The Club by Pepper

(The Wildcats)

(I want to thank my beta for all of her help with this story)

Main Characters: Fox Skinner, Rachel and Walter Skinner, Sr., Walter Skinner, Jr., Chip and his grandparents, Mary and John Walker.

The story takes place in the Take 2 Danville Universe and both boys are twelve years old.

 Fox and Chip remained good friends for the rest of the summer. While they had both been disciplined on the fishing trip, they realized the Fox’s Dad and Uncle were just trying to help them behave better, and help them stay out of trouble.

Soon after their return from the trip, they made friends with several of the neighborhood boys. While some of the boys were their own age the ones they had been hanging around with were the older. Hoping to join their new friends later, the boys were enjoying a mid afternoon snack, chocolate cake and milk at the Skinners. Their grandfathers arrived while they were eating. It was obvious that there was something on their minds. Walter came over to the table and said, "Fox, John and I want you and Chip to stay away from the Johnson boys. They are in their late teens and have bad reputations. You should stick to boys your own age."

"But Gran why do they have such bad reputations? Why don’t you want me to play with them??" asked Fox.

Gran looked at his grandson and gently told him, "He and his brother are troublemakers and have been caught misbehaving several times. They have stolen things, been discourteous to their elders, played hooky, and failed grades. They are bad news. Just take our word for it and stay away." Fox and Chip nodded, but Fox did not want to give up his new friends.

"Chip, the same goes for me. Mind me or suffer a paddling." "But Gran they have this neat club that we want to join. All the other boys are members and they are all different ages. They meet in this neat tree house," pleaded Fox, with Chip nodding in the background.

"Fox, what did I just say? Let me tell you one more time, NO! Now if you don't want me to acquaint your bottom with my paddle, you will do as I say."

"Yes, sir," they both said, deciding it was easier to go along with their grandfathers than prolong the argument and risk a paddling.

Thinking that they had convinced their grandsons to obey them, the grandfathers left the boys to finish their cake and milk. Once they were alone once again, Chip turned to Fox and asked, "Are you going to join the club or not?"

Fox just grinned at him and said, "Of course, what about you?"

Chip nodded, "Yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world. We’ll to have to be careful so our grandfathers don't find out."

"Mike said to meet them near their tree house to give him our answer in an hour. We have better hurry," advised Fox. The boys finished their snack and left the house and sneaked past their grandfathers and ran to the meeting place. By the time they reached the meeting place several of the boys plus Mike and Ted Johnson were waiting for them.

"Well, boys, what are your answers? Do you think you two are brave enough to join our club?" Asked Mike.

Fox and Chip stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Yes"..."Yeah."

Mike looked at his brother with a grin and said, " Well, how do we know that you are brave enough? You are going to have to prove it to us. We have several tests that you must complete, and then we’ll see. First, you have to talk back to your grandparents. That should earn you at least a spanking. Then you have to sneak out and show me your red backsides as proof that you have completed the test. Your backsides had better be red."

Fox and Chip exchanged a look. Mike saw it and said, "Are you afraid of a spanking? If so, you aren't brave enough to join our club. You must be babies. Maybe we should check and see if you are wearing diapers."

"No, I'll do it," proclaimed Fox and Chip followed with a "me, too."

"Okay, get going babies," Mike said, goading them to act.

After looking back once Fox and Chip left.

"Do you think they will do it, " asked his younger brother Ted.

"Oh, yeah, the others did it and these will too. They don't want to be considered babies. Old man Skinner is really going to heat up his grandson's bottom and I heard that Chip's grandfather just as strict when it comes to disciplining his grandson. Those two should come back with real sore and red butts."

"Do you remember how Sam, our sergeant in arms, got into the club?"

Ted nodded and said with a smile, "His defiance to his Dad was great. I don’t think I could have done it," remembering how their friend defiantly refused to obey his father’s command. His father had a big garden and every Saturday it was Sam’s job to pick the tomatoes and other vegetables so they could be sold at the farmer’s market. Well the Saturday in question Sam had told his dad NO. He wouldn’t pick any more of his damn veggies; he had other things he wanted to do that day. His dad’s face had turned purple with rage as his son defied him. It had taken some time but he had eventually caught the boy and spanked him on the spot. His butt was as red as a ripe tomato by the time he had finished.

Mike smiled at that memory and said; "I know that Fox and Chip will be sporting butts that red real soon. Their grandfathers will not let them get away with anything. I wonder who will show up here first?"

Ted thought for a moment and said, "I bet it will be Fox."

Mike agreed and they rejoined the rest of the gang as they got back to the business of getting into mischief. All of the Wildcats were wearing their Wildcats caps. They had earned them by completing the initiation as would Fox and Chip.

The club's mascot, the Wildcats, had been branded on to the flesh of the members. Their president, Mike, would brand these two new ones somewhere on their body. The kids wouldn't be able to stop them. They would be held by the members and branded. Each initiation started with a paddling on their bare bottoms and would be completed with the brand. The brand would fade in time, they always did and the boys would be allowed to wear a cap with the wildcat emblem on them thereby identifying them as members of the Wildcats. While the new boys always fought the branding, once it was done they never said a word. They knew if their parents found out, the club would be shut down.

Fox and Chip slowly made their way back home knowing that soon they would be in pain. That was something that no one looked forward to. They would have to be careful not to let anything slip and get themselves in worse trouble with their grandfathers. They stopped just short of the house and bid each other goodbye and then separated. Fox was in deep thought on how to "back talk" his grandfather into a spanking severe enough to produce a red bottom that would last long enough to show the Johnson boys.

When he walked up to the homestead he saw his grandfather. He decided to get this over with as soon as he could. As he walked up, Walter saw his grandson and smiled. "Fox, come here boy," he requested.

Fox took a deep breath and said, "NO!! I'm going inside," and ran into the house leaving his grandfather angry and bewildered. Walter followed him inside and walked into more trouble in the kitchen.

Fox was throwing a tantrum in front of his grandmother. "I want some more cake," he cried.

Walter walked up to his wife and asked, "What brought this on?"

"He came in and started to cut a slice of cake and I told him 'No' and he flew off the handle and demanded his cake. I'm about to give him something else and it won’t be cake."

Walter reached for Fox; who side stepped at the right moment and continued to demand cake. Finally Walter grabbed Fox and said, "Stop this immediately and apologize to your grandmother," giving him a shake to get his attention.

"NO, I WANT CAKE!!" Fox screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Well you aren't going to get it, my boy. What you are going to get is a spanking." With that Walter dragged Fox to the nearest chair and sat down, pulling Fox over his knees. He made quick work of lowering his jeans and briefs and began to heat up his grandson's bottom.

SMACK...SMACK...SMACK...OWWCH...SMACK...SMACK...OWWWW...OW ...SMACK...SMACK...OWWWW...OW...and on the spanking and cries continued. At the first lick to his grandson's bottom Yoda sat down and began to howl. Walter didn't stop until he heard Fox sobbing. He sat his grandson up on his feet and sent him into the living room into a corner and told him to stay there. Fox sneaked a look to his red backside and smiled, now all he would have to do is show Mike. He looked toward the kitchen and pulled up his briefs and jeans, hissing as the sore bottom made contact with the briefs. He sneaked out of the house and ran to Mike's tree house. The guys were there and he eagerly lowered his pants to show off his red butt.

Mike was impressed, this kid showed promise. "Okay, you passed the first test and now we go on to the last one and it is more serious. The last test is: you have to get caught willfully breaking a window and as usual I have to see your punished bottom."

Fox nodded and pulled his pants back up and ran back to the homestead. He sneaked up to the bathroom and stayed a little longer before flushing the tank and going back down the stairs. As he walked back into the room his grandfather grabbed him. "Where have you been young man?"

"I had to go to the bathroom," replied Fox with just a little too much defiance in his tone to suit his grandfather who marched him back to his corner and pulled both his briefs and jeans down. He left for a moment and when he returned he had a paddle in his hand and before Fox knew what was happening he laid two licks to Fox's bottom. Fox's screamed as the paddle struck his over sensitive bottom, "YEOWWWCH.

OWWWWWCH."

"Now you stay there. You leave without first telling me where you are going and you will regret it." Walter left the boy sobbing in the corner.

Fox stayed in the corner for an hour with his red and sore bottom on display. Finally his grandfather came in and told him that he could raise his pants and go to his room. Fox left with Yoda at his heels. He threw himself on his bed face down and rethought his options.

He knew that he was at fault for his present condition but he really wanted to join the club. It sounded so cool and with the tree house as a hide out. The boys told of hanging out together, having a theme song, they all wore the same caps with a wildcat emblem. They went camping, fishing and to town together. If anybody picked on one the others were there to protect him. Bullies had picked on him before and he knew that he would like to be on the other side of the coin for once.

He reasoned with himself that he only had one more test to do and be punished for and then he would be in. He idly wondered if Chip had completed the first test by now.

