Trading Places
#2 of Short Stories
A short story that I've been meaning to write up. Based around and expanded from a little RP session myself and Jevin held a while back, I finally got round to starting on my downtime over the AC period :)
It involves a pair of wolves, one big, one small, undergoing a size swap after some rough treatment forces the latter into action in order to show the former what he has to deal with.
Rated 'all-ages', but fair warning, it involves a very small measure of bad language in places. Enjoy!
Trading Places
-Jevin-
"Ack!" With the heavy thump of paws on wood, Jevin fell awkwardly from the cushion of a dining chair down to the unforgiving floor of the moonlit apartment. He stumbled forward, momentum almost throwing the little grey wolf into one of the chair's towering legs before he managed to regain his balance. "Damn rope," Jevin muttered, scornfully tossing aside the frayed, now broken piece of table cloth string that he'd been using to travel between the ground and the dining table high above. "He didn't even leave any leftovers." He brushed himself off, flattening down the grey and brown patterned fur of his chest and belly before readjusting his pale blue shorts. "I guess I should head to bed before Tirrell gets back from his night out."
With a grunted sigh, Jevin padded off through the kitchen, heading towards the adjoining living area. Being so small in stature, little more than three inches tall, meant the apartment's wooden flooring appeared to be more like expansive, polished plains. After a full minute of walking, the tiny wolf had left the kitchen and entered into the shadow of the enormous couch that rested against the living room wall. "Don't think I'll ever get used to the size of this place." Still, despite the considerable difficulty he had in getting around, Jevin much preferred living here as opposed to the cold, dangerous streets he'd been forced to survive on until about six months previous. It was at that point he'd met, or rather bumped, into his new roommate, Tirrell, a fellow grey wolf that stood at a more regular height of six feet tall. Jevin had seldom interacted with a 'giant', the simple term people of his size used to refer to those whose civilisation dominated this world. In fact, Tirrell became the first to have ever engaged with him in conversation.
Another minute and a half passed by. In that time, the fast walking wolf managed to negotiate his way past the couch, armchair and coffee table arranged around the cavernous living space and enter the hallway where the apartment's front door was located. From this point, a simple left turn and a short stroll would see him enter the bedroom. Once there, he'd be able to scurry off to his bed located beneath his roommate's, where the risk of inadvertently being stepped on by a drunken giant would be greatly reduced.
Boom. A sharp thud resonated through the apartment, jolting Jevin as he neared the dark embrace beyond the open doorway. A second tremor, firmer now, almost knocked him onto his rear. A third crash seemed to shake the world itself, accompanied this time by a solid thump against the huge front door of the apartment. "He's back already?" Jevin stopped, gazing up at the brass doorknob being worked clumsily while loud, off-key singing could be heard from outside. "Bloody door," a voice thundered from outside as the futile twisting of the knob intensified, "why won't... where's my sodding key!?" "Geez Tirrell, so much for 'a couple of drinks.' Wake up the whole building why don't you?" the tiny wolf scowled beneath his breath, swiftly turning to dart off into the darkness. "I hate it when he's wasted. Doesn't realise his own strength!" He'd barely taken a step when the door flew open, cracking violently against the inside wall as it swung around. To Jevin, the sound was near deafening, stopping him in his tracks a mere two feet from the bedroom.
"Oh hey, Jevin!" The little lupine froze, craning his neck up to find an intoxicated smile plastered across Tirrell's muzzle. His focus soon shifted to the giant's thundering, unsteady footfalls, doing his best to guess where the next would land as he staggered in his direction. "You're still awake... cool... this is cool." "Yeah, I'm still awake," Jevin replied tentatively, slowly backing away. "How much have you had to drink tonight?" The big wolf came to a halt, swaying awkwardly after slamming his grey-furred paw down in front of his little roommate. He stroked at his muzzle thoughtfully before answering. "I... I had... many." "I kinda got that." Jevin quickened his retreat. "Looks like you've had a... good night." "Was a great night... lots of fun." Tirrell grinned, flashing his teeth with more menace than he likely meant. At least, this is what Jevin hoped. He had very little else but happy memories from his time staying here, so didn't consider his fellow lupine a threat. Despite this, the next words to leave Tirrell's mouth succeeded in setting his little heart beating faster. "Fun's not gotta end just yet though."
