It had been exactly a week since Ariella had decided that Entepott Fluffy Shelter was going solo. No more help from the Happy Fluffy Shelter Fund, but also free from their restrictive conditions, and so far things were going well, as well as a vase shop after a bull had ran rampant.
Day One: (7) Shit Rats killed to feed 126
Day Two: (6) Shit Rats killed to feed 120
Day Three: (6) Shit Rats killed to feed 114
Day Four: (5) Shit Rats killed to feed 109
Day Five: (5) Shit Rats killed to feed 104
Day Six: (5) Shit Rats killed to feed 99
Day Seven: (5) Shit Rats killed to feed 94
7 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 39
A total of 39 Shit Rats had been slaughtered for consumption, while 94 Shit Rats still remained.
The issue that Zeri had brought up, regarding food reduction and Shit Rats growing smaller was certainly a headache, and it took a good few days to solve.
Day three they had tried to feed the Shit Rats their own shit
It had certainly seemed like a good solution. This was not the first time they had seen a Fluffy sustain itself entirely on feces. The shelter had seen their fair share of poopie babbehs. However, Shit Rats were not poopie babbehs, and eating other Shit Rats was not the same as eating feces, as Ariella and the two quickly found out.
Firstly there was the matter of taste. Shit Rat meat though bland was still meat and it still counted as food, even if it came from their own kind, but feces had a sour bitter taste that automatically repelled a Shit Rat and their âfinerâ taste buds, that atop the repugnant smell.
Then there was the manner of ego. Shit Rats were the ones who made and enforced the whole concept of poopie babbehs. They were the ones to associate the consumption of feces with inferiority, so it was certainly quite an ask for such a âproudâ creature to stoop so low as to consume their own waste.
They did try. Told the Shit Rats that they were only going to eat their shit from now on. They did a little test too. They killed 1 Shit Rat and served it to 20 Shit Rats, but mixed the meat with feces. For another 30 Shit Rats they put the feces on a feeding bowl, just to highlight that it was their food. For the remaining, they just told the Shit Rat to eat their own shit.
It was a universal rejection. The 20 Shit Rats that had meat with feces, only ate the meat. The 30 that had feces in a feeding bowl, either kicked the feeding bowl away or ignored it, and the feces piles for the remaining Shit Rats seemed untouched. Zeri had pointed out that that they would eventually cave in. Hunger led to desperation and desperation would lead to them giving in and consuming the feces, but the question was, how many days and how much meat would be left on those starved Shit Rat.
It wouldnât have been a problem if they could feed Shit Rats ONLY shit. If eating their own waste was all that was needed to keep them alive, then they could eat it whenever they got too desperate, and it didnât matter how malnourished they were. In such a scenario, they could exist barely cling to life and Entepott would simply have to kill 20 Shit Rats at the end of the week to meet government quotas. There were potential issues, but the overall it meant less time and effort put on tending to the Shit Rats. It really sounded great.
Unfortunately, Emilia raised a good point. Fluffies could not sustain themselves entirely on feces. The feces that came from eating proper food, held the necessary nutrients to ensure the survival, but the feces that came from eating feces, did not hold sufficient nutrients for sustenance. So, they still needed to feed the Shit Rats actual food everyday, so the feces as food option did not actually work, as they needed a food source that helped the Fluffies maintain their size, and feces most probably required for them to be in a constant state of starvation and malnourishment, which countered their whole feeding Shit Rats other Shit Rats. However, the fact remained that Fluffy feces were rich in nutrients. That was perhaps an angle that could be explored.
Day Four, they approached another angle: Grass and leaves.
Forest ferals ate those, so why couldnât Shit Rats? The problem was obtaining them. Not a supply thing, but a time and effort issue. Ariella actually tried. She woke up early and mowed a friendâs lawn. Got herself a really big bag of grass cutting, she also got as many leaves as she could from a nearby park. It was surprisingly tiring and she only arrived at Entepott just before lunch.
The hard work put into obtaining the greens was certainly a lot, but the joy of the Shit Rats certainly expressed made it all worth it.
âSmawty nu wan weafy nummies! Wan sketti!â
âMummah wan nummies! Nut nu yummy gwassieâ
âBestest nu wan! Wan sketti! Wan sketti!â
To be fair, despite their complaints, they did actually eat it. It was a decent second meal, accompanied by the Fluffy meat. The only issue was the time and effort. Ariella had put in three hours of manual labor and even then, she was only able to obtain enough to feed half of the Shit Rats, and meanwhile both Emi and Ze were running the shelter on their own, and she was only able to do this because they had just started this whole thing.