He had, Chip was being spanked for talking back as Fox's thought came to mind. He had been rude to his grandparents and when he was told to go to his room he shouted back "No, damn it." He knew that the profanity would do the trick, but he didn't realize just how well it did until now. His bottom had been blistered in record time. His grandpa was still laying on the licks and Chip was begging for mercy. "Please...owwwww...I'm sorry...owww...stop...please...ow."

Finally his grandpa stopped and told him to apologize to his grandma and then go to his room.

Chip went to apologize to his grandma and sobbed out his apology, and went to his room. It felt like his bottom was on fire. Surely it would do for Mike. He laid face down on his bed and waited for the tears to stop; then he plotted on how to leave his room He thought it should be easier him since his grandparents' farm was the closest to the Johnson's farm.

"Chip," Chip looked up to see his grandpa. "We are going out, we were going to take you with us but now I think you better stay here and give your sore bottom some time to recover. We will be back in about an hour." Chip nodded his understanding and laid his head back down, so his Grandfather wouldn’t see his smile. Now he would be able to show his red bottom as proof of carrying out the first test.

He waited until he heard the truck leave the farm and then went to find Mike and show off his red bottom. He didn't have far to go. Mike was at home. Mike and Ted took him behind the barn and there Chip revealed his sore and red bottom. He was congratulated and told the final test: willfully break a window. He left in a daze. He was almost there. Soon he would be a member of the Wildcats, but as his bottom was telling him he had better wait until he could sit comfortably before doing the second test.

He and Fox met the next day to discuss their spankings and decide when to do the final test. They decided that Saturday would be as good time. It was only four days away; they should be recovered from their first spanking. This way they could also get back into the good graces of their families.

For the next four days the boys did everything right and Rachel and Walter just decided that the earlier tantrum was just a fluke. They were glad they didn't want to have to call and tell Walt of Fox's bad behavior. He was the most polite and loving grandson anyone could ask for these last few days.

While Fox and Chip were out playing Friday afternoon, the phone rang. Rachel answered and greeted her son. "Oh, Walter, we were just talking about you. We were wondering if you were going to be able to make it this weekend? You are...great. You want to surprise Fox. Okay, we won't tell him a thing. Here's your father. I'm going to go and fix a chocolate cake for Fox, and you of course. I love you," and handed the phone to her husband.

Walter talked to his son and didn't mention the tantrum that Fox had pulled on Monday. They just talked. Soon he was in the kitchen with his wife. That was where Chip found them when they came in later.

"Gram, Gran...what smells so good?"

Rachel brought to the kitchen table a two-layered chocolate cake with chocolate icing. "Can I persuade you and Chip to try my cake," Rachel said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yes, ma'am," they both said with grins.

"Pull up the chairs, you too, Walter, and I'll cut slices for us all." Rachel then proceeded to cut three large slices and one small one for herself. She poured four glasses of milk and placed them in front of the boys and her husband and watched the cake disappear. She smiled seeing her "boys" enjoy themselves so.

The days leading up to the final test seemed to fly and before they knew it Saturday was here. After breakfast Chip and Fox discussed the where and when of their final test.

"I wish," said Fox, "that I hadn't broken all of the windows out of Mr. Miller's shed with my slingshot or we could have used it for target practice and gotten the final test over with. We need to have someone to be near by to witness it. But if we do it now, my Gran will strap me fierce. He might even use the Persuader on me and I want to avoid that by all means."

Chip's idea was to throw the baseball and accidentally break a window. Fox was quick to point out that wouldn't do unless they did it a second and third time and that might lead to a strapping as well. "This has got to be something we were warned against but did anyhow," advised Fox.

"This is harder than I thought," admitted Chip. Fox nodded his agreement and picked up a rock to throw in frustration. Without thinking he was aiming towards the house when a familiar voice rang out, "Fox, drop the rock!!"

Fox hesitated and then threw it with all of his might. He was delighted to hear the tinkling of glass. His delight was short lived when he was yanked around to face his angry father. Walt spared Chip a glance and said, "Chip, go home. Fox and I have an important 'meeting' in the woodshed." After one glance at the angry face of Fox's father Chip turned and ran home.

Walt grabbed his son by the arm and led the struggling boy to the woodshed. Fox knew what was kept in the woodshed, and was scared. "Nooooooo, not there. I'm sorry Dad; it was just a reflex to throw the rock. I'll pay for the window," wailed Fox. He could already feel the Persuader against his bare bottom.

"Oh, you'll pay for it all right. Your bottom will pay for the price of that window, to the tune of 10 licks. Now come here," and with that he dragged Fox the rest of the way to the woodshed. He pushed him in taking care to keep Yoda out.

As soon as Fox entered the woodshed he looked automatically at the Persuader and began to wail even louder. "Fox, I want you to take your pants and briefs off and lean over this worktable in the corner." While Fox was doing as he was told, as slowly as he could, Walt reached up and removed a smaller leather paddle hanging next to the Persuader. His father had nicknamed it Persuader, Jr., or just Junior. He always used the Persuader on the older boys and saved Junior for the younger ones.

As soon as Walt saw that Fox was ready he grabbed him and hurried him to the worktable, bending him over it. Fox tried one more time to avoid the punishment. "Dad, I'm sorry. Don't do it, pleaseeeee."

Walt put his hand on the small of his son's back and swung the leather paddle against Fox's bottom. As soon as it made contact, Fox yelled out in pain, "Yeowwwwch...owwww...ow."

SMACK...SMACK...SMACK...SMACK...SMACK... the licks continued. Fox's bottom turned from white to pink to a fiery red in no time. By the time the ten licks had been given, Fox was sobbing. Walt pulled him up and gave him a hug, told him to get dressed and then go to his grandfather and tell him what he had done.

"Fox, be sure to tell your Gran that you have been punished; he'll know what to do." Walt helped him to get dressed and sent him towards the house. Glancing at his watch he noticed it was 11:00.

As Fox hurried to the house he saw Mike and Ted motioning to him. After checking to see if the coast was cleared, Fox hurried over. He was wiping his tears as he walked.

"Fox we saw you break the window, now show us your bottom." Fox quickly showed them the evidence they sought. After seeing the proof, Mike said, "Way to go kid. You only have the initiation to go through and the festivities can begin. You’ll finally be a Wildcat. How about your friend Chip?"

‘I don’t know. But I have to go, my Dad will notice if I take any longer," Fox said. He ran to find his grandfather.

"Gran, Dad said to tell you I’ve been punished." Walter looked into the red eyes of his grandson and knew that his father had spanked him. He positioned his grandson in a corner. He would find out about the cause of the spanking later. Once he had Fox in the corner he started to lower the boy’s pants.

"Gran what are you doing?" cried Fox. He started to panic as he felt his pants being pulled down.

"Boy, when you do corner time following a punishment, your pants and briefs are lowered to your ankles. You keep your nose to the corner and stay there until I come and get you." Fox blushed when his briefs followed his pants; he began to cry in embarrassment.

Walt came into the house about 5 minutes later and found his father in the doorway watching Fox doing his corner time. Walter looked at his son and asked, "Okay, what did he do to earn this and a spanking? All I know is that he showed up about 5 minutes ago, said he’d been punished and that you sent him."

"Five minutes? He showed up 5 minutes ago?" At his dad's nod, Walt went on, "I sent him in 20 minutes ago. What did that little scamp do to lose 15 minutes?"

"What are you going to do, son?" asked his father.

"I'm going to let him finish his corner time and later tonight we are going to have a discussion about this. If I don't like his answer he gets a bedtime spanking and a promise of a Punishment Tour if he disobeys one more time." Wondering if there was more that he should know, he asked, " Dad, has he done anything else?"

Walter nodded and motioned Walt to follow him into the kitchen for a discussion.

As soon as they left Fox gave a sigh of relief, it looked like he got away with not coming right in after his paddling. He was safe. They didn't know about Mike and Ted. He sneaked a glance over his shoulder and not seeing anyone began to rub the sting from his sore bottom. However he didn't do it for long. If he were caught rubbing he would receive a few more licks to reheat his bottom.

"So you re telling me that earlier this week he threw a tantrum for no reason and 'talked back' to you when you corrected him? You spanked him and sent him to do corner time. When you checked later he wasn't there. When you found him later he defiantly answered that he had gone to the bathroom. You reheated his bottom...right?"

Walter nodded and added, "But for the rest of the week he was well behaved and the perfect grandson. We thought it was just a fluke, but now I'm not so sure."

"I agree, but what… We’ll just have to watch and see what else he does. Okay, it’s been 30 minutes, I'll go and release him from the corner," said Walt. He went into the room where his son was. Fox didn’t notice until his briefs and pants were pulled back up. He was turned around to face his dad. Fox noticed at once that his Dad looked so disappointed and knew that it was his bad behavior that had done it.

"Dad I’m sorry," cried Fox as the tears began to fall once again. Walter reacted at once by pulling him in a hug. "Fox your corner time is up. I hope that I won’t be forced to spank or paddle you again. I wish I knew why you have decided to misbehave like you have. Won’t you tell me?"

Fox only shook his head crying, "I can’t." Walt held him until the tears had stopped and then with a light smack to his bottom he sent him on his way.

