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Chapter 6

Kali left the den and went to the river for a drink. There were still no signs of rain on the horizon and the river was getting worryingly low. She drank her fill and lifted her head to see Utani approach.

'Hey, Kali,' she said. 'How's it going with Sikio?'

She was not sure if she had imagined it, but Kali thought she saw a brief flick of Utani's eyes, looking her up and down. A week had passed since her first feeding session and during that time her belly had never been less than full to bursting. Even now she was stuffed, and the walk down to the Kundi had been an uncomfortable one. Sikio was testing her stamina to the limits; she had half a day at most to rest before Sikio turned up with yet another kill and she gorged herself to her outermost limits.

The effects were starting to become apparent, too. Her muscles were less defined now, covered in a new, plush layer. She was the heaviest she had been, even factoring in the best hunting seasons she had lived through, and though she could at best be described as 'well-fed', Utani had never seen her as anything other than the sleek, lean huntress that she had been.

'I'm having a great time, and I think Sikio is too. He's every bit the lone hunter he claimed to be.'

'I can see that,' Utani said, but quickly added, 'uhm, not that it looks that way or anything.'

'That's okay, he's keeping me well-fed and I'm enjoying it.'

'I suppose that's what's important,' she said. Her eyes looked at the ground and then back to Kali.

'What's wrong?' Kali said.

'It's the river. It is the lowest we've ever seen and there are no signs of rain. This is turning into a real drought and we're all getting worried. Some of the pride think that we should be preparing for the worst.'

The Kundi was abnormally low and Kali could not remember the last time they had gone so long without rain. 'What can we do?'

'Ukuta is thinking about sending scouts out to look for signs of rain clouds beyond our lands. He acknowledges that this won't change anything, but he needs to be seen to be doing something. We're still talking about it though; no plans have been made.'

'Let me know when plans are made and if we can help.'

'Sure, but I think you'll need to let that digest first,' she said with a glance at Kali's bulging midsection.

Kali laughed. 'That might be hard, he's not letting my belly go empty.'

They parted ways and Kali made the climb back up the hill. The meat in her belly weighed heavily and by the time she reached the den she was panting. Sikio greeted her with a grin. Part of a zebra lay next to him. 'You look worn out, perhaps you should eat something.'

She groaned. 'I'm stuffed, Sikio.'

'I know you are. You still want more, though.'

Kali sighed. It was like this a lot. She would be stuffed to bursting and he always wanted her to eat more, to fit that little bit more food in her belly, and she could not resist the challenge. She nodded and settled down next to the zebra and ripped into it with enthusiasm. At first, it had been hard to eat when she was so stuffed and it took a real mental effort to force herself to consume more. As time had passed, it became easier and easier, as Sikio had promised. Now, just when she thought she couldn't force down another without bursting, she developed a second wind and would gorge to Sikio's content.

She took her muzzle from her meal and gasped in short, shallow breaths. Eventually, she collapsed onto her back and spread her legs wide, letting leaving space for her large, ball-shaped middle to rise and fall with her breathing.

Sikio stood over her and licked her stomach. 'I know you can do better than that.'

'Perhaps ... I can ... you will have to help me, though,' she said.

'Of course,' he said and stepped over her to get to the meat. His belly hung over her head as he ripped strips of meat from the zebra. She sat up and gently nipped at the soft flesh with her teeth. Sikio, too, was eating well. He had already been so plump that it was hard to tell, but as she nuzzled his soft middle, she felt that it was growing softer.

Sikio shuffled back and lay down on top of her. Kali belched loudly and groaned at the weight on her weight resting on her bloated middle. Sorry about that, his eyes said. With his maw, he handed her the meat and she happily accepted. His soft middle pressing against the bloat of her own felt wonderful. She sighed happily as she swallowed the mouthful.

Sikio shuffled forward and got some more meat. Kali accepted this more reluctantly than before, but Sikio cheered her on. 'Come on Kali, keep eating,' he said. 'Do it for me and grow fatter, and fatter,' he grabbed her sides and sunk his muzzle into her paunch, though it did not sink far, stuffed and taut as it was, 'and fatter!' He had grown hard, and Kali excited. She gasped when he entered her and moaned as they mated.

*

Kali lay atop Sikio, her head resting on his soft paunch. The morning heat was stifling but she snuggled in closely regardless. Sikio stirred and yawned. 'Good morning. Hungry already?'

She was stuffed as she ever had been, but something was starting to shift in her appetites. She was as full as she had ever been in her life, but every day was able to push beyond that boundary further and further, and little more than a week later she had put on more weight than she ever thought possible in so short a time. Her cheeks were filling out, and her thickened neck merged smoothly with her shoulders, the muscle tone there being lost under a layer of pudge. Her belly had fattened prestigiously, plush and rounded with fat and while her muscle mass was the same, her hindquarters were less defined and considerably thickened.