"What's that mean?" The worried wolf thought about spinning to sprint away, until Tirrell began to lurch forward again. He stumbled briefly from the impact of those huge paws, falling down to the ground a second later. "You little guys are always good for a chuckle." Jevin pushed himself up to his hands and knees, looking over his shoulder to the giant looming high above. "Yeah... a chuckle," he replied nervously. "So I figured..." Tirrell stopped, reaching out to support his drunken self against the bedroom door frame. With his free paw, he rubbed his eyes before scratching beneath the blonde-dyed tuft of fur atop his head. "I reckon we can have a bit more fun an' games here." "Don't you think it'd be safer if we waited until you're... y'know. Maybe tomorrow afternoon?" "Why?" "You're not in a good way right now." Jevin stood back up and resumed his retreat. Even at full speed, the massive wolf's huge, crashing strides had little trouble closing the gap he'd created. "You'll have your head on straight by then, and we can do anything you like!" "I'm fine," Tirrell groaned insistently. "I'm not that drunk."
The bloodshot brown eyes peering down at him told the tiny wolf different. So eager in his efforts to get away, Jevin managed to lose his bearings, running straight into the corner of the room and trapping himself. "M-maybe you should just head to bed. It's real late." A sober Tirrell would have quickly picked up on little Jevin's fearful protestations. In this instance though, his beer goggles appeared to be clouding his judgement. "Hey, no, no it's okay, we'll have a mess about now. Come on, it'll be fun!" Tirrell began to crouch down, swaying more and more unsteadily the lower he got. "I ain't gonna hurt you." "Not on purp--" "If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it when we first met." The giant lupine lost his balance, crashing down onto his backside and issuing out a tremor that knocked Jevin off his feet once again. "You're lucky it was me that almost stepped on you that time... the pavements in the city are no joke during rush hour." "I know, and I'm real glad you brought me here to stay, but--" Before he could finish, Tirrell thrust out a hand paw, shoving him up against the wall.
"Alright, alright... Just be gentle," Jevin grunted, wincing at the jarring impact. He began to squirm against the giant wolf's imposing palm, muscles flexing and twisting in an attempt to loosen the vice-like grip upon him and get free. After half a minute, Jevin gave in, realising the futility of his efforts and acknowledging the fact that his struggling would only serve to tire himself out. If he was going to have any chance at getting away, he'd need to try and stay calm and conserve his energy. "Tirrell?" he muttered, panting anxiously while staring up at his drunken roommate's looming face with wide, orange eyes. "You'll be gentle... right?" "I'll be careful," Tirrell spat dismissively in response, his wagging tail suggesting he still hadn't registered the fear in Jevin's pleas. With a toothy grin, he sprawled his fingers, jamming two of them into his trapped friend's chest and midriff. "C'mon. Dodge my fingers, little wolf."
A meek yelp crept from Jevin's muzzle as he slammed backwards into the wall. Instinctively, he began to struggle again, doing his best to move his arms up and offer some kind of resistance against the fingers now drumming against frame. The giant's digits proved far too strong though, easily batting aside the tiny wolf's defensive paws. "Stop!" Jevin tried to shift himself out of the way, succeeding only in getting a face full of finger. His head smacked back against the wall, leaving him dazed and grumbling. If he weren't pinned, his legs would certainly have given out from under him. Once again, he gave up on his resistance, deciding that it only seemed to be getting him into more trouble. He'd have to rely on mind over muscle. "Tirrell?" A finger whistled past Jevin's head, smashing loudly against the wall behind him. "Geez, Tirrell!" The big wolf cocked his head, still drumming away but at a slower pace. His half-lidded eyes suggested a combination of alcohol and tiredness were starting to take a hold of him. "How about we lie down?" Jevin rubbed his head where those huge fingers had last connected. "I'll... give you a paw rub or something." "Oh?" At last, Tirrell stopped his 'playing', earning a sigh of relief from the small wolf still pinned against the wall. "Yeah... y-yeah that'd be... great." Without bothering to move elsewhere, the drunken giant flopped backwards, thundering down onto his back while tugging off his shoes and socks.