"Ouch," cried Fox as he rubbed his bottom and left, sorry that he couldn’t confide in his Dad like he had when he was young.

Fox headed to Chip's house to see if he had completed the final test. He didn’t notice his family watching him leave. When they saw he was headed to Chip's they sat down to catch up on all the news of the week. They were concerned about Fox’s mood and his recent bad behavior.

Fox gingerly walked up to the front door of Chip's grandparents house and knocked. Remembering what had happened one other time, he waited respectfully to be let in. Chip's grandmother came to the front door.

"Can I talk to Chip?" Fox asked.

"Yes, he’s in his room. He's being punished for breaking a window. The boy threw the baseball and then disappeared afterwards. I just don’t know what he was thinking!" Chip’s grandmother said. Realizing she was talking to a child, she smiled and said, "I'll give you 15 minutes and then you have to go."

Fox thanked her and went to Chip's room. He found his friend face down on his bed, crying.

"Chip, I heard you did it. Your grandma said something about breaking a window with a baseball?"

"I couldn't think of anything else. So I got my baseball and began to throw it near the house. In fact I hit the side of the house several times before my granddad came out and told me to stop. He told me that I could break a window and if I did, he would strap me. So I took a careful breath and aimed real well and threw. It was glorious." Forgetting he was being punished, he smiled at his memory. "I hit the window squarely in the middle. Of course, granddad strapped me. Then he sent me to my room. I took a detour to show Mike and Ted my bottom and granddad caught me coming into the house late and reheated my bottom and grounded me for the remainder of the day."

"So we’re in," Fox exclaimed excitedly. "All we have to do is pass the initiation and receive the 'paw' medal to show that we are members." Feeling the sting from his sore backside, he added, "Only let's wait until later to join. My butt is too sore now."

Chip nodded his agreement.

"Chip, I got to go...your grandmother said I could only visit for 15 minutes and I don't won't her to complain to my folks. I don't know if I can take another spanking now. See you tomorrow." Fox left his friend, remembering to say good-bye to Chip's grandparents. He returned home.

Entering his grandparent's house he heard his father remark, "You weren't gone very long. Is everything okay with Chip and his grandparents?"

Fox lied, "He's fine and so are they. He was reading a book and was at a very exciting part and wanted to finish it first. I think I will do the same," and left the room for his bedroom, Yoda at his heels.

"That was strange," Walt remarked. His parents agreed but they decided to leave him be until lunch.

Responding to Rachel’s call, Fox brought his pillow with him and gingerly sat down to eat. The adults hid a smile at his discomfort and made small talk to put him at ease. They had hamburgers, French-fries and milk for Fox. Fox ate so much that he was stuffed when he left the table. He returned to his room. Walt checked later to discover him fast asleep, face down on the bed. He decided to wake him in an hour's time and left him to sleep.

True to his word Walt returned an hour later and was pleased to find his son awake and reading. "Fox, it is a beautiful day. Don't you want to go out and play?"

Fox shook his head and rubbed his bottom. "No thank you, it hurts to walk. I'll just stay here until the sting goes away," and returned to his book.

His father left him for the remainder of the day. He wondered if Fox would confess and explain the missing 15 minutes. He dreaded having to give him a bedtime spanking as well.

The afternoon went by slowly and quietly but finally it was time for supper. Rachel had fixed spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and a green salad. The family gathered and after the blessing was given Rachel started to serve Fox's plate. She gave him a medium helping of spaghetti with tomato sauce and a couple of large meatballs. She placed a piece of her famous garlic bread along the side of it. She put the salad in a bowl with Italian dressing on it. She poured him a glass of milk to complete the meal. "Now Fox I expect you to finish every last bit."

"Yes, Gram it all looks so good," and began to eat. Soon all that could be heard was the sounds of people enjoying their meal. There was a little conversation but Fox was silent, he was engrossed in devouring all of the spaghetti and meatballs. It was one of his favorites and his Gram knew it. All too soon the spaghetti was gone and Fox was too full to ask for seconds.

After helping his Gram with the dishes Fox went outside to spend a little time with Yoda. It was time for him to be fed. Deciding it was time to confront his son, Walt went out side and sat on the top stair, calling for Fox to join him. "Fox, I want to ask you something. I expect the truth."

Fox nodded, looking a bit scared.

"I'll get right to the point. After I punished you this afternoon, I told you to go immediately to your Gran. Did you do ask I requested?"

Fox hesitated with his answer and finally shook his head, NO.

"Where did you go, son?" Walt asked quietly, hoping not to scare the boy even more.

Fox hung his head and whispered, "I saw Ted and Mike and they motioned for me to join them and I did."

"Why did you do that? You know that you aren't suppose to associate with them."

"Yes, sir. I know. But, they wanted to tell me something. The postman delivered the wrong letter to them and it was meant for us. I swear that’s all. It was a postcard to Gram from Uncle Joe and his family. I knew she would want to have it so I went up to them to get the postcard."

Walt looked at Fox intently for a moment or two. He knew that his brother Joe had taken the family to Disney World in Orlando, Florida last week and was due back tomorrow. It was possible that the postcard was late in arriving. He hated to think that his son would lie to him so he just nodded and bent over to kiss the boy on the head. "Okay son; don't stay out too late." He went in to look for the postcard.

As soon as Fox heard his father go in the house he let out a long sigh of relief. It was a good thing that he noticed that the mail while he had been talking to Mike and Ted. He had instinctively picked the mail up and brought it into the house. The post card had been on top.

He was back inside with Yoda at his heels. He stopped by the living room to wish his dad and grandparents a goodnight and then he went to bed. The next couple of days were going to be busy and he thought to turn in early. Fox was glad that his room so close to the back stairs making it easier for him to get out of the house undetected. He was happy that Chip had been able to pass the second part of the test, too.

He was already asleep when his dad came up the stairs. Looking at the sleeping child Walt felt a father's love and just sat in the rocker watching him sleep. Soon he too was in bed and sleeping soundly.

Waking feeling refreshed, Fox quickly ate his breakfast. After helping his grandmother with the dishes he headed out to see Chip. Yoda was once again at his heels.

Looking out the window as her grandson ran to his friend's house, Rachel decided to call Chip’s grandmother, Mary, and invite Chip to spend the night tomorrow night. They could have a barbecue with barbecue chicken, ribs, baked beans, corn on the cob with cake and ice cream for dessert.

Fox hurried to Chip's house and found him in the yard not doing much of anything. "Chip, I forgot to ask you before, did Mike agree that you had passed the last test, too?" Fox cried out excitedly.

Chip looked around to be sure no one was listening and said, "Yes, not so loud. My grandpa was really angry about the broken window and I don’t want him to find out the real reason for me breaking it. He walloped me hard; I’m still sore. What about you?"

"I looked at my bottom this morning and it is a little pink. As long as I don't sit on something hard, it doesn't hurt that bad. All we have to do is past the initiation and then we’re in," he cried happily.

They fooled around together until close to lunch when Fox and Yoda departed for home. During lunch that Rachel asked Fox, "I was wondering if you would like Chip to come over tonight and spend the weekend with you. I thought I would invite John and Mary to lunch Saturday. We could have a bar be cue with chicken, ribs, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob and cake and ice cream for dessert. What do you think?"

Fox's face just lit up and he cried out, "YES." He got up and ran to his grandmother's side, giving her a hug.

"Okay, dear, you go back and eat your lunch. I'll call and ask if they will come and if Chip can stay over." Fox happily lit into his lunch, finishing it quickly.

Before leaving the table, Walt told him to go and take a nap. Fox made a face about it, but did as he was told. They had discovered that Fox needed extra sleep, it was either take a nap or go to bed early, his father reminded him. With Chip coming over for the night, he didn't want to go to bed early. Fox dejectedly made his way upstairs.

Rachel called after lunch and invited John and Mary to the cookout and extended the invitation to include Chip's spending the weekend. Mary accepted for both herself, her husband and Chip. Mary told Rachel that maybe this would be just the ticket for keeping Chip out of trouble. Mary also went on to say that this worked out fine, they’d been thinking of going out of town. She’d been just about to call and see if Chip could stay with Fox.

Mary went on to tell Rachel about how Chip managed to heap punishment down on himself in the last few days.

After Rachel finished the call, she remarked to her husband and son that Mary and John were having trouble with Chip. "He’s doing the same things as Fox. What do you think they are up to?" Pausing while her men absorbed the new information, she continued thinking out loud, " Mary and John will be leaving right after lunch. This will work out just fine. We can watch both boys just as easily as one. Maybe we can figure out what’s going on."

Walt looked up and saw the postman and decided to check something out. "Excuse me, I need to check something that Fox told me last night."

Walter and Rachel watched their son greet the postman. He returned a short time later and, without a word, went straight upstairs. They gave each other a knowing look and waited for the yelling to begin. While they didn't know exactly what Fox had done they knew the signs of someone about to get a spanking.

Walt stalked into Fox's room pausing only long enough to pull Yoda out, closing the door in the dog's face. He turned and viewed his son's wide-eyed look and reached for him. "Fox, you lied to me. The postman remembers quite clearly delivering Joe's postcard to this address. There wasn't any mix up. Now I want to know why you found it so important to lie to me and I want to know NOW!!!"

