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Pent finds he has an odd allergic reaction to some spices. The young fox finds that the symptoms aren't quite what he expected. Rated mature for mentions of nudity. Featuring naitlion from FA.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "The result of the growth drive. Pent finds he has an odd allergic reaction to some spices. The young fox finds that the symptoms aren't quite what he expected. Rated mature for mentions of nudity. Featuring naitlion from FA.", "writing": "Spicing it up by Pent Ghelsburg\n\nDisclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters and micro/macro content. You have been warned.\t\n\nIt's a lazy day. A child lays on the couch, looking at the ceiling. The number of tiles has not changed and yet they count it again just to make sure. They spin their finger in the air, hoping to create the illusion of change, and yet their vision remains much too focused for any such thing to happen. They look out the window, the skies are pouring out in sheets of rain. The weather is atrocious and had it not been for the outside light the home would be completely dark.\n\nPent sat on his knees and stared at the rain. It was hard to make anything out. The rain was so thick that it obstructed any view he might have had otherwise. It was too bad, he thought to himself, there was supposed to be a star shower tonight and this would likely damper the event he had been looking forward to for some time now. The 12-year-old arctic fox cub sighed as he lay back down flat on his back.\n\nThe young fox kit lived on the outskirts of Montreal. The town where he lived was far enough removed from the city that it wasn't exactly the busiest place to live. As such, it required a bit of a trek to do anything that was considered trendy or even remotely popular. The town was a small suburb right along the biggest river leading towards the big city itself. Despite the somewhat isolated nature of it, Pent and his family had become accustomed to the lifestyle.\n\nPent lived with his younger brother who was 3 years his junior. The two lived with a foster mother who cared very little for them and did only what was necessary to maintain the status quo. As such, the older fox had taken much of the responsibility of care on his shoulders. Mature for his age, Pent had even gone as far as to take whatever work he could find. However, because of his age, he had to rely on payments for a tutoring service he had been offering for some time now.\n\nPent had garnered a rather good reputation as a study-hungry cub. He was studious and focused on his schoolwork. His teachers labeled him as gifted and he was one of the most advanced in his grade. Now in the first year of his secondary academic career, he had focused on helping many of his friends. Word quickly spread around his reputation earning him work both below his grade as well as above it.\n\nThough Pent was one of the youngest students in the school, he remained determined to remain at the top academically. Always worried about a perfect GPA and studying when he needed to. His preferences remained more in math and science, topics that many of his age mates strayed away from. As such, sometimes he was taken advantage of and had become wary of so-called partners for his many projects.\n\nAfter school, Pent had a few activities that he was a part of. The young fox kit was an active cub who loved sports, especially Hockey. He had joined a Pee Wee hockey club that he had been a part of for some time. The arctic fox was an avid defenseman but by no means was he a star player. When he was up to it, the cub tried his best to practice though his true passions lie elsewhere and so he usually only went to Hockey when there was a game or practice.\n\nPent was a sucker for experimentation. Always trying to find extra time to get in the lab. The school only allowed him so much time but he gladly took up the opportunity when it allowed him. The school had no science club despite his constant suggestion that they made one. None of the staff were willing to take up the task of staying after school. Despite his pestering teachers, both present and past, the cub had no luck in recruiting anyone to take care of it.\n\nAs such the cub had come up with his solution. Setting up an at-home lab, albeit it was nothing special. Pent had allotted himself a small corner of the room on the same side as the computer. It was a rather small space to work with but since he had no other option, it was either that or nothing. The fox was rather proud of his space, though there were times when curiosity got the better of either him or his younger brother.\n\nIt was getting close to the school science fair. The time of year when Pent went hog wild to get first place. Over the past few years, his projects had scored him a lucrative prize and he was hopeful that he could do it again. However, he knew things would be harder this year. The teacher had informed him that the school was separated into two groups and he would be competing against the lower grades of the secondary school where he was enrolled.\n\nThis did not deter the cub from thinking big. His brother had suggested several projects to him. Of course, this did not meet the grand design he had in mind. The cub wanted something different. Simple volcanoes or robots would just not do. Pent had spent the last few days coming up with something in his free time. Scouring the internet came up with a few thoughtful ideas but none of which he had the materials for.\n\nEventually, he stumbled on a promising hypothesis. The hypothesis itself postulated around the idea that while matter could not be created, it could be modified. Further looking into it, it seemed to hinge on the processes of genetic engineering. The cub continued to dig into it, wondering if he could make something of this. He knew he couldn't genetically engineer anything but figured he could get something to act as it wouldn't have otherwise.\n\nPent continued to delve into the idea of finding studies into proteins and amino acids. Various findings seemed to revolve around isolating specific amino groups and then introducing them into a different protein. The results seemed promising enough that nutritionists had been using it to enhance existing supplement shakes. Pent wondered if he could do something similar. Quickly looking at his microscope, he found that it wasn't quite strong enough to examine things at that level.\n\nThe fox continued looking around the internet. He wanted to remain within chemistry, despite how many interesting biology topics he came across. Several hours passed and he made very little progress other than having a list of possibilities. He hadn't lost hope but it seemed his aspirations were higher than usual. Frustration began to build and eventually, he decided to give it a break.\n\nSamaliel had checked in on him a few times. The younger cub was nowhere near as dedicated to school as he was but was still curious about what his brother did.\n\n\"Any luck?\" He said popping his head into the small room that they shared.\n\nPent shook his head. \"Nah, nothing promising.\"\n\n\"Just pick something, dude. You're going to be there all day. Don't you want to go outside and play?\" The salt and pepper fox wanted his brother to enjoy his free time as much as he was.\n\nThe white fox shrugged. \"I want to win. You don't understand.\"\n\n\"Sure, I do. You talk about it enough. Just do something. You are smart enough to make it work.\" The smaller cub walked up to his brother and touched his shoulder gently.\n\nThe bigger boy smiled and showed the list he made to the other boy. \"Thanks. What do you think I should do then?\"\n\n \"This one.\" Samaliel pointed without even looking at it.\n\nPent cocked an eyebrow. \"You didn't even read it.\"\n\n\"Exactly…just do it and stop worrying about it being perfect. I'll be outside….don't keep me waiting. You promised to play hockey with me today, don't forget.\" The salt and pepper fox made his way out of the room again.\n\nPent shrugged and put the list doing, figuring he could look at it again later. The older cub put his shoes and socks on before joining Samaliel outside. The younger cub was waiting for him just outside the door, holding an extra stick for him. He handed it to Pent and the two began playing. The two passed and shot the ball among each other, with the older cub sticking to defense so Samaliel could work on his shooting.\n\n\"Getting better, dude.\" Pent tried to be as supportive as possible.\n\nSamaliel wiped the sweat from his forehead. \"Thanks, I'll score on you one day.\"\n\nThe two continued to play the game until it started to get dark. The street lights hit on and shone off the pavement. They continued playing until the traffic picked up and the glare of the lights of the car became too annoying to ignore.\n\n\"Come on, we can play again tomorrow.\" Pent huffed, glad that he had taken off some time to spend with his brother.\n\nSamaliel panted. \"Sure, as long as you don't stuff yourself on the computer again all day.\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah. I promise.\" Pent put his paw forward as a gesture of sincerity to the younger boy.\n\nSamaliel shook it a single time before letting go. \"Catch me if you can!\"\n\nPent followed after the younger cub who sprinted around the house and to the backyard. Samaliel had seen a tree house there the other day and he wanted to show his brother. The younger fox had already started up the ladder to the tree and Pent looked up at him.\n\n\"What are you doing? That's not ours.\" The older fox asked as he didn't want to get in trouble.\n\nSamaliel peered down from the open wooden plank. \"Oh, relax. I asked yesterday. They said we can have it if we want.\"\n\n\"Oh, alright then.\" Pent kicked his stick to the side where Samaliel had set his and made his way up the ladder.\n\nPent peered his head up through the same plank and into it. The place smelt of musty wood. Looking around, it wasn't very decorated. Only two windows had been fashioned into the structure to look out of but other than that there was nothing decorative about it. Samaliel had already sat down crossed-legged and was waiting for Pent.\n\n\"Come on…dinner can wait.\"\nSamaliel patted the space next to him motioning for Pent to sit near him.\n\nThe white fox pulled himself up and into the tree house, looking out the windows for a second. He could see the street lights and houses below. It wasn't a very far view but nice nonetheless. He turned around to join his brother on the floor. Pent sat down right next to him, his legs spread out in front of him.\n\n\"This\n is pretty cool. They just gave it to you?\" Pent asked still uncertain how Samaliel ended up with the gift.\n\nThe younger fox nodded. \"Uh-huh. They said their kids stopped using it.\" Samaliel eased himself back and laid on the floor, allowing his legs to fall forward in the same fashion Pent's were.\n\n\"Cool. I'll have to tell them thanks tomorrow.\" Pent followed suit and looked out the window again.\n\nThe two remained silent for a few moments. The smaller fox's stomach started to rumble, reminding him that it was time to eat.\n\n\"Maybe we can sleep out here tonight?\" Samaliel asked upon sitting up.\n\nPent hummed to himself a moment. \"Sure, I don't see why not. We can bring out our sleeping bags after dinner.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" Samaliel reached over to hug his brother.\n\nHe released his hug shortly after and slinked his body back down the ladder. Pent wasn't long after him as he was just as hungry. The two retreated to their home to make some food. The older fox sent his younger brother to take a shower. The white fox knew they could get smelly when they sweated and figured he had worked up just as much sweat as he did.\n\n\"What did you want for dinner?\" Pent asked shouting towards the bathroom.\n\nPent could hear the shower was already running and heard no response. The older fox decided to situate the issue himself and just decided on pasta. He began the dish and pulled out the necessary ingredients while boiling the water. By the time everything was in the pot, Samaliel popped in behind him already in his pajamas.\n\n\"Your turn.\" The younger boy beckoned to his brother.\n\nPent looked over at him. \"Think you could manage?\"\n\n\"Yeah. I'll be careful. What do I need to do?\" It wasn't the first time Samaliel had watched food cook before.\n\nPent stirred the pot. \"Just stir the pot with the sauce. Nothing super complicated. I will be quick.\"\n\nSamaliel was left alone and pulled over a stepping stool to get up to the pot. Once he could reach it, he started stirring the pot. It was an activity he hadn't done before and even after the first few seconds of it, he was already bored. He wondered if he could make the dish better. Letting the stirring spoon go, he looked around for the spice rack. He hopped up on a counter and opened the cabinet before trying to rifle through it.\n\nSamaliel couldn't see anything as his body was hurdled over in trying to give him some leverage. The first small bottle he found, he took out of the pantry. He looked at it, a simple white label with a blurred-out word on it. He wasn't one much for spicey food and wondered if Pent might like it. Taking the thing back with him he got the plates from the table and brought them back to where the dish was being prepared.\n\nHe delivered himself some of the pasta from the top and then did the same with Pent's plate. Taking the little plastic bottle from where he placed it and opened it. He looked inside it, the little flakes were red and it didn't appear to be that much inside. He decided to pour all of it out on Pent's dish. He emptied it and tossed the thing over his shoulder, flying far from his intended target of the garbage on the other side of the room.\n\nBy the time Pent had returned, Samaliel had already served up the meal. The younger cub was already at the table and waiting for him. The older fox had already changed into his wardrobe which was just a two-piece space-themed pajama set. Each boy had a plate at their usual spot. The older fox wasn't expecting this and wagged his tail at the gesture.\n\n\"Ah, all done? Thanks for serving it up. I'm sure you did well.\" Pent began to think of a desert he could reward the other cub with.\n\nThe younger boy's tail wagged. \"Cool, thanks.\"\n\nPent grabbed both of them some milk, the usual beverage he chose for nighttime as he didn't like sugary drinks late at night. He served up the drinks and some napkins before joining the other cub at the table. Samaliel started to chow down and worked through the noodles rather quickly. The other cub was much slower about eating and tried to enjoy his meals even when he was starving.\n\nPent took the first bite and savored the taste. It had an odd flavor to it but still resembled spaghetti for the most part. The older fox was afraid to say anything out of hurting his brother's feelings. After swallowing it a weird aftertaste lingered in his maw. The cub tried not to wince and quickly took a swig of the milk.\n\n\"You did good!\" Pent forced a smile to pretend that he liked it.\n\nSamaliel turned his head. \"Yay, good. I added some spices to yours. I'm glad you like them.\"\n\n\"Yeah…\" Pent forced another bite wondering what spice he could have added.\n\nThe younger fox went back to eating, already a quarter through his dish. Pent meanwhile struggled to get through his but still managed to shovel it into his maw. Each time he took a bite the lingering aftertaste became stronger. Pent couldn't help but think his breath would smell terrible after this but sucked it up and continued to work his way through the meal. By the time Samaliel was halfway done, Pent had still much more left to go.\n\nThe two continued eating their meal. When Samaliel finished, he looked over at Pent. The young cub was eager to finish the meal and the white fox certainly wasn't going to disappoint him. Pent trudged through the meal with some effort and once it was done he let out a deep sigh of relief.\n\n\"Pew, you got some bad breath now!\" Samaliel complained about his brother's foul breath.\n\nPent rolled his eyes. \"Duh…you put spices in my meal. What did you think would happen?\"\n\"Just go brush your teeth, dude….We can clean up after.\" The younger fox pinched his nose and walked away to start cleaning up the dishes.\n\nThe older fox shrugged. \"Fine. It's your fault though. Though it did taste good…haha.\"\n\n\"Good, now…shew.\" The salt and pepper fox started cleaning off the table by himself for the time being.