Establishing Dominance
A fun little piece I did recently as a scene commission for a friend of mine as part of my current writing trend, this story was an interesting twist on my usual fare of weight gain, growth, etc. I haven't played around with the personality in such a way to establish such firm dominance (well, I have on another story, but it was more of a subtle one versus a direct one like this), and as a result, it was a new facet of personality for me to explore. This story is a simple one, as I said, a short piece I did for my "scene commissions," in which a young wolf, newly crowned as a king, found a way to establish his dominance among his subjects. Enjoy!
"...Your highness? Sire? ...Excuse me!"
Adrian's ears perked up as he glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of the grayed old adviser who stood behind him, trying to get his attention. Almost immediately, the younger wolf's expression fell; he hadn't realized that his adviser had been trying to catch his attention, especially with all the honorifics thrown at him. Being king was still very new to Adrian; he had only inherited the kingdom a few days ago with the passing of his father. The old king had been unwell for years, and had lasted longer than most had expected him too, yet despite all the forewarning the young wolf found himself with the leadership of an entire kingdom thrust into his paws along with a heavy crown on his head, the thick golden circlet seeming to weigh him down as much as the castle would have had it been perched between his ears instead. He still wasn't used to being called by half of the titles he had inherited, still reflexively attributing them to his father.
Clearing his throat, having been lost in thought, Adrian turned to his head adviser, who was standing behind him. The grizzled old wolf had been his father's adviser throughout most of his kingship, and had actually been in service to Adrian's grandfather for a few years as well, so he knew how to run the kingdom as well as either of the kings had, making him invaluable to the newly-risen Adrian. And while he had been waiting at the door patiently for a few minutes, respectfully giving his new lord some time to think, he had known when to speak up, to keep the young wolf from his daydreams and down to the throne room to begin conducting the matters of state for the day. Adrian didn't know what he would do without his elder's help, but he wouldn't have to find out anytime soon, he hoped.
"I'm sorry, what is it? Do you need me for something?"
"Sire, it's almost noon, and your court awaits you. If you would be so kind as to get properly dressed and make your way down to the throne room to address your petitioners, we can get today's business handled." Adrian blinked, and glanced back out the window. Indeed, the sun was high in the sky; he had hardly noticed it, thinking about what it meant for him to be king now. A moment later, a second thought occurred to him; properly dressed? A glance showed that the wolf was bared to the waist, with only a pair of long brown breeches covering his lower half, and even those were a bit loose too. The color complimented his long, white fur, and gave a good view of his lightly toned chest and stomach to anyone who would see him. Blushing slightly, Adrian coughed and grabbed a long white shirt off of his bedpost where he had hung it before being lost in thought, tossing it over his shoulders and tugging it down before lacing up the front.
"I'll be down in a moment, don't worry!" Running over to the wardrobe, Adrian quickly grabbed a forest green vest that complimented his breeches and white shirt nicely, tossing it on and buttoning it across his chest before checking himself in the mirror. A quick paw through the ruffled headfur between his ears straightened it somewhat, but without a long visit in front of the basin of water--which was probably ice-cold at this point, no thanks!--he wasn't going to get it into any more presentable of a situation, and so he pronounced himself fit for court, at least. He quickly followed his adviser down the stone hallways and stairs that lead down towards the throne room, tying the laces on his billowing sleeves as well to ensure that they bunched up properly at the wrist rather than hiding his hands from view, barely finishing his preparations as they neared the door that led to their destination. He barely had time to compose himself and take the crown that his companion offered him--he had almost forgotten that in his room!--before he was announced to the court and shown in, crown perched carefully between his pointed ears.
Seating himself in his throne, Adrian prepared himself for the long day ahead; he had attended his father's court many times in the past, and knew how wearying it could get; after all, many petitioners just wanted some grievance against a neighbor or the laws addressed, often with compensation involved. His father, who had known the law's ins and outs by heart, had easily deflected the spurious claims without batting an eye while dealing with the serious ones just as evenly, but Adrian was not so confident with himself; he would do his best, but the wolf dreaded his first days of court until he actually became comfortable with it. Until then, he suspected his petitioners would walk all over the new, "weak" ruler, but that was always the case in a dominance-driven society.
