Chapter Text
Hunter is in the woods. It’s late evening, and the sun is almost entirely set. Twigs and leaves crunch under his feet. He’s running. He’s horrified.
His legs move on their own. They’re working as fast as they can to move him forward. Ducking beneath branches to avoid being hit, jumping over fallen trees and large rocks so he doesn’t trip.
Every part of his body is burning, sent into overdrive. He thinks he might throw up, but he already did not that long ago.
Belos is mad.
Very mad.
He knows. He knows that Hunter knows. Can’t go back. He can never go back—
He hears a voice shout, far too close for comfort, “In the name of Emperor Belos, surrender!”
Titan, no, please—
Run, run, run!
They have him in their line of sight. They can see him. He knows if they get their hands on him, it’s over. All over. Don’t let them catch up!
Faster, faster! Move as fast as you possibly can!
Heart pounding, tears falling, keep moving.
How is this real? How can any of this be real?
Emperor Belos—Uncle… He’s—Everything he’s ever known is all—
Suddenly, the sound of a woodwind, a quick succession of notes forming a melody, all of his muscles lock up, and then he’s falling.
Shit.
He hits the ground hard, unable to break his fall.
A bard spell. Paralyzation.
Hunter can’t move.
They’ve caught him.
No.
Please, no. How could he have let this happen? Don’t take me back to him. Please. Uncle is going to—
He’s gonna—
Belos is gonna k—
Eye hurts———!
Hunter screams.
It’s even darker all of a sudden. He can’t see, and there’s something on top of him. He struggles to kick it off—
It seems he’s able to move again. Good. He needs to escape while he still can.
Go! There’s an opening! Now!
Almost falling over, he scrambles to his feet, limbs moving clumsily and uncoordinated. His limbs are moving so slowly… The paralyzation spell must not have fully worn off yet. It doesn’t matter. If he can move at all, he needs to be running.
So that’s what he does. Hunter takes off, launching himself forward as fast as his unstable legs will carry him.
Hurry. Get out.
Run, run, run, run, run—
“Hunter?!”
Fuck. No. Please, no, no, no, Titan. People—They’re going to find him! He can’t outrun anybody with his legs like this. He isn’t gonna be able to go fast enough.
He needs to hide. Take cover. Now.
For a split second, Hunter stops moving to survey his surroundings. He’s hyperventilating, eyes frantically darting around in the darkness. He needs to find somewhere—anywhere—a bush, a boulder, a hollow log, any place that he can hide in or behind. Foliage. A Cave. Anything at all, please.
In the dark, Hunter can see what appears to be cover. A place to hide. Flat, circular top, with a beam holding it up in the middle.
Something grabs his wrist—
‘NO! FUCK YOU, I WON’T LET YOU TAKE ME!’
FIGHT!
Hunter violently jerks his arm towards himself and whips his head to bite down on the hand of his assailant as quickly as he can. They let go almost immediately with a hiss.
NOW. GO.
He makes a run for it, dashing underneath the shelter. Structurally, it doesn’t seem to be naturally occurring, but it isn’t too rare to come across the occasional DIY survival shelter in the woods. Not rare, but not that common either. No time to question it. Hunter has gotten unbelievably lucky.
He reaches for the surrounding objects, positioning them around him as a barricade to shield from any projectiles and to limit the enemy’s line of sight.
Hunter makes himself as small as he can and flattens himself to the ground. He needs to blend in; become invisible. Damn his shiny, bright uniform… The pristine white and gold will immediately stand out against the reds and browns of nature. There isn’t any nearby foliage or moss to cover himself with, which is not ideal. Hopefully, the barricades will keep him hidden enough to remain unnoticed.
If nobody saw him get into his hiding place, there’s a small chance they won’t find him at all, especially considering how dark it is, but he shouldn’t count on it. Stay as still as possible. Don’t let them see you.
He hopes his boots didn’t leave too many tracks in the dirt… Does the enemy have scent hounds? Would they stoop to using a scrying potion? He can’t rule anything out. They’ll do anything they can to find him and take him.
He can hear multiple voices. People talking, fast footsteps. A commotion. They’re everywhere. He’s completely surrounded, he’s sure.
Heart nearly bursting, trembling, Hunter uses his hand to cover his mouth and nose to stifle the sound of his breathing. He forces himself to take shallow, slow breaths. He needs to be absolutely silent. The enemy is trained to pick up on even the slightest of tells… He can’t let them find him. Will they be able to hear his heartbeat? It’s so fucking loud—What if—
A click, and everything around him brightens. His eyes reflexively squint, but he forces them open so he can maintain a visual on the enemy.
