Road Cushion

Artemis was exhausted as she trudged along the dusty sand at the side of the desert highway. She had been on a cross country road trip when her car ran out of gas in a dead zone with no cell phone service. To make matters worse, her battery ran out before she reached anywhere with a signal. All she could do was walk along the road and try to find somewhere she could get help.

The corgi had been trekking for hours, her pink T-shirt soaked with sweat and denim shorts equally damp. The few vehicles she had seen on the road either sped past as if she were entirely unnoticed, or made rude gestures at her. She was feeling hot, tired, and demoralized as she did her best to focus on simply putting one footpaw in front of the other.

Artemis tried her best to ignore the distant rumble of a truck which was approaching from behind. By now she had given up on the idea on anyone stopping to help and didn’t want to get her hopes up. She stared straight ahead into the heat-shimmering horizon as she simply continued to walk.

An eighteen-wheeler rolled past her and the brake lights turned red as the truck began to slow down. It came to a stop about fifty feet away, plumes of exhaust rising out from the side-mounted vertical pipes before the smoke faded into hazy heat. The engine growled as the vehicle idled, waves of heat wafting up from the sunlight glaring against dark metal.

As Artemis approached, she could hear an automatic window being lowered and saw a smiling round- faced otter with a double chin.

“Hey there,” the brown-furred otter said, lifting a purple ballcap in polite greeting. “Need a lift?”

“Yes please,” panted the corgi.

The otter leaned over and opened the passenger side door, and Artemis hoisted herself up to sit on a black leather chair and closed the door. She shivered at first as she was blasted by cold through the vents, but compared to the scorching sun it was a breath of fresh air.

“Where are you heading?” asked the rotund otter, rolling the window back up.

“The closest gas station please,” answered Artemis.

“Can do,” the otter replied. He released the brake and the truck began to roll forward, speeding up as he lowered a workboot-clad webbed footpaw onto the accelerator.

The corgi stuck her arms out and looked down at her sweat-drenched self. “I’m sorry I’m so sweaty,” she said.

“You’re in good company,” the otter replied with a grin. He gave a few playful pats to his vast stomach, which was barely being held back by a button-up flannel shirt. Proportionally he would have been the same height as the corgi, but his added bulk made him twice her size, his massive denim covered rump spilling over both sides of the driver’s seat. His own clothing was damp with sweat and his natural scent filled the cabin like a gentle (if fragrant) mist. “My name’s Cooper,” he said. “What’s yours?”

“Artemis,” the corgi answered.

“Would you like some water, Artemis?”

“Yes please!”

The otter grunted and hefted his mass over to the side, reaching behind his seat and opening up a cooler. He took out a bottle of water and handed it to Artemis, who took it gratefully and unscrewed the cap. She emptied its contents down her throat in a few gigantic gulps, exhaling a satisfied sigh and wiping her mouth off.

“Thank you so much,” said the corgi, placing the water bottle on the floor in front of herself. “You’re the first one who actually stopped.”

“Someone as cute as you? I’m surprised!” said Cooper as he turned to look at Artemis, who blushed at his words. He winked at her with his glimmering blue eyes before turning to face forward. “So,” he continued. “I’m guessing you weren’t just out on a hike?”

“Not voluntarily,” said Artemis with a little laugh. She was relieved as she looked to her side, seeing the beige sand and rocks swiftly pass by her window as opposed to their slow crawl while she walked. “My car ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere and my phone died before I could get anywhere with a signal,” she said, looking at the digital clock below the dashboard. “I’ve been walking for maybe three hours now. This road goes on forever.”

The otter laughed heartily, sending ripples down his gargantuan gut. “There’s a reason they call this the Endless Stretch,” he said. “It’s a hell of a place to break down.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” grumbled the corgi. “A lot of the drivers are so rude.” She could sense a tingle of temper starting to flare up and exhaled her frustration. “I’m just glad someone finally cared enough to stop,” she said, focusing on the overall positive outcome. “I’m not sure how much longer I would have been able to walk.”