Sighing, the wolf tried his hardest not to slouch in his throne, keeping some of his regal image about him as he started addressing the first petitioner. Adrian just wished he was more like his father; the older wolf had possessed confidence and power that was present in his attitude, but in his appearance as well. He had stood tall, had been thickly muscled; he was a king and a ruler at the same time, with the terms not to be mixed up; the first one ruled by blood and by the grace of those being ruled, while the latter was a conqueror, one who claimed his leadership by force and dominance rather than by permission. Everything about the older wolf had screamed that he was a leader, something his son would have a hard time living up too. Oh sure, Adrian was decent on a physical level; he was hardly unfit or scrawny, but at the same time, he hardly possessed the size or sense of power that his father had. What he wouldn't give for some of the former king's bulk and ferocity! But that, unfortunately, was out of the question; where his father had possessed fantastic genetics to give him such a build, Adrian took after his mother, who was far less inclined to such natural strength.
Court went by slowly, unfortunately; though the majority of petitioners weren't too bad to deal with, it was still a boring process with only a few bouts of excitement. More than once, several of the larger wolves, standing easily above their king, actually went so far as to raise their voice or glare at him with actual anger until the guards restrained them, but it was just another painful reminder of how Adrian was smaller, weaker, more timid. The wolf wished it was over more than once, and at least one of those prayers had been heard as the evening bell rang, marking the end of the petitions for the day. The new king let out a soft sigh of relief as they trickled out, glad the day was done; unfortunately, there would be many of those yet. He didn't wait for the last one to pass through the oaken doors before rising from his throne--no, more like his father's throne; he didn't feel like he could ever fill it properly--and making his way back to his room. The adviser followed him, but surprisingly said nothing the entire way, keeping a respectful silence.
When they were in the room, however, he spoke up, closing the door quietly. "Sire, about your court..."
"I know I'm not good enough for them." Adrian's bitter words cut the adviser off at the start of his speech. "I'm not my father; I don't have his political skill, or his talent with words to diffuse their situations, and I don't have his size or strength to discourage or intimidate the ones who get their backs up. They can walk all over me. I think that's the worst part; I'm the 'king,' but I can't do anything about it!" The older wolf sighed and started to speak, likely to give encouragement to the young monarch, but a wave of Adrian's paw silenced and dismissed him at the same time. "Leave me, I need some time to think." With a bow, the adviser simply left, knowing when it was best not to speak. He closed the door quietly, unwilling to disturb his ruler's thoughts.
Adrian sighed and slumped in the chair next to his desk, on which a single book lay. Without thinking about it, the wolf opened the cover and started flipping through the pages, glancing more at the pictures and ignoring the words. The tome was a record of the kingdom's former rulers, written and published during the rule of Adrian's father, and as such the older wolf was contained there. But his wasn't the only picture Adrian considered; he glanced at each ruler, noting one thing about them that caused them to stand out; they were all huge, befitting of a ruler and a dominant leader in the society they led. Not all of them were strong, like his father had been, of course; one or two would show up every few generations as heavier around the middle, yet despite the softness of such heavyweights, they held their dominance through proof of their experience as proper predators, their ample frames and extensive size certainly letting them loom over anyone who dared challenge them. Their size probably also added to the impression that they would eat any petitioner that would dare question their authority...
Pausing as he flipped through the pages, Adrian's eyes narrowed as an idea began to grow in his mind. He couldn't be his father in strength or force of personality... but he could be the older wolf's equal in size. It was something he hadn't considered, with how weak his appetite was after his father's passing, but as he flipped back along the list of successful kings, the wolf realized something; at least half, if not a majority by a small margin, were those who had ruled through their weight and dominant personalities rather than by their muscles or political skill. Power was more important in the lupine society Adrian had suddenly found himself ruling, the power of size, of strength; he had to _rule_the people if he truly wanted to lead them, and being as small in both size and personality as he was, he would get nowhere. He would have to change that.
