Corwin Hall

By Geraden

Chapter 1

Todd paced down the sidewalk of the Florida town, grateful for the shade of the overhanging shop entrances. The highway passed not more than six feet in front of the stores and restaurants here, turning the sidewalk into a thin strip of pedestrian-friendly concrete between the painted brick walls and the speeding traffic. He passed by the windows of tobacconists, plant nurseries, and clothing stores, each one giving a glimpse into a recessed interior, darkened by the bright morning outside. He stopped for a moment, wincing and leaning against a newspaper machine as he prepared to leave the shady sidewalk and cross to the other side of the road. He was hung over, and the Florida sun was showing no mercy.

The truth was, Todd had been hung over a lot in recent mornings. Like most Ferrets, he had a low tolerance for alcohol. That hadn’t stopped him. His nights were miserable, he reasoned, so why shouldn’t his mornings match? Besides, it’s not like he had anyone to show off for. Nobody to avoid waking up by puking in the bathroom at three in the morning. Nobody to scowl at him if he started his day stinking of Old Forrester and body odor and sometimes his own urine. Nobody to tell him just how far gone he was. Not that he didn’t know; he hadn’t gone from married, employed, and housed to divorced, stinking drunk and facing foreclosure in the space of four months without realizing he’d screwed the pooch at some point.

Todd rubbed his face with his paws as he waited for a break in the highway traffic, then set out across the hot asphalt. The other side of the street was barren in contrast with the buildings it faced. Half of the block had once been commercial, with closed shops and boarded-up display windows bearing witness to its past. The closed stores were all smaller than their busy counterparts across the street, with low ceilings and squat doors. Some of them appeared to connect to their neighbors inside, forming a continuous storefront of varying heights and colors. Halfway along the block, the defunct stores came to an end, and a large, red brick building towered over the street. Occasional small windows dotted the surface, but all of the blinds were closed. It was impossible to see from the sidewalk how wide the building was, but its heavy presence could easily have occupied the entire half of the block.

He crossed the street next to the closed shops, and peered into one of the few windows which were not boarded up. Old things fascinated him. Some of these buildings must have dated back to the species wars – he could see a tunnel going directly into the floor of the shop, covered by a thick metal hatch. It would have been used for an emergency retreat if the Predators came. Predators like him, since this was an old Rabbit town. Todd peered in long enough to satisfy his curiosity, and then moved along, looking up at the brick structure ahead of 

him. He pulled a card out of his pocket and began to count addresses on the buildings next to him, slowing down as he approached the end of the stores. Surely that can’t be it, he thought…

The entrance to the brick behemoth came into view near the corner: a short, white wooden door with an address picked out in black numerals above it. Todd examined the card in his hand. “Corwin Hall: Where love starts over. 667 Silfay Place,” he read. He looked up at the number above the door. 667. Incredulous, he checked the street sign by the corner. Silfay Place was the name the highway took for a few blocks as it ran through town – he was at the right building. But this aging red brick didn’t look like it had anything to do with love. And why was it so big? Todd had expected a small, discreet building. Some out-of-the way shrink’s office, he’d hoped, although in the back of his mind he was afraid it might turn out to be some secret clubroom where Lisa indulged in her quirk. This structure, though, with no markings, no awnings, and not even any sign to hint at what was inside, was a mystery.

He hesitated on the sidewalk, wondering if he was supposed to knock. It didn’t even look like anyone was home. Flipping the business card nervously in his hand, he stepped up to the door, and noticed the small doorbell and intercom on the inside of the frame. He took a short, bracing breath and pressed the button.

“It’s open!” squawked the speaker.

Todd stood in front of the door for a moment, then opened it and entered. His first impression was of darkness, then of cozy closeness as his vision adjusted. In contrast with the building around it, the room was short, narrow, and long – almost a corridor. There were several chairs along one wall, closed doors spaced regularly along the other, and a desk at the end. It was a reception room. Behind the desk sat a smooth-furred, cream colored Rabbit doe, probably in her late twenties. She looked up from the computer monitor on the desk, and pulled her light rimless glasses down to the end of her nose.

“Ah. Mister Parks.” Todd was nonplussed at the use of his name.

“Uh… Yes. Have we met?”

“Lisa’s told us all about you. You’re the only Ferret we’re expecting. Come in, and have a seat.” Her words were inviting, but the look she gave Todd over her glasses was cold and evaluative.

“Look, Lisa just gave me this card.” He waved it. “I don’t really know what this place is.”

“It’s Corwin Hall, mister Parks.”

“Yes, but what do I do here? I mean, what do you do?”

“We help people. Please, come in and have a seat now. Someone will be along shortly.” With that, she turned, flicked her teardrop-shaped tail, grabbed a stack of papers from her desk, and disappeared through one of the side doors. Todd, bewildered, sat down in the nearest chair and wished he had a drink.

After a few minutes, one of the doors opened and another Rabbit came through it. He was dark-furred, with odd tufts at the ends of his long, floppy ears. He was also completely naked, in the traditional Rabbit fashion. He smiled at the Ferret and gestured through the door. “Mister Parks, please come with me.” Todd stood and followed the Rabbit.

“Everyone here seems to know my name, but I’m at a disadvantage there.”

“You’ll learn all our names in time, I’m sure. Mine is Brutus.” Brutus extended his paw and shook Todd’s as they passed through the door into a long, low hallway. Todd looked backwards into the cozy reception room, then forwards into the hall, which ended in a set of wooden double doors.

“This is a Rabbit warren, isn’t it?”

“Corwin Hall was a warren, yes. One of the oldest in Florida. It has since been converted to suit our purposes.”

“Which are what, exactly?”

“We help people, Mr. Parks.”

“That’s what the lady behind the desk said, too. I’m afraid I still don’t understand.” They reached the double doors and Brutus stopped, looking at Todd with an intense, though unreadable gaze.

“What we do here is strange, Mr. Parks. We have no illusions in that regard. Everyone who comes here does so for different reasons, but there’s a common trait that unites us.”

“I think I can make a guess at that. You wear diapers, don’t you? Like Lisa.” Todd’s tone was carefully neutral.

Brutus paused for a moment, continuing to fix Todd with his intent look. “That is part of it, yes.”

“Look. I don’t want to be impolite. I don’t even judge you for it. I just want nothing to do with it, all right? I told Lisa that in no uncertain terms.”

“And no kind terms, either.” The Rabbit’s gaze hardened.

Todd rolled his eyes. “Right. I think it’s pretty clear that I don’t belong here. I thought maybe Lisa had found herself a solution – a twelve-step program or something. I don’t know why she invited me here, but I think I’d better get going.” He turned to leave, and Brutus put his paw on the back of his shoulder.”

“Mr. Parks. Todd. Lisa invited you here because she loves you, and seeing you in despair hurts her. She thinks we can help you. I apologize for my manner. I tend to be fiercely protective of my friends, and I sometimes forget my charity. Please, if you ever trusted Lisa, give us a chance. We can change your life.”

Todd stood still for a moment, measuring his words. He looked back at Brutus, his face showing pain and determination. “I don’t want that kind of change. Excuse me, I have to leave now.” He swept out of the hallway, ducking to fit his long frame under the door, and left Corwin Hall without looking back. In the hallway, Brutus sighed and leaned against the double doors.

***

Todd slammed his front door and stalked through the dining room into the kitchen. His mind filled with thoughts like coals, he banged a tumbler on the counter and opened his liquor cabinet. Why did she give him that damn card? She knew he hated… that. All of it. His fingers passed over the 14-year Oban and groped the plastic jug of Canadian Mist. This was not a night for sipping scotch. He poured the hobo whiskey until the tumbler was half-full, then added a splash for good measure.

The thought of putting one of those on, and… losing control. He slammed back a mouthful, trying not to taste it, and swallowed. The loss of dignity, in front of other people no less. Who did she think he was? Did she think she could invite him to her little fetish club and pretend everything is just hunky-dory? Maybe they could pretend there weren’t three overdue notices for the mortgage sitting in his trash bin. The glass is three-quarters empty. She knew he needed her support until the writing thing started to pay off. Why did she push him away with her disgusting fixation? Slam back a swallow; don’t taste it. It’s like rubbing alcohol. The glass is mostly empty. Refill it. Why couldn’t she keep it to herself? Slam; swallow. The glass is – where’s the glass?

Todd slid his hand along the counter, feeling for the tumbler, the warm buzzing at the base of his neck distracting him. He knocked the glass off the counter, and it shattered, spilling cheap whiskey all over his feet.

“Shit!”

Todd fumbled for the towel shoved in the refrigerator handle and stepped on a shard of glass, then fell hard on his knee with another curse. The floor was wet as he groped across it, his vision blurred with alcohol and tears. He backed into the corner – the same corner Lisa had been in, the night he left for the hotel. The glass wasn’t in deep; he drew his legs up and pulled it out. The linoleum was cold, knocking against his head lightly with every hitching sob. He waited for the calm of intoxication, but it never came – only the rage and the shame. He grimaced and clenched his fists, and a spreading warmth in his crotch told him he’d be showering in his jeans again tonight. Involuntarily, he pictured himself curled in the corner, sobbing like she had that night. She’d been wearing nothing but her adult diaper. The part of him that could still think latched onto the irony of it.

