CHAPTER 9 Legacies
 
Sora searched for Aaron for three days but found neither nide nor hair of him. She did not sleep and barely ate all that time, and when she did finally come home she was a wreck. The house she walke dinto seemed so empty, so miserable, that she just wanted to sob. And it was not helped as she looked into the roms for the two she was going to have.
 
The new room was the deepest cut of all. It was light pink, his mom's favorite color, with a big set of my little pony lushies on the bed and a big plush oven and doughlike sleeping bag for roleplay. Sora sobbed as she saw it, and even more so as she saw the lengths she had gone to in order to make it like the room Mina had when she was little. She wanted it clear that, while she was on the menu, that would be her choice only, and therefore the focus would just be on them being a big happy family.
 
But that was gone now as she left the room and entered what had been Aarons. She stroked all of his items with sadness, not like an owner whose pet ran away, but like a mother who had just lost her son. Aaron was like her son, even as she was trying to find his real mother, and as such losing him and the words Jebb said struck at her heart deeper than any knife. Finally, sadness overtook her and she sobbed into the bed her boy had slept in.
 
He was gone, and he was never coming back.
 
****************
 
Jebb looked in his home, much emptier these days. He was richer than he ever hoped, and the resulting wealth was enough to make him retuire and never see a demi aagin. As he did, he looked to a picture of him by a lovely piglet furson, shapely and young. His daughter. Ann. He remembered what he told the leader of the town word for word, because it was all true.
 
"Those stupid humans killed her. She was trying to lead the delegations to collect the ones who wanted to be food and colonize an area when they poisoned themselves as their answer... or rather poisoned those that wanted to be. They had no idea it would spread as ar as it did I suppose, but it got every last one. She offered to save them using the reformation pillars.... and their leaders had her executed, saying better they die than live with animals over them."
 
Jebb held her picture as he recaled her reply.
 
"Yet, we killed in return. We shot down their jets and crushed many with our pillars. We are just as guilty as their leaders are... no, moreso because the people tried to surrender and we focused just on forcing our pillars on them without caring. We likely killed his whole family. Maybe many families. No one was in the right."
 
Jebb felt a tear fall. Shehad been right of course. So much so that in the past three days he sold his workers his buisness and hid in his home, ashamed of what he had done and how he treated that boy. That boy did not deserve that, livestock or no. Kids needed their mothers like the mothers needed their kids, and that did not change just because memories were wiped.
 
Except.... they had. He had in essence murdered his mother in a temper tantrum, and there was no other words for it. He began to sob as he knew his shame, and looked at a nearby nightstand.
 
On it lay a symbol of the past: a revolver.
 
"You were right Sora... I will rot in Hell for what I have done. I mistreated the demis... and now I must be punished." He picked up the revolver, and pointed it at his head.
 
"Jebb."
 
A voice said, and he turned and saw Sora, eyes red and puffy. But she looked at him with a look of knowing.
 
"She wouldn't want you to just give up. She would want you to make it right."
 
Jebb blinked. "How did you...?"
 
"I took a guess. Besides I lost family in that war too. We all did. On all sides."
 
Jebb sighed. "I felt because those humans killed my daughter, took my family... none of them should have one of their own. And for so long it did not matter. All the ones I got were orphans and such, so I had no issues. But... I was so angry one had a mother that... I just...."
 
Sora nodded. "I cannot forgive you totally for it... bu I can understand wy you did it now. But now I cannot find him. I wondered if he came here somehow to find out where his mom went."
 
Jebb shook his head. "Even if he had I would not have known. I sold my buisness yesterday to my workers. I haven't left the house since. I.. I cannot face those little guys now. Not knowing what I have done."
 
Sora sighed. "Yeah, and they didn't know anything either. I hope he is okay. I just wish there was some way to get Mina her memories back somehow."
 
Jebb nodded. "Well... there is one way. Bu it is risky. Technically her self is somewhere in a memory wipers hard drive, but if we simply returned it it would create a dual personality for her that could drive her insane."
 
Sora hmmmed, then she snapped her fingers with an idea. "Then... what if there was another body for that personality?"
 
*************
 
Aaron was lost and alone. For several days he had stolen occasional food bits from homes and kept on running in random directions, trying not to be seen. He hated the fursons now.... no, the Zooitians, the aliens who destroyed his home and made people into cattle. Well, no one was going to eat him. He would die before he...
 
