Hunting for Willpower

by Thebriefcase101

It's been more than half a year since the battle with Belos and the Boiling Isles are still in great needs of repair. But when Luz falls ill from an overload of stress, Hunter and Willow voluntarily takes her place as the explorers. Together, they go on an adventure beyond the Boiling Sea to find resources, but to also make a connection with each other deeper than ever before...

[Episode begins with Luz doing a voiceover in the darkness.]

LUZ: If you're watching this, that means my time has passed. My story arc is over, and that means I have nothing else to tell you on my own... But the others? I assure you, they have some very interesting stories to share with you all! [She turns uplifting] First out, we have a story from Hunter's and Amity's perspectives...

[Morning. In the Demon Realm, everyone has awoken to go shop at the market in downtown Bonesborough. The city is damaged beyond recognition from the final battle that took place there six months ago...]

[Tibbles is one of many that has set up shop in the marketplace. The sign above his tent says: BELLS FROM BELOS.]

TIBBLES: [Posing dramatically] Trinkets, everyone! Come here for some amazing Post-Belos Death souvenirs! Buy one get one free!

[Nearby, the former Plant Coven leader Terra Snapdragon has also set up shop. She is working as a flower vendor, having her own booth for the day.]

[Suddenly, someone slams his fist into the table, revealing to be none other than Hunter. He has visibly grown since last time we saw him.]

HUNTER: [Indignant] Twenty snails for a single flower bouquet?? What kind of scheme are you trying to run here, Snapdragon?

TERRA: [She points at a sign behind her] Read the sign, Grimwalker! Do you think I had a choice?

[The sign behind her has a picture of a sad snail drawn on it. The text on the sign says: SLUGFLATION.]

HUNTER: [He rolls his eyes] Yes, I know that we're undergoing Slugflation after the war, but you can't just change the price like that! You don't see anyone else doing that around here...

TERRA: [She chuckles] Ahahaha--And who's gonna stop me? Don't forget that the laws in the Boiling Isles got removed along with the Emperor's Coven!

HUNTER: [Complacent] Oh yeah? Well, if you don't start doing what you're being told, your little flower shop here is gonna be removed as well!

TERRA: [Growls, irritated] Why you little--!!

HUNTER: Gah!!

[Terra draws a circle with her feet on the ground and summons vines from underneath. They grapple onto Hunter and starts squeezing him.]

[Luckily, a brand-new set of guards never seen before comes to the rescue, wearing red uniforms and black hockey masks covering their faces. They point their spears towards Terra.]

PEACEKEEPER GUARD: Let the kid go, or you're coming with us!!

[Terra retreats and yields her magic. Hunter catches his breath.]

HUNTER: [In pain] T-Thank you, Peacekeeper guards! I'm happy you have switched sides from the Coven to help rebuild the Isles... [He hands Terra five golden coins.] Keep the change, princess!

[Hunter grabs a bouquet of purple lilies and confidently walks away as the guards lowers their weapons.]

TERRA: [Shouts angrily] Do you seriously think you've redeemed yourself just because you escaped Belos' wrath?! Well guess what, Grimwalker, you're never gonna escape your past! Just like me, you're ALWAYS gonna be a cold-blooded killer!!

[He halts. Hesitant, Hunter wants to say something, but he remains silent. He walks away.]

---

[After the market event, Hunter is now strolling along in the forest, talking to himself.]

HUNTER: [Murmurs] She only said those things to hurt me! She's a miserable thief, that's all she is!! [He stops and looks around, unsurely.] ...Right?

(Tweet! Tweet!)

HUNTER: [Startled] Wha–?!

[A familiar tweeting is abruptly heard. Hunter rotates hastily to where the sound was heard from; The sound came from a red bird in the trees, but not the bird he used to know...]

HUNTER: [Snarls] Gnghh! Get out of here!!

[The bird gets startled and flies away.]

HUNTER: [Groans] What am I doing? ...

[He continues his promenade. He stops by the bottom of an inclined hill and stares at something unknown.]

HUNTER: H-Hey there, Flap!

[He approaches the unknown object slowly. It is revealed to be Flapjack's gravestone. He puts the bouquet of lilies next to it.]

HUNTER: S-Sorry I couldn't come last week like I promised... I was not feeling alright and it would be rude to pay you a visit under those conditions.

[He sits down on the moss next to the gravestone.]

HUNTER: Well to summarize it all, everyone in the Boiling Isles knows I'm a grimwalker, now! Either they're scared of me, or they antagonize me with a bunch of stupid questions! [He rambles, annoyed] And on top of that, you can barely buy anything now due to the Slugflation! I mean, SERIOUSLY?! Twenty snails for some flowers?? That is completely absurd!

[Hunter glances at Flapjack's grave.]

HUNTER: [He sighs, defeated] Ever since you left, it feels like the whole world has turned against me. Sure, we defeated Belos, but it feels wrong that you weren't there to be a part of it.

[He caresses the gravestone gently.]

HUNTER: [Saddened] I miss you so much...

[Hunter gives Flapjack's gravestone a quick kiss, then stands up.]

[He sheds a single tear as he walks away...]

HUNTER: Huh?

[The sound of carving is heard a distance away, behind the trees. It catches Hunter's attention.]

HUNTER: ...Where's that sound coming from?

[He follows the sound. A few meters away from Flapjack's gravestone, Hunter moves some bushes aside. He sees Willow carving on something.]

WILLOW: [Whispers] Come on... Come on! Ohh, why is this so hard?

HUNTER: W-Willow?

[Willow's eyes widens.]

WILLOW: [She turns to Hunter and blushes, hiding the carving behind her back] HUNTER?!? W-What a surprise to see you here!

HUNTER: Yeah, likewise. What're you doing here?

WILLOW: Me?! I-I was just working on something... [Nervously] S-Something PRIVATE!! I'm not supposed to reveal it until I'm done!

HUNTER: ...Is that what you're hiding behind your back?

WILLOW: [Exclaims] NO!! I-- I mean YES!! Yes, it is! [She twiddles her fingers] A-And what exactly are you doing here?

HUNTER: [He points behind him] I was just nearby and placed some flowers on Flapjack's grave.

WILLOW: Oh, me too! Or... I was just about to do that, but I figured I had enough time to do something else, first!

HUNTER: [Nods] Cool, cool...

...

...

...

[It goes awkwardly silent between them.]

HUNTER: [He breaks the silence] Well, I better get back to the Owl House. Weren't we gonna plan a surprise party for Luz?

WILLOW: Yeah, the others are arranging as we speak! I-I'll be right behind you!

HUNTER: Okay. See you there!

WILLOW: Bye...

[Hunter turns around and leaves.]

WILLOW: [Cringes at herself] What is wrong with me?!

---

[A while later, Willow is retreating back to the Owl House again, also under reparations. Embarrassed, she is sauntering along the side of the road.]

WILLOW: Maybe it's better if I avoid him for a while... Hm?

[She notices Luz and Amity outside the front entrance, where the front door has been replaced by The Collector's portal. They're having a picnic together, sitting on a blanket in the grass while drinking tea.]

Amity: [Relaxed] Ah, isn't this nice, Luz? Just you and me sitting here together, with no one else to disturb us...

LUZ: [Glances over her shoulder] Yeah, but was it a good idea to leave our site unguarded? What if someone comes and steals them?

AMITY: [Confident] C'mon Luz, stop being so paranoid! You've already done so much for this community; It's time for you to take a break!

LUZ: Yeah, I wish I could... But I was the one that came up with the decision to rebuild the Isles, meaning that I'm practically the leader. And a leader never rests, remember?

[Luz hangs her head worriedly.]

AMITY: Don't worry. If you want to go check on the hideout, then I won't stop you.

LUZ: [Stands up confidently] I promise I'll be quick, alright?

AMITY: And hey...

[Luz tries to run off, but Amity grabs her hand.]

AMITY: [Continues] I could always trade places with you if you can't handle the pressure. [She kisses Luz on the cheek]

LUZ: [Fondly] Aww, you're too sweet, Amity!

[Luz scurries away. Willow inspects her as she runs.]

WILLOW: Hmm...

[Further down the road, Luz sprints past a bush. She doesn't realize however, that Willow is hiding behind it.]

LUZ: MMPH?!

[Willow shows up and covers her mouth.]

WILLOW: Forgive me!

[She drags Luz behind the bushes.]

LUZ: [Rubs her head] Willow, what the heck are you doing?!

WILLOW: [Whispers loudly] Shh, don't make a scene! No one can know I'm here with you!

LUZ: I'm sorry, Willow, but I have to go check on the building resources! Maybe we can save this discussion for later.

WILLOW: No, I didn't want a discussion?! All I want is some advice from you!

LUZ: [She raises an eyebrow] ...About what, exactly?

WILLOW: [Takes a deep breath] I need some advice about Hunter... [Her cheeks turn red] I've been meaning to ask him out for a while.

LUZ: [Exclaims happily] Ohh! Willow, that's amazing! I had no idea you felt that way about him!

WILLOW: Here's the problem, though... I don't really know how to approach him about it.

LUZ: And you came to me because I have experience with Amity, right?

WILLOW: [She winces] Yeah, but it's also because you know what it feels like to lose someone you care deeply about. Hunter's still very upset about Flapjack and it's been half a year since he passed away... I have barely been able to talk to him at all! How long does the mourning process usually last?

[Luz saddens, thinking about the loss of her Father.]

LUZ: [Sighs] Willow... When you lose someone important, you don't just forget about them after a while. When my Dad died it took me forever to move on... But eventually, I learned how to progress, despite the burden I was carrying.

WILLOW: [She looks Luz in the eyes.] So what should I do?

[She puts a caring hand on Willow's shoulder.]

LUZ: You just need to give Hunter some time to find closure. He's going through a lot right now, and we need to be respectful towards him!

WILLOW: [She smiles softly] I'll do my best. Thanks, Luz.

---

[Changing to Amity again, she enters the Owl House by the kitchen's entrance door. The kitchen is festively decorated with birthday balloons and confetti.]

AMITY: Alright everyone, she's gone! How are things going in here??

[Eda, King, Lilith, Hunter, and lastly Luz's Mom Camila, are doing chores across the room. Hooty is helping Lilith out, being attached to her back. They all stop what they're doing and rotates to her.]

EDA: It's workin' like a charm!

AMITY: [She turns to Lilith] Lilith! You have the Hooty Cookies ready?

LILITH: [Carrying a cake with cookies] Yes! They're freshly baked from the oven!

HOOTY: [Pops up from the Porta Hooty] I put some extra CHARM into them!!

KING: Hey that was Eda's line, you dumb owl!!

