coils still bunched up around her and overinflated with air, making her a bit firmer and larger than she realized. She was just overwhelmed from her experience and she never wanted to go through it again! Chris sighed a bit as his rubs were responded to... but not with words, or the settling of the snake form inside... which did feel awkwardly large... but he knew that was an instinctual response, and he just kept stroking for a little while before standing up. "They haven't passed over in a while... I'm going to start back towards the base, but carefully. You rest up sweetheart... everything will be just fine," he said with a warm smile as he started to move stealthily through the forest, careful to keep a low profile, not wanting to draw any attention... they had a long walk, and he did not want to spend the entire thing dodging zachbots and frying pans... what did they think they were going to do anyway? Take her back?! It was clear that he was not about to give his little girl up. Meanwhile, Gourmand was not actually giving chase like Zach was. He was merely rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he cleaned up his kitchen. So...Greengrape had eaten Grey Belle to save her... probably that bird form he had having a crop to make it safe or something like that... so... the Wild Kratts liked being fed to one another did they? That gave him quite the idea for the next time they met. He grinned nastily as he rinsed out the big pan. Yes... he would plan a special recipe for that day...The stroking helped to calm Cassidy, and she stopped clinging to the wall so desperately, settling down in a heap, still 'puffed', but not so scared anymore. As the huge form of her dad moved around her, she tensed up in reaction, huddling down, but then smiled as he said he would start heading back. As she was told to rest, Cassidy sighed, answering quietly, "Oh don't worry about that... I'm taking a vacation when we get back..." She sighed as she shifted in place, realizing with a frown that she... felt a little weird. She squirmed around, feeling how much smaller the stomach felt than before and she blinked as a memory from before popped into her head. She squirmed a bit, calling up, "Dad? Uh... something weird happened earlier, when you were in falcon-form..." She gulped hard, but forced herself to say it, the memories of her instincts panicking a little difficult to revisit. "When you were drinking me with the soup, I sort of... gathered somewhere for a moment before I came into the belly. I know birds have crops so... are you still in falcon form? Because I feel REALLY scrunched in here! Can't you put me in your belly instead of your crop?" Chris started to walk, quiet and subtle, but making a decent pace through the forest. He blinked though, as Cassidy spoke, listening to his daughter, but feeling so puzzled about what she was saying. He let the small girl finish though, before replying. "Um...Cassidy... you ARE in my belly. I changed out of my falcon form when I was crawling around in the bushes." He said, gently prodding at his stomach. "You are making me a little fat though... I think... when you were having your scared moment... you kind of... puffed up... you know how snakes do that to lock themselves into their burrows and stop predators dragging them out? I have to tell you that you have done that to my stomach. So... I can't do anything about putting you somewhere less cramped, but I can tell you for sure that nobody is getting you out of there until you're good and ready to come out." Cassidy frowned, puzzled. "No way, your belly is bigger than this!" she said, prodding the soft but stiff walls. "Uncle Martin said the human stomach at best can hold a litre!" As she felt the prod, and as her dad continued, mentioning the puffing. "Puffed up?" Cassidy repeated, blinking in confusion. As her daddy continued and reassured her no one would remove her, Cassidy only then realized what her coils DID feel tenser and firmer than normal... She shivered, but then started to feel inside of her, finding the long, powerful lungs, which were still breathing, but holding extra air to puff the snake's body to almost twice its normal width. She sighed heavily and slowly managed to exhale all the extra air she had unintentionally put inside, burping as the last of it came out a little too quickly. This made her almost shrink in size by half and she sighed happily as the stomach was now as she remembered; soft, squishy, comfortable and most importantly, SAFE. With another small burp, she leaned back in her coils, smiling faintly. "Okay, sorry about that, daddy! I wasn't even aware I did that!" As he walked now, his baby girl seemed to adjust a little bit... and suddenly shrank in size by... quite a lot actually, leaving Chris still a little rounded, but no longer obviously so, and no longer severely uncomfortable. He burped a bit at the presence of all that extra air now in his stomach, and then sighed, "Oh that feels better," he said, gently massaging at his belly with one hand, partly to help Cassidy, and partly to ease the muscles that had strained to keep everything properly in place before. He kept walking as he did this though, eager to get back to where it was safe, so that he could bundle himself up in his sleeping bag, inside a safely locked down Tortuga base, and let Cassidy feel truly safe again. Cassidy chuckled