She shuffled forward, licked his muzzled and buried her head in his mane. Sikio pulled her close. The two of them together, almost as one; their shared body warmth, her fat belly squashing into his, gave her a sense of completeness that she had never felt before.

'You are getting so heavy,' he said. 'You are fat as Utani.'

It was true. She never imagined that this day would come, especially so quickly. She easily matched her friend's weight now, though with a larger and rounder stomach, stuffed with food as it was.

'You think so?'

'Absolutely,' he purred. 'Perhaps even fatter.'

'I know,' she stifled a belch.

'Let it out. You will feel less full.'

She nodded and belched loudly.

'Feel better?'

She nodded; she did feel less full.

She shuffled back and grabbed Sikio's paunch and squeezed it. 'Have you always been so plump?'

'Not always, though I have been so for a long time.'

He rolled them both over and caressed and nuzzled her belly. He rubbed the fat with both paws in a circular motion, squeezing it gently between his toes. 'And now you know how it feels.'

'Mmmm, that feels so good Sikio. Perhaps we can eat some more soon?'

'I like the way your mind works,' he said.

*

Another week passed and Kali ate more and more. Her sides swelled and jiggled as she walked, and she found herself becoming out of breath with even a moderate exertion. Kali and Sikio were out on the plains. The grass was brown and dry as a bone, and the usual sound of insects and birds was muted. They walked together at a brisk pace and Kali found herself panting.

'You look like you are starting to feel that extra weight,' Sikio said, nuzzling her side. 'You have quickly surpassed my weight, it is impressive.'

He was right. Sikio was about average for a male lion in stature, though he carried a lot more weight in the belly and haunches. He too had gained some weight, though not nearly as much as Kali, and as chubby as he was, Kali was fatter. Her torso was becoming more barrel-like by the day and it was likely that she would quickly surpass his weight.

'I certainly have,' she said and gave a playful nip as his flank. 'I bet I'm still faster than you, porker.'

'Well, we will see about that!'

Kali anticipated what he was going to do next. She sprang forward at the same moment as Sikio and they barrelled across the plain together. Kali really felt the extra weight around her middle. Her centre of gravity had shifted back slightly and she felt ungainly. Her latest meal lay heavy in her stomach and added to the swing of her middle that was taking over her gait.

She was neck and neck with Sikio. 'See,' she panted, 'I'm ... winning--'

Just then Sikio turned and flashed a cheeky grin and accelerated away. Kali pushed herself to her limit, but he quickly pulled into the distance. She slowed down and gasped for breath, her sides heaving. Sikio turned back and trotted up to her.

'I honestly ... thought I'd ... win,' she said.

'When you last won, you were only half the lioness you are now.'

'Not quite half.'

'Not yet,' he said knowingly. 'I bet you worked up quite an appetite there.'

'I certainly did,' she said.

The pair headed back to the den and settled down to the last of a zebra that Sikio had felled the previous morning. They only had time to finish a mouthful when Sikio's ears perked up. 'Someone is coming,' he said.

Kali stopped chewing and listened.

The sound got louder and then Duru burst through the foliage. 'Kali, have you seen-'

She stopped and looked at Kali, who was standing now. 'Kali,' she said.

'I know,' said Kali. 'Don't worry about it.'

'Utani told me, but I never thought, I never imagined... How will you hunt?'

'I think Sikio has me covered,' she said and smiled at Sikio. He smiled back.

'You're bigger than Utani,' she said.

'Don't worry about it, Duru. What were you going to say?'

'Oh, the pride is gathering for a meeting. They sent me to come to get you. The Kundi has stopped flowing.'

'What do you mean, "stopped flowing"?'

'I mean it has nearly dried up. The only water that's left; it's not flowing.'

'How can that be? It has never dried up.' She felt a wave of panic envelope her. This was not supposed to happen. The Kundi. The life-giver. It never stopped flowing. Never.

'I came here to get you. We need to discuss this as a pride. Sikio is welcome to join us.'

Kali did not know what to say. She nodded and the three of them headed for the den. When they reached the bottom of the hill, Kali saw that the Kundi had indeed stopped flowing. Only the previous day there had been a stream. The flow had practically stopped overnight, leaving behind only pools of water here and there.

The earth was cracked and dusty under paw, and the flora was brown and dried and practically dead. The walk to the den took a little longer than it should have taken; partly because Kali was looking at the desolation around her, and partly because her pace had slowed somewhat.

They entered the den to find it empty. A murmur told them that all had gathered in the meeting place on the far side of the den. The voices became clearer as they approached, 'but Father, what is the purpose of sending out scouts? Even if they find water, what then?'

