FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Stacey woke up with her heart pounding. She immediately started crying. It seemed so real and it seemed possible that all that could happen after Catherine came over. One look at Catherine and he was back in the past again. Once again, he had a drug problem. Was it going to consume his life like it did in her dream?

The possibility of having Crystal turn on her was a little much to think about. She felt so alone and didn't know who to trust. It felt like she was being abandon again.

She didn't feel like being alone after that dream. The only thing that she could think of was something Brian told him the day before. She needed to talk to her master for a while. Hopefully he could comfort her a bit.

Stacey pressed her side against the door and slammed her tail against it as hard as she could. The thud resounded clearly through her completely empty quarters. "This is just great," she complained, "He said that he wasn't going to lock me in here." The rattata growled angrily and smashed her tail into the door again. "I need to get out of here, I need to be with someone," she yelled in frustration.

Moments later, she could barely make out the muffled voice of a mankey coming from the other side of the door asking her to stand back. She took a moment to process the jumbled request only to be brought down by a powerful jolt of electricity from her shock collar during her brief hesitation. She lay there on the ground completely disoriented and unable to move. Even keeping her eyes open seemed to strain her beyond belief. Everything started going fuzzy as she began a slow blinking pattern, barely realizing that the door had opened when her eyes slid shut for the last time.

"I see you didn't back away from the door, you naughty thing," the mankey's voice echoed in her head. She tried to turn her head to see who was talking, but it was no use. One zap and all of her strength was gone. Her breathing slowed and it felt as if she was slowly drifting away yet still conscious. Twin metal pointers of a cattle prod dug into her side briefly as the mankey assessed the subject before rolling her onto her back.

There was nothing she could do as she felt her limbs drawn upwards together and a couple layers of bondage tape were wrapped around them, holding Stacey in a hasty hog-tie. She was still having trouble making sense of everything. A few moments later, it finally sank in, she was stuck.

Her eyes blinked weakly and a brief grumble escaped her lips, the bulk of her body still unresponsive. Everything was white before a fuzzy image drifted into her view. She couldn't get her eyes to focus. The figure reached out and gracefully brushed the tip of her fur in a trail starting at her left forelimb and ending at her chin. The slow twitching of each individual hair jolted in her mind. Her back twitched every so slightly as she tried to jump from the touch. A finger dipped into her mouth and pulled apart her lips, exposing her white teeth. "Still feeling out of it punk?" he asked, "I'm supposed to give you a gag, but then again, I hear that those things can mess up teeth if you spend too many hours wearing them."

He planted a thumb and forefinger on either side of her limp jaw and gently slid it open. "That really is a nice set of teeth you've got there. So how about we make a little agreement? I won't tell if you won't." A finger slipped into her mouth and stroked her tongue, "You know what I want, so, you in or shall I leave you with a gag and let your jaw get sore over the several hours you're going to be here?"

Stacey let out a small groan of approval, still not fully there. She felt kind of neutral to both alternatives. It was going to suck having something in her mouth for a long time. At the same time, it was hard to care about anything. Her mouth hung open invitingly as the mankey slid his crotch into view. His hand manipulated a fair sized member, fingers arcing around the head one by one. He lowered his bottom to the ground and slid Stacey between her legs, shuffling up close to her.

All the reservations she once had about having sex with just anybody were gone, though she still had some sense that she was being abused. Her mind was going rather slowly and she wasn't sure if she could really perform in her current state.

"I'm glad we could reach an arrangement which benefits both of us," the mankey said, brushing his member against Stacey's cheeks one at a time. She held her yaw open, waiting for it to enter, letting him manipulate her at his will. He put a hand behind her head and stroked Stacey's throat a few times as he slipped his cock into her lips, which closed gently around it. The rattata rested her tongue on his cock as he slid it in deeper as she blinked her eyes weakly, hardly understanding what was happening. She let out another little moan, which earned her a nice little belly rub. "I'll let you go when you're done and nobody will know a thing," the mankey assured her.

