

Jason's New Home
a yiffy tale by Alex Reynard

(Cub, nullo, inflation, plant, vore, scat, ws, cooking, love & cuteness)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was my second attempt at writing long-form furry fiction. After Against Instinct, which was meant to be a novel but ended up more of a long short story, I started on this. I'm not even sure when; just sometime in 2003. I chipped away at it diligently for a helluva long time, then abruptly stopped several chapters in and was never able to regain momentum enough to finish it (despite having an ending planned out right from the beginning). However, a few furs on FA pestered me about the story enough that it got me reenergized about the project. If you're reading this, it means I finally finished it.

This story was also my first attempt to write about as many fetishes as a single narrative could possibly hold. Long before Bartleby! When I first started out on the internet, I discovered so many hitherto-undiscovered kinks that I was totally awed by the sheer variety of them. It was like this shining galaxy of pleasures. Unending creativity and unfathomable combinations. I was overjoyed to see that there was such an incredible variety of ways people could express their yiffiness. So it should come as no surprise that I hold kinkbashing in the very lowest regard. Like with my Bartleby tales, this story was my attempt to show that people with all sorts of different proclivities can coexist happily; so long as they respect each other's limits and be willing to consider new things before dismissing them. I deeply believe that there is no fetish, ever, that is innately disgusting or wrong or harmful. It all depends on how it is expressed.

I would also like to apologize profusely to Kamots. I read the first part of his story "The Slaveboy Diaries" a long, long time ago, and later forgot it completely. I got the idea for Jason's New Home years later and I was already into the fifth chapter before I came across Slaveboy Diaries again and realized I'd completely stolen the setup. Ouch. I swear, I did not intentionally do this. This story was undoubtedly inspired by the other one, though not consciously. I don't ever want to be known as a plagiarist because I think it's a rotten thing to do. So I'm sorry about a hundred thousand times. I hope this story manages to be different enough in the long run to make up for its initial similarities.


     *   *   *   *   *





***
Chapter One   -   Before The Auction


Jason looked up as some kind of lizard with a clipboard called his name. He glanced around at first to see if they'd meant some other Jason, but no, it looked like it was indeed his turn at last. His time had finally come. The young white fox hopped off the bench and took one last look at the other boys around him. It felt strange to think that he'd probably never see any of them again. But it wasn't like he'd grown close to any of them. He'd spent most of his time at the cubslave place reading, napping or otherwise keeping to himself. He was trying, without telling himself, to distract himself from what was going on and what had happened to him. He tried to feel brave as he walked over to the lizard.

He was then led by the paw to what looked like a doctor's office. He could hear the voice of the auction's announcer somewhere down the hall. He wondered who'd be sold first. He wondered how much someone would pay for him. The lizard told Jason that a doctor would come in soon and give him one last examination before he was to go on stage. Then the lizard flicked his tongue and walked off unconcernedly.

There was an exam table in the middle of the room with a long, wide strip of white paper covering it. Jason figured he would probably be asked to get up there anyway, so he managed to clamber up. The paper crinkled as he slid onto it. The table's surface was cool on his unclothed fur. The short, shy-looking young kit spent a few moments just looking around the room, noticing all the odd little things in glass jars that one sees in doctor's offices.

It wasn't too long before a comically squat male skunk waddled in and heaped a folder full of reports down on his cluttered desk. He wiped his glasses off on his tailfur, then turned to have a look at Jason. He smiled broadly, which made his mustache curl up. "Well, aren't you a handsome specimen!"

Jason grinned modestly. "Think so? Thanks, I guess. Everyone keeps telling me how rare and beautiful ice-white foxes are. I guess that means I'm one. Do you know what 'ice-white' means?" He hadn't actually gotten the chance to ask anyone that yet, despite hearing it dozens of times since arriving here.

"Of course," the skunk replied in a slightly scratchy, but very soothing voice. "It's a color phase variation in bipedal arctic foxes like yourself. You see, most arctic foxes have black fur on their ears, tailtips, and some have it on their paws. You however, have this extraordinary silver-blue fur instead. It's said it gives the impression of a fox made out of ice."

The kit nodded. He looked down at his wide blue-furred feet. "Oh. Okay, that makes sense. I've always had people say stuff about my fur, so I was a little confused that everyone here was saying ice-white. I thought, 'Usually it's the blue part they talk about'."

"It's worth talking about. A very nice color. Very distinctive," the skunk said in a way that made Jason feel a little proud.

He wasn't feeling so nervous now. This skunk was being very nice to him, unlike most of the other furs he'd met since his mom had brought him to the cubslave place. They hadn't actually been mean to him; just overly businesslike. Polite but not particularly friendly. Mostly he'd been treated like a fragile and expensive piece of merchandise. Except for, well... his boyplace.

"I kinda wish I _was_ made of ice," Jason quietly mentioned as the skunk doctor began looking him over. "Then I could just melt and I wouldn't have to go through with this."

"With what?" the doctor asked, surprising Jason. He didn't think he'd been overheard.

The foxboy winced and admitted, "Being sold."

The doctor gave him a knowing, reassuring look. "Don't worry, young one. It's not as bad as it sounds. In fact, just think about how everyone will be looking at you and thinking what a beautiful boy you are! You'll be the star of the show once you're up there. If nothing else, because your fur variation is so rare. You're a bit of a collector's item. You'll fetch a high price, I'll bet."

Jason did sorta like the thought of all those people bidding on him, all of them wanting to take him home with them. Then he frowned. "But what if I get sold to someone who'll be mean to me?"

The skunk gave him a comforting pat on the arm. "The chances of that are slim to none. This is an exclusive auctionhouse. We do our best to screen out anyone who would want to harm their cubslaves." The doctor paused a bit to look around in Jason's mouth. "Now, you do know you'll be expected to perform sexual duties, correct?"

Jason nodded. The thought didn't scare him as much as it had some of the other boys. He was ten, and having learned so much about sex and sexual pleasure at the slave training school, he was actually quite curious about it now.

The doctor nodded back in approval. He touched a finger to Jason's moist black button-shaped nose. "And while your new owner will own you like a pet, they still have no right to physically harm you on any level above, say, a spanking as punishment," the doctor said, while checking inside the fox's small rounded ears.

"I know. They taught me all that at the slave place. But I'm still worried," Jason confessed.

The skunk leaned down to look in the young fox's eyes. "Everyone is worried before they're sold, my boy. *Everyone*."

Jason smiled a bit at that. At least he wasn't alone.

The skunk went around behind Jason to inspect the pup's fluffy puff of a tail. The only black fur on his body was at the very tip of it. "Also, I've heard that Mr. Ravensfire will be attending today's auction, and that he's got his eye on you specifically."

Jason's ears perked up. "Mr. Ravensfire?" he asked, a bit alarmed. That name did not sound very comforting.

"Yes, he's a bit of a cub collector. He's a self-made billionaire; works in the medical research business. From what I've heard, he attends dozens of auctions a year and buys an absolutely staggering amount of young slaves of all ages, genders and species. All of them rare or unusual in one way or another. He must have a hundred of them by now. At least." He paused and shrugged. "Wonder what he does with them all..." he idly mumbled while rubbing his mustache.

Jason began to sweat. The kit's nervousness had suddenly increased a thousandfold. His imagination quickly ran amok, tying his rare fur color to this mysterious Mr. Ravensfire, and then to the mention of 'medical research'. He pictured hundreds of cubslaves trapped in tiny cages in a huge laboratory with a mad scientist performing all sorts of hideous experiments on them!

The skunk noticed that his little patient had tensed up considerably. "Oh, I didn't meant to frighten you! I've met the man and he seems very nice. I'm sure nothing bad would happen if he was the one who bought you. There's never been a complaint against him, I've also heard."

This was not very reassuring, Jason thought. Maybe there were no complaints because none of the cubslaves _could_ complain!

The doctor came around to Jason's front again. "Need to see what's down there, son. Then we'll be all done." Jason gulped and spread his legs. This part was always rather embarrassing.

The skunk nodded, as if what he was seeing didn't faze him in the slightest. Then he ran his large gentle paw across the area, making Jason suddenly shiver.

He then pronounced Jason as healthy and fit as could be expected and gave the boy's rump a pat as he sent him out the door. Another staff furson was waiting there for him: a ferret or weasel of some sort. Jason thought the headset he was wearing looked neat. The ferret took Jason's paw and turned towards where Jason could hear the announcer's voice coming from. It sounded like the boy ahead of him had just fetched a high price. Jason gulped, still worried about Mr. Ravensfire and what he needed so many cubslaves for.

"Good luck!" the doctor called to him as he was led away.



***
Chapter Two   -   Jason's New Owner


The auction seemed to go by in a complete blur. The lights were way too bright and they stung Jason's eyes. He couldn't see any of the furs in the audience, but from the sound of it there were a lot of them. The auctioneer; a slender cheetah who seemed incapable of standing still or shutting up, turned the little fox this way and that, lifting up his tail, holding up his paws, making him pose, and talking up a blue streak about every aspect of him as if he was a new car model. For Jason, it all felt more than a little disorienting.

Then the bidding started. Jason couldn't believe his ears when he heard how much the starting bid was. He knew no one in his family had ever even *seen* that much money before. And that was only the start! The bids kept on climbing. The audience was roaring. It seemed like dozens of furs were shouting out bids for him all at once. It made Jason feel both a little proud and a little flabbergasted to think that the other furs felt he was worth so much.

The final sum was astronomical. Jason was more than baffled to think that someone would want him enough to pay that much. He'd never seen himself as being all that special. He'd always been just Jason.

But then the cheetah announced who the winning bidder was. Jason's heart ground to a halt as he, not unexpectedly, heard the name Ravensfire shouted out across the crowd.

~ ~ ~

He'd been sold to the mad scientist guy! Jason was almost on the verge of planning an escape, but he knew he'd be caught the second he got outside. And then he might be sold to someplace even worse!

A stagehand came over to Jason and led him offstage. She put a plain leather collar around his neck and attached a leash to it. Jason opted to follow along cooperatively rather than having the stagehand use the leash.

He waited in a quiet hallway for what felt like an hour or so, then finally the door opened. Jason tensed, expecting the ominous Mr. Ravensfire. But instead it was just another staff furson. She told the first one that Jason's papers had been signed and he was ready to be handed over. Jason was pretty sure he was not at _all_ ready to be handed over!

Still, he did his best to be brave as he was led through several more hallways and then to a small waiting room. In front of him was a big brown door with an exit sign above. The walls here were red and gold. Like a theater lobby. The stagehand took up the leash in his paw like he was about to hand it off to someone else.

A door opened. Jason squinched his eyes tight.

He couldn't stand it! What if it was a giant fox-eating hawk? Or a crocodile? Or even a dragon?!? Jason did not want to be eaten or experimented on, not at all!

"Hi there!" a voice suddenly said.

A voice without a speck of malice, coldness or condescension in it.

"I'm your new owner."

Jason looked up and felt his whole body relax. At least he'd been completely wrong about his new owner's appearance. The furson in front of him was another fox, just like him. Not an arctic fox though; a red one. Mr. Ravensfire's fur was a deep rust color, very nearly brown. His paws and ears were coal black, with dusty white on his muzzle and tailtip. He had a scruffy mop of hair that was long in front and short in back. And most surprising of all, he was wearing just a regular grey jacket over a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He was even barefoot! Not exactly Jason's image of a billionaire.

Ravensfire chuckled. "Not what you expected, huh? Well, I *am* full of surprises, I like to think. And you're in for more than enough of those today, little guy!" He spoke with a sparkling grin, like someone talking about what he'd gotten a friend for Christmas.

Jason didn't know what to do. He decided it would be best to just introduce himself. "Um, I'm Jason, Mr. Ravensfire. Pleased to meet you." He put out his paw.

The older fox chuckled again at the kit's politeness. He took hold of Jason's paw in both of his and gave it a hearty shake. "The pleasure is all mine. My name's Jared. You can drop the Ravensfire if you want."

"Okay. Jared," Jason said.

The rusty tod cocked his head at Jason. "You seem nervous."

Jason looked away for a moment, then back at Jared. He didn't know what to say, so he simply gave a slight nod.

The red fox knelt down unsteadily to Jason's level. Ravensfire was both tall and skinny in a way that made him look as if he'd been stretched out by a giant pair of hands. He looked directly into the boy's eyes to make sure his words would have full impact. "You don't need to be," he whispered. "I won't hurt you. Ever. You'll be safe whenever you're with me. Okay?"

Jason made a quiet sound and nodded again, beginning to finally smile.

Jared reached up to Jason's throat and undid the collar, then tossed it aside. "Let's get that off you. It's just not your style." His tone implied quite clearly that he wanted Jason to know he saw him as a little boy, not a pet.

Jason chuckled. The gesture surprised him in its kindness and made him start to feel a little excited about what his new life would be like. His earlier thoughts about cubs in cages had vanished.

Jared nodded to the stagehand. "The papers all went through?"

The stagehand nodded. "Absolutely sir. Everything's taken care of. This little cub is now yours, free and clear."

Jared grinned. "Excellent." He then took Jason's paw in his. "C'mon, little icefox. I got a great big limo waiting outside. It's really cool! I even have some clothes for you if you want."

"Thanks!" Jason said. He hadn't been allowed to wear anything for almost two months now. He skipped alongside the gangly todd that was his new owner, thinking about all the surprises he'd been promised.



***
Chapter Three   -   Jared's Story


The limo was indeed huge. Jason gasped at the sight of it and darted inside, where he gasped yet again. The inside seemed even bigger than the outside. There was even a little refrigerator built in!

And lying on the seat in front of him was a brand new shirt and pair of shorts just his size. He looked to Jared, his eyes asking, 'Are these really for me?'. Jared nodded a yes as he lurched inside and sat down. Jason quickly slipped into the collared yellow T-shirt and cobalt blue shorts. He plopped himself on the seat facing the rear just as the engine started up and the massive car pulled away from the curb.

