Yet another collab between me and Charlestonrat. In this story, we play a father and son who has lost the woman in the relationship. Dad words at a zoo. I think you see where this is going. Feel good story ahead :D


A PDF is included if you don't want to fight reading the comment section :P



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Asine Healing

By Born2beagator and Charlestonrat

The sun was just rising over the tin rooftops and wooden sign, of which read in bold writing 'Little n' Large Animal Zoo'. The sound of a ratty engine and clunky wheels rolled in as the car drove past, outside the gates on the tarmac car park. It turned at a sign, 'Staff Parking Only'.

Once it ground to a halt, sending its passengers flying even though the car was only moving at a mile an hour, a short, tubby man with a weakly grown beard, wearing a green uniform and holding a broom in his hand, plodded out of the car. He paused for a moment to take in the fresh air. "Jake, you are coming aren't you?"

"What's the point dad?" The 12 year old asked as he hopped out of the car. "The zoo isn't fun anymore since mom died." The young boy had been thoroughly depressed in the week since the passing of his mom in a car accident, and he was close to giving up on school. He was in the 6th grade, close to 7th, but the desire just wasn't there.

"Well, you needed a break from being indoors all day, lad" said Robert, turning to look at his son playing on a Nintendo DS. He sighed, "It's just a shame you brought the indoors with you"

Jake looked up from his game and sighed. He threw it back into the truck. "Okay, you have my attention." He said, throwing his hands up.

"Come on son, put on a brave face" Robert soothed as he patted his son on the back, watching him get out of the car. "And besides, these animals are all really friendly, even the lions! They'll help you to cheer up" He thought about what he said, to 'put on a brave face'. He really should have been saying that in the mirror.

"Put on a brave face? Really dad? I'm not scared. I'm depressed." Jake said as he trudged forward into the zoo.

Robert frowned. "Now son, don't get moody at me. Your mother would have told you exactly the same thing"

"Yeah, I guess you are right. Now why are we here exactly?" Jake asked. "I could have stayed home and did school work."

Robert began to walk, using his broom like a cane. "I told you, I just thought you could do with a day out of the house and get a breath of fresh air. And, since you and I don't see each other much, I thought this would be a nice way to spend some time together for once" He braced himself for the response, which was most likely going to be "well, your job is pathetic"

"What do you mean we don't see each other much? We live in the same house." Jake said in confusion.

They were just entering the back gates, far less glamorous than the front ones. "Yeah, but you're always at home alone and I'm always here at work. And when we do meet at tea time, you seem to spend most of your time on one of your gadgets"

"I guess you're right. Alright, you have my attention for the day." Jake said. "Lets' just get where we are going."

Robert swiped his pass and signed himself in, keeping the door wedged open so Jake could walk through. "No problem. Let me just check my schedule."

He took out a clipboard from a nearby filing cabinet and flicked through the sheets until he saw his name. His eyes squinted slightly as he read it, "looks like the Donkey enclosure is our first port of call. Why don't you lead the way, sonny boy?"

"I don't know my way around. You lead." Jake said. "But you know, I've always like donkeys. They make the funniest noise. They also never have to worry about a thing. Then again I guess all animals are like that..."

Robert gave his son a strange smile. With all of the time he spent playing video games and chatting to online friends, half of which he knew he never met in real life, he was surprised to know his son was so into animals. Maybe his son wasn't as close to being a typical teenager as he thought he was.

He led the way through the hidden passageways to the donkey enclosure, and opened the door for him, with his broom in hand. He smiled at Jake. "Mind the muck when you step in"

Jake stepped into the wide open pasture and saw three donkeys. Two stood by each other, clearly a male and female mated. The female was definitely expecting a foal soon. But off to the side was a single jenny, all by herself. "Dad? Why is that one alone?"

Robert spotted the droppings, and began to sweep them up. "Erm, to be honest, I'm not sure why she's alone. She did have another male donkey to be with, but the two never mated, so he was sold to another zoo to save on the food bill."

"Does she have a name?" Jake asked. For some reason, he felt sorry for this donkey.

Robert paused, and looked at her, trying to remember it. "I think her name is Jessie."

Jake walked towards Jessie. The donkey looked up and brayed at him before returning to her grazing. Jake laughed despite himself. He loved the sound donkeys made, it was unique. Stopping near her, she brought her head up and examined him with one big brown eye.

"I bet you are lonely, aren't you Jessie." Jake said as he scratched behind her ear. Soon he was scratching all up and down her front legs, all the way to her hoof. Jake gave a giggle as he felt her nibble his hair.

"I understand, I don't have a complete family either...Well enjoy your grass!" Jake said as he headed back to Robert.

Robert looked at his son curiously as he walked out of the pen. "You seem to really like her, don't you?"

Jake shrugged. "It's just a donkey. But I can identify with her. She has a happy family living in there with her, while she is all alone, she constantly sees what she can't have."

Robert looked at the donkey, munching on her grass, with a depth he hadn't looked at anyone or anything with, since he first met his former wife. He'd just finished mucking up. "Yeah... I suppose she doesn't... anyhow, it's off to the penguins next."

