Part one of a commission for  Nocty in which depressing stuff happens. Rather light on the fetish content, so if you're looking for a dramatic read, read on.

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Story Text: (Download for better formatting)
Lupus Avem:

“By the graces you are a terror, Nocty!” the barn owl said, frustrated, and did his best to pin the frantically squirming wolf cub with a paw, while maneuvering his onesie up enough to get the diaper under him. “Hold still, or you’ll spend the afternoon wrapped in linens.”
“N-NO!” The little black wolf, somewhere in the neighborhood of three years old, but still most incontinent, wailed, thrashing about in an attempt to avoid the fluffy diaper. His mother normally kept him in pull-ups during the day, despite how frequently he soaked them, and Psudo, the barn owl, effectively his long-term babysitter, cut no such slack. The puppy made puddles when he was allowed to wear pull-ups, so he would be kept in diapers. Case closed.
Still roaring his frustration and biting at whatever he could, Nocty’s struggles did little to avert Psudo as he powdered the puppy, pulled the diaper up between his legs and then taped it snugly in place, following it with one of the pairs of double thickness, elasticized plastic pants that he had learned by experience to use, since Nocty could and would claw through anything else. The wolf calmed down somewhat when Psudo brought out the linen sheet with which he would occasionally swaddle him as a form of discipline, but didn’t stop his complaints completely. He was three, after all, and pups his age didn’t wear diapers, even if they did have wetting problems…
“There, was that so hard?” Psudo said, consolingly, Nocty’s fire having dimmed to a mere smolder, arms crossed and pouting.
“Dun want diapers,” Nocty replied through his teeth, as though that would change anything.
“Well, unfortunately you need them. I for one would love to stop having to wipe your behind, but then you would get rash, wouldn’t you? So stop complaining.” Psudo’s words didn’t do much to console the small puppy, who really was embarrassed about still needing diapers at his age, but the anger would fade. The owl sighed, “come on, puppy, let’s get you some juice and watch some Saturday morning cartoons, okay?”
Nocty seemed somewhat cooled by the suggestion, and even allowed himself to be picked up without a fuss. Psudo, who was long used to taking care of the puppy, gently picked him up and started off towards the house’s living room, then, in an event that the owl should have seen coming, felt Nocty’s young, sharp teeth sink into his arm. Several very naughty words exited Psudo’s beak, despite the fact that the teeth didn’t break the skin. The owl had the thick overcoat of his robe, the customary garment of his people, two sub-layers of fabric, and his own feathers between the puppy’s maw and his skin, but that didn’t stop it from hurting.
Psudo let go of Nocty, who tried to scuffle off, but, unused to walking with the extra thick bulk between his legs, only managed a handful of steps before his caretaker covered the distance and yanked him up to eye level by the scruff of his neck. The puppy yelped in discomfort, knowing that being held like that meant punishment, and opted to fight for the life of him rather than suffer whatever the owl was going to do to him.
“Nocty, what did I tell you about biting?!” Psudo said, barely audible over the puppy’s wailing, then laid out the linen blanket and pinned the puppy to a corner of it with his free hand. The owl began rolling up Nocty like a carpet, making doubly sure that he couldn’t loosen it enough to escape, and then prevented it from being unraveled with a pair of tension pins. Nocty was in full uproar by this point, though the tightly woven fabric was too tight around him for him to squirm free. Psudo carried the bundled pup into the living room, set him down on the couch, then left to make certain the pup hadn’t done any real damage. When he returned ten minutes later, the crying and wailing had died down to low threats with a bit of growling, a sign that he was half way between fight and obedience.
