And here we are with the next chapter. After this one, I'm moving on to another project.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Owl House. I only own this story idea.
At the Owl House, Eda shuffled some cards in her hand, and the eyes on the cards looked up at her. She smirked at Owlbert, who narrowed his eyes back at her with a hoot, wearing a green visor and holding his own cards in his wings.
"Watch closely, Luz," Eda told Luz, who was sitting on the couch beside her while King sat on the opposite arm. "Hexes Hold'em is the most tricky game on the Boiling Isles. Any proper witch knows how to play."
"Oh boy, cards!" Luz stated happily. "The paper rectangles that old people think are fun!"
"Ignoring the old comment," Raine stated as they walked in with Hunter, Hexside being done for the day.
"Hi, Hunter! Hi, Raine! How was school?"
"The classes start to look the same after a while," Hunter said as he kneeled on the floor beside the table. "What 'cha doing?"
"Eda's playing Hexes Hold 'Em," King answered.
"Again?" He and Raine said together.
"What? It's only our second game," Eda argued.
"Today." They both replied.
"Hey, this is part of Luz's training, okay?" Eda then laid a card down on the table. Lightning came from the cards, sending Owlbert flying for cover behind the side of the table. Their cards all stood up and roared like monsters. Owlbert's cards surged forward and attacked Eda's, making Owlbert smirk.
"Now, when it looks like the deck is stacked against you, that's when you break out the wildcard." She held up a card with a tower on it. It glowed green, and Owlbert's cards disappeared in a flash of fire. Fiery letters spelling out 'WINNER: EDA' appeared and disappeared over the table. Owlbert hopped back on and hooted at Eda, bowing respectfully.
"Woo, I win!" She pumped her fists in the air. "In your adorable owl face," She pointed at the owl before standing up happily, not noticing feathers growing from her arms. "Ah, I love the feeling of victory; it feels… fluffy?"
"Oh no!" Hunter's eyes widened in alarm, along with Raine's.
"Uh, Eda? It's happening again!" Luz pointed at her nervously.
"What's happening again?" She asked cluelessly.
"Your curse is returning!" King answered, and Eda yelped as she looked down at herself.
They rushed into Eda's room, and she opened her chest, the group surrounding it… Where they all became frightened of what they found. "Oh, boy," Eda stated as all they saw were empty bottles. "This is terrible. I'm out of elixir." She held up a bottle to examine it.
"Didn't I tell you that last time?" Hunter questioned.
"Uh, last time this happened, you turned into this thing," Luz said, holding up her cracked phone, showing a picture of Eda as the Owl Beast.
"I know I should be repulsed, but that look is fierce," She fluffed her hair proudly.
"Eda!" Luz and Raine gave her looks of concern.
"Not the time," Hunter deadpanned at the woman.
"You're right, you're right," Eda waved her hands. "We need to head to the market."
"Market!" Luz pumped her fists in excitement as she, Raine, and Hunter stood and started to leave.
"We need to do some other shopping anyway," Raine commented.
"I'm stealing everything that's not nailed down!" King cheered as he followed them.
"Before we go, would anyone like to play one more hand of Hexes Hold'em?" Eda patted her pocket but realized her cards were gone. "Hey, where are my cards?"
Luz had them hidden behind her back as Owlbert flew up to her. She turned and handed the deck to him. "Take these and fly ahead," She whispered to him. "She'll have to follow us."
He did as asked, and Eda saw him. "Olbert, you sore loser," She chased after him. "Gimmer back my cards!"
"Remind me to throw out her other decks later," Raine whispered to the boys.
"If she asks, we'll tell her they got mixed up in a box she sold," Hunter agreed.
(A short time later)
A winged demon flew past the Bonesborough skyline. They arrived at the market, where Eda banged on the metal grate of a closed shop called Mr. Elixir. She wore a cloak covering her feathers while Raine and King stood on either side. "Hey, open up, Morton!" She called out.
"Uh, ju–… just a minute!" He called from inside. King walked over to where the teens sat on a bench as they kept watch.
"Is there anything better than people-watching in the Demon Realm?" Luz questioned as she picked up King, setting him down next to her.
Three witches stood at a bus stop as a giant egg rolled up to it. The egg cracked, revealing a giant, featherless bird that screeched. It flew away, and the witches entered the egg, one of them closing it. Then, it rolled off as Tinella Nosa ran up. "Wait, wait! Aw, dang it."
"The curse of tiny legs," Luz shook her head knowingly.
"I know the pain," King agreed with her, and Hunter snickered slightly.
Loud footsteps approached, and Tinella Nosa screamed as she ran away. A tough-looking witch stood in the middle of the street. He waved his hand, and several people in the same robes as him followed him, pushing a cart with a giant demon.
