Macro Games Round 2 by KindleFoxfire

Macro Games Round 2

KindleFoxfire, Growth, Macro, Male, Multiple Species, Shrinking

So if you haven't been following this previously on FurAffinity, the Macro Games is just a fun idea I had to involve folks in my writing and to play off the excellent Hunger Games series. People were asked to sign-up to participate, and when I got a flood of late entries, I worked them into the story as well. I ended up breaking each round into parts to get them posted faster, since folks were very eager to see them, and I tried to keep the rounds clean while offering an "After Dark" round with more adult fare, hehe.

Eventually I hope to collect the entirety of the series into one document and get it all cleaned up and shiney. For now this is kinda rough - I just finished it about an hour ago, only did a cursory spell-check, and did the last 10,441 words of round 3 in one day...so yeah, it's probably still rough. :p

But I hope you enjoy. Voting IS open for round 3, but only on FA, since I started the project there, since I know all of the remaining contestants are there, and since trying to keep track of who voted between both sites would be a little too daunting on top of it all. ^_^;

Round Two Part I - Pressure

"You're losing control of the situation."

Brantley sighed and straightened her business suit, crossing her legs as casually as she could manage. She hated these early morning meetings, particularly when she was on the wrong end of the conversation. Three of the monitors behind her desk were lit up, a different face in each. She was familiar with each, more familiar than she'd like.

The first was Commander Vetra, a representative of the country of the Alliance. The bat was older, with soft gray fur and the beginnings of wrinkles around her eyes. Her suit was a dark blue and decorated with honors, and she sat with perfect posture and a quiet elegance. She wore a stern expression, but Brantley remembered her as being a kind woman who always welcomed her into her home. But since she took over the games, the bat had held her to much higher standards.

On the next screen was a Scottish Terrier from the United States. He wore generals stripes on a uniform stretched tight across a beefy frame. Brantley had known him for many years as well, though he had never shown much of an interest in her. As a younger man, he'd competed in the games, but had lost in the final rounds. She remembered admiring his sculpted body as a young girl, but he had always been too harsh for her tastes.

The final monitor showed the shadowy silhouette of a tiger, big paws clasped before his face, eyes thoughtful. She had only ever known him as a friend of her father, a businessman and a representative of Feria. He had never been in the games but had always shown an interest in them, and had been a generous sponsor of the games for many years.

"I'm not losing control," Brantley reassured them. "The games are going smoothly. The bits with the Gamemakers are just added enticement."

"You always were a horrible liar," Vetra said bluntly. "I don't think I need to remind you what's riding on this."

"I think you should," General Armstrong grunted. "The winner of these games essentially holds the fate of the world in his or her hands. These interruptions and changes cannot continue. They compromise the integrity of the games!"

"I assure you," Brantley said, leg bouncing as she tried to hide her annoyance, "the outcome of the games will not be affected in any way."

The general grumbled, shifting his bulk in his chair. "If we don't see improvement soon, I'll be forced to take matters into my own hands."

Brantley couldn't keep the sneer off her face. "Now who's compromising the integrity of the games?" she asked. "Do you really think the rest of the world is going to sit back and allow you to take over?"

The terrier growled now, but Vetra cut him off before he could continue. "Just take care of things, Brantley," she said. "You're right. If this does get out of hand, we'll have an international incident on our hands. Don't let it get that far." Her face softened just a bit, giving her a small smile. "I believe you can do it, dear."

"I wish I shared your belief," General Armstrong grunted. "We'll be watching," he said, moving his paw over his desk. The screen went black, and a moment later, Vetra's screen went black as well.

"Brantley," the tiger said slowly, leaning forward in his chair. His orange fur was graying just a bit around the edges, but his green eyes were bright and intelligent, and sharp enough to cut. His voice was a growling purr, one that could seduce or destroy on a whim, and it gave her the urge to squirm in her seat.

Instead, she simply crossed her leg over the other knee and smothered her skirt. "Yes, Mr. Kindle?"

"I knew your father very well," he said. "He spoke very highly of you. He also told me all about your brother." He lowered his paws to his desk, regarding her coolly. "I know about his experiments, his ideals. What I need to know is whether or not you're willing to do what it takes to rein him in."

Brantley cleared her throat before answering. "I don't know what you've been told," she said, "but my brother and I have an understanding. He has no reason to do any of this."

"So you say," he said, pausing. "Brantley, you're aware my son is the games this year, are you not?"

"Yes," the fox said. "I'm aware. He's been very well-sponsored."

"Do you have any idea how many times he's asked to be the representative for Feria?" the tiger asked. He chuckled softly, a hint of a purr there, perhaps a hint of pride. "I finally approved it for one reason." His eyes flicked to hers like knives. "Because of you."

Brantley's eyes widened slightly, but she managed to keep the surprised look off her face. "I don't understand," she said.

He raised his head, looking down his nose at her. "I don't believe you can do it," he explained. "You aren't capable of handling this situation. And when it spirals out of control, you'll need someone like my son to pick up the pieces."

The fox was finally angry, crossing her arms across her chest. "Kind of arrogant to think he's going to win just because he's your son."

The tiger huffed dismissively. "If you truly believe these games will have any kind of positive outcome, you're a very foolish girl indeed." He shifted in his seat, and the monitor went dark.

Brantley stared at it for a moment before turning to her desk. She wanted to dismiss their comments as bullying. But there was truth to what they'd said. She couldn't let this go any further than it already had, or they'd just be the first nations to contact her. She stood, smoothing her suit and running a paw through her fur, and took a deep breath. She started for the door with a renewed determination. It was time to take control.

"Attention, contestants," a voice echoed through the arena. "This is your wake up call. Live coverage of the games will resume in one hour. Please make yourself decent for the cameras."

The tiger was the last of his camp to stir, lying on his side in soft grass that had been trampled in last night's efforts. Nieve chuckled and patted his bare bottom playfully, giving it a squeeze before tossing Kindle's trunks over him. The tiger's tail twitched as a smile crossed his face, looking up at his lover from the ground with clear green eyes. Even though he had yet to grow, he was still huge and chiseled, his chest bare and his kilt clean and crisp. From this angle he appeared to tower over everything already, and the tiger's grin widened as he imagined him getting even bigger.

"Good morning, babe," he said.

The lion grinned back. "Good morning," he said. "Did you hear the announcement? You're going to need to get cleaned up quick if you want to be ready for the start of the games today."

Kindle glanced around to find Rahshu emerging from the still waters of the lake's edge, shaking himself off as he went. Zev was fully dressed already and was making sure the fire was out. The tiger sighed and stretched, slowly sitting up and yawning lazily. "I suppose so," he said. He rubbed the back of his head lightly, looking up at the clear blue sky overhead.

The scene was similar elsewhere in the arena, with furs along the edge of the lake cleaning off the results of last night's festivities. Those still in the woods would be getting clean soon enough, with the lake looming before all of them. In their camp, Aura had already licked Michael clean while Marzain cleaned up the campsite and checked his shrink ray. Stan rose from a peaceful sleep to find the two canines lying exhausted on his belly, the scent of their sex faint in the air.

When King finally stirred, he found his utility belt empty, the three smaller furs asleep in the leaves nearby. He still felt a strange connection to the jackalope, as though he needed to protect him, but as his nostrils flared, breathing in the cool morning air, he began to feel more clear-headed. Thoughts of his own strategy began to fill his head as he sat cross-legged, watching the subtle rise and fall of their chests. He couldn't abandon them...it went against his code as a superhero. They were much too small to make it across the lake by themselves, so there was only one thing to do...help them across the lake, then find a way to get Jakebe back to normal. Then he could leave them in his care and focus on doing battle against the dragon and anyone else they might encounter today. He smiled with satisfaction, proud of his plan and ready to spring into action...even as the jackalope gave a confident smile of his own in his sleep.

Mat was already wide awake when the announcement came, cautiously creeping out of his cubby hole to put his plan into action. Kiran had a plan of his own nearby, checking his weapon while Lemuel put out their fire. Elsewhere, Yuri and Byron were sound asleep in each other's arms when the call came ringing through the trees around them. And Elrabin and Conner were each going about the task of cleaning themselves up in their own little camps, their captives once more secured, though they were somewhat bruised and sore from being used so roughly. Vertigo woke beneath his two allies, the husky and the liger asleep against him.

Dragonien had already put his toys away in his trunks as Sabrewing kicked dirt on their campfire. Kaiser was doing a quick inventory of his growth tablets, eyeing the red dragon distrustfully. No matter how close they'd been last night, he wasn't about to let what might be his one chance to get big go to waste.

Skarlath was another slow riser, mumbling to himself as he stirred and rose, brushing the leaves from his cape. The little wolf he'd captured, Sola, took her place on top of his head, stretching out to enjoy the early morning sunlight that reached them through the trees. Not far away, Artemis could sense his master as he sat cross-legged, meditating by the water's edge, the little wolf he had captured sitting on his knee and watching the birds diving over the lake.

Harper woke up to Havak playfully licking his face over and over as he held him close. He laughed and shoved the big Lab away from him, grinning. "Time to rise and shine!" Havak told him. "And time to get BIG!" His tail wagged with an excitement that had been building since the start of the games.

Not far away, Slyther sat watching Achak and Traith sleeping as he pondered his next move. He cared about both of them, but he had come to the games to win, and he needed to get big. Achak had the only means of getting him closer to that goal: the growth ray tucked into his trunks. It was the perfect opportunity to take it, and the idea was certainly very tempting...but he resisted the urge to do it, at least for now. At this point, no one was specifically targeting him, but taking the ray would give him two angry dragons on his tail...of course, if he could get his hands on it, his tail would be much too large for them to handle...

"One hour," the voice repeated. "One hour until the games resume!"

The atmosphere in the Gamemakers den was sullen as the 12 hooded figures gathered around the table. The largest of the group stood at the head of the table, gloved paws folded.

"We have a problem," the figure said. "This Gamemaker is playing us all for fools and endangering our position in the games. We must act to discover the identity of this impostor before more drastic measures are taken."

"How do we know it is an impostor?" one of the figures asked. "How can we be sure that it isn't one of us?"

"The following information has always been classified, but under the circumstances, you should know." The head Gamemaker raised his arm, letting the long sleeve of his robe slide back, revealing smooth brown fur. There was a small scar along his forearm, barely noticeable except for the way the fur lay around it. "We are all Gamemakers, but we are all brought here the same way the players and announcers are. There is a tracking device implanted in each of us...in each of you. As Head Gamemaker, I am aware of the movements of every Gamemaker at all times. None of you is responsible for the recent events."

"And how do we know you aren't?" another Gamemaker chimed in. "We have no way of tracking your movements."

The Head Gamemaker pressed a button on a small console set into the table. A holographic display appeared just above it, showing the topographical layout of the arena. Red lights shown all along the lake, with blue lights shining along the gates and throughout the studio. "You are welcome to review the recordings," the figure said. "But I believe we should pursue other suspects first."

The figure pressed another button and several photos appeared before them...various crew members, Kris, Illas, Dixie, Bradley, and even Brantley herself. Several of the photos were outlined in red, including Dixie's, Bradley's and a photo of a large rat.

"Bradley Foxfire is our chief suspect," the Gamemaker said. "And his assistant, Albert, may be involved as well. We believe that Bradley may have encountered Dixie last night...there was a brief instance where she disappeared from the studio, at around the same time that Bradley went missing from his lab."

"You think they're working together?"

"It seems unlikely," the Head Gamemaker admitted, "but she needs to be interrogated either way to determine where she went."

"Do they not also have trackers?" another large Gamemaker asked, voice rather angry. "Why are they not subjected to this same humiliating treatment?"

"There was never a need to track them before now," the Head Gamemaker explained. "They have always been confined to the studio, under camera surveillance at all times.

"Except when she slipped away."

"An unfortunate lapse. One that will not happen again. As for the others, Kris and Illas have begun their own investigations, but the skunk seems to be stymied. We need to find out what they might have uncovered about the broadcasts."

"And the crew?"

"Interrogations of the crew proved fruitless. There is no evidence that they've gone beyond the studio or their quarters. The same is true of Brantley, though she was...upset...this morning. I am monitoring her movements closely to ensure that she doesn't do anything rash."

"There is still the matter of the latecomers," one of the Gamemakers said, a smaller, daintier figure than the rest. "Most of them have been eliminated, but those that remain could be problematic. We already had one trying to escape the arena after her capture. And her mate has a rather colorful history."

"He has yet to violate the rules of the game," the Head Gamemaker reminded them. "And we are continuing to investigate their presence." The figure gestured to one of the Gamemakers, a large figure whose robe curved around what appeared to be a large belly.

"I've been trying to trace the source of their invitations," the figure said. "All I can determine for sure is that it was sent from the island's servers. Each one was sent from a different location on the island at roughly the same time, which makes mattes complicated. Whoever sent the invites knew how to cover their tracks, and had enough resources to not only find and research these candidates, but to perpetrate this entire mess."

"Which brings us back to Bradley," the Head Gamemaker said, gesturing to two of the more imposing Gamemakers as they rose. "Find him and his assistant and bring them here." The figure gestured to two others who also rose. "When Dixie is done with the morning broadcast, bring her as well." The figure's paws folded once more, shoulders heaving slightly. "Remember, our future as Gamemakers, as well as the future of the entire world, rests upon the outcome of these games. We must get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible, and remain vigilant throughout the day for any more surprises to come."

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING!" Dixie beamed happily into the camera as the Macro Games logo faded. "Are you as excited as I am?" the white rabbit giggled. She wore a bright yellow sundress with a yellow bow behind her right ear, her face showing no signs of fatigue, despite the long night the entire crew had just put in.

The skunk next to her looked equally refreshed, though he was far less excited as he chuckled softly. He was back in his black suit but sported a yellow tie now. "It's difficult to imagine anyone could be more excited than you, Dixie," he grinned. "Except perhaps our competitors. We're less than a half hour away from the start of the second day of the Macro Games, so it seems like a perfect time to recap the events from day one."

"Oooo, it was so exciting!" Dixie said. "I don't know what my favorite part was!"

"The day started with the surprise arrival of a dozen new contestants as well as a former champ, Gigas, all of whom claimed to be invited by the Gamemakers," Kris explained.

