{ "submission_id": "2110381", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "3935", "keyword_name": "ageplay", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "3350" }, { "keyword_id": "61", "keyword_name": "boy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "82662" }, { "keyword_id": "303", "keyword_name": "canine", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "196017" }, { "keyword_id": "5237", "keyword_name": "chinchilla", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2597" }, { "keyword_id": "37", "keyword_name": "cub", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "286466" }, { "keyword_id": "1799", "keyword_name": "friendship", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "5360" }, { "keyword_id": "236", "keyword_name": "gay", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "152614" }, { "keyword_id": "7643", "keyword_name": "government", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "43" }, { "keyword_id": "3790", "keyword_name": "growth", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "10307" }, { "keyword_id": "1440", "keyword_name": "human", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "110028" }, { "keyword_id": "39212", "keyword_name": "legos", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "66" }, { "keyword_id": "3372", "keyword_name": "macro", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "23400" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1216797" }, { "keyword_id": "10308", "keyword_name": "male/male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "128334" }, { "keyword_id": "2712", "keyword_name": "micro", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "13793" }, { "keyword_id": "3394", "keyword_name": "rodent", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "35394" }, { "keyword_id": "113", "keyword_name": "shota", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "35347" }, { "keyword_id": "1158", "keyword_name": "suggestive", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4834" }, { "keyword_id": "5891", "keyword_name": "tanuki", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "8670" }, { "keyword_id": "521234", "keyword_name": "zywolfbladesman", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "3", "create_datetime": "2020-03-17 14:37:05.323675+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "17 Mar 2020 15:37 CET", "last_file_update_datetime": "2020-03-17 14:38:31.685398+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "17 Mar 2020 15:38 CET", "username": "pentrep", "user_id": "202883", "user_icon_file_name": "147300_pentrep_150_by_veemonsito-dcfpc3p.gif", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/147/147300_pentrep_150_by_veemonsito-dcfpc3p.gif", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/147/147300_pentrep_150_by_veemonsito-dcfpc3p.gif", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/147/147300_pentrep_150_by_veemonsito-dcfpc3p.gif", "file_name": "3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "257", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "171", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "103", "files": [ { "file_id": "3055155", "file_name": "3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "2110381", "user_id": "202883", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "db89d754a9a6e0601defa4b40fa4eb7f", "full_file_md5": "db89d754a9a6e0601defa4b40fa4eb7f", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "3028cdd819eb2c41a9bcf7eece8feb39", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2020-03-17 14:38:31.685398+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "17 Mar 2020 15:38 CET", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3055/3055155_pentrep_out_of_control_.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "257", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "171", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "103" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "44641", "name": "Commissions", "description": "All the works of fiction I have written for other people.", "count": "244", "submission_left_submission_id": "2108965", "submission_left_file_name": "3052941_pentrep_unwarranted_attention_-_bui.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3052/3052941_pentrep_unwarranted_attention_-_bui.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3052/3052941_pentrep_unwarranted_attention_-_bui.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3052/3052941_pentrep_unwarranted_attention_-_bui.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "257", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "171", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "103", "submission_right_submission_id": "2111151", "submission_right_file_name": "3056222_pentrep_exploration_-_auzzie.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3056/3056222_pentrep_exploration_-_auzzie.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3056/3056222_pentrep_exploration_-_auzzie.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3056/3056222_pentrep_exploration_-_auzzie.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "257", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "171", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "103" } ], "description": "A commission by @ZywolfBladesman about a government worker who goes out of his way to complete a report on the \"leash\" of the furry population.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "A commission by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZywolfBladesman\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZywolfBladesman\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
about a government worker who goes out of his way to complete a report on the "leash" of the furry population.", "writing": "Out of Control by Pent Ghelsburg\n\nDisclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They have been created for the sole use of within this story and are not meant to resemble anyone else's characters. Additionally, some characters are depicted as underage and experience cross-generational relationships. There is also some micro-macro content. You have been warned.\n\n“No man is fit to command another,\nthat cannot command himself.”\n-William Penn\n\n\tThe world is a crazy place. No one really knows what's going on anymore. Politically nothing is what one can expect anymore. Each and every day passes and yet seemingly gets weirder and weirder. One would think that society would be ready for change and yet a serious upheaval has yet to occur. It is the way that things have been of late and there doesn't seem to be any indication that the world is ready for such a drastic change. Humanity remains in stagnation and so the same cycle shall repeat endlessly. Such is the way of reality and it seems like everyone is alright with that.\n\t\n\tOwen was a young man who lived in a big city. He had landed in Atlanta since he had graduated from a local university. At 22 years of age, he was almost fresh out of college and yet still he had gotten one of the most lucrative jobs in the area. His parents were especially happy since as a younger teen and into his childhood he'd always been a bit of a hermit. But now all that had changed since he had been given the mantle of the “manipulator” Better known by their counterparts as “Mannies”\n\n\tThe task of the Manny was simple enough. Such humans were tasked with keeping the local anthro population under control. One would think that such a thing was not needed in this day and age but the oppression was out a combination of fear as well as racism. The problem at hand was due to the fact that the furs could basically change size at will. As such, they were given collars by their human masters to keep them under ropes. Owen was one of the people tasked with making sure the collars did what they were designed to.\n\n\tEach of the neckwears was connected to the directorate. The Dirry-D, as it was called, was in one of the biggest buildings in all of Atlanta and everyone knew where it was. Owen's office was the one shared by the interns, but already he had his own section of the Dirry-D to himself. He was assigned some of the youngest patients of the program. Of course, cubs were also the ones most prone to the devices malfunctioning. As such, it was the young man's job to make sure they didn't. He took his job very seriously and to this point had succeeded much more than his seniors expected.\n\n\tWednesday was the day in which he was supposed to do fieldwork. His plan was to sample his subjects and figure out how he could better improve their lives. After all, if they were happy with their situation, then they were less likely to try and rip off or slip out of their collar. Owen knew that the collars were far from perfect but he had to do what he could in order to make them work to the best of their ability. He grabbed his bag and a small note pad to write on in order to take notes from the kids who he would interview\n\n\tOwen made his way out of the building and boarded his scooter with his messenger bag over his shoulder. He didn't bother buying a car since he liked skipping through traffic on a whim. Most of the cops didn't care since they knew he worked for the government. His outfit was obvious of that with his blue blazer and slacks, wearing the badge of the department on his lapel. He made his way through the backstreets to the area of the town known as the “Playground.”\n\n\tIronically the place had no playground. It was colorful and had a few schools but the only recreation in the area was a park. Owen got off his bike once he parked it near a bike rack, not even bothering to lock it up since the place wasn't really high in crime. He could overhear some giggling nearby in the park, knowing that cubs would likely be roaming about always made him a bit nervous. One thing he had never told his boss is that he rather had a vice for cubs, especially the boys. It wasn't something that he was proud of but he managed it well enough.\n\n\tThe man began to walk towards the park. It was rather nice outside and quite breezy. He could see various kids running in the distance, both human and fur alike. As was expected they were separated amongst themselves. Owen walked towards the furry side of the park, many of the parents giving him the stink eye as they watched him approach warily. It was treatment in which he was used to but it didn't matter much since he had a job to do and that overrode any sense of fear he was experiencing. Besides this wasn't the first time he had done this before.