Factory Mishaps
By Aurum Toxx

“We are nearly there Mr. Toxx,” A large middle-aged raccoon spoke up from the front of the limo.

“Thanks, Lincoln.” The teenage doberman said. He was sitting next to the window, a can of soda in his paws. Outside, large, extravagant buildings whizzed by. Large neon signs, magically animated, and several pedestrians in expensive suits. The center of Lunar City was a far cry from the suburbs where he had first met his ‘so-called’ friends.

Max let out a small sigh. The black-on-black dobie was wearing his trademark chained cargo shorts, and a new KamenFur Drive hoodie the twins had forced him to wear. They were slowly trying to convert him to the ‘KamenSide’ as they had put it. If only they knew. He also wore a thin blue collar around his neck, with a lil bone-shaped dog-tag that said ‘Max’. “Insurance”, the boys had said.

The boys in question, Canis and Malis, were sitting in the back of the limo, playing a fighting game on the built-in tv, while Gabe sat behind them, waiting for his turn. Lin, the leopard, was sitting off to the side, trying to get his snake friend, Sarok, to try another soda. The snake in question, though, looked like he was about to pop. After the revelation that the snake was ‘ill informed’ on the wonders of soda, Lin had taken it upon himself to...educate Sarok. According to the fox, there was a bet going on between Canis, Malis, and Jet, on how much the snake could drink before he would burst. Max’s money was on thirty-five cans.

Poko, for his part, was rubbing the poor snake on the back, trying to help with all the bubbles that were no doubt trapped in his belly by now. Jet was sitting across from the panda, giggling to himself, no doubt about something one of the three said.

“We are here, sir,” The raccoon once again spoke up. The limo slowed to a stop in a large roundabout. And just outside was the Toxx Factory, the number one producer of drinks in Lunar City. And at the back of the building, The Toxx family estates, where Max had spent his last seven years living.

After the movie night last weekend, the boys had decided they wanted a tour of the factory. And, as Max expected, probably some more free samples. Though, in his current position, he couldn’t really say no. He idly tugged at the collar the twins had forced him to wear.

Lincoln quickly hopped out of the diver seat and opened the door for the boys to exit, bowing softly to each one. “I hope you enjoy your stay, sirs,” He said as the other boys passed. Max dug his paws into his pockets and lead the way with his head bowed. He really hoped his father was away today.

“Welcome to the Toxx Factory, the birthplace of every soda in Lunaris,” Max exclaimed, spreading his paws wide to seem more extravagant.

“Isn’t it kinda ...small?” Everyone turned to look at the lion who spoke.

“Small?... Did you say...small?” Max’s eye twitched a bit.

“Well, I mean. We could fit like five of these in my house.” Gabe shrugged, walking up ahead. “You guys comings?”

Max stared silently after the lion, then turned to Canis. “Just how rich is he?”

The pup patted the dobie on the side with a paw. “Rich enough you don’t have to worry about money demands. You gonna show us around or what? Oh, and leave the grandstanding to Paradox.”

“A what?”

“Nothing! Just come on!” Canis and Malis each grabbed a paw, dragging the elder dog after them to follow the rest of the group to the entrance.

“Wait wait wait! Before we go in, you all got your Traces?” Max asked as they stopped in front of the door.

Lin held up a paw with a bright blue band of magic drawn on the fur. “Yep. Got mine!”

Sarok held his arm up, though he looked at it almost distrustingly. Poko raised up his paw as well, revealing another band. “We have ours.”

Jet held up his paw, then slipped it back behind his head. “Why do we need these anyways? It’s just a-”

Sarok hissed at Jet. “If you say it’s ‘just a factory’ or ‘just a tour’ one more time….” He clenched a fist before Poko gently pushed his arm down with a paw.

Max sighed into his paws. Why was he stuck babysitting… “This is the center of Lunar City. You know, the place run by predators? The traces will let any predators in there know you ‘belong’ to me. So they won’t try anything. Okay?”

Canis grinned up at the Doberman, almost a cynical grin, a little remote in his paws. “And if you try anything….”

“Yeah yeah I know. Poof, no more magic, and I’m defenseless against your collar. I get it,” Max huffed, shoving his paws into his pockets. “If everyone has their Trace still, let’s get going then.”

The doberman led his ragtag group into the lobby. It was mostly bare, save for the Toxx logo on the floor, and a receptionist desk. Along with several chairs for waiting. Behind the desk sat a female raccoon. This one had a more brownish fur than Lincoln had, along with a much slimmer figure. She was dressed in a white jacket with the logo emblazoned on the front.

“Hello, are you here to try out for the volunteer services?” She asked, before looking up from her computer. “Oh! Mr. Toxx, and...guests! Are they signing up to volunteer?” She asked, noticeably looking at Sarok’s and his garb, or rather, lack of a proper one.

“Hey, Lindsy. These are my…..friends. I was just going to take them on a tour of the factory.” Max said, trying to make his best possible smile. It wasn’t working out well, as the small little snicker from the receptionist showed.

“Alright, sir. But make sure you see Benny before you head back. He’d be glad to know you made...friends.” She said, before ducking her head behind her screen again, in a sad attempt to hide her laughter. She saw the collar no doubt. Oh, she knew.

Max let out another sigh. These cubs were gonna ruin his whole image he’d painstakingly set up. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He growled softly. He turned and glared at his friends, especially eyeing Canis and Malis, as if daring them to laugh, before leading the way past the counter.

They started laughing as soon as his back was turned.

