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The Trinket By Horatio Husky Commissioned by Hunter Chapter One The Will Hunter sighed as his mother, who he was currently on the phone with, continued to drawl about the contractual obligations he now had to abide by. His great aunt, or now his late great aunt, had left him a few things in her will that came with a few specific rules. The fennec fox had barely known her, other than seeing her at a Christmas party and once during Thanksgiving when he was very young. She was not really even his aunt, being an in-law and a cheetah to boot. He had heard a few stories about her, some from his mother who had always spoken about her with a degree of awe mixed with disapproval. Whether or not she was even really his aunt in-law was in question sometimes, but her presence in the family was nevertheless appreciated, if not coveted. She had been an Egyptianologist, but not the kind that mostly stays on the campus of a university. Accused several times of being no better than a bounty hunter with a college degree, she would often beguile whoever cared to listen at the taverns and bars she was often found at about her great adventures in the middle east. There were usually many stories told and drinks bought during such evenings. Her alcoholism aside, she had apparently kept up her taste for adventuring into abandoned tombs and caves right up until the very end. They never recovered her, but enough time had passed where her body had been declared lost and her vast collection of artifacts reclaimed by the museums and universities. Judging from their hasty reclamation of such items, they had been waiting for exactly such an opportunity as her disappearance. They had claimed most of the artifacts, at least. “So like, dumb it down for me a bit, Mom?” Hunter asked, a slight note of exasperation coloring his tone of voice as one of his large ears flicked to the side in irritation. It was his mother’s turn to sigh, which was followed up by a response. “You just can’t sell any of the stuff. You’re supposed to keep it as if it were a family heirloom. There’s some evidence to support that this does belong to us give or take a hundred generations.” Hunter replied back. “Right, don’t sell. Just keep it. Anything else?” “Not until they go through the rest of her possessions and check her records. You might be getting some money too, but that’ll take a while.” Right… After the state takes its hefty cut… Hunter thought to himself, but he did his best to keep his sense of sarcasm out of the conversation. “Great, thanks Mom.” “Of course honey, was there anything else you wanted to know about Auntie Tare?” Hunter, knowing that this would probably prolong the conversation for another good hour, shook his head before realizing that his mother could not see his reaction. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Hrm… No, no. I think I’m good for now, still… Processing and all that. I’ll talk to you later Mom.” “Okay sweetie, let me know what’s in the box. It looks mysterious!” “Yeah, I will. Love you Mom.” “Love you sweetie, bye bye now.” The line went silent, and Hunter put his phone down on the table with a sigh of relief. As silence enveloped the apartment, interrupted only by the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the fennec’s gaze drifted over to the box that sat in front of him on the dining room table. The word that could describe the wooden container could only be described as ornate. Carvings of Egyptian hieroglyphs laced with what he suspected was gold lining on the borders of the miniature crate gave the appearance of a most valuable item being stored inside. The wood had been treated with oil, and with great care as well. Part of him wondered if the box might be empty, as the container itself looked relatively valuable. Whatever it was, he was not surprised that his aunt had mentioned that he was not allowed to sell it. I’d probably make a pretty penny off of it too… Hunter mused to himself, as he pushed his chair back and stood up, only to crouch in front of the box in order to more closely examine its decor. He was not literate in Egyptian hieroglyphs, nor was he particularly interested in learning more about them. History had always bored the little fox, and despite having a renowned, though estranged, Egyptologist in the family it never sparked the same fascination and excitement as it did in Aunt Tare. Well, might as well have a look then. Reaching forward, he undid the clasp on the front of the box and pushed the lid open. Its hinges worked silently, and Hunter immediately noted that the entire inside of the box was laced with a vibrant, purple velvet. Amidst the swathes of cloth, Hunter beheld a palm sized brooch made of a mixture of dulled copper and gold. Marveling at it, the fennec’s eyes widened as he scanned its surface. The fennec picked it up with a paw and noted its significant weight. Equipped with a pin which Hunter presumed was intended to keep a cloak around a traveler’s shoulders, Hunter turned the brooch over and let out a surprised breath. The ornament had been placed upside down in its container, and it was studded with several small jewels with one large piece in its center. Peering closely at them, it took Hunter a moment to realize that they were opals. In the center of the metal disk, the largest of the opals was oval in shape. It gleamed as if freshly polished when it caught the last of the afternoon sun streaming from Hunter’s half shuttered window. A small scratch in the center of the opal was the only blemish on the piece, revealing the rainbow colored insides of the gem that refracted in ever changing patterns of color as he turned it over. Strangely, despite the fact that it had been sitting in the box ever since it had been delivered to his doorstep inside of its own, discrete cardboard container, the brooch was warm to the touch. And it felt like it was getting warmer. “It’s… pretty…” Hunter said lamely, to no one in particular. His initial curiosity had been sated, and he was now coming to the conclusion that he really had no use for the gem-encrusted display piece other than to perhaps show it off for his friends. The more he thought about it, being the owner of such a valuable piece now might mean that he would have to take insurance out on it. Great… Another responsibility… The fennec thought grimly to himself. Hunter was about to set the artifact down, when the opal flashed catching his eyes. Blinking, he looked down at the gem and wondered if he had imagined the sudden luminescence that had come from the piece. Gingerly, he brought it back up to his eyes and peered closely at the scratch on the gem’s surface to see if he had missed some refractive angle inside of the opal’s crack. Seeing that there was nothing he could immediately detect, he placed the brooch back down in its comfortable bed, this time right side up with the opal facing the ceiling of his apartment. He thought about where he should put the box, glancing around his apartment and seeing now apparent free space where he might rest it. I’ll probably just chuck it into my closet or something… His stomach rumbled, reminding him that his mother’s phone call had caused him to miss lunch at a reasonable hour. Closing the box, he decided to put his inheritance out of his mind for the time being. Padding over to his closet, he picked out his jacket and fumbled the keys to his apartment out of the bowl they rested in. I’m kind of hankering for some chicken… He thought to himself, his mind already beginning to drift away from the strange set of rocks that were now his, now and forever. He did, however, check twice that he had locked the door to his apartment before bounding down the staircase leading to the lobby of his apartment complex.

When The Hypno Kicks In By Horatio Husky Commissioned by AnnaNapps “Soft… Sqweh… Sqweh… Shee…” The lay rat on the lush mattress, wooden bars rising to form the borders of her simple crib. Coherent thoughts were long gone now, as she had succumbed fully to the hypnosis she had tried so hard to resist. Her mind had become a blank slate, all past memories, thoughts, and talents both learned and naturally gifted had been stripped away. They were gone, forever, leaving behind only the pleasant fog that enveloped her waking mind in a soft, flannel blanket. “Comfy… I wuv comfy… Comfy good… Good for whittle rattos… I’m whittle ratto… Smol…” The simple affirmation of her identity brought comfort to the rat, her limbs tingling and growing warmer as the temperature in the room rose slightly, altered by an unseen spell to ensure that her comfort was kept at the maximum level. Her setting was simple, only a crib and comfortable mattress to keep her company. The room is quiet, still, illuminated only by the last few beams of sunlight on a late afternoon. There was no need for there to be anything else in the room, other than the crib to hold her. Annie could not have escaped the room even if she was able to come up with such an idea. No, there was only the wonderful reality of laying on her back, in a soft bed, and feeling ever so happy to enjoy the delicate euphoria sustained by having a mind filled with nothing. “Baby… Goo’... Goo’ guwl… I’m… I’mma goow… Gurl… Baby guwl…” The thought of knowing that she was a good girl gave her immense pleasure, for she wiggled her bottom and tail in response to the personal affirmation. In her mind, she was a good girl, a good girl solely for the fact that she was laying quietly and obediently in her crib, where she was left to do just that. “Goow girls… Need big… BIG diapers… Goow guwls have… Accidents…” A delicate blush formed on the rat’s cheeks, a slight rosiness saturating the normally white fur with a pleasant pink color. Annie was indeed wearing only a diaper in addition to her pink t-shirt. There was a heart on the landing zone, and the rest of the pink and white padding had been carefully wrapped around her waist to ensure that it was a snug, secure fit. The adhesive had been magically sealed against her, though even now her paws remained too clumsy and uncoordinated to loop even a single paw pad underneath a tape. The cushion underneath her tushie was significant, lifting her up a whole two inches off of the mattress beneath her. Its front was robust, wide, and thickly layered. It rode up to her upper thighs. It was so secured and voluptuous in size that no matter what pose her body might be in as she rolled around, it would be able to catch even the largest of floods without a single drop leaking out. “Big… Poofy… Puh… Puh… Poopy… Goow girls go poopy in poofy…” She mused to herself, idly dragging a limp wrist down to the front of her diaper to give her front a weak squeeze. Annie had become enamored by her diaper ever since her brain had been completely washed. It was her favorite part of her wardrobe, always there, sometimes crinkling to remind her that she was safe, and perpetually ready to hold all the messes that inevitably dribbled out of her when she was not paying attention. And Annie could no longer pay attention. She squeezed her thighs together, held apart by a good foot and a half by the sheer bulk of the diaper. Had she been willing, she would find that she would no longer be able to walk with such an immense bulk. Crawling too would be difficult, but given just how cozy she was feeling laying on her back she had no intention of moving anywhere. No, she would stay put, where everything was easy-going and okay. “Good guwls… Piddle… Diapers hold baby princess ratto piddles… No puddles… Only… Soggy woggy… Princess… Pampers…” Annie let out a little accident, trickling out of her only to be eagerly lapped up and absorbed by her diaper. It barely put a dent in the total amount the undergarment could absorb, for she had many such miniature accidents throughout her hours of languishing about. She did not mind. In fact, Annie quite liked how the diaper felt after she had wet it, the warmth of her pee radiating back into her fur to remind her that it was okay to pee in her diapers. That was what they were for, after all, to keep her safe and comfortable as she lay in her crib. “I’m… Mah… Mommy’s widdle… Puddle princess… Goow girls… Are soggy guwls…” This mantra would often repeat itself inside of her shallow consciousness, eliciting a sense of reward and euphoria that sometimes caused her to pass out from the sheer force of good feelings. Using her diaper was her favorite part of the day, and she could not even control when she had to go in it. It was a happy accident, every accident, and waking up from her pleasure-filled dreams into her waking stupor meant only that she would be awake for yet more accidents for her to relish and gurgle at. “Make stimkies… Annie… Gotta go… Make… Stimkies… Gotta… Do pushies… Good guwls… Do pushies…” Annie could feel it, the tell-tale signs that her tummy needed a little bit more room for more treats that would cause her to drool onto her shirt. Though the rat had no capacity to remember just how many diapers she had gone through that day, this was her fourth. Whenever she felt the slightest inclination to mess herself, she did without hesitation. The lavish feeling of being unable to pick herself up, move about, or even adjust herself inside of the overwhelming thick diapers made it so she would remain laying in her mess. Whenever she pushed, her accident remained firmly underneath her bottom, the earthy scent rising up to meet her nostrils and triggering a conditional embarrassment response. She would feel self-conscious at first, messy and dirty, which would eventually progress into a state of quiet reflection. Lastly, she would grow a little upset, and small cries would turn into sobs until tears would glisten in the corners of her eyes. That was when there was attention brought to her, soothing words and warm paws would lower the bars of the crib to change her well-used diaper. Her bottom would be lifted, wiped down and powdered with a generous helping of powder. Her ‘special spot’ too would be worshiped with warm, wet wipes. She quite liked this part, though she could no longer understand why, it was just a pleasant feeling, and it always came with a final reward. A fresh diaper, snuggly diapered, serving as the finest pillow for her now clean bottom, only to be defiled and distorted a few hours later when she had yet another moment of weakness. “Hurt… Tummy ouchie… Gotta… Gotta… Go… Make pushies…” The rat emitted a grunt, scrunching her face and balling her fists against her chest as she raised her knees upwards. The accident came, her tail swishing to the side to allow for more leverage as several loud sounds of flatulence became muffled in the seat of her princess pampers. Her bottom distorted slightly, bulging outwards and then sagging downwards as she pooped. So came the torrent, a flood gushing into the front of her patiently waiting diaper front as she fully relieved herself. Annie lowered her legs, her weight back down on her now messy diaper as she heaved a sigh of relief. The warmth from her fresh accident comforted her, and she wriggled her thighs and hips inside of her used padding, relishing the sensation of having completely soiled herself. Words became lost, as her thoughts could no longer articulate her feelings. Only sensations remained, the last threads of her adult mind vanishing into the abyss never to be retrieved again. Good feeling… Squishy feeling… Warm feeling… I did good to poop my pants… Good girl. “Goo’... Guwl… Goo’... Guwl… Goo’... Guwl…” Only two words remained, the only two words that she needed, for they accomplished everything that she wanted. Annie only wanted to feel good, to supplicate her body and diaper with the affirmation that she was only a baby rat that used her diapers. It was sufficient, no greater desires or wishes came to her mind other than being changed into clean diapers to turn them into messy ones. It was her sole point of interest. Now, she guided her paw to the front of her diaper, groping and poking at the thick, sodden material as yet another jet of pee escaped her, filling it further. She felt the urine drip down her front, seeping down into the flattened cake of her messy accident and mingling with it. Like so much mud against her backside, she wriggled around further, soft gurgles escaping her mouth as the sensation of being in a thoroughly used diaper spiked her dopamine levels to obscene levels. She would never be free from this high, her body would now be fully dependent on using her diapers several times a day to remain functional. It was her only source of happiness, and what a bountiful source of euphoria and glee it was. She would lay in her crib, piddle and push in her diapers, and reminder herself that she was a very “Goo’ guwl” for all eternity. This was her lot in life now, and it had now become irreversible. “Oh dear, it smells like someone just left me a little present in their diaper.” Came the voice belonging to the large, plush lop-eared rabbit. This was the only face Annie knew, and the only one she saw. Enchanted with a spell and given life with magic, this stuffed animal remained inanimate in another room, rising only to feed, wash, change, and clothe Annie when she needed it. It was all the rat needed, spending her days laying in a crib with nothing but the sheer blankness of her mind to keep her happy. She hardly understood the words that came from the rabbit now, but she appreciated the soft tones that she used. The rabbit spared no amount of effort ensuring that Annie remained calm and well-behaved, keeping her well fed and hydrated to maintain the rat’s only purpose for existing in her nursery. To use her diapers, to love her diapers, and to be completely dependent on her soft, pink diapers. “Now then, let me wipe that poopy little butt of yours and let’s put you into a fresh, new diaper. Doesn’t that sound nice, sweetheart?” The rabbit cooed, lowering the bars of the crib before reaching forward to gently cup the bottom of Annie’s diaper. She continued, her voice slightly bemused as she shouldered her diaper bag and deposited it down on the mattress next to Annie. “Oh my, it feels like you really did a number on this one, baby girl. Now then, let’s see what surprises you left me this time around.” The nursery was then filled only with the sound of tapes being slowly ripped off, and the crinkling of plastic as her diaper was unfolded. The rabbit took her time cleaning Annie up, letting the rat enjoy her touch and the pleasant sensation of having her fur wiped. There was no rush, after all, for the rat’s fate was filled with only the inevitability of a diaper change. No cause for hurry, for Annie was never to leave the confines of her crib, standing in the dungeon’s nursery, for the rest of her blissful days. When the Hypno Kicks In [Comm].pdf

Finding New Things was one of the victims of the trouble that hit the forums. I'm only reposting now because I decided to go through and do a little editing. Now to see if the formatting will behave or if I'll have to send it to the corner (how's it look to you? It looks a little off to me like the lines are squishing together). I'm going to repost a chapter at a time until I have the seven that were previously posted and the just completed chapter eight. Finding New Things by LittleFenny Chapter One James I finally finished my late shift at the cafeteria and made my escape on my bike. It had been dish room duty again but at least this time I was stationed on the catcher's end of the dish machine which meant I only had to deal with stacking dishes and baskets of silverware while bathed in steam. With tomorrow off I'd finally get some time in at the nightclub I'd been reading about. City life had one big advantage over the old small town. With so many people around there was a good chance you could find a place out there for you. Most of the fetish friendly nightclubs I'd heard about were really only friendly to a limited crowd. But if what I'd read was true then the Neon Emerald was trying to be welcoming to everyone. And since I'd been reading those reviews on one of my favorite forums I was feeling hopeful that this time I wouldn't be disappointed. I'd even made a post of my own that I'd be showing up tonight and was interested in finally meeting local members face to face. Which was why I was wearing a few extra things tonight as I took my bike across town. The most obvious was the black nylon collar complete with a pair of brass tags. One had my name on it or at least the name of the RP character I liked to use on-line. James Fenton Redtail was actually pretty close to my real name, Jayne Felton Ridgell. The other was a paw print shaped tag with a QR code in the middle. I'd had to special order that on-line but I thought it was worth it. When scanned the code would point to a web page I'd set up so people could contact me without having to give them my regular email address. I'd actually worn that at work a few times when I was in the right mood so it hadn't even attracted much attention today. Which was good, because with the last two items I really hadn't wanted to get any extra attention. They were two items I'd been nervous buying let alone wearing. The first was a generic adult diaper that had a pale orange plastic backing, because there seems to be a law that any halfway decent adult diaper shouldn't ever come in a color that regular underwear would come in. Then for a little fun and to cut down on the crinkling noise I'd put a pair of plastic pants with a teddy bear print on over those. I'd been nervous all shift. Every spare moment I had I'd check to make sure my shirt was still tucked in. Fortunately our plain white uniform shirts were long and a belt for the black pants was mandatory. Even if I was no longer neatly tucked in after the first hour I never came close to having my shirt come completely untucked. Still it was the most nerve wracking and the most exciting shift I'd had in a long time. Something about knowing I could be caught at any time was as exciting as it was terrifying. Turning at the corner I cut through the park next to the library. At night there weren't many lights in the park as there were on the main street's sidewalks but the paths were wide and mostly clear of people. This was one of my regular shortcuts so when I reached the straight section I stood and started peddling hard. There were steps at the end and in the late evening you could get away with catching some air without anyone yelling at you. I have to say it really felt strange peddling and riding with that extra padding and the little bit of slickness my teddy bear-pants were giving. Riding in to work had been one thing but going all out like this I could feel things shifting and sliding over and over. I was just starting to have second thoughts about jumping down the steps when the choice was pulled away from me. Coming back down on the seat I felt myself slip a little and in a panic jerked the handlebars. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as the back wheel of my bike fishtailed into a skid on a smooth patch of sidewalk and then with a dizzying flash of light I went weightless and tumbled through the air. Staring up at the stars I just couldn't bring myself to move. I think I must have faded out for a while because the next thing I knew I heard the strange warbling of a siren while lights flashed on the edge of my vision. I heard voices and tried calling out to them only to find my throat raw like I'd been screaming. With what I could remember I probably had been. But my whimpers must have been loud enough because I soon had a flashlight shining at me and then a second and yet another as the voices grew closer. That's when I finally felt the pain stabbing up from my right leg and along my back. I must have been a miserable sight whimpering on the ground in the beams of the flashlights as I finally passed out a second time. Andrea "Chamber vacuum, confirmed." "Primary capacitor bank, full charge confirmed." "Tuning field stability, confirmed." "Secondary capacitor bank, full charge confirmed." Andrea watched each item on the checklist flickered from red to green on her monitor while she did her best not to sneeze from the heavy scent of ozone filling the room. Ten minutes earlier it had merely smelled like the air after a heavy thunderstorm. Now it was well past annoying and had her fur standing on end as if from static electricity. Concentrating on the experiment she checked the screen on her left which showed a chromed ball resting on a simple three pronged stand. At the touch of a button the screen on her right changed to show the telemetry readings for the target zone. Across the room one of the guys gave in and sneezed twice as the ozone scent grew stronger. "Maybe citing health concerns will get a little boost to the budget to fix that." "Tokomatsu-Zinke Field Effect, confirmed. Disruptions are forming. Field strength is dropping. Triggering capacitor banks in 3... 2... 1..." The screens flickered. Failing just as the fire alarms began to blare and strobe lights flashed. She couldn't see just what happened, but when her screens came back up there was no longer a chromed sphere resting on its stand in the primary chamber. Indeed there no longer seemed to be a stand in the chamber for the ball to rest on. While the others called back and forth tracking down the alarm Andrea checked the target zone. "Yes!" She saw a spike of electromagnetic energy recorded in the target zone at effectively the same instant the the capacitor banks were fired. But her ears flicked back in dismay when she checked the rest of the readings. No matter how many times she read the charts there were no more signs of a success. Switching to cameras didn't show light reflecting off the sphere or anything else for that matter. "It has to have gone somewhere. The source chamber is empty." Changing windows she rewound the recorded video from the test chamber and snarled when the recording proved to be just as scrambled as the live feed had been. Feeling a headache coming on she turned and growled at the safety station, "Ogden! Is there actually a fire anywhere?" "There was a minor one in the secondary capacitor bank. The suppressant has it out now." "Then shut that alarm off! I'm trying to find our test target and I can't hear myself think!" "Yes ma'am. I'll need to call the Campus Safety office." "Then call them!" Taking a deep breath she switched on her microphone. "Cicely, get someone in the source chamber and confirm whether the test sphere is gone or if it didn't just fall in the corner." "Ogden, why is that alarm still going!" "Soon as I told them our fire was out they said they had an injured person to help and they'd get to it when they got to it." He shrugged, "Consider it a test of the fire department's response time? They can shut it off too." "Don't you know how?" "Know how? Sure. Have permission? No. Would you like to sign off on ordering me to do it?" Sign off on violating Campus Safety's procedures? She'd get in less trouble vandalizing the chancellor's office. "Fine, let me know when they get here." Turning back to her screens she slipped on her earphones and pulled up some music. The sound canceling couldn't do anything for the strobe lights but at least it deadened the horn.

Hello there! Here I am with the start of another new story! This was based on an RP I've been having with someone who, while I credit as a co-author, has asked to remain anonymous. Still, to them I say, thanks friend! Hugs Please take a read and leave a review! Tracey's Story by Panther Cub & Anonymous Tracey yawned and stretched in the morning sunlight that drifted in through her bedroom window. She stood up and waddled a bit over to the bathroom, stopping to examine herself in her full-length mirror. Staring back at her was a teenaged tigress wearing a powder blue t-shirt and a soaked diaper. She blushed as she let out a squeak and pulled her thumb from her mouth. Last month she had started to wet the bed. Her parents, worried, but supportive, had taken her to the doctor, who had confirmed Tracey's worst fear. She had Miner's Syndrome, and it was manifesting. While grateful that it wasn't something more serious, Tracey was still terrified by the news. So far, it seemed that she was just a bedwetter, so that meant that it would be easier to hide than those with full incontinence. But there was still the thumbsucking, which Tracey kept a vigilant watch over. Wiping her thumb on her shirt, she went into the bathroom to strip off the soggy diaper and take a shower. Once finished, and relieved to be wearing her regular underwear, she dressed in her school uniform. She looked at herself in the mirror again, and now stood a teenaged tigress wearing a white blouse with a green pleated skirt. She smiled, before realizing that she was once again sucking her thumb, and quickly ripped it out and made her way downstairs. "Morning Kitten, you sleep okay?" Tracey's mom, Katherine, asked as she came down the stairs. "Breakfast is ready, but you're going to have to eat fast if you want to make the bus," she admonished with a slight shake of her head. Like Tracey, Katherine was a Tigress, although her father, Paul, was a lion. Maybe she should have been a liger, but as things were, Tracey was just as much a Tigress as any other. Her father Paul was already at the table reading a newspaper and sipping some coffee. He looked up at his daughter and gave a warm growling smile. "Morning Tracey, going to set a new track record today?" he asked. Both of her parents were very proud of their daughter, her father especially made a point never to miss a track meet. Her current developing symptoms had worried them a bit, but at Tracey's insistence they had relented and decided to let their girl handle it rather then inform the school on her behalf. So far it seemed to be a wise course of action as the effects, to their knowledge, had been pretty minimal. Tracey blushed at being called Kitten, but smiled nonetheless. "Morning," she said as she sat down and dug in. Only when she was halfway done did she answer her father. "Training doesn't start until next week, Dad, but I was planning on getting a run in after school." "Well, keep it as a goal then. Still can't wait to see you at the next meet," her father said with an affectionate head pat. Annoyingly he'd been doing that more to her lately. "There's the bus kitten," her mother said looking out the window, "Off with you, scoot your butt off to school." "Okay, bye, love you both!" Tracey called behind her as she grabbed her backpack and rushed towards the door. She was lightly jogging down the suburban street towards the stop. She arrive just in time to catch the bus, climbing aboard and looking around for a seat. Tracey's stop was one of the last before the bus headed to the school so there weren't a lot of seats open. She scanned up and down the aisle only to see one option. A seat near the back with one of the daycare students. Most of the time the daycare students weren't that bad. There was a bit of a social stigma with them since a lot of the other students would tease them about being little better then babies. It was even worse for the nursery students. The poor kids found themselves often sitting alone since not many other teenagers wanted to be teased and be guilty by association when sitting next to a 'baby'.... And this was part of the fear for Tracey. The daycare and nursery kids were all students who suffered from Miners Syndrome. The daycare girl with the open seat next to her was an arctic vixen. You could tell she was a daycare student because she had a colorful ribbon pinned to her uniform with a pacifier attached. And said pacifier was in the girl's mouth as she sleepily gazed out the window waiting for the bus to get her to school. Tracey took one more look around before sighing and taking a seat next to the vixen, focusing on keeping her eyes straight ahead. The bus started off toward school again and the usual noise and chatter settled in. It took a few minutes but the vixen staring out the window noticed that she was now sharing the seat with someone and turned to offer a polite wave. "Hi hi," she said. "I don't think I've met you before. I'm Lyra." When Lyra turned to talked to Tracey there was a somewhat telltale crinkle beneath her that the tigress could recognize. "U-uh, h-hi. I'm Tracey." The tigress said, returning the wave. "I usually arrive earlier to the bus stop." Lyra nodded. "Yah, I think I've seen you before. Our school is kind of big, and its easy to get lost in the number of students. Especially when there's uhm, divided classes," she said with a slight blush. "What grade are you in? I'm a sophomore." "I'm a junior now." Tracey said, becoming a little more comfortable. "Do you mind if I ask just... uhm... h-how long you've been in... uh... the d-daycare program?" Lyra blushed a bit at that and absently took out the pacifier that was on the ribbon attached to her uniform. "I know, its pretty obvious since we have to wear this..." she said her ears drooping a little as she seemed hesitant to talk about it. "Since start of freshman year... but I'm not in the Nursery class," she was quick to add, "And my reports are good, I really shouldn't even be there," she said, shuffling a little more with a crinkle. Usually students who did 'good' were in training pants which apparently she was not. "I... uh... I'm sorry. Is it... really bad?" Tracey asked. She imagined herself being laid down on a changing table, a pacifier stuffed in her mouth, with bright colors and playpens as far as the eye could see, nursery rhymes blasting on speakers. Lyra shrugged. "Its fine. Just different," she said. As someone who'd been in dealing with it for over a year it seemed she'd adjusted or at least reconciled her part of it. She turned to look out the window again, not even realizing as she took the pacifier and popped it in, staring out at the passing cars once more on the way to school. Tracey stared for a moment as the vixen absentmindedly sucked on her binky. She took to looking straight ahead, a small ball of dread forming in her stomach. Eventually the bus arrived and all the students began to troop off and into the school to begin another school day. The vixen, Lyra, that Tracey had sat with took, a sharp right, still sucking her paci as she walked to the side of the campus where the daycare was while the rest of the students swarmed through the main doors toward their classes. Tracey watched the vixen go, before shuddering to herself, having caught a flash of the thick padding poking out from beneath her skirt. Tracey made her way to her home room, soon forgetting about the vixen, and focusing more on finding a place to sit. Homeroom for the most part was uneventful. Morning announcements were made, homework was turned in, and Tracey was able to fade into the crowd of students and normalize her day. There wasn't much of interest happening until she was on her way to her next period and her class was over near the daycare section of the building. The crosshallway connecting to the daycare usually wasn't busy since students on that side had their own classes and schedules, but some of the high school students volunteered to help the daycare and nursery students and a small group was heading back toward the main part of school. Tracey walked along almost jumping when she heard a melodic voice. "Kyra, oh look at you! Much better!" Tracey recognized the voice as what was easily the most enthusiastic volunteer for the daycare program. Turning her head to her left she instinctively shrank back a bit in fear from the shorter doe next to her, who was hugging a scared-looking otter girl close. "Now we don't have to worry about anymore accidents, and we can spend a lot more time together having fun!" Nora said, bubbly as usual, and, thankfully, missing Tracey's response to her. The doe was in the same grade as Tracey, and even had the same last period as her, but ever since her first year in high school she had declared her intentions to study Miner's Syndrome (ms) and go into childcare and related studies. She spent most of her free time at school volunteering and this morning it seemed no different. "Come on, there's no need to be scared! I know where your next class is, I'll help you get there. This way!" Nora said as she took the otter girl's hand, leading her waddling along behind her back toward the daycare section. The otter girl and Tracey made eye contact for a moment, the otter girl looking a bit confused and unsure even as she was led away. Tracey let out a shudder as she caught a flash of the white diaper peeking out from beneath Kyra's skirt. It had little cartoon characters on it. Tracey realized that Nora more than likely was the one to put that diaper on the girl, who must have taken a step back from training pants this very day. Tracey recognized the irony of being scared of such a smaller, slightly younger and, admittedly, sweet doe; especially considering how much taller and more athletically built she was compared to Nora. But she chose not to focus on it for now, and instead, she made her way to her next class. If I slip up, that could easily be me. Tracey thought to herself. For the rest of the day Tracey made a point to avoid the daycare section of the school. Before her diagnosis, she hadn't paid much attention to the other side of the school, but since her night time problem had cropped up, it felt like she noticed it or ended up near it more and more often. Thankfully the rest of the day passed by without further incident. Before too long she was in the locker room changing into her running clothes and getting ready to ease her mind with a good run. She greeted the other girls on the team as she made her way out and to the field. Tracey began doing her usual stretches, limbering up before her run. Soon, she was off, starting with a light jog before working up to a full on sprint. Her mind went blank, and she found her center peace as she ran, the world falling away. Running was one of the few things that Tracey truly enjoyed. No one bothered her, few could keep pace with her long legs and, as she got further away from the school, she didn't even think about the daycare or her developing MS. She just ran till she'd worked up a good sweat and her muscles felt tired. She finished, checking her watch to find that she'd actually managed to shave off a few seconds from before. Feeling elated, Tracey made her way back to the changing room and headed home from school, opting to walk. Tracey felt good as she headed home. Stepping through the front door, she loudly announced her return. "I'm home!" "Welcome back, sweetheart." Her dad said, coming from the direction of the kitchen where he had just been washing dishes. "Your mom's out right now, kitten." He explained as he pulled Tracey into a hug, before letting her go with an affectionate headpat. The rest of the day was largely uneventful, with the highlight being when her mother returned to tell of how she almost got into an altercation with a rude fellow shopper who thought she was working at the store she was shopping at, and demanded service from her. The relative calm of the last few hours was broken as it got closer to bed time, however. While Tracey had been able to put MS out of her mind for most of the afternoon, it came back to the front as she finished her homework and checked her clock showing how late it was. If she didn't want to wake up in a wet bed, there was something she'd have to do. Tracey sighed to herself as she stood up and went over to the drawer in her dresser where her night time incontinence products were kept. She opened it and looked at the sterile white rectangles that were hers. She grabbed one and shut the drawer. Tracey undressed, and stepped into the adult diaper. It had tabs on the side for adjustment, which Tracey took a moment to adjust. Once she was sure it was fitted properly, she grabbed her blue PJ shirt and slipped it on. It was still too warm to justify pajama bottoms, so tonight she was going to go without. She folded up her uniform and hung it up in her closet. She opened her door to call out and wish her mom and dad good night, before yawning and climbing into bed. Just as she relaxed and started to drift off, her thumb found its way into her mouth. I know that this is a little bit shorter than what I usually post, chapter-wise, but the next chapter will be longer. I hope that you enjoyed the beginning of this newest story!

Hi there, readers! I'm here with a little one-off inspired by the picture and story in the following link https://www.furaffinity.net/view/7854418/ . The picture was drawn by Oni-kun for Seifer, who wrote the story, and included a character from a friend of theirs that they lent to them. Thank you so much, Seifer, for letting me write out this story that yours and the pic sparked in my mind! And to everyone reading, I hope that you all enjoy it! The Games We Play by Panther Cub Ibilisi laid there on the grass, glaring at her squadmates. She could hear snickers and laughter coming from the crowd behind her, but she paid them no attention. She raised an eyebrow and looked at her fellow cheerleaders expectantly. "Well? Don't keep me waiting, dammit! You wanted this to happen, so you get to deal with it!" The it she was referring to was the fully loaded diaper, a Poopers' Brand no less, on display for all to see wrapped snugly around her waist. Despite having addressed the entire squad, she instead zeroed in on the vixen responsible for her current situation. I can't believe that Sheila was able to trick me! She's a damn idiot! As she was thinking this, she looked over to the open pack of diapers, proudly displaying the brand name, as well as the tub of wipes and the canister of baby powder that were all set up right next to her. "You pooping yourself is not my problem," Sheila said with a scoff, looking away, only to see that the other girls in their little group were icily looking at her. "What?! Don't tell me that you all think I should be the one to... change her!" It was after saying that a realization sparked to life in the cougar's mind. Wait a second... Sheila is an idiot! "It seems to me, Sheila, that it's only fair that you clean up your own mess," Ibi said with a smirk. The vixen whipped around to scowl at Ibi. "I don't think you're going to be acting so smug when the pictures people have taken and are still taking start making their rounds. You can pretend that you're not humiliated, but you, me, and everyone else here knows otherwise!" Sheila put her paws on her hips, swishing her tail with a self-congratulatory grin on her muzzle, which was quickly whipped away when Ibi rolled her eyes and snorted. "The worst that could possibly happen with this little prank of yours has already happened, Sheila," Ibi stated matter of factly with a smirk. "And sure, people will joke and laugh and bring up me filling my diaper in front from time to time, but in the end, that will fade. Someone will do something else to get everyone's attention, and then another, and then another." "So?" Sheila asked, trying to maintain her haughty attitude, and failing. "So... what if it didn't end? At least not right away." Ibi fought to maintain her cool and aloof demeanor. She may have fallen for Sheila's trap earlier, but she was still a veteran when it came to laying her own. "What do you mean?" Sheila asked, looking back at the other girls, who all seemed just as confused as she did. "What I mean is this. You clean up your mess right here and now, and not only will I continue to wear a diaper for the rest of the game, as we agreed, but I'll also be willing to make another, similar bet." She watched as Sheila stepped forward cautiously, but curiously. "What kind of bet?" As the vixen's tail slowly began to swish back and forth in excitement, Ibi knew that the bait had been taken. "If our team manages to win, I'll stay in diapers for all of next week. If they lose, you'll be the one to wear them. All week long." The vixen rubbed her chin as she mulled this over. "Well, that sounds like more of a risk for me than for you," Sheila said, crossing her arms and turning her nose up, surprising the cougar. "What?" Damn! Ibi thought. "You just said that the worst has already happened for you. People saw you in a diaper, that you pooped, and, if I agree to take this deal, will then have changed, right here in front of a stadium of witnesses! A week wearing diapers to school is nothing compared to that!" Sheila huffed, irritating Ibi. "Fine then, a month. And the winner gets to pick outfits for the loser to wear!" Even if she somehow lost, which didn't seem likely due to their team's performance so far, Ibi could do a month in diapers and ugly or humiliating clothes easily. Grinning internally, she knew she could make anything look good. "Yeah, no. That's not good enough for me. How about..." Sheila began to scratch her chin while looking thoughtful, her tail still swishing with excitement. "Loser has to wear diapers for the rest of the game season, as well as becomes the cheerleading squad's unofficial mascot, with all of us on the squad getting to be the loser's babysitters, pick outfits for said loser, and regularly check to see if they need a diaper change." At this, the other girls started to smile and whisper to each other in excitement. "O-oh, really?" Ibi tried to think about how confident she actually was that their school's team was going to lose this game. "Unless, of course, you don't think you can do it?" That got Ibi's attention, and indeed, her entire focus, on the smug grin Sheila was now sporting. "Which is understandable for a little Pawper-packer like yourself." So she thinks she's going to get me to chicken out?! We'll see about that! Ibi let her bitchy nature take over again. It helped see her through what would have been the most humiliating moment of a weaker girl's life, and it'll help her again. "Well then, why stop at just the end of the season? Why not until the end of the school year?" Ibi practically snarled. "How about the rest of this year and all of next?" The other cheerleaders couldn't believe that they were witnessing Sheila and Ibi haggle over how long the loser of their next bet would have to be in diapers. Most were amazed at how she tried to remain intimidating while laying there on the grass, next to the changing supplies, still waiting on a diaper change. "All the way through to graduation night!" Ibi said. That made the vixen pause, as though she only just now considered how much time in diapers that would be, and the considerable power that the winner could have over the loser. She looked pensive as she turned to look at their school's team, spotting her boyfriend talking to some of the other players on the sidelines. Ibi wasn't sure how much longer halftime was going to be, but it couldn't be much longer. That was when she thought of one more card she could play. The cougar followed Sheila's line of sight and caught the eye of the vixen's leopard boyfriend. She waved to him while winking suggestively. He looked at her confused, before he smiled and waved back. Diaper or not, Ibi was still practically a professional when it came to flirting. Sheila could see that he was looking away from her and realized just who he was waving at. Her tail bushed out and she had to bite back an angry yip. "DEAL!" Sheila dropped to her knees in front of Ibi and grabbed the container of wipes as well as a fresh diaper, making a big show of fluffing it out. Ibi, the crowd nearest them, several players, and the rest of their cheer squad, watched as the vixen tore both tapes and, with one paw, gathered up Ibilisi's legs at the ankles. Ibi couldn't help but blush a little from some sounds of disgust once her diaper was opened, and chose not to look down. She let out a sigh as she spotted a few people in the stands with their phones out to snap some more pictures and record her public diaper change. The cougar was surprised at how thorough Sheila was during the process. She used the front half of the diaper to clean up most of the mess, setting it aside. She then set about using a couple pawfuls of wipes to rigorously continue cleaning Ibi's bottom and other affected areas. She took a moment to use her free paw to ball them all up into the used diaper and tape it shut. Sheila slid the clean diaper under Ibi's bottom, and proceeded to give her a very liberal dusting of baby powder. After her legs were lowered and her front was also dusted, the front of the diaper was pulled up, and the tapes snugly attached. After taking a second to check the leg gathers, Ibilisi was rolled onto her side, so that Sheila could then affix the tape right above the tail. With that, she gave Ibi's padded bottom a hearty slap, signifying that the change was over, and smiling a little from the puff of powder that escaped as a result. "No different from when I have to babysit... well, aside from the size that is. Anyways, I think you're a big enough girl to be trusted to put her own skirt back on... for now," Sheila said in a sickeningly sweet voice used for very small children. She grabbed the balled up used diaper and carried it over to a nearby trash can, before jogging off to a nearby restroom. Ibi assumed it was so the vixen in question could wash her paws. Ibi blushed a little as she fastened her skirt back on, shooting the milling other cheerleaders a death glare. They scurried back to their squad's proper spot. As she started walking back towards them, crinkling a little as she did so, Ibi started to wonder if she'd made a mistake. "... Nah," she muttered to herself, ignoring the laughs she got as she picked up her pom-poms. "There's no way our team's going to win this one." * * * HOW COULD THEY WIN?! THEY FUMBLED ALMOST EVERY FREAKIN' PASS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAMN GAME!!! Ibi was livid, and blushing furiously as she heard the coos and excited chatter about what adorable outfits they could pick for her coming from her own squadmates. Her sour mood and the growing feeling of dread was a stark contrast to the players and fans in the stand celebrating the landslide, come-from-behind victory. When it became apparent that their team was going to win, Ibi had started to panic internally, not being helped by Sheila constantly catching her eye and grinning at her. Maybe she could talk Sheila out of this bet somehow... "Hey everyone! It looks like our squad's got a new mascot, Baby Ibilisi!" Ibi turned around to see Sheila holding the bullhorn that she was only supposed to use to help pump up the crowd or lead them in a cheer! The vixen seemed to be doing just that, as she practically skipped right over to the speechless cougar and, in one fluid motion, whipped Ibi's skirt off before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Little Ibi here promised that if our team won, she was going to wear diapers all the way to graduation! Now that's dedication and some serious school spirit!" The stands erupted into cheers, and Ibi stood there, the rest of her squadmates practically beaming with elation, she forced a confident smirk and waved to the crowd. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that she was going to make Sheila pay. Monday Morning... Ibi confidently strode through the school's front doors, ignoring whispers and laughs she could hear from her peers as she passed. Any she fixed with a glare immediately shut up, bringing a smile to her face, despite the faint crinkling that came from under her skirt as she walked, albeit with a slight waddle. She was determined not to let this little setback ruin her meticulously crafted social life, nor let Sheila think for a moment that she won. The cougar may have lost the bet, but she would be damned before she would show a shred of weakness in front of that airheaded vixen. So what if she was stuck in diapers for the foreseeable future? Heading towards the locker room, her ears picking up on the faint sounds of excited chatter and giggles coming from her squad mates, she smirked. If they thought for one moment that her being the squad's unofficial baby mascot would mean she would no longer be calling the shots, or that she would be acting more meek, they were dead wrong. She pulled the double doors open and walked inside, her tail swishing as she entered her full bitch mode once again. She came to a stop just as the room fell silent, her paws on her hips. She looked at her squadmates, glowering at them as if to dare them to say anything about what they all knew she was wearing at that moment. Most quickly became uncomfortable and looked away, the exception not being at all a surprise to the cougar. "There she is!" Sheila practically skipped over to a duffel bag set on the ground near Ibi's locker. Ibilisi simply raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms, silently waiting for Sheila to continue. "Well don't be shy, little Ibi." Sheila spoke with a coo as she reached down and unzipped the bag, pulling out what at first Ibi thought was their cheer uniform. It was a bit wrong though, as the top and the skirt were connected, with an odd extra flap of cloth hanging down, clearly coming from within the skirt itself. On the chest was a print of a pacifier, almost identical to the one that was clipped to the top of the outfit, dangling from a pink lanyard. Ibi cringed internally as she realized what she was looking at, ensuring to maintain a cool outer demeanor. "Isn't it cute? We chipped in and got this made custom onesie just for you! And the skirt is even detachable, to make diaper changes easier," Sheila said, practically beaming with excitement as she pulled the skirt off, which Ibi only now realized was much shorter than their usual uniform skirts. "Well, that is pretty adorable, although I am curious about where you got it from," Ibilisi said after a moment of thinking it over. Like back at the game, the other cheerleaders looked at each other, confused at Ibilisi's response. Instead of humiliation or outright rage at the prospect of being made to wear such an infantile outfit, the cougar simply smiled and removed her skirt, revealing the padding underneath. "Uh, w-what are you doing, Ibi?" Shela asked this, also confused, and more than a little annoyed. She had been certain that this would have gotten more of a reaction out of the bitchy cougar. "We need to make sure it fits, don't we?" Ibi stated this simply, like she was talking about the weather. She unbuttoned her blouse, leaving her in just her pink bra and puffy white diaper. After folding up her clothes, she stepped over to the annoyed vixen and stood there expectantly. "Well?" Ibi asked, annoyed, once more putting her paws on her hips. "Well, what?" Sheila asked, confused. "In our deal, we agreed that the loser would be the squad's baby mascot, with all the other squadmates acting as the loser's babysitters," Ibi said with a bored tone, rolling her eyes. Sheila frowned, not liking the attitude she was getting. "Yeah?" Ibi rolled her eyes again and began to speak slowly, like she was talking to a child. "Since when do babies dress themselves?" Sheila scowled at that. "Fine!" She motioned for Ibi to raise her arms, to which the cougar was more than happy to comply, and then began to pull the onesie on her charge. Ibi's head popped through the neck hole, and her arms through the arm holes of the tanktop upper part. She looked down, being surprised a little when the pacifier was shoved into her mouth. "Be a good girl and keep that in for now for big sis Sheila, and maybe you'll get a special treat later," Sheila said, her tail wagging as she saw a slight blush on Ibi's face. The cougar complied, regaining her composure while Sheila made a show of taking a moment to check her diaper, before tugging the flap up over the front and snapping the buttons connecting it into place. It was a slightly snug fit, but Ibi found that it at least wasn't too tight. Sheila then clipped the skirt part back on, and Sheila saw that her earlier assessment was correct, it was a much shorter skirt than their usual uniform ones. This little piece of fabric barely covered the top third of the padded bulge around her waist, making it very clear to anyone looking just what Ibi was wearing. "Oh good, we got the measurements correct! Now we can order some more cute outfits!" Sheila gushed, grinning up at Ibi, while some of the now snickering other girls started to take pics of the babified cougar. Ibi saw that Sheila wasn't ready to back down, and she most certainly wasn't going to either. She really wants to commit to this game? Then so be it. "I'm glad, Sheila," Ibi said, spitting her brand new binky out, taking a dominant stand with her arms crossed. "I can't wait to see what other cute outfit ideas you all can come up with." The other cheerleaders were starting to look confused, due in no small part to the fact that even dressed in large baby clothes, Ibi seemed to radiate authority. As Ibi looked on, she could see that a few of the other girls realized that they had been poking a sleeping cougar alpha bitch who, despite wearing a diaper and onesie, was wide awake and more than a little intimidating with the grin on her muzzle. "Alright girls, I hope you're all pumped and bringing your A-game today. Our pyramid collapsing like that during Saturday's game was inexcusable and pathetic! We're going to be doing drills today, again and again and again. In fact, we're going to keep doing them each day until we can form a pyramid blindfolded and asleep. Am I understood?" "Uh, actually, little Ibi, I thought--" Sheila started, only to be cut off. "Thought what? That because of my new role that my old one as captain would suddenly be yours?" Ibi let out a chuckle at that, making Sheila's tail bush out in anger. "I don't think so. All that's really changed now is that you all are responsible for dressing me and changing my diapers, as far as I'm concerned. And everyone, be sure to thank Sheila for this new changeup for our squad. None of this would be possible without her." With that, Ibilisi gathered up her blouse and skirt and folded them, quickly putting them into her locker. She gave the other girls a wave before exiting to head to class, not at all acting concerned about her new outfit. All the while, the rest of the squad was glaring daggers at Sheila, who at first looked bewildered, and then annoyed. Without saying it outright, Ibilisi had challenged Sheila to a new game, to see who would break first and ask for this whole thing to be called off. "Ball's in your court, Sheila," Ibi muttered under her breath as she let her bitch mode take over again, not bothering to acknowledge any of the other students who stopped to stare. Epilogue... "Will you hurry it up? I don't want to be late!" Ibi complained from the pink changing mat she was laying on, her legs being held up by Sheila, who was in the middle of using one paw to deftly ball up the used diaper. She set it off to the side and grabbed the baby powder, giving the cougar's bottom a good dusting. "Hey, I'm not the one who picked right now to poop themselves, baby butt!" Sheila snapped, dusting the front of Ibi's diaper area, before setting her legs back down and pulling the front of the fresh diaper up. "You wanted this to happen," Ibi said, the pink plush wolf toy in her arms. However, internally, she was feeling anxious. Not that she would let Sheila see it. Ibi rolled over once the taped on the front were secured, so that Sheila could secure the last one above her tail. With the ever familiar pat to her padded posterior, Ibi began to get up. Currently, she was just wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the words Big Stinker on the front, and her new diaper. Once Sheila had tossed the balled up one into a nearby trash can, she then helped Ibi put on her dark blue cap and gown, a match to Sheila's own. "Alright, let's get this over with," Sheila said with an annoyed huff, taking Ibi by the paw, and leading her out of the ladies' room. They walked back to their seats, the vixen clearly annoyed that the names were already being called. "You just had to cut it so close," she hissed under her breath. Part of Ibi wanted to pop her thumb in her mouth, but instead kept it on her wolf plush. "When you have to go, you have to go," Ibi said simply, feigning a smug grin. When she heard her name being called, she passed the wolf to Sheila, who simply rolled her eyes and took it, before making her way up the stage. She flashed a confident smile as she looked out on her classmates, giving Sheila a wink. Inside, however, she felt a growing sense of dread. Sometime during the last year, she had found that she would start to have accidents. It started during the night as she slept, which the cougar was quick to write off. But then they started to become more frequent, and would sometimes even happen in the daytime when she was too focused, to suddenly realize she needed to go very badly. After that, she would start to wet or mess without even realizing she was doing it. Sheila and the other girls from their squad had thought she was doing it without telling them just to be a little more difficult. And as graduation had approached, the prideful cougar had found herself stuck in a rather unique situation. She and Sheila both refused to back down, and so Ibilisi couldn't allow for a moment of weakness to be shown. But, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she was gradually losing control of her potty training. After today is over, this whole thing will be over, and I can just switch back to non-disposable underwear soon, she thought to herself, accepting her diploma. She held it up with a look of triumph on her face as she looked directly at Sheila once more. As she started to step off the stage and head back to her seat, however, Ibi realized that her diaper was no longer crinkling, but instead was making a soft squish as she walked, signifying she'd wet herself. Maybe after a little adjustment period... As she walked, a certain vixen watched, almost missing her own name being called. She could see that Ibi was walking with a slightly more pronounced waddle, and she was trying to hide a blush. Sheila got up and passed the stuffed wolf to Ibi, who quickly took it, trying to look annoyed. But the gears were starting to turn in Sheila's head. Heading up the steps of the stage, the vixen's tail began to slowly wag. The vixen grinned as she accepted her diploma, looking for and quickly spotting Ibi, who had her thumb in her mouth. Their little game wasn't over yet, and it might be heading into overtime. And there you have it folks! This was a fun little one-shot!

