Chapter Text
Eda hummed as she shifted the small key in her hand, it rolled over and under her fingers as she waited for the clock to tick. The hour hand shifted to be pointing at the 9 and she tapped the button, opening the door, then waited, soon her palisman flew through and the Owl Lady frowned deeply. All Owlbert had was a small pink bag of stuff, she went to the bag as Owlbert flew onto her head.
"Why so little?" She opened the bag and felt like her blood turned to ice. There was a small baby in the bundle, a newborn, fast asleep and wearing a onesie that had something in Spanish written on it. The baby had dark skin, definitely not pale white like Eda's own skin. It was breathing fine, but moving its legs. That's when something caught her eye, a small bracelet was wrapped around the kid’s ankle. Someone had apparently taken scissors to it, a lot of it was cut and chunks were missing. “Luz N-, so your name is Luz huh?” Owlbert landed on her shoulder and started talking to her.
“In the trash? What kinda asshole abandons a newborn in a pile of trash! Well she can’t be taken back, and from the looks of it, whoever left her didn’t want her to be.” The bracelet was missing a lot of details, all that was left was her name and birthdate. Eda scooped up the newborn and walked through the portal. “So, we’re gonna need baby books for humans.”
Eda saw that the sun had gone down and the human realm’s moon was high in the sky. She walked to a store with the newborn in her arms, doors were still open, people were still inside. She found a hiding spot and waited, it was easier to steal with no one around to interrupt. She did however grab a parenting and newborn care book to pass the time. Owlbert happily gave her some light in the darkness to read. The store closed finally and Eda grabbed two boxes of formula. She leaned next to the cart, the newborn Luz was in a car seat in the same cart, staring at Eda in wonder.
“‘Some babies are lactose intolerant, there’s formula that will help with feeding these little angels.’ okay how can you tell one is?” Eda spoke into the book, then stared at the two formulas. She looked at prep and then the baby. “Guess we are finding out right now.”
~~
Eda gagged as she threw away the mistake of a lifetime. Luz was sleeping again after crying her eyes out for the past few hours.
“No lactose, got it.” She grabbed plenty of formula and put it in the cart with the rest of her stolen goods. She listened to the alarm blare as she wheeled the cart out the door, shattered the glass, and left a mess in her wake. She made it back to her home and set up a nursery in the spare room, then a bassinet next to her nest, she baby proofed the house and then set the newborn down in her bassinet. She leaned on it and smiled.
~~
Eda adjusted the holder on her front, Luz was fast asleep already in it, her cheek pressed against her chest, a few inches away from her gem. The child raising books she’s read said they like their mother’s heartbeats, she knew it probably wasn’t the heartbeat that she wanted, but it couldn’t be helped. Luz didn’t seem to mind though. She landed in the night market and shopped around for formula. She was running low and she couldn't keep robbing human stores, as much as she liked too. She walked around for the shop she needed, checking out the other shops as she went. She noticed a figure following her as she got further down her shopping list. Was it a guard or bounty hunter?
Her question was answered as an emperor's coven member went to grab her, then he paused as Eda held up a hand.
"If I have to put her back to sleep," Eda began as the guard tilted their head. "I'm putting you to sleep." The guard slowly backed away as Eda laid a hand over Luz's back. They eventually left her sight entirely and she checked on the little one against her chest. Still sleeping soundly and breathing. "You sleep like a rock don't you, nothing wakes you up."
She left the night market and got Luz's bottle ready as the little human started to stir on her chest. Seems all this one did was eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. Not that Eda minded, she'd love it if she could live a life like that. She gave Luz her bottle. The wild Witch sat down at the table and looked at the little human in her arms. She stared at the round ears on the infant's head, she'd never fit in or pass as a normal witch with them. Who knows how kids would react to them when she was old enough to make friends. So Eda placed the empty bottle down and drew a spell circle over Luz's head, with a poof of blue smoke, the baby's ears were pointed like Eda's.
"There you go, it should be hard to see through that even if you were looking for it." The two week old smiled. Eda got a towel and burped her daughter.
~~
Eda woke up to knocking on the door and Hooty above her nest, screaming about a guest. She grabbed the bird demon by his neverending neck and squeezed. But the damage was done, as the two month old in the crib next to her nest started to cry.
