Welcome To Halfway

İ1998 David J Rust


     Blue skies shook and trembled as Will desperately clutched for the iron railing outside his 
stuccoed, suburban home.  Colorado mountains in the distance seemed to shake violently as he 
pitched to and fro, watching as trees collapsed, earth moved and the buildings of downtown 
Boulder shuddered like strands of prairie grass.  His sandy,  brown hair washed in front of his 
face as he heard the cracking of stone and splintering of the ancient willow that stood in his front 
yard, giving him virtually no warning of his dawning fate.


     Feet scrabbling on the small stones of the garden his mother had built, Will slid as he lost his 
grip on the railing outside his front door and and began a swift, pell-mell descent towards the 
street at the base of the slope on which his parentsı home had been built.  The crashing of the 
willow sounded sharply behind him, as it shattered the front window of the house and sent leaves, 
branches and small shards of glass raining both into the yard and the living room.  Crying out in 
fear and reflex, Will tried desperately to grab anything he could, sliding faster and faster as his 
world seemed to twist, tilt and spin.


     The edge of the street rose up before him as the garden, sidewalk and shattered house cracked 
and crumbled; a vast chasm opening up just before his feet.  With a terrified yell, the twenty-four-
year-old man slid over the edge of the precipice and into the darkness of a thunderous fall...


     Falling stones, blistering heat and clouds of dust ripped through Willıs field of vision as he 
fell; spiraling from the light above deeper and deeper into the earth.  Ancient roots grabbed at his 
flailing body and sharp stones stung his knees and flesh, ripping his clothing as he spiraled out of 
control.  Brief flashes of light punctuated his spinning, gyrating fall and -for moments- he would 
get glimpses of light far, far below.  It was reddish, constant and warm; enough to make him 
think that the ground had opened up to Hell itself.


     The warm light grew steadily, inundating his surroundings with eerie, contrasting shadows as 
he plummeted and bounced down the painfully steep slope.  Suddenly, he was in free-fall; hot, 
stinging air spiraling around him as he emerged into a wide-open space, his heart racing as his 
mind encompassed the sureness of his own demise.  With a throat-wrenching scream, he fell 
swiftly past thick branches, palm leaves and vines towards unconsciousness on the floor of the 
mysterious, subterranean jungle.


==========


     Distant, thundering booms steadilly drummed their way deep into Willıs smothered mind.


     Rousing from blissful unconsciousness, pain from a thousand wounds peppered his flesh as 
he groaned and experienced the impact of his fall.  A dark shadow swam just below his field of 
vision as he felt hot and sticky all over his body.  He seemed oddly covered with moss or thin, hot 
grass as he moved, and he could feel several bones were broken and swimming freely beneath his 
flesh.  His head was blurry as he tried to get his bearings.  Towering, ancient trees and the calls of 
strange, distant creatures echoed in the dim, constant red light.  He moaned aloud again, and tried 
to raise a hand to his face to brush the hair from his eyes.  His eyesight was poor in this light, and 
his hand looked fuzzy and indistinct.  Moaning, he tried repeatedly to focus and shake that 
shadow from his view.  His hands bumped his lower jaw and surprised him.


     The thundering grew louder.


     Sliding his palms along the underside of his jaw, he felt the long, smooth, soft contours of his 
neck narrow as it went foward into a slender, graceful protrusion towards his lips.  Rubbing his 
fingers over them, realization began to dawn and his mind grew clearer.  His jaw wasnıt broken, 
it was extended!  He could feel the solid bone and sinew reaching out from the base of his jaw 
towards a terminus several inches in front of it.  And there, on the tip of his shadowy muzzle (the 
blurry shape just below his field of vision), he felt a large, soft nose.


