Jen sat on a small chair, the only light was the globe... the Earth. Opposing her was the dark creature she had to face. What it represented was hard to say. Perhaps it was the devil's advocate or a merciful angel offering forgiveness. Somehow it was both these things.
She took her eyes off it to see the Earth itself, shimmering on the table hovering in place. It was a perfect representation... As it was... and as she remembered it becoming. Superimposed between two realities, two worlds as well as two different times. The past and her future. So many lives... so many people, she changed them all. Nobody was spared her wish for something 'interesting' to happen. Even so far after, still interesting things happened to Jen... did she find this interesting?
"You benefited from this wish, didn't you?" said the dark being calmly neutral in every tone.
Jen nodded meekly. "Yes I did." Her slug body shook a little saying it. Why was this happening now...when it was all over for her? When things were getting on well, and this was her 'happy ever after' part of her life. "But... didn't anyone else benefit?" If this was her time of judgement... now was the time to know.
"Yes and no," answered the being. "Some never lived up to their potential... despite your attempt to fix things. People are always unpredictable. Your last wish was a near impossibility... to choose who is 'better off'... to decide who is more important, and which shape one exists in... or finds another's in. Billions never born, billions more existing when they wouldn't have... That is the wish you imparted upon the keystone of reality. Your legacy upon this world."
The being placed a figure. It looked to be a wolf... and a smaller figure, of a deer.
"Who is that?" Jen asked.
"You never met her, she was a dangerous person. Most of all to your first student," said the being. It leaned a little closer to the slug-woman. "Let us play their lives...choose your move."
Jen looked at the two lives... she wasn't really sure what to choose. Yet she knew she had to. "I'll play... this one."
"...interesting."
some time after the defeat of the enemy
Julia was wrecked in pain. She screamed and yelled. "Help me!" she cried again, her voice echoing in the hospital corridors. Her quivering belly showed her to be to term, and about to have her baby. A lot of thoughts had gone through Julia, but right now all of that was out the window. She didn't know what to do. She barely paid attention to those lessons! The pain... God the pain was too much. She just wanted this over!
One of the doctors looked her over. "It's okay Julia, your contractions are normal. You're doing fine, just try to stay calm."
"It hurts!" She screamed again, the young doe-girl writhing in agony. She wanted to claw someone out, but they were just little stubs. Her powerful legs though could kick, and so they did hurting one of the nurses into the wall. Dazed the woman was picked up by her other colleagues.
Quickly Julia was given some painkillers, but it didn't seem to be helping. This whole thing was just madness... she was stupid to think she could do this. But the baby was the only part of her real self! She had to do it... but God no... no... not god. Goddess.. Goddess! "Selene!" She finally cried out begging her. Pleading for Her to stop it.
"Don't worry your mother is on the way here. Do you want us to contact anyone?" Said one of the nurses.
Julia closed her eyes... as the torment continued.
Julia was lying in the hospital bed stunned of the whole affair. The pain was indescribable and now that it was over, there was this terrible numbness. She half wondered if she was dying and nobody could notice. Maybe something had gone wrong... but the nurses had checked her thoroughly and said she was physically fine.
The baby as well was fine.
Julia looked at the innocent looking girl. The first thing Julia thought of was like it was something out of Bambi. The baby didn't have any horns and was a mix of human and deer features, with a little fluff of a tail. It's eyes were closed too.
... This was all that was left, of her old self? The proud wolf that could dominate and destroy at a whim, that forged packs out of the gutter and raised hell against gods and mortals alike?
This?!
There was no hiding the disappointment, that this little thing, that looked to be nothing more then a morsel for a predator, was hers...
Then the baby started to cry.
"W-what's wrong with it!" Julia said tensely.
Julia's mother patted her daughter's shoulder. "I think she might be hungry dear," she explained. "I know you were when you cried like that."
A shiver went through the doe-mother. "N-No! No! I don't- I can't do that!" Breast feed?! Gross! Disgusting! she kicked at the covers as the image burned itself into her. She was a hunter! At least... she was... supposed to be a hunter...
"Calm down Sweetheart," sighed the elder woman. "I did bring some formula in case you were not feeling up for it."
Julia watched as her mother picked up the baby animal-girl without any issue, feeding her from the bottle. Watching this Julia couldn't help feel more revulsion. the 'thing' looked like a pet. All the more as it was a human feeding her... a helpless, harmless flea of a creature that she brought into being.
Just then another woman came into the door. A strange robot-woman with pink eyes. "Hello, I hope I am not intruding," she said softly.
"Not at all," said Julia's mother. "We're... just a little shocked by everything."
Cecelia smiled. "You have a lovely grand-daughter, congratulations to the two of you."
Julia scoffed, her mind just trying to tune it all out.
Cecelia watched them calmly. "I am afraid I am here representing child-services. There is... concern given Julia is not yet out of school." The robot-woman inwardly sighed. That wasn't technically the whole story. As soon as child-services started looking into Julia, their own agency decided to take the case over. The robot-girl insisted she would take the case personally.
Julia looked up at Cecelia as her voice finally registered in her very dazzled mind. "You would... take it away?" she asked plainly.
"If that is your desire, Julia." explained Cecelia. "She can be adopted and you can continue your life. They can provide a better life then you likely could at this stage."
The doe-girl looked at the 'baby'. She felt no connection to it. Just as much as she felt no connection to her own body any more. There was nothing of the old wolf form... all that pain and anguish and there just... wasn't anything at the end of it besides a baby that looked like her mother. What Cecelia was offering was to just turn the page and forget this ever happened.
"Can we have some time to think on this," asked Julia's mother.
"Of course. Here's my number."
