Isabelle's been putting on the pounds in the colder months, and her family will be visiting for Toy Day very soon. But you can't teach a fat dog dieting tricks...

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Just a little something I wanted to do for the season, also I haven't written Isabelle before and I wanted to give her some larding. It's been long overdue.

Happy holidays!

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“And, one, two, three. One, two, three.” Isabelle whispered to herself as she lifted her arms and stepped in time to the gentle piano music coming from the tape deck.

Every morning, the island town of Leafbrook held a session of group stretching in the plaza in front of the Resident Services building. Participation was optional, but there was always a big turnout, much to Isabelle’s delight. She spotted Sherb falling out of time, but still carrying on. She knew exercise wasn’t his favourite thing, so she was happy to see him take part now and then.

“Good session, everyone,” she huffed when the music came to a stop. Other participaters echoed the sentiment before dispersing to tend to their own daily routines.
“Isabelle, you okay there?” asked Phoebe, walking up to her with a look of concern on her orange face. “You’re looking pretty winded, sparky.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Isabelle assured her, indeed sounding rather out-of-breath. “I just put a little more oomph into it than usual this morning.”
Phoebe didn’t look convinced, but she decided not to press further. “If you’re sure then. Don’t push yourself too much, sparky. You work hard enough as it is.”
“Oh, I just do what anyone else would,” the shih tzu said modestly, offering a smile as the ostrich went on her way.

As Leafbrook’s Resident Support Manager, it was Isabelle’s duty to ensure island morale was always high. If anyone had an issue, they could come straight to her and she’d always hear them out. It made her a rather popular member of the community, with no one having a bad thing to say about her. And as rewarding, and dare she say difficult the job could be, it was also one with side effects.

For one, it was a rather sedentary job. She sat at her desk for hours on end, occasionally tending to her potted plant, doing research online, or doing some stretches to keep herself from going stiff. Other than that, she wasn’t very active during the day. Another minor issue was, when a cooking boom came over the island, she had taken to baking little treats and bringing them to the office to share with Tom Nook. She would unknowingly have the lion’s share, due to Tom only having a little while engrossed in his work.

The end result was a rather portly dog. Her stomach made it a challenge to zip up her workout jacket, and her pants were having a little difficulty hiding her thicker thighs and rounder rump. Her face had gotten rounder, sporting some chipmunk cheeks and a double-chin. She had hidden her candy from Jack on Halloween to eat herself, and the feast in the plaza on Turkey Day certainly hadn’t done her any favours. What’s more, it was now December, meaning Toy Day was around the corner. Not only was it the season for indulging in sugary treats, but her family would be coming to stay for the holiday.

Even in the cold and the light snowfall, Isabelle had worked up a sweat. Maybe in the new year, she could ask Portia how she always kept such a trim figure. Or perhaps Tank could be her fitness coach. There was no way she was going to shed all this pudge by the time her family arrived, but she could certainly keep it under control.

She lifted her belly in her paws and dropped it, watching it bounce around for a few seconds. A determined frown appeared on her round face as she nodded.
"That tears it,” she muttered to herself. “I’m going to take it easy on the treats, then come the new year, this doggy’s on a diet.”

She plodded into the Resident Services building, and her mouth went agape when she saw the platter of sugar cookies sitting on the desk. She’d baked them herself the night before, and she’d just hate to see them go to waste.

She set her big butt down in her chair and took a bite of a cookie. Just one plate couldn’t be that bad, and it wasn’t like she’d eat them all. Tom could have some as well, if he remembered they were there. She took bigger bites of the cookie until it was gone, then put the next one in her mouth whole. Then the next one. Then the next.


[hr]


Isabelle timed her breaths with her steps as she waddled along the brick path. Her tummy wobbled and bounced along to the rhythm, causing her to frequently tug the hem of her sweater down when it kept riding up over her bellybutton. Despite Leafbrook being coated in a blanket of snow, her chunky legs weren’t as cold as she expected them to be in her skirt.

Her cutting down on snacking had officially begun a few days ago, after eating a whole plate of sugar cookies. And so, she’d had a nice healthy breakfast, and during her break, she decided to take a walk around the island to get some exercise. She held a book to her chest with her paw–a novel she’d found on the path during her walk, a bookmark near the middle. A romance story according to the cover, which gave her an idea as to who lost it.

She stopped in front of a thatch-roofed house and let out an audible puff of air. Even though it was cold, she still felt rather warm after such a long walk from Resident Services. She looked up and smiled at the smoking chimney, then knocked on the brown door.