“Why did she—“ Todd winced at the sound of his own voice, rasping and wavering. Something inside him was breaking. It felt like being exposed – as if the pain and the alcohol and the humiliation were dissolving his clothing. Unsteadily, and favoring one foot, he stood.

“Why did I leave her?”

The next day, he didn’t remember calling the cab, but he did remember shambling down the dark street beside the moldering storefronts. The next thing that was clear in his head was the sound of the buzzer as he pressed the button next to the door. Then a long wait, and finally the door flying open, an irritated Rabbit standing in front of the bright light within.

“What?! It’s half past—oh my God!” The reception Rabbit from that afternoon stepped back, holding her paw over her nose.

“I’m sorry… Lisa.”

Then nothing.

Chapter 2

The cold silk of fine pillowcases soothed his half-dreaming head, which was throwing off heat like a sparkler in July. There was sun on his face, but he was too comfortable to move. He felt balanced – cold on top, warm on bottom, coddled but competent, helpless but set on the right course. He’d dreamed of tornados, but they hadn’t scared him.

Consciousness slowly broke Todd’s reverie, and he opened his eyes to midmorning sun shining hard against pulled white drapes. He slid up the headboard and immediately regretted it. His head pulsed in agony, and he swallowed hard to avoid puking on the nice white sheets. He inhaled sharply through his nose, and realized that preserving the sheets might be a lost cause; mixed with the odor of Canadian Mist on his breath was the familiar smell of morning urine. He pulled the pillow up behind his back, swallowed hard again with a click, and moaned.

“You sound even worse than you look.” The deep male voice came from the side of Todd’s bed, startling him. He rubbed his eyes, and the dark blur hovering over him resolved itself into Brutus, not completely naked this time. He was wearing a thick, white disposable diaper. Todd swallowed – click.

Brutus saw the direction of Todd’s spacey gaze. “Well, I didn’t have time to properly undress for you. I just woke up, and they told me you’d arrived in the small hours.”

“’Properly undress.’ Nnnnng.” Todd rubbed his face. “Why is it always the males? Why couldn’t your reception Rabbit be a Traditionalist? Maybe I wouldn’t have run quite so – hey!” Todd shifted his body under the sheets, feeling something strange, and threw them back. He saw himself naked, except for a thick diaper matching Brutus’s. He snapped his head towards Brutus as fast as his pain threshold would allow, and raised his lip in a snarl.

“Relax, Todd. The diaper was a matter of practical necessity. It appears to have saved the mattress. Now that you’re awake, you may remove it whenever you wish.” Todd immediately dropped his lip and blushed, pulling the sheets back over his obviously wet diaper. He sat up further and wet himself more, the warmth spreading across his rear. God, how drunk had he been?

“Eh… I think I’ll keep it on for now. Can you just get me some pants?” Brutus nodded and gestured to Todd’s shirt and jeans, freshly laundered, and folded on the nightstand. Todd reached for them and slid his pants on under the sheets, crinkling. “Thanks.”

“Come on, let’s get some food in you.” Brutus held his paw out to Todd and helped him out of bed. The lanky Ferret bumped his head on the low ceiling, winced, and followed Brutus out of the room. The corridors here were still long and low, but not as sterile as the reception room, with incandescent lighting and wood-paneled stone walls instead of white plaster. This was an older part of the building.

Shortly, they came into a well-lit, warm room that doubled as a kitchen and small dining room. “Shower’s through that door,” said Brutus, pointing at a side exit. “Get yourself cleaned up, and I’ll make some breakfast.”

“All right, but I’m going to have some questions for you when I get out.”

“I assumed as much.”

Todd stepped through the door into the white bathroom, stripped his pants off, and looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. He felt a disquieting mixture of shame and gladness as he saw the soaked diaper between his legs – shame that he had sunk so low, but gladness that he wasn’t waking up at home in a puddle of his own piss. He sighed and undid the tapes, then, unsure of what to do with a wet diaper, placed it open on top of the toilet tank.

In the shower, the abused feeling in Todd’s stomach and head began to fade. He lathered his fur with the shampoo in the toiletry basket; it smelled like lily of the valley. He closed his eyes and leaned into the warm spray, letting it soak his face and wash the suds away. He began to feel a little more like a Sentient, and idly wondered if he was going to see Lisa today. He felt a little jolt of panic at that idea, and forcefully stopped his train of thought before it could ruin his mood. He rinsed, stepped out of the shower, and toweled himself off.

Lifting the towel from his frizzy head, he saw that, while he was washing, Brutus had left a fresh, folded-up diaper next to the sink. Todd rolled his eyes, opened the door a crack, and shouted “nice try!”

“It was worth a shot.”

Todd closed the door again and, ignoring the diaper, pulled his jeans on. He considered his reflection in the mirror, admiring his fuzzy, freshly-dried chest. “Hey, you don’t clean up too bad, mister,” he said to his shirtless image. He caught the smell of frying bacon and stepped back into the kitchen. Brutus was just setting two plates at the table – some kind of omelet for himself, bacon and eggs for Todd. Todd sat and marveled at the plate. “You have no idea how much I need this right now.”

Brutus sat and grinned. “Best hangover cure there is. Drink your water. And when you’re ready, ask your questions.”

“Er… well, first, I wasn’t sure what to do with the – um – disposable underwear I used.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” Todd was embarrassed at the idea of Brutus cleaning up his wet diaper, but dug gratefully into the breakfast.

He finished half his plate, guzzled the water, and leaned back in his chair, regarding Brutus for a long moment. “All right. What is this place? And don’t give me any of those half-answers I kept hearing yesterday.”

Brutus leaned back in his chair and sighed. “The problem, Todd, is that explaining what we do here in words is very difficult. You really have to see it at work to understand it. In short, though, there are certain values which the establishments of today have failed to instill in the people who need them. Those who are fortunate or wise enough to know they need help with these values come here, stay as long as they wish, and leave with a better understanding of love, and all the gifts and mysteries that come with it.”

Todd blinked. “Right,” he said skeptically. “OK, so what’s with the diapers?”

“I would be lying if I said I understand why they help. But they do. You could say it started as… a historical tradition. But the ways in which they have become useful in our line of business are astounding in their variety. Sometimes they provide comfort. Sometimes they encourage humility. Sometimes they create a welcoming environment for people who genuinely need diapers, and find only discomfort and distance in the general populace. And sometimes they’re little more than a fetish, but even then I’ve never seen a case where they didn’t help somehow.”

“And you think they could help me.”

“Like I said, I’ve never seen a case where they didn’t.”

Todd sighed and leaned his head back. He was in deep here, and wondered if coming back had been a drunken mistake. He’d heard the same kinds of justifications from Lisa, though less articulate and often weepier. As far as he was concerned, it was bunk. Pseudopsychological constructions set up to validate a selfish and infantile fetish. Brutus seemed like an all-right guy, though, even if he did insist on shunning pants. “Well, fine then. I’m here. Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

Brutus rolled his eyes as Todd repressed a smirk, and then stood up. “If you’re finished, then, follow me, and I’ll show you the inner warren.”

***

Todd stood next to the large Rabbit in the hallway that ended in the looming, wooden double doors. Brutus walked toward them and Todd followed, seeing as he got closer that the 

wood was elaborately carved in sections of relief, with figures fighting and dying and celebrating. They reached the doors, and Todd ran his paw along the grain, noticing that it was sun-parched and weathered.

“This used to be the main entrance to the aboveground portion of the warren,” Brutus explained, perceiving Todd’s interest. “The brick and plaster building was constructed around it.”

Todd felt his love for antiques taking over, and examined the carvings. “This is a history… the end of the Species War, right?”

“That is correct.” Brutus nodded.

He placed his paw on one relief picture: a Wolf, standing tall in a cape and military cap, jaws open in a vicious snarl. “That’s Arvetis?”

“Arvetis Agathos, The last of the Wolf-Tyrants. And the most brutal. This relief tells the story of his demise and the release of the Prey species.” Brutus sounded controlled and measured, as if he was consciously keeping emotion out of his voice.

Todd moved his paw over another carving, this one depicting the semi-legendary leader of the Rabbit Resistance who toppled the Wolf regime. “But this door must be over a hundred years old. That would make it almost contemporary with the events it shows.”

“Yes?”

“Well, this looks like the modern, mythologized version of the story. Wouldn’t someone carving this right after it happened tell it in a more historical way?” Todd thought he’d asked a very smart question.

Brutus just smiled and shook his head. “Come on, let’s go inside and introduce you.” He opened the door and led Todd through.

Through the doors was a huge, dimly-lit room, as large as a house, with a smooth, polished wood floor and several support pillars along its length. Inexplicably, a large, functional fireplace occupied the far side of the hall – not a common sight in Florida. Plush, soft cushions were scattered haphazardly, some with Sentients laying on them. Perhaps two dozen people occupied the gathering hall, most of them still asleep. The light susurrus of snoring filtered through the air, and the syrupy twang of incense filled Todd’s nostrils.