     Suddenly, his aches and the strangeness of his fall didnıt seem so important to him as he sat 
bolt-upright, risking any broken bones he may feel, and running both paws -yes, paws- over his 
slender, recently grown muzzle.  His spine made a sound like someone shuffling a deck of cards 
as he straightened up, but that did little to dissuade his fears over his condition.  He stared at his 
fingers before his eyes.  Soft, black fur covered his digits; fur that faded towards a dusky red at 
his wrists, moving up his arm.  His astonishment, wasnıt even shattered by the nearing booms 
again; booms that shook the ground and should have reminded him of at least several movies, 
such as ³King Kong², ³Godzilla² or ³Jurassic Park².


     Stumbling to his feet, he turned rapidly, staring at his alien and odd body.  The ³moss² that he 
had felt covering him was fur; dusky, reddish fur that seemed light, thin and very all-pervasive.  
His fears welled up in his throat as he stood on two, normal legs; despite them ending in broad, 
flat paws - like a cross between those of a dog and human feet.  And then, in a wash of movement 
out of the corner of his vision, a massive, long, bushy thing swept into view!


     Startled, he grabbed for it, the feelings of his pain now almost totally swallowed in shock.  It 
was a tail.  As he touched it, he felt that it was an extension of his own body.  It was fire-red 
tipped in a flash of white and black.  He could feel it swishing from his rear now as he stood and 
could feel the pressure where he had been lying on it uncomfortably.


     ³Oh, this canıt be happening,² he muttered to himself.


     Will stared at his swishing tail beyond the shadow of his muzzle.  It was if the tail punctuated 
his change in these odd, jungle-like surroundings; it added something undeniably alien to the 
whole situation.  How long he stared at it there, swishing in his clutching paws, he didnıt know.  
But suddenly, his ears -now furred, very sensitive, and at the top of his head- pricked up.  
Something was wrong.


     Silence filled the thick trees as Will looked around for what had pierced his shock and surprise.  
The fact that most of his injuries seemed to have vanished didnıt dawn on him as he peered into 
the darker recesses of the trees that lined the small, thirty-foot clearing heıd woken up in.  A tall, 
sliding cliff rose past the jungleıs canopy from a  few feet past the clearingıs edge and was 
possibly the slope heıd fallen down to get here.  There was no sound at all.  Even the strange, 
jungle noises that had assailed him earlier had grown muted and distant.


     His eyes stopped.  A thick, tree-trunk stood on the edge of the clearing amidst a massive, 
bushy bracket of ferns.  Five huge, round boulders lay in the bracken about ten feet in front of the 
huge trunk, covered with long strands of some strange, matted lichen.  Even in the red light, 
Willıs eyes could tell that it was grey; but it was strangely not covering any of the adjacent trees.  
Also, he could have sworn that they werenıt there before.  His vision traveled up a bit, following 
the straight, non-branching trunk up and up and up before losing it in the broad, low-hanging 
branches of other trees.  It went from a fairly thick base -from what he could see of it buried in the 
ferns- to a narrow part, and then up steadily wider and smoother.  He gulped as he turned and 
noticed that, almost all the way on the other side of the clearing, there was another set of giant, 
round boulders -each one in successively smaller size, like the first set- but a part of a broad, flat, 
grey-lichen-covered Œstoneı as well.  It ran up to the base of another massive Œtree trunkı as 
realization dawned on Will.  Suddenly, the trees shook as the dark canopy overhead seemed to 
sweep aside, massive, furred fingers pushing branches and palm leaves aside without difficulty to 
reveal a giant, canine face peering in from the significantly brighter (and less red) light beyond.


     The huge, wolfish features spread widely, itıs massive maw opening just a bit to allow itıs 
huge, pink tongue to emerge and lick slowly across itıs upper lip.  Willıs eyes widened as he 
started to backpedal away from the huge legs that stood at the edge of the clearing.  One of the 
huge wolfıs paws reached past the canopy downwards with the swiftness of a falling plane 
towards the respectively tiny Will.  ³Nnnnnnooooooo!² he screamed as he turned to run.


