Hypnos Academy: Last Day of the Year

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#8 of Hypnos Academy


Hypnos Academy

Chapter 5: Last Day of the Year

It was the last day of the semester. Classes were over and done with, and the air was filled with excitement. But for a certain fennec cub, the day carried a certain sadness.

Skye was in her room, packing her belongings into her bags, a menial task that took her mind off of what would soon occur. In less than twelve hours, her mother and father would be at the Academy gates to take her away from what she thought of as a second home, and taking her away from her friends. She had never really been the most social of children, particularly since her wings set her apart from the other children in her hometown. She had never been outright bullied there, but she wasn't considered part of the normal children. Behind her back, many of the children made fun of her because of her wings. Skye had once heard the phrase "bullying by omission," not teasing a child, but simply leaving them out of a social group. She certainly thought that applied to her.

But here at Hypnos Academy, the vixen had found a collection of friends, who considered her the heart and soul of the group. And in addition to that, she now had a friend to whom she had become closer than a sister. Skye did not want to give that up, even for the three month summer vacation.

Feelings could change, emotions could fade, and three months was a long time to not see someone. In that time, Kiyone could change her mind about Skye and no longer like her the way she did. Or even worse, she could choose a whole group of friends and forget about Skye altogether. The thought was torture for the ten-year-old.

At the same time, seeing her parents for the first time in person since her enrollment, rather than on a video phone call, would be happy for the cub. She missed her parents dearly.

All these conflicting emotions filled Skye. She wiped a tear from her eye as she finished packing up her socks. The vixen looked around her dorm, now bare, and sighed heavily as she left it, closing the door behind her.

The sunny skies mocked Skye's inner turmoil as the pink-haired fennec strolled through the campus grounds, not having to meet up with Kiyone and the rest of the class until later on in the day. There wasn't much she could do except loiter around, trying to find some way to divert her attention from her worries... hopefully that would make the few-hour wait a little more bearable. The question was... what could she do? She sat on a bench, simply watching the students and staff go by. She saw a few kids she recognized from walking around the Academy, a grey and brown furred foxgirl with dark purple hair and purple eyes, whom she believed was a member of Class 5, and a large raccoon boy wearing a baseball cap backwards whom she recognized as being from an older year.

Her mind was so wracked with worry, she couldn't figure out what to do, except... just sit there and worry.

Thankfully, she didn't really end up having to worry about that question for long; Fea, noticing the Skye sitting by herself, approached her, the normally cranky and surly bluebird wearing a relatively friendly expression on her face. "Hey there, Skye!" she said, sitting at the angelfox's side.

"Hey..." Skye replied simply, her voice heavy and dull.

Almost instantly, Fea showed some concern. "You don't sound so good..." she murmured. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, her feathered arm draping onto Skye's shoulder.

"Well..." Skye began, "I'm worried about next year. I'm going away to a summer camp this summer, and..."

"Ohhh, I see." Fea interrupted, eager to try to fill in the blanks herself. "You wish you could see your parents more. That makes sense..."

"No, it's not that." Skye continued. "We're only there for about 4 weeks. It's about Kiyone... I'm worried that she'll make new friends and forget about me."

"What?" Fea scoffed, already sounding a little irritated. "Kiyone, forget about you? I doubt anyone could for that matter..."

"What makes you so certain?" Skye asked. "She could meet new people, make new friends... or what if she ends up leaving school and going somewhere else?"

"Oh, listen to yourself!" Fea snapped. "You know that's not gonna happen."

"I don't know that!" Skye cried, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"Ugh, stop freaking out like that!" Fea brought her hand across Skye's face, slapping her hard. Almost immediately, Skye slapped back, tears in her eyes. Before long, the two had started slapping each other over and over, pulling at each other's hair. They fell off the bench and rolled in the grass, clawing and tugging at each other as they fought tooth and nail.

"Stop it!"

The two girls froze, looking upwards. Looming over them, his hands on his hips, was Mr. Rallis, the gym teacher. "Now what do you think you two are doing?" the raccoon scolded the pair. "I've never seen you fight before... even considering how confrontational you are, Fea."

That comment elicited a growl from the bluebird... that comment angered her greatly, especially since part of her knew it was true.

"Now, get up, you two." Mr. Rallis continued, pulling the pair to their feet and separating them. "I'm letting you off this time, so don't do it again, all right? That goes for both of you." Moments after he said this, his stern expression turned to a soft smile. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir..." the pair replied, somewhat begrudgingly.

Mr. Rallis turned and walked away, satisfied. He was trying to resolve conflicts more and more without the use of the collars... more for a change of pace than anything else. It was good to see it was working-

"You started it..." Skye mumbled.

"No, you did!" Fea shot back.

-or not.

Sighing, the raccoon turned as soon as he heard the sounds of the scuffle beginning again, and pressed a button on the wristwatch he wore. The angelfox and the bluebird stopped instantly, gradually letting go of each other as their bodies relaxed. The trance took hold, and they stood, relaxed and quiet, waiting the raccoon's command.

"All right." Mr. Rallis said, exhaling and rubbing his hands together. "Looks like we'll have to work things out the usual way. Follow me, you two."

The girls followed the adult, shuffling after him, their gazes unfocused. Mr. Rallis lead them to his office, sighing heavily as he told them to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. The raccoon sighed, flopping back into his seat behind the desk, and looked at the two entranced girls.

"Okay. Time to talk. What was all of this about, Skye?" he asked the angelvixen. Skye blinked.

"I was worried about losing my friends over the summer vacation... I was sitting on the bench, when Fea came up and began to talk with me... She misunderstood what I was worrying about, and we argued, until she hit me..." mumbled Skye, looking rather ashamed even through the trance. Mr. Rallis frowned.

"And you, Fea? What's your side of it?" he asked. Fea scowled, still angry despite the fog engulfing her mind.

"I was trying to help Skye. She was sad, and I wanted to talk to her and cheer her up... And she kept getting down on herself and wouldn't listen to me... So I finally got fed up..." murmured Fea, dazedly. Mr. Rallis sighed again.

"All right... Let's see what we can do about this... Fea and Skye, you have BOTH been involved in several incidents this year, and I have to be honest, I'm tired of hearing about it. You know that it's not allowed here at Hypnos Academy, and as such, even though it's the last day of school I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you both a punishment." said the teacher, frowning. Skye's wings, ears, and tail drooped sadly, while Fea grumbled in annoyance. Mr. Rallis frowned at her disapprovingly at her attitude, even though inside he actually kind of admired her spunk. The raccoon pulled out a small pile of papers, a set of incident reports. He filled them out, letting the children sit, drifting in their trance. When he finished the paperwork, he looked up at them.

