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Broadened Perspectives

A Story by Cykrus, Starring Bursik Badger

The dull hum and harsh bright lights of the overhead fluorescent bulbs combined with the rhythmic whines of the coffee maker to create a melody well suited to amplifying the pounding in Bursik's head. A pounding he hoped the coffee he was waiting for would help with. The badger brought up a large paw, rubbing at his brow. Fingers massaged the skin beneath his dark stripes of rich brown fur, bringing only marginal relief from the persistent pain. Bursik had been having a rough week of long nights and little sleep. The caffeine wasn't helping much anymore, but it would be another push while waiting for the pain meds to kick in. The hefty badger settled into one of the break room's cheap plastic chairs as he waited for the brewing to finish, casting his gaze towards the other noise maker in the room. The news broadcast on the television, one he hadn't been paying much attention to. A smartly dressed, slim leopard news anchor was talking about some company scandal.

"-cketcat foods dairy products, most known for their Broaden milk, cheese, and ice cream brands, may be facing some tough inquiries soon. A probe from the Food Safety Commission following a study on the Company's use of novel growth enhancers in their supply chain has raised concerns from food safety experts about-"

"Ugh." Bursik pressed a thumb into the mute button, he didn't need more noise right now. He set his head into his hands, listening for the machine to spit out the last drops of coffee. Even though he had eliminated as much noise as he could, upon hearing the sound of approaching footfalls he knew he wouldn't get the peace he wanted.

"Heeey there big guy." A light, melodic voice drifted in through the breakroom. Soft enough to skirt the edges of his headache's trigger zones.

"Hey Zayd." Bursik didn't look up, still waiting for the coffee to finish.

"Oh, you look like hell. Another bad day?" The soft steps of the Hyena's paws indicated he was getting closer. Bursik responded with a lengthy sigh, rubbing at his forehead again. A thin shadow crept over him, dulling the harshness of the overhead lights. Bursik popped an eye open, glancing up at the striped Hyena. Half of Zayd's face was obscured by the waterfall of well combed hair which flowed down the left side of the man's body to near his waist. He had a sympathetic grin as his gaze took in Bursik's fatigued expression.

"Getting that obvious huh?" The badger grumbled.

"You have that headache look about you." Zayd paused, tapping a paw on the laminate floor, "Maybe more like an everything ache."

"Close enough. Are you able to give prescriptions with that diagnosis, Doctor?"

Zayd chuckled, setting his hands on his hips. "Nothing that comes in a bottle, big guy. What you need is 500 grams of relaxation, stat. You ever try meditation?"

"Doesn't really work for me. It's just sitting and breathing."

"What about, ya'know herbs?"

"Usually too busy for that." Bursik huffed.

The coffee maker let out a final whine to interject in the conversation, indicating its brew was done. He pushed to his feet, brushing past Zayd to get his much awaited boost.

"Well there you go, no wonder you're so stressed." Zayd rubs his chin, watching the badger grab a disposable cup from the shared cupboard space and fill it up. The Hyena's expression softened a little bit as he exhaled. "Look, maybe you just need some help. A guided experience. Get you through the boring 'sitting and breathing part'. There's this coyote with this channel. Not a weed channel, a calmness channel." Zayd circled around Bursik, leaning an arm on the counter as he spoke up at the large Badger. "Kiba's Twilight Trance. Uses guided lessons and some techniques to get even the most stubborn to unwind."

"Techniques huh? Like special breathing techniques or something? Trance music meditation?" Bursik raised an eyebrow.

"More like suggestion. Speaks to your subconscious to get you to chill at a deep level. It's super worthwhile and they're extremely responsible. Focused on self care. I think it could help you."

The badger frowned, but the pounding in his head from days, perhaps weeks, of continual stress was good motivation to try something, anything that could help. He took a small sip of coffee and a long breath of air. "Well. If you think it can help. I guess it can't make things worse, unless Kiba's going to suggest that I go rob a bank or something."

