Chapter XXVIII: The princess is in another nursery
"Eventually, a badger showed up and pulled me from the edge. He asked who I was and why I was standing so close to the edge. I begged him to let me go, but he refused and his grip was too strong to break free."
The wolf was fascinated by her story and listened in awe.
"He introduced himself as Jordan, and told me that he wanted to help me. I replied that my problems were too big for him and asked him why he should care about me. We hadn't met before, so we didn't know each other. The badger said that if I had nothing to lose, his offer couldn't hurt me."
"Wait, do Jordan and Jennifer know each other?"
She smiled.
"Kaiser is a good friend of the badger. You know, that other caregiver I spent the past week with? Jordan works with her in the same way Kaiser works with Jenny. Jordan and Kaiser have more or less the same job."
"So that's why he said he could help you," Aran concluded aloud.
"Yush. He invited me to come with him, and although I hesitated, something told me that his intentions were good. I got into his car and sat down on the backseat, at the right side, as far away from him as possible. When we got to his place, or what he claimed to be his place, he asked me to wait in the car and he went inside. After a few minutes, he came back out with a female rabbit. They took me inside and asked me to call my parents, so they would not be worried about me. I asked them not to open the farewell letter I had written, because Jordan had offered me help. In case I decided to go with my original plan, they could still read my note. The badger then explained to my mother where he found me and that he wanted to help me. He invited them for a conversation to explain that I would be gone from home for the next few weeks, possibly months."
"Did they just go with that?"
"Pretty much. They were glad that someone had kept their daughter from committing suicide, and were willing to do a lot to see me happy again. My father was a bit skeptical, though, but Jordan later told me that he was very understanding after they talked. Besides, even though I live with my parents, I'm nineteen, which means that they legally have no say in my choices because I'm an adult."
"I see. How did you end up at Jennifer's place though?"
"There are always a few caregivers on stand-by so urgent charges can be accommodated immediately. Jennifer was in the reserve pool at that time, so she became my caregiver. I fell asleep on Jordan's couch and woke up in a crib, here in Jennifer's girl nursery."
"Were you blindfolded and all?" the wolf queried.
"What? No... I was wearing a diaper and a pawed sleeper, though, and found myself snuggling with Farani. Just before I freaked out because of those strange new surroundings, Jennifer spoke up to me. She was sitting next to the crib, reading a book, waiting for me to wake up. I was still confused about what had happened, and I wondered where Jordan was. Jenny then explained that she was a friend of Jordan's and that she would take care of me. I guess you can fill in the rest yourself."
"Maybe not everything, but the important parts. By the way, is any of this related to why your nails look like the way they do?"
She was trying to keep a straight face, but could not prevent showing a grimace.
"Jenny did that to me on my first day here, so I couldn't harm myself with my claws. I've done that before, on occasions when I couldn't find a knife or some other sharp object. She's been keeping my nails short and blunt ever since, including my toenails."
"Have you cut yourself with your toes?" Aran asked in disbelief.
"Desperate people make desperate decisions," she commented plainly.
"I can't contain my curiosity now. Have you, you know, done anything like that recently?"
"I've had the urge a couple of times, and even tried to sharpen the stumps of my claws again, but I never succeeded. Nowadays, I don't feel the need to cut myself as often anymore. It still pops up sometimes, but I've learned how to deal with it."
"How did you change?"
"My past pulled me down and made me feel sad. I wanted to break free from that, but I couldn't do it on my own. Jennifer taught me how to leave the past behind me, so I won't linger in the vicious cycle of hating myself over what I had become."
"That's not as easy and concise as it sounds, am I right?"
The vixen shook her head.
"However, if you_want_ to change, you_will_ change. If not on your own accord, then Jennifer and Kaiser will nudge you in the right direction."
"But you can't just leave the past behind, right?"
"Don't think about it too hard, you might hurt yourself," she replied, then switched back to her puppy voice. "Now let's play, I's bored of talkin'!"
The two charges continued building the railway, until a large part of the playroom was covered with tracks. Aran noticed that he was losing his concentration, and he soon found out why. He felt cramps in his bowels, and the feeling slowly grew stronger every minute.
"Why're you makin' those funny faces?" the vixen asked.
"What faces?" Aran replied, suppressing a groan.
"You're making silly faces, as if you're thinking really hard. I said you shouldn't, right?"
"That's not the problem," the wolf tried to play it off.
"Then what is?"
'Darn, she doesn't understand the concept of dropping a subject, does she?'
"I guess I've got to go," he commented plainly.
"Go where? You can't get out of the playroom without Jenny, you know that, don't you?"
Aran rolled his eyes.
"I'm going nowhere, just have to go, you know. Big time, and stuff."
It then appeared to dawn on the vixen.
"Oh, like in your diaper?" she emphasized, to add insult to injury.
"You really need to say that out loud? It doesn't matter, I won't be able to go with you staring at me."
"That's a bit of a problem, don't you think? I'm not going anywhere either, so you'll have to."
"B-but..." Aran started, but he did not know how to finish his sentence.
"You're embarrassed, right?" she then said in her normal voice. "I know how you feel. I've been there myself with Wesley. We both found it hard to, you know, do our business, especially when you know it's going to smell."
The wolf nodded.
"I'm not used to the food Jennifer serves me, I guess that's why my bowels are cramping. Last time was the same."
"I think I've got a solution. Go sit on your knees, and try to relax. Close your eyes if you want, but you don't need to."
Aran complied, although with reluctance.
"Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you," the vixen said, putting her hands on Aran's stomach.
She started to gently massage the wolf, and felt his body relax as she worked her magic. The tensions slowly disappeared and Aran closed his eyes. After a few more minutes, the tail of the wolf flagged up a little and Gina mentally snickered, as she knew what was coming.
The wolf tried his best to think of something else,anything else. He was not really thinking about anything concrete, but the method worked. Aran did not notice much of the secondary effects of Gina's massaging, until he felt a squishy warmth spread through the front of his diaper as his bladder released.
He understood that what was about to come would be inevitable. It_had_ to happen eventually, so he should better get it over with. The wolf lightly pushed, and with much less effort than he expected, his bowels evacuated. As good as it felt to be relieved of the cramps, so equally disgusting was the action to Aran. He felt filthy, humiliated, and, most of all, like a puppy.
"Jennifer!Aran lay embli!" Gina called out, after she let go of the wolf.
The collie was in the kitchen, so she did not need more than a couple of seconds to pop her head around the door of the playroom.
"I heard my little girl calling. Say what again?"
"I said_Aran lay embli._ Lotsa embli," the vixen chuckled.
"What's that even mean?" Aran asked, trying to hide his shame.
"It's Lapine, little one. It means you stink," Jennifer explained, then turned to her other charge. "You learned that from Primrose, didn't you?"
Gina nodded with enthusiasm.
"Be a good girl and play by yourself for a while, okay? Come, Aran. Let's go clean you up."
The wolf got on his paws, slowly, attempting to minimize the feeling of what he had just done to his diaper. Unfortunately, Jennifer took him upstairs, which meant that he had to climb all twelve steps of the stairs. Feeling even dirtier, Aran was glad to finally reach the bathroom.