With the paw that had been imprisoning him now gone, Jevin could breathe a little easier. "That much was simple," he muttered to himself, brushing down the ruffled fur of his belly. Tentatively, Jevin approached the bigger wolf's foot, peering round it to find him lying back with hands behind his head. "Just need to keep him here for a little bit." "Say something?" Tirrell slurred, barely moving. "Oh... no, I didn't." He rubbed his paws together, reaching out and pressing them to the pads of the wall-like sole once in range. With a grunt, the little lupine shifted his weight forward, gathering as much pressure as he could behind his palms before starting to rub in large circles. "Hey, uh, Tirrell?" Jevin's roommate responded with a loud grunt, shifting slightly against his massaging paws. The sound of his huge, wagging tail thudding against the wooden flooring filled the otherwise silent apartment. "I was wondering." The small wolf took a breath, failing to resist a smile at the sharp scent of Tirrell's footpads. "Do you still have that Pretoxx pill I gave you earlier to help against a hangover? "Pretoxx... h-hangover?" "Hey, stay with me." Jevin rolled his eyes, prodding the paw that stretched almost three times his height upwards. "The pill. You ate it, right? If not you should probably do it now." "Pill?" Tirrell grumbled contently, shortly before the question snatched his attention back from the foot rub. He sat up slowly, clearly still hindered by the amount of alcohol he'd imbibed that evening. "Oh y-yeah, the pill... I've got that here." In one fluid motion, the big, grey wolf dug a single pink tablet out from his pocket, shoved it into his open muzzle and swallowed loudly. "Cheers for that, Jev. Anything to help a hangover!"
"Yeah, yeah... no problem," Jevin responded with smile. This smile grew into a grin the moment his roommate lied back down. "Anything to... help." "Well?" Tirrell cried, wiggling his toes. "Don't stop now. We're just getting started!" The beaming wolf restarted his massaging with renewed vigour, enjoying the flexing motions those giant toes made in response to his touch. As much as Tirrell's drunkenness made him uncomfortable, Jevin did relish this chance to admire the larger lupine's feet without the risk of him remembering too much of it the next day. After a few minutes of having his paws poked, prodded and pressed, a loud yawn left Tirrell's maw. "Sleepy?" "A... little," he mumbled in reply, stifling another. "This is... relaxing." "Maybe you should head to bed soon?" "Not yet... soon." "Yeah. Soon," Jevin smirked, pressing his nose into the giant's sole. "Won't be much longer."
Tirrell's breathing began to get heavier as relaxation turned to tiredness. Roughly ten minutes after eating the pill, he finally drifted off into a deep slumber. His last utterance before going under was a muttered, barely comprehensible thank you to his friend for his actions. The little wolf's grin disappeared the moment he heard snoring, a slight scowl taking its place. "Alright. I told myself I'd not let him mistreat me again without punishment." He stepped away from the paw pads he'd been working over, swallowing uncertainly. "I just hope it's not too much of a shock. If it is, he'll want payback for sure when my time's up." Reaching down into his own pocket, Jevin pulled out another, smaller capsule and tossed it down his gullet. "Things are going to get interesting in the morning, Tirrell." His grin returned, a hint of deviousness to it this time round. "_Real_interesting."
-Tirrell-
A beam of morning light pierced its way through the window above Tirrell's bed, stabbing at his face to pull him from his heavy sleeping. "Holy hell, my head," he mumbled, rolling over to bury his face into the mattress. "That damn hangover pill didn't do a thing!" Despite his best efforts at blocking it out, the glaring sun still succeeded in irritating the fragile-headed wolf. "Bloody sun. Leave me to die in peace!" He roared, eyes still closed as he groggily pushed himself upwards and reached out for the blinds. "What the--" Tirrell opened his eyes to find that his paw wasn't even close to the end of his bed. Not only that, but the window he'd attempted to reach for seemed to sit several feet above him. "S'going on?" The state of his head swiftly became less of a concern as the wolf tried to gather his bearings. He looked left to where his side table should be, jaw slowly dropping. Sure enough, the alarm clock and lamp that rested atop it had also grown to a massive scale. "This is a dream... it's gotta be." Tirrell squealed, his rapid breathing giving away his panic. He struggled up to his feet, turning to look down to the bottom of his bed. The first thing he noticed was the range of fabric hills that had been formed on one side of the mattress by his discarded duvet. Beyond this, the bed itself seemed to stretch off at least a hundred feet into the distance. "Okay, this ain't funny no more," the wolf screamed, tail curling tightly around his legs. He looked down, realising he'd been stripped of his clothes save for a pair of pale blue shorts. "These are... The fuck's going on!"