Law of the Diaper - Episode 2 - Part 1 Meliora Lady Meliora Van De Natte sighed heavily as she relieved herself, urine spiralling down her leg and onto the clay-tiled floor of the hall. She sat at a long table, with many other guests in attendance, including her distant cousin, the King, himself. The floor was sloped in a way that allowed people’s pee to flow into the middle, where they were promptly drained away. Despite this, the floor was still wet, and reflected the gold trim of the high-beamed roof. The chamber was grand, regal, and -- to Meliora at least -- a little over-pompous. And to consider, she thought, that those babies in the north believe us to be barbaric. Meliora didn’t much like the haughty nature of the court, but barbarity? Ha! She scoffed at the very thought of it. The King was in the middle of another one of his showy-speeches, “...for many a year now. To think! Back then we were but insects on the world stage…” and Meliora was getting tired of it. As much as she detested these things however, they were necessary to keep the king satisfied, especially as she needed to talk to him with great urgency. But, the King was in the middle of making himself look good, so she decided to concentrate on her food, it was the only good thing about these feasts anyway. Sitting cosily on her silver platter, was a selection of smoked vegetables, steaming roast potatoes, and slices of Stalle, fried to perfection. Many years ago, so the holy texts said, when humans and non-humans were at war over food, the god Liefyr gifted the peoples of the world the plant Stalle, so they would cease eating eachother. Apparently it had worked, because sat around the table with her, where many a non-human. Not that anyone had ever put much thought into it. The days where tension grew high between species was long gone, relegated to the history books of old. At least here in the south. Court and country were a civilised place now, happy and harmonious. Well, country was, court perhaps not so much. Despite the relative peace in the presence of the king, tensions between individuals still ran high, especially behind his back. Opposite Meliora was Lord Aert Van Grizmanen, a wolf with a particularly sly canine-gaze. Like Meliora, he sat stoically, determined not to give anything away to his political enemies. Enemies like Meliora. Just look at him, she thought with a juvenile air of competitiveness, thinking he can beat me at my own game. She broke her stoicism, and her meal, for a brief glare at Aert, but before the wolf could return it, the King concluded his speech. “Thank you! Thank you! You have been a wonderful audience.” the King waved magnanimously. He was kind, and often cared for the people of Plassenar, but unfortunately that came at the cost of any real power. Even now, one Kanniss Blomscheet, a wealthy sugar-merchant who’d been invited, was whispering in the king’s ear. No one spoke to Meliora during dinner however, and she to no one else. Her neighbor, Lady Halene Goudenel, was chatting idly to the man next to her, a lord which Meliora didn’t know. Meliora continued eating, ignoring the two chattering, but halfway through their conversation, Lady Halene lifted her furry rear upwards slightly, and farted noisily. “Ahhhh,” she sighed, “I shall have to go to the mess-hall after this!” Halene waved her hand in front of her nose, looking around. Meliora hoped that the woman wouldn’t notice her, but alas, it was not to be. “Lady Van De Natte! I didn’t see you there!” she said, her talking companion going pale upon seeing who Halene was attempting to talk to. Halfway through a bite of food, Meliora made an attempt at saying ‘hello.’ It came out as more of a stuffed mumble. “Hello to you too! Wonderfully diverse platter today, wouldn’t you say?” Halene continued, determined to push through the awkwardness. She twirled her hair around one of her antlers aimlessly, waiting for a response. Meliora eventually gave in, swallowing her food indelicately. “Yes, I suppose so.” Unfortunately, it seemed that Halene took that as cause to persevere, because just as Meliora was about to resume her meal, the woman conversed again. “I take it you wish to see His Majesty after we have concluded.” It was a statement, not a question. For some reason Meliora felt a child crawl through her. Suddenly she was on edge, and she felt another trickle of warm urine down her bare leg. No one spoke to Meliora during dinner. No one. Did she want something? Meliora realised that she had been quiet too long. “Yes, my Lady. I do. Is there something you wish to ask?” “Oh, no. Actually, I was hoping to speak to you afterwards. However, I understand that you’re busy.” Halene said. Meliora wasn’t sure how to respond. She rarely spoke to Lady Goudenel, her being on the High Council for only a few months. Meliora hadn’t gotten a good read on the woman yet, she was still somewhat of an enigma, and that scared her. It was a strange feeling -- Meliora couldn’t remember the last time she had been scared. Should she accept? This would be a good opportunity to understand the woman a little better. Maybe Meliora would gain some information on one of the other council members. It was a tempting prospect. “Unfortunately not tonight,” Meliora said eventually, “but --” “It isn’t at all urgent,” interrupted Halene, waving her arm toward the table. “When are you next available?” “It may not be for some time. If all goes well I aim to be out of the country for a week or two.” “Well, that just happens to be the subject I wished to bring up.” Halene asked with the dimmest flicker of a smile. Despite herself, Meliora smiled back. “I should have room for tomorrow afternoon, if that will suffice.” “Wonderful!” the woman said with an excited nod, complimented with a wide grin, “I look forward too--” Ffffttttt. The odorus noise spilled out from her seat. “Oh dear. This food really has got the better of me. I do hope this all finishes soon, or I may have to relieve myself here!” Halene giggled at her little joke, and returned to her dinner leaving Meliora to ponder what she had gotten herself into. By the time everyone had finished, the King was ready to retire. He bowed, waved his hand, and excused guests, some of which tried to hound him. Meliora would have to get in quick. Thankfully, some of the people going after His Majesty, were some of her own. Magist Gaerdt and his young apprentice, a feline girl in her twenties, were trying to push past the guards. Knowing that they’d never get past, they were instead preventing the King from leaving quickly enough so that Meliora could catch a word. Fortunately, Meliora was very much respected by the guards, and they let her pass with no small amount of reverence. She had to admit, she liked the effect it had -- as if the oceans were parting for her. It made her feel strong and powerful. “Your Majesty, if I could only-” Gaerdt croaked, before Meliora glided past. “Your Majesty!” she said, bowing gracefully. She wouldn’t have much time to convince him, only a sentence or two. This would have to be done carefully. “May I have a word? It is of the utmost importance.” The King stopped in his tracks, lowering his head respectfully. “Lady Meliora, I’m sure you have much to say, but can this wait? It is late and I-” “Well …” Meliora countered, “I was going to ask about next week’s summit. I would very much like to ask you some questions, run some ideas past you. After all, most of the men here are on the wizened side of wise. You have a much more contemporary view of politics.” Long ago, Meliora realised that to survive court politics, you had to be brutal. You had to systematically hunt down your enemy’s weaknesses, and exploit them ruthlessly. The King liked clever words, or at least words that sounded clever to him, and a little stroke of his ego wouldn’t hurt either. Merchants were good at that, hence their power in his court. Luckily so was Meliora. Clearly it had worked, because the King seemed to be considering her proposition. “Oh, all right. But we shall have to talk in the mess-room, I’m getting rather desperate.” The King finally conceded. “Gaerdt,” said Meliora, turning to her Magist, “Please wait for me in my quarters, we have much to discuss afterwards.” “Yes, Lady.” he replied, and he and his apprentice bowed. “Come Narriss, we still have to find that book.” and with that, the aging man hobbled away, the young feline apprentice helping. Meliora and the King were escorted to the mess room, the King dribbling pee behind him as he walked. Usually, due to the sterile nature of urine, one could relieve themselves wherever they wished. Excrement, however, was not so sanitary. Peasants usually messed themselves as they toiled, using it as fertiliser for their fields. Here in the city however, designated mess-halls, or in the King’s case a private mess-room, was where people went number two. The room was somewhat large, big enough for multiple people. At the far end were two windows and a small balcony, bordered by the Plassen flags -- brown fabric, with white and golden waves. The King often held meetings here, so there was seating, golden chairs with silk cushions. The floor was the same clay tiles of the dining hall, each bearing the royal standard. Meliora made a move towards a chair opposite the King, who upon entering immediately pulled his pants down, starting to fidget. Meliora herself was wearing a dress, much preferred when desperate. Watching as the King leant over his seat, pushing, Meliora thought of what she was going to say, how she would approach this. It was important, and the King needed to understand what was at stake here. “Gggggrrrrrggg” he groaned, pushing out two long logs of poop. They snaked out of him, and coiled around each other neatly onto the stained cushion below. What am I going to say? What would convince a man to go to war? “Ahhhhhh …” sighed the King in relief, a few loose farts escaping. He sat back down on top of his mess, pushing it into the cushions with an audible squelch. Then, just as Meliora got an idea of how to approach the topic, he wriggled his bottom, pushing the poop around. Prince or peasant, it didn’t matter -- squishing was one of the few feelings that everyone enjoyed, Meliora included. A spike of envy even shot through her momentarily, annoyed that she didn’t have to relieve herself, but she quickly regained focus. “Right then, Lady Meliora. What do you want to know?” “Well Your Majesty, first and foremost, do you have any ideas about approaching the treaty?” she asked. The King looked slightly taken aback at that, and Meliora had to force her face to keep straight. “Whatever do you mean, Lady? I was under the impression that they had already agreed to sign it?” “Well yes, they did imply that.” Meliora said, steering the King into the position she wanted. “But we know the North cannot be trusted with matters as serious as this. They are frivolous and fickle, thinking only about their play and not their work. You don’t really expect them to be that consistent do you?” Meliora didn’t really lie. It was cause for concern. These northerners knew nothing of hard work and labor, many lived in luxury, playing all day. “I had assumed--” “With the utmost respect your Majesty, that is exactly it. You assumed.” “You didn’t come here to ask me for help did you?” He looked like a child being told off. Perhaps he was ashamed that he had been so naive. Meliora almost felt bad. But he needed to know. He needed to understand. Meliora respected the man’s kindness too much to lie about something like this. “My King, if I may speak frankly?” she waited for him to nod his head, and then continued, “I don’t believe any good can come of this summit. The people of Luin … they’re not like us. They won’t sign this treaty, there’s too much that they gain from war.” “What could they possibly gain from war?” the King asked, leaning forward. “Weapons sales, unity through common enemy, certainty in a changing world.” Meliora sighed, it was a harsh truth that war was so simple. Contracts, treaties, negotiations, why bother when you could just engage in conflict? There was a deep silence between the two. The King had his face in his hands, thinking. Meliora had to tell herself that she was doing the right thing. Of course she was. The King only wished his people had the same luxury that the Luiners had -- he could be a great King, truly great, if tempered by the ruthlessness of his aides. Why was it so hard to watch this man accept that war was inevitable. Was she as ruthless as she thought? “Meliora,” the King said suddenly, raising his head from his hands, “I hear what you are saying. I really do. You don’t trust Luin, and you want to strike before they have the chance to lure us into a false sense of security.” “Yes. Yes, Your Majesty, that is precisely it--” but before she could continue the King interrupted. “I’ve never told anyone this, but when I was a prince, my father took me to the front line. The regalia and glory of war was appealing to a child, and I went with glee. But when I arrived it was nothing like I thought. The place stank of death, of decay. There were bodies lined up in the streets of camp, sometimes in piles. It -- I still have nightmares. But I had never thought more clearly than in that moment. I bent down to one of the bodies, and …” the King stopped. He seemed distant, as if scared to go back there, to that place. Meliora hadn’t seen him like this before. “... And I bent down to say my prayers to one of the fallen. It was a boy, Meliora. A boy of twelve years old! I can’t remember what caused his death, only that his face was death itself. His eyes were empty. His soul, gone. Imagine what was taken from the world. Imagine the potential that boy might’ve had. All gone in an instant.” He stopped for a moment, his eyes slowly coming back into the room. Meliora was transfixed, “Lady Van De Natte, the other side may be very different from us, but I can guarantee their children have died too. Lives on both sides have died for a war they didn’t start. If they have a shred of humanity, and suspect they have more than a shred, then believe me when I say, they want to end this war as much as you or I.” The King was looking at Meliora now, directly into her soul. His deep, brown eyes yearning for peace, yearning for an end to this petty conflict. The ripple of doubt in Meliora’s mind had transformed. Great waves of torment, battered by a storm of guilt and shame, crashed and bellowed within her. They twisted her stomach, tugged violently at her chest. Could she be ruthless? I have to be. She had to be ruthless for the good of the realm. There was a long, final pause before Meliora spoke. She sighed heavily. “What do you want me to do, Your Majesty?” Narriss Narriss hadn’t seen anything like it before. The port in which the ship was docking was packed full of people. They brushed past each other, all heading to one place or another, like an ant colony. Even the capital hadn’t been this busy, or if it ever had, Narriss had been busy working with master Gaerdt. The gentle slosh of the ocean lapping against the boat, had been replaced by shouting, chattering, and a loud constantly-ringing bell. But what shocked her the most was what people were wearing. Some, like her, wore tunics and pants, robes and cloaks. But some wore onesies, sucked pacifiers nonchalantly, and underneath it all were the unmistakable bulges of diapers. In spite of this, the air smelt familiar. Sea salt and urine mixed in the air across the harbor, floating across the ocean beyond. Narriss’ closed her eyes. The wind blew gently through her fur, her tail swayed gently behind her, and her ears relaxed by her sides. She inhaled deeply, taking in the atmosphere of the place, and a strange peace came over her. A gentle, laminar peace. “Narriss.” A sharp voice from behind her said. She turned quickly, seeing Master Gaerdt standing there. “Come, we have business with Lady Meliora.” Narriss nodded, and followed her teacher down into the ship’s cabins. They had been travelling here, to the Isle of Ieder, for three days now, and she was getting sick of being bunged up in a tiny cabin with Master Gaerdt. She had complained out loud initially, which had been a mistake. “It gives you plenty of time to focus on your studies instead of napping then.” Master Gaerdt had said, never glancing away from his work. Though she swore she could hear a smile in his voice. Lady Meliora’s chambers were nowhere near as cramped as everyone else’s. As they entered, Narriss saw the familiar sloped floor, with a tile pattern running from under Meliora’s desk. It was glistening wet. The tile pattern continued past the centre of the room and rose again like the edge of a bowl, stopping under a plush-fabric seat. Lady Meliora herself sat at an ornate desk, silhouetted a little by grand windows behind her. Why don’t we have any windows like that? Narriss asked herself as she stood behind her teacher. Meliora scribbled something on a piece of fresh paper, before glancing up to Narriss and Master Gaerdt. She gestured for them both to sit. “Master Gaerdt,” she said, nodding to Narriss’ left, “Apprentice Narriss,” she nodded to Narriss, “Thank you for attending me here.” That was odd. Meliora barely seemed to notice Narriss normally, let alone speak to her. This was all strange. Something was about to happen, Lady Melliora wanted something from Narriss, but what could she possibly offer? She was just an assistant, an apprentice. A flash of dread struck through her. The Lady looked uncomfortable sitting at her desk, almost fidgety. She was never normally like this at all. What was going on? Meliora cleared her throat before continuing where she left off. “As you are both aware, we have a very important mission here on Iedar. To go over our aim again, Master Gaerdt, we want to establish relations to aid the signing of the North-South Disarmament Treaty, as requested by …. nnng … the King.” Meliora looked wholly uncomfortable after she said that, jostling in her seat. It was well known to the servants of Meliora, Narriss included, that the woman thought the war was still a necessary fight. Narriss had to agree. Unlike here in the south, Luin and the Dullen Isles (especially the former) were hostile to her kind. Plassenar was fighting for freedom -- freedom to relieve yourself where you wanted without punishment, freedom to be chaotic, and freedom to be different. If that meant tearing down their broken culture to achieve this freedom, so be it. “Now that all the official stuff is out the way,” Meliora continued, “I need to ask you two a favor. This stays absolutely confidential, do you understand?” she looked directly at Narriss as she said it, and without hesitating, Narriss nodded back. She wasn’t sure she liked the Lady, but the woman’s cause was just. “I cannot … nnn … I cannot believe I’m about to say this --” Lady Meliora went quiet suddenly, and began to wriggle more noticeably. She slid her rear across the velvet cushion of her seat. Narriss looked to Master Gaerdt, who only blinked in surprise. Meliora put a hand between her legs, and suddenly Narriss realised what was happening. As if she needed any more confirmation, Meliora quickly gave up, and took her hand away, said “Oh, blast!” rather more audibly than Narriss suspected the lady intended, and leant back in her chair. Less than a second later, she sighed as urine gushed out from under the table, hissing through Lady Meliora’s dress. Even from the other side of the table, Narriss could see a dark patch spreading on her clothes, as familiar as the blue sky. “Mmmmmmmaahhhh!” Meliora’s shoulders lowered and despite her usually reserved demeanor, a tiny smile flickered onto her face as she peed. She quickly finished and, evidently self conscious all of a sudden, straightened her dress before plastering on a calmer expression that contrasted oddly with her now scarlet cheeks. Silence punctured the room, and Narriss couldn’t help but look to master Gaerdt. However, he patently ignored her, focused on the Lady. “My Lady! Were you … were you holding that in!?” he said, visibly shocked at what he’d just witnessed. As if in defiance of what had happened, Narriss’ master let his own water escape, flooding his robe. Small rivers of urine, from both Meliora and Gaerdt, flowed into the centre of the room and were swallowed by the drain leading to the wooden cistern below. Meliora grew softly stern, straightening in her seat. “Not a word to anyone else on this ship at what you just witnessed, is that understood?” As shocked as she was, Narriss was the first to nod. She was used to taking orders, from Meliora, from Gaerdt, from any of her many superiors. But somehow Meliora didn’t feel so high and mighty anymore. Something about what had just happened made the woman less imposing, less regal. It was like a cloud had blotted the sun. Everything was still in the same place, but a certain luster had vanished. Narriss noticed Meliora looking at her, and she snapped her face back to impassiveness. Did the Lady notice? Eventually, Gaerdt followed with his nod of submission to the Lady, but Meliora just sighed, defeated. “I’m sorry you two had to see that.” she said somewhat sullenly, “These people, the summit, they expect certain behaviors from us, just as we do them. The deal was that they would be prohibited from going over-the-top with their regalia just as we do ours, to avoid offence. Part of that is … we are to relieve ourselves away from their notice during the meetings. I was practicing, here, now, and clearly I could not handle it.” “What restrictions have been placed upon them, my Lady?” Gaerdt looked to Narriss, appalled that his apprentice was talking without permission, but she couldn’t help herself. All this had gotten her riled up. Why should Plassenar have to bend to the will of another nation, just to sign some stupid treaty? Why should Plassenar suffer? However, Lady Meliora didn’t seem to mind. “That is a good question, Apprentice. In exchange for us being subtle about our culture they have agreed to hold back on their pompous clothes, and ... let ambassadors from different species into the meeting.” Narriss’ head boiled with indignation. Under the table, away from the view of the Lady, she clenched her fists, hard. Her hairs pricked up in defense, and she felt her face grow taught, struggling not to grind her teeth. Meliora was going through all this trouble to appease these people, when they should just treat everyone as equals. More and more, Narriss was growing angry at this whole twisted situation. The king, our king, wants to make peace with them? Meliora seemed to sense her utter frustration at the situation, and leaned forward. “I understand that this is hard Narriss --” “I’m sorry but you don’t understand at all.” Narriss snapped, half thinking. Gaerdt’s bemused face melted into anger at his apprentices’ impulsivness. But Narriss didn’t care. She was angry, and had the right to be so. However, Master Gaerdt had been teaching her to control that anger, focus it. “Apologies, my Lady, I shouldn’t have said that.” Narriss expected Meliora to be annoyed just as her master was, but the woman was strangely resigned about the whole thing. “No, it’s fine,” Meliora said, waving it away, “You are right. I don’t understand. This is why I have chosen you for the task. I know I can trust you, you’ve been with master Gaerdt here as long as any of my other staff, and your rank means you are in a prime position to understand both court and country in a way my friends simply cannot. But, more than all that, you are one of the people that Luin is trying to restrict. Your eyes, in that regard, see differently to mine. I grew up in a castle, in a place of privilege and luxury. I need to see what you see if I am to win this meeting.” “I’m sorry my Lady,” Gaerdt said, “Win?” “Quite, magister Gaerdt. No one wants peace, so even a small concession towards that aim will be a victory. But we need to focus. We need to practice. We need to keep calm.” Meliora said with the slightest hint of flourish in her voice. She was right. This was all too important to let anger take it all away. That’s what they wanted. Narriss breathed in deeply, centering herself. The anger within her, that raging storm, spiralled in her chest. Slowly, carefully, she pushed upwards into her head. She drew power from it, cunning, and perception. Eventually, it was no longer anger, but a vague pool of energy. Narriss felt as if she could draw from it, take whatever she needed. Her stomach cramped slightly as she contemplated it, feeling something brewing within. But before she could put much thought into that, Meliora spoke up a final time. “What I need from you Narriss, desperately, is reconnaissance. I need as much information as I can get -- ideally what the very heart of their culture is. What I need is to see where they eat, change, and what they do when they’re not at these meetings. But even then I fear that I am still not prepared. I’ll be honest, I wish I could send Gaerdt but ... ” Lady Meliora looked down at the wet patch on her clothes. For the first time, Narriss saw fear on her mistress’ face. “This little demonstration shows our weakness. We need to hide it. We need to be discreet. Gods forbid it should come to this, but what I need is a diaper.” Narriss Waygar, the capital of Iedar, smelt of crap. Literal crap. This was a very strange place, chaotic and bewildering, far more so than even the capital city. Because it was a sort of neutral zone between Luin and Plassenar, both peoples went about their own rituals without regard for the other. Some, few, relieved themselves in the street, where they stood, not bothering to consider those around them. Just like home, Narris thought. But others wore gaudy clothes, onesies with bright patterns on them, frilly dresses, and sucked on pacifiers. They kept their business, and smells, hidden in the seat of their pants. Even here, closest to the Plassen crossing, these were in the vast majority. A group of Littles were huddled together just down the street ahead, one leaning against a stone wall. They were whispering conspiratorially to each other, one glancing over their shoulder. Narriss didn’t get a good look at their expression whilst she hurried past however. As she approached, a tall woman in normal clothes burst out of the wooden door next to them and ushered the group of littles indoors. Although she looked almost normal in that long green dress, Narriss could see the obvious bulge of a diaper underneath. The woman spun around to close the door, and a flicker of fear shadowed her face momentarily, before she fled inside. Narriss bowed her head to the ground, feeling her face boil, and her stomach growl. How was she supposed to actually find out about their culture if they did this? After wandering about for an hour or so, Narriss didn’t have much luck finding anyone who wanted to converse. It was difficult identifying any Plassener’s to talk to here. Besides being so very few of them, any she managed to approach seemed to scarper away, warily. She’d even tried going up to the guards, but they’d just growled and skulked away as well. This was all taking too long, the meeting was only in a couple of hours and she still had no information. ‘Plan B’ was the merchants. Not quite the everyday person that Narriss was hoping to find, but maybe it would work. Surely they wouldn’t pass down a customer? At the very least she could find somewhere to acquire a diaper. She’d been putting it off, though she didn’t quite know why. All this was so odd--the way the Luiners just waddled brazenly about in their baby-clothes, locked away under layers of padding. After a brief wander through the mud-laden alleys of the town, Narriss managed to find a small market selling a vast collection of things. One was selling books from an open-air stall nearby. Maybe he would be able to help. He was talking with someone else, a large woman with somewhat shaggy hair. She didn’t look much like a Little, so Narriss assumed she was a Big, the people who cared for the freaks that dressed up. As Narriss approached the stall, the woman glanced behind. Her conversation with the shopkeep died down to hushed whispers and, reflexifley, Narriss’ ears pricked up. Naturally, they were much stronger than human ears, and picked up the conversation without much hassle. “I hear they’re planning on invading, by migrating into Luin!” the woman said. The man simply nodded solemnly as if it was a sad truth to be accepted, like death or paying taxes. The man’s face scrunched up and he grunted quietly. At first Narriss assumed it was the topic of conversation that had caused such a reaction. But then she remembered the diapers. “Yeah, as if we don’t let them close enough already. That new deal’s supposed to make it easier for them to get in, y'know. I --” the man cut off as he caught Narriss’ eye. “No no, please keep talking!” Narriss said loudly. The large woman startled and clasped her chest with her hand. Narriss realised her face had gone tense. She tried to relax and calm herself but… “Speak demon and it shall appear.” the shopkeep said, glaring toward Narriss with the sadistically sly grin usually only seen in Wolf-kin. Then again, what did she expect from the people who invaded her home? “Demon?! Where?!” Narriss said, bathing in exaggerated, mock fear. This man would not get the best of her. He would give her all the information she needed, or at least point her in the right direction to find it. The woman glanced down at Narriss’ waist, made a disgusted face, and nodded goodbye to the shopkeep. Perhaps she’d noticed Narriss’ tail, or worse, her lack of diaper-bulge. Either way, she and the shopkeep were now alone. “It’s considered rude ‘round here to listen in on other people’s conversations y’know.” he said, almost growling with tension. Yet they consider us animals!? Narriss mused to herself. This place was horrible. Backwards. “It’s also rude to refuse paying customers.” she said to the shopkeep. Hopefully the promise of money would quell his anger somewhat. However, it seemed that she’d underestimated this man’s discontent. “I don’t want your grubby hands anywhere near me!” he said passionately, as if Plassener’s were known for being particularly dirty. Yet, they weren’t the ones who carried their waste against their backsides. Narriss raised her spotless hands in response. “My hands are clean as clouds,” she said, “And luckily for you I just need information. So I won’t be parting with any of my money today, sir.” The man eyed her for a moment. He seemed placated, if only slightly. “I don’t know ‘nuffin!” he said, crossing his arms. “Just go someplace else!” Narriss was starting to get annoyed now. This man was being deliberately stubborn, and for what? Maybe it was time for a retreat. If she couldn’t get the information she needed, at least she could get the diaper for Lady Meliora. “I just need to know where I can find a changing station.” there was a brief moment of silence. The shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised why he was asked such a question by the likes of … well, her. “Is that some kind of joke? Why in the name of Liefyr does a shaggy like you want to know that?” he shook his head in disbelief. Narriss’ ears went hot. She hadn’t been called that word in a very long time. This slimy son of a bitch was clearly too stuck in his little mud-hovel to say anything productive to her. She was done here. Letting out a deep breath, Narriss turned and walked away. She’d find the godsdamned place by herself. Behind, she heard the man chuckle quietly. Willing herself not to turn and punch him, Narriss focused on her mission. However, the shopkeep made the mistake of thinking he had gained something in that little argument, and shouted across the market. “Yeah! Go back to your shithole in Plassen you hairy bitch!” That does it. Narriss felt a storm surge inside of her, and a sudden cramp in her gut. If the bastard wanted to be closed minded, so be it. He deserved everything he was about to get. She walked back toward the merchant, who went suddenly pale. Clearly he was expecting her to walk away. Maybe she should have. Oh well, Narriss thought, hopefully he’ll remember this. “Fine. You win.” Narriss said calmly, which only served to unease the man further. “If you won’t take a moment out of your day to help me find somewhere, then I guess I have no choice but to do my business here.” and she hiked up her dress. The man looked horrified, and stepped back into the recesses of his book-stall-cave. Narriss simply smiled, and bent over the wooden counter of the stall, so her bare rear was nearly touching the wooden countertop. Her tail swished behind her, brushing against the cool air. Then, grunting a little, she began to push, slowly releasing pressure in her bowel. To her slight embarrassment, she farted a few times, but that was nothing compared to what was coming. As she pushed, she felt a rather large ball of poop force it’s way out of her, sliding through, pinching off, and then slapping down onto the counter. She let out a few more farts, feeling much better now that her gut was empty. Her mess balled beneath her, forming a rather satisfying warm, and stinking, pile. Narriss looked to the merchant again, grinning slyly. His face had gone red, and he looked as if he was leaning against the wall for support. Narriss glanced about quickly, and noticed that there was a small crowd watching the incident. Although most Little onlookers looked horrified, a small group to the left sniggered at the merchant. A huddle of Plasseners also gathered nearby, smirking to themselves. “Thank you very much for your help,” Narriss said as innocently as she could muster, “I was beginning to get a little desperate.” and as a final act of spite, she pulled her dress down, and fell back to sit in her mess. It squashed beneath her, moulding to the shape of her rear. She wriggled about for a moment, before pulling herself up with a very visible brown stain on the seat of her dress. After all, why shouldn’t she wear it proudly? She made her way into the crowd, toward some of the watching Plasseners. They grinned knowingly at her as she approached. Finally, people who seemed willing to talk. She’d finally find out what was up with this place, which would be a solid start. How she was going to find diapers for Lady Meliora from these Plassen folk she did not know, but one step at a time. There was a chance the Lady wouldn’t even need a diaper if she managed to get the right information. As she approached the Plasseners, their smiles faded however. Narriss noticed they were looking at something behind her. A cold human hand suddenly gripped her left arm tightly, pressing against the fur. “Miss,” a woman’s voice, hard and harsh, said from behind, “Please, come with us.” Narriss tried to turn without jerking her arm too much. The woman was a guard, wearing the white-red colours of Iedar, but Narriss could tell she was a little. The guard’s hair was tied in pig-tails, and she could swear the woman had a diaper-bulge. “No! You don’t understand! I have important business here, under the command of Lady Meliora Van De Natte, of Plassenar!” and she tugged her arm away, but the guard who was holding her back simply grappled the other one. “I’m sure you are Miss, but we can’t just let people go poo poo on private property!” Narriss went quiet. Maybe she should have thought this through more. Damn! “Okay, okay, I’ll go with you. Let’s just make this quick.” “You’re not going to run if I let you go?” the guard said, and Narriss felt her tail droop instinctively. She wasn’t sure she could if she tried. “There are guards everywhere,” Narriss said, “I doubt I would get very far.” This seemed to placate the guard and she let go. Two more joined her and the whole retinue marched Narriss away. About two hours later, judging by the church bells, Narriss sat in her small cell, alone. The guards had brought her back to a modest gaol on the outskirts of Waygar. Almost immediately upon arrival, the guards had insisted on diapering her. Her hairs pricked up harshly even thinking about it. Despite how wrong it felt to have this bulky padding around her waist, she’d gone along with it in the interest of saving as much time as possible. It wasn’t all that embarrassing really, not after having dropped a mess in public. But it just felt so strange. How did people defecate in this? She felt a nervous twitch in her bladder at the thought. Afterwards, Narriss was able to present the guards with a royal seal that Meliora had given her, and someone, a while ago now, had gone to fetch anyone who could get her out of here. So, Narriss sat in her cell, left leg bouncing up and down erratically, albeit hampered slightly by the diaper now under her dress. The summit would start any moment, and she was here! She tried not to dwell on that too much. What have I gotten myself into? She thought glumly. What would the consequences be? Lady Meliora said that she had to behave with courtesy--well what if she needed to relieve herself during the meeting? Would the negotiations fall apart? Back in Plassenar, you’d just ... go. I suppose you’d do the same here, too. Just in a diaper instead of on your seat. Something about that felt dishonest and wrong. Pulling up her dress slightly, Narriss looked down at the diaper. She kind of needed to pee again, though the thought of doing it in that thing was mortifying. It surrounded her waist completely, locking away the freedom to go where you needed, trapping the mess next to you. Again, the thought of using the thing made her slightly disgusted. Although, she had to admit, it did feel quite nice when dry. Like a pillow, almost. Hesitantly, more out of curiosity than anything else, she poked the fluffy fabric. The diaper was so thick she could barely feel her finger beneath the padding. She poked it again -- THUD. The door to the gaol burst open, and a vaguely familiar woman stepped onto the stone-tiled flooring--that woman Lady Meliora was talking to at the feast. Her antlers sparkled gently with the fresh mist outside, and her nose twitched slightly. Her dress was almost as regal as her strides towards Narriss’ cell. “Well, well, well,” she said, moving towards the iron bars that held Narriss there. “We have gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess haven’t we?” “My lady!” Narriss said quickly, curtseying. Halfway through her bow, she realised that lifting her dress to curtsey would reveal her diaper. She felt her cheeks grow warm with blush as she saw a wry smile on the lady’s face. “Delved into the local culture have we?” “I-I-” Narriss couldn’t think of anything to say. To be caught like this! Embarrassment flushed through her. “It’s alright, young one.” the woman said, “I am Lady Halene Goudenel, I was sent by Lady Van De Natte.” her smile shifted, wry became warm. Narriss felt her embarrassment subside, albeit only slightly. “Guard!” she said loudly, and there was a clatter from the back-room as a onesie-clad guard stumbled in. “Please let my friend here out of her cell. I shall be taking her with me!” “I’m afraid I’ll need to see some--” before the guard could talk, Lady Halene thrust a piece of paper towards them--a writ of some sort. “Huet!” the guard shouted, and a second guard, presumably called Huet, emerged from the back. Unlike the first, he was not dressed in a onesie, rather somewhat normal clothing. He took the paper of the first guard, scanned it briefly and nodded. And just like that, Narriss was free. “Hurry my dear,” Halene said as Huet guard unlocked the door. Finally, Narriss went down to remove the cloth diaper from around her waist. Oddly, Halene stopped her. “No time, we must be on our way. The summit has already begun.” a jolt of fear burst through Narriss like lightning. She had let Meliora down. She’d let her country down. The two of them left the gaol. “Is the Lady okay?” Narriss asked. She and Halene moved quickly through the market outdoors, people from all directions rushing past. It was tricky walking with the thick padding between Narriss’ legs, so she mostly waddled along as best as she could. “She is fine Narriss. I’m sorry we couldn’t get you out sooner. She is glad to hear you are okay, but wasn’t best pleased when she found out what happened.” Narriss went quiet. So much for being discreet. Halene clearly noticed her contemplative silence. “It’s all right. She’s just a little stressed at the moment. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Narriss could only nod. “At least tell me,” Narriss eventually said, “Is the summit going well?” Meliora The summit had been going horribly. The representative of Luin hadn’t been budging on any of his points and, as expected, his implied acceptance of the treaty had been less than concrete. His sense of grandeur and power was seemingly only bolstered by the large pavilion under which they all sat, each politician perched like vultures along a large stone table. They were all dressed rather conservatively, not a single sign of the usual regalia that accompanied them-- bright colours, pacifiers, that sort of stuff. Only the occasional rustle of a diaper indicated that they were, in point of fact, from Luin. Surrounding Meliora were a team of Lords and experts from Plassenar. In particular, her Aide–Lord Griet–sat to her left, and Lord Aert Van Grizmanen, a wolf-lord, to her right. They were the pain with which she would colour her canvas. Meliora had sent her Wizard’s apprentice, Narriss, away to gather information to use against the Plasseners here, but she unfortunately had failed to make any sort of appearance. Then, after finding out that the idiot girl had been imprisoned, Meliora was forced to send Halene away to get her out, and even she had been taking her time. It had been over an hour now. Dammit, why was Meliora always clearing up other people’s messes! The talks had stalled since, but she forged ahead, at the behest of her king. She’d resorted to placing valuable resources up for trade, and what’s worse, there was also another, more personal, problem that was preventing her from concentrating fully on the remainder of this damned meeting. Meliora wiggled slightly in her seat, holding her pee in as best she could. That damned girl hadn’t brought back a diaper either. She’d just about managed to relieve herself elsewhere, along with her retinue during the brief recess they’d had, but hadn’t found the opportunity to go since. Just as she suspected, this visible weakness had opened them up to political attack. You’ll just have to hold it, she thought to herself, though rather more aggressively than she had meant to. Although she suspected that this meeting would be over shortly. “Lady Meliora!” The man opposite her–Lord Vauque De La Seule Couche, the cousin of the Queen of Luin–said with immense exasperation, “Surely you cannot be suggesting that we just remove our troops from Ile De Sommeil! You’d simply move troops in to displace them!” The man was, at this particular summit at least, not the bane of Meliora’s existence. That award belonged to the other Lords and Ladies gathered around the great stone table. Despite Vauque’s relative willingness to negotiate, she was still having troubles however. Unlike the other lords in Plassenar, she did not know the Luin people and their secrets. She clenched her fists, and her thighs, under the table in an increasingly vain attempt at keeping some semblance of composure. But before Meliora could respond, Lord Aert spoke–his pointed ears perked up, “Lord Vauque. We have all seen far too much bloodshed in the past few years to send troops into a foreign land where they will have no means of escape. No one wants a war.” Yes! Meliora may have ‘locked horns’, so to speak, back in Plassenar, but here that sharp mind could be put to good use. She knew bringing him was a good idea. Meliora nodded, and continued, “Ile De Sommeil, much like this beautiful island here,” and Meliora tore her hands away from holding herself to gesture to the landscape around them, “Could flourish with trade between our two great nations. You have our word, my word, any troops we do send will integrate into a mixed set of guards for the island with your own troops. In return we ask only that your troops do the same, and we shall be open to trading in coal, iron and gold from our prosperous mines down in Modemeer.” This seemed to give Vauque pause for thought. There was a moment of quiet while he stared past Meliora, interrupted only by the gentle grunts of another lord beside him, who was obviously filling his diaper. Oh how she wished she could let herself go like that! As much as Meliora tried to distract herself with thoughts of the meeting, the fresh earthen-stink that floated through the air only served to remind her of her own relief, or lack thereof. She pressed both of her hands into her lap as subtly as she could, but caught Lord Aert in the right corner of her vision, glancing concernedly at her, his tail stiff, and hairs raised. Clearly he was in need of relief as well. Please hurry, she thought. Vauque looked down, smiling gently, and Meliora’s heart leapt. He sighed, and, to every Plassen Lord’s surprise, slowly began nodding. She met his eyes eagerly. “I am open to these terms,” he said. Yes! “But we still have things to work out. I must talk with my superiors, and you with yours.” Meliora smiled broadly. This had worked out well. Not as well as she had been hoping for, but well enough. It was a solid start. “I couldn’t agree more, though I think you’ll find the King very enthusiastic about this deal!” Meliora said. Though Vauque didn’t quite have the reaction she expected -- he almost chuckled to himself. “I must admit, I do find myself wanting to trust you, Lady Meliora. However, I also find that my trust is a little more cautious for your King, who seems more content making deals with sugar-merchants, than running your kingdom himself.” Vauque said. Meliora’s smile vanished. Perhaps she should have tried to contain her shock, but her need to pee was taking up that space inside of her instead. “How did -- how did you find out about that?” she said. Vauque opened his mouth to say something, but before he could a messenger boy waddled up behind him, and whispered something in his ear. His eyes went wide momentarily, and he gestured for the boy to leave before standing up. The lords and ladies from his side of the table all followed suit. Meliora still sat, half out of shock, and half because she wasn’t sure she could stand without wetting herself. The other members of her side glanced expectantly. “Lady Meliora,” Vauque said sympathetically, “I would stand if I were you.” Meliora frowned. What was this? Still confused, Meliora stood as carefully as she could. It was just in time too, because as she tried to scrape together what little composure she had left, two young men, each dressed in colourful blue uniforms, strode onto the pavilion with trumpets in hand. Meliora was beginning to shake, both mentally and physically. All of this was so confusing. Was it planned by Lord Vauque in an attempt to intimidate? Maybe he knows about my bladder situation, she thought tensley, and he’s stalling for time. Her cheeks began to burn red as she felt all the tables’ eyes on her. Meliora attempted to move them to her side, feigning composure. She was attracting glances from all around now. Hopefully this wouldn’t last long whatever it was, though Meliora had to admit, she had a bad feeling about all this. The trumpeters raised their instruments and rumbled through a regal tune. Then a third figure, this one wearing a bright, frilly yellow dress, short enough that it barely came halfway over their diaper, stood at the entrance to the pavilion as the trumpeters left. “Ladies and gentlemen,” they said to the row of Plasseners, some of whom were beginning to squirm a little, “Boys and girls,” and they looked to the opposite side of the table -- to Vauque and the other officials from Luin and Dullen, “And representatives of the land, I duly present her Royal Highness Queen Amée De La Seule Couche of Luin, Keeper of the Seven Swords, Guardian of the First Crib, and Herald of the Winds of Puer.” Shit. After that mouthful, and a minor moment of private panic on Meliora’s behalf, the announcer bowed and backed up, before parting to the left of the entry. And then, the Queen of Luin herself entered. Flanked by two guards in the same uniform as the trumpeters, a woman in her mid twenties flowed into the room. And flowed was the right word to describe the sight. Although she seemed to radiate a pompous regality in that massively oversized frilly tutu, and despite her waddle at the blatantly thick diaper that coddled her (in fact, it looked thicker than almost any other Meliora had seen), she was still as graceful and gentle as the wind itself, as if she had been born a particularly beautiful peacock. For a brief, blissful moment, Meliora forgot about her need to urinate, and followed the table’s awed bowing and curtseying. This may have been a mistake. As soon as she attempted to lower herself into a curtsey, she felt her bladder pang, and released the tight grip of her urine in surprise. A tiny dribble spat out, and warmly twisted down her leg, before she managed to regain control. As a small wooden throne was brought up behind her, the Queen nodded regally and they all sat. It was slightly easier to maintain control like this, and upon sitting, her hands were able to snap back to hold her crotch. She began to wiggle slightly in her seat. To her left, she could swear she heard a small fart from Lord Griet, Meliora’s aide. However, no one else seemed to be paying attention to that, their energy instead focused on the Queen. “So, it seems I am in the graces of some of the finest political minds in the land!” she said, puffing up her dress slightly as she brought her hands down in excitement. “Yes your majesty!” Vauque said. “I believe you already know our people,” and Vauque gestured to the two representatives to his left, “but we also have Lady Moren Wystwith, of Dullen,” a lady to Vauque’s immediate right nodded in recognition, “along with Lady Meliora Van De Natte, representing Plassenar,” and Meliora felt all eyes cast upon her as she tried to keep herself together. She stopped wriggling for a moment to nod towards Her Majesty. Gods it felt awful to stop! “A pleasure to meet you both!” the young Queen said. As soon as she began chattering again, Meliora resumed her little … what was it those Dullener’s in the north called it? Ah yes, ‘potty dance’, hiding behind the safety of the table. The Queen smiled at everyone before continuing, “Please apologize for my intrusion, I was in the area and was merely curious as to how these sorts of proceedings functioned.” The Queen was newly appointed, her father apparently having died in battle, during the most recent Pacification War. But Meliora didn’t have much time to dwell on that, she had to force herself to remember to smile and nod when Vauque began to recount the meeting. As she pressed her hands into her lap as hard as she could, she noticed her dress growing slightly damp. Was she leaking already?! Gods, not now! Maybe I should look down to assess the damage… No. That might give everything away. She was becoming really desperate now, holding herself as best she could. She felt the urine pressing against her bladder, begging for release. Meliora glanced towards the others on her side of the table. Some of them, too, were wriggling slightly in discomfort. Compared to them, the opposite side were eerily calm. Lord Vauque, whether oblivious or not, took his time informing the Queen, who sucked serenely on a pink pacifier a servant had provided her. To make matters worse, just as Vauque’s conversation was coming to an end, Halene and Apprentice Narriss decided to return. Lady Halene was visibly stunned to see the Queen, and slowed her rush to a walk, whilst the young apprentice moved to the seating outside of the pavilion, with the lesser officials, and looking rather ashamed. And was she waddling? The Queen broke off her conversation with Vauque, removed her pacifier, and looked to Halene perturbedly. “And you are?” she asked with an air of surprise. “Lady Halene Goudenel, Your Majesty.” Halene said with a curtsey. Although the Queen seemed a little mollified by Halene’s obedience to procedure, she placed her pacifier on the table instead of resuming. “Well, welcome Lady Goudenel. Do we have any more surprises awaiting us?” She looked at everyone around the table. Meliora was tempted to say that they might have a rather golden surprise if they continued much longer, but thought the better of it. Damn, she wasn’t thinking straight now. She felt another quick burst of pee release, dampening her dress. It was fortunate she was wearing dark colours, because she felt a large wet patch under her rear. “So, Lady Halene, why do you join us only now?” “Oh, I was just taking a quick break from the summit, your majesty.” Halene said. “Yes, I’m sure it must be wearing on you, what with your odd lack of diapers. Though I do hope you remain in my presence for the remainder. This all sounds quite thrilling.” It seemed almost like a threat. A few of the Luin delegates chuckled slightly, though Meliora noticed Vauque’s silent refusal to join in. The Queen only seemed bolstered by the reaction she’d gotten however. “In fact, I’m surprised that none of you have wet yourselves yet! What with all the rumors about you people and your barbarity.” the Queen directed that one straight at Halene, and it was quite clear what she was intimating. A general chuckle from the opposite side of the table didn’t help either, though once again Vauque just reddend, looking embarrassed. A furious blush enveloped Halene, and Meliora saw her fists clenching. “Please excuse my potty mouth. I find the differences in our cultures fascinating, but clearly the more concerning aspects are exaggerated. You seem to be controlling yourselves finely today my lords and ladies. One could only imagine if …” Meliora stopped listening to the queen. The bursts of urine were becoming more and more frequent now. Please let this be over. Please let this be over! All this pee-talk was taking its toll. The warm, damp patch on her rear was growing slowly, trickling into the chair beneath, and Meliora realised that she had fully begun to wet herself. All she could do now was delay the release as much as possible. Meliora saw Vauque glance at her, and blissfully, he cleared his throat and spoke, “Well, I believe that’s been quite enough for today. We have a busy time ahead of us, let us make the most of it!” and he raised his wine glass. Everyone around the table followed suit, though thank the gods no one drank, and they scooted their chairs back. Almost there! Her backside felt wet with warm urine, and as they stood, she felt the cold air get to it. If she could only hold it for a few more moments, just a few more … But the movement was too much. Meliora’s bladder spasmed, and she momentarily let go. It was impossible to hold again. There was little else she could do but gasp, as Meliora felt a sudden stream of warm urine burst out from between her thighs. An utterly blissful wave of relief flooded through her, rippling up her back, as she let her pee go. She sighed heavily, her eyes fluttering in pleasure. Maybe she could have gotten away with a small wet patch on her dark clothing, but this was simply too much. She felt her pee hit the front of her dress, soaking a glistening warmth into it, and putting on a show for the whole table. As her stream slowed, she opened her eyes and blushed as gobsmacked expressions from the other side greeted her. There was no uproar, no shouting. The Queen simply watched in petrified horror, before eventually striding around to Lord Vauque. She whispered something utterly inaudible in his ear. Those around him seemed to have heard however, and sly grins crept onto their faces.Vauque himself only frowned, almost angrily, holding his tongue. She turned and faced Meliora directly. “It seems that I was wrong.” she said quietly before twisting around, her frilly tutu following her moments after in a spiral, and striding away from the Pavillion. The remaining delegates, Meliora included, were left stunned. She looked to Vauque for answers. All he offered was a look of sympathetic resignation. “I’m sorry.” he said. And with that, his side of the table all left the pavilion as well, leaving a very wet Meliora, and her allies, alone. END OF EPISODE 2

? Isle of Foxes By Horatio Husky Commissioned by ArtMckinley Part One ”Island” Janet Parker kept her breathing steady, and her sights up. Disembarking from the rowboat after having crossed part of the East China Sea, the young anthropologist’s arms had shook even as she hauled the boat ashore. Still, after having furtively glanced around the deserted shoreline, she confirmed that she had managed to arrive undetected. Shouldering her backpack and hefting her emergency supplies kit out of the boat, she had half carried, half dragged her supplies to the jungle’s edge and hoisted her baggage into a small nestling of exposed rock. There, she would set up her camp. No fire or open forest floor plan for Janet, however. The mission she was attempting to undertake required utmost discretion, for not only was she going to have to camouflage her encampment as best as she could, but the boat would also have to be hauled further onto the island and hidden with brush. Still, Janet figured, she had some time yet. Carefully unpacking some of her supplies, she laid out the spokes and tarp that would make up her tent. Patterned the same lush hues of green as the surrounding underbrush, the anthropologist internally crossed her fingers that she would remain undetected. As she began to erect the tent, moving the expanding metal rods and tough, industrial string through the various pores of the tarp, her mind wandered back to the grueling process that had led her to the island she had been fascinated with since childhood. Maps of ‘Okidaitōjima’ had covered the walls in her bedroom ever since she was twelve. Previously known as ‘Rasa Island’ but also known as ‘Abreojos’ by its Spanish discoverer Bernardo de la Torre, who had become all too familiar with its perilously shallow surrounding shores, it was not the geography or its history that fascinated Janet. For thousands of years, the Japanese islanders who inhabited the Okinawa Islands held the island as sacred and forbidden to set foot upon. Untouched by humanity for hundreds of years, the island was rumored to be home to the only known species of intelligent, anthropomorphic foxes. Only recently had satellite imagery confirmed that the island was, in fact, inhabited. Changes in the island’s landscape and blurry images supplied by the satellite’s imagery suggested that there was indeed a primitive presence on the island. Janet still remembered the moment she had first viewed the low resolution pictures of erected watch towers and small huts, covered in leafy green vines and appearing almost as if they had been grown out of the forest into a desired shape. She had almost spat out her morning coffee when, unnoticed by her colleagues, a suspiciously orange shape appeared to be perched neatly in one of the towers. She had kept this observation to herself of course. Janet knew that if she founded her request to her university’s funding committee based on what most considered to be Japanese folklore she would be laughed out of the conference room. Persuading the Japanese government to lift the sanctions protecting the island’s shores from visitors of any kind was no easy task either. After several months of back and forth, Janet had opened her office mailbox to the welcome sight of a red envelope addressed to her personally. Inside of it, she was greeted with a letter proudly marked with the logo of the Japanese embassy. Not only had she been granted a researcher’s visa, but she would become the very first civilized human being to study the island’s inhabitants. Janet had gotten her chance, a childhood dream to prove to the world that lateral sentient evolution had occurred in other mammalian species. With any luck, after collecting enough evidence to make her claim undisprovable, she would begin a new career as the world’s first and leading anthropomorphologist. Janet regarded her handiwork, noting with a sense of self-satisfaction that her practice at home had paid off. From afar, the tent she had just constructed appeared indistinguishable from the surrounding jungle flora. In fact, she thought to herself, I’ll have to take careful note of its surrounding landmarks if I’m to find it again… After taking a moment to carefully study her immediate area, noting a particularly mossy boulder only a few feet away from her camp, she turned her gaze over to the metal and plastic watercraft she had arrived in. Its exterior had been painted a dull gray with a motley of military green intermixed with its rather unappealing color scheme. Despite having been designed to match the surrounding jungle, the glossy waterproofing it had been covered with caught the sun in a dazzling reflection. Janet made her way towards the boat, nervously glancing behind her shoulder at the looming watchtowers that just poked over the canopy of the jungle behind her. I really hope they haven’t been looking in this direction for the past hour… Stretching her arms above her head and behind her back as she strode purposefully towards the craft, she limbered herself up in preparation for a grueling haul towards the jungle’s edge. With several undignified grunts of effort and a lot of panting later, Janet was grateful to find that after pulling the boat onto the looser, dryer sand her efforts became significantly less labored. Half an hour later, Janet stood with her arms on her hips as she squinted hard at the boat, which was now concealed under a hefty amount of fallen branches and leaves. Sure… If you look at it long enough you’ll notice something is amiss… But that’s only if you expect to see something out of place. Contenting herself with the thought that after a day or two worth of tropical jungle rainfall the hidden boat would sink more organically into its surroundings, Janet waded through the sand back towards her tent. After a few minutes of anxiously scanning the jungle, her eyes alighted on the boulder she had set as her landmark and soon enough she was crawling inside of her makeshift abode. It was getting late, the sun began to cast the western part of the island with rosier hues, shifting from its lustrous, daytime yellow to a soft, warm red. The inside of her tent was growing darker at a much faster rate than the beach outside, so Janet quickly prepared her evening meal with what little light she had left. She opened one of the bento boxes she had purchased at the harbor, knowing she would have to savor the first few meals on the island as she went through her fresh rations before she would have to resort to eating dried food, and the few canned goods she had brought alone that would have to be consumed cold. Looking up, she took a minute to meditate before she dug in. I actually made it… Too concerned with ensuring that her base of operations was set up quickly and undetected, Janet had not allowed herself a moment to truly let the enormity of where she was impact her fully. She was on ‘the Isle of Foxes,’ the very one that her father had read to her when she was just a little girl. A giddy expression spread across her face as she looked down at her meal, shaking her head in jubilant disbelief. She had done it, years of university with her nose stuck in dusty books followed by a delicate campaign to convince a sovereign nation to allow her to set foot on one of their sacred islands. And she had managed to accomplish it all. Janet Parker did her best to compose herself then, not wanting to let her sense of victory and relief become premature. She still had a job to do, after all. With any luck, she would be able to use the week’s worth of time her limited supplies allowed her to glean enough data from the island’s inhabitants to serve as a milestone for the entire field of anthropology. Reaching forward, the young researcher undid one of the flaps of her tent to reveal the setting sun, gently descending down into the giant ocean pool beneath it. That day’s sunset serving as her evening meal’s entertainment, Janet took her time slowly picking up clumps of rice and pieces of pork dumpling with her chopsticks. The last hints of the sun had just barely disappeared beneath the horizon when she finished. Shrugging off her travel ware, Janet stripped down into her underwear before nestling herself into her sleeping bag. The inside of the tent was a little warm for her comfort, but she knew better than to fall asleep exposed to the elements. The temperature would drop quickly, and she would not have her dream field expedition burdened by a head cold. Janet allowed her eyelids to grow heavy, taking in slow, deep breaths as she calmed herself down to further expedite the onset of sleep. It was difficult at first, her mind was a whirl with the following day’s duties and plans. But eventually, she found herself nodding off, the muffled sounds of jungle insects and nightlife creeping into her dreams as she dozed off into a tired, deep slumber. ⤐ ⬷ Janet crept through the jungle foliage at a crouch. Every dozen steps or so, she would glance around furtively in the canopy above before slowly standing up to locate the beaten path she was trailing. The explorer had to take care to not walk on any of the jungle paths, as the likelihood of discovery by one of the island’s inhabitants taking the same path was too much to risk. This made the going very slow, as Janet had to take time to not only maneuver around obstacles such as gnarled roots or dense vegetation, but she had to do so without making too much noise or damaging the plants. This proved more challenging than she had originally anticipated, and sweat beaded her brow as the morning slowly shifted into afternoon, the island’s temperature rising as the sun continued to bombard it with summer’s radiation. As she ventured through, Janet’s eyes alighted on the various dried grass and wooden effigies that stood erected in the trees above, or swinging gently from a motley of vines like marionette puppets. Janet keenly noted that each of the wooden figurines appeared each to sport a distinct set of pointed ears at the top of their heads. This fact alone restirred the excitement of the butterflies inside of Janet’s stomach. | Still, despite the discomfort and slow traversing, Janet knew she was making progress. Her nostrils had caught a whiff of smoke, telling her that she must be getting closer to the primitive encampment. The smell of cooked fish and a strange, pungent herb had accompanied the woodsmoke. They must be good trappers… There haven’t been any reports of seeing them in the waters… Janet reflected to herself, inching her around an overturned log. Eager to see for herself, the anthropologist stopped as she spotted the back wall of one of the huts about a hundred meters away from her. Walking towards the village on the ground was far too dangerous, and Janet glanced around the surrounding trees as she decided that now would be a perfect time to execute phase two of her covert observation plan. She stretched once more, recalling the advice of her acrobatics instructor from her youth as she assessed which tree would be easiest for her to scale. Her gaze settled on a particularly large looking tree, covered in a dense blanket of vines and moss that would serve well for gripholds and traction. With a muffled grunt, Janet grabbed the nearest vine and hoisted herself up, her ankles gripping the leafy rope tightly as she began to ascend. One hand over another, Janet felt the excitement of the ascent course through her, quickly replacing the idle boredom of having to slowly sneak through the tropical forest. Janet reached for the branch above her, her knuckles turning white as her fingers gripped the aged bark enough to support her entire weight. Grabbing onto another part of the same branch with her other hand, she felt her grip loosen as her heart skipped a beat. Bits of decayed bark fell down to the forest floor below as she swayed precariously, holding on with only four of her fingers; the foliage below appeared dangerously far beneath her. She gasped, only just barely stifling the yell of fright that had welled up in her chest as she remembered where she was and what she was doing. Silently, her face contorted into a pained expression of effort and desperation. She swung herself from side to side, before reaching up and grabbing the branch once more with her other hand. To her relief, the wood held, and bit by bit she was able to haul herself up until she kneeled safely on the tree’s rigid bough. Janet took a moment to catch her breath, her chest heaving as her nerves calmed themselves down from the fight or flight response. Trying not to think about the fact that she had almost plummeted to her death, Janet quickly shuffled along the branch and began to make her way slowly through the canopy in the direction of the primitive village. A quarter of an hour later, she had closed the hundred meter distance. The smell of cooking fires and sizzling meat now punctuated the air, causing Janet’s mouth to water. Whatever the island’s inhabitants were cooking up, it smelled delicious. The anthropologist almost regretted having to conduct the research undetected, as she would have loved in that moment to break bread with the cooks of the island. She could now hear muffled voices, remarkably high-pitched for a collection of human primitives. Janet did her best to control her breath, her vision still obstructed by the large hut in front of her. She would have to creep along the branch, and do her best to glean what she could from the leafy canopy above. Janet’s right hand crept slowly into her satchel, ruffling around its contents until her fingers came into contact with the cool metal of her camera. Quietly, she took it out of her bag. She was about to begin a slow, methodical crawl across the tree’s branch when she heard the distinct sound of rustling leaves to her left. Before she could react, a voice that sounded like a squeaky child’s inquiry almost caused her to fall out of the tree in surprise. Janet’s head whipped around towards the source of the voice. Her jaw dropped open, her eyes growing wide as she beheld the sight in front of her. Standing on two paws at roughly a meter in height, with a blood orange colored fur coat, was a fox.