"Okay, time for your punishment. Both of you stand up, and take off your clothing." he said to the cubs. Skye stood up, muttering his order quietly. She gently slipped her shirt over her head, revealing her flat, furry chest. The angelfennec slipped down her jeans, tossing them aside carelessly, followed shortly after by her blue panties. Her sheath was a barely visible bulge, and slightly below that her cleft was hidden beneath her fur. The vixen was only just aware of Fea undressed next to her, swaying on her feet, the bird's wings fluttering softly as she stared ahead, waiting for Mr. Rallis' next command.

"Kneel down, both of you." said the gym teacher. The girls blinked and dropped to their knees. Mr. Rallis looked down and tapped a button on his watch controller. The girls' collars flashed bright, and suddenly, they both felt an immense tingling pleasure throughout their bodies. Skye gasped, arching her back, her little nipples hardening and poking through their fur. The vixen whimpered, feeling her sheath bulge, her thighs growing damp with her nectar. Fea cooed and moaned, bucking her hips gently, the tip of her black shaft poking free of her pouch.

Mr. Rallis watched as the girls gasped and moaned, their hips bucking as their shafts slowly grew erect. Soon, Skye's twin members twitched and throbbed, standing at full attention. Beside her, Fea gasped softly, her black, ridged member rested against the soft feathers of her stomach.

"Okay, girls. Your shafts tingle and tickle harder and harder. But as much as you want to, you will be unable to bring your paws anywhere near your thingies. The tingling will grow stronger and stronger, but even when you're ready, you won't be able to spurt even the tiniest drop of your milk. Understand?"

"Yes, sir" the pair confirmed, their tones somewhere between compliance and frustrated arousal as they blankly watched the raccoon stand up and move around his desk to stand in front of them. He had kicked off his shoes and socks as the twosome had disrobed, and stood barefoot on the cool tiled floor.

He sighed again, glancing over at the door to confirm that he'd locked it before looking back down at the troublesome students. Whilst this behavior had its advantages, he noted as he watched them squirm in pleasured discomfort, Mr. Rallis hoped that this trend wouldn't continue next semester.

"Skye, Fea... I want you to wrap one of your paws around each other's shafts and slowly stroke them up and down, and then I wan-"

"Which of Skye's thingies should I touch?" the young bluebird interrupted abruptly, earning another frown from the teacher. Granted, she had a point though.

"Just the lower one for now Fea" he replied. "So take each other's thingies in one paw and do as I instructed, and then I want you both to pull down my shorts and underpants"

Wordlessly the pair reached across to each other and grasped the heated flesh that they found, Skye giving a quick series of gasps as her classmate squeezed her sensitive member. Fea remained silent for the most part, only bucking her hips as the angelvixen's fingers encircled the unique ridges on her own shaft. As they started gently massaging their partner, both reached up to Mr. Rallis and tugged his running shorts down past his thighs, Skye having the foresight even through her trance to reach around and free his tail first.

The raccoon murred slightly as his underpants followed, the fabric rubbing against the tip of his exposed and growing member â€" whilst he didn't necessarily agree with punishing students like this, when there was no other choice he thought that he may as well act on instinct. The first four inches of his shaft squeezed free from his sheath before the girls had pulled his underwear down to his ankles. He stepped free, moving a little closer to the pair as they lowered their paws again, continuing to slowly pleasure one-another.

"Right, next I think you should use your mouths for more than just arguing" Mr. Rallis said, now standing partway between the two aroused students. "I want you to sit up a little and each take a side of my shaft in your mouths. Then kiss and lick it until I tell you to stop... And remember, no touching your own thingies whilst you do so, understood?"

"Yes, sir" Fea answered in a little gasp as Skye's grip trembled, quaking around the tip of her avian pillar. The winged fennec could only nod, warmth pluming through her body and her ungrasped shaft bobbing as her classmate continued to knead her lower member.

*****

Kiyone's day had started much like her fellow angelfox, only with less reflection on the year gone by and more focus on the task in hand... which at present was packing her belongings and tidying her dorm room. Her heterochromatic gaze flicked between her clothes, all neatly folded and grouped together, and her checklist â€" she then glanced at her suitcases, mentally tallying up what could fit where.

As the semester had gone on and she had been introduced to her student allowance and the temptation of the mall, Kiyone had noticed that her purchases had surpassed the means to return them home. However, she had the sense to buy extra bags and a rucksack to balance this situation out again towards the end of term. There was even space for the angelvixen to buy a few items for her sisters, brother and parents â€" a matching pair of summer dresses and hairclips for Mia and Lia, (of course) and a novelty drinking-baseball-cap for Rio (which would hopefully keep him from late-night kitchen raids). Her parents would receive a framed photograph of everyone in Class One, hinged on one side with a smaller photograph of Kiyone and Skye sitting together on one of the benches in the academy gardens.

It was this that the young student found herself looking at now, remembering the day. It had been Skye's idea for there to be an extra picture of them both, mostly because she had been so interested in Kiyone's family and had wanted them to see her too. Doctor Valran had been passing the pair as they sat on the bench, and was more than happy to take the photo. Afterwards as he handed the camera back, he had jokingly commented that it was a change to take a picture of the girls' outsides for a change instead of their insides... which confused both of them. But, Kiyone presumed now that the panther had meant that he had taken lots of X-rays of them both during the semester, instead of normal photographs.

The angelvixen's finger traced the edge of Skye's smiling muzzle, frozen in time beneath the glass. She was glad that they had met so many months ago. What had started somewhat awkwardly, especially after the long induction and the initial butting of heads with Fea on the first day of class, had blossomed into what Kiyone hoped would be a life-long friendship. There had been, and probably would still be times when their differences rocked the boat, but these rough patches were usually just momentary, like any other relationship.

"Relationship..." she mused, still staring deeply into the photographic gaze of her classmate. "What do you think of relationships, Skye?"

The smiling, occasionally still tomboyish angelfennec did not reply, content to remain looking out at her... whilst sitting next to her friend on the bench... their paws entwined...

Before Kiyone could contemplate further, her bedside clock chimed the hour and brought her back to the present. Eleven o'clock! She was running late! There was still all of the packing and cleaning to do before lunch, because after that time her cases would be collected and transported to the academy gates... and what she didn't want to have to do was try and lug everything downstairs herself.

She went into a flurry of activity, placing her clothes, jewelry, toiletries and gifts in the appropriate bags and suitcases. Somewhere along the line she managed to pack her checklist, and so had to spend a frantic minute or two digging it back out again. But by eleven-thirty the task was done â€" zips closed, buckles fastened, nothing left out or lost.

Kiyone sighed enormously, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she launched into her next duty... cleaning her room. She didn't have to of course, as the cleaning team would undoubtedly spend several weeks tidying the entire campus from top to bottom during the summer break. However, she felt that she should do â€" after all, it had only been her using it for the last few months.

It was a change from home, where any tidying was less about Kiyone's own muddles and more about everybody else's. Having three other siblings to deal with never helped whenever their parents asked for some assistance in cleaning. Rio usually got bored somewhere along the line and managed to duck out of a job halfway through, and the twins often ended up squabbling over who owned what or who'd made which mess. But despite the bickering and the un-novelty of having to share a bathroom with several other inhabitants once more, the angelfox was looking forward to seeing her family again.