AMITY: [She turns to Camila] Camila! Are the decorations going well?

CAMILA: Sí! I used the neat little trick that Luz showed me! [She tosses confetti out of her back pockets.]

AMITY: Good! Now listen up – we have a ten minute window before Luz comes back again! [She clasps her hands] Stick to the plan, everyone, and get into position!

[They all scatter around the room and hides under their assigned spots.]

KING: [He is struggling to fit under the couch.] Nyeh! Nyeh! Nyeh!

[Hunter is standing next to Camila, as she is removing the cloth from the table.]

HUNTER: Wait... What am I supposed to do?

CAMILA: [Glances at Hunter] You could always go hide with Willow. She needs some company from what I've heard!

HUNTER: [He blushes] I don't think Willow is gonna make it... She had some other things to take care of.

CAMILA: Oh. Well, don't worry! I think I have room for one more underneath the table.

[Camila and Hunter crawls under the table.]

[Eda and Amity are hiding behind the couch, sitting leaned up against the wall.]

EDA: I gotta tell ya, Kid, I'm happy you arranged this. Luz deserves to celebrate something after we missed her Quinceañera or whatever it's called...

AMITY: [Turns worried] Yeah. I'm just worried she won't like it...

EDA: [She rotates to Amity] Why wouldn't she? Is something going on?

AMITY: Haven't you noticed? Luz has been thinking about her Boiling Isles project so much lately. I know she wants to do the right thing, but I feel like she's stressing herself out!

EDA: Yeah, I've been noticing that too... [She pats Amity on the shoulder] But I'm sure she'll appreciate the offer to take a break for once!

[Amity smiles at Eda.]

[Meanwhile on top of the tower next to the house, Gus is keeping lookout for Luz. He goes energetic when he sees Luz frantically running towards the entrance to the kitchen.]

LUZ: (Distant panting)

[He clones himself with an illusion spell. The clone travels through the walls into the house.]

GUS CLONE: She's coming! I see her running towards us!

AMITY: Quick! Everyone, hide!!

[Everyone hides out of sight. Hooty stretches across the room and buries his head into a shoebox.]

...

...

[Few seconds later, Luz swings open the door.]

LUZ: [Visibly distressed] It's all gone!!

KING: [Peeks out from under the couch] What's "all gone"?

LUZ: [Exclaims] Our contruction resources!! The wiring, the concrete, the reinforcement-- Someone stole ALL of it!!

[Eda rushes up to Luz, who is getting more and more anxious.]

EDA: Luz, try to calm down! What did the perpetrator look like?

LUZ: T-There was no perpetrator! They went and stole our supplies while I was busy with-- [She notices the birthday decorations everywhere] Wait, wha-- What's going on in here?

[Hooty suddenly darts out from the shoebox energetically.]

HOOTY: [Shouts] Woo!! HOOT!! Let's party like it's 1998!! Woo... woo... hoot... [He looks at everyone's faces, as none of them reacts] What?

LUZ: ...Have you guys been planning something in here?

LILITH: [She stands up and drops the tray of cookies] Wha– don't look at me! This was all Amity's idea!

AMITY: Lilith!!

HOOTY: [Stretches back to Lilith] Yeah! She wanted to celebrate something with you, hoot hoot!

AMITY: HOOTY??!!

LUZ: [She turns to Amity, dismayed] Is this true what they're saying, Amity?

AMITY: [She approaches Luz] Y-Yeah, but it's only because I thought you deserved to celebrate something, since we missed out on your fifteenth birthday! [Nervously] B-But it's all cool, right?

LUZ: [Upset] No, it's not "All cool"!We've lost everything we worked for, and it's all because I wasn't there!

AMITY: [Feeling ashamed] I-I'm sorry, Luz... It's my fault for distracting you.

[Luz starts sweating.]

LUZ: [Frantic] No no no, it's not y-your fault, it's-- It's my fault... It's... It's...

[She starts hyperventilating. Everyone else stands up from their hiding places.]

CAMILA: [Worriedly] Luz, are you feeling alright?

LUZ: [Gasping repeatedly] It's my fault... It's... my... f-f-f-fault-- Unhhh!

[Luz goes lightheaded and loses her balance. She falls to the floor as passes out. Everything goes black...]

KING: Luz?! LUZ!!

CAMILA: MIJA!!

---

[Next sequence starts in Eda's bedroom. It is seemingly empty until Hunter opens the door. He and Gus enters the room, carrying Luz's unconscious body.]

CAMILA: [Reiterating] Careful! Careful! Careful!

GUS: [Straining] Hnghh! I'm trying!! She's too heavy!

[They carry her across the room. Hunter and Gus puts her down meticulously in Eda's nest.]

GUS: [Exhales, tiredly] Puh!! I really need to start working out...

[Eda, Amity, Lilith (With Hooty), and King are the last ones to step into the room.]

CAMILA: This should be comfortable enough for her.

AMITY: [To Camila] What's wrong with her, Camila?

CAMILA: [She hugs Amity] Aw don't worry, mí chica dulce. She's gonna be fine.

EDA: She's never passed out like this before... [She grabs Camila by the shoulders] What happened to her?! Did she get poisoned? Did she get possessed?!!

HOOTY: [He turns enraged] I swear to Titan, when I find the person that did this to her, I will--

CAMILA: [She releases herself from Eda's grip] Eda, Hooty, calm down! She suffered from a simple panic attack, that's all!

[Hunter and Gus glances at her.]

HUNTER: What's a "Panic attack"?

CAMILA: It's basically a human term for "An overload of stress"...

EVERYONE: [Acts surprised] Oooohhh!!

GUS: Yeah, that makes sense...

CAMILA: [She puts a blanket over Luz] All she needs right now is some rest... She'll wake up eventually.

[Amity makes a guilty expression.]

AMITY: Ugh! This was a terrible idea! If it wasn't for me, Luz would've never freaked out like this! I'm the one to blame, everyone...

[Amity tries to walk away, but King grabs her hand.]

KING: [Annoyed] So what if she overreacted a bit? It was still a nice thought of you to arrange this!

EDA: [Smirks at Amity] Don't beat yourself up over it, kid. Because those petty thieves that did this to her? They're still out there, somewhere!

AMITY: ...But Luz seemed pretty upset at me, before. What should I do to help without messing it up for her again?

KING: I think she would appreciate it if you brought the perpetrators to justice, don'cha think?

AMITY: [She turns shocked] Are you telling me I have to go out and find the thieves alone?!

EDA: [Nonchalantly] No, of course not. You could always bring one of us with you to back you up!

LILITH: [Sighs] As expected, you make someone else do all the labor, Edalyn...

EDA: Hey!! Y'know what it feels like to lift twenty tons of boulders?! [Tiredly] I'm exhausted from all this construction work!

[Amity thinks unsurely for a bit. But then Hunter steps forward.]

HUNTER: [Determined] Don't let her go. I'll do it. Alone...

EVERYONE: [Exclaims] WHAT?!?

AMITY: W-Wait, why do you want to take my place?

HUNTER: [He looks at Amity] Because you need to stay home and comfort Luz when she wakes up. I've been having these um... "Panic attacks" lately, too, and I know how severe they can be. [He looks down at the floor] Besides, I need some time alone to think...

[Everyone except Luz stares at Hunter, concerned about his mental health.]

GUS: Well, you should at least bring one of us to watch your back. [He winks at Hunter] Or maybe you could bring Willow, even!

[As soon as Willow is mentioned, Hunter turns nervous.]

HUNTER: [Stammers] W-W-Willow?

WILLOW: Did someone mention my name...?

[Willow steps into the room.]

WILLOW: [Shyly] Eheh... Hi, everyone!

AMITY: Willow! Where have you been?

WILLOW: S-Sorry I'm late, I was working on something distracting. [Concerned] Is Luz gonna be okay?

[She walks up to Hunter and stands next to him.]

EDA: Yeah, she just passed out from stress, that's all.

WILLOW: Yeah, I heard about the thieves... Is there something I can do to help?

[Gus stares between Willow and Hunter.]

GUS: Maybe you should help Hunter on his adventure! He's gonna track down the thieves that stole our stuff!

HUNTER: Um...

AMITY: [Cheerful] Gus is right! You two would be perfect, AND unstoppable with each other!

[Willow and Hunter both blushes, shyly.]

WILLOW: Y-Yeah, I should totally come with you, Hunter! [She hesitates] I-If you want to, of course...

HUNTER: Heh, yeah... [He leans aside to Amity and whispers] Amity? Can I talk to you in private, please?

[He and Amity exits the room into the hallway. Hunter closes the door behind him.]

AMITY: Was it something important?

HUNTER: [He turns serious] Amity, I need you to tell Willow she can't come with me!

AMITY: Why not?? Don't you like it when she's around?

HUNTER: Don't get me wrong; I like her a lot, and she likes me. But I can't have her around right now. [He saddens] Because I need to get away from everyone for a while...

AMITY: Is this about Flapjack? Look, I know he meant a lot to you, but don't you think it's time to move on?

HUNTER: It's not only that, it's the fact that everyone in the Isles knows I'm a clone of a dead person, now! [He speaks quietly] And I don't want to move on from Flap. Not right now...

[Hunter stares at the ground again. Amity sympathizes a bit.]

AMITY: Don't worry, I understand. I was Willow's best friend, once. I'll try to convince her that you want to be left alone.

HUNTER: [He smiles softly] Thanks, Amity. You're a good friend.

AMITY: [She smiles back] Don't mention it!

---

[A while later, Amity and Willow are talking in the kitchen. Hunter is in the other room, listening to their discussion by the doorway.]

AMITY: [In the middle of the conversation] ...I know you'll accept his choices, Willow.

WILLOW: [Downhearted sigh] It's fine. He doesn't want me there, and I can accept that...

[Willow walks out of the kitchen. Hunter gets out of the way as she glumly ambles into the living room.]

WILLOW: I'll be upstairs if you need me.

[She makes her way to the stairs. She shares a dejected eye-contact with Hunter before disappearing upstairs.]

AMITY: [Appears next to Hunter] Yeah as you probably saw, she didn't take that very well.

HUNTER: Is she gonna be okay?

AMITY: [Nonchalant] I've known her since we were kids. She'll get over it eventually!

HUNTER: [Feeling guilty] Yeah. Eventually...

[Amity pats Hunter on the shoulder.]

AMITY: Let's get you on your way, shall we? There's a backpack for you by the entrance; it has bags of Hex Mix in it in case you get hungry! [She points at a yellow stuffed backpack by the kitchen door.]

