Panther Cub

Thank you! Hehehe, it's gunna be a rollercoaster ride of emotions! And I think the party is gunna be an interesting day for the little guy!

Hiya folks! Sorry for such a long delay, but I'm back now with a freshly baked new chapter! I hope that you all enjoy it! Back to Basics (Chapter 11) by Panther Cub "So things were gettin' harrier than a clogged shower drain. I was certain someone was definitely tailin' me, all while I was tailin' my lead. I'd managed to snap a few pics, but in the process I'd kicked a whole hornets' nest of problems. And they were about to get a lot worse. Can't blame a guy for noticin' more silver in the fur around their muzzle and wishin' they could do somethin' about it. Besides, if I was gunna ready myself for a fight, I'd need more than some joints that tend to pop more than a bag of cheap microwave popcorn. I took the serum, and after a bit of a back alley brawl with three big punks that I managed to come out on top of, I hurried to make sure I wouldn't lose my lead." The black wolf looked around at the others listening to his story. Looking out a nearby porthole, the rain was still coming down in gushing buckets, obscuring the seedy docks beyond. "I found him alright. But it wasn't like the dame had suspected. It was worse. See, he was meeting with another woman alrighty, and two very young toddlers that called him Daddy. I still double-checked my facts before presenting it all to the client, Molly. I knew she was gunna be devastated... but who wouldn't be if you found out your spouse wasn't just two-timin' ya, but instead had an entire secret family. I was not lookin' forward to the dame's tears, but if I wanted to get paid, I had ta keep goin'. I recorded them at the fairgrounds, the picture of a wholesome family, ain't that ironic, and then did some digging. Found the birth and marriage certificates. All were dated a year after he married his current wife. The genius didn't even try changing his name or something." He took a sip from his glass, frowning at the sight of the sippi-spout, but the taste of white cranberry more than made up for it. "So about a week after I took that serum, I presented my findings to my client. As I suspected, she was distraught, and even cried into my chest. What can I say, I can be a sucker for a dame. Then... she started gettin' taller, and not just because, while still teary-eyed, her ears popped up in shock. I felt a tingle all over my body and started to fall, but she caught me under my arms. When I was done shrinking, she was holding me like that, me wearin' nuthin' but my casual white button-up with my fedora almost enveloping my whole head. My trench coat and pants and tie lay there on the floor. You could say that I got a little emotional myself, but I'd regressed back to... uh... well, the doc said I was around two to maybe eighteen months. Anyways, Molly, my client. sniffled but composed herself and smiled at me and planted a kiss right between my eyes." The wolf cub in the bright blue swim diaper with the matching floaties on his arms sighed as he looked around the group of regressees sitting in a semi-circle facing him inside the plastic pirate ship, water constantly pouring down from above. Squeals and happy laughter from children at play coming from the 'seedy docks' nearby, cordoned off from the Private Party going on. "I guess my natural charm was enough to help her through the initial shock. Heh, dames, what can you say? Anyways, the new assistant I hired on a couple weeks prior was my only emergency contact, and to say that Sheila was surprised to be handed a toddler and told it was her boss would be putting it mildly. But she sure surprised me. Instead of dropping me off at a hospital or someplace, she actually took me home. Well, after stopping at a grocery store on the way to pick up some... supplies. So we've been co-habitating ever since, and she's even managed to help me on a few cases! No one ever suspects the puppy in the stroller is secretly filming them cheat!" "Who thinks to suggest an indoor water park to have a support group meeting?" Terra whispered to Tristan and Caroline. The two girls were wearing matching pink glittery one-piece bathing suits with attached white skirts to hide the snaps at the bottom, and also to match the white water wings. Tristan, sporting some orange water wings on his own arms, and blue and purple bermuda swim trunks over his own swim diaper; rolled his eyes. "Apparently whoever wrote it on the paper Bill pulled out from the meet-up raffle last time," Caroline whispered back. "Also, wasn't it two big punks that he got into a fight with the last time he told this story?" "My personal favorite is when it involved a bomb on a bus that was rigged to explode if it went below fifty miles an hour!" The two girls giggled. Just outside the play ship were some blue plastic picnic tables set up around each other. They were packed with the regressees' caretakers. "I don't like to say that it was fate, especially since I'd had a big argument with my now ex-fiance due to... well, his not wanting to have kids, but it's just so... serendipitous for little Jeffrey to have come into my life like he did!" Sheila, a mature snow white rabbit wearing a simple purple one-piece bathing suit, let out a happy sigh as she looked back over to where the regressees were still discussing things in the play ship. "One moment I'm sighing, thinking I'm about to go in to another awkward situation where my boss is probably about to get beat up by an angry cheating spouse... again. The next I'm cradling the sweetest little puffball of a pup in my arms, rocking him and humming a lullaby to try and help him calm down. Both from the transformation and for the little accident he had shortly afterwards." There were nods of understanding from some of the others sitting around. "It might be odd... but now I can't even imagine my life without my special little detective in it." Mia reached over and gave the bunny woman's paw a squeeze. "We know we know exactly how that feels," she said while motioning to Sally sitting next to her. Both were wearing matching red and white-striped one-piece bathing suits. Sally nodded and turned to check on Amy, who was splashing around the little wading pool with other children her age. The little panthress was laughing as she splashed around with a pair of fox twins. She was wearing a bright orange swimsuit, a blue pair of water wings, and a bright pink water ring around her waist. "We've only had Tristan for a little while, but now it's like we've always all been together as a family!" Sally took her wife's hands in her feathery own and looked into her eyes. "We've been blessed by two wonderful little miracles." She and Mia shared a kiss that was all too short in Mia's opinion, but the panthress started purring regardless. "And actually... since Tristan's birthday is going to be next Saturday, we were planning on having a party for him in our backyard." "OH!" The chestnut brown horse woman on Mia's right looked delighted, whipping her phone out and tapping on the screen, marking the date on the phone's calendar. "I just know that Billy would love to go!" "I know for a fact that both Terra and Caroline would never forgive me if I let them miss going to the little guy's birthday party," Miles said with a chuckle. The tiger was wearing a pair of simple white trunks, his tail swishing as he also fished out his phone. "I think Meggy would probably love to go as well. What do you think, Leslie?" The sheep girl, whom Mia had learned was twenty-eight, was wearing a bright red bikini top with a green skirt wrapped around her lower half. She was also trying not to be obvious in her ogling of the large and muscular tiger or his six-pack abs. Her wool was trimmed short, revealing a much slimmer build than her usual look. "Hmm? O-oh! Yeah! Gam-Gam would love to go! And knowing her, she'd probably want to make up a batch of her famous peanut brittle as a treat for everyone. U-unless someone's got a nut allergy! Then we can try something else!" She blushed a little as she snuck a quick look at Miles. "No need to fret, Leslie. I asked around the whole group and no one's got any nut allergies. The worst anyone has is my Billy's allergy to strawberries." The rest of the caretakers also began to join in, all agreeing that they and their charges could make it. Mia was positively beaming, something that brought a smile to Sally's face. The eagle woman gave her wife a kiss on the cheek before getting up to go and check first on Tristan, who was being cuddled by Meggy, the lamb's wool also trimmed short, no doubt due to it getting heavy when wet; and then on Amy, who seemed to be whispering something to the fox kits she was playing with. "Hi, kiddo." Sally said, taking a seat at the edge of the kiddie pool, letting her taloned ankles rest in the water. "Auntie Sally!" Amy squealed, clearly excited as she pointed to the boy fox in the green trunks and the vixen next to him in the matching green one-piece swimsuit. "These are my new friends Adam and Amanda! They're lotsa fun, they both like to play ski-ball, and they're both gunna be in my class when we start Kindergarten! Mrs. Applebee's room!" The little panthress was jumping up and down and splashing in pure delight. Sally felt her heart swell with joy, knowing Mia was going to want to celebrate Amy making some new friends in some way when she heard about it. "That's wonderful, honeypie!" "OH! And is Tristy's secret baby meeting almost over? 'Cause I wanna show my baby brother to my new friends!" Amy looked up with pleading eyes that Sally had to admit were always a bit hard to say an outright no to. Looking over and seeing the group of toddlers was beginning to leave the plastic pirate ship they had reserved, she waved Tristan, who was waddling towards the other end of the kiddie pool, over to them. In tow was Terra and Caroline. The former was skipping as she followed along, and the latter was holding a blushing Tristan's paw and clearly not about to let go for anyone. "Hey there, hun, is your meeting all finished?" Sally asked, lovingly ruffling his headfur and subtly checking to see if he needed a change. "Uh-huh. So me and Caroline and Terra were gunna go pla--AGH!" Tristan was surprised when Amy walked right up behind him and lifted the confused kitten up under his arms to carry over to her new friends. His wings flapped in shock before he calmed down. "Amy?!" "Here he is! This is my special baby brother, Tristan! My aunties say that he used to be big but then turned back into a baby, but I think that they're all just playing pretend because he's too cute to not have been a baby all along!" Amy declared, proudly presenting the confused and now slightly pouting Tristan to the two foxes. "That sounds like our new little cousin, Sam!" Amanda said, her tail wagging as she approached the kitten with a big smile on her face. "Mommy and Daddy keep tellin' us that he's actually our old uncle Sam who was allergic to some medicine and it made him grow down." Adam added, holding a bright red ball out for Tristan to grab. "But we know better! The stork musta gotten lost and dropped little Sammy over at our house. Uncle Sam will come and get him soon, probably." "Until then we play with him lots! Even when he's trying to watch the boring news and saying he's a grown-up!" Tristan rolled his eyes but knew better than to try and argue. There just wasn't any way to convince Amy of his adulthood. Figuring she'd be more understanding when she was older, he instead decided to toss, albeit a little clumsily, the ball back to Adam. The fox boy yipped and passed the ball to his sister who in turn tossed it back to the kitten. Soon, Terra and Caroline were splashing over to them as well. "Can we play too?" The little tigress asked. Soon it became a three on three game of catch, all being watched over by Sally, Mia, Miles, and a fox man named Eric. Mia was especially excited to set up a playdate with him for Amy and the twins. The day at the waterpark passed by far too quickly, yet Mia and Sally, as well as the other caretakers, made sure to take plenty of pictures to help preserve some of the fun and excitement. All too soon, everyone was packing up and heading home, toddlers corralled to have the pool water washed off, be changed into clean and dry outfits, and be safely buckled into carseats for the journey home. Halfway there, Mia, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to see both her and her wife's charges completely tuckered out, sleeping away in their respective carseats. Amy held a stuffed raccoon in a lab coat close to her chest, while Tristan lightly snored around his binky as he hugged his large purple googly-eyed shark. She discretely snapped a picture of the two, having to fight back a squeal at the adorable sight. "They're both just so precious!" She whispered to Sally, who nodded. "Of course they are. They're our babies, after all." "And soon it will be official." Mia felt herself practically buzzing with excitement. "I still can't believe he agreed to being officially adopted! It's like a dream come true!" "If this is a dream, darlin', then I don't ever want to wake up." Sally said as they turned onto their street. One restful nap later... Tristan's eyes slowly cracked open. He saw Sally leaning over him, a warm smile on her beak. He realized that he was on the changing table of his nursery, and she was taping on a fresh pair of Snuggies. He yawned and rubbed his eye with a free paw, his binky almost falling out of his mouth. Spot, the big purple shark stuffie, was still in his arms. "Hey there, sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?" Tristan nodded. He sat up and saw Sally grab a simple green shirt. Reluctantly, he set Spot down next to him and held his arms up. "Aren't you just the best little helper?" Sally booped his nose before pulling the shirt down over his head, his arms popped out through the sleeves. She reached behind and expertly buttoned the flaps beneath the holes in the back for his wings. "There, one freshly changed cutie ready to play," Sally said, waiting for him to grab Spot again before she scooped him up off the changing table. Cradled in her arms, Tristan felt so safe and secure. "Mia decided on making a lasagna tonight. Does that sound good to you, hun?" "Yeah!" Tristan lisped around his pacifier. "Good! So in the hour that it should take for it to finish cooking, what do you want to do?" "Can me and Uncle Benji go fly a kite again?" Tristan asked, trying to look nonchalant. Sally chuckled and gave his cheek a kiss. "Not without my or Mia's supervision, to make sure that it's only a kite you two will try to fly." "Uh... I dunno what you mean, Mama." Tristan did his best to look as innocent as possible. "Uh-huh. That reminds me, I need to have a word with my dear, dear brother about that." "Awww, c'mon! We were totally safe!" "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But this is something that Me and Mommy are putting our feet down about." Entering the living room they could hear voices and laughter coming from the kitchen. Peeking in, they saw Amy standing on a step-stool at the counter next to Benji, who had a black apron tied around his waist. Mia was filming the two with her phone as the large black-feathered bird waved his feathery wings over some silver object in an act of showmanship. "Alrighty, we let the mixture set in the fridge to chill. And now is the time for the big reveal!" The silver object had a handle on the top. The rest of it was shaped like a misshapen metal football, with lots of oddly curving wrinkles. "Is that some kind of brain mold?!" Tristan asked, squirming in Sally's arms, wanting to be set down so he could waddle as fast as he could over to the spare step-stool to get a good look. "Sure is, little guy!" With another flourish of his winged arms, the metal mold was pulled away to show a jiggly pink substance shaped like a brain. "I used strawberry gelatin for that gooey brain look!" "Woooooah!" Tristan and Amy both said simultaneously. "Benji," Sally said, passing Tristan off to Mia so she could stare her brother down, giving him a glare, her feathery hands on her hips. Benji froze and partially turned to give his younger sister a sheepish smile. "What did we say about exposing the children to scary things?" "Woah now! Neither one is scared right now, right guys?" "Nu-uh!" Amy said, reaching over to swipe a pawful of the gelatin. "Me either! Also, I'm still an adult!" Tristan pouted around his binky. Sally continued to glare at her brother. "A-also, Mia totally let me do it!" "You said it was going to be an art project! You never said anything about making dessert body parts!" Mia huffed, putting her phone away. "To be fair, I didn't not say that they were body part related..." "Benji!" Sally growled out just as the doorbell rang. "We'll get that," Mia offered, shifting Tristan in her arms so that she was cradling him like Sally had been. Heading towards the front door, Mia nuzzled the kitten in her arms, smiling at him. He smiled back just as they reached the door. Mia opened it. "Can I help you?" The panthress asked. Tristan turned and froze. Standing there, clipboard in her clawed hands stood Kelly, a relieved smile on her bill. "Hello! My name is Kelly Saunders! I'm from Child Protective Services, and I've been looking for this little cutie for a little while now!" "CPS?!" Mia looked between the smiling platypus with the clipboard and the winged kitten in her arms, feeling her stomach drop. "Yup! I was finally able to get a foster family all lined up! May I come inside?" Before Mia could answer, Kelly brushed right past her, looking around. "Oh! Baby gates, that's definitely a good sign!" Tristand and Mia shared a worried glance. Sorry to leave you all on such a cliff-hanger... hehe, but anyways, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Be sure to let me know what you think!

