Twinkle Twinkle: Chapter 8
"W-whadaya mean dey dun haff cangin' tabews?!" Star squealed, Andrew gently tugging her back out into the pathway by the leash of her harness.
"What I mean," The much larger panther said, turning to face his reluctant little girl, "Is that we're going to have to change you out here. Those bathrooms are tiny, and there's nowhere to change you in private."
"N-NUH!" The lynx said, face pulsing Ferrari red in embarrassment at the very suggestion that she was to be changed in public, in full view of anyone who happened to look, and, stuck in little girl headspace as she was, had no means by which to express that shame and frustration but by pouting, which she did.
Andrew deliberately set the pace slow to let Star, who was encumbered by several inches of bulky padding between her legs, keep up with him. Even though she did manage some semblance of speed, it came at the cost of her dignity, considering that the absorbent mass spread her hips wider than was strictly comfortable and left her barely able to toddle without falling. "Sweetie, don't pout," Andrew said, giving her a tug, "It's not becoming of someone your age."
"Shuth up," Star said, her embarrassment quickly turning to anger as she came to the conclusion that this was entirely Andrew's fault to begin with, but voicing that was a poor choice indeed.
The panther rounded on her little girl, suddenly looking just that much bigger than her as he inflated his chest and puffed out his shoulders, "Excuse me, missy? Do you care to repeat that?" Andrew said, clearly miffed at her for talking back, and Star lost much of her momentum instantly.
"Oh... erm, nuffin..." Star said meekly, trying to sink into herself to avoid her daddy's anger.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easily," Andrew said, V-lining back towards the bathroom stalls with Star in tow. The lynx tried to pull away, to run, but one yank of her leash had her back on course. Desperately, Star sank her teeth into the leather and yelped in discomfort as the material turned them aside as easily as if they had been made of plastic. Despite her fear of what Andrew would do to her, Star couldn't keep the excitement suppressed. She had, more than once, fallen asleep to daydreams of being punished the way one might punish a child. They were some of the lynx's deepest fantasies, but, now that she was here, and her imagination had been given flesh and blood, she felt terrified, and would have backed out if she could, but the very fact that she was no longer master of herself was what made it a dream come true.
"W-what are you doing...?!" Star said, pulling on the leash again, her pacifier having fallen from her mouth at some point, "I- I want to go home... NOW!"
"I'm teaching my little girl a lesson," Andrew replied, crossly, and reeled the whining and pouting lynx through the door of the bathroom, the spectacle having drawn a handful of onlookers. 
The inside of the bathroom was nearly spotless, considering it was at a public theme park, and Star would have been impressed if she hadn't had bigger things to worry about. Andrew was clearly angry with her, but knew how to control himself, and the sheer focus of it all on her had the lynx squirming as effectively as the impending punishment. Without another word, Andrew pulled her over to the toilet and closed the lid, sitting on it, then, to Star's horror, took her by the nape of her neck and bullied the smaller feline over her lap.
"N-NOOO!" Star squealed, squirming and fighting as much as she could, face red with anger and humiliation as the panther pulled up the skirt of her dress, revealing the heavily soaked diaper, and cut it down the sides with a claw, not bothering to tear the tapes given the circumstances. The soaked prototype diaper fell away, revealing Star's perfectly dry behind. Inwardly, Andrew made a note to buy more of them, then sighed, and turned his attention to Star.
"I'm sorry Star, but this is for your own good," Andrew said, levering one of his legs overtop of Star's to prevent her from kicking, then raised his hand and landed a hard SLAP right across her behind. The lynx howled in mingled pain and humiliation as Andrew raised his hand again, spanking her with enough power to make it sting, but not enough to cause any serious pain or bruising. The smaller feline whined loud enough to knock things off the opposing wall, and beat her fists against Andrew's leg, but he ignored her. Settling into a steady rhythm, Andrew delivered twelve hard swats across Star's furry behind. It was enough to teach her a lesson, but not too many to drive her away. When he finally reached the twelfth, the panther wrapped his arms around the sobbing lynx and pulled her into a tight hug, burrying his snout into her fluffy shoulder, "I'm sorry I had to do that, Star, but you can't talk to me like that. Do you understand?" Andrew asked, letting his little girl cry herself out into his shoulder.
"I..." Star's reply was cut off by a sniffling fit, "I- understand..." 