"Oooh, that's right!" Dixie said. "I think that was my favorite part! No one saw that coming! But it wasn't the Gamemakers who did it, right?"

"That's right, Dixie, the Gamemakers denied responsibility for the invitations, but agreed to allow them to join the Games at the last minute. But the tricky troublemaker responsible for the invitations showed himself not long after the weapons were drawn. He - or she - cut into our broadcast just before the games got under way, wearing a Gamemaker's hood and telling the world that Mat Hitsume had drawn the Backpack, the holy grail of Macro Games weapons, containing enough ammo and growth modifiers to give anyone an instant win."

"That's right! Everyone went after poor Mat after that, and Dragonien went on a rampage trying to find and protect his mate!"

"But Mat proved more elusive and clever than everyone, as we learned last night, when we revealed that he'd used his weapons to shrink himself down and hide behind the line of advancing furs, giving him a strategical advantage for moment."

"He still has that shrink ray, after all!" Dixie added. "And now he can sneak up on everyone!" She giggled softly at the thought. "He's got a very good shot of winning if he keeps it up!"

"Perhaps so," Kris said. "But we'll get to the Gamemakers Rankings in a moment...First we need to go back to Dragonien. As you said, the big red dragon went on a big red rampage, setting fire to half the arena and making four captures early in the day. But he wasn't the only one to make multiple captures, as Elrabin made good use of his thief's glove and picked up a growth ray as he captured both Zain and Nick."

"And Conner got two captures, too!" Dixie said. "He was one of the late arrivals, but he managed to get a thief's glove away from Torque and took down the big Rottweiler, Eric, too. Now he has two gloves! Oh, and Sola and Tao Yang were also eliminated when Skarlath and Artemis drained their sizes with the thief's glove!"

"We got to see two powerful tag teams in the arena yesterday as well, as Stan and Michael took down Ziude and Haku, with Stan earning the capture on both. Aura and Marzain also made a powerful partnership in round one, causing chaos in the arena. The duo not only brought Dragonien back down to size, but shrank the gold dragon Traith, the luchador Michael, and latecomer Rahshu."

"But they only captured Michael," Dixie reminded him. "Rahshu fell into Nieve's arms for an accidental capture, but Traith and Dragonien both got away!"

"Rito and Blue were also accidentally captured when Blue pushed Rito into his shrinking snare to avoid Dragonien's rampage, and Jakebe, who later found them, also got shrunk by his partner, King Dead, in one of the more amusing moments of the games."

Dixie giggled. "The look on his face was priceless! He thought King had a growth ray and he was using his Cupid's Arrow to make him shoot!"

"And the Cupid's Arrow proved a powerful tool for Yuri, too, who brought Byron under his control with a little trickery and took his growth serum."

"But the two of them got intimate last night," Dixie said. "So he may not be able to bring himself to betray him today!" Her eyes got wide as she pressed her paws to her breasts. "It's always complicated when matters of the heart are involved," she said. "A woman knows these things!"

"We'll just have to wait and see, Dixie," Kris chuckled. He turned to the monitor behind them as the map of the arena appeared again. "Right now, let's go over the layout for today," he said. The red lights of the remaining competitors appeared along the map on the screen. "As you can see, all of our players are lined up more or less along the edge of the lake. It's quite a swim, but there's a handy rest station tethered in the center of the lake. No weapons will be effective in the rest station, but it can be hazardous to stop there for too long, since it will put you in close proximity to the other players."

"That's a problem!" Dixie said. "It's so far, you'll have to rest...but you can't rest too long, either!"

"Exactly," the skunk nodded. "And if you try to swim the entire length, you'll likely arrive on the other side worn out and vulnerable, unless you've been able to increase your strength since the start of the games."

"Oh, so the big guys have the advantage again!" Dixie said. "But what's on the other side of the lake?"

"Well, Dixie, when they arrive on the other shore, they'll find it rather rocky, but it quickly gives way to another small stretch of forest leading up to a grassy clearing just outside the old city. We expect most players will be able to reach it by the end of round 2."

"When does it end?"

The skunk pointed to a countdown clock on the wall. "Round 2 will be five hours long and will officially begin in less than 10 minutes!" he said. "At noon, we'll allow for one hour for the players to rest and regroup while we recap the morning's events, and at 1:00 p.m., we'll resume the games for round 3!"

"Got it! I can't wait to see who's going to get huge today!" She giggled. "Who do you think will make it through to round 3?"

Kris chuckled and tapped his cars on the table. "Well I'm not a betting man," he said, "and it's a good thing, because my top choices don't mesh with the Gamemakers Ranking at all!"

"Ooo, what's it say?" Dixie asked, leaning towards the monitor as the rankings appeared, showing numbers one through ten with no names. Each one was revealed as Kris began to read them off.

"With 28 players remaining, the Gamemakers have ranked Cailean as their favorite to make it through Round 2," Kris declared. "It's a surprising choice, since the liger has been rather quiet throughout the first round."

"Yeah, but that's a pretty big vote of confidence, isn't it?" she asked.

It's a suspiciously huge vote of confidence, the skunk thought to himself, but out loud he continued. "Well it's still early in the games, Dixie," he said. "So you never know what might happen! Their number two pic is a less surprising choice, Kindle. The tiger made an impressive save yesterday, protecting Zev from Marzain's shrink ray, and he has a powerful ally in Nieve."

"And look!" Dixie said, pointing at the screen. "Zev is number three! I'm not surprised since he's so big and buff!"

"Yuri and Mat were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, perhaps because of the clever use of their weapons, and Lemuel, one of our late arrivals, was ranked sixth. Lemuel may seem an unlikely choice, but with Kiran's apparent guilt over Devon's capture in round one, it's possible that he may go out of his way to keep Lemuel safe."

"He does seem to be the honorable type," Dixie said.

"Kaiser and Sabrewing are ranked seventh and eighth, and given the havoc their partner Dragonien wreaked in round one, they may be looking to do the same in round two. Nieve, a former competitor, ranked ninth. Despite his knowledge of how the games work, he doesn't currently possess a means of growth. We'll have to see if he's clever enough to find a way to get bigger to keep himself in the game!

"I'm sure he can do it!" Dixie said. "And in tenth we have King! Wow! I thought after he got caught by Jakebe without his mask, and then fell under his influence, and then shrank him...I thought that he'd be ranked much lower..."

"Never underestimate a hero, Dixie," Kris said. "Especially not one like King, who sometimes doesn't know his own strength. If he can escape from Jakebe's shadow, he could be a real threat in the final rounds of the games."

The countdown clock let out a little warning bell to signal that only three minutes remained. "Well, that's all the time we have for now," Kris said. "Dixie and I will see you back here at noon for a recap of the morning's events. Until then, sit back, relax, and enjoy round two of the Macro Games!"

The Macro Games logo appeared on the monitors and the studio went dark for a moment as the broadcast ended, and then Dixie and Kris both visibly relaxed in their chairs. "That went well," Kris said. "Another great show, Dixie."

"Thanks, you too!" she giggled. "I really can't wait to see..."

Her voice trailed off as the door to the studio opened and two Gamemakers entered. One of them pointed directly at her. "Dixie Hart," it said. "You are to come with us for questioning."

Dixie's ears lay back against her head as she looked at Kris. "Should...should I go with them?" Her eyes burned with tears as her chest tightened with fear. "Am I...in trouble?"

Kris leaned in close, speaking softly and taking her hand to comfort her. "I'm sure you don't have anything to worry about," he said, giving her paw a squeeze. "Just be yourself and be honest, okay?"

She nodded softly and then stood, going over to the hooded figures without any further protest. As they escorted her out of the room, she glanced back at Kristofer for just a moment and saw his clenched fists pressed against the desk as he tried to smile.

Round Two Part II - Run to the Water

The cameras were already watching when the one minute warning rang out throughout the arena. Lemuel waited in the bushes, listening for the cannon that would mark the start of the games and for any sign of any other players nearby. He didn't know what Kiran was planning, but he wished he was here with him. The leowolf had simply told him to dive in quickly and swim as fast he could.

The lemur knelt and tried to focus on his breathing as he counted down the seconds. He was so intensely fixated on it, that it took a moment for the cannon fire to actually register. But as soon as it did, he was off, diving out into the water and swimming like a shot. Despite trying to prepare himself, the cool chill of the water took his breath away, but he tried to focus past it. He wasn't a strong swimmer, and he didn't have much endurance, but even so, Kiran had told him to keep going, no matter what, and to avoid the rest stop at all costs. So he gritted his teeth, and pushed himself as hard as he could go, keeping his eyes focused on the far shore.

"That's it," Havak said excitedly as the cannon fired. "You have to do it now! Do it, do it, do it!"

The lab was practically bouncing around Harper as the fotter retrieved the growth tablets from his trunks. He still wore the clothing he'd started the games in, though his pants were dirty and his black t-shirt was stretched tight across a muscled gut. "Okay," he said, grinning at the Lab's antics. He popped open the first of the growth tablets and tossed it into his mouth. It was too small to even taste as he swallowed it down, but he felt its effects immediately.

A warm sensation started to grow in his belly and spread through his body as the tablet took effect. The fotter was over six feet tall, but as Havak watched, drooling, Harper began to swell all over. His arms grew thicker and stronger, adding to the muscle power that already lay hidden beneath the tightening t-shirt. His belly swelled as well, until it peeked from under shirt and pressed down on the waistband of his pants. The pants slid up his calves as he grew, thick thighs straining the fabric as the button popped off the fly. He grinned proudly as he looked down at the Lab, nearly two foot taller than before at 8'4".

"What do you think, pup?" he grinned, flexing a thicker arm for Havak's amusement.

The dog's tail seemed to be wagging fast enough for takeoff, but he tried to control himself and focus. But he had to bite his lip to keep him from pouncing the fotter right there. "EXCELLENT." He managed to say, clasping his hands behind his back. "MORE PLEASE."

The fotter grinned widely and gladly agreed, popping the next tablet from the packet and popping it into his mouth. This time the warmth came even faster, his growth almost immediate as he began to swell and stretch once more. The zipper on the pants gave way as the fotter's belly and rump pushed outward and upward, black trunks stretched tight across the rising mounds of his ass as the pants slid down. He just barely got them off before they grew too tight, but his shirt...that was a different story. He smirked down at the lab and laughed. "I've always wanted to do this!"

With a grunt of effort, he flexed his growing body and heard a satisfying rip as the sleeves of his shirt tore open, stretched beyond their maximum capacity. He gripped the remains with two strong paws and ripped it open, letting the tattered shreds hang around his chest like a vest as his belly and pecs grew bigger and beefier, belly hanging over the trunks just a bit. When the warmth finally subsided, he was nearly 11 feet tall. He laughed again, his voice sounding deeper and more powerful as he bellowed. "How about now? Had enough?"

Deep in his heart, Havak wanted to get big. But deep in his pants, there was a growing bulge, and in his heart, butterflies of excitement that he couldn't contain. He probably could've gotten the last tablet for himself, but... "Do it," he begged. "Take it, and get big!"

The fotter didn't have to be told twice. It felt too good...not just towering over his buddy, but the growth itself, that warmth spreading throughout. He could see how it could be addictive in the wrong hands. But for now it was in his hands, and he eagerly popped the last of the tablets into his waiting maw. The warmth flowed through him once more, bringing a soft moan to his lips as his body grew once more.

The tight black trunks were nearly a second skin as he stretched them wider each second, hips and gut expanding, thighs and bis bulging. He knew he was still tiny compared to the heights the dragon had reached the day before, but the rush of the growth was so exhilarating...he felt like he could do anything! He could only imagine what it must have felt like to get that huge...

He laughed again, trying to contain his excitement. "Damn, I wish this was the after dark segment!" he laughed. "This has really got me turned on!"

Havak's tail was whipping violently back and forth as he tried to control his own roving paws, staring up at his friend who now stood over 14 feet tall. "Right, right!" he nodded enthusiastically. "But like you said, work mode! Work first!" He wiped the drool from his lips with the back of his paw and readjusted the camouflage bag that contained the ammo he'd been given as his weapon. "We have to make it across the lake, remember? And a big fotter like you...," he grinned. "You should have no problem getting us there!"

"Right!" Harper knelt in the leaves with his back to the Lab, holding out his paws so Havak could climb up. When he was secured on the fotter's back, piggy-back style, Harper grinned. "Never thought I'd be able to carry you so easily, pup! Feels like you weigh nothing at all!"

Havak practically giggled as he clung to Harper's neck, legs wrapped around him as best he could manage. "Don't get used to it!" he growled playfully. "I'm gonna get big soon enough, and I bet I'll be plenty bigger than you!"

Harper laughed again as he charged into the lake and struck out through the water, ready to put his new body to the test.

"We should wait," the gray dragon said. "I think that's the best course of action here. Wait until they're all swimming in the water, and then fly across before they can shoot us down."

Traith looked somewhat doubtful, remembering the last time he'd tried to fly across the arena. It hadn't ended well, with the golden dragon being shrunk and having to use his growth serum just to reach three feet tall again. "Are you sure, Achak? What if those snipers are back, or someone stays behind on the beach to cover their friends with the shrink ray?"

"That's why we're going to count them," Achak said reasonably. "There are 28 players remaining, which means that if we wait until the majority of them are in the water, we should be safe."

"I agree with Achak," Slyther said. The red dragon kept his arms crossed as he looked from one to the other of them. He was still eyeing the growth ray, but he had tried to behave himself this morning, keeping his paws to himself. "But you know, it probably wouldn't hurt to go ahead and use the growth ray," he said. "Maybe one shot for each of us? It would give us an advantage when we land and give us something to do while we wait..."

"No," Achak said firmly. "Not yet."

Slyther growled and clenched his fist. "You keep saying that! But when would be a good time to use it? When we're in the grip of someone bigger and stronger? When we're having our size drained out of us by someone with one of those gloves?"

Achak rumbled back at him, clutching the ray tightly in his paws. "It's my weapon," he said. "I'll use it when I see fit, on whomever I see fit." He tried to calm himself, glaring at the ray in his hands instead of his fellow dragon. "The longer I can hang on to this, the more of an advantage it becomes," he insisted. "Right now, all along the lake shore, everyone is getting big and bulking up to make that swim. But by the time they make it across, half of them will have been shrunken or eliminated. If we wait for them to exhaust their growth rays and shrink rays and what have you, then when I finally use mine, there won't be anyone left who can stop us."