Ariella wasnât going to lie to herself. She wasnât young. She couldnât do this every day, for months, and she was not going to get Emi or Ze to do this. They were here to run a shelter, not mow other peopleâs lawns and pick leaves off the parks. Like the Shit Rat eating their own waste idea, it showed promise, but the current conditions of Entepott served as the primary restriction, so it was back to the drawing board.
On Day Five, they got a lucky break. To be fair, Entepott was practically running on luck, but a fair bit of customer loyalty also came into play. Frankie, the sales representative for the distributor that sold Entepott their kibbles and cleaning supplies, had heard the news about Entepott being cut from the Happy Fluffy Hugbox Shelter program, and had come to discuss Entepottâs future relationship with their good selves. Fortunately, Frankie was a good friend and he respected what Ariella was trying to do, so he offered a special deal: 25 kg bag of near-expired kibbles at $25.00 per bag.
Ariella had used this week as the basis of calculation.
11.35 + 10.55 + 9.95 + 9.35 + 8.85 + 8.35 + 7.85 = 66.25 kg needed to sustain the Shit Rats for one week.
So $75.00 a week for three bags of near-expired kibbles. Sure it would have been nice if the distributor could have given the near-expired kibbles for free, given the kind on offer were the ones that were going to get bad in a week, but Ariella also knew she was in no position to argue, because she knew how lucky she was to get this offer in the first place.
It was honestly surprising that the distributor had not cut off ties immediately. She had heard of it. Hugbox shelters suddenly stripped of their Hugbox status and labeled as Abuse shelters by the Happy Fluffy Hugbox Shelter program and suddenly all their partners cut off deals. No more discounted kibbles and cleaning products from XY distributor. No cheap medical services from ZX clinic. Being a Hugboxer was a way of life for quite a number of people, and for a shelter to be deemed as an Abuse shelter by the Happy Fluffy Hugbox Shelter program, was more than enough for these distributors and clinics to cut off all partnerships. There were many who took pride that they did not serve Abuse shelters. Fortunately this was not the case for Entepott.
Plus in the end it was all business. Entepott was spending $4,200 per month on kibbles. Now it was going to be $4,200 every three months, an $8,400 loss from the distributor standpoint, so she really couldnât fault them for this side hustle, so Ariella agreed. $75.00 a week and she also had to go out for dinner with Frankie on one of these weekends.
However, Frankie was quick to highlight that the deal was short term. No more than a few months. $25.00 a bag wasnât just generous. It was pretty much charity. The distributors were breaking even with the deal and it was only because Frankie had a âstrong discussionâ with his bosses that the deal came about in the first place. A show of good faith on the distributorâs end to thank Entepott for their years of loyal patronage, but eventually the good faith would run out and the deal would be cut, but it did give Entepott a couple of months to figure out a long-term solution.
For now, Shit Rats were getting one bowl of near-expired kibbles and one bowl of Fluffy meat.
Solving the Shit Rat long-term food issue was a massive headache, but it was one that needed to be set aside for now, as the start of the week brought about a whole new set of headaches, with the arrival of fresh, new ferals from the government.
Pest control had arrived Monday morning with the new arrivals. Ariella had reported 39 free slots, but what was a government without a little bit of incompetency and poor communication. The pest control had arrived with 39 adult Fluffies, as well as 15 accompanying foals. There wasnât even room for discussion. Pest control dumped the carriers in the back room and had their papers signed before Ariella had checked, before Ariella even realized the discrepancy, they were long gone.
It was not a space issue, it was just the frustration from knowing that all the calculations and resource allocations plans she had made on Sunday, were ruined and needed to be redone. Fortunately, the devil on her shoulder named Zeri, offered a rather quick and easy solution. 15 of Entepottâs existing Shit Rat foals given up for adoption. Free, as thanks for Zeriâs âvolunteerâ work.
How exactly Zeri held enough sadism to torture 15 bestest babbehs when she was spending each day cutting up Hell gremlins and Bitch Mares was certainly something that crossed Ariellaâs mind, but it was best not to ask about these kind of things, especially towards someone who had so graciously solved her problem, but the two did have a discussion about it. Entepott would have a limit of 200 Fluffies and Zeri could have the excess, but that was it.
The main reason for the discussion was because Ariella was worried that Zeri would start putting money to âadoptâ Shit Rats, not for her own personal amusement, but as a way to help Entepott. She was already helping the shelter free of charge, and Ariella really didnât want Zeri putting anymore money in this sinking ship. Not just out of guilt, but also because it didnât really help long-term, it just felt that Entepott would be more dependent on the charity of one person, when she was trying to make the shelter as self-sufficient as possible.
Regardless, that problem had been solved and now it was time to deal with the fresh intake.