The legspace was so broad that there was more than enough room for Jason to stretch out. "Gosh, you must really have a lot of money to afford a car like this, and a chauffeur and... well, me!"

"Actually, I don't have a chauffeur," Jared replied conversationally. "The car's being driven by a computer program I helped design. It knows the route back to my place down to the inch. It even obeys all the traffic laws. In a way, the whole car's like a big robot."

Jason nearly toppled off the seat. "Awesome!"

Jared grinned. "Yep, I tend to dabble a lot in all sorts of new technologies." He tapped his head. "Bit of a supergenius," he said. His tone was bragging only a little, but also let on that he wasn't exaggerating.

Jason tried to take all this in. His first impression of Mr. Ravensfire seemed to be the complete opposite of the reality. Could he have possibly been bought by a cooler fur than this? He didn't think so.

Wobbling a bit, Jared got up and moved across the car to sit beside his new purchase. He reached out his arm to put it around Jason's shoulder, and held it for a second to see if the boy was comfortable with that.

Jason smiled widely and nodded. He liked how Mr. Ravensfire treated him with so much respect, like he was a best friend instead of a cubslave. It was a refreshing feeling after the chilliness of cubslave training. The grownup fox's arm around his shoulders felt good. Jason sensed that Jared's skinny frame hid a lot of strength. His arm felt powerful and made of wiry muscle. But at the same time, his touch was very gentle. Jason had also noticed that Jared's upper body moved with surprisingly sleek gracefulness, yet his legs seemed oddly shaky. Like he was forever trying to walk in high heels.

Jared noticed Jason looking at his legs. "Bike accident. When I was a pup like you."

"Huh?"

"My legs," said Jared. "I'm sure you noticed I walk funny. I got hit by a car on my bike when I was seven. Crushed my legbones like a couple of breadsticks. I was in a wheelchair through most of my childhood."

Jason let out a sorrowful little arf. "Golly, I'm sorry! That's really sad. Did it hurt a lot?"

Jared ruffled the pup's headfur. "I appreciate the concern, kiddo. But it really wasn't that bad. Sure, the accident was, but things evened out eventually. Having to roll myself around everywhere made my arms really, really strong. And since I spent most of my time indoors after that, I started reading a lot more books. I got into some pretty advanced stuff for my age. And when I started taking science classes in middle school, I knew right away that that was what I wanted to do with my life. I started reading the textbooks for other classes, getting really into new technology and especially building things. When I was in college, I started studying medicine too. I specialized in designing robotics, electronics and things like that, and I thought, 'What if I could make something that could help heal injuries like I had when I was a kid?'."

"That was thoughtful of you," Jason complimented.

"Thanks!" Jared ran his fingers through the cute boy's headfur again. He seemed to enjoy playing with it. "I know you've heard of the Rejuvenator machine, right?"

"Of course! Who hasn't?"

Jared smirked modestly.

Jason's eyes went wide as the implication became clear. "Do you mean... YOU...?"

"Came up with it? Yeppers."

The Rejuvenator was a machine that had rocked the medical word to its very foundation. It was a technological miracle. It was capable of curing almost any injury, regardless of severity, even past the point of death. The machine was constructed like a tilted refrigerator with a top-opening door. The patient was put inside and the Rejuvenator read the patient's DNA and RNA like an instruction manual, and from that, constructed a model of what the patient's body should look like. Then it essentially 'tricked' the body into quickly and flawlessly rebuilding itself, while supplying extra biological building materials and acting as a second, supercharged immune system. Within minutes, the patient was back to the perfect image of how they had been before the injury.

The machine changed the world. Aside from saving millions of lives every year, it revolutionized the food industry. Being animals in spirit as well as form, fursons did regularly eat other fursons. But in a much more compassionate manner than natural predation. Most food animals came from meat factories. They were grown, almost like vegetables, as bodies without minds. Completely non-sentient. Essentially, non-living living tissue. Also, any furs who wanted to volunteer to be prey were painlessly killed for meat, or sold live to individuals. But with the Rejuvenator, prey volunteers could now be butchered as many times as they liked and then brought back to life. Even if there was only a tiny scrap of them left over to build a whole new body from.

Jason had even been in a Rejuvenator once when he was five and he'd broken his arm on the playground. It had taken mere seconds for the machine to fix him up like new. It hadn't been the least bit scary, and he'd felt good all over after climbing out of it.

"Wow," Jason said in awe. "You really invented that? Really? Wow! You've probably saved, like, billions of lives with it!"

"Well, maybe not *quite* that many, but it's certainly a high number. And I'm definitely proud of my machine. Even if most furs don't know I'm the one who invented it," Jared replied. "I've made a heck of a pile of money from it though. Frankly, I don't know what to do with it all. Most of it I just give away, though I do live comfortably and I also use a lot of it to keep working on new inventions."

Jason looked up at him with a quizzical expression. "...And I heard you also buy lots and lots of cubslaves too. Rare and weird ones, like me." He phrased it like a statement but spoke it like a question: Why?

Jared regarded his new purchase with admiration of his boldness. "Okay, detective, you got me. I do buy around twenty or so young furs every year. And while you do have rare fur, Jason, I certainly don't think that makes you weird."

Jason liked hearing that. He hadn't been teased all that much about his blue paws and ears in school, but he had been just enough to make him a little embarrassed of himself.

"As to the why," Jared continued, "banish all thoughts of me using them as test subjects or guinea pigs. I actually don't even keep hardly any of them. I buy them so I can make sure they don't end up in bad homes. I go to auctions and try to buy up as many cubs as possible that I think might be at risk to be abused. Then I find new places for them to live. Not as slaves, but as adopted kids to loving parents; all of whom I've had _thoroughly_ checked out beforehand."

Jared sighed bitterly. "To be honest, I sometimes wonder why it's legal, or if it's even right, to sell homeless and unwanted young furs as sex slaves. I know it's tradition. I know it's been done for ages... But that doesn't mean it's not a cruel thing to do."

Jason was floored by this. "But the people at the cubslave training place told us they only sell us to places where they won't hurt us!"

The red fox 'hmmph'ed. "Sure they *say* that. They don't want to scare you. The fact is that some buyers, too many in fact, treat their slaves like, well, slaves. They make them work for them, do chores, treat them like live-in servants, then have sex with them whenever they want. They treat them like they're not even alive. It's disgusting. But I'm proud to say that I've gotten a bit of a reputation as a tattletale. I've busted a whole bunch of jerks to Cubslave Monitoring Services. Heck, if I wasn't as rich and well-liked as I am, I'm sure someone would have tried to bump me off by now."

Jason had no idea what to say. He couldn't believe someone could be so selfless. He'd always heard that rich guys were mean and stingy and didn't care about anything other than getting more money. But Jared wasn't anything like that. Jared seemed kinda like a superhero.

Eventually, Jason gave up trying to find words and just gave his new owner a hug.

Jared sighed in contentment. Making others happy made him feel happy. And whenever he could bring a smile to a cub's face, he felt proud of himself. He hugged Jason back with as much love and comfort as he could give.

"I'm glad you bought me," Jason said softly.

Jared chuckled and felt his eyes tear up. "You have no idea how good hearing that makes me feel, Jason."

"I'm glad for that, too."



***
Chapter Four   -   Jason's Examination


The limo drove on for several more miles, giving the two foxes plenty of time to chat. Jason was interested to know more about how the Rejuvenator worked, and also about the other cubslaves Mr. Ravensfire had bought and found homes for. Jared was happy to tell him anything he wanted to know. Jared's openness was a wonderfully pleasant surprise (on top of all the others by now), and though he didn't realize it, for the first time since he'd been originally sold, Jason was looking forward to his future with nothing but eager, happy anticipation.

They left the city far behind and finally stopped at a huge house resting in the midst of the green countryside. Jason stepped out and could do nothing but gape silently for a few seconds. The house was at least as cool as Jared himself. It was an enormous wooden caricature of a mansion, encrusted with oddly-shaped windows, purposeless yet decorative architectural doodles, science-fictiony-looking antennas, and no less than seven turrets. The colors were rust-red and dusty white; the same as Ravensfire's fur. Jason noticed an odd little garage at the side of the house and a few more of the house's small offspring sprinkled here and there around the hill, including a gazebo and perhaps a toolshed. Interestingly enough, though the house was sitting here in the middle of the country, it had a warm, natural quality about it that made it seem as if it belonged there.

Jason felt a paw on his shoulder. "Welcome to Foxhole Manor," Jared said, obvious love in his voice for what was obviously a tailor-made abode. "Welcome home, Jason."

What else was there to do but turn around and give Jared an enormous hug? Jason's grin was bright as a sunbeam.

The boy reached up to take Jared's paw in his and the tall fox led him inside. Jason caught a glimpse of the driverless limo closing its doors by itself and heading off to the garage.

The main doors were towering oak arches. They creaked exactly as Jason imagined they would.

The inside of the house was just as fascinating as the outside. Jared led Jason along a long hallway and the young kit's head swiveled nearly 180 degrees in every direction, trying to take in everything around him. It was apparent that this was a house owned by a man with oodles of disposable cash, but that it hadn't changed the little kid inside him. All manner of things hung on the walls. Mostly paintings, conversation pieces and quite a few framed comic book covers. There were also lots of swords, of all sizes, many looking like they'd seen lots of use. This sparked Jason's curiosity, as did the dozens of notepads stuck to the walls at irregular intervals, all covered in hastily scribbled technical notes.

Aside from the sights, there were smells too. Wood, obviously. But also a spicy smell, like that of good cooking. Plus the smells of at least three different species, and some sort of strange plants as well. Jason wondered how many other young furs were here. He'd noticed several children's drawings on the walls, alongside framed portraits and landscapes by world-renowned artists. He thought he heard laughter from another part of the house at one point, but wasn't sure.

Jared led Jason along without saying a word. He just smiled at watching his new friend trying to take in everything around him.

Eventually, they reached their destination. It appeared to Jason to be a doctor's office, like the one with the friendly skunk back at the cubslave place. He noticed four Rejuvenators lined up against one wall, and a paper-covered table like before as well. He hopped up onto it, figuring again that it was where he was wanted.

Jared smiled at Jason's cooperativeness. "I was just about to ask."

"Wanna check me out, huh?"

He fuzzled Jason's fluffy light blue headfur. "More like I want to make sure you're healthy and that no one's been doing anything to you they shouldn't have been doing. Would you mind taking your clothes off?"

"Okay," Jason said. He wriggled out of his new clothes and felt the paper crinkle under his rump for the second time that day. "D'you mean like, if anyone's yiffed me yet? Don't worry; no one has. They taught us our owners would probably want to yiff us first, so they didn't, like, practice on us. They did give us these rubber penises to try it out on ourselves to see what it felt like and get used to it though." He suddenly snorted in laughter. "This one time a bunch of guys got into a swordfight with 'em! It was great! Everybody joined in and we were all hitting each other with rubber dicks! We were throwing 'em up in the air and stuff. And the best part was, one of the trainers came in and caught us, and he didn't even get mad! He just watched us and laughed his tail off!"

Jared pictured a roomful of boys all engaged in a mass dildo battle and was snickering so hard he had to prop himself up against the counter.

However, when Jason's shorts came off, Jared very suddenly quieted down.

"What?" Jason asked.

Jared sighed sadly and gestured to Jason's crotch.

The white fox blushed. "Oh. Yeah, they nullified me. They did everyone else too," he explained. "It didn't really hurt though."

Where Jason should have had a penis and scrotum, there was only a smooth pink patch of skin. It was like he'd never had anything there at all. Like the crotch of a store mannequin. Perfectly flat, except for a tiny hole in the center for him to pee through. Jason looked down at it again and rubbed his smooth spot a little.

Jared looked both sad and angry at the same time. "I'm so sorry, Jason. Some places... They do this. I wish I could have just bought you right away so you wouldn't have had to lose it like that. I don't know why..."

Jason seemed to be taking it in stride though. "They said at the place it was so we'd stay little longer and our voices wouldn't change. They said some buyers liked cubslaves to be that way, and if they didn't we could just go to a Rejuvenator and get it back. Knowing I could probly get it back if i ever wanted to made me feel better about it. It's okay, Jared. I don't mind, really."

The older fox was surprised at Jason's calm. "Really? You don't mind that they took your genitals?"

Jason shrugged. "Not really. They told us it was gonna happen the day before. Some guys cried. They had us all line up the next day and we went up to a machine where we stood on a stool and put our things in a hole. A guy pulled a lever and something took hold of it. It felt like it was being tugged on, and then I felt something going through my skin and closing up the hole at the same time." Jason looked down at his feet and blushed. "Actually... um... I kinda liked it."

Jared was a little puzzled. "You liked getting nullified?" He smiled and sat down next to Jason, giving the kit's tail a few strokes. "You're either really brave or really weird," he said, making it clear he was only joking.

Jason giggled. "No, I'm not weird. Some of the other guys thought it was cool too. A lot of us had stiffies before we put it in. It was neat having it come off. It was all hard and pointy, and then I put it in and, whammo! It was gone! It was kinda like, if I'd still had a dick, it would've been even stiffer to look down and see it not there anymore." He rubbed his little bare spot some more. It wasn't the same feeling as before, but it did still feel nice down there.

Jared reached over and asked with a glance if it was okay to touch Jason's smooth spot too. "It does make you look even cuter," he remarked. He felt his foxhood growing in his pants. It was kind of sexy, and the fact that Jason didn't mind made him feel better about enjoying the sight and feel of it. "Well, I'd noticed when we first met that it was gone, and I was planning to rev up the Rejuvenator and let you hop in to get it back. But if you don't want to..."

Jason thought about it some. "Y'know, that's okay. If you don't mind if I don't have one, I think I'd like to stay this way. At least for a while. I mean, I'd probably like to feel it again sometime, but for now, I guess..."

"It makes you feel yiffy to be a nullo?" Jared gently guessed.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Sorta weird, since my yiffy-stick's gone, but it does feel pretty neat. And it feels *really* nice when you touch it, Jared." His wide blue eyes asked if Jared could touch it some more.

