Grief gets visited by a generous patron

My half of a trade with  Choice_D . This one took a bit longer than I wanted, but I had fun with it so I think it turned out great!

Grief belongs to  Choice_D

Beryl is Me!

Enjoy!

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Excessive Offerings

If one were to go as far away from modern civilization as possible, their journey would likely take them into the uninhabited wilderness. Incidentally, such a place did exist, located in an unmapped region unfamiliar to many. The untamed wilds stretched for as far as the eye could see, covered in lush foliage as well as blooming populations of exotic flora and fauna alike. Such a large swathe of land that looked relatively untouched was a bit of a rare sight, and one that likely wouldn’t exist if not for the monstrous landlord who claimed the entire territory for himself. The owner in question lived in seclusion deep within a quiet forest, although said forest was anything but quiet at the moment as tree branches shook from the rumbling sounds of snoring. The source of this disturbance was none other than Grief, the dragon who ruled over these lands in solitude.

On any normal day, Grief would dedicate a portion of his day patrolling his territory, looking out for any unfortunate souls who dared to trespass. However, such times have changed in recent months, leading to him often spending many lazy days snoozing away in his cave. Grief was only able to afford such complacency due to how infrequently any unwanted encounters occurred. Despite the low population of the region, the dragon’s presence was relatively well-known, keeping the local anthros he despised wary of the area. Those who inhabited the lands outside of his own made a point of warning others of the dragon’s wrath, doing most of the work for him. As a result, he had a lot more time to himself, not that he was complaining. It suited the dragon just fine that he could relax when everyone knew to stay away.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Well, almost everyone.

Grief was jerked awake by a voice shouting into his cave. He growled back loudly in annoyance, groggily settling back down as if hitting the snooze button on an alarm. Seconds later, that growl deepened into an angered roar as his mind realized what was going on. An intruder! Most unwanted guests, as uncommon as they were, took care to pass by the sleeping dragon without disturbing the peace, or at least the smarter ones did anyway. For this one to have the gall to come directly to his lair and call out to him was baffling to say the least. Were they that confident in their abilities, or do they lack common sense? No matter. Either way they weren’t welcome here, and Grief was going to make sure that they don’t come back.

With his mood soured by his rude awakening, Grief made his displeasure clear to the offender as he stomped toward the mouth of his cave. He got a bit of a kick out of the terrified looks of his victims, so the least that he could take away from this was the satisfaction of a good scare before he disposes of them. “You’ve just made your first and last mistake, coming into my lair!” he bellowed, spreading his wings as he revealed himself to the intruder. In the light, his gray-furred hide showed blue markings etched across his front as well as the messy blond hair adorning his head. What it also revealed though was just how much his recent lifestyle had taken its toll. Being a mountain dragon, he naturally carried around a bit of pudge, but his lack of activity had led to him packing on a bit more than usual. Regardless, Grief took great strides in showing off his powerful, if a bit rotund, form.

“...Ah, please forgive my rudeness. You are Master Grief, correct?”

Grief paused. ‘Master’? That certainly wasn’t the response nor the tone he was expecting. Confused, he looked down to see his supposed trespasser. There was no doubt that it was an anthro, but it wasn’t one he had ever seen before. Clothed in a neat dress shirt and vest, he looked like a dragon at first glance, adorned with blue scales and a white underside. Though he lacked wings, His head sported a pair of horns jutting out of the sides. Light blue markings snaked across his form, going from his limbs and coalescing at his head, where a mane of white hair covered where they joined. The anthro met Grief’s gaze with icy blue eyes, not a trace of fear clouding them. This irritated him.

“So you’ve heard of me then.” Grief said, recovering.

“Oh yes, very much so!” The anthro’s reply was strangely enthusiastic. “The last village I visited had a lot to say about you. They practically begged me not to go!”

“And yet you still come onto my land, barge into my lair and call for me directly?” Grief barked out a laugh. “Are you that eager to throw your life away? What kind of fool are you!?”

“Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself earlier.” The anthro gave a bow. “My name is Beryl Berthorne. Most days I work as a butler, but today I’m merely a traveler. Upon hearing about you living in the mountains, I came here to...pay my respects, as it were.”

“Well then you can pay your respects by leaving.” The dragon growled. “In light of your poor life choices, I’m willing to give you one chance to remove your scaly hide from my territory.” He bared his fangs to bring his point across. “Leave now and maybe you’ll escape with your body still in one piece.”

Beryl remained unfazed. “Hold on there, Master Grief.” He reasoned. “Before that, please allow me to bestow upon you a gift.”

