FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sun rose upon what was supposed to be a normal day. The light shone upon the city, bathing it in a gentle glow. The sky was a clear blue with only a hint of clouds, the air was cool without being cold; everything pointed to it just being another day. As the sun rose, the normal city crowds started to fill the streets, replacing those who wandered them during the night. People got up and prepared for work, or headed out to do some shopping in the city, or simply went to go meet friends. It was another perfectly average day, and it seemed at first that nothing out of the ordinary could happen.

But elsewhere, in a small apartment, a plot was being unfolded. Today was going to be anything but the average day; instead, one black wolf had a plan, and it would involve the city as a whole. Fingers danced over the keyboard as they typed out a long email, specifying sixteen recipients that would get the message and gather together to help see his idea come to fruition. The message was simple, stating a time and location for them to meet, and signed with the wolf's trademark signature, a large letter Z. These sixteen were to be a part of his plan, and eagerly too; now they just had to initiate it. As the message was sent, Zee leaned back and grinned to himself, his paws behind his head.

The game would begin soon enough.

---

ROUND 1 - 16 Contestants Remain

---

=Victim 1: Bayard Zylos=

Sixteen furs gathered at the edge of the city at a predetermined meeting place, a wide variety that stood out to any watchers. They ranged in size and species to an amazing extent, from a mint-green heavy wolf to a rather average-looking white fox. An anthro bat rubbed shoulders with a red-and-brown dragon. Certainly it wasn't the most organized bunch, but it did make for an interesting group. All of them had gathered together for one purpose, though, and one only: they had all received the same message from a certain wolf, and were eager to see what it would entail.

The message had been simple: "I'm feeling up for a game. The rules are simple: we will gather together tomorrow at noon, at the location given below. From there, you all will hide; why, do you ask? It's simple, because I will be pursuing you, ready to catch you and turn you into another one of my 'victims.' Now as you're all more than willing to be caught, there's a bit of a catch; the longer it takes for me to find you, the bigger you will be. The last one caught... let's just say that 'living large' won't even be able to compare! The game will begin once I arrive, and from there we'll have some fun. I look forward to seeing you all there!"

Of the sixteen recipients, not one of them chose to be even a minute late. In fact, the majority of them were there over half an hour early. They spoke quickly among themselves, excited and eager for the game ahead. Every one of them was a fan of Zee's work, and they all enjoyed inflation in some way or another; the thought of actually becoming a 'victim' was all too exciting. But they didn't just have a chance to be inflated, or fattened, or whatever else they had come here to get. No, there was much more! Zee hinted at something larger than most pranks he had done before, a gift only given to the one who could avoid his touch the longest. That alone was incentive enough for them to play the game to win.

Noon came and went quickly, and the gathered 'players' started to worry. Zee still hadn't shown up, and the game was supposed to start soon. They spoke among themselves, discussing various possibilities; maybe his bus had gotten held up, or perhaps he had forgotten the exact location he had given and had to backtrack. None of the explanations seemed wholly plausible though, and in the end they all started to wonder at the time it was taking him. The wolf had seemed very eager for his game, but his lack of appearance made them all start to wonder if something had happened, or if the gathering was in itself a big prank of its own. That thought was particularly discouraging, though. For a minute they all considered leaving and just going home...

Then one of the players, an arctic fox in the back of the crowd, let out a meep of surprise. The others turned to look as his belly started expanding outward with air, the red trench coat he was wearing overtop his fur stretching to accommodate his growing girth. The fox's muzzle started to puff up as a hissing sound became apparent, his cheeks puffing out like miniature balloons. Everyone saw that the fun had begun, and grins were exchanged between everyone except the poor arctic fox that had been chosen as the game's first victim. Leaning against the fox as he puffed up to comical, yet mobile sizes, was a single black wolf, a pair of shades hiding his lupine-yellow eyes from view.

"Alright, folks. Bayard here has 'volunteered' to demonstrate the size for this round... so unless you want to be cut off at this point, I suggest you start running and hiding! You've got twenty minutes before I start coming after you."

Zee had arrived, and the game had started. Everyone scattered to find their hiding places, knowing that they had to do their best to keep out of sight if they wanted the real prize of being the wolf's biggest victim yet.

---

=Victim 2: John Lobo=

The heavy green wolf panted as he tried to run along the street, his bulk making exertion a bit difficult as he made his way through the city. A few furs noticed his hurry with curiosity, but most of them paid him no mind. Lobo didn't care either way; right now, his focus was finding a hiding place to make sure that Zee wouldn't find him. The big wolf wanted that prize of being the biggest out there at any cost; he knew that the inflator would take him and fatten him to huge proportions. After the stuffing he had received at Zee's hands in one minor use of his powers, he knew that 'living large' wouldn't even begin to cover what the trickster would do given a full release of his abilities. Just the thought of being that huge was enough to make Lobo giddy, and was all the justification he needed for the calories he was burning now.

Being a mint green wolf had its disadvantages, unfortunately. His fur color made him stand out in the crowd, meaning he couldn't just blend in like everyone else could. That meant he had to find a building or somewhere to conceal himself completely before Zee started his search. Lobo looked around hurriedly, trying to find somewhere to hide. A huge, brightly-colored building caught his eye as he ran along the street, drawing his gaze to it. A large ice cream parlor stood out against the duller buildings to either side almost in the same way that the fat wolf's fur made him noticeable against the regular-colored furs in the crowd. It seemed that the shop was closed, too. That would be the perfect hiding spot: not only would Zee never check a closed shop, but Lobo could get a sweet treat to pass the time! With a grin and a rub to his large belly as if soothing it, he headed straight for the parlor, sure that the game was in his paws. Now he would just have to wait it out.

The front door to the parlor, luckily, was unlocked. It seemed odd that the owner would leave his or her shop unprotected, but they were probably in a hurry or something when they left. Shrugging, Lobo counted his blessings and slipped inside, carefully locking the door behind him. In the event that Zee did check, he'd simply find a quiet, locked shop. Lobo's tail wagged back and forth once things were set into place, and the big wolf immediately headed over to the large counter in the back of the shop. Beneath a plastic barrier, refrigerated at freezing temperatures, were so many different flavors of ice cream that Lobo couldn't count them all. An assortment of toppings, almost as endless, sat beside them.

Ducking down behind the counter, Lobo grabbed one of the serving bowls and a coop, fumbling around overhead for one of the ice cream tubs. After a moment he found one and pulled himself up slowly, peeking over the counter to make sure that he was in the clear. Once he was sure, the fat wolf took a few scoops of several different flavors and dumped the collective mass into his bowl. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookie dough, and of course mint chocolate chip were all mixed together into a grand sundae. Another careful peek to make sure that Zee wasn't roaming nearby was followed by a trip over to the line of toppings. Chocolate sauce, caramel, sprinkles, and crushed nuts were topped by a thick spray of whipped cream and topped with a few cherries to complete his creation.

Sitting down behind the counter, Lobo prepared to enjoy his treat before he realized he was forgetting a spoon. Not wanting to be uncivilized and just shove it all in his muzzle (fun as that sounded), he reached up above him one last time to seek out such an implement. His paw roamed over the counter, but he found that luck was just not on his side; there were none within his limited reach. Grumbling, he continued to reach around, roaming further and further over until his paw found something unusual and rubbery. Blinking, the wolf turned and sat up on his knees to see what he had found.

His eyes went wide with excitement as he realized that he had found the hose to a soft-serve machine, one used for filling up larger tanks of ice cream. With a grin Lobo forgot about his sundae and took the hose, sticking it in his muzzle as he sat back down behind the counter. It was a little sticky, probably from the already-melted ice cream on it. With ease he reached up and found the dial for the machine, turning it on low and clamping his muzzle on tight as he felt the soft sugary goodness flow into his belly. Murring happily, he leaned back and rubbed his belly, loving the cold flow of ice cream going into it. This wasn't just the best place for him to hide; it was perfect!

At least, it had seemed that way at first. Lobo was starting to enjoy his little treat, leaning back and closing his eyes contentedly. Then he noticed that the flow seemed to be coming a little fast, and reached back to turn down the dial. A paw held his back though, and his eyes widened as he looked up. Zee was sitting on the counter above him, his other paw on the controls as he slowly turned up the soft serve machine. Lobo's next move was to remove the hose and run, but as he tried to do so he noticed something: the hose was stuck to his muzzle! Pulling hard as he tried to get out, he realized that it wasn't coming free. The sticky feeling on the end must have been glue of some sort!

Zee grinned as he watched Lobo struggle, slowly turning up the dial higher and higher until it was at maximum, causing the large container that was nearly as big as his victim to empty itself completely into him. Slowly the wolf's belly started to distend from the amount of cold soft serve flooding into him, swelling outwards like a furry water balloon. That wasn't quite the right description considering it was starting to sag downwards as it passed his knees, but it was certainly close enough. Slowly his gut started to become too huge and round for him to remain upright, causing Lobo to fall onto his back as the sphere stretched above him. It was starting to digest too, as Zee's powers kicked in; slowly his muzzle was starting to sag and puff out with fat, his arms widening as new rolls sank down. His legs grew similarly, and his rump pushed him slightly off of the floor as he continued to gain weight.

Finally the tanker emptied itself, leaving a very fat Lobo. Though he was still mobile, the wolf groaned at the full feeling in his belly. He could move, but until his gut didn't feel so tight, he didn't plan on going anywhere. Zee laughed again before turning and jumping off of the counter, dusting his paws off on his way to the front door.

"Sorry, Lobo! Looks like you're out in round one..."

---

=Victim 3: Light the Lucario=

Light hurried along the rooftops, using his greater agility to his advantage. He easily jumped from surface to surface, sure that he was keeping ahead of his pursuer. The Lucario landed softly on his feet after each jump, nearly soundless as he made his way across. Each movement was careful as he kept a close eye on his surroundings, deliberate and planned. He knew that Zee wasn't necessarily agile, but the wolf was tricky; if Light stopped for any unnecessary period of time, he might found himself caught.

Frowning, he stopped. What if... what if his running was setting him up for one of Zee's traps anyway? It wasn't impossible to assume that the inflator wolf had assumed Light would run in the places where his physical finesse would give him the most advantage, and set up a trap already. After all, he was a surprisingly resourceful prankster. Zee rarely lost a target once he had chosen them. Light's eyes narrowed again as he stopped, wondering. What was the wolf's next move, where would he strike? Surely there would be some sort of indication before he struck, right?

A sound off to the side made the Lucario jump, and he turned to face it suddenly, his ears perking up as he looked around. There was no one in sight... but at the same time he could have sworn he had sensed something. Suddenly getting very cautious, Light backed up, continuing to cast his eyes and his gaze around. There was someone nearby, he could sense that much. But he couldn't tell who or where; for all he knew he was sensing some random passerby on the ground, since his range was pretty wide. The Lucario had a suspicion though, knowing that his senses weren't usually far off. He slowly made his way to the edge of the building, keeping his back to it so that no one could sneak up on him. Not unless they could fly, anyway, and Zee certainly couldn't do that!

Suddenly, a tap at the back of his leg surprised him, causing Light to turn. Standing vertically on the wall was a very familiar black wolf, his golden eyes glittering as his hair hung straight downwards. The Lucario blinked in surprise, wondering how he had done that, until he noticed something odd on the wolf's feet. A cartoonish-looking pair of plungers attached to his shoes allowed him to stand upright. Light wanted to argue the physics of the situation, but it seemed that the game was over for him as his stomach started to swell outwards. With a sigh, he lowered his arms in defeat and helped Zee onto the rooftop before he got too big to move.

"Bleh, guess I'm out early, huh?"

"Mhm. At least you're third out, and not first!"

Light watched as his white-furred belly started to slowly swell out spherically, making him look a bit overweight. The appearance didn't last long though, and soon his chest was starting to follow behind it, causing him to round out a bit like a balloon. Each of his limbs followed shortly, puffing out roundly until they were like large tubes pushing against his swelling torso. They were getting wider though and no longer, and soon started to look more like tires than tubes. His muzzle was next, the cheeks puffing out to press against his beach ball of a torso. Even his pointed ears started to get into the act, looking a bit more rounded almost like a feline's. It was quite the comical image. The spike on his chest, fortunately, was far enough outwards that it had no chance of pricking him; even if it did though, it would only be uncomfortable; Zee never let his victims pop!

Slowly Light got rounder and rounder until he resembled the fox that was blown up earlier. His feet still touched the ground and he could walk with some difficulty, but beyond that the Lucario's torso was a large sphere with four huge tubes attached to it. His toes had even swollen out a good deal, making it hard for him to walk with anything more than a splayed stance, but even so he was left mobile; rather small for one of Zee's inflations. That was the cost of getting out early, though. Grinning, he pressed his paws into his rounded body, chuckling as he felt them rebound against the soft fur as if it were a balloon's surface. At least he got the pleasure of being inflated, even if it wasn't a huge size!

Zee grinned and snuck up behind him, giving Light a push from behind that sent him onto his belly. The Lucario flailed as he tried to get back up, but he realized that even being mobile on his feet meant nothing while he was stuck on his large belly. With a laugh he squirmed around, trying to right himself while Zee headed for the nearby fire escape down to the roof. With a chuckle, he started on his way down to the bottom of the building, ready to hunt down his next target. The game still had a long way to go!

---

=Victim 4: Will Spark=

Will panted heavily as he ran, a bit out of breath as he ducked into an alleyway to catch his breath. He was at a disadvantage in this game, compared to a lot of the others; where they all had definable species and could blend with the crowd as 'normal' furs (with a few notable exceptions), he was an odd hybrid, a sort of cat/wolf mix that was hard to define. He had gray fur and black hair; that normally wouldn't have been a problem. Even his excess weight, drawing his black shirt slightly above his navel wouldn't have been odd. But a slightly closer look would reveal much more. Certainly he had no problem standing out with his features. Pointed ears with a slight curve to them, a slightly wider face than the usual lupine, and a slightly feline slant to his eyes made him look different from the average wolf. The fact that he was a hybrid didn't bother him in any way, but it made for a poor playing field when he was trying to be inconspicuous.

The alleyway was empty, fortunately, and very quiet. There was a door at the far end, one that looked like an interior fire escape, as well as a dumpster and a few random boxes scattered around. Unfortunately, aside from the door it was a dead-end, meaning that if he didn't keep moving to find another spot, he'd be cornered with ease. He hadn't seen Zee work in person, but from the pictures and the posts regarding his work online, he knew the wolf was certainly a tricky one. There was no predicting how he would act, and he could certainly surprise anyone given the motivation. The game would be just the motivation he needed too. After all, he had called the game for some fun; now he was enjoying himself, and wouldn't show any mercy in stalking his victims.

Heading for the fire escape, Will tugged on it, hoping that it was unlocked. It seemed to lead to an apartment complex, and he could easily lose any pursuit by hiding in an empty room. After all, what were the odds of finding one room in the entire city? Unfortunately, though the knob turned the door was shut fast, meaning that he couldn't pull it open. The hybrid shook his head in disgust at the lack of maintenance on a fire escape door; what would happen if someone got trapped inside? Either way, it was a dead-end for him, meaning that he would have to head back into the crowd and find another place to hide.

As he turned to leave, rubbing at one of his wide sides to ease a stitch in it from running, Will heard a creaking sound behind him. He turned to see what was going on before he noticed that the door he had been tugging on before was swinging outward. A familiar black wolf stood on the other side of it, chuckling to himself before he paused, noticing the hybrid in front of him. That jovial laugh turned into quite the mischievous grin as he strode forward.

"Well, I didn't expect to find another so soon! I just got done with another player, and I stumble upon you! Certainly a nice treat."

Will backed up, as if he was going to run, but Zee was easily faster than expected. He closed the distance in a mere second, pressing his paw to the hybrid's fat belly as he did so. Will let out a gasp of surprise at the sudden lunge, but the instant he was touched, he knew it was over. With a rue grin he scratched at the back of his head. "Well, you got me. Guess it's time to take my medicine. What have you got planned for me, then?"

"Only enhancing the obvious, big guy."

Will blinked, trying to make sense of that, before he felt his shirt tighten. Looking down, he noticed that his gut was starting to spread. Where his navel had only barely been exposed due to a too-small shirt, now it was in full view as his belly began to blimp outwards. The hybrid pressed his paws into the swelling mass of fat, realizing that they too were starting to thicken. His fingers swelled up like small sausages, looking round and plump while still fully flexible. His jeans were starting to get tight as he continued to fatten up, so he went to fumble with the button to let his belly expand, leaning forward to find it past his huge gut. As he did so though, he heard a tearing sound as his seat ripped from his rounding rump. With a blush he reached back to cover it, only to hear the button on his jeans pop off from the fat belly it was trying to constrain.