Smiling as a few ideas came to mind, Adrian stepped out into the hallway to grab a passing servant momentarily, asking him to summon a scribe, but not to inform the adviser; the older wolf would probably not approve of his plan, but he didn't mind. The young king grinned widely, already working out the wording of a new law he was about to pass; according to the book, one of the previous kings had passed a similar provision to the one he had in mind, and though the populace had not wholly agreed with it, he had still managed to hold onto his rule for the rest of his life, passing it onto his son. Of course, that same son had reversed the same provision, but that was ancient history; Adrian planned to learn from history, however, and as the scribe came hurrying into the room, he had already worked it out. Soon, the entire kingdom would see that he was a king as good as any other...
Three days later, his plan was in full effect. Adrian had passed his law "under the table," so to speak, making it generally known throughout the guard to be enforced without his adviser any the wiser until it was fully underway. Essentially, the young king had increased taxes, but he had focused them on one particular product, namely food. Crops that were harvested or goods that were produced, such as bread from a bakery, were all taxed by a tenth, meaning that a tenth of all food gathered or made in the kingdom was immediately taken to the castle's larders to be stocked up. There were those who protested, but it was only one-tenth; as the kingdom was fairly thriving, with starvation long since forgotten, a tenth of all food made only a small dent on businesses and farms in the area. For the most part, things went smoothly.
Of course, Adrian was gathering up all that food for a reason. Since he had come up with his idea, he had ordered his chefs to begin preparing more and more food for meals. Single dishes were quickly replaced by two or three, easily enough of a meal to feed a second or third king, but all consumed by this one wolf. Nothing showed at first but a rounded belly that was stuffed to the brim, a small ball that was hardly noticeable in the king's loose shirts and vests, but over time it began to make an impact on Adrian. Small changes, really, but they were noticeable; the white wolf's face had a bit of a roundness to it, with softer cheeks, looking less hollowed than before. His chin wasn't as sharp, yet his gaze remained as pointed as ever, calculating and thoughtful. Beyond that, his clothing gave little away when it came to the changes to his body; however, there were other differences that were much more noticeable, clothing or not.
The biggest change was in Adrian's personality; as his rule progressed, and he became more comfortable with his actions and their goals, he began to become more confident. As he became confident in dealing with those around him, including his adviser when the older wolf addressed his most recent taxes, the power began to go to his head. And as Adrian began to realize that he was in charge of things, no matter how much others tried to bully him or belittle him or make him feel lesser than they, he began to seize control. Control led to enjoyment of control, which in turn led to an even more powerful emotion, one that others began to recognize in the wolf, yet he did not see in himself: greed. Greed began to fill Adrian's mind as he continued to grow in power, and in stature, unchecked and unrestrained.
Meals became something far greater than before; where the wolf had been eating enough for two or three wolves before, now his meals had increased to feed five or six. Adrian didn't always finish them down to the bone, but he left little if he didn't. And the results of his excessive eating became more and more notable, especially to the mirror that seemed to be his closest confident, the only one that saw the physical changes in the wolf's form where others only saw the personality differences. His frame filled out quickly; he lost the little tone his body had kept before, a litheness just short of the noble fitness, and instead replaced it with a much larger and softer form than before. Ounces had added to his frame as he had begun increasing his intake both in taxes and in his meals, and those ounces had soon turned to pounds. Those pounds seemed to accumulate rapidly, adding onto the wolf's body, yet thanks to his choice of loose clothing, the extent of such wasn't yet visible. Oh sure, it was obvious that Adrian had put on a few pounds lately, but who wouldn't, given the young wolf's sudden appetite?
_They don't have a clue, though..._Adrian thought to himself as he stood in front of the mirror, dressed in nothing but a pair of loose shorts to admire the changes after a month of such binging. Long gone was the trim, thin frame that he had possessed upon taking the crown. No, the wolf that stood before him was almost a stranger, would have been had Adrian not looked at himself almost daily since beginning his routine. The shoulders alone were at least two or three inches broader than before, framing a thick chest that was far softer than it had been previously. Though he hadn't quite developed a proper sag to them, his white-furred chest already possessed far more volume to it, noticeably rounded and heavier. His belly was where the real signs of growth had occurred, a thick dome of snow-white interrupted only by the occasional fold of fat along the sides, with small budding love handles leading down to his wider hips.