"No, they're too wholesome for that. Besides like, it's not mind control. It should be off limits unless like, I could convince you do something like that with a well worded argument." Zayd crossed his arms, pressing down the chest floof poking out the top of his button down shirt. "Should I start preparing talking points, big guy?"

"You'd probably get more success trying to convince me to clear out a bakery than a bank."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Zayd moved a hand up to set it on Bursik's shoulder, ruffling the fabric of his work shirt. "Look, it's almost the weekend. I'll cover for you tomorrow, so take some time and go relax."

"Yeah, sure. I'll give it a shot. Though if I come back with my mind wiped it's your fault." Bursik smirked down at the Hyena.

"Good. And don't worry, if that happens I'll be responsible when filling it back up." Zayd returned a fanged grin and a high pitched laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my lunch outside."

Bursik waved him off with a huff, eager to have a few minutes of silence to himself.

________________

The rest of the work day didn't really help Bursik's stress levels. Frustrating clients, shifting deadlines, and pointless meetings about corporate strategic goals and pushing job tasks around between departments. It had been an afternoon of just bullshit. As such it was inevitable he came home with a headache that caffeine and pain killers were unable to cure. He emptied the contents of his pockets onto the entry table and lumbered into the living room to crash backwards onto his couch. His eyes directed up at the featureless beige ceiling, trying to keep his brain from thinking anything and causing more discomfort. He could feel the tension in his shoulders from sitting all day in uncomfortable office chairs as he tried to get settled, turning his attempts to relax into a protracted struggle.

After a few minutes he grumbled in defeat, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands. As he rubbed at his face his eyes wandered to his phone, the conversation with Zayd a few hours ago bubbling back to the surface. Honestly, even if the hypnosis made him feel nothing for the rest of the night it was better than how he currently felt. The badger grabbed his phone in a stocky paw, tapping in the name of the streamer with his claws. He did his best to scroll while rubbing his forehead, his gaze flicking over video names. 'Self Affirmation for Students', 'Hypno-beats to Study To', 'Mindfulness and Stillness.' The coyote had made a lot of very specific videos relating to a wide variety of topics. Bursik needed to change tactics, scrolling back up to the search bar and typing in 'stress'. The number of videos dwindled down to a manageable catalog and one caught the badger's eye immediately. 'Releasing stress and tension through mesmerization.'

He tapped the link and reclined back against the couch, flipping his phone over to a horizontal view. He frowned as the pre-roll ads started, some nonsense laundry detergent ad about how smelly clothes means smelly fur. Bursik pressed a thumb claw into the skip button, not like he needed to think about the load of laundry waiting to get done right now either.

The video finished loading to display a thin, desert tan coyote sitting cross legged on a yoga mat before a hanging green screen. They were wearing a novelty brand T-Shirt with their own stylized likeness on it, dangling a watch in one hand and holding a simple black-white spin dial in the other. Looks like Kiba was really leaning into this. Bursik rolled his eyes and sunk further into the sofa. The thought of this coyote trying to hypnotize people to buy their merch crossed his mind for a second before Kiba started speaking.

"Hello twilight travelers, new and returning, and welcome to the precipice of dreaming. I am Kiba, your calming guide in these realms and it is a pleasure to see you as always." Kiba's voice was light, breathy and soft like a fine morning mist. It was already an improvement over the thunderstorm crashing in Bursik's head. "Today, I'll be helping you convince your mind to let your body relax. Life is stressful, and why should you be fighting your own thoughts to sleep? But don't worry Kiba is going to take care of their travelers today." The coyote let out an airy chuckle, setting aside their props and clasping their hands together. "Let us begin our journey. The returning travelers know what to do, but for our new dream delvers I will walk you through as I always do. Start with a deep breath and focus your eyes on the screen."

Bursik gave a rough exhale, holding the phone horizontally at eye level.

