Big Macro Mistake

By: Vito Talford

It has been three months since the Furry Universe was saved from the wrath of Fenrir. If not for the appearance of Funrir and Fangrir, our homes would’ve been destroyed. The Chaos of Valhalla has been redeemed, and the three Norse Wolf Brothers are together again. My family and I moved back to Colorado Springs the day after Ariella’s 21st Birthday, and we were expected to have another child in a couple of months. Before we left, Ariella and I placed Slobodan under the protection of Solomon, Ned, Mange, and the Terrance Twins. My son and Nadine, Darrell and Acario’s little sister born a week after Nathan, hugged one another and told each other that they will see each other again. I looked at the Terrance Twins.
“You both behave yourselves,” I said. “We wouldn’t want your mother washing you both against your will again.”
“I’ll be sure to keep an eye on them, Vito,” said Solomon. “The last thing we need is overexcitement around Macros and Size-Shifters.”
“Good to know,” said Ariella.
My family and I got into the car to be on our way out of the cul-de-sac. Nathan waved farewell to Nadine, and she did the same. Normally, children would end up heartbroken for having to leave their childhood friends behind, but not our son. He’s emotionally stronger than anyone thinks. Nadine is the same way, since her intuition told her that he’ll return.

Ah, the old Talford Residence. It’s been five and a half years after my family and I moved from this place. Well, since the tyranny of my father-in-law, who was killed in the final battle thirteen days back at Manhattan. To our surprise, Matt, Kumori, and the Slobodan Furry Research Team helped us with the unpacking. Thankfully, Oliver recovered from his traumatic experience of witnessing Fenrir’s near-arrival from Hell. He’s still very skeptical about Macros, Gentle, Devious, or Neutral. His dad, my uncle-in-law, is eccentric about Female Macros, but that’s another story.
Matt helped me out with the basement, which I used for my experiments back in my high school days. Now, I’m able to use it again for work. Isabella helped Ariella out with setting up our bedroom. Due to his skepticism, Oliver helped out of fear that his cousin might end up causing miscarriage. Technically, that won’t happen. At the stage my wife was in, miscarriage will be logically impossible after just three months of development. Adam and Kumori were able to help Nathan set up his bedroom. Wulfric, our pet wolf, managed to find a place to sleep, and he and Nathan are very close. They’re more like brothers than master and pet. Spending two weeks away from home helped them through thick and thin. Just as the last box for the lab is empty, I inspected it to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind. I got the test tubes, the chalk board, the chemical cabinet, the invention cabinet, and many other laboratory items. Suddenly as I was looking through the invention cabinet, I noticed that the only thing missing was the growth ray, the same one I got from K.D. three months back.
“Oh, crap,” I said. “It must be back at Slobodan!”
“What?!” said Matt.
“I was sure that it was in there before we moved. Unless,…” I had a stunned look on my face. “The Terrance Twins!”
“Of course! Acario must’ve taken it while you and your wife were packing up.”
“We have to go back before they do something reckless with it!”
“No way, Talford!” said Oliver, who is standing at the doorway at the bottom of the staircase. “Size-Shifting is bad enough! Artificial Growth is even worse!”
“Oliver, can’t you for once in your life stop being a skeptic!”
“I can’t help it, Vito Talford!”
“Why can’t you?!”
“Because I don’t trust Macros, let alone Size-Shifters!”

Mine and Matt’s eyes were widening in shock from what we heard.
“Apart from Humans dating Furries, I don’t approve with the idea of Regular Sized People and Macros living together in peace and friendship!”
Hearing what Oliver just said, it was really uncalled for. It’s bad enough when he didn’t want Adam dating a Furry, but not wanting to live in peace and friendship with Macros is like not wanting to live in peace with people outside of his culture. In a fit of anger, I punched Oliver in the gut and stomped him hard on the ground. By looking at me in the eyes, I could tell that he was now afraid of me, because I wanted him to see what he wanted to see. Just as I was about to grow, Matt put his hand on my right arm as I stopped at the height of 10ft.
“Vito, that’s enough,” he said. “If you crush him, you’ll only prove him right.”
Matt had a point. Crushing Oliver underfoot would only prove his point about Macros not being meant to be friends. He may be skeptical, but he’s not a discriminator. If he was, he would’ve said it in public, and Mayor Vincent would not tolerate his behavior. I got off of him to show him mercy and shrunk back to the height of 6ft. I warned him to not provoke me again, and he ran back upstairs in fear. Ariella came downstairs and noticed Oliver passing by. She looked at me and Matt.
“I’m guessing Oliver provoked your anger,” she said.
“Hey, he was trying to stop me and Matt from going back to Slobodan. The Terrance Twins have my growth ray,” I said.
“So, go get it. You and Matt can teleport anyway.”
“We would have, if Oliver would’ve given us a chance instead of jumping out at us with his strong dislike for Macros. Besides, Gideon is dead, and Cosmo went to another planet after renouncing his ways.”
“True, but don’t let that stop you. He had a rough experience when he travelled the universe with Adam and Bella. He’ll get over it eventually, even if it’s hard,” she walked to me and kissed me on the lips. “Be careful around Darrell and Acario.”
“But mostly Acario.”
“Exactly.”
As we put our arms around our shoulders, Matt and I teleported from the basement of the Talford Residence to Slobodan in attempt to get the Growth Ray back.

