Chapter 1: Prologue
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.
Chapter 2: Chapter 1: A Lying Witch and a Warden
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Hunter Noceda is about to go a mundane summer camp when a little owl leads him to a magical world. There, the boy meets a witch and a demon who take him in. And Hunter is shocked to discover that he is a witch himself.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sixteen years later...
Hunter Noceda didn't mean to fall asleep when he was called into the principal's office at Gravesfield High. But the moment he sat down in the chair, his eyelids drooped shut and he was out like a light. Of course, that little nap only lasted thirty seconds.
"Hunter. Hunter, wake up!" Principal Hal's voice called. The boy's groggy eyes slowly opened to see the vague shapes of the principal and his mother, Camila Noceda. "Wake up, Hunter!"
Hunter abruptly jolted awake and saw concern etched on the grown-ups' faces.
"Sorry, Principal Hal." the teenager yawned.
"I see your insomnia needs to be addressed, again." the principal noted.
Hunter had struggled with his sleep disorder for a long time. And at the age of nine, he was diagnosed with autism. Asperger's, to be more precise. That, along with his obvious outward appearance made him stand out like a sore thumb. He had magenta eyes, a scar on his face, and pointy ears with a notch in one of them. Because of those attributes, the poor boy had been bullied since middle school. But he was not one to go and pick fights with those bullies, especially considering how shy he was.
"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Hunter asked concerningly.
"No, mijo, you're not in any kind of trouble." his mother assured him. "We're just worried about you is all."
"Hunter, you're a good student. One of the best students in the school." Principal Hal complimented the kid. "But your social skills are somewhat lacking. You don't participate in group activities. You don't talk to anyone except the teachers. You're not even in any after-school clubs."
"Well, I'm not exactly... comfortable with being social. What with the bullying I've had to endure." Hunter told him. "Besides, I'm going through some personal stuff right now."
A few years ago, his father Manny passed away due to cancer. And his little sister Luz ran away in grief, never to be heard from again. Luz was the only kid who accepted Hunter for who he was. She was his only playmate. And he hadn't seen his sister for ten long years.
"Cariño, I understand that you're having trouble connecting with people." Camila said, kneeling to his son's level. "Principal Hal and I have been talking and we think what you need is a change of scenery. So we discussed about you going here for the summer."
She handed him a brochure that read: Reality Check Summer Camp. Think Inside the Box. Immediately, Hunter cringed. This sounded like the most boring summer camp in the history of summer camps. Then again, it wasn't like there was any suitable alternative.
"Okay. I guess it's worth a try." the boy sighed in compliance.
So after school went out for the summer, Hunter was standing at the curb across his house. He had a duffel bag and his royal blue messenger bag all ready to go. The teen was hugging his arms, feeling very nervous about this transition. It wasn't any easier for Camila. This was her son's first time away from home. After losing her husband and her daughter, she felt extra protective of Hunter. There were times where she feared that her baby boy could be ripped away from her at any time so much, she just had to keep him close.
"Oh! Oh, my baby!" Camila cooed, approaching and hugging her son. "Now, don't worry. Summer camp is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to... appreciate public radio; the time will fly by!"
"I don't see how any of that stuff makes for fun summer camp activities." Hunter said with a raised eyebrow. "It's just not me."
"I know this is a big change, mijo, but it's also a great opportunity for you to finally make some friends." his mom encouraged him. "All I'm asking is that you try."
"It's not like I don't want to make any friends. People just don't want to make friends with me." the teen admitted. "They'll take one look at me and think I'm a freak."
"Baby, I assure you, there are people who will drop anything to be your friend. Sometimes, you have to make the first move. If other kids can accept you for who you are, that's their loss."
Hunter felt silent tears trickle down his face and Camila let him rest his head on her shoulder she rubbed her son's back. She knew it was hard for her baby to fit in when he constantly stood out for no fault of his own. And Hunter still had yet to learn about his origin or his biological family. All he knew at this point was that he going to miss his mother so much. Suddenly, an alarm went off on Camila's phone.
"Oh, I gotta go to work." she said, checking the time. Camila then proceeded to pepper her son's face with kisses. "Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there. Cuídate mucho, mijo. Qué te vaya bien."
"Te quiero, mama." Hunter replied before his mother left to go to her vet clinic.
Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound and out popped a tiny brown owl carrying a sack of stuff. He looked up at the boy with his big, golden eyes.
"Follow me." the bird hooted. "Follow me."
Hunter was taken aback by the owl talking to him when animals don't really speak, let alone in English. That was when the owl started to hop away.
"Hey! Wait!" Hunter called, following the bird into the woods.
Eventually, the owl disappeared into the doorway of a house. But not just any house. This was the creepy, abandoned cabin that had been around since the heyday of Gravesfield. There were rumors saying that it was haunted and his mom forbade Hunter from going there. But now, here he was, standing at the cabin's doorsteps. And something about it felt.... familiar. So going against his better judgment and still determined to follow the owl, the boy right through the house's doorway. He didn't even notice the bright light as the door slammed behind him.
Seconds later, an ornate looking door unfolded in thirds and opened. The owl with the sack hopped right through with Hunter trailing close behind.
"Where did you go, little-" the boy asked before stopped running and took in his new surroundings. "Huh?"
He was now in a tent with knickknacks stacked in a disorganized fashion.
"Well... someone's got a hoarding problem." Hunter commented, picking up a creepy doll on a clothes hanger.
"Finally, you're back." a woman's voice said suddenly. The boy immediately dropped on all fours and peeked up before he crept toward the woman's voice.
"Now let's see what we've got here." the woman spoke once more while Hunter moved the tent flap to spy on her.
The woman had pale skin and long gray hair. She wore a brick red dress and a green bandana with yellow polka-dots tied around her head. Alongside her was a brown pole that was nearly as tall as she was.
The little owl flew to land on the top of the pole. The woman twisted him until he turned to wood, becoming one with the staff. Hunter gasped, stunned by what he just saw. He watched as the woman then began to rummage through the sack of goodies.
"Garbage, garbage... garbage." she said repeatedly as she discarded many items that most humans would consider priceless. But then, her eyes lit up when found a pair of goofy glasses with springy eyes and put them on. "Now this... This will make me rich."
Out of nowhere, Hunter sneezed, alerting the woman of his presence. Immediately, he scrambled back to the door he came through. But then, the door folded up into a suitcase and disappeared.
"Where do you think you're going?" the woman asked, taking off the glasses, her eyes narrowed at him.
Frightened, Hunter retreated beneath the back of the tent. He ran, but then skidded to a halt when he was just inches away from a cliff's edge. The kid's mouth hung agape as he gazed at the scene before him. He could see a twisted, old-fashioned town heavily influenced by Gothic architecture. Many of the buildings seemed to emulate teeth and grotesque limbs. Down below, the streets of the city were abuzz with activity and crowded with nonhuman inhabitants who were casually going about their business.
"I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it!" Hunter freaked out, backing away from the cliff's edge in terror.
That was when a fairy approached him, causing the boy to yelp.
"Oh, you're not real." he spoke nervously. "You're just a figment of my imagination, right?"
"Give me your skin!" the fairy yelled, revealing rows of sharp teeth in her mouth.
Hunter screamed as he swatted the fairy to the dirt. All the while, he felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" the kid hyperventilated. "Is this the bad place?"
Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder and froze up.
"You wish." the woman from earlier answered.
She dragged Hunter back to her tent and dropped him on a bar stool that sat next to the table of junk.
"I'm so sorry for trespassing on your property! I was just following your owl through a door and somehow wounded up inside your tent! Please don't hurt me!" the boy apologized, shutting his eyes, thinking the lady was going to hit him.
"Hurt you? Why would I hurt... a potential customer?" the woman asked in a friendly tone.
Hunter opened his eyes and saw that the stranger ran a stand called "Human Collectibles." The stand had all sorts of human products that were up for sale. Then, woman began to show off her merchandise.
"Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes? A bar of green human candy?" she asked, offering a plastic clog and some men's deodorant before grabbing a portable TV. "Oh, oh! How about this black shadowbox that only reflects sadness?"
"Why don't I show you what else it can do." Hunter chuckled, taking the TV and grabbing two batteries from a dish labeled "Human Candy." He then placed the batteries in a small compartment and pressed the power button. A retro fitness video began to play on the screen. "Ta-da!"
Many customers around the marketplace were alerted to the commotion.
"Huh?"
"What's that?"
"The sound- it's so alluring."
Pretty soon, a bunch of beastly creatures congregated around the TV for a closer look.
"I'll pay you forty snails for the screaming box." one monster offered with a fistful of money.
"I'll give you a hundred!" another one exclaimed with a thicker wad of cash.
"Can I eat the tiny person inside?" one other beast asked.
As more and more of the crowd continued to bid, the saleswoman's stunned expression turned impressed as she glanced at Hunter.
"That was pretty clever... Hunter." the lady complimented as she took the money from her customers.
"Wait. You know my name?" the boy gasped. "How does a human I've never met know who I am?"
"Oh, dear child. I am no human." the woman said, removing her bandana to reveal pointy ears. Hunter immediately gasped in amazement. Her ears were just like his!
"I'm Eda, the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles." the woman introduced herself, standing on top of the table.
"A witch?" the teen spoke softly.
"I am respected, feared-"
"Busted!" a masculine voice suddenly interrupted her, smashing the portable TV with his fist.
"Run! It's a guard!" someone yelled as all the customers ran away screaming.
Hunter was knocked into the dirt in all the chaos. He gazed up and saw a lumbering, armored man staring Eda down.
"Eda the Owl Lady." the guard stated, showing wanted poster of herself and a dog-like creature with horns, a skull, and collar. "You are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors."
"This keeps getting better and better." Hunter mumbled to himself.
"You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium." the guard demanded.
"Would you guys quit following me around?" Eda asked in annoyance. "I haven't done squat."
"And you're coming too..." the man issued, picking Hunter by the back of his yellow sweater. The boy squeaked from the forceful gesture. "for fraternizing with a criminal!"
"Let me go, you creep!" Hunter screamed, kicking his legs and swinging his fists erratically.
"Oh, all right, all right, you win." Eda caved in, not wanting the kid to get hurt. "Let me just grab my things."
But then, she grabbed her owl staff and whacked the guard upside the head with it. He dropped Hunter and the boy clumsily landed on his side. Eda then twirled her staff and tapped it on the ground hard. A spark of light was formed and Hunter watched in awe as all of the witch's stuff floated in midair, surrounded by an golden aura.
"Whoops. Can't forget this." Eda spoke as she reached into her hair. Pulling out the portal door key, she pressed the button to summon the door to her. Eda then wrapped the tablecloth around all her things and stuck her staff through the bundle before she took off running. "Follow me, witchling."
With no other choice, Hunter dashed after Eda.
"This is crazy!" the kid stressed. "If my mom finds out about this, she's going to have a heart attack!"
"Ha! I won't let anything happen to you." Eda assured him. "You're much too important to die on this, or any other day."
"Wait. What's that supposed to-" Hunter queried. But before he could finish the question, the witch scooped him up with her free arm.
"Whoo-hoo!" Eda whooped as she jumped into the air, pulling the boy onto her staff before taking off into the sky.
The guard was left in the dust as he rounded a corner.
"You won't get away with this, Owl Lady!" the man shook his fist indignantly. "Yeah, all right. You did. You got away with it. She got away with it, everybody!" As soon as his rant was over, the guard ambled off in defeat. "Typical."
Up in the clouds, Hunter had his eyes shut tight as fearful tears began to spill. Eda still had her arm wrapped around his waist since he wasn't holding onto anything.
"You can open your eyes now, witchling." she told the boy.
Trepidatiously, Hunter did just that and saw that he was hundreds of feet off the ground, coasting past it while flying on the staff. He instantly grabbed the pole and hung on for dear life.
"Flying staffs, crazy monsters, a real life witch!" the teen said in a panic. "What is this place?"
"This is the Boiling Isles." Eda explained. "Every myth that humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into theirs."
Suddenly, a large griffin flew alongside the pair and coughed up spiders, of all things.
"You mean every mythical creature comes from this place?" Hunter asked.
"Yep. Griffins, vampires, giraffes..." the witch counted off a few creatures of the top of her head.
"Giraffes? Seriously?" the kid questioned. "Oh, yeah. We banished those guys." Eda disclosed. "Bunch of freaks."
Finally, the two of them landed and Hunter was thankful to be back on solid ground. But as the witch dismounted from her staff, one of her hands detached, still gripping the pole.
"Your hand!" the boy shrieked.
"Oops." Eda said, grabbing her hand and screwing it back on her arm. "That happens sometimes."
"Well, that's enough adventure for one day." Hunter stated uncomfortably as he stood up. "So? Can you please help me get back home?"
The woman startled him by leveling her staff in front of him.
"Only if you help me first." she said, lifting the staff. Eda lightly laughed as she traipsed off, her bag of things following behind her. "Ah, now come along, Hunter."
"Hold on. You still haven't told me how you know my name." the kid replied, scurrying after the witch.
"Whoa, one problem at a time, kid." Eda stopped him. "Right now, we shouldn't be out in the open for too long."
The two of them kept waking until they came across a peculiar cottage with a large stained glass window. It almost looks like an eye. And the cottage's front door had a carving of an owl on it.
"Aren't you worried about those guards finding us?" Hunter asked, making sure they weren't being followed.
"Nope. My house has a state-of-the-art defense system." Eda replied confidently.
"Hoot-hoot! Password, please!" the owl carving requested, only for the witch to poke its eyes with two fingers.
"We got no time for this, Hooty." she spoke, uninterested by the carving's antics. "Let us in."
"All right, all right! Geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow!" Hooty fussed. "Hoot!"
He then opened his mouth wide enough to fill up the whole door. Eda stepped inside the cottage with Hunter apprehensively following along. Hooty's mouth then closed behind him with a burp.
"Welcome to... the Owl House..." Eda said, snapping her fingers. The place quickly came alive with magic as candles lit themselves and other appliances came to life. Above his head, Hunter could make out the image of a owl-like monster. "where I hide away from the pressures of dodern life. Also, the cops. Mm, also, ex-boyfriends."
"This is incredible!" the teen commented as he set his duffel bag down by the coffee table. "Do you live here all alone?"
"Actually, I have a roommate." the woman responded, crossing her arms as thunderous footsteps began to shake the house. The boy braced himself for whatever beastly creature he would face as a shadow crept towards the doorway.
"Who dares intrude upon I, the King of Demons?" a deep voice roared before toning down to a softer one.
The demon that entered the room ended up being the dog-like creature from Eda's wanted poster. He looks like he just came from having a bath because he was still wet and had towels wrapped around his head and waist.
"¡Ay, que lindo!" Hunter gasped, dropping on all fours to get a better look at the creature. "You are so cute! What kind of demon are you? You certainly look mammalian."
"Hey, personal space!" the demon barked, backing away. "Eda, who is this nosy creature?"
"Oh, this is Hunter." Eda introduced the boy to King as he stood back up, her hands resting on his shoulders. "He's here to help us with our little... situation."
"Oh! Hooray!" the little demon cheered as he removed his towels.
"Wait, wait, wait. I don't like the sound of this 'situation.'" Hunter spoke up.
"Just... let me explain." the witch took a step back and drew a circle of magic in the air. The circle darkened and revealed a storybook vision inside that Eda narrated. "King was once a mighty king of demons until his crown of power was stolen, and he became... this."
"You mean this pint-sized pipsqueak?" Hunter said, looking down at King.
"The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath and locked away behind a magical force field that only a human can break through." the woman finished the story, the circle fading. "But seeing as you're not human, we may have to improvise. If you help us retrieve his crown, we'll send you back to the human realm. So, whaddya say? Plus,..." she paused to pick up King by his face. "Who could say no to this cute face?"
"No! Don't encourage him!" the demon yelled, wriggling in the witch's grip before she dropped him.
"I mean, we're kinda your only way home." Eda offhandedly mentioned.
"Okay, I'll help." Hunter decided. "But only because I don't have a choice."
"That's the spirit! Now, we've got no time to lose." the witch praised him before she picked the kid up and tossed him over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
"Soon, Mr, Ducky, we shall drink the fear of those who mocked us." King promised his bath toy before catching up.
"Uh, where are we going?" the teenager asked.
"Somewhere super fun." Eda responded enthusiastically with her staff in hand.
A few minutes later, the trail arrived at a foreboding prison with spikes along the walls. A crash of thunder made Hunter jolt. "The Conformatorium, a place for those considered unsuitable for society." Eda introduced the boy as he winced with King riding on his head.
That was when the teen noticed another copy of Eda's wanted poster taped to the wall and examined it more closely.
"Wow. Those guys sure have it out for you." Hunter mumbled, taking notice of the hefty reward.
"Yep. But we were never caught because we're too slippery." the witch divulged with a wink.
"Try to catch me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella." King added before falling off the boy's head.
"Okay." Hunter questioned, fixing his hair. "So what's the plan?"
"You and I we'll sneak up to the top of the tower, where they're holding my crown." the demon explained, pointing to the tallest structure in the penitentiary.
"And I'm gonna make sure the warden's distracted." Eda added.
"And how will I know where the crown is supposed to be?" the teenager asked.
"Oh, I've got to handle on that." King told him. "I have a deep connection to my crown. So I'll be able to sense it's presence."
"All right, ready to go?" the witch woman asked the former who nodded.
And with that, Eda got to work. She tapped the butt of her staff on the ground to create a glowing platform underneath Hunter and King. "Hang on tight!"
"Whoa!" Hunter interjected as the platform rose and carried him and the little demon to a window in the tower. The platform disappeared as the boy grabbed onto the edge of the window sill, King hanging from Hunter's feet. Eda then reactivated her staff for flying capabilities and took off.
"Meet you guys at the top of the tower." she called to the younger pair.
King climbed up Hunter's body and into the window. The kid struggled to keep up as he hauled himself over the sill and fell on his face once inside.
"I'm okay." Hunter assured his lackey as his got to his feet.
Soon after, the boy's jaw dropped in shock. There were several prison cells as far as the eye could see. All of which were occupied by the obscure shadows of creatures in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The only faint sign of light within the cells were the beasts' glowing eyes.
"Hey kid." a female witch wearing a purple dress whispered from one of the cells, causing Hunter to turn around. "How'd you get out of your cell?"
"Oh, no, no, no. I'm no criminal." the boy corrected him.
"Not yet, you're not." King replied with a smile.
"Neither are we." the girl prisoner repelled. "The stupid warden likes to lock up people who don't fit in."
"Really?" Hunter said, his eyes widening.
"Yeah, like I write fanfics of food falling in love." she revealed, showing a sketchbook that illustrated an onion and a carrot being in a romantic relationship. "I like food, I like love... Just let me write about it."
"I'm here because I like eating my own eyes." a blue monster with multiple eyes added.
He demonstrated by gobbling up one of his eyeballs which then grew back into place.
"We are agents of fwee expwession!" a smaller female with a giant head and tiny limbs hollered. "They will never siwence us!"
"Yeah, she's really big into conspiracy theories." the first witch said, nonchalantly rolling her eyes.
"The world is a simulation!" the little prisoner continued to rant. "We are but play things for a higher being!"
Hunter wasn't crazy about conspiracy theorists, having dealt with one of them who had not stopped stalking him. His mother had only recently filed a restraining order against the shifty man. Despite that, Hunter wasn't in a place to be judgemental about other's opinions.
"These aren't crimes. None of you actually did anything wrong." he spoke in disbelief, picking up Eda's wanted poster off the floor. He couldn't help but feel bad for these guys. "You're all just a bunch of weirdos. Like me."
All of a sudden, the entire section of the prison began to tremble as thunderous footsteps were approaching.
"It's Warden Wrath!" the first prisoner warned Hunter. "Hide!"
The boy yelped in fear, dropping the poster as he searched for a hiding place. Quickly, he scurried into an unoccupied cell and slammed the door shut. And then, the footsteps got louder and louder until the door that led out of the prison floor swung open. There, in the doorway, was a bulky looking man who wore a medieval, medical mask. That was Warden Wrath.
"I can hear you." he growled as he marched past the prison cells. Hunter held King close as he quivered in terror. "Just what are you fools whispering about?" That was when he discovered Eda's wanted poster at his feet. "Ah. The Owl Lady." the prison warden said, crumpling the paper and turning his fist into a hammer. He then bashed it into the door of King and Hunter's cell. "I'll get my hands on her soon enough."
Warden Wrath peered into the cell and the duo tried their best to stay in the shadows, huddled in the corner. The boy had never felt so scared in his life.
"Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer!" the little conspiracy theorist suddenly shouted, distracting the man. "We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!"
Without saying a word, Warden Wrath pulled the lever to open the demon's cell door.
"Hooway! I'm fwee!" she cheered triumphantly.
But those hopes of freedom were dashed when Wrath grabbed the demon, his fist fitting around her whole head.
"Let this be a lesson to you all." he pointed to the other prisoners threateningly. "There's no place in society for you if you can't fit in."
Tightening his grip around the conspiracy theorist, Warden Wrath grinded the crumpled wanted poster underfoot as Hunter and King watched on in horror. As soon as the man was gone, the teenager unlocked the cell and raced to the fanfiction writer.
"Don't worry. I can get you out." Hunter promised her as he gripped the lever. But he strained as it was too heavy for him to pull down. "Ugh, curse these noodle arms!"
"Just get out of here while you still can, kid. Enjoy freedom for us." the girl prisoner stopped him, hanging her head solemnly.
The boy looked at her one last time before reluctantly walking away. It pained him to know that he couldn't help these guys.
He made his way down a corridor with King following along when Eda arrived on her staff.
"Hey, I just checked." she told the duo, hopping off. "The warden is distracted, tormenting some tiny creature. He won't be coming around here anytime soon."
Hunter was non-verbal as he followed the witch. She looked confused as to why the kid was so forlorn all of a sudden. The trio soon came up on a massive door that read "CONTRABAND" in big, bold letters.
"My crown! It's close! I can sense its power!" King exclaimed excitedly, running to the door.
He pounced on the doorknob, which is about the same size as him, frantically jerking at it to get in.
"Aw, he gets so cute when he's thirsty for power." Eda grinned.
"It's not fair that they're all here. They just want to be themselves." Hunter lamented. "Why does everyone think that being a weirdo is so bad?"
Unfortunately, the woman wasn't able to give him an answer because King had managed to throw the doorknob to the ground. The furry demon then pushed the door and dashed through, cackling like a madman.
"Come on." Eda sighed, gesturing the kid to follow along. "Before he hurts himself." Inside the room, there was virtually nothing, except for a tall, glowing pillar. Hunter assumed it was the force field that Eda had talked about. Inside, he could barely make out the large pile of confiscated items. King tried to ram into the pillar like a bull, only to bounced back.
"Okay, Hunter." Eda turned to the boy. "Time to play your part."
"Hold on. You mentioned before that I'm not human." Hunter recalled. "How do you know that I won't phase through the force field?"
"Why don't you try for yourself?" the witch suggested.
So, apprehensively, Hunter approached the force field and experimentally put his hand to it. His fingertips barely touched when he received a painful zap. The teen yelped and quickly retracted his hand and stumbled backwards.
"I-I... I can't... I can't get through." Hunter stammered in disbelief.
He started to hyperventilate as the realization came crashing down on him like a tidal wave. He was a witch! Growing up, Hunter thought that his pointed ears were a birth defect and that his magenta eyes made him partly albino. But now, the reality of this new discovery was almost too jarring to comprehend.
"Kid? Kid, are you okay?" Eda asked, rushing to his side. The boy flinched as soon as he felt her presence. "Come on. Breathe with me."
The witch then started taking slow, deep breaths and Hunter mimicked her until he calmed down.
"There. That's better." Eda spoke in satisfaction. "Now we know that you can't breach the force field, you seem like a smart kid. So why don't you put that big brain to use."
After regaining his mental footing, Hunter began to rationalize. It was just like a science experiment where he could use the evidence to come up with a hypothesis.
"So the force field only deflects magical beings." the teenager thought aloud. "Humans can penetrate it... but so can inanimate objects!"
So he took a stone he found on the floor which was the size of a softball. He then aimed it at the crown at the top of the confiscation pile. Hunter then threw the rock as hard as he could. The stone breached the barrier and knocked the crown out of the force field.
"Bullseye!" Hunter cheered, pumping his fist in the air and racing to King's prized possession. But he was surprised by what he found. "Huh? You gotta be kidding me."
The so-called "crown of power" just turned out to be a paper crown from Burger Queen.
"My crown!" King cheered triumphantly, putting the crown on his head. "Yes! Yes! I can feel my powers returning! You there, nightmare critter." The little demon approached a stuffed bunny that had spilled out of a box. "I shall call you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. Ha-ha!"
"That crown doesn't give him any powers, does it?" Hunter said.
"Uh, no." Eda responded, earning a glare from the teen. "Oh, look at us, Hunter. King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me. Besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?"
Hunter blushed and smiled bashfully, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Well, we owe you one. Now, let's get out of here before the warden finds us and loses his head." Eda spoke, completely unaware of the hulking figure approaching from behind.
"Too late." Warden Wrath said in a husky voice, looming over the witch.
He held up his hand which had turned into a scythe and decapitated Eda with one easy swing! Hunter caught her head and screamed in terror, fearing that the witch was dead. Her tongue hung out of her mouth like an acting corpse, but when she started blinking, it was an immediate indication that Eda was alive.
"Ow! Oh, I hate when that happens." she spoke in annoyance.
This only made Hunter scream even louder. How was Eda still alive after that?
"Eda!" the teen asked in a panic. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. This just happens when you get older." the witch answered.
"Does it?" he shuddered, praying that she was just joking.
"Finally. I have you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady." Warden Wrath said, his hand turning back to its normal shape and two guards arriving to back him up.
He then yoinked the paper crown off King's head who squeaked in surprise.
"My guards could never get you." Wrath explained, inching closer to Hunter and Eda. The demon followed, trying to take his crown back. "But I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running."
He then cold-heartedly crumbled the paper crown in his tightened fist.
"No! My power!" King cried out in devastation, dropping to his knees.
"What do you want with me?" Eda interrogated, Hunter scowling at the warden. "I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws... in front of you."
"I want you... to go out with me." Wrath answered, revealing a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.
"Wha...?" the witch replied, taken aback.
"What?" Hunter also questioned, equally creeped out. This was unexpected.
"Go, boss!" one guard cheered in support while the other gave a thumbs up.
"You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one who got away." Warden Wrath continued, focusing on Eda. "I find that alluring."
"You disgust me." Hunter commented disdainfully.
"You stay out of this!" the man barked, tossing his bouquet aside.
He then turned his newly free hand into tentacles to grab the boy, causing him to drop Eda's head.
"Put me down!" Hunter cried out.
"So how about it, Owl Lady?" Wrath asked, holding the witch's severed head by her hair. "The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath. We'd be the strongest power couple. I mean, it's- it's not like you can say no right now."
"No, Eda! Don't do it!" the teenage witch screamed.
Eda looked back and forth between Hunter and King who was picked up by one of the guards.
"All right, Warden. You win." she sighed in defeat, much to Hunter's dismay. "I'd just like to say something first. Come closer." Wrath did as he was told and leaned towards her face. "No. Just come a little bit closer. Just..." The warden came closer until they were both at eye level. "Yeah, that's good."
And then, the witch blew a raspberry in right his face, making him yelp in surprise and dropping the boy. Wrath wiped the spit off his mask as Eda laughed at him.
"Impudent wench! Don't you know how many germs are in your mouth?" he gagged.
"Get over it." the woman retorted. "You had your guard stalk me, and then you cut my head off. I am not going out with you."
"If you don't accept, then I have no choice but to-" Wrath threatened only to be knocked out by Hunter, hitting him upside the head with Eda's staff.
"Nice!" the witch praised him with a chuckle.
The two guards then came closing in on Eda's head. But then, her headless body snuck up from behind and pulled their hoods over their eyes.
"Okay, we're going now." Hunter declared, grabbing Eda's head as he ran.
The witch's body rescued King from the guard who captured him and the boy wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her away.
"Get on!" the owl on Eda's staff hooted, unfurling his wings. Everyone quickly clamored aboard.
"Uh... how do you make this thing fly?" Hunter asked with uncertainty.
"Gun it, magic stick!" Eda commanded as Warden Wrath came to. The teen screamed as the staff took off and soared out the door. But the warden refused to give up as he got back on his feet.
"Owl Lady!" he roared. "I won't let you get away again!"
Both of Wrath's arms turned into webs of tentacles and used them to pursue the flying staff.
Hunter continued to holler as he made a sharp turn back towards the prison floor with Warden Wrath nipping at his heels. Then, the boy locked onto the levers that operated the cell doors and got an idea.
"Eda, lend me a hand!" he told the witch. Together, Hunter and Eda flipped the switches up, opening the cells as they flew by. The trio soon burst through one of the doors that led out of the Conformatorium, knocking down two guards as they did so. Warden Wrath, unfortunately, was not far behind as he did a front-flip from the pillar's wall. Eda's staff made a sheer drop as the trio and the warden fell to the ground. In midair, Wrath launched a tentacle at the back of the staff, knocking Eda, Hunter, and King right off. The three of them hit the ground hard while their pursuer landed with thunderous force. He then shifted his hand into a scythe once again.
"Ow, my bones!" King groaned in pain as Eda reattached her head to her body.
"Hunter, go back to the human world." the Owl Lady urged the teen as she pulled the key to the portal door out of her hair and handed to him.
"What about you guys?" Hunter asked, stowing the key in his messenger bag.
"If you think this guy is bad, you shoulda seen her last boyfriend." King said, joining the witch's side.
"Not my boyfriend." Eda retorted as she dodged Wrath's blade-like hands. She then placed the boy on her staff. "Go! Go!"
"But- But I-!" Hunter tried to argue only for Eda to slap the back of her staff, sending him flying out of harm's way. He screamed in fright from the speed.
Warden Wrath then removed his mask to reveal a large mouth that nearly took up his entire face. He then opened his massive jaws to breathe fire at the Owl Lady. Eda countered the attack by drawing two spell circles: one absorbed the fire, while the other sent it right back at the warden. His back crashed into the Conformatorium, the force of the impact kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Eda makes flying this thing look so easy!" Hunter cried, keeping both hands firmly gripped on the staff.
Down below, Warden Wrath went on the offensive again, brandishing his blade hands at Eda. Once he was out of the way, the three prisoners Hunter had met minutes earlier peeked out of the newly formed hole, looking doubtful for some reason.
"Why are you guys just standing there?" the kid asked, descending on the staff. "This is your chance to escape!"
"The warden will catch us. He always does." the multiple-eyed prisoner told him sadly.
"We belong here." the fanfiction writer added, equally dejected.
"Self-doubt is a pwison you can never escape fwom." the conspiracy theorist lamented, now sporting a black eye.
"So, you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things. That might make you 'weird,' but it also makes you awesome!" Hunter motivated the prisoners. "You shouldn't be ashamed of it, you should celebrate it!"
"Why are you helping us?" the girl witch asked in confusion.
"Because I know how you feel. I've lived in the Human Realm my whole life and people there think I'm a freak. But coming here made me realize, I'm not so different after all. Besides, us weirdos have to stick together." the teen empathized, echoing a quote from Eda before mounting on her staff again. "And nobody should be punished for who they are."
"Yeah!" the three prisoners cheered, empowered by Hunter's speech.
"Now, let's get 'em!" the boy yelled, turning back to the fight.
Eda had been forced back by her aggressor and no sooner did that happen was King thrown into the witch's arms. "No more running, Owl Lady! Today, I capture you once and for all!" Warden Wrath snarled, looming over the two partners in crime, raising his blade hands to deliver the final blow. King squealed in fear as he hid his face in Eda's chest. The Owl Lady looked defiantly at Wrath. She knew that if she was going down, at she was going down swinging.
"Charge!" Hunter's voice suddenly let out a battle cry. The prisoners he managed to rally were running right behind him, yelling. They rammed into the warden like an oncoming car, knocking him away from Eda and King.
"Hunter?" the Owl Lady spoke in surprise.
"I eat my own eyes!" the multiple-eyed demon shouted, pushing Wrath with all his might.
"I think the world is a twiangle!" the conspiracy theorist declared, using her own body to trip the warden. He fell backwards and the fanfiction writer pinned him down by sitting on his chest.
"And I practice the ancient art of fanfiction!" she said proudly. The other two prisoners then locked his arms behind him and tied them up with rope. Afterwards, the escapees flipped Wrath over on his belly.
"You!" he growled at Hunter who descended on Eda's staff. "Who do you think you are?!"
"Just call me... Hunter, the Lost Witch." the boy declared before reaching into his bag for a pack of fireworks. "Now chew on this, you big galoot!"
He tossed the firecracker in the air and using Eda's staff like a baseball bat, hit the explosive into Wrath's enormous mouth. It exploded casting colorful fireworks into the gloomy sky. The warden was still coughing up them up as he cowardly ran away. The freed prisoner cheered happily.
"Woo hoo! We won!" the girl witch whooped.
"We are victorious!" the conspiracy theorist jumped for joy.
Hunter joined Eda with King perched on her shoulder.
"That was actually one of her better breakups." the furry demon commented.
"Not a breakup." Eda argued pointedly before gazing proudly at the teenager. "Anyway, let's bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me. By the way, where did you get those fireworks?"
"Smuggled them from the contraband room." Hunter answered.
"Huh. How did I miss that?" the witch asked, feeling impressed as the heist team took off on her staff.
Twilight had fallen by the time the trio made it back to the Owl House. Hunter checked to make sure he had everything before he would go back to the human realm.
"Well, a deal's a deal." Eda declared, setting her staff down against the couch. "Let's get you home."
With a snap of her fingers, the witch summoned the key from Hunter's messenger bag back into her hand. She pressed the eye button and the portal door unfolded in front of the hearth. The boy played with his fingers with hesitation. Then, he glanced back and saw King looking rather crestfallen after the loss of his "crown of power." So, he reached into his duffel bag to grab something before approaching the demon.
"Here." the boy said, taking the plastic crown off one of his action figures and placing it on King's head. "It may not have any power, but what's a king without his crown, right?"
"This shall suffice." he said in acceptance before getting into his act. "You there, plant! You are now under my command."
Hunter couldn't help but giggle at the furry creature's antics.
"Oh, and don't forget this." Eda said, handing him the pamphlet for Reality Check Summer Camp.
That was when the teen saw his reflection in the mirror above the mantle. He put a hand to his elfin ears and his features creased into an uncertain frown. Hunter was still coming to terms with the new reality that he was a witch. Yes, he was still grappling mentally and emotionally with the fact he wasn't human. But at the same time, learning about where he came from had always been something he yearned for as long as he could remember.
"Okay... I know you got your head cut off, and we started some kind of prison riot, but I haven't had this much excitement in a long time." Hunter said, turning around.
The boy couldn't help but feel like he was connected to this world. Why would he pass up an opportunity to learn more about himself by leaving it behind.
"All my life, I never thought there would be people who looked like me. And now- now I've found them." the kid continued, crumpling the pamphlet in his hand. "I need to learn more about what I am. And I'm certainly not going to find that out by going to summer camp."
"What's summer camp?" Eda asked in confusion. "What's happening?"
"Look, it's obvious that I'm a witch. But I need to know what kind of witch I am." Hunter explained. "Maybe you could teach me."
"What?" the Owl Lady laughed incredulously. "All right, that's crazy. I've never had a student in my life."
"Well, then, I'll be your first. If you teach me how to be a witch and help me find out more about my origins, I'll do whatever you want."
"Let him stay!" King encouraged Eda, pulling on her skirt before whispering. "He can make us snacks."
"Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards." the witch smiled, picking the demon up. "All right. I'll teach you how to be a witch. But you have to work for me before you learn any spells. Deal?"
"Deal." Hunter agreed, shaking Eda's hand before pulling himself in to hug her and King.
"Gah! What's going on?" the woman asked, feeling uncomfortable.
"It's called a hug." the boy simply explained.
Later that night, Hunter got himself settled in. Eda let him sleep in a storage room and he unrolled his dark purple sleeping bag, smoothing it out to make sure there were no wrinkles. The kid had gotten changed into pajamas and was to turn in when the Owl Lady came by, leaning on the doorframe.
"Seems like only yesterday you were a tiny newborn in my arms when I brought you to the human realm." Eda reminisced with a nostalgic smile. "Along with a couple friends."
"You brought me to the human world?" Hunter said softly, taken aback by this revelation. "But why?"
"This world isn't free of evil. And that evil would have hurt you in ways you could never imagine. You'll understand soon." the witch divulged before wishing the boy goodnight. "You sleep good, Hunter."
As soon as she left, Hunter's phone pinged as he got a text from his mom.
"How's summer camp?" it read.
The teen's heart immediately dropped when he comprehended what came from his decision. He didn't know how Camila would cope with her adopted son being in another world. With his father and little sister gone, Hunter was the only immediate family his mom had left. Would the boy being "missing" be too much for Camila's heart to take? Suddenly, King came by Hunter's room with Francois tucked under his arm.
"Your sleep cocoon looks fluffy." he said as the boy nestled in.
Hunter then patted the foot of his sleeping bag, indicating that there was room for the demon to sleep there. Happily, King curled up there with his plushie and nodded off. The teenage witch, on the other hand, was too restless to sleep, even though today's events left exhausted. He had learned so much about himself in one short day in the Demon Realm that he never would've had he gone to summer camp. Maybe being here will help Hunter carve out his identity, and even find his birth parents. And he'll be in this world for the duration of summer camp. So, his mom doesn't have to know, yet.
"It's scary, but I think I'll be okay." the boy finally replied to his mom's text before putting his phone away.
It would take some time to get used to his new surroundings, but Hunter was willing to face whatever was ahead. Needless to say, the teen was well on his way to becoming the person he was meant to be. With that, Hunter finally drifted off to sleep.
Notes:
The adventure has begun.
Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Witches Before Wizards
Summary:
Hunter begins his first day as a witch in training and hopes to find some clues about his origins along the way. An ancient wizard gives the young witch a map for a mythical quest. But Eda suspects something sinister is happening behind the scenes.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was the start of a new day on the Boiling Isles. And within the Owl House, Hunter Noceda was tossing and turning in his sleeping bag as the memories of yesterday replayed in his dreams.
"Hunter. Wake up, kid." a woman's voice said, a hand gently shaking his shoulder.
The boy's eyes shot open and he awoke from his slumber in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He turned to find himself face-to-face with the witch who took him in just last night. She showed concern and her demon roommate, King was right beside her.
"Eda?" Hunter mumbled in a groggy voice, rubbing his eyes. "So it wasn't a dream."
"Are you okay?" Eda asked. "That must have been some nightmare you had."
"Yeah, I'm fine." the boy yawned. "What time is it?"
He picked up his cellphone which laid just beside his pillow. But then, his eyes widened to the size of saucers when he checked the clock. It read 9:55 AM.
"It's that late already?" Hunter said in disbelief, quickly crawling out of his sleeping bag. "I'm so sorry, Eda. I didn't mean to sleep in so much."
"No worries." Eda shrugged it off. "Now wash up and get dressed. Breakfast will be ready downstairs. We'll discuss today's plans right after my cup of apple blood."
"Don't you mean apple juice?" the kid asked.
"No." the Owl Lady replied vaguely as she walked out of the room.
So, Hunter went to the bathroom just two doors down the hall from his bedroom to take a shower. After he was all cleaned up, the teen got dressed and was just about to brush his teeth.
"Hi, Hunter." Hooty suddenly barged in from the window, scaring Hunter out of his wits.
"Hooty!" the young witch screamed, swatting the house demon away. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I was just wishing you good morning. Jeez! Hoot! Ow!" Hooty got worked up as he retracted himself from the window.
"Okay, Hunter. First day on the Boiling Isles. Don't screw this up." Hunter spoke to his reflection in the mirror, taking a deep breath. "Today I start my life as a witch in training. I've got this."
Once he was done in the bathroom, the boy came downstairs to the kitchen. He sat at the table next to King who was seated in a highchair, poking at a yellow blob with eyes. Then, Eda approached Hunter and presented him with a plate of the exact same blob, much to his disgust.
"That doesn't look very appetizing." Hunter commented with uncertainty.
"Somethings taste better than they look around here." Eda replied. "Go on. Try it."
So, the boy trepidatiously picked up a bit of the blob with his fork, popped it in his mouth, and swallowed it. Unfortunately, his belly did not take kindly to such a foreign substance. Hunter gagged and raced to the sink to vomit the repulsive contents from his stomach. The Owl Lady was surprised by this and rushed to the teen's side, rubbing his back as he continued to heave.
"Strange. I've never met a witch couldn't hold that down." Eda said intriguingly. "Though I suppose living on human food for sixteen years may have had a hand in scrambling your digestive system."
The witch then realized she was going to have to be more selective about the food she purchased so as to keep Hunter fed. That was when the kid felt another round of puke coming on and hurled once again.
"Well, better out than in." the Owl Lady spoke, rubbing Hunter's back some more.
The young witch then turned on the sink to wash all his barf down the drain and wiped his mouth clean with a rag that Eda handed him.
"So, I haven't forgotten about our deal. I help you around the Owl House, and in return, you teach me some witchcraft." Hunter recalled after recovering from his brief sickness. "Because I've definitely been curious about getting a staff ever since your little owl led me to the demon realm."
"So, you want a magic staff, huh?" Eda said, a blood mustache left from the sip of her drink.
"Yes, ma'am." the boy nodded eagerly.
"Magic staff, come to me!" the Owl Lady yelled, holding out her hand.
Slowly but surely, her staff answered her summon and floated into the kitchen, smashing into the side of Eda's head in the process.
"Are you okay?" Hunter gasped.
Immediately, the witch recovered and gave an expert twirl over staff as if nothing ever happened.
"It's early." she justified. "Now, witches are rewarded their staffs from school. With me as your teacher, you'll be taking a different approach."
Eda then dropped a burlap sack at Hunter's feet. The sack was full of all kinds of potions.
"You'll have to work for it." the Owl Lady said before leading the kid into the living room.
"I run a few businesses." she explained. "On weekends, I offer rare human treasures that Owlbert drags over from your side of the realm."
Eda picked up a toy sword from her latest stash of human trash and pushed the button on its pommel.
"I shall smite my enemies! Ages 6 to 11." the sword's speaker said.
"But most days, I sell only the finest homemade elixirs and potions." the witch continued as she tossed the toy over Hunter's head.
The teen then reached into the bag and pulled out a potion at random.
"Snake oil." Hunter read the label.
"No one wants an unoiled snake." Eda told him with a wink. "Follow me."
She then led the young witch out onto the house's balcony which overlooked the eastern part of the landmass.
"Today, you'll deliver packages and sell potions to that town over there, Bonesborough." the Owl Lady explained pointing to an urban area with her staff. "You'll have to be careful. I have rivals everywhere would love to take my business down and you along with it."
"You can count on me, Eda." Hunter promised eagerly, saluting the older witch.
"I'm sure." the Owl Lady gave a grin as she guided the boy to the front door. "Remember, don't befriend a man in sandals, and always measure twice, cut once."
"Uh..." Hunter tried to say something, raising his index finger.
"Good luck!" Eda told him before closing the door with her magic. She then went over to King who curled up near the window. "I hate to interrupt your power nap, but you have to go with him."
"What? But I just found the perfect spot!" the demon complained. "Why do I have to go?"
"You and I both know he's either going to get lost or eaten- probably both." the witch answered. Hunter, who had been eavesdropping felt a little hurt that he needed a babysitter. "And because you work for me, too, unless you want to start paying rent."
King through a short tantrum before he finally complied and stomped outside to join the teen.
"Be back by nightfall or risk mortal peril." Eda warned Hunter before closing the door once again.
"Have a nice trip." Hooty cheerfully wished the boy.
"Huh! Let's get this over with." King groaned as the pair walked off together.
After a brief walk from the Owl House, Hunter and King arrive into town, stopping under an archway.
"Whoa!" the young witch breathed.
Bonesborough was bustling with activity as various witches and demons were passing by. Hunter was enamored by the buildings and creatures in this town. He even gasped as a butterfly creature fluttered by.
"Hey, it's rude to stare." King said, getting the boy's attention.
"Sorry." Hunter apologized. "There's just a lot to take in around here. You know, places like this remind me of my favorite book series, The Dream Rangers."
The kid reached into his messenger bag which he brought along and pulled out a hardcover book. On the cover, there were five teenage children: two boys and three girls. All of them were wearing fantastical outfits. Hunter then flipped the book over so that King could look over the synopsis on the back.
"Five ordinary kids are chosen by the Sandman to defend the dream world from the forces of evil. Through their exceptional creativity and imagination, they use their newly gifted powers to combat nightmarish monsters. But are these teens prepared for the struggles that lie ahead?" the little demon read aloud.
"There are seven installments in the series so far. I own them all." Hunter told him. "You know, I've been thinking. If Eda knew me before I even met her, maybe someone else in this realm might too. And then, maybe I can find my birth parents."
"I doubt anyone around here will jump at the chance to help you." King disagreed. "The Boiling Isles is nothing but a cesspool of despair."
"No one likes a pessimist, King." the teen shot the demon a look, crossing his arms.
He then slung the bag of potions over his shoulders and walked up to a centaur who was examining a pumpkin from one of the market stands.
"Excuse me, sir?" the young witch said. "Could I interest you in a homemade potion today?"
"My eyes are down here." the centaur sighed, revealing that his face was on his chest.
This made Hunter scream as he backed up to where King was waiting.
"This world is messed up." the kid shuddered.
For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, Hunter and King went door-to-door dropping off packages. They also sold a few potions along the way and earned a few snails for that. At one particular house, Hunter stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. Just then, the doorbell sprung to life and stuck it's tongue out to lick the boy's free hand. Shivering, he jerked his hand away and rapidly left, taking Eda's sack of potions with him.
A little while later, the boys sat on a curb to take a break. King was eating something called a Not Dog from a passing cart, food that Hunter unfortunately couldn't ingest.
"I know I've had enough excitement for one day." King sighed.
"I thought that somebody in this world, other than Eda, would no who I am. But apparently, the demons around here just think I would make a nice meal." Hunter said, lifting his elbow to reveal a small, winged creature gnawing at it before he flicked it away. "I don't expect to be famous in this world, but if I was sent away from here, than I must have made some kind of impression."
"Why wouldn't you want to be famous?" the furry demon asked. "I would give anything to have my name go down in history."
"At least we're almost done." the young witch conveyed, getting on his feet and slinging the sack over his shoulder. Looking over the list of clients and addresses, the boys made their way down an alley. "Let's deliver this last package and go home."
Hunter then pushed aside a curtain that opened up to the final delivery location. He let a gasp when he saw a large castle straight out of a storybook with golden banners gleaming in the sunlight. The teen was stunned. Now this was a bit of a welcome change.
Hunter then pressed on the doorbell which was also made of gold, and two, towering wooden doors opened themselves before him.
"Big houses always belong to big whackjobs." King dismissed, looking unimpressed. "Let's kick the package inside and get outta here."
But instead of listening, the young witch walked right inside. He was interested in seeing who this client was.
"Hello?" Hunter said softly.
"Hey, wait." the little demon cried, running after him. The doors slammed loudly behind him. "Weh!"
Hunter darted his eyes about nervously when he found himself in a dark room.
"I-I'm delivering a package from Eda, the Owl Lady." he called timidly.
Suddenly, the room brightened as lanterns flared on, revealing that Hunter was an enormous library. The lanterns illuminated a grand staircase with a painting of a wizard above it. Then, the same wizard entered the room through a door, making the same pose as the painting. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at Hunter with a friendly smile.
"He looks like a real-life wizard." the boy stated.
"More like a weird old man in jim-jams." King deadpanned, crossing his arms.
"I was in my oscillarium, reading the stars." the wizard explained, descending down the stairs. "And who might you be, with eyes full of curiosity?"
"Uh, I-I'm-" Hunter stammered in an attempt to answer before the wizard ran up to him.
"Young man, dareth I say, I sense something unique about you." the wizard remarked, causing the boy to blush uncomfortably. Then, he stepped back and drew two magic circles, summoning two chairs, and a table with snacks before sitting upon a white throne. "Please, won't you join me for tea?"
"Uh, sure." Hunter accepted the man's offer, but King grabbed his leg, stopping him.
"Let's scram!" the little demon exclaimed, clambering onto the teen's shoulder. "Wizards are just old people with glitter in their pockets." Then as if on cue, the wizard grabbed a handful of glitter out of his pocket and sprinkled it on the floor. "I don't trust him."
"He's just offering us tea, King. Who are we to turn down a man's hospitality?" Hunter eased him before gasping. "And... are those scones on the table?"