She wondered what the summer would bring â€" whether it would be another case of everyone crowding into the car and driving down to her Aunt's house on the coast. Kiyone shuddered a little at that thought. The coastal area was nice, with some great walks and a few interesting shops... but now that the angelvixen was at what her Aunt had called "an awkward age", it had lost its appeal somewhat. Last year Kiyone had found herself too old to play with the majority of the children that were visiting the town, and too young to join in with most of the activities that the small teenage crowd were enjoying. And so she had spent the few weeks either reading or sunbathing with her parents, or trying to keep her three younger siblings in check.

Whatever was due to happen though, the young student at least wouldn't have the anxious pressure of a brand new school to deal with once the break was over. She knew that come the start of next term, there would be a room of familiar, smiling faces to welcome her back to Hypnos Academy... Well, a room of familiar, smiling faces and Fea too.

Kiyone finished her cleaning duties just in time for lunch, and after checking that everything was in order once again, she closed her door and trotted along the hallway towards the elevators. She squeezed passed one of the electric transport carts, already stacked high with student belongings, sharing a brief smile with the burly lion that was driving it. At least it seemed that the angelvixen hadn't been the only one who'd acquired several extra pieces of luggage over the year.

She smoothed down her blouse and skirt during the elevator's descent, making sure that she looked as spotless as her dorm before leaving the carriage. It was a rather wasted effort though, as unfortunately as soon as Kiyone stepped out of the accommodation building she found herself in the middle of a firefight between Train and a few other students, who had all clearly used the last of their allowances yesterday purchasing water-pistols.

"Traaaiiin!!" Kiyone protested, ducking down and shielding herself as well as she could with her wings.

"Hold fire! Civilian!" the soaked horse yelled, showing a surprising burst of speed as he dashed out from his hiding place to escort his slightly damp classmate from the battlefield. "Ooops, sorry Kiyone... You're not too wet, are you?"

"I'll be fine." she smiled, shaking the worst of the water from her feathers. "I was going to sit out in the Sun for lunch anyway. You get back to your troops"

"Okay, but I will avenge you!" Train grinned, pumping up the pressure in his water pistol before running back into the fray, yelling as he strafed his opponents before they could retaliate.

Leaving the reignited skirmish behind her, Kiyone continued towards the mall and its food outlets, looking around for anyone that she could share her lunchtime with. She could see Ali at a distance with another bunch of first-year students, but it looked like the rabbit was just finishing off her meal.

Resigning herself to a lunch alone, the angelfox reached the outdoor restaurant and tried to buy a salad and a strawberry milkshake â€" however, as it was the end of term she found that the cashier was more than happy to almost give everything away. With another warm smile to reward his generosity, she picked up her tray and moved back out to the tables that were bathed in sunlight. It was then that she saw a familiar face half buried in an open book, and padded over to her.

"Hi, Rosa." Kiyone said as softly as she could, but unfortunately still startled the petite squirrel, who was more engrossed in reading than eating. "Hey, sorry... It's just me"

"Oh! Uhm... H-Hi, Kiyone." Rosa stammered once her heart had left her throat, just about managing a smile. "D-Did you want t-to sit here, ‘cuz I c-can move if you want..?"

"No, no... I was just wondering if you wanted some company. I mean, unless that would disturb your reading." the taller student replied with a grin.

Rosa shook her head, and Kiyone sat down opposite her. The winged vixen was halfway through her salad before the squirrel spoke again.

"S-So are you all p-packed?"

"Mmhmm..." Kiyone replied, swallowing her mouthful before continuing. "Just in time too, I think. I can't believe how much stuff I've collected during the semester! How about you?"

"I f-finished packing last night, ‘cept m-my books." Rosa answered. "I'll read them on the journey h-home. Are you l-looking forward to summer?"

The angelvixen paused for a moment, twirling her fork thoughtfully on her plate.

"I think so. It'll be nice to see my family again. We'll probably all go on a vacation together, which I guess is good." she halfheartedly said, her unmatched eyes cast down.

Rosa just nodded again. She knew that there was something amiss in her classmate's tone, but she didn't want to pry into what was wrong.

"So, what about you Rosa?" Kiyone asked after another silent pause, looking back up at her classmate again. "Any plans for the summer?"

The squirrel pondered for a moment, casting her eyes upward and to one side whilst thoughtfully mouthing at one of her fingers. Then she shook her head, looking back to her lunch partner and shrugging cutely.

"Not r-really." Rosa added. "I don't know."

This confused Kiyone a little â€" surely everyone had plans for the end of term..? Having finished her meal, save for her milkshake, she scooted around the table to sit next to her smaller friend.

"Do you mean you don't know what you want to do, or you don't know what your family is planning?" she asked softly.

Again, after a few seconds of thinking, Rosa shrugged.

"M-Maybe both..."

The angelfox rolled her eyes slightly.

"C'mon Rosa! Everyone's got to have some ambition outside of these walls!" Kiyone enthused, just about managing to keep her tone from straying into exasperation. "What did you do last summer?"

"I-I... read."

"You read?"

"Yes."

"All summer?"

"Ehm... mostly, yes."

"Aha... Mostly!" the winged vixen grinned, putting an arm around Rosa. "And what did you do when you weren't reading?"

"I... I..."

"Yes?"

"I... slept too."

It took all of Kiyone's strength to not fall over in a dead faint then and there.

"Look, Rosa..." the angelvixen said calmly after composing herself again with a deep breath. "It's great that you've got such an appetite for books â€" I admire that, really... But, it's not healthy to stay wrapped up in your own company all of the time"

This provoked another period of thought from the now slightly ashamed-looking squirrel, who found herself examining the table, the floor, her book... anything but the determined yet caring gaze of Kiyone.

"Maybe you want to be a librarian or a teacher or something when you're older..." the angelfox added once she sensed Rosa's mood. "That's good too. I mean, I want to be a writer when I grow up, but that doesn't mean I spend all of my time writing!"

Now the squirrel met Kiyone's eyes, her expression appearing to suggest that her taller classmate's words were starting to sink in. Seeing this, Kiyone smiled and gave her a hug.

"You're a cute girl, and a good friend." the angelvixen murmured gently. "I just wish that your books would share you with us from time to time"

Rosa smiled in reply, giving Kiyone a squeeze before sitting back again.

"N-Next year I'll try." she nodded with a tiny giggle. "Thanks Kiyone."

"You're welcome. I'm just trying to help you help yourself." the winged vulpine concluded, leaning back and sipping her milkshake. "So what are you reading anyway?"

The squirrel blushed, glancing between the large book and her friend. This piqued Kiyone's interest, and she grinned.

"Nothing to do with studies, eh?" she correctly guessed, judging by Rosa's wide-eyed response at her suggestion. "Oh, it's not romantic and slushy is it?"

