ask-little-red-riding-luz

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Boscha glared at the building that towered above the city walls as the small carriage finally closed in on its final destination. It was the largest building in the town, in the county, only beat by the local baron’s castle that was a couple dozen miles away. The regal building meant to house nobles from the baron and king’s court was even smaller, despite it being where everything important actually happened. It wasn’t just a temple of the vanity to one man.

Complete with a stained glass window. It showed off the Master of the Hunt, Belos, immortalized so high above the rest of humanity. His rifle was held as a staff of office while he was robed in green robes that could be lost in the foliage of the wild if not for the golden trim. To show that he was the sun that blessed them with sight. A real hunter could work just as well by moonlight…

It was almost the first thing one saw as you entered the town, supposedly so that they could react to invaders just as quickly, if not faster, than the guards. Who better to take out those who brought blades to the populace than those who were used to finding just the right place to shoot to kill? Like they were some sort of ranger corps. A ranger would be positioned in the poorest part of the town though. The part that didn’t have prominent guard houses to protect the nearby shops and nobility.

But that would be too much in the dirt for these ‘hunters’ would it?

“Hey, Boscha, you…” Luz grew quiet as she looked back at Steve. The masked man shook his head though to stop her. Luz had been to town before but it was rare, to put it mildly. She hadn’t been back since the regal funeral that had been held for Boscha’s father after his passing, in honor of his work for the king as a ranger. That meant she’d never seen the quiet rage in Boscha’s eyes as she stared at the guild hall.

Then Boscha, much to Steve’s surprise, spoke. It was about as neutral as a bloody knife and as warm as a rotting corpse but she did speak. “Wait at the carriage. We’ll join you after we’re done in the guild.” 

Luz looked between Steve, who was still in the carriage with Luz, and Boscha who had started driving alone a couple hours ago so Luz could get some sleep to pass the time. She was ready to move and bounce and get something done but she hadn’t heard this sort of tone from Boscha too often. Anger? Sure. Fury? Absolutely. The two didn’t agree about everything after all. This was something beyond any of that though.

Steve opened the door as the carriage finally came to a stop before the guild hall. He stepped out with confident strides before finally looking up at Boscha. “We’ll be able to get out of town faster if Luz gets her silk without us. Besides, the dress-maker is just across the street. She won’t be far and if people try to give her grief for her skin, she can yell for you.”

Luz saw Boscha glanced away and decided to pounce on it with a grin. “Or are you about to tell me that you can’t hear a butterfly’s wings? That you can’t hear the grass in the field? Let alone a girl’s scream?”

For a split second, Boscha smirked. They were all claims Boscha had made to Luz after all. Reasons why she was safe alone in the forest. What a hunter had to be able to do to be able to be self sufficient. Just as quickly as it came though, it twisted and she grit her teeth before it turned into a grimace. Meanwhile, her hand rose briefly to her chest as it felt like it was closing in on itself and her eyes stung.

It all made it clear that the faster they were gone, the better. So without a word, Boscha stood up from the rider’s seat before stepping onto the roof of the carriage. There she quietly got to work on the knots and bindings that had kept her haul in place. Luz glanced at Steve as Boscha focused on the task before asking, “Is this…”

Steve sighed for a moment before saying, “Normal? Yes. Don’t worry about it though. You need to head out before she changes her mind.” The mention of changing her mind earned him a glare and a brief moment where she opened her mouth but Boscha didn’t say anything. Instead, she stared at Luz for another second before throwing one of the ropes over the side of the carriage as she finished with its knot. When he glanced back at Luz, he saw her just standing there with her bottom lip bit hard enough to make the older man wince.

Steve stepped closer and put a hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Just go. You two can talk about this another time if you really need to but I promise that coming in with us is the last thing either of you want.” He then glanced up at Boscha before barely breathing out, “I’m here with her for a reason so she’ll be fine, I promise.”

Luz wrung her hands in front of her before her shoulders slumped slightly. For as close as they were, she knew better than to fight Boscha. If she made up her mind about something, nothing could change it. That’s part of why she was here. To make sure things could go right someday. The sooner the better, right? Just like getting out of the town.

Boscha turned her head as Luz started to move and Steve made sure she knew which way to go for the silk she was looking for. She should just focus on her work but…

Boscha let out a shaking breath as she wasn’t actually sure what she thought. It was all too loud. Too harsh. Too angry. Too much. So much. Just like every time she had to be here. So she stopped thinking. She would distract herself with commerce which required these ropes coming off. She couldn’t just cut them though. Then they’d have to waste money on them on a different day and it was better for the orphanage if every cent went to them.

Steve turned on his heel before heading for the guild hall now that the two girls were busy with their own tasks. He needed to get to work after all. So with a confident stride, he walked into the guild hall. The opulence on display within was far beyond what most would expect. A grand chandelier from far off lands hung high above, grand tapestries covered the walls just as much as furs and other trophies that the guild had taken. No quivers or bows were seen either, replaced long ago by Belos’ preferred weapon of choice, the rifle. The only arrows were bundled into exes. A classic hunter symbol that Steve knew pissed Boscha off since there were members of the guild who proudly claimed they were so skilled with a gun that they’d never touched a bow.

The grand hall reached up dozens of feet up with balconies for members to look upon others with. Only the best of the best were allowed at the upper levels of course so Boscha and Steve had never been up there but neither cared much about that. Commerce was dealt with on the bottom floor. There was the counter where you could place orders, bounties, such like that, but Boscha had too much to be appraised there. She’d need to be taken to the back which meant getting Darius, the quartermaster, to go to the back with her. Preferably without making Boscha speak.

Steve turned on his heel to move towards the counter before an authoritative voice broke through the crowd.

“\-/-\-/.”

Steve took a tight breath as he heard the name. His whole system had a brief glitch in it that forced a slight curl to his fists and for the weight on his chest to become all the more oppressive. Made every part of him that many would claim were lacking, or too apparent without the sort of cloak he wore, all too clear. Just like every time the man used it.

There was a difference to him hearing his dead name from someone who didn’t know better after all. Belos though, clad in the finery that one could see in the stained glass, didn’t care though. He never had. Steve showed none of this though as he turned to the lord of the hall and tilted his head like he would with a warm smile. No such softness was behind the mask though, even as his words sounded perfectly fine. “Ah, my lord! Nice to see you as always.”

Belos smiled down at the diminutive doctor but there was no warmth there. Both were from nobility after all and back when the trials over ‘Steve’ had happened, he had been on the side to see ‘him’ burn. That was decades ago now though and while he’d rather act like the being before him didn’t exist, there were positives to his appearance. “Good. Then you won’t mind help healing Hunter, right? His pet managed a rather nasty scratch on him a couple days ago and he needs his bandages fixed.”

The last thing Steve wanted to do was help Belos, even if an old instinct called to him to go and help. To heal like his hands always wanted. Unfortunately, “I’m not licensed anymore. Besides, I’m here to help someone sell their pelts.”

Normally that might be enough. Belos normally didn’t even bother him after all, even when they were both in the hall together. He had to know he wouldn’t show his face in town without business to deal with after all. It only reopened old wounds and Belos, he hoped, had better things to do.

But Belos didn’t drop it. Instead, he snapped before barking out, “Pup!”

