FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For Kiva, waking up was never a fun experience no matter how early or late. This morning in particular was especially worse. Everything was similar but a little off, like the entire world had been moved a few inches to the left. The sounds of birds making their morning calls were the same as before, but a few things stood out. The bed was smaller than she was used to, and the white walls of the guest room were not the same as the unpainted wood of her cabin. Memories of yesterday sparked in her brain and forced a low groan out of her throat. She felt the electrical impulses moving from her spine to her limbs, prodding them to life a few seconds after her awakening and forcing them to jerk awake.

The Dire Wolf took stock of her position. She lay on her side wrapped around her husband whose head was firmly tucked between her breasts. The blanket was wrapped around their waists, looking more like a cloth rope twisted around them than any sort of cover. Kiva felt like their bodies slowly conformed to one another over time and allowed him to find a comfortable spot on her no matter what. It would explain how he didn't suffocate crushed against her bulk like he was. She sniffed the air, noting the new smells of their borrowed room were mixing with the familiar odor they produced. It smelled very unused, like wood and stale air being exposed to people for the first time in years.

“You awake?" she whispered.

Vinny mumbled something beneath her. She didn't understand it, but she recognized it as an affirmation and carefully rolled herself onto her back. Vinny slid out of her grip onto his side of the bed and took a deep breath. He had to struggle to leave her gravity thanks to her huge body weighing down the mattress and pulling him toward her. Kiva did the same but hit the edge of the bed sooner than him. She hastily pushed her leg to the floor and caught herself, then stood to her full height, happily noting the ceilings were high enough for her to do so, while the blanket they shared dragged along with her and fell to the floor. When her body left the bed, the springs bounced back and almost launched Vinny into the air.

“Did you have to take that? It was comfy." Vinny complained, scrambling toward the middle of the mattress. It looked more like a king-sized mattress compared to him.

Kiva picked up the blanket and threw it at him, chuckling when he squirmed around it and rapidly spun himself into a fabric cocoon. She made for the drawers they put their things in; Kiva took the top drawers and Vinny the middle since he was closer to the ground. Better for her back that she didn't have to get on her knees every time she wanted to search for clothes. A clawed hand cupped her right breast. Did she need to wear a bra here? The Cows were very okay with going topless in their own home. Millie even offered to let her use their machines. Maybe she would do that?

“You usually do your milking in the morning." Vinny said. “Want to do that here, or with them?"

The Human wrapped up in the blanket bundle was pushing all of her buttons whether he knew it or not. The only way he could have been more appetizing to her was if he was presenting his belly and taunting her. Next to the bed sat a nightstand with a digital clock. The pale maroon numbers broke through the morning umbra and displayed '7:15 am' at her.

“We have time for a quickie." she thought.

A wild grin split her mouth and presented her teeth. “Why don't we combine them?"

Vinny didn't have time to react before Kiva slithered back onto the bed, creating a large divot with her body weight. Both her muscular arms surrounded him and trapped him in place while the rest of her loomed over him. Her massive breasts hung over his face and threatened to smother him, dangling just out of reach. Sure, proportionally the Cows may have been larger than her. But Kiva was so tall that Vinny had used her body as a mattress. It was no surprise that she outweighed them here, too. She used one of her hands to peel the blanket off him like unwrapping a present while trying carefully to preserve the wrapping paper. Once he was exposed, she sank further into the bed and dropped the full weight of her body onto him.

Her gargantuan frame weighed more than the mattress they lay on and she pushed the air out of his lungs, causing him to gasp. Seizing her opportunity, Kiva wrapped her arms behind his head and aimed one of her breasts straight into his open mouth. Vinny latched onto a nipple larger than his thumb, struggling to breathe or even move but instinctively suckling on her all the same. He was immediately rewarded with a torrent of cream that caressed his tongue with its sweet flavor, and he greedily gulped it down.

Vinny felt a great burden lift off him. He gained a sudden burst of energy and lost the dreary attitude he woke up with. It wasn't that Kiva had become lighter but that he was able to handle her weight better. Above him, the Dire Wolf sucked in a sharp breath then let it out as a deep sigh of relief. He could feel every small movement from her body: sinking deeper into the bed, muscles twitching then relaxing, her heartbeat hammering louder in her chest the more he sucked, and the way her stomach quivered every few seconds. Her well-defined abs rubbed against his waist, brushing her fur and muscles against his morning wood and crushing it between them.

Mornings were always difficult for him. Vinny desperately wanted to get out of bed and get things done, but Kiva usually woke up horny and needing to be drained in more ways than one. Most of the time when she wasn't filling trucks full of her milk she used a hand pump. But some days she liked to get him to drink as much of her as he could, then see if that would give him enough energy to last until noon while she tried to bruise his pelvis. They did it often enough that Vinny knew how long it took to drain her halfway or all the way.

He gently bit on her nipple, eliciting a gasp from above him. When it didn't click for her he bit harder and Kiva suppressed a squeal by shoving her face into a pillow. She quickly recovered and pushed herself off him and back to her original position. Vinny sucked in a large breath and grabbed onto her arms, not for support, but just to move around at all beneath his prison of flesh and fur.

“Too much weight?" Kiva asked, head dipped into the pillow. She couldn't exactly see Vinny beneath her chest but she didn't need to see him for this.

“Nah. I had enough air but I finished. Only halfway this time."

“Okay. Finish the other one and bite harder next time. It's hot as fuck."

Vinny nodded his head, forgetting it wouldn't be seen but brushing the tip of his nose against her nipple and eliciting another grunt from above. Kiva shifted to the right and dropped her other breast onto his face the same way she had the first. It had taken a lot of practice, but now he felt comfortable taking the full weight of them every morning. A deluge of milk poured past his throat, invigorating him and sending his wife into fits. She humped his leg, mashing her sweltering entrance against his thigh and crushing his penis with her abs. Eventually, Vinny bit down on her nipple and even pulled on it a bit. Kiva practically howled but did so against her pillow, allowing it to absorb most of the sound. She sat up and the cold humid air assaulted Vinny's sweaty body.

Kiva leaned back and sent him a ferocious look. Drooling, her teeth were on full display. Specks of saliva poured out her mouth and dripped onto her chest, some even making it past her enormous breasts and onto his sweat-covered chest. The monstrous canine sat above his lap making sure not to drop her full weight on him and positioned her pussy above his manhood. He could feel a few wet droplets of her love drip onto it and transfer her heat onto him.

Awareness suddenly struck Vinny, and he sat up in a fit of panic.

“No wait, we can't do this here!"

Kiva froze, panic also overtaking her features.

“What? Why?"

“I- we can't have sex in a stranger's home. That's bad enough. But they already don't like us. Plus, I know how loud we usually get. There's no way we could hide this."

Shoulders sinking lower than he thought possible, Kiva looked like her world was falling apart. Suddenly, her face shifted from sadness to rage, and Vinny's heart hammered in his chest while Kiva crawled off the bed and began growling.

