Can the Owl Beast Come Out and Play?
Camila tried to see who was at the door, but with the angle Eda was at, she blocked the entire door. She got closer and was able to see the person in question.
It was an elderly witch wearing a short-sleeved, mostly purple dress and small glasses. Camilia frowned as she continued to study the new witch. She couldn't figure out why, but something about this woman reminded her a little of Eda.
"It's that time again, Gwen?" Eda asked mirthlessly.
The witch, Gwen, shook her head with a good-natured smile. She tried gently force her way into the house and hugged Eda. The wild witch wouldn't allow such a thing, literally keeping the witch at arm's length.
Gwen gave up after a minute, but her smile never left her face.
"Dear, aren't you a little too old to be this rebellious with me," Gwen said warmly. "I'm still your mother, after all."
Camila's eyes suddenly lost focus, and they flashed. An image appeared in the human's mind, and while blurry, it stirred something within her, causing a tear to roll down her cheek.
"...Mama," the human said sadly.
The two witches didn't miss what Camila said and looked at her. Eda looked concerned when she noticed the human's state, and Gwen looked at the child curiously.
"Who is this?" the elderly witch asked her daughter.
Eda pulled her attention from Camila and looked at her mother, sighing. "This is Camila," she replied dully. "She's Raine's cousin. You remember Raine?"
"Yes, yes," Gwen replied, then frowned. "But why is she here?"
Eda groaned and went over to Camila. She began checking to see if the human child was okay and making sure her ears weren't showing.
"Raine's a very busy bard," Eda said knowingly, "So I said I would look after the squirt while they were working."
Eda gently wiped the tear from Camila's face. The human seemed to snap out of her trance and blinked as she looked up at the wild witch. Seeing that Camila had recovered and her ears were safely hidden, Eda straightened up and looked at her mother.
"Can we just get this over with," Eda said impatiently. "I was thinking about taking the squirt into town to get a few things for her pet."
Gwen glared slightly at her daughter, then her eyes drifted to the human child. Camila flinched from the look and hugged Eda. She returned her eyes to her daughter after a second and put on her warm smile.
"Now, witchlet, I know my last few endeavors hadn't worked out," Gwen said, causing Eda to roll her eyes, "But after nearly a year and a half of searching, I have finally found the cure to your curse!"
With a dramatic wave of her hand, Gwen reached into her hair and pulled something from it.
Eda cocked an eyebrow when she got a good look at her mother's latest cure; it was just a simple gold, painted gold necklace with a green jewel with many chips in it. She got a little closer and then laughed as she realized something.
"Ha! I hate to break it to you, Gwen," Eda retorted, "But that's just a piece of junk."
Gwen frowned, looked down at the necklace, and then looked back at her daughter.
"Dear," Gwen rebuttal, "This is a priceless artifact. I had to go on a perilous journey to retrieve it."
Eda stared at her mother for a second, threw her head, and laughed it off. Gwen groaned at her daughter, and Camila looked at her guardian in confusion.
Eda slowly came down from her fit and wiped a tear from her eye as she looked at her mother.
"Oh, Gwen," she said with a slightly sympathetic smile, "You've been scammed and hard!"
"Dear," Gwen replied defensively, "I can assure you this isn't a scam."
The smile faded from the wild witch's face, and she sighed.
"You so been scammed, Gwen," Eda retorted. "And I can prove it."
She pointed at an exposed spot on the right side of the necklace.
"For starters, this was painted to look old," Eda explained, some mirth entering her voice, "but whoever painted this was either rushing or just downright terrible. And that doo-dad-"
Eda pointed to one of the many chips on the jewel, and Camila looked at it. She frowned as she studied the damage on the item and didn't see what Eda saw. Gwen also looked at the jewel and didn't see it either.
"Those marks ain't from an animal trying to get something shiny," Eda said, then looked at her mother with a grin. "I hope you didn't pay much for this thing."
"I'm not naive, witchlet," Gwen retorted defensively. "I paid half of the two thousand snails up front and the rest when I got the artifact."
The joy faded from Eda's face, and she sighed. She shook her head disappointedly and looked her mother in the eye.
"Well, Gwen, it was nice of you to visit," Eda said in mock politeness, "But like I said, I'm taking Camila out to get some things for her doggy."
Gwen frowned and held out the necklace like she wanted her daughter to take it.
"But, witchlet, just give it a-"
"Hooty!" Eda exclaimed, "Kindly see my mom out!"
Ma'am!" Hooty replied, somehow saluting with his body.
The house demon then got behind the elder and gently pushed her out of the house. Gwen protested as Hooty continued to push her away from the house and closed the door.
Eda let out a tired sigh, pressed her back against the door, and slid to the floor. She was exhausted, but that was expected when Eda dealt with her mother.
"You okay?" Camila asked in concern.
