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Wrested awake from a dream of years gone by, Jem finds his thoughts more and more preoccupied with the tribe he hailed from. As his thoughts dwell on giants and their way of life, particularly how he used to live, the rough collie finally gets around to informing Dax just how similar they are. Of course, interruptions and snarkiness on Russo's end are to be expected as Jem finally quits beating around the damn bush.
Icon is © to
9aia
FIRST , PREVIOUS , NEXT
Chapter 34
“I don’t know about this auntie,” Jem reluctantly stated, rubbing his right paw against the back of his left leg uneasily.
“It’s fine to be scared sweetie, it’s your first time.”
“I-I’m not scared!” The fur hesitantly barked back.
Giggling softly to herself, the rust colored collie roughly tussled her favorite nephew’s ears. Dashes and speckles of white and grey proliferated across her chest and her face, contrasting strongly against her predominant fur color. “You’re sure?”
Whining softly to himself, Jem’s shoulders drooped and his eyes dipped down low as he tucked his chin against his chest.
“I thought you’d be excited to live out your own adventures like your ol’ auntie did?” Her voice soft and gentle, the furry giantess placed two of her fingers under Jem’s chin. She gently eased his gaze back up from the forest floor hidden beneath a dry and crunchy layer of maple leaves into her own glimmering brown eyes.
“Maybe I’m a little scared,” the young fur conceded shamefully as his brows flattened and he broke off eye contact. “I… I wish I could be brave like you, auntie Arya,” Jem softly sighed as his tail wagged pitifully.
Resting a hand atop his fuzzy head, Arya tussled his ears much more gently this time. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”
“…What if nobody likes me? Nobody wants to talk to me or be my friend?”
“You’re overthinking this hon.” Sporting a grin that spread from one side of her muzzle to the other, the toned collie gave the timid giant a stinging slap on the back. “It’s not that hard to make a good impression, Jem. The little ones treat their own well, just like we do. Just start acting like one of them and things will work out.”
“How do I do that though? I’m so different from them!” Worry ringing in his voice, Jem tilted his head back slightly, Arya standing a good head and shoulders above him.
“That’s the beauty of it,” she smirked as she bopped him on the nose. “In all honesty, no you’re not. There isn’t all that much separating us from them aside from size. Just keep on being the kind and caring soul you’ve always been and you’ll fit in just fine. I’m sure you’ll make friends fast.”
Fidgeting under her accepting gaze, Jem turned away bashfully. “…I’m still scared though,” he meekly whispered as he kicked at the ground, the worn leathery padding on his toes scraping the matted down leaves clean off the forest floor.
“And you think I wasn’t the first time I strutted into one of those places? Nearly everything is taller than you are at that size! It’ll take a lot of getting used to, trust me.” Wrapping an arm around his back, Arya pulled her nephew in for a heartfelt hug. Nuzzling the top of his head, she ignored the smaller giant’s fussing.
“You were scared when you first went into one of their villages?” Shocked that such a thing was possible, the timid fur stared up at his aunt in awe.
“Jem, being brave doesn’t mean having no fear. Being brave means mastering your fears. If you can manage to walk amongst those little ones with your head on your shoulders and heck, tackle and wrangle with the challenges they do, you’ll instantly become one of the bravest boys our tribe has ever put forth! Those annoying little ankle biters that I’ve seen you kick just about clear over a mountain are full-fledged monsters to those folks! Just think of the stories you’d be able to come back and tell to us if you beat one at their size!”
A shy and almost unnoticeable grin poked out from between Jem’s pursed lips as he hugged Arya back tight.
“I see that smile,” the rust colored giantess teased as she nuzzled him once more. “Don’t worry so much Jem, I’ll point you to a place I’m sure will treat you well. I used to run with the guild there for a few years, remember? It was a hell of a learning experience, I’ll say that much. Really opened my eyes to just how difficult but fun their lives can be.”
“What about those funny looking furless ones?” Jem inquired, tactfully poking at just the right buttons to persuade Arya into rolling on with one of her famous stories.
“You mean the humans? Oh where to begin…” she trailed off as her eyes tilted up towards the pitch black sky. Wiggling about in place happily, the young fur couldn’t wait to hear how Arya would spice up this retelling. Would she emphasize the ones she fought against? Or maybe the couple she befriended? Ooh ooh maybe she’d talk about that thieving old cuss who ran the guild! “Ohhh so that’s how it is?” Smirking, Arya arched her eyebrows and poked Jem on the forehead. “You little sneak, you were trying to weed another story out of me! I practically talk myself hoarse for you as it is.”
“But your stories are the best auntie!” Jem whined loudly as he activated his puppy dog eyes.
“I think you’ll find making your own stories is far more satisfying than hearing about them,” Arya stated as she batted at his nose and disengaged his cute mode. “How about this. If you really want to hear more of what I have to say from way back when I roamed the land on my own, you’re going to have to trade for them. One story for another, that’s going to be my asking price. Now that you’re old enough to go out to make your own adventures, I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem for you now, will it?”
