In the 28th century, the technology of rejuvenation allows for immortality. This device is also used for sentencing as well. A penitatas; a criminal that is sent back to childhood to live a highly strict and disciplined life to start anew. (Story Twenty)
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Concept by Lurking Dragon
Kayla and story by Professor Bob
Bobroni@moonglade.net

Kayla awoke to the sun's glow through her window, slowly and groggily as usual, before she woke up a little more and realized the day. "Happy birthday to me", the now seven year old fox said to herself with a smile, sitting up in bed, looking about her room. She'd actually been a penitatas for a year now, and she thought about everything that had changed in her life. A real family, good meals, clean fur, and a new her. Kayla got out of bed with a happy hop, thinking approximately one year ago...the day she was found guilty and sentenced to be rejuved, and how she nearly fell flat on her muzzle when she tried to leave the rejuvenation booth on her own. The next thing she reflected on was how many times was she spanked this year, which she decided to skip, condidering she couldn't think of them all and didn't want an answer, being that it would be really really high. Poor thoughts weren't allowed in her head today, as Emily was going to throw her a little celebration with a few of her friends. A black 'P' penitatas would be having a very unfun party, but Kayla needn't worry about such things, and she was going to enjoy herself like any other little kit. She wasn't all too keen on parties, so Emily just made it a simple little get together for her, though she was still getting a cake, naturally. Once the birthday girl was all nice and dressed, she scampered out of her room and down the stairs to greet her mother. Emily had been up the past hour, making sure the house was nice and there was enough room for her few guests and things to snack on, happy to be doing this for her little kit, penitatas or not.

"Good morning mom!", Kayla ran up to her and greeted with a hug and swishing tail.

Emily giggled and hugged back, holding off on her work in the livingroom for a moment. "Happy birthday Kayla. To think you're a seven year old fox now!", she said, hugging back her little girl. "Seems not too long ago that I met a cute orange fox in a dress, after waiting in that room", she then smiled, running her fingers softly through the fur on her daughter's head and playing with her left foxy ear.

"And I'm glad you did", Kayla giggled herself in reply, from having her ear fiddled with, tail still swishing lightly.

"You run upstairs and wash up, your friends will be arriving soon. I'll be finished in a jiffy!", Emily asked of her, happy about today like her girl was.

"Okee!", the year older fox said with another scamper for the stairs, leaving Emily to finish preparing for her friends. Only about fifteen minutes from then, did her first guest arrive. Of course, it was her closest friend and the one that lived closest by.

"Happy birthday Kayla!", Ninne said with a gift in her claws, once Kayla answered the door for her mother to greet her guest.

"Thanks Ninne. You didn't have to get me anything you know, I told you that", Kayla giggled and smiled. She had told the few friends she invited not to get her anything, but she had a hunch Ninne wouldn't stand for that. Kayla had never had a real birthday, so gifts were never an important thing to her anyways.

"Didn't have to, but I did. You can open it now if you want", Ninne said in her happy way, walking through the livingroom and taking a set on the couch. Kayla hopped up beside her friend and took the package into her paws, examining it curiously before carefully unwrapping the shiny blue paper. Inside she found a small set of chips, each labeled in Drakonian writing.

".Hack Sign? Did I read that right?", Kayla asked, looking up from the chips in curiosity.

"Yep. This was an old Japanese cartoon done here on earth, and this one has been dubbed. This was a cartoon I watched when I was in my mid teens when I was trying to improve my panglish speaking, since I had the gift of vocal cords that could use it. You have 'Battle Skies' and I had this", Ninne explained and giggled a little. "Ma`ma helped me get a copy of the series for you, I was sure you'd like it. It's about a virtual reality role playing game and all the people that play it. It's your style!", she added with a smile. Kayla hugged her good friend, keeping the box secure in her lap.

"Thanks Ninne!", the fox said on a thankful note before releasing the hug and placing the box on the table. The two girls sat and talked about the past year on the sofa for a little while before, one by one, each guest arrived. All her old fellow classmates and friends, being Anthony, Paula, Rachael, and Anne. Though Anne wasn't in the same class, she was around enough with Ninne for Kayla to become friends with her, after she learned some good Drakonian at least. The six hard timers sat in a circle in the space between the couch and holo with some cartoons on, though no one was watching it.

"Have you liked that game I made for you Ninne?", Kayla asked while they were all talking together, pulling her knees close to get comphy on the soft shag carpet.