It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon, the kind not seen in some time. The sky was painted a clear blue and the air was warm and still. Not scorching hot like some summer days—just warm. On a grassy hill overseeing a quaint town, not a soul was stirring except for one tiger and her stack of books. By the day’s end, she hoped to have cracked through a couple of novels that have been wasting away in her backlog. “Let’s see...” Velvet pondered to herself. “Where do we begin? I really wanted to start ‘The Crow Files’ today…” This type of free time didn’t pop up every day. She had to make the most of it. With a clear schedule, there was nothing stopping Velvet from getting lost in a good book. “VEEELVEET!!!” “Oh crap.” Velvet thought. Her ears perked up; she turned her head to see the source of the familiar voice charging towards her. The giant, lion shaped nuisance she was hoping to avoid. “Yo, Velvet,” The nuisance began, “How’s it hanging?” “Baxter.” She answered curtly, “Is there something I can do for you? Did you forget how to open a picket fence or something?” Baxter laughed, interpreting her sharp comment as playful banter. “Naw, it ain’t like that. I just figured, what with it being your day-off and all, you’d be all types of bored. With me being such a nice guy, I thought I’d keep you company.” The lion flicked back his mane and shot a smirk at her. Ugh. “Well Baxter, that’s very…generous of you to think that. Fortunately, I have more than enough good company already.” Velvet motioned towards her stack of books. Baxter scoffed. “Seriously? You can read those books any day.” “Yes, and I want to read them today, idiot.” “I’m a busy cat Velvet. I’m really careful with my days off.” “Yeah right, busy bugging me all the time.” “I have to make my time off special. That’s why I’m trying to spend it with a special girl, you dig?” “Yuck. Gross. Barf.” Velvet’s poker face was beginning to crack. Her claws unsheathed and scratched the grassy hill, a sign that she was running low on pleasantries. What was supposed to be a day for reading had been shanghaied by this lovestruck loser. She struggled to think how this day could get any worse. “Come on Baxter. Isn’t there anything else you’d rather be doing today?” “Anything else?” That stupid smirk was back in full force. “That sounds like an invitation to me. If you wanted to skip the chit-chat all you had to say was—” “VELVET VELVET VELVET VELVET VELVET!!!!” “Oh great. It’s the other one.” Before the two big cats could even blink, someone else was already standing attention in front of Velvet. He was a cheetah, fur slicked back and bursting with energy. “Hello Flash.” Velvet groaned, “What can I d—” “Wassup girl!” Flash interrupted. “I didn’t know you were chilling out on the hills today!” Flash had a wide grin on his face and was hopping about like an overjoyed puppy. “Well, I was j—” “Me?” Flash interrupted. Again. “I was just getting some laps in, doing my thing, y’know?” Flash halted his hops, swapping over to a round of toe touches. “Then I spotted you looking all types of fine!” With just one line, Flash had upgraded from impatient puppy to drooling dog. “Actually, I w—” “Doing some reading? Yawn!” One extra quick look at the stack of books was enough to make Flash lose interest. “C’mon mama, that stuff is for schoolgirls! Here’s a better idea. How about we grab a bite and go somewhere a little more…private, if you catch my drift? Velvet wasn’t catching any drift. “One more stupid pet name and the only thing this creep would be catching is a black eye!” Why, oh why, did these two clowns have to flirt with her today? Over time Velvet grew use to the occasional wink and cheesy pick-up line during her work hours. But to her, free days were as sacred as they were rare, and she had two stupid boys to ruin that. “Hey spot,” Baxter snarled, “The lady is with me. Why don’t you skitter on back from where you came from?” Flash turned around to see Baxter looming over him, he could practically see the steam puffing out of the lion’s nostrils. Flash did a doubletake and started to snicker. “Velvet, is this hick serious? Is this joker giving you trouble? “He isn’t the only one, that’s for sure,” Velvet thought. If these two wanted to impress her, they could try acting like adults for once. “Seriously, do they think I’m some kind of airhead?” “You better watch your mouth, punk.” Baxter puffed out his chest, squaring up to the smaller big cat. “Great. Now they were fighting.” The oncoming display of macho attitude did nothing to excite the female feline. Quite the opposite. “You know, if they could keep their hands to themselves, or to each other, I might get some reading done.” Just as she let the thought cross her mind, Velvet felt the proverbial lightbulb click on overhead. “You wanna go, country boy!?” “Yes, come to think of it…” Velvet brewed up a plan, drowning out the incensement chatter a few feet away from her. The solution became obvious, as worked she out all the kinks in her mind. “Now, all I need to do is get those two bozos on board.” “Ready when you are, shrimpy!” “Hey! Listen up!” Velvet roared, raising her voice for the first time that day. It was enough to stop the two boys from maiming each other, as they both now stood attention towards her. “Now, it is obvious you two are obsessed with me. Now, I can’t have you two biting your heads off over me, so here is what we’ll do. We need a neutral third party. As such, I nominate my old friend, Lilac. She needs someone to help tidy up around her house, and I believe you two are perfect for the job. After that, she will tell me which of you did the better job.” Baxter and Flash stared at the tiger, a mutual look of confusion on their faces. Velvet rolled her eyes. It appears she had to retranslate the idea into a language two overly smitten kittens could understand. “I need a man that knows how to help a woman. If you can’t handle it, you two just aren’t worth my time. Lilac will be able to bring out your true character.” Baxter had a sour look on his face, like he was mulling over pros and cons. It sounded like she was trying pawn off her friend’s chores onto two able-bodied fellas. Before he could conclude, Flash arrived with his answer. “Now sweat, Lil’ mama! I’ll have her house so clean; you can eat off it.” The lion replied, not wanting to be one-upped. “You can leave the heavy lifting to me. Spot here will probably throw his back out at the front door. I say we skip the embarrassment and give the obvious winner his date now.” Velvet was not having it. “Oh no you don’t. The dates will come later. You two just need to worry about doing a good job tomorrow” Velvet gathered up her stack of books and took her leave. “I need to go warn her about your arrival. You can’t show up to a lady’s house unannounced.” To really sweeten the deal, Velvet looked over her shoulder, put on her best pair of babydoll eyes, and said, “I’ll be waiting for my winner~.” The teasing made the tigress gag internally. It was as degrading as it was effective. Velvet had no doubt Baxter and Flash would be outside of Lilac’s doorstep first thing come tomorrow. As soon as the dizzying duo were out of sight, Velvet let out a sigh of relief. Knowing Ms. Lilac, ‘the date’ would never have to come. It was nothing more than a fish to dangle for two hungry cats. The thought gave her small comfort. For now, at least, all Velvet had was faith in an old friend. Faith, and a stack of books she would very much like to read. *** Dawn had arrived, and so had the two big cats. Unsurprisingly, Flash showed up first, outpacing Baxter considerably. He looked very proud over this fact, smugly perched outside the front step. “Took you long enough. What, you had comb the bugs outta your mane or something?” Baxter exhaled sharply. He didn’t bother to shoot a comeback and start fighting. He had a job to do today, and he couldn’t let Flash disrupt that. His eyes were on the prize. Victory was in his lap—and soon, Velvet would be as well. “Why are you bumming out here? You could have knocked on the door already. What, you get lonely without me.” “I was just waiting to see if you were going to show up. You might have decided to ditch and leave me with all the work.” He was nervous. Baxter could tell right away. Flash was so easy to read. Although, Baxter couldn’t blame him. Lilac’s manor gave off major witch-vibes. He was happy to come here in the morning, and not on a dark stormy night. They didn’t even get a chance to knock. Their commotion had alerted the homeowner, as the manor’s wide double doors stretched open. She was a skunk, her fur a fine black with white stripes. They could tell she was an older woman. Both by the crows’ feet under her eyes, and her sense of dress. Her bonnet and checkered blouse looked as antique as the house itself. “Why, hello my dearies!” Lilac began, in a shrill little voice. “You must be those big strong lads who have come to help me? Velvet told me all about you two. Come in, come in!” She took the two big cats by their arms, dragging them inside. The front door shut behind them with a resounding boom, causing the lion and the cheetah to flinch. The skunk was unfazed, still tickled pink by her new company. “Are you boys ready to get to work?” Flash cut in, “Ready and waiting ma’am! You just show me where to clean, and I’ll mop to it,” he answered, finishing with a wink. The joke got a smile from Lilac, and an eyeroll from Baxter. “Well, we—"Before Baxter could say his piece, a strikingly strong scent hit his nose and cut through his train of thought. It was fruity yet flowery. Sweet yet mature. The scent traveled from Baxter’s nostrils to his throat, and he struggled to hold back his cough. Lilac wasn’t noticeably offended. She hadn’t even looked surprised at the reaction. “Oh, I see you noticed my perfume.” The skunk walked between the two younger workers, her big fluffy tails brushing their sides. “It’s an older fragrance. A family staple. It’s something I reserve for my most special guest. It is not the most popular scent. Girls your age probably find it too abrasive.” Abrasive was putting it mildly. Baxter looked over to Flash, and saw his eyes were watering. Baxter’s head was swimming in a perfumed sea. He weakly waved a paw behind himself, trying to find something to sit down on. That hadn’t panned out, and a large feline fell back on the floor below. In a rare occasion, Flash was second. He fumbled forward, falling to his hands and knees. Both big cats were drowning, desperate to find dry land. Instead, they found a lady skunk as their lifeline. Lilac wasn’t noticeably shocked. Her two newest guests looked on the brink of collapse, but her responses were unadjusted. Another dainty chuckle. Another sweet smile. Nothing out of the ordinary for this skunk. “I think I might have overdone it. You two are such big things. I wasn’t sure how much it would take to put you down. Still, I’m glad to have you around. You two are going to be very good workers for me. Is that understood?” “Yes, Madam Lilac.” Flash answered first, as eager as ever to heed a lady’s call. His gaze was vacant, his reply was thoughtless. Mentally, he had dived headfirst into a fog, and he had no clue how to turn it back around. Lilac’s instruction was his beacon of hope. Or a siren’s call. He hadn’t been able to tell the difference. “Such a fast learner,” Madam Lilac cooed. “I’m glad to have you aboard. But I need to have some muscle as well. Let us see what your friend has to say.” Satisfied with the cheetah, Lilac turned her attention to the much larger feline. Cupping his head in her paws, smiling sweetly, her tails brushing under his nose. Lilac knew how to persuade a simple mind. There was no shame in her game. “You still want to tidy up for me, yes?” Baxter’s body was sturdy and stable. His mind, however, was very open to outside interference. Whether it was the general atmosphere of the morning, or the impossibly strong scent that circled his senses, Baxter couldn’t say. Baxter could say that he felt comfortable in the hands of Lilac. That was enough to form an answer. “Y…Yes, Madam Lilac.” Madam Lilac smiled, having got the answer she wanted. “I’m so glad we’re all on the same page. Now, it’s time I put you two to work.” *** Baxter toiled away, a dainty feather duster in hand. He still couldn’t believe he let the library get this dusty. Had he been shirking off his duties? It sounded unlikely, and quite out of character for him. This morning had been such a blur, it was hard to say how he had been acting. So many oddities this morning, even his regular uniform felt foreign to him. Thankfully, there was nothing else out of the ordinary. *CRINKLE CRINKLE* He had to get his mind out of the gutter. His skirt swish freely as he walked through the library halls, trying to gain a familiar rhythm. He outstretched a gloved paw to dust a particularly high shelf, thankful his high heel shoes gave a slight boost in height. He pulled back his long white gloves and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He was lucky he didn’t need to stop for bathroom breaks. *CRINKLE CRINKLE* Keep the manor spick and span. Don’t complain. Don’t wince. That was code, day in and day out. That was your mission every day. Every day? Of course, every day. What else would he be doing besides this? “How is work going, dearie?” Before Baxter’s mind could fall into another stupor, his madame arrived to pull back his attention. Baxter paused his work and met her with a curtsy. “Good to see you, Madam Lilac. Everything is going well. Though, I have been feeling a bit dazed today.” “I’m sorry to hear that, my dear. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to rest today. I have guests coming over today, and I need everything to be in order.” Without so much as a word, Lilac held Baxter closer, brushing her large, bushy tail against him. “You understand, don’t you? I need you be a good maid for me.” As Madam Lilac held him, Baxter felt all his troubles wash away. His dam had been broken, and the intrusive thoughts came flooding out. He felt a great sense of release as his mind finished draining itself. “…Yes, Madam Lilac. Forgive me. I will be a good maid for my Madam.” Madam Lilac got the answer she wanted, same as always. She left the maid to his duties. Baxter, now alone again, took a moment to examine himself in a nearby full-body mirror. He lifted the front of his skirt, taking a good long look at the pink disposable diaper that he wore. It was thick enough to endure a full workday, being as standard as the rest of his uniform. The diaper plainly read “PAT HERE” on the front and the back, in large cutesy lettering. It was a clear instruction that Madam Lilac often followed when checking on her maids. Baxter let out a relieved sigh, seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary. *CRINKLE SQUISH CRINKLE* *** Flash was on a roll today. He couldn’t remember the last time he had worked so hard. In fact, all his past workdays had become a vague blur to him. No worries. Just another smudge to wipe away. Nothing to lose pace over. His madam gave him a job to do, and nothing was going to change that. Including a glass half full of foggy memories. By the time he finished, this bathroom would be spotless. “Well, someone is working hard.” Without a sound, Madam Lilac appeared at the edge of the bathroom doorframe. The skunk smiled down at the cheetah, who was busy scrubbing down the tile floor. “Yes indeed, Madam Lilac!” Flash replied, as eager to please as ever. “Got to make sure everything is spic-span for you and your ladies tonight. Leave it all to me.” “As chipper as ever, I see. That’s good. My friends are going to adore that attitude of yours. I thought I would have to give you some encouragement, but you appear to be getting along splendidly. Carry on, my dear.” Flash wasn’t one to complain about well-earned praise. So, he carried on as instructed, being the best maid that he knew how to be. The marble tiles that clacked against his shoes were spotless. The mirror was gleaming, showing a clear image of his adorable reflection. He even made sure to clean the odd porcelain chair in the corner of the room. The one with water under the lid. He never found out what that was for. The madam had no doubt reminded him countless. In the end, Flash decided it couldn’t be that important. Certainly not worth committing to memory. Flash took a seat on the mystery throne, taking a moment to catch his breath. He noticed nature’s call and answered it on the first signal. He was a maid, made for efficiency. He knew that he couldn’t let such base urges disrupt his workflow. With that thought, his bladder finally let loose, a hiss echoing in the small bathroom. Flash felt a small kick of embarrassment deep down somewhere, and he had no clue as to why. He had relieved himself, flooding his diaper in the bathroom on top of the funny-looking chair. Nothing worth noting. Satisfied, Flash stood back up and continued his duties, not at all minding the new warm and wet feelings he had to deal with. It was all just another day’s work as a maid. *** It was progress report time. Madam Lilac’s maids had been called back to the foyer to discuss their next assignment. They both arrived early, still not caring for the other’s company. The two were growling at each other now, both feeling catty. “Well,” the lion scoffed, “I’m surprised the madam hasn’t fired you yet. She must enjoy watching you struggle and fumble around. Not that I blame her, given how cute and submissively you act.” “Oh, just stop it,” The cheetah spat. “You are just jealous that she likes me more. It’s because I’m not a total slowpoke, like you. Waddling around with that big bulky frame of yours. I’m surprised she found a dress big enough to fit your thick butt.” “Beatrice! Fiona! You two better not be fighting again.” Madam Lilac called out to her maids, walking down the stairs ready to greet her guest. “My friends are going to be here any moment now. I need my best girls to be on their best behavior. Is that clear?” The madam’s perfume was stronger now, both maids picking up the brunt of it as she held their heads under her paw. The pair’s growls had turned into guilty whimpers. “Sorry, Madam Lilac,” replied Fiona. “Sorry, Madam Lilac,” replied Beatrice. Their obedience had successfully been refreshed. Was Lilac overdoing her dosing? Not at all, she thought. These two kitties desperately needed to be trained. “Very good. You two had better play nice now.” “Understood, Madam Lilac.” Beatrice was so sick of having to put up with this shrimpy, petite thing. That Fiona thought she was so cute, the way she waved her hips around with every step. What she wouldn’t give to have five minutes alone with that little tease. “Yes, Madam Lilac.” Fiona had her own set of reservations. It was so distracting, watching Beatrice lean down to dust a vase or water a plant. She gave the whole world a perfect view of her thick thighs and fat diapered butt every time she did it. That big tease, it had to be intentional. The front doorbell rang, alerting the lady and her maids the guest had finally arrived. The maids whipped into action and opened the huge double doors in unison. They welcomed the new arrivals with a bow, and they all looked so happy to be here. They were all skunks, about Lilac’s age. They very easily could be relatives, or old family friends. Whatever the case, Beatrice and Fiona were to treat them all with the utmost respect, as any good maid would. Fittingly enough, all eyes were glued to the pair of padded maids. “Oh, they are just adorable!” “You sure do know how to find good help!” “What a precious pair of big cuties.” Madam Lilac chuckled to herself. “Yes, yes. My maids are very lovely. But please, give them some space. They’ve had a rough morning…let’s call it fatigue. Why don’t you take the discussions to the living room? That’s a much more appropriate place to catch up. And the maids will serve us while we talk.” Lilac had managed to corral her friends to the living quarters. The maids were commanded to set their squabbling aside and cater the guests. In time, the ladies were seated, and their topic of daily discussion was busy serving them, tending with tea and cookies. “I must say, Lilac,” One woman opened, stifling back giggles, “You have really outdone yourself this time. You certainly have an eye for quality.” She took a sip of her tea, admiring how much grace the lion displayed, despite the bright pink diaper she wore. “Oh, I agree! Finding good help these days is feels next to impossible.” The other woman patted the pink diaper of the cheetah next to her, as the print had instructed. “So submissive as well. I thought that trait died out in this newer generation. Don’t let these two get away now!” Lilac waved off the excited chatter. “Really, you must all stop with the flattery. My maids were eager to help me today, is all. As you know, the process is so much easier with a willing party. I had their services recommended by a friend and the rest worked itself out. They used to squabble all day with each other. But they have made great progress in such a short span of time. Observe.” Lilac rang a bell, and the maids instantly stood attention. Good. That was one less thing she needed to commit to teaching them. “Girls, I want you to show my friends how well you two get along. Now, face each other, and pay another a compliment.” The Madam’s command was law. As obedient as they were, matching blushes still rose to each of their faces. Beatrice had a collection of strange and conflicting feelings about Fiona that had been building up very quickly. Fiona, in turn, was afraid to admit how similar she felt. Madam Lilac clapped. “Hurry up now. It is very rude to keep a lady waiting.” Beatrice swallowed. She was strong enough to be the bigger person and make the first move. “Fiona. I have always admired how quick-witted you are. Having you around always makes me want to work harder. I think, on some level, I would be lost without you.” She spoke from the heart, surprisingly enough. Nothing she said was untrue. She just hadn’t been able to put them into words until today. Everything came automatically, without command. This was turning into quite a wake-up call. Fiona gasped; hands cupped over her mouth. Had Beatrice truly felt that way all this time!? Were all those rude acts simply a confused attempt for her attention!? “Oh my! Bea! You are too sweet! I love having you with me. I feel so safe with those big, strong arms nearby.” The emotional floodgates had been opened now. It did not take much to swoon the cheetah over. Beatrice had confessed, so Fiona saw no reason to hold back her spring of emotions. “I want to cuddle up in a crib with a big pretty kitty holding me snug. I cannot get you out of my head, Bea! All the ladies loved this show of emotions. Madam Lilac especially. While their words were not planned for, she was more than satisfied with the results. “Very good, my girls. But, before I release you, I need to make sure there are no pent-up feelings left over. How about you two kiss to make up?” Go on now. No point in being shy.” Fiona was the first to react, as usual. Fiona pressed her lips against Beatrice’s, unable to stop her feelings any longer. Tails were curling. Fiona had on leg kick high up, the back of which brushed by her padding. Beatrice certainly was not refusing. She wrapped her big, strong arms around her, pulling Fiona closer. Paws began to wander to places better left unmentioned. All that can be said is that their diapers had never been noisier until that moment. The living room space certainly came alive. The guests were hollering at the sight. The smooching became loud, more impassioned. Breathy pants began to emerge from the pair of passionate pussycats, neither one wanting to stop. The entire time, Lilac sat back silent and enjoyed the show. Of course, this would not be the only showing Lilac would be treating her friends to. Lilac said she would put these kittens to work, and the good woman never went back on her word. *** It took Velvet a while to realize why her days had been going so well recently. No one was hitting on here during work. Her phone line was much quieter recently. Everything had been peaceful. Nothing to bother her. No one to bother…No two to bother her. After a striking revelation, Velvet put her day on hold to make a beeline to Lilac’s manor. She was surprised that Lilac never gave her an update on the situation. Had something gone wrong? Better than expected? Lilac was always so punctual, so Velvet had no idea what conclusion to reach. But, when the wide double doors of the manor were pulled open, Velvet got her answers. She had been greeted by a pair of maids. Maids who, technically, Velvet was already familiar with. Maids with matching uniform, which fit the pair surprisingly well. Frilly blacks dress with thick pink diapers. It was a classic favorite of Madam Lilac. One was a lion, tall, sturdy and thick. Her mighty mane had been styled into rows of elegant curls. She was no doubt excellent at doing any heavy lifting her master required of her. The other was a cheetah, slender and petite. Her athletic frame would have scored her the attention of any mate she’d liked. The cheetah, nowadays, uses it for running up hallways and sweeping down floors and impressive speeds. They truly were a sight to behold, this pair. How awkward for Velvet, meeting them again for the first time. The maids curtsied for the guest, business as usual. If there were any lingering feelings of betrayal or bitterness, it certainly did not show on their faces. Certainly not behind the pounds of makeup caked onto their faces. “Um…hello.” Velvet blushed. Did they truly not recognize her? It sounded too good to be true. It was most likely better this way. She didn’t need a pair of bitter big cats on her tail. She had a blank slate to work from. “Is your master here today? I would like to speak with Madam Lilac. Before the maids could say anything, the lady arrived with her own response. “Velvet, darling, is that you? Oh, come in, come in!” The lady skunk ran to the front door and embraced her old friend. “I wish you had called me beforehand. It is so lovely to see you.” Lilac whipped her head back and looked over at the maids, who were awaiting instructions. “Girls, prepare a spot of tea for me and my guest. We have much catching up to do.” The maids curtsy and follow orders without a second thought. Velvet wanted to decline the offer, but she knew Lilac rarely took no for an answer. Still, Velvet was impressed at how effectively the maids worked together. No fuzzing or fighting. It was almost as if the pair enjoyed the company, giggling at each other’s jokes and mannerisms. They certainly had made quite a turnaround. “Very good, girls. You two are dismissed. You may have one of your breaks while me and friend converse.” Lilac smiled as her maid gave leave, returning attention to her old friend. “So, what brings to my corner of the world, Velvet? I must say, you look to be in good spirits today. You are practically glowing.” It was not the first time Velvet heard that sentiment recently. Her mind had been much clearer, and reason for just waddled away upstairs to take a break. Velvet was not sure how to attack the subject. The diapers, the dresses. The cheetah and lion Velvet knew would never be caught dressed in such a fashion. Lilac certainly knew how to turn a problem into a positive. “I’ve just been taking more time for myself. Getting my work done. Catching up on my reading. Not letting small things distract me.” “Thank you again, for coming to visit.” Lilac replied. “It has been wonderful having my two pretty kitties around.” The delight in her voice was palpable, and it had rewritten the tone of the entire conversation. “It has been so lively here since those two arrived on my doorstep. All my friends simply adore them. I apologize for not updating you earlier. When I saw how well they were getting along, I knew I must keep them. I suppose I too got lost in all the excitement. I cannot thank you enough.” Velvet was at a loss for words. She finally could close the case on the mystery of the disappearing doofuses. It was good that Lilac planned on keeping her set, because Velvet surely did not want them back. Velvet never imagined her plan would go down this well. She could rest easy knowing this was the best choice for everyone involved. However, the visit did not end on a note high enough yet. She always had to give her guests a show. Lilac knew her maids well and had no doubts about what they were getting up to during their break. Lilac walked her friend to the maids’ living quarters, creaking the door ever so slightly so that Velvet could peer inside. One thing was for sure, they were not resting. It was impressive how much fun they were having together, while keeping their diapers on. Beatrice was on top, unsurprisingly. Fiona, submissive as ever, was on the bottom. A whole lot of gasp and squealing came from her side, while Beatrice was busy huffing and puffing. The sounds of their diapers bumping together, grinding back and forth, was not the only sound of passion tonight. Lilac sighed. “There they go again. This helps to tucker them out before their second shift. I love giving them something to look forward to every day. I just love it when my workers get along.” Velvet was once again left speechless. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined her former sappy suitors in such a position. Did she feel bad for her old acquaintances? Not really, no. She much prefers them on each other’s back rather than on hers. If Lilac saw them suited as maids, Velvet had to reason to stop them. Especially not after seeing how much fun they were having with each other. However, there was one thing that Velvet couldn’t deny. “They make quite a cute couple, don’t they?”

This story was written as a collaboration with @PoofyLoogs, over on Twitter! He's a Hypermess & Furry artist, and we worked together to create this story - and then he drew an illustration for it! You can check out the illustration here, and I highly encourage you to go over to his Twitter and tell him how much he stinks - he did a great job on the art and I'm really pleased with how this story turned out. This is part one, parts two and three will be coming in the following weeks! ... “Um… um…” Jake couldn’t help but stare. When he’d walked into the room, Cynthia’s eyes had been glued on her phone, holding it up to try and get the perfect selfie. The perfect selfie to show off her totally naked chest, and the magic wand vibrator pressed between her legs… And, the object that drew the most confusion and startlement from Jake, the large, sagging, visibly overloaded diaper around her waist. He dropped his keys, lost in the attempt to try and make sense of the scene in front of him. That’s when the smell hit him, and he had to raise a hand to his snout to try and ward it away. He knew she was a skunk, but the overpowering stink from her diaper still shocked him. “What the heck are you doing?” Cynthia, for her part, had at least blushed when he walked in on her. She wasn’t totally naked, she had on thigh-highs and a collar that matched her white-and-black fur, but that didn’t really do much for modesty. “What are you doing here?” she retorted, dropping her phone onto the couch. “We had plans!” Jake objected. “You said to come over Friday afternoon and we’d go to the mall!” She hesitated, glancing off into space and replaying her memories for a moment. “I…crap, I thought today was Thursday.” “So, again, what are you doing?” Jake demanded, his voice pitched in nasal tones as he tried to protect his sense of smell from her diaper. He could almost see fumes coming off it. “Did you put on–no, stupid question. Why did you put on a diaper and crap yourself?” Rubbing the back of her neck, Cynthia’s tail raised and she chuckled nervously. “It’s fun.” “You like it?” Jake asked. He couldn’t help it, he smirked. Cynthia tended to tease him about his various habits and interests–now, he finally had some ammo to push back. Drawing in a shallow breath, he said in sing-song, “Little baby cynthia, peeing in her pants, she can’t see london ‘cause she pooped on france!” Cynthia rolled her eyes, stepping closer to him. She still had her wand in her hand, though she’d at least clicked it off. “Yeah, I do like it. It feels great, and nobody stinks like I do.” “You can say that again,” Jake snickered, trying another shot at it. “I’m surprised they let little babies into magic camp! How full is that thing? It looks like you backed a dump truck and just loaded it!” “Oh, I’m not a little baby,” Cynthia replied. “I know exactly what I am–and that just happens to include being someone who occasionally destroys a diaper or two–plus, you should watch your mouth, since I got better marks on enchanting than you. What’s that make you, if someone who stinks as bad as me is still better than you, hmm?” Hesitating, Jake sniffed. Now that she was standing right in front of him, the smell coming off her sagging diaper was truly all encompassing, and he was having trouble trying to think of a way to tease her. “Ugh, watch out for your paint–I think it’s going to start to peel,” he tried. She just laughed. “You…” Creeping a little closer, she lowered the wand, tapping the bulb at the end against the front of his shorts. “You should try it, foxy. You might never stink as good as me, but hey–you might learn something about yourself.” He stammered for a response, but nothing came to mind. She’d just swaggered right up–waddled right up, really–and stolen his thunder. Tossing the wand onto the couch, she said, “I’ll go shower so you can breathe, dummy. You still want to hang out, right?” Speaking with shallow breaths, he said, “Uh…yeah. Yes, sure.” But his thoughts were elsewhere. Cynthia went to change, but the smell of her diaper lingered long after she’d left. Jake knew he should just go wait outside, get some fresh air, but something about the encounter had paralyzed him. All he could do was stand there, taking shallow breaths while his mind reeled. “Really couldn’t get enough of my stink, huh?” Cynthia asked, snapping him out of his daze. He hesitated. “Huh?” “I’ve been gone for fifteen minutes and you’re still just huffing,” Cynthia giggled. She’d changed into a blue top and a skirt, more her usual attire–and glancing down, Jake didn’t see a diaper poking out. “Didn’t even open a window, it’s almost like you’re enjoying yourself.” Jake blushed–why am I blushing?–and looked away. “No, I just…whatever. Let’s get going.” “Need to use the bathroom before we leave?” Cynthia teased. “Or if you’d like, I’m happy to share a diaper.” “N-no!” he stammered. “I don’t stink up the place like a little baby.” “Maybe you should.” The skunk retrieved her keys, swaggering to the door. “You did seem to like it.” … Cynthia was wrong. And stupid. And definitely hadn’t planted any ideas in Jake’s head during that visit. Absolutely not. Certainly not. He just ordered a pack of diapers off the internet that night for totally unrelated reasons, and paid for expedited shipping on a whim. Unlike Cynthia though, he was going to make some changes. He wouldn’t just ruin his flat by stinking up the whole place. He just wanted to try using the diaper, but staying in it for long was off the table. He’d put one on, wet it, and then take it off right away. The package arrived that next afternoon, while he was in the middle of an online game with Cynthia and a few other friends. Not wanting a package of a dozen diapers to sit out on the stoop where any neighbor might accidentally grab it and open it, he hesitated. “Uh, be right back.” “What?” Cynthia demanded. “We’re getting swarmed–” “Can’t pause, gotta run for a sec–” he started, setting down his controller and removing his headset so he could run to the door. By the time he returned a minute later, his team had been overwhelmed by zombies, and a new match was queuing. “What the hell, Jake?” one of their other friends demanded, as he put his headset back on. “Had to run–” he started, thinking up the first excuse he could. “Bathroom.” “Couldn’t hold it for two minutes?” “Yeah,” Cynthia added, and Jake picked up the humor in her tone. “Why can’t you be more like us, Jake? You never see me running off to use the toilet while we play.” Wait, she doesn’t–Jake thought. “Then again, you play like crap,” he shot, trying to gauge her reaction. “Hey, if you don’t like that I stink, don’t play with me,” Cynthia replied. Yup, she has a diaper on. “Can you two quit bickering so we can get back to the game?” And with that, the gameplay resumed, but Jake’s mind stayed on the package a few feet away. An hour later, as the game ended, he finally had a chance to rip it open, all the while telling himself he was just trying it out to confirm that Cynthia was making stuff up. He didn’t like diapers, he just needed to get it out of his system. He wouldn’t be like Cynthia, though. He wanted to try using a diaper, but he wouldn’t just sit and stew in it. He didn’t want to deal with cleanup, either–just as soon as he was done, he wanted the proof of his accident to be gone, so he could take off the diaper, clean himself off, and go on with his life confident in the knowledge that he wasn’t a weirdo like Cynthia. Fortunately, he knew a bit of magic. Not fully-fledged wizard magic, but enough to get by. Sure, it was a bit reckless to invent a homebrew spell given his skill level, but what’s the worst that could happen? He’d have to take a shower after all. Marking out a few notes on a pad, he tried to remember his latin as he worded the spell. “Let’s see…I want it to hold up when I use it, but self clean as soon as it’s used.” He went through the conjugations, checked it over twice, and lit a candle to cast the spell. He knew the magic worked–or, at least, that it had caused some kind of effect–when the candle blew itself out. He had himself a perfectly enchanted diaper, and was ready to get this out of his system. Slipping off his pants and boxers, he turned the diaper over in his hands a couple times, lining up the tapes with the back. Flopping back onto the couch, he wriggled it into place, folded it up over his waist, frowned at the erection that’d formed between his legs, and tried to just tape it in place. He did a crap job. His diaper ended up lopsided, mangled, and was about ready to fall off–and, because the tapes were sticky, he couldn’t just peel them off and try again. He’d have to get a new diaper, re-cast the spell, and start all over from scratch. Rather than try that, he reached over to the coffee table until he reached his lighter. Snagging it, he re-lit the candle and cast another quick spell. “Let’s see…Latin for securing the tapes so it’ll stay in place…” he mumbled the words, and in an instant, the diaper snapped into a solid, snug-but-not-uncomfortable position over his waist. Perfect. Now he just needed– “Oh, wow,” he said, as his belly gurgled, almost as though on cue. He felt a pressure on his bladder as well, as though the mere act of putting on the diaper had made him need to go. It was like when he got back from a long car drive, as soon as he was within striking distance of a toilet, he’d suddenly feel that pressure–this just had to be the same thing, right? “Fine,” he said. “Let’s do this, get it out of the way.” Standing, he tried to let go. A bit of effort, and a grunt, but a mental block told him ‘no’. So, he tried again. Spreading his legs, Jake squatted down, extended his butt, and allowed his golden red tail to hike up into the air. His bladder released, flooding the front of his diaper even through a half erection, and a moment later his guts gave in and obeyed. With a little grunt, he overcame two decades and change of practice at keeping his pants clean and felt the mush spill out of him, pushing out his diaper to make room. Jake surprised himself with how badly he needed to go–his bladder was still draining after almost forty five seconds, and he had to make an effort to keep pushing, keep packing the seat of his diaper. He wasn’t sure what he’d eaten that had produced such a reaction, but… But… The way his mess bulged into his diaper, spreading between his legs while the padding grew sodden and heavy, stirred something inside him. And even as he was still going, when the smell hit him, a gentle whiff of the stink coming off his diaper, that definitely made him feel something. He didn’t smell nearly as bad as Cynthia had, but that was okay–she’d been far, far too ripe for any person to possibly stand. But this, on the other hand, almost– “No!” he said out loud, though he couldn’t compel his body to stop dumping into his diaper. “I don’t–I don’t like this! I can’t like this, I’m not some sort of–whatever.” The stream was finally starting to taper off, and he was finally, mercifully, empty. As his bladder stopped dribbling, he stood, ready for the self cleaning magic to kick in. Then, he could take this diaper off and forget about this whole experience. A second passed, then two. The diaper didn’t self clean. “Dammit,” he mumbled. “Stupid messed up magic spell. Guess I’ll have to clean up the crappy way.” Reaching down, Jake seized the first of four tapes on his diaper, prying it free. He really should have waddled to the bathroom first, but he wanted out of this right away. As he reached for his second tape, though, the first one snapped right back down. “Uh…” he said, pulling it free again. This time, it jerked out of his fingers, sealing itself back in place, so that the diaper wouldn’t be free. The third time he tried, he couldn’t even find purchase on the tape. Frowning, he tried to just tug the diaper free like a pair of underwear. The material stretched, so it had to come off, right? No dice. No matter how much he pushed down on the waistband, it refused to budge, as though an equal and opposite force fought him. He was stuck. And his belly had begun gurgling again.