\n\nPent left the kitchen to the bathroom. The bathroom was at the end of the hall right next to their room. He shared it with Samaliel while their foster mother had her own in the master bedroom. Once he was inside it, he lifted his paw and breathed into it. Sure enough, it did smell pretty foul. He couldn't make out the spice his brother used but supposed it didn't matter. He began brushing his teeth, which always took a bit since he had a full set of adult teeth now.\n\nAfter finishing he breathed into his hands again. He could still make out the faint smell of the odor so he decided to try again. This time going as far as to brush his tongue and gums. Now that he was satisfied with his hygiene routine, he returned to his brother who was still busy cleaning up the kitchen and had started with the dishes. Pent made his way to the sink and took his usual spot next to the faucet.\n\nThe two began cleaning in tandem, working through the dirty dishes. Their foster mother had left her own in it, leaving them to do it. Neither boy complained as they enjoyed each other's company. They were able to make short work of the chore. When they were done, Pent did not forget his earlier idea and went into the freezer to pull out his brother a frozen fruit pop. He knew orange was his favorite and hoped there was some left since he hadn't bought any in some time.\n\nThe cub located some grapes and pulled them out before showing them to Samaliel. The younger cub jumped in place before coming over to pluck it from his brother. Pent looked for one for himself but found no second treat. The older fox shrugged, glad that his brother could enjoy it at least. The younger cub wasted no time in ripping open the package and began sucking it down his maw without delay.\n\nAs he reached about halfway he realized Pent had not gotten himself one. \"Did you want some?\"\n\n\"Nah, it's fine. I'll just have a cookie or something.\" Pent made his way to the pantry to look for something for himself.\n\nPent began to look through some of the cabinets. He knew full well that their foster mother hid most of the stuff she bought for herself. He also figured it was a risk going through it but he wanted to get rid of the foul taste that remained in his maw. Eventually, he found a small loli pop. He figured the thing was insignificant enough that she wouldn't miss it. Besides there was plenty more in the package, he told himself.\n\nHe took a yellow one and unwrapped it before beginning to suck on it.\n\nThe older cub spoke while he was enjoying it. \"Did you still want to sleep out in the tree house?\"\n\n\"What do you want to do?\" Samaliel asked as he didn't want to be a burden.\n\n\"I don't mind either way but we don't have a bug lamp so unless we use spray, we will probably get bit.\" The older fox warned his brother.\n\nSamaliel hummed to himself. \"Alright. Maybe another night then?\"\n\n\"Sure, I'll get a bug lamp to prepare for it. You can head to bed then if you're tired. I will be in a moment.\" The white fox smiled at the smaller boy.\n\nThe salt and pepper fox smiled before bolting back towards their room, leaving Pent alone again. He chuckled at the other cub who had left the popsicle packaging in the sink. He washed it out in the water and disposed of it. The boy was still working away at the lollipop, glad that the aftertaste was mostly gone now. He disposed of the wrapper and made his way out of the kitchen and down the hall.\n\nPent returned to their room to see Samaliel spinning around in the office chair.\n\n\"Better be careful, so you don't get sick…or fall out of the chair.\" The older fox warned his brother.\n\nThe smaller cub continued to rotate around in the chair. \"Wheeeeeee….\"\n\nThe younger fox rotated a few times before stopping because he felt dizzy. He remained in the chair for a few seconds before stumbling out of it and onto the floor. The bigger boy padded over and leaned down to offer him a paw. Samaliel couldn't help himself and tugged on the bigger boy. The older fox wasn't expecting this and his body\n tumbled over the smaller fox's. Pent laughed and rolled his body over so that it was flat and right next to Samaliel's body.\n\n\"Wanna play a game?\" Samaliel rotated over so that his body faced Pent's.\n\nThe older fox remained on his back. \"Sure, what do you have in mind?\"\n\n\"Hmm. Well, last night we did video games. Do you want to play a board game or something else?\" Samaliel continued to think about it in case his brother said no.\n\nThe white fox shrugged. \"Whatever you want, dude. I'm game for whatever.\"\n\n\"Anything? Do you not have anything you want to play?\" Samaliel wanted Pent to pick something for want.\n\nPent sighed. \"I just want you to be happy. Can you pick, please?\"\n\n\"Mmm…but I want to do something you want to do?\" Samaliel brought himself so he was directly over the other cub's body.\n\nThe older fox hummed. \"Uh…can you give me a second to think about it…\"\n\nSamaliel stood up, careful to not step on the other boy. \"How about something we used to play when I was younger?\"\n\n\"And….what game is that? We played a lot of things when you were younger.\" Pent smirked at the fact that Samaliel still was picking despite his previous request.\n\nSamaliel offered to help Pent up. \"Hide and seek?\"\n\n\"Sure, you want me to hide or seek?\" The older cub felt like he knew the answer but asked just in case.\n\nPent got up off the floor and ruffled Samaliel's head fur before he answered. \"I wanna hide!\"\n\n\"You got it. I will count to 30.\" Pent walked over to the wall so he could cover his eyes.\n\nThe older cub started counting and Samaliel sprinted out of the room. Pent stopped covering his eyes once he heard the door close. It had been a while since he played the game but he figured he could find the other cub pretty quickly. The fox looked at his phone and decided to time himself. Once the 30 seconds had elapsed, Pent began the timer on the phone and began searching for Samaliel.\n\n The fox headed down the hall and listened keenly for anything that sounded off. He took slow and methodical steps believing that Samaliel would slip up and make some form of sound. He heard nothing except the tap of his claws on the floor. Pent continued to make his way down the hall until he was in the living room. The lights had been turned off, which meant that Samaliel had been through the room.\n\nPent began to look around the various pieces of furniture in the room. He found nothing by the couch or the sofa and checked inside the largest cabinet in the front room. The white fox turned around and went back into the kitchen. It was cooler inside it now since no oven was running. He figured that Samaliel probably couldn't hide in the kitchen since nothing was big enough to hold him so he just moved past it.\n\nThe cub continued into the laundry room, which smelt like fresh powder. He saw a spilled-over box of detergent and smirked. He knew the younger cub had likely been through there and poked his paw into the laundry basket. Sure enough, a high-pitched giggle was elicited.\n\n\"Looks like I found you. You can come out now.\" Pent removed a sheet on top of it revealing his brother inside.\n\nSamaliel stuck his tongue out at the other cub. \"Boo, okay.\"\n\nPent slowly tipped over the basket so his brother could get out. \"I'm surprised you fit inside there.\"\n\n\"Secret stash fox can hide anywhere!\" The salt and pepper fox stood up, his clothing covered in some detergent that had spilled from the fallen-over box.\n\n\"You should probably go change since your clothes have that stuff all over them now.\" Pent tried dusting his bother off but residue remained.\n\nThe smaller boy shrugged. \"Okay.\"\n\nPent picked up a nearby broom to clean up what had spilled, making rather quick work of it. When he was done, he made his way back to the room. He arrived back to Samaliel in nothing but underwear.\n\n\"You're just gonna wear underwear to bed?\" Pent asked as normally the younger boy liked to wear pajamas.\n\nSamaliel \"Nuh-uh. My jammies are dirty. Can I wear some of yours?\"\n\n\"Uh…mine might be too big for you and you got my hand me downs so it's not like I have anything else old to give you.\" Pent went over to the drawer to check just in case.\n\n\"Pwease? We can do whatever you want tomorrow.\" Samaliel gave his best puppy face that he could come up with.\n\nPent rolled his eyes. \"Sure, I guess.\"\n\n\"Cool, thanks!\" The younger fox jumped up in place as his tail wagged behind him.\n\nPent went through the top drawer and found something he didn't mind the younger cub borrowing a bit. The pajama set was a plaid one with both a top and bottom in matching colors. The white cub threw it at his brother.\n\n\"Go on then. You can wear that. I'm going to take a shower. I will be back after.\" Pent took another set for himself and headed into the bathroom.\n\nThe white fox took a deep breath as he waded into the floored bathroom that they shared. He could see that the mirror was still fogged up from when Samaliel had showered. The smaller cub had left his towel bundled up in the corner. Pent rolled his eyes as he picked it up and turned on the spicket to wait for it. He wasn't nearly as picky as the younger cub and cold water didn't bother him as much.\n\nPent stepped into the shower and bathed himself. He was a pretty hygienic cub who took care of himself. He allowed himself to relax a bit and soaped himself up before rubbing it in and washing it off. When he felt like everything was clean to his liking, he stepped back out into the bathroom. The cub dried himself, which always took a while because he had a rather thick fur that never completely dried no matter what he did.\n\nPent dried himself and patted his body down to make sure he was only a little bit damp. Once he was done, he sat down and pulled his boxers up his legs. The cub then dressed in the pajamas he had brought with him. Upon pulling up the bottom half of it, he found it strange the piece didn't quite sag onto the floor. He was normal to the garment dragging a bit as he had purposely bought it a size too big.\n\nHe figured it must have been because he was wet and decided to not think about it. Yawning, he reminded himself that he was tired and ready for bed. Pent returned to their room and hopped up on the ladder to check on Samaliel. The younger cub had already closed his eyes, so Pent leaned over and kissed his forehead. The older fox retreated down and peered outside the window.\n\nPent looked into the dark beyond for a while, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star shower. He didn't want to risk moving his telescope and waking up the younger cub. Instead, he stared into the sky in hopes of seeing anything. He only caught a brief sight of a few streaking lights. He couldn't help but wonder about them, thinking about how they worked and wanted to look more into it. A project for later he told himself.\n\nThe older fox finally eased himself back into a rested position once he had seen no further activity for a while. He allowed his eyes to close and tried to relax. It took a bit for sleep to overtake him but when it did, he slept quite soundly. The cub went without any dreams that night, at least ones that his mind recalled. The room remained silent and without disruption, until the next morning.\n\nSamaliel was the first one to wake up, as he often was. The younger cub sprang out of bed and immediately slid down the ladder to get his brother up. Shaking Pent, he wanted to try to wake him up. It didn't take long before the older cub roused. Pent sat up in the bed and smiled at his brother.\n\n\"Don't forget. You are supposed to meet your friend at the park.\" The younger cub reminded his brother who had told him about the play date more than a few times.\n\nPent yawned and picked himself up out of the bed before patting his brother on the head. \"Thanks, bro. I didn't forget.\"\n\n\"No, problem.\" The younger fox's stomach grumbled and he showed himself out of the room.\n\nThe white fox took his time getting out of bed before standing up to stretch. He decided changing clothes would have to wait since he didn't want to leave Samaliel hanging for long. He made his way down the hall and into the kitchen. Upon arriving, Pent saw that the younger cub was already chowing down on an apple.\n\n\"Oatmeal, alright?\" Pent asked as he wanted to be sure Samaliel was ok with the decision.\n\nThe younger boy nodded and said nothing as he was still munching on the fruit. Pent prepared a bowl for the two of them, grabbing himself a drink while he waited. The white fox decided on an orange himself and cut it open before beginning to eat it himself. By the time he was half done, the microwave beeped and he grabbed the two bowls from inside. Pent joined his brother at the table and the two continued to eat breakfast together.\n\nSamaliel noticed his brother was working through the meal quicker today. \"Hungry, huh?\"\n\n\"I guess, why?\" Pent said looking at the smaller cub.\n\nSamaliel shrugged. \"No reason.\"\n\nPent decided to ignore the answer and continue working down the meal. Samaliel was still the first of the two to finish but the older cub didn't take much longer.\n\n\"I'll do the dishes if you wanna head out to hang with your friend.\" Samaliel suggested this to be helpful.\n\nPent's tail wagged behind him. \"Really? Alright cool. Thanks.\"\n\nThe white fox patted his brother's head again and made his way out of the kitchen and back into their room. Pent rifled through his drawers to find something to wear, settling on a simple graphic t-shirt, jean shorts, and some ankle-length socks. The boy sat down on the bottom bunk and began to take off his shirt. He exchanged it with the graphic tee and found that the thing just barely covered his stomach.\n\nPent had always been used to it draping a little over his pants. Ignoring it, for the time being, he repeated the same process with his bottom half. Looking at them again, reminded him that the length of the pants just barely covered his feet. Perhaps he was finally\n getting bigger, he told himself. The fox decides to check on his way out. The arctic fox finished changing into his clothes and put on his shoes.\n\nJust as he was getting up, the bell rang. Forgetting all about checking, the fox rushed out of the room to greet the arrival of what he thought was his friend. Pent rushed down the hall at full speed, not worried about running into anyone. The boy reached the door before long and didn't even bother to look through the peephole. The fox opened the door to find that his friend Nait was indeed on the other side.\n\nNait was the young lion who Pent had met in a year or so. The two had become fast friends and tried to hang out when time allowed for it. Despite the two being the same age, Nait had always been the bigger of the two, having had his growth spurt earlier than the fox had. Pent had been one of the last in his age group to experience the milestone and was one of the smallest boys in class.\n\n \"Hey, Pento. How's you?\" The Lion stuck his tongue out at the other cub.\n\nPent smiled. \"Nuthin. Did you want to go to the park?\"\n\n\"Sure, that sounds fun. The weather is good for it.\" Nait stepped to the side to allow the other cub to join him.\n\nPent turned around and yelled inside. \"I'll be back later, Samaliel. Call me if you need something.\"\n\nThe white fox turned back towards the door and stepped outside before locking the door. Pent looked over at Nait, whose eyes were now level with his own. Pent blinked and rubbed his eyes for a second as it was a sight he wasn't quite used to.\n\n\"Oh, hey. Looks like you finally caught up to me…haha\" Nait joked as he rubbed the back of his head with his right paw.\n\nPent nodded. \"Uh-huh. Kinda felt like my stuff didn't fit so I guess I had a bit of a growth spurt.\"\n\n\"Cool, come on. Let's go play!\" The feline didn't linger much on the issue and ran off into the distance not giving Pent much of a warning on the matter.\n\nThe fox kit followed and gave chase once he realized his friend had taken the lead. The lion kept a short distance ahead of the other cub, leading his way toward the backyard. Nait had put together a small bucket of water balloons. Pent glared at him warily.\n\n\"But…we're not wearing a swimsuit.\" He warned the other cub.\n\nNait picked up one of them, not seeming to care much about that fact. He launched the elastic ball toward his friend. The white fox watched as the quickly thrown piece of ammunition catapulted towards him. It was slow enough that he was able to get out of the way just before it hit him. The thing exploded onto the floor behind him.