Kiba skipped down the stepping stone path leading to the house with his caretaker, Luna,
flowing closely behind. When the red wolf pup reached the front door he wasted no time in jumping
up and pushing in the house's doorbell. As the doorbell's chime filled the house Kiba heard a squeaky
voice on the other side of the door yell out, "HE'S HERE!"
Within seconds Kiba heard the loud thumping of footsteps coming to the door. Soon after the
door opened and revealed a tall, orange haired, female raccoon holding a pair of tiny, green, baby
overalls. Standing next to her was her kit, a male toddler whose bright orange hair mirrored her own.
He was wearing a grey shirt with various colorful dinosaur outlines on it, yellow socks, and a plain white
diaper.
As soon as the kit's eyes locked onto the pup's the little raccoon shouted out. "KIBA!"
The wolf pup responded with an equally loud "MARK!"
Kiba ran to Mark's side and the two cubs erupted into a storm of ineligible chatter. As the two
babies caught up with one another Luna reached the front door and greeted the adult raccoon with a
soft, "hello Rose."
After Rose returned her greeting Luna removed the diaper bag from her shoulder and offered
it to Rose. Despite the fact that Kiba and Mark were the same Luna still stocked Kiba's diaper bag to
the brim. The soft green bag carried a few toys, a pacifier, five spare diapers, oil, powder, lotion, a full
change of clothes and Kiba's favorite blanket for when naptime rolled around.
Rose happily accepted the bag and the two adults turned to the two cubs that were still lost in
the conversation. "Kiba" Luna said softly as she kneeled down.
Luna's voice snapped wolf pup's attention away from Mark. Knowing the routine well Kiba ran
to the front door and threw his arms out in front of him. The wolf pup and his caretaker embraced in a
hug, and then Luna gave Kiba three small kisses, one for each cheek and one for the tip of his nose.
Once all the kisses were planted on the little wolf Luna let Kiba go and stood up. She let Rose
know that she would be back to pick her cub up at dusk. With one final wave goodbye Luna returned
to her car. Rose closed the door as her car pulled out of the house's driveway.
The adult raccoon turned around to face the wolf pup and spoke. "You're just in time for
lunch, Kiba. Hope you're hungry!"
Kiba nodded his head and Rose ushered the two boys to the dining room table. When the trio
arrived at the table Rose remembered the green overalls she was carrying. Turning to her son she saw
that the raccoon kit's lower body was bare, save for the plain white diaper around his waist. "Guess
we gotta a little excited about our friends coming. I didn't finish dressing you!" She commented.
Kiba giggled while Rose put the green overalls on Mark. She then fetched Mark's red shoes
and placed them on his feet. Once he was fully dressed Rose helped him into his booster seat. As soon
as he was secure in the seat Rose grabbed a second booster seat and placed it in the chair next to
Mark. She helped Kiba into the chair and once the pup was comfy she pushed both chairs up to the
table.
As Rose went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the boys Mark and Kiba continued to chat,
joke, make faces, and generally enjoy each other's company. Soon Rose returned from the kitchen
with a plate in each paw. She laid a plate down in front of each cub and smiled as their eyes lit up.
Lying on the plate was a meal that any cub would consider gourmet. A crust-less peanut butter
jelly sandwich made with delicious strawberry jelly acted as the main course. The sandwich was
flanked on the left by a mix of pretzels, nuts, and corn chips. On the right, an assortment of fresh fruits
and vegetables sat waiting for hungry mouths. Rose quickly darted back to the kitchen and returned
with two sippy cups filled with orange juice, placing one at the side of each plate when she reached
the table.
Mark's mouth began to water while Kiba's stomach growled in anticipation. Once Rose gave
the cubs the go-ahead the two dug into their meals. For the next half hour the two cubs ate and
played with their food. Kiba made sure that every baby carrot blasted off from the launch pad of his
plate, while Mark would make mini sandwiches with the help of two corn chips and a grape. Rose
didn't mind the cubs entertaining themselves, as long as the food ended up in their bellies and not on
the floor.
