Panther Cub

😏

Meggy with cotton balls in her mouth: "You come into my princess party on the day of my birthday, never once calling me Godmother..." :3 I REGRET NOTHING!

I'm so happy too! Hugs Back Thank you! It really is fun to think up and write!

BOO-YAH! I finally was able to make myself write a new chapter for Youth Center! GAH! It has been far too long! I really hope that you all enjoy it! Be sure to let me know what you think! Youth Center (Chapter 6) by Panther Cub Jessica felt mortified. She sat there at the lunch table, her tray of food before her. After taking care of her used paw-up in the break room, Auntie Elain had carried her to the cafeteria for lunch in one arm, and even continued to hold her as she assembled the happy bunny's lunch tray. It was only after being set down and cuddled by Alyssa that Jessie's mind cleared. It was at that moment that she realized one of two things. The first being that sitting before her, next to the food, was a glass of apple juice with a plastic top with a spout. An actual sippi-cup. The second was that she had been sucking on her thumb. Blushing, she ripped it out and wiped it on her dress, all while Alyssa made a mess digging in to her pudding cup, and Trisha was looking straight down at her own food. "Auntie Elaine can't seriously expect me to drink from a freakin' sippi-cup," she muttered under her breath as she reached for it, trying to pop the lid off. "Apparently she can," the gecko girl said. This made Jessica jump as she turned to look, seeing the pink gecko sitting there with a haunted look in her eyes. "Lots of others are doing just that." Jessica looked around and saw that there were quite a few teens dressed in rather juvenile outfits, many of whom had similar cups to hers, a few drinking from theirs like nothing was out of the ordinary. Though Jessie did spot some who were looking around at everyone else in their age group with wide and shocked eyes. "It's like I said. They're brainwashing us," Trisha said, shifting in her seat. Jessica's ears twitched as she heard the faintest of crinkles coming from beneath the gecko girl's cargo shorts. "I don't see what the big deal is," Alyssa said, finishing her pudding cup and only now grabbing her sandwich that Jessie could see was missing the crust and had been cut into four triangles. The big kitten had vanilla pudding splotches around her mouth, on her chin, and somehow on the tip of her right ear. Seeing this made the bunny girl let out a giggle. "It's just to help keep us from making a mess." Alyssa took a bite of her sandwich as she looked at the two other girls, smiling contentedly, her tail swishing back and forth. "That's what Auntie Mary said." Trisha scoffed and rolled her eyes at that. "Well, obviously YOU would need one, and possibly a bib too, from the look of you." Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned her nose up at the gecko girl. "I've always been a bit of a messy eater, even before I came here." "Why am I not surprised," Trisha said with a grumble. "I'm trapped and surrounded by big babies." "I'm not a baby!" Jessica found herself saying hotly, feeling really defensive about the subject. "Oh please," Trisha sneered at her, "you're one strike away from going back into diapers like Alyssa already is after she filled up her paw-ups in class today!" "Trisha!" Alyssa whined, now blushing beneath her fur. Jessica had originally thought that the cat was truly impervious to being embarrassed about anything, but apparently was at least a little embarrassed about her extra padding. Looking at the cat's skirt, she could see that her bottom seemed a bit rounder and there was a little bit of white peeking out from beneath the hemline. "You didn't fight your caretaker at all about it too, didja?" "W-well, no, but that's 'cause Auntie Mary helped clean me up and made me feel better about it. Plus, all my new friends in the first grade made me feel better about it! Maybe if you didn't focus on all the negatives you can come up with all the time, you being put back into Paw-Ups today wouldn't have made you so grouchy." Jessica and Trisha's eyes widened simultaneously at that little reveal. The gecko looked into the bunny's eyes, and now Jessica could see that Trisha was holding back tears while blushing. "Y-yeah... it's true... I had a... an a-accident in class, and Uncle Ryan came and helped make it better," Trisha said, absentmindedly slipping her thumb into her mouth and giving it a few sucks. She then scooted back a little on the bench seat and yanked down her shorts a little, exposing what looked like pink and white unicorn-themed Paw-Ups to the surprised bunny. "B-but it was just a fluke! I-it's not like I'm gunna end up back in diapers like you, 'Lyssa!" Trisha hastily pulled her shorts back up, accidentally leaving the back of the paw-up waistband visible as she did so. It was only now that Jessie realized that these cargo shorts were orange, whereas her cargo shorts from earlier in the day had been black. Jessie decided not to question this further, as she could guess what had most likely happened. Jessica finished her lunch in relative silence, enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich, just like Mom used to make her back when she was a little kit. She looked at her sippi-cup dubiously, and tried, in vain, one last time to open it. Failing that, she sighed and popped the spout into her lips. She found that the plastic spout was a bit more rubbery than she had realized, and she could only get a few squirts of the juice inside. Changing up to more of a suckle, she soon had a steady stream of apple juice flowing from the spout, and found the action rather calming. Finishing it, she bussed her tray which, when Auntie Elaine surprised her by scooping her up into her arms and cradling her, earned her some more praise. "What a good girl you are! You bussed your tray and only made a little bit of a mess while eating!" The large tigress smiled warmly, holding up a napkin to wipe away some of the cheese from Jessica's cheeks. "H-hey! I'm notta baby, Auntie Elaine!" Jessica huffed and crossed her arms, blushing. "I didn't say that you were, sweetie," the large tigress chuckled as she gave the pouty bunny in her arms a gentle rock that seemed to help settle her down. "You just had a little cheese on your cheeks." Jessica felt humiliated at being complimented for doing something so simple... yet, she had to admit that it did feel good to get compliments nonetheless... and she did indeed do a good job of not leaving the tray on the table! As Elaine walked her charge back towards the doors, other caretakers carrying or otherwise leading their own charges by the paw, she discreetly checked the state of Jessica's paw-up, satisfied that it was dry for now. "Now, someone needs to get back to class, and then they'll be free to go play for a while before dinnertime!" Elaine giggled, beginning to hum some strange tune that caught Jessie's attention. She had been mulling over what Trisha had been saying, but the tune being so simple and catchy instead took precedence. Feeling a swell of warm happiness in her chest, Jessie giggled and bounced in Auntie Elain's arms, waving to a certain pink gecko who was being cradled by a large male bear. Trisha's cheeks were wet with tears, and Jessie heard snatches of what the caretaker was saying to gently console the girl in his arms. "--t's okay, sweetheart. Things like this happen when someone is forced out of their comfort zone and into a new environment. Let's get you cleaned up, then put another raincloud sticker on your potty chart, and then maybe a little nap would help?" "... 'Kay, Uncle Barry," Trisha said around her thumb, sounding so small and nervous. Despite the happy tune that Jessie was humming along to, she felt bad for her friend. As she was set down in front of the Lucky Ladybugs door, Jessie smiled around the white binky that had been popped into her mouth without her realizing, and hugged her caretaker. "Auntie Elaine?" Jessie asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Yes, Jessie?" "Trishy looked really sad! When we do arts today in class, if I make her a card, can it be given to her to help her cheer up?" Jessie looked so hopeful up at the tigress, her binky having fallen out and was now dangling from a pink strap that was clipped to her dress. "Ooooh, of course, dear," Elaine said, holding back a squeal of delight. She gently wrapped the bunny in another hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I just knew that there was a sweet little kit just waiting for a chance to come out!" Elaine was ecstatic, and Jessie seemed excited as well as she was set back down, her lightly padded bottom given a gentle pat. With a big smile on her face, and humming a happy yet oddly familiar tune, Jessie practically skipped through the door to her desk. She smiled at the other kids, except the meanie-head Alphonse, whose smirk she chose to ignore. "He's just a big stupid meanie 'cause he's a little older and thinks I'm just a dumb baby!" She said very quietly to herself as she took her seat. The fog started to clear for Jessie a bit as class resumed their lessons, now focusing on science. Jessie was at first a little lost as they were talking about ions, but soon, absentmindedly slipping her binky back between her lips, she found herself following along, with Mr. Teller more than happy to answer her questions when she raised her paw. It fully cleared after Damien helped answer some more of her questions. She thought back to how strange things had seemed when she first entered class. "Wait... Alphonse isn't older... I'm, like, way older than him... and bigger," she said, her voice a whisper while she shook her head. She turned to regard the skunk boy. Seeing her looking at him, he smirked and gave a quick fake lunge that made Jessie jump in her seat, and accidentally wet her paw-ups just a little, not that she noticed. She whimpered a little, redoubling the efforts to suck on her binky. "It's okay, Jessie," Jenna said, the little girl reaching over to give the larger girl a hug and a gentle pat on the back. "Me and Damien will protect you from Alphonse." Jessie smiled and hugged the little beaver girl back, feeling much better, and resumed humming the happy tune. "Okay, class," Mr. Teller said with a chuckle as he put the last of the science textbooks away himself. Jessie felt like she was forgetting something, but couldn't place her finger on it. "And now for the last class of the day, we will have some art free time." Jessie watched the older ram start passing around sheets of paper and art supplies, and felt the urge to get up and help him... but she was worried that the teacher might not like that, and decided to be a good girl and sit in her seat. She smiled when she was able to look through the bucket of art supplies and found exactly what she was looking for. Some glue, and a few different vials of glitter. She immediately got to work. "Whatcha makin', Jessie?" Damien asked, the younger bunny turning around in his seat to ask. "M-my friend, Trisha, looked pretty sad earlier, so I'm gunna make her a card to help her feel better!" "Pfft! That's something a baby would think to do," Alphonse said, drawing Jessie's attention, tears already starting to prickle the corners of her eyes as she blushed. "I'm notta baby! You're just mean!" She said. Alphonse laughed, before fake-lunging again. Jessie let out and EEP and jumped back, now sniffling, once again unaware as she peed a little due to the sudden scare. "Alphonse, leave Jessie alone!" Jess shouted at the smirking skunk boy. "Just 'cause Jessie's a little littler than us, doesn't mean you get to pick on her!" "Yeah," Damien chimed in, jumping up in his seat, "plus, she's right! You are just mean!" "That's enough," Mr. Teller said in a calm, yet stern voice. "Alphonse, you and I are going to have a little talk after class. Until then, I don't want you interacting with Jessie here at all. Am I understood?" Even though he didn't raise his voice, and Jessie had been in way nastier verbal altercations... many of which she herself instigated, often for her own amusement, she shrank back in on herself, sucking her soother. Mr. Teller saw and smiled at her. "It's alright, Jessie. You didn't do anything wrong," he said in a much more gentle tone. That made Jessie smile a bit and resume working on her art project. She noticed that Damien and Jenna, who were working on drawing and coloring a volcano with crayons and using watercolors to paint a fantasy castle, both with surprisingly detailed quality, were super focused. When they weren't taking breaks to praise Jessie on her own project. After drawing with the glue and sprinkling on some pink glitter to make a pink glittery gecko holding a flower, she felt that her artistic skills were severely lacking in comparison. At the end of class, with Jessie and the rest of her classmates helping to clean up after finishing their projects, she informed Mr. Teller about her plan for her project. He had chuckled and approved, taking her glitter gecko from her with the utmost care, assuring the bunny that Trisha would get it. Jessie lined up with the other kids at the door, waiting for another grownup to come along and lead them somewhere, the exception being a sullen-looking Alphonse who was sitting at his desk with his arms crossed. "Auntie Elaine!" Jessie cheered, breaking from the formation to practically leap into the tigress' arms. "Well, there's my happy honey-bunny," Elain Clawto said with a chuckle. She moved aside so that a snow-white male marten could escort the children to an outside play area. Jessie whined around her binky as she saw her friends go in one direction, to have fun no doubt, while Auntie Elaine was carrying her cradled in her arms back towards the breakroom. "Oh, don't worry, sweetie," Elaine said, unable to get over how cute and sweet Jessie was being today, "once we get something taken care of, you and your friends can all have some fun together before dinnertime." "'Kay," Jessie said with a pout and a sigh. She mulled it over in her head. When she had first arrived, she had been a little excited at the games and stuff that was available in the break room. But so far, every time she'd been there it was because she had had an accident and needed to be changed. And that's when the fog lifted entirely for the bunny girl. She looked down and flipped up the hem of her dress, seeing a soaked and faded princess paw-up. "Just as I thought," Elaine said in a gentle voice, setting Jessie down on what the wide-eyed bunny girl recognized as being a changing table. "B-but... is this?" Jessie let the question hang in the air. "I'm sorry, honey-bunny," Elaine said with a sad nod. "That's strike three on your potty chart. But don't worry. We can try again some other time. There's nothing wrong with taking a couple steps back now and again." Jessie knew exactly what she meant, even before the tigress ducked down to look into the cabinet underneath the padded top of the changing table. Jessie's heart sank as she saw a tub of baby wipes, a bottle of baby powder, and several, mostly white, folded rectangles in Auntie Elaine's arms. She set everything down near the whimpering bunny girl, except the diapers, instead holding up about five different ones, each with a different design on them. "I know that this isn't an easy transition, Jessie, but addressing and dealing with our problems head-on is the most mature way of dealing with things. Now, would you like to try wearing one of these cute little Pawpers? Or are you a Snuggies girl?" Elaine asked this in a cheerful voice, holding up the Pawpers in one paw, and the Snuggies in the other. Three of each. Jessie whined before reluctantly pointing to one that seemed simple enough, it was white with pink trim around the leg gathers and the landing zone. "Okay, the pretty pink Snuggies it is!" After putting the other diapers away, Elaine gently pushed Jessie back down onto the changing table, and pushed up her dress a bit. She then gently tore open the wet paw-up, lifting Jessie's legs with one paw to slide it out. She then thoroughly used some baby wipes to clean Jessie's bottom and overall diaper-area, one-handedly rolling them up in the used paw-up and dropping it into the diaper pail next to the table. She then unfolded and fluffed out the diaper that Jessie now saw had a pink rose on the back of it, and slid it under her. The motherly tigress didn't skimp out on the baby powder, making sure to also sprinkle on and rub in some onto Jessie's exposed tummy. A quick tickle had the upset bunny girl letting out a giggle from around her soother. Elaine then brought the front of the diaper up between her legs and taped it into place. Carefully flipping Jessie over to take care of the last tape above the tail hole, she gave her now more thickly padded bottom a loving pat and helped her down off the changing table. Jessie couldn't believe that she was wearing a diaper. A DIAPER! Not a sleep-tight for bedtime. Not another pair of training pants. An actual, thick, cushiony diaper. Jessie found that the snuggies she had picked were thicker than they had at first seemed. Her legs were forced a little bit apart and, taking a few tentative steps, Jessie realized she was walking with a very distinct waddle. The fact that she was also making a crinkling sound with each step and smelled like baby powder was overshadowed by something even worse. The hem of her dress only ended about two thirds of the way down her diaper, meaning that a good chunk of pink and white was perfectly visible, no matter how much she tugged on her dress. "Sweetie," Elaine said in a soft and kind voice while playfully battling the girl's paws away, "there's no need to worry. This is all perfectly natural." "N-no it isn't!" Jessie said, her pacifier falling out of her mouth as her breathing hitched. "I'm a teenager! Not a baby! I-I should be driving, not waddling around in a diaper! Something's wrong! I need to--MPH!" Jessie was surprised when her binky was popped into her mouth, effectively cutting her off. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she only now noticed the binky, briefly wondering where it had come from. She was scooped up into Auntie Elaine's arms and cradled. "Honey-bunny, I promise you that this IS normal," the tigress said. "Peoples' anxieties manifest in all sorts of different forms. This kind of regression happens to troubled teenagers like yourself all the time. But there's nothing wrong with going back a little just to feel better, as well as take certain necessary precautions." This was emphasized by a series of pats to Jessica's bottom, making the bunny girl blush even more. Before she could argue with her 'caretaker', Jessie began to hear a familiar, yet still unknown nursery rhyme tune being hummed by the large tigress. Jessie suckled on her binky pensively, starting to calm down and relax. She wasn't quite sure of what had gotten her so upset before, but Auntie Elaine made it all better, of that she was sure. Feeling another pat to her bottom, she remembered striking out on her potty training, and sighed. Figuring that that must've been the reason for her distress, Jessica decided to look at the positives. At least now she didn't have to worry about any more accidents. Plus, now when she was doing something, like playing with her friends, she wouldn't have to stop to run to a potty. The more she thought about it and hummed along with the happy song, the more Jessica felt silly for being so upset about going back to diapers. Really, it was just the most logical course of action to take. Clearly she just wasn't ready to handle having to deal with potties. This was definitely much more her speed. As Auntie Elaine walked with a much more calm Jessie in her arms back out of the break room and began to head in the direction of the outside play area, Jessie started to feel excited. She hadn't gotten to play tag in years, and she sure hoped that Jenna and Damien would want to. And maybe, if she was lucky, Alyssa and Trisha would be there with their own class groups and can play with them too! YAY! I am so happy to be able to post "And there you have it, readers!" at the end of this chapter! I am just so excited to have finally written a new chapter for this story!

