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It all happened in a flash. Quite literally.
The main living room of the Owl House was filled with strange yellow light blinding everything in its radiance. And from it, two children appear.
The spell worked. It was able to return Luz and Hunter from the bowels of the Emperor’s mind. But at what cost?
King and Hooty were ready to charge and check on the both of them when…
“Don’t crowd them!“
Eda shielded the two demons away from the others. Just seeing two young children escape from the mind of a tyrant by a hair, the Owl Lady knew they needed some space.
“Are you two okay?” The older witch asked incredibly gently.
The thousand yard stare on Luz’s face pretty much answered Eda’s question. Hunter on the other hand was a whole other form of shock.
Flapjack fluttered to Hunter, unbelievably relieved and excited to see their owner. Hunter looked around the room. Then up to his Palisman.
The epiphany hit him almost immediately.
Belos would soon to realize the human and his most trusted guard were both inside his mind. And at the same time, Hunter knew everything now. He knew about who Belos truly was. He knew the true colors of the man.
And everything, absolutely every promise Emperor Belos relaid to his “nephew”, promises of being important to the Titan and even their mission to help protect their family….
every last of them was a lie.
Hunter was a traitor now. A traitor who knew too much.
“He knows…” were the first words spoken by the shell-shocked teen.
“He-He knows we were in there. I-I can’t….I can’t go back.”
Then came the heaving breathing. It was like every part of Hunter’s brain was shut off. His mind was swirling.
“Kid, breathe.”
Eda could recognize a panic attack anywhere. Slowly she leaned herself towards the boy, offering him a literal helping hand to ease him.
But Hunter was scared. So scared. His labored breathing and squirming intrusive thoughts got to the better of him, making the poor witch lunge back.
His cape was killing him. It felt so tight and suffocating.
And a reminder…of HIM.
In a panic, Hunter violently tore the cape off of him.
The cape fell onto the floor dejected as Hunter immediately slammed the door of the Owl House open and ran out into the woods, sounding close to tears as he ran. Flapjack was close behind.
“H-Hunter!!” Luz, regaining some composure, ran out the door as well.
The boy was long gone the moment the young human exited the house. She frantically paced back and forth as the other residents were in the door frame.
“What…happened in there?” King asked.
“Luz, what did you see?” Eda added on, reaching a hand out.
Luz looked back and forth from her small witch family, to the woods surrounding the house. Clearly the Human was conflicted.
“I-I have to go find Hunter!”
Before she could continue the chase, Eda firmly held onto Luz’s wrist.
“Stop, Luz,” Eda said with slight panic in her voice. “I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to check on ‘im-“
“N-No! Eda!”
Luz yanked her wrist out of Eda’s hand.
“I-I just…I just wanna make sure Hunter’s okay!”
Eda looked into the girl’s eyes. Tears were building up.
She didn’t love the idea of running after an emotionally distraught teenager. But Luz’s heart was so full of concern Eda feared it’d pop if she couldn’t at least see Hunter for a second.
The older witch had no choice but to surrender.
“Okay…”
Eda backed up.
“But don’t get up in his face and stuff! Be gentle.”
From what happened in the Emperor’s mind, it was definitely for the best to be delicate with Hunter. Both kids were terrified, but Hunter most of all.
Luz nodded with no hesitation.
“I’ll be back! Don’t worry about me!”
Luz turned heel and hightailed into the same direction Hunter ran in. The trio watched as Luz disappeared into the shrubbery.
But just when the human was out of ear range, Eda had other plans.
She turned to the two demons. “King, Hooty. Do me a favor and clean up th’ house in case both kids come back.”
“Can do!”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
“Good,” Eda quickly ran inside to grab her old cloak.
“I’m gonna follow Luz to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. I’ll be back.”
And with that, Eda was gone.
🌟🌟🌟
Luz felt like she was running forever. The shrubbery of the surrounding forest felt so tight. Thorny branches tagged the human’s bruised skin, leaving behind tiny cuts.