WOOOOOOO! Heyo, readers! I am super-dooper-ice-cream-scooper excited to bring to you this little project. Now, fair warning, this story was inspired by Squid Game, and contains kinda-spoilers. You have been warned. I hope that you enjoy! Stork Game by Panther Cub Mel sat at the edge of the bunk bed, looking out at all the others. What the hell have I gotten myself into?! he wondered. He looked down at the sleeve of the teal tracksuit he had woken up in and pushed it up, revealing soft pink fur, a perfect match for the long, bushy tail with the white tip that swished a little behind him. Over his heart, printed in white, was the number 456. Mel's ears twitched as all around him he heard the others murmured softly while some kind of classical music played over some unseen speakers. All of them also had numbers on the chests and backs of their matching track suits. Now and again there'd be whimpers and shrieks, usually from those who had finally come to, but those were becoming more infrequent as very few were still asleep. Mel had stayed silent, however, having long since learned that crying about a situation did nothing to actually change it. That was how you survived, and Mel was a survivor. Looking at the fur on his arms, his new paw-hands, and his paw-feet, Mel reflected on how he is... or at least was, before the gas in the strange car had put him and the other 'contestants' asleep; human. Unable to keep from inspecting himself again, Mel felt his new muzzle frown. He had also been a man before waking up, but that, much like his species, was no longer the case. With a sigh, Mel climbed over the short railing around his bed, and started down the ladder. Everyone was congregating in the center of the massive light blue room, where towers of the hundreds of bunk beds almost reached the ceiling with the hand-painted clouds and the smiling sun in the very center. No doors or windows of any kind to be seen. Looking around confirmed one of Mel's suspicions. No one was a human, or at least if they were like him, they were no longer human. All around him were more anthropomorphic animal people. "Does anyone know what in the hell is goin' on?" asked a light green raccoon man with what Mel pegged as an east texas accent. "I-I was told that... uhm..." a light purple lioness spoke up, looking suddenly nervous as she clutched her tail to her chest, looking at it in confusion. "I... signed up to c-compete in some... competition, b-but then I w-woke up here... like this." Many people started relating similar stories. "Where are you from?" Mel asked the lioness, wincing at the sound of his voice, which was definitely at a higher pitch and sounding much more feminine. "... C-Colorado... I-I was in Boulder when... when I g-got in the van..." That struck a chord with Mel, as he had been living in Phoenix when he'd been approached by the odd smiling man in the business suit. "I was in Beaumont, Texas," said the raccoon man, crossing his arms and frowning, deep in thought. Other animal people started calling out other states and cities. "I live in Toronto," a red panda woman standing to Mel's left suddenly shouted. She was holding her tail like the lioness, and indeed many others were doing the same. Mel had to restrain himself from grabbing at his own new tail... the fact that it was so bushy and looked so fluffy certainly didn't help. Even more countries were named, some people yelling in different languages. Mel figured that they had people from around the world and, based on what those who spoke English said, he was able to confirm that they had all agreed to these sketchy 'games', all after being approached by men or women in suits, asking to play a game. "Was anyone here not human before waking up?" Mel asked during a sudden lull, some folks that were bilingual taking it upon themselves to translate his query. Everyone looked around, in silence, no one stepping forward. "I-is this some kind of secret government experiment?" the lioness asked, sounding terrified. "Maybe it was aliens," a white-furred squirrel man perched on one of the bunk beds shouted. It was then that the far wall that all of the bunk beds were facing, which Mel had at first thought was just a seamless wall, split open straight down the center, the massive panels sliding apart to reveal a very large and wide security shutter, with a digital screen above it. The screen lit up and displayed 600 Players. Mel looked around and spotted a buff-looking cheetah man who seemed just as confused as everyone else, with the number 600 on his jacket. Looking around more, Mel couldn't immediately see anyone else with a higher number. His search was prematurely terminated, however, when there was a chime and the music ended, just before the large metal shutter rolled up. Out marched a hundred mew animal people, all wearing bright pink hooded track suits that even had special sleeves to cover their tails, the hoods up wearing ominous black masks, all bulged out for muzzles, or so Mel presumed. What was curious about these masks were how the only semi-distinctive features to them were that they had one of three white shapes on them. A circle, a triangle, and a square. Those with triangles had equipped some kind of black rifles with them, but ones that had strange canisters attached at the base of the barrels. A smaller number of circles began setting up tables and pushing in push carts laden down with nondescript gray boxes. These were stacked next to the tables, with the topmost ones opened and their contents neatly stacked on the tables for display. There were individual packets of what appeared to be apple slices, cups of yogurt, and juice boxes. The circles were soon standing on the opposite sides of the tables, facing out at the confused animal people. Standing in front of the tables was a lone square, Mel feeling uneasy as their gaze, while hidden by the mask, swept over them. What really unsettled him and more than a few others, was how they worked in silence, not a word being spoken between any of them. "Ladies and gentlemen," a calm male voice said, "I would like to welcome you all. Each and every one of you will participate in six games over the course of six days. After the sixth day, the winners will receive a substantial cash prize. But please, first enjoy a light breakfast, and then we can beg--" "Hold on a second!" The red panda girl from earlier shouted, the crowd around her parting a little. She had her hand-paws on her hips and her tail was bushed out, clearly in anger. "How the hell are we supposed to believe you? You abducted all of us, put us to sleep with some kind of gas, took the clothing and belongings we were wearing, dressed us up in these tracksuits, and took us to wherever! And now, we're being told we'll get paid if we play some games?!" Mel nodded in silent agreement while a few others were more vocal. "It was unfortunate, but those measures needed to be taken to ensure confidentiality. When the games have concluded, everything shall be returned to you all." "Why are you freaks wearing those masks?" the cheetah man called out. His voice was deep and how he spoke suggested a Boston accent to Mel. "The faces and personal information about our staff is not to be disclosed to any and all participants, to ensure fairness and confidentiality for the games." We hope that you understand. "You can make all the excuses you want, but the fact remains that were were kidnapped!" The red panda stepped forward, her hands now clenched into fists at her sides. Mel looked around and spotted some other red panda, some with different colored fur, and briefly wondered if there was anything significant, like similar personalities, with people who were turned into the same species. Considering how a few of the other red pandas looked to be hiding more towards the center of the group and others seemed just dazed and confused, it seemed inconclusive to Mel. He'd try to gauge other members of his new species, but he still didn't know what he was. "Also, why the hell are we all animals now?!" This was roared by a black-furred lion, who looked just as buff as the cheetah, if not moreso. "For why you have all transformed, not only species but in some cases even sex, that is because you are no longer on Earth," Square explained. Mel overheard the white squirrel loudly whisper to a nearby mouse "I knew it!" "Or rather, you are no longer on the Earth that you are familiar with. Sixty eight years ago, an advanced civilization of anthropomorphic animal people, of varying species, discovered our world from another dimension, one where life on Earth evolved drastically differently. After observing us for two decades, they made contact with numerous world governments. They are the ones who have set up these games, and every year, a lucky group of humans is selected to be brought to their world to compete. When humans enter this new dimension, our bodies undergo drastic changes, transforming us into one of the many different species of this world, and yes, even sex can be altered in the process. It is currently not understood how or why this happens, just that it does." The silence was practically deafening. "Why in the hell would these... advanced animal people do this?" An eagle woman stepped out from a huddled mass to stand next to the red panda. "The motivations for these games cannot be disclosed at this time, however, I can assure you that they only have your best interests at heart." "Our b-best..." the red panda's tail bushed out again as she looked practically apoplectic. "WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE IS THAT?!" "Player 277, Ariel Masters, age: 31 years. Former director of accounting at Red Leaf Investments. Embezzled money from her clients' accounts and subsequently invested it in derivatives that subsequently failed." Square said simply, pulling out a remote from their pocket and pressing a button. The lights dimmed and the electronic screen was now playing a video. It showed a blonde woman with green eyes wearing a charcoal gray skirt suit looking disheveled and sweating, playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with whomever had the camera on them. They kept losing, only to receive a pat to her head and an assurance from a woman's voice that they can play double or nothing, eventually winning and being given the million dollars. Mel watched with rapt attention, that being what happened with him down in the subway, with the only exception being a game of Blackjack. Looking over at the red panda, whose name he now knew to be Ariel, her tail was now being hugged to her chest as she whimpered a little, looking shocked at the video of her human self on the screen. "Current losses, six million, five hundred and thirty three thousand, nine hundred and sixty two dollars." Square pressed another button, and Mel saw a large man on the screen. He was buff and had olive skin, large brown eyes, and a shaved head. He was wearing a white muscle shirt throwing horseshoes and punching a brick wall every time he missed. "Alexander Adams, age 26, number 390, two million in debt." Another press of a button on the remote, and another person appeared on the screen, playing some simple game and eventually winning one million dollars, only to have their debts called out. Those not speaking English who were called out had the pleasure of the square translating for them in their languages after he listed the same info about them as those that were up before. "Mel Nakamura, number 456, age 31, four million, thirty eight thousand and ninety nine dollars in debt." Mel froze, looking up and feeling the eyes of the square on him, feeling his tail tuck itself as video feed of himself came up. His blazer was torn and his nose bleeding, hair slicked back but mussed up. Like Ariel, Mel was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, tears of frustration in his eyes with each loss, agreeing time and again to the double or nothing option. He remembered how the older woman kept smiling at him sadly and giving him words of comfort and encouraged him to keep trying, saying that he was so close. "Every last one of you is on the brink of complete financial ruin. You all have debts that realistically you shall never be able to pay off, many having taken loans from far less than legal sources at that." Mel thought he detected a tinge of... sadness? But he wasn't sure, square kept their voice even and composed. "When our organization approached you all, you did not trust us. But, you agreed to play a game with us and, when you did, you were rewarded with the promised money. After that, all of you trusted us, hence why you called and volunteered to play our games. Now is your last chance to choose. Will you go back to living your old, sad little lives, destined for tragic, short ends? Or, will you choose to seize this opportunity, for many, a last opportunity, that we are offering you here?" The players were all silent, aside from some murmuring and shuffling of feet. "How much do we get if we win?" Mel called out, those around him moving aside, with many turning to look at him. Square just pressed another button, and above was the sounds of moving machinery. Everyone turned to see the smiling sun split open as a clear plastic, giant piggy bank descended, a clear pipe connected to its back. "After every game, the prize money will be deposited into the piggy bank. The amount to be won shall be disclosed after the conclusion of the first game. If anyone here does not wish to play, please speak now." No one said anything. After a few minutes of silence, everyone was directed to stand in single file lines facing the tables, to sign a contract as well as collect the offered breakfasts. Mel felt like he was in a dream, a strange and otherworldly dream, which considering where they supposedly were, made the sensation rather fitting. When Mel got to the table before him, he wasn't surprised to see that the contract was a player consent form. What surprised him was that there were only three sentences written on it, followed by a line for him to sign his name. Clause 1: A player is not allowed to stop playing. Clause 2: A player who refuses to play shall be eliminated. Clause 3: The games shall end if the majority of players agree. "That's it?" Mel asked the circle in front of him. They just stood there staring back at him behind the grating of their mask that, even up close, completely obscured their face. Getting no answer, Mel sighed and used the offered pen to sign his name. He then accepted the food and the juice box and left the line, making his way over to one of the bunk beds and sitting down on the short railing, feeling hungry. Once everyone had signed and been given their food, the circles packed up the empty boxes and collapsed the tables, wheeling them all away while the triangles continued to watch. Mel used his apple slices to dip into the yogurt since no spoons had been given. The juice box, which only had the circle, triangle, and square symbols on it in lieu of any kind of branding, had been apple grape juice. It wasn't long after Mel had finished this odd breakfast when classical music started playing on the hidden speakers again, but this time with a little something extra. "Attention players," a cheerful feminine voice said over the speakers, "please follow the staff to the first game." Once more, Mel found himself and his fellow 'contestants' lining up single file to follow the circles out through the shutters and into some light pastel plastic halls. This opened up into a strange series of staircases, looking to Mel very similar to a real life version of the MC Escher painting, Relativity. Except all the staircases were made of plastic, and everything was painted in loud primary colors. The line was split up into multiple groups, each following one of the circles, all going in different directions. Mel felt even more disoriented by the time they all, simultaneously, came out into a large light pink room, and were led to a line of turnstiles separated by partitions with screens on them. The single file lines were led to the turnstiles and, walking through and making the bars click, the woman's voice from earlier chimed in. "Please face the screens and smile!" Most of the players chose not to smile as their pictures were taken, shown to them on the screens. Mel thought that trying to make a good impression on... whomever would be watching might be a good idea, and so tried to smile, feeling like their muzzle broke out into more of a grimace as their picture was taken. Getting a good look at himself, Mel was surprised. So I'm a... pink... fox? A... vixen, I think, Mel thought as he examined his picture. In addition to pink fur, he had white on his muzzle that ran down his neck and possibly all the way to his stomach, though Mel was unsure as of yet. He was amazed to find that his brown eyes were now red, and he let out a huff of irritation seeing a patch of white fur on his left cheek that was in the shape of a white broken heart. Well now that just seems intentional. Soon, their groups were led to a set of three gates with bright sunlight nearly blinding everyone. The green painted gates swung open on well-oiled hinges, and everyone filed out. It was a strange sight, looking out at this football-sized area. Enclosing the entire arena were four sky blue walls. Looking up, Mel could see birds flying overhead in a cloudless blue sky, and just below them, lining the tops of the walls were open black squares. Looking back down, the ground was all sand, with a line in red painted onto the sand a few feet in front of them. All the way to the far side of the arena was some kind of plastic-looking tree with a... very unsettling statue made to look like a little wolf boy wearing a white shirt and red short-alls, all behind another red line painted in the sand. On either side of it were two of the triangle-faced staff members, and they only came up to the statue's knees. Mel heard others talking about how creepy the statue was, but were silenced when it started to move. It slowly spun around, clearly on some kind of rotating platform. It raised its arms and grasped the trunk of the plastic tree that it was now facing. "The first game to be played is a childhood classic... Red Light, Green Light! Players will be allowed to move forward when the robot calls out Green Light! When it shouts Red Light, stop moving. Players that are caught moving during Red Light shall be eliminated. Those that cross the finish line without being eliminated within the five minute play time shall pass and move on to the next game. Those who do not make it across the finish line in the allotted time shall also be eliminated. I shall now repeat the rules." "This is a joke," Mel's ears twitched as he looked over at the speaker. It was a skinny blue dragon man. It was hard for Mel to be certain, but he got the impression he was in his early twenties. "Fifty bucks to whoever makes it to the finish line first," the blue dragon said with a smirk. Mel shook his head to clear it. Many of the others were lining up at the red line painted on the sand. He was away to the left, keeping his distance from his fellow players, watching the giant robot at the far end of the field. When a childish voice happily called out, Green Light, Mel stayed put to wait and watch. While there was a clock ticking down, there was nothing in the rule about any kind of extra reward for finishing first. Just about everyone else started quickly making their way across the sand. "Red light," the voice called and the head of the robot rotated quickly to stare out behind it. Mel froze and, squinting, could barely make out the pupils of the mechanical eyes darting around for a bit. They then stopped, and the head turned back around. "Green light." Mel started walking, his instincts in the back of his head screaming at him to run back to the gates. But he remembered that any player who refuses to play is eliminated, and he needed the money. Watching the robot, in the split-second before it rotated, he saw the head twitch a little, and so froze. The head whipped around and said "Red light." Again, everyone was perfectly still. When it turned back around and was green light again, they all slowly resumed. The blue dragon looked behind himself and saw others power walking, so he started to jog to maintain his lead, letting out a laugh. He realized his mistake when the head whipped back around and he froze. Unfortunately, he was too slow, and the eyes spotted him. POP! Everyone flinched, and watched as the dragon boy slumped and fell over. "Green light!" Those nearest to him moved slower than before, shuffling closer to him. Mel's ears twitched as he felt a chill run up his spine. Did he just get... shot? he wondered to himself. That's when he heard the voice of the red panda girl that was looking down at the dragon. "There's some kind of... tranquilizer dart in him," she said, her voice faint but still enough for Mel's ears to hone in on. "Red light!" More than a few of the former humans were still too focused on the fallen fellow contestant to be ready. POP. POP. POP. POP. An eagle, the tigress, the older mouse, and the squirrel girl each went down, with only a sudden shriek from the squirrel, who was soon on her side, unconscious. A racoon woman screamed, and many of the fellow players joined suit and started to make a mad dash for the gates they had entered from. Mel stood still, watching as the robot's eyes started darting from person to person, sometimes crossing, other times going walleyed, it all looked so unsettling. There were now a series of rapid pops going on and, turning only his eyes upwards, following where his pointed ears were swiveled. Mel needed only a second to realize that the black rectangles lining the top of the enclosure now had long black barrels poking out, jerking in different directions, before letting out a pop, and repositioning. Automatic turrets?! What the hell kind of game is this?! Mel bit down on his rising panic, remembering to keep a cool head. Slowly, the screams and pleading voices and the banging fists against the locked gates tapered off as the last of those identified as having moved while that damn robot was looking were shot with whatever was in those darts. A few seconds of silence, and one last POP as a skinny bear was trying to crawl behind an unconscious cat received a dart to his posterior; and the robot was soon swiveling its head back to face the tree. "Green light!" Forcing himself to move, Mel began quickly trudging forward, risking a look back to see bodies lying everywhere, but also so many other players still standing, also moving forward. "Red light!" Mel froze, and kept from flinching when there were another three Pops. The clock above was ticking away, it being less than two minutes, and he was only a third of the way across. Mel swished his tail, suddenly realizing he was going to have to make sure to exert control over his new appendage as well lest it move during a red light, and began to pick up the pace at the next green light. Another red light, and another pop. That was the pattern as the contestants made their way across the sand. Sometimes there would be two, three, or even five. Mel was nearing where the blue dragon lay, and stood stock still as he looked down at them. The guy, if he even was that before coming here, now seemed... smaller. Like his tracksuit was three sizes too big for him. Mel was unsure of just what he was seeing, before a sudden Green Light, spurred him back into moving. The red panda girl from before was the first to make it across, with the skunk man not too far behind her to trip during the sudden red light. He was darted, serving as a reminder to those still standing not to get complacent. Mel was three fourths of the way across when, during a Red Light, he had a good view of the digital clock. He had less than twenty seconds remaining. The head snapped back, and he started sprinting forwards, stopping after a beat, just feeling that the head was about to whip around again. He was correct, and winced a little from a volley of Pops. Apparently he wasn't the only one who realized that time was running out. The head turned back around at the ten second mark, and Mel was sprinting again. He huffed from the sudden exertion, watching the clock. Five, four, three, two, one... He leapt across the white finish line just before the head of the robot snapped back. Sitting up, he watched what looked like fifteen more players freeze, looking terrified. A loud buzzer sounded, followed by a quick succession of Pops, all fifteen going down in the blink of an eye. It was a quiet trudge back to the room with the bunk beads. Entering, Mel noticed that there were definitely fewer beds than there'd been before. He felt his tail dragging on the ground behind him as he walked over to one and took a seat. His ears twitched and he heard sobbing. Looking over, he saw a gray bunny man curled up and crying on one of the beds. Looking back towards the door they had just come through, Mel wanted to bolt and run right through it. But the staff were standing in a row in front of it, staring out at them. All of them triangles, all of them holding those strange rifles. Two in the center stepped forward and parted to let a square face through. Mel had no way of knowing if it was the same one from before. "I offer you a heartfelt congratulations for successfully making it through the first game. Now to announce the results." Above the square, the screen displayed the number 600. It then started counting down, sounding like the kind of music you heard when a slot machine was spinning. Mel watched in growing horror as it clicked for his mind that it was subtracting the number of players who were... eliminated. It finally stopped at 311. 289 people had been shot with those... darts and eliminated. Mel felt like the apples and yogurt were going to come back up any second now. "Out of 600 players, 289 were eliminated." The square staff member said it so damn casually. "PLEASE," the bunny man Mel had seen crying screamed and ran forward, dropping to his knees. He held his hands clasped in front of him. "I... I HAVE A FAMILY! I SWEAR, I'LL PAY BACK WHAT I OWE, JUST PLEASE, LET ME GO! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Like a dam breaking, other men and women did the same, pleading with the square staff. "Everyone, please calm down. No one is going to harm anyone here." "Then what happened to the people who were shot with those darts? Were those tranquilizers? Do you have any idea how easy it is to accidentally kill someone with one of those?!" Ariel roared, brushing past the bunny man. "Those were not tranquilizers. Now that the first game has concluded, I am allowed to disclose more of the purpose of this game." With that, everyone fell silent. The square face pulled out the remote and pressed a button. The screen changed from the current number of players, to a large white room. Mel and the others watched as the unconscious eliminated players were wheeled in on stretchers, with masked doctors and nursing staff tending to them. They were removing clothes and the darts and transferring the sleeping players to hospital beds, multiple strange machines and devices being used. Mel noticed that all of the eliminated players seemed... smaller, and it sparked the memory of when he looked over the dragon boy on the field. "On this world, Kyun, there exists a genetic disorder, known as Tumok. It is harmless to adults, but unfortunately fatal to young children. In recent years, the number of carriers for this defective gene have increased, and the worldwide population for the natives of this world, the Kin, have begun to face a serious population decline. Numerous cures have been attempted, with little to no promising results. One such attempt at a cure, which is actually a serum that can cure most other ailments, has a unique effect on transformed humans. When a human is brought to Kyun and undergoes the transformation and is given the serum, their entire body undergoes a rapid rejuvenation. Effectively causing their physical age to regress, often to the age of very early childhood. What's more, former humans, and especially regressed former humans, have no trace of this gene, and neither do their offspring, even when their offspring comes from a parent who is a native with the gene." Mel felt like he was going to hurl again. This was like some crazy sci-fi story. "So, each year, six hundred lucky players are chosen from around the world to compete in these games, effectively known as the Stork Games. Those that are eliminated are given the serum, taken for immediate medical checkups and observation by regression-specialized pediatricians, bathed, and with clean bills of health, adopted out to loving families to start their new lives as members of the Kin. Any regressed individuals who have medical conditions that the serum was not able to immediately cure are kept for a little longer as the Kin's other advanced medical procedures are used to cure the little tykes who, when ready, are sent to their new homes." "But..." the bunny man said, slowly getting up, "why the... games, why not just... ask for volunteers? And why start regressing people?! Why not just take willing adult immigrants to... uh... breed with?" "I am not at liberty to discuss the full reason as to why. But please know that the eliminated players are alive and healthier than ever, and will be starting new lives. There will be no memory loss for them, so in many ways, it's more like an extended vacation back into childhood." "Lucky?! VACATION?!" Ariel screeched. "You're making us compete for money, and if we lose, we lose all of our freedoms and become someones' babies?!" "This is fraud," a panda man said, brushing Mel aside and adjusting his glasses. "This is kidnapping and fraud!" "You can't do this to us! I won't play this damn game," the gray bunny yelled, others yelling similar sentiments. "Clause 2 of the contract that you all signed," the square face said, his calm voice cutting through all the others, silencing them, "states that any player that refuses to play will be eliminated." The tension in the air was palpable. "Clause 3," Ariel chimed in, "if the majority of players wish to end the game..." Square face stared at her for a moment, before finishing for the smug-looking red panda. "Then the games shall be terminated. ... Alright then, we shall put it to a vote." Wordlessly, two circles came out carrying a large podium with two buttons on it. One was green with a white circle on it, the other red with a white x on it. Two more circles came forward and shooed people aside, carrying a series of flat long pieces of white plastic sheeting a foot wide in length. They began snapping the pieces together, soon forming a long white line, dividing the room in half. Every player was directed to the right side of the line, with instructions from square that they will be called up numerically to cast their vote one at a time, and move over to the left side after they have voted. "But first," square said, pressing a button on the remote, "if you will direct your attention to the piggy bank up above." The sound effects from slot machines when a jackpot is hit began blaring out of the speakers, as bundles of US dollars started dropping into the clear plastic pig. The screen above the door lit up and began showing a series of numbers following a dollar sign, rapidly getting larger and larger. The number finally stopped at $28,900,000,000 when the last few bundles of cash landed in the piggy bank. It was almost halfway full. "With each player that is eliminated, their potential share of the grand prize is added to the total that will go to the winners of the games. Each player's share of the prize is one hundred million dollars. The maximum amount to be won is sixty billion dollars. Now, with that out of the way, please cast your vote. Starting with player 001." Mel's breath caught in his throat as the older-looking weasel shuffled up to the podium. The human-turned vixen was looking at the money hanging right above his head. All the answers to his problems and then some, right there. Then he remembered what happened to the people that lost and, as sick as it made him inside, he began weighing the pros and cons. Or he started to when a sudden elbow jabbed him in his ribs, right below his... breasts. Mel turned to see Ariel looking him in the eye. "It's not worth it," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "Sp-speak for yourself," an otter woman said, sniffling. "I-if I go back home now... I-I'm as good as dead. A-at least here, I h-have a chance t-to change my life... or t-to start over. Th-that's b-better than any d-deal b-back on Earth." There were others nodding along to that. Mel looked over at the screen and saw that it was now a scoreboard, with thirteen votes so far to end the game, and ten to continue it. In the end, it was closer, way too close, as far as Mel was concerned. One hundred and fifty five votes to keep playing, and one hundred and fifty five to leave. And there was only one vote left to be cast. Number 600, the buff cheetah. He looked up at the board, and then over to everyone else who already voted. "Listen up, pansies. You might be happy with ending up with someone wiping your asses for you, but I'm not. I'd be happier if this was some kind of death game." With that, he punched the red button. "We would like to thank you for your time," Square said, he and the other staff members quickly exiting, the shutter door slamming shut right behind them. "Wait, so do we get to go home?" the bunny man shouted. Just then, clouds of a white gas began to spray up from the floors and out of the walls and ceiling. People started coughing and screaming in a panic, but soon, they all started falling over. Mel was holding his breath, his lungs starting to ache after a while, as he looked up at the piggy bank. His eyes watering and his lungs screaming for relief, he gave in and inhaled, his world very quickly growing dark. * * * "--ake up!" Mel felt groggy as he opened his eyes, only to be met with darkness. He was confused, as he felt the sun beating down on him. It took him a second, after realizing his hands and feet were bound in what felt like rope, he'd been blindfolded. "Huh?" he slurred out, reaching up and pushing his blindfold up. He was sitting on a dirt road, wearing just his boxers... and he was human again! And a man! Looking over, he saw a blonde woman, one who looked oddly familiar, in just her white bra and panties, like him, her hands and feet were bound in rope. "Are ya with me, Mel?" The woman asked, annoyed. It took Mel a second before his mind sparked the memory of the video. "W-wait, you're Ariel?" he asked, confused. She rolled her green eyes and nodded. "Yes, Dummy," she said. "Now, as much fun as it would be to roll half naked on the asphalt near these fragments of broken bottles to get to the pocket knife I see there laying on your clothes, since you are closer, could you be a dear and grab it so we can cut our ropes?" Mel was a little confused and looked around. He and Ariel were on the side of the road. Judging by the rocky scrub land, with a small gas station nearby. He started to feel a sense of familiarity, as the gas station, Roy's as the sign read, was one he knew from being just outside his home town. Looking over, and seeing several large and small shards of broken glass, a neatly folded pile of his clothes and shoes, with a blue-handle pocket knife resting on his shoes. He reached over and grabbed it, being careful to avoid getting cut on any of the glass. He was quick to cut the ropes binding his wrist and ankles before carefully doing the same for Ariel, noticing a similar pile of clothes next to her. He blushed and looked away, quickly slipping on his jeans and sandals. "So," Ariel said, once she had her red skirt and black tank top on, taking a moment to bunch her hair up into a ponytail with a scrunchie, "I take it that we're not far from Phoenix?" "Uh, it's a two hour drive," Mel said, pulling on his green t-shirt. He looked over at Ariel, who was busy tying the laces for her sneakers. "Damn. Do you have a phone on you?" "Yeah... but this is a dead zone. But there's a landline over at Roy's there. They'll let you use it," Mel said. Ariel nodded at that, and the two started walking towards it. "Hey, so how'd you know we were relatively near Phoenix? I thought they picked you up in Toronto?" Mel asked. "I said I was from Toronto. I didn't say that that's where I was when I got picked up for that... craziness." "So then, where were you?" "Phoenix," Ariel said with a sigh. "I'd actually... left Toronto... because of problems at... work..." "... Oh," Mel said, remembering what the square face had said about the embezzlement, and decided not to pursue it further. Before making it to the gas station, the two agreed that it was unlikely that any organization with the money to take them... wherever they were, whether or not they were telling the truth about interdimensional travel, was probably powerful enough to make people drawing attention to it disappear, so it would be best to keep the events that happened to them to themselves. Well, that, and because anyone they did tell would probably think that they were insane. Mel thought again about all the money that had been in the giant piggy bank, and about the folks he owed money too. He was already close to being homeless, but he knew that if he didn't give up, he could find a way out. Feeling in his pocket, he found a little yellow card, just like the one he'd been given that brought him into this world of craziness. A circle, a triangle, and a square was on one side. On the other, instead of a phone number, were the words "Return to the pickup spot from before, one week from today, if you wish to resume playing." Mel flicked the card into the trash can just before entering Roy's. He may be desperate, but he wasn't that desperate. He caught Ariel tossing an identical card in as well, following behind him. Sometimes, you just gotta take what life has to throw at you, no matter what it is, Mel thought to himself. One week later... Mel sighed as he sat on the familiar bunk bed, listening to the classical music playing. Looking around, everyone seemed much more... lively, at least significantly less subdued. It took all of three days before Teddy the loan shark he had borrowed from to find the friend's house he was staying at and to break in. He had dragged Mel into the bathroom and started holding him under the water of the filled bathtub, really impressing on him the importance of paying off his debt. And the next time he found Mel, if he didn't have the money, he was going to have to actually hurt him, his words. Mel scanned the other players, and caught sight of a familiar red panda girl. She and Mel locked eyes, before both looking away in shame. Looking up at the display above the metal shutters. It read 293 Players Remaining. Out of everyone who had left, only 18 hadn't returned at the end of the week. Looking up at the piggy bank, he saw that it was now past the halfway mark, with their shares added to it. Mel began sipping from his juice box, this one with apple juice in it, having finished the bag of banana chips and graham crackers first. Flanking the open doorway were two triangles, with a square face entering. "Welcome back, contestants," Square-Face said in his calm and even voice to the subdued crowd before him. There was no begging or harsh words coming forth today. "Follow the staff before you to where the next game shall be played." They players followed in a single file line back out into the maze of twists and turns and stairs, giving Mel a twinge of nostalgia for the play structures he would crawl around in when he was younger. Considering what this place was for, he supposed that that was intentional. The classical music being piped in seemed to somehow oddly fit. As they walked, he tried to keep track of all the different doors and halls they went through, but it was all a jumbled maze. How the circle-faces or any of the other "staff" managed to not get lost was beyond the lanky pink vixen. Soon, they were all led out into an open area about as big as a baseball field. Scattered about was playground equipment, but all scaled up to be massive, and perhaps to make the players feel small? There was soft green carpet everywhere to serve as the 'grass'. Walking up to one of the slides made Mel feel like a toddler standing next to it. Past a few more slides were some seesaws. Turning his head, Mel saw a swingset next to a sandbox and a colorful jungle gym, with what appeared to be a climbing net. Loud colors were the norm for the different pieces of equipment. And once again surrounding them were massive walls, painted to blend in with the clear blue sky visible thanks to the open ceiling. "Today's game will be... Bomb-Tag! Players will find the watches affixed to their wrists glowing a bright green. When round one begins, several players' watches change from green to red, indicating that they have been designated as being 'it'. When a player is it, the red face of their watch will countdown. When the countdown reaches zero, the players with red watches shall be eliminated. However, if a player with a red watch tags a green player, the tagged player is now 'it' instead and has until the end of the continued countdown to tag a green player. When the countdown is transferred from one player to another, the clock does not reset. I will now repeat the rules." As the cheery feminine voice read out the rules again, Mel, like many others, inspected the plastic watch that was more or less shackled to his wrist. The digital face of the clock has an animation of a green smiley face winking at him, with the words reading 'It's Playtime!' above it. A quick look around showed that everyone's watches were glowing green. It was then that Mel realized something, the voice had said Round One. "Okay... so this is a game where we gotta try and avoid pretty much everyone, unless you're it," Mel said to himself under his breath, already climbing up the ladder to the slide nearest him. A high vantage point could be helpful, and seeing others scramble up the other slides, with others yet rushing towards the jungle gym, Mel knew he wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion. "Round one will begin in ten, nine, eight," the voice on the speakers counted down. Mel checked to make sure his velcro laces were tight, and took a second to tuck his t-shirt into his pants, shrugging off his coat and letting it drop. Give someone one less thing to try and maybe grab in a chase. "Five... four... three... two... one... begin!" Mel looked down at his watch in horror as he saw the face on it instantly turn red, the winking smiley face turning into a smiley face on a red bomb. The timer on his watch was ticking down from two minutes. Looking up at a digital clock, it was ticking down the same amount of time. He heard shrieks and yells as the overgrown playground erupted into chaos. Breathing heavily, Mel slid down the slide and started sprinting towards the swingset, seeing a large group of people there. Others with red watches were already tagging people, their watches turning green while their victims' turned red, only for most to be immediately tagged back or by someone else who was red. Mel ran around the throng and did a drive-by tagging of an otter girl who had her back to him, not once slowing or breaking stride, as he continued to run past. He sighed a little with his watch back to green, until he was practically bowled over by a jackrabbit guy who apparently was 'it'. Mel growled, his tail fluffing up in frustration, but wasted no time in getting up and running around. Folks with green watches ran from him, and Mel was already starting to feel a little tired. Just then, a crocodile man stumbled and fell and, Mel seeing that his watch was green, sprinted to the guy. He ran and leaned down a little to clap the crocodile on the shoulder while they were trying to scramble back to their feet. Mel jumped back a bit to avoid their lunge to tag him back, and ran. Mel kept going at a jog, constantly looking around and doing his best to stay out in a corner of the room. Whenever he saw anyone approaching him, he would jog away, be they green or red; as a larger number of greens were more enticing for the reds. Mel only stopped when he looked up at the clock and saw it was ticking down from five, four, three, two, one... Mel's ears winced from a sudden loud buzzer that made everyone freeze. Then, almost simultaneously, everyone with red watches started crying out, the jackrabbit from earlier saying something stung him under his watch. All of the 'eliminated' players soon collapsed, a wolf woman slumping over and sliding down one of the slides. "Round one is complete! Congratulations to all the winning players. Please wait while the staff collects the eliminated players." The door at the far end opened and out marched dozens of the 'staff' in their pink hooded jumpsuits. As Mel observed them, he noticed a bit of a pattern. The ones with the white circle masks were doing all the grunt work, gently gathering up the unconscious and shrinking players in their arms, and collecting any clothing that may have fallen off of them, as some seemed to be shrinking faster than others. The ones with the triangles were carrying the automated dart guns, and looked to Mel like they knew how to use them. The square-faced-masked ones were in the minority, and seemed to be directing the other types. "So there's a hierarchy," Mel wheezed out, doubled over and resting. With the last of the regressing players carried out, the triangle masks followed the square masks back out the door, two guards flanking either side of it to presumably keep an eye on the non-eliminated players until the other staff left, to which the guards followed suit, the large metal door shutting again. Mel thought about those eliminated players, and what they had learned yesterday. In the end, all of the eliminated ones would be sent to the awaiting families, to start their new lives over, whether they wanted to or not. "Round two of three shall begin in ten, nine, eight," Mel groaned, already feeling tired, but not wanting to end up back in diapers. He took a deep breath and looked down at his watch. "Three, two, one, begin!" Mel waited to see if his watch would turn red again, and breathed a momentary sigh of relief that it didn't. Looking around, already those with red watches were chasing and tagging the greens. He was currently far away from everybody, and so continued to rest, looking all around him to make sure no one was sneaking up on him, willing the clock to count down faster. A couple of times, someone with a red watch would drift over near him, and Mel would run away, trying to lead them to clusters of people. Taking the bait, Mel was able to jog back and separate himself from the rest. Overall, for him, round two was largely uneventful, and he breathed easier when the clock reached zero. There was the buzzer, followed by some more cries of outrage as some of those with red watches tried, desperately, to claw them off, all to no avail. Soon, it was time for the 'staff' to come and collect the next batch of soon-to-be toddlers. Mel noticed, as they were being collected, that there seemed to be fewer reds than in the last round. Looking around, it started to make sense. The first game ended with the number of players being practically cut in half. Overall, if Mel has to estimate, then in the previous round of this terrifying tag, there were about thirty people with red watches to the remaining two hundred. Counting the fallen ones now, there were only twenty. If this kept up, then if there was a third round, there would only be ten. And unless they wanted to cut that number to five, Mel had a suspicion that three rounds was all that there would be of this game. Sure enough, the 'staff' quietly exited the play area with the door shutting behind them. "Three, two, one, begin!" "Dammit," Mel swore, his watch now red, the face of the digital bomb smiling up at him, as if to mock him and the situation he now found himself in. Mel started to jog around, starting to chase a wolf guy who spotted him instantly and sprinted. Mel was feeling exhausted, and everyone was running around in pure desperation. He tried chasing a bat, but then a bear with a red watch tackled them and sprinted full tilt off with their watch now green, the now angry and fearful bat hot on their trail. Spying a opossum woman, Mel ran in their direction, but the opossum must've been some kind of track star, as they easily out-paced the winded vixen. Mel checked his watch, a whine escaping his throat. He was now down to less than a minute, or he'd be getting a one-way trip to baby-town. Feeling a surge of adrenaline, he rushed towards the jungle gym, which was being defended by a group of greens that seemed to have banded together, having taken off their shoes to beat back any reds with. Mel was spotted and kept having their paws smacked away by shoes whenever he got too close. With an OOF, Mel was shoved through a small opening in the structure. Mel looked and saw Ariel, and that she had herself a red watch. His own read that they had less than twenty seconds. It was then that Mel saw the red panda jump up and tag a tigress in the stomach through the bars. The tigress shrieked and at first, tried to read for the red panda. Seeing me, she growled, before tagging a badger next to her. He tagged her back, and then she tagged a raccoon. This quickly devolved into panicked and frantic tagging and, seeing a breakdown in the defenses, nearby red charged. Mel grabbed Ariel's tail and, seeing her watch change to red, he jumped out through one of the holes, sprinting. The swings passed Mel by in a blur, facing the digital clock and seeing it counting down from ten. Mel risked a quick look behind him and paled beneath his fur. There was a cheetah man slowly gaining on him, his watch bright red. Mel pumped his legs harder, his breathing becoming more and more ragged as he pushed himself past his limits. He could hear the cheetah huffing and puffing behind him, and felt the air from a swipe of his paws just barely miss the big bushy appendage that Mel had right behind him. BUZZ!!! Mel stopped at the sound of the buzzer, before being knocked forward, the cheetah man on top of him. "YOU STUPID BITCH! I ALMOST HAD YOU!" Mel felt terrified, it occurred to him that this muscular cheetah man was much larger and clearly stranger than Mel was. And, in the back of his mind, Mel remembered that he was now a girl, and felt an all new terror flood through his veins. He also felt something flood his crotch as the cheetah yelled out and flashed his claws, slashing at his own arm to try and get the watch off, only to collapse and start snoring, his prone form pinning Mel underneath him. "Congratulations to the winners! Two games down, and only four more to go," the cheery female voice on the speaker praised them, and Mel even heard some cheers. Mel felt his ragged breaths getting shorter and shorter, and let out a high pitched scream when a pair of paws gripped him under his arms. Looking up, Mel was face to face with Ariel, who was dragging him out from under the cheetah. "I'm sorry," Mel whispered. "Don't worry about it, there were plenty more there to tag," Ariel said simply, finally managing to pull Mel away. Mel looked down at the wet spot on their pants and let out another whine. With Ariel helping him to his feet, Mel shivered and hugged himself, suddenly being handed something teal. It was his jacket, with the number 456 on it to confirm it. "I figured you could use it," Ariel said as a number of 'staff' headed towards them. Even after some shrinking, it still took three of the larger circle-faces to lift up the cheetah and walk him towards the door, with a pair of triangles following behind. Mel's ears twitched after hearing one of the triangles saying something about how the cheetah boy's new parents will have to be informed about his aggressive behavior. "Please come with me." The voice suddenly to Mel's left made him and Ariel both jump in surprise. They turned to see a square-face with two triangles flanking them, looking right at Mel. "You've suffered a shock, and will need to be seen by a doctor." The triangles remained silent while the square spoke. "I-I'm fine," Mel said, his tail tucking itself between his legs, drawing unfortunate attention to the large wet patch on his pants. "This is non-negotiable," the square said, his voice completely calm and composed, speaking like he was talking about the weather. Mel wanted to argue, but seeing the triangles, the enforcers, there, he just gulped and nodded. "O-okay," Mel looked back at Ariel who stepped forward, grabbing one of Mel's paws in one of hers. "I'm coming with," the red panda stated, in the same tone of voice at the square. The aforementioned staff member cocked his head, seemingly thinking it over, before nodding. "Alright then," with the square leading, and the triangles behind them, Mel and Ariel continued to hold hands as they walked in the direction of the door. The other players were being herded there by other staff, many looking dazed, others ready to collapse. It was a few more turns before Mel and Ariel, still holding hands, entered a familiar white room. All around them masked doctors and nurses, who were all wearing black masks with squares on them, were attending to the latest batches of regressed contestants. Some were groggily waking up and crying, or trying to fight, most already now regressed to the single digits. "Okay, let's get you two girls checked out and cleaned up," a female nurse in white scrubs said in a cheery voice, walking up to the two. Mel was soon sitting on the crinkly paper lining an exam table, as a machine with a green grid-like light ran itself up and down, scanning his body. The pink vixen felt exposed, despite being fully clothed, trying not to focus on the wet patch on his pants. The machine finished with a beep, and the nurse tapped on a tablet. "Okay, cutie," she said, making Mel wince, "so far, aside from some light bruising, and a couple serious bruised ribs, you are a healthy, pretty girl, who I think is going to make a loving couple very happy in the near future. Now we have a cream that will take care of those nasty booboos in a matter of seconds. So let's get you all fixed up and in some fresh clothes." Mel bit his tongue, choosing not to correct her about being a girl... granted, in this dimension he was one, but still. He felt Ariel squeeze his paw, and he smiled at her in appreciation, not sure why she was here with him, but choosing to accept the comfort. Reluctantly, Mel removed his clothes behind a curtain, with the nurse applying the cream. Mel heard another nurse instructing Ariel to sit on a fresh sheet of paper and let Mr. Scanner take a look at her. He somehow could tell she was rolling her eyes as she complied. Mel was given a tub of, much to his embarrassment, baby wipes to clean the pee off his fur. With a sigh, and getting more acquainted with his new body than he had wanted, he did clean himself. Though, when he received a clean track suit and shirt, the undergarments made him pause. First, a sports bra, which he supposed was better despite his breasts being more on the small side. It was the other undergarment that made him pause. It was pink, and thicker than the panties he had woken up in. There were multicolored butterflies on it, sides that looked like they could tear open, and it crinkled. Mel was holding a pair of training pants, and they were exactly his size. Mel poked his head around the curtain to see Ariel being led to another one, with a fresh stack of clothes being handed to her as well. And folded right on top, was a matching pair of training pants to the one Mel had in his hands. Mel looked over to the triangle guards, who were armed, and gulped. Instead of voicing his concerns, he bit his tongue, and stepped into the embarrassing garment. Getting dressed with a tail proved to be a new experience for Mel, but found that, for the training pants and the track suit pants, there was adjustable velcro. Stepping out from behind the curtain, Ariel approached him. He could barely make out a blush beneath her fur, and felt that others could see his own. They held each others' paw-hands, and allowed themselves to be led back to the others, knowing that they had four more long and hard days coming. And there's the end of part one! There will be three parts total, and I have NO idea if they'll be just as long! See you guys at the next installment!

Hi there, folks! I started this story after reading some Diaper Dimension stories, noting a lack of furry content. Pretty much nonexistent, actually. So, the idea taking firm root in my head, this was the fruit that it bore. Princess Potty Pants, as far as I know, is the creator of the original Diaper Dimension, so credit to them and all the authors who contribute to this strange and fun world. Please let me know what you think! Little Survivor by Panther Cub Prologue Burning and twisting. That was the only coherent thought that came to Stuart's mind. It was the sensation that had come to envelope his entire body simultaneously, inside and out. The sensation didn't last very long though, and soon Stuart was able to start perceiving things other than the throbbing pain throughout his body that was slowly becoming a dull ache. He blinked and looked up, realizing that he was now on some kind of metallic floor. At first, his vision was fuzzy, and he could see shapes moving, along with hearing strange sounds. And then, he could see clearly. All around him were... animals! But, they walked upright on two legs, were talking, and wearing clothes. Well, some were talking, a few were shouting, and two were snarling and thrashing about. There was a line of these animal people, all wearing orange jumpsuits with numbers printed in black on the left breast. They had metalling collars with blinking yellow lights and muzzles, and all seemed to dislike where they currently were. There were other animal people, all of them large and beefy like rhinos, bulls, and even a gorilla, dressed in some kind of grey uniform with black pants. The two prisoners, for that is what Stuart realized they were, a cheetah man and a brown furred she-wolf, were standing before... some kind of blue and purple swirling tunnel. Looking directly at it made Stuart's eyes hurt, but he couldn't look away from the scene before him. The two prisoners had somehow gotten their muzzles off, and their collar lights were blinking red. They were scratching and biting at a set of guards, all rhinos, who were attempting to subdue them while pushing them towards the... hole in the air. "I'M GUNNA RIP ALL YOUR THROATS OUT!" the she-wolf said, her arms pinned behind her back by one of the rhino guards. "Not likely," the guard said casually. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US! WE HAVE RIGHTS!" the cheetah man said, now in a headlock. Now subdued, the guards all heaved the pair into the portal and in a blink, they were gone. "Enjoy your commuted sentences!" One of the guards chuckled as he dusted his massive hands before turning to address the rest of the lined up prisoners. "You all gave up your rights when you decided to destroy the lives of others! So instead of outright executing each and every one of you, the senate has ruled this to be a much more... lenient sentence. And whether you like it or not, you are all getting a... fresh start, in a brand new world." The guard smirked at the number of growls and hisses he garnered from the otherwise subdued condemned prisoners, and motioned for them to keep coming. Which, with great reluctance, they did in pairs. It was only after a few more pairs went through that the guard who had spoken, whom Stuart assumed to be in charge, took notice of him lying on the floor. "Looks like we got us a traveler," he said with a dark chuckle. "Makes sense," said a lemur in a suit and tie and lab coat, which had a hole for his big bushy tail, adjusting his glasses, "with how often we have a portal being used here, more of them from other worlds are likely going to be sucked in." "Eh, that's above my paygrade. As far as I'm concerned, she's just gunna help us make our quota just a little bit easier to achieve today," said the rhino who walked over to Stuart. Stuart squeaked, having missed being referred to as a she, and started to try and get up and run. His legs were rather wobbly, and he felt something tugging at the base of his spine. Before he could run, however, two vice-like arms grabbed him around his middle, and lifted him easily off the ground. "Enjoy your new home, little lady," he laughed out loud, tossing Stuart into the void. Stuart was able to shriek out a "NOOO!" before the air was ripped from his lungs. Lights swirled and flashed before his eyes and then, he landed on some grass outside. Stuart took some time to gather his breath and take in his surroundings. He was outside, with a few of the animal people prisoners. Some of them were already up and sprinting, some even running on all fours. Stuart blinked as he saw a man and a woman shouting at them while helping some of the prisoners to their feet. "Just run! They'll be here soon to try and capture us, so just run south. You know you'll have crossed the border when you get to the town there, now go!" the woman, a human with fiery red hair, was shouting this, carrying an automatic rifle. Her male counterpart was talking into some kind of radio, also armed. The two of them were wearing black flak jackets. "I th-think that there's b-been a m-mistake," Stuart rasped out, his throat dry. "Doesn't matter. If you stay here, you'll be captured! Just GO!" she said, grabbing Stuart by his forearm, and then shoving him in the direction the others were running. Confused and terrified, he started to run. He was still wobbly, and there was something tugging at the base of his spine. As he ran, he saw his hands poking out of the sleeves of his navy blue coat. He had just gotten off of work and there was a flash of light, and then all of this happened. He stopped when he saw that his hands were now more like a combination of human hands and some kind of paws, coated in black fur. Instead of fingernails, there were little sharp-looking claws. It was as his hands that he noticed there was something black in his field of vision. Crossing his eyes, he saw a pink tip, just barely. Feeling it with his hands, he realized that he... now had a muzzle. A series of gunshots and more of the prisoners rushing past him startled him back into a full, if clumsy, sprint through some kind of foliage. He kept tripping on roots, realizing that his shoes were no longer on his now smaller, paw-feet, also covered in black fur. Panting and crashing through the greenery, branches snapping in his wake, Stuart popped out of a bush and onto a sidewalk. Looking up, he realized that he was in some kind of a town, and that it was around noon, wherever this place was. It had been just after sunset when he had gotten off of work. Stumbling about, he paused as he took in the scope of the size of the buildings and even the passing cars on the street. They were all massive. Then he passed by someone tapping away on their phone, a man in a grey hooded sweatshirt. Stuart stared with his mouth open. The man was a giant, and from where he was standing, Stuart thought that maybe his head came up past the man's knees. The man looked away from his phone and spotted Stuart, his eyes going wide. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Uhm..." Stuart bit his lip and looked around, spotting off in the distance one of the prisoners talking to a police officer who was also a giant in comparison while more ran out from the brush. More officers were pulling up as the stream of prisoners became a trickle, followed by the two human-sized humans in their flak jackets, who were both hooting and hollering in celebration. "I don't... know what's g-going on... I'm... lost," Stuart said, only now noticing how high-pitched his voice was. He flinched when the man put his hand on Stuart's shoulder and started to guide him towards the police and prisoners. "It's going to be okay, miss. You're in Paltalia now. You're safe here, little one." His voice was soft and soothing, which did help Stuart to calm down, but he did take notice of being called 'miss'. Feeling himself, Stuart learned three things right there. One, he was completely covered in fur, that was mostly black. The second, he had a big bushy tail that was mostly black, but had a bright white stripe going up the middle and presumably, up his back. Said tail was the only thing keeping his pants up, apparently having burst out the back of them during his transformation. And the third... he was now physically a she. Stuart's vision blurred as his eyes filled with tears, still walking towards the police and assembling news crews. (Chapter 1) Sarah Radcliffe finished some last minute brushing and looked herself over in the mirror. She saw an, admittedly adorable, skunk woman staring back at her. Cute little pink button nose on the end of her muzzle. Fierce green eyes looking out from the sea of black fur. The tuft of white fur on top of her head neatly combed and parted on the left. Her smart black skirt suit with lavender pinstripes looking fashionable, complete with her white blouse. She grabbed her black purse and pulled the strap over her left shoulder, before heading out her apartment door, locking it behind herself. It had been three years since Sarah, formerly known as Stuart, had unintentionally immigrated to this dimension. To say that it was strange was an understatement. At first glance, things didn't look too different than the dimension Sarah was originally from. Cars drove down the city streets, stopping at traffic lights, with people crossing at crosswalks from one sidewalk to the next, everyone on their busy ways. But then the scale of things became apparent, as this was a world built with giants, known as Amazons, in mind. The second glaring difference was the level of technology. It was definitely more advanced than what Sarah was originally used to back home. Not flying car and intergalactic space fleets advanced, but still very much impressive. Like robots and nanobots, and holograms being the semi norm here. And then there was the people. Obviously, one must start with the giant Amazons. They looked like ordinary humans, aside from their massive size, that made someone like Sarah look like a small child in comparison. Then there was another group, called Inbetweeners. They were not as tall as the Amazons, but they were certainly taller than the third grouping. The Littles, of which Sarah found herself now a member of. Specifically what was now called a Littlefur. Thanks to what she had learned had been the Amazonian governments of this world making contact with other dimensions having a breakthrough in making contact with one that had lifeforms other than humans on it, which led to how she came to live in this world. Making her way down to the street from a flight of stairs that had been constructed with someone her size in mind, Sarah started to head towards the subway, on her way to work. It had seemed daunting at first in those first few days, learning about this world. She had been given schooling on this world's mathematical system, which seemed to be larger than a base ten for some reason. However, having been gifted at mathematics, Sarah quickly picked up on it, her skills as an accountant in what she had come to terms with as her previous life, landing her a decent paying job. She had quickly picked up on a lot of things in this world. As she walked, an Amazonian woman passed by her pushing a stroller. The occupant of which was not a baby, however, but a grown man dressed like one. He was sucking on a pacifier and made eye contact with her, looking down and blushing. "Oh my goodness, aren't you just darling!" the woman said, seeing Sarah, who felt her hackles start to rise a little. "Thank you," Sarah said, using her best customer service voice, and continuing to walk along. In this world, it was apparently commonplace for Amazonians to "adopt" littles and treat them like very small children, toddlers, or babies. From what Sarah had learned of other countries, she knew that she was lucky to have made it to Paltalia. There were some countries where all littles were required to be adopted, and some where they could be treated like pets instead of children and bred as such. And portal littles, those from other dimensions, were highly sought after. And now little furs were added to that list as well. In Paltalia, however, things were different. For starters, a little could not simply be snatched off the street to be adopted. Oh, littles could still be adopted, but there was an entire process for it. And one of the requirements is either documented assent to it of their own free will, with no evidence of duress or hypnosis or such present, which was actually quite the tedious legal process. The second, which was just as tedious, was proving that the little in question could not handle maturity. That required documented proof of things like the little wetting or messing themselves, harming others in a non-self-defensive fashion, or just being incapable of caring for themselves. She reflected on her saviors, two littles who were members of a secret underground group dedicated to freeing littles. They called themselves The Robins. Apparently, they had gotten wind of a large shipment of little furs coming in, and somehow hacked into the computers of the company that was generating the portal, causing the opening here in this dimension to open up near the border of Paltalia instead of the prepared facility in the country to the north, Vintikoi. All of the little furs, Sarah included, had successfully made it across the border, and been immediately granted asylum by the Paltalian government, despite some political chest-pounding from their neighbors to the north, who viewed it as terrorism and theft. Within a month of being housed in a shelter set up for little furs, Sarah, still going by Stuart then, had applied for, and been granted, citizenship. The reason for the name change had been evident after she had read a newspaper where a little who identified as the sex had that used against them in the case for their adoption. It had actually been a smaller matter in the case, and the little had won said case, but only just barely. Stuart was determined to be a survivor, and so had requested the name change. She also made great emphasis on referring to herself as female and even to think of herself as female. It had taken a while, but she had managed to do it. Every day, she meticulously made sure her fur was well groomed, that her apartment was spotless and the rent paid for on time every month, and was polite to everyone she interacted with, no matter how unpleasant. She regularly exercised and dressed sensibly, not wanting to give anyone a chance to call her maturity into question. Another reason Paltalia was one of the better nations for her to have ended up becoming a citizen of was how adopted littles were viewed legally. In many countries, an adopted little was viewed as a child... but also adult enough to allow their "parents" to expose them to things of, or use items of, a sexual nature. What Sarah had read in her research had made her sick. There was even a degree of acceptable violence allowed, mostly in the form of spankings, some of which were outright brutal. And then there were the surgeries to modify their little to make them more babyish, like teeth removal, or taking away their ability to talk or walk. None of that was allowed in Paltalia. When a little is adopted, they are not viewed as property or as a pet, and certainly not as an adult. They are legally a child, with all of the exact same protections as actual children and babies. This means all of those surgeries and physical abuse and sexual exposure are highly illegal in Paltalia. And the government very much enforced this... rather harshly. There were even some instances where adopted littles in what were deemed abusive homes were given back their freedom and autonomy as the decision-making skills of their "parents" had been called into question. And for the most part, Paltalians were proud of this stance their government took to protect their littles. That is not to say that there weren't some who disagreed. "Oh, where is a little cutie like you off to in such a hurry?" a syrupy sweet voice asked, startling Sarah out of her musings. She looked up to see the Amazon pushing the stroller had turned around and was now walking alongside her. "I'm on my way to work, Ma'am," Sarah said with a false smile, discreetly pressing a bright red button on the side of her watch. "Work? Oh, that's no fun," the woman said, sounding disappointed. Sarah took in the lady's details, storing them for memory for possible future reference. The woman in question was skinny, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a red sundress with a blue diaperbag over her shoulder. The stroller she was pushing was seafoam green and, as Sarah took notice, could unfold to allow for a second occupant. "Actually, I find my job very enjoyable and fulfilling," Sarah said. "Aww, that's so cute!" the lady said, making Sarah wince. This was not the first time cute was used around her, nor would it be the last. "You dressing up like a grown-up and trying to act so mature!" Now Sarah's hackles were raised even more. "Well thank you, but I really can't stop to chat. I don't want to be late for work." Sarah continued to smile as she quickened her pace, before finding her path blocked by the strolled, the boy inside whimpering a little and sucking on his binky furiously. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt and diaper, and buckled in via a five point harness. With a snap of a button, the second part of the stroller unfolded, awaiting the newest occupant. "My little Geoffry's stroller here can seat two, as you can see. Maybe I could give you a lift?" Sarah pressed the button on her watch again, knowing that doing so would increase the urgency of a response needed. "You're very kind, but I'm afraid that I must decline," Sarah said, suddenly finding herself having to leap back to avoid the swiping arms of the amazon. "Annabelle, it's not nice to try and play keep away from Mommy!" the amazonian said, in the syrupy sweet voice. She lunged again, this time grabbing Sarah by her arm in a vice-like grip. With a triumphant look on her face, there was a loud authoritative shout. "HEY! DROP THE LITTLE!" The amazonian's eyes went wide and she did just that out of pure reflex, putting her hands up as she and Sarah both looked in the direction of who had just spoken. It was an officer fast approaching on foot, his right hand resting on his stun gun. "We got a notification from an alert system," he said, speaking to Sarah, who nodded. "That is correct, officer," she then pointed to the red button on her watch, "I pressed the button for the alert here on my watch when this woman started to follow me. I pressed it again when it became apparent she was attempting to abduct me." "Sh-she means to say adopt, officer," the worried lady stammered out, looking like a deer in the headlights, "Annabelle here was adopted last week and I indulge her a little by letting her dress like a grown-up, but then she started to throw a tantrum when I told her she couldn't keep the pretty watch she found on the sidewalk." Sarah was surprised at how quickly this woman appeared able to think up a lie like that on the spot. Thankfully, it was apparent that the officer was not buying it. "Miss, are you familiar with this woman?" he asked Sarah, who quickly shook her head no. "I have never seen this person before in my life, officer. I was on my way to work when she accosted me." "YOU LITTLE FIBBER!" the lady screeched, turning on Sarah. The officer shouted for the woman to freeze, but she was in full frenzy mode and tried to grab for Sarah. All of a sudden, she fell to the ground and started to shudder, the plastic disk from the officer's stun gun planted firmly on her back. Sarah smiled despite of herself, and the boy in the stroller looked pleased. The officer radioed in what had happened, and soon a squad car arrived. The lady was a little out of it, but cognitive, and placed under arrest for attempted abduction and assault. She was handcuffed and put in the back of the car, and LPS soon arrived to tend to Sarah and the boy the woman had called Geoffry. Taking the time to do so, Sarah pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen. It rang for a bit, before it was answered. "Hello there, Mr. Devereaux," Sarah said to her boss, "I'm calling to let you know that I am unfortunately going to be late to work. There was an incident and I might have to go down to the police station and give a statement." "Oh my goodness, are you alright Sarah?" he asked, sounding concerned. Sarah smiled, having liked her boss since the day he had hired her. For an amazon, he and his wife both were alright in Sarah's books, not that that meant Sarah trusted them completely. Still, he always treated all of his employees fairly, be they little, betweener, or amazon. "Yes, I'm unharmed, but still, I'm afraid that being late cannot be helped." "That's quite alright, and thank you for calling to let me know." "Oh, it looks like I have to go. I'll be in soon, Mr. Devereaux." he said goodbye, and Sarah ended the call, putting away her phone. Already a small crowd had gathered to see what all the commotion was. In the back seat of the cruiser, the amazon was crying and screaming as LPS took custody of her little, mentioning about reviewing his case. Sarah hoped that he would be granted his freedom. It turned out, however, that she wouldn't have to go down to the station to give her statement. Especially when she remembered that pressing the button on her watch activated the spy camera that was hidden in the topmost button of her coat. Using her phone, she was able to upload the entire incident, caught on high quality, to the arresting officer's phone. Apparently, the woman had tried this twice before, despite getting the book thrown at her both times. This being her third and last strike, her sentence was most likely going to be a much lengthier one. Even moreso if her "adopted" little agreed to testify. Soon, it was all over, and the police and LPS, after giving Sarah a once-over to make sure that she wasn't harmed, packed up and left, with Sarah stating that she could get to work herself just fine. She did have to weave through the slowly dispersing crowd of lookie-loos, frowning when she heard a female voice tut. "Can't believe that those babies aren't going home with their new momma." This made Sarah shudder and make haste through the small forest of legs. She made it to the subway without incident and, sure enough, she had missed her train. She did have to wait a few minutes for the next one to arrive, during which time she kept a full 360 degree awareness of her immediate surroundings. When the train arrived, she swiped her employee card and was allowed to go through the little-sized turnstyles. She looked around seeing amazons, betweeners, and littles boarding the train. Some looked bored, others looked all around, clearly tourists. Those Sarah made a point of avoiding, as foreign amazonians tended to gloss over the laws concerning littles in Paltalia, and she didn't wish for another incident so early in the morning. Aside from clearly catching the eye of some of the tourist amazons, who cooed at her and one, a man wearing an orange shirt with white flowers on it, offered her some chocolate. She had politely declined, and soon gotten off at her stop. She walked another two blocks to her place of work, the headquarters for Snuggies Inc. They were a small but fast growing company, one that primarily manufactured and distributed... baby and little products. One of the few companies in the country that also now had a line of products, including diapers, made with little furs in mind. And yes, Sarah saw the irony of her working there. She smiled at Henry the security guard at the front desk and waved her id badge over the scanner in front of the elevator, granting her access. There were three, one for average amazon height, one for average betweener height, and one for average little height. She skunk little had the elevator to herself, unable to resist humming along to the smooth jazz playing from the speakers on her way up to the fifteenth floor where she worked. Due to now being over half an hour late, she felt it safe to check in with her boss, despite having already called. Sarah, ever the cautious one. Getting off to the sounds of chatter from employees of various sizes speaking into headsets or to their computers, dealing with calls to different departments or other outside sources. Overall, there were twelve employees in the company's finance department. They were overseen by Luke Devereaux, the CFO himself. Sarah nodded to Rebecca, a brown she-wolf little fur that Sarah suspected was the same one that had fought with the guards prior to their arrival in this dimension. Not that Sarah was going to say anything. Rebecca was more of a casual acquaintance then a full-on work friend, but Sarah kept most everyone at arm's length. Not looking where she was going, Sarah walked right into a pair of legs. This caused the skunk girl to let out an "OMPH!" and fall onto her bottom. Looking up from the shiny black heels this apparent amazon was wearing, Sarah took in the charcoal grey skirt-suit that they were wearing, before alighting on the face of one of her coworkers she would have been glad to have avoided today. Tiffany. "Oh my goodness!" the giantess exclaimed, reaching down and picking Sarah up under her arms to set her down on her feet. "Poor little thing, are you okay, Sarah? You didn't get any boo-boos, did you?" Tiffany asked, brushing her long red hair aside. Her muddy brown eyes searching over the skunk girl. Sarah rolled her eyes but kept her composure. "No, Tiffany, I am just fine. No injuries or anything like that. And you don't need to keep wiping off my outfit." Tiffany wiped off some more imaginary dust before stopping. Tiffany wasn't so much a bad person, but definitely an amazon who had some serious disproportionate view of the world. Basically, she seemed to view all littles and small children, and took it upon herself to mother and fuss over all five of the littles in their department. She would do things like bring in fresh baked cookies to give to her little colleagues, "help" them transfer their drinks into sippi-cups and bottles, check to see if they had accidents, "help" them to the bathroom for a potty break, and even "assist" them in putting on some tug-ups. None of which was technically against the company policy, but it was something that Mr. Devereaux continuously would have to discuss with Tiffany from time to time. Without hesitating, Tiffany lifted up Sarah's skirt and started to inspect her plain panties. Firs the front, and then brushing aside Sarah's tail to check the back, even tugging them open. Sarah and the other littles and little furs of the office knew better than to yell or cuss out Tiffany for this, as that would be marked on their records as an act of immaturity. "Hmmm," Tiffany said, letting Sarah's undies snap back and letting her skirt fall, gently patting her bottom. "No accidents yet today, but I still think that you'd be better off switching to tug-ups. That way you won't have to worry about accidents so much." Sarah found that it was time again for her customer service smile. "Thanks, Tiffany," the words tasted like bile in her mouth, "and I'll certainly take that into consideration." "Or you could switch back to diapers full time. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about the potty at all, and I for one would be more than happy to change you!" I'm sure that you would, Sarah grimly thought. She knew that Tiffany didn't mean anything sinister by it, but rather honestly thought of Sarah as a little girl who needed someone looking after her. She briefly recalled several occasions where Tiffany had put her into tug-ups, and Sarah had simply sucked it up, while mentioning in passing to Mr. Devereauz about what had happened. Tiffany had misunderstood the complaint and came in the next day, putting Sarah into a diaper, which of course led to another talk with Mr. Devereaux. Again, none of what she had done had technically been against the company policy, and Tiffany had been confused as to why she was being scolded. "It certainly is something to think about," Sarah said, hating the truth to those words. As contradictory as it may seem, free littles and little furs who diapered themselves were viewed as acting maturely. Facing their "potty problems" head on instead of pretending that they didn't happen. Still, that was one spot that Sarah couldn't bring herself to compromise on. "If you want, I could change you into one right now! OH! I even have some with those cute little fishy designs on them! They'd look so adorable! And you know that we're now manufacturing those personalized diapers! We can have your name spelled out in baby blocks on the waistband!" Tiffany was so excited to talk about all things babying-related. "Those do sound exciting, but I think I'll just stick with panties for now." Sarah saw the look of disappointment in Tiffany's eyes and rolled her own. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check in with Mr. Devereaux." "Okay, I'll show you the way!" Tiffany said this, taking Sarah by the paw-hand and leading her towards their boss' office. Sarah was more than familiar with the layout of their department, but knew that it was best not to argue. Tiffany might think Sarah was cranky and need a bottle and a nap. Just like with the tug-ups, it wouldn't be the first time. "Here we are, safe and sound," Tiffany said, leaning down to gently pat Sarah on her bottom. "Remember that if you need me, I'll be over there." She waved to the direction her desk was in before giving Sarah a quick hug and letting go. Straightening her outfit, Sarah opened the door to her boss' office, glad for his standing order to all of his employees that they do not need to knock, as well as for the three size sets of door handles. "Good morning, Mr. Devereaux," Sarah said as she entered, smiling up at the gigantic man sitting behind his equally gigantic desk. "Sarah, I've told you, I prefer just to be called Luke," he said with a chuckle, motioning towards the little leather chair. Sarah took her seat and explained in detail what had happened. "That just sounds awful," Luke said, shaking his head. His thick black hair was trimmed short and parted. He was wearing a tan suit with a striped red tie. Overall, his features would have easily landed him jobs as a male model, but instead he chose to work in finances for a company his best friend had started out of their own home. "It was, but thankfully the police were quick to respond," Sarah said, feeling better and letting go of a ball of anxiety she hadn't realized had formed in the pit of her stomach. "I couldn't help but hear Tiffany's voice just before you entered," he said, looking uncomfortable and shifting in his seat a bit, "did she... step over any lines again today?" "Well... she did check to see if I had an accident, and recommend that I wear... uhm... tug-ups, or diapers," Sarah said, feeling the blush beneath her fur. Luke sighed and nodded his head. "I'll have another talk with her. She already put Rebecca back in tug-ups a little while ago 'just to be safe'," he said, his voice revealing his incredulity. "Of course, since she was reported having a small accident, she will be required to wear them for the rest of the week... and Tiffany has promised to help make sure to check and see if she needs any further help." Sarah winced and nodded. Sometimes an accident was unavoidable, like a little trickle or squirt on the way to the bathroom. "That does explain why she is in maternal overdrive this morning," Sarah joked, making Luke let out a rumbling chuckle. "Alright, if you feel up to working after your ordeal, you can get started right away. And don't worry, you won't be docked any pay for something that was out of your control," Luke said. Sarah thanked him and left, heading towards her own desk. Luke Devereaux was a good man, and his wife a good woman. They both believed that mature littles and little furs deserved the very same rights as amazons and betweeners. His wife, Maria, was known to help organize protests for little equality back in college, and still advocated for them to this day. They did both also believe that a little that proves that they cannot handle adulthood does need to be cared for and given love and support, which did ruffle Sarah's fur a little, but she would take her interactions with them both, as Maria enjoyed stopping by from time to time, over someone as baby-crazy as Tiffany. And, thinking back to the attempted kidnapping not too long ago, Sarah was willing to put up with Tiffany's molly-coddling over that insane lady as well. Shaking her head, the skunk-girl typed in her password, and logged on, beginning her routine processing of expense reports. Every few seconds, she could hear Rebecca, who sat right across from her, crinkle a little as she shifted in her seat. So that chapter was a LOT longer than what I normally write! But it sure was a lot of fun, which is par for the course of all my projects! Please consider taking the time to leave a comment or review, as they really do just make my day! And thank you for reading!