HUNTER: [Visibly impressed] Wow. You really thought of everything, didn't ya?

AMITY: [Bashful] Well, someone has to be the leader now when Luz has blacked out!

[Hunter strolls over to the backpack and grabs it, putting it around his shoulders.]

HUNTER: I'll be on my way, then. Give Luz my regards! [He opens the door and leaves]

AMITY: [She leans by the open doorway] And try to be home before she wakes up, okay?!

HUNTER: Yeah yeah, I'll try my best!

[Amity shuts the door. She talks to herself.]

AMITY: [Defeated, to herself] Luz is gonna kill me...

[Hunter continues his promenade. He stops on the top of a hill, next to the house.]

HUNTER: This feels... nice! Perhaps I needed to find some peace and quiet.

(Tweet! Tweet!)

HUNTER: [Startled] Gah-?!

[The same chirping from before is heard again. Another red bird is near Hunter again, sitting in a tree.]

HUNTER: That bird is getting real annoying... [He continues his hike, annoyed.]

---

[Moving on to the next sequence, Hunter has made it to the secret hideout, located next to some ruins. Where there once was building resources, there is now a large, empty crater.]

HUNTER: [Astounded] Huh. She really wasn't overexaggerating.

[He puts the backpack down and starts searching for clues. He starts by looking down the crater.]

HUNTER: Hup!!

[He leaps into the crater and slides down the incline to the bottom. At the bottom, he looks around.]

HUNTER: [Whispers to himself] Now why would anyone want to steal construction...? [He looks up] Wha- hey!! Who are you?!

[He spots a disguised person peering down the cavity from the surface. They hurriedly run away.]

HUNTER: Come back here!! [He uses Flapjack's teleportation ability to travel up the incline]

[Back on the surface again, the culprit Hunter spotted has completely disappeared.]

HUNTER: [Looks around, then sees something] Wait, is that--

[He picks up a bird-like mask from the ground. It's the exact same mask the Coven Scouts wore before the fall.]

HUNTER: Is this a Coven Scout mask??

[He turns to his right and sees a trail of recent shoeprints in the dirt. The trail leads to Bonesborough in the distance.]

HUNTER: Coven Scout or not, this person didn't make it very far! [He takes a picture of the shoeprints with his purple scroll]

[Hunter teleports, heading in the direction of the city.]

[Switching to showing the Bonesborough Market, still under process. Hunter gathers the courage to walk across the huge crowd of citizens that have gathered there.]

HUNTER: [Focuses, talks to himself] Alright, you can do this. Just walk past everyone and avoid eye contact! Just like you did earlier today!

[He keeps his head low as he walks into the crowd. Usurper, the snotty kid from the Slayground, notices who he is.]

USURPER: [He points at Hunter] Look, Mommy! It's the Grimwalker!

[Everyone turns to Hunter. Small chattering is heard among the crowd.]

CITIZEN 1: It's the Grimwalker!

CITIZEN 2: Is that Belos' brother??

CITIZEN 3: It's really him!

[Hunter groans and covers his ears. He runs faster to get away from everyone.]

HUNTER: [Hisses] Get away from me!!

[Without noticing, he bumps into two Peacekeeper guards blocking his way.]

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 1: Hey, watch where you're-- Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you!

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 2: Who is that??

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 1: [He whispers] It's the Golden Guard! Remember how he used to train with us?

HUNTER: I am NOT-- [He gains an idea] Hey, is one of you down to do me a favor?

[The guards look at each other.]

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 1: Sure! I mean, you were our boss once upon a time...

HUNTER: Great! [Eagerly] So, the favor involves one of you catching a Coven Scout! If you do that, I will forever be in your debt.

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 2: That sounds easy enough!

(Punch!)

[The guard hits the other guard in the face.]

HUNTER: [Appalled] ...Why'd you do THAT for??!

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 2: Well, you said "Catch a Coven Scout"! This guy next to me was a Coven Scout a while ago.

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 1: Hey!! You were also a Coven Scout!

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 2: Be quiet, you!!

[They latch onto each other and falls to the ground, wrestling and fighting each other.]

HUNTER: [He pinches his forehead, frustrated] This is hopeless... Huh??

[He notices the tall, concealed person again, behind the two guards. They run away, heading further down the street.]

HUNTER: There you are!! Get back here! [He leaps over the guards and heads in the culprit's direction]

PEACEKEEPER GUARD 1: [While fighting the other guard] Have a good day, former Golden Guard!

HUNTER: [Distant] I am not the Golden Guard!!

[Few minutes later, the chase has resulted in Hunter now being located by the Boiling Isles shore. He pants, exhausted, and looks around. He sees shoeprints in the sand leading out to sea, indicating that the malefactor escaped by boat.]

HUNTER: He took the boat?! [He kicks the sand, enraged] Come on!! I was right behind him!

[He sits down in the sand and fumbles in his backpack.]

HUNTER: [He grabs a bag of Hex Mix] Oh well, at least I can have some peace and quiet, here. This little Hunter is suffering from Hunger--

[A vine suddenly wraps itself around the bag and steals it from Hunter's hand. It recedes back with the Hex Mix again, revealing that it came from a person behind a tree.]

HUNTER: [Smirks maliciously] Ah, so they didn't go very far? [He picks up a stick from the sand] In that case, I should teach them a lesson about what happens when you mess with the wrong person! HAAIYAAA--!!

[He grasps the stick firmly and charges...]

(Thud!)

WILLOW: Oww!!

[Hunter hits the person in the head with the stick. They are revealed to be Willow, eating Hex Mix; she falls to the sand after the impact.]

HUNTER: Willow?! Oh my Titan, I am so sorry!!

WILLOW: [Rubs her forehead in pain] Ow, son of a--

[Hunter grabs Willow's hand and drags her up on her feet again.]

HUNTER: [Inspects Willow's face worriedly] Are you hurt somewhere? You didn't get wounded, right?

WILLOW: [Giggles] Don't worry, I'll be fine, Hunter!

HUNTER: It was a pretty hard hit-- [He realizes] Wait a minute... What are you doing here?

WILLOW: [She shrugs nervously] Ehehe... S-Surprise!

HUNTER: [Angrily] Willow, what the heck?! Are you the thief that's been stealing our stuff??

WILLOW: No, of course not! I followed you around because I felt like you needed company!

HUNTER: Didn't you listen to what Amity said?? She told you to stay home and take care of Luz!

WILLOW: [Beggingly] I know, Hunter, but I just wanted to help you!

HUNTER: I don't need any help! I can do this on my own... Now go away!! [He starts walking away from Willow]

WILLOW: Well, you certainly cannot "Do this on your own" without a boat!

[Hunter stops and turns around.]

HUNTER: "A boat"? What do you mean?

WILLOW: Yeah, the thief escaped overseas, so you'll need a boat to catch up to them! [She smirks] Luckily, I have a sailboat that we could use!

HUNTER: ...And what exactly is your proposal?

WILLOW: If I help you retrieve the boat, then you'll have to accept me as your new companion! [She gestures nonchalantly] And don't worry, I won't get in your way if you need some time alone!

[He thinks. He talks to himself.]

HUNTER: She's right, I need to get over the Boiling Sea somehow... [He points at Willow] Okay have it your way, but I'm only doing this because I'm desperate!

WILLOW: [Affectionately] Heh, don't worry! I'm also desperate.~

[Willow inches closer to Hunter and grins.]

Hunter: [He blushes and shudders] Hooo boy.

---

[Back at the Owl House again, Amity is walking around in a circle.]

AMITY: [Very anxious] Oh, what am I gonna do? How am I gonna explain everything to Luz?!

[Gus is sitting in the couch, inspecting her.]

GUS: [Sarcastic] Y'know, I'm not sure walking back and forth is gonna help her feel better.

AMITY: [She halts and turns to Gus] So what else am I supposed to do? I sent out someone on a mission without her permission and she's the leader!! How am I supposed to explain that to her?

GUS: Yeah, but Luz is not the leader while she's unconscious, right? You did the right thing sending Hunter away.

AMITY: ...But what if he never comes home?

GUS: Pfft! Now you're starting to sound like Luz. Trust me, he'll be fine! Now you, me, and Willow can keep her company.

AMITY: [She realizes something] Speaking of Willow, where is she? I haven't seen her in hours.

[Amity and Gus looks at each other, horrified.]

[They run up the stairs, calling for Willow.]

GUS: [Shouts] Willow?!

AMITY: [Shouts] Willow!!

GUS: Where are you, Willow?

[Amity opens the door to Eda's room, where Luz is still asleep in her nest. However Willow's nowhere to be seen. Gus spots a vine by the broken stained glass window, indicating that she used it to climb down.]

GUS: [Inspects the vine] I think she used this to climb down. She definitely went for Hunter.

AMITY: [Groans in irritation] Argh!! Why would Willow go against what I said!? She never does that usually!!

GUS: Well you can't blame her, you were the one who encouraged her!

AMITY: What?! [Turns hostile] You were the one who said she and Hunter would be perfect companions!

GUS: [Shouting] I only said that because they're starting to like each other!!

[They both calm down.]

AMITY: [Collected] Okay stop, let's just get a grip on ourselves. We can't fight in case Luz awakens!

GUS: It's too late for that.

[Gus points behind Amity. Luz is half-awake, as she is rubbing her eyes wearily.]

AMITY: [She frantically gets an idea] Quick! Act like everything is normal!

GUS: ...You want me to lie to Luz?

AMITY: Yeah, but only for now!

[Luz sits straight up and rubs her head.]

LUZ: Uuughh... [She sees Amity and Gus grinning at her]

AMITY: [Acts innocent] H-Hey, Luz! You're finally awake!

LUZ: [Dazed, rubs her forehead] W-What happened? Last thing I remembered was me panicking about our equipment being stolen.

AMITY: Oh yeeaah, you were talking in your sleep a lot, and you mentioned that. I think you had a nightmare!

LUZ: M-Maybe I did... [She looks around] But where's Willow and Hunter? Shouldn't they be with you two?

GUS: I'm pretty sure those lovebirds went out to find the resources ag-- MMPH!!

[Amity covers Gus' mouth.]

AMITY: [Turns even more nervous] They're probably somewhere around here holding hands in public! You never know what they are up to!

LUZ: ...So then why am I sleeping in Eda's nest?

[Suddenly Clover, Willow's palisman, wings his way through the broken window and lands in Luz's hands.]

LUZ: Clover? Willow's palisman??What're you doing here?

CLOVER: (Loud buzzing noises)

LUZ: ...Why are you not with Willow? Did she go somewhere without you?

[Amity and Gus freezes, realizing that Clover has exposed them.]

