Chapter Three
Durham's hand was still pressed up against Miguno's lower jaw. The hyena could only stare passively as the coyote began speaking. "You're going to think I'm crazy, but I think this all happened because of a wish," Durham said frantically. "Last night, after I lost, I wished that I was bigger. And when I woke up, I was a whale," Durham said while patting his chunky stomach.
The coyote took a deep breath and then released his hand from Miguno's chin. The hyena's eyes finally shrank back down to their normal size. He cocked his head slightly and began to circle Durham. As he moved around his boyfriend, Miguno could not help but poke at the gelatinous layers of Durham's butt and belly. The coyote tried to mask his irritation, "I know you're super freaked right now, so I'll let that go." Miguno ignored that remark as he completed his circuit.
The hyena and coyote were making eye contact once again. A moment of total silence followed. Miguno finally spoke, "Guess you should be careful what you wish for," he said with an awkward smile and a weak chuckle. Durham's expression grew even more cross, "Enough with the jokes! What the HELL are we going to do about this?" Any hint of playfulness vanished from Miguno's face, "Sorry, sorry…has anyone else seen you today?" Durham shook his head, "No, just you." Miguno breathed a sigh of relief, "Ok, I think you'll agree we should keep it that way for now." The pair exchanged nods.
Suddenly, there was the unmistakable sound of a lock turning. The duo turned their heads towards the door. From the other side, they heard the perky voice of Jack. "Hey guys, we're back," the labrador said. The free and easy voice of Collot followed, "If you're not decent, you've got about 30 seconds to put your pants back on." As the other boys groaned half-jokingly, Durham and Miguno were frantic.
The hyena rushed to the door, placing his weight against it and gripping the handle with all his might. The outside knob could be heard rattling as Jack tried to turn it. There came a knock. "Oh great, it's stuck again," Jack said. Miguno spoke through the door, "Just a second, I'll try it from this side." Looking back to Durham, Miguno gestured toward the bunk and mouthed 'HIDE'. Durham whirled around and made a break for his bed, only to lose his balance and land flat on his fleshy haunches.
Instinctively, Miguno bolted to assist his boyfriend off the floor. It was only after he had pulled the heavyset hound back up on his feet that he realized his terrible mistake. The hyena and coyote turned towards the door with dread. The other 701 boys were now inside, standing in a horizontal line. All four were flabbergasted, looking on in stunned silence.
The stillness continued until Durham sighed in exasperation. Stepping in front of Miguno, the corpulent coyote closed his eyes and raised his palms. "You're obviously all very confused right now, so let me try and lay it all out for you," he said in a calm yet resolute voice. He continued, "I was tired of losing all the time, so I wished that I was big." Durham gestured to his plump torso, "And then I woke up like this." He then stretched his arms out into a T pose, "I know what you're all thinking, so get it out of your system now."
The four stupefied canines then regained just enough of their faculties to walk forward. They surrounded Durham and promptly began to poke and prod at their roly-poly roommate. The coyote's face turned pink, feeling like a circus freak. The jabbing continued for a full minute, as the color in Durham's face grew brighter and brighter. Finally, Durham threw his arms up, "Okay, okay, that's enough!" His roommates backed off like a shot but were still encircling him.
Durham stood his ground in the center and took a deep breath. "I can't begin to imagine how this is possible, but apparently it is," he said with resignation. He reached down and jostled his stomach. He turned his back on the others and did the same with his butt. Durham then rotated back towards his friends, "I'm fat. There's no other way to say it."
The four canines surrounding Durham stood motionless. Miguno stood behind Durham, just outside the circle of friends. Wearing a look of sympathy, the hyena opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Collot, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you'll probably DESTROY us at sumo now." Even in that quip, the sheepdog's discomfort was palpable.
The groans from the other canines sounded not just annoyed, but mildly outraged. Miguno was particularly upset, reaching up and rapping the back of Collot's head. And yet, while his friends proceeded to verbally reprimand Collot, Durham did not look angry in the slightest. Instead, the coyote's face looked intrigued, as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. Raising his hands, Durham called out, "SHUT UP!" His five comrades obeyed without question, but with surprised looks all around. Durham turned towards Collot and placed his hands on the sheepdog's shoulders, "Was that a challenge?"