"I love you, Star, and that hurt me as much as it did you," Andrew said, gently rocking the lynx as her crying decreased, eventually reduced to little more than the occasional sob. "Now let's go get you changed, and then we can have lunch, okay?" The panther proposed, and Star, still recovering, only nodded, allowing herself to be stood up and led, bottom stinging tremendously, out the door and down the path. Star was even more self-conscious, now that she wasn't wearing any undergarments at all, but she was too short for anyone to notice, and the dress was long enough to hide it, anyway. The pair walked around for a while, Andrew opting to hold the lynx's hand instead of the leash for a while, until finally they found a vacant park bench in a shaded and reasonably under populated part of the zoo. Star was still reluctant to let herself be changed in public, but posed her objections civilly this time, and, even if they were ignored, she didn't earn herself another punishment. "Come on, sweetheart, don't fuss," Andrew said, patting the lynx's lap as she squirmed and wriggled reluctantly, deeply embarrassed at what she was about to undergo, but then, with a sigh of defeat, laid down on the park bench, hoping he would at least try to preserve her dignity. 
The panther knew his work well, and positioned the diaper bag next to the blushing lynx's hip, blocking out a few angles, and waited until some boisterous teens had passed before removing a new, fresh diaper, this time just a normal sleep diaper three inches thick, and gently slipped it beneath Star's wiggling bottom, putting a calming paw on her leg and cooing as he did. Andrew skipped any extras he might have brought, and simply powdered his little girl down quickly and pulled the diaper up around her waist, taping it in place and pulling her dress back down with a sigh, realizing only belatedly that he had been holding his breath. 
"Let's... not do that again..." Star said, sitting back up, shame written bright red on her face. Andrew replied with a nod, knowing that firm boundaries were important in a relationship like this, then tugged on the lynx's leash.
"Come on, sweetie, I'm sure you're a hungry kitten," the panther gave his little girl a smile, and she returned it, face almost stinging from all the blushing she'd been doing, then reached into the bag and pulled out Star's nursing bottle. "Come on, Star," he continued, patting his lap, and watched all the color drain out of Star's face.
"Y-you mean you want me to..." Star said, her jaw hanging open, but Andrew's confident smile and wink put an end to all discussion. Briefly the lynx remembered her stinging backside and blushed horribly, wriggling just at the thought of the price she'd paid for her resistance, then crawled over to the much bigger feline and sat in his lap, not realizing that her diaper was visible to all the world.
"There's a good girl," Andrew cooed, wrapping an arm around the lynx to put down any thoughts she might have had about running or squirming, then reclined, cooing a bit into her ear as she relaxed. Once Star had gone still, still blushing but not quite so fiercely, Andrew gently pressed the nipple of the bottle to her muzzle, and, with a bit of reluctance, Star opened her mouth to let it in, gently sucking some formula from the bulb and slowly drifting into little girl headspace once again, even in spite of the handful of people that gave the couple sidelong glances. To anyone looking on, Star was just a well-dressed child, very young but big enough that diapers and bottle feedings, in public no less, were something of a concern. Andrew angled Star away from the onlookers, not wanting to interrupt her feeding with such petty concerns, but eventually abandoned the effort when it became apparent that he was drawing too much attention. He walked away, a dopey lynx in his arms, and gently rocked her like a kitten, cooing lovingly as Star gradually lost consciousness and drifted off to sleep, belly full of baby formula and head full of fluff.
***

"Wha... whasgoinon?" Star babbled past the nipple of her pacifier, which had been put back into her mouth sometime after she fell asleep, and felt oddly bumpy, briefly thinking that Andrew had strapped her back into her booster seat and they were driving home, but then she opened her eyes, and saw that they were, in fact, still in the zoo.
"Ah, there's my little princess," Andrew said with a chuckle, and scratched behind Star's ears, "I was wondering when you were going to wake up." 
Star wiggled a bit as she returned to consciousness, and tried to take in what humiliation had been forced upon her this time. It was, of all things, a stroller. A very large stroller, maybe intended for a disabled pre-teen but big enough to fit the lynx with room left over. Worse yet, it had a crotch strap in the belt, bunching up the lynx's dress and leaving her diaper bulge plain to see. "H-hey...!" Star said, embarrassed and rather unhappy at being pushed around like a child, despite how cosy it was, "W-wemme outta diff!" 
"Oh, I will," Andrew replied, checking the map again, "Once we get to the children’s center, that is. Daddy has some things he has to take care of, so I made reservations. I couldn't have my precious baby girl getting into trouble while I was gone, now could I?" 
The panther's words stung like lightning to Star, who, in her usual resilient manner, toyed with the buckle around her waist, but, like before, they had been upgraded with magnetic locks, and left no way for Star to even try to pick her way out with a claw. "Ch-chiwdwen thenta?!" Star gasped, realizing only belatedly what he had said, "N-nuh... Nuh way youth leavin' me wiff a bunth of kidth and babieth!" It never occurred to the lynx to spit out her pacifier, which resulted in her demands being given more the tone of a pouty toddler than anything that could be formulated by an adult, and Andrew didn't even pay the lynx's objections any mind.