An impossibly awkward silence hung in the office as Theodore sat patiently, waiting for a response. While it had been some time since he had been employed, he was sure that he had filled out his resume without any issue. He wasn’t sure what was causing his potential employer to hesitate. Although, given the circumstances, he did have one leading theory. “Theodore, yes?” Lydia asked, an eyebrow raised, “You are sure you want to work here?” Theodore tilted his head, the lioness’s question taking him off guard. Especially since her tone was bordering on disbelief. Was that really the first question on her mind? “Yes ma’am. Is there something the matter? I am sure I’ve met all the necessary qualifications.” “Theodore, you may not be aware, but this department,” Lydia paused, carefully considering her words. “All the other employees of this department are…” “Women?” The mouse asked innocently. “Queens.” The lioness replied bluntly. “The felines of this department tend to all have a preset mindset on rodents such as yourself. You may find them to be rather…overbearing.” Theo shook his head. He wasn’t going to let something as trivial as species work him out of a good job. “That won’t be an issue for me. All I ask is that you give me a fair shot.” Even after that admission, Lydia’s face still showed signs of uncertainty. “It’s not that I don’t want to hire you. In fact, I think you are perfect for this position. Overqualified, even. But the workers of this office can prove to be a very intense bunch. I only thought it my duty to give you fair warning, is all. Few people apply for your position. Especially not with such eagerness.” Theo held back a scoff. Lydia spoke as if they were plotting to tear him apart. He knew that this was a place of business. He believed that he would be treated with the upmost respect. And the position of office counselor sounded easy enough. “Believe me, ma’am. I am sure I’ll get along just fine. Who knows? I might end up becoming quite popular.” His words must have struck a chord with her, because her unsure grin had shifted into an easy smile. “I suppose that settles it. I look forward to having you in my office.” Lydia extended her paw for a shake. “You’ll start on Monday.” *** While Theodore was more than grateful to have his own office, he wasn’t very keen on how everything was laid out. Right off the bat, he noticed how juvenile the place had looked. The walls were painted an unflattering pastel blue. The furniture was also very colorful, including his desk and a few small chairs strewn about the room. The multicolored cabinets in the corner were rather tall, better suited for an animal much larger than himself. He even noticed that the carpet was a lighter shade than the rest of the office. The office felt like that of a social worker. One who worked with very young children. Maybe many of the workers here were mothers and felt more at home here. Maybe the previous employee liked this style. Whatever the case, Theodore was not a fan. “I might have to do a bit of redecorating later on.” Theodore mused to himself, still giving the place a once-over. Just as he was in the middle of taking mental design notes, Theodore’s ears perked up at the sound of the door opening behind him. “Oh my gosh.” Said the surprise guest. It was a female cheetah, dressed in a trendy fashion, who could not have been more than twenty years old. “No way! I can’t believe Lydia actually got one!” Got one? What an odd way to refer to a new coworker. Lydia did mention that this position was hard to fill. Maybe she was excited to have a new “office counselor” or however it was called. “Umm, hello. I’m Theodore. I would love to get better acquainted, but I’m still getting settled in at the moment. Do you mind coming back later?” Apparently, that was not an option. The cheetah closed the door behind her and walked over to Theodore, a giddy smile on her face. She kneeled down to meet the mouse at eye level, staring him down. The mouse said nothing, taking a cautionary step back. “Umm. I really am—" She stuck a paw under Theodore’s chin and began to scratch. With the other free paw, the cheetah began to rub the back of his neck in a smooth circular motion. She had soon worked into a natural rhythm, patting him down tenderly. It felt quite nice. “Aww, you’re such a sweetie. I can tell, it’s gonna be so much fun having you around the office!” The cheetah’s bubbly tone remained as she scratched and petted the new hire, not seeing anything inappropriate with the treatment. “You can call me Ms. Shari, okay?” Theodore couldn’t even muster up a nod in response. The sudden comforting motions had already molded him like putty. He knew this type of behavior was not appropriate for the workplace and was surprised that Shari already spoke with such a sense of familiarity. Despite not wanting to stereotype, it was very clear Shari was a fast-moving woman. “M-miss Shari…” The mouse mumbled, “I don’t think we should be doing this at work. Maybe after we get to know each other better?” Theodore protested, but his pleas were as ineffective as they were half-hearted. Shari had already scooped Theo up and cradled him tenderly. Shari simply smiled down at him. “You really are too sweet. You remind me of those cute talking dolls. The ones that say little phrases when you squeeze them. But I suppose it’s scratches and pets in your case. I would totally love to take you out after work. But I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Shari stuck a claw down Theo’s trousers, and pulled at the waistband. The elastic snapped back as she pulled her hand away, her mental quarry being answered. “Looks like I am the first one here. Don’t worry, Teddy. I’m not going to keep you all to myself. I just wanted to be the one to break you in.” Very gently, Shari laid the mouse on his back atop his new desk. She ran a claw through the side of his briefs, tossing them aside after rendering them useless. Shari shot the mouse a wink, and crouched behind the desk, as if to retrieve something. Was this really happening!? This was a scene pulled right out of a smutty film. When Theodore had landed this job, lewd acts such as this never once crossed his mind. Yet, here he was, getting “broken in” on his first day of the job. All the while, Theodore did nothing to stop it from happening. Why was that? Maybe it was a case of idle curiosity. If this cheetah—this young queen—wanted to show him her idea of office hospitality, who was he to stop her? No. Deep down, Theodore knew why he didn’t resist. The dopey smile on his face was clear evidence of that. Theodore’s excitement quickly shifted into confusion as the big cat reemerged. In her paws, the cheetah now held something white and fluffy. No doubt intended to replace the khakis and briefs she had cleanly discarded. “It’s been a minute since I’ve done this. The last guy ran away in such a hurry. But don’t worry. It is just like that old saying. Changing a mouse’s diaper is just like riding a bike. After you do it once, you never forget how.” Shari leaned in closer to Theodore, their noses and whiskers only inches away from each other. Shari saw his tiny chest move up and down rapidly, and smiled, “And believe me, I have done this more than once.” Theodore’s body was now running hot and cold. Really, it was more accurate to say that he was running hot and hot. This dream had suddenly shifted into an odd nightmare. Theodore couldn’t stop all the excited feelings built up moments ago. At the same time, he had never felt so embarrassed before. This woman, a total stranger really, had said that she plans to dress him like a baby. Him, a fully grown mouse! Even worse, this office was already perfectly equipped for such a task. All the while, Shari did her job with the upmost efficiency. She hoisted his legs up, sliding the padding under him quickly. She plucked his swaying pink tail and fed it through the back hole gently. Powder and oil were rubbed liberally into Theodore’s skin and fur. The skin-on-skin contact served to raise the mouse’s heart rate even further. Theodore panted and gripped the desk while Shari hummed a simple tune. In the end, the diaper was taped up, nice and snug, hiding all of Theodore’s excitement behind a wall of white fluff. “Perfect. I always thought that if this office gig didn’t work out, I could go try for childcare. Of course,” Shari grabbed one of Theo’s cheeks for a quick pinch, “I don’t think any of those kids could be as cute as you, Teddy.” Theodore squirmed on the desk. “Ms. Shari!? You put a diaper on me!” It was an obvious statement, but the only one he could muster. He was still utterly bewildered. “That’s right, Teddy! Standard procedure for any cute little mice that scurry into our building. But you already knew that didn’t you?” No, he didn’t! In what world was it normal to treat co-workers like overgrown infants!? Not one Theo had any intention of staying in. He tried to get his bearings back, but his sense of movement had been greatly crippled. If it wasn’t already obvious, Theodore was not used to having diapers taped over his rear. He eventually worked his way into an upright position, but it ended up helping Shari more than him. She took the opportunity to swiftly pull off his dress shirt, leaving the new hire’s chest bare. “Gah! You can’t do—Mm mph!” Theodore’s protests were cut short, as he felt something cold and rubbery invade his mouth. Shari held a finger to his mouth, making it known that whatever she put in there was meant to stay that way. What could she possibly be using to pacify his— Oh. “I was so excited to meet you today that I popped my head in here earlier. I know, I know. It spoils the surprise. But I couldn’t help myself! It has been ages since we’ve had a little mousey to play with! Especially one so adorable!” Shari accented her point with an Eskimo kiss, rubbing her nose against Theo’s. The mouse blushed hard and whimpered behind his pacifier. “Besides, it gave me a chance to pick the perfect outfit for your first day.” Just like the diaper before, Shari pulled out something fresh and babyish for Theodore to wear. Theodore didn’t have much time to look at it. Shari had already pulled off Teddy’s sock and shoes, and was feeding his legs through the new outfit. The transaction was as easy as the diaper change. Theodore was too stunned to fight, and Shari’s paws were too quick. Within two minutes flat, Theodore had been dressed snuggly in a new ensemble. He had been dressed in a footed sleeper, designed to resemble a tabby cat. His entire body was covered in orange fleece, leaving only his face visible. There was even a hood fixed with pointed ears on top. His eyes shot downward and saw a thick roundness around the crotch. It was a perfect outline of his diaper. Any queen working in the quiet office would perk her ears to the distinct sound of crinkling and know exactly who was responsible. Theodore turned around, and saw the trap door on the back, designed as a way to give easy checks and changes to actual babies. He could even see the white of his diaper peeking out underneath. All Theodore could do was stare down at himself, his mouth agape. “Aww, you’re speechless! I knew you would love it.” Shari hoisted the mouse up with ease, carrying him on her hip like an actual toddler. “Come on, let’s show you off. I’m sure the other girls will love your padded tush just as much as I do!” Theodore did not doubt that. Unfortunately, that’s what he was most afraid of. Theodore buried his head in Shari’s shoulder and quietly suckled on his pacifier. The amber nipple bobbed rhythmically in his mouth. At some point, he had begun suckling on it of his own volition. Shari forced the pacifier upon him, and he was taking to it like a duck to water. Theodore kicked his feet restlessly, the diaper sounding off its crinkly anthem, and hoped that this was the only babyish habit he would develop today. The pair came to a sudden stop, as Shari arrived at a door on the other side of the office. “Oh Naomi!” Shari began in a singsong, “There’s someone very special who wants to see you!” There was a pregnant pause after that. The pair waited, Theodore growing more confused and antsy. “Shari,” A dry voice from the other side of the door finally answered, “You don’t have to do this every morning. You can come in if you want.” The cheetah chuckled to herself. “I know that. But I’m with someone. He makes very good first impressions!” There was another pause after that, although, one not nearly as silent. From the other side, Theodore could swear he heard heavy breathing. Panting? Purring? He felt himself shrinking in the cheetah’s cradle, the sounds prompting a primal sense of fear. The sounds finally subsided, and the two were once again waiting in silence. “Come in…” beckoned a low and deep growl of a voice. The party reacted accordingly. Theodore whimpered softly, and Shari walked inside. Her fur was a fine shade of black that shined cleanly under her violet pantsuit. Her deep yellow eyes stayed tracking Theodore from the second he and Shari entered the room. Her facial expression and demeanor gave her an aura of poise and precision. An aura that matched perfectly with the tight and orderly den that was her office. Despite her outward composure, Theodore could tell there were more intense feelings lurking behind her eyes. “Good morning, Shari. Who is your adorable little friend?” Her words sounded friendly and warm, even while her sights stayed pinned to the pacified prey that was Theodore. Theodore nuzzled even closer to his feline captor. Given the circumstances, he was starting to feel much safer in Shari’s paw than anywhere else. Between the two big cats in the room, the one cradling him seemed far less imposing. “His name is Teddy! He’s the new guy Lydia emailed us about.” With a quick flick of her paw, Shari plucked the pacifier out of Theodore’s mouth. “Go on. Introduce yourself!” While the spotlight that beamed on him was only metaphorical, he still felt an intense heat shining on him. It was not because of the sleeper either. The pressure of having these two office ladies stare down at him was a lot. Naomi was giving him no quarter. She sat on the edge of her desk, patiently waiting for Theodore’s pitch. His arrival was no doubt the highlight of her day, as Lydia had apparently taken the liberty of alerting everyone in the building beforehand. “M-my name is Theodore. I was supposed to start working here today…” There was a small drop of confidence that had not yet been drained from Theo’s body. Unfortunately, while it was enough to get him to speak, there was none left for his voice to use. The result was Theo speaking in a quiet, mousy voice, and two felines cooing at him. “He’s a total sweetheart. As soon as I met him, he tried to ask me for a date. A date! Isn’t that precious?” Naomi chuckled lightly. “I suppose some men cannot help themselves in the presence of beautiful women.” Naomi fixed her gaze back at the mouse. “Does that sound right, Mr. Teddy? Are you going to be our little office flirt?” Theodore responded by burying his head in Shari’s arm, like a toddler being cooed at by his aunt and uncles. “Aww, feeling shy? Maybe Shari is more your type? Into younger women, I take it.” “I think he likes you! He just hasn’t got the chance to know you yet. Why don’t I drop him off here so you two can get acquainted?” The very notion caused Naomi’s eyes to swell and grow huge. She let out another low purr that was only muted by the sound of her claws scraping at her desk. In an equal reaction, Theodore buried himself deeper into Shari’s carriage. He wished so badly that he could scurry away back to the hole he called home. But he couldn’t do that, still stuck in the grasps of a women much stronger and faster than him. He was only able to stare back at the predator, and he saw that his fear was perfectly reflected in her deep black pupils. “Oh!?” Naomi pulled herself back and began to regain her lost composure. “I mean, are you sure? You are the one who saw him first. It wouldn’t be right for me to steal him away from you.” Shari scoffed, “Don’t try and act all restrained. You were the first one in Lyn’s office after this little cutie finished his interview last week. I bet good money that you probably lost sleep over him this weekend.” Oh dear. Theodore hadn’t yet considered the weight of the fact that his arrival was already common knowledge. Lydia might as well have sounded the dinner bell. Judging by the reactions of these first two co-workers, he was going to be a very popular addition. “You always read me so well. But I really shouldn’t be playing right now.” “Come on, you’ve earned it. You’ve worked so much that you could take two days off with the little guy and still be ahead of everyone. Here, watch.” And without warning, Shari had pulled Theo away, and forced him into Naomi’s arms. Theo was sweating bullets, subjecting his pacifier to a flurry of panicked suckles. With her stoic gaze, Naomi was much harder to read. But she clearly was not complaining about the new arrangement. “See? I know you two are going to get along great together.” Shari glanced down at her watch. “I gotta run. If you need to change him, all the stuff is still in the old spot. If you want, I can tag back in at lunch time.” Shari waved and left in a hurry. “Have fun you two.” The door was shut, and Theodore had traded one predator for another. “Don’t speak. I want to enjoy this moment.” Her words were firm and confident, and her gaze had relaxed to a stoic state. “I can tell this all must be very shocking to you. Most men who end up in this office don’t do so willingly.” There it was again. That familiar sentiment. He had only been “working” for less than a day, but it was easy to see why this role was so hard to fill. “You are different, little Teddy. You signed up for this. You applied to this position like any other, not knowing any better.” Naomi paused, watching as the timid little mouse averted his gaze in order to dodge the question. “I thought so. You have such honest eyes, little Teddy. Unfortunately, you still managed to end up in my den all the same. I have a special way of greeting little rodents who find themselves here.” Naomi brushed the hood of Theo’s sleeper down. She leaned in closer and closer, until finally— “Mwah!” Naomi had planted a kiss on Theodore’s bare cheek. She didn’t stop at one. Soon, she was raining down blows of affection on his cheeks again and again. Theo fussed and squirmed, but he was no match for the predator’s precision. This panther’s passion persisted, as she had plenty of love to give. “Well?” Naomi asked in a playful tone. “Did I change your mind? Or do you still prefer younger women?” Naomi pulled the pacifier out of Theodore’s mouth, finally allowing the mouse to speak. It took Theodore a moment to find his bearings, but he managed to formulate a response. “I…I don’t understand! Why are you all treating me like this? Why do you think it’s okay to treat a grown adult like this? I’m not a baby!” “That is true. Babies are too young to appreciate this. That is why having little mice like you is much more fun. We get to spoil you rotten, and you get to appreciate every second of it.” “But I don’t want to be spoiled! I want to be treated as an adult! I want to work!” “Work?” A wry smile grew on Naomi’s face, “Well, you shouldn’t worry yourself over something like that. This office has plenty of hard-working grown-ups as is. But I do have something to keep a cutie like you entertained until lunchtime.” Naomi, as punctual as ever, had prepared for this meeting beforehand, like a scheming villain. She didn’t expect to meet with the mouse so early, but was happy with the end result all the same. From behind the corner of her desk, Naomi kicked out something made to accommodate Teddy. It was a baby walker, colored a garish shade of pink all over. There were many different toys and doodads designed to catch the attention of someone much younger than Theodore. Younger, but not much smaller. Before he could even protest, Naomi had shoved the mouse right into the open seat of the walker. Theodore immediately noticed how easily he sank into the seat. He also noticed, by anxiously kicking his feet, that he was unable to reach the floor below. To get out, he would need the help of someone much taller than him. “There we go, all nice and snug. This is a little something I like to have around when I want to spend time with any mice in the office. Watching you play gives me that extra jolt I need to get through the day. Much more interesting that fish swimming around in a glass tank.” Naomi set down an activity book and a packet of crayons in front of Theodore. “You can work on coloring in-between the lines. There’s even a couple of math problems in there, if you are feeling extra clever today. If you do a good job, I’ll even tear out the page and hang it on the fridge in the breakroom.” “This is ridiculous!” He yelled, “Let me out of here this instant!” He fuzzed and bounced, desperately trying to free himself. Naomi slammed her paws down in front of Teddy. She bared her fangs and let out a low growl. Teddy immediately recoiled, his eyes wide with shock. “Do not try my patience, little one. By my account, I gave you the appropriate treatment for a mouse in this office. I can take you out now, but it will only be so that I can give you a spanking on your bare bottom. Now you sit here and play, because I won’t ask twice.” It was all too much. The dam had finally broken, and Theodore was wetting his diaper out of fear. Both parties perked their ears at the sound of a wet hiss hitting the once white padding. Theodore whimpered and shut his eyes tight. A small part of him wished he still had a pacifier in his mouth for comfort. He might as well have something to suckle on. There was no way now that he would convince Naomi, or anyone else in this office, that he was anything more than a helpless kit. “And you were trying to tell me that you weren’t a baby. Well, us grown-ups can’t drop everything to please fussy little brats like you. You will just have to sit on that soggy tush of yours for a few hours.” Naomi offered up Teddy’s pacifier back into his mouth. This time, having learned his lesson, he graciously accepted the rubber nipple and began to suckle. It only took one stern talking to, but Theodore learned quickly not to challenge the queens of this office. He shuffled to a random page, grabbed a crayon, and tried his best to look busy. Naomi smiled down at him and continued her own work. Theo gulped, knowing he was in for a long first day… … The activity book was doing a poor job at keeping Theodore active. He managed to finish coloring a page depicting young children playing during recess. However, he didn’t feel accomplished at all after he had finished. The other parts of the book didn’t treat him any better. The math section was nothing more than basic addition. The numbers barely even passed the double digits, and he felt his attention begin to sway. “That’s enough fun for now, sweetie.” Naomi said, jolting the mouse’s attention, “It’s almost lunchtime, and we need to get you fed and ready for your nap.” Naomi pulled away the activity book. “Did you make sure to fill up a page for me, hmm?” “Yes Ma’am.” He responded quickly, “But I hadn’t packed a lunch this morning. I don’t eat very much, you see.” “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m sure we can find something for you to munch on.” She waved him off, still pawing through the activity book. “Excellent work, Teddy.” Naomi must have found his effort satisfactory. He didn’t feel accomplished, but Theodore nodded, nonetheless. It was better to just grin and bare it for today. As soon as five rolled around, he would be home free, and ready to quit this awful job. Theo allowed himself to be lifted out of the baby seat, and cradled like before. However, he felt a new wave of anxiety, as Naomi stepped out of her office. He kept his head down and his eyes closed shut, but still heard a chorus of new voices cooing his way. “Is that really him?” “Lydia did say he was coming today.” “That outfit is so cute!” “Shh, I think he might be sleeping!” “Naomi must have tuckered him out!” “Hey, save some for the rest of us!” Theodore did not dare make a sound. He hadn’t yet braced himself for another humiliating meet-and-greet. Heels clacking. Doors creaking open. He was still blind to the world and had to rely on his other senses to help him. Eventually, he realized Naomi had come to a stop, and she began to rub his back. “Hey, we’re here.” Theodore popped up his head and scanned the room. He gathered that he was in the break room. He saw a fridge on one side of the room, along with a sink and a small microwave. His eyes landed on another big cat sitting in the corner of the room. And he immediately ducked his head down again. “Oh my gosh! I’m sorry sweetie. I didn’t mean to spook you.” “He’s just shy. I think I was too rough with him earlier. I had scolded him for misbehaving.” Theodore heard an unfamiliar voice going “ha-rump!” followed by the sound of a low growl. “Naomi, you have to be gentle with the little ones. You probably scared the poor dear senseless.” “I didn’t mean to. I just got carried away. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ll be more careful next time.” The tiger nodded, and turned towards the cowering mouse, “Hello there, sweetie. You can call me Ms. Sophie. I’m going to look after you now. It’s very nice to meet you.” Theodore peeked at the new figure. He had noticed a colorful blouse, covered with a flower petal design, over a large orange body with fine black stripes. She was a tiger and was rather well-built. She not only towered above Theo but was plainly a foot taller than Naomi herself. Despite this, Sophie didn’t invoke the sense of fear Naomi had earlier. This was the opposite. Her smile was warm and inviting. His nose twitched to catch the scent of the flowery perfume she wore. “Sophie is very experienced working with little ones like you. She is also much nicer than either me or Shari. You be good for her, okay?” “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I can already tell he’s going to be a peach.” This transfer was much smoother. Theodore easily allowed himself to be passed off to Sophie. Her grasp was just as warm and inviting as advertised. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you two,” Was all that Naomi said as she made her leave. “Hey there, sweetie. Naomi tells me your name is Teddy?” “Y-yes, my name is Teddy—Theodore! Oh, dear.” That awful nickname was starting to get to him. Every single aspect of today was wearing him down. He had at least managed to make it to lunch time. All Teddy needed to do was grin and bear it. “It’s quite all right, darling. I think Teddy is a very cute name. More importantly, how about we get some grub in you? You’ve probably worked up an appetite since this morning.” The special accommodations made for his arrival had not yet let up. Amongst a series of plain look furniture, there stood one wooden high-chair. Just like before, he fit inside perfectly. He wasn’t even surprised anymore. He was buckled in, tray pushed back, and about to be fed like a hapless infant. He was not impressed by his “lunch” either, which appeared to be a bowl of oatmeal and a sippy cup filled with juice. He reactively turned his head as the tiger brought a spoon to his mouth. “Um, I’m sorry but this is—” “Too hot?” Sophie paused, blowing on the warm spoonful before resuming. “There we go. Now, open wide, Teddy.” Teddy shook his head. “No, that isn’t the issue. I—” “Not hungry? That can’t be right. It will be much harder for you to sleep if you have an empty stomach.” “I can feed myself.” He didn’t give her another chance to cut in. The mouse made sure to not raise his voice at her, having learned his lesson from the last queen. “Yes? I’m sure you can, Teddy. But this is just how things go in the office. It really isn’t that big of a deal.” Sophie spoke in sweet tones, though she didn’t sound all too sincere. Her mental image of Teddy trying to feed himself was likely akin to a toddler mashing food everywhere. Theodore sighed. In truth, he was already expecting answer such as that. He just wasn’t willing to accept this treatment without a fight. “Very well.” “Thank you! If you want, you can hold and drink from the sippy cup all by yourself. Most of the other ladies would have opted for a baby bottle, but I trust you.” Trying again, Sophie stirred the oatmeal around, and brought a spoonful to Teddy’s mouth. He didn’t try to fuss or squirm. He didn’t need Sophie to pretend it was a plane or a train. He simply accepted the warm bite of food. It was…good. Better than good. Theo picked hints of brown sugar, as well as smartly chosen fruit flavors. It was sweet, but not overbearingly so. While oatmeal was more of a breakfast food, a nice homecooked meal was welcome given the current circumstances. “How is it? I hope my cooking isn’t too plain for your taste. It’s been some time since I tried to cook for a mouse’s palette.” “No, it’s good. You made it perfectly. Thank you.” Sophie squealed, “You are so very welcome! I’m glad I could make you something you like.” The feeding continued without complaint. Theodore readily accepted every bite of his homecooked meal, and Sophie was more than happy to supply him. Theodore was even allowed to treat himself with a few swigs of juice straight from his new sippy cup. The cup took more effort than he initially expected, forcing him to actively suckle at it to get the sweet nectar inside, but he managed. The familiar taste of cool apple juice was a perfect match with his hot meal. “There we go. I bet you feel much better now.” Sophie scooped up the dishes and walked over to the sink to let them soak. “I wish Lydia told us more about you. You really are a treat.” Theodore perked up. Just hearing her name spoken again sent a reverb through his system. He was reminded of how simple everything started, only a few days ago. Lydia said she had given him “fair warning” about this position beforehand. What a load of bunk. She really believed her handwave of a warning was fair? How about saying “your office is basically a glorified nursery” or “every person in this office will try to baby you” instead? Teddy swallowed, “Excuse me, Do you think it’s possible that I could meet with Lydia later today? “I don’t think that is such a good idea Teddy. Ms. Lydia is very busy, so she probably doesn’t have time to play with you. Besides, we need to get you ready for your nap.” Theodore frowned. Sophie was somewhat more reasonable than the other ladies of the office, but not by much. The highchair feeding should have made that obvious. Still, Theodore had to at least try to get his voice heard. He had some very choice words he needed to share with his employer. When Sophie came back, Theodore was hoisted for the umpteenth time today, and cradled into her arms once more. Teddy whimpered as the two approached the break room door. “I’ll be quick, Teddy. No one is going to bother you today.” Even though the trip was nonnegotiable, Sophie still tried her best to soothe him. Teddy instinctively buried his head into the big cat’s shoulder. “Just make it through today” He thought to himself, “Just a few more hours, and we’re home free.” He didn’t hear as much commotion as Sophie walked him through the office. He did hear a few scattered snickers and giggles, but not much else. It seemed that Naomi had kept her promise. When he heard another door creaking and felt Sophie come to a stop, Teddy suspected that they had arrived at their destination. When Sophie rubbed his back and said, “We’re here, sweetheart,” The mouse finally perked his head back up. They were back in his office. Well, office was giving it too much credit. He realized now that this place was meant to be his playroom. The layout made much more sense with that in mind. They really spare no expense when it comes to babying him. It would be flattering if it weren’t so humiliating. “Ready for your nap, Teddy?” As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was feeling rather tired now. A full meal tended to have that effect. Even so, Teddy was not ready to drop out just yet. He was still curious about a few things. Namely, why every person in this office was so obsessed with treating mice like babies. “Could we skip the nap, Ms. Sophie? I would much rather we talk. Perhaps, get to know each other better?” Really, Teddy was looking for an opening to probe. But Ms. Sophie shook her head, “I’m afraid not, dear. I’ve already used up all my time with you today. Besides, we have a schedule to follow.” Time? Schedule? That was different. He remembered the other ladies saying something similar. Was this treatment an organized effort of theirs? It would make sense, in some twisted way. Before Teddy could come to a conclusion, he felt the buttons on the sleeper’s trap door being popped open. “Hey, what are you—eek!” He felt a large paw squeeze the back of his diaper. Immediately Teddy was reminded of the big accident he had in Naomi’s office. The padding had become cold and clammy since then, and Teddy had somehow gotten used to the feeling. “Oh my,” mused Sophie, as she continued to grope Teddy’s soaked pamper, “You did a number on this one. No wonder you’ve been so squirmy. Let’s get you freshened up.” Sophie laid Teddy back onto his new desk (which was becoming his new changing table. Teddy was spared no modesty. The tabby sleeper was unzipped, and Teddy was left completely exposed, aside from the soaked diaper he was still taped in. Sophie brought her large paws to Teddy’s chest and leaned him down gently. Teddy clamped his eyes shut. He already saw one big cat fit him into a diaper. He didn’t need an encore performance. Luckily, Sophie didn’t mind, and quickly got to work. “Just grin and bear it. Nothing we haven’t been through before.” Teddy shivered as his exposed crotch was hit by a blast of cool air, courtesy of the office’s AC. He gripped his desk as his exposed crotch was met with a cool wet wipe, courtesy of Ms. Sophie. His legs were lifted, then dropped again. The feeling of something hard and wooden was replaced his something smooth and soft. Once again, the diaper crinkled as it was folded over. Tapes scrunched as they were pulled together. Teddy’s mobility, and his pride, was shot as the diapering was finished. “All done! Thank you for cooperating. You are such a good boy.” When Teddy looked up, he saw his diaper was not only dry, but had been size up considerably. This new fit would not even allow him to close his legs. “It’s so thick! Why do I have to wear this one?” “Because this is an overnight diaper, sweetie. Little ones have a tendency to dripple in their diapers during bedtimes, yes?” It was only now that Teddy realized how little Sophie thought of him. Every other woman in this office already thought of him as a baby, and there was no good reason to think she was any different. “Don’t you think this is overkill?” “Really?” Sophie asked, her tone playful, “Well, a certain mouse almost leaked into his sleeper today. I think that’s a good reason to be cautious.” Teddy blushed, knowing that he had no way to counter her point. “Can I at least have something to wear?” “Well, I think that sleeper of yours needs to be washed again. But, I do have something just as good.” Having said that, Sophie pulled out a new juvenile outfit to replace the old one. “I picked it out myself. Isn’t it charming?” It was another kitten themed outfit, unsurprisingly. This one was a calico-themed onesie. The coat was white with splotches of orange and black all over. Considering the fact calicos were usually female, he wasn’t a fan. His legs were exposed, and the thick overnight diaper peeked out from the sides, leaving nothing to the imagination per his diapered-status. “There we go. A perfect fit. Ready for your nap?” Teddy sighed, “Very well.” He was as ready as he was going to get. At this point he would be fighting Sophie, as well as his body’s natural need for rest. The best course of action was to fold for now and persevere. All he had to do was run out the clock, after all. “Do you have a blanket or…” This day never stopped throwing surprises at Teddy. From a closet that was behind his desk, Sophie had rolled out a crib. Small and low to the ground, the crib was nothing special. Just a simple design that you’d see in any baby aisle. Still, it was the perfect size for a certain mouse. Sorry about the size. It was all that we could manage to fit into the closet. But there is more than enough room for you to fit in, and it doesn’t even take up much space.” Sophie prattled on, but her concerns and Teddy’s were not one and the same. “I’m going to sleep in there?” Teddy asked. Although, the question’s answer was obvious. Obvious, and staring him dead in the face while rolling on four wheels. His well of disbelief had not dried completely. “It is a lot cozier than it looks.” Sophie reassured him, missing the point entirely. “C’mon, up we go.” She hoisted the mouse up in her arms once again and walked him over towards the crib. “Ms. Sophie, this really is not necessary. If you only let me—Mph!” His words were cut short by a rubber teat once more. Same room. Same day. Same pacifier. Different predator. What a roundabout trip. “This will help you sleep. You’ve already taken such a liking to it.” With a smile, Sophie lowered the mouse into the crib, paying no mind to the cranky look in his eyes. With one swift motion, a “Woosh!” and a “Click!” The cribs bars were raised high up and locked into place. The mouse’s grouchy expression had been swapped up to a wide-eyed one. “Don’t be nervous. Someone will be back to check on you in a while. You focus on getting your rest, okay?” As Sophie left, she clicked the lights off and locked the door, leaving the mouse unattended for the first time in hours. As soon as Sophie left, Teddy roused himself up. Even when standing on his tippy-toes, he had no chance of reaching the top of the crib. After a meager effort, Teddy fell back on his cushy tush, easily defeated by his own lacking height. Teddy laid his head back, gave his pacifier a cursory suckle, and noticed how heavy his eyelids felt. Just like how he could not escape the queens in the office, he could not escape the nap that he had been sentenced to. *** “Wakey, wakey sleepyhead.” Teddy did not want to wake. Sleep was treating him well. The soft clouds below him were treating him well. The sweet flavor in his mouth was treating him well. Wakey, wakey can wait, wait. “Mmont wanna…” “It’s time to get up. We have to leave now.” Teddy did not want to leave. For the first time today, he was enjoying himself. No overly motherly big cats. No threats of spankings. This was the life. “Mama…Sweepy.” Teddy mumbled. He was making an educated guess when he called out for Mama. The feeling of peace and serenity felt like they were ripped straight from his childhood memories. “Aww, that’s sweet. But my name isn’t mama.” The voice laughed, “It’s Ms. Lydia.” Teddy was finally woken up. Rather suddenly, in fact. That familiar name was all he needed to rejoin the world of the waking. There stood his boss, the leader of the pack, leaning over his crib with a smug smile on her face. “You were right, Teddy.” Said the smiling lioness, “You’ve become very popular around here.” “W-wydia!” Teddy paused, spitting out the pacifier still lodged in his mouth. “Lydia! I demand an explanation!” “Who gave you permission to take up that tone with me.” Without warning, Lydia leaned over the crib, and popped the crotch buttons on Teddy’s sleeper. The diaper shifted, and Lydia pressed a paw against Teddy’s exposed diaper. “If anything, you should be demanding a diaper change. You desperately need one.” Teddy cringed as the lioness felt his soaked padding. All the juice he drank from lunch had made a transfer from his gut to his pampers overnight. It had happened so naturally, that he wasn’t even roused by it when he was sleeping. But he could not dawdle on that right now. He had to leverage what little power he had in this situation. Teddy had to make a stance, even if it was on wobbly feet. “D-don’t change the subject! Why didn’t you tell me this was going to happen? Why didn’t you tell me this entire office was baby crazy!?” Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “You know, when you came in for that interview, I really did not see this working out. I thought that reintroducing a mouse into the office so soon was going to cause more problems. But I am happy to be proven wrong. Everyone here is doing such a good job banding together to make this work. It is truly a shame, however, that you will need to be punished on your first day. But I suppose that is what happens when you talk out of turn.” “I do believe I am very much in turn!” Teddy was sitting up now. He slammed a fist against the mattress below. “What kind of office turns workers into babies!?” That had done it. Lydia yolked up Teddy by the back of his collar and bared her fangs at him. If the mouse had anything left in the tank, he would have wet his diaper a second time. “The kind a mouse like you belongs in. You seemed to be confused. No one made you wet your diapers. No one made you throw a temper tantrum. The only thing I am making you do is accept your punishment, like the mouthy kit that you are.” With her free hand, Lydia had forced a new pacifier into Teddy’s mouth. This one was different, as it featured straps to keep it from being spat out. Satisfied, Lydia carried the mouse out of the room, and deeper into the office. Where was Lydia taking him? From what he had gathered, it was time to leave. Had a really slept to five? If that was the case, he should be heading home now. Teddy noticed how quiet it was. Everyone else must have gone home for today. Lydia opened the door to the conference room. Theodore’s jaw would have dropped if not pacifier firmly wedged inside. A clowder of queens sat in attendance. It was as if the entire building crammed into one conference room in order to greet the new blushing baby mouse. “Ladies, I would like you to meet Teddy.” Lydia gestured to the red-faced mouse for all to see, “Teddy has taken up the reins of being our office console. I want you all to try your best to make him feel welcome.” All the other workers clapped at the announcement. Teddy spotted a few familiar faces in the audience, including a certain panther, and a cheetah dressed in a trendy fashion. Lydia looked down at the frightened mouse, finally ready to cure him of his confusion. “Many queens are willing to put in a few extra hours just to play with a cute kit like you. We have an entire system in play. Ladies who work extra get the choice to spend time with you on their days off. They even get to spend time with you during break hours. It’s a very effective system. Office productivity has been observed to go as high as forty percent when a well-managed mouse is introduced. Statistics from our other branches support these numbers even further. You have a very big role to play here, Teddy. Be proud that you get to fill it.” It was all so absurd. Yet, not a single person here seemed to see it that way, except for Teddy himself. Teddy could not see a single snickering face, or any one holding back laughter. He did not get the vibe that they were acting, either. There was no hint that this was a cruel and elaborate prank. He really had signed up to be their plaything. “Unfortunately, he did not make good marks on this first day. He has a very clear problem with talking out of turn. As such, we will be ending his first day with a punishment.” Lydia’s announcement left a wave of disappointment in the meeting room. Sophie especially, who had grasped her paws over her mouth in shock. If it was any other context, Teddy might have felt horribly guilty. “Ultimately, this serves to encourage our little mouse to do better in the future. Please, do not be disappointed. Instead, let us take advantage of this opportunity to show our new employee how much we desperately want him to do better.” While Teddy was shuttering at the word “punishment” it was coming to him faster than he could react. Teddy was flipped over on his stomach, his nose to the ground. The buttons on his onesie popped, and his soaked diaper was pulled down, leaving his tush and tail completely exposed. She couldn’t be…? “Teddy,” Lydia spoke in a calm and serene tone, “This is Julia. She is from the accounting department.” Lydia brought a paw to Teddy’s chin and pointed his head upwards. His eyes landed on a young serval cat, dressed modestly. She had an awkward smile on her face, like a bookish girl who had just been asked out for prom. “Hi, hello.” Julia began. Her voice was quiet and polite. “I’m not really use to dealing with mice. I think all the other girls have more experience than me. Still, I hope I can make a good first impression.” She flashed an honest smile, and walked past Teddy, out of view. Teddy noticed that everyone else had lined up behind her. Before the mouse could begin to question why, the answer came crashing down. WHAM! Something had struck Teddy’s backside. Something hard and cool and flat and wooden. It only struck once, but it was enough to leave Teddy shook. “Ooh, Was that alright, Lydia?” “That was perfect, Julia. You are excused for today.” Teddy’s fear had become fact. The nightmare that started this morning was not ending easily. The muffled cries from behind his paci fell on deaf ears, as the next lady stepped forward. “This is Celine. She is our acting receptionist.” Celine was a lynx. A smidge older than Julia, her demeanor was much more confident than the cat before her. “You know, you look a lot smaller than the last guy. Not that I mind.” Teddy shook his head, but that did not stop the cat from circling behind him. Lydia had the mouse pinned down easily, leaving him no choice other than to accept his punishment. WHAM! He was still reeling from the previous swat, but another came all the same. Celine’s strike was even harder than the last. “This is—ah, that’s right. You already met with Shari today, yes? The youthful cheetah stared down at the whimpering mouse. Even in the late hours of the afternoon, her chipper demeanor was still present. “Hey there cutie! I really thought you were going to get the reward today. I was looking forward to smooching those cute cheeks of yours.” Shari shrugged, “Oh well! Better luck next time.” Out of sight, but not out of mind. The sight of a familiar face did not give him any hope for the next paddling. WHAM! The spankings were only getting better. Meaning, this third strike was the hardest yet. The ladies had ordered themselves by age and seniority, by right now it felt like it was by strength. To think, all these women had stayed after work just for once quick smack against his backside. Just imagine what they would do to spend a few hours with him. The same way Naomi and Sophie apparently had. If there ever needed to be proof that cats love to play with their prey, look no further than to Teddy’s tanned hide. “Chin up, Teddy,” Lydia, “You still have a lot more people to meet. There we go. Now, this is Dorothy. She works…” “…Oh dear. Did I do all right?” “You did fine, Missy. Thank you.” Missy was a snow leopard, and one of the oldest ladies in the office. She had met with her fair share of mice and had very high expectations for the newest hire. After four spanks, he had gotten the message. He did not fight back. He didn’t hiss or try to squirm away. He simply lied back and accepted the spankings he had earned. Teddy really knew how to grin and bear it. Such a fast learner. That level of intuition is so rare nowadays. This Teddy had a bright career in his future. Missy kept these thoughts to herself, however. She simply bowed and left as instructed. “You see how much life you bring into the office? Everyone here was willing to stay overtime to give you a,” Lydia brought a swift paw against Teddy’s redden backside, “Warm! Welcome. You better do your best to appreciate it.” She hiked the mouse’s still soaked diaper up back up and cradled him out of the room. “Come on, let’s get you home.” Teddy had been left utterly defeated. Before, he was actually doing quite well at avoiding his co-workers. Now, at the tail end of today, they had all banded together to give him a proper greeting. He was completely exhausted, his vision still blurred by tears. Teddy whimpered softly into his pacifier, glad to have it as a comfort. Teddy felt a cool breeze on his cheeks, along with the sound of cars driving by, and figured out that Lydia had taken him outside. Was Lydia escorting him to his car? Teddy felt himself being set down, and straps being pulled over him. Teddy felt a door shut by his right side. Confused, he rubbed the tears out of his eyes. He now realized that he was strapped into a baby seat, of an entirely unknown vehicle. This wasn’t his car! “I would have changed you before we left,” Lydia said, now sitting in the drivers seat, “But I like to try and conserve office supplies when I can. Don’t worry, I have plenty of cute prints for you to wear back home.” Teddy gave a panicked cried from his pacifier-filled mouth, “Mmah tar! Mhah tar!” “Oh, that?” Lydia glanced nonchalantly out of the driver’s side window, and saw Teddy’s car in the lonely parking lot. “I’ll be sure to have it towed later. Thank you for reminding me.” No, that’s not what he meant! Teddy groaned a defeated cry behind his pacifier. Forget a career adjustment. Teddy was getting a lifestyle adjustment. And this was not something he would be allowed to quit. “I never told you how the last guy got away did I? It was a rookie mistake on my behalf. I had left the window in his nursery open for a few minutes. He managed to scurry away, we never found him after that.” Lydia smiled and buckled her seatbelt. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You won’t have to be on the lookout for any cracked windows in your new nursery. Especially not since I’ve had those metal bars installed over them.” And so, Lydia drove out of the office parking lot, Teddy in tow, after a successful work day. Teddy’s interview was more of formality than an actual test of his compatibility. The real test was seeing how well he gelled with his co-workers. Unfortunately, he had passed with flying colors. Many of workers went home and plotted ways to pamper Teddy on their off-days. All that the mouse could do was guess what that entailed, using today’s experiences, and his sore bottom, as hints. One thing was for sure. This was one office job that would never get boring.

In less than a week, I will be attending Con of the North. Which is a tabletop gaming convention. And I was wondering if anyone else has attended conventions at all. I have also attended Animinneapolis.

