[b][center]Hello, readers. I will try to keep this brief, but there's something that I want to get something off my chest.



I am a babyfur, and I am dang proud to be one! Once upon a time in my life I was very much afraid of and ashamed of this part of myself, but not anymore. I love writing stories with regression and diapers, and diaper changes, embarrassment, found families and so much more! It is in that spirit that I will [u]not[/u] be taking down any of my previous works nor will I be censoring any of my future ones. There is nothing sexual about diapers or their usage in Back to Basics. It's just a story about an adult winged cat who winds up regressing and having to navigate his way in the world. That's it. And yet, I also am aware that to some people, that's enough to have me and those who enjoy reading my story and similar stories labeled as creeps (and much worse).



It didn't help when I first started to realize that I had a fascination for episodes of my favorite shows that involved age regression or diapers, I was afraid of what that meant. I thought it meant that there was something deeply wrong with me, that I was broken or sick. But... thanks to a site called Fox Tales Times, which unfortunately isn't around anymore (aside from the forums), I started to learn that I wasn't the only person like this. Then I stumbled onto Babystar/Toddlergirl's comics Shine and Found, which helped me to understand and... embrace this part of myself. To realize that I wasn't broken, that I wasn't sick. And it wasn't just her. Kammypup's Regressive Tendencies comic, Madneko23's story When You Wish Upon a Star, and so many others... this not-so-little enclave within the fandom helped me to love my little side.



In conclusion, I will continue to post new chapters and stories here, as well as to the old FTT Forum board, and onto DailyDiapers, and heck, give out links on where to find them over on bsky (I go by Panther Cub at all three!)



Sorry for the sudden essay. That was just something I felt I needed to say. Thank you all for listening and thank you all for reading![/b]








Back to Basics (Chapter 5)




by




Panther Cub[/center]








"Tristan, I just can't thank you enough. This really does help us out a whole lot," Mia said as she lifted the kitten's ankles and began to liberally dust him with the baby powder. Tristan blushed, only a little from the diaper change, as he had become quite used to them staying with Mia and Sally for a couple of weeks now. Rather, it was from the praise being heaped upon him for what he felt was very little effort on his part.



"Heh, no biggie, Mia. Besides, after all you and Sally have done for me..." He felt his legs being lowered while looking up at the plastic stars on the ceiling of his room. When they had started to put away the nursery decorations and furniture, not including the changing table, Tristan had asked to keep the stars where they were, as he had always loved looking at glow in the dark stars and planets on the ceiling ever since he was a little kitten... the first time. After pulling up the front of his new Snuggies and taping it into place, Mia's fingers danced across Tristan's exposed tummy. causing him to let out a giggle.



"Still, it's a big help. Amy loves it when both me and Sally are there with her to Trick-or-Treat, and I just know she's excited that you'll be joining us this year." Tristan sat up on the changing table and, as directed by Mia, raised his arms up so that she could pull the red jersey down over his head. "Plus, I don't know where we would ever find a si--someone to stay here and help you pass out candy."



"Yeah... she still has it in her mind that I'm her unofficial little cousin," he grumbled as Mia slipped on the gold-colored pants up his legs and over his diaper. He chose not to point out that she almost mentioned getting him a babysitter, that having been a discussion covered about a week into his staying here. Instead, he chose to focus more on his costume, specifically, the pants. They did nothing to hide the bulk snugly wrapped around his waist, but Tristan had long since grown used to its presence. Mia looked down at the fake tear in the ankle of the pants. which was colored a bright red, as well as the white bandages on underneath. Giving the kitten the red and gold football helmet to slip on, she looked him over one last time.



"Alrighty, my little zombie quarterback. I think we're all ready to head on out!"



 Mia looked at her nearby reflection and adjusted her hair, before settling her pointed black hat with its purple trim, a perfect match for her cloak and dress, back down on her head. She then proceeded to scoop Tristan up into her arms and gave him a bounce, secretly loving how he naturally rested his head against her chest."Time for some Trick-or-Treating!"





[i]A Few Minutes Later...[/i]





"'Kay, it's real easy, Tristie!" Amy said as she skipped about, holding onto Sally's wing. The little panthress was wearing a bright pink and white fairy princess costume, complete with glittery wings and a magic wand with a star and a ribbon at the tip. A pink and white smiling jack or lantern candy bucket was swinging from where Amy held its handle with her wand. "You just walk up to the house with your candy bucket and ring the doorbell and say Trick or Treat! Then the people there will open up and put some candy in your bucket! After that, we just move on to the next house."



