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Here's the full version of a reworked oldie. It's a very different spin, new therapist, new ending, same poor little puppy. As always, mind the tags.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Heyo, watcherland! Here's the full version of a reworked oldie. It's a very different spin, new therapist, new ending, same poor little puppy. As always, mind the tags.", "writing": "OBLIGATORY CONTENT WARNING: the following story contains DIAPERED CUB MASTURBATION as well as IMPLIED CUB ABUSE. Reader discretion is advised. Consider this your content warning. If this offends you (or may be a trauma trigger) DO NOT READ ON. By reading beyond this point, you accept responsibility for consuming this content because YOU WERE WARNED. For those who I haven’t scared off… enjoy?\n\n\n\nSafety. Sanctuary. Silence.\n\nSome cubs might have come to expect to find these things in their bedroom. Not Chuck. They were still new to him. Sure, Isaac had proved time and time again not to be like his dad. But for how long would that continue to be the case?\n\nAs he laid on his bed in just a pullup, he considered how different things had been. After two years of waiting for what he thought was inevitable, he had tried to touch the cat the way that the pup’s father had touched him, and not only had Isaac not allowed him to do it, but even told him that it wasn’t a thing that adults and cubs should do. More importantly, though, he had taught Chuck something very new about his body.\n\nA blush crept across the border collie’s cheeks as he laid a paw over the groin of his pullup. For a long time he had been wearing these, first to bed, and now during the day. He didn’t use them during the day, of course. When he had to go when he was awake, he used the bathroom. But they were a comfort for him.\n\nHe sighed as he rubbed over his groin. It was still a strange feeling, touching himself. He’d tried doing it a few times since Isaac showed him how, but it still felt safer to do it through his pullup rather than use his paw directly. Maybe that was weird, but he liked it. Besides, it’s not like anyone else would ever find out about it. This was his private space, his private moment with himself.\n\nChuck bit his lip as his rubbing got a little more focused. He tried to just think about the good feelings, but sometimes that was too difficult. Flashes of unpleasant memories could come at any moment, and if they did while he was rubbing, it’d ruin the mood instantly. But he didn’t want that, not today.\n\nThe pup’s paw worked slowly over the front of his padding. His eyes fluttered shut, his breaths speeding up as the warm tingles spread through his body. He bit his lip as a moan threatened to escape. Some days he loved how good this felt. Others he hated it. Today was a love day. A self-love day.\n\nThe feelings built up slowly. In a burst of confidence, he reached his paw down into his diaper, wrapping around his penis. He eased his foreskin back and forth, feeling the movement of his skin slipping along his shaft. He’d let his tip peek out from behind his snoot, then roll it back over.\n\nAs usual, the climax came quickly. Chuck sucked in a breath, his tail wagging as the feelings reached their peak. He trembled on his bed, toes curling as he felt the now-familiar pulsing of his boyhood, the urge to pee, but nothing at all coming out. Part of him wanted to ask Isaac why he didn’t squirt, but that felt far too scary to bring up. Instead he just allowed himself to enjoy it.\n\nA few seconds passed before the feelings became too much. He withdrew his paw and let his arms flop to his sides. It still amazed him how such a simple act could leave him so breathless.\n\nA knock on the door broke him from his post-orgasmic trance.\n\n“Chuck? May I come in?”\n\nIt was his mother.\n\nThe pup frantically leapt from his bed and grabbed his t-shirt and shorts. “J-just a minute, Mommy!” he called. His paws trembled as he dressed. Curse his mother’s timing!\n\nThankfully, his mother was always respectful of his privacy. Once he was dressed, he opened the door.\n\nMommy gave him a strained smile. “Hello, sweetie. Umm… we have a little… outing, to go on.”\n\nChuck nodded. “O-okay,” he said. He wondered what kind of outing Mommy and Isaac had in mind.\n\nThe elder border collie held out her paw to him. “Let’s get going, okay, sweetie?”\n\nThe pup tilted his head and took her paw. “W-where are we going?”\n\nHis mother sighed. “Isaac… wants you to go see a therapist…”\n\n“A what?” Chuck asked.\n\nMommy swallowed. He hadn’t seen her so nervous in a long time. “They’re like a doctor, but for your mind,” she said. “I-Isaac thinks… that a therapist could… h-help with your nightmares…”\n\nHe blinked. A doctor for his mind? Was he broken? He must be broken.\n\nBut doctors were supposed to fix that, right?\n\nThe pup nodded and squeezed his mother’s paw. She hesitated a moment, then walked paw in paw with him downstairs and to the car. He spaced out for the whole trip, fighting a losing battle against that sense of impending doom.\n\n\"We're here.\"\n\nChuck stared out the car window. The clinic wasn't exactly what he was expecting. Before him lay a large brick colonial. An awning held up by doric columns framed the front door. Were it not for the parking lot out front, and the sign reading \"Oakfield Adolescent Development Center,\" it could well have been some rich fur's house.\n\nHe tore his face from the house and looked at his mother. She wore a strained smile, her eyes betraying her own nerves. Isaac, too, gave him a smile from the front seat, showing the confidence that Chuck's mother was incapable of instilling in him.\n\n\"It'll be fine, little guy,\" the cat said, reaching a paw back to pat Chuck's knee. \"I hear the staff here is really nice. I'm sure they'll be able to help you.\"\n\nThat just made Chuck feel worse. He was broken. But this would fix him... right?\n\nThe border collie's ears perked as the front doors opened. He tried to sink back into his seat as the adults got out. He started to whimper as his mother opened the back door of the car and undid his seat belt.\n\n\"Come on, baby,\" she whispered, taking Chuck's paw. \"I know it's scary, but they just want to help you, ok?\"\n\nHe nodded and slowly slipped out of the car. It still felt weird being here. But he was going to trust his mother. She wouldn't make him do this if it was going to hurt him. Heck, even camp, though scary at first, ended up being good in the end. He'd made friends there! His first friends ever! If this was going to help him, then he had to give it a try.\n\nThe pup squeezed his mother's paw as she led him down the walk to the front door, Isaac trailing behind. His mother came to a halt just before the door, and began to tremble.\n\nIsaac sighed and stepped around them, opening the door for the border collies.\n\nChuck squeezed his mother's paw as she led him through the door. Immediately to the right was the reception counter. Behind the window, a doe had a phone pressed to her ear as she typed on a computer and spoke muffled words to the caller. To the left was a large room filled with a number of chairs and tables scattered with magazines. The pup squeezed in close to his mother's side as they waited for the receptionist.