SWNOVELS Chapter Part 6
(Kurai)
I wish that onions weren’t toxic, but those bread rings were pretty good. Honestly? Onion might not even be deadly to a mutant wolf. Today is day 6! According to Cheese yesterday, this is where the challenge starts to become impossible.
“Good morning, Cheese!” I exclaim.
It is snowing again. Cheese has essentially taken up residence in our house at this point. She’s sipping some hot milk happily while everyone else is asleep. She smiles and puts the milk down.
“Kurai, are you absolutely sure you want to continue on with this self-imposed challenge?” Cheese asks.
“Absolutely! Give me today’s menu item!” I say.
“Day six is six geese a-laying, fiiiiiveee gooooolden riiiiiings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree!” Cheese sings.
“Oh…oh no… SIX geese?!” I exclaim.
Okay, okay, okay, a single goose is about as tall as me, if not taller. I have to eat six of them AND their eggs. Cheese was right, this may very well be impossible. Foxy, who is also in our house still for some reason, shrugs her shoulders, lying on the floor near my bedroom.
“You said you wanted to keep going,” Cheese says.
“Okay, okay, I’ll do it! Foxy, you might need to help me, again,” I say, wincing.
“Happy to help. I’d roll you around all day if I had to!” Foxy says excitedly.
“Good, let’s go!” I exclaim.
Foxy and I run out of the den. I almost slip in the snow. That would have been bad! Becoming a snowball is for AFTER I eat the geese, not BEFORE.
Now, we end up traveling past the apartments where I ate the French hens. Past here, there are Geese with their eggs. Foxy watches as I sneak in. Unfortunately, my black fur does not blend in well with the snow.
“Hey, did you see something moving just now?” one goose asks.
“Yeah, what is that thing?” another goose asks.
“Ah, it’s just a wolf,” a third goose says.
“I think they see you, Kurai,” Foxy whispers.
“Dang it,” I say.
The element of surprise gone, I reveal myself. WHY are these geese laying eggs in the winter??? I have no clue. They usually start spring and keep going until fall.
“A wolf? That’s rather short and fat for a wolf,” the first goose says and laughs.
“Excuse me, ladies. I see you have eggs,” I say.
“Yeah, and?!” one of the geese asks.
Geese are highly aggressive. I stop, take a deep breath, and pad closer. Casually, I grab an egg in my mouth and swallow it. Instantly, the geese are alerted of my evil intent.
“RUN, KURAI!” Foxy yelps.
I take off running, multiple geese are on my tail. What did I expect? I just killed one of their babies! The geese chase me, honking and biting at me.
“NOT GOOD!” I wail.
Eventually, I realize I cannot keep running. They are faster than me and already biting at my tail. I flip around abruptly and open my jowls wide. The first goose cannot stop in time and falls right into my mouth.
Slowly, and painfully as the others all bite me, I swallow the first goose. She struggles so forcefully my belly creaks threateningly as though about to burst. One down, five to go. I lunge forwards despite their razor sharp beaks.
Two geese down…ugh… I’m struggling to keep them down. I cry out in pain as the other geese keep biting me. Their bites are swelling up.
“Kurai, I think you need to bail,” Foxy advises.
Do I listen? Never. I grab a third goose in my mouth and begin to swallow her as well. I’ve NEVER pulled this kind of stunt before. This is far more food than I have ever consumed before.
I then manage to grab the fourth goose, ripping her sharp beak away from my tender, aching flesh. Slooooooooowly, I add her to my belly. Foxy comes to help me as I can barely move anymore. The geese were not expecting Foxy as her white fur blends in with the snow.
“Goose five,” Foxy says, shoving a fifth aggressive, long-necked bird down my throat.
I groan in agony. My belly is now five times the size of the rest of my body. The tight lumpy mass thrashes wildly as the geese are freaking out. Just one more goose! Then I have to eat the eggs!
No point in leaving the eggs without parents. Foxy apprehends the sixth goose and feeds her to me. Next step, Foxy rolls me to the nests. She helps me find the six nests that belonged to the six geese I ate.