"Where?" King said, suddenly interested in sticking around as he made a beeline for the table.
The kid then set the sack of potions down next to the chair he chose to sit in.
"Of course we'd love some tea." he said graciously, taking one of the teacups.
As King munched on the food beside Hunter and the wizard, the young witch noticed a cart of potions across from him.
"Do you sell potions, Mr. Wizard?" the boy asked out of curiosity.
"Please, call me Adegast." the wizard gestured to himself with a friendly tone. "And, yes, I run a small business."
Hunter found that a little strange. Why would a rival competitor order potions from Eda when could just make his own?
"You should run a small business of more scones in my mouth." King said with his mouth, clutching an empty plate and chuckling. "Yes!"
"I'm surprised to see you here." Adegast commented. "It was my understanding that Eda delivered to the packages herself."
"Well, I'm her apprentice, actually." Hunter explained.
"Oh! And how are you finding the experience so far?" the wizard questioned with great interest.
"It's okay... I guess." the teen answered nervously. "But here's the thing. I grew up in the Human Realm since I was a baby. When I decided to stay in this magical world, I thought I could get some answers about my past. And Eda... I feel like she knows more about me than she's letting on."
"Hmm. I think I may be of some assistance." Adegast said after pursing his lips.
He then reached into his beard and pulled out a scroll. The scroll turned out to an old map.
"The prophecy speaks of a young boy, much like yourself, who will claim the Celestial Staff and free this world from an ancient evil. Once obtained, the staff will grant the wish the boy holds closest to his heart." the wizard explained what the map showed. "Perhaps thou hath cometh here for a reason."
Hunter felt a wave of uncertainty as he skimmed over the map. Something about this prophecy sounded too good to be true.
"Should you believe yourself worthy to attempt this quest, you need to know the road is dark and perilous." Adegast continued to pander. "And only the Chosen One can pull the staff from its post."
"Look, I'm flattered, I really am, but... I think you have the wrong guy." Hunter smiled awkwardly.
"Welp, your food is gone, and we are, too." King added before he pretended to look at a watch on his wrist. "And, oh, look at the time. We'd better make it home before dark."
"Right. Don't want to risk mortal peril by being late for my curfew." the young witch chuckled nervously before following the little demon out of the castle. "It was nice meeting you, Adegast."
Unbeknownst to Hunter, Adegast secretly drew a small magic circle and the map ended up in the kid's back pocket.
"You didn't have to waste such niceties on that dope." King told Hunter.
"I was trying to be polite." the boy justified as Adegast waved goodbye.
Back at the Owl House, Hunter was reading one of his Dream Rangers books while King was napping on the teen's rolled-up sleeping bag. The young witch was right at the part where the main protagonist Javier discovered his dream world powers.
"Something about that wizard seemed fishy." Hunter mused as he put a bookmark on the page he had just finished reading.
"Eh, old men are supposed to smell like fish." King shrugged. "But you're right not to trust him."
"Oh, you guys talking about fish? Wait, what's going on?" Eda asked, coming in with a monstrous, dismembered arm.
"Agh!" Hunter screamed in horror. "You really gotta warn me when you bring in severed limbs!"
"Eda, tell Hunter how dumb wizards are." King said to the Owl Lady.
"Ugh! Wizards are the worst. Never trust a man in casual drapery." Eda replied pointedly, swinging the arm around. "Why?"
"Your wizard client told Hunter... he was a- was a Chosen One!" the little demon cracked up before fully laughing.
"Wait, wait, Hunter?" the older witch started to guffaw as well, so much that she practically fell on the floor.
"I turned him down, King." Hunter reminded King in annoyance. "You were there with me."
"Relax, kid, we're not laughing at you." Eda told the boy after settling down. "We're laughing because the idea of anyone being predestined for greatness is ridiculous."
Hunter's face turned wistful, thinking that she might be right. As he moved to put his book away, he heard something crumple in his back pocket. The teen's hand reached behind him and pulled out a scroll that was yellow with age. He unfurled it to reveal some familiar writing.
"It's the wizard's map." Hunter gasped. "He must have slipped it in my pocket when I wasn't looking."
"Let me see that." Eda requested and the boy handed her the scroll so she could look it over. "You don't think this is real, do you?"
"Why do you ask?" the young witch questioned.
"This map is bunk. There's no lake with a Celestial Staff on the Boiling Isles. I would have stolen it ages ago." the Owl Lady confirmed. She then lightly ruffled her apprentice's hair. "Good thing you're too smart to fall for something like that."
"Can I have some time alone?" Hunter sighed.
Eda shrugged and headed out. King hopped off the sleeping bag and followed her. The door closed, casting the room in shade.
The young witch sat there, hugging his knees. All he ever wanted to know was who he was supposed to be. Being called a "Chosen One" didn't tell Hunter anything about his birth parents or why he was a magical being in the first place. The boy really did wish Eda could tell him more, but he was worried that she might get defensive about the topic. Hunter just didn't know what to do.
He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a leather-bound book with a sun on the cover and metal clasp. It was a diary, the diary that his mother had given as a parting gift before summer camp rolled around. It was meant to get Hunter's feelings down on paper when he couldn't share them with anyone else. The boy opened it to reveal the first entry about him being a witch. As he reread it, Hunter saw something shiny out of the corner of his eye.
Sunlight had illuminated one corner of Adegast's map, revealing the word "one" in shining blue letters. The young witch held the entire map up to the sun to reveal the entire message.
"'The chosen one. The path will only appear to the worthy.'" Hunter read aloud. "It must have been written in photoreactive ink."
Upon further investigation, however, the kid noticed something else. The word "celestial" was spelled, C-E-L-E-S-T-E-E-L when the correct spelling was C-E-L-E-S-T-I-A-L. Why would there be a misspelled word on an ancient scroll? It seemed like Adegast wasn't going to stop until Hunter accepted his quest.
Immediately, the boy thought about his missing, little sister Luz. He knew that she would kill to go on a quest like this one. Maybe if Hunter went in Luz's name, it would help him feel closer to her. But if he was going, he was going to need to be prepared. So the teen grabbed the toy sword from earlier that had been sheathed.
"This is for you, Luz." Hunter said solemnly.
Downstairs in the living room, King was curling up on the couch, getting ready to take a nap.
"Finally! All that mean-spirited laughter made me sleepy." he said, as his fluttered closed.
"Crony, wake up." Eda barked. "You said that wizard was one of my clients?"
"Yes. Now go away." the little demon replied nonchalantly.
"I don't know him that well." the witch said as she sat down on the sofa, with enough force to send King flying into the air. "And I don't trust this itch he scratching in Hunter."
"Less talky, more nappy."
The Owl Lady sighed with annoyance at how lazy her housemate was being. She then went back upstairs to check if Hunter was okay. Eda then approached the boy's bedroom door and slowly pushed it open.
"Hey, Hunter?" the witch said, peeking inside Hunter's room. But to her surprise, the kid was gone and the window was open. "Uh-oh."
Quick as a flash, she ran to the window.
"Hooty, where'd he go?" Eda asked the house demon urgently.
"Hoot hoot, if you want the answer that you seek, solve my riddle within a week-" Hooty spoke cryptically before the Owl Lady punched the wall. It left a noticeable indention and caused the house to shake. "Ow! Okay, okay. He went into the forest towards Bonesborough. Sheesh."
The Owl Lady then pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. That kid had no idea what he was getting into. He was going to get hurt and Eda couldn't let that happen.
Meanwhile, Hunter had arrived at a sign proclaiming the city limits of Bonesborough.
"Here goes nothing." the boy inhaled.
He jumped and slid down an incline, then jumped over a fallen log. A thick fog rolled in as the teen continued walking into the forest. And he barely avoided tripping on tree roots as he navigated through the misty cover.
"Whatever I may come across, I don't need Eda or King to protect me." Hunter told himself as he pushed a branch out of the way and pulled out Adegast's map. "Okay. According to the map, I should be coming up on a village right about... now."
As soon as the boy emerged from the brush, he found himself in a lively village of cats walking on two legs and wearing clothes like people. Hunter walked through the town, blinking in astonishment as he looked around. Just then, he came upon a fountain in the middle of the square. From there, a young man roughly the same age as Hunter emerged from the fountain's basin, flipping his wet hair. He was muscular and had a sword strapped to his waist.
Hunter couldn't hold back the rolling of his eyes. He knew Luz would go nuts about hot guys like this.
"I see. So you're the Chosen One." the muscular witch scoffed. "The Celestial Staff should've picked me, Nevareth Bladestrife, Teen Prince of Angstmore."
"Yeah, well, we can't all be the Chosen One, now can we?" Hunter retorted.
"Very well. I suppose I have no choice but to assist you on your quest." Nevareth replied coolly.
"Good. Glad we could come to a mutual agreement." the teen replied as they carried on together. "I think."
After begrudgingly recruiting King to help track Hunter, Eda followed the little demon down the alleyway where the boys went during their delivery route. King sniffed for the teen's scent like a bloodhound until the duo approached the end of the alley.
"This is where we met the scones. I mean, the wizard." the demon confirmed as Eda pushed back a patched curtain.
"Whoa!" King said in surprise. "It wasn't like this before."
The once glorious castle was now in complete ruin with crumbling walls, no spire, and faded banners. One of the large front doors was now lying uselessly on the ground. And as Eda and King continued to look around, a large chunk of stone fell from a pillar.
"I don't like this." the Old Lady stated, feeling uneasy.
She and King ventured deeper into the ruins and a door creaked open, leading into the library. But just like the rest of the castle, it was also decrepit. There were now tattered scrolls littering the floor, bookshelves were broken, paintings were ripped to shreds, and chunks of debris were blocking the stairs. As the pair investigated, Eda stumbled upon a bundle of scrolls. She picked them all up, each illuminated by the sunlight to reveal the glowing message: "The Chosen One."
"I really don't like this." the witch narrowed her eyes.
Back in the forest, Hunter and Nevareth continued on the path provided by the map. Along the way, the latter told a compelling backstory of how he became a brooding loner.
"Thank you for sharing your backstory with me, Nevareth. Even though I didn't really ask." Hunter told his muscular companion. "And your animal sidekick is really cute."
"After my village was consumed, my heart has known nothing but vengeance." the prince continued to vent.
All of a sudden, Nevareth stopped in his tracks and put a protective arm in front of Hunter.
"What is it?" the young witch asked.
"You must be careful when crossing this bridge." Nevareth warned him. "It is said to be protected by a fearsome troll."
As the three travelers cautiously approached said bridge, a funny looking creature jumped in front of them. They yelped in surprise. The troll was only around two feet tall and wore a jingly hat.
"Ew." Nevareth said distastefully.
"I guess he oversold the bridge guardian a little." Hunter thought.
"Hum-di-diddle, to pass this bridge, you must first solve my riddle." the troll spoke in rhymes as he did a little dance.
"Challenge accepted." the boy declared determinedly.
"Your quest shall stop if you fail this game. So tell me, my boy, what is my name?" the creature quizzed him.
Hunter instantly raised an eyebrow in scrutiny. That was the complicated riddle needed to cross the bridge? Nevertheless, the boy still needed to continue on. So, Hunter pursed his lips and thought deeply. That was when he noticed the name tag the creature was wearing and squinted at it.
"Is it... Chris?" the young witch asked.
"That's it. You may cross the bridge." the troll confirmed happily. Chris then held out a golden band for Hunter. "And please take this, Chosen One. It shall help you on your journey."
"Thanks. I'll... use it well." the boy replied uncomfortably as he slipped the ring on his finger.
"Do you need a cape?" Nevareth suddenly asked.
"Nah, I think I'm goo-" Hunter tried to reply.
"You can use my shirt." the prince interrupted as he ripped his shirt off and tied it like a cape over the kid's shoulders.
The sight of Nevareth's pecs made Hunter's heart skip a beat.
"Sure, as long as you're okay with it." he answered.
"Three cheers for the Chosen One." Nevareth declared for all to hear. "Hip, hip..."
"Hooray!" everybody finished jubilantly.
Hunter felt a little vexed because he hadn't done anything heroic yet, and everyone was still praising. But the boy maintained a happy face as the people continued to cheer.
"Hip, hip..."
"Hooray!"
"Hip, hip..."
"Oh, no." Eda said dishearteningly.
After a quick flight on her staff, the Owl Lady and King were shocked to find that the village Hunter just passed through was now reduced to rubble. Dark clouds hung in the sky and an eerie fog obscured the streets. This wasn't a good sign.
"Are you sure he came here?" Eda asked King who was tracking Hunter.
"Can't mistake his scent." the demon sniffed the air. "Like spruce and low self-esteem."
"Hmm." the witch rubbed her chin in thought.
She walked up the fountain in the square which was now broken and covered in dying vines. There was one lone cat wrapped in the vines lying in the lower basin. Eda kneeled in front of the fountain for a better look.
"Hey! Wake up, you." she flicked the cat's head before shaking it. "What have you done with Hunter? What's your endgame?"
"To find your pupil and still your wrath, look ahead and follow the path." the cat cackled before disintegrating.
"The cat man melted!" King gasped sharply.
"It's a trap." the Owl Lady sighed before standing up. "They want me to follow Hunter."
"So, what do we do?" the furry demon asked.
"Hmm." Eda was deep in thought as she pondered on what the best course of action should be.
Back in the woods, Hunter had a new companion traveling along with him, Chris and Nevareth. It was a fairy who was much less hostile than the one the young witch met when he first arrived on the Boiling Isles. The group had just left after eating a bountiful feast of mini foods.
"Thank you for inviting me to your feast, Princess." Hunter said to the charity fairy. "All of your tiny food was delicious."
"For you, Chosen One." Princess said after creating two bracelets with her magic to give to the boy.
"Uh, thank you." the young witch said, placing the bracelets on his wrist before continuing down the path.
The travelers had taken one more turn when Chris jumped in front of the boy.
"Your quest will soon be to an end, for the staff you seek is around the bend." the troll declared.
"Well, I guess it was fun while it lasted." Hunter replied with a forced smile.
But in all honesty, he was glad to be rid of these guys. They were so patronizing and way too cheery for the boy's liking.
"Go on, Chosen One." Nevareth encouraged Hunter. "The Celestial Staff is yours. You've earned it."
The young witch broke away from his traveling companions and continued down the rest of the path alone.
"Farewell, Hunter." the prince waved.
"Farewell." Princess bidded. "We love you, Chosen One."
Hunter kept making his way down the path until he happened upon a lake. In the heart of it was the Celestial Staff, standing on a platform and gleaming under a ray of light. As the teen approached the lake's edge, the water began to glow. And then, a stone walkway bridged the gap between the land and the staff's platform.
"Okay, I admit it. That's pretty impressive." Hunter commented as he ambled his way across the walkway.
Once he reached the platform, the boy's hands reached for the Celestial Staff expectedly. He about to fulfill this quest in the name of his little sister. And maybe, he would finally learn the truth about Luz's whereabouts, his birth parents, and what kind of witch he was...
But in that moment, it was time for Hunter to drop the act.
"No." he declared, reacting his hands away. "This is not the way to get what I want!"
The kid's refusal then triggered a chain reaction. The Celestial Staff turned to dust and blew away in the wind. Then, the rest of the environment began to change. Flowers had wilted, the lake's water drained and retreated up the riverbanks, and even the trees' leaves disappeared in a swirl. This was an illusion!
"What?" Hunter gawked genuinely surprised.
Meanwhile, Eda and King were rapidly flying through the forest on the witch's staff. The Owl Lady was hoping to catch up with Hunter before it was too late.
"I know this guy." Eda explained. "He's no wizard. He's what you'd call a puppeteer, a demon who specializes in scamming and manipulating people. He's trying to use Hunter to get to me."
"Yeah, and we're flying directly into his trap." King pointed out sarcastically. "Hooray."
"Well, if you can think of a better plan, I'd love to hear it." the Owl Lady retorted, before slapping her staff. "Hey, faster, you."
Owlbert hooted as he picked up speed.
Back at the lake, Hunter drew his toy sword, ready to fight if need be. A thick fog began to roll in around the dry lake bed.
"All right, Mr. Wizard. The jig is up." he called out, keeping his guard up. "Come on out."
That was when Adegast partially emerged from the mist.
"But how did-?" he attempted to ask.
"I knew this whole quest was a sham from the get-go." Hunter revealed. "You misspelled 'celestial' on your map. And even if the spelling error didn't tip me off, you made the quest way too easy. Where's the impending danger? The difficult trials?" He couldn't help but chortle. "Anyway, I was only playing you long enough to figure out where your angle was. And from my angle, it looks like you've been shut down, Adegast. If that is your real name."
"You're a clever boy, Hunter. But not clever enough, I'm afraid." the wizard cackled before his eyes went wonky. "For you see, I am no wizard."
As it turned out, the wizard was actually a puppet attached to a tentacle and controlled by a octopus like demon. Hunter fearfully looked around as his previous traveling companions and the cat villagers revealed themselves. All of which also had a tentacle attached to their backs. The boy quickly realized that the monster was posing as everybody the whole time.
Just then, the cape Hunter was wearing swirled around him and turned into chains, forcing him to his knees. The teen's bracelets transformed into handcuffs and the ring became more chains, binding his hands together, and secured with a padlock. The trinkets were part of the trap.
"Why are you doing this?" Hunter questioned.
"Your mentor has been stealing customers from my potion business for years." Adegast explained. "She must be destroyed."
"Does everybody have a grudge towards Eda around here?" the kid asked.
All of the puppets nodded in agreement and Hunter sighed heavily. If he could face-palm right now, he would.
"And because Eda cares too much to let something bad happen to you, you've lured her right into my trap." Adegast continued.
"Ha! Joke's on you." Hunter laughed in his face. "Eda's way too smart to play into your hand."
"Adegast!" Eda's voice hollered.
"Oh, crud." the boy said in disbelief.
He could see the Owl Lady and King flying in to his rescue as they land at the end of the walkway.
"Eda, I have you now!" Adegast declared as two cat puppets erupted from the ground and grabbed Eda and King.
"That's right. You have me. Now release Hunter." the witch demanded.
"I didn't have to be a part of this!" the furry demon yelled in protest.
"Oh, he can leave. If he wants to." Adegast said, turning back to the young witch. "But I sense he still wants answers."
One of the monster's puppets then blew a cloud of fog in Hunter's face. He tried to cough it out of his system, but he opened his eyes, the teen found himself in a dark void. And he was free from his restraints. Adegast puppets then approached the boy from the dark.
"Stay with us, Hunter. Stay with Adegast." Nevareth persuaded. "We need you here. We can help you find the truth."
"Yeah, you don't have to feel like an outsider anymore." Princess added.
"Hunter, why would you want to go the rest of your life without knowing who you are?" the prince puppet asked.
"I don't want to feel like an outcast." Hunter said softly.
"Hunter!" Eda cried out, which went unheeded.
"And I do want answers."
"No!" the Owl Lady grunted as the tentacle nearly enveloped her and the puppets closed in on the boy.
"But I won't get them from you." Hunter proclaimed a little louder. Grunting, he waved the fog away and ran forward, grabbing his sword. "I am a witch in training. I don't know what kind of witch, but I'm going to find out the right way. Now let my friends go!"
The boy then stabbed the wizard puppet through the stomach, making it vanish with a poof. Adegast screamed in pain. And then, Eda and King freed themselves and landed next to Hunter.
"Go for the puppets." the teen told them. "That's his weak spot."
The three of them quickly fanned out. Hunter swung his at the fairy princess like it was a baseball bat, making her poof away. Three cat puppets approached Eda. So, she drew a spell circle, sending a plume of orange smoke at them. They disintegrated with distorted screams. The more puppets that were destroyed, the more pain Adegast felt. Just then, Nevareth tried to blindside Hunter, but his yell alerts the kid to his presence. He caught the prince's sword with his own and dueled him.
"Take this, you handsome blowhard!" Hunter yelled, plunging his sword into the puppet's chest.
"Ah, my flawless pecs!" Nevareth grunted before poofing away.
Eda landed next to the kid, and the two of them share a smile.
"Back off!" Adegast ordered whose last puppet managed to recapture King. "Or the dog gets it."
"I am not a-" King protested the monster moved his tentacle over the demon's mouth to silence him.
Immediately, Eda and Hunter dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
"King, I'm sorry I got you mixed up in all this." the young witch apologized. "I thought I could handle this on my own, but I guess I was wrong. That wizard was nothing but a sleazy con artist!"
He then kicked his sword, sending it flying blade first into Adegast's bulbous noggin. The monster screamed in agony and dropped King who was caught by Hunter. The scream changed pitch as Adegast shrunk to less than an eighth of his original size. The two witches walked to the shrunken octopus who was now powerless without his puppets.
"Well, that's the last time I take an outside referral." Eda said, picking up Adegast before eating him like sashimi. The sight made Hunter cringe. "Mmm. Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." the boy replied sadly.
"Here's what I don't understand. If you knew this quest was a charade all along, why did you still do it?" the Owl Lady asked.
"See, I have this little sister named Luz. She ran away when I was only six, but she loved magical quests and the 'Chosen One' trope." Hunter explained. "I thought if I went on Adegast's quest in Luz's honor, it would help me feel closer to her. But it just makes me miss her more now." He stopped to wipe some tears from his eyes before continuing. "She would be fourteen right now. I don't know how she would feel about this place though. It's not feeling like the fantasy worlds in her books."
"Hmm. Maybe not here, but come with me." Eda said, putting a sympathetic hand on Hunter's shoulder. "I got something to show you."
A little while later, the trio were flying in the sky. Hunter had his arms wrapped around Eda's waist while wearing a blindfold while King was perched on the end of the Owl Lady's staff.
"Okay, you can look." Eda told the teen once the staff came to a stop.
Hunter removed his blindfold and was astonished by what he saw.
"Whoa!" he gasped.
From where he was hovering, the kid could make out the whole of the Boiling Isles: the decomposing body of a Titan. It was laying with its arms splayed in the sea, it's skull illuminated by the setting sun.
"The bones of the Isles." Eda said. "Up close, the Isles can be slimy-"
"And very stinky." King added.
"And gross." the Owl Lady agreed. "But if you look at it from a different perspective..."
The three of them gazed at the sky above the Titan's skull, where stars began to appear. As they watched, a shooting star crossed the slowly darkening sky.
"It's beautiful." Hunter marveled softly as his eyes sparkled.
"Yeah." King replied as he leaned against the young witch, drifting off to sleep.
"Why did I ever think some random demon could possibly know anything about who I'm supposed to be?" Hunter sighed as his face fell in sadness.
"Look kid, everyone wants to believe they're 'chosen.'" Eda spoke wisely with a chuckle. "But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting. And that's why you need to choose yourself."
"Does that mean I'll get my own magical staff too?" the boy asked hopefully.
"You will... when you're ready."
Hunter smiled and leaned against Eda as they continued to watch the sun. He rubbed his eye and yawned, and felt himself nod off. The boy had a bit of a ways to go before a staff would come into his life. But for now, he was willing to wait.
Meanwhile, Eda noticed the significant weight against her and smiled tenderly at Hunter. This kid was certainly going to be a handful to take care of, let alone train in witchcraft. But for the Owl Lady, it was worth it.
Notes:
Hunter gets to be the master of his own destiny.
Chapter 4: Chapter 3: I Was a Teenage Stowaway
Summary:
Hunter, doubtful of Eda's teachings, befriends a witch girl and accompanies her at the magic school she attends. And while he helps his new friend, the boy also makes a couple enemies along the way.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was a new day and the sun was shining as Hunter, Eda and King stood on the beach that bordered the Boiling Sea.
"Well, Hunter! Did you ever think in your life you'd see something as breathtaking as this?" Eda elbowed Hunter as she gestured the sight before them.
Lying there in the baking sun, was a slug as big as a whale. It was surrounded by garbage and muck as flies audibly buzzed around the enormous corpse. The foul stench of rot hung in the air. If Hunter's eyes could throw up, they would.
"Breathtaking isn't exactly the word I would use." the young witch shook his head while plugging his nose.
"Yes, it doesn't get more inspiring than the trash slug. It makes a home, a life from what others have thrown away by the wayside." his mentor explained walking over to the corpse. As she talked, Eda pulled a rubber chicken from the slug's mouth before tossing it aside. "Until, blam, it gets blasted by a wave one day and croaks from all the salt. And then, we get to sell the stuff it ate."
The Owl Lady then pulled out a pickaxe for Hunter who leaned away in disgust.
"Yeah, count me out." the boy rejected.
"Aw, come on, Hunter." King said while unfurling a beach towel. "It's not everyday you get to go to the dump and pick apart a garbage carcass."
"That's a lot of talk for so someone who's just lounging on the beach." Hunter replied.
"Ah, nuts to you all." Eda spoke before taking a swing with her pick, causing the teen to recoil.
"So, Eda..." Hunter began, flinching as some glass shattered. "How exactly does this teach me how to be a witch?" He flinched again when some more stuff broke. "Because I thought I would be learning something along the lines of casting spells or mixing potions."
"Ugh. That sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff." Eda grumbled while tossing stuff from the trash slug's mouth.
"Did you say magic school?" the kid asked, getting excited.
"Mmm-hmm. What's worse, they force you to learn magic the 'proper' way. But magic isn't proper. It's wild and unpredictable. And that's why it's so beautiful." the witch ranted, Hunter's smile fading. "I didn't finish school, and look at me! Who wouldn't every where I am right now?"
Flies buzzed as around the pile of trash that Eda was currently standing in. Her apprentice just stared at her skeptically. So, the Owl Lady decided to change tactics.
"Uh... Hey, here's a lesson!" she said, dropping her pick. "A great witch is resourceful, like this."
Eda then dug Hunter's hand in a puddle of trash slug bile, grossing the boy out. After about a minute of fishing around in the slime, he pulled something out.
"Oh, look at that. A greasy slime ball." Hunter said unenthusiastically. "Hooray."
"Use your slime ball wisely, young witch." the Owl Lady advised, closing the teen's hands around the wad of mucus. Eda then stood up and headed back to the corpse. "Back at it! We'll hit the stink nodes first."
"Actually, if it's okay, I think I'll head home and try to rid my memory of this grotesquely sight." Hunter said as he pocketed the slime ball before backing away. He then turned to King and waved at him. "Bye, King. Try not to get a sunburn."
The boy continued into the woods while the little demon sighed contentedly as he got back to sunbathing.
"More for me, then." Eda shrugged as she climbed into the trash slug, sending several things clamoring. "Okay. Here we go."
The Owl Lady then tossed out a cheese grater, an electric fan, and a tuba which landed on King's head.
"Ow!" the furry demon cried as he struggled to get the instrument off.
"This is awesome!" Eda declared happily.
In the woods on the way back to the Owl House, Hunter strolled on the path as he glared at the slime ball in his hand. For all he knew, it could have just been a booger. And the teen wasn't sure what good it would be for. Needless to say, Eda's trash slug excavation wasn't bringing Hunter any closer to discovering his place in this magical world. Unless, his place was to be a trash hermit like the Owl Lady.
"Looting through a rotting carcass was the furthest thing from my mind when I started learning witchcraft." the boy muttered as he stuffed the slime ball way again. "Maybe I'm just too squeamish to learn magic."
"You can do it! You can!" a girl's voice sounded off.
Hunter turned to the side and peeked through some bushes to find the source of the voice.
It was a young witch girl who looked around fifteen years old. She had short, dark green hair, olive skin, and round glasses with black frames over her green eyes. The witchling wore a dark gray tunic with a black cowl, and her leggings and sleeves were an orchid pink. She was... really pretty. Hunter felt his cheeks heat up a little at the sight of this girl.
"You can do it! Even if you get a bad grade, it's not a reflection of you as a witch..." the girl told herself, pacing around. "And my parents are right. There are better opportunities in this track. Now, get to school!"
She then took a confident step forward, only to stop short when she realized she had accidentally crushed a flower.
"Oh no!" the girl cried, kneeling before the plant. "Oh, little friend! I'm sorry!"
She repeatedly traced a spell circle and small green sparkles descended on the flower. Seconds later, it perked back up and bloomed once more. Hunter gasped softly, his eyes twinkled in wonder at the sight of her magic.
The girl's ears wiggled as a rumbling sound caught her attention. She turned as a wagon, being moved by magic, rolled to a stop before her, carrying a pot and another girl reading a book.
The other girl wore the same uniform as the former, had dyed green hair pulled back in a small ponytail, and golden yellow eyes. She looked away from her book and faced the dark-haired girl with a condescending smile.
"Willow! Wow." the latter said, hopping down from her pot. "You're so unnoticeable I almost rolled into ya."
She chuckled as the flower that was just healed wilted again.
"Hi, Amity." Willow said weakly as she got her feet.
"Uh, shouldn't you get to class early to prep your..." Amity asked, only to be cut off by a rattling sounding. The girls turned to Willow's pot as it spilled, pouring out a strange purple substance with an eyeball in it that blinked and groaned. "Oh, Willow. You don't have anything to show, do you?"
Hunter glowered at Amity from the bushes as Willow pulled up her hood and blushed in shame.
"This is why people call you Half-a-Witch Willow." the green-haired girl sighed with false sympathy.
That was when her own pot started rattling too.
"Oh, looks like someone wants to say something to you." Amity said, removing the lid from her pot before snapping her fingers. "Abomination, rise."
The same purple substance as Willow's rose from the pot, solidifying until it took on a humanoid shape. It bent out of the container to poke Willow's forehead, leaving behind abomination matter in a star shape.
"You're a... star." the abomination gurgled.
"Aw, it's like mine." Amity cooed as she adjusted a star-shaped badge that read "Top Student." "But much smaller and meaningless."
Hunter growled at the way Amity was taunting Willow. If there was one thing the boy hated more than anything else, it was bullies.
"As top student, it's my duty to tell you to keep at it." Amity continued, putting an arm around Willow. "Even you could get a passing grade someday. Abomination, cower."
The abomination groaned as it melted back into its pot. The green-haired girl then replaced the lid and grabbed the cart.
"See you in class, superstar." she said, walking away as Willow removed her hood.
Hunter silently stuck his tongue out at the mean girl, still glaring until she was completely out of his peripheral vision.
"'Oh, see you in class, superstar!'" Willow mimicked Amity before wiping the star off her forehead angrily. The wind blew leaves around her and as she started ranting. "I hate when she does that. I hate making abominations. I hate getting bad grades. Ugh! I can't stand this anymore!"
The girl had gotten so mad, her eyes started to glow green. Suddenly, the flower from earlier got lost among a myriad of thorny roots. They surrounded Willow, glowing and driving angrily. One of them slithered out, surprising Hunter as it grabs his ankle. He screamed as the root from his hiding place and dropped him on the ground a short distance behind Willow. The boy gazed up as the girl turned his way and glared at him, her eyes still glowing green. For a moment, Hunter feared that this girl's face would be the last thing he ever saw.
But then, Willow finally snapped out of it when she realized what she had done. She leaned forward worriedly as the roots began to retreat back into the ground.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" the girl panicked, removing the remaining roots from Hunter's legs. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay." the teen replied, rubbing his thigh and blushing again. "The thorns only went through a few layers of skin."
"You're not from around here, are you?" Willow said in confusion, examining the boy. "Otherwise, I would've recognized you."
"I'm brand new here." Hunter revealed. "I've lived in the Human Realm for sixteen years, and have only been on the Boiling Isles for a couple days."
"You came from the Human Realm?" the girl gasped excitedly. "What is it like? How do you get here?"
Just then, a bell peeled in the distance, catching the pair's attention. Willow flinched from the sound.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I can't stay. I have to go disappoint my teacher." she said, walking away and waving goodbye. "It was nice to meet you, cute boy."
"She called me cute." Hunter thought, his ears and cheeks burning red hot as he giggled like a dork.
He never had anyone in his life, except his mom call him cute before.
"Wait!" he called for Willow's attention after snapping out of his stupor, racing after her. "I'm Hunter. And your Willow, right? That magic you did with the flower and the brambles was... incredible."
"Thanks, but..." Willow managed to smile with a blush for a minute before it fell. "I'm not even supposed to be doing plant magic. My parents enrolled me in the abomination track at school."
"You go to magic school?" Hunter asked excitedly to which the girl nodded. "Wow. You know, I envy you. I have a teacher, but her lessons are a bit... untraditional. I bet she wouldn't even let me enroll. But I wish I could spend one day there."
"I wish I could get a passing grade for once. Then people would stop calling me Half-a-witch Willow." Willow said, kicking her spilled abomination, which groaned.
"Hmm. Maybe we can help each other." Hunter suggested after thinking. "You can show me your magic school, and I can help you get a good grade. I may not be an expert in... abomination magic, but maybe we can fake it."
"Really?" his new friend gasped. "But how do we sneak you into Hexside without getting caught?"
The kid looked at the spilled abomination on the ground. And then, his eyes fell on the pot. That was when Hunter got an idea.
"I can ride in this." he said, rushing to Willow's pot. "Once I'm in the school, I'll just borrow a uniform and nobody will suspect a thing."
"I like it." Willow giggled. "Okay. It's a deal. Hunter."
The two young witches shook hands. And Hunter couldn't ignore the flurry of emotions he was feeling. Yes, he was happy to finally have a friend his own age. But something about this girl gave Hunter a warm, tingly sensation like he had never felt before. What did this mean? And how would it affect the boy's newfound friendship with Willow?
After walking through the forest, the duo stood before Willow's school. The exterior of the building was breathtaking with a classic, Gothic architectural design.
"Welcome to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics." Willow introduced they walked toward the entrance. "Remember to stay hidden until we're inside, okay?"
"This is even better than I imagined." Hunter whispered from inside the girl's abomination pot.
Once inside, Willow made her way to a locker, tickling it to make it open its mouth and give her her books. Meanwhile, Hunter hopped out of the abomination pot as soon as the coast was clear. But there were remnants of purple slime on his sweater.
"How do you get abomination goo out of your clothes?" the boy grunted as he tried to pull the stuff off.
Meanwhile, a shorter witch reading a magazine bumped into Willow as she was retrieving her books.
"Hmm?" Willow said before turning around.
The shorter witch was a boy who looked about twelve years old. He had chocolate colored skin, dark hair, and dark blue eyes like a midnight sky. The sleeves and leggings on his Hexside uniform were a light blue.
"Willow, you would not believe humans." the younger boy said, showing Willow his magazine. "Did you know that humans nailed barbed wire to their kids' teeth? But why? Maybe to make them magnetic."
"Actually, it's to prevent overbite." Hunter corrected him before stepping forward and holding his hand out to be shaken. "Hi. My name is Hunter."
"How do you know so much about humans?" the shorter boy asked.
"Well, I've lived in the Human Realm for sixteen years." the teen explained. That was when the younger boy's eyes and smile got big. "And... that must make you really happy, apparently."
"He's the president of the Human Appreciation Society." Willow introduced Hunter to her friend. "Most witches wouldn't be able to recognize a human right away, but Augustus is an expert."
"You know, I knew an Augustus back in the human world." the boy recalled. "We called him Gus."
"Gus? Nickname? Human nickname?! Gus?!" Augustus rambled happily. "Call me it. Wow. Gus! This is the best day of my life."
"So, what's your magical specialty?" Hunter asked.
"I specialize in illusions, one of the best kinds of magic on the Boiling Isles, not to brag." Gus responded.
"Do you think you can use that magic to make me look like a student from Willow's class?" the teen requested, getting an idea.
With a simple spell circle, the other boy turned Hunter's casual outfit into an abomination track uniform, sleeves and all. The young witch marveled in awe at his new outfit.
"Now remember, the spell only lasts while you're in the school." Gus warned him. "So, try not to leave before the end of the day."
"Too bad we can't use illusion magic on Willow's abomination." Hunter sighed. "That would be cheating."
"Don't worry, Hunter." his new friend assured him. "I'm sure you and Willow will find a way."
All of a sudden, a bell screamed.
"I've gotta get the spelling class." Gus said, grabbing his magazine and a wand before running off. "See you guys at lunch!"
"Bye, Gus!" Hunter and Willow waved at him.
"So, what are we going to do about my, uh... project?" the dark-haired witch asked, pointing a thumb at her pot.
"Hmm?" Hunter pursed his lips, racking his brains as he tried to come up with a plan.
In the Abomination 101 classroom, Hunter sat next to Willow near the back of the room. Most of the other students were fidgeting and muttering nervously to themselves.
"Hope I pass."
"I'm confident about this."
One student with ram horns named Mary stood at the front of the room with her abomination. But it had eight feet sticking out in various places. Hunter recoiled at how chaotic the abomination looked.
"Hmm. Too many toenails in unexpected places." the small demon man of a teacher scrutinized before delivering a final grade. "Fail. Pathetic!"
Mary and her abomination deflated. She then wheeled her abomination off the platform up front and went back to her seat.
"The biggest abominations are all of you!" the teacher ridiculed the entire class. "If the next abomination is a failure, everyone gets extra homework for a month!"
All of the kids grumbled in indignation after hearing that.
"Extra homework?" one student complained. "Not again!"
Willow had warned Hunter about her Abomination teacher Professor Hermonculus ahead of time. He was about as rough around the edges as any teacher could get in Hexside and had very high standards. Definitely one of those condescending teachers who was unafraid to make snide comments about their students. Hunter had dealt with a few of them in the past, and they didn't care if he was autistic or not.
"And the next one to come up is..." Professor Hermonculus cleared his throat.
"Excuse me, sir, but I am ready to present my abomination." Amity said after raising her hand. "Rise!"
Her abomination rose from its pot, groaning as it did a pose.
"Teacher's pet." Hunter mentally scoffed while rolling his eyes. "Guess there's one in every school."
"I've always saved the best for last, Amity. You'll have to wait your turn." the teacher chuckled. "How about... Willow."
Nervously and instinctually, Willow put her hood up as her face fell. It especially didn't help that the other students were murmuring distastefully about her.
"Not Half-a-Witch."
"Great. Homework for a month."
"Don't listen to them, Willow." Hunter whispered. "We can do this. Just remember what we talked about."
"Actually, Professor, my new friend and I paired up to do an abomination together." Willow spoke out loud.
All of the other kids, especially Amity, turned to Hunter who had just noticed him for the first time.
"Hmm. I don't recall Principal Bump informing me of new students." Professor Hermonculus said suspiciously, his abomination taking him to the blonde boy. "What's your name, young man?"
"Uh, H-Hunter Noceda, sir." Hunter stammered. "I'm a transfer student from the... c-chest cavity?"
"Well, it's not exactly against the rules to do a collaborative abomination." the professor said pensively. "Very well. Proceed to the front, please."
So Willow wheeled her abomination pot to the front platform with Hunter trailing close behind. The boy then held the girl's hand with a comforting squeeze. And Willow suddenly felt a strange surge course through her.
"For luck." Hunter uttered.
The dark-haired witch gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Uh... Abomination, rise." she nervously commanded.
And then, Willow's pot shook and the purple goo inside rose up and took a humanoid form before everybody's eyes. All of the classmates, Professor Hermonculus, even Hunter and Willow gasped in astonishment. Amity was especially baffled.
"Abomination, bow." the girl ordered to which the abomination heeded.
"Very impressive." the teacher approved. "But does it speak?"
"Willow... friend..." the abomination grumbled a broken sentence.
"Aw!" most of the class cooed.
"Well done, Willow. That's the most improvement I've seen out of anyone in this class. And a splendid job to you as well, Hunter." Professor Hermonculus congratulated the two kids as he wrote a passing grade on the abomination. "A plus!"
Most of the other students cheered after being spared from a month of extra homework. But Amity huffed in suspicion while Hunter shot her a smug look.
A while later, the bell screamed and coughed, signaling the end of class. As the other students left, Hunter and Willow hung back for a minute.
"Wonderful work today, Willow." Professor Hermonculus continued to praise the dark-haired girl. "Looks like we have a new top student."
Amity, who just happened to be leaving, gasped in shook as she dropped her books. The abomination teacher then took her top student badge off her cowl.
"But..." she growled, trying to take it back, only the professor to pin the badge on Willow's cowl instead.
"Uh- Thank you, sir." the timid girl said humbly.
"It's a shame I don't have one for you too, Hunter." Professor Hermonculus told the boy.
"That's okay." Hunter replied. "Willow really deserves the credit."
The teacher nodded and his abomination carried him off. The two friends tried to leave, but Amity blocked their way.
"Hey." she interjected, making the pair gasp. "Last time I saw you, your abomination was mush. What did you do? And why didn't you tell me you had a partner?"
"I, uh, took your pep talk to heart, Amity." Willow responded anxiously.
"I bet you did." Amity said rudely.
"Well, maybe that'll teach you next time not to underestimate Willow's skills." Hunter retaliated.
"I've got my eyes on you, Half-a-Witch. And your new friend too." the green-haired witch spoke threateningly as she walked backwards. "That badge is mine."
Amity didn't break eye contact with Willow or Hunter, even as she bumped into another student.
"Hey!" that student interjected as Amity rounded a corner.
"Uh-oh. I think Amity is on to us." Willow told Hunter.
"Let's just hope we can stay out of trouble before the final bell." the boy replied equally nervous.
Meanwhile, Eda was concerned about Hunter when he wasn't at the Owl House like he said he would be. So, she decided to ask Hooty and slammed on the door to get his attention.
"Ow!" the house demon exclaimed in pain.
"Have you seen Hunter?" the Owl Lady asked.
"I heard his tiny mouse feet walking close by. Or that might've been some mice. Anyway, someone started moving in that direction." Hooty responded, slightly gesturing with his head. "Hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo."
"Are you trying to point, or-?" Eda inquired.
"Look at the weather vane!" the house demon yelled.
So she stepped outside and looked at the weather vane on the roof. Eda could see the arrow pointing in the northeast direction.
"But the only thing that way is the..." she started before gasping. "No."
The Owl Lady then took off, running in the direction of Hexside.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she chanted worrisomely.
Upon arriving at the school, Eda looked into various windows, her face smushed against the glass. The first window revealed the baby class.
"Okay, everyone." the teacher instructed. "Recite your runes."
"Krom, Zix, Elgrim, Zenomide-" the kindergarten age kids recited.
"No. Blind obedience." Eda grumbled before moving on.
The next classroom had several teenage students writing at desks while a snake-like professor spoke.
"Heximal system time!" he said. "Let's get memorizin'!"
"No! Pointless busywork!" the Owl Lady ranted.
But worst of all, in the last classroom, she saw Hunter in a Hexside uniform jotting down notes with the rest of the class. Eda was so upset that she didn't notice the blushing face of her apprentice as he glanced at the girl he was sitting next to.
"No! Why! School!" she cried in anguish.
"I'll be right back." Hunter said at one point, getting up from his seat. "I'm just going to go get a drink of water."
He stepped into the hallway and walked to the closest water fountain he could find. All of a sudden, the boy ended up bumping into a student unknowingly.
"Watch it, doofus!" the student, a girl, snapped at Hunter.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" the teen quickly apologized.
The girl he had bumped into looks around fifteen years of age. She had red-violet hair tied up in a bun and three light blue eyes. And the sleeves and leggings on her uniform were yellow.
"And who are you supposed to be?" the girl asked rudely.
"I'm Hunter. Hunter Noceda." Hunter replied in a friendly tone, holding his hand out to her.
"Is this some kind of joke?" the triclops chuckled snidely.
"I wasn't trying to make a joke." the boy replied in confusion.
"Whatever. Obviously, you're not from around here, so I'll make this short and sweet." the bully stated, getting up in Hunter's face. "I rule this school. Don't you ever forget it or I won't be so forgiving."
The young witch watched as the girl strolled off with her nose in the air. Hunter felt dejected, but also a little ticked off at her obnoxious behavior.
"Looks like there's a queen bee in every school too." he said to himself.
Later at lunch time, Hunter and his new friends were seated at a table in the cafeteria. The blonde boy was apprehensive to get a tray of food for himself considering his recent history with Boiling Isles cuisine. But then, he saw something familiar on Gus's lunch tray.
"Ooh, is that a PB&J sandwich?" he asked excitedly.
"Sure is." the younger boy answered, splitting his sandwich in two. "Wanna share it?"
"Yes, please!" Hunter replied, his hands stimming. He then gobbled up the sandwich half he was given. "Oh, it's so nice to have something safe to eat for a change. I've grown up on Human Realm food my entire life so I can't eat anything from this world without getting sick."
"Hunter, you make the Human Realm sound so interesting." Willow gushed. "I would love to go there with you someday."
The boy blushed at her and decided that that didn't sound like a bad idea. But then, Amity suddenly jumped onto the lunch table right in front of him.
"All right, new kid, what game are you playing at?" she asked in an accusatory way.
"I'm not playing any games." Hunter responded uncomfortably.
"Do you really think you can fool me?!" the mean girl shouted in his face before grabbing the teen by the cowl and shaking him. "Who are you? Where did you come from? I want answers, and I want them now!"
"Amity Blight." Professor Hermonculus, who had been monitoring lunch spoke sternly.
"Huh?" Amity said after she stopped shaking Hunter, leaving the poor boy dizzy.
"I suspected a twinge of jealousy, but we do not condone violence in this school, magical or otherwise." the abomination teacher stated.
"No, you don't understand! He's... p-playing mind games with me!" the green-haired girl tried to justify her actions.
Willow immediately put a hand on Hunter's shoulder in his defense. Luckily, the teacher didn't buy Amity's claims.
"Report to Principal Bump's office." he ordered.
"But-"
"Now!"
Finally, the former top student let Hunter go and marched her way to the principal's office. As she as she was gone, the teenager shared a worried glance with Willow.
As soon as Amity arrived at the principal's office, she opened the door and saw that someone else was seated across the desk. It was the mean triclops girl.
"Boscha? What are you doing here?" the abomination witch asked. "Wait, this wouldn't have anything to do with that Hunter kid, would it?"
"Yeah, why?" Boscha said.
Instantly, Amity's features scrunched up into a sour look as all the pieces started coming together.
Near the end of the school day, Hunter, Willow and Gus retreated into an empty classroom. Once inside, the trio took a collective sigh of relief.
"Well, there were a few hiccups along the way, but I think we're home free." Hunter stated, holding his hand up. "High five!"
But instead of reciprocating the gesture, Willow and Gus just stare at his hand, then shared a confused look. The younger boy shrugged, not knowing what to do.
"Oh, now, you slap my hand with yours." the blonde teenager demonstrated. "It's something humans do."
Gus hesitantly gave it a try. And then, he did it several more times with growing confidence.
"Oh. Oh, my. Oh, man, what a rush!" the illusion witch said with elation.
"I'm just glad we don't have to worry about any more surprises." Hunter giggled.
Just then, the classroom door swung open, revealing Amity and Boscha. They smirked and stepped aside, allowing the principal of the school to enter the room.
The principal was presumably an older man, judging by the wrinkles surrounding the upper lip of his light-beige skin. The upper part of his face was concealed by an imp-like creature with maroon skin and sea green eyes. He wore a traditional academic dress consisting of a long black gown with a golden yoke, a black cape, gold trim at the sleeves and cape hem, plus a blue stole draped over his shoulders and black pointed shoes.
"Oh, boy." Hunter thought, swallowing in fear. "Smells like the work of the queen and her worker bee."
"Good afternoon, students." the principal greeted the kids.
"Principal Bump." Willow stiffened nervously.
"Miss Blight and her friend here have brought to my attention that a new student has somehow slipped under my nose." Principal Bump explained, gesturing the mean girls.
"It's a little strange that a student managed to get into the school without going through an entrance exam, don't you think?" Amity pointed out, glaring at an anxious Hunter.
"I say we use a lie detection spell on him." Boscha suggested with an evil look in her eyes.
Willow and Gus gasped at the sound of that. Lie detection spells were mostly used on criminals during interrogations. And they could be very painful. You could be zapped viciously if you told a lie or didn't give the truth fast enough.
"Now, girls, don't you think that's a little extreme?" the principal asked hesitantly. "Especially for someone so young?"
"Who cares?" the triclops flipped out. "We deserve to know the truth."
Together, she and Amity drew a big spell circle in front of Hunter, his heart started to race rapidly.
"Is this your first time at Hexside?" Amity began the interrogation.
"Yes, it is." the boy answered quickly.
The spell circle turned green, indicating that he was telling the truth.
"What is your skill level in abomination magic?" the green-haired girl then asked.
"Uh..." Hunter uttered fearfully as beads of sweat formed on his forehead before the spell circle flashed red.
Then, it zapped the poor kid with bolts of electricity. He screamed in pain and dropped to his knees.
"Hunter!" Gus and Willow cried out.
As soon as the lightning ceased, Hunter panted heavily as he stared up at the mean girls with tears in his eyes.
"Does that mean you're half-a-witch just like Willow?" Boscha taunted.