Upon arriving back to Slobodan, we noticed that it has fallen into ruin. Crushed bodies, wrecked buildings, children either killed or orphaned, and wives and husbands of any sexuality devastated in shock. Without hesitation and shock getting to me, I used my powers to resurrect all of Slobodan, and the tears and sadness stopped. I didn’t want the town to be a dystopian place. That would be awful. Then, Matt and I heard heavy footfalls, and behind us were a pair of lion footpaws in sandals. Looking up, it was an Anthro Lion complete with a business suit and reading glasses. It was Solomon, and he became a Macro. Did the Terrance Twins do that to him? Was he responsible for causing Slobodan’s recent destruction? He lifted his right sandaled footpaw, and there was Darrell and Acario completely flat. On Acario’s right hand was a gun, but that was no ordinary gun.
“Hey!” I shouted as I grabbed it. “That’s my growth ray!”
“I couldn’t help it,” said Acario. “I love male Macros.”
“Look, I had nothing to do with this,” said Darrell.
Solomon put his foot down and pressed them again. He and I could tell that Darrell was in denial, as usual. Everybody knows that he’s a Macrophile.
“Okay, okay!” Darrell said finally as Solomon lifted his foot again. “We were going to have some fun. Then, we were using your growth ray to zap at the Anthro Wolf dressed like a scientist. I can’t help if I like wolves.”
My eyes widen in shock. An Anthro Wolf zapped into a Macro against his will?
“How tall did you make that wolf?” I asked sternly.
“And you better tell them, or I’ll crunch you both into paste,” said Solomon.
“Ouch,” said Matt.
“Yeah, ouch.”
Fearing for their lives, Darrell and Acario blurted out in unison, “We made the wolf at the height of 7,666ft.!”
That was even worse. 7,666ft. tall?! Talk about tall and dangerous!
“When we did that, he said “Thank you very much, little humans! Now, I will be a God among this miserable planet!” That was when he destroyed Slobodan,” said Darrell. “Now, he’s heading for Colorado Springs.”
My eyes widen in shock.
“Our guess is that he is planning to become bigger than all of the planet’s populated places combine!” said Acario. “Bigger than his current height!”
I walked under Solomon’s sandaled foot and grabbed the Terrance Twins by the face. I was not happy with them one bit.
“You assholes! My family is there, and now, they’re in danger because of you!” I yelled. “And to make matters worse, you even put my own son in danger! How will your sister if something bad happen to Nathan?! Huh?! Didn’t think about that, did you?!”
They were terrified by what I said. It’s true. Nathan and Nadine are boyfriend and girlfriend, and they are aware of their relationship. It’s like an imprinting process. Once they go into a relationship, there is no going back. Anything happens to a significant one, and if the siblings are responsible for the whole thing, they’re toast. I let go of their faces and walked away from under the sandaled foot of Slobodan’s Mayor. As I was about to shrink him, Solomon put his right hand up.
“Don’t bother, Vito,” he said.
“Wait. Are you…?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now, Colorado Springs needs your help, and Matt’s, too.”
He was right. Matt and I teleported to Slobodan to recover the growth ray thanks to the two Macrophilic Troublemakers, and it was up to us to clean up their mess. Solomon kept them under his sandaled foot to keep them out of trouble.