A jitter beneath his feet caused Tirrell to sway. Quickly, he took a step to the side to regain his balance. "What was--" Another tremble of the mattress followed, stronger, demanding another correcting step. The third proved too much, a low rumble audible as he fell to the firm padding below. Tirrell felt as if his heart was in his throat by the time the huge, white door of his bedroom crept open. Another strong jolt ripped through the mattress, causing the shrunken wolf to be tossed about violently before crashing down face first into the bed sheets. With a grimace, he heaved himself up onto his knees, rubbing his forehead. The sight that would soon present itself to him would push any discomfort from the landing far to the back of his mind. "Hey there." He craned his neck upwards in response to the deep, bassy voice greeting him. Strangely, it sounded somewhat familiar. "Holy f--" An impossibly large grey wolf stood beside the bed, paws clasped together as he peered down with orange eyes from what seemed to be several dozen feet above. "J-Jevin!?" "Good... morning?"
Tirrell froze to the spot, his jaw hanging open and eyes wide as saucers. His lack of visible response appeared to prompt his roommate to speak up again. "Alright, I... I know this must be scary, but--" Jevin recoiled as the petrified little wolf suddenly burst back into life with a loud, lengthy wail. He took a step back, shaking the ground once again; an action that only caused Tirrell to maintain his fearful crying even longer. "Tirrell, stop. Hear me out!" In a flash, the scaled-down wolf jumped to his feet. He raced off at top speed across the expansive mattress, heading towards the heaped bed covers in a desperate search for a hiding spot. "I'm not going to hurt you," Jevin sighed, prompting the fleeing lupine to look back over his shoulder. The moment he did, he wished he hadn't. A worried whimper forced itself from his throat at the sight of the huge wolf's paw slowly reaching out for him. "Oh God, get away!" "Come on, it's me." Tirrell maintained his sprint, the reassurances of his friend falling on deaf ears. He hadn't even made it halfway to what he perceived as safety by the time an ominous shadow had plunged him into darkness. It couldn't have been a second later that a set of powerful, tree-like fingers clamped themselves around his body, stopping him fast. He struggled with all his might, clawing and lashing about as if his life depended on it. In fact, a sizeable part of his mind began to fear that it genuinely did. Jevin squeezed a little, pressing the little wolf's arms to his sides and forcing his legs together within an iron-like grasp. "Let go!" Tirrell continued to fight, though by now he could barely move anything below his neck. Gradually, he stopped resisting, realising the futility. His roommate had become far too big, far too strong. "That's it, Tirrell. Relax," Jevin stated softly, carefully moving his clenched paw up to his face. "Believe me, you'll only wear yourself out." "Please say this is a bad dream," Tirrell squeaked, his ears down against his skull. "'fraid not," came the reply, the scaled-up wolf's gentle tone and expression displaying an apparently genuine empathy. A surprisingly delicate stroke followed, combining with Jevin's calming demeanour to help slow Tirrell's pounding heart towards its normal rate. "Please...what's going on, Jev?"
"Finally, I got through to you." Jevin chuckled lightly, scratching at the brown patch of fur running along the top of his muzzle with his free paw. "For a minute, I didn't think you'd stop screaming." Tirrell didn't answer, still fearful of his roommate's newfound size and strength. "Now..." Jevin looked to the bedroom door. "I'm going to loosen my grip and set you down in the living room. You won't run, right?" A meek shake of the head by the smaller wolf proved enough confirmation, prompting his captor to ease the pressure. Slowly, he turned around and lumbered off out of the room. Each of the heavy, striding footfalls generated a loud, echoing crash, compelling Tirrell to heave his arms free and cover his ears with a grimace. After a few moments spent passing through the familiar yet vastly larger features of his apartment, he'd been carried out into the living area, hanging high above the coffee table that sat parallel to his three-seater sofa.
