Protesters

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If conflict is the spice of life, does that make controversy the recipe of life? If not, the scene of characters battling out their ideological differences has at least provided the basis for plenty of stories imitating life. And while many of those stories are superb, the formula is not without its hazards. One of my pet peeves as a reader is diving into a narrative to find characters playing the role of the author's mouthpiece and hanging around solely to espouse the virtues of their creator's opinions while shutting down the (clearly deluded) opposition. Reading a pair of such works earlier in the year motivated me to see if I could do any better. The goal was to write a story that involved several conflicting viewpoints in a way that captured the complexity of a real argument where solutions are not so conveniently simple. If I've done this right, what follows is a group of flawed characters trying their darnedest to navigate a thorny situation. Who (if anyone) emerges as the winner is up to personal interpretation.

Of course, being the incurable romantic I am, I had to include some smutty goodness in there. If you're just here for the naughty stuff, that's fine too.


The towering grizzly introduced himself as Brian Rowe, Chief Security Officer of the Newburg Mall. From across the wide expanse of oak desk, Richard Olson timidly raised a hand in greeting, unsure whether or not the action was appropriate given the circumstances. He always second-guessed himself in the presence of authority figures. In the bear's features, Richard saw the same stern expression shared by every school principal and police chief and judge who had ever stared him down--the same accusatory grimace that confirmed his guilt before he was given the chance to utter a word in his own defense. The parade of unpleasant memories marching behind his eyes suddenly halted at the realization that he hadn't heard a thing Rowe had said following his introduction.

"What 'incident'?" Aileen Olson stared at the bear with one eye open, the other tightly shut below her thumb and forefinger as they worked to massage away the pain of an oncoming migraine. "I left work in the middle of a meeting because I thought my daughter was in danger, and now you can't even tell me why I'm sitting here. What the hell happened!?"

Rowe leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh. He regarded the pair of rabbits for a moment, then the badger couple seated next to them. "This is... a difficult situation to explain. Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you." Rowe turned to adjust a small flat-screen TV on a table beside his desk so it faced the two couples. He pressed a series of buttons until the screen displayed an image of the fountain in the center of the mall's promenade. "This is security footage we recorded earlier today."

For the first thirty seconds, nothing about the footage seemed amiss. Groups of shoppers calmly walked through the frame without incident--a typical scene one would expect on a Friday afternoon. Aileen drummed her fingers along her thigh. Just as she was about to press for an explanation, she caught the sight of her eleven-year-old daughter, Shine, walking up to the edge of the fountain. A badger that looked to be roughly her age followed two steps behind. "That's Tyler..." the boy's father thought aloud.

The four parents joined in a collective gasp as their cubs proceeded to remove their clothes. Shine kicked off her sandals and lifted her sundress up over her head while Tyler stripped off his shorts and t-shirt. When they were down to their underwear, Rowe held a blank legal pad over the screen to obscure the cubs' lower bodies just before they went fully nude. Even with the obstructed view, it was clear what the pair were doing when they lunged forward and kissed passionately, the movement of their arms providing a good indication that their hands were busy groping each other's genitals.

"Oh my gaaawd..." Aileen whispered. Humiliation saturated her voice so thoroughly that it left no room for shock. She sank down into her chair as if being swallowed into a pool of quicksand.

Richard gawked with his mouth gaping. He wanted nothing more than to tear his eyes away from the screen, but his neck refused to turn a single degree. Horror and fascination dueled for control of his mind. From the days of his youth, he recalled clumsy attempts at making out with girls behind the bleachers at school--nothing like the wanton display replaying in front of him. Somehow, his daughter had become a pro at sucking face. Based on the way the badger jerked and twitched, she was presumably no slouch when it came to heavy petting, either.

When the cubs finally parted, their parents desperately grabbed at hope that the worst was over. Richard's stomach fell through a trapdoor as he watched Shine turn and grip the waist-high barrier surrounding the fountain, the legal pad mercifully blocking the view of his daughter's naked ass being presented for the entire mall to see. Tyler stepped forward with his head pointed down, his jaw dropping a moment later. Within seconds, both cubs began rocking back and forth, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"There's no sound," Rowe said, "but I trust you can figure out what they're doing."

None of the parents breathed as they watched the security footage roll on. The minutes seemed to crawl into hours as the young rabbit and badger had sex. Most shoppers walked past the spectacle, their pace visibly increasing after they noticed what was happening. An infant Rottweiler pup wandered over to point and was promptly dragged away by his mother. A handful of shoppers eventually stopped to watch, their initial curiosity quickly blossoming into fascination. Soon, a small crowd formed a half-circle around the rutting cubs. Two of the spectators watched the action through camera phones, one of them pumping his fist as if to encourage the youngsters in their lewd display. Their movements grew more erratic, almost frantic. The looks of urgent need on their faces made it apparent they weren't playing pretend for the sake of putting on a show, but were in fact fucking like a couple of fiercely horny teenagers right there in the middle of the mall.

