FSE

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Henry isn't quite sure what just happened.

One second he's running for his life towards a distant tree line, then the next second he's face down in the dirt. He tries to stand up but his arms don't respond to his commands. It's not like he's paralyzed, rather it feels like every ounce of bodily energy has left him. He can't move his limbs, or speak, or even lift a finger off of the dirt. Shit, it seems that breathing and blinking are all he can manage with how utterly drained he is. Stuck in this state of pseudo-stasis he hears heavy footsteps approaching yet he's powerless to defend himself.

The sisters stop a couple feet from the human.

“Is…is he dead? He's still as a corpse." Whispers the deer, an air of fear in her voice.

Urmine nudges his side with a foot eliciting a soft mumble from Henry

“No, just tired. He'll recover with rest."

Urmine leans down and grabs Henry by the armpits, hoisting him over her shoulder with little effort. She begins walking back to the cabin and Gothetta follows behind, her eyes locked onto the limp human.

“Urmine, how will we ensure he doesn't try to escape again? This wily beast is quite a runner."

“We still have that old cage in the corner, the one we keep our more aggressive ingredients in. He'll fit in it no problem."

“I doubt our husband would like to spend the rest of his life in a cage, and how is he supposed to satisfy our carnal desires when the cage is only big enough for one person!"

Urmine looks behind her and shrugs.

“I'll think of something to keep him around. There's probably a spell that should put him under our control long term."

Gothetta groans, these were not the answers she wanted.

“Then what was the whole point of this summoning if our manifested pleasure thing doesn't truly love us! Why not just manifest an empty headed thrall at that point! Or a portal to a few squirmy tentacles?"

“Oh please, will you stop your endless parade of questions?" Urmine fires back. “I'll think of something like I always do. I've always been the resourceful one."

Gothetta looks to the ground in thought as she trots along the path to the cabin, an idea suddenly coming to her in a rare fit of inspiration.

“We'll secure him in holy matrimony!" She triumphantly shouts.

Urmine raises an eyebrow at her wide eyed sister, a look of disbelief plastered on her mug.

“Marry him? And where did you get that preposterous idea?"

“Think about it! All those vows he'll have to take at the altar will compel him to stay with us. And when we slip our rings on the deal will be sealed by holy rite. Then he'll never be allowed to leave us or risk angering the gods above! Rings and wine and an iron clad contract of his love!"

Urmine cackles in response.

“That's not such a bad idea. I'll think it over tonight."

“It's the clearest path to a final end to our loneliness, I'm telling you! And were mom and dad married? No! And what happened to dad? He left dear old mom high and dry around when she laid our eggs. With the three if us married we'll-“

“Stop it. Don't talk about father. I'm getting hot between the antlers just thinking about what he did to mother. Leaving her to raise us alone like a gutless deadbeat. If I found him, I would tear out every scale or feather or strand of fur or whatever he had on him out one by one, mark my words." She says, growling for effect.

“Do you think he knew about our…peculiarities? Do you think that's why he left mother?"

“I don't know and I don't care! He can rot in the deepest dungeon as far as I'm concerned. Now stop talking about father."

“Okay, okay." Gothetta quietly acquiesces.

Urmine slams the door to the cabin open and marches to a rusty metal cage kept in the corner. It's length and width are roughly three feet by three feet, with it standing nearly five feet tall. Large enough to sit in but not lay prone, tall enough to stand in but only if you hunched. Still holding Henry, Urmine orders her sister to unlock the cage and open the door. She complies, then Urmine lays Henry down in the bottom of the cage before closing the squeaky metal door and securing the lock with a short, whispered incantation. The lock glows red, then clicks shut.

Finally regaining some of his strength Henry weakly clings to the bars, bringing himself up to a sitting position. He eyes his surroundings drunkenly, still halfway believing this couldn't possibly be happening to him. Noticing his movement Gothetta takes a chair and scoots it next to his cage. She sits down and stares at the strange furless thing for a few moments, taking in his odd clothing and foreign features.

“Who are you?" Mumbles Henry.

“I'm Gothetta! I'm a deer, a doe to be exact. Me and my sister summoned you here to be our companion."

“Where am I?"

“You're in our cabin. We live out in the dark forest, well, the townsfolk call it the dark forest. To us it's just the forest."

“Is that…in the United States somewhere?"

Gothetta cocks her head.

“United what? We live in the unclaimed territories, South of the Simmering Hills. Not many people around here aside from the town."

Henry shakes his head in tired confusion.

“What fucking planet am I on?"

“What's a planet?"

He sighs.

“Big round thing. Floats around the sun. People live on it."