Luz and Hunter approached the adults, both looking on. "Whoa, that is one ominous parade," Luz commented.
Eda and Raine turned around and saw them, the Owl Lady glaring. "That's no parade. Those are demon hunters." They watched as the demon growled and bucked. The two demon hunters pushing the cart pulled on its ropes to pin it back down as it tried to bite at the leader.
"Dangerous nomads who capture and sell the most powerful beasts," Raine explained further. The first demon hunter traced a spell circle, creating green lightning in his hand. He grunted as he shocked the demon unconscious. He looked at Luz, who gasped as Hunter shifted closer to her.
"… Which I'm about to become if you don't open up, Morton!" Eda knocked on the grate again.
"Sorry, Eda!" A witch, Morton, opened the window. "I was up all night poison tasting, and for some reason, I don't feel great." He explained, holding his stomach before noticing Raine. "Oh, hey, Raine."
"Hello, Morton." Raine nodded kindly.
"I'm all outta my juice, pal," Eda held out an empty elixir bottle.
"Oh, gee. Lemme see what I can do." Morton ducked down and dug around, rattling bottles as he looked.
The demon hunters continued on, revealing Willow and Gus crossing the street with gloomy looks. "Willow and Gus!" Luz smiled and ran up to them, followed by Hunter. "Heya, friends!" She then noticed their expressions. "Wait, what's wrong? Who hurt my babies?"
"Them," Willow jerked her thumb at a food stand where Amity was hanging out with her clique. A bard track student and a healing track student (Skara and Cat) laughed as the former threw chips in the latter's mouth. A potion track student (Boscha) watched them in amusement while Amity stared at a potion she had bought.
"Ugh, what'd the brat pack do this time?" Hunter crossed his arms in disdain.
"Amity's having a moonlight conjuring and invited everyone but me," Willow lamented, looking at the ground.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Penstagram account," Gus summoned his scroll, open to Amity's Penstagram post of her and her friends posing. Below it was a message from WitchChick128.
"'It's conjuring night! No dorks allowed?'" Luz read out loud, and a pumpkin, heart, and ghost emoji followed the message. "What a jerk!" She scowled for a second before turning to the two in confusion. "What's a moonlight conjuring?"
"You spend the night at someone's house, telling stories, playing games…" Willow explained.
"Like a slumber party!" Luz exclaimed in realization. "We have those!"
"Then you bring something to life with moon magic!" Willow pulled out a book and showed a picture.
"… Like a weird slumber party!"
The girl then gave another disappointed look. "Gus and I have never been to one. You need at least three people and–"
"I'm three people–I mean, we're three people–"
"Four people." Hunter corrected.
"Right, and we're way better than them!" She gestured to Amity's group, who were laughing as they approached.
"Sorry, you couldn't get an invite to the conjuring, Willow," The three-eyed witch said before looking at Willow. "Only real witches allowed."
"Then, based on our grades, I should be going instead of you!" Hunter commented, Luz and Gus laughing as Boscha huffed at him angrily while the other girls glared.
Amity scoffed a bit. "Whatever, let's just go," She said as they left, the blond waving cheekily as they did. Luz and Gus calmed down as Willow looked at the older boy appreciatively.
"Thanks, Hunter."
"Always a pleasure."
"Yeah, don't waste your time getting thorny over them," Luz told Willow, wrapping an arm around her and Hunter while Gus placed a hand on her back. "'Cause we're gonna have our own moonlight conjuring."
"Are you serious?" Gus asked happily. "This was on my bucket list." He pulled out his list and checked it off. "–after owning a real human bucket!" Also on that list was 'Grow haunted beard, lose my baby fangs, finish digging tunnel under Hexside, get my own swamping permit, and being the surprise inside a hollow cake.'
"That's a really weird thing to want, but I appreciate your enthusiasm," Luz pointed at him.
"Wait, if you guys wanted to do this so bad, why didn't you ever ask me?" Hunter asked.
"Well…" Willow said slowly.
"You were always so busy studying or working out that we figured you weren't interested." Gus finished for her.
"It's not that I wouldn't be interested, I just–"
"All the more reason to do one tonight! We'll go tell Eda and Raine!" Luz interrupted and left, the other two smiling at each other.
Back with the adults, Morton peeked over the stand. "I've got bad news and good news. Bad news is I'm all out 'till next week. Good news is feathers are a good look for you."
A feather grew out of Eda's hair. "Morton!" That feather and several others fluttered to the ground as she stalked forward, Raine holding her back.
"Well gee, E. Why'd you wait to re-up 'till now?" Morton asked defensively.