“Hunter!” The human called out. “Hunter, where are you?!”
Nothing.
“Hunter please!!” Luz called again. “Give me a sign that you’re out here-“
Suddenly, Luz felt her foot hit a thick root and she found herself tumbling down a small hill. She finally stopped after a short fall, her hair covered in broken twigs and dust.
She coughed hardly. “Ow…not again.”
After getting back onto her feet, Luz dusted off any twigs or dirt and continued.
Thankfully for her, this part of the first was a lot more wide open. The light of the moon seeped into the forest, illuminating the ground like it was guiding Luz. She decided to follow.
A loud metallic crunch echoed through the still air. The young human yelped and leapt back. Down on the ground, she noticed, was a gold-colored slap of metal.
A pauldron. It looked exactly like the one on Hunter’s armor.
Luz continued down the path and came across another piece of armor. And then another one. And yet another one after that. A pauldron, a legging, the chest plate.
The young human kept following the moonlit road until she stopped at the sound of a voice.
Luz finally came across the poor runaway Golden Guard. Stripped off his armor, Hunter was on the ground in the undergarments Luz recognized from Latissa.
He was sobbing. Profusely. The boy was on the ground in a heap of tears and incomprehensible strings of words.
“Stupid stupid STUPID!!” Luz could hear Hunter growl to himself.
“W-Why did I ever believe him?! It was-it was all lies!! LIES!”
The boy didn’t look to be in the best of mind. Hunter felt all of his senses melt into mush. He felt so dumb, so spiteful towards himself.
He began to pull, no, YANK, at his hair in attempt to ground himself. Hunter desperately wanted to feel something, anything. Anything to get his mind away from those swirling thoughts about Belos, about the previous guards.
The little cardinal Flapjack tried their hardest to peck and pry Hunter’s hands away from his scalp. But the young witch was too caught up in his loathing that he could barely feel the beak prodding his fingers.
Okay. The boy was REALLY not in the best of mind.
Luz felt like it was her turn to intervene.
“Hunter! Stop doing that!!” The human said, stumbling down. “You’re hurting yourself!!”
Hunter made a wounded noise, prompting Luz to step back. Obviously yelling at him will not solve anything.
The human recalled what Eda said: Be gentle.
Luz didn’t really have any other options. She slowly approached the older panicking witch, not too quickly to startle him even more.
“Hunter.” She began incredibly softly. “Look at me.”
Hunter didn’t seem to budge. His fingers dug deep into his scalp.
“Hunter. Look at me. Please.” Luz’s tone became increasingly desperate.
Somehow they seemed to do the trick. Hunter let his hands shakily fall down to the ground and he looked up. In his eyes were eyes wide with raw fear.
The panic attack was a doozy, but Luz had a feeling she could help him.
“Can I…can I touch your hands?” Luz asked delicately.
Hunter looked to his palisman, still panting. The bird seemed to give him an answer judging by their erratic wing flapping. After the tiny exchange, Hunter nodded and held out his arms. Luz held onto them firmly.
“Th-Thank you…” Luz exhaled. “N-Now…please, please follow my breaths, okay?”
Hunter swallowed and nodded.
He watched as Luz took a big breath in, held it for several second and released. Hunter struggled a lot to keep his composure as he did the breathing exercises.
“It’s okay. J-just do a couple.” Luz sounded so close to tears herself.
After a little bit of trial and error, Hunter was able to get some good steady breathing in. The panic attack slowly fizzled as the moments went on until finally it finally was bearable enough to think clearly.
“Good job.” Luz congratulated the older boy.
“How do you feel?”
How did he feel? How did he FEEL?!
Something as innocent as an “are you alright” seemed to snap something inside of Hunter. Because after the question, Hunter burst into tears once again. But this time, right in front of Luz.
The witch didn’t even realize that upon breaking down, he lunged his head into the human’s chest, sobbing.
And that set off something in Luz. The young girl enveloped the taller boy into her arms, her lip quivering before she succumbed to her own sobs.