GUS: [He gives in] Okay, we lied!They went to go find our goods again. You weren't dreaming.

[Amity buries her face into her hands. Luz glares suspiciously.]

---

[Back in Bonesborough again, Willow and Hunter are strolling along in an alleyway.]

HUNTER: Quick question; If your plan was to follow me around all day, howcome you were at the beach before I was?

WILLOW: Oh, that's because I was also following the perpetrator. [She smirks at Hunter] I was simply faster than you were!

[They exit the alleyway and are now present in a cul-de-sac.]

HUNTER: And no offense, but this is probably the fifth time I've been in Bonesborough today. What are we doing here again?

WILLOW: We're here to see my Dads!

HUNTER: [He turns nervous] Y-Y-Your Dads??

WILLOW: Yeah, they're the ones who owns the boat! [She raises an eyebrow] Did you seriously expect me to afford one on my own?

[They've reached their destination: Willow's house. Willow knocks on the door. Hunter gulps.]

WILLOW: Dad! Papa! Are you home?

[Few seconds later, the door sways open. Two large, formidable fathers are staring down ominously at Hunter and Willow from above.]

HUNTER: [Whimpers in fear] Eek!

GILBERT: [Bends down to Willow, speaks in a cheerful voice] Well, if it isn't our favorite little fairy!

WILLOW: Dads!! [She hugs Gilbert and Harvey happily]

[Hunter feels a bit relieved, finding out that Willow's Dads are soft-hearted.]

HARVEY: [Relieved] Oh, you've been gone for hours! We were so worried about you!

WILLOW: Yeah, I lost track of time. But I'm here now, and I brought a friend along with me!

[Hunter smiles awkwardly.]

HARVEY: You must be the little knucklehead we've heard about. [He pats Hunter on the head] Willow's been talking non-stop about you!

HUNTER: [His cheeks turn red] S-She has?

WILLOW: [Acts annoyed] Papa, you're embarrassing me! [She whispers and winks at Harvey] Keep going, he's visibly flattered!

GILBERT: [He gestures] Please come inside! You're very welcome, Hunter.

[Hunter and Willow steps inside the household. Their living room and kitchen is connected with each other. The entire residence is decorated with flower pots and vines.]

HUNTER: [He looks around] Nice place.

WILLOW: Yeah, Dad and Papa let me re-decorate a bit. It's pretty, right?

HUNTER: Very pretty...

HARVEY: [He puts his arms around Willow and Hunter] Oh, you both must be hungry! I've made some Tarantula soup!

WILLOW: [She gasps excitedly] Really? That's my favorite!

HARVEY: I know it's your favorite, that's why I made it! [He walks over to the dining table, Willow follows him]

GILBERT: You're gonna love it, Hunter! Harvey's a great cook!

HUNTER: [Unsurely] I appreciate the offer, but we're kind of in a hurr--

GILBERT: Please, have a seat!

[Gilbert pushes Hunter and forces him to take a seat by the table.]

HARVEY: Here you go! It's fresh from the pot!

[Harvey serves Hunter a bowl of dead tarantulas floating around in water.]

HARVEY: And here's a large portion for you, my little witch queen! [He kisses Willow on the forehead]

WILLOW: Thanks, Dad! [She starts eating the soup with a spoon]

[Harvey and Gilbert sits down by the table as well.]

HUNTER: I am feeling a bit hungry. [He takes a small sip from the soup with his spoon]

HARVEY: So tell us, Hunter. What was it like to be a Golden Guard?

HUNTER: [Spits out his soup, shocked] PFFT!! What did you say??

GILBERT: Yeah, we've had so many questions! We know Belos was a bad person, but why did you decide to suddenly betray him?

HUNTER: Uhm...

[Willow notices Hunter being uncomfortable.]

WILLOW: [Irritated] Hey, leave him alone! He doesn't want to answer those questions!

HARVEY: What? We were just curious!

GILBERT: [Whispers to Harvey] I've also heard he's apparently a clone. He had forerunners before him!

(Slam!)

[Reaching his limit, Hunter slams his fist into the table.]

HUNTER: [Impatiently] Listen up, you two!! We came here because we needed to borrow something from you! We didn't come here to have a family reunion by the table!

[Willow, Harvey, and Gilbert are baffled from his outburst.]

GILBERT: ...D-Did we say something wrong?

WILLOW: He's been going through a lot lately... And like he said, we actually came here to ask if we could borrow your boat for an adventure.

HARVEY: [He thinks] Hmm... Does your little "Adventure" involve you asking out the knucklehead on a date?

[Gilbert points at Hunter, who has his face buried into the table.]

WILLOW: Yeah, sort of.

HARVEY: [He stands up] Great! Then we'll gladly let you borrow it! It's sitting in the garage as we speak!

[Willow gasps contentedly.]

[It changes to showing Willow, Hunter and Gilbert back by the shore.]

GILBERT: [Shouts] Take it easy, big guy! You don't wanna break a muscle!

[Harvey is carrying a wooden sailboat over his head with his bare hands. He drops it down in the water.]

HARVEY: [Breathes out] There! Now you're all set for the journey!

WILLOW: Thanks for the help, Papa! [She turns to Gilbert] You too, Dad!

GILBERT: It's the least we can do.

[Willow climbs into the boat.]

HARVEY: Oh, and Hunter?

[Hunter rotates to Harvey. Harvey acts very cautious.]

HARVEY: Before you go, there's something important I need to tell you... [He turns excited] Could you remind me what the definition of a "Grimwalker" is??

[He grins at him. Hunter turns uncomfortable.]

WILLOW: Papa!! [She frowns at Harvey]

HARVEY: [Remembers] Oh right, right! Bad timing, I forgot!

HUNTER: [Grumpily] Let's just go...

[Hunter climbs onto the sailboat. Harvey gives the boat a push and they start sailing out on the Boiling Sea.]

WILLOW: Bye, Dad! Bye, Papa!

[Willow waves at her fathers as she gets further away. Harvey and Gilbert waves back in the distance. She then notices Hunter's glum expression.]

WILLOW: A-Are you okay, Hunter?

HUNTER: [Depressed sigh] It's fine...

[He ambles across the deck and lies down on the floor next to some barrels.]

HUNTER: I think I just need to lie down for a bit.

WILLOW: O-Okay... [She forces a smile] I'll be inside if you need me!

[Still very concerned, she enters the cockpit and disappears.]

---

[In the Owl House, Amity has sat down next to Luz in the nest to confront her.]

LUZ: [Cautiously] I need you to be perfectly honest with me, Amity. What happened while I was passed out?

AMITY: [Reluctantly] Fine, I'll tell you. While you were asleep, I sent out Hunter to retrieve what was stolen from us.

LUZ: Hold on, you sent him out alone?!

GUS: Actually Willow came along with him, so he's technically not alone!

AMITY: [Scowls] Be quiet, Gus.

LUZ: [In disbelief] Amity, why would you do that?!

AMITY: I-I thought you needed some help while you were unconscious!

LUZ: But this is my responsibility! I didn't want to involve you guys in this, that's why I made myself the leader!

AMITY: [Slightly annoyed] So what, you're just gonna work yourself to death, is that what you want?!

LUZ: [She starts shouting] If it means bringing everything back to normal, then yes!! And now I also have Willow and Hunter to worry about after they snuck out!

AMITY: [Ashamed] I'm sorry I caused this, Luz...

LUZ: [Calms down] It's not you who caused this. But I should probably go out and find them before they get hurt.

[Luz tries to stand up, but she immediately feels discomfort in her legs.]

LUZ: Argh!!

[Amity helps her sit down again.]

AMITY: Take it easy! You're still very anxious, Luz.

GUS: You need to rest some more!

LUZ: [Tiredly] I... I think I need to have some privacy. Could you close the door on your way out?

[Amity and Gus stands up. They walk slowly to the door.]

[Amity takes a brief look at Luz, before exiting the room, closing the door behind her. She and Gus are silent in the hallway.]

AMITY: That... went horrible. Now she's even more upset!

GUS: [Nonchalant] Relax! Like she said, she'd mad at herself, not you!

AMITY: ...But she was still determined to put herself in danger, even after the panic attack!

GUS: So what are we gonna do with her?

AMITY: Since she probably won't listen to us, we're gonna have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid!

...

...

[Few minutes later, Gus and Amity are sitting on the couch in the living room. They're both holding baseball bats.]

GUS: [Looks at his baseball bat confused] How is this going to help?

AMITY: If she tries to escape, we'll hit her over the head! She's already been knocked out once today.

GUS: [Shrugs it off] Eh, can't argue against that...

[Camila walks into the room. She sees that several active rat traps has been placed all over the floor.]

CAMILA: I'm not even gonna question this. [She walks away]

---

[Noon. In the sailboat, Hunter is now sleeping by the barrels, snoring loudly. A red bird lands on his nose and chirps like Flapjack. It wakes him up.]

HUNTER: [Wakes up, the bird flies away] Huh, wha?! What happened?

[He sees the midday sun shining brightly in the sky.]

HUNTER: [He rubs his head] Geez, how long was I asleep? [He approaches the cockpit] Where's Willow?

[Hunter enters the cockpit. The room is messy with woodchips all over the floor.]

HUNTER: Willow? Are you in here?

[In the corner, he sees Willow's silhouette behind a curtain. She is sitting on the floor facing the wall, carving on just like before.]

WILLOW: [Stressed] Ohh, I can't do this... How are others so good at this?!

HUNTER: [Looks over the curtains] What are you doing?

WILLOW: [Turns to Hunter, hiding the carving behind her back] AAHH!! Can't you see I'm busy here?!

[Willow throws a rock at him. It hits him in the head.]

HUNTER: Oww!! [In pain] What was that for?!!

WILLOW: [Annoyed] You're not supposed to see what I'm working on! Get out of the cockpit!!

HUNTER: Okay, geez! You don't need to tell me twice!

[Hunter runs outside again.]

HUNTER: [Mumbles] What in Titan's name was her problem?? [He sits down on a bench on the deck]

[Hunter gazes at the orange sun in the distance, thinking for himself. Then, Willow comes and casually sits next to him.]

HUNTER: [Grumpily] Oh, so now you want to come talk to me?

WILLOW: [Jokingly] Well, you sort of had it coming. I was working on something private in there!

HUNTER: Does that give you the excuse to throw a rock at me??

WILLOW: Well to be fair, you hit me in the head with a stick before. That makes us even!

[They both laugh with each other.]

HUNTER: [Chuckles] Yeah, that's actually true. How's your head, by the way?