Ariella, Emilia and Zeri were in the play room with the 54 new Fluffies, Entepottâs 12 new helpers were her as well, though mainly serving as morale support. Emilia was in charging of explaining the whole system. The four ranks and the list of rules that distinguished a good Fluffy from a bad Fluffy, but no one expected the new intake to immediately memorize everything. Reinforcing the good values would come later, the true purpose of this was to determine which Fluffies were actually worth their time.
Ariella and Zeri were at the back of the room, carefully observing the new intake for any bad Fluffy behaviors. It had only been a few seconds when one of the Fluffies stepped forward and stomped his hoof on the floor.
âSmarty nu wan wisten tu dummeh hooman! Nu mow talkies, Smawty wan sketti NAO o Smawty gib worstest poopies!â
Ariella saw Zeri chuckle slightly and Ariella herself could understand the amusement, but she also could not help but roll her eyes at the entitlement of this Shit Rat. Yes, Shit Rat. With one single sentence, the Smarty had already broken six rules: Called himself a Smarty, refused to listen to a human, called someone else by a meanie name, made demands, made threats and was making a fuss. Six rules broke and he only had to break three. This Smarty had plummeted from Fluffy to Shit Rat, in less than five seconds, completely skipping Bad Fluffy, and he was not alone.
The Smarty had inspired seven more Fluffies to act up, and they too began listing out their demands with insults and threats, breaking more than enough rules to instantly fall to Shit Rat. Ariella had to wonder if their system was a bit too harsh. Like many Hugbox shelters, Entepott was supposed to be a place to protect and care for feral Fluffies before they got a new home, but in less than a minute, 8 Fluffies had been deemed defective goods with no possibility of being sold. These 8 hadnât even been properly informed about the system and were already labeled as future Fluffy meat.
Ariella briefly considered a period of possibly leniency. When a Fluffy dropped to Bad Fluffy, a cool down period to try and redeem themselves before dropping to Shit Rat? Just a small act of kindness, as this was supposed to be a Hugbox shelter, but Entepott wasnât a Hugbox shelter anymore. So said the Happy Fluffy Hugbox Shelter program and Ariella knew that this period of leniency was a waste of both time and resources.
If these 8 Shit Rats were like this from the start, they were most likely going to be like this for the rest of their stay here. Why waste time delaying the inevitable. Also as harsh it sounded, it really was better if Fluffies instantly dropped to Shit Rat, because it meant that no one needed to waste time observing them. Lock the Shit Rats, wait for the mandatory two week stay period to be over, and then put them on the menu line. The time wasted observing them drop from Bad Fluffy to Shit Rat could easily be allocated elsewhere, for one of the many much more important tasks going on in the shelter.
Ariella gave Zeri a signal, and helped her load the 8 Shit Rats onto the cart. They screamed and squirmed, but like almost every other arrogant, loud mouthed Shit Rat, they were completely helpless to fight back. The other members of the new intake were told straight up that those 8 were Shit Rats now and that the shelter was not going to be nice to them from then on. As expected many of the new intake were horrified, and Ariella hoped that it would scare them straight, but Shit Rats were Shit Rats, entitled by nature and an absolute slave to their own desires, scaring them only briefly suppressed the desire and by the end of the hour, most of the intake had revealed their true natures.
Arrogant Smartys who felt they were the top shit.
Bitch Mares who felt they deserved the world.
Hellgremlins ready to fight some dummeh hoomans.
Foal Enfers looking for some new fuck toys.
Bestest babbehs who were only going to grow up wicked.
Of the 39 fully grown Fluffies, 34 immediately dropped to Shit Rat, while 3 were Bad Fluffies. Only 2 had managed to maintain the rank of Fluffy. As for the 15 foals, 7 immediately announced themselves as Bestest babbehs and were quick to break the rules, all dropping to Shit Rat rank, while 2 other foals seemed to be a potential issue, so only 6 potentially good foals. 54 intakes and within the first hour, 41 were deemed beyond help and 5 were under scrutiny. Only 2 adult Fluffies and 6 foals had potential promise as a Good Fluffy. 8 out of fucking 54.
It honestly felt crazy, the Fluffy feral situation. 8 out of 54 were not immediately outed as a problem. Ariella had to wonder if pest control had purposely dropped off the worst batch, but then she reminded herself that many ferals nowadays were not proper ferals, those lived in the forests and sewers, most of these were runaways and runaways usually only ran away because they felt they deserved better than what they already got. If they had the freedom to run away, most likely they came from a good home, and if they were unable to appreciate the good life they got, they were most likely a Shit Rat, and if they had children out in the wild, you could bet that they would pass down their problematic behavior to their children. It was as simple as that. It was best to get rid of them and give a good Fluffy a better chance at finding a new home.