The wild witch looked at the concern, smiled hollowly, and patted the human on the head.
"...I'm going to be," Eda said tiredly. "Just dealing with that woman leaves me tired every time."
Camila frowned as something Gwen said suddenly came to the front of her mind. She stared at Eda, obviously looking for something. This behavior didn't go unnoticed by the wild witch, and Eda frowned.
"Is something sticking out of my hair, Squirt?" she asked, half-joking, half-curious.
Camila didn't answer, not immediately. She continued to study Eda, and it was starting to make the wild witch a bit uncomfortable. Eda's discomfort got worse when Camila poked her lightly in the arm.
The human looked at the witch in the eyes when her probing didn't get her any answers.
"Are you really cursed?" Camila asked curiously.
Eda stared at the human for a minute and then sighed. She stood up, dusted off her dress, and looked at Camila.
"You don't need to worry about that, Squirt," Eda said somewhat dismissively. "It's grown-up stuff."
Camila didn't like that answer and puffed her cheeks in mild annoyance. Eda admitted (to only herself) that the sight was cute and lifted her mood slightly. She grinned as she reached out and ruffled the human's hair.
"Now, no need to put on a grumpy face," Eda said jokingly, "Not when we're going into town."
Camila's irritation quickly gave way to joy, and she smiled brightly.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
Eda just continued to grin as she nodded, and Camila cheered. The young human then hurried off to tell her spidog. Eda couldn't stop the light giggle that escaped her as she followed after her.
"That kid can be a little ball of sunshine when she wants to be," Eda mused.
(A few hours later)
"Jump, Perro, Jump!" Camila commanded, holding a ball in front of her pet.
Perro's tails wiggled excitedly and then jumped when the human lightly tossed the ball into the air. The spidog did a half turn, caught the ball mid-air, and landed on all its legs. He trotted up to his owner and dropped the ball at Camila's feet, playfully barking at her.
Camila smiled brightly at her pet, patted his head, and picked up the ball. She suddenly grimaced when she felt spit and silk webbing on the ball.
From their spot on the couch, Raine couldn't help but laugh. They remember fondly their own spidog during their childhood.
"I could get used to this," the bard mused, settling into the couch.
Just as Raine was getting comfortable, Eda came in, eyes darting around the room. Raine frowned as they noticed the stress in their girlfriend's eyes. They pushed themselves into a sitting position and watched as Eda went over to the loveseat and lifted a cushion.
"Is everything okay, Eda?" Raine asked, their concern heavy in their voice.
Eda ignored their lover, dropping the cushion back onto the loveseat. She next went over to a corner and opened a secret panel. She shoved her hand into the space and dug around.
Raine's worry got worse as they got off of the couch. They slowly approached Eda as the wild witch cursed under her breath. Raine nearly jumped when Ed angrily shut the secret compartment.
"Eda," Raine said slowly, placing a hand on their girlfriend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Eda snapped her head in Raine's direction, and the bard nearly recoiled when they saw the look their friend was giving them. There was something feral behind those golden orbs, and Raine had a sinking feeling they knew what was happening.
"It's nothing, Rainestorm," Eda replied dismissively.
Raine frowned as it looked like their girlfriend was once again going to dodge the issue. They opened their mouth to say something when they both heard a noise.
The two witches turned and saw Camila holding her spidog and looking at the two in concern. Eda suddenly sighed, getting Raine's attention.
"I'm missing my night juice," the wild witch growled in such a way that it sounded like a beast.
Raine's face twisted slightly, and they looked at a clock. Their frown turned a little disapproving as they looked back at Eda.
"It's barely past three," Raine commented dryly. "Isn't it a little early to be hitting the hard stuff?"
Eda breathed out through gritted teeth and looked at Camila. She tried to smile at the human, like trying to assure her things were good, then looked back at their partner seriously.
"I'm not talking about my Apple Blood," Eda clarified.
Raine looked at Eda in confusion…for about a second, and their eyes widened when it clicked. They looked at Camila, who just seemed lost, a sense of dread filling them. They looked back at Eda with a grim seriousness to their demeanor.
"When was the last time you took one?" Raine whispered, leaning in close. "And are you sure you're out?"
Eda looked at the human child with her eyes, feeling the same dread as her partner. She looked back at Raine and got just a bit closer.
"I took one last night," Eda answered in a harsh whisper. "And I just filled up two nights ago. So something is going on."
Raine pulled away from their girlfriend and frowned as they pondered this development. They remember Eda texting them that she and Camila were shopping in town. This had worried Rain, but Eda had told the bard they would text every ten minutes while out. She told Raine to assume that the worst happened if she didn't text them.
Raine's frown deepened as they figured that was the only time someone could have a window to get into the house and steal anything. But, they would have to deal with…Raine gasped as they remembered the demon guarding the house.
