The Temple of Testosterone - 3

Story by SuperWaffle on SoFurry

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#3 of The Temple of Testosterone


Brawn was having the time of his life.

The muscled bull had spent the entire night molesting his titanic new cock. Stroking it, sucking it, pumping it and blowing his enormous loads all over the place. His cock had morphed into a hulking, throbbing pillar of muscular flesh that painted the room when it exploded. Brawn couldn't count the layers of cum that covered his bedroom, only knowing he had turned it into a hotbox of pure, erotic energy. His bed sheets were utterly ruined and the very air he breathed stank of his musk.

Brawn couldn't help himself. It just felt so [I]good[/I]. His enhanced member shook his body with every toe-curling blast, the rapture of each release more powerful than the entirety of his past orgasms. And no matter how hard he shot, all he needed was a moments rest before his body started craving another orgasm. Brawn's naked body was saturated with his sweat and cum. He hadn't stopped pleasuring himself since he departed Club Flex. The Band of Fortitude constantly rejuvenated him and, if it wasn't for the morning sun signalling the start of a new day through the spunk on his window, Brawn knew he would have gone for another round, maybe five.

Hot cum squelched against his fur as Brawn pushed himself off the bed, helping himself to ample amounts of the semen that clung to his body before easing the second ring off his finger. Gingerly, Brawn watched as his herculean endowment deflated to its original size, going limp on his crotch, exhausted from all the beatings Brawn had given in. The wrestler bull slipped the ring back on and began slipping and sliding his way toward the bathroom. As reluctant as he was to let his cock shrink, going through his daily routine with a monster cock might cause problems.

Brawn wasn't the least bit worried though. Now that he had the Ring of Vigour, he would have plenty of time to enjoy himself, anytime he wanted. Today was going to be a good day.

***

Many years ago a wealthy pharmaceutical company purchased the expansive stretch of barren land several miles from the city. They were going to create the next generation of factories in an area half the size of the city. It was a grand feat the company boasted as the next big step in the field of pharmaceuticals. Their land wouldn't just host factories, there would be plants, housing, recreational facilities, essentially creating a factory-city, as they came to call it. Work began within days, an army of workers tearing up the land and laying the foundations for the biggest construction project of its time.

However, fate soon struck the company a terrible blow, one from which they would never recover from. Now the construction yard sat derelict and abandoned. Not even a single building had been completed, many were simply towering steel skeletons, deprived of walls and sometimes floors as well. The entire zone had been cordoned off with high fences and decorated with danger signs, and for good reason. The secluded area was littered with heavy building material that, coincidentally, catered perfectly to the needs of a certain mega-muscled unicorn.

"HGGNN!!"

Sturgis, who had been bench pressing a concrete pillar, strained mightily as he pressed his final rep. Using only his abs, the unicorn sat up and flung the mighty weight away with a roar. 500lbs of concrete smashed into the ground like a meteor, cracking from the force of the landing. Sturgis roared! The stallion's muscles fucking pumped from the workout. His wide chest sported two heaving pecs that flexed with every movement of his herculean arms, the hulking biceps so muscled they were bigger than basketballs. Sturgis growled, his chiselled eight pack abs crunching with the slightest of movements.

Still panting from the effort, the unicorn leaned back onto his elbows, enjoying his pump. Sturgis had no intention of showing off his titanic body down at the gym, there was no way he would be able to explain his sudden growth spurt and there was no way in hell he was going to tell anyone about the ring. The abandoned construction yard had been the perfect alternative for his morning workout. Sturgis had been jittery the entire bus ride, he couldn't stop admiring the ring, let alone stop imagining what it would soon do to him.

The construction yard was as quiet and abandoned as he expected. It was the perfect hiding spot for growing and lifting in privacy. Sturgis had taken steps to avoid any unnecessary clothing damage, stripping down to his underwear and stuffing his clothes into a workout bag before unleashing the power of the ring. The muscle growth was as intense and as arousing as before, almost causing him to orgasm right there and then.

Sturgis-Hulk had put together a makeshift gym using whatever building material he could find. If he was going to pump iron he might as well create the environment for it, using cinderblocks for benches, concrete pillar foundations for weights, and steel girders for everything else. The morning sun was rising now, casting a soft glow into his gym. Sturgis sat up, taking this chance to admire the bulge in his purple thongs. How he wished his cock would grow as well. Sturgis's member used to reach the base of his pecs when erect, now it stopped only halfway up his abs, looking small compared to his hulking body. Try as he might, Sturgis could not engulf his cock as he used to do, at least not with this huge body.