     The huge fingers opened gracefully in one, quick swoop and surrounded his tiny, furry body 
fully.  Struggling, he felt his paws lifted off the ground as the massive wolf lifted him upwards, 
past the canopy and into the humid, clear air overhead.  The landscape expanded for miles around 
the massive wolf.  Willıs mind calculated that the creature was nearly a hundred feet tall and easily 
more powerful than a herd of wild elephants.  The wolf pulled Will up, past the broad, leafy tops 
of these smaller trees, so he could see the vast, ceilinged terrain of this strange, subterranean 
world...


     ³WELCOME...²  Will gulped and could see by the rather over-scaled chest on this giantess, 
that Œitı was definitely a Œsheı.


     The huge creature looked down with a smile and continued.  ³WELCOME TO HALFWAY...²


==========


     Willıs cries and half-barked pleas went unheeded as he was carried across the strange 
landscape.  Overhead, beneath the rocky dome of the subterranean world, a strange, reddish-gold 
orb hung in the air like a small sun.  The whole realm seemed to stretch on forever to him, with no 
walls in any direction he looked.  Stalactites and stalagmites peppered the jungle around him and 
distant volcanic fields sputtered forth with black, ominous smoke.


     The titanic wolf strode steadily, her massive paws crushing fallen logs, foliage and unwary 
forest creatures not quick enough to get out of the way.  Each booming step left a huge, paw-
shaped crater in the soft loam and undergrowth that was quickly covered by other, falling 
vegetation.  Looking down at the wolfıs hips swaying to and fro, Will couldnıt help but think 
how a figure like hers -on a normal woman back home- would have had him drooling like a mad 
dog.  It was amazing that something so trivial (like her being a 90-plus-foot-tall wolf) could 
impact so heavily on his libido.


     A dark, towering cliff rose before the two, itıs rugged slopes reaching almost half the way to 
the ceiling over a thousand feet above.  Will blanched as he watched his captor stride purposefully 
towards the massive crack that ran down the lower fifth of the stone.  She was taking him to her 
cave!  Still, his renewed struggles amounted for nothing as she ducked under the entrance and 
took him inside.


     The interior was rough, but beset with the trappings of a primitive nature.  A huge, wooden 
table created from the lashed-together trunks of ancient trees dominated the center of the room 
while two, large regions of matted grass lay against a nearby wall.  A shelf of stone lined one 
wall, covered with giant-sized pottery simply decorated with lines and geometric shapes.  The 
huge hand descended, bringing Will down to the table.


     Still uncertain on his paws, the little fox staggered to and fro as the hand released him.


     ³WELCOME,² repeated the giantess slowly, ³THIS IS MY HOME...²


     Will looked up at her titanic frame and took a deep breath.  ³Wh...what are you going to do 
with me?² he asked, shaking.  To Willıs surprise, the question had an odd effect on the wolf.  She 
shivered slightly and bent her head closer to the table.  Will took several nervous steps backwards.


     ³IıM NOT GOING TO HURT YOU...² she said in a gruff whisper, ³I SAW YOU FALL...  
YOUıRE FROM BACK HOME, ARENıT YOU?²


     Will blinked.  ³Home?  Iım from Colorado...²


     The wolf nodded and lowered her voice even more.  ³Iım from Montana; Iıve been here for 
about six years now.²


     ³Where is this place?²


     She shrugged.  ³Underground?²  Rising, the wolf walked over to the shelf and took down a 
bowl and simple pitcher.  Placing the bowl down, she poured gallons upon gallons of water into it 
from the vessel she carried.  ³I donıt really know much more than that.  All I know for sure is 
that this place has only animals in it; no humans.  I guess thatıs why we all became what we now 
are...²


     Will shook his head, still unsure of his giant captorıs friendliness.  ³But this isnıt possible...  
Thereıs no inner Earth; thatıs just National Enquirer stuff.²


     ³But youıre there,² she replied simply.  Having filled the bowl halfway, she put down the 
pitcher and scooped up Will without warning.  Making a tiny squeak, Will soon found himself 
wrapped in the thick, giant fingers of his hostess.  The warm, steady pressure of the oversized 
digits wasnıt present for long though, as he suddenly found himself dropped from ten feet over 
the bowl into cold, clean water.