The boy could only whimper before the spell circle zapped him again. He curled up on the floor in a fetal position.
"Stop it! Please!" Hunter sobbed.
"Didn't you hear him?" Willow jumped in. "He said stop!"
"Don't interrupt the interrogation, Half-a-Witch!" Boscha barked.
"Girls, that is enough!" Principal Bump asserted.
"Not until he tells us the truth!" the triclops ignored him.
"Wait!" Gus interrupted. "Uh, high five!"
He then knocked over three abomination pots. The goo spilled together and the formed abominations stood in front of Boscha and Amity, breaking the lie detection spell. Willow dashed over to Hunter, helping him on his feet as he got his bearings together.
"Run!" Gus told them and the duo did just that.
"Hey! Get back here!" Boscha shouted, trying to grab Hunter's cowl, but failed to do so.
"They're getting away!" Amity exclaimed.
"No, the intruder won't get far." Principal Bump said.
He approached a wall and traced a large spell circle, then slammed the wall in the center of it. Red light formed patterns on the walls and floor, spreading from the spell circle.
Meanwhile, Willow and Hunter we're running through the halls, both panting as they stopped at a corner. Hunter winced in pain from the aftermath of the lie detection spell.
"I'm so sorry, Willow. This is all my fault." he apologized. "I just wanted to see what a real magic school was like."
"Well, how do you like it?" Willow asked.
"It's a lot more interesting than human school. I will say that." the boy replied, causing the both of them to giggle.
"Okay, we should get out of here before-" the girl said.
But then, the red light patterns converged on the walls. When Hunter and Willow reached a doorway, a red shield blocked it off. Several other doorways were blocked off as well, the patterns taking over the school.
"...Bump seals us in." Willow finished in a dejected tone.
The two kids kept running until they reached the central atrium, but the doorways leading out were still sealed off. As if that wasn't bad enough, Hunter and Willow saw some shadows following them. Principal Bump must've summoned some abominations to apprehend them. The pair eventually approached a pillar to hide behind.
"We're trapped!" Hunter exclaimed in dismay.
"Oh, this is awful. I don't know what to do." Willow lamented, her eyes glowing green from frustration as she sunk to the floor. "Amity's right. I'm just Half-a-Witch Willow."
"No, you're not!" the boy disagreed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "It's not good to talk about yourself like that. You're a great witch. And someone once told me, great witches are resourceful."
He then dug into his tunic pocket and pulled out its contents: the slime ball he got from the trash slug, which wasn't so slimy anymore.
"That's it!" Willow exclaimed, taking it.
"But that's just a greasy ball of slime." Hunter said.
"No, Hunter, it's a seed!" the girl corrected him. "Thank goodness you had it on you."
"Yeah. Thank goodness someone told me to hang on to it." the blonde teenager replied, thinking fondly of Eda.
Willow then placed the seed on her lap and traced a spell circle over it.
"Please grow!" she spoke hopefully.
As soon as the spell was cast, thorny vines grew from the seed, reaching to the ceiling. They stabbed through the abominations and eventually targeted Principal Bump, sending him up to the ceiling and pinning him there. The principal gasped. There were now vines covering the entire atrium, curling around pillars and reaching from the bottom most floor to the absolute ceiling. Pink petals cascaded from above like snowflakes as several of the vines had flowers blossoming from them.
"Remarkable." Bump said in awe.
And then, the lights that were sealing off the hallways faded. For Willow and Hunter, it was now or never.
"There's the exit!" Hunter declared. "Let's go!"
Willow set the seed on the floor and the two of them ran towards the way out.
"Not so fast!" Amity said, blocking the pair's way. She ripped off one of the vines, seething with rage. "I'm not letting you get away so easily. I want my badge! Abominations, seize!"
An abomination came from behind, so Hunter punched it through the chest, then took Willow's hand and ran. The green-haired witch reformed the abomination and sent it after the pair again. Just when it seemed that Willow and Hunter now had a clear path to freedom, another abomination formed in front of them. The dark-haired girl screamed in fright.
"Are you kidding me?" Hunter spoke in exasperation.
The abomination stumbled forward, but Willow traced out a large spell circle, causing vines to trap it.
"Get outta here!" she told Hunter.
"No! I'm not leaving you." the boy refused.
"I may get detention, but I can't imagine what will happen to you." Willow insisted as the abominations from earlier melted through the vines and reformed, staggering toward the kids. "So go!"
The girl waved a hand, summoning two vines to carry Hunter over the abomination and out the door. The door slammed shut as soon as the vines were treated. The young witch's Hexside disguise disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, changing back into his normal clothes.
"Willow!" Hunter cried before letting out a sigh. "Hang tight! I'll go get Eda! She'll know what to do!"
He then proceeded to sprint back to the Owl House as fast as his legs could carry him. The whole time, he continued to ignore the residual pain from the lie detection spell.
"Eda!" the boy cried for his mentor as soon as he saw her.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! What is this?" Eda asked, caught off guard as Hunter hugged her and King. "Ugh! I never understand when you do this."
"Your lesson worked! Keeping stuff in my pocket did come in handy!" the young witch panted as he grabbed the Owl Lady's wrist. "But you need to come with me, now! My new friends are in trouble!"
"Hunter!" he suddenly heard Willow yell as she and Gus came running up to Hunter and hugged him, which he happily returned.
"Seriously, what is that?" Eda asked again.
"You won't believe it, Hunter." Willow told the blonde boy excitedly. "Everything is perfect now."
"You're right. I don't believe it." Hunter replied. "So, what happened?"
"Principal Bump was so impressed with my plant work, he's switching me to the plant magic track! Look!" she explained jubilantly.
The girl took a step back and snapped her fingers. With a glow of green magic and a simple twirl, the sleeves and leggings on Willow's uniform turned from orchid pink to green. Hunter blushed as the girl grinned happily from ear to ear.
"Wow." the boy spoke softly before clearing his throat. "You, uh... Y-You look good in green. I'm so proud of you." He embraced the girl warmly. But then, a thought came up. "Oh. What about Amity?"
"Last we saw, she was asking Bump if today could count as extra credit." Gus answered. "Although, she might not get off easy after she and Boscha used that lie detection spell on you."
"Lie detection spell?" Eda echoed, but expecting to hear that. "Okay, someone's going to have to fill me in on what happened."
"You know, I never got to see all of Hexside when I was there. You guys will have to give me a tour next time." Hunter told his friends.
From behind, Willow winced.
"Uh, about that." Gus said with unfortunate news. "You're kinda, sorta... banned."
He pulled out and unfurled a poster reading "BANNED" in bold, red letters. Below them was a picture of Hunter in the abomination track uniform he was wearing. The blonde boy had a shocked expression on his face and his hands out.
"What?!" Hunter exclaimed incredulously.
"That's my boy!" Eda cheered for him.
"But we could come here and teach you the stuff we learned." Willow offered comfortingly.
"Aw. That would be nice. But..." Hunter replied, feeling touched before turning to Eda. "I have a pretty great teacher already."
The Owl Lady smiled as her apprentice spoke so highly of her.
"Yeah, that's right. Hunter's my student." she gloated as she stole the banned poster from Gus. "Back off, academic twerps."
The kids laughed as Eda admired Hunter's poster.
"Ah, baby's first wanted poster." she said proudly. The older witch then patted the top of the teen's head. "Good job, kid. Looks like I taught you something after all."
"Uh, you high five with your hands, not your head." Gus said, Eda and Hunter's eyes widening as he smiled.
"But Willow and Gus can still come over if they want to, right?" Hunter pleaded, folding his hands. "These are the first friends my age I've ever made. Please, Eda?"
"Sure, why not." the Owl Lady replied leniently. "But for now, let's get you inside. I don't know the whole story, but I know that lie detection spells are a doozy to recover from."
"Bye, guys." Hunter waved at his new friends.
"Bye, Hunter." Willow replied.
"See ya around." Gus added as the two kids started to head home.
The blonde boy was glad that seeing them wasn't going to be a one-time thing. He looked forward to wondering what he, Willow and Gus would do next. At the same time, Hunter was happy to be able to see Willow again since the warm memory of her wouldn't be leaving him any time soon.
As for Eda, she hadn't the foggiest idea of how her apprentice got caught in the crosshairs of a lie detection spell. And at Hexside, no less. She knew that school was bad enough, but for anyone to be allowed to use a lie detection spell on kids made her feel sick to her stomach. Now, the Owl Lady was determined to Hunter away from that academic death trap as much as could. Hunter would be safer that way.
Notes:
New friendships blossom.
Chapter 5: Chapter 4: The Intruder
Summary:
While stuck inside during a boiling rainstorm, Hunter learns his first spell from Eda, but struggles to do it himself. And later on, the young witch and King learn a dark secret about the Owl Lady.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was a gloomy day at the Owl House as dark clouds rolled in from the southwest. Inside, King had called Hunter Noceda into the living room for something very important. The furry demon had called it an educational experience worth investing in. The young witch had brought his cell phone to record everything since he didn't have a notebook.
"Local demon in the fight of his life." Hunter said, sounding like a newscaster as he recorded King struggling to get a sock with ducks off his snout. "Video shows the self-proclaimed King of Demons in an altercation after being randomly attacked by an unsuspected sock."
Grunting, the little demon ended up tearing the sock to pieces, then punched the remains.
"Where are you now, ducky sock?" he declared triumphantly.
"So, why'd you call me here again?" the boy asked.
"Oh, yeah." King said, climbing up a table to a tarp covered object. "Lost Witch Hunter, you've been so obsessed with witchcraft that you haven't learned anything about my kind. Prepare yourself for..." He ripped the curtain off to reveal a corkboard of photos of various demons. Then, King put on a hat and spun the cord on top of it like a teacher. "Demons 101!"
Hunter's eyes widened at the sight of the demon diversity. Every creature in King's layout was gruesome and unsightly in their own right.
"Demons like me are grim tricksters of the twilight, creatures of sulfur and bone." King continued. "We only live to create chaos and misery. Our only weaknesses are purified water and passive-aggressive comments. Sometimes."
"So, you guys are sensitive?" the teen questioned.
"Even demons have inner demons." the little teacher answered matter-of-factly. He then tore off one of the pictures to reveal a snarling demon with a shell on its back. "The most powerful demon of all is the Snaggleback. He's a-"
Suddenly, lightning crashed, immediately followed by a rumble of thunder which halted the lesson and prompted Hunter to look outside.
"Uh-oh. Looks like it's going to rain." King said.
"Really? I wanna see." the young witch gasped, running outside.
Hunter always loved the rain back home. He found the pitter-patter of raindrops to be aesthetically soothing. So, the boy opened the door and stepped out to see the first drops fall from the sky.
"Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." King told him hesitantly. "This place is called the Boiling Isles for a reason."
"So, the rain is a little hotter than it is in the Human Realm." Hunter replied, not really understanding the demon's warning. "How bad could it be?"
That was when a single raindrop plopped down onto a flower, causing it to wither and die.
"Yikes!" the kid yelped in shock.
"Boiling rain! Everybody inside now!" Eda yelled, running toward the house.
She scooped up Hunter, who cried out again in surprise and dragged him back inside. The Owl Lady tackled the boy as objects crashed and clattered.
"Phew!" Eda sighed with relief from her spot on the floor. "That was close. But the important thing is that you didn't get hurt."
Contradicting her statement, she gasped when she saw Hunter with a noticeable gash on his forehead. He lied painfully on the floor, surrounded by the remains of King's demon lesson.
"Ugh. Can we do a fact check on that?" the teen groaned, rubbing his head before passing out.
A short time later, King was helping Hunter tend to his wound by placing a bandage on the gash on his forehead. Then, he put another bandage on his own snout, even though he had no reason to.
"Look, now we're boo-boo buddies." he demonstrated.
"Thanks, King." Hunter said, patting the little demon on the head. He watched Eda create a spell under a force field. "Boiling rain on the Boiling Isles. You guys have some wacky weather patterns."
"Yeah, we don't have weather." the Owl Lady replied casually. "We have plagues, gorenados, shale hail, painbows."
"It's like a rainbow, but looking at it turns you inside out." King explained, causing the teen to gulp fearfully.
"So, until the boiling rain stops, no one is allowed outside tonight." the older witch instructed.
"And if the rain doesn't get you, the Snaggleback will." the furry demon pulled a book out of his hat, showing pictures of the creature. "They wander the rain, feeding on boiled tourists."
"Well, whatever the case, this force field spell should protect the house from boiling rains and made-up demons." Eda assured the boys, opportunistically mocking King.
"Hoot! Well, hurry it up with that force field." Hooty said impatiently. "That rain is getting closer to my precious stucco."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." she said.
The Owl Lady used her staff to grab the light ball and stamped the staff down to the ground. A round orange force field engulfed the house, then shrank to shape closely around it.
"Wow! Eda is so cool. I hope someday I can be as great of a witch as she is." Hunter marveled his mentor in admiration she walked back to the house. "Hey, I never asked, but why do they call you the Owl Lady?"
"'Cause I'm so wise." Eda answered.
"'Cause she coughs up rat bones." Hooty said, earning a glare from the older witch.
"I think it's 'cause she gets distracted by shiny objects." King guessed.
"No, I don't." the Owl Lady denied.
To prove her wrong, the little demon pulled out a novelty pen. He clicked it, and the diamond on the top of it glowed.
"It sparkles and shimmers. It shines and delights. I must have it for my nest..." Eda spoke delightedly as her pupils expanded. She lunged for the pen, only for King to hide it behind his back, and she faceplanted on the ground.
"You don't actually have a nest, do you?" Hunter asked as he helped her up.
"Ugh. That force field really took a lot out of me." the Owl Lady groaned tiredly.
"Uh-oh. Moving a little slow. Age finally catching up to ya?" King teased. In retaliation, Eda pulled the demon's cap over his face, causing him to scream. "Darkness!"
The witch then opened the door and walked exhaustedly into the house.
"Hmm, I wonder. Since we're stuck inside all night, maybe Eda will finally teach me a spell." Hunter thought aloud.
"But don't you wanna finish our lesson?" King asked. "I was gonna let you scratch a demon's tummy. Me!"
"Sorry, King, but I can't pass up an opportunity like this." the boy told him. "We'll get back to it later. Cross my heart."
As Hunter left, King was visibly disappointed as his horn pierced his cap, causing it to deflate like a balloon with a hole in it.
Meanwhile, Eda walked behind a privacy screen. She snapped her fingers, causing a glow of light as she dropped her staff. When the Owl Lady emerged from the other side, she was in her pajamas. She sighed as she laid on the couch, not noticing that her apprentice was nearby.
"Hey, Eda?" Hunter spoke softly, causing the older witch's eyes to blink open.
"No."
"I didn't even ask anything." the kid said incredulously.
"You were going to ask me to teach you a spell. But the answer is no. I'm sleepy." Eda replied bluntly as she covered her body with a blanket. "I'm a sleepy, little owl."
"Oh, come on, Eda. I've been on the Boiling Isles for a week now and I've yet to learn any actual magic." Hunter ranted. "Just teach me one quick spell. Pretty please?"
"No. Sleep." the Owl Lady denied, covering her whole head with the blanket.
The teen groaned in indignation. He was never going to earn his witch's staff at this rate. Nevertheless, Hunter refused to take no for an answer.
"Drastic times call for drastic measures." he exhaled, pulling out the novelty pen and clicking it.
"Sparkle thing." Eda gasped.
She sat up, still wrapped in the blanket, and watched as Hunter clicked the pen a few times. The Owl Lady then tossed the blanket aside in favor of perching on the arm of the couch. Eda attempted to swipe for the pen.
"Not so fast." the boy said in a sing-song tone as he moved the pen away, making the older witch fall down. "Teach me one spell, and it's all yours."
"I respect your cunning, but I also hate you for it." Eda told him with a unimpressed expression.
A flash of lightning, accompanied by a clap of thunder sounded as Eda stood in front of Hunter while he sat criss-cross on the floor. The young witch had turned on the video camera feature on his phone so that he could record every moment and use it for future reference.
"And... action!" he declared like a movie director.
"If you want to witch's staff like mine, don't make me repeat myself." Eda began firmly yet tiredly.
There was a brief moment where she nearly fell asleep on her feet before gasping to wake herself up.
"Witch's staffs have power embedded in them. But before one is earned, every witch needs to know how to cast spells on their own. Now..." Hunter was watching attentively the whole time as his mentor spoke. The Owl Lady then tossed her staff aside. "Tonight, I will show you how to create... light."
She drew an orange circle in the air with her finger. A white light sparked in the center, forming a large ball of illumination. It descended in front of Hunter's face where it vanished, prompting the kid to gasp, his eyes shimmering with wonder.
"Yawn! Who needs another boring spell lesson when you could be learning all the fun ways of demon could kill you?" King said in disinterest before holding up a drawing of a demon with large fangs. "Look how teethy. Bite, bite."
"King, hush." Hunter shushed the demon
"Now, humans think magic is made out of thin air, but that's stupid. Everything comes from something. Let me ask you: where do you think magic comes from?" Eda quizzed the teen.
"From... the heart?" he guessed.
"Actually, you're right." Eda told the boy, pulling out a diagram of viscera from her hair and showing it to him. "It comes from a sac of magic bile attached to a witch's heart."
"That's disgusting." Hunter cringed as the Owl Lady tucked the diagram away.
"Now, everything depends on the spell circle." Eda continued, drawing a larger circle in the air. "The bigger the circle, the more powerful the spell."
The circle bursted out, creating a much bigger than before. But it faded much faster.
"So, ready to give it a try?" the older witch asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Hunter said, propping his phone against a stack of books and standing up.
The boy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly moved his index finger in a circular motion. But when he looked... nothing had happened, much to everyone's shock. Hunter tried again and again, but there was still no spell circle to be seen.
"What? Why isn't this working?" Hunter questioned in frustration. "I'm a witch, aren't I?! This kind of thing should come organically to me!"
"Hmm, that's the simplest spell in the book." Eda said in observation. "I've never met a witch who couldn't do that."
"Maybe there's something wrong with my bile sac. Or maybe I don't have a bile sac at all." the young witch hypothesized. "Are there alternative ways for witches to cast spells?"
"Well, I know witches did magic differently in the past, but I never bothered to figure out how." she laughed with a snort.
That wasn't exactly the answer Hunter was hoping for.
"Don't worry. You'll figure it out." Eda assured him, ruffling his hair. "Now-" She cracked her back in exhaustion. "I need to lie down."
"Wait!" the boy stopped her. "Maybe my circles are all wonky. Could you show me one more time? My phone's still recording."
"Fine." the Owl Lady groaned as she drew another circle, but this one was more shaky than the last two. "Now, you see, the... spell circle is really key because-" She yawned as the circle vanished. "Ooh, boy."
Without a single word, Eda collapsed onto the floor, completely passed out.
"Welp, looks like one more spell killed Eda." King deadpanned.
Hunter yelped in horror and quickly rolled the Owl Lady into her back.
"Eda, can you hear me?!" the boy cried before hyperventilated. "Somebody check her pulse! Does she even have a pulse?!"
King walked up to Eda and lightly slapped her in the face.
"Bap! Yep. She's out. Bap!" the demon confirmed before slapping the older witch again and laughing. "Just making sure."
"Maybe we should go get help." Hunter suggested, heading for the door.
"We can't go outside." King halted him by grabbing his leg. "Boiling rains, remember?"
"Right."
"No, let him try." Hooty said encouragingly. "It'll be funny."
In response, King slammed the door.
"Then, what are we supposed to do?" the young witch asked in a panic. "Eda could be sick. Or worse."
"Shiny thing." Eda talked in her sleep while snoring. "Big nest."
"Remember when her head got caught off last week?" King recalled. "That woman can survive anything. She's probably just tired from staying up all night chasing shrews and voles."
"Well, we can't just leave her on the floor." Hunter insisted.
King stared at the Owl Lady, knowing that the teen was right.
A thunderclap later, the boys dragged Eda to her room. King had her legs while Hunter supported her upper body. The teen tossed a small animal skull out of Eda's giant nest before pulling her inside. She continued to snore, obliviously unaware of what was going on around her. And yes, the Owl Lady did in fact, have a nest for a bed.
"I thought she was just joking about the nest thing." Hunter muttered before whispering to his sleeping mentor. "I'm sorry, Eda. I didn't mean to knock you out."
"Should I bap her again?" King asked.
"We should leave her be to rest." the teenager offered instead, patting the demon's head. "Come on. Let's head downstairs."
As Hunter walked to the bedroom doors, King snuck in one more light slap to Eda's face.
"Bap!" the furry demon cackled as he followed the young witch out.
Back in the living room, King was drawing a demon with several mouths. When he was done, he held up his notebook to admire his work.
"Yeah, yeah." the little demon admired his work.
"Okay, let's try this one more time." Hunter mumbled, trying to draw a spell circle again, to no avail. The boy groaned in aggravation. "I don't understand. This is all she does. Why can't I do it? I-Is there something wrong with me?"
He hit play on the video he recorded on his phone to watch it again.
"Now, you see, the spell circle is really..."
"Hey, I know it will take your mind off this spell business. Let me tell you about the most spine chilling demon." King said, putting his notepad in front of Hunter's phone and lifting it to show a fish-like demon. "Smoochy-pie the Sweetie Baby! He's- Well, he's a lot more threatening than his name implies."
"Just a minute, King. I'm trying to figure out why I can't do this light spell." the teen told him. "But if I can't do the easiest magic, how can I even call myself a witch?"
"Why do you want to learn magic so bad, anyway?" the furry demon asked.
"I was a freak back home. An outcast." Hunter lamented, sitting down. "When I found out I was a witch, it gave me a chance to shape this new identity. Do you have any idea what it's like not to be accepted for who you are?"
King sighed, understanding exactly what the kid was going through. Thunder rumbled distantly when he got an idea.
"If I help you learn that spell, could we finish our lesson?" the little demon offered.
"Yes, I promise." Hunter perked up, putting his phone away. "I will literally do anything to get this right."
"Well, she said which is used to do magic differently, so there has to be a way, right?" King told him, quickly drawing Eda and some kind of potion in his notepad. "And I have a theory. Every day, I notice Eda sneaking drinks of this special elixir, see? Then she always gets a boost of energy, see? I think that's where she gets her powers. And I know where to get some."
"Really?" Hunter's magenta eyes lit up.
"Sí."
"Thank you so much, King!" the boy exclaimed happily, hugging King. "You're a lifesaver!"
Bursts of lightning went off outside Eda's bedroom window while the Owl Lady was dead asleep. The doors one open, and King snuck inside and looked around.
"Now where could it be..." he wondered quietly.
That was when he noticed a bright orange potion on Eda's side table. The little demon tiptoed over to it, stopping when he heard a metal clang. Gasping, King moved his foot away when a trap was triggered.
"Ha! Nice try." he gloated. Just then, the trap grew legs and opened one eye as it walked away.
"Nah, my heart wasn't in it." it said.
King carried on, scampering up a curtain to reach the tabletop. He read a tag that was attached to the vial.
"'An elixir a day.' Cryptic." the demon commented before ripping the tag off. "Nyeh."
King tucked the tag under his collar, grabbed the potion, and hopped down onto the floor. He looked guiltily between Eda and the elixir, making nervous noises. A part of him is beginning to think that this wasn't right.
"Nah." King shook his head, ignoring his inner voice before leaving.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Hunter was waiting at the table feeling very antsy. He didn't know if it was because of the storm or his conscience, telling him how wrong it was to take Eda's potion without asking.
"Got it!" King shouted, running in with the elixir and giving it to the teen.
"I don't know." Hunter voiced his uneasiness. "We have no idea what's in this stuff. What if it makes me sick?"
"Do you wanna be able to do magic or not?" the furry demon sighed heavily.
"All right, all right." the boy caved in. "I just hope it doesn't taste bad. Here goes."
He opened the vial and raised it to his lips. But then, he was startled by a clap of thunder, and he fumbled the potion until it smashed on the floor.
"Oh, boy." Hunter said nervously. "I hope that wasn't something important."
"Eh, who needs a light spell when we have tons of lamps?" King tried to brush it off.
All of a sudden, every lamp in the house flickered before going out to completely. Now the only source of light came from the glow of the force field outside. Hunter then shot a glare at the demon.
"Hooty controls the house lights." King groaned. "He probably just fell asleep." Just then, the boys heard a crash coming from the living room. "Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty cried frantically.
"Hooty!" Hunter exclaimed as he and King ran out of the kitchen.
"Hoot, oh, hoot!"
The duo entered the living room and gasped. A shadowy beast had knocked the door off its hinges and made a mess of the front wall. The creature left deep scratches in the wood next to Hooty, growled when it noticed the other two, then fled. As soon as the monster was gone, Hunter and King ran up to Hooty.
"Hooty! Are you in there?" the boy asked, taking the house demon's beak a few times and checking his eyes. "Whatever did this escaped into the rain. What could survive that?"
"Oh, my gosh. The Snaggleback!" King exclaimed, his eyes widening. "It feeds during the rains. It must have stumbled across our house and seen us inside."
Suddenly, there was a mysterious howl. The boys barely go outside just in time to see the shadowy monster jump through an upper floor window.
"King! How could you be so giddy at a time like this?" Hunter asked, gesturing at King.
"Because this could be a lesson." the little demon squealed in excitement. "This would be a great way for you to see a wild demon up close and personal."
"You want to go towards those creepy sounds?" the young witch yelled in disbelief. "No way! We'll be torn to shreds!"
"What if Eda gets eaten?" King brought up. "She's upstairs and defenseless because you knocked her out."
Hunter groaned, not liking the way the demon guilt tripped him into going upstairs.
"All right, fine." the boy gave in. "But we'd better be prepared if we're going to face that thing."
So, Hunter and King prepared themselves for battle. The young witch slipped rubber gloves from the kitchen while the demon taped a pillow to his chest to protect his vital organs. Hunter grabbed a hockey stick to use as a weapon.
"Weh!" King said as he took his stuffed bunny Francois.
Once the pair were suited up, they approached the staircase with Hunter using the flashlight feature on his phone to light the way. Floorboards creaked with each step as the boys went upstairs. They reached a hallway and and stopped as the doors to Eda's room creaked open. Hunter and King shared a nervous look. The young witch opened the doors all the way, revealing an empty room and a shattered window as lightning struck again.
"Oh my gosh, Eda!" Hunter exclaimed, running to the nest. "We're too late!"
"She got snaggle-backed." King stated.
"Look at these scratch marks." the boy said, examining a slashed pillow. "King! You're the demon expert. What do we do?"
"I'll go get my demon book." the little demon replied.
He ran out of the room and down the hall, not noticing a shadow snarling as it passed over him.
Meanwhile, Hunter, who was left all alone, felt his spine tingle as the beast returned to Eda's room. They approached the young witch and sniffed him while he tried to stifle his fearful whimpers. It was only a matter of time before Hunter would be eaten.
But instead, the creature leaned down and used their teeth to pick up the kid from from the back of his sweater. He felt a kitten by carried by its mother. And it was clear that the beast was trying to be gentle. Then, Hunter was set down inside Eda's nest, which was surprisingly comfy. Before the teen could even register what was happening, the monster climbed into the nest and sat on him, but not enough to crush him. The warm feathers from their underbelly tickled Hunter's face. Once they were settled in, the creature purred contentedly and the teen underneath could feel the gentle vibrations. With the combination of the current factors, Hunter's eyelids drooped as a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Finally, he slipped into a peaceful slumber.
But then, the beast stirred when they heard a small grumbling sound. It wasn't thunder, it was Hunter's stomach. The poor boy must've been hungry. So, the creature left go find some food, leaving the young witch to sleep.
Finally, King returned with a couple books in tow.
"Wait, wait. First edition or second?" he asked himself. But then, he dropped the books and gasped when he couldn't see Hunter, not knowing that he was tucked away in Eda's nest. "Hunter? The Snaggleback got him."
Concealed by shadows, the beast snarled as they passed behind him. Immediately, King chased after them.
"You craven beast." he told the creature. "Give me back my boo-boo buddy."
The little demon rounded a corner and gasped as a door creaked shut. King trepidatiously approached the door, opened it, and entered the closet. He scanned the area until he caught sight of a shadow hiding behind some clothes.
"There's nowhere for you to run!" the demon declared as he moved the clothes aside. "Snaggleback?"
What King found turned to be nothing more than a small pink monkey with a shell on his back. He wasn't near the large threatening monster depicted in the books.
"Wow. You're a lot shorter in person." King commented.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." the snaggleback stammered. "I-I just needed a place to hide from the rains."
"Then why did you break down our door and take Hunter?" the furry demon asked in an accusatory way. "That's not cool, man. Bad Snaggleback!"
"I-I didn't do any of that stuff." Snaggleback argued. "I snuck in through a window just now."
"Huh? Well, then what..."
A sudden crashing sound cut off King's words as something broke through the ceiling.
"Oh, no!" the other demon cried as a clawed hand grabbed him and took him away. "A twist!"
Snarls and stomps followed as King backed away from the hole. Something banged against the door, causing King to scream before whimpering. The door swung open, revealing the shadowy monster, still snarling. They spit out the Snaggleback's shell, then roared loudly.
"Oh, my." King said, his heart dropping.
Back in Eda's room, Hunter awoke to some crashing sounds and monstrous roars. He rose from the nest, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What's going on out there?" the boy asked groggily. "Stay back!" a voice yelped. "Hey, hey, I am the King of Demons, okay? And as such, I demand you barf my friends back up."
"That's... King!" Hunter gasped. "The Snaggleback must be after him!"
There were screeches followed by thunderous footsteps coming his way. The beast must have been chasing King back here. The young witch opened the door just a crack and saw that the little demon was within his reach. Then, he reached out pulled King into Eda's room before closing the door with a squeak. The beast's shadow passed by the door while Hunter held his demon friend.
"Hunter?" King said.
"King! Oh, I'm so glad you're safe." Hunter spoke in relief.
"Where have you been?" the little demon asked.
"I was in Eda's room, waiting for you to come back." the teen explained. "But then, the snaggleback came and dropped me in Eda's nest. And... then, I fell asleep."
"Huh?"
King didn't understand how such a frightening monster could've treated Hunter so gently. That was when he noticed a piece of paper on the floor.
"What's that?" the furry demon asked, picking up the paper and reading it. "'Keeps the curse at bay.'" King then gasped as he pulled the tag from earlier and put them together. "'An elixir a day keeps the curse at bay!'"
"What curse?" Hunter questioned. "What are you talking about?" "I was wrong the whole time." King explained. "That's no Snaggleback. That creature is-"
But then, he was caught off when they both screamed as a clawed hand burst through the door. A large body followed, breaking the door to smithereens. They growled as they turned to the boys, revealing a familiar face.
"Eda?" Hunter gasped in disbelief. Eda snarled and stalked closer, raising a claw to swipe at them. Or rather, she was preparing to swipe at King for stealing Hunter from her nest. The little demon screamed as he braced himself and Hunter rushed to shield him. The motion caused the boy's phone to fall out of his pocket, and the camera went off when it hit the floor. The flash blinded Eda temporarily, causing her to scream in pain as she covered her eyes. Hunter took advantage of the distraction and grabbed King, making a break for a balcony across the hall. The monstrous witch screamed having lost her prey, and the sound echoed loudly throughout the whole house. Eda prowled the room, sniffing as the boys remained hidden. Hunter covered his mouth while King covered his head. The beast caught their scent, growling and moving dangerously closer to their hiding spot. Thinking fast, the young witch silently grabbed a nearby can and tossed it. Eda growled at the sound and followed it, allowing the friends to sigh in relief. Once she was gone, they cautiously stood up.
"Did you see her eyes? They were black as night!" Hunter whispered fearfully. "What happened to her?"
"Don't you see? The elixir I gave you doesn't give Eda powers. It prevents her from turning into that thing. She's turned into a nightmare and it's all my fault." King revealed, sinking to the floor and hugging his knees in guilt. "I'm so sorry, Hunter. I-I just wanted you to be into demons like you're into magic. I don't have many friends, and no one even pays that much attention to me. I thought maybe if I taught you, finally someone would care about creatures like me."
Hunter couldn't help but feel guilty for the way he neglected his smaller housemate. So, he got down to King's level and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry too." the boy apologized. "I was so invested in learning witchcraft from Eda that I didn't give you the attention you deserved. And that wasn't fair. So... let's finish the lesson."
"Huh?" King said.
"Eda's turned into some kind of demon, and we need to save her." Hunter explained, holding out the novelty pen. "So, who knows more about demons than the best teacher in the world?"
King brightened up as he pointed to himself. The young witch nodded, happy to see him smile. The little demon took the pen, then giggled and hugged Hunter.
"Let's see." King began, smacking some leaves from a nearby plant onto the floor and drawing on them. "She was bigger, covered in feathers, and had giant black eyes. Demons with black eyes are usually sensitive to light." He then noticed Hunter's phone. "That's it. Light! Hunter, use your human wonder rectangle."
"I can't. The flash feature on my camera is broken." the kid told him.
"Then... what about that light spell?" the demon suggested.
"You saw me." Hunter sighed. "I can't draw circles in the air. I'm not like Eda."
"Or like any other witch, for that matter." the voice in the back of his head whispered.
He played the video on his again, hoping to find a clue.
"... spell circle is really key..."
Just then, the video started glitching. And that was when Hunter noticed a strange symbol.
"There's a pattern in the spell circle!" he gasped.
"What? Where?" King asked.
"It looks like this." the blonde teenager demonstrated by taking a leaf and tracing the pattern for him to see. "There."
Hunter tapped the symbol with the tip of the pen. The drawing on the leaf began to glow, causing him to gasp. Then, the leaf folded in on itself, brightening until it became a small ball of light. The boy gently cupped it in his hands, bringing it to eye level.
"It's beautiful." he spoke softly.
Thunder rumbled and rain hissed as it hit the shield. But Hunter paid attention to none of it.
"I can't believe it. I did a spell." he whispered before standing up and twirling King around in a hug. "Did you see that? I actually did a spell!"
"Shhh! We're not going to stop anything with something that small." King hushed him. A distant screeching made the boys drop to the floor again and cower. Hunter covered the orb of light. "What do we do now?"
"I think I know how to get Eda back." the teen replied. "But I'm going to need your help."
The boys shared a fist bump before collaborating on a plan.
Meanwhile in the living room, Beast Eda was still sniffing around, looking for her missing "chick." She pounced onto the treasure chest beside the fallen door, sniffing a book. That was when a clicking sound got her attention.
"Oh, what lovely thing do we have here?" King said, holding the pen as he leaned against the door frame. "It's just so dang shiny. Oh, my. Oh, dear."
Eda stared at the pen's light, cooing. She screeched and lunged for it. King took off, taking the pen with him and the beast followed, drawn to the light like a moth. The little demon ducked down a hallway and Eda slid on a pile of paper and books. She banged into a wall, and gasped when Hunter dropped a blanket over her head.
"I'm sorry, Eda." the boy apologized. "But it's for your own good."
He had just finished drawing a giant light glyph on the wall. With a grunt, Hunter smacked his hand on to the glyph to activate it. A blinding light was produced and the beast screamed as it consumed the entire hallway...
A little while later, Eda, back in her witch form, was laying in her nest with a straw in her mouth. She sat up, still partially transformed.
"Ahh!" she exclaimed as she sucked on the straw, turning back to normal. Afterwards, the witch groaned sickly. "W-What happened? Oh, I have the worst headache. And my mouth taste like roadkill."
The Owl Lady gagged and retched up an owl pellet. It broke open to reveal the Snaggleback without his shell and slightly traumatized, but still very much alive.
"I'm just gonna... lie here for a minute." he mumbled.
Eda then grabbed the potion that sitting beside her.
"Hmm? I was looking for that."
"Actually, we found an extra one in your closet." King said when walked over.
"King? King!" the Owl Lady got angry after figuring out what had happened. "You stole my elixir? I ought to break every bone in your-"
"Shh." the little demon hushed her as he pointed to a corner. "Over there."
Hunter was sitting on the floor, surrounded by little balls of light. He drew out another glyph as thunder rumbled. The teen activated the glyph, grinning as the ball of light joined the others.
"Wow " Eda spoke in awe, looking up at all the lights. "How is he doing that?"
"I don't know, but he did it all on his own." King replied. "Hey, I, uh, kind of messed a bunch of things up back there. And I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Well, you better be. I got a long list of disgusting chores with your name on it. But it's not entirely your fault." the Owl Lady calmed down as Hunter joined her nestside. "I haven't been completely honest with you guys. When I was younger, I was cursed. I don't know exactly how it happened. All I know is that if I don't take my elixir... Well, that's why people call me the Owl Lady. No one likes having a curse, but if you take the right steps, it's manageable."
"Whoa. So are you okay?" Hunter asked concerningly.
"There's nothing for you to worry about. It's all under control, and as long as no one steals my elixir- King - then I'm fine." Eda assured him before changing the subject. "But, hey, look at this. You learned your first spell. Good on you, kid."
"Well, I couldn't have figured it out without King's help." the kid smiled at King.
"Oh, you." the furry demon gushed bashfully.
"Hey, hey! Is anyone there? Hello? Hoot?" Hooty's voice interrupted the moment. "I'm on the floor. It's cold!"
"That voice." King groaned as he walked out of the room. "That horrific voice!"
"We'll take care of him. You just get some rest." Hunter said before picking up the Snaggleback. "Come on, little guy. I'll make sure you get back into the woods."
"Ow, ow, ow." the pink demon spoke in pain. "I think my tail was digested."
The blonde teen was about to close the door when he remembered his odd encounter with Eda in her beast form. He had considered asking her about it, but then Hunter decided to save that conversation for when the Owl Lady was more well-rested. And with that, he closed the door with a click.
By the next morning, the boiling rainstorm had blown over. Eda entered the living room, somewhat bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to find Hunter sitting on the couch.
"Hunter?" she spoke.
"Eda. You're awake." Hunter said, getting off the couch. "I've been waiting all night to talk to you about what happened last night."
"Yeah, I can see that." the Owl Lady chuckled. "The bags under your eyes are darker."
The boy rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"So, when you were that... creature, you treated me weirdly." he continued.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Eda asked.
"No, of course not." Hunter shook his head. "Instead, you put me in your nest and... sat on top of me. Y-You treated me like I was your chick, or something."
The Owl Lady was beside herself. This was the first time she heard about doing something like that. Normally, the Owl Beast was primal and animalistic. It was never nurturing to anyone, until now.
"Well, I'm just glad you're not hurt." Eda told her apprentice. "But I want you to take at least a two-hour nap until those bags are smaller. Got it?"
"But I'm not tired." Hunter insisted, his yawn contradicting his statement.
"Come on, to bed with you." his mentor said, ushering his upstairs. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you're not disturbed."
Despite his sleepiness, Hunter was glad to know that his magical education was all dried up even with no bile sac. Who knew where else this form of magic could lead him. And the best part? There was still even more for the young witch to learn, and he couldn't wait to get started.
Notes:
Hunter discovers Eda's inner demon.
Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Covention
Summary:
While learning about witch covens with his friends, Hunter, pushed by Amity's bullying, impulsively challenges the mean girl to a witch's duel. Meanwhile, Eda encounters a witch from her past who has developed a disturbing interest in Hunter.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was the weekend and Eda the Owl Lady was setting up her "Human Collectibles" stand. She was dusting the table, looking bored while Hunter Noceda was reading one of his Dream Rangers books to King.
"Javier was appalled at the way Matthew insulted Gemma." Hunter recited from the book. "Gripping his staff, he got up in his opponent's face and declared, 'You will not tarnish Gemma's honor any longer! With the Sandman as my witness, I challenge you to a duel at Crescent Island!' And look! I made some fan art."
"Show me the picture." King peeked over the book.
"What?"
"Show me the picture!" the demon repeated and the teen showed him his well-detailed drawing of Javier and Matthew fighting. "Wow, Hunter! You're really good. Your artistic prowess may best even my skills. You know, they once called me the King of Artists."
"Wait. I thought you were the King of Demons." Hunter pointed out, making King's eyes widen. "Are you just making this up now?"
"Doesn't matter." the little demon brushed it off. "What's important is that my followers would leave offerings in fear of me!"
"Sure. Whatever you have to tell yourself." the blonde teen chuckled. "You want me to keep reading to you?"
"Ugh! Please stop reading that." Eda groaned, waving her feather dust in Hunter's face which made him sneeze. "It's corny language is driving away all our serious customers!"
"Um, Eda?" the boy said, gesturing to the empty street. "What customers? There aren't even any other stands around. What's going on?"
"This is a bad omen." the Owl Ladysaid seriously. "There must be something horrible happening today."
"Hunter!" Gus called as he and Willow came running over. "Something amazing is happening today!"
"Hey, guys!" Hunter greeted his friends. "What's up?"
"It's the annual covention!" Willow replied excitedly, holding up a flyer. "Student witches get to see all the types of covens before they're placed in one. There's even a mystery guest this year!"
"Wow! That sounds awesome!" the blonde boy smiled. "Eda, can we go? Please?"
"Absolutely not." Eda refused, Hunter's face falling. "I never joined a coven for a reason. Sure, it's like a fun club for witches, but you're also giving up your magical independence to be part of a crooked system."
"Mmm." Willow lowered the flyer while the other kids stared at her.
"Eh, but, you know, no judgment." the Owl Lady waved it off, turning away from their faces. "In any case, I haven't been to one since we were girls."
"'We?'" Hunter repeated.
"I- the- I mean-"
"Who's 'we?' Do you know someone who went to coventions?" the young witch pressed for details. "You haven't been to one in a long time. So now we need to go."
"No." Eda said sternly.
"Okay. Then, you leave me no choice." Hunter replied with a mischievous smile.
King grabbed the boy's book and began to read dramatically. "'I shall never allow you to obtain the Blossom of Pure Wishes!' Javier exclaimed..."
"So corny, so awful." Eda complained, walking away.
She opened the Portal Door and stepped through it.
"Matthew could only watch as the envy for Javier continued to seethe while his adversary's perfectly quaffed hair blew in the wind." King continued to read while Hunter sent him through the portal as it closed.
About a second later, the door opened once again, with Eda coming back through and King sitting on top of her head.
"Stop it! Stop it!" the Owl Lady begged. "I will do literally anything to stop this!"
So the group arrived at a large building with a sign that read: "COVENTION TODAY alchemists anonymous tomorrow." Out front, Hunter was flapping his hands while Willow clapped excitedly. Eda groaned into her hand while sporting a red cowl. The things she did for her apprentice.
"Gotta keep a low profile." the Owl Lady grunted as she struggled to her hood on a King hung from it.
"Is this cowl really necessary?" Hunter asked, his voice straining as he helped stuff Eda's hair into the hood.
"Do you think all my want to posters are for petty theft?" the older witch replied.
After she said that, numerous small objects fell out of her hair. This caused the blonde boy to raise an eyebrow at his mentor.
"Partly." Eda answered her own question. "But the big whammy is that I disobeyed the law and refused to join a coven. If I'm seen, I could go to jail. Again."
"Maybe this informative event will inspire you to join a coven." Willow said, approaching with one of the Owl Lady's wanted posters.
Eda traced a spell that pulled Willow's cowl over her face.
"Let's just get this over with." she grumbled.
The group entered the convention building and Hunter's eyes widened at the sight before him. Several booths were set up inside and each one had a sign for a coven or two. Nine large, colorful banners hung from the ceiling and a couple of student witches flew by on broomsticks. There was just so much to look at.
"Whoa." Hunter said in awe. "My human school had job fairs before, but they were never this
"Those are the main nine covens, but there are hundreds of other ones you can join." Gus told him, referring to the banners above their heads.
As they walked around, Willow and Hunter linked arms and the boy's face flushed as they did so.
"There's Flower Coven, Artist Coven, Big Dog Coven, Small Cat Coven, Tiniest Cat Coven-" the plant witch listed off different covens.
"Do they have a Sewing and Book Coven?" Hunter asked.
"Sure do." Willow nodded, making the boy's eyes light up.
Eda dramatically groaned behind them.
"Also, the Grumpy Coven." the girl whispered.
"What was that?" the Owl Lady asked with a glare.
Willow yipped as the kids, and King ran away.
"Ah, excuse me, ma'am, but you look rather familiar." a man approached Eda, his eyes darting back-and-forth from her to the wanted posters plastered on the walls.
"Uhhh... No, I don't." she replied anxiously. "Distraction spell!"
The Owl Lady reached into her cowl and threw something down on the floor: a bag of Hex Mix, which did nothing. Regardless, Eda ran away, but returned when the man bent down to pick up the snack bag. She pulled his hood over his face, took the Hex Mix back, and ran away again.
The kids kept walking and looking around the convention hall as Eda caught up with them.
"Hey, what's that?" Hunter stopped and pointed.
There was a bearded witch with a hard hat and the tiny prisoner from the Conformatorium, whose name was Tinella Nosa. They stood next to a pallet of wood and a pallet of bricks. The witch then grabbed both pallets from the bottom and tossed them in the air. The building materials fell down and perfectly constructed a small house.
"That's the Construction Coven." Willow whispered. "One of the main nine. They use power glyphs to increase their strength."
The bearded witch took off his hard hat to pull out a power glyph off a stack on his head. He peeled the adhesive off the back of one and put it on Tinella Nosa's nose. Her pupils constricted before she screamed, picking up the witch and throwing him in the air.
"Ha-a-a! I'm the destwoyer of worlds!" the demon laughed maniacally, grabbing the Construction Coven sign and tossing it.
"Hey, that's the opposite of construction!" another member of the Construction Coven exclaimed.
Two more witches ran into stop Tinella as she grabbed a mallet.
"Gee whiz!" Hunter gasped.
Just then, a light blue double of the boy ducked out from behind him.
"Gee whiz!" Illusion Hunter parroted.
"Wha- What the huh?!" the real Hunter's jaw dropped at the sight of it.
The illusion double walked over to two illusion track witches. It waved at the teen before disappearing, the two witches striking a pose to finish it off. Gus then walked over to the other witches.
"Ah! You've been taken in by the allure of The Illusionist Coven. We like to magic with a hint..." the younger witch said before casting a spell that made him disappear. He then reappeared a few feet to the right. "...of showmanship."
Gus took a bow while the other illusion track witches appeared next to him. Hunter and Willow applauded for them.
"Wow. Covens sound incredible!" the blonde boy smiled before turning to his mentor. "Eda, why haven't you ever joined one?"
"Watch closely, Hunter." Eda said, putting a hand his shoulder and directing him to another illusion track witch with two others. "When you join a coven, your other magic is sealed away."
A brand in the shape of a mirror appeared on the witch's wrist. Light blue lines then coursed up his arm and face. He paled slightly as the lines faded, looking rather drained. Hunter gulped in fear as he instinctively clutched his wrist to his chest protectively. The Owl Lady empathized with his shock.
"From now on, that kid will only be able to make illusions. Since I never joined a coven, I can do every kind of magic." Eda continued as she created a fireball and one hand and a ball of water in the other. She made them both disappear she walked away. "That's why I'm the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles."
Hunter, Willow and Gus hurried after the Owl Lady in amazement. King was about to follow along, but he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Weh?" the demon squeaked.
"The tea leaves foretell that this will lead you to your destiny." an oracle task witch said, pulling out a pen and putting it in King's hand.
"Destiny? Feh!" he replied skeptically. "I'm not paying for-"
"It's free-e-e." the oracle witch spoke eerily as she retreated into the shadows.
"Are you bestowing gifts upon me?" the little demon asked, hope filling his voice. "Yes! I accept your offering! The King of Demons is back!"
Meanwhile, the gang arrived at a doorway that was flanked by guards.
"That panel looks popular." Hunter commented as several students walked inside. "Which coven is that?"
"It's the Emperor's Coven!" Gus gasped. "Do you think they'll sign my forehead?"
"Only one way to find out!" Willow replied as she and her friend ran inside.
Hunter was about to follow, but stopped when he noticed Eda hadn't budged.
"Aren't you coming, Eda?" he asked his mentor.
"No way. Of all the covens, they're the worst." Eda responded. "I'll wait out here."
"I get it, Eda. Covens bad, individualism good." the boy said. "But I'm still figuring this world out, so I'm going to go in there and make up my own mind, okay?"
And with that, he walked inside, leaving the Owl Lady to pout.
"I just saw her."
"Huh?" Eda turned around and saw the man from earlier talking to a guard, holding one of her wanted posters.
"She's over there." the man said, pointing at the witch. "I think that's her!"
"Uh-oh. Hunter, wait up!" Eda called, running in after her apprentice.
Inside the panel was a large stadium meant for large-scale presentations and duels. A chattering audience filled the bleachers. Eda found Hunter amongst the crowd and sat next to him.