\n\n\tFirst, he needs to inform the parents of his intention, so that they didn't flip a wig when he talked to them. There were quite a few of them around, so he went to each and every one of them. They knew full well why he was there. It wasn't something they could fight and once he explained his purpose to them, they were much more open to him conversing with their kids. Once he had gotten past that hurdle, all he needed to do was see which cubs were willing to talk. His best chance was finding groups of them and trying to relate to them as best he could.\n\n\tApproaching the young cubs was always dicey. There was always a chance that they'd pounce on him, but it was a reality that he had to deal with on a regular basis. Looking at them they seemed to be playing a game of cat and mouse, which was even more ironic considering that it was stereotypical who was who. As he entered into the fray, both sides seemed to converge on him when he went in the middle of the field. On one side were the felines and the other was the rodents. Each of them had the bright red collar around their necks.\n\n“Hey, guys what's up?” Owen always tried doing some small talk before engaging in a more formal feedback forum.\n\n“What do you want, a blue shirt?” The cubs hated humans just as much and the government workers were no different.\n\n“Uh...we just wanted to see what you thought of the collars. You know we're always trying to improve.”\n\n“You're not going to improve anything...just go away and leave us alone.” The smallest chinchilla among the group made his voice loud and clear.\n\n“But...I'm just here to help. You gotta give me a chance. I just want to make it better...” Owen was an earnest man but he knew he was in a lesser position.\n\n“Come on guys...let's just ignore him. Maybe he'll go away?” One of the cats suggested as the group dispersed.\n\n\tMost of the cubs left with the exception of one. For whatever reason, the Chinchilla remained behind. Owen couldn't help but be curious as to why the one remained but he wasn't about to question it since it was better than nothing.\n\n“I will help you out...but what do I get out of it?” The rodent crossed his arms defensively as he looked at the human with a look of disbelief.\n\n“Hmm...well I could pay you. Maybe even reward you by giving you a new collar?” The man wasn't really sure what to offer the cub.\n\n“Hmm...a a new collar sounds good. This one is sorta tight...” The Chinchilla put one of his fingers between the collar and the scruff of his neck.\n\n“Great...what's your name and how old are you?” Owen stuck his hand into his bag and pulled out the pad of paper and pen to write on.\n\n“My name is Charles but my friends call me Charlie. And I am 11 years old.” The rodent had dark-colored fur but was it was mostly grey.\n\n“Alright, sounds good...so what do you think of it? Other than the size issue?” The man had already begun taking down a profile of his makeshift patient.\n\n“Well, sometimes it emits a shock. It hurts when it does and you can't really take it off for showers or baths. That's usually when it happens.” Charlie rubbed his head as if he was trying to come up with more things to complain about.\n\n“Sounds like their might be a wiring problem with it. Want me to take a look at it?” Owen asked as he looked at the cub's neck, expecting to see some indication of the malfunction.\n\n“I don't believe that you want to help me. My parents told me that I need this collar to think straight and that it protects us from Big Sister...” Of course, what he didn't know was the true purpose of the collar.\n\n“What if I told you the real purpose of that collar?” The man was being a little bit unethical with his approach but had no other alternative in order to achieve his goal.\n\n\tCharlie sat there silent for a moment thinking. Was he to believe his parents, who had raised him since he was a baby or this guy who he had just met.\n\n“Nope...Leave me alone.” The chinchilla walked away before trotting off into a run and returning to his friends.\n\nOwen felt a little disappointed that he wasn't able to get the boy's trust but he figured it would be easier than it actually was. After all, he constantly told himself that furs were inferior and gullible. Apparently that wasn't the case as the boy didn't buy into his ploy as he thought would be the case.\n\n\tOwen went to the side of the playfield where he sat down on a bench to think about his next course of action. The young man was at a loss for what to do next. Some of the humans from the other side of the park, eyed him warily since he was still on the furry side of the park. He sat there in contemplation as time rolled on seamlessly passed by him and the leaves rolled along with the wind. No one paid him any mind and once lunch rolled around, the only thing to rouse him from his semi-state of depression.\n\n\tThe young man straightened up his blazer and got up from the park bench to make his way across the street. There was a schwarma stand which was famous for its falafels. It was always busy this time of day and already had a huge line in front of it. Mealtime was the only time of day when Furs and humans congregated in a coming together in which they could not avoid. Owen made his way to the stand and had decided on a beef supreme special, which was his favorite dish from the place. He grunted as he looked at the line which was quite long.\n\n\tOwen made his way to the back of the line. In front of him were all sorts of people but the people closest to him were a family of Tanukis. All of which were shorter than he was. It was a family of three, one of which was a young boy. All of them had stripes of tan, brown, and white throughout their fur. It was quite an interesting combination of fur. Owen was close enough to hear them speak, though they mostly made themselves whisper once the father realized who was behind them.\n\n“How are you all doing?” The man tried to make small talk with the family in order to ease the tension.\n\n“We are fine...thanks for asking. What's into you?” The father of the family asked.\n\n“I was just wondering if I could talk to your boy for a moment?” Owen figured this would be a good a time as any to complete his task.\n\n“For what...?” The mother eyed him warily.\n\n“We just want to collect feedback for the cub collars.” The young man wasn't sure they would believe him but it was worth trying.\n\n\tThe couple whispered for a moment and hesitated before moving in the line a single space.\n\n“I'll buy you all lunch if you cooperate...” The government worker figured an incentive would give them an extra reason to play along.\n\n“Fine...” That was enough for the two parents to agree. Pushing the boy back behind them.\n\nThe tanuki cub was small and feeble with black circles around his eyes. One would tell he had some raccoon ancestry in him.\n\n“What's your name, Kiddo?” Owen wanted to try and be as friendly as possible with the kid.\n\nFor a moment he remained silent until his mother nudged him a bit.\n\n“My name is...Ethan.” The small cub answered hesitantly as he wasn't great around strangers, especially humans.\n\n“Cool, how are you feeling today?” Owen decided that he wouldn't jump into it as quickly.\n\nEvery few moments they moved in line and the two continued their conversation in kind as they progressed in the queue.\n\n“I am ok I guess...” Ethan held onto his father's leg as if he was searching for some sense of security.\n\n“That's good...what kind of things do you like?” The human knew he needed a different approach if the kid was to gain his trust.\n\n“I like...legos...” The tanuki was keen on building things, especially star wars related ships and settings.\n\n“That's neat. My younger brother likes legos. He has a lot of them.” Even if Owen was lying about having his brother liking legos, he figured it would be an easy way to relate to the cub.\n\n“Really?” The boy's face seemed to light up a bit as he seemed excited at the prospect of someone with similar tastes to him.\n\n“Yup, I bet you guys would get along pretty well.” The man wondered if his kid brother would even be able to get past his own racism to play with a fur.\n\n“That sounds neat...think I could mom and dad?” Ethan didn't seem to adverse to the idea of hanging around a human.\n\n“Sure, I don't see why not...” The boy's mother didn't seem against the idea since normally her kid was antisocial.\n\n\tEventually, they got to the front of the line and Owen held true to his word. The family of Tanuki's even allowing him to eat with them for lunch. All and all it was a nice occasion and the government worker was happy he had changed his means of achieving success. The parents even gave them their contact information, going as far as even letting Ethan go home with him.\n\n“So, Ethan wanna try driving my scooter? Should be fine as long as I help you and give you directions.” Owen figured it was harmless enough and knew the police would probably look the other way.\n\n“Oh, that sounds neat!” The Tanuki followed him to his scooter and sat in front of the human so that they shared control of the vehicle.\n\n\tOwen felt the warmth of the cub in front of him. It made him feel a bit uneasy and he had to fight being turned on. Not to mention, Ethan smelt really good for a cub of his age. Whatever shampoo he was using smelt similar to Coconut which was one of the man's favorite scents. The two rode back down the back streets to where Owen lived. The man lived in an apartment that wasn't far from where he worked. It was close enough to walk to his office. He knew his brother wouldn't be home, but he had a plan to get what he needed from the kid.\n\n\tIt was about a 15-minute drive from where they were. There was some traffic but they were able to avoid it by keeping to the sidewalk. By the time they arrived, Ethan's face was beaming with glee as he had never driven anything before and it was thrilling for him.\n\n“Where is your house?” The cub was a bit naive and thought the man would live somewhere higher end.\n\n“Right inside. I live in an apartment. My brother should be inside.” Owen was, of course, banking on his brother not being home.