“I guess…”
“Suck it up there nephew, you knew it was going to happen one of these days. Now come on, let’s get in a few last bouts of practice before we pass by Tedrah. It’s just beyond the forest and it’s bound to come into view by tomorrow.”
“Already on it, auntie!” Jem barked back happily as he rapidly decreased in size. His loose fitting shorts flumped down to the forest floor loudly as they slid off of his trimming form. Standing in what could be considered one of the legs of his ratty clothing, which was little more than a mass of pelts crudely glued and stitched together, the collie had plenty of room to spare.
“Not too shabby.” Beaming proudly, her eyes focused on the toe high fur currently being dwarfed by the clothes she had cobbled together for him last winter. “And no trouble maintaining that size?”
“Nope!” Climbing over crumpled hill of patched together pelts, the gangly little collie made his way towards his towering titaness of an aunt.
“What about growing back into ginormousness? We had a bit of a scare there when you were just starting.” Arya’s lips curled down subtly as she worriedly recalled the difficulties that followed Jem’s first successful shrinking.
“I’m okay auntie!” Surging up in height, the young fur erffed as he bumped into Arya, having misjudged how much space he would occupy upon resuming his gigantic stature.
Smiling gently, the fluffy giantess wrapped her arms around him tight and held him close, his muzzle smooshed against her generous chest. “Could still use a little work,” she teased as she nibbled at his ear. Letting out a tired sigh, the rust colored collie poured on the pressure and crushed Jem with a motherly hug. “I couldn’t be any prouder of you even if you were my son,” Arya softly whispered as she gave him a peck on the head and a lick on the cheek. A wry smile slipped through her reassuring demeanor as she continued showering her nephew with lick kisses. He more than made up for the fact she was unable to bear a child of her own.
Hugging back with a strength that seemed paltry compared to hers, Jem’s tail wagged slowly. “I’ll be sure to visit every spring when the tribe passes through.”
“You better.” Roughly tussling his hair and ears, Arya playfully cackled as Jem whined loudly and struggled to disengage from the vice-like grip of her hug. “I expect to hear all about the friends you’ll make and the crazy adventures you’ve gone on each time you come back to visit. I’m especially looking forward to the ones about that smart ass, Russo. Understood?”
“You’ll be the first to hear.” Giggling, Jem couldn’t help but bark playfully as Arya’s teasing became much less rough and noticeably more bearable. “Wait… Russo? How do…?”
“Russo… Russo…. Come on, wake up Russo!” Dax growled impatiently as he tried shaking the human awake.
Squinting his eyes, the collie rubbed his fingers against his furry forehead, the memories of his dream having already become nebulous and murky. Groaning loudly as he stirred, he let out an ear shattering yawn as he stretched. “What are you doing in here Dax?” Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as another massive yawn that threatened to displace his jaw crawled out of his throat, Jem’s body wobbled as he threw all of his weight onto his left arm and pushed himself up into sitting position.
“What do you think?” Russo groggily replied as he pulled his covers and comforter over his head.
“I don’t think you’re going to get much in the way of magic lessons out of him today, Dax.” Turning his head towards the damp and frosted window, Jem blinked a couple times before realizing what the pure white view implied. “Anyway, we’re snowed in. Even if Russo were to be compliant with your demands, you won’t be able to go anywhere.”
“N-nuh uh! That’s just frost!” Scurrying towards the window, the thick wolf rubbed a not quite so thick layer of frozen moisture off one of the frigid glass panes. Ears dipping down low as an even brighter white revealed itself beneath, Dax whined softly as he swelled slightly to scrape at the high up window panes. To his dismay, the same results continued to present themselves as he shot up higher and higher. Poking his nose against the top window pane, nearly eight feet off the floor, the wolf could just barely glimpse the blue winter sky. “Awwwwwwwwwww. Now what am I gonna do all day?”
Scratching his fingers against his defined chest, Jem exhaled tiredly as he weighed his options. “…I suppose we could bring you into the loop. Now’s as good a time as any.”
“Huh?” Cocking his head to the side, the fluffy wolf didn’t quite follow.
“Jem’s a giant too and he wants to chew you out. There, I saved you both a good chapter’s worth of dialogue. You can thank me later,” Russo mumbled from beneath his covers.
“W-what!? You’re a giant? Just like me?” Mouth agape, Dax was unable to muster anything other than a stunned silence.
“This is bullshit, he’s more surprised by this than you were!” Jem fumed aloud as he glared over at the human shaped lump curled up beneath the sheets in the bed opposite of him. Rolling his eyes, the furry warrior had little else to do but cut to the point. “Yes, I’m a giant, Russo’s an ass with no appreciation for subtlety or buildup, and you are far too lax with your size.” Sliding out from under the covers and padding towards the door, Jem effortlessly doubled in height before coming to stop in front of it. Turning his back to door and sitting down in front of it, the fur’s massive and muscled form was more than enough to bar any unwanted visitors from entering.