Rosa said nothing, cringing slightly but still wearing a wry, nervous smile.

"It is! Oh lemme see!" the angelfox laughed, leaning around to try and glimpse at the pages. Of course, the smaller student did everything in her meager power to turn the book away from the curious Kiyone.

"Is it like oldie world love poems, or modern stuff?" the vixen continued excitedly, putting her drink down to try and wrestle the book over to her side of the table. "I won't tell anyone Rosa... Just let me look!"

"Nooo, Kiyone!" the petite student giggled, putting up quite a good fight against the taller and relatively stronger angelfox. "It's not like that!"

The tussle carried on for another minute or so before Kiyone seemed to admit defeat. She sat back, putting on a plainly staged sulky face and supped at her drink.

"I-It's not like that..." Rosa repeated, getting her breath back and shuffling the book. "It's just... private."

"Oh now, that's pushed the boat out further!" Kiyone beamed, tossing her half-finished milkshake to one side and lunging for the book again, this time being successful in tearing a page out. "Yoink! Huh..?"

As Rosa squirmed, covering her face, the angelvixen wore an expression of complete bafflement. She hadn't managed to rip a page from the book... she'd ripped a whole magazine from it. She leafed through it after the moment of confusion had subsided slightly, looking back over at her cowering companion.

"Rosa?"

"Y-Y-You've got to promise not to tell a-anyone!" the squirrel blurted, looking less like she was going to burst into tears and more like she was pleading for her life.

"But, Rosa... a magazine like this..."

"P-Please Kiyone!"

"Computer games?"

Rosa blushed so brightly that Kiyone almost felt like she could feel the warmth from her own seat. She leaned in closer, lowering her voice.

"There's nothing wrong with reading a magazine inside a book, Rosa. It's pretty much been done as long as schools have existed!"

"B-But it's just... You can't t-tell anyone, please?"

"Why though?" Kiyone asked softly, putting her arm around the embarrassed squirrel once more. "You don't even like computer games."

There was another pause before Rosa found the courage to reply.

"I w-want to like c-c-computer games. F-Find out about them." she stammered nervously, clasping her fingers together. "S-So... I can... next semester..."

Before the angelvixen could prompt her friend for a conclusion, she suddenly became aware of how quiet it had gone. The restaurant hadn't been hugely noisy, but even the general hubbub of chatter had stopped. She felt the odd urge to turn around... when suddenly a paw thumped down and clasped her shoulder.

"Miss. Karu..!"

Kiyone trembled. She knew that voice.

"Would you like to explain yourself young lady?"

Both the angelfox and Rosa slowly glanced over their shoulders, each of them now sinking in their seats. Following the arresting paw up its owner's arm, they recognized the thin, brown fur, the tight itchy-looking cardigan, the floral and lacy blouse, the brutally straightened white hair... and the scowling, narrow-eyes hidden behind half-moon glasses. All that was unusual was the splatter of pink, strawberry-scented milkshake on the blouse, and the lidless Styrofoam cup clenched in the other boney paw.

"Well?!"

"M-M-Mrs. Bazan..." Kiyone attempted, inheriting Rosa's stammer for the moment.

"I presume this cup is yours Miss. Karu..." the elderly mink interrupted, crushing the now empty container and holding it in front of the angelfox's muzzle. "I should imagine so... with its sickly pink and sticky contents. It's your style."

Kiyone's mouth just hung open, her mind torn between confirming her strict teacher's opinion, and confronting her about it.

"M-Mrs. Bazan?" Rosa squeaked, cowering as the gaze of disapproval immediately fell upon her. "I-It was m-my faul-"

"Oh and little Miss. Lio..." the teacher interjected with a sneer. "Little Miss. butter-wouldn't-melt... Sitting there with your books. I guess you planned this, hmm? Both of you?"

Neither student could find their voice, which only served to add fuel to Mrs. Bazan's fire.

"Yes... I bet you both thought it would be funny, eh? Throwing your foul drink over your Mathematics teacher at the end of term? Didn't think you'd get punished, hmm?" the mink continued, her sneer becoming more predatory as she glanced between the pair. "Come with me... Now!"

Kiyone and Rosa shared a look, swallowed nervously, and then stood. As they neatly pushed their chairs underneath the table and the squirrel collected her book (snagging the magazine from her classmate's trembling grasp as she did), Mrs. Bazan whirled around to stare daggers at the now silent students nearby who were staring at the situation as it developed.

"And shouldn't you ALL be in classes?!" she snapped.

Again, looks were exchanged, belongings collected and seats vacated. No-one had the nerve to tell the teacher that there weren't any classes, as she, and the two accused first-years, marched off towards the mink's office.

*****

"And... stop!" groaned Mr. Rallis, stepping back from his own troublesome students, who both almost passed out from the constraints set upon them.

Even though he had told Skye and Fea to not squirt their milk, the floor was pooled with their and his own precum. His saliva-coated shaft, now undoubtedly fully engorged at fourteen inches pulsed in time with his drumming heart, having already soaked each student as well. One side of the bluebird's body and one side of the angelvixen's body were drenched with his excitement. Skye's mouth hung open with a long drool of the raccoon's pre dangling from her bottom lip, and Fea was still fighting to urge to bring herself to climax.

Mr. Rallis pondered for a few seconds, if nothing else but to get his breath back and rein his loins back in from the breach. He was not a cruel teacher, and both students had performed admirably under the circumstances. It was time for their reward.

"Well done girls. Now, one last task." he said, squeezing just beneath the slight flare at the tip of his genitals. "Skye, I want you to lay down on your back with your legs slightly open."

The angelfox did as she was told, squelching down onto the sodden tiles.

"Fea, I want you to get onto your talons and knees above her, but the opposite way around. So your thingie is above Skye's face, and her thingies are below your face."

The avian mumbled her compliance, getting into position above her classmate. Skye closed an eye as Fea's shaft dripped down onto her.

"Okay, now listen carefully." the raccoon grinned, stooping behind the bird and rubbing his member against her primed cunny, much to her pleasure. "I'm going to enter you now Fea. Once I do, I want each of you to take each other's thingies in your mouths..."

He paused as Fea glanced back to him.

"Whichever one you want this time." he added before she could question him.

She looked away again, looking down with dazed interest at the two possibilities jutting up towards her beak, allowing Mr. Rallis to continue.

"Like you just did with me, you should lick and suck your partner's thingie, but you are still not allowed to squirt a drop of milk! That is... not until I squirt inside Fea, after which you can squirt as much as you want. Alright?"

"Yes, Mr. Rallis." Skye replied, looking up past her friend's hips to where the raccoon's shaft throbbed against Fea's netherlips. Fea simply nodded, her cunny pursing invitingly.