Brutus closed the door quietly and led Todd through the room, between sprawling Sentients, diapered and pyjamad. The ones who were awake looked up at Todd curiously. Some of them drew blankets over themselves, embarrassed. He considered the crowd; about 

half were Rabbits, but the rest were mixed species. He saw an Otter, a few sleeping Dogs in a pile, and, stretched out on a huge green pillow, wrapped in a deep crimson sari – “Is that a Tiger?”

“Yes, that’s Raakhi. She’s lived here for three years now.”

“Wow… don’t see that every day.”

Todd looked where Brutus was leading him. In the far corner, on their right, was an elderly tawny Rabbit, floppy-eared and in his early seventies, or possibly older. He sat on a simple brown cushion. In his lap, lying with his face nuzzled deep into the Rabbit’s belly fur, was some kind of large, grey Canine, naked except for a thick and droopy diaper. The Rabbit stroked the Canine’s belly, and he rolled over lazily. Todd saw that he was a Wolf, at least as old as the Rabbit.

“Uh… don’t see that every day either.”

“This is a special place, Todd. Come on.” Brutus walked up and greeted the Rabbit deferentially. Todd followed, hesitating. The old Rabbit said something affectionate to Brutus softly, then shifted his attention to Todd.

“Hello, young man. You must be Mister Parks.” Despite his age, there was something lively and eager in his eyes.

“Please, sir, Todd is fine.”

“Forgive me, Todd. I’d stand and shake your hand, but I’ve got a bit of a full lap.” The belly-up Wolf opened one eye slowly, regarded Todd, and appeared to go back to sleep. Todd noticed that there were deep red scars on the Wolf’s cheeks: one thin horizontal line under each eye, long healed but permanent. “My name is Geraden,” the old Rabbit said.

Geraden. Fitting, Todd thought. It was a very traditional Rabbit name, shared by the folk hero depicted on the hall’s great doors. By the look of him, this Rabbit was born about one generation after the end of the species war. Geraden would have been a very popular name at the time. “Pleased to meet you, sir. Am I correct in assuming you’re the Chief Rabbit here?”

“Such an antiquated term. But yes, I run this place.” Geraden smiled, the creases by his eyes folding in remembrance of many smiles past. The old Wolf wiggled and shifted in Geraden’s lap, apparently discontented by the lack of attention his belly was now receiving.

“And this great, useless lump of fur is Arvetis,” Geraden said.

Arvetis opened his eyes just in time to catch the look of shock on Todd’s face. This particular Arvetis looked a little more peaceful than the enraged fascist carved on the gathering hall door, but Todd took a step backwards. “After my grandfather,” Arvetis rumbled. “Used to be a very common Wolf name, you know.”

Todd closed his mouth, blushing, and nodded quickly. “Of course. I’m sorry. It’s just… Geraden and Arvetis. There’s a bit of irony there, you know.”

This was one of those horrible moments when Todd knew he had just said something very obvious and stupid, or something uncouth, or, more usually, both. He shuffled his feet, and there was an awkward second or two. Finally, he looked back up to Geraden and said, “boy, how pissed were your parents when you brought him home?”

Todd clapped a paw to his mouth, certain that he’d not only crossed the line, but flew over it while breaking the world land-speed record and playing the Star-Spangled Banner on his car horn. But Geraden threw his head back and let out a loud burst of laughter before catching himself, stifling it to avoid waking the others.

“They were suitably annoyed, I’m sure,” rumbled Arvetis.

“Hush, you. They did better by you than they had to.” Geraden returned to rubbing the Wolf’s belly.

Arvetis waved a paw lazily back at Geraden and rolled over, nuzzling back into the Rabbit’s fur. “Never mind him,” Geraden said. “He can be rude when he’s – ah, hello, dear.”

“Todd?” A soft voice squeaked over the ferret’s shoulder. He turned and saw her.

Standing at just about three-quarters his height, holding her smooth, graceful tail in her paws, and wearing the pink footed sleeper he had often complained about, but, if he was being honest with himself, he’d always thought was a little cute, was his Mouse. His Lisa.

Chapter 3

Lisa stood six feet or so away from Todd, her short rodent muzzle angled downwards, peering up at him with wide eyes. “You came.”

“Lisa. Hey…” Todd put one paw behind his neck and looked her over, then shifted his gaze to the floor. The bulge in her crotch told him she was diapered like everyone else here, and his nose told him that she’d wet herself. Something in the back of his brain stirred at the scent, and he realized she would be in heat in a day or two. He felt adrenaline rise in his veins, and instinctively stared at Brutus for a second. He quickly moved himself between Lisa and the large Rabbit. “Did you really have to wear that, Lisa?” he asked in a loud whisper. Great icebreaker, Todd, said the head he wasn’t thinking with.

“I – I was all dressed up yesterday. You called and said… but they said you’d left.” She wiped one wet eye with the sleeve of her sleeper.

“Oh, jeez. Lisa, look –“

“It’s the incense. Terrible stuff, right?” She sniffed loudly.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a bit,” Brutus said, and wandered off into the room, greeting people as they woke. Todd glanced back at Geraden, who was once more engrossed in rubbing Arvetis’s belly. Lisa began to walk towards an unoccupied area next to the large fireplace, and Todd followed.

Apologize to her, he demanded of himself. Tell her you’re a mess. Tell her you haven’t written a word since she left. Tell her she can wear whatever the hell she wants as long as you can be her fuzzy sex slinky again.

“You look nice,” he said. Why couldn’t he do it? The words which had flowed out of him so easily last night were hiding now. Now that he was looking at her face and realizing just how much he had to apologize for, he couldn’t do it.

“You too.” Lisa pretended to examine the landscape painting over the fireplace.

“I didn’t last night.”

“Yeah, that’s what Elyssa said.” Lisa laughed a little nervously, then looked at Todd evenly. “Said you didn’t smell great either.”

“Elyssa?” Todd asked, dodging Lisa’s point.

“The majordomo. She’s Geraden’s granddaughter. She greets newcomers.”

“Oh, right,” Todd said, remembering the Rabbit he’d thought was a receptionist. Majordomo?

“Todd, you’re drinking again.”

Todd sighed. “It was just one glass. I’m fine. Let’s not get into this right now, OK?”

“Better now than – Night, look out!” Todd blinked and tried to process this sentence in a way that made sense, but a second later it cleared up when a something barreled into him from behind, knocking him a couple steps forward. He turned and saw a fluffy white Fox in a pink footed sleeper, diaper-bulge evident, moving quickly towards the hall exit with a strange gait.

“Sorry! Sorry! Outta my way please, I gotta –“ The Fox stopped then, wrapped his paws around his belly, bent at the knees for a moment, and winced. He held that position for a moment, blushing bright through his white fur, then straightened up, ears folded back and tail tucked under his bottom, and walked cringingly out of the room.

“Did he just –“ Todd stammered.

“Looks like. You get used to it around here. Poor sweetie’s actually incontinent, but he usually tries to hold it till he’s in private. Oh, that’s the reason for the incense, by the way. Tends to get a bit stinky without it.”

Todd made a face and looked suspiciously at the reclining furs around him, wondering exactly which ones were… loaded, so to speak. Then he remembered that Lisa herself appeared to be wet, and sighed, rubbing his forehead with a paw. Lisa put her paws on her hips and thrust her stubby nose up at Todd, apparently miffed by Todd’s look. The base of her muzzle, right where it became the bridge of her nose, got a little wrinkle in it that told Todd he was about to hear how things were.

“Look, Todd. There are two things we need to talk about here: your drinking and my diapers. You’re avoiding both of them. I’ll talk to you when you’re willing to discuss something useful, all right?”

“Lisa –“

“I’m serious. And in the meantime, you need to make up your mind if you really want to be here. Because if you don’t, then leave and forget I gave you the card. But don’t hang around here acting like a third-grader at a girl’s birthday party, scared of catching cooties. These people are my friends, and you’re making them uncomfortable.” Lisa looked at Todd for a moment, her expression unreadable, then turned and walked toward the pile of diapered sleeping Dogs, who were beginning to waken.

“Lisa!”

“Think about it, todd.” With that, she waved to one of the Dogs and smiled. Todd sighed, unable to stop her from disengaging with him. He was startled by a large paw resting on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Brutus said.

“Huh?” Todd turned and regarded the Rabbit. He was calm, but somber.

“Earlier, when you smelled her, you almost pushed me out of the way. But you don’t have to worry about me. She isn’t my type.”

Todd looked a bit surprised by that. “Oh? And what’s wrong with Lisa? Think you’re too gorgeous for her? You can do better?”

“No, no. Let me rephrase. She isn’t my gender.”

Todd looked more surprised by that. “Oh! Oh. I’m sorry, then. I didn’t mean to be rude… sorry.” He blushed.

“Don’t be. Shall we continue the tour?” Brutus asked quietly.

“Tour?”

“You haven’t seen everything yet. Would you like to?”

“Uh… yeah. Yeah, I guess.” Todd became aware that his hackles were still raised from the argument, and took a deep breath, consciously smoothing them.

“I’m sorry that happened with Lisa, Todd. But you can’t force anything here.” Brutus led him through the maze of cushions to a small door on the side of the hall.