“Hello?” she called, poking her head inside. “Anybody home?”
“Oh! Isabelle!” The koala inside sat up from her table and walked over to meet her with a smile. “Come in out of the cold, toasty.”
“Hello, Melba,” said Isabelle with her own smile, plodding inside and closing the door behind her.
“What can I do for you?” Melba asked, tilting her head with a frown. “I haven’t gotten any complaints, have I?”
“Oh, not at all,” Isabelle assured her, holding out the book. “I was just wondering if you lost this? It was laying outside Nook’s Cranny.”
“My novel!” gasped Melba, taking it. “I was looking all over for this, toasty! Thank you so much, Isabelle!”
“Oh, it was no trouble,” said Isabelle, rubbing behind her head. “Just doing what anyone else in Leafbrook would do.”
“Let me repay you,” Melba insisted, looking around her home. Her ears perked up when she laid eyes on her kitchen area, and walked over to retrieve a plate from the kitchenette. “I baked these fruit scones today, just to see how they’d turn out. Not to toot my own horn, but I think they’re delicious, toasty. Please, take some!”

Isabelle bit her lip as she gazed at the treats the koala presented to her. The voice in her head told her to politely refuse. She was trying not to eat too much so she’d still fit in her clothes for Toy Day, after all. But another, more alluring voice was telling her to accept. She was cutting down on treats, not cutting them out. Plus, they were fruit scones. Fruit was healthy, right? And there was such a variety–apple, peach, pear, cherry and orange. Plus, it’d be rude to turn down a gift, especially from someone as sweet as Melba.

Grrrrroooowwwwwlllll…

The two ladies stiffened from the deep rumbling noise. Isabelle’s face flushed bright red, knowing exactly where it came from. Her stomach had made her decision for her.

“Y-you’re too kind,” Isabelle yelped, grabbing an apple scone and taking a bite. Her eyes widened once she processed the taste. The perfectly baked batter and cooked apple made for the most delectable sensation. “Gosh, these are delicious!”
“Thank you, toasty,” Melba smiled, letting Isabelle hold the plate before going to her dresser, fishing out a small card with a spatula on it. “If you like them that much, why don’t you take the recipe? You can have them whenever you’d like, then.”

The reasonable voice in Isabelle’s head was louder now, telling her to once again decline. The last thing she needed was even more temptation to stuff her face at home. But then again, those were really good scones, and she’d love to try making them herself. Besides, she could always bring them to the office.

“I’d love to,” she said, taking the recipe against her better judgement. “I’d better head back to work now, my break’s almost up. Enjoy your book, Melba.”
“Oh, I will,” Melba said, watching the shih tzu waddle to the door with a few more scones. “This is my fourth read through it, but that ending always gets me, toasty.”

The two waved to each other as Isabelle walked out and headed back toward Resident Services. With a cherry and pear scone in her paws, the return to work was certainly sweeter than the start of her break.


[hr]


The wooden floor of The Roost creaked with every heavy step Isabelle took lumbering inside. She was so grateful Brewster had decided to come and open his café in Leafbrook’s museum, though part of her wished it wouldn’t be up the stairs. She knew the exercise would be a good help to counteract the cookies and scones she’d been eating, but it was still rough on her poor legs.

“Howdy there, Isabelle,” she heard, looking at the navy blue wolf sitting at the counter, holding a mug to his cream-coloured muzzle. “How’s things, snarrrl?”
“Hello, Wolfgang,” said Isabelle, slowly hauling herself into the seat beside him with a grunt. “Oof, I’m fine, thanks. And you?”
“Can’t complain, snarrrl,” said Wolfgang with a shrug. “Just duckin’ my head in from the cold.”

Isabelle smiled at him as she tugged off her sweater, neatly draping it over the back of her seat. Her belly bulged between the buttons on her sweater-vest, which she did her best to ignore. She loved every animal living in Leafbrook, but she felt a good friendship with Wolfgang–being one of the older residents, he almost always had some good advice. It helped that they had similar tastes in coffee.

Speaking of which, Isabelle was ready to order hers. She turned to the bespectacled pigeon behind the counter, who was dutifully cleaning a mug.
“Hello, Brewster,” she said, fishing out two hundred bells. “I’d like my usual, please.”
Brewster looked up at her, slowly taking the coins. “Coo… coming right up…”

Isabelle smiled and watched as Brewster poured her a mocha, topping it off with a lot of milk and mixing in three teaspoons of sugar. Just like how Wolfgang took his mug of the house blend.

