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Story/Callum are

Lexal/Sark/Hiro

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Swollen with pudge from the Siren’s Song, Lexal and Callum are ever-wary of their next challenge. It’s set in a beached ship, haunted by the remnants of a original crew’s final feast.

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Part IV
As the Flying Flounder slipped down the shoreline, Lexal indulged in the sight of the jagged cliffs melting into soft, rolling hills carpeted with vegetation. The pillowy shark bounced himself on his buoy of a belly, finding it to be a good outlet for his doubts. His clothes had been all but annihilated in rather dramatic fashion, with a belly that tore through his leather hoodie so it now looked like a comically shortened vest. The shark’s pants only fared remotely better, with the fabric ripped in some places and tighter than a second skin against basketball-sized buttocks. The blubbery fish wasn’t sure what to expect for their final challenge, but Sark had assured him that this time they wouldn’t have to contend with a rowboat.

Callum had taken to becoming Hiro’s personal, blubber-filled punching bag with the sea shanties and quips. The gator had been doing the same with Lexal, but he’d held off upon seeing the shark preoccupied with adjusting to his weight. The tubby gator danced about around Callum, poking the dragon’s thick shelf of a stomach and whapping the drake on the rear with his tail. In turn, the drake lumbered after the gator, hoping to squash Hiro under his blue-plated bulk. The teasing gator was spry as a swallow by comparison, dodging various swipes, lunges and blows from the slow moving glacier of girth.

Over at the railing, Lexal slumped against the railing. He’d had enough of Hiro’s prodding for the day. Callum had been spared no less, but he was used to it. For Lexal, it was a blow to his physique and his pride, with a pale scaly mound of flab always in view to remind him of it. Angrily, he rammed a fist into his stomach, knowing it would be absorbed but it still felt satisfying. As if he were dealing blows directly to the issue itself. His thighs and back were sore where he’d tangled with Callum on their little tumble down the slate ledge. There'd been a feeling of discontrol, as if Lexal’s weight transcended his ability to avoid harm. He punched his gut again. Another slurry of ripples surged through his bulk. He pushed a paw into it, as if trying to compact the flab into his original, slender form. The mass only resisted, pressing stubbornly against his paw as the bulk reclaimed its stolen space. Lexal paused; then he did it again. The sensation wasn't entirely terrible. There was a novelty to it, buried under voluminous layers of lard. The shark found a faint smile gracing his lips, before doing it again. A fleeting moment of happiness pierced his uncertainty, before the scowl returned. Behind him, Hiro brayed with laughter as a massive dragon stumbled and sloshed after him, angry curses ensuing. That almost returned the grin.

Eventually Callum grew fed up with trying to catch his tormentor and lurched into Lexal, their forms briefly compressing in circular rolls. “Swear I’m gonna crush that gator,” the drake panted, straightening himself up.

Lexal grunted quietly, glancing briefly at the gator and barely registering Callum’s voluminous presence pushed against his own. “Maybe we could switch sizes,” the shark murmured.

Callum patted his friend gently on the shoulder, “I think you'll find a bit of extra pudge enjoyable. Granted, a quest isn't ideal, but when this is over, come to the bakery and I'll make sure you enjoy it properly.”

“I...suppose,” Lexal sighed, leaning gently against his friend’s side. The shark rested one grey paw on the railing. His fingerless gloves seemed to be just about the only article of clothing still undamaged amid his thickened form. “I’m just...not as used to this as you are. I mean, I have the adventuring part down to pat, but not when I'm this...heavy.”

Callum shrugged, slapping a roll of scaly flesh where it peeked out from under his tattered, tan vest. “I never really gave a damn about my weight. Just sort of embraced it. The way you embraced that first challenge in the leviathan. We live different lives, we explore or we gorge.” He rubbed Lexal’s supple side, “We enjoy it where we can. And we work together where we know how.”

Lexal wasn't sure whether to blush or smile. Instead he offered a light chuckle and returned the pat shyly. “I just don't want to be caught in another siren situation. As much as you enjoy this,” he wobbled Callum’s blue love handles, “I'm not sure I can say the same when we're tumbling down cliffs or outrunning darts.” He gripped the polished wood of the ship’s railing furtively, still remembering how close the sirens had come to slicing them up on the rocks. “I hope the next checkpoint isn't so goddamn dangerous.”