The rest of the day went by slowly. Robert would explain things about each animal, and Jake would nod as if he was listening. In truth, he was thinking about that donkey. She and his family were so alike. Constantly, they were reminded of what they could never have, a complete family. Finally, Robert finished his duties. "Now what?" Jake asked.

"Well, it's lunchtime. I think we should get something to eat, don't you. Come along, the restaurant's food is like cardboard. Let's get some fruits from the staff only section, shall we? I'll lead the way." Robert said.

Jake wasn't very hungry, at least not for food from a kitchen meant for animals. But he made do with a bowl of fruit consisting of some apple slices, strawberries, grapes, and kiwi. Jake had always liked fruit, but for some reason, there was an aftertaste to this fruit, almost as if he were sucking on a piece of hay. "Dad...does this taste strange to you?"

Robert ate the food with Jake, but he also found it to taste rather strange. "You know" he chewed with his mouth full, "the food in the returns might taste awful, but the fruits here usually taste better. I'm not sure what they've done to it."

He checked his watch, "yikes, I'm supposed to be in the penguin enclosure now! How about you go on ahead, I'll catch up once. I'm done eating. I'm sure you know your way around now!"

"Dad? Can I go back to the donkeys instead?" Jake asked. He wanted to see Jessie again.

"Wow, you really like those donkeys, don't you" Robert laughed. "Alright then, you can go ahead to the Donkey enclosure. Just make sure none of the guests see you, they'll get jealous that you're getting closer to them than they can be."

Jake excitedly left. He really didn't care about the other animals. He identified with Jessie

Robert was just stuffing the left over pieces of an apple into his mouth, trying to finish his food before getting back to work. As he got his things together again, one of his coworkers walked in, not giving him an all too friendly look, and noticed what he was eating.

"You weren't eating the fruit, were you? I pumped that with medicine only an hour ago!"

The mushed food fell from Roberts gaping mouth as he stared at his coworker. It suddenly clicked to him, that that was the after taste. "What animal was the medicine for?"

She answered him without making eye contact as she rushed out of the kitchen. "It was for the donkeys."

Robert just stood there, still gawping...
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Meanwhile in the donkey enclosure, Jake was petting Jessie contently. "You know girl, you have it so easy. No worries, no school, the only thing you have to worry about is which grass is best. Sometimes I envy you."

Jessie brayed at him, and nudged him against her side.

"What is it girl?" Jake asked. His stomach growled at him. He caught sight of the donkey's teats. "Donkey milk? I wonder if it's any different than cow milk?" His stomach grumbled at him again and Jessie gave him another nudge. "Maybe one sip..." With that, Jake got on his knees and took a teat in his hands. Squeezing it a bit, he put it in his mouth and began to suck. The milk started flowing. It was warm and earthy tasting, not at all like cow milk, but it wasn't bad. Plus it was sating his hunger. Feeling a pleasant tingle in his ears, he continuing nursing from Jessie.

The door opened as Robert stumbled through, still with the broom in his hand. He saw the sight if his son kneeling up against the donkeys torso, but he couldn't see what he was actually doing. "Jason, what are you doing down there?"

"Crap." Jake quickly let go of the teat. He looked up to see his dad looking down at him quizzically. "I was petting her, that's all."

Robert noticed the corner of Jakes mouth. "What's that dripping from your cheek?"

Jake quickly wiped his mouth. "Leftovers from lunch?"

Robert didn't know what to think. "I didn't know they had milk in the kitchen."

"I found some." Jake said as his stomach gurgled and his ears tingled. "Now what?"

"How were you petting her there? I've never seen a donkey petted in that way before? Perhaps you'd like to show me something?" Robert asked.

"No, its fine, she seemed to like it though." Jake said. I liked it more. He thought to himself as another tingle ran through his ears.

Robert was a little disappointed about this. He felt like he was missing out on something that Jake was really enjoying. "Well, because were having a father-son day, I thought we could skip going home and instead go out for dinner. I'm sure they wouldn't mind my uniform at Luigi's"

The ride to Luigi's gave Jake some time to think. The feeling in his ears was a constant companion, but it wasn't unpleasant so he ignored it. He thought back to what he had just done. He'd nursed from a donkey like he was her foal. What was wrong with him? Still, the taste had gotten better the longer he had nursed, and he remembered how unhappy he was when he had to stop. Maybe he could go back sometime for another sip? As long as no one saw him, who cared if he was acting like an animal for a few minutes?

Robert parked his clunky banger skiff in the next available space, and hopped out of the car, holding his tubby belly as it grumbled. "Are you hungry, Jake? I bet you'd love a Hawaiian tonight!"

"I'm not terribly hungry." Jake said, rubbing his stomach. How could he have been? He'd filled up on the donkey's milk. "Maybe just a small salad."

Robert was confused by this response, but he didn't see any wrong in it. Jake had been filing up on so much junk food lately, it was about time he got some greens in him. They both made their way to the restaurant, which was dim and brown in color, obviously designed to make the diners more hungry.

They waited for their table, and Robert made his order before. The two of them were handed empty bowls by the waitress, who said thin in a thick French accent "Free salad. The salad area is just to the right"

Jake got up and headed to the salad bar. Looking over the offerings, he scratched his ears a bit. They itched now. He put his bowl down and rubbed them. There was an intense tingling sensation, then it subsided. Shrugging, he picked up the bowl and got a bit of salad before sitting down.