“You’re at least a few hundred miles from the closest anything,” said Cooper, shaking his head. “In all seriousness: the fact that nobody else stopped for you is disgusting.” The front of his lips curled up in disapproval. “That’s like a death sentence out here!”

“Then I’m really lucky you stopped,” said Artemis. The desert landscape continued to rush along outside, the endless beige interspersed only with large saguaro cacti. The corgi leaned an elbow against the window. “I should have filled up before I left that service plaza,” she sighed. “This is what I get for assuming I’d find something along the way.”

The otter lifted up an arm, his flab hanging low as he scratched his armpit with one blue-padded handpaw, the other handpaw still on the steering wheel. “Were you heading out or heading home?” he asked, putting the handpaw he had used to scratch himself back on the wheel.

“Out,” Artemis answered. “I was going to a hotel by the beach but after today I think I’d rather just spend my vacation at home.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Cooper with a frown. “Maybe you’ll change your mind once you get your car running again, yeah?”

“I doubt it but we’ll see,” said Artemis. She took a deep inhale and then exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m being overly negative about it.”

The otter reached out with a thick, pudgy handpaw and patted the corgi on the shoulder. She could feel the dampness of the sweat on his pads and fur through her own sweat-soaked shirt. “You’ve clearly had a rough day so I don’t blame you for being upset,” he said reassuringly. “For now, just relax: the worst is finally over.”

Artemis leaned back against the seat and quietly enjoyed the air conditioning against her fur for a while, eventually starting to finally feel the first faint prickles of dryness. Cooper was right: while the past several hours were incredibly challenging, it would be smooth sailing from here.

“So what brings you out here?” Artemis asked, trying to make conversation.

“My truck route,” answered the otter flatly.

The corgi folded her ears back against her head in slight embarrassment. “Yeah that’s kind of obvious in hindsight,” she said feeling rather silly. “Uh… wh-what company do you drive for?” she asked, trying to recover.

“A little company called Cross the Pond,” Cooper said, turning to her with a grin. “I’m assuming you’ve heard of us?”

Artemis rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, and then cleared her throat. “I… haven’t, actually,” she finally said.

“Really? ‘Cross the Pond! We’ll get it out, without a doubt!’” The otter recited the motto with enthusiasm. “Doesn’t ring any bells?” The corgi shook her head, eliciting a frown from Cooper. “Huh,” he said. “Our ads were all over the radio for a while.”

“I usually listen to my own music, so that would probably do it,” Artemis replied. She took her phone out of her pocket and pressed the power button, confirming the battery was still dead. “You don’t happen to have a USB charging cable, do you?”

“You mean the cigarette lighter?” asked Cooper with a raised brow.

The corgi laughed at herself and put her phone back into her pocket. “Yeah, it was kind of a long shot,” she said. “Do you mind if I turn on the radio?”

“What, you don’t want to talk to me anymore?” the otter asked indignantly.

“N-no! That’s not it, I just like the background noise,” Artemis quickly added. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Cooper let out another hearty laugh. “I’m just teasing you.” He waved a handpaw dismissively. “Put on whatever you’d like.”

“Is classical okay?”

“Go for it!”

The corgi reached forward and tuned the radio to a public broadcast station, which was playing an upbeat but calming piano concerto. “Ah, I love Johann Sebastian Bark,” she said.

“I’m more of a fan of Meowzart myself,” the otter admitted. “It’s hard to beat Eine Kleine Mausmusik. But Bark definitely has some good ones.”

“Ooo!” Artemis said, her emerald eyes lighting up. “I didn’t know you were an aficionado!”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” chuckled Cooper. “When you’ve been trucking for as long as I have, there’s not much to do except listen to music.” He shrugged his shoulders, causing his stomach to wobble slightly. “I’ve simply gotten used to what different composers and musicians sound like.”

