In the middle of an April afternoon, a blue car drove into the driveway of a small town house on a well shaded street. A black human man in a matching blue shirt climbed out of the drivers side and opened the passenger door. Out of it came a pretty brown cocker spaniel puppy. She had blue eyes, and floofy ears with the ends dyed pink. Under a yellow beanie with a pink heart embroidered on it was a tuft of brown and pink hair.
"We're finally here, Gwen!" The man said. "The movers should be here soon with our stuff. Until then we can relax. This house should have a couch already."
Gwen followed her person into the house, head down and her fluffy, half golden retriever tail drooping behind her. The living room did have a couch, on which Gwen jumped up and threw her head over the armrest.
"I know you really didn't wanna move, but we're gonna love this change in pace." The man said. Gwen huffed in response. "Adventure Bay is a small quiet town by the sea, biiig change from the bustling city of Caygo." The man patted Gwen's shoulders. "But we'll get used to it."
"I miss my neighborhood, Marcus." Gwen spoke in a Latino accent. She lifted her head and glared at Marcus briefly before deciding to go with a pleading expression. "Let's go back home!"
"We're home, girl. Aren't you tired after being in the car for six hours?" 
"No! I miss Desiree and Trey and everyone else. Not Dom though, I don't miss him." Gwen said. She felt awful, having fought this move since her person first announced it two months ago.
"I'm sure you miss everyone, but you can still talk on your tablet. And here you get your own room. So you don't gotta worry about me eavesdropping."
Gwen laid her head back on the armrest, faintly growling.
An hour later and the movers finally showed up. Marcus helped them bring boxes and furniture in while Gwen sulked on the couch, glaring at anyone who looked at her.
The sun was nearly set when the movers moved on. Marcus laid a food bowl and water in the kitchen and gave Gwen her dinner before microwaving himself something quick. Once full, the exhaustion of the day set in and the two of them retired to their rooms.
The following afternoon Gwen was still sulking. When the doorbell rang Marcus got up to answer it. Outside stood a ten year old human boy with a red and white jacket, and brown hair combed into an upright flame shape.
Next to him was a tubby golden puppy with dark brown back markings, tear stripes on their round cheeks, and the ends of their tuft of hair dyed silver. Two spotted ears flopped beside his face. A plastic platter floated magically above the puppy. Curious, Gwen and hopped down to join Marcus. Magic was not a common sight by any means.
The boy spoke. "We'd like to welcome you to Adventure Bay! I'm Ryder and this is Zephyr." Ryder motioned towards the puppy. "I lead the Paw Patrol." Ryder produced a business card, seemingly from thin air but that was the technology of the common Personal Pocket, and handed it to Marcus. "If you ever need help, just yelp. The pups will be glad to come over for anything."
"I baked ya some cupcakes." Zephyr said. The platter floated towards Marcus so he could grab it.
"Wow, you baked these yourself?" Marcus said. Zephyr wagged his tail and smiled. "Well, I'm Marcus and this is my dog Gwen."
Gwen and Zephyr sniffed each other's faces, memorizing each other's scent. Gwen couldn't quite figure out whether Zephyr was a girl or a boy from their scent, which was odd. Zephyr had eyelashes that made them look girly, but their scent threw Gwen off.
"We'll be sure to call you if we need to. Thanks for the cupcakes." Marcus said.
The visitors turned and left. Gwen watched Zephyr as they walked down to the sidewalk, and yeah, Zephyr was a boy alright. His blonde balls hung down a bit and were as round as the rest of his bottom-heavy self. That pup looked like he ate most of what he baked.
"Gwen, I gotta shut the door." Marcus said.
Gwen blushed when she realized she had been staring at Zephyr. She went back into the house hoping Marcus didn't notice. 
Marcus closed the door and went into the kitchen to place the platter on the center counter-top. Marcus opened it up and placed a pink frosted cupcake on the floor for Gwen. 
"Hard to believe she baked these herself, but also never seen someone using magic before either." Marcus said, picking up a cupcake for himself.
"He. Zephyr's definitely a boy, Marcus." Gwen giggled and took a bite of the cupcake. Mmm! She couldn't believe it, the frosting was a delicate bubblegum flavor. Her favorite. She quickly finished it and looked up at the platter and her person for more.
"Nope." Marcus closed the lid and moved it to the fridge. "You can have another one after dinner. You don't want to get fat, do you?"
Gwen whined. "No... But you better wait until after dinner too." 
Marcus rolled his eyes and went to the living room to watch TV, and Gwen went into her bedroom through a doggy door. One advantage to moving out of their apartment building is she got a whole room to herself. Instead of her bed being in the living room, it was in the far corner of this carpeted room. There was also space to set up a short easel where she planned to start painting more. Her paints sat on a short table, and an empty canvas rested against the wall.
