Season Two Episode 11: Spankings

So, earlier on in the month, Empress Owlis had made it quite clear, quite clear in fact, she definitely intended to paddle the Ice Cream Pack.

Now, granted, they were mostly model citizens. They produced. They labored. They protected. On the other hand, they had gone to war with the hyenas, and Baynana with her big mouth, said some words that would bring only the worst punishments to mind.

Spanking was not a traditional criminal punishment, and mostly was reserved for juvenile court in most countries. Therefore, it made sense Baynana and Ahmond might be going "over the barrel". However, mix in the idea of spanking with dires, where there is a clear hierarchy in most dire species, and it's not such a shocking fact.

Plus, Baynana and Ahmond kept playing with forbidden dark magics, but they had pretended to stop, by burying deep into the ground a book of spells. What was with their family and books anyway? Baynana swore she would never talk to another librarian again, much less ever get close to a book.

However, the supposed date had arrived, and the family was led into the dungeons underneath Empress Owlis' palace. It wasn't as dank as one may expect, nor was it constructed only of concrete or rusted metal.

Instead, Mosor thought the place looked rather fancy. They were shoved into a small apartment, that still had a working sink, toiletries, even a blanket. It was better than some cheap motels.

"This is rather nice for a dungeon," Mosor told the guard.

The guard, a wolf, said, "Our Empress is not cruel. We believe that there should be some sense of redemption when we're dealing with criminals."

Mercy had pervaded the idea of Wysdom for a generation. Instead of simply whipping or cutting off heads, their prison system was known as a reformation center.

However, Owlis' palace was just a place for her to deal with those who she personally had vendettas against, or those who were important and wealthy enough she couldn't hold within a standard prison. Usually queens or lesser royalty who messed around, or drank too many grapes.

"So, we've been arrested," Vanos said as he got on the bed. "It's kinda weird, are we really consenting to being arrested?"

Kyofi muttered, "I didn't consent. You all just dragged me with."

Mynt said, "Well, we still do get a trial and hearing and everything else. Even though Owlis made the order, she still has to hold some sort of trial."

"We're going to lose so much business during our most profitable quarter ever." Kyofi rolled over on the floor. "How long are we shut down for?"

Mosor said, "It's usually about two days."

"It feels like we're grounded," Ahmond said. "Why did we have to wait so long to get this done?" If she had counted right, it was already the fourteenth of the month, and their escapade happened ten days ago. "Shouldn't it have been immediate?"

Mosor said, "Queen Jazmyn had a trial. Anyway, it's just standard procedure in Wysdom, for a few days to pass."

"Aren't we just going to plead guilty anyway?" Baynana asked.

"We should fight the system," Kyofi said. "Maybe we should tell Owlis what we did was right."

A knocking came at their door, and Mosor peered through some bars which were like a peephole. It was a wolf guard, and he opened the door. "Please come with us."

The guards had them come down the hallway, and into a small interrogation like room. One guard asked if they wanted any coffee or anything, and only Vanos and Kyofi said yes.

"My name is officer Okre, and Owlis has sent me to inform you that since you have already admitted to the crimes, you are considered confessed."

"We're supposed to have an actual trial!" Kyofi said.

Okre raised a paw. "We understand you are from a different nation than this one, and we hope you understand different nations come with different ideas on how to execute the law. Anyway, we are having a trial, but the point of the trial is for you to explain your virtue."

"And if we can't explain our virtue?" Kyofi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The goal is to see if the current charges levied against you should be dropped for fair game purposes," Okre said. "You see, Fair Game was invented a hundred years ago, to say that someone should be allowed to break the law when it comes to doing the greater good. It was..."

Kyofi cut him off. "What are the chances anything is going to change from this trial?"

"It's probably not," Okre admitted.

At the trial, they sat at a table, while Owlis presided over the court.

"I've had to come take control of my own court quite a few times now," Owlis said. "For an hour a day. And for the past few days, I've had to talk with Jazmyn."

"And what came of that," Mosor asked, then peered around nervously, not knowing if that was allowed. Sometimes, you weren't supposed to talk out of turn in a court, or else you could get kicked out or even arrested.

Owlis didn't seem as disturbed. She rolled her eyes up as she remembered. "Let me think. I believe we came to a deal, that she was allowed to be in this year's Fall Festival since it was unfair to punish her whole nation. Instead, however, she will not be allowed to lead her own team, and it will be her daughter Lilu leading the team and being there for ceremonial purposes."

Ahmond wagged her tail. "Wait, Lilu's going to be there?"