“Just from listening to the radio?” the corgi asked, which Cooper confirmed with a nod. “That’s pretty cool! How long have you been doing this for?”

“That is a good question,” said the otter. He started counting in his head but then realized the number went beyond his memories. “So much has happened in this little cab of mine that I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t trucking.”

“I bet you have some interesting stories to tell,” said Artemis.

“Oh, just a few,” Cooper replied modestly. He paused to let the announcer on the radio briefly describe the next song before continuing. Though the corgi was mostly dry thanks to the air conditioning combined with the unrelenting heat of the afternoon desert sun, the otter still had beads of sweat rolling down his form. “Have you ever heard of Stonewood Canyon?” he asked, using an arm to wipe some sweat off of his brow.

“Who hasn’t?” asked Artemis. “They still haven’t cleared the debris from the wall collapse.”

“I was there when it happened,” said Cooper. “There was a sinkhole underneath the lookout point and it opened up out of nowhere. It was like a chunk of the cliff was suddenly pulled downwards, and the rest of the wall fell like a wave of dominoes.” He shook his head. “It was awful. I still remember their terrified faces as I drove through, unable to help them as they were swallowed by the earth or crushed under boulders.” He shivered a little bit at the memory. “I remember it as vividly as if it were yesterday.”

Artemis took a few moments to process the information. “I… don’t mean to be rude, but that’s impossible,” she said. “The news said there were no survivors.”

The otter held up a handpaw and extended a pudgy forefinger. “That’s because I wasn’t caught in the collapse,” he said, placing the handpaw back on the steering wheel. “At the time, all I could focus on was getting the delivery to where it needed to be. Boulders were falling everywhere, holes were opening up left and right, yet I managed to avoid every single one of them.” He let out a sigh laden with guilt. “I take no pride in this but when it was happening, I was thinking that I couldn’t afford to stop and risk losing the cargo and it was a damn shame that so many people were dying around me.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” said the corgi softly. “That was twenty years ago.” She paused for a few seconds before speaking her mind. “This might be an inappropriate thing to ask, but did you manage to get the delivery done?”

Cooper laughed at the question, but it was clearly from finding humor in the inquiry. “I sure did,” he answered. Sweat continued to roll down his face in droplets, despite the air conditioning being on full blast. He used his flabby arm to wipe it off before speaking again. “I still feel guilty about it, though,” he added sadly.

“I don’t blame you,” said Artemis. She was starting to notice a familiar fragrance in the air but didn’t want to be rude, and decided not to acknowledge it beyond a few unobtrusive sniffs. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she continued. “I’m not sure how well I would handle that sort of regret.”

“Life goes on and we keep living,” said the otter. He stared ahead at the endless road and its parallel yellow lines vanishing into the horizon. “We pay our respects to those we lost and honor their memories.”

“I suppose,” the corgi responded. “Still, it feels like it would be really hard to move on from.” She was feeling a bit melancholy about it, imagining how the otter felt about the horrible event.

“It is at times, but dwelling won’t bring them back,” said Cooper. “So with that in mind: why don’t we talk about happier things?” He turned to face her with a smile. “Did you know I’m the only trucker to have jumped across Stonewood Canyon?”

Artemis’s ears perked up. “Ooo, really? Do tell!”

The otter faced forward as he recounted the tale. “It was fifteen years ago,” he began. “The Route 506 bridge was being repaired after the earthquake. I, unsurprisingly, had a delivery that needed me to get from one end of the canyon to the next. I was already tired after a long day of driving and the detour would have added another two hours. So I made the decision right then and there to just drive across the broken bridge.”

“Wow,” said the corgi. “You did that with the trailer attached?”