     Will sputtered and swam, trying to pull himself to the side as the wolf picked up a harsh-
smelling bar of what he assumed was soap.  Putting it in the water, she began to scrub.


     ³S...stop it!  Knock it off!² he sputtered as she scrubbed his tiny form.


     ³You landed in a patch of hunterıs weed back there.  Do you want every predator to be able to 
track you down from ten miles away?  Hell, if I hadnıt gotten you out of there when I did, I might 
have had to fight to save you...²  Will didnıt bother to speculate what kind of creature could have 
come along to threaten him that would have made this giantess pause; but he was glad he hadnıt 
had to find out.


     Will sputtered and tried to keep his head above water as she washed him thoroughly.  Her large 
fingers did a good job, but managed to squeeze the breath out of his body and press his little ribs a 
bit too tightly for his comfort.  He had noticed an odd smell around himself earlier; somewhat 
appealing, actually, but hadnıt gotten used to his foxish sense of smell yet to make much sense of 
it.  Now that he thought about it, it did smell like food.  Not a specific type of food, but food 
nonetheless.


     As the tiny fox came up for air again, the giantess looked down on him with a proud smile.  
³There, thatıll keep the dinos off your ass...²


     He blinked as he paddled to the side of the bowl where he could stand.  He cleaned out the 
large ears on the top of his head with a free finger and sputtered.  ³Dinos?  There are dinosaurs 
here?²


     She nodded.  ³Sorta.  They donıt look exactly like the pictures in books, but itıs clear that 
theyıre closely related.²  Turning, she walked over to the shelf again and picked around behind 
some of the jugs.  Picking up something between her fingers, she turned back around again and 
leaned over the bowl.  ³Here, use these to dry yourself...²


     Will had a hard time not staring at the ample bosom that swung out overhead as she turned.  
While heıd seen many women nude before -and several of them with abnormal proportions- this 
giantess was well beyond any of them; it was rather embarrassing.  ³Thanks,² he sputtered and 
took the cloth.


     The giant hand slid down again and cupped beneath Will to scoop him out of the basin.  After 
placing him on the table again, Will began to towel off.  The cloth he was using appeared to be a 
blouse in his own scale.  He found himself shaking his body to fling off water as he got most of 
the dampness alleviated.  ³You had another guest?² he asked, handing the tiny blouse back to the 
wolf.


     She smiled as she took it.  ³No, this used to be mine...²  Smiling she tossed the tiny apparel 
back onto the shelf.  ³My nameıs Holly, and I used to be just like you...²


     The smaller fox blinked and opened his mouth to respond.  A sudden booming cut him off as 
another huge wolf stooped low to enter the cave.  Will stared.  This one was a male ... quite 
possibly his benefactorıs mate.


     Huge nostrils flaring, the newcomer craned his head around the room with an exagerrated 
smile.  ³SMELLS LIKE YOUıVE CAUGHT SOME LUNCH...²


     Holly looked up and shook her head.  ³Not quite...² she said in her low voice, ³weıve got a 
visitor...²  The huge newcomer stomped over and peered down closely to the side of the bowl 
where the little fox stood.


     ³WHAT THı HELL IS THIS?² boomed the huge wolf.


     Will gulped and put his paw forth, trembling slightly at the loud noise.  ³I ... Iım Will.²


     Un-hearing, the huge, male wolf turned to the giantess that had brought Will to the cave.  
³HOLLY, WHATıS THE DEAL HERE?  I THOUGHT YOU WERENıT GOING TO DO ANY 
MORE HARD-LUCK CASES!²


     Holly winced.  ³Marsh, calm down and keep your voice low; canıt you see youıre hurting his 
ears?²


     ³I DONıT GIVE A RATıS ASS ABOUT HIS EARS!  LOOK, HOLLY, YOU SAID THAT I 
WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU WERE GOING TO HELP OUT...²


     Will covered his sensitive ears and ducked under the outward rim of the bowl.


