And one more for the road! Tails are natural noodles, meant to be proudly slurped up. It's like a little victory ribbon, a sign to the world that a prey is headed down to their rightful place. Gulorp barely knew them. He never learned their name or what kind of person they were. Their job, residence, hobbies and all the rest never even entered into their encounter.

The mouse was a stranger to Gulorp. Yet he also got to know the mouse better than anyone else. He learned the mouse's flavor from head to toe. That's the name they went by in the lizard's mind. He learned how the little morsel faced the end. He learned if the inevitable gullet of a predator made the mouse cower, struggle or accept their place. He met the mouse on a primal level with all of society's noise pushed away. And he may not have known the morsel's past, but he knows their future. The pair are going to be close as close can be.

There's no malice in the lizard's heart. He was quite fond of the little thing. Gulorp hopes the mouse isn't too upset about his fate. It's really not so bad. A tight snuggle with his two friends, close as close to be until they're all inseparable. The world will drift away and they'll be left in peace, part of something better than they could have ever been individually.

Gulorp will enjoy life with the carefree gluttony that a mouse never could. And in some small way, they'll be along for the ride. Gulorp hopes they recognize that.

And if they don't? Well, he hopes they wiggle till they can't. Struggles are just tummy rubs from the other side.

Art by  Azathura