Stacey closed her eyes again, sucking lightly on the cock in her mouth, not noticing as a second primape approached the doorway, casting a shadow over her. "Abusing the slaves?" the newcomer said, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Abusing?" the mankey asked, sliding his cock in deeper, "Aren't they here to be used?" Stacey opened her eyes to see what was going on, not sure whether to stop or continue, but for the time being, too weak to object.

The primape chuckled, "That's kind of true, but you need to get back to work. Now come on, get moving."

He rubbed Stacey's cheek, "Hey, come on, I have a break, besides, we're both having fun here."

The primape crosses his arms and leaned against the doorframe, "No really, you've got to get going. There's an unpatrolled sector that needs you. Now, are you going to come willingly or do I need to drag you out?"

The mankey gave his cock a little wiggle before sliding in out of her mouth, giving her a little pet of assurance before getting up. "Way to ruin my fun," he said as he got up on one knee, pulling out another length of bondage tape and wrapping it around her mouth several times, followed by another layer over her eyes. He got up and walked out the door, locking Stacey in without so much as a glance back, leaving her, bound, blinded and silenced.

The primape grabbed the mankey's arm and twisted it behind his back to push him along. "Get moving now, I'm very unimpressed by your behavior. It's not nice to use other people's property without their permission. If you're going to take advantage of the slaves, I could arrange to have you join them. For now, I'll be content to have you fired, but if I find you've stepped out of line before, we're claiming your ass."

"Hey, hey, easy there, they're here for sex, aren't they?" the mankey objected.

"They are here for money," the primape hissed at him, "And you, like everyone else, don't get to use them without paying." Giving his arm a little twist for emphasis, he added, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Give me a little slack, jerk" the mankey pleaded, as he tapped on his shoulder, "Don't tell me you don't have your way with the slaves from time to time."

"A little slack?" the primape yelled, tossing him into a vacant room, "You're working for someone who doesn't tolerate mistakes and won't hesitate to use pain to keep its members in line. And now you're giving me attitude about it. I was going to give you a break, but you've shown that you really don't deserve it. I'll let you stew for a while. Maybe Edward will want to add you to his collection, I hear he's got a thing for males now."

*** *** *** ***

Catherine effortlessly slid the door open with her tail and peered at the rattata who had been hogtied and left in the corner of the room. She was no longer on her back, but had come to rest on her side, unable to get any further. Stacey let out a quick whine to show her awareness before jerking her head back, trying to break free again.

"Looks like I have another one of the friendly giant's slaves to deal with," The mew began, "He seems to have quite a number of trouble makers recently." She barely even glanced at Stacey, when she turned away from the room, "In any case, you seem rather restless at the moment, so I'll just let you tire. A bit of advice for the future, if you find you can't get somewhere, you're not supposed to be there. If you find yourself tied up, don't try to free yourself." The door began to close as Stacey let out a whimper for attention, causing the mew to turn around.

"Change your mind about something?" Catherine chuckled at the helpless slave as she plucked a few things from a nearby cabinet.

Stacey nodded in response, ceasing her struggle and dropping her tail into a limp state.

The mew floated into the room and gave Stacey's belly a little rub. "I know there's two things that are really bothering you right now. You're hungry," she said, "And you really shouldn't hold your pee in for so long. We don't want you getting a urinary track infection."

Stacey breathed a little easier now that she thought she was doing the right thing. She was also really looking forward to being able to move around. Her legs were really starting to feel sore from being forced to hold still for so long.

Catherine took a certain joy in Stacey's misconceptions as she set the things she picked up just out of view. The mew reached between Stacey's hind legs and spread out the rattata's labia. "A very pretty looking thing," Catherine remarked as she rubbed a bit of lubricant over Stacey's urethral opening.

Stacey wondered what was going on. She didn't want to be felt up right now and definitely not be Catherine. There were some other unfamiliar sounds and then something was poking inside her. It really stung in a very sensitive place as Catherine slid the Catheter inside of her.