Gwen held her paw over the easel and produced a tablet from her Pocket, the tablet turning on with a quick woof. Voice controlled, Gwen opened her chat app and texted Desiree.
"Hey, we're here in sleepy Adventure Bay. Home of your heroes." Gwen texted.
"Yo. How's it looking over there? I've always wanted to vacation there one day. Met any of the Paw Patrol yet?" Desiree replied.
"I have actually. Ryder himself welcomed us a few minutes ago. Zephyr even baked us some cupcakes. Guess what flavor they were." 
"I have no clue. How'd they taste?" Desiree texted.
"My favorite, bubblegum! I didn't know they could taste like that." Gwen texted. "Actually, didn't you say you met Zephyr a few months ago? At your first pageant."
"Oh yeah, he was a sweetheart. He came with Skye studying pageants for a story he was writing. A big help too, giving us the heads up about Sweetie's cheating."
Gwen sighed. "I'm gonna be sooo bored. I wanna go back to the city."
"But you're neighbors with the Paw Patrol now, girl. That's gotta be awesome! Maybe you can get me an autograph from Chase, that'd drive all the girls mad over here."
"I'll ask if I ever see him. He's the police pup, right?" Gwen texted.
"Uh yeah. Everyone knows who Chase is." Desiree replied.
Gwen put away her tablet and went back to the living room to watch TV the rest of the day.
*****
"You gonna sulk all day today?" Marcus said after breakfast the next morning. Gwen was back to lounging depressingly on the couch. The TV wasn't even on. 
Gwen grunted.
Marcus grabbed his keys from a wall hook. "Nope, not today. I'm gonna take you to the park where you can play with other dogs. I'll drive around town to learn my way around the streets before picking you up."
"I don't feel like playing..." Gwen whined.
"Come on girl." He jangled the keys. "You gotta get used to living in a small town. Gonna leave without you."
Gwen slumped down to her feet, tail down. "That would defeat the purpose."
The park was located near the cliff over the beaches and in the area behind a cute looking pet salon. From the parking lot Gwen could see a big bridge connecting the salon to a cliff-side tower. That must be the Paw Patrol's Lookout.
Marcus walked Gwen into the grassy park. On the right side was a running track and a football(soccer) field. The left side closer towards the salon was a playground and few puppies playing tag.
"Go on now Gwen. I think I see Zephyr over there."
Gwen felt a spark of intrest when hearing his name. When she walked over the pups paused their game and came up to meet her.
"Hey Gwen!" Zephyr said, slightly out of breath. "Guys, this is the new girl in town."
A blonde-furred cockapoo girl and a brown-furred labrador boy approached to sniff at Gwen's face.
"Welcome to Adventure Bay. I'm Skye." The cockapoo pup said.
"I'm Zuma. Nice beanie." The chocolate lab said.
"Heh, thanks. Can I play?" Gwen asked.
"Of course!" Skye yipped.
The four pups played tag for several minutes until Zephyr tired out and went to a dog-height water fountain to drink. The other pups sat and took a breather.
"Where did you move from?" Zuma asked.
"Caygo." Gwen said.
"Oh, I've been to several pageants there. It's a big city, but I've never really explored it." Skye said. "Pageants keep me so busy that I'm worn out by the time they're over."
Zephyr bounded up to the group and plopped onto his side, airing his belly out. 
Gwen was looking at Zephyr's belly, trying not to stare. She's never seen a pup look so comfortable with being even half his weight. Doesn't it concern him? "Umm... Actually... Zephyr you've met Desiree right?" Gwen thought it best to leave it be, knowing how sensitive he must be about being overweight. "She's my best friend. Said she was thrilled to meet you and Skye."
"Ooo, I w’emember now." Zephyr said. "You're the fw’eind who won't date anybody."
Gwen pulled her head backwards, starting to blush. "What?!" She looked down and shook her head slowly. "Desiree... What kinds of rumours are you spreading now..."
"Sorry sorry." Zephyr waved his paw up and down. "That didn't come out w’ight."
"I mean, it's true. Desiree has set me up on so many dates and none of them lasted long." Gwen said.
"Zephyr, that was rude!" Skye admonished the goberian pup.
"I said I was sorry..." Zephyr ducked his head.
"It's alright." Gwen recovered from her embarrassment by going to get a quick drink from the fountain. It was typical of Desiree to be chatty. She was Gwen's best friend, but could never keep a secret.
"What sorta things did you do for fun in the city?" Zuma asked once Gwen sat back down.