The hallway they walked down was a bit more decorated than the lobby, but not much. Pictures hung from the walls, showing the past CEO’s, with the last picture in line being of Regulus Toxx, the current lion CEO. One either side of the hallway, doors were spaced out, most of them closed, hiding their contents. And along the marble floor, in-between every pair of doors was another familiar Toxx logo.

Max led the group to a door about halfway down the hall. The door was slightly ajar and read ‘Mailroom’ on the front. “This is the mailroom. Just a small stop, don’t worry.” Max said, before nudging the door open.

Inside, the room was filled with cubbies of letters, along with boxes piled up on a counter. Tubes ran across the ceiling, and out through a vent, presumably out into the factory.

“Max!” a voice yelled from behind a pile of boxes. A greyish brown raccoon kid peeks his head out from behind them, before jumping out to hug the doberman. He couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old, but he wore a Toxx Company uniform, tailored to fit him, along with a brown mailbag filled almost to bursting with small tubes of letters and packages.

But that's not what the boys noticed, rather not at first. The most striking thing about the young raccoon was the glowing blue glyphs spelling ‘Max’ on his arm. Max looked up from rubbing the kid’s head just in time to see Canis grabbing for the remote.

“Wait! Don’t! I can-” His collar came alive with bright blue runes, and a small crackle of electricity, as the shock collar gave Max a good dose of it. He let out a loud yelp of pain, and his fur stood on end, making him look noticeably puffier.

“I thought we told you no more claiming! Bad dog. Bad!” Malis said, his paw on his hips, and the other shaking a finger in Max’s face, much like you would a real pet dog. The doberman just gritted his teeth.

“If you would just let me expla-,” Canis pressed the button again, causing Max to cut off with another yelp of pain.

“Okay okay, enough of that,” Lin spoke up, snatching the remote from the Canis’ paw and slipping it in his pocket. “You guys are waaaay to zap happy. At least let him speak first.”

“Is...this a new game?” Benny asked, looking up at all the other boys. His eyes were shining with excitement, completely unaware of what was happening.

“Uh-yes, a new game. That’s um......oh you’re so adorable!” Poko grabbed the lil raccoon kid hugging him into his belly, causing Benny to let out a squeal of joy.

Max watched the raccoon get lost in the fluff of Poko, and let out a soft sigh. He tugged at his collar for a few seconds, rubbing his neck a bit. “Can I explain now?” He grumbled out.

Canis looked mildly grumpy, crossing his paws and glaring at Lin. “Fiiiine, killjoy.”

Max looked back at Benny, who had now spotted Sarok’s tail and had proceeded to start wrapping Poko up in it, much to the snake’s embarrassment.

“His parents asked me to mark him. Lincoln and Lindsy both work for the company, so Benny would’ve been alone most of the time. And well, you know how trustworthy babysitters in Lunar City can be. So they bring him to work, And he helps in the mailroom for some extra money. The mark is only so that if a predator does claim him, I can find and change him back. Okay?”

Benny looked up and grinned from where he was hugging Sarok’s tail. “Yeah! Big bro Max keeps me safe!” He puffed his chest out proudly, holding up his glowing arm. “And I can help momma and pappa!”

Max groaned into a paw as Lin looked at him with a grin. “Big bro Max? Daaaaw even a predator can be soft.” The leopard giggled into his paw.

“Hey Lin, a little help please?” Sarok asked, a small blush on his muzzle as he held up his tail, the raccoon hanging off of it like one would a tree branch.

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming. Come’re ya lil monster.” Lin said, heading over and grabbing the young raccoon, proceeding to tickle the poor boy half to death.

And that left Max surrounded by Canis, Malis, Gabe, and Jet. All of whom had smiles painted on their faces as they looked at their marks.

“So. If perchance, one of us had an accident here, you could change us back?” Canis asked waaaaay too nicely.

“Well, I mean yeah?” The doberman questioned, ears flat with worry.

“Huddle time!” Malis shouted, grabbing Gabe and Jet and tugging them over to a corner.

“Oh, this isn’t good.” Sarok groaned into his claws.

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad.” Poko tried to say before the snake hissed softly.

“Can’t be that bad? Really? Every time they huddle we end up as something else!” He crossed his arms and growled.

“Sarok has a point ...but as Max said, he can turn us back, right?” the leopard asked hopefully, looking at Max as he held the raccoon upside down in his arms. Max stuck his paws in his pockets and nodded.

“Just don’t jump in the vats and you’ll be fine. Everything is magically protected after having so many worker complaints, so, at worst, you’ll be found at packaging and brought back to me.”

“Vats?”

“And break!” The group of four younger furs trotted back over, waaay too big smiles on their faces. “We ready to continue the tour yet?”

“Yeah yeah, hey Benny, you be good for Tony alright? I’ll be back with some snacks later kay? We can play that new game you wanted.” Max said, tugging the giggling raccoon free from Lin’s grasp.

“YEAH! I’ll be the best!” Benny shouted, before running behind the counter, presumably to get back to work...or make another mess. Probably both.

Max turned to his ‘friends and waved them towards the door. “Alright cub’s, lets-”

“You know I'm older than you right?” Lin interrupted.

“Let’s get going now. The first stop is the volunteer center.” Max continued as if Lin hadn’t said a word. Then he turned around, his ear twitching with annoyance as he led the way back into the hall, and down to the double doors at the end.

The older doberman pushed the doors open, revealing a large room, more of a hangar. In the front were large booths with curtains over the entrance. Each one was a large white box, with the company logo on the side. A tube went from the top of the box and off to the ceiling. Several furs were standing outside the booths, waiting their turn for something. As the boys watched, one fur wen into the booth, and after a few minutes, large green lights glowed. Another fur stepped into the booth, but the first never exited, instead, a can rocketed up through the pipe to disappear in the distance.

