      Corey was sleeping soundly until his sleep is disturbed by a voice saying, “Good morning, time to get up honey!”
      Sunlight suddenly shines into his face when he hears the curtains being flung open.  Growling Corey rolls over and covers his face with his blanket.  [Just five more minutes], is his unspoken plea.  
      “Come on Corey, it’s time to get up.”, says the voice again.
      It wasn’t until then that he noticed that something was amiss.  He lived alone, so who was telling him to get up?  Carefully so as not to surprise the stranger he lifts himself onto his elbow to steal a glance at the intruder; this is when another startling discovery is made, he isn’t in his room!
      Sitting bolt upright Corey glances wildly around the strange room.  His confusion only gets worse when he realizes that the room is furnished with a changing table, toy box and other like items.  The walls have spaceships painted on them and the fans blades are all different colors.  What’s worse that he finds that he is in a crib.
      Corey glances down and notices that he is wearing jammies bedecked with spaceships and is wearing a diaper!  His mind reels as he realizes that he is a cub, but suddenly everything came back to him.  He remembered that fate full day when the pacifier came and he was permanently regressed to cub hood.
      Hoping that his mom hadn’t noticed his strange behavior he takes a furtive glance in her direction.  However, she had indeed noticed; looking at him with a concerned expression on her face she asks, “Corey, are you ok honey?”
      It was obvious that she had seen his confused expression, how he frantically looked around as if he had no idea where he was.  Corey knew he needed to act quickly; he had to do something to make her less suspicious.  Smiling brightly at her he says, “Good morning mommy, I’m fine!”
      He could tell that she was still concerned about his strange behavior but was pacified by his response.  “Ok honey; lift your arms up so mommy can pick you up.  Oof, you’re getting heavy!”
      Corey wrapped his arm around her neck and sucked on his thumb absentmindedly as he thought.  This hadn’t been the first time that he had woken up like this, and it seemed to happen every few months.  His mind would usually jump between adult thoughts and cub thoughts but it was never a drastic transition, only when he woke up to an alteration.
      It wasn’t the jump he was concerned about, so much as the fact that it seemed to happen like clockwork.  His mental changes were happening less and less, he was thinking more and more like a cub, but the amnesia like wake ups weren’t.  He couldn’t help but think that something was going wrong with his regression.
      He didn’t dwell on it for long though, something else caught his attention pushing away his concerns.  His Daddy was sitting at the table wearing a tie and slacks.  Usually his daddy had already left by the time he was up and he always wore casual wear.  His being there all dressed up meant only one thing, church.
      Corey’s parents didn’t always go to church; they tried to go as much as possible but couldn’t because of their schedules at work.  Their schedules were always changing making it impossible to know when they could make it to church.  The odd weekend would be free though and they would make it a point to go.
      While he didn’t mind going to church, he always hated having to dress up for the occasion.  Like any cub, he’d have been happy to attend Sunday school wearing his rocket ship jammies!  However, he never could; his mother had other ideas.
      It seemed to Corey that the only reason his mother went to church was because she could dress him up.  Nothing seemed to make her happier than to find the “cutest” outfit for him to wear.  This usually meant wearing a stuffy sweater and a bowtie, not to mention shoes that felt like they were made of plastic instead of leather.
      But if there was anything he hated more about going to church it was the fact that his mother felt that not only should his clothes be perfect, but also his hair and fur.  His hair however like Corey staunchly believed that getting all dressed up for church was pointless.  This meant standing or sitting for nearly 30min while his mom attacked his rebellious hair armed with water, a comb and gel.
      His fur was naturally untidy and stuck out at odd angles.  His mom even brushed his fur after every bath, but to no avail, it just wouldn’t stay neat and tidy.  So, it was understandably a painful ritual involving many a pulled hair when the time came to taming his fur.
      Corey was smarting even worse than usual when he was placed in his car seat.  This was due to the fact that the chosen outfit involved suspenders.  The clamps had grabbed a patch of fur along with his pants when his mom had put them on.