WILLOW: Eh, it's starting to feel better. But I deserved that, since I stole your snacks. [Exclaims] You have no idea how hungry I was back there!

HUNTER: [Sighs, his stomach rumbles] Speaking of food, I could really go for some right now. I barely got to taste the soup!

[Willow fumbles in her pocket.]

WILLOW: [She hands hunter an opened bag of Hex Mix] Would you care for some Hex Mix? I saved some for you just in case...

HUNTER: Oh, cool! [He snatches the bag and eats the remaining snacks hurriedly]

WILLOW: [Gazes at the sunset] I'm glad we can finally talk like this again. It's been a while since you and I had an actual conversation with each other...

[Hunter looks at Willow with his mouth stuffed with Hex Mix.]

HUNTER: Mwyeah! [He swallows] I'm sorry for being so distant lately. It's been pretty rough for me...

WILLOW: It's fine, Hunter. I know what you've been going through. [Uplifting] But if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just remember that I'm always there by your side.

HUNTER: Y-You promise to never leave me?

WILLOW: I promise!

[Hunter smiles warmly, and Willow does likewise. They share eye contact affectionately.]

[...Suddenly Hunter realizes that Willow's hand is touching his.]

HUNTER: Uh-?!

[He retracts his hand, leaving Willow confused. His face reddens.]

WILLOW: Is this going too fast...?

HUNTER: [Embarrassed] No! N-Not at all! Heh...

(Crash!)

[The sailboat crashes into something. Willow and Hunter sprints over to the front of the boat.]

WILLOW: We're here!!

[It shows that the boat has positioned itself next to a beach, on another remote island. Willow jumps down and lands onto the sand. Hunter is right behind her.]

HUNTER: [Looks around] Where... are we?

[The island they've disembarked onto is shown to be completely flat. The only form of vegetation there are tall grass and trees similar to cherry blossom.]

HUNTER: I've never seen this island before... It's strangely beautiful!

WILLOW: Maybe this is Shimmering Shoals?

HUNTER: [Shakes head] No, this is not Shimmering Shoals... I think we're somewhere outside the Boiling Isles territory!

[They begin walking among the cherry blossom trees.]

WILLOW: [Prancing around Hunter] Well, then maybe when we're done with this mission, you and I could move to this island together!

HUNTER: [Rolls his eyes] Very funny...

[What they don't realize, is that someone is lurking behind them, as a shadowy creature passes by.]

WILLOW: [Gasps, then points] Look!

[Willow spots shoeprints in the mud.]

WILLOW: Were these made by the perpetrator?

HUNTER: Hmm... [He grabs his purple scroll and opens the picture of the shoeprints he took]

[Hunter compares the shoeprints in the ground to the shoeprints on his scroll. They seem to match each other.]

HUNTER: [Puts scroll away] Yup, it matches!

[They follow the shoeprints. The prints leads to some ruins of a house a few yards away.]

HUNTER: [Inspects the place] Cool, this looks like the ruins by the construction site!

WILLOW: [Stares at a ruined painting] What do you think this place used to be?

HUNTER: I don't know, a church maybe? But what is it doing out here...? [He looks at Willow] ...Aaand what are you doing?

[Willow is feeling around on the wall with her palms.]

WILLOW: [Focused] There could be an illusory wall here somewhere. I learned that from one of Luz's videogames!

HUNTER: Willow, this structure has been abandoned for centuries!

WILLOW: Yeah but the spell could still be active, right?

HUNTER: [Annoyed] Think logically! [He leans against the wall] What are the chances that there's a secret entrance somewhere around HEEEEERE—

[Hunter leans on the wall, and manages to travel right through it. On the other side of the wall, he falls down a staircase.]

HUNTER: [Grunts] Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!

[He hits the floor at the bottom of the staircase.]

WILLOW: [Alert] HUNTER!!

[Willow leaps through the fake wall.]

WILLOW: [She runs down to Hunter, relieved] Oh thank goodness, I thought I lost you!

HUNTER: [Sits straight up, grunts] Y-Yup! At least you were correct about the walls.

[Hunter stands up. He and Willow are shown to be in some sort of old catacomb with lit-up candles.]

WILLOW: [She looks around] What is this place?

HUNTER: I don't know. It looks like we're in some sort of ancient catacomb... We should continue exploring!

WILLOW: You wanna grab my hand for good luck?

[Hunter ponders unsurely. He then grabs Willow's hand.]

HUNTER: Let's go find this crook!

[They walk deeper into the catacombs, holding hands, and disappear.]

[Right as they go absent, the shadowy person they've been following this whole time, reveals himself from the darkness. It is shown to be Adrian Graye, Head Witch of the Illusion Coven.]

ADRIAN: [Chuckles mischievously] Looks like the puppets fell right into my little game!

[He walks in the same direction as Willow and Hunter.]

---

[Going back to Amity again, she is revealed to have fallen asleep on the couch.]

...

...

...

GUS: Hey, Amity? Amity! Wake up! Amity!

[She continues sleeping blissfully.]

GUS: [Shouts] AMITY!!!

AMITY: [She wakes up, startled] AAAHHH!!!

[Amity grabs the baseball bat and swings at Gus without thinking. He manages to dodge it; The baseball bat strikes into the wall instead and leaves a hole.]

HOOTY: [Extends from the kitchen] Hey, what the heck!! Even though I'm detached, this house is still my body! Be careful with it!!

AMITY: S-Sorry, Hooty! [She goes hostile towards Gus] What is wrong with you?! Why did you scare me like that??

GUS: I was trying to wake you up!! And you almost killed me!

[Amity gasps, panicking.]

AMITY: I fell Asleep?!! How long have I been knocked out? [She grabs the bat] Did Luz escape on us??

GUS: [Alert] Woah woah woah, calm down!! Luz is fine, I checked on her before!

AMITY: [Grips the bat firmly] What if she's escaped while you woke me up, huh?

GUS: Just put the bat away for a second!! I need to tell you something important, all right?

[Amity groans and puts the bat aside.]

GUS: Okay... [He inhales] Instead of trying to assassinate your girlfriend, how about you just be completely honest with her?

AMITY: [Confused] "Honest"? What're you talking about, I've been honest with her this whole time!

GUS: [Raises an eyebrow] You weren't honest with her when she raised her voice at you.

AMITY: Yeah, but that's only because I felt guilty about this!

GUS: But this isn't your fault, and neither hers! But you need to tell her how obsessed she is with this whole [Air quotes] "Rebuilding schedule"...

AMITY: [Unsurely] But how am I supposed to do that when she won't even listen to me?

GUS: I'll give you a head start! Let's go up there together and you can talk to her with my support! [Caringly] I know she's become different lately, so it's better to be honest with her than keeping it all to yourself. I promise she'll understand.

[Amity thinks about the offer.]

AMITY: [Sighs, defeated] You're right. It's the most reasonable thing to do.

GUS: [He puts a caring hand on her shoulder] I'll be right behind you.

[Amity and Gus both stand up and make their way to the stairs. Upstairs, Amity knocks on the door to Eda's room.]

AMITY: Luz? It's Amity! Are you awake?

GUS: We need to talk to you, Luz!

[No response.]

GUS: Maybe she's fallen asleep again?

[Amity slowly opens the door. She and Gus gasps, horrified. They see that the nest is empty, meaning that Luz has escaped.]

GUS: She escaped??!!

[They immediately run to the broken window, where the vine is still hanging.]

AMITY: [Angrily, to Gus] ...Why did you leave the vine hanging by the window??!

GUS: [Stammers nervously] W-Why are you blaming me?! You were the one who fell asleep before!

AMITY: Whatever, we don't have time for this discussion. Go get the bats, I'll be waiting outside the house!

[Amity gets up and walks out of the room. Gus immediately follows her.]

GUS: Didn't you listen to anything I said before?? We're NOT gonna use baseball bats!!

---

[Change back to Willow and Hunter again, traversing deeper into the catacombs. It is now way darker than before.]

HUNTER: It's a shame Luz's glyphs don't work anymore... They would be really useful in this situation.

WILLOW: Are you sure we're going in the right direction?

HUNTER: If the tunnel never ends, that means we're heading the right wa-- OUF!!

[Without looking, they accidentally slip over a vine. Hunter gets Willow on top of her as they fall to the ground.]

HUNTER: Oww...

[It's shown that they fell into a larger room, still completely dark.]

WILLOW: [Looks around] ...Is this another room?

[Willow finally realizes that she is on top of Hunter. They both blush, and awkwardly gets up on their feet again.]

HUNTER: [He squints his eyes] I still can't see anything...

WILLOW: [She walks up to a candle on the wall] At least there's candles in here! We should probably find a fire source and-- Wha–?!

[Willow touches the tip of the candle and to her surprise it lights up on its own, and so does the surrounding candles around the room.]

WILLOW AND HUNTER: [Exclaims simultaneously] Woaaah...

[As the room illuminates from the candles, it is finally revealed that the thing they've been searching for is right in front of them: A gigantic pile of metal rods, bricks, plywood and so on. There are also golden coins scattered everywhere.]

WILLOW: [Astounded] This is what we were looking for, right?

HUNTER: This is what we were looking for...

WILLOW: [Overjoyed] ...This is what we were looking for!!

[She happily runs to the stack of resources. Hunter smiles.]

WILLOW: Check it out, there's even snails scattered everywhere. We could bring this home and survive the Slugflation!

HUNTER: [He walks up to Willow unsurely] Hold on Willow, something's not feeling right... Why would someone just steal this from us and then lead us right to it?

WILLOW: What do you mean?

HUNTER: The thief probably left those shoeprints for a reason! [Ponders] And speaking of the thief, we still haven't found him anywhere...

WILLOW: M-Maybe the thief is here with us...?

[Hunter suddenly notices Adrian behind Willow in the corner of the room. His face is hidden as he stands in a dark spot.]

HUNTER: [Perks up] There he is!!

[Adrian runs into another room through a doorway.]

HUNTER: [Runs after Adrian] Stop running away!!

[He sprints after him, using some of his teleportation powers to run faster.]

HUNTER: What the–?!

[He runs into the other room, only to find something that makes him horrified. What he sees is shown to be a large pile of Golden Guard masks.]

HUNTER: [Stammers] W-W-What is this??

[He slowly backs away from the stack, but then voices starts echoing inside his mind.]

VOICES: [Echoing] ...It's the Golden Guard! ...I've heard he's a Grimwalker. There was clones before him! ...It's the Grimwalker! ...It's the Golden Guard! He cannot be trusted! ...Did you actually leave the Emperor's Coven?

[Hunter covers his ears to quieten the voices.]

HUNTER: [Struggles] This isn't real... This isn't real!

