Foreword: I nearly lost this story several times due to a balky internet. So there may be some flaws. A shout out to Teacher Bear of the now defunct SHRH forum. Your Bear should have been in this story. I had no way of getting permission.
Care Bears and Care Cousins age very slowly. Eventually most will reach puberty. Some like Hugs and Tugs haven't yet. Gentle Heart Lamb is fated to never reach puberty. She is fated to be a perpetual lamb. Most Bears and Cousins will eventually reach maturity. Grizzle Bear has but is encouraged by Lovalot to not act his age. Her Mate is also her perpetual "little Boy Cub".
Those who are the equivalent of adults rarely become parents. However pregnancies do occur. So some Care Bears and Cousins do have their own young to raise. Others sometime adopt ordinary animals. Which are transformed into Care Bears and Cousins in a process unfathomable to mere Humans. Even though a few Humans have been willingly transformed into Human Care Bears.
The females who do give birth are in to Motherhood for the long haul. Their cubs, kits, pups and piglets are often born years apart. Most aging thirty percent slower than mammals such as Humans. Even slower aging is Hugs and Tugs. It took thirty Earth years for those two to grow out of diapers. Gentle Heart reached that age earlier, only to have her growth stopped by Fate. Just short of the time a female Care Cousin finally reaches puberty.
However Gentle Heart has realized her dream of becoming a Mother. In a true act of Caring she was allowed to adopt a Human Male. One who had suffered in Foster Care. In the process of becoming a Human Care Bear he experienced something few Humans can comprehend. Age regression along with changes to his body. Lucas is now a young full fledged Human Care Bear. Happy to be pampered by Gentle Heart. Lucas' former Foster Parents would most likely never recognize him now.
Since their young are rare and few Care Bears and Cousins don't have large schools. Their youngsters get taught in small groups of no set ages. Sort of like the old One Room School Houses of the American pioneer days. Learning to care The Care Bear way is a process which lasts over many years, lessons, and refresher courses.
Once again it was time to assemble a group of young Bears and Cousins for Care lessons. The class was to be held in a Care School which was nestled right on the boundary line of Care a Lot and The Forest of Feelings. The one room school had a unique beginning. The once maligned Grizzle Bear had been recovering at Lovalot's home. After the crash of his floating Castle. For a long time he was in too bad a shape to do anything to make up for his former bad deeds.
However his conscience bothered him. In order to do penance for his past crimes against Caring he was finally capable of being assigned simple tasks. One was to do some painting at the old Caring School. School was not in session at the time. However the playground was always open to any youngster. So there were always Bears and Cousins near the school.
Grizzle had never really grown up. He had often acted like a Cub even before his Castle crashed. Then even more so as Lovalot treated him like the Cub she had always dreamed of Mothering. Although it was hard for Grizzle to now move nimbly he had loved romping with school age Cubs and Cousins.
At first the adults were leery of Grizzle being around Cubs. They like Lovalot quickly realized just how badly they had once misjudged Grizzle. Especially one day when the then very young Sassy Bear had cut her left foot paw on a sharp wood shard. As her Mother, Me Bear, panicked Grizzle stepped out with the School's first aid kit. Grizzle was able to calm down Mom and Cub. Then tenderly disinfected and bandaged the girl's foot paw. Lovalot was proud of how the misfit Bear she had fallen in love with acted that day. All of Care a Lot was amazed as gossiping citizens repeated accounts of the incident as they heard of it.
After the birth of Lovalot's and Grizzle's cub Grizzle's stature among Care Bears and Cousins grew. The birth of Miracle Joy echoed her name. Due to her past medical history Lovalot had thought she would never conceive a Cub. Much less carry one to full term. Grizzle's injuries after the crash left him thinking he could never sire a Cub. Amazingly Lovalot and Grizzle found themselves expectant Parents.
Miracle Joy was born a healthy Cub. Her birth had brought joy to a Care Bear odd couple. As the years slowly passed Miracle Joy grew. The mischievous Cub could do no wrong in the eyes of her parents. Although others sometimes complained. At long last it was time for Grizzle and Lovalot to think about their daughter's future schooling. To help their mischievous youngster Lovalot and Grizzle wanted to make sure she got a good education. The old Care School was not up to Lovalot's standards. She and her Mate remembered how Sassy had been injured there years before. Now the building and equipment were even older.