“There, are you going to be good, now?” Psudo said, poking the puppy’s belly through the thick fabric cocoon. Nocty glared at him in reply, staring daggers at the owl and raising his hackles as he scratched behind his ears. He would calm down in time, Psudo knew, and a child’s memory was short. While the pup cooled down after his tantrum, Psudo went and warmed his nursing bottle, which was already filled with lukewarm milk. Normally Nocty didn’t nurse, especially with his parents, who thought it would weaken him for some reason, but Psudo knew that the wolf pup liked suckling, and that it was a good way to calm him down after a fit. He returned with the bottle, and Nocty visibly relaxed. “Drink up, pup.”
Nocty suckled the bottle, cloth wrappings forgotten, and, when he finished it, was in a visibly better mood.
“There’s my happy puppy,” Psudo said with an affectionate smile, and leaned in to nuzzle him.
“I’m sorry I bit you…” Nocty said in a sinsere apology now that he had calmed down, “can I come out, now?” Psudo grinned, and released the pins that were keeping the bundle closed, but left Nocty the blanket to wrap about himself. Something to snuggle with always curbed the three year old’s relentless energy. He turned on the TV to Nocty’s favorite cartoon network, then went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks, a sippy cup, and his paperwork for the day. Psudo left the wolf cozy and happy with a leak-proof kid’s cup of grape juice, Nocty’s favorite kind, and a plastic plate with apple slices and cinnamon, then went to the desk in the corner, binder in hand, safe in the knowledge that it would be well past noon when his stead would need further attention, a diaper change, lunch, more milk, and a nap.
When Psudo had first moved south from his homeland to the urban, industrial Lupine Confederacy, he had acquired a small apartment near one of the nation’s few remaining parks, which he visited frequently, and worked as a record keeper and translator for the local state department, sifting through thousands of pieces of paper and picking out those that were of actual relevance. It paid well, much better than any job he could have found in his own country, but costs were also exorbitantly higher, as well, especially in the cities. Add to that that a majority of the city residence had a fraction of his education, mostly having dropped out of school after they passed some sort of rite of passage, the details of which they had refused to give him, and one might think he would have been well off in the Lupine Confederacy. The result, unfortunately, was far from that ideal. He hadn’t counted on the foreign worker tax, and the taxes for not being enrolled in the city militia, and a half dozen other political money grabs intended to make it neigh impossible for a non-wolf to make a legal, comfortable living. Eventually he had been forced to forsake the apartment, as his rent was eating up the majority of his monthly wage, but chanced upon the opportunity to take up residence with a local police officer and his wife for a fraction of the rent, under the condition that he take care of Nocty, their pup, while they were away on their frequent government issued stations.
The better part of a year had elapsed since the owl had joined their family, and Nocty had even taken up calling him by the outrageous nickname of Uncca Psudo, which he always found amusing. Nocty was a fighter in every sense of the word, and often incurred his mother’s strict hand in discipline. Psudo had always detested the way the wolves, and the mother in particular, treated their child, often spanking him with implements when he disobeyed, which was frequent. He saw it as a cruel, brutal method that lacked reason, but didn’t see it as his place as tenant to interfere directly, even though Nocty was leaps and bounds better behaved when under his sole care.
Psudo had kept his job at the state department, but had opted to work from home so as to keep a closer eye on the pup. He still had to go in, occasionally, but would normally either go at night, since the ministry was open 24/7, or put Nocty down for a nap, first. At any rate, he poured over the dozens of papers and reports, consolidating the data and information contained within into a single, summary document to the noise of Nocty’s playful laughter and messy eating at his back. It always made him feel good to see the puppy happy.
Noontime came and Psudo promptly felt the puppy pulling on the back of his robes, “Uncca Psudo, when’s lunchtime?” The owl closed his book of notes and sat up from his chair, knowing he wouldn’t get a word down on paper until the puppy was satisfied, but didn’t begrudge him the food. Neither of his parents were particularly good at cooking, and meals were often simple, leaving much to be desired. After a quick conversation about meal choices with the pup, Psudo opted to make pancakes for the both of them, and dug out the necessary ingredients from the fridge after securing the puppy in his high chair. Nocty was too energetic and feisty to sit in one place for longer than two minutes without constant stimulation, and actually required a childproof latch. He fed Nocty the pancakes, the puppy eating greedily after his long morning of acting out the scenes in the cartoons and making his own sound effects, and Psudo gladly fed him the fluffy pancakes in the knowledge that he would likely be fast asleep inside of a half hour, allowing him to be put down for a nap, which would, in turn, allow Psudo to take a sizable chunk out of his weekly work schedule this afternoon. Clockwork.