\n\n\"No fair…I don't have any…\" Pent whined and complained with a sour look on his face.\n\nNait picked up another and held it in his paws. \"Come get some then!\"\n\nThe white fox contemplated his options for a moment. He looked at the other cub who seemed serious. Pent slowly walked forward, still wary that Nait would strike at any moment. When he was finally close enough, he bent over to get a few of the water balloons for himself. Nait smirked at the fact the other boy had fallen into a trap. Dropping the balloon from where he was holding it, right onto the back of Pent's head.\n\nPent felt the minor thud on the back of his skull. The water splashed all over the rear side of his head as it dripped down the sides of his cheek. It didn't hurt much and Pent quickly took one of the balloons he was holding and threw it back up toward Nait. The balloon fell flat back into Nait's paws as the impact wasn't nearly strong enough to make it burst. The lion picked it up and dropped the thing right back on Pent's back, causing it to break this time.\n\nPent chuckled as the water exploded onto his back. Running a short distance from the other cub as he tried to get back at him. The white fox was already wet and had forgotten about his concern about making his clothes wet. The two continued their little game of water balloons for some time. Throwing back and forth, landing fewer times than they missed. By the time they ran out of balloons, the two of them were completely soaked.\n\nNait giggled as he looked into the bucket to see that only torn bits of elastic remained. He threw whatever water was in there toward Pent but the other cub was too far to reach. The white fox grabbed a nearby hose and proceeded to squirt his friend. The boy's foster had returned just in time to see what was going on. The woman's grey-furred face burned bright red as she screamed.\n\n\"Stop right this instant! You two are making a mess!\" She stomped her paw into the ground, making some of the soggy soil pop upward and get on her pants.\n\nPent had to hold back a giggle but Nait was less hesitant, laughing rather loudly at her.\n\n\"Clean this…right now! I don't want to see any of this when I get home from work…or else!\" She stormed back toward where she came from.\n\nPent rolled his eyes. Just how were they supposed to clean up the mess they made? The fox looked up into the sky. The clouds were dark which meant it would likely rain.\n\n\"Don't worry about what she said…the rain will hopefully take care of it.\" Pent said figuring not much could be done anyways.\n\nNait smirked and tackled the other cub. Pent found himself underneath the other boy. Their bodies entangled as they wrapped around in a rotating ball of both furry boys. The two continued to tumble, neither seeming content with giving up. Pent wanted to get the upper hand and tried a few times to pin the other boy down and yet he continued to fidget and fight back.\n\nEventually, Nait just let his body lay flat. Pent showed his teeth and playfully growled at him before joining at his side. The two lay there for a while with neither saying much as they huffed and puffed, trying to catch their breath.\n\n\"What do you want to do now?\" Pent asked before slinging a small handful of mud at the other boy.\n\nNait hummed. \"Wanna go for a hike or something? We're already dirty so…haha.\"\n\n\"Yeah, sure. That sounds good.\" The white fox picked himself up and offered a paw to the other cub to help him up.\n\nNait stood up, shoulders square with Pent. Not realizing he had to look a bit up to gaze into the other cub's blue eyes. He didn't think much of it as he reached out to take his paw and lead him towards a nature trail that he had walked in the past. The two sloshed through the muddy backyard and back towards the street. They made their way together toward the front of the house. Pent thought about it a second, the park was a bit of a walk so he came up with an idea.\n\n\"Wanna just ride on the back of my bike so we can get there quicker?\" He suggested a way to save time.\n\nNait nodded. \"Sure, that sounds fun.\"\n\nPent disappeared for a moment before returning with a dark red bike. The bicycle's paint job was cracked and well past its prime. Dirt and grime caked up throughout its frame and not much of the color could be seen. He held the thing up before easing his leg over the middle bar, waiting for his friend.\n\n\"Come on then…\" Pent said patiently as he wagged his tail.\n\nNait padded over to Pent and waited a moment more as the white fox got himself situated. The other boy adjusted the seat a bit, to make it higher, before waving the lion to join him. Nait hopped on and the other cub began pedaling down the road. The other boy grabbed onto his shoulders to give himself a little bit extra safety. The two smiled widely as they made their way down the street with the wind blowing into their face and fur.\n\nIt took them a bit to arrive at the park, but they didn't enter it. Pent kept along the fencing that separated the park from the streets.\n\n\"So…where is this nature trail?\" He asked the other cub, stopping to wipe his forehead of the sweat that had accumulated.\n\nNait pointed ahead. \"Just over there. We're almost there. There's a bike rack out front so we can walk it if you don't want to bike anymore.\"\n\n\"Sounds good…heh.\" Pent didn't want to admit he was getting fatigued and began pushing along again.\n\nThe sight of the bike rack in the distance gave him a target to aim for and he picked up speed in hopes of finishing sooner. When they finally arrived, Pent was panting exasperated.\n\n\"Let me get you some water…stay here alright?\" Nait suggested it to be helpful.\n\nPent nodded and disappeared for a moment. The lion went to a nearby water fountain and grabbed one of the paper cups before filling it up. He returned to the fox who had already sat down on a ledge.\n\n\"Here you go. We can take a break before we start if you want.\" Nait sat down next to him to make it less awkward for the other boy.\n\nPent shook his head. \"Nah, I'll be fine. Just need a moment.\" The fox wiped his forehead and drank the entire cup in a single swig.\n\n\"Want some more?\" Nait asked, offering his paw to take the cup back again.\n\nPent smiled. \"How about I just come with you?\"\n\n\"Haha…good idea if you're thirsty. These cups aren't very big.\" Nait led back to the water fountain and waited for Pent to satiate his thirst.\n\nThe white fox spent a few seconds slurping up the water. Once he was done, he washed his face, matting down his fur a bit.\n\n \"Alright, I'm ready,\" Pent said trying to sound like he was normal.\n\nIn actuality, his body was aching a bit but it was nothing that would stop him from enjoying himself.\n\nNait bent down to get some water as well, not spending nearly as long before he was ready. While he did that, Pent walked back to lock up the bike on the rack. Arriving back at where Nait was, Pent smiled at him. The two look at one another. Pent found he could almost see the top of Nait's head now. Just what was going on? He thought to himself. Was Nait bending his knees or something?\n\nNait didn't seem bothered by it much as he walked forward and gestured for Pent to join him. The fox smiled and joined him in walking down the trail. Pent was glad he had good stamina and didn't feel that tired despite expending as much energy as he did. The two\n began to walk down the trail. The trail was pretty easy to differentiate as a path since it had rocks lining it on each side so people didn't deter off of it.\n\nPent regretted not having brought some binoculars as he tried to take in the sights of the woods without any assistance. Nait occasionally stopped to look at some birds there were flying back. Each time he did, the fox trailed off a bit as he was more interested in the foliage. Eventually, they came across a fallen tree and had to climb over the top of it. The fox had no issue in mounting the thing but had to help the other boy.\n\nIt took them a bit over an hour to reach the trail's end. A cliff overlooking the lower level portion of the woods that snaked below. The two friends could see that people had stopped to take pictures. Nait brought himself to the edge and sat alongside it, despite a warning side being posted nearby.\n\n\"Come on, let's take a load off.\" He suggested looking back at Pent.\n\nNait realized that he could see a bit of Pent's stomach peeping out from the shirt he was wearing. The thing looked rather small on him.\n\n\"How come you wore that old shirt anyways?\" He asked finally trying to address the ever-present issue.\n\nPent cocked an eyebrow. \"Huh? What are you talking about? This shirt is new…?\"\n\n\"Well, it doesn't fit you anymore…haha. Maybe you should take it off?\" Nait suggested without putting much thought into it.\n\nThe white fox looked down at himself. Sure enough, he could see his fur sticking out below. \"And….wear what else. We are in public…it can wait.\"\n\nPent joined his friend at the edge and the two sat there for a bit. The white fox enjoyed taking a load off, for the time being, trying to stretch away the aching he felt in his muscles. His stomach growled, reminding him it was almost time to eat. Looking down below him, he couldn't help but admire the view.\n\n\"You two…away from the edge before you fall or I will have to escort you out.\" A member of park security warned them.\n\nNait huffed. \"Alright, I guess it's almost lunchtime anyway.\"\n\nPent got up first and helped his friend. Looking behind him, he realized there was a small vendor stand.\n\n\"Should we just get food here then? We're already here and it's going to take a while to walk back.\" The bigger boy suggested.\n\nNait nodded. \"Yeah, I'm hungry.\"\n\nThe two headed over toward the stand which had a short line of people in front of them.\n\n\"Heh, me too. My stomach's been growling for a while.\" Pent allowed the other boy in front of him.\n\nPent filed in behind the other cub, finding he was able to look clear over his head now. The fox blinked and rubbed his eyes. The line moved and yet he could still see over Nait's head. Just what was going on…he thought to himself as he stood in place.\n\n\"Come on….\" Nait noticed that the other cub was lagging behind him.\n\nPent rejoined him shortly after and the two paid for their sandwiches. Their money was rather soggy but the vendor was still more than happy to take it. The Lion found a nice place under a tree but Pent continued to think about his problem. The thought of Pent's issue remained at the back of his mind now…he couldn't focus on eating even if his stomach was growling more regularly now.\n\n\"What's wrong? Even I can hear your tummy….just eat, dude.\" Nait said trying to snap his friend out of it.\n\nThe fox shook his head and took a bite out of it, speaking once he swallowed. \"Can I ask you something stupid?\"\n\n\"Sure, go for it.\" The lion didn't look back at his friend, trying to work through his meal.\n\nPent huffed. \"Do I look…different to you?\"\n\n\"No. What kind of question is that? You are still a white fox boy. What's the problem?\" Nait looked back up at his friend, curious about the odd question.\n\nPent sighed adjusting himself in placing, reaching down to loosen one of his shoes. \"I dunno…I just feel bigger…?\"\n\n\"I mean…you said you had a growth spurt so, of course, you do. Don't be silly.\" Nait tried to remain positive and took another bite of his meal.\n\nThe fox slid off the shoe…his foot feeling much better the moment it was free. \"Yeah but… as all my stuff feels tight now.\"\n\n\"You just need new clothes. We can go home if it's bothering you. Why are you taking off your shoes?\" Nait noticed the other cub was taking off his other shoe now.\n\nPent took a second to force the thing off. \"Because…even they hurt now. Nothing fits now dude…it's crazy. I could have sworn it was fine this morning.\"\n\n\"Maybe you're just tired…We can go home if you want dude. Let's just finish lunch.\" Nait continued to chow down his meal.\n\nThe white fox felt a bit better now that his shoes were off. However some of the seams of his shirt were ripping and each time he moved, they pulled a bit more. Still, he tried to ignore it and eat his meal. Pent worked through the sandwich rather quickly, his stomach finally satiated.\n\n\"Ready to go then?\" Nait asked as he stood up and offered a paw to the other cub to help him up.\n\nPent leaned over and grabbed his shoes. \"One sec…guess I have to go barefoot now.\"\n\nThe kit took off his shoes and took the hand before standing up. Nait looked up at him now more closely. Something looked off but did he want to admit he thought so too now? Nait wasn't sure it was the right decision and decided to ignore it. He stared for a second at the other cub before snapping himself out of it. Nait watched as Pent started walking again, much more methodical and calculated than before as he was watching each step\n\nAs Pent was walking the button on his jean shorts popped out. He tried to fiddle with it but the thing simply would not cooperate. The fox sighed…all the signs pointed to the obvious even if he didn't want to admit it. Nait walked from behind, continuing to look at him from behind. All of the sudden, Pent stopped. Had he stepped on something and hurt himself? Nait couldn't be sure.\n\nPent was feeling a bit woozy as he stood there trying to collect himself. He reached up to touch his head, the skin underneath which felt strangely warm compared to normal. It was as if he had a fever. A moment later and the fox felt like something was building up inside of him. The fever he was experiencing, created a headache as he stood there trying to deal with the sudden fit of trauma. Nait rushed to the bigger boy's side.\n\n \"Are you alright?\" The lion asked, touching the right side of his arm to soothe him.\n\nPent did not answer despite having the will to. Pent closed his eyes and opened his mouth. A hiccup escaped from his maw as his body began to expand beneath him. The formerly poor-fitting shirt and pants ripped within seconds. Nait watched as the already larger fox grew before his eyes. The entirety of the cub's form was achy and sore. Bit by bit Pent's body enlarged until he collapsed on the floor under his weight.\n\nPent felt a little bit better. His fever had subsided, even if his forehead still showed beads of sweat. Nait kneeled beside him. It was all very clear what was happening now but Nait wanted to make sure the fox was alright.\n\n\"Pent…are you okay…?\" He asked a second time since the first question had not been answered.\n\nPent was still fighting a bit of a headache but slowly opened his eyes. \"Yeah…just sore…heh.\"\n\n\"I think…we need to go home.\" Nait avoided sharing the obvious as he didn't want to scare his friend.\n\nThe white fox took a deep breath. \"Okay…just give me a second.\"\n\nThe cub leaned back and snapped some of the twigs behind him. The chest of his shirt entirely gave way as it no longer fit him anymore. Pent lifted one of his paws to take the thing off.\n\n\"Looks like I outgrew this…heh.\" Pent said fully aware of his issue.\n\n\"Yeah…kinda weird how it's happening so fast. Why do you think it is?\" Nait asked as he stood there looking at the crestfallen fox.\n\nPent hummed. \"I dunno but I agree we need to get home before it gets worse…\"\n\n\"Come on, let me help you up…\" Nait offered a paw to the other cub.\n\nThe bigger boy gladly took the hand and tried pulling himself up, pulling down Nait in the progress. \"Oops…sorry.\"\n\n\"Haha…okay…you're on your own, I guess.\" Nait picked himself off of Pent.\n\nThe fox smiled and pushed himself off the floor. Standing up next to the lion, he couldn't help but ruffle the fur on his head just as he did with his younger brother.\n\"Wow…you got big…\" Nait said realizing he barely came up to the other cub's shoulder now.\n\nPent nodded. \"Looks like it…but it doesn't matter. We need to get home in case it hasn't stopped…\"\n\n\"Yeah, let's go. Come on…\" Nait offered his paw again to lead the other cub.\n\nPent hesitated before taking it, careful not to pull him back again. The cub took slow strides as his body was still rather sore and each step he took reminded him how achy he was. The two continued walking back toward the entrance of the nature walk. Fortunately, they passed no one and the fox kit was spared anyone seeing his half-naked body. Pent walked up to his bike and looked down at the thing. It looked ridiculously small to him.\n\n\"Maybe we should walk?\" Nait suggested as he took the bike from Pent.\n\nThe white fox huffed. \"Yeah, let's keep to the alleys though. I don't need anyone to see me like this…\"\n\n\"Let's go to my place since it's closer…\" The Lion suggested and he began walking alongside the bike.