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It was easy to fall asleep when one was completely exhausted. Ardene was all too familiar with this. Sore overworked muscles forced her to lay still. The dull throbbing of her feet fading over time. Heavy eyelids closing on their own.*GOoORRoUuURrroooggg*While the rest of her body relaxed her stomach remained active. The organ groaned and gurgled in restless defiance deprived of nutrients, she worked all day only to be too exhausted to find a meal for herself. Now she would pay with a listless night of poor slumber.Ardene laid out how she first fell. Fully nude and flat on her back sprawled out on her bed roll. Her body bore the scars of her harsh past as well as her current predicament. She was thin, that much was obvious at a glance. But closer inspection of her limbs showed a subtle toning of muscle. Her arms and legs especially from traveling, odd jobs and the occasional fight. Golden yellow fur covered her entire body. It had the potential to have a beautiful sheen. But at the moment it was dull. Poor diet and a layer of dirt robbed it of its shine.*GoooORRWAARRRooOoRrRrrrr*A hollow growl vibrated deep in her core. Her concave stomach often voiced its complaints and tonight was no different. Her ribs were starting to poke through. The thin layer of fat on her middle added next to nothing in the way of padding. One hand rested in the dip that was her midriff. A near constant shifting of her hollow insides tickled her palm.Her other hand rested over her eye. A large burn scar covered it. It was a dreadful reminder of the treatment she received during her slavery to an Altmer family. She always touched it subconsciously when those painful memories returned. Her face contorted to a panicked frown as her slumber became more restless. Gnawing hunger and total exhaustion only fueled her intermittent night terrors.In all technicalities she was still on the run from her slavers. Despite her distance and extended time away from them that fear still lingered. It was a tremendous stress. Often to much for her to cope with when it came time to be alone with her thoughts.After nearly an hour her eyes snapped open and she jolted up. A new layer of sweat coated her fur. A cold brought about by her night terrors. All too real retellings of her past sufferings. She breathed heavily and rested a hand on her chest. Her heart hammered in distress and she shook trying to calm herself. It was a lengthy process to try and get back to sleep after such an episode. She typically went for a walk to calm her nerves. But that was out of the question.*GOOUuUrRrRoOoowwlll*She leered down at her stomach as it growled insistently. Hollow cramping sensations returned as she became more conscious. A harsh pang built up making her flinch. She pressed a hand into her upper stomach prodding at it trying to move the feeling along. All she received was a few disapproving grumbles.Grimacing, she reached for her water skins. Grabbing a full one she uncorked it and downed the entire contents greedily. The cool liquid quenched her thirst and made an audible splash as it landed in her empty stomach.*GOORRooorggg....loorgooorrr*The sudden rush of cool water made her stomach grumble with renewed vigor. The desperate organ clenched expecting something solid but only sloshed its entirely liquid contents. Ardene quickly felt the cool sensation spreading through her midsection making her shutter. Tossing her empty water skin aside she laid back down to another audible slosh.The constant bubbling in her gut felt more akin to digestion due to the activity. But the gnawing bite of hunger pangs remained. She only hoped to dose off before her stomach returned to making deep hollow growls. Turning on her side much to the protest of her aching body she curled up shuttering. This change in position only further antagonized her insides. Hollow churning gave way to squelching fueled by harsh clenching. This made Ardene wrap both arms around her middle.As if the sensations of hunger weren't enough to keep her awake the noise often did. Sensitive cat ears picked up on the most subtle sounds from her insides. She scratched behind one of them scrapping a thin layer of dirt. They alone had saved her numerous times but at times like this she cursed their sensitivity. Restless she fiddled with the tuft of fur at the point of her ear rolling it in her fingers.She was having second thoughts about her current employment and debated moving on. She didn't have the funds she wanted yet but this was not sustainable. Sighing she turned over yet again sprawling on her back. Resting both hands on her middle she felt the pleading of her insides. After a bit total exhaustion won out over anxiety and she fell back into a fit of poor slumber.