"All right, let's see this mess." she said, crossing her arms.
The lights dimmed as the presentation began. Principal Bump rose from the floor with swirls of green magic, a spotlight shining down on him. The audience clapped and cheered from the stands as he summoned a microphone with bat wings.
"Hello, Bonesborough." Principal Bump began. "Students ask me all the time: 'Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement?'"
"Is it this?" a brown-haired boy asked, using a spell to significantly enlarge his head, crushing the kid next to him in the process.
"Wow. I failed as a principal." the principal commented before grabbing the microphone with some feedback. "It's being selected to join the best of the best, and there are none better than the jewel of the coven system, and the enforcers of his will, the Emperor's Coven."
As he spoke, three witches dressed like the guards outside appeared, rising from the floor.
"Whoa." Hunter breathed softly before looking to the side and waving at his friends.
"Hunter!" Willow and Gus whispered, pointing to the younger witch's forehead, which had been signed.
"Feast your eyes on this elite force, each member hand-picked to help usher in a new age of controlled magic." Bump continued.
Each coven guard traced a white spell circle above their head. One produced a jet of fire, the second a stream of water, and the third a bolt of lightning. Three elements came together in a firework which bursted into confetti. Hunter watched with a dazzled expression at the magical display.
"When does that 'elite force' get here?" Eda uttered to the patron next to her, laughing at her own joke while the patron scooted uncomfortably away.
"Members of the Emperor's Coven have access to all- yes, all forms of magic. Ooh. Aah." the Hexside principal pandered.
"Ooh. Aah.". the audience repeated.
"But... only the best can ascend these ranks. Someday, that could be one of you!" Bump pointed to Amity in the audience who squealed and delight at the thought.
Hunter noticed her and rolled his eyes at the abomination witch while Eda kept laughing.
The three guards then grabbed their cloaks and disappeared in flashes of white light.
"And now, I'm pleased to introduce the esteemed leader of this coven and this year's mystery guest." the principal introduced. "You know her, you love her! Lilith!"
The audience gasped and Eda finally stopped laughing. A bright flash of light near the ceiling turned into a blue raven sitting on a branch. It flew off the branch to the stage, landing to reveal a woman, cloaked and masked. The woman had sleek black hair and a long black dress with a cyan gem. As Lilith raised her arms, her mask floated away with a caw. The audience thunderous applause and rousing cheers while Eda just sat there, speechless. Hunter quickly noticed.
"You know her?" the boy asked.
"You could say that." his mentor answered.
"Thank you, all." Lilith said as she magically her cloak and mask back into Principal Bump's face. "It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top. I also started from humble beginnings."
"Like me?" the big-headed boy asked.
"Now I have the highest honor of enforcing the Emperor's will." she declared proudly. "So be more! The Emperor's Coven awaits you!"
The dark-haired witch spun around, creating the raven illusion once more. It spread its wings before bursting into balls of light. Lilith posed with her arms spread out, smirking, while Eda glared at her.
After the show, Hunter and the Owl Lady filed out of the auditorium.
"Eda! Where are you going?" the young witch asked.
"I'm gonna head home and wash the con funk off my skin." Eda said.
"But we haven't even taken the quiz to determine our coven type!" Hunter told her, pulling out a thick magazine from his pocket. It was flipped to a page that read: "Which Coven Are You In?"
Without even looking, Eda casted a laser beam through the magazine and continued to walk away. The boy pulled the magazine down and ambled in the other direction without watching where he was going, his face looking down.
"Huh, a punky potionist." he mumbled to himself.
Just then, the boy bumped into Amity and they both grunted.
"Watch where you-" the abomination witch started before recognizing Hunter. "Oh, it's you. The new kid."
"Uh... Hey, Amity. Listen, we didn't get off on the right foot last week. So..." Hunter said, offering his hand. "Wanna let bygones be bygones?"
"Ugh. Put that away." the green-haired girl spat, smacking the boy's hands away. "You're the one who got me in trouble with Principal Bump and I never get in trouble. By the way, I heard that you grew up in the Human Realm and are born with no magic. True or false?"
"Yeah, it's true." the blonde witch answered, raising an eyebrow. "But what does that matter?"
"No wonder you and Willow hit it off." Amity laughed teasingly. "Half-witches must be attracted to each other like magnets. And this covention is for real witches only."
"I am a real witch!" Hunter snapped, getting mad. "And I happen to be under the apprenticeship of Eda the Owl Lady herself.
"And who's that?" the girl looked over his shoulder, prompting him to turn around.
Hunter could see King decked out in merchandise from head to toe. He was being flanked by two baker witches.
"Cupcakes in my tummy-tum makes King say yummy-yum!" the little demon said happily.
"So you'll join the Bakers Coven?" one of the witches asked him.
"Hmm... Nope!" King responded as he proceeded to eat a cupcake in one bite and take another from the baker's tray.
Amity smirked rudely at Hunter whose cheeks and ears blushed red in embarrassment. Luckily, Willow and Gus were there to have his back.
"Back off, Amity!" Willow told the bully.
"Stay out of it, Willow! This is between me and Blondie here." Amity snapped back. "You two half-a-witches are giving witches in training a bad name."
The plant witch's face fell from that comment and little vines sprouted from her emotional distress. Hunter felt his blood boil as he clenched his fists. No one was going to insult Willow and get away with it on his watch.
"You know what, Amity? It's one thing to call me half-a-witch-" the blonde boy retaliated.
"'Cause you are." Amity interrupted.
"... but it's another thing to bully my friends." he finished. "With King as my witness, I challenge you to a Witch's Duel!"
Everyone in the convention hall gasped in shock, even Hunter's friends. And then, Amity walked up until she was right in the boy's face.
"I accept." the girl said. "Let's set the terms for this duel, shall we?"
"One, if I win, you apologize to Willow for picking on her." Hunter stated. "And two, you admit that plant magic is just as cool as abomination magic."
"Fine by me." Amity replied. "But when I win, not only do you have to tell the whole covention that you're half-a-witch, you have to stop training forever."
"Hunter, wait!" Willow gasped.
"Fine. Let's shake on it." Hunter agreed, holding out his hand.
The abomination witch drew a spell circle around it before shaking.
"The everlasting oath is sealed." she declared, putting her hand away.
"That's probably fine." the blonde teenager said nervously.
"Meet me back inside the theater in one hour." Amity told him as she walked off. "Let's see what kind of witch you are."
"What did I just get myself into?" Hunter asked as the reality of what he did hit him.
Meanwhile, Eda tried to sneak out of the covention, hoping no one else would recognize her.
"Sister?" Lilith's voice stopped her in her tracks.
The Owl Lady turned around and saw Lilith surrounded by a group of Hexside kids.
"It's been so long since I've seen you last!" the raven-haired witch said after giving one of the kids an autograph. "What are you wearing? You look like some sort of trash collector. Oh, right. You are."
"Oh, Lily. I just had to see the leader of the Emperor's Coven in action." Eda replied, leaning towards the students. "You know, when we were kids, Lilith was so excited to see the Emperor's Coven, she peed a little."
The children laughed, making Lilith blush.
"That- That's all for today." she ushered the crowd away in embarrassment. "You shouldn't even be here. You're a wanted criminal! Unless..." The raven-haired woman gasped, taking Eda's hands. "I don't believe it! You're here to join the Emperor's Coven!"
"In your dreams." her younger sister laughed with a chortle, yanking her hands away.
Lilith's face fell in disappointment as she glared at the Owl Lady.
"You think being covenless makes you think you're so much smarter than everyone else." she said. "But while you run from the law like a degenerate, I'm mentoring the next generation of powerful witch students into the world."
"Well, I have a student." Eda boasted. "And I bet he could wipe the floor with any of your pretty little blue bloods."
"Is that a challenge?" Lilith asked, stepping closer.
"Oh, it's a promise." her sister responded confidently.
"Eda, I need your help!" Hunter yelled, running up to his mentor. "I sorta impulsively challenged Amity to a Witch's Duel and I think she's going to obliterate me!"
"Mmm, it seems your student has met my strongest protégé." Lilith said, getting a closer look at the boy, her eyes widening. "And I do believe the Emperor would be very inclined in meeting him."
"And what makes you think I'm going to let that happen?" Eda asked, putting a protective hand in front of the kid.
"Very well." her older sister replied. "If my student wins this duel, your student will come with me to meet the Emperor."
"And if mine wins, you have to admit I'm a more powerful witch than you, in front of the entire covention." the Owl Lady stated.
"Okay, Edalyn."
Lilith traced a spell circle, causing every one of Eda's wanted posters in the building to burn away.
"For one day, you won't have to hide from the law because I want to see how good a teacher you really are." the raven-haired witch said, walking away.
"Come on, kid." the Owl Lady wrapped an arm around Hunter. "Time for some bloodshed."
"Uh, whose blood are we talking about?" the boy asked.
"Anyone's guess!" his mentor chuckled.
The duo went to a secluded part of the covention building, where Eda put on a sweatband. Hunter sat on a stack of boxes, ready to take in whatever tips and tricks his teacher had for him.
"All right, Hunter. Let's start your training." she said, cracking her knuckles. "Now, I'm coming at you with a blast of fire. What do you do?"
The blonde boy took that literally and cowered behind the boxes, curling up into a ball.
"Oh, that's right. I haven't taught you many spells, huh?" Eda realized as her apprentice shook his head. "Boy, I hope you didn't make an everlasting oath to stop learning magic or anything. You'd be toast!"
"Uh, yeah... that w-would bad." Hunter stammered nervously.
"Abomination. Rise." Amity's voice said.
Eda and Hunter turned to see the abomination witch and her mentor standing nearby, practicing their spells. An abomination rose up from the spell circle on the ground as tall as Amity's shoulders. It twisted its head off and hurled it, hitting a Baker's Coven witch in the face. Tinella Nosa (still amped from the power glyph) grabbed his hand, chucked him, and screamed.
"Ooh, boy." Eda sighed.
"What am I going to do?" Hunter panicked. "If I lose to Amity, I'll never be able to learn magic again! But I can't bow out of the duel either! I have to defend Willow's honor!"
"Listen to me, Hunter. We're not gonna let those snobs win that easy! We're not gonna let them win at all." the Owl Lady told him mischievously. "I've got an idea."
Her sweatband ripped as her hair won its fight against it.
Back in the theater, the stands were nearly jam-packed. More so than they were earlier. Lilith and Amity stood on the dais, while Eda and Hunter stood opposite them.
"Beloved citizens, the Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of witch we seek every year." Lilith announced, presenting her student. "Introducing Amity Blight."
The green-haired girl smirked vainly as the crowd cheered for her.
"Woo, Amity!"
"Versus..." Eda stepped out of the way, proudly presenting an anxious Hunter. "...some random witch."
Although, judging by the steely-eyed glance she was giving him, Hunter could tell Lilith didn't see as just a random witch.
The audience stopped cheering and started murmuring to each other.
"Who is that?"
"I've never seen him before."
"He's not Amity."
Willow and Gus were sitting in the stands, sharing a nervous look. The plant witch being the most worried of the two.
"Eda?" Hunter muttered to Eda, fiddling with his fingers. "I don't think I can do this."
"Calm down." the Owl Lady said quietly, quelling his fidgeting. "You see those mounds? Get Amity to land on one of those and she'll set off my magic traps."
"That's cheating!" the boy whispered.
"Nobody will know." his mentor waved it off. "To all eyes up there it'll look like you're performing magic. Just trust me."
"Well, it won't feel like a real victory, but I guess I can live with it." Hunter exhaled. "As long as I get to rub Amity's smug little nose in the dirt."
"That's the spirit!" Edda supported him.
A bell rang and screamed, causing the boy to flinch briefly. Hunter, still nervous, but determined, and Amity, confident, approached each other as the audience cheered. The girl cracked her knuckles while the boy blew a raspberry at her. Amity traced a large spell circle, forcing Hunter back a bit.
"Abomination. Rise." the girl commanded.
An abomination that towered over both kids groaned as it rose out of the spell circle. Hunter gulped in fear at the site of the monstrosity. Even Amity was stunned by its sheer size.
"Whoa." she gasped before sneering at her opponent. "Show me what you've got, half-a-witch!"
"I'm not good under pressure!" the boy cried as he ran for his life to avoid getting stepped on.
The abomination groaned before it twisted its head off and hurled it at Hunter. The head barely missed him as he panted. He was soon backed against the wall has Eda watched from the sidelines with growing suspicion. The abomination drew closer as its head regenerated. But Hunter was ready, seeing one of Eda's mounds in front of him. He raised his index finger, pretending to draw a spell circle. As soon as the abomination stepped on the mound, a towering jet a fire erupted from it.
"How did you do that?" Amity demanded.
"Uh, a good witch never reveals his secrets." Hunter replied.
"Things that are free~ People giving offerings to me!" King sang as he entered the stadium, decked out in hats, t-shirts, buttons, and scarves. He approached Willow and Gus in the stands. "I love offerings! What did I miss?"
"Hunter's in a witch's duel!" Willow told the little demon.
"Yeah! And he can win it all!" Gus added excitedly. "Yeah-yeah!"
"Weh?"
The steaming abomination stepped on to another mound, this one producing a current of air strong enough to launch it and Amity into the air, making the green-haired girl scream. The abomination landed with a grunt on its back while Amity landed in a kneel.
"I-I saw you that time! You didn't use your hands!" the abomination witch accused Hunter. "What are you getting at?"
"Not dying!" the boy yelled back.
The abomination got back on its feet in an attempt to stomp on Hunter again. But the teen quickly darted out of the way.
Up in the stands, King was maneuvering his way through the rows to get as close to the action as possible.
"This I gotta see!" he said eagerly.
"Go Amity!" one kid cheered, waving a foam finger.
"Hey! You root for Hunter or nobody!" the furry demon called him out.
He tried to run at the Hexside student, but tripped on his scarf and fell. As for Hunter, he continued to evade the abomination, which set off an explosion when it stepped on a mound. At the same time, King fell from the stands, his offerings scattering about.
"How are you doing that?" Amity growled, getting agitated.
"No, Amity, don't step any closer!" Hunter warned her as she was dangerously close to a mound.
"Why, Hunter?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow. "What happens if I step closer?"
King screamed as he fell flat on his back, directly on the mound. Spikes burst from the ground, forcing Hunter and Amity back several steps.
"Mmm? I'm okay!" King confirmed who was stuck on the spikes, but thankfully, not impaled.
"Spikes?" Hunter said to Eda who gave him two thumbs-up.
"I knew it!" Amity accused, pointing at the boy as Lilith walked up. "You were cheating!"
"Amity- No!"
The raven-haired witch touched the top of one of the shorter spikes, causing it to crumble.
"Oh, Eda. I do believe this means you lose!" she bragged to her sister. "And now your pupil is coming with me."
"No, get away from me!" Hunter shouted, hiding behind Eda. "It wasn't my idea to cheat, I swear. I was completely against it."
"Who could believe anything you say?" Amity scoffed, turning around to walk away.
"I'm not lying! I-" the blonde teen argued. But then, his gaze fell on something under the mean girl's hair. "What's that in your neck?"
Luckily, Eda noticed too.
"Wait just a sec, Miss Protégé." the Owl Lady went after Amity, causing Lilith's eyes to widen as her sister lifted the younger witch's hair.
"Hey! What are you-" the green-haired girl protested before Eda ripped a familiar glyph off.
The abomination shrunk until it was about the height of Amity's knee before it crumbled under the weight of its own ginormous head.
"A power glyph from the Construction Coven." the Owl Lady presented, holding the glyph for the whole audience to see.
Everyone gasped in shock, even the girl from the Oracle Coven.
"I mean... I knew it." she corrected herself.
"She cheated!" Willow said in a hushed tone to Gus.
"Aha! Yes, yes, yes-yes-yes! You cheated!" Eda gloated, pumping her fists in the air. "Perfect, prissy Lilith cheated! Hot dang, I love coventions! La-la-la-"
"I only did that because I knew you would cheat!" Lilith justified.
"Still cheated!" her sister said as she continued to celebrate. "Welcome down to my level!"
"But... I didn't know!" Amity spoke, rubbing the back of her neck.
She saw Hunter approaching her and ran off.
"Amity, wait!" the boy cried, reaching out to her in vain. He then angrily turned to the bickering sisters. "How did I get sucked in the middle of your petty squabble?!"
Quickly after his meltdown, Hunter marched off in indignation past the spikes.
"Hunter! Help me!" King cried to his friend. The blonde teen swiftly yanked the demon off the spikes, ripping his shirts in the process. "My offerings!"
"You can get more offerings." Hunter grumbled, not even looking at King as he stomped out the theater.
"Hey, wait for me!" the little demon hollered.
"Come on, Gus." Willow said, picking up on Hunter's emotional distress as she and Gus followed their friend.
As soon as Hunter was back in the convention hall, he found himself being stared down by a banner with the emblem of the Emperor's Coven on it. The teen felt a strange sense of deja vu, like he did when he first encountered the shack back in the Human Realm. Something about that symbol seemed familiar to him. The emblem, coupled with the calamitous noise of the convention hall was giving Hunter a headache. He dizzily stumbled and was very close to falling flat on his face when he felt someone catch him.
"Watch your step." a masculine voice said. "You wouldn't want a broken nose, would you?"
Hunter's eyes widened suddenly. He had heard that voice somewhere before. He just couldn't put his finger on it. The kid turned around and got a good look at the witch who steadied him. He was tall with dark brown skin, bright green eyes, and purple abomination-like hair. Overall, the man was very handsome, and impeccably dressed too. He wore a black sleeveless garment with a gold collar, purple studs and pointed shoulders, light purple pants, white mid-length gloves, and white-heeled boots with purple toes. The witch also wore a magenta side cape that Hunter had seen in the animes he watched in the Human Realm.
"Are you all right, Hunter?" the masculine witch asked the boy.
"Just a little dizzy." Hunter groaned. "But how do you know my name?"
"Let's take care of that nasty headache of yours first." the man said, guiding the child to sit down on a nearby chair.
Hunter took his seat and rubbed his temples incessantly as the throbbing in his head got worse.
"Here, drink this. It'll help." the older witch told the boy, handing him a full glass. "It's all right, it's water."
Hunter sipped the water, and slowly, but surely, he was starting to feel a better. The kid was no stranger to getting headaches due to dehydration. It just wasn't fun.
"Thank you." the young witch said. "Who are you?"
"Darius Deamonne, Head Witch of the Abomination Coven." the man answered. "And I've been wanting to meet you officially for a long time. Now normally, I wouldn't come to superficial events like this. I was asked to come out of necessity. But when I saw you, I decided to make time for us to meet face-to-face."
"Why did you want to meet me?" Hunter inquired.
"I wanted to see how much you've grown from that tiny newborn I helped bring to the human realm sixteen years ago." Darius responded, lightly ruffling the boy's hair.
The young witch gasped softly. Eda had told him the night he decided to stay on the Boiling Isles that she brought him to the Human Realm when he was a baby. Were there other witches who helped? Did the Owl Lady not work alone that night?
"Hunter, there you are!" Willow cried as she and Gus came running up to Hunter.
"Are you okay?" the illusion witch asked.
"Well, this is where I leave you." Darius sighed, taking his leave. "Don't worry, our paths will cross again one day. In the meantime, stay sharp in this world, little prince."
"Was that Head Witch Darius?" Gus inquired.
"What did he want?" Willow questioned.
"He just... wanted to talk." Hunter answered, rising to his feet. "Speaking of talking, I should go find Amity."
"Wait." the plant witch stopped him. "Thank you for what you tried to do, Hunter. Not many people have ever stuck up for me."
"Oh, uh, I just couldn't let you get picked on like that." the boy face pinkened. "Besides, us half-witches have to stick together, you know."
Willow smiled, making Hunter blush deeper.
A little bit later, the teen was searching the convention hall for Amity. Hunter looked around until he eventually found the abomination witch sulking in a dark corner next to the bathrooms.
"Amity... can we talk?" Hunter asked carefully as he walked over to her.
"Ugh, seriously?" Amity groaned in annoyance. "Just leave me alone."
"About what happened back there." the blonde witch went on to say. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"That's all you ever do!" the girl snapped. "First at school, and now this!"
"But, I-"
"You made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor's Coven. My future! You think it's easy being a witch. I've been working my whole life to get to the top!" Amity ranted as she stood up and advanced on Hunter. "You lost! You cheated! Say it! Say you're not a real witch!"
"I'm not a real witch." the blonde boy admitted, looking down at the floor sadly.
He then knelt down, pulling out a notepad and pencil. Amity looked confused as she joined Hunter. The young witch then drew out the light glyph, then tapped it. He scooped up the ball of light, smiling as he held it for Amity.
"But I am learning how to become one."
The green-haired girl stared at the light in awe before turning away with a sour look on her face.
"That's nothing. A child could do a light spell." she said coldly. Hunter's face fell as he extinguished the light and turned away. "But... I've never seen it cast like that."
"It doesn't come naturally to me like it does for you, so I've had to improvise." the boy explained, holding his notepad.
Amity sighed. Then, she traced out a spell circle and dragged Hunter's hand into it. Both of their hands glowed for a moment, and the spell circle vanished.
"The oath is unbound." the abomination witch declared as she let Hunter go and stood up.
"Are you... are you letting me learn magic again?" the blonde teen asked in confusion.
"From what I've seen, you have no magical ability." Amity replied. "But I doubt that'll stop you."
Hunter stood from the corner as she walked away. He had to admit. As condescending as she was, at least Amity was mature enough to call all bets off due to the circumstances. Maybe she wasn't as bad of a person as the boy thought she was.
"Hunter! You left me!" King yelled as he ran up to Hunter.
"Yeah, sorry. I guess I got a little sidetracked." the young witch apologized, crouching to the demon's level. "Should we get you more offerings?"
"Nah. That stuff just weighed me down." King turned him down. "But I have something for you, Hunter. And it's the best thing, because it's free, comes from my heart, and I always have more than I need."
"Really? What is it?" Hunter asked.
"Tote bags!" the little demon revealed, pulling a canvas bag from behind him. He then put in on the boy's arm and hopped in the bag. "And they have so many uses! Away, fair chariot! Away!"
Hunter laughed as Eda approached the boys.
"We gotta go." she told them.
"How'd you get away from Lilith?" the young witch asked.
"Let's just say I gave her a real 'snack attack.' Ha!" the Owl Lady joked with a snort, heading for the door. "Wait, I got a better one."
"Eda..." Hunter spoke, stopping Eda in her tracks. "Do you think I'll ever be a true witch?"
"What? I don't know. And who's a true witch? These suckers?" his mentor replied, pointing to some people behind her. "According to them, that means joining a coven, but I never joined one and I'm better than all of them combined. You got to be your own witch."
"My own witch." the kid brightened up. "I like the sound of that."
"Now, let's go before my sister realizes I tied her pointy shoes together." Eda said as Lilith let out a shrill scream quickly after. "And that's our cue!"
"Sister?" Hunter gasped as he followed his teacher out the covention hall. "Wow. I have so many questions."
"Oh, you think that's all the mystery I got? Wait until you hear about my parents."
"Ooh, I'd love to meet them sometime." the young witch said eagerly.
"You very much don't!" King deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Lilith had retreated into a dressing room in the covention building, tripping over the shoelaces that Eda tied together.
"You make it so hard to want to help you, Edalyn." the raven-haired witch grunted as she stood up.
That was when a compact mirror on the vanity opened up, revealing the insignia of the Emperor's Coven. Lilith gasped, knowing that someone from the very top of the coven system was calling her.
In the mirror's reflective surface, a little red goblin wearing a white robe revealed herself.
"Lilith, I see you let the Owl Lady get the best of your temper." the goblin said. "Just remember what Emperor Belos promised you."
"I will capture her, ma'am. You have my word." Lilith assured her. "But first, I'd like you to pass on a message to the Emperor. One that I think you'll find most enlightening."
"Oh? And what might that be?" the red demon asked.
"He has returned."
Notes:
A mysterious past only leads to more questions.
Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Hooty's Moving Hassle
Summary:
Hunter, Willow, and Gus hold a moonlight conjuring at the Owl House while Eda is out. But in the process, the kids accidentally bring the house itself to life. It, along with Hunter quickly become the targets of some demon catchers while the kids try to wrangle the house.
Notes:
Hunter's sister is alive and on the Boiling Isles. But where?
Chapter Text
One day at the Owl House, Eda and her little owl Owlbert were playing a card game in the living room. Hunter Noceda and King were closely watching the whole thing. The Owl Lady shuffled her hand and the eyes on the backs of the cards looked up at her. Owlbert, who wore a plastic green visor narrowed his eyes at Eda.
"Your move, Owl Lady." he hooted.
"Watch closely, Hunter." Eda told her student. "Hexes Hold'em is the most tricky game on the Boiling Isles. Any proper which knows how to play."
"This game seems a little tame, even for you, Eda." Hunter commented.
The Owl Lady made a choice from her hand and put a card down on the coffee table. There were nine other cards that Eda and Owlbert had allowed put down respectively. And then, lightning came from the cards, surprising Hunter and sending Owlbert flying for cover behind the side of the table. The cards all stood and roared at each other. Owlbert's cards charged at Eda's, making the little owl smirk with confidence.
"Whoa, I take it back." the blonde boy said.
"Now, when it looks like the deck is stacked against you, that's when you break out the wildcard." Eda demonstrated, pulling out a card with a dark tower on it.
The card glowed green and all of Owlbert's cards went up in flames. And then, fiery letters spelling "WINNER: EDA" appeared and disappeared over the coffee table. Owlbert hopped back on and extended his wings in a bow to his witch.
"Well played, Eda." the owl hooted.
"Woo, I win! In you're adorable owl face." Eda celebrated, pointing at Owlbert. Unbeknownst to her, feathers started growing on her arms. "Ah, I love the feeling of victory; it feels... fluffy?"
"Uh, Eda?" Hunter said worriedly as he leaned back. "It's happening again!"
"What's happening again?"
"Your curse is returning!" King pointed out the sprouting feathers on the witch's arms, causing Eda to yelp.
"Okay, game over!" the blonde boy spoke quickly. "Time to get you some elixir!"
The trio ran upstairs to Eda's room where she kept her elixir. The Owl Lady opened the chest where they were stored. Unfortunately, all that was in the chest were empty vials.
"Oh, boy." Eda said as the boys became equally concerned while she shook one the of vials in vain. "This is terrible. I'm out of elixir."
"Last time that happened, you turned into this thing." Hunter said, showing a picture of his mentor in beast mode on his phone.
"I know I should be repulsed, but that look is fierce." Eda fluffed her hair with a witty smirk.
"Eda! This is serious!" the young witch huffed.
"You're right, you're right. We need to head to the market."
"Sounds like a plan." Hunter stood and started to leave with King following him.
"I'm gonna steal everything that's not nailed down!" the little demon cheered.
"No, you're not." the boy responded.
"Before we go, would anyone like to play one more hand of Hexes Hold'em?" Eda asked, patting her pockets for her deck, only to find it missing. "Hey, where are my cards?"
Having taken the deck, Hunter hid the cards behind his back before giving them to Owlbert when he flew in.
"Take these to the market and don't stop for anything." he instructed the little owl. "She'll have to follow us."
"You got it." Owlbert hooted as he took off. And as Hunter knew she would, Eda followed.
"Owlbert, you sore loser, gimme back my cards!" she called angrily as she chased after the owl.
"Note to self: rid the house of spare decks when we get back." the kid said to himself as he and King followed the older witch.
It was a beautiful day in Bonesborough as a winged demon soared through the sky. I the market, Eda, clad in a burgundy cloak, banged on the metal grate to a shop called "Mr. Elixir." It was one of the few shops in town where Eda was comfortable going to without the vendors reporting her to the Emperor's Coven.
"Hey, opened up, Morton!" the witch said.
"Uh, ju- ...just a minute!" the shopkeeper Morton replied from the other side of the grate.
King left Eda's side to join Hunter who was sitting on a bench.
"Well, looks like we're going to be here awhile." the young witch stated. "Nothing to do now, except watch the people go by."
He observed three witches standing at a bus stop as a giant egg rolls up to it. The egg cracked, revealing a featherless bird that screeched before flying away. The witches then enter the egg like a taxi, and then closed before rolling off its next stop. Tinella Nosa tried to catch the egg, but it was already gone, much to her disappointment.
Just then, loud footsteps filled the air. The bipedal demon screamed and ran away. From the west, a rugged-looking witch with a sword and eyepatch came along. He waved his hand, and a cart with a giant demon tied to it wheeled in behind him, two others pushed it along.
"Whoa, who are those guys?" Hunter asked, approaching his mentor.
"Those are demon hunters." Eda answered as the restrained demon tried to fight back against its captors. "Dangerous nomads who capture and sell the most powerful beasts."
The lead hunter traced a spell circle, creating green lightning in his hand. He grunted as he shocked the struggling demon until it was rendered unconscious. The fearsome witch then turned to look at Hunter with an icy glare. The blonde boy gulped in fear.
"...Which I'm about to become if you don't open up, Morton!" the Owl Lady shouted as she continued to knock on the grate.
"Sorry, Eda." a skinny young man wearing a funnel on his head opened the grate. "I was up all night poison-tasting. For some reason, I don't feel great."
"I'm all outta my juice, pal." Eda told Morton, giving him an empty elixir vial.
"Oh, gee." he said, examining the flask. "Lemme see what I can do."
Morton ducked down and started rummaging through the many potions in his inventory.
The demon hunters carried on, revealing Willow and Gus, looking dejected on the sidewalk.
"My friends!" Hunter smiled as he ran across the street to join them. "Hey, guys!" But that was when he noticed their sad faces. "Wait, what's wrong? Who hurt you two?"
"Them." Willow said, pointing to a food stand.
That was when Hunter saw Amity, Boscha, and two other girls from Hexside. One from the bard track and the other from the healing track, Skara and Cat, laughed as the former tossed chips into the latter's mouth. Boscha was watching them in amusement while Amity gazed at a potion, uninterested in her friends' antics.
"Amity's having a moonlight conjuring and invited everyone but me." Willow explained to Hunter.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Penstagram account." Gus added.
He summoned his scroll to show the older boy Amity's Penstagram post where she and her friends were posing in a group selfie.
"'It's conjuring night! No dorks allowed?' What a jerk!" the blonde boy briefly scowled after reading the caption. "Uh... what's a moonlight conjuring?"
"You spend the night at someone's house telling stories, playing games..." Willow revealed to him.
"Like a slumber party?" Hunter said. "We have those in the human realm too."
"Then you bring something to life with moon magic!" the plant witch finished, holding up a conjuring book. It depicted three people holding hands in a circle.
"So... a Boiling Isles version of a slumber party. Nice."
"Gus and I have never been to one." Willow lamented. "You need at least three people-"
"Well, we're three people." Hunter interrupted. "Plus, we're way better than them."
Suddenly, the pack of mean girls walked by, laughing at him and his friends.
"Sorry you couldn't get an invite to the conjuring, Willow." Boscha said meanly before glancing at Hunter. "Only real witches allowed."
"Let me know when you find those real witches then!" the blonde witch retaliated.
"Leave her alone." Amity sighed tiredly. "It's not her fault she was born without talent."
As the girls left, Willow growled and several vines grew from the ground around her feet. In response, Hunter stomped on the unruly plants.
"Don't waste your time getting thorny over them." he comforted the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "'Cause we're gonna have our own moonlight conjuring tonight!"
"Are you serious? This was on my bucket list." Gus said, elation filling his voice as he pulled out a list and checked it off. "After owning a real human bucket."
"I'm sure Eda could spare one from her stash of human stuff." Hunter said. "Speaking of Eda, I gotta go talk to her."
And with that, the boy ran back across the street where his teacher was.
Back at Mr. Elixir, the Owl Lady was still waiting for the potion maker to finish searching his inventory.
"I've got good news and bad news." Morton said, upon returning. "Bad news is I'm all out 'till next week. Good news is feathers are a good look for you."
A single feather sprouted from Eda's head, but the witch was not amused.
"Morton!" she glared as some feathers fall off her body.
"Well, gee, E. Why'd you wait to re-up 'till now?" Morton asked.
"I've been very busy." the Owl Lady confessed.
"Yeah, busy playing Hexes Hold'em." King said from the bench. "She's obsessed with it."
"I am not obsessed!" Eda argued in denial.
"You're playing right now!"
Sure enough, there were several cards splayed out on the counter. And she had one in her hand.
"Am I winning?" the witch asked.
"You know, I wouldn't suggest this to just anybody, but if you need your elixir you could try your luck later this evening." Morton told her seriously.
"In the night market?" Eda whispered.
"There's a guy with a stand, goes by the name Grimm Hammer; if anyone has what you need, it's him."
"Eda," Hunter called when he turned up getting Eda's attention. "Gus and Willow and I are gonna do a moonlight conjuring and stick it to Amity. So can we-"
"Not tonight, I'm going out." the witch turned him down, putting her hand up. "I need you to watch the house, I have many precious objects in there."
"Like me!" King said just before the Owl Lady picked him up by his collar. "Whoa!"
"You're coming with me." she told the demon. "I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for pickpockets. And an extra pair of hands in case I want to pickpocket."
"Pickpocket!" the pair cheered.
"Then, maybe they can come to the house and-" Hunter gestured to his friends as they came over.
"No! Besides, conjurings are dumb; sitting in a circle, holding hands. Pft. It's like magic for babies." Eda rebuffed as she walked away.
"But-"
"Hunter!" Willow called to the blonde boy. "What did Eda say?"
"So... guys..." Hunter started slowly.
"Oh, look!" Gus pointed up at the moon in the sky. "The moon is rising into place. And the celestial powers only align once a year."
"Oh, I can't believe I finally have enough friends to do a moonlight conjuring! Thank you, Hunter!" Willow thanked her friend. "Did Eda say it was okay?"
"Uhm... yes. She said yes. We can do it at the Owl House. As long as we don't make a mess or touch anything or bring it up around her at all!" Hunter lied with a nervous laugh.
"Yes!" Gus cheered.
"Oh, you're the best!" Willow smiled before she and the younger boy chanted in a sing-songy tone.
"We're gonna do a conjuring! We're gonna do a conjuring! Conjuring! Conjuring!"
Hunter looked up at the rising moon, his guilt evident on his face. He didn't want to fib to his friends, but if they knew the truth, Willow and Gus would've been so disappointed. Of course, going behind Eda's back with this didn't lessen his nerves either. Now, the blonde teen could show how nervous he was about how tonight would play out.
As the crickets chirped outside that night at the Owl House, Hunter sat on the couch watching Eda getting ready to leave.
"Hunter, you're in charge while I'm out." she said, putting on her cloak. "Make sure Hooty doesn't get into any trouble."
"Hoot hoot!" Hooty called before opening the door. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big boy house!"
"You can count on me; I'd never betray your hard-earned trust." Hunter told Eda with a nervous laugh, playing with fingers. He tended to do that when he was anxious.
"You're acting suspicious." Eda spoke suspiciously, noticing the boy's fidgeting. "You're doing that thing where you twiddle your thumbs."
"No, I'm not. Uh..." Hunter denied, hiding his hands behind his back, his ears turning red. "Oh, where's King?"
"He's right here." the Owl Lady replied. She opened her cloak to reveal King, snoring and strapped in a pink baby carrier. "His little body just conks out when he's weightless. Look at this."
She moved side to side, the little demon not waking as moved limply in the baby carrier.
"He's like a little ragdoll." Hunter chuckled.
"Anyway, really going now." Eda walked out the door before turning back to the kid. "And Hunter..."
"Uh, yes?" Hunter said, looking anxious.
"...if you mess up the house, I will never trust you again." the older witch spoke in a threatening tone before switching to a lighter tone. "No pressure! Byeeeeee!"
"We'll be back soon!" Owlbert hooted as Eda activated her staff and flew off while Hunter waved.
"Ay, this is a bad idea. No, no, you made a promise to Willow, you're going to keep it." the boy whispered to himself, turning a pair of shrubs. "Okay, she's gone."
"Release!" Willow's voice chanted as the bushes glowed and exploded, revealing her and Gus. "I'm a sneaky sneakster!"
"I've got leaves in my pants... and I like it." the younger witch added.
"Okay... come on in." Hunter said slowly, leading his friends inside.
"Company! Hooray! Finally someone to listen to my stories!" Hooty cheered. "Okay, one time, a sparrow flew into my mouth, and then I-" But he was cut off as soon as the kids shut the door. "Hey..." the house demon said in disappointment before coughing up a sparrow which flew away.
"Welcome to the living room." Hunter presented inside. "We call it that because it's technically living. The walls are breathing. Look."
Willow observed as the walls rose and fell with heavy breaths.
"Enchanting." she spoke in fascination.
"And look at all these human treasures." Gus said, rummaging through a chest and pulling out a skull. "And actual humans!"
"We have snacks, we have music to listen to." Hunter held snack bowl with eyeballs and put the needle of a gramophone down, which produced an evil cackle. It surprised the blonde boy.
"We've got a bucket!" Gus smiled, wearing a plastic bucket on his head.
"I like your enthusiasm, Gus." the older boy chuckled.
"And best of all, we have actual friends to do the conjuring with!" Willow chirped. "This is so exciting!"
"So how does this conjuring stuff work?" Hunter queried.
"Well, first, we find an object to animate. Since this is our first time, we should pick something meaningful." the plant witch clarified, walking over to some hydrangeas. "Something beautiful."
The blonde boy's cheeks glowed and his eyes glistened as Willow admired the flowers.
"Like this strangely buff little man?" Gus suddenly burst through the flowers, holding an action figure he found.
He pressed a button on the toy's abs, and it said, "I'm half beef, half Bob!"
"Really?" Hunter said, looking unsure.
"That's not exactly what I meant by 'beautiful.'" Willow added.
Gus lowered the action figure, whimpering and looking hurt.
"Okay, buff boy it is." the girl gave in.
"Tonight he shall be risen!" the younger witch cheered, making his friends laugh.
A little while later, as the moon rose to its highest point in the sky, Gus set Beefy Bob down, putting the toy between the three kids. They sat in a circle on the floor, surrounded by several lit candles.
"According to the conjuring books I've read, we say the incantation and make a connection with the doll." Willow explained as the trio held hands, Hunter's ears slightly reddening as his hand fit into hers.
"Figurine." Gus corrected before he and the plant witch started reciting the spell.
"Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight, take this chance. Moonlight, come tie the string. Moonlight, start the dance!"
Hunter tried his best to follow along, and he could feel the magic coursing through his veins. It was exhilarating.
The moon continued to rise as Hooty gazed up at it. But then, it stopped, and a burst of blue light pulsated from the celestial object. A similar burst of light came from Hunter, Willow and Gus, spreading through the living room and extinguishing the candles. The trio each opened one eye and glanced down at Beefy Bob.
"That's your cue, little man." Gus said.
The action figure didn't budge, but the house did. It rumbled while Hooty blinked. And then, his eyes turned blue, making ghostly noises. Birds flew away in a panic and the foundation cracked as the Owl House ascended on giant chicken legs. The kids screamed as they lost their balance as the house stabilized itself. Now, the living room was a pigsty and the three friends were scattered about. They groaned as they pushed themselves back up.
"Guys?" Hunter said as a book fell on his head. "What happened? Was there an earthquake or something?"
"Little buff guy, what did you do?" Gus asked the action figure, pressing its abs again.
"A real man never takes accountability!"
"No, I think- I think we might've animated the house by accident!" Willow spoke.
"The house?" Hunter gasped.
Hooty continued to make ghostly moans as the blonde witch ran outside and nearly falling off the ledge. Gus and Willow joined him as the Owl House began to walk. The kids screamed as the door slammed shut.
"Hooty? Hooty!" Hunter ran up to the house demon. "Hooty, you have to stop!"
"By the power of moonlight, I have risen. Hoot hoot." Hooty said.
"He's in some kind of trance!" Gus told the blonde boy.
Just then, the house went through two trees. The jostling caused the boys to lose their footing, with the younger witch almost falling off the foundation altogether.
"Gus!" Hunter and Willow cried as they caught Gus within nanoseconds.
"Our magic must've spread through the house instead of the doll!" the girl realized.
"Figurine!" Gus corrected her once again.
"Does it really matter?" Hunter replied.
He and Willow grunted, trying not to drop their friend. The pair was dangerously close to falling off a cliff when they grab each other's hands. And the glow returned.
"Hooty, stop!" the blonde boy yelled.
Then, as if it heard him, the house stopped just inches away from the cliff's edge. Hunter and Willow managed to pull Gus back onto the foundation. They let go, looking at their hands in confusion.
"How'd we do that?" Gus asked.
The kids looked up at the moon and Hunter had an idea.
"Willow, Gus, hold hands again." he told his friends.
They did so, glowing once again. And then, the Owl House started several steps away from the cliff.
"We're controlling that with the power of friendship." Willow discovered. "Uh, and the moon, probably the moon."
"It's amazing! What do we do now?" Gus questioned as the glow faded upon letting go.
"On the one hand, we should probably stay put." Hunter pondered aloud.
"On the other hand, we've got a giant walking house and should totally take it for a joyride!" the younger boy suggested excitedly.
The blonde witch looked up at the moon which was already starting to go down. Maybe it couldn't hurt to have a little fun with this.
"Okay, okay, but we gotta be back before the moon sets or Eda will kill me." Hunter said.
So the kids directed the house forward, cheering as it stomped across the land. Unbeknownst to them, the walking Owl House attracted the attention of a certain rough-looking witch.
A little while later, the trio were still walking the house through the forest when they saw someone familiar carrying a duffel bag and talking into a... crow for a phone? So many things about this world were still so strange to Hunter.
"Hey, is that..." Willow said.
"It's Boscha." Gus confirmed. "That girl who made fun of us."
"Ugh! Yes, Mom. I'm going to a moonlight conjuring. No, Mom. You can't come. And yes, Mom, it's sad that you're asking." Boscha said to the crow before letting it go, which cawed as it flew away.
The triclops then turned around and saw the Owl House.
"She noticed us." Willow gasped. "What do we do?"
"Hmm." Hunter pondered and then came up with a great idea.
Soon, Boscha heard the boy's amplified voice coming from the house.
"Hey. H-Hey you! You should, uh, stop being so mean to people." he said in a ghostly voice through a megaphone that Gus had summoned. "You're kind of a jerk."
The kids had to stifle their laughter to keep their cover from being blown.
"Ew. A talking house is giving me a lecture?" the mean girl spoke dismissively. "Whatever. I'll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood."
"But don't you see? I am no mere house." Hunter continued, letting out a roar as the Owl House stood up.
Boscha screamed and ran away in terror while the trio of friends laughed.
"I've never pranked anyone before. And now I have a taste for it." Gus said, feeling mischievous.
"The look on her face... was priceless." Hunter sputtered through his laughter.
"We should follow her to Amity's house to show off our conjuring." Willow suggested. "That will show her who's got no talent."
The blonde teen gazed at the moon again, which was nearly at the treetops and still going down.
"Actually, I'm starting to think we should head back." Hunter said, not wanting to rain on the girl's parade.
"Amity's updating her Penstagram." Gus alerted, holding up his scroll.
"'Shout out to my fellow witches. #Halfwitchescanbiteit.'" the older boy read the caption before gasping angrily. "Oh, she is so going down!"
So the Owl House continued to march forward as the three witches cheered, several shadowy figures flying after them.
Through the streets of Bonesborough, the enchanted Owl House traipsed across town. Denizens of all kinds screamed and ran for cover to avoid getting stomped on by its giant feet. They watched with bewilderment as the sentient residence passed by. Eventually, Hunter, Willow and Gus arrived at an enormous mansion with a gate that read "BLIGHT MANOR" on the front of it. The blonde boy couldn't believe that Amity lived in a place like that. Her family must've been loaded.
"Look, Amity's house." Willow said. "Time to show Amity what a real conjuring looks like."
But before the Owl House could take another step, a giant rope was launched over the roof.
"Wha-" the kids gasped as they stumbled, breaking the connection.
"What happened?" Willow asked in surprise.
"Is that a... giant crossbow?" Hunter slowly pointed out in fear.
The lead demon hunter gave the signal for the crossbow to fire. A second giant bolt and rope secured the house even further. And then, the leader jumped up in front of the kids.
"Knock, knock." he said mockingly.
The young trio gasped in fright. Hunter knew that he had to do something to protect his friends and the house. But he didn't have any magic to ward off the intruder. And light glyphs wouldn't be much help either. So, the teen decided to do something crazy.
"Sorry, but the Owl House is not accepting visitors right now!" Hunter exclaimed, pouncing on the interloper. The boy then turned to his friends. "Get inside, now!"
He did his best to force the demon hunter off the foundation, but the bigger witch was too strong. Willow and Gus retreated inside the house, watching Hunter as they did so. Eventually, the lead demon hunter managed to toss the teen off of him. Before Hunter could go on the defensive again, the rough-looking witch traced a spell circle and summoned some green lightning at him. The kid screamed in agony as he was struck and fell on the floor, losing consciousness.
"Hunter!" Willow cried as she and Gus watched in terror. She knelt beside the unconscious boy and held him protectively. "What did you do to him?"
"Relax. I just hit him with a stun spell." the demon hunter revealed evilly. "He'll be fine. For now."
The first thing Hunter woke up to was a dizzying headache, and pins and needles in his body from the neck down. He grunted and tried to move his arms but they felt restrained for some reason. As the boy's vision fell into focus, he could see that he was still in the Owl House and so were Gus and Willow. But they were tied up next to the door. Gus was trying to chew through the ropes while Willow sat there, looking sad. They quickly noticed that the teen had come to.
"Hunter, you're awake!" Gus smiled.
"Guys? How long was I out?" Hunter mumbled.
"About half an hour." the younger boy answered.
Trying with all of his might, the blonde boy lifted his legs and weakly kicked at the door to get Hooty's attention.
"Hooty! Hooty!" Hunter shouted. "You have to wake up!"
"If you want this to end as you say, three must hold hands. It's the only way." the house demon spoke in rhyme, still under a trance.
"¡Oye, no me hable así!" Hunter snapped in Spanish before turning to Willow. "Willow, will you help me with Hooty?"
"I'm sorry, Hunter." the plant witch replied, sounding defeated. "You shouldn't ask me to help anything."
"Willow." the boy spoke softly, sensing his friend's guilt.
But before Hunter could say anything to comfort her, the kids grunted and screamed as the house was brought to an abrupt halt.
"Did the house stop moving?" the blonde teen wondered, becoming very alert.
"Uh, my insides didn't." Gus said, feeling queasy.
Just then, the door squeaked opened, making the kids whimper. The lead demon hunter laughed as he loomed over them.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" the young witches grunted and screamed as they were roughly dragged out of the Owl House.
And the demon hunters didn't care that Hunter hissed in pain as he was tossed down.
"Take the house and rip out the house demon." the lead demon hunter instructed. "We can sell it to restaurants as exotic meat."
"No! You don't know where Hooty's been." Hunter argued. "He would give you terrible indigestion."
"Hey, I'm a refined taste. Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty retorted despite the trance.
"What do we do with the worms?" another demon hunter named Tom asked.
"Throw them over the cliff." the leader said after a moment of silence. "Except the blonde one. I'm sure we'll be rewarded handsomely once we turn him in to the Emperor's Coven."
"What?" Hunter gasped.
Tom chuckled as he approached Willow and Gus. The younger witch whimpered as the pair were carried over to the cliffside.
The older boy just sat there, feeling helpless until he glanced behind him and saw that his hand was close to a loose end in his restraints. So Hunter pulled and the rope uncoiled itself, freeing him. The kid then gathered the rope and slipped around his arm. Unfortunately, all of this didn't go unnoticed.
"The boy escaped!" a female demon hunter exclaimed.
"Yeah, you guys are terrible at tying knots." Hunter said, pulling out a light glyph from his pocket.
He used the light spell to blind the closest demon catcher and made a run for it. The boy ducked behind a rock and spied on Tom, who still had Willow and Gus.
"All righty, kids." the demon hunter declared. "Here's the end of your short little lives."
He shoved the two young witches to the cliff that overlooked the Boiling Sea.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Gus cried desperately. "Is this really what you wanna be doing with your life? Tossing kids from cliffs?"
"Actually, yes." Tom answered happily. "It's been my dream since I was a boy."
The two of them stared at him for a long moment, stunned that he would answer so bizarrely.
"I was a strange child. Whee!" Tom pushed the two kids over and laughed while doing so.
Hunter gasped in horror as his friends disappeared over the cliff's edge. And he expected to hear a splash, but there was no such sound. Which meant that Willow and Gus must've caught onto a ledge or something. As soon as Tom walked away, the blonde boy looked over the edge of the cliff and could see his friends dangling from a branch that grew from the cliff's face.