The lions were gathered in a circle, with Neema and Ukuta standing above them on an elevated rock.

'Once we know what the situation is abroad, we will be better placed to make decisions. We cannot sit around and hope that the rains will come. What if they don't?'

There was an angry murmur amongst the lions. 'The rains have never failed!' one said.

'And yet they may. Ah, Kali,' Ukuta said. 'Perhaps you can--' he paused and looked at her. All the lions looked at her.

'Hey Kali, did you find a hippo and eat it without us?' a lioness called Kijani said, and a group of them burst out laughing.

'Silence!' Ukuta said.

Shamba came out of the crowd and circled Kali, looking her up and down. 'I told you Father, Mother. No good would come of this outsider. Kali, one of our best hunters, and look what he has done to her!'

Kali hit Shamba over the back of the head with a paw and he jumped back. 'What he has done to me? I am quite capable of making my own decisions, Shamba. You can keep your bitterness and opinions to yourself.'

Shamba turned to Ukuta. 'Father.'

'What is the meaning on this, Kali? Why would you... What have you done to yourself?'

She walked forward; head held high. 'Nothing I did not want to, sire.'

'You are a valued member of our hunt, Kali. How will you hunt now?'

'Sikio can hunt as well as an entire pride. You all know he can. And there are other things I can do for the pride besides hunt.'

Ukuta sighed. 'I fear that hunting will not be a valuable skill here for much longer. The herds have already begun to move on from our lands. Kali, I did not want you here today for your hunting skills. I would have a scout prepared to investigate foreign lands and look for signs of rain, for signs of thriving life. You were the perfect candidate, only now--'

'Only now I'm too fat? I can still go, sire. This will not stop me, and besides, without the hunt, I will quickly lose it.'

'Kali,' Sikio said quietly in her ear. 'Don't do this Kali.'

'What?'

'Not now. I'll explain everything later, I promise.'

'Do you have something on your mind, Sikio?' Ukuta said.

'Only that I agree with your lions, sire. I cannot see the logic in wasting resources to search foreign lands for signs of rain. You may not find what you are looking for, and even if you do, by the time your scouts make it back it may be too late to save the pride. I fear that the time to search for answers elsewhere has passed.'

A murmur of agreement went through the group.

Neema stepped forward from Ukuta's side. 'And what would you have us do, Sikio from nowhere? Lay down and accept our fate, or perhaps pray that the gods smile on us and show us mercy?'

'We all know that the gods will not intervene,' Sikio said. 'However, there may be another way, one I have come across before.'

'And what way would this be?'

'Magic. Old magic, long forgotten in these lands.'

'Magic,' Ukuta said dryly. 'You will forgive me if I am sceptical. After all, I cannot risk the survival of my pride on a mere promise. Show us this magic, Sikio. Prove to us that it can save us.'

'I'm afraid that I can not demonstrate such things here and now--'

'Ha! He wastes our time, mother, father,' said Shamba. 'Stories and promises of magic will do nothing for us, we must see it in action.'

'If you would allow me and Kali to return to where we were and continue what we were doing, we will do all that we can to bring the rains back.'

We? thought Kali.

'And then what, turn our best hunter into your personal pig?'

'Shamba!' Kali growled. 'I am no one's anything, and I am far from our best hunter.'

Sikio growled and Shamba returned the favour. He turned to the king and said, 'We need more time, this is all I ask.'

'Father do not listen to him. Your plan, we could make it work. Perhaps I can personally lead a scouting party.'

'It may be too late, Shamba,' Neema said. 'I'm sorry Ukuta, I fear the time for scouting has passed. By the time any scouts return we will have moved on.'

'Moved on,' Ukuta echoed. 'Then so it is. You may have a week, Sikio, to conjure up this trick of yours. If we see no sign of rain clouds, it may be time for us all to move on.'

There was a hush amongst the lions. This had been the pride's home for countless generations, to leave now was unthinkable.

'Thank you, sire,' Kali said, and she left the den quietly with Sikio.

Kali said nothing to Sikio on the return to their den, though her mind was racing. Was she just an experiment, an ingredient in some spell or was there more to this? Surely he did not mean to just use her to his ends. They had a bond, something that had grown from some curiosity to bloom and become something more. His words back with the pride suggested good intentions, a way to bring back the rains.

'Will you stay with me, after this spell of yours?' Kali said as they got back to their den. She had other questions, burning questions, but this felt like the most pertinent. She needed to place some trust in him now and this would be the test of their relationship so far.

'I will stay if that is what you want. This spell, I had it in mind when I first came here. I have a way of finding myself in places that need a little help, and this was no exception. I saw the drought coming as soon as I arrived here and knew how to help.'