Tristan fought the urge to roll his eyes at the toddler who was only just trying to be helpful.



"I've been trick or treating before, Amy." He was waddling along holding Mia's hand, with his free paw holding the handle to his classic orange pumpkin candy bucket. 



"But Auntie Mia said it was your first time," Amy said, sounding a little disappointed. The older panthress and her eagle wife both chuckled. Sally was dressed as a vampire, complete with a set of fangs in her beak. She was wearing a cape as well, though it was black on the outside and blood red on the inside. She also had on a long-sleeved white blouse with ruffles, a maroon vest, and an ankle-length black skirt. Mia leaned over and ruffled Amy's headfur.



"Honey, I said that it would be his first Halloween with us. Remember that Tristan is actually a grown-up."



Amy giggled and batted Mia's paw away.



"You're silly, Auntie Mia!"



Tristan sighed, knowing full well that Amy still didn't believe them. Not that he could blame her with how many families they passed where they were both fawned over by the chaperones, as Sally and Mia did the same to their charges. There was a gentle breeze in the air, bringing with it a slight chill. The sun, a bright orange like a blazing jack-o-lantern, was beginning to set off at the distant horizon. The sky was a deep turquoise with some wisps of clouds lazily drifting by. They were colored a deep pink to a bright peach.



The little group turned down the walkway of their first house of the night, Tristan taking note of some fake gravestones with funny names carved into them, like Dee Ceased and I. M. Ded. Tristan stopped to read them, letting go of Mia's paw as he did so. Amy saw this and frowned, letting go of Sally and walking over to take his paw in her own.



"It's okay, Tristy! You don't need to be scared! I can protect you!"



"Actually I--" Tristan was pulled along by the young girl, flashing a giggling and cooing Mia and Sally a look. Soon enough, they were standing before the front door, which was decorated with a smiling family of rubber spiders stuck to it. Oddly enough, as Amy reached up to ring the doorbell, he felt a little bit nervous. Loud footsteps could be heard fast approaching, and his anxiety grew. The door opened to reveal a smiling deer buck wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a black and orange pumpkin-themed turtleneck, and with some fake cobwebs tangled in his antlers. In his hooves he held a big bowl of candy as he looked down at the two.



"Trick or treat!" Amy exclaimed, giving Tristan a slight nudge. Feeling his cheeks burning, he held up his candy bucket like Amy did.



"Uh... T-Trick or treat, please?" His voice was very quiet.



"Aww, look at you two," he said with a voice that was a deep rumble. He scooped out a hoofful of candy and dropped it into Amy's bucket, clattering as the sweet treats hit the hard plastic. A sound that was repeated when the buck deposited a hoofful into his own bucket. The winged kitted felt his wings flutter in excitement, before he felt another nudge. Looking over at Amy, she giggled.



"What do we say, Tristy?"



Blushing fully beneath his fur and zombie make-up, he turned to thank the deer.



"Thank you very much, Mr. Sullivan! Happy Halloween!" Amy practically cheered it, causing the adults to all share a chuckle from her enthusiasm.



"They're both very polite and well-behaved, you two should be proud." Mr. Sullivan smiled at Sally and Mia while Tristan blushed some more.



"We absolutely are!" Now with Amy firmly leading the way and pulling Tristan along behind her, they went on over to the next door neighbor's house. The older horse woman with the blinking orange and purple lights cooed at the two of them before depositing even more candy into their buckets.



"I feel like that's gunna happen a lot tonight," he said aloud, directing the statement to Mia and Sally.



"Uh-huh! With my fairy princess powers, and your super cute kittenness, we're gunna get a great haul!" Amy said. Tristan pouted, until he looked down into his candy bucket and saw that he really did have a decent start. Covering first their street and then the next to the south, Tristan found himself being given a piggyback ride by Sally, while Amy was skipping around Mia, holding her paw.



"How you holding up, big guy?" Sally asked, reaching back a bit to give his diaper a gentle prod.



"Still good, I think," Tristan said with a wince. "Mia and I decided that it would be a good idea for me to wear the really thick nighttime diapers tonight." He looked down to see that Sally was holding the purple and green diaper bag, knowing full well that it was fully stocked just in case.



"Glad to hear it. That was a mature decision to make, honeypie!"



Tristan watched as they turned the corner and came face to face with another street that was decorated in purple, orange, and greens. Skeletons and sheets representing ghosts hung down from tree branches. Lights, some blinking, others steady, all working with the plastic and rubber spiders and rats and other creepy crawlies to help make each house more spooky than the last.