"¡Qué alivio!" Hunter sighed with relief. He tied his rope to a rock and started repelling his way down to the cliffside. "Guys, are you okay?"
"As okay as we can be, considering." Gus answered, looking down at the Boiling Sea.
"Good. Because if we aren't killed now, we will be when Eda finds out about the house." the older boy voiced the worst-case scenario.
"Hunter, I'm so sorry." Willow apologized. "You wanted to turn back but I just had to show off to Amity. The truth is she and I used to be friends."
"You were?" Hunter spoke softly as the branch began to crack.
"We played together as kids, but when she got her magical powers, and I didn't, she stopped hanging out with me." the plant witch revealed.
"Guys, is now the best time?" Gus questioned impatiently.
"Shush." Hunter told him, wanting to hear Willow keep talking.
"I just wanted to prove to her that I was a powerful witch too." she admitted sadly.
"Are you kidding?" the blonde witch said. "You helped bring a house to life. Amity doesn't know what she's talking about."
Willow smiled hearing that. It was so refreshing to hear someone speak so highly of her. She was used to most kids putting her down for so long.
"Next to Eda, you're the most powerful which I know." Hunter continued. "No offense, Gus."
"No, not at all. I know what I'm about." Gus waved it off. But then, the branch cracked again, interrupting the moment. "This tree can't hold us much longer."
"I have an idea." the older boy said. "Willow, if you can get your hand free, try to grab that root right next to you."
"I'll try." Willow grunted, wriggling as she managed to pull her arm out of the rope coil. And then, the girl reached as far as she could and got ahold of the root. "Gotcha!"
Her hand glowed green as she wrapped her hand around the root.
Back at the Owl House, Tom was bragging to his associates about how he managed to get rid of the two kids he threw over the cliff.
"Yeah, they tried to fight back and they nearly got me." he boasted. "But you know, I handled it."
"They were children, Tom." his boss said nonchalantly.
Just then, a shadow fell over the demon hunters. Willow had made that little root grow into a huge plant, and she, Hunter, and Gus were standing on top of a giant leaf. The dark-haired girl moved one of the thorny vines to cut the rope, freeing her and Gus.
"We may be children, but we're also witches. Powerful ones." Willow declared.
She then unleashed the plant to attack. It flung Tom into the distance. The lead demon hunter pulled out a sword and sliced the top off one of the vines. A three-eyed demon hunter tried to hit a vine with an ax, but missed. And then, the vine grabbed their ankle in retaliation and launched them into a pile of rubble. Willow, Hunter, and Gus took the opportunity to get to the house while the demon hunters were preoccupied. Hunter how the door open for his friends before closing it behind him.
"Everyone, quick!" the blonde kid said as the trio rejoined hands.
Outside, the head hunter sliced through a vine with his stun spell. But by then, the Owl House was standing up once again.
"Uh..." he lifted his eyepatch, speechless.
Without another word, the house stepped forward, crushing him underfoot.
Meanwhile, Hunter looked out the window at the moon, which was now on the water.
"Oh, no. I don't mean to step on this victory but we gotta get home before Eda does." he alerted his friends.
And with that, the Owl House walked off, leaving the ruins of the battle behind it. The head hunter groaned as he sat up.
"'They're just children, Tom.'" Tom said mockingly as the leader glared at him.
As the kids trudged back to where the Owl House rested, Hunter discovered that a lot of time was lost after getting tangled with the demon hunters. And it would take too long to go back the way they came. Eda would get home first and discover that there wasn't a house to come home to. The moon was already disappearing over the horizon. And Hunter's friends knew this too.
"We'll never make it back in time." Willow said.
"There's a shortcut through the Night Market." Gus informed, getting an idea. "Take a right."
"Okay." Hunter nodded. "Hooty, turn right."
The Owl House heeded the boy's command and headed for the Night Market. It ambled through the aisles as patrons and vendors alike dodged its big bird feet. That was when Hunter was alerted to the sound of splitting wood.
"Uh oh. That didn't sound good." the young witch winced.
The kids opened the window and saw that they may have crushed someone's stand.
"Sorry, man." Hunter called as the wreckage grew smaller in the distance.
Eventually, the kids managed to get the Owl House back to its usual location as it sat down in the crater it left.
"Did we do it?" Hunter asked, opening an eye apprehensively..
"Is the room spinning, or is it just me?" Hooty, now back to normal, chuckled as the door swung open. "Ah. Just a little house humor. Ooh."
"Sorry about all that, Hooty." the young witch apologized.
"It's okay." the house demon said. "I'm just glad I was included."
But then, the door was slammed closed, revealing an angry Eda and King (who was in a sailor suit for some reason) on the other side.
"Uh oh." Hunter spoke fearfully while his friends looked at them in shock.
"You are so busted." Eda glared as she stalked over to the blonde teen.
"Oh, no." he muttered.
"You held a moonlight conjuring." the Owl Lady accused.
"I know." Hunter said, bracing himself for whatever punishment would befall him. He hated getting yelled at as he hugged his arms and tears stung behind his eyelids.
"And you animated my house. My house!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"No. Don't punish Hunter." Willow said, stepping in front of the boy. "We're the ones who pushed him to do the conjuring."
"If you're going to eat me, just do it now. Do it now!" Gus added, jumping in front of the girl.
Eda looked disgusted at the idea.
Hunter looked up and watched his friends stand up for him, wiping his tears away. No other kids had ever stuck up for him like that before. It was actually pretty noble.
"Hey, you didn't have to do that." Hunter told Willow.
"Yes, Hunter. I did." the plant witch smiled, making the boy smile and blush in return.
"Well, you're all guilty, so you'll all be punished by cleaning my house top to bottom." Eda said as she summoned various cleaning supplies which landed in the kids' arms.
"And another thing..." the Owl Lady turned intensely back at the trio, making them gulp in fear. Eda's tone then turned to pride and the kids smiled. "That was totally amazing. And I'm so joining you for next year's conjuring. Now get to work."
"Yes, ma'am." Hunter saluted as he and his friends ran off to start cleaning while his mentor flopped on the couch.
"I can't believe the animated a whole house." King said as he joined Eda.
"Yeah. You're right." the Owl Lady said as she watched the kids clean. "That takes some powerful magic."
Hunter found himself staring at his reflection in the mop's bucket, contemplating his experience with the demon hunters. Eda said that those guys went after the most fearsome creatures on the Boiling Isles. But he was just a kid. Why would the demon hunters want to turn him in to the Emperor's Coven?
"Enjoying your reflection there, kid?" Eda joked, joining him.
"Oh... s-sorry." Hunter apologized for getting distracted. But the Owl Lady could tell something was off.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"While you were out, we had a run-in with the demon hunters." the boy shared, shivering. "They... attacked me, tied me up, and said... they were going to turn in to the Emperor's Coven. I guess I'm still a little shaken up from it."
Hearing this made Eda's blood boil. How dare those jerks do that to her apprentice. What gave those demon hunters a right to trap an innocent kid like some animal? And where did they get the audacity to cart Hunter off to the Emperor's Coven, kicking and screaming? Eda had half the mind to hurl a fireball at the demon hunters, right in the kisser.
"Don't worry. If those jerks give you a hard time again, gimme a call." the Owl Lady told Hunter, giving him a side hug. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you something from the Night Market."
She then reached into her hair and pulled out a book. The book in question, was titled The Good Witch Azura. It was covered in a bunch of girly stickers. The boy didn't know these were published in the Demon Realm.
"Look inside the front cover." Eda told him with a wink.
Hunter did so and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. There on the inside of the front cover, the words 'Property of Luz Noceda' were written in purple crayon. Tears began to form in the kid's eyes.
"This was my sister's book." Hunter's voice shook. "She was here. I know she was."
Eda held him close and King hugged his leg as the young witch hugged the book and wept.
"We'll find her, kid." the Owl Lady promised, rubbing comforting circles in her apprentice's back. "Count on it."
Willow looked on while she was cleaning. Hunter looked so vulnerable, but the plant girl didn't think less of him for it. If anything, she wanted to be a shoulder for the boy to cry on if need be.
"Well... I'd better get back to work now." the blonde teen sniffled, wiping away his tears.
Setting the Azura book down, he grabbed the mop again and joined Willow, blushing when she glanced at him kindly.
"You know, I still kinda wish we got to show up Amity." Hunter told his friend.
"Yeah. Too bad no one will know of our daring adventures." the girl replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, in Amity's bedroom, a stuffed rabbit was sitting on the floor. All of Amity's friends: Boscha, Skara, Cat, and a girl from the plant track named Amelia were glaring at the toy in frustration.
"Ugh. So what if we couldn't move a doll. Now we have time for what really matters." Boscha huffed before summoning her scroll. "Penstagram."
The other three girls smiled and summoned their scrolls a few seconds later. Meanwhile, Amity was brooding as she stared out her window when Boscha's gasp caught her attention. The abomination witch walked over and looked at her friend's scroll as the triclops flipped through it. Her Penstagram feed had several people's posts showcasing Willow, Gus, Hunter, and the animated Owl House. Amity and Boscha shared an astonished look.
"What?!" both girls exclaimed, scaring several crows as they flew away.
Amity and her friends weren't the only ones who caught wind of Hunter's escapade. In the grand bedroom of an enormous castle, Darius and his friend, and fellow coven head Eberwolf of the Beast Keeper Coven were watching a reel of the walking Owl House on his own scroll. Eber whimpered, sensing that his friend seemed troubled.
"I know, Eber. Hunter's back." Darius sighed, holding up a newly printed wanted poster of Hunter with a large bounty on the kid. "And he's not safe here."
He looked out his window solemnly. The head witch wanted to eradicate every wanted poster of the boy he could find. But interfering with the Emperor's Coven would be seen as an act of treason. And such acts would be met with cruel retribution. For now, all Darius could do was keep a close eye on the child and take comfort in knowing that the Owl Lady was watching over Hunter.
Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Lost in Language
Summary:
At the Bonesborough Public Library, Hunter meets Amity's older siblings who invite him to the library after hours. The young witch eagerly joins them while a magical celestial event occurs. But when the twins cross a line, it's up to Hunter to put his foot down before someone gets hurt.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was just another day at the Owl House and Hunter Noceda was reading Dream Rangers Book 7: The Lunar Swan's Lullaby to King who say beside him on the couch.
"'Javier,' Matthew began. 'For too long, I've been opposing you and your friends. But now that I've seen the light, I am happy to fight alongside you as a Dream Ranger. May this friendship last for many moons to come.'" Hunter read aloud. He then squealed excitedly and hugged his book close.
"Hunter, you're geeking out again." King warned.
"Sorry. I'm just a sucker for redemption arcs." the young witch told him. "After all that time Matthew fought against the Dream Rangers while under the Vertigo Enchantress's thrall, Gemma's compassion brought out the good in him. I wish I could turn a rival into a friend."
"Rivals are meant to be annihilated, not befriended." the little demon argued. "Now keep reading. I've been sucked into your awesome fandom."
"Okay." Hunter said, getting back to his book. "Suddenly, the door swung open."
"Ding-dong. Ding. Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty exclaimed as the real door actually opened.
"The book has come to life!" King cried in fear. "Burn it!"
"King, calm down. It's just Hooty." Hunter reassured him before going to the door to find a basket outside. "Hmm?"
The boy took the basket into the kitchen where Eda was and set it down on the table.
"Eda, you got a package." he informed. "It looks like a gift basket."
"Probably an offering." Eda said with a smile. "Ah! Being the most powerful witch and the Boiling Isles has its perks!"
King came in with a bib tied around his neck, ready to enjoy whatever delicacy was in the basket. He grunted as he pulled the blanket off the top, revealing a snoring baby bat.
"Mm. Fresh meat." the little demon said happily, rubbing his paws together.
"No, not eating that." Hunter walked away with his hands at the level of his eyes.
"Witches eating babies is so 1693." Eda scoffed at the thought. "What is this?"
"There's a note." King noticed a tag on the basket and read it. "Take care of my child till morning. Yi Yi."
"Nope. Babies are awful." the Owl Lady refused with two thumbs down and crossing her arms. "Not happening."
"But, Eda, you've handled a baby before. Me. Remember?" Hunter reminded her.
"That was... different." Eda said. "You were an easy baby."
"You will be handsomely rewarded. X-O-X-O-X-O-X. Bat Queen." King continued to read the note.
"Bat Queen?" the older witch perked up when the demon pulled out a few snails from the basket. "Reward?"
"Who's the Bat Queen?" Hunter asked while King sniffed the money.
"She's the wealthiest demon in the Boiling Isles. Get in with her, and you're set for life." Eda answered, taking one of the snails. "So, we keep this thing alive for a few hours, and we get paid. Pfft. Easy."
"You're going to regret saying that. I know from experience that babysitting is no walk in the park." the blonde teen spoke with a shudder. "So many dirty diapers."
There was a time when he would help his mom babysit some kids in their neighborhood. But once their parents found out that "the Freak of Gravesfield" was around their children, they avoided the Noceda household like the plague. Hunter had harbored some guilt about that for a while. But Camila assured him that it wasn't his fault that those adults were so close-minded.
"That's why I'm sending you to return the books I checked out from the library instead." his mentor replied, summoning a stack of books for Hunter to catch in his arms. She then turned to King. "I don't want him getting a cut of the loot."
"Good thinking." the little demon approved.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, you can't." Eda denied before removing the blanket from the basket completely. "Now, let's take a look at this little darling."
Inside the basket, the baby was in fact, a bat with a human head. The baby, having been rudely awoken from its nap, started screeching like nails on a chalkboard. It's cries caused the house to quake.
"Argh!" Eda gasped, covering her ears.
"Oh, boy." King said uncomfortably, falling onto the table.
"On second thought, maybe we could use your help!" Eda yelled to Hunter who was halfway out the backdoor.
"Sorry, but these library books aren't going to return themselves! Got to go! Byeeeeee!" the boy replied quickly, closing the door behind him.
"We got this, right?" Eda asked loudly over the baby bat's cries before to it flew into the Owl Lady's face, knocking her to the floor. "Whoa!"
Out in Bonesborough, Hunter was struggling to walk with the load of books in his arms. He passed Tinella Nosa, carrying a book as big as he was. This causes the boy to nearly drop his books, but he caught them just in the nick of time. He continued for a few more steps until he saw the library from across the street. The building almost looked like a magnificent cathedral. It even had stained glass windows.
"Wow!" Hunter spoke softly with amazement.
He stepped inside, and the books in his arms glowed green and floated away from him. Each book flew through a red spell circle drawn by the librarian behind the main desk. One by one, the books beeped they drifted through the spell circle.
"Late. Late." the librarian listed off, inspecting the books. "Coffee, grass, and bloodstains? These are Eda's, aren't they?"
"Yeah, that was a crazy night." Hunter chuckled nervously, shrugging. "I don't want to go into detail."
"Ugh. I'll put them on her tab." the librarian sighed tiredly as he summoned a long scroll to write on. "By the way, we're closing early for the Wailing Star meteor shower."
"What's that?" the boy curiously, looking at the poster of the celestial body.
"You're in a library. Read a book." the librarian witch said nonchalantly, gesturing to the many books on the shelves.
"Okay." Hunter replied slowly as he ambled off, irked by the man's behavior. "Thanks."
As the young witch walked around, Hunter came across something called the "Demon Decimal System," with a warning underneath that read "Do not feed." Hunter rounded a corner and approached the growling card catalogs.
"Hmm. I wonder..." the kid pondered to himself.
He experimentally tickled one of the catalog drawers at random with his index finger. In turn, it opened its mouth to hand the teen a single notecard.
"Huh, what do you know." Hunter chuckled, impressed. "It works just like the lockers at Hexside."
On the second floor, the blonde teen watched from the balcony as dozens of books flew above his head. He then came across an astronomy book from a nearby shelf and pulled it out. Hunter looked up the Wailing Star from its index and flipped to a specific page.
"The Wailing Star is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs once every seven years." the boy read to himself. "It earned its name from the way it sounds like a crying woman as it soars across the night sky. Witch astronomers believe that the celestial body leaves strong magical properties in its wake, but such events have yet to be recorded."
After putting the book away, Hunter continued exploring and found himself in the reference section. There, witches were watching things on crystal balls instead of computers. One witch was watching a "HOW TO FLY" video, another was watching a piano cat parody, and a third was stuck on a loading screen as it emitted dial-up internet noises. Hunter watched from around a bookshelf.
"I can't believe I've never been here before. This place is amazing." the boy said in wonder. "Maybe I can even find a book here on bile sac deficiency."
"'What do you think you're doing?'" a familiar voice chimed, causing Hunter to go stiff as a board.
He knew that voice belonged to none other than Amity Blight. Whenever she was around, it usually meant to trouble. But then, Hunter heard some kids giggling.
"Huh?" the teen noticed as he walked further and peeked into the kid's corner.
He could see Amity sitting before a group of young children as they say criss-cross on the rug. She was holding a storybook so that the little ones could the pictures.
"'We're your friends and we wanna help,'
the tin boy said with a yelp.
Otabin smiled and paced the floor.
'I've never had real friends before.'" the abomination with read aloud.
"Amity reads to kids?" Hunter murmured, raising a stunned eyebrow.
"'Then we'll be your first,' the chicken witch clucked.
Otabin couldn't believe his luck.
So, bookmaker Otabin surrounded by friends,
bound a book of friendship and that's the end." Amity finished.
She then closed the book to earn applause from the kids.
"I've never seen Amity look so... happy before." Hunter said to himself.
All of his previous encounters with the green-haired girl were so negative. She always wore a scowl on her face whenever she was around the blonde boy. So to see this side of Amity was astonishing.
Hunter grunted and ducked behind the bookshelf as the kids left laughing innocently and bidding farewell to their reader.
"Thank you so much."
"Good-bye."
"Goodbye, Miss Amity." one child said in a deep voice as he hugged Amity's leg. "Thank you."
"Thank you, Braxas." the teenage girl patted his head. "See you next time."
"Yay!" Braxas cheered as he ran off.
She quickly looked to the side, then did a double take at Hunter who got to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Ugh. You." Amity groaned, her normal attitude returning.
"I get it, I get it. You don't like me." Hunter said, putting his hands up. "But... I never knew you liked reading to kids. That's actually really cool."
"It's for extra credit." the girl dismissed. "Don't get your leggings in a bunch."
"I'm not even wearing leggings." the boy replied, looking down at his jeans.
"Look! Do you see me going to the Owl Shack and bugging you while you... fry up owls?" Amity snapped, making Hunter look confused and disgusted. She then scoffed before continuing. "Okay, I don't really know what you do there, but every time you come near me, I get in trouble. Just leave me alone!"
"Okay, fine." Hunter conceded, backing off. "You know, just when I thought I'd seen a glimmer of goodness inside you, just an ounce of decency, you go back to Mean Girl mode."
He started to walk away and the boy didn't even notice the almost regretful expression Amity was making. She raised her hand to stop him, but didn't.
Hunter groaned and pouted as he left the kid's corner.
"You gonna let her get to you like that?" a boy's voice asked.
The young witch glanced to the side and saw a boy and girl around his age. They both had bright green hair, golden eyes, and wore illusion track Hexside uniforms. The two kids almost looked identical, and Hunter assumed they were twins. The green-haired boy was leaning on a bookshelf, holding a pink rabbit lunch bag.
"Who are you?" the blonde witch asked as the twins walked over to him.
"Well-wishers on a mission." the green-haired boy answered.
"A noble quest." his sister added.
"Watch this." the boy told Hunter before turning to Amity. "Hey, Mittens! Mom says stop forgetting your lunch! And stop being a jerk to your friend."
The abomination witches face flushed red with embarrassment as she stalked over to the group.
"He is not my friend." Amity empathized strongly as she seized the bag from the boy. Hunter glared at her.
"Yeah, makes sense." the older girl stepped in, putting an arm around the blonde kid. "He seems too cool for you."
"You can leave now. All of you." Amity said sharply as she stormed back to the kid's corner, making the illusionist witch giggle.
Her brother winked at Hunter who chuckled and blushed.
After that, the three teens walked around the library for a bit.
"So, you're the powerless witch we've heard so much about." the illusionist boy began
"I'm Emira. And this is Edric." his sister introduced themselves. "We're Amity's older siblings. We heard how you embarrassed her at the school and at the witch covention last week. No wonder she hates you."
"It's not like I meant to embarrass her." Hunter justified before crossing his arms. "I just can't stand her and her entitled attitude."
"Don't waste your time with Mittens. Me and Ed, we're way more fun." Emira assured him, taking a hold of his arm. "Follow us."
She then led the boy to follow her and Edric. And Hunter looked down at where Emira was holding his wrist.
Together, the three of them got into all kinds of antics. They started off at a sign that read "- FICTION NON-FICTION -" in chalk. Edric wiped the "NON" and hid as Gray, a second librarian, led a group of patrons on a tour.
"And here we go towards our nonfiction section." Gary said before discovering the sign and gasping. "Fiction, fiction? Is our world but fiction? Then what in my life is real anymore?"
He then kneeled dramatically and started sobbing on the floor.
Next, the trio of kids went to the librarian from the front desk who was reading while shelving books. As he put one book on the shelf, it glowed blue and floated back onto the re-shelving cart. He put another book away and the same thing happened. Hunter and Edric snickered as Emira controlled the books. Edric then took the prank further by swapping the librarian's place with another on a ladder.
"Huh? No! Not again!" Gary bawled after realized what happened and had another breakdown.
The other librarian fell off the ladder just seconds later.
And then, Edric took a particularly dusty book and blew the dust at the demon decimal system. All of them sneezed, showering the area with notecards. The three kids laughed, only stopping when Hunter sneezed himself as some speckles of dust got in his nose. The boy blushed in embarrassment as his new friends turned to him. But it made the trio laugh again, this time harder as the twins high-fived each other.
"Hey!" Amity's voiced interrupted.
She must've heard Hunter's sneeze and tattled to the head librarian who was right next to her. Both their arms were crossed as they stood a few feet away from the troublemakers. The desk clerk growled, unamused before looking around.
"Wait. Where's Gary?"
"Coming." Gary ran in to see the chaos, breaking down once again. "Nooo!"
"Whoa!" Hunter and the twins cried as the librarian shoved them out the front entrance.
"You've made reading far too fun. Now, stay out." the librarian barked, slamming the door the kids' faces.
They looked at the closed door briefly before bursting into laughter. Emira even lightly punched Hunter's shoulder.
"Amity's even madder at me now." the blonde boy gasped between giggles. "I didn't think that was possible."
"No, when Mittens gets mad, she looks like this." Edric inhaled sharply and clenched his face, grunting as he turned red. He then exhaled, staggering a little. "Whoa, I almost passed out."
"You're pretty fun, Hunter." Emira told Hunter. She turned to her brother and they nodded to each other. "So, hey, we're coming back tonight. There's a certain book we forgot to... check out."
"And bonus, rumor has it the Wailing Star's supposed to unlock some rare magical event." Edric added as he and his sister posed identically. "You in, friend?"
"Sure." Hunter shrugged.
"Great. Meet back here at midnight." the illusionist boy instructed as he and Emira left. "See you, Hunter."
"Bye." the blonde witch waved at the twins. "Breaking into a library after hours. Why do I feel like that's gonna end badly?"
As he left, Hunter was unaware that Amity had been spying on him and her siblings the whole time. She held her breath until her face turned red.
"Phew!" the abomination witch grunted as she exhaled. "Almost passed out."
Back at the Owl House, the baby bat was still crying. King had tied pillows to his head to block out the noise. Eda had both her hands detached and plugging her ears while her arms were crossed.
"It's been hours." King complained. "How can it keep screaming?"
"Ugh. I hate it too, pipsqueak." the Owl Lady replied, reattaching her hands. "But think about the money."
As the crying continued, three glass bottles shattered and the cover of the witch's wanted poster cracked.
"No amount of snails is worth this torture." King fussed. "Make it stop."
"I can't believe I'm about to do this." Eda sighed as she picked up the baby bat. And to her and the furry demon's surprise, it immediately stopped crying. "Rock, rock. Maternal gesture."
As she cradled the baby, it triggered something inside the Owl Lady: nostalgia. It brought Eda back to when Hunter was an infant. Granted, the boy was nowhere near as fussy as the bat. And even know she had barely gotten to know the child, Hunter's time with her had been imprinted in her memory ever since.
That was when the door opened and Hunter came into the house.
"Hey, guys. Don't mind me. I'm just grabbing my bag and heading back out." the kid said. That was when he noticed Eda's eyes were welling up with tears. "Uh... is this a bad time? I can come back later."
"No, no. It's fine." his mentor waved it off, snapping out of her stupor.
"Well, good job at finally getting the baby to stop crying." Hunter said as he examined the baby bat.
But then, it woke up and barfed out a smaller version of itself, as did that version. All three of them chirped and flapped their wings.
"Oh!" the young witch recoiled.
The bats flew upward, still chirping. And then, one of them breathed fire. Hunter, Eda, and King screamed and ran away from the couch, which was the unfortunate target. The blonde boy instantly ran off the door.
"Well, you look like you've got a good handle on things." Hunter said nervously as he put on his messenger bag. "I-I'll leave you to it. Bye."
He closed the door behind him as the bat trio continued to fly about, causing mayhem as they went.
"Uh, for, for the money?" King asked uncomfortably as Eda held him in her arms.
"For the money." the Owl Lady said.
She then yelped and ducked out of the way of some vomit splattered onto the wall.
Later that night, Hunter was sitting on the steps leading to the library's front door, waiting for Edric and Emira to arrive. He bounced his leg on the limestone, feeling antsy. Thinking that his new friends were being fashionably late, the boy decided to read his Dream Rangers book to pass the time.
"'Blasphemy!' the Vertigo Enchantress shrieked. 'How dare you turn my underling against me!'" Hunter read aloud. "'Matthew knew what he was doing.' Gemma protested boldly. 'He deserves far more love than you would have ever given him!'"
"Don't stop now." Emira's voice said. "I wanna see where this is going."
The young witch yelped in surprise as he hugged his book to his chest. He glanced and saw the Blight twins who had changed into corresponding street clothes.
"You have a really good storytelling voice, by the way." Emira complimented as she leaned against one of the marble pillars.
"You ready to bring this party inside?" Edric asked.
"Uh-huh." Hunter nodded.
Together, the three teens approached the locked door.
"It says no trespassing, but I'm allergic to the rules." Edric stated as he pulled out a scroll and unrolled, revealing drawings and cryptic writing.
"And dairy." Emira added, taking the paper from her brother.
"Wow, okay." the illusionist boy frowned at her. "Just expose me."
The scroll glowed, and Emira pressed it against the lock on the door. Then, it disintegrated before everyone's eyes.
"Wow!" Hunter murmured as the lock grew large enough for the kids to walk through.
"Come on." Edric waved him forward as he and Emira walked inside. The blonde boy jogged after the twins and the lock shrunk back down to normal size once he entered.
The interior of the library was dark, except for the glow of moonlight shining in through the windows.
"I still can't believe I let you guys talk me into this." Hunter told the twins.
"There. The Wailing Star!" Edric pointed at the largest stained glass window.
A green shooting star passed by, and it did, in fact, sound like a crying woman. As the celestial body passed, it reflected the window's glass onto the floor.
"Whoa." the blonde boy gasped in awe.
The kids looked around for several seconds and frowned in confusion.
"Hmm. Nothing happened." Edric noted.
"Wait." Hunter noticed, grabbing a book titled Extinct Birds of the Boiling Isles from the bookshelf. "All of the books are glowing."
He then opened the book. Almost immediately, something screeched as the birds in the book came to life. And they flew around the lobby.
"Wow!" Emira gasped.
"Wow. The Wailing Star magicked the books to life." Edric said in amazement.
While still watching the birds in wonder, Hunter closed the book, and the birds disappeared.
"What do we do now?" the blonde kid asked.
"Whatever we want." Emira answered as the trio shared a mischievous look.
The twins walked over to a magazine stand. Edric opened a Regal Couture magazine, which dressed him and Emira in fancy clothing. A peacock also flew from the pages.
Hunter also took a fashion magazine from the stand, and as he did, his hair was slicked back as his outfit transformed. The blonde boy now wore a pearlescent tunic layered over a white shirt with puffy sleeves, dark gray pants, tan boots, a faux fur cape, and a silver circlet that crowned his head. He almost looked like a prince. The twins looked dazzled as they stared at the young witch. Hunter hid his face in the magazine and blushed, feeling a little self-conscious.
Next, the trio went over to graphic novel section. Hunter opened one, but there was no immediate reaction.
"Nothing happened." he spoke.
But as he said that, his words appeared in a dialogue bubble. The kids gasped when it happened, the twins stepping back.
"Wow!" they both said.
That too came out in a word bubble. Both popped when Hunter closed the book, a "THUMP" sound bubble appearing as he did so.
Later, Hunter hid behind a bookshelf with a book titled Snowballs: A History. He peeked around the corner and saw Edric sneaking around, holding the same book.
"Ha!" the blonde witch cried in a surprise attack. He opened the book, pelting the illusionist boy with snowballs.
Edric grunted and fell backwards as he was bombarded. But he wasn't going down that easily. So we opened his own book and returned fire.
Hunter gasped as he ran for cover. For a second, he thought he was safe until Emira appeared, opening a third copy of Snowballs: A History, directly in the boy's face. Hunter yelped as he was fired upon while the illusionist girl giggled.
The twins laughed as they ran past the kid's corner. Hunter finally managed to get away and stood from the bookshelf he was hiding behind. That was when he noticed a book glowing on the table. The book was titled Otabin the Bookmaker, the same book that Amity was reading to the little kids earlier today. The young witch picked it up and opened it, and the titular character rose from the pages. Hunter smiled at how adorable the little imp looked. He then cleared his throat and began to read aloud.
"Otabin spent his days alone
amongst the many books he'd sewn.
With needle and thread, the pages he'd mend.
But all the while he longed for a friend."
"Friend?" Otabin spoke softly as he threaded a needle.
"Hunter, check this out." Edric called.
"Look what we discovered." Emira said as she opened a kids book called Quacks Eats Snacks.
A little duck swam out of the pages and around the floor, quacking happily.
"Aw. How cute." Hunter cooed.
Emira then held the book out to her brother, who had a pencil in his hand. Edric drew legs on the duck in the book. And in the real world, the duck now had matching giant human legs. It quacked hysterically and Hunter was left aghast.
"Now he's extra cute." Emira said mischievously, closing the book.
"Okay, this isn't fun anymore." Hunter thought as the twins yucked it up.
"Your turn, Hunter." Emira said to the blonde teen.
"But these books are public property." Hunter argued, backing away. "We shouldn't be messing with them."
"Come on." Edric pressured him. "Don't stop the fun."
Hunter hesitantly took the pencil from the other boy and opened the Otabin book. He looked down at the illustration on the page. But the kid just couldn't bring himself to deface it.
"No, I can't do it." Hunter chickened out.
"Let me help." Edric insisted.
He grabbed the blonde boy's hand and Hunter grunted as the illusionist witch drew angry eyebrows and scary claws on Otabin. Something was about to rise out of the pages, but Hunter slammed the book closed before that could happen.
"I don't wanna see it." the young witch looked away.
"Whatever. We didn't come here just to doodle." Emira told him as she took his hand and lead him away. "Come on."
Hunter dropped the book as he followed along with the twins. A clawed hand grew out of the book and the creature inside growled.
The kids later arrived at the romance section.
"So, you said you were looking for a specific book." Hunter recalled. "Where is it?"
"It should... be right over here." Edric said, pulling out a book titled The Lone Witch & the Secret Room and then, pushed it back.
Something clicked. The bookshelf sunk back and slid away, revealing a secret room.
"This place has all the best secrets." Hunter murmured in astonishment as he looked around while the twins leaned against the entrance.
The room was the perfect oasis for any book lover. It had a desk, comfy cushions, bookshelves lining the walls, and glow-in-the-dark planets and stars hanging from the ceiling.
"I love your secret hideaway, guys." Hunter complimented.
"We don't hang out in a library." Edric scoffed before he started mimicking somebody. "'Uh, teacher, I'm in love with a dictionary.'"
"'I'm studying the dork arts.'" Emira got in on the fun. "This is Amity's secret hideaway."
"What?" the blonde boy said worriedly.
"Mittens has gotten too... full of herself." Edric explained, joining Hunter's side. "She keeps tattling on us when we cut class."
"She needs to learn not to mess with people like that." Emira gestured to herself. "So, we're going to find her diary."
"And then post the pages all around school for everyone to see." her brother finished as the two of them laughed.
"Hold on. I'm not Amity's biggest fan, obviously." Hunter stopped them. "But exploiting her secrets for all of Hexside to see? Isn't that taking it a bit too far?"
"No. See, we're her family." Emira explained. "It's tough love. "She needs to learn to lighten up."
"Well, t-there's no diary here." the blonde teen said nervously as he half-heartedly looked around. "Oh, darn. We should probably get out of here."
Just then, something caught Hunter's eye. There was one particular bookshelf with a plaque that read "My Favorite Books." And on the shelf, the boy spotted his favorite book series Dream Rangers.
"Are those... Dream Rangers books one through six?" Hunter gasped, his eyes widening. The boy never would've guessed that Amity was also a fan of the series. "I didn't know they printed these on the Boiling Isles. They look like they're in mint condition too."
And that wasn't all he saw. There were also The Good Witch Azura books one through four, his sister's favorite book series.
"And she likes The Good Witch Azura." Hunter noted. "Luz would love this."
He then discovered a book sandwiched between Azura two and three, and pulled it out. On the cover, there was a drawing of Amity dressed as Azura, complete with her staff and everything. And that was when Hunter realized something and gasped.
"I think I found the diary." he whispered.
"What've you got there, Hunter?" Edric suddenly asked, causing the blonde kid to whip around in horror and hide the diary behind his back.
"N-Nothing." Hunter lied. "J-Just some lame romance novel. I practically fell asleep just reading it."
But then, the diary glowed blue and floated out of his hands.
"No, wait." the young witch gasped.
Emira caught the diary and handed to Edric, who opened it. A small version of Amity rose from the pages.
"I saw that... half-a-witch boy again." she recited the written work like an audio book. Hunter flinched and covered his ears, not wanting to listen. "I may have overreacted. I don't wanna come off as cruel. I just can't show weakness."
The twins flipped the page and another mini Amity appeared.
"It's not fair." she said out loud. "I'm the only one who knows that Ed and Em aren't perfect. Why do they keep getting away with things?"
"This is it." Edric and Emira said excitedly.
"Hunter, were you hiding this from us?" the illusionist girl asked Hunter.
"You see how she treats people." her brother added. "How she treats you."
The blonde boy thought back on the times that Amity had picked on him and his friends, Willow especially. There were indeed times that Hunter wished he could get back at the abomination witch. But what good would that do? If anything, it would make him look like the bad guy.
"I know Amity can be a bit... rough around the edges but this isn't right." the teen spoke. "And I know that because... I have a diary."
Hunter reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his own diary. The twins gazed upon the golden sun on the cover.
"You wouldn't expose my innermost secrets, would you?" the boy crossed his arms.
"Oh, no, Hunter. That's different." Emira answered. "Of course we would respect your privacy. You're our friend."
"Then maybe you should start treating Amity like a friend." Hunter said. "Now give me the diary so I can put it back."
He grabbed Amity's diary and pulled, but Edric wouldn't let go. His sister started tugging his waist. Soon, the trio was caught in a tug-of-war.
"She needs this." Edric strained as Hunter grunted.
"It's for her own good." Emira added.
"Really?"
Everyone turned to find Amity in the hideaway's entrance. Her face was flushed red with anger, similar to how it looked earlier.
"Wait!" Hunter gasped. "It's not what you think."
Edric and Emira just giggled after being busted like it was no big deal.
"You two are the worst." Amity called her siblings before snatching her diary back and turned to Hunter, looking hurt. "But you... I've been trying to figure out what your deal is. Are, are you a poser? A nerd? I know. You're a bully, Hunter."
Now Hunter was the one who felt hurt. He was being framed for a crime he didn't even commit. This was exactly what he feared would happen.
"Amity!" the boy reached out for the abomination witch as she ran away.
"Mittens killed the fun." Emira sighed.
"Again." Edric added, shrugging. "Oh, well. We're headed out to go goblin-tipping. Wanna come?"
"You're just gonna leave?" Hunter said.
"Yeah, with you." Emira answered, grabbing his wrist again.
"No!" the boy snapped, jerking his hand away. "What you guys did to Amity was just plain mean, and you're not even gonna apologize for it. I'm sorry, but you two are on your own. I'm gonna to go make things right."
Hunter ran off after Amity, leaving the twins with guilty expressions on their faces. The blonde witch eventually found Amity walking dusk a random aisle of books.
"Amity, wait." Hunter called, rounding a corner.
"First you embarrass me. Then you wanna be my friend?" the abomination witch said, angrily. "I don't get you. Pick a side."
"I know you're mad, but I didn't even read your diary." the boy put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, you gotta believe me."
"Just go away before things somehow get worse." Amity barked.
Suddenly, loud, ominous footsteps could be heard, surprising the two young witches.
"What was that?" Hunter asked nervously.
And then, a monstrous form of Otabin created by Edric's drawing snarled as it stepped into the aisle. His heart beat loudly and his book was attached to his chest, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat.
"Otabin?" Amity said in confusion.
"Ugh. Edric." Hunter growled inwardly.
"With claws and fangs and breaking bones, I found a friend to make my own." Otabin grumbled in rhyme as he grabbed Amity, causing her to drop her diary.
"Hunter!" the girl screamed as the monster took off with her.
"Amity!" Hunter cried.
He looked around frantically for something, anything, that could help save Amity. The boy then glimpsed at the abomination girl's discarded diary. And that was when realized that anything you write in a book becomes real, thanks to the Wailing Star. This gave Hunter an idea. He pulled out his own diary and a pencil from his messenger bag, and got to work.
Back in the kid's corner, Amity was being slammed against a giant book. She grunted and tried to wriggle out of Otabin's grasp, but to no avail. The girl gasped as the monster held a large needle, threaded with a giant ball of yarn. Otabin lowered the needle in Amity's direction. She yelped and flinched away as he threaded the needle into the book, sewing around her arm. The abomination girl on in confusion. And then, Otabin pulled the strings, tightening them and Amity's arm went flat like it became one with the page.
"Why are you doing this?" the witch girl gasped in fright. "I've been reading you since I was a kid. I know you're not like this. Someone changed you."
"But friends are what I've always sought." Otabin snarled. "And now a friend my claws have caught."
All of a sudden, a rumble of thunder got both of their attentions as a cloud of blue smoke rolled in and a hooded figure landed within it. The cloud briefly blinded Otabin and Amity's eyes widened as she recognized the figure's attire.
"Javier?" she gasped in shock.
"Not quite." Hunter said, revealing that he was wearing the costume of the Dream Rangers' leader, his diary in his hand. "What do you think? Not bad, right?"
"Hunter!"
"Oh, sorry." the boy apologized as started writing in his diary. "'Javier summons his dreamcatcher staff.'"
The staff rose from the pages and Hunter grabbed, pointing it at Otabin.
"All right, you fictional monstrosity. Let go of her!" the young witch demanded.
He then proceeded to charge at the monster, letting out a battle cry. But before the kid could manage to land a blow on him, Otabin caught the dreamcatcher staff and tossed it behind him. He then grabbed the diary and gently closed it, making Hunter's Javier costume disappear.
"Not a Dream Rangers fan, are you?" the blonde boy chuckled nervously.
Otabin grabbed Hunter and slammed onto the page opposite of Amity's. Then, the monster sewed one of his arms into the paper.
"Making friends, taking friends, never be without my friends." Otabin said as the teen's went flat.
"You fiend!" Hunter glared at him. "You can't rhyme friends with friends!"
"Great work, Hunter." Amity said sarcastically.
"Hey! I was trying to save you." the blonde kid snapped back.
"Well, it doesn't matter." the girl replied in defeat. "We're gonna be stuck together forever."
Hunter looked at his sewn-in arm, looking numb. He moved it and the page moved with it. The boy brightened up again as he hatched an idea.
"No, we aren't. Follow my lead." Hunter instructed as he slammed his feet against the book and counted to three. "One."
"What are you doing?" Amity asked.
"Two. Three." the young witch kept counting.
Then, the kids yelled as they both knocked the book down, hitting Otabin in the head. As he recovered, he saw that the big book was gone.
"Come back!" the behemoth bellowed, running after the duo.
Hunter and Amity kept running through the library, still sewn to the book. They quickly ducked behind a small shelf.
"Now what?" Amity grunted.
"I don't know. I... didn't really think that through." Hunter anxiously admitted as the girl stared at him.
"Friends." Otabin growled.
He used the needle and thread like a fishing line, pulling the book towards him. The two witches screamed as the book was tugged over the shelf and onto the floor. Hunter tried to tearing at the strings that kept his arm down. Meanwhile, Amity grabbed onto a nearby ladder, then hooked her legs around it, pulling her arm free and launching her into a return cart.
"Hunter!" the abomination girl cried out.
"Help!" Hunter shrieked, still being yanked away.
Otabin grabbed the book and pulled it completely toward him. The blonde boy attempted to kick at the monster's chest, but Otabin was having none of that. He grabbed the needle and pulled it through.
"You squirm and fight, and scream and shout." the beast said. "But friendship always will win out."
Hunter whimpered as the rest of his limbs merged into the book. Soon, the threads were wrapped around the teen's head. Otabin slowly pulled them tight, and Hunter braced for it. His heart was racing and there were tears in his eyes as he hyperventilated. But then, Amity came riding in on the book return cart.
"Huh?" Otabin spoke.
The abomination witch hollered as she collided with the beast. Otabin was launched into a bookshelf, which fell on top of him. As he struggled to get it off, Amity pulled the strings keeping Hunter tied down off the book.
"Nice save, Amity. Thanks." the boy said as his limbs became third-dimensional again.
"Don't mention it." the girl replied.
"We must stay friends until the end." Otabin snarled as he finally got free. "There is no tear I cannot mend."
"I think it's time you saw the light." Hunter spoke as he took two light glyphs and closed his eyes as he clapped them together.
Amity shielded herself as the glyphs produced a blinding light. Otabin screeched in pain, stumbling as he attempted to recover.
"We have to get rid of the edits." Hunter told the girl. "It's the only way to turn him back to normal."
"I'm on it." Amity said, taking out a pencil from her pocket and writing in the giant book. "'Hunter has to right a wrong.'"
A giant magic eraser rose from the pages. And Hunter quickly grabbed it. As he dashed toward Otabin, Amity noticed a Good Witch Azura book on the floor. Meanwhile, the blonde boy pounced on the monster and erased Edric's drawings on the page of the book. Otabin returned to normal, and everything fell on the floor. Hunter caught Otabin and placed him on his feet. Amity walked over and scooped the little imp up.
"I'm so sorry." he apologized softly. "I don't know what came over me."
"Hey, it's okay." the girl smiled gently. "We're still friends."
She nodded to Hunter who closed the book. Otabin disappeared, making Amity look sad. The blonde kid walked over to the abomination witch and gave her a sympathetic grin.
By sunrise the next morning, the effects of the Wailing Star had worn off. Hunter and Amity left the library and the former could feel the exhaustion of their misadventure catch up with him.
"Phew. What a night." Hunter sighed, putting on his messenger bag. "Thanks for helping clean up. It sure beats getting in trouble again."
"This never happened." Amity stated as she walked away.
"Wait. Would you wanna borrow this?" the boy stopped her, holding out his latest Dream Rangers book. "I noticed you only had up to six. Also, I meant it when I said that I never read your diary."
The abomination witch took the book and gazed at Hunter wistfully. She could feel the truth in his words, and now that things had calmed down, she believed him.
"Thank you." Amity told the blonde teen. "Maybe you aren't a bully. I haven't exactly been the friendliest witch either. I'll think on that." She was about to leave, but then she realized something. "Oh, you dropped this, by the way."
The girl handed Hunter the Azura book she found on the floor earlier.
"I didn't know you liked The Good Witch Azura." Amity said.
"Oh, this isn't mine. It belonged to my adoptive sister, Luz. Azura was her favorite book series." the boy explained. "She ran away from the Human Realm ten years ago and I haven't seen her since. I think you'd like her."
Amity looked stunned to hear this. She had no idea how hard it must've been for Hunter to not have his sibling around for all that time.
"Eda found this book in the Night Market a while back." Hunter continued. "I think it's a sign that Luz might be on the Boiling Isles. One way or another, I'm gonna find her."
"Well... I hope you do." Amity told him as she headed home.
The blonde kid was amazed. That was the first time the abomination witch had said anything nice to him. It made Hunter hopeful that there was a chance to make a friend out of Amity yet.
Back at the Owl House, Hunter opened the door to greet Eda and King. He yawned while rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Hi, guys. I'm..." he said, only to find the Owl Lady and the little demon sound asleep with the bat babies on the green couch. "...home."
The boy couldn't help but smile at how precious the scene looked.
"Ding-dong!" Hooty hollered loudly as the door banged open.
"Hooty." Hunter hissed sharply.
But then, a giant woman's head with bat wings crawled into the living room. The young witch slowly backed away as she smiled at him.
"Are you the bats' mother?" the boy gasped.
"Yi Yi. Mama is I. And I is the Bat Queen." the bat introduced herself before whistling. The three baby bats awoke and heeded their mother's call, nestling into her hair. "Aah! Snuggle dumplings."
The Bat Queen then threw up a treasure chest, which opened to show several hundred snails. She also spat out a whistle similar to an Aztec death whistle on top of the snails.
"For troubles. Eda is owed one." the giant bat said. "Until we meet again, Little Grim."
Hunter blinked, wondering what she meant by that. But before he could ask, the Bat Queen squeezed back out of the doorway and flew away, taking her babies with her.
"Ah. Sweet babies." Eda spoke in her sleep before waking up. "Babies? Where are the babies?"
"Uh, the Bat Queen picked them up a few seconds ago." Hunter jerked his thumb toward the door, yawning again.
"Oh." the Owl Lady said in disappointment. "And I just taught Junior how to pick locks too."
"Your night looks very successful. Look at all that money you made." the blonde boy gestured to the chest. "And the Bat Queen even gave you this cool whistle." He picked up the whistle as saliva dripped from it. "You, uh, might wanna wash it first."
"Yeah. We did it all for the money." Eda said in a dejected tone as her apprentice walked up to her and King. Even though the baby bats caused trouble for them, they clearly left an impression on the Owl Lady and her demon roommate.
"I miss my babies." King sobbed as he hugged Eda.
"I actually got you this book from the library." Hunter said, handing the older witch a book titled Coping with Empty Nest Syndrome. "I think it might help."
"Thanks, kid." Eda chuckled. "So, how was your night?"
"To put it plainly, exhausting." the young witch yawned once more.
"Hey, you wanna hear about my night?" Hooty asked as the door squeaked opened.
"No, thank you." Hunter declined, covering his ears.
"No!" Eda deanpanned.
"That's not a thing anyone ever wants." King responded.
"You know what I wanna do right... now..." the blonde boy drowsily asked as his eyes drooped closed.
He almost fell on his face, but luckily, his mentor caught him just in time. Hunter was now completely asleep. Eda smiled in spite of herself and led the kid over to the couch, and laid him down. The Owl Lady then grabbed a blanket and pulled it over the slumbering teen. She carted her fingers through Hunter's hair, just as she had done before so long ago. The bat babies may be gone, but this baby wasn't going anywhere any time soon. With the Titan as her witness, Eda was going to do everything in her power to be what Hunter needed.
Notes:
Hunter and Amity are starting to finally get along.
Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Once Upon a Sneeze
Summary:
While Eda and King switch bodies for the day, Hunter is muddling through a newfound allergy. But then, his friends alert the boy that he now is wanted by the Emperor's Coven, even though he has not committed any crimes.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The sun had risen, beginning a new day on the Boiling Isles. Eda was standing over the stove cooking breakfast while King in his highchair, eating his. The only one missing was Hunter Noceda. It wasn't like him to sleep in so late.
"Hunter, come on down for breakfast!" Eda chirped. "It's market day, and I don't want you helping sell human junk on an empty stomach!"
About a minute later, the young witch entered the kitchen. But his face was flushed and he was making congested sniffles as his eyelids fluttered sleepily.
"Whoa, Hunter." King spoke. "You look like something the gargoyle dragged in."
The Owl Lady shot him a look at the remark and went to check on Hunter.
"What's the matter, kid? Are you coming down with something?" she asked, feeling her apprentice's forehead for a fever.