Sturgis slid off his makeshift bench. Patches of grey-brown dust covered his snowy-white fur, and even his purple thongs had been discoloured. Sturgis was oozing testosterone by now, feeling like the beefy, topless construction workers who used to work here. The drawback about pumping iron in an abandoned construction yard was the lack of showers and mirrors. It was a good thing he had spare underwear, and he could probably use the nearby taps for washing up. Sturgis stared out against the rising sun, today was going to be a busy day for him and he really ought to get moving soon. The stallion turned to regard his personal gym, absently palming his bulging abdominals.

Well, maybe a thousand or so sit ups first.

***

The affluent high street was famous throughout the city for its luxurious residences and wealthy residents. Brawn was one such resident. His estate was one of the most impressive residences on the high street. While it wasn't the largest, his three-story home had been built especially for him, his parents living elsewhere. The estate came with everything a bodybuilding wrestler bull could ever need. Swimming pools, expensive cars, a couple of gyms, and most importantly, ample amounts of privacy, for the main building sat on top of a hill, making it difficult even for his next door neighbours to spy on him.

Brawn was on the roof of his home, pumping iron in his outdoor gym, working up a good sweat for his morning workout. He was lifting the heaviest weights that he could, pumping out hundreds and hundreds of reps each time. Normally that would have been dangerous, if not impossible, but the Band of Fortitude allowed him to do just that. It was one of the reasons Brawn avoided public gyms. If people saw him lifting his 'one-rep-max' hundreds of times, it was going to raise eyebrows.

The bull continued counting his reps. He was squatting 850lbs of weight on his shoulders. His quads and glutes were burning from the titanic effort. Brawn gritted his teeth and continued pumping, deeply squatting each time to maximise his growth. It was hard work, especially at the speed he was going, but Brawn pressed on, confident in the powers of the ring.

Brawn locked his knees and kept his body upright. The standing position was always the least painful. Brawn kept his breathing controlled as he gave his body some rest. The Band of Fortitude was doing its work, and in seconds Brawn could feel the vitality returning to his legs, just a few seconds more, and he could squat his last rep. If he was going to make it count, he was going to take the last rep nice and slow. Brawn's nostrils flared as he took deep, controlled breaths, preserving his concentration.

Working out had been especially distracting today. Brawn had never felt so horny in his life, the Ring of Vigour sat on his finger, tempting him with lust. The big bull hadn't even bothered with his wrestling singlet, having instead opted for a skimpy pair of yellow posers that highlighted his ample assets. His cock was semi-hard in his trunks, the thick shaft pushing the material away from his waist, causing his balls to spill out.

Brawn glared at the bulging tent in his posers, it was already leaking pre into the material, craving to grow huge and muscular. Just one more rep, Brawn thought, and his full body workout would be complete. The muscle-bull unlocked his knees, taking in a slow breath as he lowered himself into a deep squat, inevitably grinding his semi against his beefy quads. Brawn moaned as jolts of arousal coursed up his spine, threatening to disrupt his form. By the time he had fully squatted, his cock was pulsing against his abs, almost begging for his attention.

The temptation came back, gently caressing the veiny flesh of his meat. He was strong enough to lift the barbell, why not do it with a little fun? All he had to do was say the magic words. He could always squat with his cock morphing into a titanic muscle monster between his legs and his testes swelling into bowling balls dangling from his scrotum.

No! No! Focus Brawn! Focus! Discipline was the key to his award winning body. He just had to focus. Brawn gritted his teeth and began to push. His quads began burning with muscular strain, bulging out against his trembling cock like meaty slabs as Brawn straightened. The muscle-bull shut his eyes and forced himself to focus as he finally stood, completing the one hundredth rep of his tenth set. Brawn's eyes snapped open as his muscles began to flex, and with a mighty roar he hefted the gargantuan barbell over his head and slammed it back onto its rack.

"Fuck!" Brawn panted, "What a workout."

Brawn's entire body was pumped beyond belief. The bull flexed a double biceps, enjoying the way the muscles exploded across his arms. The Band of Fortitude had already kicked in, healing the muscle cells that had been damaged by his insane workout, by the time it was done, Brawn knew he would be just a tiny bit bigger and stronger. The thought thrilled him, causing his cock to bounce in his posers. Damn, he felt fucking fantastic!

He had waited long enough. There was enough leftover space on the roof to build a swimming pool. Brawn made his way to the edge and threw himself into the refreshing waters, swimming over to the hot tub that had been built into the far end.

