Chapter Text
"Yeah, sure," Gus said playfully as they walked along the path.
"Yes!! Seriously! Vee, isn't it true!" Hunter said in a childish tone.
"Look, I've known Hunter for a long time, and what he says is very likely," Vee tried to reassure him.
"Honestly, with how smart Hunter is, I believe he knows the whole forest, it's logical..." Camila said, smiling.
"Aww, Camilaaaa."
After several months of helping Hunter overcome everything, which wasn't fully achieved but was in progress, Camila noticed certain things... Like how Hunter gets a little silly with compliments; he doesn't want to ruin his "good mood," but it's probably because the poor guy isn't used to being flattered. It also turns out that Vee met Hunter when he was the Golden Guardian, I think that's what it was called...
That about Vee was very helpful, since she was able to witness abuses by the Belos.
Besides, Hunter helped her.
Camila knew that when Hunter was the Shining Guard, or whatever he was called, everyone had a certain respect for him, according to Luz and Vee, but the perspective of two traumatized girls isn't exactly reliable...
For a second, Camila turned to see how Luz was doing. Now that she saw her, she realized she was doing quite well; she was holding hands with Amity, and both of them were blushing, especially poor Amity.
She also looked at Willow, who was just enjoying her red weed and ignoring the conversation.
Camila was also very happy that Hunter called her Camila, even though she already saw him as her son. At first, he called her "ma'am" or "Mrs. Camila," and during Hunter's bad moments of post-traumatic stress... he called her "uncle."
"It's not that strange to learn a whole forest, is it?" Camila continued.
"You underestimate how big this is, few people know it well..." Gus continued.
"If you know it so well, come on. What's nearby?"
"Actually, I should warn you about this, umm, a while ago there were some temporary pools here... do you know what they are?" Hunter asked.
"I do, I was in one," Luz said, now interested in the conversation.
"Well, when I was very little I found some here, and we used to walk here with the guards, since some of them always got lost... and... I'd rather not talk about it... Anyway, the point is we should be careful with it. If we fall, we could end up somewhere else and not be able to find them. Even though I know more or less where they are, even I could get lost..."
"Well, it's a good thing you warned us," Amity replied.
~Two hours later~
"Guys! Don't you notice something strange?!"
Willow half-shouted. The last thing Willow heard was the sound of Arenat falling after stepping on a really soft patch of ground. She heard a few more screams and fell to the ground, but it was different. It was the color of...
"Two years ago!" she said without thinking. She could recognize the grass every day if she started investigating...
"What?!" "This grass is the same as two years ago. We've fallen, haven't we?" In those things...
-Sometimes your specificity scares me, Willow. What do you mean by that?
-THE POOLS! - Luz shouted -
Camila asked, mentally counting the children... -
Where's Hunter? - Vee asked. -
He must have fallen into another time - Gus replied, worried. -
WHAT?! - several shouted in unison.
-I can't believe it, we have to get back to the present now.
And the pools? We don't know where they are...
Let's find Hunter - Camila said. -Hunter knew, right?
"Hunter wouldn't be right now..." Vee said tensely.
"What?" Camila asked.
"Mama, I know you love him very much, but two years ago, I mean, at this point in time, he's not the Hunter you know..." Luz said.
"There are no other options, honey. I don't care about his past."
"Come on, Mama! But he wouldn't want you to see him like this."
"That doesn't matter now. We have to go back and save the islands."
"What if we go to the castle?"
"They'd kill us..."
"But what if we were... guards?"
"In disguise?"
"Yes, but well done, not like yours, Luz..."
"They weren't so bad, but thanks for the support, Gus..."
"It's decided then."
"Gus, if you please." "Gus flicked his finger and they were all dressed as the emperor's guards."