A… Light spell? It’s like someone turned the ceiling light on. Which is impossible. Because—‘Cause Hunter is in a forest. He was running, he’s hiding from the enemy in the woods. He can smell the soil. There are people trying to find him. He’s certain.
Hunter spots a flash of green from the corner of his eye. Not a rotten, putrid green. A safe, welcoming green.
“…Hunter…?”
He hears someone call his name very close by. He flinches and holds back a sob in his throat.
No, no, no! No, they can’t—Oh, Titan, please—
“—nter, it’s me. It’s Willow. You know me, right?” The voice continues. It just barely manages to convince Hunter to move his eyes over to the vague blob of green.
It’s Captain.
It’s Willow.
How in the Titan's name did she get here? What is she doing?! It—It isn’t safe. They’re going to find her and take her and hurt her and—
Hunter quickly makes the decision to take a very risky move. Despite the stakes, it’s a no-brainer. The thought of inaction makes him feel like puking again. He darts his arm out between the barricades, out of the safety of his hiding place, and grabs onto Willow—he thinks he grabs her shirt—and pulls.
“Woah! Okay, it’s okay, I’m coming,” she says and follows his guidance, crouching down and squeezing through the protective walls surrounding him.
As soon as she’s close enough, he presses down on her back, trying to get her to lay flat. She doesn’t budge. “Hunter, what—“
“Down,” he insists, whispering as quietly as he can. Why isn’t she hiding? Doesn’t she know that they’ll be seen? “Hide.”
Captain’s brows furrow together further. “What are we hiding from?” She asks, way too loud, but cooperates and lays down on the ground with him. “Shhh,” Hunter shushes. “D-Don’t loud. Hear you.”
It seems that the Captain doesn’t know about the danger they’re both in… He knows his words aren’t very good, but she needs to know what’s going on, and Hunter is the only one who can tell her.
“En’my. P-Pursuit, danger, s’rroun’ed,” he says to her, voice shaking, speaking into her ear. The more he explains it out loud, the more the reality of the situation weighs on him…
There’s no way this hiding spot will hold for long, not with how bright it is now. He doesn’t have his staff, Willow-Captain isn’t wearing any kind of armor, and there isn’t anywhere to run. When they get caught, it’s all over. Hunter feels tears prick in his eyes. He needs to do everything he can to keep her safe. He would never forgive himself if he let anything happen to her.
“Can’t r’treat. Pr’tec’ you, Captain. Promise,” he chokes out, feeling as if he’s going to start sobbing. He refuses to cry, though. He needs to be strong for his Captain and show her that he can be relied on. He needs her to trust that he’ll do whatever it takes to defend her, even if… Even if it means things end badly for him. The Captain is more important.
At his words, Willow’s eyebrows furrow impossibly further. She looks… Hmm… Concerned? Scared? Not happy, that’s for sure. Hunter remembers; eyebrows low and pushed together means not-happy feelings. He doesn’t think she would be angry (although he can’t rule out the possibility), so it’s probably one of the other ‘not-happy’s. Hunter’s gonna go with… upset. That seems right. Hunter is also rather upset himself. It makes sense to feel that way. The situation they have found themselves in is very upsetting, after all. She was just told that they’re being pursued by the enemy, and that’s never fun.
“Hunter, wha—… Do you know wh—“ the plant witch begins, starting and stopping mid-sentence a lot like she’s trying to find the words. Hunter understands the feeling. He flinches again because she’s being too loud—he puts a finger up to his mouth, and she starts again, quieter; “Where do you think we are?”
What…?
Does… Does Willow not know their location?
Oh, well… Hunter can tell her. He knows. They’re in the forest. They’re in Hunter’s hiding spot, hiding from people who are trying to get him. See? He takes a look at his surroundings to double-check, and…
Tile. That’s the first thing he notices.
…Huh?
There’s tile. In the forest. And not dirty, broken tile. It’s clean and new-looking, like something you’d find in a house… Not something that has been affected by severe wear and tear from the elements. Bright light reflects off of it. Shiny.
The ground is completely covered in these tiles. No dirt, no grass, nothing. Hunter slightly rubs his foot against the surface to gauge the texture and realizes he’s only wearing socks. Where did his boots go?
And then he notices walls. Lime green painted walls.
Hunter doesn’t understand. He was just in the woods. He knows this. He was jumping over rocks, and there were trees, and he was running from people—is this an illusion? It all could be a trick. Maybe this isn’t even the real Captain next to him…
How is he supposed to tell?
Suddenly, he isn’t so confident about knowing where he is. He hums in distress.