Lovalot and Grizzle used some of the gold that had been recovered from the heap of Grizzle's former home to do good. They set up an endowment fund for education. Eventually their fund was used to build a new small school. The one room school was named The Sergeant Rocket Bottom Care School. In honor of Grizzle's robot who had sacrificed itself to help Grizzle crash land his faltering floating home. In one of the few places no one in Care a Lot should have been at. The former Cloud Crumble Canyon. It is now piled high with the crumbled and smashed remains of Grizzle s once floating Castle.
However Sergeant Rocket Bottom's inert robotic body was recovered from the wreckage. Care Bears and Cousins had once laughed about the inept militarized robot. A bumbling robot Grizzle wanted to use for conquering. When they learned of how Grizzle and his robot later fought to save some of their lives Grizzle became a living legend. Sergeant Rocket Bottom became a Fallen Hero.
A metallic hero Grizzle had once treated like a living Being. Ironically the robot was treated like a former living Being by Care a Lot after the crash. Sergeant Rocket Bottom was treated as any fallen Hero should. With a Monument. So he became his own Monument. His inert body is mounted on a pedestal in Care Square. With a gleaming overcoat of metal protector to prevent his rusting away. It is a place where many stop to reflect on a horrible day in Care a Lot's past. A day when some went from disgrace to grace. A day many learned that redemption is possible for any supposed bad Beings.
A smaller replica of the monument now stands in front of the Care School. So on a cool Autumn morning a small group of youngsters made their way past the monument. It was a poignant moment for Miracle Joy. She may never have existed if the crash had not brought her Parents together.
Now she and the others headed with mixed emotions for the entrance. Some were happy to go to school. Others were pensive. Near the door to greet them was Do Your Best Bear. Who was the janitor. He pointed the way to the door after a chat with them. Excitedly chattering they carried their lunch bags and book packs. There were nine students. Five were Care Bear cubs.
Four were Care Cousins. One of those a raccoon cub. The other three were little piggies. They of course had the largest lunch bags. At the school door to meet them was this class's teacher bear. Smart Heart Bear. "Welcome students. Come inside. The first thing you will see are small lockers to store your lunches. Also for clothing worn by those who wear garments. Especially during inclement weather. You may keep your book bags by your seat on the floor. Cartons of soy milk will be handed out to all before lunch. If you ever lose or forget your lunch there are small canned meals I can give you. Now find a seat."
All of the youngsters had lunches to put away. Since the weather was fine there were no coats or rain booties to put away. Only the piggies and the raccoon had clothing on. The furry bears didn't need any except during real cold weather. Some did like wearing foot wear to protect their paw pads. One Bear detested clothing no matter the weather. If Miracle Joy were a Human she would be a Nudist. With nothing but stained sneakers on. Which was all she had on now.
Hugs had on sandals. Tugs had nothing on. The raccoon was only wearing a vest. Heartfelt liked wearing a vest no matter the weather. He also liked the fact they had pockets. The curious raccoon was always picking interesting rocks and so forth off the ground. The girl Piggies all had on light weight sweaters. Pepperjack had on a dyed tee shirt.
Inside the school the students found a seat. Smart Heart shook a paw held bell ringer. "Now settle down every Bear and Cousin. In this school your ages are irrelevant. You are all expected to behave. No gum chewing in class. Raise your hand hooves or paws for any questions. The restrooms are only large enough for one student at a time. There is a scheduled morning and afternoon toilet break. If you do have to use the restrooms before then raise a paw or hoof and ask permission. Starting with the raccoon I want you to stand and state your name."
Heartfelt looked shy as he did so. Sassy Bear did so with a sneer. Two of the Piggies did so quietly. Taffy literally squealed out her name. Miracle Joy had one sneaker tied and one untied as she loudly stated her name. Hugs and Tugs giggled as they complied. Smart Heart sighed and said "now stand with your right hand hoof or paw over your heart. It is time for reciting The Care Bear Pledge. And yes, the pledge does cover Care Cousins. Ah Tugs, your other right hand paw."