Fox was speechless; he hadn't even considered that his dad would check with the postman about the postcard. He figured that he would ask Gram about it, and she had been there when he brought the mail in. He looked at his father and for once had nothing to say.

Walt misinterpreted his son's inability to speak as an act of defiance and acted at once. He pulled the boy from the bed and deposited him over his knees as he sat down on the straight back chair near the desk. He made short work of lowering both his son's briefs and pants and delivered several quick and hard licks to his son's still pink backside. The licks had been few but the pain was swift and Fox yelled out loud, "Ooowwwwwch...owww.

Walt paused and asked, "Fox William, why are you getting this spanking?"

Fox didn't respond immediately because he was crying, his father began to pepper his backside. After an additional 6 licks Fox suddenly cried out, "FOR LYING!! Owwww...ouch...I'm sorry."

Once tradition was out of the way Walt continued to spank his son and didn't finish until his son's backside was once again red as a beet. Fox was sobbing uncontrollably. He pulled his son up and led him to a corner of his room and said, "You stay there and rethink your actions. When I come back I want a detail explanation about why you lied. If I feel that it is another lie you will take another turn over my lap. Do you understand, son?"

Fox only nodded, sobbing; he was he was unable to talk. He leaned into the corner as he heard his dad leave. He heard Yoda from outside the door, his dad wasn't even going to allow him the comfort of his dog, feeling very alone he began to sob even louder.

Walt went down stairs, meeting his parents’ gaze as they waited by the staircase. At their questionable looks he explained, "Fox lied to me. When I asked him about the lost 15 minutes yesterday he ‘fessed up, or so I thought, that he had met with the Johnson boys at the mailbox. When I asked why, he said that the postman had delivered the wrong letter to their mailbox and they had brought it back. You remember last night when I asked you about the post card?"

"Yes, dear, you had wanted to know if Fox had brought the mail in yesterday, and I told yes. You asked me the time and we estimated it to be about 10 to 15 minutes after leaving you."

"Well, when you came back and said that Mary and John were having to spank Chip for ‘pranks’, for lack of a better word, similar to Fox’s, I wondered if they weren't doing it as a test for someone. But I don't know who would have the boys intentionally get in trouble and be punished for it. I think the Johnson boys are somehow involved and he was showing off to them that he had indeed been punished. But that doesn't make sense to me. Does any of this make sense to you, Dad? Mom?"

Walter, Sr. looked at his son and said quietly, "Son, you don't know about this, but about a week ago John and I saw Fox and Chip talking with the Johnson boys. We called them over to find out what was going on and gave them some good advice about not hanging around with them. It seems the Johnson boys have a club the boys wanted to join. Many boys in the area apparently belong and both Fox and Chip had just been asked to join."

"Mike and Ted are in their late teens, aren't they?"

"Yes, and not only that, they both have horrible reputations. We told Fox and Chip to stay away from them, and joining that club was definitely out if the question. We told them to heed our warning on pain of a spanking if we ever caught them doing otherwise. That is why Fox probably thought that it would be a good idea to lie to you son. He was trying to save himself a harsh spanking, but from the sounds I heard he got one anyhow."

Walt looked at his father and remarked, "I think both of those boys have disobeyed you. When you told them No, it only made the offer twice as appealing. I think they both suffered spankings as part of a test to prove themselves to Mike and Ted. By passing those two tests they are worthy to join the club."

"What are you going to do, dear," Rachel asked her son.

"I think that Dad and I are going to discuss this with John. Then, we’ll discuss it with the boys. Those two will feel the consequences for their disobedience. But since plans have already been made for this weekend, we will hold the 'discussions' Monday. We will have to keep a close eye on both this weekend though. Mom, when did Joe say he was returning?"

"According to the message on the postcard he was planning on leaving the family at Disney World for the next week but he had would be returning today. "Nora, Joe's wife, was going to spend the next week with some friends from college who live in Orlando. They would then catch a ride home with Andy and his family who are also vacationing in Florida. Why do you want to know, dear?"

"I just thought that an extra pair or eyes might be needed if we are keeping both boys for the weekend. When is his plane is due to arrive?"

"In about an hour at Danville."

"Dad, will you mind checking in on Fox while I'm gone." Smiling at his father, he added, "Get your lying radar going and see if the explanation Fox gives you is correct. I think you know what to do if it isn't. I have a plane to meet," and with that he was gone.

Walter waited a few minutes more before climbing the stairs to check on Fox. When he neared the door he saw Yoda waiting faithfully. He looked up at Walter with a plea to, "Please let me in to go to Fox."

Walter bent to pat his head saying, "Sorry boy, your master is in trouble again. You’ll have to wait a bit longer to comfort him." He opened the door and slipped in being sure to keep Yoda out.

The first thing he saw was the red bottom of his grandson. He then noticed his grandson was still crying. "Fox, pull up your pants and come here," he said quietly but the effect was electrifying. Fox hurried to obey and then threw himself at his grandfather. Walter caught him in his open arms and hugged him tightly. Comforted by his grandfather, Fox laid his head on his grandfather's chest and cried out, "I'm sorry, Gran."

"I know you are boy," Walter said and then he whispered to himself, "but are you sorry for lying or for getting caught." After Fox had calmed down, Walter sat him on his knee and asked, "Now tell me the truth, Fox; why did you lie to your Dad?"

Fox began to squirm immediately. His bottom hurt and sitting on his grandfather's knee wasn't helping. Walter noticed his grandson's discomfort and decided to let him squirm as an added incentive to tell the truth. It must have worked because Fox blurted out the answer, "I was talking with Ted and Mike Johnson and was scared that I would be spanked for doing that instead of going right away. I tried to cover that up by telling Dad that the postcard was delivered to the wrong address."

After telling his grandfather this, Fox made the effort to get up but was held in place by his grandfather, who also asked, "Why were you talking to them in the first place?"

With the pain in his bottom growing with every moment, Fox was quick with his answer. "I was on my way to the house after dad paddled me, and I saw Ted and Mike and they called me to come over."

"And..."

"I went over."

"Why?"

"I was taught that when someone speaks to me, that I'm supposed to answer. If I don't it is considered rude, so I spoke back. I was only there for a second."

Again Fox tried to get off his grandfather's knee and was denied. "Gran, it hurts; please let me up," pleaded Fox with tears running down his face.

"Fox, I will let you up when I am satisfied that you are telling me the truth, and only then. Now what was so important that you went across the road to speak with them, instead of going on into the house?"

"They saw me crying and asked if my Dad had spanked me? I didn't want to shout the answer across the road so I went over instead. Please let me up," wailed Fox. Finally Walter let him up. The first thing Fox did was to start rubbing his bottom to ease the sting.

As Walter was leaving the room, Fox turned and asked, "Gran, where is Dad?"

"He went to the Danville Airport to pick up your Uncle Joe. He will be staying the weekend with us, too," he made the move to leave when Fox spoke again. "Gran, can Yoda come in?"

Walter just smiled at him and opened the door. "Come on in boy," and Yoda rushed in and began to lick Fox's face. "Fox, whenever you feel like it you, can leave your room. Please don't leave the yard until your Father comes home. Then you can ask him." Walter left the room to the sounds of Fox giggling.

While his Dad was talking to Fox, Walt had reached the airport. He didn't have long to wait before he saw Joe walk out of the airport to his own car. "Joe, wait up," he called. Joe turned around and when he saw his older brother a huge grin covered his face.

"Walt, what are you doing here? It's good to see you, man."

Walt walked to him and after giving him a welcome home hug he began to talk. "Joe, since you’re a bachelor for a week, why don't you spend the weekend with me at Mom and Dad's?"

Joe stopped and looked his brother straight in the face and asked, "What's up, Walt?"

Walt only said, "Collect your car and I'll follow you home. We can talk while you pack for the weekend."

Supper was being served when Walt and Joe drove up. Rachel made extra; she knew that Walt would convince Joe to join them for the weekend and of course they also had Chip there. Fox had recovered from his spanking and the only sign that he had been punished this afternoon was the pillow he was sitting on at the supper table.

Rachel was serving soup and sandwiches since tomorrow's lunch was going to be large. Soon supper was over and Fox and Chip went outside with Yoda. Walt used the time to fill his parents in on the plan he and Joe had hatched concerning the boys. They would work in shifts while the boys were outside, always making sure one of them was in the immediate area with the boys. They were also counting on Yoda to protect and watch both boys while they were sleeping. Walt knew from experience that Yoda would protect his master from harm.

They wanted to be confident that they had everything under control. The boys had other plans. "We are going to have to be careful tomorrow night so your folks won't find out about the Wildcats’ initiation," warned Fox.

"What do you think it will be?" worried Chip.

"I don't know or care, just as long as we can belong to that club. We’ve passed their tests. What else can they do to us?"

They were about to continue their talk when Walt walked in and said, "That's all boys. I want silence coming from this room, and I want you two asleep the next time I come by."

