Eda still hadn't returned when they woke the following morning. As if by some unspoken agreement, Amity had met Luz in the hallway the moment the sun rose so they could search the house, but they'd found no sign of her. Her absence lay heavily over them, suffocating the usually boisterous mood once again.

Eda brought wild, chaotic energy to the house that made Amity feel safe and secure for some reason. Maybe it was because she sort of reminded Amity of the twins. Or the fact it was so vastly different from the quiet, lonely manor she'd grown up in. Whatever it was, she missed it desperately and that realization startled her a little. It was strange how quickly she was becoming attached to the Owl House and its ragtag occupants.

Amity sat at the dining table with the other two members of her new little family and stared worriedly at the conspicuously empty seat across from her. Picking idly at the breakfast on her plate that Luz had so kindly made for them, she glanced around at King and Luz, wondering how much worse they must be feeling than her. Her relationship with Eda was still fresh and she couldn't claim to know her nearly as well as they did. Luz's mood, in particular, worried Amity. She'd learned that Luz had a tendency to cover negative emotions with a smile and the one she wore now was telling.

She was attempting to appear chipper but Amity knew better. She'd barely touched her food. Wasn't speaking. Wasn't even fidgeting in her chair with that constant need to move that Amity had grown so fond of. No, instead her leg was bouncing rapidly under the table, the rest of her body held stiff and taught. The nervous tilt to her smile and the dark circles under her eyes were a clear indication that she had slept about as much as Amity had. That she was worried. That she was not ok. Had she spent the night carefully listening for signs of Eda's return home too? Luz turned to look at Amity, her smile slipping briefly before it was forced back into place and attacked her breakfast with enthusiasm that she obviously didn't feel.

King was picking at his food in much the same way Amity had been doing earlier. Despite his constant claims to the contrary, Amity knew he was an absolute softy who wore his heart on his nonexistent sleeve. Afterall, he'd barely known her the night she'd arrived at the Owl House but he had made every effort to comfort her anyway. Looking at him now, the tiny demon seemed downright lost.

Amity hated seeing them like this. Desperate to comfort them, and needing a little of it herself, she reached for Luz's hand to carefully pluck the fork she was currently staring at from it, setting it down so that she could lace their fingers together.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok. This isn't the first time Eda's been gone for a few days, right?" She was fairly sure she'd heard Luz mention spending the night alone at the Owl House on more than one occasion. That had to mean something. Maybe it was all fine and they really were just being dramatic. Eda would walk through the door and they would all laugh at how silly they'd been. Luz's smile became a little more genuine when she gave Amity's hand a light squeeze. The gesture eased some of the squirming feeling in Amity's gut.

"Well, she did kinda disappear for three days a while ago," Luz admitted. "I guess it's not totally out of character for her." King perked up from his spot beside Luz, his head snapping up so he could nod along as she spoke.

"That's true," he agreed. "Eda does whatever she wants. She probably just got distracted by something shiny. That witch has the shortest attention span I've ever seen and I've met Luz." That drew a real laugh from said girl and she nudged King playfully.

"Hey! Way to call me out there, buddy! I guess you have a point though. Eda can be pretty easily distracted." Luz shrugged, a small grin spreading across her lips. Some of the tension left her shoulders and Amity felt relief well up inside her. Maybe they were all just overreacting after all.

"Ok, so we all agree we're worrying over nothing right?" Her question was met with hesitation that didn't exactly inspire confidence but, eventually, Luz looked up at her and nodded, a determined sort of expression settling on her brow.

"You're right, we're being silly," she said. "Eda is the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. She knows how to take care of herself. She'll be home tonight for sure." The confidence in her voice seemed to settle them all down a little. At least enough to finish breakfast and get ready for the day. Without Eda to take him to the market, King left to take one of his morning naps while Luz and Amity headed to school. Amity was glad to see he had a little more pep in him as he scampered off to the sofa.