\n\n“Okay, I can't wait to meet him.” They parked the moped into the bike rack and the boy followed his new friend upstairs.\n\nInside of the home, it was kinda a mess. Owen hadn't actually planned on having anyone over. As he planned, his brother was nowhere to be seen.\n\n“Where's your brother?” Ethan looked around and saw that lego buildings were all around the place.\n\n\tWhat the cub didn't realize was that the human was just as into the building blocks as he was. Both Owen and his brother shared the hobby. Ethan couldn't help but be impressed by all the toy environments around him.\n\n“Wow, you guys built all of this?” The Tanuki began to walk towards one of the sets and touch it, careful not to knock it over.\n\n“Yup...wanna build one while we wait for my brother?” Owen figured making the boy comfortable would have him open up to the conversation he had in mind.\n\n“Sure...that sounds good!” Ethan was very excited about getting into the building right away.\n\n\tOne of the colorful buildings was fashioned after the local airport. Several toy airplanes were assembled around each of the various runways as well as at the jet bridges, parked as if waiting for passengers. It was a very well assembled model.\n\n“Wow…” The cub was instantly enamored by the intricate playset.\n\nAs he approached it, the man eyed him warily as if he expected the boy to destroy it. But Ethan was nowhere near that clumsy and merely kneeled down beside it to get a closer look at it.\n\n“You like that?” Owen asked, glad that the kid was seemingly interested in his obsessive hobby.\n\n“Yeah, did you and your brother make it?” The Tanuki asked as his tail wagged casually back and forth.\n\n“Yep, sure did. Want to make one with me while we wait on Travis?” The human figured it would be a good way to further break the ice with the boy.\n\n“That would be cool.” Ethan shuffled off his shoes so that he could get comfortable in the apartment and shuffled them to the side of a nearby coffee table.\n\n\tOwen went into his room for a short time only to reappear with a long thin box, that had the familiar red and yellow Lego logo emblazoned on it. A sense of excitement came over Ethan as the older male came closer to him and eventually opened the box. Eventually, the young man handed over the box and in no time, the cub ripped it open as if were some long-awaited birthday gift.\n\n“So…care to tell me what you think about the collars?” The government worked figured it was high time to begin his interrogation of the kid.\n\n“The what? You mean the thing around my neck?” Ethan didn’t much care about what the man was saying as he was much too preoccupied tearing through the contents of the box and emptying it to the floor.\n\n“Yeah, do you experience any problems with it?” The man wasn’t sure it was appropriate to take notes so he decided he just heard the boy out and try to recall his answers later.\n\nFor the next few moments, the boy was distracted by the building blocks unable to respond to the man's inquiry.\n\n“So...nothing wrong with it?” Owen figured he needed to remind the cub of the question at hand.\n\n“Oh...sorry. No, not really. I don't really notice it that much. It's tight but my parents adjust it every once in a while so it doesn't hurt as much.\n\n“Oh, that's good. Do they let you take it off?” One of the things the manny had never collected data was the effects of the collar actually being off for longer periods of time.\n\n“Well, no. Only during showers since they say the water could cause it to malfunction or shock me.” The cub gripped one of his paws up by his neck and adjusted the collar a little bit.\n\n“How'd you like to take part in an experiment on behalf of the government?” Owen decided that being forward about it was the best course of action.\n\nOnce again the cub was distracted by the building blocks as if trying to build something. The man wasn't sure whether to push it or not. He knew he needed to fish the information but knew better than to \ncross personal boundaries.\n\n“So want to try building this thing?” Owen decided after a short consideration that'd he'd change topics for a bit.\n\n“Yeah! Can you help me?” The cub had never built something on the level of this project which stated it was a higher difficulty than most things he'd done in the past.\n\n“Sure, I don't mind...” The young man knew all he needed to do was follow the directions.\n\n\tOwen got on the floor next to the cub and could feel the boys warmth next to his own. He could smell the cub who had a light musk to him as if he hadn't showered in some time. The man felt it a bit intriguing and was finding it rather hard to resist. He had to pinch himself in order to snap himself out of it. They began to work on the project in earnest once he returned to the reality of his situation, eventually building the base of a large spaceship that was supposed to resemble the old Apollo program shuttles.\n\n“Looking pretty good right?” Only about a quarter of it had been constructed but you still could get the idea of what it was turning into.\t\n\n“Yeah, pretty cool. I like space ships...One day I want to go on one.” Ethan's dream was to be an astronaut one day.\n\n“What if I told you I could get you onboard one?” Owen figured this might be his opportunity to get the information that he needed.\n\n“Really? Do you mean it? I would really like that...” The cubs fight lit up like a Christmas tree.\n\n“Heh...yeah but I need you to do me a favor.” The man was hoping this course of action would work to his favor.\n\n“What's that? I'll do anything...” The cub was a sucker for anything related to the space program.\n\n“I need you to take off your collar so we can gauge the side effects...” What Owen didn't know is that most of the government knew the side effects, just...not on cubs.\n\n“But...isn't that bad? Won't it hurt?” Ethan was a little suspicious of the human as he had been brought up to not trust them but this one didn't seem that bad.\n\n“Alright...I understand why you don't trust me. It's fine. I can still take you.” The man just wanted to earn the cubs trust.\n\n“Cool, that sounds neat.” The boy returned to building the space shuttle which slowly began to take shape.\n\n\tIt was another hour or so before Travis actually showed up to the apartment. He was the same age as the fur but a little further longer in his development. Ethan had always been a little behind the curve, even compared to his fellow furry brethren.\n\n“Welcome home, Travis. This is Ethan.” Owen introduced the cub to his younger brother.\n\n“Oh cool. Nice to meet you dude.” The smile on the human boys faces widened.\n\n“Want to build some legos?” Ethan wasted no time as he wanted very badly to finish the model so that they could put it on a launchpad.\n\n“Sure! What are you building?” Travis showed himself over to where the cub was standing and looked down at his progress.\n\n“Apollo 7.” The Tanuki’s tail wagged casually behind him.\n\n\tThe two returned to building the shuttle while Owen went into the kitchen in order to make dinner, deciding that a simple pizza would be enough to please both boys. It was a popular dish with kids so he figured it would appeal to everyone. By the time the dish was ready, the two boys had become fast friends already talking about nonsense that had no particular purpose. The man was glad that the two boys had become so close already.\n\n“Do you think I could stay over tonight, so we can finish the shuttle?” The cub asked as they were just about done with the project.\n\n“Sure, if your parents say it’s alright.” Owen answered without much thought on the issue.\n\n“Cool, Can I call my mom then?” Ethan asked just to be polite.\n\n“Sure, you can use my cell.” The man handed over his portable and the cub took a hold of it.\n\t\n\tThe Tanuki called his home and his father answered. It wasn’t who he was expecting, however, he still answered the obvious question. The boy’s father was alright with it since it was a federal holiday tomorrow. The smile on the cubs faces made it obvious as to the man’s response. Once that was resolved they had dinner together and the two boys continued to exchange pleasantries about games. Both of them were obsessed with the Dragon Quest series, as both shared the fascination with Japanese culture. Eventually, the conversation morphed into one about Anime.\n\n\tBefore long the extended family finished their meals and Owen gave each of the boys some ice cream to top it off.\n\n“You guys have 2 hours before you gotta go to bed.” Travis nodded and led his new friend to his room.\n\n\tMeanwhile, Owen busied himself cleaning up the table and doing dishes. After that, all that was left was filling out paperwork for the day. His fieldwork had come up mostly empty so he had to report it. It was all done electronically in order to eliminate waste. It was a tedious task, but one in which he had become accustomed to during his tenure in the government. It took a good hour before he finished it and could even think about relaxing. But before he could do that, he needed to check on the kids. Travis’ room was across from his own in the apartment.\n\n\tThe young man walked down the hallway towards his brother's room. He overheard the television and peered into the doorway. Sure enough both Travis and Ethan were passed out on the floor. The TV was still on, buzzing from inactivity since the feed had been lost. Owen let himself in and turned it off before picking up each of them and delivering them into the bunk bed. Luckily, neither of the kids was that heavy and he was able to put both of them in bed rather easily. A thought occurred to him as he lifted the cub to the top bunk, what if he took the collar off now?\n\n\tIt was something he was considering, but he knew if it wasn’t replaced the kid would likely notice. So he went back into his room, where he knew that he had a supply of unactivated neckpieces in his closet. Owen retrieved a single collar that was labeled “C”, which meant it was meant for cubs. Now all that was left was getting the old one off, without waking Ethan up. All he could hope for was that the boy was a deep sleeper. He was a bit nervous as he traveled back across the hallway, with collar in hand.