"Yes, sir," came to replies and Fox ended it with, "Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, son. Goodnight, Chip. Now I mean it, go to sleep," and left the room. Soon both boys were fighting the sleepy feeling taking over them. It was a battle they lost.

While the boys were asleep the rest of the family were discussing what to. "Dad, what did Fox tell you this afternoon?"

"Well, he was quick to confess the real reason for the lie. It was to protect him from getting punished. He was talking to the Johnson boys and he knew that would be enough to get him a spanking."

"Did he say why he was talking?"

"Oh, he confessed that real quick, too. It seems they were just around the mailbox and had seen Fox come out of the woodshed crying and wanted to know why. Fox said that he was taught it was rude not to answer questions. He didn't want to yell the answer across the road in case others heard that he just got paddled, so instead he walked over and told them face to face."

"Do you believe him?"

"Yes, however, I think that was only part of the reason for going over there."

"Dad, how did you get him to tell so quickly?"

"His bottom was still sore from your spanking. All I did was plunk him on my knee. Sitting on that sore bottom made his answers come quickly. I told him he would not be getting up until I had the truth."

"Now son, I have a question for you? What did you promise Joe to get him to help you watch the kids this weekend? After his experiences with both boys during your fishing trip his reward has to be something good."

Walt looked sheepishly at his Dad and then broke out into a big grin and said, "I promised him dinner at the restaurant of his choice."

"Yeah, and I expect to be rewarded promptly, too," added Joe. They all had a hearty laugh over that last comment. "Now if I’m going to be ready to watch those scamps tomorrow; I need to get to bed and get a good night's rest. 'Night Mom, Dad, Walt," and with that Joe headed up stairs. The others saw the wisdom in that observation and they followed suit.

As usual the household, with the exception of Fox and Chip, were up by 7 o'clock Saturday morning. They had a quick breakfast and then went their separate ways, each with their own list of chores.

Chip’s grandparents arrive and Mary joined Rachel is fixing corn, beans, potato salad and cake. Joe was sent, as soon as the grocery store opened, to get two different types of ice cream. Walt went out and got the grill ready. Later on he would be responsible for getting the picnic tables up and ready. John and Walter were in charge of doing the actual cooking on the grill. John brought his tasty barbecue sauce.

The commotion in the house eventually woke the boys and, after grabbing a bowl of cereal, they escaped outside to throw the Frisbee with Yoda. This worked out well for Walt who could keep half an eye on the boys while getting the picnic tables in order. Half an eye proved not enough, since he didn't see Mike get a message to Fox about later tonight.

The message was on a piece of paper taped to the underside of the Frisbee that Yoda retrieved for his master. Fox read the letter eagerly. "What's it say, Fox?" asked Chip.

After checking to see if it was safe, Fox began to read. "It's from Mike. He says to meet him at the tree house sometime between 11:30 - 12:00 tonight. He says not to worry about being stopped 'cause he will create a diversion to keep the adults busy while we slip out. He also says that I have to leave Yoda here. He thinks Yoda would interfere with the initiation. He said by tomorrow we would be full-time members of the Wildcats. I can't wait."

"Hey Fox, do your folks know about the club?"

"I don't think so. I wasn't sure at first with the questions Gran was asking me; but I feel like if they knew I would have heard about it by now," Fox unconsciously began to rub his bottom in anticipation of the spanking he feel if his Dad knew what they were doing.

The rest of the day moved slowly for the boys. They wondered what sort of diversion Mike and Ted were planning.

Lunch was served at 1 p.m. and there was so much food that the boys didn't know where to start. They finally began with drumsticks and a couple of ribs, helpings of baked beans, potato salad and corn on the cob. They found a place at the table. Rachel brought them sweeten iced tea and left then to eat.

Soon all that could be heard were people enjoying their meals. The boys listened in on stories of their folks when they were younger and laughed with the others when they turned funny.

Both Fox and Chip slipped Yoda food from their plates especially when it became apparent that their eyes were way to big for their stomach. They were careful not to give him any chicken bones and soon Yoda was enjoying the rib bones, too.

When Rachel and Mary brought out the chocolate cake and ice cream groans could be heard across the yard. It seemed most had eaten too much to truly enjoy their dessert at the moment. Fox and Chip didn't disappoint their grandmothers; they each accepted a slice of cake with ice cream on the side. When lunch was finally over it was all Fox and Chip could do to move from the table. Gran sent them both inside to take naps. They didn't fuss for once. Little did she know that they really wanted to take a nap this afternoon so they could stay awake tonight?

Rachel enlisted the help of her sons to help clear the table and clean up the dishes. Mary and John had to leave to get on the road before the nightfall. Walter and Joe, seeing that Fox and Chip wouldn't be any trouble, pitched in to help. Most of the dishes went into the dishwasher so it didn’t take long to finish the cleanup.

Fox and Chip fell to sleep almost immediately and slept for a couple of hours before Gran remembered to wake them. She sent them out to play, with Joe in tow, watching them. Joe used the time to catch up on a favorite book he wanted to read. He sat on the porch in one of the rocking chairs. He would look up occasionally to be sure they were still in sight. They were perfect little angels that afternoon, which should have tipped them off, but instead it lulled everyone into the feeling that everything would be fine this weekend.

Supper was leftovers from lunch and they cleaned them right on up. After a rousing game of Monopoly the boys went up to bed without complaint around 9:30 and when Walt and his folks came to check on them later they were already in bed. Walt assumed they were in their pajamas and after a kiss goodnight to the both of them they were left to go to sleep.

Anticipating a nice and quiet night after a busy day, they were startled when the phone rang. It was for Joe, he listened intently, alarm apparent in his expression. He replaced the receiver and with outward calm said, "That was the fire chief. It seems that a neighbor of mine reported a small blaze at my house. I have to get there now."

"Wait and I'll go with you, Joe," said Walt.

"I'm coming too. Rachel, you stay here and we will call you about what the damage is. You shouldn't have any trouble from the boys I just checked on them and they were sleeping soundly."

As soon as Fox and Chip heard the car drive away, they quietly got out of bed. They arranged their pillows to make the beds look like they were still sleeping. Having gone to bed still dressed, all they had to do is put on their shoes, grab a flashlight and tiptoe out of their room. Fox kept his hand on Yoda's collar to keep him from going too fast. They went down the backstairs and eased out of the back door. Soon they were on their way.

"Fox, what about Yoda? Mike said not to bring him."

"Don't worry, I'm going to tie him in the barn. If I left him in my room he would eventually bark and alert everyone. The barn is far enough away to prevent that even if he does bark." When they got to the barn, Fox led Yoda in and tied him to the farthest unused stall and told him to stay. They quickly left to go the tree house.

Joe and family made good time to Joe’s house and were meet by an irritable fire chief. "Sorry for getting you out Joe. It seems like the whole thing was a prank. There is no fire. I guess it was some kids out to cause trouble. When I get my hands on them, they will be sitting with some trouble."

As soon as the chief mentioned that it was a prank all of their thoughts returned to the boys and that they had just left them at home. They hurriedly turned around and sped home. While Joe was driving, Walt got out his cell phone and called his Mom. "Mom? It’s Walt. It was just a prank played by some kids. Mom, would you please go and check on the boys. Make sure they are sleeping in their beds. Wake them up to be sure. I'll call you back in 5 minutes."

Those were the longest 5 minutes Walt had experienced in some time, and he was sure of the answer before he recalled his Mom. "Mom? Yes, we will be there is 10 minutes. Don't worry we will find them." Walt turned to the others and told them what his mother had said. "They're gone. This prank was a rouse to get us out of the way. When I find the boys, they won't be sitting comfortably for the rest of the summer. They put pillows in their beds to resemble bodies. Well, at least Yoda is with them. No harm will come to them with him around."

While driving back they tried to figure out where the boys had might have gone. They came up with nothing. "Did the boys mention anything when they were discussing this club that said where the clubhouse was? If this is an initiation it will take place at the clubhouse. Think Dad."

Walter thought back to the conversation he and John had with the boys about the Johnson boys’ club. "It seems that they mentioned something about the club meeting at a tree house but they didn’t mention where the tree house was."

************************************************************************

After the boys left the barn they hurried to the tree house. They got there long before the 11:30. Mike and Ted were the first to greet them and welcome them to the club. "Fox, Chip it is good you could make it. All you have to do is pass the initiation and you are in. Do you want to begin?"

Both Fox and Chip nodded, not trusting their voices to reply.

Mike grinned at them and ordered, "First, take your pants and briefs off and put them in this basket."

Fox and Chip looked at each other and then did as they were told. Soon both boys were bottomless and waiting. "Good now get on your hands and knees." Fox and Chip complied. "Now crawl between the legs of all our members while they give you each a smack with their paddle. You can cry out if you like, others have."

When Fox and Chip heard that they started to feel a little scared. This was going to hurt and they wondered whether they would be able to take it without losing their nerve and running away.

All of the members lined up in a row and spread their legs apart so the boys could crawl through. "Now let the initiation begin. Fox, you first and then Chip, you follow afterwards. I go last and I get to give you 2 licks, since I am President of the Wildcats."