Robert followed behind, filling his bowl up on some salad. He was keeping an eye on Jake though, not because of the excess ear scratching, but because of the fact that Jake had barely put any tasty things in his bowl. No cheeses, no croutons, no dressings or sauces, nothing like that! It was all green leaves. He filled up his bowl and sat opposite his son, ready to tuck into his salad before pizza arrived.

Jake nibbled absentmindedly at his salad. He really wasn't hungry, so full on milk as he was. But at least the leaves were really good. They were very easy to eat as well, his flat back teeth seemed to be made for leaves. He just sat there, nibbling, thoughts wandering back to the donkey he had nursed from.

Robert stopped tucking into his salad the moment his pizza was placed on the table, a huge, round pizza topped off with about 3 different kinds of pizza toppings in one. It was one part spicy, one part margarita, and one part seafood. He didn't care if the taste made other people vomit, because for him, it was like all of his favorite toppings rolled into one.

He munched on his first slice, his fingers getting greasy. He watched Jake as he ate his salad in deep thought. "Jake, you're thinking about something, what's on your mind?"

"Donkeys." He said simply.

"Again" said Robert. "Since when were you so obsessed with donkeys?"

Jake shrugged. "Don't know, I just love everything about them. Their soft gray fur, their long ears, their ropy tails, their unique sounds..."

Robert pictured what a donkey looks like in his mind. He didn't know it, but he was thinking of Jessie. "Well, I suppose they are kind of attractive to look at." He scratched his ears before continuing to stuff his cheeks with crust.

Jake finished his salad. Another tingle ran through him, and suddenly, he felt like he was sitting on a soft rock. "Ohhhh...." He moaned.

"What's wrong" Robert asked, pausing his munching for a moment.

"I'll be right back." Jake said, heading to the bathroom. Making sure no one would disturb him, he pulled the hem of his jeans down.

"What the..." Jake saw a swollen area of skin right above his crack, feeling it, he realized that it was covered in a velvety layer of hair. Then he looked back into the mirror and notice that his ears now had points to them, and were a grayish color at the tips.

Like they should be. A voice in his head said. He thought back to Jessie and smiled, forgetting about the changes. Heading back out he sat down gently, suppressing a moan as he felt himself sit on the swollen area.

"Are you sure you're alright" asked Robert, on his final slice of the pizza.

"Ahhhaww....never better." Jake said as he enjoyed the feeling of pressure on his spine.

Robert kept looking at Jason for a moment, still sensing something wasn't right, before finishing off his pizza and calling the waitress back for the check.

Jake got up and followed his dad out. Getting in the car, they drove home in silence. The moment they got home, Jake headed to bed. He was incredibly tired.
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Jake felt safe. Jessie gave him a nuzzle between his long ears as he grazed. Looking up at his mother, the young foal gave a happy bray. The strong jack next to Jake's mother returned his bray. Happily Jake returned to his grazing. As he ate, he watched humans walk by their enclosure. He was glad he wasn't one of those strange two legged creatures. They always looked so worried. He gave a happy bray and lay down with his family.
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Jake woke with a start. "Wow, what a weird dream." Scratching at the intense itch on his ears, he lay in bed. A thought kept running through his head. "Momma is at the zoo." He thought back to Jessie, how he had felt while nursing. Looking at his clock, he saw it was midnight. His dad was snoring from the next room. Gingerly, he got up and got some clothes on, then snuck out of the house and headed for the zoo a short bike ride from his house.

The darkened zoo was deserted. But he knew where he was going. As if under the guidance of an unknown instinct, he headed back to the donkeys and let himself in. "JessieEEEE?" He called, coughing as he felt his voice break into a high pitched squeal at the end.

"Hee-haw!"

"There you are girl! I'm hungry again." Jake said. This was great, no one would see him, and he could have all the milk he wanted. Dropping to his knees he didn't bother to take the teat in his hand, he used his lips to grip it and began sucking, the warm milk filling him. He relaxed and let himself pretend he was her foal. The occasion nibbles from her helped with that. Finally he was full. Another tingle surged through his body and he felt like his ears were being pulled on gently. But it quickly subsided.

"Well momma, I better head home before dad gets up! Thanks!" Jake called as he left, either not noticing or caring that he'd just called an animal momma. Quietly, he crept into bed and fell into the happiest sleep he had had in a long time.

Jakes door creaked open as Robert, wiping his panda eyes from having to be woken up by the alarm, walked into Jakes dark room and turned on the lights. "Morning, Jake" he greeted.

"Ahhawwww...Dad? Why are we getting up so early?" Jake asked from under the covers.

Robert plodded over to Jakes bed where he saw the figure of a human being wrapped tightly in the sheets, "have you forgotten you have school to get to? We're already late waking up."

He put his hand to his forehead, "Ugh, myeeeeee haaaawd!"

"What's wrong dad?" Jake asked, sitting up.

Robert rubbed his forehead hard, "I dunno son, I have a real headache this morning. It must have been something we a-" He froze when he opened his eyes a little and saw Jake staring at him. "Jake... your ears!"