As someone who has... a few stories that still need updating, please don't sweat! One can't force creativity and inspiration (Believe me, I've tried. Seriously, stuff I wrote when trying to do that came out was... not to the standard I prefer for posting.). It'll come when it comes, and it'll be a delightful (or heartbreaking) surprise when it does! Also, since I don't recall if I've commented this before, I love this story and CAN wait for more!

Thank you very much!

Thank you! Hehehehe He'll be Mr. Grumpy-Pants for sure!

Hello there readers! I'm super excited to have finally finished this short story that just popped into my head a few days ago! I hope that you enjoy it! Clocking Out by Panther Cub "Oh, Emi? The new girl, Elizabeth, should be arriving soon. Can you help her sign in and get settled?" Mrs. Clara asked. The matronly kangaroo was in the middle of carrying a particularly fussy rabbit boy named Jason, who was in a bright red shirt and a pair of denim overalls, over to the changing tables. Having had to deal with Jason and his diaper change tantrums, Emi did not envy her. "Sure thing!" The red panda girl normally would have to take a moment after dealing with all the morning shift's chaos to work up some half-hearted excitement. Dealing with babies and toddlers of all species did have a tendency to wear one down quite a bit. However, today was different, and Emi's excitement was genuine and still undampened, even after Sally, a mischievous squirrel girl had gotten the lid of her bottle off somehow and dumped it onto Emi's headfur less than an hour ago. Looking at a nearby calendar, Emi's smile grew wider. In just less than half an hour, she would be signing out and soon to be on a late flight to the Chavo Islands for two weeks of Spring Break insanity. Yes, Emi loved children, hence why she enrolled in courses revolving around early childhood development and the like. She hoped to work with them full time, though not necessarily in a daycare like Little Tykes's World, where she currently was for a semester of the work-study program. But no matter how much she enjoyed the work, and how much she enjoyed getting to know all the regulars and watch their precious little personalities develop... she needed this vacation, badly. She stopped by a mirror near the front desk and straightened her headfur, running her dull claws through her bushy red and white-striped tail to work out some knots and what appeared to be some Gregos that had somehow gotten lodged in the fur. There was a jingling sound that signaled the arrival of a new individual and, sure enough, it was the new girl, who for some reason had agreed to work the night shift. "Hi there, Elizabeth, right?" Emi said, walking over to the front desk where the raccoon girl was waiting, looking a tad nervous, and reached over to hold her hand out to shake. Elizabeth took it and gave a slight shake. "Uhm, yes. But everyone calls me Lizzy," Lizzy said, tucking a long strand of headfur behind her ears. Emi looked her up and down. The girl looked like she was still in high school, and was wearing a simple pink band t-shirt for The Wandering Wombats, a pair of jeans, and a set of large and circular glasses that made her green eyes seem much bigger than they could really be. Lizza's fur was the usual light brown of most of her species, complete with the black bandit mask and a big bushy tail. Emi didn't have to look down at herself to know how she looked. She was wearing a pair of khaki shirts and a white and purple-striped tank top, both covered by the green apron that basically counted as the entire uniform. She knew there were colorful splotches all over said apron and probably her regular clothes underneath, but managed to take it in stride. "Welcome to Little Tykes' World, Lizzy! I'm Emi, and I'll help get you all settled in for your first shift. No need to be nervous," Emi said with a chuckle that caused Lizzy to blush and look away. "Things can seem pretty hectic from time to time, but it's nothing that can't be gotten used to. Now follow me and we can sign you in." She led the raccoon girl past the desk and towards a pair of clipboards, both identical to one another, hanging from hooks, with pens attached to them via tiny chains. "Here's the sign-in sheet. Just jot your name down there on that line and write in what time you got here an--whoops!" She yanked the clipboard back, causing Lizzy, who'd been holding the pen, to let out a surprised MEEP. "Sorry! This is the sign-in sheet for the children that we're supposed to fill out when they get here and when they leave." Swapping the two, she let Lizzy sign in on the employee sheet, before setting the clipboard back on its hook. "Anyways, just make sure you sign out when you leave as well. Mrs. Clara and Miss Tart are both pretty serious about that." The racoon girl nodded, still looking nervous. She led her over to a door marked Employees Only, holding up her badge to the scanner by the knob. It let out a beep and the door unlocked. "Now here is where our cubbies are for storage of our personal items," Emi pointed out said wooden cubbies in the otherwise beige room. "That door leads to the employee breakroom, which has a bathroom attached as well. You can store any meals or snacks or drinks you bring with you in the fridge, but a big rule here is that you can't leave the children unattended, even for a little bit to go grab a bite or something. There has to be at least one employee out on the floor at any given time." "U-understood," Lizzy said with a nod. Emi smiled and led them back out the door. They walked into the center of the main room, the bright yellow and sky blue walls decorated with cartoon characters doing all sorts of activities. The red panda girl pointed to an area with a TV set up before a semi-circle of beanbag chairs, a few occupied by some of the children. "That's the TV area, where we let the little ones watch age appropriate shows and movies, and even host cute little karaoke sing-a-longs, nothing mature though. That's another big rule. That, and we try not to just let them do nothing but watch TV the whole time they're here." They were interrupted when a little deer doe in a bright pink sparkly dress waddled over to them, holding her little hooves up at Emi, indicating she wanted uppies. Emi smiled and happily bent down to comply, taking a moment to check the little doe's diaper. A little wet, but she can wait a bit longer. "This is Tina, one of our regulars. She loves being picked up and giving hugs." The little doe held out a folded piece of paper to the red panda, who made a show of being so excited to accept it. Emi unfolded the paper to show a crayon drawing of a red panda stick figure and a little doe stick figure holding hands and smiling. "And an amazing artist!" Emi nuzzled the top of Tina's headfur, making the little doe giggle and clap her hooves. "I'm gunna put this in a frame and hang it where everyone can get to see just how talented you are!" Tina squealed in delight and then began to suck her thumb. Turning to look at Lizzy, she saw the raccoon girl was now seeming much more relaxed and like she was about to coo at the sight. "Tina, this is my new friend, Lizzy!" The girl in question waved to Tina, who enthusiastically waved back with her free hoof. "She's gunna be working here, isn't that fun?" Tina giggled and reached over to Lizzy, making the grabby hooves. Emi was going to ask Lizzy if she wouldn't mind humoring the little doe, but Lizzy was already scooping a giggling Tina into her arms and nuzzling her headfur. "Oh my gosh! You are just a little cutie, aren't you?" The raccoon started talking to Tina in babytalk, something that the tyke found amusing. A few moments later, Tina began to squirm, signaling she wanted down. Lizzy complied, and the little doe darted off, allowing them to resume the introduction of the workspace. From there Emi showed Lizzy the snack room, which basically was a kitchen sink and a fridge, a small gathering of adult tables and chairs, and several colorful kiddie tables, all ringed by equally colorful highchairs, without a kiddie chair in sight. Next up was the nap room. The walls had a white and blue plaid design to them. The ceiling was a sky blue with white puffy clouds and a crescent moon in the center. There were rows and rows of cribs, a few already with some occupants. A soft twinkling lullaby was playing from a speaker somewhere. "Sooner or later, all of the little tykes need a nap, or at least some relaxing downtime. We actually have several nap groups, since different kids can feel sleepy at different times. Gotta remember that it's not a strict rule, just more of a guideline. If someone looks tired and worn out, then regardless of grouping or time, a nap they get." Emi then showed Lizzy the Arts and Crafts room, with all tiled flooring and all sorts of paints and brushes and crayons and colored pencils and markers on display at the colorful tables all around. There were easeles and smocks hanging in a large cubby space next to each other. There was also a big basket filled with empty egg cartons, colored pipe cleaners, sheets of a rainbow assortment of colored construction papers. "This is pretty straight forward as far as arts and crafts go. One of the big rules here is that you don't let a kid in there without adult supervision." Lizzy nodded at that just as Miss Clara returned, a sulking Jason in her arms, wearing nothing but his shirt and his freshest pair of Snuggies to date, a blue-backed binky bobbing in and out of his mouth. Mrs. Clara gave him one last squeeze and set him down. Once on the floor, the little bunny bolted. "Hi there, hun! I take it you're Elizabeth, the newest member of our happy little family?" Emi reflected on how Mrs. Clara always had a bit of a bad habit of invading others' personal spaces, seeming to loom over everyone thanks to her being so freaking tall! Emi looked over and saw Lizzy nervously nod and introduce herself, offering a hand to shake. Mrs. Clara laughed and pulled the girl into a hug. Emi had to give Lizzy credit on retaining her composure during the hug. When Mrs. Clara had first done that to Emi, she'd let out a high-pitched squeak. "Okay, I take it Emi led you around and showed you everything and told you some of the general rules we have around here?" Lizzy nodded, seeming to inhale sweet oxygen after that crushing hug. "Wonderful! Here, you can help me gather up the cute little ragamuffins. We're gunna do an arts and crafts project!" Mrs. Clara clapped her paws excitedly, stopping when she spotted Emi starting to herd Carly and Talon, a tigress and barn owl pair of tots, over to the arts and crafts room. "Oh, Emi! Thank you so much!" The red panda girl tried to brace herself, but still felt those strong kangaroo arms pull her in tight for a quick squeeze, releasing her almost immediately. "You are always going above and beyond here. Please don't think you aren't appreciated! Or think that you're not gunna be missed this Spring Break!" Emi turned and smiled up at the motherly kangaroo. "I know, Mrs. Clara! It's just hard for me to leave any place in a state of chaos." "Hence why you have such a habit of staying even after you were already supposed to be clocking out." Mrs. Clara tapped her wristwatch, showing Emi the time. "Now I do believe that it's high time someone skedaddled to enjoy her much-needed vacation." Emi grinned and nodded. "Alright, I'm going. I'll see you in two weeks, Mrs. Clara." "Have fun, dear!" Mrs. Clara turned, suddenly looking shocked. "Jason, no! We do not stack doll houses and climb on top of them!" Emi held in a giggle, remembering just how much of a pawful Jason was when she first started. Heaving a great sigh of relief, she opted to head over to the sign-in sheets and then just grab her stuff from her cubby in the break room and go. Looking around just as she grabbed the clipboard, she felt oddly nostalgic about the daycare. "Not like I'm not coming back after Spring Break," Emi said as she jotted down her name and the time. Setting the clipboard back onto the hook, Emi felt an odd tingling sensation wash over her and then dissipate. Emi shook her head, wondering what that was about, before turning to head to the break room. "Whoopsie-daisy!" Emi's view shifted as she was suddenly felt herself picked up under the arms. She let out a surprised EEP, then was turned until she was snout to snout with Miss Tart. The arctic vixen beamed at a confused Emi. "Huh?" "Someone seems to be a bit of a little explorer," Miss Tart cooed at Emi, settling her on her hip as she began to walk back to the main area with apparent ease, despite Emi being almost as tall as said vixen. When they passed by the mirror, Emi's mouth dropped open. Staring back at her on Miss Dart's hip was a little red panda girl, maybe less than two years old, wearing a bright pink frilly dress with a patch of brown in her headfur and around the tip of her bushy tail. Her frilly dress did very little to hide the Snuggies peeking out from under the hemline. Mortified, Emi looked down at herself, causing her blood to run cold. She was wearing the dress. Checking herself further confirmed the presence of the bows... and the other garment. When she'd nervously pulled the hem up, she saw that she was wearing a white with pink at the leg gathers, diaper. And there was a picture of a unicorn grazing right on the front of it. "What the hell?!" Emi shrieked, trying to push herself off of the mature vixen. "Miss Dart! It's me, Emi! You need to let me down right now!" The arctic vixen simply smiled down and readjusted her grip to make sure Emi was nice and secure. "Such a squirmy,wormy we've got today! Are you excited to make some new friends? I'll bet you are, cutie!" They came upon the arts and crafts room, with Mrs. Clara and Lizzy and Tatum, a grizzly girl a few years her senior who had since graduated and been hired on full time; all zipping around their charges, praising their clumsy creations and checking diapers. Emi froze in shock. Whereas just a few minutes ago, she had seen toddlers of varying species being herded into this room, there was now nothing but a large group of college-aged adults all dressed like toddlers. Some also froze upon seeing Emi being carried in, and she let out a whimper as she could hear some hushed conversations start up. "Found this little princess freshly dropped off by her Mommy!" Miss Tart said, holding Emi up for Mrs. Clara to see. While she wondered about the mention of her Mom, Emi focused instead of the older kangaroo, hoping she'd recognize her. Instead, Mrs. Clara smiled and took Emi from the vixen and started to cradle her in her arms. "Her name is Emi and she's here to play!" "Well aren't you just a cute little lady," Mrs. Clara cooed. "With such a pretty dress too! I'll bet your Mommy and Daddy would prefer we not get it all dirty with paint. How does coloring with crayons sound?" "Mrs. Clara! It's me, Emi!" "Something tells me she's gunna be quite the chatterbox when she learns how to speak," Mrs. Clara said, inadvertently dashing all of Emi's hopes of recognition. The kangaroo and vixen shared a chuckle, with Miss Tart waving goodbye to Emi and heading back to her station at the front desk. Emi tried to think of anything she could say or do in this moment to prove her age, when she was handed over, again, this time to an unfortunately