“Fine. You wanna deny me this? Then I should punish you at least."

Kiva sat on her knees on the side of the bed and laid the blanket over Vinny. She suddenly grabbed him and spun him around so fast he was worried he was going to puke up his all-liquid breakfast. When she was done, Vinny was once again wrapped in a tight blanket cocoon. Kiva clapped her hands in giddy anticipation and leered down at him.

“Does this count as bondage? It's not leather and chains but it'll do."

A clawed finger made its way to Vinny's exposed face and gently caressed his cheeks. She carefully scraped it against his skin and dragged it lower, applying more force when she reached the blanket. It continued traveling lower until it reached his crotch and circled his still erect member. Kiva fiddled with the area she had tied up and undid her work, freeing his penis. She took great delight in watching it literally spring up and out of its cage.

“You are getting way too creative." His voice shook, barely able to form proper words while she taunted him.

Kiva ignored him and leaned in closer until her hot breath washed over his erection. She sat forward and heaved her colossal breasts onto the bed, letting them lay on the sheets and stain them with dripping milk while she stared at him. She huffed on it a couple of times, inhaling his scent and teasing him with her breath. Finally, she stuck her tongue out and gently licked the side, sending him into hysterics. Licks turned into tongue baths turned into a storm of wet kisses and eventually a sloppy blowjob. Kiva engulfed his member and greedily sucked on it, forcing him to buck his hips. She lifted her mouth off him to speak.

“This is what you get for messing with me!" she sang, diving headfirst into his lap and resuming her work.

Meanwhile, she dragged a hand beneath her hips and slipped a finger into her wet entrance. With each suck, she kicked up the pace of her digit and steadily rubbed herself until she was grunting along with Vinny, who was now showing signs of losing himself to her. Kiva backed off, ending her lewd sucking with a pop and giving the head of his penis one final drawn out kiss before leaning back with one hand in her pussy and another bracing the ground. She rubbed herself in large circular motions then switched to a quick up and down motion that moved faster and faster until that familiar electrical explosion crawled up her spine and down her tail. Her body shivered and she gently cried out much quieter than usual, aware that Vinny was technically correct about their hosts hearing them.

“W-What? You're just gonna leave me here?" Vinny cried, thrusting his hips into the air.

Kiva basked in the aftermath of her orgasm and ignored him. Eventually, she sat up and flashed a wicked grin at him.

“You didn't want to have sex so we didn't. Here, I'll give you something you can use to finish."

She pushed herself off the ground, carefully making sure she didn't bump into any furniture or hit the ground too hard with one of her limbs. Once again sliding over to the drawers she fished out a pair of extra lacy panties, brought them down to her crotch bunched up like a rag, and wiped herself dry with them. When she finished, she threw the soaked article onto Vinny who was halfway out of her impromptu bondage.

“Jerk off using these."

Vinny exploded from the blanket and picked up the soaked panties. They were huge. So large he had to stretch his arms all the way out to look at them. He threw them to the side of the bed and crossed his arms looking like he had just received a box of coal instead of whatever he wanted. He was already down to half-mast and grumpier than when he woke up.

“At least I got some milk out of it."

Kiva chuckled. “Better than coffee, right?"

Vinny turned his head up. “It goes great with coffee."

Kiva snorted and turned back to her clothing.

“I should wear a top. If I'm going to exercise it's best to have support. Running around the forest nude is fun, but ever since my last growth spurt, these things have gotten too huge to comfortably run with. Especially when they're half-full."

She ran a hand to her stomach and frowned when she felt a bit of pudge on her otherwise trim abdomen. A few months of no exercise and binging on protein gave her a larger waistline than she was used to. Hopefully, her hard work would pay off and get her back into the shape she had before.

Vinny interrupted her thinking. “Don't blame yourself for what's happening to Jenny."

“How can I not? She started growing pretty much right after I scared them. What if it's my fault somehow?"

Kiva slipped her head through the bra's opening and stretched it over her chest, then sucked in a breath when it snapped tight against her. She thought about adjusting it using her miraculous abilities, but it fit fine and didn't hurt so she left it as is. Vinny watched her with a large grin on his face which Kiva returned.

“Y'know, usually guys like watching their wives get undressed, not the other way around."

“Yeah. But you look good no matter what you're doing. Your smile is like the morning sunrise; beautiful to behold but sometimes it blinds me."

Butterflies swarmed her heart, turning it into their home long enough to make it skip a beat. He always knew exactly what to say to cheer her up even if it made him sound like a huge dork.

“Keep talking like that and I'll put on some of that fancy lingerie for you. Now that I can make anything my size, we can order something more novel when we get home. How does a sexy nurse outfit sound?"

Vinny's face lit up like he won the lottery, absolving her of her recent crimes. Kiva slipped out the door and into the hallway with a smile, looking for a way to blow off some steam.

---

Unlike the dim room they protected from the sun with the curtains provided to them, the hallway outside the guest room was awash in natural light flowing out the mansion's many windows. It bounced from wall to wall, giving the otherwise ominous hall an optimistic tinge. Kiva ignored all of this and followed her nose toward the kitchen where the telltale smells of food lie in wait. Her claws tapped down the sleek wooden floorboards and stopped when her nose pinged a new yet familiar scent coming from a door to her right.

Before she literally grew into her latest career as a freelance giant for hire, Kiva worked at a gym helping people find fun ways to better themselves physically. Her intimidating demeanor meant very few people approached her, but she learned to be more outgoing and actively assist customers. The few people who listened to her and asked for advice gained a lot from it. It probably didn't hurt that her species puts on muscle much easier than most and she made a great free advertisement for the gym. Needless to say, the distinct stench of people exercising was intimately familiar to her. Kiva eyed the door cautiously and decided a few reps would be better on an empty stomach.

Twisting the cool golden doorknob and thrusting the intricately carved door open, Kiva took in the sight of the bovine trio's extensive home gym. Almost half-a-dozen modular metal contraptions were distributed evenly around the room with a few quality exercise mats lying near them. Yoga mats were either hanging off hooks in the walls or rolled up and laying in corners. A well-used punching bag hung from the ceiling, rolled-up ropes of varying sizes hung next to the yoga mats, and a few medicine balls were scattered about.

Finally, a large mirror decorated one of the walls. Overall, it was a very professional setup scaled up for people close to her size. Or perhaps, Cow-sized species. They tend to make machines in certain ranges and Dire Wolves barely fit into the same range as most Bovine. The only thing that surprised her was the large black and white spotted Cow leaning against a yellow industrial brush, using it to scratch her back. Kiva had unpleasant memories of replacing those brushes at her work and cleaning them very frequently. She couldn't deny their usefulness, however. A good brush before and after a workout did wonders for her fur.