“Sounds like a dumb place to live. Thankfully here everything is flat, makes getting around a lot easier!"

“Oh for the love of god…maybe…"

Henry fumbles around his pocket and retrieves his smartphone. No Wi-Fi, no cell service, and his battery is down to ten percent. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“What's that?" Asks Gothetta, craning her neck towards Henry.

“It's a cellphone, not that you would know what that is."

“Can I see it?"

Henry presents the screen towards the curious deer. She stares at it for a few seconds then-

“Ahhhhh!"

Urmine runs over to her sister.

“What? What is it?"

Gothetta points to the phone.

“The human thing brought heresy with him! Kill it sister! Kill it!"

The horned bear leans back and points her fingers towards the phone.

“Thundery lighting and a sudden flash, shock that thing until it's ash!"

Instantly several streaks of blinding electricity shoot from her fingertips and arc towards the phone, smacking it out of Henry's hand. It falls onto the floor of the cage and he cautiously picks it up. Black smoke drifts up from the cracked screen and it's oddly warm to the touch. The thing is totally fried. Henry groans in disappointment and looks up to Urmine with a foul expression on his face.

“Seriously? Did you really have to do that? Do you have any idea how many paychecks this thing cost me? You asshole!"

She waves a paw dismissively.

“Who cares? Heresy is heresy, isn't that right sister?"

Gothetta shakes her head in agreement.

“That's right. Our mother taught us how to recognize all forms of heresy and how to deal with them."

“Heresy?!" Henry shouts, his eyes switching between the sisters. “That was just my cellphone!"

“It was heresy! I saw the most heretical of symbols imprinted upon it! And it was glowing with foul magic as well!" Claims Gothetta, her arms crossed.

Most heretical of symbols? Henry thinks back to what she could have possible seen on his phone. Little icons for apps, status bar at the top, and his wallpaper was…the symbol for his favorite faction in Battlehammer 50K, the havoc marines. A copper circle with seven twisted arrows pointing outward.

“That wasn't heresy. Not the sort you're talking about, anyway." Henry says.

Urmine walks closer to the cage and looks at him with inquisitive eyes, her words full of suspicion.

“And why, pray tell, would our newly summoned human be carrying a heretical symbol on his person? Are you a member of a necromantic cult? A word bearer of the ashen one? A thrall to the violet baker? An incubus that slithered out of the fiery gates of the under earth to prey upon innocent witches such as me and my sister?"

Henry shakes his head.

“No. What she saw was just the symbol for a, well, for a game I like to play. I swear I'm telling you the truth. I'm no cult member, hell, I'm not even religious."

Urmine points her muzzle towards Gothetta yet her eyes remained locked onto the human.

“Sister, what did you see exactly?"

“It was a rectangular tablet glowing with unnatural energy! And on the surface I saw the foul mark of the thorny coven, seven arrows emanating from a circle!"

Urmine breaks her stare and smacks herself on the forehead.

“Gothetta! The thorny coven is symbolized by eight arrows emanating from an oval. Do you remember nothing mother taught us?"

Gothetta looks down in shame.

“Sorry."

“Dimwitted doe." Urmine mutters before turning once more to Henry. “So, your name is Henry?"

“Yes, and I would really like to go home now please."

“Henry, Henry, Henry. Hen. Hen as in female chicken." Urmine squints. “You are a male, right?"

“Yes and I have the balls to prove it."

She turns towards Gothetta.

“You know what Gothetta? I agree, Edmund is a more fitting name for our carnal companion here. Henry makes me think of feathered egg laying things, but he isn't an egg maker, he's an egg instigator."

“My name isn't Edmund! It's Henry!" Henry shouts defiantly.

Urmine leans down, almost nose to nose with him.

“No. Your name is Edmund now. We, as your new protectors, guardians, summoners, owners, and namers have decided it. Edmund shall be your new name and it shall be known across all the lands, both ethereal and material, and to all the beings, both godly and meek, that your name is Edmund." She says with a snap of her fingers.

Edmund leans back in his cage and throws his arms in the air, too tired to argue back with the stubborn bear.

“Sure, fine, whatever. I guess there's no point trying to change your mind."

Urmine straightens her back with a pleased smile.

“Our husband-slave is learning Gothetta. Reward him with a nice warm bowl of hag's bone soup."

“Right away!"

Gothetta shoots up from her chair and moves towards the large cauldron still holding the remnants of their dinner. Urmine takes her place on the chair and eyes Edmund up and down.

“So, Edmund, what species are your parents? What stock do you come from?"

“My father is a human and my mother is a well, human."