Brawn scanned his surroundings. The hot tub occupied a corner of the roof like a nest in a tree. Brawn had an unprecedented view of his neighbours and, unless he chose to reveal himself, they wouldn't be seeing very much of him at all. The bull pulled off his yellow posers, spreading his naked body wide. Brawn was up to his nipples in hot water, his cock was completely submerged. The bull smirked, but not for long.

"Golrentius!"

The muscle-bull didn't have to look at the ring to know it was glowing. He could feel it, raw energy coursing up his arm and down to his crotch. Brawn moaned, his cock was bulking up under the water, moving and [I]squirming[/I] with a life of its own. It was throbbing madly, swelling and shrinking, swelling and shrinking, gaining and losing [I]inches[/I] each time. Brawn was stamping his feet at the electrical storm that was shooting through his nerves. His cock felt fucking amazing!

Brawn let his tongue loll out of his mouth as his cock continued to morph. It was easily 15 inches by now and still twisting and coiling like a living creature. Brawn's hands flew to his nipples, he couldn't help himself, it felt too good to resist. Pinching his nipples sent more jolts of pleasure through his body. Cum began churning in his balls, causing them to swell in size, inflating like balloons against his thighs. His cock's throbbing was speeding up, his pelvis muscles contracting as though he was having an orgasm, Brawn was moaning uncontrollably now as his cock began to harden.

"OOH!"

22 inches of bull cock rose from the waters, the swollen mushroom head pressing hard against his pecs, throbbing softly. Thick pubic hair began sprouting across his muscles, covering his pecs and abs like a dense black forest. Fuck, he was getting hairy all over! His arms, his legs, and even the morning shadow grizzling across his chin. His hair was getting thicker, longer, flowing down to his shoulders. Brawn didn't need a mirror to know he was fucking gorgeous, a hairy, manly man who oozed testosterone from his pores.

Then his cock began rumbling, gathering power for its final growth spurt. Brawn could feel it thickening and muscling up, huge veins snaking across the long shaft. His cock suddenly surged, punching him in the chin just as his balls exploded from his crotch, pushing his thighs apart. Brawn's cock, a titanic pillar of muscular flesh, reared from the water like an enormous lake monster. The swollen, mushroom head pulsed before him. His huge cockslit was winking at him, spitting out precum as Brawn brought it to his wanting lips. The bull kissed it, moistening his lips with his juices.

Brawn had his long tongue wriggling down his urethra, kissing his cockhead as though his life depended on it, the head too big to fit in his mouth. So much precum was spilling from his monster, filling his mouth in seconds and forcing him to swallow. His nutrient rich precum was absolutely delicious and so unbelievably thick, sticking to the sides of his mouth as he chugged.

How could he not have realised this? His heaving bull testes were producing protein rich cum. It was like drinking a high quality protein shake. Brawn began pumping his herculean shaft and doubled the efforts of his lips and tongue. Arousal began building up in his pumped muscles, weakening them from lust. The pressure was building, boiling like a nuclear reactor in his bowling ball testes. Brawn moaned. His eyes unfocused, his face soaked with his juices, his balls were overfilled, ready to blow. Oh god he was ready to blow, he was ready to-

"UGH!"

FUCK! He was cumming! He was CUMMING! Brawn roared as his urethra began swelling, forming a monstrous, grotesque bulge along the base of his cock. The muscled bull continued to suck, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as the bulge surged through the shaft of his cock, every second of it overwhelming him with the force of a hundred orgasms. Brawn couldn't stop himself, his mouth opening wide to scream just as his cockhead exploded. The huge bull's mouth was overflowing in an instant, cum gushing down his throat and out through his nose. Brawn spluttered, but kept his lips firmly against his thrashing cock, determined to drink as much spunk as he could.

Brawn fell back, overwhelmed in a matter of seconds. His muscular body writhed and flexed as his orgasm became even [I]more[/I] powerful. Brawn was howling in ecstasy as his cock exploded, firing blast after blast of cum high into the air. The bull cursed, somebody might see him. Brawn threw his huge body forward and submerged his cock into the tub. The hot waters only intensified his climax. Brawn's hulking muscles flexed and crunched with each release, filling the tub with his seed as he fought to keep his cock contained. The Band of Fortitude was barely keeping him conscious. He didn't care, he couldn't care. Brawn simply let himself fall against the tub, howling in ecstasy.