“A gift?” Grief repeated.

“Of course! You didn’t think I would come here to see you empty-handed, did you?” Beryl replied. “Common courtesy is what I live for, and you are no exception.”

“...Go on, I’m listening.” Grief said. If that was all that he wanted from him, he could leave him alone all the sooner.

Beryl smiled. “Excellent.” He turned around and took off the bag that he was carrying. “I’m prepared to offer you everything within this sack.”

“What, that’s it?” Grief snorted. “You better not be wasting my time here.”

“Big things come in small packages, Master Grief.” Beryl replied. “And I believe you’ll like what I’ve brought.” He dug around in the bag briefly before pulling out a frosted cupcake and offering it to the dragon.

Grief froze. Pastries. His one weakness. The delectable treats were impossible to come by without an anthro to make them, so they were a luxury that the dragon seldom indulged in. His mouth began to salivate in anticipation as he held back his excitement at being able to taste such sweetness again. Carefully, he accepted the little cupcake from Beryl, easily taking it all in a single bite.

It was better than he had imagined. Grief tried his best to keep a poker face, but Beryl could see the dragon’s pupils dilate as the cupcake hit his tongue. The frosting alone would have sufficed as a dessert, so rich and creamy that he could lick it up all day without getting tired of it. The light and spongy cake heightened his enjoyment even further, packed with such sweet flavor that the end result stunned him momentarily. This was no ordinary confection, oh no. This was a delicacy crafted for those of the highest of class and deepest of pocket. A quality that before now was unheard-of to the dragon.

“Do you like it? I made it myself.” Beryl stated proudly. “I like to cook as a hobby, and I’ve got a lot of experience with the clients I’ve served.”

Grief blinked twice before regaining his composure. “Well, I guess it wasn’t completely inedible,” He replied haughtily. “But one measly cupcake is hardly an acceptable offering!”

“Not to worry, Master Grief.” Beryl assured. “There’s plenty more where that came from!” In short order a second cupcake was produced from the bag, followed by a third, then a fourth.

“Hmph. With a bag that small, I doubt that.” Grief taunted. “Can’t say I’ll guarantee your safety when you run out.” He snapped up the next cupcake, holding back a rumble of pleasure from the flavors on his tongue. Oh, what he wouldn’t do to be able to eat these all the time, but he knew it wouldn’t last. To prolong the scrumptious snack, the dragon made an effort to savor each cupcake as it came. He took in all the delightful sweetness that each one had to offer, moving from one tasty dessert to the next one...and the next one...and the next one.........

...Until suddenly it was over.

“My apologies, Master Grief,” Beryl’s voice chimed in. “but I’m afraid we’ve run out of cupcakes.”

Grief blinked in confusion. He hadn’t noticed when the food was all gone. How many of those did he eat? He couldn’t remember, all he could think about was how delicious it all was....but it must not have been that many. It felt like he had only been eating for a minute, two minutes tops. A disappointing notion for him to be sure, but not one that he didn’t see coming.

When he noticed Beryl still looking at him, the dragon scowled, raising his head. “Oh, what a shame.” He sneered. “A few more of those and I might have given you a two-minute head start, but if that’s all you have then I think we’re done here!” Grief slammed a paw down in front of him, stopping just short of where Beryl stood. The motion made his belly jiggle, albeit more than he expected. He paused, glancing down at his rounded middle. Was he always this heavy?

...What was he thinking, of course he was! It wasn’t uncommon for mountain dragons like him to by carrying a little extra pudge on their bodies, so he must’ve been worried over nothing.

“Hmm. That is quite a shame.” Beryl said, frowning. He went digging into his bag again. “Would these cookies suffice instead?” He pulled out a pair from the bag to show.

“Huh?” Again, Grief was taken aback. “There’s more?” His heart fluttered at the prospect, unsure whether to be annoyed at the anthro’s continued presence or happy that there was more for him to eat.

“Come now, Master Grief.” Beryl replied. “I only said we were out of cupcakes, not that we were out of food entirely! I’ve got other desserts ready to offer to you, but if this arrangement is not to your liking-“

“Wait!” Grief blurted out, shouting a bit louder than he intended. Beryl noticed this, but said nothing as the dragon resumed his dominant tone. “I’ll be the judge of that,” he said. He leaned back in, giving the cookies a little sniff before eagerly snapping them up. his mind was sent reeling from the saccharine splendor that invaded his mouth. How!? How was it even possible for something like this to taste so good!? The cookies were soft and chewy, making them a joy to eat as well as taste. Not only that, but to his amazement they were still warm, as if they were just fresh out of the oven! It was another culinary masterpiece, one that his taste buds were ill-prepared for. While his expression didn’t change, the dragon visibly shook from the impact of the sugar-glazed disks. They had to be on par- no, better than the cupcakes!