"Hooty!" Raine called out urgently, facing the door. "Did anyone come into the house when the girls were out?"
The door swung open, and Hooty extended slightly.
"Nope, Hoot, Hoot," the house demon chirped chipperly.
Raine growled under their breath. If no one got in when Eda and Camila were out, then what happened to Eda's supply of elixir?
"But," Hooty added, "I did make a new birdie friend while everyone was out."
"Birdie friend?" Raine and Eda echoed, confused by this news.
"Yup!" Hooty replied happily. "And he's right behind you."
Raine and Eda exchanged confused looks, then looked over their shoulder. A hawk with a vial in one of its talons was about to take to the air but stopped when it noticed the set of eyes on it.
Awkward tension quickly settled into the room as the Owl House residents reacted differently to the intruder; Camila was looking at the bird with a bit of confusion. Raine was shocked that the bird was holding the potion vial, while Perro was growling at the intruder.
Eda, however, was angry. The wild witch's breathing was heavy, and she was clenching and unclenching her hands as she took a step forward, the floorboard under her creaking.
The noise shocked everyone out of their stupor, and the hawk took off flying, making its escape from an open window.
"Eda…" Raine, looking at their girlfriend, "Wasn't that-"
Raine didn't get a chance to finish as Eda threw her hand up and growled a near-feral growl.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HER!" Eda screeched, startling everyone in the room.
Eda spun on her right heel and bolted through the door before anyone could say anything.
Raine watched as their girlfriend disappeared from view and blinked twice. They looked down and saw feathers in the spot where Eda was just standing. They gasped and looked at the door.
"EDA!" Raine screamed, giving chase. "You need to calm down!"
With growing confusion, Camila watched as her other guardian chased after Eda. She heard a noise and saw Hooty getting closer to her, a smile on his face.
"Stay," the human told her spidog quickly.
She then followed after her guardians, leaving the dog-like creature alone with the house demon.
"So," Hooty said, slithering close to the beast. "Wanna hear about my day."
Perro growled at the house demon and then trotted off to find a nice spot for a nap.
(SC)
Feathers were sprouting from Eda's body when she caught up to her mother's palisman. She came to a stop a few feet in front of Gwen as the elderly witch took the elixir from her hawk and dropped it into a large sack at her right.
"Oh, Witchlet," Gwen said in a sweet tone. "No need to thank me, but I have taken all those nasty potions those in the Healing and Potion Covens forced on you. Now, all you need to do is put this artifact on, and you will be cured in no time."
Gwen took out the junk necklace and walked over to her daughter. Eda growled in a feral manner, body contorting slightly as she stepped away from her mother. Gwen wasn't phased by this behavior and continued approaching her daughter, holding out the piece of junk.
"Eda!" Raine screamed, bursting into the scene, Camila not too far behind them.
The bard gasped as fear gripped them; Eda wasn't in good shape. Feathers covered her entire body, and Eda's eyes were bleeding black.
"Eda," Raine said calmly, getting close and placing a hand on their girlfriend's shoulder. "Please, you need to calm down.
Eda forced Raine's hand off her shoulder and looked at them, growling ferally. The bard took a step back, ensuring they were between Eda and Camila.
"I will not!" Eda shrieked, voice distorting slightly. "Every year, she comes here with a new cure, and it ends the same way! But this time, she went too far, and I have had it!"
"Witchlet," Gwen said softly, "I know this artifact doesn't look like much, but I have seen it work."
Eda snapped her head in her mother's direction and growled at her. Raine got more scared when they saw that Eda's eyes were nearly completely black, and her face was starting to contort. They also could see their girlfriend's fingernails were lengthening and sharpening into claws.
To make matters worse, Gwen appeared oblivious to the danger as she got closer to her daughter. She just continued to hold the necklace, looking at Eda hopefully. The wild witch scoffed at the necklace and glared fiercely at her mother.
"No!" Eda screeched, "You broke into my house! Stole my stuff! All because you fooled yourself into thinking that hunk of junk is some kind of Cure-all!"
"Edalyn-"
"Gwen, ENOUGH!" Raine suddenly shouted. "Can't you see that you're not helping! Give Eda one of her elixirs before-"
Raine couldn't finish their sentence as Eda suddenly screamed, and everyone took a step back.
Eda fell to the ground, her body contorting as feathers grew to the point that they formed into a fair coat. The witch's body grew as her limbs elongated and her nails became claws. Eda's face stretched slightly, and fangs grew from her mouth.
Eda uttered one more cry, which sounded beast-like, as a pair of black wings burst through the wild witch's back.
"Oh," Raine gasped breathlessly, "Titan, please no."
(G Corner)
If Eda seemed out of character during her interaction with her mother, you must remember this was a point before she grew numb to Gwen's many tries at curing her curse.