***

Sturgis gave his (freshly dyed) cardinal-red mane a casual toss, enjoying the feeling of it falling against his neck and shoulders. The insane pump from his morning workout had carried over into his regular body, making him look even buffer than usual. Sturgis shifted slightly, causing the black fabric of his shirt to strain against his huge muscles. The material clung to him like paint, accentuating every rippling, bulging, heaving muscle. It was especially tight around his chest, stretching over the firm nipples that capped his huge pecs. Sturgis shifted slightly, careful to keep his arms relaxed. If his shirt had been tight around his chest, then they were threatening to blow at his biceps, one wrong move and Sturgis would have another sleeveless shirt for his wardrobe.

The beefy unicorn absentmindedly ran a finger across his thighs, admiring his awesome pump, the huge, teardrop shaped muscles visible even under the thick material. His pump felt too good. Sturgis kept getting distracted by the prospect of pumping even more iron (or concrete) down at the construction yard. He had only done some basic leg exercises this morning and already his quads were uncomfortably tight in his jeans.

Sturgis sighed. He wanted to get huge again. The construction yard had a junkyard full of scrapped cars and trucks. He had no idea why they were there but he was damn sure they were heavy. Sturgis imagined himself in hulk-mode, massive and naked and muscular, pounding his beefy chest over the wreckage of used cars. He knew his hulk form had the muscle for it. Sturgis couldn't wait to start picking up cars and tossing them like toys, roaring like some beastly animal.

It was a school holiday today and the suburb was buzzing with the sound of children playing outdoors. The school holiday was also the reason Sturgis was even here. The childcare agency had assigned him to the McCormick residence for the day. Apparently the McCormick's themselves had requested for a male babysitter, claiming they needed someone physically strong enough to handle their triplets. The triplets were apparently quite renowned for their energy. The agency had taken one look at the request and immediately assigned Sturgis to it.

"You're the biggest guy we have," the agency had said, "If you can't handle them, nobody can!"

And so Sturgis found himself approaching the McCormick's suburban house. It was quite a nice place, with its own garage and a huge garden out front. Sturgis slung his bag over his shoulder and pressed the doorbell. The agency had plenty of stories about this place, and Sturgis had taken their advice on packing spare clothes.

Mrs McCormick opened the door to her home, clad in an expensive, glittering gown. The tigress had a look of utter relief on her face.

"Oh," she exclaimed, still adjusting her earrings, "They sent us a big one! You must be Sturgis."

Sturgis nodded, suddenly feeling awfully poor compared to the woman. Mrs McCormick looked him up and down and, clearly satisfied, turned to address somebody Sturgis could not see.

"JOR-DAN!" she shrieked, "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT [I]NOW[/I]! THEY SENT US A BIG ONE! AND BRING THE KIDS! ALL OF THEM!"

Mr McCormick staggered into view, dressed in a three-piece dinner suit and struggling with his tie. He wasn't very big for a male tiger, barely taller than his wife and an entire hand shorter than Sturgis. There were huge bags under his eyes and his fur was slightly ruffled from the lack of sleep. Still, his most distinguishing feature was the three tiger cubs fighting for space on his torso.

One look was all it took to stop the tiger in his tracks, a second later Mr McCormick was on the floor, his kids wrestling him into submission. Mrs McCormick let out an exasperated sigh and stepped out onto her porch, shutting the door behind her.

"Alright Sturgis," she began, pausing at the sounds of muffled screams, "Thanks for coming, now here's what we need you to do..."

***

Joey, Joel and Josh trembled at the sight of their newest babysitter. They were clutching each other's hands, their tails intertwined. Sturgis was [I]huge[/I], taller than their dad and more than twice as wide. None of them could avoid noticing his hair. It was fiery-red and so long it flowed down to his shoulders. He was still outside, talking to their parents.

"I-Is he going to eat us?" Josh whispered, his little hand shivering in Joel's paw, "D-Dad said they asked for a monster after what we did to Blake."

"Don't be silly," Joey snapped, "Unicorn's don't eat people, do they?"

"I don't know," said Joel, "His stomach doesn't look very big."

"That's because he hasn't eaten yet, dummy!" chastised Josh, "Look at his shoulders! They're almost twice as wide as his gut!"

"That's because of his muscles you moron," called Joey, "Strong people have big muscles. There was a show about it on TV."

"Don't call me a moron, moron!"

"Then stop being so stupid, moron!"

"I'm not stupid," Josh snapped, "You are!"

"Guys, stop fighting!" implored Joel, "We don't know what we're-"

Joel was cut off mid-sentence as Josh lunged at Joey, somehow deciding that Joel wasn't an obstacle. The three cubs rolled across the floor, punching and kicking at everything and anything with their little paws and little feet. Joel heard the door closing as their parents left for their party, but despite his attempts to cry out a warning, he couldn't do it with Joey's paw in his face.

