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2021-07-17
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Hunter's Experience with Wild Magic

Summary:

Takes place a little after "Hunting Palismen", and there will be spoilers for that episode.
---
After a slight mishap with trying out his new Palisman, he ends up crashing (quite literally) into the very place he's not supposed to interact with, he gets help from Luz the human in learning how to fly with a Palisman, use one, and even learn a few of the glyphs the human's discovered.

Notes:

Ever since watching the episode, I've been fostering this idea in my head for hours. Since I couldn't find any fics to satisfy my need, I've decided to write it.

This is my first time writing an Owl House fic, so please don't criticize me harshly.

---
Due to lack of interest and a clear interest from fans, I've decided to orphan this work for the better. I hope the draft of the next chapter survives, but whoever decides to pick this up, I wish you nothing but the best with this work. :)

Chapter 1: The Day Off

Chapter Text

   Despite what others may think of the Boiling Isles, and the foliage that covers a good chunk of the place and fosters potentially dangerous creatures, during sunrise and sunset, it was quite beautiful. The golden light shining through the leaves, the shadows and beams of light mixing together to create gorgeous colors and scenes, and the sounds of nature surrounding whoever was lucky enough to wake up early and see the Isles like this; not only was it beautiful to see, but it was also peaceful for one's mind. So nice, calming, and with sunrise as beautiful as this, rejuvenating for an exhausted mind such as Hunter's.

 

   Today was his day off, and while Hunter usually used his days off to help his uncle or sleep in and try to catch up on some sleep, today was different. Today, he was using his day off to learn how to use his palisman, Cardi. He was heading to a spot that was far enough away from the Emperor's Castle, a place where he went to when he was a kid and wanted to be alone. Trudging along the cleared path of the forest, he took in another breath of fresh air. His senses were flooded with the sweet scent of flowers just blooming to catch some of the morning sunlight. Hearing the chirping of Cardi, he smiled and brushed his fingers through the red feathers the cardinal Palisman had.

 

   My palisman, Hunter thought, feeling warmth bloom in his chest again. It was only a day since he got him, but he still can't help but feel a tinge of excitement from getting one. When he was younger, all of the older kids were so excited to receive their palismen or even think about what type they'll get when the day comes. Despite the elation of getting what so many said that he could never have, he also felt fear at the idea of Belos ever finding out that he had a palisman; the very thing that his uncle needs to keep himself in check.

 

   So far, nothing seemed to tick his uncle off to anything suspicious happening. It was just the same routine: running the Emperor's Coven, helping his uncle with his health, trying his hardest not to slip up after his "failure", and trying not to fall asleep or daze off from exhaustion. But he couldn't slack off, he needed to keep Cardi safe and out of everyone's line of sight. He was already on thin ice from letting the human go with the Palismen, he could only imagine the hot waters he'd be in if Belos ever found out he was harboring a palisman.

 

   Cardi chirruped again, this time with something akin to concern lacing his words.

 

   "Something wrong, Cardi?" Hunter asked, facing the scarred cardinal palisman. When Cardi gave him a look, he looked away, feeling his nerves bundle in a way that he wasn't used to. Cardi chirped again, this time more reverently.

 

   "Okay, okay," He muttered, feeling sweat bead at his forehead. "I-I'm nervous, okay? I've- I've never had a Palisman before."

 

   Cardi stopped tweeting, now fixing the blonde with a stern gaze. The palisman then began tweeting something similar to encouragements, which made Hunter feel somewhat better. Smirking, he grazed his hand over Cardi's head. "You're kinda like the human, y'know," He said, causing Cardi to give him that wide-eyed expression with a slight head tilt. It was cute. "You see that I'm not some bile sac-less witch..." He trailed off, his mind wandering back to the times before Belos took him in. "I...I don't think anyone except you two and Belos ever saw me as more than that..."

 

   Cardi chirruped, nuzzling up into Hunter's hand. The blonde smiled, lips parting to show his gaped-toothed smile. Taking in a breath through his nose, he squared his shoulders and continued on to his private spot.

 

   Today was going to be like nothing like his other days off.

Chapter 2: The Human

Summary:

While taking Cardi out for a flight, a start that was rather rocky, Hunter spots someone he thought he wouldn't encounter so soon.