The both of them really thought some breathing would help make the pain go away. But here they were. Two emotionally vulnerable teenagers huddled under a tree bawling their eyes out.
“Th-This is all my fault!” Hunter exclaimed exasperatedly.
“I-If I just stayed at the castle, d-did as I was TOLD, I would’ve never had to-….to SEE ALL THAT!”
“What??” Luz gasped. “No! No that’s not right!!”
Hunter scowled at the human through his tears. “I don’t-“
“Listen. Belos is a slimy, horrible DISGUSTING man! W-What he did was awful!! He should’ve never done those things!! Ever!!!”
Hunter had not seen Luz this angry in a very long time.
“I-I still should n-not have followed you o-or agreed to go with you! You-“
“I don’t care.” Luz interrupted, sniffling. “Seen the memories or not, Belos was NOT in the right with anything he did to the Isles, let alone to you. He HURT you, Hunter!”
That stung. For the longest time, Hunter was conditioned to believe every hit or punishment inflicted by his “uncle” was deserving. Always being told to speak when spoken or just to follow orders when commanded of him.
But now, Hunter didn’t know what to think. Belos hurt him, badly. But some deep little part of him clung to the fantasy of who he thought Belos was.
“I-I…I should’ve seen the red flags….”
Hunter once again flopped back into Luz’s trembling embrace. His sobs - albeit quieter - picked up once again.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I’m so s-sorry.”
Luz wrapped herself around him tighter, her chin resting in his dirty hair. She sniffled.
“It’s not your fault.” She tiredly said.
Hunter sniffled. “It’s…not yours either.”
Hunter was genuinely honest.
“…what?” Luz pulled back from the hug, wiping her tears away.
“You think it’s your fault. But no. It’s not.”
Hunter argued. Or at least, an attempted argument.
“No! Y-You don’t understand!” Luz retorted.
“I showed Phillip the glyphs! I-I showed him the way to the Collector! A-And now I’m the reason everyone’s gonna be in danger! I should’ve never looked for the author!”
Luz banged her fist against Hunter’s chest. “WHY WAS I SO DESPERATE ON FINDING MY WAY HOME?!”
This time, Luz sunk down into Hunter’s grasp, heaving with breaths of guilt.
Hunter felt like he should be mad at Luz. For saying she gave Belos the resources to conquer the Isles in the future…present? But then again, Belos - or Phillip, as Luz referred to him - probably would’ve done all these bad things anyways, with or without Luz’s assistance.
Besides, from the paintings Hunter could vaguely remember inside Phillip’s mind, Phillip always seemed to be unhinged and cowardly. Luz may have caused a huge doomsday event, but in the end, Hunter knew she didn’t mean to.
Luz was just a kid. A stupid one, but one regardless. And while he’s upset, Hunter can’t blame her.
“…Y’know what?” Hunter spoke - Flapjack finally rested onto his shoulder. “I’m…I’m not mad.”
Luz perked up. “You? Not mad at ME? Who are you?”
Luz attempted to lighten up the mood but it fell a bit flat.
“I…I feel you. I felt like a burden. Responsible for my own misdeeds, or anyone else’s. And…And I’m sure y-you feel the same way.”
Luz nodded sadly, sniffling again.
“I’m not…uh I mean I AM upset…” Hunter let out a tiny laugh. “But I know you’d…never do bad stuff on purpose. …Right?”
“N-No! O-Of course not!” Luz yelped.
Hunter smiled. “Okay…”
Hunter felt exhaustion wash over him as he let his body slide down into the floor and out of the hug. Flapjack laid down on top of Hunter’s chest. Luz decided to follow suit and collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
The two teenagers, recovering from their meltdowns, laid down on the dirt floor for a few good moments. The moon glistened and a brisk wind rustled the tops of the trees. It was quite peaceful. A huge contrast to the desolate hell show that was Belos’ mindscape.
Then Hunter spoke.