“It’s just that she’s never done anything like that before. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she could be a firecracker. Stubborn when she wanted to be. But she never turned her back to me like that. Even when we separated, she just wanted us both to be happier.”

“She still does.”

“And before, whenever she got some stubborn idea into her head and fought me, she’d usually cry or mope or something to make me feel bad. That helped somehow. It showed she wasn’t perfect either, you know? Not this time. Hoo, boy. Not even out of diapers, and she’s acting like she’s in charge.”

“This place can make caltrops out of doormats.”

“And who are all these new friends? Where did they come from? Where were they during the divorce, when she claimed she felt so alone?”

“Wasn’t she?”

“And what’s with her worrying so much about me drinking? I’ve never had a problem with it.”

Brutus looked frustrated. “There’s an alien spider climbing your leg and getting ready to lay its eggs in your balls, Todd.”

“I’m not sure this place is healthy for her. She’s losing her grip on the real Lisa. She’s letting down her defenses.”

Brutus rolled his eyes. “If you’re ready to listen, we’re at the next stop.” Todd blinked, and realized they were standing in another corridor off the main hall, this one carved out of stone and even smaller than the rooms in the outer building. He had hunched down without even noticing. There was a door at the other end, heavy oak by the look of it, and banded with steel reinforcement. This was a defensive position.

“Would you like to see our Chapel now?”

“Chapel?”

Brutus opened the thick door, straining even his large frame to start it swinging, then stepped through. Todd followed, and immediately shielded his dark-accustomed eyes to the bright room. When he could see again, he lowered his paw and drew in a bracing breath.

The Chapel was nothing like the rest of the warren. It was huge, for one thing, perhaps thirty feet across and stretching at least forty feet high – it must have taken up the entire height of the monolithic building as seen from the road. It was shaped like an equilateral triangle, except with the sides bowed outward, like some architectural study of non-Euclidian geometry. The floor was flawless marble, and two of the walls were solid polished stone, with no cracks or mortar. The most striking thing, though, was the far wall.

The entire length and height of it – all forty feet, from floor to ceiling – was composed of a tremendous, awe-inspiring sheet of what appeared to be stained glass. There was no picture, just an uneven pattern of brilliant colors. It was divided into small, shard-shaped sections, each one a different color than its neighbors. It seemed to be lit from behind by some kind of intense firelight, for it was brighter at the bottom than at the top, and flickered constantly.

Todd drew his eyes down from the incredible wall, and saw that, in front of it, and almost ridiculous in contrast to it, was a small altar. It was barely more than a table with a 

white satin cloth laid over it, and on that was a simple, wooden cross. In front and to the left of it was a lectern, and a few bare pews were laid out in front of it. Behind the lectern, Todd could see spiked railing around a stairway leading into the ground, hewn straight into the marble. He took a moment to find his bearings in the strange room, then looked at Brutus, who was leaning on a pew, eyes closed, and seemed to be listening to something in a reverie.

“So… Corwin hall is a Christian organization, then?”

“Hmm? What? Oh, not exclusively, no. The Chapel’s all modular, except for the walls themselves, ready at a moment’s notice to be re-configured to suit any number of faiths. Sadly, Arvetis and I are the only ones who really use it for its intended purpose these days, and since we’re both members of the Leporidan Church, it doesn’t see much change.”

“Two members? That’s it? Don’t you have a priest or anything?”

“We have a preacher,” said Brutus, and fell silent. His tone made it clear he was willing to explain that much, and no more. Todd realized that Brutus, naked except for his diaper, which was beginning to show a pale yellow spot in the crotch, made a comic image set against this numinous backdrop.

“You know, I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“This place. The whole warren is so… somber. So momentous. I feel like there are a thousand years of hidden history here. But what you people do here, how you dress and behave, well – please don’t take offense, Brutus – but it’s so silly.” Brutus smirked.

“If you think about it, Todd, you’ll find that that same description applies to many factions, governments, and faiths who have been respected and revered throughout history. We don’t even aspire that high; we only want to be left to exist, and do what we do best.”

“So there’s some danger of that not happening?”

“Oh, yes. There is for everyone.”

Todd thought about that a moment, then nodded. “I suppose that’s true,” he said. Still, he couldn’t help feeling that he just didn’t understand at all.

As Todd reflected on this, his gaze returned to the brilliant rear wall of the Chapel. Shortly, he realized that his original perception of it was off a bit. It had no dividing lines of metal between the shards of color, as one would find in stained glass. They simply ran into each other. Whatever material it was made out of, it was colored that way naturally. And a 

smooth curve like the wall had could never be achieved with glass on such a scale; it would shatter. Come to think of it, the illumination seemed less like firelight the more he looked at it. It didn’t exactly flicker. It was more of a complex pulse, and Todd thought that, if he watched it long enough, he might discern its rhythm.

“Brutus, what’s that wall made out of?”

“What, now? Oh, err – stained glass, of course. Made in France, cost a fortune.” Brutus spoke quickly, then blinked and looked away. “Come on, let’s move along.” He began to walk back to the door, but Todd stayed put.

“You’re not being honest with me.” Blunt, but to the point. Brutus looked up at the vaulted ceiling for a moment, then walked back to Todd.

“I’m that obvious?”

“Afraid so. Plus, I wrote a few articles about cathedrals for a magazine a while back. I know what stained glass can and can’t do, and that,” Todd pointed at the wall, “is not even on the radar.”

Brutus nodded softly, then put a paw on Todd’s shoulder. “Please understand, Todd, that even knowing this place exists is an honor, and a symbol of great trust. Not only from us, but from Rabbitkind itself. Think about it. You’ve never read about this place in a history book. You’ve never seen pictures of it in an architecture magazine. You don’t even know its real name. Nobody does, outside of a few who have to. Some of the people in that hall back there only know that there’s a private chapel behind the oak door, never ask to see it, and are never invited. You’re a good person, and you can take good from this place – that’s why I showed it to you. But there are limits. For now, at least.”

“All right. All right, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry too much, Todd. Except where it really counts, of course. Come on, let’s go back to the hall.” Todd followed silently, wondering about this place. As they walked through the stone corridor to the great hall, Todd realized that it was long, and had branching side exits. He must have really zoned out on the way down here.

“So what’s next on the tour, big guy?”

“Well, there really isn’t much. You’ll be sleeping where you woke up this morning. Not luxuriant, but we don’t have suites here. There are more quarters, but they’re pretty much the same, save that some of them are in older sections of the warren. There’s a bigger kitchen and dining room, but you’ll see that at dinner. What you want to do next is really up to you.”

“What was down those stairs in the Chapel?”

Brutus coughed. “Oh, not much. Stostly morage – er – mostly storage. Brooms, chapel supplies, decorations. Shoes. Insect spray?”

“All right, stop! Stop! A long nose looks terrible on a Rabbit.”

“Am I really that bad? Maybe I shouldn’t be the one giving the tour…”

“Creative fiction is not your strong suit. I get it, though. Don’t ask.” Todd sighed.

“Not yet. Sorry.” They reached the small door to the hall, and stepped through.

“So,” Brutus asked, “what would you like to do with your afternoon, Todd?”

Todd thought about Brutus’s question. He considered leaving. It really was an attractive option; he seemed to be at a crossroads here, with Lisa refusing to talk to him about anything but the most unpleasant subjects. Thinking about Lisa helped him make up his mind, though. He knew he’d wronged her that night, and if making up for that meant doing something unpleasant, it was a small price. He gave a sheepish little smile. “Well, I’ve been here long enough to know what the Romans do, even if I think the Romans are a bit off their rocker. Maybe it’s time I put on a diaper. While I’m conscious, I mean.”

“Really?”

“This place has me hooked, Brutus. I want to stay.” He wanted Lisa. “And I’d like people to think I’m not an asshole, which I think I’ve failed at spectacularly so far. Never too late to make a second impression, though.”

Brutus clapped a paw to Todd’s back. “Good man!”

Chapter 4

On the way back to Todd’s room, Brutus stepped into the small bathroom, and came back out carrying both Todd’s wet diaper, now neatly balled up, and the clean one he had left by the sink. “You’re sure about this?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It can’t be that bad, right?”

“I certainly don’t think so, but consider the source.” Todd noticed that the wet spot on Brutus’s diaper had spread far across his rear, reaching up to his fluffy tail.

“I’ll never know unless I try it.” They reached Todd’s room and stepped inside. Now that he wasn’t suffering from an alcohol-induced torpor, he took in the layout of the room. It was small, but efficiently laid out to maximize space. The bed was in the corner, with a large window above it and to the side, the white blinds pulled. On the opposite side of the room was a small cedar wardrobe with a full-length mirror on the door, and a painting on the wall. It was a small child – a Mouse – holding what appeared to be a small model garden, made out of bits of moss on the lid of a coffee tin. Todd liked it; he didn’t often see paintings made to look like candid photographs, and the effect was moving.

“I’ll just leave this here,” Brutus said, placing the diaper on the corner of the bed, “and leave you to your work.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Todd was glad he had dark fur, and his blush was not evident. Brutus stepped out and closed the door. Todd crossed his arms, looked down at the diaper, and sighed.