A quick turn to the side and a playful wag of his tail was the now-narcissistic king's way of showing off the excess to his backside as well, the thick curves of his softened rump bulging outwards and stretching the shorts Adrian was wearing while yet managing to frame his slightly curled tail well. Thick thighs squished against one another if he didn't widen his stance a bit, round and without definition, which led to chafing it he wasn't careful about how he walked about. Even his muzzle and face was thicker, with Adrian's cheeks rounded and pressing lightly against the former. His features were far less sharp and chiseled, the details seeming almost slightly blurred thanks to the extra fat on the wolf's body.
Not a single clue... Adrian smiled to himself, giving a playful wink in the mirror before grabbing his clothing off of a nearby chair that they had been draped over, preparing himself for the event that he had planned tonight. Tonight was going to be the big night, where his plan came to fruition; after all, the king had sent out invitations to all of the "powerful" wolves in the kingdom, whether they were smaller nobles or the heads of their trade. The invitations were straightforward and simple, one any high-ranking official should expect: a chance to dine at the king's table, to enjoy the fruits of his labors as a ruler thus far. Few would refuse such a prestigious invitation; after all, such a feast was a good chance to get in the king's good graces, perhaps earn his favor or a little support from him. Adrian had something far different planned, however; he almost couldn't wait to head down and show them once and for all that he truly _was_their king.
Dressed as he was, Adrian's form certainly was much more obvious. He had traded his loose silk shirt for one that fit far better around his shoulders and middle, made of a slightly coarser cloth that he could afford to dispose of. His breeches were leather as well, and clung a bit more tightly to his thickened thighs and wide rump. He had forgone a belt, as they were annoying to fit around his broad waist anyway; digging into his skin, all they did was leave a line of matted fur and indents in the padded flesh beneath. Instead he tucked in his shirt, which had the effect of outlining his belly far more visibly than before. Oh, the nobles would notice his new weight for sure, but that was the point; they'd notice it far more by the time the night was done!
Striding down into the dining hall once he was ready, his crown perched atop his head with a slight crook to it so that it would be more comfortable. The attending nobles had already arrived, seated along the table by the various servants who also provided drinks for them while they waited for Adrian to arrive. It was rude for them to begin dining without their host present, after all; instead, they spoke among themselves, establishing alliances or rivalries depending on their conversation partners, but all of them fell silent when the main door was thrown open, allowing Adrian to saunter in, a confident spring to his step. Certainly there were stares at the king's appearance; no one had seen just how much he had changed in the last month, at least not clearly, and murmurs sprang up suddenly, only to be silenced again as Adrian welcomed his fellow lupines.
"Thank you all for coming! I'm glad you could all be here; I have a very special night planned, and I hope that you all will take as much from this as I will. Please, relax, and let's enjoy our dinners, shall we?" With that, Adrian sauntered over to his seat, draping himself in the chair with a surprising confidence. Each of the wolves eyed him warily, unsure of his actions, but they all waited as the servants came out, bearing platters of food to be placed before each attending guest. The lids were lifted away, revealing steaks, potatoes, thick slices of well-buttered bread, and many other sides. There was enough on each platter to feed many of the guests twice over, though some of the larger ones might have found it to be a more reasonable proportion. Still, there was plenty of food, indicative of how well the taxes had filled the castle's larders.
As some of the nobles started to eat, however, Adrian grabbed his knife and slammed the hilt of it into the table, making a loud sound that drew everyone's attention. The wolf grinned as he flipped the knife over, stabbing the blade into the table, and stood to make sure everyone saw him. "Oh, I think you all misunderstood your presence here. See, this meal? None of you were invited here to eat." Many raised eyebrows at the comment, but they put down their own tableware as well. Maybe he had an announcement to make, some kind of proposal or new law to be passed. Some murmured quietly as well in panic, wondering if he had something else planned; after all, Adrian had every major figure in the kingdom present. He could simply call the guards and lock them up, effectively taking complete control over everything. Fortunately, the king had far less malicious plans than that.
