An arrow thudded into the ground as a robed wolf stumbled back, tripping over the roots of a tree that rose up at his side. Another one struck at the trunk, narrowly missing the lupine's head as he growled a curse, pulling himself to his feet. Moving around behind the trunk, to use it as a shield from the unseen archer, the wolf reached into his robes, pulling out a small grimoire that could easily be held in one hand while the other flipped through the pages. Spellcasting was hard work, and when you had a hundred and some spells at your disposal, it was hard to remember them all, but that was what such books were for. Unfortunately, organization had not been the wolf's strong suit, and he let out another growl of annoyance as he looked for a spell to deal with arrows; he was sure he had a shield spell somewhere in the pages, if only he could remember where he had penned it!

The thunk of another arrow striking the tree made him jump in surprise, dropping the grimoire into the dirt at his feet. Huffing, the wolf reached to pick it up, only to flinch back as yet another skillful shot had an arrow pinning the book to the ground, piercing straight through the cover and at least half of the pages, likely ruining years of work and study. Anger started to give way to panic, and the lupine frantically scoured his mind for anything that could help him. Unfortunately, the standard array of fireballs, smoke tricks, and charm spells didn't do any good when he couldn't see his target; his assailant was doing an annoyingly good job of hiding among the trees and making his life difficult. It was hard to trace the path of an arrow when one was dodging it, as well; whoever his opponent was, the guy was highly skilled!

“Slowing down already, big guy?” A voice came from above, and the wolf yelped as he nearly fell over again in his haste to scramble away. An arrow caught the hem of his robe, pinning it to the ground in a fate similar to that of his grimoire. Looking up as he tried to tug the material free, the warlock finally caught sight of his pursuer, who balanced between two branches with surprising ease, drawing another arrow from the quiver that hung across his back. Wearing tanned leathers dyed in a lighter brown to blend with the trees about him, the hunter was neither bird nor mammal, but a combination of both. Reddish-brown feathers crested his head, framing a piercing gaze as he lined up another shot down the length of his beak. The coloration continued down his arms, but disappeared somewhere around the mid-point of his body; leonine legs emerged from the long breeches, sharpened claws at the end of each toe helping secure the hybrid's perch up in the tree.

“Such a shame, really; I heard you caster-types were all big and mighty, with a hundred spells for every occasion. Imagine my surprise that someone with such power would lower himself to being a bandit.” The gryphon sneered as he held his bow steady, aimed directly at the wolf's head. The lupine paused; any spell he could cast at such a short range required motions or words, either of which would have an arrow loosed before the spell was completed. Any other time, he might have made a fireball-fricasseed gryphon out of his tormentor, but when staring down the length of a sharpened metal arrowhead, all he could do was watch and wait.

“But it's alright, really.” The gryphon smirked again, holding his shot steady as he continued to taunt his prey. “Even if you were as good as all the stories said, you still wouldn't have been able to best me. After all, when someone hires the best ranger in the world, Caelus Stormfeather, they expect results. And I've never failed to provide them.” Despite holding the bow drawn for several minutes, the gryphon showed no sign of tiring; he had some strength in his arms to manage such a feat, even with a shortbow! “Now the question is how I bring you in. The reward for 'one fearsome mage, pillager and thief,' was provided whether the target was dead or alive. The question is which you should be. You'd be less trouble dead, no spells to worry about, but...” Caelus sneered again as he continued. “With a wolf as round as you, dragging your corpse back to town might be a burden even for someone as strong as me. How does someone so well-fed get to banditry, anyway? I can't imagine you're very good at running, if your previous display is any indication.”

That set the wolf off, and his gaze narrowed into a glare. A simple spell came to mind, inspiration born in anger, and as his gaze met Caelus's, the gryphon froze, his muscles locking up for just a moment. It was a simple stun, the evil eye, and it was only momentary in duration. Meant to lock up the victim's body to prevent them from fleeing or escaping an attack, it was limited by requiring eye contact as well. Still, the cocky gryphon hadn't even thought to lower his gaze, and that was all that the wolf needed. Tearing himself free of the arrow that pinned his robe to the ground, the warlock pointed a hand at the hunter above him, releasing a simple bolt of lightning that broke the branch beneath the gryphon's foot. Lacking balance and still somewhat stiff from the stun spell, Caelus crashed to the ground, falling hard atop his bow. Though he was only bruised and battered, there was a loud crack as the bow limb broke beneath him, ruining his weapon of choice.