A chorus of young voices recited the pledge. Then all sat down for a day of learning. It was not just a day of learning for them. It was also one for their teacher and janitor.
There were giggles as Smart Heart tried to locate the chalk. While erasing the chalkboard she dropped the eraser. Sending up a small white plume of chalk dust. She kept mixing up which age group lesson to give to each individual.
As for the chalk dust on the floor, the janitor went to clean it up. Do Your Best found out it is best to use a damp cloth than a hand paw broom to clean up such a mess. He sneezed sending his chewing gum flying. "The Janitor broke the chewing gum rule" yelled a delighted Miracle Joy. She grinned as she got admonished for speaking without permission. After the first Rest Rooms break the Girls Room was just as dirty and smelly as the Boys Room.
Do Your Best muttered to himself "it looks like a bunch of Pigs have been in here" as he found many scraps of toilet paper in the Girls Room. Then he said "that's right. There were Pigs in here!" He couldn't know the real culprit was Miracle Joy. What a joy to be a devilish Bear! School may be fun after all.
The Boys Room would have been just as messy. Tugs had carelessly tossed his paper paw towel dispenser sheets on the floor. The always fastidious Heartfelt had picked them up. Happy as he tossed them basketball style into the trash can. "Let a Bear do that on the first try" he happily thought to himself. Then after washing his paws he tossed his crumpled up towels into the trash can. "I scored again" he said to himself.
As lessons got back underway all were shown a pull down chart of the Golden Rules of Caring. Wonder Heart raised her hand paw. "I wonder why they are called the Golden Rules. Why not the Emerald or Diamond Rules." Smart Heart had a hard time answering that question. Finally saying "because Mother Star says so".
At long last it was time for lunch. Do Your Best looked appalled as the Piggies tore into their lunch bags. It seemed as if as much food was hitting the floor than going into their mouths. The young Bears were also messy eaters except for Hugs. The remaining Care Cousin, Heartfelt, kept trying to dunk his food into his milk carton. The janitor would certainly be earning his Care Credits. He sighed as the noon recess bell was rung. Full bellies did not seem to slow down these youngsters. Teacher and Janitor had to leap aside as noisy youngsters rushed outdoors.
Besides the swing set and teeter totter there was and old kick ball for the youngsters use. Miracle Joy kicked the ball hard purposely aiming for Tug's butt. "Goal" she shouted triumphantly as Tug's hand paws went to his now bruised buttocks. She and Sassy challenged Hugs to try kicking the ball at them. Hugs tried so hard her right sandal went flying. Hitting Pepper Jack in the gut. The plump little Piggy let out a squeal. Not from pain, but surprise. "Best shot yet" yelled Miracle Joy.
Pepper Jack picked up the sandal. Hugs hopped on one foot paw over to Pepper Jack. She was one Bear who did not like having dirty paw pads. Plus she had used scented fur spray on her pampered feet. The boy knelt to help Hugs with her sandal. Miracle Joy whispered into Sassy's ear. Then Sassy sneered at Pepper Jack. "We dare you to kiss her foot paw before putting her sandal back on!" Before the boy could reply Hugs said "let's up the bet. If he does then Miracle Joy and you owe us each a Quarter Care Credit."
Pepper Jack frowned over the prospects. However Hugs had paws. He had hooves. Curiosity over that and female anatomy overcame Pepper Jack. Besides he would get paid for it! Gingerly he reached over and felt Hugs' foot paw. He had heard Beastly say most girls stink. Hugs smelled nice, including her foot paw. Also her furry foot was so much softer than his hoof. Her thin pink foot fur so pretty. As the front part of Hugs' paw pad was tenderly squeezed her toe claws extended out. They were polished in a shiny lavender hue. Pepper Jack could not believe how much he was enjoying what he was doing. Hugs sighed as her foot got caressed. Then again as she did get that special kiss. "What are you two up to" she heard a voice exclaim.
