FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Day 15: FREE SLOT

"It tastes funny"

By Patrick D. Lambert

Commissioned by Tiggo

Tiggo had been way longer than he should be. What started as a harmless walk around the forest became a desperate attempt to survive the ruthless and relentless punishment of Mother Nature--well, a bit over-exaggerated, as the forest wasn't really that big, and the peculiar hybrid of bear and Siberian tiger wasn't really lost. Of course, for a male not used to exercise, let alone to explore, that little detour he took was more than enough reason to panic.

His boyfriends told him so. Don't stray off the path. They made a lot of emphasis on it, although he took said remark as a joke, used to them mocking his non-existent survival instinct, and their frequent mentions of the unfortunate, but extremely funny, near-death encounters that definitely matched his liking for bad jokes.

It turned out they were serious about following the path, as the orange feline had finally discovered in his fruitless attempt to find the road, something he could've done if he had only gone back his steps or walked straight. Instead, he moved further away for above 30 minutes, almost walking in circles, and just losing sense of where North was.

Again, all he had to do was walk in a straight line. But the little adventure had drained him both physically and mentally. And the things he encountered, from effigies made of sticks straight out of The Blair Witch Project to a couple getting in harmony with Nature in the most naked and messy way possible, had left him concerned about the kind of forest that was.

For starters, it was a park. A very big, very confusing park. But he definitely felt more comfortable thinking of it as a forest. It gave that extra touch of adventurousness he was looking for. The same he got from his loose and fresh clothes: khaki short pants and Hawaiian pink shirt with a floral design, perfect to keep him fresh on that Autumn afternoon that still felt like Summer.

He kept his paws protected and fresh inside a pair of red and white toeless sports shoes that, despite being the comfiest paw wear he had used in his life, couldn't stop them from getting sore after walking so long through the uneven ground. It's inevitable after stepping over branches and rocks.

So he finally admitted it was time to take a rest. He wouldn't resist another step. The thing is, there was no bench anywhere nearby. So he dropped a sigh and cleared the leaves from a spot next to a tree, where he sat down heavily.

"Finally," he growled, stretching his legs to enjoy that sweet, sweet bliss from resting after making a lot of effort.

No longer feeling the pressure on his paws, Tiggo began to put aside the fear of being lost forever. Especially after hearing the grumbles coming from his belly. His hunger was more dangerous than not finding the way back home, a threat even his boyfriends were very well aware of too. But with nothing to eat at the moment, and no one to blame except for himself, the hybrid whined quietly. His fists clenched on the ground, crushing the few dry leaves he gathered.

He imagined a big, delicious, greasy hamburger with a good share of fries and more pickles than he could count, accompanied by a large soda, so cold even the shortest sip would freeze his brain. Then his boyfriends would make a joke about that being a good thing since thinking overheats his brain. That put a smile on him.

"This could be a nice spot...," he muttered, turning his thoughts away from the impending doom that would keep him trapped in the woods for the rest of his life.

The place was good for a picnic. Secluded, with birds chipping above them, sunrays coming through the treetops to give the spot a magical touch. He saw the three of them over a red-and-white checkered tablecloth, with pizza to eat, and some strawberries for later. He'd be resting his head on Nathan's legs, while Lambert sings something for them. What a lovely date that would be.

Lovely enough to put some red on his orange cheeks. The hybrid covered his smile, still a bit ashamed of how expressive he had become recently, even when no one was around to see him. But he was starting to like that bit of soreness in his cheeks after smiling for so long.

Another grumble from his stomach brought him back to reality. Well, Tiggo was well known for his natural skill to ruin beautiful moments with either a joke or something dumb. He never expected his own body to betray him like that.

But he would complain about the perfect timing later. His hunger demanded a little more attention at the moment. But with nothing else to eat, all he could do was give the trunk a soft bunk with the back of his head. And after a moment of silence, the feline looked up. A sparkle of hope flashed in his purple eyes after finding the answer to his troubles.

