(Author's notes, please have the meeting with the father go smoothly if you will. And
leave who Leticia really loves more ambiguous for now, I've realized a perfect climax for
this story.)
Juanita let them be for a few minutes.
Jasmine, or rather, 'Vixen', took one look at the contracts, reading them over, getting a
headache just from read them. Electronic schematics at least tried to make sense. A seven
year commitment. "Say good-bye to our new teenage years."
Mike, or rather, Sage, read the contract over thoroughly. "They would be spent with you...
so I can't say they're going to waste. From the looks of things, this could be almost
considered a Zoo transfer if we were four legs. They aren't kidding about us being isolated
from society until the contract expires. At least there's no extension sub-clause they can
smack us with to trap us even longer. But they do give us enough breathing room for
humans like Laura will be to see us on invite. In short they can't turn down people who will
want to visit us. And it seems someone went to trouble to word it so we -could- send out
an invite for people to see us. Laura should be able to handle anything you own. Anything
I own will be put in secured storage via contractor. Can't say I like not being there myself,
but it's not like they're giving us a choice. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have minded in
the least going back to how I was with just a few good memories."
"Regrets?"
"None. How about you?"
"To tell the truth, I was actually kinda hoping we'd end up doing things normal teenagers
do... but looks like that fantasy can't come true."
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Vixen. They're holding most of the cards. I think I can
screw with the wording here a little though so we can have some more real life contact if I
word it right. However in the end we're still going to be tied to the new park effectively."
"Anything in there about us being 'transfered' away from each other?"
"None. Looks like they knew who they were playing. We're going to be legally tied to the
same park. Plus since NONE of the genetic modifications are on the books, and since the
park itself is filed under recreations, we can't call it medical treatment. In short, they're
deciding where we live, our new teen years, and the first couple of new adult years, will be
spent inside the park as it slowly expands."
Vixen seemed rather dejected, but this was, like it or not, Mike's area of expertise, "So you
think we should take it?"
"You knew you and your mother would have to effectively start a new life... I was actually
looking foreword to seeing the faces of some of my chess mates. Given our options, I have
to say, this is our best one."
"All right."
To decide, to divide one's possibilities and to eliminate one of said possibilities. Jasmine
saw all the possible future she could have with Mike and her mother... and knew they were
all about to vanish except one. So be it.
The two foxes let Juanita know they were ready, and with one last hesitation on Vixen's
part, the two signed their names.
Laura gave Mike and Jasmine one last hug in her fox form before entering the
transformation room. The fur all but vanished everywhere except her head, her tail shrunk
into her spine, her face was pressed flat, her sense of smell became muted, her teeth
became able to handle more than dead flesh of animals. Her feet became flat while her
claws became fingernails. Her ears became round and moved to the sides of her head. Her
inside becoming primate rather than canine. She felt dizzy, odd, more naked than naked,
she shuffled out of the transformation room and was given a bathrobe, for the first time in
months actually THINKING of herself as naked.
She gave Jasmine a second hug, her first hug, she and her daughter now separated by a
species barrier. And an interest thought occurred to her.
'Heh. Hannah, if you had still been a male, I wonder if you would been a decent father for
Jasmine. Oh well. Doesn't matter. I'll be the human on this side who doesn't think of you
as a freak.'
"Mom?"
"I'm okay sweetie, everything's just fine."
+++++++
After a good night's sleep Maggie had to concede to one thing with her cub's argument.
What was so grand about being human? She hadn't felt so clear headed in years. She
couldn't remember the last time her mind had felt so focused, when her goals and purpose
in life had been so perfectly defined. Everything made sense, she knew what she had to do
with herself. She would rescue her cub from that fake doe. Nothing else mattered, she
didn't matter, only her cub mattered.