There was immediate movement from far above. A young man, dressed in fine victorian dress jumped onto the banister on the fourth and top floor. The color of their clothing matched with Belos, showing him to be part of the Wittebane family. At least, in theory. His neatly cut black hair was a far cry from the blonde ponytail that Belos had. His balance was also clear as he walked effortlessly on the narrow railing.

For a moment, the man held a hand out, checking something with one closed eye before bending his knees. A quick spring forward followed after. The height was too far to simply jump down of course but he could jump to the banister of the staircase, back to the next level’s railing and then back and forth in a blur of movement that was hard to track. If someone hadn’t been paying attention, they might have thought it was just something tumbling on down to the ground.

Rather than crashing like one might expect from such a fall, or even needing to bend their knees to absorb the impact, the young man did a spin with the momentum before curling into a deep bow to Belos as he finally slowed. It was frankly more grace, and especially more speed, than most nobles had. Many would struggle with the fact that the boy’s back leg was bent low to match the bow but his knee didn’t touch the ground. That would be disrespectful after all.

Which made Edric’s twitching, upright ears all the more out of place. Made how his white gloves didn’t look right all the clearer as they hid the claws beneath. Even his shoes had tufts of black fur poking out of them because they couldn’t hide what he was. His beaming smile even showed his fangs as he asked, “What may I do for you, master?”

Belos slipped his hands behind him before stating, “Go outside. There should be a girl with pink hair there. Make sure she sees Darius and has her cargo dealt with.” He had stared at Steve the entire time, not even turning his head to look at Edric as he spoke. Instead, he had kept eye contact with the doctor the entire time before he asked, “And Miss \-/-\-/, I remember specifically you weren’t unlicensed. Only the abomination that walked into that court. Or does that abomination have such control over you as to make your oath no longer matter?”

Steve let him curl his hands into fists. To let him step closer to Belos and glare into the bastard’s eyes. He knew he couldn’t do anything. Steve was in a small town to avoid embarrassing his family while Belos could claim as much power, if not more, than their baron. If he let his anger get the better for him, there’d be no one to take care of the kids. Boscha didn’t help with the administration of everything after all.

Besides, he was angrier at himself because a small part of him was happy to have his medical skills, rusted as they may be, be wanted. And so he whispered, “Yes,” before following Belos silently, just as Boscha did with Edric only a minute later. Both focused only on their business and both were all too happy to leave once they were over. It was all simply business after all, no matter how bad the scars, emotional like with Boscha or physical like Hunter’s, Belos’ son.

And just like Belos gave Boscha no sympathy during the funeral three years ago, Steve gave none to the boy who had such bad claw marks on his face that they’d easily turn into scars. Belos would simply call it the risk of the job after all, wouldn’t he?

#ask blog #luz #boscha #Steve #Belos #the owl house fanfiction

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Amity glared at the village from her perch amongst the trees. In Luz’s rush to join Boscha’s sudden choice to go to town, she had failed to tell the young pup of her plans. That also meant that she missed the time they were supposed to meet up for practice. Not that Amity minded. She had other… things…

Amity snarled at nothing as her eyes, sharper than any human’s, allowed her to see the carriage that Luz, Boscha and Steve were all loading onto. She hated seeing the hunter with Luz but more importantly, she hated seeing Luz do other things when they were supposed to be practicing. It wasn’t some desperate need to train that drove Amity though. She could hunt small game if she wanted.

No, it was something more confusing to Amity. Something that made her even consider a clash with the huntress as acceptable, albeit briefly. That made thoughts of just lazing in a tree infuriating. It wasn’t something she understood though. She had spent three years with mostly hunting and resting as the only things she did. She didn’t have her siblings to play with and her mother did less hunts with her, pushing Amity more to stay in the cave or in the trees where she would be safe. She understood all of that. That was simply what life was and it’d be what life would return to once she was done… practicing…

Amity’s claws dug into the thick branche she was laying on as an involuntary tear fell down her cheek. She remembered her siblings often talking about boredom. About wanting more to do. Better challenges to add excitement to their lives. She’d never understood what they meant though. Hunting was plenty exciting because if you didn’t succeed, you didn’t bring home dinner. Resting was good because it was a chance to breathe and just enjoy the sun.

Had her prey gotten into her head? She hated that she kept having to ask that. That her mind wondered if she could get away with getting on that carriage too. She was fast. She knew how to be stealthy. Wherever her prey was going, she could go too. She could even lie in wait for the huntress to get out and that would be her chance. One strike would be all it took.

But… But she knew better. The excitement of it and the challenge made part of her brain buzz but logic had to win out. She’d never laid a claw in the village after all. Her mom forbade her from doing so, even long before her siblings died. It was simply too dangerous. It’s why she’d waited for Luz in the forest rather than simply striking at her when she first left the bakery. Even with it being on the edge of town, it was still a part of the town.

Meanwhile, the carriage was almost in the dead center of the village. That was a lot of open ground to cover and there wasn’t a lot of good cover to go from the buildings around the town square onto the carriage. She could try the roofs but there was no way her landing on the weird box on wheels wouldn’t be noticed.

And yet she wanted to do something. She shut her eyes and let another set of tears fall as her tail tried to wrap around her. She should just go hunting. Get some food. That would help comfort her. Of course, she hadn’t eaten yet because Luz was supposed to bring her sweets when they practiced. Without her…

Amity raised her head slightly and looked in the direction her nose directed her. It was faint as there wasn’t a wind to properly carry it but the scent of scones did reach her. Did tempt her. It was practically in the forest after all. And if her prey broke their agreement too often, it would be in her right to act on it. To make her keep her end of the deal. One way or another.

Amity didn’t let her stomach make her act with haste though. The next fifteen minutes were spent darting from shadow to shadow at the treeline to examine the bakery. It was a stout building and was in a slightly different style than the rest of the village. Gnarled bark over solid oak made up the walls while the four large posts at the corners looked more like trees that had simply lost all of their branches rather than the more manufactured pillars of the rest of the town. The roof was also made of thatch and hay rather than solid boards, though it had something Amity couldn’t identify. Glinting rocks that the sunlight caught and shined in Amity’s eyes if she was unlucky.

The exact construction of it didn’t matter as much as the people though. The breakfast rush was over so not many people were coming in and out for anything but there were enough for Amity to see a pattern. See, the bakery had three doors to it. Two that people came in and out of and one that no one came in or out of. She didn’t know what was behind it but one thing was certain: If any part of the bakery didn’t have people, it’d be that part.

All the while, even a keen eyed observer would have seen nothing. A trained eye like Boscha’s might have noticed as the pup moved across the shadows to cross the small gap between the treeline and the shadows cast by the building… But only maybe. Amity might have new friends after all but for three years, the shadows had been the only ally she’d had. Her only constant companion. So when she wanted to disappear, she knew exactly how. Fast movements also meant that you had to catch a blur in your peripheral and even then, could you trust your eyes, especially when it was gone even faster than it’d appeared?

Even with all of this, Amity still took the proper precautions to slightly split the room between the barrels next to the door enough that she could cram herself in there. The shadows were starting to retreat as morning was turning towards noon but they weren’t gone yet. Anyone who had some reason to check the barrels too closely were in for a nasty surprise as while cramped, Amity was used to leaping from branches half her width. She didn’t need room to strike and with every part of her body tensed up as it was, there’d be less than half a breath between someone spotting her and her teeth coming around their neck.