\n\nSeconds dragged on like hours as they stood within the clinic. Chuck began to tremble uncontrollably, though he couldn't even put a finger on why. Therapy was supposed to help, right? So it couldn't be bad. Mommy just wanted him to be better. Mommy and Isaac...\n\n\"Sorry for the wait,\" came a female voice. \"Who are you here to see?\"\n\n\"N-no problem,\" Sarah said, her paw unconsciously stroking her son's head. \"W-we're here to see... uh... Isaac, who is he--\"\n\n\"Doctor Snider,\" Isaac said, giving the doe a smile. \"First appointment for Chuck Reid.\"\n\nChuck stared at his footpaws while his mother and her boyfriend handled patient registration. His mind was racing. What if he couldn’t be helped? What if the therapist said he was too broken to fix?\n\nA paw touched his shoulder. He jumped, his heart pounding, until he realized it was just his mom. She squeezed his shoulder, and led him into the waiting room. There was one other family there, a stoat boy hugging an orange pillow and another boy who looked to be a teen himself. The stoat looked vaguely familiar. Was he another student at Chuck’s school? Before the boy had time to really process that, his mom led him to a seat as far from them as possible, and sat down next to him.\n\n\"Relax, hun. It's for the best, trust me,\" Isaac whispered.\n\nChuck wasn't so sure about that. He stared down at his knees, kicking his footpaws. He didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen in the room.\n\nTo try to take his mind off his impending session, Chuck looked around the waiting room. There were a few pieces of art on the walls. A painting of a light house, one of a manor similar to the one which housed the clinic, a big tree-covered landscape. Nothing too interesting. Next his eyes wandered to the tables with magazines. Time, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, a few others Chuck couldn't see the titles of. Probably more for the parents than for the cubs.\n\nA familiar voice greeted his ears. The border collie's head whipped up. He knew that voice! Sure enough, turning to the source, he saw the familiar form of Robbie's mother standing at the entrance to the waiting room.\n\n\"Mrs. Langley!\" Chuck cried, leaping up and running up to the vixen.\n\n\"That's Doctor Langley while we're here,\" she said. She pet the pup's shoulder before extending a paw to the female border collie. \"Nice to see you again, Sarah.\"\n\n\"Y-you,\" Sarah said, standing up and taking the vixen's paw. \"I... I didn't realize you worked here…\"\n\n\"You know each other?\" Isaac asked as he stood.\n\n\"We're acquainted,\" Dr. Langley replied. \"Chuck was at summer camp with my boy earlier this year, and he's been over to our house a few times since. Terry Langley,\" she said, offering a paw to the feline.\n\n\"Isaac,\" the feline replied as he took her paw. \"Isaac Gardner. I'm Sarah's boyfriend.\"\n\n\"Pleased to meet you,\" Terry said, giving Isaac's paw a quick shake. \"But I’m afraid I can’t chat. I’ve got a patient to attend to,\" she said, looking over at the stoat. He slowly got to his feet, his eyes briefly darting to Chuck before looking down at the floor.\n\nChuck’s heart sank as he realized he was so close to his friend’s mom, and yet so far. “C-can’t I see y-y-you, instead?” Chuck stammered.\n\nDr. Langley smiled sadly. “It’d be a conflict of interest, sweetie. We don’t want your therapy sessions to bleed into our relationship at home. But Dr. Snider is a very good friend of mine, and I’m sure she’ll be able to help you just as well as I could.” She turned her attention to the stoat, and led him out of the waiting room.\n\nFoiled. But he didn’t have long to wait for his therapist. As Dr. Langley led the stoat upstairs, a sheep came down. She wore a smart business suit, and a large pair of glasses was perched at the end of her nose. She nodded to Dr. Langley as they passed.\n\n“Hello there,” she said. “You must be young Charles. I’m Dr. Snider.”\n\nA chill ran down Chuck’s spine. He hadn’t been called Charles in years. But how could he tell her that?\n\nThankfully, he didn’t have to. “He prefers Chuck,” Isaac said, before quickly introducing himself and Chuck’s mom.\n\nThe sheep giggled. “My mistake. Now, if you’ll follow me, we can begin our intake appointment.”\n\nChuck felt rooted in place. It was the most scared he’d been since leaving Arizona, even more scared than when he was forced to go to camp. But that hadn’t been so bad, had it?\n\nIsaac offered a paw to the pup. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.”\n\nHis mother touched his shoulder again. He took a breath. Everything inside him was screaming not to touch Isaac. After all, he was only here because the cat insisted. A little voice in the back of his head whispered two words: “remember camp.” That had been scary too, but it worked out for him in the end. He reached up and took Isaac’s paw, and followed the cat and sheep upstairs to her office.\n\nThe sheep's office was quite spacious. A fireplace was set in one wall, with shelves filled with books on either side. On the opposite wall was a couch, as well as a couple plush chairs positioned around a small table with a few toys on it. A massive desk overlooked the room from the far end, with a large wingback chair behind it. The desk housed the sheep's laptop computer, as well as a spread of paperwork and a few more toys and a few ornaments.\n\n\"Have a seat anywhere you like,\" Dr. Snider said, motioning around the room.\n\nSarah took her son's paw and led him to the couch. She seated herself in the middle, and sat Chuck at her right. Isaac followed her and sat down at the female border collie's left.\n\nThe sheep seated herself on one of the chairs opposite the family and grabbed an iPad from her desk. “Now then, from our phone call I understand that your son has issues with nightmares and frequent bed wetting.”\n\nWhen no one else spoke up, Isaac did. “That’s one of the big issues, yes. He wakes up screaming two, three, sometimes four nights a week, sheets soaked. He’s also… very shy, scares easily… he’s even, umm…”\n\nOh no. He wasn’t going to tell her about THAT, was he?! Chuck started whimpering. He hadn’t told anyone about that.\n\n“It may be difficult to talk about his behaviors, but it’s important for me to know so I can have a fuller picture,” Dr. Snider said. “I can only do so much for your son without knowing what his struggles are.”\n\n“Oh, uh, he's not my son,” Isaac said. “Not biologically, at least,” he added. “I mean, he's Sarah's, obviously, and I suppose Sarah and I are... kind of an item? But I wouldn't exactly call myself a father figure for him. I’d like to be, though.” He sighed. Chuck could see that he was uncomfortable, too. “But… well, a few weeks ago, he tried to, umm… touch my penis. He said something about having an expectation of performing oral sex on a male after wetting the bed. That CAN’T be normal.”\n\nThe sheep wrote something in her iPad. “No, that’s not a normal adolescent behavior.” She looked at the pup’s mother. “Ms. Reid, this is very important. But to your knowledge, was young Chuck here ever sexually abused?”\n\nHis mother began shaking. Even she was scared to say anything. Chuck hugged his tail.\n\n“Sarah… was he?” Isaac said.\n\n“You don’t have to disclose who did,” Dr. Snider said. “But if his abuser still has access to him, I will have to report it, for his protection.”\n\nThe pup gritted his teeth and stared at his knees. He knew the answer to that question, but there was no way he could say it. It would destroy everything.