"You see. For the last month I've been thinking that all of you need to be put in your place. Each of you is big and powerful in some way, and because of that, you think that you're... better. That you can question my laws." There were a few raised eyebrows, but a few of the guests who were in charge of the farms or bakeries in the areas blanched at that; they had stated their doubts about the sudden tax, though they thought it was quiet mumblings in corners, nothing that the king would be concerned about. Adrian had heard, however, or had people who had, and had reported to him. "But you forget something: I'm the king, here. I'm not just your leader; I'm your ruler." The wolf slammed his fist into the table, causing a few to flinch. Already the seeds of his dominant rule had been planted among the crowd gathered, and he planned to make them blossom before the night was out.
"Now, to show me that you all know your place... I've prepared a very simple means for you to do so." Adrian gestured at the many trays set before the guests on the table, showing his pointed teeth in a wide grin. "As you can see, you all have been given a very nice dinner, one that could probably make up two meals by itself. However, the food isn't for you." With a wide smirk, the wolf seated himself once more, leaning back and putting his feet up on the table before him, confidence radiating off of him. Many of the guests waited as he paused for a few seconds, letting the tension build before finishing his explanation. "...All of this food? All of it, every dish set before each of you? It's all for me."
There were a number of gasps at that, but the wolf raised a paw for silence. "You think that I am joking? I'm not, and I can assure you of that. You will get one chance, and one chance only; going around the table, starting with the head of the Blacksmith's guild here on my right," Adrian gestured over to a tall, well-muscled wolf that was glaring daggers at him, "You will bring me the tray before you and set it before me. You won't just give it to me as a gift, or make me ask for it; you, and I mean all of you, will ask me. No, you will beg me to accept it. Understood?" There were several angry mutters, but Adrian just raised his voice over all of them. "Anyone who does not will be dragged to the dungeons to be incarcerated for... oh, I don't know, I will make up a charge later. Something about insubordination to one's monarch sounds proper." That silenced many of the protesters, who looked around to see that there were several guards stationed, all armed as well; certainly, Adrian had every means to enforce his demand.
"Now, if you please, I would like to start my meal." Adrian gestured at the wolf to his right, who continued to glare at him, but the large blacksmith was smart; he brought his tray over and set it in front of his liege, before going down to one knee and asking in a quiet, humble voice for the wolf to accept an offering as was befitting proper service to his king. Adrian's smile grew wider; he liked that. Quickly, and as if it were a kind, generous gesture on his part to do so, the king accepted the blacksmith's meal, placed before him, and dismissed him to take his seat. "See? This man knows his place, and knows where his loyalties lie. You all will do well to follow his example. Or else." To punctuate the veiled threat at the end, the wolf lifted up a large piece of bread and chomped down on it hard, tearing it apart with a single powerful bite. That was enough to break a few of the spirits that stood against him, though there were still plenty that glared down at him.
Adrian shoveled down his first course quickly, and with practiced ease; with how much he had eaten up until this point, stretching his capacity far beyond what he could normally consume, the meat and potatoes were gone in only moments, and the rest of the dish followed behind it in short order. The entire plate was cleared in about three minutes, much to everyone's surprise, but Adrian cleaned off his lips with a napkin as if it were casual for one to eat so much in such a short time. "Next?" The next wolf in line gave a start at the word, even spoken in as soft a tone as the king provided, yet he hurried over to be next and asked just as humbly as the first had, causing Adrian's grin to grow wider by the moment. This one, too, he accepted with grace, and cleared off just as quickly as the first. Glances were exchanged; though they were not excessively numerous, there were still plenty of guests; did the king really intend on eating all of the food?