Shine's mouth never completely closed, though it did occasionally move to speak. Richard tried not to read her lips and failed, the words "yes" and "fuck" and "me" and "harder" all mouthed too obviously to escape his notice. The final "yes" morphed into an open-mouthed scream and coincided with half the crowd appearing to cheer. At that, Richard finally willed his eyes to close. He opened them again in time to watch a pair of security guards approach the scene. They each carried a blanket they used to wrap around one of the cubs and hastily escorted them out of the frame. A third officer appeared to collect their discarded clothes just before the playback ended.

"The good news," Rowe said, "is we were able to get a hold of the phones and delete anything captured at the scene. Folks were quick to cooperate when we threatened to call in the sheriff."

Aileen's head jerked up at the mention of the police. "You, uh, didn't call anyone, did you?"

"Since the offenders are both juveniles, we didn't see a reason for the kids to get records over this." Rowe paused to scratch at the graying fur along the side of his muzzle. "That said, you can tell your son and daughter they've earned themselves a permanent ban from the premises. I see either of them in this mall again, you'll be picking them up from a juvy center."

Outside Rowe's office, another security guard led the couples to the room where their cubs were being held. Tyler appeared simultaneously relieved and panicked upon seeing his parents, his clawed fingers fidgeting nervously as he followed them out. Shine looked annoyed. She walked with her arms crossed over her chest and refused to look either of her folks in the eye. The two families departed in opposite directions down the mall's service corridors. The Olsons walked in silence, none of them seeing any point in attempting to talk over Tyler's father, whose enraged ranting echoed through the halls until they exited into the parking lot.

Only after they'd left and driven a mile down the highway was Richard finally able to summon the courage to speak to his daughter. "Shine, how could you do something so..." The right word proved difficult to select. Reckless? Shameful? Depraved? "...Something so wrong?"

"It wasn't wrong!" Shine fired back. "It was totally consensual and we weren't hurting anybody!"

"You are much, much too young to be doing that sort of thing. You should save yourself for your wedding night."

"Is that why people get married? What a stupid reason."

"You should do that with someone you love, Shine."

"I do love Tyler! He's really nice and sweet and he tells really funny jokes. I decided I wanted him to be my first. That's my decision, isn't it?"

Richard periodically stole glances at Shine in the rear-view mirror. During one such glance, he saw her staring at the side of his face. It was the closest they'd come to making eye contact since Shine had left the house that morning. "I... Yeah. Of course that's your decision. But you're too young to make it right now. You don't really love Tyler. At least, not the same way adults love each other."

"So? People don't forever-love everyone they have sex with. Did you love everyone you ever fucked, Mom?"

Aileen sat in the front passenger seat hunched forward as far as the seatbelt would allow. Her ears drooped over her face as she rubbed her temples. "It'll be a nightmare from hell if the PTA ever finds out about this..."

Richard frowned. He didn't like his daughter asking questions about her mother's sex life, especially using such vulgar language. "Shine, anything your mother or I have or haven't done isn't the issue. You know you shouldn't be doing that sort of thing--especially not in public. What were you thinking?"

"It was a political protest."

"What!?"

"Tyler and I were protesting double-standard indecency laws. They show violence and mayhem on TV all the time but act like sex is evil and disgusting. It's not! We were showing everyone that even cubs can do it and it's fine. The only part that sucked was when those stupid mall cops dragged us off for no reason."

"Shine, that's the wrong way to make a point. You can't just break laws you don't like."

"You and Mom did. You said you protested all the time, even when you knew you'd get in trouble."

"That's not the same thing at all. We didn't... There was a war going on. We were demonstrating against something that was morally wrong."

"That's your opinion."

Never before had Richard heard his little girl's voice laced with such indignation. He glanced in the mirror to see her face wearing a venomous scowl. "I-It was an opinion a lot of people shared, Shine. Some things are worth taking a stand for. You just can't go acting crazy on a whim." A red light afforded Richard the chance to look Shine in the eye. He thought he'd been let off the hook when he saw her expression relax into a gentle smile. She raised her left footpaw up onto the seat and turned to stare out the window.

"Oh, I get it. So protesting something is only okay if other people agree with you."

"I... That's not the point I was trying to make."

"It's okay. I know I was naughty. I'm sorry, Daddy."

Richard winced as if a scalpel had been plunged into his chest. Shine hadn't called him Daddy in years. He'd missed her calling him Daddy--at least, he thought he had. Somehow, her inflection made the name seem demeaning. Insulting, even.