\n\n“I-I don’t know,” Sarah said.\n\n“Alright,” Dr. Snider said. “Are there any other behaviors of concern?”\n\nChuck closed his eyes. He could feel all of the adults’ eyes on him.\n\n“Those are the major concerns,” Isaac said.\n\nThey went through a brief medical history (Chuck was born a few weeks premature, needed a couple of surgeries, hit most of his developmental milestones on the late end of normal), siblings (none), relationship with mother (close). At the father relationship, tension arose.\n\n\"Ch-chuck's father was...\" Sarah began. \"He... he wasn't a good male,\" she whispered.\n\nThe sheep made a few notes on her iPad. “I understand that it may be difficult to talk about your ex, but we may need to dig into this relationship. It needn’t be today. Do you know anything about him, Mr. Gardner?”\n\n\"Afraid I can't help you there,\" the feline replied, and he put an arm around Sarah's shoulders. \"All I know is that she showed up at my doorstep a little over two years ago with a couple of suitcases and her son in tow. I wasn’t about to turn away an old friend, or her pup.\"\n\n“I see,” she said, and made a few more notes in her iPad. \"Mr. Gardner, how would you characterize your relationship with Chuck?\"\n\nThe feline rubbed his chin as he considered the question. \"Distant,\" he said. \"He's a very shy boy. We haven't really been able to connect, you know? I'd like to be able to build a relationship with him, but he's just so... closed off.\"\n\nHe sounded sad. That seemed strange. Sure, Isaac had been taking care of him, but he really didn’t have to. Why would he be sad about not having a close relationship with a pup as broken as him? He thought back to seeing some of his friends with their parents. The laughter, the hugs, the joy. But Chuck didn’t deserve any of that, so why would it bother Isaac that he wasn’t sharing that with him?\n\n“Well, that’s something we can work on,” Dr. Snider said. “I think a combination of individual and family therapy would be in order. We can alternate week to week doing individual work with me, and family work with you, Mr. Gardner.”\n\nChuck’s ears perked. Family therapy?\n\nIt was like Isaac read his mind. “And how would that work, exactly?” he asked.\n\nDr. Snider laid her iPad down in her lap. “We would start with some bonding exercises, work on building up trust between you two in a safe setting. There will be homework for you, as well, but it’s important for you to give Chuck space and build trust at his own pace.” She took a breath before continuing. “From your description, and simply watching Chuck, I can surmise that he either suffers from an anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.”\n\n“Post-traumatic stress disorder?” Isaac said. “Sarah, what the hell happened before you moved up here?”\n\nHis mom was silent. Chuck squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to think about the past. Deep down he wished he could just disappear. Then he wouldn’t have to be such a burden to his mom and Isaac.\n\nHe could hear the therapist talking, but the words were no longer able to sink into Chuck’s consciousness. His body was still here, but his mind wasn’t. He was shutting it off, just like back in Arizona. \n\n“Chuck? Can you hear me?”\n\nThe pup started. The doctor was talking to him. “Huh?”\n\nThe sheep smiled kindly at him. “Chuck, I have a bit of homework I’d like you to do, if you can manage it.”\n\nChuck tilted his head. “W-what kind of homework?”\n\nDr. Snider leaned in just a little. “If you can, I’d like you to start keeping a dream diary. When you wake up in the morning, I’d like you to write down as much as you can remember about your dreams. You don’t have to share it with me yet, but I’d like you to start now.”\n\n“W-why?” Chuck asked.\n\n“Just so we can start to track what’s going on in your head,” Dr. Snider said. “If it’s too hard, don’t force it, but I’d like you to try. Can you do that?”\n\nThe pup whimpered softly. “I-I guess,” he muttered.\n\n“Thank you,” Dr. Snider said. She turned her attention to his mom and Isaac. “I will need you to promise not to read his diary, if he keeps one. It’s vital that he have a sense of privacy and a safe space to explore his feelings on his own terms.”\n\nIsaac glanced at Chuck, then turned back to the therapist. “Of course we’ll respect his privacy. Right, Sarah?”\n\nHis mother was quiet.\n\n“Ms. Reid?” Dr. Snider said.\n\n“R-right,” she said. “P-privacy.”\n\nThe doctor was quiet a moment. “Do you see a therapist, Ms. Reid?”\n\nThat got Chuck to look at his mom. She seemed horrified. “N-no,” she said.\n\n“It may do you some good, as well,” Dr. Snider said. “I can recommend a few colleagues who work with adults.”\n\n“N-no, I’m f-fine,” Sarah said. “I don’t need…”\n\nIsaac took her paw. “Sarah… please… I can’t raise Chuck alone. I need help, and he clearly trusts you more than me. I need you to be your best, if not for me, than for your son. Will you at least think about it?”\n\nSarah sighed. “Maybe,” she muttered.\n\nChuck’s ears lowered. His mom didn’t want to go to therapy, either, so why should he? Clearly he was too broken.\n\nHe tuned out again as his mom and Isaac talked to the therapist. This whole thing felt like a waste of time and effort. He wasn’t worth it.\n\nIn what felt like no time at all, they were back in the car, driving home. No one spoke. It felt weird. Usually Isaac and Mom at least tried to talk.\n\nWhen they got home, Chuck went right to his bedroom. He didn’t want to think about therapy, or anything at all. He closed his door behind him and curled up in bed.\n\nEverything felt so awful. It was like he was wrapped in a blanket of darkness. In that moment he would’ve given anything to just disappear. Why did he have to be like this?\n\nA knock at the door broke him out of his brooding.\n\n“Chuck? May I come in?” It was Isaac.\n\nChuck didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His mouth was locked up tight. Words were impossible.\n\n“Okay,” Isaac said. “I hope you can hear me. I just… want you to know that I love you, okay? This isn’t a punishment. I just want you to be well. I don’t know what happened to you before you moved here. Maybe I never will. But I want you to know that you’re safe here.” He paused.\n\n“And whatever happened to you before you were here… it wasn’t your fault,” Isaac said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Even what happened a few weeks ago. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not mad. I just want you to be okay.”\n\nOh gods. He’d never get to not think about that, would he? He was bad. He messed up. It was all so confusing. His dad made it seem like he was supposed to suck his penis, but here was Isaac saying the opposite.\n\nAnd telling him it wasn’t his fault. Isaac couldn’t mean that, could he?\n\n“I’ll give you some space,” Isaac said. “Just… please know that I love you. And that you can talk to me about anything. I promise I won’t get mad. And I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.” He was quiet for a moment. “I love you, Chuck.”\n\nThat was weird, too. His mom said that she loved him all the time, at least usually. But he’d never heard that from a male. It seemed strange. Though if he could love his mom, then why couldn’t Isaac love him?\n\nBut that didn’t make sense either. He was broken, useless, a bad boy. Why would Isaac love him?