It was a strange feeling. Her bladder was drained quickly enough, but having something in her urethra made her really want to go. Much to Catherine's amusement, she struggled a bit to express her discomfort at her latest development. There was nothing that Stacey could do to help herself. It was in and she was bound rather securely.

Catherine started to float off again. She stopped at the door only long enough to say, "One last piece of advice for you, if there's anything keeping you from speaking, don't even try. Just assume that you're not allowed to speak at the moment."

Stacey whimpered and struggled a bit more. She knew that it was useless, but it was at least something to occupy her time with.

*** *** *** ***

Catherine's next stop was to the infirmary, where a hurt ninetales lay sprawled out across a bed facing the wall, his tails spread out in a fan behind him, the one leg in a cast jutting out the side in an unnatural manner. He turned his head slightly as the door opened, resting his chin on his forepaw as he blinked one eye, hardly showing his awareness. Though depressed as he was, it was more awareness than he really cared to show.

"Hello patient," She began as she floated over and flipped upside down placing her face in front of his, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Catherine, and I am part of a tier above your master. Thus you have the honor of referring to me as Goddess Catherine." The mew quickly slid a paw over the slave's muzzle, pinning it down against his paw before he could respond, "But only when you talk to other people. I won't permit you to speak in my presence, do I make myself clear?"

Brax blinked groggily at the figure before him, taking in a deep breath and recalling that scent as the one who dragged the growlithe away the day before resulting in the lengthy discussion about drugs. He hesitated for a while after she lifted her paw, in a mock respect for his lack of permission to speak. The mew righted herself before his eyes. She was a rather short fellow, considerably shorter than he was, though still more than capable of looming over him while he was lying down. She slipped her tail bulb under her and forced his gaze upward to meet her own. "Nod if you understand what I have said," she insisted.

The ninetales slowly nodded to show his understanding and was rewarded by a pat on the head.

"Good slave," she said, "Now try to look more excited, I'm only here to help you, I won't harm you in anyway. I want to be your friend. Just think of me like any other doctor that you might see here. Do you understand?"

He nodded again just so that she wouldn't repeat her monologue.

"Though unlike the other doctors, I'm a very special one. I don't work with the body, but rather the mind. You were given some powerful medications when you were injured. Do you remember how you broke your leg?" she asked.

The ninetales lay there thinking for a while, most of that day was hazy, for the most part, and he could only recall waking up with a cast on his hind leg. There was a before, but there was no leading up to, it was just mysteriously broken and for some reason everyone gathered around him sympathetically.

"You don't remember, do you?" she concluded for him after a long silence, "Would it surprise you to learn that you actually broke three legs during that incident? Only you don't remember because they fixed two of them as well as a variety of other injuries and left you with one broken leg."

It was pretty surprising news, although he didn't really have any proof of it, he was beginning to feel that she really was there to help despite her clear desire to dominate him.

"The running joke is that you don't have enough healthcare coverage left to finish the job, but the real story is that the medical staff here felt that you were under too much stress and left it as an excuse to keep you here. While you're under their care, nobody can hurt you," she explained, "And this is where I come in. I want to help you with your memory. I'm about to give you a chance at a mixed blessing. Should you decide it, I can make your whole past like that night and just disappear from your memory entirely. It's a chance to leave all your suffering behind you quickly and painlessly and move towards a happy future. After all, ignorance is bliss, isn't it? At the same time, the person you are now will be destroyed completely. All that you've worked for before coming here, the people you once loved and cared about, that will all be gone too. It's a decision that you can't make lightly, and it's important to fill in all the gaps before making such a choice. Do you understand?"

Brax nodded once more, now feeling sadder than ever. Throwing away his life actually sounded like an attractive option to him.

"That's good," she said as she took flight again, explaining things as she left the room, "I'll have to give you an injection before we begin." The mew popped back into the room in practically no time at all, alcohol swab, and needle in hand. "Take a moment to prepare yourself," she said, "This will clear your mind and put you into a dream like state. Once there, I'll begin to sort out the events on the day of the unfortunate mishap. Essentially, it'll be like going through it all over again. Though unlike a dream, you'll awaken remembering all of it. Try to think of the last thing that happened before you woke up in here and focus on it, that's where the journey will begin."