“Welcome to Toxx Factory,” Max repeated from the entrance, a little bit of pride in his voice. “This is our Volunteer section, my own special part of the factory.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait. Hold up. You get furs to volunteer to be soda?” Jet asked.

“Wow, kudos to you Max, how’d you ever manage that?” Malis wondered out loud. Canis let out a low whistle as well, mirroring Malis’s wonder.

“Well, it's not permanent of course. And they get paid for their time as sodas.” Max crossed his paws, acting as if this was all obvious. “Twenty bucks an hour. We use machines to siphon off little bits of their aura, to make duplicates of their soda flavor. Nothing we’d use for important gifts and whatnot, but it's great for the mass production of simple flavors. For the commoners. Plus, it helps keep the prey in Lunar City happy and fed.”

Jet’s ears perked up at the mention of getting paid. “So...it's not permanent, and we get paid? It’s completely safe… right?”

The older dog rolled his eyes. “We wouldn’t have all these volunteers if it wasn’t now, would we? I’m not getting zapped for this right?” He asked the twins, glaring at them.

Malis slipped his paws behind his head, looking away. “Nah, not this time. Maybe. If you give Jet a job.” He said with a small snicker.

“What?!” the fox almost shouted. His fur stood on end as he gazed at the booths in front of him. “That wasn’t part of the plan! I thought Lin was-”

“Plans change all the time! Plus, a little money wouldn’t hurt, riiiiiight?” Canis droned on into Jet’s ear.

“I mean. I guess not… but still!”

“We’d have to get him signed up at the front desk. He’d be able to get in a booth in about a week. Would that work for you two?” Max asked, ignoring the fight between them and the fox.

“Can’t you get him in todaaaaay?”

“Pleeeeeease?” The two dogs stared at the older doberman, trying to make their cutest expressions possible. Behind Max, Lin, Poko, and Sarok all shuddered, having been on the receiving end of said look many times. And ending up in unsavory positions.

“Fine fine, Jet, get over here.” Max said, pulling out a regular pen and paper, his magic pen having been ‘confiscated’ by the twins earlier that day.

“Wait, we’re actually doing this?” the fox shivered a bit but stepped up to Max as he wrote something down and handed it to the fox.

“Oh come one Jet, it could be fuuuun,” Gabe said with a snicker, before getting bopped on the back of the head by Lin.

“We’ll make sure it's not permanent, don’t worry,” Lin said with a small thumbs up. Jet sighed and took the paper.

“The top is my username, the bottom is my password. Enter those in, and you’ll be set, and returned to my room when your time’s up.” the doberman said, shoving his hands back in his pocket.

“Wait, you have an account to be a volunteer?” Poko asked softly, a bit confused at the prospect. “Don’t you get paid enough?”

“Some of the places I go to don’t take credit…...and sometimes it's good to just relax ...It's normal okay?!” The doberman grumbled and turned away to hide his forming blush, much to the amusement of the twins. During this time, Jet was gazing down at the paper, looking over the password and username.

“You’re username is Maximum Drive? With Max in all caps? Really?” Jet asked, looking up. “And Cyclone Joker? You really are a f-”
“Well, you better hurry up! Get in there already so we can finish the tour!” Max growled, shoving the fox into an empty booth, interrupting Jet and causing him to yelp. “Just type those in and you’ll be set,” Max said, before closing the curtain behind the fox.

And then Jet was left alone in the booth.

The fox took a moment to look around the booth. Above him was what looked like a vacuum tube, probably to pick up the new sodas. The floor was a soft, squishy rubber that pressed in under his paws, and had a small grate in the middle of the floor.. And in front of him was a large white console with the words Username and Password, along with empty spaces after them.

With a small gulp, Jet stepped up to the console, standing right on the grate.

“Alright so….” Jet typed in Max’s username and password, before pressing Enter, and the console whirred to life. A robotic female voice spoke from the speakers.

“Welcome, Mr. Toxx. How may I help you today?” It said as new options popped up on the monitor. One hour, three hours, custom time, and several others. There was even a permanent option, which made the fox shudder softly. Looking over the options, It seemed like one hour would be the best, to...try it out at least. Maybe even catch the tail end of the tour if he was lucky.

Jet pressed his paw on the one hour option, and the monitor once again spoke. “One hour selected. Your belongings will be placed in your room during your shift. Enjoy your stay at the Toxx Company Volunteer center.” The voice said before a rush of magic washed over the fox, causing his fur to stand on end.

All at once, his body went stiff and rigid, his arms against his sides. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to, but really, at this point, he didn’t. While the magic worked on flattening his fur, hardening it into a nice hard metal, it also worked on his mind, soothing the boy. Comforting him during the change. Slowly, the fox started to shrink down, his clothes drooping over his body as he dwindled. His paws pulled up his sleeves, shriveling up into naught but images painted on his metal chest. His chest, which was getting rounder and rounder by the moment, becoming a hard, cold, cylinder. Inside his body, Jet felt the wonderful feeling of his insides converting into naught but bubbles and liquid. Feeling himself pop and bubble beneath his sleek increasingly can like body. By this point, Jet was sitting in a pile of clothing, hardly bigger than a soda can. His legs were pulled up, joining his paws as images on the can. His tail wrapped tightly around a Toxx company logo imprinted on his back. His head was forced to look up, as his muzzle flattened, pressing into itself. Sealing shut and trapping the fizzing liquid inside of him, making the fox feel full and wonderful. Like a real soda can. A real...real ...soda….ca-

All that was left of the fox was a Can of orange soda sitting on a pair of clothes. A smiling fox on the front, his tail holding up the logo for the soda company he belonged to.