“O-okay.” Fidgeting in place as the significantly larger collie’s eyes settled on him, Dax literally shrunk under his gaze. Gingerly climbing over one of Jem’s thick legs, the wolf skirted slowly towards the other giant’s bed, the frame creaking loudly as the wolf sat down upon it.
“Where to even start…” Shaking his head, Jem leaned back against the door and stretched his legs. Inching his way towards the other end of the room, the collie pressed paws as big as Russo’s torso against the limited wall space between the beds. Arms crossed about his chest, Jem tapped his fingers against his bulging biceps as he pondered. “…What tribe do you hail from?”
“The Otsus. I-I was a member of the Otsus tribe.” Stamping his paws upon the floor, Dax’s tone became quiet and subdued.
Underneath his bed covers Russo grit his teeth, not exactly thrilled with how much emphasis the tubby wolf was placing on the past tense.
“Huh, I’m pretty certain my tribe, the Kalharao, has run across them a couple times. I’ve heard that whenever they settle upon some goal, they’ll incur any cost to achieve it. Crazy determined from what I can tell.”
“Sounds about right.” A couple of weak chuckles rumbled forth from the wolf’s belly in response.
“Is your tribe very large?”
“N-nah. Maybe a dozen people at most. Probably less now since last I checked… What about yours?” Dax shyly shot back with a question of his own in a timid attempt to keep the conversation from becoming one sided.
“Maybe a couple more, closer to twenty I’d say. Do they migrate much? Around now I’m willing to bet mine is roughing it in the mountains up north. We like to cycle between there in the winter, the thick forests around here in the spring and fall, and the plains down south come summer.” Sliding his worn paws back and forth against the wall, every so often one of the collie’s feet would bonk against Russo’s bedframe and shake it slightly.
“No… they just tend to stick to the forests in this general area year round.” Staring down at his impressive tummy, Dax poked at it intermittently, almost like he was checking it was still there.
“How do the Otsus get by then? There’s hardly any game around here once fall has come and gone.”
“Nearly every season was a lean one that’s how.” Rubbing a hand back and forth across his flabby chest, the wolf could hardly remember how it felt for his fingers to bump along his ribcage.
“I can see why your tribe would want to keep numbers so low then,” Jem grimaced as he recalled how wiry and thin Dax looked when they had first met him last summer.
“Yeah… and when the tribe leader had a pup, his focus became making sure his daughter would have more than enough to eat. Rather than risk the safety and stability of the tribe by bringing in another mouth to feed, it was decided that someone had to go. I was never that great a hunter and was barely able to bring in enough game to feed myself, much less the others.” Sighing loudly, Dax’s left ear twitched as his eyes dipped downward. “I had the dubious honor of being exiled for the good of the tribe. Replacing me with someone who required far less sustenance and could be molded into a better hunter than I ever was, is what the tribe leader… heck, and everyone else there, decided upon.”
“I-I’m sorry to hear that,” Jem replied flustered, breaking eye contact with Dax as he looked away in embarrassment.
“Dammit Jem, he’s been dropping hints the entire time,” Russo chastised from within his comforter cocoon.
“I-it’s okay. I have a new tri- errr well, guild now. It’s much better than what I had before.” Tilting his head back up, Dax smiled in earnest at the collie and the human.
“How did you learn to control your size though? Was it knowledge passed down through your tribe or-” Slightly reinvigorated by the wolf’s display of confidence, the collie continued to press him for answers.
“I kind of found it out on my own on accident.” Laughing nervously, Dax rubbed at the back of his head as he prepared to tell a rather ho hum tale. “After being exiled I wandered around the forests, desperately searching for food and kind of, you know, trying not to starve to death. I found a couple farmsteads and tried to borrow some of their food… but that never turned out very well.”
Poking his head out from under the covers, Russo stared at Dax utterly baffled. “How the hell did you manage to fuck that up? You’re a giant for god’s sake!”
“I already told you I’m not very good at killing stuff!” The wolf weakly shot back. “B-besides. I’m not very good at doing much of anything when I’m about to keel over from hunger pains,” he hastily blurted out as a follow up. “Anyway, it was after one of my more ummm… painful failures that I found myself splayed out alongside the edges of the forest, my thoughts consumed with food.”
“How is that any different from now?” Russo snidely remarked before oofing loudly as a very wide and heavy collie paw smooshed down on him, pressing the mage deep into the mattress.
“Shush. Carry on, Dax.” Clenching his toes, Jem compacted the bed’s sheets around Russo’s form and stifled his muffled squirming and invectives.
“L-like I was saying, I was obsessed with food, it was literally all I could think about. I fantasized about how wonderful it would be to have those tiny crops be so big that I couldn’t hold them. From there it just slowly transitioned to wishing how I could be as small as those people I saw on the farmsteads. At their size the food was already plenty big! It was all I thought about and… well… as my mind just became consumed with the idea I kind of just… shrank. Eventually all it took was imagining that I was that small and... I was tiny. Not exactly exciting, I know,” Dax mumbled apologetically.
