OCTOBER

The fennec boy’s tail was already wagging as he rolled over in bed. He was tempted to simply let gravity roll him back into the indent in the middle of his mattress and snooze for another five minutes, but the hum of the fridge downstairs seemed to be calling him with promises of comforting, milky goodness. He heaved himself, once, twice, three times to sit up, the springs squealing under him as he hefted one chunky leg, then the other into a worn pair of sky-blue shorts with split seams that he just hadn’t found time to replace. He carefully, if heavily stomped his way downstairs, each step something of a guess since he couldn’t quite see where he was putting his paws. He clawed back his wild mop of hair, huffed a bit as he strained to clip his collar, and gave a big canine grin as he waddled into the kitchen.

There was nothing like starting a busy day with a good, healthy routine of milk chugging! Thankfully, the milk fridge was designed to keep all his dairy fresh and full of that calorie-laden goodness that gave him strong bones, and well-nourished muscles… and perhaps something of a more rotund physique that the fennec had once envisioned. It was hard to know when to stop though, there was something reassuring in chugging milk, then caressing the soft, squishy globe of his belly, and chugging milk, and caressing, and chugging, and…

In no time at all there was a pile of drained cartons of milk on the counter, and the fennec was left cradling his plump middle, and licking his handsome, chubby face clean of the last few drops. To make sure his gains would stick, he set about cooking his usual protein-laden breakfast, his stomach sloshed like a barrel with every step. Though he had never felt more suited to cuddling in his whole life, the fluffy fennec boy could not help but feel his goals seemed just as distant as ever. As psychologically adjusted as he was to the act of gulping down a cow’s worth of milk with every meal, perhaps a new strategy was in order…