“A purebred then! How delightful. What beastfolk populate the lands of your home? Dogs? Rats? Bears and deer perhaps?"

“Beast folk?"

“You know, civilized peoples that shares physical characteristics of certain feral beasts yet are blessed with divine intelligence and two legged locomotion. Like how I'm mostly a she-bear and my sister is mostly a doe."

Edmund looks down and shakes his head.

“None. Where I'm from it's just humans. We have the feral beasts like you mentioned but none that walk on two legs or talk."

Urmine gasps.

“None?"

“None."

Urmine leans back in her chair, a paw held up to her chin in thought.

“I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. On this particular physical plane there are no naturally occurring humans. Hence why we had to summon you into being, to forcefully reach into the chaotic ether of the cosmos and rip out what we needed from its ever shifting bosom."

“Sounds painful when you put it like that."

“Trust me the ether doesn't mind as much as you think it does, me and Gothetta have plenty of experience in manipulating the physical world through all sorts of magics."

“Magic? Like how you took the wind out of me when I tried to run away?"

“Exactly. A simple spell, that one. You should know that I'm capable of far more impressive displays of magic when the time calls for it. Far more impressive, and far more deadly." Urmine threatens, the smirk on her maw revealing the tips of many sharp teeth.

Edmund recoils back from her slightly, the memory of how easily she fried his phone fresh in his mind.

“And, uhhh, who taught you and your sister all those spells? Some other witch I'm guessing?"

“We were trained exclusively by our mother who was easily the most talented and powerful witch I've ever known, not that I've met that many other witches. We tend to keep to ourselves except in times of great distress. Helps keep the heat off our back when we anger the local authorities. Torches and pitchforks and all that."

“Smart. And is your mother still around or is it just the two of you?"

Urmine begins to respond but suddenly pauses and gets out of the chair. She walks over to their humble fireplace, her eyes locked onto a large black pointed hat sitting on a stand on the mantle. Attached to its felt like material through brass fasteners, clips, and strings are odds and ends of all sorts, their surfaces uniformly shiny. Coins of gold and silver, sewing needles, gilded buttons, frames from glasses, wedding rings, dangling necklaces, metallic chains, they all covered the hat in a sparkling shiny glow not dissimilar to a night sky.

“That hat," She starts, pointing to it. “belonged to our dear mother before she passed away some years ago. You see, she was of the crow folk, her body covered in a blanket of soft ebony feathers with bright golden eyes atop her beak. And like so many of her kin she had a habit of collecting shiny treasures that she chose to adorn her witch's hat with. One day while she was perched atop a tall red melon tree a bolt of lighting came down from the heavens and cooked our poor mother from beak to talon. We buried her with a few of her favorite possessions and after a period of grieving me and Gothetta took over the cabin. A shame to think a witch of such good character could be cut down by such a tragic, random event."

A hat full of metal and a sudden lightning strike? Edmund solves this puzzle quickly but refrains from telling the bear how easily it could have been prevented. He's in no place to be starting arguments with someone who could easily end him.

“I'm sorry for your loss Urmine. She sounded like a wonderful lady, err, wonderful bird."

“That she was. Raised us from egg to adulthood with nary a complaint and only the occasional beating."

Edmund scratches his head, today just keeps getting stranger.

“Uhh, you and Gothetta were born from eggs?"

“Of course we were! Don't you know children come from eggs?"

“Birds come from eggs. Bears and deer do not. But I'm guessing this is all due to your mother being a crow lady."

“Silly Edmund!" Laughs Gothetta from across the room. “Everyone comes from eggs. Me and Urmine were born from eggs and when we have children we'll lay eggs of our own. We'll build a nest just like dear old mom did and keep our developing cubs and doelings warm with our body heat."

He looks at the sisters in disbelief.

“I'm pretty sure that's not how that works. Mammals give live birth, and you are both mammals."

Urmine shoots a displeased glare at Edmund.

“What's a mammal? Is that some kind of slur? Are you insulting us?" She questions, arms crossed.

Edmund sighs and leans back in his cage.

“No, no, just forget I said anything. You'll just have to forgive me for being confused regarding the genetics of your situation."

“Geneti-what?"

“I mean how a crow like your mother ended up with a bear and a doe being her daughters."

Urmine opens her mouth to speak but is cut off as Gothetta walks by with a wooden bowl of soup.

“Dinner is served Edmund! A nice lukewarm bowl of hag's bone soup just for my favorite bald man-thing!"

She sets the bowl on the floor in front of the cage and Edmund sticks his arms through the bars to pick it up, eyeing the surface of the chunky mixture with suspicion. He grabs the spoon but before he can begin Gothetta leans down and reaches into the soup, lifting the body of a limp frog out of it.