Hugs and Pepper Jack kept their composure as their teacher walked up. With gleaming eyes Hugs said "Pepper Jack was just helping me put my sandal back on after it got kicked off. What else would we be doing?!" Smart Heart just shook her head. After all she had her first nose rub with a boy during her early schooling. "Well, be more careful when kicking" said the flabbergasted teacher. Behind her back a very happy Hugs and Pepper Jack got their quarters. They wished future recesses would be as much fun. So did Sassy and Miracle Joy. Their pay out had been worth every bit of it. They made a boy kiss a girl's foot!
Then it was time to go back inside. Tugs looked horrified as he heard whispering about what had transpired between Hugs and Pepper Jack. It was bad enough to witness it, now he would be hearing about it during school. "I don't know who is weirder. My Sister or the Pig" thought the boy. Then he sat and got ready for a lesson on the ABCs of Caring. He like the others noticed how their newly cleaned desks smelled like Gumdrop Tree scented cleaner.
Smart Heart quickly noticed how Tugs was struggling to write. She saw his notebook page was scrawled with a title. It read CBA fo GNIRAC. She realized she had a dyslexic student to deal it. Oh well, she had been taught how to deal with such a contingency. From now on Tugs would get some special one on one help from her. She would have to schedule that into her daily class planner.
After the second toilet break the restrooms took another beating. Do Your Best just sighed. Then got on with his work. These messy youngsters were a guarantee his job would always be vital. So no lay off was in the future. He would probably spend a lifetime cleaning desks, toilets, and floors. There was one consolation, no one had vomited yet.
Smart Heart persevered. Miracle Joy had raised a hand paw. Her question was "will we be getting any Sex Ed lessons? I would love to see an illustrated lesson book. Especially about the boys thingies." Giggles resounded as the teacher rolled her eyes.
"Yes, toward the end of the current school session. In the meantime try to be a little less curious about that. Please respect each others bodies and feelings. After all we are not wild animals." Wild animals or not several of her students would find it hard to wait for that lesson. As she was well aware of.
Smart Heart nearly jumped for joy as high as her students as she finally rang the dismissal bell. "Yay, we are free from jail" yelled Miracle Joy. Some students hoofed it out of there fast. Hugs and Pepper Jack ran outside for a clandestine hook up. Anxious for some fun before walking home. But first they had to shake off Pepper Jack's sisters. Taffy and Candy may squeal on them if they saw the two of them rubbing noses. Or trying other things they had heard about.
Tugs tried to hurry off. He wanted no part in seeing what Hugs was up to. He was stopped by Candy. She soon enticed Tugs to hold her hand hoof. Soon two happy students were walking paw in hoof. "Boys aren't as yucky as I heard" thought the girl. A smiling Tugs had a similar thought about girls. For a piggy this girl smelled nice. He was glad she had worn no foot gear. Her hand and foot hooves were polished such a pretty color. Happily the two slowly walked homeward. Where parting paw and hoof would be such sorrow. Until tomorrow.
Before heading separate ways Sassy and Miracle Joy plotted other ways to manipulate the others. Particularly ways to embarrass the boys. Heartfelt took his time, keeping an eye out for unique pebbles. Back in the school janitor and teacher hurried to get ready to go home. It had been a tiresome yet rewarding day.
The janitor picked up a torn scrap of paper. Wonder Heart's scribbled name was on it. He laughed as he showed it to the teacher. "I wonder how the students thought we did."
Smart Heart smiled. Thinking of the names of her students. "It will be a wonder if we adults survive this session. It will tug at one's heart to have to admonish or punish them. We may need the hugs after taking candy such as taffy from them. Even if one gets sassy we will need to keep our composure. We will get peppered with questions both legitimate and ones meant to embarrass. I can say with heartfelt sincerity there will be a time we will look back upon this session fondly. A miracle of joy once accomplished."
Do Your Best laughed. "Well, let's do our best to get home for some well deserved rest. As any smart Bear or Cousin should. Especially when one cares for rambunctious youngsters. Ah, the wonders of caring. May wonders never cease."