"Good, now inhale and hold for a few seconds. Remember, do not close your eyes." Kiba was moving their hands with the inhale. The green screen behind them shifted into a multi-color spiral. The curved slices of green, purple and yellow rotate in a smooth cycle. "Focus on the screen, and keep breathing." The coyote directed their gaze directly at the camera, their rich purple eyes had a peculiar sheen under their room lights. Bursik was finding it hard to look away, even turning his head he still had that violet gaze and the spinning dial behind them firmly in view of at least one eye.

"Breath in, let your mind and body relax." Kiba's eyes were wide, "You don't need to fight your own tranquility." Bursik's gaze was pulled back to the screen as his breathing began to match Kiba's rhythm. "Exhale. Good, just listen to my voice and let yourself drift. Feel your shoulders drop, unclench your jaw and let it hang" The coyote's eyes were wide, unblinking, as the dial rotated behind them. A less entranced audience might pick out the faint jump cuts creating the illusion of an unblinking guide. But that critical edge was fading as Bursik relied more on the couch to stay upright. His shoulders slouched and his posture loosened. His perception of time followed next, as the badger's eyes were locked on the spinning colors before him. The coyote's eyes seemed to glow with intensity. He remained staring at his phone, his body finally yielding to the call for relaxation as his snout lolled open at the instructions.

"You are doing well, travelers. I'm so proud of all of you. Let that energy flow down through your body, and when I clasp my paws together again, like this-" Kiba slammed their handpaws together in a near thunderclap of noise, like someone banging on a metal duct with a heavy wrench. Stunningly loud for someone so small though and sounding suspiciously like a stock effect. Or it would have been suspicious had Bursik's head had any room left for thoughts. "You will awaken from this trance relaxed and ready to na-"

Kiba was unable to finish their sentence, the dreaded loading circle of an oncoming ad cutting off the next instructions. Bursik remained glued to his phone as the forced channel monetization interrupted the next set of instructions.

The video transitions to a giraffe cop having pulled over a large white truck, in mid approach to the vehicle. The lights on his patrol car flash as he takes a few steps towards the truck. The shot quickly transitions to the internal cab with one of the two passengers, a pudgy rhino in a flannel shirt and trucker's cap not wearing his seat belt. The top of the officer's head transitions into frame, the small black tipped horns on their head and the top of their eyes visible through the window. The scene changes to outside the vehicle, where the officer is standing next to a lifted truck so high off the ground that even with their long neck, they can barely see into the passenger side. The officer taps on the glass with their horns and motions to the seat belt. The rhino goes to put on his seat belt as the voice over kicks in, a rather generic performance of someone likely doing several ads worth of work in a single day. "It doesn't matter what you drive, it's the law. Click-it or ticket, drive safe!"

"Click-it... or ticket..." Bursik repeated, eyes still glued to the phone as it automatically loaded the next ad.

The next ad shows the interior of a stereotypical suburban kitchen, a young professional brown bear rushing through his morning routine. He slides to a halt near his fridge, opening it up to reveal a well stocked host of leafy greens, vacuum sealed meats, unknown liquids, eggs, but nothing satisfying to eat right now. "Ugh, no time to make something for breakfast." The bear's stomach grumbles at that, and he groans. "I know, I know. But we can't be late to another team meeting again." The bear moves to close the door when a yellow arm with black spots reaches in from out of frame to stop him.

"Whoa there bud, you about ready to run out on empty? But you got what your tank needs right there." The Leopard, barely in frame now, points a paw towards the top shelf. A neatly sealed carton of milk with a wide logo of a grinning brown cat on it, the stenciled red and gold lettering below the logo, Broaden, taking up the center of the frame. "Protein, calcium, everything you need to start your day. It's what a growing body, and a growing business, needs!"

The bear follows the pointing paw to the carton, "Really? I just use that for my coffee..."

"Well." The leopard laughs, barely any of him visible behind the fridge door. "It sounds like you need to Broaden your horizons! Along with Broaden cheese and yogurt, milk is a vital part of today's balanced breakfast and perfect for a growing, and grown, body. So go on, take a drink, grab a bite, and fill up your rumbling belly! So hurry, big guy, and drink fast or you'll be late!" The bear shrugs, reaching to grab the carton from the fridge.

