FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Act XXI: Forest Lords and Witches Covens

"Luke!"

I hugged Luke and took a good look at him.

"You look great in that White Bishop jacket. What brings you to England?"

Luke smiled and hugged me again, and patted my hand.

"Danath sent me here to team up with you for two missions. I'm so excited that I almost cannot contain myself. After these two missions, we both get promoted. Black Queen status, Jansen! I am just tingly all over."

I blinked my eyes.

"So... that's what's up. OK, I won't deny you of that thrill ride, Luke. But most agents who work with me get pretty upset or humiliated by the things I end up doing. So, what are these two missions?"

Luke took me aside and started explaining.

"The first mission involves a unicorn. According to Danath, this one asked for you by name."

I hummed.

"The Forest Lord. It must be pretty damned serious if he asked specifically for me. He's a homosexual unicorn who is under a pretty bizarre curse. What's the other mission?"

Luke just grinned at the homosexual remark.

"The other mission is in Germany's Black Forest. One of the Saturnyne sisters have another problem. This time, she asked specifically for you. Her name is Rosa."

I smiled.

"Rosa Saturnyne. She's that very sweet young witch with the cat named Talbot. She saved my life once; I'd do just about anything for her."

Luke smiled.

"So, you know both mission contacts. That's great. Anyway, I didn't have another mission, and when I chanced upon Danath getting these calls, I quickly volunteered so I could team up with you again. In truth, Jansen... I missed you."

I hugged Luke firmly.

"Thanks, Luke. I am glad to see that you are well too. Shall we go see a Forest Lord?"

Luke and I checked in with the bunker supervisor. I made sure Luke and I both got Emergency Pack B for dealing with wizards. When Luke asked why we'd need these, I explained that both missions dealt with magical creatures and we'd likely need the emergency help contained therein. Luke and I were soon in my sportscar, once again heading for Selena O'dale's home in the Dabenshire Forest. If anyone would know how to find the Forest Lord, it would be her.

When we arrived at the O'dale home, I was pretty shocked. Selena's home had burnt to the ground. The only things left standing were her stables and the old well. Luke and I got out of the sportscar, and I immediately began investigating the scene, while Luke went to search the stables. I began combing over the remains of the cottage. While I was doing this, someone had come up behind me and poked what felt like a swordtip to my back.

"Returning to the scene of the crime?"

I quietly cussed a little, then without warning, I leaped. Not forward, but straight up. I turned in mid-air (thanks to my martial arts training courses from the Foo-Ching's and in Chess) and landed facing the male who thought he got the drop on me. I had my badge out and exposed before I realized that it was a unicorn. But it wasn't the Forest Lord.

"Jansen Tanner, White Bishop of Chess! Oh! You're one of the local residents."

I put my badge away. The unicorn breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Chess. Thank goodness. We were afraid you hadn't gotten our call."

I released a breath of my own. I had been ready to fight an assailant. About that moment, Luke emerged from the stables, his handgun at the ready. I quickly told him to put it away. Yes, I was still the only Chess agent who refused to use a gun. If I wanted a gun, I'd summon my sister, Jo Tanner. She had a good sighting rifle. By the way, are you enjoying my history?

---

She blinked her eyes once again.

"Oh my god! He 'does' know I'm reading his history!"

---

"Of course we got your call. What happened here? And who are you? You're certainly not the Forest Lord..."

The unicorn smiled and replied.

"I am Shepley Lockwood, a former aspiring photographer for a local nature magazine. As you may have surmised, I joined the Forest Lord's herd and share the curse. What happened here is that some bastard showed up to interrogate Selena about acquiring the Dabenshire Forest for its mineral rights. Evidently, they misthought that she owned the forest. She was suspicious of the man immediately, and when she attempted to ring a warning bell that the Forest Lord would hear, the man assaulted Selena, knocked her out, tied her up, put her in some kind of industrial company stlyed jeep, and he burned her cottage to the ground. Then, he rung the bell himself and drove on into the forest."

I grr'ed at the industrial company statement.

"...Was it Vulcan Industries?"

Shepley sighed and nodded his horned head.