He wasn't familiar with the illnesses of the Boiling Isles since he grew up in the Human Realm his whole life. And there were quite a few: the common mold, fire flu, gnomemonia. And don't even get Eda started it on griffin pox.
"I'm not sick. I think it's just allergies." Hunter told her before letting out a big sneeze into his elbow. "Are there any allergens on the Boiling Isles I should be aware of?"
"Well, there's demon dander, fairy dust, slime mold spores." Eda listed off some allergens. "But the most common is red grass pollen. And this time of year, it's extra rampant."
"Yeah. I think that might be it." the young witch sniffled.
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to grab you a allergy potion after today's market rush." the Owl Lady promised. "Now let me fix you up some griffin eggs. Titan knows you could use a little meat on your bones."
"Thanks, Eda." Hunter have a small smile.
Unfortunately, there was less of a rush at the market and more of a drought. Not many witches nor demons came anywhere near Eda's human curio stand. And those that did just walked on by. King eventually got so bored of minimal activity, he jumped on the stand's table to grab one of the bunting hanging above him.
"Weh! Stupid flag!" the furry demon yelled as he fell off the table. Thankfully, Hunter was there with a ladder to get the flag and handed it to him. "Thanks, Hunter."
"It's been kind of slow around here." the blonde witch remarked with a sniffle.
"You know what would really pick things up? If we used your light glyphs to give Eda's sign a little more... pizzazz." King suggested, making jazz hands with his paws. "Who wouldn't want their name up in lights, right? I know I would."
"I'm not sure Eda would really go for that." the boy replied with uncertainty.
"Well, look who's here." a familiar voice taunted. Hunter and King turned to see Boscha, Skara, and an Oracle track student standing at the stand. "It's the trash boy in his natural habitat."
"What are you doing here?" the teenage witch asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm just here to take an ironic Penstagram next to your weird trash stand." the triclops answered.
She then summoned her scroll and took several pictures. All of them had filters that stroked Boscha's ego and poked fun at Hunter. The potionist girl and her friends laughed at up while the blonde boy was fuming.
"It's not funny, Boscha." Hunter grumbled as his ears turned red.
"What are you going to do? Cast a spell on me?" Boscha teased. "Oh, that's right. You can't. Because you're Half-a-Witch Hunter!"
She and her posse yucked it up as the boy felt his knees tremble. He didn't want to look like a crybaby by tearing up in front of these bullies. Hunter had plenty of experience with that in the Human Realm and he didn't fare any better then. But then, King jumped onto the table to confront the teens.
"How dare you mock my minion!" he yelled. "I'll see to it that you will serve as my ottoman when I reclaim my throne! You will tremble before me!"
The three obnoxious teens stared at the little demon as he stood up for Hunter. The blonde kid thought it was nice of King to stick to them, but he would prefer to fight his own battles once in a while.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Boscha suddenly cooed.
She hugged King like he was a stuffed animal. The potion track girl then conjured up her scroll again to take a selfie with the demon, adding a cute filter to it. King squeaked and shoved the witch's face away.
"How much?" Boscha asked. "I have to own him."
"You couldn't afford me, sister!" King retaliated after squirming out of her grip, only for the teens to gush at him. "That's the incorrect reaction!"
"I smell an easy mark." Eda sniffed from within her tent. She then jumped out to face Boscha. "Hey kid! Can I offer you the latest fashions from..." The Owl Lady drew a spell circle and magically dressed herself in horribly clashing clothes. "The Human Realm?"
Hunter's ears reddened again as his face fell into his hands in embarrassment.
"Yeah, no." the potion girl denied and her friends laughed as the three teens walked away.
"Well, I hate her." Eda stated as she made the crazy clothes disappear.
"No argument here." Hunter said before sneezing again.
"Hey, Eda." King spoke. "Since you're here, how would you feel about using Hunter's light glyphs to jazz up your sign and attract some actual customers?"
"What?!" the older witch interjected in outrage. "Absolutely not!"
"It's just a little advertising gimmick." the little demon said. "What's the big deal?"
"You may be forgetting something, King. I'm kinda... on the run! Remember?" Eda reminded him, showing one of her wanted posters. "Every guard in town would be at my doorstep if I had my name in lights."
"So? At least you have magic to solve all your problems." King argued. "You have no idea how hard it is to be powerless and diminutive."
"Oh, yeah? You're pampered all day like a dang baby." the Owl Lady fired back. "How hard is that life?"
"Well, I don't know if you realized, but I'm not a baby!" the furry demon shouted. "My life is a living nightmare!"
The whole time, Hunter's eyes darted back-and-forth from his friends like he was watching a tennis match. He didn't know what to make them stop fighting. Eda and King had known each other longer than the boy knew either of them.
"Well, there's only one thing to do when friends can't see eye to eye." the older witch declared. "Body swap!"
"That's a thing here?" Hunter raised an eyebrow.
It reminded him of that old movie he used to watch with his sister Luz when they were kids: Freaky Fraturday. It was about a fraternity boy who was dealing with the stress of college and wished he could switch lives with someone. Anyone. And then, his wish was granted, but he ended up switching bodies with a duck of all things. Eventually, the fraternity boy realizes that his old life was easier compared someone else's and was switched back to his own body. The movie was cheesy, but Hunter remembered fondly how much he loved watching with his sister. And it made the boy miss her so much.
"I love a good body swap." Eda said. "It's like demonic possession with the ones you love."
"Yeah, I want absolutely no part in this." Hunter replied, waving his hands. "Besides, you don't wanna be stuck in a body with a runny nose and itchy eyes."
"Good point. You might wanna stand back then." Eda told her apprentice and he did as told. "Body swap!"
She spun her staff above her and King's heads. Then, a curtain of yellow light and smoke fell over the two of them. Hunter shielded his eyes from the blinding magic.
"Eda? King?" he called for his friends.
"Hunter, where are you?" King's voice replied.
"Right next to the mirror." the boy answered.
Someone emerged from the cloud of smoke and into the full-length mirror. It turned out to be King in Eda's body, as evident by the change in fang and eye color. He stared at his new reflection in amazement.
"The body swap worked!" King laughed triumphantly. "Now I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles! Bow before my awesome power!"
"So if you're King, then where's Eda?" the young witch asked.
Just then, the boys hear Eda clear her throat and they turned back at the table as the last of the smoke dissipated. Standing there was Eda in King's body with trademark golden fang and golden eyes.
"How do I look?" the Owl Lady asked, striking a pose.
"I've got some... very confusing emotions right now." King responded uncomfortably.
"You and me both." Hunter agreed.
"All right, here's the deal. Whoever can prove their body has the easiest life gets out of house cleaning duty." Eda set the terms for the bet. "And you know what that means."
What that meant, unfortunately, wasn't just chores like doing laundry or washing the dishes. It also meant given Hooty a bath. And after the recent rainfall, there was bound to be lots of mud for the house demon to roll around in. Eda and King shuddered at the thought.
"Won't be me." the demon witch said confidently. "As head of the house, I'll be the one calling the shots now. And since I have magic, I can get away with just about anything."
But then, he accidentally casted a beam of light that knocked him to the ground. Hunter winced at the sight.
"Ha! That's cute." Eda chuckled as she hopped off the table and walked away. "If you need me, I'll be getting pampered on a vacation fit for a king."
"My life's not a joke!" King yelled back.
Suddenly, Hunter saw his friends Gus and Willow approaching him. The blonde teen was happy to see them despite his allergy induced congestion. So he went over to say hello.
"Willow! Gus!" he greeted his friends. But his smile dropped when he saw how panic stricken they appeared. "What's the matter, guys? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"Sorry. He didn't mean that literally." Willow told a nearby ghost who drifted away.
"Posters... You... Come quick..." Gus panted pointing behind him.
Hunter could barely comprehend what the illusion witch was trying to say. But judging by his and Willow's worried faces, the blonde boy knew that it was urgent.
"Uh, hold that thought." Hunter told his friends as he walked back to King. "Hey, King?"
"Don't worry, Hunter. I've got the stand running business covered. Take the rest of the day off." the demon witch said, giving the boy some money. "And here's some snails you can use to go buy an allergy potion."
This stunned Hunter. Eda would never let him get off of helping her run the human curio stand. The blonde teen would get in trouble for something like that. Then again, this was King in the Owl Lady's body. And when was Hunter ever going to get this opportunity again?
"Okay, bye." he waved at King before running off. "Try not to get arrested."
"I make no such promises." the swapped demon replied.
As soon as Hunter rejoined his friends, the kids jogged through the marketplace.
"So what was it you guys wanted to show me?" Hunter asked, sniffling.
"It'll probably be better if you see for yourself." Willow answered.
The trio rounded a corner and that was when the blonde boy saw something that made his jaw drop. There was a wanted poster of him, casting a light spell. And the reward for Hunter was worth 10 trillion snails! Even more than Eda!
"I'm on a wanted poster?" the teen spoke softly.
"You have a bigger reward than Eda." Gus pointed out.
"No wonder those demon hunters were dead set on taking you to the Emperor's Coven during the moonlight conjuring." Willow realized.
"But... I didn't break any laws." Hunter said.
"So why does the Emperor's Coven want you so badly?" the illusion witch asked.
The blonde boy contemplated on that briefly. He hadn't on the Boiling Isles for very long, much less around Bonesborough. But then, Hunter recalled the Covention where he blindly challenged Amity to a witch's duel. It was also where he first encountered Eda's sister Lilith, who also happened to be the head of the Emperor's Coven. Is it possible that Lilith could have started this witch hunt for the boy?
But then, Hunter's train of thought was interrupted when he let out a big sneeze. It must have been a particularly wet sneeze, considering that the teen now had a long drop of snot dangling from one of his nostrils.
"Bless you!" Willow said, reaching into her dress pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. "Here. Take one of my hankies."
The blonde boy blushed from the plant girl's kind act.
"Thank you." he told her before blowing his nose. "I just found out that I'm allergic to red grass pollen, and it's driving me crazy."
"Sorry to hear that, Hunter." Gus apologized. "I know. Let's get you an allergy potion from the potion stand."
"But first, you might wanna wear something to hide your face." Willow suggested, handing Hunter a spare Hexside cowl. "Wouldn't want anyone selling you out to the Emperor's Coven."
"Good call." the teen replied, slipping the cowl on and putting the hood up.
The young trio then made their way to the potion in the eastern part of the marketplace. Running the stand was a demon who looked like an earwig.
"What can I do for you kids?" the potion clerk asked.
"I'd like an allergy potion if you have one, please." Hunter requested.
"Let me guess. Allergic to red grass pollen?" the demon inquired rhetorically. "It's definitely that time of year. I'll go get them from the back."
The clerk disappeared for a couple minutes and the kids could hear the sound of clanking vials as the potionist sorted through his inventory. He quickly returned with a crate full of a dozen allergy potions.
"That'll be ten snails." the demon said.
Hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact amount of snails to give to the clerk in exchange for the allergy potion. But that was when the potionist started squinting at the kid suspiciously.
"Wait a minute." he spoke. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before? You very look familiar."
"Uh... probably not." Hunter replied as he and his friends shared nervous glances with each other. "Thank you. Have a nice day."
The kids tried to make a run for it, but the potionist demon grabbed the back of the blonde boy's hood with his rear pinchers. In doing so, Hunter's hair was revealed for all to see.
"You're the Lost Witch from the wanted posters!" the potion clerk declared before blowing a whistle.
The sound of the whistle summoned halls a dozen coven guards. They all had drawn spell circles aimed at Hunter as they closed in on the potion stand. The teen was petrified with fear.
"Hey! What the heck, man?" Gus snapped.
"I've seen the posters for this kid." the earwig demon explained. "Once I collect the reward, my business will be the potion empire of Bonesborough!"
"Not if we can help it!" Willow disagreed.
She drew a circle to conjure a vine which snatched Hunter out of his captor's grasp. And then, Gus summoned an opaque cloud of mist to blindside the coven guards. The trio quickly made their escape while the guards were none the wiser.
As soon as the teens were far enough away from the market, they stopped to catch their breath.
"Phew! That was a close one. Right, Hunter?" Gus panted, turning to the other boy. "Hunter?"
Even though he was out of danger, Hunter still looked as terrified as he was in the market. He was hyperventilating and shaking like a leaf. And his two friends picked up on this very quickly.
"Hunter." Willow said, taking the blonde teen's hand which caused his cheeks to blush. "It's okay. Sometimes it's hard for me to calm down too. But let me show you a trick my parents taught me."
The plant girl then started to inhale and used her fingers to count to four. Soon after, she exhaled and her fingers counted back down to one again. Hunter copied her breathing pattern as Willow kept repeating this process for a few more seconds. Afterward, the blonde kid felt much more emotionally balanced.
"Feel better?" the plant witch asked.
"Yeah. Thank you." Hunter gave a small smile, earning a smile from Willow in return.
"Well, that's the last time I buy potions from that guy." Gus said, pointing a thumb back at the market.
"That's why Eda only gets her elixir from Morton." the older boy replied as the trio walked off. "He's the only potionist in town who won't rat her out." But Hunter didn't watch where he was going nor did he notice that his friends had come to a stop. "Hey, I've got the rest of the day off. What are you guys want to do now?"
"Uh, Hunter?" Gus spoke nervously.
"What?"
"Well, well, well." Boscha's voice cut through. Hunter turned around and saw the mean girl and her posse from earlier emerge from a clubhouse of sorts. "I thought I heard an annoying voice."
The blonde boy's heart dropped as the popular kids closed in on the interloper.
"What do you think you're doing on our territory?" the young potionist demanded to know.
"What territory?" Hunter questioned as he back away. "I didn't see any signs. Now if you'll excuse me..."
"You don't come on the cool kid turf." the oracle boy told him. "And if you do, you don't get to leave."
"At least not until we're done with you." Boscha added.
"Look, I don't want any trouble." Hunter tried to ease the situation. "Just leave me alone."
"Oh, yeah? Who's gonna make us?" the triclops asked rudely. "It's not like your kooky Owl Lady is here to protect you."
"First of all, Eda's not kooky, she's eccentric." the blonde teen retorted. "And second, I've learned my lesson about blindly picking fights with witches. Can you say the same for yourself?"
"Ooooh!" Boscha's crew uttered in unison.
"Oh, be quiet!" the potionist girl snapped at them.
She then drew a circle, casting a spell that levitated Hunter's allergy potion right out of his hands and into hers.
"Hey, I need that!" the boy yelled as he tried to retrieve his potion while Boscha kept it out of his reach. "Give it back!"
"Or what? Are you gonna cry?" Boscha taunted, shoving the kid to the ground. "Does the baby half-a-witch need his mommy?"
She and her friends cackled as Hunter's eyes filled with tears as his bottom lip quivered. He was a bit of a crybaby sometimes, but the last thing he wanted was to weeping in front of these obnoxious teens. Admittedly, the blonde witch did wish that his mom was here right now. There was no way Camila would ever let these bullies get away with this kind of behavior. His friends could only watch helplessly, not wanting Boscha to target them.
But then, Hunter felt a tickle in his nose that built up with every gasp he made. And soon, the boy let out a giant sneeze, spraying mucus all over Boscha's red boots before he could catch it in his elbow.
"Ew!" the bullies gagged.
"You did not just sneeze on my brand new boots!" the triclops glared angrily at the Hunter.
She began to advance on the blonde teen as he trepidatiously scooted backwards. Gus and Willow shared a glance and nodded curtly like they had a plan.
"Boscha, look!" the plant girl exclaimed, pointing. "There's a hungry Minotaur right behind you!"
"Come on." Boscha rolled her eyes nonchalantly. "I'm not dumb enough to fall for that."
However, all of her friends started running away like cowards. The potionist gazed behind her and sure enough, a Minotaur was behind her, roaring in her face. The mean girl shrieked at the sight of it. While she was distracted, Willow cast a spell to levitate the allergy potion out Boscha's grasp and back into Hunter's hands.
"Let's go!" Gus said as the three friends ran off.
The "Minotaur" turned out to be an illusion cast by the younger witch, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. From the moment that Boscha realized she had been tricked, she was furious.
"This isn't over, half-witches!" the triclops hollered. "Not by a long shot!"
Hunter, Willow, and Gus retreated into the forest, away obnoxious bullies and opportunistic whistleblowers. In all of chaos within such a short amount of time, the blonde teen had yet to take his allergy potion. And his nose was still stuffed up.
"I wish there was a quiet place where I could take this potion." Hunter sniffed congestedly.
"I know somewhere we could go." Willow gasped. "Follow me."
The boys trailed after the plant witch right to a curtain of leaves. When she pushed them back, they revealed a hidden thicket. There was a dense cover of trees that blocked out most, if not all of the natural sunlight. A carpet of purple moss blanketed the forest floor, and a steadily babbling brook added an anesthetic ambience to the area.
"Here we are." Willow announced.
"What is this place?" Hunter gasped softly.
"This is my secret grove. I found this place a few years ago, and now I come here every now and then just to think." the plant girl explained. "I don't usually share this place with just anyone, but..."
She then went to sit down on the moss carpet. Willow patted the moss as a gesture for her friends to join her. So, they did. Hunter handed the allergy potion to the dark-haired girl so that she could read the tag on the vial.
"Hmm. The label says you need to take two sips of the potion every 24 hours." Willow told the blonde witch.
"Okay." Hunter replied. "That sounds like a decent dosage."
He popped the rubber stopper on the bottle and took the two of sips of potion as prescribed. The boy gagged a little at the taste. It reminded Hunter of the cough syrup his mother made him take whenever he was sick.
"I don't think it's working." the kid sniffed, still feeling congested.
"It might need a few minutes to take effect." Gus told him.
"I don't get it." the older boy sighed as a few seconds.
"Don't get what?" Willow wanted to know.
"I don't get why you guys want to be friends with me." Hunter responded. "I mean, I'm such a loser. I can't do any magic. Well, except for this."
He pulled out a notepad and pencil from his pocket and drew a light glyph for the other two kids to see. The blonde teen then tapped the glyph to activate it and the piece of paper became a small ball of light. Gus and Willow's eyes sparkled with wonder as their friend held the light in his hands.
"That's amazing, Hunter!" the plant witch gasped.
"Yeah, but it's not much in the grand scheme of things." Hunter replied wistfully. "I feel like Javier from Dream Rangers when he was struggling to catch that Shadow Serpent in Book 1."
"But... Javier learned to stop chasing the serpent and let it come to him instead, didn't he?" Willow mentioned.
The blonde boy gasped when he heard her say that. He didn't think that either of his friends knew what he was talking about when he brought up his favorite book series. And Gus was, in fact, struck with confusion. But Willow, on the other hand, was not.
"You read Dream Rangers too?" Hunter said in disbelief. "I didn't think most other witches did."
"I've been reading that series since I was ten. And I've loved it ever since." the girl shared, surprising her friend. "Hunter, we don't care what you can or can't do. No matter what anyone says... you're cool in our eyes."
"Yeah. Take it from two witches who are at the bottom of the social pecking order at Hexside." Gus agreed.
Hunter gave his two friends a warm smile. The boy hadn't had a friend since his little sister Luz vanished. So, he felt blessed to find two kids his age who accept every part of him, quirks and all.
After a little while, the young trio decided to head back to the market. And Hunter was amazed by how effective his allergy potion was. It was so refreshing to be able to breath in air instead of mucus.
"Wow. That potion really does work." the blonde witch exhaled in satisfaction. "I'm feeling better already."
"Get your filthy hands off me, you coven scum!" King's voice suddenly exclaimed.
The kids craned their necks around a corner to see what all the commotion was about. They could see the swapped demon in handcuffs and being shoved by a coven guard.
"You have the right to remain silent, Owl Lady." the guard retorted.
"Is that... Eda?" Willow asked.
"No. That's King in Eda's body!" Hunter answered in distress. "And he's just been detained by the Emperor's Coven!"
"You'll never take me alive!" King hollered as he continued to resist his arrest.
Hunter, Willow, and Gus could only watch helplessly as the demon in a witch's body was loaded into a paddy wagon. The coven guard then boarded on the wagon's bench and rode off.
"I say don't get arrested, and what does he do? He gets arrested!" Hunter ranted, unable to hide his irritation at King. "Where are they taking him?"
"Well, before a criminal is taken to the Conformatorium, they're taken to the closest police precinct for booking." Gus divulged.
"Then, we gotta get to that precinct." the blonde boy declared. "Let's go!"
And with that, the kids proceeded to race after the paddy wagon.
It took a while, but Hunter and his friends finally made it to the police precinct in downtown Bonesborough. And King had already been escorted Inside by a pair of guards. Just as the young witches were approaching the steps, a ball of blue fire appeared. They quickly hit behind the stairs thick balusters as a familiar looking witch with black hair emerged from the fire.
"Hey. Isn't that-" Willow began.
"Lilith. Eda's sister." Hunter finished. "I wonder what she's doing here."
As Lilith ascended up the marble staircase, the kids followed close behind, trying to lay low as best as they could.
Meanwhile inside the precinct, King was standing against a height chart, holding a prisoner number card. He had a stone cold expression on his face the whole time as a camera took his mugshot.
"This is some of my best work." the camera said, admiring the photo it coughed up. "Really captures the shame."
A guard had confiscated Eda's staff and Owlbert chirped in protest as the guard put a ring around, keeping them bound to his body.
"Yeah, you're going away for a long time, you filthy criminal." the guard sneered as he slammed a barred door.
"Owlbert!" King cried before he was lead into an interrogation room. "Let me go, you idiots!"
Out in the hallway, two coven guards were having a water break when Lilith traipsed by, her presence alone was enough to command authority. Hunter and his friends were still trailing after the head of the Emperor's Coven, trying not to get caught.
"Is it really her?" one of the guards gasped.
"Oh, no." the other one said in alarm. "This is not good."
And then, Lilith came up from behind two guards overseeing King's interrogation. Neither of them were aware of the witch's presence until they saw her reflection in the one-way mirror. The guards gasped as they spun their heads around, shot up from their chairs, and saluted her. If the head of the most prestigious coven on the Isles was here, it must be for something important.
"Madame Lilith, to what do we owe this honor?" one of the guards asked.
"Word reached me that you captured my sister." Lilith explained. "I'll take it from here."
"But Madame, she's going straight to the Conformatorium." the guard debated, pulling out King's arrest warrant. "I have her order right here."
But then, the dark-haired woman cast a spell that turned the warrant to ashes.
"The orders have changed." she spoke stoically.
The head witch then took her leave so that she could go into the interrogation room personally. Hunter, Willow, and Gus peaked out carefully, their eyes fixed on the one-way mirror.
"Okay, we need to get him out of there." Hunter murmured.
"But how?" Willow questioned.
The blonde teen took a moment to collect his thoughts while thinking of a plan.
"We're gonna have to be as inconspicuous as possible." he thought aloud. Hunter then noticed the coven guards all around the precinct. "And I think I know just the way to do it."
Inside the interrogation room, King slammed his shackled fists on the table he was sitting at.
"I demand to have my lawyer in here right now!" he bellowed as Lilith approached him.
"Hello, Edalyn." the dark-haired witch addressed the detainee.
"Oh, boy." the swapped demon shrank in his seat.
King knew that Eda's last encounter with her sister was... turbulent, to say the least. And with the high position of authority Lilith had, there was no telling what she would do to him.
"Do you know why you're here?" Lilith asked.
"I could name a million reasons as to why I was dragged here against my will." King answered. "None of which you would find very pleasant."
"Sister, the charges against you are long and many." the head witch stated, unfurling and reading a lengthy list of Eda's criminal offenses. "Operating a stand without a permit, owning a hocus without a pocus..."
"Yeah, I think that list goes on for a while." the swapped demon said.
"These charges are serious." Lilith informed him. "There's no more running, Edalyn."
King wondered what Eda would do in a situation like this. Probably stand her ground? They were both pretty rebellious, personality wise.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'll keep running until the day I die!" the swapped demon snapped.
"Ugh, you're making this harder than it has to be, sister." Lilith groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Bring out the branding glove."
She then summoned a few rings of light that secured King to his chair. A guard put on a glove with the Emperor's Coven sigil on the palm, the symbol glowing red. Then, he tossed the table aside and cracked his knuckles.
"Wait. No, no, no! Keep away, you heathen!" King yelled, leaning away from the approaching guard.
All of a sudden, the door burst open and a trio of small coven guards came barging in.
"Okay, Lilith." the tallest of the three began confidently. "What's about to happen to you should be relatively painless, if you just do what we say."
"Yeah, the Owl Lady is coming with us." the medium-sized guard added.
Everybody in the precinct gasped at the audacious rebels and muttered to one another.
"Unbelievable."
"I detect mutiny."
"What a twist!"
"Under what authorization do you have to remove the Owl Lady from my custody?" Lilith asked in a demanding tone.
"Oh, our orders come from the very top." the first guard answered.
"From the Emperor?" the coven head gasped before glaring at the small trio. "Wait a minute. I recognize that annoying voice."
"Why do people keep saying that?" the guard asked, feeling genuinely hurt.
Lilith then removed his mask and hood to reveal Hunter's face underneath. King was stunned by this. And that also meant that the other two little guards were Willow and Gus.
"Uh-oh." the blonde kid said, his heart dropping.
"You're Edalyn's apprentice. From the wanted posters." Lilith's eyes widened before a wicked smirk appeared on her face. "Today must be my lucky day."
"Hunter!" King cried, trying to help his friend. But in the process, he had accidentally drawn a large spell circle, and realized it too late. "Oh, no."
The spell the witchy demon had cast blew up a section of the wall. It also freed King from his restraints and the tremor of the explosion forced everyone else to the floor. Hunter coughed as the yellow smoke cleared from the spell. Then, he, Willow, and Gus (whose masks and hoods had come undone) stood up and joined King's side.
"King, summon Eda's staff!" Hunter told his friend.
"Right." the swapped demon nodded. "Owlbert, come to me!"
"Coming!" Owlbert hooted as he burst through the gate, right into King's face.
"Sorry about that, buddy." the demon/witch apologized as he freed the little owl. "Being the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles is not all it's cracked up to be."
"Let's get out of here!" Hunter exclaimed as the four friends ran out through the hole that King had created.
Lilith rose from the floor, her hair mussed. She growled as Hunter and the others escaped.
"Now all we gotta do is find Eda in your body so we can reverse the body swap spell." the blonde witch stated.
"After them!" Lilith ordered the guards.
Hunter, King, Willow, and Gus walked backwards and darted their eyes about, looking the witch in a demon's body. But Eda was small right now and Bonesborough was massive. Where could she be?
That was when the quartet heard the sound of repetitive knocking on glass. They turned around and saw Eda in King's body, wearing a bee costume and banging on the window of a kitty café.
"Kids! Bring my dang body over here." the swapped witch yelled.
"Eda!" Hunter cried, dashing toward the café.
"Whoa! You can't go in there, Hunter." Gus stopped him, pointing at the sign that read "NO TEENS A-MEOW-ED." "They have a strict no teens policy."
"Then, King, you have to go get Eda." the older boy told King.
"All right." the swapped demon nodded. "Wait right here."
He cautiously entered the café and found Eda lying in the window nook.
"Well, this is one day of my life I wish I could take back." the Owl Lady admitted bluntly.
"I'm sorry, Eda." King apologized. "Your life is so much harder than mine. You always have the Emperor's Coven hovering over your shoulder. And you have all the magic in the world, but I lack the know-how to use it or not use it. Only someone as smart as you could pull it off."
"Well, you're not the only one who made a bad assumption." Eda sighed. "I walked a day in your shoes. I thought being pampered like a baby would be fun. But I was wrong. King, you have so much more spunk and independence than I gave you credit for. And I'm sorry too."
After the two of reconciled with each other, they shared a brief, but warm hug, strengthening the bond they both shared.
"Now let's get you out of here." King offered, scooping Eda up and heading for the door.
But then, he was caught by the two witches who owned the café.
"Hi." Eda said nervously.
"Come on!" Hunter barked, bursting the door open, leading his friends out.
"After them!" one of the café witches exclaimed while the other one shrieked, holding up a net.
Hunter, Eda, King, Willow, and Gus kept sprinting until they arrived on Main Street.
"What kind of weird antics did you get into?" the blonde teen asked.
Everyone glanced to the left and there was Lilith with a pair of guards. One of which had a cerberus on a leash.
"There they are." Eda's sister pointed them out.
"I got the same question." the Owl Lady replied as the five friends tried to flee in the opposite direction. That was when Boscha and her groupies flying in on their winged boots.
"I told you this wouldn't be over, losers!" the three-eyed girl bellowed. "Nobody makes a fool out of me and gets away with it!"
"Man, I thought we got rid of those guys." Gus remarked.
"All right. Have we learned a valuable lesson about experiencing each other's hardships?" Eda asked quickly.
"Yep." King nodded.
"Good, let's end this nightmare." the swapped witch said, hopping out her housemate's arms and grabbing her staff. "Body swap!"
With a twirl of the staff, Eda returned herself and King back into their respective bodies. Hunter protected Willow and Gus as the pair was bathed in a curtain of yellow light, just like before. With the spell reversed, Eda was still wearing the bee costume, though it immediately ripped off.
"My body!" King rejoiced. "My glorious little body!"
"Sister. Time and again I've offered you my help, yet you refuse to accept it." Lilith glared. "I'm tired of trying, Edalyn. Your days are running are over!"
"Thanks, King." Eda deadpanned.
"My bad." the little demon chuckled sheepishly.
"Don't worry, I got this." she assured him. "Body swap!"
The Owl Lady spun her staff and directed the beam at everyone while the kids near her ducked for cover.
"Eda, you rotten sister!" Lilith's voice barked from the cerberus. "Switch me back!".
In fact, the café ladies, the coven guards, and the teenage bullies were beside themselves as they couldn't who was in which body. And confusion quickly evolved into chaos as those who were swapped started going at each other. Hunter and his friends could only watch, stunned by the discord around them.
"Are they gonna be okay?" King asked.
"Eh?" Eda shrugged before she directed her attention to Hunter. "What I want to know is why you three are dressed like coven guards."
Gus quickly drew a spell circle making the kids' disguises disappear and returning them to their normal clothes.
"Had to get King out of a sticky situation." Hunter answered. "Oh, speaking of which, we found a bunch of wanted posters of me around town. And now, lots of people are trying to sell me out to the Emperor's Coven."
This astounded the Owl Lady. The kid already had a wanted poster after being banned from Hexside. And Eda was fine with that. But now, the Emperor's Coven was after him for no reason. How could this be?
"What would the Emperor's Coven want with you specifically?" Eda queried.
"I'm not sure." Hunter responded. "Maybe it has something to do with the mystery of my origins."
"Don't worry, Hunter." Willow reassured him. "We'll help you figure this out in any way we can."
The boy felt a flutter in his stomach and his cheeks blush.
"She's right, kid." Eda agreed. "Now, let's never speak of this body swap incident again."
The five friends started to amble off, leaving those who were body swapped clamoring.
"Say, King. How'd you get arrested by the Emperor's Coven anyway?" Hunter asked the little demon who inhaled sharply. "You used my light glyphs on Eda's sign, didn't you?"
"Maybe?" King laughed nervously.
Eda felt bad that her apprentice knew so little about what part of the Isles he came or who his biological parents. She decided to take it upon herself to do a little digging for information. So later that evening, after Hunter went to sleep and the Bonesborough Library had closed for the night, Eda and King flew in on Owlbert and snuck in through a window. The Owl Lady's feet touching down echoed through the vacant halls.
"All right, King. Time to do some research." the witch declared before gagging. "Ugh! Just saying the word leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Eda knew that the information she needed to help Hunter was unlikely to be found on the library's main floor. So she and her demon roommate went to a pair of heavy metal doors with a sign that read "The Forbidden Stacks." The Forbidden Stacks was the library's vault of older books and restricted knowledge. It was also off-limits to patrons and most employees. But there's never been a door that the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles couldn't bypass. So she cast a spell to disable the doors' security and they swung open. Eda and King exchanged a determined expression and entered the vault.
The duo ambled down a corridor dimly lit by candles until they reached the vault's inner sanctum where ghostly hands were organizing books. But the area was massive with thousands upon thousands of ancient texts and tomes.
"Hmm. This could take a while." Eda said, pursing her lips. "But there has to be something in here that can tell us why Hunter's struggling with his magic. We'll search every book if we have to."
And search, they did. Eda and King combed every bookshelf, high and low, and skimmed through as many books as they could. But so far, none of what the duo could find had any information about Hunter's powerless condition.
That was when Eda happened upon a discard book on the floor with the title The Legend of Grimwalkers in gold lettering. Out of curiosity, the witch picked up the book and started reading through it. King quickly joined her so he could also see for himself.
As they studied the pages, the pair learned that grimwalkers were clones made from someone who was deceased. It was sort of a way to bring somebody back from the dead. But the ingredients needed to make a grimwalker were not easy to come by. These ingredients included: a Galdorstone, palistrom wood, stonesleeper lungs, selkidomus scales, and the bone of the ortet. It wasn't until Eda read that the tell-tale sign of a grimwalker was their magenta eyes that made her heart stop. Hunter had the exact same eye color.
"Oh, no." she uttered dishearteningly.
That boy was so sure that he was a witch. When in fact, he was a completely different being altogether. It would certainly explain why he couldn't cast spells naturally like a witch. This also meant that teen was a clone and didn't have any birth parents.
"What are we going to tell Hunter?" King asked worriedly.
Now that was the million snail question. How were they going explain this to the kid? Hunter was so eager to shape his identity as a witch. But to learn that he wasn't biologically a witch at all? There was no way the boy would be prepared for that truth bomb.
"Nothing." Eda conveyed. "For now, this will remain our little secret."
Hunter hadn't been her apprentice for very long. So it was probably to let him keep advancing in witchcraft before easing into the dark truth. The Owl Lady had thought about letting Hooty in on this. But that house demon was such a blabbermouth, he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. The less who knew Hunter's secret, the better.
And just like that, Eda and King left the Forbidden Stacks, leaving the dreaded grimwalker book wide open on the floor.
Notes:
Hunter is not who he thinks he is.
Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Something Ventured, Someone Framed
Summary:
Gus lies to Hunter about his ban at Hexside in order to save his presidency at the Human Appreciation Society. But how long can he keep up the charade before the truth unravels? Meanwhile, Eda begrudgingly tries to get Hunter into Hexside.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
One afternoon at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, Gus Porter was holding a meeting at the Human Appreciation Society. As the president and founding member of the club, it was the young illusionist's civic duty to share the splendor of human culture with his fellow like-minded witches.
Today, Gus had brought various human items laid out on a desk to share with his club members, all of which were labeled incorrectly. Among them were a cheese grater labeled "Nail Clippers," a bag of chips sealed with a flip phone labeled "Whoopie Cushion," an upside-down umbrella hat filled with leaves labeled "Food Bowl," a Rubik's Cube labeled "Weapon?," and a paperclip labeled "Pay-per-clorp."
"Behold. The wonders of the Human Realm." Gus spoke, holding the paperclip in his hand. "This little fella's one of their most valued objects. It aids in the compiling of printed wisdom, the scratching of gunk from under your nails, and my favorite... It even mimics the sounds of the human ocean."
He paused to twang the object, savoring its sound.
"Aah! The Human Realm. So beautiful." the young illusionist relished before walking to the chalkboard. "It's safe to say that the pay-per-clorp is a stunning testament to human ingenuity. Any questions?"
Gus turned around to face the rest of the club: a potion track cyclops girl named Eileen, a healing track girl named Bo, a unicorn boy from the bard track, and a construction track boy named Mattholomule; who was recent also a recent transfer student from Glandus High. Most of the H.A.S. members looked like they were nodding off to sleep. And then, Mattholomule, with a bored expression on his face raised his hand.
"Ah! Our newest member: Mattholomule." Gus addressed the construction witch.
"A-Augustus, is this what the president of the Human Appreciation Society thinks passes as 'Human Artifacts?'" the brunette boy asked skeptically, confusing the young illusionist. "Because it my old school, we had real treasures."
Mattholomule then pushed Gus' stuff aside and dumped the contents of his bag onto the desk. There was a rock painted to look like a cell phone, an egg with a skull painted on it, and a shoe composed of mud, leaves, and twigs. They were all labeled "Cellular Phone," "Human Skull," and "Sports Footwear" respectively. The other club gasped and leaned closer to the items.
"So real." Bo marveled them. "I-I want to touch them."
"Go ahead." Mattholomule allowed leniently. "In my club, we didn't have any dumb rules."
Gus gasped in shock and turned to his list of club rules.
"Shh. He didn't mean that." he consoled the list.
The young illusionist made the rules of the Human Appreciation Society for a reason. Many human artifacts were rare, fragile, and irreplaceable. They needed to be handled with care. And Gus was not about to let this act of anarchy go unchecked. So, he quickly took away Mattholomule's objects from the club members who were touching them.
"Well, this isn't your club. Thankfully." the younger boy spoke firmly.
"Exactly, who thinks I should be president?" Mattholomule asked everyone else.
"I do!" Eileen agreed.
"Mattholomule for prez." Bo casted her vote.
"I'm an undecided voter." the bard boy stated.
As everyone else started talking over each other, Gus picked up the "phone" for a closer look. He was pretty good at recognizing human treasures, even at a glance. And upon more thorough examination, the young Illusionist could confirm that this wasn't a human artifact.
"These are fakes." Gus claimed.
"What?" Bo gasped.
"You can't prove that!" the construction witch stammered before taking a breath and smoothing his brown hair. "You're just trying to distract these human appreciators. You're afraid of getting kicked out of office. It's your word against mine."
As the human appreciators began to murmur questioningly to each other, Gus nervously walked backwards into the chalkboard. He knew a genuine human artifact when he saw it, but what was the point? Mattholomule's words outweighed his. The young illusionist needed to do something to save his presidency. But only a real human could prove that Gus' words were true. And they weren't any humans on the Boiling Isles as far as he knew. That was when the illusion witch saw his friend Hunter Noceda in a newspaper clip, and realized that the blonde boy was the next best thing to a human.
"What if I brought in an expert?" the younger boy suggested.
"Yeah, right." Mattholomule refused to believe him. "Who can you find that the bigger human expert than any of us?"
"How about a witch who's actually been to the Human Realm?" Gus replied.
"You mean the Owl Lady?" the brunette boy raised an eyebrow. "You know she's a convicted felon, right?"
"Oh, I'm not talking about Eda." the illusionist boy smirked. "I'm talking about my friend Hunter!"
"The Lost Witch?" Eileen said.
"Why the secrets?" Bo asked.
"Show don't tell, man." the bard boy spoke.
"Yeah. Uh-huh." Mattholomule nodded dubiously. "A-And you've never brought your friend here. Why?"
"Well, he's busy. He's got a job." Gus clarified. "But I'll bring him in tomorrow. He'll prove I'm right."
"Ah, sure you will, Augustus." the construction witch scoffed. "Sure you will."
The young illusionist grew increasingly nervous. He was very well aware that Hunter was banned from setting foot onto this campus after the last time the blonde witch snuck into Hexside. But Gus had to stretch the truth to save his presidency, that was a risk he was willing to take.
Later that afternoon, Gus made a mad dash to the Owl House. Hunter and Eda rummaging through boxes in the living room, organizing the human junk that Owlbert had brought through the portal door before the next market rush. The young illusionist quickly explained the situation at the H.A.S., and asked his friend if he could come help set the record straight.
"Gus, I'd love to go to school with you, but I don't know how I can." Hunter said, pointing at his banned poster with his thumb. "Principal Bump banned me from Hexside, remember?"
"But nothing. Bump did you a favor. There ain't nothing for you at that dweebus factory." Eda spoke before turning to Gus. "No offense, dweebus."
"It's okay." the younger boy replied. "I come from a long line of dweebuses."
Hunter then slammed the box he was holding down on the floor, making it clatter. He rose to his feet and glared at his mentor.
"Well, I would love to go someday." the blonde teen fumed, crossing his arms. "Better than unpacking boxes in the Eda Coven."
"Oh, you think you're so clever, huh?" Eda stood up.
"Ooh! Fight, fight, fight!" King goaded them on.
"Can it, King!" the Owl Lady snapped at the little demon before turning back to Hunter. "First off, it's the 'Bad Girl Coven' and second off, I guess you don't want in on the T-shirt order, huh?"
She pulled out a piece of paper with a t-shirt of her own design drawn on it.
"I don't care about t-shirts, Eda! I want to learn magic, and they teach that at Hexside!" Hunter argued, gesturing to Gus. "Plus, I want to be able to see my friends more often."
"I mean, yeah, well-" the older witch stammered and grunted before leaving. "I don't want to hear another word about Hexside, unless it's 'Hexside is on fire' and 'let's grab front row seats!'"
In a huff, Eda slammed the door behind her. Hunter flinched from the loud noise.
"Aw, look what you did. I'm gonna go rub it in." King laughed, following the Owl Lady outside, closing the door again.
"I hate that I had to yell at her." the blonde boy sighed as he sat on the couch. "But ever since the last time I snuck into Hexside, Eda's been very protective of me."
He wanted to go to the same school as his friends more than anything. But there was no point at trying to convince the hater of Hexside to change her mind. Gus looked on at his friend's wistful expression.
'H-Hunter, a-about the ban, I, uh, used my H. A. S. presidential authority to pull some strings." he fibbed. "You've been giving a full pardon!"
"Are you saying..." Hunter spoke with hope in his voice.
"I got the ban lifted!" the younger boy finished.
"Oh, my gosh! Gus, thank you so much!" the blonde kid threw his arms around Gus in an elated hug. "Of course I'll be there tomorrow. If you think I'm about to let my friend get impeached from his own club, you got another thing coming. Plus, I'll get to see more of Hexside."
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow!" the illusionist witch said, waving goodbye while Hunter's hands were stimming..
As soon as he left the house, Gus stopped to congratulate himself.
"Yes! You did it, Gus!" he cheered before he started singing and dancing. "You did it, Gus ~ You're the smartest ~ You're the best!"
"Sweet moves, little dude." Hooty complimented the boy.
"I always forget you're there." Gus yelped.
"I forget I'm here too. Boop." the house demon replied.
"This is gonna work out after all." Gus declared happily after staring at Hooty for a bit.
The next day at Hexside, Gus confided in his best friend Willow about his plan. And to say that the plant witch did not approve of it, would be an understatement.
"This isn't gonna work at all." she said.
"Well, I feel like I took care of any potential problems." the illusionist boy scratched the back of his head.
"You lied to our best friend and told him you got the ban lifted." Willow told him. "That seems like a potential problem to me."
"You don't understand." Gus blurted. "The members were going mad. They were bloodthirsty. They were touching objects. I had no choice!"
"Really? What about all the wanted posters around school?" his friend asked.
"What wanted posters?" the illusionist witch inquired, pulling out one of the many that he collected from his bag.
"I'm here, Gus!" Hunter called as he arrived. "And I brought my cowl like you told me."
"Great. Remember to keep your hood up." the younger boy chuckled nervously. "Wanna keep you under wraps 'till the big reveal."
Willow frowned at her friend's dishonesty.
"Got it." Hunter said, putting on his hood and giving Gus a thumbs-up.
"Hunter, before you go in there-" the plant girl tried to tell him.
Suddenly, Gus' watch demon started screaming and repeatedly biting his arm. He poked it in the eye to make it stop.
"That's my alarm. Uh, we better get going." the young illusionist spoke as he dragged Hunter away. "See you after school, Willow."
"Bye!" the blonde boy waved at Willow.
"Oh, Gus. I hope you know what you're doing." the dark-haired girl muttered.
Back at the Owl House, Eda was moping outside by the front door. She couldn't wrap her head around as to why Hunter would want to go back to Hexside, especially after the painful lie detection spell ordeal.
"I'm trying to protect him. After what happened before, can you blame me?" the Owl Lady vented as she tore a flower apart. "Hexside chews up anything you need and spits out bland mush."
"I chew insects. I turn them into mush." Hooty replied absurdly as flies buzzed around his head.
"But that's my beef." Eda said. "Does he need to draw his own conclusions?"
"My beef is insects. They're what I eat." the house demon stated foolishly.
"You're just gonna be unhelpful, huh?" the witch lipped to him.
"All I know is, you taught me and I turned out just fine." Hooty answered confidently.
He then stuck his tongue out in an attempt to get the fly walking next to his head, making a gagging sound. Eda could only watch in concern. Suddenly, enrolling Hunter into Hexside didn't sound so bad anymore.
"I gotta get that boy into school." Eda conceded in an uneasy tone.
Meanwhile in the hallways of Hexside, a witch from the Beast Keeping track was about to walk off when his backpack suddenly flew off of him.
"Whoa!" the witch grunted as he fell on the floor. Another witch from the Beast Keeping track and a bird demon from the Oracle track were levitating the bag with their magic. They laughed as the poor victim was unwillingly in a game of Monkey in the Middle. "Hey! Give that back!"
Suddenly, one of the bullies was caught by a large hook. The hook belonged to a guard with an upside-down skeletal face and a nose graphic on their blue robe. The snared student fruitlessly struggled to get out as the guard leaned in and sniffed him.
"Trouble." they hissed.
The floating backpack fell on the ground as the Oracle kid backed away in fear. But they, he too was snagged by a school guard's hook and dragged away.
"No! Detention!" the bird demon cried out.
"The only thing I'm guilty of is being too real!" the Beast Keeping boy yelled while being lead away.
"That's new." Hunter commented as he and Gus came down the hall.
"Well, they kinda showed up after your last visit." his friend disclosed. "They smell trouble. Literally."
"Trouble." one guard grumbled, turning to the boys.
"Okay, time to run for no particular reason." Gus chuckled anxiously as he took the blonde boy by the wrist.
They ran farther down the hall until the young illusionist bumped into Mattholomule. The collision caused all of Hunter's wanted posters and his president crown to fall out of his bag. Gus gasped and scrambled to collect the posters on the floor.
"Augustus, you should really watch where you're going. Don't want the president of the H. A. S. getting hurt on his last day in office." Mattholomule spoke condescendingly as he dusted off the crown. He then noticed Hunter. "This must be your human expert. Hmm. Are you sure he's not just a fraud?"
"Oh, Hunter's no fraud, Mattholomule. He knows how to operate an actual human device." Gus disagreed. "Show him, buddy."
Hunter pulled out his cell phone and opened his camera app.
"Say 'cheese!'" the young witch said as he pressed the button on his phone, activating the flash feature.
"You blinded me!" Mattholomule yelped, rubbing his eyes. "What was that? Some kind of weapon?"
"No, I just took your picture. It's called a camera." Hunter interpreted. "Who's the fraud now?"
"Hunter's here to authenticate your treasures." Gus revealed as he took his crown back. The two boys then walked past the construction witch. "See you at the meeting."
"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Mattholomule muttered warily as he sank to the floor. "They can't know I lied. Then they'll never make me president. Huh?"
That was when he noticed one of the wanted posters that Gus had forgotten to collect and picked it up. The brunette boy's eyes widened when he remembered seeing Hunter's face somewhere before. The blonde teen was the same witch who was banned from the school. Mattholomule saw this as an opportunity to not only ensure his conquest of the H.A.S., but to also catch Gus in his own lie.
"Ooh, Gus, I have you now." the construction witch laughed slyly.
Outside the entrance to Hexside, Eda stared up at the building as the wind howled. It had been decades since she was back at the school she went to as a girl. And as much as she didn't want to be here, the Owl Lady know that Hunter did. She was determined to make her apprentice happy, even if it made herself miserable.
"Ugh. I had this nightmare before." the witch groaned as she walked inside.
Back in the school, Hunter and Gus continued to walk down a hallway.
"As president of the H. A. S., I should feel bad about dunking on one of our own members." the illusionist boy said. "But as a Gus, I feel like doing this: Oh, oh, yeah~ Oh, yeah, what, oh."
As he danced and gloated, Hunter's attention was drawn to a trophy case. He walked up to it and smushed his face against the glass, reading the names on all the trophy plaques and other awards.
"I wonder if my birth parents ever attended Hexside." the young witch wondered longingly.
All of a sudden, a school guard came around, sniffing for troublemakers. Gus tensed and grabbed Hunter's wrist again.
"Whoa!" the blonde kid yelped as he was yanked away from the guard's scent range.
"We don't have time to dawdle right now." his friend insisted as the two of them ran. "We gotta get to the clubroom."
"Okay. But next time you have to give me a full tour." Hunter replied.
"Yeah, next time." Gus laughed anxiously.
"If there is a next time." his inner voice betrayed him.
The boys quickly came to a stop when they saw a familiar teacher and his abomination.
"Hey. That's Professor Hermonculus." Hunter recognized the teacher. "I wonder if he'd remember me."
Suddenly, Professor Hermonculus turned around and raised a suspicious eyebrow at the boys. Both of them froze like a deer in headlights.