"May I say you are a special little girl?" Owlis asked. "While Lilu does play with children of the supposedly lesser classes - I say supposedly because you're all the backbone of this great land - it's amazing how quickly she's warmed up to you."

Ahmond blinked, never thinking about it. "She makes fun of me a lot..."

"I've known Lilu since she was born. I was literally there at the hospital room, trying to help Jazmyn give birth to a baby girl. I was there for the ultrasound before that. I was the first one who even knew, and I was there with the biggest gift at the baby shower."

Owlis smiled. "It fills me with a bit of pride to know she's succeeding her mother. Anyway, good work on making a relationship with Lilu."

Ahmond nodded, and said, "I don't know how I did it. But I guess I did it."

Baynana pointed out, "And in only a month too, so you really did it quickly."

"Because of these factors, I've developed a bit of softness towards you Ahmond, I must admit," Owlis said. When Ahmond beamed, Owlis countered with, "Unfortunately for you, I am not a big fan of all your forbidden magical dealings."

Ahmond stood. "Baynana's not at fault for her 'forbidden magical dealings'. Jazmyn had us imprisoned, falsely I might add-"

"Not falsely," Owlis said. "Running away is against the law. While I disagreed with why she did it, and told her to step down, holding you hostage was actually legal overall. However, I judged her based on the spirit of why she did it, not the technicalities. I am not my sister."

"Well, is forbidden magic against the law?" Ahmond asked.

"Very," Owlis said. "That is why it is, after all, forbidden."

Ahmond sat back down, but Baynana stood for her own defence. "I have only been in this country for over two weeks now, maybe even three. Never did I know about the law, nor did I intend to break it. My family wanted me safe. After an accidental spell, we all came to your country as a way to protect me."

Owlis said, "And you smuggled evil, forbidden magic."

"I can't control it, but I found someone who can control me!" Baynana said, and released dark lines into the floor. The guards roared into action, but Ahmond released dark brown waves which hit the lines and stopped their progress.

Owlis raised an eyebrow.

"Very well. That is permissible, but you still used it afterwards, and Ahmond even amplified the entire thing onto Jazmyn's whole palace."

Mynt said, "If I may? I've been studying law for the past few days, and to my understanding, this country does say you have a right to freedom. Escaping a facility is using the right to freedom, yes?"

Owlis said, "Technically. Usually we just find something else to charge you with though. It tends to be pretty hard to escape a prison without breaking some extra law, it's just breaking out of prison is not, in and of itself, illegal."

Mynt sat back down.

Owlis said, "I've been listening to your points, and yes I know my judgement was ultimately a bit hasty. Since you have such a great relationship with Jazmyn's daughter, and since you did only use the magic in self-defence and escape, perhaps I should let well enough be well enough."

"Are you saying you're dropping the charges and punishments?" Mosor asked.

Owlis said, "Oh... Well, why not? Unless you've been doing more forbidden magic." She laughed.

Ahmond and Baynana shifted looks.

And Owlis caught on to that. "What was with those looks?"

"They were just looks," Ahmond said.

Owlis asked Baynana, and Baynana's ears folded back. Baynana hated to lie - it was too hard for her to lie. She was never known to be able to tell untruths.

"We used a forbidden book of magic, and we used Rosod's library card," Baynana admitted, "and Ahmond put wights on Lilu since she wouldn't stop talking about being afraid of nothing. Afterwards, we summoned some being known as the Nightmare, and also did a few other things like putting ourselves to sleep, and please don't kill us."

Owlis said, "You better believe killing you is too nice!"

Most of the ice cream back, minus Kyofi and Mynt, sank back as Owlis rambled.

"Again, and again, and again, you're all being criminals? For one second, can any of you do anything without there being a national catastrophe?"

She tried to calmly collect herself as she rambled on, but rambling tended to stop someone from calming down.

"Mosor, Mynt, Kyofi, and Vanos. For breaking out your cousins, and for attacking Jazmyn's guards, corporal punishment and I'm reinstating the ban from the hyena kingdoms."

She stared at the girls. "For you girls, since you are juveniles, you are only getting imprisoned on weekends and corporal punishment. However, you are to report here for the last two days of the week, every week, for... Let's see, you've said about four forbidden spells right... Four weeks."

"That's eight days!" Ahmond whined.

Owlis said, "Suddenly, I've stopped caring, like you did about others."

"Wait, you can't do that!" Kyofi said. "We need them for help around the ice cream shop. Weekends are our biggest days... sometimes!"

Owlis said, "Oh well. Maybe you should be making sure these young ones aren't going around, sending wights on someone!"