"...Broaden... milk... vital breakfast.... fill up..." Bursik repeats words at near random, watching the commercial with rapt attention.

The bear takes the carton and shotguns a few gulps of it. Hopefully the bear in this commercial lives alone. As the late business bear takes his final sip, the background of his house washes out and his eyes widen. A bolt of lightning flashes across the screen as he's struck by the apparent richness of this dairy product. A loud clap of stock sound effect thunder follows and-

Bursik jolts up, phone dropping from his paws and clattering onto the coffee table in front of the couch. The commercial concludes face down on the surface as the badger stands and crosses his living room with a determined swiftness. He stumbles into the kitchen, throwing open the fridge and rifling around through its contents. Eggs, bits of chilled meat waiting for dinner one night, half of a leftover chicken, but no milk, no yogurt, and no cheese. This would not do! He needed to go to where the milk was, he had to broaden his horizons! He slammed the refrigerator door shut and turned on his heels. He had to go to the store.

"Can't be late... I need to be fast." He repeated, fumbling his keys from their place on the table near the front door. His clumsy grabbing knocked several pictures and decorations over as he exited his home in a lumbering stumble. Bursik fumbled his car door open, plopping thoughtlessly down inside with enough force to make the vehicle bounce once on its shocks with a faint metallic whine. His subconscious had done this routine enough to guide his body through the motions even with his head vacant of thoughts. Well, of most thoughts.

"Drive... safe." He repeated, reaching up to put on his seat belt. One of the only two ideas still rattling around up there. It was certainly good fortune as the badger backed out of his driveway to take to the streets. It was a slow, and from Bursik's perspective, uneventful trip. After all, it was hard to register road rage when your head is empty. The route to the store was burned into his psyche, down to the same parking spot he usually parked in. It didn't matter that there was currently a shopping cart left behind in that space by some careless shopper, he simply plowed the cart over and sent it careening into the decorative planter. Thankfully, the dreary parking lot was only a quarter full. Puddles of water had settled in the dips in the pavement, broken up by the faded white parking space lines. The overcast skies threaten a continuation of the early afternoon's rain.

This particular shopping center had both a grocer and a supermarket, two choices even though he was not really in a position to make any. The imparted thought banging around in his head demanded milk as soon as possible, and thus pushed him to the closer of the two stores, Clawmart. The blaring white lights of the industrial luminescents in the ceiling was no longer a bother as he lumbered through the automatic doors, past the messy snack and fruit displays set up near the front of the store. It was late enough the last of the employee run check out lanes were closing down in favor of the self-checkout stands. There were a few other people milling about the various aisles, looking for snacks or quick dinners, all absorbed in their own business. Not like he was perceptive in this state. Bursik stomped through the store, knocking over one of the chip displays, and lumbering right past a two gray tone platinum fox scrutinizing the alcohol section for soju. Thankfully with no alcohol spilled, he arrived at the dairy section in the back. He needed that damn milk, the Leopard told him so.

There they were, sitting on shelf after shelf in a neat white carton with a grinning brown cat was his prize. Broaden Milk. Bursik did not waste time now that he had found his prey, taking a carton from the fridge and ripping the top open. He tilts the milk back, pouring a solid stream of the liquid down his throat in one smooth motion. The cold drink rushed down into his gut. His suggestive state blocked out the discomfort from the sudden influx of the cool beverage, dedicating his mind to consuming more. He drained it in seconds, throwing the empty carton to the floor and grabbing another. He needed to fill up his rumbling belly.

"Can't start the day without it..." He muttered, ripping off the top of the second carton. He tilted it back, compelled to continue. So dedicated was his focus to this task that Bursik didn't register the growing tightness in his clothes, or how each carton of milk was less filling than the last. That each drink was slightly shorter. He didn't go unnoticed in his gluttony forever though, and when he had left a small pile of cartons on the old tile floors one of the employees noticed the growing mess.