Nocty finished his lunch and another sippy cup filled with apple juice before raising his paws up to be taken back to the TV for more cartoons. Instead of going immediately back to his work, Psudo took the pup in one arm, and his own lunch in the other, and carried them both to the living room and coffee table. Nocty had made a mess of his snack, naturally, but Psudo pushed aside the half eaten apple slices for the time being. Nocty would probably eat them, anyway. As if in rebellion against his estimate, Nocty took the better part of an hour to yawn, drowse, and fall asleep on the throw cushions. The owl grinned down at the sleeping puppy, gently tugged him onto his lap, and took a moment to hold him close. He had gradually become Nocty’s primary caregiver, even when his parents were around, and he felt no small amount of affection for him, no matter his shortcomings.
They must have sat there together for ten minutes, Nocty curled up asleep around his plushy, thumb stuck firmly in his mouth, Psudo’s feathery wings encasing him. But then the serenity of the moment was broken by the firm, rhythmic rapping of fist against door that was used exclusively by members of the Lupine police force and military.
The owl was somewhat shocked at the interruption, but knew better than to keep an officer or a soldier waiting, and set aside Nocty as quickly as he could without waking him and hurried over to the front door, which he opened. It was a single soldier, a messenger by the looks of him, who held his hands together in front of him with a sealed government envelope. The soldier glanced over the owl, foreigners being rare enough that his kind were a novelty, but delivered his message anyway.
“Is this the Wolfe residence?” The soldier asked, a gruff wolf in his twenties with a scar about the hairline.
“It is, how may I help you?” Psudo replied, closing the door quietly and stepping outside.
“What is your position in this household?” the wolf replied, looking skeptically at the owl. Avians were a novelty, but not precisely exotic.
“Tennant housekeeper and child caregiver-“ was as far as Psudo got before the soldier cut him off.
“There’s a pup?” the wolf said, stepping forwards, then realized he was making the owl uneasy, and stepped back. “Does he have any elder relatives?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Psudo replied, growing suspicious himself, but not ready to lie. Nocty’s parents scarcely ever spoke of their families, and he had never asked.
“No aunts? Uncles? Grandparents?” The soldier continued, growing ever more anxious. When Psudo declined knowledge of any of the above, he sighed, and handed a brown government envelope to the owl, who opened it promptly and began reading over the contents. As he read it, Psudo’s expression changed from one of curiosity to one of confusion, then, finally one of shock and fear.
“I’m- I’m sorry, I don’t believe I’ve read this correctly…” Psudo stammered, much unlike his normal, elegant tongue, then offered the envelope back to the soldier, who wouldn’t take it.
“There’s no mistake,” the wolf said, matter of factly, clearly having delivered this sort of message before, “Acacia and Kinai Wolfe were both critically injured during the riots this morning.” It took a moment for Psudo to wrap his head around the concept. Anywhere food was scarce, and the Lupine Confederacy was famous for putting its officials and military before the general public regarding rationing, riots were a natural part of life. According to the document, both partners has been eating lunch together on the other side of the extensive city. When violence broke out, Kinai had rushed to aid his fellow law enforcement, but they had been overrun, and many had been beaten. The brief, formal notification was thankfully light on details. Psudo opened his beak to question their current status, what with the message saying that they had been admitted to the local hospital together, but the wolf anticipated this, and cut him off, “both Officer Wolfe and his mate passed some hours after being admitted to the hospital of their extensive injuries.”