Fox felt so embarrassed crawling between the legs of so many boys armed with paddles while being nude from the waist down. He was beginning to wonder whether it was worth all of this just to be a part of the club but didn’t want to appear afraid in front of the boys so he crawled on.

Fox let out a loud yell as the first lick caught him on his right buttock. It was all he could do to continue crawling. By the time he had crawled through all ten of the members his bottom was a bright red and he was sobbing in pain. All he had to do was allow Mike to hit him twice. He slowly made his way to Mike. Mike sized up his target and then he hit him with all his might. Fox let out a scream of pain, "Ooowwwwcchhh," and before he could even catch his breath the second lick landed. He sobbed out a final scream, "Ooohhhhowwww."

As he sobbed he heard Chip, he was sobbing with each stroke. After Mike’s final strokes he screamed over and over. Both boys were pulled to their feet; their bottoms were well blistered to the point that some areas were skinned.

************************************************************************

When Walter and his sons returned to the farm Rachel met them. "Do you know anything?"

"No, not yet. Let's get some flashlights and search the grounds."

They searched in separate directions and found nothing. As they neared the barn they heard barking and hurried towards it. Walter opened the barn and called out, "Yoda?" He was met by frantic barking. He soon had Yoda untied and brought him out to the others.

When Walt saw the dog he groaned, "No, they left the dog."

Walt turned toward the dog and said, "Yoda find Fox."

He took the rope tied to the dog and held on as Yoda took off. Walter and Joe followed behind them. They quickly realized they were headed towards the Johnson farm.

************************************************************************

Mike looked at Fox and Chip and then at the Wildcats. The other members were obviously waiting for something. They just smiled at the boys. Mike turned to the members and hissed, "Grab them and tie then spread eagle to the ground."

Before Fox or Chip could react they found themselves tied to the stakes, with their backs against the ground. Their sore and blistered bottoms were against the hard ground and they were scared.

Mike approached them and said, "There is just one other thing to do before you become members. Most members need some help in accepting it." He then produced a homemade brand. "You have to do is be branded with this," he showed them the brand was of a wildcat. It was about the size of a quarter. "I brand this on your inner thigh and you become members."

Fox took one look at the brand and shouted, "NO, I changed my mind. I don't want to become a member that bad." Chip echoed his decision.

Mike only looked at them. "That's okay, all of the others said the same thing at first, but once they were branded they changed their minds. We know you only need some help in completing this last step, that’s why you have been tied."

Mike loved this part of the initiation the best. The paddling of the bare bottoms of the initiatives was nice, but the best part was always the branding. He loved the terror in the eyes of the boys as he approached them with the red-hot brand.

The cries they made as the brand was placed upon their flesh were priceless. He figured that Fox, at his age, would have a shrill scream as he was branded. He soon would have his answer as his brother Ted was now approaching carrying the red-hot brand.

Ted handed him the brand; Mike took it and approached Fox, who began to struggle. Mike knelt down between Fox's spread legs and nodded to Pete and Bill, who held Fox's right leg steady. Mike lightly touched Fox's upper inner thigh with the brand and it was suddenly knocked out of his hand by a large dog. It was Yoda to the rescue. He had broken the rope leash soon after Walt had ordered him to find his master.

Fox had screamed when the brand had touched his inner thigh and was sobbing from the pain of the burn, his blistered bottom and the initiation. The members of the club had dispersed with the arrival of the dog. When Walt arrived he found his son and Chip sobbing. They were both still tied to the ground. He hurriedly cut them free.

Joe and their Dad soon joined him. Walt pulled Fox to him and just hugged him. Fox was sobbing hysterically, unable to stop. "Mr. Skinner, they branded him. Mike put the brand on his inner thigh. He would have held it there longer except for Yoda," Chip said, with tears running down his face.

Joe picked Chip up to offer comfort and Walter, Sr. found their clothes. Joe and Walt carried their precious burdens back to the house. Rachel met them. She took one look at Fox as Walt carried him by and asked worriedly, "What did they do to my baby," and as Joe came in carrying Chip, "to both of my babies?"

Walter came in last and took his wife aside for a moment. "The initiation required the members to paddle the boys on their bare bottom. By the look of their bottoms they hit them awful hard. They have abrasions with some bleeding in spots. Then, they tied the boys down while the president of this club held a red-hot brand to Fox’s inner thigh. Yoda jumped him before he finished. As it is Fox has a burn and is in some serious pain. I don't know how bad the burn is but he has been sobbing hysterically ever since."

Rachel hurried to her babies’ sides. She told Joe to gently clean Chip's backside and told Walt to hold Fox while she had a look at his burn. It was the most serious of his injuries. She quickly got a cold, wet washcloth and gently laid it on the burn. "Hold it there Walt, I need to call the doctor. He really needs to see both boys."

Rachel went towards the phone only to be met by Walter. "I'll do it Rachel, you see to the boys." With a grateful smile she went first into the kitchen to fill a container with cool water and then hurried back. The boys were still sobbing in pain. As gently as he could Joe clean the dirt from the abrasions on Chip's backside, but unfortunately it wasn't gentle enough and Chip was sobbing at his every touch. Walt had his hands full with Fox. It was all he could do to just hold the boy. He couldn't sit him on his knee because of the trauma to his bottom. He was basically holding Fox to his chest while trying to hold the cool cloth to the burn. Fox was screaming and sobbing so loudly he was making himself hoarse.

Rachel poured some cool water over the ice. She wetted a new cloth with the ice water and placed it against Fox's burn. She intended to numb the area with the icy water. She had Walt place Fox on his side so she could get to his backside and saw where it to had dirt rubbed into the abrasions, just like Chip. She knew she would hurt her grandson as she cleaned his backside but there was no way it could be helped. She was just about to do it when Walter walked in leading the doctor.

"Here they are Doc, please help them." Walter pleaded. Dr. Murphy took one look at his patients and hurried to Fox's side. He was in hysterics from the pain in his leg and backside. "Is he allergic to anything?" he asked. At Walt’s terse "No" he hurriedly injected the boy with something. It was only a few seconds later that the drug started to take effect and Fox drifted off. He then turned to Chip and asked the same question. Chip shook his head and he was injected with something to lessen the pain. Chip also went to sleep; only his was a natural sleep.

"Who did this to them," Dr. Murphy asked angrily.

Walter answered bitterly, "Mike and Ted Johnson and the other members of their blasted club. Doc, how bad is the burn?"

The doctor removed the cold rag and examined the burn. He sucked in his breath when he saw that some of the metal from the brand was still sticking to the skin. He turned to Walter and said, "Bad enough. I've got to remove this metal before it causes the burn to get infected. The burn itself will heal eventually. It is only a first-degree burn. It will be painful but overall not that dangerous."

"Will it leave a scar?" asked Walt.

"No, but it will take a while to completely fade. It should around 6 months for it to completely disappear but it will fade," replied the doctor as he carefully and painstakingly removed all of the metal sticking to the burn. He cleaned it with the substance he brought and lightly bound it. He turned to Rachel and said, "I'll get some medicine to you for pain. You can give him some every 6 hours if needed, but it can't exceed 4 tablets in a 24-hour period. Let me give both boys a tetanus shot to be on the safe side.

He injected both boys while they were sleeping. He explained, "The first shot I gave to Fox will last until tomorrow. I'll return to check their injuries and I’ll have a prescription filled for you. Here is some medicated lotion to use on their backsides. It will help with the pain. I figure that they should be able to sit comfortably in 2 - 3 days. Call me if you need me."

Walter was quick to show him out and returned to find Walt sitting next to Fox. He had tears in his eyes. "How could they do this to them? How could he do this to my boy?"

The doctor made a point of calling Hopewell Sheriff Sam Cole, and informing him of the club's activities. The club had been the cause of several happenings in the neighborhood but this was the last straw. The Sheriff knew the Skinners quite well and it distressed him to learn of the boys’ injuries. He had warned both Mike and Ted that he would take action if he heard of any more trouble from them. Tomorrow he would visit the Johnson farm and have a long talk with the teenagers' father. He knew that the father was a good man; it was his wife that wouldn't allow her sons to be punished. She always convinced him that they were only boyish pranks and said he was overreacting. Well, this time he would convince him that this was different. First he would stop by and talk to the boys' grandfathers.

Early Sunday, Sheriff Cole knocked on the Skinner front door. Walter answered it and welcomed the sheriff.

"Walter I heard some disturbing news about your and John Walker's grandsons. About joining a club and being paddled as part of the initiation and your grandson being burned? Can you tell me everything you know?"

Walter brought Sheriff Cole into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and then proceeded to tell him everything he knew. When he was finished, the sheriff got up and said, "Do you or your son want to press charges against Mike and Ted Johnson?"

"Let me get Walt and we can sit down and discuss the whole thing. I know what I want to do, and as upset Walt is about this, I had better be here to temper his answer," and with that Walter got up to go and find his son. He wasn't surprise to find him in Fox's room just watching his son sleep. "Come with me son. The sheriff is here. Fox will be all right; Yoda is watching him. He will let us know if anything happens."