Once the cubs had cleared their plates Rose helped them both down from the table and led
them into the living room. She switched on the television and turned it to the local cartoon channel,
giving the cubs a chance to digest their meals.
For another half hour the two cubs sat on the soft carpet covering floor. The two were
completely absorbed in the show and didn't make a peep. Rose used the opportunity to clean up in
the kitchen and dining room. After she finished cleaning she sat on the couch behind the boys. She
waited for the show to end, knowing that as soon as the credits started rolling she would need to
occupy the cub's attention.
Sure enough, as soon as names began flashing across the screen Kiba and Mark shot up in
unison. Rose clapped her paws together to get their attention. When they turned around to look at
her she smiled and suggested that the three of them spend the rest of the afternoon in the backyard.
Kiba and Mark eagerly agreed with an excited "Yeah!" and began walking to the back door with
the fastest walking pace they could muster.
The two cubs excitedly bounced up and down at the back door as they waited for Rose to
open it. Rose opened the door and the boy's eyes lit up as the backyard was revealed to them. The
first half of the yard was a large flat grassy expanse sat bathing in sunlight. The back half of the yard
was a thicket of tall oak and pine trees, Scattered throughout the wooded half were much smaller
trees, taking in sunlight that the oaks and pines didn't catch.
Kiba ran to the edge of the back porch while Mark casually strode to his side. A big grin sat on
the wolf pup's face as ideas and plans on what the two could play went through his head. Mark
hopped off the back porch and walked to the middle of the grass field and lay down. Kiba quickly
followed and lay down next to his friend.
The two toddlers spent five minutes laying in the sunlight and watching the sparse cloud cover.
Mark started to feel twinges or boredom and broke the tranquility with a question. "Whaddya wanna
play?"
Kiba sat up and looked towards the woods in the back half of the yard. "Hide and Seek!"
Mark smiled and responded with, "That sounds fun!" The kit placed his paws besides his
mouth before shouting. "MOMMY! CAN ME AND KIBA PLAY HIDE AND SEEK?"
Rose gave a nod of approval and an unmistakable, "yes" to the boys.
The two cubs sprinted to the tree line. Stopping at a large oak that sat a few feet before the
thicket the boys tried to decide who would do what. "Whose gonna be the hider?" Kiba asked.
"I wanna be the hider first!" Kiba replied.
Knowing the back yard well Mark had a special hiding place that he badly wanted to test
against other cubs. "awwww, I wanna hide first." Mark said with twinges of disappointment on his
voice.
Rose, who had setup a lawn chair and umbrella near the tree line heard the cubs and
interjected. "Honey, since Kiba is the guest he should get to hide first if he wants to."
Mark frowned at his mother but didn't contest her wisdom. "Okay, you hide while I count to
twenty." The raccoon laid out the rules.
Kiba smiled and nodded his head. Mark walked over to the big oak tree and placed his arms on
it. The kit closed his eyes and pushed his face forward until he could feel his arm covering his raccoon
mask.
Not wasting anytime Mark loudly shouted out "ONE!"
The wolf pup quickly ran away from the raccoon kit. However; rather than running into the
thicket the pup ran back towards the house. When he first walked to the edge of the porch and
looked around Kiba had noticed a set of thick bushes lining the fence to the immediate right of the
house. He knew that if he could get in them they would be a great hiding spot.
He knew that Mark expected him to run into the woods, so hiding on the opposite side of the
yard would throw the raccoon kit off. Kiba also knew that his fur color combined with the thickness of
the bushes would allow the wolf cub to blend in if he didn't move. Even if Mark did spot him the
raccoon would think he was part of the bush!
As Mark reached the end of his countdown Kiba dove into the bushes and quickly got situated.
He pushed some leaves aside with his snout, allowing him to monitor the raccoon kit's actions.
"TWENTY!" Mark screamed out at the top of his lungs before making a mad dash into the thicket.
Kiba giggled to himself when he saw that his plan worked. With Mark deep in the woods Kiba
adjusted his position and got comfortable. He knew that it would be a long time before the kit found
him.