The Cow, “Wasn't her name Tammy? T-Tracy! It was Tracy." finally noticed Kiva and stared at her with wide saucer-like eyes. She took a step forward and immediately froze under the Wolf's placid gaze. Tracy was by no means short; She stood a couple of heads taller than Vinny who was probably the closest the world had to an average-sized individual. Kiva was larger than Tracy the same way she was larger than Vinny, and judging by her reaction, she wasn't used to that. Kiva's eyebrow shot up during her approach, but not because she wasn't impressed. The Cow's muscular body was praiseworthy, especially considering how easy it was for them to gain fat instead of muscle. No, what surprised Kiva was the fact that apparently, she went topless while exercising.

Tracy put her hands on her hips and smiled. “Come to join me fer an early mornin' exercise?"

“That does sound nice." she replied. “Not too early, is it?

“Naw. I keep to a strict schedule. It's easy 'nuff fer me to gain fat so I have to come here right after milking."

Kiva shuffled around the gym and tried to ignore her comment. Should she be embarrassed about it? She was fine discussing it with her husband but not with women who lived with it their entire lives. She trusted Vinny with her life, but she felt like the Cow's hadn't earned her trust. Hell, they may never after what they did when they first met.

“Everything here is for someone, well, my size. It must be nice to have a gym like this whenever you want."

“Ayup! Say whatcha want about Millie, but her parents hooked us up."

Kiva's eyes swept around the gym again looking for a few machines she would want to use. A small detail caught her attention and she turned down to the Cow again.

“No treadmill?" she asked.

Tracy's smile quivered for a moment but quickly returned. “If I'm gonna run then I'll just go outside. Besides, cardio'll steal my muscles!"

Kiva didn't necessarily agree with the sentiment, but she understood that some people avoided cardio while weightlifting. Not everyone could keep muscle like her.

Tracy continued. "Maybe a water treadmill or a pool to work my entire body with a low-impact exercise. Otherwise, I don't need it."

“Fair enough. Now then, where are the weights?"

Tracy's smile lit up and she lumbered to the other end of the room with Kiva strutting behind her. The next five minutes were spent touring the room. Tracy showed off her equipment like a kid showing off their toys to a new visitor, pointing out things and explaining their use even though Kiva already knew everything about them. She didn't interrupt for fear of sounding rude and ruining any chances of connecting with her. Eventually, Kiva settled on a barbell and began racking weight onto the bar with Tracy's help. The Cow paused after putting a few on it for her, but Kiva kept going and added enough weight for a good warm-up.

“Goin' all out? Shouldn't you ease yourself into it?" she asked.

"Nah. This is a warm-up for me."

Tracy frowned. She looked at the bar, then back up at Kiva, then she quietly got behind the bench to spot her. Kiva grinned and went to lay on the bench, but Tracy stopped her before she could.

“Wouldn't you be more comfortable freeing yer udders?"

Kiva opened her mouth and then quickly shut it. In this context, 'udders' probably isn't meant to be derogatory. What was the old saying? 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'

“Fine." Kiva decided. “If Romulus wants to see some Wolf tits then she can have them."

Grasping the bottom of her bra with her claw-tipped finger, the Wolf lifted it past her chest and her head in one smooth motion then threw it into the corner of the room. She felt gravity take hold of them and encumber her with their considerable mass. The look Tracy gave her was the same one she inspired every time someone new saw her nude: Awestruck.

“The fact that so many people have seen me nude that I recognize that look is a bit worrying. It shouldn't be a problem after last week, and yet, here I am flashing a woman in her home."

Tracy studied her body, moving her eyes up and down rapidly like a scanner making a permanent mark on her brain. Kiva grinned at her, purposefully showing off as many teeth as she could. Like a switch had been flipped, Tracy realized she was staring and flinched at her smile. Both of them took that as a sign to move on, and Kiva sat on the bench below her, then spun around and lay on it before sliding beneath the bar. The bench itself was much larger than most public benches, and she spread herself out on it for a moment just to enjoy the sensation of using something made for her.

Tracy guided the bar over the bench and kept her hands beneath it while Kiva did her reps. The cool metal against her palms brought back memories of spending hours at the gym refining her form and learning how to properly train. The repetition may have bored others but she enjoyed the steady rhythm and the sense of routine it brought to her life. She carefully sucked in deep gulps of air when the bar dropped and exhaled when she pushed it back up. The familiar burn of her muscles began to creep in. Old unused muscle groups flared into existence, reminding her of the old days when she did this every day.

“Breathe in through your nose, breathe out through your mouth. Patience is key. More reps with less weight."

The advice of her old trainers idly flit through her mind while she steadily pumped the bar up and down and counted her reps. The pads on her hands already felt slick with sweat, forcing her to adjust her grip. She pushed through a few sets of reps before finally making it to the final set. At the last few reps, she felt the strain in her arms reach a peak and let loose a low growl from her throat. The final push had her clenching her teeth, showing off rows of her serrated chompers to her spotter. Muscles in her arms and core worked in tandem to struggle past it. Even without Tracy's support, it was clear that Kiva was strong enough to blast past her goal. The Dire Wolf howled and lifted the weights straight above herself. Together, they dropped the bar back onto its stand and Kiva triumphantly sat up and reached for the ceiling with a louder howl.

“That was great! Been a while since I've done that but I've still got it!"

Tracy looked downright uncomfortable at her gloating but sprang back into confidence moments later.

“Oh yeah? Spend too much time outside the gym?" she walked around to the other side of the bench and sat on it, not bothering to change the amount of weight on the bar.

Kiva stretched her arms straight up and balanced on her toes, scraping the ceiling with her fingers. When she finished, she relaxed and looked down at the Cow.

"There aren't any weight sets in the middle of the woods." Kiva walked toward the end of the bench to spot her partner. "I've toyed with the idea of using some large logs, maybe even cutting them to the right shape. But if I'm too big then it's not a good workout. And if I'm too small then it could be really dangerous. Not to mention Vinny couldn't spot for me and I don't think I'm crafty enough to make a stone-age weight set out of rocks and trees."

Kiva giggled and imagined owning a Neolithic-themed gymnasium where everyone wore fur skins and used rocks as weights. Owning a gym might be worth exploring if the milk business doesn't work. Shrugging the idea away, the Dire Wolf prepared herself to grab the weight but stopped when she realized it was the same she had just used.

“You gonna drop some of that weight?" she asked.

Tracy looked offended. "Anything you can do, I'm quite capable of. Didn't you say it was a warm-up?"

"Yeah. But it's a warm-up for me. I'm a lot bigger than you. There's nothing to be ashamed-"

“I said: I can handle it."

Tracy's gaze was firm. Even from her elevated position, Kiva hesitated in the face of her venomous gaze. Not wanting to push the issue, Kiva relaxed and let out a small sigh.

“Alright. Everyone has to push their limits I guess."

The Cow smiled triumphantly and fell onto the bench, then slid beneath the bar. Kiva adjusted her position above her to find the leverage necessary to support the bar and see Tracy if she was in trouble. She may have grown a little since she last did this, but Kiva has always been used to dealing with her chest getting in the way of things. Hands beneath the bar, she felt confident she could save her if something went wrong.

