Juvelanas Penitatas
Lesson 8 – Sport's Day

At the start of his second week in Penny School, Talek joined his school house. He'd learned about them ahead of time from his sister, though her explanations had been a little vague on details and focused more on getting him frisky for her own amusement. That weekend, the family took the beachside stroll to the pier to visit the school-wear store. Northrock Correctional Elementary didn't require uniforms of its pupils on a day to day basis, but house events were different. The store offered uniforms for Karrian boys and girls of ages six to twelve, with little signs reminding parents that custom items could be made to order.
Aside from some fairly generic looking items like white shirts, it seemed the uniforms came in four colours; red and silver, yellow and black, grey and green, or blue and orange. He recognised the latter as Rilka's house – the Sea Foxes. He looked around as much as he could and spotted the icon on a red, silver-trimmed pullover; a predatory bird with wings spread wide with a full moon behind it. He dimly recalled Rilka mentioning 'Kestrels', and turned his focus to the other emblems. The grey and green had as its logo an elephant of some kind, but Talek didn't know enough to guess the specific type; the yellow and black was a bee, probably a honeybee as it was sat on a honeycomb.
A thought struck him as Shon spoke with the shopkeeper. “Rilka? Do we choose our own houses or are they chosen for us?”
“For us, obviously!” Rilka answered. “No idea how they pick them, you just get told what you are.”
“What if I'm in a different house to you?”
“You aren't,” Liki cut in, squeezing the paws of both children. “We thought it would be best for both of you to keep you together.”
The news made Rilka laugh with giddy glee. “Yes! You're a Sea Fox, Talcum!”
“Umm... I'm not going to be walked on a leash or anything, right?” he asked, recalling the things Rilka had told him earlier.
Liki's smile was borderline cruel. “You know, I think putting a collar on you and making you cock your leg at a lamppost would be just adorable!”
“Momma, no!”
“Oh hush, I'm just teasing!” she replied with a laugh. “Although, I think that might be how your sister earned her reputation as a tinkler!”
Rilka lowered her snout and mumbled, “I think it's because I wet myself in fear a couple of times.”
“Cocking your leg for the crowd didn't hurt either,” Liki replied.
While the trio had talked, Shon arranged all the items Talek would need for house activities. He held up a bag and announced, “Got some things for you to try on, young man!” Talek obeyed, testing the fit of shirts, shorts, pullovers and jackets. Naturally, there was no privacy to be had; the boy was stripped nude right there in the middle of the store and put on each item in turn. They all fit perfectly, which made Talek suspect the 'trying on' was done purely to try and embarrass him. He was right, of course, but he'd never be told as much.
For the whole walk home, Rilka seemed a completely different child. It was the first time Talek had ever seen her excited about school, and she made it clear why; “it's going to be awesome having you as a Sea Fox, Talek! We do all kinds of stuff! Some of it sucks, but there's fun stuff as well that I'm sure you'll like! I told you about Tashi, Lusu and Isabelle already-”
“I know Isabelle, she's in my class,” Talek cut in.
“Nice! Well, she's always given a hundred and ten percent in house events, so hopefully we can get her on our team for sports day! I'm pretty sure it's sports day next. I met Lusu at a sports day when we got paired up for a three-legged race. We won it, by the way! Won by a landslide!”
“I don't think penitatas should be this giddy,” Liki said playfully.
Still grinning ear-slit to ear-slit, Rilka bowed her head apologetically. “Sorry, mom. I'll be quiet now.”
“I'm just teasing you, cream-cake. Why not tell Talek about some of the house events you've done?”
Shon cleared his throat loudly, “perhaps a story that doesn't get him all riled up like your last one did?”
She obliged, regaling Talek of her first ever sports day and how a random encounter blossomed into her deepest, longest-lasting friendship. Her earnest tone and bouncy energy was infectious, and soon enough Talek found himself eager to be welcomed into the Sea Fox family.

Inauguration day began as normal, with a positive omen during the walk. “Mom! Talek! Look!” Rilka hissed urgently around ten minutes from home, pointing frantically out across the rural fields. The two other Karrians followed Rilka's pointing gesture, and there they spied the source of her excitement; a grey, feral fox around two feet in length, with a pair of bright-blue kits nipping around her ankles. The Karrians watched the wild sea foxes for a few minutes, but the mother became spooked by something and all three dashed into the undergrowth. Brief as it was, Talek treasured the unexpected encounter.
When Talek reached his classroom and settled down at his desk he found the screen's background had changed; the emblem of house sea fox now displayed prominently in the middle of the screen. His eye wandered to a blinking notification, which he clicked after checking that his teacher was focused elsewhere.
“Hello, Talek!” an elderly Karrian greeted him via a small pop-up window. “My name is Mr Hachi, and this message is to congratulate you on joining house Sea Fox! Hopefully, you are watching this first thing in the morning; when your teacher announces it is time for the house meeting I will come to fetch you. Everything you need will be provided upon arrival.”
The message ended, though it left Talek with a few lingering concerns. For one, he didn't have his new uniform! Miss Bassel took in the class homework assignments, which had been mercifully short and simple, at least for Talek, and delivered a few vague reminders about conduct and discipline. After that, it was time for house business. Talek stayed behind, as did Ki'reth, with Miss Bassel informing some of her pupils she would be along presently. Soon enough, the grey haired Mr Hachi arrived as promised. “Ki'reth? Talek? You boys are with me. Chop-chop!”
The boys were led to the school swimming pool. Northrock's general temperament was cold and unpleasant, so Talek was relieved to see the pool was inside a purpose build structure in one corner of the grounds. It looked much like a hanger from the outside, and effort had been taken to make the lobby area feel warm and pleasant. “The changing room is through there. Talek, I want you in bare scale; Ki'reth, you're already properly dressed, but I'd like you to hang back and come in with Talek. It's easier if you both stay together. Don't take too long undressing, young man!” The warning given, Mr Hachi headed for the pool and left the boys to it.