“Oops, sorry Eddy, almost forgot this guy was in there."

He feels his stomach churn.

“…thanks."

She tosses the frog out of a nearby open window and returns to Urmine's side. An awkward silence develops as Edmund stares at his bowl attempting to determine if the contents were edible and Urmine rests with her head propped up on the table, thinking something over.

“Gothetta?" Urmine says, breaking the silence.

“Yes?"

“Tell Edmund about chimeras."

“Oh-oh-oh that's what we are!" The doe sits down cross legged in front of him and places her hands in her lap, eager to explain. “So, me and Urmine are what are known as chimeras. Also sometimes referred to as cross-breeds, mutants, morgruns, unholy abominations, god's mistakes, and the devil's children. But chimera is the term me and Urmine prefer, rolls off the tongue easier. To put it simply a chimera is a child born of two parents who shares characteristics from two different species, species that are neither the mother nor father. You see, when a mommy and a daddy, do the, you know," The doe makes a hole with a finger and sticks another through it. “the resulting child is supposed to be the same species as one of the parents."

“So a dog mom and dog dad will always have puppies. But a cat mom and dog dad can either have puppies or kittens?"

“Yes that's it!"

“Whereas a chimera looks like neither parent and are two entirely different species mashed together? Like…you?"

“I think he gets it." Says Urmine, looking over to them. “No one is sure what causes a chimera to form in the womb but we tend to very rare. Poor mother must have had exceptionally poor luck for both of her daughters to be chimeric, I suppose." She suddenly claps her hands together and leans forward. “But that's enough about us! Tell us about yourself Edmund. We'll be spending a lot of time together in the future. A lot of time."

“About that. How long do you and your sister plan on keeping me here? I have friends and family that are missing me right now, I would like to go home."

Urmine's gaze narrows.

“You won't be going home. You'll be staying here with me and Gothetta for the rest of your years, faithfully serving our every whim, need, and carnal desire. Oh, and you'll be giving me and Gothetta an egg or two. It's why we summoned you here in the first place."

Edmund feels blood rush up to his cheeks and a sinking feeling form in the pit of his stomach.

“You can't keep me here. I'm not some sort of sex slave. I need to go home."

Urmine shakes her head.

“Not possible. The only way you'll be going home is with magical assistance and I have no such motivation to send you back." Urmine leans in, her voice deep and commanding. “Now why don't you tell us about yourself."

Edmund grinds his teeth and stares at the ground. He was locked in a cage, in some foreign land, probably not even in the same dimension as home, and he had two strange beasts with legitimate arcane abilities leering over him. He takes a deep breath and decides now was not the time to start a shouting match. He'll get away, he just needs time.

He looks back up to Urmine.

“I'm twenty four, live in an apartment on fifth avenue. Fucked around with odd jobs after high school since I didn't have the money or scholarships for college. Found out I had a passion for cooking while working at a steakhouse and became a student at a culinary institute, I was supposed to graduate next month. Moved around a lot as a kid since my dad was in the army. Had a pet hamster in the fifth grade and played baseball in middle school. Is that good enough?"

“Satisfactory. So that explains why the fish thing I had earlier tasted so delicious. You can expect to use your culinary talents for me and Gothetta in the future, oh yes. We'll have you making seal meat pies and crimson melonade and roasted unicorn legs in no time."

“Suuure, I'll even try to resist the urge to smack you with the pan next time I cook fish."

Urmine squints her eyes and growls, Edmund shrinks back and immediately regrets saying that. Urmine continues her low growl until it turns into a mighty yawn. She rubs her tired eyes and decides to continue this conversation with him tomorrow, today has thoroughly worn her out.

“Gothetta? I think it's time for us to retire. We can continue to attempt to convince our husband-slave of his proper place tomorrow."

The bear gets out of her chair and lumbers towards their bedroom. Gothetta points at the bowl of uneaten soup still in front of Edmund.

“Hey, you should eat something tonight, you'll have a big day tomorrow. I know it probably isn't like what you're used back at home but Urmine is a better cook than you may suspect, trust me."

He eyes the soup with suspicion.

“There was a dead frog in it and I've never seen a soup in all my years so purple and chunky."

“Don't worry, the frog just adds flavor, and those chunks are unicorn thigh! Very delicious, they help with indigestion and creaky joints too."

Edmund sighs, and reluctantly picks up the spoon. He brings a spoonful of the soup to his nose, takes an inquisitive sniff, then slowly puts it in his mouth. He chews slowly, investigating the flavors and textures of the odd mixture.