The owl was aghast, and not only because of the home it would likely cost him. Both parents dead in one fell swoop? What would become of Nocty? He asked as much, having no idea as to the quality of social services for orphans in the LC, but knew it would be harsh on him, regardless.
“The cub will be taken into the hands of the state, what with his parents gone,” the soldier said, but didn’t seem like he believed the words he would saying, “a social worker will be around to collect him, tomorrow. May I see his state card?”
Psudo nodded in the affirmative, and searched through his wallet for the plastic ID card that, as Nocty’s caretaker, he had to have at all times when out with him. The wolf read it over, and, even through a thick layer of black fur, his face went pale, “you… didn’t tell me he was a failure…” the wolf said, then handed the card back to him by a corner, as though it were contaminated with something. Psudo took it, and considered questioning him about exactly what he meant, but the wolf cut him off, again, “listen, I know he’s not your cub, and I can’t officially recommend that you… take care of the pup before the collector arrives tomorrow, but that would be the merciful thing to do… it would be much quicker for him than starving in the State Youth Society.
“I beg your pardon?!” Psudo gasped, beak hanging open, “explain yourself. What are you implying?”
Normally he wouldn’t have been so bold with an authority figure, especially a soldier, but the wolf didn’t seem to take offence, “I imply nothing, but if you want to save the pup from more pain than he’ll survive, you won’t let him be here when the social services arrive tomorrow, one way or another.” With that said, the wolf turned on a dime and walked down the path to the road, a folder of other letters clearly mounted to the dashboard of the rusted car he was driving, probably containing identical letters for the kindred of anyone else who had been killed or injured in the riot. The soldier climbed into his car and drove away, leaving Psudo too shocked to move, leaning against the brick and plaster front wall of the wolves home, and holding the letter close. He couldn’t tell Nocty…
A few minutes passed until the owl was steady enough to collect himself, and go back inside of the house. Nocty was still comfortably in his niche of the couch, right where Psudo had left him, still fast asleep. Psudo looked down at the sheet of paper still clutched in his hand, then rolled his eyes at it. This wasn’t going to be an easy choice, and he wouldn’t be able to make it intelligently unless he was clear of head.
Clear head, wise course, Psudo thought to himself, closing the downstairs bathroom door behind him, and turning on the hot shower before carefully stripping his many layered robes and leaving them in a neat pile atop the toilet. The owl stepped right into the scalding hot water, trusting the steam to help draw blood to his head, and began unraveling the knot that was his suddenly shattered circumstance. Once he had calmed somewhat, Psudo laid out the groundwork, I can’t stay here, and neither can Nocty… The puppy was family to him by this point, and he no more would have considered leaving him to foster care, and poor foster care at that, than he would throw him off a bridge. Add to that that what little semblance of an economy the Lupine confederacy had had more or less collapsed over the past year, with many of its industrial sectors turning into slums, the odds of Psudo acquiring another home, quickly, that could meet the needs of both him and the budding cub, wasn’t out of his price range, and wasn’t infested with three breeds of cockroaches were, to use the technical term, shit. The owl sighed, turning off the water. It was unpleasant, but it was the only option that remained to him: Psudo would have to take the cub, and leave the confederacy, and his well-paying job, behind.
With a course of action now set upon, the owl was as productive as he was strained, turning his rattled nerves to increased speed of packing while Nocty was still asleep, wrapped up in the blanket Psudo had provided him with. Over the next hour, he gathered his personal belongings. He was a person of many words and few objects, and had been provided with much of what he required by the industrious Wolfe family when he moved in. His handful of books, spare set of robes, and two or three family heirlooms all fit into his leather suitcase snugly, just as they had when he had moved in a year ago. He also gathered his work folders. The city in which he had resided was less than an hour’s drive from the border between the Lupine Confederacy and his homeland, meaning that he could probably keep his job, and the fine wage that came with it, if he were willing to brave the international traffic once every few weeks. He made a mental note to figure out the details once Nocty was safe, and set his suitcases by the door. A quick glance at the time showed it to be middle afternoon by this point, almost four. The owl cursed under his breath, knowing that the border, while quick and easy to cross during the day, was often patrolled at night. He would be taking the family’s car, a healthily dated sedan, and didn’t want to have to explain why he was taking a cub and a pile of possessions out of the country in the nominally stolen car of a dead couple to any officials if he could help it.