Slyther crossed his arms again and tried to calm himself as well. The plan made a certain sense, but it ignored the fact that there would inevitably be some who didn't get shrunk or taken down along the way. He sighed heavily, a trickle of flame escaping his lips. "Fine, fine, we'll do it your way," he said. "But when we get across the lake, and see who's left, we need to discuss this again."

Traith nodded to the big gray dragon, and Achak finally sighed as well. "Agreed," he said. "But until then..." He put the growth ray down the front of his trunks, the handle brushing against his belly. "...we wait and watch."

"So we're agreed," the tiger said. "I'm the best swimmer, so I should go first. Then if it's safe, you two can follow me."

"Three," Rahshu reminded him. "Don't forget about me." He sat on top of Nieve's head, just high enough to look down at the tiger despite his shrunken size.

Kindle chuckled. "Right, right, of course," he said. "The THREE of you can follow after, once we know no one is going to be shooting at us."

The big lion frowned at him. "And what if there is, and you get shrunk or captured?" He wasn't thrilled about any part of this plan. He'd already spent half a day away from his tiger, and now they were discussing splitting up again, even if it was just for the swim across. Too much could happen out there in the water for them to be splitting up now.

The tiger held up his mirror. "Hey, this has come in pretty handy so far...so who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky again."

"Maybe," Zev agreed, "but it still feels like you're sacrificing yourself somehow. Are you trying to get yourself captured or something?"

Kindle frowned at them all. Of course he didn't want to get captured. Why would they even think something like that? "I'm going to be fine," he insisted. "Like I said, I'm a great swimmer. I grew up around water remember?" He sighed. "Look, I just want to be useful, okay? I don't want to be a burden or anything."

Nieve's face softened as he wrapped his arms around the tiger. "Of course you're not a burden," he said gently, voice purring. "But I don't want you getting caught...so if you're going to make yourself a target, you better make sure you don't get hit."

The tiger pulled back slowly, grinning up at him. "Yes sir," he said.

Zev was less eager to let him go just to reassure him, but he tried to push aside the nervous feeling fluttering deep in his belly. Instead, he tried to focus on the task at hand. "Okay...so you're going to swim out and signal us if everything's okay, right?"

Kindle nodded, gesturing to the mirror once more. "I'll swim to the rest station and then signal you guys if everything looks clear. Then once you guys are in the water, I'll head for the other side and scout things out, and signal you if everything's okay there."

As plans went, it wasn't the best, but Zev figured it was better than nothing. He gave the tiger a quick hug and nodded. "Alright, good luck out there."

Kindle nodded with a confident smirk. "Don't worry," he said. "This'll be no problem!" With that, he turned and ran down into the water, leaping from the steep bank and out into the lake, long, limber body pushing him off to a strong start.

There were already others in the water and on their way by the time Yuri and Byron reached the shores of the lake. The lion felt strangely calm, though, as he approached the water, as though they were simply going for an afternoon swim. He wasn't sure how he'd pictured this round going, but it seemed much calmer than he'd anticipated.

The red panda next to him was equally calm, possibly because of the Cupid's Arrow that still clouded his mind. But Yuri suspected that it was more than that. They'd shared a very intimate night, one that had left some lingering emotions that would have to be sorted out later. For now, though, the lion needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Byron," he said. "We're going to have to swim straight through. We can't afford to stop and make ourselves vulnerable. Do you understand?"

Byron nodded slowly. "Of course, Yuri," he said.

The lion nodded in return. "Good. I'm going to need you to stay close and watch my back," he said. "And I'll try to watch yours, too."

The red panda rewarded him with a huge smile. "Thank you, Yuri," he said, his voice sounding genuinely happy.

A pang of guilt went through the lion, but there was nothing to be done for it now. He had only intended to bring the panda under his control, not make him fall in love or anything. It was hard to tell how much of what the panda seemed to say and feel was real and what was the Cupid's Arrow.

"Alright," he sighed. "Let's go then."

He led the way down into the water, sinking up to his snout and keeping himself submerged, trying not to draw attention to himself as he moved away from the bank. Byron followed suit, and together they quietly tread across the water.

"Let's go!" Aura called to Marzain as he crashed through the forest. "The others will be so far ahead of us!"

"Calm down, calm down," the orange wolf panted. "I can barely keep up with you!"

Aura paused to let him catch his breath, rolling his eyes a bit at the big wolf. He pulled back the waistband of his trunks to check on his captive, Michael, then looked back up to Marzain. "Is he going to be okay in there while I swim?" he asked.

Marzain nodded. "They say the trunks are not only super-stretchy, but waterproof, too. As long as you aren't in the water too long, he should be fine."

"Good!" the little hybrid said. "I'd hate for my snack to go to waste!"

Marzain hoped he was teasing, but he could never quite tell with Aura. He decided to brush off the thought by checking his shrink ray again. He had just one shot left, or else he wouldn't even bother crossing the lake. He'd simply pick off everyone in the water. It was a shame he couldn't get his paws on one of those ammo bags that were supposed to be going around. He grinned to himself as he thought of how just one of those bags could almost secure him the win without ever growing at all.

"What are you grinning about?" Aura asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing," Marzain said, moving through the forest once more. "Just wishful thinking."

The forest gave way to the marsh surrounding the lake, and within moments Marzain found himself looking out over the calm surface of the water. He tried to count all the furs he could already see, but there were too many already. "I don't like it," he said. "We're going to be totally vulnerable out there. We should be careful to..."

But before he could even finish the thought, Aura was breezing past him leaping out into the water and crashing down with a big splash. Marzain had to shield his eyes as lake water rained down over him and he gave Aura a disapproving look as he surfaced. "What?" Aura asked, grinning at him. "Like you said, we're vulnerable anyway. Might as well enjoy the swim while we're at it."

He splashed water at the wolf who finally grinned and splashed him back. "Alright," he said, taking a step back and getting a running leap before diving in behind him. The shock of the cool water struck him, but he was back in control quickly. He swam around Aura and surfaced behind him, wrapping him in a big bear hug and lifting him up out of the water before slamming him back down playfully.

Aura sputtered and laughed as he surfaced again, spitting water at the wolf. "Now you're talking!" he said. "Race you to the other side!" He twisted away from the big orange wolf, and Marzain laughed and began to chase after him, trying to match his pace.

Not far away, another trio of dragons huddled just inside the tree line, watching the other furs rushing out into the water. Kaiser raised an eyebrow at the hybrid and the wolf, clearly disapproving. "Not subtle, are they?" he said.

Sabrewing shrugged. "We have Dragonien, so who are we to judge?"

Dragonien grinned at them both, still towering over them for the moment. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he said.

"He means," Kaiser explained, "that after your stunt yesterday, you're going to be a target."

The big red dragon waved the thought away. "I'm a big red dragon, even at normal size. Of course I'm a target! I'd be insulted if I wasn't!"

"Well, now they'll just have one more reason to come after you then," Kaiser smirked. "Which will make it easier for me." He pulled the growth serum from his trunks and grinned. "Although I'm going to be a pretty big target myself."

"Gimme!" Dragonien commanded as he leaned over the smaller striped dragon.

Kaiser took a step back, waving a paw in the air to ward off Dragonien's reaching hands. "This is not for you!" He moved back just out of reach and quickly uncorked the lid, drinking down every drop. He looked up at the red dragon with a grin, long draconic tongue running over his lips. Dragonien pouted at him which just made him grin wider as he felt the warmth spreading throughout his body.

Kaiser was normally leanly muscled, but as the growth began to take hold, he felt his body begin to swell all over, expanding with not only size, but strength as well. His already tight abs grew more well-defined as his pecs swelled larger, the muscle growing firmer beneath. His arms bulged and his trunks strained to contain him, the fabric making a barely audible protest as it expanded slowly against his skin.

The long ebon horns atop his head began to brush the tree tops as he gave a rumbling growl of pleasure, already reaching eye level with the 21-foot Dragonien and still growing. He felt the warmth lingering at his groin as he began to look down on his fellow dragons, his mind racing with possibilities as the boisterous red dragon seemed to dwindle below him. He spread his wings as their span increased, easily snapping the smaller branches and sending a rain of leaves and twigs down on his partners.

"This is incredible!" he laughed. "I could get used to this..." He grinned, reaching out a paw and easily pulling Dragonien forward, pressing him against his growing abs. "What do you think, Drago?" He laughed harder, the bulge in his trunks shifting as he felt his growing body sliding against the red dragon's until Dragonien's face was pressed against his groin, the scent of dragon musk strong in the air.

The warmth began to fade, and eventually the growth slowed to a stop, with Kaiser just at 30 feet, his paws sinking into the forest floor under the weight of his nearly 13 ton frame. He let out a bellowing roar, flexing his huge new muscles, a fine sheen of sweat playing across the red, black-striped skin, his tail whipping wildly behind him, slamming into the trees. All around them, furs looked up to the sky, recognizing the sound of a dragon, fear seizing their hearts for a moment as they recalled the first day.

Below both of them, Sabrewing stood smirking. "Show off," he said.

Kaiser grinned back down at him, huge fangs glistening. "You'll see," he said.

The green efreet dragon chuckled and ran a paw through his fiery red hair. He felt oddly nervous about using the growth ray, his heart racing with the thought of it. But he supposed it was now or never...and at any rate, he couldn't let Dragonien have all the fun. He took a deep breath, pointed the growth ray at his chest, and pulled the trigger.

The blast of warmth nearly staggered him as it ran though his body like an electric current. A soft moan escaped his lips as his beefy golden chest began to swell, pecs expanding beneath a tuft of fiery red hair. He grew thicker all over as he rose into the air, packing on muscle and size as his trunks bulged rather obscenely, clinging to every curve like a second skin. His forked tail grew longer and thicker behind him, lashing the trees and forest floor, an echo of the writhing pleasure that filled him to overflowing.

His thick green arms swelled with muscles, biceps bulging and forearms growing thicker and stronger with each second. His wings flapped slowly as they expanded, and he could feel the force of them, the greater resistance, the greater strength they now possessed. They would need to be strong for sure, as his weight grew as well, to just at six tons of pure, beefy muscle.

He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he looked from his growing form to find that he'd already outgrown Dragonien as well. But he was still a few feet shy of Kaiser as the warmth began to fade, leaving him right at 25 feet tall. He felt almost stiff from the growth and he took a moment to stretch and yawn, breathing in deeply, his huge chest expanding wider than ever. He shook himself slightly as he straightened up, grinning at both of them.

"You're right," he said. "It is incredible." He still clutched the growth ray in his paw, though now he held it like a small toy. It looked like it might belong to an action figure in his huge grip. It was a tempting thought to use the ray again, but he resisted the urge for the moment.

Below them, Dragonien huffed. "Okay, you've had your fun," he said. "Now you're going to use the last two shots on me, right?"

Sabrewing grinned down at him. "Sorry little guy," he teased. "But maybe later you can find a way to convince me...," he began, dropping the ray down into his trunks, "...to take these off." He gave him a wink, and Kaiser laughed again above them as Dragonien folded his arms and pouted.

"We should get going, though," Sabrewing added, looking out over the lake through the remaining low-hanging branches. "We've got a bit of an advantage now, but we shouldn't push our luck," he said. "There are still too many people in this contest, after all."

Kaiser grinned. "That just means there are more people to tease!" He poked Dragonien idly with his foot. "Right, runt?"

Dragonien glared up at him. "Just wait until I'm big again," he said. "I won't be so careful next time!"

Both the bigger dragons chuckled as they made their way out onto the sandy shores of the lake, heads turning to take them in...and then quickly turning to flee as the dragons entered the water.

Skarlath was wary of the lake's shores as he made his way through the trees, a deep sense of foreboding residing in his belly. He had already moved Sola to the relative safety of his trunks - they were supposed to be not only super-stretchy, but water-tight, meaning she would stay dry and safe as he crossed the lake. She had gone with little fuss, which had been a relief considering how feisty she'd been when they met. True, the 19-foot red wolf could easily deal with the 16-inch wolf, but he'd rather not have to resort to brute force with such a fragile thing.

He was staring out over the water when someone called his name, startling him from his thoughts and putting him on his guard. He turned quickly towards the voice...and then broke into a huge smile as Artemis emerged from the reeds.

"Artemis!" he grinned, moving to embrace the white lion. He laughed as he realized that he was now taller by a good four feet as the 15-foot lion wrapped his arms around his chest and softly kissed his abs.

"I am relieved to see you unharmed, master," he said.

"And I, you," Skarlath said. "Though I am surprised to see that I managed to get bigger than you!"

The lion ran a paw through his snowy mane and grinned sheepishly. "I was only able to catch one normal-sized player with my thief's glove," he said.

"Then take some of my size," Skarlath insisted. "Just enough to even us out." He held out his arm to his servant.

"No, master," Artemis replied, holding both paws in the air in refusal. "If one of us should be growing, it should be you." He looked up at Skarlath with deep blue eyes shining with the devotion he felt towards his master, the sunlight catching the faint traces of gold in his fur and making him shine. "When the time comes, I will gladly sacrifice all my size for you, my lord."

Skarlath bent slightly to kiss him, wrapping strong arms around him, but careful not to touch him with the glove. "My lion, I will do my best to insure that no such sacrifice will be necessary."

Both were smiling when they pulled back from the embrace, but Skarlath's face quickly grew serious as the roar of a dragon shook the leaves in the trees around them. "Where is your captive?" he asked.

Artemis patted his trunks gently with a big pale paw. "He put up some resistance to my attentions last night, but he was more willing to seek safety this morning."

Skarlath nodded. "Good," he said. "I fear we may be doing battle soon." He turned his gaze out across the lake, assessing the other players already in the water, and his eyes fell on the tiger's form as he headed for the rest area. "I see Kindle," he said. "We should try to catch up to him and seek his aid. The tiger could prove useful, especially if he's partnered with Nieve."

Artemis nodded, falling into step behind his master as they waded into the cool waters of the lake and struck out after the tiger.

Conner's mood had been all over the place in the last 24 hours. He'd been excited to join the games, then aggravated when he didn't get a weapon, and terrified when the dragon had captured Eamane. But his spirits had lifted when he'd overpowered the blue tiger, and he felt like he could do anything...including taking down the big muscle rottie. Standing at nearly 20 feet tall, with the thief's glove and barbarian's glove, he looked like a monstrous hulking beast, and as the night had worn on, he'd greatly enjoyed his new size and power.