No person came though. Nothing did. Just like when Amity was scouting, no one came near the door, though Amity did hear a faint click from within the bakery. She still gave it half a minute for her senses to reach out and make sure she didn’t have any reason to think someone may be coming. Her sense of smell was less helpful than she’d have liked as the scent of bread and sweets overpowered anything else but her ears didn’t betray her. Not as they only heard the muffled sounds of trade within.

She slipped out of her hiding spot before silently turning the knob to the door. It gave easily which made Amity briefly wonder why no one was using it. Then again, it wasn’t like she could block her den without some sort of boulder or the like so she didn’t really know what to expect. She didn’t dwell on it though as the pure scent of the bakery hit her.

It was heaven. Cherry tarts, blueberry scones, lemon biscuits and a half a dozen other things, with only a couple still for each left after breakfast, laid themselves on the counter. Luz and Eda had been quite busy that morning to make sure that Luz’s early departure for town wouldn’t disrupt things for their business. It also made it so that Amity had no idea what to grab first as her wide eyes stared at the treats. Her stomach told her to take them all with how it growled at her.

And then her ears flicked as a click made her hair raise.

Eda stepped into the kitchen of the bakery. Business was going well but she wouldn’t deny that she always preferred days when Luz was around for the whole day. Not only did it make the work easier but the kid was a lot of fun to tease and be silly with. It helped the time pass and helped her focus. After all, without Luz’s excitement, she liked to keep things simple so they could get done as soon…

Eda slowed for only half a step as she spotted the open door. She then returned to the same, confident stride she’d had when she’d come in. She didn’t head to the puff pastries the customer wanted though. Instead, she passed the multiple counters in the bakery’s kitchen while letting her peripherals check for intruders.

Before even that though, her hand deftly slipped a knife from where they hung off the side of the counter next to the door. She twirled it briefly, hearing when Luz first asked why Eda kept knives at a table meant for preparation only. It was the same reason she kept the mallets she used to pound dough next to the backdoor. Not that that was what Eda told Luz.

Her eyes glanced at the odd symbols that were within the gnarled root that made up the archway to the backdoor. It didn’t look quite right but that could just be Eda’s paranoia. The symbols on its bark were still a deep, dark brown though so maybe it really was nothing? No one had jumped out at Eda after all so maybe she’d left it unlocked and the wind had blown it…

“Remember, squabbie, always check the riggin’.”

Eda twisted her back, pretending to stretch it as she checked the ceiling with her peripherals. It was the same boards as always that supported the upstairs where her and Luz slept. Of course, she didn’t actually expect the ceiling to have anything as she spent an extra second examining the shadows, not that looking out of the corners of her eyes helped her.

But the extra check was all Eda needed to spot that something was on her ovens.

Amity tensed her body at how Eda twisted herself. The baker had appeared to not see her but that could too easily change. She had decided to rely on the wisdom she’d learned from hiding from her parents so many times in the past. That people failed to look up all too often. She could have simply slipped between the tables but they were too small. Someone could simply lean over them and catch her no matter what side she was on. Worse yet if they had any reason to get on them.

The large ovens on the other hand? Not only were their warm flames hard to look at but they reached almost to the ceiling. They mostly hid her by themselves with how deep they were so you’d have to be paying good attention to catch that she was there, even if you looked up. The baker hadn’t quite done that yet but that didn’t mean she’d never.

Amity didn’t like what she’d have to do if she did though. This was where Luz spent most of her time. If she killed someone here, that would probably mean the end to their deal. Then she’d have to go back to the same two things everyday. But what was the problem with that? It was better than doing something that definitely felt like a mistake now. She hadn’t even gotten anything to eat ye-

Crash!

Amity’s hair stood on end at the sound of the metal tray crashing to the ground. The scattered muffins on it rolled lazily as Eda appeared to be needing to steady herself after losing her balance. The baker then began snatching the muffins up and throwing them haphazardly in one of the trash cans in the kitchen before finally moving onto a set of puff pastries that were already bundled up for a customer who’d asked for them yesterday.

Only then did Eda leave and when the muffins weren’t in the trash can later that same day, she didn’t question it. They were garbage anyways so why get upset if people take them? It was best to just be forgotten and hoped to not have happen again.

#Amity #Eda #ask blog #TOH Fanfic

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Boscha nodded to herself as she finished packing the large bags she had been preparing for the past hour. She commonly waited to sell her larger pelts when she could do them all at once in the city. After all, while Gus and people in town tried to give her a good rate, the hunter’s guild in the big city a day away was simply the best place to sell such things. If she didn’t need the extra cash though, she’d just stay in town. The last thing she ever wanted to do was walk into that stupid guild.

She wouldn’t dwell on it though. Not when Steve and Luz were both waiting on her. Steve always came with her into town as the two usually bought things for the orphanage after selling the pelts and, well, Steve’s wealth and family name helped open doors for Boscha. Luz was more of a surprise. Supposedly, her mom didn’t like her leaving town but she claimed that she had a project she wanted to work on but no one in town sold good enough cloth for it.

She didn’t mind the company though. She’d made trips into the city by herself but, well… They didn’t usually go so well. Either she picked fights, didn’t get everything done because she didn’t like how busy everything was or just… Wanted to get back home and to her woods. Having her best friend and a good friend like Steve usually helped with that.

It was while she smiled to herself about all of this that she opened the door to her private room in the orphanage. After all, she was effectively an employee that lived there at this point and had way too valuable, or dangerous, equipment to leave out in the open. That did mean a child standing in her doorway could block her path out of her room. You know, if she didn’t feel like punting them which today she wasn’t too inclined to do.

It helped the ten year old in front of her that Viney was a fairly new addition to the orphanage. A fire in the city had taken the lives of a few friends and so their kids, also friends, needed somewhere to go. Steve’s orphanage was the biggest within a hundred miles so even kids from the city usually ended up here. Not that it helped with easing the strain of having so many mouths to feed. Boscha didn’t want the city kids to feel even more alien than they already felt by treating them too cruelly. She still remembered when she was the new girl after all.

“We want a story!”

Boscha blinked a few times before looking past Viney to see Jerbo and the two’s dog Barkus right behind her. Behind them though was about half of the kids in the orphanage. They liked her hunting stories, even though Boscha considered herself a shit storyteller and she groaned internally as she thought about how she had stuff to do today. She didn’t have time for this. “Viney, get out of the way. This is rude.”

The bold girl who frankly reminded Boscha a little of herself puffed her chest out a little as she stood firm and even placed her hands on the sides of the doorframe. It was kind of cute with how confident she looked. It immediately stopped being cute as she said, “Tell us a story or we’ll make you late to see Luz!”

Boscha immediately scowled. It wasn’t even the first time the kids had done this to her. Normally though, they had a reason to think she was going to see Luz like when it was time for her to go to the waterfall with Luz. Why did they think today was a good day for this? “I’m going to the city and have to leave early if I want to camp close enough not to have to keep a watch or anything.”

That got Viney to fidget before she looked back at Jerbo, who was hugging Barkus close, before she stomped her foot down and said, “No! Steve told us you were going with Luz s-so you just have two reasons to tell us!”

That made Boscha glance past all the kids to the man at the back of the room. He wore a plague doctor’s mask and a large, white robe that hid his body. All collected from the days when he was a doctor rather than one who cared for orphans. How he waved to Boscha though confirmed that Viney wasn’t lying. Steve had ratted her out.