***

Sturgis stared at the leather-bound tome resting in Mr McCormick's bookshelf. There was a symbol of three intertwining rings on the spine of the book, which was titled 'The Temple of Testosterone'. Sturgis looked over his shoulder. He had succeeded in frightening the triplets into obedience with a little display of strength and a very loud roar. The fluffy cubs were trembling on the sofa, clutching onto each other for comfort.

The stallion turned back to the book and eased it out of the shelf. He had no idea why Mr McCormick had a book like that in the living room. It clearly wasn't something appropriate for children, and flipping through its pages confirmed Sturgis's suspicions. The book was filled with illustrations depicting naked, muscular men. Sturgis was just about to put it back when something caught his eye. The stallion flipped a few pages back, and felt his jaws going slack.

No. No, it couldn't be! The book spoke of his ring! There were diagrams of scrawny guys bulking up into muscular studs with a golden ring upon their fingers, even illustrations of muscular studs hulking into massive muscle freaks. Sturgis felt his mouth run dry as he began searing the information into his head. So there were only three rings out there, and Brawn had the Ring of Vigour, the ring that turned your cock into a monster.

The book was explaining everything, the legend of the muscle god who created the rings, the power of the three rings, and even the thousands of individuals known to have worn then. They had all perished from greed, their respective rings torn from their bodies. Sturgis's hands were shaking by now. The rings cosmetic appearance could even be altered, allowing it to be worn as a body piercing to throw off ring hunters.

But what intrigued him most was this so called 'Temple of Testosterone' and the ultimate power that was hidden within. Sturgis would have never believed a single word of the book if not for the Ring of Muscle sitting on his finger right now. To think his ring wasn't working at full power, let alone imagine what the ultimate power could be. Sturgis was ready to drool, he wondered if Brawn even knew about the things in this book. The bull already had the Monster Cock Ring (or the Ring of Vigour according to the book), that just left...

A soft hand touched his right thigh, trying and failing to grasp the tight material. Sturgis jumped, shutting the book with a loud slam. Oh shit, he had forgotten about the cubs. Sturgis turned to look, shoving the book back into its slot.

Joel stood there, his wide eyes shiny with tears, one hand on Sturgis's leg and the other around an enormous cushion. Sturgis felt his heart break at the sight, perhaps he [I]had[/I] overdone it. The unicorn knelt and, after some coaxing, Joel allowed himself to be carried back to the sofa. Josh had curled into a ball, holding his tail to his eyes. Joey was hugging him within a fort they had built using sofa cushions. Sturgis felt his heart sink even further as Joey looked up to him, his eyes wide and wet with tears. They didn't even resist as Sturgis dismantled their fort and eased himself on the sofa.

It took some effort, but eventually Joey relented and crawled onto Sturgis to join his brother. They were soft and fluffy against his shoulders, so unlike the hyperactive monsters the agency had portrayed them to be. After some time, Josh grew more comfortable with the hulking monster on their sofa, and crawled over to rub his eyes against Sturgis's shirt. Sturgis leaned back against the plush sofa, kids were not his forte, and he didn't trust himself to say anything to soothe them yet. So he simply held them against him, making sure they had enough space to move around if they needed to.

Sturgis was starting to doze when one of the cubs gave his chest a friendly smack.

"Why are your chest lumps so big?" said Josh's voice.

"They're muscles you dummy," replied Joey, "Big guys have them."

"How come Dad doesn't have muscles?" said Josh again, "He's big."

"Well clearly Sturgis here is [I]bigger[/I]," piped Joel, "Now stop climbing all over me!"

Sturgis felt guilty watching them squabble, the truth was that he was so strong a bunch of kids standing on his thighs and stomach didn't affect him. Then one of the cubs accidentally swiped his tail against Sturgis's nipple, sending a jolt of electricity up his spine, causing his pec to bounce. Joey, who had noticed Sturgis's chest flex, paused in shock, inevitably resulting in the triplets tumbling harmlessly onto the sofa.

"Hey!" he cried, untangling himself and crawling back onto Sturgis, "It moved!"

"Do it again!" Joel demanded, joining his brother and giving Sturgis's pec a hard smack, "Do it again!"

Sturgis chuckled, ruffling their fluffy heads. Josh, not to be left out, came squeezing in under his arm and soon the unicorn had three tiger cubs jumping on top of him. Sturgis obliged, and gave his chest muscles a powerful flex. The triplets went wide eyed, and soon they were busying themselves punching and rubbing his bulging pecs.

"It's like punching concrete!" Joey exclaimed.

"Why are your muscles so big, Sturgis?" asked Joel.