      Corey quickly forgot his chagrin though; it was hard to stay upset when in Sunday school.  The class was broken up into age group and each class had only about 5 to 10 cubs.  Before the lesson, the teacher always had snacks in the form of juice and cookies or some other sweet.
      Corey rarely ever listened to the Bible story; neither did any of the other cubs really.  They were all interested in their snacks, and the snacks of their peers.  The lesson was interrupted all too many times because one cub tried to take the cookie of another.
      At the end of Sunday school, he had to go to the nursery.  Only big kids were allowed to attend big church but Corey didn’t mind.  It was a lot more fun to play than it was to sit still and listen about things you didn’t understand for an hour.
      When Corey arrived at the nursery, he was delighted to find Cali was there too.  Her parents went to church even less than his parents did.  He didn’t know why, but he assumed that it was for the same reason as his own parents.
      Cali was dressed up even more than usual for Sunday.  She would often come to their nursery school in a dress and ribbons, but she had even more on for Sunday.  The dress was more frilly than usual and came with a hat.  Corey had to suppress a giggle in order not to offend Cali.
      It wasn’t until after church that they would find out that their parents were well acquainted with each other.  Corey saw his parents step into the room talking avidly with a young woman.  Both seemed very engrossed with their conversation totally ignoring the men behind them who were both smirking at each other.
      “I can’t believe you haven’t visited in such a long time Shari!  We have talked several times on the phone but you’ve never come over!  You need to come over soon, tonight even!”
      Corey’s mother laughed and said, “Sure, why not?  It means that I don’t have to cook dinner for tonight!”
      This comment causes much hilarity between the women causing several cubs to stop and look at them, and gains Cali’s attention too.
      “Mommy!” cries Cali and she races to meet her mother.
      “Oh my, that isn’t Cali is it?  Oh my god, she’s grown so much!  I can see whose side of the family she takes after!  And so well groomed, nothing like my little ragamuffin!”
      “Shari, how could you!?  I’m sure he’s just fine, where is he, it’s been such a long time I won’t even recognize him I bet!”
      “I was only kidding, Corey come here!  Come meet one of mommy’s friends!  He’s shy, that’s him right there, the fuzz ball in the suspenders.”
      Corey shyly approaches and Cali’s mother gasps and starts laughing.  Taken aback by her sudden outburst he takes a step back.  Unsure what to do he looks at his mother pleadingly, hoping for a hint.
      “What’s so funny Sammi?”
      “I’m sorry; I think I’ve frightened the poor dear!  I couldn’t help it; I just realized I’ve already met the little scamp about a week ago!”
      “You have, where?”
      “At Cali’s pre-school, that where!” she cried.  “You’ll get a kick out of this!”
      Cali’s mom proceeds to tell her about the day that she caught Cali kissing him.  She told the full story and finishes with how her daughter had told her that Corey was her boyfriend.  All four parents laughed at the end of the story commenting on how cute it was.
      “I remember the teachers telling me about that.  I can’t believe that was your little Cali; small world huh?”
      It’s nearly an hour later before they leave the church.  Corey is relieved, and can’t wait till they get home so he can change.  However, when they arrive only his mom exits the car and runs inside.
      “Daddy, why is only mommy going in?” asks Corey.
      “Mommy is grabbing us all a change of clothes, were going over to Cali’s home.”
      “Why?”
      “Because were eating over at their house this evening.”
      Pacified by his answer but still confused Corey grows silent and soon they leave again.  Cali’s home is a good distance from their home and takes nearly a half an hour to get there.  Lulled by the sounds of the car he falls asleep and stays asleep till they get to her home.
      Corey is woken up by the sounds of the car doors closing, looking out he sees that they had arrived at a stately two story home.  He doesn’t have long to look before his car door is open and his father gently pulls him out of his seat.  Still tired, he growls a little and rests his head on his father’s shoulder then closes his eyes.