Brax felt nervous as he surrendered his paw to the little mew's grip. She parted the fur like she had done to Brian so many times before and swiftly located a suitable vein. He could feel his breath grow shallow. Determined to face what was ahead, but scared at the same time. Three broken legs sounded like a pretty horrific event, but still, his curiosity demanded to know and deep down inside, he figured it was probably a good idea to know what he was planning to forget. The thought of reliving it made him feel like he was waiting to be punished. He slid his muzzle forward and looked up into Catherine's eyes as she nodded and swabbed a small patch on his leg with alcohol.

"I hope you're ready for this," she said, as she pressed the needle in slowly introducing the substance into his bloodstream, "Just remember that as much as it may seem like these things are happening to you, they already have and will cause you no further harm."

His eyes closed once and slowly opened again. The awkward sensation of cool liquid running down the inside of his leg was followed by the firm pressure of a cotton ball pressed up against the wound. Then everything seemed to slow down. The noise from ripping off a strip of tape seemed almost deafening causing him to wince. He looked up at the mew once more, her image now blurred and her movements left an arc of pink across his view. "You're going to be alright," her voice transformed into a deep echo that bounced back and forth inside his head, "Just close your eyes and relax."

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself resting in a hallway under Edward's careful eye. It was pretty boring till Crystal stepped out with a new friend and after a bit of teasing and being denied a name, Edward was off, leaving the three to leisurely walk around. He introduced himself while his master was gone and things went on as they did before.

It wasn't long before he found himself being strung up by Crystal again. The frustration grew, as it did that day. He wanted to try doing something different, but his muscles just didn't seem to respond. His path was locked as he said the same lines as he did that day, wishing he could admit defeat a little sooner. Pain once again surged through his legs as his master threatened to impale him. It felt wrong. He was there, but at the same time, that wasn't him.

Then, there was a drink and it happened. His body began shaking uncontrollably and everything started going dark. The last thing he could make out was his master lunging to cut him free.

What happened after that was a little hard to understand at first. There were short flashes of him lying in bed. The nurse was so mean when he wasn't supposed to remember anything. After a while, Crystal joined him and he got an apology for something that he didn't remember at the time. Eventually, everyone he knew was gathered around him.

*** *** *** ***

Stacey's throat was incredibly sore when Catherine returned. This time, she did little but rest in the corner where she had been placed, breathing deeply and rapidly.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," She said as she floated up near the ceiling, seemingly showing little interest in relieving the rattata's discomforts. "And I certainly hope you've had some time to think about your recent behavior. From what I hear, you follow instructions quite well, but you seem to have a bit of difficulty recognizing the expectations of you when they're not spelt out clearly for you. It's very disappointing really, because I hear you're quite the star pupil," she explained, "I know your master and his permissive style. He might let you get away with stuff like this, but I have to make sure certain standards are upheld."

Pain and fatigue were the only things on Stacey's mind. She was very hungry and thirsty too, all this was making it hard for her to understand much of anything that was said to her.

"As much as I like your innocence, you need to learn to switch between innocent, cruel and cock slut depending on the occasion. There's still so much of you training that you still need to complete," Catherine said as she floated down, "And it never hurts to have a little bit of pain slut in you."

The mew gave a quick tug on the catheter, causing Stacey to twitch. It was a bit of fun before the work began. She looked around at the largely empty room. Most of the junk Stacey had was over at Brian's, which had largely been combed over already. She tapped on the walls, and poked in a few of the nooks and crannies. She didn't find anything hidden, nor did she get the feeling that Stacey was hiding anything from her.

Catherine held out her hand and a small knife teleported into her hand. "I need you to hold very still. I'm about to cut you free and you don't want to be walking on three legs after this," she warned as she placed one hand on the rattata's thigh for stability while she brought the knife under the thick bondage tape, pulling the blade outwards to slice it. Stacey could feel a bit of movement returning to her limbs as Catherine readied the knife for the next cut. Layers of tape gave way under the knife's sharp blade and before long, the rattata could move her legs once more.

