The process of litter training proceeded to be slow going over the next few days, despite the foal’s attempts. Jitters noted that it seemed to be grasping the concept of what it needed to do, but either due to struggling to crawl fast enough or the fact that it still didn’t have it’s eyes open left results to be… less than optimal. Most messes were the typical bed wetting during it’s sleep, which was to be expected, but the rest were either trails leading to the litter try or tiny piles scattered around or right outside of it.
The closest the alicorn managed to get was a small pile of shit half in and half out of the tray, and much to the little alicorn’s dismay, Jitters was not proud of him for the numerous ‘almosts’. If anything he seemed to be more frustrated and tired.
Didn’t help that Jitters’ workload had intensified with some upcoming exams. Not only was he trying to juggle his own studies, he had his schedule packed with several students needing tutoring help to the point that three of the sessions had to become full on study groups. Having to essentially reteach the same lessons they had all recently learned in their classes repeatedly, coupled with the few assholes that obviously wanted to shulk all their work onto him rather than figure things out themselves, Jitters didn’t really have much patience left to constantly clean and entertain the foal. Meaning the litter tray often ended up with several puddles and piles around it before being cleaned and a considerable lack in praise or attention for the fussy, peeping creature growing in it’s baby feathers.
Thank fuck Loretta gave him the mini auto-feeder, otherwise bottle feeding every hour while trying to wrangle clients with the attention spans of puppies would be another layer of hell.
After the end of another long day of mental taxation revolving around emails, schedules, technical difficulties in video calls, abrasive personalities of clients and professors, and hours of studying multiple subjects with little time for food or sleep, Jitters was ready to call it a night and attempt to sleep.
Except he couldn’t, because the foal was peeping and it was feeding time. The auto feeder needed a refill and Jitters had run out of Lady Bell’s milk, so it was back to the formula. With an exhausted groan, he cleaned the foal and it’s pen of any messes and went to the kitchen and set to making a batch to fill the auto-feeder, being careful with measurements and double checking to ensure the results weren’t frothy.
When he came back, he yawned. “Okay, okay, pipe down, I got your milkies right here…” At this point he wasn’t even phased at how silly he sounded.
He had just finished pouring the warm formula into the milk tank when he glanced over to the foal and froze. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. There was the foal, blinking up at him with watery eyes.
Jitters was now as wide awake as he could be with a jolt of excitement. His mind mentally jotting down the time, date, and details of how the foal’s eyelids slowly pulled apart as he grabbed his phone. Several pictures were taken before being sent to Loretta with some very excited text in tow.
“Well, look at you! You look-”
He carefully scooped the foal up and placed it on his desk to see it in a better light, observing how the foal’s eyes took a bit to fully unstick and open. They were a little bleary, but they were becoming wide and curious, and dear Gods HE HAS HIS MOTHER’S EYES
“Just like your mother…”
The moment of ecstatic delight is somewhat ruined by this fact as all of Jitters’ memories of Lady Bell suddenly flooded his mind. He smiles nervously, giving a discomforted chuckle as the foal tries to look up at him. It was upon a closer look, Jitters’ discovered that the alicorn’s eyes weren’t exactly like Lady Bell’s. His pupils were shaped like diamonds, where hers were shaped like flowers.
The alicorn chirped and cooed, trying to take in his appearance. It was clear that it would take a bit of time before the foal could actually make out anything more than blurry shapes. So, luckily for Jitters, it wouldn’t really register that he was cringing a little at the sight it it. Upon hearing his voice, it recognized him as Daddeh and gave a burbly warble.
Excitedly kicking it’s little hooves, it struggles for a bit before finally managing to sit up, all the while making cheerful peeps and garbled noises akin to baby gibberish. It giggles and flaps it’s tiny, soft wings as it raises it’s little arms up in a request for ‘uppsies’.
You are a foal, and you have been trying your best to be a good babbeh. You made lots of poopies and peepees, but no matter how hard you try, Daddeh did not sound proud of you like the one time. It wasn’t your fault, honest! Sometimes when you woke up, the bad peepees or poopies were already there! Other times, you just couldn’t find the litter box fast enough. Or you did fin the litter box, but somehow the poopies managed to get out of it. Stupid poopies.