Willow-Captain begins to speak again, voice so kind and gentle it makes Hunter feel rubbed raw. “We’re in the human realm, Hunter. We’re at Luz’s house. Do you remember?“ She explains.
Oh. Hmmm…
Hunter… He—Yes, he remembers. He knows Luz’s house. There’s a very nice lady there who gives him warm things to eat and fluffy blankets to sleep with. He remembers that he sees his friends there a lot. He likes it at Luz’s house.
Tile… Green walls… This is Luz’s house. This is the kitchen.
But—How… What happened to the forest? He thought he was in the woods—He could smell it! He fell to the ground not that long ago, and he felt dirt and pebbles and blades of grass hit his face.
What in the world happened?
Willow must be able to read his mind because she continues to explain the situation to him. “I’m pretty sure—Um… You had a nightmare.”
Ah.
A nightmare…
So… That would mean there was never any forest? No trees, or dirt, or branches, or rocks? No enemies chasing him… It was just a dream? It wasn’t real?
It felt so real—still feels so real—Hunter isn’t sure he can believe it. How can he be certain that no one is pursuing him? That the second he exposes his position, he won’t be immediately seized and… Hurt. By someone. It’s hard to remember the exact details of what he’s so afraid of. It hurts behind his eyes. His eyes hurt. His eyes hurt. A shiver runs through his body.
“Mmmm,” he hums, still keeping his voice low. “E-E-En’my. The… They—Hurts—G-Gotta hide.”
“No, Hunter—We don’t have to hide; we’re at Luz’s house. It’s safe, see? There she is, over there,” Willow gently says, pointing past the barricades towards…
Hunter bolts upright. His heartbeat sounds like bombs going off in his head.
Luz.
Luz is standing there, and so is the youngest Blight, and Gus, and…
No!
They aren’t hiding. They’re out in the open. They’ll be seen! They’re in danger—What if they get caught?! What if—
Hunter jumps a little when he feels Willow-Captain put her hand on his shoulder. He looks to her, then back to his other friends again.
What if…
What if—What if they don’t need to hide? What if there isn’t any danger?
What if they’re safe…?
The possibility of safety slowly sets in. The concept makes Hunter’s head start spinning. He thought—He was so sure that there were people. The enemy… He needed to run, or else he would get taken. He thought he remembered a melody, then falling, then can’t move, and then…
None of that was real? None of that ever happened?
Luz sheepishly waves at him from behind the barricades, which Hunter is now realizing are made of chairs. He looks up. He’s… Under a table.
Forests don’t have tables. This is Luz’s house.
Suddenly, a ball of red darts into his peripheral vision, and he feels a baseball-sized mass hit him in the shoulder, startling and making him yelp. Confused, he looks around, trying to find whatever it was that flew into him. He’s surprised to see that in his lap now sits a small cardinal. Flapjack.
The little bird burrows his feathery head into Hunter’s leg, intermittently pecking his knee. He chirps, ‘Protect! Keep safe forever, fledgling. Bad dream. No bad guys, don’t need to hide. Checked. House safe, friends safe, Hunter safe, promise!’
Flapjack says that everything is okay. That everyone is safe.
It was all a bad dream. He was never being chased, and he doesn’t need to hide. None of it was real.
He looks Flapjack in his little brown eye, hopeful yet unsure. He projects his feelings into his palisman’s heart; ‘Really? Is it really true?’
The bird replies with a definitive ‘Yes!’
Okay. Wow.
It feels like a switch flips in his brain. Hunter lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He feels his muscles relax, and his posture slouches accordingly. He rests his head on Willow’s shoulder. The tears he was keeping inside spill over and flow freely without him realizing it.
It wasn’t real. He just got mixed up. He doesn't actually remember the sound of a flute, or falling face-first onto the ground, or the hurting behind his eyes. It was all just a dream. It never happened.
That’s great. That’s amazing. What a relief…
If it’s safe, then… does that mean Hunter gets to go back to sleep? He thinks… He thinks he would like to go back to sleep now, please. He’s very tired all of a sudden, and his body feels like it weighs five times more than it did just a second ago.
“S’eep?” Hunter murmurs, all adrenaline having now drained from his system.
“Of course, Hunter,” Willow reassures, wrapping her warm arms around him. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
The Captain offered to carry Hunter to his sleeping spot, but he insisted on getting there on his own. He’s already caused so much trouble by throwing a fit, and he shouldn’t need to have somebody coddle him like a child. Willow seemed hesitant but conceded just to hold his hand and walk beside him. The rest of his friends walk with them, too, with Flapjack perched on Hunter’s shoulder.