The growth continued for only a minute more, leaving a much fatter Will looking in need of a new wardrobe. His shirt barely covered a few inches of his gut, mostly serving to hold back his large, sagging chest. His wide back and large love handles were revealed on either side, enhancing his wider appearance. His rump was only partially contained by his halfway-ripped jeans, and his legs were starting to burst the sides of them. Overall, though, his tail wagged back and forth as he enjoyed his new fatter self, grinning happily. Sure, it wasn't the size he would have preferred from winning the game, but it was still a nice improvement from where he was! He chuckled and shook his larger stomach, wondering where the nearest clothing store was.

He didn't notice as Zee left with a grin, already on the trail of another player...

---

=Victim 5: Nixx=

Nixx was one of the few fortunate ones that seemed to blend into the crowd. His colors allowed him to mesh rather easily without any fear of being spotted amongst the other furs. So long as he stayed with the crowd until the others were caught, he was as good as victorious. The dragon's red tail swayed back and forth softly as he walked alongside a pair of female vixens who were gossiping merrily, his ears twitching slightly as he listened in on the conversation. It was bound to be a long and boring wait while Zee roamed the entire city trying to find the other fifteen, so he figured he'd find a way to entertain himself. Listening to the conversations around him was a good start, though that would get old fast.

The dragon's stomach let out a growl, and he looked down with an embarrassed flush at the volume of it. Glancing around, he noticed that he was fortunate enough not to get any stares for it, but he knew that he should probably get something to eat before they started. Chuckling to himself, he looked around for a place to eat. It wouldn't be a bad move on his part to change locations once in a while; just staying with the crowd no matter how much it moved around would make him look suspicious if he wasn't careful.

Fortunately there was a nearby fast food diner that was right across the street. Talk about convenient, right when he needed something to settle his stomach! Stepping away from the crowd of furs continuing along the sidewalk, Nixx carefully crossed to the diner, making sure there were no cars coming. The place seemed pretty busy, providing a good cover for him while he ate. It was perfect! Grinning and patting his slightly pudgy stomach, he headed in to grab a bite to eat.

The inside of the diner was fairly simplistic, a large counter running along one side with two waitresses and the entrance to the kitchen behind it. There were several stools at the counter, as well as tables scattered around the inside for patrons to sit at. Nixx himself chose to sit near the back; he didn't like sitting up front where Zee would see him if he so happened to walk by. Settling himself in, the dragon picked up the menu, putting it up in front of his face as he studied it. He wasn't sure what to get, so he ended up going with an old classic, a cheeseburger and a plate of fries, as well as a soda on the side. Leaning back as his menu was taken, Nixx closed his eyes and settled down for the wait, his tail contently flickering back and forth.

The meal came surprisingly fast, and Nixx was startled out of a half-doze as a plate was put in front of him. A tap to his shoulder took him fully out of his trance before he saw his food sitting there. A large-sized burger and a jumbo plate of fries sizzled on the plate in front of him, and the dragon grinned widely as he saw his food. Taking the burger he licked his lips before biting down hard, taking nearly a fifth of the large burger with it. He swallowed it down before taking a handful of the salty fries, dipping them in ketchup, and snarfing them down too. The process was repeated until he finished the fries and most of the burger, leaning back with a content sigh as he rubbed at his off-brown belly with a satisfied grin.

His jeans seemed to be cutting into his belly though, and he let out a groan as he undid the button, feeling his weight settle a bit more forward. However, as he undid it, the pressure didn't decrease at all; in fact, it seemed to be increasing rather than vice-versa. Blinking in surprise, the dragon looked down until he noticed that his gut was protruding a good foot outwards. The burger couldn't have been that fattening; there was definitely something up! Nixx's eyebrows furrowed as he thought... before they shot up again, and he turned to find the fur that had delivered his food.

On his way out the door was a very familiar black wolf, a pair of shades over his eyes as he headed out into the sunlight. Nixx pressed his paw to his face as he leaned back, feeling his belly starting to swell outwards. Apparently fast food really was as fattening as people said, especially when coupled by an inflator wolf's powers! He groaned softly as he felt his belly start pressing up against the table. With a grunt he pushed himself back to lean against the chair better, but he was stuck and couldn't quite get himself free. Slowly his gut rested against the table, and after a few minutes he managed to adjust it to be on the table; not that it mattered now. His waist was still wedged in between the chair and the table, making it impossible to get up even as his swelling middle started bursting the buttons off of his shirt.

People were turning to watch now as he finally stopped growing, looking for all the world like a sumo wrestler gone soft. But instead of that strong look that sumos had, this was nothing but pure flab. He grinned as he patted his belly, giving a sheepish look to all of the onlookers who suddenly noticed a blubbery dragon sitting in their midst.

"Eh... I think I overate a bit..."

---

=Victim 6: Thanok=

Thanok's eyes shifted back and forth as he slipped into a nearby alley, watching for any sign of his pursuer. The purple-furred husky immediately headed towards the nearest building once he was sure it was clear, still as cautious as could be. Unlike the other contestants, the canine wasn't trying to conceal himself in one fixed location, at least until he found just the right place. Instead he was more concerned with making sure that he would avoid Zee's sight and be ready to run should he be spotted. It wasn't easy though; being even a dark purple certainly wasn't what one would call good camouflage. Against the lighter grays of the city buildings and the crowds of browns and whites and reds, Thanok stood out quite easily. That was why he was prepared to run; any attempts to hide or blend would have him spotted easily, whereas if he was smart he could escape pursuit and perhaps throw off Zee if he tried to catch up.

Even so, Thanok couldn't help but look for some place where even his odd markings let him hide. Pulling up the hood on his jacket, he continued roaming from building to building, keeping his eyes peeled. Any shadow could conceal the black wolf that was after him, and any turn could have the inflator waiting right behind it. If he wasn't careful, Thanok knew he'd be out of the game way earlier than he wanted to be! As such, the husky knew that he had to find a way to keep one step ahead of Zee; otherwise it was only a matter of time. That wolf was smart, after all!

The next building Thanok happened to visit was a large gym with a swimming pool. He was hesitant to enter at first; after all, a slightly overweight husky like himself would stand out against the muscled furs that roamed the building. There were a few slim or maybe slightly chubby ones roaming around however, going towards the large pool that was located in the back area. Thanok's ears perked up as he realized that he had found a place where there was no chance of being caught; right in a public setting, among the other furs and with the water concealing any oddities to his color, he'd be perfectly situated.

Chuckling at his own craftiness, the husky grinned and headed into one of the changing rooms connected to the pool, figuring his shorts would do as a swimsuit. His jacket and undershirt were tossed into a locker and closed up tight before he headed out past the showers towards the pool room. However, when he got there he saw a sign on the door saying "Pool closed for Maintenance". The husky frowned, crossing his arms and tapping one foot as he tried to consider what to do next. He hadn't planned for the place being closed; what was he supposed to do about his camouflage now?

Suddenly, the door swung open and a wolf in a maintenance outfit came out, wiping off his hands. He noticed the husky standing there frowning and chuckled. "It's open now; I was just about to remove that sign. You can go on in."

Thanok nodded and thanked the wolf, eagerly pushing past on his way to go for a swim. He figured that if he was going to use it as his new hiding spot, he might as well enjoy himself. The wolf caught himself by putting a paw on the husky's shoulder and steadying himself before shaking his head and mumbling something about youngsters these days. What Thanok didn't notice though, was the grin that crossed his black-furred muzzle as he took off his hat and tossed it to the side, whistling to himself as he left, leaving the sign on the door to make sure his 'victim' wasn't bothered.

"Six down, ten to go!"

Thanok quickly made his way over to the water's surface, noticing no sign that the pool had been under renovation. It must have been a really professional job, to leave no mark! The husky leapt in without hesitation, letting out a loud gasp at how cold it was. It didn't feel like the usually-warm chlorinated water that was used to fill most pools; instead it felt cold, and unusually pure, almost like spring water after being filled with ice for a few hours. Shivering, Thanok immediately swam to the other side, shivering as he pulled himself out. Grateful for the extra weight to help keep his body somewhat warm, he rubbed at his damp fur to try and rid it of the chill.

As he was doing so, the husky paused; he suddenly was really, really thirsty. It was completely out of the blue, yet he felt so thirsty that he could drink an ocean down, like he had been in a desert for days. How had he not noticed it? Thanok figured it was the stress; he had been too focused on hiding that he hadn't even paid attention to his own thirst. Shaking his head, he looked around and realized that the only water nearby was the pool. He couldn't drink from that, though; most pools were chlorinated and that was bad for one's health. Still, he needed a drink badly, feeling as if he would die from thirst if he didn't...

"I think I'll take that chance..."

Thanok suddenly thrust his muzzle into the pool, ignoring anything but his thirst, and started guzzling down water. He noticed that it was clean immediately; the chemical taste of chlorine wasn't there. That was odd; wasn't it some sort of federal regulation to keep them clean? Either way, the water was still pure, since the pool looked freshly filled. That thought aside, Thanok kept drinking until he had swallowed enough to make his belly feel slightly full. He leaned back, feeling his gut slosh with the water in it, before noticing that he was still thirsty. That was impossible; he had more than enough water for his body's needs!

Then he realized something. That wolf from before had looked familiar... very sneakily familiar. Thanok pressed a paw to his muzzle as he realized his mistake in being too eager to get to his hiding spot; he had walked right into a trap! It was too late for him, though; he was caught and thanks to Zee's powers he was going to be thirsty until he was as big as the wolf had wanted him to be. Taking a deep breath he placed his muzzle right back into the pool, ravenously guzzling down as much water as he could hold before having to come up again. His belly felt really full now, and stuck out a good foot further than it had before, sloshing with every movement and jiggling back and forth as the liquid inside shifted.

But he was still thirsty! Taking another deep breath, Thanok put his muzzle into the pool again and again, slurping down as much as he could every time, his belly visibly swelling with each trip. Soon it was starting to lift his paws off of the ground, making it impossible for him to reach the pool... but the instant he could no longer reach it, his thirst vanished. The husky let out a sigh as he rested on his large water balloon of a belly, the beanbag-sized sphere lifting him up to the point where his claws were barely scratching against the tiled floor. With a groan he managed to get back on his feet, still leaning forward to rest his massive gut on the ground, and just sat there to get used to the new weight.

"I wonder how many other's he's gotten..."

---

=Victim 7: Alex Grey=

Alex contently made his way along the farmer's market, his whole body relaxed as he walked between the stalls. The bat was unusual in his calm; though he was part of the game, he didn't mind whether or not he won. To him, it was all a relative win; whether he gained a little or a lot was no matter. Alex had instead decided to enjoy himself. He could blend into the city by being the only one not acting like they were on the run, though even if he were found he wasn't going to panic. What happened, happened, and it was as simple as that. Scratching at his large, sagging belly, the bat let out a yawn and continued from stall to stall.

He had chosen the farmer's market because it was a good source of one of his favorite things: food. Not only that, but it was a good source of his favorite food, fruit. Naturally, being a fruit bat, that would be the most appealing to his palate. A farmer's market was the best place to find the largest variety as many different crops of peaches, avocados, and figs tended to be brought in by their harvesters. Plucking one particularly ripe peach from a pile after paying for it, Alex sank his fangs into it and sucked at the juice, enjoying the sweetness as he did so. Biting off a large chunk of the peach, he reached in while chewing at it and plucked out the pit, tossing it aside before continuing on the peach. He gave a compliment to the stall's owner, got a smile and a free additional peach in return, and continued on his way.

The bat had to admit it was a good idea to visit the farmer's market. His appetite was acting up today, and this was the best source of his preferred foods around. Next on his list was a juicy avocado, a bit more bitter but not by much. It too was downed, and soon Alex was feeling content. His HUD indicated that his body was nourished and in no need of food for health reasons, though his appetite still remained, so he continued down the stalls.

A fur accidentally bumped against the bat, triggering his HUD to warn him that he had been impacted on one side. Turning, Alex frowned and instantly reprimanded the young male, asking him to watch where he was going. The fur nodded and continued on his way, looking a bit sheepish. Rolling his eyes, the bat continued on his walk, ignoring how rude some people were. Instead he focused more on how his appetite was still there, and that he wanted to at least satisfy it before moving on to another part of the city.

A warning appeared on his HUD as he continued, though, warning him of his body's need for food. However, it was marked as abnormal, as in his body didn't normally need anything else to sustain it currently, but still was demanding more for no known reason. Alex's eyes widened and he tried to figure out what was going on, but there was no indication of what was causing the abnormality. The bat groaned as he realized the obvious answer; he had been too cautious, and now some unscientific force was acting on his body, making him hungry despite being physically satisfied. Only one fur he knew currently would be aiming to do that.

'Conveniently', there happened to be a fruit stand right nearby, completely unattended and piled with oranges, bananas, and more peaches, more than any one other vendor had. There was no one around operating it, and Alex could feel himself getting hungrier as he walked towards it, slowly unable to resist its allure. Finally, he stood in front of it, and the sweet scents overwhelmed him. With a sigh, knowing what the results would be, he started in on the pile. A banana went first, unpeeled and gulped down quickly. A peach was followed behind it, and once again for convenience's sake there was a large trash barrel nearby. At least Zee was thoughtful. The pit was spit into the trash before another large peach was finished off, and then an orange.

Alex quickly tore through the pile of fruit as several passing furs watched. He couldn't help himself at this point; though his head said it was Zee's powers making him so hungry, his body refused to listen and instead demanded more, overriding him. As such, he was forced to eat more and more of it, slowly reaching the halfway point of the pile. The nanobots inside of him were already breaking down the food at a much more rapid pace than a normal digestion would. If he wasn't a cyborg, as unnoticeable as it was, he would have merely been left with a hugely bloated belly that would have taken days to digest. In this instance, though, the sheer mass of it was being broken down into pure fat.

Alex could feel his large belly starting to stretch outwards, making him go from a fat appearance to a heavily obese one, sagging lower over his legs. Being short as he was, getting wider broke the proportions for him much faster than it would for a normal fur. Soon one could say he was almost a sphere, though it was because his width was starting to match his height. His gut poked out a good extra foot in front of him, and his limbs were starting to become heavy as he shoveled piece after piece of fruit into his maw, hoping that he ran out soon.

Finally, the bat did run out of food to eat, his belly resting up against and atop the cart as he let out a sigh of relief. His HUD finally started to indicate that his body was stable again, the abnormal hunger gone. Groaning, he leaned up against the surface supporting him, feeling so impossibly heavy. It had only been a cartful of food, but with the sheer bulk of it all, he had to have at least doubled his weight. He could still walk, somehow, though he was wondering just how far he'd make it before he'd drop in exhaustion. Alex shook his head, pressing one paw to his large middle.

"Uurp... it seems that fruit's a lot less healthy than people give it credit for..."

---

=Victim 8: Tay=

"Can't catch me if I keep moving!"

Tay grinned as he headed down the stairs into the subway system that looped around the bottom of the city. The blue wolf grinned as he slipped past the turnstile that blocked the way, making sure to grab his ticket on the way. The system was an automated, no-profit one that aimed to make things more convenient for the furs of the city, completely electronic with no conductors to pay. The ticket was merely a security measure; to get between stops, you scanned the ticket for the stop you were going to and the train would let you on if that was the one going to that stop. Schedules were listed on an overhead board, and Tay looked at the ticket he had randomly picked to compare.

He was in luck; the next train departing for his station would arrive in about five minutes. If he could go that long without Zee happening upon him, it'd be an easy win. All the wolf would have to do was ride the subway from station to station and it'd be a piece of cake. If Zee wasn't on the subway train with him, it would be at least an hour of safety allotted to him each ride until he reached the next stop. So long as things kept going accordingly, Tay felt that the game was as good as won; he was the one that was going to get the grand prize of being Zee's biggest 'victim' yet! No one else would get in his way!

Or at least that was what he hoped, anyway. Tay picked at the sleeve of his red t-shirt, impatiently waiting for the train to come up. If it came late and Zee showed up, he was in trouble! Furs were all around him, making the wolf feel uncomfortable; what if Zee was hiding in that mixed crowd? All it would take was a surprise poke and he was done for. Tay started to get paranoid whenever anyone got close to him, and when someone was nearly shoved into him by a friend messing around, the wolf nearly had a heart attack. His eyes continued to sweep back and forth before he saw the subway starting to approach. With a sigh of relief he headed towards the platform that his train would be stopping at.