"Once you feel ready, roll to your feet. I'm going to take you somewhere to perform a very important task for me," Catherine requested as Stacey drew her legs in. Her muscles burnt a little as she stretched them, a warm pain spread down her legs as she lowered and raised them several times before settling down to wait for the sensation to subside. "And there'll be food and drink for you once you get there," the mew added.

Stacey lay on her back pawing at the air for a while, mouth still taped shut, unsure of whether or not she'll be able to support her own weight. Thoughts of food quickly filled her head, she wanted it badly.

It was still a bit mysterious though. Explanations were nice, though she didn't really expect to get any without being able to ask questions. She had no idea what was going on. Why was she locked in? Who was it that subdued her when she tried to get out? What was happening with Brian? This special task sounded ominous, but she wanted to see him.

"You know what I like about you?" Catherine said idly trying to amuse herself, "Your innocence. You're always so unsure of yourself, hesitant and you look so embarrassed when you answer touchy questions. It's a hard one to fake. The actual feelings you have, those can't be faked. Anyway, we'll find your cold hearted cruel side even if you can only dish out a little pain." Stacey rolled onto her side, pressing against the floor and rocking herself back and forth to test her strength. "I'm not trying to rush you along, right now, it's important that you can walk, because I'm not going to carry you. Just know that there's a fine line between innocence and disobedience and based on your past behavior, you lean heavily towards the disobedient side," she went on, "I really like the innocent ones, but the disobedient ones, they get punished."

Stacey was beginning to feel more confident in herself as well as worried about what might happen if she were to wait too long. She rolled onto her belly and then slowly stood up. The line to her bladder stretched taught and pulled the end of the collection bag off the ground. Her head spun for a moment and she breathed heavily to try to stabilize herself. It was a disorienting feeling, but she felt ready to take a couple of steps. Where to go though was a complete mystery with her eyes taped shut.

Her shoulders wobbled a little as she felt the fur on her back being pressed down and a grip take hold of the back of her collar. Catherine was still half floating, but some of her weight was resting on Stacey now and she turned her head towards the door, squeezing in on the rattata's sides with her legs. "Giddy up," she ordered as her stead lurched forward in near collapse. It felt undignified to wander around all taped up and dragging a bag of urine with her, but Catherine wanted her to move.

The mew steered Stacey along, tugging on her ears to get her to turn. She couldn't tell much, but it was quiet in the halls. Once they started getting close, Stacey knew where they were going. The smell was the infirmary.

Catherine led her into one of the various rooms in the infirmary before pulling the remainder of the tape off Stacey's face.

"Thank you," Stacey muttered in a hoarse voice. She blinked a few times and sniffed the air carefully as she waited for her eyes to adjust. The blur in front of her was Brax.

"I like you, Brax likes you, in a very broad definition of the term, mind you," Catherine said, "He's got a big decision to make and I want you to just be there for him and help him sort things out. I'll let the two of you chat."

Brax didn't waste any time once Catherine left the room. "She's a little odd, isn't she?" he remarked.

Stacey shook her head and collapsed on the ground. "Little?" she muttered weakly. She was still dehydrated and her throat was still sore. "What's up?" she asked.

"Apparently, she wants to wipe my memory. It'll be like having amnesia. Apparently it'll turn me into a happy, obedient slave, which is why she wants to do this to me," he explained.

A chansey interrupted with a tray of food, "Feeding time." Stacey looked up at her with begging eyes as she set the tray down next to Brax. The rattata whimpered a bit as the chansey bent down to take a look at her, "Are you ok?"

"Thirsty," Stacey muttered weakly in response.

The chansey nodded and lifted her up on the bed and set her down next to Brax. There was a pair of dishes of water as well some two portions of spinach salad and some pasta. "Have a drink," the chansey instructed her, "Let me know if you want more. I'll be back to take that catheter out. It's not medically necessary is it?"