Chapter 1 This is the story of a red panda with pink fur. Her name is Alice. She was not supposed to live past the age of 2. Her parents are both also red pandas but with normal fur. Her mom's name is Jane and she is 5 foot 6. Her dad's name is Cree. He is about 5 foot 9. They were both normal in height and both lived normal lives. They quickly fall in love after meeting at an archery contest. Jane and Cree made it to the semi-finals. Both of them have hit all their shots right on the bullseye, all they had to do was not miss or get distracted. Jane smirks at Cree giving him a cheeky wink. She yells over to him. "Hey, tell you what you beat me and I might let you get to know me better. But if I win you are going to buy me lunch." Jane says and blows a kiss at him. His mind was racing. He was never much of a lady's man. He just liked archery and kept to himself he never had a girl come on to him like this. He took a deep breath In and out. He shook his head and took aim. She might be hot and a girl but she wasn't going to take it easy on her. "Don't miss cutie~" Jane yells at him giggling. This makes the man panic and let go of his arrow pointing straight up. The arrow comes back down, landing right through his foot. Cree screams as Jane runs over to him. "Oh no! I didn't mean for that to happen! Just relax, this might hurt a bit sweetie." She says yanking the arrow right out. This causes Cree to scream trying not to cry in pain. He didn't want to look weak in front of someone so cute. He watched as she took off her sleeved shirt leaving her only in an undershirt and rips it up and ties it tight around his foot. "Let's get you to the hospital, I think I owe you that at least. Then maybe you can buy me that lunch." She says smiling at him. His voice cracks as he goes to speak. "Cree…" He says blushing but still in a lot of pain. She giggled but looked confused. "M-my name that is…" Cree says in a panic. Jane smiles and hugs him. "My name’s Jane, nice to meet you cutie. Though I wish it was better circumstances." This was their first time meeting; they were both about 22 years old at this point. They grew closer and closer before eventually getting married a few years later. Though it had to be said Jane never let Cree play the dominant one. She loved him but also loved to be on top. This might have caused the problem where Jane got pregnant. It was another year later but after some casual sex and wearing out the red panda boy Jane found out she was pregnant. She screamed from the bathroom. She had no intention of having kids. At least not yet. She couldn't believe how badly she wanted him the other day and didn't get off him letting him go full load in her. Cree runs into the bathroom. "What's wrong?!" He asks. She just sighs again. "Looks like we are going to have a kid…" Cree was overly excited but Jane not as much. Maybe secretly, over the next few months, she got more and more excited about the idea. Then after finding out it was a girl she was even more excited. She couldn't wait. Her belly grew more and more. Before one night they laid down to go to sleep her water broke just before she was out. They rushed her to the hospital where she screamed and cried as she gave birth to their new daughter. They named Alice this was Jane's idea she was named after her grandma. But something was off her fur was not red like her mom and dad but pinker. She was taken away by the doctors to get the normal check-up and cleaned up. Cree held Jane's hand. "Pink fur huh? What could cause that? My whole family was red I believe?" Cree says. Jane looks down thinking then looks up nervously. "I remember my grandma telling me of a story that she had a boy with pink fur but…" She says then covers her mouth beginning to cry. "B-but he didn't make it…" She continued. Cree tears up. "Surely not! She will be fine… I-" Just then the doctors walk into the room and hand Jane the baby. Alice just cries till she sees her mom before she just smiles reaching up at her. Jane smiles letting the newborn play with her fingers. The doctor then sighs. "I have something important to say. I'm sorry but she… will be lucky to make it past the age of 2. She has a very rare sickness, it has to do with a rare mutation that causes her fur to turn pink. I have never seen a child live past the ages of two but I hope I'm wrong, I'm sorry." They both broke into tears hugging her tight. They wanted to give her the best life they could before she could leave them. They took her on trip after trip, almost never spending time at home. They took her to theme parks and just all over the world, they spent all the money they had on her. But one day on Alice's first birthday all this stress and going out every day for so long put Jane into a heart attack. Cree rushes her to a hospital straight to the emergency room. She was lucky she made it through but she will have to stay at home and try not to push herself. Anything crazy, exciting or stressing on her heart again might kill her. Alice was about a year old now and the family was celebrating her first birthday. Alice was sitting In her high chair looking up at her mom and dad. "Happy birthday princess!" Cree and Jane yell. As they cheer and laugh. This makes Alice laugh and hits her tray with her hands excitedly. Jane and Cree both give her a big cake saying we love you on it. Suddenly Jane begins crying. "Eat all you want baby girl… w-we might not get to do this next year." Cree Hugs her and she begins to bawl. Alice looks excited by the cake and begins to make a mess while eating some of the cake. After a while of playing she looks up at her mom and dad crying then also begins to bawl not knowing what's wrong but knowing something is wrong. The rest of the year was spent as peacefully as possible to make sure Jane didn't go through another heart attack. This was rough on the family after the last year but they made it through. It's been a decent year but no changes are seen by Alice, no worse condition or anything. They ended up taking her to the hospital to be re-tested after hours and hours of waiting as the doctor walked in. Alice was playing with some toys in a small playpen while Cree and Jane watched. "We got good news! We don't understand how but she doesn't appear to have any of the symptoms anymore but there's still some strange things going on. She might be ok if only a few defects later on in life, But keep a very close eye on her." They both looked excited and hugged laughing and crying. But suddenly the strain of this excitement hit Jane as she screamed and held her chest. She was quickly rushed to the hospital. Cree grabbed Alice. He was crying and hugging her so worried about his wife as she was rushed to a different room. Alice was worried about her dad just playing with his shirt and chewing on it looking up at him. They sat out in the waiting room for nearly 8 hours then the doctors walked in looking down. "Cree… we are so sorry but Jane has passed from a heart attack. We did everything we could, we are deeply sorry." Cree hugs Alice tight and cries like crazy. Alice also begins to cry because her dad was crying. Cree knew he was losing someone this year but his wife was not what he expected. Many years pass after this. Alice is now about 10 years old and 4 feet tall. She was oddly short for her age but it wasn't crazy. Cree comes into her room while she sleeps and shakes her awake. "Time to wake up princess and get ready for school. I got to work too. I probably won't be home when you get home so I'll have a babysitter for you when you get home." Cree says. Alice grones and sits up. "But daddy I don't want a babysitter. I'm 10 years old now and I'm not a little girl anymore…" She says rubbing her eyes. Cree smiles and hugs her. "I know sweetie. But I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. I couldn't stand losing you after losing your mom about 8 years ago today." Alice hugs her dad. "I'm sorry dad… I wish I remembered mom. What was mom like daddy?" He smiled and rubbed her head. "Honestly she was a lot like you. Stubborn and going to have it her way. But she was loving and caring. She loved you so much. I miss her so much." Cree says. Alice frowns looking down. “But I'm just happy to have my little girl!” He said as he tickled her. Both him and Alice laughed and she smiled at him after he stopped. "Now get in the shower. Make sure you get clean this time." Cree says as he walks out of her room. She giggled. “Ok, daddy!” She jumped up and grabbed some clothes that were normal for her age. They looked about normal, maybe a little more childish than she wanted but it wasn't crazy for a 10-year-old. She goes to the bathroom and takes a shower and puts on some blue shortalls on then puts on a cute blue hat heading down to the kitchen. Her dad was already gone but had a pb&J sandwich sitting out for her. Alice smiles and takes walks outside and sits on the porch waiting for the school bus. She swings her legs happily and eats her pb&J. She had a pretty decent life. They might not have tons of money or a perfect house but it was a better life than living on the street or something. Suddenly the bus honks. Alice jumps down off the porch and runs off to the bus with her backpack on, She gets on the bus and looks around. There were a few people that stuck out to her. One was a young boy in the front; he always sat up straight holding his books and smiled at Alice. She gives an awkward smile and waves back. He was a human that wore a shirt with Eevee on it. They were playing tug of War and wore some aqua shorts. He was always super nice to her and she pretended to be nice to him. She didn't hate him, he was just a little weird and always talked about protecting her and stuff. It was kinda creepy to her. The next was a little lion, his mane hasn't grown in yet but he always teased Alice. He wore a camo shirt and jeans. He smirks as Alice passes. "Hey Alice and here I thought you wore pants to school, not just underwear!" She jumps and quickly looks down but she did put on clothing. Why was she tricked by that? She stomps her foot. "Dang it, Ram! I hate you so much, you are such a jerk!" She yells going to the back of the bus and sitting embarrassed. Suddenly the bus driver yells. "Stop fighting back there!" A few people around ram laugh just mocking Alice. Alice sits thinking to herself. "I hate this stupid school… Why can't daddy just get me out of it? They told me I technically don't have to go. Something about… my symptoms might come back eventually, that when I'm grown up I'm going to be set for life apparently?" She sighs and looks out the window watching as they drive away from her home and slowly to the school. Later she's in class, and the bell was about to ring for the next class. The teacher is talking to the class. It's a Female Cow in a long blue dress. "Ok class, tomorrow is bring your mother to school day! So don't forget to have her sign that paper so she can come in to talk about her work and other activities." The class cheered excitedly. Alice just frowns and lays her head on the table the teacher looks worried and as the class was leaving she stopped Alice. "Hey, Alice? Can we talk?" She gulps and panics. "I didn't shoot the spit wad at Ram! He started it!" The teacher looked confused and sighs. "That's not what I was talking about, but good job incriminating yourself." She said giggling. Alice looked surprised then puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "Not fair…" She smiles and rubs Alice's head but she smacks it off. "So what do you want?" Alice asks, the teacher leans down, getting face to face. "Is something wrong with your mom? You seem to get upset when I talk about it?" The teacher asks. She looks down. "My mom died when I was young… i-i wish I knew her…" She tries to keep talking but she begins crying as the teacher hugs her, Feeling awful. They gave her off mom's day to stay home with her dad. Unfortunately, her dad got called into work too so she had to be with a babysitter. She loved her dad but she wished he could stay home more and be with her. Many more years later Alice is now 16 years old. She has not grown one-inch thanks to her strange illness. She's still 4 feet tall. Just like a normal day her dad walks into her room. "Alice, time to wake up. You're going to miss the bus." She sits up quickly only wearing a bra and panties and jumps out of bed. "Shit! Why did you let me sleep in so late?!" Her dad sighs. "Alice, please watch your mouth. You know I don't like that language." She shakes her head and shrugs. "Dad, I'm 16! I might be small and only 4 feet tall but I'm still 16! You got to let me grow up!" He laughs looking down. "Sorry, I know I know. You are just so cute. I'm happy to know you won’t die. Your mother's probably so happy. But being so small forever is a shame. I know it's been hard with school." Alice got dressed in a similar outfit when she was 10 years old. "I wish normal clothing would fit me at least… I hate wearing such childish clothing. Can’t we order special order clothing?" Her dad sighs. “You know I don't have that kinda money. As much as I would love to.” Suddenly there's a honk. "Shit the bus! Got to go, dad, love you! We can talk later!" She hugs him and runs out of the house just catching the bus. In the front there sat the same boy but definitely more Older. Everyone on the bus was 16 now. Even ram he had a bit of a mane now looked like a mean lion now. But oddly she sits right beside him. He throws his arms around her and she smiles. "Wow, cut it close huh? You didn't even comb your hair." She blushes and puts her hair down with her hands. "Oh shut up ram. My dad woke me up late." She sighs and lays against him. "You are nice and comfortable." Alice says, he smirks and leans down, and kisses her. She blushed and covered her face. "Love you." Ram said. Alice smiled back. "Love you too." Turned out Ram used to tease her because he liked her. It took her a while to fall for him but he was the only boy that seemed to like her. He was still kinda a dick but she was loved, right? After the bus ride, they got off and waved as they went to their classes. She was suddenly stopped by her three girlfriends. One was a squirrel she only wore skirts and dresses. Today it was a yellow summer dress. She was a foot and a half taller than Alice. Next was a mouse. She was white-furred and kinda a bitch but she was kinda nice to Alice. Then last was a cat she was striped with black and orange. "Hey, Alice! Are you still coming over today after school?" The mouse asks. "Hey Brittany, uhh ya I think so? We are staying all night right? I might need to get some clothes to sleep in but definitely." The squirrel smirks. "Oh ya, she needs clothing for a toddler because she is so small." Alice blushes and glares. "I'm not that small Cali!" The cat speaks up next. "Oh, Cali don't tease her. She can't help it if she still needs to wear diapers." The group laughs and Alice blushes like Crazy. "Sam! Ahhh! I'm going to class. I'll see you all after school! Or maybe I won’t, it might be nice." She goes to her class and the group laughs more before smirking at each other. It seemed the group had a plan for her. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying this? Join my patreon to read the next 10 chapters! https://www.patreon.com/Little_Rie

Chapter 1 Scott could hardly contain his giddiness as he turned his steering wheel to make a left at the intersection. After several weeks of careful planning, scheming, checking, and rechecking, he finally had a free weekend for himself. He had spent those weeks ordering discrete packages filled with supplies of a particular nature and tinkering in his garage on a device that he hoped would be able to fulfill his wildest fantasies. He could feel his heart pound in his chest as he put his blinker on and changed lanes, wanting to get home as soon as legally possible. Scott had had a great week at work, his boss had been admiring the white leopard's progress for a while now. He had recently designed a filing system that, according to his calculations, had increased the company’s data storage system by a whole 12.4%. The subsequent increase in efficiency had also increased his paycheck to a much sizable amount, which he had recently been putting to good use. Scott was a brilliant engineer and computer programmer, his passion for creation had brought him to work for Sky-TEC industries, a company that specializes in creating computers whose processing power and ability to complete tasks in incredibly low amounts of time had brought them up to one of the best technology companies in the world. But as brilliant as this company was, Scott was just a little bit more brilliant. Scott had quite unmistakably come into contact with a piece of technology that was top secret and incredibly powerful. Many would use it for great evil, while some might use it to achieve near indestructibility. Scott however, wasn't particularly interested in any of those things. He had some very private tendencies that he had never shared with anyone since he was a child. Specifically, he loved indulging in infantile fantasies, imagining himself just like a little kid again. From feeling the warmth of a freshly soaked diaper, to the pleasurable struggle of being put in bondage whilst wearing a soiled diaper, unable to do anything about his current predicament, to the wonderful childlike freedom of just wearing a diaper and t-shirt whilst watching children's shows on TV. Scott had spent a good amount of time imagining exactly what he'd love to do to or by himself if he had the time and resources to fulfill his fantasies. Fantasies that he hoped would be fulfilled very soon. The leopard pulled into the driveway of his comfortable little home. It wasn't anything special, he had little furnishings to decorate it with, but it had what he liked to consider an "aesthetical amount of space". He turned off the engine, grabbed his shoulder bag, and exited the car, walking into his garage. He flicked on the lights, and as the light bulbs blinked awake the device that he'd spent months on putting together sat on his workshop table. To put it bluntly, Scott had been programming a device that would essentially stop time itself. Through a combination of biotechnology, an improbability-engine, and a calculator that essentially worked on the whimsical nature of the polarity of electrons whirling around in titanium atoms in the contraption, the device was able to access the particular genetic code of the user and ignore all cells with the sequence, then continue to all other organic matter and inorganic matter and "freeze them in place". Scott didn't fully understand it, but he knew how to put the parts together and calibrate the machine. One might think that experimenting with such a device would be incredibly risky, but Scott had that figured out as well. He had coded in a fail-safe into the device. If a large amount of cells of the individual who had activated the device began to shut down at a rapid enough pace indicating possible death, it would essentially reverse the freezing process restoring reality to normal. Scott picked up the device with baited breath. It didn't look like anything special, like a TV remote except with fewer buttons and what looked like more volume controls. He connected his phone to the remote and fed it information about the current time, position of earth relative to the sun, and relative temperatures around the world. He hoped that the device would be able to send out the proper frequency into the molecules around it, setting off the time freezing reaction properly. He knew that if it failed, it may fail spectacularly, possibly even harming him despite the fail safe. A green light on the device shone, indicating that it was ready to be activated. He closed his eyes, pressed his eyes shut, and pushed a large red button with his finger. A loud rushing sound echoed through his ears, he fell backwards sputtering and coughing, he felt as if everything in a single part of his body was getting lightly tickled with electricity, he yelled in alarm, but before he could yell for more than a second it all stopped. Scott looked around. Everything looked. . . normal. He went over to the garage switch and pressed it, a whirring sound came from the door as it opened. He padded outside and his jaw dropped. Birds hung eerily in the air, much like bricks don't. Leaves stood stalk still, frozen as a gust of wind was blowing through it. Scott fanned himself with a paw experimentally, looking at it as he felt the air particles against his whiskers and fur. He had done it. He had created a device that stopped time. It stopped time for everything and everyone! Everyone, except him. Scott hooted and hollered! He started running down the street, passing cars with passengers in them halfway through a sip of coffee, forming a word as they talked on the phones, or smiling jaws and maws agape as they sang to their favorite car songs. Scotts saw planes and clouds, unmoving in the sky, felt the warmth of the sun on his fur as it peeked behind a cloud, permanently, until adjusted by the remote of course. Scott stopped running in the middle of an intersection and turned around and around, taking in the view. He laughed, joyous that he had achieved something that most thought was only possible in sci-fi movies and fantasy novels. Suddenly, he remembered why he had gone so ridiculously out of his way with his invention. He turned tail sprinted back to his house and got quickly inside, closing his door, not bothering to lock it. Who would try bothering him now if every ‘who’ was frozen in time? He walked inside his sparsely furnished living room and opened one of the brown boxes he had sitting there. A fresh waft of baby powder and ointment met his feline nostrils as he admired the contents of the box. Within it lay several large, fluffy adult diapers, each themed with little cartoons of various baby animals wearing diapers. Some looked sleepy, others laughed in joy, while still others were too busy with a toy to do anything else. Scott shuddered with excitement and let out a shaky sigh. Finally, I can unwind like I've always wanted to. He thought, as his tail twitched in anticipation. He looked at the other boxes, knowing that what they contained would only increase the amount of fun he was about to have. He grinned, and speaking aloud to no one said, “It’s going to be a good weekend."

IT: Infant Tech By Horatio Husky Commissioned by Bolt Chapter 1: The Office Bolt readjusted his glasses. This was a nervous habit of his, which he would perform with relative frequency whenever he was working with unruly code. Sat in front of his desk, garbed in his normal office attire of dress shirt, black dress pants, classy shoes, and stylish bowtie, the husky was deeply immersed within the contents of his computer screen. The husky’s office cubicle was relatively orderly; a Newton's cradle and Rubik’s Cube served as the only available knick-knacks. The husky knew full well that too much desk clutter was a prime environment for distraction. Sometimes, however, a little distraction was necessary to allow his mind to wander just far enough for him to be able to get some perspective. He had been staring at his computer screen for about two hours straight at that point, and despite the blue light filter in his glasses he could feel his warm, brown eyes beginning to dry up just a little bit. A semicolon… really… that was the error? A sense of weariness suddenly overcame the husky. Moving his right paw, he delicately stroked his keyboard a few times until he had typed in the correction to his code. Bolt leaned back in his chair. He pulled down softly on his one droopy ear, another habit he often performed when deep in coding contemplation. Unseen, conveniently hidden in the break room by drawn blinds, two felines stood holding respective mugs of coffee. A caracal and tiger, the two giant cat species had their attention focused on the husky through a break in the blinds which the tiger held slightly open with an extended claw. Yuri’s had a singular protracted claw, his other paw holding the mug of joe in his paw with a firm, confident grip. Cinder, on the other hand, appeared to be every semblance of calm, cool, and collected. He lounged leisurely against the countertop, gazing down the bridge of his nose at the same husky that had just now caught his feline companion’s attention. “Another office crush, Yuri?” Withdrawing his gaze momentarily from gazing between the break in the blinds, the tiger gave the caracal his best withering look. Which, coming from a tiger, is quite an intimidating experience. The desert cat was left unphased, however, as he had been at the end of such an unflattering glance more often than not. Idly, he took a sip from his coffee mug and cocked his head to the side, his long, pointed ears flopping to the side dramatically. “Oh don’t look so grumpy, kitty cat. Shall I bring out the ball of yarn so you can feel better?” Yuri, who had grown used to the unwavering confidence that the caracal seemed to have a true abundance of, chose to ignore the comment and turn his attention back to staring at the husky. From his vantage point, he could see that the husky appeared to be well distracted and in the midst of work. Having only recently quit his temping position at the company, the husky was now able to exercise his full work ethic with the accompaniment of financial compensation. At this rate, he would be employee of the month in no time. Yuri’s golden, feline eyes pierced through the husky with a predator-like ferocity. Something inside of the tiger told him that not all was what it seemed with the newest member of IT. It was while Cinder was idly browsing through his phone, disappointed that he was unable to get a rise out of his tiger friend when Yuri gasped. Cinder knew this was important. Deftly placing his mug of coffee on the counter he pushed himself off the counter in a quiet, controlled leap landing right next to the tiger. “What is it?” He whispered softly, his feline instincts kicking in as the two cats’ slitted eyes narrowed as they gazed at the oblivious canine. Bolt sighed, stood up, and turned around to pick up a small laptop on the desk behind him. As he did so, an uncharacteristically large bulge in his rear end pressed against the seam of his pants. Cinder’s mouth dropped wide open, an uncharacteristically surprised face coloring the feline’s sharp, noble features. Yuri simply smiled, chuckling softly under his breath which came as a deep rumble inside of the massive cat’s throat. He spoke under his breath. “We got ourselves another one…” “This is the second one this month! How do they keep falling into our paws like this?” Yuri shook his head, a gratified smile across his muzzle as he placed a heavy, reassuring paw on the smaller cat’s shoulder. “Alright, like we did last time. I’ve still got the carseat set up and he looks pretty gullible. I think we’ll be having some good fun tonight, kitten.” Cinder blushed slightly towards the end of the tiger’s comment, knowing full well what the larger cat was referring to. It wasn’t so long ago that he had been the subject of the tiger’s cleverly designed trap. Yuri turned around, in a series of purposeful movements he drained the remainder of his coffee into the sink before depositing his mug on the dirtied dish rack. Taking out his car keys, he placed them on the countertop before departing. His striped tail floating majestically behind him, the muscular feline shouldered his way through the door of the office kitchenette and made his way over to the husky’s cubicle. Cinder had picked up the car keys, slyly lowering them into his pocket before silently exiting after the tiger, making his way towards the building’s garage level. The image of confidence, Yuri loomed over the husky casting a shadow over him. Bolt took quick notice of this, and turned around in his seat to gaze up frightfully at the intimidating fur in front of him, blinking several times. “Uhm… Can I-” “Yes, you can. I’m Yuri. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The cat extended a massive paw towards the husky. Bolt, recovering quickly, smiled in kind and took it on his own, giving it a firm squeeze as he replied with a clarity in his voice that took even him by surprise. “Hi Yuri, I’m Bolt. The pleasure is all mine.” Confident little scrappy mutt, isn’t he? Ohhh I like him… This should be fun! Yuri’s smile broadened, now feeling a sense of genuine delight at having witnessed a confident introduction accompanied by a firm handshake. He didn’t much like wimps, even though he did enjoy putting them in their place. Cinder had shown significantly less bravado than the canine in front of him, and only after he had discovered the truth behind the tiger’s intentions did he warm up. No, this pup has spunk! It’ll be even more fun to see him crawl now… Still smiling, the tiger motioned with a jerk of his head towards the elevator that led to the garage level below. “Bolt, I’ve got a few computer towers in my car that I worked on over the weekend. I really would have no trouble transporting them myself, but if you come along it’ll only take one trip. How about we use it as an excuse to take a break from work with a little aerobic exercise and a friendly chat, hmm?” Understanding quickly, Bolt nodded and smiled congenially. Closing down his computer, he stood up and nodded indicating that the tiger should lead the way. Yuri turned, and began to make his way towards the elevator. Glancing back briefly, to ensure that Bolt was coming along. Given the size of the cat, Bolt had to take a step and a half for every step the tiger took. The subtle waddle the husky was unconsciously exhibiting slightly was now more apparent. Suspicions confirmed, the tiger turned to face forward with a look of satisfaction on his muzzle. “It’ll be the grey minivan, the company likes its Chrystlers.” Yuri spoke, his tone a low rumble as the two entered the elevator and the tiger pressed a button marked ‘G’ while Bolt nodded in response. The two stood silently in the elevator, waiting patiently for the lift to descend down to the parking garage several levels beneath the ground floor. The company building itself was relatively massive, sporting fourteen proud stories above and three below. The two were stationed on the fifth floor, so the descent was relatively brief. Ding! The elevator doors opened to reveal rows of sparsely populated parking spots, the smell of concrete with a hint of car exhaust hitting their nostrils as Yuri led the way. “I’m parked towards the back.” He stated simply, his smirk hidden behind his turned back as he heard the husky behind him pick up speed to keep pace with him. Everything is running smoothly… “Alright, take a look at what I’ve got here for you!” Speaking confident, he opened the passenger side door with a flourish to reveal what was inside. It took Bolt a moment to process what he was seeing. In front of him appeared to be a baby’s carseat, except no ordinary one. This particular seat looked large enough to comfortably seat him, with an impressively robust five point harness that looked as if not even Yuri would be able to break through it. Stunned, the husky stood open mouthed for a few seconds while he tried to process what he was looking at. This was exactly the opportunity that Yuri and Cinder were looking for. “Now, before we get you snuggly buckled up for your car ride little guy, let’s check something really quick.” Unable to react in time, Yuri placed his hands underneath the husky’s armpits and raised him up effortlessly. Taken by surprise, Bolt let out a whimper while his legs dangled helplessly behind him. As suddenly as he had been picked up, he felt something fiddling with the front of his belt buckle. Twisting around, his cheeks burning bright red, he was able to catch a glimpse of the Caracal he had seen wandering around the office earlier trying to undo his pants. At last he succeeded accompanied by an exclamation. “Aha! There we are.” His pants now around his ankles, Bolt’s choice of underwear that morning was now on full display for both of the large cats to examine. “Just as I thought, we have a little puppy on our hands.” Yuri stated, a condescending but not unkindly tone in his voice. Bolt was now blushing furiously, his tail curled between his legs in a vain attempt to hide the large, white diaper that hugged his waist snuggly. It was apparent to both of the onlookers that it was designed with both comfort and absorbance in mind, as a trail of puppy paws ran from the front middle all the way through the back. “You won’t be needing these, I don’t think.” As Bolt spluttered, an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and smallness washing over him as he continued to be held up in the air, Cinder delicately disentangled his pants from his ankles. Now, he wore only his work shirt and sneakers, which made him feel incredibly exposed. The tiger looked him up and down, an expression of approval across his muzzle while Cinder neatly folded the husky’s pants and placed them under his right arm. “Cinder, do me the favor of checking the puppy’s diaper, would you?” At the direct mention of his padding, the husky’s ears folded against the top of his head. Tail tucked between his legs, cheeks burning, and ears pinned, the canine was the spitting image of an utterly flustered pup. Grinning, Cinder placed an authoritative paw over the front of the dog’s thick padding, squeezing gently before cupping the back in turn. Pressing it upwards, as if to further remind Bolt of what he was wearing, the caracal shook his head as he replied. “Still dry, surprisingly enough,” Cinder commented. “Well then, I think we should do something about that,” said Yuri, giving the husky a large, toothy smile before depositing him into the oversized booster seat. “W-wait a second! I一mmpf!” Bolt, having finally been able to find his voice, barely managed to splutter out a complete sentence before he was silenced by Cinder, who had apparently been waiting for such a moment. Crossing his eyes, Bolt looked down to see what had interrupted his exclamation while Cinder tightened something behind his head. His vision obscured by the caracal’s red-orange fur, the husky only became aware that he had been fully buckled into the carseat when he felt the harness tighten over his shoulders, waist, and onto the front of his diaper pressing it up against him. The husky’s heart was now beating quickly, limbs flailing. As if in anticipation of this, Yuri swiftly grabbed each of his wrists and looped them through soft, padded cuffs. His wrists now suspended by his head, his arms held upwards in an incredibly vulnerable position, he found that he was no longer able to struggle as effectively as before. Cinder had grabbed his ankles and pulled them through a similar set of cuffs that prevented him from raising his ankles more than a few inches away from the bottom of the carseat. Both cats stepped back and took a moment to admire their handiwork. Bolt looked down to see what they had done to him, a lock glowed softly from a small panel that served as the center-point for all of the buckles. From what the husky could gather, the locking mechanism appeared to be activated by a touchscreen, the key to which he was sure was possessed only by the two felines in front of him. “Aww, I think he looks pretty cute! That pacifier won’t let much more than a whimper through, pup. So you can whine all you want on the ride home!” Cinder extended a wiry arm forward, gently booping the tip of the husky’s snoot. Yuri appeared pleased as well, his arms crossed and looking down at the incapacitated fur as if he were appraising a prized possession. Speaking softly, and without breaking his gaze at the pup, he placed a car key into Cinder’s paws. “Yes, I think he does. Take the highway, kitten.” It was Cinder’s turn to blush, which he barely managed to conceal as he lowered his vision and nodded, opening the door next to Bolt’s and sitting himself down in front of the wheel. Moving with the impressive display of control that all large cats appeared to inherently possess, Yuri sat down in the seat next to Cinder's, looking back at Bolt in the rear view mirror. “I encourage you to behave, puppy. This will be fun.” With that statement hanging in the air, Cinder pulled out of the parking garage and had merged into city traffic within a few minutes. Bolt was still trying to process what had just happened to him. The two cats had seemingly quickly found out about his little secret before he had had the chance to react. He was now pacified, gagged, restrained, and being transported to who-knows-where. Despite himself, to make matters even worse, he was beginning to feel himself become aroused at the restrictive tightness that five-point harness seemed to impose on the front of his padding. Wrapping over his shoulder, with three straps ensuring that his waist and diaper were snuggly pressed against him, there seemed to be no hope of escape. He was completely at the mercy of the felines sitting in the front seats of the car. The car ride passed in silence, Bolt pulled helplessly at the restraints holding his limbs hostage but to no avail. Yuri would occasionally look up in the rearview mirror, Bolt could see that his eyes were wrinkled as if he were smiling, hidden from view from the husky’s limited line of sight. Whatever the tiger was thinking, it was causing him great pleasure.

Well, I have a new story started, a friend of cool content helping me edit, and a ton of nervous energy. I always get a little nervous when I start a new story, and worse so, when I post the first few chapters! Please watch for the Point of View IDs (--- Becca ---) littered throughout the story. It's a first person work told from several points of view. I think this may be a long one so enjoy and let me know what you think! ----------------------------------------------------------- Birch House Chapter 1 --- Becca --- “I’m not parking this far away from the house everyday.” My husband grumbled. “Yeah, this is kinda retarded. If we buy it, you won’t have to.” I agreed flipping my bangs out of my face the jewelry on my wrist clinking together like a wind chime. “We’ll just drive up there and park next time, but we’ll need to get some gravel brought in and make a real lane out of this grownup driveway. We should do a circular drive and make sure Ann’s got a place to park too.” He said calculating volumes in his head. “We’re not pissing off the Finn’s Trent. We’ll park down here by the road until they tell us it’s ok, or we buy it.” I asserted. “All right… All right Babe.” Trent caved not wanting to upset the sellers either. That’s how Trent was though, always planning ahead. He could see things coming before they got to us, and still find creative ways to bitch about it even if he already had a plan to deal with it. I loved trent with all my heart, but his attitude could be an acquired taste. I had been with Trent since I was a little girl… first as a friend and eventually his wife. Trent’s offered me his hand getting out of my car, and I paused to pull my black lace covered skirt back down where it belonged. Stockings are great and all, but the silky lining of my skirt let it ride way up when I got in the car. I may like showing some cleavage and making sure my tattoos are visible, but I didn’t intend to flash my lack of panties to the world. I love teasing Trent, so normally that’s a good thing, but our realtor sure didn’t need to see my lady fur! Regardless of Trent’s attitude problems, I loved him. Not to mention the short walk up the tree lined lane was beautiful this time of year and was doing wonders for both our attitudes. The little forest guarded the edge of the property from view blocking us from our potential neighbors. In fact, it felt like the house was carved out of a small but wild grove of trees. Even the chill in the air because of fall’s cooler temperatures couldn’t mess with my mood. “God I hope we can close this deal. This place fucking rocks.” I squealed clinging to Trent. My hopes rose with each step closer to my would-be-house. My head swiveled admiring the small forest and the well kept yard. It was the fifth time we’d wandered up that path, and I was starting to feel like I was coming home. I wanted that house so badly, but the amount of debt we were talking about was Hella scary for me. Owning a home was going to be an exciting new chapter in our lives. I mean, I was still driving the car my parents bought me when I turned sixteen for fuck’s sake! The only credit I had was a hundred dollar Victoria Secret card! Big spender I was not. Mom would be so proud of me. I wish she were here to see this with me. Drunk ass old fool! I thought sparing an unkind thought for my dad too. Ashley, our realtor, had shown us this property all five times we’d visited. Each time she looked amazing, and she didn’t let me down that day either dressed in a brilliant blue business suit that day. I remember it matched her lovely eyes. The realtor greeted us with bright smiles hugging me tightly like a long lost friend. I admired her for her sense of style even if it was different than mine, but I’ll be damned if she didn’t catch me staring. “The house is nice too. My firm has sold this house a total of six times you know! This will be the second time that I have found Birch House a new family. She’s just an amazing place.” Ashley said over her shoulder as we toured the house taking my attention from her legs. “I still don’t understand the turnover.” Trent implied blind to her appeal. “This house, at its age, in this condition, and at this price point has always been a great deal. She’s always been a great first house or last house depending on your stage of life. Remember, six times over that many years isn’t so alarming.” She said sticking to her tour confidently dismissing his question handling Trents skepticism like a boss. “It looks like everything in here is new!” Trent said getting his first at the like-new old house. I realized she’d given this tour a million times before, and it added a layer of nervous energy to the walkthrough. Her cleavage was distracting me more than Trent, and I bet she dressed up to show off her assets as a tactic too. I shook my head clearing out the unproductive thoughts feeling a bit like a dude at Hooters hoping the waitress really meant all those kind words. I was ready to make an offer, well… mostly. We had our co-signer and our funding all worked out. We were ready to finalize on our latest offer, assuming the property had been improved like the Finn’s had promised. I shook off my uncertainty causing the chain on my ear piercings to make dainty metallic noises that only I could hear. Personally, I thought Trent had a good point, but maybe I was biased? Why would the house have had so many owners? It’s was nerve wracking going into debt like that, and I just needed to be sure. It felt terrifying and exciting at the same time like that time I went bungee jumping. Making a bad deal and going into over a hundred thousand dollars worth of debt was dragging my excitement to the shitter. The house seemed big enough to me... maybe it was just rich-lady-reasons? I sure as hell didn’t any of those! I wasn’t certain why it was only a good house to start or end one’s life, but I bet she had a speech prepared for the question so I just let it go. There were like a million rooms at Birch House. I bet a big family could live here for a good long time, decades even. The listing had it at about eighty years old. Three, maybe four owners seemed reasonable to me, not four before our realtor’s firm and six more after! Ashley skimmed her notes flipping through the thick stack of paper on her clipboard. The current owners had met us here the second time she showed us the place. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few weeks ago. Trent and I had discussed the things we’d like to do to the house to really make it our own after our first visit. It was going to be hard to complete our list since we didn’t have a lot of cash left for improvements. When the Finn’s had asked, it had seemed like a strange question. A question answered cautiously because we were eager to make a good impression. So, we literally gave them a copy of our list hoping for the best. They’d talked to us for quite a while when we met them. The Finn’s stayed so long it began to feel like a job interview! They’d asked what improvements could be made that would help us. Things they could do that would make the house more attractive and let us pay for the improvements over the term of the loan. The Finns freakin awesome! They were clearly still deeply in love with each other and Birch House. That was no small accomplishment after having been married over ten years. We guessed they were in their mid to late thirties at the time. They said they were only moving because Mr. Finn had been asked to head up an office for his company in another state. They said that they absolutely loved the house and honestly hated to leave it. That made more sense to us. It seemed like a good reason to move, but we still felt uneasy after the interview. We had the sense that the whole deal was too good to be true. We still had two months on Trent’s lease and weren’t too worried about finding a place to rent, so we had the time to be patient about our house hunting. His landlord even offered to go monthly on our rent at the end of the lease, so we had that option too. He wasn’t thrilled when we put in our notice. “Good tenants like you kids are hard to find.” Carl had told us reading our letter of intent. Good? Ha! We were the best tenants! We Phillip’s are handy. We’d tackled small home improvement tasks and simply ask off a bit of rent when our landlord was happy with the results. The first few times we’d had to get any upgrades approved, but it didn’t take long to make a good impression. The bathroom tile and marble countertops had made him so happy he’d paid for the supplies and given us rent for free that month. We weren’t afraid of a little elbow grease. In fact, we enjoyed working to make a house a home. Trent’s mom called it nesting. Unfortunately, money was going to be short for a while. It always is after you buy your first home. His mother had warned us, and it turned out she was clairvoyant about our potential lack of cash. There were more out of pocket expenses than we were expecting. We intended to make the repairs to Birch House on our own, and in our own time. Our realtor had insisted on asking about improvements saying, “you never know.” Then the Finn’s turned around and asked us themselves. We felt much better about being asked than doing the asking ourselves. “We’ve asked to meet with all the potential buyers you know. We’ve decided we are backing your offer. Honestly, the Missus just loves you two. Birch House was our first home and we just love it. Is there anything we can do to help you?” Marshall Finn had asked. Turns out the list we’d made at home was just what the doctor ordered. Trent’s forthought helped us out again, but his ego suffered from the triumph. The improvements were part of Trent’s property evaluation process. God, he was so organized it was obnoxious! Our fantasies gave us some goals to work toward and a future to dream of. In the end, the Finns had the list and we left it with them to think it over. “I can’t believe they did all this in two weeks!” I said trailing my black tipped fingers over the new stove while glancing around at the refurbished cabinets. “Well, they must be heavily invested in unloading this place, or they just really liked you two and were prepared to help you out. I think what really motivated them was when you said you’d have to take a renter for the upstairs.” Our realtor commented as she walked. “Rebecca look! They pulled the carpet off the stairs and refinished the old floors! They had to have had people working 24x7 to pull all this off. It’s not like it was in bad shape before, but this… It’s amazing.” Trent’s eyes roamed around the house absorbing details in a state of wonder. “I know. I mean we may want to paint, and I’d eventually like marble on the counters in the bathroom here too, maybe the kitchen. You know how I am about my marble! But, this… is UNREAL. It looks like a brand new house in here!” I gushed bouncing on my toes. “I noticed the shingles were replaced on the way up here. Did they mention any water damage?” Trent asked. “Uh… I have a note here that there was a small leak in the attic. The inspector’s report says there was only discolored sheetrock which has been replaced as well. This is an amazing deal. Brand new roof, that’s a ten thousand dollar value added back.” Ashley insisted redirecting Trent. The woman was amazing! Her word wizardry would leave you eating your own words with confidence. Un...Fucking...Real... “Well, I wouldn’t feel right countering lower than the asking price now. This place is worth way more than they have it up for.” I told them both, my heart investing deeply. “Awe Trent, look they left that rod iron frame up I liked so much. Honey, I just LOVE this place!” I said it and knew I was all in at that point. Our realtor probably felt her commission check weighing down her purse after my blabbermouth. The two story house was priced to move at one-hundred twenty thousand, but with these improvements it was worth around one-eighty easy. The Finns had gone way above and beyond for us. “Well, you can’t go wrong with Birch House. It always sells fast! Owners seem to stay a while or get out in under ten years. Then they move on to something bigger and better if they leave. Maybe it’s good luck?” Ashley shrugged having sussed out my love of the supernatural and superstitious. “There’s only one weird thing. The owners almost always want to meet the buyers before they accept an offer.” She noted certain that this deal was sealed. “But, you guys already nailed that, so I can’t imagine them not signing right away.” “I just want to run around in the yard barefoot and I don’t know… pounce on the couch for a good nap in the sun. These windows are insane! There’s not a smudge on them anywhere. They let in so much light!” I fussed to Trent tugging at his shirt begging him with my eyes. Hell, the grass looks as lush and fluffy as the carpet! “Ashley, you know we are just going to offer their asking price right? See if they will cover the closing costs for us, and we’ll be able to afford the paint right away. If not, we’ll take it anyway and paint in a few months.” Trent tells the realtor confident he’s getting a good deal the confidence sexily wafting off of him. “Oh Trent! Really! God, I really don’t want to leave now. This new carpet probably sleeps better than our bed!” I said bending to rub my hands through the pile on the livingroom floor. I was so wrapped up in the feel of that luxurious carpet that I forgot about my short little skirt. I mooned Ashley with my stocking covered pany-free ass, but she never commented. Girl wanted that commision check! “Ann is going to love it here. She’s always wanted a dog and there’s so much room! I guess we better look over the upstairs and I’ll run through the attic before you call them Ashley. Due diligence and all.” Trent said bounding up the stairs with the hardwood he’d fallen in love with. I stood up and headed over to the only picture still hanging in the house. The current owners had already moved out, and other than their couch and a bed left in a guest room downstairs there wasn’t much left in the house. We really could move in right away, I muse running my finger over the rod iron frame. The same saying hangs in both our parent’s house and Trent’s mom’s place. ‘Love makes a house a Home’ they read. I loved this house already, but that wall hanging really endeared it to me. I was feeling a connection to the house and we hadn’t even signed for it yet! I moved through the living room running my hand along the oak trim framing the doorway. I’ve always loved that quote, I thought leaving the room getting a tactile feel for the place. “Ashley, I’ve never lived anywhere that had an official laundry room before! Trent loves that the hot water heater is in there and accessible too. This place is fucking awesome!” I couldn’t praise Birch House enough! We both knew where I stood. “It is. This is my favorite property. I’d live here myself, but the house is never on the market when I’m looking. Each owner puts their stamp on it of course, but it just seems to add to it’s ambiance not take away. Owners have moved walls or changed things around to suit their tastes, but it always feels so... Homey in here.” Our realtor smiled. “Everything checks out up there Becca. There’s even more impossible renovations upstairs! Ann may want to paint, but there isn’t much reason to do anything else. They even got the sink and some cabinets in the third room. Hell, there’s room for one of your Exes up there too babe.” Trent joked. “Just be glad I like that girl so much. You really did a number on her. The poor thing.” I slapped at Trent giving him a hard time on a stale joke. “Rebecca Phillips! I was like fifteen er something! That was friggin years ago! I didn’t even know we were going steady. I had no idea going to the movies with Wendy was cheating on her! Cut me some slack! We are all adults and friends, best friends even! I don’t think of her as an Ex!” Trent looked tired of the old one sided argument, but I thought it was funny and so did Ann. He was still sensitive about it though. “Then don’t joke about it if you can’t take it. Ann can. You can’t, ya cheater!” I teased Trent even more. “I’d never cheat on you.” He whispered pulling me to him. “You don’t think that do you?” He asked. Ashley cleared her throat, “Becca, you had better be one hundred percent sure. Buying a house, married or not, has legal obligations that follow you even if Trent doesn’t. I can’t make your offer unless I’m sure you’re sure. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, even if my job is to sell the house and move on.” “Oh Trent! Your stupid jokes have scared Ash. Go measure something or look at man stuff!” I huffed at him swatting him on the ass dismissing him so the Big Girls could talk. His shoulders told me that he didn't’ appreciate that very much, but Trent ambled outside grumbling about girls being confusing. I watched him walking across the covered front porch and disappear from my view. We waited long enough to be sure he was truly out of earshot. I waited more for Ashley’s sake than for my own privacy. “Ash, you are totally safe making this offer. Trent may be gone a lot, but I see his checks. I know when he’s gone, how long he’s paid for, and I have ways of accounting for his time. The lady that does payroll showed me, Barb. We were at a company picnic and I told her I was uncomfortable with all the weird hours cause truthfully, I’m a little insecure and needy. I’m sure he worries about all those hot young college guys when I’m at class too.” I admit. “Oh, I know what you mean. I’ve been married for years and have zero reasons not to trust my husband, but it’s just so rampant, the cheating. I get worked up sometimes.” She reassured me shrugging her shoulders. “He never really cheated on Ann either. She just felt that way at the time. Neither one of them had dated before, and didn’t know any of the rules. It was hard for her for like two weeks then she was over it, and that was literally years ago. If you ever meet her just know Trent didn’t make her the way she is. She’s just a timid little thing and I love her to death. Trent does too, but we love her in a sisterly way. She’s older than both of us, and we’ve all been good friends since we were in diapers.” I assured her. “Ok, well I feel a bit better. Backstories always help a sale, ya know! Go let the heartbreaker and bring him in the house. Just remember. Everyone loves Birch House. It always feels like Home in here. Don’t be the first ones in like eighty years to bring bad things to this place.” I could feel Ashley’s love for the house and the warning in her threatening tone. Her deep care for the place anchored my feelings. Love grew in my own heart too. I was in love with my future first home! This house would be our Home. I was absolutely confident that Birch House would meet our needs and maybe even see the pitter patter of little feet bounding around. Trent and I walked hand in hand back down the lane to our car talking so fast we had trouble keeping up with each other. Birch House Chapter 2 Trent and I brought Ann to Birch House four days later. --- Ann --- I’m buying a flipping-stinking house! Daddy is going to be so proud! I said to myself while getting out of my jeep. I can’t believe I’m buying a frigging house! I shivered in excitement. “OMG! Girl! I can’t wait to show you OUR new place!” Becca yelled getting out of my jeep. She ran around my jeep bounding over to get me. Her silver bracelets and rings clinking against each other making her sound like a wind chime. “I know sweety. Look, calm down a bit. You’re spazzing!” I laughed hugging her lightly. I placed my hands on her shoulders to hold her to the ground. She looked at me with her large chocolate colored eyes opened widely, “I’m sorry… I just never bought a house before.” “That’s ok hun! Me neither! I’m excited too. Point those puppy dog eyes somewhere else! I really need a place anyway, like tomorrow!” I noted worried more about my own circumstances than buying a house. In fact, buying that house with my best friends was an answer to a prayer. “Ann, I’m so glad you’ll be moving in with me. Really I am. Not even kidding! I was going to be so fucking lonely! Trent’s driving would do me in I’m sure of it. You’ll get the entire upstairs to yourself so you can hide from me. You’ll have like everything up there. It’ll be your own apartment or something. OH. MY. GOD. I’m fucking freaking out.” Excitement spilled from Becca while she shook her hands animatedly grabbing at my elbows. “So they accepted the offer then?” I asked her taking her hands. “Yeah, the Finns accepted at their original asking price, like right away. Trent is freaking out too! He says it’s a steal! He’s prolly gonna be on the phone all day.” My friend babbled while tugging at my arms pulling me toward the house. “I’m sorta afraid it’s too good to be true.” I admitted looking down at her. For the millionth time, I pondered how badly that piercing in her nose must have hurt. She has a tiny silver ring in her septum that just hangs low enough to have a bit of movement. The dainty little diamond high in her left nostril fits tightly against her skin and barely catches the light. Becca was always modifying herself, but I liked her nose the best. Me? I’m a big wuss. I don’t like pain. I have one set of ear piercings to her many and nothing else pierced to her many other piercings. I have it on good authority Becca’s face isn’t the only location with non-biological holes! Just the thought of her pierced flower gave me a serious physical shiver. No way in a hairy dolphin will I ever get my lady bits pierced! I promised myself after that stray thought filtered through my mind. “Yeah, I can’t shake that feeling either… Only just a tiny bit though! They even paid the closing costs and shit. We are moving in on the down payment only, that’s nuts! We can cover that together no problem! You’re amazing by the way! Have I told you that today? We couldn’t do this without you.” Becca says turning around swiftly and stretching up to kiss my cheek meaning I had to bend down cause she pulled me to her. I loved Becca, but I’m a very introverted person. Hugs were the most contact Becca and I had shared and those were infrequent bro-hug type thingies. My childhood was sort of difficult. My parents were great, but my health wasn’t. I ostracized myself from the outside world and only went out when I had to. Trying to date my neighbor Trent had been Mom’s idea. I over invested and it sort of crushed my will to date for a while. Mom’s therapist (I refused to call her my own) said I have a social anxiety disorder. I thought I just like being alone, but I don’t have a Doctorate in what other people think so I got ignored. The kiss was new for us. I didn’t know what to do with it, but my hand drifted up to my face touching the trace of heat her lips had left. “You know, I only have a few days before I have to be out of my apartment. It stinks that I’ll have to move twice.” I complained. “Ah. You’ll only be a couch bum for a couple days. Maybe a couple weeks tops. We are happy to have you.” Becca reminded me of her offer to let me bunk on their couch at Trent’s apartment. “Uh... I decided to stay at the La Quinta Becks. They have a suite and I booked it for seven days. They gave me a good rate, and I’m not hurting for money. Besides, I don’t want to squash the newlywed vibe you two have going on.” I told her following her up to the house. “Awe, really? That’s no fun!” She huffed. “We’ll be all up in each other’s business before you know it. I’m excited. I’ll get more room for about the same money with this house. This move is a no-brainer for me babe.” I said looking down at her. “I may have bought it without you guys if I’d have been brave enough.” “I’m sorry they sold your building, but I’m not sorry to move in with my best friend!” Becca laughed hugging me tightly resting her head on my chest. “Your tall today.” Becca commented looking down at my hikers then back up at my face. “I’m always tall, and your always short!” I giggled and took a turn dragging her a few steps toward our new home. Becca took the lead guiding me around the backside of the house. She was a touchy-feely chick, but today she was a bit over the top. She’d always been that way, and it had been hard for me since I was a pre-teen. I’d dealt with the touching because I trusted her though. She was my first real friend after we’d moved when I was eight. I trusted Becca to get a good feel for the house just like I trusted Trent’s handi-maness to determine if the house was sound. The Lord knows I couldn’t do either! I giggled to myself. You have a certain set of skills… and house buying isn’t one of them. I thought in my best Liam Neeson impression. I hate getting out of the house, and college was just torture for me. My freshman year they made me live in the dorms! With people! I’d fallen into a light depression that year, but I had pushed through my problems and gotten my degree. I don’t really like to be touched, looked at, talked to… Fine. I’m a hermit. Dating was was even worse than living with strangers! It’s not that I enjoyed being alone, but guys just didn’t understand when I needed time alone. I just never really clicked with any of them. They couldn’t give me my alone time. Eventually, I gave up on dating altogether. I worked from home, shopped from home, ate at home, and gamed from home. I had a few friends and a truly lovely family. I just didn’t feel the need to get involved with humanity beyond that. “Look! Look!” Becca shouted as we rounded the house treading on a newer looking stone path. “Oh My stars!” Was all I could say. It was beautiful and I was left standing there dumbfounded. The back of the house looked very different from the pictures that Becca had shown me. There was a patio off the back door maybe three feet or so off the ground accounting for the grade of the hill. That wasn’t the only change though. Four humongous pillars rose from the patio on each of it’s corners. They were supporting another deck. I looked up at the bottom of the upper deck… my deck? There were two new decks, an upper and a lower, off the back of the house! I followed Becca, well got dragged by her, up a beautiful set of stairs. The dark wood had a tinge of red in the stain and was finished immaculately. The handrail was so smooth that when I ran my hand along it, I had no fear of splinters. “B...Becca! Do I really have my own outside access?!?” I stuttered in disbelief. “Yeah, Trent put that on the improvement list right at the top just for the hell of it. Look at this shit! They actually had it done!” Becca gushed literally jumping up and down. “I… I can’t believe it. It’s… so perfect.” I gaped reaching out to touch my own door. “Girl, just wait till we go inside! I don't’ have this key, but look it’s like a real balcony up here!” She giggled turning around to look at the yard. She drug me back around to the front door, but I had a hard time leaving my deck because it was cute and the view was amazing. I was already imaging watching the sunset out here. It looked like I’d have to see the first floor before I had the chance to see my floor though. The Finns had really put in a lot of effort for us, for me. I couldn’t believe all the work that had been done. It was nothing short of amazing. I was that much closer to a new dog. I was thrilled. All the woods in the house were all rich and dark where the walls were a complimentary lighter color. I was sure my little spaz of a friend would end up repainting a few rooms because her tastes are… her own? “Becks I’m pretty happy right now. I’m just so glad you and Trent finally have your own place, well you know mostly your own. I feel like I’m invading though, but I promise I’m like a recluse or something! I won’t mess with your newlywed vibe.” I told her trying to get her to slow down. “Pish! Trent will be on the road a lot, most of the week really. He may start taking some overnight runs or sleeping in his truck. They pay a crazy wad of cash for those two-day runs. We have my car, but he wants to get a bike for running back and forth to work. With you here, I won’t be alone when he’s off being the Man of the House!” Becca said growling in a low voice. “Trent could use some butching up ya know. Those truckers are going to eat alive with that metro head of hair and total lack of man-beard. He looks like a teenage boy… If he carried a hipster bag, they’d probably beat the poop out of him on the spot.” I laughed. “Hey! That’s MY metro-man you’re mouthing there.” Becca put up a token defense of her husband, but lacking in real conviction. She drew up to her full height, which unfortunately for her was just shorter than your average girl. It always makes me giggle when she gets her back up and I still have to look down at her. She looked at me with death in her eyes and then broke laughing hysterically. She hugged me in our shared excitement as we headed upstairs together. It was time to see my floor! There was a small landing upstairs and then a weird shaped hallway. I couldn’t see from one end of the floor to the other, but I’d noticed that in the pictures before. I was already figuring out how to divide up the rooms to create a full house on the second floor. I wanted a nice bedroom suite and there was a beautiful humongous master bedroom suite on this floor on the east wall. I wanted an office, guest room, and a pretend kitchen/dining room. Then I’d have a full apartment on this floor, but this house wasn’t built with that in mind. It did have a dedicated bathroom on this floor that could be a guest bathroom, so that was nice. There was plenty of rooms for the other stuff I wanted to do and I’d get around to it all eventually. “Look it! They put in an outside door on the landing!” She said her platinum hair and purple braids bouncing off her shoulders. The purple braids were tipped with silver skull-face hair ties. “I see. This is super amazing Becks! I can’t believe this. It’s almost like this floor has been remade into a real apartment. I’ll be able to take out a dog and not bother you!” I stood there shocked all over again excitement building. “I know! We’ll love your dog, but I’m glad you can do that out your own door. Just… you know walk it away from the porch a ways.” Becca admitted. “I promise Becks. I’ll do the poop bags and everything.” I agreed. “We told the Finns that we couldn’t afford the place all on our own. Ashley let on like they thought we had to get a renter. I thought she’d look our financial paperwork closer than that.” Becca told me shrugging like it was the realtor’s loss. “So... She knows I’m a co-signer right? I mean I’m covering most of the down payment and all the taxes.” I asked. “I guess, I’m sure she does by now at least. Worst case, she’ll find out at the closing won’t she?” Becca laughed. “It’ll be nice to meet the Finns at least the once.” I admitted. “Let me show ya the rest, there’s more.” Becca’s silver bracelets clacked together as she clapped her hands bounding off once again. Rebecca Phillips is my best friend, but she was just coming out of her goth phase. I was thrilled for that! Goth was preceded by a punk phase, and I for one would love to see the end of all the leather and silver buckles. The punk stuff came after her stab at grunge in her senior year. Japanese culture influenced most of High School before the grunge phase. The entertaining part of my besty is that none of the phases were ever totally left behind. They all left a mark on her eclectic sense of style. I bought her several of those noisey bracelets over the last few years. The purple streaks in her hair were left over from our junior year when two toned hair was her thing. Well, at least the punk and goth phases shared a lot of the same clothes! Goth just added a ton of dark makeup to the mix, at least that’s for the most part how it worked for Becca. I don’t know, there may be a few more piercings these days. I giggled to myself looking at her. Strangely, I found myself doing it much more frequently than I used too. I refocused on my wind chime sounding friend and the tour she was giving. It turned out one of the room’s had been upgraded just for me! There were some basic cabinets making a bar against one wall. They had installed a small overhead cabinet on one end and a fridge on the opposite wall. It immediately reminded me of a workplace break room. The only stuff I’ll have to do downstairs is oven stuff and my laundry! I notice unable to fight back my own sniffles suddenly overwhelmed by the Finns’ thoughtfulness. “Good gracious Becca, this place is amazing! I can’t get around how perfect this house is. I can’t believe they even got a fridge up here. It’s ridiculous!” I gush. “I know! Trent keeps coming over here looking for flaws. Poor guy has a bit of a glass-half-empty complex. It can be hard to keep him happy.” She giggled her hand resting on my arm. ----- I’m a few years older than Trent who was a few years older than Becca’s twenty. Twenty-four wasn’t ancient or anything, but I was the college grad with a few years of working and life under my belt. I would always be the oldest in our house. I loved Becca, but we’d never lived together, and I certainly didn’t have the upper hand in relationship edicate. I had few relationships and even fewer long term friends. Was all this touching normal? I asked myself trying to fight off the sense of invaded space she was stirring up. That day though, we both gushed and giggled about moving into our new house. We talked a lot about the new appliances and discussed colors for our walls. The owners were going to leave the couch and one bed in the guest bedroom downstairs until we closed, then it’d be a flurry to get all our crappy furniture in that beautiful house. ----- All the banking was done, so we were ready when Closing Day came around a few weeks later. All we had to was sign on the dotted lines. We were filled with nervous energy while Trent remained aloof standing with his arms crossed through most of the meeting. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Admittedly, I could afford the house on my own, and I wouldn’t have co-signed with my friends if that weren’t the case. Plan for the worst case scenario! Dad was worried life would smack me and leave me in a lurch so I never got in over my head. I planned to squirrel away the difference that the Phillips would be covering so I had my budget worked out for worst case. Plus I needed to rebuild my savings after the down payment. Becca and I crashed on the downstairs couch as the sun was setting the evening after we closed on the house. Trent had to leave running his first night load. So, we were alone to celebrate in our new house. The view was amazing through the full windows on the west side of the house. We were nestled in watching the oranges and reds while she sipped a beer and I nursed at a sweet tea. Becca, being so short, could only lean her head against my shoulder, but it was comfortable and so was the silence in the room. She took a pull off her beer and looked up at me with her big chocolate brown eyes. She whispered, “I couldn’t do this with anyone else ya know.” “I know Becks. I get it. You don’t have to tell me. Seriously, it’s not charity. You guys really bailed me out here. If you can stand me for a couple years, you’ll be out of school and you won’t need me any more.” I pat her leg letting her know I wouldn’t intrude forever. Her body language changed immediately. She sort of shrank in on herself and sat up separating herself from me. A shadow crossed her face and her hands quickly covered her eyes. Soft sobs wracked her body and her pale shoulders bobbed keeping time with the crying. “Shit Ann. I’m sorry.” She sniffed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, you are literally the only reason we can get this place!” “Oh Becks…” I started honestly confused. Becca cut me off, “No, it took both our credit ratings and you as a cosigner. I just meant please, please, please put up with us for a few years before your life sweeps you out of town. I’ll be ready to help with the bills then. Part-time just doesn’t cover much. Maybe I’ll be ready to let you go by then too.” I turn to do something I have never done before, something that had never occured to me before. I kissed the top of her head. Poor thing, I thought as she tugged me into a side hug burrowing into me. I’m never going to want to leave. I don’t want to get swept away with life or my carrier. I thought to myself not finding the words or the will to say anything. Becca was one of the coolest outgoing people I knew, but she seemed so fragile right then. One day I’d find out what had her so worried, but on that day I attributed it to the stress of debt and moving. “Sorry Becca. I get it. I guess I thought this might be long term thing. You know ‘Crazy Aunt Ann’ living upstairs taking care of your kids in the evenings so you two could do stuff together. I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course, I’ll stay long enough for you to finish school… long enough you won’t need me.” I whispered. “Shit! Damn! Ah Hell Annie. That’s N-O-T what I meant. You better bet your ass that you’ll be crazy Aunt Ann! We may need one of those rooms eventually. Trent wants to ruin my body with at least two kids. There’s only the one spare room down here unless we give up our office.” Becca rushed. “Sorry. I just… Well… Poop. Becks they are tearing down my building! I can’t catch a break anywhere. I thought you were telling me I wasn’t going to be welcome in a few years. I… it’s... I’m sorry.” I sniffed. “Such a potty mouth on such a pretty face.” Becca joked turning my words against me over my pseudo cussing. She got up on her knees and returned my kiss leaving my face uncomfortably close to her cleavage. I sprung up and drug her to the master bedroom on the second floor. My bedroom had a beautiful attached bathroom. It looked like my bedroom was a bit bigger than theirs and i secretly loved that. Buying the whole floor for half the house payment was a steal for me, but I wanted to cheer Becca up. “Your’s and Trent’s room is almost as big as his whole apartment. Plus, it’s on the opposite side of my outside entrance.” I pointed out. “Yeah, it’s a big fucking upgrade from my dorm room!” She bursted out laughing. “This is a huge upgrade for me too! Potty mouth.” I asserted. We moved to what I thought would be my guest room, “Well, the second room downstairs could be the boy’s room. You don’t want those yard apes too close to your room though. Too much rough housing in there. Then you’d have the kid’s bathroom, and then girls room up here if we had to. You know in the future.” “Or you could keep your office if I have two boys or two girls. Since you live up there, you’d have to take care of em if I put any spillover kids upstairs. Maybe we could put that baby monitor receiver in your room!” She teased. “You’re breastfeeding aren’t you!” I blanched looking mortified. No way I wanted to get up at night! “Hell, I don’t know! That’s at least after college and the first year of work or so!” Her face scrunched. “I have to wait like three FLIPPING years to live vicariously through your motherhood!” I mock panicked. “OMG! You’re going to have to get a handle on that fucking mouth before you burn my poor baby’s ears off with your verbal filth!” Becca teased me. “Why I never! My momma would probably spank me to this day if she caught me talking like you! Those poor babies!” I giggled. We broke off in a fit of laughter. Becca hugged closely to me as we walked back into her room hip to thigh. It was a big impressive room too. I really liked her room, but it was the view I was in love with even if my room was a bit bigger. I was truly happy for her and thrilled to be sharing the house with her. She ran a hand down my hair and stepped away from me taking my hand again. More touchy-feely boundaries were broken that day than in both of my previous dating relationships! I didn’t know what to do. I already loved Becca, but I didn’t see other people behaving like this with their friends. Course, one has to leave the house to see other people... Going to have to hit the internet for some research. I’m not sure if I should be offended or not. Still, it’s nice to be this close to someone. I decided. “God we can do anything in here! It’s so huge!” She said sounding like she was in a bit of a weird mood. “I could fit my whole dorm room in here fridge and microwave and everything!” Becca pointed out. “I won’t have an oven upstairs, but I don’t cook much so that wouldn’t be a problem!” I said getting truly excited. “Well, you’ll be eating downstairs with the family anytime I cook.” Becca asserted. “Bah you cook all the time! I’m going to wear out my welcome!” I worried. “Honey, you can’t wear out your welcome. You know why? It’s because your family, and I love you!” She reminded me. “I don’t wanna mess up the whole newlywed humping like rabid bunnies vibe you two have.” I giggled. We left Birch House in a good mood having spent some time in it dreaming of our futures. We headed over to Becca and Trent’s place and grabbed the boxes Trent had brought home for packing. It was enough boxes to move a whole house of people. Becca ran into PIzza Hut for a hot and ready pizza on our way to my hotel. The Packing had started. “Ok, Let’s pack this shit!” She giggled grabbing a piece of ham off the top of our pizza. “Oh I give up! Wish I had something to shove in your mouth so you wouldn’t foul up my air!” I said laughing at her potty mouth. “I’m sure I’ll spontaneously stop cursing as soon as the house is packed with diapers and pacifiers… Till then, Fuck Off!” She cackled at herself. “Let’s watch a movie or something while we pack.”  

