“Did you start the fire yet?” Tanu asked, clad in her swimwear as she approached the beach picnic spot her boyfriend, Hund, should have had set up already. Before her was a bulky husky at least a foot taller than the raccoon squatting next to a comically small BBQ grill.

“DId yOu geT tHe FiRe sTarteD yet?” Hund mockingly repeated as he tried fitting his sausage-like fingers into the trigger of the lighter. After several failed clicks, Hund realized he wasn’t alone.

“I didn’t,” he said respectfully, not wanting to piss his girlfriend off further. “Why do I have to do this anyways?”

“You said you would do the fire if I got the hammock,” Tanu replied. “Remember the deal?”

Hund sighed to himself. Even though Hund hated starting the grill, he did lose a bet with Tanu that sealed him into this job. Earlier in the week, she challenged him to a contest: whoever ate two trays of cookies the fastest won. While Tanu ate her regular chocolate chip cookies with ease, Hund’s cookies were spiked with their friend’s signature “Inflatabun” formula. Tanu quickly finished her portion in record time; Hund could barely reach the second tray over his bloated belly.

Tanu laid back in her hammock, sipping the orange bubble tea she got from the beach walk on the way. Feeling the ocean breeze against her face, she couldn’t help but smile at the agreeable weather. As she dreamily looked over the beach, her eyes wandered to Hund, who was now using one of his large hands to provide cover against the winds that blew out his flames.

“Careful Hund, you know your fur really….” Tanu tried to warn but was interrupted by Hund’s frantic screaming. “catches easily.”

Tanu watched as the flaming husky sprinted his way towards the water.
“Oh, Hund,” she mumbled to herself like a mother watching her 2-year-old burn himself on the stove again. While he was splashing about, trying to suppress the flames, Tanu closed her eyes, relaxing further into the hanging net. “What a beach, what a day” she reflected.

Suddenly, she felt a heavy wet mass press into her lean core. The weight further spread to her legs, arms, and even her face. As Tanu tried to open her eyes, she caught the distinct smell of salty wet dog. On top of her was Hund, who was laying comfortably into the net with his arms behind his head.
“What a hammock! Nice stringing!” He said boastfully, making sure Tanu could hear.

As Tanu tried to get the fuzzy weight off her, the hammock netting was slowly snapping one thread at a time. Finally, the hammock could contain them no longer.

CRASH!

Hund rubbed his head from the sudden fall. He then felt a strong push that turned him onto his belly. Tanu wrapped her arms around Hund’s neck in a lovingly threatening manner. As she climbed on top of Hund’s broad back, she inched herself closer to Hund’s ear.

“That hammock was a rental,” she whispered half-jokingly.

“I finished lighting the fire,” Hund said, his voice muffled by the fact that his face was buried in the sand. Tanu looked up and saw the crackling fire Hund created. She got off Hund with an exasperated sigh and went to their cooler to finally get their beach picnic started.

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Marking a (late) start to the summer, we have Tanu relaxing on the beach. Thanks again to  Qaieri for this lovely YCH! Their prices were surprisingly cheap, especially for the amount of detail that was put into this piece. I hope this piece helps shine a light on their other works.