The Owl Lady knew curses always manifested in strange ways. And no curse was the exact same, even when shared across people. Her and Lilith were proof of that with how her Owl Beast form was goodly sized, but her sister's Raven Beast was monstrously big. But even knowing that, she was quite taken aback as she stared up at the Stag Beast — as they decided to call Hunter's cursed form.

"So… let me get this straight." Eda said, rubbing her forehead. "Tibbles was trying to capture B.Q. but decided to capture you guys instead. That triggered Hunter to change into a mud monster… but after Willow called out to him, he became this?"

"That's the long and short of it, yeah…" Luz answered, looking up at the Stag Beast as well. He was sitting at the moment, his eyes blinking, closing, and then blinking again as the creature looked to be fighting sleep. He finally stood to stretch out his back in an arch with a massive yawn, showing off the rows and rows of teeth in his maw before he circled around Willow and laid down behind her. "...At least he's tamed?"

"Well… this is an unexpected development, for sure," Eda surmised, putting her hands on her hips. Willow turned to look down at the Stag Beast, still unsure of what to really do. On the one hand, he was most definitely still her Hunter, but on the other… how unpredictable could this curse be? Hunter had never mentioned anything about Belos legitimately transforming like this. And with how he responded to her call and took orders from the Bat Queen, was he in the same head space that Eda had described being in when she was transformed?

"So… what do we do?" Gus asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Try to feed him a potion or just wait it out?"

"You guys fed him a potion earlier, who is to say it will work now?" Matt asked, petting Pibbole, who was taking his own nap in the teen's arms.

"But we could be waiting for another two weeks if we just wait it out," Amity brought up. Her eyes were carefully on Willow, who hesitated and then sat down next to the Stag Beast. Willow held out her hand, watching as the Beast opened one of his eyes, then both, before he sniffed at her and put his chin on her palm. He felt cool to the touch. A light coating of mud was dripping off his exposed jaw bone to rest in her hand as he closed his eyes again, content to just nap in the yard. Lil' Rascal went to perch on his antlers once more and chirped at Willow.

"Well…" Willow thinned her lips as she looked back at the group, "h-he at least seems… okay?" She seemed unsure of her words; and she was. How okay could he actually be? She watched as he moved his chin back, flopping onto his side in the dirt to sigh and close his eyes again as he attempted to nap. Should she let him? He was probably very tired…

"Maybe it will be a good idea for me to call Lilith," Eda mused, running a hand through her hair. "She's been doing a lot more research into curses with Mom, so she might know what to do." Eda sighed through her nose. She was not ready for Lilith to know about Hunter yet, but this might be the only real way to help him.

"That's a brilliant idea, Eda! Hoot Hoot!" Hooty cheered out. He would really take whatever chance he could to see Lilith, that was for sure.

"I don't know, Eda…" Luz frowned. "Lilith didn't seem to really like Hunter, after all." She distinctly remembered how Lilith had described the teen that day at the market.

"Uhhh…" Their light debate was broken by Willow, who had leaned away from the Stag Beast. The holes in his back had started letting out thick plumes of smoke, the tainted air fighting unnaturally against the faint breeze to start enveloping the creature. Willow scrambled to her feet and took a few steps back, Lil' Rascal flying to her shoulder, weary of the dark smoke that soon enveloped the Beast.

"I-Is he turning back or having a weird dream?" Gus asked as he placed a hand over to Shimmer sitting on his shoulder and took a reflexive step back. The answer was quickly made evident as a strange groaning sound emanated from within the smoke, which then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared to bear a kneeling Hunter, his head hanging as he braced his hands on the ground in front of him.

"Hunter!" Willow cried out, rushing over to him. She put her hand on his back and the other on his chest as she leaned over to look at his face. He appeared dazed, his eyes unfocused before they widened and he quickly put his hand to his mouth. He lurched forward, coughing out a dribble of black sludge. Gritting his teeth as his fit ended, snarling in pain. Willow frowned, rubbing small circles on his back. " Hunter?"