“Oh, so you're as underhanded as you are... are... fat!” Caelus grumbled, unable to come up with a properly cunning line as he brushed the dirt off of his clothes. Dropping the shattered bow, the gryphon pulled a long knife from his belt, the blade sharp and easily capable of cutting through the wolf's hide. “Dead it is, then, you mongrel.” The gryphon dashed forward, his blade slashing out at his fleeing prey. The edge caught the lupine's back, and a deep cut appeared in the fabric, mirrored by the one beneath that began to bleed profusely. The warlock fell over, yelping in pain as he rolled on the ground. Caelus charged forward, sure that he had won, only to have his gaze meet the wolf's again. It was the gryphon's turn to stumble as the evil eye took hold again, locking up his legs in mid-step and causing him to crash beak-first into the ground.

“Goddamn that evil eye! I'm going to kill you, you... you!” Caelus pushed himself up again, but the wolf had already rolled over, and made another motion with his hand. The area between them lit up with bright sparks, exploding like miniature flares in Caelus's vision and causing the gryphon to stumble and hit the ground face-first for the third time in as many minutes. His vision blurry and filled with colorful lights, the hybrid let out a long string of obscenities involving the wolf's lineage while he fumbled for the knife he dropped. As he grasped around for the knife, however, a paw stamped down on his hand, causing him to yell in pain. Said paw pressed down extra-hard, grinding his fingers into the dirt as a laugh came from above.

“Not so cocky when you're the one face-down in the dirt, are you?” A barely-seen hand motion was paired with a few words, and suddenly ropes emerged from the ground to tie the gryphon up from head to foot. “I was going to barbeque you to see if gryphons tasted like chicken, but after seeing how big your ego is, I have just the spell for you. And here I thought that the man who invented it was crazy, but it seems he had a certain sense of irony.” As Caelus's vision started to clear, he saw the wolf standing over him, panting for breath after running as hard as he had with the injury on his back. The warlock kicked at the gryphon's beak, causing him to roll over onto his back as he tormented the hunter a bit more. “So, let's make you match that inflated ego of yours. Just... like... that.”

As the wolf tapped on Caelus's beak, the gryphon felt a strange sensation surge through his body. His feathers and fur stood on end as the magic tingled through his body, moving from head to toe as he lay there, bound and unable to stop the warlock's curse from taking hold. He squirmed and struggled as he tried to break free of the ropes that held him in place, but to no avail; they were as tight as could be, and were not getting any looser. It was too late, though; already Caelus could feel the magic pooling in his middle, rising up to the surface. He closed his eyes, half-expecting some horrible monster to erupt from his body or something else that was magically evil, waiting for the end to come...

And suddenly, the gryphon let out a long, loud belch, of all things. He paused, surprised, before his cheeks started to color in embarrassment. What was *that*? “...What kind of dud spell was that, you lousy lupine?” He demanded, struggling to get free of his bonds. “Give me a little gas? Pffft. You talk big, but you're just as full of hot air as you claim I am!” Finally Caelus managed to get an arm free, and he started sawing at one of the ropes binding him with his sharp talons, trying to free himself. He was admittedly surprised that the wolf hadn't attacked him again for his latest insult, but the lupine looked as shocked as anyone, as if he was surprised that the spell had failed as well.

“That wasn't supposed to happen...” The lupine mused as he went over the spell in his mind, suddenly oblivious to his captive. “No, I did it right, down to the formula and everything... I don't *think* it was a dud spell...” A snap of ropes tearing drew the warlock's attention, however, and soon he noticed Caelus lunging at him, talons extended in place of the knife he had lost. The gryphon pinned his target down with his strong arms, easily knocking him over with the surprising maneuver, and brought down one of his talons to slash at the lupine's face. The wolf managed to block the arm, holding it with one of his paws only inches away from his muzzle. He couldn't hold it for long, but in the brief moment, the warlock managed to roll them over so that he was the one on top, pinning the gryphon with his weight. Caelus kicked out with his feet, the claws tipping each of his toes scratching at his assailant's legs and causing him to howl out as fresh wounds were opened. Soon the tables were turned, and the hybrid was on top again, trying once more to claw at his captive's face.

Another rumble from his stomach distracted Caelus, however, and he stifled another large belch, feeling a little queasy. What had the wolf done to him, anyway? Was he just trying to humiliate him, or something? It was hard to tell when the effects were so infrequent, but they were becoming annoying. Grabbing the wolf's arms and pinning them to the lupine's sides, the gryphon leaned in with a glare fit to rival the warlock's evil eye as he tried to stare down his pinned prey. “Reverse whatever you did, now. Or I'm going to start with your eyes and go from there. Mutilated still falls under the 'dead' category. Am I clear?”

Before the wolf could respond, however, Caelus doubled up, rolling over onto the ground. His stomach felt like it was twisting up in a knot, and his chest felt tight; whatever it was, this wasn't like the last two times, but far stronger. His tunic felt too tight on him, like someone had shrunk it, constricting his chest and making it difficult to breathe. Something was wrong, but what? Was it the warlock's curse? Just what *had* the wolf done to him, anyway? Was he sick, diseased? It was impossible to tell right that moment as he clutched at his middle, feeling like he was going to throw up for a few moments. But whatever it was, it wasn't a pleasant start.