For the next ten minutes Kiba sat in the bushes waiting, though from his perspective it felt like
hours. The wolf pup patiently watched butterflies come and go until he heard rustling at the end of
the bush line. In his distracted state he hadn't noticed Mark come out of the woods.
With a "meep!" in his mind Kiba shut his eyes and held his breath. He heard the rustling get
closer and closer until it was right on top of him. He expected that at any moment the raccoon kit's
paw would come and poke him on the head, or he would hear Mark's voice exclaiming that he was
caught. It never came however; Mark went right past the bush Kiba was hiding in; stopping and
scratching his head at the end of the row before running off to the left side of the house.
Once Mark had checked every hiding spot he knew of in the front yard he looked around in
confusion. The kit felt like he had been pretty thorough in his search and was absolutely perplexed
that he hadn't found the wolf pup. Not knowing what else to do Mark dashed back into the thicket;
thinking that he had perhaps miss something, or maybe Kiba was hiding in a tree somehow.
This cycle continued on for the next twenty minutes. Mark would make his way around the
property without finding the wolf. Each time he grew more and more frustrated at his failings. Finally
Mark marched over to his mommy who was relaxing in a lawn chair covered by the shade of a large
beach umbrella she had set up in the backyard.
"Mommy! I can't find Kiba! Did you see where he went?" The raccoon kit asked with a slight
whine.
"Sweetie, it would be cheating if I told you where he was hiding. You're just going to have to
look harder!" Rose replied.
With a grunt Mark marched to the bush line again and began to deeply inspect each and every
bush. Seeing how deep Mark was looking into the bushes Kiba knew he was about to be found. The
wolf pup went completely quiet and waited for the raccoon to get close. Once Mark was a few feet
away from the bush Kiba jumped out and let out a loud "BOO!"
Mark shuffled backwards and let out an "eek!" In response to the wolf's surprise; Kiba began
chuckling hardily at his friend and teased, "I got you!"
The raccoon kit was feeling slightly embarrassed that Kiba had managed to scare him like that,
but his mind didn't linger on it long. Mark couldn't help but laugh a little at the face Kiba made when he
tried imitating his scared friend.
"Okay! It's my turn to hide!" Mark cheerfully announced as he walked back towards the large
oak tree. Kiba followed closely behind him and when the two reached the tree the wolf pup wasted
no time in closing his eyes and burying his face in his arms. Just like Mark had done Kiba yelled out a
loud, "ONE!" which sent the raccoon kit scurrying into the thicket. Kiba was so preoccupied with the
game that he didn't take even a slight notice that his tummy was making deep gurgling sounds, even
though the wolf pup was still quiet full from lunch.
While Kiba counted Mark dashed deeper into the thicket until he reached the wooden fence
that lined the property. Moving to the corner where the left fence met the back fence the kit saw his
awesome hiding spot. Mark crouched down and walked behind a line of small trees that bent
backwards until their tops scraped the fence.
So far the spot had a perfect record of keeping the kit hidden. Naturally; being a raccoon Mark
loved to hide for any number of reasons. Each time he had come to this spot his mommy and daddy
could never find him until he darted out from behind the trees. More than once this earned the kit a
hefty time-out but that was a small price to pay for a flawless hiding spot.
Mark heard the rustling of Kiba's feet draw closer to the trees. The raccoon kit held his breath
and didn't make any noise as the wolf searched for him. Though Kiba did end up checking the group of
trees he didn't find Mark. The way the trees were situated made it look like the space behind the
trees was far too small for anyone to fit, even a baby raccoon.
Kiba scratched his head and moved on to the right corner of the thicket. Once the wolf pup
was far enough away Mark began giggling uncontrollably. He was able to catch a glimpse of Kiba
leaving the thicket and heading towards the front yard. Satisfied that he had successfully avoided his
friend's gaze Mark sat down with the back against the fence and got comfortable.
Ten minutes later Mark heard the shuffling of feet approaching him again. He could tell that
the footsteps belonged to Kiba because of how light they were. The kit noticed, however; that Kiba
was moving as a much slower pace than he had been the first time, and more time amassed between
each step the wolf pup took.