"Oh, wouldn't you know? We suddenly have time for a full tour of Hexside." Gus said, feeling on edge as he pushed Hunter away.
Meanwhile in Principal Bump's office, Eda was sitting across the desk of her former principal and took a pencil out of a mug.
"Been quite a while since I've sat here, huh?" she recalled.
The Owl Lady then placed the pencil on her top lip like a mustache and reclined in her chair. She crossed her feet next to Principal Bump's name plate. The older witch stared at her shoes, reminding him of the times Eda had been called into his office when she was a teenager.
"I gotta admit it's extra weird without you yelling at me for picking fights or stealing." the Owl Lady said coolly.
"I can easily change that." Principal Bump deadpanned as he magically shoved her over. She grunted in pain while Bump moved his name plate back into place. "What are you doing here, Edalyn?"
Eda sat back up and fixed her hair.
"I want to- Prft!" she began, but paused to blow the rebellious hair out of her face. "I want to enroll my kid, Hunter, at Hexside. And before you get all judgy-"
"That's not a bad idea." the elder witch cut her off.
"You no-good-" Eda was about to rant, but stopped after hearing him agree. "Wait, really?"
"I think the student body could learn a lot from having such an exchange student." Principal Bump said, walking over to a file cabinet and earning a grin from the Owl Lady. "But before I even consider that, there's a lot to be answered for."
Eda reclined on the desk again, only for the principal to magically turn her upside-down without even looking. Afterward, he pulled out a stack of files out of the cabinet.
"Oh, right. I've been meaning to talk to you about that." Eda said as she righted herself. "On what ethical grounds does a student have to cast a lie detention spell on another kid?"
"Oh, I'm not talking about Hunter. I'm talking about the necrotic experiments, the graffiti, the scams, the cheating, Miss Jenkinmeyers's teeth." Principal Bump specified as the younger woman sank in her chair. "The trouble you caused when you were here, Eda."
He then dropped the large stack of paper and books onto his desk for the Owl Lady to see. She gazed at the page on top, which read, "PERMANENT RECORD ~ EDALYN CLAWTHORNE." Eda knew that she created a lot of chaos back when she was a student, but this was shocking.
"Huh. I thought there'd be more." she commented in disbelief.
Outside, Gus lead Hunter to the grudgby pitch, which had basketball hoops on either side of it. Skara was out on the field while the boys sat on the bleachers in the stands.
"This is where we play the sport." Gus demonstrated.
Skara was about to go for the ball, only to picked up a griffin.
"I hate this game!" the bard girl screamed while the griffin screeched.
The beast then released Skara from its talons and she fell into one of the basketball hoops. A horn blared and the boys applauded. Just then, Gus noticed a school guard close by and he dragged Hunter away with him.
Back inside, the boys walked past a classroom and Hunter stopped to peek through the door's window.
"Hey. What's that?" Hunter inquired, his interest piqued.
"The Plant Homeroom." Gus answered simply.
Inside the classroom, there were various Plant track students tending to the greenery. Some were even harvesting fruits and vegetables. Suddenly, a carnivorous plant ate Amelia who had been standing next to it with a clipboard. Immediately, Willow raced over and tickled the plant's stem. It laughed and spat Amelia back up. She gave the dark-haired girl a thumbs-up, indicating that the plant was healthy.
"Hey, Willow." Hunter called to his friend, lightly knocking on the window.
The plant witch turned around and waved back at the blonde boy. Hunter's cheeks blushed and a smitten smile formed on his smile. And then, Gus also looked the window.
"Hi." the younger boy said, guilt evident in his expression.
Willow's face fell and she shook her head disapprovingly at her friend.
"Bye."
Gus quickly left to avoid the girl's intense glare, dragging Hunter behind him.
Later, the younger boy took his blonde friend to a classroom full of mirrors.
"And this is where I spend my time." Gus introduced to Hunter. "The Illusion Track Homeroom."
A professor was there to evaluate three students' illusion projects. Emira cast an illusion that doubled the length of her legs. Edric's illusion changed his face, outfit, and hair. A third red-haired student was visibly shaking as she drew a spell circle and accidentally made her face disappear! Luckily, the illusion professor was able to make the girl's face reappear and she inhaled deeply.
"Wait, if you're here, who's that?" Hunter asked, noticing a Gus look-alike sitting in the classroom across the hall.
"That's one of my illusions." his friend elucidated. "Takes notes for me when I'm not around."
The illusion gasped as he held up a piece of paper reading "I'm not paying attention." He giggled mischievously as he pointed to it.
"He doesn't always do what he's told." Gus narrowed his eyes at the illusion.
"Wow, Gus. You sure are good at this kind of magic." Hunter complimented, feeling impressed.
"Yeah. I moved up a couple grades." the young illusionist replied. But then, his watch screamed again. "Oh! Time for the H. A. S. meeting."
The boys ran off. Gus' illusion watched as they left, but the real Gus swiftly returned. He mimed decapitation and casually walked away. It was enough to scare the illusion to pay more attention in class.
At the H.A.S. room, the human appreciators were eagerly waiting for their president and special guest. And then, the club room door opened.
"Human Appreciation Society..." Gus announced, twanging his paperclip. "...it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you, Hunter, the Lost Witch."
The young illusionist stepped back as Hunter entered the doorway and took his hood off. He gave a friendly smile and wave to the H.A.S. members.
"Such showmanship." Bo expressed while Eileen squealed in delight.
"Is it true you grew up in the Human Realm?" the bard boy asked.
"We'll get to that in a minute." Gus promised. "Hunter, will you inspect the items?"
"Gladly. I will determine if these objects truly originated from the Human Realm." Hunter said as he reached for the "shoe."
"Stop!" Mattholomule yelled.
He knocked his phony objects off the desk with a grunt. Everybody else gasped at this random outburst.
"Don't make another move!" the construction witch snapped at Hunter, jumping onto the table. But he immediately calmed down. "I... have something to say. I'm new here at Hexside. M-Making friends has been hard, so I lied. They're all fakes."
All of the H.A.S. members were stunned by his revelation. Even Gus was caught a little off guard.
"I thought if I was important enough people would like me. But I've caused enough drama." Mattholomule continued. Hunter and Gus exchanged a sympathetic look with each other. "So, I'll go. I'm sorry."
"Hey, man. It's okay." Hunter forgave the brunette boy. "Everybody makes mistakes."
"Mattholomule, you aren't alone." Gus added kindly. "You have a place here in the H. A. S."
"You aren't alone." the bard boy agreed. "You're one of us."
"We admire your honesty." Bo clapped in support.
"Thanks, guys." Mattholomule grinned. "I knew you'd understand."
"I don't wanna do this!" Eda grunted through gritted teeth as she stood in the hallway.
"There's the whiny rebel teen I remember." Principal Bump smiled, lightly slapping the woman in the back and handing her a mop. "You'll need this to clean up all the hexed graffiti you left us. Good luck."
"Meh!" the Owl Lady stuck her tongue as the elder witch left.
Eda put the mop in the bucket and attempted to wipe away some graffiti on the lockers that read "EDA RULES BUMP EATS STINK." But the graffiti dodged the mop. The witch tried again, only for the graffiti to evade her once more. She tried to take a much slower approach and it did the same thing. Eda then proceeded to wipe the entire row of lockers all at once. But instead, all of the graffiti mashed together and read, "MOTHER NOOOO!!!" The Owl Lady slammed at that, but it moved once again. Eda groaned in frustration.
If this task was hard, then undoing all of her other teenage misdeeds was going to be a challenge. Eda was in for a long day.
Back at the H.A.S. meeting room, half of the club members said their goodbyes and left. Meanwhile, Hunter, Gus, and Mattholomule hung back for a moment.
"Thanks for coming."
"Come back soon."
"Thank you."
"Hey, Augustus, Hunter, thank you for being so forgiving." Mattholomule told the two other boys.
"We've all been the new kid before." Hunter replied. "Right, Gus?"
"Yeah." Gus agreed.
"Well, I just have one thing to say..." the construction witch spoke.
Suddenly, two school guards burst into the room.
"There he is!" Mattholomule bellowed, pointing at Hunter and pulling out one of his wanted posters. "He's the intruder!"
"Trouble." one guard hissed, taking a whiff.
"No, it's fine. The ban's been lifted." the blonde boy assured them. "Tell 'em, Gus." But then, Hunter was snagged by a large hook and he screamed as he was dragged out. "Gus! Tell them!"
"Oh, who's the liar now, Augustus?" Mattholomule asked cunningly.
In the Plant Homeroom, Willow had cast a spell to water the carnivorous plant. But she couldn't help feel bad about shaming Gus for being Hunter to school and lying about the ban.
"Maybe I've been too hard on Gus." the plant witch contemplated. "I mean, what trouble could those boys get into?"
"Help!" Hunter's voice cried out.
Willow and the carnivorous plant turned to the door. Through the window, they could make out the blonde boy being hauled off by a school guard!
"I don't even take classes here!" he hollered.
"Hunter!" Willow shouted.
"Where are you taking me?" Hunter asked frightfully.
"Detention." the guard snarled.
"Oh. That doesn't sound so bad." the kid's nerves lessened a little.
Hunter and the guard stopped in front of a giant door with three closed eyes. And then, the eyes, revealing their red sclera and yellow irises. And the bottom part of the door lifted up to reveal a mouth full of sharp teeth. Hunter screamed in horror at the sight of it.
Back in the H.A.S. room, Gus was shaking with anger after Mattholomule had just sold his friend out.
"I can't believe you two fell for that." the construction witch boasted. "Like I'd actually apologize."
"What. Did you. Do?" the illusionist boy questioned in fury.
"Ah, boo-hoo. 'I am the new kid. I want friends.'" Mattholomule mocked before talking normal again. "Ha! No. I want power. And I want drama. And I got one of those right now." He proceeded to back Gus up against a wall. "So, where do you going to do, Mr. President?"
"Executive action." the illusionist witch answered, pulling the bell's tongue.
It activated the fire alarm and launched water onto the two boys.
Moments later, another school guard arrived to apprehend them both and take them to detention too.
"But I didn't pull the alarm! It was Augustus!" Mattholomule argued as he struggled "Are you even listening to me? I demand justice!"
Willow peered around a corner as the boys passed.
The door to detention opened once more and the school guard tossed Mattholomule and Gus inside.
"Wait!" the construction boy exclaimed, running to the door that had already closed and banging on it. "Get me outta here! Open up!"
"Hunter!" Gus cried.
"Gus! You said the ban was lifted!" Hunter said as he was cowering behind a rock.
"Well, I-" the illusionist witch stammered in guilt.
"You never actually got the ban lifted, did you?" the blonde boy realized.
"Hunter, please. I can explain." Gus attempted to justify himself.
But before he could do so, the ground cracked open at his feet. The crack widened until it nearly engulfed the entire chamber. Down below, there was a hole full of teeth, eyes, and blue tendrils and pods. Some of the pods even had students inside of them. Hunter shrieked from what he saw.
Meanwhile in the cafeteria, the double doors swung open and a cloud of fog rolled in. Eda entered and ghosts fell onto the floor behind her as she walked. She was carrying a large burlap sack full of specters on her back. And there was purple ectoplasm stuck in her hair. The witch dropped the bag of ghosts at Principal Bump's feet.
"There." Eda strained. "The girls' changing room is ghost-free."
"Are you ready to give up?" Bump asked, pulling a ghost out of her hair. "You've barely scratched the surface."
The Owl Lady growled at him. She knew the older witch was setting her up to quit. It was also a bit of payback for unleashing chaos onto the school. Eda was about to consider throwing in the towel, but then she saw Bo helping her friend Skara with a spell.
"No, like this." the Healing track girl demonstrated, summoning a ball of fire, which turned into a snowball that fell onto the lunch table.
"Oh." Skara gasped, starting to understand. She copied her friend and succeeded. "Wow." The two girls happily hugged each other. "Friendship is the real magic!"
"They're just as bad as Hunter. He'd love it here." Eda smiled as she remembered who she was doing all these chores for. This gave her motivation to keep going. "All right. What's next, Bumpikins?"
Principal Bump grinned as he held up a toilet plunger. The Owl Lady groaned at the sight of it, still trying to keep a straight face. She just had to keep reminding herself. This is for Hunter.
Back in detention, the boys were staring down at the pit of despair at their feet fearfully.
"How is this detention?!" Hunter flipped out. "This is a death sentence!"
"I don't know! I've never been in detention before!" Gus answered, pinning himself against the wall.
"Welcome to my world." Mattholomule joined him. "Believe it or not, in my old school, I was in detention plenty of times."
"That isn't hard to believe." the blonde teen retorted. "You're kind of a jerk."
"Well, down in detention, this jerk is king. So if you want to get out, you better do exactly what I say." the construction witch told the others, walking forward. "But first, before anything else, we gotta-" But just before he could explain his plan, he yelled as a snake rose out of the hole. It opened its mouth and a blue tendril wrapped around Mattholomule's ankle. "Already?!"
The boy screamed as he was dragged down into the pit.
"Mattholomule!" Hunter cried out as the construction witch was encased in a cocoon. He then turned his attention back to Gus. "You lied to me. You lied about the ban! Why?"
"I was afraid." Gus revealed. "I acted stupid."
"Yes, you did!" the blonde teen said angrily.
"Being younger than everyone is hard." the young illusionist explained as he scooted over to his friend. "You're overlooked. Ignored. But at the H.A.S., I matter. I can make sure no one would ever get left behind. I didn't want to lose that. I'm sorry."
"I get it." Hunter forgave him, putting a comforting hand on Gus' shoulder. "I just wish you told me the truth."
The younger boy smiled at his friend. But then, several snakes began slithering up out of the hole, hissing.
"Let me make it up to you, Hunter." Gus said. "I've got a plan."
Hunter quickly kicked one snake in the face as it closed in on the duo.
"I'm in." the blonde teen declared. "Where do we start?"
"By leaving no one behind." the illusion witch answered, taking his hand.
Hunter screamed as the two friends jumped down into the pit. They landed on an eye and bounced off, grunting as they hit the ground. Then, the boys stood up and pulled down Mattholomule's cocoon from the large cluster on the wall.
"You will be a good student." a brainwashing voice whispered from inside the pod.
"I will be a good student." the construction witch echoed.
Hunter tried to use his fingernails to claw at the pod's membrane, but the effort proved to be futile.
"Ugh! This cocoon is too tough for me to tear into." the blonde teen groaned. "Hey, Gus, you're a witch. Can you use your magic on this?"
"Oh, I'll use magic." Gus said, pulling out the paperclip and bending it. "Human magic."
He then jabbed the bent paperclip into the pod and sliced through the membrane. After that, the young Illusionist peeled the cocoon off of Mattholomule, freeing him.
"Am I a good student?" the brunette boy asked weakly.
"What has this kid been eating?" Hunter strained as he hoisted Mattholomule's unconscious onto his shoulder. Just then, more snakes started to surround the three boys. "This is part of the plan, right?"
"Or the illusion of a plan." Gus responded, having another idea.
He drew a spell circle and swiped it through the air. The spell circle multiplied and several clones of Hunter and Gus appeared. One snake flicked its tongue at one of the Gus illusions, making it vanish. The snake hissed in anger.
"Gus, you're brilliant!" Hunter cheered.
The young illusionist picked up a giant bone and the two boys started to climb out of the hole. Many snake slithered after them. Gus managed to reach the top first and took Mattholomule from Hunter as he followed. The blonde boy kicked one snake in the face after another as he pulled himself up. His young friend smacked a third serpent with the large bone and ran towards the exit.
"We're gonna have to bust down the door." Gus told Hunter.
"Right behind you." the blonde witch said, scooping up Mattholomule and following his friend.
A trio of serpents slithered out of the hole and pursued the kids. Hunter took a hold of the bone, and the boys sprinted towards the door. Using the bone like a battering ram, the pair screamed as they charged.
Outside, Willow was sneaking to the door to detention. She strained to lift the crossbar off, managing to get it off halfway. But then, the plant girl froze when she heard a voice approaching.
"I washed off all the graffiti. Apologized to Jenkinmeyer for stealing her teeth. Caught all the wild cerebi." Eda listed everything she managed to make up for from her teen years. "Ah, we should be good."
"It will be very nice to have an exchange student who's so foreign in our ways." Principal Bump said, shaking hands with the Owl Lady.
"And you won't tell the Emperor's Coven about this, will you?" the woman asked. "The kid's got more wanted posters in Bonesborough than I do."
"No. Hexside school is safe for you both." the elder witch assured her. "I'm a principal, not a stooge. Consider your pupil our pupil."
Suddenly, a loud banging sound interrupted them. Willow backed away from the detention door as it was hit again from the inside. And then, a third hit shattered the door completely. Hunter and Gus burst through, panting in the wreckage. The blonde boy crippled under the weight of the bone and Mattholomule's limp body, dropping to his knees.
"Eda?" he breathed, lifting his head up.
"Guess who got you into Hexside!" Eda chirped.
"What?" Hunter said in confusion.
A snake kept hissing, preparing to pounce. The blonde kid screamed and flinched in fear. But when Principal Bump snapped his fingers, the snake froze.
"Uh, sorry, Principal Bump. Sir." it apologized as it retreated, Hunter unfolding from his flinch.
"What did you do?" the man scolded him.
"Ugh, kid." Eda facepalmed in exasperation.
"To think that any student of yours would be capable of anything but create chaos..." Principal Bump berated her.
But the Owl Lady tuned him out when she noticed that Hunter was shaking and whimpering. His eyes were welling up and his bottom lip quivered. Never mind that the boy wasn't the one being yelled at right now. He still felt like it was his fault that his mentor was in this position. And Eda couldn't stand that.
"All right, all right, Bump. I think we can take a hint." she stopped Principal Bump, avoiding eye contact as she wrapped her arms around Hunter. The teen sniffled as he dried his tears. "Come on, kid. Let's get out of this death trap."
"Wait, Principal Bump. Don't blame Hunter." Gus spoke up as Eda and Hunter were starting to leave. "I told him the ban was lifted. We were fighting over the Human Appreciation Society. I brought Hunter in because I wanted to win. This is all my fault."
"If that's so, Augustus, would you be willing to accept his punishment as your own?" Principal Bump asked.
"Yes, Principal Bump. I would." the young illusionist agreed.
"Huh. Dang, dweebus." Eda commented while Hunter's face soften at the sight of his friend taking the fall.
"Very well." Principal Bump spoke, approaching the blonde boy. "In light of that, barring any more trouble, you shall be enrolled in Hexside School next semester."
Hunter gasped and smiled, squealing with joy.
"Uh, hold on, hold on." Eda stopped the elder witch, putting her hands on her apprentice's shoulders.
She then glared at Bump and gestured him to step back so that she could have a moment with Hunter. The school principal took exactly two steps back. And then, Eda knelt down in front of the young witch.
"I'm only doing this because I have faith in you. And I know you're too smart to fall for that One-Witch, One-Coven nonsense. You can learn a lot from the witches here." the Owl Lady whispered, only pausing to glance over her shoulder. "And maybe teach them some of that Bad Girl Coven magic too."
"I didn't hear that." Principal Bump pretended to ignore her. He then focused his attention on Gus. "As for you, I would be saying detention right now, but that seems to be out of order. So, as of right now, I'm removing you from the Human Appreciation Society."
As he said this, the older man revoked Gus' presidential crown.
"Does that make me president?" Mattholomule asked in a muffled voice.
"Impressive. Still alive. Yes, I suppose you are." Principal Bump replied, tossing the crown on the boy's head.
"Yes!" the construction witch cheered weakly.
"Now, with that accomplished, Eda, we still have some paperwork to fill out." he told the Owl Lady as he headed back to his office.
"Wait, I gotta do more stuff? Ugh!" Eda said in irritation. She lightly ruffled Hunter's hair before following Bump. "You better enjoy this place, kid."
The blonde teen looked at his friends and grinned.
"Wanna finish that tour?" Gus offered.
"I can show you guys what plants not to touch in the greenhouse." Willow suggested.
"Yeah! Let's go." Hunter responded gleefully, his cheeks pinkening.
The three kids took each other's hands and laughed as they jogged off together, leaving Mattholomule behind.
Back in Principal Bump's office, Eda sat at the desk, filling out Hunter's medical records. She included the boy's intolerance to most Demon Realm food, his autism and insomnia, and her own emergency contact.
"That should be it." the Owl Lady confirmed after adding her signature in the designated spots. "Now, you have to promise me that you won't let anything bad happens to Hunter while he's here."
"Eda..." Principal Bump spoke.
"Just make sure he's safe, okay?" Eda reiterated, folding her hands. "That's all I ask."
The elder witch looked at the woman's pleading eyes. Eda wasn't usually one to beg for anything, but Bump could tell by the genuineness in her words that she was being serious. After Hunter was subjected to a lie detection spell, it made sense why the Owl Lady was so concerned about the boy's safety. She cared deeply about Hunter.
"Promise." Principal Bump nodded.
"Oh! Before I go, what would it take to talk you out of getting my permanent record?" Eda tried to barter.
"Feeling nostalgic, Edalyn?" her former principal chuckled.
"You could say that."
But all banter aside, the Owl Lady really did want Hunter to be happy and comfortable at this school. The kid had such an infectious enthusiasm to learn new things. She could only hope that the conformity of Hexside didn't snuff that out.
Notes:
Hunter gets to go back to school, for real this time.
Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Escape of the Palisman
Summary:
After a trip on Eda's staff takes a tailspin, Hunter and Owlbert find themselves held captive by the Bat Queen. Now, Hunter's friends must complete a series of difficult tests in order to earn their freedom. During that time, Hunter discovers something amazing about himself and gains something unexpected too.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was a decent morning in Bonesborough, Hunter Noceda and Eda had decided to bring King to the local playground to burn off some energy. Or as it's known on the Boiling Isles, the Slayground. There were several baby-track running around and laughing. At the front gate, there was a sign that read "THE SLAYGROUND; funded by the Bonesborough Department of Parks and Wreck." On the stone wall that surrounded the park, there was another sign that said "ALL BLOODTHIRSTY MONSTERS MUST BE LEASHED." Under the sign, Hunter and Eda were sitting on a park bench watching King play. And the blonde boy couldn't help but fear that the little demon could cause a nasty scene.
"What if he tries to pick a fight? He can be a bit impulsive. Oh, it's a slugfest just waiting to happen." he panicked a little.
"He's fine." Eda eased his worries. "Look at him."
The two of them looked on as King struggled to climb up the slide rather than use a ladder.
"You're right." the teen sighed. "But I just don't want him getting in any trouble."
"What kind of trouble could he get into?" his mentor asked.
"Stand back, cretins." King told the other kids as he finally scurried his way to the top of the slide. "Yes! Yes! This is a throne worthy of a tyrant."
The "throne" the demon laid claim to was really just the playground's main jungle gym. But it still sufficed King's delusions of grandeur.
"Bow to me you snotty underlings." the ordered the two toddlers who were looking up at him. "Bow!"
"Okay." the kids chorused.
But because they were so young, they didn't understand what bowing meant. So instead, the three-eyed demon did a handstand while the little girl did a backbend. Nevertheless, it was enough to make King happy.
"Yes, appease your master." the little demon said, rubbing his paws together.
"This isn't for standing, it's for sliding. You try." a little boy with snot dangling from his nose spoke, approaching King from behind.
He then pushed the furry demon down the slide. King screamed as he went somersaulting and hit the ground with a thud.
"Eda!" he tattled as his ran to his friends, clinging Hunter's leg. "That monster took my throne!"
"You mean the baby?" Eda asked with a smirk.
"No, the usurper." King said, pointing to the toddler who was now on a spring rider. "I want you to go over there and blow him up! Kaboom!"
"Kaboom!" Usurper copied him.
"Oh, come on, King." Hunter crossed his arms. "Be mature."
"Yeah, I'm not using Owlbert to blow up a five-year-old." Eda agreed as she unscrewed Owlbert from her staff. "He's got better things to do. Like this..."
The Owl Lady proceeded to pet him on his chest feathers.
"Ah, that's the spot." the little owl warbled.
"Aw." Hunter cooed. "How'd you get him, by the way?"
"Get? I made Owlbert from the branch of an ancient tree." Eda told him as Owlbert hopped onto her hand. He then perched on the older witch's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "Oh, he's my palisman and we're bonded for life. I'd annihilate anyone who tried to hurt him."
"Fine. Don't help. Revenge will taste all the sweeter if they fall by my hand alone." King spoke, laughing evilly.
"Tag! You're it!" Usurper came up from behind and shoved him. He then ran off, laughing innocently.
"Oh, man. Here we go. King's squeak of rage." Eda chuckled.
King grunted as he stood up. And then, he squealed loudly as he wriggled and punched the air like he was throwing a temper tantrum. The little demon paused before he continued squealing and charged after his rival. Eda and Hunter both laughed at the scene.
"I'm sorry." the blonde teen sputtered between giggles. "I know I shouldn't be laughing, but that's hilarious."
"He's like a little tea kettle." the Owl Lady snorted, wiping away a single tear.
As Owlbert scratched at his face, Hunter noticed a hole at the bottom of the the owl's foot.
"Hey, what's that?" the boy asked, pointing at the hole.
"That's his interlock. So he only fits on to my staff. Every palisman has one." Eda explained.
But all of a sudden, the older witch passed out on the spot. Hunter gasped sharply as he assisted in laying his unconscious mentor on the bench. Owlbert perched on the back, watching with concern.
"Eda?" Hunter said frantically, trying to wake the Owl Lady up. "Eda! Eda! Wake up!"
Finally, Eda's eyes blinked open and she saw her apprentice and palisman hovering over her.
"Are you all right?" the blonde kid asked as he helped the older witch sit up. "You just collapsed all of a sudden."
"What?" the Owl Lady shuddered. "Oh, no. The curse. Hey, we have to get home. Now!"
She quickly picked up her staff and started to leave the playground with Hunter and Owlbert following close behind.
"King, we have to go!" the young witch called to the furry demon who was back on the jungle gym with Usurper.
"Five more minutes, please!" the little demon insisted.
"King!" Hunter shouted more assertively.
"Ah, man." King pouted before turning his attention back to his rival. "This isn't over."
"Okay, let's play again real soon." Usurper said as he went to hug the furry demon.
"No, no. Keep those sticky hands away!" King screamed. "Oh, no! He's touching me!"
As soon as the group got back to the Owl House, Eda tossed her staff on the couch. She then yawned and flopped face first onto the sofa.
"I'll go get your elixir." Hunter offered.
"Don't worry about it." his mentor replied, her voice muffled. "I'll get it myself in a bit."
"Do you need me to stay home and take care of you?" the young witch asked.
He always helped take care of his adoptive mother whenever she was sick back in the Human Realm. Hunter didn't see this situation as anything too different.
"Look, I know how to take care of myself." the Owl Lady reassured him. "I've had this curse longer than you've been alive."
"So, how'd you get it?" the blonde kid questioned.
"I don't know." Eda grunted.
"You don't know?" Hunter echoed incredulously.
"Somebody gave it to me. I don't know who and I don't care because I'm fine, all right?" the older witch replied sharply. Hunter felt a little hurt by how Eda responded but he quickly assumed that it was the curse that was making her grumpy. "Anyway, don't you have plans with Tweedledum and Twerpledee?"
"Well, Willow, Gus and I are going to the grudgby game between Hexside and Glandus High." the boy replied.
"Since when are you into sports?" the Owl Lady asked as she screwed Owlbert onto her staff.
"Since I was allowed to enroll at Hexside." Hunter answered. "I wanna get immersed in everything they do before the start of the next semester. But if you need me to stay..."
"Gross. Sympathy." Eda stopped him, getting to her feet. "Go! Go have fun at sport."
"Okay. Thanks, Eda!" her apprentice said before heading out. "Bye, King. Don't spend all night plotting revenge."
"That drooly-faced heathen will know my wrath." the little demon replied in a sing-songy tone as he drawing on the floor.
At Hexside, several students were lining up to get on a dragon bus. Hunter had arrived at the school to meet his friends. On the way, he was practicing his cheer for the grudgby game.
"Who's going to lead us to victory? H-E-X-S-I-D-E!" the young witch chanted.
He was so focused on that, he barely noticed the dragon bus that roared and bit at the boy. Hunter shuddered and hurried away. And then, he noticed Willow and Gus waiting for him by the front steps.
"Hi, guys." the blonde witch greeted them.
"Woo-hoo!" he and Willow chorused, pumping their arms.
"Game day roar!" Gus cheered simultaneously.
"Thanks for inviting me to the game." Hunter told his friends. "Say, what are we known as? Hexidians? Hexies? Hexoleos?"
"Actually, most people call us... winners." Willow replied intensely.
The blonde teen stared at her for a moment, his cheeks and ears blushing.
"Grudgby games are the best. The players go through these action-packed trials. And the audience gets to wave flags." Gus explained, whipping a pair of his own flags. "Look, I practiced."
He then hummed and did a little dance, making the older boy chuckle. Hunter then noticed how his friends had Hexside paraphernalia, and he didn't.
"Is it weird that I'm not wearing anything that represents Hexside?" he asked as he looked down at his sweater and jeans.
"Oh no, your clothes match our school colors perfectly." Willow smiled.
She pointed to the sign next to her friend. And sure enough, the kid's sweater and jeans matched Hexside's school colors of golden yellow and navy blue.
"Nice sweater, bro." a giant boy complimented Hunter. "Hexside represent!"
"Still, I'd like to wear some Hexside apparel so that I don't stick out too much." the blonde witch said. "Where can I get some?"
"I know. There's a lost and found box in the cafeteria." Gus suggested, pointing at the school with his flag.
"Cool. I'll be right back." Hunter told his friends as he ran inside.
In the cafeteria, the teen discovered the lost and found, a giant chest that was tucked in the corner. He opened it up and started digging inside. Hunter wanted something with Hexside colors, but wasn't too flashy. Soon, he happened upon a scarf in golden yellow and navy blue.
"Perfect." the blonde boy smiled.
"Trying to update your wardrobe with hand-me-downs, Half-a-Witch Hunter?" Boscha said as she came up from behind him. "Big mistake."
Hunter turned around, surprised by the mean girl and narrowed his eyes at her.
"Don't you have a bus to catch, Boscha?" the blonde witch asked in annoyance.
"True. As captain of the grudgby team, it is my civic duty to carry the weight of the team to victory. Not that I wouldn't expect you to understand." the potionist witch boasted highly. "How you convinced Bump to lift your ban is beyond me. You will never belong in this or any other magic school."
Hunter's face fell as she left. He didn't want to believe Boscha was right, but there was some truth in her words. The young witch didn't have any natural, magical ability. Would that really make him a soft target for bullies and other knuckleheads? Hunter didn't want to dwell on being put down too much.
A little while later, the blonde boy burst through the doors, wearing his scarf in a loose slipknot.
"I'm here! I'm ready!" Hunter panted but then noticed Willow and Gus were the only ones left waiting. "Uh, where is everyone?"
The young witch watched as the dragon bus was flying away, leaving him and his friends behind!
"Hexside rules!" the giant boy from earlier cheered.
"Oh, no! Come back!" Hunter yelled as he fruitlessly tried to flag the bus down. "Why didn't you guys board the bus?"
"We weren't going to leave you behind." Willow answered sweetly.
"I was." Gus said.
"Gus!" the plant witch elbowed him, still maintaining her smile.
"Can't we walk to Glandus?" Hunter asked.
"We'd never make it in time." the young illusionist told him. "Glandus is... all the way out in the middle of the island."
"Of course it is." the blonde boy scoffed.
"And my parents are working, otherwise I'd see if they could give us a ride on their staff." Willow added.
"Maybe Eda can lend us her staff." Hunter's eyes brightened up as he got an idea. "And I can personally fly you to Glandus."
"You can?" Gus spoke hopefully.
"Mmhm." the older boy nodded. "Eda's been giving me flying lessons. It'll be great practice for when I get my own staff one day. Come on."
He took Willow's hand and they both ran back to the Owl House while Gus leaped like a ballerina after them.
On the way there, Hunter's friends took the time to talk to him.
"So, why did it take you so long to get ready?" Willow inquired.
"Boscha saw me rummaging through the lost and found." the blonde boy sighed.
"Oh, boy." Gus spoke uncomfortably. "How did that go?"
"Just about as bad as you would expect." Hunter responded.
"I'm so sorry, Hunter." the plant witch apologized.
"Don't be sorry." her friend told her. "It's not your fault she doesn't know how to be nice."
Before long, the young witches arrived at the front door of the Owl House.
"I just need to pop in to grab Eda's staff, and I'll be right back." Hunter stated to the other kids.
He opened the door and walked into the house, closing it behind him.
"King, are you home? Hello?" the young witch called as walked up the stairs. That was when he caught the little demon emerging from Eda's bedroom. "Oh, there you are. Is Eda up?"
"Who?" King spoke confused before chuckling nervously. "Oh. That Eda. No, no. She is out like a light."
Behind the bedroom doors, they both heard a low grumbling sound.
"Oh, man. Can she snore." the furry demon snickered.
"Oh, no. I wanted to ask if I could borrow her staff but I know she needs her rest." Hunter said in disappointment.
"Oh, I'm sure it's fine. It's fine." King spoke quickly grabbing Eda's staff and handing it to the boy. "Just take it."
"Well, I'd still like to get Eda's permission first." the young witch insisted.
An animalistic scream emanated from behind the doors.
"Well, there's your permission." the demon confirmed. "Off you go."
"I'm really owe Gus and Willow one. And it's just for the afternoon." Hunter stated, gazing at the staff. "I'm sure Eda wouldn't mind."
"Not our generous, kindhearted Eda." King agreed anxiously. "Big heart on her."
Something about the furry demon's behavior really perplexed the young witch.
"Is there something you wanna tell me?" he queried. "You've been acting suspicious since I got back."
"Me, suspicious?" King replied dramatically. "I'm just making sure that Eda gets her beauty sleep is all."
"All right. I'll be back soon." Hunter shrugged as he prepared to leave.
"Close call." the little demon spoke in relief.
"What did you say?" his friend asked, stopping in his tracks.
"Nothing."
"Okay."
After that, Hunter left for real.
"We're all set, guys." he announced with Eda's staff in his hands.
"Ooh!" Willow and Gus uttered in amazement.
"Gimme!" the illusionist boy took the staff and started swinging it around.
He ended hitting Owlbert against the exterior of the house pretty hard.
"Ow!" Owlbert hooted in pain.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Careful!" Hunter exclaimed, taking the staff back. "Eda's staff isn't just her magical tool, and it's certainly not a toy. Owlbert is her palisman. The bond they share is incredibly strong. Eda would destroy us if anything bad happened to him."
"Sorry, Owlbert." Willow atoned, even though she wasn't the one who was goofing off with the palisman.
"Hey, we'd better get to Glandus High or we'll miss the pregame show." Gus alerted his friends.
"All right, everyone." Hunter declared as he mounted onto the staff. "The Owlbert Express is now accepting passengers."
"Feel that power-to-weight ratio." Willow said as she boarded behind the blonde boy.
He blushed and felt butterflies in his stomach as the girl wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Boys, prepare to fly." Gus told his flags as he boarded behind Willow.
"Away we go. To Glandus High." Hunter proclaimed.
Heeding his command, the staff ascended into the air with the kids on board.
"What did Eda say to make her staff go?" the teen muttered before remembering. "Oh, yeah. Gun it, magic stick!"
Owlbert accelerated forward. But right away, the trio was already off course. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hunter was starting to feel a wave of drowsiness as his insomnia stated to act up.
"Oh, no." the blonde witch yawned, trying to fight it. "Not... now..."
Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle and fell fast asleep. Hunter ended up slipping off Eda's staff into the forest below. Willow attempted to grab her friend's hand but it was too late.
"Hunter!" the plant witch cried out as his body disappeared into the canopy.
The boy's unconscious body tumbled through multiple tree limbs until he finally reached the forest floor. His scarf got snagged on a branch and slipped off his neck in the process. Hunter groggily opened his eyes, and his hazy vision was barely able to make out a bright red blur before he blacked out again.
"We have to go back for him!" Willow exclaimed as she tried to take control of Eda's staff.
The plant girl made a U-turn, but Owlbert ended up taking her and Gus for a loop-de-loop. The young witches screamed the whole way. Next, they banged into several trees before hitting a big one in a head-on collision. The two kids fell directly into a bush and Owlbert dropped right on the top of his head. The little owl palisman hooted sadly as a noticeable crack had formed.
"Gus, you okay?" Willow asked she sat up.
"I think I lost my lunch back there." Gus groaned nauseously.
They soon noticed Owlbert on the ground and the injury he had sustained. The palisman hooted as he twisted himself on the staff and flew away in fear.
"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no!" the plant witch gasped as the tiny owl disappeared into the woods. "Owlbert, come back!"
The first thing Hunter woke up to was a ticklish sensation in various parts of his body. He stirred and giggled as he felt himself being nuzzled all over. The young witch opened his eyes and discovered that he was in a comfy bed of leaves, moss, and even feathers. As soon as his vision fell into focus, Hunter found himself surrounded by various, small animals. They included a cardinal, a bee, a chameleon, a white cat, a manticore, and a cricket. All they were speaking to the blonde boy, sounding like children.
"You're awake."
"Hello."
"Welcome."
"How are you feeling?"
"Are you okay, new friend?"
"You're all palismen." Hunter gasped upon realization.
The only palisman he had ever been around was Owlbert. The blonde teen never envisioned that one day, he would be in the presence of so many. And on top of that, Hunter could understand all of them. Was this some kind of magical gift he had?
"Where am I?" the young witch asked, looking around the area was in.
Suddenly, a familiar demon descended from above. It was the Bat Queen, along with her kids. She stepped forward to face Hunter.
"Hello, Little Grim." she spoke in a smooth voice.
"Bat Queen." the blonde boy gasped. "Did you bring me here?"
"No, twas Flapjack's doing." the large bat answered, gesturing to the cardinal palisman.
"'Flapjack?' Is that your name?" Hunter asked the red bird.
"Yes, it is." Flapjack chirped in response.
"Owlbert told me of your ordeal." the Bat Queen informed Hunter. "You were sleepy and needed rest."
She then moved aside and revealed Owlbert himself.
"Hi, Hunter." he warbled.
"Oh, no!" the blonde boy gasped, noticing the crack on the owl palisman's head. "How did that happen?"
"I took a hard fall." Owlbert hooted.
"Owlbert, I'm so sorry." Hunter apologized, scooping him up in his hands.
"Worry not, Little Grim." the Bat Queen assured him. "You and Owlbert safe now."
The young witch was confused by how that was worded. What did the demon mean by "safe?" Safe from what?
Meanwhile, Willow and Gus were sprinting through the forest, trying to catch with Eda's runaway palisman who had flown into a cave. All of a sudden, the plant girl's eye caught something familiar hanging from a branch.
"That's Hunter's scarf!" Willow gasped as she used her magic to get it down. "If we find Owlbert, we'll find Hunter. Come on."
"We need to be careful, Willow." Gus warned her. "We don't know what we might encounter in there."
"That's why we need to stick together, Gus." his friend replied, taking his hand. "Hang on, Hunter. We're coming for you."
The two young witches ventured deep into the cave. They stuck close as they heard screeching sounds and felt bones crunch beneath their shoes.
"Wow. I keep stepping on a lot of crunchy twigs." Willow said, holding Eda's empty staff tight in her hands.
"Pretty sure those are bones, Willow." Gus informed her.
"Not if I never look down." the plant witch replied innocently, keeping her head up.
Suddenly, a shadow passed over the two friends. They yelped and stepped closer together apprehensively.
"This forest sure has a lot of spider webs." Gus commented, noticing the webbing hanging from the tree branches.
"This isn't a forest, Gus." Willow disagreed as the Bat Queen's kids chirped and approached the kids. "It's a nest."
"Willow? Gus?" Hunter's voice spoke.
The two witches gazed at their blonde friend who was lying in a smaller nest with Owlbert by his side.
"Hunter!" the kids cried in relief.
"You found me." Hunter smiled, realizing that Owlbert led them right to him.
"We're here to rescue you." Gus stated.
"Let's get you and Owlbert out of here." Willow said, making a coaxing motion with her hand.
But the owl palisman shyed away from the plant witch's gesture.
"I'm not going anywhere." he warbled in protest.
"Oh, no, Owlbert, it's okay." Hunter attempted to coax him.
Out of the blue, the Bat Queen stepped in front of the the boy and palisman and into the light, blocking them both. Willow and Gus gasped at the enormous demon as she inched closer and snarled.
"You shouldn't be here." she hissed.
"It's the... Bat Queen." Gus squeaked trepidatiously. "I think I'd rather take my chances with Eda."
"Wait." Willow told him. "We're sorry for disturbing you, Bat Queen. But our friends got separated from us, and we need to get them home. So, we'll just take them and get out of your hair."
But the Bat Queen put a claw on her chest, stopping the girl before she could even get close to Hunter or Owlbert.
"To be careless with a staff, it's very serious." the large demon told her. "I protect them."
"That's... very nice of you, but Owlbert actually belongs to Eda the Owl Lady." Willow replied nervously, removing the claw. "And Hunter's her apprentice."
"You do owe her a favor, if I recall." Hunter added.
"Owl Lady is careless." the Bat Queen debated sternly. "Her staff left her sight. Taken by witchlings who steal, hurt, frighten, and put Little Grim in harm's way."
"Little Grim?" Gus whispered. "Does she mean Hunter?"
"How do you know..." Willow tried to ask.
"He told me all." the large demon answered, her eyes glowing yellow. Owlbert's eyes did the same.
"But that last one was an accident." Hunter testified.
"He's right, Owlbert. We never meant to hurt either of you." the dark-haired girl tried to assure the owl palisman, kneeling down. "Please trust me."
"I can't." Owlbert hooted as he flew from Hunter's hands to the top of the Bat Queen's head. Both of their eyes glowed again.
"Trust must be earned..." the demon told the plant witch, flying to a perch. "...through trials!"
Three towers of fire erupted from the ground at the last word.
"Trials?" Gus echoed, waving his flags enthusiastically.
"One of you must complete series of tasks to prove worth. Without magic." the Bat Queen instructed, the kids gasping at the mention of magic not being allowed. "Succeed, and you may have Owlbert and Little Grim back."
"I'll do it." Willow stepped up, Hunter's eyes widening in shock.
"But Willow, no one's ever won the Bat Queen's impossible trials." the younger boy mentioned.
"But it's the only way to get Hunter and Owlbert back." the plant girl convinced her friend before turning back to the Bat Queen. "I accept your challenge."
"And I'll be right there to help you." the illusionist boy said, holding his flags high. "Let the flags raise you up."
But then, the large demon closed her claw, encasing him in webbing.
"Hey!" Gus interjected.
"No helpsies." the Bat Queen denied. "Now, let the trials begin." And with that, she gave Willow her first task. "Milk the spider demon."
A spider with udders like a cow approached the girl who was holding a metal bucket. Willow glanced at Hunter who watched on worriedly with his new palisman friends. He looked up at Owlbert who tilted his head. The plant witch then focused her attention back on the spider. She had actually fed one at a petting zoo when she was little. How hard could milking one really be.
"Here, spidey, spidey, spidey." Willow coaxed the creature, slowly walking towards her.
But the spider demon ran off, squealing.
"Don't you run." the dark-haired girl ordered, chasing after the spider. "You'll just make this harder for both of us."
As soon as she accomplished the task, one of the flames extinguished themselves. Now it was on to the next trial.
"Remove bees nest." the Bat Queen commanded.
Willow climbed up a tree with Eda's empty staff in hand. A giant buzzing bees nest was sitting in one of the branches. The plant witch raised the staff, ready to smack the nest. But as it turned out, the nest was really the head of a giant bee that screeched at her. Willow yelped, and fell out of the tree. And then, the bee chased after her while she screamed.
Poor Hunter felt helpless to do anything.
"This is so messed up." he said in guilt. "I'm the one who took Eda's staff without asking. I should be the one doing these trials, not Willow."
"You didn't get Owlbert hurt." Flapjack chirped comfortingly. "It's not your fault."
Even so, the blonde boy couldn't stand that Willow was punished for his mistake. What kind of friend did that make him?
"Come on. Almost got it." Gus struggled as he used his flags to cut the webs. Until, success. "I am free! Bat Queen, you will rue the day you tried to trap-" But the Bat Queen immediately trapped the young illusionist again. Only this time, he was being suspended from the cave ceiling. "Aww."
Once Willow completed the second challenge, another flame went out.
"Give babies a bath!" the Bat Queen barked the third task.
The plant girl sat on the ground, vigorously scrubbing one bat baby with a scrub brush while another one was biting her shoulder. All three bats were covered in soapy suds. Willow grunted in determination while they put up a fight, fussing in protest.
"Willow, I'm here if you need me." Gus called to his friend. "Just cut me free, and I'll go get Eda."
"No, I was careless, and I got Hunter and Owlbert hurt." the dark-haired witch replied. "I need to finish this so they know they can trust me."
She then dumped a barrel of water all over the baby bats to rinse them off. They screeched a little, then turned around to show their neat hair and shiny faces. Hunter had to admit, they looked kind of adorable now.
"Aww." he cooed at the sight.
"Phew!" Willow exhaled, wiping her forehead in relief.
But then, the bats shook the water off, and went back to being nasty as they screeched in her face. The girl screamed. But the Bat Queen whistled to call her babies back. As she did that, the last flame snuffed itself out.
Meanwhile, Gus managed to cut himself from the web again.
"Yes, I am free again. I-" the illusionist boy cheered, falling into a handstand.
But the large demon encased him in webs yet again. Gus screamed, muffled while he kicked his legs in the air.
"Why did he think that would work a second time?" Hunter asked the palismen as they watched.
"Okay, Bat Queen. That's the last one. I've completed all the trials. And I've proved that I'm trustworthy to Hunter and Owlbert." Willow conveyed. "Hunter, Owlbert, I'm so sorry for putting you in harm's way. That's a mistake I'm never gonna make again. Will you please forgive me?"
"It's okay, Willow. We know you didn't have any ill intentions." Hunter responded kindly before turning to Owlbert. "What do you say, buddy? You wanna go home?"
"Of course." the owl palisman nodded and hooted.
He flew off the Bat Queen's perch to the ground while the blonde teen stood up from his nest. Suddenly, the large demon raised her claw and encased the two of them in webs!
"Huh?" Hunter said in surprise.
"Hey!" Owlbert squawked.
"No! More trials. Last trial. You must face... me." the Bat Queen spoke defiantly as a jet of flames roared behind her, and she extended her wings.
"What?" Willow uttered incredulously.
The giant bat roared and lunged at the plant witch.
"Willow!" Hunter exclaimed.
The dark-haired girl darted out of the way and ran.
"You will never get them back!" the Bat Queen bellowed.
"What's your problem?" the blonde witch demanded angrily. "She said she was sorry!"
"Hold on, Gus!" Willow called as she raced to free the younger boy from the webs. "Look out!"
The bat babies came on the attack, screeching.
"I'll hold 'em off with my flags." Gus proclaimed, hold his flags like weapons. But the bats ended up swarming him. "No! That was a bad plan."
Willow managed to sneak away. But she yelped as the Bat Queen charged at her. The demon started chasing the girl through the forest as she squeezed through trees.
"I gotta do something." Hunter acknowledged, struggling in his encasement.
Owlbert managed to get free with a little help from Flapjack. Then, the birds and the other palismen the boy had befriended assisted Hunter, pecking and nibbling away at his sticky prison.
"I won't let you imprison Hunter and Owlbert." Willow asserted, still fleeing from her attacker.
Suddenly, she tripped on some roots and fell into the dirt. Her ankle was trapped as the plant witch laid in a pile of bones. Willow gasped as the Bat Queen divebombed at her. The dark-haired girl held up Eda's empty staff to defend herself. Just then, Hunter, having been freed from his his webs, arrived and blocked Willow like a shield.
"Stop!" he shouted, the Bat Queen freezing in midair. "I get what you're doing comes from a genuine place, but that gives you no right to attack my friend!"
And then, the blonde kid spotted something under the demon's foot, something he had seen under Owlbert's foot once before.
"Is that an interlock?" Hunter gasped as the giant bat landed and Willow got her ankle loose. "Bat Queen, you used to be on a staff, didn't you? You were a palisman."
The Bat Queen gasped at the mention of it.
"So it's true, isn't it?" the plant witch asked.
The large bat looked at her foot with the interlock on it, and clenched her claw a little. She then turned away from the two young witches.
"Yes, I was once part of a grand staff. A staff made for a giant." the Bat Queen divulged sadly. "But I was broken, discarded."
