Ugh goin' to the doctor was always the worst.  The last time she went they did all sorts of funny things to her head and she slept for like a week; and was all sore and hurting at the back of her head for another week.  At least the little fennec girl got lots of ice cream and toys, and just stayed home playing video games all day.  Best Christmas ever after all that scary doctor stuff.

It didn't help daddy said it was for checking up on what they did to her head the last time.  She didn't want to sleep for a week again, that wasn't fun.  It was kind of scary even.  Go to sleep on a cold table and it's december 15th.  Wake up and it's december 22nd!  What if she had missed Christmas!  That would have been the worst!

The tubby tanuki doctor was his usual strange self.  Asking all kinds of funny questions.  If she saw things, was she acting normal, did she feel funny or hurt or sick.  "Nope! Just eager to turn seven in a few weeks!"

"That's a good girl Aubrey.  I know it's been confusing and you're probably a little scared you were asleep for a week."  The doctor was so boring and said too many big words.  Rambling on and on until,  "We want to ensure your new cortical stack works, so we have to kill you again."

Wait, what?  "Kill me, again?  But, isn't dying, like, not good?"

The doctor smiled "You have played video games, right?  And when you play you save your game so if you mess up you don't have to start over?"

"Well yeah, but it's not like I'd ever mess up.  But you don't get like, save files in life, right?"

The doctor just smiled, "but that's what we were putting in your head.  You actually died once.  That’s why you were asleep a week, as it got all the correct connections to your brain.  We haven't fully initialized all the mesh connections yet, but we would like you to try dying once, to get more used to it."

"Wh... what happens if it doesn't work?"

"Then you'll wake up in another week and we'll have to run some more unfun tests."

The little fennec frowned, that didn't seem very fair to her.  "I hope not, I don’t like you poking in my brains."  this at least explained why she was so sore.  A weird shiver! thinking of the doctor's little tools poking about in her brains too.

"So uh, how ya gonna kill me Doc?"  She couldn't help but giggle a little, such a strange thing to ask!  Her tail was all frizzled and heart pounding a little.  She knew dying was usually not good, but uh, maybe this was good?  It felt kind of good in her lap even.

The big adult tanuki held out his hand, "If you follow me, you'll be next in line to get that halo."

She held his hand, only after looking to her dad, who just nodded along.  The two adults leading her down a hallway to another room.  There was a naked little gryphon boy, who was wiggling his red butt nervously.  He had his head in a weird wooden thing, holding his neck down.  and oh!  There was a big blade above him.  Were they going to...?  His parents didn’t seem worried, watching casually and holding hands.

Aubrey gave a little yip! as there was a rattle and that gleaming metal blade slid down suddenly.  A very bored looking black and white folf was half watching as THUMP!  There was a loud crack of wood on wood as that blade slid home through the grooves of the device.

A quiet *poff* announced the boy’s head kissing blankets, and the rest of him started to kick and wriggle on the cushion.  Aubrey's eyes got huge as she saw his neck squirt blood onto the closed stock as his bound wings and arms struggled energetically for a few moments.  The skunk woman picking up the basket with, oh! It was the boy's head.  A big grin and his eyes were huge with excitement, but all glassy and still.  Is that going to be her soon!  Just a head in a basket to be admired.

"Ok, yes, I can see you now." the doctor was talking to the folf?  no, kind of facing away, and tracking something invisible with his head.  "Yes, I hear you too, that's good.  yes, she's cute, but she doesn't have an active mesh link yet, so she can't see you.  You two can chat it up soon enough, if you want to stay and watch."

The adult fennec turning to the gryphon's parents, "do you mind if he stays for a bit, always good for cubs to meet others, not many around these days."

Aubrey was kind of confused.  If the gryphon was staying, why were they taking his limp body away.  He was kinda cute, though it was weird seeing him all naked and limp and dragged out unceremoniously like that.  The folf was washing down the wood and metal device as that blade lifted up, gleaming and stained red as they washed it clean.

The smell was weird, coppery mixed with antiseptic chemicals, and made her tail frizzle while her dad sat down on the chair the other parents were at.  He seemed really calm.  The doctor turned to her, “could we have you get naked, we’ll be ready for you in one moment.”

 "Did you do this when you were young?" she asked as she awkwardly took her shirt off.  So many adults around, felt kind of strange getting naked.  The little boy didn’t mind, she could swear he was kinda eager to get his neck in place.  He certainly looked happy when his head got taken off.

He shook his head "Oh no, I was already this old when it was invented, so never had to do it as a cub.  They didn't do testing before, but too many people had trouble acclimating to their first times or losing memories they test earlier now."

The doctor nodded as he opened the wooden stock.  All wet with cool water now.  But the boy's scent was still faintly clinging to it, along with the tinge of blood.  The little fennec girl feeling cold being all naked in front of the many adults here, knees a little shaking as she scooted down to them.  The cushion still damp on her knees.  Looking over the big stock and frame, simple wood and metal, almost organic to the usual plastic of everyday objects.  Such an odd, simple machine for a very morbid purpose!

The folf was putting another basket down, as her dad got up.  Walking to the other side of the machine and holding his hands out, cupping them under her cheeks to help support her,  "Don't worry, we're all here for you.  And when it all goes well you can even talk to the boy's ghost."

"Gh.. ghost?!"  her tail FLOOFED up as she scooted back a little from the imposing frame "I don't wanna be a ghost, do I?!