Soon after, Talek stepped out of the changing room with an anxious slowness, nude as instructed, with Ki'reth following close behind. Arrayed before them along one long side of the pool were close to forty rejuves, almost all Karrians and almost all nude. Only two wore swimming costumes - a medicalos girl of around ten, and a voluntaras boy who was slightly older. Of the remainder, a handful wore floats on their forearms, but every single rejuve wore a blue neck-tie despite their nudity. It seemed a bizarre item of clothing, given it was utterly unsuitable for swimming in, but as he was led in front of the line Talek noted the symbols on the neck-ties and floats - a bright blue anthro-fox rearing in front of an orange sun. The emblem of house Sea Fox.
The corner of the boy's vision also caught the varying levels of calm, or lack thereof, among the fellow boys. A few were at an awkward half-mast, which only made him even more aware of his own loins. He had to fight against the urgent tingling to keep himself flaccid, forcing his mind to clear, but this was made all the harder by the abundance of feminine mounds on display. One in particular he recognised intimately, and he turned to focus on Rilka's grinning features. He smiled back, but quickly returned focus to the teacher.
"Nervous?" Mr Hachi asked, studying Talek's face. "Don't you worry, there's no nasty initiation ceremony here! Since you've not been swim certified yet, I'm going to make you both wear floats. Let's start with those."
Both boys were fitted out with matching blue floats. Next, the elderly teacher carefully placed a blue tie around Talek's neck. "Round once... Twice... Up... And down. There, now you look the part!" Ki'reth received his own tie straight after. It felt alien wearing such a garment against bare scale, and Talek had to fight the urge to tug at it.
Properly 'dressed' as their peers were, both boys were turned to face the row of rejuves. "Boys and girls, let's give our new Cubs a proper welcome!"
Talek's eye was drawn to Rilka, stood just to his left. She raised her right paw to shoulder height with fingers pointed straight up, and placed her left over her heart. The other rejuves all mirrored the gesture. As one, the Sea Foxes all sang a childish little tune with varying levels of enthusiasm and tone-deafness.
"A Sea Fox must always behave
When at work or when at play!
For those that don't, those who slack
Will get the tail-strap, SMACK SMACK SMACK!"
The song ended with cheers and applause, much to Talek's surprise and bemusement. Rilka beckoned him over to stand beside her, while Ki'reth took up position further down the line.
"Now, so you new boys are aware; the houses have meetings like this on the regular, usually every three or four weeks. The purpose of these meetings is to assess how we as a house are performing, and also to discuss upcoming events. Sports days, community service assignments, and various other activities are done on a house by house basis. Speaking of which, we have a sports day coming up! This is an important one for us, because the focus is water sports. Not the kind you're thinking of, Rilka!" the old Karrian added with a smirk, making Rilka blush and drawing giggles from up the line of rejuves. "Among the events this year are team timed swimming and relay races held here in the pool, as well as team canoeing and rafting up at the old camp lake. As Sea Foxes, I expect us to win at these events!"
A six year old boy raised a nervous paw. "But sir, the Honeybees have a Drakonian! How are we supposed to out-swim her?"
Mr Hachi frowned at the youth. "I'm sure you will manage, so long as you give it your all! Of course, there are activities on dry land as well, and I have high hopes for those events as well. All events are team events, so I want... Let's see... Six teams of five and two teams of six. Form up, Foxes!"
Rilka's paw immediately closed around Talek's wrist. "You're mine, Talcum!" she announced with glee. The girl behind her, Lusu, stepped over and glanced over him. "why'd you - oh! Nice tummy spots!"
Talek blushed at the impromptu examination, but attention was mercifully drawn elsewhere as two familiar Aspatrians wandered over. Talek was surprised to see Isabelle in barely fur, though his hind brain recovered far faster than the rational parts. His inner sixteen year old screaming "naked furry girl!" dragged his eyes downward, and his blood rushed down in response.
"There you are!" Isabelle said as the two Aspatrians drew near. Talek snapped his eyes up, but there was no hiding his blushing snout, or rapidly hardening member. "Ki'reth hoped you'd be free to team up! I think he wants to stick with familiar faces."
"S-sort of!" he trembled in reply.
"We're a three. You two makes five!" Rilka added happily. "It'll be nice working with you again, Fox!"
Isabelle accepted the greeting with a wag of her tail before gave Talek a side-eye glance, which to the boy's horror flicked downward. "is that for me, Talek?"
Talek flinched at the question, recoiling back and dropping his snout low in shame, eyes clenched shut so tight a tear threatened to squeeze out. He felt a soft paw touch his shoulder almost instantly. “Oh, Talek! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you like that!”
He opened his eyes and saw the genuine concern in Isabelle's features. He gave a soft sniffle, wiping his nostril on the back of his scaled claw. “I c-can't help it,” he whimpered, his erection bouncing as his subtle droop of the snout made Isabelle glance downward.
“It's alright, really,” Isabelle repeated, soft and caring. “Trust me, I've lost count of how many penitatas I've seen sporting stiffies!”
Rilka's tone was far more teasing. “Do I have some competition, Talcum?” she asked with a wink.
He glanced from one girl to another, his throat resisting as he forced out a confession. “I have... a thing... for furry girls.”
Now it was Isabelle's turn to blush. She gave a coy little wag of her tail, a subtle move that made Talek's heart hammer in his chest as he dared hope she might have a thing for scale. “Do you mind if I ask a personal question? Do you really not like being exposed like this, or are you scared you'll be punished?”
“I...” Talek struggled to begin answering the question, but the simple hook made his thoughts spin in new directions. He'd been exposed and stiff, even blowing his load in public view, and the punishment had been... what? Humiliation? The memory of being laughed at stung, and he feared that. Yes, that was it. “I'm scared people will laugh.”
Isabelle stepped closer. “Nobody's going to laugh, Talek. Nobody who matters, at least. Relax, and if you get stiff let it swing free.” She paused, a naughty smirk spreading across her muzzle. “Besides, it's just as much a tease for us girls! All those beautiful stiffies that we're forbidden to touch, taste or sit upon!”
The comment made Rilka burst out laughing, and drew a smirk from Lusu. Ki'reth glanced away shyly, though it seemed there was a hint of pink now stood clear of his sheath. Lusu cleared her throat loudly to try and bring some order to proceedings. “Okay, boy parts discussed and moved on from, we're going to need a team captain.”
Rilka pointed at Isabelle's paw. “Little Miss Tease should be in charge – she's already got 'Captain' marks. That and she'll just make herself captain anyway, like last time!”
“I don't make myself captain! I just... okay, I did it last time we worked together-”
“The last two times we worked together!” Rilka corrected.
Isabelle threw up her paws in surrender. “Alright, so I guess I like taking charge!” the role settled, the group turned their focus back to Mr Hachi, waiting for whaever came next. The pause let Rilka slip up against Talek's side and whisper softly into his ear. “You can lust after her, you know? It's okay.”
“W-what do you mean?” Talek whispered back.
“You and I... care about each other, right? You want Isabelle because it's a kink, because it's something new. Am I  right?”
“Umm... I guess?”
“Then lust away!” Rilka giggled. “Besides, she's getting you really stiff in front of everyone... and that's getting me moist. You like getting me moist, right?”
The seductive whispers were making his boyhood rock hard. He had reason to guess Rilka liked seeing him exposed, but being told it outright was quite the potent reveal. As the teacher began to pace along the line, Talek found his little pointer firmly up and thrusting; I'm stood between two girls who are getting turned on by me right now! the revelation made him blush, even tremble a little, but it was worth the twisting of his gut and hammering in his chest.
The team captains were called forward to view and discuss the teams, which only gave Rilka more time to whisper sweetly into his ear-slit. “She's a completas, Talek! They get a lot more leeway than us Pennys! Ask mom and dad if she can come over and ride that rod!”
“Seriously? You want me to have sex with her?” Talek gasped back, turning to look at Rilka's face and seeing an all-too familiar hunger there.
“Watch you fuck someone else in my bed? I could get off to that!” she giggled, daring to stroke his thigh with the back of her claw. “this is the best chance you'll ever get, Talcum. Shoot for the stars!”
The captains broke from their scrum. Isabelle trotted back over to her little circle, all of whom noted that her eyes lingered just for a moment on Talek's stiffy. “I volunteered us for the 'Land, Air and Sea' race; it's about all-round stamina and agility, which we should have covered.”
“Any idea who we're against?” Lusu asked.
Isabelle shook her head. “Not really. Probably Honeybees, but that's not much of a clue. The key thing is you two won't have to worry about not being swim-certified!” she added, pointing to Talek and Ki'reth.