“Welllllllll maybe kind of sort of yeah, it wasn’t all that exciting,” Jem nervously admitted, waving his hand about in a circle. “But it is interesting you mention that, I was taught more or less the same way how to first control my size. My auntie drilled into me that I needed to fervently imagine how the world around me would look. Hee, I remember how she’d have me lie on my back and gaze up at the tree tops, telling me this is the mental picture I should envision. Keeping in mind of course that’s the view I’d have while standing up with my head leaned all the way back!”
“Huh. Say Russo, if I didn’t know any better, this is sounding an awful lot like your lesson from the other day!” Dax eagerly noted as he turned his attention to the human writhing underpaw.
“I noticed that hrnnnnnnggg… myself,” Russo remarked in exasperation as he barely squeezed out from under Jem’s sole. Whacking against the floor loudly, the mage grunted painfully as he pulled his unkempt self off of the cold wooden planks. Clad only in loose pair of cotton pants, he grumpily yanked the covers out from beneath Jem’s wiggling toes and wrapped them around his exposed chest. “I mean, way back when I was suffering through your first bout of magic lessons, we kind of bumbled on the fact the channeling and gathering magic works differently for you than most. I’m assuming that was because you’re a giant. Might not be too great a stretch to say that you two being able to switch about your sizes is magically based. I dunno, maybe that’s how giants use their inherent magic? Sure, you may suck all sorts of colossal ass at casting any kind of traditional spell without a ridiculous amount of outside help. But being able to hulk up into a behemoth more or less at will is a spell I’m sure plenty of people out there would kill for.”
“I’d prefer it never come to that,” Jem forcefully replied while he tapped Russo on the top of his head. “It would be a dream come true to not have to keep this a secret, but let’s be realistic.”
“I know I know, we already talked about this way back when.” Pushing away a gigantic furry finger the mage began to pace about the room, his bare feet growing cold every time he made contact with the frigid flooring. “People would flip the fuck out if we casually let them know that giants could be walking amongst them.”
“Worse yet I can already imagine the paranoia that would sweep the place. Short of me telling you, you never would have dreamed I was a giant would you Russo?” In response to the human shaking his head side to side, the collie grimaced, grinding his teeth together worriedly. “I can’t imagine it would end well for anyone if everybody was suspicious that everybody else could be a giant going incognito.”
“Then of course there’s bound to be someone who’ll think they can find a way to claim that power for themselves, for whatever idiotic reason.” Rolling his eyes, Russo tried to imagine what kind of stupid walking stereotype would rear itself to try and bring that plan to fruition.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if they actually knew that some of us weren’t so mean…” Dax moped aloud as he kicked his paws back and forth, bouncing the back of his legs against the side of the bed.
“Problem with that is I doubt either side is brave enough or willing to make that first amicable contact. If one of you tried to play nice with us smaller mortals, I’m sure someone on our side would fuck it up. Whereas someone my size trying to make rational and civilized contact with a giant is… unlikely,” Russo petered off weakly, taking a seat next to Dax.
“You could be that first little guy to bridge the boundaries between giants and not so giant people!” Dax barked excitedly as he turned to Russo. “You’re already plenty strong and brave and and and you know that me and Jem aren’t so bad!”
“I have enough on my plate as is. Besides, I don’t really think being an ambassador of sorts is really my thing.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” the swollen collie smirked as his tail began to wag mischievously. “There are plenty in my tribe who would love to meet you, Russo. Every time I catch up with the Kalharao when they’re passing through here around summer, I relay to them plenty of my adventures. And as luck would have it, most of the more interesting ones involve you.”
“…How much have you told them?” Groaning in response to the collie struggling to contain the goofy grin creeping up along his face, Russo let himself fall back onto the mattress. “Oh god,” the mage replied, his voice dripping with dread as he buried his face between his hands.
“Your reputation certainly precedes you!” Snickering to himself, the collie couldn’t help but take the rare chance to relish his best friend’s discomfort. After stifling his laughter long enough to speak in full sentences, Jem continued on. “It’s not all bad, I’ve been sure to sprinkle heaps of praise onto you all throughout my retellings. Most of the Kalharao would absolutely love to meet you!” Giggling at Russo’s further embarrassment, the giant leaned over and poked at the human in an effort to cheer him up. “Oh relax, you have until nearly a year to make up your mind. My tribe won’t be anywhere near here until at least next summer.”
“That’s a relief.” Sighing contentedly, Russo was more than happy to let his future self deal with all of that when the time arose.
“In the meantime though, I wouldn’t mind racking up a couple more stories to tell during my next visit. From the sounds of it, your trip to Yash wasn’t as uneventful as you’d liked?”
“Oooh ooh what all happened?” Bouncing up and down on the bed, the bedframe creaked and wobbled underneath the hefty wolf, gently shaking Russo to and fro.
“Uggggggghhh. Can we discuss this over breakfast or something? This’ll probably take a while.” A ravenous rumbling bellowing out from the collie’s stomach effectively answered the human’s question. “Alright then, here’s hoping there’s something decent left in the kitchen.”