“What am I gonna do?”
Luz opened her eyes. “Hm?”
“Wh-What do I do from here?” Hunter muttered again. “Where do I go? Who could I really trust?? I-I really don’t want to…to go back.”
Luz sat up. “Well. You’re right. You can’t go back to the castle.”
Hunter sat up as well, bringing his knees up to his chest. Flapjack flew out of the way to land on his shoulder again.
“Then where? Where do I go from here??? How can I possibly invade the Emperor now that he knows I’M a traitor and was with YOU?”
“Go to Willow’s house, go to Gus’ house. Anywhere you want.” Luz responded.
“I meant it back there when I said you can stay with us. It’d be nice to have another teenager in the house for a change.”
“W-Wouldn’t that be a place Belos would expect to find us?” Hunter asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Maybe.” Luz fondled with her hair. “But from past excursions, Hooty could hold his own against Belos’ forces.”
Hunter cringed. “Ugh, that wooden owl worm is the stuff of nightmares. How could anyone POSSIBLY want to fight that??”
“Exactly.”
The human winks.
Hunter smirked. It was nice to feel semi-calm once more. But the choice to find a new place for shelter, to call home was still in his head.
However, before he could really pinpoint a good place to rest up, both teenagers hear a loud snap of a twig from above them. Still terrified, both witches arm themselves for whoever could be lurking.
“Sh-Show yourself!!” Hunter exclaimed.
“Whoa whoa whoa! It’s okay!!” The voice called.
Eda. Eda followed them.
Both teenagers seemed to unravel a bit at the sound of the familiar voice. Through the foliage, Eda pushed by the leaves and revealed herself.
“It’s only me.” She said in a reassuring voice. “Are you two-“
Upon a better look, Eda saw both witches huddled against each other, eyes etched with red bags. It was completely out of character for both of them to be super close like this. But given the circumstances, nothing really had to make sense.
Eda’s ears drooped from the state she saw these kids. “Aw, Titan.”
Eda crawled down to meet Luz and Hunter who were still on edge. They have every right to be, the Owl Lady thought to herself.
“You two okay? No branches snagged ya or anything like that?“
“We-We’re fine…physically at least.” Luz admitted.
Hunter shrugged. He wasn’t much of a talker towards someone like Eda, especially since he’s no longer in charge to apprehend her.
“Okay good. That’s…one thing solved.” Eda sighed.
The three of them sat there on the dirt floor for a solid awkward minute.
“Are…are you okay with me touching either of you orOH WOW OKAY!!!“
Eda was forcibly interrupted by the sheer force of her kid Luz lunging into her and wrapping her arms around the Owl Lady’s waist. Well, that was a clear sign that Luz needed to be held BADLY.
The owl lady tenderly wrapped her own arms around Luz’s tiny frame. The poor kid was always physically affectionate, but this time Luz’s quick action was appropriate.
“Don’t worry, Luz, I gotcha,” Eda whispered.
Hunter, meanwhile, stood by in discomfort. This lady was someone he tried to kill numerous times. So it felt weird to even attempt to get comfort from her.
Eda noticed the kid’s uncomfortable expression so she decided to beckon him over somehow.
“‘s okay, Hunter.” Eda tried to convince the boy. “I’m not gonna…I won’t hurt ya.”
Even with the positive reassurance, Hunter still felt on edge. But even through his discomfort, Hunter was able to will himself to get at least a a few feet closer to the Owl Lady and her Human kid.
Baby steps. Just baby steps.
Luz eventually let go, showing the pure exhaustion written all over her face. Eda felt like it was time to go home.
“Look. It’s getting close to midnight. Why don’t you both come back for the night?” Eda suggested.
Hunter looked amongst the three individuals with him. The events tonight were too much on his tired mind. He really needed some help and a place to rest, at least for now.
“Yeah, s-sure…” Hunter agreed uneasily.
Eda nodded. And up they all went.