\n\nThe two began walking, Pent finding his strides took him a bit further. However, the pavement on his bare paws was somewhat bothersome. He grinned and bore it as it wasn't the first time he'd walked barefoot on the pavement before. However, the longer they walked the more bothersome it became. It took them about a little over an hour to reach Nait's house. Pent couldn't have been happier to see the home as he just wanted something soft to step on.\n\n\"We're here…\" Nait announced before looking around to see if his parents were home.\n\nPent hesitated before doing the same. \"So…should I hide or am I good?\"\n\n\"No one looks to\n be home. You should be alright.\" Nait looked back at the other boy almost stepping square into his upper chest.\n\nThe white fox rubbed the back of his forehead. \"Sorry…I didn't mean to walk into you.\"\n\n\"It's fine…come on. Let's go inside before someone sees a mostly naked giant cub.\" Nait walked up to the door and unlocked it before letting in the other boy.\n\nHe followed in shortly after and locked it behind him. \"So…how are you feeling now? Any better?\"\n\n\"I feel alright…just sore and achy and now my paws hurt…haha.\" Pent was still carrying his shoes from earlier.\n\n\"That's good…haha. I think you could fit into my dad's stuff now if you wanted some clothes.\" Nait offered a temporary fix to the problem.\n\nThe white cub hummed. \"Nah…I'm fine unless you're not comfortable with me like this.\"\n\n\"I don't care…it's just like the gym at school…except your just big. Same old foxy though…\" Nait smiled trying to keep an upbeat attitude.\n\nPent smiled. \"Wanna try something I've always wanted to do before I try to fix this…?\"\n\n \"What's that?\" Nait couldn't help but be curious about the idea the other cub had.\n\nThe white fox's face turned red. \"Promise to not think I'm weird?\"\n\n\"I mean…aren't we both?\" The lion stuck his tongue out playfully.\n\nPent rolled his eyes. \"I suppose…haha. Wanna play giant and tiny?\"\n\n\"What's that? I've never played that…?\" Nait kind of had an idea what it was but wanted to be sure.\n\nThe white fox smirked. \"Where we pretend I'm a giant and you run away…you know like Godzilla?\"\n\n\"Haha…sure but you are kind of already a giant. But we can do that…sure. Let me take off my shoes…Want me to take yours too? Not like you can wear them anyways…\" Nait offered to be helpful.\n\nPent nodded and got on his knees to offer the other cub his old footwear. Nait put the shoes over in the corner by the front door before doing the same with his own. He returned shortly after.\n\n\"Alright, cub zilla. What do I do?\" Nait looked over at Pent who was just about the same size as he was on his knees.\n\nThe bigger boy stood up and held out his arms and gripped his claws to show off his hands. \"You can run…little toy!\"\n\n\"That wasn't very scary…you can do better than that…\" The Lion crossed his arms and puffed out his chest proudly.\n\nPent huffed and gave his best roar, not making a very good impression but trying his best. Nait finally ran off trying to keep a distance from the bigger cub. With each step Pent took, he sounded off a muffled thud with his maw. Nait continued to circle the couch with Pent hot on his trail. There wasn't much space between them but the lion was still able to keep a short distance between them. Pent attempted another roar again and Nait giggled at the feeble attempt.\n\nThe two continued running around in circles for a bit. Eventually, the bigger boy started to feel dizzy and stopped in his tracks. Nait looked on in concern as he approached the other boy trying to rub his back. The cub tried to heave and yet nothing came up.\n\n\"Hic…\" The boy let out another escape of air through his maw.\n\nNait heard the sound and immediately felt the fox's body rise steadily against him. A sensation of energy ran through Pent's body. The white fox closed his eyes, trying to deal with the strain on his body as it grew bit by bit. The pants he was wearing finally ripped at the seams, leaving him in naught by poorly fitting boxers. The cub's legs gave out as the strain on his muscles became too much to bear. Luckily the fit did not last very long, sitting flat on his but trying to recover.\n\n\"Um…we need to fix this. I mean I'm having fun but if you get any bigger….it might become a problem.\" The Lion wasn't sure how big he got but he knew things were getting desperate.\n\nPent nodded unable to speak as he murmured instead. Nait rubbed his back trying to ease the tension.\n\n\"I have an idea that might ease the pain a bit…be right back.\" The lion disappeared for a moment before returning with some ointment.\n\nNait didn't ask and began rubbing it on Pent's body. The bigger cub let out a sigh of relief as the tension seemed to reduce.\n\n\"Is that nice? You don't need to talk just give me a sign you're alright with it.\" He asked to make sure Pent was comfortable with the ordeal.\n\nThe bigger cub nodded. \"Yeah…but my body just hurts all over.\"\n\n\"I'm sure….haha. Growing pains are a thing after all. We need to figure this out…and fast.\" Nait tried thinking about it for a moment.\n\nPent nodded. \"Yeah…heh. I'm going to need you to help me up…\"\n\n\"Uh…I'll try?\" The lion offered his paw to the other cub.\n\nThe white fox tried pulling himself up. His strength was more than enough to pull the smaller boy down on top of him. \"Sorry…\"\n\n\"Maybe you should just take it easy. Do you think I could figure it out?\" Nait didn't even know where to start but he wanted to be helpful.\n\nPent shook his head. \"I'm not sure what to do…but I need to power through this and help find a solution.\"\n\nPent gritted his teeth and stood up. Slowly his body lurched forward, taking one step at a time. The fox stood fully erect, his hands on his legs. The seems in his boxers had completely torn, though they remained on him. Standing up next to Pent, Nait found that he looked directly into the cub's furry chest. The other boy was so much bigger than him now and the Lion took a step back and stared.\n\n\"Wow…this is getting kind of crazy…Do you feel alright at least?\" Nait tried not staring but it was hard.\n\nPent huffed. \"I feel fine…just tense and achy…and sore…\"\n\n\"Come on…just take it easy and we can go to my room and see what we can figure out. Looks like we could play giant and tiny now…haha.\" The lion forced a smile though he wasn't sure the joke was in good taste.\n\nThe fox rolled his eyes. \"Maybe later…alright? I'm not feeling up to it right now.\"\n\n\"Yeah, sorry…bad joke. Let's go to my room and you can take a load off on the bed.\" Nait waited for his friend to follow him.\n\nThe two walked back to Nait's room. The lion's room was the first door down the hall and he held the door open for Pent to go in. The fox was much slower about moving, though his strides took him much further. The first step he took, the final strands of his underwear ripped leaving him in his birthday suit. The cub immediately covered himself out of vanity.\n\n\"Uh…let me get you a towel…one sec.\" Nait suggested as he knew he had nothing that fit the bigger boy.\n\nThe smaller cub disappeared into the nearby bedroom. Pent felt humiliated, his face entirely red. The whole ordeal was a lot for him to deal with. Nait poked his hand out of the bathroom while holding a towel.\n\n\"Thanks…heh.\" The fox cub took it and wrapped the thing around his waist.\n\nNait returned to the hall. \"Better now? You're not naked…at least?\n\n\n\"Uh…kinda…mostly…haha.\" Pent rubbed the back of his forehead.\n\nThe lion gestured for the bigger cub to follow him. \"Come on, let's see if we can figure this out.\"\n\nPent followed into boy into his room, having to duck under the entrance to make his way inside. Nait made his way to the computer and looked at his friend once he sat down.\n\n\"So what happened…what do you think caused this?\"\n\nThe kit hummed. \"Thinking about it…I guess I noticed it last night. It's hard to say you know because we are supposed to grow…naturally.\"\n\n\"Well, yeah but this is far from natural.\" Nait crossed his legs and tried to get more comfortable.\n\nPent stuck out his tongue. \"Duh…this would be kind of cool if it didn't hurt so bad.\"\n\n\"Oh? You like being that big?\" The lion asked, perking his eyebrow a bit.\n\nThe fox shrugged. \"It would be nice to not be the shortest in class for a change.\"\n\n\"You're fine the way you are. Who cares how tall you are?\" The smaller cub walked up to Pent and hugged him.\n\nNait walked back to his chair and sat down. \"So what do you think caused it? When did you first notice something was different?\"\n\nPent hummed and sat flat on his behind to take some of the pressure off his legs. \"I'd say probably last night or this morning.\"\n\n\"Think about it more…does anything come across your mind as strange?\" The lion continued to probe his friend.\n\nThe fox kit scratched his head. \"The only thing I can think of was dinner…it tasted a lot different than how I usually make it.\"\n\n\"Oh? Did your foster mother make it?\" Nait's eyebrow arched in curiosity.\n\nThe bigger cub shook his head. \"No, Samaliel did. I remember him saying he added some spices to it…\"\n\n\"Well, maybe that was it? Maybe you had a bad reaction to that?\" Nait leaned forward in his chair a bit.\n\nPent smiled. \"Maybe…it could be allergies I suppose…but this is still pretty crazy for an allergic reaction.\"\n\n\"Well, you've said to me you have to take medicine. Did you take any today?\" The smaller cub asked before getting up from the chair.\n\nThe white fox shook his head. \"No, but it's not allergy season.\"\n\n\"Maybe we should try that then…be right back…\" The lion kitten ran as fast as he could back into the bathroom to grab some allergy pills.\n\nHe knew his parents kept a jar of the stuff in the same place where they kept the hygiene stuff. He figured they wouldn't mind since Pent was suffering and he knew they would want to help him too. He struggled to open the jar before looking at it. The directions read to take 2 but he figured Pent would probably need more than that. Deciding on four, he quickly returned to his room and held out his paw.\n\nPent looked over and took the pills, figuring it was worth a shot. He opened his maw and popped the pills inside before swallowing them.\n\n\"Well…?\" Nait asked, expecting somewhat immediate results.\n\nThe white fox shrugged. \"I dunno how long allergy pills take to work and there's no saying if this is allergies or not…because it doesn't match my normal symptoms.\"\n\n\"I dunno…heh. It's all I can think of.\" Nait sighed sounding a bit defeated.\n\nPent felt something tickling his nose before letting out a sneeze. His body tingled a bit as he let\n out some air. The fox's body diminished a bit but not enough to notice.\n\n\"You…sneezed? Seems kind of weird since you just took allergy meds, no?\" Nait noted what he observed.\n\nThe fox blinked a few times. \"Kinda felt weird too…hard to explain…\"\n\nThe cub sneezed again, this time sending a greater chill down his body. His body shrank back even further, enough for Nait to notice as the sitting cub seemed to be almost within reach for him now.\n\n\"Hey…it's working! Keep sneezing…don't stop...I'll go get some pepper…or something!\" Nait quickly lept up to get something to elicit bodily function.\n\nPent wiped his nose as it was rather runny now. Normally he would try to fight the sensation but the thought of returning to normal was too promising for him. Before long the smaller cub returned with a feather duster and a jar of pepper. He held it up to the bigger cub.\n\n\"Come on…sniffy sniff!\" The Lion pounced up and down on his feet, his joy seems to have returned to him.\n\nThe white fox wasn't about to let him down either, indulging in both, allowing himself to sneeze again and again. Each time his body shrinks more and more visibly. A headache was raging in his head but the aches and pains in his body were resounding. Nait showed no hesitation, continuing to egg on the other cub. All he wanted was to have his friend back so they could play again.\n\nThe cub continued to sneeze over the next hour. His body returned to normal before long. When Nait was finally bigger than him once again, he couldn't help but hug the other boy. Pent's body too felt so much better, despite the insipid headache that now raged in his mind.\n\n\"Mind if I get some clothes…haha…\" The fox cub said, still sitting only covered by the same towel.\n\nNait nodded, grabbing him a set before allowing him to change. The fox grabbed his head to try to satiate the headache he was dealing with. Once he was dressed, the other cub tackled him and licked him.\n\n\"I'm so glad you're back to normal…Can we go play now? This is so BORING!!!!\" Nait said sticking out his tongue again.\n\nPent chuckled. \"Sure…haha. I'm game for whatever you are.\" \n\nThe two returned outside, playing the remainder of the day until the sun dawned for the night. The worries of Pent's growing problems are no longer paramount in their minds, instead replaced by laughter and jubilation. When night finally came, they returned inside. The fox ended up staying that night and having a sleepover with his friend. At dinner, the fox was treated to a nice dinner with the lion's family.\n\nPent sat down with the Lion's family who already had prepared plates for the two friends. The fox had never been used to sitting with anyone for dinner other than his brother and found it to be nice. The parents didn't know about his food preferences but Pent still maintained a smile throughout the meal. Pent thanked them full-heartedly, glad that he could have some semblance of a family night.\n\nAfterward, he insisted on helping with Cleaning. It was a chore he was used to at home but the older lions insisted he enjoyed himself instead of worrying about that. The fox happily wagged his tail, his worries and troubles seeming to have disappeared throughout the night. When dinner was over, Nait insisted on ice cream. The kitten's parents relented since it was the weekend but told them that it was fine but Nait would have to dress for bed first,\n\nThe Lion boy's tail wagged behind him as an idea came to his mind. Immediately asking if Pent could stay overnight. They of course approved, so long as his foster mother was fine with it. The fox fully expected she wouldn't care. They shot her a quick text and in mere seconds her response was shared with the two cubs who were eagerly awaiting a response. They said nothing and instead nodded with soft smiles on their faces.\n\nNait led back to his room with Pent close behind, the two skipping down the hall. Once inside they dressed down into nothing but their underwear. The bigger boy went through his stuff until he found pajama sets for the two of them. Changing into them, the fox found they were a bit baggy. Still, he wasn't about to complain as he was enjoying his time with the other cub. The other cub chuckles at him looking at the slightly loose sleeves and pants on his form.\n\nWhen they were ready, the two of them exploded down the hallway back towards the living room. Both of them fully expected the ice cream to be thawed and ready to eat. Back at the sofa, they plopped down over the top of it. Nait grabbed the ice cream carton which had been set on the coffee table for them with two spoons inside it. Neither cub wasted time, in the beginning, to dig down into the various flavors of ice cream. he boys were able to make rather quick work of it since it was a smaller carton.\n\n\"Hic…\" The fox covered his maw as the familiar sound resonated again.\n\nNait stared at him intently. \"Maybe you'll grow for real this time…\n\n\"Haha…very funny.\" Pent rolled his eyes at the other cub and glomped his friend on the other side of the sofa.\n\n The two remained there watching cartoons for the rest of the night. Their forms remain on top of one another, despite there being more than enough space for them to have moved. Yet neither of them argued about the closeness. Slumber eventually took them. The lion cub's parents find them slumped on top of one another. Each of them took a boy in their arms back to Nait's room to tuck them into bed.\n\nThe tale of the so-called growing fox boy faded into history with time. Neither of them seemed to remember much of it. Their minds focused on things that interested them more in which they had fun with. After all…boys will be boys.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Spicing it up by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters and micro/macro content. You have been warned.\t

