Coconut Grove Chunk Recon

This was quite the pickle.

When Chunk spied the odd shaped 'coconuts' he assumed it would be easy to open - but now he found his jaw stuck.

He sat down, defeated, and let out a muffled cry.

In an attempt to soothe herself, Creggan leafed through her memory, trying to find a song to replace the ear worm that had wriggled its way into her subconscious. It was only a snippet of a song, and she didn’t understand the meaning- but Daddy had played it over and over and over again in the C-A-R. He would sing the excerpt in the shower, while making C-H-O-W, sometimes when he took her for a W-A-L-K.

And now it was stuck in her head. 

She’d let it slip out as she scavenged the beach for another coconut. It’d been rattling around for long enough, it found a way to escape when she least expected it.

H-O-T-T-O—-GO!

She grunted, rolling her dark eyes at the irony that she had begun picking up Daddy’s habits now, when she was so far from him.

So she tried to think of another song- and many came to mind. Both Daddy and Spare Human had excellent taste in music (she’d been told she was supposed to prefer Daddy’s music, but Spare Human just had better tunes some days, and unlike Daddy, he could actually dance) so there was lots to choose from- but nothing could uproot the ear worm.

Until she heard an odd whimpering sound. Muffled, slightly. 

She pushed her way through the beach grass only to stop short when she saw the most gigantic creature she had EVER seen- with a coconut stuck in its giant mouth.

Needless to say- H-O-T-T-O—G-O! Was instantly forgotten.

Large claws grabbing onto the husk, Chunk rolled onto his back as he began to pull at the coconut. What a horrible fate this was! How silly he must look!

Out of the corner of his eye, the hulking creature spotted something much smaller than himself. Not a wolf - but something similar. What an odd looking creature it was. But nonetheless he felt no ill will, for he was unsure of what it was.

But the strange creature had teeth and claws. It could handle the coconut, yes?

Returning to his feet, he began his approach. Never the most critically thinking creature, he did not consider that it could cause discomfort.

Reaching into the depths of his brain, he pulled the small amount of vocabulary he had from his encounters with the nearby canidae. "Bite." Muffled words sounded out, pausing between each. "Take, away."

Creggan stared as the creature pitched to its feet on legs thick as tree trunks. The girth of his midsection made his belly sag to the sand, and with each slow-motion stride the bear took, his gut rolled and bounced. She’d seen J-E-L-L-O before. The bear’s movements suddenly called a plate of it to mind.

Her neighbours had had two Labrador Retrievers; they had been so covered that they’d practically been seals. They claimed that it was because they’d been neutered. Creggan knew the scent of bacon on their breath. This guy, however, won the prize for the most covered creature she had ever seen.

She backed up, feathery tail tucked. She pursed her lips and uttered a tiny growl, which might’ve sounded about as threatening as a mouse’s fart to a creature as lumbering as the bear. 

Her breath caught when the behemoth spoke, voicing a request. It was then that she understood how truly stuck the coconut must be-

-and he thought she could/would pry it out of his jaws? He was as dumb as the labs. 

You cray-cray?! She asked. I not put my boop-the-snoot near your chow trap!

The creature spoke words he did not understand. It barked like a wolf, nearly smelt like one too, so why did it not listen like one? Did it want something in return? Now that was just rude, what ever happened to doing good deeds for the sake of it?

So, he spoke again. "Bite, take, away." He instructed. "Coconut, you have."

He gestured to the remaining coconuts laid on the beach as he made his offer. He would break one open for her if she helped him. Properly, this time.

The yappy little thing usually would have been chased off by now, but Chunk needed this coconut gone. If he could avoid a fight, he would - but just until the coconut was out.

She eyed him, skeptically. Big dogs didn’t always mean to play rough, but she’d learned from a number of instances at the DogPark that they didn’t know their own strength. The biggest of big dogs were often so cumbersome that they didn’t play rough at all and when she considered his role-poly build, she decided to lump him in with the Newfoundlanders, and Saint Bernards. They were big- but they were chill.

Bernese Mountain Dogs? Humpers.

She rolled her expressive eyes and tiptoed closer, ready to spring back should he try and give her a smack with one of his paws. Each claw sank into the sand, and were longer than her paws. 

She clicked her teeth together, cueing him to lower his head more. Down, boy, She barked then, hoping he might at least know that command.

The little canidae approached, and he lowered his head so that she might accept his offer and assist him. He needed this evil coconut gone, and he needed it gone now.

This horrific experience had ruined any chance of him hibernating here, that's for sure. Likely the best case scenario for the surrounding wolves.

The fall was always rather tiring - touring dens was never easy. The best one's were always claimed early, the other bears much faster in their travels.

How had they gotten so fast? He could only wonder.

Shadow draped over her shoulders as the beast lowered its great, heavy head. The coconut alone was larger than Creggan’s skull, and she realized how easily her own noggin could fit within those jaws if only he could drop the hard-shelled nut. A plume of hot, putrid breath fanned her face, causing her to recoil and gag.

Ughhh, fishbreath! She gasped. Stink stank stunk! She quoted, an excerpt from a song that Daddy often played around indoor tree time. Grinch, She said softly as she prepared herself, wrinkling her nose and raising her soft palate to block off her own sense of smell. She, too, would have to breathe only through her mouth if she wanted to avoid another whiff of his breath.

Her first couple attempts were weak; she was still nervous about putting her snoot so close to his jaws. She stripped a couple strands of husk from the coconut, before she mustered the fall, opened her jaws wide and clamped onto the coconut shell. 

Sinking down to her hips, she began to pull with short jerks, rocking back on her heels as she pulled, though the shifting sand beneath her paws did her no favours.

With the assistance of the small canidae the coconut soon came loose. Stretching out his jaw momentarily he was finally able to shut it with the satisfying crack of bones moving back into place.

"Good." He spoke the simple word, staring down at the canine momentarily before turning back. He still had to fulfill his end of the deal.

The lumbering creature made his way back to the beach, picking out a large coconut and sitting himself down next to it. This time he would need to open it properly.

Large claws began to work away at the husk, ripping away like knives.

With a pleasing sound, the coconut was pulled free- the long-limbed sighthound went tumbling backwards, losing her grip on the coconut as she sprawled in the sand, legs flailing like an angry octopus' tentacles as she sought footing, and then lurched to her feet. After all- now that the coconut wasn't in the bear's mouth, she could be. 

The bear, however, remained true to its word, and began to claw at another coconut. She marveled at the creature- simultaneously so frightening and interesting, wrinkling her nose as she remembered the stink of its breath. 

You chow chow-Tibetan mastiff mix? She asked, as she came around to watch him work with the coconut.

He only gave her a confused look as she spoke. Brow furrowed, mouth fixed in a frown. This small canidae seemed to speak nothing but nonsense.

The coconut beginning to open up, Chunk was able to rip the top off. Satisfied, he stood and began to walk off. He had left the coconut with it's sweet water fresh for the little wolf to drink, just as he promised.