The short deer approached slowly, looking at the badger drinking liter after liter of milk like he was possessed. Which was probably an accurate characterization. They looked up at Bursik, watching him down another thing of milk with a heavy sigh.

"Uh... sir? You can't just drink all of the milk like that." Despite their caution, the deer looked entirely done with today. Their tone was flat, their posture slumped and signaling their fatigue. Their bright red Apron was stained with another mess from earlier shenanigans. "Please stop."

"What a growing body needs... drink fast... fill that rumbling belly..." Was all Bursik could respond with, the tacky commercial still rattling around in his brain. He opened the display again, his enlarged paws grabbing a gallon jug of milk this time. His clothes were straining as he'd gained two feet in height since arriving. He ripped the top of the jug spilling some of its contents onto the ground as he brought it up to his maw to keep drinking.

The deer raised an eyebrow, "What was tha- hey. You can't just drink the entire stock sir. Ugh, always after prime time hours." The deer grumbled and took a few steps forward. Bursik was bigger than they were, but there were still shenanigans going on here. The deer narrowed their eyes as their new position and the bigger carton gave them a good view of the grinning cat of the Broaden milk's logo. The deer paused, looking towards the display case of milk. "Oh shit, that's the recalled brand."

Bursik finished the jug in surprising time, his body surging in response and shredding through his clothes. An explosion of shirt buttons pinged off the glass display case, his paws tore through the flimsy material of his shoes, sharp toe claws leaving marks on the floor. His belt snapped, pants ripped open. The sudden noises and flying clothing materials startled the deer, and they tumbled over to their rear in surprise. The deer scrambled a few feet away as the growing badger crouched down to grab two more jugs. The bigger he was getting the faster he could drink, and the more space in his stomach he had for more milk. The deer's ears slicked back as they began to piece together the feedback loop that was building before them. The deer scrambled to their hooves as Bursik was tearing through the milk cartons at increasing speed.

Bursik had barely registered the deer's arrival, let alone their departure. His movement at this increasing size was instinctual, snagging up as much milk as his paws could handle and squeezing it into his mouth. The swelling of his frame enabled him to rip the door to the refrigerated display off its hinges to allow unrestricted access to his object of immediate desire. As his hulking form eclipsed twelve feet, kneeling was no longer sufficient. He teetered backwards and slammed down into a seat with a thud that shook the shelves of a few nearby aisles and crushed a cardboard tortilla display flat. His technique evolved with the increased size, bringing up containers of milk and piercing them with his sharp teeth to dump their entire contents into his mouth in seconds. It was getting harder to fit in the aisle as his paws pressed up against the glass of the fridge doors he had yet to rip off, sending thin cracks through the surface. Bursik grunted, shifting sideways to a more comfortable position and knocking over more snack displays in the process. He could only reach inside the dairy section with one arm now, but at least his growth was no longer confined by the walls.

A portly boar in an ill-fitting button up shirt tucked into a baggy pair of khakis, stormed out of the back, a crooked name tag pinned next to his tacky, green tie, reading 'Store Manager - Richard'. He snorted, walking out of the small hallway where the bathrooms were hidden and getting a direct view of the growing badger taking up more and more room in his store. Quickly, the winds of fury in the manager's sails cooled and he was left near speechless. He scrambled back into the relative safety of the service hallway as Bursik ripped another fridge door off its hinges to get access to more milk.

"I-uh... shit" The boar glanced around nervously, he managed to spot the platinum fox from earlier also watching this chaos unfold. "Hey! Hey bud! Was this guy this big when he walked in?"