\n\n\tThe bunk bed was a little bigger than he was, so he pulled up a step stool so he could get easier access to the cub. Owen began to think of how he could get the collar off without being realized. The normal method was unhooking it from the back where a button kept it fastened. The problem being was that it caused a shock to be emitted, as it wasn’t supposed to removed except at specific milestones that were predesignated in the collars. Then it occurred to him…what if he cut it off? He wondered if he had a pair of scissors sharp enough to cut through the tough leather of the collar.\n\n\tHe went back into his room to retrieve the only pair of scissors he had, which was a thick pair of pruning scissors, which he used when he gardened outside. Owen hoped it would be enough to cut through the fabric. He had no other choice and decided it was worth a shot. Heading back into his brother's bedroom, he overheard some snoring and had to hold back laughter as it wasn't something he was entirely used to hearing. Still, he muffled himself and sucked it up once he entered back into the room.\n\n\tThe stool was still there waiting for him once he was back inside the room. He took his scissors in hand and slowly approached the bed. Occasionally as he moved, the loud cub sounded out in snorts that supposedly resembled snoring. It took every fiber of his being in order to not laugh but Owen's self-control was pretty good. Once he ascended the step stool, he stopped to watch the cub breathe for a moment. The kid's chest rose and descended causing the sheets and blanket overtop him to extend and retract each time he did so. It was quite soothing to watch.\n\n\tEventually, he snapped out of it and returned to the task at hand. Taking his right hand up, along with the scissors and guiding it to a spot on the bed where it was flat and wouldn't disturb the cub. Owen knew he had to be super careful in removing at least a little of the sheets and blanket, as he didn't know how deep of a sleeper the fur was. Slowly he began peeling just enough off so he could see the boy's neck. The bright red leather collar stared him in the face, revealing more and more of itself.\n\n\tIt took a good half-minute before he had the sheets just at just below the peak of the cub's furry shoulder. Owen could smell the boy's breath, as he was that close to the kids face. Now all that was left was to cut the neckwear off and replace it. He grabbed the pair of scissors and brought it to a position where it was just to the side of Ethan's cheek. This was the hardest part. He had no idea how tight the collar was around his neck. The young man was understandably nervous but he also knew he needed data for his report and this was seemingly the best chance of getting the collar off.\n\n\tOwen decided to see if he could rouse the boy with a couple of nudges. He used his free hand to nudge the cub and see if he responded. Ethan let out a short snort but didn't move much. Owen repeated the effort and the cub didn't even budge. It seemed he was at least somewhat of a deep sleeper and decided it was worth the risk of trying to remove the collar. He returned his hand back to where his other hand was holding the scissors, using it to stabilize his own nerves. Slowly but surely he started to inch ever closer to where the collar was settled.\n\n\tThe young man settled the bottom of the scissors near the shoulder blade and rested it there so he could free his right hand. Using his index finger, he lifted the collar and began to slide the blade underneath it. He opened up the two enclosure and began to fit the collar between its blades, slowly pushing it between the sharp edges. He began snipping at it, piece by piece, digging further and further into it. It took a bit of effort since the leather was quite difficult to tear through, but eventually, he was able to cut through all of it.\n\n\tNow, all that was left was to replace it. Owen knew that would it would be easier since it was just a matter of exchanging the two. Pulling out the old one, he threaded in a new one in a space between the cub's neck and the bed. He fastened it into place and then removed his hands ever so surely. The deed was done. All that was left now was retiring to his own bed to study the collar and see if any kind of effects resulted on the boy. He retreated from the room and turned off the lights and decided the rest could wait until tomorrow.\n\n\tThe next morning came quite quickly once Owen settled down. He had a long day and getting to sleep was easier than it normally was. When the young man finally awake, he could overhear the distinct sound of giggling coming from the living room. It made him smile a bit as he roused from his bed. Today was an off day, due to it being a federal holiday. Owen was glad he wouldn't have work today. It was refreshing, especially since he didn't have his report done.\n\n\tAfter rousing himself from the bed, the young man took his sweet time exiting from the room. He figured that Travis had fed the guest since it wasn't the first time he'd had company over and the boy was always a bit more responsible for his age. Owen made his way to the kitchen as he was hungry, not paying much attention to the boys who were giggling in the adjoining living room. He decided that a quick bowl of oatmeal would hit the spot. His favorite flavor was blueberry and it only took 5 minutes to make. While he was waiting on it to heat up, he ate a fresh apple from the fridge and decided to check on the kids.\n\n\tThey weren't that far away as the living room was literally the next room over. He couldn't see them over the couch so he decided to peer over it. Sure enough, the boys were there wrestling on the ground. They were in a ball on the floor with Ethan overtop. It seemed they were wrestling and the cub was winning. Owen smirked a bit and returned to the kitchen once he heard the microwave beep. He served himself up the oatmeal and began slurping it up with his soup after it cooled down. It wasn't long before both of the boys reappeared in the kitchen.\n\n“Can we have some breakfast?” Travis asked rubbing the back of his head, his clothing a mess from roughhousing.\t\n\n\tOwen continued eating his meal in front of them. As Owen looked over at them, something seemed off from what he remembered. Ethan was now taller than Travis was. The man hadn't recalled the cub being bigger than his younger brother and yet that certainly seemed to be the case now. Not only this, but his clothing also seemed to be clinging to his body rather tightly. Was he imagining things, the man had to pinch himself to be sure. Maybe he had a growth spurt? He couldn't be sure but it wasn't that much of a difference between the two so he decided to ignore it and go about his day as normal.\n\n\tOwen went about making breakfast for the two, spending a little more time doing so for them than he did so for himself. The young man made them waffles, which he knew was his brother's favorite. Once he cooked it up and served it, he excused himself as he had work to do for tomorrow. He still hadn't worked on the report and now had the sample he needed to at least start it. He returned to his room and took the collar and placed it on his desk. After he sat down, he got started on the report in earnest. Typing like a madman on his computer. He was a man with a mission to be sure.\n\n\tIt wasn't until lunch until Owen even managed to make a dent in the report. He included mostly basic info about the collar, most of which the government would have found to be unnecessary. But he knew he needed something and this was certainly better than nothing. Already he was thinking about what kind of sandwich he wanted. Lunch was his favorite time of day as he was especially fond of his turkey pastrami sandwiches. Today he decided and would indulge in some salami and triple deck his meal. The man feeling it was worth celebrating and was hungry since he didn't ever really finish his morning dish.\n\n\tThe young man made his way back to the kitchen and realized that the kids were nowhere to be seen. He wondered where they could have possibly gone and decided that after lunch he'd worry about it. He decided, they were old enough to take care of themselves. Owen's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket with a notification from the parents of Ethan. It reminded him that they would be picking him later tonight as the holiday would be over and he'd have to return to school tomorrow. The young man returned the text with his own, assuring the father that his cub was having fun.\n\n\tOwen busied himself making his sandwich. The bread was freshly made from a local bakery and only a few days old. He loved smelling it, the odor of fresh bread was something he enjoyed very much. He spent a few minutes making the meat-filled sandwich before putting some lettuce, onions, and tomato on it. It was going to be a supreme meal to be sure. He pigged out on some chips before eating all of the sandwiches in just a few bites. The young man couldn't help but burp. Once he finished, he decided he would go look for the two boys.\n\n\tOwen figured they must have been outside and went to the door to put his shoes on. He hoped it wouldn't be bad weather and ventured outside, locking the door behind him. Looking around, he couldn't see or hear either of the boys. A little sense of concern washed over him, beginning to think the worse. The young man began to search more frantically as he had no idea where they might have been. He knew they couldn't have gotten far and that reassured him a bit. He wondered around the house wondering where they could have gone...\n\n\tA thousand things ran through his mind as he looked for the two boys. His work report still lingered on his mind, even if the pressing issue was finding Ethan and Travis. Owen began calling out to them. For a few moments, there was no response, then just as he was about to give up he overheard a booming voice beckon to him. Looking to where it came from, he saw something totally unexpected. His brother...standing next to a now much larger Ethan. \n\n“Oh....my....god....” Owen's mouth dropped in disbelief.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Out of Control by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental.  They have been created for the sole use of within this story and are not meant to resemble anyone else's characters. Additionally, some characters are depicted as underage and experience cross-generational relationships. There is also some micro-macro content. You have been warned.