As they made their way through the forest towards Hexside, Amity could clearly see the hesitance in Luz's normally easy stride. She'd left space between them, likely in the hope that Amity wouldn't notice, but her usual bouncy steps were closer to plodding and she held herself much more stiffly. Regardless of what she'd claimed earlier, Luz was still obviously worried about Eda. It pained her to know that Luz still felt the need to hide her negative feelings to spare the people around her but she could hardly fault her for it. Sure, she had opened up to Amity when they'd cleared out her room, but years of habit couldn't be undone in just a few days.

Her own difficulty in expressing herself gave Amity a unique perspective on the matter. She knew trying to force Luz to open up would only make her lean harder into the smiles and false bravado, so Amity decided she would need to try a less direct approach. Swallowing past the nervous hesitation, she slid in a little closer to Luz as they walked, slipped her arm around Luz's and clasped their hands together.

Physical affection was still new to her. It was difficult to initiate, even now when they'd spent so much time cuddling and kissing. Especially when she wasn't riding the high of their mutual confessions anymore. It had been so easy when she'd been deliriously giddy and not stressed out for once in her life. Now, with a clear mind and access to physical affection whenever she wanted, she found herself both fearing and craving even the smallest touch. If she could, she'd spend all day with her hand nestled in Luz's, or with her girlfriend's arm slugged warmly over her shoulder. She didn't want to come off as clingy and weak though, or risk scaring Luz off with her incessant neediness… She frowned internally at the stupid thought that had sounded suspiciously like her mother. Stars, her parents had really done a number on her.

It was getting easier to be sure, but there was still that lingering fear of rejection and reproach that she needed to get past. She knew Luz liked her. Knew she felt the same way Amity did. She'd made that very clear and Titan only knew how touchy Luz could get. The girl wouldn't just understand Amity's desire for closeness, she'd revel in it. But just like Luz still felt the need to hide behind her smile, Amity still found it hard to believe that it wasn't a weakness to want a hug or to have her hand held. Every time Luz accepted her though, it became a little easier to be vulnerable with her and Amity hoped Luz felt that way too.

Luz stiffened beside her for a second, glancing down to where Amity had intertwined their fingers before looking back up at her. Amity kept her eyes set forward and simply walked as if nothing was out of the ordinary. If Luz wanted to pretend that she was fine to make them both feel better, then that's what they would do. For now. Amity trusted that Luz would open up when she was ready. In the meantime, she would do what she could to reassure Luz without words, no matter how scary it might be.

She saw the small, grateful smile Luz shot her from the corner of her eye and relaxed instantly, leaning into her just a little as they walked. Of course Luz wouldn't pull away. She never did. Courage bolstered, Amity spent the rest of the day doing much of the same. Any time she caught sight of Luz's smile faltering or her shoulders stiffening, Amity would talk to her without saying anything at all.

A squeeze of her hand that said she wasn't alone.

A light touch to her elbow to say it was going to be ok.

A lingering kiss on the cheek or pat on her bouncing knee that reminded her to calm down.

With a valiant effort to ignore how much it made her blush, Amity made sure to shower Luz with all the affection she needed to make her feel better. It helped that it didn't take long for Luz to realise Amity needed it just as much and to reciprocate with her own gentle touches.

It was drawing attention of course. Their relationship was no secret after Gus' loud proclamation in the hallway the day before and they certainly hadn't tried to hide it, but this was a lot more physical displays of affection than anyone had ever seen or expected from Amity of all witches. Luz was well known for her touchy-feely nature but Amity had always been so reserved and private before.

People stared. They whispered. Even Gus and Willow seemed surprised by her behaviour, though neither called her out on it until Willow pulled Amity aside at lunch to privately question her. Once Amity had gotten through a brief retelling of the last two days, Willow had seemed worried too, though more for Luz than Eda. She'd offered help if they needed it, but that decision would ultimately be Luz's. Now knowing the full story, Willow and Gus played their parts too by distracting their human friend with playful, friendly banter throughout the day, for which Amity was very grateful.

As classes progressed Amity half expected people to make fun of them. Yet somehow, no one made a comment or joke at their expense all day. In fact, by the end it seemed as if people actively avoided looking at them, their curious stares turning to hurried glances away instead. It was almost as if they were afraid to be caught looking, which struck them both as weird. Neither of them had an explanation for it though, so they chose to ignore it for now and simply do as they pleased. If no one was going to bother them, then Amity was perfectly happy to comfort her girlfriend and be comforted in kind.