We made it back to the old Talford Residence, being one step ahead of the now Giant Alien Wolf, no pun intended. I put the growth ray in the invention cabinet and ran upstairs to warn my family, Kumori, and the Slobodan Furry Research Team about the upcoming danger that was approaching the city. Just as Oliver was about to say something, possibly his skepticism of Macros again, Ariella covered his mouth. Even she gets annoyed by his skepticism, even to defend my reputation.
“How could there be an Alien Wolf here?” she said.
“Was it Woulfe?” Kumori asked.
“Woulfe is a Giant by default, and a Good Alien Wolf. Plus, he’s at Comediceim for his vacation,” I said. “The Alien Wolf that the Terrance Twins made into a Macro is the bad guy. And he’s going to destroy everything we know and love, perhaps even the whole universe.”
“Then, we need to evacuate the city,” said Adam.
Oliver made Ariella let go of his mouth by pulling her hand down.
“That’s what I was trying to say!” he said.
“No, you weren’t,” said Isabella.
“Yes, I was, but you guys wouldn’t give me a chance! You just assumed I was going to be skeptical again!”
“Well, can you blame us?” said Adam. “Every time I tried to talk to a female Furry, or when we interview a Macro, you always use skepticism to ruin it all.”
“Hey! It’s not my fault I don’t approve of Humans dating Furries and living in peace with Macros just because of my phobia of Giants and my view of it as bestiality!”
“Excuse me?” said Ariella. “I’m a Human, and Vito is a Furry. You call that bestiality?”
“That’s different! You’re my cousin! It’s Adam’s idea of dating a female Furry I don’t approve of, as well as the others!”
“Dude, bestiality is sexual relationships with Feral Animals, not Anthro Animals, let alone both! There’s a difference! You need to be more open about the world around you, Oliver Vincent! If you can’t do that for your own sake, then do it for your family!”
“And since you’re always worried about Colorado Springs, YOU get to call the evacuation!” said Adam.
“Why not just do the evacuation together?” said Kumori.
“Kumori is right,” I said. “Everybody knows Oliver is a skeptic. They won’t listen to him, but they’ll listen to you.”
Adam and Isabella looked at Oliver.
“Good point,” she said.
“Then, it’s decided. The Slobodan Furry Research Team will evacuate Colorado Springs, Kumori, Ariella, and Nathan will help out, and Matt and I will deal with the Bad Alien Wolf. Clear?”
“Crystal, Daddy,” said Nathan.
“Good. Now, let’s move out!”

Ariella, Nathan, Kumori, and the Slobodan Furry Research Team evacuated the city from top to bottom, including strays. Isabella was the only one to do so, because Oliver scares them away too easily, hence his irrational fears. As the city was being evacuated, approaching us is an Alien Wolf at the height of 7,666ft. His fur is the color of bloody red, eyes as gold as molten lava, hair as black as night with a long ponytail, and dressed like a scientist as the Terrance Twins described. The lab coat indicates him being a scientist, but in the color of black, and he is wearing dark blue jeans and gold long-sleeve shirt underneath his lab coat. We could tell why that evil Giant sought to become a God. To even the odds, Matt and I walked out of the city and grew to our new enemy’s current height. Right on cue, the entire city was evacuated, and the Bad Alien Wolf arrived.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dr. Vitus Anthony Talford, and his companion Matthew,” said the Alien Wolf. “I am pleased to see you again, Doctor.”
“Dr. Fleischer?” I said in surprise.
“Wait!” said Matt. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Five months back before the end of the Fenrisúlfr Association, Solomon paired me up with Dr. Hugo Dougal Fleischer, because he and I share a common interest. We both wanted to make the world a better place. He was also one of the citizens to survive Glanmor’s dictatorship, witness Colorado Springs’s Resurrection, and move to Slobodan with most of those who didn’t want to stay due to what Gedeon had done. Upon learning about my powers, he wanted me to use them to help the world. The difference was he wanted me to reduce the world population, permanently. To him, the world is overpopulating and must be reduced by death. And he meant forceful death, which is his way of saying stabilizing the economy. I, along with the other scientists, disagreed with his idea, and Tyrnn and the Order of Ariav and Ylva made a contract of always reviving the population after the rampage is finished. Dr. Fleischer threatened my family’s lives, and Solomon fired him as a result. We never saw him again after that, and we thought he committed suicide because we didn’t agree with his plans for helping the world. Who knew that after approximately four months, which was three weeks and two days before my birthday, the Population Reduction-Obsessed Doctor would show his face again alive and in the flesh.
“Didn’t see it coming, did you?” said Dr. Fleischer. “And if it’s any consolation to you, I never truly wanted to stabilize the economy.”
“And you want to become a God?” I asked.
“Correct, Dr. Talford.”
“And you were an alien the entire time?”
“From the Planet Bellus, yes. I have waited 10 years for this moment.”
“How did you even come here anyway?” Matt asked.
“It’s simple really. I was forced out, because my own people, including my brother and his family, dethrone me. They disagreed with the idea of converting from King to God, even refusing to acknowledge the plan for the Bellus Empire Expansion. My nephew was the first to rebel against me, even at a young age,” Fleischer walked six steps and looked at the mountain. “Intelligent, but foolish, he was. And soon after, his brother rebelled, and then my brother and his wife, and eventually, the whole planet started a revolution. It lasted for forty days and forty nights,” he turned back at me and Matt. “Most of my men betrayed me, and those loyal to me, including myself, we banished here. For 10 years, I was biding my time, until suddenly, I saw a program that said that bigger is better, and I thought that if I want to become a God, I must become a Giant forever,” he pointed at me. “That was after I was fired.”
“Dude, this is where you’re wrong,” I responded. “It’s not the giant size that makes one a God. It takes a God to go giant size.”
“And are you a God?”
“No, I’m not. And if I was, I wouldn’t kill for pleasure, let alone do so because people are different. I would actually help them, even redeem them.”
“Me, too,” said Matt.
“In that case, I’ll have to end you both from where you stand, and the entire world with you!” said the Giant Alien Wolf. “And when I’m through with you, Dr. Talford, I will take your Size-Shifting Watch and become the God of the Furry Universe.” Fleischer made his own battle stance. “Today, North Star, tomorrow, Bellus, and the next day, the universe!”
Matt and I did the same thing, and we both fought him from outside the city to inside the city itself. We were like Titans fighting for the position of power over the world. The difference was Matt and I fought to save North Star. If Woulfe was here, he would’ve placed Fleischer underfoot for a week and then put him in jail. But since he was away for a while due to the Terrance Twins being under his foot for a week, it was up to me and Matt to save the day. Matt held Fleischer by the neck around his arm, and I punched him in the gut. He flipped Matt over to the center of the city, destroying most of it in the process, including City Hall. As he grabbed my Size-Shifting Watch, I grabbed his hand, and we both struggled, while stepping on parts of the city. Recovering from the flip he received, Matt ran to us and jumped on the Bad Alien Wolf to help me out. The more we fought for my watch, the more destruction we caused to the city. Thankfully, it was evacuated. We didn’t want any blood spill. Then suddenly, Matt’s Size-Shifting Watch connected to mine, and we both fused together in the process. We became one and the same. We became the Wolfdog/Pikachu Hybrid. We looked at our new body, and it was awesome- Same Wolfdog appearance, but with yellow streak on the shaggy hair, red cheeks, and no pads on either the hands or feet. Fleischer was now afraid, and our new body grew to the size of a Terra Macro, a Giant bigger than the whole planet. With one stomp, our enemy was defeated. Due to Gentle Macro Status, he survived.