They make it there without any issues. Hunter notices that the very nice lady is here, too. ”Do you need anything, baby? A snack, something to drink?” She asks. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Hunter isn’t sure what that last one means. And, while the idea of having that warm, sweet drink again sounds nice, he really just wants to go back to sleep. He doesn't want to think about it anymore. He just wants to close his eyes and forget this ever happened.
“N-No, thank you, ma’am… Jus’ sleep,” He says.
“Cariño, you can call me Camila. Like I said, no need for formalities, remember?”
No. He doesn’t remember. Hunter doesn’t say that, though. He just nods.
Hunter notices that Blight is rubbing her wrist like it’s hurt. Hmmm… If he squints, he can make out little marks. They kinda look like tooth marks, actually.
The realization slaps him in the face. He remembers that someone grabbed his wrist, and then he—He bit someone. He bit her.
“No!” he cries and stumbles over to the purple-haired girl. “No, n-no, didn’—didn’ mean! Sorry! You—I’m—Hurt you, sorry!”
He takes her hand in his, examining the injury. This is bad. Very bad. Witch bites are particularly dangerous and prone to infection. If she doesn’t get immediate treatment, she could go septic, and, and—“Heal—Healin’ coven. Need healin’ coven—“
“No, Hunter—It’s okay! I’m not bleeding or anything—You bit through my shirt,” Blight says, rolling down her sleeve to show the slightly damp area on its cuff. “Didn’t even break the skin, see?” She points out the red marks on her skin, which are only surface-level. “I’m fine! It barely even hurts, really.”
“It’s true, mijo. I already took a look at it, and it’ll only leave some bruising. Amity’s gonna be just fine,” the nice lady, Camila, reassures. But it isn’t fine—
“But—But… Hurt. Hurt you. ‘M sorry,” Hunter maintains. He can’t believe himself right now… He seriously went and bit someone? For absolutely zero reason. He needs to be more responsible… How is he supposed to be a good Golden Guard if he can’t even tell what’s real and what isn’t? “W-W-Won’t ever ‘gain, promise. Be better, a-and, and—not idiot.”
“Hey, Hunter, no, I—You were panicking—you were having a flashback! I shouldn’t’ve touched you without asking…” Blight says, looking regretful. “I’m sorry.”
Hunter disagrees. “But—I—“
“Hey, hey,” Luz interjects. “How about, you’re both sorry, and you both forgive each other, and everything is okay, and we all can go back to bed?” She nervously smiles and gingerly places her hand to cover Hunter’s and Blight’s, eyes moving between the two witches.
What?
Hunter’s never heard of such a thing. Surely, it can’t be that easy, can it? No… That isn’t something that happens. That isn’t a thing. He’s the one who’s bad, so he’s the one who says he’s sorry, and he’s the one who gets punished for his reckless behavior.
Blight—(Camila called her ‘Amity’… Is Hunter allowed to call her Amity?)—looks at Luz, seeming a bit defeated. “Alright… I forgive you, Hunter, okay? We’re all good,” she exhales.
Wh—… Huh?
This is not how Hunter expected this to go. At all.
He stares at the purple-haired girl in shock for a bit before realizing he should just follow along—he isn’t gonna talk back or argue, especially not if they’re letting him bypass his punishment.
“T-Th-Thank you, sorry… F’rgive you. Thank you,” he says, bowing to show respect. When he lifts his head up, Amity-Blight’s expression has shifted in a way he can’t place.
“Alright, Hunter, let’s get you back to bed, okay?” Camila says, rubbing his shoulder. He nods.
Hunter moves down to the flat mattress on the floor. He lays his head on the pillow. It’s much more comfortable here than under the table. Maybe, next time he needs to hide, he can do it under the blanket here, instead? Oh, wait—That’s right… He didn’t need to hide. He just got confused.
It’s embarrassing, the thought of everyone seeing him throw a tantrum like that. Uncle would’ve called it ‘unbecoming’ of him… Hopefully, nobody tells on him. For some reason, part of him trusts that they won’t.
Speaking of blankets, Camila kindly drapes the sheets and fluffy comforter over Hunter. The blankets, like a shield, cover him with a gentle weight, making him feel protected. Flapjack nuzzles into the crook of Hunter’s neck, feathers tickling against his chin. Everything feels so… warm. And cozy. And safe…
Hunter remembers. He is safe. Captain said so; Flap said so… It feels true right now, under the blankets, with his friends and the nice lady Camila here.
He’s safe… He’s… sleepy.
Hunter closes his eyes.