As the background volume rose, Mr Hachi brought them all back to order with a sharp blow of a whistle. “Okay! We have teams and events decided! Now, let's have a proper Sea Fox send-off! Far side of the pool and back! Go!” he blew the whistle again, and all around the other rejuves threw themselves into the pool. Isabelle turned both the new boys towards the water. “This is meant to be a bit of fun, so don't fret over it! Just think of it as a bit of free swimming practice.”
“Shouldn't we take our ties off?” Ki'reth asked.
“Did you see anyone else take theirs off?” Lusu countered, waving the Aspatrian boy forward. “Come on! Jump in!”
Accepting that this was simply how things were done in their new school house, Talek and Ki'reth followed the girls into the water. Rilka swam close to Talek, Lusu close to Ki'reth, and Isabelle behind them both as the two boys found the water unexpectedly alien. Talek had known how to swim before, but now his limbs felt all wrong! He splashed in place, becoming increasingly panicked until Rilka pushed herself up against him. “Easy, Talcum!” she urged. “Just relax! Lean back and your head will stay up!”
He did as he was told, noting that Ki'reth had resorted to a less than graceful doggy paddle. Rilka span her brother round so his head pointed at the far side. “Now, kick! Slow and steady!”
With his sister helping, the boy watched the ceiling move down across his vision as the other, more confident swimmers made their return pass. “Halfway done! Great work, both of you!” Isabelle called, before adding a much more personal comment. “Loving the view, Talek!”
The boy gave a bashful chuckle. His erection was pointing skyward for all the world to see as Rilka let his head bump the far side. He flopped over, if only for a little privacy, and did his best to swim on his front for the second half. Ki'reth was likewise gaining in confidence, and both boys managed the last stretch unaided, if slowly. The rest of the house were already in the changing rooms as Mr Hachi helped the last five out of the water. “Glad to see you're enjoying yourself!” he teased as Talek's member bounced free of the water's surface.
Turning on her heel as she cleared the edge of the pool, water sloughing off her as she moved, Isabelle tucked her paws behind her back and addressed the teacher. “Sir, Talek's stiffy is my fault. I've gotten a little aroused and, well, dropped some less than subtle hints that I'd like to have sex with him. I know that wasn't appropriate, and I'm willing to take the strap for it... but if I could...” she revealed a paw, waving her 'C' back and forth, “maybe have a little bit of leeway? He is a juvanalas, sir. Still only a teenager. I'm sure you can remember what being sixteen was like?”
“You have more leeway than most here, Isabelle, but that certainly doesn't extend to sex with a penitatas! Certainly not without parental permission.”
Isabelle nodded urgently. “I know, sir! But I was thinking maybe... after we're dry I could just give him a hug? A hug with his boyhood against my soft, clean fur? Fur that might tickle his sensitive little shaft?”
Mr Hachi considered her request with a devilish smile. "On three conditions, Miss Isabelle: First, you have to remain in bare fur for the rest of the day; second, you cannot wash out any 'accident' that your hugs cause; third, I'll be telling your parents and his about your 'hug'. Are you confident both parties will spare your tushes?”
Rilka stepped up to Talek's side. “I think our mom and dad will be okay with it. They're quite forgiving about this sort of thing with him. Plus, they know Talek has a hair trigger and tends to go off in public!”
While Talek winced in shame at Rilka's words, Mr Hachi seemed convinced. “Go dry off, then. I'll let your teachers know that I asked your team to stay behind a little... only seems fair your friends get to watch, yes? Come straight back out here when you're dry!”
All five hit the changing rooms at a run, hastily stepping through the heating arches that blasted water from their fur and scale in record time. The other boys and girls had cleared out, so nobody was there to see the five backtrack to the poolside. A rubber mat had been left on the floor, with cleaning items close by in a not-so-subtle hint. Isabelle stepped up first, spinning a little pirouette and waving Talek forward. “Press up close to me,” she said, her voice like a young siren.
Talek needed no encouragement to obey. He touched his pre-soaked tip to her crotch, every muscle in his body aching to tilt down and slide along that cleft of Venus to the warm, feminine folds beneath. Yet he knew such an act was forbidden, and with only a little remorse he lifted his boyhood upward. Moving closer, he shuffled forwards until his member was completely enveloped in soft, white Aspatrian fur. It was, as promised, a warm, tickly nest for his sensitive meat.
“Just do whatever feels good,” Isabelle encouraged softly, nuzzling against his neck in a loving fashion. “Thrust at your own pace.”
The green-scaled boy gave a hungry nod, humping against Isabelle's stomach and letting out long, shuddering gasps with every motion. The softness, the feathery softness, was like a dream come true for Talek; the tickling that came with every slow hump made his knees wobble and his mind turn to cotton wool. Any thought of being watched by his friends or their teacher vanished, replaced only by the sensation of the fur tickling his length, and the drops of pre soaking against Isabelle's stomach with every thrust.
Stood to the side, Ki`reth watched his classmates hump with a growing need of his own becoming more obvious by the second. The boy played with his ebony claws, poking their tips against one another. “Does, uh... anyone feel like a, um, hug? From the other guy?”
“The same rules apply to all of you as for them,” Mr Hachi said.
Isabelle glanced over her shoulder, raising her tail and beckoning with a furred finger. “If you think your parents would be okay with it, I don't mind you hugging me from behind.”
Ki'reth accepted the offer with unabashed hunger, trotting up and slipping his hardening foxy length between her cheeks. He only briefly poked the pucker of flesh found there, in a similarly hungry way that Talek had found his mark, only to slide up and find a comfortable middle ground. Isabelle's furry rear held his erection like the buns of a hotdog, giving him ample flesh and fur to stimulate himself with. Sandwiched, Isabelle did her part by rocking softly between them, her motions adding to both boy's pleasure. For Ki'reth, she offered a little extra; a gentle curl of her tail to press on top of his shaft as it swelled to full girth, pre leaking against the base of her tail. A single drop even found its way to her southern star, tickling its way across her pucker and sending a primal shiver through the girl's body that sent her own shameful juices pattering to the mat below.
“I-Isabelle!” Talek gasped, his humping becoming more frantic by the second.
“Don't warn me, just let it happen!” the urged, her voice huffy and horny at the massage both boys were giving her.
Talek clenched his eyes shut, squeezed his hips against the Aspatrian, and gasped loudly as her belly-fur tickled him over the edge. His seed found a tiny pocket between white fur and green, pale-speckled scale; a warm, sticky patch that bonded the two together in sticky shame. Ki'reth was close behind, and one last swift flick of her tail was enough to see her back shot with a string of creamy fox spunk.
“I wish it was that easy for us to get off!” Rilka sighed.
“You said it, girl!” Lusu agreed, drawing the attention of the 'hugging' trio. Rilka's arousal was at best a hint of puffiness, but there was a distinct trickle-trail of moisture down Lusu's inner thigh.
They were hardly the only ones to enjoy the show, for Mr Hachi had a clear tightness in his trousers. “Alright, you four get dressed and head to class, pronto! Miss Isabelle, you are going to stay messy... and hands off your parts! I think being reminded of how 'pent up' penitatas get might do you some good!”
“Yes sir,” she replied, though there was a hint in her voice that she didn't resent this denial of masturbation as much as it seemed.