Chapter Text

   It was only another few minutes before Hunter and Cardi reached the spot.

 

   It wasn't anything special, but a big clearing good for relaxation and occasional naps in the Sun, far away from where everyone else is. There were hardly any rocks, save for some pebbles strewn about here and there, but nothing too annoying a swift brush of the hand couldn't do. Hunter's spot was peaceful, a place where he could get away from civilization for a bit and collect himself; to let down his guard for once and have time to himself instead of always having something to do because someone told him to do it.

 

   Shaking his head of those thoughts, Hunter spoke to Cardi. "Well, here we are, Cardi. The place where we're gonna practice flying." He gestured to the clearing, Cardi's eye(s) sparkling with intrigue as he took it all in. "I found this place when I was young, and it's been my favorite place ever since."

 

   The cardinal palisman chirped excitedly, flapping his wings to show his enthusiasm. The blonde chuckled at his palisman's energy. "You wanna go flying now?" When Cardi rapidly nodded his head, Hunter's smile grew, as well as his excitement. "Okay, lemme just get in position and..."

 

   As Hunter got on his palisman's staff, he mumbled over what he was supposed to do and ran it through his head. "Grab staff by its length. Okay. Now, bend the knees and squat- good, good- Ooh, that's a great power to weight ratio, Cardi." The cardinal palisman tweeted in response, the sound light and cheery. "Okay, now we just, take-" Hunter squatted, getting ready to jump and hopefully get Cardi to fly. "OFF!" He jumped, bracing himself for the impact of ground to his body...

 

   ...but it didn't.

 

   Cracking open an eye, he glanced around and had to do a mental takeback because- Holy Titan! He's actually flying! Eyes wide with astonishment, he couldn't help but look around him at his small accomplish. He was so excited that he made the mistake of letting go of the staff in celebrating his small step to using wild magic.

 

   The next thing he knew, he was blasting off of the ground, flying haphazardly in the air. Hunter was flying in every direction with all the grace of a mentally stunted pixie on caffeine. Grabbing onto his palisman staff, he tried to get a hold of his bearings and drive his staff to safety. Although his brain was a tad messed up with the rough flying, and he may have been panicking.

 

   "Cardi! Cardi- Oh Titan, please stop!" Hunter wailed, feeling his eyes tear up as the air blew against his face. Unlike the staff gifted to him from his Uncle, it was harder to control; there was also the factor of Hunter's palisman staff having sentience and his Uncle's staff not, so there was also that.

 

   Oh, f- Hunter managed to turn Cardi and himself away from the giant green arm that tried to grab at him. Sighing, Hunter got his bearings back and calmed his frayed nerves to take in his surroundings. From what he knew, he must've been in the Right Arm of the Titan, because he was currently flying over Bonesborough. The blonde couldn't help but be in awe of what things looked like from up here; he did like riding his Uncle's staff, but he hardly did it because, as the Belos had put it in no uncertain terms: He wasn't allowed to use it for anything that isn't business of the Emporer's Coven.

 

   But sometimes, whenever he was riding, he would take some time to admire how things looked like from up above. He liked how things looked so small, and that made him feel bigger than how he really felt. The feeling of seeing things from high above always made him feel his heart expand with a feeling that he can't quite describe. It felt like he was weightless like there wasn't anything to worry about, nothing to fear, nothing to weigh him down. Sure, it was a temporary feeling, but it made him feel better whenever he was down or feeling too pressured.

 

   Hunter's dark magenta eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. One that he had seen a few times before, and had even bonded over their shared interest in Wild Magic.

 

   "Is that-?"

 

   Suddenly, he was sent hurtling towards the ground.

Chapter 3: The Crash

Summary:

Hunter's used to flying with a staff with artificial magic. And artificial magic staffs don't have a consciousness. Palisman staffs are cognizant.

Enough said.

Chapter Text

   Grabbing onto Cardi's staff, he managed to pull himself up and away from the ground, leaving behind a huge gust of wind following him. When he was at a safe height, Hunter turned his head to where he was before, managing to spot the giant green arm giving him a not-so-nice hand gesture as it disappeared into the ground. Thumbing his nose at the no-longer visible appendage, he returned his dark magenta gaze to the ground, searching for the human.