[The voices finally fade away. They get replaced by chirping.]

HUNTER: Huh?

[On the very tip of the pile of Golden Guard masks, Flapjack is chirping happily.]

HUNTER: F-F-Flapjack?

[He flies down and lands in Hunter's palm.]

HUNTER: [Eyes well up, he is overjoyed] I... I can't believe it! You've returned to me!

[Flapjack chirps again. But then unexpectedly, he starts screaming in agony.]

HUNTER: Wait, what's wrong?

[He starts melting in Hunter's hands. Flapjack plummets to the floor and turns into a pile of goo. Hunter falls to his knees.]

HUNTER: [Greatly appaled] Flapjack...?

[The voice of Emperor Belos echoes in his mind.]

ILLUSION BELOS: [Echoed] What's the matter, Hunter? Couldn't save your precious little Palisman again?! Hahahaha!

[Hunter starts growling.]

HUNTER: [Outbursts, enraged] Get out of my HEAD!!!

[He gets back up on his feet again and runs into the room with the resources. As he disappears, the pile of Golden Guard masks fades away, indicating that it was all an illusion.]

[He runs past Willow, who follows him with her sight.]

WILLOW: Hunter?! Where are you going?

HUNTER: [He runs towards the doorway] No, no, no, no, NO!!

[He quickly realizes that the doorway to the hallway they entered from has been sealed shut by vines. He brakes by the sealing.]

HUNTER: [He bangs on the vines] Let us out!! Let us out, PLEASE!!!

[Hunter freezes. Willow slowly walks up to him.]

WILLOW: Hunter? W-What's wrong? Hunter! Talk to me, Hunter!

[He is completely petrified. Hunter's heart is heard beating rapidly. Willow's voice is heard in the background.]

WILLOW: Hunter!!

HUNTER: [He turns to Willow and outbursts again.] WHAT DO YOU WAAANT??!!

[Willow flinches from his outburst.]

WILLOW: W-What happened in there?

HUNTER: [Furiously] It's none of your concern, okay?! I just want to be left alone!!

[Hunter calms down a bit and sits on the ground. He buries his face into his hands.]

WILLOW: [Approaches Hunter] Look, if this is about Flapjack, then I understand how you feel. When we were stuck in the Human Realm I thought my Dads were gone for good. I thought they were dead until I reunited with them.

HUNTER: [Scoffs] What does that have to do with anything? Your Dads came back to life, Flapjack didn't...

WILLOW: ...But I know what it's like to think you've lost someone forever!

HUNTER: [He turns hostile] No, you don't!! Stop trying to make me feel better, you don't understand my emotions at all!

WILLOW: I'm just trying to help you! [Annoyed] But you are making things very difficult for me right now!

HUNTER: [Exasperated] You want to help? Then get lost!!

[Willow goes silent. She is visibly distressed from what he just said. Hunter stands up.]

HUNTER: [Antagonistic] I wanted to go on this mission to think about everything I've gotten to know about myself, but then you came along and disturbed me. But you know what? What's the point of moving on? Because at the end of the day, Flapjack was the only one who actually understood me! There was nothing before Flapjack, and there's nothing after Flapjack!

[Willow looks him dead in the eyes, frowning.]

WILLOW: [In a hurt voice] I'm here after Flapjack. But that doesn't matter to you, right?

[Hunter's anger fades away, as he feels somewhat concerned.]

WILLOW: [She fumbles in his pockets] Here...

[Willow gives Hunter the thing she was carving on, which is revealed to be a Palistrom wood. A blue jay, which is half-done, has been carved from it.]

WILLOW: I wanted to make this to help you overcome your sadness. [Her eyes starts welling up] ...But like you said, what's the point of moving on?

[Heartbroken, she runs away with tears running down her face. She cries loudly and runs into the room where Hunter experienced the illusion. Hunter doesn't follow her, instead stares at the unfinished palisman.]

HUNTER: A palisman...

[He immediately regrets what he said. Hunter desperately shouts Willow's name and runs the direction she went.]

HUNTER: Wait! Willow, wait!! I didn't mean what I said! [He enters the other room] Willow--!!

[Hunter enters the illusion room and freezes. He sees that vines have wrapped around Willow, restraining her. Next to her, Terra Snapdragon and Adrian Graye are standing.]

TERRA: Well, well, well! If it isn't the Grimwalker! [She glances at Willow] And it looks like you brought your precious little princess along with you.

ADRIAN: [Apathetically] You know the drill; Turn yourself over, or the girl dies.

WILLOW: [In pain] Anghh!

[Terra makes the vines squeeze harder on Willow. Hunter is unsure of what to do as he is still stuck in place...]

---

[Afternoon. Back to Amity and Gus again, they are traveling up in the skies on their palismen converted into staffs above the clouds.]

AMITY: [Shouting] Do you see her anywhere?

GUS: [Shouts back] Nope!! All I see is white!

AMITY: New strategy! You stay up here and I'll fly at low altitude!

[Amity disappears under the clouds. She flies over Bonesborough and checks around.]

AMITY: [She spots Luz further away in the distance] There you are!

[She ascends up to Gus again.]

AMITY: I see her over there! She is heading towards the sea!

GUS: Good eyes! Now let's get her!!

[They both descend. Luz is flying on Stringbean, who has also converted into a staff. She also has Clover sitting on her shoulder.]

LUZ: Fear not, Clover. We'll find Willow again! [She looks in front of her] WHAA--?!

[A wall made out of abomination goo materializes in front of her, forcing her to brake. Amity floats above her.]

LUZ: [Angrily] Amity!! What are you doing??!

AMITY: Luz, think logically about this! What are the chances you'll find them after they've been gone for hours?!

LUZ: I don't care! I have to get them back, because they're my responsibility! [She shoots upwards with Stringbean like a speeding bullet and disappears above the clouds.]

GUS: Keep following her! I'll try to cut her off! [He flies away]

[Amity follows Luz by ascending with Ghost. Above the clouds, she speeds up until she's aligned with Luz.]

AMITY: How is this your responsibility?! I was the one who sent out Hunter on his mission!

LUZ: You wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for me!!

AMITY: But I was the one who distracted you from guarding the place!!

[Gus pops up in front of Luz. He conjures up a blue illusion-bubble. Luz is unable to brake this time, instead impacts into the bubble and gets stuck inside of it.]

[Several floating heads of Amity appears all around her.]

AMITY HEAD 1: Luz, please just stop running!

AMITY HEAD 2: We need to talk!

AMITY HEAD 3: Stop feeling guilty!

LUZ: I'm sorry, but you two don't understand!!

[She breaks free from the bubble and descends towards the ground again. The shockwave from the bubble popping knocks Amity and Gus backwards.]

AMITY: [Wearily] This is getting ridiculous...

[Amity plummets to the ground and pursues Luz.]

AMITY: [Reaches back to Luz] You're forcing me to do this! This is your last chance to stop!

[Luz ignores her and speeds up.]

AMITY: [Sighs] Fine... Have it your way!

[She puts her fingers in her mouth and wolf-whistles. The abomination goo inside her beaker responds and spills out.]

LUZ: [Yelps] Wah!!

[The goo grapples onto Luz and Stringbean and wraps itself around them, tying them up. They fall to the grass.]

[Amity and Gus lands next to them. The goo unwraps itself from Luz and returns to Amity's beaker.]

LUZ: [She quickly stands up] What is your problem?! Can't you see I'm trying to make things right?!!

AMITY: [Angrily approaches Luz] No, it's time for you to listen to me!! I might be a better person ever since I met you, but I am still capable of telling people how I feel! And you are changing for the worse, Luz!

LUZ: How am I getting worse? I'm just trying to help people!

GUS: I'm not getting involved in this... [He slowly backs away]

AMITY: [Retorts] You are trying to fix an issue that isn't even something you caused! How is that helping?

LUZ: This is all consequences of my actions!

AMITY: [Retorts again] Stop saying that!! For the last time, I was the one that allowed Hunter to take this quest in the first place!

LUZ: Yes, I know! But I was the one who encouraged Willow to sneak out earlier today!

[Amity goes silent from the last sentence.]

AMITY: [Confused] Wait... Say that last part again?

LUZ: [Sighs] ...I was the one who encouraged Willow to sneak out! I told her that Hunter needed some closure after she confessed to me that she had feelings for him!

AMITY: So that means... the consequences of our actions led to Willow and Hunter bonding with each other!

LUZ: [Ponders] It also means that from our wrongdoings... something good happened!

AMITY: [She smiles] Yes! Don't you see? Not everything has to end up horribly! You have been so stressed out lately, your body has been uncapable of handling it!

LUZ: [Turns worried again] So what do you suggest? Should I just let the Boiling Isles collapse on itself?

AMITY: [She embraces with Luz by hugging her] Of course not, but at least let us help! We care capable of handling things on your own, and you don't need to look out for us all. You need to think about yourself, too...

LUZ: [Gives in] Okay... But are you sure they'll bring back the construction?

AMITY: [She releases herself from her hug] I'm positive they'll bring it back soon. Now let's go home, shall we?

LUZ: [Cheers a bit and smiles] Yeah. Let's go home...

[Luz grabs Stringbean and holds hands with Amity. Clover lands on Luz's shoulder. They walk home again with Gus coming along.]

GUS: [Smugly] So Amity, don't you think I deserve a little thanks for helping ya out?

AMITY: [She giggles] Thanks for the help, Gus.

---

[Meanwhile in the catacombs, it shows that Hunter has surrendered. He and Willow are tied up together with vines next to the pile of construction.]

TERRA: [Steps forth] Welcome, children! It's a surprise you two fell for our little trick.

HUNTER: What do you want from us?! And why did you steal something that doesn't belong to you?!

ADRIAN: [Chuckles] You are courageous for being so impotent. Isn't it obvious? Ms. Snapdragon explained it all to you this morning!

TERRA: Ever since the death of Belos, we have been tired of living under the new regime that your human friend so absurdly highlighted. For months, we have been watching your work rebuilding the Isles, and we thought it would be convenient if we used your hard for our own benefits. [She gestures triumphly] So now, we are building a New Boiling Isles! Right here, right now inside these catacombs!

HUNTER: [Indignant] You can't just do that! That goes against the laws!

ADRIAN: I'm afraid we can. Because out here, there's no one that can tell us what to do. [He smirks] Not even you, Golden Guard.

[Hunter makes a fearful expression.]

TERRA: You are not redeemable, Hunter. You are just as bad as the rest of us; a filthy criminal that was once the right-hand man for the Emperor. And since you're trying to escape from your past, you'll be working for us, now!