"Okay, listen," Jevin stated gently, lowering himself into the middle cushion of the couch. He released the wolf in his paws onto the table in front of him, peering down at him evenly. "I swapped our sizes... I did it because I want you to learn a lesson." "Lesson?" "That's right," he huffed, beginning to frown. "Yesterday, you told me you'd just have a drink or two and come back, but no, you came back totally hammered! And, of course, when you're drunk you can't help but put me through hell..." Being scolded in this fashion made Tirrell feel as if he'd been thrown back in time, back to being an unruly pup in his schooldays. Of course, there was one profound difference: none of his teachers were ever this much bigger in stature. He remained sat perfectly still upon the tennis court-sized coffee table, not once making eye contact but taking in all that Jevin had to say. A half dozen examples of times he'd returned home intoxicated and proceeded to roughhouse with his then-tiny friend were listed off for him, each one generating more regret than the last. "I-- I didn't mean to put you through all that, really." "I'm sure you didn't, but you did," Jevin mumbled. "Now, you get to see what it's like to be so small." "I... this is scary," Tirrell whimpered, grasping at his tail for comfort. "Yes! It is!" The towering wolf threw out his paws passionately, prompting Tirrell to flinch back. "You giants might be perfectly fine with looming over us the way you do, but to us... it's a scary thought to know that the guy you live with can easily have his way with you!" Jevin leaned forward, smiling at the corners of his mouth in what was most likely an attempt to look less threatening. "If you think it's scary with me around, imagine having someone you don't know grabbing at you, or shoving you in places..." He drifted off, visibly shuddering at the thought.
"I can't imagine having to deal with... that," Tirrell replied, earnestly attempting to show sympathy despite his growing discomfort. "No, I don't suppose you can." Jevin leaned down to hold his huge nose in front of his shrunken roommate's frame. He sighed, flexing it a little and sending a blast of air gusting through Tirrell's fur. "You're going to get to see what it's like though. Nothing too harsh, but..." He drifted off again, grinning. Huge, sharp teeth, easily half the size of the small wolf's entire body came onto display. "I... for what it's worth, I'm sorry," Tirrell squeaked, his ears splayed out and heartbeat racing at the sight before him. He clambered up to his feet, fleetingly considering an escape attempt. What would he do though? Run and hide? Besides, he had to be at least two feet off of the ground while stood upon the table. At barely three inches tall, such a drop would likely not end well. He promptly dispatched the idea, choosing instead to just stand there and await the consequences. "Please though. Don't hurt me."
The reaction he won with his plea took Tirrell aback. He hadn't expected the huge wolf to shake his head with a bout of scoffed laughter. "Comeon! Like I'd actually hurt you." Jevin reached out and plucked his friend up again before he could even react. "God, you giants wouldn't last a day at our height. You'd piss yourselves every time one of us walked by!" He held Tirrell in a fist for a moment, looking deep in thought until a wry smile stretched across the breadth of his muzzle. "Alright, I got it. We're going to play some Wolf and Mouse." "And... what's that involve?" Tirrell queried uneasily, suspecting he may have already known the answer. "You're the mouse. You need to run away and escape." Jevin's smirk grew as he stood up from the couch. He stepped past the coffee table and placed the little wolf down onto the hardwood floor close to where the living area became the kitchen. "If I catch you, then you get to spend the day cleaning the insoles of my shoes." Jevin adjusted his posture, standing up tall before tapping his foot on the ground. The tremors that resonated from the skyscraper-sized wolf's massive paw made it hard for Tirrell to keep his footing. "Your shoes?" Jevin snickered, his tail flicking out from behind him. "If you don't think I can make you small enough to fit inside of one of my shoes, you might wanna think twice." He gasped in response, trying to picture himself, and more importantly, his friend at such a scale. On top of this, the humiliation at being put into such a helpless position had caused him to start blushing beneath his fur. "It's not all bad, Tirrell," The giant added with a wide grin. "If you escape, I'll treat you to the biggest ice-cream sundae you've ever seen." That prospect perked Tirrell's ears, though Jevin quashed his small measure of excitement soon after. "Besides, I don't think you'd like to hear the other ideas I've got." "No... this sounds fair, I guess." He gulped, even more in awe of his roommate's sheer size now that he'd been lowered to the ground. "I think... I'm ready.