The sound of rushing wind sounded from above as the computer recognized the completed soda, and the vacuum tube lowered. With a small ‘plop’, Jet was pulled into the tube and rocketed upwards at high speed. Up to where his flavor would be tested and duplicated for the denizen of Lunar City. Below him, the grate fell open, his clothes dropping down a long tube, where they would be washed and folded, kept safe until the fox’s shift was over. With a click, the grate closed back up, leaving no trace of the fox in the booth. Ready for the next volunteer to enter.

Outside the booth, the boys watched the lights turn from red to green, as a small orange can shoot up the tube and disappeared above.

“He’ll be okay, right?” Poko asked softly.

“Yeah, he’ll be perfectly fine. Better even. He’s using my settings so he’ll be treated with utmost care. We ready to go now?” Max asked, tapping his foot impatiently with his paws crossed.

“Fine fine, spoilsport. What's next on your tour?” Canis asked, looking up at the doberman cheekily. Max did not like that look.

“Behind the volunteer center is the bottling facility. Where we bottle the soda and make the labels, for all our glass drinks. So, that's what's next. Just, don’t stand too close to the machines. And Sarok, keep that tail in check. We usually don’t let workers with long tails back there.” Max stated, pointing at the snake.

Sarok immediately grabbed his tail, holding it close. “What's wrong with my tail?” he hissed defensively.

“Nothings wrong with it jeez, just...You’ll see. Possibly up close if these two have anything to say about it.” Max growled, once again glaring at the twins as they gave the most innocent smiles they could.

“Alright, this way, people,” Max said, leading the group of furs past the booths, to another door. This one was one of those swinging double doors, easy for employees to push open while using carts or other equipment. From the other side of the door, the group of boys could hear loud machinery clanking and whirring as it worked.

“A Lot of our stuff is automated now, either by magic or machines, but we still have a crew of at least a hundred furs working every day, either keeping the machines in check, or working security for our volunteers.” Max continued his tour speech as he led the way past the doors.

They were now on a small walkway, up against the wall of the factory. To their left was a large machine holding a track of bottles above an open vat of soda. The vat itself was covered in a thin layer of a magical sheen, while the bottles were dipped in. The soda defied gravity, getting pulled up into the upside-down bottles, and held inside as the bottles were capped and sealed, before being flipped right side up by a curve in the track.

Seeing everyone's confused looks at the machine, Max started to explain. “Most companies will have giant vats of soda above the bottles, letting gravity do the work, filling up bottles below them. My dad came up with the bright idea of doing the opposite. A simple but powerful vacuum charm is put in every bottle, Letting it soak up the soda and hold it. It makes it cheaper than having huge tanks suspended above everything, safer as well. And not only that, but we get an extra ounce of soda in every bottle. It doesn’t have a chance to fizz out. The magic barrier you see over the vat? That ensures the soda is still contained, so it doesn’t lose any of its carbonation. It's a genius idea really. The only problem is the placement.” Max said, pointing to the path in front of them, where the track of bottles whizzed over it.

 “Why’s that a problem?” Gabe asked, looking up at the track. “We can just walk under it right?”

“Like I said, simple, but powerful vacuum spell. If you get to close, you’ll get bottled up, kitten.” Max said, poking the lion on the nose, causing Gabe to scowl. Then he pointed over to the booth beside the track, a little ways from the path. “In there is a lever to stop the track temporarily. The guy working the station must be on lunch, so we should probably wait fo-”

“I’ll do it!” Malis shouted. “I’ll stop the track! Just pull the lever right?” the pup asked, already starting over toward the booth.

“Yes but, we should really wait…” The older doberman’s ears flattened with worry. This wasn't going to end well, was it.

“It’ll be fiiiine, right Max?” Canis asked, holding up his fingers, a small electrical zap shooting between them. Yeah. this wasn’t going to end well at all.

“I...guess it’ll be okay? Only touch the lever though! And make sure we all get past!” Max said, trying to be as stern as possible.

“Yeah yeah, it’ll be simple! Get ready to cross!” Malis said with a salute, before disappearing inside the booth. Moments later the whirl of the track stopped. A gap in the bottle carriers appeared right above the pathway. Just enough for them to squeeze past. Max gulped a bit and hurried past, followed by Canis. Poko and Sarok were right behind, the panda barely making it without going under a bottle, his bulk making it a very tight squeeze. Gabe went next, before stopping right behind the bottles, leaning down to mess with his paws.

“Crap, my shoes untied, one sec!” He said to Lin, who was stuck behind him...right under the track.

And that's when the track whirred back to life over the leopard's head. He had the chance to glance up and start to shout. “Malis you br-!” he got out, just in time for his muzzle to get yanked up, and pulled into a bottle.

Lin’s head warped down, fitting into the bottle easily as it dragged him off the ground. His body got warped and squeezed into the bottle. And as it forced more and more of him in, his features softened inside. Rather than a Leopard all squished up inside, his body was melting into a golden liquid, complete with bubbles. And with a small ‘pop!’, Lin’s tail vanished inside the bottle, and the leopard disappeared. Only a bright golden-orange soda being carried off with the batch of empty bottles.

The whole process happened so fast, Lin’s pants hung in the air for a moment, before falling to the ground, the remote clattering out of his pocket. "Score!" Gabe picked it up with a big cheeky grin, handing it to Canis. “Oh yeah, I don’t wear shoes. My baaaaaad.” The lion said cheekily.

