FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

If you don't understand what Lisa is talking about in this one, read my other story, Corwin Hall! It's not really plot-essential, though, so if you don't want to, you don't have to.

Chapter 3

Roo reached over and loosened the strap on the back of Arvy's head. He didn't remove the muzzle, but Arvy could spit out the pacifier and open his mouth. He started to pant immediately, feeling overheated.

"Thanks, Roo." He scrunched up his face. "I'm sorry, I know it stinks. But I need a break."

Roo smiled, rubbing Arvy's back reassuringly. "It's fine, puppy. I'm used to it. I have to use them the same as you, you know! Lemme see your paws."

Arvy held up his paws, and Roo undid the thick vinyl straps, slipping them off and setting them on the end-table, right next to the photograph. "Now," Roo said, "whenever you feel like getting changed, these will go back on. Try not to go too long with a full diaper, or your bottom will rash up."

Arvy winced at that idea. "Will I always be mitted and muzzled when I'm... clean?"

"Afraid so, puppy. Well, until you earn the privilege not to be."

"But how come?" Arvy whined. "It's not teaching me anything. It's just humiliating."

Roo lowered his ears. "Arvy. We're not trying to humiliate you. And it is teaching you."

"How?" Arvy snapped. Roo gave him a stern look, but didn't reprimand him for his tone.

"You said yourself that what happened in the store was a mistake, right?"

Arvy groaned, shifting backwards on the couch so he wasn't sitting in his mess. "Yeah. You don't have to rub it in, though."

"Then you know it was a failure of decision-making. You had a choice between indulging your desire to act out, or indulging your desire to behave." He sounded like he was repeating a speech he had learned by rote. "You chose wrong. Here, you're learning to make decisions. Right now, it's just about the only decision you can make, and it's simple: your comfort, or your independence."

"And which am I supposed to choose?"

Roo smiled and licked Arvy's nose. "That's up to you, puppy." He glanced at the one-way mirror and leaned over, speaking softly. "Though, the kids who don't seem to mind their diapers tend to get promoted faster. Just something to keep in mind. Of course, the biggest thing is good behavior. If you're good, you get promoted quickly, and we might even get special treats in here."

Arvy nodded. "Yeah, I get the idea. I don't understand how I can really be bad, though. It doesn't seem like there's much trouble to get in around here. How do I be good?"

"Um... well, always do what you're told. Use your diapers a lot. And always get permission to do things." He paused, thinking. "I dunno why they like us to use our diapers so much. Or listen to those tapes they play at night. I kinda like 'em though... the tapes, I mean. They help me sleep."

Arvy blinked. "Tapes? Um... Roo, I understand that I need help, I really do. But I don't want to be brainwashed."

Rulare tilted his head. "What's the big deal about tapes? People are always nervous about that, but you can hardly even hear it, anyway."

Arvy wrinkled his brow. He wasn't happy about the idea of subliminal conditioning. He could accept it, to a degree, but depending what the tapes implanted, he knew it might get him in worse trouble than Helping Paws understood. His stomach grumbled, though, and he decided to worry about that later. Messing himself had left him feeling empty.

"Hey, Roo, is there anything to eat in here?"

Rulare nodded, glancing at the mini-fridge. "It's not mealtime, but we've got some snacks. Bottles, pudding, cookies... it's all pretty babyish, but it tastes real good!"

"Can I have some pudding? And... I guess a bottle," Arvy mumbled.

Roo nodded eagerly, his ears flopping. "Yeah! You're not allowed to feed yourself yet though, so sit tight and I'll get a spoon." He slipped off the couch and stretched, hiking his diapered rear in the air for a moment. He padded his way over to the fridge, opened it, and dug around, coming out with a small tub of chocolate pudding and a large baby bottle, filled with what looked like milk. He hit a button on the upper half of the fridge, and a small door opened ... a miniature microwave. He warmed the bottle for a few seconds, yawning and scratching his ear with a stubby paw. "This place isn't so bad, really. It's kinda like a hotel. You just can't leave or anything."

Arvy nodded absent-mindedly, giving the pudding a hungry look. "Canine-safe chocolate?" he asked.

Roo rolled his eyes. "Of course, Arvy." He retrieved the bottle from the microwave, tested its temperature against his nose, and padded back to the couch. "Pudding first, then bottle," he said, hopping back up next to Arvy. "Don't worry if it doesn't look like much, the food here's really filling." He opened the pudding cup and stuck the spoon in, coming out with a big glob of pudding. "Open wide!"

Arvy's facial marks went crimson as he opened his maw, fidgeting with his paws. Roo wagged his tail under his diaper seat, plopping the spoonful into Arvy's mouth. He missed just a little bit, smearing chocolate pudding on Arvy's muzzle, right next to his nose.

"Oops!"

Arvy swallowed. "Ummf... are you sure you're allowed to feed me? Your aim's a bit off."

Roo didn't respond as he dug out another spoonful and fed it to the Wolf. Of course, Arvy was still talking when he moved the spoon forward, so the pudding ended up mostly on his chin. "Eep! Hold still!"