“And fully loaded with cargo,” added the otter with a grin towards Artemis before facing forward again. “I saw that the construction materials left at the edge formed a ramp, so I floored the accelerator, drove right through the barriers, and launched over the gap. It was scary, I hit it at an angle and did a full barrel roll. I thought the trailer was going to detach as we twisted through the air.” He chuckled to himself. “But by gosh she held on and we made it to the other side.”

“That’s amazing,” said Artemis. “I know there was a news story about one truck tried the jump and crashed, but I didn’t know anyone actually made it. I’m surprised that didn’t get a report.”

“I didn’t tell anyone else about it,” said Cooper. “I mean, I saved time by doing something really fucking incredible, but I also posed a safety risk not just to myself but any bystanders.” He let out another laugh. “Plus,” he added, “a driver needing to jump a canyon to make a delivery in time isn’t exactly the best look for public relations.”

Artemis couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That is a very fair point,” she said.

The smell from before was much stronger now, and the corgi found herself taking more noticeable sniffs. When the otter noticed, he sniffed as well and immediately recognized the source.

“Oof, sorry about that,” he said. “I get major swamp ass from sitting in this seat all day.”

“That’s alright,” Artemis said quietly. “I don’t mind.”

Cooper looked over to her and then did a double-take. “Are you… blushing?” he asked.

The corgi blushed even deeper and nodded. “I’m kind of into it,” she admitted.

“Is that so?” said Cooper with a wide grin. “You know, I get kind of itchy back there and it would be nice to have someone help keep me comfortable. How’d you like to be my cushion?”

By now Artemis’s face was beet red and she nodded. “Yes please,” she said almost in a whisper, hiding her face in her handpaws. She was startled by the feeling of a sudden sharp turn, and looked up to see that they were driving into the open desert. “Uhhh, where are we going?” she asked confusedly.

“I want a bit of privacy to get ready,” explained the otter. “I don’t want to crush your face with my jeans, so I’m just going to go pantsless and cover myself with a blanket.”

“O-oh, um… I s-see,” stuttered the flustered corgi. From that point on she just sat there in stunned silence: cheeks burning pink, eyes open wide, ears completely vertical, and heart pounding in her chest.

The otter stopped near a forest of cacti which prevented him from going further in that direction. He put the truck into park and opened the door, stepping outside onto the desert sand. It wasn’t until he was off the cushion that the corgi saw his seat was thrice as wide as the standard.

“I don’t want to take my shoes off out here,” he said to the corgi, “so I need you to help pull my pants down and then get yourself in position.”

“Y-yes sir,” said Artemis, blushing even deeper at her own words. She had a fairly submissive nature and couldn’t help but offer a title of respect to someone who was clearly about to take a dominant position. Cooper made no comment, so he either didn’t mind or didn’t notice.

The air outside was hot and hard to breathe as the corgi made her way over to the other side of the truck. She now saw how absolutely massive the otter was compared to herself, twice her height thanks to fat piled upon fat and just as wide as he was tall (if not wider). The corgi’s heart was practically slamming in hear ears as she undid the button and started to tug down.

“Not from there,” said Cooper. He gave Artemis a toothy grin from over his gigantic belly. “I want you to see what you’re getting into.”

The corgi nodded and made her way around to the back of the near-spherical otter, placing her handpaws on the hem of his jeans, taking a deep breath, and then yanking down. His butt-fat spilled out as the denim was tugged down, his cheeks utterly drenched in sweat. The smell was overpowering and hit her like a ton of bricks, heat visibly wafting from the otter’s canyonous crack.

Artemis had to resist stuffing her face in right then and there, climbing into the driver side of the cab. She lay her head right in the center of the seat, with her legs sticking up against the back. The otter climbed back up and hovered his rear over her face, giving a few wobbling wiggles before lowering down and completely engulfing her in his giant butt.

The corgi’s face sank into the doughy cheeks like quicksand, the sweat removing any possible friction and sliding her nose right up against the otter’s incredibly musky tailhole. Her body trembled as she took her first deep sniff, exhaling in a long, muffled whimper.