As he proceeded, someone was actually shoved into him this time. The fur staggered against him and used Tay's shoulders to catch himself, causing the small wolf to literally panic. He pushed whoever it was away in surprise and ran for his train, ignoring the crowd and slipping aboard. With a deep, calming breath, he boarded and found a seat, leaning against it. Tay realized that he had probably overreacted, panicking because of the game. If it had been Zee, something surely would have happened by now. The wolf didn't see any changes; he wasn't any heavier, and he wasn't blowing up like a balloon. Perhaps he was safe this time, and the game would be his! Yeah, that was right; he just needed to calm himself and not overreact.

He realized his breathing was coming a bit heavier, and wonder if he was starting to hyperventilate from his unreasonable panic. It was just a game! Tay tried to relax himself, closing his eyes, but his breathing wouldn't slow. It was strange, it was almost like he was taking deeper and deeper breaths, and each time he was literally gulping down air, not just breathing it in. With a start, he realized that his shirt was getting a bit tight, and looking down brought him the sight he had feared; his belly was bulging out slightly. Eyes widening, the wolf tried to calm himself, remembering some meditation techniques for relaxation. No matter what he did, though, he couldn't slow his breathing down; instead, it got even faster!

With a groan even through his rapid breathing, Tay leaned back and watched his belly expand. The air was starting to spread from there too, and he could feel his t-shirt drawing tight around his neck. The button on his jeans flew off as his belly continued to receive the majority of the air, though his shirt was tightening especially fast around the arms and chest too. Slowly his breaths continued to make him swell up like a balloon, causing furs to point out the inflating wolf with surprise and a bit of laughter. Most of the furs in the city were used to scenarios like this; few were shocked, but most were amused so long as it didn't happen to them.

As Tay became wedged against the seat in front of him and finally stopped growing, he noticed a black wolf standing at the edge of the station, waving at the departing subway train. Chuckling wryly to himself, the blimped-up wolf leaned back to enjoy the ride; he wasn't going anywhere until someone got him unwedged. He didn't have a destination either, now. He was out of the game.

---

ROUND 2 - 8 Contestants Remain

---

=Victim 9: Shadow=

Shadow climbed out of the dumpster that he had been hiding in, brushing off a few miscellaneous pieces of garbage that hadn't been bagged. Though most everything was contained and the mess was minimal to his latex frame, the tiger knew one thing: the dumpster reeked to high heaven! It was going to take forever to get the odor off of his body. What had possessed him to pick such a hiding spot? The stench certainly wasn't worth it, and the black tiger continued to try to brush at his squeaky hide to try and remove what debris was left. Shadow would have gone to the nearest lake to clean himself off, but knowing Zee the wolf probably had a trap set up there waiting already.

Instead, Shadow headed to the nearest building, which happened to be an auto-repair shop. Ducking inside carefully, he tried to find some place to conceal himself. The shop itself was dark, meaning that with his dark black hide, he wouldn't be seen easily. The tiger slipped around a few tools that had been left lying about and made his way towards the back. Maybe there was a large cabinet or something he could make use of for concealment. Carefully, he used his sharp ears and decent night vision as he made his way forward, right up until he bumped into something large, and very heavy.

"Oomph!"

Backing up and squinting in the darkness, Shadow realized that he had run into a large car. The tiger rubbed at his leg as he backed up again, trying to see. It seemed that he had run into a dead-end within the shop, a small side-garage where a vehicle had been undergoing maintenance the last time the shop had been open. The hood was up, revealing the engine and all of the workings inside, and one of the tires had a pump attached to it that was being used to refill the empty wheels. One of the windows was missing, probably being replaced after an accident had cracked or broken it.

It was odd to see things left in such disarray though; usually, any professional business would have cleaned up their works in progress to be finished at a later time, or would have completed whatever project they were on. Still, Shadow figured that it was just a case of a lazy worker or something, and shook his head. Work ethic seemed to be lacking lately! Shaking his head, the tiger leaned against the car and stretched his arms above him. The one downside to the game was that he was stuck waiting for long periods of time without knowing what was going on, and that quickly grew boring.

Shadow's eyes slowly moved over to the tire pump, still attached to the wheel that it had been inflating. With a thoughtful glance to his tummy, thinking it looked a bit flat, the tiger gave the pump another appraising glance. It wouldn't hurt to give himself a little bit of a fill-out, right? Then he stopped himself, shaking his head. No, no, it wouldn't do to get distracted. After all, Zee could be anywhere in the city, and if he happened to find the tiger hidden in the auto shop, it was game over. Shadow regretfully looked away from the pump, rubbing at his flat latex belly and hearing it squeak beneath his paws.

Well, a little couldn't hurt...

Shadow undid the hose that was connected to the tire, the small needle at the end of the valve coming loose easily. Taking the end of the hose, the balloonie tiger stuck it in his muzzle and clamped down on it, searching around for the switch to start up the air compressor. After a few moments he found a small valve, and turned it up slightly, hearing the hiss of air. With a grin he felt his tummy starting to expand out as his body started to fill up lightly with air. His paws thickened just a bit, as well as his limbs, and his belly puffed out until it looked like had swallowed a watermelon. Feeling that was good enough to tide him over until he deflated a bit, Shadow grabbed the valve to turn it off with a smile. See? That little bit hadn't hurt.

At least, that was what he thought until he felt another furry paw close over his and turn the valve in the opposite direction. Shadow's eyes widened as a light flicked on, but one patch of black still remained even as the shadows were thrown away by the overhead lamp. A single black wolf stood at the tire pump, grinning widely behind his black sunglasses as he slowly turned the valve up higher and higher, increasing the airflow. Soon the hissing sound grew louder and louder, almost like a snake but more artificial as the air continued to flow faster and faster.

Shadow's eyes bulged as he immediately felt the air emptying out into his body. Quickly he tried to remove the pump, but the air came too fast for him to react. As his body started rapidly inflating, his fingers became too thick to bend properly and grab the hose. He tried to spit it out, but he couldn't quite maneuver his swelling muzzle to do so properly. The tiger flailed, as if he was going to get away, but it was too late; he had been found, and he was now another one of Zee's 'victims' for the game.

"Hey now, tiger, don't feel too bad. You're in the second half of the survivors, meaning that not only do you get inflated like the others, but you get a bit more size to you... hopefully that's some consolation!"

Slowly Shadow's gut continued to swell forward like a round sphere, his chest right behind it as his body seemed to start forming a large round sphere. His limbs, though thickening, didn't gain any additional length and thus started to push up against his torso quickly. His paws became more comically rounded as his fingers puffed up to look like miniature tubes, unable to bend even in the slightest now. All of his joints were locked up by the air filling up his body, and slowly the limbs were swallowed up as his middle continued to balloon outwards. He had already reached the size of the car behind him, and he was still growing just as rapidly; how big was Zee planning on making him?

Another wave of air caused the tiger to lose his balance, falling backwards as he stumbled. Shadow landed on his back, but at this point the only things discerning it from his front was the tail and his head facing the other direction. The rest of his torso was completely round, a literal sphere of air like a balloon being filled up to the brim and then some. His muzzle pressed against his rounded torso, his cheeks bloated up to the size of basketballs and obscuring his view. The tiger's feet were far off of the ground right now, and he could see the roof of the garage looming close....

And then it was over. Shadow blinked as Zee turned the valve off, leaving the latex tiger to fill nearly the entire side-garage of the auto shop. He could feel his back brushing against the ceiling ever so slightly, and one of his legs was pressed painlessly against the car that he had originally run into. He was swollen up hugely, unable to move in the least as he squeaked back and forth. His limbs were completely useless, unable to bend in any way, and his head was pressed against his swollen neck and round torso. He was literally a big ballooned sphere.

Zee waved as he turned to leave, giving his usual cheerful grin. "Hey, I'd like to stick around, Shadow, but you're only the first of a few who are getting a larger size... gotta share this with the other contestants, right? Ciao 'til later, tiger."

With that, the lights were turned back off and Shadow was left in the darkness he had hidden himself in, completely stuck. But at the same time, he couldn't be any happier with his swollen self. At least he had survived halfway. That was indeed a consolation. He couldn't help but wonder, though... who was left?

---

=Victim 10: Wanderer Werewolf=

"There really is no place like home."

Wanderer leaned back on his bed with a content sigh, staring up at the ceiling. He had chosen an unconventional hiding spot for Zee's little game: his own apartment. The wolf had departed from the starting position and headed for the nearest bus station, thankful that one had arrived just in time for him to get on and head for his home on the far side of town. Knowing that Zee would be moving methodically throughout the city, Wanderer had settled into the ride and had eventually arrived back at home. Already there were reports in the city over the radio that stated victims of the 'mysterious prankster' being found.

The wolf had chuckled upon hearing some of them; a massive Lobo had been found in an ice cream parlor, blown up with what appeared to be soft serve. There had been a wolf on the subway too, who had been blown up like a balloon. Then there was that husky that had been found at a pool, bloated up with water until he could barely move. All of them were obviously signs of Zee's presence. However, they were all across town, far from Wanderer's location. He figured that he had a good amount of time before he had to change spots again, and until then he could just relax while Zee slowly eliminated the remainder of the competition. As soon as the inflations neared his side of town, Wander would do the practical thing and head to the other side, probably visit a nice park. Until he had caught wind of fifteen sightings in one day, he wasn't going to stop his pattern.

Scratching at his brown fur and flipping on the TV, Wanderer let out another yawn. Waiting was starting to get boring, though; nothing was really on during the day, and he was confined when he could be out and about sampling food or visiting friends. Still, it was worth it for the real reward; after all, he knew what prize he wanted should he win the contest. All he could eat, as much as was needed to stuff him to absolutely amazing sizes. And if he could be so specific, it would be lamb. Lots and lots of lamb. It may be a stereotypical wolf thing to go after sheep, but he couldn't help it; it was good. That wasn't to say it would be the only thing he'd eat, but it'd easily be the top of his list and the majority of his selection.

He leaned back against his pillows and closed his eyes, imagining the feast. Roast mutton was the biggest thing there, oh how he could almost smell it. The rich juices practically dripping off of the meat, the succulent tenderness when he sank his teeth into it... the thoughts just had him practically drooling. Wanderer grinned again, taking a deep sniff of the air as if the feast was right before him. For a moment, he thought he literally could smell it, and his imagination made his mouth water even more.

Then he realized it wasn't his imagination. Opening his eyes, the wolf realized that he really could smell food. It wasn't just the lamb he was drooling over in his dreams either; the scents of baked breads and other dishes all reached his sensitive nose too. Wondering where it was coming from, Wanderer sat up from his bed and headed out to the main area of his apartment, following his nose curiously.

What he found was amazing. There, stacked across his moderately-sized table, was a small feast that was fit for a holiday. Mashed potatoes sizzled in a bowl to the side, a basket of baked rolls dripping with butter and a hint of garlic salt was placed next to a large pan of stuffing. And best of all was the sizzling haunch of lamb that was the centerpiece of the entire meal. Oh, it wasn't just a cooked meat like chicken or steak; no, this was a special dish, one of Wanderer's favorites. Roast leg of lamb with rosemary, the herbal glaze atop it adding to the mouth-watering morsel. The smell was strongest from that dish alone, practically pulling the wolf towards the table like a magnet.

One thing was suspicious, though; where had all of the food come from? Wanderer could not help but wonder even as he automatically sat himself down before the feast, his eyes searching as he tried to figure out what he wanted first. Though he knew it was odd, and that there was likely something wrong, the smells were too good for him to resist. Wanderer sat down with a wide smile as he took the obvious choice, the roast lamb in front of him. With a grin he pulled the whole pan holding it forward, noticing that there was no plate but plenty of silverware. It seemed he was intended to eat it right out of the pan, still soaking in its own juices. The wolf tried to think of some way to complain and say "this meal is suspicious!" but in the end he couldn't do anything but give the whole ensemble two paws up and prepare to dig in.

The first bite was cut out of the lamb quickly and shoved into Wanderer's mouth. The smell alone was intoxicating and addictive as it was, and then the taste: pure heaven! Once he had taken that first bite, the wolf was lost to its allure. There was nothing he could do to resist it any longer, and quickly another piece was cut out, and another, and another. It really was just that good; he could not stop himself from consuming it as quickly as possible while somehow savoring every second it was on his tongue.

Finally the dish was done, and Wanderer sat back with a content sigh, patting his belly. That had been just amazing, and the dish had been cooked to perfection. The rest of the meal seemed paltry and bland compared to the wondrous lamb he had just consumed. He had the strangest craving; he wanted more, and nothing else! If it was the only thing he ever ate again, he'd be a blissfully happy and likely very fat wolf, but none of that was a problem. All he wanted was more of that delicious lamb, almost like an actual addiction.

"Well, I see you enjoyed that little treat... want more?"

Wanderer swallowed heavily, for two reasons; first of all, the thought of more lamb made his mouth water all over again. However, he also shuddered as he heard the voice behind him, eyes slowly moving to fall upon a familiar lupine standing right behind him, paws resting on his latest victim's shoulders.

"Now, now, I've been told I'm a pretty good cook... and I've got another forty or so of those set aside, just for you. You wouldn't want me to be upset if my food is put to waste, do you? Of course, you look like you're really hungry too... maybe it's just what a growing wolf wants."

Wanderer blinked, and it seemed like the pan had been refilled. How had that happened? Still the smell of beautiful roast lamb, this time with a lemon glaze, immediately stole away his attention and forced his eyes upon it. Licking his lips, the wolf realized that he was feeling hungry. No, not even hungry; he was feeling ravenous. It was like his appetite had increased a hundredfold... he didn't just want this little lamb leg, he wanted a whole flock's worth of mutton! But that didn't stop him from devouring the one before him, no longer bothering with silverware. No, that time was far past; forks and knives would take far too long. Instead, he lifted up the whole pan's worth of meat and chomped down, getting a good amount of grease on his fingers and lips but ignoring it as he quickly downed the dish, leaving the bones in the pan.

Again, it seemed like the pan was refilled in a flash, with another variety of the same dish. Once more Wanderer dug in, and the process repeated itself again and again. About ten dishes later, he was forced back as his belly, swollen large by all of the food he was eating. But what he didn't notice was that his stomach didn't look tight, as if he had merely stuffed it. Instead, it was starting to sag, looking softer. His body was digesting the food at an amazing rate, and slowly the fat was piling on. His belly, which had been somewhat curved in a "well-fed" appearance, now sagged down into his lap and pooled there as it became larger and rounder, the weight resting on his lap. The loose T-shirt he had been wearing not only tightened, but became constricting as his swelling chest and gut strained the fabric, trying to pop loose. And speaking of popping, the button on his jeans went flying off with the next bite, freeing his gut to spread all the faster now that it was unconfined.

In minutes, Wanderer had gone from a well-fed wolf to a hugely obese one, the chair beneath him about to give way. His belly was past his knees as he struggled to stay atop his seat, his rear already wider across than the chair's surface. The wolf's legs pressed together, the thick thighs actually forcing him into a wider stance. His cheeks and triple chin started to push together as he continued downing plate after plate of food that appeared before him. He couldn't stop himself, it was just that good. Even as his shirt started to rip from the neck down, he continued to take bite after bite, swallowing each delicious morsel and moving to the next. Eventually his shirt ripped off with loud shredding sound, hanging off of his shoulders in tatters.

Each bite made Wanderer grow just a bit bigger, but now it was starting to get hard for him to reach far enough to get to his food. The wolf groaned as he tried to shift forward, and in the end all he did was displace his weight enough for the chair to finally give way. With a loud crash, the hugely-fattened wolf fell to the ground, the rolls of fat on his body shaking and wobbling from the impact. Wanderer didn't even notice, though, and continued on his meal, which was slightly easier to reach. His heavy girth made it more and more difficult, though, and eventually he actually had to rock himself forward and grab the pan. A few times of this got a little more to his muzzle, but he overcompensated on the last one, falling onto his back as he came back from one rock forward.

Suddenly, the wolf found himself unable to move, trapped on his back by the enormous sphere that was his gut rising above his head. He was nearly as big as the dining room, one of his sides pressing against the wall. His paws wiggled back and forth as he tried to sit himself up, but it was no use; he was just too large. Leaning back with a sigh, Wanderer realized what that meant, especially as his hunger faded away. He was out of the game. But he couldn't have chosen to go out in a better way, and let out a content sigh as he let his paws rub across his huge, fat belly.

Zee tapped at it once to get his attention, grinning. "So, how was the food, before I go find some of the others? Did you enjoy it, at least?"