If anyone had been able to look inside Maggie's mind right now, they would have been
amazed at how perfectly her bear instincts and human personality traits had so perfectly
meshed. A lot like Naomi growing accustomed to the sense of purpose and order her
existence as an evolved husky provided; Maggie had quickly grown to like, and outright
embrace her own newfound sense of purpose. Maggie realized that to this feeling, being
human, was totally secondary.
Maybe she'd even keep this form after she had dragged her cub out of this fantasy. True,
there were the countless practical aspects to consider, like weather she'd have to waste
three months of her life each year in a semi-sleep state (to note, bears do not technically
hibernate), and weather she could possibly live a normal life with these humans and body
shape. But those were all things to consider, after her precious and only cub was away
from that very very inappropriate mate. She just needed to find a buck who wasn't already
in the pecking order.
There was a chance that a new buck might not show before her cub made the biggest
mistake of his life, but Maggie wasn't about to give up hope. She decided she'd check out
the entrance doors first, best bet.
++++++
"Look," Marth said, "I can guess finding someone must be hard for you given your, ahem,
history, but don't start feeding me a story just so I'll break up with someone I'm already
connected to. It makes you look selfish."
"I'm not being selfish! And if you don't believe me, then you'll find out the truth for
yourself soon enough, and it won't be pleasant when you do find it."
"Why would Larry like guys anyway?! He's as straight as a rod."
Hannah REALLY wasn't sure how she was going to drop the next bomb shell, and if it
might better -if- she just let it come to Marth when it would, but given Marth's situation, it
just might be better he found out sooner than later.
"Exactly," Hannah said, "I used to let people figure this out for themselves, since I was still
trying to figure it out for myself. But I think I better warn you. If you were interested in the
opposite sex before hand, then you stay interested in the opposite if your gender changes,
but it's the opposite of your NEW sex."
Marth actually took a step back at that, the idea reeling in his head. The idea completely
freaking him out. However, it made a frightful amount of sense considering how his eyes
kept drifting back to the great orbs below Hannah's neck.
"Forgive me if I don't trust the word of a perfect stranger over what I know about my other
half."
Hannah managed to realize, who could blame him? What would you say if someone told
you your other half had left you behind your back and was now carrying someone else's
child.
"If you march in and try to make out with Leticia on the spot. You're going to be attacked
by every buck in the herd, you're only to hurt both Leticia and yourself. Leticia is a dear
friend of mine, I don't want to see -her- hurt like that. And she never said anything
negative about you, -you- don't deserve to be hurt like that."
"I'll take my chances."
"Jeremy is the head buck, Leticia CHOSE him, that makes her important in the other bucks'
eyes. You'll be trespassing on sacred ground."
"I said I'll take my chances. You don't know Larry the way I do."
"You're right. But you don't know Leticia the way I do." Hannah shook her head, deciding
to tackle the problem head on, discarding the dangers to yourself, typical male behavior.
"Even if your tall tale is true, I'll bring Larry back to me, I promise."
"Don't make promises you may not be able to keep, it'll feel like a dead weight dragging
behind you the rest of your life." Hannah knew if she had said 'won't be able' this
discussion would have ended on the spot.
"Even if your story is true, you'd be crazy to think I'd give up without a fight."
'At least he's determined,' Hannah thought.
++++++
There were in fact a catholic minister in the park at the time, on prolonged leave, who had
chosen the form of a raccoon (deciding a dove or a donkey or a mountain lion would have
been a sign of hubris on his own part). And was currently fishing. Though not in his
normal spot. Though he actually held regular service for those who would bother to
attend.
The older of the news hound lynx told the head stag's mate, "Okay, about the Father
Raccoon, be sure to tell him you adopted your mother's religion."
"Huh?" Said Leticia, "My mother was wiccan."
"Exactly, this guy doesn't mind marrying Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, or pretty much any
religion... but apparently he has this sore spot about Protestants. Something about them
not considering the Virgin Mary sacred."
The two deer looked at each other and nodded, "Okay, we'll remember that."