"What about them?" Jake asked in confusion.

Roberts jaw wobbled as he pointed, "They're not human! Feel them, Jake!"

"What are you talking about?" Jake felt his ears, slightly velvety and three inches long, just like they should be. "My ears are fine dad, they look no different than yours." He said as he got up and headed to the closet to get dressed for school.

Robert watched as Jake walked out, and couldn't help but notice a line of shorter, blacker fur which were almost shaped like huge teeth marks. He looked and wondered why his ear looked like this.
But then, Robert had something else creep into his mind. "What does he mean they're no different than mine!"

He dived to the nearest mirror, the bathroom cabinet, and saw them there. His ears had grown taller, pointier, and slightly duller as a fine layer of grey fur grew out from them. He shook his head, his headache still piercing through his mind, and told himself he wasn't well. "Jake, are you sure you feel a hundred percent well?"

"Never better dad. I feel happy this morning!" Jake said, now dressed for school.

"Ok" whispered Robert, "Ok, son, you get yourself ready for school. I just need to get my head clear a moment." He sat on the toilet, feeling a slight fuzziness at his lower back, and rested his face in his palms, trying desperately to wake himself up.

As Jake finished his morning grooming, his mind wandered back to Jessie. He was happy this morning, but for some reason, he missed her a lot. "Okawwwy dad. Ready."

Robert plodded down the stairs, still in his pajamas. "Son, you're going to have to walk to school on your own. I can't drive this morning, I think I've come down with something. I keep seeing weird things everywhere. I'm sorry you'll be late for school, but if I was behind the wheel, we'd end up in a ditch." And with that, he walked over to the lounge and flopped onto his sofa, belly first.

"Okay dad. I hope you feel better." Jake headed out. School was about a 20 minute walk. But as he neared the school, he caught sight of the zoo. A strange feeling came over him. "Momma..." He whispered. Forgetting about school. He went into the zoo, able to sneak in because of the throngs of people. Ignoring all the other animals, he went straight for the donkey enclosure and let himself in. There was Jessie. Jake all but ran to the donkey, throwing his arms around her neck. "I can spend all day with you today mommy!" He said happily. His stomach grumbled. Knowing exactly what to do, he immediately got to his hands and knees and began nursing.

Jessie gave a soft bray and nibble the tips of Jakes ears.

"Hawhaw! I love you too mommy!" Jake said happily. Sure treating a donkey as his mother seemed a bit strange, but in the absence of his human mother, this animal had been very kind to him. As he nursed, the pleasant tingle entered his ears again. Finally full, he sat down against Jessie for a nap, enjoying the feeling of pressure on his spine and the weights on the sides of his heads. She nuzzled him, and before he knew it, fell asleep.

Robert, after some 30 minutes collapsed on his bearded face, pushed himself up off the sofa with all the strength he could muster. It was like his spine was only just able to carry the weight of him being upright. He sighed to himself, "Well, I might as well get on with SOME work. So, he lolloped out from the sofa and plonked himself in his office chair.

He searched through the phone book, and found the zoos number. Immediately, he began to ring it, and it was only a matter of seconds before it was answered.

It was a little weird, feeling the velvety skin rub against the plastic on one, but he smiled a little as it did so.

"Hi Angela...I'm at home, I don't feel at all well, so I really can't come into work today. You don't have to pay me." There was a long pause.... "How's that...? Well, maybe someone just cleaned the donkeys out for me already, that'll explain why it was unlocked. Weird that you can't find anyone in there though... anyways, I've got work to catch up on at home, bye." The phone clinked back down onto its hook.

Then, he opened his laptop, and opened up the chart that he'd been trying to ignore all this time. The title of the chart was simply 'Finances'. There was a line graph, with a red line that diagonally jumped up and down as it moved closer to the right, every step up it made though, it made two down. And with some typing on his keyboard, as thick as his hands felt, the red line fell below the horizontal line.

He almost began to she'd a tear as he whimpered, "we're going to be homeless. I just know it." Soon, the phone rang for him, and he answered it... "Mr. NIGHYYYY here" he hiccuped. "H-how may I help...? Isn't he...? Mr. Hile, how am I supposed to know where he is?" And that's when it clicked in his mind as to who entered the donkey pen without him. He slowly put the phone back to his ear, "Give me about an hour, I think. I might know where he is."

It took him half an hour to walk to the zoo, but once he got there, out of his uniform, he snuck in and entered the donkey pen straight away. He had a look around, and nobody was there. There weren't even any park visitors interested in the donkeys today. So, he turned around to make his exit.

But that's when he saw them... Jessie sleeping peacefully in her little grass patch, with what looked like a smile on her face, and his son, curled up into a ball, with tall donkey ears sticking through his hair, and a tent in his trousers, peacefully sleeping alongside Jesse's warm belly, licking his lips in his sleep.

A warmth shot up Roberts heart and straight out of his ears again, causing them to grow another few inches (or at least, as far as he was aware). The image was so heartwarming for him to see, it was like he'd found his... His fam... His... He didn't want to accept it. He shook his head and gave a loud, deliberate cough.

"Dad? Oh, I forgot to go to school today! I'm sorry!" Jake said. Then he suddenly heaved back "Heee" and then forward "Haw. I'll go tomorrow. I promise."