It certainly seemed like it. Adrian settled into a routine of having food offered to him, being accepted, and then quickly devoured. The first two or three had no effect, it seemed, but by the fifth, his belly was certainly bulging out far more than it had been before, stretching out his vest tight across his front. The eighth had the first button pop, sending it clattering onto an empty plate and causing several of the guests to flinch in surprise at the sudden noise. Many were staring at a wolf who had to obviously be full by now, yet Adrian did not slow in his consumption, much to their growing alarm. Slowly the wolf's belly grew outwards with new mass, resting in his lap like a round ball, shockingly distended. There was no way he could eat enough to clear the entire table; he'd burst long before it happened!
Yet Adrian had a secret, one he had discovered from the start of his plans. Apparently, his mother's side of the family had a history of rather... rapid digestion, coupled with a slow metabolism, leading to a steady rate of easy weight gain in his family tree. Adrian might not have inherited his father's natural muscularity, but he had certainly managed to get his mother's ability to put away food, and convert it to energy quickly. Even as the guests watched him stuff himself, the wolf's belly was hard at work digesting food, adding pounds to his frame. If they had been watching more than his overstuffed belly, they would have noticed the changes that were slowly overtaking Adrian's body, but none of them could look away from that swollen sphere.
Adrian noticed, however, especially when he felt a seam start to tear along the leg of his breeches, and the tightness of the waistband around his growing middle. He could almost feel himself spreading wider and larger, smirking across at those wolves who suddenly seemed so small and humble to him now. The king fought the urge to pause and rub at his belly, to admire his growing size; he didn't want the full impact of what his guests were doing to hit them until he was done, so that they wouldn't realize what he was truly becoming before it happened. No, he would continue to command and intimidate the other wolves until his feast was done, and then, only then, would he allow them to see the king they had made.
As he continued to eat, Adrian felt his body growing, visualizing it even as it happened as though he were watching it from someone else's eyes. His shirt quickly drew tight across his softening chest, practically painted on, the buttons barely holding the fabric together even as large gaps of white fur began to show between them. The color of the shirt concealed these obvious holes, but it couldn't hide the broadening of his shoulders, the tightening of the fabric around his increasingly thicker neck. The vest had long since come undone, unable to contain the massive dome of a belly that sat heavily atop Adrian's lap now, round as a large globe and looking tight as a drum. Adrian hardly noticed that last bit; he was too busy glutting to notice how full he was, and even if he had noticed, he knew that feeling would be gone soon enough.
The wolf's lower body was certainly showing plenty of growth as well; his gut, despite remaining as round and tight-looking as it was, was spreading wider and thicker, a growing layer of fat forming atop the swollen sphere and softening its overall spherical shape. Thick rolls of fat were beginning to form at his sides, stretching his shirt out further as it threatened to pop under the strain and making his breathing somewhat more difficult as it constricted around his growing barrel of a belly. His hips had widened noticeably, the waistband of his breeches creaking loudly around his thick torso, and Adrian could, with some embarrassment, feel his wide rear starting to overflow a chair that had been a little too big for him at the beginning of the meal. A seam gave another loud pop along his breeches, one he barely noticed, while one gave way completely along his thigh, revealing a large patch of white fur stretched across a limb twice as thick as any of those that belonged to the guests present.
They were already past the halfway point on the table, the line of guests making its way back towards Adrian himself, and yet despite how many there were, he was still eating. All of the guests looked on with amazement; there was no way anyone could eat this much, and yet the king was putting it all away, making good his promise to consume everything they brought him. It was almost intimidating, watching the beast's appetite, yet the wolf continued to tear apart bite after bite, his presence seeming to grow as much as his weight was. Adrian had established his dominance over those present in the room already, but he intended to hammer it into them to ensure that they never forgot it as long as he ruled. Adrian fully planned to finish each and every dish present before him, and wasn't even slowing.
A loud creak followed by an audible rip drew attention to the wolf's changing body as his shirt finally began to tear down from the neck, the bottom sliding up as the waistband of his pants tore as well, freeing the shirt's ends from overstretched confinement. It was only then that the guests realized just what was happening, and they stared in awe at the wolf who had to have put on at least two hundred pounds in the last hour or so, and still had at least another two hundred's worth to go! Suddenly they were seeing everything, and not only his ability to eat; where Adrian had established himself in personality and control, now he was establishing himself in size. Once this particular transformation of mass was done, no one would dare stand up to him; he would have the stature of a conqueror, greed and power visible in his eyes in equal measures, and he had the personality to match already. Yet none of them stopped; they were almost mesmerized by the king's dominant stature, his eyes demanding more without a word leaving his lips.