It's a lazy day. A child lays on the couch, looking at the ceiling. The number of tiles has not changed and yet they count it again just to make sure. They spin their finger in the air, hoping to create the illusion of change, and yet their vision remains much too focused for any such thing to happen. They look out the window, the skies are pouring out in sheets of rain. The weather is atrocious and had it not been for the outside light the home would be completely dark.

Pent sat on his knees and stared at the rain. It was hard to make anything out. The rain was so thick that it obstructed any view he might have had otherwise. It was too bad, he thought to himself, there was supposed to be a star shower tonight and this would likely damper the event he had been looking forward to for some time now. The 12-year-old arctic fox cub sighed as he lay back down flat on his back.

The young fox kit lived on the outskirts of Montreal. The town where he lived was far enough removed from the city that it wasn't exactly the busiest place to live. As such, it required a bit of a trek to do anything that was considered trendy or even remotely popular. The town was a small suburb right along the biggest river leading towards the big city itself. Despite the somewhat isolated nature of it, Pent and his family had become accustomed to the lifestyle.

Pent lived with his younger brother who was 3 years his junior. The two lived with a foster mother who cared very little for them and did only what was necessary to maintain the status quo. As such, the older fox had taken much of the responsibility of care on his shoulders. Mature for his age, Pent had even gone as far as to take whatever work he could find. However, because of his age, he had to rely on payments for a tutoring service he had been offering for some time now.

Pent had garnered a rather good reputation as a study-hungry cub. He was studious and focused on his schoolwork. His teachers labeled him as gifted and he was one of the most advanced in his grade. Now in the first year of his secondary academic career, he had focused on helping many of his friends. Word quickly spread around his reputation earning him work both below his grade as well as above it.

Though Pent was one of the youngest students in the school, he remained determined to remain at the top academically. Always worried about a perfect GPA and studying when he needed to. His preferences remained more in math and science, topics that many of his age mates strayed away from. As such, sometimes he was taken advantage of and had become wary of so-called partners for his many projects.

After school, Pent had a few activities that he was a part of. The young fox kit was an active cub who loved sports, especially Hockey. He had joined a Pee Wee hockey club that he had been a part of for some time. The arctic fox was an avid defenseman but by no means was he a star player. When he was up to it, the cub tried his best to practice though his true passions lie elsewhere and so he usually only went to Hockey when there was a game or practice.

Pent was a sucker for experimentation. Always trying to find extra time to get in the lab. The school only allowed him so much time but he gladly took up the opportunity when it allowed him. The school had no science club despite his constant suggestion that they made one. None of the staff were willing to take up the task of staying after school. Despite his pestering teachers, both present and past, the cub had no luck in recruiting anyone to take care of it.

As such the cub had come up with his solution. Setting up an at-home lab, albeit it was nothing special. Pent had allotted himself a small corner of the room on the same side as the computer. It was a rather small space to work with but since he had no other option, it was either that or nothing. The fox was rather proud of his space, though there were times when curiosity got the better of either him or his younger brother.

It was getting close to the school science fair. The time of year when Pent went hog wild to get first place. Over the past few years, his projects had scored him a lucrative prize and he was hopeful that he could do it again. However, he knew things would be harder this year. The teacher had informed him that the school was separated into two groups and he would be competing against the lower grades of the secondary school where he was enrolled.

This did not deter the cub from thinking big. His brother had suggested several projects to him. Of course, this did not meet the grand design he had in mind. The cub wanted something different. Simple volcanoes or robots would just not do. Pent had spent the last few days coming up with something in his free time. Scouring the internet came up with a few thoughtful ideas but none of which he had the materials for.

Eventually, he stumbled on a promising hypothesis. The hypothesis itself postulated around the idea that while matter could not be created, it could be modified. Further looking into it, it seemed to hinge on the processes of genetic engineering. The cub continued to dig into it, wondering if he could make something of this. He knew he couldn't genetically engineer anything but figured he could get something to act as it wouldn't have otherwise.

Pent continued to delve into the idea of finding studies into proteins and amino acids. Various findings seemed to revolve around isolating specific amino groups and then introducing them into a different protein. The results seemed promising enough that nutritionists had been using it to enhance existing supplement shakes. Pent wondered if he could do something similar. Quickly looking at his microscope, he found that it wasn't quite strong enough to examine things at that level.

The fox continued looking around the internet. He wanted to remain within chemistry, despite how many interesting biology topics he came across. Several hours passed and he made very little progress other than having a list of possibilities. He hadn't lost hope but it seemed his aspirations were higher than usual. Frustration began to build and eventually, he decided to give it a break.

Samaliel had checked in on him a few times. The younger cub was nowhere near as dedicated to school as he was but was still curious about what his brother did.

"Any luck?" He said popping his head into the small room that they shared.

Pent shook his head. "Nah, nothing promising."

"Just pick something, dude. You're going to be there all day. Don't you want to go outside and play?" The salt and pepper fox wanted his brother to enjoy his free time as much as he was.

The white fox shrugged. "I want to win. You don't understand."

"Sure, I do. You talk about it enough. Just do something. You are smart enough to make it work." The smaller cub walked up to his brother and touched his shoulder gently.

The bigger boy smiled and showed the list he made to the other boy. "Thanks. What do you think I should do then?"

 "This one." Samaliel pointed without even looking at it.

Pent cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't even read it."

"Exactly…just do it and stop worrying about it being perfect. I'll be outside….don't keep me waiting. You promised to play hockey with me today, don't forget." The salt and pepper fox made his way out of the room again.

Pent shrugged and put the list doing, figuring he could look at it again later. The older cub put his shoes and socks on before joining Samaliel outside. The younger cub was waiting for him just outside the door, holding an extra stick for him. He handed it to Pent and the two began playing. The two passed and shot the ball among each other, with the older cub sticking to defense so Samaliel could work on his shooting.

"Getting better, dude." Pent tried to be as supportive as possible.

Samaliel wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Thanks, I'll score on you one day."

The two continued to play the game until it started to get dark. The street lights hit on and shone off the pavement. They continued playing until the traffic picked up and the glare of the lights of the car became too annoying to ignore.

"Come on, we can play again tomorrow." Pent huffed, glad that he had taken off some time to spend with his brother.

Samaliel panted. "Sure, as long as you don't stuff yourself on the computer again all day."

"Yeah, yeah. I promise." Pent put his paw forward as a gesture of sincerity to the younger boy.

Samaliel shook it a single time before letting go. "Catch me if you can!"

Pent followed after the younger cub who sprinted around the house and to the backyard. Samaliel had seen a tree house there the other day and he wanted to show his brother. The younger fox had already started up the ladder to the tree and Pent looked up at him.

"What are you doing? That's not ours." The older fox asked as he didn't want to get in trouble.

Samaliel peered down from the open wooden plank. "Oh, relax. I asked yesterday. They said we can have it if we want."

"Oh, alright then." Pent kicked his stick to the side where Samaliel had set his and made his way up the ladder.

Pent peered his head up through the same plank and into it. The place smelt of musty wood. Looking around, it wasn't very decorated. Only two windows had been fashioned into the structure to look out of but other than that there was nothing decorative about it. Samaliel had already sat down crossed-legged and was waiting for Pent.

"Come on…dinner can wait."
Samaliel patted the space next to him motioning for Pent to sit near him.

The white fox pulled himself up and into the tree house, looking out the windows for a second. He could see the street lights and houses below. It wasn't a very far view but nice nonetheless. He turned around to join his brother on the floor. Pent sat down right next to him, his legs spread out in front of him.

"This
 is pretty cool. They just gave it to you?" Pent asked still uncertain how Samaliel ended up with the gift.

The younger fox nodded. "Uh-huh. They said their kids stopped using it." Samaliel eased himself back and laid on the floor, allowing his legs to fall forward in the same fashion Pent's were.

"Cool. I'll have to tell them thanks tomorrow." Pent followed suit and looked out the window again.

The two remained silent for a few moments. The smaller fox's stomach started to rumble, reminding him that it was time to eat.

"Maybe we can sleep out here tonight?" Samaliel asked upon sitting up.

Pent hummed to himself a moment. "Sure, I don't see why not. We can bring out our sleeping bags after dinner."

"Thanks." Samaliel reached over to hug his brother.

He released his hug shortly after and slinked his body back down the ladder. Pent wasn't long after him as he was just as hungry. The two retreated to their home to make some food. The older fox sent his younger brother to take a shower. The white fox knew they could get smelly when they sweated and figured he had worked up just as much sweat as he did.

"What did you want for dinner?" Pent asked shouting towards the bathroom.

Pent could hear the shower was already running and heard no response. The older fox decided to situate the issue himself and just decided on pasta. He began the dish and pulled out the necessary ingredients while boiling the water. By the time everything was in the pot, Samaliel popped in behind him already in his pajamas.

"Your turn." The younger boy beckoned to his brother.

Pent looked over at him. "Think you could manage?"

"Yeah. I'll be careful. What do I need to do?" It wasn't the first time Samaliel had watched food cook before.

Pent stirred the pot. "Just stir the pot with the sauce. Nothing super complicated. I will be quick."

Samaliel was left alone and pulled over a stepping stool to get up to the pot. Once he could reach it, he started stirring the pot. It was an activity he hadn't done before and even after the first few seconds of it, he was already bored. He wondered if he could make the dish better. Letting the stirring spoon go, he looked around for the spice rack. He hopped up on a counter and opened the cabinet before trying to rifle through it.

Samaliel couldn't see anything as his body was hurdled over in trying to give him some leverage. The first small bottle he found, he took out of the pantry. He looked at it, a simple white label with a blurred-out word on it. He wasn't one much for spicey food and wondered if Pent might like it. Taking the thing back with him he got the plates from the table and brought them back to where the dish was being prepared.

He delivered himself some of the pasta from the top and then did the same with Pent's plate. Taking the little plastic bottle from where he placed it and opened it. He looked inside it, the little flakes were red and it didn't appear to be that much inside. He decided to pour all of it out on Pent's dish. He emptied it and tossed the thing over his shoulder, flying far from his intended target of the garbage on the other side of the room.

By the time Pent had returned, Samaliel had already served up the meal.  The younger cub was already at the table and waiting for him. The older fox had already changed into his wardrobe which was just a two-piece space-themed pajama set. Each boy had a plate at their usual spot. The older fox wasn't expecting this and wagged his tail at the gesture.

"Ah, all done? Thanks for serving it up. I'm sure you did well." Pent began to think of a desert he could reward the other cub with.

The younger boy's tail wagged. "Cool, thanks."

Pent grabbed both of them some milk, the usual beverage he chose for nighttime as he didn't like sugary drinks late at night. He served up the drinks and some napkins before joining the other cub at the table. Samaliel started to chow down and worked through the noodles rather quickly. The other cub was much slower about eating and tried to enjoy his meals even when he was starving.

Pent took the first bite and savored the taste. It had an odd flavor to it but still resembled spaghetti for the most part. The older fox was afraid to say anything out of hurting his brother's feelings. After swallowing it a weird aftertaste lingered in his maw. The cub tried not to wince and quickly took a swig of the milk.

"You did good!" Pent forced a smile to pretend that he liked it.

Samaliel turned his head. "Yay, good. I added some spices to yours. I'm glad you like them."

"Yeah…" Pent forced another bite wondering what spice he could have added.

The younger fox went back to eating, already a quarter through his dish. Pent meanwhile struggled to get through his but still managed to shovel it into his maw. Each time he took a bite the lingering aftertaste became stronger. Pent couldn't help but think his breath would smell terrible after this but sucked it up and continued to work his way through the meal. By the time Samaliel was halfway done, Pent had still much more left to go.