“No man is fit to command another,
that cannot command himself.”
-William Penn

\tThe world is a crazy place. No one really knows what's going on anymore. Politically nothing is what one can expect anymore. Each and every day passes and yet seemingly gets weirder and weirder. One would think that society would be ready for change and yet a serious upheaval has yet to occur. It is the way that things have been of late and there doesn't seem to be any indication that the world is ready for such a drastic change. Humanity remains in stagnation and so the same cycle shall repeat endlessly. Such is the way of reality and it seems like everyone is alright with that.
\t
\tOwen was a young man who lived in a big city. He had landed in Atlanta since he had graduated from a local university. At 22 years of age, he was almost fresh out of college and yet still he had gotten one of the most lucrative jobs in the area.  His parents were especially happy since as a younger teen and into his childhood he'd always been a bit of a hermit. But now all that had changed since he had been given the mantle of the “manipulator” Better known by their counterparts as “Mannies”

\tThe task of the Manny was simple enough. Such humans were tasked with keeping the local anthro population under control. One would think that such a thing was not needed in this day and age but the oppression was out a combination of fear as well as racism. The problem at hand was due to the fact that the furs could basically change size at will. As such, they were given collars by their human masters to keep them under ropes. Owen was one of the people tasked with making sure the collars did what they were designed to.

\tEach of the neckwears was connected to the directorate. The Dirry-D, as it was called, was in one of the biggest buildings in all of Atlanta and everyone knew where it was. Owen's office was the one shared by the interns, but already he had his own section of the Dirry-D to himself. He was assigned some of the youngest patients of the program. Of course, cubs were also the ones most prone to the devices malfunctioning.  As such, it was the young man's job to make sure they didn't. He took his job very seriously and to this point had succeeded much more than his seniors expected.

\tWednesday was the day in which he was supposed to do fieldwork. His plan was to sample his subjects and figure out how he could better improve their lives. After all, if they were happy with their situation, then they were less likely to try and rip off or slip out of their collar.  Owen knew that the collars were far from perfect but he had to do what he could in order to make them work to the best of their ability. He grabbed his bag and a small note pad to write on in order to take notes from the kids who he would interview

\tOwen made his way out of the building and boarded his scooter with his messenger bag over his shoulder. He didn't bother buying a car since he liked skipping through traffic on a whim. Most of the cops didn't care since they knew he worked for the government. His outfit was obvious of that with his blue blazer and slacks, wearing the badge of the department on his lapel. He made his way through the backstreets to the area of the town known as the “Playground.”

\tIronically the place had no playground. It was colorful and had a few schools but the only recreation in the area was a park. Owen got off his bike once he parked it near a bike rack, not even bothering to lock it up since the place wasn't really high in crime. He could overhear some giggling nearby in the park, knowing that cubs would likely be roaming about always made him a bit nervous. One thing he had never told his boss is that he rather had a vice for cubs, especially the boys. It wasn't something that he was proud of but he managed it well enough.

\tThe man began to walk towards the park. It was rather nice outside and quite breezy. He could see various kids running in the distance, both human and fur alike. As was expected they were separated amongst themselves. Owen walked towards the furry side of the park, many of the parents giving him the stink eye as they watched him approach warily. It was treatment in which he was used to but it didn't matter much since he had a job to do and that overrode any sense of fear he was experiencing. Besides this wasn't the first time he had done this before.

\tFirst, he needs to inform the parents of his intention, so that they didn't flip a wig when he talked to them. There were quite a few of them around, so he went to each and every one of them. They knew full well why he was there. It wasn't something they could fight and once he explained his purpose to them, they were much more open to him conversing with their kids. Once he had gotten past that hurdle, all he needed to do was see which cubs were willing to talk. His best chance was finding groups of them and trying to relate to them as best he could.

\tApproaching the young cubs was always dicey. There was always a chance that they'd pounce on him, but it was a reality that he had to deal with on a regular basis. Looking at them they seemed to be playing a game of cat and mouse, which was even more ironic considering that it was stereotypical who was who. As he entered into the fray, both sides seemed to converge on him when he went in the middle of the field. On one side were the felines and the other was the rodents. Each of them had the bright red collar around their necks.

“Hey, guys what's up?” Owen always tried doing some small talk before engaging in a more formal feedback forum.

“What do you want, a blue shirt?” The cubs hated humans just as much and the government workers were no different.

“Uh...we just wanted to see what you thought of the collars. You know we're always trying to improve.”

“You're not going to improve anything...just go away and leave us alone.” The smallest chinchilla among the group made his voice loud and clear.

“But...I'm just here to help. You gotta give me a chance. I just want to make it better...” Owen was an earnest man but he knew he was in a lesser position.

“Come on guys...let's just ignore him. Maybe he'll go away?” One of the cats suggested as the group dispersed.

\tMost of the cubs left with the exception of one. For whatever reason, the Chinchilla remained behind. Owen couldn't help but be curious as to why the one remained but he wasn't about to question it since it was better than nothing.