The rest of the school day went by pleasantly for Talek. It was a quite surreal experience seeing Isabelle sat at her desk with dry spunk in her fur, but even stranger was how Miss Bassel simply accepted it without so much as a passing comment. She must have known he was one of the boys responsible as when she found his gaze lingering on Isabelle, mind full of hopeful fantasies of repeating that sweet little scene, she chose to challenge him softly; Miss Bassel walked over, smiled as Talek's head snapped back around to face her and said, “I'd like you to focus a little less on the work in Isabelle's fur, and more on the work on your screen.”
When Liki came to pick her children up, Talek was met by further teasing. “I hear someone's been cheating this morning!” she scolded, making both Talek and Rilka startle. Her tone softened as she asked, “what was her name, Talek?”
“Oh... Isabelle!”
“Isabelle? Well, she always was a naughty one!” Liki chuckled. “I'd threaten to stuff some hot sauce up her passage, but I imagine she'd enjoy it!”
The long walk home held no red flags, at least none Talek saw. Later, he'd realise that Liki's joking tone itself was probably the warning, and in the quiet, painful night that followed he'd wonder if a simple apology there and then might have earned him mercy. Alas, he'd never know.
Shon was watching the holo when the family returned, but immediately shut it off to focus on Talek. “Over here, son. In bare scale.”
It felt like a lead ball hit him in the gut. Even Rilka's jaw wobbled as they both undressed, keeping to the long-held rule that both were to be exposed when the other was earning licks. It was made all the worse for Talek when his sister followed him to where their father sat and a terrified squeal slipped from her maw. The boy's eyes fixed on the source of her fear; a pair of gloves and a sinister black pot covered in warning labels. “Daddy!” she whined, only for Liki to swiftly cuddle her from behind.
“Hush, cream-cake!” Liki soothed. “You're going to sit quiet on mommy's knee. You've earned yourself some itchy cream and a nice, long edging. If you're good about it, you won't feel a drop of fire.”
“That brings us to you, young man,” Shon intoned, patting his thigh. Talek obeyed, whining in childish terror as the details of his punishment were made clear to him. “Liki? Secure his feet. He's going to thrash for this one!”
His mother slipped a rubbery cord around his ankles, binding them firmly together as Shon did the same for his paws, securing them behind the boy's back. The terror was rising, for Talek had never been bound this way as part of a punishment before! Shon slipped on the gloves and opened the jar. “This is fire cream. You've felt itchy cream before, so now it's time you met its big brother.”
“Dad, no!” he yelped as Shon's free paw grasped the boy's penis and carefully teased his foreskin back, slowly and gently.
“Yesterday, you masturbated without permission. Today, you humped yourself to release on a girl's stomach! You aren't allowed to play as and when you feel like it, Talek! Sex is a privilege to be earned!” He lifted a finger covered in pale jelly; almost white, with just a hint of orange. “This is 'Level 4' fire cream. In this blob are little nanomachines programmed to set your nerves aflame. They'll do no damage, but unless neutralised they can survive up to twelve hours. I'm going to give your naughty little penis a nice, thorough massage now.”
“Nooo!” Talek howled, struggling hopelessly in Shon's arms as his father's paw closed around the head of his cock. Slowly, carefully, Shon rubbed the cream around the boy's tip, the sensation briefly pleasant enough to tease a hint of swelling. Any sign of pleasure vanished within seconds as the tiny machines set to work; a sharp, needle-like sting jabbed into his tip, then another, and another, all coming faster and faster as the cream began to work.
Talek's eyes widened in horror as his mind struggled to register the sensation. The agony hit home all at once, and the lizard boy's head snapped back as if he'd been yanked by the hair. A wordless shriek of pure agony roared from his lips. Tears flowed instantly, the nine-year-old rejuve thrashed madly against his father's grip in a frantic effort to escape the cruel fingers that massaged the liquid fire deeper and deeper into his sensitive flesh.
“We need some here as well, I think. Under the foreskin, along the bottom of your glans,” Shon calmly explained as he probed the ridge where tip met skin, helping a hefty load of gel into the recesses of the boy's cock. The wordless screams redoubled, Shon needing all his strength to hold Talek in place so the torture could continue.
The boy tried his best to beg for mercy, but he couldn't get more than a single word out. His poor little cock felt like it was dipped in molten metal! Getting blisters would have been preferable to this!
With the tip thoroughly coated, Shon moved onto a simple, passive handjob. Gloved paw coated in hellish cream, he calmly stroked Talek's flaccid member, up and down, side to side, however it seemed best to coat every inch in liquid pain. He continued to stroke and massage, ignoring Talek's desperate howls, adding more and more cream until the entirety of the boy's green-scaled cock had a sticky off-white sheen to it. Happy with his work, Shon carefully removed the gloves and set them aside so he could hold Talek with both arms. “Do you understand what you did wrong, Talek?”
“Yes!” the boy shrieked, tears flicking from his cheeks as he thrashed his head back and forth in maddened desperation. “I'll never touch it again! Please make it stoooop!”
“It won't stop, not for a long while,” Shon replied, stern and unflinching. “Your little cock is going to burn until I'm convinced you'll never use it without my permission again.”
“I won't! I promise!” the boy wailed, willing to say or do anything if it would stop the sensation of a million razor-blades cutting his penis over and over!
“Those words, 'I promise', are easy for you to say. Not so easy to stick to, I think. I'm sorry, Talek, but you have to learn the hard way your actions have consequences. That means there's no quick fix here. No easy forgiveness. All I'm willing to do is make you a little more comfortable while your cock burns. Do you want that?”
Talek nodded, which prompted Shon to carefully lift the boy up, one arm under the knees and another under his back. “Try not to wriggle too much, okay? Liki, give me a hand.” The boy was carefully steered upstairs to his room, where Shon eased him into the bed. Little mercy was given, however, as he quickly found himself bound spread-eagled to the round bed. Liki excused herself back downstairs to finish whatever punishment Rilka had landed, while Shon placed a paw on Talek's head. “I know it hurts. It's going to hurt for a long time yet.”
The boy had no idea how long he suffered for. Time lost all meaning, with only the pulses of pure agony available as a means to mark the passage of time. The torture never dulled; the only mercy, if it could be called that, was he could see first hand that his boyhood was present and intact, with not a cut or scratch upon it. He quickly began to question if that was a 'mercy' at all – having it cut off would surely have hurt less! It was like being eaten alive by fire ants, as Talek felt sure he could feel the machines wriggling over his flesh, nipping and biting as they went. Even crying became too much work, leaving the boy collapsed against his sweat-soaked sheets, gasping and whimpering. He pulled at the restraints until he was too tired even for that token resistance. He wanted to sleep, or even die, but there was simply no way out from this eternity of penis torture!
“Are you paying attention, Talek?” Shon asked out of nowhere. Talek's reddened, watery eyes fixed on him as the boy nodded urgently. “How long this lasts now is up to you. The longer you suffer, the more rights we'll give back to you. If you want this to end now, you'll be allowed one orgasm every six months... and you will be permanently banned from sleeping with girls!”
“W-what!?” the boy gasped out in horror.
“No more Isabelle, no more slipping into Rilka's little cunny as a treat. The only place you'll be allowed to put it, on the rare times you are, is under another boy's tail.”
Talek's face scrunched up in pain, “No! Dad, that's not fair!”
“Then you'll just have to lie there and suffer for longer.”
“Noooo!” he howled, finding strength to struggle again. “Please make it stop!”
“No more girls, then? No more orgasms for six months?”
“Not that! Please no!” tears flowed freely as he fought inside and out. 
“If you want it to stop, say 'yes'. Three... two... one...”
The boy had no idea how he kept his tongue still. Talek clamped his mouth shut so hard his teeth ground together, so desperate he was not to be condemned to a life of chastity with only his father's paw as an escape! Yet despite his silence, Shon's paw closed around his cock. The boy's eyes snapped open in surprise as a wave of heavenly coolness washed over him. He lay, shivering and exhausted, as Shon thoroughly massaged the salvation cream into every nook and cranny of his cock, killing the hateful nanomachines dead.
“But... why?” Talek whimpered as the fire faded at last.
“Because I want you to be able to listen and think,” Shon replied, turning his focus back to his penny son. “You must really be scared of chastity to hold out the way you did!”
“I... I don't want to lose Rilka,” he whimpered in shameful reply. The comment made his father grin.
“So if you had to choose between six months chastity, or only sleeping with boys from now on, which would you pick?”
Talek's face burned with shame at the question. “T-the chastity. If I could sleep with Rilka after!”
“Then I think we know what we have to do to stomp down your urges,” Shon said with a smile. “We need to get you a boyfriend.”
“But I-” Talek tried to protest, but Shon put a finger over his snout.
“No arguing, Talek! No girl is allowed to touch your little winkie until you've paid your penance! If you aren't desperate enough to beg a boy for help, you don't need relief!”
“Dad... c-can't you take care of me?” Talek asked shyly, hinting at the masturbation sessions they'd shared previously.
“Not giving you an easy way out this time,” Shon replied. “If you ever want to cum again, find a boyfriend! If you think that's too harsh, I suppose you could earn something more lenient... with lots more sessions of fire cream, even longer ones than you just had.”
The very idea made Talek wince. “No! Please not that!” he wailed, shielding his abused little parts with his paws.
“I'll not force it on you. If you want it, you can ask for it. But I warn you, there'll be a lot of suffering if you ever want to get back to where you were before.” With the warning given, Shon pulled back the corner of the sheets and patted the mattress. “Come on, take a little nap before dinner. You'll feel much better for it.”
With a tired sigh the boy obeyed, squirming under the sheets. He tried not to pout as he was tucked in, after which Shon added one last stipulation. “When you see Isabelle again, make sure she understands what her silliness put you through.

