For pride month, I put together this wholesome little minicomic with an added short story -- it features two of my favorite TCotC characters, Qebehsenuef and Pamu/Setesh! Qeb is pansexual, Pamu/Setesh is homosexual, and the two of them eventually get together in TCotC's sequel (oh yeah, you bet your ass I planned that far ahead).

Qeb is one of the four sons of Horus (technically the eldest... by two minutes), protector of the intestines (one of the body's sacred organs and "the victim of poison" in ancient Egyptian culture) and his name translates to "he who refreshes/rejuvenates his brothers." He's associated with water, water lilies, and embalming oil; because of his name and all those attributes, I really like the idea of Qeb being a more soothing character -- you know, in the sense of helping lessen the burn of poison, helping calm others down, encouraging others when they're down on their luck, etc.

Pamu/Setesh is one of the main characters in TCotC -- if you don't know much about him already, the poor guy struggles a lot with self-worth and self-hatred, has a full-blown identity crisis halfway through the story (hence the two different names; the name "Setesh" is quite literally just another way of saying Set's name, effectively making it the equivalent of calling him "Set II" or "Set Jr."), and has a lot of trauma weighing him down. The strange, skeletal beast form he takes here is a physical manifestation of his mental state -- he feels like an ugly, disgusting monster... So he looks like one. But looks aren't everything, are they?

Essentially, Qebehsenuef decides to stay with distorted Pamu/Setesh until he feels better. Cuteness all around, you know?

I love these two boys with all my heart and really wanted to do something special with them, so I hope you enjoy!

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The forest ahead of him was dark -- dizzyingly dark. Qebehsenuef still wasn't quite used to the woods, the cold temperatures, or the sheer darkness here in the mortal realm; the desert could be cold and dark at night, but at least it would brighten and warm up again during the day -- the branches of this forest blotted out most of the sun's light even during the brightest parts of the day!

Of course, the young falcon wasn't too concerned about the darkness or cold; he was more focused on finding what was in the darkness. He was looking for someone.

Qebehsenuef lifted his wings and cupped his hands around his beak in an attempt to amplify his voice--

"Setesh, I know you're out there!" he called out. The young god remained silent for a few moments, straining his ears to listen for a response; when none came, he dropped his hands and furrowed his brow. He could feel Setesh's presence nearby, so the falcon knew he was there... Somewhere. His eyes were keen, but even Qebehsenuef couldn't see in pitch blackness -- he could have been standing right in front of Setesh, yet he still wouldn't have been able to see the dark deity.

"...Are you trying to sneak up on me-?" Qeb tried again, scanning the tree line for any shapes or signs that might indicate someone was standing there. He knew Setesh liked to play around from time to time -- perhaps the dark deity was just trying to surprise him-?

The "presence" Qebehsenuef felt wasn't moving around, though -- it seemed... Still. It was a little faint, too, like the light from a candle about to flicker out. That wasn't normal.

"...Crap," the young falcon sighed. Even if Setesh was just fooling around, Qeb wanted to make sure he was okay.

He stepped underneath the shadow of the trees, then put his hands together -- the falcon wasn't the greatest at casting magic yet, but he did remember a spell that would at least give him a little of light. Qeb rubbed his hands back and forth across one another like he was trying to warm them up, then blew into them as if he was trying to start a fire; after a few moments, a small glow the size and intensity of a firefly's bulb came to life in his hands. Its light was tinged cyan-blue with the young falcon's magic, but it was bright enough that the center appeared white in color. Qebehsenuef sent this small light forward and into the blackness -- he hoped it would at least keep him from walking into a tree.

Qeb didn't have to go very far -- he had taken only five or six steps into the darkness before he caught sight of a second light source. It was far dimmer than his own light, but it was still bright enough to pierce through the shadowy undergrowth: it was a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

As soon as Qebehsenuef met the dark creature's gaze, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Setesh! There you are," he exclaimed. A small smile crept up his beak, though it faded just a little as he noticed that the dark deity was trying to avert his eyes. Setesh shied away from the firefly-like light source Qebehsenuef had created, and he offered no words of greeting -- just a small whimper. This was enough to confuse Qebehsenuef, and the falcon felt his stomach lurch with worry.

"...Uh...? Are you okay-?" he dared to ask, stepping closer. He took his light with him, catching the dark deity by surprise--

It was then that Qeb saw it. Instead of that familiar feline face, the light revealed a fleshless skull.

Qebehsenuef couldn't help but let out a squeak of surprise, though he quickly cupped a hand over his mouth in a futile attempt to silence himself. The creature in front of him noticeably flinched at the noise, and there was another whimper that was even more melancholy than the first. Qeb felt a pang of guilt, and he withheld a wince; the energy signature of the creature in front of him was Setesh's -- there was no doubt about it... Even if he was sporting a wildly different appearance.

As the falcon leaned closer, he could see that Setesh's face wasn't the only thing changed by this strange affliction -- the beast's entire body was disproportionate, gaunt, and tinged with decay... It was like his boy was falling apart at the seams.

"I-I'm-- I'm sorry, I-- What happened to you?" the falcon tried. He was desperate to try and salvage his attempt to make conversation with the distorted creature -- he was already aware that his initial reaction had upset Setesh even more.

The poor creature made some kind of strained wheeze, then just bowed his head and whimpered again...

"...What-?" Qebehsenuef winced, furrowing his brow. He didn't understand -- did Setesh not want to tell him?

.
.
.

Setesh just shook his head, and he kept staring at the ground instead of meeting the falcon's gaze.

"...Can you... Not speak?" the falcon realized.

The gaunt creature gave a small nod, and its ears drooped.

Qebehsenuef didn't know how to respond to that. He felt something like horror, or sadness, or anguish strike through him like a lightning bolt, and he couldn't determine which one it was. Why couldn't Setesh speak-? Was it because of how much his form had been twisted? What had done this to him-?

"Setesh, I'm so sorry..." Qeb murmured. He didn't know what else he could say.

The falcon attempted to reach out to the poor beast in front of him, but Setesh flinched away.

"It's okay-! It's okay," the young god assured, raising both hands up. "Please-- Don't be scared. I just want to help you."

He attempted again to reach out to Setesh, and this time -- though the beast was clearly very hesitant -- Qebehsenuef was able to place a hand on that fleshless face. Slowly, Qebehsenuef could feel the tension in the distorted creature's body lessen, and the beast leaned his head into the falcon's hand. Qeb gave him a faint smile.

"See...? It's okay. I'll stay with you. We'll figure it out, don't worry."