"Guys," interrupted Josh, "Come check out his arms! Dad doesn't look like that at all!"

A few minutes later Sturgis found himself walking about, the three cubs dangling from him like a jungle gym. He could guess why Mr McCormick had such a hard time with these guys. They were really energetic and really fond of climbing all over him, constantly comparing him to their physically weaker father. It seemed Mr McCormick just didn't have the time to work out. The tiger was just far too busy, juggling his job, a wife, and three kids. Sturgis didn't have the heart to tell anybody that he recognised Mr McCormick, and that the tiger clearly recognised him.

Mr McCormick was a regular patron at Club Flex.

"Hey!" Joey suddenly yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Josh, "How come he gets to sit there! I want to sit there!"

Josh, who had his legs around Sturgis's neck, roared his best baby-tiger-roar as he fought to defend the hot seat. Sturgis followed Joel out the backdoor and into the backyard. The scorching sun was glaring and fierce, but that failed to distract Sturgis from the swimming pool build into the McCormick's backyard.

"It's pretty hot today guys," Sturgis commented, trying to distract the combatants on his shoulders, "Your mum said we could use the pool, how about a swim?"

***

The pool was [I]heavenly[/I]! Sturgis had stripped down to a pair of modest trunks for swimming. While the triplets needed floats for chasing each other about, the pool was shallow enough for Sturgis to stand in, the water barely reaching his nipples. It had been hours since they first jumped in, screaming and laughing and splashing at each other. He was actually enjoying himself. The cubs were fluffy and cute and constantly jostling for his attention, insisting he toss them from all sorts of weird positions, something Mr McCormick never had the strength to do.

Several hours had passed by the time the sky began filling up with dark clouds. Sturgis had ushered the cubs back into the house despite their screams of protest. He was their babysitter after all, and swimming in a storm was dangerous. Joey had been particularly grumpy as he towelled them off and squeezed them into clean clothes.

"I'm not letting you out of the house," Sturgis had said, forcing them to look away as he put on his old clothes, "Not when there's lightning outside."

The cubs had protested, obviously, but then came a blinding flash and a thundering explosion tore that through the house. Sturgis found himself cuddling the triplets in their room, their fluffy heads buried in his chest for protection. He couldn't shake them off even as he prepared their dinner. They took turns sneaking off their highchairs and clinging onto his legs. It broke his heart to see them making their miserable faces at him, but he had a sizzling pan of hot macaroni and cheese to worry about, and he wasn't let them anywhere near that.

"Let's eat in the tree house!" Joey quipped as Sturgis deposited him in his chair, "Please! It's really safe. The lightning won't get us in there!"

"The lightning won't get you in here," Sturgis countered, "Besides, the tree isn't safe anymore and your mum has forbidden you from climbing it."

"No way," Joey protested, "I climb it all the time, the house won't fall off. It's too secure."

"The [I]tree[/I] isn't safe, Joey," Sturgis said, returning to the macaroni, "It ancient and too heavy for its roots."

"Is the tree going to fall?" asked Josh.

"Yes," Sturgis said simply, "Your parents have already informed the city council. They'll be coming down in a few days to cut it down. Besides, there's no way I'm letting you out in this storm, I can't even see the neighbour's house anymore."

Sturgis eased the macaroni and cheese into their respective bowls. The triplets really [I]were[/I] cute, they even had bowls labelled with their names. Sturgis turned, and nearly dropped the bowls at the sight that greeted him.

Joey's chair was empty.

"Joey!" Sturgis cried, pointing at the empty chair, "Where is he!?"

"I think he said something about the tree," quipped Josh, waving his spoon eagerly, "I want some of that!"

But Sturgis did not hear him. He was already gone, tearing across the living room to the open door.

"C'mon!" Joel cried, clambering out of his chair and sliding to the ground, "Let's follow him!"

"But what about the cheese," Josh protested, "I want some- OW!"

"Hurry up!" snapped Joel, who had thrown his spoon at Josh's head, "Let's go!"

***

There was an earth shaking BOOM as thunder and lightning streaked across the sky. Joey tripped, falling face first onto the muddy grass. He was terrified. The thunder shook him to the bone, but still the tiger recovered and continued to run. They couldn't cut down his tree! They just couldn't! The three of them had spent too much time in their tree house. Joey barely made two steps before another gust of wind threw him off his feet. The water that splashed against him was freezing, but still Joey pressed on, refusing to stop until he reached the base of the tree.

"Joey!" called a strong voice, "Joey where are you!?"

It was Sturgis. The unicorn was yelling from the front porch, Joey could make out his red hair even in the heavy rain.