“...I’ll accept this,” he said, trying to remain stern. “But don’t try to test my patience again. Stop again for any reason and you won’t live to regret that mistake.”

“Duly noted, Master Grief.” Beryl replied, producing several more cookies from his bag. “Please help yourself to everything that I have!”

Grief didn’t even wait for him to finish. Already he was chomping away at the cookies Beryl had laid out, plunging himself head first into the small pile of sweet sensations. Chocolate, oatmeal, peanut butter, lemon, coconut and many more rich flavors paraded down his tongue, each as deep and varied as the last. He knew he should be savoring them, but it was impossible to hold himself back in the presence of such exquisite treats.

Beryl smiled. The dragon didn’t suspect a thing. While Grief ate through his current stock of desserts, he placed down more to ensure that they didn’t run out again. At this point Grief had eaten enough of his offerings to fill the bag five times over, and yet there was plenty of room to spare. Surely an impossible feat, if it was just a normal bag, that is. In truth, Beryl’s bag had been magically enchanted to hold a near limitless amount of items, which he had made generous use of prior to even knowing about the dragon. Beryl loved to cook. Even when he himself wasn’t hungry, he couldn’t resist the urge to whip up something tasty. As such, he almost always had more food on hand than he knew what to do with. Rather than throw it away and waste good food, it was all stored in the bag. He had amassed quite a stockpile of desserts over time, which they had barely put a dent in yet.

What they did make a dent in, however, was Grief’s stomach. All those sweets that he was chowing down on had to go somewhere, and it didn’t take long for it to start showing on his figure. Beryl watched as the dragon’s already round belly bulged slightly, slowly distending outwards with every mouthful of cookies that he swallowed. Upon closer inspection, The sweets that Grief was eating were actually being digested in record time, causing his middle to expand into a soft and squishy state rather than a stuffed, turgid one.

Amusingly, Grief didn’t take notice of these changes. He ate at a steady pace, his movements automatic like that of a machine. His attention was focused solely on the pile of sweets in front of him and nothing else. If he did appear to notice his rapid gains, it was only for the briefest of moments before the captivating desserts drew his attention back again. As long as there was more to be had, Grief would just keep eating.

The cookies did eventually run out, but Beryl still had plenty more treats for the dragon to sample. What came forth was like an all-you-can-eat buffet of nothing but desserts! Next came doughnuts of all shapes and sizes. Glazed ones, powdered ones, ones filled with creams and jams. Dense, chunky brownies joined the feast not long after, followed by a parade of frosting-covered cakes, oversized ice cream cones, and a veritable rainbow of assorted fruit pies. Like the cookies and cupcakes before them, the dragon mindlessly ate away at the pile of baked goods. The amount never appeared to drop as Beryl kept pace right along with him, replenishing whatever he devoured before he could make any headway in depleting it.

Grief’s rate of consumption only seemed to increase with time. He gorged himself with no reservations, rushing to fill his stomach while it in turn worked to empty itself at the same rate, keeping him just as hungry as ever, if not hungrier. His eyes appeared blank, his mind transported to a serendipitous land of cream and sugar. Time slowed into a blur as his senses dulled, losing track of everything other than the pile of sweets in front of him. Any rational thoughts that fought their way through his brain were quickly suppressed by a cascade of calorie-filled confections that passed through his jaws. He barely reacted when his churning stomach touched the ground, his face practically buried into a chocolate cream cake. The realization that his forelegs were getting harder to move was drowned out by the rapturous feeling of dense, gooey pie filling oozing down his throat. Concerns about his thickening features crumbled away just as easily as the many wafers that he crunched into bits. He had been ensnared by the potent pastries from the first bite, and he had no hope of stopping even if he wanted to, though it seemed clear that he had no intentions of doing so.