Cooper planted the soles of his boots against the dashboard and began to untie them. With his shoes removed, he pulled his jeans off and tossed them aside, then put the boots back on. He leaned over and reached behind himself, lifting up off of the corgi slightly and leaving her panting as he grabbed a blanket. She was buried alive in sweat-drenched butt fat when he settled into place and covered his lap with the blanket.

“Mmm,” he said. “You’re comfy. It’s like your face was meant to be my seat.”

Artemis just whimpered at his muffled words, which were almost lost admit the ocean of ass surrounding her. The stench of the otter’s tailhole was intoxicating to the corgi’s sensitive canine nose, slamming her senses with each greedy sniff of the puckered flesh. Above herself, she heard the rumbles of a growling stomach.

Cooper looked at the clock. “Oh, it’s time for lunch,” he said. The corgi once again found her snout freed from the musky, squishy depths of otter butt as he leaned over to reach the cooler. “Hope you don’t mind if I eat while we drive.”

“I-I don’t, I—mmph!” The corgi’s words were devoured by the gargantuan cheeks once again covering her face when the otter had grabbed the cooler and placed it in the passenger seat.

“I didn’t think so,” said the blubbery otter with a chuckle. He began to noisily eat a sandwich, cramming it into his mouth and chewing loudly. Cooper was doing so intentionally to make sure Artemis could hear, and he felt her face warm up in deeper blush.

“I had a feeling you would like this,” he said with his mouth full, before swallowing. “I saw how you were undressing me your eyes. It’s nice to meet someone who appreciates just how fat I am!”

The otter resumed stuffing his face, eating nonstop for a full 30 minutes. What might have been the corgi’s uncertainty as to how he could fit that much food in that cooler was completely drowned out by the rich, earthy smell of his butt. The fluster she felt at being in one of her favorite positions was accentuated by the fact that she could feel that he was now heavier than before. Her snout was crammed against his tailhole, the vast cheeks hugging the rest of her face.

Cooper let out a hearty belch that made his entire body vibrate, and the corgi shivered as she could feel the power behind the noisy expulsion; an indication of just how much he had eaten. “Excuse me,” said the otter. His weight hefted upwards in a sort of jump as he felt a broad canine tongue against his tailhole. “O-oh,” he said, his own face lightly blushing blue. “I guess you didn’t mind.”

Artemis dug in deeper with her tongue, her saliva making the already sweat-slicked surface even more slippery. The liquid lubrication combined with the otter’s weight caused her snout to slip past the entrance and sink deep into his tailhole, making him moan.

The scent of the tailhole’s surface was nothing compared to its depths. The corgi couldn’t even think properly with how utterly powerful it smelled, only barely able to perceive the bitterness of musk against her tongue. She completely lost herself in the sensations, lapping away idly while she filled her lungs with that intoxicating stench.

There was no way for her to tell exactly how much time had passed until Cooper finally lifted off of her several hours later. With the massive blanket wrapped around himself, he stepped out of the truck and smiled at her. “How are you doing?” he asked.

Artemis was completely drenched in butt sweat and panted at him. She saw that it was now dark outside, and she felt the slight chill of the cool desert air against her soaked fur. “That was… amazing,” she said.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” said the otter with a friendly smile. He pointed to a sticky patch near his crotch, very clearly a splotch of semen. “You’ve got an amazing tongue, Artemis.”

“Ehehe,” the corgi laughed with a little embarrassment, sitting up and shifting over to swing her legs over the side of the seat and face the otter. “Well, thank you I suppose.”

“Thank you,” he said with a wink, still holding the towel around himself. “Anyways, I didn’t want to stop too close given our… positioning,” he pointed to his side, “but the gas station is just that way.” Artemis turned to face where he was pointing and saw a brightly lit gas station sign not too far away. She nodded and hopped down out of the truck and onto the ground, looking up at Cooper. “I suppose this is goodbye then?” she said, almost reluctantly.