Uh-oh! What kind of Little Mischief could he possibly get into?

I was shootin' for cute, so thank you! As for the sparrow, practice makes perfect!

More will be coming! Hehehe, gotta see more of what she's up to!

YAY! Finally I've been able to get the old motivation juices flowing again! I really hope that you all enjoy the new chapter! Tracey's Story (Chapter 16) by Panther Cub "Luna peeked around the corner of the barn, spying McCrill and two members of his gang, the Larson brothers, working together to try and load up the crates with the gold bars into the back of the cart, struggling to lift the heavy cubes," Tracey narrated, holding the yellow bunny plush dressed up as a cowgirl, using her paws to make it peek around the barn made of plastic armgos, where Travis had a wolf action figure with two gila monster plushies he had had his daddy pack for him in his diaper bag. Presently, Tracey and her friends were in her playpen in the living room for a study/playdate. Travis was sucking on his binky, his tail wagging and thumping against the soft playpen floor. "C'mon ya varmints! We gotta git this here gold outta the province afore that there baby-sheriff come and finds us!" The wolf boy drawled in a fake western accent as he made the action figure move. Tracey giggled and smiled. His parents had decided to dress him to match the theme of their chosen historical MSer for their presentation. He was wearing a black cowboy hat, a blue t-shirt with a yellow and red choo-choo train on it, and Pawpers with a sheriff badge on the front, underneath the words on the landing strip that read L'il Pardner. They had chosen to do a report about the first ever MSer sheriff, Luna Leandra. "She couldn't see where Mara 'The Prowler' was, but looking around, she figured that the mountain lioness was in the barn itself. Her rifle was slung over her back, but she had both her pistols out, loaded, and ready. Having demonstrated her ambidextrousness with her two six-shooters during the town fair with some trick-shooting, she was prepared to make her arrest." "Is this where I come in, Tracey?" Bethy asked. The pink alligator girl was in a green dress with a matching bow tied around the tip of her tail. Tracey nodded, and Bethy giggled, having her kitty plush reenact Mara jumping down from where she had been perched at the top of the barn, watching the bunny from above. Tracey, who was wearing a simple pink legless onesie with matching booties, had been excited when they had found out that Luna had kept a journal that had been published. Reading her accounts from her experiences in that time was quite the eye-opener to the tigress. "Well, lookie what we have here," Bethy said, reading from the open copy of Luna's journal that Tracey had checked out of the library... along with some pop-up books that she couldn't help but also grab when she was there. "Seems as though a poor little baby bunny has toddled her way into a trap." "And just where do you think you're going, young lady!" Tiffany was speaking in a deeper voice, trying to sound more mature and 'proper-lady-like', having a plush badger wearing an apron waddle towards the plush bunny and kitty. "You are far too little to be wandering around without proper supervision, and I suspect that that nappy is in dire need of a change. And are those the same dastardly guns that I keep confiscating off you? Luna, just for that, you'll be going right over my knee for a bare bottom spanking right in the middle of town if you don't hand them over right this minute! A young girl like you should be playing with blocks and dollies, not pretending to be the town's sheriff! Honestly, what was Mayor Shellby thinking, appointing a baby to fill the role of sheriff!" The eagle girl, who was in just a red shirt and a pink diaper, was clearly having a lot of fun acting out the voice. "Tiffany!" Lyra smiled and rolled her eyes. She was wearing a blue denim skirt-all with an orange shirt underneath. The snowy white arctic vixen was laying on her tummy, writing out the note cards for them to read during their presentation... as well as stopping to proudly color inside the lines of the coloring book laying right next to the index cards. "That part comes later, when Ms. Whethersby chastises Luna in front of the whole town after she brings the bandits in for arrest by herself." "Awww, but it woulda been so silly to have it happen right now in the story!" Tiffany defended, sticking her tongue out in a playful manner, her white and brown tail-feathers starting to hike up. "The town nanny just showed, up scolding Luna for doing her job." "I reckon I agree," Travis said in a western drawl, still committing to the part, apparently. "Then Luna coulda had ta dodge Mara and the rest of the gang's bullets, as well as Ms. Whethersby tryin' ta spank her right then and there!" Tracey giggled behind her paws, having dropped the bunny. "Yeah, but that's not historically accurate." Tiffany let out an absentminded grunt and continued to play with the plush badger. "I still think it's p-pretty neat that there was an MSer who became a sheriff in the old west," Bethy said, picking up the bunny plush to hug along with her kitty. "Yeah... I never realized just how much MSers helped to shape history before... well... before I found out I was one," Tracey said, looking away with a blush. "I thought it was pretty obvious that you were one," Tiffany stated. "Really? 'Cause I totally thought she was a 'grown-up' big-kid," Travis said, now also coloring, while helping Lyra to transcribe onto some more index cards. They were all taking turns working on their reenactment idea, and the index cards, which contained not only helpful lines, but also facts and interesting relevant historical tidbits. "Nah, I totally caught on that you were in training pants, also you tried to pretend that you were sucking your thumb because you smacked it... only to never have smacked it in the first place." Tiffany was looking at Tracey, who was blushing some more. "Okay, okay, maybe I didn't... take my diagnosis so well! But can you blame me? I mean, you go from being almost fully independent and almost an adult... to being a big toddler. I mean, that was pretty scary. And it doesn't help that there are some who go all the way back to infancy for... a really long time..." "Hey, we all totally understand, Tray-Tray," Travis said with a gentle smile as Tracey rolled her eyes from him starting up trying to get everyone to agree to give each other nicknames for their little friend group again. "I mean, I spent fifteen years as the big brother. The responsible one. And then... I got diagnosed, and Jeremy started becoming the responsible one... and not just because Mommy and Daddy started treating him like one. Whenever I'd dribble food or drinks, he'd wipe it up whenever he saw it, and started insisting on me eating with a bib even when Mommy and Daddy weren't at home. He helped enforce my new nap and bedtimes. And... well, while initially grossed out, he still was willing to change my diapers." Travis grabbed his bottle of chocolate milk and started to nurse from it, pulling it out to speak again. "He teased me a little at first... and I guess I probably wasn't very easy to interact with at the time, but he's actually a great little-big brother! I really like it when he takes me to the park to play! We always go right by the fire station, and more often than not, he'll buy me an ice cream! I still have to have a bib on when I eat it, but hey, it's free ice cream!" He popped the nipple back in and resumed nursing. "While they'll never admit it, I'm pretty sure my mommies were in a form of denial after the doctor diagnosed me," Tiffany chimed in, blissfully unaware of the smell coming from her. She was tossing the stuffed badger into the air and catching it, her mind elsewhere. "When we found out I was gunna be going back into diapers, they started with the medical incontinence products for old people. First the paw-up kinda ones. And then the 'adult' diapers. The railing they got for my bed also looked like it came from one of those medical surplus stores. Heck, my first stroller was pretty much a wheelchair. I had to sit them down and explain to them that I needed... different stimuli for my condition. I had gotten ahold of some pamphlets and even pulled up a video for them to watch on my phone from experts before they finally broke down. That's when I learned that they were just so scared for me, that if it was true then I'd always need to have someone taking care of me. Historical figures like Luna helped a bunch in showing them that, while not the same as more 'adult' adults, I can still live a semi-independent life. And I still plan on going into law enforcement!" That made the group fall silent for a moment in surprise. "L-law enforcement?" Bethy asked with a gentle voice. "Uh-huh! I wanna become a detective! Just like my hero, Nico Barnum! He was the first MSer to become a full detective for the Laria Police Department, and that was during a period of time where crime and corruption was rampant!" "Well... my parents were pretty understanding from the get-go," Lyra chimed in. "If anything, they actually started getting excited after a while... well, when I wasn't being all moody and trying to fight them and my babying at every turn. When we met, Tracey, I was pretty much on the tail-end of that whole phase... I just didn't know it at the time. Seriously, I could have avoided needing to go back to the nursery part of the daycare had I not been so determined to fight this so hard. I put myself through a LOT of emotional stress despite how accommodating Mommy and Daddy and Nanny were. I ended up pushing myself further into a more babyish mindset." Tracey remembered how distant Lyra had been when they'd first met. Never would she have expected they'd become so close. "Of course, Nora doting on me like a second Mommy only agitated me further." "Uhm..." Bethy blushed as she looked down at her kitty plushie, smiling. "My daddy was really excited to get his little hatchling back. Mommy was not very happy at first. She always expected me to go to an elite college and... after I had to come home early from a slumber party some friends of mine at the time were having... which is where I had my first MS 'flare-up'... it was a big one. She and Daddy started arguing about it. Daddy was converting my bedroom into my nursery, while Mommy was annoyed that he was 'going overboard due to a minor setback'. I think when she finally started to buy me dresses and outfits that were more... MSer appropriate, that she finally accepted that this was my new normal. I also think that getting to dress me up like she did the first time I was a hatchling went a long way to helping her get into it." Bethy giggled and bounced where she sat, crinkle-squishing as she did so. "And I love most of the outfits she and Daddy pick for me!" "Wow... thanks for sharing, guys," Tracey said, contemplating what she just learned. Looking back at her expectant friends, she rolled her eyes and smiled. "My mommy and daddy both accepted the diagnosis right away. I think that they had had their suspicions when I first started wetting the bed. When it became clear that I was