"Huntress, you sure this going to work?"
Jake and Huntress were in the Treefort's living room, having moved everything out of the way so Huntress could start setting up the spell. The floor was painted with green runes and glyphs, situated into a large circle that almost completely covered the floor. Huntress was finishing the last symbol, making sure to not let the green paint drip off her finger, being slow and meticulous like all the ones she made before. The spell's set up took every fiber of her precision, patience, and dexterity as even the the tiniest smudge or squiggle would yield nothing at best and bring something terrible at worse. After a few more swipes of her paint covered finger, the last glyph was finally completed . A hum filled the air, The symbols glowing faint, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. Huntress wipped off the remaining green paint like substance off on the wall. It dissolved into the wood, blooming a light cyan flower in its place, a calming scent filling the air as it bloomed. She nodded to herself and enjoyed the new scent, satisfied with the quality of her work and ready to begin the next step. She looked to Jake, shrunken down to the size of a bug siting on top of the window seal to avoid being in the way. He learnt his lesson when he he barely bumped her arm while she was painting. If looks could kill... BMO the little robot was in sleep mode as requested by Huntress. He was ecstatic that what Huntress was doing would bring Finn home, doing as requested to help as much as she can. BMO made little beeping sound every now and again which almost made her flinch as she worked. Thankfully after the first few beeps, BMO followed a rhythm, consitant and predictable and Huntress grew use to the rythm.
"Its done, did you find the thing we are going to use, Jake?"
Jake nodded, stretching his hand up the stairs, sounds of rummaging was heard before returning with a flute, carved from a boar's tusks in the shape of a lighting bolt. Huntress remembers that flute well, grinning at the memory. It was a flute her and Finn used to summon her old mentor, taken from a annoyed lightning boar they hunted together. She remembers the music Finn played that day and the following days and nights after that. His song of longing for her. He Played his heart out to her, playing till he grew tired. He would continue to play it again and again whenever he could and she would listen, being drawn to it like a moth to flame, going towards it whenever she heard it. She was his audience, hidden from him, out of sight. Huntress still struggles with her feelings for the hero. She doesn't want to be weak and soft but she doesn't like this constant ache in her heart. It happens everytime Finn stops playing his sweet music. Whenever he would stop playing for her. Her heart yearned his sweet music. It yearned for that blonde exceptional beast that is Finn, Hero of Ooo. A person who has taken her heart little by little.
She'll deal with these feelings later, but not now. Not while Finn's still missing.
"Why'd you choose this Jake? doesn't he have anything else that's dear to him like a sword or something more valuable?", huntress asked, slightly surprised that he chose that flute. She hoped that there was something else Jake would pick. It was something precious to her as well.
" Well HW, ever since you two summoned that forest spirit, he's been playing it when he had time to chill. Heck, thay boy got downright protective of it when a group of musical mice wanted to use it. there was this one time a thief tried to steal it from him, and let's just say that after that show, alot of thieves stayed well away from that flute. I'm positive he holds this thing close to his heart. Very, VERY close to his heart," Jake wriggled his eyes at Huntress." I would've given you that locket you got him for his birthday, y'know the grey one, but he's been carrying that thing around with him everywhere he goes, either in his pocket or around his neck. He wears that thing around everywhere. Kinda makes you think how anything you give him, he treats it as a secret treasure." A smug smiled appeared on his face, giving a knowing look to Huntress. Huntress looked to the side, a slight dark green blush spread across her cheek.
"Glad to hear it." She said quietly as she looked to the ground, a question forming in her head that made her blush a slight shade darker.
'Does Finn really value my gift so much, just because they were from me? He hasn't opened it yet has he?'
She quickly shakes her head to clear those thoughts. 'Eyes on the prize, and that prize is Finn. Not that Finn's the prize, but the goal. Not that it's the end goal to be with him... perhaps it wouldn't be bad to stick around Finn for a bit... Maybe I need some more time to think this through?
Jake saw Huntress frowned, pensive look on her face."HW? You alright, is the flute not enough? I might able to find some baby teeth or a blanky or something."