But now, in the cool morning air, a frown crossed his face as he thought of all the other challengers. It only deepened when he heard the roar of a dragon across the arena. He'd briefly thought of trying to take revenge on the red dragon, but the thought had disappeared as quickly as it had come. There was only one thing to concentrate on now, and that was getting bigger. He craved that rush of warmth and adrenaline that came from pinning someone down and stealing their size, growing bigger as he felt them dwindle beneath him. And he knew from last night's pleasures how good those tiny forms could feel against his massive body.

His frown changed to a smirk as he donned his fedora -now too small for his head, but he refused to part with it. He looked out across the water, at all the large, lovely furs making their way across, and he grinned predatorily. It was only a matter of time before he caught another one. As he waded into the water, he wondered which one it would be.

As he slipped into the water, the drulx was being stalked by someone much closer than he would've suspected. The cougar was over 38 feet tall and in a similar situation as Conner. He'd been given a thief's glove, and had stolen the size of two other players. Not only that, but he'd picked up a growth ray with two shots left, but he was reluctant to use it just yet. The challenging, predatory thief's glove was much more suited to his style. He liked to get up close and personal with his opponents and feel them growing smaller as he swelled larger and larger.

His loincloth was bulging and overburdened with the growth ray and his captives, but he grinned at the thought of adding the drulx to his collection. Not only would he add a good boost of size, but strength as well, from the look of him. And so far the drulx seemed more interested in capturing others than in guarding against capture himself. It was the kind of single-mindedness that made you vulnerable...though Elrabin knew full well he was guilty of it himself.

He waited until the drulx was a little ways out into the water before he emerged from the trees, quietly creeping down the bank to the edge of the water and slipping almost completely inside. Only his eyes and nose peeked out above the surface of the water, his huge, golden, muscled body hidden almost completely by the dark water, his dark hair trailing behind him. He moved swiftly but quietly, closing the distance between them quickly, the drulx never looking back, never hearing his quiet approach over his own splashing efforts.

Elrabin grinned to himself and stretched out a gloved paw towards him through the murky waters.

Mat slowly emerged from his hiding place, wary of the roaring dragon and on the lookout for anyone who might be lurking around. The eight-inch cream-colored husky had hidden himself well thanks to the shrink ray, and he still had one shot left before he would need to reload. He still wore both the thief's glove and barbarian's glove, his jeans and collar remaining intact, having shrunk along with him. Now, though, he took the jeans off and stuffed them down into the backpack, pulling out the growth tablets.

He needed to get slightly bigger, but he didn't want to get too huge just yet. He had decided during the night that he was going to stick with his original plan to wait out the other contestants until the far shore was clear, then follow at his own leisurely pace, so the only thing he really had to worry about was not getting caught before everyone else was in the water.

He scouted the area thoroughly before he returned to the hole in the tree, and poked open the growth tablets. Each tablet only increased a player's size by one-third, so he'd have to take all three to get any sort of decent effect. Luckily, he still had the growth serum as well. He popped the first tab in his mouth and instantly felt a warmth spreading through his body. He couldn't help but smile as it filled him and forced him outward, his body swelling, though admittedly, it was a small gain. When it subsided, he was just shy of 11 inches tall, and he eagerly popped the next of the tablets into his maw.

The growing warmth inside him returned, washing through him like a wave and disappearing, leaving him at 15 inches tall as he popped the third. This time the growth seemed to take just a little longer as he added more size than before, but he was still less than two feet tall when the warmth receded. He frowned slightly as he inspected himself, finding the added muscle of the barbarian's glove still intact, but still nowhere near as big as he needed to be.

He rummaged around in the bag and pulled out the growth ray, giving the bag itself a quick zap to return it to normal size. Then he pulled out the growth serum, working the cork out of it and drinking down its contents. As soon as it hit his stomach, he felt the warmth begin to spread again, and within seconds he was growing once more. This time he grinned as he felt his body swelling powerfully, muscle and groin bulging as he returned to a more normal size of four and a half feet. He stretched and flexed his newly restored body with a grin, tail wagging happily. It was good to be back at a decent size, and hopefully, if things went well today, he wouldn't have to worry about hiding anymore.

He knelt by his bag and did a quick inventory. He still had one shot of the shrink ray, two shots of the growth ray, and ten extra shots in the ammo case, so he was more than prepared on that end. He quickly reloaded the shrink ray and tucked it into his trunks, where it would be easier to draw. He sealed away the eight remaining shots and left the growth ray with just two...if it happened to fall into the wrong hands, he would much rather it have less ammo than more.

That just left the Cupid's Arrow, shrinking snare, and reset card in addition to the gloves he was wearing. The snare seemed pretty useless at the moment, but he wondered if he could possibly use it as a sort of lasso or harness. He chuckled at the idea of towering over the lake and using it as a fishing net to scoop up all the little furs. It was a tempting thought, one that made his groin swell, but he pushed it aside as being too dangerous for now. The reset card, too, was useless for the moment. He would have to get really close to someone to use it, and if he was that close, he was probably as good as caught. But the Cupid's Arrow could help there...he took the bottle of cologne out and sprayed his neck and bare muscled chest before slipping it back inside.

Mat stood and slung the pack onto his shoulder, then made his way to the nearest sturdy tree and quickly climbed his way up until he could look out over the water. There were already so many large furs out there that it took him a second to spot Dragonien, a smile crossing his face as he watched his big red lover swimming along beside the much larger dragons. He seemed to be safe for the moment, so Mat turned his energy to scouting out the other players. A quick count still showed that over a third of them were still in the forest. He sighed, and braced himself more securely in the tree, a bit disappointed that it might take longer than he'd imagined.

But the image of himself standing huge over the lake brought a smile to his face once more. It would be worth the wait.

With Rito and Blue tucked safely in his utility belt along with his cape, King knelt in the bushes near the lake with Jakebe perched on his head as an additional lookout. King still felt funny about everything that had happened so far, but he still felt a need to get the little jackalope across the lake, at the very least. He still had King's secret to blackmail him with, but King was confident that if he could find a reasonable excuse to distance himself, he wouldn't have to worry about that much longer.

For now, though, Jakebe called the shots. "See anything, King?"

King had to pay very strict attention to his motion to remember not to shake the tiny jackalope off his head. "Nothing nearby," he reported. "There are some players in the water, but they all seem intent on crossing the lake."

"Yeah," Jakebe said, looking back out into the forest and along the shore. "They aren't the ones that concern me. But I guess we don't have much choice except to go forward...unless..."

"Unless what?" King asked, trying to look up at Jakebe though it was difficult with his position and with the hero's mask in the way.

"You've still got two shots on that shrink ray of yours," he said. "We could put them to good use..."

"NO," King said firmly, and for the first time since yesterday, he felt more like himself. "A hero only uses their weapon when attacked. Shooting them from behind would be dastardly! Besides, shrinking them in the middle of the lake could prove deadly!"

From his perch, Jakebe frowned down at him. It seemed the effects of the Cupid's Arrow were already wearing off, much faster than he had thought. His mouth twisted thoughtfully but he smiled deviously a moment later. "Okay, big guy, I was just joking," he said. "Don't forget, I'm new to this hero thing," he added. "I still need some instruction from a big strong hero like yourself."

King's eyes widened slightly, and his mouth hung open just a little. "Oh...well, yes, I suppose I am a big strong hero," he said. "And I'm glad you think of me as a role model." He stood up out of the bushes, back straight and chest puffed out, eyes facing forward. "Rule number one: a hero never cowers!" He pointed out across the lake heroically. "ONWARD!"

Jakebe yelled and clung to the big wolf's fur as King leapt in without hesitation and began to swim furiously, not for the rest area, but for the shore. Jakebe grinned as he settled in against the wolf. Who needed the Cupid's Arrow? If he was this easy to manipulate, the rest of the games would be a piece of cake...

Stan Melgar had woken up in a bad mood, one that had only worsened as he made his way to the lake, his captives safely tucked away after their night of pleasure. He didn't mind that they'd let him rest...he was actually grateful for the sleep. But what was troubling him was the thought of what he could've done to them...and what the two snipers could've done to Michael. When he looked at his captives, so small and fragile in his huge paws, all he could think about was how small Michael might have gotten. He had only glimpsed him briefly as he fell down from the tree, just before he'd been forced to flee.

The German Shepherd growled softly in his throat as he made his way to the edge of the lake. He was just over 18 feet tall thanks to the growth tablets, his muscles huge and bulging as he knelt by the water, sniffing the air. He had tried to pick up Michael's scent, but discovered that it was far easier to track the two snipers, and the trail led him here. He frowned as he looked out over the water, eyes searching for them.

The surface of the water suddenly erupted as the orange wolf tossed the smaller hybrid into the air, laughing. Stan couldn't silence the growling bark that escaped his throat as he saw them, and both their heads turned to him with wide eyes at the sound.

"Aura, swim, go!" Marzain yelled, twisting in the water and heading for the other side. There would be no safety for them at the rest area. Their only chance was to get away quickly and lose him in the woods.

Aura looked panicked for a moment, then laughed as he turned. "I didn't eat him yet!" he called out teasingly as he started out across the water behind the wolf.

Stan gave a grunt of rage as he leapt from the shore, splashing down in the lake and immediately pushing off after them. He'd get Michael back...and he'd make them regret capturing him.

Vertigo led his allies down to the edge of the lake with a big grin on his face. After a shaky start to the evening last night, he'd managed to turn it around and distract everyone from their worries. And in the light of day, things seemed a lot better. He was certain they were all going to get through the day, even if the husky and liger still seemed to have doubts.

"Come on, guys," he said. "Perk up a bit! It's a beautiful day!"

Cailean frowned at him in response. "Didn't you hear that dragon?" the liger asked. "I hope we're not in for a repeat of yesterday."

"If we were," Jhusky replied, "I think we'd know by now. You know, from all the screaming and fire and stomping and such." He looked up at the clear blue sky and did feel a bit more confident about the day's prospects. "Maybe he was roaring for a different reason," he said. "Maybe he's as big as he's going to get."

"Good for him," Cailean said, "but what about us?"

"We'll be big in no time!" Vertigo said confidently. "Just look!" He pointed out over the water where the other furs were already swimming. "None of them is too big for us to handle, especially with our shrink rays!" Cailean looked out where he was pointing and saw three big dragons, a big cougar, and a big hybrid all swimming out across the lake, but Vertigo was right. They were big, but not too big to handle, and the rest were even smaller. Far out at the rest area, he saw a flashing light as something caught the sun. He squinted and saw it was the tiger, signaling to someone. "Wonder what he's up to?" he asked, but a moment later they got their answer as they saw a lion and fox set out into the water. "I recognize those guys," he said with a grin. "That's Nieve." "And over there!" Jhusky pointed across the lake to a large figure with a smaller one riding on its back. "That looks like Harper and Havak!" "Great!" Vertigo said, smiling. "If we can catch up with them and work together, we'll all make it to the final rounds!" "That's still a big 'if,'" Cailean warned, but he allowed his grin to grow a little wider. "But maybe." Vertigo nodded. "Then let's get to it!" He turned and charged down into the water, splashing all the way as Jhusky and Cailean laughed and followed a little more slowly, wading in behind the enthusiastic tiger. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kiran walked slowly in the opposite direction of the lake, back into the woods, near the scorched earth where Devon had been captured. He held the growth ray firmly in his paw, turning the plan over and over in his mind. If it worked, he might be able to win this thing, today. If not...well, maybe at least Lemuel could make it through.

He wasn't sure if this was far enough, but it would do. The leowolf turned back towards the lake and took a deep breath. He had been afraid before, when the dragon took Devon, but now he was filled with an unexpected calm. His spiked man blew gently in the breeze as he closed his eyes, meditating for a moment on what he was about to do. Then he pointed the gun at his bare chest and pulled the trigger.

The rush of warmth was instant and the growth began immediately as his lean, muscular body began to broaden and expand. He was only 5'6" to start, but already his mind swam with vertigo as he grew taller, forcing him to look away from the ground and out over the horizon as he rose up over it. His body swelled with size and power, his pants stretching and finally tearing, though the black trunks beneath stayed put, until finally he stood at 16.5 feet tall.

He held the growth ray loosely in his grip as he explored his new larger body, flexing the muscles to get a feel for their new size. He quickly pivoted, his foot striking upward to test his mobility, and noting with pleasure that his new size had not slowed him down any. He was as quick and flexible as ever, despite his increased height and weight.

He stood at attention once more, training the growth ray on his chest again, though he had to use his claw to trigger it this time. The warmth hit his chest and went to work even faster than before, the warm sensation spreading like lightning, as though it could crackle along his fur. He grunted as his chest swelled outward, muscles bulging as his size doubled and then tripled, the burned trees crumbling before him as his body pushed outward. His wiggled huge toes in the ashes of the forest and chuckled as he rose up into the sky, towering 49.5 feet into the air as the warmth began to fade.

He again tested himself, though this time when he brought his foot down, there was a very audible thump that sent a tremor through the ground. His grin widened as he stood up straight once more, the growth ray held daintily in his fingers. The problem now, though, was how to fire it. His fingers were much too big for the trigger, and even his claws were too large now. He thought about squeezing it to see if it would explode, but he worried that might cause it to misfire, and there was no guarantee he would benefit from it if it exploded.

But another idea crossed his mind, and it seemed as though it just might work. He held the ray daintily between those two huge fingers and opened his mouth, dropping it on his tongue. Then, very carefully, he manipulated it over to his teeth, and with a quick crunching motion, he closed his mouth on it.

The resulting explosion only burned for a second as the growth took him once more, the warmth surging through him, perhaps aided by the force of the explosion. He grinned widely but kept his mouth closed as the power flared through him, sending his growth into overdrive as he rose higher and higher into the sky, muscles bulging as the earth shifted beneath his growing weight. His long leonine tail curled happily as he looked out over the arena with a determined grin, the lake coming into view as he rose over the treetops.

When the warmth finally slowed, Kiran stood at over 148.5 feet tall in nothing but his black trunks, his spiked mane blowing lightly about him, his golden brown fur clinging to his muscled frame as he grinned. "This is for you, Devon," he said. "I'm going to win it all."