It made Boscha almost mad enough to slam the door on the girl’s fingers. She’d had an awful week after all and she didn’t need this. But…

She could see the watering at the edge of Viney’s eyes. Saw how Jerbo was staring at the ground. Even Barkus let out a whimper. The city kids probably had seen Steve preparing to go and asked to come. To get to go home…

Boscha sighed before scratching the side of her head. “Fine. But it’s the Ranger story.”

A good number of the kids in the back paled before almost half of the ones gathered started looking uneasy. They all knew the story after all. And for some, it was similarly painful to mentioning a trip to the city to Viney and Jerbo. For others, it made it clear that Boscha wasn’t all too happy to have to be doing this at all.

Viney didn’t notice any of this though as she got excited and asked, “What’s a ranger? Is it like a hero?”

Boscha smiled a little as her chest tightened a little and she gestured for Viney and the rest to come into her room. Or, at least, whoever still wanted to hear. “Not quite. You can think of them as the best hunters out there. Able to track down anything that’s a problem and deal with it.”

She then sat down hard on her bed as she grinned. “That wasn’t just beasts though. The Ranger I’m going to talk about, Halt, took down warlords, helped protect kings and hunted down the most dangerous criminals in the land. He could foil plots, find missing princesses and more. All with a bow, a couple daggers and his wits.”

That was enough to get the kids’ attention as they began sitting around Boscha’s bed to listen. They knew how storytime worked after all. Viney did chirp up though as she asked, “Did he ever go into the Deep Woods? Heroes don’t have to fear monsters after all.”

Boscha smirked at that before saying, “You’re right: Heroes are dumb enough to go fight monsters without a good reason. Rangers are supposed to be smarter than that. Not to say he didn’t ever kill any monsters but he treated them like any beast. The real dangerous ones only go in his crosshairs when they hurt someone. They did justice after all, they didn’t seek glory.”

“But,” Boscha said with a sigh as she leaned back against the wall, “he couldn’t adventure forever. Eventually it takes it toll and you want to settle down. Be able to spend time with your family. Not that life was always kind to him in retirement. His wife died in childbirth and his daughter was a troublemaker. A real wild child. Even challenged that she could be a better hunter than him by the time she was five.”

“Hunters shouldn’t compete. Not when one screw up can mean your life.”

She let out a long, slow breath out before saying, “He wasn’t always home. He was too good and his wanderlust too strong to always be around. He felt more at home in the bushes than with his kids. So when challenged like that, he saw an opportunity and began training his daughter far earlier than he normally would for an apprentice.”

“Don’t think he was easy on her though.” She said as her grin returned. “The old man was a bastard. The years had worn him down and he was, if you can believe it, even gruffer than me. He struggled to smile, struggled to joke and usually was just a sour ass. But when they both had a bow in hand… That helped him some and so he thought he could finally relax.”

“Life isn’t so kind though.’

“This is what happens when you do dumb shit for no fucking reason!”

Boscha shut her eyes as her tone grew colder. More distant. “See, hunters will still compare themselves and they knew there was one bounty in the Ranger’s wood that he didn’t go after. He considered the wolves in the woods harmless after all. They didn’t bother anyone so, like the Deep Woods, he left them alone. This put a bad idea for how to become better than the Ranger in some hunter’s heads. A terrible, terrible idea.”

Only Viney leaned in closer because of the cliffhanger. A couple kids even left now that the fun part of the story was over. Boscha didn’t care. That was their choice. Telling this story was hers.

“So the hunters showed up with a plan. They wouldn’t just hunt the wolves. They would catch them. They had hunting dogs after all and how different were the wolves really? Their intelligence would just make them better, more useful pets. Able to do anything and everything they wanted and would show just how much greater than the wilds. What greater achievement was there than proving they could break the most dangerous beasts the wild had?”

She sat up before standing over them, her gaze quelling any answers someone might give. Not as she loomed over the children. “They entered the forest with twenty hunters. For any sort of hunt, it was awful. Too many people to keep it down, too few to not look like a possible challenge. They didn’t even try to make their intention unknown as pride was leading them. Why did they need to act cautious about that which they would lord over soon?”

Boscha then leaned over them before whispering, “When they returned, they had caged two wolves… And only six of them were alive.”

The kids were silent for a moment before Viney raised her hand. Boscha raised an eyebrow at her and the brave kid chirped out, “What about the Ranger? He helped after all, right?”

Boscha shook her head. “No. He hated all of it. The wolves were too smart and they were too cocky. He told them not to do it. That they were throwing away their pride as hunters and possibly even their humanity to do it. They didn’t listen to him.” “Dad? Are you home? Luz gave me some sweets for us to share.”

“The next morning, he was still angry. Livid even. He went out with his bow to try and calm down with some hunting. At the same time, a wolf, because of what the hunters did, was prowling the woods. Can you all guess what happened next?”

More kids left. They didn’t like being asked to answer. Not when they knew what had happened. Jerbo at this point was even scared to answer and burying his face into Barkus’ fur. Viney though, brave, hopeful Viney, said, “He beat that wolf up and taught him a lesson! Halt could deal with any problem after all! What could a wolf do to him?”

Boscha reached back before the sound of metal on leather filled the air. She then spun her dagger in her hand as she brought it in front of the kids. “You’re right. With this knife, he probably would have. But he left it behind because he was in a rush to forget what had happened. The lives that were lost because people were fucking idiots.”

Her knuckles turned white as tears began pricking the edges of her eyes. It had been a while since she told the story and trying not to tell it while screaming and yelling like when she first decided to was hard. So incredibly hard. “But he left it behind and I came home too late. I got it to him too late.”

She then lowered her arms and forced her breath to slow before whispering, “And that’s how a Ranger was replaced with an average hunter in town.”

One kid started to bawl. The last few left. Jerbo began to cry into Barkus in fear and Viney just stared up at Boscha. At least until tears began coming down her face as she stomped her foot down. “Th-Then we need to go find the wolf, right!? Make it pay! I-It hurt someone after all so it needs to be hunted a-a-a-”

Boscha stopped Viney by placing her hand on the girl’s head. To be fair… Boscha had tried. She had spent at least a month just trying to find the wolf’s lair but never could. Steve had been a friend of her father and after trying many, many times to tell her what her father would want her to believe… “It… It was just the price he paid for not taking them seriously. Just like the hunters.”

Boscha didn’t say anymore as she grabbed her bags and marched out the door. Steve was already at her doorway to make sure none of the kids followed after her. He knew she was going to be upset after the story after all and they did have to be going. The least he could do for her, since he was responsible for even making this possibly happen in the first place, was tell the kids to drop it. Just like always.

Even Boscha did. She had to be better than some sobbing orphan after all. It wasn’t like she could be just another sobbing orphan after all.

Her father trained her better than that and she had responsibilities because of that training. It just made her all the happier that she’d have Luz there to comfort her, just like she had three years ago.

#Boscha #the owl house fanfiction #Steve

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Chapter 12: A Sleepy Wolf

“Yep. She’s still here.” Oh great. Amity didn’t even bother opening her eyes as she continued to enjoy the sun on her tree branch. Birds were never worth hunting and these two twits were hardly going to disturb her lazy afternoon. She’d spent most of last night doing drills with her mom because Odalia was still in a bad mood. Really, ever since she’d made this deal with her prey she had been.