When the final scream of the bell tore through the halls of Hexside, the girls made excuses with their friends, said their goodbyes and cut a hasty retreat back home, eager to see if Eda had finally returned. Luz burst through the front door, ignoring Hooty's whines to be gentle and hurried into the living room, Amity right on her heels.

King, who was wringing his paws together on the sofa, jolted upright at their sudden entrance, deflating instantly the moment he saw them. He sank down and the heavy look on his face made the pit in Amity's stomach twist uncomfortably. That face didn't look like good news.

"She's still not back?" Luz moved over to the sofa to scoop King into her arms and the little demon clutched needily at her neck.

"No."

The silence that followed was immediately oppressive. Amity swallowed thickly and moved closer so she could rest a hand on Luz's shoulder, giving King a comforting pat on the back.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said, in what she hoped was a soothing tone. "She could still come back later tonight. It's early. How about we work on some homework. If Eda's not back by dinner, then we start to worry, ok?" Luz let out a breath and nodded. It was all they could do for now.

They spread their work out over the coffee table in front of the sofa and did their best to focus on getting some studying done but it proved futile. King's nervous pacing near the door was a huge distraction and Luz had practically glued herself to Amity's side, which was distracting for an entirely different reason. Not even a group call on the crystal ball with Willow and Gus had been enough to get their minds off of Eda's apparent disappearance. Luz's leg bounced throughout their discussions on plant and illusion magic with their friends, the movement jiggling against Amity's own leg since they were sitting so close.

When dinner time eventually rolled around and Eda still hadn't come home, the three of them gathered in the kitchen. No one spoke for a moment, instead sharing uncomfortable looks from across the table. When the silence drew out for a little too long, Luz grunted and sat up straight, her shoulders squaring seriously. It was time to talk.

"Ok, we're officially worrying now, right?" She met Amity's eyes and Amity couldn't help but grimace. King's anxious little whine only made her feel worse.

"Eda may sometimes disappear for days but she always tells us when she's gonna do that. I don't like this…" he murmured, scratching nervously at the table, his sharp little claws leaving dents in the scuffed wood. The sound was grating at Amity's already fragile nerves, so she reached over and plucked him from his seat, ignoring his little yelp of protest as she set him in her lap. Luz gave them both a fond look and settled her arm around Amity's shoulders. They all needed a little comfort, it seemed.

"King's right, Eda is pretty wild but she keeps her word. To us anyway…" She said with a wry smile before a frown settled across her brow again. "She's been gone for two full days now, something must have happened."

There was no denying it at this point. Amity knew Eda wouldn't simply abandon them for days on end without warning. Everything she'd learned about the witch during her stay and through stories from Luz painted Eda as a caring, if slightly criminal, mother figure. Wild, sure. Reckless at times. Even bordering on occasionally childish and irresponsible. But she was not neglectful. Something was wrong. With a steadying breath, Amity eyed her girlfriend seriously.

"Ok, what's the plan?"

Luz blinked at her before frowning and looking down at the table in thought. The arm around Amity's shoulders tightened slightly. Almost defensively. Oh, she wouldn't...

"There's no school tomorrow so I'm gonna go to The Knee and find her." Oh, she would apparently. Did the girl seriously think Amity would miss her very specific phrasing? There had been no 'we' in that statement. Amity leveled Luz with a very annoyed glare.

"Not without me you're not," she said, backing away so that she could look fully into Luz's eyes. The arm that had been hugging her so tightly, slackened and fell to Luz's side. They stared hard at one another, both waiting for the other to cave. Amity's glare deepened just a touch. Luz may be stubborn but she'd never gone toe-to-toe with Blight will. This was a battle she absolutely would not win.

"I'm coming too!" King piped up, hopping from Amity's lap onto the table and it was enough to break their staring contest. Luz glanced down at him before nodding and looking back to Amity.

"We have no idea what happened. It's too risky. King and I do dangerous stuff like this with Eda all the time, it'll be safer for you to stay here." Her determined frown and pleading eyes did very little to change Amity's mind. If anything, it frustrated her more.