Jared smiled warmly back. He reached down to gently caress the pink patch between Jason's legs. Softly, letting his pawfur brush across the sensitive skin, tickling the boy and making him murr in pleasure. More than the feel of the boy's warm soft flesh, Jared enjoyed the smile on Jason's adorable face. "You have a beautiful smile, Jason."

"Thanks," the little fox said shyly.

Jared picked Jason up by his armpits and sat him down on his lap. Jason grinned, feeling Jared's penis poke up between his butt cheeks. "Comfy?" the red fox asked.

"My seat has a lump in it," Jason replied.

They both giggled. Jared tickled Jason's tummy a bit, making them both giggle more.

"Do you mind, though?" Jared asked sincerely.

"No," Jason was quick to reply. "I like it. It feels nice. And warm."

Jared smiled contentedly. "I'm glad, Jason. You are a very, very beautiful boy. I would love to be yiffy with you. But only if you're comfortable with it too."

"Well, sure I am. I'm a cubslave after all; I'm supposed to be," he replied without hesitation.

Jared winced. "Jason, please... You are _not_ a cubslave. Please don't ever think of yourself as one again. I took you from that place specifically so you wouldn't have to be a cubslave anymore." He took the little pup's chin in his paw and lifted it so their eyes met. "You are not my slave, Jason. You are as free as any other boy in the world right now. You could walk right out that door this very moment and never come back and I would be happy for you anyway. Jason, I want... I *need* you to know that I care for you, and all children, very deeply. I want more than anything for you to be happy. If you want to stay here and be my friend, be my little fox, maybe even be my lover, I'd be the happiest man in the world. But, if you'd rather leave and find a new home, maybe even go back to your parents if you can, I'd be okay with that too. Whatever makes you happy, Jason sweetheart. Whatever makes you feel happy, safe and loved. That's what I want too."

Tears ran freely down Jason's snow white cheeks. He latched onto Jared in a crushing, yet fragile hug. Jared put his arms around the little nude fox. They held each other close together.

"Jared..." Jason began, his voice shaking through tears.

"Yes, Jason?"

It took a moment for the words to flow, but when they did, they gushed forth like a geyser. "I want to stay with you!! I want to stay with you forever and ever! You're so nice to me and no one's ever cared this much about me before! No one! No one's ever said anything as nice as that to me. No one's ever called me sweetheart before. And I liked it! I like you hugging me and petting my smooth spot and your fur and your smell and your voice and everything! No one's ever been this nice to me! Even my mom! We lived alone, in an apartment. And she wasn't really mean to me, she just wasn't very nice either. I felt like a chair or a lamp or a fridge or some other piece of furniture. As long as I stayed in my room and was quiet and didn't bother her when she was busy, things were okay. Sometimes she was nice, but sometimes she yelled at me too. And when she found out I was worth some money because of my fur she up and sold me! Just like that! And she never hugged me the way you hug me!"

Jared's cheeks were wet now as well. Even more than Jason's. His heart was ripped in two. Half of it soared in joy at hearing how fervently Jason had told him he wanted to stay. Half of it reveled in the warmth and trust of the hug he was getting from the boy in his lap. Half of it was already beginning to plan their new life together, all the fun they would have, all the ways he could make this cute cuddly little pup as happy as could be. Yet the other half of his heart was feeling just the opposite; drenched in wrenching sadness at the thought that anyone could ever be so cold to such a wonderful boy. 'A piece of furniture!?' he thought, outraged. No one should have to feel like that. Especially not a young bright beautiful boy like Jason. From the coldness in his voice as he'd spoken of her, Jason had sounded as if the cubslavers had showed him more kindness than his own mother had.

Jared nuzzled the pup's fuzzy ear, nibbling it gently. "Jason, I'll call you sweetheart as much as you like. I can't guarantee we'll always get along and that I'll never have to discipline you, but I *can* promise I'll never yell at you like that and tell you you're 'bothering' me. And I'll never, never, never, *never* make you feel like a piece of furniture. I'll hold you and hug you and kiss you and keep you safe and well cared for. We'll have lots of fun and play games and go places, and I'll read to you and teach you things and we can be yiffy together if you like, and we can do anything, *anything* you want that will make you happy. If you want to stay here forever, Jason, then you can stay here beyond forever. Oh, Jason..." He broke down and held the little fox even closer, clutching him to his chest as if the world was about to snatch him away.

Jason closed his eyes and hugged back with all his heart. "Thank you for being so nice to me, Jared," he whispered after a while.

"You're welcome, my little sweetheart fox," Jared replied tenderly.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

~ ~ ~

They held each other like that for quite a while. Jared listened to Jason's soft heartbeat. After some time, it slowed a bit and Jared noticed the little fur was asleep. He was smiling in a way like he'd found true peace at last. It gave Jared's heart wings.

He cradled Jason in his arms, glad for his upper body strength, and carried him into the master bedroom.

The room was large yet immediately cozy, with many different kinds of beds in it. A bunk bed, a waterbed, a hammock, a bed shaped like a racecar, and one enormous canopy bed set against the east wall near a wide window overlooking the countryside. Shaking like a leaf, Jared made his way over to the canopy bed. He managed to balance on one leg and kick away the covers from one corner so he could lay Jason down on the silk sheets. Jason was still fast asleep, making adorable little arfs every now and then. Jared tiptoed back to the door and hung the 'naptime' sign on the doorknob so the other children would know not to disturb them for a while.

The red fox padded back to the bed and pulled down the covers. He slipped out of his clothes and laid down naked alongside Jason. He felt their fur rubbing together in the most wonderful way. He pulled the covers back over them, then wrapped his arms around the young snoozing fox, cuddling him like a plushie. Together, they drifted deeply into peaceful sleep.



***
Chapter Five   -   Mike


Jason blinked a bit, then yawned widely, coming fuzzily out of sleep. He wasn't sure exactly where he was. The last thing he remembered, he'd been on Jared's lap in the doctor's office type place and now he was in a big bed with Jared snuggled up behind him; sleeping too from the sound of his breathing.

No, wait; he also remembered he'd been dreaming that he was wading in a little pool in his backyard. The warm water had felt very real in his dream. Then he frowned. A little too real, actually... Jason lifted up the covers and looked down. "Aw, man!"

Jason's exclamation woke Jared. "Hmm? What's up?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his bleary eyes.

Jason looked over his shoulder, blushing. His ears drooped. "I'm real sorry, Jared. Um... I kinda... wet the bed a little," he admitted. "I normally don't do this," he was quick to note.

To Jason's surprise, Jared just grinned and ruffled the little fox's already mussed headfur. "Heck, that's okay. You're probably still getting used to being nullo'd. There's not as much there to hold it in now, y'know?"

"That makes sense. Um, actually, I dribbled a little the night they did it."

"Probably everyone did." Jared reached around to cup Jason's crotch in his paw, feeling the dampness there. "Don't worry, the bed's got a special self-disinfecting liner just for little 'accidents' like this. I'll admit, I don't mind a bit of wet play now and then. Hope that doesn't freak you out."

"Wet play?" Jason asked. "Like, doing stuff with pee?"

"Yup. And poo sometimes, too."

Jason 'hmmm'ed. He'd never really thought of pee or poo as a source of yiffiness before, but the idea didn't disgust him. It was just something new to consider. One thing they'd taught him at the cubslave place was that it's always a good idea to give a new idea a chance before judging it. "No, I'm not freaked out."

Jared softly rubbed Jason's smoothness. "Glad to hear it." He grinned slyly. "Tell me, did you like wetting the bed a little, maybe? Nice and warm coming out... Slick damp fur..."

Jason giggled. The paw on his crotch felt really nice. "Now that you mention it, I did kinda." Now that he was thinking about it in this context, the fact that he was lying in his own little puddle *was* kinda yiffy...

"If you like, you can wear diapers till you get used to not having your thing there. Another of my cubs wears them, so I wouldn't mind. If you wanted, I could even change you," Jared said.

Jason's first reaction was, of course, 'Diapers!? Those are for babies!'. But hearing the obvious tone of playful arousal in Jared's voice at the suggestion made a surprisingly enjoyable mental image pop into Jason's head: himself lying on a table, getting a diaper change, looking up into Jared's eyes, blushing a bit, feeling the diaper snug and crinkly around his bottom... Murrrrr. "Okay," he said in a tiny voice.

Jared arched an eyebrow. "Really? You wouldn't mind? I was only half-kidding. You don't have to if you don't want to of course," he said, mistaking Jason's embarrassed tone as one of reluctance.

"N-no, Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'd really really like to try it. It sounds different, and fun. It's exciting doing new things. I wanna do all sorts of new stuff with you, Jared." He rolled over and nuzzled his new owner's cheek.

Jared giggled warmly at the cub's affection. "It makes me happy to hear that you're so open. You'll certainly have chances to do all sorts of new and different stuff around here! I guarantee we do some things you've never even heard of!"

Jason looked thrilled. "Cool! Like what?"

"You'll see. It's fun to be surprised, after all," Jared said. He put his arms around the boy and pulled the two of them closer. He felt Jason's wetness seeping into his fur and felt a pleasurable shiver run through him. 'Mmmmm, boy pee. Maybe he'd let me lick him dry!' he thought with a wicked grin. Jason's eyes were shining in happiness. Jared could tell that hugging in the fur was really turning the li'l guy on. 'That makes two of us.'

Jason felt a surge of arousal streak through him as Jared brought them closer. He could feel the older fox's hot stiff member pressing against his tummy. It felt wonderful. How could Jared ever think he wouldn't want them to be yiffy together? He wanted to be yiffy with Jared twenty-four hours a day forever! His new owner was so handsome. His fur so soft and shiny. He was so loving and gentle. And kinky too! Jason couldn't begin to imagine what an adventure his life was about to become. He closed his eyes and leaned closer to kiss Jared on the lips...

*BANG*!!!!!

Suddenly, Jason's heart was beating like he had a flock of hummingbirds trapped in his chest. "What the heck was THAT?!?" he cried. It sounded like someone had exploded a hand grenade in the next room!

Amazingly, Jared didn't look fazed at all. He rolled his eyes. "I think I might have an idea. Shall we go see?"

Jason really didn't want to stop snuggling, but his curiosity had taken over now. "Allright. Did someone put a can of beans in the microwave or something?" He'd seen that in a movie once.

Jared chuckled. "No, sillypup! Actually, I think you're about to meet my other little furballs. Before I left, I told them to play by themselves for a while after I got home. My new arrivals and I usually like to have a little one-on-one time first." Jared rolled off the bed and stood up for a good post-nap stretch. He took down a shiny purple Japanese-style robe that was hanging by the bed and put it on, letting it hang open in front. Jason could see his penis and it excited him exponentially. It looked quite tasty.

"Uh, you have a robe for me?" he asked, managing to tear his eyes away from Jared's meat.

Jared looked around the room. "Hmm. Nope, sorry. Don't see one lying around you could use. It doesn't matter though. We run around naked here all the time. No one's gonna mind."

"Cool!" Jason said enthusiastically. "By the way, you look really handsome in that."

Jared perked up. "Thanks! Mike said it looked like I was wearing a dress."

"Who's Mike?"

"If I'm correct, we're about to find out," Jared said mysteriously. "Come on, li'l yiffer!"

Jason grinned broadly. He liked that nickname!

~ ~ ~

The two foxes walked out of the bedroom and down the hall a short way. They stopped at two great big ornate wooden doors. Jared flung them wide and Jason very nearly went berserk in excitement.

The room was, by far, the coolest thing he'd seen all day. Hands down, end of story. It was enormous, and filled with items from every kid's wildest daydreams. Every type of play equipment imaginable was somewhere in the room. In one corner there was a big wooden structure like a fort. A sunken-in place in another corner was filled with big pillows, beanbag chairs and a huge TV. There was a bank of video games along one wall, plenty of gym equipment, foosball and air hockey, several bulging toyboxes, a big indoor pool like an aquarium, a place with some tables and chairs and what looked like a fully stocked arts and crafts cabinet nearby, and above it all, a richly detailed ceiling painted to look like the night sky with all the constellations highlighted.

"It used to be a ballroom in the original blueprints. But a playroom's so much more fun, doncha think?" Jared said, grinning.

Jason was about to reply an enthusiastic yes when he realized something that just about made him scream. He'd noticed as soon as he walked in that the place was covered in scraps of what looked like golden-colored rubber. Like if an enormous balloon had popped. But then Jason noticed that lying in the center of the mess was a kid's head! A mouse kid, from the look of the ears and muzzle. It had the same color fur as the rubber scraps. He'd exploded! That was the big bang? What the heck was going on!?

Jared looked alarmingly unconcerned. "Accidental, or did you mean to this time?" he asked casually to the bodiless head on the floor.

To Jason's shock, it opened its eyes and spoke! "On purpose," he grinned. "I wish you could experience it too, Dad. It's like a ten ton orgasm!"

Jared chuckled. He turned around. "Jason, meet Mike. If you hadn't already guessed, he's a balloonie."

Oh! Of course! Well, that explained everything. Jason felt silly that he hadn't realized it immediately. He'd just never expected to meet a real live balloonie in furson. He'd heard about them though. He'd seen a documentary about them once, and a few movies that had balloonie characters in them. He knew that they were furries made of living latex, that they could inflate like balloons and even pop, and it was completely natural to them. He'd also heard that they were extremely rare; that the first ones were made in labs several generations ago and had since been able to have balloon kids of their own.

Jason crouched down to Mike's eye level. "So, uh, how do you get back together? Need any help?"

"Naw. I'm cool." Mike closed his eyes and looked like he was quietly concentrating. It took Jason a second to realize what was happening. From all around the room, the pieces of the rubber mouse started inching towards each other! It was like watching ants converge on a chocolate bar. Jason stared in amazement as the bits of Mike gathered together in a central pile around his head. Then they seemed to be melting. With assorted burbling sounds, the living latex reformed itself back into Mike's body. He stretched and let out a sigh of deep satisfaction.