     ³Marshall, I was mad; besides, you used to be just like him!  So did I...²


     ³IF YOU THINK YOUıRE GOING TO TAKE HIM TO ONE OF THE STALAGMITES, 
YOUıRE MISTAKEN...  THERE ARE ENOUGH GIANTS IN THIS AREA AS IT IS; HOW 
ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KEEP FINDING FOOD?!²


     ³Weıll deal with that if it happens...²


     ³NO!  THE OTHER GIANTS HERE ARE TOO TIGHTLY PACKED!  BESIDES, WHAT 
USE IS HE?²


     The argument raged on around Will as Hollyıs voice rose to meet Marshallıs booming tones.  
Plugging his ears, he dashed across the table and looked over the edge.  Cautiously, he swung his 
hips over the side and tried to climb down.  The huge, bound tree-trunks that made up the legs of 
the table were rough and easy to hold onto as he dug his tiny claws into their surface.  Gulping 
nervously, he slowly made his way to the floor.  Several loud booms sounded as Marshall looked 
around, noticing him gone.


     ³THATıS IT!  THIS ENDS HERE AND NOW!² boomed the fiery-tempered wolf.


     Will looked up in fear as the table was tossed aside like kindling!  Marshall loomed over him, 
looking down his muzzle at him.  Slowly, the giant raised his massive paw and poised it to smash 
down on the helpless fox.


     With a powerful lunge, Holly threw herself at Marshall, knocking him off his feet and onto the 
large, straw and grass pile to one side.


     ³YOU ARENıT GOING TO HURT HIM.  GO AHEAD AND TELL THE OTHERS IF YOU 
LIKE, BUT HEıS GOING TO MEET HIS DESTINY - IıLL SEE TO THAT!²  Marshall looked 
surprised, pinned beneath his mateıs angry glare.  Holly snarled at the larger wolf, but her temper 
cowed him as he slowly got to his feet and stormed out of the cave.


     Holly picked up the table casually and Will shuddered, watching as the massive tree trunks and 
wooden planks were shifted effortlessly.  She then looked down at him and bent down to pick 
him up and put him on the table yet again.  ³Iım sorry about that...² she said softly, ³but heıs 
been a real jerk lately.  He thinks Iım sleeping around on him and heıs insecure.  Look, even if he 
goes to Father and calls a council of the other giants, by the time he does youıll have embodied 
your own destiny at the Stalagmites.²


     Will cocked his head.  ³My destiny?  Stalagmites?²


     Holly nodded.  ³Itıs kind of like magick, really.  There are stalagmites that are all over the 
jungle floor; you run into them now and again.  A few of them -a VERY few- are encrusted with 
small smatterings of gems or veins of precious metals.  When you touch these, they change 
you...²


     Will nodded.  ³And thatıs how you all got so big?²


     ³Yes.  Although not everyone grows.  There are just as many who get smaller or grow wings 
or ... or vanish.²


     Will gulped nervously.


     Holly made a reassuring face.  ³All we know for sure is weıre all left with the unwavering 
truth that the stalagmites are the destiny of everyone who comes to Halfway from above.  Who 
knows?  Those who vanish are thought to have been returned home...  Itıs possible.²


     The small fox nodded nervously and sat down.  ³I suppose...²


     ³Thatıs why I was so nervous that youıd be left out there alone for long; you slid down right 
into a common area that some of the giant predators use for hunting.  If youıd met an enlarged 
Tyrannosaurus...²


     ³Enlarged?!!²


     Holly nodded again.  ³Sometimes animals stumble across the stalagmites and trigger them.  
The effects donıt last with them, but all it takes is for a giant T-Rex to go running about to cause 
real problems.  As a result, food is sometimes scarce.  Mostly, we fish in the Adastra River; there 
are fish in there as big as me ... some bigger.²


     Holly straightened up.  ³But donıt you worry; Iıll get you to the nearest stalagmite tomorrow 
morning - long before Marshall can do anything about it.²


     Will nodded nervously as Holly swept him up in her paws and put him in the grass of her bed.  
Soon, lying down -her ample bosom bulging towards him- she fell asleep.  The newcomer 
shivered in the warm darkness and thought about what Holly had told him.  It was a strange and 
dangerous world; and the only person he had to protect his little body from it was a giant wolf.  
Shifting back and forth as the hours ticked on, Will gradually fell asleep.