very familiar raccoon girl. "Here we go, Lizzy. Since we don't want to ruin her pretty little dress, you can take little Emi here to your station with Jason and Tina with the crayons!" "Understood, Mrs. Clara!" The raccoon girl hugged Emi close as she walked off to a table where a gray rabbit guy, wearing just a red shirt and diaper, with a blue binky in his muzzle. Sitting next to him was a deer doe in a sparkly pink dress, that only his the top third of her Pawpers. "Emi is such a pretty name! And it sounds... kinda familiar..." Lizzy looked a little confused as Emi's eyes shot wide open. "L-Lizzy! It's me! I showed you around here earlier today?!" "Don't bother," Jason spoke as she was sat between him and Tina. Emi jumped, not having been anticipating his talking. "They don't remember you, and all they hear is baby babble." "R-really?" Emi asked in a small voice as Lizzy set down some papers and a box of crayons in front of her on the plastic table. "Yup. After all, I'm the one who showed you around when you first started here!" That struck Emi like a freight train. She tried to recall having ever seen this more grown-up version of Jason and... a flicker of recognition. She briefly brought to mind images of him in a blue polo and khakis. And then it was gone. "Hey! Be nice, Jason!" Tina said, now almost a foot taller than Emi. The deer doe gave a friendly smile. "I like your dress!" "Uhm... th-thanks?" Emi said while Jason rolled his eyes. "Whatever you do, please don't start becoming as hyper as this one." "Hey! I'm not hyper! I'm just making the most of an... inconvenient situation!" Tina stuck her tongue out at Jason, who in turn flipped her off. Emi recalled Tina always sticking to Jason's side like glue, with the bunny boy always pushing her away. Not that that ever deterred the happy giggly little doe. "Plus, now we get to help Miss Emi adjust to... well, her second babyhood." "But I'm not a baby! None of us are! There's got to be something we can do!" Jason snorted and lazily drew with a black crayon. "Well, there isn't. At least , not anything that actual babies or toddlers couldn't accomplish. As far as everyone else is concerned, all they see and hear when looking at us is that. Just a bunch of babies. Couple that with our strength and potty training abilities also abandoning us, and what can we possibly do?" "We can't just give up! There's got to be something we can... wait, did you say our potty training?" Jason nodded. "Yup. One minute, I'm trying to make sense of what's going on and why everyone's treating me like a baby. The next, I'm filling up the diaper around my waist." Emi started to hug her big bushy tail close to her chest. Tina reached over to give Emi a hug. "It's gross the first few times it happens, sure. But after a while it just becomes another part of the daily routine for each of us. You'll get used to it after a while." "B-but I don't wanna get used to... that! I'm supposed to be on my way for my big Spring Break getaway!" "And I should be getting my degree in child psychology by now. Instead I can look forward to more playdates with Tina and the others here." "I look forward to our playdates too, Jason!" Tina giggled as the bunny boy simply rolled his eyes. "But there has to be a way to undo this!" Emi said, shifting in her seat as she thought pensively. Lizzy came back around and, much to the red panda's embarrassment, pulled out the back of her diaper for a quick check. "All clean!" Lizzy then moved on down the line checking the others. Emi watched, seeing how while some, like the otter and sheep girls, Lalya and Rebecca respectively, winced at being checked, the wolf boy next to them, Tommy, seemed too engrossed in coloring his drawing to notice. The skunk boy, Liam, let out a sigh when Lizzy came to him, and was already setting his crayons down when the raccoon girl happily announced that she found the little stinker. Watching in a combination of fascination and horror, Emi observed as Lizzy easily lifted up Liam, who was at least two feet taller and was solidly built like a linebacker. Emi looked back at Tina and Jason who were observing her. "Whatever this 'curse' is," Jason said, stopping to make air quotes, "it makes us weigh as much as actual toddlers." Emi took a deep breath and, with a green crayon, she began to write down all the info she'd gained so far. "Do you guys remember what you were doing around the time you realized you'd suddenly become... uh... babified? Maybe there's something we all have in common?" Jason snorted. "I had just finished my shift and was getting ready to head home. But, just before I got to the front door, Miss Tart jogged over and picked me up and scolded me for wandering outside of the play area. Naturally I struggled and shouted, but all that got me was a nap." "You were leaving? And you'd signed out?" Emi asked, her curiosity piqued. "Yeah." "Huh... what about you, Tina? Were you also clocking out for the day?" The deer doe shook her head. "Actually, I was clocking in! I remember I had a big bag full of fun arts and craft supplies for a project I had come up with for all the cute little kiddos to try out. With Miss Clara's approval first. But for some reason, after signing in and heading in, when I checked the satchel, I found it had become a diaper bag! I remember being confused, until Ms. Clara took the bag from me and told me what a good girl I was for trying to help out by carrying my diaper bag. A few good cries and an existentialistic crisis later, I started to have fun." "Have fun? Playing baby games and with baby toys?!" Tina nodded. "I might've glossed over some details, but yeah. After a while I realized that there wasn't much of anything I could do to change my situation, so I decided to change how I responded to the situation. So now I try to look on the bright side of things." "Wait... signing in... did you, maybe, use the wrong clipboard?" Emi asked, an idea suddenly sparking in her mind. "Huh? Oh... uh... hmm, good question." Tina tapped her chin with her pink crayon. "I mean, Miss Tart had accidentally knocked them both onto the ground before grabbing one and handing it to me." "So then... is it possible you signed yourself in on the kids' sheet?" Tina shrugged. "I guess, why?" Instead of answering, Emi then turned to look at Jason. "What about you? Is there a chance that you grabbed the wrong clipboard?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. But, what, you think that that would mean doing so caused us to be seen as babies?" "What if it did? I think I might've used the wrong clipboard too just a little bit ago!" "That's ridiculous!" Jason said. "Not any more ridiculous than everyone else seeing us as babies!" Emi huffed, her tail bushing out in frustration. "Well, so what if it did?" "Then maybe... I dunno, if we sign out on the employee sheet..." "We can go back to being grown-ups?" Tina asked, a starry-eyed expression on her face. "Oh, brother," Jason said, quickly looking around. "Alright, on the slim chance this can actually work, then we need to discuss how we're gunna get to the sheet. Miss Tart takes the occasional bathroom break for it, but we're all under constant supervision." "Well, not during naptime," Tina chimed in. "When our group is put down, the caretakers tend to focus more on the others. And since our naptime takes place during snack time..." "The floor will be clear for us to make a break for it!" Emi finished. "But how do we get out of the cribs?" Tina giggled mischievously while Jason groaned. "Tina knows how to escape her crib. That's how she kept sneaking into mine!" Naptime... "Huh. I don't think I've seen a real life rope made from blankets tied together outside of old-timey cartoons," Emi said, standing next to Tina as they watched Jason slowly climb down the rope from his crib. Tina stood there with a smug look on her face. She then grabbed the rope after Jason let go, and gave it a good snap of her wrist, and the top that had seemed so secure came untied, falling into the doe's awaiting hooves. Being put down for a nap had been a rather awkward experience for Emi. That's not to say that being carried around in Lizzy or Mrs. Clara's arms and repeatedly having her diaper checked wasn't already awkward. But as Lizzy had carried her to an empty crib, Emi had worried about how she was going to fit inside of it. Then, just as Lizzy started to lower her towards it, it was like an optical illusion took effect and the crib grew in size. Sitting inside, Emi realized that if she jumped she could just barely grab the top rail, hoping the queen-sized mattress that was now inside the bars would allow her to do so. And yet Lizzy had no problem leaning over the rails to reach in and rub Emi's headfur. Now outside it once more, the crib just looked normal-sized. She feared what she would see if she looked in on the other occupied cribs and instead chose to focus on the door as she, Tina, and Jason tiptoed to it. With the other group of charges watching a movie, they observed the staff busying themselves with them, providing bottles and snacks. They hastily made a run for it. They stopped as they neared the front desk, luckily not seeing Miss Tart anywhere. At Emi's signal they hurried over to the desk. She noticed that the short gates meant to keep the little ones in do the same as the cribs when they got near them, and seemed to grow in size until they were too high for them to reach the tops. Thankfully, that was ok, as their prize was right inside, hanging on the plastic hooks. Unfortunately, much like the baby gates and the cribs, the clipboards were now hanging much higher on the wall. "Great," Jason sighed, rubbing his temples. "Now how are we supposed to get them down?" "Like this, silly," Tina said. She wasted no time in scrambling up onto a surprised Jason's shoulders, planting her padded rear on the back of his neck. "H-hey! No surprise piggyback rides! You're too heavy!" Jason called out. "SHH!" Emi shushed him, looking around, still not seeing any of the 'adults'. "That's rude! Now Emi, you climb up onto my shoulders!" "Aw geeze!" Jason huffed, being shushed by the two girls this time. Emi started to walk towards them, when she suddenly stopped. There was a sudden cramp in her lower stomach, and her tail began to hike itself up. "Oh no," Emi said, her eyes becoming watery and her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. Her thumb found its way into her mouth as her body suddenly let go into the seat of her diaper. As she messed, she could also feel her bladder suddenly give out. She sniffled and felt tears begin streaming down her cheeks. "Emi, I'm so sorry, but c'mon! We're almost there!" Tina said encouragingly. Sniffling some more, Emi nodded and started to climb up Jason, wincing at the gross feeling of her well-used diaper. It didn't help that Jason audibly gagged a bit as she scaled up him and onto Tina, who kept saying reassuring things. Soon, much to her disgust, she was sitting on Tina's shoulders, the three doing their best to remain stationary and not topple over. Emi reached up for the clipboards, but they were just out of reach. Stretching a little, the tips of her fingers brushed the very bottoms of them. "There you three are!" They froze upon hearing a familiar voice, only to see Lizzy walking towards them, a big grin on her face. "Hurry!" Jason said, his legs starting to shake from the strain. Emi reached out more and grabbed ahold of the clipboards, sliding them off the hooks. In doing so she leaned out a bit too far just as Jason's legs gave out, and the three fell into a heap onto the floor. Emi was still holding the two clipboards and looked at them closely. She saw her signature, plain as day, on what was indeed the kids' check-in sheet for the daycare. Grabbing the other clipboard she grabbed the attached pen and then started writing her name on the employee sign out sheet, quickly passing it to Tina who did the same, followed by Jason just as Lizzy stopped before them. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for the three as a strange ringing sound, like churchbells, clanged loudly somewhere nearby. Then there was a silence that was itself practically deafening. "What are you three doing anyways? Weren't you supposed to be gone already?" Lizzy asked, confused, blinking a few times and then rubbing her forehead, as though she had a sudden headache. "Uh... Eliabeth... you know who we are?" Tina asked, suddenly unsure as she slowly stood up. "I said to call me Lizzy. And, well, I mean we did meet today, but yeah. You're Tiffany. You showed me where the arts and crafts supplies you brought from home were." "I did?" "Yup! And those egg cartons came in handy! I think the little ones had fun making their own caterpillar friends!" Lizzy gushed. "What about me?" Jason tentatively asked. "Jason, whom Tina warned me as being the grumpy guy, but also a masterful storyteller for the kids during reading time!" "Grumpy?!" Jason looked outraged while Tina giggled. "And me?" Emi asked, her voice hopeful. "Emi, you just got done showing me around and introducing me to everyone. Right?" "... Right!" Emi sighed, suddenly feeling relieved. "So what are you three still doing here? Didn't Emi's mom come to pick you up?" That sent a chill down all three of their spines. "Emi's Mom?" Jason asked, concerned. "Yeah, for the slumber party you parents all organized? All three of you kept bragging about it even during playtime." "B-but we work here!" Jason blurted out to which a confused-looking Lizzy just nodded. "Yeah. You're all three here as part of the work study program, enrolled as our special helpers." "B-but, I'm in college!"Emi protested, suddenly aware that despite now wearing her old clothes, there was still a very full diaper around her waist on underneath. "Yeah? All part of the Big Kid learning track." "Huh?" "Y'know! The college track for those late bloomers who maybe need a little help in certain areas. Like feeding and naps and coordination, and of course, potty training." "What?! B-b-but that doesn't make any sen--" Emi was cut off as a pair of arms picked her up and swung her around in a circle. When the spinning stopped, Emi saw she was face to face with her mother. The older red panda smiled in pure adoration at her daughter. Hannah was leaning over the baby gate, presumably having reached down to pick her daughter up. "There's Mommy's big college girl! Yes she is!" Hannah cooed at her blushing daughter. "Is someone all excited for her big slumber party with her friends?" Hannah then took a sniff and winced slightly. "Though maybe after a diaper change." "M-Mom?!" "Hi there, Mrs. Callah!" Lizzy said, now herding a stunned-looking Jason and Tina towards them. "Now we've already got confirmation from Jason and Tina's parents that you'll be signing them out today. Oopsie! How'd those get on the floor!" The raccoon girl picked up the two clipboards and barely looked at them before handing one over to Hannah. "Oh, Lizzy, you know you can just call me Hannah! You're Emi's favorite babysitter after all!" Hannah then reached for the dangling pen, raising it to the sheet. "Wait... babysitter?! Wait... MOM NO!!!" Hehehe. so sorry to leave you all on a cliff-hanger like that... but :P. I leave what happens up to you to imagine! Are the trio back to square one? Are they better off? Worse? Who knows! Thanks for reading!