“Okay. You're good."

Tracy sucked in a breath and pulled the bar off the rack. With Kiva's help, she carried it just below her neck and began pumping. At first glance, she seemed to be handling the Dire Wolf-sized weight just fine. But after three pumps she began to struggle. Her breathing became erratic and her arms began to shake. It was clear that she was going for the same amount of reps as Kiva had before her, literally trying to mimic every part of her routine. Kiva admired her will, then admired her musculature and watched her biceps flex with each minute movement. Small details like the way she breathed and how her abs moved when she pushed in and out distracted her when she should have been spotting for her partner. Kiva looked away from Tracy's abs and made eye contact with her. She sent her a very neutral gaze but the Cow returned it with a look like she wanted to cook Kiva alive with her eyes. Suddenly, almost like a fire had been lit up inside her, Tracy exploded and found a solid rhythm like Kiva had before her. Her second wind pushed her past her previous limit and she rushed through the reps she was previously struggling with.

Finally, after reaching the last one Tracy let out her own growl and practically threw the bar into the air. Kiva helped her guide it into its stand and got a front-row seat to her excitedly bouncing off the bench and doing a post-workout jig, shaking her hips and her chest to-and-fro. She spun around and flashed a grin at her partner.

“How's that fer too much?"

Kiva was ready to congratulate her, but something seemed off about the situation. She didn't doubt that she was strong enough to do it. Kiva was out of practice and she managed it so it made sense Tracy could handle it if she had been practicing. And yet, she took a step toward her new gym partner and scanned her body. She didn't think about how embarrassing it might have looked to stare at her like that. She was too caught up in a detail she almost missed: Kiva was staring straight ahead and looking her in the eyes.

She wasn't slouched either. The Dire Wolf just now noticed that they were both the same height. Tracy tilted her head in curiosity, then her eyes practically bulged out of her head in recognition. Even with her quick reflexes, Kiva couldn't cover her ears in time to protect herself from Tracy's high-pitched squeal of delight which threatened to burst her eardrums and the nearby mirrors and windows.

Embarrassingly, Kiva flinched and almost stepped back from the boisterous bovine. Her first thought was “What will the neighbors think?" She quickly brushed that aside and focused on the problem in front of her.

“What the hell?" Kiva's eloquent response was ignored in favor of jumping in place like an excited calf.

For a giant woman approaching the same stupendous weight as her, Tracy bounced around like she weighed as much as a paper kite. Kiva was too stunned by the sudden loss of her height advantage. She was also ashamed to admit that she was staring at her chest as they flopped about. When Tracy finally stopped her celebratory ritual, Kiva couldn't help but compare herself.

“Yep. She's bigger. Easier to see when we're the same height."

Kiva's ears quirked at the sound of rapid pattering coming from the hallway. She turned her head toward the door in time to see her husband slam it open and scramble through. He stopped in front of them, head snapping between them rapidly.

“What's going on? Who screamed?"

Kiva pointed at Tracy. “We've got a problem."

“Kiva, what…" Vinny stuttered but couldn't get anything out.

Behind him, Millie shuffled in and took in the scene. She stared first at Kiva, then at Tracy. Realization swept over her face instantly.

“She's growing faster than the last one." Kiva stated.

“When did she start growing?" Vinny asked.

“We were working out here, making a game of it. I think she started growing while she was lifting weights."

Right as she said that Tracy widened her stance and sucked in her gut. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but Kiva recognized it like looking in a mirror. The Holstein woman's head began to creep higher, quietly surpassing her own.

Millie took a step back in shock. Her foot collided with a nearby weight rack and shook a few off. Vinny, too distracted by Tracy's growing shenanigans, turned to her just in time to watch a dumbbell slip out of its place and fall directly onto his foot. He winced loudly, causing everyone to turn to him. Tracy stopped growing and Kiva briskly pounced on him as soon as she heard his shock.

“Are you okay?" her hands swept across his body while she stared at his foot for any wounds or bruises.

Vinny brushed her off. “Yes! I'm good. I just…"

Millie did the same, looking for a moment like she wanted to approach Vinny and appraise his wounds, but paused when Kiva glared at her. “How are you okay? A giant weight just fell on your toes. They should have been turned to paste!"

“I said I'm fine. No pain, see?" He moved his barefoot around in the air to prove it. There were no marks or blood. He quickly turned back to the now giant Cow in their midst. “Did you force yourself to grow?"

“Well yeah, I uh, sorta jus' copied what yer wife was telling Jenny but in reverse."

“Please don't push it!" he snapped. “We don't know if forcing it this early will hurt you. We also need to get you outside of the house before you grow too big for it."

Tracy's smile lengthened. “Explodin' out of a building? That would be awesome!"

“Oh Gods," Kiva thought, “she's one of those."

Millie sent her friend a caustic scowl, then turned and glared at Vinny again much less aggressively. Her gaze jumped between his face and his foot like she was trying to will his wound into existence by concentrating hard enough. She made eye contact with Kiva, then turned away and focused on Vinny who wiggled out of her grasp and attempted to take control of the situation.

“Alright alright alright! Tracy, please step outside before you break something. We can talk about this at the barn once we've dealt with the immediate problem."

“Wait just a sec. I've always wanted to try this."

The muscular Cow twirled around and pushed her butt out toward everyone in the room. She bent her knees and focused like she had before. Kiva lifted a hand toward her to yell at her to stop, but she hesitated. Tracy's head crept higher until it bumped into the ceiling, and a clench of her cheeks saw her once stretchy gym shorts fall apart under the pressure of her expanding rear. Large bits of fabric fell to the floor and Tracy carefully spun back around to face them, showing off her nude form.

“This is a lot scarier from this perspective." Kiva muttered.

Vinny turned to her. “Now you know how I feel."

Tracy, knees still bent to avoid scraping against the ceiling and giggling all the way, trudged toward the open door and giggled when she had to crawl on the floor to get past the frame. Kiva and Vinny furiously discussed plans to fix the issue, while Millie skulked behind them.

---

The open plain of grass and untamed wheat curved gently over the farm's hills and, along with the border of trees surrounding the property, gave the impression that the sky curved like a dome above them. The land was by no means small but to Tracy, it was slowly shrinking around her. The novice giant strode gleefully across the property, soaking in the change in perspective like the act of growing was enough to get her high. Three lesser figures approached from a nearby homestead and traced her path with their much shorter legs. Kiva and Vinny were caught up in theories while Millie spectated their debate.

“Is it a virus? Am I infecting people I get near?"

“We know it's genetic. Some people have it and others don't. You have it. Jenny has it. Now it's clear that Tracy has it too. That doesn't mean it's not a virus, but I think we would have caught it by now if it was."

