Willow chewed slightly on her thumb nail as she paced the Owl House's living room, Amity having summoned her and Gus, saying Hunter had given her a letter to read to all them. She was confused and worried. Hunter never had done anything like this before, why couldn't he just text her? Unless this had to do with his plan to leave the coven...
"I-I am sure it is fine, Willow." Luz tried to comfort, but she was obviously worried herself. Willow was unsure if Eda told her what Hunter came to her for, but either way it didn't help her too much. The plants in the living room were all moving in ways that made the witch's emotions known, she felt bad how little she could help it.
"Gus is here, Hoot hoot!" Hooty opened up, allowing the final member to come in.
"What is going on?" Gus asked, taking a seat after Amity motioned him to.
"That is what we are about to find out." Amity said, looking at the note she put on the table. She hadn't unfolded it yet. " Uh..who should read it?"
"You are probably the best option, Amity." Willow suggested, making Amity look at her in surprise. " I am too tense to try to read it outloud…"
"A-alright….are we all in agreement, then?" Amity picked the note up, looking to everyone who nodded. Eda leaned against the wooden frame of the kitchen-arch, King jumped over to the couch while he stared at Amity. "A-alright uh...
Hey guys…
I know it is odd for me to reach out to you in this way, but I cannot take any chances after my last talk with Belos…" Amity furrowed her brow, pausing after she read that. She felt everyone suddenly shift their moods to being extremely on edge. " He has lied to me again, and I refuse to even give him a chance to think of a way to manipulate me back under his thumb. I have a plan for my escape. But I need you guys to trust me." Amity swallowed slightly, she could see Eda's plants out of the corner of her eye getting more violent. " I will be silent for what I can estimate will be a few days, to a few weeks at the most. There is a lot I need to do to make sure when I can act, it will not lead back to you, and that I do not leave behind the two creatures I promised I would free. Please, do not do anything to rouse my Coven. I'll see you guys soon."
"He must be talking about the Quetzalcoatl from the news...but what is the second creature?" Gus asked, unable to stop himself. Amity furrowed her brow before flipping the paper over, then held the paper to Willow after reading the first few words.
"Uhh...It says 'To Willow' on the back." Amity said, watching as Willow paused and looked at the note. She hesitated before taking it to start reading it over.
'To Willow-
I'm sorry I am doing this to you. I promise I will make it up to you when I get back! Please do not worry too much about me, ok? I will send Lil' Rascal to you after my plan is put into action, he will have some of my items I wasn't able to bring on the last trip. It will be around a week after that I will come to the Owl House itself…' Hunter looked to have written something, erased it, rewrote it, then erased it again before continuing. 'I love you so much, I hope you know that. Do not listen to what the media might say will happen. I promise, this note being my eternal oath, that I will return to you.' The note ended with that. Willow frowned slightly as she felt her heart racing. What does he MEAN do not listen to the media?
"Not to uh...interrupt Willow…" Eda spoke up, gently putting her hand on Willow's shoulder. " But my plants are about to attack us." Willow looked up from the note, blinking a few times before moving her hand out to shrink the lashing plants before they could do harm. That has been happening WAY too much lately for her liking.
"So...now what do we do?" Gus asked, leaning forward on his knees. " Hunter says not to worry, and to trust him...but…" Gus let his words fall off, rubbing his neck.
" It's hard not to worry...What did Belos lie to him about? What is Belos even going to DO if he finds out Hunter is trying to run? Now to mention his uncle…" Amity sighed, putting her head in her hands as she felt Ghost rub against her side and purr. Willow felt herself stiffened at the mention of Hunter's Uncle, the group as a whole still out of the loop from what she knew.
"Well...unfortunately we do not have a choice but to trust in him." Eda said, walking to sit down on an open chair. " The kid is smart, he has to be, after all. I am sure he will figure something out."
Willow lowered her head, rereading the note for any hint of what Hunter might be planning. ' Do not listen to what the media might say…' Would the media be labeling him a traitor? Would a bounty be placed on his head? No, Hunter wouldn't even dare attempt something that would put the rest of them in danger...She wished nothing more than to reach out to him somehow.
" Well...it wouldn't hurt to prepare for if his plan goes wrong." Luz piped up, causing everyone's eyes to turn to her. She shrugged, " I mean, we can swoop in and grab him after all-"
"No." Willow interrupted, giving a stern look at Luz, who was taken aback, looking surprised at her best friend before frowning in a small apology. Willow sighed, turning to face the rest of the group. " We need to trust Hunter." She asserted. " No trying to make our own plans to save him, no trying to be the heroes...we need to trust what he will do."
"I agree." Eda said, looking back to Luz who still had her lips thinned.
"Luz...please." Amity spoke up, taking Luz's hand. " Trust Hunter. We can't afford to cause more trouble for him."
"...Alright." Luz sighed in defeat. " I will trust him." Willow noted Gus shifting uncomfortably. He was on Luz's side, and King appeared to be as well as he looked to Luz with determination in his eyes. She thinned her lips, hoping that they wouldn't go behind their backs and attempt a rescue.
The rest of the day was tense as the group tried to hang out without worrying about Hunter. Willow, however, couldn't hide or push past her emotions. She could only assume Belos had tried to lie to Hunter about his curse, so that meant the truth was going to be even harder to find. Even more she wondered if he could really promise her that he would be ok. Would Belos be able to find him no matter what? She felt so worried.