“I will help you out...but what do I get out of it?” The rodent crossed his arms defensively as he looked at the human with a look of disbelief.

“Hmm...well I could pay you. Maybe even reward you by giving you a new collar?” The man wasn't really sure what to offer the cub.

“Hmm...a a new collar sounds good. This one is sorta tight...” The Chinchilla put one of his fingers between the collar and the scruff of his neck.

“Great...what's your name and how old are you?” Owen stuck his hand into his bag and pulled out the pad of paper and pen to write on.

“My name is Charles but my friends call me Charlie. And I am 11 years old.” The rodent had dark-colored fur but was it was mostly grey.

“Alright, sounds good...so what do you think of it? Other than the size issue?”  The man had already begun taking down a profile of his makeshift patient.

“Well, sometimes it emits a shock. It hurts when it does and you can't really take it off for showers or baths. That's usually when it happens.” Charlie rubbed his head as if he was trying to come up with more things to complain about.

“Sounds like their might be a wiring problem with it. Want me to take a look at it?” Owen asked as he looked at the cub's neck, expecting to see some indication of the malfunction.

“I don't believe that you want to help me. My parents told me that I need this collar to think straight and that it protects us from Big Sister...” Of course, what he didn't know was the true purpose of the collar.

“What if I told you the real purpose of that collar?” The man was being a little bit unethical with his approach but had no other alternative in order to achieve his goal.

\tCharlie sat there silent for a moment thinking. Was he to believe his parents, who had raised him since he was a baby or this guy who he had just met.

“Nope...Leave me alone.” The chinchilla walked away before trotting off into a run and returning to his friends.

Owen felt a little disappointed that he wasn't able to get the boy's trust but he figured it would be easier than it actually was. After all, he constantly told himself that furs were inferior and gullible. Apparently that wasn't the case as the boy didn't buy into his ploy as he thought would be the case.

\tOwen went to the side of the playfield where he sat down on a bench to think about his next course of action. The young man was at a loss for what to do next. Some of the humans from the other side of the park, eyed him warily since he was still on the furry side of the park. He sat there in contemplation as time rolled on seamlessly passed by him and the leaves rolled along with the wind. No one paid him any mind and once lunch rolled around, the only thing to rouse him from his semi-state of depression.

\tThe young man straightened up his blazer and got up from the park bench to make his way across the street. There was a schwarma stand which was famous for its falafels. It was always busy this time of day and already had a huge line in front of it. Mealtime was the only time of day when Furs and humans congregated in a coming together in which they could not avoid. Owen made his way to the stand and had decided on a beef supreme special, which was his favorite dish from the place. He grunted as he looked at the line which was quite long.

\tOwen made his way to the back of the line. In front of him were all sorts of people but the people closest to him were a family of Tanukis. All of which were shorter than he was. It was a family of three, one of which was a young boy. All of them had stripes of tan, brown, and white throughout their fur. It was quite an interesting combination of fur. Owen was close enough to hear them speak, though they mostly made themselves whisper once the father realized who was behind them.

“How are you all doing?” The man tried to make small talk with the family in order to ease the tension.

“We are fine...thanks for asking. What's into you?” The father of the family asked.

“I was just wondering if I could talk to your boy for a moment?” Owen figured this would be a good a time as any to complete his task.

“For what...?” The mother eyed him warily.

“We just want to collect feedback for the cub collars.” The young man wasn't sure they would believe him but it was worth trying.

\tThe couple whispered for a moment and hesitated before moving in the line a single space.

“I'll buy you all lunch if you cooperate...” The government worker figured an incentive would give them an extra reason to play along.

“Fine...” That was enough for the two parents to agree. Pushing the boy back behind them.

The tanuki cub was small and feeble with black circles around his eyes. One would tell he had some raccoon ancestry in him.

“What's your name, Kiddo?” Owen wanted to try and be as friendly as possible with the kid.

For a moment he remained silent until his mother nudged him a bit.

“My name is...Ethan.” The small cub answered hesitantly as he wasn't great around strangers, especially humans.

“Cool, how are you feeling today?” Owen decided that he wouldn't jump into it as quickly.

Every few moments they moved in line and the two continued their conversation in kind as they progressed in the queue.

“I am ok I guess...” Ethan held onto his father's leg as if he was searching for some sense of security.

“That's good...what kind of things do you like?” The human knew he needed a different approach if the kid was to gain his trust.

“I like...legos...” The tanuki was keen on building things, especially star wars related ships and settings.

“That's neat. My younger brother likes legos. He has a lot of them.” Even if Owen was lying about having his brother liking legos, he figured it would be an easy way to relate to the cub.

“Really?” The boy's face seemed to light up a bit as he seemed excited at the prospect of someone with similar tastes to him.

“Yup, I bet you guys would get along pretty well.” The man wondered if his kid brother would even be able to get past his own racism to play with a fur.

“That sounds neat...think I could mom and dad?” Ethan didn't seem to adverse to the idea of hanging around a human.

“Sure, I don't see why not...” The boy's mother didn't seem against the idea since normally her kid was antisocial.

\tEventually, they got to the front of the line and Owen held true to his word. The family of Tanuki's even allowing him to eat with them for lunch. All and all it was a nice occasion and the government worker was happy he had changed his means of achieving success. The parents even gave them their contact information, going as far as even letting Ethan go home with him.

“So, Ethan wanna try driving my scooter? Should be fine as long as I help you and give you directions.” Owen figured it was harmless enough and knew the police would probably look the other way.

“Oh, that sounds neat!” The Tanuki followed him to his scooter and sat in front of the human so that they shared control of the vehicle.

\tOwen felt the warmth of the cub in front of him. It made him feel a bit uneasy and he had to fight being turned on. Not to mention, Ethan smelt really good for a cub of his age. Whatever shampoo he was using smelt similar to Coconut which was one of the man's favorite scents. The two rode back down the back streets to where Owen lived. The man lived in an apartment that wasn't far from where he worked. It was close enough to walk to his office. He knew his brother wouldn't be home, but he had a plan to get what he needed from the kid.

\tIt was about a 15-minute drive from where they were. There was some traffic but they were able to avoid it by keeping to the sidewalk. By the time they arrived, Ethan's face was beaming with glee as he had never driven anything before and it was thrilling for him.

“Where is your house?” The cub was a bit naive and thought the man would live somewhere higher end.

“Right inside. I live in an apartment. My brother should be inside.” Owen was, of course, banking on his brother not being home.

“Okay, I can't wait to meet him.” They parked the moped into the bike rack and the boy followed his new friend upstairs.

Inside of the home, it was kinda a mess. Owen hadn't actually planned on having anyone over. As he planned, his brother was nowhere to be seen.

“Where's your brother?” Ethan looked around and saw that lego buildings were all around the place.

\tWhat the cub didn't realize was that the human was just as into the building blocks as he was. Both Owen and his brother shared the hobby. Ethan couldn't help but be impressed by all the toy environments around him.

“Wow, you guys built all of this?” The Tanuki began to walk towards one of the sets and touch it, careful not to knock it over.

“Yup...wanna build one while we wait for my brother?” Owen figured making the boy comfortable would have him open up to the conversation he had in mind.

“Sure...that sounds good!” Ethan was very excited about getting into the building right away.

\tOne of the colorful buildings was fashioned after the local airport. Several toy airplanes were assembled around each of the various runways as well as at the jet bridges, parked as if waiting for passengers. It was a very well assembled model.

“Wow…” The cub was instantly enamored by the intricate playset.

As he approached it, the man eyed him warily as if he expected the boy to destroy it. But Ethan was nowhere near that clumsy and merely kneeled down beside it to get a closer look at it.