The traffic light turned green and Richard accelerated down the highway. As he resumed stealing periodic glances at Shine, he saw that she'd drawn her left leg back far enough on the seat to lift her sundress and expose her panties. Flashes of what he'd seen in the security footage returned to haunt him.

"Just so you know the truth," Shine said, "that wasn't the first time me and Tyler did that."

"Did what?"

Shine giggled. "You know... Fucked."

"I don't like you using that kind of language, young lady."

"I'm sorry, Daddy. It's just that we didn't want to get anything wrong, you know? So Tyler and I did a practice run one afternoon at his house."

In the rear-view mirror, Richard watched as Shine's hand wandered down to brush the front of her underwear. The white fabric of her panties looked dull and faded against the brilliant virginal whiteness of her fur. Richard blinked. No. Suddenly, it seemed as if the word virginal no longer accurately described any part of his daughter.

"Tyler's mom and dad are both at work on Tuesdays, so no one else was home. So we went up to his room together and he popped my cherry."

"You don't need to be telling me any of this."

"But I want to. I know I've been a bad little girl and I don't want to hide any more secrets from you."

"You haven't been a bad girl, Sweetie. I mean, you di--"

"Oh, no, Daddy! You don't know what a bad girl I've been." Shine adjusted her weight and sat with her leg folded on the seat beside her, the hem of her dress pulled back to just below her navel. The thin fabric of her panties pulled tight, molded to the shape of her young sex like vacuum-sealed shrink wrap. As Shine spoke, her index finger lazily traced the crease formed between the lips of her pussy. "What we did in the mall was all my idea. I knew sex felt really good, so I told Tyler about it. I don't think he believe me at first, but he sure believed me after I sucked his cock."

Richard's fists clenched around the steering wheel tight enough to send pain coursing from his palms to his elbows. He was certain then that Shine was trying to provoke a reaction from him. He was supposed to lose his temper, scold her, tell her to stop acting like a tramp--then he'd be the villain. If it was to be a battle of wills, Richard resolved not to give in. He'd let Shine get bored of her little game, then calmly talk some sense into her when she was ready to listen.

"You know how I knew sex is so fun?" Shine asked sweetly. She gave her father a moment to answer before continuing. "It's 'cause it's so much fun when I do it myself. Like I said, I'm a bad girl."

"That's... p-perfectly natural, Sweetie," Richard mumbled.

"It's the best." Shine positioned her legs in an 'M' formation with her footpaws tucked in close to her rump. With her crotch on full display, she openly fondled herself through her panties, poking the fabric progressively deeper into her pussy until a damp spot began to spread from the tip of her small finger. "After I started doing it myself, I learned all kinds of things. Some stuff they taught us in school, but you can find out way more online." After a brief pause, she added, "How come you guys never told me what masturbation is?"

"Well..." Richard swallowed. "I guess, um, we thought you were a bit young. Some things just aren't appropriate to talk about."

"Why's it inappropriate? Everyone does it, right?"

"I suppose--"

"Do you guys do it?" Shine waited to a mental count of three. "'Cause you should. It's just the best. Well, it's not as good as real fucking, I guess. Nothing beats a real, hard pecker to play with."

A quick glance in the mirror confirmed what Richard suspected from the increased urgency in Shine's voice. The young rabbit had a hand down the front of her underwear and was very obviously fingering herself. Richard gave Aileen a look that said, Do something about your daughter. Aileen's response was a look that said, You do something.

With the volume of Shine's moans steadily increasing, Richard silently thanked the gods of traffic that the road was mostly clear of other cars as he turned onto a two-lane side street that marked the final stretch of the drive home. A few blocks down the road, the flashing lights of a railroad crossing told Richard the gods had betrayed him. He swore under his breath as he pulled to a stop in front of the crossing gate.

From the back seat, Shine's voice came as high-pitched squeaks between quick gasps of breath. "When me and Tyler fucked the first time, it was amazing. Aah! I got on top, 'cause I knew I could get his cock extra-extra deep in my pussy that way. That's called the cowgirl position. It hurt a little, but not a lot because I finger-fucked myself so much. I like to do it in the bathtub and in bed and sometimes before school. Twice I even did it at school, in the bathroom! I'm sorry I'm such a naughty girl. I just couldn't help it. But know what? All those times I fingered myself? Aah... They didn't even feel as good as when Tyler fucked me. That was soooo good!"

Richard scrunched his rabbit nose and stared straight ahead as the train passed, graffiti on the boxcars zipping through his vision as formless streaks of color. He could clearly hear the wet noises of Shine's fingers vigorously plunging her slit even over the ringing crossing bells and the song he hummed inside his head.