"I told you that Strawberry Street always goes all out," Mia said, sticking her tongue out at the chuckling Sally. Tristan smiled, having gotten to know the two ladies better. He had to admit how the two practically doted on one another made them a rather adorable couple. Sally struck him as the more laid-back between the two, definitely a lot more permissive when Amy was involved. Mia on the other paw, while not pedantic about it, did seem to enjoy planning out activities and was definitely the 'rule-enforcer' of the pair. Tristan jumped a little when he felt Sally suddenly pluck him off her shoulders, setting him back down on the sidewalk. They had come to a stop outside a house with a realistic-looking pumpkin patch in the front yard, each pumpkin carved with wickedly sinister faces and glowing with their own internal candlelights. The walkway up to the front door looked a bit long, and passed right by a scarecrow with a terrifying visage. Amy took one look at Tristan, and smiled, holding his paw tight.



"Don't worry, Tristy! I'll keep any scary monsters away!" The kitten didn't want to admit it to himself, but that did make him feel a little better. He looked back at Mia and Sally, the former of which was filming them on her phone, while the latter smiled and waved them on. Passing by the first couple of pumpkins, and so far nothing spooky happened. It was when they started to pass through the third row. The second they passed the pumpkin on the right, that's when a deep voice laughed menacingly. Tristan and Amy both jumped, but the older feline pulled him into a hug.



"I-It's 'kay, Tristy! J-just stay near m-me and we'll be fine." They passed another pumpkin that let out a hiss. The next pumpkin didn't make a noise, but it kept turning so its face could see them. Something skittered across the path, and he heard Amy whimper a little. Frowning, that emboldened him to start walking faster, which in turn caused Amy to speed up as well. He glared up at the scarecrow as he approached, sticking his tongue out at it. It was then that a dark figure from inside the bush sitting opposite the scarecrow placed a silver-white paw on his shoulder.



"Boo, little one."



Slowly, he and Amy both turned to look behind them to see a headless mammal in a suit and tie, with lots of red splashed around the shirt and jacket. Tristan and Amy looked up at this rising terror, their mouths agape in shock and fear. Not thinking, he and Amy both dropped their candy buckets and ran, still holding paws, crying straight into Mia and Sally's arms.



"That is an outrage!" Mia said, handing Tristan over to her eagle wife, after giving him and Amy, both of whom were still crying from the shock, kisses on their foreheads.



"Hun, let's try to keep a cool head here," Sally suggested, shooting the male kangaroo who was poking their ears and head out from behind the headless puppet and glare.



Mia finished checking to make sure that the two were okay, before she rolled up her sleeves and began marching wordlessly up to the kangaroo. Tristan couldn't focus enough to hear what was being said, just that Mia was mad.



"I-is he g-gunna be okay?" Tristan asked as Sally simultaneously flinched and looked away.



"Yeah, but he really should have had more restraint when it comes to dealing with... littler Trick or Treaters!"



Before Tristan could respond, Amy reached over and pulled him into a hug. "I'm s-sorry, T-Tristy!"



"H-huh? It's not y-your fault, Amy."



"Y-yes it is!" Amy sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I'm supposed to be the big sister. The protector!"



"Oh, Amy..." Sally let out a coo and gave her and him a squeeze.



"A-Amy!" Tristan raised his voice a little, looking a bit nervous, before continuing. "It's okay! You didn't cause it, someone who thought it would be funny to scare us did! You're a great big sister!" Amy's eyes went wide at that, like saucers. Her sniffling lessened, and her smile returned.



"You said I was your big sister! You finally admitted it!"



"Wh-what?! N-no--OMPH!" The older kitten wrapped her arms around him and pulled Tristan into a tight hug.



"I promise to always look out for my precious baby brother!" Amy then kissed Tristan's forehead. He looked up at Sally, who seemed to be fighting back a coo at the cute display in her arms. Then she turned to look and smiled in surprise. Looking where the eagle woman was, they saw a certain panthress walking up with two full candy pumpkins, as well as a full paper bag, brimming with even more sweet treats, from what both Tristan and Amy could tell.



"There. Bellamy was very sorry about scaring two little cubs like that, and not only helped me pick up all their dropped candy, but even ran inside to bring out some more for them to split between them."



"Now that's a decent haul already!" Sally practically chirped as she looked at all the candy, suddenly turning her attention to the two felines in her arms. "What do you two think? Should we call it a night?" Any and Tristan shared a look before simultaneously shaking their heads and yelling "NO!"