\n\nUnless… unless his dad was wrong.\n\nChuck whimpered softly as his dad’s voice whispered from the back of his head. ‘Useless pussy faggot. Fucking bedwetting baby.’\n\nHe pushed the voice away. No. That wasn’t true. He had friends now, Robbie and Martin, and some of their friends even seemed to like him, too. And Isaac took care of him in ways his dad never did.\n\nSo maybe… maybe that wasn’t what fathers usually did. He thought about his visits with Robbie. Just the fact that Robbie was allowed to have friends over felt strange. Chuck had never had a friend over to play. Though to be fair, he hadn’t really had a friend before, either. Monday at school, he’d have to talk to the fox. Maybe that would help clarify some things.\n\nTwo rough sleeps gave way to Monday morning, and a return to school. As per the usual, Mom drove him to school. \n\n“Chuckie, sweetie… my work schedule’s going to be changing soon,” his mom said.\n\nThe pup perked his ears. “O-okay?”\n\n“I’m… getting a new job, and it’ll need me during the day… s-so I won’t be able to pick you up from school.”\n\nHis eyes widened. “Does that m-mean…”\n\n“You’ll be taking the bus to school, starting Wednesday,” his mother said.\n\n“Oh…” Well, at least it meant he wouldn’t have to be alone with Isaac. He still didn’t trust the cat.\n\nChuck gritted his teeth as he slipped out of the car. Already there were lots of cubs flowing into the building, an almost overwhelming number. Mom always dropped him off after the buses, so he knew that Robbie would already be there. He just had to find him.\n\nThe first month of school had been rough. Lots of second glances and snickers. He was the shortest boy in any of his classes, and a few cubs had teased him about being a baby, at least until Martin started standing up for him. Now he was just invisible. Frankly, he preferred it that way.\n\nThankfully, Robbie was still at his locker, talking to Martin. As he approached, the wolf broke off the conversation to raise a paw in greeting.\n\n“Hey, little buddy!” Martin said.\n\nThe pup blushed. It felt weird every time Martin called him that. He still wasn’t sure if he minded it.\n\nThe fox rolled his eyes at Martin, then turned to the border collie. “Hey Chuck.”\n\n“H-hi,” Chuck muttered. “R-Robbie? C-c-can I ask you s-something?”\n\nRobbie raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”\n\nThe pup squirmed. “C-can we, umm… c-can we talk at recess? J-just us?”\n\nHis friend glanced back at the wolf. Martin nodded. “Yeah, sure,” Robbie said. “Something up?”\n\n“J-just wanna, umm… t-talk… p-privately,” Chuck whispered.\n\nThe fox smiled. “You got it, Chuck.”\n\nHe nodded and slipped off as quickly as he could. Not that he could get away from Martin - they were in the same class, after all - but it was hard enough to ask Robbie for a private talk. He didn’t want to get into another conversation.\n\nAn otherwise normal school day commenced. History held his attention solely by virtue of the teacher, but he spaced out through math and Spanish class. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but it seemed like Martin was sneaking lots of glances at him. That seemed odd.\n\nAt long last, they got to lunch. As usual, he sat at a table with Robbie, Martin, and the girls… Becky and Tanya. He sat next to the bat girl, a change from his usual attempt to sandwich between Robbie and Martin. \n\nHe’d noticed that Tanya was way quieter than the others. While Martin and Becky were chatterboxes, and even Robbie could get really into it on certain topics, Tanya almost never spoke unless she was spoken to, just like him. Sometimes he thought about trying to talk to her, but he could never think of anything to say. Maybe he’d try sometime.\n\nButterflies formed in his stomach as the bell rang for recess. He and his friends joined the crush of student heading out to the school yard. Martin ran, as usual. Surprisingly, so did Becky, the rabbit dragging Tanya along with her. And Robbie… Robbie held back, walking with Chuck out onto the school yard. They found a quiet corner and sat down.\n\n“So, what’s up, Chuck?” Robbie asked.\n\nChuck squirmed a little. “Umm… I-I was wondering, umm… w-what kinda stuff… y-you and your dad do…”\n\nThe fox shrugged. “Uh… I guess normal dad cub stuff? Like, he’ll help me with my homework, take me out places like museums and stuff. Sometimes we’ll play video games together, which is kinda cool.”\n\nHuh. That was way different from his dad. It sounded a lot more like Isaac. But he had to be sure. “S-so… h-he doesn’t, um… m-make you d-do things you… d-don’t wanna do?”\n\nRobbie chuckled. “Not unless you count making me eat my vegetables or go play outside.”\n\nSo nothing about that. Unless he was just hiding it, which he wouldn’t blame the fox for. He wouldn’t want to talk about it either. But Robbie seemed so much happier and more open. So maybe…\n\nThe pup took a breath. “A-and he doesn’t… h-hurt you?”\n\nHis friend turned to face him. “What? Of course not,” he said. “Chuck, why are you asking me all this?”\n\nChuck squeaked and blushed. He’d gone too far. “N-no reason,” he said, looking away.\n\nRobbie grabbed his paw. “Chuck… is your dad hurting you?”\n\nOh no. Robbie might think he was talking about Isaac. “N-no,” he said quickly. “Isaac’s n-nice… he’s… way different from…”\n\n“From who?” Robbie asked.\n\nHe’d said too much. As far as Robbie knew, Isaac was his dad, and the pup kinda liked it that way. But now he had to say more. “From my real dad…”\n\n“Oh, you mean your cat dad isn’t your father?”\n\nChuck shook his head. “N-no…”\n\nThe fox was quiet for a minute. “What was your real dad like?”\n\nEven though he knew the question was coming, it still stung. He didn’t want to think about that. “I d-don’t… w-w-wanna t-talk about it,” he muttered.\n\nHe said too much. Robbie knew he was broken now. Why else would his dad have done those things? Trying to talk to Robbie about it was a bad idea.\n\nRobbie squeezed his paw. “You don’t have to tell me what he did. But… well, like I said, my dad’s never hurt me. Not intentionally.”\n\n“I deserved it,” Chuck muttered.\n\n“What? What makes you think that?” Robbie asked.\n\nChuck sighed. He had already dug himself into this hole. What difference did it make? “I wet the bed… a lot…”\n\n“For that? No way,” Robbie said. He glanced around to make sure there weren’t any other cubs nearby, then leaned in. “I wet the bed until I was nine, but my parents never hurt me because of it. We’d just change the sheets, wash the wet bedding and pajamas, and that was that.”\n\nThe pup was silent. That was… exactly what Isaac did. And Robbie was still sitting there, not judging him, not making fun of him like the other cubs at his old school back in Arizona did. Nothing was adding up. But maybe… maybe Robbie’s dad was the normal one, and Isaac just wanted to be like that. He still wasn’t sure, but there was only one way to find out.\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "OBLIGATORY CONTENT WARNING: the following story contains DIAPERED CUB MASTURBATION as well as IMPLIED CUB ABUSE. Reader discretion is advised. Consider this your content warning. If this offends you (or may be a trauma trigger) DO NOT READ ON. By reading beyond this point, you accept responsibility for consuming this content because YOU WERE WARNED. For those who I haven’t scared off… enjoy?