"I should hope so" he told Jake sternly, his arms folded over his belly. "What is it about this donkey you love so much?!"

Jake looked at her with love in his eyes. "She reminds me of mommy." He bent down and began to nurse again.

Shocked, Robert rushed to him and yanked him away from Jessie, causing him to crash into the dried mud. The other two Donkeys woke up from their slumber. "JAKE, that's DISGUSTING! You're not an animal, so don't act like one!"

"Dad! What the hawwwk. I was eating!!!" Jake said with a bit of a pout. Jessie nuzzled him again and he slowly began to lower himself to his knees.

Robert stomped in his way, firm between Jessie and Jake. No way was he budging, "you are going to school! They have a canteen there, you can eat from there!"

"Hee-haw!!!" Jake brayed sadly as Jessie gave him a lick.

Robert pointed to the door, "Out!" He could have sworn he heard Jake bray, but he was also hallucinating that the pair of them had donkey ears. So of course, Robert thought nothing of it.

Jake sadly stood outside the door. He was still hungry, and Jessie was going to give him food. Why had dad stopped her? Huffing, he headed to school like he was supposed to.
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As he watched Jake slink away from the zoo, Robert took a second look at Jessie, lying there, a sad look in her huge eyes. Suddenly, Robert felt overwhelmingly guilty, taking away what was probably the only thing making this poor girl happy. He walked in front of her hanging head and knelt down to her, "I'm sorry Jessie. I heeee-haaaawas thinking." He cupped his palms under Jessie's muzzle.

Jessie lifted her head, and looked directly at Robert, their eyes locked onto one another, He pushed his head forwards, and he kissed her on the lips as well as he could. Donkey's lips aren't designed for kissing, and even as Roberts lips began to feel rubbery, it didn't work. It was just the only way Robert knew how to show someone, or something, how much he loved them.
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Jake entered the door and made his way to third period. People gave him strange looks as he passed.

"Why is he wearing donkey ears?" One student asked.

"Forget that, where are his ears?" Another said.

Still another added; "What is that in the back of his pants?"

Ignoring them, he sunk into his seat. The math on the board looked like gibberish to him, so he tuned it out and thought about his mom back in the pasture.

"Jake? Take the ears off. You are distracting the class." The teacher said.

"Take my ears off? How?" Jake asked.

"Very funny." With that the teacher walked over and tried to pull them off.

"HEEE HAW!!!" Jake brayed in surprise as pain shot through his head. Tears welled up in his eyes as he jumped out of the chair and ran back towards the zoo.
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Robert kept trying his hardest to kiss Jessie on the lips as his own became black and rubbery, his greeting beard brushing up against her furry muzzle. It still wasn't working though, there just wasn't any way they could kiss one another, especially when they heard the door slam open.

Jake stood there in amazement, tears still streaming down his face. His father was on his knees....kissing Jessie. "Sniff...dad???"

"Jake!" exclaimed Robert. "What are you doing here?!" He was instantly trying to think of excuses for kissing a donkey.

"The teacher asked me to take my ears off...then she pulled on them!" Jake said with a sob. "What...what were you doing dad?"

"Oh, me? I was just, erm... giving her a health check. Yeah, I noticed she wasn't eating much of her grass, so I was checking to see if she had any dental problems. She seems fine, though, so let's go home." He stroked her muzzle one last time, before standing back up and leading both him and his son out of the pen.

Jake cast a longing look at Jessie as they walked out. After the short walk home, he plopped onto the couch. Once again, the pleasant pressure of sitting on a soft rock returned. As he enjoyed it, he felt a little pulse, and felt the rock get bigger. "Dad? The teacher was really mean today. She told me to take my ears off, like I was wearing toys. I'm obviously not. When I couldn't do it, she came over and pulled on them! It hurt a lot!"

Robert prepared both of them a bowl of salad each, Roberts filled with little pieces of bacon. He tried his hardest to ignore the tingling in his lower spine and his blackening fingertips as he did so.

He walked into the living room and sat on hand couch beside Jake. "Wait, are you telling me that your teacher sees that you have donkey ears too?"

"I've always had donkey ears dad." Jake said in confusion. "And she pulled on them!"

Robert was stunned. Suddenly, this hallucination seemed to seem a whole lot more real. If he really was hallucinating, how come the teacher would have noticed Jakes ears becoming those of a donkey, noticing them enough to try and yank them off? Still, he didn't show this to Jake.

He took Jake in his arms and rubbed him for comfort, "we'll sort this out tomorrow, lad. I'm sure I'd be able to explain all of this to the teacher tomorrow."

Jake yawned. "I hope so dad." He said as he put his salad bowl down, greens eaten but bacon untouched. "I'm tired, I'm going to go ahead to bed."

"Are you sure, Jake? I don't want you to go to bed feeling hurt." Robert asked with concern.

"I'm sure dad." With that, Jake headed to bed. He didn't bother to take a shower, he just fell into bed in his clothes. Anyways, his pants were producing a pleasant pressure on his backside now, and he didn't want to take them off. He was asleep in moments. Donkeys dominated his dreams once again.