“Not necessarily,” the otter said, ruffling over the corgi’s headfur. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He walked around her and climbed up into the cabin with a grunt, settling himself on the seat. “Until next time,” he said, lifting his ballcap again.

“Until next time,” said Artemis.

Cooper closed the door and released the parking brake. He gave the corgi a final wave as the truck lurched forward and drove along the road, becoming smaller and smaller as it vanished into the horizon, until she could no longer see the glow of its lights.

Artemis shivered, the chilly desert air finally penetrating the ambient heat of sweat covering her entire body. She quickly made her way to the gas station and as she approached, she saw that it was also a motel.

The automatic glass-paneled doors slid open as the corgi approached, and she saw a deer in uniform behind the counter.

The deer looked up with a smile until she saw the state of the corgi: completely drenched in sweat.

“Holy shit,” said the deer. “Are you okay?”

“My car ran out of gas on the Endless Stretch earlier this morning,” Artemis replied. She wiped sweat off of her forehead with the back of her handpaw and shook the droplets onto the floor. “My cell phone’s battery died so I had to make my way over here without a car.”

The deer’s eyes opened wide. “You’ve been out there walking all day!? I can’t believe nobody stopped for you.” She quickly made her way from behind the counter towards a drink cooler. “Here, let me get you some water,” she said.

“I’m fine, honestly,” said Artemis. “I actually managed to hitchhike with a very friendly trucker.”

The deer breathed a sigh of relief and seemed less frantic. “Okay, that’s good,” she said, turning to face the corgi. “The Endless Stretch is brutal.” She began to make her way back towards the counter. “So how long were you stuck out there?”

“I walked for about three hours, then I got picked up by someone named Cooper from a company called ‘Cross the Pond,’” she said. The deer froze in her tracks and slowly turned to look at the corgi.

“I’d never heard of them before but he had a few interesting stories to tell.” She wagged her tail. “Did you know he’s the only trucker to have jumped across Stonewood Canyon?”

The deer made her way over to the drink cooler and swung the door open, grabbing a bottle of water and uncapping it as she made her way over to Artemis. “Drink this,” she said, holding it out in her hoofhand.

“I appreciate it but I’m really all set,” said the corgi sweetly.

The deer shook her head. “No, you need to drink this,” she said as she pushed the cold water bottle against Artemis’s chest. “You’re delirious and this might be heatstroke. I’m going to get some ice packs for you to try to cool down and see if we need to call a hospital.”

“I assure you, I’m—”

“That trucker you ‘met’ died fifteen years ago,” the deer said. “Nobody is entirely sure why he tried to jump the gap, but after an investigation the authorities concluded it was because the drivers were being held to criminally ridiculous delivery standards. The company got shut down fourteen years ago.”

The corgi just stared and blinked a few times. “You’re kidding,” she said as she took the water bottle. The deer shook her head and made her way back to the counter, picking up the SmartPhone she had left upon it. The hoofed tips of her fingers clacked against the screen as she did a quick search, then held the screen towards Artemis. The corgi leaned forward and confirmed the details: the name of the driver, the day it happened, and the subsequent closure of the company.

“That… can’t be,” said Artemis. “It all felt so real.”

“Delirium will do that,” said the deer with a sigh. “It’s a miracle that you’re even alive, never mind the fact that you’re somehow coherent.” She gestured at the water bottle. “Seriously, drink up. It’s on me.” Artemis chugged the contents of the water bottle, her body trembling from the chill of the liquid and her questioning of what she thought she had encountered. “I don’t understand,” she said after she finished. “I feel kind of refreshed and I had an… interesting experience. I don’t feel like someone who’s been walking in the desert all day.”

“Like I said: it’s a miracle,” said the deer. “One that I’m not going to question.” She reached behind herself and grabbed a key from a set of hooks on the wall. “Listen, you’ve obviously had a hell of a day. You somehow don’t have heat stroke, which is another miracle in itself, but I don’t think you’re in any condition to deal with retrieving your car.” She held out the key. “Room 106. Go wash up and get some sleep.”