"W-wha…" he reached up to rub his face, "what… what 'appened? W-why… why does my mouth taste like bacon?" His ears flicked as he heard Luz give a faint snort at that, but he was too tired and too sore to care. He leaned over into Willow, holding one of her arms in his. He felt like he'd run from the Toes to the… the Skull… The same feeling he had when he'd first woken up at the Owl House. He blinked a few times as the realization started to set in.

"W-what do you remember?" Willow asked, hugging him close to her. Hunter shifted in her embrace, looking up at her with a wide-eyed terror.

"D-Did I succumb to my curse?" Hunter forced himself to sit up, grabbing Willow's face in his hands to look her over with fear. "Are you hurt? Where are the palismen? Did I hurt anyone?" He looked around at the others, he felt tears starting to prick his eyes. Lil' Rascal fluttered to his shoulder, nuzzling into him in support.

"Hunter. Hunter, shh." Willow took his face in her own hands in turn, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Everyone is fine; witches, palismen, and human alike. You only targeted Tibbles."

"T-Tibbles?" Hunter blinked a few times, then furrowed his brow. He knew the name of the demon who had shrunk Luz, Gus, Willow, and King at the carnival once… Wait… He remembered being in a cage and hearing an annoying voice outside… then he was ripped away from Willow, then…

"Hey, Kid, do you remember anything at all from when you were transformed?" Eda had come over and knelt down next to Willow. She watched as Hunter looked at her, noting that he looked right back to normal save for the smoke-filled eye. He looked to the ground as he furrowed his brow in thought.

"I-I was… chained to Amity." Hunter rubbed his head, taking one of Willow's hands in his for comfort. "I felt… something moving inside my head but… outside, too? I…" He sighed in frustration, closing his eyes as he tried to force the memories out. He felt Willow's hand brushing his hair, making him pause as he opened his eyes just a little.

"You should rest," she whispered.

"Yeah, Kid," Eda said, standing up. "Don't worry about my question. Let's get you back inside." Willow stood as well, carefully helping Hunter to his feet. He took a step, almost falling over only to be caught by Willow who looked up at him in concern. In a single swift motion he couldn't fight against, she had scooped him up and was now carrying him bridal-style.

"I'll put some tea on!" Hooty cried, opening his door and extending his neck into the house. Hunter couldn't help but relax in Willow's arms, suddenly aware of how every inch of muscle he possessed felt tight and pressured. Did Belos feel the same way after his episodes? As far as Hunter was aware, he never had seen Belos turn into a full-fledged beast. Other than the sore feeling, though, he wasn't really in any pain.

The group all moved inside, letting Hunter have the full couch as Willow laid him down on it and sat next to him to take his hand in hers with a smile. She was relieved, to say the least. She wasn't sure what she would have done if Hunter had been stuck in that form for another two weeks. Even so, there were still many burning questions bothering her as she watched Hunter shift onto his side and bring her hand to his lips, resting them on her skin as he stared at the table in apparent thought. The Stag Beast never even attempted to go after a palisman; in fact he basically ignored them, along with everyone else. He paid attention and listened to her, and even tried to cuddle, but for the most part he was rather… passive about everything around him.

The group sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, Hooty coming back at one point to set a cup of tea down in front of Hunter, who accepted it with a word of thanks. Hunter shifted to sit up, and in the silence he took the time to try to remember more. It was still rough, like his brain didn't want to recall the events, but he was starting to get some idea of what had happened.