"If you think I'm letting you run off on your own to get yourself killed then you're not as smart as I thought you were!" Luz winced and her face twisted into a pained grimace. Amity hated that she'd been the cause of that expression but there was no way she could give in. Luz needed to understand how irrational she was being.

"Amity, please! Eda could have been captured by some weird monster or bounty hunters or… or the Emperor's Coven!" Her breath quickened and she reached out to take Amity's hands into her own, squeezing them nervously. "Heck, as far as we know, Eda only planned to be gone for a day. That means she probably didn't take enough elixirs with her to last this long. She could be in her owl beast form right now and you've never seen her like that!"

Amity's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that at all. It was entirely likely that Eda's curse had gotten the better of her by now, regardless of whether she'd been captured or not. She was supposed to take an elixir every day and if she had only brought enough for the one she was meant to be gone then… Luz could see the realisation dawn in Amity's eyes and grasped desperately for that little victory.

"This is way too dangerous! You've been through enough already, I don't want you to get hurt!" Amity blinked and frowned again. Eda potentially being in her cursed form meant it was even more imperative that they worked together. How could Luz not see that?

"You think I want you to get hurt?" She asked incredulously, gripping Luz's hands tightly in her own. "Like you said, we have no idea what happened. If she was captured, how do you plan on saving her alone? Do you honestly believe you'd be safer without me? We're supposed to be a team, Luz!" Luz flinched and looked away. The vulnerable look in her eyes made Amity's chest clench painfully.

"I just… Eda's already missing and probably in trouble. I don't wanna risk something happening to you too." Amity sighed heavily and tugged Luz into her arms. Luz gripped tightly at her shirt, burying her head into Amity's shoulder as she slid her fingers into Luz's hair. She was trembling. Terrified. Amity leaned her own head down against Luz's and pulled her closer.

"Well I'm not risking something happening to you either. I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not," she whispered into her ear, all the frustration flooding out of her. She knew Luz was only trying to protect her, as misguided as it was. How could she be mad at her when Amity would gladly tie Luz to a chair somewhere in the house if she thought it would stop her from running head first into danger. But they had no choice in the matter. Eda needed them. "Besides, I want to help Eda just as much as you do. She's done a lot for me."

Luz let out a shuddery breath against her neck before sitting up out of her arms. Their eyes met and she visibly deflated.

"Ok... fine," Luz relented at last. A deep frown settled on her features and she pointed dramatically at Amity. "But we can't tell Willow and Gus! I don't wanna put them in danger too. And we have to be careful!" The snort of laughter that escaped Amity at that was loud and very sudden, surprising them both. The tension between them vanished and Luz grinned at her.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? Since when are you ever careful?" Amity smirked at her girlfriend playfully, who shrugged helplessly. Luz could hardly argue the point. It was already out of character for her not to want help on a mission. She lived for wild adventures with her friends. Her being the cautious one was practically unheard of. An annoyed huff drew their attention to King, who was glaring at them from the table.

"If you two are done being saps, can we get a move on? Eda's not gonna save herself here!" He folded his short arms imperiously at them and Luz's grin widened as she nodded determinedly.

"You're right, King. We should pack some supplies and leave first thing in the morning. It's too late to go out there now." She glanced up at the ceiling, tapping her chin with a finger, a thoughtful pout on her lips. "Eda said she was going to The Knee so we'll need to leave early. It's a long hike without Owlbert to fly us there." The prospect of having to hike all the way to and then up The Knee was daunting to say the least. Amity had made the trip several times in her young life and knew from experience that it wasn't an easy walk.

Knowing they'd need to be well rested and energetic for such a strenuous hike, Luz and Amity set about the task of preparing themselves. Luz bustled around the house with King, the two of them gathering what they could for the long trip. Warm clothes, a tent in case they'd need to stay overnight, various tools and knickknacks Luz thought might be useful and, most importantly, as many elixirs as they could find.