Vinny glared at the meandering giant who was now almost as tall as Jenny was when they got here. She took glee in crushing the grass beneath her feet and moving around at her expanded size.

“But what the hell is causing all this? It can't be a coincidence that they start growing after I show up."

He tried to push his brain to its limit and piece together the chain of events that led to today. It was difficult to ignore Kiva's forlorn expression and delve into his memories, but he tried all the same. They were fast approaching the barn containing the first giant.

“Kiva and I celebrate our anniversary and she grows the next day. Or maybe she grows that night and we don't notice until the next day? She starts lactating after she grows. I meet the Cows, Kiva stops them, sprays them with milk, Jenny begins to grow, we meet them again, Kiva works out with Tracy…"

He felt like he was on the cusp of discovery, but before he could conjure anything, Millie ran ahead of them and unlocked the massive barn doors barring their way. With Kiva's help, they wheeled the great wooden doors open and revealed the titanic Cow they met yesterday. Jenny was laying on her back, oblivious to their presence. She was larger than she was yesterday, taking up half of the industrial barn with her bulk.

“Oh, mornin' guys." she spoke in a flippant tone.

The giant opened her maw and greedily sucked in air fast enough for Vinny to feel it rushing past him. Though her face was shaped differently than his wife's, he recognized a giant's yawn from experience. Millie waited for her to finish then stepped forward and patted her flat wall of a nose.

“Tracy started growing this morning." she spoke into her nose, loud enough for it to echo off the walls.

Jenny's brain must have taken a few moments to comprehend her statement because the giant spent half a minute not moving before her eyes opened wide and she slowly sat up.

“Wha? Are you gonna grow too? What about tha Human?"

“Humans don't grow for some reason." Kiva intercepted their conversation. “I mean, there are more Humans on Earth than any other species. If they were capable of it you would think they would have by now."

Vinny's brain felt like it was on fire. He had all the puzzle pieces but couldn't fit them together into a pleasing shape. Instead, he spoke the first thing that came to mind.

“Milk!"

“Milk?" Millie turned to him. “You still thirsty? I thought you and your wife already dealt with that?"

“I didn't even tell- No!" he shouted, cheeks turning red. “Not like that."

Kiva chuckled and grinned at him. Vinny struggled to continue.

“I mean, she sprayed you with her milk. You guys drank it, right?"

Both bovine slowly nodded their heads. Millie muttered something he didn't pick up.

“Well, Jenny starts growing afterward! Right?"

Vinny lay his hands in front of him palms up. Millie quirked an eyebrow at him.

“That's it? That's the genius play? If her milk was infected," Kiva flinched at her tone “wouldn't someone pick it up when they test that stuff? Does that mean my girls are infected?"

“No. Not an infection. Like a, uh, trigger? A person with the right genes drinks giant milk 'straight from the tap' and starts growing?"

“But that doesn't explain why they grew at different times." Kiva was looking feverish at this point.

“We don't have a lot of cases to work with. But I think there is a huge mental component to this. Kiva only shrunk after she got incredibly desperate and realized it was possible. She only learned to change the size of things and people after she learned it was possible, and it took more work for her to control it. She only started growing after she…"

Vinny turned to Kiva, then to Jenny who was watching him with rapt attention. He took a step toward the giant and bent his neck to look her in the eyes.

“Jenny, when did you start growing? What were you doing?"

She lifted a hand and cupped her chin. “I was watchin' TV an' I remembah Millie comin' in ta talk ta me. She was complainin' about my weight, again. Said I was too unhealthy an' I would need to lose weight, or I'd have serious health issues."

Jenny's heavy accent was harder to understand at her current size, which made her once light voice incredibly deep. She shook the walls with her low hums.

“Then I told her I didn' care, that I liked bein' big and Joe complimented my figuah. I started growin' that day."

Vinny turned to Millie. "Joe?"

“Our farmhand. Well, assistant. He does menial stuff for us."

He nodded his head. “Okay, so Jenny accepts her size and starts growing. This is after her exposure to Kiva's milk." He turned to his wife. “Kiva, when did Tracy start growing again?"

Kiva looked like she was ready to pass out. Her breaths were quick and light, and she was hunched over and avoiding eye contact. Vinny quickly entered her personal space and grabbed her hand, causing her to flinch but accept his hand, utterly engulfing it in a tight squeeze.

“We were… we were exercising. I think she was comparing herself to me the whole time. She started growing when she was lifting the same amount of weight I did. I uh…"

Her crimson eyes bore into Vinny's now, looking close to spilling tears.

“That night before I grew was the best moment of my life. It was our anniversary and we were finally doing well. We had all our bills paid, we were saving up money so you could go to school, and that night I felt safe. I wasn't afraid of being me. I was, oh Gods, Vinny."

There was no more room for words. Vinny pulled her into a hug and tried to wrap himself around her massive body. It wasn't very effective, but she followed his movements and lowered herself to one knee, then scooped him up into a bone-crushing hug. This time Vinny managed to wrap his arms around her neck and place his head on her shoulder.

“I make you feel safe?" he whispered near her ear. “I don't know how I'm supposed to protect you from all of this. I'm just a regular guy and you're bigger and stronger than me and everyone else."

He raked his nails along the back of her neck, eliciting whimpers from the apex predator. Whatever she was going to say died on her lips, and she allowed herself to fall apart in his arms. She still had to support herself or risk falling over onto him. Eventually, she let him go and stood back to her full height. A few feet from them, Millie's concerned expression gave way to a meager smile. Meanwhile, the giant Cow above them was so engrossed that she had tears flowing down her cheeks.

Kiva ignored them, wiping the tears off her fur around her eyes. The couple took a few moments to compose themselves, and when he was ready, Vinny faced Millie.

“Sorry about that. I-"

“It's alright. I get it." She let the moment linger, then took control of the conversation. “What about you? You drink her milk constantly."

“Humans don't-"

“Yes I know, Humans don't grow giant. But you had that weight fall on you and it didn't hurt. Does it make people who can't grow stronger?"

“I'm not… are you implying I'm becoming a superhero or something? I'm not getting stronger after every drink if that's what you're asking."

“Not stronger. I used the wrong word. More… durable. It might take time to get there, or maybe it's a compounding effect."

“Pfft. Like, giving me stronger bones?"

Something about his joke had Vinny's mind connecting more dots. He had been in dangerous situations lately and came out unscathed.

Kiva bit his arm when he was in her giant mouth. There wasn't even a bruise afterward.

“That should have taken my arm off."

She jumped into the lake and created a giant wave that knocked him out. He almost drowned.

“I should have at least had a concussion."

Ever since she shrunk back down, Kiva has been more aggressive with him in bed.

“Wouldn't I have broken something like I did the first time we tried that?"

She shrunk him down the night after Hank left and did potentially life-threatening things with him.

“And yet, I just woke up a little sore the next morning."

And now, a dumbbell meant for someone Kiva's size fell on his toes and they were perfectly fine. A deluge of puzzle pieces arranged themselves in his head and clicked into place. He turned back to the women and let out a deep breath.