"Yes, it was. But it wasn't the leader of Vulcan Industries. This guy was younger, more muscular, and had that do or die attitude. When the Forest Lord learned of this, he immediately tried to help Selena. We may not always like Selena, but she is a good contact to warn people about the unicorns. This time, I feel that she told the wrong person about unicorns."

I was definitely pissed off now.

Vulcan. Again.

I was starting to slip into that special Tanner revenge mode. Luke didn't get to see me in this mode the last time. Poor Mark got to see it; I don't think he ever wants to see it again. The next few choice lines I spoke will not be repeated here. Needless to say, it was pretty vulgar. Worse than what I invented to say about Hogan "infinity vale" Slade. Though on second reflection, Hogan really didn't deserve the punishment he got. I really hoped that someday, he'd get the chance to earn a way out of that punishment. Hogan had been my first and most fierce arch-rival. I was sure he had a reason for hating werewolves.

Back to that bleepity-bleeping Vulcan... I told Shepley what Vulcan had done in Africa and what they had been after that time. That got Shepley pissed off enough to curse. Then, I asked the next question.

"What happened to the Forest Lord?"

Shepley was still pretty mad about the ivory stuff.

"He got captured. We need you to find Merlin for us. As unicorns, we cannot offer you much. We'll give you anything you ask for. Even companionship, though I get the feeling you wouldn't want that."

I smiled.

"I know what I'll ask for, but only after we succeed here. You just need to remember that you offered me anything. Agreed?"

Shepley agreed. I then asked for a possibly location for finding Merlin and I was surprised when Shepley suggested that I ask his daughter, Linda Star.

Fortunately, it had become evening and the moon was within view. I grabbed Luke and Shepley, and used my new moon door power to go straight to Linda Star's home. Linda was surprised to see us in her back yard, with a unicorn. She also was very polite and helpful. She agreed to tell us where we could find her father and we were on our way via moon door again.

Using the coordinates that Linda had given us, we arrived within an elegant, almost fairy like courtyard. I say fairy like because that is exactly was floating almost every where we looked. There was also a satyr like boy sitting on a stump playing pipe music for Nereid water dancers.

Merlin, in his white owl form, flew to us immediately and magically became himself. He was indeed Merlin, and had not lost any power through the ages. I quickly produced my ID and told him what was going on. Merlin listened to our story, then smiled.

"I was ready to change you all into mushrooms but if my daughter thought it was important enough to reveal to you the location of Robin Goodfellow's Demon Garden, then perhaps I should once again get involved."

Merlin turned toward the satyr boy.

"I will return, noble friend. It is time I rectified an error from long ago."

The satyr boy stopped playing his pipes.

"Indeed! When White Bishops and a Black Knight sally forth to seek the White Wizard in the Fool's Paradise, an alliance is made and friendships of future quests may come."

The satyr boy seemed to wink directly at me. I knew instantly that this was the famed Puck, King Oberon's minstrael and oft times royal foole for Queen Titania. And Puck seemed to be suggesting that he, himself, might hire me in the future. Merlin nodded his head, and got my attention, once again.

"Come. To Dabenshire we go."

And we were instantly there.

When Merlin works his magic, he doesn't fool around. I guess that when you're the world's greatest magician, you can get away with anything. Nothing Chess taught you could prepare you for Merlin's powers.

The site we arrived at seemed to be a solid tower shaped column of thick vines. Merlin led us inside through an illusionary entrance, then, Merlin fired up his cauldron and began working his magical powers and expertise. We watched in silence and made sure not to ask any dumb-dumb questions that might annoy a master at work.

Then, Merlin turned directly to me and had me step forward.

"I have a Latin phrase I need you to recite, when I give you the signal. I cannot do it myself because I will be chanting part of the great spell, and Shepley cannot do it because he is a unicorn. His curse might interfere with the intricate workings of this spell."

Merlin handed me the spell scroll with the Latin upon it, then turned back to his cauldron and began chanting once again. This went on for awhile, then he signaled me, and I recited the Latin spell scroll, aloud.

"[The time hath come for a time hath passed; two curses now lifted from the world at last; and any who seek harm to the one horned elite; shall find themselves walking a cloven bleat!]"

Merlin then shouted.

"[EXCELSIOR!]"

