Dawn broke, and the morning sun shone brightly on the horizon.
Wolfton lay on the ground with a huge bubble inflating and deflating from his nose with every breath. His stomach was swollen like a balloon, rising and falling as he snored loudly, a sound that could rival a pig's grunt. His left arm rested lazily across his belly; the purple stickman slept like a baby.
Standing in front of him were two figures. One was the blue hulk, Jake. The other was a woman with feline features, crouched low, her two tails flicking back and forth.
"Jake, what have you done?! Look at his bloated stomach!" she exclaimed, exasperated.
"Hehehe." Jake gave an awkward smile, scratching his nape. "My roasted meat was too good to resist. He just couldn't stop eating."
In the blink of an eye, the woman appeared beside Wolfton. Crouching, she poked his belly with a finger, it jiggled like jelly.
"Can this guy even stand? You turned the poor boy into a fat pig!" she said, still poking him.
"Sara, don't play with someone else's stomach like that. What if he wakes up?" Jake warned.
"If it's not a plaything, then why is it play-shaped?" Sara replied deadpan.
Suddenly, Wolfton jolted up, half awake. A mucus-filled grunt escaped his throat as he spat to the side. Still dazed, he blinked at Jake.
"Oh, hi Jake. How's the morning?"
Without warning, a piercing scream filled the air. It came from his side, snapping him fully awake.
"AAAAAAARGH!!!" Sara shrieked, her hands inches from her spit-covered face.
"My face!!! AAAAAARGH!!!" She started running around in panic, tongue flailing like a frightened serpent.
"Sara, wait! I've got water and a cloth to clean your face! Wait!!!" Jake ran after her.
Wolfton sat frozen, stunned. "Eh…?"
Moments later, Sara had calmed down and cleaned her face, though she still looked horrified, as if she could still feel the spit there.
Wolfton approached her and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, really, really sorry! I didn't know you were there. I just spat subconsciously. Please forgive me."
"Let that be the first and last time that ever happens," Sara said, a dark aura forming around her, eyes glowing red with murderous intent.
Wolfton shuddered. 'Scary', he thought, forcing a nervous smile.
"Don't be such a drama queen, Sara. It wasn't on purpose," Jake said.
"What would you know? The spit didn't land on your face!" she retorted.
"Tried to warn you," Jake muttered.
"Hmph." She pouted and turned away.
Some minutes later, they had packed up camp and were ready to leave. As they walked, Wolfton's stomach wobbled up and down with every step, even he was starting to feel embarrassed.
"I might have eaten a little too much. Gosh, Jake's such a good cook. I couldn't stop myself… now I look like a pregnant woman," he muttered.
He glanced at Sara, who walked ahead on all fours. Hesitant, he spoke.
"Uh, Sara, you're a Nekomata, right? The cat people?"
She smirked. "Hmm? Oh, first time seeing my kind? Did you fall for me, my fluffy orange fur, glinting emerald eyes, cute face, graceful body, furry little ears, sweet arms, or my outward beauty?" She struck a dramatic pose, hands on her chin, her wide puppy eyes exaggeratedly innocent.
Wolfton stared awkwardly, borderline nauseous.
"I… guess."
Suddenly, the bushes near them rustled. Jake stepped in front of the two, arms spread wide protectively, his muscles tensing. His fists flared with blue light. Wolfton stared at him deadpan, he could protect himself... Well could.
The rustling grew louder, until three figures burst out of the brush.
A black, green, and red stickmen appeared: Raven, Helga, and Tiana.
Wolfton's eyes widened before relaxing into relief.
"Raven! Helga! Tiana! Am I glad to see you!" He spread his arms wide.
"Holy moly, boly, coly! What am I seeing?! Wolfton, why are you pregnant?!" Raven shouted, unable to look away. The other two stared in disbelief.
"Helga, Wolfton ate a mountain, he's become a big fat pig!" Tiana exclaimed, eyes wide.
"I couldn't agree more. What happened in the short time we were apart?" Helga asked, mouth slightly open.
"What's with those reactions? After all this time, we're finally reunited. Can we not make it more sentimental? I only ate, okay?" Wolfton pouted.
Jake walked forward. "Hello, you guys must be Wolfton's party. Nice to meet you, I'm Jake, and this is Sara."
Still stunned, they stared at him.
"You're the one who turned him into this? You trying to stuff him to death?" Helga demanded.
"Haha, forgive me. I couldn't stop him," Jake replied awkwardly.
"Awwn, Wolfton's party really loves him, look at those bewildered faces," Sara teased, suddenly springing in front of them with wide, puppy-like glimmering eyes.
"A hulk and a cat person," Tiana said, her eyes sparkling.
"The cat person is a Nekomata," Raven corrected.
"Oh, right, where are our manners? I'm Raven, this is Helga, and the little one is Tiana, she's our guide for this quest," he added.
Jake and Raven shook hands.
"I guess this is where we part ways, Wolfton," Jake said.
"Awwn, but my team wants to show gratitude by helping you find those people," Wolfton said.
"Huh? We do? And which people?" Helga asked.
"Yes! We want to find whoever caused the monster massacre while searching for the missing pet, right? We'll work with them, right?" Wolfton turned to Raven and Helga, pleading with big puppy eyes.
The effects bounced off the latter two, they stared at him deadpan.
"Wolfton's a big fat pig," Tiana said, peeking out from behind Helga, eyes fixed on his wobbling stomach.
"Shut up!" he barked.
"You guys really want to find whoever did this?" Sara asked.
"Yeah. I mean, who wouldn't want to know the cause after seeing that?" Raven replied.
"No problem," Jake said with a grin. "We can work together to investigate."
"I'll give you a heads-up on what we've discovered so far," Jake added.