"I've been very busy," Eda looked away with a pout.
"Yeah, busy playing Hexes Hold'em," King pointed out from the bench. "She's obsessed with it."
"I am not obsessed!" She argued back.
"You're playing it right now!"
Several cards were splayed out on the counter, and Eda had one in hand. "Am I winning?" she asked, causing Raine to facepalm.
Morton gave her a foreboding look. "You know, I wouldn't suggest this to just anybody, but if you need your elixir, you could try your luck later this evening."
"In the night market?" She whispered, Raine's eyes widening.
"There's a guy with a stand, goes by Grimm Hammer; if anyone has what you need, it's him."
"Eda," Raine put a hand on her shoulder, the question in their eyes.
The Owl Lady sighed. "I don't have a choice, Raine. I'm not the only one who needs that elixir."
"Eda, Raine," Luz approached them. "Gus and Willow and Hunter and I are gonna do a moonlight conjuring and stick it to Amity. So can we–"
"Not tonight," Eda held up her hand. "I'm going out." She grabbed her staff and started walking away. "I need you to watch the house, I have many precious objects in there."
"Like me!" King jerked a thumb to himself. Eda suddenly lifted him by his collar. "Whoa!"
"You're coming with me. I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for pickpockets and an extra pair of hands in case I want to pickpocket." She added with a slight smirk.
"Pickpocket!" The two exclaimed in unison.
"Then, maybe they can come to the house and–" Luz gestured to the other teens.
"No!" Eda interrupted her. "Besides, conjurings are dumb, sitting in a circle holding hands. Pft. It's like magic for babies." She scoffed at the idea as she walked away.
"Raine?" Luz looked at them hopefully, but their response was a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, Luz, but conjurings require celestial magic, which can be unpredictable, especially for first-timers. I have to go out tonight, and I don't feel comfortable letting you guys hold one by yourselves," Raine then walked after Eda to discuss tonight's plans.
"But–"
"Luz!" Willow called as she and Gus ran up to her, Hunter following behind. "What did Eda and Raine say?"
"So… guys…" She started nervously.
"Everything okay?" Hunter asked, recognizing something was wrong.
"Oh, look!" Gus pointed up at the sky as the moon appeared. "The moon is rising into place. And the celestial powers only align once a year."
"Oh, I can't believe I finally have enough friends for a moonlight conjuring!" Willow stated happily. "Thank you, Luz! Did Eda and Raine say it was okay?"
"Uhm… yes," Luz smiled at them. "They said yes. We can do it at the Owl House. As long as we don't make a mess or touch anything and never bring up that we did it!" She smiled widely with a nervous laugh, which the blond immediately caught onto.
"Yes!" Gus pumped his fists.
"Oh, you're the best!" Willow cheered as well.
"We're gonna do a conjuring!~ We're gonna do a conjuring!~" The two sing-sang together as Luz and Hunter shared a look, indicating that he knew she was lying. "Conjuring! Conjuring!" Luz then looked at the moon, becoming very nervous as she hoped Eda and Raine would take their time with their plans.
(That night)
Crickets were chirping outside the Owl House as Luz and Hunter sat on the couch watching Eda and Raine (the blond back in casual clothes). "Hunter, you're in charge while we're out," Raine said as they and Eda put on traveling cloaks, Raine's being a deep blue to Eda's dark red.
"Make sure Hooty doesn't get into any trouble," Eda instructed.
"Hoot, hoot!" Hooty opened the door to face her. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big boy house!" He pouted at her.
"You can count on me," Hunter jerked a thumb at himself.
"Yeah, we'd never betray your hard-earned trust." She gave another nervous laugh, causing Hunter to pinch the bridge of his nose. After returning from the market, Luz told him the truth, so now he was an accomplice in this mess.
"You're acting suspicious," Eda narrowed her eyes at the teenage girl. "You're doing that thing where you hide in your hoodie."
As stated, Luz had her hood up and closed. "Meow, I'm not. Uh…" She then pushed her hood down. "Oh, where's King?"
"He's right here," she opened her cloak to reveal King asleep, snoring, and strapped in a pink baby carrier. "His little body just conks out when he's weightless. Look at this," she moved side to side, King not waking up as he moved like a ragdoll. Hunter smirked deviously as he snapped a picture on his scroll.
"Aww, he's so dangly," Luz played with his feet.
"Hold that pose," Raine grinned, taking a picture with their scroll.
"Anyway, really going now," Eda and Raine walked out the door with their staffs, the teens following them. "And you two…" The Owl Lady looked back at them, making them nervous as she said in a menacing tone. "… if you mess up the house, I will never trust you again."
"Eda!" Raine gave their partner a look for trying to scare the kids.