Wanderer nodded. "It was amazing... you really are a good cook, y'know."

"Heh, don't flatter me. Anyway, I'm off. Glad you liked the meal!" With that, he was gone, heading out the front door, off to find the remainder of the players. Wanderer leaned back again with a sigh, laying down and closing his eyes. After such a big meal, a nap was in order...

---

=Victim 11: Kurama Nogira=

Kurama panted breathlessly as he jogged through the city streets. Unlike most of the other competitors, he didn't care to find a place to hide. He figured that everyone would try to run to a hiding spot of some sort and that Zee would hunt them down methodically by doing a slow search of every possible place from the starting point. But, if he simply kept running as far away from the starting point as possible and kept on the move, he figured that there was no way for Zee to ever catch up to him, at least before getting all of the others first.

The black wolf finally came to a stop at a small intersection while the streetlight displayed the DON'T WALK sign in bright orange light. He panted heavily and placed his paws on his knees as he crouched down for a moment, trying to catch his breath while thinking of what to do next. There was no way he was going to be able to keep running all day long; he just didn't have that kind of stamina. He needed some sort of energy boost or pick-me-up to keep him going for at least another hour or two. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, glancing around for anything that might aid him, until he saw a familiar looking coffee shop.

"Perfect, I could use an espresso right now. Or several."

Grinning to himself as he got back up, Kurama dusted off his clothes needlessly as the light changed to the white WALK sign and quickly dashed across the street. The wolf looked around a moment to make sure Zee was nowhere in sight, then pushed through the revolving doors into the café. Inside, the room smelt faintly of the fresh ground coffee beans being brewed into coffee and of the various glazed pastries that stood in the showcase, which were meant more as eye and nose candy to attract customers in rather than to actually be eaten. Kurama felt his stomach growl lightly at him from the good scents, but he knew he didn't have much time for anything more than a quick drink to get his adrenaline going.

A white rabbit with floppy ears stood behind the counter, looking rather bored with himself until he saw Kurama enter and forced an obviously fake smile on his muzzle. "Welcome, sir. What can I get for you today?"

The wolf looked up at the menu and tapped a single claw to his chin indecisively, still dizzy and fairly out of breath enough that he could barely focus on picking out a single one that would suit him. He scanned through the list of exotic sounding drinks without a clue as to what most of them even were, until his eyes finally fell on what sounded like the perfect choice for his needs and he grinned to himself.

"I'll try the Hyper Anti-Decaf Grande."

The rabbit nodded to him without ever dropping his smile, and placed the order while Kurama fished out a ten dollar bill for it. "It'll be ready in just a moment, sir."

The wolf nodded politely and flashed an equally fake smile, but he couldn't help being worried that with all the time he was taking here, Zee might have finally caught up to him. After all, Kurama was definitely not the fittest of wolves in the city, while Zee seemed athletic enough to be able to make a few laps around the city before the day was done. He turned nervously to keep an eye out through the glass windows, watching several furs hurry along their way in the world outside. Not once though did any of them enter the shop, and it was clear that Zee was not one of the only few customers who were drinking in the room.

After a few moments of watching people pass along almost hypnotically, Kurama felt a tap on his shoulder and throat clear behind him to catch his attention again. For a split moment, Kurama panicked and thought that it was Zee behind him, but he swiftly turned around to instead find the rabbit waiting patiently there with his coffee ready on a tray for him. He gave a soft sigh of relief and took his drink with a nod of appreciation before looking around to find a seat, since trying to drink a steaming hot cup of java while running through the streets was probably bad idea.

It only took him a few moments before he was seated at a small table in the corner of the shop, positioned perfectly to be able to keep an eye on anyone entering or leaving. If he caught sight of Zee, he would rush to the restroom close behind him and lock himself in. He wasn't going to take any chances of being caught just yet, not when there could be such more filling rewards later on. Sipping softly at his drink, he watched for signs of danger while he let his body physically relax from the long trek he'd made so far.

"Ha..." he said to himself, "This is easier than I thought."

It was on his third sip of his drink that he noticed how full he suddenly felt, and looked down to his stomach to find it softly rounded out as if he had drunk ten full cups already and cleared out all of the sweets in the glass showcase on the counter. He unconsciously sipped again at his coffee while he gazed at his unusually large belly, only to see it grow out even more than before, as if the single sip he took was the equivalent of a gallon or two that filled his belly up to over a foot large on each side, his shirt riding up over his thick gut and black jeans straining to hold fast. Kurama looked up suddenly and saw the faint figure of a black wolf pushing his way through the revolving doors, while the rabbit behind the counter was stuffing what looked like a small wad of cash into his back pocket. Of course, the tap on his shoulder! It wasn't the rabbit that had done that!

He groaned softly as his belly continued to grow, the fat pressing against the table in front of him and pushing it away slowly from him. His chest started to thicken and grow saggy, throwing away any sense of muscle tone he might have hoped to have. The wooden chair underneath him started to creak warningly as his already large rear end thickened on top of it, the weight threatening to crush the poor furniture right then and there. The growing wolf rubbed his paw softly at his growing belly and let out a soft sigh from the full feeling even as his paws started to swell and turn to giant black sausages connected to a round ball of fur, which in turn was connected to a slowly thickening tree trunk of an arm. His cheeks puffed out as though he were stuffing it full of food, and his neck thickened out to the width of a drum can. The few customers that were drinking in the café turned to stare at him with expressions of disbelief as his belly grew to the size of a large beach ball, body widening inch by inch every single second.

He tried to suck in his breath to see if he could adopt some sort of modesty, but he only succeeded in making things worse as he felt his pants button suddenly fly off and noisily hit one of the ceiling lights, drawing the attention of even more guests. The already tight shirt started to rip along the seams where his fat ribs pressed against it, exposing his red body tattoos that were usually concealed by his clothes. Even more pressing to his ears than his shirts ripping was the sound of the chair's sudden cracking, and scarcely a second later he fell flat over onto his butt and caused a large rip to appear in them too. Grimacing to himself, he tried to reach down to cover up the rip, but found that he was so large now that he could barely bend over, and the action only speeded up his shirts ripping as it tore right in two.

Tables and chairs were pushed away by his massive girth as his frame continued to swell on the floor, his belly almost four feet wide and still growing. Kurama struggled to try to at least get up off the ground, trying to reach down to the ground to push himself up, but found that he couldn't even touch the floor with his new size, much less do anything to cover himself when he felt the remains of his jeans suddenly rip clean through the seams and fall to rags on the floor. People all around stared at him, some from the outside stopping to look in the window at the commotion while furs on the inside wondered just what the heck was put into their coffee.

His body continued to swell bigger and bigger, fatter than he could ever dream to be. What was once his normal, slightly out of shape abdomen, was now like a round beanbag the size of a king bed. His arms were like small, thick buckets, sunken into his bulging chest. His neck was the size of a spare tire that rested upon gigantic shoulders. And yet he didn't stop growing, the mountain that he called his stomach continued to rise up over him like it was desperate to reach the ceiling. He was far beyond the point of being able to do anything about it, so he just sat there and watched as he continued to swell, with people murmuring all around him and snapping photos while they could.

"Ugh... well at least I won't be needing that extra caffeine boost anymore."

---

=Victim 12: Joshi=

The sounds of splashing water could be heard as a large blue form swam across the surface of the lake, enjoying himself. Joshi, a large blue dragon, had chosen to wait in comfort. Whereas most of the other contestants had chosen places within the city, he had chosen to wait just outside it in a large lake that was known for its cool waters and the quiet park around it. Surprisingly, few from the city visited it, since they were busier with their daily lives, engrossed in shopping and work. But Joshi had visited it several times in the past and had enjoyed the experience, so had decided to make it his hiding place. Everyone expected that the game would remain in the city, so Joshi had thought out of the box and gone out of the field everyone had assumed was their hiding limits.

The dragon dove into the water after taking a deep breath, feeling the cool liquid flowing over his scales as he swam beneath the surface. He loved the lake, loved swimming in it just for the sake of feeling like he was floating. It was different from flight; however, he enjoyed flying too, that feeling of freedom just giving him so much joy. But when it came to swimming, to just letting his body float there, the slightest twitches moving him beneath the gentle surface in whatever direction he wanted to go, he felt so free and relaxed.

Tilting his body and giving a powerful push with his legs, Joshi headed back up to the surface, his head bursting out of the water as he let out the air he had been holding in, taking another relaxing breath. Shifting so that he was floating on his back, the dragon kicked his legs gently, allowing himself to just move along the water's surface with a calm, smooth motion. He couldn't help but feel immensely relaxed, enjoying the peace he got to experience, something so many other furs never saw.

Sighing contently, the dragon rolled over again and dove beneath the water, heading towards the shore in a powerful breaststroke that had him cutting through the water rapidly. As the lake bottom drew up into a shallow bank, he slowed his swim and stood, wading through the remainder of the water to get up to the shore. Shaking off the water that remained on his shining scales, Joshi stretched his arms above his head and headed for the towel he had laid out. Along with his chance to relax at the lake, he had the perfect opportunity to sun. And since unlike most scaled species he was warm-blooded, he wouldn't be falling asleep while basking in the warmth. That meant if there was any sign that Zee was coming, he could simply leave and find another hiding spot. His plan was flawless!

Lying on his belly upon the towel, Joshi rested his head on his arms. The dragon felt the warm sun beating down on his scales, gently heating them and filling his entire body with warmth. He grinned at the feeling, stretching his legs out behind him and flicking his tail back and forth behind him. It was great, to be able to enjoy the game like that!

A shadow loomed, and blocked out the warming sun on Joshi's back. The dragon growled softly, rolling over to see who had interrupted his relaxation. "Hey, careful! You're blocking the sun!"

"I don't think I'm the one who needs to be careful, my friend."

Joshi's eyes widened as he saw the black wolf standing above him, something held in one paw. Upon closer look, it seemed to be some kind of hose, one that stretched out behind him... to stop in the lake. It was odd; where had that hose come from? There had been no time to set anything up in the time that the dragon had been there, so it couldn't have just been set up. Had he fallen for a trap?

"H-how...? What...?"

"I've gotta applaud you thinking outside the box, but unfortunately for you, this is where I started laying traps. I work from the outside in, after all; isn't that how it should be?"

Zee twirled the hose around in his paw, grinning as he planted a foot on Joshi's belly, pinning him down without making it painful. Taking the hose, he lowered it carefully, undoing the clamps on either side. "Well, let's not make a struggle. We can do it the fun way, or I can just touch you and go from there. Either way, you're out, so let's enjoy ourselves, hm?"

The hose was shoved forward and the clamps put in place to keep Joshi's maw shut. Once everything was set, Zee walked casually over to a small device that was hooked up at the shoreline right by the lake. He watched to make sure his victim wasn't trying to run away or remove the pump; if he did, the wolf had already 'marked' his target and would simply use his powers for this inflation. But Zee loved originality and variety; after all, just using his powers got old. He longed for something new and exciting, something that made it fun; and that was why he had set up this device just for the chance that it could be used.

"I'm sure you want to know what this is, but can't talk with your mouth clamped shut like that." Zee patted the large box that just stood there, whirring softly after he flicked it on. "Simply put, it's an electric pump. It takes water from one place, like the lake, and puts it in another... like you."

Suddenly the whirring sound picked up into a steady hum, and the end of the pump that went into the lake swelled slightly as it sucked in water. The end that went into Joshi's maw started swelling as water was pumped down its length, and slowly the dragon felt that cool water again... only this time it wasn't on his scales. Instead it was rushing down his throat and into his belly, which immediately began to swell out. One paw went to that swelling underbelly as it started bloating outwards, making it look like he had swallowed a large watermelon. It continued to swell out like that, pressing against his body as the water continued to pool there. Slowly the bloating started to spread to the rest of his body, but that large gut continued to puff out the fastest.

Soon Joshi's middle was as big as an oversized beach ball, and his limbs had fattened out like water-filled tubes. Each finger was larger than a stick of salami, leading to paws so swollen that they couldn't bend. Arms pressed against a swelling, widening torso that in turn pressed against a ballooned neck and thick, sloshing cheeks. Each motion brought about the sloshing and splashing of the water that filled the ballooned dragon, his blue scales shimmering wetly as they stretched over his bloated hide. Finally, though, the growth stopped as the pump was flicked off, leaving a slight decrease in the lake's water level.

Joshi wobbled back and forth, but he was stuck on his back, the large blue sphere of his gut filling his view and pressing against his chin. As he tried to move, he felt a weight settle atop him, and a black-furred paw was barely in view as it waved to the bloated dragon's head. "Well, that was fun, and it seems the pump works well! Thanks for being my guinea pig. Now, if you don't mind, I could use a nap before I hunt down the rest, and I found the perfect water bed to do so on..."

---

SEMI-FINALS - 4 Contestants Remain

---

==Victim 13: Geo ==

The gray wolf looked around cautiously, his paws shaking slightly from a mix of anticipation and worry as he made sure that the coast was clear. Geo had worked very hard to keep hidden as long as he did; he wasn't going to be caught by surprise! The wolf had first started at the mall, hoping that among the crowds he would be able to keep away from Zee. However, he had gotten lucky and spotted the inflator as he was hunting through the crowds for his 'victims,' and had quickly run away, escaping Zee's grasp for the time being. Geo had immediately made his way towards his next hiding spot, a large bakery. Sure, it seemed unconventional when faced with a wolf that liked to inflate and/or fatten up his targets with whatever was available, but that was why it was the best place to hide! Zee would never suspect him of hiding there!

Geo grinned as he slipped past the doors, letting out a gentle murr at the scent of fresh baked breads wafting past the entryway. The wolf congratulated himself for thinking up such an amazing hiding spot, chuckling as he sidled over to the counter. Part of the reason for picking the location had been for the sake of an unconventional hiding spot that would allow him to hopefully escape Zee's sight until the end of the game, but there was a second factor that helped determine his decision; he was starting to get hungry! Geo wasn't the slimmest wolf, after all, and with a fairly round belly like his own, he needed plenty of food to keep him going! Therefore, a bakery was not only the best hiding spot, but it was also a good way for him to fill his belly two. It was a win-win situation for the heavyset wolf!

Though he couldn't go into specific details, Geo explained to the bakery owner that he was being pursued as part of a friendly game. While he ordered his food, he asked permission to hide in the bakery, preferably in the back where the various breads and other goods were made, so long as he kept his paws to himself. The wolf even offered to have one of the bakery assistants watch over him if the large lion didn't trust him, but the baker had waved it off with a laugh as big as his body (and this was an imposingly large lion) and he directed Geo to the back. It seemed that the owner of the shop was quite the gamesman himself, and encouraged the wolf to take refuge in the back. There were apparently several storage rooms and pantries for ingredients and various other supplies, leaving Geo plenty of places to hide.

The wolf grinned and nodded, his tail wagging back and forth. That sounded perfect! Pulling out a little bit of cash, he ordered a small box of sweet Hawaiian bread rolls to munch on while he hid. Geo was surprised when a fairly hefty container was passed across the counter to him with a wink from the owner. With a grin, he took it and headed towards the back door of the room as indicated by the owner. The lion seemed cheerful and eager enough, giving him a playful shove towards the back door, even giving a mock look over his shoulder as if to encourage Geo to hurry into the back. The wolf chuckled, feeling almost like a pup again as he ducked through the doorway.

The area in back was exactly what one would expect from such a large bakery. There were at least four gigantic ovens, each one with several racks in different areas for a variety of breads. With each oven, there were at least six different divisions that could be heated at different temperatures, and at individual times. In actuality, it was more like twenty-four smaller ovens than four bigger ones! Each had their own type of bread too, filling the room with delicious scents. One nearby had sweet Hawaiian bread like the kind that Geo had in his paws, while another had a batch of Italian Herb bread that let off a smell reminiscent of freshly ground seasonings. Several loaves of honey-buckwheat and rye were just above that. The whole combination was enough to leave the poor wolf practically drooling over the strong smells that he could practically taste!

Remembering why he was there, though, Geo quickly made his way over to one of the bakers who were tending the oven, explaining that the boss had let him through and that he was looking for one of the storage cabinets that were out of the way. The terrier looked at him like he was crazy, but reasoned that since Geo was already back there, he had permission. The wolf nodded happily as he was given directions, getting another odd look from the baker before the canine shook his head and went back to work. Geo didn't mind; he understood that his requests were strange. He was just happy that the owner had complied!