While the two of them packed, Amity set about making them a hearty dinner and preparing what food she could for the trip. She was far from an expert chef, but she and the twins had spent enough nights alone at the manor to know how to take care of themselves and she'd made sure to watch Luz on the occasions that she'd cooked for them over the last few days. She relished the chance to use her meager culinary skills to be helpful in some way. She could hardly help them pack when she had no idea where Eda kept everything; this was the least she could do.

When they eventually sat to eat and come up with a more solid plan than 'find Eda', Luz gushed over the meal, much to Amity's embarrassed delight. She knew Luz was over exaggerating to make her feel better and to lighten the uneasy mood, but it hardly mattered. Amity basked in the praise anyway, her heart fluttering and full. If it helped them briefly forget the dire situation, then it was all for the better.

They all retired to bed shortly after dinner, knowing they would have to rise before the sun did if they wanted to make good time getting to The Knee. When they reached their bedroom doors, Luz stopped Amity with a gentle tug of her hand. She was staring nervously at her feet, teeth working at her lower lip as she scuffed the wood floor with the toe of her sneaker. When she finally looked up, there was remorse in her eyes that caught Amity off-guard.

"I'm sorry." Amity tilted her head curiously, thoroughly confused.

"For what?"

"For trying to make you stay behind. You were right; we're a team." She swallowed thickly and reached out to wrap a stunned Amity tightly into her arms. "I hate arguing with you. It sucks. I know you're super powerful and strong and you can handle yourself, I just…" Before she could build up any more steam, Amity cut her off with a gentle kiss. It was all she could think to do. Luz blinked at her owlishly when Amity pulled back, her train of thought thoroughly derailed.

She found it incredibly sweet that Luz felt the need to apologize after such a small argument. Neither of them liked confrontation but it had been a necessary one. Amity understood her fully, after all. She couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to Luz, but that was why they had to work together. Protect each other. She was just glad that she'd managed to convince Luz before the girl ran off without her. She was also very glad their first fight had been a small one and that they had gotten past it without any hard feelings.

"Luz, it's ok. I know you meant well, but you can't protect me from everything. It's not exactly easy for me to think about you getting hurt either. I care about you too, dummy. We'll just have to watch out for each other. Deal?" She reached up to thread her fingers gently through Luz's hair, smiling when she leaned into the touch.

"Deal," Luz said, moving in to press a kiss of her own to Amity's lips. Her grip on Luz's hair tightened a little as she leaned in closer. Something about the way Luz was holding her filled Amity with courage. They would be ok. They had each other's backs. They could do this. Together.

The following morning was a mad rush of activity. Hooty woke Luz before sunrise and her frantic, terrified yelling for him to get out of her room was more than enough to startle both Amity and King awake. Before Amity's half-awake mind could register what was happening, they were out the door and trekking to The Knee, heavy backpacks and supplies in tow. Luz had stowed King in the hood of her cat-eared sweater, the little demon having promptly fallen asleep the moment they'd left the house.

The journey took all morning and part of the early afternoon. They arrived at the foot of the mountain an hour or two after noon, at which point King's incessant grouching for food forced them to stop and rest. Both girls were honestly glad for the break; it had been a long walk. It was also a perfect time to don their winter wear as the chill of the snowy mountain was starting to send shivers down their spines as they approached its base.

"Ok buddy, do you know where Eda usually goes for supplies?" Luz asked as they sat to eat a quick lunch. She and Amity were huddled together on a fallen log just off the marked path, cuddled close for warmth as much as comfort. King sat at their feet, tilting his boney head up to look at them. He scratched at his chin with one little claw, his eyes scrunching up in thought.

"I'm not sure. It's been a while since I went on one of these trips and I don't know what ingredients she wanted." Amity frowned. The Knee was huge and heavily wooded. They needed some where to start or they could be there for days looking for Eda.

"It's not going to be easy to find her if we're just wandering around aimlessly up there. Maybe we should split up and look around?" She asked, glancing at Luz, who turned to her sharply, eyes wide.

"No way! I've seen enough horror movies to know splitting up in the woods is never a good idea!" She said emphatically. "Things always go wrong when you split the party. We came here together and we're sticking together!" Her reaction had been so strong and immediate that Amity found herself unable to argue.