Malis came skidding to a halt on the other side of the track, staring at the fallen pants. “Awww, I missed it?” He asked.

Sarok glared at the little pup. “You did that on purpose! When I get my hands on you I’ll…”

“He’ll be fine Sarok. See.” Max said, pointing to the machine as Lin’s batch of bottles were pressed into the vat. The machine let out a loud buzz before the batch of bottles was led off to a separate track. “He’s not the first person to get bottled. He’ll be separated and screened in case he’s a volunteer or worker. We’ve got until the end of the day to grab him, or he’ll be sold off as a special brand when they find out he’s neither. Simple fix.” the elder doberman said. Though, it didn’t seem to comfort the snake much at all.

Poko rested a paw on Sarok’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, I think...Max will make sure he’s safe. Right?” The panda asked, a soft almost pleading expression on the panda’s face.

“I just said….” the doberman sighed softly. “I swear on my magic no harm will come to Lin,” he said. At that Poko seemed to relax. And with Poko relaxing, Sarok did as well...if only a little bit.

It was at that moment Malis popped into existence beside Canis...on their side of the track.

Wait…..

“Malis, you can teleport?” Max asked slowly.
“Well yeah, Lesser teleportation. Simple stuff really.” He said with a shrug.

“Couldn’t you have gotten us all across that way?”

“Easily, yeah. But this was more fun. Plus, we got the remote back.” Malis said with a cheeky grin.

“I’m gonna strangle him.” the snake said slowly. His tail lashing out behind him, all thoughts of holding it close forgotten. Max only had a moment to warn him before….

Crinch!

Sarok let out a small, almost adorable, yelp as he felt a large pressure on his tail, and a sudden tug back. Turning back to look he saw his tail had been caught in a large machine, one reserved for pressing labels, but now it seemed to be pressing snakes as well! And it was quickly pulling the snakes tail in!

Sarok tugged hard on his tail, yelping again as his tail seemed to tug back, yanking Sarok against the machine. “Poko! A little help please?!” The snake whimpered as his body bent forwards, the machine tugging him in further, flattening every bit of him as it did. It didn’t hurt per say, it wasn’t even uncomfortable, but Sarok did not want to end up a label today.

Poko let out a surprised squeak and grabbed Sarok’s hands, tugging as hard as he could. The poor panda was being dragged across the floor despite all his weight, as the snake kept disappearing further into the machine. Poko grunted and braced himself on the Base on the machine, tugging as hard as he could. Sarok for his part, was just a torso, head, and arms left. He could feel the rest of him, flattened under the rolling machine, unable to move.

For a moment, the machine seemed to whirr in anger, unable to pull Sarok further in. But only a moment.

“Whoops!” Both twins yelled as they, ‘not so subtly’ pushes into Poko’s back, pressing the panda forward. It wouldn’t have worked, if not for one thing. When Poko was pushed forward, his muzzle met Sarok, in a mock kiss.

Both the panda and the snake blushed a bright shade of red, all struggles stopped. Neither was willing to be the one to pull away, but then again, neither had the chance. As Sarok’s muzzle was pulled back into the machine and flattened paper-thin, Poko didn’t have the chance to move and felt his own muzzle flattening against Sarok’s. He was trapped just as much as the snake now.

And in this position, he didn’t really mind either.

Poko’s head flattened painlessly, tugging into the machine, as it started drawing up the panda as well. There was a whining sound as the machine struggled to get around the panda’s bulk, but before long, that too was flattened and tugged down into the machine. And finally, the panda’s kicking legs disappeared as well. The twins and Gabe quickly ran to the other side of the machine, just in time to see a small black, white and green label exiting with the others. On the front were a snake and a panda, stuck in a blushing kiss, as their bodies wrapped around one another, making a small band of a label. Like the drink machine, the labeler let out a loud buzz, before the New label was sent off on another track, presumably to join the soda.

Malis and Canis gave each other a high five. “Well, there goes the spoilsports! What's next Max!” Canis said eagerly. Max let out a long defeated sigh. That's two more people he had to go collect now.

“Fine fine. The last stop is the vats. Before we go in, NO zapping okay?” the doberman said, glaring at the younger boys. There were only three left now. Geeez, this was as bad as when his dad gave him his first tour.

Canis shrugged and handed the remote to Max. “Eh, we don’t need it to tease ya anymore. The collar is enough for now.”

Max blushed deeply, turning away to lead around the machinery. “There's a catwalk up here. If you want a good view, I suggest we go that way. Just hope you aren’t scared of heights.” The doberman said.

Both the twins grinned as they followed behind, their eyes watching the back of Gabe like a predator would.

Max led the way up a metal stairway, to a hanging catwalk high above the machinery. On the other side of the factory, past the machinery, the boys could pick out massive metal containers.

As they got closer, the smell of fruity soda hit them like a truck. It smelled good. Delicious. Better than any store-bought stuff they’d had before. “These are the Vats. This is where our True brand sodas are made. The most delicious soda our company can produce. You know, the kind you probably get at your events with Azure, Malis.” Max said with a grumbled as he said the name.

They walked on the catwalk, over the massive bubbling vats. Each one a different color, a different soda, and with a thin film of magic over them, containing the carbonation as they bubbled away.

“That one over there is my favorite. True Fox Orange. Can’t get better than orange soda.” Max said, pointing at a large orange vat in the corner.
   “Do you have a True Cheetah Cherry?” Gabe asked hopefully. For the first time since they entered the factory, the boys saw Max smile.