The next day, preparations for the house sporting events began. The day started poorly for Talek, with a reminder of his newly earned restrictions. “You make sure your new friend knows she's not allowed to 'play' with you until we say so. That little stiffy of your is for boys only!” The boy's class, along with several others took to the school fields for a brisk bout of physical exercise. The rejuves were sent running laps around the fields in the cold and wet, with nothing but shorts and a thin tee-shirt to protect them from the elements. In a tradition as old as time, a Karrian teacher watched them, shouting “stop whining, it's not that cold!” at those who protested too loudly. The teacher had a nice, warm tracksuit on, and an umbrella to keep him dry.
The rain died away after the warm-up run. The rejuves were split into teams and set against each other in sporting competitions, sending them to different corners of the playing fields. The young juvenalas had hoped for Karrian Football, but was instead saddled with badminton. The one upside of this was he got to play with some friends; Kost and Bubbles were paired off against him, with Ki'reth acting as his partner. None of them were much familiar with the game, but as ever their resident completas was there to act as a teacher's aid. She was warm and friendly throughout, but Talek couldn't help but glare at the girl.
Once they'd learned the basics, the four played a few points before Isabelle called time. “Looks like you're getting the hang of it! Talek? Is something the matter?”
The boy looked around to see how much privacy, or lack thereof he might be able to get. He settled on trying his best to talk low and quiet. “I got punished yesterday. Real bad.”
“Oh... because of what we did?” Isabelle asked, concern writ clear over her muzzle.
“Yes. Dad rubbed 'fire cream' all over my privates and tied me to the bed! I had to lie there for what seemed like forever! It felt like I was getting my dick burned off!”
Isabelle grimaced at the confession. “Ooh! Talek, I had no idea they'd react like that!”
“Didn't you? You were a Penny! How did you not know they'd punish me?”
“Hey, your sister insisted your parents would be fine with it! Be mad at her, not me!”
The other three rejuves walked over, anxious at he rising voices. Isabelle glanced around, first to them and then elsewhere for any sign of a teacher. The coast was clear for now. “Talek, I'm sorry.”
“We're not allowed to do sex stuff anymore!” Talek added, frustration now spilling out for all to see. “In fact, thanks to you I'm not allowed to have any contact with girls! My dad's making me find a boyfriend, even though I'm not into guys, and it's your fault! He said he wanted you to understand what you caused by being stupid!”
The girl's maw fell open in shock. “Wait, did he do this to you to punish me?”
“It sure feels like it!” Talek snarled.
An awkward silence fell over the group, made all the worse by the gentle sound of teacher's shoes crossing the wet grass. “I see a lot of standing around and not much play here!” Mr Hachi called out.
Isabelle, as usual, was the one who spoke for the group. “Sorry, sir! I... just found out that Talek got in trouble because of yesterday.”
The teacher gave a quiet chuckle. “You all knew the risks you were taking. Now, you four penitatas get back to your game or I will have to play a 'game' of my own!” he slapped the back of his paw for emphasis. “Isabelle? Tag in for Talek, would you? I want to have a quick chat with the lad.”
Talek's little green snout wrinkled up as he fought back tears, convinced that this 'quick chat' was bound to be yet another punishment. He whined and whimpered all the way back to the changing rooms, where Mr Hachi sat down on one of the benches and patted his lap. “Take a seat, Talek. No, I mean a seat! Your pants can stay up, I just want you to park your tush. That's right.”
The old teacher held him gently, in an almost fatherly fashion. “This little chat might save you a lot of pain in your near future, so I hope you're paying attention! I know what happened last night, and no doubt you blame Isabelle for that. It's true that she took liberties, but you are no less at fault; you could have turned her down and walked away.”
“I...” Talek clammed up, torn as to whether or not to admit his inner thoughts. In the end, he reflected that he'd done the deed right in front of this same teacher, so it wasn't all that much worse to confess. “Furry girls are a... a fetish of mine. I'd never been with a real girl before becoming a juvenalas.”
“Oh,” Mr Hachi cleared his throat. “Well, that does explain a few things! I forget that you're sixteen inside that little head; probably still a confused, horny little mess despite the rejuvenation. Rejuvenation can be hard on all of us – old minds in young bodies leads to some unexpected outcomes, just as puberty does. Still, here's what you need to focus on; I want you to forgive Isabelle. She is a fellow Sea Fox, and if I think you're bearing a grudge when we next meet it will go badly for you. Feel free to ask your sister what it's like to be under my strap! The second reason, and trust me this is the far more important one, is that you risk losing her as a friend. Friends are what makes all this bearable for little lads like you; the penitatas without friends suffer far, far more than those who have them. She did wrong, and you got hurt... but her heart was in the right place. This punishment your father gave you might last a long while, yet it'll pass as they all do. She'll want to make things right when she can... and who knows? Maybe if you take your licks like a man, your father will let her thank you in a way you'll really like!”
Talek blushed softly at the suggestion. It occurred to him that he was really starting to like Mr Hachi.
“One other thing, Talek – we aren't just here to punish you. You can talk to any of us about your fears, your struggles, or anything else. If you prefer, we have a counsellor you can talk to. Whatever you talk about with them is held in strictest confidence, and they'll only share something if they feel it necessary to keep you safe and whole. You're still new to the Penny life, it's expected you'll have struggles now and then.”
“I guess 'struggles' is one way to put it,” Talek sighed.
Mr Hachi gave the boy a sorrowful little smile. “I know you feel like the whole world is bearing down on you right now, but that will pass. Now, I could give your tush a quick warm-up to remind you not to go yelling at completas, but I suspect you'd like me to cut you a little slack. I will oblige, providing I don't ever catch you raising your voice like that again!”
“I won't!” the boy squeaked, squirming in fear for his scaled tush.
“Good. Off you go, then!” Mr Hachi set him back on his feet and patted his rear to send him toward the door. He rejoined his colleagues, managing to get through the rest of P.E. without bringing up his prior hardships again; his rear stayed unspanked for the rest of the school day.

He would have been happy to avoid Isabelle for the rest of the week, but that was impossible. She was in his class after all, and as the sports day drew near he was forced to spend more and more time with his teammates. The five began to take hovercar rides to the old camp in the low hills north-east of the town, where under supervision of their parents they studied the equipment set up there.
The event Isabelle had chosen was a five part, multi-discipline event; the various obstacles formed a right-angled horseshoe for penitatas to overcome. The first was a set of high-low hurdles, then a narrow pool of water, with two sets of cart tracks running off at a right angle from the far end – there was no clue what the event there actually entailed. Set at right angles again from the end of the tracks was a shallow sand pit with wooden poles raised out of it, which formed a stepping-stone path to a climbing net. Talek couldn't see how they were supposed to get down from the high ledge, as the opposite wall was smooth wood. After that obstacle was a set of monkey bars and a balance beam, which led to an obvious finish line.
As team captain, Isabelle showed her peers around. “You can see how the events are broken up. The high-low bars are a lot harder than they look, but the swimming event is nice and straightforward. That's going to be our weakest event if I'm honest – Drakonians make great swimmers, and we're facing Sa'sel from our class,” she gestured to herself, Talek and Ki'reth with that comment. “On the rails will be a strength test; whoever gets that leg will have to pull a cart of weights. They base the load on your age and species, so it's not going to be easy whoever does it. Talek, Ki'reth, you two might be our best bets there – we need your big boy muscles!”
Both boys studied their respective bodies. “We don't have many 'muscles' any more,” Ki'reth replied.
“Even at your age, boys have a tiny edge. We'll need that!” Isabelle turned her focus to the next leg. “Fourth runner has to cross the poles, go up the net and jump down. There will be crash mats on the day so you'll be safe to fall. It's actually quite fun!”
“Can I do that?” Rilka asked. “That leg looks great fun!”
Isabelle gave her a positive point. “It's all yours! So, what about the other obstacles?”
“I guess I'll take the weights,” Ki'reth said with a shrug.
Lusu glanced at the first two obstacles. “I'm not sure how good a swimmer Talek is, so I suppose it's me who gets wet. Who do you think is strongest on the bars?”
Isabelle considered the first obstacle. “One way to find out. Talek, care to race me?”
The boy accepted with a nod. He went first, though he needn't have bothered; it was obvious after the first hurdle that Isabelle was far superior. The Aspatrian girl bounded up and over the high beam effortlessly, and rolled under the low bar with practised ease. The other four bars were cleared with similar competence. “I guess this is my event!” Isabelle announced.
The parents arranged for crash mats to be brought out of storage for Rilka's safety while she tried out her event. The girl's joyful squeal as she flung herself into open air drew the attention of everyone present, and inevitably every other rejuve wanted a go. All agreed that she had scored the best event, and it took the words of a few parents to get the other penitatas back to their own places. For the sake of fairness, they all rotated to try out every obstacle, but gut instincts proved right – by the end of the day, it was agreed the team placements would remain unchanged.
Back in school, teachers began to prepare their students for what to expect. “You will all come into school as normal on sports day. From here, hover-buses will shuttle you all to the camp grounds. Remember to come dressed in your house sporting clothes and wear a tracksuit over. You should also bring your uniform in a bag to change into for the end of day ceremony. Those who prefer may come nude, but your tie will be mandatory!”