"I have a playground in a lot near my apartment building. I would play there with Desiree, Trey, and Dom." Gwen said. "Or I'd draw and paint. Though my apartment didn't have much space to set up a proper canvas."
"Bet you're glad you have your own bed'woom now." Zephyr said.
"Yeah, glad of that at least. Are all the houses here that big?" Gwen tilted her head.
"Of course." Skye said. " Yours is one of the smaller ones, but there's a few really big houses not far from your street."
"What kinda stuff do you dw’aw?" Zuma asked. "I'd like to see."
Gwen pulled a fluffy ear over her muzzle. "I'm not that good, I just doodle really. People mainly." The spaniel pup let her ear go. "I wanna get into landscapes but there's nothing like that in the city."
"I'm inte’wested in seeing your doodles." Zephyr said.
Zephyr's voice was oddly sweet, and compelled Gwen to pull her sketchbook out from her Pocket. "Um, here's my current sketchbook." Gwen flipped it open to a page of headshots of various puppies. The group gathered to look, with Zephyr sitting on Gwen's right. 
"I w’ecognize Desiree in there." Zephyr said. "Wow, looks just like her. I wouldn't call these doodles."
"Wow, they're even shaded w’eally well." Zuma pointed to one of a stern boy with straight ears and a large dark marking over his face. "Who's that? He looks bothered."
"That's Dom, Desiree's boyfriend. Desiree wanted me to paint him so I was practicing." Gwen flipped the page to a half shaded, full sketch of Dom. He was standing upright on his hind legs, flexing a muscular forearm. "I never finished this one. Dom was being a jerk while he was modeling for it."
Gwen flipped the page again to some self portrait headshots. 
"So pw’etty." Zephyr said.
"Just practicing expressions." Gwen quickly flipped the page again. It was blank so she closed the book.
"It's not easy for us wilders to hold pencils." Skye said. "You look like a pro."
"Holding a pencil between my toes isn't too difficult. I have pencil sleeves that are sorta squishy, they help."
Zephyr stood up and walked around. "Those were imp’wessive. Maybe you could dw’aw me sometime." Zephyr did a quick dramatic pose and giggled.
"Yeah, maybe I could. Never drawn your body type before." Gwen said.
"Dude's just a buncha circles." Zuma laughed.
Zephyr tilted his head and half-glared at Zuma as everyone giggled.
"Well, I am the Megapup." Zephyr proudly lifted his head.
Skye stood up and stretched. "I've got some things I need to do today. The Spring pageant is coming up, and I gotta work on what song I'm singing for the talent portion. See you around." Skye trotted off to the Lookout. Zuma said goodbye too and wandering off.
"I have some potions folks need me ta bw’ew." Zephyr said.
"Alright then." Gwen said. "I'll play on the swings until Marcus comes to pick me up."
"Oh, you should know about the gates!" Zephyr turned and pointed with his nose to a tree near the water fountains. "Come this way." Gwen followed him. "You see, my mentor Avila planted these Yggdrasil gate spirits throughout the town. They're angels that usually look like tw’ees. Notice how the bark sparkles a bit?"
"Yeah, that's weird." Gwen said.
"Once one has seen you, it w’emembers you. You think about any gate you want, and a portal will open up for ya. There's another gate at the end of your street. If you w’emember the gw’eenhouse ya dw'ove past, that's Avila's house. She planted the gates so that I could gw’ab alchemy ingredients quicker."
"Huh, cool..." Gwen thought about going to the greenhouse and a gentle light shone from the tree. "I still have to wait for Marcus, but I'll explain the gates and he won't have to drive me to the park anymore."
"I'm off to the gw’eenhouse myself. See ya tomorrow." Zephyr stepped into the light and it faded with Zephyr no longer there. That was so strange.
Gwen went over to the swings. Maybe Adventure Bay won't be so boring afterall. She was still missing the city, but thinking about her new friends made her feel a little better. And Zephyr's sweet voice echoed in her mind up until Marcus returned.
*****
Gwen stayed home the next several days focusing on her art. She kept doodling Zephyr. He had such an intresting shape, but it never came out right. So she always erased them. Then morning the following week, Gwen was watching a cute little kids cartoon when the doorbell rang. As Marcus was out at his new job, Gwen got up to answer it. Poking her head out of the doggy door she saw Zephyr smiling at her.
"Heyo. I've got a few jobs ta do on your stw’eet, and wondered if ya'd like ta join me. Could be a good chance ta meet your new neighbors."
"Sure!" Gwen wagged her tail, maybe she could ask him to model for her later. She joined Zephyr over at the house across the street.