“Right below you,” The doberman said, pointing down. Below the catwalk was a large red vat, the smell of cherries seeping through the magical covering. “These vats are special. Where our normal soda is made from an extract of volunteer aura’s, this stuff is the real deal. This is what you get when you turn a fur into a soda. These vats are our company’s pride and joy. Years of volunteers, and… not so volunteers converted into nothing but delicious brew. It’s our job, after all, to supply the Lord’s with only the best drinks.” Max explained with a small smirk.

   Canis nodded to himself, almost understandingly. “As much as I can respect that, Dad wouldn’t like this at all.”

Malis shrugged and leaned against the railing. “Yeah, no more permanently turning people into drinks. Got it? Oh, that's a command by the way.”

Max shuddered as he felt the force of those words run through him, letting out a growl. “You’re not gonna make me prey you know.”

Canis smirked at the elder doberman. “Oh, I know. We just wanna turn you into a good person. Think you can manage that?” He said with a cheeky grin.

Gabe spoke up at this point, almost salivating at the smell of the soda below him. “Think we can get a closer look? And maybe a taste?” He asked, glancing up from where he laid on the catwalk floor.

Malis let out a huff, his paws glowing with magic as he grabbed the catwalk railing. “Sure buddy, have a good long look.” He said, snickering as the ground below the lion suddenly became intangible. The lion hung in the air for a moment, his arms flailing cartoonishly before he dropped like a rock into the Cherry Cheetah.

Gabe gasped as he swam up to the surface of the soda, shaking a fist at Malis. “When I get up there you two are sooo going to get it!” He growled out, before noticing, the Trace on his paw was gone. Wiped away by the magic covering the container above him…..This wasn’t good. No sooner had he had that thought than a rush of magic fell over him. It felt almost like being digested by a pred. His body was being broken down by the soda, converting into bubbles and juice. Gabe splashed about, trying to get their attention, but all he managed to do was get more soda on his muzzle. In front of his eyes, his muzzle melted down into a yellowish soda. And soon after, his head started breaking apart as well. His thoughts going fuzzy as the last of him dispersed into the soda vat. He was a good soda. A good...good…..

The lion’s clothes rose to the surface of the vat, empty of the lion.

“That ...might actually be a problem,” Max said, right before a loud alarm sounded. The vat below him sealed shut as a loud voice spoke through the speakers.

“Contamination detected in Vat 34. Contamination detected in Vat 34.” It repeated over and over.

“uh ...Ooops?” Malis said a shy smile on his face.

“Are...we are in trouble?” Canis asked softly.

“We all are now. Great, just great……” Max sighed to himself as workers came rushing to the Vat, and to the boys. This wasn’t going to end well.

“He did it!” Both twins shouted immediately, pointing at Max. They had been brought to an office at the back of the factory, as soon as the workers had found them on the catwalk. A large, round office with carpeted floors, and a shelf of sodas on one side. There was a large desk in the center of the room, with a golden nameplate stating Regulus E. Toxx. Behind the desk, sat a Large lion in a business suit.

“You expect me to believe that my own son, knowing the consequences, would contaminate our supply of Cheetah Cherry with a lion?” The elder cat, Regulus Toxx, asked. Both boys slowly dropped their paws to their sides.

“Eeeer, maybe?”

“We usually get away with it.”

“Unless it's with Dad ...or Fenrir ...or anyone from Lunar Academy.”

“It still works with Azure though.”

“That's just cause he loooooooves you.”

“Ehem!” The lion said, gaining the attention of the two bantering boys. “As I was saying. I believe you two should take some responsibility for what has transpired here.”

Canis looked up at the lion with his ears flat. “And ...what would that entail?”

“Well, I’ll be sending a letter to your father for one,” Regulus said.

“Just a letter?” Malis asked quizzically. Normally, they got far worse.

“A letter and a package. Yes.”

Both boys gulped softly. They didn’t like where this was heading.

“Now, how about you boys get comfortable,” Regulus said, standing up. His magic flared out, freezing all three boys in place. The sheer amount of magic he had was ...immense to say the least. They could hardly move through all the pressure.

Regulus walked around his desk, until he was in front of the twin dobermans, then squatted down, looking at each of them in the eyes. “Let's see. Ah yes, you.” Regulus said, pointing as Malis. The doberman flattened his ears. “You get to be the can.”

As soon as those words were said, Malis found his viewpoint shrinking. His clothing felt baggier and looser on him as he dwindled in size. While his body downsized, he felt his fur hardening, becoming solid and unmoving. Built to contain a liquid. Malis shuddered as he felt his arms pulling in until he didn’t have them anymore. His legs doing the same. His head was forced to look up, and Malis just now realized how small he’d gotten. Looking up at the worried face of his twin as his muzzle flattened out. His eyes closed shut and didn’t re-open. And his mind grew ...hazy. He was a doberman...but...a can...an empty can….he needed to be filled but… but...a ...can….

Clink!

A small can with a Doberman on the front fell to the ground on the doberman’s former clothes. The can though, was noticeably empty, its tab pulled open. Something Canis too immediate notice of.

“And you, young lad, can be the filling,” Regulus said, turning to the other doberman, and pointing his finger at him.

Just like with Malis, as soon as the words were said, Canis felt the magic. His body started to pop, and fizzle. Like a soda in an open glass. Canis gulped as the front of his shirt and shorts started to darken, as if getting wet. Looking at his paws, Canis saw them browning. Ripples flowing through his fur, as it melted together into what looked like cola, shaped like a paw. His body started to ripple more violently, little bubbles of fizz popping off Canis rapidly. And then, as his body finished softening into a Cola doberman, his clothes fell through him like water, landing at his paws in a wet heap.