"So, that's why you're so protective of Owlbert." Hunter acknowledged. "But, why protect me?"
"I protect... all!" the large palisman declared loudly, her eyes glowing again.
Behind her, there were dozens of other eyes glowing in the treetops. Hunter and Willow gasped when they gazed up. There were countless palismen of every type sitting amongst the branches. All of them were broken and scarred in some way.
"I made home in forest. I'm here to take the lost. The forgotten." the Bat Queen explained.
"I understand." Hunter began. "But Owlbert and I are not forgotten. We both have someone who loves us very much."
"You will not go back." the giant palisman stated as she turned and walked away.
"You don't get to make that decision for them." Willow argued.
"I won't let them." she reiterated, looking like she was about to attack again.
The two kids held each other in their arms, bracing themselves. But it never came to be.
"Leave them be!" Owlbert hooted, spreading his wings to protect them.
His eyes glowed fiercely and reflected into the Bat Queen's own eyes.
"You..." she acknowledged as the wind blew. "You care for them."
"I do." the little owl hooted and nodded.
He then ran into Hunter and Willow's waiting palms and nuzzled them both lovingly.
"Very well." the Bat Queen relented. "Go. And take your friend."
Gus came to his friends, the baby bats all over him. Then, their mother whistled, and her kids flew over to her.
"I don't think I'll ever be clean again." the illusionist boy spoke in a state of shock, spit covering his body.
Owlbert grabbed Eda's empty staff and brought it over to Hunter before perching on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Gus was busy wiping himself clean of saliva.
"Bat Queen, do you know what happened to your owner?" the older boy asked the large palisman.
"It has been thousands of years." the Bat Queen lamented. "I've forgotten."
"I know what it's like to not know so much about yourself. I've lived in the human realm since I was a baby." Hunter shared with her. He got down on his knees and placed a hand over his heart. "I... wish I could find out more about my origins and my birth parents."
That heartfelt desire got Flapjack's attention as he stared longingly at the blonde boy. Hunter then wiped the tears from his eyes and stood back up.
"Anyway, if you ever want to search for the truth about yourself, I'll help you." he offered the Bat Queen.
"Thank you." she told the kind child as she and her babies flew away.
"I can't believe you stood up to the Bat Queen." Willow spoke in amazement, hugging Hunter who blushed.
"And we're not dead." Gus added, pumping his arms excitedly.
"Thank you for saving me and Owlbert." the older boy told his friends. "I'm sorry we missed the game."
"Are you kidding? That was better than any grudgby match! There were action-packed trials, I got to do my flag wave, and I'm slightly traumatized." the illusionist replied. "Hooray!"
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your scarf, Hunter." Willow said, taking the scarf she saved out of her tunic pocket.
She helped put it back around Hunter's neck, tying it in a loose slipknot. A tingling energy coursed through the teen's skin, and his ears and cheeks reddened. An antsy smile quivered on his face. But then, Hunter cleared his throat to compose himself.
"Let's get this little guy home." the blonde witch said, glancing at Owlbert. He then waved at the other palisman before the kids left. "Bye, everybody."
All of Hunter's palisman friends also bid him farewell.
"Bye-bye!"
"See you later!"
"Come back soon!"
But Flapjack continued to watch the child depart from the forest. He almost didn't want Hunter to go, at least, not without him.
Back at the Owl House, Hunter was patching up Owlbert from his injury. The young witch had grabbed a band-aid from a drawer in the bathroom, and placed on the little owl's cracked head so that it could heal.
"There we go." Hunter said in satisfaction. "Good as new."
"Thanks, Hunter." Owlbert hooted, earning a smile from the boy.
"Owlbert, why are you off your staff?" Eda asked after just coming home with King by her side. Owlbert flew over and warbled quietly to his witch. "Hunter took you to get ice cream? Aw, that's... a horrible lie."
"I thought she would buy that." the palisman hooted to the teen who gulped worriedly.
"Well, lucky for you both I don't care right now." the Owl Lady said tiredly as she headed upstairs. "I'm going to take a nap."
"I'll, uh, be at the playground." King spoke, heading back out.
Owlbert flew back to Hunter and perched on his shoulder.
"Let's keep this one to ourselves, huh?" the young witch suggested to the little owl.
"Agreed." Owlbert warbled, nuzzling his friend's cheek.
Upstairs in her room, Eda walked over to her side table where four empty elixir bottles were sitting. Elixir that she had taken earlier this afternoon. The witch doubled over coughing as she picked up one of the empty vials and stared worried at her reflection in it.
"The elixir... It isn't working on the curse anymore." she realized. "This is bad."
If her curse had now developed an immunity to her elixirs, that meant it was going to be harder to keep her inner beast from taking over. And even harder to turn her back to normal. People could get hurt, including Hunter and King. Eda's worrisome train of thought was interrupted when she coughed and puked up part of a swing from the playground.
"When did I swallow a swing?" she queried.
That evening, in the Bat Queen's nest, the giant palisman had just put her kids to bed for the night. She was about to turn in herself when she was greeted by Flapjack. And he had some exciting news to share.
"I know who my destined witch is." he tweeted.
"You found someone after all this time?" the Bat Queen gasped with delight. "Go then."
And just like that, Flapjack flew off into the velvety sky, leaving the forest behind.
Meanwhile, Hunter had changed into his pajamas was about to go to bed.
"Goodnight, Eda." he called down the hall. "See you in the morning."
"Goodnight, kiddo." Eda replied.
The young witch stepped into his room and was about to climb into his sleeping bag when he heard a tapping sound on his window. Hunter turned his head around and saw Flapjack pecking on the glass with his beak. Instantly, the kid dashed over to open the window.
"Flapjack!" Hunter gasped, letting the cardinal palisman land in the palm of his hand. "Did you... follow me?"
"Yes." Flapjack chirped. "And now, I am home."
The palisman then transformed into a staff right before the child's glistening eyes and fell into his hands. His staff emanated a warm glow briefly before fading.
"You... chose me." Hunter acknowledged full of wonder.
He then laid down in his sleeping bag, holding his new staff close to his heart. Tears of joy trickled as he closed his eyes and smiled before falling asleep.
The blonde witch certainly did not expect that he would earn his staff so soon. But he was overjoyed to earn that same magical bond with a palisman, like the one that Eda and Owlbert shared. As Hunter dreamed, he made a promise to take care of Flapjack since he was now the boy's responsibility. And even though he still had a long way to go, the events of today had brought Hunter one step closer to being the witch he was born to be.
Notes:
Hunter and Flapjack finally meet.
Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Sense and Insensitivity
Summary:
After gaining his palisman Flapjack, Hunter shares ability to talk to palimen with his friends, which prompts the kids to do research on the boy's anatomy. But that's quickly overshadowed by King becoming a famous writer overnight by parodying Hunter's self-discovery quest.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was the weekend on the Boiling Isles, and that meant that Eda would be selling human goods at the market today. The Owl Lady wanted everyone in the Owl Lady to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the day. But she hadn't seen her apprentice Hunter Noceda at all this morning. That kid was usually up with the sun. If he was sleeping in, something must've been wrong.
"Hunter? Where are you, kid?" the witch called as she walked upstairs. "I've been calling you down for breakfast for the past 5 minutes."
And then, Eda heard a sound that got her attention: mirthful laughter. She put an ear against Hunter's bedroom door before opening it up. Inside, the Owl Lady could see her apprentice with a red cardinal palisman perched on his shoulder, rubbing his feathers against the boy's face. The older witch was stunned. She wasn't expecting her student to bond with a palisman this early in his witchcraft training.
"Flapjack! That tickles!" Hunter laughed before him and Flapjack noticed his mentor. "Oh! Good morning, Eda."
"When did you get a palisman?" Eda questioned.
"Uh... He followed me home and came through my window just last night." the young witch answered vaguely.
"Well, good for you, kid!" the Owl Lady said proudly. "Nice to see you getting ahead of the curve."
"Thanks." Hunter blushed modestly.
"Anyway, come on downstairs for breakfast. It's market day, you know." Eda said, guiding the young witch while patting him on the back. "And don't forget to show off that palisman of yours. No pupil of mine should be too shy about flaunting their accomplishments once in a while."
Later that morning at Eda's Human Collectibles stand, King had a tray of mostly inedible human things to draw in customers.
"Partake in my free snack samples!" he spoke with a level of "authority." "Take them; I demand it as your ruler, the King of Demons!"
Several people passed the stand but none of them would even look at the little demon. In frustration, King throws the tray on the ground.
"Why isn't anyone paying attention to me?" he asked, feeling like a wallflower. "I'm their rightful overlord. Intellectually and such."
"Yeah... hey!" Eda agreed, grabbing a passerby by the cowl and took a whiff. "It reeks more of nerd than money today."
"Guys!" Hunter's voice called.
The Owl Lady let go of the passersby as her apprentice run up to the stand with his palisman Flapjack, looking rather peppy. He was also wearing his cowl to hide from the ever watchful eyes of the Emperor's Coven.
"You will not believe what's going on!" the young witch spoke enthusiastically, posing under a banner. "It's a book fair! Where books come to life."
Just then, a book jumped off one of the stands next to him.
"Hello." it said.
Hunter screamed and kicked it away.
"It's okay, Hunter." Flapjack tweeted comfortingly, calming his witch down.
"A fair without rides?" King said questionable.
"Who needs rides when this can take you anywhere?" a random boy said, shoving an open book in the his face.
In annoyance, the little demon pushed the boy away and threw a piece of bacon on his head. A winged demon then swooped down and picked up the boy who screamed as he was being carried away.
"A, ew." Eda said, picking up a nearby book and tossing on the ground. "B, I'm bored. C, I feel like pickpocketing some dork while they browse."
"No, wait!" Hunter called as he mentor walked off. He then turned to King. "Will you give it a chance? I'll let you ride on my other shoulder."
In response, the furry demon chucked in a giddy tone.
Later, the trio walked through the book fair, taking in everything around them. There weren't just stands full of books to sell, there were also activity booths for any avid, like-minded reader.
"This book fair's got everything!" Hunter uttered full of wonder. "A zine-making workshop, meet and greets, and, ooh, a writing competition."
Sure enough, there was a stand with a sign that read "WRITING COMPETITION - ENTER TODAY!" Underneath, there was a desk with a sign-up sheet and a pair of people signing books for those who stood in line.
"Thinking about entering?" King asked the blonde boy.
"Eh, don't get me wrong. I love writing stories." the young witch admitted, his face falling. "But I've always been shy about sharing my work with the world. That's why I'm more adamant about to keeping my creativity to myself."
Flapjack nuzzled Hunter's cheek, consoling him.
Suddenly, a girl laughed as she came running by, almost knocking the blonde witch to the ground.
"Hey! Excuse you!" he yelled, miffed by the lack of etiquette.
"Ugh! What are these basement dwellers doing out of natural sunlight?" King inquired, unnerved by how many nerds were congregated in public at once.
"Um! We'we in line for Jon de Plume, most famous witer on the Boiling Isles, famed author of The Realm Warriors sewies!" Tinella Nosa answered as a male witch was signing books. "I'm going to have him wead my stowy... and mawwy me."
"She can be so disturbing sometimes." Hunter whispered to King and Flapjack.
"Jon, will you sign my child?" one demon asked, holding up a baby.
"I'll sign anything!" Jon laughed evilly.
"Such power. Such command he holds over his minions. I must have the same!" King's eyes narrowed hungrily. "Hunter the Lost Witch, I shall enter the writing competition."
Immediately, the furry demon hopped off of Hunter's shoulder and made a beeline for the sign-up sheet.
"Well, you have fun with that." the young witch called before ambling off. "Guess it's just you and me, Flapjack."
Unbeknownst to Hunter, someone from the autograph stand was scrutinizing him from afar.
As he and Flapjack went browsing through the stands of books, Hunter decided to this an opportunity to prep himself for Hexside. The new semester was right around the corner, and the blonde kid didn't want to be struggling to catch with up with his fellow classmates. So, he chose to soak up as much knowledge as he could before his first day of school. Thankfully, Hunter had some spending money to use, courtesy of Eda. The teen was already aware that the Owl Lady was pickpocketing shoppers, but Eda knew better than to steal from her own apprentice. Hunter purchased books on many different subjects; from different types of magic, to the geography of the Boiling Isles, and everything in between.
"I wonder if there are any books on palismen here." the young witch wondered aloud.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his friends Willow and Gus coming his way.
"Hey, Hunter!" both kids greeted him.
"Hi, guys." Hunter replied. "Nice to interact with some fellow bibliophiles."
"I have no idea what that means." Gus spoke enthusiastically.
"Oh, my gosh!" Willow gasped, noticing Flapjack. "When did you get a palisman, Hunter?"
"Remember those palismen that were with me in the Bat Queen's cave?" the blonde boy recalled. "One of them bonded with me and became my staff. This is Flapjack."
"Cool! A magical destiny bird!" the illusionist prodigy said.
Suddenly, something got Hunter's attention. It was a badger palisman, trying to persistently get the attention of a male witch with olive skin. The blonde kid realized that the badger and witch were bonded together. But the man seemed to be more interested in his book than his own palisman.
"Hey! Hello!" the badger chittered.
Hunter had been observing the whole scene, and decided to help out.
"Excuse me, sir." the boy said, walking across the aisle. "I don't think your palisman wants to be ignored."
"How do you know that?" the man asked, lowering his book.
"Well, judging by the way she's trying to get your attention, I think it's plain as day." Hunter responded. "Share the things you do with your palisman, even little stuff. It's crucial to make the bond between the two of you stronger."
The older witch glanced at his palisman, who looked back at him with her crystal blue eyes and smiled.
"Thank you, young man. I'll keep that in mind." the man told Hunter before strolling off with his little badger.
The young witch felt proud of himself. But, he turned and saw that his friends were staring in awe of him, mouths agape. But why?
"What are you looking at me like that for?" Hunter asked, feeling uncomfortable.
"You're a Palismouth?!" Gus exclaimed in disbelief. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"
"I'm a what?" the blonde teen raised an eyebrow.
"You can talk to palismen." Willow verified.
"Well, yeah, I've been able to understand Owlbert and Flapjack ever since I got to the Boiling Isles." Hunter said. "So what? I'm sure other people around here can do that."
"No, not really." the plant girl shook her head. "It's not a very common gift, Hunter. Even beast keeping witches don't have that kind of ability."
"Usually, witches are only able to understand their own palisman." the younger boy added. "Don't you see? You're like a palisman whisperer!"
Hunter pondered on this for a while. He never knew that he had this gift before. Granted, no other palismen, except for Owlbert had ever been to the human world. If being able to understand all palismen was an uncommon ability, why did the boy have it?
"Maybe this has something to do with my origins." he wondered aloud.
"You think so?" Willow replied.
"I have no idea where my ability as a Palismouth comes from. I don't even know why I'm a magical being." Hunter acknowledged. "I have to look into it. It might be my best bet of finally getting some answers about myself. Will you guys help me?"
"Absolutely." the plant witch nodded.
"Anything for a friend." Gus added
"You can count on us." Flapjack chirped in support.
"Then let's get started." the older boy said confidently.
So, the four friends split up to find as many books on palismen and Palismouths as they could. Once they met back to their rendezvous point, the group married those books with the ones that Hunter had already purchased into one stack. Willow even used her magic to tie the books together with a vine, keeping them firmly in place. The three kids then high-fived in celebration.
The trio then rode Hunter's staff back to the Owl House with in their books in tow. They dismounted and Flapjack turned back into his love form, perching on Hunter's shoulder. The blonde boy carried his entire stack of books in his arms while Willow got the door for him.
"Well, we weren't able to gather much." Hunter conveyed as he and his friends walked inside. "But based on the research material we do have, at least we have something to go on."
Upstairs, the kids headed into the blonde teen's bedroom, but gasped at what they came across. There was a very chaotic bulletin board with crude pictures drawn in red crayon. On the floor, paper was scattered, this way and that. And King was sitting at a table with a typewriter, peacefully typing away. It looked like a literary workshop had thrown up in Hunter's room.
"Hey, guys!" the little demon greeted the young witches. "Don't mind me. I'm just chipping away at my story I'm submitting into the writing competition."
"King, can you please take this to another room?" Hunter asked delicately after setting his books down on the floor.
"Why?" King questioned. "I'm on the verge of a literary breakthrough!"
"It's not that we don't want you here. But we were hoping to use my room for a little project of mine." the young witch explained. "I recently found out that I can understand all palismen. So my friends and I gathered some material to do a little research. Hopefully, it'll help me learn more about my past."
"Hey, there's more to life than research." the furry demon replied rudely.
"Never... insult the pursuit of knowledge in front of me." Hunter told him firmly, offended by King's snide comment.
"Apprentice! Living room!" Eda's voice suddenly called from downstairs.
"Coming!" the blonde teen answered. "When I get back, we're going to sort this out, once and for all."
He stepped out of the room with Flapjack, leaving Gus and Willow with King as he narrowed his eyes at the two witches. Downstairs, Hunter arrived to find Eda wearing her cloak with a map in her hands.
"What's up, Eda?" the young witch asked.
"I am popping out for a few days to an undisclosed place to do undisclosed things." the Owl Lady answered vaguely. "You're in charge."
"Okay..." Hunter replied slowly.
"No questions!" the older witch barked.
"But I didn't even-" the boy tried to argue.
"I said no questions!" Eda repeated herself, putting her hood up and closing the door as she left.
Hunter was used to his mentor going off on solo missions, despite how she cryptic she sounded about it. What the Owl Lady did on her own wasn't any of the young witch's business. So he simply rolled his eyes and shrugged it off before going back upstairs.
"Now, as I was saying..." Hunter began as he re-entered his bedroom.
But he was stunned to find that in the minute he was gone, Willow and Gus were lying on the floor, looking a little disheveled. And all of the books that the blonde witch had gotten from the book fair were now in a wastebasket. King had continued to type contentedly like nothing ever happened.
"What happened?" Hunter asked in shock as he helped his friends up.
"Ask King." Willow said, glancing behind her.
"We tried to stop him, but he was out of control!" Gus added.
"King, why did you throw all my books in the trash?" the older boy questioned the little demon.
"Because they were littering my creative station." King answered. "I can't work on my story with your nerd stuff in my way."
"This is really important to me." Hunter argued lightly. "Your shot at winning some writing contest is just a one-time thing."
"Wait, I haven't told you the best part yet." the furry demon stopped him. "I wrote my story about you."
"Oh, that's... nice." the young witch gave a small smile. "Can I see what you have so far?"
King nodded, and the boy scan over the unfinished manuscript. But right away, Hunter was perplexed by the title.
"The Pitiful Blonde? What?" he uttered as he kept reading. "These are all the adventures I've been on since I came to the Boiling Isles. You wrote a satire about me?"
"If by satire, you mean literary classic, then, yes." the little demon nodded.
"No, King." the blonde kid pinched the bridge of his nose. "A satire is a piece of work meant to ridicule someone. You're basically making fun of me. I'm sorry, but you can't submit this."
Hunter set the manuscript down on the table, and King was stunned. How could his friend being so disapproving of his writing?
"Come on, Hunter. Let's go to the library." Willow said, wrapping a comforting arm around the blonde teen. She looked cross at the demon. "No one will throw away our research material there."
The two of them walked out the bedroom, taking Hunter's palisman books with them. Gus blew a raspberry at King before following his friends.
"Bah! What do they know?" the furry demon spat.
"What the heck, man?" the typewriter said. "Why you gotta be so harsh?"
"Hush, you!" King snapped. "My story is great, and I can prove it."
As soon as he was finished writing his story, King went to a tavern in Bonesborough called Grimgrub's Pub. He was determined to get at least one person to read his story and tell him how great it was.
"Hey, you scum!" the furry demon barked, bursting in. "Which one of you wants to read my literary masterpiece? Anyone brave enough?"
But instead, the brutish patrons growled at him, and hurled King out of the pub along with his story into the mud. The little demon groaned as he struggled to get back up. Maybe Hunter was right. The people of the Boiling Isles were a notoriously tough crowd. They were almost impossible to please. Maybe King's story wasn't worth investing in after all.
But then, he was approached by a green lizard demon wearing a long, red jacket.
"I'll read your story." he spoke in a suave voice.
The lizard picked King's book off his head and brushed the mud away from it. A third eye opened in the center of his forehead and he read through the manuscript really fast.
"You wrote this?" the lizard demon said in amazement once he finished.
"Yup, that's me!" King answered, wiping the mud off his snout.
"Let me get you a fruit punch." the taller demon offered.
"Ooh. I love punching." King said as the two of them walked into the pub together.
The little demon wasn't treated as harshly as before now that he had such a pompous entourage. The lizard snapped his fingers and a glass mug of fruit punch slid across the counter to King.
"I'm Piniet, of Piniet Publishing House." the lizard demon introduced himself. "And your name is... King?"
"It's more of a rank than a name." the furry demon replied.
"I loved your story, so much better than the submissions we got for the competition." Piniet praised him. "I want to buy it and publish it for everyone to read. I'll make you as famous as Jon de Plume."
He gestured to Jon de Plume as a large crowd of fans cheered for him while he did finger guns. Jon then fell backwards, and two girls rushed to act as a chair for him.
"I've always wanted a people chair!" King stated excitedly. "I'm in! This will be my first step in my reclamation of power!"
"Then all you have to do is sign here." the lizard demon said, pulling out a contract from his jacket.
He put the parchment down on the counter. The little demon signed it. But rather than using a pen, he dunked his paw into his mug of punch and smacked it on the signature line. The contract glowed red as Piniet picked it up, rolled it, and tucked it back into his jacket.
"You're ominous." King told him plainly. "And I like it."
"Get ready to be famous, Mr. King." the publisher spoke as the two demons shook hands, solidifying their partnership.
The next day at the Bonesborough Library, Hunter, Flapjack, Willow, and Gus were compiling more research material on palismen. But the books on the topic was very scarce, not as much as the book fair of course. The blonde boy was absent-mindedly petting his palisman while reading and jotting down notes.
"There aren't that many books on palismen around here." Hunter spoke to Flapjack. "I wonder why." He then turned to Willow who sat next to him at the table. "How are things going on your end?"
"Well, it says here that the chances of a witch being born a Palismouth are approximately one in 2 million." the dark-haired girl stated, pointing to the book laid out in front of her.
"That's a pretty low ratio." the blonde kid said.
"I wonder if there are any other Palismouths on the Boiling Isles." Gus poked his head around a bookshelf.
"Not likely." Willow replied. "The book says that only a few Palismouths are born in a generation. And they're not all in the same place either." She then noticed Hunter's crestfallen expression. "Don't worry, Hunter. We'll get to the bottom of this, one way or another."
Just then, the friends heard a soft, grumbling sound. It wasn't loud enough to irk the librarians, thankfully. Hunter's ears and cheeks blushed when he realized that it was his stomach growling. It definitely a sign that it was time for a break.
"And on that note, let's go grab a snack." the blonde boy giggling nervously.
After the kids left the library, just as they were about to approach the snack stand, Hunter had discerned that several people on the streets were snickering and pointing at him. There wasn't anything wrong with his outfit. And he certainly didn't have any pimples on his face. The way these strangers were treating the blonde teen really confused him, and his friends.
"Why is everybody laughing at me?" Hunter asked.
"You mean you don't know?" Boscha chuckled. "Wow. He really is pathetic."
"I beg your pardon?" the boy raised an eyebrow.
"We just read The Pitiful Blonde by King." Amelia said. "It's the hottest book on the market right now."
Hunter and his friends gazed at the people around them. Almost everybody in town seemed to own a copy of the book. On the cover, there was an image of the blonde witch with puppy dog eyes and a single tear. Some folks were even laughing their heads off as they read.
"I'm sorry. King wrote this?" the teen spoke, making sure that he wasn't just hearing things.
He, Willow, and Gus rounded a corner to find a line leading into a nearby bookstore. It seemed like people were dying to get a copy of this satirical book. And clearly, they were selling like hotcakes.
"Spend money on my thing I wrote." a cardboard cutout of King said repeatedly. "Spend money on my thing I wrote."
Hunter was cross by all of this. Not only did King submit that scandalous story, but he also got it published in just under 12 hours?
"I can't believe King would do this to me." the blonde teen stated, feeling betrayed.
"I can't believe how fast his book has become a bestseller." Gus added.
"Don't let him beat you down, Hunter." Willow comforted Hunter. "King's fame won't last long. Soon, everyone's gonna move on to the next breakout writer."
The teen smiled and blushed a little at the girl's compassion. But that blush deepened as strangers continued to chortle at him. Hunter pulled the hood of his cowl over his head in shame and ambled off, his friends quickly following.
"This is so embarrassing!" the kid moaned.
He wasn't watching where he was going, and ended up bumping into a random person. The blonde witch stumbled to keep himself from falling on his bottom.
"Careful, Hunter." a deep, familiar voice told him.
Hunter opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with Darius, the head of the Abomination Coven. The man looked at the teen with a gentle expression.
"Darius." Hunter said with a relieved sigh. "It's so good to bump into somebody who isn't laughing at me."
"Yes, I was admittedly curious about that. And you don't seem very amused in the slightest." the abomination witch replied, having the kid sit down on a bench. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong."
"So, I have this friend who wrote a book about me." Hunter vented to him. "But it's full of really insulting things, and he thinks it's a big joke. But everyone else in town is laughing at me now. My friend is hurting my feelings and he doesn't even notice."
He didn't mention King's name because he didn't want the little demon to get in trouble for what he was doing. Willow sat next to the blonde teen and gently put a hand on his shoulder in consolation. And Flapjack nuzzled Hunter's cheek comfortingly. It was already bad enough that the Emperor's Coven was trying to hunt him down. But now this? The poor boy just couldn't catch a break.
"Well, if you don't like what your friend is doing, you need to be the one to tell him that." Darius spoke wisely. "And make sure he doesn't just hear, but listens to you as well."
Hunter contemplated the man's advice for a moment, and realized he was right. The boy may have been the butt of a joke right now, but he still had a voice. And it was up to him to speak up when it mattered.
"Thanks, Darius." Hunter complimented the abomination witch.
Back at the Owl House, just as the sun was setting, the trio of young witches were in the kitchen. Hunter was pacing the floor, thinking about what he was going to say to King when he got home. Flapjack stayed perched on his shoulder the whole time. Willow and Gus observed their friend disquietingly. They knew that this talk wasn't going to be easy.
"We're here if you need moral support, Hunter." the plant witch offered kindly.
"Thanks, but I think I need to do this alone." Hunter replied.
"You got this, Hunter." Flapjack chirped encouragingly.
A little while later, the young witch stepped into the living room, just in time to see King come in through the front door. The little demon was decked out in a long brown jacket, green scarf, and red-tinted shades. Obviously, he had become fully immersed in his celebrity.
"King, we need to talk. Now." Hunter said firmly.
"Hey, Hunter!" King greeted in a sing-songy tone. "Guess who won the writing competition and became a blockbuster writer superstar?"
"Yeah, I noticed." the blonde boy replied half-heartedly.
"Do you wanna touch my scarf?" the little demon offered, holding said accessory in his paws. "A fan crocheted it out of their own hair! It smells so bad!"
"Well, maybe you were too busy basking in the limelight to notice the people are making fun of me!" Hunter snapped, surprising King. "It's bad enough that I have the Emperor's Coven hounding me. But now, thanks to you, I'm the laughingstock of Bonesborough!"
"Hey, I know what will cheer you up." the furry demon said, pulling out an invitation from his jacket. "My publisher is throwing a huge party for my book, The Pitiful Blonde. And I, uh, I'd like for you to be there."
The blonde kid baffled by the context of King's words. In what universe was this supposed to cheer him up?
"A party that celebrates my life being turned into a joke?" he spoke in vexation. "No, thank you."
Hunter dropped the red envelope on the floor, and King was put off the rejection.
"All right, fine!" he retorted snobbishly. "Be that way, I guess."
In a huff, the furry demon tossed his scarf and walked back out the door. He slammed it closed behind him, making the young witch flinch from the noise. Hunter then let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, that could've gone better." Gus said bluntly as he and Willow peeked into the doorway.
"Not helping, Gus." the plant replied, shooting him a look.
"Are you okay?" Flapjack tweeted, worried for his witch.
Hunter shook his head nonverbally, and let his palisman rub his head under the boy's chin.
"Don't worry about King, Hunter." Willow told her friend. "If he wants to stay on his high spider-horse, that's his business."
"Yeah, kid, you don't need him." the typewriter on the coffee table agreed.
"But I don't want to be mad at him, either." Hunter spoke softly.
He then bent down to pick up the red invitation and opened it. Inside was a golden paper that said "MEET THE AUTHOR TONIGHT ONLY @ BONESBOROUGH LIBRARY." A picture of King in a blue sweater was in the middle. Now typically, Hunter wasn't crazy about large crowds or parties. But it would have been wrong to at least not pop in and say hi to King.
"You want us to go with you?" Willow offered as if she read the boy's mind. Gus stood alongside her.
"Mmhm." Hunter nodded, blushing at the girl.
That evening, there was an extensive line outside of the library. Fans were eager to meet the author of The Pitiful Blonde in person. Inside, King and Piniet were sitting at a table to sign books and other autographs for the public. And the little demon was soaking in all the fame like a sponge.
"Your fans are dying to know when The Pitiful Blonde 2 comes out!" a fan said excitedly.
"That's between me and my publisher, right, Piniet?" King replied, turning to the lizard demon.
"Yes. Ooh, pardon me, I need a few moments of King's time." Piniet replied as he walked off.
The furry demon looked back at his fans threw a peace sign, making them scream like idiots. He then joined the publisher at the romance section so that they could speak in private.
"Where's Jon de Plume at?" King asked. "I wanted to compare sunglasses."
"Oh, he's taking a break to finish his latest masterpiece. Fame can really box you in, you know?" Piniet answered. "Uh, speaking of, how's your second book coming along?"
"Coming along? Or finished!" the little demon replied, pulling out a manuscript from his jacket. "Bam! Haha! The Pitiful Blonde 2 - now with more mockery!"
"Ahhh! Splendid!" the lizard smiled before taking the manuscript and reading it. Afterward, he gave a laugh. "Oh, you cad! Not only are you a great writer, but a practical joker as well!"
"That's true- wait, what?" King sputtered in disbelief.
"Oh, this is truly awful!" Piniet verified, handing him the manuscript back. "Looking forward to the real draft."
As he left, the furry demon was left in a bind. What did The Pitiful Blonde have that his sequel was lacking? If he didn't have a better story soon, his career as an author would tank.
"Truly awful? But I'm a best-selling writer. How?" King said to himself.
That was when he saw Hunter, Flapjack, Willow, and Gus enter the library. The blonde boy was looking generally disinterested while his friends and palisman were standing guard. They were ready to get the teen out if things got too hectic. Willow was even holding his hand in support.
"Hunter! I need him!" the little demon realized, running up to the kids. "Hunter, buddy! I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Hey, King, I can't stay long. But I wanted to stop by and say that even though I'm not fond of your work, I'm big enough of a person to not discourage your dream." Hunter told him, forcing a smile. "So, congratulations!"
"Great to hear, 'cause I really need your help with my next book!" King said desperately.
"Excuse me?" the young witch spoke.
"Apparently I can't write my daring works of genius without you providing me with any source material." the furry demon explained.
Hunter darted his eyes to Willow and Gus who both shrugged. None of them had the foggiest idea of what the little guy was talking about.
"What exactly are you getting at?" the blonde teen questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm offering you a great opportunity and hiring you as my creative consultant. We'll make a great team!" King answered, gesturing the kid to follow him. "So let's get to it, clock's a-tickin'!"
Hunter couldn't believe this. Not only did the little demon blatantly ignore his rant about being a laughingstock, but now King expected the boy to work him to write more degrading stories about him. Needless to say, Hunter was not having any of this.
"No!" the young witch snapped, causing the gathered crowd to gasp. "I'm not helping you write your next book after you made fun of me and my dream!"
"Hey! What the heck?" King interjected.
'You didn't have much trouble writing the first book on your own. So I don't expect you to struggle on the second." Hunter said bitterly. "Congratulations on all your hard-earned success."
He and his friends left, but not before Willow and Gus shot the demon disappointed glares and shook their heads. Now King was once again stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"What am I gonna do?" he panicked. "I can't write without him!"
Unbeknownst to him, Piniet had been spying on his employer the whole time. He peered from behind a bookcase and pursed his lips.
Meanwhile, Hunter and his friends were heading toward the exit. As they did, the blonde boy saw one of the many posters of King around the building.
"Ugh! Stupid King." he grumbled.
"Hang in there, Hunter." Flapjack chirped.
"Don't worry about King." Willow added comfortingly. "Let's just go home."
Suddenly, a large shadow fell over the kids. Two large reptilian-like guards stood in front of them. Both guards were tall and sturdy like a stone wall. Their ominous presence gave off a very bad vibe.
"Uh, can we help you?" Hunter asked uneasily.
The guards stepped aside to reveal Piniet behind them.
"Perhaps." the lizard answered coolly. "You must be the famous Hunter."
"Famous is a bit of a touchy word." the blonde boy said. "And... you are?"
"Piniet's the name, making writers famous is my game." the publisher introduced himself. "I helped King publish his literary masterpiece The Pitiful Blonde. And I have to say, you've gained quite the reputation in such a short amount of time."
"Well, that's one way of putting it." the young witch lightly scoffed.
The last thing that Hunter needed was some random demon to rub King's success in his face. And he certainly didn't want to be made fun of.
"Now I understand that King has made you a tempting offer to be his creative consultant." Piniet continued.
"How did you-" the blonde teen stopped him before a realization hit him. "Were you eavesdropping in on us?!"
The lizard's behavior was becoming increasingly bizarre. And when a sinister smile formed on Piniet's face, Hunter immediately took that as a red flag. The blonde witch and his friends tried to back away from the creep, but were apprehended by the lizard demon's goons. Only Gus managed to escape while one guard held Hunter and Willow in his arms and the other pinned Flapjack's wings in his hands.
"What's the big idea?!" Hunter demanded angrily.
"I need King to produce his next book in a timely fashion. Fortunately, I have ways of getting what I want." Piniet explained, revealing one of the boy's wanted posters.
Hunter and Willow gasped in shock. The publisher knew that the boy was wanted by the Emperor's Coven. But what did that have to do with King and his book? Was Piniet going to use Hunter as a bargaining chip to blackmail his friend?
In the theater at the covention center, fans of The Pitiful Blonde were flooding the place, eager to hear the announcement of King's next book. The stands were packed. Hanging in the center of the theater was a towering banner for The Pitiful Blonde 2. People in the stands were changing King's name in anticipation.
"I can't wait for the sequel!" a boy said excitedly.
"If it's disappointing in any way, I will spend every day of my life trashing it!" Amelia started maniacally.
Meanwhile, King was peeking out from behind a curtain nervously. It was a full house. And the last thing the little demon wanted was to be the bearer of bad news and announce that there wasn't going to be a book 2. He knew his fans would revolt instantaneously if they heard that.
"Oh boy. Oh, man. Aw jeez. Hemming. Hawing." King whimpered, pacing the floor before turning to his publisher. "Piniet, I gotta come clean. We can't announce book two. I can't write without... without..."
"Without your creative consultant?" Piniet finished, smirking evilly.
He guided the little demon to a dressing room, and King was shocked by what he came across inside. A reptilian guard was holding Willow and Flapjack in his grasp. And Hunter was in a translucent purple box.
"King!" the boy yelled.
"Hunter!" King exclaimed, running up to him.
"Piniet knows about my wanted posters and trapped me is in this box!" the young witch told him.
Piniet then tightened his fist and the box began to shrink, hitting Hunter in the head as he fell.
"Get me out of here!" the kid screamed.
"What are you doing with him?" King asked Piniet demandingly. "Let him go."
"Your book was based on the Lost Witch, was it not? And it's almost too tempting to want to pass him along to the Emperor's Coven. So I'm proposing an offer: your next installment, in exchange for his freedom." the lizard proposed only for the boys to give him kicked-puppy expressions. "Oh, don't give me that look. Some of the best books were written in literal crunch time."
The publisher tightened his first again as the box shrank once more.
"That's just a toxic mentality that contributes to burnout and unrealistic expectations!" Hunter called Piniet out before turning back to his friend. "King, do something!"
"Set him free, now!" King growled.
"Not until I get my best-seller." the lizard demon refused. "You'll recall you are under contract."
He pulled out King's contract out of his jacket. The paper glowed red and King felt himself being levitated. A hole opened in the box and Hunter backed away as the furry demon was flung through it. A stack of paper and a pen were also dropped into the box.
"Make your deadline, or you'll never be able to hold a pen again." Piniet commanded as the hole closed up. "Just like..."
He held up Jon de Plume, who was now shrunk into a cube.
"Jon de Plume?!" Willow said in disbelief.
"Help me!" the cubed writer yelled.
"No!" King cried in horror.
The publisher opened a briefcase he had. Inside, there were dozens of other cubed authors. Hunter was aghast by how many writers who worked for Piniet suffered this kind of fate because they couldn't make their very short deadlines. The lizard demon clearly ran a toxic work environment. All the blonde kid could do was watch helplessly as the cubed authors pleaded for help.
"Help us!"
"Get us out of here!"
Piniet tucked Jon de Plume into the empty slot of his briefcase and closed it.
"I'll leave you to it." the publisher said before leaving. "Looking forward to your next volume!"
As the door closed, the box around the boys continued to shrink.
"We're not getting out of here until we read a book, and that'll take forever!" King flipped out, tossing the papers into the air. "We're cube meat!"
"You just had to get your shot at being famous, didn't you?" Hunter spat at him, crossing his arms.
"Why are you still mad at me?" the little demon asked pointedly.
"If you hadn't published your stupid satire of me, none of this would have happened!" the young witch replied, turning around angrily. "This is all your fault!"
King glanced at Willow and Flapjack outside the box. The plant witch frowned and shook her head at the demon. Even the palisman glared at him with his one good eye. King looked down at himself and realized that Hunter was right. He let Piniet stroke his ego enough make his dream a reality. The furry demon was so swept up in the hype of being famous, he didn't even notice how much Hunter was hurting because of it, until it was too late.
"Hunter, you're living your dream. You're forging your identity as a witch, and finding out your origins." King spoke remorsely to his friend. "But this celebrity is as close as I'll ever get to my dream. It all went to my head, and I hurt you. I'm sorry."
Hunter turned around and smiled at the little demon.
"Apology accepted." he spoke warmly as he hugged King.
But the tender moment was cut short when the box kept shrinking. The boys were running out of time, but Hunter had an idea.
"I think I know a way out of this." the young witch spoke. "But we have to work together."
"Just tell me what to do." King replied.
"If Piniet wants a story, let's give him a story that will knock his socks off." Hunter spoke, pulling out a manuscript from his messenger bag.
"When did you write that?" the furry demon asked.
"I had a little free time." the kid admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"But y-you shouldn't have to sacrifice something you wrote." his friend said.
"Don't worry. I have a backup copy." Hunter winked. "Now, here's the plan..."
He leaned in and whispered his plan to King.
Outside the dressing room, Piniet was stacking a tower of the cubed writers to entertain himself. But then, the tower fell apart.
"Aw, dang." the publisher uttered in disappointment.
"Hey Piniet!" King called from inside the dressing room. "We're done!"
Piniet entered the room. The box was now so small, King had to be under Hunter's legs, which were bent in order to fit. And the young witch was pretty sure that their oxygen supply was limited.
"Faster than I expected!" Piniet said in amazement.
"That's the miracle of teamwork!" the little demon replied.
A hole opened in the top of the box. Hunter held up his manuscript: The City of Magic, the title written in green ink. The publisher took it and started to flip through it. But then, he paused as the box shrank slightly.
"This isn't nearly as comical as your last book." Piniet criticized.
"Skip to the finale, because it is quite a payoff." King told him.
The lizard demon rolled his eyes and continued to read. Hunter and King waited in anticipation. And soon, Piniet got the end of the manuscript and stopped.
"What is this all about?" he demanded to know, revealing a light glyph drawn on the last page.
"Light magic!" the young witch exclaimed, sticking his hand through the hole in the box.
He then slammed it on the page, activating the glyph. The manuscript caught fire and turned into a blinding ball of light before rapidly disappearing. Piniet groaned as he rubbed his eyes in pain.
"Ugh, I just realized I should have said enlightening." King said. "'Skip to the finale, you'll find it enlightening.'"
"King, the contract!" Hunter told him, noticing the rolled-up paper in the publisher's pocket.
"Pretentious scarf, go!" the little demon proclaimed, using his scarf as a lasso to Piniet toward them.
The blonde boy grabbed the contract and ripped it in half with both hands. This caused the box to explode, freeing the boys from their prison. Flapjack pecked at his captor's hand, releasing him. He then attacked the guard and saved Willow. Both of them raced to Hunter and King's side. The cardinal palisman transformed into a staff, which the blonde teen was glad to use now that he had much more leg room. Hunter pointed his staff at Piniet who was still struggling in the scarf entanglement.
"Sorry, Piniet." the boy smirked. "Looks like this is your final chapter."
"See? You were able to think that zinger through." King spoke.
"I made you a star, and this is how you repay me?" Piniet snared after getting to his feet.
"No, this is!" the little demon retorted, opening the publisher's briefcase.
All of the cute authors that the lizard had imprisoned jumped out and attacked Piniet, screaming in retaliation. Hunter, King, and Willow ran past the evil publisher toward the exit. But they ran into the two reptilian guards that were blocking the door. And then, Piniet managed to free himself from the authors and stand back up.
"You are making this harder than it needs to be! And believe me, I am being very patient!" the lizard glared at the kids, stepping on a cubed writer. "But let's..."
Piniet pulled out a pen from his jacket. He popped the cap off and pressed a button. The nib of the pen extended into a large, two-headed battle ax, which the publisher raised above his head.
"...cut to the finish."
At the sight of the lizard demon's massive weapon, Hunter, triggered by the desire to protect his friends, started to glow a golden yellow. His friends did the same. And in a flash of light, the group teleported on the opposite side of the dressing room! Piniet was stunned by this.
"What happened?" King said in disbelief.
"Hunter. Did you do that?" Willow asked the blonde boy.
"I... I think so." Hunter answered softly, gazing at his staff.
Was this some kind of power granted through his bond with Flapjack?
Piniet was preparing to attack again, but the young witch was ready. He pushed his friends out of harm's way, and let the publisher focus his attention on him alone. With every swipe that the lizard demon tried to make, Hunter dodged by dashing away.
"Why can't you just stay still?!" Piniet growled.
The blonde boy's strategy was to discombobulate the evil publisher. But Piniet was smarter than that. Because at one point, he managed to trip Hunter and he lost his grip on his staff as slid across the floor. The young witch didn't have any time to recover his staff as the lizard demon overshadowed him.
"Once I hand you over to the Emperor's Coven, I will monopolize every other publisher on the Boiling Isles!" Piniet boasted evilly, raising his ax high. "There's no one who can save you now!"
Just then, the door burst open, sending the guards flying. In the doorway was Tinella Nosa, with Gus not far behind.
"Huh?" everyone uttered in confusion.
"King! I am your biggest fan!" the tiny demon spoke highly. She somehow managed to run over a guard and came between King and Piniet. "And I fought my way back here for you... to read my stowy?"
"I'm sorry, my lawyer advised me not to look at unsolicited work." King turned her down.
"King, you don't have a lawyer." Hunter told him.
"But... but..." Tinella Nosa bumbled.
"Ugh! If I read this, will you go?" Piniet asked impatiently, taking the demon's story, pointing his ax at his enemies. "So I can annihilate them in peace?"
"Of course." she answered happily.
The publisher tossed his weapon aside, adjusted his glasses, and started slowly reading the manuscript. As he did, Gus joined his friends proud of himself.
"Gus, you brought her here?" Hunter realized.
"She was surprisingly persistent." the illusionist prodigy admitted.
Once Piniet was finished reading, he was overcome with emotion as he struggled to hold back tears.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" he sniffled before kneeling siren to the demon who wrote the story. "You- You must let me publish this! I can make you a star!"
"Weally?" Tinella Nosa spoke with elation.
"Wait a minute. What about King?" King asked in the third-person.
"Ugh! You're old news." Piniet groaned, stripping the furry demon of his jacket. "She, on the other hand, is the future!"
He then draped King's jacket and sunglasses over Tinella Nosa. All of the cubed authors bounced out of the dressing room, away from their captor, cheering.
"Whoo-hoo!"
"Freedom!"
"Hey!" King interjected, preparing to beat Piniet up.
"King! Let's go!" Hunter stopped him through gritted teeth.
Flapjack had turned back into his live form and perched on his witch's shoulder. The kids then took the opportunity to escape while the lizard was distracted.
"Thanks, Gus." Hunter said to the younger boy. "You're a lifesaver."
"Yeah, I do what I can." Gus replied.
"Well, that amounted to nothing." King sighed heavily.
"Join the club." the blonde boy spoke. "Even with all the research we did, we still haven't figured out why I'm a Palismouth."
"That might not be true." Willow debated. "The book I read in the library said that being a Palismouth is hereditary. Don't you know what this means, Hunter?"
"I might have inherited the gift from one of my parents." Hunter answered in realization.
"Yeah, you might even come from a whole line of Palismouths!" Gus agreed.
This amazed the blonde kid. Even though he was no closer to figuring out what kind of witch he was, or where his birth parents were, or was great that Hunter was learning new things about himself all the time.
"Hey, Hunter. Thanks for being so forgiving." King said to his friend. "From now on, I promise to more encouraging about you and your dreams."
"Thanks, King." the young witch replied, holding up a copy of The Pitiful Blonde. "Now, let's promise to never speak of this again."
He discarded the book and left the covention building with his friends while the book sat on the floor.
Later that night, Hunter, Flapjack, and King were back at the Owl House after saying goodbye to Willow and Gus. Eda landed outside on her staff after being gone for a while. She opened the door and saw the boys waking up after napping on the couch. Hunter even had a throw blanket wrapped around him while curled up Flapjack.
"Hey, kids. Woof." the Owl Lady said tiredly as she dropped her staff and cracked her back. "That was a rough couple days."
"Yeah, I'll say." the younger witch replied in a sleepy voice.
"Ah. Well, nothing a bit of apple blood and a good book can't mend." Eda spoke as she sat on the couch.
"Books?" King shot up. "Nope, I don't know nothing about that. What's a book? Wow, look at the time! Good night!"
He then did a back-handspring off the sofa and ran out of the living room. The older witch watch him in confusion.
"What was that about?" Eda asked.
"Trust me, you do not want to know." Hunter simply replied.
She watched as her student nodded off to sleep again, holding his palisman close. The Owl Lady then noticed the kid's notebook on the coffee table. And she flipped through the notes he had taken on Palismouths. Eda had heard the term being coined before, but so long ago. And then, she recalled her grimwalker research in the library. One of the things Eda learned was that palismen were attracted to grimwalkers because they're both made of palistrom wood. The Owl Lady sighed sadly, worrying that her apprentice was getting a little too close to the truth. But nothing could contain Hunter's curiosity. And Eda was not one to discourage the teen's desire to learn.
She pulled the blanket wrapped around him further up to make sure he was extra warm and left him to dream.
Notes:
The more Hunter knows, the more he wants to know.
FrieIce on Chapter 1 Wed 13 Aug 2025 08:44AM UTC
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itsamaravoss (Guest) on Chapter 1 Tue 26 Aug 2025 08:09PM UTC
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Cassandra_Cain on Chapter 2 Wed 13 Aug 2025 07:57AM UTC
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FrieIce on Chapter 2 Wed 13 Aug 2025 04:50PM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 2 Tue 19 Aug 2025 08:00AM UTC
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Late_GravityFalls_Fan on Chapter 2 Sun 31 Aug 2025 02:08AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 31 Aug 2025 02:08AM UTC
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Cooper_Hunter376 on Chapter 3 Fri 15 Aug 2025 02:32PM UTC
Last Edited Fri 15 Aug 2025 02:33PM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 3 Tue 19 Aug 2025 08:16AM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 4 Tue 19 Aug 2025 08:32AM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 7 Thu 21 Aug 2025 06:36AM UTC
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FrieIce on Chapter 7 Fri 22 Aug 2025 10:46AM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 8 Fri 22 Aug 2025 11:04PM UTC
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FrieIce on Chapter 9 Mon 25 Aug 2025 10:29PM UTC
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Alberto (Guest) on Chapter 10 Fri 29 Aug 2025 10:57AM UTC
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The_Literary_Lord on Chapter 11 Sun 31 Aug 2025 01:12PM UTC
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Ursalvus on Chapter 11 Tue 02 Sep 2025 05:25PM UTC
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