“All right. This isn’t so bad,” he said aloud. After all, he thought, everyone else here is like this. Really, he’s being the strange one by not wearing them. This line of thought should have stood to reason, but it didn’t stand to the part of his brain that was screaming for him not to do this, to leave this place and figure out a way to pay his mortgage.

That voice was growing weaker, though, and Todd picked up the diaper, feeling its thickness, and spread it out on the bed. He dropped his jeans, kicked them aside, then climbed on the bed and sat on the diaper. He reached down to pull the front towards him, and noticed he had it backwards; the tapes were in front. He sighed, lifted his bottom, turned the diaper around underneath himself, and sat back down. He pulled the front up, wiggling his tail through the hole in the rear, and guessed at where the tapes were supposed to go. He figured it felt best with two tapes low, on his thighs, and two tapes high, on his belly, and affixed them.

He stood up, feeling the thickness of the diaper between his legs, and realized that something itched along his thighs. He thought that couldn’t be right, and felt along the inner edges of the diaper. He realized there was a ruffle that had been tucked in under the leak guard, and pulled it out on both sides. It was surprisingly comfortable. He walked over to the mirror, hearing himself crinkle, and looked at his reflection. It was nothing surprising, really – him, as he always was, just wearing a diaper. He turned profile and saw that the rear puffed out dramatically from between his legs. He didn’t want to think too long about what the extra space back there was for, and reached for his jeans. He slid them on, and was happy to see that the diaper was not particularly visible.

“All right, I’m done,” he called to Brutus. The Rabbit opened the door and stepped in, regarding Todd.

“Well, that isn’t going to do,” he said, and clucked his tongue.

“What do you mean?”

“What’s the point of you wearing diapers here?”

“Huh?”

“What are you trying to accomplish?”

“Err… we’ve been over this. I want to fit in, and to stop making people around here uncomfortable.”

“And how are you going to achieve either of those things if nobody can tell you’re diapered?”

Todd moved his mouth like a fish for a moment, and then said “I guess I didn’t think about that. I don’t think I’m ready to go around in just the diaper, though.”

“No problem, that’s what these are for.” Brutus opened the small wardrobe, revealing an array of outfits on hangars. He took one out; it looked like a pale green T-shirt with a long strip of cloth hanging from the bottom.

“What’s that?”

“A onesie. It’s a shirt with a crotch strap that covers your diaper.”

“Uh uh. No way.” Brutus rolled his eyes and replaced it, then took out another hangar.

“How about this one?” It was a sailor’s outfit with a loose, ruffly diaper cover instead of pants.

“Cute. But no.”

“You’d be adorable.”

“That’s why no.”

“All right, all right. We’ll start you off with something a little more conservative.” Brutus picked up a folded set of pyjamas from the wardrobe floor and held them up. They were footy, like Lisa’s, and colored a light shade of blue. “They’re comfortable, and they’ll show the diaper bulge, but they’re not too over-the-top.”

Todd sighed and rubbed his temples. “I suppose there are a lot of people in those walking around here. All right.”

“Excellent!” Brutus unzipped the pyjamas and held them open. “Pants off.”

Todd reluctantly unzipped his jeans and slid them off, then stepped backwards into the pyjamas. Brutus zipped him up in front.

“Not a bad job on the diaper, either, for your first time. Shouldn’t have any leaks.”

“Urrrf. Let’s not talk about leaks and such now, ok? I’m not even sure what I’m going to do about… that yet.” Brutus smiled, and gestured towards the door.

“Let’s go re-introduce you, then.”

Todd followed Brutus out of the room, but stumbled for a moment and held his head. The effects of the shower were beginning to wear off, and the warm footed sleeper was not helping his hangover. It was cooler in the warren than outside, but this was still Florida.

“Hey, is there any way I can get a soda before we go back to the hall?”

“Sure thing, this way.” Brutus led Todd in the direction of the small kitchen.

“So, are you going to be my shadow for my whole time here?” Todd asked. “You haven’t left my side today.”

“Just at the beginning. It’s sort of my job.”

“To show me ancient secrets and make sure I wear my diapers?”

“To help you integrate, to protect you, and… to vet you.” Todd paused halfway down the corridor.

“You mean I might not be able to stay?” Todd raised an eyebrow.

“We evaluate all potential new residents, Todd. It’s for our own safety, and for your peace of mind.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. Uh… how am I doing?”

“I’m not really supposed to tell you that, Todd.” Brutus’s voice was grave.

“Doesn’t sound good.”

Brutus sighed heavily. “You’ve got a few strikes against you, I won’t lie. You have some issues, both personal and interpersonal with a current resident. She’s waived you on that, so that helps.”

“Hey, who doesn’t have issues?”

“That is a valid point. But it’s still something we have to consider. You were resistant to our lifestyle, but we’ll have to see where that goes. The big one, though – and this is a big one – is that you’re not supporting yourself outside the warren. You’re about to lose your house.”

Todd blushed. “That’s not my fault.”

“Still, it’s normally an automatic disqualification. You have to be able to live outside the warren in order to live here.” Brutus didn’t look at Todd as he said this.

“So should I just save us all some time and go?” Todd’s tone was sullen and insulted.

“No, Todd. You… you’re in special circumstances.” Brutus resumed walking, and Todd followed in silence for a few moments.

“I don’t get this either,” he eventually said.

“What?”

“You clearly don’t trust me. I’m new, I’ve got ‘issues,’ and I really shouldn’t even be here, according to the rules. But not only are you letting me stay for now, you’ve showed me something that you don’t even show some of the regulars here. Why?”

“Not the regulars, Todd. We have drifters, in and out. People who like the diapers, and the openness, but they never stay long. And let me ask you something: if I hadn’t shown you the Chapel, would you be wearing what you are now?”

Todd considered this a moment, and realized the Rabbit was right, though he couldn’t say why. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t be.”

“That’s one reason we’re probably going to let you stay here. You respond to it. You can’t hear her yet, but you might some day.”

“And you’re off to crazy-town again.”

“Anyway, the final decision’s up to Geraden. Come on.” Brutus opened the door to the kitchen, and Todd stepped through.

He stopped halfway through his first step into the kitchen for a moment as he saw that Lisa, Geraden, and Arvetis were sitting at the small table. Lisa was laughing at something Arvetis had just said, and the Wolf was grinning, the scars on his cheeks pushed up into the wrinkles by his eyes. She turned her head to the door.

“Todd!” Her smile dropped for a moment, but rebounded. Just surprise, not discomfort. “Todd, you’re adorable!”

Todd coughed into his paw and looked at the ground. “Thanks.”

Lisa patted the empty chair next to her. “Come have a seat.” Elyssa closed the refrigerator – Todd hadn’t noticed her behind the door – and looked coldly at Todd for a moment, then her eyes danced off him. As Todd slid into the seat, wincing at the loud crinkle his diaper made, the majordomo moved behind her grandfather and put a paw on his shoulder. Todd saw that their fur was the exact same tawny shade.

“I’ll leave you guys to chat,” Elyssa said. “Bye, Pops. Bye, Arvy-Pops.” She kissed Geraden and the Wolf on their cheeks, then walked past the table and out the door, never looking at Todd.

“Don’t forget to get the dining hall ready for tonight!” Geraden called after her. Then he said to Todd, “Don’t mind her. She’s already had a long day.”

“I know that feeling.” Todd put his paw on top of Lisa’s on the table, and she turned hers, wrapping her fingers around his.

“I’m glad you decided to get dressed properly,” she said. Brutus went to the refrigerator and began pouring glasses of soda.

“One for me too,” Arvetis called.

“Pour your own, you old hound. I’m the Ferret’s babysitter today.” Brutus’s voice was jocular, though, and he poured three glasses, putting two in front of Todd and Arvetis, and sipping the third as he leaned against the counter.

“So, I just found out I’ve got to butter you up in order to stay here,” Todd said to Geraden, though he was looking at Lisa.

Geraden smiled. “Don’t worry yourself too much about that. If you’re meant to be here, you’ll stay. And I like you so far.”

Todd gave a little laugh and sipped his soda. He realized just how thirsty he was, and drank half of the glass at a gulp, then wiped his muzzle with a paw. “I guess that’s the important thing, huh?”

“Hah!” Arvetis let out a cackle, startling Todd. “If staying in this old coot’s good graces was a requirement for living here, I would have been out on the streets decades ago.”

“You were out on the streets decades ago!” Geraden retorted.

“Entirely beside the point.”

Todd couldn’t help but smile at the two as they bickered. There was real love behind the back-and-forth. Nothing like the fights he and Lisa had brewed up, he thought grimly. He looked at her and saw that she was looking at him, too – probably had been the whole time. Maybe thinking the same things.

Just apologize to her! That same demanding voice churned in his head. Todd rubbed his muzzle. “Lisa, I’m – I was a jerk this morning.”

“Yes, you were.”

“I’m going to try not to be.” So close.

“Good. I’m going to try to get you to wear a pink onesie by the end of the week.”

Todd smiled a little, despite himself. “Full disclosure, I guess.”