"Wait, you mentioned, uh, corporal punishment. What's that?" Ahmond blinked. Corporal sounded like something to do with the military. "Will we have to lift weights or something?"

"No, it refers to physical discipline," Owlis said. "Seven whacks per forbidden spell, or per break out."

"Twenty eight?" Ahmond asked, not sure if her math was right.

"Yes."

And as the family made their complaints, or whines, the guards dragged them off again.

Mosor was first to get whacked. All six wolves were lined up, and went in a line into a dark room.

The hyena guard saw Mosor, and wrapped chains around her midsection and back to hold her down, along with some chains around her legs. Didn't matter if Mosor said she wouldn't run away. Whyrlwind picked up a paddle with holes in it.

About big and long enough for the wolf fox's seat. He carried the paddle in his mouth. With a strong bite, his grip wouldn't lead to the paddle slipping around and breaking his teeth.

Whyrl twisted his head before slapping at Mosor's cheeks. She let out a gasp. "Ow! Do you have to be so hard?"

"Do you have to be a wimp?" He gave two more slaps. Factoring in that dires' version of fun was throwing fireballs at each other, he had this weird, sneaking suspicion a paddling wasn't that bad.

Not that the punishment was strictly for humiliation, else he'd conduct it publicly in a crowd. Actually, he'd never even spanked an adult before. He mused on it as he gave the new two whacks.

Maybe it had to do with how the other two in the crime were kids, and so it seemed inappropriate to lash their feet, or whip their backs. Too extreme.

And Mosor danced around and shook in her chains. He almost smirked.

He got the final whack, and gave it more force than normal. Afterwards, he removed the chains, and Mosor bolted.

The next victim, a yellow wolf coyote, seemed to be more indignant about the matter. But after the first shot, the coyote dropped the brave facade and screamed.

"Watch it, you brute!"

"Right back at you, pretty boy." He smacked his dark rear again.

Whyrl was the executioner of the law. Paddling wasn't common enough in his opinion. This was the only paddling he gave in a year.

But maybe kids were too well-behaved nowadays? Or maybe Owlis had gone soft. In his opinion, it was the latter. He never casted forbidden illegal spells in his day, just throw rocks until he put out someone's eye - but he came home before dark so he was quite the good boy.

After the seventh smack, Vanos walked off stiffly. "I can't feel my butt."

He knew Kyofi would be trouble when she came in because the guards had to keep her down. Instead of even bothering to lock her up, he gave the first whack while she was held down. She yelled. He kept it up, before telling them to release her after the seven. She still seemed angry, but wasn't going to attack him.

Mynt was a weird combination of the last ones. While she held her snoot up in the air, she stayed on the floor as graceful as Mosor did.

And she broke face after the first slap, and said, "Ow, you're going too hard!"

"Are all of you three?" he asked. "Even then my momma was whooping me harder than this."

"Were you abused as a kid?"

"I'm abused as an adult, I'm a hyena male. That's why I make sure I put dinner on the counter."

After the final spank, she growled and ran off.

Finally, Ahmond and Baynana came in a pair, already sweating.

He was a dad with two young daughters himself, so he decided he'd be softer on them instead of giving a full force whack.

"In case you two are afraid, I'm not giving all twenty eight right now. It's seven per session." He had some discretion.

They seemed to calm down. He didn't bother putting them in chains since he was uncomfortable with the idea of them being trapped with heavy metal. Instead he informed both to stand side by side so he could whack both butts at once.

He gave a light slap to their bottoms, and both whined. Wolves didn't cry, unless something was in their eyes, so they had to show distress other ways. Not that Ahmond or Baynana would be crying anyway, since he didn't hit that hard.

Baynana muttered, "You're gonna spank us stupid."

Whyrl said with the paddle still in mouth. "Think I'm too late to that party."

He gave slightly more than pats to their rumps before dropping the paddle, and telling them to leave.

The house was a bit emptier than usual, as the four adults were in the living room. Instead of making dinner, they just ordered something at a restaurant, and carried it home.

"That was humiliating," Kyofi said.

Mynt was still thinking about something. Ruminating about some news.

Mosor asked Mynt, "What's wrong?"

Mynt said, "I hope it bothers the rest of you that we just found out our cousins are doing forbidden spells. We just said we should trust them more, and their already using illegal spells."

"Yeah, without that, we might not have been whooped," Kyofi said.

Mosor said, "We need to find that book."

The family burst from their seats, only to feel some pain in their seats, and then went out to scavenge.

Only one person found the book, and it wasn't a member of the Ice Cream Pack, just a glowing, yellow jackal.