With Daddeh being upset and busy so much, you were lonely. You could always hear him, but you couldn’t feel him. It just wasn’t the same. His didn’t even stay with you to give you milkies anymore!
You would’ve been the loneliest saddies with the worstest heart hurties ever if it weren’t for Brambles. Your stuffy friend has been good company for cuddles and safety, but not much else. But now, Daddeh has you, and your eyes have finally decided to wake up! You can see! The world is very bright, with lots of colours! You think you see Daddeh, but he is very blurry. You can see that it’s mane is dark red, and it doesn’t have any other fluff! Or maybe it does? You’re not sure if it is fluff or not, but whatever it is, it’s a dark grey. You can barely make out that it has green eyes.
You try to blink away the wet, goopy feeling in your eyes and focus on the figure before you. You can’t strain for too long though, because it makes your eyes tired and achey. You know this is Daddeh, because it’s his voice! You laugh, and chirp, and greet him excitedly. You love Daddeh! You want to give him huggies! So you raise your arms for his biggest uppsies.
He scoops you up, and you try to tell him how much you love him, but the words aren’t really coming out right. You just sound like you’re making silly noises.
“Bwahh! Bah! Dah! Dahngh! Waaauubaah!”
He did it. He actually managed to keep this thing alive long enough for it to open it’s eyes. It was quite an achievement for a first time fluffy owner. His short term goal in regards of studying the foal were accomplished, and now it was time to relish in that minor success and set a new goal. What would it be? Fuck if he knew, he was too tired to really think too hard on it right now. Maybe litter training and vocabulary training, since it was trying to experiment more vocally.
Jitters looks down at the foal in his hands and can’t help but give a crooked, tired smile. It was so genuinely tickled to see him. It was kind of adorable. This little creature may have spawned from that fuzzy demon of a bitchmare, but he’ll be damned if their resemblances will stop him from studying the foal’s growth and trying to raise it properly. He can do better. He will do better.
He allows the foal to hug him as he carries it back it it’s pen and sets it down by the auto-feeder. He manages to convince the foal to eat, watching as it does. The alicorn makes it known that it’s not thrilled with the formula, but it’s hungry enough that it manages to at least somewhat fill it’s tummy.
Once he’s assured the foal is set for the night, he tucks it in and heads to bed for the night.
It was morning and the foal had already woken up with yet another mess in his bed. He had to wait past a couple more feeding times with the Not-Mummah’s milkies to be cleaned when Jitters finally woke up. There were several smears and puddles in the pen from the foal’s desperate attempts to make it to the box, and it was clear to him that the foal was getting frustrated with crawling.
Sipping his second coffee, Jitters watches the foal attempt to manage control over his legs, slipping and stumbling over several times. It’s little peeps getting progressively more angry.
“Trying to figure out that walking thing, huh? You can do it, baby, I believe in you.”
The foal manages to finally get his back legs underneath him, raising his little butt in the air before shakily raising his front half. He wobbles, unsure of his balance as he’s finally standing.
“Ayyy, there you go! Now you just gotta put one foot in front of the other.” Jitters grins over his mug.
The foal appears to be emboldened with his encouragement, making a soft, yet nervous laugh before raising one hoof, only to firmly place it right back down to catch his balance again.
This process repeats a few more times, complete with the foal falling and having to start all over. Finally, the foal manages to stand and take it’s first step. Then it’s second leg follows. Then the third. Finally the fourth. It continues stepping, only slipping up a few times before gaining speed. Within seconds the foal has managed to go from a stumbling trot to a wobbling gallop and only got three or four steps in before it’s back legs tried to go faster than the front legs ending in it tumbling ass over tea kettle and landing on it’s face.
It takes everything in Jitters to keep from laughing.
The foal’s body shakes as it starts to sob, upset at it’s failure and only a little hurt from it’s tumble. Feeling pity on the poor thing, Jitters reaches over and runs a finger along it’s mane.
“There, there now, deep breaths, it’s okay. You had it for a moment there, just gotta keep practicing.”