"Ugh, let them in, Hooty. I have to get an elixir, then calm Luz down." She got up and went to her mirror, quickly putting in her fang and checking it. She picked up the crying two month old and held her as she opened the cupboard and bit the cork off of the elixir. She spat it out to the side, causing a small laugh from the baby in her arms. She downed the elixir one handedly and made a face, more giggles. Eda snuggled the baby and cooed.
"Edalyn?" Eda froze at the voice, making a face as she slowly turned around. Gwendolyn stared at the two month old in her arms, then her daughter. "Is this why you've been gaining weight?"
"Gwen." Eda resisted the urge to yell at her mother. "She's adopted, not biological." She watched her mother come closer and Luz stared at her.
"She's so small. Is she eating right? I heard crying earlier." Eda stopped her mother's approach with one hand. Holding Luz away from her.
"Yes, because you coming over woke her up." Gwendolyn frowned. Eda walked past her and into the kitchen, she looked around her cupboards for some formula and frowned. They were all out already? She found one box finally, only to groan in annoyance, it had lactose. She threw the box onto the table. Luz grabbed fistfuls of her hair, Eda stared at her. "Sorry my little owl, out of your formula. Gotta go get some."
Gwendolyn came around the corner, so Eda placed Luz in her arms. "Watch her. I need to go get more formula for her."
"What about the box on the table?" Gwendolyn walked over to the box and picked it up as Luz stared up at her in confusion.
"Don't give her that formula. It's the wrong type." Eda disappeared into her room to get dressed and her snails. She then came back into the kitchen to collect Luz when she stopped dead in her tracks. Gwendolyn was bottle feeding Luz. "Gwen. What box did that formula come from?" Her mother looked up at her, smiling, not knowing what she had done.
"The one on the table. It wasn't expired and she looked hungry." Eda felt the memories flood in. She could already smell it.
"What have you done."
"Oh stop being so dramatic, it's just formula." Gwendolyn waved her off, Luz was none the wiser as she drank from the bottle. "Go get more formula for her."
"You're dealing with her diaper changes then." Eda left, she was going to take as long as she could. Even though several times she wanted to rush home and comfort the baby girl she knew was probably crying. Eventually the need to comfort her child got too much and she quickly flew back with the formula.
She didn't smell anything but saw Gwendolyn surrounding Luz with some of her stuffed animals on her floor blanket. Luz was currently chewing on the ear of a dog. Gwen looked up at her daughter and rushed to her.
"You were right, I shouldn't have given her the formula. What happened?"
"She can't handle Lactose. It hurts her stomach." Gwen looked upset and rushed out of the house. Eda gave a look of shock. "wow! Rude! I know who I'm never trusting with my child ever again." She looked over at Luz, who started to chew on her own hand. She scooped up her little witch for some comfort snuggles. A few minutes later, Gwendolyn came back and dropped a bag of stuff on the ground.
"I know it's nothing but objects, that she probably won't remember a thing of this." She pulled out a toy and Luz tried to reach over to it. "But consider me spoiling my grandchild as an apology." Eda looked at the ground before sighing, placing Luz down on her floor blanket.
"You didn't know she couldn't handle Lactose, so I can't blame you too much. I learned that the same way." Gwen looked at her daughter. She reached out towards her.
"How's the curse?" Eda pushed her hand away.
"I've found a way to make it manageable for now." Eda watched as Luz "played" with the toys, which was biting one at the moment.
"But no cure?" Eda didn't even care if she was ever cured, she just wanted to know who did this to her.
"No."
~~
Eda stared at the guard holding Luz by the back of her onesie, the six month old wiggling in indignation as they brushed a finger under her chin.
"The Owlet isn't even dangerous-" he screeched as Luz bit his finger, hard from the sound of it. He threw the baby away from himself. Eda quickly jumped up and grabbed her daughter, who smiled up at her, tiny hands on her chest.
"Mama!" Eda's eyes widened as she landed on her feet. She held Luz up high in the air.
"Her first word!" She snuggled her baby girl as she repeated the single word she knew.
"Congratulations!" The guard clapped before charging. "Now die!" He hit a wall as Owlbert quickly pulled Eda up and into the air.
"Sorry boys, this Mama has a celebration to have! Bye~!" She zipped back home as Luz held onto her chest, staring at the buildings rushing past.
Motherhood wasn't so bad. Eda was smiling the whole time as they flew home.