He sighed. No. That was what got it all started, that attitude of resistance for no reason. That terrible attitude that humans had been so superior they didn't have to submit and could all survive somehow from a disease they themselves put out. Well it had failed, and now they were livestock....
 
no.
 
They were demis. They were not livestock or slaves. They were people, albeit ones who were edible. He suddenly regretted leaving Sora.. and what he said to her.
 
He knew he could never face her again. He had nothing left now. And it was all his fault. He began to sob as he realized what he had to do. He began to look about for someone, anyone, to give directions.
 
Finally he saw a serpentine creature, who looke dat him curiously. As he spoke, the sky couded up.
 
"Where can I find Doctor Leon?"
 
**************
 
Said doctor watched as the rain began to pour, shifting to a thunderstorm.The lion found the weather fascinating indeed. More fascinating was how similar his race and the races of animals on Earth were. So similar that he wondered if perhaps they had similar roots, but had advanced in different ways. Perhaps the weatherwas part of it, though the lion doubted it with a chuckle. He took a sip of the brandy he held, pausing as there was a knock on the door.
 
"Hello?" he said as he opened it. And there, soaked to the bone, was Aaron. "Aaron? What are you...."
 
"Doctor.... please.... erase my memory. erase what I am. I want to die."
 
Dr. Leon just froze. The boy had just stated he was about to become the one thing he was seemingly fighting against being.
 
A mere beef cow.
 
 
CHAPTER 10 Heroes
 
A few hours later at the hospital, Dr. Leon took the boy into the room. It was a large and dark room, and as the lights were turned on, the boy could only stare at the thing before him.
 
It was a massive tube, with a head peice inside it, said head peice attached to wires, all connected to a computer. This was it. This was the machine that deleted memories. And soon, it would delete his. Delete all he was. Delete him.
 
He would soon be a happy little food pet to be like his mom now was.
 
Except... no, his mom was gone now. So there was nothing left. He would be starting over. No longer would he Aaron Wilde. he would just be Aaron, a food pet. He sighed once and loked to the doctor.
 
"Will it hurt?" He asked quietly. The doctor nodded.
 
"For a moment. Having your memory pulled out forcibly is never pleasant, but the pain only lasts a moment, then all will be gone. I do wish you would reconsider and..."
 
"No. It's over doctor. I have nothing left. Mom is gone. Dad died in the war. All my family was killed by disease or those pillars. I am alone and I want to forget it. I hoped I would at least get mom but.... I just want the pain to go away."
 
Dr. Leon sighed sadly. Never had this moment been more painful, more hard to do. "Alright... step in."
 
Aaron nodded, walking into the tube. He took one last look and focused on his memories for a moment. They were not all bad that was true, and even as a demi he made some wonderful ones, mostly with Sora. But what he did to Sora, what he said to her... unforgivable. No this was the best way. He could be delivered to her and be food for her as much as she wanted. That would make her happy. That would tell her how sorry she was. How much he...
 
"STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
 
That voice....
 
He glanced out of the tube and saw a wolf running in, drenched from rain, several others behind her. She ran to the tube as it opened and embraced Aaron in a tight hug, sobbing as she held him. He sobbed as well, holding her.
 
"I'm so sorry!" She said. "I never should have let him do that... I should have gotten her away from the start..."
 
"No I am sorry... it was wrong to say that about you or him. You tried and he was just mad I bet... I just wanted to forget it all and start again. I never should have left without being processed."
 
And hen... he heard another voice.
 
"That is not what I wanted to hear! After all you found me again as a result!"
 
He went wide eyed as from the shadows emerged a certain rabbit girl, tears in her eyes. He looked at her, not believing it was really her...
 
Until he looked in the eyes that sparkled once more.
 
"When dad died saving us from that pillar, when I promised I would not die before you, when we played dress up or pretended you were captured by ponies... that was when I was your mom, and when you were my son, and when we were family... now and forever.
 
"MOM!" Aaron screamed, Sora embracing the two as they embraced, Jebbin the background tryingnot to cry but look all tough. He failed miserably. But then Aaron froze.
 
"But... wait a sec... how can she be.... her memories were erased!"
 
Jebb sighed some. "That's true. But I realized there was another option. See, even when deleted, memories are still somewhere in a hard drive, and somehow a by product of the memory wiper is it stores every memory on it. so we found the file that matched your mom and returned it to her body. But... as for what she had... we transfered it to a new body."
 
