Cheshire Magic

“Come on Jevin, I just wanna look at it for a second. Promise I’ll give it back,” Shard pleaded.

The wolf furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. “You know how important this cloaker is, right? I can’t just let anyone who was interested look at it.” Sure he might trust Shard as a friend, but even the best of friends could be tempted to do terrible things with something as powerful as his cloaker. The little ring was the only thing keeping him from being micro at all times.

Shard snuck around to Jevin’s side and placed an arm around his shoulder. “Come oooon, you know you can trust me. Just for a minute. I wanna get a closer look at it,” he said practicing his best Cheshire smile. There was no arguing it further; Shard wasn’t gonna let the topic go. Jevin sighed.

“Alright, fine. Just let me get somewhere safe before I take it off,” he replied. Taking a seat on the couch in Shard’s apartment, he extended his hand. On his ring finger was a small, gold colored ring. Most people wouldn’t think anything of it, unless they already knew ahead of time that Jevin was naturally a micro. Shard carefully pulled it off the wolf’s hand and pocketed it. Jevin’s perspective shifted as it had many times before while he shrank back down to normal. The couch cushions spread out more like a landscape now rather than something to be sat in. He rested against a single fold in the fabric while the Cheshire cat examined the ring far above.

Shard poked and prodded at the little piece of metal, looking for anything of interest on it. By all accounts it looked like a normal ring though; whoever engineered this thing did a fantastic job concealing any electronics. Too bad that wouldn’t really stop what he was about to do. Because sure, he’d promised to return the cloaker to his little friend. He hadn’t made any promises about not doing anything to it before that though. Thank goodness for loopholes. Dropping his devious smile for a moment Shard focused his attention on the cloaker. Tendrils of shimmering black and blue energy snaked their way off Shard’s arms toward the ring. They inscribed a set of unintelligible runes into the shining surface with bright blue writing. It took no longer than a few seconds before the whole thing was covered in them. To anyone without magical ability though, the ring would look completely untouched. Just a little bit of Cheshire magic to have some fun.

The tattoos slithered back into place and Shard hummed to himself, playing up his inspection of it to throw off any suspicion. “I thought for sure there would be more to it than this, but I guess it really is just a ring,” he said. The feline hybrid flicked the ring back down to the couch as if he was flipping a coin. As it fell it seemed to shrink, reverting back to a size its original owner could handle now that someone giant wasn’t holding it. Jevin yelped, diving out of the way to avoid getting crushed by the enormous ring only to find it was back to his size by the time it landed.

“Very funny Shard. You happy now?” the wolf asked as he searched the couch fabric for where the ring went.

“Yes, very. Thanks short stuff,” he said, taking a seat on the couch. He was careful to not sit on Jevin, but just close enough to tease the little wolf with the possibility that he could have. A fluffy white tail shifted on the couch lazily. He was waiting to spring the trap on Jevin until the ring was properly on his finger.

At his size of less than half a foot, it took Jevin a pretty long time to search all across the fabric to find his cloaker. It was just like Shard to do this though, tease him and force him to find the ring himself. Ahh, there it was. He dusted it off, inspecting it to be sure there was no damage from the fall. Once he was satisfied the canine pushed the ring onto his finger and waited to be brought back up to size. Maybe they could get back to watching a movie now that Shard was satisfied… wait. Why wasn’t he growing? He pulled the ring off and put it back on his finger again, just to double check. Still nothing happened. It couldn’t possibly have been broken from a soft fall onto a couch like that could it?

“Uhh Shard,” Jevin said. “I think there may be something wrong. You uhh, didn’t poke anything too hard on the ring did you?”

The towering cat put a hand to his chin in mock thought. “Well, I don’t think so. Should be working just fine. Tell you what, let me go get a snack real quick first and I’ll help you figure out what happened.” The ground beneath Jevin shifted like wave as the enormous feline stood and made his way to the kitchen.

