STOP: This chapter is full on psychological horror, if you do not want to read this chapter, but still want to continue in the story, I have provided a summary in the post-chapter notes.

  Ogres, like all of the humanoid species, are not born with a name. But, unlike their counterparts, humans, elves, dwarves, and so on, ogres must earn theirs. The child was still too young to properly earn its name. He is the youngest in his family, and beloved by all. The baby, though only in title and affection.

  The child loved his family. His many siblings who played with him, his heroic older brothers who worked to provide for the family, and, above all, his mother. All ogres love their mother unconditionally. It is a core tenant of ogrishness.

  One day, his eldest brother, Hog, came home with half a deer. The child was being held by his mother. He sunk into her, nestled gently by the myriad of fat folds and layer upon layer of scented clothing. This was where the child was most happy, in the warmth of her hugs.

  “Mother! I am home!” He called into the large cave. They did indeed live in a cave, but not a wet and cramped place. This cave had proper walls, rugs, fireplaces, and many rooms. It was a home as inviting as any other.

  His mother lumbered to the entrance. She looked down at her eldest son, a massive ogre but still small compared to his mother. “Hog, my boy! Did you get us something nice to eat?”

  “I tried, mum. The goblins are starting to act mean. They said I can’t take my half. They told the same to Horn and Minnow.” He whined like a child telling on a schoolyard bully.

  Mother tutted. “There, there, it will be alright. Push through past winter and to spring. Then, there will be plenty for all.” He handed her half of a deer. She mumbled over it but did not complain. Her six oldest sons brought them food, and they had plenty to stock up through the winter. As long as they continued to support their family, which ogres always did. She set down her youngest child.

  “Hello, Hog!” He called up.

  “’ Ello, little bro! What have you been up to?” He reached down to pick him up.

  “Mum’s been teaching us our numbers. I can count to one hundred!”

  “Really! Wow, that’s amazing. Good job, little bro. Now scamper off, you get mum all to yourself when I’m gone. Let us chat a bit.”

  And so he did. The ogre child ran to the playroom, where eight of his siblings were playing. One had earned a name, his only sister, Fawn. He climbed onto her lap and told her of their brother's arrival. Then, he went to play with the others.

  This was the life of the ogre child. He was content, warm, and happy. Sometimes, he would be allowed to help Mother cook. Tender roasts, delicate breads, hearty stews, and the sweetest desserts. The kitchen was the pride of any ogre home, and they had the BEST one.

  Horn came home one day. But, he was not happy and had no food.

  “Minnow… is gone.” The child overheard. His older sister pulled him back, tears on her cheeks, so he didn’t hear the rest. Gone where? He hoped he would come back one day.

  The child was so happy, he didn’t notice the roasts had slowly become less tender. The bread was stale, and the deserts missing entirely.

  “Do you want me to go and find them, Mother?” Asked Fawn. Mother looked horrified.

  “And risk my only daughter! No… We must have faith that your brothers will come home.”

  “Mother, Horn has been missing for months, same with Hog. Minnow was killed by a human. I am worried… what if they-” Tears welled at the edges of her eyes.

  “Enough. I am worried too, but you are a daughter, not a son. You will grow your own family one day, we can’t risk you getting hurt.”

  The child was worried too. He missed Hog and the others. They promised to bring him treats.

  Weeks passed and the food became scarcer. Mother had broken into the jams and jars and pickled meats. The child did not like pickled meats. One day, the cave shook.

  “YOU WILL NOT LEAVE!” Screamed Mother.

  “I am going to find them! Or at least, bring back something to eat.”

  “It is winter! I forbid it.”

  “You can’t keep me here!”

  “I CAN AND I WILL, YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER.” The screams shook the child’s only world. He and his siblings began to cry. The next day, Fawn was gone.

  “Mum,” The child asked a day later, “Where’s Fawn? Is she coming back?” She looked at him with deep eyes. She had been crying. Her mouth was ringed in jam.

  “No. She left us. She left us to STARVE!” The look she gave him was the most frightening thing he had ever seen. He ran from her.

  Mother ate when she was upset. Now, he had yet to see her NOT eat. They reached further and further into the pantries to make their meals. Eventually, his Mother stopped giving him food.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The kitchen was a mess. Dishes scattered, filthy, and reeking, across the floors and surfaces. But, no vermin sought its treasures. It was the height of winter, and none could come in.

  The child found his mother one day staring at the exit to their cave. The wind howled. She was muttering to herself. Her hair was unkempt and greasy, her face and shirt covered in grime. Her clothes bulged. Despite the lack of quality food, she had grown larger. The child called for her, but she didn’t hear.

  His mother then ran, sprinting like a mad boar. Her frame slammed into the cave's mouth, but it could not pass. She had grown too large.

  The child and his siblings were no longer being fed. Days blurred together into erratic sleep or hunger. He had managed to find some things. Bits of cheese that rolled under the pantry shelves, a small sack of grain he munched on, and a jar of pickled onions. The child shared with his siblings as best he could.

  Then, silently, his siblings began to disappear.

  Mother’s mood improved. She laughed, but differently than before. And she cried less. Mother no longer held the children. She no longer wished them goodnight or taught them their lessons. She was a new thing, and it frightened the child.

  “My children, are you hungry?” She called one day. Her four children did not respond, they were scared of disappearing too. “Come, I made a beautiful stew! Plenty for us all.”

  None of the children moved. Mother had grown too large to reach their playpens.

  “Children, it’s going to get cold.” Her tone had flattened. Moments passed in silence. “CHILDREN!” She screamed. “Come out this INSTANT!” Her fury shook the cave once more.