“Coo… drink up…” Brewster murmured, slowly pushing the mug toward her.
“Oh, thank you,” said Isabelle with a grateful smile, taking the mug and sipping her coffee. “Mm, delicious as always. I don’t know how you do it, but keep doing it.”
“Coo… you’re too kind…” muttered Brewster, going back to cleaning a mug. Isabelle sometimes wished she could get a conversation out of him–he struck her as the kind of pigeon who had some interesting stories to tell. But he wasn’t much of a talker, and it wouldn’t feel right forcing a discussion out of him. Not that she could, anyway–anyone who tried would just get a stern glare until they dropped the subject. All she knew was that he was good friends with Blathers, the museum’s curator owl. Maybe she could ask him about Brewster sometime.

She went to take another sip, but she paused, her nose twitching. She smelled something new amongst the coffee beans. Something… sweet. She looked behind the counter, and her eyes widened at the selection of cookies, cakes and other sweets. She could already feel her mouth starting to water.

“Brewster, when did you start selling treats?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Coo… little while ago…” said Brewster, not looking up from the mug he was drying. “Blathers said… they go well with coffee… Melba baked them…”
“I… didn’t think that’d be your style,” breathed Isabelle, licking her lips as she stared at them, trying to decide which one she wanted.
“Trying something different…” Brewster explained. “Want some…? Extra hundred bells. Coo…”

Isabelle swallowed, having yet another internal conflict. She really wanted some treats to go with her coffee, especially after learning Melba had made them, but she knew she shouldn’t. There was enough of her for her brother to tease without her turning into a big fat blob.

“I’d love to,” she said, sighing, “but I’m trying not to eat too much.”
“What, you on a diet?” Wolfgang asked. “In December?”
Isabelle shrugged. “I guess you could say that, yes. Why?”
“You want my advice, Isabelle?” asked the wolf, continuing after a nod from her. “Dieting this time of year ain’t worth it, snarrrl. It’s Toy Day season, you should enjoy yourself.”
The shih tzu tilted her head. “You think so, Wolfgang?”
“I know so,” he said with a curt nod. “Young’uns are far too obsessed with gettin’ all skinny if you ask me, snarrrl. Life’s too short to sacrifice your happiness like that. If ya wanna eat, then eat, snarrrl.”

Isabelle took a moment to consider Wolfgang’s advice. It certainly made sense to her–December was the time to indulge and have fun. Restricting herself of something she enjoyed would just make her holiday experience not as fun as it could be. Besides, losing weight was a problem for the coming new year. Present Isabelle wanted to eat and be merry; Future Isabelle could worry about that extra ‘puppy fat’.

“I’ll take some of that chocolate cake, Brewster,” she decided, setting more bells on the counter.
Brewster scooped the bells into a wing, then set a slice of gooey cake next to Isabelle’s coffee. “Coo… enjoy…”
“I certainly will,” she said, taking a big bite of the dessert. “Mmm, sho good…”

With an approving smile, Wolfgang took the last sip of his coffee and slipped out of his seat.
“Now that I’m all warmed up,” he said, putting on his favourite flight jacket, “I’m gonna see if I can find any of those pretty snowflakes that’ve been floatin’ around, snarrrl. Thanks for the coffee, Brewster.”

Isabelle swallowed and waved as Wolfgang exited The Roost. “See you around, Wolfgurp! Goodness, pardon me.”


[hr]


“Howdy there, Isabelle!” The blue hedgehog warmly greeted the latest customer to the Able Sisters boutique, wearing her trademark green gingham plaid apron and her trademark winning smile.
“Hello, Mabel,” Isabelle huffed, squeezing her soft hips through the door. “Oof… I was wondering if you could help me with something?”
“Getting some last-minute Toy Day shopping done, huh?” Mabel guessed. “What can I get for you?”
“Oh, it’s, um,” Isabelle murmured, her plush cheeks flushing even pinker as she gestured to herself. “It’s for me.”

Mabel gave Isabelle a look over. The shih tzu had certainly been hitting the cookie jar lately. Her belly completely hid the front of her skirt and her sweater only really covered her doughy chest. Those soft hips and her blubbery backside were so tightly stuffed into said skirt that her rolls and folds were perfectly pronounced through the fabric. Her thighs were so thunderous she had developed an awkwardly wide gait, with thick folds covering her knees and ankles. Mabel assumed her arms were in a similar state, given how the sleeves of her sweater looked like they were struggling not to tear from her bingo wings. Her thick slab of double-chin covered her collar, with those chipmunk cheeks dimpling around her mouth and giving her a permanent squint. It was just as well all that fluffy padding was insulation enough from the winter chill.