He remembered after being chained to Amity, the Beast inside him was screaming out. He was demanding to be freed, refusing to allow the both of them to be shackled again. Hunter was trying to fight against him, but… after the Tibbles demon mentioned a memory lock spell, that was it. Hunter slipped into the Beast's control through the fear of what the demon was planning to do with Willow and the other two, and from there… Hunter remembered looking around in the white-void he'd been trying to force himself into. But… it was different this time. He felt the Beast at his back, felt it lurching over him… his head felt… numb for a lack of a better term. He'd known he should be fighting against the transformation, but as he stared out into the white void, the only thing he'd wanted…

Was to feed on the flesh of those who trapped them… It was a primal feeling, too easy to remember and so difficult to resist. It had felt… good? No, it… it wasn't a good feeling, it was like… he really wasn't sure how to describe it. All he knew was that it felt almost natural, and he hated it. After that, he remembered feeling like he was swimming. His body was acting on its own, and yet he was still in control? What were these feelings, these actions? Why did he feel like he was in complete control and yet had no control at all? He even remembered when he'd sunk his teeth into the tail of the pig-demon; he was so overjoyed and proud, and considered letting the demon go just to play chase again…

But then he heard Willow and that had knocked some sense back into him. His thoughts went from playing with his food… food?... Uuhh… p-prey. His thoughts went from playing with his prey to… He felt his ears wiggle and his cheeks flush as he remembered, looking away from the group in hopes they wouldn't notice his sudden change in demeanor. Unfortunately, the one person he really didn't want to notice was the exact person who did.

"You thinking about Willow, Hunter?" Luz smirked at him. He growled at her before crossing his arms, feeling that very witchling shift slightly next to him. Glancing at her, he saw her smiling at him. Hunter flicked his ears around again, his blush deeping as he forced himself to look away from her gaze.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked, the soft smile still on her lips.

"Y-yeah, just uh… sorting through some stuff." Hunter found a string on his shirt to play with. He felt like a big goofy idiot as he remembered the exact feelings and thoughts he'd had in his Beast form when she'd called to him. It snapped from him being a cruel monster to... having the need to provide? Should he be feeling this embarrassed? He had always had that kind of role in a loose term, so translating to his Beast form should not be too… surprising, right? He suddenly felt Willow's hand brushing the hair on the side of his head and he looked over to her, flicking his ears.

"You should probably get some rest," Willow said gently, receiving a faint nod from Hunter as he stood up. He braced himself on the arm of the couch for a moment, his legs feeling like they were trying to give out from under him, before he felt Willow stand and take his arm in hers to help lead him up the stairs to the room he had been using, ignoring the looks of concern he was receiving from the rest of the group. She helped him into the bed, giving a final kiss on his head before turning to leave. Hunter reached out, quickly grabbing her hand to make her pause and look back to him.

"...I uh…" Hunter thinned his lips as he stared up at her, the blush returning to his cheeks. "I remember you… calling to me when I was a beast. I-I uh…" He sighed, looking down from her as he tried to process the words he was about to say. "I think you, uh… kept me from doing… something horrible to Tibbles." He felt Willow turn, taking his hand with both of hers as she leaned back down to place another kiss on his temple. He smiled lightly, gazing up at her as she pulled back again, a small smile on her own face. "...I love you, Willow."

"I love you, too, Hunter," Willow said, a blush appearing on her own face.

The Bat Queen watched as the webbed ball wriggled around, the demon trapped inside trying desperately to escape. The pig-demon was to be one of many, she assumed. She looked around her lair, the palismen she cared for having all retreated into the hollowed tree at her summons. They now knew of the danger. She sighed through her nose as she closed her eyes; it had been a strange week for her.

She hoped that the Kirin would soon return so she could attempt to talk to him properly again. The last he had been here he'd had an understandably scattered brain, unable to do much more than act like a beast demon. But he was still so gentle with the palismen and the babies, and turned on an intruder who was looking to snag a palisman for their own use.

Indeed, he was playing the role of protector once again… but where had he been for all this time? That poor boy from the Pillars was probably confused and frightened, along with the Wild Witch of the Grove. Mayhaps they would both return soon, and she could talk to them together. They were undeniably linked now, even if they did not realize how deeply such a thing went.

Even thinking about the girl — Willow, from what she remembered in her past meetings with the human and from the adoption where she took Clover into her care — made her turn to even deeper thoughts…

Did the girl have the faintest inkling what manner of witch she was?