"Oh look, here we are," the panther said, wheeling the big stroller up to a modern looking building made mostly of glass with Little Ones Daycare and Playroom in big letters overtop of the door. Star went stiff and silent as Andrew wheeled her through the sliding glass doors, behind which was a small greeting room with one woman, a tall lioness behind a desk. She grinned as they came in and greeted Star warmly, stepping out and bending over to look the little kitten in the stroller right in her blushing face.
"Well hello there, sweetie! How have you been enjoying the zoo?" The lioness greeter said, glowing with warmth and energy that did much to calm the lynx, who was practically trembling at the thought of being left at a daycare for any length of time.
"My little Star here isn't very talkative, at least not until you get to know her," Andrew said, using his typical, nonchalant demeanor, and gave the greeter a confident grin, "I'm Andrew, I already booked a stay for Star, here."
"Oh?" The lioness said, stepping back behind her desk and checking a small computer, "Alright, everything checks out. I'll make sure the little cutie has the time of her life."
"I'd appreciate that," Andrew said with a chuckle, kneeling down and subtly pressing the magnetic key against the petrified lynx's belt, which snapped open. As soon as he was within reach, Star wrapped her paws around his arm, giving the panther the most pitiful look he'd ever seen.
"Pweeth don't leave me here..." Star begged, showing every inch of the helpless, insecure toddler girl that Andrew had slowly ebbed her into. 
The panther wrapped an arm around her and pulled the lynx into a hug without a second thought, and squeezed her tight, "Just give it a chance, I'm sure you'll have fun with all the other kids," Andrew said, trying to console her and keep her from tears.
"But daddy..." Star whimpered, looking up at him with the best kitten eyes she could manage, but it was pointless. Andrew gently nuzzled the top of Star's head, then pulled away.
"It's just for an hour, Star, daddy has some very important things he needs to do. I'll be back soon, and we can get more ice cream before we go home, okay?" Andrew said, doing what he could to keep the lynx from tears, and, luckily, it worked. Star still slumped, but calmed down a bit.
"Pwomith?" the little pacified kitten said, gently nuzzling him, then loosened her death grip, letting the panther pull away.
"I promise, Star," Andrew said with a warm smile, and lent in to kiss her on the forehead, "I'll be back next thing you know."
Andrew handed Star's diaper bag to the lion, and wheeled the stroller outside. The lynx watched him go, feeling as helpless and vulnerable as she had safe and loved when Andrew had been here. There was something about the panther's stride in life, his total confidence that got to her. Nothing bad could possibly happen with daddy around, but now daddy wasn't around. He was away, and Star was alone, alone with strangers...! Her regressed headspace panicking, Star took two steps out towards Andrew, who was still visible walking down the path, but was restrained by one of the lioness's paws on her shoulder.
"Woah there, kitten, where do you think you're going?" the bigger feline said, shocking Star out of her stupor, and reminding the lynx the real reason why she should be scared, then felt the lioness reach down and hold her hand, gently leading her down a short hallway. "Come on, Star, let's introduce you to all the others. Don't be shy, we're all friends, here," she said, chuckling a bit as Star showed her general reluctance, blushing and gently pulling against the lioness's paw. 
Star flushed a uniform shade of pink as she was pulled through the doorway and into the main playroom, a large, well lit space with wood and carpeted floors and lots of furniture, inhabited by three or four supervisors looking after somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty cubs. The children ranged in age from two or three all the way up to ten, and a good number of them, judging by the looks of the lineup at the changing table in the corner, were wearing similar undergarments to those that Star was stuck in. Nobody stopped and looked at her, too busy with their play to notice the padded little lynx that had just joined the group. Star had never thought about it until then, but nobody, not a single person at the zoo that entire day had questioned the false age that Andrew had given them. She was short, sure, and she'd always had a childish shape and features, but a five year old? The lioness released Star, and she waddled bow-legged over to a nearby dancing mirror, a handful of small children playing with blocks in front of it, and got the first good look at herself she had had. Wordlessly, all the color drained out of Star's face as she looked at the lynx in the mirror, a lynx that most definitely wasn't her. The short childish clothes and diaper restricted the way she could comfortably stand, making her bend her legs like a toddler, and that reduced her height another few inches. Without a doubt, Star could have easily passed for a big five or six year old, and the pacifier sealed the deal. She was a little girl today, and nothing she could possibly say would convince anyone otherwise.
"Hi!" A voice called, right behind the lynx, and Star very nearly jumped right out of her fur. She turned on a dime, facing a small skunk girl, maybe six or seven years old, and with a concerned look on her face. "Oh, oopsie. Didn't mean to scare ya..." she said, abashed.
Star perked up, realizing only belatedly that the little girl was talking to her, "Oh, ith okay. Jus' scared me ith all," the lynx said, blushing, and getting much more used to talking with a pacifier in than she was comfortable with.