"It's awesome! I can't believe you went and made that for my birthday, just for me!", Ninne said in an excited manner, having gotten really into playing it as of late.

"They actually let you program Kayla?", the other computer knowledged person, Anthony, asked. He was surprised they'd let the universe's most incredible hacker and computer master even touch a datapad, not to mention an actual computer.

"I'm trusted. I've even remade my old operating system for my parents, it's a lot better then the rest, as well as games. I had to keep myself occupied with my own works when I was growing up alone, so I'm good with graphics and building full games all on my own", the birthday kit smiled and explained for her friend.

[So how many backdoors are in Ninne's computer now?], Anne said in her sarcastic drake way, putting her claws around Ninne for her joke.

"None! I don't do that anymore!", Kayla giggled.

"I'm sure she wouldn't even need a backdoor, concidering she's miss 'lightning fingers' Ackart", Rachael chimed in, making Kayla laugh a little harder, having never heard a compliment like that before.

"Aww shit..", the fox giggled plenty more with a sigh, enjoying all the company.

"Shhhh", Anthony hushed with a small chuckle, "Someone might hear that potty mouth", he said smirking, giving her muzzle a gentle thwap with a finger. Kayla wiggled her muzzle and giggled a little softer. What they didn't know however, was that she was already heard. Emily was in the kitchen, decorating her daughter's birthday cake and listening to their conversation with a smile, till Kayla's slipped cuss made her stop suddenly. She knew she had to do something, but she had been so good, she didn't wish to spoil her birthday and humiliate her...so Emily finished decorating the cake quickly and put it aside, going through the livingroom past the group of penitatas and up the stairs to make it look like she didn't notice anything before. She stopped in her room too pick up Kayla's full size paddle from Christmas and put it in the bathroom, before stepping over to the top of the stairs.

"Kayla?! Could you come up here for a bit sweetie?!", Emily called down, trying to be inconspicuous so her friends wouldn't know as well as her. It pained her to do this and wished Kayla didn't cuss, because she had to be punished for it.

"Coming mom!", Kayla turned her head and called towards the direction of the stairs before hopping to her foxy feet, which Anthony happed to laugh at earlier, having never seen her feet before. "I probabbly wont be long", she then smiled before scampering off for the stairs and hopping up them while her friends continued to talk and watch the holo. Emily just stepped into the bathroom and Kayla went inside afterwards, wondering why she was needed. Her mother closed the door to their bathroom once she was inside, and turned around with her arms crossed and a slightly stern look.

"Kayla, I heard your cuss a little bit ago", Emily told her in a straight up way. Kayla's happy expression changed to one of a fox that had been caught and she gulped nervously.

"I'm sorry mom, it slipped..", Kayla looked down and sighed sadly.

"I can understand cussing in a dire situation, but not when you're happy Kayla. I thought you were over this..", her mother scolded, looking down to her furry daughter.

Kayla sniffled and looked up. "You're gonna punish me, aren't you?", she asked in a solumn and sad way, seemingly knowing her fate for screwing up like that.

Emily gave a short nod. "Yes Kayla, and I wish I didn't have to. Not today. I made it look like I only needed you for something and braught you up here for a reason. They won't hear, and they won't know. We can go on like normal after this, but you still have to deal with your spanking for now", she answered and told her, picking up Kayla's full sized paddle from where she concealed it. The birthday kit wimpered...she hated that paddle, and this was a day she didn't wish for it to swat her.

"Please mommy...I promise to be good, just don't punish me. Please?..", Kayla put her paws together and begged quietly with tears in her eyes.

"You know I can't do that Kayla, and you do deserve it. I could have paddled you infront of your friends, so take this like a good girl", Emily told her as a light scold. Kayla sniffed and nodded...she was always acceptant when she did something wrong, but she thought it couldn't hurt to try and get out of it. "Now open your mouth Kayla", she then ordered after taking a washcloth and put water and liquid soap on a part of it. She opened her muzzle wide, though slowly, having to dread this part of cussing. Emily used a finger on the opposite side of the washcloth to scrub the soapy part inside her furry girl's mouth while she made wimpers and gagging noises as the foul tasting and burning soap was scrubbed thouroughly on every spot of her mouth. Her mother quickly had her close her muzzle when she thought she had scrbbed enough, leaving all the soap and suds in her mouth. Kayla kept her head low and sulked sadly as she watched her mother put the cloth aside and grab the paddle, with a pair of tears silently going down her cheeks. The taste in her mouth was horrible, and she'd cringe when a more sensitive tastebud felt the burn. Emily took her daughter's paw while walking around her to the toilet unit, sitting down upon the closed lid and gently putting her over her lap. "Keep that soap in your mouth now Kayla, no spitting it out while I spank", Emily told her while she undid the button above her tail and the velcro tab of her white cotton panties, pulling them down to her knees. Kayla held to her mother's leg and the toilet unit with her paws, closing her eyes tight at what she knew was going to be a fire of a first swat when that paddle with her name on it would fall...*SMACK!!*