Which had also been causing Amity to be unsure about continuing her practice. She didn’t like seeing her parents upset and when one was, the other was too. Odalia hadn’t said she couldn’t keep seeing Luz of course. That just brought up the weird things the prey kept saying like kisses and what not or giggling at her pounces. Why couldn’t she act normal and be scared of her?

“Do you think she’s stuck? Like that time one of the cats in town chased a squirrel up a tree and then couldn’t get down?”

That almost got Amity to shoo them away. Did they really think her to be such a poor hunter as to allow a squirrel to manage to get into a tree? Not if she had any say in it. She was an excellent hunter after all which only made Luz all the more frustrating. A reminder of her failure. So why wasn’t she angrier?

Amity let out a slow breath as she tried to relax. She was here to enjoy the sun after all. Not to think about the stupid hu-

Amity’s ears perked up instantly as she felt the tree shake slightly. A little scraping of bark made it clear that it was because something was at least clawing at it. No… That wasn’t right, especially as the sound kept repeating. It had that off consistency that Luz’s feet normally let out. No, they weren’t feet. Shoes? Was that what they were called?

It didn’t matter what they were. All that mattered was that a human had chosen the wrong tree to climb. Maybe she could finally use her couple lessons with Luz to practice. All it took was a small shift in her body and claws to make it look like she was still sleeping while she was actually ready to turn around and strike at the trunk. Maybe two seconds? Three to be safe should be her estimate. That was all it would take for her to eviscerate whatever human had come to hurt her.

“Oh fuck! She’s-”

The two birds, one red one blue, both shut up as an almost inaudible growl from Amity set their instincts off to become as small and still as possible. They were still prey after all and nothing except what was in the deep woods could challenge Amity. Not even the hunter that Luz was friends with apparently. That incredibly… Incredibly attractive hunter…

Why she couldn’t get that image out of her head was somehow even more confusing than anything that happened with-

Gasp! “She does look like a sweepy kitten!”

Amity shut her eyes tighter as she was almost disappointed to not have something to kill. Maybe if she ignored Luz she’d just go away? Why did it even have to be Luz? The stupid human had only been making everything more complicated and that was the last thing she wanted today. Not when she just wanted to relax.

Luz didn’t leave though. Because of course she didn’t. That wouldn’t be like the fool. Did she really think that Amity’s senses weren’t honed enough to feel Luz getting onto the branch next to her? Between her ears and how the tree shook with the extra weight, she could track every last move Luz made. It wasn’t even hard.

“Don’t!”

“Stop!”

Why were the birds freaking out? Amity had relaxed after all. What was Luz doing? She could hear a soft hum weave itself into the panicked birdsong and she swore her muscles relaxed out of reflex to it. Luz did have such a nice voice though… Maybe she could ask Luz to stay for a bit if she was willing to sing her to sleep. She could say it was in return for letting her live.

She’d need to wake up properly for that though, starting with opening her eyes. That brought her face to face with a wall of red. Luz’s cloak. Why was it looming over her though? And so close? What was she doi-

Hunters will often use nets like those fishermen are using to trap their prey. That includes us.

Do you think they used them on- “Move and die.”

Luz froze at the growl as her blood turned to ice. She wasn’t very good at stillness though as her mouth began to move at lightspeed. “YoujustlookedsocomfortableandcozyandcuteandIwanttoshovemyfaceintoyourtummybecauseitlookssowarmandcozyand-”

“Breathe before I smack you out of this tree.”

Luz first said, “OkayBoscha,” before taking a deeeeeep breath in. She then fidgeted a bit as she scrunched up her cloak and her face somehow darkened. It still confused Amity as to what that meant. Then again, Luz was still the only thing she’d seen with her color of skin. Not even the people who spent all day outside matched her. She didn’t dwell on it though. Not as Luz said, “I wanted to make a surprise for you but I don’t really have a way to get your height or the like so I thought I’d just use my cloak to get a rough idea. If I did it while you were sleeping, it’d be an even bigger surprise.”

A surprise? “Wolves don’t like surprises. Surprises are dangerous.” She then fidgeted a bit as she thought about the better times as a pup. When Em and Ed would surprise her with new games and… “But thank you for the thought.”

“Noted!” Luz beamed at Amity and managed to somehow dispel some of the clouds forming in her mind with it. Amity didn’t even overthink it. Not when she was just happy for the fact that Luz’s warm face was somehow even more comforting than the sun she’d been basking in.

Luz then lifted up her cloak a little as she said, “But… Now that it won’t be a surprise, can you put this on? Just for a moment, I swear and worst case scenario, this gives you something nice to sleep on. Please?”

A new bed? That didn’t sound bad. Would it be better than the moss and the like that her mom would collect for the cave? Maybe she could give it to her dad to help him sleep better. She knew his leg kept him up some nights. “Can I know what it is?”

The smile on Luz’s face told Amity that she wasn’t going to get an answer unless she pushed for one. The big, pretty brown eyes that were so wide guaranteed she wouldn’t. Instead, she just sighed and mumbled, “Fine.”

Luz squealed happily before slipping the cloak over Amity’s shoulders. She continued to mumble as she checked how it fit on Amity, including pulling it over her face which briefly raised Amity’s hairs. She didn’t like how it seemed to cut off her peripheral vision but she didn’t say anything. She was too focused on how it felt.

Because it didn’t feel… Right. She couldn’t even place it. It wasn’t that it was bad. The material was exceptionally soft, it oddly made her feel calmer and slightly more focused and was baked by the sun to just the right temperature that she could imagine falling asleep incredibly happily in it. It was more like it didn’t belong on her. Like the fabric itself didn’t like being here just as much as Amity had disliked the idea of having a net wrapped around her.

It left her conflicted, to put it mildly, when Luz took it off of her. She really ought to not be surprised though. It was the same sort of feeling she got whenever Luz left. She couldn’t explain it but she knew it wasn’t right. Wasn’t what she would be thinking.

Luz was just prey after all and her mom would probably get really mad that she even risked letting the human put something like this onto her, let alone that she’d let her get so close while she was lying in a tree. So… why did she?

========

No ask because I wanted to do a Lumity chapter and oddly haven’t gotten many in the way of Lumity friendly asks.

#Lumity #Luz #Amity #the owl house fanfiction #toh fanfic #TOH #The Owl House

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Boscha sighed a little as she caught sight of the small symbol she’d carved into a few of the trees a couple days ago. She’d rather it be an X because those were easier to make but at least the semi-circle that slammed into a smaller, full circle in the middle wasn’t too hard to make. She still wasn’t sure if she believed Luz though when she told her that it would help bless her hunts but she couldn’t really say they’d gotten worse since she’d started carving the symbol. It was also easier to tell if it had been placed on purpose or not than a few scratches would which was a comfort. One she needed too as she sighed.

 No tracks. No signs in general of the wolves as she’d been hoping to get by now. She still wasn’t even sure what she would have done had she seen their tracks. She was alone after all and one wolf versus one hunter…

  Without his knife, it couldn’t go any other way.