The foal continued to ‘huu huu’ for a bit before calming down and trying to reorganize itself. Only… It’s legs weren’t cooperating. Turning it’s head as much as it could, it tried to see what exactly was wrong.
The baby’s back legs somehow managed to tangle over each other and he couldn’t get them unstuck by himself. Sensing the oncoming whimper, Jitters chuckled in amusement and moved to carefully set the foals legs in the right direction before the waterworks started up again.
“Hold on, hold on, I’ll help you… There. Try again.”
It took several more attempts, but finally, the foal was up and stumbling on all fours, much like a baby deer on ice. Still, it was funny to see. Just a little bumbling bumper car kitten ready to crash into anything and everything, yet still determined to get up and keep moving.
“Haha! Lookit you go! You are… Much faster… Than I expected. Hm…” Jitters hoped that wouldn’t be a foreboding sign of things to come. He’d better figure out some precautionary safety features in chase the little alicorn managed to get out of the pen and run amok.
He continued to watch the foal as well as play with it a little by letting it chase his hand around the pen while he finished his coffee.
You are a foal, and you have learned so many things since you’ve opened your eyes! You’ve learned what Daddeh looks like, you’ve learned where your milkies come from, you’ve learned what your nest looks like, and you’ve just now learned how to make your legs work so you could do walkies! You haven’t just learned walkies, you’ve learn how to run! And boy do you LOVE to run! It’s still kind of hard, and your leggies don’t always wanna work. It’s still a struggle to figure out which leggy goes where, but like Daddeh said, ‘You just need to practice!’
Usually it’s your back leggies that like to go faster than your front leggies. They just get so excited to do happy kickies at the ground, that your poor front leggies just can’t keep up! It makes you fall, but hearing Daddeh laugh and encourage you to try again makes you have the biggest heart happies and get up for more.
You even got to play with him! It’s so much fun! He tickles your sides and pulls his not-hoof away, allowing you to try to chase after it to tickle him back. You love this game, and by the smile on your Daddeh’s face, you’re sure that he loves it too!
But all good things have to come to an end, and this goof, fun game is quickly interrupted by your tummy making a grumbly noise and your poopie place burping stinky air. Your eyes widen as you suddenly stop running. You know what’s wrong, and you’re not prepared. You’re having so much fun that you don’t want to stop, but you know you have to!
You need to make poopies! Your eyes dart around, desperately sniffing in search of the familiar smell you’ve learned is the litter box. You smell it-You see it! You have to make poopies there! Daddeh sounds confused that you’ve stopped, but you can’t take the time to tell him what you have to do! You gotta go now!
You scurry over to the box, tripping as you do, but you don’t let that stop you! You have to make it! You have to make good poopies! You reach the box, and you scurry into it, but you stop and realize your poopie place is still outside the box! The poopies won’t make it if your poopie place is out there! You can barely hold it in anymore! You frantically try to turn around in the box, feeling your poopies coming out despite trying your best to hold them in. Your eyes squeeze shut, afraid of how bad they’ll be as you can no longer hold them in any more. Your poopie place releases completely, emptying of all your built up poopies. It smells not pretty, as always.
Your Daddeh doesn’t stay anything. You’re afraid. You feel that you’re done, so you slowly open your eyes and look up at him. He’s still a little blurry, but not as much as when your eyes first opened. He looks… Well, he doesn’t look angry. He looks… Scared? No. Shocked? Surprised? Yes, that’s a surprised face. Suddenly he screams.
“YEAHHH!!! YOU DID IT!!!”
The volume of his voice scares you, making you flinch and somehow squirt out scaredy poopies. You were confused. Was he angry?! No, he was smiling, but why was he so loud? He points behind you, so you turn your head to look and gasp.
“Look! You did it!! You did it! You made good poopies! WHOOHOO!! LET’S GOOO!!!”
He was excited! You did it! You finally made your first good poopies!!! You chirp with joy and do your best dancies! You were so happy!! You Daddeh does his own dancie in celebration. So caught up in the overwhelming delight of finally winning the Good Poopies Game, you completely forgot which leggie was supposed to go where and you tripped. And fell. Your face landing right into one of the piles of your Bad Poopies… So much for your celebration…
Daddeh laughed, which made you feel even worse. You tried to wipe your poopies from your face, but it only made it get everywhere. You did not like it.