Robert was all alone in his living room. He didn't fancy watching anything on television, and he really missed his wife, especially knowing it wouldn't be long before he'd no longer have a home to even share with his son. Because of this, a thought came across his mind... "I wonder how warm the donkey pens are?"

That night, he locked the doors to his home as he left, walking to the zoo instead of driving. His pass didn't work since it was night time, so with all of his strength, he managed to climb over the fence and sneak into the donkey pen without tripping off any if the alarms.

Once he found Jessie amongst the three sleeping donkeys in the pen, he tentatively lay himself down next to Jessie, waking her up a little bit, and curled up to spend the night with her, he did feel some pain from his trousers. But he didn't care. He had Jessie to keep him warm and felt safe in her company. He closed his fluttery eyes, and went straight off to sleep.

Jake woke in the middle of the night. He couldn't sleep, he felt alone. Wandering downstairs, he tried to find his dad. But Robert was nowhere to be found. "Hee-Haw!" He called, hoping to hear his dad respond. But there was no response. Suddenly he had an idea. Maybe dad went to see mom? Wasting no time, Jake ran to the zoo and the donkey pens. There he found his dad sleeping next to Jessie, his long ears twitching as he snored. A wide smile broke across Jake's face. He was going to sleep with his family. Careful not to wake anyone, he lay down next to his dad.

Robert had grown long, fluttery eyelashes overnight, and his face seemed to be slightly distorted as if his jaws were further from his nose than they were before. He woke up from the bright, warm sunlight that pierced his eyes, and became fully awake when he realized where he was. He shook Jake awake, "Jake!"

"Whaaaawwwt dad?" Jake asked groggily.

He looked around, "We're in the donkeeeeey pen! How did we end up heeeeere?!"

Jake shrugged. "This is where mom is." He bent down and started to nurse his morning meal.

Robert put a hand in front of Jakes face to stop him from nursing, only to then realize that his hands weren't hands at all. Instead, they'd folded into thick, hard, hairless hooves. He began to panic, "Jake, what's happening to us?!"

"Nothing dad. You've always had hooves, just like mom! Now let me finish eating then we can go to school and take care of that issue." Jake pushed his dad's hoof out of the way and resumed nursing, his mom's brays comforting him. As he nursed he felt a intensely pleasurable sensation. He stopped nursing. ''Ohhhhaawwwww daddeeehaw! It feels so good!"

Robert, now devoid of thumbs, took another route to knocking some sense into his son. He used it like a club and bonked him over the head, "What areeeee, y'aaaaarn about?"

But it was as if Jake never felt it. He was bent over, a look of bliss on his face.

Robert was about to bonk him again when he noticed the boys trousers pointing like a dagger, with something pulsating to burst through the seams. He inspected it, "Boy, what is that coming out of your - "

"Heeee-haw! Dad! It feels so goodaawwwww!" Jake said as he stuck his behind in the air behind him. He could feel his spine literally flowing behind him into his pants. He felt his boxers rip and his spine now push against the denim of his jeans.

Robert tried very hard to pretend he was horrified by the sight, but in reality, it just looked so good! It looked like a rush of energy that he hadn't felt since he was his son's age, and he craved for it as he scratched the furry lump that had formed under his belt.

"Son, we must go home, and we must somehow cure this disease!"

But Jake was lost in the sensations of his spine pulsing against the denim.

Robert looked back and forth between the open door and the boy, too transfixed by whatever was growing from Jakes backside. With a little bit of thought, and some instinct alongside it, he had an idea. With his rubbery lips, he walked behind the boy, staring directly at the point that was nearly poking him in the eye, grabbed it by his teeth and walked backwards, dragging Jake across the ground.

Jake was too lost in the alien feeling of his spine flowing backwards to care about being drug a bit. Plus, he could feel his feet hardening in his shoes.

"Haw!" With a short bray, he stepped out of his shoes, relieved that he couldn't feel the ground through his feet anymore. He returned to enjoying the flowing sensation. He could feel it getting longer with each pulse.

Robert kept on dragging the boy out of captivity. He was quite amazed he didn't start begging to see Jessie again as he took one last look of her, the boys trousers in the grip of his teeth. "Stop playing around" he muffled with his mouth full of denim and his growing teeth, "We are going home"

Jake's trousers slipped out of Robert's teeth as they suddenly pulsed violently. Jake suddenly bent over and put his hands on the ground, his butt in the air. "HEEEEE HAW!!!!!!!!!" He brayed, the loudest yet.

Like a ribbon dancing in the wind, Robert watched as the seams in Jakes trousers parted into two like a sliced front, and the long, gray, furry tail, topped off by the feather duster if a bushy end, flicked onto Roberts face. He didn't know how to feel now. "Jake! You've... you've grown a tail! I actually felt it!"

Jake felt like an animal, there was no other way to describe it. Thoughts of his mother's milk and grass ran through his head. But then he remembered the school. "No I didn't dad. I've always had a tail. Now are wehawww going to take care of this school issue or not?"

"This school issue? Wait, no, Jake!" Robert tried to keep up with Jake as fast as fast as he could on hooves, but donkey or no donkey, Robert was still tubby. His body weighed him down, causing him to lose his breath and trot at half the speed Jake was running at.