"No pressure! Byeeeeee!" She said in a lighter tone. Giving Raine a quick kiss, Owlbert hooted as Eda flew away.
"Oh, that's where you get it from," Luz remembered when Hunter did that at the prison.
"Yep."
"Stay out of trouble, you two. I'll be back by moon set," Raine gave them a wave before flying off on Salem, the teens waving after them with big smiles for a few seconds.
"Ay," Luz released a nervous sigh once they were sure she was gone. "Should I really be doing this?"
"A little late to be asking that now," Hunter remarked.
"No, no, you're right. Willow is counting on me," She declared before whispering to some bushes. "Okay, they're gone."
"Release!" Willow exclaimed, the two bushes glowing and exploding, revealing Willow and Gus in casual clothes. "I'm a sneaky sneakster!"
"I've got leaves in my pants… and I like it," Gus replied with a smile.
"Gus, you keep finding new and impressive ways to weird me out," Hunter deadpanned.
"Company! Hooray!" Hooty cheered as Luz opened the door to lead them inside. "Finally, someone to listen to my stories! Okay, one time, a sparrow flew into my mouth, and then I–" Luz then closed the door, and he pouted. "Hey…" He then coughed out a sparrow, which flew away chirping.
"Welcome to the living room," Luz gestured to the house, Willow and Gus smiling in awe. They had never been to Hunter's house before tonight. "We call it that because it's technically living! The walls are breathing, look," She pointed to a wall as it moved with heavy breaths.
"Enchanting," Willow said as she took a closer look.
"And look at all these human treasures," Gus said as he rummaged around Eda's chest, taking out an 8-ball. He then pulled out a human skull. "And actual humans!"
"We've got snacks," Luz said, holding a bowl of candied eyeballs. "We've got weird music!" She smiled as she put the needle on a gramophone, producing an evil cackle.
Gus walked up to her with a bucket on his head. "We've got a bucket!"
"Gus, my man," Luz winked at him.
"And best of all, we have actual friends to do the conjuring with! This is so exciting!" Willow smiled happily.
Despite having doubts, Hunter couldn't help but smile at Willow's reaction. She had wanted to do this for so long, and he was happy he could make that come true.
"So how does this conjuring stuff work?" Luz wondered curiously.
"Well, first, we find an object to animate. Since it's our first time, we should pick something meaningful," Willow smiled as she walked over to some flowers. "Something beautiful."
Gus suddenly burst through the flowers with an action figure called Beefy Bob. "Like this strangely buff little man?" He pressed the figure's stomach.
"I'm half beef, half Bob!"
"Yes!" Luz pointed eagerly. "He's perfect!"
"That's not exactly what I meant by 'beautiful,'" Willow stated. Gus lowered the action figure, whimpering with a hurt look. "Okay, buff boy it is."
"Yes!" Luz hugged her.
"Tonight, he shall be risen!" Gus declared dramatically.
As the moon rose in the sky, Gus placed Beefy Bob on the ground between the four of them with several lit candles around them.
"According to the conjuring books I've read, we say the incantation and make a connection with the doll," Willow explained before they all held hands.
"Figurine," Gus corrected as they closed their eyes.
"Moonlight, we call, we sing," The witches chanted, a blue aura engulfing them. "Moonlight, take this chance. Moonlight come tie the string. Moonlight, start the dance!"
Luz was mostly babbling since she didn't know the spell. "Moonlight tie… string… and I don't know the words!"
The moon continued to rise as Hooty looked up at it. It stopped moving, and a burst of blue light emerged. A similar blue light burst out between the friends, spreading around the living room and extinguishing the candles. They all opened one eye and looked at Beefy Bob, but nothing seemed to have changed. "That's your cue, little man," Gus whispered.
Suddenly, the entire house rumbled, causing them to look around in confusion. Hooty blinked, and his eyes turned the same blue as he made ghostly noises. Birds flew away from the house, cawing, the Owl House's foundation cracking as it rose. The four kids yelped in alarm as they lost their balance before the Owl House stopped rising, now standing on giant bird legs.
The living room was in great disarray, with the teens scattered around on the floor. "Guys?" A book fell on Luz's head, and she winced. "Did the entire house just hiccup?"
"What just happened?" Hunter asked.
Gus eyes the figure. "Little buff guy, what did you do?"
He pressed the figure. "A real man never takes accountability!"
"No, I think… I think we might've animated the house by accident!" Willow rubbed the back of her head.
"The house?" Luz and Hunter exclaimed in disbelief.
Hooty continued making ghostly noises as Luz ran outside and nearly fell off the ledge. Hunter grabbed her arm to prevent that. Gus and Willow joined them outside as the House began to walk, causing them all to scream in surprise.