“Hold on, don’t move, I got you.” Daddeh says, still laughing. You feel like crying.
He gets up and gets the cleanie wipes. Usually you like getting cleanies, but this time doesn’t feel great. Probably because you feel so shameful. Stupid poopies… Always ruining your fun… It wasn’t fair. Once you’re all cleaned off, Daddeh helps give your nestie cleanies too, making sure you stay in a corner of your nestie, away from the poopies to avoid getting dirty again.
Once he’s done, Daddeh says he has a surprise for you. You chirp curiously and try to ask what it is.
“Thumppwahh?”
Mm. Nope. Still not right. Making wordies is harder than it seems and makes your tongue feel a little funny trying to make the right sounds. Daddeh leaves, and you try to practice calling out to him.
“Bahhhbahh! Bahh… Dah? Dahh!! BahhBahbahabhabahhDahhh…DahhhDehhDahhh…”
You’ve almost got it! You were about to take a big breath to try saying ‘Daddeh’ when you see him come back with… A blankie! Not just any blankie. You Mummah Blankie!! You screech with excitement, scrambling onto your hooves only to fall down. You don’t care though, he’s got your Mummah Blankie!
Daddeh laughs folds the blankie into a cozy nestie shape as you scramble over and smush your face into it. It still smells just like Mummah! You miss Mummah soooo much, but this blankie makes you feel close to her and safe. You nuzzle into the soft fabric, relishing in the long desired comfort with a big yawn. After all the excitement you’ve been through, you could go for a nap.
“Hey now, just remember, you get to keep this blanket as long as you keep making good poopies, understand?”
You chirp and nod, hugging the blankie. Daddeh chuckles and shakes his head.
“Alright, you sleep tight. Oh! Before you go to sleep, don’t forget Brambles! Wouldn’t wanna be lonely while I work, right?”
That’s right! You haven’t seen Brambles yet! You need to tell him about your good poopies and show him that you got your Mummah blankie back! You get up to help Daddeh find Brambles under your other blankie, giving an excited wag of your tail when you find where he’s hiding. With a mighty tug, you pull the blankie off of your stuffy friend and scream.
You scream as loudly as you ca in sheer terror. That wasn’t Bramble McWamble. That couldn’t be your stuffy friend. That was a monster! A terrifying, horrible monster! You feel warm peepees forming under you along with more scaredy poopies. Daddeh asks you what’s wrong. It takes all your strength to kick yourself away as you scream in fear.
“M-M-MUNTHTAH!! MUNTH-TAAAHUUHUUHUUHUU!!!”
“Whoa, whoa, what’s wrong?!”
Jitters was utterly confused. Why the hell was the alicorn freaking out now? He watched as the foal kicked and screamed, once more shitting himself, though this time in fear. It crawled away as fast as it could from the plush toy and cried out ‘Munth-tah’.
Shit.
Jitters picks up the little plush monster for the foal, frowning a little. “No, no, look. It’s Bramble. Your stuffy friend, he keeps you safe, remember?”
The foal shrieks and covers it’s face with it’s hooves, sobbing uncontrollably. It clearly wanted nothing to do with the plush toy.
Sighing, Jitters took Brambles McWambles and placed it back on his desk before grabbing some more cleaning wipes. The foal damn squirmed and screeched at his touch, thinking him to be the monster trying to eat it. Once the foal and pen were once again cleaned off, Jitters placed it in the Mummah blanket and tucked it in. He sang a lullaby, gently stroking the shivering foal that was still crying uncontrollably. He waited until it fell asleep from exhaustion, having worn out it’s voice from it’s sobs.
So much for progress…
Pulling out his phone, he texted Loretta, detailing the alicorn’s achievements of the day.
- Opened eyes
- Started learning how to walk/run
- Made very first good poopies
- Danced
- Said first word: Monster
Loretta belongs to @UndercoverPallasCat
. Jokes aside, very good art and story as always.
so cute!