Jake came to a stop, his hooves skidding a bit. "Daddeehaw? I don't want that teacher to get away with pulling on kid's ears! You need to talk to the admins!"

Robert finally caught up, completely out of breath and with sore hooves where his feet once were. "Jake... you can't... talk to... the teachers... like this...! And neither... can I!"

Jake stamped a hoof with a loud clop. "Dad! The teacher pulled on my ears!" He said, twitching his ears for emphasis. "It hurt a lot! You said you were going to takeeehaw care of it!"

"No Jake, I can't! I caneeeee-haaaawwww!" Suddenly he spotted the teacher striding along the playground towards them.
"What are you two up to" He called.

"This is perfect dad! Now we don't even have to go to school! This is the teacher that pulled on my ears." Jake said.

"Jake, look at us" Robert screamed. "What am. I supposed to say?!"

Jake scratched at his newly grown tail a bit. "What about us? There is nothing strange about us!"

"But were becoming donkeys. Don't you see it? You've never had long ears, or a tail, or fur, or anything like that! I don't want to be a donkey, and I can't see why you do" he yelled, feeling the pain in his trousers twitch.

"Dad, I've always had those things. I couldn't imagine myself without them. It's how I was born. Can you please pull me out of school now so we can go home to mom?" Jake asked pleadingly.

"Mom?" he asked himself confused. The teacher wasn't far off now, aiming straight for Jake. Then, the answer clicked. "No, no Jake, Jessie isn't-"

The teacher arrived, and yanked on Jake's ears.

"HEEEEEEE-HAW!! Daddeeehaw!!! Seeehaw!!!" Jake sobbed.

The teacher released Jake's ears and turned to Robert. "Is this your son?"

"Jaaaawwwke!" Robert cried, watching his son in pain. He looked at the teacher, and saw the mean look in his eyes. Suddenly, he was no longer able to ignore the pain in his backside. He bent forward on his front hooves and strained, the bump in his trousers became a tent..

"What is going on here!?" the teacher screamed.

"HEEEEEEEEEEE-" The tail ripped out of his trousers "HAAAAWWWWWWWWW!!!"

Robert bounced on his hooves and kicked the teacher with his back two, sending him flying in the air.

Jake looked at his dad with love, not caring that he'd just kicked a teacher. The teacher should have known not to pull on a foal's ears. "Can weeee-haw go home to mommy now? I'm hungry again."

Robert looked up to Jake as he stood on four hooves and realised what Jake had been saying all this time. "Of course, son" he said. "Let's geeeee-hawwwome. And walk properleeee-haw too."

Jake observed his dad standing on his hooves. He looked down at his feet...proper hooves. But he had strange five fingered hooves at the end of his front legs. "Daddeee-haw How do I do thawwwt?"

Robert didn't even speak to answer. He trotted around to behind his son, the sound of the teacher moaning behind them still in their ears, and hopped up onto his back legs, punching his son gently down onto all fours with his front legs.

Jake felt right on all fours. Even though he had his tail for balance, two legs was still incredibly dangerous. He didn't understand how humans did it. But still, there was a problem. His strange, five fingered hooves were still soft on the ground. "Daddeehaw. Something is wrawwwg with my hooves."

Robert thought about it with as his intelligence began withering away, and listened to the teacher still grumbling behind him, his ears twitched as he turned to look at him, and then got the idea. He trotted over, and kicked him with his front hoof. He then gave a look to his son as if to say "Go on, your turn."

"To do what daddy?" Jake asked.

Robert had to think of some way to get his son to understand. He tried to speak again, to tell him "kick your teacher" but all that came out was another "Hee-haw"

"Daddeeehaw...I can't understand you." Jake said frustratedly.

Robert was desperate. He tried to understand what language that was his son was speaking in, and tried to unjumble to gobbledygook that his son was saying, but the only bit he understood was the frustrated "hee-haw" in the middle of it all. So, he walked over, and gave a very slow "Hee-haw" as if to say "Say it like me."

Jake watched as his dad showed him agian. Robert's ears laid back on the "hee", and then he pitched forward gently on the "haw." That last one had made more sense to Jake, and it left Robert with a blunt, rubbery muzzle that now connected his lips and his nose.

Jake tried to mimic his father. He laid his ears back and felt a pressure build in his chest. "Lik-" Jake started to say. But then it was as if a floodgate opened. "HHAAAAAWWWW-HEE-HAWWWWWW-HEE-HAW!" Jake felt his mind dull. He tried to ask his dad how that was, but he couldn't come up with the words. So he brayed.

Robert smiled with his newfound muzzle as he listened to his son bray correctly, and brayed back to him, "Heee-haw!" He skipped over to the teacher and kicked him again, hoping his son would get the idea.

Jake examined his dad, he now stood on four very equine legs with a disproportionate human body on top. His face had ugly pink skin framing the proper rubbery gray lips.

Robert brayed again, and kicked the teacher gently with a front hoof.

Suddenly, Jake got it. His dad wanted him to act more like an animal, maybe that would fix his deformed hooves. As he walked awkwardly to the prone form, he felt his behind get higher in the air. He couldn't feel anything through his back hooves. He longed to have that numb feeling on his front. Looking down at the teacher, he knocked a front leg into him. The teacher moaned, but Jake brayed with joy. He could see the ugly pink flesh blackening. He did it a few more times until he'd lost all feeling in his front hooves. Lowering his now healthy hoof to the ground he looked up at his dad and brayed. "Home? Mommy? Milk?"