essentially un-potty training, they slowly started to introduce me to more... MSer things. First the training pants and the plushie, as well as starting to treat me like I was younger. And then came the night time diapers, and the crib, and then the daytime diapers, after I had my little incident that got me found out back at daycare. From then on it was playpens, high chairs, bottles, the works. And never once did they act at all upset about it." Over in the kitchen, with the playpen in full view of the assembled parents, the grown-ups were all chatting amicably. "I wonder what the little anklebiters are talking about," Lewis mused. The large gray and black timber-wolf's tail wagged as he watched the kids play and discuss something seemingly important. "Most likely some interesting fact for their group project, dear," his wife said, rubbing the top of his head and making his leg start thumping. Mira, as a red panda, was shorter than her husband, having to stretch a little to reach his head. "Well, maybe they're discussing colleges." The pink crocodile at the table sipped her tea, straightening her lavender skirtsuit. The red crocodile sitting next to her put an arm around her shoulder, and they intertwined their tails. While Cynthia looked every bit like the smart and driven businessperson she was, her husband, Rick, looked like a classic biker, complete with leather vest over a red flannel shirt and worn jeans. "I'll bet their comparin' their favorite stuffies! We should go ahead and get little Bethy a new one, for bein' such a good girl!" "Darling, I'm pretty sure that thirty plush friends is more than enough for one big little girl." "It's really nice to actually get a chance to meet some other parents of kids with MS," Kendra said. The tiger-striped squirrel in khakis and a sky blue button up t-shirt leaned against her wife, a dragoness with sapphire-like scales, wearing a white sundress. Marcy let out a draconic purr as she rested her chin atop her wife's head. "It really is! I'm just so happy that Tiffany's adjusted so well! We didn't exactly... handle our little girl's return to toddlerhood the best... but now we're just trying to enjoy having her be our baby again" the dragoness said. "I'd be lying if I said Paul and I weren't worried, initially," Katherine said, holding Paul's paw in her own. "But--" "But our little kitten is just so adorable!" Paul said, pulling up his phone to show off some more pictures of Tracey, yet again. "That sounds like how me and Jackson reacted to Lyra's diagnosis," Myra said, energetically bouncing in her seat, her tail a snowy-white blur. The equally snowy-white rabbit happily rolled his eyes at his wife's energy. "Admittedly, Lyra had grown a bit distant before her diagnosis, so we did start to become closer after we had to start making the necessary accommodations. My princess has returned to her usual happy cuddle-bug status!" Jackson beamed with pure joy. "Now with a heaping extra dose of adorableness!" Out came his phone, displaying cute pictures of Lyra, starting with one in her stroller, smiling wide at a butterfly that had landed on her left ear. A quick swipe showed one of the arctic vixen in question wearing just a blue pajama shirt and lavender night time diaper, in her crib, binky in mouth, rubbing her sleepy eyes, clearly having just woken up. As the parents began showing off different cute pictures and stories of the antics of their kids, said toddlerized teens were back to working on their project. "Okay, so Mara got the drop on Luna, forcing her at gunpoint to walk out of cover and face the rest of the gang," Tracey explained, consulting the journal. "What they hadn't known was that the fuse for an that she'd buried right up next to the barn had already been lit. It was a long one, so she had enough time to cooperate with Mara for a minute, before she jumped left, then right, and started running, ducking behind a shed, barely missing being shot. She covered her ears and waited, hoping that the bomb wasn't a dud." The tigress, who wasn't sure if she was wet or not but shrugged it off as irrelevant as she had gotten to her new favorite part, nodded to Travis. The big puppy yipped happily and pressed the small red button that triggered the spring set under the front of the barn, causing a floor panel to shoot up, breaking apart the loosely connected pricks at the front and sending them flying a little. "KABOOSH!" Travis said, then grabbing up his action figure and plushies, making them duck and turn around. Bethy had 'Mara', look away from 'Luna's' hiding spot. The bunny then rolled from behind the shed, now facing the stunned and distracted gang. "She drew her pistols and fired both simultaneously. Mara's grip on her rifle had loosened, so Luna's shot actually knocked it clean from her hands. The second shot she had fired also took McCrill's pistol... as well as his trigger finger. He howled and clutched his hand, falling to his knees." Travis made the action figure kneel down while doing the voice for him again. "ARRGH! She took ma trigger fingah! Someone shoot that bunneh!" Tracey and the others giggled, now it being Bethy's turn to read from her index cards. "That's when the Larson brothers started to scramble to their feet. However, they were too slow, and another pair of simultaneous shots from Luna's pistols winged them both, knocking them over, bleeding into the sand." The pink crocodile smiled and reached over, knocking the two plushies over. "That left Mara as the only member of the gang uninjured. After forcing her to hog tie the other three, as she watched closely to make sure the knots were satisfactory, Luna then, holding Mara at gunpoint, forced the mountain lioness to change her diaper, as she was worried she was starting to get a rash, before tying up The Prowler herself. With a freshly cleaned bottom, the bunny sheriff loaded up all four of the suspects into the cart, along with all the stolen gold and the press plates from the train, and headed back to the town of Mudhollow." From there, Tiffany narrated how Luna had returned to town with four of the most wanted robbers in the country at the time, all still alive, along with all the stolen gold and plates. At first, she had been hailed as a hero, until Ms. Whethersby came along to chew her out. Tiffany acted out her part with the badger from before, going on to include how, after confiscating the pistols, and checking Luna's diaper, she then gave her a bare bottom spanking right there in the middle of town and in front of everyone for going off so recklessly. "From there, with the robbers locked up in the local jail, after Doc Holloway tended to their wounds, and Mr. Velander headed to the telegraph office to inform the marshalls about the events that had just transpired; Luna was carried back to Ms. Wethersby's Home for Large Babies. There, Luna was given a bath, dressed in a proper pink baby dress and bonnet, and fed by her wetnurse, before being put down for an early nap." Lyra cleared her throat, tapping her index cards to get them all straightened. "As mentioned before, Ms. Whethersby's Home for Large Babies was where all MSers in town at the time were required to stay if they were without a family of their own to help care for them. It also doubled as an MSer orphanage, with all of the MSers there available for adoption by loving families. Since arriving in town and having her big outbreak not a week after being appointed sheriff, Luna had been staying at the Home off and on for a few months, often sneaking out to go and perform her sheriff duties, on two occasions even roping Ms. Whethersby and several of the other MSers there for a search and rescue posse. After each time, however, the prim and proper lady badger would bring Luna back, constantly fretting over any possible injury she could have possibly gotten, or actually did get. And during this time, four different families had taken Luna home with them, each time returning her after two weeks, being unable to care for the rather rebellious big baby bunny." During all of this, Tracey was cradling her stuffed bunny, pretending to feed it with a toy baby bottle. "It certainly seemed like she would become a permanent resident at the Home, when Marshall Carter came to town." Bethy had a teddy bear wearing sunglasses stride forward, pointing to the bunny in Tracey's arms. "Originally a Mudhollow native, he initially just wanted to ask her some questions about taking down the gang. As he spent more time with Luna, accompanying her out on some investigations, he found himself growing very fond of the bunny sheriff. Returning to his family's old ranch, he built Luna a nursery and adopted her from Ms. Whethersby's home. Unlike with the other previous adoption attempts, this one actually worked, as Luna found herself being doted on by the grizzly, who was said to practically be a giant! He treated her both like a toddler, as well as the town sheriff, with all the due respect she deserved." Now it was Travis' turn. The brown wolf grabbed his own index cards, which had gold and red star stickers stuck all over on the back. "Of course, the Marshall's job did pull him away from town time and again. And despite the frustration of it, Luna was put in the care of Ms. Whethersby during those times. However, after being adopted by her new Daddy, Carter, the MSer sheriff seemed to calm a bit down and even enjoyed her time playing with the other resident MSers. Luna only ever staged an escape from the Home one last time. And that was during the raid by the Humrow gang." Tracey and her friends finished off their current mock presentation. She looked over all their index cards and consulted the journal, as well as some history textbooks that also had sections about Luna. Discussing it with her friends, they all agreed to go into further detail about the train robbery that Luna stopped, culminating in her getting into a shootout, and then a fist-fight with Jillian 'Dead-Eye' Jackson. The jackalope had escaped custody thanks to her gang numerous times, even from the Marshalls. But Luna was the one to finally put a stop to her crime spree. The teen tigress felt her heart thump in excitement as she read more and more about Luna. As Katherine and Myra came in to see who needed a diaper change, Tracey was so engrossed in her studies, she had no idea that she had just filled her pawpers. Being picked up and laid down next to Tiffany, hugging her bunny plushie, Tracey found that how she felt now was a stark contrast to how she felt when she was first diagnosed. Maybe... I can actually have a life after high school? Like Luna did, Tracey thought as she suckled her binky, the snaps to her onesie popped open, displaying her full diaper. Looking up into her Mommy's eyes, Tracey let out a happy squeal and reached up and hugged the older tigress, which was immediately reciprocated. "Aww, is my sunshine excited to get out of this stinky diaper? I think she is, yes I do!" Katherine cooed to her daughter, tickling her sides. Tracey giggled and quickly settled as the tapes to her poppers were ripped open. I guess that this really isn't so bad. WOOOOO! Hope you readers enjoyed the new chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it!