Callum nodded understandingly and gestured to the broad white beaches rolling past. “We’ll be fine. Sark’s gonna anchor the ship ashore, so we won’t have to row. And now we know the compass is magnetic so as soon as we get the last piece, we’ll be set!” Callum took a deep breath, his chest jostling his supple moobs as he grinned hopefully to his friend.

The shark still appeared concerned, a thinking look furrowing his brows as he considered what Callum said. “I suppose,” he finally managed, “But what about this,” he reached out and pushed his paws up to the elbows against Callum’s gut, “I mean we aren’t planning to roll out of there are we?”

Callum held up a finger, “Remember, Sark’s close by. If our waistlines get in trouble, we call for help.”

Lexal sighed, still dubious, but a small spark of the old adventurous shark kindled deep amid the muffling layers of flab.

***

The challenge came with the fading light of late afternoon. Bathed in the warm afterglow of the sun, Callum and Lexal retired to the shade afforded by the sails, dousing the two couchy doughballs in shades of purple and crimson. The crow lookout cawed sighting of the ship, but no one needed to be told. She loomed large and proud among the soft white sands of the jungle beach.

The Wench’s Wind was a towering, deep brown skeleton listed to one side atop the fine bleached shoreline. A gaping hole yawned in her back right hull, ragged and encrusted with barnacles. Sark explained it’d been a reef that’d gouged the hole, causing the ship to run ashore after taking irreparable damage. As he explained the vessel’s tragic backstory, Hiro threw in a sly comment of how it was a shame neither Callum nor Lexal had been onboard. They’re girths would’ve easily plugged it up. Lexal offered a blunt ‘shut up’ to the gator, while Callum wrapped him up in a big bear hug and nearly suffocated Hiro in his cannon-crushing mass of belly. Sark nodded approvingly as his first mate stirred up a cloud of curses, wriggling aggressively against the drake’s corpulent grasp. Lexal managed a small chuckle at that.

“Anyway,” Sark finished, rolling the chunk of compass in his paws, “We’re gonna anchor a hundred meters off shore, but the water’s shallow enough for you to wade in.”

Callum finally released Hiro, his warm bulk sloshing buoyantly as the gator backpedaled and bounced off Lexal’s heavy tail by accident. The shark yelped and gripped it protectively as the gator staggered like a drunkard. Eventually Callum caught him, stabilizing the tubby crewmember. “I wanna see you as a first responder if we get in a tight spot,” the drake warned the gator, “Or I’ll sit on you.”

Hiro meekly promised to the task, regretting his boldness around the massive baker. As Callum released him, the gator couldn’t resist one last jab, “Not like you two can avoid getting into a tight spot.” With that, he stalked off somewhere to think of particularly insulting shanties while Lexal’s wavering grin brightened in good humor.

The happy shark rubbed his tubby tail apprehensively, “Do you really think we’ll need a first responder?”

“We might.” Callum shrugged, bunching his ample sides, “It’s a safety precaution. Always have a reliable friend in hand when you're facing imminent immobility.” The last words were clipped with a light chuckle as the sumo-sized dragon looked back at the beached ship. “But don't worry,” he quickly added, seeing Lexal’s features begin to sag, “I'm an expert in handling those types of situations. Plus we have Sark on our side.

The captain of the ship patted Lexal’s pudgy tail soothingly. “You'll be fine. I’ll have the lookout keep a constant watch for you two. And the insides of the Wench’s Wind should be mostly hollowed out, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble with the…” he nudged Lexal’s belly, “…tighter spots.”

Lexal did his best to look excited. He was still an explorer and, despite the discouraging ripples cascading from Sark’s paw, he found himself curious about the prospect of being heavier. Not entirely eager, but a perverse sense of wanting to experience something alien and new. Perhaps, one day when he was safely seated in Callum’s bakery, he might even allow himself to be won over and fully indulge in the pearly pudge of his figure. For now though, he let his curiously fuel him, feeling it dampen any weight-related uncertainties. Before he could rebuke his decision, the shark nodded to his companions. “I'm...I'm ready.”