Robert nodded his head, and started to walk him and his son back home. As they walked, the brayed happily as they felt their bodies begin to expand.

By the time they reached the zoo, Robert's clothes had ripped off his furry body. He poked his small muzzle through the bars and looked around to check the coast was clear. There was no one in sight, and he led his son back through the corridors. Now, thanks to the walking, both of them had properly shaped donkey bodies, Robert's fatter than his sons, and they entered their pen again to find Jessie.

As they entered, they were looked upon by strange, confused donkey faces as the male and female donkey couple woke up from a nap and saw the deformed donkey bodies enter their pen. The female one brayed "What on earth are they bringing into our patch?"

Jake ignored the strange donkeys and looked up to his dad. "I feel strange. Like I'm in the wrong body. Like I should be in one of the two legs' bodies. Daddy, what are we?" He brayed.

Robert looked at the two donkeys watching them disgusted. And then looked back at himself and his son, who was looking at him with confusion in his eyes. He struggled to think of an answer, until he heard the surprised, female bray of Jessie from around the corner. He looked, and there she was, staring at the two of them, astonished at the transformation.
Robert looked at his son determined, and brayed "We're special donkeys son. We belong here"

Jake remembered that his father didn't like him nursing from his mom. "Daddy? Can I have mom's milk now?" He brayed hopefully.

Robert pushed the last piece of human disgust out of his mind as he brayed "Go ahead, son!"

Jake trotted over to the surprised looking Jessie. "Mommy! I hungry!" Jake said. Even his braying was becoming more childish. Higher pitched.

Jessie's looked started to turn from surprise to love. "Of course...my foal." She brayed.

With that, Jake put his face to her teat and started nursing. This time his father didn't stop him. As he nursed he could feel his face pushing into her teats, but this only made it easier. His rubbery lips gripped the teat with no issue. With one last sip, he felt his mind empty. He tried to think past the last few minutes, but all that came to mind was his mother and father. Suddenly, he realized that something was constricting his body. "Something. Cover. Me. Help!" He brayed in distress.

Robert realized what was making his foal's mind distressed. Instantly, be grabbed his trousers by their rip and yanked the trousers off, leaving behind beautifully furry hind legs.

Jessie noticed too, and used her teeth to tear off their son's jacket, leaving the fur on his belly to grow as his body exposed itself to the cold air.

The other two donkeys watched in shock as they saw the former humanl completely morph into a properly grown foal. As far as any two-legged creature could tell, this youngling was never a human.

Jake looked at the tatters of the strange stuff that had been on him. Why had he been wearing that. He brayed happily as he felt his coat of fur finish covering him in its warmth. Suddenly he felt extremely tired. He knelt down on his front legs then laid on his side as Jessie knelt down to give him something to lean on. He saw the strange looking two legs making funny noises at him. Snorting a bit, the foal closed his eyes. He was glad he didn't have to deal with the two leggers except for when he wanted food apart from his mother.

Jessie looked up from her foal. "I know you are Robert, the two leg who took care of me. I know this is your son. I'm not going to say I'm not happy to have a foal...but what happened to you two?"

Robert, surprise by how clearly he understood her braying, was about to answer as he remembered. He was going to tell her about the car crash that had killed his wife. About how they had eaten fruit with medicine meant for donkeys, about how they should be in these bodies...

But then, he looked down at his son, cuddled up beside her, asleep and peaceful again. He was no longer the moody pre-teen that had to deal with the death if someone he loved so dearly and lost to early on in his life. He was young again, happy, peaceful and in the very company of the mother he needed. It made Robert completely forget about what he was about to answer, and he looked back up at her to shrug his shoulders and bray "I don't know."

"You don't remember anything about being a two leg?" Jessie brayed.

"I was a two leg?" he asked. He didn't know why on earth she would ask that. "I'm a donkey, and I always have been just like you, dearest!"

Jessie looked at Robert with surprise. If he really thought he was a donkey, and her mate, she wasn't complaining. "I'm glad you are home my mate." She said, nuzzling his face.

Robert felt his spine tingle. He didn't know what Jessie was doing to him, but he knew it was affectionate. This was better than any kiss he ever had.

It took him a moment to realize he was nuzzling back. His donkey instincts took over as he nuzzled in sync with her, and the fur grew over his face from the side of his face he was nuzzling with. As he nuzzled her, he felt his face pushing out and itching. Opening his eyes, he saw a blind spot in the center of his vision. But he didn't care. This was how a donkey showed he loved his mate. He continued nuzzling Jessie and the two lay down next to their foal.
_________________________________________________________________________
This just in. A missing persons report has been filed for Robert and Jake Nighy. They were last seen near the Little n' Large Animal zoo. If you see these people, please inform the authorities.
In brighter news, that very zoo has announced the happy acquisition of two new donkeys, a jack and a foal. They have happily moved into a relationship with Jessie, the jennet whose own foal and mate died of a sickness a year ago.