The fox glanced over and shook his head. Richard swallowed, mustering his resolve as he walked out of the relative safety of the hallway. He adjusted his tie, only managing to get a few paces before he stepped on an empty milk carton, now standing before a growing mound of them as this huge badger emptied out his stock of this recalled milk. If Bursik wasn't also trashing his store he may have let him keep going. Rich took a deep breath and looked up at the towering man. Even seated, Bursik was slightly taller than the porcine manager. Richard drew on his best irate boss tone and set his hands on his hips. "H-hey bud! Y-you're gonna need to pay for all those. And all this damage."

"But... it's got... what I need." Bursik's droning response was hollow and lacking agency. But it was also deep and loud, rattling the glass and making Richard wince at the sound. Bursik's searching paw was bending and breaking the thin metal shelves that made up the dairy unit. He was trying to get at the cheese on display a few sections down.

"What the fuck are you talking about buddy?"

"Cheese, yogurt, protein, calcium..."

Richard snorted at the monotone response, turning to look at the displays of oat milk and coffee creamer Bursik was currently obliterating trying to get to the cheeses nearby. "Oh come on bud! Now you're just wrecking everything. What kinda shoplifting is this!"

"Uh, dude." The platinum fox hiding in the wine aisle finally spoke,

"What?" Richard turned towards the man with a snap.

"You should probably-"

It was too late, the fox had seen Bursik adjusting. In his driven state, Bursik had only the cheese on his mind and pushed forward to get within reaching distance. His hands flattened displays as he suddenly scooted in his seat. His wide foot paws, as big as Richard's torso, brushed aside empty milk cartons as they slid forward on powerful legs with strength to match a trash compactor. The boar didn't really have time to react as the left paw connected directly with his center mass and sent him careening backwards across the tile and right back into the service hallway. The boar tumbled ass over head into one of the bathrooms, knocking the door open and disappearing inside. Not that Bursik really noticed, all that mattered is that he was close to the cheese now.

"-move. Fuck." The fox looked up at the tremendous badger, bringing his hand down like a bucket excavator to shovel a whole heaping helping of cheese out of the displace case and bring it up to his mouth. A good portion of it was Broaden, but at this point the Bursik was so big he was grabbing an entire fridge's worth of food to dump into his hungry gut. The fox took a step out into the aisle, his attention enraptured by the feasting giant before him but also feeling the urge to make sure that boar didn't just die.

He only got a few steps before the cheese-induced growth spurt kicked in, sending Bursik's head up towards the ceiling, knocking out some lights and scrunching up air ducting like it was foil. His toe claws gouged long streaks in the floor as his legs lengthened again. The left leg went directly towards the bathroom Richard tumbled into, smashing right through the wall and pushing the dazed boar up against one of the bathroom stalls. The other went right towards the platinum fox, and as the paw was widening under the effects of the cheese it was difficult to dodge. The fox was caught by the growing foot and shoved backwards against the bread shelves. It was a squishy fate, trapped between paw pads and soft bread loaves.

At this point, most of the other shoppers and employees had seen or heard the badger devouring an aisle's worth of food. Even seated he was several feet taller than the shelves, his head brushing up against rafters and air ducts. The thin metal warped and deformed, bowing upwards as he grew closer to the roof. Bursik grunted as he devoured the last of the cheese, his enlarging stomach demanding more food. He was no longer as discerning in his hunger, ripping off the door of the sliced deli meats and grabbing nearly the entire display in one go. Down it all went, and he still needed more. He moved his palms to the ground to scoot himself forwards, his hands wider than the shelving. His arms flexed as he pushed down, crushing the greeting card display flat. The tiles underneath cracked at the force. Bursik shifted closer to the yogurt, pushing the bread shelves over with his foot in the process. The racks splintered off their mountings and crashed to the floor, spilling hundreds of loaves of bread into the bakery and sending the platinum fox tumbling into the frosted donut stand. Richard was not quite as lucky as Bursik's movement shoved the boar clear through the bathroom wall and into the loading dock in the back of the store. Not that the badger was in any state to notice as he snatched up the yogurt shelves next, tearing out a boulder-sized fistful of yogurt cups and pouring them down his throat. Though he did not stop there, now in range of the bakery he began to scoop up the spilled bread for his next mouthful.