On sports day itself, Talek and Rilka went to school via hovercar, landing a short distance away from the school before being walked the rest of the way by both parents. The two children wore bright blue tracksuits with orange bands, under which they had blue shirts and orange shorts. Efforts were clearly being made to funnel the rejuves into groups, with signs erected to steer each house to a different part of the school. “We'll see you both at the camp!” Liki called out warmly as they were released.
The Sea Foxes were amassing outside of the school pool, where part of the nearby playing field had been cordoned off as a temporary landing zone. Mr Hachi seemed awfully pleased with himself as his charges filed in one by one, but the presence of unfamiliar adults in olive drab uniforms made him anxious. “What's going on?” Talek whispered to his sister.
“Mind games, Talcum!” she replied, winking conspiratorially. “Just roll with it!”
Frustrating as that answer was, the truth came soon after once all the rejuves were present. As the numbers grew, the teams began to seek each other out, shuffling into neat little clusters. Rilka spotted Ki'reth easily enough as he walked over, with Isabelle and Lusu close behind. Once all the Sea Foxes were accounted for, Mr Hachi clapped his paws together and called out, “Good morning, everyone! As some of you may know, the sports day this year will be held at old Camp Northrock! As is customary when returning to that old camp, we like to give you whipper-snappers a taste of old school justice! You'll be arriving at the camp just like the penitatas of old did!”
“That's not entirely true,” Isabelle said quietly. “There's no welcome spanking, and they don't film you either!”
Talek's eyes widened at the whispered comment. “They used to film us?”
“Oh yes! Get off the bus, strip naked, then stand in front of your cabin and tell the camera what your time was and ask for your welcome spanking. I remember one particularly stupid little fox who got mouthy with the wardens and earned herself a thorough switching all over her front – plus a belt right on her privates!”
“And... all that is on a hard drive somewhere that anyone could see?” Talek asked grimacing in sympathy at the idea of her genital torture.
“Not 'anyone', no. But in theory anyone involved in law enforcement or corrections could access it. I guess I ought to see whether I can have all that stuff deleted,” she added with an anxious little flick of her tail.
While they talked, the buses arrived. Each penitatas was shackled, wrists and ankles bound by black cable that had barely enough give to allow a stumbling walk. Even getting on the shuttle was near impossible for most, having to be lifted up the steps. The 'guards' played their roles well, even if Talek thought he recognised one as a local parent. “Take the farthest empty seat! Face forward! No talking! Convicts who break the rules will receive a caning upon arrival!”
Chance put Talek next to Ki'reth. The boy was nude, as usual, though he did wear blue sport shoes to protect his footpaws. Talek's mind couldn't help but wander back to the punishment he'd received the week before – if he ever wanted relief again, he'd need to find a boy. He was furred... and they had already technically shared a sexual encounter... the Karrian quickly shook any such thoughts out of his mind, fearful he'd land himself a sore backside before the day had even begun!
For all the dread and threat of their arrival, the moment the shackles came off the atmosphere flipped entirely. Mr Hachi helped there in no small part. “Come on, little Cubs! Find your helpers!” The 'helpers' were volunteer adults, all Karrian, wearing orange safety vests and holding up signs listing names on them. To Talek's surprise, his father was one of them.
“We told you we'd see you here!” Shon chuckled as Talek walked over. “And there's Ki'reth... Rilka and Lusu... and Isabelle! You are all going to stay with me today. Your event is just before lunch, so there's a little time if you'd like to cheer on your friends. I think the first event is the tug-of-water down by the lakeside, and then it's the team canoe race.”
For all he'd feared the day, based on what Rilka had told him about house events, Talek found sports day to be fun! The tug-of-war was between the Sea Foxes and the Red Kestrels, with Mister Titus acting as referee. It was a best of three, with the Sea Foxes losing early in round one but putting up a much better fight in round two. They lost to the Honeybees 1-2 as well, but beat the Oliphants 2-0 in a pair of closely fought challenges. The Sea Fox 'cubs' looked dejected at their performance, but the Oliphants were utterly wretched. One girl even burst into tears.
“Why... are they so upset?” Talek asked Rilka.
“Because losing means getting spanked!” Rilka answered, pointing to their father's hip. “Did you miss the fact everyone's carrying a strap?”
He hadn't. The distinctive Fox Strap was worn openly by Shon, but Talek had simply assumed it was there for any rejuve that stepped out of line! His prior joy turned to horror as all the participants, even the ones who won, were led over to a row of benches and made to bare their rears. Every house had its own implement; the Sea Foxes had a strap, the Honeybees a wicked looking 'tongue' of leather, the Red Kestrels something akin to a short whip, and the Oliphants a hefty, studded paddle. Morbid curiosity briefly made Talek wonder which one hurt the worst. The rules of the games quickly made themselves clear; the Red Kestrels, being the overall winners, got the lightest of the punishments, with the losing Oliphants getting the worst. As if reading his mind, Rilka gave his paw a squeeze and whispered, “now you know why everyone wants to win so badly!”

Soon enough, it was time for Talek and his friends to take the field. A good sized crowd of adults and rejuves, several of whom were still crying from prior spankings, gathered around the horseshoe track. The Sea Foxes had the outside lane, the Honeybees the inside. It fell to Shon to inform both teams of the rules. “This is a timed event, not a head-to-head race! All four teams will be placed on their overall performance, with time penalties applied for failing to correctly complete course sections, failing to properly tag the next runner, or poor sporting conduct! Teams will now attend their guardians to receive their stripes!”
Shon stepped over to the five rejuves, beginning with Talek. “Young man, you've come up lucky today! The Corrections Council has decided to give you a base zero, with plus-five per place. That means if you win there'll be no spanking at all! However, for every place below first you will get an extra five. That means you could be feeling the Fox Strap on the base of your tail fifteen times if you come last!”
Talek winced at the threat, but Shon was already turning his focus to another. “Isabelle, since you're a completas you are exempt from punishment.”
To everyone's surprise, Isabelle protested. “Sir, I don't want special treatment! If my tail isn't on the line and we lose, people could think I didn't give it my all.”
Shon laughed at her earnestness. “You are the strangest little lass I've ever known... and a glutton for punishment, as if I didn't already know that! Fine, you will share Talek's fate – zero-plus-five!”
Next came the rest. “Lusu... base five, but doubling. Ki'reth... base ten, plus ten. Sorry, young man! Rilka...”
Rilka's tail was already pressed against her legs, but the way her father spoke her name was enough to make the girl whimper. “It's bad, isn't it?”
“I'm afraid so. Base twenty, plus twenty.” Rilka began to bawl openly at her fate. “I know, cream-cake, but this isn't up to me or the school. It comes from the courts. Come here...” she got an extra tight hug from her father to help calm her down before the race. Talek glanced at his peers and saw in all of their faces the same steely determination he felt inside; their friend's hides were literally on the line here, so they had to give it all they had!

“Racers to your starting positions!” a parent called out. Talek trotted over to the last leg of the course, watching as the Honeybees spread out to join them. On the starting block next to Isabelle was a Karrian girl Talek didn't know; Bubbles from his class was squared off against Lusu, while Sa'sel was instead facing Ki'reth at the weight pull. Another two classmates rounded out of the team; racing Rilka was the Roferian girl, Penelope – Penny the Penny. That left Kost to challenge Talek.
“Nervous?” the Kyyreni boy asked, giving Talek a wolfish smile.
“Little bit. My sister could be getting eighty stripes if we do badly enough!”
Kost winced at the count. “Yeah... I'm facing fifteen no matter what, forty at worst. What's your count like?”
“Your best is my worst.”
Kost scoffed. “Damn! Guess being juvenalas has some perks!” he paused to look over at Bubbles, his gaze lingering on her bare flesh as she stretched in anticipation of the swim. “She's got ten if we win. I... I don't suppose I can ask you to fall off if we're behind, can I? For her sake? Course not, you've got your own to look after.” the boy offered a paw as if to shake, and when Talek reciprocated Kost instead grasped him tightly by the forearm. “Whatever happens, no hard feelings. Right?”
“Right. Good luck, Kost,” Talek said as they broke apart.
The cheers and calls of support rang out as the countdown began. With the blowing of a whistle, the contest was on – and Isabelle came out of the blocks like a bullet! The completas was if anything more determined than in practice, jumping higher and flinging herself into rapid, diving rolls at such a pace that it left the Karrian girl trailing by a mile! Nobody cheered louder than the other Sea Foxes as Isabelle's paw slapped Lusu's outstretched palm, sending the splotchy-scaled lizard diving into the long pool. Her task complete, Isabelle dropped onto her backside and inspected the scuff marks she'd earned herself from such a reckless assault of the course.
Lusu had a full third of the pool lead when Bubbles was finally tagged in. The amphibian girl corkscrewed into the air and hit the water like a torpedo, never surfacing as she raced along at terrifying speed. She somehow closed the lead and broke the surface first, dashing over to the waiting Drakonian and tagging her in.
Sa'shel was a huge girl; even in her raptor-like hunched posture she was a good foot taller than Ki'reth, but in overall mass it was more like adult versus child. As best Talek could read Drakonian facial expressions, hers was smugly confident... right up until the moment she was tagged in. The cart she pushed was far, far heavier than the one given to Ki'reth, no doubt to balance out the massive difference in physicality as Isabelle had hinted. The young Aspatrian boy gave it his all, muscles straining, his fox-like muzzle open wide in a long growl of effort, eyes clenched shut as he grunted and shunted. For all the relatively shortness of this leg of the track, it was proving to be the longest so far in terms of time; poor Ki'reth was exhausted when he finally tagged Rilka in, having conceded a few more precious seconds to his larger rival.
Rilka, however, was not giving up anything.  He couldn't see his sister's performance from the other side of the wall, but the reactions of his friends told him everything – first anxiety, then excitement, then frantic cheers and whoops of joy. He looked up at the top of the tower to see Rilka's creamy snout emerge over the top first! An adult was there to help instruct how to safely jump down, but Rilka simply dove off the edge without bothering to fully stand up! The girl span in the air, landing on her back and rolling off to the side. “Go go go!” she yelled as she tagged her brother in, and he ran for the monkey bars like his life depended on it.
He didn't dare look back. His focus was entirely on the bars, trying to use his momentum to swing at a steady pace. “Be calm... be calm...” he told himself, huffing from effort as he crossed the obstacle. It wasn't a long fall at all – he could easily reach the bars again from a standing jump – but to even lose rhythm would cost time he might not have to spare!
He reached the last bar and hopped down, giving himself just a moment to square up for the balance beam. In that pause, Kost hit the ground next to him. Startled now, Talek sprinted up and along the beam, arms and tail outstretched for balance. Kost, on the other hand, ran with his head down and arms pumping – he weaved and wobbled along the beam, seemingly always a single hair from falling, but it was a pace Talek couldn't hope to match... not like this! Desperation made Talek mimic his peer, running faster along that narrow line. It felt wrong, dangerous even, for his arms constantly had to fly out to frantically flap him back into line! “No no no!” he wailed as he drew close to the end, all sense of balance failing him as he tried to right himself... and in sheer panic he kicked off, turning the fall into a leap. Talek hit the ground hard and rolled, feeling gravel scrape acorss his arms and face. A strong pair of hands helped him up and dusted him down.
“That was quite the finish!” Mr Hachi laughed. “Well done, young man!”
Talek looked around and saw the rest of his team running over. He hadn't won, he knew that much from their expressions – and the mad cheering from their Honeybee rivals.
All that remained now was to watch the last two teams and see how the event played out. The Red Kestrels and Oliphants began closely matched, but a subtle lead formed after the swimming and widened with every event. Talek felt sure neither team had come close to matching Isabelle over the first obstacle, but he wasn't so sure about the other four; when the race was over, Shon called all the teams together. The team guides stood ready with tools of punishment in hand.
“Fourth place goes to the Oliphants!” Shon announced, and a wave of despair washed over both team and house. Thus far, the Oliphants had yet to achieve higher than third place!
“In third...” the long pause was agony. Rilka's claws were meshed together as if in prayer, while Kost whispered in his native, alien tongue. The verdict came in. “...Red Kestrels!”
The little circle of rejuves exploded into cheers and groans. They didn't even wait for Shon to finish the announcement, “Second place to Sea Foxes, first to Honeybees!”
Rilka's jaw trembled as she let out her long held breath. “I... I guess forty won't be s-so bad...” she tried to say with a smile, but there was no energy to it.