"Tyler and me fucked five whole times before his cock wouldn't stay hard anymore. Actually, it was four times; once I sucked him off. That's called a blowjob, Daddy. Giving a blowjob wasn't as good as sex, but I still liked it a lot. Tyler is so sweet. He said he was sorry when he shot cum in my mouth, but I said it was okay. Where else was he supposed to do it?"

"Shine..."

"It's okay, Daddy! We learned all about safe sex. We didn't have any condoms, but it's fine 'cause I can't get preggers yet. I hope Tyler gets me pregnant someday, though. Ah! Especially if he knocked me up in a mall. That'd be such a funny story to tell everyone."

After a short eternity, the train finally passed. The moment the crossing gate raised, Richard put the car in gear and rocketed down the road, the sudden acceleration giving everyone a jolt and causing Shine to cry out in what was unmistakably ecstasy.

"Aaahh! Ooohh. That was almost as good as when Tyler and I did it in the mall. That was the best fuck yet! Don't tell him I said this, but I think Tyler likes being watched. Mmmm. He fucked me so hard, I thought I was gonna go crazy. I know it was super wrong and gross and I'm the naughtiest daughter in the world, but it was just so amazing! I wanna do that every day. Just get fucked over and over again while everyone watches me cum. Aah! I'm sorry I'm such a horny little slut!"

Half a mile down the street, a traffic light turned from green to yellow. "Shiiit," Richard whispered. He contemplated running the light, but reconsidered at the last second and brought the car to a screeching stop just as Shine reached her limit. She made no effort to hide her climax as she cried out and frantically bucked her hips to work her fingers deeper into her young twat. Nearly half a minute of elated screaming and full-body convulsions followed, her vocal peaks and shudders taking her parents through a guided tour of her orgasm.

When at last his daughter quieted down, Richard breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Just then, she called his attention with a chirp of, "Look, Daddy!" Richard turned to see Shine with her back pressed into the seat and her rear pushed out as far as possible. Her legs were spread behind her elbows and her underwear hung from her toes, dangling beside her smiling face. Two sets of juicy fingers held her exposed pussy open wide, the pink flesh glistening as a stream of milky fluid escaped to dribble onto the tuft of her tail. "Look how much of Tyler's cum is still left! Some leaked out earlier, but there's still a lot left in there. He must've shot a gallon of badger sperm up my lil' bunny cunny. I must be a pretty good fuck, huh Daddy?"

An earsplitting CRACK rang out as Richard smacked his palm flat against the dashboard. "For fuck's SAKE, Shine! That's ENOUGH!" The words came like an eruption, his voice much louder than he'd intended. Everything froze. Shine was too stunned to do anything except slowly bring her legs together. No one spoke until the sound of a car horn blared behind them.

"The light's green," Aileen said flatly.

Awkward silence accompanied the Olson family for the remainder of the drive home. Richard had planned to tell Shine she was grounded, but that action seemed pointless when the first thing she did upon entering the house was run to her room and slam the door behind her. Richard knew it would be a miracle if she left her room for any reason other than to use the toilet for at least the rest of the weekend, if not well into the following week. His chest tightened as he thought of the battles that would inevitably occur at mealtimes. Given the intensity of Shine's conviction, a hunger strike was more than likely.

Richard plodded into the kitchen with his head bowed in defeat. He brewed a cup of instant coffee and took a seat at the breakfast nook, an exhausted sigh contributing to the sensation that he was slowly deflating like a leaking balloon.

Aileen entered a minute later. "Well, that's great. I guess we'll have to find a new place for Shine to shop for school clothes in the fall. Here's hoping we won't have to find a new school." The extent of her frustration only revealed itself when she slammed the pantry door hard enough to cause a rack of hanging cookware to sway from the force of the impact.

"What happened to our little girl, Ally? It seems like just a few weeks ago she was playing tea party with her dolls in the backyard. Now she wants to be some kind of sexual activist. How did she mature so fast?"

"She didn't mature--that's the problem. We filled her head with idealistic bullshit and now she has no concept of how the world works."

Richard stared down at the ghostly wisps of steam swirling up from his mug. "We taught her to stand up for what she believes in."

"In hindsight, that was probably stupid."

"Come on, Ally. You don't really mean tha--"

"Richard, we got tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed and thrown in jail and the only soldiers who came home for years were either missing limbs or sealed inside body bags. The world doesn't change just because you make a spectacle of yourself for a cause. Now our daughter is on the path to being labeled a perverted freak because she was unlucky enough to figure out how good sex feels too early in life. Before you entertain thoughts of supporting any part of that, stop and ask yourself what's really in Shine's best interests." Aileen opened her mouth as if to say more, hesitated, then brought a hand up to her forehead. "I... I'm gonna grab an aspirin for this headache."

Richard watched his wife leave the room, then stared at nothing. He took a long sip of coffee, too deeply absorbed in thought to feel any pain as the hot liquid scalded his tongue.