The two continued eating their meal. When Samaliel finished, he looked over at Pent. The young cub was eager to finish the meal and the white fox certainly wasn't going to disappoint him. Pent trudged through the meal with some effort and once it was done he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Pew, you got some bad breath now!" Samaliel complained about his brother's foul breath.

Pent rolled his eyes. "Duh…you put spices in my meal. What did you think would happen?"
"Just go brush your teeth, dude….We can clean up after." The younger fox pinched his nose and walked away to start cleaning up the dishes.

The older fox shrugged. "Fine. It's your fault though. Though it did taste good…haha."

"Good, now…shew." The salt and pepper fox started cleaning off the table by himself for the time being.

Pent left the kitchen to the bathroom. The bathroom was at the end of the hall right next to their room. He shared it with Samaliel while their foster mother had her own in the master bedroom. Once he was inside it, he lifted his paw and breathed into it. Sure enough, it did smell pretty foul. He couldn't make out the spice his brother used but supposed it didn't matter. He began brushing his teeth, which always took a bit since he had a full set of adult teeth now.

After finishing he breathed into his hands again. He could still make out the faint smell of the odor so he decided to try again. This time going as far as to brush his tongue and gums. Now that he was satisfied with his hygiene routine, he returned to his brother who was still busy cleaning up the kitchen and had started with the dishes. Pent made his way to the sink and took his usual spot next to the faucet.

The two began cleaning in tandem, working through the dirty dishes. Their foster mother had left her own in it, leaving them to do it. Neither boy complained as they enjoyed each other's company.  They were able to make short work of the chore. When they were done, Pent did not forget his earlier idea and went into the freezer to pull out his brother a frozen fruit pop. He knew orange was his favorite and hoped there was some left since he hadn't bought any in some time.

The cub located some grapes and pulled them out before showing them to Samaliel. The younger cub jumped in place before coming over to pluck it from his brother. Pent looked for one for himself but found no second treat. The older fox shrugged, glad that his brother could enjoy it at least. The younger cub wasted no time in ripping open the package and began sucking it down his maw without delay.

As he reached about halfway he realized Pent had not gotten himself one. "Did you want some?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just have a cookie or something." Pent made his way to the pantry to look for something for himself.

Pent began to look through some of the cabinets. He knew full well that their foster mother hid most of the stuff she bought for herself. He also figured it was a risk going through it but he wanted to get rid of the foul taste that remained in his maw. Eventually, he found a small loli pop. He figured the thing was insignificant enough that she wouldn't miss it. Besides there was plenty more in the package, he told himself.

He took a yellow one and unwrapped it before beginning to suck on it.

The older cub spoke while he was enjoying it. "Did you still want to sleep out in the tree house?"

"What do you want to do?" Samaliel asked as he didn't want to be a burden.

"I don't mind either way but we don't have a bug lamp so unless we use spray, we will probably get bit." The older fox warned his brother.

Samaliel hummed to himself. "Alright. Maybe another night then?"

"Sure, I'll get a bug lamp to prepare for it. You can head to bed then if you're tired. I will be in a moment." The white fox smiled at the smaller boy.

The salt and pepper fox smiled before bolting back towards their room, leaving Pent alone again. He chuckled at the other cub who had left the popsicle packaging in the sink. He washed it out in the water and disposed of it.  The boy was still working away at the lollipop, glad that the aftertaste was mostly gone now. He disposed of the wrapper and made his way out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Pent returned to their room to see Samaliel spinning around in the office chair.

"Better be careful, so you don't get sick…or fall out of the chair." The older fox warned his brother.

The smaller cub continued to rotate around in the chair. "Wheeeeeee…."

The younger fox rotated a few times before stopping because he felt dizzy. He remained in the chair for a few seconds before stumbling out of it and onto the floor. The bigger boy padded over and leaned down to offer him a paw. Samaliel couldn't help himself and tugged on the bigger boy. The older fox wasn't expecting this and his body
 tumbled over the smaller fox's. Pent laughed and rolled his body over so that it was flat and right next to Samaliel's body.

"Wanna play a game?" Samaliel rotated over so that his body faced Pent's.

The older fox remained on his back. "Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Hmm. Well, last night we did video games. Do you want to play a board game or something else?" Samaliel continued to think about it in case his brother said no.

The white fox shrugged. "Whatever you want, dude. I'm game for whatever."

"Anything? Do you not have anything you want to play?" Samaliel wanted Pent to pick something for want.

Pent sighed. "I just want you to be happy. Can you pick, please?"

"Mmm…but I want to do something you want to do?" Samaliel brought himself so he was directly over the other cub's body.

The older fox hummed. "Uh…can you give me a second to think about it…"

Samaliel stood up, careful to not step on the other boy. "How about something we used to play when I was younger?"

"And….what game is that? We played a lot of things when you were younger." Pent smirked at the fact that Samaliel still was picking despite his previous request.

Samaliel offered to help Pent up. "Hide and seek?"

"Sure, you want me to hide or seek?" The older cub felt like he knew the answer but asked just in case.

Pent got up off the floor and ruffled Samaliel's head fur before he answered. "I wanna hide!"

"You got it. I will count to 30." Pent walked over to the wall so he could cover his eyes.

The older cub started counting and Samaliel sprinted out of the room. Pent stopped covering his eyes once he heard the door close. It had been a while since he played the game but he figured he could find the other cub pretty quickly. The fox looked at his phone and decided to time himself. Once the 30 seconds had elapsed, Pent began the timer on the phone and began searching for Samaliel.

 The fox headed down the hall and listened keenly for anything that sounded off. He took slow and methodical steps believing that Samaliel would slip up and make some form of sound. He heard nothing except the tap of his claws on the floor.  Pent continued to make his way down the hall until he was in the living room. The lights had been turned off, which meant that Samaliel had been through the room.

Pent began to look around the various pieces of furniture in the room. He found nothing by the couch or the sofa and checked inside the largest cabinet in the front room. The white fox turned around and went back into the kitchen. It was cooler inside it now since no oven was running. He figured that Samaliel probably couldn't hide in the kitchen since nothing was big enough to hold him so he just moved past it.

The cub continued into the laundry room, which smelt like fresh powder. He saw a spilled-over box of detergent and smirked. He knew the younger cub had likely been through there and poked his paw into the laundry basket. Sure enough, a high-pitched giggle was elicited.

"Looks like I found you. You can come out now." Pent removed a sheet on top of it revealing his brother inside.

Samaliel stuck his tongue out at the other cub. "Boo, okay."

Pent slowly tipped over the basket so his brother could get out. "I'm surprised you fit inside there."

"Secret stash fox can hide anywhere!" The salt and pepper fox stood up, his clothing covered in some detergent that had spilled from the fallen-over box.

"You should probably go change since your clothes have that stuff all over them now." Pent tried dusting his bother off but residue remained.

The smaller boy shrugged. "Okay."

Pent picked up a nearby broom to clean up what had spilled, making rather quick work of it. When he was done, he made his way back to the room. He arrived back to Samaliel in nothing but underwear.

"You're just gonna wear underwear to bed?" Pent asked as normally the younger boy liked to wear pajamas.

Samaliel "Nuh-uh. My jammies are dirty. Can I wear some of yours?"

"Uh…mine might be too big for you and you got my hand me downs so it's not like I have anything else old to give you." Pent went over to the drawer to check just in case.

"Pwease? We can do whatever you want tomorrow." Samaliel gave his best puppy face that he could come up with.

Pent rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess."

"Cool, thanks!" The younger fox jumped up in place as his tail wagged behind him.

Pent went through the top drawer and found something he didn't mind the younger cub borrowing a bit. The pajama set was a plaid one with both a top and bottom in matching colors. The white cub threw it at his brother.

"Go on then. You can wear that. I'm going to take a shower. I will be back after." Pent took another set for himself and headed into the bathroom.

The white fox took a deep breath as he waded into the floored bathroom that they shared. He could see that the mirror was still fogged up from when Samaliel had showered. The smaller cub had left his towel bundled up in the corner. Pent rolled his eyes as he picked it up and turned on the spicket to wait for it. He wasn't nearly as picky as the younger cub and cold water didn't bother him as much.

Pent stepped into the shower and bathed himself. He was a pretty hygienic cub who took care of himself. He allowed himself to relax a bit and soaped himself up before rubbing it in and washing it off. When he felt like everything was clean to his liking, he stepped back out into the bathroom. The cub dried himself, which always took a while because he had a rather thick fur that never completely dried no matter what he did.

Pent dried himself and patted his body down to make sure he was only a little bit damp. Once he was done, he sat down and pulled his boxers up his legs. The cub then dressed in the pajamas he had brought with him. Upon pulling up the bottom half of it, he found it strange the piece didn't quite sag onto the floor. He was normal to the garment dragging a bit as he had purposely bought it a size too big.

He figured it must have been because he was wet and decided to not think about it. Yawning, he reminded himself that he was tired and ready for bed. Pent returned to their room and hopped up on the ladder to check on Samaliel. The younger cub had already closed his eyes, so Pent leaned over and kissed his forehead. The older fox retreated down and peered outside the window.

Pent looked into the dark beyond for a while, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star shower. He didn't want to risk moving his telescope and waking up the younger cub. Instead, he stared into the sky in hopes of seeing anything.  He only caught a brief sight of a few streaking lights. He couldn't help but wonder about them, thinking about how they worked and wanted to look more into it. A project for later he told himself.

The older fox finally eased himself back into a rested position once he had seen no further activity for a while. He allowed his eyes to close and tried to relax. It took a bit for sleep to overtake him but when it did, he slept quite soundly. The cub went without any dreams that night, at least ones that his mind recalled. The room remained silent and without disruption, until the next morning.

Samaliel was the first one to wake up, as he often was. The younger cub sprang out of bed and immediately slid down the ladder to get his brother up. Shaking Pent, he wanted to try to wake him up. It didn't take long before the older cub roused. Pent sat up in the bed and smiled at his brother.

"Don't forget. You are supposed to meet your friend at the park." The younger cub reminded his brother who had told him about the play date more than a few times.

Pent yawned and picked himself up out of the bed before patting his brother on the head. "Thanks, bro. I didn't forget."

"No, problem." The younger fox's stomach grumbled and he showed himself out of the room.

The white fox took his time getting out of bed before standing up to stretch. He decided changing clothes would have to wait since he didn't want to leave Samaliel hanging for long. He made his way down the hall and into the kitchen. Upon arriving, Pent saw that the younger cub was already chowing down on an apple.

"Oatmeal, alright?" Pent asked as he wanted to be sure Samaliel was ok with the decision.

The younger boy nodded and said nothing as he was still munching on the fruit. Pent prepared a bowl for the two of them, grabbing himself a drink while he waited. The white fox decided on an orange himself and cut it open before beginning to eat it himself. By the time he was half done, the microwave beeped and he grabbed the two bowls from inside. Pent joined his brother at the table and the two continued to eat breakfast together.

Samaliel noticed his brother was working through the meal quicker today. "Hungry, huh?"

"I guess, why?" Pent said looking at the smaller cub.

Samaliel shrugged. "No reason."

Pent decided to ignore the answer and continue working down the meal. Samaliel was still the first of the two to finish but the older cub didn't take much longer.

"I'll do the dishes if you wanna head out to hang with your friend." Samaliel suggested this to be helpful.

Pent's tail wagged behind him. "Really? Alright cool. Thanks."

The white fox patted his brother's head again and made his way out of the kitchen and back into their room. Pent rifled through his drawers to find something to wear, settling on a simple graphic t-shirt, jean shorts, and some ankle-length socks. The boy sat down on the bottom bunk and began to take off his shirt. He exchanged it with the graphic tee and found that the thing just barely covered his stomach.

Pent had always been used to it draping a little over his pants. Ignoring it, for the time being, he repeated the same process with his bottom half. Looking at them again, reminded him that the length of the pants just barely covered his feet. Perhaps he was finally
 getting bigger, he told himself. The fox decides to check on his way out. The arctic fox finished changing into his clothes and put on his shoes.

Just as he was getting up, the bell rang. Forgetting all about checking, the fox rushed out of the room to greet the arrival of what he thought was his friend. Pent rushed down the hall at full speed, not worried about running into anyone. The boy reached the door before long and didn't even bother to look through the peephole. The fox opened the door to find that his friend Nait was indeed on the other side.

Nait was the young lion who Pent had met in a year or so. The two had become fast friends and tried to hang out when time allowed for it. Despite the two being the same age, Nait had always been the bigger of the two, having had his growth spurt earlier than the fox had. Pent had been one of the last in his age group to experience the milestone and was one of the smallest boys in class.

 "Hey, Pento. How's you?" The Lion stuck his tongue out at the other cub.

Pent smiled. "Nuthin. Did you want to go to the park?"

"Sure, that sounds fun. The weather is good for it." Nait stepped to the side to allow the other cub to join him.

Pent turned around and yelled inside. "I'll be back later, Samaliel. Call me if you need something."

The white fox turned back towards the door and stepped outside before locking the door. Pent looked over at Nait, whose eyes were now level with his own. Pent blinked and rubbed his eyes for a second as it was a sight he wasn't quite used to.

"Oh, hey. Looks like you finally caught up to me…haha" Nait joked as he rubbed the back of his head with his right paw.

Pent nodded. "Uh-huh. Kinda felt like my stuff didn't fit so I guess I had a bit of a growth spurt."

"Cool, come on. Let's go play!" The feline didn't linger much on the issue and ran off into the distance not giving Pent much of a warning on the matter.

The fox kit followed and gave chase once he realized his friend had taken the lead. The lion kept a short distance ahead of the other cub, leading his way toward the backyard. Nait had put together a small bucket of water balloons. Pent glared at him warily.