Shrinking back down to a more reasonable size, the collie barked softly as a pair of pants smacked him in the face. The trio quickly donning what amounted to little more than pajamas, they shuffled out of the guest room as Russo sleepily tried to recall how to initiate a flashback.
FIRST , PREVIOUS , NEXT
Icon is © to
9aiaFIRST , PREVIOUS , NEXT
Chapter 34
“I don’t know about this auntie,” Jem reluctantly stated, rubbing his right paw against the back of his left leg uneasily.
“It’s fine to be scared sweetie, it’s your first time.”
“I-I’m not scared!” The fur hesitantly barked back.
Giggling softly to herself, the rust colored collie roughly tussled her favorite nephew’s ears. Dashes and speckles of white and grey proliferated across her chest and her face, contrasting strongly against her predominant fur color. “You’re sure?”
Whining softly to himself, Jem’s shoulders drooped and his eyes dipped down low as he tucked his chin against his chest.
“I thought you’d be excited to live out your own adventures like your ol’ auntie did?” Her voice soft and gentle, the furry giantess placed two of her fingers under Jem’s chin. She gently eased his gaze back up from the forest floor hidden beneath a dry and crunchy layer of maple leaves into her own glimmering brown eyes.
“Maybe I’m a little scared,” the young fur conceded shamefully as his brows flattened and he broke off eye contact. “I… I wish I could be brave like you, auntie Arya,” Jem softly sighed as his tail wagged pitifully.
Resting a hand atop his fuzzy head, Arya tussled his ears much more gently this time. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”
“…What if nobody likes me? Nobody wants to talk to me or be my friend?”
“You’re overthinking this hon.” Sporting a grin that spread from one side of her muzzle to the other, the toned collie gave the timid giant a stinging slap on the back. “It’s not that hard to make a good impression, Jem. The little ones treat their own well, just like we do. Just start acting like one of them and things will work out.”
“How do I do that though? I’m so different from them!” Worry ringing in his voice, Jem tilted his head back slightly, Arya standing a good head and shoulders above him.
“That’s the beauty of it,” she smirked as she bopped him on the nose. “In all honesty, no you’re not. There isn’t all that much separating us from them aside from size. Just keep on being the kind and caring soul you’ve always been and you’ll fit in just fine. I’m sure you’ll make friends fast.”
Fidgeting under her accepting gaze, Jem turned away bashfully. “…I’m still scared though,” he meekly whispered as he kicked at the ground, the worn leathery padding on his toes scraping the matted down leaves clean off the forest floor.
“And you think I wasn’t the first time I strutted into one of those places? Nearly everything is taller than you are at that size! It’ll take a lot of getting used to, trust me.” Wrapping an arm around his back, Arya pulled her nephew in for a heartfelt hug. Nuzzling the top of his head, she ignored the smaller giant’s fussing.
“You were scared when you first went into one of their villages?” Shocked that such a thing was possible, the timid fur stared up at his aunt in awe.
“Jem, being brave doesn’t mean having no fear. Being brave means mastering your fears. If you can manage to walk amongst those little ones with your head on your shoulders and heck, tackle and wrangle with the challenges they do, you’ll instantly become one of the bravest boys our tribe has ever put forth! Those annoying little ankle biters that I’ve seen you kick just about clear over a mountain are full-fledged monsters to those folks! Just think of the stories you’d be able to come back and tell to us if you beat one at their size!”
A shy and almost unnoticeable grin poked out from between Jem’s pursed lips as he hugged Arya back tight.
“I see that smile,” the rust colored giantess teased as she nuzzled him once more. “Don’t worry so much Jem, I’ll point you to a place I’m sure will treat you well. I used to run with the guild there for a few years, remember? It was a hell of a learning experience, I’ll say that much. Really opened my eyes to just how difficult but fun their lives can be.”
“What about those funny looking furless ones?” Jem inquired, tactfully poking at just the right buttons to persuade Arya into rolling on with one of her famous stories.
“You mean the humans? Oh where to begin…” she trailed off as her eyes tilted up towards the pitch black sky. Wiggling about in place happily, the young fur couldn’t wait to hear how Arya would spice up this retelling. Would she emphasize the ones she fought against? Or maybe the couple she befriended? Ooh ooh maybe she’d talk about that thieving old cuss who ran the guild! “Ohhh so that’s how it is?” Smirking, Arya arched her eyebrows and poked Jem on the forehead. “You little sneak, you were trying to weed another story out of me! I practically talk myself hoarse for you as it is.”
“But your stories are the best auntie!” Jem whined loudly as he activated his puppy dog eyes.
“I think you’ll find making your own stories is far more satisfying than hearing about them,” Arya stated as she batted at his nose and disengaged his cute mode. “How about this. If you really want to hear more of what I have to say from way back when I roamed the land on my own, you’re going to have to trade for them. One story for another, that’s going to be my asking price. Now that you’re old enough to go out to make your own adventures, I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem for you now, will it?”
“I guess…”
“Suck it up there nephew, you knew it was going to happen one of these days. Now come on, let’s get in a few last bouts of practice before we pass by Tedrah. It’s just beyond the forest and it’s bound to come into view by tomorrow.”