After this âorientationâ was done, Ariella and Emilia brought in the good Fluffies to join their 8 potentially good shelter mates and 5 under watch. It was now time for the Helper Fluffies to shine.
Emilia was lead teacher and the main goal was to train up the Helper Fluffies to assist. The hope was that one day, Emilia wouldnât have to be here, the Good Fluffies would be brought here and they could leave good behavioral training solely at the hands of the Helper Fluffies, but that was later, far later. First the Helper Fluffies needed to be trained up.
Sunflower was on point. The bustling bundle of unbridled energy was already hopping about and hyping up all the foals, stating that it was time to learn how to be a Good Fluffy so that they could have a good home with a nice daddeh or mummah. She started bouncing about in such an adorable manner.
âGud Fwuffy! Gud Fwuffy! Fwuffy am Gud Fwuffies!â Sunflower sang gleeful.
Her energy was infectious and soon all the foals were following.
âGud Fwuffy! Gud Fwuffy! Fwuffy am Gud Fwuffies!â Many of the babbehs cried out in unison.
Ariella smiled, this was honestly just what she needed. Cute Fluffies being cute, after that disheartening revelation about the state of the feral Fluffy population. Sunflowerâs overflowing positive energy was certainly lovely and could easily brighten anyoneâs day, it really was a shame that no one would give her chance, but unfortunately she was a full grown with clashing colors and her energy could easily be seen as troublesome. Garish yellow fur with a mane and tail that possessed the shades of browns that truly resembled feces, to put it bluntly she might have had a wonderful, bubbly attitude, but her high energy personality easily led to the notion of potentially being extremely needy, and Ariella never forgot that casual comment from one of the customers about Sunflower being an eyesore. That was rough, but physical appearance was a big part of the Fluffy world.
Ariella turned her attention to the two Fluffies that had joined Sunflower: Coco and Hip Hop. The two Fluffies had joined in on the hopping and were serving as excellent back up dancers to Sunflower really getting all the other Fluffies motivated to join in on this fun activity and really pump up the pleasant atmosphere. It was helping, especially the new intake who just seen most of their fellow Fluffies brought away, after being deemed Shit Rats. Nothing like seeing other Fluffies happy and having fun to lift up the spirits and soon all the Fluffies were smiling.
Hip Hop was especially getting his fellow Fluffies excited. The Stallion had started busting a move and unlike many Fluffies, Hip Hop actually knew how to dance. Not the Fluffy style of jumping up and down and moving his fore legs left and right, but actual dancing. Side steps, whilst swishing his hips and moving his fore legs up and down in careful coordinated movements. Hip Hop knew how to really dance and it was clear that someone taught him, but no one knew why he had been abandoned.
Ariella initially thought it was the color. His brown fur and especially the mane and tail. Brown a big patch of dark carmine and those piercing yellow eyes. Harrison had once commented that Hip Hop looked like a bloody stool with two pieces of corn for eyes and Ariella could not unsee it. His was certainly a sight, but at the same time, someone really spent time teaching Hip Hop to dance, and she could not understand why they would abandon him.
It didnât matter. Sunflower, Coco and Hip Hop were here and even if no one wanted them, Entepott wanted them and needed them. The three were doing their jobs perfectly, helping Entepott by getting all the other Fluffies motivated and all the other Helper Fluffies were doing the same.
Oakley and Buggie were talking to the potentially good older Fluffies, as well as the existing good Fluffies. The two always felt mature and were quick to take to their roles as mentors, informing all the adult Fluffies what the helper Fluffies were going to do.
Meanwhile, Noodle and Mustard were all on alert. Both had been instructed on their roles as extra pairs of eyes. While all the humans were busy, someone had to keep an eye on the Fluffies and catch any who were doing bad Fluffy stuff. Their role was simple, if they saw one of the Fluffies doing bad Fluffy things, they were to inform one of the humans. Yes it was technically snitching and there was that line snitches get stitches, but frankly anyone who said that could just fuck off, if they were opposed to the Helper Fluffies snitching against bad Fluffies, then they could go ahead and adopt the bad Fluffies if they wanted, and protect those poor bad Fluffies from the snitches, because Entepott was taking all the help they can get.
Speaking of Bad Fluffies, Ariella turned her focus to the 5 Bad Fluffies in the room. 2 stallions, 1 mare and 2 foals. The five were getting a personal talk with some of the Helper Fluffies. Tanner was talking to the stallion who called itself a Smarty and picked a fight with another Smarty, a seemingly troublesome addition to the shelter, but Ariella had recognized potential. This so called Smarty did not feel arrogant and it seemed to be calling itself a Smarty in the sense that he was actually smart. One of those wise, leader type kind of Smartys, rather than the current association and this Smarty seemed to have genuine compassion for the foal accompanying it.