 Boscha’s hand slid along the hilt of her blade before she glanced back at the sled that was behind her. It had a couple rabbits and a fox from her snares but nothing too large yet. That was for the best in her opinion as she slipped her blade free. A minute later and she was laying the wolf’s pelt into some paper to help preserve it. Then she stood up and shouted, “I know you assholes can understand me so listen up!” She then held up the meat of the fox with her bloody glove as she shouted, “I’ve marked a half dozen trees to make it clear to other hunters where our divides are. If you came to our town for food, stay the fuck out!”

 She then threw the meat across the threshold and waited to see if there was any response. Her now free hand even twitched towards her bow. Just in case. If any small wolf showed her face after all, they might have a taste for Luz’s blood and then…

 Boscha sighed as nothing seemed to answer her. It’s what she expected but it still made her want to slice apart the symbol next to her. She shouldn’t be doing this. Not when Luz was still in danger. She also couldn’t keep wasting half of her day trying to find them. She had very little to show this week for it and the orphanage was counting on her. A lot of people were counting on her…

 Boscha sighed before turning her back on the wolves’ territory before she said, “We’ll do the same in return.”

 She then took a step before-

  Cru-Crash!

 Boscha was almost to the ground instantly. Despite being taller than most girls, she was able to squat low enough to be maybe two feet tall now. In the same breath, she’d slipped her bow off of her shoulders and knocked an arrow in it in spite of the knife in her hand. She’d made damn sure she didn’t have to drop it though to use her bow though and usually found her accuracy only suffered slightly. She couldn’t drop it now though. Not with how close the sound had been. The next sound to meet her wasn’t what she’d expected though. A deep, pitiful whining of some sort. She couldn’t even immediately place it as she slowly skulked through the woods to see what was going on. Her experience told her there was a ravine nearby but what was enough of a dumbass to fall into it?

 She quickly got her answer as she saw a bear pitifully trying to climb out of the brambles and vines that were a dozen feet below her. She narrowed her eyes for a moment as she tried to assess what had happened but she’d need a closer look for that. Maybe her broad headed arrows? Their extra weight could get through the thicker hide of bears but they were expensive to get ahold of and they were for if things went wrong. She didn’t exactly make it a habit to hunt something bigger than her. Getting it home was enough of a problem alone without how dangerous it was. The longer she considered it though, the more she realized she didn’t need anything like that. She also had no choice in what she wanted to do with the bear as she began to slowly make her way down the ravine. Getting the beast out was going to be a nightmare but it was better than the alternative. Much better.

 Even the bear seemed to know as it weakly clawed at the air towards her. Its back paws didn’t move though and Boscha grimaced as she saw the large rock that the bear had landed on. Its spine was likely destroyed which meant it wasn’t a threat. That also meant that she could get close enough so that her arrow would have maximum penetrating power. Enough to cleanly pierce the beast’s heart even without the extra weight. It was no question for her as she pulled back the bow, whispered, “You’re welcome,” before letting go.

 She shut her eyes for a moment before sighing. Now came the hard part.

 ======+++++======

 Luz couldn’t help but keep glancing around herself as she bathed in the spring that Boscha and her made sure to share each Saturday. It was a promise they kept to make sure no matter how busy either of them got, they always spent an hour catching up each week. Not that Luz focused on the getting clean part as much as she should. Instead, she kept her cloak on to help cover herself up. Sure they were both girls but even if Luz didn’t feel weird whenever Boscha was… exposed around her, she’d still struggle being comfortable around Boscha like this. After all, Boscha had a body that appeared like it was sculpted by some sort of god with how she didn’t have an ounce of fat and nothing but muscle to replace it. She’d even heard that people made statues of such men so why shouldn’t she be flustered around such a body!?

 But today she was concerned for a different reason. Boscha almost always beat her to getting here, even if it meant bringing her prey with her. Heck, sometimes Boscha would need to at least take a second dip in the water because something came for her prizes and, well… Boscha kept her bow and knife close just in case. It made Luz fidget sometimes, even as King told her that the forest had no problems with Boscha’s hunting habits.

 She hadn’t showed up yet though and Luz was almost done washing herself so where was sh-

 “Cannonball!”

 Luz barely had time before she was suddenly drenched anew by a crashing wave. That got a laugh out of her as she turned to see her friend. And then she screamed.

 “Aaaaaaaaaah!”

 Boscha emerged almost instantly and darted towards where she’d stashed her knife before surprising her friend. Only once she had it in hand did she turn back to Luz and ask, “What’s wrong?”

 Luz puffed her cheeks out before pointing at the water that was slowly fading back to normal after having been dyed a dark red. “ That ! Why were you covered in blood!? Did something attack you?”

 Oh. That… made sense. She should have thought about that first as she scolded herself for making Luz worry. Part of her job was explicitly to make Luz not worry after all. At least, to her. Then again, she was also supposed to be impressive enough to her friend so she could be missing an arm and Luz would think she still could fix anything.

 She couldn’t just apologize for making her worry though. Luz needed to learn not to worry about her. So instead, she stood tall and used her free hand to smooth back her hair as she pushed her chest out. “Just take a look and tell me.”

 Luz didn’t want to. She wanted to stay mad. She hardly could though while staring at Boscha’s body while it was drenched and hardly covered by her undergarments. It was the exact sort of sight she tried to avoid because she could barely control herself. The water traced her muscles, made sure there was less dirt than usual to hide her strong cheekbones and the look on her friend’s eyes… It was the sort of confidence that had made her pass out when she first experienced these sorts of feelings. Instead, she found her cheeks burning bright as her legs wobbled a bit. How could someone make her feel so giddy and so much like a fool at the same time!? Just one look was enough to damn near cripple her. And yet Boscha never seemed to notice so… HOW!? “I-I mean, um, uh, I can see that you, well, don’t have any new scars but that still doesn’t explain anything…”

 Boscha relaxed a little as she smiled gently at Luz. She was safe doing it right now. Luz couldn’t keep eye contact with her in the springs after all, let alone while she was probably hoping her hair didn’t catch on fire from how hot her face was. She still wished she understood that part of Luz. She did think Luz was pretty after all. Her darker skin reminded her of the woods she spent so much time in already. Her smile was brighter than any fire she could light. Her laughter and songs were more beautiful than any birdsong.

 Then again, she didn’t need an answer with Luz. There were so many times her best friend confused her after all. When her heart was too big. When she seemed to think the smallest things in the world were too precious to ignore. How she seemed able to make friends with anyone and leave herself so vulnerable despite all the dangers the world had to offer. All with a smile and a whistle on her lips. A smile she’d protect to the very end because she lov-

  “We’d be different like you then, right Steve?”

 A smile she’d protect to the very end because Luz was her best friend.

 Boscha rolled her shoulders back and she swore for a second that she heard a branch snap or something. It was probably just her back popping though. She did smile again as she saw Luz barely manage to stay standing for a second before she sighed. “I can’t stay like usual unfortunately. I found an injured bear today and was simply drenched by the time I got his pelt and meat out of the ravine I found him.” She then paused as she considered mentioning how something she hadn’t heard had stolen her rabbits while she was busy. Luz would get worried about her missing something like that though so it’d be better if she just said nothing. Instead she said, “I needed to get at least some of its blood off of me before I went to town but this pelt is worth too much not to make sure it gets back safe. Reschedule for another day?”