Stacey lapped greedily at the water. It felt good to wet her throat a bit. She didn't stop any longer than she needed to say, "Of course not."

Watching her drew a quick chuckle from Brax, "Geez, I thought I was the only one having trouble today. What happened to you?"

There was no immediate answer, Stacey just kept on lapping away at the water. She waited till she was satisfied before leaning back to relax for a while. "That feels a lot better," she remarked as she leaned against the ninetales's warm side. She took a few deep breaths and relaxed.

Brax gave her a little nudge and ran his nose along the top of her head, letting his warm breath run through her fur. "It isn't that bad is it?" he asked.

After a while, her mind relaxed. "It's nothing really," Stacey said, "I just got locked in. I tried to get out so someone busted in and left me tied up. Haven't had a chance to drink anything yet today."

A firm nudge pushed Stacey towards the food, "Let's eat, and relax a bit." Brax started eating slowly. There was enough food to satisfy him and for once, he didn't have to do anything for it.

Food was good. Getting the catheter out helped too. Stacey felt much better afterwards.

"So, you aren't seriously considering wiping out your entire memory, are you?" Stacey asked.

"It sounds strangely temping," Brax admitted, "I know it's a lot to loose, but some things are hard to get over. Are you going to try to talk me out of it?"

Stacey brushed up against Brax once more. She was so much smaller than he was and it made her feel like a kid. "You're not asking me to talk you out of it are you?" she asked.

The ninetales nudged Stacey over between his paws. "I just want your honest opinion. What do you think I should do?" he asked.

The little rattata rolled onto her back and raised her nose up to meet Brax's. "That's a tough one," she remarked.

"Do you feel better being held?" Brax asked, "You've been snuggling up close to me for a while now."

Being close was simply how she had most of her serious discussions now. Everyone who has something to say to her exchanged affection with her in some way. Everyone with the exception of Catherine that is. With Catherine, she kind of preferred to keep her distance. "It's just something that's grown on me," Stacey said, "I had trouble getting close to people before I came here and snuggling just seems to be the natural way to do business around here."

"It feels good, I'll give it that much," Brax said, "But it doesn't really help me figure out what to do."

"Before I came here, I certainly would be against something like that. Now though," Stacey paused to take a deep breath, "I never would have imagined that I'd find happiness in a place like this. Really makes me wonder what's right."

"And somehow I never thought I'd be seriously considering destroying the essence of who I am. It's scary," Brax said.

"We don't really have to completely destroy you though do we?" Stacey asked, "I could remember a few things for you if you'd like."

"That's nice, but I don't think it's going to work that way. I don't think I could ever be happy here knowing who I was," Brax said, "There's beliefs I really wish I could stand by, things I hold dear to me."

"As a friend, I can't tell you to turn your back on something like that," Stacey sighed.

There was a long awkward pause. Neither of them really knew what to say. That was really what made the decision difficult. Brax set his chin down on Stacey, completely surrounding her in his warm fur.

"Lets just keep talking," Stacey said as she wiggled her head out to lap up a bit more water.

"So, when did you decide that we were friends?" Brax said, "Aren't you doing this because Catherine told you to?"

"You seemed like you could use a friend, I know I needed one when they first dragged me in here," the rattata said as she wormed her way back into Brax's grip.

Once again, the ninetales settled his chin on his paws, hiding Stacey from view. "Tell me something, do you actually remember how you got here?" he asked.

"Of course I do, it was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me," Stacey shuddered. It was also one of the most painful things too. The collar was definitely another contender for that.

"I just one day woke up and thought I died and went to hell," Brax explained, "The last thing I remember before that is leaflets falling from the sky telling people to clear out. It was late and I figured there was no use traveling without provisions. A few of us rigged up a wagon from what we could find and just kind of fell asleep there. After that, I was here."

"That's a sad story, what were you all running from?" Stacey asked.

"We were fighting a war," Brax immediately replied. He stopped for a moment to think. It took living under a pretty big rock to miss something like that, "You're not from anywhere near the Oklo Kingdom are you?"