Jason couldn't restrain himself. "Wow!!!"

Mike laughed out loud, obviously not minding Jason's reaction. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I take it you've never met a rubberfur before?"

"Nope. You're the first. That was really awesome!"

"Thanks. You should see me explode. Now that's a show!" He turned to Jared. "I, uh, didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"Naw, not really. Jason and I were just 'getting to know each other better'," he said, implying the quotation marks with his inflection.

Mike winked. "Ah. Gotcha." He turned back to Jason and extended his hand. "Since we haven't been formally introduced, I'm Mike Ravensfire. I take it you're Jason?"

"Yeah, Jason Cobalt." Jason took Mike's paw for a hearty shake. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. The paw was warm as regular flesh, but firm as a tightly inflated rubber ball, with a yielding, jiggly layer on top.

Jason took a good, all-over look at Mike. The mouse was tall and slender, downright beanpole-ish. He looked a few years older than Jason. He was a uniform golden brown all over, apart from a little mop of cocoa brown headfur, plus the insides of his ears, which were a slightly artificial-looking pink. Each hair on his head was actually a thin strand of latex. His feet and ears were a little too big, but in a cute way. His overall appearance was very rounded; about how one would expect a living balloon to look. And, Jason had to admit, he was really handsome. It was surprising to Jason how much it was turning out that he liked other guys.

Mike pointed down. "Oh, you got nullo'd. That's cool. They didn't do me, but they did some other kids at the place Dad bought me from. It's hard to cut a balloonie without us deflating. So what's it feel like?"

Jason felt a pleasing redness in his cheeks at Mike taking an interest in his package. Or rather his lack of one. "It's okay. Kinda nice. I'll probably have Jared grow it back soon."

Mike gave him an inquisitive look that asked, 'If you do, do you mind if we maybe have some fun with it together?'

Jason gave back a look that said he liked that idea a lot. Mike grinned happily and his own maleness gave a jump. Jason noticed it was rounded at the tip, like the end of a hotdog, and quite plump as well. He wondered if it'd be like holding one of those long balloons that clowns make into funny shapes.

He'd noticed something else from what Mike had said. "You called Jared 'Dad'. Did he adopt you?"

Mike nodded. "Uh huh. I was going to be sold to some creepy guy, but Dad stepped in and bought me first. Cubslave no more! That reminds me; are you staying or is Dad finding a home for you?"

Jared started to say, "We haven't decided yet-"

But Jason cut him off. "I'm staying," he said emphatically.

Jared's smile at hearing that was priceless. "I can legally adopt you if you'd like," he said to Jason. "Though you don't have to call me 'Dad' if you don't want to..."

Again, Jason cut him off. "I'd like to, Dad." That seemed to lift Jared's heart into orbit. Jason liked seeing him so happy.

Mike looked pleased with the arrangement too. "Great! Finally, I've got a brother! Too many girls around here."

"Oh, I haven't met anyone else yet," Jason said.

Mike glanced over Jason's shoulder. "Looks like you're about to."

A half-second later, Jason felt something small, furry and fast slam into him from behind and topple him over onto Mike in a heap.

"Oops!" said a cute voice from behind him.



***
Chapter Six   -   Rosie And Sarah


Blushing furiously, Jason pushed himself up off of Mike, who was grinning in such a naughty way it was obvious he didn't mind the contact at all. "Eager little fox, aren't ya?" he quipped.

Jason grinned. "Maybe later," he said, getting a luminous response from the handsome mouse.

Suddenly, his field of vision was filled with grey fur and two enormous yellow eyes. "You okay?" asked a petite voice.

Jason stood up. Before him was easily the cutest bat he'd ever seen. She appeared to be somewhere around six or seven. Her wings looked surprisingly like huge webbed hands with purplish skin between the slender fingers. She had warm grey fur, enormous ears, a tuft of toffee-colored headfur and furless feet, which were also hand-like. She had on a simple pink dress with a pattern of daisies, and Jason noticed below the hem was the telltale white puffiness of a diaper. 'She must be the one Jared mentioned.'

"Um, Hi," Jason said. "I guess I'm your new brother."

She let out a gasp of joy. "Yaaaaaay!!!" she squealed. She leapt at him and ensnared him in her wings in the most enthusiastic hug he'd ever gotten. Jason nearly toppled over backwards. The bat looked up at him, eyes wide as saucers. "I'm Rosie Alsatia Ravensfire and I am very pleased to meet you, new brother!"

"Um, I'm Jason. Pleased to meet you too," he said. Rosie squeaked in happiness. Jason wondered if she was full of sugar or if she was always this energetic.

Mike sat on the floor, casually propping himself up with one hand. "Now Rosie, try really hard not to kill this one too quick," He looked to Jason. "She squeezes 'em like this and..." he made a popping sound with his finger in his cheek, "...their heads explode! Just like that! We've gone through, what, twenty or so new siblings in a month now?"

"Oh stop it! I do *not* make their heads blow up!" Rosie said defensively. "I just like hugs!" She snuggled up to Jason, ruffling her cheekfur against him. He could practically see little pink cartoon hearts coming out of her head.

"Rosie brings new meaning to the term 'warm welcome', doesn't she?" Jared said. He held out his arms and Rosie let go of Jason to flutter over to her adopted daddy and land with her wings wrapped around him.

Jason felt like a freshly squeezed orange, but in a really good way. Rosie was infectiously loveable.

"There are no hugs like bat hugs." Rosie stated proudly.

"That's for sure!" Jason said.

Jared noticed a bike pump lying on the ground that Rosie had dropped as she came in. "Let me guess, you helped Mike blow himself up, right?" he asked her.

"The great fox detective has solved another one!" Mike said.

"Yup," said Rosie. "I love seeing him get big! It kinda startled me when he went boom, so I hid under the table in the hall for a bit." She looked over to Mike. "Got somethin' for ya!" She took a little scrap of golden rubber from her dress pocket and tossed it to him.

"Thanks!" he said. He pressed it to his chest and it absorbed into him in an instant. Jason thought that was pretty cool.

"It landed in my hair," Rosie said. "Put me down?" she asked Jared. He set her down and she spread her wings and flapped up towards the ceiling. She flipped herself upside down and skillfully caught a perch hanging from the ceiling (Jason had at first thought it was some sort of trapeze). It was mounted on an oval track that went the length of the room so she could hang from it and go wherever she wanted. She clicked a button with her foot and it lowered mechanically down so she was near eye level with them.

Jason was impressed once more. It was obvious Rosie wasn't the most graceful of flyers, but she seemed to get around just fine nonetheless. "She still learning how to fly?" he asked Jared.

"Actually yes. She was born with a wing muscle defect and her parents couldn't afford a trip to get her Rejuvenated. They sold her and I picked her up from the same place I got Mike from. I fixed her up and since then she's actually been teaching herself to fly. I've just been helping out."

Jason nodded. He looked up to Rosie. "You're pretty good," he complimented. "I wish I could fly. It looks fun!"

"It *is*!" Rosie assured him. "I hated being stuck on the ground for so long. Daddy's a good teacher, even if he doesn't have wings."

"Tell ya what, sweetybatty," Jared said to Rosie, "why don't you and Mike go play. I'll introduce Jason to Sarah and Leanna and then we can have some lunch, okay?"

Mike and Rosie both agreed. Rosie let go of her perch and wobbled a bit in the air before catching the wind under her wings. She sailed off towards the fort-type place with Mike chasing after her, making tickling motions with his fingers. "Ah hah! I think I'll catch myself a bat!"

Jason grinned. He liked how there was a very strong, easygoing bond between Mike, Rosie and Jared. It seemed like everyone here got along quite well. He felt relieved. Being an only child, he'd never known what it was like to have brothers or sisters. Some of the kids at the cubslave place said they got into fights with their siblings all the time. One kid even said that's why his parents had sold him! Before he'd been bought, Jason had been vaguely apprehensive about his new owner possibly having other kids. He was glad those doubts were turning out to be delightfully unfounded.

Jared took the younger fox's paw and led him to a corner of the room Jason hadn't noticed yet. There was a big open window there, looking out into the backyard. There was also a big sandbox filled with black dirt. It seemed to be a little garden or something, but with only one plant. An *enormous* one. It looked bigger than a person. It was the color of summer grass; a glistening kelly green, with numerous tentacle-like vines and tiny yellow flowers all over it. There was one big center mass, but with so many vines wrapped around it Jason couldn't clearly see what it was.

"Now, Sarah isn't staying here permanently like Mike and Rosie," Jared explained. "I found her a family pretty soon after I bought her and she'll be leaving in about two weeks. We just have to shuffle some papers around to make everything official. You know how it is."

Jason did. It seemed like adults loved nothing more than wallowing in important papers. "So, uh, is she behind the plant?"

Jared smirked in a 'wait'll you hear this!' kind of way. "No. Actually, she *is* the plant."

"What!?" Jason exclaimed.

His shout startled her. Jason stared, astounded, as the vines pulled away from the mass in the center of the plant. He didn't think he could be any more awestruck after seeing Mike, but Sarah proved him wrong. The writhing vines lifted, revealing a very pretty and petite female squirrel! Or at least, what a squirrel would look like colored bright green, with a tail shaped like a giant leaf and smooth waxy skin instead of fur. She did have some fur-like fluff here and there though, plus a hairdo that looked like long grass. Some of the tendrils seemed to be coming out of her back and sides, and some to a chairlike second plant that Sarah was either sitting on or attached to somehow. More yellow flowers bloomed all over her body.

He couldn't quite tell her age; maybe a little older than him but not by as much as Mike. Her expression was gentle and calm. Her eyes were beautiful, the color of polished jade. She seemed very relaxed. And she was buck naked, which did nothing to help Jason keep his eyes in his skull. He had not been aware that plants needed breasts until just now.

Sarah yawned, then looked around for a second, wondering what the noise had been. "Oh. Hi, Jared. Hi, other fox." Her voice was light and wispy.

"I'm Jason," he said. He put his hand out for a shake a little too eagerly, his brain being a bit scrambled by her exoticness and beauty.

She didn't seem to mind. She extended a vine towards him. He hesitated, then awkwardly shook it. She smiled. "Hi Jason. New here? Are you gonna be staying long?"

"I think so. Um, I don't wanna offend you or anything, but I just gotta ask; why're you a plant-squirrel-thing?"

She giggled in a way that reminded him of bubbles popping. "No, I don't mind. Everyone asks. I was an experiment, actually. One of a kind in the whole world," she said, sounding a little proud of it.

Jared explained further. "This genetic engineering place not too far from here made her as their display at this big worldwide genetics conference several years ago. Before Sarah, no one had ever been able to make a successful plant/animal hybrid." Jared's tone then took on a bit of annoyance. "Unfortunately, they had a lot more brains than sense. They made her, showed her off for a while, then realized that someone would actually have to take *care* of her for the rest of her childhood. Apparently, they could handle the complexity of genetic fusion, but the concept that they'd given life to a little girl who needed parents just kinda slipped their fool minds."

"They weren't all bad. I mean, I'd rather exist than not exist," Sarah interjected. Although Jason could hear a small tinge of regret anyway. "I don't remember them at all, since I was a baby then. But I've had a lot of families," she told Jason. "Foster family after foster family. None of them knew how to take care of me so they'd just give me to someone else after a little while. I was sick a lot back then."

Jason felt really sorry for her. He could guess just from looking at her that she'd have a lot of specialized needs. Judging from some of the people he'd met and heard about from the cubslave place, they'd probably taken Sarah home because she was strange and interesting, then got rid of her when the novelty wore off. He wondered how many of them had actually seen her as a real furson.

"Finally, Jared heard about me and he bought me. I thought he was gonna be like everyone else, but he wasn't!" Sarah got up from the chair-plant-thing (Jason saw that it had been connected to her by a slender tube in the center that, he assumed, went up her butt. He figured that part must stay rooted in the dirt so the rest of her could walk around). Sarah bounced over to Jared and hugged him. "You've been so good to me," she told him, immense gratitude in her voice. She looked back to Jason. "He even found me the perfect family! They're both botanists!" She sounded really excited.

Jason didn't know what that word meant. Some type of weird species he'd never heard of, perhaps? "Um..." he started.

"Scientists who study plants," she said, as if he was a doofus. "Go read a book," she teased with a giggle.

"Okay, that makes sense then," Jason said. "You've, uh, met them, right?" he asked Jared. His tone implying, 'They're not like all the rest of those jerks, right?'

Jared caught the hidden meaning. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. They're both super nice people. We've known each other for years. There was some plant stuff we were working on together when I came up with the Rejuvenator, actually. They've wanted a kid for ages and when I heard about Sarah, the matchup was inevitable. Sometimes fate makes everything work out in the end, eh?"

Sarah padded over to Jason, her various vines swaying behind her, and looked him over. "Straight from the cubslave place, right?" she asked, gesturing towards his smooth crotch.

"Yeah," he admitted. He wished now that he'd tried harder to get Jared to give him a robe.

She 'hmmph'ed. "I think that's really mean that they do that to kids! I bet yours was really nice," she said.

Jason wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. "Um... I guess so."

"Don't worry. Jared'll fix you up. He can fix anything!" she said, tossing another grateful look at the russet fox.

Wanting to change the subject, Jason said, "By the way, I'm sorry if I startled you when I came over. I've never met a squirrelplant before. I guess that's pretty obvious."

She giggled. "No, it's okay. I was just photosynthesizing," She enunciated the word as if she liked showing it off.

"Now *that* word, I know what it means," Jason said. "We did a thing on plants last year in school. It means you're getting energy from the sun."

She smiled broadly. "Correct! You've just won a brand new car!" she joked.

Jared stepped in. "Too bad you're not on Jeopardy right now, eh? Well you two, I'm going to go get lunch started. Anything in particular you'd like, Jason? You are the guest of honor today."

Jason liked that; 'guest of honor'. "Hmmm. Not really. I can't think of anything. Whatever you make should be fine."