He took a few steps back, making the treetops wave and writhe with each step, and then turned to the lake once more. He scratched the tip of his nose with his claw as his eyes focused on the rest area in the middle of the lake. Then he began to run towards it, feet trampling trees, rocks, and everything else in their path, until he reached the edge of the forest and leapt high into the air.

Every eye in the arena looked up at the massive creature descent, but none more than the handful of furs on and around the floating wooden raft. Kindle's entire body seemed to freeze, breath caught in his throat and heart stopped as he looked up at the descending mass. "R....RUN!" he finally managed to gasp as the nearly 2500-ton leowolf began to fall.

"CANNONBALL!" Kiran's booming voice called out across the arena and a moment later the rest area disintegrated as he crashed down with his full weight and size. The wall of water that resulted hid everything for a moment as the waters churned and carried away the debris.

Round 2 Part III - Wiped Out

Dixie sat with her paws pressed flat against the table, posture stiff and face worried in the low light of the interrogation room. There were three masked Gamemakers there, two against the wall and one who kept asking her things she didn't know about the games. She wanted desperately to be back in the studio with Kris, or back in her quarters, or anywhere but here. She looked up at her interrogator with wide eyes, biting her lip.

"I told you," she said. "I don't know anything! I ran into him in the hall, and he showed me some stuff, but I didn't even understand what it was!"

"Surely you must know what he showed you," the large Gamemaker said. "You can at least describe it."

She bit her lip and looked away but nodded. "It...it was fur," she said. "Just a few strands, but they...they were big."

The Gamemaker nodded slowly, pausing in his pacing to lean over the table. "And did he tell you where they came from?"

She fidgeted again and nodded. "He said they were from the other two...Rexx and Gigas..."

"And did he say why he took them? Did he say that they consented?"

She shook her head slowly, long ears swaying with the movement. "He said...he said no one even noticed." She looked up suddenly, eyes wide and earnest. "But he said it was for the games! He said he was going to use them to build better weapons! He said...he said he could build something that could make people grow permanently...and make everyone get big!"

The Gamemaker stood with crossed arms, letting what she said sink in before asking the next question. "Did he tell you what he plans to do with it?"

She shook her head again, though her face was confused. The tightness in her chest increased as she swallowed hard. "He...he just said...that...that the system needed to be changed. That...that it only favored the strong and the lucky...and that he wanted to change things."

The Gamemaker was silent for a long time as Dixie stared down at the table. "Thank you for your honesty." The interrogator might have said more, but a knock at the door of the room made them all look up.

The Gamemaker who entered was smaller, but even under the robe Dixie could tell that they were excited and out of breath. "Sir," the figure said, "I have urgent news. The fox Bradley and his assistant have disappeared from the grounds. There is no indication of where they could have gone, but we believe they may have tried to escape into the arena."

The interrogator turned to the other two in turn, then back to Dixie. "Take Miss Hart back to the studio, immediately. We must begin a full search of..."

"Sir, there's more!" the smaller figure said. "There's been a development in the arena that may make a search...difficult."

Dixie stood, her eyes wide and excited. "What's happened?"

The small figure looked to her and then back to the larger interrogator. "We believe someone tampered with the lake's filtration system," the Gamemaker said. "It's...you've just got to see..."

The interrogator nodded gravely, and pointed at Dixie. "Take her back and sequester everyone in the studio. No one is allowed out, not even Brantley." The two Gamemakers quickly went to Dixie's side and took her arms in theirs, leading her away. She looked back for as long as she could, and, as the door closed, she thought she saw the smallest glimpse of brown fur as the Gamemaker took off his hood.

The lake was deeper than Kiran had thought, the water closing around his head as he cannonballed into the center of it. He barely felt the impact against the rest area as it was destroyed beneath him, the debris falling into the churning waters. His feet found the bottom of the lake, one paw resting on soft moss, but the other finding some kind of pipe. He felt it crush beneath his sole and felt a sudden against his paw, as though something was pouring out.

When he stood to his full height, he was easily 75 feet above the water, the waves still rocking the arena in every direction. But the pipe made him curious. He took a deep breath and dipped back down under the water, opening his eyes to find it surprisingly clear. The pipe had indeed been leaking something into the water, a slow trickle that had suddenly become a geyser when his foot crushed the pipe. He reached down with one huge paw and easily bent the pipe upwards, sending whatever was inside pouring up, the pressure of it making the surface bubble slightly at the top.

He moved closer, but wound up with a snoutful of water and came splashing back up, sputtering. But as he tried to catch his breath, he felt a familiar sensation flowing through him, the same warmth he'd felt moments before when he'd used the laser. A grin spread across his face as he felt the growth begin again, and it widened as he realized the cause. His paws quickly began to scoop up large pawfuls of water from the bubbling pipe, the warmth increasing until he was growing again at a steady rate, his body bulging and expanding as he rose higher and higher from the water.

His pecs bulged with the growing warmth, nipples growing hard as the ridges of his abs deepened, the already cut expanse becoming mountainous as he towered higher into the sky. His hips slowly rose above the water, growing wider and thicker with each mouthful of the water, his bulge growing larger against black trunks that strained to keep up with his growth. His arms bulged as well, the biceps bunching into small mountains of muscle with each dip of his paws. He grunted softly as he titled his head back and drank again, eagerly drinking down every drop he could manage, the rest spilling down the huge expanse of his chest.

His thighs were completely above the lake now, huge and thicker than any tree, thicker than most buildings, as they stretched and bulged with muscle. Below the waves and churning waters, his paws were growing as well, feet stretching across the bottom of the lake as they grew wider, sinking into the soft mud and moss as his weight increased to even greater proportions. But still he wanted more, craved more, each gulp of water making him even thirstier as his stomach grew larger, able to hold more and more. As he scooped up another handful, he wondered if it would ever be enough, if he could just keep growing like this, until he had drunk the entire lake.

But the growth finally began to slow, the concentration of the serum no match for his new size. He stood up to his new full height, looking out across the arena, across EVERYTHING, his chest heaving with laughter that rumbled like thunder. At 742.5 feet tall and over 300,000 tons, the hulking leowolf could see all the way across the arena, across the short stretch of forest, beyond the ruined city and out into the ocean beyond.

He laughed again, a big grin on his face. "It's over," he said, voice booming as he turned his attention to the arena below, even the largest of the furs waterlogged and helpless below. "I win!"

Nieve didn't see the leowolf falling from above, but he felt the cool chill as his shadow passed over and heard the thunderous call as he descended. When the wave crashed over him, he'd immediately called to Zev, reaching out for him, but the waters had thrown them apart, and the lion found himself swept under.

He was only just regaining his bearings when he felt something brush by him in the water. It took him several moments to realize that it was a massive golden brown leg, and as he looked up he saw its owner towering above the water. Then suddenly that huge body was descending again. The lion felt a moment of fear seize his chest and threaten to drown him, but he held on long enough to recognize Kiran's face as it dipped below the water and to realize that the leowolf wasn't interested in him at all, so much as that pipe.

Nieve swiftly forced himself up, breaking the surface of the water just long enough to take a gasping breath before a wave washed back over him from behind, the waters too choppy for him to make out anyone at the moment. He coughed and sputtered in the waves as the leowolf rose up again, and as he dipped beneath the water once more, he felt a warmth spreading through him, like nothing he'd felt before.

Slowly the warmth spread, making his muscles tingle and his body ache, until he began to swell all over, his expanding outward beyond its limits, the sensation making his body shudder and standing his fur on end, even in the cool water. He kicked for the surface but swallowed another huge gulp of water as he surfaced, the warmth growing as it reached his belly. He gasped and tread the water lightly as he stared down at his paws and chest.

The golden mounds of his pecs ballooned outward, the nipples growing and hardening as the warmth filled and aroused them. His back and shoulders grew wider and stronger, filling with muscle, forming deep lines and ridges in his back as it bulged. His abs grew more rigid and defined, and his legs lengthened and swelled, each kick coming easier as he grew stronger. He could've lost himself in the feeling, but Kiran's voice snapped him back into the game. He started swimming away from the huge leowolf, towards where he thought the shore should be.

His feet finally brushed the slope of the lake and within moments he was standing, catching his breath as his body continued to grow. The warmth was still coursing through him, his body rising slowly above the churning water as he flexed growing, bulging arms, his kilt stretched around his widening waist. He chuckled, reaching down to unbutton it and tossing it aside. The gesture made him think of Rahshu tucked away in his trunks, but he could feel the coyote squirming around in there as he grew and it brought a grin to his face.

"This is exactly what I wanted," he grinned, running paws over his wet fur as he grew. "To be big enough to have a real shot at this!" His braid dangled between those glorious pectorals, the water catching the sunlight as it slowly dripped along those curves, making his golden fur glisten. But already the growth was waning, the warmth cooling inside him. He felt a pang of disappointment that it couldn't last longer, but at 40 feet tall and 50 tons of muscle, he felt a new burst of confidence and power that swelled his chest with pride.

But it was far too fleeting as the leowolf's voice turned him and brought his eyes up and up, craning his neck as Kiran towered into the sky and booming voice proclaiming, "I win!"

The water churned beneath the lake. The damage to the pipes that pumped the water into the lake had caused even more damage along the line, sending water heavy with growth serum geysering up through the pipes along the length of the route.

Along the surface, the water bubbled in those spots, though it was hard to see them with the waves still careening across the lake from the impact of a 2,500-ton leowolf. King had been half-way across the lake when Kiran splashed down, the impact sending him sideways and swamping him, beneath the waves. His cape drug him further down, but he refused to part with it, struggling back towards the surface but swallowing a lot of water along the way. He coughed and sputtered as he broke the waves, instinctively looking for the jackalope who'd been riding on his head.

But the waves were too rough for him to see anyone, and he was overwhelmed by the growing warmth inside, spreading from the warm lake water in his belly. It was more than just a surge of warmth, though, it was a surge of power, his muscles aching as he began to grow, uniform stretching around his bulging form, gloved paws clenching into growing fists as he tread the rough waters. His chest welled with power and pride as a grin crept over his face. In no time, he had grown to almost five times his size, reaching over 32 feet tall before the warmth began to fade.

But it was instantly obvious that he wasn't the only one who was getting big either, as he looked out across the waves. The leowolf still dominated the lake, but there were others still growing as well. On the other side of the lake, he could see the lion rising from the water, but closer by there were two dragons rising as well.

Dragonien had swallowed more than his share of lake water and was on his way to the bottom of the lake when he felt that familiar warmth surging through him. He reached the bottom of the lake and kicked off, powerful muscles flexing to send him surging back towards the surface like a red bullet. The warmth filled him, his blood singing with it, as he splashed up through the water, already tripled in height and still growing.

He spread his wings and roared across the arena ready to take to the air...until he saw the leowolf and immediately froze, splashing back down into the water. He tread the water as his growth continued, staring up at the leowolf who was still looking over his own growing form. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed the dragon, or anyone else yet for that matter.

Nearby, Sabrewing was experiencing a similar feeling as he stared up at the towering titan in the water. He was feeling the warmth again as well, growing bigger and stronger until he could just barely touch the bottom of the lake at almost 100 feet tall. He spotted the red dragon and waved to him. "Drago! You okay?"

Dragonien frowned as he looked over at the green dragon, nearly as big as he was. "I'd be a lot better if not for him," he said, jerking a thumb towards the leowolf.

"Where's Kaiser?"

"Not sure," the red dragon said. "But I think we've got bigger problems..."

Vertigo had managed to keep his head above the water in the waves - after all, tigers are pretty strong swimmers - but the warmth spreading through him was nearly equaled by the growing fear as he watched the leowolf rising above the waves. His own body was growing, quadrupling in size as he frantically looked around the waves for his partners. Jhusky was nearby, but there was no sign of the liger just yet. He swam towards the blue husky and though he'd grown to nearly 32 feet tall, he was surprised to find the Jhusky had grown to only a few feet shorter at 30 feet.

"What do we do now?" he asked Vertigo with wide eyes, but the tiger didn't have an answer.

The Labrador had clung to the fotter as the waves swamped them both, but the fotter had come to the surface much faster, the warmth spreading through him as well, swelling and stretching his body from 14 feet to over 42 feet tall. Havak sputtered as he broke the surface nearby, laughing. "Harper!" he yelled. "You got bigger!"

The fotter laughed as he watched the Labrador growing as well. "So did you!"

Havak laughed as he looked down at his growing body, pecs and biceps swelling as the warmth washed through him. He swam over to the fotter as it began to fade, leaving him over 32 feet tall. "You're still bigger, though!" he chuckled as he clung to the fotter's shoulders. "Got a plan to deal with him?" he said, pointing to the leowolf.

"I'm working on it..."

Elsewhere, Artemis had clung to his master as they'd been tossed in the waves, but as the water began to settle, leaving them washed up on the shore where they'd started, they felt the warmth swelling through them. But even as Artemis grew, he felt Skarlath growing even faster,

"Master?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Skarlath turned to him and grinned as he grew larger in his paws. "Yes, Artemis, this is perfect!" He flexed swelling arms for his servant as he grew larger and larger, to over 76 feet tall. The lion grinned up at him as he felt the warmth fading, leaving him at over 45 feet tall. But his grin faded as the leowolf roared over the arena, turning their attention back to the game at hand...

Kindle felt as though he were flying, his body weightless as he soared through the blackness of space. There was warmth in his chest...and then there was pain as he crashed into something hard, his eyes flying open at the impact. Water lapped at his face as he pushed himself up on the rocks he'd landed on, his vision swimming. A paw rubbed his chest to find his shirt tattered and torn, and pieces of the destroyed rest area brushed against him as they washed to shore as well.

The tiger tried to push himself up slowly, but his vision blurred again and he had to pause and take a deep breath before dragging himself across the rocks. He pulled himself out of the water and then laid back against a large smooth rock, the sun warming his fur for a moment before a shadow fell across him. He blinked up to see the towering leowolf rising into the sky. But the dazzling sunlight around Kiran's form made him dizzy, and the blackness rose up to claim him once more.

The waves had sent the three dragons scrambling into the air, with Achak leading the charge and Traith bringing up the rear, getting a mouthful of water as he struggled to get airborne. The three of them hovered over the lake and watched as the leowolf emerged and began to grow.