The door slammed shut as Luz and Hunter ran up to Hooty. "Hooty? Hooty! Hooty, you have to stop!" Luz yelled.
"By the power of moonlight, I have risen. Hoot hoot," Hooty stated in a monotone voice.
"He's in some kind of trance!" Gus told her.
The Owl House stepped through two trees, and the jostling made Gus yell as he and Luz lost their balance. He nearly fell off, but Luz and Willow catch him. "Gus!"
"Our magic must've spread through the house instead of the doll!" Willow called out.
"Figurine!" Gus corrected her again.
Luz and Willow grunted as they tried not to drop Gus. They nearly fell, but Hunter grabbed their hands for balance, none noticing the glow return.
"Hooty, stop!" Luz shouted, and he listened moments before the House walked off a cliff. They pulled Gus back up to safety, and they all let go of each other, staring at their hands in confusion.
"How'd we do that?" Gus wondered. They all glanced at the sky when Luz realized something.
"Willow, Gus, Hunter, hold hands again." They did, and they started glowing again. The Owl House took several steps away from the cliff before stopping again.
"We're controlling it with the power of friendship," Willow smiled in realization. "Uh, and the moon. Probably the moon."
"Makes sense since we're the ones who said the spell," Hunter agreed.
"This is amazing! What do we do now?" Gus asked as the glow faded.
"On the one hand, we should probably stay put," Luz glanced away.
"Yeah, we should probably do that," Hunter said, knowing they didn't want to be too far away when the moon set.
"On the other hand," Gus leaned over to them excitedly. "we've got a giant walking house and should totally take it on a joyride!"
"Oooh, that's a good point," Hunter smirked deviously.
Luz looked at the now-descending moon before giving in. "Okay, okay, if even Hunter thinks so, but we gotta be back before the moon sets."
"Yeah, or Eda and Raine will kill us both." The blond remarked.
Soon, the teens drove the house through the woods, cheering joyfully. "Yeah! Joyride!" Gus and Luz cheered, unaware they had been spotted by the demon hunters from the market, the leader growling as they passed.
(Scene Break)
Still walking through the forest, they stopped when they saw a familiar witch walk past with a crow phone and duffel bag.
"Hey, is that…" Willow asked.
"It's Boscha," Gus finished for her. "That girl who made fun of us."
"Not to mention the ever-loving pain in my side," Hunter rolled his eyes, hating that girl.
"Ugh!" Boscha groaned into the crow. "Yes, Mom. I'm going to a moonlight conjuring. No, Mom. You can't come. And yes, Mom, it's sad that you're asking." She then let go of the crow, and it flew away, cawing. She turned around and saw the Owl House.
"She noticed us. What do we do?" Willow turned to Luz.
"Hmm." She smirked. A few minutes later, Boscha heard Luz's voice. "Hey. H-Hey you. You should, uh, stop being so mean to people," Gus had cast a spell to summon a megaphone, which the human was speaking into. "You're kind of a jerk."
The four laughed together.
"Ew. A talking house is giving me a lecture?" Boscha looked disdainful. "Whatever. I'll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood."
"But don't you see? I am no mere house." The Owl House stood as Luz roared. Boscha screamed as she ran away while the other four laughed at her reaction.
"I've never pranked anyone before," Gus stated to them. "And now I have a taste for it."
"And you take classes with the twins?" Hunter remarked playfully.
"We should follow her to Amity's place to show off our conjuring," Willow suggested happily, not noticing Hunter tense up. "That will show her who's got no talent."
"Doesn't she live at the castle?" Hunter pointed out anxiously.
"But it's not where she's doing the conjuring," Willow explained. "According to her Pensta, they're having it a house they rented for the night in town."
Luz and Hunter looked at the moon, nearly at the treetops and still going down. "Actually, I'm starting to think we should head back," Luz said.
"Yeah, we don't know when Eda and Raine are getting back," Hunter agreed.
"Amity's updating her Penstagram," Gus showed her his scroll with a new post.
"'Shout out to my fellow witches. #Humans can bite it.'" Luz gasped after reading it. "Let's do it."
The Owl House continued walking as they cheered, not noticing several shadowed figures fly after them.
(A short time later)
The Owl House walked through Bonesborough, causing people on the streets to scream and run for cover. "Amity's rental is right past those trees," Willow said as they paused for her to show them directions. "Time to show Amity what a real conjuring looks like." The Owl House started forward… but was stopped by a giant rope catching the roof.
"Wha–" They all gasped as they stumbled, letting go of each other's hands.
"What happened?" Willow looked up, concerned.
"Is that a… giant crossbow?" Luz pointed at the object in front of them.