Jevin nodded, bringing a huge toe forward and prodding it into the shrunken wolf's stomach. Despite it appearing to be just a gentle push, the massive difference in their stature meant that it still had the force to send Tirrell stumbling backwards. His feet had to work fast, barely keeping up with his momentum as they moved to stop him from falling. "Well? Run!" Jevin stormed with paws on hips. "If you're in range in the next ten seconds, I'm going to step on you!" He lifted a foot slowly, leaving it to hovered menacing above the recoiling wolf and offer an up close and personal view of his enormous pads. "One... two..." "What!? oh sh--" Without so much as another breath, Tirrell span one-eighty and burst into sprint. He flew out from beneath the foot paw into the kitchen, eyes darting about between the huge dining table to his left, cliff-like counters to the right and imposing refrigerator straight ahead. "Four... five." If not for the giant wolf still counting down behind him, Tirrell would have no doubt ground to a halt at the mesmerising sight of the usually mundane furnishings of his apartment. His focus finally locked onto the tower of white he was headed towards, figuring that he'd be out of reach in the small space between it and the wall.
The unsettling countdown stopped after five, a few more seconds passing before Jevin's voice boomed through the apartment once more. "It's interesting to see you try and run from way up here," he chuckled. "I've had a lot of experience with running from giants you see and here's the thing: there's just no way for you to escape at that size." Tirrell finally glanced back, still not even halfway to his target. His ears dipped upon realising just how close he remained to the predatory wolf staring down at him. "Still, I'll be generous." Those big, sharp teeth came back on display as Jevin grinned menacingly. "I'll give you a few extra seconds to try and prove me wrong." "Oh, bloody hell." Tirrell whipped his head back round to face front, dipping it and pumping his arms, trying desperately to gain as much speed as he could.
It must have been a whole extra ten seconds before a murmuring rumble caused the fleeing wolf's heart to skip a beat. He turned to look back again, watching as Jevin shifted on his feet. "Time's up," he sang wickedly, lurching one of his massive paws forward. A audible whooshing could be heard as it parted the air, followed by an explosive crash as it thudded down with ground-jarring force. Tirrell yelped, watching the titanic lupine close at least a third of the distance he'd managed to put between them in just a single step. With gritted teeth, he squeezed his eyes closed and put every ounce of power and will into his increasingly desperate sprint. An even louder, stronger impact followed a mere two seconds later. Tirrell's balance faltered, pushing him perilously close to falling flat on his face. He dared not look back again, though he'd not have to to know that his giant roommate stood within a single step of him. "Come on. Faster, little Tirrell."
A strong musk filled the area as Jevin's paw plummeted to the ground a few paces in front of the fleeing wolf's path, displacing the air beneath it and blasting him backwards off of his feet. "Oops, am I in your way?" Tirrell groaned, sitting up as the trembling of the floor slowly died. He followed the imposing grey paw before him upwards, past Jevin's toned calf, a familiar-looking pair of blue football shorts and bare torso until he found the cruel grin plastered upon his muzzle. This sight would be eclipsed a moment later, when the giant lifted his other foot to overshadow the stunned wolf. "I'd suggest moving." "So... fast." Tirrell didn't argue, struggling up to his feet while staring aghast up at the darkened surface of Jevin's sole. He whimpered as the monstrous toes began to wriggle, flexing those huge, leathery pads. Flecks of dirt and debris to rain down, forcing him to shield his eyes. "Quickly." The expansive paw slowly began to descend, intensifying the scent filling Tirrell's nostrils and heightening his pulse rate. "Come on, gimme a break!" "I'll assume that to be a bad choice of words, given the situation," Jevin chuckled, halting his movement and leaving his foot little more than touching distance above.