Zephyr conjured up a ghostly purple paw and rang the doorbell. A scruffy brown puppy answered.
"Heyo Fw'eddy. Just letting ya know I'm here ta tw'im your yard." Zephyr said. "And ta introduce you to Gwen." 
"Hey." Gwen said.
"Wow. You're really pretty." Freddy said. "Zephyr. My people told me that they had some plants they want planted. It's all in the backyard."
"Alrighty." Zephyr went into the front yard first where the grass was getting high. Freddy went back inside after sharing a face sniff with Gwen.
"How are you planning on trimming the lawn without a mower?" Gwen tilted her head.
Zephyr smiled. "Just watch this." The chubby pup stood at one corner of the yard and steadied his breathing. Lifting a paw it starting glowing purple, then both forepaws glowed. He placed it down on the grass and began walking, still keeping his breathing steady. As he walked, Gwen saw the grass shrinking around him. When he reached the end of the row he turned and walked down a new row. In a few minutes all the grass in the yard was short, like it had aged backwards.
"So you use magic all the time?" Gwen said. "That's pretty cool."
"I use it a lot, but I tw'y to not use it for everything." Zephyr went around past the driveway and opened the back gate with another ghost paw. "I can't stand the smell of cut grass. So definitely glad I can use magic here instead."
The backyard had a tall fence, same as Gwen's own. There was a spot of bare dirt and a tray of containing seedlings sat on the patio. Zephyr grabbed the tray in his mouth and dragged it backwards to the dirt patch.
"Could've used tele-what-have-you there." Gwen said.
"Telekinesis." Zephyr giggled. "Though that's a mouthful, you can just call it TK." Zephyr dug a small hole and magically lifted a seedling into it, then patting dirt around it.
Gwen noticed then that Zephyr didn't have any claws? "Wait, where are your nails?"
"Only noticed that now?" Zephyr lifted a pudgy paw, displaying his pink pads. He flexed it slightly and black nails slid out. He ran one down the tear stripe on one cheek. "I'm part cheetah!"
"Oh wow! How does that even happen?" Gwen grabbed Zephyr's paw and played around with his claws.
"My dad's a cheetah, and my mom's a goberian. Avila told me that it's w'are but hybridization happens sometimes. Normally I would just be my mom's species."
Zephyr needed to get back to work, so Gwen let his paw go. Both pups were blushing, and Gwen was feeling bashful all of a sudden. The spaniel girl quietly admired Zephyr as he planted the rest of the seedlings.
"Say... Once we're done would you like to model for me?" Gwen asked.
"I've got a few more yards ta tw'im." Zephyr wagged his tail a bit. "But I would love to."
Tending to the other lawns on the street, front and back yards, took roughly an hour. The puppies didn't talk much, and just enjoyed each other's company. Afterwards Gwen and Zephyr went into her bedroom. Zephyr sat down in her room and looked around as Gwen readied her sketchbook on the easel.
"How should I pose?" Zephyr stood upright, lifted a flabby arm, and mimicked Dom's pose from the sketches the other day. "Bet ya like this pose." Zephyr giggled.
Gwen herself turning red, her heart beat harder as her eyes reflexively traveled from his arm to his belly. She stopped herself before she looked down any further. "N-no, you don't need to pose. I need to learn how to draw... that."
"Flab." Zephyr said simply. He went back down and turned to the side. "Hmm..."
"That's good, stay like that please." Gwen pulled out a pencil and started with sketching Zephyr's head.
After a moment Zephyr calmly spoke up. "Does my being fat make ya nervous?"
Gwen couldn't be sure of what she was feeling, maybe she was nervous, maybe she was just intrigued from an artistic perspective. "No, no. I'm just not used to drawing different body types. Everyone in the city is so big on fitness. There's even a gym in walking distance of my apartment with equipment for dogs." 
"We have a gym in the Lookout. Chase is always in there. And the rest of us use it too."
Gwen moved on from his face to his torso. It was a satisfying break from the boxy and angular shapes she was used to, but also she wasn't sure she was doing Zephyr justice here and kept erasing and redrawing parts.
"You're fw'ee ta use our gym whenever ya want. Don't w'eally hafta be a member." Zephyr looked over at Gwen. "It would be nice ta have ya come over."
"Maybe tomorrow." Gwen was focused on sketching Zephyr's belly, unsure how to get a smooth curve that didn't make him look like a blob. "Can I ask a question?"
"Yeah ask away."
"Hmm......" Gwen hesitated.
"You can ask me anything. I won't take offense, honest." Zephyr said.
"I mean. Do you have difficulty losing weight? You have a gym at home and don't seem to use it." Gwen squeezed her eyes shut. realizing how mean that came out.