"What the hell is happening?" Slyther growled. "Is he still growing? How is he getting so big?"

"It's the water!" Traith laughed, bringing their attention back to him. "Look, I swallowed a mouthful and now I'm growing, too!" The warmth spread through the golden dragon small frame as he began to expand. It wasn't a huge amount of growth, only doubling in size from 31 inches to 63, just over five feet tall. "I'm still not back to normal," he said. "But maybe if we drink the water, too..."

"Wait," Achak said. "If it's the water....then everyone down there..."

"They're going to get huge!" Slyther finished for him. "We have to use the growth ray now! One of us has to get big or we won't stand a chance!"

A growl trickled from the gray dragon's throat as he glared at the red dragon. "You mean you want me to use it on YOU," he said. "No way!" He pulled the growth ray from his trunks and turned it on himself. "It's my weapon, I'll protect us!"

He pulled the trigger and felt the warmth spreading through him as the ray's power raced through his veins, tingling and swelling every muscle and fiber of his body. The gray dragon began to grow quickly, expanding to 26.5 feet, tail whipping through the air as he roared, stretching his body wide as he felt the power pulsing within him, wings expanding across the sky.

But the red dragon was suddenly grabbing at his paw, trying to pry the growth ray from his grip. "You had your shot!" he said. "Now it's my turn!"

"Guys, wait!" Traith said. "Please, don't fight! We have to stay focused here, or we'll..."

The leowolf's paw closed around the gold dragon completely, cutting off his sentence as Kiran bellowed. "I think I'll start with you three!"

"TRAITH!" Achak screamed, but there was nothing to do as the cannon blasted.

Kiran dropped the gold dragon into his trunks and then his other paw was slicing through the air towards the two struggling dragons.

"Damn it!" Slyther shoved himself away as the leowolf's palm brushed Achak, sending him reeling. The red dragon caught a glimpse of the growth ray as it and the gray dragon fell down towards the waves. "NO!" He dove quickly, barely avoiding Kiran's arm as the leowolf swiped at him once more. His eyes stayed focused on the growth ray as it spiraled towards the water...and then the leowolf's tail was just there in front of him, smashing into the growth ray and sending it flying back towards the shore before slamming into the dragon's chest. It was like slamming into a brick wall as the dragon's breath went out of his chest, his wings folding as he struggled not to black out. The tail swept him forward for a moment and then it twitched away, leaving him flying through the air. He had a brief glimpse of the trees rising up to greet him as he blacked out.

Byron and Yuri had been passing by the rest area when the leowolf came crashing down, nearly wiping them out along with it. Yuri had felt himself gasping and sinking, but the red panda's paw had suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him forward through the water, much stronger than he'd ever expected him to be. As Byron pulled him towards the shore, he realized where part of that strength was coming from: the arm around him was growing, and as he watched it expanding, he felt the warmth beginning to spread through his own body as well.

Byron grinned as he lay back against the sandy shore, the lion sprawling next to him as they caught their breath. Yuri slowly rolled onto his side to watch the red panda grow, lean body swelling bigger and thicker. He knew Byron was a black belt, but now the muscle seemed so much more define as he swelled and stretched to almost 23 feet tall. The lion was no slouch either, his own muscled body growing to nearly 19 feet as the red panda wrapped a paw around him.

"Yuri," he said. "Are you okay?"

The lion nodded his maned head and grinned. "I'm fine...and you look amazing!"

Byron grinned back as he stood. "I'm glad you think so," he said. "But you have to get going."

Yuri blinked up at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "We're sticking together!"

But Byron shook his head. "I said I would have your back, and that's what I'm going to do," he said, pointing out towards the towering leowolf.

"But what can we possibly do against that guy?" Yuri asked, scrambling to his feet as well. "We need to run as quick as we can!"

"To where? He's big enough now that if we don't stop him here, there may not be another chance," he said. "So I'm staying behind...I'll try to rally some of the others to take him down together, while you go...if I make it through, I'll find you again, I promise." He kissed the lion on the forehead, paws resting on his shoulders briefly. "And if you get into trouble, be sure to use the Cupid's Arrow again," he said, grinning. "A threesome might be fun."

"Byron...thank you," the lion said softly.

Byron clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. "Thank me by winning. Now go!"

Yuri nodded and turned, heading out into the woods. Byron watched him go, then turned back to the lake. The leowolf was a challenge, but as he stretched and flexed his new body, he was ready to give it a try.

Aura gasped as he washed ashore, the hybrid wolf-dragon struggling to get to his feet amidst the crashing waves. He quickly scanned the water for any signs of the orange wolf, but the sight that greeted him instead filled him with terror. The German Shepard was still coming for him, forcing his way through the waves, eyes still intent on Aura despite the huge leowolf looming above them.

Aura's paws scrambled over the rocks and within moments he was running through the forest, though it was hardly dense enough to cover his escape. The trees here different from the other shore, more tropical with larger leaves, but they were also more spread out, the grass here thicker. He moved as quickly as he could, but he could almost sense the canine following him.

The ground trembled and he looked back for just a moment as the leowolf's voice boomed through the arena...and then he crashed into something firm and covered in fur. He gasped as a strong arm wrapped around him and lifted him off his feet, a paw coming down on his head, grasping his fur. "Wh-what?" he gasped as he looked up from the strong brown chest to find the drulx grinning down at him darkly.

Conner had been swamped momentarily by the waves, but he'd managed to stay atop the water and ride the wave to the shore, quickly getting his bearing as he'd doubled in size, growing to just at 41 feet tall. He had only spotted the little hybrid a moment before he crashed into his leg, but he grinned as he used his thief's glove to start siphoning off his size.

"You're a small fry," he grumbled. "But against that monster out there, every little bit helps!"

He laughed, the vibrations rumbling through Aura's tiny frame as they hybrid felt a coolness spreading through his body. "What are you doing?" Aura cried out, beating against the huge chest with small fists that began to shrink as he watched, helpless. "Stop! Let me go, please!"

The drulx laughed louder as he felt the warmth crawling up his arm, adding to the already powerful muscle, boosted even further by the barbarian's glove on his other paw. "I don't think so," he said. "You're all mine!" He squeezed him tighter as the little hybrid grew even smaller in his grip, dwindling from five foot to less than three in a matter of moments. He shifted Aura in his grip, holding him with one paw as he drained the last of his size, feeling the warmth fading as he rose to over 46 feet tall and the hybrid shrank to just under seven inches.

"Another one for the collection," he chuckled, pulling open his trunks and dropping him in with the rottie and the tiger he'd already captured as the cannon sounded again throughout the arena. He let the waistband snap close, feeling the little furs shuffling around in there, giving a little murr of pleasure. The big leowolf in the lake might be the biggest for now, but Conner's collection was growing...and pretty soon he'd be the biggest of all.

Marzain's eyes fluttered slowly, struggling to focus on the big fox looming above him. He sat up with a start and moved back, immediately reaching for the shrink ray in his trunks, but the fox held up dark paws, one with a glove on it, and smiled.

"Hey, no need for that," he said. "I don't want any trouble. I saw you in the water and pulled you out...looks like we both got a taste of something though." He gestured down to the orange wolf's tattered clothing as well as his own torn jeans.

"What...what happened?" Marzain asked, sitting up. "The last thing I remember, Aura and I were running from that big dog," he said. "And then there was just a wall of water."

The fox nodded. "That guy cannonballed into the lake," he said, pointing at the towering Kiran. "And now he's sort of rampaging...already got one of those dragons, and now those guys...," he pointed out to various larger players across the lake, "...seem to be trying to stop him."

Marzain stood and looked himself over, taking in his new height of over 12 and a half feet, his chest huge and swollen, his arms bulging with larger muscles. But despite his new size, the fox still stood over him, over 14 feet tall and with more muscle than Marzain had ever seen on anyone. He was surprised the fox could even move at that size. It dawned on him slowly that he recognized him.

"You...we took a shot at you before," he said.

The fox chuckled. "Probably," he said. "Someone did take a shot at me, but Kindle deflected it. I'm not sure what happened to him, though. We got separated in the water. My name's Zev, by the way." He offered his bare paw to him to shake.

"Marzain," he said, shaking it lightly. "So...you're not going to try to take revenge?" Marzain asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Zev laughed. "What would be the point right now?" he said. "Although, your shrink ray might come in handy here."

Marzain looked out over the water at the battling furs, his jaw clenched. "I don't know," he admitted. "I've only got one shot left, and the way he's moving...even though he's huge, I'm not sure I can hit him, not with Aura helping me."

Zev nodded, looking out over the scene as well. "Then we'll just have to wait," he said. "And look for our chance to help."

The water was chaotic as Kiran went on the offensive. Once he'd batted away the airborne dragons, he targeted the two huge ones next, slamming down a paw in the water that sent them running, Sabrewing breaking to his right while Dragonien went to his left. He recognized the red dragon right away and smirked at him. "Who's the big one now?" he bellowed. "How does it feel to be on the run?"

Dragonien moved just out of his reach, and he growled in frustration, but a sudden sound perked his ears and turned him back to the left. He was just in time to dodge the shrink ray's blast, moving with incredible speed for someone his size. He spotted the tiger, Vertigo, holding the ray pointed at directly at him. "Nice try!" he grunted, sweeping his arm down through the water and sending a huge wave over the tiger and the husky, swamping them for a moment.

But before he could make the capture, a capped wolf was charging out of the water and up his arm. "Halt villain!" the wolf yelled. He moved faster than Kiran anticipated, but he lost some of his balance along Kiran's bicep as the leowolf moved. With a loud battle cry, he leapt the remaining distance, aiming a small fist at Kiran's chin. The blow connected, but Kiran only laughed, reaching up to swat the would-be hero.

But King dodged the fist, leaping off of it and grabbing at Kiran's hair, tugging at it and holding on. Kiran reached up to grab him, but the wolf yelled, "NOW!" and Kiran looked back to see the tiger taking aim again.

"Oh no you don't!" Kiran yelled, sending another wave crashing towards them. But the green dragon was suddenly grabbing his thigh, biting into the muscle and squeezing as hard as he could. Kiran cried out and growled, bringing a fist down heavily against Sabrewing's head and forcing him to let go.

The tiger roared and another shot rang out, and again the leowolf barely dodged it, the shot ringing past his chest as he arched out of its way. "That's the lost shot you get!" he yelled, slapping a palm down hard before them, forcing the husky and tiger to separate. He reached for the tiger, who again tried to take aim, but this time the red panda was there, grabbing the back of Kiran's paw and clinging to it.

"Now, shoot him!" Byron said before biting down into the back of the paw, teeth tearing at Kiran's flesh. The leowolf cried out again with a hissing growl, but the tiger roared back and swung the shrink ray up, aiming at the open paw. He fired, but a quick flick of his wrist and the red panda took the shot, crying out as his shrinking form was flung through the air.

"Byron!" Vertigo called out, catching him in his arms as the panda shrank against him, dwindling down to just over two feet. He cradled the little panda against his chest as the cannon fired, but he only had a moment to absorb the capture as the leowolf's paw started to descend on him. He just barely dodged, it swimming away as quickly as he could.

"It's over, tiger!" Kiran bellowed. "You're out of ammo now!"

He swept both paws through the water, one chasing the tiger while the other swept towards him. Vertigo yelped when he realized what was happening, but he couldn't turn fast enough to escape his clutches as the two huge paws closed around him. He was easily lifted from the water as the cannon fired once more.

"Gotcha!" the leowolf smirked before dropping them both into his trunks. He grinned as he looked back down to find the husky, fotter, and Lab huddling together, the green dragon falling back towards the shore. He shook his head and hard the caped wolf yelp as he lost his grip, tumbling back down into the water. "Now," he said. "Who's next?"

Slyther grumbled as he scoured the bushes along the shore of the lake, hunting desperately for the growth ray. Behind him, the lake water still churned as the leowolf raged. "Damn it," he grumbled, hunting through the bushes. "Even if I can find it, I can't get big enough to match him," he said.

He thought of Traith's capture bitterly. If the gray dragon had just listened to him, they could've avoided all this. Slyther would've easily taken out all of the competition before things got this far. But there was no turning back now...his only choice was to find the ray and salvage the last two shots. Even if he couldn't get big enough to take on the leowolf himself, there was always the chance that someone else would take him down, and then Slyther would be the biggest. Of course, he had to find it first...

But as luck would have it, the sunlight glimmered off of something metallic and he grinned, seizing the handle in his hand and laughing. "There you are!" He lifted the ray in his hands, inspecting it for any damage, but other than a little mud, it seemed unharmed. He checked the ammo and grinned, finding the two shots still intact as well.

"Finally," he smirked, pointing the ray at his chest and firing.

The heat that spread through his body felt incredible, setting every part of his body on fire as he began to grow. Muscle swelled beneath the smooth red scales of the dragon's body, and he beamed with pride as he tripled in size from seven feet to 21, his wings spreading out nearly 30 feet each. He laughed as his trunks bulged larger, stretching across his expanding body. He laughed as he flexed, swelling chest heaving with each rumble.

"This is perfect," he said, licking his lips and aiming the ray at his chest once more. "Even that bastard in the lake will have to watch out for me!"

He was about to pull the trigger when a large gray blur slammed into him, sending the growth ray sliding over the grass as they tumbled together and rolled along the forest floor, crashing into one of the palms growing there. Slyther ended on his back with the hulking gray dragon on top, growling down at him.

"And you," Achak rumbled, "should have been watching out for me!"

Elrabin was not a happy cougar. He wasn't overly found of swimming to begin with, but he'd been focused enough on his prey that he hadn't minded wading in after him. But then the leowolf had appeared, swamping the big cougar and leaving him washed up on shore.

It wasn't all bad news, though. Whatever they'd put in the lake had caused his size to double, from 38 to 76 feet of pure muscle. His loincloth bulged and sagged from the weight of its new, bigger load, and his muscular chest was like something out of a sculpture as he stood on the rocky lake shore and surveyed the arena. The lion with the braided mane - he thought his name might be Nieve - had called him for help, but the cougar only smirked and watched them struggle pointlessly against the monstrous leowolf.