Canis looked himself over slowly, still able to move, if a little wobbly. He was semi see-through and colored the dark brown of Cola. A doberman completely made of soda. “This ...is kinda cool?” He said, his voice sounding garbled as if he was underwater. And then, The lion pointed from Canis at the can.

The doberman let out a yelp as his body stretched out, swirling into the can muzzle first. His body was squeezed in, whirling around like a whirlpool, until his kicking paws disappeared inside with a fizz. The Can that was Malis suddenly sealed itself behind the trapped cola doberman. Lifting up the can, Regulus could hear a small banging sound inside. Well, he was a tough one. The lion smirked and shook the can as hard as he could.

Inside the can, Canis let out a sudden yelp as his body was shaken around, bouncing about, losing form. And losing thought at the same time. Each shake making it harder for him to focus. Harder for him to hold his shape. Harder to….har…….harde…….to…….

Regulus stopped shaking the can and held it to his ear. Nothing but pops and fizzles.

“And now for you Max.” He said, turning to his own son. Max winced and closed his eyes, preparing for punishment. “You might want to go get your friends and start getting that lion out of my Cheetah Cherry.”

“Wait...I’m.. not in trouble?” the doberman asked, blinking.

“What? No, why would you be?”

“Because… I let prey shove me around. I let Canis and Malis prank all my friends…. I mean the prey. And they contaminated the soda.”

“Well, for the last part, you’re not the first Toxx to lose someone in a vat.” the lion said with a smile. “I’ve tricked my fair share of friends into much the same situations your friends have been in. Did you know Azure spent time in a bottle after one such ‘tour’?”

Max shook his head slowly.

“I’ll have to tell you that story sometime, it was quite a long time ago. And that brings up my other point.” Regulus started, walking over to look out of his window. “I think it would be best if you took leave of your position in the company.”

“Wait, you’re firing me?! But I thought it was okay!” Max was distraught.

“Not firing. Just, a leave of absence. Seeing you with your friends, yes that is what they are. Don’t try to convince me otherwise. I realized, I never let you enjoy your life.” He turned around, looking at Max with a smile. “So, for now. Enjoy your friends. Be a kid. Your position will be saved for you when you are good and ready.”

“They can be my friends, even if they’re prey?” Max asked slowly.

“Max, Max, Max, Max. Yes. I may be a predator as well, but I'm no savage. A friend is a friend, no matter whether predator or prey. Besides. Even if, at the end of the day, one ends up food for the other. Both are people. Both are sentient. And both should be treated with respect. After all, Prey are finite. Friends even more so.”

“Y-yes, sir. Thank you sir...dad.” Max said, his eyes brimming with tears. He turned to leave.

“Oh! And one more thing. That vat is mine. You cannot claim it. You’ll have to find some other way to bring your friend back. That is your punishment.” The lion said, a small, cynical grin on his muzzle.

“Aw, maaaaan!”

Back in the packing room, The bottle of Lin slid to a stop, before being dropped into a container labeled ‘for screening’. Moments later, Poko and Sarok’s label fluttered down into it as well. There they sat, silent, unmoving, and alone until Benny came walking by with a package. He stopped looking at the unlabeled bottle, and the missing label.

“Maybe I should…..Max said I can’t drink those… But he didn’t say I couldn't fix them!” The raccoon said, before slipping the label over the bottle. It was a bit big for it, but it still hung on.

“Perfect!” The raccoon beamed proudly at his work, before setting the now labeled bottle back in the box. “Oh! I needa get the package from Mr. Toxx!” He said suddenly. Before dashing out of the room at speeds only a kid would dare use in such a dangerous factory.

Moments later, Max appeared in the doorway, Lin’s pants in his arms as he looked around for the Screening box.

“Ah! There you guys are ...wait how did you... Never mind. Let's get you back to normal.” Max laid a paw on the bottle and label, sending his magic through them, connecting to the traces on the three of them. And with three loud pops, Lin, Poko, and Sarok were back to normal. Lin groaned, trying to sit up under Poko and Sarok. The two were laid across him, their muzzles still locked, and eyes closed. A big blush on both of them.

“Hey, Poko, Sarok, We’re fixed, you can stop with the PDA now,” Lin said, before yelping as his pants were tossed over his head.

Sarok and Poko opened their eyes, then eeped and both immediately pulled away, looking in opposite directions. The blushes on their faces somehow seemed to turn even redder.

“Alright you three, we got a problem, and I need your help. Gabe ended up in a vat, and we gotta get him out ...without magic. Dad said so.” Max said, crossing his paws. Lin had gotten his pants back on and stretched his arms out a bit.

“Alright, can’t be that hard. How big a vat are we talking?” Lin asked, patting the blushing snake on the head, before helping him and Poko up to their feet.

“Fifteen hundred gallons of Cheetah Cherry,” Max stated. Sarok looked up at Lin.

“Is that ...a lot?” the snake asked.

“Yes. that's quite a lot…. How are we supposed to get this done?” Poko said, not liking the thought of this.

“Aura sight, buckets, and a faucet. We gotta get all the pieces of Gabe together or I can’t change him back.” Max said with a small sigh. “And his trace got erased in the vat so ...I can’t just pull him out either.” the doberman rubbed the back of his head softly. “Mind helping a friend out?”

Lin looked at Poko, then at Sarok. Poko and Lin shared a grin, and even Sarok broke a small smile before the leopard looked up. “Sure, anything for a friend.”

Jet woke up with a small groan. He rubbed his head softly. It felt like he’d been doused in Alka Seltzer. Blinking his eyes open, Jet took in his surroundings. The fox was sitting in a large race car bed. Along the walls were posters of….. And on the shelves were figurines of…...and the large flatscreen tv on the table in front of him was playing…..The movie case was filled with……

WOW! Max really was a fan!

