Chapter Fourteen - Little Lies

It was early in the morning - very early - when my eyes fluttered open, my senses overwhelmed by the summery gold glow of the day-break sun and the frantic vivacious twittering of birds outside the window. I felt three successive stabs of a finger squidge into the padded fabric strapped to my bottom, a warm breathy voice whispering in my ear.

“Cooper. Coopeeeer!” Laurie was demanding, now shaking impatiently at my shoulders “Wake up!”

I rolled over, giving a lazy frown as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “What?” I asked, looking down at the nervous-looking boy balancing half way up the bunk ladder. Over the course of the night, the waistband of his pajama bottoms had ridden down a little - revealing a good portion of his pull up, now noticeably bulkier than it had been the night before. I groaned in remembrance, sitting up and twisting around to check on my own night time protection. It was still dry, of course, but my nocturnal tossing and turning had left the back of my pajama waistband sagging all the way to the back of my knees. Anyone who happened to have passed my bunk in the night would have gotten a good view of the fuzzy ducklings quacking happily on my bottom! I hastily readjusted them hoping no one rose as early as Laurie.

“Mornin’.” I exhaled, summoning a dopey smile as I stretched my arms high into the air and let out an almighty yawn.

“Did you uh…go pee?” Laurie asked, cutting right to the chase. As silly as it was, I couldn’t help but feel a little abashed by the question - shaking my head decidedly to the contrary.

“No!” I denied defensively, before the sad look on Laurie’s face reminded me of my deception. Back tracking, I made a little bit of a show of touching the top of my pull up before I turned back towards him - trying to look equally morose. “I mean… No. Not this time.”

The boy looked disappointed - he had clearly been hoping he wouldn’t have been the only one. As far as I had gone to accommodate the boy however, even I had my limits. “We have to go to see Taylor.” Laurie informed, clambering down off the ladder. I took a change of clothes with me along with the Beaver uniform since Laurie did the same. I followed quickly behind, keeping a good hold of my pajamas as I felt the papery bulk of the pull up crinkle against my inner leg. We darted out of the warm room, skipping quickly through the chilly morning air and past the cub camp towards the grown-up’s tents.

Taylor was sitting casually on a camping chair below a tree, sipping on a steaming mug of coffee in a white enamel mug. “Hey boys.” he greeted cheerily “Sleep well?” I nodded pleasantly, but failed to notice Laurie staring sadly at the ground - his head hung in disappointment. “You okay, champ?”

“Nooo.” the little boy sniffled, raising his green eyes to reveal that a few tears had crystalized in the corner of his eyes “I had another ac..ac…accident! And Cooper… Cooper…”

“Wow!” Taylor intervened, putting his coffee aside and drawing the littlest Beaver into a reassuring hug. He shushed him, letting out a strangely comforting chuckle. “You’re alright, Laurie.” he said confidently “It’s just a little accident, that’s all. That’s why you boys wear them, right? It’s no big deal.”

“But Cooper didn’t…” Laurie began, but Taylor interrupted once again.

“Don’t worry about Cooper.” he insisted, handing the boy a small plastic bag he clearly had ready for this very purpose “Why don’t you head into the showers and get yourself cleaned up. Can you manage that by yourself?”

Laurie nodded, wiping away his tears. “Oh… Okay!” he managed, the tiniest of smiles once again returning to his lips.

“Good lad.” Taylor praised, watching him go. A full blown tantrum narrowly averted, he turned to me - all business. “Did you wanna take that off?” he asked, offering me a plastic bag of my own “The sides just rip away.”

“Uhh…sure.” I agreed, reaching into my pajama pants and managing to tear the quasi-diaper off and up with one sharp tug.

Taylor burst into a booming laugh. “I was gonna say to go to the toilets, but guess that works too!” he observed, ruffling my hair as he wrapped it up tight in the plastic bag - away from prying eyes. I blushed red, feeling rather silly. “Thanks again for stepping up with Laurie.” he praised.

“Don’t mention it.” I mumbled, not wanting to dwell on the issue.

“Reveille isn’t for another ten minutes, Why don’t you go get changed?”

I nodded and followed Laurie to the washrooms. He was in the middle of getting undressed when he saw me. A fresh pout appeared on his face. “Good job.” He mumbled quietly.

“On what?” I prodded.

“On staying dry…” He trailed off.

“Oh.” I mused. “Thanks” It felt rather awkward to be congratulated for not having an accident.

“I guess you don’t really need them, huh?” He inquired.

I hesitated before answering, unsure whether or not to reveal my deception. He was right, I didn’t need them. But I could hardly just tell him the truth now! He’d be upset that I knew his secret - and that I’d lied to boot. He was sure to break out into tears again. I bit my lip, thinking the problem through, before it came to me. “Hey Laurie, want to know a secret?” I asked him.

“Yeah.” He said, perking up a little. “What is it?

“How old I am.” I hummed to him. “I told Charlie yesterday.”

Laurie’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yes! How old are you?”

“Eight.” I lied again.