"Wanna help?" Jared asked Sarah. Sarah nodded happily. "She's a terrific chef," he told Jason. "A natural. We had some tuna something-or-other she made last night. Delicious! I think there's some leftovers in the fridge."

"I like fish," Jason said.

"We'll go whip something up and you can go meet Leanna. She's over there in the tank." Jared pointed out the pool/aquarium thing Jason had noticed earlier. "I adopted her too. I have a feeling you two will get along. And if Mike and Sarah surprised you, get ready for a third time!"

Jason's curiosity perked up again. "Okay. Where is lunch going to be?"

"We'll probably eat at the tables over by the art cabinet. Or maybe we could go outside. It's a nice day."

"A picnic sounds great!" Sarah said. Jason agreed.

"A picnic it shall be then!" Jared announced. "Leanna'll tell you where our usual spot is. See you in a bit then, Jason."

"Bye!" Jared and Sarah walked off and Jason looked back at the tank.

What in the world was he going to find there?



***
Chapter Seven   -   Leanna


Jason walked over to the gargantuan water tank and was already surprised by what was in it. Instead of a pool, it looked more like a bedroom! There were bookshelves in there and two little cabinets. In one corner, several beanbag chairs were heaped up. Leanna was lying amongst them on her back reading a comic book. Jason wondered how the pages kept from getting soggy.

All he could see of her was her tail, which was rhythmically flipping to and fro. It was covered in shimmering aqua-green scales and flared out into a large fin at the end. Leanna was some type of fish, it seemed. He'd never met a fish before. He imagined it must be difficult for one living on land.

"Hi there!" he called out to her.

Leanna sat up right away. But as she did, Jason realized he'd been only half right. Literally! Looking back at him was a furson who was fish from the waist down, fox from the waist up! A mer-vixen!

Jason wondered if his eyes were about to pop out of his head and go rolling along the floor. Not only was Leanna straight out of a fairy tale, she was also the most beautiful girl fox he'd ever seen. Her fur was a bright carroty orange, with white on her muzzle and tummy, like Jared. Her hair was speckled blonde and very long. It floated around her head in the water like a nimbus. Her muzzle was long, ending in a cute pink nosepad. Her ears were big for a fox, her eyes wide and curious. She was wearing a white tank top and nothing else. Her build was slender overall and very graceful. She also looked to be about the same age as he was.

She put the comic book aside and swam over to him. Her movement looked just like flying through water.

"Your mouth is hanging open," she noted, amused.

Jason shut it and grinned bashfully. He noticed that the sound of her voice came from a little speaker on the side of the tank.

"I haven't seen you before. I'm Leanna." She looked like she was about to extend her hand for a shake before realizing they were separated by glass.

"I'm Jason. Jared just bought me today."

"Cool! Are you staying?" she asked.

He answered confidently, "Yes."

"I like your fur. I haven't seen a blue fox before," she said.

He smiled at the compliment. "Thank you! I haven't seen a merfox before either, so we're even."

She smiled warmly. "Why don't you come in?" she motioned towards a ladder on the side of the tank.

"I'm not a good swimmer," he admitted. "I can barely keep afloat."

"Okay, I'll just drown you and then you can sink to the bottom with me."

WHAT? Jason could not believe what he'd just heard. And she didn't sound like she was joking either! Was she some kinda psycho?

From his expression, Leanna could tell she needed to explain things a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry! Dad didn't do the Rejuvenaty thing to you yet, did he?" She was quite embarrassed to have worried him like that so soon after meeting him.

"What does that have to do with you wanting to drown me?" Jared asked, confused.

"He didn't tell you? I guess not. You did say he just bought you," said Leanna. "Okay, you know about the Rejuvenator machine, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did he tell you he invented it?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so. He wants to be humble about it, but he likes to brag about it too." She giggled. "Anyway, he's got a new design. Like, 'Rejuvenator 2: The Sequel'. Bigger and better than the first!"

Jason's interest was piqued. "Really? Neat! What's it do?"

"Basically, it makes you sort-of invulnerable. I don't know all how it works. It has something to do with having your molecules be connected even when they're not connected."

"Huh?" Jason tried to puzzle that out.

Leanna bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain better. "Like... Okay, f'rinstance, if your hand got cut off, you'd still be able to move it and feel stuff. Your molecules would still think they were in contact with one another. Again, I don't understand it all. Dad can explain it better. What it comes down to is that if you wanted to, you could blow up like Mike does... I *know* you heard him a few minutes ago... and you'd be able to reform just like he does too."

"Holy poop! That's...!" He couldn't even come up with an adjective to describe it.

She grinned, glad he'd finally gotten it. "Exactly! There's also something about it making you able to adjust to pretty much anything right away. That's why I asked if I could drown you. I thought he'd already explained all this and given you the treatment. If so, you'd just gasp for a bit and then your body'd change so you could breathe water."

He could breathe underwater!? What a cool idea! Jason pictured himself submerged with Leanna and the two of them swimming happily along together. "I'm having a hard time believing this, but I want to anyway. This is so cool! So, um, why isn't the Rejuvenator 2 out yet?"

Leanna shrugged sadly. "Dad's not sure if he *should* tell anyone. I mean, think about it; imagine how overpopulated the planet would get if no one ever died. The population everywhere's already gone way up because of the first Rejuvenator. This new one would make that problem even worse. But then, it'd also save lots more innocent people... He's really going nuts over this decision. I hate seeing him so sad. He wants to tell everyone about his new design, he wants to help people, but he's worried it might cause more harm than good in the long run."

Jason turned the problem over in his mind. He imagined what the planet would look like with everyone on it who had ever been born still alive. People would have to stand on top of each other to make room! "Gosh, that is a problem. I don't know what I'd do if it was me that had to choose."

"Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out. If you haven't guessed already, he's a total genius." From the shine in her eyes, Jason could tell she loved Jared very much, and was very proud to have him for a dad. "Anyway, if you can't come in, I guess I'll have to come out."

She pointed over to the other side of the tank and he followed her as she swam there. The way she moved in the water was very beautiful. Jason was almost hypnotized by it.

Leanna stopped at something that Jason guessed was similar to an airlock on a spaceship. She squeezed into the small circular-shaped chamber and a door closed shut behind her. The water drained from the chamber and the outside door popped open.

Leanna took a breath of air. "Ahhhh! You know, it's a lot easier to breathe air than water."

"I'd never really noticed," Jason said, getting a chuckle.

"Could you bring my chair over here?" Leanna asked. "I could get it, but it's easier this way."

He looked where she was pointing and saw the chair she'd mentioned. It was a strange device, but he understood its function immediately. It was a cross between a wheelchair and a fishbowl. The bowl part was partially full of water and the rim came up to the height of the armrests. Leanna could sit in it and keep her bottom half wet while she moved around outside the tank. Like a regular wheelchair, it had rims on the wheels so she could roll herself along, plus handles on the back for someone to push her if necessary. Jason wheeled it over to the airlock. "Dad made it for me," Leanna said. "Mind helping me into it?"

"Not at all." He took Leanna's hand and helped her guide her tail into the water.

"I can usually do this myself," she repeated. Jason understood why. She didn't want him to think she was helpless. Not that he did anyway.

He nodded to let her know he got her message. "Let me guess; it's important that you keep your fishy part wet all the time?"

She wriggled about, getting into a comfortable position in the bowl. "Well, not *all* the time, but most of it. I gotta keep it at least moist. If my tail dries out, first it's really itchy, then it gets sore and starts hurting a lot. I can go about a half hour out of the water before it starts really bothering me. Dad's done a lot for me so I can get around outside of a tank." Her tone implied a lot of gratitude to the elder fox.

Jason nodded. "Oh, speaking of Jared, he said we're going to have a picnic now and that you know where it'd be," he told her.

"Yeah, there's this great big gorgeous tree in the backyard. Lots of shade. I wish I could climb it. We always have picnics underneath it. I'll show you where it is."

"Would you like me to push you?" Jason asked, hoping she understood he was only asking to be nice, not that he thought she was incapable of it on her own.

She got his message as well. "Sure, thanks." Jason took the handles of the chair. "Go out that door over there and into the hall. It's a right turn, then a left to get to the back door. You'll see the tree then. Can't miss it."

Jason nodded and headed for the door. He noticed the chair was surprisingly easy to push. Jared had done a good job on it. "Um, Leanna..."

"Yes?" She looked back over her shoulder at him.

He blushed just a little. "I just wanted to say that I think you're really pretty. Your tail is so beautiful, and you look like an angel when you swim. I think you have a cute nose too."

She beamed. "Thank you! You're really sweet!" She turned around and tilted her head up to give him a quick kiss.

He very nearly tripped over her chair. The kiss was unexpected and absolutely wonderful! He smiled shyly, then leaned closer to repay her kiss. This one they held a little longer.

"I think I like you, Jason," Leanna said softly.

"Well, I _know_ I like you," he replied, making her giggle.

Jason looked down at his feet for a second. "Say, um, I really, really, really don't want to sound like a jerk by asking this, but are you, uh, more like Sarah or Mike?" The words were out before he'd considered them and he worried he was going to sound like an idiot now.

"What do you mean?" asked Leanna, puzzled. Then she realized what he was really asking. "Oh, you mean like; was I born like this or was I created?"

She didn't sound offended, which was good. Jason nodded.

She looked suddenly sad. The question had brought up bad memories. "More like Sarah. This creep had me specially bred like this. He kept me in an aquarium for years and never let me out. He'd just sit there and stare at me all day. He was... I... I didn't like him. I always felt like I was an ornament, or a toy, instead of a real girl..." For a moment, it looked as if she was about to cry. Her eyes showed that she was doing her best to be strong and not let her emotions overtake her.

There was more to her story. Lots more. Jason could see it clearly through the look on her pretty face. He whimpered softly. He knew without having to ask that Leanna had suffered a lot in her life, that Jared had somehow saved her from unknowable pain, and that was why she loved him so openly. Maybe sometime later when they'd grown closer, she'd tell him more. He felt a sudden intense need to help Leanna in any way that he could, for no other reason than so she'd know someone was there that cared about her.

He put a paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Leanna. My mother was kinda like that to me sometimes. I know it couldn't have been as bad as what you went through, but I do sorta know how it feels to be treated like you don't matter. I'd never treat you that way. I promise."

She reached up to touch his paw. She looked into his eyes and both of them knew they understood one another perfectly. "Thanks, Jason," she said in a very small whisper.

They didn't say anything more as he wheeled her out to the backyard. They didn't need to. They'd just shared something important with one another, and knew that they would be brother and sister from this moment onward.



***
Chapter Eight   -   Cuddly Time


As soon as they were out the back door, Jason saw the tree. Leanna was right; he couldn't have missed it. No one could. It was one of the biggest and most beautiful trees Jason had ever seen. It reached up to the sky much taller than the house itself. The trunk looked as thick around as a car. Its leaves gleamed green in the sun like a thousand emeralds. All its limbs swayed together rhythmically in the breeze, giving the illusion that the mighty tree was breathing deeply. Maybe sleeping, or hibernating. All in all, there seemed to be an aura surrounding it that compelled Jason to come closer. It was like the tree was inviting him to sit down in its shade and share its company.

Jason had been too interested in Jared to notice before, but it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside. The sun was bright and high in the sky. The air was warm, the breeze gentle. Jason felt the soft green grass tickling his paws as he walked over it. It felt like all the world was celebrating his finding a new family.

Spread beneath the behemoth tree was a big red and white checkered tablecloth: very quintessential. Mike and Rosie were already there. Rosie was sitting on Mike's lap, facing him, and it looked like they were playfully cuddling with each other.

The mouse and bat noticed Leanna and Jason's approach and broke a kiss just long enough to greet them. Jason giggled as they snapped right back afterward like they had magnets in their lips. It could not have been more obvious that the two of them loved each other very much than if there was a neon sign beside them saying so. Jason let go of Leanna's wheelbowl and she rolled it to a shady spot. Jason sat down at the base of the tree. He pulled his tail out of the way and laid back against the wide trunk. It was surprisingly comfy, as if it liked having little friends lounging in its shade.

Leanna hoisted herself out of the bowl and plopped down to the ground with surprising agility. Jason watched her coming over to sit next to him. She wasn't as graceful out of the water as in, but her movements were still fascinating. To take a step, she sort of hopped forward on her hands and gave a push with her tail at the same time. It was an awkward way of moving about, but Leanna made it look as easy as walking on two feet. She settled down at Jason's side. She folded her arms behind her head and let out a contented sigh. Upon seeing them closer, Jason noticed her arms looked very strong.

The two foxes sat quietly together and watched the little show Mike and Rosie were putting on for them. The bat and mouse were kissing one another all over and giggling intermittently as well. Mike laid back flat on the grass. He and Rosie simply gazed into each other's eyes, smiling brightly. Mike lifted her up a little so he could ease down her diaper. She helped him. Together they slid it down to her ankles, exposing Rosie's adorable tiny cunny. It looked like a little pink tulip.

Mike reached down and took his penis in hand and guided it towards Rosie's pinkness. Rosie let out a little squeak as he slid it in. He deflated it a bit so it would fit better. Once he was inside her to the hilt, he reinflated it just a bit, forming it to her contours to give her the most pleasure possible. 'One of the many perks of being a balloonie,' he thought.

Rosie cooed contentedly. She leaned down to nuzzle his nose. Mike reached up and held her gently just above her hips. Rosie sat back up and enjoyed the feel of her older brother's warm shaft inside her special girlplace. She closed her eyes, smiling broadly, and just settled in on Mike's penis. She liked how it filled her little hole up so nice.

Mike ran his rubbery paws up and down the little bat's body. He ran his fingers through her soft fluffy fur. He played with her thin, wiggly tail for a bit. He swirled a fingertip around her bellybutton. He traced the lines of her wings. He was in no hurry. He wanted nothing more than to see his sister happy.