It was a while later, with Tristan once more riding on Sally's shoulders and Amy on Mia's, they were walking down another street in the neighborhood, this one with a few less houses that were decorated. Tristan did his best to fight the yawn that was trying to come out, and felt he was fairly successful, what with clapping both paws over his mouth.



"Feeling sleepy, big guy?" Sally asked, a cheeky grin audible in her voice.



"No..." Tristan sat up and tried to look more alert. He felt Sally reach up and begin rubbing his back, paying special attention to his wings.



"I've been wondering..."



"Yeah?" Tristan noticed that Mia and Amy had walked a little bit further up ahead, giving him and Sally some unexpected privacy.



"When you were growing up, how often did you exercise your wings?"



"Huh? Not very? My Dad might be an eagle, but these are just vestigial, so there's not much point..."



"Right... you were little around the time I was little," Sally chuckled and plucked him off her shoulders to carry cradled in her warm feathery arms. He looked up at her curiously.



"What's that supposed to mean?"



"Back when I was a little hatchling, it was generally accepted that half avians, despite usually being born with wings, wouldn't really be able to use them much. But, I had this friend growing up, his name is Kenny, and he was born half skunk and half falcon. His Mommy and Daddy started him on the same wing exercise regimen as all other hatchlings get at a certain age, around toddlerhood, to help build up the muscles in their wings and get their brains used to working with said wings. Now, he did have to practice a little bit harder than most hatchlings, but he can actually glide and even fly. Granted, it's for short distances, but still. And I'll bet that with some TLC, your wings can grow and help you to fly too!"



Tristan was at a loss for words.



"What do you think, bud? Want me to teach you how to fly one day?"



Tristan looked up into her eyes, taking a minute to wipe at his own. Briefly, memories surfaced of his father, flying through the sky, laughing and smiling.



"Why?" He croaked out.



"Two reasons. The first, I saw how you watched me when I flew up to get Amy's frisbee off the roof, all excited and amazed." Tristan felt his cheeks heating up but chose to ignore it.



"And the second?"



"Because that's what you're supposed to do with knowledge." Sally chuckled and closed her eyes as she rubbed the top of his headfur with her chin. "You pass it on."



Tristan mulled it over only for a moment, before he smiled and nodded to the eagle.



"Okay! Let's do it!"



"Alright! Now, how about we hurry up and catch up to Mia and Amy?"



Walking a bit faster, Sally and Tristan were soon standing next to Mia, with Amy hiding behind her leg and staring at a horse woman who had a little rhino boy wearing a blue and white superhero costume, complete with a cape and domino mask.



"And you all meet up there every other weekend?" Mia asked, looking at a card in her paw.



"Yup!" The rhino boy said, putting his fists on his hips and striking a heroic pose. "Regressee's need to stick together, of nothing else than just to have someone else who has gone through or is currently going through." Now Tristan's ears were perked.



"What do you think, Tristan?" Mia asked, turning to look at him expectantly, her eyes practically shimmering in excitement.



"Huh?" Tristan asked as he was set down. He soon found the rhino boy's gloved paw being held out towards him and quickly shook it.



"The name's William, but everyone calls me Billy."



"I'm Tristan."



"Well it's nice ta meetcha! Anyways, I was just explaining to your caretaker here that I founded a little group just for folks like us who've had to take a few steps back. We talk about the things we get up to, challenges we sometimes have to overcome, and the like."



"You mean like a support group?" Tristan asked, feeling a bit trepidatious.



"Kinda, though we get juice boxes and cake. Anyways, think you'd like to drop on by?"



Tristan thought about it before giving a nod.



"Okay... sounds interesting."



"Great! I'll have my caretaker shoot yours the deets! Can't wait to see you there!"



"Okay, that's enough pitching for one night, Mister," the horse woman said with a laugh. "It really was nice catching up with you again, Mia."



"You too, Bernice!"



"Well, that was a bit unexpected, but a happy little surprise nonetheless," Mia said with a happy grin. He turned to look down at Tristan and gave him a wink.



"Awww, can I join Tristy and his new friends' playdate?" Amy whined.



Tristan frowned.



"Amy, it's a group of people who've regressed getting together to talk, not a playdate."



Amy just huffed and crossed her arms at that, clearly unconvinced.








[center][b]I know that it's a little late for Halloween, but still, here we are! I hope you all enjoyed it![/center][/b]