Walt turned to his dad and said, "Let's go," as he strode out of the room in a great hurry. Soon they entered the kitchen to find Sam Cole, Hopewell Sheriff finishing his coffee.

"Sam," greeted Walt warmly as he grasped Sam's outstretched hand, "I take it that Dad had filled you in to all of the details." Sam nodded gravely.

"Walt, what do you want to do?"

"I want to see those boys punished for what they did to Chip and my boy. Mike told them they had to pass two tests in which they had to get themselves spanked or paddled. Then for part of the initiation they were paddled within an inch of their lives, to finish the whole thing, they were held and both would have be branded if it weren't for Fox's dog, Yoda. As it is Fox was branded. I want to see them whipped," the last came out as a shout.

Walter turned to his son and said, "That's enough Walt," his son glared at him but subsided, and said quietly, "Sam I want them to be punished."

"Let's go and see Carl Johnson," replied Sam.

They all left together in the sheriff's car and drove over to the Johnson farm. Sheriff Cole tried to explain a couple of things to the Skinners as they drove. "Carl Johnson is a nice man, the problem with punishing his sons comes with his wife. Martha doesn't believe in corporal punishment. When the boys were younger Carl tried to maintain strict discipline but his wife was always there to stop him from spanking the boys. To keep peace in the family he always conceded to her wishes. They were punished in other ways, but I feel that she went behind his back to lighten the punishment any way she could."

As they were pulling up into the drive, the sheriff added, "I just wanted to tell you how things are and if the wife is here your protest may be all you accomplish today."

As they were walking toward the house Mike and Ted Johnson appeared. They looked insolently at the Skinners and the Sheriff, and remarking out loud, "Here comes the parents of the wimp, Fox," and laughed.

Walt took two quick steps towards them before his own father could stop him. He grabbed Mike and said, "If you were mine I'd wipe that look from your face and the insolence from your voice." Mike struggled to free himself.

"Walt unhand the boy," ordered Walter, but Walt ignored him and continued to hold Mike in a threatening manner. It took both the Sheriff and Walter to pull Walt away from the boy.

"Just you wait, I'm going to tell my dad what you said and did. He'll sue your sorry ass for laying your hands on me," cried Mike angrily.

"Let's just do that, Boy," was Walt's reply as he passed the boys on his way to the front door. His knocks brought Carl to the door. Seeing the angry faces of the two men he turned to the sheriff and asked, "What's wrong, Sheriff?"

Before the sheriff could answer, Mike interrupted and said, "Dad, he," pointing at Walt, "grabbed me and threatened me."

Carl looked at Walt and saw righteous anger there and asked quietly, "Is this true Mister? Did you lay hands on my boy?"

"It's true and if you have the time I'll be happy to tell you why." Carl took one look, and to the disappointment of his sons, invited them all in.

Upon entering the Sheriff introduced the Skinners. "Carl, I know you know your neighbor, Walter Skinner. This is his oldest son Walt. Walt is the father of one of the boys hurt, Fox." With introductions over they all sat down. Once they were sitting comfortably in the front room Carl asked, "Now tell me what has happened?"

Walt took a deep breath and proceeded to tell him the story of his son and his friend joining the Johnson boys’ club. He left no detail out ending it with Fox being burned on his inner thigh. When he had finished Carl looked at his sons and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Mike answered with a confident, "YES." He knew that he was safe. His mother had protected him in the past and he felt this would be no different.

Carl just looked at his sons and remarked to all present, "In the past whenever my sons misbehaved my wife would step in and say, ‘You are not punishing them. It was just the boys kicking up their heels in good old fun.’ " Carl looked at his sons sadly and continued, "I always felt that if I could have warmed their bottoms at least once or twice all of this could have been avoided. Well now, my wife isn't here and I'm going to give these two the strapping of their lives."

The confidence Mike had shown quickly disappeared when he realized exactly what his Dad had said. As it finally registered that both he and his brother were to be strapped he yelled out in anguish, "Noooooooooooooo. You can't, Mom won't like it."

Carl turned back to Walt and asked, "Would you gentlemen join us? I want you to watch; and I may need your help. Follow me into the barn."

Walt and Walter smiled broadly at the announcement and each grabbed a boy and escorted them, to the barn. The boys were too shocked to struggle until they actually entered the barn. When they saw their father take down a wide strip of leather they started to plead and struggle. "Dad, you can't. Mom is going to be so mad. Please, Dad, don't."

"Walt," called Carl, "if you will bring Mike over her," pointing to a stall. Walt did as he was asked and before Mike could protest he found himself pulled over a stall with his backside in the perfect position for a spanking. Carl went to his son and calmly pulled first his jeans and then underwear down around his ankles. As soon as Mike felt his pants and briefs being lowered he screamed in anguish, "Nooooo. Not bare. You can't whip me like this."

"I don't see why not son; as I understand it this is how the initiates were paddled. If they can take it, so can you," Carl backed up and took careful aim and let the old razor strap hit his son's white bottom. It struck both buttocks in the first strike. The pain caught up a few seconds later and Mike let out a mighty, "Owewwccchhh," and began to sob immediately and didn't stop until the strapping was over some 20 licks later.

Mike was pulled up; his pants and briefs were pulled off. He was deposited in a corner and told not to move unless he wanted another strapping. Mike just wailed. He had never experience such pain before and didn't ever want to again.

Ted was quickly put in the same position as his brother and some 20 licks later joined his brother in the same corner. He too was sporting a very sore and red bottom. He was sobbing just as hard.

Carl motioned for the three men to accompany him into the yard. "What the boys don't know yet is that their mother will not be coming back. We are getting a divorce and she has made it quite clear that she doesn't want anything to do with her sons or me. She considers them to be 'insufferable brats' who won't mind her, ‘even after all she has done for them’. She feels that leaving them with me will hurt me in some way. The only ones that it will hurt are those two crying in the barn. I feel that with discipline, like you just witnessed, I will make 'new men' of them figuratively speaking."

"Way to go, Carl," cried Walter hurrying to shake his hand. "Let me tell you about my punishment tour. It will work wonders with your boys; it sure did with mine." Walter and Carl walked off a bit while Walter talked and Carl listened. Every once in a while Carl would smile and nod in agreement with Walter's words.

Carl and Walter came back to where Walt and Sam were standing and Carl suddenly boomed out, "Mike! Ted! Get your tails out here and I mean right this minute. Don't worry about getting dressed, all it will get you is another strapping."

It was moments later that Mike and Ted came running out. They were a sight. Both were sporting very red bottoms and with their hands strategically positioned, they waited to hear what their father had to say.

"Boys, we are going to try something that Mr. Skinner here," pointing at Walter, Sr. "has been using for years. It is called a Punishment Tour. For the next two weeks you two are grounded. You will stay on the farm or suffer another strapping. While here you will do every chore I assign. Your bedtime will be at 8 each night, no TV, no Internet, and a bedtime spanking. Each morning you will be up by 6:30 and down for breakfast by 7:30 and then you will join me and work in the fields."

All during the recitation Mike and Ted's mouth just hung open, the sinking feeling they both had was just getting worse. Mike spoke up and spoke his mind, "Dad, you can't that's not fair. You have already punished us for this minor incident. Mom is going to really get you for abusing us in this manner."

Carl let him have his say and then he moved. Before Mike could react he found himself over his Dad's knee and getting a spanking on top of his already sore bottom. SMACK...SMACK...SMACK...OWWWW...OOHHOOWW.

The licks and screaming continued for the next ten smacks when Mike found himself back on his feet. Carl looked at his other son, Ted and asked, "Do you feel the same as your brother? If so I have a spanking with your name on it?"

Ted shook his head violently and said, "No, Sir!"

Carl went up to Walter, Sr. and shook his hand and said out loud, "Thanks so very much with sharing your Punishment Tour with me." He then turned towards Walt and asked, "Are you still going to prosecute my boys?"

Walt answered quite quickly, "No. I've seen that your sons have been punished and that is enough for me. Thank you," shaking his hand.

"Tell your son and his friend that I'm sorry for what my sons did and they have been punished. Tell them also that the Wildcats Club has been officially been disbanded." He turned to his sons and said, "I want everything you have on that club brought out to me NOW! Don't get dressed yet just bring me everything. I'll give you 15 minutes to bring all you have in your rooms or I will use a switch on your backsides next. GO!!!!"

The boys ran into the house and while they were gone Carl once again turned to speak to his guests. "I plan on burning everything they have in front of them and tomorrow we will be getting everything from the tree house."

Seeing that Carl had everything in hand Walt, Walter and Sam left. Sam drove them home. As soon as they arrived Walter,

Sr. and his son went inside to inform Rachel about what had happened.

Rachel met them at the front door, "How did it go, dear," speaking to her husband. "Fine, Rachel, Carl punished his sons like they should have been from the very beginning, with a strap to their backsides."

"What!! Didn't Martha intervene like usual?"

"No, it seems that they are getting a divorce. Martha doesn't want her sons. It seems that all of those years when she wouldn't allow their father to discipline them has backfired on her."

"In what way, dear?"

