Wish Granted
By Lykanos Wulfheart
      
       The woods darkened with the setting sun, the fiery reds streaking across the tree tops. Most people would be on their way home at this hour, but not Coheed. This was his moment, his chance to hunt for what he'd spent the last month researching. He was going to have his wish fulfilled or get lost trying.
      
       Local legends talked of a fairy fountain deep in the wilderness. Guarded by the fae, the stories said that if you entered under the veil of twilight and clung to your hope, you may wander upon this sacred site. Coheed was willing to give it a try despite all the reports of missing persons. He merely shrugged them off as over exaggerated paranoia or fulfilled dreams taking them from the area. In either case, he was ready to join them in their pursuit of the paranormal.
      
       Staring into the growing shadows, the woodlands were both intimidating and inviting. Thick growth clung to the edges, choking off any glimpse into the depths of the brush. Yet something about the elegance of nature appealed to him. He could hear birds chirping and the rustle of the branches, though he couldn't see the animals. Such is the reality of starting from a dirt road winding between farmland and the looming thicket.
      
       Reluctantly, he pulled the cellphone out of his pocket to get his bearings. As expected, it was getting late and he was all alone. No bars of service or GPS signal to assist. He'd have to trust to luck and hope for the best. Sliding the device back into the baggy jeans, he approached the foreboding glow of dusk. Terror slowed his pace, his shoes stopping at the edge of the trees. "Just one foot in front of the other," he whispered to himself as he forced a trembling leg forward. A second step was slowly followed by a third. Taking a moment to reconsider, to take in the immensity of the foliage, he started his trek. "I can do this."
      
       Hiking by flashlight, he had been walking for almost an hour before checking his phone. As he looked at the screen, a bright gleam in the darkness, there was a flash of movement to his side. Spinning his light revealed nothing but the trunks of trees circling around him in their enormity. "Hello?" Nothing sounded back save for the wind and the leaves.
      
       Another half-hour of aimless wandering and he was hopelessly lost. What was worse was the loneliness. The quiet had grown unbearable, tiny voices tricking his mind. He'd see a little movement, hear the whisper through the trees, and flash his light... nothing to be found.
      
       Without warning, his flashlight flickered and died. Try as he might, nothing could revive it. In a panic, he grabbed for his phone, the sudden realization a sick pain in his stomach. It was gone. The blackness surrounded him with crippling fear. Coheed, in a fit of despair, fell to his knees. Droplets of regret cascaded to the roots below, the ground gladly soaking up his tears as they streamed.
      
       When all hope seemed lost, his ears locked on to a gentle hum, the sound cheery and inviting. Slowly, his eyes seemed to adjust to the dark, a soft blue glow building in the distance. Sheepishly, he picked himself back up, the tree next to him aiding as best it could. The worry clung to his voice as he called out, "Hello? Can you help me? ...Please?" The rhythm continued, undisturbed. Creeping forward, he approached the only light in the gloom.
      
       When the source of the glow came into view, Coheed hid behind a tree, peeking out at the sight. In the middle of a small clearing rested a pool, the stonework smooth and grey. Behind the radiant water rose two figures, large and impressive. They were sculptures of pixies, thin and elegant. The hands rose up to hold an urn from which a trickle cascaded down into the strangely still fluid below. The only thing that seemed to break the fountain's surface was the maiden beside it. Though her body faced his hiding spot, the radiant beauty didn't seem to notice. Her gaze was calmly on the shining surface, a delicate hand sweeping back and forth. As she played, she sang. Her voice was as soft and delicate as a snowflake dancing in the breeze; her hair a flow of platinum blue that complimented her fine, white skin. Like a princess, she wore a tiara and dress that shimmered like drops of rain. "Come, sit with me," the voice a soothing warmth in the coolness of the night.
      
       Moving from his place of hiding, Coheed was struck with awe. Slowly, he did as asked, his own street clothes inferior to her charm. Fearful that it would all disappear, he reluctantly wiped the smudges from his glasses, her magnificence still present and dazzling. "I-I was wondering if you could help me. I seem to be lost."
      
       Offering a dainty smile, she asked with a graceful elegance, "Is that what you wish, young mortal?"
      
       The question caught him off guard. It took a few seconds for reality to sink in. "Is that... Is this? Are you... Is this the fairy fountain?"
      
       The regal damsel bowed with her reply. "It has been called many things over the centuries. Well of Wishes. Spring of the Fae. Over the last several decades I have heard Fairy Fountain, aye. I am the queen of this wood and protector of the fae within. Human, you have come far in your pursuit. You are here to request a desire, are you not?"
      
       "I... I am." His voice wavered with uncertainty, the excitement ready to build as soon as his mind would allow it. He was still in denial despite finally being within inches of his dream.
      
       Letting the water fall from her hand, the ripples ended mere inches from where they began. With a steady gesture, she motioned to the pool. "Enter the sacred waters and speak your wish. My kin and I shall do what we can for you."
      
       Sweeping back his brown hair, the shock was still fading from his expression. Patiently, the Lady of the Land waited, his hesitation a common occurrence among his species. Slowly, he removed his shoes and socks, leaving them neatly upon the grass. With the fear slipping away, he tested the glowing pool with his toes. The liquid, warm and tranquil against his skin, invited him to enter. Coheed obeyed. The fountain was no more than a foot deep, a few paces guiding him to the center. Skeptical, he cleared his throat before saying his wish, the tone more a loud command. "I wish to become my favorite animals."
      