Having it inside was nice, but Rosie wanted more fun. She began to softly bounce on top of Mike. His naturally springy body made this quite easy, and pleasurable for both of them. For Rosie, it was like sitting on a big inflatable pool toy. She bounced harder on him, feeling his boyparts jiggle inside her every time. Rosie started giggling. Soon Mike was too. He had his hands cupped on her little tush and she put her wings over top of them. Together they bounced and laughed and enjoyed one another to the fullest.

Jason found himself smiling like Rosie just from watching them. It wasn't like any other kind of yiffing he'd ever seen. It wasn't mushy or sultry or anything like he'd seen in movies where the hero gets the girl in the end. And it certainly wasn't anything like the way he'd been told sex would be like at the cubslave place; more like a duty than an act of pleasure. Watching Mike and Rosie, it was like they were playing instead of yiffing. They were laughing and smiling and seemed to be having a great time. There was something surprisingly innocent about it. They were just making each other happy. And that's all it was, nothing serious about it.

Leanna turned to him. She put a soft paw on his hip. He saw that her expression was just a teensy bit predatory. "That looks fun, don't you think?"

He smiled bashfully and bit his lip. He looked down at the grass. "Leanna..."

"What? You don't want to?" her ears drooped in disappointment. Then she blushed. "Oh, uh, is it about your..." She gestured towards his smooth crotch. "I noticed, but I didn't say anything 'cause I thought it might be a sensitive issue."

He looked back to her and smiled. "No, nothing like that. I don't mind. I think I might even ask Jared to Rejuvenate it after lunch." He put his paw on top of hers. "It's just... well... We just met like, a minute ago!"

"Yeah, well..." She suddenly perked up. "Think of it as making a formal introduction!" They both laughed. "Besides, I think you're reeeeeeally cute and I wanna snuggle!"

Jason's cheeks went pink. "You think I'm cute?"

"Of course! Look at you! That little black nose, that cotton ball tail, that shy little smile of yours... Not to mention your cool fur. It makes you look like ice."

"Uh huh. It's called an ice-white color phase. I'm glad you like it."

She moved closer and put her arm around him. "I like the fox inside it even better." She closed her eyes and nuzzled him.

Jason didn't resist any longer. This beautiful exotic vixen thought he was cute and was pretty much leaping in his lap! Even without his foxhood, he simply had to return her affection. He put his arms around her. Her fur was still damp, but silky smooth nonetheless. He nuzzled her too.

Their muzzles came together, sniffing and nudging one another in a purely foxlike fashion. Finally, they kissed. This time they held it even longer, exploring it from every angle. They felt themselves growing closer together with every second. Their paws roamed around, giving soft squeezes and gentle caresses. It didn't matter that they didn't have any particular direction in mind. The two of them were simply being together, showing love for their new kin. Both Jason and Leanna thought about how wonderful it was that they'd be able to hold each other like this every day from now on if they wanted.

"I love you, brother," Leanna said in a whisper.

"Love you too, sister," Jason replied.

He tilted his head up to nibble one of Leanna's pretty ears. She shivered and let out a little 'yiff!'. Obviously, she liked that! He bit softly on the sensitive skin. He breathed out through his nose, letting his warm breath tickle inside her ears. She giggled and held him tighter. She rubbed her cheek on his. Then she gave him a kiss on his little black nosepad. She let her tongue flick over it, which made him shiver a bit. Jason felt her paw drift down his back and rest on his tailbase. She skritched him there. He 'mmmmm'ed happily. He ran a paw across her tail, fascinated by how it felt. Moist and supple, the little scales fitting together snugly, everything feeling silky smooth. Leanna flipped her fin in enjoyment of his gentle touch.

A sudden cry made them both look up. Rosie had her head tilted back all the way, mouth open wide, having just released an ultrasonic yelp of joy as she climaxed. She flopped over on Mike and covered him in kisses. He held her close in a cuddly hug and the two rolled around in the grass a bit.

Leanna looked up at Jason. Her eyes held both satisfaction and a bit of tease. "This feels wonderful, Jason. You're so gentle. I can tell you really care about me."

"Of course I do," he said, leaning in to touch noses with her for a second.

"I do too, Jason. Thank you." She hugged him lovingly, and he felt like a big teddybear for a moment.

"Why don't we wait a bit and snuggle later. Y'know, after I've got my, uh, stuff back?" he suggested.

"Okay. That, and I see Dad and Sarah coming with the food. Good timing, huh?"

Jared was coming up from the side of the house, lugging a picnic basket that looked like it might have contained a hippopotamus. Sarah was skipping along in circles around him, burdened only with a bottle of ketchup. Jason wondered how in the world they'd gotten together so much food so fast. Had they just opened the refrigerator and swept everything inside?

"Mmmmm. All that yiffiness makes me hungry!" Mike said as he and Rosie disentangled themselves.

"Me too!" the little bat piped up. She noticed the foxes sitting by the tree trunk and giggled. "They were watchin' us!"

Mike didn't seem to mind at all having an audience. "Hope we were entertaining."

Leanna grinned and hugged Jason again. "Very!"



***
Chapter Nine   -   The Picnic


Jared lugged the massive basket over to the center of the checkered tablecloth and did his best to lower it down gently. The second it touched ground, he let out a huge whoof of air and toppled dramatically backwards, lying spread-eagle in the grass. "Ohhhh, I think I'm dead!"

Sarah bounced over and giggled at him. She daintily sat the ketchup on top of the basket. Grinning widely, she said, "Boy, that was some hard work!" and mimed wiping sweat from her forehead. Everyone laughed.

Jared sat up, grinning evilly. He suddenly pounced and caught Sarah in a hug. He toppled her to the ground and tickled her mercilessly. She squeaked and shrieked in laughter. "Why do you always have to pack so much food, huh? There's only six of us! It's not like we're a whole football team! Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something?" he kidded.

"Stop! Stop! Let me go! You know I'm ticklish!" she gasped in between gales of giggles.

"Allright, I guess you've suffered enough." He let go of her, and she swiftly jumped onto his lap and hugged him. He gave her a kiss on top of her head. She wrapped all her vines around him and squeezed him lovingly.

Rosie crawled over and lifted the lid of the basket. Her eyes widened at all the goodies inside. She spotted a cupcake. "Mine!" she exclaimed and snatched it up as if it was about to run away.

The other little furs converged on the basket. Jason was truly impressed. There was definitely more food here than they could possibly eat in one meal. Several sandwiches, plates of yummy-looking leftovers, little tupperware containers of side dishes, fresh fruits and veggies, bags of salty snacks and a plethora of baked goods. The others were already digging in, so Jason grabbed the first sandwich he could get his paws on and joined them.

He got the clingwrap off and looked at it quizzically. There was some sort of rubbery stuff between the bread, covered in mayo and a lettuce leaf. "Um, what is this?" he asked Leanna.

Mike leaned over suddenly. "Ah, I think that's one of mine."

"What is it?"

"Latex." He held up a different sandwich. "Wanna trade?"

Jason laughed. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea!" They swapped and Jason unwrapped his. "Oboy! A Reuben! I love these!" He tore into it with gusto. It was delicious! Just the right amount of everything he liked.

Mike looked like he was equally enjoying his rubber sandwich. "In case you didn't know, we balloonies do need a little extra latex in our diet," he said with a full mouth, getting crumbs all over the place. "Dad gets this stuff from a catalog. It's made just for us. Easier to digest."

"But hard to chew, I'd guess," Jason remarked.

"Oh yeah," Mike agreed.

"Can you eat other rubber stuff?"

The mouse nodded. "Sure. I eat rubber gloves and balloons sometimes."

Jared chimed in. "I got him a pack of chocolate-flavored condoms once," he said with a naughty grin.

"They make those?" Jason asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and they tasted awful!" Mike said, poking his finger in his mouth: the international symbol for 'Gag me!'

Jason giggled. He noticed Sarah munching happily on a raw cucumber. "Oooh, you're eating vegetables! You cannibal!" he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him. Then she grinned slyly. "Oh yeah? I'm not the cannibal here. You think that's roast *beef* you're eating?"

Jason got an awful look on his face and looked down at his sandwich as if it had betrayed him.

Sarah rolled over onto her back laughing. "The look on your face!"

"You're kidding, right!?" Jason pleaded.

Leanna tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, I don't think she is. I don't know how you'll take this, but... I think that's me you're eating."

"WHAT?" Jason's head felt like it was about to spin around 360 degrees in sheer confusion.

Jared paused in the middle of his hot dog. "I believe you're right, Leanna. I pickled some of you a long time ago. I'm surprised we still have any." Seeing that Jason was seriously weirded out by this, he leaned over and put a paw on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Don't worry. You know how the whole meat system works, right? You know about prey volunteers. Since we've got Rejuvenators right here, we do the same stuff sometimes. Just on a smaller scale."

Leanna turned to Jason. "You eat meat all the time, right? Why's it suddenly weird that you know who it comes from personally?"

Jason thought it over. "Okay, you've got a point. And I have eaten fox before; this one time at a restaurant. It just kinda surprised me, that's all."

Jared smiled. "Well, remember I told you we do some wild stuff here. We play vore games all the time. And before you ask: no, it doesn't hurt a bit, and no, we never eat anyone against their will. You don't have to participate at all if you don't want to."

Jason nodded. It made him feel better that Jared was so quick to reassure him. He looked back at his sandwich. He took another bite. It actually seemed to taste better now. He looked back at Leanna and gave her a kiss on the nose. "You're very tasty, Leanna."

"Thanks!" she said brightly. "Glad you like me."

"That reminds me," Jared said. "Rosie, it's your turn. Would you like to be dinner tonight?"

The little bat perked up immediately. "Yay!! Of course I would! How you gonna cook me?"

Jared put a finger to his chin in thought. "Hmmm... Howzabout roasted in the oven?"

She grinned. She had chocolate icing smeared on her muzzle. "Sounds great!"

Jared turned back to Jason. "Say, would you like to watch me prepare her later? I know it sounds freaky now, but it might make you feel better to see how it's done. Rosie really loves it."

Jason tossed the idea around. "I guess so. I mean, I know you'd never hurt any of us, so it can't be that bad."

"It's not bad at all!" Rosie interjected. "It's fun! And I taste really good too. You'll see."

"Never had roast bat before. I might like it." Jason really was doing his best to warm up to the idea. The others seemed completely comfortable with eating one another and being eaten. Plus, Leanna had mentioned 'the Rejuvenaty-thing' that Jared would probably do to him after lunch. It was only logical that Jared would have done the same to the other kids and himself. So Jason knew there wasn't much risk that Rosie or the others would be hurt in any way. And he also knew that as gentle and loving as Jared had shown himself to be so far, the dinner preparation would likely be just the same. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have any reasons to dislike the idea other than his own squeamishness. In essence, while Jason wasn't ready to volunteer to be a roast fox just yet, he had a feeling he might want to eventually.

With the subject of vore out of the way for the moment, the conversations drifted to other subjects. Jason and the others talked about all kinds of things. Mostly it was Jason asking questions about how things worked around Foxhole Manor and the others helpfully filling him in. He'd always been a little shy about asking questions before, and it was very nice to be with people that he knew wouldn't make him feel stupid for not knowing something.

Throughout the picnic, Jason noticed that while everyone else (himself included) was chowing down heartily, Sarah was eating very little. He'd only seen her eat the cucumber, a handful of chips and a few cookies. "Not feeling hungry today?" he asked her.

To his surprise, she looked suddenly very embarrassed. "Um, no. I'm, uh, just waiting for some... other food."

Jason arched an eyebrow quizzically. Then he noticed everyone was looking at him with uncertainty. "What?"

Jared tried to be diplomatic about it. "Um, it's a subject that might be kinda unsettling to you at first, kiddo."

"Yeah, if the vore stuff made you queasy...!" Mike said with a grin.

Jared shot him a sharp disapproving frown.

Mike looked sorry.

Jason was somewhat shocked. That was the first time he'd seen Jared look angry. Whatever this subject was, it was obviously very touchy. He looked over at Sarah, whose eyes were wide and sad. What awful secret could she possibly have that would completely eradicate the happy mood they had been sharing just moments ago? What were they all worried he'd find so repulsive?

Sarah spoke up. Her voice was quivering, but she was trying to be brave. "Um, Jason, you said your class studied plants for a while, right?" The fox nodded. "What do plants need along with sunlight and water?"

"Huh? Well, soil, obviously. And nutrients of some kind and..." Suddenly, it came to him. "Fertilizer."

Sarah nodded.

"You eat poop!?"

Sarah nodded again, looking like she was about to cry.

"Geez, is that all?" Jason said. "You had me thinking it was something horrible! Heck, that just makes sense, science-wise. Sarah, don't worry! I wouldn't tease you about something like that!" he said sincerely.

It was like a shroud had been lifted. Everyone else seemed to let out a deep breath of relief all at once. Sarah did cry a little, but it was out of joy at being accepted. She jumped up and sat down beside Jason to give him a big hug. "Oh thank you!"

He hugged her back. Her skin was smooth and cool, and her fur felt a little like moss. "Hey, it's okay. I knew right when I saw you that you'd have to do some things differently from other furries. And I don't even think it's gross or anything. Jared said he liked to do stuff with poop sometimes, and I even wet the bed a little today, and liked it! And I hope you know that it took a lot of courage to admit that!"

She giggled and kissed him. "There's nothing wrong with that. I've wet my pod a few times on purpose." (Jason inferred she meant the large plant she'd been attached to when they'd first met.)

"So, do you do it just for food, or is it kinda yiffy too?" he asked her.

"Definitely both," she said, feeling comfortable now admitting it to him.

"That's fine with me. I don't think you're weird."

She beamed ear to ear and hugged him tight. "Thanks Jason! You are soooooo sweet! Thanks for being so understanding! You wanna yiff later?" she added abruptly.

"Uh, uh, sure!" he stammered, grinning.

"Hey, I wanted to yiff him later!" Leanna said, putting her hands on her hips melodramatically.

"Can I yiff you too?" Rosie called out sweetly. She batted her eyelashes at the fox.