“Fuck."

“What?" Kiva asked.

“You're right. The milk is making me more durable. I'm not superhuman, but I'm still alive thanks to its effects."

His mind was racing with the implications of all this. Giants could shrink and grow themselves, and change the size of anything or anyone they could touch. A serial killer could use their abilities to steal people away like dolls or perform acts of terrorism by themselves without having to build bombs or buy weapons. The economy would fall apart if even a single giant impulsively grew a supply of gold greater than any single country. What if the mass they used to grow things was unstable and led to dangerous outcomes if abused? Enhanced durability could be gifted to anyone who isn't a giant, allowing them to survive their catastrophic actions mostly unscathed. A war for resources with actual super soldiers with him and his wife in the middle of it!

“Smith is going to have a heart attack."

Was he being paranoid? After all, not just anyone could grow. As far as they knew, over 99% of the population doesn't have the necessary genetics. Even if someone did, they would need a consenting giant to grant them that. On top of all of that, they would need to train to get over the mental hurdles and hiding giants from the world is difficult. They aren't durable when they're huge so a sufficiently large bullet could still take them out. Did they just get incredibly unlucky to have two potential giants here and now? Is there something more going on? Maybe it's all non-Human species or only a few of them, but he couldn't understand the correlation-

The Earth shook beneath them and rattled the nearby equipment. Hoses and metal tools fell off hooks attached to the walls, and Vinny had to correct his footing to avoid falling over. He went wide-eyed and turned up to Millie, who returned his gaze.

“Tracy!" shouted the auburn-haired Cow.

The trio rushed out of the barn and froze at the sight of a towering figure in the middle of the field. The Holstein Cow had gone from reasonably huge to taller than the mansion she slept in last night. The peak of the roof only reached her wide hips. Every minute movement of her colossal body left great divots in the land and kicked up a storm of dirt and mulched lawn. She seemed to be taking her time with each step, moving slower than necessary like she was drawing out each one to get as much time out of it as possible. Or perhaps she wasn't used to moving at those sizes? Kiva once told him that walking while she's giant is different than walking when she's normal-sized. Tracy's focus was on her feet and the ground around her, so it didn't surprise Vinny when she spotted them milling outside the barn and gawking at her.

“Hey guys, how's it goin ' ?"

It wasn't an exaggeration to say her voice boomed at them. Vinny felt a sharp pain in his eardrums and covered his ears. Tracy must have noticed their pain because she began whispering soon after. It barely helped.

“Oops, sorry. But look at me! How cool is this?"

Tracy punctuated her words with a tap of her toes on the ground, sending another shock wave through the Earth that kept them off balance. Her monumental eyes drew across the land and paused on a worn-down tractor covered in overgrown plant life. The giant casually paced toward the ancient machine and carefully drew her leg up, dangling her foot above it. Her black and white sole was significantly longer and wider than the equipment, probably even larger than any of the vehicles currently on the property. Tracy, with a grin that presented most of her teeth to her audience, leaned forward and vaporized the tractor beneath her foot.

If the previous steps were like mild earthquakes, this was like a meteor crashing onto the property and threatening to destroy everything around them. A huge cascading explosion of dirt and dead grass rose past the giant's knee and scattered around her legs, dotting the landscape like an artillery shell had hit the hill. When the cloud settled she took her foot off the impact point and revealed a foot-shaped crater and the minuscule remains of a long-forgotten tractor. Far away from her, car alarms near the house wailed in protest. Windows rattled on the house and one even shattered after vibrating too long.

“If anyone else lives near here then they're probably going to call the military." Vinny thought.

“Tracy, you bitch!" Millie screamed, hysterics bringing out her accent. “That was an antique! A gift from my father!"

“Really?" Kiva questioned. “That hunk of junk?"

Millie's face softened and turned to her. “My father drove that tractor on his father's farm when he was a kid."

Vinny stepped forward and grabbed Kiva's hand, solemnly gazing up into her eyes.

“Stop her. Shrink her down. Whatever you have to do."

The Dire Wolf silently nodded and marched toward the giant. Though he had seen her do it many times in the past, watching Kiva grow was always incredible. Her head silently crept up toward the sky at almost the exact pace necessary to make it look like she wasn't moving from his perspective. Eventually, her growth outpaced her walking speed and Kiva's footfalls went from silent, to light patters, to harsh thrumming against the landscape. Unlike the Cow, Kiva's clothes grew with her. Even if it was just her shorts, it was a sign that she was getting closer to mastering her abilities instead of haphazardly growing out of them.

Each step she took incremented her growth more quickly, pushing her toward the sky until she was as tall as the colossal Cow. Then she continued past her and reached the same height difference they had at their base. If Tracy looked straight ahead she would be staring at her chest. Instead, she took two clumsy steps backward and tried to meet her eyes. Kiva didn't stop. She strode up to her and loomed over the giant, casting her shadow over her.

“Hey, w-what are y a doing up th- here?"

Even with a voice loud enough to burst his eardrums, Vinny wasn't intimidated by her stuttering. Kiva wasn't either.

“I'm ending this. You've had your fun, but now I'm shrinking you down."

Tracy straightened herself and put on a confident face.

“No. I won't let y a take this away from me. Teach me to control it instead."

Vinny jumped at the sight of another giant Cow crawling behind him. Jenny wiggled past the barn doors looking like she might not be able to fit if she stayed inside any longer. She crawled out on her hands and knees before flopping onto her stomach right where Millie and Vinny were standing. It was impressive considering she had an ass larger than the room he had slept in last night.

“What 're they fightin ' about?" she asked, keeping her voice lower than either of the giants currently arguing. The force of her voice still shook Vinny's guts and made his stomach stir unpleasantly.

Millie was the first to respond. “Kiva wants to use her abilities to shrink you two down, but Jenny wants to learn how to do it herself so we can benefit from it."

Despite their conversation on the sideline very obviously sticking out, the two giants kept arguing. Kiva went on the offensive.

“We don't have time to teach you. We're already almost out of the food we brought because we only expected to feed your friend for a little bit. Learning how to do it might take longer than you have. You're either going to starve or drive your friends to bankruptcy."

Behind them, Jenny coughed to get their attention and kicked up the dust at their feet. Millie and Vinny spun around and faced her, causing her to recoil. The sight of a giant cowering in front of them almost made Vinny chuckle, but he was too nervous to let one out. Jenny took her time as if waiting for them to yell at her, but eventually, she spoke.

“I already ate the food y a brought me."

“That's fine. We left it there for you so you could have some of it this morning."

“No. I uh, ate all a' it."

“The entire truck?"

Jenny nodded, pulling her colossal rope-like hair across the ground near them. Vinny turned back to the argument between the two giants which had continued without them. He clasped his hands behind his head and took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

“That was supposed to last her a week and she ate it all in one morning."