Laurie’s expression was a mix of shock and bewilderment. “Eight.” He repeated reverently, as if my achievement of the juvenile age were some great accomplishment. “Wow, Cooper! So you should be a white tail?”

I nodded to him. “It’s complicated. Taylor made a mistake and…well.” I trailed off again, still a little unsure as to how I could explain that particular discrepancy “Go get washed up, then meet me for breakfast?” I asked him. He nodded and darted into the shower stall. I sighed, happy to have averted another crisis. Left alone by the sinks, I finally got changed - putting on a pair of briefs, my shorts, a fresh T-Shirt and my beaver vest and hat. At the very least it was nice to be back in underwear.

I carried my pajamas back to the cabin. Some of the Beavers had already woken up, Gabriel and Aiden making obnoxious loud banging noises and wielding finger guns as they chased each other around the room. They didn’t pay me any attention however. I tossed my pajamas on my bunk and went into the kitchen. The tables and chairs had already started to fill up with cubs and beavers, all with steaming bowls of oatmeal.

I grabbed my own bowl and ate breakfast with the other Beavers. When Zach came in he sat alone at one of the tables, I felt vaguely like I should join him but I didn’t, lost in my own thoughts. I wondered if I was right to lie to Laurie like that - to Charlie too. Sure, it was a little closer to the truth, and at the very least eight was still ‘beaver aged’ - but I wondered if it just invited more questions. I was still a brown tail after all, and next month I would be starting sixth grade. How would I explain all my tangled lies to the other beavers? How would I explain to my classmates that I was a beaver? I put it to the back of mind, trying not to think about it.

Just as I was finishing up, Laurie darted into the kitchen, clearly happy to be wearing his underwear again, much like myself. He plonked himself down next to me, offering a knowing secretive smile.

“Remember your chores today everyone!” Taylor called out. “I think the Kindies are on dish duty for breakfast.” He smiled at us.

We all nodded our agreement and I began to collect the empty bowls, cutlery, and mugs. Meanwhile, Charlie and Alex worked to set up the sink and Laurie wolfed down his own oatmeal before rushing over ready to dry the dishes. The Bobcats didn’t hang around - running out of the cabin to enjoy their free time in the forest. They would have dish duty after lunch.

The Cubs were all sitting at their tables chatting when Nate suddenly stood up and sauntered over to Zach, brandishing his knuckles atop the table as he hovered over his chair. “How did you sleep yesterday?” He asked coyly, his tone dripping with all the smugness of an eleven year old.

“Fine.” Zach shrugged. He was uncharacteristically docile. I supposed he must have still been pretty upset about what had happened.

“I bet you did.” Nate huffed with a grin. “Didn’t see you in your tent this morning.”

Zach’s expression turned into a scowl, glowering up at the bigger boy. “I got up early.” He lied.

“Bet you’re still afraid of the dark.” Nate accused him. “Bet you crawled into bed with your little brother.”

“What? No!” Zach denied fervently. He stood up himself, locking eyes with the bully, though he seemed a lot less confident than he had the day before.

“I know you were sleeping in the Beaver’s room.” Nate said snickering, electing a couple of matching gasps and snickers from Nick and James - the two sidekicks sliding up behind him. “Why don’t you just join the Beavers at this point?” he suggested, gesturing back at the other cubs like a stand up comedian riling up his audience “Could you imagine a fifth grade Beaver.” Nate laughed loudly at his own joke. My own face flushed with Zach’s. It wasn’t like anyone knew my actual age, but the remark still hit way too close to home.

“It’s not like that!” Zach exclaimed, crumbling beneath the onslaught of abuse. “Just shut up!” He yelled and stormed out of the cabin.

“Zachary, wait!” Taylor called after him and followed him rushing out the door.

Suddenly, Brad slammed his empty mug down dramatically. He stood up and pulled back his shoulders, revealing that he was actually slightly taller than the stocky cub scout sixer. . “Nate, what the hell?” He demanded, snarling aggressively.

“What? He did sleep inside.” Nate defended himself. “You don’t even like him.”

“You’re such an asshole!” Brad shouted at Nate. The whole room went silent. Nate himself looked positively shocked.

“Ooooh!” James and Nick chimed in.

“Bradley! Language!” Nate’s Aunt scolded.

Brad scoffed. “Whatever.” He told her, and also stormed out of the cabin.

“You boys, help the Beavers with the dishes.” The Akela instructed with an exasperated sigh, going to follow Brad. The whole room went quiet, everyone listening to the slightly muffled sound of the cub scout leader giving Brad an earful just outside the door.

Nate broke the silence, bursting out laughing. Once again, he’d stirred up trouble and got away completely scott free. He turned his gaze on the four of us, a fresh smirk growing on his face.

“Look at the busy little beavers.” he observed with a chuckle, prowling smugly up to us with his two sidekicks padding in his footsteps. “Which one do you think it is?”

“The little one, for sure.” Nick proposed.

“Naw.” James shook his head. “It’s gotta be the girl. It had ducklings on it. That’s a girl thing!