"Her constant interference has made the boys insufferable to her. Her own words were the boys have become 'insufferable brats and won't even mind me, even after all of the times I protected them from their father', and she wants no part of them. She feels that leaving the boys with their father will somehow punish him. What it has done is finally freed him to punish them like they should have been punished from the very beginning. I also introduced Carl to the Punishment Tour and he is about to inflict it on the boys for the next two weeks; and the Wildcats Club is officially disbanded. Now if you will excuse me dear, Walt and I have something to discuss. Come with me, son," and led the way out of the house towards the woodshed.

Walt, with a puzzled look at his dad, followed. Walter stopped outside the woodshed and turned to Walt. "This is about your behavior at the Johnson farm. You knew better than to grab that boy and threatened him like you did. You didn't take in account what might have happened if Carl hadn't punished his sons and had instead prosecuted you for grabbing his son as you did. That move could have been the end of your career, all because you let your emotions get in the way. You have punished Fox many times for the same behavior. You also didn't mind me when I told you to stop and it took both Sam and me to pull you away from the boy. I know you were mad at what they did to Fox but you are the adult and he is just a boy. You know the drill. When I get in there you had better be in position."

Walt looked at his father with astonishment and after hearing what was said had to admit to himself that his father was right, his actions at the Johnson Farm were way out of line. And most importantly, he did disobey his father and he knew what the outcome of that always would be, so without a word he turned and did exactly what his father requested without a word.

Walter gave his son the time needed to get in position and followed behind stopping only long enough to grasp the Persuader. He moved in behind his son and started the time old tradition. "What are you being punished for, son?"

"For my behavior at the Johnson Farm when I grabbed the boy, Mike, and threatened him."

CRACK!! CRACK!! "And what else?" asked his dad.

"For not letting go when said to, for it taking both you and Sam to pull me off the boy."

CRACK!! CRACK!! "Walt, I also didn't like the glare you sent my way when you were first talking with Sam and before you finally obeyed me."

CRACK!! CRACK!! "I'M SORRY, DAD," sobbed Walt as the licks were finally making him cry out in pain. Walter added 2 more before stopping. He gave Walt time to pull himself back together and after he pulled his boxers and pants back up he engulfed him in the forgiving hug.

"Walt I want you to know that while I understand why you grabbed that boy, it doesn’t give you the right to threatened him in that way. If his father had not believed us about what his sons had done to Fox and Chip he could have had you up on charges. You should have used more control when dealing with them." Walt nodded as he sobbed out his pain, both physical and mental, while his dad hugged him. Finally, when all of the tears had been shed they walked back to the house.

Walt immediately went up to the bathroom to wash his face while his dad explained why he had punished their son to his wife. She nodded in agreement to his words and to change the subject asked, "When will John and Mary be back?"

"I think John mentioned something about their returning this afternoon. We will have a long talk about how to deal with our young scalawags."

"Dear, are you going to spank Fox for disobeying you and joining that club after being warned not to?"

"No, a spanking is not what I had in mind. Besides I think the Wildcats have punished him enough for his disobedience to us. I was planning on him doing a Punishment Tour, minus the bedtime spanking. I'm sure I can convince John to do the same with Chip; in fact I think we can have a combined Punishment Tour with both boys working on both of our places. A little honest sweat and they will think twice about the next time we tell them 'No'."

After leaving the bathroom Walt went to check on Fox and Chip. They were awake at the moment. "Fox, Chip, how do you two feel?"

Chip answered first, "My bottom still hurts when I put pressure on it, but other than that I feel okay."

"That's good, boy. Do you want to get up and get dressed for breakfast? I promise there will be a fluffy pillow waiting in a chair for you."

Chip shyly nodded and proceeded to get dressed. He put on a pair of loose sweat shorts that had been left for him and a T-shirt and moments later went gingerly down the stairs for breakfast. Rachel and Walter greeted him and they helped him to the breakfast table and there was the softest and fluffiest pillow waiting in one of the chairs.

Walt waited until Chip had left before making his way to his son. Sitting carefully on the bed he asked again, "Fox how are you feeling?"

"Oh, Dad, I'm so sorry," and broke down crying.

Walt gathered his son in his arms and held him while he cried on his shoulder. "That's all right, son. You just cry." Fox sobbed until he had cried himself back to sleep. Walt continued to hold him and it was only a few minutes later that Fox awoke again. "Son, do you want to talk about it?"

"Dad, we did everything he wanted us to do but when he decided to use that brand we both said, 'NO'! But he wouldn't listen. Why did he do it, why?" cried Fox as the tears returned.

"Son, he wanted to hurt you. He wanted to belittle you. Now, Fox was it worth all of the pain you went through to join that club?"

Fox shook his head, NO. "I didn't know he was going to paddle us so hard or burn me with that brand. I'm sorry, Dad. Are you going to spank me for disobeying Gran?"

"No, Fox"

"Is Gran going to spank me?"

"I don't think so, Fox. He feels that you have been paddled enough. You will have to ask him how he is planning to punish you. Now get dress and join us for breakfast. Your Gram has made you and Chip pancakes. If you don't hurry Chip is liable to eat them all."

As Walt was leaving he saw his son carefully get out of bed. He grimaced as he saw the brand on his son's inner thigh. The brand was still red, and it made him upset to know that Fox would have to deal with it being there for some time. He left the room and went downstairs to wait for Fox.

Chip was eating his second stack of pancakes when Fox arrived and sat at his place on an identical pillow to wait his breakfast. "Are they good," asked Fox licking his lips? Chip, with his mouth full of pancakes, just nodded.

Rachel came in with a stack of pancakes for Fox. "Here dear, you start with these and I’ll get you more when you are ready."

Fox took a moment to butter his pancakes and to drown them with maple syrup before he took his knife and fork and cut a section out and put it in his mouth. He chewed them carefully before speaking, "They are delicious Gram…thanks." He returned to his pancakes and soon all that could be heard was the moving of pancakes from plate to mouth.

Gram, Gran and his Dad took such delight in watching them eat. Rachel got up off and on to refill their glasses of milk. After the second helping of pancakes each Fox and Chip pushed back from the table. Their appetites sated, they returned to their room.

Sitting down to eat had hurt their bottoms and they went back to lie on their stomachs. While they were in bed, Walter and his wife went to church leaving Walt to watch out for the boys. Joe had returned home.

The boys stayed in bed until lunch. They all set down to Baked Chicken with String Beans and Rice. They had ice tea and for dessert they enjoyed Chocolate Cake and vanilla ice cream. Everybody ate their fill and the boys were excused to go back to bed. It seemed the boys needed more sleep then normal to recover from the trauma of their experiences and injuries.

It was an hour later that Mary and John Walker returned. They were distressed to learn what had happened to their grandson but were relieved to learn that he hadn't suffered a burn like Fox. While Mary went up to check on Chip, Walter and John talked things out about how to punish their grandsons. Walter was able to persuade John to use the Punishment Tour.

It was decided that the boys would do chores for both families for the next week. They would also go to bed early and not be allowed any TV or Internet time. The only thing they wouldn't experience would be the bedtime spankings. That decided they went upstairs to break the news to the boys.

When Walter and John entered Fox's room, Mary was talking with Chip and trying to soothe his fears. When she saw her husband enter the room she planted a kiss on Chip's forehead and left the boys to the mercy of their grandfathers.

Fox looked up into the stern face of his grandfather and said, "Gran are you going to spank me for my disobeying your orders about joining the club?"

Walter looked into the scared face of his grandson and smiled, "No, son. I think you have been punished enough in that area."

Fox began to smile, thinking that he would get away without being punished for his latest escapade. His smile left his face quickly when his grandfather continued talking. "Fox you won't be spanked, but that doesn't mean that you won't be punished. Or you Chip. We have talked it out and have decided that a week on a Punishment Tour will just about do it. That means no TV, or Internet, an early bedtime and plenty of chores. The only thing you won't be getting is the bedtime spankings.

"This Punishment Tour will begin tomorrow bright and early, so be prepared to be awaken at 6:30 and start working by 7:30."

Fox and Chip just nodded, they had been afraid that they would be spanked on top of their sore bottoms and a little work for a few days seemed heaven sent, so they readily agreed to the terms.

John and Mary left with their grandson. Fox went over to his grandfather and hugged him. "Thanks Gran, for not spanking me. I'm sorry for disobeying you. If I had only known what the Initiation was going to be I would have never agreed to join."

"That is what we were trying to prevent when we told you and your friend 'NO', next time will you try and listen?"

"Yes, Gran."

The next morning found Fox dead to the world and when he was awakened he groaned until he remembered his agreement. He got up and was down at breakfast by the required time. Soon he and Chip were going from farm to farm doing whatever they were told. The grandfathers worked their grandsons hard enough to put them easily to sleep each night. The boys stuck it out without complaint and were glad when the week finally came to an end. Their Punishment Tour ended with a dinner marking the end. They were so tired that they fell asleep at the table and had to be carried to bed. While watching Fox sleep so peacefully Walter, Rachel and Walt all smiled knowing that all was at peace at the Skinners once again.

The End