"Ok, we'll stick together," she agreed. "But we need something to go on at least." Relieved, Luz leaned against Amity as they all thought. There had to be somewhere they could start looking. Luz's eyes lit up suddenly and she sat up to look between her companions.

"What about those ruins where you and the twins were practicing the fire spell? Maybe we can start there and use that as a base or something?"

"You mean the Witch Arena? That's a really good idea, Luz! It's pretty easy to find and there's plenty of foliage around it. Eda might have gone there looking for ingredients," Amity said, grinning at Luz's triumphant expression. She opened her mouth to speak again but King snapped his claws at them, drawing their attention.

"Hey! Less talky, more walky. We're burning daylight here!" He huffed. Amity was inclined to agree. The climb wouldn't take too much longer but she'd prefer not to do it in the dark. After a quick cleanup they continued along the path that angled up along the side of the mountain. They followed the winding safety rails as they climbed higher, careful to avoid slipping on the icy ground while keeping an eye out for any and all signs of the Slitherbeast. It had been a while since their last visit but neither of them wanted to find out if the hulking white monster remembered them.

Amity's breath puffed visibly in front of her as they stopped at the top of the trail. Without the constant crunch of her winter boots in the snow to cover it, her ragged breathing sounded deafening in the still woods. They'd finally reached the top and it was the first time they'd stopped since their lunch break some two hours ago. She was exhausted.

Luz, who stood beside her, didn't look like she was faring much better. She was breathing just as heavily as Amity was, bent over slightly and clutching one hand tightly to the shivering lump at her chest that was King. He had crawled into Luz's furry coat a little while ago and was snuggled in there to hide from the cold, despite having his own little scarf, jacket and mittens, along with a pair of earmuffs that Amity questioned the use for. King had no ears to speak of. Were they keeping his horns warm somehow? Shaking the random thought from her head, she took a deep, refreshing gulp of frigid air that burned into her lungs and squeezed the hand held in her own.

"The arena's not far from here. We should keep moving before it starts getting dark," she huffed out, slowly catching her breath. Luz groaned tiredly but nodded, following Amity as she gently tugged her forward. They plodded further down the path until the first of the broken stone pillars came into view.

The sight was enough to give them both a little burst of energy and they hurried forward, rushing into the Witch's Arena in hopes of finding any signs of Eda. Luz skidded to a sudden, stumbling halt at a stone archway that led into the central area, leaving Amity to scramble not to bump directly into her. She had come dangerously close to toppling both herself and Luz into the snow. King poked his head out of her jacket at the jerky stop and glared up at Luz.

"Watch it, will ya? If you fall on me I will be forced to smite you and it's too cold for smiting!" Luz gave him a distracted pat on the head, her eyes trained ahead of her.

"Sorry, King. But look!" She pointed her free hand into the arena, the other still wrapped securely in Amity's. Following the gesture, Amity's eyes fell on what appeared to be an empty campsite. Someone had set up a horned, patchwork tent against one of the crumbling walls of the ancient structure, a firepit set just in front of it. They approached cautiously, eyes darting about for any signs of life. Snow had gathered on top of the tent and around its base, as well as over the dead coals of the fire. The camp looked completely abandoned.

"That's Eda's tent. We used it last time we came here," Luz muttered, eyeing the tent in confusion. "I guess she must have decided to stay for at least one night." Amity met Luz's eye and an unspoken conversation passed between them. Without a word the girls split up, Luz taking King to check the tent while Amity moved closer to the firepit, drawing a spell circle in the air to reignite the coals with her pink flames. The magical fire sprang to life instantly, easily melting the snow that had gathered there and crackling merrily, flooding the immediate area with warmth.

The fact that Eda had clearly decided to stay at least one night wasn't surprising. They'd guessed it was a possibility earlier. She could have any number of reasons for wanting to spend the night on the mountain, but she wouldn't have stayed any longer than that. Not without sending word somehow and especially not if she didn't have the elixirs she needed. The firepit being stone cold and lack of footprints in the snow when they'd arrived didn't bode well either.

Amity stood warming her hands over the fire, eyes scanning the area for trouble when she heard Luz emerge from the tent behind her, the flaps covering the entrance fluttering as she brushed them aside. She and King stepped up beside Amity and Luz held her hands out near the pink flames too, a deep frown settling on her brow.