"Well, I could probably use it more, heheh. I can lose it if I wanted, easy. But I got fat on purpose."
"Wait, you mean you enjoy it?" Gwen said.
"Heehee, yup! It makes me feel comfortable, and it’s pw'etty fun in an odd sense." Zephyr chuckled and pat his belly, causing a portion of his torso to jiggle. "I'm most proud of my bubble butt, heehee."
Gwen thought about it for a moment as she looked over Zephyr's form. "Looks so heavy. I don't understand how you could run around the park like you were the other day."
"Eh, it's normally heavy yeah. But Avila enchanted my collar so that it weighs me down less whenever I need to w'un for longer. Zuma and Everest have the same enchantment." 
So Zephyr wasn't alone in this intrest. Gwen wondered if Desiree knew these sort of facts, with her being the biggest Paw Patrol fan back home.
"Sorry for the personal question." Gwen said.
"No problem with me. It's nice ta w'efresh my perspective like this every  once in a while." Zephyr said. "I also enjoy how st'wange I am."
Gwen redrew his butt and belly so many times her wrist was getting tired. "I'm really struggling with this." Gwen put away her sketchbook. "I need to ask Marcus for advice later."
Zephyr looked disappointed for a second before his belly suddenly grumbled. "Heh, time for lunch."
"You eat lunch?"
"Gotta maintain my figure through extra meals."
"How about a cupcake? We still have plenty 'cause Marcus won't let me eat more than one a day."
The pups went to the kitchen where Zephyr opened the fridge and pulled them out.
"How did you like these? I was trying something new with the fw'osting, and I don't know if the flavor  w'eally came through." Zephyr reached down and stuffed one in his mouth.
"I loved them! Bubblegum is my favorite flavor!" Gwen wagged her tail and looked down at the tray. She had already eaten one after breakfast.
"Go on and have one. Just tell Marcus I ate it." Zephyr's tone was playfully devious.
"Hmm... I can't resist." Gwen reached down and ate one. It was fantastic, but she felt a little bad about disobeying her person afterwards. She didn't need the extra calories on her frame. What if she got chubby or Marcus got mad or something?
"It's just one cupcake, we'lax." Zephyr's must've seen a look on her face, but his voice calmed her down. He had such a cute voice.
Zephyr put away the cupcake platter, and saying goodbye, he headed out. Gwen watching his butt jiggling behind him. Something about him always left Gwen with a strangely pleasant tingling feeling.
*****
Gwen had a lot to think about that night and no idea how to sort through it all. So she called up Desiree for a video call.
Desiree popped on screen. She was a fluffy aidi puppy with a dark mottled coat, white underbelly, smaller floppy ears pierced, and blue hair swept in a punkish style.
"Hey girl! How ya been?" Desiree said.
"I've been getting used to things here. Met a few of the pups the other day. Not Chase though. Zephyr invited me to the Lookout, so I'm sure to see Chase soon."
"You got invited to visit the Lookout! Lucky. Wish I was there." 
"Heh. Zephyr was over here modeling for me earlier today. Only fair he invite me over to his place next. But really, he's so cute! None of the boys back home are anything like him."
"Do my ears deceive me? Is Gwen crushing on someone?" Desiree teased.
"What? No... I only just met him." Gwen blushed and wondered if Desiree might be right. Her heart seemed to speed up just a bit.
"Romance happens where you least expect it. Just look at me and Dom."
"You and Dom knew each other for years before you guys got together..." Gwen frowned. "The three of us were next door neighbors."
"Well, if you think Zephyr's that cute you need to pursue him."
"I never said I liked him that way!" Gwen said.
"Mm-hmm. My sharp intuition tells me otherwise." Desiree said. "Though before you do, you should know that he's in an open relationship with several other puppies."
"An... open relationship? How many others?" Gwen suddenly felt the need for caution, even though she still hadn't admitted to having a crush.
"Four. He spoke a lot about them while he was at the pageant."
"Well he's popular. Hmm..."
"Don't let that deter you, hun. You've never shown intrest in the city boys, maybe this guy is the one!" Desiree said.
"I'm still undecided. I've never felt like this before."
"You're in love girl! Don't fight it, just feel it. Anyway, Dom is gonna be here soon, and I'm sure you don't want him to know yet."
"Yes, please don't talk to him about this. You know how he is. Good night." Gwen said.
"Don't worry, I can keep my muzzle shut. Good night."
Gwen felt a little more comfortable after talking to Desiree, though a little worried about how long she can keep it secret from her own boyfriend. Gwen fell asleep thinking about what she should do next.