Without another word, Mr. Rallis bucked his shaft forward, sinking almost six inches of his member inside the bluebird before bottoming out in her tight, pulsating passage. Fea arched her head back and chirped in ecstasy, the teacher's motion driving her dark penis down into Skye's muzzle almost before she opened it. The angelfox gurgled in surprise, but then the hypnotic suggestion kicked in and she surrounded the invading length with her lips and tongue. As the raccoon pulled back with a lewd squish, Fea was able to lean down and take Skye's upper shaft into her mouth, suckling on it smoothly. The winged vixen beneath also managed to take a lungful of air as their gym teacher pulled almost out of the warm, welcoming cunny above her, a mixture of his and Fea's lust dripping down onto her face.

And so the process continued, with Mr. Rallis driving himself as deep as was possible within Fea, Skye mouthing her ridged shaft, and the bluebird engulfing one of her twin members. Each time the raccoon pulled back, more and more nectar and precum rained down on the angelfox... not that she minded as it splattered on her and the floor around.

The raccoon drank in the sensations of Fea's little cunny with every stroke. He'd actually forgotten how many times during the semester he'd had to ‘punish' her in this way, but it still felt amazing. He wondered if, seven or eight years from now, the students would have changed much, and whether they'd still need this kind of discipline. In one way he hoped not, but on the other... He smiled, reaching around to just above the avian's sheath and imagined his shaft inside the student, and anticipated that he'd be able to completely hilt his entire length within Fea's delightful folds as time went on.

That thought pushed him over the edge. His thrusts quickened, the pair of students doing their best to keep up with the sudden change of pace. He growled, closing his eyes and tightening his grip around the bluebird's waist as his peak churned up from his testicles, barreling along his length as he planted it firmly inside Fea's body. His shaft erupted, thick cum gushing into the young girl's passage.

She cried out as Mr. Rallis' seed thundered into her, surging against her deepest parts. Fea's shaft jumped and throbbed inside Skye's mouth as her own orgasm overtook her senses, both her cunny and member linked together in lust. As her seed streamed into the angelfox's muzzle, the winged vixen bucked her hips powerfully â€" through Fea's stimulation or not, Skye's body was finally allowed to reach climax. Her cleft spurted and her shafts engorged completely, her cum rocketing along each length to squirt from their tips.

Had she been conscious of the situation, Fea would have felt like she was in the middle of one of Train's water fights â€" Mr. Rallis continued pumping his seed deep into her, and now both of Skye's twin rods spurted onto her. The upper shaft that she had been mouthing surged against her face and torso, whilst the lower shaft sprayed wantonly into the heavens, raining down on her back and into her hair.

If Skye was aware of what was happening, she might have felt like she'd got the unproblematic and straight-forward end of the arrangement. Although her feathered friend was still propelling her jet-black shaft into her muzzle, the gushes of cum were not overwhelming her swallowing rate. That was, until the sheer volume of seed that Mr. Rallis was pumping into Fea overflowed around the girth of his half-buried shaft, and began quickly drooling down the bluebird's underside and along her member. And unlike the watery squirts that Fea was still in the throes of providing, the raccoon's cum was sticky, thick and plentiful. Again, the angelfennec closed her eyes as the liquid rained down on her, spilling from each side of her mouth and plastering her fur and hair to the floor.

Mr. Rallis knew exactly how he felt. Wonderful.

Somehow Skye didn't lose consciousness during the continuing afterglow, becoming aware that Fea was the first to come down from her peak as her member ceased squirting. Her cunny was still alive with pleasure though, filled to capacity by Mr. Rallis length and his substantial load. She had another small climax, the rolling contractions enough to milk the last of his seed from him. The raccoon breathed deeply, watching in tired amusement as an intermediate fountain of cub-spunk still squirted up just the other side of Fea's head to splatter around, provided by the student at the bottom of their arrangement. After a few more minutes though, that too lost its intensity and the sprays lost their altitude.

"Wow... Girls, well done." he puffed, twenty years of teaching Physical Education still not comparing to the exhaustion he was experiencing now. "That was some good personal restraint you both showed there."

Feeling his shaft begin to soften and retreat, Mr. Rallis reluctantly pulled out of Fea's cleft, unleashing another thick torrent of his seed from inside. Luckily for Skye, the bluebird sagged and slumped wearily to one side of her before the majority of it escaped. The avian was still gasping for air, her own shaft starting to slide back into her sheath â€" thanks to the angelvixen's powerful spurts, all of her feathers, front and back, were dripping with cum, which now started adding to the growing pool on the tiles.

But Skye was the Queen of the Coverage. Her half-closed green eyes were almost the only part of her upper body that Mr. Rallis could see. Her fur, hair and feathers were all thick with a combination of everyone's lust. If the raccoon squinted, she almost looked like an Arctic fox. She swallowed a few more times until her mouth was almost clear, then she too began to re-oxygenate herself with short huffs. Her twin shafts still stood proudly, although they would eventually subside and slip away once more.

"Okay, you two rest there for a moment." Mr. Rallis said softly, beginning to pad away and leaving a series of liquid paw-prints on the floor. "I'll warm up the showers."

Unlike the majority of the teachers' facilities, the raccoon's office did not have its own dedicated shower. This was only due to it being located directly between the boys' and girls' changing rooms, both of which included separate public bathing areas. Once Mr. Rallis had turned on the appropriate valves, heaters and drying fans, and had a quick wash himself, he returned to his office and told Fea and Skye to get themselves cleaned up. The pair just about managed to drag themselves away (Skye leaving a distinct afterimage of herself on the floor â€" a ‘cum-angel' as Mr. Rallis later remembered it), and off to the showers. Meanwhile the teacher got dressed again and began mopping the floor, delivering both girls' clothes to the changing room when he heard that they were almost finished.

Once he had confirmed that both students were clean, Mr. Rallis asked the pair to get dressed and follow him to the gymnasium. There he laid out a quick series of cones around the room to form a circuit along its edges.

"Right, here's what happened girls." he said, kneeling down to Skye and Fea's level and looking them both in the eye. "After you followed me to my office and I gave you a chance to explain why you were fighting, the situation did not resolve itself. But rather than give you both detention on the last day of term, I brought you in here to the gym. Then I told you to run circuits until I was satisfied that you'd both learnt your lesson, okay?"

The twosome nodded. Mr. Rallis then grinned a little.

"For the record, in the hour since we started, Skye, you ran eighty three circuits, and Fea, you managed seventy nine."

The angelfennec smiled slightly. The bluebird scowled.

"But it was a close thing." the raccoon added as an afterthought. "If you'd spent less time complaining and more time running, you would have probably managed ninety, Fea."

This seemed to brighten the avian's expression a little â€" not much, but it was something.

"So, besides your potentials if you keep your mouths shut... What else have we learnt through this tiring process? Skye?"

"That we shouldn't fight." the angelfox replied. "Even if I don't agree with someone else's advice."

"Very good." Mr. Rallis said, surprised that the girl hadn't needed more prompting. "And Fea? What have you learnt?"

"I shouldn't force my opinions on anyone, or get frustrated with them if they decide not to listen." Fea answered wearily. "Also that detention is a heck of a lot easier than running circuits."