Hunter was sorting through his few possessions, again. It was mostly to keep him distracted from how hungry he felt. He had just eaten when he'd woken up. Why was he already so hungry? He frowned to himself as he looked over the few books, his favorite scarf, and a few knick-knacks he'd been able to grab. There were also the Quetzacoatl scales. He was preparing to hide them away until he felt the need for them. He had about twenty-thousand snails from what he counted, and pondered on if that would be enough for him to replace the items he hadn't been able to bring with him.

He would definitely need new clothes, and that would be a good chunk of snails there. Of course, he would rather buy his own bathing products than try to use Eda's or Luz's. Eda had said that she would cover the elixirs, but he felt guilty for mooching them off her and planned on securing some of his own. Then of course there would be the books, he would want his own healing kit, he would probably need to pay for his medications out of pocket, and he wanted to get a few more binders so that he wasn't relying on only the two he had now. Not to mention how hard it might be to find a replacement for his favorite hoodie… he mentally kicked himself for not grabbing it.

Hunter sighed as he leaned back on his palms, looking over the small collection. There was obviously one item missing from the collection that was stored away… the Golden Staff. He sighed before extending his hand out and summoning it. He looked it over carefully, the last item that remained of the Golden Guard, other than his helmet that he assumed was being used in his funeral. He was originally going to have the Quetzalcoatl destroy the staff, but decided against it for one reason… He knew that if he was careful, he could take it apart and reuse the materials to create something else. He wasn't sure what, but the device was too valuable for him to just get rid of it.

He felt two hands settle on his shoulders, startling a bit before they wrapped around him and the weight of a chin appeared on his shoulder. Willow looked over the collection in front of him, then at Hunter proper with a small smile. He smiled back, leaning into her as he closed his eyes.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, more or less," Hunter sighed, opening his eyes to look back at his possessions. "I kinda wish I'd grabbed more… but if I took too much then it might have been too noticeable."

"Do you want to go shopping soon to pick up some new things?" Willow broached with a supportive smile. "We can make a day out of it."

"I would very much like that," he said with a warm smile, "but I'll need to find something to hide my eye first." Hunter tapped the side of his head that held said smokey eye. "I rather not get weird looks and have people questioning, after all."

"We can ask Eda if she has something," Willow suggested as she let him go to shift around and sit at his side. "Titan knows the Owl House has all kinds of different stuff. I'm sure we can find something." Hunter nodded, picking up one of the snails that had partly spilled out of his bag onto the floor to twirl it idly around in his fingers.

" I should write a list of everything I need so I don't forget anything."

"Don't forget, too," Willow reminded him, "that you left a bag over at my house that has a change of clothes in it. Plus your metal tin, your frog stuffy, and a few of your books." Hunter nodded and then frowned.

"Are your, um…? Are your fathers…?" Hunter's frown deepened as he rubbed his arm, feeling guilty over how he had kept Eun and Gilbert out of the bigger picture of his escape. They weren't even supposed to know he was the Golden Guard, but they'd been able to figure it out on their own. When news broke on what happened, Gilbert had almost had a heart attack at work before he rushed to the Owl House and found Lil' Rascal already there. Apparently, after Hunter finally returned the two had visited while he was still in his coma.

"They're happy you're alive," Willow assured him with a smile. "They want to see you soon, but there's no rush. They would come to visit, but they might be too… overwhelmed, honestly." Hunter offered a small smile at that, and gave an understanding nod as he leaned more firmly into her with a small sigh.

"Maybe we can go shopping after you get out of school tomorrow?" Hunter asked.

"Most places will be closed for your funeral," Willow reminded him, "so many the day after."

"Ahh… right…" He sighed more deeply, flattening his ears. "I don't know if I should tune into that or not…" Willow smiled as she hugged him tighter, nuzzling her chin onto his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"I can ask my dads to tell Bump I'll be one more day out of school if you want," she offered to him, making him smile. "We can just go to the grove for the day."

"You spent a while out of school," he pointed out. "I'd rather your grades not get bad because of me."

"One more day won't change anything," she reasoned. "As long as I turn in the homework Luz has been collecting for me, I'll be fine."