“Don’t take too long though fatass, really kinda worried about this!” Jevin yelled. He spend a few minutes poking at the ring again trying to get any sort of response. If it was actually broken he’d have to take it somewhere to get repaired which could take days. Maybe even weeks if the engineers were backed up. That meant he’d need to find someone to stay with for that whole time, somewhere safe. Shard was the most obvious choice since he was already at the cat’s house. But… well there was always the chance the foxcat could try something devious. And just thinking of the teasing he’d have to deal with the whole time while here got him to shiver. Still, what choice did he have?

A grumbling at his midsection broke Jevin’s focus away from the impending trouble of being stuck a micro. Hmm, must be getting close to lunch. He patted at his tum idly. His hand pressed into the soft fur there a little earlier than he expected causing him to pause. That was odd, had he been putting on weight? Maybe it was time to get back to the gym. No more slacking on keeping thin. The wolf rubbed at his stomach to try and calm the grumbling. At first it was too slow to notice but after a good minute there was no mistaking it anymore. Jevin pulled up at his shirt to find a chubby, wobbling belly.

“What the-” he started before the grumbling renewed again. This time he could visibly watch his body expand, pounds of blubber slowly added onto his frame. His jeans felt tighter with each second and the sides of his midsection started to fold over his waist forming a slight muffin top. This was not normal; he knew he’d been slacking on the workouts but that couldn’t explain the growth he was going through right now. Something fishy was going on, and Jevin had a pretty good idea who was responsible.

“SHARD!” he yelled at the top of his tiny lungs. It wasn’t really loud enough to get anyone’s attention though. The curse of being paw sized meant there was never a good way to get people to listen. Shard was busy in the kitchen, snacking away at whatever he could find in his cabinet. Luckily he’d spent the past week hoarding candy in preparation for Easter. He wasn’t planning to do much tomorrow for the holiday, but it was a fantastic chance to gorge himself silly. The foxcat munched the head off another chocolate rabbit, pretending to not hear his little friend’s protestation.

Jevin struggled to keep his shirt covering his now widened pot belly. A few minutes ago the button from his jeans had come loose, and now his shirt was threatening the same. This situation had the fat cat’s paw prints all over it, but there was nothing he could do right now. Not until Shard came back. Besides, he was too busy trying to keep himself decent. The seams around his thighs and rump ripped in large chunks to reveal some of the blue boxer fabric beneath. It was hard to estimate just how much weight he’d put on already but his body type was starting to rival Shard’s chubby body now. Could this get any worse?

Finally, Shard peeked his head out from the kitchen. He wore a huge, shit-eating grin while looking Jevin up and down. “Did you say something, dust mite? Was kinda busy chowing down in here,” he said, walking back to the couch. “Ohh look at that. Did something happen to you? Looking a little tubby.” To drive the point home he poked a finger into the wolf’s now much softer front. The huge finger squished in lightly against Jevin’s body, causing the wolf to blush heavily.

“What the hell did you do Shard?” he said, tapping his foot against the couch cushion with armed crossed.

The foxcat’s tail swayed behind, betraying how much he was enjoying the situation. “Me? Jevin, I’m shocked. How could you accuse me of such a thing? It’s not my fault you’ve been eating too much Easter candy.” Shard flipped another Reese’s egg into his mouth and gulped. Jevin squinted his eyes as a light blue shimmer seemed to appear around his friend’s gut. And looking down, he saw the same shade of blue on his grey fur.

“Is that what this is? Something like… you eat and I get fat?”

“Bingo,” Shard said, winking. “And it’s doing wonders for your figure, tubbo!” The foxcat snickered as he sat on the couch again. He hadn’t expected the magic to work quite so quickly honestly. He’d only made it through a few chocolates and a small chocolate bunny, and already Jevin was packing the pounds like he’d never been to the gym in his life. It was enough to almost make Shard a little jealous at how quickly he’d gained.