"AAAAOOOOWWWWW!!", Kayla howled and tried to muffle, growling a bit to supress it as the paddle started making quick work of her gentle furred rear while her bushy tail was restrained by her mommy's left hand. Tears quickly came and the poor fox yelped, howled, wimpered, cried at every single hard swat with the thick paddle. Emily held her daughter on her lap and continued swinging the paddle, swatting her girl good as her legs kicked and tail tried to struggle. *SMACK!!* *SMACK!!*, was the sound you'd hear every almost two seconds, as well as an 'OOOWWW!' or fox-like yelp and sobs. "MMMOOOMMM SSTTOOOPPP!! It HUUUURRRTTTSS!!", Kayla pleaded when she was sobbing and crying hard, pawing at her leg as a bit of soapy spittle dripped from her muzzle. Two swats after that, when a full thirty were spanked in with howls and tears, Emily stopped.

"Hopefully that will teach you to not cuss Kayla, you know better to think before you speak", Emily said lightly, rubbing her daughter's rear with the business-side of the paddle, covered in it's blue and the fox tail, with 'Kayla' in gold paint at the top.

"I'm sorrryy!..", Kayla cried with sobs and sniffles, wanting to rub her own rear bad. That paddle can really do a number.

"Here..", Emily said as she lifted her daughter up and got up herself, before sitting Kayla down on the hard unit lid and making her cringe when her rear pressed. "Hold your legs out", she then told her, and assisted in lifting up her legs so they were pointing straight out. Kayla wimpered and cried some more, as every bit of her weight now rested on her paddled rear. She burried her muzzle in her paws and kept her legs up as asked. "You stay there while I put your paddle away", Emily said as she quickly and quietly walked out, closing the door. Kayla hated to keep her legs up...her bottom burned and stung! It hurt, and don't forget the soap that was still in her mouth. The poor kit sniffled and hated herself for doing what she did...she really did deserve it, but she was more upset about it happening in the first place. She looked up with her teary eyes and muzzle when the door opened and Emily came back...with a tube of nano-lotion. "I wouldn't usualy gibe nano-lotion after a deserved paddling like that, but it's your birthday afterall", she smiled as she popped the cap on it. "You can rinse your mouth out now, it's all over", she then said softly, taking her paw and helping her up. Kayla washed her mouth out as well as she could, then got back onto her mommy's lap to have the healing lotion rubbed in while she wiped her tears. When it was all over, Emily fixed her girl's clothes and wiped her cheeks good. "I'm going back downstairs. You come down when you think you're fully composed, ok sweetie?", Emily said in her motherly way, rubbing Kayla's neckfur.

"Ok mom...thank you..", Kayla replied a little weakly and teary.

"You deserved a fun birthday and that's what you're going to get", Emily said on a happy note, before giving a big smile and leaving Kayla to herself. She went calmly downstairs with her smile and called the group to the diningroom table for cake, saying Kayla would be down in a minute. They had no clue what happened, even when Kayla came back down a few minutes later with a smile on her muzzle when she found everyone at the table and candles burning atop the cake her mother made and decorated just for her...all of her wonderful friends sang 'Happy Birthday' while she sat at the head of the table without pain, and couldn't help a giggle when her mother kissed her and pushed the cake close so she could blow the candles out.

"Make a wish Kayla", Emily smiled in her soft, motherly way, watching her furry blessing. Kayla looked at her cake for a few moments and blew out the candles with a clap from her friends and a hug from her mother. She decided she had no wish. It had already come true...she had a family and a home...and a second chance. So the bithday kit's wish, was for everyone to be happy, penitatas or not, because everyone deserved what she had.