Safety. Sanctuary. Silence.

Some cubs might have come to expect to find these things in their bedroom. Not Chuck. They were still new to him. Sure, Isaac had proved time and time again not to be like his dad. But for how long would that continue to be the case?

As he laid on his bed in just a pullup, he considered how different things had been. After two years of waiting for what he thought was inevitable, he had tried to touch the cat the way that the pup’s father had touched him, and not only had Isaac not allowed him to do it, but even told him that it wasn’t a thing that adults and cubs should do. More importantly, though, he had taught Chuck something very new about his body.

A blush crept across the border collie’s cheeks as he laid a paw over the groin of his pullup. For a long time he had been wearing these, first to bed, and now during the day. He didn’t use them during the day, of course. When he had to go when he was awake, he used the bathroom. But they were a comfort for him.

He sighed as he rubbed over his groin. It was still a strange feeling, touching himself. He’d tried doing it a few times since Isaac showed him how, but it still felt safer to do it through his pullup rather than use his paw directly. Maybe that was weird, but he liked it. Besides, it’s not like anyone else would ever find out about it. This was his private space, his private moment with himself.

Chuck bit his lip as his rubbing got a little more focused. He tried to just think about the good feelings, but sometimes that was too difficult. Flashes of unpleasant memories could come at any moment, and if they did while he was rubbing, it’d ruin the mood instantly. But he didn’t want that, not today.

The pup’s paw worked slowly over the front of his padding. His eyes fluttered shut, his breaths speeding up as the warm tingles spread through his body. He bit his lip as a moan threatened to escape. Some days he loved how good this felt. Others he hated it. Today was a love day. A self-love day.

The feelings built up slowly. In a burst of confidence, he reached his paw down into his diaper, wrapping around his penis. He eased his foreskin back and forth, feeling the movement of his skin slipping along his shaft. He’d let his tip peek out from behind his snoot, then roll it back over.

As usual, the climax came quickly. Chuck sucked in a breath, his tail wagging as the feelings reached their peak. He trembled on his bed, toes curling as he felt the now-familiar pulsing of his boyhood, the urge to pee, but nothing at all coming out. Part of him wanted to ask Isaac why he didn’t squirt, but that felt far too scary to bring up. Instead he just allowed himself to enjoy it.

A few seconds passed before the feelings became too much. He withdrew his paw and let his arms flop to his sides. It still amazed him how such a simple act could leave him so breathless.

A knock on the door broke him from his post-orgasmic trance.

“Chuck? May I come in?”

It was his mother.

The pup frantically leapt from his bed and grabbed his t-shirt and shorts. “J-just a minute, Mommy!” he called. His paws trembled as he dressed. Curse his mother’s timing!

Thankfully, his mother was always respectful of his privacy. Once he was dressed, he opened the door.

Mommy gave him a strained smile. “Hello, sweetie. Umm… we have a little… outing, to go on.”

Chuck nodded. “O-okay,” he said. He wondered what kind of outing Mommy and Isaac had in mind.

The elder border collie held out her paw to him. “Let’s get going, okay, sweetie?”

The pup tilted his head and took her paw. “W-where are we going?”

His mother sighed. “Isaac… wants you to go see a therapist…”

“A what?” Chuck asked.

Mommy swallowed. He hadn’t seen her so nervous in a long time. “They’re like a doctor, but for your mind,” she said. “I-Isaac thinks… that a therapist could… h-help with your nightmares…”

He blinked. A doctor for his mind? Was he broken? He must be broken.

But doctors were supposed to fix that, right?

The pup nodded and squeezed his mother’s paw. She hesitated a moment, then walked paw in paw with him downstairs and to the car. He spaced out for the whole trip, fighting a losing battle against that sense of impending doom.

"We're here."

Chuck stared out the car window. The clinic wasn't exactly what he was expecting. Before him lay a large brick colonial. An awning held up by doric columns framed the front door. Were it not for the parking lot out front, and the sign reading "Oakfield Adolescent Development Center," it could well have been some rich fur's house.

He tore his face from the house and looked at his mother. She wore a strained smile, her eyes betraying her own nerves. Isaac, too, gave him a smile from the front seat, showing the confidence that Chuck's mother was incapable of instilling in him.

"It'll be fine, little guy," the cat said, reaching a paw back to pat Chuck's knee. "I hear the staff here is really nice. I'm sure they'll be able to help you."

That just made Chuck feel worse. He was broken. But this would fix him... right?

The border collie's ears perked as the front doors opened. He tried to sink back into his seat as the adults got out. He started to whimper as his mother opened the back door of the car and undid his seat belt.

"Come on, baby," she whispered, taking Chuck's paw. "I know it's scary, but they just want to help you, ok?"

He nodded and slowly slipped out of the car. It still felt weird being here. But he was going to trust his mother. She wouldn't make him do this if it was going to hurt him. Heck, even camp, though scary at first, ended up being good in the end. He'd made friends there! His first friends ever! If this was going to help him, then he had to give it a try.

The pup squeezed his mother's paw as she led him down the walk to the front door, Isaac trailing behind. His mother came to a halt just before the door, and began to tremble.

Isaac sighed and stepped around them, opening the door for the border collies.