Hello, readers! This is a special little one-shot I've been wanting to do for a while now for New Years! I really hope that you all enjoy it! Big Baby New Year by Panther Cub The tigress moved stealthily from shadow to shadow, not making a sound. She had sighted her prey, and they were oblivious to her presence. Nadine Fangmeyer watched her partner, Ralph Wolford, as he pulled on a simple blue t-shirt, having just finished changing out of his uniform. He was alone, now in jeans and a shirt, about to close his locker. Nadine pulled from her back pocket the cloth diaper and the safety pin. You brought this on yourself, Ralph, she thought to herself. She was sitting perched on some adjacent lockers in the shadows, all her muscles coiled and ready to pounce. The oblivious Ralph bent over to get something from his gym bag, and that's when Nadine struck. She leapt with a fluid feline grace that only a tiger could achieve, and practically flew through the air towards her prey. But, a smirking Ralph rolled out of the way, tugging on a yellow bungee cord as he did. Nadine landed on a locker room bench, surprised. Just as she was about to move, several lockers, hooked up to a series of connected bungee cords that were the same dark green as said lockers, toppled over onto her, pinning her upper body to the bench. Nadine let out a yowl of surprise and frustration. "RALPH! Get these lockers off me!" she said, squirming and just managing to roll over onto her back, to try and push the lockers off, but they weren't budging. It was only now that she saw that the lockers had been taped shut with duct tape. "What are in these?!" "Bowling balls," Ralph said with a smirk as he walked over to Nadine's free legs. In his paws were another cloth diaper and safety pin. "Now, quit squirming, kitten." Hearing this, Nadine froze, realizing what was about to happen. She tried to kick at her partner, but Ralph was able to easily dodge the kicks. Smiling, he reached down and started to unbuckle Nadine's belt, and then unbutton her uniform pants. Despite her struggling, they were soon off her legs and folded up on the bench. Nadine growled and tried again to push the lockers off her chest. They weren't heavy enough to actually hurt her, being a large and muscular tigress after all, but she was still pinned. Now blushing, she felt Ralph gently take hold of the waistband of her simple pink cotton panties, and whisk those away as well. "What a fussy kitten I've got," he said with a chuckle. "R-Ralph, wait! We can talk about this!" Nadine said, kicking her legs even more. Her eyes went wide as her bottom, which had lifted off the bench a little during a series of squirming kicks, came back down to rest on something soft and pillowy. Trying to kick what she knew was a cloth diaper off, she instead made it easier for Ralph to grab her tail and thread it through the tail hole in the back. Struggling even more, her partner's paws were surprisingly quick, pulling the corners of the infantile garment together in the front and pinning it snug. Then, there was a flash, and Nadine's struggles ceased. She had lost. "You cheated, Ralph!" she said with an angry huff. Ralph chuckled, tapping on his phone and sending the picture out, letting everyone know that he had won. "There was nothing in the rules about trapping you, Kitten," Ralph said, moving over to another set of bungee cords and, him and Nadine working together, they lifted the lockers off of her, settling them back into their original place. As Nadine got up and reluctantly only grabbed her pants, Ralph's phone dinged with a notification. He smiled wide. "And the Chief agrees with me. So it looks like you're the precinct's Baby New Year this year." Nadine just grumbled as she stepped into her pants and pulled them over her diaper, mortified to be wearing it. But, she knew that there was no getting out of it. It was tradition, and she had certainly enjoyed the previous Baby New Years. Especially Hopps, with how often she had agreed to babysit the embarrassed bunny. With a sigh, she got up and started to head towards the ladies' locker room. "So you'll meet me at my car after you get changed?" Ralph asked, his tail wagging faster now. He was ripping off the tape on the lockers and opening them, needing to return the bowling balls in their carrier bags to his fellow officers. Nadine blushed. "Yeah... I'm not going to welch on the agreement..." she almost added that you signed us up for but didn't. She sighed and exited the locker room, seeing the cloth diaper and pin she had dropped, not bothering to pick them up. The tradition was that on the last week of November, a pair of partners would volunteer for the Baby New Year game. Basically, the two would have the whole day to try and force each other into a cloth diaper, taking pictures as proof when one was finally diapered. The other officers would place bets on who would end up the baby, with the entire pot going to charity and the winners getting a free dinner at The Blue Vine, paid for by Chief Bogo himself. Then, the loser would have to spend the entire month of December wearing diapers (on full display), being babied by their fellow officers, with their partner acting as their Mommy or Daddy. What's more, each day the babied officer would go without quitting, a massive donation was made to Kits n' Cubs, an organization to help foster children. It would end on New Year's Eve when the officer in question would play the role of Baby New Year, wearing only a diaper (and shirt if they were female) and a sash proclaiming their status, live on ZNN during the ball drop no less. Nadine's blush turned a darker crimson as she exited the locker room, and felt all eyes of her fellow officers on her. She heard some giggles and chuckles and murmurs. Passing by the front desk, Benjamin Clawhauser was holding back a squeal. The chubby cheetah had always loved the tradition and thought it adorable. He was holding his phone as he looked up at her. "Congratulations, Nadine! I think you're going to be the cutest Baby New Year yet!" he said, a little too loud for Nadine's liking. She forced a smile, more of a grimace really, and nodded to Benji. "Uh... th-thanks..." she said, hitching up her pants, unaware that the back of her diaper was poking up a bit above her waistband. She hurried to the female locker room, sighing when she saw that she did not have it to herself. "Oh! There's Baby New Year!" cood a female voice that made Nadine wince. Francine, a female elephant, was quick to scoop the tigress up into her arms, settling her in a cradled position. She began rocking her while her trunk, impressively, made short work of removing her pants again. "H-hello. Francine," Nadine said, blushing more than she had been before. Francine absolutely loved mollycoddling each and every Baby New Year, no matter who they were. The tigress at that moment recalled seeing Francine cradling Judy like this and feeding her a bottle. Nadine cringed, as she knew that now that was officially in her near future. "Ah-ah! It's Auntie Francine now!" The pachyderm smiled as she continued to rock the tigress. "Oh! This is just going to be so much fun! I can't wait until it's my turn to babysit you! I've already got some fun activities planned!" Francine set her down on her feet, using her trunk to give Nadine a gentle pat on the back of her diaper. Not trusting herself to speak, she quickly undressed and pulled on a black tank top and flannel jacket. Seeing herself in a nearby mirror, black tank top, red flannel jacket, and her diaper, she blushed even more and quickly pulled on her jeans, although not before Francine managed to snap a picture while cooing and praising her for dressing herself like a big girl. With a sigh, she finished packing her things, and exited the locker room, being given a big hug by Francine first. She spotted Ralph standing by the desk in the atrium, talking excitedly with Benji. Spotting her approaching, Ralph's tail started wagging even faster. "There's Daddy's little Princess!" he practically called out. Nadine winced. "RALPH!" she hissed at him, hearing some more chuckles from the other officers. "Uh-uh! It's 'Daddy' now, Princess," he said, standing on his tiptoes to pet her head. Nadine's face was practically a striped tomato. Suppressing a growl, she nodded. "Y-yes... Daddy..." the moment the words were out of her mouth, two things happened. The first, Benji let out a coo, the second, Ralph pulled her into a hug. He then took her larger paw into his own. "Alright, Princess, we gotta get a move on. We've got some shopping to do! Say bye-bye to Uncle Benji!" Nadine, blushing, said goodbye to Clawhauser, who was still cooing, and let herself be led away from the desk and out the glass doors of Precinct 1. She tried to ignore the stares as she was led to the parking lot where Ralph's car was, but was very self conscious of the bulge around her waist. When they got to his car, she was expecting him to take her to the passenger door. Instead, Nadine found herself being led to the backseat. When she saw why, she froze. Right there in the back seat was a very large pink carseat, with smiling bunnies and unicorns on it. One look was all it took to let Nadine know that it was just big enough for her. "I had to get the biggest carseat they had for elephant toddlers, but I think we just managed to get one that you'll fit in," Ralph said, guiding her towards the carseat. "You were that confident you'd win?" Nadine asked, reluctantly allowing herself to be guided into the soft plush seating. "Well of course. I know my little Princess like the back of my paw." Ralph winked at her, making Nadine huff and almost cross her arms, until she realized then she'd look like the pouty toddler she was partially dressed as, at least underneath her street clothes. She instead held her tongue as Ralph secured her with the straps and the five point harness, making sure it was snug but not too tight. "There we go! And what a good girl you're being. I was partially expecting some fussing. Keep this up, and I'll get you a special surprise when we're all done shopping." Ralph shut the door to the back seat and made his way to the driver's door. Getting in and buckling up, he started the car up and soon they were exiting the parking lot. Nadine was curious as to where they could be going. It turns out that they didn't go too far as, soon enough, they were pulling into the parking lot of a large storefront. The Cub Zone, the sign read, making Nadine blush. Ralph was quick to get out and unbuckle her from her carseat. Being led by the paw, Nadine's eyes went wide as her dread was confirmed, it was a store primarily for babies and toddlers of varying species. Walking through the automatic doors, Nadine's cheeks flushed red beneath her fur as she saw many different species of mammals, all with children in tow. The tigress blushed some more as she realized that Wolford walking along while holding her paw, with her new padded undergarment on beneath her jeans, made her feel small, like she was no different than any of the cubs she witnessed. She barely registered that he was looking down at a piece of paper, leading her through aisles past baby products, finally stopping in front of an intimidatingly large female polar bear. She was wearing a blue shirt and black jeans, with a pink store vest on, her name tag glinting in the fluorescent light. "Excuse me, miss," Ralph said, his tail lazily wagging. "Are you Cleo?" The polar bear looked them over, before she broke out into a wide grin. "Well howdy there," she said with a southern accent, her voice as sweet as honey. Nadine blushed and started to instinctively try to hide behind Ralph. "How can I help you?" "Hi there! I'm Ralph, my friend Benji sent me and said to ask for you?" At this, the store employee's eyes lit up. "Oh my goodness! Yes, Ben-Ben gave me a little ring not too long ago! We here at Cub Zone are just so thrilled to help your department participate in this fun little tradition yet again! Now, am I correct in assuming that this is the lucky little kitten here?" Ralph nodded and, causing her to squeak in surprise, pushed Nadine forward a bit. "Yup! Here she is! Our Baby New Year!" Nadine's face felt like it was aflame as Cleo bent her knees a little to make eye contact with her, once again making the tigress feel small, something she wasn't used to. "Awww, no need to be nervous, honeypie. We'll get you all squared away with everything you'll need to be the cutest Baby New Year ever. Why, you're reminding me of Little Judy. She was just so scared, but before she knew it, she was having so much fun." Nadine said nothing, not wanting to be rude, but she sincerely doubted that, as well as the insinuation that she too would have fun being treated like a toddler for a month. "Why, she's even been enrolled in our special daycare program." "Huh?" Nadine asked, confused. "What do you mean?" "Hmmm... okay, I say that this little kitten is a size three in Pachydermy-Puffs!" Nadine squeaked as she was lifted up under her arms by the larger predator and placed on her hip, one large paw supporting her puffy bottom. "Will I be correct in assuming that you'd like to try out a free sample for the little one here?" Nadine thought smoke would surely be coming off of her whiskers from the heat of her embarrassment as she looked around. Some mammals looked at her oddly, others looked and then continued on with their day, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "Absolutely. Gotta be extra sure that I'm getting my little Princess just the right fitting diaper," Ralph chimed in as he followed along. Nadine then found herself in the back of the store, looking at a wall of changing stations. Chloe used her free paw to open one with a picture of baby elephants and rhinos on it, and laid Nadine down on its soft plastic surface. She let out a squeak as her jeans were whisked off. "Yup. This is one of our cloth Baby New Year specials," Chloe said, giving the tigress' diaper front a poke. As Nadine laid there and reflected on how far this went with previous Baby New Years, Chloe opened up a cabinet inlaid in the wall. She rummaged around a bit and pulled out a canister of baby powder, a tub of baby wipes, and a large white disposable diaper with blue trim at the leg gathers. To Nadine, it felt like a surgeon laying out the tools for a delicate procedure. Then she saw the front of the diaper and paled beneath her fur. On it was a cartoon police badge that read 'Precinct 1's Baby'. "Now, would you like to change her into her new underwear, Daddy?" Chloe asked Ralph, who nodded and happily took the diaper from her. "It would be my pleasure... unless the Princess has decided not to go through with it?" Ralph asked, looking at Nadine as she laid there. "I mean, I certainly would understand if this is all just a little too much for her. As would, I'm sure, the whole precinct. I mean, it would be the first time anyone ever actually quit and deprived those poor foster cubs--" "I'm fine," Nadine snapped at her partner with an annoyed huff. Ralph smiled and wagged his tail. "Alrighty then, Princess. Just lay still and try not to wiggle a whole lot like last time, and Daddy will be all done." Nadine crossed her arms at this and pouted. She knew Ralph had played to her ego. The big tough tigress city cop. That was how she preferred others to see her. Only now she was going to be wearing diapers and treated like a baby for the next month. But that wasn't enough to change her mind. She was not going to be the first to call it quits for the game. She then remembered Officer Hopps and how she persevered, even knowing she was going to be broadcasted on live TV. That little country bunny rookie, wearing the pink t-shirt, her carrot-print diaper, and the sash that read 'Baby New Year'; never backed down. And neither would she. So Nadine obediently laid there as Ralph fluffed out her diaper. She did jump a little after he had gotten the cloth diaper off, and started using a baby wipe. And she winced after her legs were raised and her bottom was dusted with the sweet-smelling powder. Her blush had returned in full force when her tail was threaded through the hole on the back, right before her bottom came to rest on her crinkly new padding. Then the front was pulled up, all four velcro tapes pulled into place. Ralph rolled her over to get at the last tape right above her tail, before giving her bottom a pat to signal that it was done. She hopped down from the changing table, and found the pillow-like garment wrapped around her waist pushed her legs a little bit apart. She caught a glimpse of herself in a nearby mirror, and tried to tug her shirt and flannel jacket down to hide her padding. "Like I said, a size three," Chloe said, giving Nadine's bottom a pat. "Just so cute!" "Well of course she is," Ralph interjected, dropping the cloth diaper and safety pin into a slot, along with another set, the one Nadine had dropped earlier when she had been pinned by the lockers. "She's my little Princess. And I think that that's where we should start theme-wise for her new nursery." "Excellent choice. Let me show you two where we keep the larger species cribs, and maybe we can find one she will enjoy." Nadine said nothing as Ralph took her paw and started to follow Chloe out of the back rooms, Nadine in tow. Nadine blushed and ignored the other shoppers as she realized that she didn't have her jeans put back on her. "Wh-who's paying for all of this?" Nadine asked, blushing under the maternal polar bear's gaze. "Cub Zone is a proud sponsor of the Big Baby New Years game. So each year we donate everything needed for a brand new nursery for the lucky big cub. And this year, that's you, sweetie." "O-oh," Nadine blushed. She had wondered if Ralph had saved up some money just for this. She herself hadn't thought that far ahead, not planning on being signed up this year. At most, she had planned on buying a new high chair or something. Now here she was, standing in the middle of a baby supply store, wearing a diaper for all to see, about to help in picking out the furniture for her new nursery. While she was humiliated... she also felt... a warmth in her chest. It was similar to how she felt when she would go to bed, hugging her bunny plushie, Mr. Hareington. She reflected on this, until she realized that Chloe and Ralph were both looking at her expectantly. "H-huh?" She asked, feeling small again, and realizing that she didn't exactly hate that feeling. "I asked you if you see anything you like, Princess," Ralph asked with a smile. Nadine looked and spotted a crib, definitely sized for a baby elephant. It had white bars and a pink mattress with a ruffled pink and white striped frill going around the bottom. Dangling above it was a mobile that had pink and white plush fish. Blushing some more, she pointed to it. "Oh, that's an excellent choice, honey," Chloe said. As she and Ralph started to discuss other things, Nadine walked up to the crib. Standing up and grabbing the rails from the outside, she found she couldn't reach the top rail, and assumed Ralph would just have to use a step-stool to let her out. Reaching down and touching the soft mattress, she let out an involuntary purr. Maybe this month won't be all bad, she thought to herself. New Year's Eve... Nadine blushed but smiled around her binky. She walked with a slight waddle through the crowd. She was dressed in a simply pink t-shirt, and a diaper with fireworks on the front. Daddy had just got done changing her, the oversized hitten having filled her last one, thankfully not while on camera. Ralph was wearing a suit and tie, as were most of the other party goers, well the ones not in dresses. Nadine felt a little exposed, but shook it off. Daddy was here. She hugged Mr. Hareington with her free paw as her other was being held by Ralph as he led them back towards the ZNN reporter and camera crew. Nadine looked at her sash and read Baby New Year on it again, unable to stop a giggle. At the beginning of the month, she had been so worried and dreading heading into work after stopping at Cub Zone the first time. But she needn't have worried. Her coworkers had been so understanding and supportive. Yes there had been a few jokes and chuckles, but soon enough, Nadine waddling around in her usual uniform top with the vest on underneath, and her badge diapers on with no pants had become just another normal day at work for them. Well, when other officers weren't actively fawning over her, like Auntie Nadine. Still though, life went on, and so did work. Starting back easily, she and Ralph had been assigned to parking duty, which had been significantly less pleasant than just showing up to work. If mammals had an attitude problem with cops giving out tickets, they seemed to find it especially infuriating to be ticketed by one wearing a diaper. But Daddy had proven to be very protective of her, and cowed more than one rude citizen with a fierce growl. On the weekends, they had gone to playgrounds and parks, which the oversized kitten was surprised to find were actually fun experiences for her. What shocked her the most was her first day of daycare, which turned out to be one building over from Cub Zone. She was shocked to find the place crawling, literally, with previous Big Baby New Years, including a certain little bunny. Judy had explained to the new playmate that most Baby New Years tended to not stop needing the babying after their big day. That they still needed someone to look after them, and that Nick had more or less taken on the role of Daddy for her. Nadine spied said bunny hopping about excitedly, wearing a white dress, standing near a bemused-looking red fox in a tuxedo. "Now, now, Baby Carrot," Nick said with a calm voice, getting Judy's attention, "let's not get too excited. The ball hasn't even dropped yet." "But Daaaaaaaddy," Judy whined, her ears drooping, "there's carrot cake right over there!" Judy pointed to a table of desserts, making Nick and Ralph chuckle. The two had been scheduling the girls for playdates almost since day one. "And we'll get you a slice in a little while, sweetheart," Nick said, scooping her up and setting his partner on his hip. There was a crinkle from where his paw supported her bottom. Judy huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. "If you're a good girl for Daddy, then maybe someone will be getting a chocolate baba, instead of a regular one tonight. Okay?" That was enough to make the bunny perk back up and throw her arms around his neck. "Okay, Daddy! I can be good!" "That's my girl. Now, how about you and Nadine spend some time playing together while the grown-ups enjoy this party?" "'Kay! Oh, hi Nadine! Hi, Uncle Ralph!" Judy said, excitedly waving to the two. Ralph and Nick shared a chuckle. "Hi there, sweetpea," Ralph said, ruffling Judy's headfur. The two canids walked towards the complimentary Baby New Year playpen set up on the heated pavilion. Nick reached over the side to set Judy down inside. She hopped a bit in excitement, giving everyone a peek at her pink princess diaper on underneath her dress, not that she cared. Spying some blocks, she dropped to her paws and knees and started crawling towards them. Ralph helped Nadine step over the side, praising her for being such a good girl. As Nadine crawled after Judy, and felt the front of her diaper start to warm up, she smiled. Her potty training had become totally abysmal in the month she'd been demoted to diapers. So much so that, far too often, she would have no idea that she even needed to go to the bathroom, until well after she had already gone. She certainly didn't mind that that meant she would be in diapers longer. In fact, as she looked up at the lit up sphere, she smiled wide, having a feeling that the upcoming year was going to be a much more fun and relaxing one. And there you have it, everyone! I hope that you all have a Happy New Year!

? Matilda the Bear By Horatio Husky Commission for ArtMckinley Chapter I. Matilda inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as the night air of the forest filled her spirit lungs and nostrils with a sweet, damp scent. The leaves and branches crunched satisfyingly underneath her large foot paws as she walked along her usual midnight stroll, the bottom of her dress billowing beneath her but above the dew covered grass, keeping itself away from its moisture. The being had dressed herself in a maternal looking apron on top of her dress, resembling the image of a motherly caretaker from decades past. She always had a habit of taking a while to catch up to modern fashions, and enjoyed staying a little behind in the times. Her figure was still intimidating despite her motherly appearance, long brown hair, a towering height of well over seven feet, and as with most females bear spirits she bore heavy set breasts and large arms and legs. As a spirit, however, she wasn’t bothered by her appearance, and fully embraced her largeness with a positive personality. Not to mention, she had other worries than how she looked. Her concerns were with the locals and their relation to the forest, keeping sure that each stayed where they belonged and didn’t bother each other too much. That’s when the car with its brights on and music blaring decided to park by the side of the road bordering the forest, her ears perked up, and she followed the source of the noise. Goodness me! If this is Tom again getting home late and drunk his wife isn’t the only one that is going to have strong words with him, she thought to herself annoyedly, remembering how one of the locals had a bad habit of drinking and driving, and how on multiple occasions she had to nurse him back to health herself. The distinct smell of booze was in the air as she approached, her sensitive nostrils picking up a few other choice scents as she drew closer. Are those teenagers out again sleeping with each other away from their parents? Goodness me the youth today truly are shameless! At last she stood next to the car by the passenger side window, she leaned over and peeked inside. Much to her horror, the scene before her was uglier than any she had seen before. Covered in sweat and runny make-up a girl who looked to be in her early twenties lay in the driver’s seat, her breath reeking of alcohol as she moaned to herself loudly, her right hand stuck in the front of her pants working its way in and out of what Matilda presumed to be her unspeakables. Several black highlights were present in her dirty blonde hair, and she was clad in what was in Matilda’s opinion, “Scant, modern rags.” “What do you think you’re doing, young lady? Do you know what time it is? And goodness gracious, do you have any idea how naughty this behavior is! Drunk and touching yourself in the middle of the forest, tsk tsk. You do know that it's a school night and the squirrel kids have to be up bright and early to go to their nut-gathering classes! And don’t even get me started on the birds and worms!” The young woman started at first, turning to gaze at the forest spirit and narrowing her eyes, having difficulty focusing on her blacked out state. Suddenly comprehension dawned on her incapacitated state of mind, and she let out a yelp. “BEAR! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP THERE’S A BEAR OUTSIDE MY WINDOW!” She fumbled with her keys to get them into the ignition, but Matilda was too quick for her. “You’re not going anywhere tonight young lady, you’re coming with me!” Before she realized what was happening, the bear had walked around the front of the car, opened the driver’s seat, and gently extricated the young lady from her car. Cradling her gently in her arms, she entered into a brisk walk back into the forest towards her home, the young lady blinking and trying to come to her senses while the world spun around her. “L-let me go! I don’t want to be eaten! W-why are you talking anyway… What are you… You’re a bear!” The young woman’s words slurred, which only added to Matilda’s disapproval, “Your behavior is absolutely inappropriate, young lady, a fine thing such as yourself has so much more potential in this world. Ladies like you should be in school learning to make the world a better place, not ravaging through drink and self-indulgence! And if not school you should be finding yourself a husband or wife! This really doesn’t suit you.” The young woman was now utterly confused. Why is this bear talking to me like she’s my mom? Did somebody slip something into my drink and now I’m hallucinating? Before long the party of two had arrived at Matilda’s cottage, a humble looking abode with smoke coming out of a chimney in the back and a comfortable looking porch in the front. “Let’s get you cleaned up now and perhaps something warm in your stomach, if it can handle it. How does that sound, kitten?” ‘Kitten’ blinked her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. The inside of the cottage looked nothing like she expected it too. They hadn’t entered a one room building like she expected, but they were now standing in the front hallway of what looked to be quite a large house. As her blurry vision cleared slightly, she saw a staircase leading up to a second floor, and several rooms connecting to each other on the first floor including a kitchen, living room, and what she presumed to be a dining room. “How… What… Wh-” “Hush now dearest, we need to get you cleaned up and in your crib! It’s way past your bed-time.” The young lady was now utterly confused, and almost completely convinced that what she was experiencing was either a hallucination or a drunkenly induced dream. “I’m never drinking again…” she muttered to herself, rather unconvincingly. “Well that’s a start at least! There’s plenty of other things I’ll be training out of you, but that's the one that’s definitely near the top of the list!” After wiping her foot-paws on the rug near the front of the door and locking the door behind her, the bear carried her charge up the stairs of her home and turned a corner, leading them into a white, spacious bathroom. Patterns of smiling ducks, sailors, and beach animals decorated the walls, and a large bathtub in the corner decorated the interior of the bathroom space. Before she had time to marvel at how clean and pristine the bear kept the place looking, Kitten found the bear was now tugging at her clothing, stripping her down naked. “What are you doing!? D-don’t take my clothes off!” The bear stopped for a moment, a patient expression on her muzzle as she set the girl down on the counter. Adopting a chiding tone, she explained, “Now now little one, I can’t get you cleaned up if you’re still wearing all this icky clothing! Not to mention they’re not fit for somebody as pretty as you. Be good now!” She shook her head, still protesting, “Stop touching my clothes you stupid bitch, I told you I didn’t want your help!” Suddenly the world shifted and turned almost upside down. Before she knew it, she was lying stomach down in the bear’s lap. “What are you- OWW!” Whap! went Matilda’s paw as she spanked her charge’s now exposed behind. She cried out, much to her own surprise as tears poured down her cheeks. Matilda tutted under her breath and continued to rhythmically deliver punishment onto her kitten’s behind. “Now look what I have to do, I don’t like giving spankings but you have simply given me no choice. I bet your mother would not approve of the potty mouth that you have developed either!” At this point the girl was now sobbing, snot coming out of her nostrils as the tears further smudged her already spread make-up. Matilda’s ears perked up, as she heard the human mutter and babble out what sounded like a pitiful apology. She quirked an eyebrow, and paused a little longer before she delivered the next smack on the quickly reddening cheeks of her charge. Well that was quick… She seems to be pretty malleable in this state… Hmm… Perhaps…? Speaking in a clear voice, she paused after her 19th spank and addressed the pitiful looking girl in her lap in an authoritative tone. “Now then, are you going to be speaking like that to Mama Bear ever again? Or do I have to show you more of what girls with potty mouths get?” Practically blubbering, the young woman shook her head and managed to stammer out, “N-no… I’m not going to s-speak like that to you again… P-promise!” She spoke, her words intermixed with hiccups and shaking sobs. Matilda realized that she was barely lucid as she lay completely still and limp in her lap, unable to resist the punishment that she had been delivering on her bare behind. She continued, maintaining the same dominating tone of voice as she further chastised, “I thought so! Drinking and touching yourself and staying out late at night, not to mention driving under the influence! You’ve been a very, very naughty girl and you’re going to get even more spanking if you keep this up! You’re lucky I’m letting you off tonight because you’re tired and probably are in great need of a bath and a good night’s sleep! Are you going to behave for me while I clean you up, young lady?” Nodding emphatically, the girl continued to sob and pant in Matilda’s lap. Matilda gently lifted her charge up and laid her head against her shoulder, standing up and supporting her underneath her bottom as she did so. “Now then, let’s get you cleaned up shall we?” Gently carrying her over to the bathtub she deposited her inside, turning the water on and tugging off the young woman’s shirt, the last of the clothing that she had been wearing. “Now, what should we call you?” Matilda mused to herself out loud, as she turned on the warm water and adjusted the girl’s body into a rough sitting position, pouring some shampoo into the water as it began to rise up around her legs. “Hmm… I think Annie would suit you quite nicely, don’t you think so dear?” Annie’s eyes fluttered in response, and she groaned softly, her brow furrowing in a contorted, pained expression. A second trickle sounded in the air, and Matilda quickly realized that her blacked out charge was now adding her own urine to the bathwater. “Goodness me! It’s a good thing we got you in the bath before you soiled yourself! We’re going to have to do something about that if you’re going to be sleeping on my bed sheets! Now, I should still have the nursery set up.” Turning off the faucets she drained the bath before turning on the hot water once more. Retrieving a large rag she dipped it into the steaming water and started to gently wash the girl’s body, holding her various limbs and taking great care that her washing felt soft and gentle. The bear began to hum a tune under her breath as she worked away, speaking softly and cooing over Annie as she washed the make-up from her face and dabbed at her sensitive bits, ensuring that she was clean from top to bottom. “That should do it, all squeaky clean! Let’s get you dried then.” She turned off the water and pulled the plug, letting the bathwater and soap suds swirl away as she picked Annie up and out of the tub, laying her down on a towel she had spread on the bathroom floor. Annie could barely comprehend what was happening to her as Matilda ruffled her short, tomboyish hair in a towel and wrapped her up in the one she was laying on. Satisfied that she was dry, the bear scooped her up, still wrapped in the towel and carried her out of the bathroom. Walking down the hallway she took a left before she entered a room that Annie thought must have been a figment of her imagination. It looked like a regular nursery, except every piece of furniture, toys, and even the diapers beneath the changing table seemed to be oversized. Annie blinked twice, her vision still blurry, and a singular thought bubbled up to the surface of her drunken mind, “I crashed my car, hit my head, and now I’m seeing things…”

Curse of the Crinkle Crate Composed by Horatio Husky Featuring and Commissioned by Kazard the Fox! Chapter 1 The Box I… Want… Couch Time… Now… were the thoughts of a certain blonde-haired fox, as he absentmindedly fumbled with the keys to his small, cozy home. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyelids half open in a vacant stare as he maneuvered his key into the lock of his front door. The day had been absolutely miserable, all of his clients had been in a bad temper when he spoke with them about their problems, and one of them even seemed to believe that the fox didn’t really know what he was doing. Of course, he knew what he was doing! He’d graduated top of his class by no small miracle, the fox was very talented at his work, but the lack of appreciation and frustration that was thrust upon him by his clients was not something studying could have prepared him for. At last, the key turned, and the door swung wide open, shouldering his bag he strode inside and carelessly dropped it in the front hallway, kicking off his shoes and closing the door behind him with a click, locking it once more. Give… Me… That… Couch… thought the fox once more, as he strode into his living room. However, his couch did not seem to be on the agenda just yet, for the fox almost tripped over a wooden box in the center of the room. Kaz was taken aback, how had this gotten in his home? He didn’t remember lugging a rather plain, heavy looking wooden box into his home. Its dimensions were around two feet by two feet, and a foot and a half tall. Kneeling down, his tail now twitching with apparent interest and curiosity he inspected it closer to find that its lid was hinged, with the front opening to the container facing towards him. What on earth… Did somebody break in and leave this here? He thought to himself, as he reached forward with a paw and tentatively opened the strange box. The lid thumped onto his carpet as he gazed into what was held within the strange item, and was even more confused to see that the box only contained two items in it. A thick square of plastic upon closer inspection Kaz found to be a white, adult diaper, and a note next to it, written in fancy cursive. He picked it up, his eyebrows furrowing as he perused through a short poem, a strange feeling of warmth he didn’t recognize bubbling up in his insides as he did so. For a year and a day obedient shall you be, To the rules and whims of the box at your knee, Letters and rules shall be provided from these wooden confines, Giving you instructions, tasks, items, and lines, And lest you not listen to my behest, Shall you not have your day-to-day be the best! For control and independence are no longer yours From now you’ll always be clad in diapers! Diapers? Control? Is this all some sort of prank that got delivered into my house that one of my friends managed to sneak in? He turned the note over and found that more was written on the back of it, this time not in the mysterious cursive font as on the front. The rules are simple, Kazard. For a year and a day you will be completely unable to control your bladder nor your bowel, making it that at any time whatsoever, you will completely and utterly mess and wet yourself anywhere you are. Within this box, you will find your solution to this new conundrum in your life, which you have agreed to participate in by opening this box. Whenever you open this box you will be supplied with plain white diapers perfectly matched to handle whatever punishment you give them. It is recommended that you also invest in other supplies related to padding, such as powder and anti-rash cream, but those are up to your discretion. You may try and not wear your diapers, but you will find that it is wiser to comply with the rules and keep yourself nice and secure; your continence will not return either if you do not obey the rules set before you. If you wish to communicate with the box, you must do so through a bargain written on a note to express your wishes. However, be warned: the box is liable to interpret and balance any request or boon as it wishes if whatever you offer is not of equal value, so it may be wisest to obey as instructed and keep yourself diapered at all times of the day, otherwise, the consequences will be severe. With that, we hope you enjoy your next trip around the sun padded up! This has to be a joke… Boxes that interpret poetry and supply diapers whenever opened? This isn’t even a funny prank, this is pathetic. The fox dropped the diaper and note back into the box with contempt, what a stupid thing to waste his time with. He got up, the couch now forgotten as his stomach rumbled its hunger aloud to the room. He padded over to the kitchen, turning the kettle on and rummaging through his dry food cabinet, retrieving a large bag of chips. He held the bag in his maw as he stretched, reaching up to the higher shelf to grab himself a chocolate bar. It was just out of his reach, and he strained, leaning against the counter to support his weight as he grasped after his sweet. The counter must have been wet, however, for he looked down as he felt something damp against him. The bag of chips dropped out of his mouth and onto the counter below him. The counter hadn’t been wet, no. It was he who had gotten wet.