Psudo ran the numbers in his head, trying to factor in Nocty’s upkeep to his own, and realized that the cub might burn through his savings if he wasn’t careful. The owl sighed with relief, having hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but went upstairs and tapped around for the hidden wall compartment that the couple had kept. He had found it while cleaning their room one day by accident, and hadn’t brought it up to them. They were a nice couple, and it grieved him to the core to take their savings, only justified by his sudden responsibility to raise their cub for them. He would make certain every cent was spent in the puppy’s interest, and further justified his actions with the knowledge that, on a hired cleaner’s pay, the contents would likely be stolen anyway, and at least this way Nocty’s late parents could give one last gift to him, even if delivered by other hands.
Inside the hidden compartment, hidden by a removable baseboard, was their reasonable stash of money, Acacia’s handful of jewelry, and a secondary stack of bills with Nocty’s name written the label. He presumed it was to be used for the cub’s future education or some such thing, and intentionally kept it separate from the other, larger stack, with intentions to give it to him when he was older, if he meant to return to his home. Psudo knew he would have to sell the majority of the jewelry if he was to keep Nocty fed and in diapers, but set aside a few of Acacias favorites, his parent’s wedding rings (always kept hidden while off duty), and his father’s first officer badge for the wolf to keep as heirlooms when he was older.
With a heavy heart, Psudo bagged the entire take and added it to his luggage, then set about packing for Nocty. The pup had many sets of clothes, and Psudo dug through them all, casting aside any that were too small, and taking only a selection of favorites, besides. The puppy would be teased to bits in pants and a T-shirt where he was going, so it would be best if he only took around the house clothes and undergarments, pajamas, and that sort of thing. The owl knew from heart which toys to bring, and intentionally took a large selection, knowing he’d have to entertain the pup endlessly without television, bless its inventor, to tide him over the day. A second suitcase was filled with his warmest sheets, pillows, and all the diapers he could find. He would need every one of them.
The easy part’s done, Psudo thought, setting Nocty’s suitcases with his own, and knowing that waking the sleeping cub and explaining the dire situation to him would be next. Maybe I can just leave with him asleep, and let him wake up when we get there… He dismissed the ridiculous notion, and girded himself for the inevitable crying that would ensue, totally justified under the circumstances, and that the owl would have to, by force if necessary, bring the pup away from everything he had ever known to a place where he’d almost never see someone of his own kind, be expected to adapt to vastly different circumstances, and adjust to a society that was very much the polar opposite of his own.
“N-Nocty?” Psudo said, nudging the blanketed pup slightly, and watching him stir, “I need you to wake up, now. We have to go.” He wasn’t even lying on that part. It was half past six after all the packing was done, and he needed to make stops on his way out.
“I dun wanna go…” Nocty said, still mostly asleep, and Psudo nudged harder. “Wha? Whasgoinon? Uncca Psudo?” The nickname sent a pang of pain into the owl’s already grieved heart, and he picked up the cub, holding him close to chest.
“We- need to talk…” Psudo said, sitting down again and holding Nocty in his lap, “your parents have… have…”
“Have what?” Nocty replied, sensing something was amiss from the owl’s strange behavior.
“Gone away,” Psudo said lamely, knowing he wouldn’t be able to tell him the truth, but cut Nocty off when he looked like he would ask questions, “It was a work thing, and you won’t see them again for a while, I don’t know how long.” Psudo knew that he was only delaying the pain of the truth for a future day, but hoped Nocty would be better able to handle the news when he was older, and had adjusted more readily, and that he would be better able to give it.