Stacey tilted her head, rubbing it against Brax's neck, "I've never heard of it before. I'm from some place warmer than here. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to all these fire-types."

"Where abouts is this place anyway?" he curiously asked.

There was a bit of ruffling around in his fur. It was hard to make sense of Stacey's gestures, but it there was no breaking some habits. "I never stopped to think about that. We're a bit of a walk away from a small town with a big highway running through it, but besides that, it's hard to care when you can't go anywhere," Stacey rambled, "Maybe you could ask Catherine when she gets back."

There was a deep grumbling all around Stacey as she brought up that Catherine. "She's not letting me talk when she's around," Brax explained, "Anyway, would you mind telling me how you got here?"

"Well, I was hiking along a river and they must have set a trap for me. Something rolled out in front of me and exploded. I got knocked over and was pretty stunned for a while afterwards. Then I got trapped in a pokeball," she explained.

Brax pulled his head up and looked down at Stacey. "Could you ask Catherine to show me how I got here?" he asked.

"Of course," Stacey said, "Do you think it might help you make a decision?"

Everything shifted around the rattata as Brax shrugged, "May as well have all the facts before deciding."

"Yeah, I guess so," Stacey said, "Are you leaning towards one or the other at the moment?"

"Well, I simply can't live like this," Brax sighed, "Though I don't think killing all memory of everything is a good idea. It's a little drastic."

"Maybe you can try to negotiate something and find another way. Edward doesn't like making you suffer. I can't say the same about Catherine though," Stacey suggested.

There was a bright blue glow and cooler air started to rush in around Stacey. Brax was floating in the air and Catherine slipped silently through the door. "Careful there my dear, those are dangerous words," the mew warned.

It was a rather surprising entrance. Stacey wasn't sure how to react. For a while, she just stared blankly. She was trying to comfort a friend and nothing was going to make her regret saying that.

Her cover, Brax, floated to the side and came back down to rest next to Stacey. "We can discuss a suitable punishment for you later. What's your report" Catherine asked.

"He says he has another memory gap that he'd like filled in. No decision has been made yet and he'd really like to know how he got here before making a final decision, goddess Catherine," Stacey hastily blurted out. She quickly cowered away.

"Are you afraid of me?" the mew asked as she floated over to the bed.

There was no denying it and it was probably best not to run. Stacey collapsed on the bed and admitted it, "Yes, goddess Catherine."

The mew turned and tapped Stacey's rump with her tail as she turned towards the ninetales. "If I scare you, then how about you run away so that I can work without distractions. Just stay in the infirmary and try to be useful," she softly muttered.

Wasting no time, Stacey jumped off the bed and bolted out the door. If Catherine wanted her to leave, she wasn't going to stick around to draw another punishment. She was going so fast, she almost ran right into the chansey.

"You ok there?" the chansey asked.

Stacey looked up and smiled. The place felt so much better with friendly faces. "Yeah, I am, for now anyway. Catherine wants to punish me later though," she explained.

"Don't worry too much about that," the chansey chuckled, "Her victims don't wind up back here afterwards."

"That's not very comforting," Stacey complained, "Anyway, I'm supposed to make myself useful. You got anything for me to do?"

The chansey shrugged and continued walking along. "Well, the floors could always use a good scrub. A hospital's got to be clean. The more things that are sterile the better," she explained, "Let me get you a cloth."

Scrubbing the floor went slowly, especially for such a small creature. It was methodical work, the sort of stuff that was good for clearing the mind.

An hour later, Catherine emerged from the room that Brax was staying in. She looked down at the rattata, who was still busily scrubbing away. Pointing at the door she said, "Don't go in that room, your friend needs time to rest, and don't forget that I told you to stay."

Stacey looked up and nodded. It was one less room, but washing the whole floor was still going to take her pretty much the rest of the day. "Did he make a decision yet goddess Catherine?" Stacey asked.

Catherine simply chuckled, "Since you've been a bad girl, I think I'll just let you wonder." She paused and winked before continuing, "We'll call that part of your punishment."