"But…we're not wearing a swimsuit." He warned the other cub.

Nait picked up one of them, not seeming to care much about that fact.  He launched the elastic ball toward his friend. The white fox watched as the quickly thrown piece of ammunition catapulted towards him. It was slow enough that he was able to get out of the way just before it hit him. The thing exploded onto the floor behind him.

"No fair…I don't have any…" Pent whined and complained with a sour look on his face.

Nait picked up another and held it in his paws. "Come get some then!"

The white fox contemplated his options for a moment. He looked at the other cub who seemed serious. Pent slowly walked forward, still wary that Nait would strike at any moment. When he was finally close enough, he bent over to get a few of the water balloons for himself. Nait smirked at the fact the other boy had fallen into a trap. Dropping the balloon from where he was holding it, right onto the back of Pent's head.

Pent felt the minor thud on the back of his skull. The water splashed all over the rear side of his head as it dripped down the sides of his cheek. It didn't hurt much and Pent quickly took one of the balloons he was holding and threw it back up toward Nait. The balloon fell flat back into Nait's paws as the impact wasn't nearly strong enough to make it burst.  The lion picked it up and dropped the thing right back on Pent's back, causing it to break this time.

Pent chuckled as the water exploded onto his back. Running a short distance from the other cub as he tried to get back at him. The white fox was already wet and had forgotten about his concern about making his clothes wet. The two continued their little game of water balloons for some time. Throwing back and forth, landing fewer times than they missed. By the time they ran out of balloons, the two of them were completely soaked.

Nait giggled as he looked into the bucket to see that only torn bits of elastic remained. He threw whatever water was in there toward Pent but the other cub was too far to reach. The white fox grabbed a nearby hose and proceeded to squirt his friend. The boy's foster had returned just in time to see what was going on. The woman's grey-furred face burned bright red as she screamed.

"Stop right this instant! You two are making a mess!" She stomped her paw into the ground, making some of the soggy soil pop upward and get on her pants.

Pent had to hold back a giggle but Nait was less hesitant, laughing rather loudly at her.

"Clean this…right now! I don't want to see any of this when I get home from work…or else!" She stormed back toward where she came from.

Pent rolled his eyes. Just how were they supposed to clean up the mess they made? The fox looked up into the sky. The clouds were dark which meant it would likely rain.

"Don't worry about what she said…the rain will hopefully take care of it." Pent said figuring not much could be done anyways.

Nait smirked and tackled the other cub. Pent found himself underneath the other boy. Their bodies entangled as they wrapped around in a rotating ball of both furry boys. The two continued to tumble, neither seeming content with giving up. Pent wanted to get the upper hand and tried a few times to pin the other boy down and yet he continued to fidget and fight back.

Eventually, Nait just let his body lay flat. Pent showed his teeth and playfully growled at him before joining at his side. The two lay there for a while with neither saying much as they huffed and puffed, trying to catch their breath.

"What do you want to do now?" Pent asked before slinging a small handful of mud at the other boy.

Nait hummed. "Wanna go for a hike or something? We're already dirty so…haha."

"Yeah, sure. That sounds good." The white fox picked himself up and offered a paw to the other cub to help him up.

Nait stood up, shoulders square with Pent. Not realizing he had to look a bit up to gaze into the other cub's blue eyes. He didn't think much of it as he reached out to take his paw and lead him towards a nature trail that he had walked in the past. The two sloshed through the muddy backyard and back towards the street. They made their way together toward the front of the house. Pent thought about it a second, the park was a bit of a walk so he came up with an idea.

"Wanna just ride on the back of my bike so we can get there quicker?" He suggested a way to save time.

Nait nodded. "Sure, that sounds fun."

Pent disappeared for a moment before returning with a dark red bike. The bicycle's paint job was cracked and well past its prime. Dirt and grime caked up throughout its frame and not much of the color could be seen. He held the thing up before easing his leg over the middle bar, waiting for his friend.

"Come on then…" Pent said patiently as he wagged his tail.

Nait padded over to Pent and waited a moment more as the white fox got himself situated. The other boy adjusted the seat a bit, to make it higher, before waving the lion to join him. Nait hopped on and the other cub began pedaling down the road. The other boy grabbed onto his shoulders to give himself a little bit extra safety. The two smiled widely as they made their way down the street with the wind blowing into their face and fur.

It took them a bit to arrive at the park, but they didn't enter it. Pent kept along the fencing that separated the park from the streets.

"So…where is this nature trail?" He asked the other cub, stopping to wipe his forehead of the sweat that had accumulated.

Nait pointed ahead. "Just over there. We're almost there. There's a bike rack out front so we can walk it if you don't want to bike anymore."

"Sounds good…heh." Pent didn't want to admit he was getting fatigued and began pushing along again.

The sight of the bike rack in the distance gave him a target to aim for and he picked up speed in hopes of finishing sooner. When they finally arrived, Pent was panting exasperated.

"Let me get you some water…stay here alright?" Nait suggested it to be helpful.

Pent nodded and disappeared for a moment. The lion went to a nearby water fountain and grabbed one of the paper cups before filling it up. He returned to the fox who had already sat down on a ledge.

"Here you go. We can take a break before we start if you want."  Nait sat down next to him to make it less awkward for the other boy.

Pent shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Just need a moment." The fox wiped his forehead and drank the entire cup in a single swig.

"Want some more?" Nait asked, offering his paw to take the cup back again.

Pent smiled. "How about I just come with you?"

"Haha…good idea if you're thirsty. These cups aren't very big." Nait led back to the water fountain and waited for Pent to satiate his thirst.

The white fox spent a few seconds slurping up the water. Once he was done, he washed his face, matting down his fur a bit.

 "Alright, I'm ready," Pent said trying to sound like he was normal.

In actuality, his body was aching a bit but it was nothing that would stop him from enjoying himself.

Nait bent down to get some water as well, not spending nearly as long before he was ready. While he did that, Pent walked back to lock up the bike on the rack. Arriving back at where Nait was, Pent smiled at him. The two look at one another. Pent found he could almost see the top of Nait's head now. Just what was going on? He thought to himself. Was Nait bending his knees or something?

Nait didn't seem bothered by it much as he walked forward and gestured for Pent to join him. The fox smiled and joined him in walking down the trail. Pent was glad he had good stamina and didn't feel that tired despite expending as much energy as he did. The two
 began to walk down the trail. The trail was pretty easy to differentiate as a path since it had rocks lining it on each side so people didn't deter off of it.

Pent regretted not having brought some binoculars as he tried to take in the sights of the woods without any assistance. Nait occasionally stopped to look at some birds there were flying back. Each time he did, the fox trailed off a bit as he was more interested in the foliage. Eventually, they came across a fallen tree and had to climb over the top of it. The fox had no issue in mounting the thing but had to help the other boy.

It took them a bit over an hour to reach the trail's end. A cliff overlooking the lower level portion of the woods that snaked below. The two friends could see that people had stopped to take pictures. Nait brought himself to the edge and sat alongside it, despite a warning side being posted nearby.

"Come on, let's take a load off." He suggested looking back at Pent.

Nait realized that he could see a bit of Pent's stomach peeping out from the shirt he was wearing. The thing looked rather small on him.

"How come you wore that old shirt anyways?" He asked finally trying to address the ever-present issue.

Pent cocked an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you talking about? This shirt is new…?"

"Well, it doesn't fit you anymore…haha. Maybe you should take it off?" Nait suggested without putting much thought into it.

The white fox looked down at himself. Sure enough, he could see his fur sticking out below. "And….wear what else. We are in public…it can wait."

Pent joined his friend at the edge and the two sat there for a bit. The white fox enjoyed taking a load off, for the time being, trying to stretch away the aching he felt in his muscles. His stomach growled, reminding him it was almost time to eat. Looking down below him, he couldn't help but admire the view.

"You two…away from the edge before you fall or I will have to escort you out." A member of park security warned them.

Nait huffed. "Alright, I guess it's almost lunchtime anyway."

Pent got up first and helped his friend. Looking behind him, he realized there was a small vendor stand.

"Should we just get food here then? We're already here and it's going to take a while to walk back." The bigger boy suggested.

Nait nodded. "Yeah, I'm hungry."

The two headed over toward the stand which had a short line of people in front of them.

"Heh, me too. My stomach's been growling for a while." Pent allowed the other boy in front of him.

Pent filed in behind the other cub, finding he was able to look clear over his head now. The fox blinked and rubbed his eyes. The line moved and yet he could still see over Nait's head. Just what was going on…he thought to himself as he stood in place.

"Come on…." Nait noticed that the other cub was lagging behind him.

Pent rejoined him shortly after and the two paid for their sandwiches. Their money was rather soggy but the vendor was still more than happy to take it. The Lion found a nice place under a tree but Pent continued to think about his problem. The thought of Pent's issue remained at the back of his mind now…he couldn't focus on eating even if his stomach was growling more regularly now.

"What's wrong? Even I can hear your tummy….just eat, dude." Nait said trying to snap his friend out of it.

The fox shook his head and took a bite out of it, speaking once he swallowed. "Can I ask you something stupid?"

"Sure, go for it." The lion didn't look back at his friend, trying to work through his meal.

Pent huffed. "Do I look…different to you?"

"No. What kind of question is that? You are still a white fox boy. What's the problem?" Nait looked back up at his friend, curious about the odd question.

Pent sighed adjusting himself in placing, reaching down to loosen one of his shoes. "I dunno…I just feel bigger…?"

"I mean…you said you had a growth spurt so, of course, you do. Don't be silly." Nait tried to remain positive and took another bite of his meal.

The fox slid off the shoe…his foot feeling much better the moment it was free. "Yeah but… as all my stuff feels tight now."

"You just need new clothes. We can go home if it's bothering you. Why are you taking off your shoes?" Nait noticed the other cub was taking off his other shoe now.

Pent took a second to force the thing off. "Because…even they hurt now. Nothing fits now dude…it's crazy. I could have sworn it was fine this morning."

"Maybe you're just tired…We can go home if you want dude. Let's just finish lunch." Nait continued to chow down his meal.

The white fox felt a bit better now that his shoes were off. However some of the seams of his shirt were ripping and each time he moved, they pulled a bit more. Still, he tried to ignore it and eat his meal. Pent worked through the sandwich rather quickly, his stomach finally satiated.

"Ready to go then?" Nait asked as he stood up and offered a paw to the other cub to help him up.

Pent leaned over and grabbed his shoes. "One sec…guess I have to go barefoot now."

The kit took off his shoes and took the hand before standing up. Nait looked up at him now more closely. Something looked off but did he want to admit he thought so too now? Nait wasn't sure it was the right decision and decided to ignore it. He stared for a second at the other cub before snapping himself out of it. Nait watched as Pent started walking again, much more methodical and calculated than before as he was watching each step

As Pent was walking the button on his jean shorts popped out. He tried to fiddle with it but the thing simply would not cooperate. The fox sighed…all the signs pointed to the obvious even if he didn't want to admit it. Nait walked from behind, continuing to look at him from behind. All of the sudden, Pent stopped. Had he stepped on something and hurt himself? Nait couldn't be sure.

Pent was feeling a bit woozy as he stood there trying to collect himself. He reached up to touch his head, the skin underneath which felt strangely warm compared to normal. It was as if he had a fever. A moment later and the fox felt like something was building up inside of him. The fever he was experiencing, created a headache as he stood there trying to deal with the sudden fit of trauma. Nait rushed to the bigger boy's side.

 "Are you alright?" The lion asked, touching the right side of his arm to soothe him.

Pent did not answer despite having the will to. Pent closed his eyes and opened his mouth. A hiccup escaped from his maw as his body began to expand beneath him. The formerly poor-fitting shirt and pants ripped within seconds. Nait watched as the already larger fox grew before his eyes. The entirety of the cub's form was achy and sore. Bit by bit Pent's body enlarged until he collapsed on the floor under his weight.

Pent felt a little bit better. His fever had subsided, even if his forehead still showed beads of sweat. Nait kneeled beside him. It was all very clear what was happening now but Nait wanted to make sure the fox was alright.

"Pent…are you okay…?" He asked a second time since the first question had not been answered.

Pent was still fighting a bit of a headache but slowly opened his eyes. "Yeah…just sore…heh."

"I think…we need to go home." Nait avoided sharing the obvious as he didn't want to scare his friend.

The white fox took a deep breath. "Okay…just give me a second."

The cub leaned back and snapped some of the twigs behind him. The chest of his shirt entirely gave way as it no longer fit him anymore. Pent lifted one of his paws to take the thing off.

"Looks like I outgrew this…heh." Pent said fully aware of his issue.

"Yeah…kinda weird how it's happening so fast. Why do you think it is?"  Nait asked as he stood there looking at the crestfallen fox.

Pent hummed. "I dunno but I agree we need to get home before it gets worse…"

"Come on, let me help you up…" Nait offered a paw to the other cub.

The bigger boy gladly took the hand and tried pulling himself up, pulling down Nait in the progress. "Oops…sorry."

"Haha…okay…you're on your own, I guess." Nait picked himself off of Pent.

The fox smiled and pushed himself off the floor.  Standing up next to the lion, he couldn't help but ruffle the fur on his head just as he did with his younger brother.
"Wow…you got big…" Nait said realizing he barely came up to the other cub's shoulder now.

Pent nodded. "Looks like it…but it doesn't matter. We need to get home in case it hasn't stopped…"

"Yeah, let's go. Come on…" Nait offered his paw again to lead the other cub.

Pent hesitated before taking it, careful not to pull him back again. The cub took slow strides as his body was still rather sore and each step he took reminded him how achy he was. The two continued walking back toward the entrance of the nature walk. Fortunately, they passed no one and the fox kit was spared anyone seeing his half-naked body.  Pent walked up to his bike and looked down at the thing. It looked ridiculously small to him.

"Maybe we should walk?" Nait suggested as he took the bike from Pent.