Chuck squeezed his mother's paw as she led him through the door. Immediately to the right was the reception counter. Behind the window, a doe had a phone pressed to her ear as she typed on a computer and spoke muffled words to the caller. To the left was a large room filled with a number of chairs and tables scattered with magazines. The pup squeezed in close to his mother's side as they waited for the receptionist.

Seconds dragged on like hours as they stood within the clinic. Chuck began to tremble uncontrollably, though he couldn't even put a finger on why. Therapy was supposed to help, right? So it couldn't be bad. Mommy just wanted him to be better. Mommy and Isaac...

"Sorry for the wait," came a female voice. "Who are you here to see?"

"N-no problem," Sarah said, her paw unconsciously stroking her son's head. "W-we're here to see... uh... Isaac, who is he--"

"Doctor Snider," Isaac said, giving the doe a smile. "First appointment for Chuck Reid."

Chuck stared at his footpaws while his mother and her boyfriend handled patient registration. His mind was racing. What if he couldn’t be helped? What if the therapist said he was too broken to fix?

A paw touched his shoulder. He jumped, his heart pounding, until he realized it was just his mom. She squeezed his shoulder, and led him into the waiting room. There was one other family there, a stoat boy hugging an orange pillow and another boy who looked to be a teen himself. The stoat looked vaguely familiar. Was he another student at Chuck’s school? Before the boy had time to really process that, his mom led him to a seat as far from them as possible, and sat down next to him.

"Relax, hun. It's for the best, trust me," Isaac whispered.

Chuck wasn't so sure about that. He stared down at his knees, kicking his footpaws. He didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen in the room.

To try to take his mind off his impending session, Chuck looked around the waiting room. There were a few pieces of art on the walls. A painting of a light house, one of a manor similar to the one which housed the clinic, a big tree-covered landscape. Nothing too interesting. Next his eyes wandered to the tables with magazines. Time, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, a few others Chuck couldn't see the titles of. Probably more for the parents than for the cubs.

A familiar voice greeted his ears. The border collie's head whipped up. He knew that voice! Sure enough, turning to the source, he saw the familiar form of Robbie's mother standing at the entrance to the waiting room.

"Mrs. Langley!" Chuck cried, leaping up and running up to the vixen.

"That's Doctor Langley while we're here," she said. She pet the pup's shoulder before extending a paw to the female border collie. "Nice to see you again, Sarah."

"Y-you," Sarah said, standing up and taking the vixen's paw. "I... I didn't realize you worked here…"

"You know each other?" Isaac asked as he stood.

"We're acquainted," Dr. Langley replied. "Chuck was at summer camp with my boy earlier this year, and he's been over to our house a few times since. Terry Langley," she said, offering a paw to the feline.

"Isaac," the feline replied as he took her paw. "Isaac Gardner. I'm Sarah's boyfriend."

"Pleased to meet you," Terry said, giving Isaac's paw a quick shake. "But I’m afraid I can’t chat. I’ve got a patient to attend to," she said, looking over at the stoat. He slowly got to his feet, his eyes briefly darting to Chuck before looking down at the floor.

Chuck’s heart sank as he realized he was so close to his friend’s mom, and yet so far. “C-can’t I see y-y-you, instead?” Chuck stammered.

Dr. Langley smiled sadly. “It’d be a conflict of interest, sweetie. We don’t want your therapy sessions to bleed into our relationship at home. But Dr. Snider is a very good friend of mine, and I’m sure she’ll be able to help you just as well as I could.” She turned her attention to the stoat, and led him out of the waiting room.

Foiled. But he didn’t have long to wait for his therapist. As Dr. Langley led the stoat upstairs, a sheep came down. She wore a smart business suit, and a large pair of glasses was perched at the end of her nose. She nodded to Dr. Langley as they passed.

“Hello there,” she said. “You must be young Charles. I’m Dr. Snider.”

A chill ran down Chuck’s spine. He hadn’t been called Charles in years. But how could he tell her that?

Thankfully, he didn’t have to. “He prefers Chuck,” Isaac said, before quickly introducing himself and Chuck’s mom.

The sheep giggled. “My mistake. Now, if you’ll follow me, we can begin our intake appointment.”

Chuck felt rooted in place. It was the most scared he’d been since leaving Arizona, even more scared than when he was forced to go to camp. But that hadn’t been so bad, had it?

Isaac offered a paw to the pup. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.”

His mother touched his shoulder again. He took a breath. Everything inside him was screaming not to touch Isaac. After all, he was only here because the cat insisted. A little voice in the back of his head whispered two words: “remember camp.” That had been scary too, but it worked out for him in the end. He reached up and took Isaac’s paw, and followed the cat and sheep upstairs to her office.

The sheep's office was quite spacious. A fireplace was set in one wall, with shelves filled with books on either side. On the opposite wall was a couch, as well as a couple plush chairs positioned around a small table with a few toys on it. A massive desk overlooked the room from the far end, with a large wingback chair behind it. The desk housed the sheep's laptop computer, as well as a spread of paperwork and a few more toys and a few ornaments.

"Have a seat anywhere you like," Dr. Snider said, motioning around the room.

Sarah took her son's paw and led him to the couch. She seated herself in the middle, and sat Chuck at her right. Isaac followed her and sat down at the female border collie's left.

The sheep seated herself on one of the chairs opposite the family and grabbed an iPad from her desk. “Now then, from our phone call I understand that your son has issues with nightmares and frequent bed wetting.”

When no one else spoke up, Isaac did. “That’s one of the big issues, yes. He wakes up screaming two, three, sometimes four nights a week, sheets soaked. He’s also… very shy, scares easily… he’s even, umm…”

Oh no. He wasn’t going to tell her about THAT, was he?! Chuck started whimpering. He hadn’t told anyone about that.

“It may be difficult to talk about his behaviors, but it’s important for me to know so I can have a fuller picture,” Dr. Snider said. “I can only do so much for your son without knowing what his struggles are.”

“Oh, uh, he's not my son,” Isaac said. “Not biologically, at least,” he added. “I mean, he's Sarah's, obviously, and I suppose Sarah and I are... kind of an item? But I wouldn't exactly call myself a father figure for him. I’d like to be, though.” He sighed. Chuck could see that he was uncomfortable, too. “But… well, a few weeks ago, he tried to, umm… touch my penis. He said something about having an expectation of performing oral sex on a male after wetting the bed. That CAN’T be normal.”

The sheep wrote something in her iPad. “No, that’s not a normal adolescent behavior.” She looked at the pup’s mother. “Ms. Reid, this is very important. But to your knowledge, was young Chuck here ever sexually abused?”