 Luz sighed a little as she couldn’t help but smile. How Boscha managed to be so mature, she just didn’t understand. Her mom told her that orphans usually had to grow up fast but it was still incredible for her to think about how far Boscha had come in just three years. It made her only want their private time more but then she was being selfish and childish and… “I get it. We can talk about it tomorrow! I’ll even make sure to get up early to make us something for breakfast, promise!” “I’ll-” Boscha paused for a second mid-turn before deciding to raise one of her arms and flex it for Luz. She then pushed it a little harder and flicked the water on her bicep off as she made sure every muscle was clear as day, “-hold you to it, got it?”

 Luz opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and then finally smashing her face into the water. Another set of eyes was kind of wishing she could do the same. After all, Amity was lucky not to have fallen out of her tree when she oddly enough blacked out for a second when the hunter emerged from the water originally. She was still wondering why she had a bloody nose or why the sound of getting squeezed tight by the rough killer sounded like a  good  thing.

 How was this even more confusing than what her prey did to her mind!? She buried her face into her paws as she tried to tell herself to leave. That being here was a bad idea and had nothing but dumb luck. Nothing was here for her after all, not unless she wanted to get wet during practice.

 And yet, once she heard the boots of the hunter trailing away, she couldn’t help but peek between her claws like she had been before Boscha’s arrival so she could keep watching her prey. For purely academic reasons, of course. Nothing else.

#Boscha #Luz #Amity #Lumischa #Luscha #Lumity #toh fanfic #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

A cockatrice closed its eyes as it rested over its eggs.

 A basilisk hissed contently.

 A manticore’s three heads stopped fighting and fell silent. Indeed, the creatures no sane hunter would actually try to find, many of whom the humans so close didn’t even know of, fell silent as a song drifted between the trees. Some were specifically there because of the music, others being introduced for the first time. The eldest of the woods knew the schedule though and were curious about why it was today. They were calmed by the flash of red that skipped amongst the gnarled branches of their domain. It was like a speck of light on a canvas of black and yet none sought to disturb it. Not when their song was even stronger than the first stranger to the trees.

 Luz’s song only grew stronger as she bounced into the one true clearing of the deep woods. They had earned their name after all because most thought of them as irreversible. Trying to mark the trees seemed to never last, the lack of sun from the dense canopy meant that you couldn’t even always see what was before you and the trees never seemed to end as they were thick and large, making where the dirt and roots began and ended blur. Those who found the rare spots where they did never came back to tell of the monster’s den that they had stumbled upon.

 And yet here, faint traces of light illuminated a small cottage that was free of the trees. Or, the untrained eye would assume as much. If you looked closer at the floor of the clearing, you could see that the floor wasn’t entirely natural. After all, trees didn’t grow sideways. The branches you stepped on should not be as alive as they were or their leaves as fresh. Nor should they wrap around your ankles as you glided over them. Luz only paused slightly though before leaning down and whispering in a sing song tone, “I know you’re excited to see me as always but I need you to calm down and…” She took in a deep breath and felt the thick air of the deep woods fill her being as she sang out, “Just keep on breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’...”

 The vine tensed around her for a moment but then indeed seemed to breathe out as it relaxed and let go of Luz. Luz smiled at it before patting it on the head and then finishing making her way up the steps to her mother’s cottage. She then rapped her knuckles on the door before chirping out, “Who can take a sunrise… Sprinkle it with you… Cover it in icing and a miracle or two, the baker girl can!”

 Almost as if in response, the door opened itself for Luz and she smiled as she saw her mother busy at work like usual. Today she had a baby black drake bathing in her cauldron as the roots of the cottage, which was more clearly made out of a dozen trees intertwined together from inside, brought her the ingredients she wanted. Before one could grab the salamander tongues, Luz’s hand snatched the jar with them so she could bring them to her mother herself. “Something to warm up this little guy’s bath?”

 Camila smiled warmly at her daughter before putting two fingers on the jar. “This little guy killed a tree when he crashed through the canopy unfortunately so I’ve got plenty of wood for the cauldron. Still, you should give Sally a few pets.” “Yes mom!” Luz immediately squatted down to see the little salamander that always slept under the cauldron. Sally donated her tongues in return for getting a safe place to sleep ever since her den got invaded by a water elemental who liked the hot tub they had. Not that they actually hurt Sally. Camila was too good of a druid to need to do anything like that. Luz still had a ways to go before her healing was that strong. She could at least make sure she didn’t get burned though as she sung, “Little man, you’re nothing like me; lying, cheating, so decieving. I trusted you, broke me down, then you messed me over. Don’t try to deny it, you cannot fight it, I’ll be ignited when I get to watch you-”

Luz’s magic fortunately didn’t break as she grit her teeth. She then looked down at Sally to see the little, speckled lizard biting her palm. She simply shouted, “WHY!?” before pulling her hand out. Camila sighed as she patted Luz’s head. “You know Sally doesn’t like when you belt, let alone when you make fire puns.” Luz pouted for a moment before grinning and saying, “It’s not my fault that my humor’s a little too hot for he- DON’T TRY TO LIGHT MY SHOES ON FIRE!” 

 The salamander hissed at her as the wood grew to smother the bit of molten spit that Sally had let out. Camila wrapped an arm around Luz before enchanting the ladle she was using to mix the cauldron so she could let go of it. She then hugged her daughter properly before asking, “So, do you want to tell me why you didn’t show up when you usually do?”

 Luz pulled her red cloak in tighter on herself to make sure the stitches Boscha gave her weren’t showing. She didn’t want her mom to worry about her after all. Her mom already worried plenty about the fact that Luz genuinely liked to sing so hiding her magic was harder for her than it frankly had to be. Not that she didn’t like how she could soothe Boscha with a simple hum or ease Eda’s hangovers with a lullaby. She had magic so so long as she didn’t make it that obvious, why shouldn’t she use it to help those around her? “Oh, uh, well you know how wasted Eda can get sometimes? She kind of almost destroyed the ovens so I wasn’t going to be able to bring any sweets with me if I came early.” 

 Camila took in a long, deep breath before bluntly asking, “Would you like to repeat that knowing that Flapjack and Pancake came to me after you met a new ‘friend’?”

 Luz paled at the question before shouting, “I swear it’s not anything major! I mean yes she got me good but then another wolf stopped by today and didn’t seem to want to hurt me but then again Boscha was with me and gave me this knife that’s really scary and big and I’m pretty sure is more a danger to me than anyone else but I know how much knives mean to Boscha and how much it means that she’d give me one but does it make me look more dangerous or is it not a real knife and I’m going to be laughed at for i-”

 She was only stopped by one of the roots inside the house bopping her on the head. Luz whimpered slightly as she rubbed her skull before mumbling, “Thank you, Manny.”

 The roots massaged Luz’s head and something about it helped her relax. Honestly, just being in the house brought her a peace she didn’t get elsewhere. It’s part of why she always wished she could bring Boscha here. Let her know the whole truth about who she was. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so weird laying beside her best friend…

 Camila let go of Luz with a sigh. “Of course she would give you a knife.” Camila bit the side of her cheek before asking, “I’m assuming that means Boscha wants to hunt down the wolf and kill her?”