The drulx he'd been tracking wasn't among them, but he supposed it didn't matter. There were plenty of others who weren't in the lake who must have washed ashore as well. Since he didn't see any heads towering above the tree tops, it was safe to assume that they were still pretty small...easily handled with his thief's glove, and he still had the wolf's growth ray tucked away, too, with two shots left. His tail curled behind him as he grinned. Let them wear themselves out against Kiran. With their shrink rays exhausted, they'd have to take him one on one. He'd be more than ready for that battle.

The sound of soft moans caught his ear and turned his attention to the shore. He bent over, hiding behind the tree line and peering through the trees in search of the source. A grin curled his lips once more as he spotted the tiger lying helpless in the water, battered and unconscious, easy prey. He wasn't very big - maybe seven feet tall - but every foot counted in a game like this.

He shoved the trees aside and strode confidently across the rocky shore, smirking at how easy it all seemed. He knelt over the sleeping tiger and was about to lift him in his paw when a voice cried out from the trees.

"Get away from him!"

Elrabin chuckled as the little liger emerged from the edge of the forest, but his grin wilted slightly when he saw the ray pointed at him.

"I said get away from him!" Cailean repeated.

The liger, like everyone else, had been swept up in the leowolf's wake and found himself deposited along the rocky shore, much like the tiger. But he'd managed to avoid the worst of the damage done to the rest area, and after doubling in size to nearly 15 feet, he'd drug himself into the forest. He'd He'd been searching the shore from just inside the tree line, keeping an eye on the battle, but also searching for any sign of any other players who'd washed up. Luckily, the big cougar wasn't subtle, or else he might've missed Kindle's prone form on the rocks.

"Nice little gun you have there," Elrabin smirked, tail curling. "Would be a pity for you to lose it."

Cailean snarled and fired, and it was only quick reflexes that kept the cougar from getting hit. Instead, it hit one of the palms growing along the shore, shrinking it down to the size of a toothpick. Elrabin snarled back at him as he started to back away. "Take the cat," he said. "You'll all be mine soon enough!"

The cougar turned and retreated into the cover of the forest, and Cailean gave a sigh of relief before moving over to check on Kindle. The tiger was still breathing, but his were closed and fluttering. There was a bit of blood behind his ear, but it didn't look like too bad of a wound. Then again, Cailean wasn't any kind of medic.

He gently patted the tiger's face, trying to rouse him. "Kindle," he said. "You okay? C'mon, snap out of it!" He looked out over the water, watching Nieve trying to deal with the huge leowolf. "I guess Nieve is busy," he said. "But don't worry....I'll watch out of for you 'til you wake up."

He sat on the smooth, warm rock and lifted the tiger's head into his lap and stroked it softly with one paw, keeping the shrink ray ready in the other. "Just hang in there, tiger," he said. "It'll all be over soon..."

To say that Jakebe had been having a rough time of the games would be an understatement. After escaping from the big red dragon unharmed in round one, he'd found himself shrunken by friendly fire, and then completely washed away by the huge leowolf at the start of round two. At his current size, he wasn't even on anyone's radar, much less a threat. The only thing he had going for him was the fact that he still had his bottle of Cupid's Arrow tucked away in his trunks.

He'd trekked for a while through the brush but figured he'd only gone a dozen feet into the forest when he heard the grunting of two players nearby. He quickly ducked under the brush and crept towards the sound, peering from around one of the huge palm leaves to find the huge red and gray dragons wrestling each other. The gray dragon seemed to have the upper hand for the moment, but the red dragon wasn't going down easy.

But what really captured his attention was the gun lying in the grass, the red trigger gleaming. Jakebe grinned widely as he started to make his way through the underbrush, watching carefully as the two dragons fought.

"It's MINE!" Achak growled, tail whipping the ground as he struggled to hold the red dragon down. He was the bigger of the two by several feet, but Slyther was much stronger than he looked.

"You weren't using it!" Slyther yelled back, trying to get his footing beneath him. "You let Traith get captured because you didn't do what needed to be done!"

"Don't you dare!" Achak growled, headbutting the red dragon, both of them snarling.

Jakebe skirted around the skirmish, dodging the gray dragon's tail and scurrying through the grass to grab the handle of the growth ray. "Finally," he sighed quietly. But at just seven inches tall, and with only one shot in the chamber, he was going to have to handle this carefully. He lay down on the ground and putting his paws over the opening and his feet against the trigger. Then he pushed with all his might, and the trigger moved, firing.

The shot blasted his paws, sending warmth up the jackalope's arms and through his body. One shot wasn't much, but it was a start, as his body began to swell and grow from seven inches to 21. He was just looking over his new body when the ground shook beneath him. He looked up with a grin to find the two dragons getting to their feet.

"He used the last shot!" Slyther roared.

The jackalope laughed and waved, turning to duck into the brush. "Later guys!" He moved quick, bare paws scrambling over the soft grass as he disappeared into the forest.

Slyther glared at the gray dragon, but Achak just rolled his eyes. "I suppose this is my fault, too?" he said.

The red dragon sighed. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry," he said. "And fighting each other won't get us anywhere." He stood and brushed the grass from his scales. "What now though?"

Achak sighed and shook himself off as well. "I don't know," he said. "Without the growth ray, we don't have a way to get bigger...unless we find that so-called 'key to victory.'"

"So I guess we don't have much choice...we have to get to the city as quick as we can." He shielded his eyes as he looked out towards the arena. He could just make out the tallest of the ruined skyscrapers ahead through the treetops, while the leowolf still loomed over the lake. "Though I guess flying is still out."

Achak actually flinched as he thought about Traith. "I guess we'll be walking then," he said, starting through the forest. Slyther followed slowly, checking under his paws now and then for any sign of the jakelope.

Stan had barely noticed the waves in his rage as he pursued the little dark-furred hybrid towards the shore. Aura turned out to be a faster swimmer, and once he'd gotten on land he'd been tricky to track. But Stan had picked up the scent quickly enough and followed it until it all but vanished in the scent of another, larger hybrid. Following his trail turned out to be much easier, and in no time he was silently stalking the drulx through the trees.

There was a huge commotion coming from the lake, drawing Conner's attention. But Stan ignored it, climbing up a tree behind him. He knew it was almost a suicide mission at this point, but he had to try it...If he could just get Michael back, it would be worth it. He tried to keep that in mind as he climbed into the crook of the tree and took aim.

There was another loud roar from the lake, and the sound of rushing water. The drulx actually took a step back, bracing himself as though the waves might be able to reach him this far inland. For all he knew, they might. He was just about to turn to head inward when the German Shepard leapt, wrapping strong arms around his throat and clinging to him, trying to crush his windpipe.

Conner cried out and then gasped for air, paws scrambling at the little canine's arms. To be less than half Conner's size, Stan had a powerful grip, and the drulx's large paws seemed almost too big to grasp his smaller arms. He flailed his wings, but the canine cop didn't budge, his body cradled between them as Conner struggled. The drulx reached behind his back and finally got a grip on the smaller canine, squeezing Stan's back as hard he could, as though he were popping a tick.

Stan cried out in pain but didn't let go, as the drulx's breathing grew more ragged with each moment. If he could just hold out, he might actually make it. Conner's paw slowly relaxed on him, and he grinned victoriously as he felt the drulx's legs begin to wobble. He laughed and squeezed his arms tighter around that thick neck, driving his fists into Conner's windup for everything he was worth. "This is for you, Michael!" he yelled.

Conner took a step back, staggering for a moment, but as his eyes rolled back, he caught sight of the tree Stan had leapt from. With all of his strength, he pushed himself backwards, slamming his back into the trunk of the tree, crushing Stan between his weight and the tree's trunk. The wind went out of him and his arms went just slack enough for the drulx to break free.

Conner laughed bitterly and rubbed his throat lightly as he caught the German Shepard with his gloved paw. "Nice try," he said. "But now I'll show you how to catch someone." He grinned as the warmth started to spread up his arm again, his throat feeling better with each moment as the canine shrank in his grip. A sneer curled his lips as his paw grew bigger around Stan with each passing moment. "That's it, pup," he laughed, "feed me!"

Stan coughed as he tried to catch his breath, but he felt the cold pull of the thief's glove pulling away all his strength. He bit down hard on Conner's finger but the wound healed as quickly as he inflicted it, fueled by his stolen size and strength. "You bastard!" he barked up at the drulx, but Conner only laughed.

"Come on," he said. "You must have known you couldn't take me." He grinned darkly and rubbed the growing bulge of his black trunks. "But don't worry, you'll be joining your friends soon enough!"

The drulx held on until he felt the warmth beginning to wane, and finally the cannon sounded as the German Shepard shrank to less than two feet tall. Conner laughed and dropped the tiny canine in with his other captives, then stood and stretched his new body. He had stolen over 16 feet from the canine, rising to over 62 feet tall.

"Not bad," the drulx chuckled as he flexed his new, thicker arms. He grinned to himself with pride. "Now let's see who else we can find..."

The leowolf showed no signs of slowing down as he loomed over the husky and the Labrador. The green dragon had retreated for the moment, tending to his battered head as the others tried to keep Kiran busy. From the shore, Artemis and Skarlath watched on with clenched fists.

"Master," the white lion began. "I don't think they will be able to defeat him like this."

"You're right," Skarlath nodded. "We'll have to combine our efforts. I'm sure we can find a way to..."

"No, Master," Artemis said, stopping the large canine with a paw on his arm. "I believe there is only one way you might be able to take him." He looked at the glove on Skarlath's hand, nuzzling it softly. "Take me, Master." He looked up at him with beseeching eyes. "Take my size and put it to good use."

Skarlath's face grew thoughtful as he stroked the lion's snowy mane. "Artemis...you realize if I take your size, there's no going back? You will be done as far as the games are concerned?"

"I understand, Master," he said. "And I can think of no greater honor than sacrificing myself for you."

Skarlath nodded solemnly. "Then so be it."

He put his gloved paw on the lion's head and felt the warmth begin to spread once more Artemis began to shrink and contract beneath him. The lion didn't fight the cool tugging sensation of the transfer, simply keeping his head bowed as he Master grew above him. When he had shrunk to less than half his height, Skarlath lifted him in his arms, pressing him to his bare, red-furred chest, that massive gloved paw pressing against the lion's back. "Thank you, Artemis," he whispered softly as the lion shrank to just over four feet tall. The white lion hugged the canine's broad chest as Skarlath towered over him, over 116 feet tall. The cannon fired, and Skarlath hugged him just a bit tighter. "Thank you...but now I have to put you somewhere safe."

"Of course, Master," Artemis bowed his head and kissed the looming chest before him. "I am at your service when you need me again. Fare well until then."

Without another word, he slid the white lion into his trunks and charged into the battle. He crashed into the back of the leowolf's knee and staggered him just as he was about to snatch the husky from the water. "Leave them alone!" Skarlath yelled. "You're dealing with me now!"

Dragonien had managed to stay out of the battle for the most part since it started, but as he watched his fellow dragon get batted around, and watched as the others were captured or threatened, his anger only grew. That should be HIM up there towering over everyone, after all! But there was one other guy hanging back as well, the lion with the braided mane. He knew him from seeing him on the games before.

"Nieve!" he called. "What are you doing?"

The lion looked up at him with wide eyes. "What can I do?" he asked. "Look at the size of him!"

"There has to be something we can do," the big dragon called, rising over twice the lion's size. "Do you have any kind of weapons left?"

The lion's paw dipped into his trunks, pulling out the reset card. "Just this," he said. "But I'd have to get close enough to swipe it over the tracker in his arm."

A grin curled the dragon's lips. "Then let me help you," he said. "Let me fly you in close enough to grab him and get the catch."

The lion eyed him warily, running his thumb over the smooth surface of the card. "Why would you help me?" he asked. "Aren't you worried that I could just swipe this over your arm while you're carrying me?"

The dragon grinned. "You don't strike me as that kind of guy," he said. "Besides, if we don't get Kiran out of the way, it won't matter if we capture each other...we'll be done for anyway."

Nieve looked from the dragon to the leowolf and back. "Okay...let's call it a truce then," he said. "At least until the round is over, we don't make a play for each other our partners."

The red dragon chuckled. "I don't know...that tiger of yours is pretty tempting..." But he laughed and held out a big red paw to the lion. "But you've got a deal."

Nieve grinned. "You're telling me." He shook the offered hand. "Now let's get to it."

The dragon grinned and wrapped his arms around the lion's chest, hefting him up out of the water. "Hang on," he said. "This might be a wild ride!"

Conner spotted the tiger lying alone and defenseless on the rocks and grinned. He wouldn't be as big a boost as the German Shepard had been, but every opponent he captured was one less to worry about and one step towards winning it all. Besides, the tiger was just sprawled there...if he didn't pick him off, someone else would, right?

Still, it seemed too easy. He glanced around cautiously before stepping forward from the tree line, casting one eye out towards the battle in the lake where the leowolf was battling a huge dark canine with long purple hair. He frowned to himself as he noted the glove on the wolf's paw. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had been busy getting bigger. That just meant he would have to catch up quickly.

He bent over the tiger's prone form and was just reaching for him when the blast caught him between the shoulders. He cried out and staggered forward as he felt the cool sensation spreading through him. "No, damn it, no!" Within moments he was shrinking faster, from over 62 feet to under 20 in moments, and smaller still until he was smaller than the tiger he knelt by. He growled, looking for the source of the shot, but not able to see anyone beyond the tree line. "This isn't over yet!"

He grabbed the tiger's paw in his and felt the warmth beginning to spread through his body as he started to drain away the sleeping tiger's height. But almost as soon as he began, another shot rang out, this one catching him in the chest and knocking him backwards as the liger came charging out of the jungle. Conner growled up at him as he shrank further, his body filled with the icy sensations of the shrink ray. "Damn you!" he yelled. "You used him as bait!"

"And you fell for it," Cailean smirked, pocketing the empty shrink ray in his trunks and pressing a big paw down firmly on the little drulx as the cannon fired above them. Conner's shrinking finally stopped just at 7.5 inches, smaller than the liger's paw, his head peeking out between the toes. "No point in struggling," Cailean grinned. "You've already lost."

"I could say the same for you," a familiar voice rumbled through the trees, and Cailean turned slowly with wide eyes. The cougar stalked from within the tree line, grinning down at him. "Now that you've exhausted your little toy," he purred. "All of you are mine..."

Marzain watched the battle unfold in the lake, his fists and jaw clenched tightly. "I have an idea," he told the fox. "If you're up for it."