Kite Kitten! I giggled while writing it! Benji is indeed a dead crow. I'll try not to.

Heyo, readers! It's been a minute since I last posted! Sorry about that. Anyways, I'm super excited to bring to you this new chapter! Lemme know what you think! Back to Basics (Chapter 10) by Panther Cub "So I told the guy, 'If you didn't want a trunk full of fake severed limbs, you shoulda told me!'" Benji slapped his knee as he finished his story. Sally chuckled while Amy and Tristan both giggled. The winged kitten sat, enraptured by the crow's tales of working on the sets of horror movies, in Mia's lap, with all the other seats around the table occupied. Over to his right he saw Amy sitting on her booster seat, sauce splotched around her mouth a little. "So you really got to work on the set of the original Vile Deceased?!" Tristan was looking over at the crow in awe. "Yup! I was fresh outta highschool when I got a job helping move camera equipment around for a movie set. And due to some budget problems, I also doubled helping out with the effects. The scene with blood squirting up from the floorboards was basically me and a hand-pump running around outside the cabin!" "Woah!" Amy and Tristan harmonized. Mia shook her head and leaned over with a damp washcloth, first cleaning up a bit around Amy's face, and then doing the same for Tristan, who fussily squirmed, unaware of the sauce and some cheese and a pepperoni fragment resting on his chin, nor the splotches on his blue duckie bib. "I don't think that that's appropriate conversation for Amy," Mia said with a sigh, also tilting her head down in Tristan's direction as she shot Benji a pointed look. The crow chuckled and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, sorry. When you've worked in the horror movie special effects industry for over ten years... well, a lot of your stories kinda revolve around the scary stuff. But I'll try to be mindful of that around these two munchkins." "Hey!" Amy and Tristan simultaneously crossed their arms and pouted. "I dunno what a munchkin is, but we're not one of 'em!" Amy declared. "Aww, sorry, Princess!" Benji reached over to ruffle Amy's headfur. She giggled and batted his feathery hand away. "And I'm not a baby, so you don't need to worry about scaring me. Heck, I love scary movies! The scarier the better!" "Oh yeah?" Benji grinned, ignoring the frown Mia was shooting his way. "How does Mom and Dad's new house look?" Sally asked, clearly changing the subject. "It's great! Dad really outdid himself with it! He even kept all the pictures from starting with the empty lot through each stage of its construction. Plus, he made intricate carvings on the stair railings and the front door!" As Benji started showing off pictures he had taken on his phone of a beautiful two-story house, painted a bright white, with large bay windows and a porch; Tristan was vaguely aware of Amy starting to twitch out of the corner of his eye. True to Benji's word, the railings of the steps leading up to said porch were carved to look like dragons from classical Saoloma mythology, with long serpentine bodies. The wooden stairs themselves had carvings that looked similar to some viking wall carvings he had seen at the local history museum. The door was more of an intricate series of twisting gaelic symbols. "That had to take a long time," Tristan said. "I'll bet--OMPH!" whatever else the kitten was going to say was lost as he suddenly found himself yoinked right out of Mia's lap, being hugged close by Amy. He turned his head to see a look of panic on her face as she looked up at Mia. "Amy?" Mia asked, turning to face the two tykes. "Uhm..." Amy gulped and averted her gaze away from Benji. "I-I think Tristy needs a new diaper. Can I help change him?" Tristan huffed and wriggled a bit, wincing as he felt that she might not be entirely wrong, but still outraged nonetheless about her announcing it to everyone. But, as he looked back up at her with a disapproving frown, he saw her looking downcast, absentmindedly tugging at the hem of her skirt with her free paw. He started to wonder if maybe Amy was embarrassed about being back in diapers at her age. Seeing how she was pointedly not trying to look at Benji though, it clicked in his head that she was embarrassed for anyone other than him, Sally, or Mia to know. Something the eagle and the panthress picked up on at the same time as he did. "Oh Amy, I think you might be right. And sure, I'll bet Tristan would love to have the company," Mia said, giving a very obvious wink to him and to Benji, who winked back. Tristan wanted to roll his eyes... but seeing how distressed the cub was... he elected to play along. "Y-yeah... thanks Amy," he said, feigning enthusiasm to the best of his abilities. Sally smiled warmly at him, right before she kicked her chuckling brother's shin from under the table, in turn causing him to start choking on the sip of water he was taking. Mia mouthed a quiet thank you to the kitten and scooped the two of them up in her arms, nuzzling them both on her way to Trsitan's room. They were both sat down on the changing table, with Mia giving them both a hug and nuzzle before explaining she was going to get Amy's supplies first. Sitting there, Tristan felt awkward. Looking over at Amy as she swung her legs a little, she seemed to be feeling the same way. "I'm sorry, Tristy," Amy said after a beat, looking over to the kitten as she said it. "Huh?" "For saying you needed a change. I know you get embarrassed about your diapers." "That's okay, Amy." Tristan smiled, internally thinking that the young panthress was a good kid. "Which is silly because you're a baby, so you're supposed to be in them. Plus, you look adorable in just a shirt and diaper!" Amy smiled, and internally Tristan was rethinking his assessment. "I'm not really a baby though! I just... have the body of one now." Tristan frowned. "Yeah, but still, diapers are supposed to be natural for babies and baby bodies. I'm biggerer and got to be in tug-ups... but I kept having too many accidents." Amy looked down, and Tristan could see the disappointment in her face. "I think that that's why my Mommy doesn't want me, 'cause I'm still in diapers." Tristan hadn't been expecting that. His eyes darted to the open door, hoping Mia was about to enter and having heard what was said. After a few seconds of even more awkward silence, and looking over to see the sadness on Amy's face, Tristan sighed internally. "I don't think that's it," he said, slowly. "But then... why didn't she take me home with her? Why'd she leave me with Aunties Mia and Sally?" Silent tears were now streaming down her black-furred face. "Some grown-ups... aren't cut out to be parents. I think she knew you'd be taken care of here, and loved with all of Mia and Sally's hearts." Tristan kept a cool exterior while internally he was panicking, unsure of what else he could say if Amy questioned him further. Amy scooted over and pulled him into a hug. He could feel her quiet tears landing on his shoulder, but said nothing, simply returning the hug. "You're the bestest baby brother ever. I love you, and no matter what, I'll always be here for you." Tristan felt his breath hitch in his throat, which was just when Mia finally reentered, now with Amy's diaper bag slung over one shoulder. "Sorry that took a little bit. I could have sworn I left the bag in the living room... what's going on here?" Mia asked the two as they continued to hug. "Uhm... I was feeling embarrassed about the diaper change, so Amy hugged me to make me feel better. Being the best big sister she can be." Tristan blushed as he said it, but knew that it would make the cub happy. The cooing from Mia didn't help his blush. Once both Tristan and Amy were 'freshened up', Mia happily carried them both back to the dinner table, sitting down with both in her lap. "While you three were gone, Benji came up with an idea," Sally said, reaching over to squeeze her paw. "Oh?" Mia tried to keep the trepidation out of her voice. She loved Benji like a brother, but his track record with ideas left a lot to be desired. "I just pointed out how you two were always sending updates about going out and about together on dates, doing lovey-dovey couple things, but how that seems to have slowed down a bit lately. So I figured if I offered to watch a certain couple of munchkins for you, and get in some fun uncle time, you two could get in some much needed couple time. Eh?" "HEY!" Tristan and Amy harmonized their displeasure at being called munchkins again. "That's a very nice offer, Benji. Right, Sally?" Nia looked to her wife for some guidance. "It really is. It also makes me suspicious that you're going to spoil these two rotten while we're out." "What?! Me? I would never!" Benji tried to hide his grin, and failed. "Mmhmm." Sally rolled her eyes and smiled, turning to regard her wife. "Let's do it, tomorrow!" "Huh?!" Mia was taken aback by the suddenness. "While Benjamin might be a big goofball... he's not wrong about the two of us... slowing down a bit, romantically-speaking. So a date night out sounds like a great idea to me!" "I... w-well..." Mia looked a little uncomfortable, before smiling down at Tristan and Amy in her lap, who now once more had sauce splotched around both their faces. "How would you two like to spend some time with Uncle Benji tomorrow?" "Uh... okay, I guess..." Tristan said, while Amy started bouncing in Mia's lap. "Can we go to that candy shop again?!" She practically had stars in her eyes as she asked it. "What candy shop?" Mia asked, narrowing her eyes at the innocently whistling crow. The afternoon passed into a lively early evening, with Benji giving first Amy and then a surprised Tristan, piggyback rides. The large crow even sat down at the tiny play table with Amy and participated in a tea party with her. As the evening grew later, Tristan found himself being tucked into his crib by Sally, who was humming happily as she set his plush shark into his arms. "Are you looking forward to spending more time with Benji tomorrow?" Sally asked, leaning over the side of the rails. Tristan nodded and sleepily rubbed his eye. "Yeah. He seems really cool." Tristan smiled. Sally chuckled at that, leaning down to give his fore head a kiss. "He might seem cool. But my big brother is actually quite the dork when you get to know him. I've got stories..." "Sally?" "Yes, hun?" "He told both me and Amy to call him Uncle Benji, right?" Sally nodded, an eyebrow raised. "Does that mean," Tristan let out a yawn and trailed off. "Mean what, sugarplum?" "Does it mean that you and Mia are gunna adopt me?" Sally looked down into his wide blue eyes and smiled. "Honeypie... would you like for us to legally adopt you?" Tristan thought it over. When he'd first learned that laws had been amended allowing people to become the legal guardians and even outright adopt regressees, the kitten had been worried. Both about having his adult freedoms being stripped away as well as being snatched up and adopted by a stranger. Thankfully, aside from some cases involving intervention by CPS, consent from the regressee's was still needed. He then thought about his time in Mia and Sally's care so far, how they'd respected his input, gone out of their way to make him feel welcome, as well as take care of him and his needs. He thought about being cradled in Mia's arms, being bounced on Sally's knee, and