“You like that?” Owen asked, glad that the kid was seemingly interested in his obsessive hobby.

“Yeah, did you and your brother make it?” The Tanuki asked as his tail wagged casually back and forth.

“Yep, sure did. Want to make one with me while we wait on Travis?” The human figured it would be a good way to further break the ice with the boy.

“That would be cool.” Ethan shuffled off his shoes so that he could get comfortable in the apartment and shuffled them to the side of a nearby coffee table.

\tOwen went into his room for a short time only to reappear with a long thin box, that had the familiar red and yellow Lego logo emblazoned on it. A sense of excitement came over Ethan as the older male came closer to him and eventually opened the box. Eventually, the young man handed over the box and in no time, the cub ripped it open as if were some long-awaited birthday gift.

“So…care to tell me what you think about the collars?” The government worked figured it was high time to begin his interrogation of the kid.

“The what? You mean the thing around my neck?” Ethan didn’t much care about what the man was saying as he was much too preoccupied tearing through the contents of the box and emptying it to the floor.

“Yeah, do you experience any problems with it?” The man wasn’t sure it was appropriate to take notes so he decided he just heard the boy out and try to recall his answers later.

For the next few moments, the boy was distracted by the building blocks unable to respond to the man's inquiry.

“So...nothing wrong with it?” Owen figured he needed to remind the cub of the question at hand.

“Oh...sorry. No, not really. I don't really notice it that much. It's tight but my parents adjust it every once in a while so it doesn't hurt as much.

“Oh, that's good. Do they let you take it off?” One of the things the manny had never collected data was the effects of the collar actually being off for longer periods of time.

“Well, no. Only during showers since they say the water could cause it to malfunction or shock me.” The cub gripped one of his paws up by his neck and adjusted the collar a little bit.

“How'd you like to take part in an experiment on behalf of the government?” Owen decided that being forward about it was the best course of action.

Once again the cub was distracted by the building blocks as if trying to build something. The man wasn't sure whether to push it or not. He knew he needed to fish the information but knew better than to  
cross personal boundaries.

“So want to try building this thing?” Owen decided after a short consideration that'd he'd change topics for a bit.

“Yeah! Can you help me?” The cub had never built something on the level of this project which stated it was a higher difficulty than most things he'd done in the past.

“Sure, I don't mind...” The young man knew all he needed to do was follow the directions.

\tOwen got on the floor next to the cub and could feel the boys warmth next to his own. He could smell the cub who had a light musk to him as if he hadn't showered in some time. The man felt it a bit intriguing and was finding it rather hard to resist. He had to pinch himself in order to snap himself out of it. They began to work on the project in earnest once he returned to the reality of his situation, eventually building the base of a large spaceship that was supposed to resemble the old Apollo program shuttles.

“Looking pretty good right?”  Only about a quarter of it had been constructed but you still could get the idea of what it was turning into.\t

“Yeah, pretty cool. I like space ships...One day I want to go on one.” Ethan's dream was to be an astronaut one day.

“What if I told you I could get you onboard one?” Owen figured this might be his opportunity to get the information that he needed.

“Really? Do you mean it? I would really like that...” The cubs fight lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Heh...yeah but I need you to do me a favor.”  The man was hoping this course of action would work to his favor.

“What's that? I'll do anything...” The cub was a sucker for anything related to the space program.

“I need you to take off your collar so we can gauge the side effects...” What Owen didn't know is that most of the government knew the side effects, just...not on cubs.

“But...isn't that bad? Won't it hurt?” Ethan was a little suspicious of the human as he had been brought up to not trust them but this one didn't seem that bad.

“Alright...I understand why you don't trust me. It's fine. I can still take you.” The man just wanted to earn the cubs trust.

“Cool, that sounds neat.” The boy returned to building the space shuttle which slowly began to take shape.

\tIt was another hour or so before Travis actually showed up to the apartment. He was the same age as the fur but a little further longer in his development. Ethan had always been a little behind the curve, even compared to his fellow furry brethren.

“Welcome home, Travis. This is Ethan.” Owen introduced the cub to his younger brother.

“Oh cool. Nice to meet you dude.” The smile on the human boys faces widened.

“Want to build some legos?” Ethan wasted no time as he wanted very badly to finish the model so that they could put it on a launchpad.

“Sure! What are you building?”  Travis showed himself over to where the cub was standing and looked down at his progress.

“Apollo 7.” The Tanuki’s tail wagged casually behind him.

\tThe two returned to building the shuttle while Owen went into the kitchen in order to make dinner, deciding that a simple pizza would be enough to please both boys. It was a popular dish with kids so he figured it would appeal to everyone. By the time the dish was ready, the two boys had become fast friends already talking about nonsense that had no particular purpose. The man was glad that the two boys had become so close already.

“Do you think I could stay over tonight, so we can finish the shuttle?” The cub asked as they were just about done with the project.

“Sure, if your parents say it’s alright.” Owen answered without much thought on the issue.

“Cool, Can I call my mom then?” Ethan asked just to be polite.

“Sure, you can use my cell.” The man handed over his portable and the cub took a hold of it.
\t
\tThe Tanuki called his home and his father answered. It wasn’t who he was expecting, however, he still answered the obvious question. The boy’s father was alright with it since it was a federal holiday tomorrow. The smile on the cubs faces made it obvious as to the man’s response. Once that was resolved they had dinner together and the two boys continued to exchange pleasantries about games. Both of them were obsessed with the Dragon Quest series, as both shared the fascination with Japanese culture. Eventually, the conversation morphed into one about Anime.

\tBefore long the extended family finished their meals and Owen gave each of the boys some ice cream to top it off.

“You guys have 2 hours before you gotta go to bed.” Travis nodded and led his new friend to his room.

\tMeanwhile, Owen busied himself cleaning up the table and doing dishes. After that, all that was left was filling out paperwork for the day. His fieldwork had come up mostly empty so he had to report it. It was all done electronically in order to eliminate waste.  It was a tedious task, but one in which he had become accustomed to during his tenure in the government. It took a good hour before he finished it and could even think about relaxing. But before he could do that, he needed to check on the kids. Travis’ room was across from his own in the apartment.

\tThe young man walked down the hallway towards his brother's room. He overheard the television and peered into the doorway. Sure enough both Travis and Ethan were passed out on the floor. The TV was still on, buzzing from inactivity since the feed had been lost. Owen let himself in and turned it off before picking up each of them and delivering them into the bunk bed. Luckily, neither of the kids was that heavy and he was able to put both of them in bed rather easily. A thought occurred to him as he lifted the cub to the top bunk, what if he took the collar off now?

\tIt was something he was considering, but he knew if it wasn’t replaced the kid would likely notice. So he went back into his room, where he knew that he had a supply of unactivated neckpieces in his closet. Owen retrieved a single collar that was labeled “C”, which meant it was meant for cubs. Now all that was left was getting the old one off, without waking Ethan up. All he could hope for was that the boy was a deep sleeper. He was a bit nervous as he traveled back across the hallway, with collar in hand.

\tThe bunk bed was a little bigger than he was, so he pulled up a step stool so he could get easier access to the cub. Owen began to think of how he could get the collar off without being realized. The normal method was unhooking it from the back where a button kept it fastened. The problem being was that it caused a shock to be emitted, as it wasn’t supposed to removed except at specific milestones that were predesignated in the collars. Then it occurred to him…what if he cut it off? He wondered if he had a pair of scissors sharp enough to cut through the tough leather of the collar.