 

   He managed to spot her, talking to some Potions guy for something or another; upon closer inspection, he saw that little guy he held captive during his introduction to The Owl Lady and the human. He couldn't recall his name right then, but he watched as those two left the vendor; the human was carrying a large sack of what was most likely potions on her back, stumbling for a brief second before regaining her balance.

 

   He wasn't sure what compelled him to do what he did next, but he began to slowly follow those two as they made their way back to, possibly, their home.

   It was about a half-hour later that he was starting to get bored.

 

   So far, the human Luz had just run a few errands, traded a few things for food, and was currently just walking along a path to someplace away from civilization. Hunter would normally just let his mind wander whenever he was on a long flight to an assignment, leaving his staff to automatically guide him to wherever he was going. But this time, with a Palisman staff instead of Belos' artificial magic staff, he found out that whenever you fly on a staff like Cardi's, you needed to be focused at all times. The first few times his mind wandered, he almost ended up face-first into either the ground, a tree, or something that was equally as unpleasant to feel with your face.

 

   So here he was now, using as much of his willpower as he could, he tried to keep himself from dozing off into whatever thought process his mind chose today and follow the human.

 

   Somewhere in the back of his mind, Hunter couldn't help but wonder: Why was he following the human Luz? They already had one interaction with each other before- Well, two if the trap with the Selkidomus a while back, but that wasn't exactly positive for both parties. Well, technically, the second one yesterday wasn't entirely positive in the beginning and only lightened up around the middle, but the end was somewhat bittersweet considering he almost blasted her and never exactly apologized for that. But then again, he did protect her from Kikimora's blasts and gave her enough time to return the other Palismen to the school. But perhaps the human interpreted that as just him being too busy with Kikimora to really go after her and-

 

   It was about a few seconds too late when Hunter realized that he was drifting off-course, heading straight into a tree. On instinct, he tried to correct his course, but too much was happening too fast and he ended up flying as gracefully as he did earlier. He was pivoting left, right, up, down, and even in directions mixed of the four aforementioned ones.

 

   Then, he crashed into something and blacked out.

Chapter 4: The Living Room

Summary:

After waking up in the Owl House, Hunter gets "greeted" by the Owl Lady herself and the weird dog demon, healed up by Luz, and somehow gets roped into the human teaching him about her discoveries on magic.

Notes:

I should probably mention that as of "Eclipse Lake", this story is officially an AU. I'll put up the official tags and everything as soon as this is posted.

That is all.

Chapter Text

   Hunter awoke with a headache. It wasn't unusual for the witch to have headaches when he awoke, but this one was far more extreme than all of his previous ones. Cracking open his eyes, his vision was blurred as his dark magenta eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. As his mind slowly awakened, the blonde witch immediately realized that he wasn't in a forest or anywhere that was outside.

 

   The place he was in was filled with warm colors such as red, tan, and a lot of light sources. Probably candles. Shaking his head, Hunter sat up slightly from where he lay; he also found out he was lying on a couch. His head throbbed when he adjusted himself, he cradled his head and found it wrapped carefully in bandages.

 

   "Huh?" Hunter took in his surroundings, soaking in every detail as he carefully turned his head. "This- This place." The blonde's eyes widened, realizing where he was. "This is-"

 

   "Your final resting place."

 

   Hunter jumped at the voice behind him, the sound of the woman's voice sending a slight chill down his spine. Swiftly, he turned to face whoever had snuck upon him. To his surprise, it was none other than the Owl Lady herself, Edalyn Clawthorne. She was a tad bit too close for comfort when it came to distance from his face, which may have caused him to scrambled back and fall off the couch onto the floor.

 

   Trying to keep his cool, he exclaimed, "E- Eda the Owl Lady!" Coughing into his fist, he flushed slightly at the embarrassing crack in his voice. "What- What're you doing?! Why- Why am I here?"

 

   The wild witch slowly stood up, stretching her back as she answered, "Well, I was going to check on you and see if you were alive. But, it seems there's no need for that."

 

   "What- What are you-" Flashes of his crash came flooding to the forefront of his mind. "Oh..."

 

   "Finally remembered, kid?" Eda asked, taking a sip of an elixir of some kind.

 

   "I wished that he didn't."

