After a small eternity, Sam made his decision. He went to his garage and turned off the generator, almost relishing the end of the constant lullabies. He was past the point of no return, now. Drawing a deep breath, he unlocked his front door and stepped into the warm sunlight.
He felt so many emotions at once he couldn't even begin to describe how he felt. But then Jessica laughed and clapped her paws with joy, and he couldn't help but smile.
"Sammmmmy!" the little raccoon squealed, darting up to him and wrapping his leg in a tiny hug. The other babyfurs gave a cheer of celebration, and soon the air was filled with confetti and the sound of party horns.
He barely had any time to react before his body started shrinking. Visions flashed through his mind--near-forgotten sweet memories of childhood. His mother cooing and blowing raspberries on his tummy. His first chocolate chip cookies, and his subsequent first sugar high. Racing across the beach as fast as his little legs could carry him, eager to show his parents the shells he'd found.
Fur sprouted across his body. Then came memories of watchful green eyes; of black-gloved paws and white-tipped tails. He recalled the first time he saw a fox, and the way he admired its vivid colors and impeccable grace. There was a certain sadness that seized him as he watched the final patch of bare human skin vanish beneath his new orange coat. As enraptured as he was, he knew what he had sacrificed.
The final change was to his clothing rather than his body. He felt rather than saw his boxers reform into a diaper, and distant memories resurfaced of racing through his old house wearing nothing but a thick plastic Pamper. Humbling, yet strangely comforting.
Finally it was done. He was eye-level with Jessica now, who looked like she had just witnessed a miracle. "You're a fox? Cool! Now we can both sneak around and always win at hide n' seek!" she exclaimed, flashing him a mischievous grin.
Sammy blinked, gazing down at his changed form. He felt so alive, so young, so exuberant...yet he still had a lot of lingering uncertainty. He looked out at the new world with wide and cautious eyes, barely resisting the urge to suck his fuzzy thumb.
Just then his huge shirt slipped straight off his shrunken shoulders, exposing his diaper to the world. Although his wardrobe wasn't any different from what everyone else was wearing, he couldn't help but blush.
"You'll be fine," Jessica assured him. "Nobody's gonna laugh at you. Besides, it's hot out. And if it gets cold, you have a super-duper awesome new coat to keep you warm!"
That cheered him up a bit. His fur -was- kinda awesome, after all. But again, he still wasn't sure about all this.
He poked at his diaper uncertainly. "Do I really have to wear this?" He was shocked by how young and squeaky his voice sounded.
Jessica shrugged. "You can take it off if you want. A couple furs did that before running through the sprinkler."
He blushed again. "No! I mean, why do we need these? No one uses them, right?"
"Nuh-uh. We use 'em," she said. "But then they get clean again real fast. Cool, huh?" Suddenly her face scrunched up with a rare hint of worry. "A few of the new furs needed changing, though."
Sammy gulped. He fervently hoped he wouldn't need a diaper change--he was having enough trouble as it was.
"Danny said its 'cuz the diapers are getting worse with each new fur," Jessica continued. "Same for each new batch of food and toys we make, too. He told the mayor we might need to find out how to use 'pro-visions' from before The Big Change."
Maybe she was talking about Dan O'Bryan, the delivery driver who lived down the street? And what was this about needing supplies? Sammy had thought this place was self-sustaining. Did it have anything to do with how the newest converts weren't adjusting as well as the first? He made a mental crayon note in his head to follow up on that later.
Before he could ruminate further, Jessica took him by the hand--or more accurately, paw--and led him to the jubilant neighbors. He was reintroduced to his community in a flurry of excited greetings, noogies, tickles, and hugs, and he was amazed at the sheer variety of animals they'd become. Felines, canines, rodents, avians, reptiles, mustelids, even some primates--the only thing they had in common was that they were all diapered and diabetes-inducingly cute.