She shook her head, breaking from her thoughts, going back to the matter at hand.
"No, I'm 90 percent sure that it'll be enough, I'll get started on the ritual so please be quite when I do this. And DON'T touch anything! Be still and quite as possible, I need absolute concentration when I'm doing this and to keep what I'm calling for from breaking loose and making you it's chew toy."
Jake stared at Huntress, concerned about the 'chew toy' comment."Um, HW who or what are you calling for exactly?"
Huntress ignore him, carefully taking the flute from Jake's hand. She was carefully with it, treating it as if she was handling fragile glass. Thin, weak glass that would only take a single twitch to break. She slowly tipped toes her way to the center of all the glyphs and symbols, taking each step with great care to avoid stepping on the runes sprawled our amongst the floor. She gently place the flute right inside a small circle, each movement taken with great care. She took a silver knife from her belt and made a slight cut along her uncovered finger, holding it over the flute as moss green droplets formed, dripping the emerald blood onto the flute. Once she was pleased with the amount, she began her slow way out of the circle slowly with care. She flicked her bloody finger this way and that, sending the emerald blood sailing through the air, covering the floor with small dark green splatters till she was outside the circle. Once she was outside she put her finger in her mouth, cleaning and healing the wound, tasting her blood.
She started to chant in a strange tongue, quiet at first than growing louder till she was yelling with a primal energy.
"... Tracker of the Spirit world and beyond!" She yelled, eyes glowing bright green. "I, the Watcher and Huntress, the Protector and the Huntress, call upon your keen sight that never lose sight of the hunt! I call upon your sense of smell, able to track a scent from the far edges of the world through the never ending void! I ask of Your great strength and stamina, moving forward with out faltering in your hunts! I beseech your aide! Come, Jimorgan the spirit of the hunt!"
Jake was watching the whole thing with intrigue and wonder, mouth opened wide as he witness the spell working more and more fierce. The runes were now on fire, throwing lime green fire into the air moving this way and that, faster and faster till they started to blurred and morph, colliding into one solid shape. Four large legs that ended in emerald claws, holding up a fiery wolf's body built lean and strong. It had the head of a wolf with 3 eyes with sharp, white fiery teeth filled it's mawl. Its eyes were pure white orbs, while the third eye rested upon its forehead, a golden glow emitting from it. Huntress's eyes stop glowing, returning to normal after she spoke the incantation. She and the fiery beast locked eyes with one another. Her green slited eyes staring into the single golden eye atop the beast's head, neither one looking away.
"You have called upon my aide young huntress, what need do you have of me for someone of your skills and talents?" The beast echoed in there minds; a deed and regal voice.
"We need your assistance in finding someone that's gone missing. His track has gone too cold and I am unable to track it. that is why I have called for your aide."
Jimorgan studied her, golden eye flaring bright gold for a moment before returning to their original glow.
"You, who have dedicated her life to the Wild, to the Hunt, lack the skill to track down your prey as of now correct?" The beast inquired, the eye on top of his forehead sizing up the young huntress in front of him. Huntress hated to admit it but she couldn't, for all her experience and skills, it infuriated her. She just can't find a trail. there was just not enough there to find Finn with such a cold trail! If only she started a few days earlier. A few weeks earlier... She quickly pushed those thoughts aside to the dark recesses of her mind. There was only moving forward.
"Yes, Jimorgan." Huntress replied, Closing her eyes and bowing her head towards the great beast, her fist tightening till her knuckles began to whiten a shade.
Jimorgan studied the young huntress for a few more moments, green flames whipping this way and that, flying up into the air and fading into nothingness. A sound of a roaring Forest fire filled the tree house, loud and almost deafening.
"My service comes at a great cost young huntress, are you sure you are willing to pay the price for my service?"
"I'll give you whatever amount of loot I own, name your price" Jake piped in, drawing the beast's eyes towards him. Jake quickly shut his mouth, puckering his mouth closed as a small epp escaped his lips.