 

   Again, Hunter jumped at the sudden voice appearing behind him. Getting to his feet, his head practically spun on his neck as he tried to find the source of it. After seeing nothing but the decor of the Owl House, he was confused. He was sure he heard someone talking behind him, so where were they? Were they invisible or was he just hearing things? Was his head injury really that bad?

 

   "Hey! Down here, Dork Guard!"

 

   Looking down, he saw the dog demon from the first time he and Luz interacted with each other. He had both horns fully grown instead of one complete horn and the other being chipped. He was gripping onto a stuffed bunny plushie tightly, an expression that could probably be best described as an angry pout being directed at him.

 

   "Aw," Hunter couldn't help it, the dog demon looked really adorable with that expression. "Has anyone ever told you you look like an angry piece of pie?"

 

   "No, I don't!" The dog demon protested, stamping an angry paw on the ground.

 

   The Owl Lady chuckled, drinking out of a mug that read "30 & Flirty" and sipping loudly. The sound did nothing to alleviate his headache. "Yeah, King's pretty cute. You should hear him when he makes his famous 'Squeak of Rage', it's hilarious." She placed the mug down on a nearby table. "But, enough 'bout King, what're you doing here, Golden Guard?"

 

   "Oh, I was trying to learn how to-" Hunter caught himself, spluttering as his eyes widened in realization. "W-Wait- How- How do you-"

 

   "King recognized your smell." The Owl Lady answered without missing a beat. "Plus, Luz brought you back here and told us about how you tried to capture the Palismen the other night, and how after a grand adventure in Latissa you let her go and battled Kikimora. And after a buncha begging and pleading, we let her take you in the house and fix you up."

 

   Hunter blinked, trying to process what he was just told. Luz remembered what I did? He had thought that the human had seen him in a bad light, what with his earlier behaviors and actions against her, her mom(?), and her...brother? Maybe?

 

   The Owl Lady- Eda- chuckled at him, somewhat amused. "Oh, don't look so surprised. Luz may not like everyone, but she does see the good in people and gives 'em the benefit of the doubt. Like you, and uh- Oh, hey Luz."

 

   Hunter turned around, spotting the human girl Luz in the doorway carrying a cup of tea, from the smell of it. Luz smiled at him, walking over to the blonde as she spoke.

 

   "Hey Eda," She greeted the wild witch, who gave a nod in response. "Hey King," She ruffled the demon's fur on his head, who seemed to lean in on the contact somewhat before the human's hand retracted from his head. "Hey..." She looked like she wanted to say more, but wasn't sure if she should. She handed over the cup to Hunter, looking away nervously as she continued. "I uh, brought you some tea. I'm not sure if you like it or if I made it right, but I hope it helps with your headache." Cautiously, Hunter took the glass of liquid in his hands.

 

   Luz continued to talk as he blew on the hot drink and sipped at it. "My mamá always made me peppermint tea whenever I had one, but since there's no peppermint, I had to use a substitute. Also, just as heads up, never use Major-Ram. It is nothing like the marjoram plant back in the Human Realm." The purplish-brown-haired human shuddered, still disturbed by whatever happened with that plant and her.

 

   Probably nothing good. Hunter mused, licking at his lips for whatever remnants of flavor the hot liquid remained on the slightly pinkened flesh. I mean, if I remember correctly, Major-Ram tends to be an aggressive plant that defends its territory from anything and anyone who tries to come within five meters of it. Though, I have heard that if someone somehow manages to get a marjoram plant, it's really delicious and-

 

   "So, how's the tea?"

 

   The human's words snapped Hunter out of his mental spiel, blinking a few times before registering what Luz had asked. "Oh, the tea's fine." He muttered, taking another sip before continuing. "It's uh. It's really good."

 

   Luz seemed to relax as he said that, letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I'm glad I didn't totally ruin it or something." She softly spoke in a language that Hunter wasn't familiar with, a soft smile crossing her face.

 

   "Okay, this has been fun." The dog demon began, walking toward's Hunter's legs. "Now that he's better, he can finally leave. Goodbye, forever." He began pushing on the blonde witch's legs which did nothing but make the dog demon try harder. Eventually, he flopped onto the ground and began pounding at it like a toddler having a tantrum.