Lisa nodded, then squeezed Todd’s paw and withdrew her own, picking up a cup of tea in front of her and sipping. Todd’s attention was distracted from Lisa by a problem which had been growing in the back of his mind, but which just now broke into his consciousness, exacerbated by the glass of soda he had chugged. He wished he had taken a leak before putting on the diaper. He squirmed a little in his chair and tried to cross his legs, but the thickness of the diaper made that uncomfortable. He uncrossed them and looked longingly at the bathroom door. He decided it would probably be bad form to take the diaper off, especially now that he knew his tenure here was partially affected by his “resistance to their lifestyle.” He couldn’t do THAT, though. Not with everyone here.

“Umm, excuse me. I think I… left something in my room.” He stood quickly, glancing at the floor to avoid the puzzled looks of the others, and walked quickly through the door, waiting until he was out of sight to press his paw to the front of the diaper.

Back in the kitchen, Brutus said “He didn’t bring anything here with him!” Lisa was pressing a paw to her muzzle, eyes wrinkling in a grin. Finally, she burst out laughing, burying 

her head under her arms on the table. Arvetis was next, and within seconds, all four of them were cackling.

Todd heard the laughter behind him in the hallway, and mentally berated himself. Left something in his room? Stupid! And now they were between him and the only bathroom he knew of in this place. He got as far as the door to his room, and realized he didn’t really have any choice in the matter anymore. He ducked inside, closed the door, then hunched and began to wet himself.

As he felt the warm moisture spread across his crotch and bottom, a jolt of adrenaline ran up his spine. He half-expected to see the sleeper darken and begin to spill a puddle on the ground underneath him. As he continued relieving himself, and no trace of wetness showed on the outside, he relaxed a little, and closed his eyes. It was a long stream, and the diaper swelled as it absorbed it. He realized that he could probably stop now if he wanted to, but didn’t see the point; he was just going to have to wet again later if he held it in, so he began to consciously squeeze it out. Part of him was rebelling at the sensation of intentionally pissing while fully clothed, but it was weak. At least nobody was around to see.

After a while, he finished and stood upright. The bulk of the diaper was now thicker and heavier between his legs, and he realized he was walking a little awkwardly as he stepped back through his bedroom door. It was warm, though, and the feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant on his crotch. He groaned a little as he realized he could smell it faintly, acrid, but with a sweet tinge caused, presumably, by deodorizers in the diaper. He waddled back to the kitchen and stepped in, not even realizing that his ears were folded back against his head, and his tail was pressed down firmly on his puffy bottom.

“Did you find it?” Lisa asked. He could tell she was trying desperately not to laugh. Arvetis was holding one paw up to his mouth. Todd glanced from one person to another, seeking sympathy while trying to look nonchalant, angry, and manly at the same time. The combined effect was rather like a confused puppy, and Lisa couldn’t hold back an “Aww.” Todd sighed and leaned on the table, covering his face with his paws.

“Look, I need to go get changed, OK? And I don’t know where the diapers are.” Arvetis chuckled.

“Be nice to the poor man,” Geraden chided. “There’s a package under your bed. Can you do it yourself, or would you like some assistance?”

Before Todd could stammer out a rejection to that proposal, Lisa took his paw and stood up. “I think we can take care of each other,” she said. “I’ve needed a change all morning.”

Todd blinked, arm hanging limp from Lisa’s grasp for a moment, and then stood, feeling the weight of his diaper sag against the sleeper’s groin. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Well, you can’t really make fun of me this time, can you?” She slapped his bottom lightly, making a dull, wet thud. “Just a change, though, ok? No hanky-panky.” Todd winced.

“Maybe this is something we should discuss when we’re alone?” The others in the room were, to a man, grinning.

“Come on, then!” She walked out the door, pulling his arm. Todd gave the crowd a cheerful wave, then ducked through the door. Things weren’t looking so bad now.

Chapter 5

Lisa’s giggles could be heard for several seconds as she led Todd away from the kitchen, then they disappeared behind a hallway door. The others in the kitchen were silent for a long moment.

“Well,” said Arvetis, smoothing the fur on the back of his paws, “I suppose that’s that, then. They’re fine again.”

“No.” Brutus shook his head. He sat down in the chair Todd had just vacated. “He’s still not comfortable with it. Not really. He’s tolerating, not accepting.”

“And Lisa is making a conscious effort not to resent him,” Geraden said. “Did you see her face when he walked in? She was doing a million calculations per second. As soon as that effort wanes, what’s going to happen?”

“You two are just wet blankets,” said Arvetis.

“No, it’s true, dear.” Geraden put his paw around Arvetis’s. “She needs to see that there are worse flaws in a man than vanity.”

“And he needs to learn that vulnerability isn’t a sin,” said Brutus.

Geraden nodded. He looked at Arvetis’s eyes. “I’m going to tell the story tonight.”

“Geraden...” Arvetis removed his paw from the Rabbit’s and closed his eyes.

“You know I don’t do it to hurt you.”

“I know. But you know I don’t like it. Especially when there are new people here.”

“I’m sorry. There’s wisdom in it, though.”

Arvetis leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. “They’re going to be after me with questions tomorrow, and I won’t be able to tell them anything they want to hear.”

“So tell them what they don’t want to hear.”

***

Todd closed the door to his room with a soft click, and turned to Lisa, who was facing the painting.

“Oh, I love it!” she said, cocking her head to inspect the proud Mouse boy with his creation. Todd saw that she had already unzipped the front of her sleeper, and it was hanging loosely around her shoulders.

“Yeah, it’s cute.” He heard a nervous shake in his voice. She turned her face over her shoulder and gave him a mischievous grin.

“No making fun. You promised.”

“I promised.”

She unzipped the sleeper all the way, then turned around to face him and shuffled it off her shoulders. It fell to a pile around her ankles. She stood in front of him for a moment, naked except for the diaper. Todd made a conscious effort to only look at her small breasts for a second, then moved his eyes to meet hers.

“Not bad,” she said. “You found my face in record time.”

“I’ve missed it.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Corny.” She jumped on the bed and bounced for a moment, then rolled over and spread her legs. “Me first. I’ve been in mine longer.”

“Fair enough.” Todd padded over to the bedside and bent down, reaching under the edge of the comforter. His paw found a tub of baby wipes and a smooth plastic bag. He pulled them out and examined them. “It’s in German or something.”

“Dutch. They make the best diapers.”

“Learn something new every day.” Todd ripped open the top of the package and pulled out a thick, folded diaper. He placed it on the bed, and turned his attention to Lisa. Hers was literally sagging off her; she was even wetter than he was. He felt a familiar lump rising in his throat. He really didn’t like seeing her like this, and resisted the urge to deflate his discomfort by teasing her, as he had before. He reminded himself that he wasn’t in any better position than she was. Lisa wrapped her paw around his wrist.

“Not like last time. This is a do-over.”

“I like do-overs,” Todd said, nodding. “Besides, I don’t have money for a hotel this time.” She gave a disgruntled look at that. “Baby, you know I don’t mean it. I make jokes. I’ll stop.” She looked satisfied at that. He took the edge of one tape into his paw, but Lisa drew up her legs.

“Wait. You have to take off your jammies too.”

“Why?”

“It’s only fair.”

Todd shrugged, unzipped his sleeper, and slid out of it. He was embarrassed to see that she wasn’t wetter than him after all.

“You’re really cute, Todd.”

“I guess ‘cute’ is a relative term,” he said, making a face. “I feel like I’m swimming.”

“Well then hurry up and get me changed, and I’ll take care of you.” Lisa laid back, spreading her legs again. Todd sat on the foot of the bed, untaped her diaper, and pulled the front down, letting it flop wetly between her thighs. His nostrils were instantly filled with her scent, and his head went fuzzy with her oncoming heat. Unable to stop himself, he glanced at her crotch.

Her thigh and pubic fur was soaked, and clung to itself in short mats. Inhaling through his nostrils, he peered at his favorite place on her body – just above where her buttocks met, where her perfect cleft started. He missed her so badly.

“Todd.” Lisa placed a paw on his shoulder; her voice was severe. Todd realized his nose was only inches from her wet groin. Blushing, he straightened himself up.

“I’m not – I didn’t mean to.”

“I told you. Not now.” Her voice was shaking.

“I know. It was an accident.”

“When we were married, it was love. Now… I don’t know what it is yet. But it’s not the same thing it used to be.”

Todd only nodded, surprised at her candor, but unable to disagree. He opened the baby wipes, took one out, and warmed it in his paws. Lisa placed her thumb in her mouth and turned her head sideways. As he began to wipe her thigh, he saw a tear make a path through the fur on the side of her head. He put a paw on her belly.

“Hey, Lisa.”

“I’m sorry,” she muffled around her thumb.

“No, baby. I shouldn’t have made you do that. It’s just, you’re almost in heat, and you know I get stupid. That was nothing, ok?”

Lisa closed her eyes and nodded, still sucking on her thumb.

“Come on, let’s get you changed.” He resumed wiping her with one paw, rubbing her belly with the other. He left none of her wet fur uncleaned, but didn’t touch her any more than he had to, then rolled up her wet diaper like he’d seen Brutus do with his. He unfolded the new diaper and patted the side of her bottom. “Up.”