Mike stepped in, obviously amused by the situation. "Ladies, ladies! He just got here! Don't wear the poor boy out on his first day!"

Jason turned to Mike. "Shut up! I don't mind if they wear me out!"

With that, the whole bunch of them broke up laughing. The happy mood of the afternoon had been fully repaired and restored.

Leanna came over and hugged Jason from the other side. She and Sarah squeezed him all over. The three of them were all wiggly from the giggles. She and Sarah both kissed Jason's cheeks at the same time, making him blush crimson. He suddenly felt very much at home, and knew in his heart that he wanted to stay here with his new siblings forever.

Sarah unwrapped her tendrils from around the two foxes. She scurried over to Jared, looking hopeful. "Got any dessert for me, Jared?"

The fox looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I think so." He got down on all fours and pulled his robe out of the way. His hindquarters were facing Sarah. He lifted his tail.

Sarah took a sniff of the fox's pink tailhole. "Mmmm!"

Jason couldn't actually see anything from his angle, but he found himself watching out of fascination anyway. While he'd truly meant what he'd said to Sarah, talking about eating poop and watching someone do it were two different things. Part of him still felt a little odd about it. But he figured that was the same part of him that thought eating a Leanna sandwich was weird, so he imagined the feeling would pass in time once he'd gotten used to it.

Jared concentrated and grunted. His anus opened up and he pushed out a fat log of fox waste.

Sarah leaped on it, happily gobbling it up as it was still coming out. Being part plant, her taste buds were different from other mammals. The warm brown poop in her mouth was not only nutritious and filling, but also quite delectable! She loved eating from under Jared's tail. All her other foster families had been completely grossed out by her need for fertilizer, and had made her feel like some sort of sicko for doing something that was a completely natural part of her biology. When Jared had taken her in, she thought at first he'd be just like the others, and was joyfully surprised when he'd been just as accepting as Jason had. He'd dropped his pants immediately and asked if she wanted a snack! Rosie seemed perfectly comfortable with sharing her feces too. Leanna's poo tasted funny, so Sarah didn't ask her often unless she was really hungry. And Mike wished he could, but being a balloonie, his waste was different than the others' and could actually make Sarah sick. Still, he told her often that he wished it were otherwise, to let her know that he accepted her as well. In fact, Sarah was already wondering if Jason would warm up to the idea of feeding her before her last two weeks were up. She was already imagining what the little white fox's poo would taste like!

As Jason watched Sarah enjoying her meal, he felt a combination of strangeness and arousal. He realized that Sarah might ask him to feed her sometime. And if he were to be honest with himself, he found was looking forward to it. The idea seemed both naughty and intimate. He was, after all, naturally curious, and eager to explore new and different yiffy horizons, even if they seemed a little weird at first.

Leanna nudged him, popping his thought balloon for the moment. "Huh?"

"Could you hand me that?" She pointed to a pitcher of water that had been sitting there the whole time without anyone drinking out of it.

He picked it up in both hands. "Hey, it's warm," he noticed.

"Of course it is." She took it from him and began to pour it all over her fishy tail. She sighed in contentment. "Ahhhh! That's much better! It was starting to itch a bit there."

Now he got it. "Would you like me to rub it in or something?" he asked.

"No, that's okay. It's better just splashing it on like this. Thanks for asking." She took his paw in hers and gave it a squeeze.

Sarah finished her snack and licked her lips. "Thanks, Jared! That was great! Really yummy!" She proceeded to lick his tailhole nice and clean.

Jared enjoyed the sensation immensely. "Oooh! You're very welcome, honey. I think I had as good a time as you. Ooooooooh! Keep doing that! Right there! Rrrrrowl! Mrrrf!"

The little squirrelplant giggled, happy to be pleasing her foster daddy so much. She teased him all over with her little tongue. His tail wagged appreciatively.

She finished up after playing around back there for a bit. Jared rolled over on the grass, exhausted with pleasure. "Wow. You are really good at that, Sarah!"

She smiled crisply. "Well, when you're in a restaurant, you always give them a good tip when you've had a tasty meal!"

He chuckled. "C'mere you." He reached out to ensnare her in a hug and gave her lots of little kisses all over. "You're such a good girl. I love you so much."

Sarah chirred happily in his embrace.



***
Chapter Ten   -   Sword Talk


After a long while, everyone gradually noticed that they'd all stopped eating and were now only nibbling on one another. Lunch was declared over and they all reluctantly stopped cuddling long enough to clean up the dishes, containers, silverware and whatnots.

"Hey Jason," Sarah called out. "I just got an idea. Would you like some dessert?"

"Uh, I'm a little full," he told her. "But I think I could make room for something else. What did you have in mind?"

She grinned in a very naughty way. "Do you like fresh fruit?"

"Sure."

"How about honey?"

"Uh-huh..." 'Where is this leading?' he wondered.

"How'd you like something that's kinda like both of those, but tastes even better?"

Jason realized the others were grinning too. He was being set up for something, but he hadn't caught on yet just what. "Uh... Sounds great. What is it?"

She rolled over onto her back, spreading her legs and showing off her little green tush. "Plant poop!" she replied. She grabbed her ankles and her anus dilated. It opened like a flower bud and what emerged was quite unexpected. It was banana-yellow, somewhat see-through, and seemed to be like a gel with just enough thickness to hold its shape. Sarah pushed out a blob that was about five inches long and three inches around. She caught it in her paw and held it out to him. "Well...?"

The others were snickering, wondering what he'd do.

Jason decided then to be bold. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.' With a jaunty smile, he picked up the blob (which looked remarkably like an enormous yellow jellybean) and took a big bite.

Immediately, he was glad he'd done so. The taste was better than anything he could have imagined. Very sweet and very pure. Sort of like creamy honey with a hint of citrus. He swallowed. "Wow! That was fantastic!"

All the others cheered. Jason had passed the test.

He took another bite. Delicious! "I should have guessed. Plants are balanced so well with animals. Makes sense you'd secrete some kinda nectar or something like this."

"Hey, you do know your stuff! That's almost exactly what that stuff is." Sarah patted him on the head. "Smart li'l fox!"

He pouted dramatically. "Hey, cut it out! I'm not in kindergarten." He gave her a warm smile then. "Seriously, thanks for this. It really is tasty." He patted her on the head. "Good li'l veggie!"

She laughed so hard she snorted.

"And, um..." he stared uncertainly. "If you're hungry again later..." He blushed. "I guess I wouldn't mind feeding you some of mine, you know."

She gasped. "Really? Thanks!! That's so nice of you! I'd love to try your poop. I bet it's just as tasty as Jared's!"

"Does it really taste as good to you as your stuff does to me?" Jason asked as he finished off the last of his dessert.

"Yup! Now you know why I like it so much. It's not sweet, but it's really rich and savory. Hard to describe, kinda."

Mike tapped Sarah's shoulder. "Um, Sarah? Do you have any more?"

She shot him a look for rudely interrupting her chat with Jason. "Mmmmaybe. What'll you give me in return?"

"Uh... A kiss?"

She thought it over, then shook her head. "Try again!"

"Hey, how 'bout later I'll yiff you till all your flowers fall off?"

"Deal!" she agreed enthusiastically.

Speaking of yiffing, that reminded Jason of something. "Excuse me, Sarah, Mike, I gotta go ask Dad something."

They said okay. Then Sarah bent over and gave Mike a tasty honey-flavored treat. Rosie joined them and asked for one too.

Jason ran over to Jared, who was now rolling up the tablecloth. "Dad!"

His ears perked. "Hmm? Yes?"

He could see Jared was happy to be called Dad. "Leanna told me about the new Rejuvenator. Do you think I could try it? She said if I did, I could breathe underwater and then the two of us could play together in her tank. I think I'd like to get my penis back too."

"Ah! I should have mentioned that earlier. Glad she told you. Grab that end for me, wouldja?" He was fighting a losing battle with the tablecloth, but Jason stepped in to help. "And yes to everything you just said. You can have your heroic sword grown back, along with your mighty balls of steel," Much giggling. "And yes, you'll be able to breathe underwater. You'll heal virtually instantly from all sortsa cuts, burns, whatever. You can pretty much forget worrying about most accidents from now on."

"Awesome!" Jason's tail was wagging.

"Here's a good example of what I mean, despite how ashamed I am of it. You saw all those swords in the hall, right?" Jason nodded. "Some I collect just 'cuz I think they look cool, but I actually train with a lot of them. It's my way of doing a workout. To use them properly takes a lot of upper body strength and a lot of legwork, which is what I really need to work on."

Jason nodded again, remembering about Jared's childhood bike accident.

"Anyway, I was in my little gym a few months back, doing a set of movements with the sword and moving in a circle; slice, duck, swipe, hop, chop, turn, thrust, turn, slice, duck... So on and so forth. Well, I was getting really into the movements and I had my eyes closed. And then Rosie came in, and she was so light on her feet I didn't hear her. She just stood there, waiting for me to notice her..."

Jason was already cringing. "This is gonna end badly, isn't it?"

Jared was cringing too. "You got it. I'd just sliced, then I ducked and swiped and heard her yelp. When I looked... The sword was so sharp, it had sliced both her ears in half like they weren't even there! Rosie's standing there looking up at her ears, and there're these two little grey eartips on the floor! And she's not even crying at all! She just looked really confused. I was frozen in shock for a moment. I still can't believe how calm she was about it. She just picked her ears up and put them back on like two hair ribbons. Of course, when I finally shook myself out of my shock, I rushed over and hugged her and apologized about a billion times. She just kept telling me she was fine and that she knew it was only an accident. I'm still incredibly proud of how brave she was."

They'd successfully folded up the tablecloth by then. "Anyway, the point is that not only had there been no pain, but her ears healed all by themselves. It's like carrying around a Rejuvenator with you all the time. So I'll take you back to that little doctor's office-type place and we'll get you all fixed up. Just say when."

"How about right now?" Jason asked.

"Sounds good. By the way, as a little afternote to the tale of Rosie's ears; that very day I called someone over to have a buzzer installed in the gym. If I'm in there slashing around like a samurai and you wanna get my attention, just push the little button by the door. I don't ever want to put you kids in danger ever again. ...Even if you are all nearly invulnerable."

"Well, don't feel too bad. Everyone has accidents sometimes." Jason gave him a hug. "Sounds like you really care about us, huh?"

Jared nodded. He ruffled Jason's headfur. "More than anything else. I'd do anything to protect you little furballs and keep you safe. Anything."

He paused, then knelt down and looked in Jason's eyes. His tone was very quiet and serious now. "Jason, I think you should know, I practice with those swords for more than just my health. I'm not going to lie to you. A lot of people don't like me. Some even hate me."

Jason was shocked. "But why?"

"I told you about how I rat other cubslave owners out to CMS. I cannot _stand_ to see some arrogant jerk treating a child like a servant, or worse. You don't want to know some of the things I've heard that people do to cubslaves. You've never seen me when I'm truly angry, and I hope you never have to. I'm ruthless with these people. I make sure they get punished one way or another. I haven't gotten in any physical fights yet, only legal ones, but I'd rather be on the safe side just in case. A lot of these people are rich and powerful. I'm always afraid that one day someone will manage to break in here. Of course, I've had the place wired top to bottom with the best security system money can buy. All sorts of cool high-tech spy stuff. I'll explain it all to you sometime; it is some nifty equipment. But I always have this doubt that it won't be enough, you know?"

Jason was not only amazed at how Jared was talking so honestly with him, treating him as an equal, but at how brightly the flame of his love burned inside his heart for his children and their safety. Jason didn't doubt for an instant that Jared would actually die to protect him or any of the other kids.

Jason smiled. "I feel safe with you, Dad. I know you'll keep me safe no matter what."

The older fox enfolded him in a tight hug. "Thanks. Feels good to hear that, li'l yiffer."

Jason giggled. "I like it when you call me that."

"I'll remember that." Jared stood up and stretched his back, producing a loud crack. "Say, wanna go get your dick back now?"

"Yeah! Lead the way!"



***
Chapter Eleven   -   Rejuvenated And Ready To Yiff!


The other little furs decided to stay outside and enjoy the bright sunny afternoon. Jason helped Jared carry the picnic stuff as they walked back to the house. Jason was again amazed at not only its size, but its style. "Say Dad, did you design this place yourself? It's so cool! I mean, it looks like it was made just for you!"

Jared chuckled. "Well, I didn't design it entirely, but I did have it custom built. It was one of the first really big things I'd ever spent my own money on, and I was extremely excited about it. And nervous! I worked close with the designer, telling him all about what I wanted, with him constantly telling me something was impossible, and then me finding a way to make it happen anyway. I remember driving out here to the construction site just about every day to watch. I was always peeking over the worker's shoulders and asking questions. I was like a big kid, really. The guys building the place thought I was a bit of a pain in the ass at first. But they warmed up to me eventually. I think the free lunches and gigantic paychecks might have helped some," he added with a grin.

They got to the house and entered through a side door Jason hadn't seen before; it came to an arch at the top, and had about a dozen little windows in it. They dropped the picnic items off in the kitchen, cleaned up a bit, then headed for Jared's Rejuvenator room.

Jared flicked a switch on Rejuvenator #4 and the door lifted up with a hiss of hydraulics. Jason thought it looked like one of the cryogenic sleep chambers he'd seen in a sci-fi movie once.

"Hop on in," Jared said.

Jason stepped up and into the chamber. It was a little awkward, since the back slanted upwards at an angle that was halfway between standing and sitting. The back of it was cushioned and covered in a soft plastic like a carnival ride seat. "I think I told you I was in one of these before. Is this new one gonna feel any different?" Jason asked.

"I don't think so. No one's ever told me that it did. It'll sort of tingle for most of the time it's working. And this one takes a little longer the first time you go through it. It has to read your body's blueprints and figure out how and what to do with you. Your stats will be loaded into its memory. Any time you need to go in one afterwards, it'll be quicker."

"I thought you said all my cuts and stuff would heal by themselves?"