The cabinets were off to the sides, really more like cupboards than cabinets despite the name. Large wooden doors led into cupboards that were probably the size of bedrooms. The one that Geo happened to choose seemed to be where they kept some of the spare ingredients. Huge bags of flour were stacked against walls, as well as different herbs and seasonings to create different mixes. Containers of salt and yeast lined the various shelves. It seemed like the perfect hiding spot, way in the back area of a bakery that few were allowed into. After all, it wasn't like Zee would just be able to waltz back there, would he?

Geo was about to claim the cabinet as his hiding spot when a paw on his shoulder pulled him back. "Hey, sorry to stop you, but the boss Meno had a better spot for you. He told me to show you to the packaging area where we seal all of the breads up. Among all of that noise and commotion, you won't be heard or seen, right? So c'mon, let's go."

The wolf was surprised but quickly led along by a pull on his shoulder. He couldn't even see who it was that was guiding him, but a quick shove led him into a larger side room, a smaller wing connected to the main bakery. In that room there were several conveyer belts, with breads moving along them and slowly being packaged into the containers similar to the one Geo still held in his paws. He was pushed inside and the door was quickly shut behind him, leaving the wolf confused and muddled but knowing one thing: this was his new hiding spot. With a shrug, he found a seat nearby and opened his pack of Hawaiian rolls, rubbing his paws together before taking one and chomping down on it.

The taste of sweet, sweet bread flooded his muzzle, and it seemed to be accentuated by the surprisingly buttery filling that must have been the bakery's special touch. Geo let out a sigh of contentment at the taste, smacking his lips together and murring before he took another bite, finishing off that first roll. It was delicious, truly a wonderful little treat, and he immediately started on the next three, rubbing his round middle with a happy smile and quickly chewing his way through. Noticing that he had already downed a third of the box, he frowned and wondered if perhaps he should have ordered more.

Shrugging, Geo continued to dig through the box until he was finished emptying it. With a frown he turned it upside down, getting nothing but crumbs. The wolf sighed, leaning against the wall behind him and wishing he had gotten more food. Now he had two problems: he would be bored and hungry while he was waiting for the game to end! It didn't help that he was feeling a particularly gnawing pain in his middle right now; his belly was giving several very loud growls, demanding food immediately. With a grumble of his own, Geo looked around, wondering if there was something he could eat and not get in trouble over.

Still... all that bread that was moving along the conveyer belts looked nice. Every variety of bread was present, each being moved to a separate section and packaged in labeled containers. Geo drooled as he caught a particularly strong whiff of pleasant banana bread, the mixture of sweetness almost irresistible. But it wasn't his bread; he didn't pay for it, and if he simply went and sampled it, the bakery owner who had been so kind to him would probably get upset and ask him to leave. Not only would he lose his hiding spot, he would lose a lot of dignity at being thrown out of a bakery for theft! No, he had to keep his cool, and not do anything rash. If he won the game, he could get plenty of food. Yeah, that was the way to think of it, he simply had to imagine the prize at the end and remember that it was worth it. He just had to be strong, and not give into his hunger.

But that hunger was getting worse by the second. Geo really felt like he hadn't even eaten the rolls from before, rubbing at his stomach. Actually, it was more like he hadn't eaten all day! The rumblings were getting more intense, and it was taking every ounce of self-control for him to keep from grabbing things off of the conveyers. If it got any worse, though, the wolf didn't imagine that he could restrain himself much longer.

And then it went that one step further. At that point, Geo couldn't stop himself and immediately took a freshly-baked Italian herb loaf off of the belt and munched into the bread, not bothering to cut it or butter it or anything. Instead he just ripped out pieces of it with his teeth and swallowed them down, feeling the blend of savory herbs and the cheese baked into the bread crust practically melt into his mouth. Grinning, he continued to scarf it down until it was all gone, licking the remaining seeds that had topped the bread off of his fingers and smiling happily.

Then he realized what he had done; he had just stolen and eaten a loaf of bread that he hadn't paid for. It sunk in and for a moment he felt guilty... and then the hunger pangs resumed, worse than ever. But Geo tried his hardest to restrain himself again, knowing that he'd just feel worse if he took more than he already had. After all, he had morals! He wouldn't give into something as insignificant as hunger! The wolf refused to look at the conveyer belts moving breads along the packaging line, and even clamped both paws over his nose to keep the smells out too. He didn't need any sort of temptation now!

As he tried to distract himself away from the food behind him, Geo noticed a small note on the door he had come through. Curious, he pulled it off, reading it aloud. "Kid - Your buddy Zee came by earlier today and told me about the game you guys were playing, told me someone might get hungry while choosing to hide here and bought a day's worth of ingredients and labor, so eat up as much as you want! Everything's already covered for, enjoy yourself! ~Meno."

Geo let out a sigh of relief. So the bread was paid for... and clearly this was one of Zee's pre-planned traps. That wolf was crafty! Fortunately, it seemed like Geo had slipped free of the ensnarement this time, since the inflator wasn't there to trigger any sort of hunger and make him gorge himself silly. Chuckling, he patted his belly and took another loaf off of the conveyer, a large baguette. Biting off the end of the firm crust and chewing it thoughtfully, he concluded that it needed butter to really make it good. With a shrug he stood, still chewing on the loaf, and headed towards the door to ask if there were a few spreads around that he could use while he hung out in the back.

The door was stuck, though, the handle turning but the portal remaining shut. Frowning, Geo tugged again and again, even bracing his feet against the walls and pulling as hard as he could with no luck. The door would not move at all! The wolf bit his lip, wondering what was going on until he saw another note at his feet, slid beneath the door. Picking it up, he read it over before letting out a loud groan.

"Hope you enjoy the food, Geo; I bought a whole day's worth just for you! ~Zee."

So much for evading the trap; it was obvious that instead of avoiding capture, Geo had instead walked right into it. It was probably when he had been escorted into the room, too. He hadn't seen his guide, but it was probably Zee. Shaking his head, the wolf knew what was coming next and didn't even bother to delay the inevitable, especially as another surge of hunger came. Rather than waiting for desperation to kick in and make him do it, Geo voluntarily started yanking loaves off of the conveyer belts, one in each paw as he alternated between bites, tearing into the food with amazing gusto.

The first loaf to go was simple wheat, the soft, gentle flavor odd after the stronger Italian that he had eaten first. The smooth dark-brown crust broke after one bite, and Geo paused to savor the taste, but another particularly strong growl from his belly prevented him from doing so. With a sigh he quickly downed the rest of it, crunching through it and swallowing heavily, feeling a slight weight settle in his belly. Of course, he had plenty of room left, being a fairly large wolf himself, and that one loaf hardly made a dent in his round belly. The hunger was getting worse though; he had to start filling up, and fast!

An idea came to mind, a potentially stupid one but an idea nonetheless. Quickly he jumped atop the conveyer belt, straddling it so it didn't pull him along, and pressed his open muzzle into the opening where the bread was coming out, filling the whole entrance. Then he just sat there and waited as the loaves were simply delivered to him, one at a time, crunching them down as they came. The first one was cornbread, with a soft, moist interior practically melting in his mouth. A whole pan's worth came down the belt, forcing him to chew and swallow as quickly as possible, feeling the warm, freshly-baked bread slide into his belly, which was pressed slightly against the conveyer.

The next two were both a nice pair of banana bread loaves, sweeter than the last and slightly mushier but just as good as he downed them. Then came a loaf of soft rye, slightly more bitter than the sweeter varieties but somehow seeming to be more filling and just as delicious. Sourdough was next, followed by white. As each loaf moved down the conveyer belt to be chomped down by the increasingly-hungry wolf, and slowly the increasing mass of food being sent into his large belly was digested. The high number of carbs present meant that the body was getting a lot of energy... but since that energy wasn't used, it was converted into fat to be stored.

Slowly Geo's belly started expanding again, but not in the same way it had previously. Before, it had been bulk, giving him a tightly spherical middle. Now that same middle, while remaining round, had started to sag and droop. It pressed more firmly against the conveyer belt, slowly covering it from side to side. His muzzle widened as his cheeks puffed up, filling the entrance to the conveyer and preventing it from pulling free. Slowly the additional fat started to add up on the rest of his body, causing him to grow rapidly. Legs swelled up thicker and thicker until they rubbed together, and fattening toes were slowly having difficulty reaching the floor as his gut continued to blow up.

Slowly Geo could feel his body growing, but the wolf didn't even bother to try and pull his muzzle free; he was still starving! Instead he pushed it in further and tried to grab the bread even sooner as it was sent down the conveyer belt. He felt his gut pressing against the conveyer belt, lifting his hugely swollen rump upwards, and his paws gave up even trying to reach the ground on either side of the belt. The conveyer tried to move the massive bulky wolf backwards, but due to his muzzle being stuck and his growing girth, Geo wasn't going anywhere. It didn't matter anyway; after a few minutes he felt his rump press against the wall that had been a few feet away before he had started; he was really getting large!

Fat was starting to overtake Geo's vision as his round cheeks continued to puff up and press against the sides of the machine, blocking his view for the most part. His arms were so heavy that he didn't even try to lift them; it was just too much work. His gut had the belt groaning and straining beneath him, ready to bust any time now. The wolf no longer looked overweight; he was starting to resemble a blob of fat and fur! His limbs were becoming useless as they widened enough to press into his sides when he had them extended as far as they could go outwards. His muzzle was made of his swollen cheeks and multiple chins swallowing his muzzle and pressing into his sagging, large chest. And his gut looked as big as one of the huge ovens that had been in the other room all by itself, swollen huge with fat and sagging down onto the creaking and breaking conveyer.

With a sudden crash, the belt broke and left Geo plummeting to the ground. The machine, finding an error from a broken part, stopped moving, keeping the last loaf just out of Geo's reach. With a growl, the wolf tried to catch it with his tongue, but found himself just short. His fat body was pressed up against the conveyer belt, his chest and the front of his enormous belly squished against the cold metal. His clothing had long since been reduced to tatters, leaving his large gray rump and huge torso exposed to the warm air of the bakery, the heat from the ovens filling the entire area.

Groaning, still unable to remove his muzzle from the machine, Geo rubbed at his enormously fat belly. Being so full had never felt so good, and that was especially the case as his hunger slipped away and left him feeling completely huge and satisfied. He was out of the game, sadly, but it felt great, so it wasn't a total loss. But now, after such a large feast, it was time for a nap. He could figure out his situation later...

---

==Victim 14: Nir ==

"Mrawr... I'm surprised I've lasted this long..."

Nir stretched as he watched the crowd below, relaxing on one of the balconies of a nice restaurant. The hybrid, a mix of white lion and dragon that looked more like a snow leopard, stared at the furs walking back and forth as they went about their daily lives. Nir had chosen a nice restaurant to enjoy part of his afternoon as well as to use for a hiding spot. His statement was completely accurate, though; in the middle of a restaurant, he was the perfect target for Zee, and yet he hadn't been caught. The hybrid had to wonder if perhaps he had just gotten lucky and been missed, or if the wolf had simply not made it this far yet. Either way, he was starting to get edgy; he had survived for most of the day, and there were only a few hours left in the day. Soon the competition would be over and the winner (or if the case happened to be, winners) would be announced. Maybe he had gotten a lucky break after all; did that mean he was the winner?

A movement of black below caused Nir to jump, and for a moment he thought he saw a familiar wolf down below. Closer inspection showed that it was just a black cat, making his way through the crowd on his way to some destination. The hybrid let out a sigh of relief; he was getting jumpy! Still, he could hardly be blamed; after all, people were getting caught left and right. By Nir's estimate, there couldn't be more than four people left. Four people! That was a fourth of the original pool of sixteen, which meant the game would be wrapping up very shortly one way or another. Hopefully it would end with his victory.

The hybrid motioned to a waiter as he passed, the slim cougar nodding and bringing Nir the bill. Smiling, the feline took it and paid with a nice tip before heading out to the streets. He wasn't comfortable staying in one place for too long; after all, his luck against Zee would only hold out so long. It would be best to head out and find a new hiding spot in another section of the city, perhaps one on the opposite side of town. In the event that Zee hadn't yet covered Nir's current area, the odds would be high for ending up in an area that the inflator had already scoped out. If that was the case, Nir would be home free for the rest of the game unless his pursuer got paranoid and backtracked. That was always a possibility though... anything was possible with Zee.

Still, odds put things in Nir's favor if he kept moving, so he quickly made his way to the nearest bus stop and got on, heading for another place across town. He didn't know where he would hide from there, but he could look around, perhaps grab a random building or something to conceal himself in. It would really depend on what he found upon getting there.

The bus ride was smooth and simple, with no complications on the way. Nir got to enjoy a calm ride without any worries, the upbeat music lifting his spirits and allowing him to relax even more. Sure, Zee was still on his tail, but the hybrid was in no danger right this second, and it meant that for the first time all day he could just sit back and calm down just a little bit.

Unfortunately, the rest didn't last long; soon enough, Nir was at his stop and needed to get off of the bus to find another hiding spot. The hybrid did so reluctantly; he had been relaxing there! He didn't have a choice though, it was the end of the bus line and he had ridden the whole way. Looking around, Nir made sure that Zee wasn't in sight. After all, the wolf had an odd habit of practically appearing out of thin air. No one knew how he got around so quickly. Zee didn't drive, and there was no way he was athletic enough to run across the city multiples times at a fast rate. There was some trick, though it would likely remain a mystery.

Once the way was clear, Nir headed for the first building he could find, immediately closing the door behind him after confirming that Zee was not inside. Once he was sure it was safe, the hybrid took a moment to figure out where he was, and to find a suitable hiding spot.

He couldn't help but blink in surprise. Nir had ended up, of all places, at a party store. Colorful wrapping, ribbons, bags of confetti, decorations, and deflated balloons were all over the place. The shop was closed for the day, it seemed, but even so, it seemed like a bad spot to hide. After all, with all of the bright and multicolored objects lying around, the white dragon/feline crossbreed would do anything but blend. Nir was in shades of black and white versus the veritable rainbow around him, and he would stick out like an unpainted spot on a bright, vibrant painting. Okay, it was a bad metaphor, but it worked well enough in his head. He knew what he meant, and that was what was important.

Nir headed for the exit, intent on finding another hiding spot. Upon reaching the doors, though, he found them locked, refusing to open. He tugged a few times, wondering what was wrong; he had come in through them, why couldn't he get out? Then he noticed something lying on the ground on the other side of the door: a key. Nir worked it out in his head before coming up with a few possible answers. First of all, someone could have purposely locked him in there and dropped the key afterwards while trying to avoid being noticed. That one was unlikely because the only person who would want to do that was Zee and he wouldn't have locked the hybrid in there without joining him.

The only other option that Nir could think of was a long shot as well, but it was possible that the key had been in the door when he had gotten there, and that the door had only been partially locked. When he had quickly closed the door behind him the key had been jarred loose and finished locking it before falling out. It was a bit of a stretch, but it was the only thing that seemed plausible right now. Either way, Nir was locked in the party store, meaning he would have to wait until an owner came to let him out. Essentially, with his luck it meant that he had lost the competition; as soon as Zee saw him locked him the party store the wolf would come in, tag him, and that would be that. The game was over now that he had been foolish; if he had only been a bit more cautious, then he wouldn't be in this situation! Frustrated, the hybrid kicked at the pile of decorations behind him. It wasn't fair that he had gotten so far in the game only to get locked in a party decorations store!

As he kicked out though, a loud pop echoed throughout the room, causing him to jump in surprise. Spooked a bit, Nir leaned forward to see what had happened. A large balloon was in tatters on the ground, burst by the kick. Tilting his head, Nir wondered why a fully-inflated balloon had been left out and on the floor; had the place been left in that bad of a mess? It was really weird. Maybe there was someone still in the shop, and they hadn't gotten around to cleaning that room yet. If that was the case, then that person might be able to let him out of the shop so he could get back into Zee's competition!

Figuring it couldn't hurt to try, Nir headed back into the rear of the shop, pushing open a door marked "Employees only". Inside, he found several large crates of party supplies, pre-packaged and ready to be put out on display to replace those bought. There were also several large canisters against the wall, as well as opened packages of deflated balloons. That was probably the section where they inflated party balloons to hand out in bundles. Nir noticed that one of the tanks was still hissing slightly, like it had been left on; maybe there was still someone in here, and they had just not turned it off all of the way.

As he looked around, the hybrid called out softly, trying to catch whoever was still in the shop without startling them. There was no reply though, and Nir had to wonder if he was mistaken. Maybe there wasn't anyone there; someone could have just left in a hurry and left things in the messy state they were in. So far, that theory seemed to hold water, as no reply came from the shop as he made his way around. Frowning once more, Nir sighed and completed his pacing of the shop, finding no one. Leaning against a wall, he figured it was just a matter of time until Zee showed up. He had lost.