ADRIAN: You two will be living here until the Isles has been rebuilt. [He winks] Don't expect to see freedom ever again!

[Adrian and Terra walks away.]

HUNTER: [Starts flailing around, trying to break free] We're never working for you, you filthy degenerates!!

TERRA: [To Adrian] Ohh! We should tell the Chief about this. He'll be pleased to hear about our new laborers!

[They exit the room, heading into another part of the catacombs.]

WILLOW: [Despondent voice] I'm sorry for causing all of this, Hunter. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't come along...

HUNTER: No!! This is not your fault, Willow! I hurt your feelings when I needed you the most! [He winces] I like you a lot, and I regret everything I said...

[Willow perks up a bit and smiles.]

WILLOW: Hey, I'm not saying that you need to forget Flapjack completely. But maybe you should find the willpower to be happy again. It's what he would've wanted if he was still here!

HUNTER: [He turns optimistic] You're right... Thanks for being there for me.

WILLOW: I'm the shoulder to cry on, remember? I will always support you!

HUNTER: [He smiles warmly] You can cry on my shoulder too, Captain.

[Despite the restraints from the vines, Willow and Hunter manages to hold hands with each other. They both blush as they stare affectionately at each other.]

WILLOW: Ugh! It's a shame I left my palisman Clover at home! He would've been able to use his stinger to cut us out...

HUNTER: Your palisman... [He perks up] Wait a minute, we have a palisman!

[Hunter strains his arm until he reaches his pockets. He grabs the unfinished palisman Willow made him.]

WILLOW: [Confused] H-Hunter, you know very well the palisman is still unfinished!

HUNTER: [Fiddles with the palisman] Yeah, but I noticed that the beak had a sharp edge! Maybe we could use it to cut ourselves out.

[He uses the palisman's sharp beak to slice into the vine. It is shown to be working.]

WILLOW: It's working! Good thinking, Hunter!

[Later on, Terra and Adrian walks back into the room again, bringing the former Poison covenhead Vitimir along with them. He is supposedly their chief.]

TERRA: [To Vitimir pleasantly] We're glad you were available, Chief Vitimir! Here we have the kids that'll be working for us against their will!

[Terra and Adrian gestures towards the kids, facing away from them. They don't realize that the kids have untied themselves long ago, as a bunch of dead vines are scattered all over the ground. Vitimir doesn't say anything.]

TERRA: Huh? [She and Adrian turns around and sees that they're gone]

WILLOW: [Distant] Looking for someone?

[The covenheads turn to the heaping pile of construction material. Willow and Hunter are standing on the top, posing intimidatingly.]

TERRA: [She growls at Adrian] Grngh!! I told you to stay in the room and guard them!

ADRIAN: I don't take orders from you, greenkeeper!

HUNTER: We might have freed ourselves, but we're not gonna leave this place without our belongings!

[Willow grows vines underneath her feet, preparing for battle.]

ADRIAN: [Menacingly] Fine! You want to be dramatic? Then let's be dramatic!!

[Terra summons vines which hurls in their direction. Willow and Hunter jumps out of the way before they strike.]

[Adrian uses his mirror to create illusions of himself, which surrounds Hunter. He punches one of them, which poofs out of existence.]

ADRIAN ILLUSIONS: Too slow!

[Hunter punches a second one, revealing to be fake]

ADRIAN ILLUSIONS: Too weak!

[Meanwhile Willow faces off against Terra. They both conjure poison ivy at each other, which they both manage to dodge.]

TERRA: You think you can defeat the most powerful plant witch?! Well, think again!

[Terra's giant flowers lifts Vitimir up in the air. He grabs a potion from his belt and throws it at Willow.

((Explosion))

[The potion explodes and knocks her off her feet. But Willow quickly gets up from the ground again.]

WILLOW: Take this!! [She summons more vines which latches onto Vitimir]

VITIMIR: Owf!!

[A third vine hits Vitimir in the face. The collision is so strong he impacts into a wall.]

[Going back to Hunter again, he is still trying to find the real Adrian, punching the illusions one by one.]

ADRIAN ILLUSIONS: You are such a disappointment.

HUNTER: [Catches his breath, exhausted] I can't do this... It's too many.

[The real Adrian suddenly appears behind Hunter.]

ADRIAN: That's too bad. You almost had me!

HUNTER: Huh?

[He kicks Hunter in the stomach. Hunter grunts in pain and propels backwards.]

WILLOW: Hunter!!

ADRIAN: Hey, what the–?! AAHH--

[Willow makes her vines grapple onto Adrian. They lift him up in the air and throws him right onto Vitimir.]

[Willow sprints to Hunter and helps him get up on his feet again.]

TERRA: Looks like it's my turn again!!

[Terra conjures a giant Venus Flytrap from underground, which lifts her up in the air. She shoots thorns from her fingers at Hunter and Willow. They frantically take cover behind a scaffold.]

HUNTER: [Alarmed] How are we supposed to get past that thing?!!

WILLOW: [She glances at Terra, determined] I have an idea! But it's not a pretty one! Follow me!!

[Willow takes a step away from the scaffolding. Terra spots her.]

WILLOW: [Shouts at Terra] Hey, over here! Stop hiding in your flytrap like a coward!!

[Terra turns furious. She summons a giant beanstalk, traveling towards Willow at a great rate of speed.]

Willow: [Grunts] Gah!!

[Luckily, Willow summons vines which helps her keep the beanstalk stuck in place. She is also pushing against it herself.]

Willow: [Tense] Hnghh! Now's your chance, Hunter!!

[Hunter leaps onto the beanstalk and runs up its stem in order to get to Terra. At the top, he jumps up in the air and charges with his fist...]

[Terra receives a hit in the face by Hunter and plummets to the ground.]

TERRA: NOOO—!!

[She gets buried underneath her venus flytrap as it falls over her. Hunter lands next to the carcass.]

WILLOW: [She un-summons her vines and catches her breath] D-Did we make it?

HUNTER: [Panting] I think we did...

WILLOW: [Happily cheers] Yes!! Good teamwork!

(Chirp! Chirp!)

[Hunter abruptly hears another chirping sound. He turns to his left and sees Flapjack prancing up to him.]

HUNTER: [In shock] F-Flapjack? You came back again! ...

[Willow sees that Adrian is using an illusion spell to make Flapjack seem real. Willow tries to stop him, but Vitimir sneaks up behind her and puts her arms behind her back, restraining her.]

WILLOW: [Yelps] Hunter, they're toying with your mind! Try to resist it!!

[Flapjack continues approaching Hunter.]

HUNTER: [Teary-eyed] We can finally be a happy family again...

[Hunter goes lightheaded when he realizes that something is wrong. He rotates his head and sees that Vitimir has taken off his mask. He is inhaling to charge his toxic breath at Willow.]

ADRIAN: [To Vitimir] Good job, Chief. Take care of the girl for us!

[Out of pure rage, Hunter starts glowing yellow. He scowls.]

HUNTER: [Furiously] Leave... her... ALONE!!!

[He ignores the fake Flapjack and teleports up to Vitimir and Adrian. He strikes them both at hypersonic speed.]

(Crash!)

[The force from the collision makes them smash into the rock wall once again, but this time they both faint.]

[Terra comes slithering out from beneath the venus flytrap.]

TERRA: [Weakly] H-He has powers??

[Hunter teleports to a startled Willow. He puts his hand on her shoulder.]

HUNTER: You okay?

WILLOW: [She rubs her head] Yeah. Um, I think so.

[Terra puts down her foot next to them. She makes a maniacal expression.]

TERRA: I've had enough of this!! [She tries to throw vines at them, but only a flower grows out of her hand] Huh??

[Realizing that Terra's powers has weakened, Willow and Hunter nods at each other. They approach Terra slowly...]

---

[Fading to a while later, Terra has been tied up with vines together with Adrian and Vitimir, having their backs against each other. The others are passed out, while Terra is awake and frowning.]

WILLOW: What should we do with them?

HUNTER: Let's leave them here. They'll find their own way to break free.

[Hunter and Willow turns from her and starts walking away.]

TERRA: Grngh...! [She targets Hunter, frustrated] Did you learn nothing from what I said before?!! Just because you have friends, it doesn't mean your past has changed!! You're nothing but a Grimwalker, made by Belos to hurt and deceit people!

[Hunter stops.]

HUNTER: [He glances over his shoulder] I know what I've done! ...But my past doesn't decide who I should be right now.

[Terra is surprised over his acceptance. Hunter puts his arm around Willow. Willow smiles at him proudly.]

WILLOW: [Stares at the pile of construction] ...So how are we supposed to carry this home again?

HUNTER: [Nonchalant] I think I know who to call.

---

[Evening. Back at the construction site by the ruins, Hunter and Willow are standing next to the giant crater where the supplies once was.]

HUNTER: [Shouts] A little to the left! A little to the left-- There we go!!

[Darius is also shown to be there. He has summoned a giant abomination hand carrying all of the construction from the catacombs.]

HUNTER: [Still shouting] Okay! You can drop it, now!!

[He drops the material into the crater again, meaning that it has returned to where it once was.]

DARIUS: [He retracts his arm] This is so typical of you, prince! I was hoping you and I would reconcile for a nice tea party! But no, I'm just here to do your chores!

HUNTER: We'll catch up next time, Darius!

DARIUS: [Annoyed] Hmph! You always say that! But that's a promise you'll have to keep!

[Darius walks away.]

HUNTER: [Shouts] I love you too, Darius!

WILLOW: Shall we head home? The others are probably waiting for us.

HUNTER: Yeah, let's go!

---

[In the Owl House, Luz is in the living room, sitting on the couch. She is holding Clover in the palm of her hands, who is whimpering.]

LUZ: I know how you feel, Clover... I'm worried about them, too.

[Amity walks into the room, carrying two glasses filled with Apple Blood. She notices Luz's concerned face.]

AMITY: Is everything alright, luz?

LUZ: [Sighs] Yeah. I'm just not used to being so unoccupied.

AMITY: [She sits down next to Luz and grabs her hand] Yeah, I know... But sometimes you need to take a break from everything.

LUZ: I need a break, now when I think of it... But I can't stop worrying about Hunter and Willow, for some reason.

AMITY: [Calmly] Like I said, we can look out for ourselves. I'm sure they'll be fine!

[Right as she says so, someone climbs into the house from the broken window next to the Collector's portal. It reveals to be Hunter and Willow, both extremely worn out.]

HUNTER: [Exhausted] You guys really need to find a better place for that door...

LUZ: [Gasps] Willow!

AMITY: Hunter!!

[Clover happily flutters over to Willow. He nuzzles against her cheek.]