Ahead of him, the giant Cow seemed to leap up at Kiva's words. It took Vinny a moment to realize it was because she had just grown even taller.

“You're jus ' bein ' selfish! We finally have what makes you unique and now you want to take it away from us! I can mass-produce milk by myself now! I can make more than enough money to keep this place afloat an ' you just want to take that away!"

Again, Tracy's head shot up until she was almost as tall as the Dire Wolf. Kiva moved to place her hand on her shoulder, but Tracy quickly snapped her arm up and batted it out of the way. A low growl escaped her and Kiva escalated, grabbing Tracy's head with both hands and pulling her closer. Now that they were almost the same size, Tracy used her extra leverage to wrap her arms around Kiva's waist and try to tackle her to the ground. She managed to push her back a little, though it looked like a significant amount of space at their current size.

“Are they both still growing?" Millie seemed to be in shock at the scale they were at. She wasn't used to it like he was.

“Kiva should win this." Vinny thought. “I think Tracy outweighs her if they're both the same height but Kiva is better at controlling her abilities. Plus, Kiva has the claws and teeth while Tracy doesn't even have horns. They're not fighting to injure but to subdue. Kiva is, at least. I hope Tracy is too."

Kiva took advantage of her position and grabbed her tail, literally pulling a shriek out of her. Tracy tried to stand up, but Kiva grabbed her head again and lifted her, then drove her knee into her abdomen. The giants split apart, Tracy clutching her stomach and looking like she was going to fall over. Kiva waited for her to recover, standing still while Tracy carefully lifted herself and sucked in sharp breaths of air that Vinny could hear and feel from down below.

The booming and shaking of the earth beneath their feet continued to rattle the few normal-sized people on the farm. Vinny was too engrossed in the fight to notice, but next to him Millie was shaking from more than just the footfalls of giants. She looked toward the far end of the field, away from the fighting and close to the mansion which sounded like it was taking a fair amount of damage from the events. Her wide body leaned toward it like she was preparing to fall headfirst in it's general direction. Finally, Vinny turned to ask her a question and stopped when he saw her.

“Millie, are you-"

The Cow ignored him, bouncing from her spot and jogging away from the scene at a steady pace. Yet her movements were anything but. She was clearly panicking and breathing much harder than she should be. Vinny sprinted toward her, catching up and grabbing onto her shoulders to stop her but instead he hung off her like a cloak. Rather than gracefully flapping in the wind though, his feet dragged along the dirt and did little to slow her progress.

Above them, Jenny moved quickly and dropped her hand in front of Mille palm facing her. She created a wall with her hand and arm, cutting off the panicking woman and forcing her to stop. Millie moved to spin and ran around the giant's thick hand, but Vinny recovered and jumped onto her back.

“Calm down, Millie." He whispered in her ear. “You're safe. Your house is safe. Kiva won't let it be destroyed."

“But the furniture! And th' windows!"

“It'll be fine. Furniture and windows are replaceable. You are not."

Vinny felt her whole body slump, a deep sigh releasing all of her nervous energy. She dropped to her knees, throwinging him to the ground where he rolled and recovered before scrambling to his feet to survey the situation. To his right, the giant blonde Cow who helped them sighed in relief along with her friend and blew humid air in his face with the force of a storm. To his left, the other two giants continued their standoff. Tracy recovered from the hit to her gut and Kiva stared at her dispassionately.

“I'm not going to ask again. Let me shrink you or I might break something."

Tracy grit her teeth and exploded into motion, sprinting toward Kiva headfirst like she was a horned bull. Vinny's brain had trouble getting used to the speed giants moved at. He always expected them to be slower. Something so large shouldn't move so fast, right? Tracy moved at highway speeds, closing the gap between her and the Dire Wolf in an instant. Kiva rapidly sidestepped her attempt and swept at one of her legs with her foot, tripping her like she was in a cartoon. Unlike a show though, Tracy violently tumbled face-first into the dirt.

Once again, the cataclysmic force of the giant's basic movements shook the Earth. Vinny winced and had to brace himself again while the Earth shook beneath him and the giant created another trench in the once lush landscape. Far away from them, more windows on the mansion shattered at the force of the giant's body tumbling to the floor, spilling glass inside and out. Jenny, Millie, and Vinny all winced at the sound. Tracy may have been able to move faster than he expected, but she didn't recover as quickly. Kiva dove onto her and pinned her arms. The Cow struggled under her grip, kicking her legs around, scarring more of the hill with ugly marks and dotting the surrounding land with heaps of mulched grass. The Wolf stayed still above her for a moment, and Vinny caught the telltale signs of her growing even larger atop Tracy until she outweighed her significantly.

Once she grew past Tracy's height with a little extra, Kiva quickly lunged at her neck and clamped her teeth around it. Everyone observing the fight gasped, some louder than others. The giants held still for one terrifying moment, then Tracy opened her eyes to see Kiva glaring holes through her skull. She carefully slid her fangs off her neck, carrying away traces of fur in the process, and whispered in her ear.

“I'm going to shrink us both, then go shrink your friend over there. You can learn to grow or shrink on your own time, but if a giant Cow starts causing trouble around here the government will probably send someone. Nod if you understand."

Tracy did so. Even the minute movement of her massive head was enough to move tons of dirt beneath her. Far away from them, Vinny let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He turned to Millie who had her hands over her mouth and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Millie flinched at his touch but calmed down when she realized it was him. Together, they watched the giants diminish on top of the remains of a once beautiful hill until they were mere specks compared to their previous grandiose stature. Jenny, already bored with the events that had unfolded, rolled onto her back and flattened more land beneath her bulk.

“At least I can sleep on a bed tonight."

Far out on the hill, Kiva stood up off the ground and Tracy had disappeared. No one commented on the discrepancy, instead waiting for Kiva to return to them and explain. The Wolf struggled past upturned mounds of dirt but safely made it to them. She didn't stop to greet them. Instead, she walked right up to Millie and held her hand out to present something to her. In her hand, a doll-sized Tracy struggled against her grip and yelled something he couldn't understand.

“You wanna learn to grow and shrink? Maybe a few days that small will motivate you to learn!"

Kiva opened her palm and dropped the tiny figure into Millie's cleavage. The Cow was too stunned by the brazen display to do anything about it.

“Think you can take care of her for a while? I know some tricks to keep her safe."

Millie's mouth opened then closed just as quickly. She stared at her tiny friend struggling against the vast acres of her furry cleavage, then she turned back up to Kiva and smiled.

---

“This is Smith's number. Call it if you need someone from the government to help you but you don't want to cause a stink with the local authorities."

Vinny pointed to a number on a sheet of paper he had just handed to Millie. The Cow was staring at it engrossed in his explanations. Behind them, Kiva was throwing their belongings in the truck and hastily preparing to embark.

