So originally I wanted to write this ON Christmas Eve but I've gotten pretty accustomed to writing chapters while having Zoom meetings with my life coaches in addition to catching a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes I would have otherwise missed I like when they praise the work as I'm writing it, it's like what Freddie Prinze said what guys feel when girls make noise in bed 'It's like cheering' also this is a story I've written down many times before in this revised addition I've given more explanation for why Lyle Bolton suddenly landed a powerful position the Earth Military when previously it had been totally unexplained he had an accomplice a powerful woman who I had been toying with was just 'mean for no reason' like a lot of the villains were in my earlier writing here she has a reason most people probably wouldn't call it a good one, but at least it explains why she hates teenage boys more than she's 'just a stodgy repressed old lady'

Jonathan took a sip of tea and said "Pamela was able to see I wouldn't be able to survive the harsh Alderbaren Winter in my current state, that I would slowly die by despair before Spring came…So she suggested I at least make one last attempt to reconcile with Ichabod because it was clear he wasn't going to make the first move himself and…Well…I was the one who made the attempt on his friends' lives. She suggested to just say I was sorry and even if I didn't like it I would at least accept his choice to live with animals. So before Christmas Eve I packed my things and schedules a Spacebus to take me to Earth…"

FLASHBACK

It was Christmas Eve morning and Ichabod for once was getting a restful sleep…But then the colder weather of winter tended to affect his plant instincts, the cold had a soporific effect that caused every sleep to feel something like hibernation, waiting to feel the sunbeams of Spring again.

But then that blissful sleep was brutally interrupted by Earthport's PA System, that could communicate with everyone in the building or just a select few in need of specific messages, in this case it was alerting all members of Earth's Military to come immediately to the Military Auditorium for a special announcement this could not wait!

So without any breakfast Ichabod and Marzipan got dressed and met the others to see whatever it was that was so important.

Seems because certain high ranking officials had been dismissed for certain scandals new replacements had to be found at once, and the introduction of the new 'Brigadier General' was the cause for the announcement.

"…Lyle Bolton!" Said the Voice over the PA Speaker.

And when the Mountain of the Man came on stage everyone both Human and Humanimal gasped as Lyle Bolton resembled down to the smallest detail the human disguise of android who had ruled Planet Alderbaren for two hundred years until Ichabod dispatched him with a Scythe to his CPU Brain…

"DUKE VORTEX!" Everyone exclaimed at once.

"No." Bolton said calmly but still irritably "I am not that Robot who rule Planet Alderbaren for two hundred years I assure I'm pure human, I don't know how that stupid machine got my face."

Yeah that was a mystery because there were records proving Duke Vortex had been on Planet Alderbaren for two hundred years, so presuming Bolton was a normal human with a normal human lifespan how did the human become the duplicate of the robot?

"As the new Brigadier General…" Bolton said "…I will be in charge of all prisoners coming to Earth…We will have no more of these experiments where Humanimals try to make 'Pets' out of the Wranglers."

At this Edward Green gulped because it was Minsk's 'experimental treatment' that had saved him from execution now it seemed Bolton was dead set on barring that path for reformation for any other captured Wrangler.

"Well…" Bolton said "…I was never a man for speeches so that is all for my announcements…So off you go."

Well everyone left the auditorium no one was pleased, everyone in that audience felt they hated Bolton upon seeing his face but they didn't know why."

Minsk came to Edward "I've heard of Lyle Bolton." She said quietly after they had left the auditorium 'The Humanimal Women of the Night' told me stories about him, they said he would always get any Humanimal Woman pregnant but the child would always be born dead, they told me there was some evil magic about him that he didn't seem like a true human more like a demon!"

Upon hearing this Ichabod began shaking, his parents never told him about Bolton, Pamela wasn't even in Gotham during Bolton's reign of terror at Arkham and…Well Jonathan never wanted to tell his story of what happened to him during that time to his Son, but Ichabod felt a terror unlike even what he had felt for Duke Vortex, the tyrant who he was sure was harvesting the penal colony's children to sacrifice to himself to maintain his immortality!

"You OK Ichabod?" Bill asked genuinely concerned for his human friend "You seem to be shaking…"

"I'm not panicking!" Ichabod said while shaking he put on a big goofy grin trying to appear calm but all it did was make him appear more hysterical "Do I look like I'm panicking to you? I'm fine! Let me tell you that! Just fine! Absolutely fine!" And then his knees gave out and Bill and Edward had to catch him

"Your blood sugar is low Ichy." Marzipan soothed trying to cover for his pride "I know what you need!" And with that she ran back to the apartment to get some comfort food for his beloved.