Slowly working on it.

I'm glad!

Awww, poor baby! :3

Oh, the poor baby! Please tell me someone will be helping poor little Hunter with diaper changes after he wakes up!

Getting started on the next chapter!

This is the cutest curse ever! I can't wait to see what happens next! OH! Will a highchair appear in his kitchen? A baby bottle in his fridge? Jars of pureed kit food?

Agreed, this seems a bit odd.

I'm calling it now, she's gunna turn into a werewolf, and yet still be in diapers.

Uh-oh. I think him wanting to return to a simpler state of mind is what's going to trigger him finding himself in more padding...

Hehehehe... yeah, it kinda is... >.< Thank you so much for reading it! (Giggles I knooooooow!)

Something tells me Dawn isn't ready to call James Daddy just yet...

Hehehe, no problem!

Thanks for reading! Yeah, I knew when I first started writing Ariel in that I wanted her to at least last until the fifth game. I am planning on continuing them both! Dunno when, but soonish! So be sure to pass that along to your "friend". WInk-Wink.

YAY! It's finally done and here! The final installment of Stork Game, finished and ready for reading! I feel so happy to have finished it, finally! I hope you all enjoy it! (And please consider leaving a comment or review!) Stork Game (Part 3 of 3) By Panther Cub Mel looked unamused with his arms crossed, glaring at the circle who was sitting across from him. The pink vixen was safely buckled into a high chair, which was white with pink trim, and had a large baby bib tied around his neck. The circle, who apparently while not allowed to talk, was allowed to make 'Chugga-Chugga' noises with a 'Woo-Woo' as they brought the spoonful of orange mush closer to Mel's lips. Looking to his left, Mel saw Ariel, who seemed to be enjoying this as much as he was, reluctantly accepted a spoonful of yellow mush. From the face she made, Mel was certain the baby food she was being fed was not particularly good. Knowing that this was going to be the only breakfast any of them were likely to receive, Mel sighed, and opened wide so that the train could pass through the tunnel. Mel's face scrunched up a bit as the taste of the mashed carrots hit his tongue. He swallowed the mush, receiving a pat on the head. And now it seemed his mouth was now an air hanger that needed to be open for a proper landing to take place. Looking around between spoonfuls, Mel saw down the numerous rows of high chairs that had been set up while everyone slept. Upon waking up and getting their diapers changed, it was time for breakfast. Some tried to fight it, with one donkey man kicking a circle in the chest. With a loud POP, he slumped over, and was taken away. The triangle who had shot him with the dart gun said nothing. Just like that all the players had been reminded of their position. The players were not the ones in charge here. Mel grimaced as he swallowed another mouthful, grateful to see that the jar was finally empty, for which he received a rather demeaning pat on the head for being good. The jar had been much larger than a regular-sized jar of baby food. The label just had a circle, triangle, and a square on it, and was otherwise unmarked. If he had to bet, he'd say it was three times as big as a normal jar. Mel was then handed a baby bottle, a liter's worth, of some kind of red juice. Mel tried to unscrew the cap, not surprised to find that it wouldn't budge. That was just how things went here, not that that stopped Mel and others from trying. His shoulder sagging a little in defeat, he lifted it up and popped the nipple into his mouth and began to suck. As the taste of what he believed to be cherry juice hit his lips, Mel started to giggle, dribbling a little of the juice down his chin and onto his bib. He glared at the circle who had given his feet a quick tickle. Mel couldn't be certain, but he believed that the face behind the mask was smiling. Mel looked around again, taking into account just how drastically different everything was compared to the first day they had all woken up here. There were now many cartoon characters, some Mel recognized, others that were completely foreign to him, on all the walls. The beds, now all converted into giant cribs, were spaced out evenly in neat little rows. Since there were so many fewer than the cramped towers of bunk beds, there was room for the play mats with toy chests and the playpens nearby, with plenty of changing tables at the ready, some presently in use. And now that the donkey guy is gone, the number of players is down to 44. To his right, Mel saw the lynx from before, the one with the blonde and light purple-colored hair, sucking on her own bottle, looking defiantly as she did so. Mel then froze as he looked around again, suddenly realizing something. On the right hand side of all the rows were pink and white highchairs, with blue and white ones on the left. Looking closer, the pink vixen could see that everyone in the blue ones were all clearly male, but all the ones in the pink were clearly female. Looking down at his breasts, Mel sighed, and then continued to nurse his half-full bottle. It wasn't much longer before Mel was finished, the circle who had fed him taking the empty bottle away and giving him a few gentle pats on the back. "There's no need for tha--BEEEEEEEEELCH!" Mel blushed as his paws shot to his muzzle. He heard some snickers from some nearby highchairs, but otherwise no one said anything. Ariel did smile at him though, which made him feel a little better. Other players were also burped, many evidently needing it. With their faces cleaned with damp washcloths and their diapers checked, some needing to be changed again even though they already had been after waking up, the players were soon assembled into four groups of eleven, and taken through the complex maze of stairs and hallways. It was a much shorter trip than before, with all four groups coming out into a wide open white area. Compared to the soft pastels and primary colors they'd been subjected to, the sudden bright monochromatic room was a tad jarring. Stepping into the center was a square, who pressed a button on a little remote. The wall behind them slowly slid down revealing a little alcove with 44 faceless mannequins, all with heads shaped to include muzzles and pointed ears resting on top, each with bright pink vests on. The vests were all numbered from 1 to 44, in big bold black numbers. Ariel stepped up to Mel's right and took his paw in her own, giving it a squeeze. "Welcome, players," said the monotone voice of the square addressing them, with a semicircle of triangles and their automatic dart guns standing at the ready behind them. blocking off the way they had come. "Before you are a series of vests, which as you can all see, are numbered. You will have one minute to select and put on one of these vests. The numbers represent the order in which you will go in the game, so choose wisely." A digital clock on the left wall blinked to life and began counting down. Mel and Ariel were jostled to the side as there was a stampede of players running to the vests. It was a good twenty players who were all going for the numbers in the middle. "The obvious strategy," Mel's ears twitched as he heard a feminine voice, one with an English accent to it, came from his left. He and Ariel turned to regard the lynx, who stood there with her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face. "What do you mean?" Mel asked. "Since we don't know what the next game is, but that the numbered vests determine the order we go in, being one of the first is sure to be more dangerous. And since every game so far has been timed..." she trailed off, but Mel and Ariel both understood. Those in last place would have to wait for everyone else to go, all the while the clock will surely be ticking down, a marked disadvantage. Realizing the situation, Mel and Ariel shared a look, and bolted, with the lynx right beside them. By the time they had gotten there, a lot of the mannequins in the middle were stripped of their vests. Christopher was holding onto part of a vest with both paws while a jackal man was desperately tugging on the other end. The much larger black lion let out a roar that caused the jackal, and many others, to flinch away. With a flash of his sharp teeth in a smug grin, Christopher gave one last great yank, sending the jackal sprawling onto the floor, and stalked off triumphantly putting on the vest which had the number 22 on it. Up above, watching through the one way glass mirror that made up the windows of the observation room. The VIP's had all changed and were now wearing soft cushiony robes, draping themselves across expensive plush lounge chairs and couches, enjoying the frenzy below. "I told y'all," the silver dragon cheered, raising up his filled champagne flute, "Number Five was going ta just take that damn vest! If anyone's got the guts and the stones ta make it through and win, it'll be him!" His robe was a forest green, covering a bit of a pot belly trying to poke out from inside. "Those mafioso's can be slick as snot when they wanna be." "According to his bio, the closest he's ever been to being a member of any criminal organization," the deer said, his robe a deep maroon, "is owing money to a loan shark. He is nothing more than an amateur shoplifter who was caught eight times, and decided to take out a loan to place a large bet on a horse he believed was guaranteed to win. Spoiler alert... it didn't." He was holding up between his thumb and index fingers a miniature, triangle-shaped sandwich that appeared to have a gold-colored slice of some kind of vegetable between the slices of bread and examining it. "Oh my, whatever these are, they are truly delectable." "Still, why are there so many crowding around the middle like that?" the cheetah woman, who was enjoying the pedicure she was getting on her new claws from a circle. She was nursing a glass of whiskey in her gold and silver robe. "Animal instinct," the English weasel chimed in with a chuckle. He was wearing a red silk smoking jacket, taking puffs from a cigar, watching eagerly from his cushioned seat. "More safety for those at the center of the pack. Though, I must confess, I cannot fathom what sort of game must come next to require our dear players to have to go in turns." "On that note," the figure in black said as they approached the window, a circle wheeling in a table with a white sheet covering it. "I have here a clue about the next game." With a nod to the circle, the subordinate wordlessly removed the sheet. The VIP's stared, some looking confused. But the bull, in his navy blue robe, was smirking. "Oh, this is gunna be fun." Back in the white room, Mel looked at the remaining two vests. In the throng he'd tried jumping into the center of, the pink vixen now found himself standing there in the dead center of the line of mannequins. The one to his far right was wearing a vest with a 01 on it. And the one to the left had a number 44 on it. His choices were... first, or last. Mel turned to look at the others, spying Christopher looking at him and waving. Mel flipped him off and sought out Ariel. There she was, a 40 on the vest she was wearing. Next to her was the lynx, who had on a 29 vest. Ariel looked at him sadly, and Mel sighed, starting to weigh his options. "Okay... so if I'm first... that means I have a better chance of being first to finish this game," Mel said aloud, looking at the clock, which had twenty seconds left on it. "If I'm last... then that means there's a better chance for time running out for me. And I'll have to probably move faster to try and avoid that, making my chances of screwing up greater. Whereas with the number one position... I can possibly go as slow as I want and be cautious." Mel started walking towards the number one vest, when he stopped, now looking more unsure. Mel jumped a little when a paw gently tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a nervous and fidgety white-furred squirrel woman. She was standing there, looking down at her feet. "P-please," she said, her voice a whisper, "please... can I be number one?" "H-huh?" Mel asked, confused. "A-all my life," she said, sniffling, "I've done what I was told. I always listened and done what everyone else wanted me to do. B-but today... I w-want to make a decision for myself." Now she looked into Mel's eyes, her own hardened with resolve. "Please... let me be number one, just once in my life." Mel, his shoulders sagging, nodded and turned to walk to the 44 vest. He noticed that he had more of a waddle now, and looked down at the teal legless onesie he was wearing. He couldn't tell for certain, but he was confident that his diaper bulge was a little thicker and droopier now. Not a full wetting, but definitely soggy. He grabbed his vest and quickly slipped it on, just as the squirrel did for hers. Looking at the clock, he saw that they had had five seconds left, and chastised himself for losing track of the time like that. Remembering how crucial it was to watch the clocks, Mel waddled back over to Ariel. Something about being dressed as a big baby in a group of similarly dressed individuals took some of the sting out of the embarrassment. They were ushered through a large opening that appeared in the far right wall. Behind them, the viewing glass panels closed, and a faint grinding noise could be heard as the VIP room shifted and started sliding along the tracks hidden in the walls and ceiling, following the players out and into the next room. It was a massive chamber that was dimly lit. The lights kicked on, making the players blink. The walls were all yellow and red-striped. Below the platform the players were standing on was red linoleum flooring, that was maybe ten or twenty feet down. Off on either side were some stages, with animatronic animal people playing in a band, moving with jerky motions. Elsewhere, Mel could see multicolored tube slides, arcade games with their flashing lights and whistles, make out the smell of pizza, and in the center of the floor was an olympic-sized ball pit. Stretching from the platform to an identical one all the way across the room, were two bridges running parallel to one another. These