"Hmm…" Hunter scratched his cheek, unsure about it. He honestly would love for Willow to stay one more day before her schedule was filled back up with going to school before he could see her. He was honestly worried about how boring life would get when she was gone. But, school was important and she shouldn't spend too much longer outside of it. "I'll leave it up to you to decide-"

"Hunter, guess what?!" Luz had kicked open the door, making the two in the room jump before they looked back at her. "School got cancelled for your funeral tomorrow!"

"...Well, that solves that," Hunter said, looking back at Willow as he rubbed his neck. Willow gave him a smile back before nodding.

"The funeral is going to be open to the public in full. From what Eda's seen on Penstagram, there's a rumor that they're making it so public in hopes that the 'rebels' that killed you will come and be ripe for capture." Luz was trying to hide her amusement, but it was hard not to spot it. Hunter groaned, rubbing his face with one of his hands before he shifted to start collecting his things and put them away on an empty bookshelf he'd found.

"I'm gonna guess that it will last for most of the day, huh? Speeches from all nine coven leaders, probably… A performance from the bard coven in my honor. My more trusted scouts making speeches…" Hunter shook his head as he picked up the Golden Staff to rest against the wall before hesitating. He looked the staff over before taking a firmer hold of it, a frown etching his face.

"Hunter? Are you okay?" Willow asked, having stood up as well. He felt her at his side as Luz moved to lean over to look at him.

"...They're really trying to paint this picture that I died a hero, not a traitor… I-...I can't help but wonder if Belos will make a speech or not." Hunter sighed as he set the staff back down, guilt ripping through his heart. "I wish I knew what he was even doing right now." Luz froze, then gasped as she opened her mouth to say something. Hunter reached his hand out without looking to shove it over her mouth. "I am not using the scrying potion to spy on Belos. That would be a dead give away that I'm alive." He felt Luz freeze before she reached up to take Hunter's hand off her face.

"How did you know about that?" Luz asked, looking worried.

"You realize that Belos can sense the window looking into the palace, right?" Hunter looked over to the human. "When you guys first made it, he made sure to take precautions to counter it when you guys look into areas he doesn't want you to know about." Hunter hummed in thought before rubbing his chin. "Although… maybe it doesn't matter now. Since I'm holding most of the curse, then maybe he can't sense it?"

" How did that work, anyway?" Luz asked with a raised brow. "When Lilith shared Eda's curse it seemed like it split pretty much fifty-fifty. But with you and Belos it seems more like one holds more than the other?" This earned a shrug from Hunter as he turned to wrap his arm around Willow's shoulder.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I don't know how I was even able to cast the spell without magic of my own to use. I do remember, though, that after the spell was cast it felt like something… kinda leapt into me? Maybe it was the Beast quite literally jumping from him to me?" Hunter shrugged again before leaning his cheek into the top of Willow's head.

"There is a lot we don't know, too." Willow said, leaning harder into Hunter as she rubbed her chin in thought. "You said Belos never fully turned into a Beast like you did, that he had perfect control over the mud, and that he always used palismen to treat the curse."

" Man… maybe after school I can hit the library and try to find something that can help us with this?" Luz suggested.

"Let's be real," Hunter groused with a smirk. "You'll look for ten minutes before you get distracted by Amity." Luz frowned in reply. "Either way, just don't use the scrying potion when I'm around. If he can still sense who's looking through it, I'd rather he doesn't know where I am. If he knows I'm alive."

"Eeyup yup," Luz agreed as she turned to leave the room. Hunter sighed as he turned to fully hug Willow close to him, closing his eyes. He felt the Beast shifting inside him, making him wince, before it settled back down.

_AN_
so...Huntlow week is coming fast, right? Last week of November...

I was sitting pretty, only one last story to write...

file gets corrupted...

I lose 1 story, half of another, and the edits I did of another...

so yeah...ain't that just the way?

Thank you guys for reading. I hope you all are enjoying this story. I know that it is a lot different from OBS, after all. Please leave a comment! Thanks again to Mr. Spinner for being my beta reader!