"I'm here Sturgis!" Joey yelled, unsure if Sturgis could even hear him, "I'm just going to check on the tree house!"

It was clear the rain was drowning out his voice. Joey began climbing the ladder that had been hammered into the bark. The rain was making it slippery, and one or twice Joey nearly lost his grip. Hanging on with one hand, Joey waved in the direction of the house. He was much higher now, surely Sturgis could see-

[I]CREEEEEEEEEEEEAK[/I].

Joey froze. Did the tree just move?

[I]GROOOOOOOOOAAAAAN[/I].

There was a sudden shift as the tree began leaning towards Joey. The tree was sinking into the ground on this side, causing water to cascade down from gaps in its branches. Roots began snapping and breaking as the entire tree began to sway. Joey screamed as lightning flashed around the tree as he clung onto the ladder, hanging on for dear life. It was as though the tree itself sought to throw him off. Water began flooding down between his fingers, loosening his grip on the ladder.

"Oh crap!"

He fingers gave way, sending him right into a freezing puddle. The massive tree screamed and groaned as the last of its roots were torn from the ground. Joey struggled to push himself up, his freezing limbs refusing to obey him. The ancient oak flailed against the wind, its great shadow looming over the tiny cub, shrieking its death knell.

Joey fell back into the puddle and screamed, screamed as the great tree plummeted towards him.

***

[I]CRRAAAAACK[/I]!

Joey curled into a ball, covering his face with his paws and tail. Woodchips rained down upon him as the tree finally stuck. Joey whimpered, bracing himself for the worst as the world darkened around him, waiting for the tree to smash him to bits. Joey waited, and waited, refusing to open his eyes until something [I]growled[/I].

The cub forced his eyes open. A massive white hand hovered an inch from his face, the huge fingers crushing into the bark. Joey felt himself gasp as the flesh on the hand began writhing and twisting, becoming larger and wider as it inflated like a balloon. Joey traced the length of the hand, and felt his eyes widen at the sight of a forearm that was thicker than his entire body. Whoever they belonged to was growing, his legs ripping out of his jeans in a mess of white fur.

"S-Sturgis?"

***

Sturgis growled a deep, bestial growl as he began [I]lifting[/I] the massive tree away from Joey's tiny body. The cub was awestruck, trembling in the cold as his babysitter's body exploded with muscle, growing and swelling as he hefted the massive tree. His biceps were rippling mountains, his chest was impossibly wide, his fucking thighs thicker than most trees. The more Sturgis grew, the stronger he got, as was evident by the increasing ease at which he was lifting the tree. And by the time Sturgis had the tree above his head he was a fucking muscle monster monster, he had gotten so huge Joey could probably sit in the palm of his hand.

Sturgis unleashed a monstrous roar, his bulging muscles exploding all over his body in a herculean flex, and [I]threw[/I] the massive tree like a javelin, sending it high into the air before crashing onto the road. Sturgis roared again, drunk on the power that burned through his muscles. He brought his biceps up for a monstrous flex, feeling them exploding against his skin. He had just thrown several tons of wood cleanly over the top of his head. Sturgis was all power, all muscle! He was a beast! A titan! A fucking muscular-

A soft sob, followed by something wet smacking against his calf, snapping him back to reality. Joey had clamped himself onto his leg, crying into his knee. Sturgis forced himself to relax, calming the adrenaline surging through his veins. Slowly, gently, Sturgis eased himself down, using his hulking body to shield Joey from the rain. Josh and Joel came splattering over, dressed in bright yellow raincoats and holding hands. Together the tiger trio threw themselves against him, sobbing and crying and grabbing onto every muscular crevice for comfort.

"It's alright guys," Sturgis rumbled, rubbing their heads with his fingers, "It's alright. I'm here, you're safe with me.

***

Sturgis slumped over the bathroom sink, sulking and tugging at his crimson crown. He had activated the ring in front of the kids! Fuck! What if they told everybody! His dirty little secret would be out! He would have to go into hiding! What if someone took pictures of him throwing that fucking tree! Oh god! What was he going to do?!

The stallion pushed himself up, steeling his shredded nerves. On the bright(er) side, at least his underwear had held against his growth, keeping his naughty bits away from the trio's innocent eyes. Plus, it was raining bullets outside, Sturgis couldn't even see Joey against the tree until he got close, maybe no one would recognise him, if they could see him at all.