The hybrid tapped his foot, wondering what he was going to do to pass the time now. He was trapped in the shop and there was no one wandering remotely close by for him to get help. All he could do was sit there... maybe he could play with the party decorations or something, not that they were helping his mood right now. For such a festive sight all they did was irritate him more and more. And that hissing from the loose helium tank was starting to drive him crazy; why had he even left it on this long? The low but steady hissing was really driving him up the wall, multiplying his irritation by the moment. Finally, he just decided to go and turn the dang thing off, forgetting his situation in his annoyance.

It took a few minutes of running down the row of tanks to find the one that was hissing. Nir looked over the tank, trying to find the switch that would shut it completely. It took him a few minutes before he noticed the small lever right at the top, with a gauge next to it showing that only a fifth of the tank had been depleted. Quickly grabbing it, the hybrid twisted the nozzle to the left, thinking that it would turn it off. The increased hissing told him he was wrong, and he quickly turned it the other way, getting a decrease in the sound and finally silence. With a sigh of relief, Nir shook his head. That was one annoyance out of the way.

As he started to lift his paw, Nir felt another settle atop his and jumped in surprise. A black muzzle tilted in a smile at him as he looked over his shoulder to see who it was, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"No, no, you had it right the first time! Turn it up; we can't do anything like this..."

Zee was standing there, a grin on his muzzle as he turned the nozzle back up by guiding Nir's paw. The hybrid tried to speak, but couldn't find any words. He hadn't even seen the wolf enter, or heard him, yet here he was! The inflator had the most disarming smile, an almost sincerely innocent one that broke through anyone's guard. But beneath it was the mischievous nature of a prankster, as was evident by the hose in his paw. One end was stuck into the hissing end of the helium tank, containing it and drawing the compressed air out through it. The other end was waved around almost menacingly before being shoved forward... right into Nir's muzzle.

Nir squirmed as he realized that the hose had been thrust between his lips, reaching up to remove it, but a roll of duct tape was the next thing in Zee's paw, wrapping it tightly around the hybrid's shut muzzle and keeping it bound firmly. Paws were pushed away as Zee waved one finger at his latest victim, tsking softly as if admonishing him. Nir tried again, only to be pushed away once more, his efforts futile.

Meanwhile, as he struggled, the dragon/lion crossbreed felt the helium slowly moving down the tube and into his muzzle. His cheeks started to puff up slowly, then a bit more rapidly as Zee's powers kicked in and his body became much stretchier. Soon it looked like a pair of small baseballs had been shoved into either end, before the air started hissing down his throat. Nir's neck immediately started thickening as air pushed its way down in large gulps, slowly passing into the rest of his body. Immediately his shirt started to tighten as a small belly began forming, the black-spotted white fur starting to pooch out into a ball-like shape.

As Nir started swelling up, Zee smiled and sat back with a happy grin, observing the growth. "My... you'll certainly make a nice balloon. I'll have to find a rope or something to tie to you, so you can be the real deal. All nice and round and squishy and light... I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"

Nir didn't even notice as he watched his body continuing to bloat up. His white shirt was starting to grow tight as his belly rounded out further, growing larger by the second. An inch or two of the fluffy white fur started to show already, and more was becoming visible as the shirt slid up. His chest was starting to see some of the effects of the air too, though not as heavily, his entire torso almost rounding out into one large sphere already, and he had only just begun. The angle was starting to become awkward, too; as his belly pushed forward and his chest started rising to meet his swollen neck. As he leaned forward to try and get a better balance, he felt his swelling, rounded rump press free of his jeans, showing off the plumped-up, rounded curves that swelled even faster once partially freed from their confines.

The hybrid was starting to get rather large now; his belly looked like a medium-sized beach ball had been inflated inside of it, and his muzzle was starting to get slightly disproportionate. His cheeks were half as big as basketballs by now, pressing against a stubby snout. Limbs were nearly tripled in size as their length only barely increased, making them looking balloony as they pressed against his swelling torso. He could still bend them to some extent, though the air filling them made it very difficult. A loud rip from his shirt indicated it finally reaching a limit and tearing down the center from the neck. Soon the entire garment ripped off, the shreds falling to pieces on the ground.

As he swelled, Nir noticed something; he was getting lighter! The helium was starting to take its effect and the hybrid was starting to be lifted up by his swollen body. As he was forced forward, his massive gut towards the ground, he heard another long tear; his pants had finally given away too. The feline blushed as his enormous black-spotted rump was visible, even as the helium lifted him up so that it was brushing up against the ceiling. It became especially huge as it rubbed against the surface, rounding out as it was freed and starting to match his belly in growth speed. The hybrid's gut was getting enormous, almost to the floor again as he continued to swell up. His muzzle was starting to vanish behind bloated soccer ball-sized cheeks, and his view was starting to get blocked.

Slowly the feline began to take on a more predominantly spherical shape, his belly beginning to brush against the floor while the rest of his torso spread outwards, pressing against his muzzle. His limbs had sunken heavily into the large ball, sticking out maybe a few inches like the swollen tire of his neck before ending in stubby, ballooned-out fingers and toes. Even his long tail had bloated a good deal, looking a bit more like one of the tube balloons that people bent into balloon animals and bobbing against his oversized rear. He truly was starting to look like a giant balloon at this point, just like Zee had said!

Slowly the gauge on the tank started to run down, reaching the red area of the bar that indicated it was empty. Nir was nearly as big as the room by now, and Zee found that he was starting to run out of space and moved to the front area of the shop instead, leaving the door open so that he could watch his victim finish his ballooning. Slowly the intake of air decreased, and finally Nir stopped inflating just as his head pushed past the doorway, his shoulders lodged behind it as his ballooned body filled up every inch of the back room. The hybrid couldn't see anything but his swollen muzzle, the gigantic cheeks pressing against the doorway as he flailed about, stuck in place and unable to move anyway.

Zee chuckled as he patted one of those swollen cheeks, smiling widely. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about you floating away! I was going to use a second tank, but seeing as my big balloon fills the whole room, I can't get to them! So I guess we'll just have to stop here. Besides, I can't stay in one place too long; I've got two more victims to find."

With a grin he turned to leave, whistling merrily to himself. Nir was left stuck in the shop as Zee locked it back up behind him, tossing the key back onto the ground again. All he could do was lay there, his bloated body completely immobile and stuck in the room he had been inflated in. He was out of the game, but hey! He had made it to the last few, right?

Somehow that thought wasn't as comforting as he had figured...

---

FINALS - 2 Contestants Remain

---

==Semi-finalist: Tracose==

"Almost there... just a little further and I'll be there!"

A heavy form ran through the alleyway, panting heavily. Tracose looked over his shoulder as he continued to make his way through the narrow way between the two buildings. Though there was nothing actually pursuing him, it felt as if he was being watched. Of course, the Styracosaurus had felt like that all day; it was part of the game. Being one of the sixteen potential victims in a gigantic game of city-wide hide-and-seek, with the 'penalty' for being caught forced inflation, made him very nervous. It wasn't that losing was such a bad thing; after all, every contestant who joined it made a point of liking inflation to some extent or another. However, the prize for winning was a much larger inflation than any of the others, and that alone was worth it.

Tracose ran not because of fear of pursuit, but fear of losing the game that Zee had laid on the table for all to play. Right now, the inflator wolf was hunting through the city for any of the contestants of his little game, and every one he found meant that each of the survivors were one step closer to winning the game. It had been hours since the competition had started and Tracose was sure that he was doing great so far, but there was no guarantee that the game was over. Zee had said everyone would know when they were done playing; until Tracose had some way of being sure of what that sign was, he was going to keep running and hiding. He wasn't going to lose, not after he had survived for so long!

Even while keeping on the move, the dinosaur had heard about the fate of several others who had already been caught. Just recently there had been news of an enormously fat wolf chowing down in the back room of a bakery, and a bloated, air-filled feline nearly bursting out of a party shop a few blocks away. The latter of the two had really gotten Tracose nervous; the shop wasn't too far from his last hiding spot, and he was afraid that he would have been captured had he not immediately started running. The Styracosaurus had been in a nearby grocery store, trying to blend in with the crowd, but the instant he heard of the nearby incident he realized that he had been in a very vulnerable position. If Zee had tagged him there he would have had so much food available that he would not have been able to escape. So he had promptly retreated.

The nearest route for escape was an alleyway that led to an area behind the grocery store, and then from there it was a long road that led down to some other factories. Tracose had to climb over a mesh fence to get to the main road, which was made difficult by his weight. He wasn't fat by a long stretch; he was more bulky with a good deal of muscle and a little bit of padding. However, even so he was heavy enough that pulling himself over it wasn't easy. A few tries managed to get one thick leg over, though, and then the other and he jumped down to the ground beyond the fence. He quickly turned to run down the street, leaving the grocery store and hopefully Zee behind.

The factory area included a lot of production and packing industries; Tracose knew that much. The specifics were unknown though; he didn't know what was made out here or where they shipped to, or even what companies were named. Still, something industrial was far away from the dinosaur's one major weakness, and Zee's biggest strength against him: food. After all, without some sort of medium to use against him, Zee would be stuck with only contact inflation. The prankster had a weird sense of fun, and it seemed that contact inflation didn't really fit into that. It was good in a crowded setting at random, but when hunting down an individual target he liked to toy around, either drawing it out for the sake of catching them a specific way or just to have fun.

The factory was the best place for spoiling Zee's fun; at best, Tracose could discourage the wolf from following him by doing so. With luck it'd throw the prankster off of his trail for the remainder of the game. The downside was the chance of provoking him into just going through with contact inflation, putting aside fun in his annoyance. The odds were even, but Tracose didn't really have any other options with the way he was already heading. With a huffing sigh as he tried to catch his breath, he continued his jog down the road even as he entered the industrial section of the city.

The factories rose high along either side of the street, but there was a surprising lack of smog and smoke. There was a bit rising into the sky here and there, but it wasn't the thick mess that came from most metal industries. So it wasn't anything like steel mills; what sort of things did they produce here that let out so little smoke? Tracose found himself curious, wondering if perhaps there was some way he could check it out. All he'd need was an open door, and he could lose himself in the factory and satisfy his curiosity as well. It was win-win.

It took about ten minutes, but finally Tracose found a side door that led right into one of the factories. Looking around to make sure there was no one who would be upset by his unexpected entrance, the Styracosaurus slipped inside. A wash of heat and a strong odor washed over him... but it wasn't an unpleasant one. Blinking in surprise, the dinosaur wandered forward, wondering what it was. It was almost sickeningly sweet and somewhat rich at the same time. The smell was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it...

Then Tracose came out into the main room of the factory, and his jaw dropped. It wasn't an industrial factory; it was a chocolate factory! All sorts of different sugary confections were being made, all from 100% pure chocolate. There were lines with sweet slabs of fudge being cut into smaller cubes, lines where more liquid chocolate was being poured into molds and frozen into cup-like shapes. Still more were being turned into large candy bars to be wrapped up at and shipped out to stores all over the city. The smell that Tracose hadn't recognized before was the molten chocolate, bubbling and hot as it was melted and mixed before being directed to the various lines.

The Styracosaurus's jaw dropped as he watched the whole process. Of all the places he had gone to try and escape Zee, he would end up in a chocolate factory. Groaning, he turned to head for the door, only to see it sliding back into place. Either one of the workers had noticed it or Zee had already slipped in, readying a trap that would turn this chocolate-lover's paradise into one of the greatest fattening devices ever. Tracose knew that Zee wouldn't be looking for a way to blimp him up like a balloon; the wolf probably knew about the dinosaur's love of eating. It was the reason that he was pudgier rather than muscled; after all, with a little work he could probably have a great body. But he enjoyed food to a great extent; not necessarily stuffing himself like a lot of gainer furs out there did, but enjoying the taste, the texture, the feeling of being able to eat until he was full without being uncomfortable. Naturally it had added a few pounds, but it was a reasonable sacrifice.

Tracose hurried over to the door after a few minutes, making sure whoever had closed it had been given time to move away. With a tug, he tried to open it, but it was bolted shut. He looked around but the lock required some sort of key to it. That was an unusually intricate security design and a bit silly to boot. That definitely sounded like Zee though, no doubt about it. The inflator wolf was in the factory somewhere, working on a plan to turn Tracose into his next victim. The dinosaur knew that there was no way out, once the wolf had set his target, but that didn't stop him from trying to think of a way out. Even if he didn't make it, he was going to try.

Sneaking along one wall, Tracose tried to keep as far away from the chocolate lines as he could; after all, the smell alone was tempting up close, so what would happen if Zee tapped him? It would be overwhelming in an instant without an ounce of resistance. No, instead the Styracosaurus slipped past the conveyer belts and the vats where chocolate was being processed in favor of heading towards what seemed like a shipping center. At least the chocolate was already cooled and packed up there, so that the scent and sight of it wouldn't drive him crazy. It wasn't necessarily the safest place, but it was better than the alternatives, and maybe he could find a shipping door so that he could slip out.

He was in luck; right by the line of trucks that would deliver the various products across town, there were several large cargo bay doors for them to get out. Most of them were closed and locked, but one was wide open as a truck started leaving. Tracose grinned as he inched up near it, watching the large vehicle head through the open door. All he had to do was time it right and he could be out before anyone noticed him! The dinosaur looked around to make sure it was clear, eyes narrowed as he scanned the shipping area. There were one or two workers, mostly trying to load boxes into another truck. Tracose frowned, looking the two over; he knew that Zee was great with disguises, and tended to show up where least expected. Neither of them had black fur, at the first look, though one of them was hard to tell with. Just in case, since he couldn't tell, Tracose kept hidden from both figures. After all, it wouldn't be much work for Zee to get one of his admirers to help him out, right?

The instant that both were busy elsewhere, Tracose slipped into the back of the truck. He hid behind several boxes of chocolate bars that were directed to a grocery store on the far side of town, nestling right between three larger ones that had just enough space for him to squeeze in. He was concealed well, and even as the two workers stacked in the rest of the boxes they didn't seem to notice him. The Styracosaurus settled himself in with a content sigh, sure now that he was safe and on his way out of the factory.

Tracose grinned. So much for one of Zee's traps; it hadn't been that hard to avoid at all! A little bit of quick thinking and some luck had been all that he needed to slip out of the factory. Now that he had gotten free, it would be a simple matter to evade Zee for the last leg of the contest, and he'd win for sure! After all, the sun was already starting to fall, and when it did, the wolf would probably be done for the day. The competition couldn't last that long against the prankster's skill, after all. Tracose had gotten lucky that he had slipped free of an easy trap. If it had been one of Zee's more subtle ones, then he wouldn't have had a chance.

A bump signaled a stop in the movement of the truck, and Tracose frowned. They were still too far from the town to be running into stop lights, by his estimate. A box pressing against him added to his uneasiness, though that was mostly because he was being pressed against a wall. That was hardly comfortable, and the Styracosaurus had to push and shove the boxes in order to get free. Climbing out of the pile, he groaned and rubbed at his head before pressing his ear to one wall, trying to hear what was going on. They shouldn't have been stopping so soon; something was wrong, and he was starting to get a strange itch of worry.

The doors to the back of the truck were suddenly thrown open, startling Tracose. He didn't even have time to hide in the boxes as a figure appeared at the doorway. The driver must have heard him or something, and had come to investigate! That was probably why the truck had stopped, and now the dinosaur had to explain why he was in the back of the chocolate truck. Maybe if he was lucky, the driver would at least humor his hard-to-believe story and let him go. Odds were that he would be in deep trouble, though. With a nervous gulp, Tracose strode forward, presenting himself before the driver.

Then his jaw dropped. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me..."

Zee grinned. "What, you aren't happy to see me?"

The wolf was wearing a uniform, like he was actually a part of the factory that Tracose had just left. The Styracosaurus often wondered where Zee got all of his disguises, and where he got the money to do half of the things he did. Unfortunately, that wasn't his concern right now. Instead, Tracose had to deal with a certain inflator wolf staring him down, a mischievous look on his muzzle as he tapped the side of the truck.

Finally he sighed and just gave in. It seemed he had lost. "How many are left?"

Zee seemed surprised by the question, but then he chuckled. "Well... believe it or not, you're one of only two people remaining... so close, huh?"