“Already on it, auntie!” Jem barked back happily as he rapidly decreased in size. His loose fitting shorts flumped down to the forest floor loudly as they slid off of his trimming form. Standing in what could be considered one of the legs of his ratty clothing, which was little more than a mass of pelts crudely glued and stitched together, the collie had plenty of room to spare.
“Not too shabby.” Beaming proudly, her eyes focused on the toe high fur currently being dwarfed by the clothes she had cobbled together for him last winter. “And no trouble maintaining that size?”
“Nope!” Climbing over crumpled hill of patched together pelts, the gangly little collie made his way towards his towering titaness of an aunt.
“What about growing back into ginormousness? We had a bit of a scare there when you were just starting.” Arya’s lips curled down subtly as she worriedly recalled the difficulties that followed Jem’s first successful shrinking.
“I’m okay auntie!” Surging up in height, the young fur erffed as he bumped into Arya, having misjudged how much space he would occupy upon resuming his gigantic stature.
Smiling gently, the fluffy giantess wrapped her arms around him tight and held him close, his muzzle smooshed against her generous chest. “Could still use a little work,” she teased as she nibbled at his ear. Letting out a tired sigh, the rust colored collie poured on the pressure and crushed Jem with a motherly hug. “I couldn’t be any prouder of you even if you were my son,” Arya softly whispered as she gave him a peck on the head and a lick on the cheek. A wry smile slipped through her reassuring demeanor as she continued showering her nephew with lick kisses. He more than made up for the fact she was unable to bear a child of her own.
Hugging back with a strength that seemed paltry compared to hers, Jem’s tail wagged slowly. “I’ll be sure to visit every spring when the tribe passes through.”
“You better.” Roughly tussling his hair and ears, Arya playfully cackled as Jem whined loudly and struggled to disengage from the vice-like grip of her hug. “I expect to hear all about the friends you’ll make and the crazy adventures you’ve gone on each time you come back to visit. I’m especially looking forward to the ones about that smart ass, Russo. Understood?”
“You’ll be the first to hear.” Giggling, Jem couldn’t help but bark playfully as Arya’s teasing became much less rough and noticeably more bearable. “Wait… Russo? How do…?”
“Russo… Russo…. Come on, wake up Russo!” Dax growled impatiently as he tried shaking the human awake.
Squinting his eyes, the collie rubbed his fingers against his furry forehead, the memories of his dream having already become nebulous and murky. Groaning loudly as he stirred, he let out an ear shattering yawn as he stretched. “What are you doing in here Dax?” Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as another massive yawn that threatened to displace his jaw crawled out of his throat, Jem’s body wobbled as he threw all of his weight onto his left arm and pushed himself up into sitting position.
“What do you think?” Russo groggily replied as he pulled his covers and comforter over his head.
“I don’t think you’re going to get much in the way of magic lessons out of him today, Dax.” Turning his head towards the damp and frosted window, Jem blinked a couple times before realizing what the pure white view implied. “Anyway, we’re snowed in. Even if Russo were to be compliant with your demands, you won’t be able to go anywhere.”
“N-nuh uh! That’s just frost!” Scurrying towards the window, the thick wolf rubbed a not quite so thick layer of frozen moisture off one of the frigid glass panes. Ears dipping down low as an even brighter white revealed itself beneath, Dax whined softly as he swelled slightly to scrape at the high up window panes. To his dismay, the same results continued to present themselves as he shot up higher and higher. Poking his nose against the top window pane, nearly eight feet off the floor, the wolf could just barely glimpse the blue winter sky. “Awwwwwwwwwww. Now what am I gonna do all day?”
Scratching his fingers against his defined chest, Jem exhaled tiredly as he weighed his options. “…I suppose we could bring you into the loop. Now’s as good a time as any.”
“Huh?” Cocking his head to the side, the fluffy wolf didn’t quite follow.
“Jem’s a giant too and he wants to chew you out. There, I saved you both a good chapter’s worth of dialogue. You can thank me later,” Russo mumbled from beneath his covers.
“W-what!? You’re a giant? Just like me?” Mouth agape, Dax was unable to muster anything other than a stunned silence.
“This is bullshit, he’s more surprised by this than you were!” Jem fumed aloud as he glared over at the human shaped lump curled up beneath the sheets in the bed opposite of him. Rolling his eyes, the furry warrior had little else to do but cut to the point. “Yes, I’m a giant, Russo’s an ass with no appreciation for subtlety or buildup, and you are far too lax with your size.” Sliding out from under the covers and padding towards the door, Jem effortlessly doubled in height before coming to stop in front of it. Turning his back to door and sitting down in front of it, the fur’s massive and muscled form was more than enough to bar any unwanted visitors from entering.
“O-okay.” Fidgeting in place as the significantly larger collie’s eyes settled on him, Dax literally shrunk under his gaze. Gingerly climbing over one of Jem’s thick legs, the wolf skirted slowly towards the other giant’s bed, the frame creaking loudly as the wolf sat down upon it.