Whatever the affects were, I didn't really see. Though later, Luke would tell me that Shepley's whole unicorn body glowed with a majestic purple light for a moment when Merlin shouted his casting word. Merlin then tidied up the tower and extinguished the cauldron's fire. We left the tower and Merlin teleported us directly to the campsite where Selena and the Forest Lord were being held. I didn't see a Vulcan operative anywhere, but what I did see was a male non-morphic sheep standing in a pile of tattered Vulcan Industries clothing. I actually laughed.

Then, we freed Selena and the Forest Lord. While Merlin was speaking to them, I knelt to the sheep and examined him. Even as a human, I could smell his fear. He couldn't speak a word. Walking a cloven bleat meant becoming a sheep. That was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. To become a wool factory and mutton.

The Forest Lord and Shepley spoke at length, then the Forest Lord approached me.

"Shepley tells me that he offered you anything to find Merlin for us. Because I would have to grant you the reward, I now ask of you what reward you seek."

I stood, and drew the Forest Lord off privately and told him about my allied species teleport magic that the wolf Baron had given me. I then asked that unicorns be included as an allied species for that magic. The Forest Lord thought it was a pretty reasonable and selfless request, and spent the next few hours telling me where all of the owned Dabenshire Forest locations were around the world. Being allied to his unicorn herd would allow me to instantly teleport to any of the forests that his herd owned. He also told me that other herds, outside of his own might allow an alliance, if asked. The Forest Lord then used his magical powers to give my species teleport the addition that I had requested.

Merlin and Selena bid us farewell, as they both vanished off to god-knows-where. Merlin and Selena. Who would have thought that?

Shepley then approached me and gave me a full mouth to mouth kiss. When he let up, he thanked me, and departed with the Forest Lord into the forest itself.

Luke blinked his eyes at the kiss.

"Does that happen often, Jansen?"

I turned to Luke and smiled.

"Pretty often. I endure it and go on with my life. We'll need to return the sportscar to the bunker and have this sheep shipped back to Danath. Maybe someone there can change him back into a human. And if they can't, then we'll send this sheep to Circe's Island where all the other permanent transformees end up living."

About two hours later, after having the bunker supervisor tag the sheep and start processing the delivery to Athens, Luke and I walked outside where I held unto him and used the allied wolf teleport to send us both to Germany.

We arrived at the Charming Goat Inn and Tavern in the Barony of Gott'schlecht. And the tavern was hopping with a full crowd. Luke and I ordered some drinks from the barkeeper, who immediately recognized me, despite my White Bishop jacket. Luke had been casually looking around and whispered that there were three morphic pigs in one of the corner booths. I had to turn and look. Indeed, there were three little morphic pigs wearing clothing sitting at the corner table.

The Three Little Pigs of Big Bad Wolf fame.

I then started looking around to see who else was there. It was like a mishmash of every Grimm's Fairy Tale character you could ever think of. I had to ask the barkeeper what was going on. He told me that old Mother Goose from Mothergooseland was visiting Baron Grimm Gott'schlecht during her annual vacation. My facial expression must have conveyed disbelief, and I was one who tried to believe in everything. So, there was an actual Mothergooseland. I dreaded ever having to go there. The nursery rhyme characters sometimes had it off worse than Grimm's characters. But somehow, it was pleasing to know that it was possible to meet them.

Lucky me.

The Barkeeper then asked me why I was in the region. I told him about Rosa Saturnyne's mysterious request for my presence, and that I needed directions for finding Rosa's cottage. The barkeeper hummed, then escorted Luke and I over to the map on the wall. He pointed out where we were now, and he pointed to an area called Nekoton Glade. He explained that Lord Puss'n Boots ruled there, and normally, only cats were allowed to live there. But Rosa lived there with special permission. Being a witch has it's perks, evidently.

Say hi to Wendy Gliddle for me.

---

She paled at that sentence.

"Why are you letting me read this?"

---

Because someone needs to. Why not you?

---

She sat back in her chair.

"Oh my god!"

---

The barkeeper summoned a stagecoach for the both of us, and we rode in style to Nekoton, home to Lord Puss'n Boots and Rosa, evidently. Luke was pretty surprised by all this, and I couldn't blame him. We were getting to meet fictional fairy tale characters.