Lisa lifted her bottom, her pink tail wriggling, and Todd slid the diaper under her. She sat down on the thick padding, then pointed at the nightstand with the paw that wasn’t in her muzzle. Todd looked over and saw a small bottle of baby powder he hadn’t noticed before. He took it, sprinkled some on her thighs and groin, and reached under her from the side, trying to get the rear tape over the base of her squirming tail.

Lisa pulled her thumb out of her muzzle with a pop. “Oh, here, I’ll get it.” She reached under her back with both paws, sticking her tongue out of the side of her muzzle, like she always did when she was concentrating. Todd pulled his paws back and let her work at it, smiling a little. This wasn’t as bad as he was afraid it might be. She hadn’t become snipey and shrewish during the change, like she had the few times he’d indulged her fetish before. He remembered that he hadn’t mocked her for it this time, but didn’t like where that train of thought was going, and ignored it.

“There. If you do that part wrong, you get leaks.” She pulled her paws back out from under her, and looked up at him, waiting. He took the front of the diaper, pulled it up snugly between her legs, and taped it in the same way he had on himself earlier, then pulled the frill 

out along her thighs. She wiggled a little, smiled, and wiped the sides of her eyes with a paw. “I think you’re getting better at this.”

Todd patted the front of her dry diaper and stood up. The weight of his diaper reminded him that they weren’t done yet.

“Your turn!” Lisa said, and rolled off the side of the bed, standing up and patting the place where she had just been laying. Todd sighed and crawled onto the bed from the foot, then rolled over onto his back, laying with his legs out straight. Lisa walked over to the foot of the bed, crinkling and wriggling her tail. “It always feels like it fits better when someone else puts it on you,” she said, and picked up the changing supplies.

Todd realized that he had to urinate again. “Umm… wait a minute, hon.” He bit his lower lip, and tried to go. His earlier arousal made it difficult, but he managed to squirt out what he had into the front of the diaper, hoping that its wetness would disguise what he was doing.

“All done?” Lisa asked, patting the squishy front of the diaper and shattering his hopes of secrecy, but he nodded. She undid the tapes and pulled the front of the diaper down, her eyes widening. Todd was very erect.

“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that’s from seeing me naked, and not from pissing yourself,” she said, smirking.

“Hey, that’s not fair, I didn’t make fun of you.”

She nodded. “All right, fair’s fair.” She took some wipes from the bin and started to clean him, not warming them first. Todd’s fur stood on end at the coolness on his thighs and scrotum, but his erection gradually subsided, and that relieved him. She cleaned his all his wet fur, rolled up the diaper, and took a new one out of the package. He lifted his bottom off the bed, and she slid the diaper under him and expertly did the tail tape before he sat back down. Todd closed his eyes. This was more disarming than he had anticipated, and he was glad he’d been unconscious when Brutus had done it to him.

Lisa pulled the front up over his belly, taped it, sticking her tongue out again, and patted the diaper bottom. “All done.” She was right; it did feel different put on by someone else. He slid off the side of the bed, standing up and adjusting the sides of the diaper.

“Thanks, hon,” he said, and she hugged him. He felt her chest press against his upper belly, and put a paw between her ears, kissing her forehead.

“Now we gotta get you dressed,” she said, breaking the embrace and walking over to the wardrobe. She opened it and dug through the outfits. “Oh, look how cute!”

“Uh… can’t I just wear the pyjamas?”

“Are you kidding? It’s a feast night. You’d be under-dressed.” She pulled out the onesie. “Adorable, but not for tonight.” She continued rummaging.

“Feast night?”

Lisa didn’t seem to hear him, evaluating various outfits and rejecting them, until she pulled out the sailor suit. “Oh, Todd!”

“No.”

“It’s your size and everything! Extra-long shirt!” She draped the top over the wardrobe door.

“No.”

Lisa held open the navy blue diaper cover. “Step in.”

“I think you’re not hearing me.”

“Step in or I swear I will hold you down and duct-tape it to your fur.” Todd groaned and put one leg into the diaper cover, then the other. Lisa pulled it up, snapping the elastic at the legs and adjusting it to cover the frill of his diaper.

“I really don’t think –“

“Hush. You’ll be the beau of the ball. Arms out.” Todd held his arms out, defeated, and Lisa tossed the white shirt over his back. She tried to get his arms through the sleeves, but Todd was too tall. He obligingly bent his knees, and she got him into it, doing the double row of blue buttons up the front.

“You’re too damn big.”

“That’s what you said,” Todd retorted instantly. He smirked, and Lisa rolled her eyes and gave his padded bottom a swat. She adjusted the blue bow at his neck, stepped back, and looked him over.

“Perfect. Come on, let’s go to my room and pick something out for me.” She walked out the door, gesturing for him to follow. Todd looked down at himself, took in a deep breath, 

let it out, then walked out of the room, praying that the warren had become suddenly depopulated.

Corwin Hall, Chapter 6

Todd opened the large wooden door and peeked in. It was off one of the side passages on the corridor to the Chapel. He saw a large, wood-paneled room, heard someone speaking, and entered. Lisa followed behind him, wearing the outfit they had picked out for her: a pink, close-fitting dress with frilly ruffles along the hem and a short enough skirt to let her diaper peek out when she bent over.

“Can I help you?” asked a cold voice. Todd turned and saw Elyssa standing in front of a huge, oval table that ran across the entire length of the room. She was setting out chairs. Behind her, Brutus was setting chairs on the other side of the table. He looked up.

“Todd!” Brutus called, and waved. “I lost track of you! Snappy outfit.”

Todd coughed. “I’ve been hanging around with Lisa. She wanted to show me the dining room.” Brutus pushed a chair in, wiping his forehead, and went to the edge of the room to get another. “Want to lend a hand?” he called.

Todd followed Brutus and picked up a chair. It was solid oak, and very heavy. His diaper made working feel strange; when his thighs tensed he could feel its thickness. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Feast night! It’s going to be tons of fun,” Brutus said. He seemed genuinely excited.

“What’s the occasion?” Todd placed the chair and went to get another.

“Oh, no occasion. Geraden declares feast night pretty much whenever he wants to. Usually happens a couple times a week.”

“I wish he’d let up on it,” Elyssa said. “It’s a lot of work for everyone.”

“It’s good work, and good food,” Brutus replied, setting down another chair.

Todd’s stomach grumbled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “When does the feast start?”

“Well, not technically until six, but there will be appetizers and small dishes coming out of the kitchen soon. People generally graze for a while before the feast proper starts. That’s why I didn’t offer you lunch.”

“I’ve certainly worked up an appetite,” Todd said, and put his paws on his knees, leaning over. That gave him too good a view of his padded crotch over his naked legs, though, and he stood back up.

“You guys can finish this up, right?” Brutus asked. “I need to go help out in the kitchen.”

“Sure, go ahead,” said Elyssa.

“Oh, can I come too? I love being in the kitchen on feast nights!” Lisa said, and followed the Rabbit.

“Right, come on then.” Brutus walked through a set of heavy oaken double doors on the far wall of the dining room. While they were open, Todd saw an orange glow on the stone floor. He heard the clatter of dishes and shouting voices – loud, but merry – and a smell so delicious that he went weak in the knees drifted into the dining room.

“Back in a bit, Todd!” Lisa called, and slipped through the doors, and she was gone, along with the smell and the sound and the light.

Todd turned to get another chair, and noticed Elyssa was next to him. He heard a crinkle and realized she was also diapered under her conservative tan skirt. He gave her a weak smile, barely remembering the impression he must have made on her last night. She didn’t respond.

“Hey, um…” he began, putting a paw behind his head.

“What?” Sharp and tactless.

“Whoa, sorry. Nothing.”

“Good.” She shoved a chair under the table.

“Hey, what did I do?” For some reason, this caused Elyssa to snort and roll her eyes. “No, seriously, I barely know you. Why the attitude?”

Elyssa spun on Todd and jabbed a finger into his chest, disheveling his baby-blue bow. “You know what you’ve done. I can’t believe you have the gall to ask that!”

Todd stumbled back a little. “Is this about last night? Look, I know I looked like hell, but—“

“You looked like hell? You think you looked bad? What do you think Lisa looked like when she got here?”

That caught Todd off-guard. He said nothing for a moment. He didn’t know what she’d looked like when she showed up at Corwin Hall’s door that night, but he remembered what she’d looked like when he left her. The image filled his mind. “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh.’” Elyssa turned her back on Todd and gave the chair another shove, unnecessarily.

“Come on, look. That was just a whole… messed up situation. I know I shouldn’t have left her. I’m – I know it was wrong.”

“Now you do. Now that you’ve got no friends, no job, and soon no house. Is that all it took?”

“Hey!”

“Fuck you, ‘hey.’ You might have her fooled right now, and just about everyone else here, too. Even Pops. But I see right through you, you manipulative creep. You’re not even allowed to be here according to the rules, and you know what? Pops doesn’t have the last say. There are others. So you better watch your powdered ass, lanky, cause I’m gonna make sure you get thrown out on it so hard it breaks under that diaper.” With that, she kicked the chair, turned around, and stalked out of the dining room. On her way out the door, she walked right into Geraden, who was coming inside.

“Ooph! Elyssa!”

“Hi, Pops. Bye, Pops.” She continued out the door. Geraden stared after her for a moment, blinking and recovering his breath. Todd was frozen, leaning against the chair. Slowly, he slid down until he was sitting in it.