Shon took his daughter's scaled paw and led her gently to the nearest bench. He was gentle with her, speaking softly not rushing to bare her rear for the coming licks. Rilka accepted her fate like a good girl, tail raised and bottom bared for all too see. Shon was at least using the 'flat' face of the strap, rather than the studded one!
The crack of the Fox Strap echoed through the wooded hill, and howls of pain and misery soon followed. The Honeybees were taking it on the backside, their 'stinger' leaving a long, v-shaped mark on their rears. Kost was first under the stinger, and Talek couldn't help but wonder if the boy's thick, coarse fur helped shield him from the punishment. It might well have, or maybe he was just a tough little lad – it took three smacks to get him bawling like a newborn.
The Oliphants were getting their paddling, and Talek had no idea which would be more hellish – that hefty board of grey wood, or the blue leather his father was using. Both had a studded face, and currently the young lady who had swam for the Oliphants was feeling it! The board could turn an entire buttock red with one good smack, but those little pyramids bored deep into the cheek; her soft scales were indented by the smacks, and when it was over her rear would be a mess of little purpling bruises!
Lastly, there were the Red Kestrels. Talek only knew of Mister Titus by reputation, having never suffered under him first hand, but all the fear and horror other penitatas held him in was expressed in the 'mother's talon'. The whip-like tool shrieked as it swung, and the tip cracked against Karrian scale with an almost electric snap. Wherever its hateful touch was felt, bone-deep welts and blisters formed. It might have punished the smallest area in terms of coverage, but Talek felt certain he'd rather take twenty straps to his tail-base than ten licks from that evil little whip!
Eventually, Rilka was allowed to stand. Liki emerged from the crowd to take the girl into her arms and carry her away, giving the howling little girl a long, motherly cuddle while the rest of the team got their licks. It was Ki'reth next. “We can't use this on your tail,” Shon told him. “Aspatrian tails are too thin, so there's serious risk of causing you unacceptable harm. As such, you'll be taking it on the rear. However, there's a price to that – you're going to get the studded side.”
Ki'reth flinched at learning his fate, his fox maw letting out a scared little huff. “Please don't use that! A-at least give me some with the flat side!”
“I'm sorry, young man, but this isn't up to me. The court wants you to feel the studs. Now, will my report say you took your strapping like a good boy, or that you tried to squirm out of it?”
Broken by the implied threat, ears folded flat against his orange-furred skull, Ki'reth assumed the position. Soon enough, the cracking of the strap led to feral howling from the lad, making more than a few heads turn at the unexpected sound. Tears rolled down Ki'reth's muzzle, but Talek suspected there was more than pain behind that; he was trying to hide his face, burying his muzzle behind his paws to stifle the howling, yelping sounds that agony invoked. Shon had found a way to shame the boy who was so calm about being nude in public.
When the strapping was done, the deep bruises of the studs were clear to see even through Aspatrian fur. Again, a parent was close by to offer comfort to the howling youth. Then came Lusu, receiving just ten – five were on studs, which caught the girl entirely by surprise and left her wailing like a banshee. But the ten were delivered quickly, and after that it was Talek's turn.
“Just five for you, son,” Shon said with a warm smile. “No studs either! This is a 'soft time' smacking for you!”
The boy tried his best to smile at the news, though it was never easy to be happy at the prospect of taking leather to the base of the tail! Karrian tails were thick, sturdy limbs, but sensitive all the same; there was virtually no fat on them, and a good strike at the base gave a bone-deep ache. Worse, the subtle, subconscious movements of the tail when doing basic tasks like walking served to enrage the bruises earned, making sure the pain was prolonged and more potent than merely warming the backside. The only way to find any mercy from a tail-strapping was to sit or stand perfectly still – no wonder they so often combined it with smacked bottoms and hard stools!
Today, however, there was just the strap. Talek braced himself as his father stretched his tail taut and swung, delivering a shocking wave of hot pain through his sensitive limb. The strap cut in exactly where it needed to be to cause maximum pain, heating the softest, thinnest scale where tail met tush. The one mercy Talek had as he threw back his head and howled was that most of the other rejuves were too busy crying over their own tails and bottoms to pay him any attention.
It was only five licks, and he was on the older side for a penitatas, but Talek cried like a champion. Had any of the assembled rejuves been of a mind to mock him, they'd likely have called him a big baby for how badly he reacted to the strap. No-one said such things, of course; to do so would be a sure-fire way to bring fresh hell upon themselves, surrounded by an army of parents equipped with the very worst of punishment tools!
“It's alright, it's over,” Shon whispered as he lifted the boy onto his lap, being careful not to touch his tail. “Cry it out, son. There you go.”
Isabelle, it seemed, was escaping her turn with the strap. Not that anyone was in any mood to complain about that.

After the team had been given a chance to clam down, Shon guided them all away from the sporting events to a wide patch of bare grass where a handful of Karrian adults were manning a barbecue. The smell of coal-fired meat brought some smiles to their little faces, and once they were tucking in to burgers, sausage sandwiches and other exciting treats the mood rose considerably. “We can watch some more events if you'd all like to,” Shon told them. “Alternatively, we could all take a nice walk along the woodland trails. Peace, quiet, fresh air... all good things for a penitatas!”
“I'd like to see how the other teams get on,” Rilka said. This earned a few nods of agreement.
“That's what I like to see – team spirit! But there's no rush; grab seconds if you want them, and we'll wander over to the hurdle race when everyone is ready.”
The rest of the day played out poorly for the Sea Foxes from what Talek saw; third in the hurdles, third in the relay race; dead last in the cross-country run. The poor showing made the juvenalas boy anxious, but he was assured they'd done well in the events on the lake.
“It all comes down to the points at the end,” Shon told him. “Eight points for a win, five for second, three for third, one for fourth. Your house has two first places under their belt, so that puts them in good standing. It comes down to the rest.”
When the last event ended, and time had been given for the contestants to cry out their pain, all the rejuves were steered towards an open air stage. The school's headmaster stood at the main podium, with the heads of the houses off to one side.
“Students of Northrock Correctional Elementary!” his low, firm voice boomed out via the sound system erected over the stage. “The time has come to pass the sports day trophy to its new owners! I wish to thank everyone who participated, from the parents who volunteered their time, to the students who gave their all. Before we announce the winner, this year will see a change in the reward structure of our sporting days; from now on, all participants will receive a commemorative medal! These will be shipped to your parents soon, and should be with you all in the next few weeks. For now, I hope you will join me in congratulating the house masters, who will accept the official medals for you all. This year was a close-fought competition, so I hope none of you will feel poorly about your efforts!”
Fourth place was called, going to the Oliphants with thirty-two points. The teacher received a medal made of polished oak as a consolation prize for the house, hung on a grey ribbon. Miss Bassel was next, accepting bronze for the Honeybees with thirty-three points. Her ribbon was yellow.
Second place had a score of thirty-five, first had thirty-six. When the Red Kestrels were announced as the silver medal house, all the Sea Foxes exploded into riotous cheering. Mister Titus accepted his silver medal while carrying a gold cup in paw, which he handed over to Mr Hachi with a nod of respect. He then stepped back, joining his fellow teachers in polite applause as the head of House Sea Fox received a gold medal and was offered the podium. “Well, well, well! What an exciting day for all! I know many of you will feel disappointed, and many a poor little tush has suffered today, but I hope each and every one of you will feel proud that you did your best! While my little Fox Cubs will of course be celebrating their success, the rest of you can sleep soundly knowing you gave it your all; there was no foul play, no half-hearted attempts, and fine sportsmanship all-round! To my Sea Foxes, I say congratulations; to the rest of you, I wish you the very best of luck in the next house event. Now, would my little Cubs please join me on the stage?”
The eight teams all filed up and formed ranks, steered subtly but expertly by all staff present. All raised their right paws and placed their left over the heart and sang, as triumphantly as was possible, the house song. Afterwards, a crowd of tired, sore little penitatas applauded the victors.
Shon and Liki were close at hand when their children descended from the stage. “Come on, you two! We're going to make an early dash. Say goodbye to your friends.”
“Bye, Lusu!” Rilka naturally focused on her best friend first. “Bye, guys!”
“See you all on Monday, I guess,” Talek said less enthusiastically, but waved to each of them all the same.