When we arrived in Nekoton, we were greeted by a male morphic calico nekocat sheriff, who politely welcomed us to Nekoton, then made sure we knew not to cause any trouble. Luke and I flashed our Chess badges at the sheriff, then the calico smiled.

"Excellent. You're Chess agents. Yes, Rosa and Talbot told us all about you. I'll take you to them."

The calico led the way and into a backyard garden behind a very nice looking cottage. Talbot sat there talking to what seemed to be a tree. That's when I realized that the tree was Rosa.

"Talbot! I came as soon as I could. What's going on?"

The black cat with violet eyes, Tabor Talbot, was currently in his morphic nekocat form. He released a sigh of relief when he heard my voice.

"Thank goodness you came, Jansen Tanner. Rosa was trying out a new spell and it did this to her. Can you please help us undo this? In return, I'll teach you a special Nekocat spell that I am sure Lord Puss'n Boots would be pleased to share with you."

I turned to Luke, nodding my head. We both started unpacking our Emergency Pack B kits. Luke started realizing why I had insisted we get these, as he began reading his list of what all was in the package. Among other items, was a spell reversal formulae with all of the dry ingrediants. Because Rosa had become a tree, we were going to need the contents of both packages to make the spell reversal concoction. We spent the next few hours getting Rosa's cauldron cooking with water and the ingrediants we had brought. Talbot watched very closely; as a familiar to Rosa, he was vigilant in his duties towards making sure Rosa's equipment was not damaged. Finally, I had Luke add the final ingrediant, and the brew made a smoky *POOF*, which made Luke leap back, instinctively.

I then began filling a spray canister with the brew, and brought it over to the Rosa tree. I sprayed her top to bottom on all sides, then stepped back.

Once I had stepped away, the tree began to glow and reshape into her pretty, young girlish witch form. She was, of course, naked. Luke and I turned our heads, politely. Talbot smiled, and fetched Rosa a robe, and escorted Rosa off to bed. Luke and I bottled the rest of the reversal spray and clearly marked the containers for later use. Then, we both washed and cleaned the cauldron we had used, and set it back into its place to dry.

Talbot arrived as we were replacing the now clean cauldron. Talbot hugged me.

"I know that the small magic I give you in no way conveys my full thanks, Jansen Tanner. When I first met you, I was not impressed. Now that you have restored my mistress, I am fully impressed. Come to my quarters, both of you. I will teach Jansen that what I have promised him."

Talbot led us into the cottage and into his own quarters. For a familiar, he had quite a great place. It was my turn to be impressed. My old bedroom at the Tanner Ranch was not this nice. Being a familiar evidently had huge perks. Talbot then had me sit on his bed, and he grabbed his own spellbook and sat in my lap. He seemed to enjoy laps, I later discovered.

Talbot taught me the Nekocat magic basics, 101. This included a spell for becoming a Nekocat as well as returning to normal, a spell for altering others to become cat-like, the catwalking spell, the nightvision spell, and a spell called catlanding, which allowed one to jump from any higher location to a lower location. The jump once taken allowed you to fall slowly, and land on your feet without losing any balance. Once my lessons were over, I gave Talbot a full body rubbing, to show my appreciation. Luke helped with that. Petting the kitty. Purr.

Luke and I visited with Rosa for a short moment before leaving, then I used the wolf trick to teleport us both to the Chess bunker in Arad Romania, Sebastian's territory. From there, we caught the private jet headed for Athens, Greece.

Danath greeted us, and told me to take my time writing up the report. This was fine by me because there was going to be a LOT of new information to convey.

---

She sighed as she finished reading.

"I can't believe you're letting me read your agent history. You must have a good reason for allowing it. Though, it is fun to see what all you've done in the world. Aren't you the least bit afraid I'll tell your sisters where you are?"

She took a long drink of her soda and made a face.

"Yuck! Not even Reed Huxley's brews taste this bad. I need to go get a fresh glass of ice and soda. And maybe some ice cream, too."

She got up, went into the kitchen and replaced her cola drink. Then, she returned and sat down at her computer again.

"Back into the fray..."

She resumed reading Jansen's agent history.

---