The world of scientific progress is a fickle mistress. Many different people jump into the world of research for many different reasons. Some do it for family, to carry the torch of their and their forefathers’ forefathers. Some people start young, wanting to turn the spark kindling during childhood into a flame of progress. And some people, like Bruno Bear, only do it for money. “When do I get paid?” The gruff grizzly asked. “You’re promising a whole heap of cash, and I still haven’t seen one cent yet.” “Well, Mr. Bear,” the persnickety poodle began, flipping through notes on her clipboard. “You still have not started the testing phase yet. Now, I feel the need to remind you that these tests are still highly experimental. We don’t know what effects they may have on your psyche.” “…Powder, was it?” The bear asked, an annoyed grin showing on his face, “Listen, I already signed all your papers and contracts and whatever. I just want to go in, get paid, and get out. Can you make that happen, huh?” Powder thought back to all the paperwork that Bruno had to sign. Procedures like this were barely legal, and the whole stack of documents was a foot thick. When Bruno started to breeze through each piece of paper in seconds, carelessly signing away, Powder started to worry. “This? I’m a speed reader,” Bruno had said. Powder didn’t believe him. If he had read even one paragraph of those papers, he would have run for the hills like countless others before him. Bruno didn’t carry himself like a man with a death wish either. He carried himself like one who only saw dollars signs, no matter the cost. Powder let out a heavy sigh, “I suppose scientist can’t be choosers. Very well then. Follow me.” Powder turned and began to lead the subject through the halls of the research building. After some time, the pair finally arrived at their destination. It was a giant white room. There were no desks, no furniture. Anyone who stayed here for too long was bound to get disoriented. When Powder saw visible confusion on the subject’s face, she figured now was the time to begin explaining. “This area is a top-of-the-line testing facility. There’s a console in another room that allows me to manipulate the contents of this room.” Powder fished around in her lab coat pocket and pulled out a remote controller. She clicked a button, revealing a door and a one-way mirror on one of the walls. “I will be monitoring from that room,” She accentuated with a point of her finger, “And the test will begin shortly. Now, I’m asking you one final time. Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Bruno was nodding, still playing catch up in his mind. Finally, he waved a paw and said, “Yeah, I got it. After you taps some buttons, I get paid, right?” Some people couldn’t be saved. Powder’s gaze had now shifted towards the door. “Yes Bruno. I’ll go press my buttons, and then we’ll pay you.” She made way for the exit, leaving the bear alone with his decision. Bruno stood in the test room for a moment, twiddling his fingers. Soon the room began to change as various devices slid from behind the wall panels. A large TV monitor hung from the ceiling and displayed static. Below the screen was a plain-looking set of earbuds. An intercom speaker had popped out from the corner of the ceiling. The speaker buzzed to life, and the familiar voice of a certain poodle came through. “Bruno, can you hear me? The program will start shortly. I need you to put on the earbuds and look at the screen. Once you’ve started, do not look away. Understood?” Bruno shrugged and made the ok gesture with his paws. He picked up the earbuds and inspected them for a moment. After he got paid, maybe he should buy a pair of these for himself. Concerns for later. He popped the buds into his ears, took a seat, and waited for the show to start. Powder watched intensely from the one-way mirror as the program began. Without the audio, the video was safe to watch. Right now, however, she was more interested in watching Bruno’s reaction than anything else. The tape had only been running for a few seconds, and he was as stiff as a statue. He probably couldn’t stop watching now even if he wanted to. The hypnosis had a way of coiling around the patient’s attention early, trapping it like a snake and its prey. Just the thought of being forced to watch it made her shudder. Still, the bear had made his choice, as ill-informed as it may be. All she could do now was sit back and reap the benefits. Powder pulled out her clipboard and began her work. “At the twenty second mark, the pupils begin to dilate…” *** A door slid open, and Powder walked through. “Alright, Bruno. The video portion is over. How do you feel?” Bruno fumbled to his feet and stretched his arms. “Me? I feel super.” “No headaches, or any nausea?” “Nope,” Bruno shook his head. “Ah-hah…” Powder made note of this on her clipboard. “Do you recall what happened earlier?” Bruno scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah? I came in, watched some flashy cartoons, then you came back. Easy peas.” Bruno looked around the room, still feeling more disoriented than he liked to admit. “Hey, doc. Can I ask you something?” “Yes?” Powder replied, still jotting down notes. “Where’s my diaper?” Powder stopped, a look of knowing on her face. “Your diaper? Bruno, what do you need a diaper for?” The question made Bruno double take. “Because? I’m a big baby. If I don’t have one on, I might make a boom-boom in my pants?” Bruno whined, shaking his not-padded rump. “Are you sure you feel okay doc? Maybe all this scientific mumbo jumbo is making you screwy.” “My apologies. I have to make sure all your thoughts are in order.” Powder continued to scribble down more notes as she turned back towards the door. “But I’m happy to say that everything is as it should be. I’ll go and get that nice, big diaper for you now, okay?” Just like the first time, she disappeared behind the white door and got to work on her console. With nothing better to do, Bruno sat back down and suckled on his paw. What was that science-lady’s problem? Didn’t she know Bruno was basically an overgrown cub? He certainly wasn’t ready for the potty, let alone big boy undies. It was a good thing those silly cartoons didn’t influence him. That would make getting his money all the sweeter. Moments later, metal coils with white gloved hands appeared from behind the wall panels. Soon the hands found their target and slithered towards Bruno. The hands got to work fast and began undressing the big baby bear. His jacket was taken. His shirt came clean off. His belt was unbuckled, and his pants? Hit the road. It was all no issue. Those grown-up clothes looked silly on him anyway. The hands laid Bruno onto his back as the pair of briefs he was wearing came off. The second they came off; he began to feel more like himself. As the hands whisked the briefs away, Bruno waved with his free paw. “Bye-bye undies.” “Okay Bruno. It’s time for that diaper you requested. In addition, I’ve picked out some new clothes that should be more to your liking.” More hands entered from the walls, this time, carrying a set of items that should have been familiar to the colossal cub. One extra-large shaker of baby powder. One ultra-thick diaper. A plain white classic. Just what the doctor order. Despite their goofy appearance, the hands were very coordinated. A pair of hands lifted his legs and slid the hefty pamper underneath. A bear-sized portion of powder was sprinkled on his groin. Two hands worked together to carefully press down the tapes, making sure the subject was nice and snug in his padding. One hand gave Bruno’s new diaper a few pats on the front and finished with a thumbs-up. Bruno was lifted by the armpits as more hands appeared, carrying a much more fitting set of attire. The hands lifted Bruno up once more and got to work. This all still felt natural. Bruno was still much too young to dress himself. Whether an adult dressed him, or a swarm of mechanical hands did it, made no difference to him. When one hand carried down a large full-body mirror, Bruno finally got a chance to see himself. He now wore a baby blue t-shirt with a pair of red shorts. The shorts did a decent job at covering his diaper…but the bulk made its presence oh-so obvious. The bear was also wearing half-socks and a pair of sneakers. After a few curious stomps, he found the sneakers lit up when he moved. Cool! The intercom came on once more. “Well, don’t you look charming. I’m going to change the scenery now. Wait one moment. The entire room’s structure began to shift and shuffle. The bear could hardly keep track of the organized chaos. Bruno’s mouth gaped opened when everything was finally in place. There was colorful wallpaper all around. The floor was littered with various playmats. There were toys strewn about the floor, giving the place a lived-in feel. Multiple cribs of many sizes lined the walls. A few changing tables also lined the walls, their compartments fully stocked. It didn’t take long for the bear to realize where he was. Bruno was in a giant nursery! A small desk rose from the ground under Bruno. The hands descended him into it, forcing him to take a seat. From the front door of the classroom entered Powder, now holding a strange looking tablet. “Alright Bruno. Now is the time for the Q&A portion. I’m going to ask you some more questions. This will help me get a better understanding of your mental state. While we do that…” Powder tapped on the tablet, and soon another pair of hands appeared from the walls. They stopped at Bruno’s desk, dropping a stack of papers and a packet of crayons, then quickly left. “…you can draw me a pretty picture. How does that sound?” Bruno crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the scientist. “Alright, But I’ve got one strip-you, um…” “Stipulation?” “Yeah, one of those. If you get to ask questions, so do I. We clear?” Powder blinked, not expecting that response. Honestly, she was expecting Bruno to speed through the questions, like he had with all those contracts and wavers. Even while dressed as a big baby, this bear still believed himself to be in charge. While the hypnosis impacted his mental age, it did nothing to change Bruno’s unruly personality. “Scientists can’t be choosers. All right, I accept. You have no issue with a lady going first, right?” “Floor is yours, doc.” Bruno plucked a crayon out of the box and began to scribble away. “Very good. Now Bruno, how old are you?” The bear shrugged, not even bothering to look up from his coloring. “Dunno.” Powder tilted her head in confusion. “You aren’t sure? You can’t even guess?” “I said I don’t know. I signed it on one of those papers, right? Just look at one of those.” “I am asking, Bruno, because I want to know what you believe your age to be. I’m not trying to see what Bruno wrote. I’m trying to see what Bruno knows.” “Well, Bruno doesn’t know. And besides, isn’t it my turn to ask a question?” “I…fine. Bruno, what is your question for me?” “Why did you become a scientist?” “Oh? Oh! Well, I wanted to make a change in the world. I wanted to help maintain the fight for greater progress and help make a difference.” Before Powder’s speech could continue, Bruno’s hand shot up, as if to ask another question. “Yes, Bruno?” “I thought we weren’t supposed to lie with these questions.” “Excuse me?” A frown grew on the poodle’s face when she realized what he meant, “Bruno, I am not lying. I want to be here.” The bear simply rolled his eyes. “Riiight. Listen lady. Just because I’m a baby doesn’t mean I was born yesterday. I know that grown-ups tell white lies like that because the truth doesn’t sound as sweet.” Bruno tapped the butt of a crayon under his chin in a thoughtful gesture. “I don’t think this was your first choice. That’s all I’m saying.” “And why do you think that?” A cocky smirk rose on the bear’s face. “Because. You are too pretty. Besides the lab coat, you don’t seem like the nerdy type to me. Just look at your perfect fur. Your perfect makeup. It’s in the way you carry yourself. You seem more like a show dog than anything else.” Powder couldn’t stop the blush from rising to her face. But it was there, and Bruno had no doubt spotted it. This was why she always hated working with children. They always found a way to spin the conversation around and make her feel foolish. She shouldn’t have to take this third degree. Especially not from a diaper-wearing dunce. The worst part was that she knew, on some level, he was right. Powder stopped to take a sharp inhale. “Fine. I hadn’t always planned on this. But that doesn’t mean I do not enjoy my work. You know, you could stand to be more polite. It will make this interview go a lot smoother and faster.” “Hmm.” Bruno smug expression had turned into a bored one. He crumpled up the paper he was scribbling on, tossing the first sketch aside, and started on a fresh one. “Now then. Bruno, do you—” “It’s my turn,” The bear interjected. “What? No, it isn’t.” “Yes, it is. You asked why I thought you were fake, and I told you. Now it’s my turn, and I’m still thinking.” Thinking back, Powder realized that Bruno was right. She had spoken too soon and was now paying the price. The gruff bear was now looking more like a clever fox. Another sharp inhale, this time a few seconds longer. “Okay Bruno. What is your next question?” “…How did you land this gig? When I said you weren’t the nerdy type, you didn’t even try to deny it. On the other paw, this isn’t the type of job they give to interns. So, you must have done something to land a job like this. How did ya do it?” Why did her subject have to be so annoyingly curt? “Bruno, that’s something of a personal question.” “So, give me something of a personal answer. Or are you the only one allowed to ask invasive questions? If you don’t plan on pulling punches, I shouldn’t have too neither. That’s only fair, doc.” He was right, in his only childish way. Powder knew it to be true. Moreover, she knew she couldn’t proceed unless she told him the truth. This was one of the reasons she hated working alone. Then again, she couldn’t tell her lab partner, Gus, about this experiment. Not before she had her results. It wouldn’t be fair to drop that on him, not after everything he had done for her. Her response was swift, “A friend helped me out. He pulled some strings and let me work in the lab with him.” Powder knew she had to choose her words carefully with this one. “I’m going to proceed now.” “Oooooh, a guy helped you. What’s lover boy’s name?” Bruno had shot a smug look at her earlier. Powder shot him one right back. “It’s my turn to ask a question now, Bruno.” She shouldn’t have gotten a rush from the line, but she just couldn’t help herself. “…Feh.” Bruno mumbled. He returned to his drawing, his face now featuring a look of concentration. “Bruno. What do you remember about the cartoons you watched?” It was a tense and volatile question. But it was also the most important one. “I don’t.” When Bruno saw the poodle stare at him with anticipation, he grumbled and said, “I don’t remember it. It’s a blank page. I can’t even remember one word of it.” That was unexpected. On paper, he should have remembered every single second of it. Had they made some severe miscalculation? If only Gus was here to help sort this out. “What’s your favorite toy here?” The reply was instant, as if he had already settled on his question before this conversation started. Moreover, it blocked Powder from asking any follow-up questions. “Out of all the stuff here, which one would you play with.” Another surprising question, one which sounded quite innocent. Powder still couldn’t tell which parts of Bruno’s mind were pacified and which were still grown. “Bruno, Adults don’t have time to play with toys. I’m too big for such things.” She was annoyed at what the baby bear was insinuating. But she was also annoyed at how fast he had changed the subject, and some of that heat bled through. “Too big,” He scoffed, “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m much bigger than you.” Bruno craned his neck and looked around the room. “And a whole lot of stuff here looks like fun to me. Especially those blocks over there.” The bear pointed to one corner of the room, where a bucket of toy blocks had spilled over. It was obvious to Powder that she was getting nowhere fast. Her best bet was to play along. Maybe then Bruno would start being more cooperative. Powder took a quick walk around the room, looking over all the toys. Finally, after some consideration, she had her answer. “The dollhouse.” She said, “If I was your age, that’s what I would pick.” “Ooooh, I gotcha.” No question was complete without a dose of attitude. Regardless, she still needed to pick her words carefully if she hoped to get any real work done. “I am under the impression that you do not believe me.” “Oh, I believe you. In fact, I would have bet money on you picking that.” “Don’t say why or what.” She thought. “Don’t phrase it like a question.” “I need you to elaborate on that statement.” Bruno paused, as if he were impressed by how well Powder was able to dodge question marks. “Control freak.” He replied bluntly, “When you tell those dollies what to do, they won’t talk back. I say something, and you get all hot and bothered.” Was that the issue? Was the way Powder conducted today’s experiment bothering him? No, she thought. Powder was simply doing her job. It was Bruno who was not doing his. “Bruno. I need you to understand that we are not equals. I am the adult, and you are the child. Your negative attitude isn’t going to change that.” “You really think that you are so much better than me?” A sharp hiss cut through Powder’s train of thought. Her ears immediately identified the sound, as it came from behind Bruno’s shorts. Her snout was next, picking up the scent of fresh urine mixed with baby powder. She could see the padding subtly swell behind the shorts, Bruno’s gait spreading automatically. Bruno still looked at her expectedly, as he finished peeing his pampers. Maybe he didn’t notice. Maybe he didn’t care. If he was a baby, flooding his diaper was as normal as taking a breath. “I…I think there is a certain divide in our status that you seem to be ignoring.” “Hmm, that’s interesting. By the way,” Bruno turned his paper over and held it up to the scientist, “Here’s that pretty picture you asked for.” This was an art piece Powder wished to forget. The crude doodle displayed Powder, sucking on a pacifier, wearing a fully loaded diaper. It was unflattering, to say the least, but at least it gave her an idea of how Bruno really felt. Powder certainly wasn’t looking forward to submitting this piece to records later. “See, those are stink lines.” “I see that, Bruno.” “Because you made a stinky.” “I understand the implications, Bruno!” She couldn’t let this experiment get any more out of control. She expected the interview to be the easy part. There had to be another way about this. Something she was missing. “Okay, I’m done.” Without hesitation, Bruno wiggled free from his desk and began to waddle to another play area. The pee-soaked state of the diaper forced him to take wide, duck-like steps. “W-wait!” Powder called, but the bear waved her off. After a moment of consideration, Bruno sat down with a wet squish, and landed in front of a bucket of blocks. “Bruno! We aren’t finished here!” “I know. It’s your turn, right? Ask away.” Despite being so many questions in, Bruno sounded so bored of it all. From his perspective, the colorful blocks were much more fun, and much less fussy, than the angry poodle lady. “I will!” Powder wanted nothing more than for this interview to be over. But her research forced her to put up with this overgrown child for a while longer. The only comfort in all of this was that after today, he wouldn’t be her problem. She would let the boys in the lab play babysitter and see how much they liked it. “What do you plan to do after you receive payment!?” “Huh, that’s a good one.” Bruno replied. He hadn’t made eye-contact with Powder and was steadily building a large tower of rainbow-colored blocks. “I don’t know yet. Probably take a nap. Maybe have a snack. What about you? Finally, a painless answer. This was how the procedure was supposed to go. Not this sass-filled back and forth. Powder was happy to get things back on track. “I am going to compile the data from the test and send it over to my superior. Now then—” “Sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear. What I mean is, what are you going to do after work? Like washing your hair or playing with dollies.” Ah. Powder should have known things would not be that easy. “Bruno, I do not play with dolls.” “Dollies,” The bear corrected, “And there’s nothing wrong with you if you do. Lots of grown-ups still keep dollies and plushies around when they get older.” “I am aware of that Bruno. But I am not one of them.” Powder shook her head and blurted back, “And they are called dolls.” “Okay? You still didn’t answer my question. And when you’re my age, you call them dollies. Right?” Playing along was not going to get any easier this way. Powder knew that, but still hadn’t accepted it yet. She thought back to when she was still in school, still just a puppy. Her favorite teachers were always the ones that talked to her on the same level, not above her. Maybe she needed to try that approach. And that is just what she did. Powder found a comfortable spot next to Bruno, sat down, and told the truth. “You probably won’t believe me if I tell you.” “Try me.” And she did. “Don’t tell anyone, but when I get home, I like to sit on my couch and watch old cartoons.” Bruno had stopped working on his tower and turned to face Powder. “Really?” The look of surprise on his face was plain to see. “Yeah,” She continued, feeling bashful. “It keeps me calm. Takes me back to a time when things were easier. Hey, maybe after this is over, we can watch some together?” Bruno didn’t say anything. All he did was smile at Powder, for the first time this session. This was good. This was what she wanted. Sure, the smell of stale urine was off-putting, but scientist can’t be choosers. “Ms. Powder? Could you do me a big favor?” “What is it?” “I’m trying to stick my flag on this tower, but I’m worried it’s going to fall. Could you hold her steady for me?” Bruno must be really invested in his game. A result of the hypnosis? It was too early to say. Either way, Powder was happy that Bruno was starting to warm up to her. Maybe today didn’t have to be such a struggle. “Sure thing,” Powder said, returning his smile with one of her own. She set the tablet down, only for a second, and held the building block tower with both hands. “Like this?” “Perfect.” Bruno wobbled to his feet. He had his eyes on the prize now. He steadied himself, made one quick motion with his paw… And swiped the tablet clean off the ground. “There we go.” The petrified poodle gulped. Powder’s heart had stopped. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. An awful feeling was writhing in her gut. One that was screaming at her, saying she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. It wasn’t until the tower of blocks came crashing down that she broke free from her daze. “Bruno, h-hold on! Let’s not do anything hasty!” The poodle scrambled to her feet, rushing towards the bear without thinking. She tried to take the tablet back, but there was no hope. Regardless of his mental state, the burly beast still towered over her. Bruno was an expert at playing keep away, which meant that it was game over for Powder. “Come on! How about we go back to playing!? I won’t even ask you anymore questions, okay!?” The bear was unmoved. “Sorry, doc. I found something that’s more fun to play with.” The tablet’s interface was quite easy to understand. Child’s play, really. The screen displayed various icons for various functions. The hand icon seemed as good a place as any to start. Within seconds, the familiar white hands shot out from the walls. Their aim was set to Powder, and they hit their target dead on. Two arms lifted her by the armpits, and she was soon kicking for dear life. “P-please! I’ll give you anything you want! I’ll double your pay! I’ll call the whole experiment off! Anything!” Desperate promises. Ones she had no way of fulfilling. What other choice did she have than to make them? The soundproof walls of the testing grounds made sure nobody would hear her cries. Nobody except for the person whose life she ruined. Despite everything, she was still responsible for turning his brain into a shallow husk. While Bruno was the one who agreed, it was ultimately Powder’s decision to go forth with the testing. She could have told him about the risks. She could have called the whole thing off. She could have done a million things different, to avoid this fate. But it was much too late for that. Somewhere, deep inside Powder knew it to be true. Such a simple fact, yet it scared her so much. “Now that you mention it, there is something I want.” “Yes!?” All her hopes were packed into that one three letter word. “A playmate.” All her hopes were crushed in three seconds flat. In a flash, the hands ripped all the clothes off Powder’s body, and she was a bare as a newborn babe. Bruno didn’t even look interested. Simply happy to see Powder humiliated. The only comfort was that the hands didn’t harm a single fur on her body. And yet, that deadly precision only served to fuel her fear. “N-no!” Powder screamed, one final time. New hands shot at her mouth, turning her pleas into muffled suckles. The culprit? A pacifier-gag strapped snuggly into her maw. That wasn’t the end of her worries. Despite only having the tablet for two minutes, Bruno was a fast learner, and quickly found an interesting new feature. Her heart stopped for the second time today, as a wicked new tool dangled before her. A giant wooden paddle came into view and began to circle behind her. Powder continued to kick helplessly. The fact that the paddle was now out of view was even more terrifying. Bruno was only bluffing, right? This was all an act to intimidate her. There was no way he hated her that much. There had to be some mercy in— *WHAP* *WHAP* *WHAP* With each swing of the wooden paddle, a thunderous crack sounded off. Each swat resulting in a muffled yelp from the bound hound, each one an unanswered cry for help. The bear led a truly grizzly assault on the poodle’s poor posterior. Twenty swats. Forty? Sixty? Both parties soon lost count. The only certainty was that Powder had been reduced to a crying mess. “Aww, the baby got a boo-boo. Don’t worry, I’ll get you something soft to sit in.” Bruno was like a kid in a candy store. Bringing the arrogant poodle down a peg was the sweetest treat he could ask for. Powder didn’t need to look up. She already knew what he was alluding to. Yet, through tear-stained eyes, she saw it all the same. In one hand, held a large bottle of baby powder. In another, an oversized baby diaper. While not as wide, the size of the diaper was still comparable to that of Bruno’s. The diaper was a garish shade of pink and was decorated cover to cover with prancing white unicorns. When she saw it, the cheeks on Powder’s face became as red as the ones on her backside. All the fight had been drained out of her, as the hands forced her onto the changing table with ease. She winced every time her sore bottom made contact with the mat below. The powder came first, dosing the dog’s white nether region with a torrent of lavender scented snow. The talcum blended in with her white fur, but it was there all the same.” “Look at that,” Bruno cooed, “Now you smell just like your namesake.” Powder just let the comment hang. All her bark was gone, and her bite was equally useless. She had been stripped, spanked, and gagged in a matter of minutes. She had lost this battle the second she let go of the tablet. Her opponent was simply taking a victory lap. The diaper was slid under Powder, and her bottom landed on the cushy surface below. The hands taped up the padding and gave her diaper a few pats. Just like the bear, Powder was trapped in a padded prison she had no hope of escaping from. Every nervous squirm and wiggle rewarded her with a chorus of crinkles. Powder could not deny her feelings now, her back on a changing table while taped to a giant diaper. She truly felt like a big baby, an overgrown puppy, much like the overgrown bear cub who was now in control. “Wow, Powder. Pink is your color. Let me see here…” More icons were being tapped by her captor, and Powder was still completely in the dark. Her new attire soon hung above her, and she missed the time when she was blissfully ignorant. It was a pink baby doll dress. The sleeves were short and ruffled, and the entire outfit was adorned with several tiny bows. The arms also carried a set of matching booties and mittens, to complete the ensemble. While Powder should be happy to have some coverage, she didn’t quite feel that way. The hands got to work, and Powder allowed herself to be dressed like Bruno had been. Show dog was right. Powder looked like she was ready to compete in a baby pageant. If the sheer bulk of the diaper wasn’t enough to stop her from walking, the booties sealed the deal. Like it or not, crawling was now her only option for getting around. When she was finally returned to the nursery floor, Powder fell on all fours and let loose. She couldn’t stop herself from crying. All the stress and humiliation of today was too much. She could hear something happening outside her field of vision, as Bruno tapped away on his stolen tablet. She was too distraught to look up, to see the truth. Her only hope was that one of her colleagues would come to check on her and stop this whole ordeal. Even if she had to be found dressed as a big baby doll, it would still be worth it. Before she could continue her miserable stupor, Bruno snatch Powder up and carried her across the room. “Wah…” Powder was confused. Wasn’t the point of all this to humiliate Powder, make her feel as small as she made Bruno? What was his next move? She looked up, and the horrifying answer to her question became obvious. The hypnosis monitor was back, and about to start an encore performance. “What’s the matter, doc? I thought you like watching cartoons.” No. Anything but that. She could handle the diapers. She could handle the spankings and the humiliating outfits. But this was too much. Bruno was about to chuck Powder’s mind down a hole she could never crawl out of. “You know something, doc? I’ve got this theory I’ve been working on. You see, ever since I watched those cartoons earlier, you’ve been acting real dodgy towards me. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But as soon as you started asking all those questions, I realized something. There’s this gap in my memory that I can’t seem to fill. Why was I dress like an adult? Why can’t I remember my age? Why shouldn’t I be acting like a baby? Every time I rack my brain for an answer, it all comes back to this video. So, I figured, if I saw what this did to someone else, I can finally get my answer.” “Pwease… I sowwy.” There was nothing Powder could do to break free from Bruno’s bear hug. All she had left to bargain was a literal cry for help. “No, no. Let’s not start any of that.” The bear stuck the earbuds into the poodle’s ears one after another. “The Q&A isn’t over yet, right? It’s my turn, and I still have a big question about what this program does. And this is the only way to answer it.” The bear found a comfortable spot to sit in and plopped down on his padded rear. He held Powder tight, and pried her eyelids open, preventing her from looking away. “So how about we sit back and enjoy the show.” The fears from before proved true. The second the program started; she could not look away. The audio was the first to strike, rewriting her identity as a baby between unending lullabies. Between every note of “Rock-a-bye Baby” and “Twinkle Little Star” was a hidden voice, a quiet scream, reinforcing how small and helpless she was. The TV screen was a mess of warping colors. It was a blistering rainbow that bullied her senses. But every other frame featured some form of subliminal messaging. The audiovisual experience tag teamed her brain and reduced it to a shatter pulp. It was intense. It was unrelenting. It was what she deserved. *** Gus scrambled through the halls of the research facility. He knew that he should have never told Powder about this project. The Labrador now had to track down his colleague before she did anything rash. To think how quickly things were spiraling out of control. He had told Powder that their new hypnosis program’s only hope of getting funding was if their superiors had seen tangible results. Obviously, this put a giant wrench in their plan. “No one in their right mind would be willing to agree to a program so dangerous.” Gus had said, “Not unless it paid a fortune.” After he said that, the smirk on Powder’s face should have been his first clue that she had a nasty plot in the works. While Gus was disappointed to have to shut the project down, Powder didn’t look fazed at all. Gus had figure that she was just coping in her own way. When a few of his co-workers had congratulated him on getting funding, he was confused. When they explained what had happen, and what Powder had done, he almost fainted. That’s where he was now, racing to stop Powder before she made a huge mistake. He had finally made it to their testing room, the one the others saw her walked into. He could hear muffled noises from the other side of the door and braced himself. When he opened the door, he soon realized he hadn’t braced himself well enough. The testing room had taken the form of a giant nursery. Powder had quite a few adjustments made while Gus wasn’t looking. How did she even manage to pay for all this? He saw a bear dressed like a little kid? What was he doing here? Amidst a sea of doll sat one that looked scarily like Powder—Powder! “Alright then Madame Woolsworth,” Powder said, speaking directly to a sheep plush, “I expect everything is to your liking?” The doll didn’t reply. All it did, all it could do, was stare back at her with unblinking eyes. For Powder, silence was golden. “Excellent. Now, there seems to be some business to attend to.” “Powder!” Gus yelled, scrambling over to his lab partner. “What happened? Why are you dressed like that?” “Hello there, Gus. While I would love to stay and chat, I have some company to attend to,” Powder gestured toward the circle of stuffed animals she was conversing with. “If you want me to talk with you, I need you to check the waiting list.” It was hard to make heads or tails of this ‘waiting list’ she displayed. Mainly because it looked to be a series of notes on her clipboard that Powder scribbled over in red crayon. “Powder, are you feeling well? You’re starting to worry me.” “There’s no use talking to her,” The bear yelled from across the room. “Unless you plan on having a tea party. “You’ll have to excuse him, Gus,” Powder explained, “He insists on acting like a poppyhead today.” The poodle stuck her tongue out and returned to her circle of plush friends. “Sorry for the delay, everyone. Where were we?” Unfortunately, it looked like Powder had her hands full now. Her state of mind was questionable, to say the least. Maybe talking to the bear would yield better results. He seemed to have some understanding of what had happened. “Excuse me, sir?” Gus called. Judging by the bear’s outfit, he wasn’t certain if ‘sir’ was correct. “Can you explain to me what happened? The bear didn’t look up. He was busying rolling a rubber ball back and forth between his paws. “That girlfriend of yours is a real handful. I watched that funky cartoon and she started asking me a whole bunch of questions. Had a nasty attitude about her too. My brain’s been in a rut ever since.” The bear paused and leaned over his shoulder to face the Labrador. “She’s a clever one, I’ll give her that. Too bad she couldn’t handle a taste of her own medicine.” A funky cartoon…The hypnosis tape! Powder had really done it! But why did Powder decide to watch it herself? She knew how dangerous it was. Maybe this bear coerced in some way. Or perhaps it was the other way around. “Oh yeah. Before I forget,” The bear leaned over, and handed the control tablet over to Gus. “You can have it. I don’t want to play with it anymore.” What was this stranger doing with the control tablet? There was no way Powder would hand over such an important device. Gus would have to check the security tapes later to learn the full story. “Thank you?” Gus said, still feeling puzzled. “Listen, I don’t know what happened between you and Powder, but I hope she didn’t do anything to upset you. I know she can come off as rude to some people, but she’s actually a nice person once you get to know her.” “Huh.” The bear mumbled. Before he could formulate a reply, nature arrived with a better retort. The bear got on all fours and began to grunt. It didn’t take a doctorate to figure out what he was doing. Mushy lumps invaded the back of his already soaked diaper, causing it to sag further. The fact that his shorts managed to stay on was a miracle, but more of the stained padding peeked out from each angle. Finished with his work, the bear let out a few breathy pants. The bear finally sat back down with a thud, squashing the mess against his plot. “That’s all I have to say to that.” The bear had said, returning to his ball game as if nothing happened. “Ugh!” Gus cringed. He wanted to distance himself from the rank bear as soon as possible. Gus made his way over to his lab partner, who was hopefully now in the mood to talk. Powder was laying on her back, suckling on the sheep plush from before. She had a tired look in her eyes, which was standard after a long day of work. “Hello again Gus,” Powder said, waving a tired paw to her lab assistant. “I’m sorry, but I am spent after today. If you have anymore complaints to voice, you’ll have to wait until after nap time.” Just like that, Powder was out like a light. Gus had said something, but she was done answering questions for today. Powder felt her leg twitch, as a warm flood rushed to the front of her diaper. Her work here was done. Now the rest was up to Gus. *** Several months later “Alright. I’m sending you guys the shape puzzle again. Your time yesterday showed improvement, but today you two will be working individually. Bruno. Please try not to distract Powder. It messes with the numbers if you do.” Bruno yawned and made the ok gesture with his paws. He would give the princess a break for today. Gus was a nice guy, a cool adult, and he didn’t mind listening to him. Besides, Bruno wanted to beat his time from yesterday. He was surprisingly good when it came to putting in most of the blocks into the correct holes, but there was still room for improvement. The square one always left him stumped. When their superiors had found what had happened, Gus expected all the shock and dismay they dealt out. What Gus had not been expecting, however, was how impressed they were with the results of the tapes. “Powder,” Gus instructed, “Try not to suckle on the blocks this time. When you do, it always adds a few unnecessary minutes to your time. If it would help, I can send you in another pacifier. Powder pouted, “Gus, that will not be necessary. I am more than capable of holding back my urges for a few minutes.” Powder crawled over to the block station and got to work. Everything was smooth sailing. Triangle goes there. Square goes here. Star goes in that one. She picked up the circle block. And couldn’t help but notice how tasty it looked. “Maybe just a quickie,” she thought. But before she had a chance to second guess herself, she was already laying on her back, gnawing on the foam cylinder without a care in the world—without a care for scientific progress, or anything else. Powder felt a familiar rumbled in her gut and pushed automatically. The result was that a messy diaper soon hung from her hips. She knew that would happen. It was well past the point of being only a theory that she continually tested for consistency. “A full diaper,” Gus thought aloud, “That’s not going to be good for her time.” It was a blessing, too. Gus needed all the funding he could get if he ever hoped to pay off Powder’s renovations to the testing room. She had taken many loans out to make those changes, and now, as her sole caretaker, the responsibilities fell on him. Thankfully, Powder was helping pay these changes off, one dirty diaper at a time. Gus had had a crush on Powder since high-school, and he always wanted to become more than friends. However, those feelings, and his views of Powder, quickly became outdated. Seeing said crush poop herself daily, while dressed as a giant baby, was bound to have that effect on anyone. Gus wanted to spend more time with Powder, and he had gotten his wish. But he always imagined them as dates, rather than playtime. Gus sighed, watching from behind the one-way mirror. “Oh well. Scientist can’t be choosers.”

Three Strikes and You’re Out! By Horatio Husky One I swear if he’s out at the gym again for one of his ‘impromptu workout sessions’ I’ll bite his tail off. These musings came from the mind of a black and golden tan German Shepherd fur as he shivered, cold despite his thick fur and winter jacket at the doorstep of his friend’s house. The two had only been friends for a few months, but a lot had transpired between them during that time. Being a police officer, Rick was expected to keep his body in a state of fit physique and agility to operate at peak performance. Thus, he had found himself acquiring a gym membership after a few months at his new job when he had noticed a suspicious increase in mass around his midsection. Not wanting his fate to end like any other stereotypical donut munching cop, he had started to frequent his local gym several times a week, usually after his shift ended. At that establishment he found himself seeing a certain, rather athletic looking arcanine, who always seemed to be in the most chipper, friendly of moods whenever he saw him. After a few days of a few moments of eye contact and nervous smiling, he had come over to him and introduced himself as, ”Anthony, but you can call me Tony!” His confidence and self-assured grin had given him a friendly glow that Richard found he liked very much, and he extended his paw to shake and replied with his name. The following weeks turned into a blur as the two canines hit it off better than either of them had expected. Beyond exchanging their own little fitness tips and tricks their sense of humor was shared as well, and they found great excitement and amusement in exchanging their own ideas and perspectives on the world, which the two found that although they differed on many subjects they both found hearing what the other had to say about a particular argument quite interesting and engaging. They had gone out a few times too, to a few lesser-known bars that the arcanine had said he preferred to go too since he usually wasn’t recognized there. At this strange comment, Richard had raised his eyebrows, thinking that his friend was making a joke. Tony had smiled a little, the first time in fact that Richard had ever seen him look sheepish, as he explained that he was a locally well-known baseball player, and had found himself getting bothered quite a bit at some of the other establishments he had frequented previously. Richard had done a google search, at Tony’s suggestion more to humor him than anything, but found to his surprise a Wikipedia page confirming his newly made friend’s claims at athletic success. Tony had then told him something that warmed Rich’s heart. He had first begun to talk to the shepherd because he felt was searching for a friend who wouldn’t want to be close to him just for his fame, but someone who liked him as a person. This warmed the cop’s heart, and he had wrapped his arm around the hulky arcanine’s shoulder and smiled at him conspiratorially, saying that he was more than happy to be such a person for him. Naturally, after such a warm entrance into friendship, they had gotten plastered that night and ended up somehow both falling on top of each other back at Tony’s residence. Things had progressed down a path that the two had not fully acknowledged, even to themselves, but yet both somehow knew that would traverse if things continued. Tony had leaned forward into a passionate kiss, pushing himself against the shepherd in an act of shameless passion to which the drunken shepherd could only respond in kind. Their passions lead to the stripping of clothes and before Richard knew it the arcanine had begun to take control of him and his body in the most loving fashion he had experienced to date. Being straddled by the muscled beast he had whined and howled in pain and ecstasy, the arcanine leaning down to his ears and whispered sweet nothings into it, even going as far as gently biting the nape of his neck and embracing him around the chest as he thrust himself into him. The lovemaking had lasted a decent while, Richard remembered how he had marveled as just how well Tony had paced himself, most likely due to his athletic training and discipline. By the time Tony finished, at last, the shepherd found himself able to do little but pant and gasp for air in an orgasmic trance, having climaxed himself several minutes ago while Tony had still been going strong. The arcanine had grasped him under the chin and brought him up to his face. They kissed more, the arcanine rubbing his back and humming soothingly to the receptive canine, thanking him for a wonderful time. Richard could only smile goofily back, completely and utterly entranced by the wonderful being before him who he had so perfectly made love to. Richard stamped his feet, trying to keep warm even as his cheeks flushed with red standing in the cold at Tony’s doorstep, remembering how they had then fallen asleep spooning, Tony being the big spoon naturally, and how the shepherd had woken up to Tony cooking him breakfast, wrapped up in a snuggly blanket on his couch. They had spent the morning chatting about the previous night, now almost completely unabashedly speaking about their own preferences and even delving into fetishes. They had been surprised just how well they had meshed together in lovemaking last night, Tony causing Richard to blush when he told him how he wasn’t surprised at all how to find that the shepherd was so subordinate. “I mean come on, anybody looking at you even from a mile away could see that you totally scream bottom!” Richard had almost coughed his coffee out of his maw at this comment, causing Tony to only laugh louder between fork-fulls of syrupy pancake. The canine had blushed in response to the arcanine but smiled good-naturedly. Although normally his tough, police officer persona was the one he operated on most of the time, he found that he felt comfortable letting his guard down around the arcanine, even to the point of expressing his submissiveness to him. After his normally uncharacteristic blush, the arcanine had gently inquired about the shepherd’s preferences, whether he had considered himself a sub for long. The two spent the rest of the morning discussing their own sexual experiences, preferences, and even fantasies. Throughout their dialogue the arcanine seemed to work magic onto Richard, gently but firmly inquiring as to what he would enjoy and wouldn’t, as well as what thinks he would enjoy not enjoying. The shepherd’s heart rate rose up multiple times during their exchanges, excitement filling his body that not even his job offered him during moments of pursuing justice and chasing after criminals. “Wait here, Richie, I think I have something that you might enjoy.” The arcanine winked before rising to his full height and softly strolling out of the room, a devilish expression on his muzzle. Richard could only lean forward off of the couch and look after him, wondering what his attractive friend was wanting to retrieve. “Close your eyes, Richard.” The canine obeyed and heard Tony shuffle towards him before stopping in front of him. “You can open them now.” Richard opened his eyes and gazed up at Tony before looking down to see that the arcanine was holding something in front of the shepherd’s nose. Richard took a sharp breath and quickly realized what the object that lay in the arcanine’s outstretched paw was. A small, white chastity cage was being presented to him, complete with a steel, heart-shaped lock adorning the bottom. The German Shepherd’s heart pounded in his chest, and he looked up wide-eyed into Tony’s own well-knowing eyes, understanding what he was being offered. “What do you think buckeroo, wanna have some fun? I think I could go for dating a cutie like you. After all, I think after last night you’ve proven that you might be needing this. You made a mess all over my couch after all!” Richard’s cheeks reddened at the playful admonishment, but his eyes looked back down onto the cage in front of him. He opened his lips as if to speak, but found it difficult to articulate what he felt. Picking up on his apparent speechlessness, Tony squatted in front of him and looked up into the blushing shepherd’s eyes, his voice softening now but retaining the same firm assuredness that proliferated his entire being. “How about I help you put it on, would that help, pup?” The shepherd could only nod shakily in response, his breaths still coming in heavy and deep as his entire being seemed to grow warm and vibrate in excision and stimulation. The arcanine gently pushed on the shepherd’s shoulders and repositioned him onto his back. Scooching over onto the couch he unbuckled the shepherd’s jeans and slid them down, following with his underwear. Richard’s member had begun to grow slowly after he had been approached by the arcanine’s offer but had not yet reached full erection. Tsk-tsking at the apparent excitement the canine was displaying, Tony worked efficiently and quickly at sliding the tube over the shepherd's not yet fully excited head and looping the support ring underneath his testicles. Richard felt a firm pressure on his jewels, which increased to a more distinct pressing feeling as he heard a soft click, and then a louder one as the cage was locked firmly into place. His member now strained against his confines, but to no relief as the plastic prison kept his erotic excitement firmly and securely in check. Tony grinned, and almost cooed as he said. “Looks like our little friend here is having a hard time containing himself! It’s a good thing I was around to make sure that he doesn’t get himself into trouble now, no?” Tony’s words washed over him like a stimulating wave of air, causing a shiver to run through him as both tone and context of what the arcanine said turned him on immensely. The amateur baseball player had a charm and confidence that the shepherd could find almost irresistible. He couldn’t help but blushing slightly, as he gazed into the arcanine’s eyes, feelings of attraction and yearning coursing through his veins as he strained against the cage around his member. Tony offered a paw to him and helped Richard up to his feet before helping him redress, surprising him by delivering an impassioned and deliberate kiss on the shepherd’s cheek, causing him to his great embarrassment to stammer a little bit in response. Tony’s eyes glistened as he let out a loud laugh, grinning broadly and looking directly into Richard’s eyes and winking confidently. “Oh Rick, this is going to be more fun than I could have possibly imagined, I figured you were a total sub but to this extent? I think this is going to be a luxurious time.”

Chapter 1 “Aww look like the little ones lost. Oh well, they can become the next lost ones in my game but now I need a new bunch. These past few haven't been as much fun. They end up giving up too quickly.” The lady gets an idea and snaps her fingers. She then pulls out a laptop laying it on her large table. It has character sheets on it that look in bad shape before they crumble to dust and blow away. She opened up a group chat on her favorite d&d website. There were 4 people chatting back and forth. She smiles as she read them the first one is from someone’s username ‘Beast’ “Hell ya, nat 20 bitch! I want to kill it as cool as possible!” The next person to respond was just called ‘GM’ “Ya ya...how the heck do you get so lucky at all my games…? You just break all my stories.” GM explained how Beast killed the large Minotaur with his large two-handed weapon. “Now Brick, can you roll a d20 for me? You did get knocked out after all.” This ‘Brick’ person rolls a d20 getting a 10 “Come on, my rolls are so bad! I swear this game is rigged!” The last person types just called ‘hunter’ replies to brick “Hehehe seriously? We've been playing these games with the same group for over a year now and you think it's rigged? Come on man take a chill pill.” Brick replies back “Ya ya...whatever.” Gm replies next “Ok brick is going to be out for a few days. You can move on and carry him or stay and rest. But we can do that tomorrow. I need a break. But has it really been a year already? And I still have yet to get to play a single game myself…” Beast replies “Well none of us know how to DM. But fine go to bed, he's probably got a bedtime! Sleep tight lol” Hunter replies “Damn it beast, can you be nice to our DM for once?! I got an idea! DM if you find a new DM we can all play a game how's that sound” Brick replies next “I'm in! That sounds like fun! I bet the DMs even better at this damn game than me anyways.” Beast just sends a rolling eye emoji “Ya sure whatever as long as I get to be the badass two-handed ax welder!” The DM replies “Really?! Deal! I'll look for a new DM tonight and get back to you all. I'll text you all later, bye!” DM has logged out, appears in the chat log. Then Hunter replies. “Heh, he's cute when he's happy. Later beast, later brick see you tomorrow!” Hunter has logged off. Brick replies. “Cute? What was cute about that? never heard him speak like that. Anyways see ya man.” Brick logs off and then so does beast. The lady at the table smirks. “Well, Natalie looks like you just found your next group. Now to figure out who this DM is.” Natalie gets to work looking up everything she can off his account and finds the name Laphin after hacking into his account. “Lapin heh cute name. Hmm, interesting he lives not too far away. What are the odds, guess I rolled a nat 20.” She writes down the address and begins to make an invite to a huge D&D game on her laptop. She quickly finished it and Put lapin's info on it and drove all the way to his place putting it in his mailbox. “Now we just play the waiting game~” Laphin is an 18-year-old boy about 4’5 he was quite short. He is a white tiger with glasses he has taped up. He stands up from his computer desk and sighs. “How am I going to find a DM? I'm so tired of DMing games, I want to play for once. I also don't want to let my friends down. Well, I know hunters, my friend, and maybe brick? I don't think beast likes anyone. I really need to get everyone's IRL name sometime.” He lays back on his bed and yawns and an older white tiger lady walks into his room. She looked like she was straight out of the wild west. She carried a gun on her hip and a cowgirl outfit. “Laphin? You're still awake? Get to bed now. Way past your bedtime!” Laphin takes off his glasses and covers up. “S-sorry mom!” Even though he was 18 his mom still treated him like a child. She leaves and he sighs laying on his side. “I bet no one else has to deal with this…what's worse is I get bullied all the time at school for it too. Glad it's my senior year, I can't wait to graduate.” Laphin drifts off to sleep, he sleeps great before suddenly he's woken up the next day. “Time to wake up, Laphin you got mail!” Lapin's mother throws him a letter and leaves. Laphin groans and rubs his eyes looking at the paper, unable to read it. He grabs his glasses and opens it up. “Why am I getting mail? Maybe I got into that nice school?” He begins to read it. “Are you big on Dungeons and dragons? Do you want to play a game for 100 thousand dollars for each person on your team?! Well, come join my challenge for your chance to win, remember teams must be of 4! Give me a call if interested if you need help paying to get your team together I'll help pay for a trip there and back! So come and join my world of Babulis!” Lapin was blown away. He jumped up on his bed and jumped off his bed making a loud thump as he quickly grabbed his phone. Suddenly his mother screams. “Laphin you better not be breaking anything in there!!” Laphin shiver “S-sorry mom! It was an accident!” He quickly messages his three friends telling them about the letter he got. His first message back was from Hunter. “Holy shit dude! This is awesome but it almost sounds too good to be true? You sure we can't trust this?” Next was brick “LET'S DO IT! I'm needing some money anyway. My rent is getting way too high.” And last was Beast to reply “100k?! Let's do this!! I'll beat this game with my eyes closed!” Laphin sighed, and it seemed only hunter wasn't sure. He messaged him back. “Come on, please don't let me be alone with beast and brick. I feel like we are the only two smart ones. But I'm sure we can win! As for safety, why would they spend so much money to get you here if it's a scam or something?” The wait was killer on Laphin before Hunter finally replied. “Heh, alright I'll come. But only if my trip over and back is paid. So you better get ahold of this person ok? I'm sure beast and brick can't afford a trip out there either. So you think you can handle that responsibility?” Laphin jumped up and down typing back “YES YES! Yay thank you, thank you!!” He messaged both beast and brick that he would make sure they had a way over as soon as he could then began to call the number on the mail he got. He held his finger over the call button nervously before taking a deep breath. He hit the call and it rang then someone picked up. “Hiya! This is Natalie! Are you calling about my D&D challenge? “ Laphin was awfully shy talking to real people, not on messages. So he talked quite quietly and softly. “Y-ya...and I got some fri-” Natalie giggles “No need to be shy, but you got some friends that need a trip over, correct?” Laphin was confused. “Ya but-” Natalie interrupts him again. “Wonderful! Just tell me their address and by next week we will start the game. I can't wait to have you all here! Don't forget to tell your family that the game might last a while so you need to be here at least a week. Maybe longer, don't worry about food, I have that covered!” Laphin was just so confused but excited “O-ok I'll get you their addresses” Natalie smirks “Can't wait to play, bye cutie~!” She hangs up and laphin just stares at his phone blushing and then smiles then his face goes pale. “Wait a week?! There's no way mom will let me do that… I’ll ask later I got a week I suppose.” He asks everyone for their addresses and sends it to this Natalie in a text. Suddenly Laphins mom calls him. “Laphin! Come and get your breakfast! What the heck are you still doing in your room??” He finishes up before He puts his phone down “Coming mom!” He then rushes to the kitchen and sits at the table and his mom sits some eggs and bacon in front of him. “Thanks, mom” He sighs and begins to think about how he can ask his mom if he can go play a game of D&D for a week or so. Then he remembered his mom was very greedy. “Oh, mom! You know these games of D&D, I play?” She sighs “Oh, these games that you play when you should be studying?” Laphin groans “I guess, but schools too easy! But that's not the p-” His mom interrupts “Laphin I don't care it’s still just a stupid game they cant make you money!” Laphin smirks “What if I told you I could make 100K from one game if I win?” His mom looked interested. “I'm listening…” Laphin then goes on to explain his chances at this game with his friends. “A week? Or more? Hmm.” They finished eating. “Hmm...Fine but if you win you will pay me some money you owe.” Laphin jumps up out of his chair and hugs his mom “Thank you, thank you! Anything! You can have it all for all I care, I just want to hang out with my friends!” His mom hugs back surprised and smiles. “I'm glad you made friends. I know it's hard with your size and all. And you just being a nerd” She laughs and Laphin blushes. “Mom!“ She pats his back. “Oh get over it Laphin you're still my little boy. But you better win this uhh game, your Christmas present might be on the line!” She laughs and he pouts. “That hardly seems fair...whatever so I can go?” She nods and he smiles. His mom gave him one last kiss on the head. Next, we head on over to Beasts place. There stood a tall black goat named Rie who wore a grey hoodie and jeans. He sets his phone down and heads to his room. He was 28 and lived alone, he smirks. “So I guess I'm meeting these nerds I play with. I'm sure hunter and DM are like these big nerds with glasses but brick acts differently. Don't even know each other's names and we are going to meet. Heh, 100k man so many things I could buy! Fuck my job I will quit as soon as I win!” Rie begins to pack clothing and stuff for next week who knows how long they will be gone. But otherwise, he has a fairly easy week till his trip. Next, let's check on Brick. Brick or Zev as he's known by is a half-goat he's got a goat tail, ears, and horns. He's a 23-year-old man who lives in a small apartment with a bunch of posters of girls. He's quite strong-looking and built well. He always wears a sleeveless shirt and shorts. He puts his phone down on his table. “100k huh? Heh, we will win this easily! Beast will kill an ill tank like normal, we are the best team! Well, and hunter he gets off a few lucky hits...ok maybe a lot whatever. So I'll be going far out next week. That's a shame. Hope mom and my little brother will be fine without me around. Probably won't even tell them so they don’t worry.” He heads to his kitchen to eat then begins to pack his bags. Next, we check on Hunter. They are in a large hoodie covering their body and some baggie pants they smile at their phone after sending their address. “Heh, Gm always acts so cute. He must be a little younger than the other two. Maybe a lot? Kinda hope he's at least 18. That would be fun.” They pull down their hoodie to reveal their long hair dyed purple and reddish-pink. She was a young girl about 26 her name was Zoe. she laid back on her bed. “Hopefully he's not underage….that would be awkward. He acts like he's 15 sometimes. Oh well, guess I'll find out next week. I'm kinda excited for everyone to meet me. I'm sure they think I'm a guy. Better off I'm sure brick and beast would have been hitting on me a lot if they knew.” She giggles. “But that's how I preferred it. I know if Beast or brick knew I was a girl I would never hear the end of it...gross there ok friends I guess, but I don't see myself with assholes like them. Well bricks less of a dick and just kinda...dumb heh” She fantasizes about their first time meeting. Now that everyone was on track all they had to do was wait to see each other next week. I know I'm excited too. Oh sorry, you know me, I'm Natalie and I'm going to be telling the rest of this story. I would let the others tell it but there...busy! Very very busy. WANT TO READ MORE I HAVE 2 MORE CHAPTER UP ON MY PATREON OR YOU CAN WAIT TILL ITS COMPLEATE BEFORE ANY MORE ARE POSTED HERE. I POST A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY! ONLY $1 A MONTH https://www.patreon.com/Little_Rie

The white rabbit watched his cart of luggage being wheeled to the back of the train as he found his cabin. Turning to close the door behind him, his pink hair fell into his face. Brushing it back, he caught sight of an white wolf with black hair and dark blue eyes. She was striking and gave off such an air of power that it sent a shudder through him. He quickly shut the door, closing his eyes as he fought with himself. ‘No Jessie, you don’t have the time and she’d never go for you anyways.’, he thought. He had just gotten out of a long term relationship with the woman he thought would’ve been his mate for life. Moving out of state to start over was no time to try and hook-up with anyone. The little bunny flopped back into his thin bed, shutting his eyes. There would be plenty of time for that sort of thing once he got settled in his new place. Lying there he couldn’t help but imagine what the wolf might be into. ‘Maybe she’s not so safe?’ He questioned himself as he thought it. But no, once he got settled into his new place he would figure things out. Patricia had always said he was too safe. What did that even mean? He got caught up thinking about the she-wolf and started looking around the plush little sleeper car, finding some tissue on the table next to the cushy red bench seat. Making sure the door was locked and the curtains were shut, he flopped back onto bed. Working his pants down, he gently started to take care of his little member that Patricia had always said was never a problem until she broke his heart. The anteater coming to his mind ruined the mood. All he could do was lie there fighting back tears with his pants around his thighs. After a few minutes, Jessie pulled his pants back, grabbed the phone and ordered his dinner. The staff was quick. Within the hour he had his meal delivered and was finished soon thereafter. He put his tray outside the door and shut it closed, locking it as he returned to the bed to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Waking up, the rabbit went to stretch and almost instantly realized something wasn’t right. His eyes shot open to look down at himself. The first thing he saw was a pink leather strap around his muzzle. Seeing the strap, it dawned on him that something was in his mouth and he couldn’t get it out. The intrusive object felt smooth and plasticity. Jessie could only manage a muted squeak as he began to thrash around in an attempt to get free. His big white ears twitched when he heard himself produce a strange crinkling sound. Looking beyond the strap of the gag, he saw he was wearing a white and baby blue sailor dress. Over this he had some kind of pink harness. His hands were balled up in some mittens that matched the blue of his skirt and were clipped to a d-ring on the harness. On his paws he wore blue booties with a short pink leather strap between them that was tethered to the foot of the bed. The poor bunny could only assume he had something around his neck that was strapped to the top of the bed and he couldn’t figure out what the bulk between his legs could be. As he lied, thrashing and whimpering the door to his cabin slid open. The wolf slipped in and shut the door behind her, the rabbit looking up pitifully at her. She did all this to him? He watched as she flipped through his wallet and pulled out his license. “Who would’ve thought little Jessie was actually a boy? The pink is a nice change, sweetie, I think I’ll keep it like that. It goes well with my new baby girl’s little leather accessories.” Jessie tried his best to look defiant but unbeknownst to him, he just looked like a little kit. She…did say baby…didn’t she? As if reading his mind she bent over and patted his crotch, causing more of that crinkling. He tried to pull away, only resulting in more of the same and a grin from her. The she-wolf flipped up the skirt and started popping buttons under it. She had him in a onesie? “Awww, baby girl is still dry? Wonder how much longer that will last, hmmm?” As she spoke she pressed on his crotch and he noticed the diaper wasn’t the only thing covering his bits. The bunny’s eyes went wide and he resumed his trashing. “Awwww, lil Jessie didn’t realize his little friend had a new little toy and home did she? That’s okay. Babies aren’t always aware of what they’re wearing.” Jessie had had too much. All he could do was cry and squirm as the wolf sat down beside him and stroked his cheek. “There, there precious. I know it’s scary, but give it time and you’ll learn to love being my baby girl. Or… you won’t, but either way I’ll enjoy it.” With that, she left the room. The rabbit was alone with his fear and thoughts. He could only pray that someone would find and release him. Minutes later, his hopes were dashed as she opened the door back up and he could see a luggage cart. The wolf came to his legs, unclipped the strap from the bed and quickly forced them to his chest, clipping the short strap to his harness. Unclipping the strap on his neck from the bed, she lifted him easily and put him face down on the cart. She quickly had the small lagamorph clipped to the cart and covered with a blanket. “Let’s head home, sweetie.” Little Jessie could feel the cart he was on being wheeled down the hall and off the train. He tried his best to get free, to be heard, but she had rendered him helpless. He resumed crying out of desperation. Jessie had no idea where he was or where he was headed. No one would have a clue where to look for him. Despair took over the rabbit’s mind as he was wheeled through the railroad station and into a lot. The cart finally stopped and the blanket was removed. It was dark out and no one was around. Seeing his tears the wolf quickly unclipped him from the cart and pulled him into her arms to cradle his small frame. “Awwww baby, don’t cry. Mommy Nadine is going to take good care of you.” As Nadine held him, Jessie felt her slip a finger under the gag in his mouth and got a strange taste in his mouth. It wasn’t long before she began unclipping his limbs from his chest. Jessie tried to get away, but found himself feeling very sluggish and sleepy. He looked into her eyes with fear. “Don’t worry baby girl, that medicine will just help you sleep until we get home.” Her smile and tone were so kind, but it did nothing to ease his pure terror. Holding him on her hip, the wolf opened the side door in her van and hefted him into a car seat. It didn’t take much to buckle him in just as he was drifting off. “Good night precious, when you wake up you’ll be in your brand new nursery.” https://toofplaypen.wordpress.com/2020/10/21/future-derailed/

Sorry for posting this again, just trying to figure things out. ------- The smilodon took a deep breath. It had been months since she had gone out to a club. Even longer since she had felt confident enough to do so wearing a diaper and onesie under her dress. This was going to be a fun night. It had to be, at midnight she would be turning twenty-six and leaving the first quarter of a century behind. Once past the bouncer, who almost didn’t accept her ID as authentic, she strolled… well… waddled her way to the bar. Her dress threatened to show her “little” secret to anyone who glanced her way. The saber tooka seat and ordered her first drink. Looking down the bar she saw a mouse looking her way. She couldn’t help but blush and drop her gaze to try and hide her grin. Moments later she was sipping her drink when she heard“Are you old enough for that?” She looked over stammering about how she was twenty-six and just wanted to have a nice night. As she turned to see the mouse was looking amused. “Calm down, little one, I was just making a joke. You’re okay.” Little one? She quickly adjusted her skirt,blushing more than before. “I… I… ummmm…. Wha? H-hi? I’m Ko! Nice to meet you!?” She blurted out trying her best, and failing, to sound like a rational adult. “Well, hello Ko. Sorry to throw you off so bad. Are you okay? I’m Nozomi by the way.” She offered with a smile. She gave off such a nice vibe that the feline found herself easily calming down. “Well, uh, nice to meet you Nozomi.” She shuffledon her stool and the moment she heard a crinkle she could’ve sworn she saw the mouse’s ear twitch slightly. If she had heard the diaper then the fresh set of red cheeks wasn’t going to help things. Instead of saying anything Nozomi just smiled and signaled the bartender for another round. A few drinks and plenty of pleasant conversation later, Nozomi got up from her seat. “I’m headed to the bathroom, do you need a change little miss.” Ko’s ears went flat and her jaw dropped. “What?” “You didn’t think I picked up on the cute little waddle as soon as you walked in? Brave of you not to bring your diaper bag with you though. Hmmm. We could actually go back to my place if you’d like? If not, maybe I give you my number and we can meet again another time?” The little sabers mind was spinning. She knew. She knew and she was into it? And they had been having such a great night, what could go wrong? Without even thinking she had reached out to Nozomi. https://toofplaypen.wordpress.com/2020/09/16/displayed-page-1/ Nozomi sat looking around the bar. The last of her drink swirling idly in her glass. No one was catching her eye and she had so hoped to have some kind of fun tonight. As she was set to finish her glass and head out she happened to glance at the door. In walked a little sabertooth tiger, smaller than any adult of her kind the mouse had seen before. There was something to her though. She looked nervous, but only if you were paying attention. Watching her take her first steps through the room and towards the bar Zomi picked up on a waddle. She wouldn’t have thought anything of it if she couldn’t see a recognizable paw print design peeking out from under her dress. The poor thing had no idea her snapped up crotch was visible. The smilodon took her seat. Her dress pulling up gave the mouse no mistake of what she already knew, it wasn’t time to leave just yet. This kitten needed someone to help her out. As the girl got her drink Zomi made her way over to her. She couldn’t help but look her up and down. She was cute and it wasn’t just because of the onesie or the, now obvious, diaper. In fact, she looked too young to be here, but she knew Jack took his job more seriously than to let someone underage in. Striding up behind her Nozomi made her presence known with a joke. “Are you old enough for that?” The small predator started stammering and babbling about being an adult, wanting to have a nice night and something about being twenty-six. “Calm down, little one, I was just making a joke. You’re okay.” The little, as Nozomi had guessed her to be, straightened her skirt hastily, not that it did much. “I… I… ummmm…. Wha? H-hi? I’m Ko! Nice to meet you!?” The sabertooth managed to babble out. She was even cuter than the mus had at first noticed. “Well, hello Ko. Sorry to throw you off so bad. Are you okay? I’m Nozomi by the way.”, she offered to the kitten with a pleasant smile. She could visibly watch as Ko beganto calm down. That was a good sign. If the night went well she may have found someone to share it with. “Well, uh, nice to meet you Nozomi.” said the kitten as she shuffled, s giving a distinct crinkle. Zomi’s ear twitched slightly and Ko was beginning to blush. She was so precious! It was tough for the muridae not to scoop her up and head home that instant. But that wouldn’t be the way to go about tonight. Instead she signaledAlexa for another round for the two of them. After several hours of drinking and a lot of wonderful back and forth, Zomi knew she would be able to connect with Koneko on more than just her apparent lifestyle. This was the moment. To the world she looked perfectly calm, but inside she was all nerves. She really wanted this to go well. She got up out of her seat. “I’m headed to the bathroom, do you need a change little miss.” Ko’s ears went flat and her jaw dropped. “What? You didn’t think I picked up on the cute little waddle as soon as you walked in? Brave of you not to bring your diaper bag with you though. Hmmmm. We could actually go back to my place if you’d like? If not, maybe I give you my number and we can meet another time?” Nozomi held her breath as she waited. She hoped she had been getting a good read. After a moment Koneko reached her paw out to her with a little blush and she accepted it, helping the little to her feet. https://toofplaypen.wordpress.com/2020/09/17/displayed-page-2/ As she took the hand of a woman she had just met Ko’s mind went wild. What was she doing? This was insane! Everyone said you should never just go home with someone you had just met, but how could she pass this up? This was everything she had dreamed of, had fantasized of honestly. And she was getting a chance to give in and let her little self explore? She wasn’t going to pass that up. Nozomi could see that the kitten was struggling with her own thoughts, so to try and help she pulled her closer and gave her a squeeze. “We can not, little one. There is no rush. We just met and that can be scary, I know.” “NO!” The saber blurted out, far louder than she would’ve liked. Several other patrons turned to look at her and she felt Zomi’s grip on her hand loosening. She quickly held tighter and made sure she pulled close again. “I’m sorry… I just. I’m okay, just… this is a first time for me. I’m really excited though.” Nozomi couldn’t help but smile. She was so cute when she babbled like this. She glances around to make sure no one was around as they walked. “Calm down baby girl.” She pulls something sparkly and pink from her bag and puts it between the kittens lips. It took Ko a moment to realize she had a pacifier in her mouth. She pulled away yanking it from her mouth and hiding it. Her eyes dart around in fear with a tinge of anger. “You.. why… why did you do that?” Zomi reaches out to pull her back, but the smilodon turns away. “Ko, I’m so sorry. I thought it would be cute and fun for you. I made sure we were alone… but you’re right, I need to make sure you’re comfortable with something before just doing it.” Koneko looks at her for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean anything wrong, but… I think… maybe it was just a sign we’re pushing to fast? I have your number. I’ll call you okay? I just need some time to really think about this okay?” She reaches out to give her the paci back. The mouse takes the pacifier. She tries her best to mask her disappointment, but a shake to her voice gives her away. “I really hope you call, but I’d understand if you didn’t.” https://toofplaypen.wordpress.com/2020/09/20/displayed-page-3/