"It looks like all of her stuff is still in there," she muttered. "It's like she went out looking for ingredients or something and just… didn't come back." That was partially good news at least. If all of her supplies remained untouched, she probably hadn't been captured by bounty hunters or the Emperor's Coven, both of whom would have raided the camp for sure. It still left the possibility of a monster attack, though there didn't appear to be any signs of one. King trotted up to Amity and held up a little round bottle that she took to inspect. The label identified it as one of Eda's elixirs, entirely empty and cork reinserted.

"We found this inside too. There weren't any more though," he said, eyeing the bottle with trepidation. Just the one bottle, which meant she hadn't intended to stay the second night. Amity shuddered at the implication, glancing up at Luz and biting her lip worriedly. Luz huffed out a breath and turned to look into the woods.

"She's gotta be somewhere nearby," she said. The scared but hopeful lilt in her voice made Amity immediately reach for Luz's hand again, which she squeezed gratefully. "We only have a few hours of daylight left so if we're gonna look for her, we should go now." And so they looked.

True to her word, Luz refused to let them split up, which Amity was honestly thankful for. The heavily wooded mountain could be a little scary at the best of times, but the fact that they were looking for someone who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances made it feel downright creepy. Much like Luz, Amity was a fiction lover. She'd read plenty of books and heard many stories about adventurers lost in the woods. Things tended to go south fast. She was glad for Luz's hand never leaving hers.

King was darting around them as they walked, ignoring Luz's loud calls for Eda in favour of sniffing at every rock and tree he could find. He scurried around and under bushes, hunting for any sign of Eda that his heightened demon senses might find.

The sun had just started to dip in the sky when the girls heard King call out to them from a little ways ahead. They hurried to catch up to him, finding him resting his paws against a tree with several large, jagged claw marks gouged out of it's trunk.

"Well… that's not ominous at all," Luz murmured, her voice wavering nervously. She glanced anxiously at Amity who shifted a little closer.

"Don't freak out. This could have been made by anything." She hesitated and frowned up at the deep scratches with concern. It was the first unusual thing they'd seen on their search. Slitherbeasts didn't mark their territory this way and there were no other creatures on The Knee large enough to leave a marking like this. "Maybe we should look around here a little more. If Eda was here when this happened there'd be more evidence, right?" King puffed up his furry chest and gave a sharp salute.

"I'm on it!" He darted off into the underbrush, rooting around while the girls looked for signs of Eda having been nearby. Amity quietly hoped they didn't find anything. She didn't like the idea of what it might mean if Eda had been there when those marks had been made. She and Luz froze at King's sudden little "weh" from somewhere in a bush nearby. They turned to see him struggling out of the branches, dragging something behind him. With a sharp tug, he tumbled out into the open with a sack full of ingredients clutched in his claws. Attached to the sack was a very familiar staff.

"That's Eda's!" Luz cried, darting to snatch the staff into her hands. She turned it over to peer at the tip and let out a little gasp of dismay. "Owlbert's not here! Eda would never leave Owlbert behind!" She looked up at Amity desperately, fear etched across her face before turning panicked eyes to the trees. She called out frantically for the little owl palisman, her voice echoing through the woods as she dashed back and forth. Startled by her sudden panic, Amity ran to catch Luz, reaching out to wrap her arms around the trembling girl. She held her tightly to her chest, pressing her forehead to Luz's to force her to look at Amity.

"Luz! You need to calm down. We're gonna find them, ok? It's going to be ok, but if you keep yelling like that we might attract whatever did that to the tree." She clamped down on her own fear as hard as she could, hoping Luz couldn't feel the way her heart was pounding. They needed to be more careful. Luz swallowed and clenched her eyes shut, visibly trying to calm herself down. They both froze suddenly when a fluttering noise and quivering little hoot drifted down from somewhere above them. Eyes snapping open, Luz turned sharply to look up into the tangled foliage of a tall tree behind them. There, hiding within the leaves and snow gathered on the branches, was a shivering Owlbert, drawn out by Luz's calls. Luz let out a keening sound from somewhere in her throat, her grip on Amity tightening with relief.