"Titan, do I hope you're wrong," Hunter said fearfully.
The leader signaled for the crossbow to fire. A second giant bolt and rope secured the house further, frightening the teens. Then, the first demon hunter jumped up and landed in front of the kids.
"Knock, knock." He mocked, making the younger kids gasp.
"Sorry, nobody home." Thinking fast, Hunter side-kicked the hunter off the platform, making him yelp as he fell. "Everyone inside! Now!" He ushered everyone back into the Owl House, closing the door behind him. "We gotta get out of here!"
"How?! The house is tied down!" Luz responded.
Hunter groaned. "I knew this was a bad idea! We should've listened to Eda and Raine when they said no!"
"Wait, I thought they said it was okay?" Willow questioned, confused.
"Uh–" Luz started before Hunter cut her off.
"No, they didn't! We just lied to make you two happy!" He confessed. The blond then glanced at his arm when he felt an itchy sensation, and his eyes widened in fear. "Oh no…" He gasped quietly, catching his friends' attention as small, red feathers grew along his skin.
"Hunter, what–" Before Luz could finish her question, there was banging on the door, and Hunter was knocked away from it as it was forced open. The demon hunter stepped in, looking annoyed after being kicked off the platform.
Ignoring the feathers, Hunter charged the man again, jumping into the air to deliver a flying kick, but the hunter was ready this time. Tracing a spell circle, he summoned green lightning and shot it at Hunter. The blond witch cried out in pain as he was hit before falling to the ground with a thud.
"Hunter!" Luz screamed as she ran to his side, their friends watching in horror. She kneeled beside him and shook him. "Hunter! Hunter, can you hear me?!"
The blond didn't even groan as he lay limp on the floor. The remaining teens looked at the demon hunter in fear as he started laughing, knowing they were in trouble.
(Scene Break)
The Owl House was tied to a large cart and pushed through the woods by demon hunters. One stood atop a cliff and blew into a horn. Hooty was still making strange noises, oblivious to what was happening as Luz, tied to Willow and Gus inside, kicked at him. Hunter was still unconscious and tied up separately from them on the floor, though he was showing signs of waking up.
"Hooty!" Luz yelled while Gus tried pulling on the restraints with his teeth. "Hooty! You have to wake up!"
"If you want this to end as you say, three must hold hands. It's the only way," He recited to them.
"¡Oye, no me hable así!" The human shouted in frustration, hitting the door again. A groan caught her attention as the blond slowly opened his eyes. "Hunter! Are you okay?"
"Not really…" He grunted, more feathers appearing on his neck. "And if I get any more feathers, the demon hunters will be the least of our problems."
"Willow, will you help me out with Hooty?" Luz looked at the plant witch, who had been quiet this whole time.
"I'm sorry, Luz," Willow said sadly, closing her eyes as the other three looked at her. "You shouldn't ask me to help with anything."
"Willow," Luz started to say when they were tossed around again, causing the teens to scream and land on the floor with a grunt as they stopped moving. "Did the house stop moving?"
Gus groaned out loud. "Uh, my insides didn't."
The door squeaked open, making the younger three whimper while Hunter pretended to be unconscious again. The demon hunter laughed as he stepped towards them. He then shoved the tied-up trio out of the Owl House. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" They complained before they screamed when pushed off the platform and landed on the ground with a grunt. The hunter tossed Hunter out, the blond gritting his teeth to keep him from crying out and keeping up his act.
"Take the house and rip out the house demon," The leader ordered, closing the door as he jumped off the platform. "We can sell it to restaurants as exotic meat."
"No!" Luz called out in protest. "Hooty would taste terrible."
"Hey, I'm a refined taste. Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty argued back.
"What do we do with the worms?" Another hunter asked, causing Luz to look at her friends.
"Throw them over the cliff." The hunter said after a beat of silence before glancing at Hunter. "Except for the blond. I've his wanted posters in town, so there's a bonus in our futures if we turn him in."
The other hunter chuckled as he approached them, causing Gus to whimper. As he dragged them away, Hunter saw a chance to saw through the ropes using a dagger he kept hidden in his boot.
"All righty, kids. Here's the end of your short little lives." The hunter shoved them to the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, making Gus fearfully groan.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" The youngest witch turned the group around so he could face the demon hunter. "Is this really what you wanna be doing with your life? Tossing kids from cliffs?"
"Actually, yes," He smiled happily. "It's been my dream since I was a boy." The three of them look at him for a long moment. "I was a strange child."
"They say that about me, too." Without any further warning, the hunter was hit over the head by a big tree branch, falling to the ground to reveal a ticked-off Hunter standing there.