A... berry. A berry! A pinkish berry? And there were more at the top of the tree. The energy came back in a rush that propulsed his body off the ground, landing on his paws. The strength of his stomp sent a shockwave strong enough to throw one off the tree. And, like an act of destiny, it fell in his hands.

It was a berry. But it didn't look like any other berry he had seen before. It was mostly pink, with whitish spots on the top half of it, and shaped to look like a heart. A bit bigger than an apple, but lighter than one, its texture was particularly soft, very similar to a strawberry--his favorites. And the smell coming from it was so sweet it captivated Tiggo as soon as he got it next to his nose.

He didn't think about it until after he gave the first bite--and he ate almost half of it! The taste was sweeter, and the berry was so juicy it squirted out of his maw under the pressure of his big fangs. Tiggo put on a huge smile of satisfaction while he chewed the delicious berry. The more he tasted it, the better it made him feel. But it wasn't until he swallowed the bits of berry that he experienced the best part of it: soft and refreshing, just a small portion of it had been enough to give some energy back to his exhausted body.

Only then, did Tiggo realize he had eaten a completely unknown berry that had fallen off a tree. There were no words to describe how irresponsible and reckless that decision had been. He could already imagine his boys screaming at him.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Are you gonna eat everything that looks and smells nice?!"

And then he would've answered the question with a joke in an attempt to calm down the situation. Of course, that might not be the case if the berry was dangerous.

So Tiggo waited... and waited... and waited...

For 10 seconds, after which he took another bite of it, confident in the idea that poisonous berries acted immediately. And since nothing happened, that meant the berry was safe to eat.

He finished the rest of it almost instantly, and went as far as to lick his fingers, trying to get a tiny bit of extra flavor.

Unfortunately, that had not been enough to satiate the giant's hunger, whose almost 7-foot-height tried to reach the berries at the top of the tree. If he had been a pure feline, climbing the tree would've been a child's game. But with the genes of a bear giving his body a more sturdy and bulky appearance, with large arms and some hardened fat on his belly, all he did was jump a bit. The berries on top shook a little, but nothing else besides that.

Tiggo growled. He was still hungry, and now that he had tasted the delicious berry, his belly demanded more of it! Something in the taste and texture was strangely addictive, like having cookies and milk on a Sunday morning while you're watching cartoons.

And in the middle of his inner tantrum, the feline stomped on the ground with enough force to shake the earth. The tree could stand such strength. The berries, though, their link with the tree was a different story. And one by one, they began to fall, giving Tiggo the same joy of a child watching the first snowstorm of the season. Planned or just a coincidence, Tiggo didn't dwell on it and continued stomping on the ground until more berries fell off.

After a dozen or more had fallen, Tiggo, satisfied, gathered them all and sat again on the ground. His shoes flew away after he took them off to get a bit of extra comfort, and he wiggled his toes a bit. The relief came out in the shape of a long and deep sigh, accompanied by a wide smile of satisfaction. No matter how comfy the shoes were, it was nice to give his paws some air and feel the cold ground under his pads.

Right after that, the feline started his feast. He wanted it to last as long as possible, taking tiny bits to taste it better. Of course, the flavor was just too good to leave it at that, and his bites became bigger and bigger. He didn't even wait to swallow it before closing his fangs on the unfortunate berry.

In a matter of seconds, his mouth was a mess of pinkish juice and bits of berry falling after every noisy chomp. Aware he was alone, Tiggo didn't bother to take care of his manners, his mind focused entirely on the energizing sweetness of the berry. His fur bristled. A shiver moved up and down his spine. The taste of that peculiar but still delicious berry was the only thing he had in mind.

But not for long. While he continued devouring the berries, Tiggo wanted to get more. He instinctively hit the trunk with his closed fist and enough strength to get more berries from the tree. And as soon as they fell, the tiger gathered them with hands and tails to have them close to him. He wanted to gather as much as he could, carry them all with him to eat them on the way back home, and then store some for later.