“Hey," He says, an eyebrow raised. “that's pretty good. It's sweet, but also kind of salty."

Gothetta smiles and claps her hands together.

“I knew you would like it! The sweetness comes from the whore sweat she added and the saltiness is from the meat honey."

Edmund becomes stone faced.

“The…whore…you know what? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."

“Eat up! You'll have a big day tomorrow Edmund! A big day!"

Gothetta prances out of the room leaving Edmund alone with his soup. He catches a chunk of unicorn meat in his spoon and chews it slowly.

What do you know.

Tastes like chicken.

*********************************************************************

Edmund lies curled up on the floor of his cage, stewing in insomnia driven misery. The sisters went to sleep a couple hours ago yet he can't seem to do the same despite his tired body and bloodshot eyes. Maybe it's the uncomfortable metal he's been forced to use as a bed, maybe it's the strange sounds coming from the forest outside, maybe it's the utter insanity of being here in the first place. Probably all three.

He leans up and looks around the cabin. Pale moonlight shines in through a few dust covered windows casting a gloomy glow across the space. Unable to spot anything nearby that could help him get out of this nightmare he grows curious about the lock holding the door to his cage shut. Could he pick it? Break it maybe? It's worth a shot.

His hands drift up to where the large metal lock lay and he turns it around in the moonlight, careful to not let it knock against the cage lest he wake up the sisters. It's heavy, old, rusted. Maybe he could find something strong enough to pry it off of the cage through brute force. Like a pipe, or a-

A bright burning sensation suddenly shoots across his hand.

“Ah, shit, fuck." He mutters through gritted teeth, shaking his hand as he takes another look at the lock.

The lock now glows a dull red, somehow having heated up several hundred degrees in the short time he held it. Before he can comprehend this strangeness he hears footsteps coming from another room. Did they hear him? Fuck!

He instantly gets back on the floor of the cage and curls up again. The door to the sister's bedroom opens and he hears feet on the wooden floorboards. No, wait, more like hooves. They draw closer and a voice softly calls for him.

“Eddy? Edmund? You awake?"

He looks up to the see the fanged visage of Gothetta peering down at him.

“I am now." He says, rubbing fake sleep out of his eyes.

“I brought you a blanket. I realized how without fur you probably get colder more easily than me and Urmine do."

She pushes a down filled blanket through the bars and Edmund receives it.

“Thanks, but I think sleeping somewhere other than this cage would probably be a bigger help."

She shakes her head.

“Sorry, but Urmine was very clear. You aren't to leave this cage until after the ceremony tomorrow."

Edmund gulps.

“Ceremony? Like a…sacrifice or something?"

“No!" She says with a laugh. “We're getting married tomorrow. You, me, and Urmine will be taking a trip into town to have our love sealed in holy matrimony at the church there."

Edmund blinks. In his sleep deprived state he knows that should alarm him, that he should probably argue about it, but he's well beyond the point of animated resistance at this point.

“Okay. I'll never say the vows or put the ring on, but okay."

Gothetta frowns.

“Don't be so unreasonable Edmund. We spent a lot of effort bringing you into this world and the least you could do is go along with our demands once in a while. I'm sure you'll learn to love it here! I know my sister can be a little hornheaded sometimes but she really is a nice person, provides a lot of body heat in the winter too! And we have such nice streams and creeks to bathe in and we haven't had any fleas or lice in our cabin in ages and-“

“I didn't ask to be here Gothetta. I want to go home."

“W-well you can't."

“Why not?"

“Because…because…because you just can't okay? Sending you away would defeat the point of bringing you here in the first place. Me and Urmine get so bored of each other now. Our mother always said a caged bird never sings a happy tune and I've been feeling like a caged bird in this cabin for years now!"

Edmund looks around in disbelief.

“How can you be saying that when I'm the one trapped in a literal cage?! How do you think I feel?"

Gothetta looks towards the ground, her eyes locked onto the empty soup bowl.

“Oh, I see you finished your soup. Was it to your taste?"

“Don't try to change the subject Gothetta. Why can't I go free? How long are you going to keep me here?"

She leans down and picks up the bowl.

“I'll clean it tomorrow. Goodnight Eddy, I hope you'll awake in a better mood in the morning." She begins walking away towards the bedroom but suddenly turns around. “Oh, and don't try fiddling with that lock anymore. My sister enchanted it so it glows red hot if anyone other than her tries to touch it. I don't want my future love-companion to burn himself."

She enters the bedroom and Edmund sinks down in his cage. Feeling the siren song of sleep finally calling him he wraps himself up in the soft blanket and drifts off into the void.