Here it is! With the help of plokishmok3 and his great writing expertise, we bring you Running from Corpulence! An illustrated story outlining the struggles of an injured runner trying to keep off weight from a brother who has different plans~

PROLOGUE ---> CHAPTER I

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Tony © & Story:

Mazaku © & Artwork:


Cameos:

Texan ©:

Kygen ©:

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PROLOGUE (INJURY):

The sun bore down on the sidewalk, heating the concrete to a boiling temperature that was more apt for mid-August instead of late June. Still, Mazaku pumped his arms as the dragon turned the corner at the end of the block and made his way up the next street. Sweat dripped from his brow and though his eyes were trained ahead of him, his mind was on autopilot. The rhythm of his paws pounding on the ground below, the repetitive swing of his arms as he pumped them back and forth, back and forth, and the sound of his heavy breath and beating heart ringing in his ears all seemed to soothe his mind. He was both awake and not, a zone of soft focus that had settled on his mind ever since the first few minutes of his run: a state of active zen. Not even the pounding of the set of paws beside him or the flash of orange that occasionally popped into his periphery distracted him; his running partner, Tony. The fox beside him was in a similar state of focus as the two bounded forward for another mile and another.
Though Tony and Maz often went on runs together, these weren’t times for socializing; it was time to train. Despite the fact that their senior high school track season had just ended and most people would take the summer to relax before heading off to college, the two were still hooked on the training: faster times, stronger kicks, steadier form, better pacing… The process of developing as an elite high school runner was an all year affair that they had been a part of for many years; it was hard to break old habits. Hence, their run on an admittedly gruelingly hot day that many would rather spend by a pool, lake, or ocean.

The fox and dragon turned another corner, following a classic five-mile route they usually took on their speed training runs. Though at the moment they didn’t enjoy it, they both loved the route as the first half rose steadily up a hill as they crossed through neighborhoods while the second half crested the rise, meandered through a nice park, and then finished with a downhill stretch during which they could work on maintaining control as they pushed their stride speeds as fast as they could go. It was a grueling workout but one they knew would pay off dividends next season.

Maz’s could feel his hamstrings starting to burn as both he and Tony turned up the final stretch of their uphill battle. It was a cozy street with only a few houses and minimal traffic. The sidewalk was in gross disrepair, with entire squares of concrete missing while the those that remained jutted out of the ground in cracked upheavals due to decades of frost heaves, prompting the two to move into the street. The two pushed themselves as hard as they could, knowing that an active rest was waiting for them on the other side of the hill. Maz saw Tony slowly pulling ahead of him out of the corner of his eye, sparking that competitive fire that only came out of hiding from his otherwise shy demeanor during times like these.

The dragon narrowed his eyes and pumped both his arms and legs harder and harder. He noted that Tony must have seen him pulling ahead too, the two turning the final leg of the uphill climb into a race in it of itself; a test of both flesh and wills. Maz’s legs were growing numb with that dull burning pain but to his delight, he could see Tony dropping back behind him; he was pulling away! When he crossed the metaphorical threshold, signified by the pair of fire hydrants at the top of the street, Maz held up his arms in triumph as if breaking the tape at the end of an Olympic race. His legs continued to move, as if on autopilot though at a slower pace as sense of fatigued washed over them as he crossed the street and into the park; they felt like Jello.

Maz let his legs pound heavily, almost clumsily, into the ground as he jogged along the winding park sidewalk enjoing the relief from the sun through fleeting passes through the shadows of the lush trees overhead. He turned slightly to look back over his shoulder toward Tony who was steadily jogging behind him with a disappointed look on his face.

Maz chuckled to himself but during that brief moment where his eyes were off the sidewalk, he suddenly felt his right leg dropped as he strode forward. Maz turned his head around just in time to see his foot slip into a large, open crevice along the edge of the sidewalk, a crack that must have split after the last thaw of the year. Maz tried to slow his momentum, to catch himself, but it was too late.

A loud snap echoed up into Maz’s ears as his body when tumbling to the ground. A searing pain rushed up his spine and exploded in his brain as the dragon let out a scream and instinctively reached down to clutch his ankle. Through his clawed fingers, he could feel something hard and jagged poking out against his scales.

“That’s not good,” Maz thought before the pain and shock became too much and he passed out on the pavement as Tony rushed over to help:

“Maz…!”