*****
The next day, Zephyr showed up to take Gwen to the Lookout. She came out  of the gate under a shady tree on the front lawn. A cool and salty breeze was blowing across from the driveway and the far side of the lawn over the cliff. 
The Lookout was a tall tower with a red roof. A blue slide curved around it leading from the top floor balcony to the circular driveway where seven colourful dog houses were parked. The grass here was even softer than the grass on her street, and she assumed Zephyr must've done something to it.
Zephyr led Gwen into the lobby and called the elevator with a bark. Then they went down past the garage and into the large home floor. Gwen was greeted with the Paw Patrol emblem printed on the carpet, and a lot of rooms surrounding this hub.
Across from the elevator a double-door slide open. A lanky dalmation pup and a stout tan-furred bully pup ran out to greet them. Then the dalmation tripped on his on feet and tumbled into a sitting position right in front of Gwen.
"Hey there!" The dalmation and bully pup both said.
"Heheh. This is Marshall, and that's W’ubble." Zephyr said. "And this is Gwen."
"Hey boys." Gwen looked around. The double-doors seemed to lead into the living room, where she saw a big TV and a couple of couches.
"Wanna watch cartoons?" Marshall asked.
"I'd like to show her aw’ound the place first." Zephyr said. "To your left are the bathrooms. One for girls and one for boys, but the bathtub is in the girl's bathroom, and everyone uses it when the boys' bathroom is taken."
"Must be hard on Skye being the only girl here." Gwen said.
"I worry about that too, ta be honest." Zephyr turned clockwise to the next door. "There's the kitchen, and next to it is the dining room." Zephyr said. "Next is the living room. The first hallway leads to our bedrooms. And the hallway on your right leads to the gym and showers."
Zephyr turned all the way around and dashed to a room past the back of the elevator, now on their right. The door slid open as he approached. "W’ocky, come meet Gwen!"
"I'm busy at the moment, Z." A scruffy grey pup with a bent ear and a standing torn ear had a green vest on. Orange arms extended from his pup pack, and it looked like he was repairing some appliance.
Zephyr backed out of the room and the door closed. "He's busy." Then moved to the left room, between the workshop and the gym. "This is my potions lab!"
The door slid open to a room made of resin coated wood. A large short table with a sink stood in the middle with cabinets mounted on the ceiling above it. Bookshelves lined the wall near the door on the left, and stopped at a small workbench. Machines lined the wall across from the door, and ended in more storage spaces on the right-side wall.
"This lab is custom built for my alchemy. I keep my equipment up there." Zephyr pointed his nose at the upper cabinets. "And some dw'ied ingredients in those jars." Zephyr pointed at the workbench.
Gwen took a look at what he uses. "Do you ever use gross stuff like bats eyes or frog toes?"
"No, eww." Zephyr giggled. "I mainly use exotic plants. Spirit parts aren't something that I've studied, and animal parts would be useless. The alchemy I use is the distillation of magic. Though there are other kinds of alchemy out there."
Gwen walked to the right-side wall and slid open a standing cabinet.
"Oh! That's the kink cabinet." Zephyr said.
Gwen cracked a grimace. "A kink cabinet!?"
"Ehh, yeah." Zephyr scratched a cheek, blushing. "Folks w’equest a kink they want and I make a potion for it. And I stockpile some of them here."
Gwen examined the selection. "So like, BDSM or something?" Gwen grabbed a yellow potion by the neck and read the label. "Omo..rashi? And that other yellow one next to it says WS?"
"Watersports. Kinda one of the gw'oss ones, the one you're holding is like a milder version of it." Zephyr said sheepishly.
Gwen put the bottle back. "I don't know what any of that means. The only kinks I know of is bondage type stuff."
Zephyr wagged his tail. "I'd be glad ta introduce ya to the world of kinks, if you aren't gw’ossed out by this stuff. Watersports for example, isn't what it sounds like. Think about it and look at the colour of the potion." 
Gwen thought for a moment. "Hmm....... Oh, I think I get it... You needed a potion for that!?"
"The potions have nuanced effects that enhance the experience. And the watersports potion makes you pee more than you normally could." Zephyr said.
"Oookay... What's that one, the hyper potion. Sounds like a gamer thing."
"Heheehee! Definitely not a healing potion. It makes boys bigger. Best ta pair it with the stw’etch potion next to it."
"Hmm..." Gwen looked around for a new one. "I never thought potions could be used this way. There's a weight loss potion?"
"Yeah, in case me or someone else gets carried away and gets too fat ta work." Zephyr said.
"Very handy. Bet you could make a fortune selling these in the city." Gwen briefly imagined Zephyr getting too fat to move and blushed. "Does that happen often, you know, getting too big?"