The raccoon laughed at that, but nodded and gave each student an affectionate hair-ruffle.

"Okay, that's great. Now, you've got about forty minutes before you've got to get back for Ms. Heindell's end of year class. So I suggest you both get out of here, grab yourselves a snack and a tall drink of water, and just chill out a bit. Alright?"

"Yes, Mr. Rallis." came the reply, and the pair wandered towards the exit. As they reached the door, the teacher pressed his wristwatch control, freeing them from their trance. Skye glanced back, looking a little confused, whereas Fea stomped off as quickly as her tiredness would allow.

"Have a good summer Skye!" Mr. Rallis called as he collected the cones. "Don't forget to do your flying exercises. Next year, we may start you and Kiyone on airborne circuits."

Unsure whether the teacher was joking or not, the angelfennec nodded, gave a little wave, and then staggered off towards the nearest vending-machine.

*****

Half an hour later, and still exhausted from her circuits, Skye dragged herself along the corridor towards the classroom, chewing on an apple. As she rounded the corner, it was a surprise to see several of her classmates standing outside Ms. Heindell's room.

"Hey, guys." the angelfox smiled as she joined them, receiving and returning Ali's hug. "Why aren't you inside sitting down?"

"Dunno, it's a mystery." Teru said cryptically, shrugging and drumming his fingers against the doorframe.

"No it ain't..." Train (who looked like he'd been swimming and hadn't quite dried off) added with a dismissive hoof-wave. "Ms. H. is in there talking to some wolfy dude."

"Who is a, ‘wolfy dude'?" Ali asked, barely avoiding punctuating her quotation marks with finger gestures.

"It's Hypnos." Fea answered, having snuck up on the group unannounced just after Skye had arrived. She briefly glanced at the angelfennec, but it was a mostly harmless look.

"Hypnos?" Teru questioned with a head-tilt.

"Hypnos... THE Hypnos." Fea sighed, rolling her eyes. "You know, the head honcho, the big cheese, the guy this whole academy's named after."

"Ohh, you mean Mr. Hypnos." Ali smiled, the expression hastily being revoked at the ‘well, duh' gawk that the bluebird shot back at her.

"What would the headmaster being doing talking to Ms. Heindell?" Skye contemplated out loud, munching thoughtfully on her apple.

"Gaahh..! Don't you guys know anything?!" Fea snapped, throwing her wings up in exasperation. "It's what he does at the end of every year. Hypnos visits every single class during their homeroom teacher's summation, gives some dumb speech and then dismisses everyone."

"How do you know this?" Train asked in his most sinister interrogation voice, raising an eyebrow cryptically.

"And why are you using proper words like ‘summation'?" Ali added curiously.

Fea blinked, looked down, and mumbled.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" the rabbit asked, a smirk appearing as her superior hearing skills prompted her to realize that this was a moment to briefly one-up the avian.

"Fff... told me." Fea replied in a tiny voice, still not making her words clear, except to Ali whose smirk had grown into a fully fledged grin.

"Whoooooo, told you?" the long-eared girl teased.

"Okay! It was Fai!" the bluebird squawked, giving the rabbit a glare that would kill most. "My idiot older brother! He told me so I would know...He made me... memorize some academy procedures so I could avoid trouble."

Ali, Train and Teru burst out laughing at this admission. It was only Skye who stayed silent, masking her own tiny smile with her what remained of her apple. Fea blushed through her feathers, balling her talons into fists again.

"It's not funny!" she screeched.

"Fea... Little voice inside please." came a smooth, low voice that immediately captured everybody's attention.

All eyes swiveled to the classroom door, which was now filled with the tall figure of a crisply suited lupine. He wore an expression of calm and patience, and although both it and his fur showed the signs of age, there was an air of understanding about him.

"Good afternoon, Class One. Aside from this little squabble, I trust you're all well..?" Mr. Hypnos smiled, stepping aside to allow them to enter the room. He examined each student as they padded in, giving everyone a friendly comment.

"Ahh, Teru... Mr. Rallis says that you're one of our rising stars in track and field. I look forward to seeing how you do next semester, should you leave the arcade long enough to enter our any of our sports competitions. Well done."

"Ali, I hear you're one of our brightest pupils. Excellent grades and hardly a bad report. Well, save for a certain incident involving some quick thinking and an even faster attack on one of our... ahem... ‘troubled students'. Bravo."

"And who could forget you Train... Always present and correct with a light-hearted comment and some fun-loving ideas. Although maybe next year, maybe we can tone down on the comedy and focus on grades, hmm?"

"Fea... Fea, Fea, Fea... I don't care what anyone says. You've stepped entirely free of your brother's shadow, and you're finding you own path. It's not always smooth going, but I think we'll get there."

As Skye was about to step into the room, Mr. Hypnos lightly grasped the bluebird's wing and pulled her back so he could whisper something into her ear. The angelvixen didn't catch everything, but there was mention of ‘tales about Fai that would make her feathers curl', which seemed to cheer Fea up instantly.

"And Skye, the angelfox at the top of our tree." the wolf smiled as he turned to face her.

"Hello, sir." she said boldly, beaming back at him.

The older lupine glanced around, then leaned down to Skye's eye line.

"I'll have to speak to you a little later." he murmured, comfortingly patting her on the head. "Don't worry... It's nothing bad. There's just more to say than manners in a doorframe will allow."

The winged fennec nodded, thinking for a second before continuing inside the classroom to sit at her desk. Mr. Hypnos straightened, glancing back out into the corridor again, and then to the pair of empty desks inside.

"Ms. Heindell..." he announced, looking over to the mouse perched on the edge of her desk. "We appear to be two students short."

Caught in the headlights, as it were, Ms. Heindell quickly checked her reports for the day. A note about Train's water fight, which it appeared quite literally spilled into one of the Science laboratories... A report from Mr. Rallis about another fight between Fea and Skye...

"I... I've got nothing, sir." she admitted. "I've got no paperwork that suggests that they should be anywhere else but here."

"Not to worry, Ms. Heindell..." the wolf replied with a composed air that immediately put her at ease again. "I'm sure they'll be along shortly."

Closing the door, he shot Fea a quick look.

"It would be a shame if they missed my ‘dumb speech' though..." he added, causing the bluebird to sink almost out her chair.

As Mr. Hypnos crossed the room to sit next to one of the windows, Ms. Heindell breezed around the desks, passing out envelopes to all those assembled. Seeing a few wide-eyed looks, she immediately held up her paws to pacify her students' minds.

"Don't panic, it's not homework or an evil project to do over the summer." the mouse explained, causing a few sighs of relief. "It's just an informal letter to your parents or guardians about some of the things we may be doing next year, and some of the provisions they might like to buy you before you come back here."