bridges were made up of different colored squares held up by two sets of rails, with the colors of the squares on one matching the corresponding squares on the other. There were gaps in between the squares, meaning that moving across one bridge would mean jumping from square to square. It was also a short hop to the other bridge. Just behind him, the wall panel that served as the door to the previous room slid closed. "Attention players," came the cheery voice that made Mel really want to punch whomever it belonged to in the throat for having the audacity to be so bright and chipper in light of what was going on. "Welcome to game five! Wacky Stepping Stones! The stepping stones before you are one of two types of squares. One is solid and will support up to two players at once. The other... is a trap door that when stepped on by just one person will drop open, causing the player standing on it to fall into the ballpit below. All players who fall into the ballpit are eliminated. For this game, you will have to guess which of the next two squares before you is the solid square, and which is the trapdoor, and only step on those across the 44 pairs of squares in order to cross over to the other platform and safely complete this game. I will now repeat the rules." Mel felt sick as he looked around the room. That was when he noticed something. On the right-hand stage, standing in the center, was an animatronic pink bear. What made this one stand out from all the others, was that it was holding a microphone... and the jerky movement of its mouth matched the chipper voice on the speaker explaining the rules again. Mel then looked up to see the white squirrel woman shaking like a leaf, turning to look at the square. "Th-then that m-means th-that the numbers o-on our vests..." "Are the order in which you will cross the bridge," the square face said, matter of factly. The squirrel turned to look at the other players, seeing Mel. When the vixen looked into her eyes now, he couldn't see the resolve from before. All that was there was a dull panic. She turned to look back at the twin bridges, her arms hanging limply at her sides. "For this game, you shall have 25 minutes to make it across to the other platform. The time will begin at the sound of the buzzer." Back in the VIP room, the cheetah woman sat there with her arms crossed, looking very unhappy. "Can't believe that the next player I put my money on wound up going first," she took a swig of her whiskey. "Damn moronic peasant!" "How much did you put on that one?" the deer asked, sipping his own drink. "Two freakin' million! I thought I could make up for the disaster that was my last bet." Just then, a loud buzzer began to blare, and the squirrel woman jumped back. She froze as she stood there, looking at all the blue squares immediately before her. She took a deep breath, and began muttering to herself. The clock had started ticking down, and the other players began looking at it and shuffling nervously. "Hey, hurry up and go already," the jackal from before, now wearing a number 16 vest, called out. She ignored him and continued to mutter. In between others yelling, Mel's ears twitched as he picked out what sounded like equations coming from the woman. Just then, Christopher stormed by and loomed over the woman. "If you don't hurry up and jump. I'm going to pick for you by pushing you onto one," he growled out. "I am... or was, a physics professor, you dumb ape," the squirrel practically hissed with venom in her voice. "And I also am a statistician, so I'm going over the odds for each square across." Chrisopher scoffed and leaned down close, speaking in a soft but menacing voice. "If you were any damn good at statistics you would have made bank at any casino, now MOVE!" She flinched as he yelled, but nodded. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the edge of the platform. She crouched and leapt onto the square on the right. She froze and appeared to be holding her breath. When nothing happened, she turned and gave the rest of the players, including Mel, a cautiously optimistic smile. The next pair of squares were red and, taking a deep breath again, she leapt across the bridge to the red square on the left. She then kept the momentum going, leaping across rapidly, practically running across the bridges. The other players and the VIP's watched in amazement as she soon had made it all the way across, practically collapsing on the platform, physically and emotionally spent. Some of the other players started to cheer, the mood amongst them lightening a bit. Up in the observation room, the cheetah woman was standing up, cheering. "I never stopped believing in her, that beautiful low-class genius!" The other VIP's had a good laugh at that. Back in the game room, the lynx woman scratched her chin. "Wait... was anyone keeping track of which ones she leapt on?" At that, the relief that the players had been feeling immediately vanished. "Thought not," she said with a sigh. "It doesn't matter, just hurry up and start going!" Christopher growled, pushing a green crocodile man with a number 2 vest forward. He jumped to the right blue square, and then paused. He turned to look back at the group. "Uh... which one was it again?" he asked. "It was the left... I think," a yellow bunny man said. There was murmuring as many seemed unsure, and those who moments before had felt they knew for certain which it was, now were no longer sounding so certain. "For crying out loud, it was the right!" Christopher yelled. "O-oh... okay... you sure?" "Yes, now move it! Time's running out!" "Alright..." the crocodile jumped onto the right platform, the red square immediately collapsing from his weight and swinging down. He screamed as he fell into the ball pit. Popping back up, there was a POP, and a dart hit him in the shoulder. "NO!" He yanked it out, but was soon out like a light, a circle coming and collecting him. Christohpher looked at everyone else and smirked. "I guess I forgot." Tentatively, player three, a gray wolf hopped onto the right square, and then to the single remaining red one. The next pair were green, and after taking a moment to look at the clock, he hopped onto the left square. It too was a trapdoor and down to the ball pit he plummeted with a yelp. A POP coming afterwards. As the VIP's watched, the players slowly started to make their way across the bridges. Player four, a falcon woman with red, brown, and white feathers, fared a bit better. They guessed correctly on the fourth pair, and the fifth. However, on the sixth pair, they jumped onto the left square to find that it was a trapdoor that dropped them to their soon-to-be second childhood. The single digits went fast, with number seven, another wolf, forgetting which squares had been safe, and picking incorrectly. The only saving grace for the players who have yet to go being that the false tiles, once stepped on, did not reset, revealing at least part of the safe path. Mel was starting to panic as he looked at the clock, seeing that they were down to seventeen minutes, and only now was number 13, an orange gecko, hopping onto the first tile. There was now a slow-moving line of players going across the bridge. Mel gulped and looked at Ariel. She seemed just as nervous as he felt, and the growing anxiety from the other players was palpable. This was reflected by the ones waiting to go hurrying up. And now players were jumping onto platforms that were already occupied. Now again there's another scream as someone picked wrong and fell off, with another loud POP coming from one of the animatronics. While thankful that he had not been the first one to go, Mel could do nothing else but start pacing back and forth. At the fifteen minute mark, those in the twenties had started hopping onto the bridges. Christopher wasted no time in jumping on when it was his turn. He bumped into the player in ahead of him, sending the rat woman tumbling into the open space right in front of her. Other players looked at him with wide eyes. The big black lion just shrugged with a smirk. "Oops," was all he said, before looking at the two players now ahead of him. "If you guys don't want me helping move you along, then let's speed this process up! We're at thirteen minutes dammit!" His words, while cruel, rang true, and the players started to hop along faster, albeit a bit more recklessly. One fox man jumped to a safe square, but stumbled and fell off over the side. While he safely landed in the ballpit, the loud POP followed by his sudden yet brief cry of shock was still unnerving. As Mel and Ariel watched while hugging their tails, more people were making it past the halfway part, but now the only person left from the single digit vests was the squirrel woman sitting on the opposite platform. She was curled up a little, receiving a gentle headpat from the one of the two triangles flanking the big wooden door on that platform. "Wish me luck," the mysterious lynx said to the two of them, hopping onto the bridge, immediately followed by a tiger with a number 30 on his vest. When the clock was down to eleven minutes, the thirties were almost all on the bridge by this point. Ariel took Mel's paw in hers and gave it a squeeze. "Good luck, Ariel," Mel said. "See you on the other side," the red panda replied with a forced smile. She waddled to the edge, and leapt to the square. While a little relieved that he would soon be going, that didn't make the fear from the game itself abate. Mel had never been afraid of heights, but this was enough to give anyone acrophobia. Soon, 41, 42, and 43 were jumping on. Mel walked up to the ledge, and froze, staring wide-eyed at the two squares in front of him. Mel wracked his brain, trying to remember which one was the safe square, but he couldn't! "It's the one on the right!" Mel looked up, seeing Ariel smiling back at him. "Right!" Some players were looking back, but most were focusing on the next two who simultaneously fell into the ballpit. Mel smiled back and nodded, hopping onto the right blue square. From there he jumped onto the red one, and then the green. He was focusing on the players ahead, trying to mentally track who was standing safely on what. The first of the players in the twenties, a jackrabbit man, hopped onto the platform, sinking to his knees and crying with relief. More players were making it across, but then another from near the end went screaming over the side. Looking ahead, Mel saw Christopher smirking, standing on one of the last three squares. He had his usual smirk on his face. Looking at the clock, which was down to eight minutes and twelve seconds, he put his hands on his hips. "The way I see it," he called out, loud enough to be heard, "is that this right here is the perfect opportunity for us all to... thin the herd, so to speak." Everyone looked shocked at the black lion, who just chuckled. "We have about eight minutes left, and there's still quite a few of us. The way I see it, the more players who make it across means the more players we have to all compete with for the money. And if a lot of players all end up winning together... well, that means all that money is going to be divided up all the more between us. I, for one, don't really like sharing." "You can't be serious," the lynx girl called out, looking nervous. "Oh but I am, little girl," Christopher snarled. "Now, you could all try to bum rush me, which will probably work. But I guarantee you all that I will be taking some folks down with me. And what's more, I'll end up eating up some more of our precious fucking time doing it. Or... we can all start pushing some folks off the edge and make things easier for all the rest of us later on. And before anyone wants to continue arguing, the clock is literally ticking. I suggest you all make your decision soon." Mel felt his heart beat for a second, and then another. Just when he was about to feel a little relieved, the cat woman sharing the safe square with him whipped around and grabbed him by the arm. She attempted to swing the surprised vixen around and make him fall off. Mel dug his foot claws in and out of reflex pushed her away. The woman shrieked and pinwheeled her arms a bit, but it was no good. Down she went, screaming. More screams soon joined her as others were shoving and punching each other. Mel saw Ariel bite down on the hand of a bear man who was trying to pick her up. She dropped down on the square and swept his legs out from under him. With the wind knocked out of him, she pushed, and over the edge he went. Mel watched as the red dragon that was now in-between him and Ariel leapt onto her square and started pushing. Without thinking, Mel ran and jumped, legs out, landing a full-body kick to the side of the dragon's ribs. He screamed and fell to the ballpit, while Ariel hugged Mel. "Thanks for the save," she said, her voice hoarse. It was now that Mel realized that she was crying. "Anytime." Mel had to clear his own throat, feeling it choke up a little. They silently watched the chaos unfold. A couple of skunks, one guy and one gal, tried to leap onto Christopher. He easily dodged the guy, who went careening over the side, and casually backhanded the woman off. More were going over, some even accidentally hopping onto previously established unsafe squares, not paying attention as their main focus was on getting away from someone trying to push them off, some even with their pursuers unintentionally following them straight down to the ballpit. All the while, there were POPs, the automated targeting identifying non-darted individuals in the ballpit and firing on them. Cristopher had started grappling with the lynx, who was getting in some good body shots when she got her arms free, and she even managed to knee him in between his legs. She leapt off the square he was on to the last two safe ones between her and the other platform, making it across. Getting up, he saw a few more making their way to him and, feeling he'd at least gotten a few more to go over, he managed to weakly hop to the next square. With how fast the players were moving across, the fighting and the clock ticking down to three minutes, three players, a wolf, a horse, and a deer doe, found themselves standing on