It seemed to be the Smartys only child, proudly declaring itself as Bestest babbeh and also getting involved when the Smarty picked a fight, but like the Smarty, it didnât feel arrogant with the title Bestest babbeh seemingly less of a rank and more of what it assumed to be a proper name, but time would tell.
As for the other stallion. He did not feel like good news. He had already demanded sketti and had thrown a fuss when he was ignored. She would like to give the Fluffy the benefit of the doubt, but it seemed highly likely that he was just another Shit Rat. She was just waiting for one more rule break then she would toss him in the cage, but for now he seemed well behaved, talking to Nanna.
As for the third adult Bad Fluffy, the mare also seemed to be a potential Shit Rat. She had already demanded a toy and had made mention of her pretty Bestest babbeh, and her Bestest babbeh had already declared itself as such before demanding the best nummies. Like the stallion, Ariella was just waiting for that third rule break and then she was going to toss the two in the cage, but so far she was docile, listening to Petal and Wimpy, or rather just Petal talking about what made a Good Fluffy, with Wimpy there more so for moral support, but one was missing.
Ariella scanned the room, she had counted 11 Helper Fluffies. One was missing. She looked around and in a corner, she found Reeses laid down and watching all the other Fluffies glumly. It was honestly unsurprising. Reeses must have had a very strong loving relationship with his owner, because it had already been months and he still remembered his owner vividly, and like people the lost of a loved one was often quite difficult to process.
Ariella approached Reeses cautiously and gave him a nice pet, one that Reeses seemed to enjoy as he closed his eyes with a small smile.
âYou doing okay Reeses?â Ariella asked politely.
âAm otayâ Reeses replied quietly âSowwi nu hewp, bu Weeses⌠Weese wememba gwam mummah n⌠N⌠Hab heawt hurtiesâ.
Ariella offered the Fluffy a sympathetic smile. Reesesâ owner must have really loved him, and he really loved her, and it was hard to know what to say. How was one supposed to help a Fluffy grieve? These child-like creatures couldnât even say the word, death. Fortunately, Ariella didnât have to say anything. A couple of the foals had noticed Reeses looking sad, and as expected of the Good Fluffy batch, they had nothing but compassion in their hearts. They quickly surrounded Reeses with worried looks.
âY Weeses daddeh hab saddies wook?â One foal asked.
âWeeses hab heawt hurties?â Another foal asked.
âBig Fwuffy nee huggies n wuv?â A third foal asked.
Reeses smiled slightly and nodded, causing the foals to giggle as they surrounding him with hugs and nuzzles, enough to cheer him up and laugh, bringing joy to the hearts of these sweet little foals, but the pleasant atmosphere was ruined by the high pitched screams of an outraged mare.
âWIWAC BABBEH AM BESTEST BABBEH!â
Ariella turned to the mare. It was the one Petal was talking to, and she watched Wimpy straight up bolt away. Like his name suggested, the poor Fluffy wasnât exactly the bravest, but it seemed to be more due to trauma rather than actually cowardice. Regardless, protecting Petal was the bigger priority and Ariella quickly rushed in to help, picking up Petal softly.
âWhatâs going on?â Ariella asked sternly.
âWIWAC BABBEH AM BESTEST!â The mare screeched.
Ariella sighed and looked at Petal, who was looking both annoyed yet scared.
âPetaw jus teww Fwuffy dat aww babbehs am samesie an nu am bestest, anâŚâ
âWIWAC SA BABBEH AM BESTEST!â The mare once again screeched.
Ariella sighed, and looked at the foal. It was stomping its hooves and snorting.
âMummah wite! Am bestest!â The foal declared.
Ariella hated how this development made her feel relieved. Two bad Fluffies proving themselves to be Shit Rats. Just the whole idea that she didnât have to waste time observing the two obvious Shit Rats. It made her feel guilty that she felt even the slightest relief in proving that a Fluffy was not worth her time, but at the same time, this was the truth and she lifted the mare by the scruff of her neck.
âBAD UPSIES!â The mare screamed as she defecated herself.
Ariella just sighed and noticed Petal clinging to the Bestest babbeh. Clinging protectively. Shit. Petal was the one with the very strong maternal instincts.
âPetal. Give me the foalâ Ariella ordered in a soft but firm manner.
Petal trembled âPwease Ewwa mummah, am onwy jus wittle babbehâ
Ariella felt a sense of guilt. Not listening to Humans. Petal had already broken one rule.