"Hunter!" Luz cried in relief as he pulled them away from the cliff and out of sight of the hunters. Once he cut the ropes away, she threw herself at him with a hug, causing the older boy to hiss in pain. Luz quickly pulled back with a worried look. "Oh, sorry! Are you okay?"
"I got shot by lightning, and my curse is acting up at the worst possible time. No, I'm not okay." Hunter said bluntly.
"Curse?" Gus questioned, causing the blond to freeze. "What curse?"
The older witch sighed, knowing this would happen sooner or later. "… Eda's not the only one who needs those elixirs. I do, too," He looked at his arms, seeing the feathers grow longer. "There's more to the story, but we don't have time to talk about it here."
The teens glanced out from their hiding spot at the Owl House. "If these guys don't kill us, Eda and Raine will when they find out about the house."
"Luz, Hunter, I'm so sorry," Willow said sadly. "You two wanted to turn back, but I just had to show off to Amity." She sunk to the ground, arms wrapped around her knees. "The truth is she and I used to be friends."
"Whaaat?" Luz turned to her in surprise.
"Any chance we can talk about this later?" Hunter asked, even though he was also curious.
"We played together as kids, but when she got her magical powers, and I didn't, she stopped hanging out with me."
"Guys, is now the best time?" Gus questioned impatiently.
"Of course not, which is why we're doing it now," Hunter answered.
Willow sighed as she confessed, "I just wanted to prove to her that I was a powerful witch, too."
"That's ridiculous," Luz said suddenly, causing the witch girl to look at her. "You helped bring a house to life. Amity doesn't know what she's talking about." Willow smiled. "Next to Eda, you're the most powerful witch I know." She said before glancing at the boys. "No offense, guys."
"No, not at all. I know what I'm about." Gus waved off while Hunter just shrugged.
"Now, let's go save Hooty before he gives someone food poisoning." The blond said.
"Right!" The younger teens nodded.
(Scene Break)
Back with the Owl House, the hunter who tried to shove the gang off the cliff came around and told the leader what had happened.
"Seriously?! They're children, Tom!" The leader chastised him, irritated that they got overpowered by a kid with a stick.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over them. They looked up to see Willow had made an enormous plant, and she, Luz, and the boys were standing atop the biggest leaf. "We may be children, but we're also witches. Powerful ones." Willow said bravely before she set the plant to attack. The lead hunter pulled his sword as the plant flung Tom into the distance, slicing off the tip of one of the vines. A three-eyed witch tried to hit a vine with an axe but missed. The vine then grabbed their ankle and flung them into a pile of rubble. The leaf lowered to the ground, and the teens ran to the House while the plant kept the demon hunters busy. They climbed up the platform, and Luz ushered them inside before following them in and closing the door behind her.
"Everyone, quick!" She held out her hand, and they joined hands, retaking control of the house.
Outside, the head hunter was wrestling with one of the vines before cutting through it with a shock spell. As he did, he heard something behind him and turned around just in time to see the Owl House stand. "Uh…" He lifted his eyepatch awkwardly before the Owl House stepped forward, crushing him.
"Oh, no," Luz said as she and Hunter looked out the window, seeing the moon was now on the water. "I don't mean to step on this victory, but we gotta get home before Eda and Raine do."
With that, the Owl House walked away, leaving the ruins of the battle behind. The head hunter groaned as he sat up.
"'They're just children, Tom.'" Tom said mockingly, making the leader glare at him.
(A short time later)
They walked the House back through town (with minimal damage since they stepped on someone's market stand) to its usual location, sitting it down in the crater it left. Back in the living room, where Luz opened one eye. "Did we do it?"
The door opened to reveal Hooty back to normal, though he was a little dizzy from the moonlight magic. "Is the room spinning, or is it just me?" He chuckled weakly. "Ah. Just a little house humor. Ooh."
"Sorry about all that, Hooty," Luz rubbed the back of her neck while the others looked at the floor guiltily.
"It's okay. I'm just glad I was included." The door slammed closed to reveal Eda, King, and Raine. The Owl Lady was back to normal; the little demon was wearing a sailor suit for some reason, and they all looked unamused by the scene.
"Oh, boy," Luz murmured in fear as the other teens looked equally shocked.
"You are so busted," Eda stormed up to them.
"Oh, man."
"Uh," Hunter held up a hand. "Before we get to the chewing out, do either of you have an elixir?"
"Oh," Raine blinked when they realized Hunter was feathering, digging into their bag. "Hold on…" They pulled one out and tossed it to Hunter, who fumbled a little but managed to catch it. He quickly downed the substance, and his feathers disappeared into his skin.
"That's better," He sighed in relief. "Carry on."