the square Christopher had been occupying. While still very sore and wheezing a little, he got ready for another fight, when he and the other three froze from the sudden loud crack. There was a second one, and the square ale three were standing on split apart, the trio falling into the ballpit. The lion looked on in shock, before beginning to bark out a harsh laugh. "So that's why they specified two players!" He wiped his eyes as he carefully jumped to the next square, and then onto the platform. Now there was a very large gap in the bridge. The fighting quickly died down as the players looked on in horror. A hyena guy gulped and backed up a bit. He got a running start and leapt. His chest slammed into the purple wooden square, and he let out an audible OOF! Scrabbling a bit, he managed to pull himself up and, with shaky legs, hopped the last square to safety. The movement forward had slowed a bit as everyone left was forced to try and run and jump across. a couple made it, barely, but most never came close, or couldn't get a grip and fell. The otter man before Mel and Ariel tried to walk across the metal beam, holding both arms out for balance. But he lost his footing and fell to his diapered future. Now Mel and Ariel were the last, with less than a minute on the clock. Slowly go forward on the skinny metal beam, or try to quickly jump across. "I don't suppose you were in gymnastics as a kid," Mel asked, only half-joking. "Uh... no... but, on my old school's playground there was a balance beam... I'm gunna try it." Mel thought for a moment and looked at the gap. It was amazing anyone, let alone a few people, could actually make that. Looking at the beam... he gulped again. Ariel went first, both arms out for balance, with Mel right behind her. They ignored the clock as they went, but were not going slowly. Ariel inhaled sharply and wobbled a bit at the halfway point. She steadied herself, while Mel was internally screaming, feeling that he was barely managing any kind of balance. Try as he might, he couldn't help but look at the colorful pit of balls below him. Ariel hopped onto the square, letting out a held breath. "C'mon, Mel, you can do it!" "Yeah! You got this, Mel!" At the sound of another voice, Mel looked to see the lynx smiling and waving him over. "You can do it!" Now some of the other players were calling out encouragement, while Christopher rolled his eyes and snorted. Mel smiled a bit, feeling a little less nervous, and joined Ariel on the safe square, where she gave him a quick hug. "OI! AVE THAT FOR WHEN YOU AIN'T ON THE CLOCK! NOW MOVE IT!" The lynx yelled this, seeing that they only had fifteen seconds left. Mel and Ariel, holding hands, jumped together to the last square, and then finally to the platform, with three seconds left on the clock. When the clock hit zero, there was another loud buzzer, and like that, the few remaining trapdoors sprung open, and all the safe squares became detached from one side or the other, essentially becoming new trap doors that swung open as well. "Congratulations, pleyers, on completing the fifth game! You should all be proud." Mel looked and watched the pink animatronic bear say this, giving him a jerky wave. He shuddered, and got in line with Ariel and the lynx, as the door opened and some circles and a square met with them. They were herded all together, and led out of the game room, the lights inside of which began to dim. "Now that was one hell of a game," the bull VIP said, snacking on some fancy finger foods he couldn't remember the name of, and just knew were very expensive. "I'll say. Although it was regrettable that my bet had to go and just fall off the side like that," the weasel said. "Well, ya gotta know how to pick 'em," the female cheetah replied, downing another glass of whiskey. "I own twelve horses, all of 'em champions, and ya just gotta be able to see that winnin' spirit in 'em. Same goes for people, well, people when they've been given a little direction." "Agreed," the deer said. The figure in black looked at their phone, before turning to a team of triangles standing out of sight of the VIP's. The black masked individual gave them a nod, and waved a dismissive gloved paw to the circles in the room. The circles all simultaneously got up and silently exited. There were some murmurs from the VIP's as they saw this. "Where are they goin'?" asked the silver dragon, looking at the black cloaked figure. "Their job here in the VIP observation lounge has come to an end," said the deadpan and transmogrified voice from behind the black mask. In walked two dozen of the triangles, all armed with their dart guns. They quickly encircled the VIP's, leveling the barrels at them. "What the hell do y'all think yer doin'?!" the silver dragon growled, looking nervously for an exit, finding them all cut off. "We're your sponsors in this whole exchange program!" the weasel yelled, being roughly pushed back by a triangle. The one in charge simply watched from where they sat, their posture and movements radiating pure tranquility. "Yes, and we genuinely appreciate your contributions and future contributions to our cause, which your companies and estates will continue to do so now that we've finished taking them from you." "Wh-what?! That's impossible!" The cheetah hurled her empty shot glass to a triangle, who promptly shot her with a dart. She hissed before soon falling unconscious. "Our technology is more advanced than your own. Once we'd had time to study yours, it was rather simple for us to begin hacking. What's more, ownership of your companies and properties has already been transferred to our own agents, Kin who, since we take on human forms when we enter your world, put all of the money and resources you've all had at your disposal to much better use than any of you have ever done in your entire lives." "Wh-when the others find out--" the bull stammered, only to be cut off. "The only 'others' are our operatives who have infiltrated high society on Earth, with the sole purpose of bringing in more of the wealthy elite who fit our criteria for... removal. Well, and we have some others in place making sure no country just goes and starts firing off nukes all willy-nilly. Admittedly our intervention on that front has been rather minimal since the end of the Cold War, but still. Do not worry, you are being given the same gift that all the players who've been eliminated have. A fresh start. Once more, we here at our organization just cannot thank you enough for your contribution." "FUCK YOU!!!" The silver dragon bellowed, before the triangles opened fire. In a matter of seconds, all of the VIP's were darted and napping on the floor, some already beginning to shrink. In returned the circles who, in addition to gathering up the new charges, also started to clean up the spilled drinks and food. The black mask tapped on their phone a confirmation to the others, before pressing a button on the side of their chair when the last person had left. Alone, they watched as the room shifted and moved on its tracks, coming to rest in the player housing area, now missing some more cribs. They watched the players who in turn were now looking at the screen above the doorway they had just entered through. It started ticking down from 44, coming to rest at 11. Through the speakers, the black mask heard the slot machine jackpot sound effect play as more money poured into the piggy bank. "Rest well, little ones," they said, the transmogrified voice taking on a much more gentle tone. "Tomorrow is the final game as well as the final test." Down in the nursery, the remaining 11 players were being attended to. Some were now sporting green and blue bandages wrapped on them, all of them being led to the changing tables. Mel looked over as his bottom was being powdered. Over on his right was Ariel who was in the midst of a giggle fit brought on by the circle changing her tickling her tummy. Mel also let out a titter as his feet were tickled too. Looking past Ariel, he could see Christopher, who looked grumpy with his arms crossed, his legs held up by the circle attending to him, while said circle was wiping his bottom. Mel looked away and could see the lynx girl on a nearby changing table, hiding her blushing face in her white paws while a clean diaper was taped on around her waist. Hers had a chibi tiger sniper on the front. Looking down at his own diaper being taped on, Mel saw his was decorated with many different colored hearts with pink leg gathers and landing strip, the word 'Princess' spelled out in pink calligraphy on the front. Mel huffed and hugged Mr. Cash, his teddy bear, close to his chest. With a belly rub, the teal onesies were snapped back shut and Mel was picked up off the table. He was carried over to a single large playpen, now the only playpen left in the room, and deposited inside. He blushed when his padded bottom was gently patted, and was thankful that Ariel was deposited right next to him. Soon, all the others were in the playpen. Mel saw Christopher scoot over to one corner and sit there, sucking on a blue pacifier. He saw that the lynx was nearby playing with some kind of red plush platypus and a set of rainbow stacking rings. "If it weren't for how big everyone is, I'd say we'd look like a bunch of babies," Mel said in a quiet voice to Ariel, who was busy setting up a plastic tea set and some plushies. "This part isn't so bad, Melly," Ariel said, taking a seat on her padded posterior across from him, smiling at him expectantly. "I used to love having tea parties when I was little." Mel frowned and blushed. "W-well, I was a boy, and I'll be turning back into a guy when we go back home." He looked back to see the red panda giving him the wide puppy dog eyes. He sighed and relented. "Okay... it's not like we've got anything better to do." "Uhm..." Mel and Ariel looked over to see the lynx girl blushing and hugging her plush, looking nervous. "C-can I join?" She sounded so much different from how she acted during the game. "Sure!" Ariel said, giggling excitedly. "I'm Ariel!" "I'm Annie... but my friends call me Star." The lynx smiled behind her plush friend, looking like a big kitten. "Well, Star, welcome to our tea party! This is my baby sister, Melly!" "Hey! I'm notta baby, you are!" Mel pouted, blushing a little, his tail wagging behind him despite his efforts to make it stop. The girls giggled. All three were surprised when a circle leaned over the railing of the playpen to deposit some cookies on a plate onto their table, and then set down three bottles of milk. Mel was slowly drawn into the game, giving Mr. Cash a very posh voice with lots of harrumphs. Elsewhere in the playpen, the jackal man from earlier and the white squirrel girl were stacking blocks together and laughing. Others were playing with armgos, assembling strange colorful little towns, and others still were cuddling plush toys. From his corner, Christopher surveyed the rest of the players, smirking to himself. He zeroed in on the trio playing tea party and shook his head. "All the rest of the competition is just a bunch of babies... I've got this in the bag," he muttered to himself, happily taking the offered bottle from a circle and suckling on it. When the circle started to rub his tummy as he drank, he started to purr and slid down onto his back, smiling blissfully around the nipple. * * * Mel smiled around his binky as he stared up at the mobile above him, plush stars no longer turning like they were at bedtime after their bath. He suckled on his binky as he snuggled under the blankie with Ariel, who was just now yawning and rubbing her eyes. She had a yellow binky in her muzzle, and the two were wearing soft fleece teal footie jammies with their player numbers on the back. Mel rolled over a little, frowning a bit from the squishiness of his diaper. When the circles entered to begin gathering up the other players, there was no resistance from anyone as they were carried to the awaiting changing tables. Breakfast today was just a bottle of some kind of formula. Mel accepted it, not hating the creamy milky substance, but felt it was a bit bland. Mel noticed something different about this diaper change. All of the diapers were blue and pink for boys and girls respectively, Mel being taped into a pink one. He noticed that the plastic leg gathers seemed a bit snugger than previous diapers. And his, as well as everyone else's diaper designs were all nautical-themed. Raising a questioning eyebrow, she looked over to Ariel who was sporting one of her own as she guzzled down her formula. Being stood up on the floor, Mel realized something else. They weren't being snapped into fresh onesies. Instead, Mel, along with the other girls, were being snapped into one-piece teal bathing suits, with ruffled skirts around their waists, and their numbers in white on the back. The boys were having teal swim trunks pulled up and the drawstrings tied nice and snug over diapers that Mel quickly guessed to be swim diapers. "I think we're going swimming for the last game," Star piped in, waddling over to stand by Mel and Ariel. The circles then finished things by slipping inflated blue and pink water wings onto their arms. Mel's headfur was ruffled by the circle who took his empty bottle, and patted him on the back. Mel blushed as his body burped yet again, but felt better when the others had to deal with the same, this time Christopher letting out the loud belch, dribbling some white liquid down his chin, which an attending circle wiped up with a baby wipe. Christopher growled and batted the circle's paws away, only to be booped on his nose. "Players," said the monotone voice of the square overseeing them today. They had their paws clasped behind their back, flanked on either side by triangles as the circles exited. "On behalf of all of us here at our organization, as well as the entirety of the Kin, I would like to extend to you our gratitude and appreciation for sticking it out and coming this far. Each one of you should be proud, for you have fought and persevered where so many have faltered. Today is the final day, for the final game, between you eleven. We wish you all the best of luck." The players said nothing, some, like