Once Colorado Springs was restored and Matt and I defused, Fleischer was placed in a Macro Prison at the District of Columbia to make certain that he would not terrorize North Star or any world in the Furry Universe. Kumori was glad that the bad guy was not placed in a San Francisco Prison. In his knowledge, one Bad Macro placed at his hometown was bad enough. We said goodbye to him for now, and he let us know that we’ll see him again in the near future.

Ten days after the Bad Alien Wolf’s imprisonment, Solomon, still at the height of 4,000ft., came to our home for a visit. He explained to us that he has been a Size-Shifter at the age of 20. He had to keep it a secret due to Mr. Leon’s dislike toward Macros. As a result, he didn’t tell Marcus, let alone train him to be a Size-Shifter. And he only told us that we made a mistake in leaving Colorado Springs just to keep his dad in a better mood. Who could blame him? Anyway, he was grateful that Matt and I saved the day. As for the Terrance Twins, their punishment was to stay under Solomon’s sandaled foot for a month. And Mrs. Terrance knows that karma is a bitch. Good thing Slobodan City Hall expanded thanks to coming out of the closet as a Size-Shifter. Matt returned to Salt Lake City the day after his 24th Birthday five days later, and he told us that we will see each other again. I told him that he is more than welcome to come back to Colorado Springs any time before he left.

Two months and two days later, I received a mysterious letter, and when I opened it, it said-

Dear Dr. Talford,

We would like you to come over to San Francisco to build a machine that can change the world. The blueprint we sent you will be your instruction manual. You must have it done by April 9th and without fail. If you get it done by the earlier time, your payment will double than your usual deal. This is classified information, and you must share it with no one, not even your family. We will be expecting results in 19 days.

- L

I looked at the blueprint, and there was a mysterious symbol on the bottom left hand corner. This was new to me. How could I know what it is, if this letter didn’t tell me what the machine I am commissioned to make can do? I didn’t want to argue with the letter and just followed along.

The next day, I packed up my things and loaded them in the car. I put the Blade of Odin and the Judgment of Anubis in there, just in case if there was any danger that is yet to come. Ariella and I kissed and hugged each other goodbye for now, and I did the same to Nathan and Wulfric.
“Keep him out of trouble, boy,” I said.
Wulfric barked in agreement, and Nathan petted him on the head, wagging both their tails happily as a result.
“Good luck, Vito,” said Ariella. “Go out there and save the world with science.”
“I will,” I responded as I got into the car.
They waved goodbye, and I did the same as I drove out of the city and into the highway. My work as a travelling scientist was about to begin.

To Be Continued in Dark Cross of Eden by Kumori Urufu