5$ Halloween comission for Radioactive Toast. If anyone is interested in taking advantage of my halloween sale, please see this FA journal:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2771349/====
Buoyancy
Even though the city of Reynburg was filled with foxes, Toast still stood out as he walked down the street. He had a certain bounce to his step that could shake pavement. He had a silly grin that could make anything seem ridiculous. Oh, and he was also a red Celtic dragon. That part probably made him stand out more than the rest. Toast waved to a pair of fennecs as he crossed the street. They waved back, too used to his presence in the neighbourhood to be curious.
His destination was a small house, tan and light brown, at the end of the road. Toast approached the door and knocked a quick ditty. The door swung open. Toast looked down. He had expected to see his little jackal buddy, Medik, standing in the doorframe. What he didn’t expect was the pirate hat. Or the stuffed parrot. Or the dramatic overcoat and eyepatch. Or the fact that Medik’s armband was marked with a Jolly Roger instead of the usual red cross.
“Avast!” The little cartoon jackal yapped. “What scurvy knave seeks to board me ship?” He paused and grinned. “Also, hiya Toast! You’re here early!”
Toast blinked. “Early for what?”
“For my Halloween pool party, silly! Don’t tell me you forgot, bro! I sent out the invitations a week ago!”
“Through the mail?”
“Of course!”
“I, ah, haven’t had a mailbox for two weeks now. It got... broken.”
Medik tilted his head. “Eh?”
“There was a... firework... accident.” If it were possible, the scales on Toast’s cheek got even redder.
Medik frowned for a moment before bubbling up again. “That’s okay, matey! You’re here now after all!”
After a quick hug, Medik led Toast around to the back yard. A large snack table was set out next to a barbeque. Jack-o-lantern streamers adorned the deck chairs and fence. Toast paused as he looked at the pool.
“This wasn’t here the last time I was over.”
“’course not. I just dug it.”
“Yourself?”
“Yarrr!” Medik bounced happily. “Toons work fast!”
Toast nodded. It made enough sense. “When does this party start? I’ll need to run home and grab a costume.”
“Nah, you won’t need to do that, bro.” Medik yapped as he pulled a crate of pool toys from beneath the deck. He began rummaging. “It should be in here somewhere. No, those are water wings. No, that’s a dartboard.” He tossed out a rubber duck. “Well this is in the wrong bin altogether. Oh, here it is!”
It was Toast’s turn to tilt his head. The object that Medik was presenting so triumphantly was a small valve like the kind used to keep air inside beach balls. “Umm, how is that a costume?”
“Well the party theme is ‘water’ after all.” Medik said matter-of-factly. “Makes the most sense for a pool party.”
Before Toast could respond, Medik hopped over to him and planted the valve on the middle of his belly.
“What’re you—?”
The little jackal took a deep breath that only a cartoon could muster and blew into the valve. Toast started to feel dizzy as an ‘airy’ sensation began to fill him. It wasn’t unpleasant per se, but it was very different. A sensation much like that of a sleeping limb began to run across his body as the airy feeling grew. At the same time, Toast began to feel much more energetic. He felt less tired, more alert, more...bouncy?
Toast blinked. Or tried to. His eyes weren’t moving the way they were supposed to. There was a very audible
*squeak* as he craned his neck down. Toast’s attention was drawn not to the grinning pirate-jackal, but to his own belly. The valve was firmly secured on his belly, which now shone with a uniform, red sheen. His feet were clawless, rounded balls and so were his hands. There was one very unique explanation for this.
“I’m... a pool toy?” Toast asked. His voice (and the accompanying squeaks) were less of shock and more of curiosity. This was different, but far from the wackiest thing he and Medik had done together.
Medik nodded. “Yup yup! Now you don’t need to go get a costume! How’s it feel?”
A breeze made Toast rock back and forth on his balloon-feet. “I may need some help stabilizing!” He squeaked.
Medik tailwagged as he helped his buddy stop swaying. “Hehe, you need to get in the water, bro! Oh, but first—” he pulled out a second pirate hat and hopped up to place it on Toast’s head. “There! Now you’re officially my first mate!”
“Aye Aye capta—ack!” Toast squeaked in alarm as he was suddenly picked up. Medik hoisted the now-much-lighter dragon and hurled him into the pool. After a brief face dip underwater (in which he found that his painted eyes had marvellous clarity) Toast bobbed up to the surface. Toast could feel the water lapping lazily along his entire body. It was soothing and very relaxing.
Toast rolled onto his front and let the water hold his limbs out. “I could get used to this.”
“Great!” Medik yapped. “’cause I’ll need you to perform your first duty as my first-mate!”
“Duty?”
Medik yapped again and leapt onto Toast. There was a
*whmph* and a
*squeak* and Toast took another brief face dip underwater as Medik landed on his back. “Well, every pirate crew needs a ship, right? How else can we loot and plunder?”
Toast giggled. “Ready to set sail captain!”
“Yarrr! Onwards!” Medik exclaimed as he brandished an imaginary sword. They had at least three hours before the party started, and they intended to make the most of it.
Jonas Belford, 2011