“Ah, now I remember.” The wolf said as he pushed himself off of the ground, hobbling over to a nearby tree to take weight off of his injured leg. “'Spell includes a delay in case of enclosed space, to ensure the safety of the caster. Retreat is recommended in such situations to prevent harm from the spell's effects.' I completely forgot about that caveat.” Slumping to the ground, the warlock leaned back against the tree's trunk with a satisfied smile. “Now we get to the real show. You may start feeling a little... light-headed, however.”

“What are you talking about—uurrpp!” Another loud belch, more powerful than the last two, emerged from the gryphon's beak, and he groaned as he fell back to the ground. His middle felt *tight* now, and as he pressed his claws against it, Caelus realized that there was something strange. He felt as though his probing prodding was sinking into something as he pressed his hands into his middle, and that said something was pushing back. Groaning again, the hybrid rolled over as best as he could, trying to sit up despite the tight, twisting sensation in his middle. Finally managing to right himself, Caelus groaned again and looked down... only to let his beak fall open as he saw what was happening to him.

Normally the ranger was a lithe, svelte figure, well-muscled but efficiently built so as to prevent looking unnecessarily bulky. His tunic was always a little loose, but it allowed for more freedom of movement. Now that tunic was tight as could be around what could only be described as a large beach ball pressing out from his middle. Caelus stared at his stomach, which was bulging out excessively. “W-what is... urrrp!” Interrupted once more, the gryphon clamped both hands over his beak, his cheeks reddening as he tried to silence himself. But doing so only seemed to make things worse as he felt his body responding to the gas filling it up; his stomach continued to expand outwards, stretching his tunic further, the belt starting to creak. It wasn't just his belly that was swelling, however; the gryphon's chest was starting to fill out the top of his tunic, the thick spheres of his once-firm pecs starting to press against the neck hole while his shoulders widened. Even his face was starting to get rounder, he realized as his talons brushed against his swollen cheeks. He was turning into a balloon!

“Hah, you're looking like a really well-rounded adventurer now, blimp bird.” The wolf laughed as he pulled a scroll from his robes, using the healing spell inscribed on it to slowly start removing his wounds. “I may be a little on the heavy side, but my paunch is nothing compared to yours!” Indeed, Caelus was a fair bit wider than the heavy-set wolf he had been chasing up until now, his sides swelling out as his torso slowly became more spherical, his tunic beginning to let out a few groans. Another creak came from his belt, followed by a loud popping sound, and then *snap*! The leather band finally tore, letting the broken belt fall to the ground. Caelus started to let out a yell of surprise, but he was interrupted by yet another belch, just as powerful as the last.

“Oh boy, where did you learn your manners, birdbrain?” The wolf continued to poke fun at his victim as his spell finally completed, leaving him whole and hale again. “It's rude to do that without saying 'excuse me', first! C'mon, let's see you give it another try.” Caelus glared at the warlock, and pushed himself to his feet; if he couldn't stop the spell himself, then perhaps dealing with the caster would cancel it out instead! Getting up was difficult with his rounded form, however; the swelling was starting to spread to his limbs, his arms and legs thickening slowly and becoming harder to bend. Everything felt like he was wrapped in a suit of pillows hindering his movement, and he nearly fell over twice just trying to stand up. But finally the gryphon got to his feet, and started to make his way over towards the wolf who had cursed him, his pace a frantic waddle as his thickening thighs fought with his bulging belly for space.

Of course, that lasted all of about five uncertain steps before another round with the evil eye had Caelus falling to the ground again. The gryphon started swearing again as he fell over, onto his stomach, and then started to roll and bounce a few times; his buoyant form was far more cushioned by the air filling it out, making his fall somewhat less painful, but every other curse was punctuated by another belch as the string of expletives only grew worse with each bounce. Finally he rolled to a stop, but things weren't getting any better as he found himself almost beached atop his swollen stomach; the feathered sphere was now so large that his feet could barely reach the ground as he rolled backwards, claws scraping across the loose dirt for some kind of foothold.

Another loud rip marked the end of the gryphon's tunic as he continued to flail about, the tear starting from the neckline and starting its way down. Already the material had been too small, with a good four or five inches of reddish-brown feathering poking out beneath the hem, but now more and more of that bloated, spherical chest started to bulge free of the cloth binding it. Caelus's breeches were doing no better; his thighs had already torn the legs along their seams, and his backside was embarrassingly large, bloated and round as the back of his leggings threatened to slide down. His tail was even starting to look a bit swollen, the long length becoming more tube-like as air filled even it, making it harder to bend as it too grew.