"My name's Lola, what's yours?" the skunk said, her fluffy tail wagging behind her, and clutched a little flower against the belly of a light green sundress.
"I'm Star," the lynx said, cheeks almost hurting from all the blushing she'd been doing that day, and let the pacifier hang from the clip Andrew had added to her dress, "Kinda new around here..."
"Wanna flower?" Lola said, keeping her ecstatic demeanor all the while, and pushed the little red bulb into Star's nose. The lynx giggled a bit, nervously, and sniffed the sweet scent. Oddly enough, it reminded her of how the scented baby products Andrew had used on her had smelt, and helped a great deal in lulling the lynx back into the proper headspace for the occasion. "Come on, silly, let's play!" The little skunk said, giggling and turning on a dime to waddle across the floor to a nearby toy box, where she started taking little dolls out. It occurred to Star only belatedly that, like her, Lola was wearing diapers, despite being something like five years old. Star blushed some more, and crawled after her, oblivious that her padded bottom was perfectly visible for all to see.
"Ain't you a little old for diapees?" Another little girl said, sitting off to one side of the skunk that had greeted her, and Star froze in place, going pale.
"Oh... uh, I'm... I'm not!" Star said, the words all jumbled coming out of her mouth, and she had to amend herself, "Not wearing diapers..."
"Uh, yeah you are..." Another kid, an otter boy, maybe about ten, and ironically a few inches taller than Star, said, glancing over at the lynx's only half visible posterior.
Star opened her mouth to retort, but felt her lip quiver involuntarily, her shame at being seen in public wearing diapers, and by kids no less, written plainly on her face. She babbled a few incoherent words, then sniffled twice, went limp, and started to cry.
"Alex, you meanie, you made her cry!" Lola said, toddling over to the whimpering lynx and wrapping her arms around her. For some reason Star could never quite place, that made all the difference in the world. Star hugged the little skunk back as tight as she dared, and let her crying fit wear itself out into the little girl's shoulder. "It's okay, Star," Lola said, gently nuzzling the side of her head, "he didn't mean it. Lotsa us need diapees."
Still caught up in the emotional fit, Star sat back, feeling the extra thick padding pillowing her backside against the carpeted floor, then looked abashed. She was, by all accounts, being passed off, and convincingly at that, as a toddler to a day care. Even the other kids had accepted her as one of their own. A whole bunch of complicated questions popped into her mind, most of them well beyond her ability to answer, so she dismissed them all, and accepted hugs from a few other children who wanted to help. The little otter boy even apologized, which surprised the lynx greatly, even if he had to be prompted a few times. When finally the scene had passed, Lola took Star to play, and the lynx was hard pressed to think of anything she'd rather be doing. The little skunk had set up a dollhouse and was playing with the plastic figurines. Star might have been dressed as a girly girl, but that didn't stop her from getting out the plastic soldier play sets and playing war with a few of the boys, who were all surprised that she knew what a tank was, considering the frilly blue dress she was wearing. Every half hour or so the supervisors brought out trays of apple slices with brown sugar and juice boxes for all the kids to graze upon, and Star was no exception. 
It never occurred to Star that Andrew had lied about how long he would be gone. His promised one hour was, in reality, closer to four, but the lynx was too preoccupied with her play to pay even the slightest attention to time. The afternoon was a blur of gleeful pleasantries, everything from the sweet treats they were served to the generally kind and happy company. If Star had any doubts about her inner child's existence before that, they had been well and thoroughly burned by the time a supervisor, the same lioness that had greeted her when she first arrived, patted her on the shoulder, breaking the lynx's concentration away from a very intense game of checkers with one of the older girls. 
"Your daddy is here to pick you up, Star," the lioness said, giving her a grin, and the words simply didn't compute. Andrew was here? And they were going to leave?
"Buh- buh I'm having so much fun..." Star said, more to herself than anyone else, and saw the great panther coming up behind her, a tired but loving smile on his face.
"It's time to go, sweetie," the panther said, kneeling down and opening his arms for Star to climb into.
"I- I dun wanna go..." Star murmured, giving her daddy figure the best begging kitten face she could manage, which, considering the past four hours spent around small children, was excellent, but the panther was experienced enough to be immune to adorableness. 
"I'm sorry, sweetie. We'll come back next weekend, okay?" Andrew said, honestly surprised at Star's reluctance, but that seemed to console her.
"Okie..." Star said, standing up and feeling her diaper squish between her legs, very wet from all the juice she'd been drinking, and let Andrew pick her up comfortably over one shoulder, her pacifier returning to her mouth.
"I take it you enjoyed yourself after all," Andrew mused, gently bouncing the lynx as he took her outside, into the park in late afternoon, and said other things, as well, but, after a long day of play, Star was well and truly tuckered out, and had passed into deep insensibility even before they passed the front gate, purring loud and deeply as she drifted off to sleep.