Arvy folded his ears, and concentrated on keeping his mouth open wide for the pudding as Roo continued to feed him. At least it tasted good. He managed to make it through the rest of the cup without incident, and Roo leaned forward, playfully licking the chocolate off of his muzzle.

"Ack! Roo, quit!" He giggled, though, and batted lightly at the border collie. This only made Roo wag his tail and lick faster until Arvy's face was clean.

"Formula time," Roo said, putting the empty cup down and shaking the milky bottle. It looked heavy and creamy, sticking to the sides of the bottle. Roo pulled a couch cushion into his lap and patted it. "It's easier if you lie here. Then my arms won't get tired holding the bottle up."

Arvy sighed and gave Roo a reproachful look. This was testing the limits of his complacency. Still, he rolled over onto his back and scooted up, laying his head in Roo's lap against the pillow. "What is it?" he asked.

"I dunno. Some kind of artificial milk formula. It's really good though!" He pressed the teat against Arvy's maw, making it dribble a little onto his nose. Arvy opened his lips and took it into his mouth, if only to keep his muzzle from getting any messier, and began to suck. It tasted surprisingly sweet, like the milk left over after a bowl of sugary cereal. He closed his eyes and sucked eagerly on the tip, causing the bottle to bob in Rulare's paw. He wanted more than could pass through the baby bottle's small opening.

Arvy unthinkingly reached up to take the bottle in his own paws, but Roo held it firmly. He let Arvy put his paws on the front of the bottle, though, and soon the Wolf was kneading and squeezing it. The thick, creamy fluid filled his belly quickly, and he was starting to feel light-headed. He closed his eyes, and let go of the bottle before it was halfway gone. Roo put it aside on the end-table and began rubbing Arvy's belly.

"There we go. Don't you feel better now, Arvy?"

Arvy opened his eyes again, looking up blearily at Roo. "Issit... is drugged?" he asked, slurring a little.

Roo gave a little smile, and kept rubbing the upturned wolf-belly. "'Drugged' is a pretty strong word. It's got some relaxants in it, probably. I think all the food here does, but especially the formula. It's all right, bedtime is coming soon, so it's probably a good thing."

Arvy would normally have reacted strongly against this line of thinking, but in his current state of mind, he just couldn't raise an objection. His chest felt warm, his head was pleasantly soft, and the Border Collie's attentions to his abdomen made him want to play along with this, for now. Even the soft mess against his bottom felt more comfortable than unpleasant at the moment. He looked up at Roo with a little smile, to let him know he wasn't upset about the drugged bottle.

"Thanks, Roo," he rumbled. Rulare looked a little surprised at this.

"For what, Arvy? Feeding you is my job, now."

Arvy shook his muzzle. "For getting th' clerk not to call th' police," he slurred. "Juvie woulda had worse food, I think."

Roo grinned wide, then leaned down to lick a trickle of formula off Arvy's chin. "Yeah, definitely!" He let out a wide yawn, still rubbing Arvy's belly. The lights slowly dimmed, as if on cue. "Whoops, that's bedtime," Roo said, sounding almost as tired as Arvy. He leaned over, grabbed the bottle, and took a few long swigs of it himself. Arvy's eyes were slowly closing, but after a moment, he blinked them open again.

"Roo... Roo!" he said plaintively, sounding urgent.

Roo swallowed the mouthful of bedtime formula. "Yeah, Arvy?"

"Do you think... um. Do you think I'm a bad Wolf?"

That made Roo splay his ears a little, and he stroked his paws comfortingly over the sides of Arvy's muzzle. "You did a bad thing, and that's why you're here, so you c an be taught better. But I don't think that makes you a bad woofie. I've seen lots worse. Kids that hurt people, even."

Arvy lowered his face, not responding, and tucked it softly into Roo's lap. He was out by the time the lights dimmed fully, and night-lights plugged into the walls flicked on, filling the nursery with a warm, dim glow. His sleeping mouth found the pacifier dangling from the end of his muzzle and took it in, starting to suck on it. Roo affixed the strap at the back of Arvy's head so he wouldn't lose it in the night, and, straining a little, lifted the diapered teenager off the couch. He carried Arvy over to the crib, set him down on the piled sheets, and hit the play button on a subtly-hidden tape machine affixed to the bars. A soothing female voice began to play, muttering barely-audible suggestions.

"Good night, puppy," Roo said, tucking the sheets around the Wolf securely. He pulled down the bars, crawled into the crib next to Arvy, then latched the bars up again.

***

Calum jumped in his chair as the phone on his desk rang. He peeled his eyes away from the computer screen he'd been staring at for hours ... long night. He leaned over and picked up the handset, putting it to the side of his large, striped head. "Helping Paws, Brian Calum speaking."

"Oh!" A high voice came across the line. "I'm sorry for calling so late; I expected to get voicemail."

Calum smiled, recognizing the voice. "Mrs. Parks! That's quite all right. I'm working overtime. Have you made a decision about your little Arvetis?"