“Buh when’s they coming back?” Nocty asked, looking confused and a little concerned.
“I don’t know,” Psudo lied, “but we’re going to have to go up north. You’ll be staying with me for a while, okay?” He grinned, trying to make it as amenable as possible to the little pup, then, when he saw that Nocty was about to question him again, said what he must, “think of it as a vacation, little one. You’ll get to see where I grew up. Wouldn’t you like that?” The puppy’s grin showed across his face at the mention of a vacation, and he nodded his approval.
“Buh shouldn’t we leave a note so they know where we went?” Nocty asked, and started gathering a blank sheet of paper and some crayons. Psudo grunted, always hating to tell the pup no, but put a restraining hand on his shoulder. It might be better if the government officials thought Nocty were gone, and, if he knew the interior of the Lupine government as well as he thought he did, they would probably just shrug when they came to find no cub and no caretaker, then leave to find their next address, but if there was a note left, specifying what had happened, there might be an inquiry, and a demand for the pup’s return sent to Psudo. He hoped to avoid that if at all possible, and the Pandora’s box of headaches it would create.
“They told me to take you there, Nocty,” Psudo said. If he had teeth, he would have been lying through them by this point, “they’ll know exactly where you’ll be. I’ve packed for you, we need to go or we’ll be late for the border crossing.”
After a bit of cajoling, and a promise of pizza for dinner, which Nocty loved, Psudo buckled the wolf pup into his car booster seat in the back, packed their bags into the trunk of the family car, and handed Wolf, Nocty’s tiger plush, to the playful pup in the back seat. With a sigh, he turned and looked over the middle class home that he might never see again. One day, when he was older, he would return the family photo album to Nocty. There were pictures of the house within, and of his parents. Surely that would be helpful for him, after he learned what really happened to his family, wouldn’t it?
With another sigh, this one of real emotional loss, the owl stepped into the front door of the car, turned the ignition, and drove off into the setting spring sun, conscious weighing heavily on him. Five minutes into the car ride, he handed back a bottle of warmed milk to Nocty, hoping it would put him back to sleep for the trip. He checked the time, almost seven, and knew that he would have to break a few speed laws to get there before dark. Letting the clock weigh in his mind ahead of the obvious guilt he should be feeling, spiriting away a small cub from his home to save him from a ruthless government agency that would likely starve him because he was… what had the soldier called it? A failure? What had Nocty failed at, exactly? He was three for wind’s sake. Psudo figured he’d inquire about it later on, and figure out what the heck the soldier had meant.
With a little peace from Nocty, who saw fit to point out every last interesting thing he saw out the back windows, the owl assembled a small grocery list, which he acquired from a large bulk-buyer store using the money he had taken from the family stores. Hundreds of cans of baby food, cases of diapers, and the pizza he had promised Nocty, though he would have to wait until morning to eat it. He also made a stop at his local bank branch, where he withdrew the majority of his funds in his homeland’s currency, knowing he would need it to buy what Nocty would need if he was to fit in.
With all errands done, Psudo made headway at 20 clicks over the speed limit on the highway, knowing full well the police wouldn’t care unless he hit someone, or had sirens already following him, desperate to reach the border before it closed at eight. The car passed the invisible northern line that divided the two nations at five to eight, scarce minutes before police cars would block the road and inspect every car that passed. Another half hour’s drive in waning sunlight saw them into forest country, then deeply forested country with ancient cobblestone roads and older bridges. Psudo didn’t use the headlights, his owl eyes able to distinguish every detail perfectly despite the darkness of night and tree cover. It was almost full moon, and total blackness when Psudo finally arrived at their destination, emotionally and physically exhausted. With scarcely a care in the world, he took the sleeping puppy from his car seat, carried him to the front door of the owl’s ancestral home, and went inside. Tomorrow, a new chapter of Nocty’s life would begin.