I went cold all over, realizing what they were talking about. The Pull Up! What had Taylor done with it? Just thrown it in the trash where everyone could see? I gulped, trying to regulate my breathing. It was okay. There was no way they could know it was me. I just had to stay calm. I scooted up next to Alex, reaching into the warm soapy water and starting to scrub nervously at an oatmeal-encrusted bowl.

“Or maybe it’s the big boy white tail!” Nate teased, dancing his fingers up the back of Charlie’s vest and batting playfully at the white piece of fabric nestled atop his shag of black hair.

“What are you talking about?” Charlie demanded, letting out an angry huff as he spun around to confront the bully, a full mug of soapy water in hand.

“We saw - in the plastic bag in Taylor’s tent.” Nick said vaguely.

“Diapers.” Nate declared, cutting right to the chase. A gleeful grin grew on his face as he saw Charlie’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “One of the beavers wears diapers to bed.”

There was a metallic clattering sound, Laurie letting out a squeal of fright as he lost his grip on the bouquet of spoons he had been drying - the cutlery falling noisily down atop the large metal drying rack by the sink. I dropped my bowl into the water, gliding over to attend at once to my frightened fellow brown tail. His face was a picture of guilt, stealing nervous little glances over his shoulder at the bullying cubs. I put an arm around his shoulder, redirecting his gaze away from the older boys in an effort to keep him calm.

My efforts were in vain however, Nick sussing us out immediately. “I told you it was the little one.” he cackled, grabbing hold of Laurie’s vest and spinning him around. His eyes were as big as two saucers, lips quivering in fear. I kept my arm held protectively around him, though there was only so much I could do. “Isn’t that right baby Laurie?”

“How do we know it’s not a cub who wets the bed?” Charlie shot back pugnaciously, stepping boldly between Laurie and his tormentors.

“Yeah!” Alex agreed, stepping up beside him “You’re all a bunch of scaredy babies!”

“James is scared of owls…” Nick giggled, his fellow lackey shooting him an aggrieved frown.

“Naw.” Nate interrupted, shaking his head. “Those diapers were itty bitty baby beaver sized.” He advanced on Charlie, going to shove him aside with his big burly shoulders “Out of my way, squirt.”

Everything happened at once. Alex charged forward, baring her teeth as she barrelled towards Nick; Laurie squirmed out from under my arm, shooting off in a panic towards the door before James grabbed for the scruff of his neck, holding him easily in place; Charlie danced out of the way of Nate’s elbow, holding his cup of soapy water in two hands as he flung the contents forward - completely drenching the bullying sixer’s crotch.

As quickly as it had broken out, the little fight ground to a halt - everyone staring in shock at the large stain on Nate’s crotch which looked all too much like an unfortunate potty accident. The big boy looked just as surprised as the rest of us, taking a few beats to process what had happened before he began to spit with rage. “You’re gonna regret that, Diaz!” He screeched. The white tail squared up in a boxer’, still holding his empty mug threateningly above his head. Nate didn’t move towards him however, but rather over to James - baring down on the littlest beaver still held snugly under the billowing fabric of the lackey’s cub uniform. “Get his shorts.” Nate directed. “The diaper boy can go for a walk around camp in his undies.”

Laurie let out a terrified moan, squirming pathetically in James’ grasp, but there was no chance of escape - Nick soon sliding across to grab him by the other arm.

I moved without thinking. “Stop!” I demanded, interposing myself between Nate and his two lackeys holding Laurie.

Nate laughed at my presumptuousness. “Oh yeah? Why should I?”

“He’s not the bedwetter.” I declared.

“No?” he chuckled.

“I am!” I declared, loud and proud. The group went silent again, a dozen eyes falling on me. I didn’t back down however, adopting a defiant stance with my hands against my hip. “They’re my diapers. So leave him alone.”

Nate and James stared at me in a kind of giddy excitable shock, their grips loosening ever so slightly to allow Laurie to yank himself free. He collapsed on the ground and looked up at me with teary eyes, on the brink of a total meltdown.

Nate ignored him, reaching out and snatching the collar of my vest with both hands. “So it’s Cooper who’s the bedwetter.” He observed smugly.

I tried to pry his hands off of me, but he was too strong - starting to push me towards the sink. “It looks like Oopsey Coopsy is about to have another accident!” He mocked in a sing-song voice. I began to panic. He was dragging me across the floor so fast I had to start taking small quick steps backwards to avoid falling down!

“Nate, stop!” Charlie demanded, but he was powerless to do anything - now held firmly in place by Nick.

“Let him go!” Alex squealed, similarly fighting back against James.

“Cooper!” Laurie squeaked, still too afraid to even stand up.

“Nate, Stop!” I demanded, my confident demeanor fast disappearing. Nate ignored me, scowling with rage as he pressed my back up against the stainless steel sink. “Please!”

"Are you too little even to be a brown tail?" he sneered , strangling the brown fabric attached to the back of my hat between his strong meaty fingers. “Maybe I should tear it off and you can go back to being a kit? Or maybe back to preschool with the other pants pissers!”

It happened fast. Nate spun me around, hovering my face inches above the sink full of brown soapy water. In a flash everything disappeared as Nate seized my mess of hair and plunged my face into the sink.