Sergei's Diet
(C)2000 By Michael Setzer
(based on characters created by Michael Setzer and Matthew Gabrielle)

      Sergei, gainerlion extraordinare, was admiring himself in the
mirror.   He was outrageously overweight (over half a ton with huge
sagging gut, trunk thick fore and hindlegs and a soft, blubbery rump
that would shake at the slightest movement)  but he didn't mind...he
liked the way he looked. Besides he had a close leopard friend named
Siyahamba who enjoyed his company .    Sergei smiled as he recalled the
hours he'd laid on his bed with Siya on top of him tickling and
skritching his vast expanse of liongut.   Recalling all this pleasure
gave Sergei  a good idea for a neat practical joke to play on Siyahamba,
but first he needed to see a friend of his for help........
     Later that day, Sergei found himself in his friend's lair
describing his plan.  "What I want to do." he told Nestor, "is to at
least temporarily make myself thin." he chuckled at the thought "That'll
really freak out Siya."
      Nestor the bear wizard considered a minute then had a flash of
inspiration "Ah! I know exactly what you need! Wait here."  With nary a
thought he ambled away, returning a few minutes later with a vial of
blue potion.   "I keep this for class reunions."  he said.  "It's a
potion that trims you down   Just perfect for those who were slim and
trim back then and want to look the same way 10 or 20 years down the
line.  Works within minutes too..no fuss no muss no bother.."
     Sergei smiled.  "That's great! That's exactly what I need. But you
know I don't want to be a skinnie minnie forever. Also, Siyahamba will
NEVER forgive me if there's no way to undo things.."
     Nestor smiled back and patted Sergei's tummy "Not to worry, my
large leonine friend." He produced a red vial.    "This is a reversal
potion.  Drink it and within minutes you'll be back to being 'large and
in charge'."
     Sergei returned home and waddled in front of a mirror holding the
vial of blue potion he'd been given.  He considered it  carefully and
gave it a sniff, then shrugged "Yiff it!" he said.  With nary a thought,
he downed the potion with one big gulp..
      At first nothing happened, then Sergei got a tingling feeling that
started in the pit of his stomach and spread to his entire body.  The
potion began doing its work, shrinking Sergei down...his gut shrank and
the fat that had been swelling out his forelegs and hindpaws dimished.
trimming those down as well.  His  rump, meanwhile,  went from being
round, full and flabby to tight and bony.
     The potion's work done,  Sergei surveyed his new lean form in the
mirror and winced "Ew! I look horrible!" The pained look on the
gainerlion's muzzle melted in a big ear to ear grin "but it'll be worth
it to see the look on Siya's face." he walked (he was too thin to do any
waddling now) to his bedroom to await the arrival of his leopard friend.

     Later that day, Sergei heard a knocking on his door.. "Come in
Siya!" he called out.
     The door opened and in came Siyahamba.  While not as big as Sergei,
Siya was a pretty good sized fur in his own right by tipping the scales
at a hefty 500 lbs plus.  "Where are you, handsome?" he asked.
     "In here!" came Sergei's voice from the bedroom.
     Siyahamba waddled into the bedroom and, looking at the skinny
shrimp that used to be his half ton gainerlion friend, stopped
midstride.  "Sergei!" he gasped, his muzzle dropping open. "Wh-what
happened????????????"
     Sergei smiled and waved "Hi gorgeous." he purred "Like my new
look?"
     "I-I-I-I" stammered Siyahamba...He then promptly fainted.
     When Siya came to, he took a second look at the former gainerlion
"No! Please!" he pleaded "Tell me this is a nightmare!"
     Sergei's smiled and shook his head "Nope!" he said.  "No more
gainergame for me.  I've decided to change my life.  From here on out
it's just diet and exercise."
     The pain on the leopard's face was easy to see.  "It can't be! I
knew you as the one of the premier fatcats in this city...a cat who
could never say 'no' to a good meal and a good belly scritch."
     Sergei got up, still smiling.  "But that's behind me." For
emphasis, he turned 'round and wiggled his now lean rump at Siya (a
gesture that the leopard had greatly enjoyed when Sergei was bigger and
softer).
     "I-I-I-I don't know what to say."  said Siyahamba, almost near
tears..
     "Say yes to diet and exercise." said Sergei.. "Join me in a quest
for fitness."
     Siyahamba could take no more.. With a sob, he turned around and
started slowly padding out.
     Sergei grabbed hold of the big leopard's tail. "Siya, wait!" he
said gently.
     Siya turned around "What do you want?" he asked.
     Sergei sighed "I'm afraid I haven't been level with you.  I've been
playing a practical joke on you."
     Siya's ears pricked up "WHAT?????????" his muzzle dropped open,
shocked.
     "I've taken a reducing potion." Sergei replied "I wanted you to
think I had abandoned the gainergame."
     The big leopard's eyes lit up when he realized he'd been had. "Why
you....you!" he said playfully...In a twinkling he'd trapped the
gainerlion on the bed and was pinning him down and preparing to tickle
him, as he'd done in the old days.
     Sergei grabbed hold of Siya's forepaws and smiled "Wouldn't you
like to tickle me and tummy skritch me as I was, big, blubbery and
helpless??????"
     Siya gasped "You can reverse it?"
     Sergei nodded "Yep." He grabbed the red potion from the bedstead "I
drink this..and within minutes I'm old blubbery self."
     Siyahamba looked up at the (formerly big) gainerlion with big,
puppydog eyes "Please! do it for me!" he pleaded.
     With that, Sergei rolled out from under his leopard friend and
quaffed the potion.  Within minutes he was restored to his normal,
blubbery size.
     Later that evening, Siya and Sergei were sitting together on an
oversized (and super-reinforced) sofa, with Sergei lazily scritching the
leopard's backside lovingly. "So." Siya purred comfortably  "you really
didn't like being that skinny."
     Sergei shook his head vigorously. "No! I felt naked without all
that padding!" he said "Sure I was 'normal' sized but......"
     "Who wants to be normal?" Siyahamba finished for him.
     Sergei nodded "Besides...who wants to be hard and bony anyway..when
you can be soft and snuggly and have somefur like you" he smiled at his
leopard friend "who admires me and likes me just the way I am."
     "Besides that," Siyahamba grinned,  "if you do ANYTHING like that
EVER again. I shall personally see to it that you are tied down and
fattened up until you are just the right size."
     Sergei reached over and worked the leopard's favorite
scritch-spot.  "Don't worry..I'll remain huge...just for you."
     Siya was silent,.but his smile and content purr said it all.