"Right, but some injuries are a lot more than just a cut. Think of if your arm got cut off or some other bad accident. It'd heal itself eventually, but it would take a long time. A trip through the 'juvenator just speeds up the process."

Jason nodded. "Oh, okay."

Jared pressed some buttons on the machine's control pad. It beeped and hummed. Jason could feel the machine's insides working from the vibrations coming through the machine's padding.

"Comfy?" Jared asked.

"Mm hmm. I'm ready."

"Okay. This'll only take a few minutes. Just be patient." He pulled the door down and it shut with a loud click.

Jason tried to look brave. He knew there was nothing to be afraid of. But he was in a big machine and it was humming kind of ominously. Some part of him deep inside was a little apprehensive.

The humming suddenly got much louder. A dim purple light shined down on him from above. He could see Jared doing something at the control pad through the long oval window in the door. Jason took a deep breath.

He yipped as he felt something tickle his feet. A deep tingle, almost like the 'pins and needles' of his foot falling asleep (but much more pleasant) was working its way up his body. Jason's tailtip twitched wildly. He wasn't sure how to feel about this.

The tingle made its way up his knees, then towards his crotch. He felt it on his smooth spot and moaned softly. It surprised him, but as he got used to it, he grew to like it. The tingle was starting to feel soothing, like a hot bath or a massage. He realized he couldn't move anymore wherever the tingle touched him, so he just let himself relax and enjoy it.

The machine was reading him like a book, cataloging every tiny part of him. It was figuring out the best ways to keep him in perfect health. It was also bombarding him with microscopic nanobots that worked their way into his skin. They would stay inside of him and interact with his body to heal him and keep him from feeling unnecessary pain.

The tingle went from Jason's tailbase, to his fingertips, up his chest and to his neck. He took in another deep breath, feeling like he was about to go underwater. The feeling passed up over his mouth and then his eyes, which felt especially weird. When it finally passed his eartips, he couldn't move at all. Not even to blink. He realized he wasn't breathing either. 'Whoa! I'm like a department store mannequin!' he thought.

The machine pulsed and hummed and the purple light flickered. The tingle changed intensity here and there, in seemingly random places, as it went about its work. By now Jason was enjoying it very much. It reminded him of when he'd take a long hot shower, how the spray would splash all over him.

It ended too soon. The tingling stopped abruptly and the machine's hum died down. Jason found he could move again. He reached his arms above his head and stretched. He scritched his fur in a few places. He even cracked several knuckles.

Then he looked down and gasped. His dick! It was back! His furry little balls, fuzzy sheath and pink penis were all there just as they were before. "Welcome home, little buddy!" he said with a laugh.

The door clicked and Jared lifted it open. "How do you feel?"

Jason hopped out of the Rejuvenator, full of energy. "Great! I feel really healthy! And my dick's back, look!" He spread his arms and showed himself off.

Jared smiled warmly. "Jason, you are a very, very handsome boy. And your penis is quite nice. Mind if I take a closer look?"

"Sure! Go ahead."

Jared knelt down. He reached out to oh-so-gently cup the little white-furred balls in his paw. He rubbed them softly. Jason let out a little 'yiff' of happiness. "They're beautiful, Jason. You should feel very proud," he said softly and sincerely.

"Thank you," Jason replied quietly. He put his paw on Jared's shoulder.

Jared took in the sight of the adorable young cock before him. It was perfectly shaped, nice and plump, deliciously pink and just the right size for a lad his age. The older fox ran a single furry finger down its length.

Jason shivered and giggled. "Do that again!"

"Okay. Just remember, you can tell me to stop if you want to. At any time, for any reason. That's always true. I'll always respect your wishes."

The arctic fox smiled. "I don't think I'll be saying no to anything! But that's still really nice of you to say."

"I just want to make sure you're happy, Jason. I never want you to feel uncomfortable. Your pleasure means even more to me than my own."

Jason bent over to give his new dad a hug. "Thanks for being so nice to me, Dad."

"I love you, Son," Jared whispered sincerely.

"Me too." He kissed the red fox on the cheek. "Um, would you like to... Suck on it?"

Jared's tail wagged. "I'd love to! I was hoping you'd ask. Here, why don't you sit in that chair, it'll be easier that way." Jared pointed out a black leather chair in the corner and Jason went over and sat in it. It was smooth and comfy.

Jason trembled in excitement. Jared came over and knelt down between the little fox's spread legs. He leaned over and sniffed Jason's cock. Jason closed his eyes and murred at the soft tickle of Jared's hot breath on his flesh. He gripped the armrests tightly.

Jared stuck out his tongue and gave the penis a long slow lick. Jason arfed loudly. "Oh wow!"

The older fox liked seeing the younger one so happy. He licked the little penis again and again. Jason squirmed in his seat. His bushy white tail wagged behind him. Jared opened wide and slowly took it all in his mouth. He closed his eyes and concentrated wholly on the wonderful taste of boy penis, the warmth of it in his mouth, and the quiet little urgings Jason was giving him. Jared closed his mouth on it with just a bit of firmness.

Jason was going nuts. This was fantastic! Better than he'd ever imagined! He remembered how the trainers at the cubslave place had taught him all about blowjobs, yet they hadn't been allowed to actually give any. Jason and the other kids had had to learn using a rubber mouth that felt nice but was nowhere near as good as the real thing. Jason had seen some of the other kids blowing one another in the bunks after lights-out. He'd wanted to try it too, but had been too shy at the time to ask for one. For a moment, he wished that he had. Then he realized that he was glad Jared was giving him his first one. His new dad was so gentle. Jared was paying a lot of attention to making him feel good.

Jared used one paw to lightly stroke Jason's balls. He also occasionally reached up to tickle the little one's tailhole. Jason cooed in pleasure at that. Jared poked his fingertip around the small hole; not intending to insert it, just teasing it and making it feel good. Meanwhile, his tongue was working its way around the cock in his mouth. It explored every little bit of the tasty pink treat.

His head tilted back all the way, Jason began to softly mumble "I love you" over and over. It made Jared's heart soar to hear it.

Jared let the little penis slip out of his mouth nice and slow, till he had the head between his teeth. He nibbled it a bit. Then he held it in his lips and hummed. Jason let out several loud barks of joy. His pleasure was at its peak.

Jason cried out in pure bliss as he came.

The sweet fox cum poured out into Jared's mouth. He was only too happy to lap it all up. 'He's delicious! I hope he lets me do this all the time!' Jared thought.

Jason was panting and breathing hard. "Wow! Wow, that was... Oh man, that was great! Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome, li'l yiffer. And thank you too! I loved every second of that. You have an extremely handsome and tasty penis!"

Jason laughed. He gave Jared a hug.

Jared scooped the young fox up in his strong arms and carried him over to sit on the big table. "I'm so glad that you trust me, Jason. I've known you only a few hours and already I'm completely in love with you. I want you to stay here with us forever."

Jason smiled like a sunbeam. "I wanna stay here forever too. This is the best family I could ever hope for!" They hugged once again.

"Jason, do you really, really trust me?" Jared asked seriously.

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"Well, I want to make sure now that the Rejuvenation process worked completely. And there's really only one way to do that."

Jason nodded. He knew what Jared meant. "Okay. I understand."

Jared reached over to a long counter. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a shiny clean knife. "I hate this part. Please, *please* tell me if it hurts. It shouldn't, not at all. But if it does, scream out! Knock the knife away! Kick me! Whatever you have to do! The very thought of hurting you just scares me to the bone!"

The red fox was actually trembling! Jason was amazed at how concerned he was. "Geez, it's okay! Don't worry! I'm not afraid, really. I know you won't hurt me. I love you, and I trust you."

Jared took a calming breath. "You are one brave little fox, you know?" He patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, hold out your arm."

Jason stuck his paw out. Jared held his wrist and lowered the small knife closer to his fur. "Now, pain exists for a reason. You know that, right? It's there so your body will know when something's wrong."

Jason nodded.

"Well, you'll still feel pain sometimes now, but only as a warning. Like if something happens to you unexpectedly, it'll hurt to get your attention. But after you notice it, you can usually make it stop just by thinking about it. It's like, you can tell your body, 'Okay, I know! Cut it out!' Also, if you're expecting something to happen to you, and you don't want it to hurt, then it won't. Or it shouldn't, at least."

"This is pretty cool," Jason said. "I can turn my pain off like a switch?"

"Exactly!" said Jared. "Now, the little nanobots are still getting used to you. I'll be honest, it may not work perfectly this time. It may hurt just a bit at first. If it does, just think as hard as you can for it to go away. If it doesn't, you tell me right away and I'll figure out what's wrong."

"Okay, I got it. Just do it. You're starting to make me nervous!" Jason said with a trembly chuckle.

"I'm nervous too, little one. Okay, here goes." Jared touched the thin blade to Jason's skin.

'It's not going to hurt, it's not going to hurt...' Jason repeated in his mind.

Jared pressed down a little harder."Anything yet?"

"Nope. I can feel it. It sorta weird, but it doesn't hurt."

Jared sawed the blade back just a bit. A dot of red peeked out. "Still okay?"

"Nothing. You can keep going."

Feeling a little more confident now that the process had worked, Jared sliced a thin line through the arctic fox's skin. The cut opened cleanly and Jason didn't even flinch.

Jason's eyes were wide open. "That is _cool_! I swear, it didn't hurt a bit!"

"Great! I'm so relieved. Now, can you try to heal it? Just concentrate and think about it closing back up. Eventually it'll do it by itself, but it might need some help the first few times."

"Allright." Jason stared at the little cut and thought about it healing. For just a second, nothing happened. Then suddenly the cut closed like a zipper. It happened faster than he'd expected. There was nothing there now but a thin line of blood. The experience reminded him of a comic book character who could heal himself with his mind. It was cool to think he had his own superpower now!

Jared's tail wagged. "Success! Good for you, Jason!"

Jason grinned ear to ear. "This is the coolest thing ever! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. You can now consider yourself among the very, very few instant healers of the world."

"How many are there?"

"Well, it's pretty much just you and me and the other kids. I assume Leanna also told you that I want to keep this a secret until I decide what to do with it."

"Right."

Jared sighed. "It's a really tough decision, kiddo. How do you choose between what's best for individuals who are hurt and in pain, and what's best for the overall population?"

Jason shrugged. "I dunno. I'm sure you'll think really hard about it and make the right decision though."

Jared ruffled Jason's headfur. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now let's wash that blood off."

Jason walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. He scrubbed his fur with his other paw and was impressed with how perfectly he'd healed. There wasn't a single sign that he'd ever been cut there.

He had a thought then. He looked down at his leg and sifted through the fur to see if that little scar was still there from when he'd wiped out on his bike. It _was_ still there, and that puzzled him. "Hey, how come there's no scar from when you cut me just now, but I still have an old scar from a few years ago?"

"Ah, good question!" Jared said with a smile. "Remember how I said it couldn't completely cure my legs from my accident? The Rejuvenator looks at what your body's like right when you get into it and only fixes what problems are going on right then. It needs to be told to fix older problems, and even then it can only do so much for something a furson's lived with as long as I have with my busted legs. F'rinstance, I had to specifically tell it to regrow your penis. Otherwise it wouldn't have done a thing and you'd still be smooth down there. It's also why Rosie's still having a bit of trouble with her flying; I could only fix so much of her original condition."

"I get it. It's kinda like..." He drew a blank. "Well, I'm not sure what it's like, but I understand it."

Jared grinned. "Sarah's right; you are a smart little fox!"

Jason smiled bashfully. He noticed the water from the faucet was getting a little hot. That made him wonder how hot it could get before it became uncomfortable. He turned the knob all the way up and held his paw under the stream.

"Whatcha doing?" Jared asked.

"I'm seeing how much heat I can stand."

"Rather a lot, I'd imagine. After all, me 'n the kids have all been cooked for dinner before. Being in the oven doesn't hurt a bit."

It was hard for his brain to believe it, but Jason believed it anyway. He could already see steam coming from the water, and he could feel how hot it was, but there was no actual pain. As an experiment, he reached out to touch the water with his other paw. He did this quickly, without thinking about it. "YEEOWCH!" That HAD hurt!

"Are you okay!?" Jared immediately asked.

Jason put the burned finger in his mouth. The pain went away in an instant. "Yeah. I'm fine. You were right about it hurting as a warning!"

"Just make sure to be as careful as you'd be anyways. It'll take a little while for your body to completely get used to the way it is now. Eventually, even the warning pain will hurt less. Your body will realize what things can't hurt you now, and will understand that the pain isn't necessary anymore."

"Okay. Say, how long does it take for me to get used to breathing underwater?"

"It depends. Again; the first time will be the hardest. I suggest that if you're going to try it, you have Leanna right there beside you in case it takes too long or you get scared or something."

"Don't worry, I was planning on having her with me. Real close by," he said with a sly grin.

"Oh, I see! I remember Leanna saying something about you promising to yiff her later. I'm happy to hear that. I think you two will get along great."

"I'm gonna go find her now," Jason said. "Um, thanks again for the great blowjob. I liked it a lot. Maybe we can yiff more later?"

"I hope so. I'm really looking forward to it. If you like, we can sleep in the same bed tonight."

"I think I'd like that." He blushed a little. "I just hope I don't wet it this time!"

Jared grinned foxily. "Oh, I wouldn't mind." They both giggled. Jared gave Jason a little swat on the butt. "Go on, go find Leanna. Have fun. Believe me, yiffing underwater is a whole new experience."

"Okay. See you later, Dad!" Jason gave the red fox another great big hug. "And thanks for doing the rejuvenaty thing on me!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He scritched behind Jason's ear. Jason gave him one more squeeze, then ran off to find his new sister for some yiffy fun.

Jason sat down in the leather chair and sighed. 'What a wonderful little fox,' he thought. 'I'm so happy for him. I just want him to be as happy as can be for all time. I want him to grow up strong, knowing that he's loved by his whole family. I want to be the best dad I can be.'



***