She looked around, trying to see this ghost the doctor was seeing.  maybe only dead people could see them, but wait, the doctor was alive, right, and not a zombie, right?  Her dad seemed to see it, and he was an OK guy as far as she knew.

"Silly, ghosts are what we call people on the mesh.  Remember how you got to talk to mom like she was in the room, even though she was at work?  You were wearing those big glasses and had to adjust them all the time," Her dad calmly responded, holding out his hands still.

"y... yeah...." well, if it was like mommy's virtual visit, that's not bad… 

"Wait, Mom wasn't dead then, was she?"

"No, she was sending through the uplink on the mesh, so she could chat with us.  If you die, we’ve made it so your mind goes online in the same way, and you can then deal with being dead until you get a new body to go into."

Aubrey nodded along.  Too many weird words.  She knew the mesh was how she talked to teachers and friends and family.  "Ok.  So this makes sure I get to be a, er, ghost, like, in the machine stuff, if I accidentally die"

The doctor let out a chuckle for some reason, as dad held out his hands still.  "Of course.  Don't worry, it'll be quick, and tomorrow we'll get ice cream for being a brave little girl."

Oh no, her weakness, ice cream.  if it was for that... "OK, but I get a double scoop."

"Deal."

She leaned in again, and stuck her head through the big open frame.  A little gulp! as she felt it close down.  The wood pinched her neck fur and that fat groove for the blade could be felt against the top and bottom of her neck.  Daddy's hands were nice and warm while they petted her big ears, while the folf reached behind her and pulled her arms back very slow and softly.  A weird squirmy sensation tickling her tummy as she felt a ribbon loop around them.  And an odd little tingle in her lap, feeling really self conscious about her big y doggy petals on display. 

"Eee, do I need to be tied up?  That's kind of funny."  It didn't help her nose was right at daddy's lap and his funny bulge of pants smelled nice too.  Her tail wagging with a bit of nervousness.  But kind of exciting!  It was like those stories of princesses to be executed, but no prince will come save her from this dragon.  They always made her excited, and she alway felt kinda… regret?, when they got saved.

"Almost ready now.  If you want you can close your eyes,"  Her dad continued to brush her hair.  Relaxing her some as she fidgeted with the ribbon.  The stock was kind of calming, but well, that little pinch suggested what came next.  It didn’t help her nose was bumping a bulge in daddy’s pants, and it smelled so nice.

"Now say goodnight my little princess."

ULP!  That’s right, there was a big metal blade and it was going to take my head off!  Dad’s nice touches and scent was really calming and exciting in it’s own way.  But this got her really squirmy.  Her tail tensed and frizzled up, lifting unconsciously.  Breath catching a moment.  But she wanted to be good for daddy.  "ah, g.... goodnight!" she muttered out really quickly.

And just as quickly there was that rattle she heard earlier!  So much louder around her as the frame shook for a moment and made her eyes snap upwards.  Looking up to dad's nervous smile.  Then suddenly a slap of cold slammed into her neck.It felt like it was hit front and back at once as she tumbled forward. Mouth open but no squeak.  Trying to lift her head but it kept falling.  A strange feeling of helplessness. Unable to lift her arms as her slender muzzle landed on cushions with that comical *puff!* sound. 

Her view rolled forward with the motion, suddenly ending up right at dad’s bulged.  She might be blushing as her mouth opened and closed awakwardly, but she could feel dad’s soothing hands as well.  Stroking her ears to distract from the cold empty sensation beneath her chin.  The room was getting dark very quickly, and she felt weirdly excited, scared, and a bit embarrassed at her last sight being dad’s bulging pants while he watched her die.  But that petting was so nice, and that darkness was soothing…

Everything faded to a peaceful stillness… then a weird, sort of confused blinking.  Like when you wake up from a weird dream.  She was seeing her own butt all limp, from kind of above herself?  She’d blush furiously if she could, as she wet the cushion.  Butt all exposed, how embarrassing.  Dad was still petting her ears, looking on with sweet concern, but a big blush in his ears and cheeks, was he enjoying seeing her die?  The doctor curiously looking from corner to corner, and then suddenly waved at her weird new position at the ceiling.

“Hello there!  Can you see me?  You don’t have eyes so can only really see through public cameras, so your viewpoint might be kind of strange.  As you get settled your uplink can often figure out the room’s dimensions to move your avatar around.  it can get crowded aroudn those cameras ya know,”  The doctor was as cheerful and rambly as ever.

Oh!  There was that cute boy.  Still naked… and with a boner himself!  BLUUUSH!  It was pretty embarrassing to have a cute boy get a stiffy from watching her become a stiff.  And it’s pretty embarrassing watching her naked little butt get dragged out… hey!  She’s still naked herself!

“So uh, does everyone just go around nakey in here…?”  talking was… weird, none of the physical feedback one normally had.  It felt kind of like thinking to oneself, but to, uh, everyone a well?

“Oh!  Right, let’s get you two setting up your avatars, and show you how to get around while a ghost.  By default it uses your body, but yes, you don’t need to run around naked all day.  It takes a bit of practice, but I bet you two will get right on it…”  Oh no.  He was rambling again.  It’s going to be like at school.  but naked and dead.  

Such a weird day, she hoped it wasn’t a dream, as dying proved to be pretty fun so far in a funny sort of way.  Maybe she’ll have to ask dad if he like watching her die...