"Okay," Eda blinked, still not understanding this kid despite raising him. "Where was I…?" She murmured before getting back on track. "Oh, right," She remembered before glaring at Luz again. "You held a moonlight conjuring."
"I did." Luz winced a bit.
"And you animated my house. My house!"
"Yes."
"To be fair, we hadn't planned on bringing the house to life," Hunter said.
"Hunter, that is not the point," Raine countered sternly. "The point is–"
"No," Willow stepped in front of Luz and Hunter. "Don't punish them. We're the ones who pushed them to do the conjuring."
Gus stepped up beside Willow. "If you're gonna eat me, just do it now. Do it now!"
Eda and Raine looked disgusted at the idea.
Hunter and Luz looked at Willow as the human whispered, "Hey, you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, Luz. I did," She stated, earning a smile.
"Well, you're all guilty, so you'll all be punished by cleaning my house top to bottom." Eda summoned various cleaning supplies that appeared over their heads as she passed them before landing in the kids' arms. "And another thing…" She turned back to them, causing the teens to gulp. "That was totally amazing. And I'm so joining you for next year's conjuring." She smiled, causing them to smile back before she jerked a thumb at the room. "Now get to work."
The younger three ran off. Hunter was behind them when he suddenly stopped, gasping as his body protested any sudden movements.
"Hunter?" Raine was immediately at his side.
"You okay, kid?" Eda looked at him with concern.
"Yes." Hunter hissed out, still aching.
The other three looked back at Hunter, turning to each other guiltily before Luz asked Eda, "Uh, can Hunter sit this out? He got hit by green lightning earlier tonight, so…"
"Green lightning?" King asked.
"What happened, kid?" The Owl Lady looked at the blond.
Hunter looked away before explaining what had happened. "We got attacked by demon hunters while you were out." The adults' eyes widened in shock. "I tried to fight one off, but then he cast a spell, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground." He continued before shaking his head. "I'll be fine. I'll just do the smaller stuff."
"Yeah, no," Raine said as they made the supplies in Hunter's hands disappear.
"Huh?"
"You're getting on the loveseat to rest while I go find the first aid kit," they said as they headed to the kitchen. "End of discussion.
"But–"
"Kid, you got electrocuted tonight. You're going to be feeling that punishment for weeks," Eda went on before using her magic to push Hunter onto the loveseat, making the younger witch yelp. "King, stay with him. The rest of you get to work."
"Get some rest, Hunter," Luz smiled along with the others before they got to cleaning.
"I can't believe you guys animated a whole house," King said, sitting beside Hunter.
"Yeah, kid." Eda looked at the blond witch with an impressed smile. "That takes some powerful magic."
Hunter blushed with a bashful smile before Eda flopped down on the couch. The teen witch then turned to King. "So, what's with the outfit?"
"Don't ask." King deadpanned.
"You know, I still kinda wish we got to show up Amity," Luz said to Willow, holding a mop.
"Yeah. Too bad no one will know of our daring adventures." She said with a slight smile as she sprayed a cabinet.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Hunter smirked, confusing the others before he pulled out his Penstagram.
(Meanwhile)
In the house Amity rented (an apology from her mother for the Covention incident), a stuffed rabbit was sitting on the floor. Boscha, Cat, Skara, and a plant track witch named Amelia glared at it in frustration. "Ugh," Boscha scoffed. "So what if we couldn't move a doll. Now we have time for what really matters…" She huffed before summoning her scroll. "Penstagram!" The other three grinned before summoning theirs a few seconds later, going through their social media.
Meanwhile, Amity was brooding as she looked out her window when Boscha's gasp got her attention. She walked over and looked at Boscha's scroll as the three-eyed girl looked through it. Her Penstagram feed had several people's posts showing off the animated Owl House with Willow, Gus, Luz, and Hunter out front controlling it.
Seconds later, Amity's Penstagram received a message. She summoned it and saw a message from Hunter that simply said, 'You were saying?' along with a smug picture of the blond.
Amity and Boscha shared an astonished look. "What?!" They shouted, causing crows to fly away from the manor, cawing.
(Back at the Owl House)
Luz looked over at Hunter as Raine fussed over the blond, getting a snicker from Eda. She wanted to ask about his curse, but he was exhausted from what had happened tonight, so she decided not to push it. She smiled slightly as she got back to work, knowing he would tell them when he was ready.
And we're done. I was going to write the scene where Hunter explains everything to his friends, but I thought this was a good spot to end. I'll write that conversation in a flashback for the next chapter.
Anyway, I'm moving on to the next item on this list. It's going to be a new Tangled story. In the meantime, watch for updates for Outcasts and Moonlight Phantom.