Not canon at all. Just a fun ‘what if’ kinda story
Would You Change Your Fate?
If Vlk could change the past… would she?
She had never considered the option before, it never even crossed her mind to do something differently. But she had the chance now. She could change any one thing in her entire life and afterlife.
Decision made she felt herself get flung back into something solid. She gasped and got to her feet, looking around. The forest she grew up in with the stench of smoke floating by bitterly. She could hear the river rushing not too far away. She looked around and noticed a small dirt mound with a dead animal on it.
As soon as where she was clicked all her memories of making the deal and her past life were gone.
And suddenly there was an impatient hiss to her left, “Well?”
She turned and eyed the hand that was being extended to her. “Well what?” She sneered back, stepping away from the stranger who had just confessed to knowing the crime Vickey had just committed.
The stranger grit her teeth a moment before moving her hand, “Are you gonna take the deal or not? I train you and give you everything you ever want. In return, I own you.”
Vickey took another step back and pushed the outstretched hand away from her. “No thanks. I just freed myself from being owned. Not getting right back in.”
“Just give me a one day trial period? To show you how well I can spoil you.” There was a certain glint in the stranger’s— well Vickey now remembered she had introduced herself as Mary—eyes. Lust.
The offer was tempting for a moment but she declined. “No thank you.” She turned on her heels and walked away. Or tried to. Her wrist was grabbed and sharp nails dug into her skin.
“You don’t get to walk away from me like that! I know what you’ve done. I can tell everyone how you killed your own parents in cold blood.”
Vickey laughed and yanked her hand free from Mary’s grip. “I haven’t killed anyone.” She said, grinning, “And I know the police will believe me when I tell them that.” Mary seethed as Vickey left, still laughing to herself. Planning to murder your parents and actually going through with it were two vastly different things.
She had made her way to the police station and explained through tears that she had been kidnapped when her house was set ablaze and had just escaped. She made sure they knew how scared she was. When asked for a description of the man that had done all this to her family, her home, and herself, she sheepishly admitted her kidnapper was a girl and gave them Mary’s description, just to really spite the creep. The legal process was long and she got tired of being questioned fairly quickly but went along with it.
Given her age, 17, she wasn’t technically a legal adult yet. But her parents were dead and she did not want to go into foster care and risk having another horrible home life. She filed to be emancipated the same day she reported Mary. Unfortunately she didn’t have a job so until she did she was placed in an orphanage. She was quick to find a job, well three since they could only hire her part time. Every day she was either working as a housekeeper, a nursery attendant, or a McDonald’s cashier. It kept her busy and her mind off her more dark thoughts. The kids in particular kept the depression at bay, she loved kids.
Eventually she was making enough and had enough references that she was able to get emancipated. She bought a small apartment and decorated it, something she had never been allowed to do previously. She had a few stolen watches on her nightstand, a bad habit she could never break, and a poster on the wall of a kitten in a tree with the words ‘just hang in there’. On her vanity she had sticky notes with affirmations and self care tips. Everything was falling into place. She had her own life. She was free of her abusers. It was perfect!
A few years later Vickey was very hesitantly entering a new relationship. Her partner was a guy from work, McDonald’s specifically. He seemed nice? So far anyways, and he encouraged her to seek therapy. She was making enough to afford it now and her mental health had been declining in recent years. So she pulled the trigger and signed up for therapy with a company in town. The therapist she received was a spry young Woman named Willow with two little boys, 3 and 1 years old.
She spoke fondly of them and her husband when she talked. She let Vickey talk about everything… from her traumatic childhood to her new boyfriend to her getting these new feelings for girls she hadn’t had before. Willow didn’t judge despite the majority of town being openly homophobic, she talked Vickey through her harder times and even got her connected to a psychiatrist to get her on some pills for her depression.
“Willow!” Vickey yelled, bursting into her friends office.
“Oh hi! You seem excited today! What’s going on?”
“I’ve finally started to feel the effect of that medicine!! I’ve been able to be happy this week!! There hasn’t been a single day I have laid in bed or contemplated giving up!”
“That’s amazing! I’m so happy to hear that, Vickey! I told you they would help.” She gestured for a chair and Vickey plopped on the couch, laying across it with her hands behind her head.
“I think I’m gonna break up with Kevin.” Vickey said suddenly and when she got a gasp of shock she turned to Willow. “I’m serious. I love him and all but I work too much to be there for him. I can’t provide him with all the love he deserves… I’d rather break his heart now and let him find a person that can give him everything he deserves than stringing him along and not being able to provide.”
“That’s a very rational and caring thing to do.” Willow nodded. “Just be gentle. He’s a nice man and deserves to know why you're leaving him.”
“Of course. I want to make it the least painful I possibly can.” Vickey sighed and brought her hands to her stomach. “I do want a family someday though. Everyone my age is already married and with kids. I’ve always wanted kids. I could take or leave the spouse.”
“Adoption is always an option but you’d definitely have to start working less hours. You can’t keep going at the pace you are anyways. You’ll burn out and that might make your mental state worse.”