Mark peeked out from behind the oak tree just in time to see Kiba come to a complete stop.
The wolf cub had a slightly confused look on his face as he looked down towards his belly. Mark
watched as Kiba began to gently massage his stomach. The raccoon kit wanted to ask what he was
doing, but there was no way he was about to give away his awesome hiding place.
For the next several seconds Kiba gently massaged his stomach. Another gurgle came from the
wolf's tummy and Kiba's ears twitched as he felt a familiar sensation building in his body. In response
Kiba squatted down and hiked his tail.
Kiba began gently sucking his thumb as his body relaxed. A fart escaped from Kiba's rear,
causing his raccoon friend to begin snickering into his paws. "Kiba pooted!" Mark cheered under his
breath.
Shifting forward slightly and gently pushing his bowels Kiba began messing his diaper. A soft
popping sound briefly filled the air. The popping was followed by a crackling sound that Mark knew
well. "Kiba is making a stinky!" the raccoon kit whispered into the air; thankfully his friend didn't hear
his comment.
After ten seconds Kiba let out a sigh and stood up straight. Then, as if nothing had happened,
he continued the search for his hiding friend. Kiba walked off to the right side of the yard; thinking that
his sneaky friend was probably moving to different hiding spots to keep hidden.
Mark giggled into his paw as Kiba searched through the trees and bushes lined the yard's right
fence. Between self-congratulations at being a good hider and snickering at Kiba's mushy diaper
Mark's mind was completely preoccupied. The kit didn't notice that his tummy was letting off its own
series of ominous rumbles and gurgles.
As minutes passed Mark felt pressure building in his tummy. The kit squirmed and shuffled in
response to his body, but the movement only seemed to make things worse. Mark realized what was
coming, but with Kiba still in the back yard he couldn't risk leaving his spot. It was his special hiding
place, and he didn't want anyone else to know about it.
Several more minutes passed and the pressure was becoming too much for the raccoon kit to
handle. Mark knew what he was about to do, but was afraid the sound and smell would grab Kiba's
attention and reveal his spot. Deciding that it was better to keep the location a secret Mark waited for
Kiba to turn his attention away from the area.
When Kiba turned around Mark bolted out from behind the trees and ran to his side. The
raccoon's actions surprised Kiba, who jumped back slightly startled. The wolf pup noticed an awkward
smile on his friend's face and asked. "Mark, are you okay?"
Mark gave Kiba a thumb up and said "yep! I'm great!" A second later a low growl came from
Mark's tummy. The raccoon kit passed some gas and his tail began to involuntarily flag. Kiba tilted his
head and raised his eyebrow. "Mark, do you have to poop?"
The raccoon kit squatted down and put his paws on his knees. He answered with a weak
"no..." before the unmistakable crackling sound began coming from under his tail. Mark's action didn't
faze the wolf cub a single bit. He waited for his friend to finish his business and once the raccoon kit
stood up straight and let out a sigh of relief Kiba cheerfully said. "I hid longer than you! I win!"
Mark covered his nose and giggled. "You're all stinky!" Kiba laughed and responded with.
"You're stinkier!" Around that time the two cubs heard Rose approaching their position. As she came
upon the cubs the adult raccoon got a whiff of the scent filling the air. She walked up to the boys and
looked down at them. "Someone needs a new diaper!"
The raccoon kit and the wolf cub pointed towards each other and Rose moved to check Kiba's
diaper. She quickly saw that the wolf cub did indeed need a fresh diaper, but she had a feeling that her
son might have the same need. She quickly undid Mark's green overalls and pulled them down. She
pulled the back of the diaper and saw that Mark was indeed a little stinker.
She offered a paw to each boy and they obliged. As the three walked back towards the house
Rose made sure she was always a few steps ahead of the boys. She opened the back door and the
two toddlers went inside and made their way to the changing table in Mark's room. The boys had
been playing outside for nearly two hours at this point, so Rose decided that once the boys were clean
they would be heading to the crib for a nice nap.