Christopher, outright glaring at the square. Mel felt a little taken aback by that little speech. It was hard to determine for certain, but something in the square's monotone voice suggested that they... actually believed in what they were saying. Mel bit back a growl, feeling Ariel squeeze his paw. They were soon being herded out the door by the triangles, to take one last trip down and up and through the crazy, plastic, colorful stars that went every which way. Coming out into a brightly lit room, Mel and the others looked out onto a pool. It was the size of a small lake. The walls were painted with beach scenery, dotted with starfish. Above, on the ceiling, there was an intricate mural of an octopus with a few seahorses abound. Ringing the pool were a series of white lifeguard towers, where sat triangle-faces, looking down on the pool. Floating on the center of the water was some kind of platform made from the same material as the pool noodles that Mel remembered playing with as a kid. Or at least some kind of material that looked similar. The platform was connected by a short retractable bridge that was currently connected to it. As they were led closer to it, Mel could see that the large platform, which looked to be the size of a basketball court, was made up of squares in the shapes of puzzle pieces. "Welcome players, to the sixth and final game!" There was that chipper voice, making Mel bite back on another growl. "You little cuties are in for a treat! Today's game is... Crumbling Platform! You will have twenty-five minutes on the timer. You must stay on the platform during that time. Any player who attempts to leap off and out of the pool shall be eliminated. Any player that falls into the water shall be eliminated. Any and all players still standing on the platform when the timer counts down to zero are the winners! I will now repeat the rules." "I think this is a trick," Ariel whispered into Mel and Star's ears. The vixen and the lynx nodded. The jackal man, part of the waistband of his diaper poking up over the waistband of his trunks, was on his hands and knees on the bridge next to the platform, closely looking underneath it. "There's some kind of metal-looking device attached to each tile," he called out. Getting up, he, along with the rest, were led onto the platform. Mel felt a little off-balance from the gentle swaying of it, feeling his feet sink in a little into the kinda spongy material underneath. He and the others steadied themselves as they were all led to positions that had them all circling the outer edge. The staff left the platform, and the bridge disconnected from it, retracting back to the side of the pool. There was a loud BUZZ, and the clock started counting down. "Nobody move!" Star called out, looking to all ten of the other players. "If we all just stay on the platform, then we all get the money! The current amount is almost fifty-nine billion! Divide that by eleven, and that's still over five billion for each of us! More than enough for all of us to pay off our debts and have so much leftover to never have to worry about money again!" The jackal and the squirrel nodded in agreement. Mel and Ariel looked at each other and smiled. The gator man and the falcon woman seemed a little nervous. "This is true," a golden gryphon said. "I... I think I could manage to not squander it all away..." a panda man added in. "I could even open up my own restaurant," the jackrabbit said, looking like he had stars in his eyes. "Yeah... nuthin' doin', sweet cheeks," Christopher said with a snort, striding confidently up to the center of the platform. "I said it before that I'm not big into sharing. Sure, five billion and some change could get me out of some trouble I'm in back home... but the cool sixty? That's enough to start makin' some changes in the world. And I've already started makin' plans with that money." He started walking towards Star, who was squaring up, ready for a fight. Mel tensed his muscles, completely sick of this arrogant jackass' bullshit... when something happened none of them were expecting. Random puzzle pieces started to rapidly change color from orange to green. Those that turned fully green silently sank into the water. The reason for the name of the game suddenly became rather obvious. Christopher had to leap backwards at the last second as the puzzle he's been standing on turned green and sank, sadly not taking him with it. Mel looked down at his square and saw only bright green. With a yelp, he leapt to an orange one just before he could fall in. Everyone was now hopping from square to square as more tiles started to change. Looking around, Mel saw that after a few seconds, the tiles that sank floated back up, now bright orange again, and slotted right back into the holes in the platform they had come from. What started off as random pieces turning green soon became complex patterns, and began to speed up. It was then that the pattern became a single green line leading out from the center that started to spin clockwise. Right behind the oncoming line was open water, with orange pieces popping right back up a second later. Mel timed it as the line came towards him, the others sprinting to avoid it, and instead jumped. An orange piece popped back up under his feet right before he went into the water. He had to jump a few more times, and others copied him instead of running, but so far, nobody went in. And then, at the fifteen minute mark, no more green squares. The platform just bobbed in the water, which was starting to get choppier. Mel was at first confused, until he turned and saw large waves rushing to the platform. "Oh crap! This is a wave pool!" Mel tried to remember what he'd learned during his brief attempt on the California coast to learn how to surf. The waves started making the platform bob up and down, again and again. Mel kept his footing, but unfortunately, the jackal man didn't. He tripped over his own feet in an attempt to adjust his position and was bounced right off into the water. There was a whistle, and from the base of one of the watchtowers, a pair of circles on a wave runner gunned it through the waves, getting close to where the jackal was. One grabbed onto the passed out canine who seemed to be a bit smaller than he was just moments before, and pulled him over their lap. They sped back to the watchtower where more circles were waiting. It was at the ten minute mark that the waves calmed down. The pools looked almost tranquil in comparison, before suddenly the entire platform lifted up on the left side out of the water, causing the surprised jackrabbit to fall over and tumble down, slamming into the gator, the both going into the water. The raised edge slapped back down onto the water, and then dipped in as the other side raised up. The panda and now Mel slipped and tumbled. Ariel caught Mel, while the panda man dug his claws into the foam flooring. An arm up to his water wing went into the water, but he stayed on just fine. "Phew, that was clo--OUCH!" He slapped at his wet water wing as the platform lowered. "S-somethin' stung me," he said while tiredly whimpering. His eyes drooped and when the platform raised up from another angle, he slipped into the water. More waverunners and circles came out now to collect the three fallen. The platform continued to raise up and lower, each time raising up one side higher and higher. Mel, Ariel, and Star were digging their claws in to keep from falling from the steeper angle. They could see Christopher and the gryphon, both with claws digging into the foam, were having a one-handed fist fight. Christopher growled and grabbed the gryphon by the throat, and tore him off the platform, literally as the poor gryphon had several large orange chunks still stuck onto his taloned claws. The platform crashed back down, and then slowly started one more rise. Mel saw that it was the opposite side from the one they were still holding onto. "We gotta go!" He urged Ariel and Star to start running as the platform gained momentum. To their right, Christopher backhanded the oblivious white squirrel woman who was trying to run past him, sending her rolling to the side that had now dipped under the water. The vixen, the red panda, and the lynx were now clutching the lip of the side of the platform that was now sticking up out of the water at an almost ninety degree angle. A little below them, Christopher was slowly climbing up with the use of his claws. The falcon woman was in between them and him, and she let out a terrified squawk and Christopher grabbed her ankle, and ripped her down. She tried to flap her wings, but only managed to spin in the air before slamming into the water. Ariel felt a sudden shift in the platform. "It's going back down!" Mel and Star nodded to her, and the three let go when it was no longer a straight shot downward. The lynx, now sliding on her back, kicked the other feline right square in his nose, causing a sickening crunch from the impact. Blood immediately gushed from Christopher's nose as his eyes watered and he let out a roar. The side they had been holding onto collided with the surface of the water, breaking through and briefly swamping the place the trio had just been. Standing back up, Christopher snarled at the three of them, when the clock hit the five minute mark. That's when all the squares broke apart. They turned and moved on the water, not just mindless drifting, making concentric spirals leading to the center of the pool. Then, forming rapidly, was a whirlpool at the very center of the spiral. The circles had gathered up the last of the eliminated players and driven back, leaving the final four standing on their own individual puzzle pieces, the loose spiral they formed slowly spinning into the vortex. Tiles would be sucked under and, like in the first part of the event, they would pop back up to the surface, only now at the outer edge of the spiral, essentially adding to it and making it a never ending one. "This is just getting ridiculous," Mel yelled over the roar of the water. Then he saw Christopher sprinting up along the spiral as he and his friends were being drawn closer. Without thinking, Mel grabbed the girls' arms and gave a tug. They saw him jump from the spiral they were on, which now was now longer the outer spiral, and headed further inward. The vixen and the lynx followed suit, and Christopher, looking seriously pissed, also jumped to the inner ring. That's when the trio jumped back out, the lion drawing closer and doing the same. trying to run out the clock and avoid him and the whirlpool, they jumped to the newly formed section of the outer ring. Unfortunately, Christopher had correctly guessed as much and had leapt up behind them in a crouch. The three tensed for a fight. Christopher smirked at them, and whipped the hand he had dipped in the water, splashing it at them. "Remember the panda? When his arm went into the water up to his water wing, he said something stung him? Well, between that and the lack of darts or syringes being used by the circles on our fallen friends, my guess is that there's needles and sensors in the band covered by our water wings." He splashed another sizable amount of water at them, managing to hit one of Star's water wings. Immediately, she yelped, and growled. Running, but now on less steady feet, she charged at the lion, who grabbed her by the throat and chuckled. Her movements became sluggish and less coordinated. "You played a good game, little girl. I'm sure your new parents will be proud to know you helped someone become stupidly rich," he said, holding her out over the water. He let go just as Star, a fiery blaze in her eyes, wrapped her arms and legs around the arrogant lion, digging in her claws. "OW! THAT HURTS YOU B--YEEEEOOOOW!" Looking down, Mel saw Ariel at his feet, biting down on one of his ankles, enough to draw blood. Seeing his chance, the pink vixen ran forward and shoulder-checked a screaming Christopher in the side and off the squares. Star smiled sadly to Mel and Ariel as she and their opponent went into the water. Mel looked to see that the spiral they were on was almost to the whirlpool, and reached down to help Ariel to her feet. "C'mon, we just gotta run out the clock now!" He said, shaking her. Ariel looked up at him, seeming very fatigued. It was then that he noticed the water dripping off her left water wind. "N-no! How?!" Mel demanded. "When he and Annie fell into the water, it splashed me," Ariel said tiredly. "I'm sorry we couldn't share the money together." "NO! I-it doesn't count! W-we can... I don't know, we can still go back home!" Mel said, tearing up and sounding hoarse. "I've already been injected with the serum," Ariel said, looking at her arm, and noticing that the water wing was already starting to look pretty loose on it. As Mel looked her over, her bathing suit looked like it was a couple sizes too big for her. "B-but... this isn't fair!" Mel stamped his foot, the fur on his cheeks damp from silent tears. He took in a shuddering breath, suddenly surprised by a sleepy hug from the red panda. "Promise you'll do something really cool with the money," she said, looking up into his hot, prickly eyes. "... I promise." The vixen's voice was a hoarse whisper. "Thanks for being my friend," Ariel said, letting go, and dreamily walking down the spiral towards the vortex. Mel reached out for her, but she drunkenly swayed a bit, before being sucked under. And just like that, Mel was all alone. He sniffled and considered just letting the vortex take him, but decided that to do so would be to spit in his friend's sacrifice. So he started to run, first at a jog, then an all-out sprint, with the spiral now speeding up. He looked up at the clock, now at eleven seconds. Looking behind him, he could see the whirlpool getting closer. He could also see some circles pulling Ariel from the water, her water wings having expanded. Mel sprinted faster, faster than he'd ever run in his entire life, and the spiral sped up even more. He looked at the clock, the rushing water sounding like the roaring maw of a great and terrible beast ready to swallow him whole. Tears running rivers down his cheeks, he pushed himself harder. BUUUUUZZZZZZZZZ!!! And