Callum grinned and threw a supple arm around his friend, guiding Lexal to the winch where Sark wasted no time in lowering them down. The pulley groaned and complained every moment it bore the laborious weights, but soon Callum and Lexal were feeling the surf brushing the underside of their stomachs.

Together they trudged through the shallow water. Callum felt grateful for the soft sand under his paw pads, remembering how unforgiving the slate layers had been the day before. As they waddled closer, the Wench’s Wind grew in view. She was an impressive ship. Even in death, her masts dominated the surrounding trees, tatters of light grey sails fluttering in the breeze. The hole wrenched into her side was large enough to accommodate the fattened pair side by side, with some room to spare. Lexal lingered for a brief moment, swaying like a bulbous top as he faced the murky depths. When Callum turned in concern, the soft shark shook his head and took a deep breath. Together, they waddled in.

***

As they crept into the darker interior of the ship, a subtle creak settled into their ears. Like the siren’s song, it was melodious and almost easy to forget after a little while, but the decrepit infrastructure still send chills down Callum’s back rolls. He nudged Lexal and pointed up where the timber of the main deck leaned in. “Doesn’t seem too stable,” he gulped.

The shark glared at him, before poking the soft dragon, “And why in the world are you telling two ton shark about it? How’s that gonna be useful for me.”

Callum smiled sheepishly for a moment, unable to voice an excuse. “Just an observation,” he mumbled, fingering his side rolls.

Lexal gave him a look and shook his head, before striding inside. A shade of the easy-humored shark seemed to return as the fat fish pushed his way through the dancing shadows. The light filtering through rippled along his exposed belly like massive mother of pearl.

Callum was only a wobbly step behind, trotting after the rotund outline of his friend as they passed through a dim sublevel of the ship. They wandered around, eventually coming to the direct center of the Wench’s Wind and stopping. Neither was sure what they were looking for. Lexal rubbed a beam-thick love handle idly while Callum squeezed one of his moobs out of habit. Finally, the shark spied something that looked promising: a doorway with “Captain’s Quarters” burnt into its wood. If there was anything of value onboard, the captain of the vessel was bound to have a safe haven for it.

The doorway led them down a short corridor only a meter and a half wide. It sidled up against their swollen forms and rubbed their sides with sea-smoothened wood. At the end of the corridor, a large room settled into the stern of the ship overlooked the ocean through shattered panes of glass. A dark oaken table took up the center of the room, with silver platters holding every kind of food one could wish for covering its surface. Lexal’s belly gurgled at the thought of food, despite his uncertainties about adding inches to his waistline. His wariness actually worked in their favor as he began to ponder the oddity of an abandoned ship hosting a freshly made feast.

Callum padded forward, his belly splaying itself in a series of blue and platinum rolls over the deep brown wood as he poked at a decadent tower of quail. The roasted bird was still steaming, wrapped in crisp red bacon and showered with spices. Reaching forward, the drake instinctively snagged one of the roasted fowl and licked his lips, right before Lexal swatted it out of his paw. The drake looked after the quail longingly as it spun into the darkness. He shot the shark a wounded look. “What? I can’t indulge myself a little?” he wobbled his belly, “Just because this came along via magic, doesn’t mean it’s satisfied magically.”

“The food’s fresh,” Lexal snapped, picking up an ice cold tuna roll embedded in rice and wrapped in kelp, “Why in the world would there be fresh food on an abandoned ship?”

Callum turned a pale shade of turquoise, fiddling with his bulk and looking ashamed. “I dunno…mebbe some ghosts prepared it for us?” He looked sheepishly to Lexal, who simply blinked back. Callum burned even brighter, “Okay! I have no clue! I was hungry, I wasn’t thinking, can we go now?”

The shark sighed, looking over the array of food. He had to admit it looked tantalizing, but they still needed to find the piece of compass. “C’mon, doofy doughball, let’s search another part of the sh-” he stopped as something bright flashed in his eyes. It came from a large bowl of fruit in the middle of table. Peering closer, Lexal spotted the final piece of the compass, nestled in among blood oranges and clusters of deep violet grapes.