His mother began shaking. Even she was scared to say anything. Chuck hugged his tail.

“Sarah… was he?” Isaac said.

“You don’t have to disclose who did,” Dr. Snider said. “But if his abuser still has access to him, I will have to report it, for his protection.”

The pup gritted his teeth and stared at his knees. He knew the answer to that question, but there was no way he could say it. It would destroy everything.

“I-I don’t know,” Sarah said.

“Alright,” Dr. Snider said. “Are there any other behaviors of concern?”

Chuck closed his eyes. He could feel all of the adults’ eyes on him.

“Those are the major concerns,” Isaac said.

They went through a brief medical history (Chuck was born a few weeks premature, needed a couple of surgeries, hit most of his developmental milestones on the late end of normal), siblings (none), relationship with mother (close). At the father relationship, tension arose.

"Ch-chuck's father was..." Sarah began. "He... he wasn't a good male," she whispered.

The sheep made a few notes on her iPad. “I understand that it may be difficult to talk about your ex, but we may need to dig into this relationship. It needn’t be today. Do you know anything about him, Mr. Gardner?”

"Afraid I can't help you there," the feline replied, and he put an arm around Sarah's shoulders. "All I know is that she showed up at my doorstep a little over two years ago with a couple of suitcases and her son in tow. I wasn’t about to turn away an old friend, or her pup."

“I see,” she said, and made a few more notes in her iPad. "Mr. Gardner, how would you characterize your relationship with Chuck?"

The feline rubbed his chin as he considered the question. "Distant," he said. "He's a very shy boy. We haven't really been able to connect, you know? I'd like to be able to build a relationship with him, but he's just so... closed off."

He sounded sad. That seemed strange. Sure, Isaac had been taking care of him, but he really didn’t have to. Why would he be sad about not having a close relationship with a pup as broken as him? He thought back to seeing some of his friends with their parents. The laughter, the hugs, the joy. But Chuck didn’t deserve any of that, so why would it bother Isaac that he wasn’t sharing that with him?

“Well, that’s something we can work on,” Dr. Snider said. “I think a combination of individual and family therapy would be in order. We can alternate week to week doing individual work with me, and family work with you, Mr. Gardner.”

Chuck’s ears perked. Family therapy?

It was like Isaac read his mind. “And how would that work, exactly?” he asked.

Dr. Snider laid her iPad down in her lap. “We would start with some bonding exercises, work on building up trust between you two in a safe setting. There will be homework for you, as well, but it’s important for you to give Chuck space and build trust at his own pace.” She took a breath before continuing. “From your description, and simply watching Chuck, I can surmise that he either suffers from an anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“Post-traumatic stress disorder?” Isaac said. “Sarah, what the hell happened before you moved up here?”

His mom was silent. Chuck squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to think about the past. Deep down he wished he could just disappear. Then he wouldn’t have to be such a burden to his mom and Isaac.

He could hear the therapist talking, but the words were no longer able to sink into Chuck’s consciousness. His body was still here, but his mind wasn’t. He was shutting it off, just like back in Arizona.

“Chuck? Can you hear me?”

The pup started. The doctor was talking to him. “Huh?”

The sheep smiled kindly at him. “Chuck, I have a bit of homework I’d like you to do, if you can manage it.”

Chuck tilted his head. “W-what kind of homework?”

Dr. Snider leaned in just a little. “If you can, I’d like you to start keeping a dream diary. When you wake up in the morning, I’d like you to write down as much as you can remember about your dreams. You don’t have to share it with me yet, but I’d like you to start now.”

“W-why?” Chuck asked.

“Just so we can start to track what’s going on in your head,” Dr. Snider said. “If it’s too hard, don’t force it, but I’d like you to try. Can you do that?”

The pup whimpered softly. “I-I guess,” he muttered.

“Thank you,” Dr. Snider said. She turned her attention to his mom and Isaac. “I will need you to promise not to read his diary, if he keeps one. It’s vital that he have a sense of privacy and a safe space to explore his feelings on his own terms.”

Isaac glanced at Chuck, then turned back to the therapist. “Of course we’ll respect his privacy. Right, Sarah?”

His mother was quiet.

“Ms. Reid?” Dr. Snider said.

“R-right,” she said. “P-privacy.”

The doctor was quiet a moment. “Do you see a therapist, Ms. Reid?”

That got Chuck to look at his mom. She seemed horrified. “N-no,” she said.

“It may do you some good, as well,” Dr. Snider said. “I can recommend a few colleagues who work with adults.”

“N-no, I’m f-fine,” Sarah said. “I don’t need…”

Isaac took her paw. “Sarah… please… I can’t raise Chuck alone. I need help, and he clearly trusts you more than me. I need you to be your best, if not for me, than for your son. Will you at least think about it?”

Sarah sighed. “Maybe,” she muttered.

Chuck’s ears lowered. His mom didn’t want to go to therapy, either, so why should he? Clearly he was too broken.

He tuned out again as his mom and Isaac talked to the therapist. This whole thing felt like a waste of time and effort. He wasn’t worth it.

In what felt like no time at all, they were back in the car, driving home. No one spoke. It felt weird. Usually Isaac and Mom at least tried to talk.

When they got home, Chuck went right to his bedroom. He didn’t want to think about therapy, or anything at all. He closed his door behind him and curled up in bed.

Everything felt so awful. It was like he was wrapped in a blanket of darkness. In that moment he would’ve given anything to just disappear. Why did he have to be like this?

A knock at the door broke him out of his brooding.

“Chuck? May I come in?” It was Isaac.

Chuck didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His mouth was locked up tight. Words were impossible.

“Okay,” Isaac said. “I hope you can hear me. I just… want you to know that I love you, okay? This isn’t a punishment. I just want you to be well. I don’t know what happened to you before you moved here. Maybe I never will. But I want you to know that you’re safe here.” He paused.

“And whatever happened to you before you were here… it wasn’t your fault,” Isaac said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Even what happened a few weeks ago. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not mad. I just want you to be okay.”

Oh gods. He’d never get to not think about that, would he? He was bad. He messed up. It was all so confusing. His dad made it seem like he was supposed to suck his penis, but here was Isaac saying the opposite.

And telling him it wasn’t his fault. Isaac couldn’t mean that, could he?

“I’ll give you some space,” Isaac said. “Just… please know that I love you. And that you can talk to me about anything. I promise I won’t get mad. And I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.” He was quiet for a moment. “I love you, Chuck.”