“Yeah. But I feel like the jobs are the only thing that keep me going.”
“That’s because they’ve been a distraction and kept your mind off the depression but now that you're medicated and going to therapy I believe it’s time to cut back. Maybe you won’t have to break up after all?”
Vickey made a face at that and Willow made a noise.
“Oh? Is the reason you gave me *not* why you wanna break up?”
“It is!! Mostly…” Vicker sighed and groaned. “But I guess I’m also a little… claustrophobic? Like he’s too clingy when we are together? And I want to experiment with these new feelings but I don’t want to cheat on him, whether emotionally or physically. Does that make me a bad person..? I don’t want to hurt him. He makes me happy. But I can’t imagine a future with him and when I try, all I can think about is a nice wife and two beautiful children.”
“I think you should definitely talk to him. Tell him what you told me and how you love him, just not as a boyfriend.”
Vickey nodded. They talked about some other things but this she took to heart.
When she got home she ended it and gave him a month to move out. She wasn’t in any rush to get him out but she wasn’t apologetic when two weeks later she brought a pretty little thing home. But apparently hearing her ungodly noises was a huge catalyst in getting him out. Vickey had learned some things that night… one thing in particular: Girls fv(kin rock.
Vickey was 27 now. She had continued therapy and enjoyed it. Her life was better. She had wiggled her way into law enforcement and though the starting pay and hours weren’t great she knew she could climb the ranks and improve both those things. All it required was time and effort. She had quit her other jobs when the academy finally accepted her and she had one hell of a shot so, though they hoped she’d never need to use her gun, they knew she’d win in a shootout.
It didn’t take too long to get decent hours, working during the day rather than the night. And soon after that she made a decision… she started the paperwork to be able to foster, something her captain had mentioned. He had been fostering for a few years and he talked about those kids with such love. Vickey knew she could do the same and give any child given to her a good home. She wanted to adopt but figured this would be her first step in the door. The system wasn’t too fond about her not having a partner but she was adamant she could take care of a child. Her first was a 16 year old boy pulled from an abusive home. His father was currently fighting for custody but given a ‘situation’ the boy couldn’t go with him for the time being.
His name was Cody and Vickey welcomed him with open arms. He was only with her for two months and though he was distant, moody, and rude, Vickey loved him. She was sad to see him go.
Her next was a 6 year old boy named Jack. His mother had been injured in a crash and rendered unable to take care of him. No other family would take him so he was given to Vickey. He was outgoing, he was polite, and he absolutely loved birds. Vickey didn’t know the first thing about birds but did she stay up all night to memorize every fact she could and practice the calls of every bird in their area to teach to him? You bet your sweet butt she did! The smile on his face when he heard her do the call of a chickadee or mourning dove would forever have a place in her heart. Watching him learn to perfect them and then relaying them to his mother when they visited her in the hospital, priceless. He was gone in a little under a year, back to his mother where he belonged and Vickey was heartbroken for herself but so so happy for him. He came for visits every now and then and she became a babysitter when Mom needed it.
Life marched on. It had its ups and downs. Vickey had housed hundreds of faces, some for a few days and others for years. She never ended up adopting. If she did she wouldn’t have room for the next kid that needed her help. She expanded her house so she had four spare rooms for kids, she became an expert cook (she had to take a lot of classes but she managed fine after awhile and with so many mouths to feed she got good quickly), she never married though she did date on and off a few times, she advanced in her career, she had it all. Life wasn’t what she had planned but it’s exactly what she needed it to be. It was perfect. She died of old age, a few of her old fosters gathered around her bed and wishing her goodbye.
When she opened her eyes it was bright and warm, gold lacing… everything. She had white fur and beautiful fluffy wings… she had never been a believer but she guessed her good deeds must’ve trumped her disbelief.
…. And very suddenly she was flung forward, back into herself, she was grasping at her chest and heaving for air, bent over a counter. She desperately looked around, the smell of burnt flesh and cigarettes filling her nose. The figure in front of her grinned, “So, which life would you rather have had? Was the one change worth it?”
Vickey was reeling. One change— what one change?! Where was she?! Wait… all those years ago.. that stranger… the extended hand… Mary.
“I… I have to choose?” She choked. Because that was a hard choice. She had lived a good life, she helped people…. Or she lived a bad life but got to meet people like Lilith and Sage and the rest of the polycule and the guard squad…
“You can only have one life.” The smile said, “You’re a fox after all, not a cat.”
Vlk didn’t laugh as she stared down at the two orbs showcasing the best of her lives. In one held her with her foster kids, flashing through images of their faces. The other showed the polycule, Lilith, it even flashed to the beginning of her relationship with Mary where everything was good and nice… she looked between the two for a few more minutes, wanting to remember both for as long as she could.
“Have you made your choice?”
“Yes.” Her paw set gently on the left orb.
In an instant the room was gone. The horrid smell was replaced by cotton candy and flowers. Sage and Lilith were forgotten. Mary was a distant memory of some stalker creep. She didn’t remember making the decision but she was at peace with something she had just done. She stretched and flapped her wings, looking around her new home.