Tirrell hurried off into another run, heading back in the opposite direction and away from the planted paw that had cut off his initial escape attempt. He'd barely managed to re-emerge into day's light before Jevin was on the move again. His leg straddled over the small wolf, plunging him back into darkness as it travelled overhead. Tirrell ground to a halt, craning his neck up to watch as the massive extremity stomped back down again. He'd managed to brace himself against the force of the impact this time round, though he would not be allowed to stay upright for long. "Incoming," Jevin cried, prompting the little lupine to peer back over his shoulder. A wall of grey filled Tirrell's vision; the giant's free paw hovering right in front his face. He didn't even get time to gasp in shock before a massive, clawed toe flicked out, thudding into his chest and sending him sprawling backwards. The shrunken wolf didn't stop until he'd stumbled backwards into the side of Jevin's other foot. He yelped, bouncing off of the furred barrier and falling down onto his belly. Stunned again, Tirrell struggled up onto his knees, preparing for one more push to get himself back standing.
He wouldn't get the chance however. Another flick of Jevin's toe sent him crashing back to the ground helplessly like a ragdoll, gasping for breath where it snatched the air from his lungs. This pattern continued three times over, until Tirrell gave up on trying to regain his footing. "Stop... please... I can't..." "See how humiliating it is, Tirrell?" Jevin stated with folded arms, his orange eyes glaring down from the heavens. "Can't even fight against my toes, can you?" "It is," he whined, staying on his hands and knees while he recovered, "and no, I can't. Not at all. I'm totally at your mercy." "Y'know, I'm only being gentle." The towering wolf crouched down a little, keeping his expression neutral. He prodded a blunt finger claw into his little friend's side, knocking him back down to the ground completely. "Just think about that. I'm tossing you about, winding you, making it so you can't even stand up and I'm barely using any of my strength to do it." Tirrell curled himself up a little, his tail tucking tightly between his legs. Even now, in the shadow of the colossal wolf, he still held a faint hope that this would all be a dream. Of course, he knew full well this wish to be mere fantasy. The discomfort, the rising fear, the overwhelming humiliation; all of it was very real. Jevin sighed heavily, blasting Tirrell with a gust of air as he stood back up to his full height. "Let's be sure you understand." "What?" the little wolf muttered despondently, shortly before he became bathed in shadow once again. He didn't get a response. Instead, Jevin offered him the sight of his giant foot growing even larger as it plummeted downwards. "Hey. Jevin, stop. Please! I--" He wouldn't, of course. The larger lupine pressed his little roommate down beneath the ball of his paw, cutting off the pleas and winning a loud, frightened cry. Tirrell struggled in vain, utterly pinned as the heavy scent of Jevin's paw flooded his nose, overpowering his own as it marked his fur. It stayed planted atop him for what felt like hours, the firm, leathery pads barely giving to form around his frame. Warmth radiated into him from the soft fur that surrounded the dark pads, causing him to pant progressively heavier in an effort to cope. Jevin pressed a little firmer after a while, causing his friend to wince and howl loudly as he struggled to breathe. It gave Tirrell an idea of the sheer power behind the giant's paw; just one tiny movement could be the difference between being pinned and being crushed beneath his weight.
"See? I think you're starting to get my point." The pressure eased a little, allowing the trapped wolf to gasp in relief. Jevin proceeded to move his foot back and forth, rolling and tumbling the little wolf along with it. "I'm in complete control of my body here! When you come in drunk, you're not quite so predictable. Now, imagine me down there with something as big as you usually are that doesn't know how gentle or rough he's being. How do you think I feel? "Scared! Really scared!" Tirrell blurted, terrified by the vastness of the paw pushing him about. The point would not be lost however, compelling him to cease his struggling. "Oh... damn!" "That's right." The rolling stopped, and the pressure let up a little further. "Please let me go," he asked sorrowfully, instinctively trying to push up against the giant's pads but with little result. As he did, he began to recall flashes from the night before that were previously lost amidst his alcoholic stupor. Tirrell could now see firsthand the harsh treatment he'd dealt out, and what had driven his friend to do what he did. "Honestly, I'll never mistreat you again, I promise."