      His parents say their hello’s and indicate to him and inquire about a place for him to sleep.  Cali’s parents bring them to a downstairs guest room with a low bed so he can take a nap.  No sooner than he is laid down that he starts fading, he vaguely here’s them saying that they had put Cali to bed too before he falls asleep.
      Corey wakes up several hours later; the room has become dark and the light outside is fading.  The door to his room opens and his mother comes in. “Hey there mister sleepy head, are you hungry?  You slept so long that you missed dinner, we have some food in the microwave for you if you’re hungry.”
      Nodding his head, he lowers himself out of bed and follows his mother out of the room.  Dinner was hotdogs, macaroni, and cheese, his favorite.  After he is done, eating Corey looks around for Cali.
      Cali’s mother notices Corey looking around. “Looking for Cali?  She’s in her room hun, its right down that hallway, the one with the stickers on it.”
      Leaving the kitchen, he heads down the hallway that had been indicated to him. Her house was huge; he felt tiny in the big house and was afraid of becoming lost.  If it hadn’t been for the butterfly stickers on her door, Corey may never have found her room.
      The kitten paused at her door, unsure of what to do.  He had never been in a girl’s room before, should he knock before entering?  It was mostly his crush that was causing his discomfort, he wanted to enter but in the face of this challenge, he felt his courage ebbing quickly.
      Luckily, he didn’t have to make the decision on his own, or might have been there all night.  Cali’s mom came down the hall to make sure Corey had found her room; she knew such a large house could be daunting for a cub who had never been there before.  She spots him standing in front of Cali’s room and comes over.
      “What are you just standing there for, it’s ok, that’s her room; just go in.  I’ll be back later to see if you want any snacks.”
      Realizing he no longer had an excuse to just stand there; he opens the door and enters the room.  The first impression he had upon entering could be summed up in one word “girly”.  In contrast to his room, which had dark blue walls with spaceships her room, had yellow walls with a border around it decorated with flowers.  Her bed was a matching color and had frilly edges on her blankets and pillow.
      Cali was sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by a mob of stuffed animals and dolls.  She was apparently in the middle of changing their clothes and talking to them.  The fox she was currently putting into a frilly pink dress had apparently gotten its other clothes dirty.
      Hearing the door open she turns around and sees Corey enter the room.  “Hey there mister sleepy head!” she calls.
      Turning her attention back to the fox she puts the finishing touches on the bow she had added to its head.  Getting up she trots over to Corey, grabs his paw and starts pulling him towards the mob talking excitedly.  “I’m so happy you got to come over, do you like stuffed animals, I love stuffed animals.  My mommy and daddy always buy me stuffed animals.”
      She continues to on like so for several minutes and starts introducing her collection of stuffed animals to him.  The poor kittens head reels as he in inundated with names like “Mr. Tibbles” or “Mrs. Bob” and finds she expects him to remember them all.  The introductions go by quickly and he finds himself at a tea party he never remembered being invited or even told about.
      Giving in Corey just goes with the flow and plays along.  He finds that he is having fun despite himself.  Very soon, the tea party is drawing to an end and he feels slightly disappointed
      It isn’t until the end that Corey starts feeling hot and uncomfortable.  He had never changed because he took his nap right when they got to the house.  The sweater was starting to feel hot and heavy and the suspenders had rubbed through to his skin.
      Cali notices his discomfort and asks, “What’s da matter Corey?”
      “Momma dressed me up inna sweater, now I’m vewy hot.  Momma has a change for me, I’m gonna ask her if I c’n change now.”
      “Wait!  I have a gweat idea!” cries Cali.  “How about we play dress up!”
      Corey didn’t know if he liked the sound of that.  “How do you play?”
      “It easy, you let me dress you up inna sometin pwetty!”