 

   "Uh." Hunter scratched the back of his neck nervously, unsure of what to do. "I should uh- pro-probably leave." He slowly began stepping back towards the door he could just see out of the corner of his eye. "I'll just grab Cardi and-"

 

   "Cardi?" The Owl Lady questioned, suddenly interested in the conversation again. "You mean that Palisman staff Luz found you with? I thought you just stole it and was taking it for a joyride 'fore handing it over to Belos."

 

   "Yeah, no. Cardi's my Palisman." Hunter mentally kicked himself in the face for letting that slip out. Gotta get outta here quick before I let anything else slip. He just had to go practicing on his day off instead of sleeping, didn't he? "A-Any way, where- where is he?"

 

   Right on cue, Cardi and an owl palisman came flying into the living room. They seemed to have been playing some sort of game with the other and having a good time judging from the sounds they were making. Hunter's head was no longer pounding, so the sounds the Palismen didn't bother him as much as it would've otherwise. The cardinal Palisman, upon taking a dive to avoid the owl palisman, finally noticed his owner and flew right towards him. Perching himself on Hunter's shoulder, the palisman nuzzled up against him and chirped happily.

 

   Hunter couldn't help the smile forming on his lips, petting Cardi's head as he looked him over. "Hey, Cardi. How's my favorite palisman doing?" Cardi chirruped in response, beaming at the dark magenta-eyed witch. Hunter sighed in response, his relaxed smile stretching across his face.

 

   A few giggles were heard from around the room, and Hunter flushed a light pink at the attention. Coughing into his fist, Hunter began in a stern tone, "Well, thank you for your hospitality," He gave Luz back the half-empty mug of tea as he made his way to the door. "But, I need to head out. If U- E-Emporer Belos notices I'm gone for too long, then he might get suspicious and I highly doubt you want that." Grabbing the door handle, he was about to turn the knob when-

 

   "I wouldn't do that, kid," The Owl Lady bluntly stated, sipping at her mug again. "The Emporer's Coven's out there, and it'll be a while 'fore Hooty gets 'em off our backs. He's been enjoying being the protector a little too much lately, and I think the power's gone to his head."

 

   Hunter turned at the gray-haired witch, blinking confusingly. "What's a Ho-"

 

   A loud crash sounded outside the house Hunter was currently in, catching his attention. Walking over to a window, he lifted the curtain to sneak a peek outside and what he saw was something he wished could be erased from his mind.

 

   The Emporer's Coven was out there, most likely doing one of the scheduled "raid attempts" they did every week, but they weren't attacking. Oh no. The guards were down on the ground, some flying through the air while others were scrambling on the ground to get back on their feet/get to their weapons. One of the guards, probably Steve, almost reached his spear but was foiled by a bird-worm of some kind; he was tackled to the ground by the bird-worm's face and picked up at the scruff of his cape by the thing's beak and whipped around about twelve times before being launched into the air. The bird-worm moved onto the next guard, this time somehow inhabiting the guard before using their body as a pseudo-puppet and knocking down a few guards that tried to overwhelm it. The bird-worm then discarded the guard, using its long, wiggly body to knock down three more that tried to rush him.

 

   Hunter immediately dropped the curtain he was holding and backed away from the window, swallowing a lump in his throat.

 

   "Yup, that's Hooty's doing a lot of harm to those bozos," The older witch said, seemingly reading Hunter's mind. "Almost makes me feel bad for 'em. Almost, anyway." She chuckled under her breath, taking another swing of her drink.

 

   Hunter turned to the trio, nervously smiling as he asked, "Hey uh, totally coming out of nowhere, but uh-" He could feel the sweat beading at his temple. "Mind if I uh- crash here? Temporarily. A-At least until all of that-" He pointed at the window, a muffled crash resonating before what sounded like a scream and a body being dragged was heard. "-is done. Please?"

 

   Luz answered before the Owl Lady or the dog demon- King- could. "Of course you can! It'll be best to monitor your condition too since you crashed into our house, and nearly fell from the wall you crashed into on the ground if I didn't use my plants to catch you just in time, so-"

 

   "You know plant magic too?" Hunter blurted out the question before he could stop it.

 

   Luz paused in her mini-rant, blinking before starting again. "Yeah. I actually discovered a bunch of stuff about the magic here on the Boiling Isles. I could, y'know, show them to you. If you want."

 

   Hunter wasn't sure what brought him to nod his head in the enthusiastic way that he did, but he was excited to speak to another person about Wild Magic.