(Edmunds POV)

From a distance the castle had an odd feel to it, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but up close it was even more unsettling. Each wall of the white fortress climbed up so high that they seemed to mix with the swirling clouds above. From our position on the trail I could just make out a few vines that seemed to encircle everything, stretching across a few windows, closely resembling bars. 

We walked in a thick silence, my hand tightening its grip on Emmys as we got closer. There was no one in sight, not even any animals, at least none that were making their presence known. I glanced back at Peter, noticing that he had unconsciously placed his hand on the handle of his sword in case he needed it suddenly, something that I had been contemplating. 

"Where is everyone?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence and making us all jump a bit.

"Im not sure Lu." Susan replied quietly, wrapping her arm around our little sister. 

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Trumpkin mumbled, making me nod in agreement.

Everything around us, every flower and tree, seemed so colorful and vivacious that there was absolutely no way something sinister wasnt lurking behind it all. A shiver ran down my spine as we walked causing me to shake my head, brushing it off until the feeling of unseen eyes following us was too much to bare. 

I stopped mid step, spinning around, shushing Peter as he questioned my actions. I strained my ears, finally hearing a crunch in the cornfield to the right. Everyone else must have heard it too as they all turned to face the noise. I nodded to Peter and Caspian as we all with drew our swords slowly, approaching the sound with Peter in front. 

He made sure we were covering him before reaching out a hesitant hand to pull back a few stalks of corn. Just when his hand was inches from the stalks a shaky voice called out, "P-Please, I-I mean you no har-harm."

We all took a few steps back, preparing for the worst as a white glove covered hand reached out slowly, clearing a small path, followed by a leg and then finally, a man stepped out. He wore dark colored pants that were torn at the bottom, ending just before reaching his feet, one that was covered in a black boot and one that was not a foot at all but rather a large paw. 

I trailed my eyes up his body, realizing that he also had one hand and one paw sticking out from underneath a tattered blue shirt. A bit of a nasty scar was showing on his chest, seemingly holding together skin and fur. The scar reached up the side of his neck, ending underneath his chin that was a light brown color. His face, for the most part, looked like a normal humans with high cheek bones and bright blue eyes, all except for his chin, mouth, and nose which resembled that of a monkeys. The blonde hair that fell in his eyes did little to cover up the fear that resided in them, his lips trembling along with his hands. 

"What- what are you?" Maggie breathed, leaning into Peter for comfort. I felt Emmy grip my arm with both hands as the man in front of us lifted his head more, giving us a better view of his face.

A shaky breath passed his lips before he spoke the most bone chilling words I'd ever heard. "H-her experiment."