With paramount care, he leaned forward, his belly sagging and brushing a couple prawn platters out of the way. The chitinous shells tickled his gut, feeling as though he were giant marshmallow leaning over a campfire. A glint of sweat shined brightly off his dangling tummy. The shark felt something grab his tail, it was Callum, holding him steady as he hovered over the arrangement of delicacies. Callum watched as Lexal cautiously nudged a few oranges aside and wrapped his paw around the compass. The drake’s broad paws tightened around his soft tail and gently pulled him back.

Once the shark was safely on both feet, Callum sighed. “Now can we get outta here? I think I might gorge myself if I stay around much longer.” As if to prove his point, the drake’s heavy middle grumbled and lurched like a jelly-filled sack against his thighs.

Lexal nodded rapidly, chewing his lower lip to calm his own rumbling gut, “Yeah, let’s go.” Together, they began to head back down the hall, but a gentle rustle from the table stopped them.

The pair froze, bodies wobbling and pressed tightly to the rough wood of the corridor. Turning back, they watched in horror as the sushi platter writhed and the food sitting in it wriggled. Suddenly a swarm of fresh fish swam up, a school of rice and kelp-covered minnows darting through the air. A pyramid of crabs began to click and clack, their legs skittering feebly as they tried to upright themselves. Callum’s heart dropped into his stomach as each food reanimated itself. Lexal wrapped his tail around his belly and hugged it tight, watching as an eel composed entirely of spiced pasta took to the air, slithering about and electrifying everything around it with spurts of olive oil. The crabs melded together and formed a massive abomination, sheathed in an armor of teeming claws and angry red shells.

Callum began to back up, nudging Lexal who quickly clasped the compass piece to Callum’s belt, where it sank in deep against the fat of his thigh. They crept down the hallway as a marine exhibit composed entirely out of seafood, pastas, fruits, cakes, and countless other delicacies came to life. Then Lexal bumped into a stray slat of wood, sending the beam shattering against the floor with a deafening clatter. The seafood display froze, all the creatures turning their eyeless heads towards the intruders and promptly lunging for them.

Lexal scrambled back, pulling Callum by his tail as they hurried down the thin corridor. As Lexal felt jagged edges of wood grab at his gut, a covey of quail flew into Callum’s maw, disappearing in a flurry of meat and spices. The drake yelped and gulped as Lexal pulled both of them back further. With each inch they scooted back, Callum seemed to grow heavier, his belly sagging lower and squeezing tightly against the corridor.

The shark winced with every step, the rough hewn walls bringing back memories of the slate digging into his heavy form. With another yank, Lexal dragged Callum back, feeling his heart pound dully in his chest. It was hard to feel focused on the mission with different foods attempting to force themselves into the swelling shark’s gut. The pasta eel sent a fresh shock of olive oil through the air, before plunging into Lexal’s maw and slithering into his bulging gut. He coughed and shuddered, pulling Callum’s tail harder as panic began to set in.

His paws became submerged in supple scales where they gripped Callum’s tail, sinking nearly a foot into the thick cable. He watched as the drake tried to fend off the flurry of food. Though the dragon managed to divert one or two, most were able to pack the pair’s guts with rampant calories. Lexal did his best to drag their fattened selves free of the suffocating corridor, but he could feel his gut bulging stubbornly against the walls, causing more unhelpful memories of the slate cliffs to flash in his mind. With one final, mighty yank and a panicked shout from the shark, they popped free.

Lexal fell on his back, watching as Callum went rolling against the hull along his gut. The shark struggled to upright himself, but his quivering white dome of a midriff pinned him down. More and more of the sentient fish poured into the darkened depth of the ship, aiming themselves directly at the explorers’ maws.

Lexal found himself at the mercy of several sushi schools, each funneling into his rounded maw and adding to the voluminous dimensions of his pearly gut. It’s rounded peak began to loom level with the doorway. His fat, almost-circular tail flopped uselessly against a pair of butt cheeks that could fill a rowboat on their own. The shark whimpered, his couchy midriff bearing down on him and spreading out against the fragile wood of the ship. Another dense cloud of sushi stuffed themselves into his maw, sending a third, heavy chin wobbling thickly against his neck. The sushi were followed by a swarm of pastries, pushing themselves against the thick walls of his belly like a four hundred gallon aquarium. His lashing tail caught several of the beams, adding to the torturous groans of the ancient hull and making the ship tremble. Across from him, Lexal watched as Callum knocked aside endless flurries of pastries frosted in a sea green.

