A/N: I don't have time for much more, but one question I thought I'd try to tackle is, did Calvin have stuffed friends before Hobbes? I've seen some argue Calvin got him as a baby. Calvin seems to know Hobbes is in his "tiger trap." So, he could have put him there just playing around. But, it's probably more likely there were other animals before Hobbes, and Calvin got Hobbes at age six.

For more stories referencing my "Stuff Animal Academy" idea, see "Friends From Above." "Bear Story" also has some neat elements.

Velveteen Rabbits and Confused Tigers

Hobbes smiled broadly. He'd heard much about this child, who had just turned six, as he was being purchased. It sounded like he had a very vivid imagination. Which meant that Hobbes' dream – the dream of every stuffed toy – would be realized. He would probably become real to Calvin very quickly.

So, why wasn't he given to Calvin right away? He was being taken into the woods instead. "Something is very peculiar," Hobbes said as he was carried behind the medium-sized, two-story house and tied near the ground in what one of the adults called "Calvin's tiger trap."

He wasn't heard, or wasn't paid attention to, he wasn't sure which. Instead, one adult simply sighed and said, "The things we do for Calvin."

Hobbes rubbed his chin, perplexed. Once alone, he unfroze, as toys were taught to do. He tried to untie himself. Focused entirely on getting the knot undone – he wasn't good at untying things – he missed the leopard sneaking up behind him.

Hobbes suddenly turned. "Yikes. You startled me!"

"I know. I thought you might like to know what's going on."

"I certainly would!" Hobbes said indignantly. "Thanks," he added as the leopard finished untying the knot. "Who are you, anyway?" The leopard handed him a card saying "Velveteen Rabbit, Inc." "But, the Velveteen Rabbit lived decades ago. You couldn't have become real and lived all this time as a real rabbit," Hobbes protested.

The leopard explained, "We have time travel, too. How else do you think the unicorns and dinosaurs do it? That should explain everything."

Hobbes hummed. "You have a point about the time travel, I suppose. But, don't you think there's also a bit of a problem with the fact you're a leopard, and not a rabbit?"

The leopard put his hands on his hips. "You got a problem with leopards, bub?"

"Don't get feisty with me. I stick up for my species, too, but I'm only trying to understand why a leopard would go around with a rabbit's card," Hobbes insisted.

"Hey, take it easy, pal. I didn't mean it; I'm just getting you used to the kid you're going to be dealing with," the leopard spoke calmly, trying to defuse the situation. "And, a leopard claiming to be a rabbit is actually possible with his imagination."

"Quite a character, this Calvin, huh?" The leopard nodded. "So, what are you doing here?"

The leopard climbed the tree. He invited Hobbes to follow, which he did. "The original Velveteen Rabbit is head of a secret group. One that few people know exists. I came to visit you, because you're going to be part of it."

"I remember Comfort Objects 101, and the more advanced courses in that area, dealing with when one becomes real. But, nobody ever told us about a secret organization."

The leopard rolled his eyes. "If we told you about a secret organization, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" he spoke with a fair amount of attitude.

Hobbes had to admit that was true. "But, what does it do?"

As he spoke, a grizzly bear walked by with a bunch of fur missing; he was putting an eye back in place. "You must be Calvin's new tiger. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Hobbes eyed the bear with curiosity and some anxiety, and then turned back to the leopard. "Why did he say 'good luck' to me?"

The leopard explained, "Locke there lasted longer than most of the others," as he looked off into the distance. No Calvin yet. He still had time to talk.

Hobbes furrowed his brow. "Locke? What kind of name is Locke?"

"Calvin overheard his dad saying a philosophy course he took in college was a real bear. Anyway, you heard enough, you probably figured you'd become real pretty fast – I presume you know the story of the Velveteen Rabbit."

It was Hobbes' turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, puh-lease, we memorize that the first week of Stuffed Animal Academy. A rabbit is so beloved that he becomes real to the boy who owns him. Then, one day, the boy gets sick with scarlet fever, and his stuff has to be burned because of the germs. But, the rabbit gets to become real for real, instead of being destroyed."

"Right. But, animals can be destroyed by incredibly rough use, too," Locke noted, sounding like an old warrior. "Larry the Leopard here is going to become a real animal, so, we talked about what to do if this happened again."

Hobbes scratched his head. He was totally bewildered. Had Calvin been sick? No, that wasn't likely; the story had taken place when diseases were much more rampant. And yet, to consider the other option – just how rough was Calvin, anyway? "Now, wait – I know some kids play real hard, like I'm sure Calvin did with you." They nodded. "But, we were always taught that was just one possible sign we'd be real to them. Becoming totally real, real reality, can't happen till…well…" He didn't like to think about the threat of being destroyed.

Larry explained. "That's what our organization is for. It's almost never done. But, there is a way to give an animal 'partial reality.' Reality, as in what the Velveteen Rabbit had at the very end."

"In other words, real reality," Locke said. "Really, you'll certainly become imaginarily real, which is the important reality for real to Calvin. Real reality only comes later. But, because in this instance the imaginary reality is so real, really, you need partial real reality. That's what you'll be getting."

"All I'm getting is really confused," Hobbes spouted, his head spinning after that strange monologue.

Larry sighed. The boy was leaving the house. "Look, we'll explain later. Just know that you now have some elements that are almost humanlike, in addition to being real right away. That is, imaginarily real…well, you'll see."

Hobbes was still confused, but did as he knew to do, and quickly tied himself up as he had been before, so the human world wouldn't know. Then, he tried to freeze in a posture similar to what he'd been left in.