“Don’t you worry Jevin, just wanted to eat to my heart’s content this Easter without worrying about all that pesky gained weight. You’ll hold onto it for me won’t you? Of course you will. Thanks buddy,” the foxcat continued. He picked up the tubby wolf and placed Jevin in his lap. The next few hours were filled with a binge the likes of which Shard hadn’t indulged in for months.

Meanwhile Jevin struggled to pull his cloaker off his wrist. No matter how he struggled to get the clasp undone the cloaker didn’t come loose. He couldn’t even try to squeeze his hand through the hole. Either Shard put another curse on it to keep it attached permanently, or else… he’d just gotten too large now for it to come off. Of course. It was built with a failsafe for it to come off in emergencies if pulled hard enough, but that only functioned if he was at his usual small and skinny size. That definitely wasn’t the case anymore.

The foxcat belched and wiped away a bit of chocolate from his muzzle. “Ahhh, that was delicious. Pretty nice snack, wouldn’t you say?” he teased. Jevin whimpered while sitting in his lap. “But that was only a snack. I’ll really have to go all out for dinner…”

Shard was enjoying messing with his friend a little too much to notice an ominous change occurring in the wolf. He was still putting on weight, sure, but he’d gotten a little taller too. Not enough to be noticeable unless one was purposely looking for it. Not yet at least.

---

That evening, Shard put away 5 extra-large pizzas for dinner. Jevin just sat on the couch and let it happen. There was no way for him to stop his friend from bingeing anymore. His only hope was that Shard would tire of the trick soon and remove the curse.

In the meantime, he’d busied himself with rubbing at Shard’s paws. Somewhere between the third and fourth pizza Jevin noticed something was wrong. He’d spent a few hours rubbing between the toes, up and down the soles now. But suddenly it didn’t seem like there was nearly as much real estate to take care of anymore. He was sure that at the start the foxcat’s feet were easily twice as tall as his fattened body. Now it looked more like they were the same height.

Maybe there was a faster way out of this than just letting Shard get his way.

“Hey, fatass! You done eating yet?” Jevin said indignantly.

Shard picked a piece of pepperoni from his teeth with a sharpened claw, grinning down at his captive micro. “Fatass? That’s some way to talk; you’re wider than me now, tubbo! At least you would be if you weren’t so small.” To drive the point home he pressed both of his white furred paws together, sandwiching Jevin between them. The tiny wolf squished and smooshed between his digits, his body wide enough to act like a stress ball.

Jevin squirmed, trying to keep the blush from his cheeks. Gotta stay calm, try to convince him to eat more. “Hah! Well too bad for you, all the pizza is gone. Now what are you gonna do? It’ll be another hour before a delivery could get here.”

The foxcat thought about that for a moment. There had to be somewhere he could go to really eat his fill, to properly mess with Jevin and enjoy his Easter to the fullest. That’s when the idea hit him.

“Hmm, well what if I just go out for food instead then? There should be a few Easter buffets still open. How does all you can eat sound, lil speck? As much as I can eat, but it all gets sent to you… I’m sure I could eat for hooours.”

Bingo. “What? No, don’t do that!” Jevin cried. It was only half acting though. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure that this plan would actually work; for all he knew, he might end up a basketball shaped wolf. It was the best shot he had at freedom though. And maybe revenge if the plan worked well enough. Shard didn’t even stick around to hear his pleas; the foxcat already had his jacket on and was out the door.

Half an hour passed, and Jevin sat patiently on the couch. There was only one way to be sure the plan was working. He needed to see if he was actually getting taller, or if it was mostly fattening. Luckily Shard had left the TV on, so he had something to watch while he waited.

The growth was so subtle at first that even Jevin didn’t notice it. A faint blue glow surrounded his body again, centered at his expanded gut. Six inches of micro wolf began to grow taller, just a few inches at a time. Jevin only realized what was going on when he felt a warming magic fill his form more fully. It was slow at first, but now that he’d recognized it, he could absolutely tell this was Shard’s magic.

And it felt good. Really good.