And he wanted to do that not just with the berries. The idea of gathering food popped up like a sapling, watered with the berry juice to make it grow in his mind. A concept so silly that reminded him of when he bought candies at his job; he had to carry them in an extra bag, which was a complete hassle. Wouldn't it be nice to have somewhere else to store them? A place a bit more convenient so he could have his hands free to keep eating.

And it was then that he thought about it.

His tail. His big, large, fluffy, huggable tail. He could put the food in it! It was a silly idea, but it appeared so cute and bright in his mind that he had to imagine himself walking around the street, storing or pulling food from the fluffy fur of his big tail.

The orange and brown began to disappear from his fur, replaced by soft tones of blue. Still sitting on the ground, his wagging tail grew in size. And it grew more... and more... and more... until it was almost as big as Tiggo himself. Mostly fur, and extremely more adorable, it still looked disproportionated in comparison with the feline; if calling it that was still correct.

The blue color that started at his tail had now spread to the rest of his body, like a piece of paper absorbing a drop of paint. It didn't feel off; all the contrary, his fur gave him a bit of a chubby appearance, different from the bulky structure his body had moments ago. It puffed from the excitement of the bits of berry he was still eating with enthusiasm. An "N" pattern appeared on his arms--inverted on the right one--, while his fingers and toes got painted on a lighter tone of blue; the same color as his belly and the top half of his tail.

With a goody expression, his face adopted an "older" aspect; not from gaining years, but from the fluffiness around his neck and from the fur that had put a "mustache" above his upper lip, one that got quickly stained in berry juice.

Tiggo wiped his mouth with the back of his big hand, a useless gesture since he got dirtier after taking another bite. And he didn't feel like stopping eating, not yet. He wasn't full yet. His belly wanted more berries. And he started to store some of them inside the fluffy tail. To store them for later and share them with others.

In the same way the berry infused new life into his body, transforming who once was a tiger, his mind also was affected by the tastiness. His mentality and behavior changed, bringing a more innocent, almost childish personality to replace Tiggo. His brownish eyes caught the berries still hiding higher on the tree. With an agility that simply didn't match with his body frame--and not to mention the size of his tail--, he climbed the tree to get the rest of them, walking and jumping from branch to branch, showing no fear of the risky steps taken so recklessly. He was just like a child.

He didn't feel tired. He wanted to explore the rest of the forest, find more berries, and bring them back home to share them with his boyfriends. His abrupt change that came out of nowhere, not just physical, but also psychological, wasn't relevant to his interests. As a matter of fact, it was completely natural. In his eyes, he had always been like that.

A big, fluffy, chubby Greedent called Whopper.

The clothes had gotten tighter due to the abundant fur covering his body. He noticed it once he climbed down the tree, happy after cleaning it of berries. His paws didn't fit inside the shoes either.

"Oh well," he exclaimed carefree, throwing them above his shoulders.

It was better that way. He liked to feel the ground and dry leaves under his paws. It tickled with each step, and the sound was comforting to his big heart. He couldn't remember when was the last time he walked barepaw in the forest.

Or anywhere beside home.

He wondered why he stopped doing so. He tried to find an explanation for it, but the memories stored in his brain, already covered by a thick layer of pink juice, couldn't find an explanation. He only had joyful memories of him playing and running around as a big, blue squirrel. And the more berries he ate, the more his memories changed to fit his new personality.

"I wonder how an overall will look on me," he said, giving himself a good look.

No trace of orange. His fur was completely blue, a tone very similar to the sky above his head, hidden behind the treetops. The big Greedent giggled. With both cheeks puffed and his eyes closed, he gained an innocent aspect that could have warmed anyone's heart. It was completely different from the rude, threatening look some said the tiger had. Of course, that was no longer something to worry about.

After picking up his square-shaped glasses that fell at some point during his transformation, Whopper wiggled his body a bit, then started his journey back home, wondering what his boyfriends would think of the berries he was carrying with him.