as the stomach shrank a little as her dad burped quietly, ridding himself of that extra air, and then things got much more safe and comfortable for both father and daughter. Sighing, Cassidy cuddled down into her mess of coils, just... feeling much better than before. She didn't know where they were yet, or how long it would take them to get home to the Tortuga, but for now, she was more than content to get a free ride! As her daddy kept walking through the forest, Cassidy felt her eyes growing heavy, the scare and high-energy from before draining her badly, and now that she felt safe, she found it difficult to fight off the urge to sleep! She yawned hugely, letting her little forked tongue stick out a bit, an unconscious instinct to check if this was a safe place to sleep. She smiled though as she only tasted the wet smell of a clean, empty belly. Not like a bunch of roses, of course, but still better than that soup! She curled up in the middle of her coils, flopping herself over top them like a soft, warm bed as she drifted right off to sleep, cuddled up and feeling much safer. Chris smiled as he felt Cassidy growing slowly limper and limper as he walked... he knew full well that his sweet little girl was exhausted after her trauma, and needed to sleep in order to get over it and process the whole mess. As he felt the coiled form finally relax completely, Chris smiled, and kept walking, but with a more gentle step now, stroking gently at his daughter as he walked. It took him several hours to return to the Tortuga, and by the time he got there, he was exhausted. The others greeted him joyfully, but gently as he explained completely what had happened and just for once... nobody seemed to be upset with him for it. He took a moment to gently touch at Cassidy to find out if she was awake, and wanted to come out now they were back at the base... but if there was no response, he would simply get some sleep, and see how his little girl felt in the morning. Cassidy was completely out of it as her dad walked, hardly even feeling it as the belly churned around her, confused at her large, coiled shape. As she was kneaded around, it didn't bother her much thanks to being settled in her coils, and she just slept right through it, breathing quietly. She distantly heard the voices of the others, but they didn't disturb her, and if anything, it made her feel safer to know she was back among her family! She rolled over as she slept, sprawled rather indignantly in the belly, facing out to the front of the stomach, the coils pressed to her back to keep her pinned, but it was so cozy and comfy that she didn't mind! When Chris touched at his belly, however, the large finger pressed in at the front of Cassidy's suit and there was a bright grey flash as the suit was deactivated. Cassidy yelped as she sprawled on her side, blinking around her in confusion, now blind without the infrared sensor and the highly sensitive forked tongue. She blinked, calling up sleepily, "Dad? Wha' happened?" Chris made a loud sound of surprise as there was a flash of bright grey that made his skin glow for a moment, and he realised he had done something to his baby girl's suit. He let out a shy laugh, and rubbed gently at Cassidy, "Sorry sweetheart... I was just checking that you were still alive in there, we made it home, back to the Tortuga." He was so eager for bed himself now, and sincerely did not want to turn himself inside out again to get Cassidy out... but... if his daughter wanted that now, he was willing to bear it. "Are you still okay... did you want to come out and sleep in your own bed? Or would you rather stay, for a little extra security tonight?" As she heard the familiar laugh, she blinked as her side was rubbed through the soft walls and her dad spoke to her. She smiled dozily to hear they were back home, glad for it, and yawned sleepily as her daddy went on to ask if she wanted to come out or stay. Shivering at the thought of coming, out, Cassidy sleepily shook her head, mumbling, "Dun wanna come out..." She reached for her suit again, tapping the button and slurring out for it to activate. Thankfully, she was just clear enough and within seconds, she was all scaly and coiled up again, filling her dad's belly. She settled down in the mass of coils, sleepily muttering, "Wanna stay..." The warmth felt ESPECIALLY nice in her bushmaster form and she sighed heavily as she dropped right back to sleep, curling up in the middle of coils. Chris gave a soft laugh as his baby girl expressed with absolute certainty that she wanted to stay... he was glad, it showed that Cassidy had not lost all faith in their bond... none at all in fact, it actually seemed to have strengthened her belief that the safest place to be was cuddled, or in this colied up in her daddy's belly, and her with her family. Chris gently and fatherly massaged at the sleeping form and went to get his sleeping bag out, laying it out in the usual spot, Martin already out cold there, and settling down in it with a quiet sigh, lying with both arms securely wrapped around his belly. Cassidy never had to be aware that she was being held close like this... it was the bond she shared with her daddy, she would know it anyway. He sighed softly, settling down and closing his eyes... glad to have been there in time to save his precious daughter. "But you are still so grounded, young lady..."