     Outside, Marshallıs eyes narrowed as the light of day deepened towards dusk.


==========


     The morning looked much like the previous day; soft red light mostly reflected off the ceiling 
from the lava pools that dotted the landscape in the clearings and mud-flats that surrounded the 
jungles.  Will, clenched in Hollyıs fist, watched the landscape swish by at a ferocious rate.  Her 
huge paws boomed as she moved in a casual stride past trees even larger than herself.


     At one point, they passed a massive, half-eaten carcass of something that looked like a 
textbook picture of a trachodon.  The huge creature was literally ripped in two and was mostly 
eaten; massive paw prints around it showing a proliferation of cruel claws and saurian structure.  
Holly pointed it out to him and winced.  ³Giant predator - bipedal; maybe a T-Rex...²  She 
compared the foot print with her own paws.  It was about four times as large.  ³Weıll have to be 
careful...²


     As the day stretched on, they came to a mud flat that spread out between bubbling sulfur pits 
and small rivulets of hot mud.  Stepping gingerly (for her size), Holly made her way through the 
area, Will wrinkling his nose at the horrible smells.  Tilting his head upwards, his gaze traveled up 
to peer across the horizon.  There, only a mile or so away, was the Stalagmite.


     Even from here, he could make out sparkles on itıs surface and see the striations of different 
colors that wove their way through its gravelly mass.  It seemed to stand in the dead center of the 
flats, surrounded by scattered pools of heated, liquid mud.  Holly carried him through the 
wasteland carefully, stepping along a wide, barren patch of sandy soil.  ³This is one of the few 
safe ways giants have of getting to and from this stalagmite; otherwise, weıre too heavy and 
would fall through the thin rock that surrounds this area.²


     In the distance a loud roar echoed through the subterranean cavern.  Will shivered and winced, 
frightened, but Holly only cocked an ear to it and proceeded.


     Soon, they reached the base and Holly set Will down about fifty feet from it.  ³From here on 
out, itıs up to you...²


     Will looked up to her.  ³What do I do?² he asked nervously.


     ³Just walk up to it and touch it.  Iıd rather not get too close myself; while a second touch 
wouldnıt  change me for long, Iıd rather not risk it.²


     ³But what if ... if something happens?  You told me this morning that most people touching 
these things simply change size or get stronger.  But what if something goes wrong and I get 
weaker or smaller or ... or ...²


     Holly sighed and kneeled, her huge legs bunching their muscles to support her.  ³Then it will 
be what will be.  In Halfway, the only people protected are those who have fulfilled their destiny; 
itıs a sign that you are better than a mere animal.  Even if confronted by a jerk like Marshall, you 
have the right to be free from that harassment.  Since animals donıt change for long - itıs a good 
way to differentiate between sentients and normal beasts.  Once youıve taken on your destiny, no 
matter what size you are, Marshall wonıt be able to have a claim to you as lunch or harrass you 
without penalty.²


     ³Couldnıt he just break the law and try to kill me anyway?² squeaked Will.


     Holly nodded.  ³Any of us could.  But -at least then- heıd be breaking a law and could be tried 
for it by the Council.  It may seem barbaric and itıs taken me all of six years to get used to, but itıs 
a system that works.²  She sat down on the ground and sat cross-legged.  ³Besides, Iıll protect 
you, little fellah.²


     Something in her voice, so powerful and loud -even when she was speaking quietly- was 
soothing to Will.  Her face and posture indicated someone who was treating him like a pet, but an 
important one.  So far he hadnıt done anything to defy her and he wondered how sheıd react if he 
did.  But, rather than that, he simply gulped and walked to the base of the stalagmite.