âPlease Petal⌠Donât break any rules. Give me the foal⌠Pleaseâ
Please just listen. Ariella thought to herself. Please donât break any more rules. Ariella didnât want to watch Petal drop to Shit Rat, but this maternal instinct was going to be a problem and she could see Petalâs maternal instincts actively trying to resist the command. Fortunately, some of the other Helper Fluffies were on the scene. Tanner and Buggie.
âPetaw, pwease gib babbeh tu Ewwa mummahâ Tanner urged.
âNu be bad Fwuffy, jus gib babbeh tu Ewwa mummahâ Buggie pleaded.
Ariella felt horrible. Forcing Petal to go against her instinct to protect a foal, just so that she wouldnât be labeled a Shit Rat, with two other Fluffies trying to coerce her into submission, but this babbeh had already fallen to Shit Rat and she could not imagine Petal successfully rehabilitating this Bestest babbeh, especially one separated from its mother. The time and resources needed to possibly humble this Bestest babbeh and the risk of this Bestest babbeh being a danger or even a bad influence to the other foals, but Ariella could not fault Petal for trying to protect him, she knew Petal had this strong motherly nature from having no foals of her own. They were the ones at fault for putting Petal around potentially troublesome foals.
âWIWAC NU WAN HURTIES NU MOWE! WET DOWN! WET DOWN!â
Ariella massaged her forehead. It was hard to think with this Bitch mare screaming. Fortunately, Emilia had come with the assist, kneeling next to Petal
âPetal, can I give the babbeh huggies?â Emilia asked gently.
Petal looked surprised by this and it was clear that she was wary of what Emilia was scheming, but to deny huggies went against the very nature of a Fluffy, and Petal eventually folded, handing the very confused Bestest babbeh who clearly had no idea what was going on the whole time.
âBestest babbeh hab huggies?â The Shit rat foal asked.
Despite being a Shit rat, the Bestest babbeh did get huggies. A nice warm hug from a Hugboxer, and Petal, Tanner and Buggie also got to be part of the hug. A lot of contented looks, but suddenly Emilia stood up and walked away. Petal didnât even have time to realize, until Emilia had walked out the door with the Shit Rat foal. Petal tried to run after Emilia, but Tanner and Buggie held her back. The mare only able to cry for the foal.
Ariella could only give Petal a sympathetic look, as she followed after Emilia. This feeling of guilt. The feeling that she was a monster. She just walked away with the Shit Rat mare and locked her in the same cage as the Shit Rat foal. She hated this. She hated feeling like this. She hated trying to justify herself, but it was either this or just fucking let the whole system crumble and probably Entepott and the Fluffies along with it.
âFuckâ Ariella muttered softly.
âI know bossâ Emilia commented next to her.
Ariella noticed Emilia trembling slightly. It was clear that she hated this as well.
âI feel like a fucking monsterâ Ariella commented.
âMe too boss⌠But Iâd like to think that we are actually doing whatâs best for them⌠Iâd like to thinkâ
âI⌠I think we need to avoid having Petal around the foals, I donât want to put her⌠Who am I kidding, I donât want to put US in a similar situation againâ.
âAgreedâ
Locking the glass cage door, Ariella took a look at the Shit Rat mare and her foal, hugging each other tightly. They looked cute, though to be fair, many Fluffies were cute until they opened their mouths. Regardless, their fate was sealed. Fluffy meat and near-expired kibbles for the rest of their lives, until the day they become the meat themselves. Ariella paid them no more thought and followed Emilia back into the Fluffy playroom, only to find two Fluffies were waiting for them near the door: Mustard and Noodles.
Mustard was the first to speak, starting off with his favorite catchphrase.
âMustawd am nut nummies!â Mustard declared âMustawd hab⌠hab⌠um⌠wepost? Wewepo? Uh⌠Mustawd hab tings dat⌠um⌠Mustward wan mak talkies!â
Ariella smiled. A small feeling of amusement amidst her spell of self-loathing, and she quickly crouched down, ignoring her aching muscles, to give Mustard a gentle head pat. Mustard didnât feel like the brightest bulb. From what Mustard had said it was clear that he was named after Mustard sauce, and that his owner had made a joke that Mustard was named after a nummie, because he was going to be eaten. Clearly Mustard had taken it too seriously and had run away, but sometimes Ariella had to wonder if the owner was in fact serious.
People did eat Fluffies and if it was a Hugboxer just making a joke, they didnât seem to care about Mustard running away, as there was no report on the missing Fluffy report system matching Mustardâs description. It could have also have been an abuser, finding a way to get rid of a Fluffy they did not want. Regardless of the reasoning, it had long-term effects on Mustard, with the Fluffy saying that line almost every time he spoke. Ariella suspected it might be trauma, because even if they told him that he was food, he still said the line, and it definitely hurt his chances of getting adopted, because as cute as it was to hear the line the first few times. Imagine months of telling Mustard he wasnât food and still hearing him say that line. Plus neon yellow fur on a neon yellow mane wasnât exactly appealing, but getting Mustard adopted wasnât the priority, especially right now.