Beryl appeared to share this sentiment as well. The generous patron was simply ecstatic at the dragon’s ravenous appetite. Seeing that his culinary works were being enjoyed so much excited him greatly, but even more than that he just couldn’t take his eyes away at how much fatter the dragon was getting! Beryl watched in awe as Grief’s body swelled tremendously. His belly inflated under him like a balloon, the squashed sphere of blubber expanding out to his sides as it spilled across the cave floor below. His meaty limbs grew dense with adipose, getting harder and harder to move under their his burdening weight. His wings appeared to shrink against his expanding hide, now much too small for him to even make a strong gust, let alone get him airborne. His tail became too heavy to lift, sandwiched between a pair of globular buttocks that swallowed up part of the length. Even his head wasn’t spared from the fattening as it developed basketball-sized cheeks, jiggling neck rolls and a thick tree trunk of a neck supporting it all. The dragon was truly a sight to behold, and he was becoming even more so with each mouthful.

Grief continued to stuff his face recklessly with a myriad of fatty delights, oblivious to his burgeoning middle as it swelled and bloated bigger and fatter. Hundreds of pounds of flab ceaselessly piled onto his jiggling frame with every swallow, turning his underside into a plush cushion that constantly pressed his legs further and further outwards. The sight of being encased in his own body fat would’ve thrown him into a panic, but his sugar-addled brain brushed off all the warning signs as not being as severe as it was. He wasn’t that heavy, he convinced himself. He was just feeling lethargic today. Yeah, that’s it. All the inactivity he’s had lately has left him feeling a little sluggish. The weather was starting to get colder anyway, so it wasn’t all that strange for him to have a little more padding than usual. The more he convinced himself that nothing was wrong, the more he sealed his fate, outright ignoring just how out of control he was. Even as his massive belly began to lift him upwards, he didn’t pause in his feeding for a second, greedily shoveling more food into his bulging middle. The only thing on his mind was eating more of those delicious sweets, which Beryl was only too happy to oblige. Between Grief’s seemingly bottomless appetite and Beryl’s eagerness to feed, the two of them were having such a blast that the grand feast would’ve continued indefinitely if it were possible.

Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end...

Especially when some things are too good to be true.

“Hmmh?” Grief did a double take when he felt his teeth sink into nothing. He then growled, anger flaring up as he realized there wasn’t anything left to eat. “I thought I told you not to stop!” He scolded. The dragon glared at Beryl with a burning malice in his eyes, although his menacing look was slightly marred by bits of cream and frosting splattered around his mouth.

“My apologies, Master Grief, but sadly I have no more left to give you.” Beryl replied, bowing his head. He could feel the dragon’s oppressive gaze boring into him, still steeped in a high of greed. His sweets might have been a little too addicting for his own good. “That was the last of the offerings I brought, so I’m afraid that we’re all out.”

“Which means I’ve no more use for you.” Grief snarled. “You’re all out of lifelines...and all out of time!” With that, Grief made to leap onto the inattentive anthro, ensuring a swift end to his prey with one pounce. It was an effective maneuver for a skilled hunter like himself, one that had never failed him.

Until now, that is. Grief grunted in confusion as his attack utterly failed. Not only had he not leaped off the ground, but It appeared that he hadn’t even budged from his spot, no closer to his target than before. Annoyed, he tried again, and then a third time, only to find the same thing happen. He flailed in frustration. He wasn’t moving at all! That wasn’t entirely true though. He could feel something moving. A whole lot of something, but what? Grief got his answer a moment later as the sweet fog that had been clouding his mind finally cleared up. His senses slowly came back to him, as if waking up from a long dream...

Only for Grief to be treated to his second rude awakening of the day.

“Wh-What the-!” Grief’s words caught in his throat as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was absoultely enormous! He had experienced being overweight before, even morbidly obese, but all those paled in comparison to the sloping mound of pillowy fat he had become. All he saw when he looked down at himself was nothing but his own bloated middle, now so large that it lifted his legs clear off of the ground. It jiggled from his movements, emitting a light slosh at the shifting of his incredible mass. He couldn’t even crane his thick neck enough to see where it all ended, but he could feel how huge he was regardless. Not only was he immobilized by his now useless legs, but his whole body was stuck like a cork in the mouth of his own cave! His fatty flanks pressed softly into the walls on either side while his back rolls made firm contact with the ceiling. Out of sight, the two bulbous balloons he had for a behind expanded to fill a sizable amount of space inside, forcing his front to ooze out of the entrance like an overfilled cream puff in an avalanche of gray blubber spilling outwards in copious folds of flab. Even if he were still able to touch the ground, there was no way he could get unstuck by himself.