Two people? Tracose felt his heart sink slightly. He had been one contestant away from winning Zee's contest, but he had slipped up and ended up as the last formal 'victim'. Groaning, the Styracosaurus shook his head and sat back against one of the crates. He had been so close! Only one person had been left, and if Tracose had stayed out of Zee's sight for just a little longer, he would have won! Being a semi-finalist was probably the worst thing that could have happened, offering up the prize and then snatching it away at the last second. There was no point to resisting, and Zee's playful mockery wasn't making it any better.

Zee frowned at the dinosaur's look, but rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon. You're ruining my fun now. Let's just get this over wi- hey!"

As soon as Zee let his guard down for a moment, Tracose ran past. That sadness routine had been a nice act, and had given him a moment to slip away. The wolf growled and immediately started after him.

The Styracosaurus ran up the outside ramp and dashed back into the darkness of the chocolate factory, sprinting back the way he had come as fast as his sudden adrenaline rush could take him and not bothering to take the time to look back at his pursuer. Tracose didn't need to see the wolf to know that he was close behind him. He had just managed to make it to the wide doorway separating the shipping center from the main section of the factory, when he suddenly crashed right into the workers he had seen before.

The three figures fell to a tangled heap on the floor, with the dinosaur struggling to get free and the two other furs just trying to figure out what had just happened. It only took him a few seconds to dislodge himself from them and dash back to the conveyor belts, leaving the pair of them laying there with expressions of confusion and annoyance. Maybe, just maybe, they would be enough of an obstacle to slow Zee down for a bit too. At least, so he hoped.

It was only when he made his way back into the main room of the factory that Tracose realized that he had made a horrible mistake; the factory door that he had originally entered in through was still shut tight! The only exit that he knew of was back through the loading docks again! His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do and where to run. He dared a glance behind him, but found that Zee wasn't there. Had the workers slowed him down for a moment after all?

There wasn't any time to waste, he was only one of two people left and couldn't afford to give up when he still had a chance left. Frantically, he looked around for some place to conceal himself, and laid his eyes on an abnormally large machine at the end of a conveyor belt that spat out cooled bars of chocolate to be wrapped and packaged by another machine further down the belt. The machine was just large enough to hide behind, so without another thought, he quickly leaped over the conveyor belt and dashed behind it, holding his breath as he waited for Zee to catch up.

With the loading docks being the only real exit, Tracose had only one option left. He needed to wait for Zee to come in looking for him, and then double back once the wolf had walked past him. Perhaps then, he could even lay a trap for the inflator by closing the loading doors and trapping him inside the factory long enough to make a clean getaway. He was one of the last two survivors in the competition, so all he needed to do was to make it past Zee without getting spotted, and he could still win the grand prize!

He listened carefully while trying to calm his nerves, silencing his breathing as much as he humanly could, and just listened for the sound of footsteps. He could hear the sounds of the conveyors dully moving along and the mechanical whirring of the machines as they mixed the sweet confections. He could hear the sounds of the vats of chocolate bubbling like bowls of sugary soup and the clanging of metal as slabs of chocolate were expertly cut into equal pieces. And then, he heard it: the soft footsteps of someone entering the room.

The mysterious figure slowly walked closer to where Tracose was hiding, as though taking their time and doing nothing more than admiring the scenery. The Styracosaurus felt his heart beat faster and mind racing, but kept himself quiet and still. He could see a long shadow cast on the ground from the man, with its arms clearly folded behind its back and the familiar cap of a uniformed truck driver. No doubt about it, this was Zee coming to look for him. All he had to do was wait there until the wolf had passed by, and then he could creep back along to the shipping center...

Just then, he heard a loud grumbling sound coming from his own belly and looked down in horror. Zee hadn't touched him at all, it couldn't have been him. That's when he realized; he had been running all day without eating, and now all of the smells in the factory were starting to make him hungry! He inwardly groaned to himself and held his hand to his stomach to try and quiet it down, but only succeeded in making it growl even more. Thankfully, Zee didn't seem to be able to hear it over the other sounds of the factory, but it wouldn't be long before he was within range.

Tracose scanned around quickly and set his eyes on the conveyor belt in front of him and its never ending flow of chocolate. He grinned softly and quietly snatched one from the belt, shoving it quickly past his lips to pacify his hunger. He savored the taste of the still slightly warm chocolate for a moment, letting it melt into a sweet goo inside of his mouth before swallowing it down soundlessly. That would surely be enough to keep his body quiet for just a few moments more.

But then his belly rumbled again, almost louder than it had been before. The dinosaur grimaced and held his breath, but again the figure closing in on him did not appear to hear him. He looked down at his own belly and scoured at it. Apparently the sheer taste of one was enough to make him even hungrier. Perhaps another one would do to keep it quiet? Or maybe two, since having only one had just made him even hungrier for more rather than appeasing him.

He looked out carefully at the approaching shadow, and stealthily grabbed a small handful of bars. Then, as quietly as he could, he started munching down each bar one after the other, barely taking the time to even enjoy the sweet taste of his favorite snack. He smacked his chocolate covered lips with a soft smile and rubbed at his fuller belly before returning to listening carefully for Zee's movements.

The wolf continued to just slowly move forward, as though taking his time to look for every possible hiding place and not letting anything past him. He probably knew that the exit was blocked, and was taking his time to make sure that Tracose didn't do exactly as he was hoping to try to do. But then Tracose's stomach gave out another loud rumble and the wolf froze.

The Styracosaurus winced as his belly noisily growled at him again. Why was he so hungry for chocolate all of a sudden?! Zee was still right there, he hadn't been caught yet! He held his breath and pressed his back up against the machine as much as he could, feeling as though Zee's eyes were staring right at him through all the metal. Thankfully, the wolf must have thought he imagined the sound, because he just continued walking along instead of investigating the sound.

Tracose couldn't keep his stomach quiet forever. Unfortunately, the only food available to pacify his noisy appetite was the chocolate flowing right in front of him, and he could feel the presence of the wolf just on the other side of the machine. He needed some way to distract him, long enough to try to make a run for it, or at least to grab another filling of food. That's when he saw a wrench laying just at his feet, and he got an idea. In one swift motion, he grabbed the wrench and threw it as far as he could to the other side of the factory. It made a loud clanging sound as it collided with something metal, and definitely drew the full attention of the person on the other side of the machine. The figure went running toward the noise, and Tracose sprang out from his hiding place with a grin. It worked!

Without a moment to lose, the dinosaur started to climb back up over the conveyor belt. He had just managed to get one leg straddled over the moving platform when his belly started to grumble again at him even more than it had before, with a sudden aching and incredible longing for more. Groaning to himself, he looked over to where he had thrown the wrench to make sure that he hadn't been heard. He couldn't see Zee at all, but he did see his shadows along the wall as he raced over to where the noise had been. Satisfied that he was still clear, he moved to lift his other leg up over the belt.

That's when he looked forward and saw the most heavenly image his stomach could ever have asked for.

Inside the machine he had been hiding behind, he saw melted chocolate poured into rectangular molds and cooled off by a high-powered fan before being put onto the conveyor belt and sliding right toward him in an endless cycle, as though it were being made just for him. It felt like one of the most miraculous sights had ever seen, despite it being something common you would expect to find in a chocolate factory. Still, he stomach growled so loudly at him from the sight and smell of it all before him that he was afraid Zee might have heard him even from the other side of the factory. Tracose knew that should just get going while he had a chance, but he couldn't help but stand there staring and drooling at it.

Finally, he decided to lean down and grab an armful of chocolate bars to satisfy his craving, shoving several bars at once into his mouth and munching it down merrily. His distraction had probably bought him at least enough time for him to enjoy himself a little first. After all, all he needed to do was head back out to the loading area and seal off all of the doors, and then the mighty prankster would be trapped in the factory long enough for him to find a new hiding place in the city. It would take no time at all to make it to the exit, especially if the wolf was looking for him on the other side of the factory.

He gorged himself fully with several loads of chocolate, just grabbing whatever he could in front of him and not letting the sticky mess bother him at all. He could feel his pants grow tighter from the amount he was eating, but he barely paid any attention to it in favor of just filling himself with more of the delicious sugary sweetness before him. He was still so hungry, and even after a few dozens, he could feel the longing for so much more than what he had had.

That's when an idea struck him. He looked around cautiously for a moment before grinning to himself and lowering his body down almost level with the conveyor belt, just barely able to hold himself above the platform. From this angle, all the chocolate passed right under his maw, practically delivering itself right to him. All it took was for him to lean his head down just a little more, and the bars would slide straight into his mouth to fill him with more of the confection he loved so much. He barely had enough time to chomp down what was in his mouth before three more fall right in.

The Styracosaurus didn't even notice that his stomach had gone from being slightly pudgy to being rounded out to the size of a large beach ball from how much chocolate, his pants straining to keep together and shirt lifting up way past his mountainous gut. It wasn't until it had grown large enough to sag down and cause the conveyor belt to rub against it that he suddenly snapped out of his eating frenzy and realized what was going on... Zee had somehow tagged him!

"You know, I gotta admit..." a voice suddenly called out by his side. Tracose reluctantly turned his head over to find Zee standing there with a grin. "I didn't actually know where you were hiding in here after you managed to escape from the truck. But since I had already managed to catch up to you when you were held up by that dog pile with the workers, there wasn't much left to do but to wait for the show to begin."

The dinosaur groaned to himself as he remembered. Those workers had delayed him just long enough for Zee to catch him again. He had been wondering whose hand that was on his tail while he was getting up. At least it explains why the wolf was so calm in his search of the factory. Zee grinned and took a small bow before heading for the exit. "Well, I'd love to stay and watch, but I've got things to do, places to go, winners to award. See you later, and enjoy your dessert!"

Tracose raised his hand and tried to think of something to protest about as the wolf left. But as he did so, he suddenly slipped and fell right onto the conveyor belt face first, smearing himself in even more chocolate as the platform carried him down the line. Normally, the chocolate would have been molded into bars in one machine and then carried over to another machine that would wrap it up and ready it for packaging. But Tracose was so large that not even his fat rump could squeeze into the other machine at the end of the conveyor belt, and blocked it off like a giant cork while all the hundreds of chocolate bars continued to flood toward him seeking entrance, pressing against his face and muzzle and even right into his mouth.

His stomach wasn't complaining one bit about it though. If anything, it rumbled and craved for more as if he had barely eaten anything yet, hungrier for chocolate beyond anything he had ever known. Giving in to his belly's demands, he chomped down on the chewy morsels and let its richness slide into to his already massive waistline, savoring each and every piece and barely paying attention to the growing rip on his pants backside. It was like Pac-Man eating an endless row of pellets, he just couldn't resist going on and eating every single bar that came his way. Except, Pac-Man didn't have clothes that loudly snapped in half when he ate too much, or an enormous belly rounded out to nearly three times his full body size.

Bar after bar slid into his mouth, filling him up inch by inch every second while scarcely satisfying his unyielding need for more. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to; he had grown too large to get off of the conveyor belt. The most he could do was open his mouth and merrily munch down on the river of candy flowing toward him, making him swell out more and more with each dozen or so. His body was turning into one of the city's largest bean bags, with fat stubby arms and legs poking out aimlessly. He just couldn't resist eating more and more. It felt as though he had been starving for days and been given only a few bites from an entire Thanksgiving meal, though in truth he had already eaten the equivalent of thirty full meals in a row. He didn't even notice the frantic factory workers scampering around him and trying to figure out what to do to get him to stop eating all their hard work; he was just too focused in on filling himself with more and more.

The chocolate seemed to rush toward his face even faster the longer that he stayed there, with the bars he didn't eat coating every inch of him with a sweet smelling stickiness. His frame grew bigger and bigger with every bite that he took, already swollen over ten feet bigger on each side and still with plenty more room to go. It wasn't until he felt his back press up against the ceiling that his stomach finally decided it had had enough for now, and almost an instant later the conveyor belt suddenly slowed to a halt.

Slowly, Tracose came down from his chocolate rush and looked around the room, both at the size of his body and the enormous mess he made. Puddles of the confectionery were splattered everywhere, as if there had been a massacre of chocolate Easter bunnies there. To top it off, his once clean and pudgy belly was now almost the full size of the entire room, and completely coated in chocolate.

"Well... I may not have had the grand prize, but this wasn't too bad either. I think I'm going to need some help brushing my teeth after this though..."

---

==Winner: Cyrus (ArctikWolf)==

He looked left, there was nothing. To the right? It was empty. Eyes continued to roam back and forth as an off-green figure slipped free of the cabinet he had been hiding in. It had been a full fifteen minutes; Cyrus knew that he had to get moving soon or he'd be caught again. It was a mistake to constantly stay still; if he did so, Zee could eventually stumble upon him by sheer luck. That was the reason so many others got caught; either they had stayed in one spot until Zee had found them or they had been so mobile that they were hard to miss in the crowd. That wolf was too smart for his own good, and it made him difficult to avoid. He couldn't be outsmarted, so all one could do to stay out of his range was to be as careful and paranoid as possible.

And that was exactly what Cyrus had done. He had watched every step he had made, making sure that he was never in the open for more than a few minutes, and refusing to remain in one hiding spot long. By making his route random and unpredictable, the smaller wolf was hoping to avoid being conspicuous while at the same time keeping hidden when there was a good place to conceal himself for a few minutes. It was paranoia causing him to act how he was, but there was no such thing as being too careful around Zee. Oh, he knew that he couldn't avoid the inflator forever, but he didn't have to. He just had to do it better and longer than any of the other contestants and he would win.

As he had snuck around, Cyrus had been listening to all of the reports throughout the city. There had been thirteen that he had been able to catch, though one or two of them may have been a repeat. Still, that meant that most of the other contestants were already eliminated. His paranoia was paying off! That didn't mean he could let his guard down, though; until he was sure that he was safe and the other fifteen contestants (well, fourteen; that fox at the beginning hadn't even been given a chance) were inflated, he was going to keep hiding and avoiding any chance at contact with Zee. It was the only way he could win.

The cabinet he had been hiding in was hidden in the back of a large postal office. The workers had been busy with a flow of customers that came in around five or so, and that had given Cyrus the perfect opportunity to slip in and hide. It had been about fifteen minutes since he had gotten there, maybe twenty, but now that the customers were starting to disperse, he had to get going. If one of the postal workers saw him leaving, they were likely to raise a fuss about him being there in the first place, and such a fuss would draw Zee to him. The wolf couldn't have that happen, so while the crowd was still semi-busy, he snuck free to move to a new location. He had stayed still too long anyway; if he had remained there was a chance Zee would have stumbled across him.

As he moved, the rubbing of his shoulder against his knee gave a soft squeak. Cyrus stopped in his tracks, hoping that he hadn't been heard. There were some disadvantages to being made out of latex, but that was a balloonie's lot in life. Carefully he untangled himself from the inside of the cabinet. It took a minute to do so without making any more squeaks from his latex surface rubbing against itself, but after some difficulty he managed to do so. He refrained from dusting off his light-green body to remove the random dirt that had clung to him in the confines of the cabinet, lest he start squeaking all over again.

Once he was free, the wolf quickly headed out of the postal office, avoiding notice as he headed out the nearby door. Eyes narrowed again as he slipped out, watching for the slightest hint of black fur. Even if it was a completely different species, his paranoia made him run in the other direction. Fortunately, there was no one like that in the crowd. Plenty of close calls that made him want to bolt, like darker grays, but he managed to keep his cool as he made his way past the stream of fellow furs. His next destination was across the street, the nearest building to the postal office. Though it wasn't far from his last hiding spot, it was better than remaining out in the open any longer than he had to.

Looking back and forth again, Cyrus made sure one last time that there wasn't even the possibility Zee was in his sight. Once he was absolutely certain, he walked out into the street casually. Though he didn't want to stay in the crowd long in the off chance that he could get caught, it wouldn't do to draw attention to himself by running or hurrying. Instead, he made himself calm down, to appear as if he were part of the casual group of furs going back and forth throughout the city. Being a balloonie and such made that a bit difficult, but he wasn't so rare that he would draw more than a curious look from one or two people.

Finally, he was across the street, and without a second thought he headed into the building. Large metal doors were already slid aside, so he didn't draw any additional attention. The inside of the building revealed that it was a gigantic warehouse, one of the more sizeable ones near the edge of the city. Looking around, Cyrus would almost say that one could fit an airplane in such an enormous building, especially since it was mostly empty! The wolf was a bit confused by that last bit, but he wasn't going to question it. Maybe the cargo or whatever was being stored in the warehouse had recently been shipped out, so the place was simply waiting for something else to store.