     Nervously, Will stuck out his hand and pressed it to the rough, stone surface near several 
bright green gems.  A warmth emanated from the stone, warmer than heıd expected.  Feeling an 
odd tingle running through his red-furred arm, he winced and prayed that he didnıt change for the 
worse.  An odd paralysis seemed to come over him as he maintained contact.  He looked back at 
Holly and felt his muscles slow and lock; his eyes blinking and lungs breathing, but larger 
motions stilled.  His eyes grew wide slowly as he saw Holly standing nearer and -behind her- the 
massive form of Marshall.


     Desperately, Will tried to call out to her; to warn her, but his throat refused to work.  All he 
could do was moan and make gurgling sounds as Marshall tackled the giantess and flung her 
forward.  ³THINK YOUıRE GOING TO REPLACE ME WITH A LITTLE RUNT LIKE THAT?  
THINK AGAIN!²


     Will felt his flesh tingling but no other change was evident as he tried to pull his hand away to 
run to Hollyıs side.  What he could do in this mammoth battle of titans he wasnıt sure, but he had 
to try...  Slowly, he felt himself able to pull away, his fur and flesh feeling like it was on fire as he 
broke contact.  Suddenly, he was thrown to the ground as Holly impacted the side of the 
Stalagmite, thrown there by Marshallıs continued fighting.  She shrieked painfully and arched her 
back as a brilliant glow overtook her form.


     ³Noooooooo!²  Will tried to climb to his feet as Marshall grinned at the paralyzed and changing 
giantess.  Both of them stared in shock as Holly moaned; her limbs flexing spasmodically as the 
began to enlarge further.  Will gulped, watching as her bust line filled out, her muscles expanded 
and her overall height increased slowly.  She was becoming even larger than before.


     Marshall gulped nervously, apparently not having considered this as a potential outcome.


     ³Thatıll keep you occupied...² he muttered under his breath, ³at least until my business here is 
finished.²  In the distance the various strange animals of the Halfway jungle sounded agitated as 
they overheard the distant battle of titans.  Overhead, broad-winged avians -perhaps related to 
pterodactyls- swooped nearer, scanning the ground for leftovers.  Marshall walked casually 
towards the tiny, trembling fox.  ³WELL, WILL, IT LOOKS LIKE ITıS OVER...²


     Will shuddered.  ³Y...you canıt do this...²


     ³CANıT I?² boomed the giant wolf, ³LOOKS LIKE I CAN...²  Marshall slowly raised his 
foot over Willıs still shaken form.  Weakened, Will tried to crawl away, watching as the massive 
paw descended towards him.  ³GOOD-BYE, MOUSE...² rumbled the giant.


     Cringing, Will felt the massive paw descend on him and press down firmly.  Squealing, he felt 
Marshallıs huge paw pads pushing down harder and harder...  His little eyes opened as the 
ground pressed into him harder and harder.  With shock, he looked about, feeling the pressure 
mounting.


     He wasnıt hurt.


     Gasping as the breath was pushed from his lungs, he couldnıt see much in the darkness 
beneath the paw, but he could definitely feel Marshall putting all his weight down on him as he 
twisted his huge foot back and forth.  Will helplessly slid with the pressure, crushed over rocks 
and sand helplessly, but -all the while- unhurt.  Soon, the huge paw receded, to reveal Marshallıs 
huge, confused face looking down at Will in shock.


     ³I...ITıS IMPOSSIBLE...² he stammered.