---

BUUURRRP. Shard covered his mouth with a napkin as he rested in his booth at the buffet. The table in front of him was completely covered with a layer of plates, stacked several high. And behind him at the buffet counter, tray after empty tray was piled in a heap. A small note sat atop the stainless steel counter: “Out Of Food.” He felt amazing. Clearing out buffets would usually leave him feeling stuffed to the gills, but thanks to this magic it felt more like pleasant fullness. It was a shame that the same magic also meant that he hadn’t put on any weight even after claiming every bit of food in the restaurant. Oh well. That just meant there would be more fun to have back at home. The foxcat’s tail swished over the side of the booth just thinking about teasing Jevin, sure to be a fattened ball of a micro wolf. Shard checked his watch; he’d been at this place for a whole hour. Before that, he’d cleared out a Chinese restaurant of all their food too. But the night was still young… he could definitely go for another buffet. Maybe even two. That would really show Jevin who was in charge.

A quick checkup at home wouldn’t hurt though. Shard chugged the rest of his soda and paid the waiter, ready to go back for a night’s rest. Or, depending on how sassy Jevin still was, another few hours of binging. Either way Shard would be happy.

After a short bus ride the foxcat arrived at home with a spring in his step. “Oh Jeeevin, I’m back!” he called in singsong. Shard was so pleased with himself and the trick he’d played that he didn’t notice the shaking in the floor of his apartment, or the slight cracks in the wall surrounding the doorway. He simply unlocked the door and walked forward. Something immediately struck him as being wrong though. Furniture was shoved aside, pressed into walls around his living room. The carpet covering his wood floor was torn up and a lamp was knocked to the ground. The room had been completely trashed. Which didn’t make much sense, since the only one still at home was Jevin.

Thuds resonated through the apartment suddenly. That was odd. Who could be big enough to- ohh. To answer Shard’s question, a large wolf appeared on the other side of the room entering from the kitchen. The remnants of Shard’s leftover food graced Jevin’s maw. He loomed at ten feet tall, and with a gut that rested heavily on his thighs, nearly down to his knees. Jevin patted a palm against his belly with heavy slaps, causing his fat to wobble back and forth. The wolf had a devious grin on his face and a toothpick in his other hand, working out small bits of food from between his sharp canine teeth. Upon closer inspection Shard realized it wasn’t a toothpick after all. It was a butter knife, wielded in the hands of a giant wolf just like a toothpick.

Shard gulped. “Uhm. Hey Jevin. You’re looking a little different. New haircut?”

Jevin dropped the knife to the ground and stomped forward, stopping only once Shard’s face was pressed directly into his gut. “Yeah, looks like your spell worked pretty well. You just couldn’t help stuffing yourself, could you?” he said, chuckling. “Good thing you’re here too. I’m feeling pretty hungry, and I’m sure feeding you more will do me a lot of good.”

The wolf hoisted Shard up in a single arm, carrying him underhanded back through the apartment doors. Literally through them, as Jevin made no attempt to duck under the doorway or squeeze his wide and fat body between the frame. A Jevin-shaped hole was left behind in the wall while light fixtures and picture frames on the walls shook with each stomping step down the stairs and out of the complex.

Shard gulped yet again, his near constant Cheshire cat confidence faltering now. He had a feeling this might be a long night. But surely it couldn’t be all that bad. Jevin certainly did look good this way, and if worse came to worse he could just remove the enchantment from the cloaker. No harm, no foul. Besides, how much food could one wolf possibly feed him?

---

As it turned out, the answer was ‘quite a bit of food.’

Shard didn’t realize how many buffets there were available in the city, but apparently Jevin did. The wolf ‘helped’ Shard eat his way through one buffet, then two… although his version of helping amounted to aggressively feeding the foxcat. Usually Shard would welcome the extra help with his eating but the more that he ate the larger his friend got. By the end of the first buffet Jevin was hunched over in the building, unable to stand up straight anymore. Jevin didn’t even try to fit through the doors. He picked up Shard, carried underhand like a football, and walked straight through the wall leaving a wolf-shaped hole behind. And after the second buffet, a Chinese restaurant completely overwhelmed by the size of the wolf, Jevin had to leave on his hands and knees. His gut dragged gently along the carpet of the restaurant until he was free to stand up in the open air.