“Oh my, you may want to consider a diet, big bird!” The wolf chortled; clearly he was enjoying the show. “You've got a real bubble-butt going there! I suppose someone might pay to use it as advertising space, though!” Caelus's face went bright red at his tormentor's teasing as he continued to swell up, trying to tug at his clothes as if that would keep them intact. All his pulling did, however, was encourage them to tear further, and soon his tunic was completely ripped in two, fragments of cloth hanging off of his shoulders as his torso began to expand more rapidly, no longer bound by the clothing holding it in place. His stomach was easily as big as the wolf before him; not the wolf's belly, but the whole wolf! And it was only swelling larger by the moment as more and more gas filled the gryphon's body, causing him to indeed feel light-headed and dizzy.

The string of swearing ended as Caelus's cheeks grew too large for him to easily speak, clamping his beak shut and preventing him from doing more than making a few muffled cries of frustration. His limbs were entirely bloated now, the arms held out at his sides at ninety-degree angles as his torso ballooned wider. It wasn't just the limbs themselves, either; even his talons were a good deal thicker, each finger ballooning wider like an overstuffed sausage, tearing through the leather gloves that had covered all but the tips before this whole situation had gotten out of control. The bracer he wore on his left arm to reduce the effects of recoil from firing his bow had long since torn off, too small for a wrist as thick as a normal person's thigh.

At this point, the only thing keeping the gryphon even somewhat dignified was his too-small trousers, and those were quickly giving way under his burgeoning backside and blimped legs, while his belly bulged out above the waistline. Slowly Caelus noticed that he was trending towards a much rounder shape; he wasn't just swelling up with gas, like a ballooned parody of a gryphon; his whole form was getting slowly rounder, sinking into his ballooning torso. It was hard to differentiate his chest from his stomach at this point, so round was his body, and his neck was starting to vanish as his head began to sink down slightly too. He wondered just how long this was going to continue; would he pop before he finished, or would the warlock get to have his fun and leave him, helpless and inflated beyond any recognition, in the deep wilderness?

Suddenly another rip was heard, though this time it was beyond Caelus's line of sight; he coudln't see much past his enormous body now, and his head could only turn a little to each side, trying to see what was going on. He realized that it must have been his trousers going; his legs felt much cooler than before. Only his smallclothes remained to keep him decent, and those hardly contained his swelling proportions; the gryphon found himself going an even brighter red as he tried to turn and waddle away. At this point, he didn't care about the bounty; he wanted to get away, and sort out this curse before he burst out of all of his clothing!

As he started to waddle away, however, the gryphon felt something strange. Each of his footfalls felt lighter, as though he weren't sinking as far into the loose dirt of the ground. Confused, he shuffled about as he tried to understand what he was feeling, yet in a moment he was sure of what was happening: he was getting lighter! Up until now, the air had been filling him up and neutralizing his weight, but now, with his clothing mostly gone and his body blimped to enormous proportions, there was nothing anchoring him to the ground. Frantically, Caelus waddled his way over to the nearest tree, trying to make his way to it before he started to float away; who knew what would happen if he left the ground!

Grabbing onto the trunk, Caelus realized he was just in time as his body started to levitate into the air, his claws frantically scrabbling along the trunk for some sort of handhold. His talons managed to grab onto a branch, but it was a close call; he was near the upper boughs of the tree, and a few more seconds would have been too late. He let out another muffled yell, barely able to open his beak at all thanks to the bloated features of his face, and he struggled to keep a hold on the branch. Terror filled him as he held on with all of his might, but he knew that he didn't have long left. His fingers were still thickening, becoming less flexible, slowly straightening as they filled with yet more gas. It wouldn't be long before he let go!

Below him, the wolf had gotten up and was laughing at his attacker's situation, amused as the gryphon did his damnedest to hold on. “Well, well! I didn't think anyone as large as you was capable of flight, bloat-belly! Thanks for proving me wrong!” The warlock smirked, rubbing at his chin as he watched Caelus straining to hold on to the branch. “Mmm... I could just evil eye him again but... I prefer something a little more direct this time.” A single pointed finger released a bolt of lightning, one that struck the base of the branch that the gryphon was holding onto and breaking it clean off of the tree. Caelus had time for one more yelp before he slowly began to ascend again; though his bloating appeared to be slowing, it was more than enough as he started to drift away, rising up into the sky. Within moments, he was a much smaller speck, just at the edge of the warlock's sight.

“Well, that was a diverting afternoon.” The wolf thought to himself as he moved over to his spellbook, frowning at the torn pages. “It's going to take forever to replace those spells though. It's a shame that spell was temporary; I'd have loved to let that gryphon float off into orbit. Oh well.” Removing the arrow that pinned the book to the ground, the wolf tucked the ruined tome into his robe again and headed back towards the village. Perhaps with their 'hunter' vanquished, they wouldn't resist him any longer...