And yet, somehow, he was suddenly hungry for tuna fish.

Calvin approached, and got him out of his "tiger trap." Just in the first few hours, Hobbes could tell that, first, he'd become real to Calvin right away, and second, Calvin had a very vivid imagination.

That night, Hobbes entered the realm that would be well known to many later, when it was revealed in "Toy Story." He jumped out of bed, and met with Larry and Locke. "It's been everything you said," he told Larry.

"I know. Locke here probably lasted longer in decent shape than any of us. Still, becoming 'partially real' is the only way to avoid the inevitable run-ins with things, being run over by wagon wheels, and that sort of thing." Hobbes' eyes grew wide, as Larry continued. "Oh, yeah, you should have seen the wreck I was in when he went down a steep hill with me in the wagon once! That's why I had to become real. That is, really real."

Hobbes gulped. "He wants to take me down a steep hill tomorrow. Despite what his mother said about having to be more careful with his animals."

Larry chuckled. "You can see why we came up with the idea of being partly real."

"Sure," Locke continued. "You know how they say 'All dogs go to Heaven.' The humans, they all have sin, so they need to put their trust in Jesus Christ, calling on Him by faith to forgive them, believing He took their punishment for their sin. But, we stuffed animals automatically get to Heaven, by being such loyal friends. We even get to be real before we die, if we're real to that child. But, there's no reason for us to have to be destroyed that fast, if it can be helped."

Larry looked oddly at Locke. "There's also no reason to refer to a movie that won't be made for a few years if you can help it," he said, referring to "All Dogs Go To Heaven."

Locke blushed. "Sorry. We've been practicing because we'll probably go back in time, to avoid people knowing about this; just like those dinosaurs. One problem with time travel is, you forget when you are."

Hobbes shook his head. Time travel was a concept that really didn't make sense to him; and now it made even less sense.

Getting back to the subject at hand, he inquired, "So, what qualities do I have, then?"

"Only enough humanlike qualities so you're a lot like Calvin physically. You won't be mauling anyone like a real tiger, but you'll be able to dodge branches, for example, without the normal restrictions we have about actually talking and moving independent of our owners," Locke explained. Hobbes nodded; he'd learned early on that to talk and move around independently of the child's imagination was normally a strict no-no. With Calvin, it would be different. "You can still only do it when just he's around, and still keep it to a bare minimum," Locke remarked, as if stating a law of physics, "But, you can do it some. And, it should solve the problem."

"So, I not only am real to Calvin, I have a few minor signs of real reality," Hobbes pondered out loud. "Would something like pouncing on him when he comes home from school like a dog be fine?"

Larry agreed. "As long as it's something that Calvin could conceivably do. He's going to get messy, so why not? It wouldn't reveal to anyone else that you were real."

"By the way, I heard your name, Hobbes. Sounds like you'll be a real friend," Locke congratulated him. "Well, that is, real to Calvin...though partly really real..."

"Let's not start that again," Hobbes insisted. He was stunned at the developments. "All right, I'll try it. But…if I have partial real reality, that means it might hurt a little if, say…" he asked suddenly, "Which hill did he mean?"

"It was that one with the jump, where you might end up in the creek. Don't worry, it's really shallow, and he knows how to swim." Larry hastened to add, "Only because his mom convinced him dinosaurs had to way back when." Hobbes sighed. "You'll get used it. And, besides, it does sound like Calvin will be more careful with you. He doesn't want to lose any more stuffed friends. This is just a precaution, to help things a bit."

Hobbes nodded slowly, but his comprehension was being shoved aside by worries over that big hill. "So, when he had that accident with you…?"

"You don't want to know," Larry said.

A few days later, a wagon was rumbling down a hill. "Look out for that tree!" Hobbes shouted, as he covered his eyes, and tried not to think about whether they just passed some of Larry's stuffing.

It was a little hard to tell whether the shout had been in Calvin's mind, if he'd actually heard Hobbes scream, or somewhere in between; this was still a bit new to the tiger.

Calvin looked back and scowled. "You wouldn't get so scared if you kept your eyes open! Tigers are supposed to be brave!" the boy said, ignoring the fact they'd just hit the embankment and were "flying through the air," though it was really just a few feet high. It seemed like it to the six-year-old, however.

"We're also not supposed to sail through the air," Hobbes complained, as they flew, and then splashed into the water. He decided that – in case Calvin really missed larry – he wouldn't mention what Larry had told him. Besides, it sounded as though he still wasn't supposed to reveal his contact with other stuffed animals.

"You'll get used to it, Hobbes old buddy." Hobbes wasn't so sure. "You know, I can't believe how much of a real friend you've become, in just a few days."

"You have no idea," Hobbes deadpanned. "Could your mom stitch me up? I seem to have a little tear here."

Calvin looked as he trudged up the hill, along with the wagon. "Oh, yeah, I better have her do that. Mom told me I needed to take good care of you. Although, you seem more durable, too."

Hobbes agreed. He probably was, because of the "partial reality" he'd been given. But, as much fun as it was to be with Calvin, he considered that – if this boy ever did stop playing with him – he would have some of the wildest stories any other stuffed animals could imagine. Animals never languished in attics like owners feared. Indeed, he could probably fetch top dollar at any of the various Stuffed Animal Academies throughout the world. Could he tell a thing or two about adventures, or what?

For now, though, he was just enjoying the fun of being with a kid who not only saw him as real, but who probably saw him as more real than most other animals had ever been. Calvin was destined to be a great friend. Although, as real as he was, he was probably never going to get used to that hill.