Geraden stepped towards the table. He was wearing a long, blue, silk robe tied at the waist, and crinkled as he walked. “Todd…” Todd’s expression must have told the entire story, or at least the interesting bits. Geraden took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, and sat in the chair next to him. “Todd, I’m sorry. For her.” He put his paw on Todd’s shoulder.

“I was just… She just…” Incredulous, Todd realized that there was actually a tear on his cheek, and he wiped it away quickly. “She just tore into me out of nowhere!”

“She is not one to hold back when she doesn’t have a mind to.”

“But why me? I don’t even know her!”

Geraden looked at the ceiling for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Todd, your… personal attributes are exactly wrong for Elyssa.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I will ask you to watch your language while you’re sitting at my table.” Geraden’s voice was authoritative, but not angry. “Though I imagine you’ve had a poor influence from my granddaughter. It means that she’s had a bad time with someone who had a bad time with alcohol.”

There was a long pause. “I’m not an alcoholic,” Todd said flatly.

“That is beside the point, whether it’s true or not. Also, it’s not the only thing she’s reacting to.”

“Yeah? What else is wrong with me?”

Geraden paused, and looked into his lap. “Elyssa’s parents were at Sandleford.”

“Oh… oh!” Todd put a paw to his mouth. “Your…”

“My daughter and my son-in-law.”

Todd lowered his head. Sandleford Warren… he had been very young, but he vaguely remembered the news broadcasts and his parents’ G-rated explanations. It was the last major Pred supremacist incident. A group of Ferrets and Weasels, calling itself the Red Fang, came on Sandleford Warren in the night. It was one of the old-style warrens, with round halls and narrow, earthen passages. The Red Fang broke in through every entrance at once. The Rabbits in the outer rooms died first, shot and stabbed. The last Rabbits to die were in the center of the warren, trapped, blinded, and gassed.

“She couldn’t have been more than… three.” Todd said into his lap.

“Two.”

“I’m sorry.”

Geraden squeezed Todd’s shoulder. “There is, in this case, no reason for you to be. After all, I knew Lithe as my daughter longer than Elyssa knew her as her mother, but you don’t see me using you as a proxy for blame because of your species.”

“Can I do anything?”

“Probably not. However, there is one thing you should keep in mind: Elyssa is Lisa’s friend. She won’t talk to Lisa directly about you, and if you can avoid putting a strain on your relationship with Lisa at this point, that would be for the best.”

“You mean… lie to her about what just happened?”

“No, no, of course not,” said Geraden, shaking his head. “But unless Elyssa involves Lisa, this is not her conflict.” Todd thought about this, then nodded.

At that moment, the kitchen doors opened. Lisa came through, holding a plate high, causing her skirt to lift and show her diaper. She didn’t seem to mind. “Appetizers!” she called, and several others followed her out from the kitchen holding more plates. She walked by Todd with the plate, and the smell made his stomach roar.

“Brought these out just for you, Todd.” Lisa put the plate on the table. Pan-fried jalapenos stuffed with chicken and cream cheese! Todd nearly melted in his chair. He rubbed his face to make sure he wasn’t disheveled from the argument, and popped a pepper in his mouth.

“Not too much, now,” said Geraden. “You’ll spoil your appetite.”

Over the next hour, other small dishes began to show up. Mozzarella sticks, beef strips, chicken wings, onion rings, a bunch of vegetarian salad dishes Todd didn't pay any attention to, and some unidentifiable foods made for various species began to line the edges of the table in front of him. People also began to trickle in. He understood why the warren had seemed mostly empty through the afternoon; probably two dozen people were helping in the kitchen. Slowly, they began to gather and take seats at the oval table.

Lisa sat across from Todd and smiled at him. Todd returned it weakly, wondering if she had any idea what Elyssa thought of him. Geraden remained sitting to Todd's right, and Arvetis sat across from him, next to Lisa. Todd looked at Geraden, chewing on a Buffalo wing.

"So, not enough wood for a real round table, huh?" he asked.

"Hah! No, actually, it's purely a matter of convenience," Geraden explained. "Ever tried passing the salt on a round table set for thirty-five? It's more an exercise in pitching than ettiquette. I think we've kept the idea, though. No head or foot of the table, since all the chairs are along the length of the oval, and this way you can talk to more people than those who happen to be sitting right next to you."

Todd nodded, returning to the buffalo wings. Some more people came in through the main entrance carrying a small, square table. There was a large cream-colored Mare, wearing a 

skirt and diaper but no top, the white Fox Todd recognized as Night from his earlier encounter, wearing a white shirt and slacks with an obvious diaper bulge, and a few more. They placed the table in the far corner, and pulled up chairs.

"Why are they sitting over there?" Todd asked.

"Ah, that's a bit of an unfortunate situation," Geraden said. "I really would prefer everyone eat together at the same table, but there really isn't a better solution."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, for the sake of everyone's appetites, we have a 'no soiling at the dinner table' rule. The people over there, however, are actually incontinent, and cannot guarantee that they will follow the rule, so they've volunteered to eat separately."

Night noticed the attention from Geraden and Todd, and gave them a smile and a wave. Geraden waved back. "They understand, of course, that it's entirely out of necessity," he said. "But look out, here comes the real food!" Geraden smoothed his robe and put his napkin in his lap, and Todd followed suit. From the kitchen, a line of residents came, carrying dishes larger than the ones set out around the periphery of the table. There were magnificent plates of food, probably eleven or twelve main courses in total. Todd's stomach growled loudly as a plate of fresh sushi rolls landed near him, and Lisa gave a little squeak at a pot of Swiss fondue.

Todd noticed that Lisa and some others were digging right in, filling their plates, while Arvetis and a few others were waiting, and seemed to be saying grace. Confused about the etiquette, he waited for Arvetis to finish, then leaned over and asked him whether grace was expected.

"If you have no desire to say it, what good would it do?" the elderly wolf replied. This did not leave Todd any less confused, but he shrugged and put some sushi rolls on his plate, along with some meatballs in a brown sauce and a hunk of crisp, crackly bread. A plate full of brown, tender-looking meat strips caught his eye, and he speared one with his fork. He drew it close to put it on his plate, then caught the scent of it.

Mortified, he froze. He'd smelled that once or twice before, at protests organized by the weak and fading Predator supremacist movement. One Predator, usually some lanky Wolf with patchy fur, would bring along a grill and cook up some rabbit meat. Dumb rabbit, of course, but the symbol was there.

Todd slowly replaced the rabbit meat on the platter, and coughed, trying to disguise the movement. He felt a prickling on the back of his neck, and turned to see Geraden looking right at him.

"I- I swear, I had no idea what it was," he stammered. Geraden gave him a little smile.

"Go ahead, try some."

"But... it's rabbit meat." Todd's voice was hushed, as if he were talking about something lewd.

"Dumb rabbit, Todd. It's no more an abomination than your meatballs."

"But even so! The pred supremacists – because of what the Wolves did – they..." As soon as he said it, though, he realized who was sitting across the table from him. He shut his mouth and looked over to Arvetis, who was staring intently at his plate of meatballs and fondue-dipped bread. His face was expressionless, but the marks underneath his eyes were flushed bright red. Todd didn't know what that represented. Was it anger? Shame? Regardless, he felt like curling up in his chair and never saying anything again for the rest of his life. Geraden sighed and reached a paw across the table, putting it on Arvetis's.

"Yes, it is true that the supremacists have tried to turn rabbit meat into an anathema, because some Wolves preyed on sentient Lapines in the wars. Unfortunately, society has largely played along, treating dumb rabbit meat as some kind of horror. That only gives the symbol power. We've kept alive the memory of an abomination that should have died a century ago. We are also teaching ourselves to fetishize our dumb animal characteristics. These traits divide us, while the traits we inherit from the Progenitors unite us. We are as different from the dumb animals as we are from stones. So go on, try some. Our resident carnivores say it's very good."

Todd listened through this speech, dumbstruck, then nervously returned the strip of meat to his plate. He ignored it at first, starting with the sushi. It was as good as it looked - fresh and crisp. He noticed Arvetis becoming more animated, leaving the unpleasant conversation behind and talking with Geraden about redecorating the reception room as he ate. Todd speared a meatball, ate it, and looked down the length of the table, trying to find Brutus or Elyssa. He was interrupted by a sharp jab in his paw.

"Ow!" He looked down. Lisa had prodded him with her fork.

"Eat your abomination, dear." She had a supressed smirk on her stout muzzle.

"OK! All right! I'll try it." He picked up the strip with his fingers and smelled it. Its scent was amazing – savory and smoky. He put it in his mouth, and instantly his eyes half-closed. The meat practically melted on his tongue. He chewed it for a long time, extracting every particle of flavor he could. He felt almost as if he had been born to eat this, and realized that, to some extent, he had been.

"Good, huh?" Lisa was still smirking, but she had a curious look, as well. Breaking taboos was almost a hobby for her; she had to find this intensely fascinating.

"Very." Todd took another piece and put it on his plate, but no more. He still had some guilt about it, no matter what Geraden said. After all, anything that good couldn't possibly be innocent.