"S-shit!" The platinum fox scrambled to his feet as Bursik's grasping paw swept closer to him. He had been slightly powdered by the explosion of donuts he hit. The powder dusty fox clambered over the donut display he had rolled into and scrambled his way towards the exit. "Shit, shit!" He took a few steps to get to his feet but the momentum carried him outside of the store and to relative safety.

The yogurt was the final piece of the trifecta, the marketed breakfast had been completed. Bursik was forced to hunch to continue destroying the day's supermarket donuts and the accompanying cake display. The ceiling was yielding against his back as his gradual expansion finally broke the air ducting and rafters, sending light fixtures and scraps of thin metal crashing to the ground. His movements crushed display stands with ease, his limbs too large to fit through any of the doors anymore. His arms were wider than the assembled shelves, his gut swollen with half the store's worth of food. His attempts to reposition to find more room crushed the remaining displays and cracked the tile underneath. His movement was constrained by the building he was hunched down inside. The ceiling itself began to buckle as Bursik's frame demanded more space, pushing upwards and sending cracks throughout the roofing. The badger shut his eyes at the mounting pressure, but it was not going to be him who yielded today.

His hulking form burst through the roof, sending chunks of broken building raining into the nearby parking lot. Chunks smacked into cars or smashed down on shopping carts. Thankfully the panicked running of previous patrons meant no one was hurt, well except for the dazed manager put through two walls as he staggered out of the back of the store. With the ceiling gone, Bursik could finally sit up, his head and shoulders causing more damage as he adjusted.

"Still... need... more." Bursik rumbled, there was still the grocer next door. They must have more milk. Bursik planted his paws in the ruined remains of the bakery and dairy sections. He began to push himself up, dust and debris from his tour of destruction falling off his powerful legs. His motion destabilized the ceiling even more, causing further chunks to collapse inward and crash against his legs. But it was barely enough force to register. At least, until his movement caused the air conditioning unit to collapse inward with the rest of the roof. The bulky metal rectangle plunged down through the crumbling ceiling and hit the ground with a loud metallic bang that sounded exactly like a particular thunder clap...

Bursik blinked rapidly at the noise, his senses coming swiftly back into focus. He shook his head, his stomach absolutely bloated with food stuffs and packaging alike. He groaned, trying to take stock of his new vantage point of above most of the surrounding buildings. He furrowed his brow, noticing he was definitely not at home and definitely naked.

"...What the fuck just happened?" He didn't have much time for an answer before the rumbling sounds of smashing and destruction from next door caught his attention. He glanced over in time to spot the grocers roof split open and a pair of white tipped ears proceeding a large wolf had grown through a widening opening in the ceiling. A large clumsy white paw followed, cutting a fistful of Broaden ice cream in his pink pads. The wolf looked around for a second before sheepishly shoving the gallons of dessert into his maw. The store rumbled again as he swelled outward and upward, shoulders breaking through and raining down debris into the adjacent parking lot.

"Hmm, must be something in the milk after all. Is that you Cy?"

"Huh?" The wolf looked over, his blue eyes wide. "Oh hey Bursik, did you get a surprise free sample of ice cream too?"

"Free sample?"

"Yeah. Someone from Broaden sent me a quart of it. It was so good I kinda couldn't help myself. Went down to the store to get more and well... now I am the store."

"I can see that." Bursik glanced down to the wreckage, truth be told he could not remember why he came here. But as his thoughts returned to his own he noticed his headache was gone. He exhaled, "I don't remember how I got here, or how I got this big but that's not really important right now."

"Really? Don't you want to know what happened?"

"Maybe later. But right now, I think we should go find more milk." Bursik grinned, glancing out at the stunned people looking up at the two giants taking up these half destroyed grocery stores.

Cykrus exhaled, looking down at his own enlarged form. He nodded after a few seconds, "You know, that sounds like an idea I can grow to like."