Kali did not know what to say. He had planned this from the moment they had met, of course he had. Only, she thought that it was out of personal desire, not this. She could never have imagined this. Something occurred to her just then and suddenly she felt all of the extra weight, all of the folds of skin and excess flesh, and she felt disgusting. 'Sikio, did you only do this to me for your spell?'

'I am not sure what--'

'Do you even find me attractive like this?'

Understanding dawned on his face and for the first time since they had met, Sikio the rogue, Sikio the master hunter, Sikio from nowhere, looked worried. Right then, some of the mystery and surety he possessed melted away and he looked like just another lion. 'Kali, I never meant to hurt you or anyone else through this. This was for a spell. Yes, for a spell. What we have, Kali, is something... It is more than a spell. I do not want to leave you and I want this. This attraction that you have, it is essential for the spell to work, yes. Though this is not all. For the spell to work it must attract the attention of the gods, a few in particular. And importantly, the attraction must be mutual, or the gods will ignore us, Kali. They will ignore us--'

Kali bunted her head against his and they lay together in silence for a while. She believed him with all her heart, and her mind was catching up too. Still, anxiety clawed at the edges of her mind as she wondered what was going to happen to them both, her lands and pride, and what the spell would entail.

'What are you thinking?' Sikio said.

'I'm worried. I do not know what is going to happen. This drought, can your spell end it?'

'It can bring the attention of the gods, and if we have their favour, they may end the drought.'

'What you said earlier, about how you have to fatten me to do this spell; I wish you had told me sooner.'

'I am sorry, I should have told you. I will not make an excuse; I only hope that I have not caused hurt. You are right about the spell. Together we must make you as corpulent as possible and then we will attempt to summon the gods.'

'I see,' Kali said. 'One thing that I still don't understand: if what Ukuta says is true and the herds are leaving, how is it that you are catching prey so easily?'

'It is difficult to explain. Things just happen around me, things that chance would not normally allow, and I merely take the opportunities given to me.'

Kali heard a noise in the distance and turned an ear to it, but it was far away. 'Like you're very lucky?'

'Unnaturally so, yes.'

The sound was growing louder. Something was heading towards them. Kali stood up but could see nothing for the brush that surrounded them. 'Can you hear that?'

Sikio stood and listened. 'Yes.'

Suddenly a snort and the sound of heavy feet, and then a hippopotamus burst into the clearing. Kali jumped aside, almost too slowly, as it shot past, slowed, and turned to face them, enraged. It had its sights set on her and she backed away slowly. Then, just as it began to charge Sikio jumped on it from the side and hung on with his claws. This caused it to sway and waver and miss Kali.

Sikio clung to its sides but its thick hide was proving difficult to penetrate. Kali's instincts kicked in, overcoming the initial shock, and she bounded to its other side and tried to find a spot on its neck to get a chokehold on. However, its neck was too wide and hide too thick and she could not get a good hold. She jumped off and backed away again. Only once had she attempted to bring down a hippo, and that was with all the huntresses at her side.

'Sikio,' she called. 'Get off, we need to tire it first!'

Sikio leapt from its side and backed away. Once again, the hippo charged at Kali and she dived aside. Her reflexes were the same, but her body was almost too slow, and she barely got out of the way in time.

'Hey, over here you hideous thing!' Sikio shouted. 'Come here, that's right!'

It turned and charged him once, then again and again, and each time he leapt deftly aside with a greater speed his portly frame should have allowed. After a while, the hippo began to slow, and still Sikio danced around it, never tiring. Eventually, huffing loudly, the hippo stopped altogether.

'Now,' Kali said, 'take it down now!' And together they leapt on the hippo and brought it down in a bloody mess.

Blood covered Kali's maw and she panted heavily. 'Is that ... what you meant?'

Sikio licked his chops. 'Yes, that is what I meant.'

Kali just nodded. A hunger like she had never felt was overwhelming her and she tucked into the belly of the hippo savagely. She gorged herself, coming away only for brief gasps of air until she was beyond bloated. Her stomach rounded out greater than it ever had and kept growing until she felt very uncomfortable. Eventually, she left its side and fell onto her back, splaying her legs wide to accommodate her huge paunch.

She felt a tongue brush her underbelly but when she looked she could not see Sikio for the round expanse of her stomach blocked her view. Slowly, Sikio worked his way up and his head appeared over the top. He tried to reach his forelegs around her belly, not quite managing, lay his on her and gently hugged her close.

Kali groaned. 'Be--' she belched loudly, 'careful. I guess ... I guess she was right.'

'Who?'

'Kijani ... at the den ... I really did eat a hippo.'

He chuckled and gently rubbed her sides until they fell asleep together.