Once Grief’s initial shock wore off, it was replaced by a bubbling rage the rose up within him (or was that his stomach rumbling?) as his eyes fell upon the still bowing Beryl once more. “You...” He seethed, breathing heavily. “You blasted lizard! What did you -UUUUURRRRRRRRRRRP!- do to me!?” A light blush accompanied his impromptu belch, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

His attempt at intimidation failed so spectacularly that it appeared to have the opposite effect. Beryl’s shoulders shook unsteadily, but it wasn’t the panicked tremblings of fear as he had intended. Instead, it was the same energy of excitement that radiated from him when they first met.

“Lizard?” Beryl chuckled at that insult. “Master Grief, you’ve got me all wrong. I’m not just any old lizard...” He rose his head, returning the dragon’s glare with piercing blue eyes that took on an icy glow. “...I’m a demon.” He stated firmly.

“A d-demon!?” Grief repeated. Even with all his newfound insulation, The look that Beryl gave him still managed to make him shiver as if he were caught in a sudden snowstorm. He had a feeling that something was off about the anthro, but a demon of all things? His face hardened in defiance of this fact, refusing to let him get the upper hand. “Demon or not, you’re still going to pay dearly for what you did!”

“What I did? Master Grief, I assure you that I only did what you told me to!” He said, stepping towards him. His demeanor reverted to the submissive, hospitable manner of speaking he had before. His words, although genuine, were carried by a tone that sounded almost sinister to the dragon. “You ordered me not to stop feeding you, and I did just that until we ran out of food. What could I have possibly done that wasn’t to your liking?”

“Look at me!” Grief fumed. “I’m the size of a whale! You must’ve done something to the food!”

Beryl was looking alright. There wasn’t anything around here that he’d rather have his eyes on. “Now Master Grief,” he said, still approaching. “I won’t deny there being a little bit of magic in the dough, but anyone would end up just as big and fat after eating as much as you did.”

“But I didn’t eat...that many....?” He paused. How much did he eat? He wasn’t keeping count by any means, but surely it wasn’t too many, right..? It was all just a blur of desserts. Soft, creamy, delicious desserts. The thought almost made him feel hungry again.

“What’s wrong?” Beryl asked. “Do you not remember?” The gap between him and the dragon’s cave-filling mass closed quickly, coming to less than an arm’s length away. “Because I remember it all very clearly...” At that moment, Beryl reached out and grabbed a handful of loose flab, smiling as he felt it squish in his grip.

Grief recoiled at the sudden contact, sending small ripples across his bloated form. “W-W-What do you think you’re doing down there!?” he protested. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Come now Master Grief, I insist!” Beryl replied. “After such an extensive feast, a good belly rub may be exactly what you need! I just know you’re going to enjoy it.” Before Grief could get another word in, he already had both his hands pressed into the dragon’s belly and gently rubbing at his fatty folds. His motions came from a place of experience, like this wasn’t his first time tending to such a massively engorged hide.

Grief felt the effects of such expertise in full force. The massage was, quite simply, exquisite. The tingling sensations brought by his touch both elated and irritated him. The demon was all too right when he said that he would enjoy this, but he couldn’t afford to show any weakness now! He masked his pleasured rumbles behind a forceful growl, casting another threatening gaze at Beryl. “W-Whether I like it or not d-doesn’t matter!” He stammered out. “Keep your grubby hands away from me!”

Instead of breaking away, Beryl doubled down, digging his fingers deeper into Grief’s multi-ton figure. “You know, you really impressed me.” He said. “After that first cupcake, you were totally hooked, desperately gulping down sweets like your life depended on it.” He kneaded the gray wall in front of him like he was fluffing a pillow, adding further ripples to the dragon’s constantly jiggling hide. “Such a greedy dragon you are! If I hadn’t run out of food, you probably would still be eating right now...”

Grief squirmed as the demon’s teasing gestures suddenly became more intense, his face flush with both anger and embarrassment from how much his belly jiggled. “H-Hey! Stop it!” Grief snarled. He swung a fat paw towards the demon, intending to silence him with his claws. However, his attack stopped just short of Beryl’s head, kept out of reach by the hill of blubber keeping his bloated limbs at bay.

“I can only imagine how it must’ve felt to surrender yourself to such gluttony.” Beryl went on, giving his belly another playful squeeze. “Taking everything that I gave you without a single word of complaint, barely even giving yourself time to breathe between all of those desserts as you stuffed yourself like a starved beast. To do nothing but eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, burying every aspect of your figure in plush, bountiful fat. Seeing how it expanded to such a degree that your body parts can’t help but rub against each other...Oh how I loved watching you grow.” He gave the dragon’s stomach a wide hug, sinking generously into the soft expanse. “And now look at you, too big to even fit in your own home, let alone walk. Did you enjoy yourself? I know I di-.”