       Standing, the shimmering fairy's wings came into view, transparent with lines of silver darting in elegant loops and twists. Her gentle words held a devious bite. "Granted."
      
       Two splashes rose as if little hands played in the pool, both soaking his clothes. The warmth spread with the moisture, invading the fabric and evaporating the cloth. In a matter of seconds, he was naked against the chill of the night. Both his hands moved forward to cover his shame, his backside pushed out ever so slightly. Feeling a little pinch between his butt cheeks, Coheed lurched forward, his head whipping about to see what stung him. What he saw was two tiny pixies holding a long tail, green and black stipes of fur fading into flesh as it neared his body. Following it to its source, he came to a startling realization. "Is that... my tail?"
      
       It felt like his shoulders were both shoved backward as he fell to his rump, the water barely splashing at his impact. Landing on his new tail sent a wave of pain through his body, though it quickly settled with the soothing liquid. Before he had a chance to recover, his toes were yanked out of the water, two more sprites fading into view. One red with wings like a monarch, the other white with thick, intricate designs, both fae massaged his digits and the skin below. As they worked to relax him, the flesh melded below their dainty hands. His Feet morphed into something akin to hands, black and leathery like that of a gorilla. When finished, they lifted higher, two more pairs of wings sliding into view. A small figure flapped with black-tipped green while the other was more browns with circular eye spots. The newcomers started at his thighs and worked toward the others, wiry black fur sweeping down with them. When they finished, all four disappeared as if a dream. His ape-like legs matched his new feet, all dropping back into the fountain.
      
       Moving his toes was an awkwardly rewarding experience. Just like fingers, he had a new dexterity that he'd never dreamed of. He wanted to play with them himself, his curious reach pulling his hands up from the stone and out to meet his feet. As he moved, something snagged his wrists, all four of the little tricksters coming into view. This time they changed places, red and white sweeping over his shoulders as green and brown pulled at his hands. The skin thickened like his feet, the nimbleness becoming more savage as gorilla fur snuck down, guided by the playful hands of his enchanters. As strange as the sensation was, he welcomed it, the changing tissues frightening yet intriguing. Again, his flying friends vanished, his brutish arms falling to his lap.
      
       Looking around for the scoundrels yielded nothing, save for the queen's smile as she skimmed the surface with her elegant nails. Taking the moment of serenity, he looked at his palms, the tough skin thick and powerful. Distracted, he felt two quick bops at the top of his head. The attackers pulled at the swollen lumps, the mounds growing into a pair of ossicones, the hornlike protrusions of a giraffe. Sweeping his hand to check, his surprise was intensified as the crimson monarch and earthy eyespot fae flashed in front of his face, each snagging a nostril. Flapping with all their might, his face slid forward, yellowy brown fur spotting as it went. When he went to protest, his complaint was met with a burst of magic, a long dark purple tongue shooting forth. His fingers moved to intercept the length of muscle instantly cutting off any hope of chatter. The fairies used this to their advantage, all four grabbing onto the extensions on his head. Flapping in unison, their team effort paid off, Coheed's neck stretched to the limit. As the tiny white miracle worker ran down the back of his neck, a giraffe mane prickling in her wake, two others tugged at his ears. The cartilage moved to their will, smearing out into the ears of a crux, the tiny fingers twisting the ends into a curl. The yellows of his head turned to greens with rings of black, his ears matching his tail.
      
       The weight of his neck was too much for his poor human frame, his tail pinned to the stonework. Flicking his tongue, he turned his new face to the leader. "This isn't what I asked for! What are you doing to me?"
      
       Though still beautiful, her reply was edged with sinister glee. "Mortal, this is exactly what you wished, though it is not what you meant. You wanted to be your favorite animals, and that you are. You don't get to change into them. No. You get to be them all at the same time."
      
       "But!" His protest was ended with four pairs of palms shoving into his stomach and knocking the wind from his lungs. His gasp pushed forth his belly with a swell, the skin growing thick and smooth as it bulged forward. His plumpness was that of a hippopotamus, the gut strong enough to even out his other changes. With a finishing sweep, two pixies ran down his back, the giraffe spots merging into the gorilla fuzz that spread to his sides, the chest still hippo smooth. The other two sprites painted his pinkish grey torso with black lines, a stripe across his nipples with a crux swirl over each set of ribs. With their deed done, the four fairies met before his face and dematerialized with a courteous bow.
      
       "Rise my subject," ordered the queen with a soothing sharpness. The fusion of animals did as he was told, the changes a bliss like he'd never felt before. "Do you like your gift, young one?"
      
       Leaning forward, he could see the entirety of his alterations in the reflective surface. Though it wasn't exactly what he had wanted, it was somehow just as pleasing, every one of his favorite beings, even the fictitious crux, was present in his improved form. Kneeling within the well, he lowered his head into a respectful posture. "I do, my lady. Thank you for your generosity."
      
       In a gentle movement, she motioned for him to stand. "Now go. Join your kin and find your home amongst the trees. Venture not into the realm of man, for you are no longer of their kind. You are now Chimera and one with the wood. Take your new title as your name and live to serve."
      
       Stepping from the glowing fountain, he moved to the edge of the clearing, turning only to say, "Yes, my queen. I will never forget your kindness."
      
       Like many before him, he was lost to the woodlands. Coheed was never heard from again, just another missing persons report on the stack. The chimera, however, lived a full life in the midst of friends. He never broke his vow, an eager and happy addition to the other man-beasts within the forest of the fae.