It was still early, with the sun bright in the afternoon sky as the hovercar sighed down onto the beach. A harsh wind was blowing in from the west, so the four hurried up to the gap in the embankment and turned down the road to their house. The rounded rise of grass and sand killed the howling sea wind, and Talek's body prickled warmly without the wind-chill. To the surprise of the rejuves, and delight of their parents, a delivery box was sat outside the door.
Shon calmly checked the seals, confirming none of the tamper alarms had been triggered. “Well, this is good timing! Shall I do the honours?”
“Good idea. I will see these two up to their room,” Liki replied, taking each rejuve by the paw and ushering them inside. “I want you both out of those clothes as soon as you're in your room. You're probably all sweaty from your day.”
“I'm not sweaty at all, mom!” Rilka protested, albeit in a playful tone.
Liki grinned at the little girl's words, and pulled her shirt up over her head. While the girl was stuck, head and arms tangled, Liki leaned down and gave her armpit a lick. “Momma!” Rilka squealed with laughter as her mother's tongue tickled her.
“You certainly taste sweaty to me, cream-cake!” Liki teased, helping the girl undress and pointing her to the beanbag chairs. Talek followed, blushing a little at the playful little moment he'd witnessed. With both of them settled, Shon emerged carrying a curious device; a rectangle of dull metal and black plastic, all sharp angles with a few curious windows of clear plastic on the front, next to a grilled surface.
While Talek couldn't begin to guess at what the device was, Rilka's eyes lit up at once. “Is that a radio?” she asked, voice giddy and hopeful.
“We'll find out when we switch it on!” Shon chuckled, placing the box on the bookshelf and pressing his thumb against a subtly recessed corner of the machine. A soft green light came on at the corner, followed by a harsh, jarring shriek that made the man wince.
Rilka, apparently an expert in 'radio', pointed to a long piece of metal at the back. “You need to raise the antenna, dad!”
“I did read the instructions, thank you!” their father scolded, raising the tube and extending it. The sounds became less harsh, and with a few twists of the large dials on the front they eventually transformed from random static to pop music. The sound quality was marred by occasional imperfections that Talek was unused to, having grown up in a world where crystal-clear, ultra-high definition audio transmission was taken for granted, but Rilka was utterly delighted by what she heard. “I remember this! It was top of the download charts when I was Talek's age!” The girl squealed in delight, even starting to bop along to the music as her parents chuckled at her antics.
As the song petered out a young Karrian's voice drifted out of the speaker. He sounded about eleven years old. “Well, it's been one exciting day for all us students at N.C.E., but all good things must come to an end. Once again, congratulations to house Sea Fox on their close-fought victory – we'll get you next time! But before I sign off for the evening, I'd like to remind you all that Radio Northrock will have a special weekend broadcast starting at one-pee-em tomorrow; that's thirteen-hundred hours for you spacer types listening! We will be hosting a live performance from the school drama club entitled The Undiscovered Country, depicting the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon way back in 2293. This promises to be an unforgettable show, boys and girls, as I've been told the drama club have recruited some special guests to help them out... am I allowed to read out the cast, or must it remain a secret?”
A second voice replied, “If I were human, I believe my response would be... 'go to heck'.”
Rilka's face lit up in surprise. “that sounded an awful lot like Mr Hachi!”
“Yeah, it did!” Talek agreed, talking over the young host as he spoke further.
“-little penitatas eagerly shouting a name at the radio right now! Perhaps one more clue?”
A second voice now followed. “taH pagh taHbe'!”
“That's Mister Titus!” Rilka exclaimed.
Both rejuves stared in awe at the radio as the young man's voice returned. “Another fine clue – guess the actors and the roles if you can! Remember: one-pee-em tomorrow! With that, it's time for  Radio Northrock, temporarily broadcasting out of the old Penny Camp in the hills, to sign off for the evening. Thank you to all the parents who tuned in to us today, and to all the penitatas still listening I wish you a good evening, and may nano-cream ease you to your slumber. Good night!”
There was a noticeable click, and the radio jumped to midway through a classical music track, a default program that would play until the hosts returned to their station sometime tomorrow. Shon reached over and pressed his thumb onto the corner panel, silencing the radio entirely.
“In case you were wondering, the power button is a print-reader. Only your mother and I can activate it.”
“How come the sound is so bad?” Talek asked. It seemed an innocent enough question, but it seemed to horrify Rilka.
Shon took it in good humour. “We have learned, many times and in many ways, that penitatas and technology do not mix! The more advanced the technology, the more potential for a little rapscallion to use it for illicit purposes. Radio communication is so backward that few modern technologies can even interact with it, which means it's considered 'penitatas safe'. Rilka, as you must know by now, has some harsh restrictions put upon her. However, this has had an unfortunate knock-on effect; it robs you of experiences and opportunities you'd otherwise receive. This-” he tapped the radio for emphasis, “-is one such example. We have decided that this isn't fair to you, and so we've decided to loosen the rules a little. Like with everything else, this is a perk you share. That means if it's taken away from one, it's taken from both! Is that understood?”
“Yes, daddy!” Rilka chimed in, alert and eager. “I promise I'll be extra good!”
“We know you will, cream-cake,” Liki answered warmly. “Shall we leave it on for you? A little background noise while you get an early bath?”
The pair nodded, Rilka far more enthusiastically. Early bath did not mean early bedtime, thankfully, and they pair got to enjoy an evening of play, reading and light homework before they were tucked into bed. From now on, they'd have the soft notes of old music to sing them to their slumber.

Epilogue:

“Trust me, Rilka, you'll be glad this is done sooner than later!” Liki half told, half scolded as she brought her hand down on the girl's backside over and over. She was twenty swats in, and there was no sign of stopping. Talek was in no position to count the swats, however; Shon had decided he should get a feel for what it was like being hard-time, living under the fear of 'unearned' spankings. Why, exactly, was a mystery – court-issued or parental judgement, the stinging was all the same!
Once both little lizards had been thoroughly smacked, their bare bottoms warmed and reddened by parental palms, they were made to stand against the wall of their bedroom. “You're going to be there a long while,” Shon warned. “We'll come and give you a little rest later.”
Before they left, Liki set the radio between the two sniffling little rejuves. Moments later, music filled the bedroom, a pleasant distraction from the boredom of staring at a wall. Two songs later, the voice from yesterday came into their ear-slits. “Good afternoon, Northrock! As promised, we are here live in the sound studio at N.C.E., and we're joined by quite the cast of characters! So I hope you're sitting comfortably – although according to our 'fan mail' a few of you will be standing for this one – as we begin this afternoon performance.”
Despite their spanking and corner time, both rejuves couldn't help but smile. Somehow, being called out over the airwaves was more endearing than humiliating. The radio certainly made corner time a much more pleasant experience... and there was no denying that Mister Titus made one heck of a villain!