“Where to even start…” Shaking his head, Jem leaned back against the door and stretched his legs. Inching his way towards the other end of the room, the collie pressed paws as big as Russo’s torso against the limited wall space between the beds. Arms crossed about his chest, Jem tapped his fingers against his bulging biceps as he pondered. “…What tribe do you hail from?”
“The Otsus. I-I was a member of the Otsus tribe.” Stamping his paws upon the floor, Dax’s tone became quiet and subdued.
Underneath his bed covers Russo grit his teeth, not exactly thrilled with how much emphasis the tubby wolf was placing on the past tense.
“Huh, I’m pretty certain my tribe, the Kalharao, has run across them a couple times. I’ve heard that whenever they settle upon some goal, they’ll incur any cost to achieve it. Crazy determined from what I can tell.”
“Sounds about right.” A couple of weak chuckles rumbled forth from the wolf’s belly in response.
“Is your tribe very large?”
“N-nah. Maybe a dozen people at most. Probably less now since last I checked… What about yours?” Dax shyly shot back with a question of his own in a timid attempt to keep the conversation from becoming one sided.
“Maybe a couple more, closer to twenty I’d say. Do they migrate much? Around now I’m willing to bet mine is roughing it in the mountains up north. We like to cycle between there in the winter, the thick forests around here in the spring and fall, and the plains down south come summer.” Sliding his worn paws back and forth against the wall, every so often one of the collie’s feet would bonk against Russo’s bedframe and shake it slightly.
“No… they just tend to stick to the forests in this general area year round.” Staring down at his impressive tummy, Dax poked at it intermittently, almost like he was checking it was still there.
“How do the Otsus get by then? There’s hardly any game around here once fall has come and gone.”
“Nearly every season was a lean one that’s how.” Rubbing a hand back and forth across his flabby chest, the wolf could hardly remember how it felt for his fingers to bump along his ribcage.
“I can see why your tribe would want to keep numbers so low then,” Jem grimaced as he recalled how wiry and thin Dax looked when they had first met him last summer.
“Yeah… and when the tribe leader had a pup, his focus became making sure his daughter would have more than enough to eat. Rather than risk the safety and stability of the tribe by bringing in another mouth to feed, it was decided that someone had to go. I was never that great a hunter and was barely able to bring in enough game to feed myself, much less the others.” Sighing loudly, Dax’s left ear twitched as his eyes dipped downward. “I had the dubious honor of being exiled for the good of the tribe. Replacing me with someone who required far less sustenance and could be molded into a better hunter than I ever was, is what the tribe leader… heck, and everyone else there, decided upon.”
“I-I’m sorry to hear that,” Jem replied flustered, breaking eye contact with Dax as he looked away in embarrassment.
“Dammit Jem, he’s been dropping hints the entire time,” Russo chastised from within his comforter cocoon.
“I-it’s okay. I have a new tri- errr well, guild now. It’s much better than what I had before.” Tilting his head back up, Dax smiled in earnest at the collie and the human.
“How did you learn to control your size though? Was it knowledge passed down through your tribe or-” Slightly reinvigorated by the wolf’s display of confidence, the collie continued to press him for answers.
“I kind of found it out on my own on accident.” Laughing nervously, Dax rubbed at the back of his head as he prepared to tell a rather ho hum tale. “After being exiled I wandered around the forests, desperately searching for food and kind of, you know, trying not to starve to death. I found a couple farmsteads and tried to borrow some of their food… but that never turned out very well.”
Poking his head out from under the covers, Russo stared at Dax utterly baffled. “How the hell did you manage to fuck that up? You’re a giant for god’s sake!”
“I already told you I’m not very good at killing stuff!” The wolf weakly shot back. “B-besides. I’m not very good at doing much of anything when I’m about to keel over from hunger pains,” he hastily blurted out as a follow up. “Anyway, it was after one of my more ummm… painful failures that I found myself splayed out alongside the edges of the forest, my thoughts consumed with food.”
“How is that any different from now?” Russo snidely remarked before oofing loudly as a very wide and heavy collie paw smooshed down on him, pressing the mage deep into the mattress.
“Shush. Carry on, Dax.” Clenching his toes, Jem compacted the bed’s sheets around Russo’s form and stifled his muffled squirming and invectives.
“L-like I was saying, I was obsessed with food, it was literally all I could think about. I fantasized about how wonderful it would be to have those tiny crops be so big that I couldn’t hold them. From there it just slowly transitioned to wishing how I could be as small as those people I saw on the farmsteads. At their size the food was already plenty big! It was all I thought about and… well… as my mind just became consumed with the idea I kind of just… shrank. Eventually all it took was imagining that I was that small and... I was tiny. Not exactly exciting, I know,” Dax mumbled apologetically.
“Welllllllll maybe kind of sort of yeah, it wasn’t all that exciting,” Jem nervously admitted, waving his hand about in a circle. “But it is interesting you mention that, I was taught more or less the same way how to first control my size. My auntie drilled into me that I needed to fervently imagine how the world around me would look. Hee, I remember how she’d have me lie on my back and gaze up at the tree tops, telling me this is the mental picture I should envision. Keeping in mind of course that’s the view I’d have while standing up with my head leaned all the way back!”
