New Experiences/Dawn Riesling

Race/Ethnicity: Homo falco duboisi (blue falcon)

The third of Spanky's girlfriends in New Experiences. She was initially introduced in the third part of the story, The Other Side.

As a falcon, she has a strong instinct that mating is for life. Even after finding that her fox boyfriend has been unfaithful, she finds the concept of ending their relationship to be completely unthinkable. Her hormonal drives mean that she can only think of pleasing him. This is why hawks often live in isolated communities, cut off from other races – they aren't psychologically prepared to cope with the way other races behave.

When she first met Spanky, her brother Duke told her that getting involved with a fox was a stupid idea, but she didn't listen.

Dawn is a student of psychology, specialising in race relations and the different traditions between species. Having learned a little, she hypothesises that males of mammal species have a biological imperative to spread their seed as widely as possible; and this will always be a part of their psychology even as civilisation encourages them to deny it. She imagines this as being something like her own evolutionary urges; and so finds that as much as it upsets her, she can't blame Spanky for his actions.

When she hears about Master, and about Spanky becoming a cub again, she is intrigued. She's studied hypnosis in college, and is quite good at it. But she never imagined it being used for this kind of power dynamic. When Spanky told her all about being babied, and humiliated, he was constantly defensive because he expected disgust; but Dawn's response was pure envy. She wants to be subjected to all the same things.

Her clothes, mannerisms, and outlook have always been very traditional. Even old-fashioned. But as soon as she finds out there's something new, she's eager to learn. She wants to be Spanky's baby, to experience all the things he's described happening to him.