"Oh, gracias a Dios … Owlbert, c'mere buddy!" The tiny brown palisman peered down at them wearily before his eyes lit up with recognition. With a happy little hoot, he fluttered down and landed on Luz's outstretched arm, hopping along it to nuzzle up against her cheek. He was shivering against her as Luz reached up to gently tuck him closer to her neck, giving his head a tender little scratch.

Amity watched them interact with fascination. She'd never seen anyone cuddling another witch's palisman like that, but this was Luz afterall. The girl was known for doing the unheard of. Owlbert looked up at Amity and watched her carefully, his eyes narrowing. She gave him a weak little smile from where she was still wrapped up in Luz's other arm and the Owl tilted his head, hooting curiously. He hadn't awoken from Eda's staff since Amity had moved in so she could hardly blame him for being unfamiliar with her. These weren't exactly the ideal circumstances for a first meeting either.

"Don't worry, Owlbert," Luz said when she spotted his wary look. "Amity is a friend." Luz looked down at her and grinned at the annoyed look Amity was giving her. "Ok, so maybe more than a friend ," she added, yelping when Amity pinched her side.

"Har, har, very funny, Noceda," she huffed sarcastically, happy at least that the relief of finding Owlbert had calmed Luz's panic enough for her to be cracking jokes. Really stupid, not at all funny jokes. She turned her eyes back to Owlbert, who was still curled up at Luz's neck. "If he was hanging around here, then Eda can't be far. Palismen don't usually stray from their witches."

Luz gasped and scooped Owlbert into her hand, bringing him down so she could look at him. "Is that right, buddy? Is Eda somewhere nearby?" He fluttered about on her hand, nodding his head rapidly. Luz laughed with relief and pulled him a little closer in her excitement.

"That's great! Do you know where she is? Why aren't you with her? Is she ok?" Her rapid fire questions startled the little owl for a moment before he began hooting in earnest, gesturing wildly with his wings. Unfortunately, given that none of them were bonded to him, they had no idea what he was trying so desperately to say. " Lo siento, little guy, I don't understand. Can you slow down for a second? Maybe do some charades or something?"

Ruffling his feather in obvious frustration, Owlbert hopped off Luz's hand and flew off into the gloom of the slowly darkening forest. Luz yelped after him but he fluttered back almost immediately, dropping a bundle of something dark into her hand before landing on her shoulder again. Amity eyed the pile of what appeared to be large grey feathers curiously. She glanced up to see Luz staring at the feathers with wide, fear-filled eyes.

"Luz…" King murmured from his spot at their legs. "Those look like…"

"I know, King." She hesitated and looked up from the feathers to Amity.

"Maybe we should head back to the campsite. It'll be dark soon. We can figure out what to do next from there," Amity said, stepping back so she could lightly tug Luz forward. She followed without hesitation. The sun had almost fully set and stars had begun to surface in the dark veil of the night sky. They cut a hurried path directly back to the Witch's Arena, the deepening shadows of the forest seemingly pressing in on them as they all but ran to the relative safety of the still burning campfire. When they arrived, Amity turned curious eyes to Luz, who was idly fingering the feathers in her hand, eyeing them with trepidation. It didn't take a genius to guess where they had come from. She reached out to lay her hand over them, drawing Luz's attention.

"Luz, these are Eda's feathers, aren't they?" Luz flinched and turned away, staring worriedly into the fire.

"I… I think so, yeah." Fear pulsed through her veins and Amity stepped closer to Luz, King clutching at the fabric of her winter coat nervously. Luz wrapped an arm around Amity and held her tightly. "We could still be wrong," she said hesitantly. "Maybe Owlbert was trying to tell us Eda was attacked by some big bird or a gryphon or…"

She was cut off by a high, unnatural screech that cut loudly through the silence of the forest, echoing eerily against the sides of the mountain. A terrified tremor ran up Amity's spine, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

"What in seven hells was that?! I've never heard anything on The Knee make that noise before…" Luz and King shared a horrified look as Owlbert hooted mournfully from Luz's shoulder.

"That… that was Eda."