of course, of Amy just adoring him as her little brother. He nodded. Sally just beamed with pure joy, despite maintaining a calm composure. Leaning down again to plant another kiss on his forehead, Sally nuzzled the kitten for a second. "Goodnight, baby boy. Mama and Mommy love you so much." "I love you and Mommy too, Mama," Tristan said without hesitation. His drooping eyelids shut, and his breathing became rhythmic. Sally stood there, watching the kitten, unable to express the amount of joy she was feeling in that moment. Making sure to exit the nursery quietly, after ensuring that the baby monitor was on, Sally went to find Mia to immediately tell her the good news. The Next Day... "Gotta admit, I figured you two would get all dressed up and head out to a fancy restaurant later in the day," a slightly disheveled-looking Benji said, a case of bedfeathers causing half his facial feathers to point straight up. Before him was Mia and Sally. Mia was dressed in a pair of olive hiking shorts and a pink button-up t-shirt. Sally was wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a white tank-top. "Goes to show how much you know, big bro," Sally chuckled. "While that idea does sound nice, it actually has been a while since Sally and I have enjoyed a nice walk together. And today being such a lovely day... well, how could we resist?" Benji smiled and nodded, letting out a yawn, being a late-sleeper and all. "So, since I'm pretty sure you weren't listening, we should be gone until later in the afternoon." "Now I know you have out phone numbers in your contacts, but just in case something happened I wrote them down on the fridge, as well as a list of emergency numbers. There's also a note on the counter detailing where you can find the bottles and sippy cups for Tristan and Amy, as well as a reminder that Tristan is supposed to take his nap before lunch. He's much less cranky when he has something in his tummy. Amy will probably nod off around the same time as him. If they get scared, Amy's teddy bear is usually found in her room sitting on her little desk. Tristan leaves his little shark plush in his crib. There's also--" "Woah there, Mia! I've babysat before. Heck, let's not forget that I've changed both your and Sally's diapers." He snickered as the two both blushed and went silent. "We all agreed that that was to stay buried in the past," Sally said, her blush deepening. "Okay, okay. But regardless, I'll take good care of the little munchkins, promise." "Fine..." Mia let out a pent up breath, before she placed her paws on her hips and narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law. "But no scary movies! Amy had nightmares for weeks after last time!" "It was a cheesy old black and white one from the forties! How was I supposed to know she'd be afraid of a giant roadrunner?" "Benji..." "Okay!" After the two took the time to check in on Amy and Tristan in the living room, who were both engrossed in an episode of Power Princess Troopers, with Mia having to be tugged away from snuggling up close to the two, they were off. Benji watched as Mia and Sally started heading down the sidewalk, holding hands. Letting out a yawn, Benji smiled, and made his way over to the couch where the two tots sat. Amy was hugging Tristan close like he was a plushie, and Tristan was watching and sucking on his binky. Amy was dressed in a red shirt and black shorts, while Tristan was wearing a green shirt underneath tan overalls. He settled down next to them and watched as the silly and clearly choreographed fight scene continued between the Princess Power Troopers and a bunch of guys in purple "Mushies" costumes fought them each one at a time. The episode ended shortly after the princesses summoned their giant animal-themed robots to fuse together and beat up a giant monster. "YAY!" Amy cheered as the credits rolled with the theme song playing. Tristan giggled and bounced, freezing when he looked up at Benji. The crow raised an eyebrow as Tristan seemed to make himself settle downand even spit out his binky, which was safely tucked away in the front chest pocket of the overalls. "I knew the Princesses were gunna save the day, Tristy!" Amy cheered, hopping down from the couch and setting Tristan and the floor. She turned to the crowm naking her eyes as big as possible. "Uncle Benji... can we go play outside?" He laughed and ruffled her headfur. "Sure thing, Amy!" The little panthress cheered and ran to the sliding glass door. Benjamin started to get up, until he noticed Tristan settling down on the couch again, now with today's newspaper unfolded and in his paws. Though, Benji noticed that Tristan didn't seem to be reading the paper, his eyes continually sneaking looks at the crow out of the corner of his eyes. "Something up, bud?" "Nope..." "Are you sure?" "Yup..." "The newspaper's upside down." Tristan froze and sighed, turning it right side up. "I can still read just fine, by the way." "I believe you." Tristan squirmed in his seat. Benji could sense the tension and decided to break the ice. "Y'know, I've actually got a few friends who are regressees like you. A couple of them had the same reaction, which for them was quite the shock." "I can imagine..." Tristan said drily, to which Benji laughed. "Yeah, you probably could!" "Anyways, a buddy of mine, Dante, he's an actor and now in the same situation as you. It happened on set, during the scene of what was gunna be the masked intruder's first kill of the main cast. Dante was playing the role of college jock who was gunna try and fight what he thought was a peeping Tom bothering him and his girlfriend. He was supposed to round the corner and his character's head was gunna get lopped off by the machete. Instead, he walked a few feet, and poof, shrank right back down to babyhood." Tristan winced at the thought of a public regression like that, and caught on camera no less. "The filming has been pushed back a little so that the director can try to write the regression in. Of course, for a while there, Dante was pretty upset and seemed like he was gunna just walk from the project entirely." "What changed?" Tristan asked. "He started having fun." "Huh?" "He found that, when he just let go of his inhibitions, it was like unlocking the door to pure joy, something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. And with that joy came a revelation." "Oh?" "You regressees are gunna grow back up again. That's already a proven fact. But while this can be a big disruption in the trajectory of your lives and plans, it can also be a chance for something else. All that energy, that sense of curiosity and wonder. Experiencing the world and growing up again, but also with an adult's perspective. A great big redo, a grand adventure in the making." Tristan was silent for a moment, the words striking a chord deep within him. "Well, that sounds fine and all, except for the fact that I have to depend on people to help me with some of the most basic things now. How's being given baths and diaper changes a grand adventure?" Tristan blushed as Benji ruffled his headfur. "It sounds rough, little buddy, not gunna lie. But... it also sounds like you've got some folks in your life who care a whole lot about you and don't mind helping when you need it." Tristan crossed his arms and frowned, not wanting to acknowledge that Benji had a point. "Like the wing exercises I've been hearing Sally gush on and on about, excited not only she gets to pass the lessons she and I learned as hatchlings down, but also how far you've come in such a short amount of time." "Really?" Tristan asked, his ears perking up a bit, curious to hear what else Sally may have been saying. "Yup! My little sister sometimes isn't the most expressive person out there, but when she talks about you and Amy, I can hardly get her to stop! Heck, she kept me on the phone all last week talking about how strong your wings have already gotten, to how you fell asleep in her arms, to how you somehow got a bowl of spaghetti all over your headfur and ears!" Tristan practically glowed red beneath his dark fur, unable to look up into Benji's eyes. "And, buddy, getting a good look at them here and now, I gotta say that I think they look strong enough to let you get some good gliding practice in!" "How do we do that? I'm pretty sure Mia isn't gunna let me just jump off a high structure..." The strong breeze blew in from the still-open door to the backyard, where the two could see Amy on the swingset. The wind ruffled Tristan's fur and Benji's feathers simultaneously. The crow's smile widened and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. "I have an idea!" * * * "Hun, I know how Benji can be, but I promise he's taking excellent care of the kids. You don't need to worry." Sally's feathery fingers gently squeezed Mia's paw as they walked, enjoying the light breeze and the afternoon sun. "I-I'm not worried! Who said anything about being worried?" Mia stammered, trying to act cool, while her wife rolled her eyes. "No one, but you have led us around the fenceline to our own backyard about five times now..." "I have?" Mia stopped to regard the tall solid wood fence, letting out a sigh as she turned to lean up against it. "I have." Sally leaned in close and rested her forehead on Mia's. Just then, they could both hear Tristan and Amy laughing as the breeze picked up. "I get so anxious when I don't have them in my sight," Mia said, rubbing her arm and looking embarrassed. Sally reached under Mia's chin and tilted her head up a bit, so that she could stare into her eyes. "I know, my love. Some wounds... never really heal." "I just..." Mia looked down and sniffed. "I just want to scoop him and Amy both up into my arms and never let them go. But then... I also start to worry that Tristan will end up hating us for babying him so much." "Oh... Mi-Mi," Sally said, making the panthress blush beneath her dark fur. The eagle pulled her wife into a hug and began to nuzzle her neck. "That's never gunna happen. Oh sure, it is quite the tightrope act at times. On the one hand, he's deserving of our respect, no matter how adorable and fluffy he is. On the other hand, physically and to a certain degree mentally, he's a baby, and thus needs a lot of help and care and love." Mia smiled and Sally continued. "It's true that he might not be happy with some decisions we're gunna have to make for his sake. Why, he will probably get outright frustrated or mad at times. But at the end of the day, we've earned his trust, and he knows that any decisions we make are only in his best interest. Plus, if we talk things out with him first, it will go a long way to help mitigate some of his feelings of frustration." "... I suppose you do make a pretty good point, Sally-Wally." Mia smiled, it now being the eagle's turn to blush. Hearing another burst of the children's laughter from just over the other side of the fence brought a smile to the panthress' lips and Sally's beak. Seeing a bit of movement above, Sally froze, seeing Tristan, his wings as fully extended as they would go, tied to a bright purple diamond-shaped kite, a string leading back down to, hopefully, her brother. Panicking a little at the idea of Mia turning around and seeing Tristan riding a kite up in the air, Sally leaned in to give the surprised Mia a deep kiss, internally vowing to kill her brother later. And there we have it folks! I hope you liked it!