By now Jevin was getting impatient with the speed of Shard’s eating. It took far too long to just wait for Shard to stuff himself and transfer that size; why not cut out the middle man? His growling stomach seemed to agree wholeheartedly. And that was why he resorted to picking up dump trucks full of food and tossing them into his muzzle. After a few hours he was large enough to convince restaurants to just bring their food to him instead of the other way around. It was better that way. They wouldn’t lose their entire restaurants to being picked up by enormous wolf hands, and he got a steady stream of food.

Shard realized just what sort of monster he’d made around the time that Jevin created a throne to sit on, made out of a parking garage. Although soon, it was the remnants of a parking garage. That settled it. He needed to remove the curse. Half a day of eating, growing, and stomping around the city was plenty enough fun. The foxcat summoned his magical reserves, refining it to a razor-sharp point. He took aim toward the ring on Jevin’s left hand and-

“What do you think you’re doing?” the wolf’s voice boomed from above. Shard’s focus dropped as he looked upward to see a smirking, devious wolf face. And along with it, the shadow of a pawpad that was lowering quickly above him. It was wider than a semi-truck, long enough that there was no way he could escape. There was no time to respond anyway before Jevin’s paw found its target. It smashed into the pavement, cracking the area around Shard. The magic he’d conjured up was dissipated in that instant. He was pressed totally flat like a foxcat pancake. Sandwiched between the street and the thick pads above, Shard sank into the wolf’s paws just slightly. Thousands of pounds of heavy wolf paws clenched just slightly to claim the little prisoner. At this size he was practically an ant to Jevin, and the wolf seemed to relish in the feeling of his tiny friend caught against his sole.

“Ah ah ah, you’re not going back on this curse yet. I’m still really hungry. And you’ve got some rubbing to do on my feet anyway.”

The fattened and greedy wolf found that the more he ate and grew, the better it felt. His ego was soaring now, along with his height. He found that throwing his weight around, hip checking skyscrapers and sitting atop larger and larger areas was way more entertaining than before. And with each eaten meal of tiny grocery stores, restaurants, whole city blocks, he found that his stomps only got heavier. It was enough to get him in a dangerously addictive cycle. The following morning, the city was mostly gone. Either it went into the wolf’s mouth, or was crushed beneath his fat ass. And the remaining populace was left behind to rub his paws and belly. Those that hadn’t been eaten as well of course.

Meanwhile Shard could only watch from between a set of toes the size of an office complex. He had to admit the view was impressive from where he stood. The foxcat had given up on breaking the curse by now. His magic’s range wasn’t long enough to reach Jevin’s ring anymore. And even if he could, at this size he wasn’t even sure there was enough magic in the world to undo the swirling energies in that curse. It had taken hold too strongly, too deeply. The ground beneath him, Jevin’s paw, rose slowly into the air before thudding against the ground. Seemed the big guy was on the move again. It caused earthquakes for miles around, not to mention knocking Shard onto his back. He looked upward to see that shelf of gut, jutting outward like a mountain and obscuring the wolf’s face above. Not that it would’ve helped anyway. The cloud cover surrounded his chest. Each movement blew the clouds away, caught in his fur along with any jets and helicopters not quick enough to avoid his plodding steps.

He got a front row seat to watching Jevin pluck a city out of the ground, scooping it up in his hand and unceremoniously licking it off the map. Hours later he even got to see Jevin sucking down the Great Lakes like they were mere sips of water. He heard the belching of the wolf far above, and his musing about how long it would be until he could taste the moon. Or the planet. Or more.

“Well,” the Cheshire cat sighed. “At least the view is good down here.”