âWhatâs your report, Mustard?â Ariella asked gently.
âDat Fwuffy did bad Fwuffy ting! Caww Nanna dummeh Fwuffy!â Mustard exclaimed.
Ariella looked at the Fluffy in question. The Bad Fluffy stallion that Nanna had been talking to, as expected its Shit Rat nature had finally revealed itself. It was throwing a tantrum, clearing from being lectured by Nanna, but Nanna didnât even look phased. The badass, elderly mill mare just looked so calm. She probably seen so many Fluffies throwing tantrum before and Ariella looked at Emilia, who didnât even need to be told. She walked up to the stallion, picked him up and left the playroom. Efficient. Em. Ze. They were both too good for her. Too good for Entepott. She really was lucky to have both of them, but Ariella needed to focus and noticed that Noodle also had something to say.
âNoodwe hab⌠hab⌠WeâŚum⌠Wepowtâ
Ariella made a small smile and gave Noodle a gentle head pat as well.
âWhatâs your report Noodle?â
âWan Fwuffy⌠Mak bad poopiesâ
âOh? Which one?â
âDat wanâ Noodle replied, pointing at a lime green babbeh.
It was one of the new batch and there was a fresh turd next to it. Another potential Shit Rat babbeh? That was unfortunate and Ariella couldnât but sigh in disappointment. Something Noodle was quick to pick up on.
âNoo⌠Noodwe am bad Fwuffy?!â Noodle asked in a panic.
âHuh?â Ariella responded in confusion âWha⌠No! No no no. Youâre a good Fluffy Noodle, a good Fluffyâ.
Noodle still looked concerned and Ariella picked the Fluffy up to give it a nice hug.
âYour a good Fluffy, Noodleâ Ariella repeated
âEban⌠eban wit⌠wit bwoken hown?â.
âEven with your broken hornâ
Noodle made a delighted squeal as he nuzzled Ariella lovingly. Noodle was definitely another of the traumatized ones. Ariella even had the details on this one. A surprise gift that was rejected because of bad colors and the chipped horn. It pissed Ariella off, but at the same time, she could understand the mentality. Fluffies were toys to a lot of people, even though they were pretty much living creatures who could talk like humans, or perhaps it was because they were living creatures who could talk like humans that people saw them as toys. An inferior species toâŚ
Ariella cut off that thought at the bud. She hated the whole Fluffy politics. Part of her wished that the world could come together and just love Fluffies for what they were cute, naive creatures with loving hearts. However, that would also require her to ignore the 125 Shit Rats currently residing. Still did Noodleâs former owners really have to mention the broken horn? It was clear that it left Noodle traumatized, as he didnât even call it a pointy thing, like most Fluffies did, he actually called it a horn. His broken horn.
One matter at a time. Reinforcing that Noodle was a Good Fluffy despite his broken horn was something that required long-term support, right now the focus was on the lime green foal that had just made bad poopies.
Your name is Lime, or at least that was what the hoomans called you.
Lime, after your fur color.
You didnât mean to make bad poopies.
You never do.
But your poopies never listen to you.
No matter how hard you try to tell them to stop.
In the previous shewtew, you got hurties with the sorry stick for making bad poopies.
In this shewtew, they tell you the bad poopies are bad Fwuffy tings.
Both the hoomans and the other Fwuffies.
You donât want to be a bad Fwuffy.
Youâve already seen what happens.
The hooman call them Shit Wats and bwing them away.
You can only imagine the hurties those Shit Wats get.
You donât want to be a bad Fwuffy.
But your poopies donât listen.
They never do.
âBad poopies!â You hear one Fwuffy scream.
You look behind you.
Bad poopies on the floow.
You already know they are yours.
You can see the meanie looks from the other Fluffies.
Youâre too scared too move.
You see one of the big Fwuffies talking to the hooman.
You already know youâre in trouble.
This was not the first time, and this wonât be the last.
Why?
Because your poopies donât listen.
They never do.
Zeri was in Ariellaâs office, watching her two Hugboxers co-workers lament over the fate of the lime green Fluffy foal, named Lime. A miserable fate brought about because of his unfortunate defect: Fecal incontinence. The involuntary leakage of feces or ânu mean bad poopiesâ in Fluff speak.
