When someone walks into a bathroom or locker with a camera raised, usually they would be glared at or called out as a pervert. Fortunately for Ty and his client, there was no one around to judge his behavior for the day.

The golden retriever had his ample back leaned against the wall of a bathroom stall. Despite being concealed in a hoodie and sweats, Ty’s generous build hugged the cloth in a constricting manner. “Pan, I know you are shy, but before and after pictures are super important for tracking progress for this type of training,” Ty said over the wall of the stall.

“Ugh…” Pan began hesitantly. “Is it ok if we just cancel this whole training thing?”

Ty lifted his back from the stall wall and turned his front to the door. “Feeling insecure?” Ty asked knowingly. He took the silence as affirmation. “Even the best bodybuilders beat themselves up over how their bodies look.” Ty continued.
“Like who?” the voice said.

“Well…. Let’s look at Hund. He constantly hates it when people mention how big and fat his stomach is, even though the rest of his physique is solid.”

Off in the distance, a gruff voice echoed through the locker chamber. “You talking shit, Ty?”

“Yeah,” Ty answered in response. “I was just telling Pan how you really are into bulking.”

Ty meant the comment to be a joke, but unfortunately, Hund didn’t understand the golden retriever’s humor sometimes.

“Right,” Hund responded in monotone in the distance. Ty thought Hund was done until he heard the soft thump of something large and heavy walking in the space. Pan whimpered silently behind the stall door. The thumping wasn’t approaching him. Instead, it seemed to be going in the direction of the lockers.

“Wait, Hund, you know I was ki-“Ty tried explaining until he heard the sound of a metal locker door hitting the ground. Even though Ty couldn’t see it, he knew Hund had just broken into his locker. He’d have to deal with this problem later; he needed to focus on Pan for now.

“Another example is me,” Ty said, returning his attention to helping Pan’s insecurity. “When I was starting out, I also really didn’t like how my body looked. It wasn’t until much later that I knew there was a word for that: body dysmorphia. They say that the day you start lifting is the beginning of thinking you’ll always be too small, but I think you are very big for going on such a challenge.”

Pan didn’t say anything for a long while, making Ty worried. The golden retriever had his hand balled into a fist about to knock on the door when he heard the lock bolt sliding open. Despite this, Pan did not leave the stall. Curious, Ty cautiously widened the gap peeking his head to check on the red panda.

Standing to the side of the door was Pan with one of his arms folded over his chest. Much of Pan’s fur was myriad of warmish oranges and browns. Interestingly, on the top of his head was a smattering of blond hair, which was the lightest shade of color besides the white patches that accented his ears, cheek, and snout. Pan was wearing the dark orange speedo that Ty gave him, providing the shy Ailurus some cover of decency. While Pan looked up at the much taller canine meekly like a young child about to be scolded by his parent, Ty examined Pan like a beef connoisseur. Now fully exposed, Ty saw that the svelte red panda had some signs of athletic prowess;. In contrast, not nearly as hulking as Ty, Pan had some definition in his legs, shoulders, and arms. With Pan’s tendencies to flee by either running or climbing out of harm’s way, it was no surprise to Ty where this build came from.

Ty didn’t explicitly comment on Pan’s build; it only would have pushed him further out of his comfort zone. However, Pan grew less tense as Ty nodded approvingly and smiled down at Pan in his usual warm persona.

“Ready to go?” Ty said, offering a hand. Pan’s worry lines softened as the tension building in his face ceased. Ready to move forward, Pan grabbed onto Pan’s large yellow paw and followed him out.

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At long last, I finally got a ref sheet for Pan! I know its only been a couple months but I think this redesign was overdue. As with Hund, I believe a ref sheet provides the perfect opportunity to fully capture the details of a character. Pan was always supposed to be the shy boy of the group and I think this sheet captures it well. (He was also supposed to be the secret admirer to Hund but I've set that aside because of how many actual admirers Hund has now lmao).

Thanks again to  Nanukk for helping me finalize my vision for Pan.

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Epilogue:
Hund sat in the gym’s lobby with an empty tub of protein and an open gym bag on the ground. In his hand was a shaker bottle with a name that wasn’t his written on it. The musclebound brown and white-furred behemoth of a husky sat snuggly in the chair. Despite his evident dedication to fitness, one thing stuck out to most who passed by him: his round, chubby, protruding belly. Hund had his head tilted up as he chugged the last remaining bit of protein shake in the bottle. As one hand tipped the bottle, the other hand felt the gallon’s worth of protein shake he already consumed slosh about inside his well-distended tankard. Finishing his final gulp, Hund lowered his head and sighed. In the corner of his eye, he could make out Ty and Pan stopping in their tracks as they caught sight of him.