While she didn't feel the same fear as Ichabod, Marzipan was disturbed by Bolton as well, I mean the fact he looked exactly like Duke Vortex despite being born presumably centuries later that's instantly suspicious, so preoccupied with these thoughts was Marzipan that she didn't notice while entering a darkened hallway (Where were kept lavatories and other things you could keep in the dark) She didn't look where she was going and collided with someone who was also preoccupied with their thoughts and also keeping their head down to not be noticed on account of a restraining order.

The two beings fell, and since Marzipan's nocturnal eyes could see better in this dimly lit hallway she could see clearly who the figure reaching for his hat was…

"It's YOU!" Marzipan exclaimed

Jonathan felt ready to jump out of his skin himself when he heard that voice

Marzipan was already on her feet, backing away, her claws extended "Stay back!" She said "Stay back or I swear I'll tear you to pieces!"

Jonathan of course was more terrified of the commotion alerting everyone to his presence. So quickly he grabbed her jaws to hold them shut.

"Will you listen?!" Jonathan hissed "I'm not going to hurt you! I just want to see Ichabod again! I've come to apologize!"

Marzipan pulled herself free from his grasp she hadn't expected this "You are?" She cocked her head

"Yes." Jonathan folded his arms "I've come to tell Ichabod even though I don't know what he sees in Beasts like you, if he wants to live with Animals that's his business!"

And Marzipan at that moment felt only pity for Jonathan, she had seen this in many of the Brainwashed Wrangler Humans, he just didn't understand, and she knew if he said those things to Ichabod he wouldn't get what he wanted because it's like saying 'I'm sorry that you feel that way' which Marzipan hated so she knew Ichabod would probably hate as well.

"Do you want to know why Ichabod loves me?" Marzipan asked

"What?" Jonathan was caught off guard by this sudden serenity and that question.

"Do you want to know why Ichabod loves me?" Marzipan said again "Give me your hands…" She began pulling the gloves off his hands.

Jonathan was alarmed by the sudden strangeness of all this 'W-What are you doing?" he asked

"It is something we were given by some Alien friends." Marzipan said "It's called Harkaskeerah which means memory sharing, I will share with you the memories of my life and you will feel my emotions and my pains exactly as I experienced them…"

Taking both Jonathan's hands in her hands she concentrated on the memories and Jonathan was given a super fast whirlwind of excerpts from her life

Her first memory was one of pure joy, a meadow in summer, she was with a young Fox-Boy her age, together they were having fun chasing fireflies, such pure innocent childhood games…Yes they were on all fours and batting at the insects like young animals would but Jonathan like a passenger in her body being privy to all her thoughts was able to hear her intelligent thoughts and her human like emotions.

Then…The BOOM happened, shaking the ground violently then the emergency sirens blared.

The scene changed, suddenly Marzipan had a shackled around her neck and her hands were cuffed behind her back as she and several other Humanimals were marched onto a Spaceship headed for Planet Alderbaren at that moment all she felt was despair and knowing she had no idea where her family was or even if they were currently alive.

Then several years later she was older, her breasts had budded and she had known the feeling of coming into estrus, She was standing in a forest, a basket containing wild edible mushrooms was on her right wrist and Ichabod was trying to convince her to join his plan to liberate as many Humanimal Slaves from the castle as possible.

He felt her fear as she drew back and began to cry saying "My courage, my spirit, is so much less than it was…"

Then he felt his own son grab her face and plant a kiss on her cheek.

Kiss…Humans never kiss Humanimals…They may have sex with them, but they never kiss them.

"You kissed me." Marzipan said gingerly touching her cheek

"We can escape from Alderbaren!" Ichabod said "Believe me!"

Her courage restored Marzipan said quietly "Yes…I think I do…"

And unable to bare anymore, Jonathan pulled away, breaking the link.

He stared at Marzipan, he realized his for the first time his bigotry….What had been his objection to his son marrying a Humanimal? He believed Humanimals are incapable of love they can only lust, once again this may have been his experiences with Killer Croc and other animalistic Gotham Mutants rather than actual Humanimals, he believed animals are amoral but when you combine the Human with the Animal it becomes something that can only be immoral now he realized he was only believing the propaganda he received in elementary school over what he could observe with his own eyes and ears!

He looked at the Cat-Girl's face peering back at him, now he could see the girl beneath the fur, he no longer saw a Cat, he looked into those brown eyes with flecks of gold and he saw Molly Randall…

He saw…Evie…

"My Dear…" Jonathan said feeling short of breath "… My Dear I don't even have the right to speak to you after what I nearly did to you!" He then ran away as fast as he could, into the men's room where he quickly ran into a stall to cry his eyes out.

So…If you've read the spin-off Batman Adventures comics you'll know who Molly Randall is also I'm doing a bit of continuity revision originally Lyle Bolton raped Minsk but I decided that's too much coincidence