On the seventh day of TFMas Kaevon gave to me,

Seven udders flowing

Six orcas swimming

Five bondage rings!

Four mushing huskies

Three squawking birbs

Two yipping kobolds

And a werewolf who is knotty!

There’s nothing more controversial than eggnog when it comes to the holidays. Zeelo wasn’t always a fan, but they never understood why other people didn’t want to drink it. And with all the fun holiday versions that come out, that meant Zeelo could keep it all to himself! Good thing too. It’s a really hard one to put down…very filling. Very gooooooooood.

~

            Zeelo couldn’t say that he was the -biggest- fan of eggnog…but whenever the holiday season rolled around? It was hard for him to say no to all the weird holiday advertisements that had funny cartoony animals on them. As he was walking through the grocery store earlier that day, he found there was only one carton of eggnog left. And better yet, it looked like a new brand that was fully themed around cows! He couldn’t deny his love of bovines, so it was an easy decision to buy the singular cartoon of a black and white cow patterned unit of milk. He was smiling wide as he walked back toward his apartment, holding the carton under his arm as he locked the door behind him. It had just started to snow, some of it having accumulated on his hoodie as he brushed it off with a light shiver. “Perfect timing!” He hummed softly, shaking his head as a soft blanket of snow fell onto the floor. It quickly melted, but Zeelo didn’t want to slip on water today. That certainly wasn’t the right way to celebrate the holidays.

            After a bit of time and effort, Zeelo managed to wipe up the carpet and dry the patch sufficiently enough that it was impossible to tell anything was spilt in the first place. He nodded with a bright smile, finally taking off his glasses to clean those as well before hanging his hoodie up in the closet. A soft shiver brought his hands to his arms so he could rub some warmth back into them, sighing before sitting down on a chair in the main room and relaxing into the cushion. It was such a cozy and comfortable day, the holidays drawing ever closer as he hadn’t yet gotten sick of the holiday carols. He shut his eyes with a soft rumble, the apartment’s heat slowly kicking and making him feel more comfortable and at peace. Even if he had every intention of enjoying the new eggnog immediately when he got home, there was something to be said about having the time to let the cold slowly fade away.

            Things were getting busier and busier as time went on, everyone making their last-ditch efforts for holiday shopping before it got too late in the season. His plans were to get some food to enjoy that evening, pick up some tasteful decorations, and maybe find a movie or something to really get cozy. It was somewhat of a tradition to enjoy one of his favorite snacks while a movie played in the background, and he figured adding another element of the holidays to the list could be a good idea as well. Though it was a bit thicker than he wanted and dairy wasn’t always the best idea later in the evening, Zeelo felt like the combination of cow branding and holiday spirit was going to outweigh a possibly upset stomach throughout the evening. Once he felt that he had enough time to relax, Zeelo stretched with a long, deep yawn before getting up to pour himself a fresh glass of cow nog.

            …that was the brand. Cow nog.

            Not the most creative thing in the world, but it didn’t really matter all that much. What did matter was he finally had the time to relax and start celebrating more. Once he grabbed the eggnog and brought it to the kitchen, he had a chance to read the label a bit closer. Frankly, he just wanted to buy it because of the cow labeling. After taking a bit of a closer look, he realized there was something weird about…well, everything. For starters, it wasn’t in English. There were a number of weird accents he’d never seen before, and the actual name of the eggnog itself made no sense. ‘Det magiske kua av revens drømm.’ Part of Zeelo wanted to look for a translation for what it meant, but another part of him felt like that would ruin the fun. Instead, he just got out a large glass and opened the carton eagerly. The scent was hard to identify, but it was almost like a mix of cinnamon, vanilla, orange, and…clove? No…allspice? Maybe? Zeelo didn’t know, but it smelled like something else, too. And it was pretty thick - thicker than what he was used to maybe? It was hard to say with certainty, but he did know that it looked and smelled wonderful!

            The glass was filled almost to the brim, and Zeelo wasted no time in taking a hearty drink. It had every flavor he’d described before, but there was also something different about it. A hint of peppermint, maybe? He smacked his lips a few times, tongue flicking at the top of his mouth to try and identify it. “Ahhh, it’s right on the tip of my tongue! Almost…literally, hah!” He laughed at his own joke, smiling before making his way back to his chair and sitting down. His legs shifted around a bit as he adjusted himself into as comfortable of a position as he could get, making sure he took more and more drinks of the lovely eggnog. The flavor was so well balanced, the consistency was the right mix of thick and smooth, and the scent was more than wonderful - it was practically intoxicating! Zeelo could hardly get enough of it, almost forgetting for a few moments that he was also planning on watching a movie. With a slight hum and a start, Zeelo put the glass down on the side table near him before finally picking up the remote and looking for a holiday movie or two to watch. There were a number of choices for him to pick, but it all came down to picking one that he was really feeling. After all, if he was going to start getting into the holiday spirit as of today? Everything had to line up just right!