That was weird, too. His mom said that she loved him all the time, at least usually. But he’d never heard that from a male. It seemed strange. Though if he could love his mom, then why couldn’t Isaac love him?

But that didn’t make sense either. He was broken, useless, a bad boy. Why would Isaac love him?

Unless… unless his dad was wrong.

Chuck whimpered softly as his dad’s voice whispered from the back of his head. ‘Useless pussy faggot. Fucking bedwetting baby.’

He pushed the voice away. No. That wasn’t true. He had friends now, Robbie and Martin, and some of their friends even seemed to like him, too. And Isaac took care of him in ways his dad never did.

So maybe… maybe that wasn’t what fathers usually did. He thought about his visits with Robbie. Just the fact that Robbie was allowed to have friends over felt strange. Chuck had never had a friend over to play. Though to be fair, he hadn’t really had a friend before, either. Monday at school, he’d have to talk to the fox. Maybe that would help clarify some things.

Two rough sleeps gave way to Monday morning, and a return to school. As per the usual, Mom drove him to school.

“Chuckie, sweetie… my work schedule’s going to be changing soon,” his mom said.

The pup perked his ears. “O-okay?”

“I’m… getting a new job, and it’ll need me during the day… s-so I won’t be able to pick you up from school.”

His eyes widened. “Does that m-mean…”

“You’ll be taking the bus to school, starting Wednesday,” his mother said.

“Oh…” Well, at least it meant he wouldn’t have to be alone with Isaac. He still didn’t trust the cat.

Chuck gritted his teeth as he slipped out of the car. Already there were lots of cubs flowing into the building, an almost overwhelming number. Mom always dropped him off after the buses, so he knew that Robbie would already be there. He just had to find him.

The first month of school had been rough. Lots of second glances and snickers. He was the shortest boy in any of his classes, and a few cubs had teased him about being a baby, at least until Martin started standing up for him. Now he was just invisible. Frankly, he preferred it that way.

Thankfully, Robbie was still at his locker, talking to Martin. As he approached, the wolf broke off the conversation to raise a paw in greeting.

“Hey, little buddy!” Martin said.

The pup blushed. It felt weird every time Martin called him that. He still wasn’t sure if he minded it.

The fox rolled his eyes at Martin, then turned to the border collie. “Hey Chuck.”

“H-hi,” Chuck muttered. “R-Robbie? C-c-can I ask you s-something?”

Robbie raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

The pup squirmed. “C-can we, umm… c-can we talk at recess? J-just us?”

His friend glanced back at the wolf. Martin nodded. “Yeah, sure,” Robbie said. “Something up?”

“J-just wanna, umm… t-talk… p-privately,” Chuck whispered.

The fox smiled. “You got it, Chuck.”

He nodded and slipped off as quickly as he could. Not that he could get away from Martin - they were in the same class, after all - but it was hard enough to ask Robbie for a private talk. He didn’t want to get into another conversation.

An otherwise normal school day commenced. History held his attention solely by virtue of the teacher, but he spaced out through math and Spanish class. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but it seemed like Martin was sneaking lots of glances at him. That seemed odd.

At long last, they got to lunch. As usual, he sat at a table with Robbie, Martin, and the girls… Becky and Tanya. He sat next to the bat girl, a change from his usual attempt to sandwich between Robbie and Martin.

He’d noticed that Tanya was way quieter than the others. While Martin and Becky were chatterboxes, and even Robbie could get really into it on certain topics, Tanya almost never spoke unless she was spoken to, just like him. Sometimes he thought about trying to talk to her, but he could never think of anything to say. Maybe he’d try sometime.

Butterflies formed in his stomach as the bell rang for recess. He and his friends joined the crush of student heading out to the school yard. Martin ran, as usual. Surprisingly, so did Becky, the rabbit dragging Tanya along with her. And Robbie… Robbie held back, walking with Chuck out onto the school yard. They found a quiet corner and sat down.

“So, what’s up, Chuck?” Robbie asked.

Chuck squirmed a little. “Umm… I-I was wondering, umm… w-what kinda stuff… y-you and your dad do…”

The fox shrugged. “Uh… I guess normal dad cub stuff? Like, he’ll help me with my homework, take me out places like museums and stuff. Sometimes we’ll play video games together, which is kinda cool.”

Huh. That was way different from his dad. It sounded a lot more like Isaac. But he had to be sure. “S-so… h-he doesn’t, um… m-make you d-do things you… d-don’t wanna do?”

Robbie chuckled. “Not unless you count making me eat my vegetables or go play outside.”

So nothing about that. Unless he was just hiding it, which he wouldn’t blame the fox for. He wouldn’t want to talk about it either. But Robbie seemed so much happier and more open. So maybe…

The pup took a breath. “A-and he doesn’t… h-hurt you?”

His friend turned to face him. “What? Of course not,” he said. “Chuck, why are you asking me all this?”

Chuck squeaked and blushed. He’d gone too far. “N-no reason,” he said, looking away.

Robbie grabbed his paw. “Chuck… is your dad hurting you?”

Oh no. Robbie might think he was talking about Isaac. “N-no,” he said quickly. “Isaac’s n-nice… he’s… way different from…”

“From who?” Robbie asked.

He’d said too much. As far as Robbie knew, Isaac was his dad, and the pup kinda liked it that way. But now he had to say more. “From my real dad…”

“Oh, you mean your cat dad isn’t your father?”

Chuck shook his head. “N-no…”

The fox was quiet for a minute. “What was your real dad like?”

Even though he knew the question was coming, it still stung. He didn’t want to think about that. “I d-don’t… w-w-wanna t-talk about it,” he muttered.

He said too much. Robbie knew he was broken now. Why else would his dad have done those things? Trying to talk to Robbie about it was a bad idea.

Robbie squeezed his paw. “You don’t have to tell me what he did. But… well, like I said, my dad’s never hurt me. Not intentionally.”

“I deserved it,” Chuck muttered.

“What? What makes you think that?” Robbie asked.

Chuck sighed. He had already dug himself into this hole. What difference did it make? “I wet the bed… a lot…”

“For that? No way,” Robbie said. He glanced around to make sure there weren’t any other cubs nearby, then leaned in. “I wet the bed until I was nine, but my parents never hurt me because of it. We’d just change the sheets, wash the wet bedding and pajamas, and that was that.”

The pup was silent. That was… exactly what Isaac did. And Robbie was still sitting there, not judging him, not making fun of him like the other cubs at his old school back in Arizona did. Nothing was adding up. But maybe… maybe Robbie’s dad was the normal one, and Isaac just wanted to be like that. He still wasn’t sure, but there was only one way to find out.
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