“Looking for a new winter wardrobe, huh?” Mabel said, after taking a moment to choose her words carefully. “No biggie! Sable oughta be able to set you up.”
“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” Isabelle said, taking an almost self-conscious look over her shoulder at the shelf her little tail sat above. “I know I’m going to need… a lot of material, and she’s especially busy this time of year.”
“Not at all,” Mabel assured her. “She loves a challenge.”

Isabelle waddled after Mabel, taking care not to step too heavily, fearing she may crash through the wooden floor somehow. She always loved coming to the boutique–Mabel and Sable were always so accommodating. She could see the eldest Able sister at her usual spot behind the sewing machine, too engrossed in her work to notice anything going on around her. Mabel, the youngest sister, handled the front of store. The middle sister, Label, often came to Leafbrook to visit her siblings and gather ideas for new outfits for her Labelle fashion brand, of which Isabelle would often wear. Of course, she had outgrown most of them as of late.

“Hey, sis!” Mabel called once the two were close. “Isabelle here’s looking for an outfit!”
“Have you found her one then?” Sable muttered, not looking up from the fabric she was sewing.
“She needs a… custom job,” Mabel said carefully.
“Mabes, I don’t think I have time for-” the brown hedgehog cut herself off when she got a look at the customer in question. Her eyes scanned Isabelle’s fat body up and down, making the shih tzu shyly hold her paws behind her flabby back and trace her tubby toe on the wooden floor.

Then she watched as the eldest Able ducked beneath her table, rooting around for something if the sound was any indication. A few moments later, she reemerged with a notepad in one paw, a pencil in the other, and a measuring tape around her neck.

“Follow me,” she said flatly.

Isabelle, startled by her curtness and urged on by Mabel, obeyed and followed Sable into a door behind the sewing machine, away from the storefront. Inside was a crescent of mirrors around a small circular platform, a small set of stairs leading up to it. Sable gestured for her to climb up and she obliged, grunting as she lifted her oversized legs onto each step, her fat feet landing with a thud that sent a ripple through her lard. She’d already worked up a sweat just getting up those tiny stairs!

“Okay,” Sable said, looking up at her customer. “Clothes off.”
“P-pardon?!” squeaked Isabelle, her chubby cheeks turning bright red. She could just about see Sable from the curvature of her dome-like stomach, but she noticed an intensity in her eyes.
“Clothes off,” she repeated, not changing her deadpan tone. “We need the measurements to be accurate. You can keep your underwear on if you want.”
“Oh, r-right.” Isabelle swallowed and tugged off her sweater, and she couldn’t deny she felt quite a bit of relief after unbuttoning her vest. Her skirt, however, would prove the most challenging. Not only was it skin-tight around her thighs and backside, but she couldn’t even reach beneath her belly to undo the clasp. Sable seemed to sense her struggle, and Isabelle yelped quietly when she felt the hedgehog’s paws lift up her belly–”Hold this,” she’d said, Isabelle doing so–and undo the clasp before yanking down the skirt, revealing the shih tzu’s strained apple-print underwear, much to her embarrassment. Sable looked unphased as she took in the Resident Support Manager’s bare, bulky body, even after climbing onto the platform to get right up next to it.

“Let’s get started, she said, taking her measuring tape and wrapping it around Isabelle’s stomach from behind. “What kind of outfit are you looking for?”
“Something warm and loose,” said Isabelle, watching and feeling the tape sink into her abdomen ever so slightly. “Something comfy that I can go outside in, but also snuggle up inside in, y’know?”
Sable hummed in acknowledgement, not taking her eyes off the tape. She took note of the measurement, then moved onto the shih tzu’s ample chest. “What about colours and designs?”
“Oh, I’m not picky,” Isabelle answered with a gentle shrug. Her double chin squashed against her chest as she looked right down at her breasts receiving the same treatment. “Something nice for the season, maybe in a blue or red.”
“Blue or red,” murmured Sable, taking down more notes. She then wrappd the tape around the two yoga balls that were Isabelle’s rump, causing her to let out a yip of surprise. “Another sweater, perhaps?”
“Th-that would be lovely,” stammered Isabelle, giving a flustered glance over her shoulder, “but if you have any other ideas, I trust your instinct. This is your bread and butter, after all.”
Sable chose to politely ignore the deep gurgling sound from Isabelle’s stomach at the mention of food, even if it caused her titanic tummy to quiver ever so slightly. “Could you spread your legs please?”
Isabelle obliged and, with a loud exhale, awkwardly stood with her fat feet spread as far as she could. She wondered what this could be for, and the sensation of the tape wrapping around her thunder thigh provided the answer. This was a very thorough measurement!