That was only a partial truth. Whilst there was a letter outlining some of the field-trips planned for the next semester, and a list of items that might come in useful for them, the main documentation inside was a reminder to the family of each student about how to use the hypnotic control devices that had been given to them during their own induction, and a helpline that would lead to the medical centre of the academy in case any further assistance was needed.

"Okay, tuck those away safely and we'll get on with things." Ms. Heindell called, sitting on the edge of her desk again. "After all, the sooner we're done here, the sooner you can all go home!"

This caused a brief wave of chatter and excitement, silenced this time by their headmaster clearing his throat.

"I'm not good with speeches, and you probably don't want to hear me droning on at the very end of the year." the mouse smiled, gazing around at the collection of young, somehow still innocent faces. "I just wanted to thank you all for being in my class this year. I know we've had a few problems along the way, maybe a pawful of incidents that we'd rather forget... but I think we've all grown as individuals, and I'm looking forward to hearing about what you've all got up to over the summer! And have a good one!"

Ms. Heindell's wishes were applauded loudly, led of course by Ali. There were a few calls of "You too!" as well, and Train even jumped up to run over and hug his teacher... although in hindsight he probably just did it for the comedy value of leaving a horse-shaped wet patch on the mouse's front.

The room fell silent again as Mr. Hypnos stood, moving to the centre of the room and pulling out a small ream of paper. Fea slouched in preparation, and Teru prepared to elbow Train in the ribs in case he dozed off.

"Students of Hypnos Academy..." the wolf read, his tone already doing little to dispel Fai's opinion of the speech. "I come before you today, not as your headmaster, but as your friend. I am pleased with the progress you all have made in the last academic year, and I am proud that you represent this academy. It is my opinion that each and every one of you has tried their hardest and done their best in every challenge that has faced you. Furthermore, I would thank you for treating your teachers with the respect that they deserve, and of course, the other hard-working members of our Hypnos Academy family. I would ask that you all consider your futures during your summer break, and come back to us refreshed and with some good ideas of how you want your lives to proceed. In addition, I would also like to say tha-"

"Mr. Hypnos!"

Once again, the interrupting voice caused a ripple of fear to pass over the classroom. Even the wolf took a moment to swallow nervously before looking towards the door.

Mrs. Bazan stood in the doorway, holding the shoulders of both Rosa and Kiyone, who were covered in chalk-dust. She released them, brandishing an incident report.

"I need to speak with you, Mr. Hypnos." the mink said, more as an order than a request.

As the lupine followed the teacher outside, Ms. Heindell quickly ushered the pair of students over to her, brushing their fur and clothes off in a busy, motherly way. After giving each of them a quick embrace and their letters, both trotted to their desks and sat down.

"What happened?" Skye whispered to her angelfox counterpart, keeping a wary eye on the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, we're both fine." Kiyone confirmed with a smile. "I threw my milkshake over Mrs. Bazan at lunchtime, and she hit the roof."

"I can imagine." Train interjected, manners coming second-place to eavesdropping. "So she had you beating out her chalkboard erasers?"

As Kiyone nodded, Skye glanced over at Rosa, who seemed to be handing a magazine to Teru and chatting quite normally... which wasn't normal for the usually shy squirrel.

"What about Rosa?" the angelfennec asked her friend, who glanced around and also noticed the goings-on between the feline and her fellow ‘accused' student.

"I can't remember exactly..." Kiyone replied. "I think I was trying to read Rosa's book when I splashed my drink over Mrs. Bazan. It looks like she borrowed it from Teru anyway..."

Skye was about to ask the other angelvixen another question when Mr. Hypnos re-entered the classroom, fortunately without the elderly mink in tow. He glanced curiously at both Rosa and Kiyone, then at the incident report. He studied it in silence for a few seconds, shook his head and tucked the paperwork inside his jacket.

"Anyhow, where was I?" he asked himself out loud, picking up his speech again and trailing a finger through it. Fea groaned, closing her eyes.

After another short break in proceedings, he looked up at the expectant students and shrugged, giving them a genuine smile.

"It doesn't matter really. Ms. Heindell said things better than I could anyway." he concluded, almost chuckling as he folded the speech and put it back in his pocket. "So I'll just add my wishes for you all to have a great summer, and that I know I speak for all... ahem... most of the staff here when I say that you'll be welcomed back here in a few months!"

Another round of applause and another attempt by Train to wetly imprint himself against a figure of authority â€" only this time the supposed victim saw him coming and dismissed the horse with a simple shake of the head.

As the class began to file out, Ms. Heindell giving all of them a hug and a kiss on the forehead, Mr. Hypnos approached the two angelfoxes.

"Do you mind if I have a quick word with you both?" he asked. "I won't keep you for too long. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends and get down to the gates."

Both nodded and followed the wolf to the quieter side of the classroom â€" it wasn't like they were going to refuse his polite request anyway. He knelt down to their level, his smile still present.

"I just wanted to catch up with each of you." Mr. Hypnos said, glancing between them. "After all, I'm sure you know that you're the only angelfoxes in my academy, and I wanted to know how you've both found things."

"Uhm... Good, sir. Thank you." Kiyone answered after a pause. "I think we've been made to feel welcome, and... erm..."

"The teachers, they've been great." Skye added. "We've been taught all kinds of new stuff that'll be really useful."

The lupine nodded, giving the other side of the room a fleeting look as the last student left and Ms. Heindell closed the door, locking the four of them inside.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed the lessons, and more importantly the teachers." Mr. Hypnos commented as he turned his full attention back to the two unique figures in front of him. "I know that most of the teachers I've spoken to have enjoyed your company as well..."

There was a flash, leaving both Skye and Kiyone staring blankly ahead. The wolf looked over as Ms. Heindell first closed the blinds, and then cleared a space on her desk...

*****

The gates of Hypnos Academy were packed tightly, students squeezing through the bottleneck and into the world outside. The car and coach park had already overflowed into a nearby field (which luckily also belonged to the academy anyway), the far end of which played host to several helicopters owned by the parents of those students who were wealthy enough to pick up their kids in style.

"C'mon Skye!" Kiyone shouted encouragingly, her paw firmly linked with that of her friend as they both pushed their way through the crowd, dodging around tearful reunions, sibling rough-housing and certain green-haired equines being berated for throwing water balloons.

As the angelfox tugged her classmate along, Skye felt her heart becoming a little heavy again as they inexorably moved closer to the point where they'd have to go their separate ways. She didn't want to have to say goodbye to her dearest friend... someone that she felt closer to than a sister.

The pair passed by Fea, Fai and their parents, the youngest bluebird wearing an expression of annoyance and embarrassment as her mother fussed around her â€" Skye just managed to cast a friendly smile to her classmate which Fea very nearly brought herself to return, before Kiyone dragged her counterpart onwards.

Next the winged vixens brushed near the two reunions of the Lio and Mikami families, the parents chatting away as Teru seemed to be instructing Rosa on how to play one of his portable gaming systems. Even Kiyone paused to watch this, wondering if the petite squirrel was trying to involve herself with the feline by sharing his hobby...