Zephyr crossed his forelegs and glanced down. "Heh, often enough. I make potions for weight gain w’elated fun too."
"So wait? Being fat is a kink?" 
"Partly. It's also a comfortable lifestyle for pups like me. But yeah, I've always been dw’awn to it because of a kink... Even before I knew what sex was."
"Ohhh..." Gwen felt something click in her mind. Like she was realizing something important about herself. She wanted to know more, and she wanted Zephyr to show her what she had been missing. 
Gwen started blushing more as her heart beat harder. She had already decided to ask Zephyr out when she woke that morning, and now seemed like the best time. If she hesitated she was afraid she'd back out completely.
"Date me." Gwen blurted out. "I know you're dating a lot of people, but I don't care. I can't help feeling this way and I don't know what to do."
Zephyr uncrossed his legs and looked up, green eyes shining and face in the biggest smile Gwen's ever seen. "You like me?!" He squeaked.
Gwen giggled and smiled, not realizing she had been holding her breath. "Yes, I like you. You're the first boy who's ever impressed me."
Both pups were wagging their tails fast. And Gwen could hear Zephyr purring?
"I can handle five w’elationships. They're dating other folks besides me too. Though this is pw’obably my limit." Zephyr laughed. "Hug!" The chubby pup hopped forward and lifted Gwen up in a big hug.
Gwen put her arms around his body and felt how soft he was. He really was purring, and loudly. His whole body vibrated. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this feeling.
Zephyr let go a moment later. "Heheh, sorry. I'm a big hugger."
"I don't mind at all." Gwen couldn't stop smiling. "You're so adorable!" The pups laughed for a moment.
"Hope I didn't gw’oss ya out with these." Zephyr looked nervous.
"Not... Really. It's not like you demonstrated any." Gwen said.
And walked away from the cabinet. The two settled down and decided to watch cartoons in the living room. As she walked home later, Gwen realized she completely forgot to ask about Chase for Desiree.
*****
Gwen was excited as she quickly finished her breakfast kibble, she leapt onto the couch and kept wagging her fluffy tail. Marcus was working from home that day, drawing something on his tablet on the seat next to her.
"You're in a much better mood today." Marcus said. "Finally enjoying life down here?"
"Yeah! Moving here might be the best thing to ever happen to me. I have a boyfriend now!" Gwen turned to face Marcus and laid down. Then immediately went back to sitting up with her arm on the armrest and eyes trained on the front door.
Marcus chuckled. "That's great news. Wanna tell me who it is?"
"It's Zephyr. We spent the whole day yesterday watching cartoons."
"The fat one then."
Gwen thought Marcus sounded disappointed and whipped her head around. "Yes, 'the fat one'! He's the cutest thing I've ever seen." She huffed and went back to watching the door, and nervously rubbing the armrest. "I wanna go see him, but what if he's busy today? Maybe I should wait for him to come here?"
"You can use those gate things to jump there and back right? I don't see any harm in visiting the Lookout." Marcus said.
Gwen looked over. "Can I go?"
"Of course, go on. Have fun."
Gwen hopped down, dashed out the door and down the street, through the gate tree in front of the greenhouse and onto the Lookout lawn.
She could see the pups running laps around the tower driveway, and waited for them to stop in front of the doors. The pups pulled out water bottles they could pop open easily with their mouths. Gwen approached Zephyr once he was hydrated.
"Heyo Gwen!" Zephyr said. "Glad ta see ya."
"Gonna tell Everest you're cheating on her, Z." Rocky joked from behind him.
Zephyr had this fake perturbed look on his face and looked back. "I was gonna tell her later today." Turning around to Gwen. "I was gonna invite ya ta go foraging in the woods nearby, but we could do it on Jake's Mountain instead and int’woduce ya to Eva’est."
"Hmm... I wanna spend the day with you alone." Gwen said. "Oh, but first I gotta get Chase's autograph for Desiree."
"He's not here." Rocky said. "He's gonna be training future police pups at the academy for a few more weeks." 
"Alright. That can wait." Gwen said.
"Let's head off then." Zephyr said.
Zephyr equipped his purple outfit and pup pack using his Pocket, and led Gwen across the lawn, past a dirt road that sloped down around the back of the cliff. A short walk into the trees led them to a tree with a sign hanging at dog height. It said 'Free' and Zephyr explained that the secret clearing past here can be reserved for private sex stuff. 
They went around the clearing and deeper into the woods. Zephyr led her to a group of rose bushes that hadn't yet bloomed. He used a small grabber arm from his pack to put several rose hips into a mason jar. "I use these for making jelly desserts, but you can use them for tea too."
