Chapter Text
It was a misty, spring night in Gravesfield, Connecticut. All was quiet and under the streetlights, there was a cloaked figure dressed in black. They reached into their black cloak and pulled out a reed flute. The person put the flute to their lips and played a tune that caused all the lights on the street to go dark, all except one. For what was about to happen required as much shadow cover as there could be to obtain.
Suddenly, the figure heard a rustling sound from some nearby bushes.
"I had a feeling you would be here, Darius." they said to the bushes.
From the brush, a dark-skinned man [Darius] emerged. He also wore a black cloak and matching clothes, with the exception of his white gloves. The man removed his hood to reveal a mullet of purple goo for hair and elfin ears.
"Nice to see you too, Raine." Darius replied with a smirk as the other person pulled their hood down.
Raine also had pointy ears like an elf, glasses, and sea green hair.
They may have elfin ears, but make no mistake. These two were witches. And powerful ones, at that.
"We're playing a dangerous game here, Whispers." Darius conveyed to his friend. "Are you sure no one was following us?"
"As far as I know, those on the other side are none the wiser." Raine answered.
"And what of the boy?" the former inquired.
"Eda's bringing him." the non-binary witch replied. "She should be along any second."
"Do you really think we can trust the Owl Lady with something this important?"
"Darius, I would trust Eda with my life."
Suddenly, the two witches looked up to a woman (presumably Eda) flying towards them on a staff with an owl attached to it. She wore a brick red dress and burgundy cloak with an owl-shaped clasp. In one of her arms, she was carrying a small bundle protectively. As soon as she landed, Eda dismounted from the staff and removed her cloak hood. She had a messy bob of red hair and, of course, pointy ears.
"How's it going, Raine? Darius?" Eda greeted the other witches.
"Is the baby okay?" Raine asked quickly.
"Yeah, he's been out like a light ever since you put him under that musical sleep spell." the redhead responded with a wink, handing them the tiny bundle. "Here you go."
The baby was barely a day old. He had fair skin, elfin ears, and platinum blonde hair. Unfortunately, the newborn also had a scar on his right cheek and a notch on his left ear that were still healing. This poor child had been through so much in his first hours of life that the grown-ups hoped he would never have to remember.
Just then, a trickle of raindrops began to fall from above which quickly escalated into a full-on downpour. The three witches quickly pulled their cloak hoods back over their heads. Raine held the baby boy close to their chest to keep him dry as humanly possible. Even though the rain in our world was safe to witchkind, the trio didn't want to risk their precious cargo falling ill. So they jogged through the precipitation to the only house with a streetlight on.
"Ugh, of all the times to get caught on the rain." Darius complained.
"Hey, count yourself lucky that it won't scold the skin off your bones." Eda told him.
Finally, the witches arrived at the front porch steps of the house that was picked for the baby boy to grow up in. He would also have a pair of parents to love him as he deserved to be.
"Well, this is it." Raine sighed in anticipation.
"Not to question your judgment, Whispers, but do you really think we should be leaving the boy with humans we don't even know?" Darius asked.
"It's the right thing to do, Darius." the non-binary witch responded. "Our world is just not safe for him. Besides, I've watched this couple all day. They're good people."
"Well, if you think it's the right call, then so do I." Eda supported them, Darius curtly nodding in agreement.
So with that, Raine set the baby down on the dry, dimly lit porch.
"This isn't goodbye, kid." the redhead witch promised. "Just know that."
She gently ran her hand through the infant's soft hair, her manicured nails gliding past his blonde locks. Out of the corner of her eye, Eda could see that Darius was almost on the verge of tears.
"Are you crying, Darius?" she lightly teased him.
"No! Some raindrops just got in my eyes!" the male witch denied, trying not to raise his voice.
Darius then pulled out an envelope out of his cloak and set atop of the sleeping child's blanket. It was addressed to Manuel (or Manny, for short) and Camelia Noceda, explained everything they needed to about raising the boy. Afterwards, Raine knocked on the front door and the three witches sprinted off, vanishing into the shadows.
The Noceda couple answered the door and found the infant boy asleep at their doorstep. And Raine was right. These two humans were not judgemental in any way and happily accepted the baby as their own. The three witches were spying on them discretely from a hedge across the street in relief. Any doubts prior were gone in a heartbeat.
"Good luck... Hunter Noceda." Raine wished the little boy.