Artemis felt around her pockets and her heart sank. “I left my wallet in my car,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” said the deer with a reassuring smile. “We can sort that out later, and absolute worst case scenario I don’t mind covering for you.”

The corgi took the key in her handpaw and looked at it. “Thank you so much,” she said, looking up at the deer. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Hey, I try to be a good samaritan,” said the deer. “Now seriously: at the very least please go wash up. No offense but you smell like you’ve been in the desert all day.”

Artemis laughed at that. “None taken,” she said. “Will you still be here in the morning?”

“It depends when you wake up,” answered the deer. “If my shift is over, I’ll let the next shift know what happened.”

“Okay,” said Artemis, turning around and making her way to the door. She stopped and turned her head to face the deer. “Thanks again, and have a good night!”

“You too,” said the deer with a friendly wave.

The corgi walked over to the motel strip and located her room, slipping the key into the lock. It clicked smoothly as she turned it and opened the door, finding herself in a small but cozy room. Closing the door behind herself, she turned on the lights, made her way over to the bathroom, stripped down, and began to shower.

The hot water steamed as it streamed down Artemis’s body and she felt the heavy saltiness flow off of her fur. As showered she got to thinking about the day’s events, searching deep in her memory banks to determine if she could remember anything else. But she could only remember Cooper and their indulgent encounter. As she dried herself off, she concluded that it was a very deep hallucination.

The corgi’s clothes were still sopping wet with sweat so she remained nude as she climbed into the bed. She turned off the lights and stared at the dark ceiling, trying to remember how exactly she had gotten here if not by truck. But soon the exhaustion of the day caught up with her, her eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

Epilogue

Artemis’s eyes shot open and she sat up straight as she heard a loud truck horn outside the motel room.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was 3 AM. The corgi walked over to the window and peeked through, sawing what appeared to be Cooper’s truck waiting outside.

“I’m just dreaming,” she said, laughing a little bit at herself. Now that she was certain she was in a lucid dream, she decided to roll with it and step outside.

Sure enough, the otter was smiling at her through the cabin window, though without a cap or a shirt. Artemis made her way over and hopped up the step, opening the door.

“How’s the afterlife treating you?” she asked, noticing that he too was completely naked.

Cooper laughed heartily and his entire body jiggled and wobbled. “So you figured it out?” he asked. The corgi could see that his fur was completely slick with sweat.

“The attendant told me,” answered the corgi. “I should have guessed this was all in my head. Nobody could have possibly survived a jump across a broken bridge in a tractor trailer. It makes sense that you’ve been dead the whole time.”

“And yet you didn’t hesitate to climb into a ghost truck,” replied the otter with a smirk.

“Eh, I know I’m just dreaming,” said Artemis with a shrug. “You were a heat-induced hallucination and I’m asleep right now. I want to see where this goes.”

“Oh no,” said Cooper with a wide, toothy grin. “I assure you, you’re quite awake. Go ahead and pinch yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Artemis pinched herself a few times and felt the sharpness of her claws against her flesh each time. It was supposed to jolt her awake but there she was, still seated in the cabin of the truck.

“Alright then,” said the corgi. “I’m not in the daytime desert so I’m certainly not hallucinating, which means you are in fact actually here.”

“That it does,” said the otter. “And you are too.”

Artemis blushed. “So, that means I actually did spend all the time underneath you.”

Cooper grinned again. “Yes, and I enjoyed every second of it.”

“I have a few questions, then.”

“Ask away.”

“How are we able to interact?” Artemis asked. “I mean, I know the whole thing about ghosts, but how exactly am I able to perceive you so vividly, with full physical sensations?”