The white fox huffed. "Yeah, let's keep to the alleys though. I don't need anyone to see me like this…"

"Let's go to my place since it's closer…" The Lion suggested and he began walking alongside the bike.

The two began walking, Pent finding his strides took him a bit further. However, the pavement on his bare paws was somewhat bothersome. He grinned and bore it as it wasn't the first time he'd walked barefoot on the pavement before. However, the longer they walked the more bothersome it became.  It took them about a little over an hour to reach Nait's house. Pent couldn't have been happier to see the home as he just wanted something soft to step on.

"We're here…" Nait announced before looking around to see if his parents were home.

Pent hesitated before doing the same. "So…should I hide or am I good?"

"No one looks to
 be home. You should be alright." Nait looked back at the other boy almost stepping square into his upper chest.

The white fox rubbed the back of his forehead. "Sorry…I didn't mean to walk into you."

"It's fine…come on. Let's go inside before someone sees a mostly naked giant cub." Nait walked up to the door and unlocked it before letting in the other boy.

He followed in shortly after and locked it behind him. "So…how are you feeling now? Any better?"

"I feel alright…just sore and achy and now my paws hurt…haha." Pent was still carrying his shoes from earlier.

"That's good…haha. I think you could fit into my dad's stuff now if you wanted some clothes." Nait offered a temporary fix to the problem.

The white cub hummed. "Nah…I'm fine unless you're not comfortable with me like this."

"I don't care…it's just like the gym at school…except your just big. Same old foxy though…" Nait smiled trying to keep an upbeat attitude.

Pent smiled. "Wanna try something I've always wanted to do before I try to fix this…?"

 "What's that?" Nait couldn't help but be curious about the idea the other cub had.

The white fox's face turned red. "Promise to not think I'm weird?"

"I mean…aren't we both?" The lion stuck his tongue out playfully.

Pent rolled his eyes. "I suppose…haha. Wanna play giant and tiny?"

"What's that? I've never played that…?" Nait kind of had an idea what it was but wanted to be sure.

The white fox smirked. "Where we pretend I'm a giant and you run away…you know like Godzilla?"

"Haha…sure but you are kind of already a giant. But we can do that…sure. Let me take off my shoes…Want me to take yours too? Not like you can wear them anyways…" Nait offered to be helpful.

Pent nodded and got on his knees to offer the other cub his old footwear. Nait put the shoes over in the corner by the front door before doing the same with his own. He returned shortly after.

"Alright, cub zilla. What do I do?" Nait looked over at Pent who was just about the same size as he was on his knees.

The bigger boy stood up and held out his arms and gripped his claws to show off his hands. "You can run…little toy!"

"That wasn't very scary…you can do better than that…" The Lion crossed his arms and puffed out his chest proudly.

Pent huffed and gave his best roar, not making a very good impression but trying his best. Nait finally ran off trying to keep a distance from the bigger cub. With each step Pent took, he sounded off a muffled thud with his maw. Nait continued to circle the couch with Pent hot on his trail. There wasn't much space between them but the lion was still able to keep a short distance between them. Pent attempted another roar again and Nait giggled at the feeble attempt.

The two continued running around in circles for a bit. Eventually, the bigger boy started to feel dizzy and stopped in his tracks. Nait looked on in concern as he approached the other boy trying to rub his back. The cub tried to heave and yet nothing came up.

"Hic…" The boy let out another escape of air through his maw.

Nait heard the sound and immediately felt the fox's body rise steadily against him. A sensation of energy ran through Pent's body. The white fox closed his eyes, trying to deal with the strain on his body as it grew bit by bit. The pants he was wearing finally ripped at the seams, leaving him in naught by poorly fitting boxers. The cub's legs gave out as the strain on his muscles became too much to bear. Luckily the fit did not last very long, sitting flat on his but trying to recover.

"Um…we need to fix this. I mean I'm having fun but if you get any bigger….it might become a problem." The Lion wasn't sure how big he got but he knew things were getting desperate.

Pent nodded unable to speak as he murmured instead. Nait rubbed his back trying to ease the tension.

"I have an idea that might ease the pain a bit…be right back." The lion disappeared for a moment before returning with some ointment.

Nait didn't ask and began rubbing it on Pent's body. The bigger cub let out a sigh of relief as the tension seemed to reduce.

"Is that nice? You don't need to talk just give me a sign you're alright with it." He asked to make sure Pent was comfortable with the ordeal.

The bigger cub nodded. "Yeah…but my body just hurts all over."

"I'm sure….haha. Growing pains are a thing after all. We need to figure this out…and fast." Nait tried thinking about it for a moment.

Pent nodded. "Yeah…heh. I'm going to need you to help me up…"

"Uh…I'll try?" The lion offered his paw to the other cub.

The white fox tried pulling himself up. His strength was more than enough to pull the smaller boy down on top of him. "Sorry…"

"Maybe you should just take it easy. Do you think I could figure it out?" Nait didn't even know where to start but he wanted to be helpful.

Pent shook his head. "I'm not sure what to do…but I need to power through this and help find a solution."

Pent gritted his teeth and stood up. Slowly his body lurched forward, taking one step at a time. The fox stood fully erect, his hands on his legs. The seems in his boxers had completely torn, though they remained on him. Standing up next to Pent, Nait found that he looked directly into the cub's furry chest. The other boy was so much bigger than him now and the Lion took a step back and stared.

"Wow…this is getting kind of crazy…Do you feel alright at least?" Nait tried not staring but it was hard.

Pent huffed. "I feel fine…just tense and achy…and sore…"

"Come on…just take it easy and we can go to my room and see what we can figure out. Looks like we could play giant and tiny now…haha." The lion forced a smile though he wasn't sure the joke was in good taste.

The fox rolled his eyes. "Maybe later…alright? I'm not feeling up to it right now."

"Yeah, sorry…bad joke. Let's go to my room and you can take a load off on the bed." Nait waited for his friend to follow him.

The two walked back to Nait's room. The lion's room was the first door down the hall and he held the door open for Pent to go in. The fox was much slower about moving, though his strides took him much further. The first step he took, the final strands of his underwear ripped leaving him in his birthday suit. The cub immediately covered himself out of vanity.

"Uh…let me get you a towel…one sec." Nait suggested as he knew he had nothing that fit the bigger boy.

The smaller cub disappeared into the nearby bedroom. Pent felt humiliated, his face entirely red. The whole ordeal was a lot for him to deal with.  Nait poked his hand out of the bathroom while holding a towel.

"Thanks…heh." The fox cub took it and wrapped the thing around his waist.

Nait returned to the hall. "Better now? You're not naked…at least?


"Uh…kinda…mostly…haha." Pent rubbed the back of his forehead.

The lion gestured for the bigger cub to follow him. "Come on,  let's see if we can figure this out."

Pent followed into boy into his room, having to duck under the entrance to make his way inside. Nait made his way to the computer and looked at his friend once he sat down.

"So what happened…what do you think caused this?"

The kit hummed. "Thinking about it…I guess I noticed it last night. It's hard to say you know because we are supposed to grow…naturally."

"Well, yeah but this is far from natural." Nait crossed his legs and tried to get more comfortable.

Pent stuck out his tongue. "Duh…this would be kind of cool if it didn't hurt so bad."

"Oh? You like being that big?" The lion asked, perking his eyebrow a bit.

The fox shrugged. "It would be nice to not be the shortest in class for a change."

"You're fine the way you are. Who cares how tall you are?" The smaller cub walked up to Pent and hugged him.

Nait walked back to his chair and sat down. "So what do you think caused it? When did you first notice something was different?"

Pent hummed and sat flat on his behind to take some of the pressure off his legs. "I'd say probably last night or this morning."

"Think about it more…does anything come across your mind as strange?" The lion continued to probe his friend.

The fox kit scratched his head. "The only thing I can think of was dinner…it tasted a lot different than how I usually make it."

"Oh? Did your foster mother make it?" Nait's eyebrow arched in curiosity.

The bigger cub shook his head. "No, Samaliel did. I remember him saying he added some spices to it…"

"Well, maybe that was it? Maybe you had a bad reaction to that?" Nait leaned forward in his chair a bit.

Pent smiled. "Maybe…it could be allergies I suppose…but this is still pretty crazy for an allergic reaction."

"Well, you've said to me you have to take medicine. Did you take any today?" The smaller cub asked before getting up from the chair.

The white fox shook his head. "No, but it's not allergy season."

"Maybe we should try that then…be right back…" The lion kitten ran as fast as he could back into the bathroom to grab some allergy pills.

He knew his parents kept a jar of the stuff in the same place where they kept the hygiene stuff. He figured they wouldn't mind since Pent was suffering and he knew they would want to help him too. He struggled to open the jar before looking at it. The directions read to take 2 but he figured Pent would probably need more than that. Deciding on four, he quickly returned to his room and held out his paw.

Pent looked over and took the pills, figuring it was worth a shot. He opened his maw and popped the pills inside before swallowing them.

"Well…?" Nait asked, expecting somewhat immediate results.

The white fox shrugged. "I dunno how long allergy pills take to work and there's no saying if this is allergies or not…because it doesn't match my normal symptoms."

"I dunno…heh. It's all I can think of." Nait sighed sounding a bit defeated.

Pent felt something tickling his nose before letting out a sneeze. His body tingled a bit as he let
 out some air. The fox's body diminished a bit but not enough to notice.

"You…sneezed? Seems kind of weird since you just took allergy meds, no?" Nait noted what he observed.

The fox blinked a few times. "Kinda felt weird too…hard to explain…"

The cub sneezed again, this time sending a greater chill down his body. His body shrank back even further, enough for Nait to notice as the sitting cub seemed to be almost within reach for him now.

"Hey…it's working! Keep sneezing…don't stop...I'll go get some pepper…or something!" Nait quickly lept up to get something to elicit bodily function.

Pent wiped his nose as it was rather runny now. Normally he would try to fight the sensation but the thought of returning to normal was too promising for him. Before long the smaller cub returned with a feather duster and a jar of pepper. He held it up to the bigger cub.

"Come on…sniffy sniff!" The Lion pounced up and down on his feet, his joy seems to have returned to him.

The white fox wasn't about to let him down either, indulging in both, allowing himself to sneeze again and again. Each time his body shrinks more and more visibly. A headache was raging in his head but the aches and pains in his body were resounding. Nait showed no hesitation, continuing to egg on the other cub. All he wanted was to have his friend back so they could play again.

The cub continued to sneeze over the next hour. His body returned to normal before long. When Nait was finally bigger than him once again, he couldn't help but hug the other boy. Pent's body too felt so much better, despite the insipid headache that now raged in his mind.

"Mind if I get some clothes…haha…" The fox cub said, still sitting only covered by the same towel.

Nait nodded, grabbing him a set before allowing him to change. The fox grabbed his head to try to satiate the headache he was dealing with. Once he was dressed, the other cub tackled him and licked him.

"I'm so glad you're back to normal…Can we go play now? This is so BORING!!!!" Nait said sticking out his tongue again.

Pent chuckled. "Sure…haha. I'm game for whatever you are."          

The two returned outside, playing the remainder of the day until the sun dawned for the night. The worries of Pent's growing problems are no longer paramount in their minds, instead replaced by laughter and jubilation. When night finally came, they returned inside. The fox ended up staying that night and having a sleepover with his friend.  At dinner, the fox was treated to a nice dinner with the lion's family.

Pent sat down with the Lion's family who already had prepared plates for the two friends. The fox had never been used to sitting with anyone for dinner other than his brother and found it to be nice. The parents didn't know about his food preferences but Pent still maintained a smile throughout the meal. Pent thanked them full-heartedly, glad that he could have some semblance of a family night.

Afterward, he insisted on helping with Cleaning. It was a chore he was used to at home but the older lions insisted he enjoyed himself instead of worrying about that. The fox happily wagged his tail, his worries and troubles seeming to have disappeared throughout the night. When dinner was over, Nait insisted on ice cream. The kitten's parents relented since it was the weekend but told them that it was fine but Nait would have to dress for bed first,

The Lion boy's tail wagged behind him as an idea came to his mind. Immediately asking if Pent could stay overnight. They of course approved, so long as his foster mother was fine with it. The fox fully expected she wouldn't care. They shot her a quick text and in mere seconds her response was shared with the two cubs who were eagerly awaiting a response. They said nothing and instead nodded with soft smiles on their faces.

Nait led back to his room with Pent close behind, the two skipping down the hall.  Once inside they dressed down into nothing but their underwear. The bigger boy went through his stuff until he found pajama sets for the two of them. Changing into them, the fox found they were a bit baggy. Still, he wasn't about to complain as he was enjoying his time with the other cub. The other cub chuckles at him looking at the slightly loose sleeves and pants on his form.

When they were ready, the two of them exploded down the hallway back towards the living room. Both of them fully expected the ice cream to be thawed and ready to eat. Back at the sofa, they plopped down over the top of it. Nait grabbed the ice cream carton which had been set on the coffee table for them with two spoons inside it. Neither cub wasted time, in the beginning, to dig down into the various flavors of ice cream. he boys were able to make rather quick work of it since it was a smaller carton.

"Hic…" The fox covered his maw as the familiar sound resonated again.

Nait stared at him intently. "Maybe you'll grow for real this time…

"Haha…very funny." Pent rolled his eyes at the other cub and glomped his friend on the other side of the sofa.

 The two remained there watching cartoons for the rest of the night. Their forms remain on top of one another, despite there being more than enough space for them to have moved. Yet neither of them argued about the closeness. Slumber eventually took them. The lion cub's parents find them slumped on top of one another. Each of them took a boy in their arms back to Nait's room to tuck them into bed.

The tale of the so-called growing fox boy faded into history with time. Neither of them seemed to remember much of it. Their minds focused on things that interested them more in which they had fun with. After all…boys will be boys.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Spicing it up", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "186" }