Yeah, the poor little guy just got the rug pulled out from under him. And yeah, he has a... well, he has those in his life who are more than happy to have him, care for him, and help him learn and grow! He'll find something, I'm sure.

Nice to have finished an update! :3 Yeah... I mean, I can see where it could be a problem for an employee to basically, physically (and maybe a little bit mentally), be a toddler in some positions. But still, this is gunna be devastating for so many little ones. And yeah, you just know a certain someone is gunna try and stick her bill into this business.

YAY! We're back in action, baby! I hope you're all doing fabulous! I'm super excited to bring you the latest chapter of winged kitten cuteness! Please consider leaving a comment or review, as those are just awesome! Thank you for reading! Back to Basics (Chapter 9) by Panther Cub "Okay, see the vehicle three cars back?" Tristan asked, not looking up from his screen. "Red pickup with the trailer attached?" Mia asked as she checked the screen with the camera feeds two feet away from Tristan. The inspection booth could be a little cramped at times with two inspection officers occupying it, but thanks to Tristan's size, he and Mia fit rather comfortably, even with Tristan's special "stool". Using the painted highchair's tray to set his notebook down, Tristan turned and gave Mia a smile. "Yup! Notice anything interesting about it?" Mia winked and gave a slight nod. "Sure did!" She pointed to a picture on the screen of the front of the truck, zoomed in on the license plate. "While that plate says Grountania at the top, the first three digits on the plate number itself are a T45. Grountania plates never have a T in the first three digits. If they're not just numbers, then they're going to be a Z or a Y. However, plates from Tulocca always start with the letter T like that!" "And what does that suggest?" "That that's a forged license plate! And not a good one at that!" Tristan practically bounced in his seat, not caring about the faint crinkling as he did so. Mia really had come a long way since first being hired. "So what do we do now?" Tristan asked as the truck pulled into their lane. "We flag them for the officers and collect their registration and license, and fill out a quick confiscation form!" "I guess that makes me a great teacher then, because you just got full marks!" Tristan puffed out his chest, typing out a quick code on the shared network to report the truck to be inspected. Mia handled opening the booth window to greet the driver when they pulled up. "Hi there!" Mia smiled at the goat as he put the pickup in park. He pulled down his shades and smirked while giving Mia a once over. "Well aren't you just the finest feline I've had the pleasure to meet." He gave a wink as Mia's smile became a little forced. His eyes roving about the booth, he quickly spotted the winged kitten in a miniature version of the larger feline's uniform. The same type of khaki slacks, sky blue button-up long-sleeved shirt, a little red necktie, and even a little ID badge pinned to the front of his shirt. "Aww, somebody getting to come with Mommy to work today, bud?" Tristan rolled his eyes and continued to type away at the computer. "Sir, I'm gunna need you to pull over to the inspection lane right over there," Mia said, pointing to where a pair of officers were already waiting. "Aw, c'mon now," the goat leaned out his window, taking full advantage of the gray muscle shirt he was wearing to flex his arms a bit, smirking the entire time to the unimpressed Mia. "How about instead I get your number, you let me through, and then later tonight, after you get a babysitter, we can have some fun together out on the town?" "She said pull off to the inspection lane, sir!" Tristan shouted, slamming his little paws on the highchair tray as he stood and turned to glare at the guy. His slacks shifted a bit, letting the waistband of his snuggies peek out a bit. "Looks like someone's probably missing naptime, huh?" The goat tried to joke, but his chuckles quickly died as he saw the unamused look on Mia's face. He opened his mouth to say something, when the two waiting officers strolled over, one on each side of the vehicle. "Sir," the large white wolf said, leaning over a bit to look at the guy over his sunglasses, both dark lenses reflecting the goat's confidence draining from his face. "You've been asked twice to pull off into the inspection lane. Trust me when I tell you that you won't like it when we have to ask a third time." The goat gulped and nodded, leaning back into his seat. He shifted gears and quickly pulled off, stepping out when prompted, all with a look of dread on his face. "What a jackass," Tristan huffed. "Language!" Mia said, affectionately rubbing his headfur, smiling at the sound of his purr. "We need to remain professional, after all." "Yeah, you're right," Tristan agreed, looking down, clearly embarrassed. Mia then knelt down to look him in the face, smiling happily at him. "But thank you. It makes me feel safe knowing you've got my back here," Mia said, to which Tristan blushed a bit beneath his fur. "Please. I'm the size of a football, and probably just as easily puntable too." Mia's response was to simply scoop him up into her arms and start rocking the moment she had the kitten in a cradled position. "It's true though. You know how to keep a calm head in an emergency, you remember the proper procedures to lock down the booth and shelter in place, and to hit the big red button. And you know the codes to say into the radio to let the officers and everyone else know exactly what's happening." Tristan let himself get comfortable and began to smile again. "Well... I guess you're right..." He winced a little as he shifted, feeling his diaper squish a bit. Mia saw his expression, her own softening even more. "I think it's time we took a little trip to the potty and freshened up. What do you say, sweetheart?" His blush returning, but still smiling as Mia continued to hold him, Tristan simply nodded. Thanks to the inspection, their booth was set to In-Use in the system, with a bright red light blinking at the top of the booth's roof, signaling to drivers that this lane was temporarily out of service. Mia simply had to lean down and grab the diaper bag, shut and lock the window, put the code into the computer that they were on a bathroom break, and ensure the door closed and locked behind them after they exited. Just before they got to the restroom, they were stopped by Lieutenant Haelga just after they entered the employee only section of the main red-brick building. The brown and white-spotted owl waved the two over. "Hey guys," Haelga was awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck as she looked away. "I saw that you're both entered in as taking a bathroom break." She looked down at the kitten and smiled, clearly knowing what was actually happening, but still looking a bit distraught. "When you're both done, can I please see you both in my office?" After nodding, Mia and Tristan shared a worried look as she carried him into the ladies' room, locking the door behind them. "So... that was unexpected," Mia said while opening up the wall-mounted changing table. Settling Tristan down on it, she gave a worried smile down to him that he was quick to return. "Yeah... but we shouldn't be too worried. Haelga usually only calls people into her office for employee evaluations, but those are usually done one at a time. She's probably gunna ask about our progress or something." As she unbuttoned and slid his pants off, Mia saw Tristan chewing on his thumb, looking pensive. She pulled out a blue and white pacifier from one of the pockets of the diaper bag. Mia gave a gentle tug of Tristan's arm, surprising him as his thumb left his mouth. He looked up at her confused, before noticing his wet thumb and then the binky being held out to him. With another blush, he accepted the rubber nipple, immediately relaxing and making a nuk-nuk-nuk sound. Mia then started to hum a cheerful tune as she pushed up the hem of Tristan's shirt and then began tearing open the tapes. Tristan tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help but reflect on how quick Mia was when it came to changing his diaper. That wasn't to say that Sally was a slouch, but Mia definitely had a system down and memorized. Already his old diaper was balled up with the fresh one underneath him. With the smell of baby powder and lavender from the rash cream wafting in the air, Tristan smiled. He even felt like kicking his legs all of a sudden, an urge he fought down. "There! All clean and powder fresh!" Mia giggled, cuddling Tristan close to her chest. He nestled in closer, still sucking his binky as they exited the restroom. Mia hesitated, causing Tristan to look up at her. Remembering that they needed to talk with Haelga, he tugged his binky out of his mouth and tucked it into his pocket. Mia rubbed his back in between his wings and carried him into the tiny bland beige office, shutting the door behind her at Haelga's request. There were two chairs present, opposite the desk the older owl was sitting at, but Mia elected to sit with Tristan in her lap, her leg starting to nervously bounce the kitten until she willfully made it stop. The Lieutenant looked at the kitten, a sad expression on her face as she let out a sigh. "So, as you probably are both aware, there's an upcoming vote about allowing regressees maintaining employment." Tristan scowled while Mia frowned. It had become quite the hot button topic, with many people believing it wasn't ethical or even healthy for what they claimed were basically children and babies to hold down jobs. While there was a lot of pushback from regressees and supporters for them, there were others still who voiced their concerns involving jobs where lives could be on the line being in the hands of someone who needed a scheduled naptime. "I-if this is about my performance," Tristan spoke up, silently grateful that Mary wasn't still bouncing him, "I'd like to point out that I've caught more fraudulent and incomplete documents as well as violations in the past month compared to everyone else!" "Yes... yes you have." Haelga looked away, her feather ruffling. "However, it's not about performance..." Tristan felt his insides freeze over, remaining silent as his paw disappeared into his pocket. "Lieutenant? What's going on?" Mia asked. "As of this morning, an email was sent out regarding all state agencies, ours included. Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the governor feels that simply having regressee employees physically under the age of eighteen opens us up to potential lawsuits. Effective immediately, all regressee employees under that physical age range are hereby dismissed from their positions. I'm sorry." Tristan felt as though the world had dropped out from underneath him. His mind churned, wondering if this wasn't just some bad dream. "Tristan, I'm going to have to ask you for your keycard and keys back. Also, I am to inform you that all of your accumulated sick leave and vacation leave will be paid out on your final paycheck. And the money deposited into your pension fund will also be returned. Mia, I know that you're Tristan's primary caretaker, and if you'd like to leave early to take him home..." The rest of the words spoken trailed off for the kitten as he numbly set the keycard with his picture on it and the keys to the facilities onto Haelga's desk. He felt Mia's grip on him tighten protectively. He turned and buried his face into her chest, curling up and shutting the world out, internally feeling his emotions roiling impotently. He wasn't sure when he slipped his binky back in, but the soother was doing its job well. He kept his head buried, not wanting his coworkers seeing him on his final day with a binky in his mouth, or to see the pity in any of their eyes. Mia rubbed his back as he felt her carry him, occasionally picking up on voices saying goodbye. It was only when he was sure that they were in the car, oddly enough still being held by Mia instead of being buckled into his carseat in the back, that he let the white hot tears building in his eyes spill over. He sobbed. He wailed. He cried there in Mia's arms, with the older feline rubbing and rocking him, whispering how it's all going to be okay. But in that moment, deep in his heart, Tristan felt that things were never going to be okay. * * * Tristan slowly awoke to the song of a soft lullaby drifting down from above. Prying his eyes open, he looked around to see that he was in his room at Mia and Sally's house, safe and sound in the crib. He kicked off the soft warm blue blanket to reveal he was wearing a green footed onesie. Looking above he could see the mobile above slowly spinning, the music coming from it. Spotting a familiar purple plush shark to his right, Tristan pulled Spot in for a hug. He felt so at peace in that moment, and he just wanted it to last. But, as the memory of losing his job trickled in from the back of his mind, so did the ache. He heard the door to his... to the nursery softly open, and felt relieved at the distraction. In walked Sally as she carefully stepped up to the crib, clearly not trying to wake him if he was still asleep. Seeing his eyes wide open and looking right at her startled the eagle lady for just a moment. "OH!" Sally chuckled while leaning on the rail and gazing down at him. "You startled me there for a second, honeypie!" "Sorry," Tristan mumbled around his binky. "Think nothing of it, sugarplum! Now, do you think you've slept enough? Or do you maybe wanna go back to sleep?" Tristan mulled it over, softly nursing his pacifier. With a heavy sigh, he reached up and started to make the grabby paws. Sally smiled and reached down with her feather fingers and scooped the kitten up into her arms. After a quick diaper check, Tristan found himself being carried out into the living room, where Mia was sitting with Amy in her lap. Tristan still held Spot in his arms as Sally sat down, setting him down next to her. "Oh, Tristy!" Amy, wearing a pink sparkling rhinestone unicorn t-shirt and a denim skirt that barely hid her own diaper, scooted closer to the winged kitten. She pulled him into a tight hug and patted his back. "I'm sorry that your bosses were meanie-butts! If my Ninja/Unicorn Cowboy idea gets successful, you'll always have a position there!" Tristan felt a pang at the reminder of what happened earlier today... but the 'actual' kitten's earnestness both in her declaration and her hug brought a small smile to his face. Mia and Sally watched the pair, Sally with a smile that was slightly wider than her wife's. "That's very sweet, Amy. I'm sure you'd both make wonderful Ninjas and Unicorn Wranglers," Mia said, taking a sip of her mug of tea. "YEAH! We'll have to work on your ninjutsu and your lasso work though, Tristy!" "No lassoing or smoke bombs in the house," Sally said, wagging a feathery finger. "'Kay, auntie, Sally!" Tristan couldn't help himself and began to giggle at the absurdity of it all. Amy was quick to join in, followed by Sally and Mia, the two reaching down to embrace the two kittens and each other. Tristan still felt the sting of losing his job, but in that moment, he also felt a warmth and a sense of safety that he could scarcely remember feeling. "I think that we could all use an ice cream sundae!" Sally announced after they broke apart. Amy and Tristan's eyes both lit up. "With hot fudge?" Amy asked. "And caramel?" Tristan added. "And whipped cream?" Amy continued. "And sprinkles?" Tristan queried. "And cherries on top?" Amy jumped up and down. Sally chuckled and nodded, letting Amy scramble up onto her back for a piggyback ride. Tristan started to do the same, when he felt Mia's paw come to rest on his shoulder. "Tristan? Can we please have a word?" He turned to look up at Mia, seeing the sadness in her eyes. It brought the sensation of dread back to the forefront of his mind. He nodded, sucking harder on his binky as he did so. Sally nodded to the two and carried the oblivious Amy into the kitchen. Mia looked down at her lap and the mug of tea clutched in both of her paws. She let out a sniff and set it down onto the coffee table. "Tristan... I'm so sorry..." Mia's voice cracked, and suddenly Tristan started to panic. His thoughts began to run wild with ideas of Mia and Sally handing him off to child services, causing him to let out a whimper. The panthress looked over to him and wiped her teary eyes. "I know it wouldn't have changed anything... but I should've spoken up in that meeting today!" "Huh?" "There you were, having all this dumped onto you just out of the blue, and I just sat there, silent, when I could have done or said something!" "Mia." "I'll understand if you're angry with me." She turned to look back down into her mug, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Mia!" "I'll also understand if... you'd prefer it if maybe I g-gave you some space..." "MIA!!!" The older feline was startled and turned to look at the kitten now standing on the couch in his footie pajamas, paws on his hips, his little wings fluffed out, his binky now spit out and dangling from blue lanyard clipped to said pajama. The image of him right then and there with the stern expression on his face was almost enough to bring a smile to Mia's face, despite her deep sense of guilt. "There wasn't anything you could have done other than get yourself suspended or even fired for insubordination!" "But--" "Mia, no. I've worked that job for many years now, and I know that when something comes down from on high, then that's it. Heck, I don't even blame Haelga! You were still there for me, ready to pick me up and make me feel better! All you did was keep a cool head and be a good mommy!" Tristand and Mia both froze, looking into each other's eyes. The kitten broke eye contact and looked down, blushing as he started to play with his paws. "Oh, Tristan," Mia scooted over and picked up the kitten, pulling him into a hug. "I-I..." Tristan tried to think of what to say, but instead simply continued to blush as Mia settled him so that his chin was resting on her shoulder. It was then that the doorbell rang, prompting Mia, still cuddling the blushing little feline, to get up and answer it. Tristan turned to see who it was just as the door opened. Standing there, holding three pizza boxes was a rather tall male crow wearing a red muscle shirt showing off a feather-too of a dream catcher visible on his right bicep, and a pair of well-worn jeans. The boxes he was holding had a cartoon sloth on the top with a caption reading 'If you want pizza done right, come to Lazlo's. If you want it done fast, go somewhere else!' "Lazlo's Pizza..." Tristan mumbled in awe. Lazlo's was practically legendary in the area, but the perfectionist sloth owner and operator, Lazlo, was a known perfectionist when it came to each paw-crafted pizza. Also, he was a sloth. So the wait was also practically legendary. His tummy letting out a rumble, Tristan suddenly became aware of a lull in the conversation between Mia and the stranger. "O-oh, uh, s-sorry?" Tristan's ears splayed flat in embarrassment. Mia and the stranger chuckled. "Tristan, I'd like you to meet my favorite, and only, brother-in-law, Be--" "UNCLE BENJI!!!" Amy shrieked in pure delight. The little panthress sprinted and jumped to wrap her arms around the crow's legs. "WOAH! There's my little chaos gremlin!" Benjamin laughed, making sure his grip on the pizzas was secure before leaning down to ruffle Amy's headfur. "Uncle Benji! Have you met my new baby brother, Tristan? He's really cute and super silly! And he giggles a whole lot if you tickle his little feet!" "AMY!" Tristan called out, blushing beneath his fur. "Oh yeah, I've heard all about the little guy who's been keeping an eye over my favorite sister and sister-in-law. Plus all the pictures..." "What pictures?" Tristan asked indignantly. "Just some rather... sweet pictures..." Now Mia was looking a little embarrassed. Tristan immediately honed in on how that meant cute. "Come on in, Benji! It's been too long!" And there it is, folks! I really do hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