Lisa cleared her throat. "Well, first of all, I want to be straightforward with you. I did some research on your organization. It wasn't easy - you guys keep it pretty quiet - but I called in some favors. Let's just say I have a pretty good idea of what goes on there."

Calum leaned forward in his chair, rubbing his muzzle. He was going to have to be alert for this; it could get ugly. "I see," he said, his voice neutral and quiet.

"Please, Mr. Calum, let me reassure you off the bat that I completely approve of your methods. In fact, I think your organization and mine should get in contact. They might have a lot to offer each other."

Calum blinked. That was not the reaction he'd been expecting. He kept his voice carefully controlled, treading unknown ground. "What, err. What gives you that idea, Mrs. Parks?

"It's a little complicated, but suffice to say we share similar goals. We have a different target demographic, and slightly different methods, but a lot of similarities, as well. I'm sure you can set something up, have your people speak to mine, and such. But in the meantime, I have to worry about my son."

Calum raised an eyebrow, jotting down a note on a sticky pad next to his computer. "Of course, Mrs. Parks." He was glad to be talking about a familiar subject again. It disconcerted him that Lisa was able to find information on their methods somehow. It was even more off-putting, for some reason, that she wasn't upset. Of course, parents usually found out eventually, by speaking to their children after they returned, but the change in their children's behavior was usually enough to convince them that the methods were sound. The few cases where parents found out that their children were in diapers before the methods had a chance to work were usually disasters. "I assume you want him to stay for a while, then?"

"Well, that depends. I know that isolation is an important part of your regimen, and I respect that. But before I decide how long he should spend there, I want to visit him once in the facility. I promise to keep it brief."

"Of course, Mrs. Parks. Like we said, this is all totally voluntary so long as our guests still have someone who can give their consent to the stay. We can definitely arrange a meeting. We even have an observation room, if you'd like to use it." Calum leaned back in his chair, grabbing a visitor notification form. They weren't often used, but Calum made a point of keeping everything he might need handy.

"That would be perfect. I would also like to speak to him briefly, if that's possible. Oh, and I want to bring his brother. For both of their sakes. They're... not often apart."

Calum was a bit worried by that. "Yes, that'd be acceptable. But for the purposes of our program, it'd be most effective if these visits aren't overly frequent. And I'm afraid his brother can't stay with him, if that's what you're planning. We only have the resources to care for our volunteers and our legally-bound guests."

"Don't worry, this is the only visit I'm planning for now. And Gerry couldn't stay anyway. He has responsibilities in the outside world to attend to. Oh, that reminds me... one of the things my research turned up was that you use nocturnal sublimination to control behavior. Is that correct?"

Calum coughed. This was rather uncomfortable. Just how much had she found out? "Um. That is correct, yes. We use it to reinforce desired behaviors and make the guest's transition into our program a bit easier. It also makes it easier for him to bond with his companion. Is this a problem, Mrs. Parks?"

"It could be. Arvetis also has responsibilities in the outside world. Because you don't know what they are, it's possible you could implant something that would impede them. I would just ask that you only use obedience-related suggestions if they become absolutely necessary. He needs to respect authority, but he also needs to be able to stand up to it out here if he has to."

Calum leaned over to his computer, bringing up Arvy's file. He typed for a moment. "Aye. I've got that marked. We'll do our best, though it may be difficult. The suggestions are for his companion's benefit as well as for his own, and Rulare has to receive a certain amount of sublimination."

"Please do whatever you can. It's important. As for my visit, I figure that the earlier it happens, the less it will interfere with his regimen. Would tomorrow evening be all right? After dinner?"

"Yes, absolutely. That'd be fine. Do you have any other particular requests for your son?"

"Not yet. Thank you for being so accomodating. One last question, though. Can you tell me how Arvy is coping over there? Should I expect a grim scene?"

Calum smiled. Finally, a question he was comfortable answering. "From what I hear, Arvetis is coping just fine. He's already seemed to bond with his companion quite well!"

"Good. Good, I'm glad." Lisa sounded relieved. "I was worried about the diapers; they've been a sticking point for him lately. Maybe this will help him with that. Thank you again, Mr. Calum. I'll be there tomorrow night, ok?"

Calum was intrigued by the casual mention of infantilization. "Wait, Mrs. Parks. If you don't mind my asking, how are diapers... utilized where you are?"

Lisa paused, seeming to collect her thoughts. "Well... differently for different cases. We find that people are more honest with themselves in them. They foster humility and companionship."

Calum grinned. "That's more or less our philosophy as well, Mrs. Parks! We can definitely help with that, if he's having problems in that area. Many of our guests rather come to enjoy being pampered by the time their stay is over. Well, we look forward to showing you our facility. Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"That's all, Thank you again."

"Absolutely! Feel free to call if you have any other questions. Goodbye!" Calum hooked the handset back on the receiver. He turned to the computer and hesitated. He'd have to make a record of the conversation in Arvy's file, but he wasn't sure if the other staff members would believe him.