After a while she decided to head out of the Owl House, saying her goodbyes and noticing the worried looks she got from the others. She pushed them away, trying to remain calm. She decided to walk on foot to the grove, trying to think over her emotions before Clover buzzed, mentioning the Birch Wood Grove of her last witch. Willow looked at the palisman, then nodded.
"Yeah… Let's go there!" Willow offered her hand out, Clover formed her staff before flying up and away, toward The Hip. It was a bit of a long journey...at the height they were at, as well, Willow could turn her head and almost see the top of the castle that rested in the heart-chasm. Hunter was more than likely there. What was he even doing right now? Did his eyes ever change back? He was in his Golden Guard gear when Amity saw him, so she wouldn't have known if anything was wrong.
Willow sighed through her nose, facing back forward on Clover. Hunter promised he was not going to let Belos get into his head again, and it appeared that he was staying true to his word. But the nagging thoughts she had couldn't escape her. He had a breakdown at Eclipse Lake because he was worried about what Belos would do. He talked about The Titan having big plans for him, but was never in the know of what these plans were. If he left, Willow could only imagine Belos would try to hunt him down. Hunter must know this as well...so what plan would he have to make sure that didn't happen?
Clover dove down, skillfully moving through a thick of trees before gently allowing Willow to land. Willow let Clover off her staff, the palisman going to her shoulder, before she motioned forward for Willow to look. Turning, Willow gasped as she saw Birch Trees, skillfully crafted to swirl around each other in an open arch. A soft light was coming from within the grove, tempting Willow to slowly enter.
The birch trees were close together on the outer edge, forming almost a wall of privacy for the flowers that laid inside. Morning Glory flowers of all different colors and sizes had grown up most of the trees, Hyssop grew wild and free and swayed slightly in an unnatural breeze the grove had. In the middle of the small field, a boulder sat overgrown by moss and caked in dirt. Willow tilted her head, carefully and tenderly making her way to the boulder.
" So this Grove was the last spell she cast?" Willow asked Clover as she moved her hand to ask the Hyssops to part for her. Clover gave a nod, buzzing her response as she fluttered up, then to the boulder to hoover above it. It was placed there, Clover said, as not only a marker of where the cave was, but as a gravestone. The bee gently landed on it, closing her eyes slightly with a sigh as she mentioned that sometimes it felt like The Dryad's presence was still residing inside.
" Maybe she is." Willow said, finally reaching the boulder. She reached her hand out, gently touching her fingers to the surface of the rock. It felt warm, comforting...Willow couldn't help but smile as she noticed the moss on it reaching out to grace her fingers back in a gentle 'hello'. " What was her name, if I may know?"
Clover buzzed in a sad way, admitting that it had been so long that the name of The Dryad had vanished from her mind. She was ashamed of herself for it, but she knew The Dryad was not one to use her name a lot anyway.
" That is ok, Clover." Willow smiled, reaching up to gently pet her palisman. " Her memory still lives on in this grove."
Clover buzzed happily in agreement, moving to meet Willow's fingers. After a few moments Clover piped up again, mentioning how Willow reminded her so much of The Dryad. A caring heart, loving and nurturing, but knew when to use her torns. The Dryad knew how to perfectly channel her emotions into the plants around her, as well. She was a force loved by most, and feared by few. Willow smiled as she moved to pick up Clover then sit, her back against the rock, as she cradled the bee in her hands.
"I don't know if I am that masterful in my magic, though." Willow admitted. Clover nodded, adding that in time Willow will figure out how to better tame the magic. And she will be here to help! She may not remember much, but she still remembers the feelings that had been channeled through her by The Dryad. Willow smiled more, nodding to her palisman. " Thank you so much, Clover. I don't know what I would do without you."
The two sat in the grove, enjoying its atmosphere as they silently listened to the light breeze shifting the branches and flowers around them. Willow couldn't help but think about the grove she and Hunter made as she looked around. Perhaps she should grow a few trees inside the grove's field and add vines and flowers to them as well? She would have to talk to Hunter to get his ideas...oh Hunter.
Her worry still weighed heavily on her, but oddly she was starting to feel...better? Deep down she knew she could trust him. He would find his way to her and, whatever happens, they will live...he had a reflection in the mirror, they had their matching wedding bands, too! Titan, it gave her butterflies thinking about the latter! She still pondered over if she should tell him...perhaps at a later time if it ever came up? She hummed in thought to herself, thinking about the...other additions she noticed. The adult Hunter she saw...he was wearing an eye-patch...should she be worried about what that implies? Could she be able to prevent it from happening? All Oracles believe that the future isn't set in stone, after all, so maybe…
Clover buzzed up to her, bringing her from her set of mind. It was getting late, they should head back home and hope to hear from Hunter soon. Willow nodded, smiling as she stood and took Clover's staff in hand. As she left the grove, she looked around one last time. A movement out of the corner of her eyes made her look, something light blue had ducked behind a tree. She blinked, turning to face it fully before noticing someone peering out at her.
The witch smiled as she was noticed by Willow, moving ever so slightly out in the open to give a bow and nod to the girl, before vanishing before Willow's eyes… Willow gave a small wave, a slight smile appearing on her face before she nodded.
"I'll take good care of her...I promise." Willow said, knowing The Dryad's spirit could still hear her.
_AN_
Shout out to my friend Loosescrewslefty for helping me with the Dryad's grove! I wanted plants that had meaning behind them and they where a big help with figuring out which ones to pick! As always thank you for reading, please leave a comment, and I love you!