Along the way Gwen would stop to admire the scenery and sketch something. Like a fern, or a mushroom which Zephyr warned if it was toxic. She attempted to rapidly sketch a robin, but they wouldn't stay put before flying off. At another point, Zephyr gasped and walked up to a big golden spider web. On it was the biggest spider Gwen had ever seen, but the golden web was pretty to look at; from afar.
An hour in they reached the highway that led out of town. Zephyr said the woods on the other side were much better for foraging. They darted across once the road was clear. After walking a ways next to the highway they came to a plant with very prickly stalks.
"Stinging nettle." Zephyr barked and a side panel of his pup pack opened up with shears. And he started harvesting the nettle. "I was surprised when I found out this can be eaten for salads."
"Ouch..." Gwen winced thinking about eating that clearly hostile plant.
"Heheh. The pw’ickles fall w’ight off when ya boil them."
They pushed back into the undergrowth, marvelling at the sunlight streaming through the canopy and sounds of the birds hidden up there. But more interesting to Gwen was how the dappled light shone on her boyfriend's brown topped golden fur. Entranced by how the slight waddle to his gait made his cute butt bounce and belly wobble.
Whenever he stopped to rest, Gwen had a chance to sketch something while Zephyr stood closely to watch her draw. Gwen took the chance to sketch Zephyr too.
A couple hours later it was noon and Zephyr's belly was growling. He tried to ignore it for a while, but it was persistent. "Okay, that's getting loud now." Zephyr giggled and rubbed his tummy. He tilted his head. "Would you be okay if I hunted us some lunch? Or we can eat these dog biscuits I brought." 
"You're going to hunt those cute critters?" Gwen said.
"I figured city folk might be squeamish about that." Zephyr pulled out a few biscuits and ate those with Gwen.
"I’m not squeamish." Gwen didn't want her boyfriend to think she was some delicate damsel. "You can hunt around me."
"That's gw’eat! Maybe I can teach ya how next time." Zephyr licked the crumbs off his lips.
Gwen licked her own lips, and continued the hike. "I think I can get by without hunting, myself. You can do it for me."
"There's a big patch of mallow on a hill up ahead. More salad stuff." Zephyr said.
"I'm surprised that you even know what a salad is." Gwen bumped against her boyfriend's side.
"I eat salads occasionally. But only when I fo’wage the ingredients myself." Zephyr suddenly stopped and sniffed around."
"What's up?"
"We're nearly in wolf terf. I wanna teach you what their markers smell like. They will attack if we cw’oss a pat’wol."
Gwen giggled, and Zephyr looked at her weird. "Sorry. It's just, your voice is so serious and yet it's still so cute."
Zephyr wagged his tail and smiled, giggling a bit himself. "We're not there yet." 
They climbed up a hill out of the trees, the mallow was growing where the land evened out. Zephyr gathered a few clumps of leaves and moved onward into the trees.
Zephyr stopped before long and sniffed a boulder. "Here, memorize this."
Gwen sniffed at it, a faint musky tang, barely noticeable. "I can barely smell anything."
"That's not a good sign. I can bet a wolf will be here to w’enew it if we stay too long." Zephyr turned around and dashed back along their path. "Come on! They can't catch us." Gwen and Zephyr ran off giggling, all the way down hill.
After reaching the bottom of the hill, they slowed down and spent the next couple hours making their way back to the Lookout. Stopping just to rest and drink from the Zephyr's water bottle. The way back was quicker since they didn't stop as often.
Both pups were ready for a nap when they returned, and since it was a sunny day they sat close together on the lawn. 
"Today was so much fun!" Gwen said. "I have so many new things in my sketchbook."
"Gonna be gw’eat pw’actice for when ya start landscapes." Zephyr's green eyes were staring into Gwen's eyes.
"Yeah." Gwen brushed her ear back and looked into Zephyr's eyes. "Today was our like first date, wasn't it?"
"Ah-huh." Zephyr agreed.
Gwen bent forward and met Zephyr's lips in a gentle kiss, tongues briefly played with each other's teeth. And Gwen's heart fluttered and she felt her affection for the chubby boy grow. Though she pulled back before things got too heated.
They napped for the next hour. Zephyr scooted up to Gwen, his belly pressed against her side. He rested his snout against hers as they slept.
Later on, Zephyr made a salad to share with Gwen out of the plants they found and some vegetables from the kitchen. Gwen went home just in time for dinner and told Marcus about the day's events, reassuring him they were being careful around the wildlife, and showed him all her new sketches. Life in Adventure Bay was gonna be great.