Finally, the force of the heavy paw weighing down upon him eased completely. It rose up, allowing the light of the day to flood in from all sides. Tirrell remained flat on his back, gasping for air while watching Jevin delicately set his foot back down next to him. High above, he could see a wide smile spreading across his big muzzle. "I'm not mad, Tirrell. I just wanted you understand how scary it is for me when you come in wasted and I don't expect it." He reached down, gently scooping the prone wolf up in his paw before setting off towards the couch. As he walked, Jevin petted over his little frame with a finger. "Next time, let me know if you're going to be drunk and I'll be able to take precautions. I know it's hard for a giant to understand what helplessness is like, but I think you have a taste of it now, yes?" He kept up his stroking, brushing a finger about Tirrell's torso while lowering himself down onto the couch. "I do, I know now," Tirrell replied with a keen nod. "I'm sorry... I mean it, I'll not hurt you again, and I'll let you know... when to not be around in case you wanna hide yourself away." He smiled as he finished, nosing at Jevin's huge index fingers while it continued to pet away at his stomach. "To be honest Jev... I'm starting to see positives to this whole 'being small' thing..." he paused, gazing off into the distance, "Well, when there's friendly giants about anyway. Don't know how I'd fare with the less friendly types!" Jevin blinked a few times, cocking his head curiously. "You like being small?" He laughed heartily, lifting Tirrell closer to his muzzle. "So, if I put you to work cleaning the inside of my tennis shoes, you'd not complain?" The little wolf considered that prospect for a moment, his nose scrunching up without him realising it. "I'd... give it a go... I guess, but I was more talking about the whole having giant friends thing. It's pretty cool." He sat up with a smile, tail wagging gently. "I guess that's how you feel... when I'm not bullying you, at least." His smile faltered a little with those last few words. Jevin's smile became a smirk. He extended his little finger, pressing it to Tirrell's chest and pinning him to his other palm. The sound of his tail flicking against the back of the couch could be heard as he replied. "Yeah, you're right. It is nice having a friend this size. I feel a bit safer knowing you have my back." He pushed a little firmer, but at no point did the tiny wolf feel discomfort. "Even so, it is nice being the one who does the pinning for a change."
They stayed that way for the next ten minutes. Jevin used his newfound size to keep his friend pinned, while Tirrell used his to try and wriggle free and defy him. As would be expected, the former came out on top more often than not. "I've got some more size shifting pills," the big wolf stated with a smile. "We'll have to trade places more often." "I'd... like that," Tirrell answered, panting from his repeated battles to unpin himself. "How long do they last." "The pink ones: about half a day. You can get yellow ones though that last for a couple." "Where do you get them from?" Jevin tapped his nose. "Secret." "Fine," Tirrell huffed, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. "Half a day? I guess we'll be back to normal soon." "We will... but we've enough time for your punishment." "Punishment?" "Yeah," Jevin grinned mischievously. "Don't you remember? Wolf and Mouse? I caught you, you have to have a punishment." Tirrell gulped, frowning. "So... your shoes?" The giant's expression eased back to a kind smile. "Let's go get some sundaes."
A pair of dishes sat full of syrup-topped ice-cream upon the dining table; one normal sized, the other scaled down awaiting someone smaller. "That looks good," Jevin stated with unreserved glee. "Definitely a fitting punishment." "Yeah," Tirrell replied, noticeably less enthusiastic. "Cheer up!" Tiny feet could be heard scampering across the table. Suddenly, Jevin, back to his natural size, leapt up with all his might, clearing the rim of the bigger bowl and landing face-first into a huge scoop of vanilla ice-cream. "How can you be upset with a sundae?" Tirrell sat down with a grunt, sliding his chair closer to the table. "When the serving is as big as my claw?" The little wolf didn't reply straight off, choosing instead to lick and gnaw at the mountain of dessert before him. "This... your... punishment," he muffled between gulps. "Right," Tirrell roared under his breath, watching his tiny friend burrow in further until just his wagging tail remained visible. He picked up the miniature dish and sniffed at it, accidentally smearing its modest contents over his nose. "Jerk."