“Huh. Say Russo, if I didn’t know any better, this is sounding an awful lot like your lesson from the other day!” Dax eagerly noted as he turned his attention to the human writhing underpaw.
“I noticed that hrnnnnnnggg… myself,” Russo remarked in exasperation as he barely squeezed out from under Jem’s sole. Whacking against the floor loudly, the mage grunted painfully as he pulled his unkempt self off of the cold wooden planks. Clad only in loose pair of cotton pants, he grumpily yanked the covers out from beneath Jem’s wiggling toes and wrapped them around his exposed chest. “I mean, way back when I was suffering through your first bout of magic lessons, we kind of bumbled on the fact the channeling and gathering magic works differently for you than most. I’m assuming that was because you’re a giant. Might not be too great a stretch to say that you two being able to switch about your sizes is magically based. I dunno, maybe that’s how giants use their inherent magic? Sure, you may suck all sorts of colossal ass at casting any kind of traditional spell without a ridiculous amount of outside help. But being able to hulk up into a behemoth more or less at will is a spell I’m sure plenty of people out there would kill for.”
“I’d prefer it never come to that,” Jem forcefully replied while he tapped Russo on the top of his head. “It would be a dream come true to not have to keep this a secret, but let’s be realistic.”
“I know I know, we already talked about this way back when.” Pushing away a gigantic furry finger the mage began to pace about the room, his bare feet growing cold every time he made contact with the frigid flooring. “People would flip the fuck out if we casually let them know that giants could be walking amongst them.”
“Worse yet I can already imagine the paranoia that would sweep the place. Short of me telling you, you never would have dreamed I was a giant would you Russo?” In response to the human shaking his head side to side, the collie grimaced, grinding his teeth together worriedly. “I can’t imagine it would end well for anyone if everybody was suspicious that everybody else could be a giant going incognito.”
“Then of course there’s bound to be someone who’ll think they can find a way to claim that power for themselves, for whatever idiotic reason.” Rolling his eyes, Russo tried to imagine what kind of stupid walking stereotype would rear itself to try and bring that plan to fruition.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if they actually knew that some of us weren’t so mean…” Dax moped aloud as he kicked his paws back and forth, bouncing the back of his legs against the side of the bed.
“Problem with that is I doubt either side is brave enough or willing to make that first amicable contact. If one of you tried to play nice with us smaller mortals, I’m sure someone on our side would fuck it up. Whereas someone my size trying to make rational and civilized contact with a giant is… unlikely,” Russo petered off weakly, taking a seat next to Dax.
“You could be that first little guy to bridge the boundaries between giants and not so giant people!” Dax barked excitedly as he turned to Russo. “You’re already plenty strong and brave and and and you know that me and Jem aren’t so bad!”
“I have enough on my plate as is. Besides, I don’t really think being an ambassador of sorts is really my thing.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” the swollen collie smirked as his tail began to wag mischievously. “There are plenty in my tribe who would love to meet you, Russo. Every time I catch up with the Kalharao when they’re passing through here around summer, I relay to them plenty of my adventures. And as luck would have it, most of the more interesting ones involve you.”
“…How much have you told them?” Groaning in response to the collie struggling to contain the goofy grin creeping up along his face, Russo let himself fall back onto the mattress. “Oh god,” the mage replied, his voice dripping with dread as he buried his face between his hands.
“Your reputation certainly precedes you!” Snickering to himself, the collie couldn’t help but take the rare chance to relish his best friend’s discomfort. After stifling his laughter long enough to speak in full sentences, Jem continued on. “It’s not all bad, I’ve been sure to sprinkle heaps of praise onto you all throughout my retellings. Most of the Kalharao would absolutely love to meet you!” Giggling at Russo’s further embarrassment, the giant leaned over and poked at the human in an effort to cheer him up. “Oh relax, you have until nearly a year to make up your mind. My tribe won’t be anywhere near here until at least next summer.”
“That’s a relief.” Sighing contentedly, Russo was more than happy to let his future self deal with all of that when the time arose.
“In the meantime though, I wouldn’t mind racking up a couple more stories to tell during my next visit. From the sounds of it, your trip to Yash wasn’t as uneventful as you’d liked?”
“Oooh ooh what all happened?” Bouncing up and down on the bed, the bedframe creaked and wobbled underneath the hefty wolf, gently shaking Russo to and fro.
“Uggggggghhh. Can we discuss this over breakfast or something? This’ll probably take a while.” A ravenous rumbling bellowing out from the collie’s stomach effectively answered the human’s question. “Alright then, here’s hoping there’s something decent left in the kitchen.”
Shrinking back down to a more reasonable size, the collie barked softly as a pair of pants smacked him in the face. The trio quickly donning what amounted to little more than pajamas, they shuffled out of the guest room as Russo sleepily tried to recall how to initiate a flashback.
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Category Story / Macro / Micro
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