It did seem odd though, that the entire place was practically empty. Usually about one-third to half of the place still should have been packed with crates or shelves or something, but there was absolutely nothing. Either someone had taken out a big shipment, or this warehouse was empty for a reason. That thought made Cyrus shiver; it was almost like it had been set up like that. But that was preposterous! Zee had his ways to set situations to his advantage, but there was no way he could have rented out a warehouse this large! Something of this size would be worth a pretty penny, what with how much it could store, and for some reason Cyrus did not see his pursuer as being a fur of means.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. The wolf had been particularly paranoid since the game had begun, but that was what had probably kept him in the running. If he wasn't cautious, he wasn't going to be winning anything! Still, he had to keep that in check. Logic had to take hold over panic and paranoia here. After all, he had already ascertained that Zee wouldn't have set this place up for a trap. It would make a good hiding place for a half hour, maybe a bit more, and it would give him a chance to breathe without being cramped in some cabinet like his last spot. As long as he didn't just stay put at the warehouse, it would work well.

With a sigh of relief, Cyrus stretched his arms out above him, hearing the slight squeak as he did so. He rolled his eyes; sometimes it was a pain to be a balloonie. After all, it made it very easy to stand out in a crowd, since he didn't have fur or anything like regular furs. Sure, there were lizards and such, but they didn't look like pool toys! Not only that, but his skin squeaked at the slightest rub or poke, and he got plenty of both from curious furs who simply were intrigued by something different. Still, it had its benefits, and it wasn't all bad. It was just a different lifestyle than the average fur had, that was all.

A glance at the warehouse door showed that the crowds were thinning slightly. It was getting late, and the sun was starting to go down slightly. It was probably about forty-five minutes until sunset; hopefully that meant that the game would be over soon. After all, it had nearly been six hours since the game had started, and knowing Zee, he would have found most of the people by then. Maybe he had caught them all by now and then had stopped, since there was no reason for pursuit? No, the winner was to be the largest of them all, meaning that the inflator wolf would have one more prank to pull. Maybe he was still looking for Cyrus to announce him as the winner? There was really no way to know without revealing himself though. All he knew was that at least thirteen of the sixteen contestants were eliminated, so until he heard something about those two contestants besides him that had survived this long, he was going to be careful.

While he was waiting, Cyrus walked around the warehouse, going to the nearest of the few crates that were still stacked inside. Since he had time, he was going to find out what the warehouse had been storing. Maybe he could assuage his paranoia a bit; he may have worked out that Zee couldn't have trapped the place, but that didn't mean he wasn't still uneasy. Too many people had been caught unaware by the prankster before!

The crate was easily pried open, but unfortunately the only contents were ropes. Lines and lines of rope filled the crate. Cyrus blinked and frowned as he looked at them, wondering what anyone could need so much rope for. Unless this was actually what the warehouse was storing; if that was the case, it explained why it was so empty. One or two crates would be plenty of rope for anyone, yet there were at least five or six. But why would someone rent out an enormous warehouse in order to store a few crates? Either someone had money to burn or there was an ulterior reason that he wasn't aware of.

"This is really weird... what would they be using this for?"

"How do you think you hold a parade balloon down? With your paws?"

Cyrus whirled as he heard a voice behind him, his eyes widening as he saw a lift lowering from an upper level of the warehouse. On top of the lift was a very familiar black-furred figure, a grin on his muzzle as he pushed his shades to the top of his head. Golden eyes glittered in the fluorescent lighting as they looked down on the smaller wolf below. Behind the figure, on the lift as well, were several large tanks in a line. A hose was twirled around in one of Zee's paws as he slowly was lowered to the ground, an unreadable expression on his muzzle. It wasn't quite the mischievous grin that the wolf usually had; it was more like a mix of that and something more... eager?

But wait, what was that he had said? A parade balloon? Cyrus swallowed nervously. Those tanks... were they for him? His eyes widened and he took a step back, but he bumped into the crate that he had just been examining. Zee's lift soon reached the ground, and the wolf strode across the warehouse with a completely casual air. It wasn't the feeling of pursuer to prey at all, making Cyrus uncomfortable. The inflator wolf was acting weird, even for him.

"So... I guess I'm out then...? By your words, I'm getting pretty big; I must have gotten in the last three or so."

Cyrus couldn't keep the confusion from his voice, but Zee laughed and waved it off. "Hah! That's a good one. The last three? You've only scratched the surface of it." He twirled the hose a bit more, drawing attention to it. Cyrus had already gotten the point; he was going to be the balloon when this was done. "Actually... I already got the other two. Know what that means?"

The wolf's grin seemed to get wider as Cyrus contemplated that, and though the gears in his head were slow to start, soon they were turning and he got what the wolf meant. "Wait... then... I won? Me?"

"Mhm. Yep, you're the winner! And I wanted to make sure that the winner's victory is there for everyone to see! That's why I thought I'd throw a little parade in your honor, and you'll be in the procession as the lone balloon! I'm sure you've always wanted to be in a parade, right? Well here's your chance!"

Cyrus was just staring, still thrown off-guard by the revelation. He had won the game? That was awesome! His paranoia, as crazy as it sounded, had actually worked out in his favor! The wolf wanted to leap up and whoop in joy, but he was still stunned. Zee took notice of his expression and chuckled, keeping a short distance away to give him time to let it sink in fully. He was just waiting for the proper moment to get the last inflation of the day out of the way.

Finally Cyrus seemed to snap out of it, and leapt up with a shout. Zee couldn't help but share some of the wolf's enthusiasm; it had been a fun game, and he had enjoyed himself thoroughly. No doubt all of the 'contestants' had too; they had all shown up, after all! Sure, some were probably disappointed to go out early, but that was how the game worked out. But in the end, everyone was at least satisfied, most of all Zee. And now he had one last person to inflate, the biggest of all to really make use of his powers.

It was time. "Alright, hate to cut your party short, but you have a parade to lead. Shall we?"

Cyrus nodded, a bit eager while at the same time being somewhat apprehensive. Sure, he had been looking forward to this, and he'd be more than happy to become the size of a parade balloon, but the fact was that he would be out in public like that. Some sort of shyness surged up at that thought, but he choked it down and stepped forward, nodding. Zee indicated the hose in his hand, which split partway down and divided to the five large tanks behind him. Cyrus was sure that they were helium tanks, filled and ready to pump him full of the compressed air. He was looking forward to it too; after all, he had been inflated a few times before and loved it, so why not try for bigger?

While Cyrus was musing over his prize-to-be, Zee finally got bored of waiting. Without so much as a word of warning, the wolf took the hose and shoved it right into the winner's muzzle. Cyrus blinked in surprise, but grinned widely even as he saw Zee turning the wheel that would release the helium into him. The inflator rolled his eyes; he preferred his victims surprised or resigned, not enjoying it. Still, the little balloonie (though he wouldn't be little long!) had earned this bit of pride, so Zee let him have it, even as he turned the tanks up halfway to really send air down the tubes and into his last 'victim' for the day.

Cyrus did the natural reflex at the first jet of air shooting down his throat, and stumbled back in surprise. That had been a powerful one, with the force of five tanks behind it! The hose itself was practically bulging with the amount of air being funneled down it, and it was going straight into Cyrus without any hesitation. Immediately the wolf's muzzle ballooned outwards. It wasn't just the cheeks, like with most furs; his whole muzzle inflated. His snout and chin expanded at a slightly slower rate than his round, pudgy-looking cheeks, but with the creak of latex they were still growing fairly quickly. Even his ears, pinned back slightly, looked rounder. It gave him a bit of a big-headed cartoon look that would slowly even itself out through the inflation, but at the time seemed comical.

Slowly Cyrus began to swallow the air, letting it go into the rest of his body. His throat began to bulge and swell up, getting thicker and rounder as it pressed up against his ballooning muzzle. His chin pressed against it lightly, and the two surfaces squeaked as they rubbed against each other. Soon the air started spreading down towards his torso, which showed immediate effect. His chest and belly immediately blimped outwards, making him look quite fat as he rounded out. The wolf let out a happy groan at the feeling of the air filling his hollow insides, pressing his paws against his belly to make the air start spreading towards the rest of his body so that it all would follow.

Zee watched with interest as Cyrus inflated, mentally taking notes. The only other balloonie he had inflated before this had been more or less of an even inflation. However, Cyrus was taking on the rounded look that most normal furs had, with a little bit of even growth to make him slightly more proportionate. Maybe it was a shades-of-gray area, with some balloonies being pure even and most furs going round, and plenty between. Zee really wasn't sure, but it was something worth investigating at some point. For now though, he was enjoying the show, and aside from the short mental notes, he simply wanted to watch.

As Cyrus started getting bigger and bigger, his belly started pressing outwards even faster, stretching much easier along the way. Soon it was pressing against his knees, and his arms were starting to get pushed away. But by now the limbs were starting to see the intake of air, and were puffing up as well. His arms were the first to grow, getting thicker until they were nearly as wide around as a normal fur's leg at the thinnest point. His legs doubled, then tripled in girth, and continued getting wider until they rubbed against each other. At this point the squeaking was starting to get obnoxiously loud, his legs and belly and arms and neck all rubbing together as he grew.

Then, as soon as the growth had begun, it stopped. Cyrus blinked again in surprise, looking around to survey his ballooned body. He was big, yes, but this was a size he had been before. There was no way this was parade balloon sized! Had he been shorted out of a real inflation? With a growl he glared over at Zee, but the prankster rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax blimpy. I just have one more thing to do before you continue ballooning. After all, what's the point of having you as a parade balloon if no one can see you in the dark?"

With that last bit, he pulled open another crate, one that contained long lines of what appeared to be white Christmas lights. With each line, he tied them tight around Cyrus's legs and arms, making sure they were particularly tight without being painful. Then a longer string went down each limb as well as around his torso, but the one around his torso was left particularly loose. It was probably because he had plenty of growing left to do around there. Cyrus squirmed in excitement, still on his puffed-up feet but having a lot of difficulty standing. It was especially hard while Zee was tying the lights on him, with the cords tangling up around his feet and the tugging attempting to pull his lighter body over. Fortunately, when Zee was done, the now large wolf managed to keep his balance, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. He knew that he wouldn't be standing up much longer anyway.

Cyrus was now decked out in white lights, and when lit up they showed every inch of his ballooned form. They especially highlighted his light green coloring, the latex surface of his body reflecting it back nicely. He would definitely be seen by the furs in the city while Zee paraded him around; after all, who could miss him? Most would probably think he was just a regular parade balloon, though, so he'd be sure to wave and put on a nice enough show that would drop anyone's jaw. Cyrus grinned at the thought of some poor fur being surprised by a parade balloon waving down at him; it would be fun! Maybe that was why Zee enjoyed pranking people; it was fun to mess with them now and again.

Suddenly, he heard the hiss of air again as the valve was opened again. Cyrus let out a small sound of surprise, but this time he was expecting it, just not so soon. Immediately the air flooded his stretched belly, which had more room than the rest of him to take in extra air. Surprisingly, though, the air didn't spread to his limbs like before; instead, it stayed in his middle, contained by the tight bindings on his arms and legs. He couldn't help but chuckle; apparently Zee wanted a very rotund parade balloon, with more air in his belly than anywhere else. That was fine by him; after all, he wanted to be big, and however it took, he was getting it.

Air continued hissing down the tube, and Cyrus gulped it down just as quickly, sucking it down. His belly was starting to really get big, pressing against the ground even while he was standing up. It was also getting lighter by the second, trying to pull him upwards even as it continued growing down towards the ground. The wolf knew that it was a matter of time before the helium in his body would be lifting him up, so rather than end up with the rest of him awkwardly hanging below the balloon of his belly he leaned forward, pushing off with his legs so that he was lying atop it. That way, if he started lifting up, he'd have the proper right-side-up parade balloon appearance. He wasn't going to make his victory too comical if he could avoid it!

Slowly Cyrus felt his gut pressing further and further against the ground, spreading out wider as he continued to blow up. He was filling nearly half of the warehouse now, and he was starting to wonder how he'd get out of it; after all, he was too large for the doors now. But he didn't worry about that; Zee probably had that answer ready for when he was done inflating his balloon. For now, the inflated wolf enjoyed feeling his middle swell up bigger and bigger, his tied limbs pressing against it tightly with a loud squeak. He looked almost like a normal balloon, though his limbs were puffed out enough that they were visible, and though his head was slightly hidden thanks to the huge tire of his neck, it was still very much discernible.

The squeaking grew slightly louder as his bloated legs and arms pressed against his body, but even more so it came from his tail, which had blown up surprisingly large. It was a bit bigger than a normal wolf's tail, and much puffier proportionately than the air would have done, but that was how his body inflated. Especially with his limbs tied up; that caused the air to flow into his middle, and in the end a good amount would have ended up in his tail. Cyrus didn't mind though; he just wanted more helium! He was only half the size of a parade balloon; he still had plenty of growth ahead of him!

Suddenly, Cyrus felt cool air against his belly, and realized that he wasn't resting on the warehouse floor anymore. The helium in his body had finally made him light enough to start floating, and he was getting higher and higher as he continued to fill up. Eventually, his back pressed up against the ceiling, but he continued to grow without even the slightest hesitation. Already he was filling up the space halfway down to the floor, and was closing that gap quickly. He was approaching parade balloon size, but the growth wasn't slowing down at all; in fact, it was getting faster! His belly was getting gigantic, leaving him balanced atop it as it started inching towards the ground.

Finally, there was a sputtering sound, and Cyrus felt the air stop flowing into him. Zee looked over at the tanks behind him, checking the gauges. It seemed all of them were empty, out of helium. Instead it had all been relocated into the gigantically blimped-out wolf that was floating merely five feet from the floor, his back up against the warehouse's lofty ceiling. Cyrus couldn't ever recall being anywhere near this big, but he was enjoying it immensely, his eyes closed in bliss as his puffy paws tried their hardest to rub at his large belly. His body squeaked with the slightest movement, filled to the brim and then some with helium, causing it to rub against itself no matter how he moved.

Zee finally snapped him out of it as he jumped down, moving over to the crate where Cyrus had seen the coils of rope before. With a grin, he looped one around both of Cyrus's hind paws first, making sure that the ropes were firmly secured around his ankles and wouldn't come loose at all. In fact, they were so well done that they'd probably stay on until he was deflated and could slide his feet out of the loops. Zee had certainly learned to tie good knots! His front paws were a little more difficult, being higher up, but the wolf used the lift to get to them, raising himself up until his wrists were tied up too.

Once the ropes were firmly attached, the wolf left the warehouse momentarily, opening the door. He came back in a small car, obviously not one he was used to by the careful way he drove it. It was probably a rental; Zee rarely drove, to anyone's knowledge, and had no car of his own. Once he had brought it in, the ropes were secured tightly to rings that had been attached to the top of the vehicle, tying Cyrus down so that he wouldn't float away when he was brought out of the warehouse. That was a relief; he was starting to wonder how Zee was getting him around, and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't going on a visit up into the upper atmosphere from the helium filling him.

Finally, once his 'passenger' was attached, the wolf pressed a button on the side of the building. The roof actually folded back, and Cyrus felt himself lift up again by about ten feet before the ropes pulled him tightly down. Now that his balloon was floating freely, Zee pulled his car out of the warehouse and onto the road. Cyrus was pulled behind him, naturally, as the ropes and the momentum of the car tugged him forward. In a moment, he was out above the main city streets, all lit up where everyone could see him. And indeed, even emerging from the warehouse got several stares and a few gasps of surprise from the night crowd that was just starting to gather. Now that darkness had fallen, there were only a few furs out and about, but as it got later there would be more. Cyrus just hoped his little show would get more of an audience than that.

As he continued down the road, Zee glanced back occasionally, making sure Cyrus was enjoying himself. And the wolf was, waving his bloated arms as best as he could. Several furs stared in shock at the living balloon, but there were a few that chuckled and waved back, probably thinking it was animatronic or something similar. Cyrus was grinning widely, especially as they hit the more popular areas of the city, where there were a few larger crowds already. His passing through there certainly got a few stares, but a few knowing furs directed their gaze down to the wolf driving, giving him a thumbs-up as they recognized the inflator wolf. Zee waved right back, chuckling the whole way.

Cyrus was enjoying himself immensely as he floated above the city, his mini, one-balloon parade causing him to practically squirm with glee every time he thought of it. It had been worth it to work so hard; now that he was the biggest thing in the city, and the most noticeable, he couldn't help but be happy. He tried to shout out his joy, but unfortunately his muzzle was too swollen for him to really speak, so he settled for thinking it instead.

I won, I won, I won!