“That’s enough!” Grief boomed. He thrashed hard, sending a powerful vibration across his belly. Beryl let out a short gasp as he was actually forced backwards, putting distance between them once again. “You’ve got me at your mercy, but all you’ve been doing is playing around!” What do you want from me!? My hide as a trophy? Fame and riches for slaying the dragon? Answer me!”

Though a bit shaken from Grief’s outburst, Beryl couldn’t help but laugh at his question. “But Master Grief,” He answered, “You’ve already given me so much that I couldn’t possibly ask for more!”

“Huh?”

“Serving you today was truly all I wanted to do, and just look at how you turned out!” Beryl continued, beaming with pride. “It brings me joy to see my creations devoured by one as gluttonous as you. On that note however, I unfortunately must be going now. You did completely clean out my stock of desserts after all.” Beryl reluctantly turned his back to the dragon. “I simply can’t leave this be, so I’m off to replenish it from the beginning again. You understand, right?”

The demon only made it one step before Grief objected. “Wait a second, I’m not done with you yet!” he growled.

“What’s this?” Beryl looked back at him, smirking. “When I got here, you couldn’t stop trying to get me to go away. Now that I’m finally about to leave, you want me to stay?” Will you miss me that much?”

“That’s not it!” Grief spat. “Are you really going to just leave me like this!?”

“Pardon?”

“You know magic, don’t you? You’ve already had your fun, now change me back!”

Beryl raised a brow. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because I can’t do anything like this!” Grief snarled, gritting his teeth. “How am I supposed to defend my territory from potential threats!?”

“Threats?” Beryl questioned. “All the warnings about you are more than enough to keep most people away. I should know. That village would have quarantined me if I told them I was going to visit you!”

“But that-“

“And even if they did still come, who’s going to mess with a dragon of your size?”

“Well, I-“

“You’ll be fine, and besides...” Beryl then leaped onto Grief’s belly and began climbing up. The dragon’s bulk shook from the sudden movement, surprising him as he felt him heading straight for his face. “W-What are you-“ he began, but Beryl had already reached him before he could finish. The demon looked straight into his eyes and smiled, gently cradling his fat cheeks in his hands.

“...I like you better like this. Don’t you think so too?”

Whether it was deliberate or not, Beryl had become vulnerable in that one moment. The demon was well within striking range, leaving him open to attack from Grief. A swift bite was all that he would need to end it. This was his only chance.

However, Grief didn’t act. The demon’s words rang in his head.The statement was so pure, so simple, so honest that he didn’t know how to respond. How could he respond to something like that? The gears in his mind turned, but they failed to produce anything out of his stunned silence aside from a light blush that had refused to leave him.

Though he didn’t move or speak, the dragon’s reaction (or lack thereof) appeared to be all the answer that Beryl needed. Satisfied, he jumped off and slowly backed away. “I hope today was as much fun for me as it was for you, Master Grief.” He said. “Perhaps we’ll meet again someday, and I’ll make sure to bring at least twice as many desserts next time!” With one final bow, Beryl turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving Grief to sit within his own mass.

Finally alone once more, Grief sat there for a couple more minutes to make sure there wasn’t anyone else around. Once confident that the coast was clear, he let out a blissful sigh, sinking slightly into his blubber as he let all the tension in his body seep out. He had been holding himself back in the demon’s presence, but now he could revel in his corpulence in solitude.

Grief let out a rumbling purr as Beryl’s words echoed in his mind once more. It was true, he really did like being like this. It was a wondrous feeling being so massively obese. He was huge, soft, and most of all, warm. What better alternative to sleeping on the cold ground than on a bed of your own belly? Sure, he couldn’t move around anymore, but he wasn’t getting that much action in his territory in the first place, so he had little to worry about. With all this thick fat keeping him insulated, he could relax through the harsh winter months in total luxury. The only thing that would make this even more complete is if he still had something sweet to snack on.

In spite of how frivolously he had indulged himself that day, Grief still had a lingering craving for Beryl’s pastries. The demon’s desserts were ironically nothing short of heavenly. There was nothing he would want more than to be able to taste those sensational flavors again. Even long after they had been eaten, the memory of those sweets would remain with him. As he settled down further into his blubber, Grief sleepily wondered when the next time the demon would pay him a visit before passing into a deep slumber, dreaming about what new delicacies would await him then.

The quiet forest was once more filled with the sounds of snoring, albeit with a deeper, more tranquil tone than before.