Thanks! I'm really excited for it!

Heyo folks! Sorry for a bit of an absence... I could just blame work, but while that was definitely a factor, this time it was for another reason. This one-off story right here! Or, well, that and the idea behind it. See, I came up with an idea for... a game! Basically, I'd been thinking about dating sims lately, and suddenly an idea popped into my head. Basically, what if one were to take the elements of a dating sim, but instead apply them in a different way... In this case, I'm calling it a Found-Family-Sim, and I'm gonna try to make it a point-and-click visual novel with plenty of choices! The player character, who can choose from several backstories as well as pick their gender and species, finds themselves in the beautiful and mysterious town of Cherry Lake. As they explore the town and get to know the townspeople and potential adoptive parents/families and begin uncovering secrets, they may notice that they seem to be... getting younger?! Players will find that their choices and actions have consequences, some small, others quite large, and that there are multiple outcomes to be found! It's an ambitious project for someone who has never programmed anything ever, and knows next to nothing about coding, but it's still something I'm gunna try nonetheless! Anyways, this little one-off is to introduce you to some of the characters to be found in Cherry Lake as well as a little bit of the town, and to highlight some choices to be made. Okay, rambling over, and I hope that you all enjoy it! Welcome to Cherry Lake by Panther Cub "Maybe I should pull over," Tyler mumbled to himself while he squinted to peer out his windshield. The windshield wipers were going as fast as they could to wipe away the torrential rain coming down, but it was only barely enough. As far as he could tell, the black winged cat was still on the road. His headlights illuminated the dark trees on either side of the road and lit up the dotted white lines in the center. He took a quick second to check his GPS, and huffed as it read No Signal still. Then, the sky briefly lit up, and there was a crack of thunder that sounded like a gunshot. "Holy crap! That sounded close!" Tyler fidgeted a little, wondering again if he should pull over. But looking again at the sides of the road, there really wasn't much of an 'over' to pull off to. Then, he rounded a bend and his heart leapt. Lights! The twinkling lights of a town, hopefully his destination, lay just a few miles ahead. As he drew closer and closer to the town, the rain started to taper off, quickly becoming just a light drizzle, and then dispersing entirely. Looking up a little, he could see some stars and even the bright full moon starting to come out from the cloud cover. The glow of the moon lit up the drenched surrounding area a bit, just in time for his headlights to shine on a big wooden sign on the side of the road. "Welcome to Cherry Lake," Tyler read aloud, his green eyes now wide open, "the hidden gem we're all looking for." He felt that that was a bit of a strange slogan, but just shrugged. It was at least painted in beautiful paw-crafted calligraphy in a bright green on the white backing. Passing by it filled Tyler with a sudden sense of giddiness, so much so that he let out a happy giggle. He quickly got himself back under control, figuring that it was just relief at not only being out of the storm, but finally making it to his destination. And hopefully, the place he could finally get a fresh start on life. The streets were still soaked as Tyler entered town, his tires splashing through the occasional puddle. He stopped at a red light and pulled out his notepad with the directions written down on the first page. He noticed a sheriff car pass by and briefly felt worried that maybe this small town might not be so welcoming of him. But he quickly shook that thought away as he looked again at the directions to Mr. and Mrs. Marble's house. With his dwindling savings, he couldn't believe he'd found a room to rent at such a low price. And calling up the couple to see if it was still available... something about how they spoke just put Tyler at ease, which had not been an easy feat considering how badly he was doom-spiraling at the time. Driving around a little more, he spotted a street named Joy Avenue, and quickly turned down it. Slowing down a little to read the house numbers, he came to a stop in mild disbelief. It was a white two-story Colonial-style, with large bay windows, large white pillars, an impressively manicured front lawn and squarely trimmed hedges with a gravel driveway leading to a two-car garage. Thankfully, despite it being nearly eleven at night, there were plenty of lights on inside. With a nervous gulp, Tyler turned into the driveway and put his car in park, hesitating before killing the engine. He reached over to the passenger seat where his two suitcases and laptop in its carrying bag were stacked, and started grabbing them. After shutting and locking the car door, he looked back up at the impressive house and steeled himself. Worst case scenario, he'd have to leave and park somewhere to sleep in his car for the night. Tyler was halfway up the front steps when the front door opened, and he was bathed in a soft yellow light. "Ah, there he is!" A smiling brown-furred rabbit wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks stood in the open doorway, his blue eyes twinkling. "Glad you made it here in one piece, son!" "Is that Tyler?" A soft feminine voice asked, belonging to a light gray rabbit in a bright blue dress, a frilly pink apron tied around it. Her brown eyes lit up with excitement as they beheld the winged cat. "Oh my goodness! Look how big you are!" "Uh..." Tyler stood there, stunned at the friendly voices he quickly recognized, being just as warm and welcoming as they had sounded over the phone. "Mr. and Mrs. Marble? It's, uh, n-nice to meet you!" He set down one of his suitcases and held his paw out to shake. Mr. Marble shook his paw and chuckled some more, startling Tyler as he pulled him into a hug. "We're huggers around here, son," Mr. Marble said, letting Tyler go and giving his headfur a ruffle. Tyler could feel his cheeks reddening beneath his black fur. "Harold, help the boy out of the cold! And sweetie, you look like you're absolutely famished. Please, let me make something nice and warm for you." "Uh, th-thanks, b-but I can carry it--" "Now, now, son. It doesn't hurt to let someone lend a helping paw once in a while," Harlod said, grabbing the suitcase with a grunt and herding the feline into the house. Tyler looked around, spotting a large family portrait. Mr. and Mrs. Marble were sitting under a tree on a bright sunny day, sitting in their laps were three young kits, two boys and a girl. Everyone was wearing their Sunday best and clearly in the middle of laughing. Seeing the picture brought back memories, bittersweet ones that he'd been trying to forget. "We took that picture last Easter," Mr. Marble said, causing Tyler to jump. "It was right before the big Egg Hunt!" "O-oh?" Tyler remembers scrounging around bushes and looking under rocks in search of colorfully dyed eggs to put in his basket, excited for each and every one he did find. "Yup! Here in Cherry Lake, it's actually a pretty big festival! And it's not too far off if you think you'd be interested in it." Mr. Marble gently clapped Tyler on the back. "Wait, do you mean helping set up and hide the eggs?" "Well, yes, we certainly can always use a helping paw when we're setting up for a festival around here," Mr. Marble chuckled while herding the winged cat down the hall and towards the kitchen. "But I also meant to join in on the fun! There's an Egg Hunt for the kits, and then one for adults." "Really?" Tyler felt the faint embers of excitement at the idea that he might get to be able to play the game again, after all these years. "Yup! First prize for adults is usually a gift certificate or voucher from one of the shops here in town. The kids basically compete for baskets of candy and toys, though the winner gets a really big one." "Oh, Harold, I know how excited you are for community projects, but Tyler just got here. Let's let him decompress after such a big trip and then get some shuteye. Then you can start trying to recruit him into helping out his new community!" "Yes, Clara," the bunny man chuckled and gave Tyler a mischievous wink before setting the suitcase down next to a pulled-out chair at the table. Tyler sniffed and winced as his stomach audibly growled. Mrs. Marble giggled as she stirred a pot on the stove, using her free paw to flip something over in a skillet. "Sounds to me like you could use a nice warm meal before bed, young man. Go ahead and take a seat, I'm almost done." "You don't need to fuss over me, Mrs. Marble, honest," Tyler said, feeling his cheeks flush at the sound of further giggling. "Oh hush now. I love cooking and we're not gunna let our special guest who'd just been out in the cold and the rain go to bed without something warm and tasty in their belly." Not wanting to be rude, Tyler sat down. A few seconds later, a bowl of steamy tomato soup and a plate with a golden brown grilled cheese sandwich, cut into triangles, as set before him. "Dig in, honey!" His tail giving a happy swish, Tyler picked up one of the triangles, feeling a little giddy at the sight of the stringy cheese, before dipping it into the soup. After letting it soak up all that tasty tomato goodness, he raised it to his mouth and took a bite. Tyler actually had to fight back tears, as the flavor washed all over him. Memories of being small and home sick, with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich always helping to make him feel better. "Oh my goodness! It's just so wonderful to know that it's not just my family that likes my homemade tomato soup!" Clara Marble said, clasping her paws together. "This is homemade?" Tyler asked in amazement, dipping some more of the grilled cheese into the red steamy liquid. "It sure is, hun!" Clara looked like she was about to say more, but froze, her ears twitching. Her smile never wavered, even as she started to put on a stern-looking face, her paws on her hips. Tyler briefly worried he had done something to offend the kind rabbit lady. "Alright you three! It's rude to spy on our special guest. Come on out now." Tyler looked confused until he heard some snickers coming from around the doorway. In trotted the three children from the earlier family photo, now all wearing pj's. "Everyone, this is Tyler. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and make him feel welcome in our home." The trio nodded, all gazing curiously at him. Admittedly, it made the winged cat feel a little nervous. Almost like they knew something he didn't. Clara then gestured to the tallest of the bunnies, a girl with mostly white fir with a few caramel splotches. "This is Claire, our oldest at age eight." "Nice to meet you, Tyler!" She said with a giggle. Next to her was a gray-furred bunny boy, wearing a bright red cape attached to his deep blue pajama shirt. "Here is Jonny. He can be a bit of a ball of energy, but what six-year-old isn't?" Finally, the smallest of the trio stepped forward. He had all-black fur, was hugging a purple teddy bear that matched the color of his footed sleeper, and he had a bright blue pacifier in his muzzle. "And this is our littlest, Colin. He's a bit shy, which can be pretty normal for a two-year-old. He's also just the most inquisitive little guy you're ever gunna meet!" There was a lull in the conversation, and Tyler quickly realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly. Feeling his anxiety start to rise a little, he tried to think of what to say... "Yo, wassup l'il homies!" He internally shook his head at that, figuring that would just result in them pointing and laughing at him. H-hi there, guys! Tyler winced a little at just imagining how awkward he felt he was going to sound. "How's it goin', ya weird little munchkins!" He frowned, thinking that one sounded a little too mean. Deciding on the second option, Tyler smiled, doing his best to sound more confident than he did in his head. "H-hi there, guys!" He winced again, feeling even more awkward than he had been expecting it to feel. The children giggled, with the littlest bunny boy smiling up at him before walking up and wrapping his little arms around Tyler's leg in a hug. There were some coos from the parents and Claire at the sight. Blushing a bit, Tyler reached down and ruffled the little kit's headfur, not knowing what else to do. Colin beamed up at him with bright blue eyes. "Alright you three. It's time to head back to bed now that you've all introduced yourselves." Colin reluctantly detached himself from Tyler's leg and gave a wave, one which the feline was quick to return. Tyler then froze when Mrs. Marble turned towards him. "And don't think I've forgotten about you, young man. As soon as you've finished your meal, you'll be needing some shuteye, alright?" Tyler was quick to nod, his face heating up a little. He jumped a bit when he felt a paw clap his shoulder. "As soon as you're all finished, I'll show you your new room," Harold said with a twinkle in his eye. Tyler nodded and sat back down. Reflecting on the interactions was quite the surprise. Having spoken to Harold and Clara over the phone when he'd found the advertised room for rent, they had both been pleasant and polite, but he hadn't been expecting something as... warm and inviting as this. Thinking back to his own childhood household... yeah, on second thought, probably best not to go there. Soon enough, the soup and remaining grilled cheese is all gone. Making sure to rinse off the dishes in the sink before heading up. Only now did he notice the soft eggshell blue of the wallpaper, offset by the earthy chestnut brown hardwood flooring. The staircase leading up had a white bannister, with photos of the children at different events and stages of life lining the wall up to the next story. "Thanks for rinsing off your dishes, Tyler." Harold praised, making the winged cat jump and his fur stick out in surprise. "Uh... n-not a problem, Mr. Marble." Tyler blushed at his mumbling. The gentle pat on the back made him look up at the bunny man. "Now, now, please, call me Harold!" "... O-okay, Harold." Harold's eyes twinkled again in amusement. "Now let's get you to your room! It's the one at the end of the hall." As Harold led the way, Tyler followed behind, his wings gently flapping a little. The first door they passed was open, showing a bathroom, with two little colorful stools sitting next to the sink, presumably for the boys. Next door was closed, with Claire posted on it in bright pink and glittery wooden letters. Catty corner to her room was John's door, as his had the same wooden letters sticking to it, in red and blue. Next to John's bedroom door was little Colin's. His was halfway open, green and orange letters spelling out his name. Inside, Clara was sitting in a rocking chair next to a solid oak crib, the little kit in her lap, hugging a blue plush dragon and sucking on his binky. She was quietly reading him a bedtime story, the entire scene just tugging at Tyler's heartstrings. "Here we are, Tyler," Harold said, pushing open a soft white door. Tyler smiled, the room painted a deep forest green, which went well with the hardwood as well. There was a desk resting under a window with a matching green curtain covering it. Tyler's luggage was set on top of an old-fashioned steamer trunk set at the foot of the queen-sized bed. Off to the side was a door that opened to a private bathroom, with an indoor closet close to it as well. Above was a ceiling fan with lights and a small lamp on the bedside table. "Now I know that it's a bit spartan, but I'm sure we can make it much more comfortable for you as you get all settled in." "N-no! It's fine as it is!" Tyler said, meaning it. "Are you sure? I mean, before, it had been decorated by Claire for a little sleepover she had with some of her friends... and we figured that you might not appreciate all the bows and ruffles and lace and glitter." Tyler tried to repress a shudder at the thought of him sleeping in such a room. "If you'd prefer a change, don't be afraid to let us know... even if you'd like us to put it back to its pretty princess theme." Tyler rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "Uhm... thanks, but yeah, I think I like this best." "Okay, Bud! Now if you need anything, feel free to come and get us, we're just upstairs." "Will do, Harold." Tyler smiled. "Goodnight, Tyler," Harold said, heading to the door. "Goodnight." Finally left to his own devices, Tyler went to his suitcase and unzipped it, unfolding his clothes and hanging them up in the closet. He stopped and looked at his dark blue suit, considering wearing it to his upcoming interview. It was his best suit, one of the last gifts his father ever gave him... and yet his eyes were immediately drawn to some tears down the right lapel, stitched together the best he could, but noticeable nonetheless. His frown deepened as he took in the left side, in the midsection, where there was a large slice also stitched closed. Despite the dark blue, he could still see some of the bloodstain. His paws started to shake and his breath became more rapid as looking upon the suit brought him right back to that terrible night... NO! He won't think about it tonight. Getting it on a hanger, he hung it up in the closet. Next to it was a bright green polo shirt that would go well with a pair of khaki slacks. While a suit and tie were typically considered more professional for a job interview, the shabby state of his only one did not sit well for Tyler, On the other paw, the green polo and khakis was a look that also seemed professional, and the fact that these were new and devoid of any cuts or blood stains... The winged cat took a moment to consider it, and decided to lay out the polo and khakis for the interview. He let out a yawn and changed into his favorite pj's, a simple gray tank top and matching shorts, Tyler went into his new bathroom and brushed his teeth before slipping into bed and turning out the light. He had just closed his eyes, when he heard a quiet creak from the bedroom door opening. Cracking open his eyes, he saw Colin try to tiptoe into the room, his arms behind his back. "Colin?" Tyler said in a quiet voice, sitting up. Startled at being caught, the little black bunny jumped a bit before looking down at his feet, covered in his purple footed sleeper. Still sucking on his binky, the bunny approached Tyler and pulled his purple teddy bear out from behind his back. He pushed the plush towards the grown cat, eyes wide and hopeful. Tyler thought about his options. His first option would be to gently refuse the toy, but he got the feeling that it would make Colin upset. He could accept the plush friend and worried about anyone finding him with it. Would the Marbles' assume he'd just taken it from the baby of the family? Or would they find it weird that he'd sleep with a stuffed animal? Looking back down at Colin, Tyler sighed and smiled, taking the teddy-bear from him. "Th-thanks, little dude. I'll hold onto him for a little while, okay?" Colin happily nodded and practically ran back out the room, letting out an excited giggle. Tyler felt good about making the little guy so happy, but then looked down at the purple teddy bear. It had black button eyes, a bright pink nose, and a small smile stitched onto its muzzle. Something about the plushie just felt so... familiar. Getting back under the covers, he turned the bear over, that familiar feeling really starting to bug the feline in the back of his mind. Just as he was about to set it on the bedside table, Tyler let out a large yawn, and curled up, unaware that he was hugging the bear to his chest now, and drifted off to sleep. The Next Day... Golden sunlight shone down, causing the dewdrops to twinkle as Tyler slowly drove by. After a quick, yet delicious, breakfast of oatmeal with some fresh raspberries added in, Harold and Clara wished him a good day just as they started to get their kits ready for school, and in Colin's case, a playdate. The more he observed the Marble family, the more Tyler felt a pang of hurt. Pushing those feelings aside and concentrating on the directions that Harold had given him to get to his interview. After leaving the quaint neighborhoods behind, Tyler stopped the car at an intersection, his breath catching in his throat. Houses and buildings gave way to the sight of the lake that the town took its name from. It was massive with crystal clear waters lapping against a nearby dock. Practically ringing the body of water were cherry blossoms, in full bloom. Reluctantly, as he felt he could just stare at the picturesque scene for hours, he turned right and headed up the main street. It was actually pretty quaint seeing all the little businesses he was passing by. He spotted a surprisingly large raccoon man in a green apron sweeping the sidewalk in front of a bakery. He spotted Tyler and smiled, giving a hearty wave, which the feline returned. As he drove on, in the direction of his upcoming interview, he once more couldn't believe his sudden stroke of luck. Having been looking down the barrel of homelessness, now here he was, in this idyllic little town, renting a room with the last of his dwindled savings, about to give his all to land a job at said town's local candy factory. Cresting a hill, he could see it, a large building built right next to the water, a giant water wheel turning in a river feeding into the lake. The building seemed to be made of brick, and was painted a bright cherry red. "Here goes nothing," Tyler muttered to himself, briefly checking to make sure his fur still looked brushed and presentable, and that his polo shirt and khakis were wrinkle free. Giving his reflection a nod, he continued on towards the unknown, feeling a burst of confidence bloom in his chest. Let me know what you guys think of the idea so far!

PFFT!

GAH! I've got so many to get back to!