For Lime, it was pretty much the end of the road. The new system of Entepott would see him lose any chance of getting a home, fated to live the rest trapped inside a glass box with no toys, no freedom and no fun, with one meal of Fluffy meat and one meal of almost bad kibbles per day. Lime had become a Shit rat, much to the chagrin of Ariella and Emilia.
âFuckâ Ariella groaned softly.
Emilia looked deep in thought, no doubt trying to think of something.
âI could adopt Limeâ Emilia suddenly suggested
âBut you said your apartment had a no Fluffy policyâ Ariella retorted.
âYe⌠yeah, but I could adopt Lime and⌠uh⌠keep him here? I mean I spend more time here than at home, soâŚ"
âWhere exactly are you gonna keep him?â Zeri asked
âIâŚâ
âAlso are you gonna adopt every Fluffy and foal with the same problem?â Zeri added.
Emilia scowled at her, and Zeri just shrugged. She wasnât trying to be mean. She was just thinking of it realistic and it was clear that Emilia realized this, as she looked down crestfallen.
âZeâs rightâ Ariella stated âIncontinence is rare, but there are still Fluffies out there who have it and there are so many other kinds of defects who were bound to have the same fate. You canât be expected to take all of them in, and we canât keep them here. Sure they might have good attitudes, but remember weâre dealing with Shit Rats. Perceptive in certain aspects, dim-witted in others. They see Lime making bad poopies all the time yet treated like a Good Fluffy is gonna raise questions, maybe even influence some of the other foals too. What if they start making bad poopies and saying its okay because Lime does the same and heâs still a Good Fluffy⌠and Entepott honestly canât risk itâ.
âThen what areâŚâ
Emilia paused. She knew the answer. They all did. The answer was simple. Lime was a Shit Rat and he was gonna die in Entepott. Fluffies shitting everywhere was one of the biggest annoyances of Fluffy ownership, so who would want to adopt one who couldnât control their bowels. They would have to be the literal J Christ of Fluffies to even hope for a chance of getting a Hugboxer to take them in, but Lime was just another Fluffy.
To be fair, Zeri actually did feel some sympathy for Lime. The little guy was actually pretty decent. Well-mannered and polite, the tiny furry fella even went so far as to give his bad poopies the olâ lickie cleanies without anyone having to tell him, but it was clear that he wasnât going to last, even so it was impressive that he lasted two days before falling to Shit Rats, especially given how some of his elders literally fell to Shit Rat in under a minute, but the system really was designed against him.
Maybe it was because they paired him with Nanna, who pretty much told him to sit on the litterbox the whole time, so he could not make bad poopies, but 1) Who wanted a foal that sat on the litterbox for most of their life, and 2) a foal was often bursting with energy, curiosity and a desire for fun, there was no way Lime was gonna be able to spend his life on the litterbox.
Ariella and Emilia did try to help in another way. Give Lime some stuff to do under the pretense of âhelpingâ and âdoing what the humans saidâ. Just some small ways to earn Good Fluffy points and maintain his rank, but foals werenât exactly useful and they produced a feces at such a rapid pace. Bad poopies were bound to happen and many of the Good Fluffies were quick to call him out, and just like that Lime had become a Shit Rat.
âIâll⌠uh⌠go check on Lime⌠see how heâs doingâ Zeri stated softly.
She didnât really care about Lime. Not that much, but she just needed an excuse to get out. The atmosphere in Ariellaâs office was depressing. After today, this was probably the last time she was probably going to interact with Lime beyond handing the foal his daily meals.
Or rather it was supposed to be the last time they interacted. Turns out that was not the case.
They had left Lime with one of the Shit Rat mares that had been complaining about having no foals. Some runaway âpageant ponyâ named Ladybell. Hopefully having Lime would have toned down the loud mouth bitch and at least given Lime a decent mummah, or so was the plan. Unfortunately that was not the case, with Zeri finding Limeâs corpse. Death was obvious. Crushed by hooves.
âHey Shit Rat, why is your foal dead?â Zeri asked coldly.
âWadybeww am nut Shit Wat!â The Shit Rat screamed with indignation âAn dat am nut Wadybeww babbeh!â
âFine⌠So why is Lime dead?â
âWadybeww gib dummeh babbeh foebah sweepies, caw babbeh mak bad poopies on Wadybeww n mak Wadybeww nu wook pwetty, so Wadybeww gib sowwi hoofies!â
âAh⌠I seeâ Zeri replied calmly.
Came on a Monday.
Sat on a litterbox most of Tuesday.
Crushed to death on a Wednesday.
Three days stay in Entepott. Which was worse? Being crushed to death or living a long miserable life? Did this bitch mare actually do Lime a favor? Either way, Zeri knew who was on the menu tomorrow.