Back the way they came, the three witches and even the little cardinal stayed quiet. Hunter noticed that the human was right beside her, grasping onto her hand like a little child. And the Owl Lady allowed it.
Was it normal for Hunter to feel jealous? He felt rather ungrateful for being so jealous over a simple little hand hold. It also felt weird that a CRIMINAL of all witches could be so gentle towards a child.
The Owl Lady must’ve fallen hard for that adorably ignorant human.
Before Hunter could say anything, Eda decided to throw in her two cents.
“Look, I know you’re not fond of th’ whole living with a criminal and her rag-tag family of misfits thing-“
“I…never was gonna say that,” Hunter groaned.
Unfortunately, it seems the boy’s comment fell on deaf ears.
“Well one thing’s for sure, kid, is that you’re NOT going back to that castle.”
Eda turned her head to eye Hunter down. “You understand me?”
Hunter hesitated a bit before nodding. Even when she’s calm the Owl Lady was fierce.
The older witch smiled. “‘Atta boy!”
At last, the gang finally arrived back to the Owl House. Inside Eda was happily surprised to see the living room all picked up and cleaned. There were even comfy pillows and flannel blankets on the seats for the guests to sleep on.
Luz wasted no time getting inside. “Hello, loveseat. Don’t mind if I do…”
It seemed the Human already claimed her resting place for the night.
Hunter began entering the house before he turned to the Owl Lady.
“Hey, um, thanks for…allowing me to stay, Owl Lady,” he said.
The Owl Lady scoffed. “Oh please. None of the formal stuff, kiddo. Just call me Eda, ‘kay?”
Calling the Owl Lady by her real name will need some getting used to. But Hunter was determined to make it right.
“Okay…Eda.” Hunter calling Eda her real name made the older witch grin.
“The couch is all yours, bud.” Eda said while pointing.
Hunter made his way to the couch to which he sinks comfortably into it. When was the last time his old bed in the castle was THIS comfy?
From the corner of his eye, the boy saw Eda walk into the kitchen with a Raven phone in hand.
“What are you doing?“ he asked, getting some covers over him.
“Oh, just…making an important call,” Eda answered.
Hunter smirked. “You’re a strange lady, Eda.”
“Heh. I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Owl Lady snorted.
Eda badly needed some back up for the situation and fast. She’s capable but in need of a little assistance.
And she knew exactly who to call.
🌟🌟🌟
It was way about midnight now. Hunter and Luz were fast asleep on their respective seats in the living room. And Eda was bone tired. She was teetering on the edge of sleep but had to stay awake. For the sake of the children.
And luckily, she won’t be alone for long.
The door to the Owl House quietly creaked open and in entered Lilith Clawthorne, still in her sleep wear.
Eda smiled. “Evening, Lily.”
Eda’s older sister blinked. “Would you care to tell me why you called me to come here around midnight?”
Lilith scanned the room. And that’s when she saw Hunter, his head propped up in Eda’s lap.
That was…no, it couldn’t be.
“Edalyn.”
“It’s a very long story!” Eda gestured to the kids. “And a very long story best told in the morning.”
Lily sighed. “Fine.”
The older witch sat down and looked at both of the kids.
“They look utterly exhausted. Are you sure it’d be best to wait ‘til morning?”
“Yeah,” Eda rubbed her arm. “I can’t give anything away right now, but these two were put through th’ ringer today. ‘specially Goldilocks here.”
Lilith looked down at Hunter, peacefully deep breathing while snuggling Flapjack gently. The sight was heart breaking.
“Okay. I might as well get comfy here, too.” Lilith shrugged and found a stray mattress to lay her tired body on.
Eda did the same, carefully getting Hunter’s head off her lap so she could lay next to her sister. The Clawthorne sisters laid on the lumpy mattress for what seemed like hours in silence.
“The next time I see Belos, I’m gonna tear him limb from limb ‘til he looks like a puddle of sludge.”
Eda was fuming.
Lilith made a small amused noise.
“Good. And I’ll help.”