Slowly the strange procession continued, and Adrian seemed to grow with every bite. By now the king's shirt was long gone, torn across the front and with long rips down each arm before being completely discarded. This revealed the wolf's large torso, with thick, flabby breasts that would have hung heavily, had they not been stopped in their progress by the massive belly beneath them. Still round and full, the thick mass was easily the majority of his size, big enough that his arms could not meet across its front. His breeches were mostly tatters as well, though few noticed, mesmerized just bey his overall size and hardly noticing his state of increasing disrobe. His massive rear overflowed his chair now, one that had already been oversized for the average wolf, yet now it looked like it belonged to a pup rather than an adult, given how much he outsized it with his thick backside. His thighs were forced to the sides, pushing against one another no matter how he sat. Even his face was so much broader, with thick cheeks making his muzzle look stubby, and the onset of a third chin that seemed to flow into his tire-like neck.
Finally, the meal began to come to a close, with the last guest having offered their food to the king. However, Adrian had one last course left, and he raised a paw to gesture, a servant bringing over one last covered tray. This was the wolf's own meal, the one he had saved for last so that he could enjoy the food that his guests had thought to claim as their own first, to put them down and in their place before finishing his own dish. This one was savored, eaten more slowly than the others. It wasn't a sign of fullness, no; that would be a weakness, the last thing Adrian needed as he drove his dominance home for those about him. Instead, it was one last show of arrogance and pride as every bite was chewed slowly, deliberately, enjoyed thoroughly before finally being swallowed. The last dish alone seemed to take ten times as long as the others.
As he reached to take the last few bites of his food, there was a loud creak. Everyone's ears shot up as they looked around for the source of the sound, some thinking it was their king's belly, on the verge of coming apart. But no, Adrian knew what it was, had heard its origins, and his grin grew even wider. What a finale this will be... suddenly, with a crack like thunder, but from the seat beneath Adrian, his chair gave way, unable to support the massive wolf now seated atop it. The legs buckled, the seat bowed, and then the entire thing crashed down to split down the middle beneath the corpulent king, the fragmented remains buried beneath his blubber-laden backside. After a moment to regain his breath from the sudden fall, Adrian grinned and pushed himself up from the floor, astonishing the guests further as he stood again, revealing himself fully in his new size.
They had seen that he was growing larger and fatter, but none of them had realized just how much until Adrian lifted his expansive gut and, without ceremony, _dropped_it onto the table. The surface gave a loud thud from the impact, and the far end actually lifted an inch off of the ground, the jump causing all of the guests to flinch as well as Adrian grinned down at them from the end of the table, wearing nothing but his underclothing due to his expansive size, yet even without that, the crown on his head and the look in his eyes was enough for anyone to recognize them as their king. His stature, his size, his personality; everything about him screamed that he was in charge, and would not hear of anything else. Suddenly, fear of incarceration turned into fear of that enormous body; who was to say that imprisonment was so bad, when a form that large could easily make any of them into a meal instead? Truly, Adrian had shown them who was in charge in many ways, his plans finally coming to fruition.
There was silence for a few minutes as glances were exchanged across the table, but after a short time, one wolf at the very end of the table raised a glass. "All hail King Adrian!" Adrian squinted, but he realized after a moment that the wolf at the end of the table was his adviser, who had not been invited to the dinner; the king had not wanted his plans spoiled by a disapproving adviser. Yet here he was, raising a toast to Adrian, cementing the support of those present. Another shaky paw raised a glass, and a voice echoed the initial cry, and then several followed it afterward. Soon, the entire table had raised a toast to their king, their voices becoming as one as they gave a final, if somewhat nervous, cheer for their king.
"All hail King Adrian!"