Zev looked at him with curiosity. "What did you have in mind?"

"He's fast," the wolf said. "Fast enough to dodge or catch anything thrown at him. We can use that."

"How?" Zev asked, frowning. "It doesn't look like we can even get close to him from here."

"I can," he said, eyeing the fox's powerful arms and chest, "if you throw me." He looked up to the fox's surprised expression. "You can do it, right?"

Zev looked down at his paws and back to the wolf. He was big, but not too big. The fox had no way to measure how strong he was now, but the glove had made him four times as strong, and he'd doubled in size and strength since then. "I...I think so," he said. "But even if you get close, how are you going to make sure you hit him?"

Marzain grinned, but nothing in his expression seemed amused. "Leave that to me," he said. "Just make sure you yell really loud before you throw me."

Zev nodded. "Good luck," he said. He got into position, wrapping his arms around the wolf and finding him surprisingly easy to lift, the muscles in his arms bulging but barely straining beneath the wolf's weight. He knew it wasn't the time for it, but he couldn't help but smile at the power his newer, bigger body possessed. This just might work after all. He hefted Marzain against him and took a deep breath. "Here goes," he said.

He lined up the toss, looking up at the leowolf and bellowing. "HEY, KIRAN!" The leowolf turned and Zev smirked. "SPECIAL DELIVERY!"

He swung around, throwing his entire weight behind the power of his muscle as he flung the orange wolf through the air as easily as pitching a baseball. Marzain cried out as he hurtled towards Kiran, and, as he expected, the leowolf's paw came up to meet him.

"NOW I'VE GOT YOU!" Marzain yelled. He fired the shrink ray into the open palm as it closed around him.

Kiran blinked in surprise as he felt the cool rush spreading down his arm. "Wh-what?" He barely registered the cannon's fire as he began to shrink down, cursing under his breath as he dropped Marzain into his trunks, the orange wolf laughing all the way.

The leowolf was distracted for a just a moment as the red dragon and the lion soared over him. "That wolf got the ball rolling," the dragon said, "now finish up!" He flew up the leowolf's back and let the lion drop, Nieve's arms grabbing on to the leowolf as he began to shrink.

Kiran snarled and whirled, slamming an elbow into Dragonien's chest and sending him flying through the air to crash into the trees, sliding through the arena and plowing a trench through the ground. His paws swiped at Nieve, but the lion held on tightly, gritting his teeth. Even now, he could feel the leowolf shrinking beneath him, but it wasn't enough. He was still bigger, still stronger.

The leowolf reeled again as Skarlath crashed against his legs again, and this time the Lab, husky, and fotter chimed in against the other. He brought a paw up to swipe at them and the green dragon was suddenly back, grabbing it. The leowolf was still over twice his size, but Sabrewing's muscles strained, just able to hold him back. "Now!" he yelled to the lion. "Do it now!"

Nieve nodded and held the reset card out as Sabrewing forced the leowolf's arm back until the lion could just reach it. He swiped the card over Kiran's forearm and it glowed bright blue for just a moment then went dead.

"NO!" Kiran cried as he felt something powerful and icy cold coursing through his veins. He began to shrink even faster, the lion growing heavy against his back and his body pinned by the furs around him. Within moments they began to loosen their grip and back away as Kiran shrank down in Nieve's arms until the lion was holding him above the water, his arms locked around the leowolf's chest. Finally, the cannon fired as Kiran returned to his original height of just 5'9" his body sagging limp and exhausted against the lion's broad chest. "Damn it," he grumbled. "I was...so close."

The lion grinned as he held the leowolf in his paws. "Better luck next time," he grinned, winking. "But don't worry, you'll be safe with me." He pulled back his trunks and dropped the leowolf - as well as Kiran's own captives - inside.

"Good work," Skarlath grinned, resting his paw on the lion's shoulder.

"Yeah, not bad," Jhusky agreed, "but we're out of here, if you don't mind..."

Harper wrapped his arms around the husky and gave him a long lick before hugging the otter close as well. "What he said," he grinned. "Til next time anyway!"

Nieve nodded and grinned at them, and Sabrewing nodded back. "I suppose I should go check on Dragonien," he said. "Good luck." He swam off to join his fellow dragon, and as he left, Nieve caught sight of the little hero wolf saluting them from the shore before running off into the woods.

"What now?" Skarlath said. "Will you team up with me?" he asked.

"Of course," Nieve grinned. "I just need to find Kindle and Zev first...and we need to find another way to get big." He flushed a little under his fur as he looked up at the huge, muscular red wolf. "I've got to get at least as big as you," he grinned.

Skarlath chuckled and reached into his trunks. "Well this might help, then," he said, pulling out the thief's glove Artemis had been wearing. "It's a spare thief's glove," he said, handing it over to the lion, who quickly pulled it on. "As you can see, they can come in quite handy," he grinned. "If I'd had the chance, I would've drained more of Kiran's size, but it didn't quite work out."

"I'm sure there'll be plenty more chances," Nieve grinned as he flexed his paw in the glove. "You never know what's coming next."

Before the words had left his mouth, a cry split the air. Both of them turned towards the shore to find Elrabin towering over the tiger and the liger on the shore. "Isn't that your tiger?" Skarlath started to ask, but the lion was already rushing past him.

"You're all mine," the cougar purred as he towered over the little cats. Cailean growled back at him as he seized Conner in his paw and dropped him into his trunks, taking the gloves he left behind.

"I won't go without a fight!" he yelled as he slipped the barbarian's glove on. Instantly his body swelled with muscle, his heart racing with adrenaline as he growled up at him.

But Elrabin just smirked. "Kitten, I'm five times your size...don't even think about!" He raised a paw over the liger and brought it down, pressing hard as Cailean roared, barely holding out against his enormous size and strength. The cougar roared as he felt the liger's paws trembling beneath him. "Just give it up!" he grinned. "Let me soak up all what little size you can offer, and maybe I'll make you my favorite new playthings!"

The liger roared again, his body on the verge of giving out, even with the added might of the barbarian's glove. But suddenly a great, golden mass flashed above him with a roar greater than his own as Nieve and the cougar went rolling across the rocky shore. Elrabin snarled and shoved him away, the two of them rising to their feet in a crouch to square off. The cougar was nearly twice his size, but the lion didn't show the faintest hint of backing down.

"How dare you touch my cats?" he growled, braided mane blowing in the breeze as his chest rose and fell with exertion.

The cougar gave him a snarling grin. "They're only yours if you get through me," he spat back. "And I don't think that's happening."

The lion gave him a rueful grin. "There's a reason they call lions kings," he said, and then he was charging again. "Because we don't bow to anyone!" He went for the tackle, but instead of aiming for his chest, he aimed for the cougar's groin, his paws wrapping around Elrabin's legs and jerking them forward to send him tumbling backwards. Elrabin hit the rocky shore hard the wind going out of him as the lion shifted forward, grabbing Elrabin's paw and sinking fangs into his forearm as he clawed at Elrabin's glove. His own gloved paw gripped the cougar's arm tightly as he held him, the warmth starting to flow between them as their bodies pressed together.

The cougar cried out as he caught his breath, the cool tugging sensation flowing through him as he began to shrink. "No!" he yelled, grabbing at the lion's mane with his free paw. "Get off of me!" He grabbed a fistful of golden fur and gave a sharp tug. But Nieve only growled louder and held on, growing stronger and bigger by the minute as the cougar began to shrink.

Elrabin beat at the lion and tried to wriggle free, but within moments the two of them were the same size and soon the lion was bigger, his weight growing against the cougar's chest until Elrabin could barely breath. When he was less than half Nieve's size, the lion finally let go of his arm, licking the wound lightly as it almost instantly healed.

"Don't worry," the lion cooed into the cougar's ear. "You'll be happy with me, I guarantee it." He grinned as he felt the cougar go limp beneath him, and then he finally relaxed his own grip, lifting the cougar into his arms as he drained away the last of his size. The cannon fired as the cougar shrank back to just over seven and a half feet tall, one-tenth of the size he'd been moments before, his glove slipping free of his paw. The lion, now over 108 feet tall, grinned and gave him a lick before dropping him down into his trunks. "See you after dark," he purred with a proud grin.

But his smile faded almost instantly as he turned towards his friends and mates. He knelt by them to get a better look at his tiger. "Cailean, what happened to him? Is he alright? Are you alright?"

The liger smiled gratefully up at the huge lion and nodded. "I'm okay," he said. "And Kindle is okay, too. He took a bump to the head from Kiran's blast, but he's just in a deep sleep now. He'll be up and around soon."

Nieve nodded and lifted them both in his paws, Cailean helping gently move the tiger and stretch him out in his palm. The lion gave him a soft, gentle lick and the tiger stirred slightly, stretching a bit but wincing, a paw instantly going up to rub the back of his head. "Oh...," he moaned lightly, then groggily opened his eyes to look up at the huge grinning leonine face. "Morning babe," he mumbled, and the lion laughed loudly as Skarlath and Zev joined them on the beach.

The cream-colored husky knew it was a risky proposition to wait on the dragon's chest, but he couldn't resist the smooth red expanse of Dragonien's chest, the gentle rise and fall as the dragon slept where he'd fallen from Kiran's blow. He could watch him sleep forever, but he could tell that the main battle was over, and he knew someone would be gunning for them again soon enough. He carefully climbed over the dragon's mountainous pecs and leaned up to kiss his muzzle softly, whispering his name.

"Dragonien," he said. "Time to wake up, babe."

The red dragon yawned and it was all Mat could do to keep from getting sucked in to the gaping maw above him. He had grown to almost 14 feet tall in Kiran's wake, but even so, he was barely a tenth of the dragon's size. But he held on, huddling around the dragon's neck and spoke a little louder this time. "Drago," he said. "It's me, Mat."

"Mat?" the dragon answered softly. And then his eyes flew open as a grin split his face. "MAT?" He sat up, and the husky and his bag went tumbling down his pecs and into the dragon's palm as he laughed. "MAT! YOU'RE BACK!!"

The husky grinned up at him, tail wagging as the dragon held him close so the two could nuzzle each other, kissing and licking at each other's faces. "I missed you, babe," he said as he stretched his arms out to huge the dragon's huge snout. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay, too," Dragonien said. "You kinda had me worried there. Why didn't you get big with me before?"

"Sorry, but I had to play it cool," the husky answered. "But now, most of their weapons have been used up," he grinned, "and I've still got a whole bag to play with."

Dragonien grinned widely as he stood up to his full height. "In other words..."

"In other words," the husky said. "We're going to win this thing!"

Lemuel had been running ever since he'd been swept ashore and he had never stopped running. It was a good thing, too, because he'd barely made it to shore before the striped red dragon washed up behind him and started chasing him.

Kaiser had only begun following after him for fun, but now that the lemur was running, it had become a point of pride that he had to catch him. Kaiser had been swamped by the water, sucked under by Kiran's splashed and then tossed ashore unceremoniously, but the water had left him with a gift as his size had doubled to just at 60 feet. Now he tromped along through the tropical trees and bushes, the ground trembling softly under each footstep.

"C'mon little ringtail!" he bellowed. "I promise I won't hurt you!"

"No!" Lemuel yelled back, dodging through the underbrush. "I didn't come all this way just to give up, especially to someone like you!"

"Someone like ME?" Kaiser roared. "What does that mean?" He was growing irritated with this little wretch already, almost as irritated as he did with Dragonien, which was saying something.

"It means, you don't hold a candle that other red dragon!" Lemuel yelled back. He wasn't sure that taunting him was the best move, but anything that threw him off guard might be helpful. And frankly, it couldn't hurt at this juncture. The lemur hadn't grown at all, even as everyone seemed to be growing around him. But he had a feeling that it didn't really matter how big he was. The dragon was just having fun with him, just chasing him for the thrill of it, not because he saw Lemuel as a threat.

"I'll make you eat those words when I catch you!" Kaiser roared. "I'll show you the kind of damage a REAL dragon can do!"

"You'll have to find one then!" Lemuel called back as he ducked through a tangled brush of vines.

But the vines did nothing to slow down Kaiser. His paws simply flattened them, and anything else that got in his way as he bellowed. This was more than just teasing now, as his predatory instincts began to take over. "I'll flatten you!" he roared, claws digging into the dirt.

Lemuel was about to call back to him when he stumbled into a clearing in the woods and stopped short, eyes wide at what lay before him.

There, in the center of the clearing, with the city rising just beyond the other side, was something that looked ominously like a bomb. The shape in the center of it looked like a disassembled ray gun, though the trigger seemed to be missing. And around it, wired into it, were at least 10 ammo clips. A quick glance around the clearing and Lemuel could see the trip wires all around it, in all directions.

"It's a trap," he whispered, and then he turned to the approaching dragon. "STOP! It's a trap! GO BACK!"

But whether the dragon heard him or not, he showed no signs of slowing his pace. He was lost to the anger and bloodlust rising up in him as he rushed into the clearing....

The explosion rocked the arena. In the forest, they felt the full force of the shockwave, while on the beach, Nieve and his crew were blinded by the flash of white light and the rush of dust that came flying through the trees. Cameras around the arena were disturbed not only by the force of the explosion, but by the interference from the energy released as the entire arena disappeared in a shroud of white.

In the studio, Kris and Illas clung to the desk and Dixie grabbed the Gamemakers arms as they led her through the hallways. Brantley's monitors went blank in her office as the trackers went offline, plunging her into absolute darkness. Elsewhere in the arena, Bradley and his assistant both looked up as the mountains around them trembled. Even Rexx and Gigas had to shield their eyes as the blinding light reached them.

Television screens everywhere around the world went snowy and then the seal of the Macro Games appeared. A moment later, the hooded visage of the Gamemaker appeared. The figure was seated in a dark room, gloved paws folded.

"I do hope you've enjoyed the Macro Games," the figure said, voice neutral, slightly warped, but passionate. "It's the last you'll ever see."

The figure stood slowly, and the angle of the camera rose with it, until it was looking far up at the hooded figure as it looked back down. "There's a change coming, ladies and gentlemen," the figure said. "The fate of the world won't be decided here." The figure raised a paw over the camera and brought it down, the glass cracking under the Gamemaker's heel. "It will be decided by me."

The camera lens cracked and shattered, and then the signal was gone.

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