            He picked out a pretty generic movie that he’d seen hundreds of times - a complete and total retelling of A Christmas Story involving a popular crew of puppets whose names will be withheld for copyright reasons. It was probably the best depiction of Christmas Zeelo could think of, smiling bright as the first song filled his home with the sounds of the season. He sang along. He laughed. He teared up. He overall had a wonderful time watching the movie while curled up under a warm, fuzzy blanket adorned with cats and dogs in holiday hats and sweaters. It was plush and huggable in the best possible way, giving Zeelo all the warm fuzzies as he’d taken out the eggnog and a pack of cookies to give himself something to nibble and sip upon during the movie. Admittedly, he had much more of the eggnog than he was expecting. It was probably a liter carton, and he’d already made it through over three quarters of it. But hey - it was delicious! With a bit of bubbles rumbling in his stomach, Zeelo covered his mouth before letting out a sheepish chuckle.

            “Whoa, heh. Guess I should take it easy on the nog, huh.” His thoughts were aimed at himself, feeling just a touch of gurgling coming from his lower body. As he rest his hands upon his stomach, there was the slight sensation of jiggling from all the dairy he’d consumed. Another soft rumble followed by a quick wiping of his mouth told Zeelo that he should put the eggnog away and save the rest for another day. As he got up from the chair and carried it over to the kitchen, his whole body tensed in a soft hiccup. It came out of nowhere, but wasn’t too much to worry about. Grabbing the fridge handle, Zeelo pulled it open and stored the carton before another hiccup struck. And then another. And another. And another. “Didn’t think it’d hit me that hard that fast.” It wasn’t very often that Zeelo consumed dairy, and he was starting to remember why. As delicious as the eggnog was, the soft burps and hiccups were a pretty good indicator that he’d made a slight error in judgment.

            The stomach rumbles were quickly turning to aches, feeling the bubbles turn to slight cramps and the hiccups turn to rumbling coughs. “Urp. What the heck is going on?” He said between hiccups, moving from the kitchen toward the bathroom down the hall as he had to stop more than a few times. It wasn’t painful by any means…but it was…off. He didn’t really know how to describe it other than just plain strange. Foreign. Filling? That last one almost seemed strange to say, but it was the best word he could come up with. It wasn’t just that he had an upset stomach, but more that his waistband was weirdly tight. He felt a bit of air rush up toward his mouth, cheeks filling almost comically with air before he slowly exhaled and tried to relieve some of the pressure. It didn’t work though, and it almost made things worse. His pants felt tight, strained in a weird fit of bloating that was impossible to describe. It wasn’t just a stomach cramp, but more like his stomach was thicker and rounder than it had been before. He looked down at himself as he entered the bathroom, hands rubbing along his lower belly as it actually DID feel a bit larger somehow. Was the eggnog really that bad for his health? That had to be it…but there was something else that was confusing him. As he rubbed a hand along the different parts of his belly, there were a few spots that brought out gasps and soft chuckles from a weird tickling sensation. Combined with the coughs and rumbles…this was all getting a bit confusing. When he finally made it to the bathroom, Zeelo wasted no time in lifting his shirt and immediately gasping at what he saw.

            “Is that an…udder??”

His tone matched the level of disbelief he felt, staring at his belly in the mirror as he looked at his stomach. It was…pink?? Pink with two little dots poking out of it. And the whole thing was rounding out…and growing? It was like a separate part of his body, standing on top of his stomach as that was also growing larger with every passing second. Zeelo couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself from this strange dream state as he quickly came to realize…he wasn’t dreaming. That was an udder. That was HIS utter. He experimentally poked at it, feeling how soft and sensitive it was before shivering as it pressed harder against his pants. It took hardly any time at all for his waistband to creak, stretching to its limits as he gasped and let out a heavy, loud bellow of a moo. His eyes went wide as he slapped his hands over his mouth, jaw hanging open as he looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn’t believe his eyes. But he hardly had the time to think about it as his waist cramped and felt tight in his pants. He let out another low groan as a strange new pressure pushed just above his rear, Zeelo gritting his teeth as something forced its way through his pants before flicking out in the air.

            He couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief, feeling his lengthening ears perk before he looked back at his body in disbelief. A small brown and white tail twitched just above the new tear in his pants as it wagged back and forth lazily. Zeelo took a moment to catch his breath, leaning forward against the countertop as he looked in the mirror once again. That instant feeling of relief was changed to confusion again, feeling a bit less shaken but FAR more confused. With his maw uncovered, Zeelo could see how his nose was pressing out from his face and rounding out almost comically, a finger pulling back at his lips to show off his thicker teeth, white and brown fur, and overall larger snout. There was also a strange taste in his mouth as he cringed a bit, pulling his hand away to see that his fingertips were growing a dark black material…almost like a hoof? But still in the shape of his hand! He couldn’t believe it, hislarger maw slowly spreading into a smile as he lifted an arm and looked down at himself again. His waist and legs were growing as his pants stretched and tore, more of that white and brown fur pressing out of the holes as he could feel those longer ears perking up in excitement.