just like that, the whirlpool stopped, and the puzzle pieces broke apart and quickly reformed into the platform, bobbing peacefully in the center of the pool. The bridge extended, a group of circles approaching with a large fluffy white towel. They picked him up and began wrapping him in it until he was completely swaddled. As they carried him off, he simply cried and squirmed. After a bath and a fresh diaper, where Mel just didn't move or play with any of the offered toys, letting his body be moved for him as he was cleaned, he then was carried on the hip of a circle to the giant room he'd shared with the other players. Now there was just one crib in the center. He whimpered around his binky as he was laid down and tucked in for a nap, Mr. Cash placed in his arms to help give him what comfort he could, and into an exhausted and fitful sleep he fell. * * * Mel awoke with a start to find that the back of his diaper had been pulled back a little. He had been sleeping facedown on the soft mattress, drool leaking around his binky. Turning and looking, he saw he was now face to mask with a square, who was completely alone. "Congratulations player four-fifty-six. You have won the Stork Game," the square said, pressing a button on a remote. The overhead lights kicked on and, turning in his crib, Mel could see the plastic piggy bank now sitting on the floor eight behind him, full to the brim with stacks of money. He could barely believe it. "It will be transferred into a bank account under your name, for which you will be provided a card. You may access all of it when you return to Earth." Earth. Mel frowned as his foggy mind cleared and he remembered that he would be going home by himself. He whimpered again, only to be scooped up and cradled by the square. As he felt this mysterious kin's heartbeat, which helped to soothe him, Mel, not feeling any breasts, could at least determine that this square was biologically male. "But first, the director would like to speak with you," Mel was carried over to the changing table and, when sat down on it, flinched from the feeling of the full load in his diaper. He sighed as he laid down and was changed out of the thick night-time diaper, with a spinning glow in the dark galaxy on it, into another one that read 'Princess' on the front. He saw that it had a big red heart on the butt. Rolling his eyes, Mel sat up, and had a long shirt pulled over his head. Looking down, he wasn't surprised to find that it was another legless onesie, but this one a bright happy pink with a picture of a daisy on the chest. He frowned at the square who chuckled and quickly snapped the buttons at the crotch together. Mel thought he was done dressing him, when a pair of large pink baby booties were pulled out and slipped onto Mel's feet. And to top it off, a big pink bow was snugly tied to the tip of his tail. Standing back and admiring his work, the square nodded. "Is this really necessary?" Mel choked out, secretly grateful for a distraction from any other feelings other than embarrassment. "Of course, you're too adorable not to dress like the pretty princess you are," the square replied, scooping Mel back up. Mel opened his mouth to complain, only to find a bottle popped in, his binky having fallen out in the crib. Mel grabbed her bottle and nursed from it, hugging Mr. Cash to her chest with her free paw. Out into the maze of stairs they went, going through a false section of wall. Mel looked around, surprised to see the shape-masks walking about, all talking, and some even removing their masks. A circle pulled off their mask to reveal a light blue she-wolf, whose tail was wagging as she cooed and smiled at Mel. Mel shyly waved back, and found that he was the center of attention as he was carried further inward. They were soon going up another flight of stairs and into a strange office, made up of simple barren wooden walls. There was a large, decoratively carved oak desk with a big leather chair behind it. Before it were two big black plush couches, where a figure in black and wearing a black mask that looked... humanoid; was sitting. Right next to this person was a baby stroller, with a sleeping occupant who seemed a little too large for it, but was still sleeping comfortably. Mel jumped a bit when he saw that this occupant, who was just wearing a diaper, was a red panda. If Mel had to guess, she looked to be around five years old. "Awiel?!" Mel said around the nipple, squirming in the square's arms. The square sat with her in his lap on the opposite couch, and immediately began to bounce the big fussy vixen. As Mel reluctantly finished his bottle, he saw the adorable red and white ball of fluff, hugging a familiar plush bunny. "The effects of the serum will keep her out until tomorrow. Until then, she'll sleep peacefully," the figure in black said with a transmogrified voice. Before Mel could ask a question, the figure wordlessly pulled back the hood, revealing a pair of long black ears that had been tucked behind their head in the hood. With the mask soon following, Mel was looking into the warmly smiling face of a bunny woman with black fur. The woman stood and quickly unbuttoned the cloak, she removed it to reveal she was wearing a charcoal gray and red pinstripe skirt suit. "I was getting so tired of wearing that silly getup," she said, her voice sounding melodious as she looked over Mel with twinkling lavender eyes. Mel suddenly felt nervous, realizing that this was the person in charge of this crazy place. She whimpered a little as she was passed to the woman's welcoming arms, who began to slowly rock the vixen. The bunny woman giggled and leaned down to kiss Mel on his forehead. "I am just so proud of you, Mel," the woman said. "Who are you?" Mel asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. "My name is Amelia Thorne, and this is my husband Diego," Amelia said, nodding to the couch across from them. Mel looked to the square face, to find that his mask was off and resting on the coffee table between them, unzipping and stepping out of the pink jumpsuit. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and a pair of worn jeans. His tail was gray and bushy and, turning around, Mel was looking into the golden eyes of a large wolf man, who was giving her a big goofy grin. "D-do I get to go home?" Mel asked, now hugging his tail and Mr. Cash tightly. "That's up to you, princess," Diego said, leaning over and gently ruffling the vixen's headfur. "Now that you've one, you have the option of returning home with all that money... or, you can stay here, with us, starting over," Amelia said, nuzzling the top of Mel's head. "Wh-what happens to the money if... and this is a big 'if', I were to stay?" "Well, the money will instead be used to help improve peoples' lives back on Earth. "Poor people?" Mel asked. Amelia and Diego nodded at the same time. "Correct. And even more will be used similarly... now that it's in more responsible hands. Humanity... is just too precious to us to just sit by and let suffering continue on in your world." As Ameliea explained this, Mel started to blush. "'Cause you need babies?" "Only in part, sweetie," Diego said, getting up and sitting next to his wife on the couch. He reached out and started to rub Mel's tummy. "You're also the only intelligent life we've encountered aside from our own. Ever since we first discovered your world, shortly after discovering interdimensional travel, we've watched and studied you. Your people are capable of such kindness and love, but also capable of causing so much pain and suffering. In many ways, you are all a lot like how we Kin were long ago. When we observed you all, we saw ourselves, stumbling along as we did. We came so very close to destroying ourselves... I suppose that we wanted to help protect you all from that. And, with a little meddling, we have to some degree..." "I still don't see why this all has to be so secret or why you gotta make us play those games like this!" "I don't like it either," Amelia said, looking sad. "But for now, it's a necessity." "... I-if I stay... can me and Ariel be together?" Mel asked, his eyes starting to water. "Yes, Princess," Diego said, his tail starting to thump against the couch. Mel started to giggle at that, feeling a warmth in his chest he hadn't felt in a very long time. "Then... I'd like to stay," Mel said. Amelia and Diego both smiled, looking in each other's eyes with tears of joy beginning to form. They leaned over Mel and shared a kiss, all the while Mel hoped he'd made the right choice. From the stroller, little Amelia giggled a little in her sleep as she shifted. From a nearby room, several figures in shadows watched the now complete family, some nodding their heads. "Once again, humanity does not disappoint," an older masculine voice from one of the individuals in the shadows said with a chuckle. "After all these years and all this testing, I for one feel confident in moving forward with Operation Foster House," came the voice of an older woman. "While we've stabilized our population decline for the time being, but that will not last. I vote that we move forward as well." "I would like to add an addendum to the proposal to include a more thorough psychological screening process, so that we can better anticipate which of the children are going to need more help in mental health than what we've already got in place. It's adequate for the number of children we bring in for the Games, but if we're going to be expanding the number, then we're going to need to increase the number of mental health specialists involved," A shadow with curled horns said. "I concur," the first voice said. There was more agreement from the other shadows. "Very well, then Operation Foster Home is hereby approved and shall be put into motion effective immediately," said the older feminine voice, "with an addendum to expand on the mental health screening and treatment process." Epilogue... A few months had passed since Mel had first woken up in that strange facility. Looking out from the stroller she was safely buckled into, the little pink vixen with the white broken heart shaped patch of fur on her cheek. Bright blue sky above on this pleasant warm day, a gentle breeze tickling her exposed toes. She hugged Mr. Cash as she reached up for a green, yellow, and red butterfly that was fluttering right above her, letting out a happy giggle. "Someone sounds pretty happy! I thought you were gunna continue moping and pouting," a high-pitched voice giggled nearby. Mel looked to Ariel who was sitting next to her in the second seat of the stroller. She stuck her tongue out at the red panda. "You are such a baby," Ariel giggled, sticking her tongue out in response. "I'm notta baby, you are," Mel said with a huff. "Since I regressed first, that means I finished first and have a head start on growing back up, baby sister." "By a lousy day! If anything, we're twins!" Mel insisted. "Suuuuuure, whatever you say. Anyways, if you like being all girly, you shouldn't be ashamed." "Hey, just because I'm a girl now, doesn't mean I'm any less of a guy inside, okay? I'm a tomboy!" Mel insisted. "Then why did you insist on Daddy dressing you in your favorite fairy princess tutu?" Ariel asked. While the red panda was wearing a cream-colored sundress with puffy sleeves and her headfur done up in two short little pigtails; Mel was indeed wearing a bright pink tutu connected to a pink t-shirt. The tutu did nothing to hide Mel's diaper, and the glitter in it twinkled in the light. Mel had a big pink bow in her headfur. "Uh... w-well, it'll make diaper changes easier for Daddy, th-that's all," Mel said with a blush, looking away. "Whatever you say, Melody," Ariel said, grabbing Mel's wagging pink tail and hugging it. "Well, girls," Diego's deep voice rumbled above and behind the two, catching their attention, "are you two excited for this playdate with little Annie?" "Yes, Daddy!" Ariel practically cheered. "Yeah, I don't mind the tea parties," Mel said, trying to sound cool and aloof, though the wagging tip of her tail tickling Ariel's nose betrayed her true emotions once again. "I'm just not looking forward to having to spend time with Christopher again." "Aw, Princess, his mommies say that he's been making great progress with his therapist," Diego chimed in, leaning down to look in on his little girls. Mel and Ariel smiled up at Daddy, seeing golden eyes filled with love and joy at the sight of them. While they couldn't see it, they knew his tail was wagging so much it was becoming a helicopter blade. "And he and Annie are cousins now, so she and you two can be good influences on him," Diego chuckled. "When's Mommy gunna arrive?" Melody asked. "She just texted and said she'll be along after she makes a quick stop," Diego chuckled, smiling as he looked at the confirmation on his phone from his dear Amelia that she had indeed managed to get the cake. He giggled just knowing that Melody was going to love the surprise party they were throwing for her. Though he knew Ariel would be expecting one in a month for her birthday. He chuckled and felt his heart swell, never knowing just how complete he and Amelia could feel before meeting two little princesses. He checked the weather to make sure it wouldn't rain today, smiling wider at the news article regarding the new volunteer program back on Earth being a major success, with a reported 1,000 human volunteers soon to be shipped over through the portal to their world, with soon to be another 1,000 after them. He leaned forward again to look at Mel, who was sucking on her bottle of juice. She would never know just how big of a part she played in helping so many people, human and Kin alike. That's all folks! Thanks for reading!

Aww, the poor little piddle-pup had an accident! Hopefully he'll be changed soon, maybe into something a liiiiiiitle more absorbent. :3

Uh-oh... I'm thinking that when the next weekly anomaly happens... Hunter will find his underwear thicker than he remembered it being!

That was to be a cuter version of the Honeycomb Game from the show. As for what's next... you'll just have to find out! Awwww! I'm glad to know that you like my stuff even with furries in it! And I will!