“This is our home phone number. I recommend only using that if my cell phone doesn't work. I get decent reception in the area but sometimes it gets wacky. Below that is the number for the guy who is helping us with distribution. He should hook you up with a good deal if your current method doesn't like any changes your friends went through.."

Millie nodded along with him, thankful he was even bothering to help her after everything that had happened. Vinny might have been too forgiving to the auburn-colored Cow, but she had earned his sympathy. Kiva on the other hand was loath to stay on the desolate farm any longer. They had decided to stay for two extra days to make sure the giants had reached their “final" height after Kiva shrunk them. Tracy had finished growing after their fight and stayed a doll the entire time. Jenny had an extra day of slothful growth before she finished, but Kiva was able to keep her small enough to sleep in the house that night. They even helped clean up the mess of glass inside and out, and helped Millie throw the broken furniture in the trash.

“I'm really sorry about all this. I already feel like I asked too much of you before."

The other two Cows stayed inside after saying goodbye. Jenny didn't feel the need to waste their time and Tracy was still too small to move under her own power. She was also incredibly embarrassed after the incident she caused. Turns out that once the rush of being a giant wore off she immediately regretted her actions.

“It's made her docile at least. Vinny says she'll probably grow back, but until then hopefully, she'll gain something from her new perspective."

Vinny held out his hand expectantly, waiting a moment for Millie to take it. She hesitated but eventually shook his hand.

“As far as I'm concerned, this could have been way worse. Tracy made a stupid mistake, but aside from damaging your property, she didn't do anything to hurt us. Kiva holds grudges but she's going to have to learn to accept you three at some point. After all, you're the closest people to us with this same issue."

“For now." He left unsaid.

His handshake was firm but not crushing. Millie's hand was far larger than his but she was surprisingly gentle. Maybe she was trying to be gentle with him? Regardless, he let her go and turned to the shabby vehicle that brought them here. Kiva was already in the passenger's seat and had even shrunk herself a little to make it more comfortable. It wasn't a significant amount of height, but it was enough that she didn't have to bend down the entire time she was in the truck. Sometimes Vinny wished he could drive one meant for his size, but he would never compromise if it meant his wife was less comfortable.

“Hurry up please." Kiva growled, elbow leaning against the rolled-down window.

Vinny acquiesced, mechanically manning the driver's seat and starting the engine which revved up like a tumble dryer full of rocks. He rolled down the window on his side and waved to Millie before navigating around the driveway and circling back to the entrance. In his mirrors, Millie timidly returned his wave and stood still long after they drove past the trees that hid the property from the road. Vinny felt relief and guilt flood his body when the miniature mansion disappeared from his view. He was happy to finally be done with all of this and return to what counted as normal for them. And yet…

Ahead of them, a more modern truck took up most of the dirt road that led to the exit. Vinny veered off to the side to give it room to pass, scraping the windows with green branches and dirtying one side of his truck. It did the same, and both drivers slowed enough to get a good look at each other as they passed. Inside the other truck was a Rooster who had a lazy eye, short beak, and red fleshy comb atop his head that bobbed with every bump in the road. He never took his eyes off the road in front of him, but Vinny got the feeling that he was staring at them the whole time they passed by.

“Was that their assistant?" Kiva asked.

Vinny kept his eyes on the road and followed it to the front gate where the concrete began.

“Yeah." He chuckled. “Poor guy is about to have his hands full. Well, claws full. Talons?"

Normally, Vinny wouldn't think much if Kiva didn't laugh at his jokes. Even a pity chuckle wasn't guaranteed. But after today's mishaps and revelations, he was much more concerned. After turning onto the main road and keeping a steady pace in the direction of their home, he glanced over to his wife. She almost had her head hanging out the window and leaned so far into her arms that he thought she was going to fall asleep. Most people would choose to be delicate during these moments, but Vinny knew from experience that it was best to be straightforward with Kiva.

“Are you okay, honey?"

The sound of wind being scooped up by the truck's windows filled the silence. Vinny didn't push. He gave her time to think and choose whether she wanted to answer or not. They spent the next few minutes of the drive in silence, and he voicelessly stewed in his head worried that it would be a problem he couldn't fix. Somewhere along the way, he had rolled his window up and the noise had died down to a mere windy day instead of a tornado. Finally, Kiva spoke up.

“I've been thinking about the future, and about how bad things might get. The world is changing and I'm at the center of it. You always said that change isn't necessarily good or bad, but I'm struggling to see how it would be good for me. What if I hurt you again like I did all those months ago? Like I hurt Hank, or like Tracy might have hurt us? What if more giants pop up because of me and they hurt people and it's my fault?"

Vinny made a hasty decision and turned on his emergency lights, then pulled the truck off the road and parked behind a traffic sign. He unbuckled his seat belt and twisted around to look straight at her and grab one of her immense hands with both of his own. He wrapped as much of his palms and fingers as he could around her digits and stared into her crimson eyes.

“I'm scared of all this." He admitted. “When we learned about it I got really scared. What if the government experiments on you, or other countries abuse this and use it to hurt people? I had all sorts of ideas in my head about how this could go wrong, but I realized that I was being too paranoid."

He paused and tried to think of a way to explain himself.

“A few years ago we didn't have anything. No money, no jobs, just high school diplomas, and grit. But we made it work. We worked hard, saved up money, got better jobs… We were living the American Dream as far as I'm concerned. Like you said earlier, it was the best time in my life. Then you…"

He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead onto her knuckles. He rested his head there for a second, then sighed and sat back up.

“Then you started growing and I thought everything was about to come crashing down. But it didn't. We're here right now. We're alive and healthy, we have money saved up, and we're safe. Not many people have that. I know what's happening to you is scary right now but I don't think it's as bad as you think."

Kiva gently wrestled her hand from his grasp and grabbed the back of his head, tracing her claws through his hair. Vinny leaned into her, shivering at her touch.

“I won't ever leave you. No matter what happens." He whispered.

“I know."

Her lips crashed into his, leaving him with a taste of her and subtle hints of their differences. Her fur brushed against his beard and her sharp fangs against his teeth. They giggled at their inept movements but continued their dance. Vinny raised one of his arms and scratched Kiva's head, then reached behind her and scratched her ears. Kiva's kisses trailed around his face in a circular motion until she reached his forehead and swept down to his neck. She brushed her lips against his smooth skin, eliciting more ticklish giggles from him and deliberately scraping him with her teeth to draw more out from him. She gave him room to work his magic, but knew when to reign him in and show him who truly had the power in their relationship.

Eventually, they broke apart, eyes still lingering on each other for a moment before Vinny coughed and put his seat belt back on. Kiva rolled her window up and fiddled with the air conditioning while they drove back onto the road. Satisfied with the cool air, she turned to Vinny much perkier than before.

“Oh by the way, can we stop by the Pancake Palace on the way home? I didn't have breakfast before we left."

“Sure. Just promise me you won't get us kicked out for eating too much again. Maybe shrink a little before eating?" He offered.

“Ha! No promises!"

---