Soul-Searching

Hunter woke up the next morning, still holding Raven. He looked down at her side hoping last night had been a dream. Realizing the harsh reality, Hunter's self-loathing came back with a vengeance. He wormed his way out of her grasp before getting dressed and contemplating what to do next. He couldn't stay with her, not as he was. He also didn't want to hurt her by leaving. Unsure of what to do, Hunter sat on the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands.

After a long while of simply sitting in silence, Hunter got up and looked at Raven. He grabbed his illusion necklace and put it on. Feeling the warm sensation of its magic after a long time, Hunter took a second to contemplate what he was about to do.

Casting Raven one final glance of longing and sadness, Hunter teleported himself to the top of the tower and flew away. He flew for hours not knowing where he was going. Stopping only when he knew Raven couldn't use her powers to find him. Landing in a nearby clearing, Hunter looked to the dense forest around him and set to work creating a makeshift home.

Raven awoke an hour after Hunter left. Confused as to where he was, Raven scanned the room for him. Her eyes rested on a letter on the corner of her nightstand. She picked it up and began to tremble. It was from Hunter to her and her mind raced as she hesitantly opened it. It read:

Dear Raven, you are the love of my life. I know you won't like this but I can't stand to put you in danger. Last night, I realized that I am actually an even worse danger to you than anything we have faced. As I currently am, at least. I've gone away to fix myself and I promise to return when I am fit to be by your side. Love always, Logan.

Raven stared at the note for a long time. She stayed frozen for an eternity until she finally placed the letter down and curled into a fetal position. Her emotions threatened to take control. Unsure of how strong they were without Hunter by her side, she suppressed them to the best of her ability.

After a long time of simply sitting in silence as Hunter had, Raven began to meditate. She soul searched for Hunter. She looked for hours upon hours to no avail. Realizing that she'd have to look for him manually, Raven considered enlisting the team's help. As she walked towards the door, however, she felt something stopping her. She was the only one he'd listen to. Resolving to do this alone, Raven called Cyborg on her communicator.

"Yo. What's up?" Cyborg's cheery voice emanated from the device.

"Nothing much...listen, I'm gonna be gone for a bit. I gotta go clear my head and, uh, yea." Raven said after an awkward silence.

"Uhh. Sure. Everything okay?" Cyborg replied.

"Yea." Raven said as she turned off the device. She let out a long drawn out sigh. Her heart hurt for a second as her emotions flared up again. Suppressing them once more, Raven packed a small bag of things she would need in case she had to sleep outside.

Half an hour later Raven was flying towards the forest where she found Hunter's burned down treehouse many weeks earlier. Landing at the site she could still see the charred remains of his small campsite. She was instantly brought back to when she had saved Hunter's life. Despite not knowing who he was, Raven had still felt immense fear at the prospect of his death. Chuckling at the memory of trying desperately to figure out his identity, Raven began to walk deeper into the forest.

As she walked further her mind began to drift. She thought first about the team. They had all grown up so much since meeting each other. She imagined their despair at hearing that Hunter abandoned them. This thought caused her mood to darken. Ignoring it, her mind then drifted to the odd absence of Slade and his minions. She knew what it meant, however. If Slade wasn't actively trying to kill them, he was definitely planning something that would. She continued to muse about the sheer number of times Slade had failed to defeat five teenagers.

She walked for hours, unsure of where she was going. She could feel that it was the right direction, however. Feeling her stomach growl, Raven stopped and pulled out a sandwich from her backpack. She continued walking as she ate. Once again, her mind drifted to thoughts other than her current situation. She began to think about Hunter's powers. She knew they came from the primal spirit within him. She also knew the primal spirits were ancient and extremely strong. What she was surprised by, however, is how no one had seen or heard from the spirits in hundreds of years. Its as if the spirits had gone silent and purposefully forsaken humanity. She also couldn't think of a time when they were truly needed. Chalking it up to a less dire need, Raven began to think of Hunter himself. He had changed and grown so much while he was absent. She realized that coming in close contact with death and, subsequently, the primal spirit, had caused him to become more mature. She had mixed feelings about this. She loved Hunter, but she couldn't help but to miss Beast Boy sometimes.

Her train of thought was interrupted, however, as she saw a clearing up ahead. Teleporting to it so as to not waste any time, Raven saw nothing. It was empty. She looked around for another path. Looking to the left she saw one. She began to walk towards it but stopped. Something told her to continue going straight, through the forest. She paused for a minute before following her instincts and taking to the sky. Carefully scanning the ground below her, Raven began to fly straight.

She flew for a bit before coming across another clearing. In it, Hunter was lying on the ground, deep scratches covering his body. Raven gasped.