Finally, after murmuring something about ‘a few sizes up’, Sable took some last notes before hopping off the platform. “Okay, I have everything I need,” she said. “I’m no Label, but I should have something ready for you by tomorrow.”
“Wow, really?” asked Isabelle, eyes wide. “I thought you’d be backlogged or something.”
“My other orders will be a breeze to get through,” she assures her. “Besides, I like a challenge.”
Isabelle smiled and carefully stepped down the stairs onto the floor. “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much, Sable!”
“No biggie,” Sable said. “I’ll get Mabel to help you redress.”
“Redress?” repeated Isabelle, then bit her lip when she saw the hedgehog lift up her skirt. “O-oh, yes, um, of course…”


[hr]


Isabelle’s tail started wagging when she saw the seaplane. It was a dark Toy Day evening, cold with light snowfall, but the lights were easy to spot. She knew exactly who Wilbur was bringing with him, and she couldn’t wait to see them. She just hoped they wouldn’t be too surprised to see her.

In minutes, the seaplane made a perfect landing. Her heart fluttered with excitement as the arrivals walked out onto the dock. A trio of shih tzus, one her age and the two behind him visibly older.
“Hi, guys!” she greeted them with a bright smile. “Happy Toy Day!”
“Hey, sis!” the younger one returned the smile, which quickly turned into slack-jawed shock. “Whoa! You’re looking… different.”

Under the glow of the lamppost, the three newcomers could fully stare in awe of who stood before them. Isabelle was less a dog and more a sphere of furry blubber with a face at this point. She was wearing what could be best described as a red bedsheet made of wool with gingerbread animals linked around the middle, draping down to her fat feet. Her wide collar accomodated her thick slab of chin comfortably, but she was still sans a visible neck. Her stomach stuck out a few feet ahead of her, and her backside was a close second. The sleeves were wide enough to hide her bingo wings and the thick rolls covering her elbows and wrists. Her thunderstorm thighs made hips and love handles almost wider than the dock, which she chose not to step onto because part of her was worried she’d fall through the wooden planks.

“I know, Digby,” she said, her plump paws resting on her massive abdomen, “I’ve put on a little weight.”
“Just a little?” her brother quipped, earning a gentle slap on the arm by the older woman.
“Digby,,” she reprimanded, before approaching the doughy dog. “Good to see you again, honey.”
“Hey, Mom,” Isabelle smiled, the two embracing. Naturally, her mom couldn’t get her arms around her at all.
“Island life’s really agreeing with you, huh?” the older man asked with a smile. “You’ve finally been taking it easy, by the look of it.”
Isabelle rubbed behind her head, smiling sheepishly. “I guess you could say that, Dad,” she giggled. “Well, no sense in standing out in the cold. C’mon, I’ve got plenty of treats ready at my place. There’s cookies, tarts, pies and more!”

Digby snorted as a loud rumble filled the air at the mention of sweets, and everyone mercifully ignored it for her sake. It was just as well Isabelle elected not to step onto the airport dock, because her family could almost feel the ground shaking as she led them through Leafbrook. She’d personally made sure the town was in high festive spirit, with tinsel and ornaments decorating the Resident Services building and lights strewn around the town’s many pine trees.

“And you did all this, you say?” her mom asked, looking at all the colours. “You always were a real decorator.”
“I just like making the town look good,” said Isabelle modestly. “Um, just try not to shake the trees around too much.”
“Why’s that?” her dad asked, smirking. “They gonna topple over?”
Isabelle flinched when her fat foot came down a little too hard, causing the tinkle of an ornament falling out of a nearby tree onto the path. “Um, no reason…”

Nearby, a figure clad in red and holding a large white sack over his shoulder stared at the obese shih tzu slowly waddling along, his sparkly eyes shimmering even more.

“Toys and Joys!” he gasped, his small tail wiggling. “Look at that belly full of jelly! I think I just found the perfect Santa stand-in!”