Aaron blinked as around the corner came another girl, this one a cute little cow demi, mooing playfully as she snuggled the bear who was the town leader.Thing was... it otherwise looked just like Mina!
 
"See... some of the demis we cannot save, and place in cryo as meat. But it turns out those soulless demis are perfect vasals for new souls. It turned out what we were taking from demis was not their memories but their souls, their very life. When we did a new life appeared, one similar to but also different from the original."
 
The cow mina giggled some as the real Mina sighed. "I will admit as a kid I played a lot with being a snack, even pretended to be a piggy for a friend of mine and he was a farmer fattening me up for a big bbq. No wonder she is so willing."
 
Cow Mina mooed playfully making everyone laugh. Jebb stepped forward. "Look Aaron... I want to apologize for what I said. See... I lost my daughter at the hands of your leaders and hated humans ever since. But when I learned how you lost your family, and yet you still gave us a chance... well I was ashamed. I sold my buisness and got out of it. So technically Bunny Mina is now a free range stray."
 
Aaron went wide eyed as he continued.
 
"Can you... give her a good home?"
 
Mina and Aaron gasped and hugged, Sora nodding. Doctor Leon meanwhile smiled, sighing as he turned off the machine. He then began to think for a bit.
 
Perhaps these things had a new purpose after all...
 
***************
 
Outside, the three kids tlaked and talked, though Aaron did find it a little weird to be talking to two forms of his mom, one as a kid and the other as a reformed mother. Finally the bear whistled for Cow Mina to come.
 
"Well I better go. My owner's daughter is home and she wants a big hamburger. And a good thing she didn't get a bunny to. Turns out her daughter is allergic to bunny meat!" She waved and ran off, leaving Mina with Aaron, the two holding hands.
 
"Well... we did it after all kiddo." She said. "Though.... I think perhaps we better just be brother and sister for now."
 
Aaron smiled. "Maybe not. I want to start over again after all, and I think I know how I cna.. if you don't mind helping Sora raise me."
 
Mina chuckled. "That means you now have two mothers, don't you?"
 
Aaron thought about that. In truth he did after all, one he was born by and another he was adopted by. And both loved him. He was the luckiest little deer ever as a result.
 
"Yeah... and.... it's something I will always remember.
 
 
EPILOUGE Fire Emblem. Yeah I ran out of chapter titles.
 
 
Sora smiled as she turned off the lights in the downstairs. She was a bit fatter these days, but in a good way, having had a lot of demi meals of late, starting withg a special one several weeks ago.
 
Aaron had asked to be a big, toasty hot dog, and Sora smiled, as they were her favorite food. She smiled as she grilled him over the fire, making sure to inject spices. She laughed as he was placed, panting happioly, in a big, toasted bun, and she shook her head and smiled at his reaction to the feel of the messy mustard traced on his delicious form. How good he tasted too! Venison was a favorite meat of hers, and Aaron had been simply scrumptous, so tender and easy to chew, with a very robust flavour. He was so delicious she ate every last bit of him.
 
The sound of a baby cry upstairs was the result, as she went upstairs into Aarons rom. Only it had been altered to include a crib. In the crib was a cute baby deer demi, with two easy to remove nubs for horns, and who cooed as he saw Sora. Aaron still was intelligent for sure, but as a baby all he could doo was coo and babble, and make slight motions. He was good and plump now too... perfect for a midnight snack.
 
"Shhhh.... you wanna be a baby doughnut?" She asked, Aaron smiling cutely as she took him downstairs. In the doorway of the kitchen however stood Mina, dressed in only an apron, the bunny girl smiling cutely.
 
"Baby bun for the belly huh? Again?"
 
Sora chuckled. "Afriad so. You want to help dear?"
 
"Aaron's the deer!" She joked, the two chuckling as they went to roll out the dough for the doughnut, Mina then prepping the fryer.
 
"You know... we are goingto have a happy life." Sora said, setting the boy on the dough.
 
"And Aaron will be a good boy all over again. For both his mothers."
 
Sor asmiled and hugged Mina, the two looking at the happy Aaron as he sucked his thumb, in his mind hoping it will always be like this, his moms happy and with him, and he both their son and a snack for Sora.
 
Their Deer Little One forever.
 
 
THE END