      Corey knew he didn’t like the sound of that and started to protest but Cali had already decided that what they were playing and was getting ready.  Very soon, she had pulled out a yellow dress with white frills on its sleeves.  She then proceeded to grab a couple of ribbons out of her draws and set them out next to the dress.
      Turning to the hapless kitten she says, “I can’t put da dress ovah your clothes!  Hew, I’ll help you outta dem.”
      Trying his best to hide his embarrassment Corey with the help of Cali undressed down to his diaper.  He could feel his cheeks burn and hoped that Cali wouldn’t notice him blushing.  He couldn’t explain why, but he felt really uncomfortable undressing in front of her, especially because she was a girl.
      To his even greater embarrassment, she decided that he needs a more girly diaper.  Despite his pleas against it, she made him lay down so she could change him.  His own spaceship diaper was taken off and replaced with one that had a pink pattern on it with pink hearts on the front.
      Cali either didn’t notice or chose to ignore his acute embarrassment and pushed on.  Taking a lacy dress looking thing she pulled it over his head and pulled it down so that it fit snugly.  Next, she took the dress, and repeated the process.  
      She then spent several minutes fluffing out the frills at the end of the slip so that they stuck out.  She then went to her dresser again and pulled chose a pair of socks with went well with the dress and some shoes.  The shoes fit surprisingly well and were even more surprisingly comfortable than his shoes.
      Her final task was the ribbons.  Taking one of them, she carefully ties it into a neat bow near the base of his fluffy tail.  She then experimentally tied more bows on his head and waist.  In the end, though she decided that he only needs the bow on his tail.
      Wanting to know what he looks like Corey walks over to the mirror on her closet door and looks at her handy work.  He had to admit that it looked good.  To someone who didn’t know him they would have no idea he was actually a boy.
      As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was really enjoying himself.  The dress felt really comfortable and he liked the draft that he felt and the sound it made when he moved.  He also really liked how he looked, he looked really cute and the bow on his tail was a nice touch.
      Despite all this he felt a little guilty though, and was fervently hoping not to be caught.  He knew he was young enough to get away with this, but still he had no wish for his mom and dad to see him like this.  Nothing could have been worse in his mind.
      It seemed that the fates were against him that night, for just as he was about to undress the door opened and in walked Cali’s mother.  She was about to say something when she saw Corey standing next to Cali wearing the outfit.
      Cali who was really proud of her work said, “Mommy mommy!  Look how pretty Corey is!  I dressed him up all by myself!”
      Cali’s mother could barely contain her mirth and as best she could told her daughter that she had done a great job.  Leaving the room, she quickly summons the rest of the adults to see the spectacle.  Corey tried to take off the clothes but was stopped by Cali who wanted everyone to see the fruits of her labor.
      Corey’s parents thought it was really cute that Cali had dressed him up.  Indeed, they all thought he looked so cute that he had to wear the outfit so they could all take pictures of him.  His mom jokingly said she was thinking about raising him up as a girl instead, “I mean look at him, he makes such a pretty little girl!”
      Corey was thourally humiliated by the end of his photo shoot and was extremely happy when he learned they were leaving.  He knew he would never live those pictures down and was doomed to have them rear their ugly heads in years to come.  But it wasn’t a total bad night for him.
      Cali sensing that he was not happy about it all wanted to do something to make it up to him.  Before he left, she ran to her room and came back with a stuffed animal.  It was the fox she was playing with when he had come in.
      “Here, dis is my favrite animal.  You c’n have him, I have lots more.”
      Corey accepted the stuffed animal gratefully thanking her before they left.  In the car he can’t help but laugh at her choice of clothes for the fox.  It was wearing the same kind of dress he had been wearing too.  
      An intense feeling of gratitude and happiness floods him as he looks at the plushy.  Hugging the plush tightly Corey feels all the bad feels go away, sleep soon takes him as he clings to the stuffed animal.  It was the first gift from his best friend, he wasn’t going to ever let it go or anything bad happen to it, and most of all cherish it always.
      