Looking back down at the bed, the fox realized, it was a KamenFur Drive bed. Not just another race car bed. Over by the door he even had several belts hanging off a coat rack. His shelves were filled to bursting with KamenFur figurines of all seasons. And the movie case had to have every season, in the base and first editions. Uncut as well!

Jet shook his head and couldn’t help but laugh a little. At the foot of the bed, his clothes were folded up, and a twenty-dollar bill sat on top of them, folded neatly in half. Huh, so it wasn’t a lie. And he made it out alive. Maybe he and Musket could make some money here on the weekends?

Jet hurriedly got dressed, before heading to the door, only to notice a small sticky note on the doorknob.

‘Tell no one, or else.’

The fox shuddered a bit. He didn’t want to find out what ‘or else’ meant. He silently swore to not tell a soul…., at least, not when within earshot of Max, before leaving the room.

“Ah, Young Master Jet, you’re awake! The other young masters are in the Vat room at the moment. If you would like to join them, I was told to show you the way.” a tall horse spoke up, startling the fox. The horse had been waiting right beside the door, dressed in a full butler suit, with all the compliments. He bowed slightly to the fox.

“Uhm, yeah, sure? Thank you?” Jet stammered a bit. The horse nodded and turned to walk down the red-carpeted hall.

“Right this way Young Master.”

When Jet entered the vat room, he saw Lin and Sarok carrying buckets over to a tub. Poko was looking through several buckets that lay in front of a large vat, his eyes glowing, as he pointed out several buckets two the leopard and snake. By the tub, Max was drawing some kind of circle with chalk on the ground around it.

“Hey, guys! What's going on? Free samples?”

“NO!” All four of them shouted at once, glaring at Jet.

“Sorry, sorry. I was just asking.”

“We’re getting Gabe out. Which, I think this is the last bucket, Max.” Lin said as he carried one last bucket over to the tub, pouring it in. Inside was a large amount of red soda, almost full to the brim.

“This better be. If I have to drag another tub in here……” Sarok started. “Well, there are limits to what you can ask your friends to do, and this is almost hitting the limits.”

“Sarok, be nice...please?” Poko asked sweetly. The snake’s expression softened a bit.

“Alright. The circle is done. Geez, I need spare pens.” Max said as he stood up, dusting off his hands on his pants. “Next time, the twins are NOT taking my pen.” He reached a paw over and pressed against the tub, letting his magic run through the circle below him. Blue light glowed through the circle, following the intricate lines. And then with a small gurgle and pop, Gabe appeared in the tub, soaked in several gallons of his favorite soda.

The lion sat up with a loud gasp, coughing a bit. “You know, I think I've had enough Cheetah Cherry to last me a lifetime. Maybe two or three lifetimes.” Gabe gurgled out. Max clapped him on the back with a small grin.

“Let's get you cleaned up. Dad said yall could stay here tonight, so a sleepover if you’re up for it.” Max said as he helped the lion out of the tub, draping a towel over him.

“What about Canis and Malis?” Jet asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yeah, About them…..”

Barton was grading his student's papers when the doorbell rang. The badger sat up and stretched his arms out, grunting a bit.

“Well, I could use a break and a snack. I’m coming!” He shouted out as he made his way through the manor towards the front door. Opening it up, he found a young raccoon boy holding a package. What appeared to be his parents were further up the driveway, waiting by a car.

“Are you Mr. umm...Barton B-b-badger?” The boy asked as he struggled to read the words on the front of the package.

“Why yes, yes I am,” Barton said with a wide smile.

“This is for you, sir! Mr. Toxx told me to give it to you before I went home!” The raccoon said excitedly as he handed the box to the badger.

“Mr. Toxx you say? Why thank you very much.” The badger said, before pulling out his wallet. “Here, how about a tip for such a good job?” He asked, handing the boy a five-dollar bill. The cub’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, as he turned and ran back to his parents waving the dollar in the air.

“THANK YOU, MISTER!” He shouted, squealing excitedly as he held his prize up. Barton couldn’t help but chuckle, before stepping back inside. He headed back to his desk, looking down at the package.

   “The Toxx Cola Company. Hmmmmmm.” Barton pondered a bit as he opened the box. Inside was a small envelope, along with a can of soda with a doberman on the front. Barton let out an internal groan as he held up the can. Both his boy’s magic cores were still intact at least. They had just been changed.

   Setting the can down and looking back in the box, Barton took out the envelope. Inside was a small, neatly written letter.

   “Dear Mr. Badger,

   I must apologize for the condition of your boys, but I believe they deserved a form of punishment. It is not permanent, so please do not worry. I regret to inform you of their misdemeanor at my factory today, including but not limited to contaminating one of our soda vats, exceeding the weight limit of our labeling machine with a panda, and messing with the track on our bottling machine. I felt it appropriate to inform you and send them back post-haste. If you wish to contact me at any time about this or any other incident, please feel free to.

Ps: As one father to another, I wish you luck with your boys. And they are always welcome in my home, As long as they follow most of the rules.

Pss: I left a little present as well, inspired by what I found on my own son. I hope you can make use of it as a threat of punishment if nothing else.”

Looking back in the box, at the bottom of it were two small collars. Beside them were two remotes. And on each collar was a small name tag on a doggy bone, one saying Canis and the other, Malis, mirroring the collar the boys had given Max that morning. Barton couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, before looking at the can.

“Consider yourselves grounded.” He said bluntly.