            “H-hey, this is kinda…” He started, taking a few steps out into the hallway before having to lean against the doorframe to stop himself from falling over. His growing udder hung heavily in front of him, resting on top of his pants as it sagged from what he was assuming had to be milk. It didn’t help that his belly had grown too, more muscle and a bit of extra fat piling on to help his body round out while more of that white fur grew along his sides, his chest, his neck, his back…everywhere. He kept turning his arms around to watch as it shifted, fingers shifting slightly as they no longer looked like human hands…but almost like two hooves that were still fully capable of grabbing and holding things. “I don’t know how this…” He started, the realization hitting very suddenly as he looked down the hall toward the kitchen. The eggnog! That had to be it! Wanting to get a closer look, Zeelo pushed off the wall and made his way toward the fridge before stumbling on his feet. He let out a low squealing bleat, falling down as he felt a cramping tightness below his heels.

            As Zeelo shifted around to bring his legs in front of him, he winced before letting out a joyous laugh at the sight of his socks. They’d already torn into pieces, strong black hooves growing from where his toes were previously as two dark black ‘nails’ pressed out into the air. He bent it experimentally, eyes lighting up as he let out a soft laugh before running his hands over his new legs. They were longer than before, stronger and covered with even more of that white and brown fur as a spotted pattern quickly spread along his whole body. He could hardly believe what was happening, teasing at his hooves a bit more before realizing he had to get to that eggnog and see if he could figure out what was going on. As he pushed off the floor with his new hooved hands, Zeelo’s new snout clenched as he let out an aching and grumbling moo. The udder hung in the air as he tried to push up onto both new hooves, realizing his new hefty body would take a lot of time to get used to. Even as his tail flicked around and grew out further to try and fix his balance, Zeelo wasn’t sure it was something he could get used to any time soon.

            “Hng…g-gotta…gotta try though!” He encouraged himself, still feeling the shiver rush through his body as he managed to get back onto his own two legs. The anatomy felt just a touch off, shifting from hoof to hoof to try and find a balance before experimentally touching his udder again. It was warm, the cold hooves making Zeelo shiver with a start before his ears flicked up in surprise while two firm horns started to poke out the top of his head. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling sheepishly, feeling the sloshing as he lifted the udder up and let it sag over his hands. It was such a foreign sensation, but one that he couldn’t stop thinking about. And his body…it was so much larger! He took a step forward, feeling the new weight distribution shift every time his hoof pushed down against the carpet while he had to adjust his udder with each slight movement. The change of weight was so foreign and strange, but Zeelo couldn’t help but feel just slightly excited and in wonder at the newness of it all.

            The last bits of his fur were growing in on his shoulders, his tee straining from his larger body and thicker bulk while he had to do a slight waddling walk down the hallway. Even without seeing the growing excitement along his new longer muzzle, it was clear from how his tail flicked and twitched and waved behind him. A small tuft of brown fur grew along the tip while his back grew more of that fur everywhere. He was exerting himself far more than he expected, rumbling and grunting as he had to hold up his udder to stop it from making his already larger body even more cumbersome. It felt like a whole ordeal just trying to adjust to his new body, holding up his pants with one hooved hand while supporting his udder with the other. His tail stuck out from the vertical tear from where it burst out of his pants as it futilely struggled to wave back and help him balance. His eyes shut, letting out a labored moo of both excitement and weariness before he heard a strange ‘clop’ noise. His eyes opened wide with his ears stretched out to the sides, looking down to the floor as he took his first hooved step into the kitchen.

            He’d made it!

            He practically stumbled along the floor, hooves clipping and clopping with their own strangely musical rhythm before he pulled open the fridge. His smile had been bright the whole time he was moving down the hall despite how difficult it was to navigate, but now his smile had faded for another look of confusion. Inside the fridge? Despite having bought groceries just two days before? There was only one item. Or, rather…a lot of one item.

            The eggnog.

            There had to be at least forty cartons, all identically decorated with that same cow pattern and small wreaths, bells, angels…other sorts of Christmas decorations. Zeelo tilted his head in confusion, gasping with a soft ‘moo’ as he let his udder hang in the air before grabbing one of those cartons. The language seemed to change…it wasn’t in that same strange language, but it also didn’t look like English. Instead, the words were replaced with pictures of silver foxes with wings all smiling and smirking directly at Zeelo. He blinked with his new larger bovine eyes, swearing that each of those foxes were following him with their eyes whenever he moved. But regardless, he did notice there was one small message on the bottom of the carton that he hadn’t noticed earlier. He tilted it up, squinting as he read the message before smiling wide once more. He managed to read the hidden message, feeling a new brightness and joy filling his heart as he knew the holiday season was just beginning.

            “Merry Christmas, Zeelo! And happy COW-lidays~”

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