"Jake! Shut up you dingus!" Huntress hissed at the dog, glaring at him with her head still bowed for not doing the things she told him NOT to do . They both heard a deep rumbling chuckle from Jimorgan, drawing both their eyes back to him. The sound slightly rumbled about in their heads like thunder. He found them amusing, like little pups.
"Silly pup, I dont deal in gold or jewel. My services require rare pelts, meats, or sacrifices in my name" Jimorgan smiled, showing white blazing teeth, " I'll find the one you call Finn and then I'll decide what's it worth. Perhaps a nice Bangor hide from the sandy deserts or perhaps a elder dragon's magic heart? Do you accept these conditions young huntress?" He asked with a slight cock of his head.
Huntress thought for a moment, making sure she truly want to go through with this plan. She couldn't think of any other option that other kingdoms or trackers aren't already using and the more time wasted, the already low chance of finding Finn shrinks even lower. she made he decision.
"Deal!" Huntress exclaimed,raising her head to stare right into Jimorgam's single golden eye. She felt a burning sensation on the tip of her wooden antler as a green wispy flame came to life, no bigger than a leaf than vanishing. The burning sensation subsided as quickly as it happened, the contract completed. She now has to acquire whatever the beast wants after they find Finn. Finn better appreciate this when they find him as Jimorgan has been known to request the most exotic and most dangerous of game for tribute. At one time, as legend went among lore she was taught when she was a younger, that he wanted tree nymph's antler, a painful and humiliating thing any tree nymph could go through, as tribute as he gave the heroin his aide. The heroin had to lop off her own antler for she did not want to hurt her brethren . There was good reason why he was no longer called upon by her kind and even less by the druid wizards.
"Really, we dont deside on the price now?" Jake asked, scratching the top of his head. Jimorgan looked at him as if he was a dull child, his white empty eyes half lided. A sigh escaped his mawl.
"Yes young pup, now bring me something with the quarry's scent to start the hunt, I grow restless just standing here in this circle and it'll be the moon's turn to hunt the sun soon. It has been many a age since I last roamed this living plain. I want to see what's changed since last I was here."
Jake quickly pulled a pair of Finn's shorts from upstairs. they haven't been washed so they still have his scent on them, though they stunk a bit. Huntress glared at him, not believing Jake's would choose old pants! Jimorgan was the spirit of the hunt for a reason amongst the other great spirits!Jake dropped it by the circle, where Jimorgan put his snout close to the article of clothing, taking in the scent. His eyes opened wide before leting out a loud howl, causing both Huntress and Jake to cover their ears, shaking the whole treehouse and shattering the windows.
"I acquired the tracks you two, but the boy's soul smells slightly different, tainted by something. Be wary when we reach him. Now, Follow me!"
Jimorgan crashed through the house wall, leaving a chard and jagged opening. The summoning circle and flute was nothing but ash upon the floor now. Jimoragan landed outside with loud thud, waiting for the adventures to follow. Huntress looked down to where the flute use to be, feeling saddness about the instrument's fate before quickly jumping out the hole and onto Jimorgan's back, feeling the warmth from the green flames, not burning her in the least as she firmly grasped the fire as if it was fur.
"I'm right behind you guys" jake yelled growing the same size as Jimorgan as he jumped out the hole as well, landing beside the two.
Jimorgan took off with lightning speed, leaving a trail of his fire where he goes as he followed the scent of the boy. 'Why do I feel unease about this hunt?' he thought. He felt his heart race, not from galaping nor from the hunt. Finn's smell put him on edge. This is something new to the ancient spirit, something dangerous. he doesn't like this scent one bit, his instincts screaming at him to leave this hunt alone. But his heart told him to run towards the smell, the danger! His heart beats to a rhythm only the hunt can give him! Every monster, every strong creature has made him stronger, forcing him to push past all fear and uncertainty, jump into it's gullet if need be to kill it! If this Finn can bring this out in him, than this will be so worth his time! He can't wait to meet this creature!
Jimorgan knew this was going to be a very unique hunt. The boy would be something new, a rarity to Jimorgan's long existence.