Skye found her attention drawn to another family reunion as she and Kiyone dodged through the crowds. A young fox, probably their age, was thoroughly enjoying the longest and tightest embrace from his mother. True love. This caused her to sigh mightily, casting her gaze down and prompting the taller angelfox that she strolled with to link arms with her and give her paw a squeeze.

"What's up Skye? You've been kind of quiet all day." Kiyone asked softly, trying to catch her friend's eye as they walked. "That long chat Mr. Hypnos had with us both didn't wear you out, did it?"

"It's nothing..." the winged fennec mumbled.

"Oh now, I know you better than that! Please tell me what's bothering you."

There was a long pause before Skye answered, emotion forming in the corners of her vibrant green eyes as she looked back at her friend.

"I don't want to go on summer break." she answered with a sniffle.

"Oooo-kay..." Kiyone replied, looking baffled. "You'd rather stay here in the academy all year? You don't want to see your family or anything?"

"No, I do!" the shorter student blurted, tears now flowing down into her muzzle's fur. "I want to go home, to be with my mom and dad... but..."

The blubbing girl gave a little choked sob, and then tightly hugged her winged counterpart, crying against her shoulder.

"I want to be with you as well Kiyone!" Skye wailed.

The pair just embraced for a time, one weeping, the other just content to try and comfort her classmate. Kiyone gently rocked Skye in her arms, soothingly murring against her hair.

"It's only three months, Skye." the taller angelvixen murmured once tears were no longer soaking into her fur. "I mean, I'll miss you loads too. I'm really glad we met."

"Y-You are?" the winged fennec sniffled, looking back up.

"I am. And I just know that we'll be friends forever!"

"We will?"

"Absolutely!" Kiyone beamed, leaning in and giving her classmate a kiss on the forehead. "And we can stay in touch over the summer. We've got video phones, and I'll get my parents to find out your address so I can write to you every week!"

"You promise?" Skye whimpered, a little spark of hope reigniting in her gaze. "You promise you won't forget me?"

"I could honestly never forget you, Skye. I mean that. You've been like a sister to me... only slightly less bratty and argumentative."

"Only slightly less?"

"I won't lie, you can still be a bit of a brat sometimes!"

"Takes one to know one!"

That made them both laugh a little, and they embraced again â€" each cub was close to tears again now, but these were tears of happiness. Skye felt her heart throb back to life again, knowing that her fears were unsubstantiated this time â€" however, she did remember that in this particular instance, Fea had been correct in voicing this to her earlier... she owed the bluebird that much at least.

Wiping their emotion away, the angelfoxes walked paw-in-paw into the thinning crowds to locate their families, who by some fluke seemed to have found each other.

"Skye!" her mother smiled, stooping down and embracing her little girl as she ran over. "I was worried that you were lost and lonely somewhere."

"I'll never be lost or lonely, mom..." the angelfennec murred, hugging her before letting her father lift her up into his arms and looking over at her dearest friend. "Not as long as I know Kiyone."

The other angelfox was trapped somewhere underneath three other bodies, only her feet visible as her sisters and brother hugged and kissed their sibling. Kiyone's father smiled over, shrugging in resignation at trying to keep any of them in check. The huddle broke after a few minutes, Kiyone struggling out and looking quite bedraggled as she hugged her parents â€" then she led them over to Skye's smaller family and started introducing everyone.

"It's okay, Kiyone." her mother interjected, kissing her daughter between the ears. "We've all already met. It's not like there are many of us angelfoxes around."

"Angelfoxes of a feather flock together, after all!" Skye's father pointed out.

"That would be birds, dear." Mrs. Eldrich pointed out quietly.

"Really? Oh... Well, the sentiment was there."

"I liked it, dad." Skye smiled, giving her father a kiss on the nose before he put her back down on the ground again, where she was immediately set upon by Mia, Lia and Rio who were eager to investigate the new angelfennec.

Kiyone sighed contently as her siblings hugged and played with her classmate, and then tugged at her mother's paw.

"Mom, is it alright if you find out Skye's address so I can write to her over the summer?"

"Already done, pumpkin." Mrs. Karu confirmed, patting the notebook in her handbag. "From the calls and letters you sent to us over the year, we all figured that you both might want to stay in contact outside of the academy."

"It's funny..." Kiyone's father added, putting an arm around his wife and eldest daughter. "We're such a unique and rare species, and yet it wasn't until we swapped addresses that we realized how close we lived to one another."

"Really?" Skye questioned, standing on her tiptoes to temporarily escape from the three-pronged examination that she was receiving.

"That's right, baby." Mr. Eldrich nodded. "Kiyone's family just lives in the next city over from us. Barely an hour away in the car."

Both angelfoxes shared a look of excitement, Kiyone reaching in and rescuing her friend from her younger siblings.

"So can we meet up sometime?" she asked eagerly, squeezing the arm of her thoroughly-examined friend.

"Well... We don't think there would be much spare time for that, I'm afraid." Mrs. Karu said sadly, shaking her head. "We're all going down to your Aunt's place."

"Oh, but mom!" Kiyone protested, her heterochromatic eyes dissolving into the kind of innocent, pleading look that her sisters were especially envious of.

"No buts, young lady." Mr. Karu said firmly, watching as his daughter pouted and was gently comforted by Skye. He smiled, his tone changing. "Of course, no-one said that you were necessarily coming with us."

"What about you, Skye?" Mr. Eldrich added before either of the confused cubs could speak. "Apart from that camping trip we mentioned, what do you want to do this summer?"

"Uhm... Well, I didn't know for certain before, but seeing how close we live, I was sort of hoping to chill out at home and maybe have Kiyone come and sleep over for a while." the somewhat baffled angelfennec suggested, still holding her friend's paw tightly.

"But that's not going to happen, sweetie!" Skye's mother laughed. "You already heard that she's going to be busy this summer!"

"And we don't think you'll be able to write to one another either." her father said.

"Why not?!" snapped Skye, glaring as furiously as a cute cub such as herself could manage, her fur fuzzing up. "You just said that we could!"

"But I didn't say that you'd have to." the older male pointed out.

Kiyone glanced around at the grown-ups, her mind ticking over as it tried to comprehend what was going on. She watched as they all smiled at each other, the student realizing something was afoot.

"So you're saying that Skye and myself are both going to be busy this summer..." she pondered, her eyes meeting those of her closest classmate. "I'm not going down to the coast with my family, and neither of us is going to have time to write to each other..."

"Not that we'd have to anyway..." Skye concluded as her mind joined that of Kiyone's.

Their parents beamed as their children saw through their smokescreen, both Mrs. Eldrich and Mrs. Karu each pulling a glossy information leaflet out and handing them over.

"'Welcome to Happy Cub Summer Retreat!'" the angelvixens read in unison, both cubs' faces spreading into wide gleams of happiness as they hugged once more.

It would prove to be their greatest summer ever.