The dragon wasn’t much better off in fending the swarms of seafood away, struggling to right himself up amid a belly that could’ve fit a great white shark. Lexal’s eyes shot up to the hull of the ship where big, jagged cracks formed around Callum’s swollen bulk as the drake was pushed back by the onslaught of food. The crab monstrosity briefly tore Lexal’s focus away, cramming itself into his maw in a trail of critters that skittered their way down his throat like fire. Lexal felt his voluminous bulk begin to heat up, the meter-thick layer of blubber encasing his sides seeming to retain the warmth of the fire. Callum groaned, thick sapphire scales rippling hypnotically across Lexal’s vision. The shark longed for water, wanting to stamp out the mounting heat of his gut. It was beginning to burn. Shutting his eyes, the massive shark tucked his chin into his pendulous neck and rolled forward, crying out as he rammed his friend’s bunker of a body.

BOOM. Wood shards exploded around them. A snap somewhere off to Lexal’s right made the roly-poly shark wince, before he realized it was only Callum’s vest bursting from his chest. A pair of heavy blue moobs jostled atop the drake’s belly as he rolled into the surf. Lexal embraced the cool ocean water with a happy cry, feeling the fire subside and soothing coolness take its place. Bobbing atop the waves, the shark felt anchored by his belly, swaying softly amid a flabby pearl as wide as he was tall.

Lexal appraised his newfound flab curiously, rubbing the gentle sloping surface of his gut and finding a pillowy resistance to it that bought a smile to his face. He felt utterly and ridiculously swamped with softness, as if he’d swallowed a cloud. Hell, he may as well have been a cloud, if not the heaviest one in existence. With a helpless giggle, the blubbery shark managed to swivel on his domed form to look over to Callum who sagged to one heavy side, beached like a rounded whale. If he was a cloud, Callum looked like he’d swallowed one swollen with storms, as it rippled densely among the waves. Lexal heaved himself forward, finding walking to be almost mind numbingly arduous. His gut dipped level with his ankles, sagging into the sand weightily and bulging a couple meters outwards. Prominent lovehandles bunched like a heavy accordion under his arms as he waddled over to the struggling drake.

Chuckling softly, the shark bumped his gargantuan gut against Callum’s and sent the dragon sloshing like the tide. It looked as if one of the boulders embedded in the sand had come to life. “Who’s this doofball in the surf?” he giggled shyly, feeling emboldened by his sheer size.

The quivering drake grunted, grinning up to his friend. He felt as though something small had been changed in the shark’s outlook, who was anything but small. “Just another whale,” he chuckled, “Got washed up by some savior shark.”

“It was all I could think of,” Lexal stammered blushingly. The shark deflected the compliment by sinking his paws into the drake’s gut and sending it shaking like jello. He found the gesture was rather pleasing, a good way to vent his pent up anxiety. Callum couldn’t help a purr from cropping up, the tension in his mattress gut easing pleasantly under his friend’s broad paws. Pushing harder, Lexal slowly rolled Callum onto his feet, the drake stumbling as his overstuffed stature dug a wide trench into the damp sand.

They turned back to assess the damage done to the ship. Another crater roughly the size of the first had been bitten out of the hull where they’d rolled through. The vessel’s lean now threatened to capsize it entirely, ancient wood groaning and shivering as the two heavily fattened explorers gaped in awe.

A shout from the opposite direction got their attention. Lexal turned and giggled at the sight of Hiro running toward them, waving his arms and shouting while Sark trailed him. The shark waved back politely while Callum put his paws on his cushiony hips and smirked. “Looks like Hiro kept his promise,” the drake laughed when the gator stumbled over a piece of coral and was sent headlong into the surf. Hiro’s weight carried him a good five meters before Sark caught up, though both rescuers were still shouting frantically. It was only then that the doughy fish realized the cause for their yelling.

Callum heard an alarming crack ripple up through the ship’s teetering framework. Despite his lard packed form, the dragon felt a rush of ice slide down his spine. Sark yelled once, Lexal clutched his tail, and the drake roared. Then the ship collapsed on them.