\tHe went back into his room to retrieve the only pair of scissors he had, which was a thick pair of pruning scissors, which he used when he gardened outside. Owen hoped it would be enough to cut through the fabric. He had no other choice and decided it was worth a shot. Heading back into his brother's bedroom, he overheard some snoring and had to hold back laughter as it wasn't something he was entirely used to hearing. Still, he muffled himself and sucked it up once he entered back into the room.

\tThe stool was still there waiting for him once he was back inside the room. He took his scissors in hand and slowly approached the bed. Occasionally as he moved, the loud cub sounded out in snorts that supposedly resembled snoring. It took every fiber of his being in order to not laugh but Owen's self-control was pretty good. Once he ascended the step stool, he stopped to watch the cub breathe for a moment. The kid's chest rose and descended causing the sheets and blanket overtop him to extend and retract each time he did so. It was quite soothing to watch.

\tEventually, he snapped out of it and returned to the task at hand. Taking his right hand up, along with the scissors and guiding it to a spot on the bed where it was flat and wouldn't disturb the cub. Owen knew he had to be super careful in removing at least a little of the sheets and blanket, as he didn't know how deep of a sleeper the fur was. Slowly he began peeling just enough off so he could see the boy's neck. The bright red leather collar stared him in the face, revealing more and more of itself.

\tIt took a good half-minute before he had the sheets just at just below the peak of the cub's furry shoulder. Owen could smell the boy's breath, as he was that close to the kids face. Now all that was left was to cut the neckwear off and replace it. He grabbed the pair of scissors and brought it to a position where it was just to the side of Ethan's cheek. This was the hardest part. He had no idea how tight the collar was around his neck. The young man was understandably nervous but he also knew he needed data for his report and this was seemingly the best chance of getting the collar off.

\tOwen decided to see if he could rouse the boy with a couple of nudges. He used his free hand to nudge the cub and see if he responded. Ethan let out a short snort but didn't move much. Owen repeated the effort and the cub didn't even budge. It seemed he was at least somewhat of a deep sleeper and decided it was worth the risk of trying to remove the collar. He returned his hand back to where his other hand was holding the scissors, using it to stabilize his own nerves. Slowly but surely he started to inch ever closer to where the collar was settled.

\tThe young man settled the bottom of the scissors near the shoulder blade and rested it there so he could free his right hand. Using his index finger, he lifted the collar and began to slide the blade underneath it. He opened up the two enclosure and began to fit the collar between its blades, slowly pushing it between the sharp edges. He began snipping at it, piece by piece, digging further and further into it. It took a bit of effort since the leather was quite difficult to tear through, but eventually, he was able to cut through all of it.

\tNow, all that was left was to replace it. Owen knew that would it would be easier since it was just a matter of exchanging the two. Pulling out the old one, he threaded in a  new one in a space between the cub's neck and the bed. He fastened it into place and then removed his hands ever so surely. The deed was done. All that was left now was retiring to his own bed to study the collar and see if any kind of effects resulted on the boy. He retreated from the room and turned off the lights and decided the rest could wait until tomorrow.

\tThe next morning came quite quickly once Owen settled down. He had a long day and getting to sleep was easier than it normally was. When the young man finally awake, he could overhear the distinct sound of giggling coming from the living room. It made him smile a bit as he roused from his bed. Today was an off day, due to it being a federal holiday.  Owen was glad he wouldn't have work today. It was refreshing, especially since he didn't have his report done.

\tAfter rousing himself from the bed, the young man took his sweet time exiting from the room. He figured that Travis had fed the guest since it wasn't the first time he'd had company over and the boy was always a bit more responsible for his age. Owen made his way to the kitchen as he was hungry, not paying much attention to the boys who were giggling in the adjoining living room. He decided that a quick bowl of oatmeal would hit the spot. His favorite flavor was blueberry and it only took 5 minutes to make. While he was waiting on it to heat up, he ate a fresh apple from the fridge and decided to check on the kids.

\tThey weren't that far away as the living room was literally the next room over. He couldn't see them over the couch so he decided to peer over it.  Sure enough, the boys were there wrestling on the ground. They were in a ball on the floor with Ethan overtop. It seemed they were wrestling and the cub was winning. Owen smirked a bit and returned to the kitchen once he heard the microwave beep. He served himself up the oatmeal and began slurping it up with his soup after it cooled down. It wasn't long before both of the boys reappeared in the kitchen.

“Can we have some breakfast?” Travis asked rubbing the back of his head, his clothing a mess from roughhousing.\t

\tOwen continued eating his meal in front of them. As Owen looked over at them, something seemed off from what he remembered. Ethan was now taller than Travis was. The man hadn't recalled the cub being bigger than his younger brother and yet that certainly seemed to be the case now. Not only this, but his clothing also seemed to be clinging to his body rather tightly. Was he imagining things, the man had to pinch himself to be sure. Maybe he had a growth spurt? He couldn't be sure but it wasn't that much of a difference between the two so he decided to ignore it and go about his day as normal.

\tOwen went about making breakfast for the two, spending a little more time doing so for them than he did so for himself. The young man made them waffles, which he knew was his brother's favorite. Once he cooked it up and served it, he excused himself as he had work to do for tomorrow. He still hadn't worked on the report and now had the sample he needed to at least start it. He returned to his room and took the collar and placed it on his desk. After he sat down, he got started on the report in earnest. Typing like a madman on his computer. He was a man with a mission to be sure.

\tIt wasn't until lunch until Owen even managed to make a dent in the report. He included mostly basic info about the collar, most of which the government would have found to be unnecessary. But he knew he needed something and this was certainly better than nothing. Already he was thinking about what kind of sandwich he wanted. Lunch was his favorite time of day as he was especially fond of his turkey pastrami sandwiches. Today he decided and would indulge in some salami and triple deck his meal. The man feeling it was worth celebrating and was hungry since he didn't ever really finish his morning dish.

\tThe young man made his way back to the kitchen and realized that the kids were nowhere to be seen. He wondered where they could have possibly gone and decided that after lunch he'd worry about it. He decided, they were old enough to take care of themselves. Owen's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket with a  notification from the parents of Ethan. It reminded him that they would be picking him later tonight as the holiday would be over and he'd have to return to school tomorrow. The young man returned the text with his own, assuring the father that his cub was having fun.

\tOwen busied himself making his sandwich. The bread was freshly made from a local bakery and only a few days old. He loved smelling it, the odor of fresh bread was something he enjoyed very much. He spent a few minutes making the meat-filled sandwich before putting some lettuce, onions, and tomato on it. It was going to be a supreme meal to be sure. He pigged out on some chips before eating all of the sandwiches in just a few bites. The young man couldn't help but burp. Once he finished, he decided he would go look for the two boys.

\tOwen figured they must have been outside and went to the door to put his shoes on. He hoped it wouldn't be bad weather and ventured outside, locking the door behind him. Looking around, he couldn't see or hear either of the boys. A little sense of concern washed over him, beginning to think the worse. The young man began to search more frantically as he had no idea where they might have been. He knew they couldn't have gotten far and that reassured him a bit.  He wondered around the house wondering where they could have gone...

\tA thousand things ran through his mind as he looked for the two boys. His work report still lingered on his mind, even if the pressing issue was finding Ethan and Travis. Owen began calling out to them. For a few moments, there was no response, then just as he was about to give up he overheard a booming voice beckon to him. Looking to where it came from, he saw something totally unexpected. His brother...standing next to a now much larger Ethan.

“Oh....my....god....” Owen's mouth dropped in disbelief.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Out of Control", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "335" }