     With a snarl, the huge wolf lifted his paw high and kicked downwards, stomping Will deep 
into the shale and rock that surrounded the base of the huge stalagmite.  Deeply pressed into the 
floor of Halfway, Will gasped and lost his breath again.  The massive paw ground him 
downwards, pushing in vain to pop him like a bug.  Yet still, he felt unhurt and undamaged.  
Wheezing and gasping for air, he looked up as Marshall pulled back his paw again.


     Grinning weakly, Will managed to extend his right hand and give the giant wolf the finger.  
³F... f... fuck you...² he gasped.


     The expression on Marshallıs face was a blend between fury and stupification.  The tiny, 
invulnerable fox at his feet was buried four feet deep in one of his own paw prints and was still 
unhurt!  A huge shadow fell over the two and Marshallıs neck fur bristled as he turned.


     Looming over him, Holly slowly got up from the side of the stalagmite.  Ten times her former 
height, the giantess looked down on the now small wolf and snarled.  Shaky from her 
disproportionate and sudden growth, she still managed to reach forward and grab the startled 
Marshall in both paws.  ³THAT ... WAS ... A MISTAKE...² she snarled.


     Marshall yipped in shock as the vice-like grip of his former lover pinched his shoulders tightly.  
With a swift, arc-like movement, Holly swung Marshall around and slammed him against the 
stalagmiteıs base.  Howling in pain, Marshall squirmed for a moment until the energies overtook 
him and paralyzed him firmly.  Holly stood up fully, looking down at him as the mighty wolf 
started to glow ... and dwindle.


     Dispassionately, Holly watched as Marshall got smaller and smaller, soon surpassing the more 
normal height of Will to stop at just under three feet tall.  The shrunken wolf howled in pain-
wracked misery as he pitched forward from the base and collapsed on the dried mud-dust that 
surrounded him.


     Will staggered towards Holly, but soon stopped, looking up with astonishment.  ³Holly?²


     Holly looked down, not hearing the tiny insect at her feet but looking down at him anyway.  
³WILL?  I CANıT HEAR YOU, BUT WEıD BETTER GO...²  The huge paw came down next 
to him, itıs thick, grey fur washing around his little body as it did so.  Grabbing on tightly, Will 
climbed onto Hollyıs wrist and then scaled it to her palm.  Barely able to make out the tiny speck 
in her paw, Holly nodded to herself and stood.


     ³INVULNERABILITY...  THATıS A NEW ONE FOR ME,² she said, starting to stride off.  
³STILL, I THINK IT SUITS YOU...²


     Hollyıs oversized paws crashed through the loose shale and rock that spread around the plain 
as her nine-hundred-plus-foot body walked back towards the jungle.  ³IT WONıT LAST, WILL, 
DONıT WORRY...  IıLL BE NORMAL HEIGHT AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS.²


     Will jumped up and down like a flea in the giantessı palm.  Seeing him move, she stopped 
walking and bent an ear down to listen.  Just barely, she could make out his shouted words.


     ³What about Marshall?  Wonıt he grow back and come after me later?²


     Holly raised her head and looked back towards the distant stalagmite and the cluster of roaming 
animals attracted to it by their struggle.  She shook her head somberly.  ³NO, LITTLE-ONE.  
EVEN IF HE COULD OVERCOME THE LAW, HE WONıT EVEN HAVE THE CHANCE TO 
GET BACK TO NORMAL SIZE...²


==========


     Marshall looked up, terrified.  The huge allosaur snuffled at his prone body curiously.  The 
tiny wolf wasnıt the creatureıs usual prey and the dinosaurıs size was a recent development that 
had been fading over the past couple days.  Itıs huge head knocked the tiny wolf back and forth as 
it snuffled and wheezed.  A massive roar from the edge of the mud flats caught itıs attention, 
causing it to jerk itıs head up in alarm.


     A rival herd of normal-sized allosaurs was already sprinting across the mud flats towards the 
stalagmite.  The giant dinosaur snorted and looked from the approaching herd to his newfound 
prey.  Marshall squeaked in a high-pitched scream as the allosaur, looking hungrilly down on him 
decided to try this odd little morsel anyway...


End