“Here we go, a little after meal snack!” Foxy says.
Oh the pain! Both from the bites and from stretching to hold so many geese. Foxy climbs up my belly and stuffs the eggs into my mouth. At last, I swallow the final egg.
“You did it!” Foxy cheers. “Look at you! You’re absolutely massive!”
“Ughhhhhh,” I groan.
Bbbbrrrrrrggggggg-ggggg-gggg-rrrrrrbbbbb! My stomach groans. Foxy begins to roll me home. It’s a bit harder this time because my belly is even larger. I sure hope day 7 isn’t THIS bad.
“Cheese! Cheese! She’s gonna explode!” Foxy exclaims with a laugh.
Ah, we must have arrived home. My stomach continues making weird noises, but the snow I’m encased in muffles it a bit. Foxy quickly removes the snowball from me. Cheese walks over with a surprised look on her face.
“I didn’t think you could pull it off, but now I see I was wrong!” Cheese exclaims.
“They tried to kill me,” I say. “…but I won in the end.”
“Wow, you’re going to be needing a LONG rest after all that! How are you even going to get comfortable?!” Cheese asks.
“I don’t think I CAN get comfortable…” I say.
“I’m losing my mind,” my mother says with a groan.
(Suisen)
Six days left until Christmas. The snow is falling again outside my den. I watch it for a moment, pondering life. What am I to do?
Yesterday was a complete disaster. I still can’t believe Kurai robbed a jewelry shop. I’m feeling really sad today. I’ve failed as a mother…
What to do? What to do? I awake and Kurai is already gone. Cheese has helped herself to more of my nice warm milk… I’ve no job, and no gift STILL for Kurai.
As I pace anxiously, my eyes turn to the letter from Arashi. Why didn’t I just dispose of his letter? What is stopping me from eating the letter just as I had the last? I approach it, huffing angrily.
I stop. Is there a chance…? A chance that MAYBE Arashi can behave for one day? Should I risk inviting him over this year? Why are these intrusive thoughts rattling around in my brain?!
“No! I hate you, Arashi!” I yell.
“Mrs. Ōkami,” Cheese says, bringing my attention back.
“S-sorry…” I say. “Little mouse, does your family not worry about you?”
“I have so many siblings. I don’t think my parents even notice I am missing. It’s touching to see how much you care for Kurai,” Cheese comments.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” I say.
“It’s alright,” Cheese says. “So what’s so important about this Arashi guy?”
“Arashi’s been my rival since my school days. He’s always been pestering me. …and other things…” I say.
“Oh,” Cheese says.
“He’s just some black lab who works at the lab in the local hospital. But Kurai seems to think he’s her father,” I say. “I told her that he isn’t, but she insists!”
“What is the harm in letting Arashi visit for one day?” Cheese asks.
“He might attack, or possibly kill my daughter…” I reply.
“Not if you keep a close eye on him. Why don’t you give him a chance? For Kurai’s sake,” Cheese suggests.
“Okay…I-I’ll do it…” I say.
Against my better judgement, I leave my den. I pad along to Arashi’s house. I know where he lives. He’s, luckily, all the way across the city from me and Kurai.
I approach his house. However, I feel a cold dread. My body protests, freezing up. I can’t do it! I CAN’T! I get so close to his door, but I turn and flee.
I run all the way back home. No way no how am I actually going to knock on his door! Ah, but I arrive home to a little…errr…HUGE surprise. Kurai has also just got home and she’s a HUGE ball! Her belly is at least 6 times her size!
“…I’m losing my mind…” I say with a groan.
“Uhhhh, hi, mom…” Kurai says.
“Well, looks like you succeeded,” Cheese says to Kurai. “You ate the eggs as well, right?”
“Yep! I swallowed the eggs as well!” Kurai says.
“You killed the kids?!” I ask.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave them orphaned in the cold?!” Kurai asks.
“No! You weren’t supposed to eat the geese at all!” I exclaim.
“BWARRRRPPPPPP!” Kurai belches.