WILLOW: Aww, Clover! I'm so sorry I left you behind.

[Out of nowhere, Amity hugs Willow.]

AMITY: [Relieved] I'm so glad you're okay!

WILLOW: [Baffled] A-Are you not mad at me for sneaking out?

AMITY: [Stops hugging] I should be. ...But I've already forgiven you!

[Willow and Amity both smiles at each other.]

LUZ: [She approaches Hunter] Hunter!!

HUNTER: Luz!

[Hunter and Luz shares a quick hug.]

LUZ: I heard about what happened before. I never thought you were so responsible!

HUNTER: [He shrugs] Yeah, well I figured you needed a break after all the pressure you've been facing.

LUZ: [Sympathetic] I could say the same thing about you... You've also been under a lot of pressure.

HUNTER: I know. But I couldn't have done this mission without her...

[Hunter gazes at Willow, talking to Amity. He thinks to himself.]

GUS: Hey, guys!!

[Gus steps into the room from the kitchen.]

GUS: [Points behind him] Come check out the backyard!

[Everyone follows him back into the kitchen. Gus opens the kitchen door to the outside.]

LUZ: What the–??

[It shows that Eda, Lilith, Hooty, King, and Camila have gathered around a long dining table, decorated with plates and silverware.]

LUZ: What's this, now? Another ceremony?

KING: Well, not exactly. While you and the other kids were busy, your sweet mother over thought it would be better to have the gathering outside!

EDA: [She gestures] And instead of a gathering, it's a cookout!

CAMILA: A-Actually, a cookout can be a gathering, too.

LUZ: Mom? You arranged a parrilada for me?

CAMILA: Well, I know how much you love my grilling, so I figured we could do this instead!

LUZ: [She rubs her arm unsurely] I-I don't know... I mean, I passed out before. What if it happens again?

LILITH: Do you feel like passing out?

LUZ: N-Not right now...

EDA: [She raises an eyebrow] So that means you're not stressed.

LUZ: Well, I don't feel stressed right now, but--

AMITY: [Beseech] Come on, Luz! Can't you just take a small break? This is your chance to finally celebrate something!

HOOTY: [He pops up from his port-a-hooty] Yeah! And we worked our backsides off to finish this!

KING: [Eyebrows lowers] Hooty, you don't have a backside...

[Luz thinks about the offer. Eda and Lilith gives her a thumbs up while creepily grinning. She groans]

LUZ: Fine! But we'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's getting late, you guys.

HOOTY: You're the boss, Luz! [Strictly and loudly] You heard her!! Get inside, everyone!

KING: Okay, geez...

[Everyone walks inside, except for the kids. Luz and Amity puts their arms around Hunter and Willow.]

LUZ: [Satisfied] And I think our loyal heroes both deserve a well-deserved good night's sleep!

AMITY: Thanks for the help, you two!

---

[The next day...]

[The morning sun is glimmering softly in the horizon. Many of Luz's friends from Hexside and Bonesborough have gathered for the cookout.]

[Everyone is talking around the dining table as they've all started eating. Camila is by the grill, cooking regular chicken.]

PRINCIPAL BUMP: [Walks up to Camila] Ah, Mrs. Noceda! I must say, your meat is quite tender! Is it jackalope meat, perhaps?

CAMILA: No, it's just regular old chicken from the human realm!

[Principal Bump stares in confusion at her.]

PRINCIPAL BUMP: ...What in Titan's name is a chicken?

[Eda and Raine are having a conversation by the dining table.]

RAINE: Did I ever tell you about the neat little trick I taught myself last week?

EDA: Enlighten me about it, Rainestorm!

RAINE: Check this out! [They summon their violin and bow]

[Raine starts playing a song. The music notes coming from the violin spreads itself over the chicken on their plates and works as a seasoning.]

EDA: [She takes a bite of the seasoned chicken] Oh, wow! It tastes magnificent!

RAINE: [Bashful] Oh come on, it's not that good!

EDA: Yeah you're right, it tastes terrible.

[Raine stares in shock after Eda's blunt comment.]

EDA AND RAINE: Bahahahaha--!!

[They proceed to laugh with each other.]

[Finally, everyone has grabbed a piece of chicken and sat down by the table. King stands up on the table.]

KING: [Clears throat] May I have everyone's attention for a moment, please?

[Everyone goes silent and rotates their heads to King.]

KING: Even though I am scared beyond words of holding speeches, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the person who has saved the Isles from certain doom! [He points at Luz] Give an applause to my big sister Luz Noceda!!

[Everyone applauds Luz with cheers and whistles.]

KING: And Luz has also requested me to highlight two other children among us. They have been brave, adventurous, and um... Y-Yeah, that's about it. [Uplifting] Give a warm applause to Willow and Hunter!

[Everyone claps again for Hunter and Willow.]

[Luz also claps, but she notices that something is wrong with Hunter, who is sitting next to her.]

LUZ: Are you feeling well, Hunter?

[Lost in thoughts, Hunter is gazing at Willow on the opposite side of the table. She is having a conversation with Amity.]

HUNTER: Y-Yeah... I think so.

LUZ: Can I talk to you for a bit? Away from the table?

[Luz and Hunter gets up from their chairs and takes a few steps away from the table.]

LUZ: Look, um... Before I passed out yesterday, Willow told me that you're still mourning the loss of Flapjack.

HUNTER: [Surprised] S-She did?

LUZ: [Smiles] She wanted me to give her advice on how to ask you out!

[Hunter's cheeks reddens.]

LUZ: [Seriously] The point is, I've also lost someone close to me. It was tough when my father died, and I know how long it usually takes to move on. So if you ever need solace or advice, you can come talk to me.

[Hunter stares at Willow by the table again and thinks. An earlier quote from Willow echoes inside his head.]

WILLOW: [Echoes] ...Maybe you should find the willpower to be happy again. It's what he would've wanted if he was still here!

HUNTER: [He smiles, determined] Thanks for saying that, Luz. But I've already gotten enough advice from you guys. It's time for me to return the favor to someone...

[Willow is still chattering with Amity.]

WILLOW: And then I told him that--

HUNTER: [Distant] Hey, Willow!!

[Willow turns her head to Hunter a distance away from the table.]

HUNTER: [Shouts] Follow me! Let's get out of here!

[Willow nods excitedly in response. She gets up from her chair and walks over to Hunter. They run away with each other over the grass field, holding hands.]

[As Luz watches them leave, Amity stands next to her.]

AMITY: Man, they sure are adorable with each other. You wanna follow them and see what happens?

LUZ: [Energetic] Is that even a question?! Let's do it!

[Luz and Amity follows Hunter and Willow, also holding hands.]

---

[Final sequence starts inside the forest. The forest is warmly illumed by the sun shimmering behind the trees. Gus is sitting down with Skara and Amelia by the flowers.]

GUS: [He is shuffling a card deck] So the rules of Hexes Hold'em is that there are no rules! If you use a Wild Card, you win the entire game.

[Gus notices that Hunter and Willow are there with them. He realizes that they need some privacy.]

GUS: [Smug tone] Well, it looks like this area just got occupied... Let's go back to the house, ladies!

[He stands up along with Skara and Amelia. As they walk past Hunter, Gus shares a fist bump with him and whispers close to his ear.]

GUS: [Whispering] You got this, buddy!

[Gus and the girls walk away from the area. Next to where they sat, Flapjack's gravestone is present.]

WILLOW: [Glances at the gravstone, confused] W-What are we doing at Flapjack's grave...?

HUNTER: Come. I want to show you something.

[They sit down on the grass. Flapjack's gravestone is in-between them, as Hunter is sitting on the left side and Willow on the right side of it.]

[Luz and Amity are peering out from behind a tree, spying on them.]

WILLOW: What's going on, Hunter? You seem excited about something...

HUNTER: [Softly] There's something I wanted to show you.

[Hunter is hiding something in the palm of his hands...]

HUNTER: Are you ready?

[He lifts his right hand and it's shown to be the palisman that Willow carved on before, now finished. The blue jay is alive and conscious, chirping happily.]

WILLOW: [She gasps] No way!

HUNTER: I was up all night finishing your palisman. I haven't given her a name, though.

[The palisman leaps onto Willow's shoulder. She nuzzles her cheek.]

WILLOW: [Cooing] Aww! She's beautiful, Hunter... And I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish her.

HUNTER: [Chuckles] Well, even though carving might not be your thing, I think you did a pretty good job with her.

[Willow and Hunter shares another affectionate eye contact.]

WILLOW: [Sympathetically] And hey... I know nothing will ever replace Flapjack, but at least this little girl will help you look into the future. That's why I started working on her in the first place...

[The palisman leaps down into the palm of her hands. Willow admires the little blue jay in silence.]

[Hunter stares at Willow thoughtfully, deciding what to do next.]

HUNTER: [He smiles warmly and blushes] That's okay. I've already found someone that comforts me~...

WILLOW: Mmph–?!

[Hunter suddenly leans over to Willow. And much to Willow's surprise, he finally kisses her on the lips. Willow has her eyes widened in shock.]

[Luz and Amity gasps joyfully behind the tree, as their eyes start to well up.]

...

...

...

[After a few seconds however, Willow retracts her face away from Hunter and coughs.]

HUNTER: [Worriedly] I-Is something wrong?

WILLOW: [Still coughing] N-No! It was just so unexpected of you!

[Willow strongly grabs Hunter by the collar of his shirt and pulls him back to her face. They kiss on the lips once again with their eyes closed, holding it much longer this time.]

AMITY: [Proudly] I never thought Willow had it in her to pull off something like that. I'm impressed!

[Feeling guilty, Luz grabs Amity's hands and looks her in the eyes.]

LUZ: [Embarrassed] By the way, I'm sorry for the things I said to you before... I was too ignorant to realize that I was making you feel guilty as well.

AMITY: [She giggles] You don't need to apologize. But for now on, you and I are gonna walk the same path together. Promise me you'll never put the blame on yourself again...

LUZ: [She nods and blushes] I promise.

[Luz and Amity also embraces with a quick kiss. After the kiss, they put their arms around each other and continues watching Willow and Hunter.]

[Willow and Hunter stops kissing as well and hold hands. They inch closer to each other as they observe the palisman.]

WILLOW: ...So what do you think we should call her?

HUNTER: [He thinks] How about Waffles?

WILLOW: [Exclaims] "Waffles"?! That sounds like a fitting name!

[Hunter caresses Flapjack's gravestone with his other hand.]

HUNTER: [Softly] Hi there, Flapjack! Let me introduce you to our new friend Waffles!~

[The episode ends.]