  One of the child’s siblings decided to sneak away to search for food. There had to be some left. But, they never came back. That night, Mother sang to herself. The eldest of the siblings strayed too close the door. Like a viper, Mother’s large, gelatinous hand grabbed him by the ankle. He screamed as Mother dragged him away. Then, one day, the child was alone. His last brother was simply gone. Ran away or was caught. The child did not want to think about it.

  “Come here, baby. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” The sweet, motherly tone frightened the child more than any scream or mad gurgling. Day after day, he ignored her bribes, promises, and threats. He knew what would happen if he left.

  Strangely, he did not feel hungry. But, his mind was slow and his body cramped. He had lost the excess fat he had cultivated from over a decade of being the family's most spoiled child. Meanwhile, his mother had only fattened. His family was gone. While he still loved his mother, the child feared her. He was completely alone, for the first time in his life. With that realization, he decided to leave. It was that, starve, or go to his mother.

  He waited until she slept, listening for the snores. Then he crept from the safety of the children's play area. Pots and pans dangled from ropes through the halls. Traps to alert Mother. Like a fly avoiding a web, he snuck through the gaps.

  The kitchen was a disaster. Dried blood splattered the floor, the cleaver was rusted and stuck to the table, and it reeked of death. His mother slept there, on the floor. Perhaps she had grown too large for her own bed.

  He stared at her for a long time. She was not the woman he knew. His mother was soft and warm. This one looked bloated and sickly. Sores pocketed her skin. Her hair fell out in clumps. Her hygiene was severely neglected, a thing no ogre should do as a rule. Ogres had a reputation for uncleanliness and stench. This was not generally the case, it was just the ogre's body was much better at producing bodily waste than others.

  With silent tears running down his face, he headed for the closets. As quietly as he could, he rummaged through them until he found a coat, mittens, and boots that would fit him. Another pair of trousers too and an old handbag he stuffed with socks and undergarments. He knew it was cold, and the child was not a fool. By the time he was ready, his nerves had calmed.

  When the child found the door to the cave boarded over, his heart sank. Mother had locked them both in the cave. Why? The child did not know. What if Fawn had returned, only to find the cave boarded up? What if his brothers made it out? There was one other exit from the cave. The chimney. Maybe he could climb it?

  When he turned to go check, Mother was watching him with a hungry grin. “Hello, Dear.” She cooed at him. The child ran.

  Each of her footsteps sent a shockwave through the cave. He sprinted down a hallway, carelessly jangling alarm traps.

  “Don’t run, my baby boy. Everything is going to be fine!” Her voice was mismatched from her grotesque body. Rooms and passageways Mother could no longer fit down were also blocked off. The entire cave had become a trap to lure wayward children to the cauldron.

  When he found himself back in the kitchen, his mother was almost upon him. He dove under the table as her hand closed around his boot. Luckily, the boot was too large for him and it slid off.

  “Wouldn’t you like a bath? Come, clean yourself in the cauldron, Like I did when you were a babe.”

  The child ran madly. There was no plan, only panic and desperation. He was guided as much by the sense of loss than by fear. That thing was not his mother. If he let it take him, then his family will have disappeared. The child would never let that happen, the family is everything. The monster's wheezing breath behind him was growing louder with each breath. The cave seemed to groan under the effort of supporting her massive frame.

  He found himself back in the foyer. His mother was chasing him red-faced, her breath labored from the effort. She tried to say something, but couldn’t catch her breath.

  Desperately, the child tried to pry off the boards.

  But he was too slow, his mother was upon him.

  She slammed into him hands first, to grab him. He felt her grip him in both hands and was slammed against the door. Suddenly, he was crushed under a great weight. Then, something gave. With a crash, the door splintered open. The cold wind howled and bit the child, who was still held by his mother.

  He struggled, but couldn’t break her grasp. But, she did not take him back in. Mother was stuck. She had been caught past the shoulder on the door. She was struggling to free herself, but every movement only cemented her fate.

  Finally, she looked at the child with the hunger of a wolf. Her lips quivered and saliva began to melt the snow.

  The child looked her in the maddened eyes and, barely a whisper, begged. “Please don’t eat me, Mum.”

  For a moment, clarity washed through his mother's eyes. He recognized her, for a split second. In that same moment, his mother recognized what she was doing, and gasped. He fell to the ground.

  “I… I’m sorry… I’m just… so hun-” Her face was twisted with disgust and shame. Tears flooded every crevice of her face. It broke the child’s heart. For a moment, the child thought to hug her. To embrace his mother one last time. Instead, he backed away.

  His mother snarled and her eyes glazed over. The monster had returned. She clawed at him, desperately reaching for the child as he crawled further and further away.

  Her demands that he return eventually faded away as he ran into a snow engulfed forest. When he could no longer hear her wail, he fell to his knees. The ogre child cried.

  Ogre

  True Name: [None]

  Soul: Mortal

  Genseed: Ogre

  [Class] Level: 4

  Attributes (0/3):

  Strength: 8

  Dexterity: 5

  Constitution: 8

  Intelligence: 7

  Will: 6

  Charm: 6

  Feats:

  Knowledge: System Knowledge

  Act: Vile Concoction

  Skills (3/3):

  System Aptitude: 1

  Biotraits (0/0):

  Disease Resistance [Source: Vile Concoction]

  An ogre child enjoys a cozy family life, with siblings galore and a warm, doting mother. As winter strikes, food runs short and the older brothers vanish while hunting. Slowly, the mother’s hunger festers until she goes completely off the rails, devouring her own children. The once-loving ogre child finds himself alone, starving, and terrified of his warped mother. In a final, desperate bid, he flees the cave, leaving behind the mother who’s become a monstrous shell of her former self.