“A very astute question,” said the otter. “The Endless Stretch is a very strange place, one that defies the rules of the mortal realm. If one of the living is within a certain area and has a very strong belief in the supernatural, we spirits can intersect and make a connection.” He smiled brightly. “And I was fortunate enough to be the one to meet you.”

“I can believe that, which is probably the point,” said the corgi. “But if location is part of it, how are you here?”

“Your firm belief in the supernatural,” answered the otter, sweat continuing to roll down his massive fat body in rivulets and droplets. “If a connection is particularly strong, we can reconnect outside of the mystery zone. But I’m only around until sunrise, then I have to go back.”

“I see,” said Artemis, looking down at herself. She pinched her thigh a few times to double-check that she was still awake. “So what now?” she asked. “Will we meet again?”

“Not after tonight, unfortunately,” said the otter. “Unless you find yourself in that zone and the stars align for us to intersect, it’s likely we won’t meet again.”

Artemis frowned. “That sucks,” she said. “I really enjoyed spending time with you.” Her cheeks flushed pink again. “And especially underneath you.”

Cooper smiled. “I’m glad and flattered to hear that.” He leaned forward and placed a sweaty handpaw on her shoulder. “It leads me to answering your question of ‘what now?’” He removed his handpaw and leaned back. “Right now you have two choices. The first is that we maybe have a little bit more fun until sunrise, I vanish from this plane and remain a fond memory in your mind.”

“That sounds pretty bittersweet,” said the corgi. “What’s the other choice?”

The otter grinned. “I take you back with me as my seat cushion.”

“I… honestly really like the sound of that,” the still-blushing Artemis admitted. “I’m assuming there’s a catch?”

“You won’t be able to return to the mortal realm,” answered Cooper. “You’ll be stuck with me for eternity and I don’t think I’ll be inclined to ever get off of you.”

The corgi felt her face heating up in a blush and heard her heart pounding in her chest. “So, you’re saying if I go with you, you’ll sit on my face forever.”

The otter nodded. “Yes, I—”

“That please,” the corgi interrupted.

Cooper blinked a few times. “Are you sure? You won’t be able to talk to or see anyone else and—”

“I want to be your seat cushion,” Artemis interrupted again. “This is… um…” she cleared her throat, “kind of a dream come true for me.” Her eyes started to shimmer. “Please? I’ll beg if you want me to.” The otter started to chuckle at first and then burst into delighted belly-slapping laughter. “I didn’t realize you liked it that much,” he said. He opened the door on his side, and with a few grunts and hefts he made his way off of his seat, standing on the road and grinning at the corgi. She continued to blush as she climbed over the console and gear selector, laying once again with her head in the center of the cushion and legs against the back.

Cooper’s body wobbled and jiggled as he climbed back up into the cabin, gave a few teasing wiggles of his gargantuan behind, and then sat with his butt centered on the corgi’s snout. She once again sank between the sweat-drenched cheeks, letting out a whimper as she found her nose buried against that wonderfully smelly tailhole, taking a long, body-shuddering sniff and exhaling a whining sigh.

“Such a good cushion,” said the otter as he got himself settled. He let out a contented sigh as he felt Artemis lap at his sensitive pucker once more, and a moan as her snout sank inside the ring of flesh.

“The best cushion,” he added as he released the parking brake and the truck began to roll forward. “Oh, I should probably mention that the air conditioning broke and this cabin gets like a sauna.” He chuckled mischievously. “I’m guessing that’s not an issue for you, though.” This was met with a happy muffled whimper from underneath his butt “I figured as much,” he said with a laugh.

Artemis had no way of knowing when they shifted from the mortal realm to whatever plane Cooper now called home. It took almost no time at all for the lack of air conditioning to cause a massive build- up of sweat that left her utterly drenched in the salty liquid, and her senses completely soaked in the otter’s stench. She was in heaven, and as the sweat and smell continued to build up over eternity, she completely lost herself in the smell and her enjoyment of being facesat by the otter.