Sturgis slumped back onto the sink. Crap. Why did his fur have to be white? A seven feet ten inch tall unicorn beast covered in snow-white fur wasn't exactly hard to see. The unicorn gave himself ten more seconds of sulking before pushing himself back up. There was no sense crying over spilled milk, he could worry about damage control some other time. Sturgis dug through his bag for some fresh clothes and squeezed himself into them.

Josh and Joey and Joel came slamming into him the moment he opened the door. They were clad in their respective, colour coded jammies for the night. There was a sudden flash of lightning that illuminated the house. The cubs squealed, leaping onto Sturgis for protection. The unicorn carried them back to the living room and threw himself onto the sofa, exhausted from the day's events.

"You sure you guys don't want to sleep in your room?"

"Josh is scared of the lightning, Sturgis!" said Joey, who had recovered from his ordeal after a warm bath and some cuddling with his brothers.

"No way!" protested Josh, who promptly stood and puffed out his chest. There was another flash of lightning, and suddenly Josh was shivering against Sturgis's side, covering his head with his tail.

Sturgis opened his mouth to speak, but the weather caught up to him first. There was a brilliant blast of lightning, followed by an earth shaking explosion, and the room was suddenly engulfed in utter darkness. The cubs squealed in unison, and suddenly Sturgis felt his lower body imprisoned in a massive pillow fort, the cubs shaking with fear against his warm muscles.

"It's just thunder and lightning boys," Sturgis chuckled, rubbing of them between the ears, "There's nothing to worry about."

"The lightning is scary!" Josh wailed, "Grow big again, Sturgis!"

"Yeah get huge again, Sturgis!" Joey quipped, "Scare away the lightning!"

"And the thunder," Joel added, just as another bolt flashed across the sky, "Or just protect us, Sturgis!"

"Yeah protect us, Sturgis!"

"Keep us safe with you!"

"How high can you toss me when you're huge?"

"Guys!" Sturgis boomed, silencing the fluffy cubs, "I can't just get huge whenever I want to-"

He was interrupted by a loud gasp from a starry eyed Josh.

"Are you like Batman?" he exclaimed, his face bright and worshipful.

"You mean the Hulk, dummy!" interjected Joey, crawling over Sturgis to smack Josh on the nose.

"The big green guy is Batman!" Josh yelled, "Batman!"

"Hulk!"

"Batman!"

"Hulk!"

"BATMAN!"

"HULK!"

"GUYS!"

The cubs fell silent, cuddling together in their pillow fort as they looked up at Sturgis. The stallion gave them an easy smile.

"Guys," he said softly, "You can't tell anybody about this okay? I need to keep my superpowers a secret. If the government finds out they might try to capture me for their evil experiments, and I can't afford to be chased all over the world."

"See? Hulk!"

Sturgis intervened before Josh could protest.

"Can I have this agreement from you guys?" implored Sturgis, "Let's keep this our little secret. If the bad guys find out, there'll be more trouble than ever."

The fluffy, starry eyed cubs, overwhelmed by the prospect of having a 'superhero' for a babysitter, could only nodded in agreement.

***

Sturgis breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully he had succeeded in buying the triplet's silence. The stallion squinted out of the window. It was awfully late and it didn't look like Mr & Mrs McCormick were back yet. Sturgis glanced at the sofa as he passed it, ensuring the cubs were sound asleep, huddled together under a blanket. The unicorn made for the bookshelf and pulled out 'The Temple of Testosterone' again. Now that he had some privacy, he better read up as much as he could.

It turned out Mr and Mrs McCormick were held back by the violent storm [I]and[/I] the huge tree Sturgis had so conveniently tossed onto the middle of the road. They had been genuinely surprised at Sturgis's condition, having expected to see him curled into a corner and muttering to himself. Mr McCormick in particular had insisted on shaking Sturgis's hand, congratulating him on a job well done.

Sturgis could only wonder if Mr McCormick knew the stallion recognised him. Moreover, he was concerned if the cubs would keep his secret a secret.

He just didn't want any more trouble.

***

Brawn stared at the fuzzy screenshot that was making rounds on the internet. Most people called the picture a fake. There was no way anyone could have thrown a tree that big onto the street. It was definitely the work of powerful storm winds, some attention seeker had just edited a person into the image and accidentally made him too big to be real.

The muscled bull magnified the picture on his screen, wiping away his spunk for a better look. The 'person' had a body that was pure white, hair that was a fiery-crimson red, and a body more muscular than naturally possible. It resembled a horse, with what looked like a horn growing from its forehead. The image was too fuzzy for Brawn to see the creature's face. This was either a fake, or fate giving Brawn the location of his final ring.

Brawn's face twisted into an evil smirk.

"I have you now, Sturgis."

"I have you now."