 “No!” Luz raised her hands up to try and calm her mom down. She knew that Camila didn’t exactly approve of Boscha as her best friend. She thought the huntress was a bad influence. That she was a little too connected with the community whereas Eda was both on the edge of town and had an open secret that she was not nearly as Christian as she claimed to be. The Hunter’s Guild actively enraging the forest three years ago didn’t help either, no matter how many times Luz made it clear that Boscha was  never  going to join them. “She accompanied me to keep me safe but she didn’t bring her bow and she only hunts with her bow!”

 Camila took a breath in to ask the obvious question of what she had planned to do with the gun then but she didn’t want to fight with her daughter. Not today. Instead, “Care to hear a song that will easily drive wolves away? It’s a little high for me but-”

 “-I believe in a thing called love!” Luz then giggled a bit as she added, “Even if it buys me a one way ticket to hell and back.”

 Camila just stared at her daughter for about a solid minute before sighing and whispering, “I really wish I knew where you got all of these… interesting songs of yours.”

 “You’ll just have to come into town for that!” She didn’t push anymore than that though or even waited for her mom to respond. She knew better at this point than to expect her mom to ever leave the hut, even if her mom refused to tell her why she never left. Instead, she shifted topics as she asked, “Now, are you ready for your mind to be BLOWN!? Because Eda and I started making a new type of scone that tastes like oranges and milk together and they’re the  best ! It’s not perfect because we’re still needing to figure out quite the right balance, what sort of icing compliments it best and they’re falling apart a little too easy but-”

 To which Camila smiled. After all, as much as she’d love her daughter to just be a druid like her and stay at home, how excited she got about her baked goods was just… Well, it made it clear that Luz had enough room in her heart for at least two loves and Camila had long ago given up on trying to change her daughter. Not when Luz’s excitement was all too infectious.

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The thought for Luz's singing is ABSOLUTELY "Why not?" instead of anything else. It's just more fun that way.

For people who are curious what the songs were:

Breathin' by Ariana Grande

Candyman by Sammy Davis Jr.

Burn by Papa Roach

I Believe in a Thing Called Love and One Way Ticket to Hell (And Back) by The Darkness

Those on Twitter might know I was considering a different song. It may come to grace this story eventually. XD My Twitter for those who want to follow me.

https://twitter.com/MDHWrites

#Camila #Luz #TOH #the owl house fanfiction #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

“Are you going to eat?”

Odalia glanced at Alador for a moment before resting her head back onto her paws as she whispered, “I’m not hungry.”

The words echoed in the den as the air stayed still. Breezes rarely got this deep in but that wasn’t the reason. Not as Alador put the rabbit Amity had caught this morning down. Their pup was trying to make sure that days she went to practice with Luz, she performed her duties first. It meant getting up early and going to bed late but… Well, she did take after her mother.

Which only made the old alpha all the more worried as he limped over to his mate. He went to nuzzle her neck but Odalia turned away from him before he could. He wasn’t surprised of course. He hadn’t experienced this side of his wife many times before but he remembered each time vividly. First when he was expelled from the pack and barely survived and then…

Alador sighed as he sat beside Odalia. At least she wasn’t literally running from him or the like. That was an improvement. A sign things weren’t so bad. “I know you said you didn’t want to be a part of all of this but I know you. You’re not going to stop worr-”

“Don’t.” A growl came from deep in Odalia’s throat as she glared at her mate. “I still haven’t forgiven you for your stroll. It’s almost like you want us to die or something.”

Alador shut his eyes for a second before whispering, “You know that isn’t true. The only life I would put at risk is my own.”

“And you think that comforts me?”

There was a silence between them after that as they merely looked at each other. Alador didn’t dispute the question. He knew what he’d said. What it meant. So did Odalia. It was nothing new. It had been how things had been for a long time now. If he weren’t around after all, Amity and Odalia could go and find a new pack to be with. Alador knew better than to bring that up though. That was liable to get him pinned to the ground with teeth on his neck and not in a fun way.

It left an unfortunate question in the air though. One that they hadn’t discussed because the idea of Amity finding a friend had been uncertain for so long, not helped by Amity’s harsh attitude towards others. Again, Alador thought with a smile, just like her mom. No alpha wanted a mate who would challenge them as openly as Odalia would and Odalia didn’t want any scrubs. You had to be strong, you had to be confident and you couldn’t be an idiot.

“I don’t know if you’re necessarily the top in the pack in any of those categories but you seem willing to listen and are good enough that I can make you a proper father to our pups. That way-”

“I am working to give her a good life.”

Odalia’s claws scraped against the ground as she raised herself up somewhat. The snarl she let out didn’t seem to come from her though. Instead, it came from far below where dogs let out fire and smoke. Her words matched such heats at least as she hissed out, “You are working to give her a short life!”

Alador didn’t flinch though. He rarely ever had as he met Odalia’s eyes. Instead, he sat tall and asked as he had so many times before, “Then why aren’t you telling me to fix this?”

Odalia’s hair rose as she began to gouge at the floor. Her eyes sparked with hate… And then just as quickly with pain. “I… I…”

“I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now. Why did you take Amity out to hunt a human? It’s good to know how to kill a hunter who comes too close but your health and strength is good. Why did you think the risk was worth it?”

Odalia shut her eyes as her claws curled into a fist. She shook for a moment before seemingly all the rage in her faded with a long, slow breath. A pair of tears let themselves fall as she did so but they didn’t help her feel better. No pairs of things ever did. “Amity… I can tell she wants more. She wants to be ready to fight. Ready to be an alpha. Ready to lead. Ready to be…”

“You?” Alador’s paw placed itself on Odalia’s back and pushed down on his mate gently. She didn’t fight him though as Alador laid himself over his beloved. This way they could feel each other’s heartbeat. Enjoy the heat of their breath against the floor. And, most importantly, know the other was indeed there and that they were safe together. “You should be proud that she wants to be such a strong wolf.”

Odalia let out a whimper before looking back at Alador. “I couldn’t stop Darius though. I couldn’t fix your leg. I couldn’t keep our home. I couldn’t… Couldn’t even…”

“Edric and Emira went out that night of their own volition. They didn’t listen to you. That’s not your fault.”

Another silence. This time the air felt like a thousand pounds on the two of them as they both remembered the night. The excitement Ed and Em had about having a whole group of hunters to play with. The promise to keep to their territory. The moment when they knew something had gone wrong. The screams. And yet no trace of their pups but missing fur and their handiwork.

Odalia reached up with one of her paws and placed it on Alador’s cheek as she whispered, “Do you think… Do you still think they may be alive?”

Alador took in a long, slow breath before whispering, “Titan said that he could not feel their spirits in the woods. We can ask if their spirits have returned to us but-”

“No.” Odalia left small scratches on Alador’s cheek as her paw slowly turned into a fist. “If I heard that, then Amity would never leave this cave.”

Alador laid his head on top of Odalia’s before sighing contently and adding, “And you know she’d be miserable like that.”

Odalia shut her eyes and nodded but she managed no more words. It was enough to get her to eat, eventually, but it didn’t dispel the final question for her. The one she wished she could just forget about.

Why did it have to be a human their pup was befriending instead of a new pack that would take her away and keep her safe? One that would convince her to abandon this cave and her parents? One that would make her focus on herself? Her safety?

But until a handsome wolf came to claim her as his mate, what other options did they really have to make sure their daughter wasn’t just as miserable as them for the rest of her days?

#Alador #Odalia #Odalador #toh fanfic #the owl house fanfiction #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Welcome to Ask Little Red Riding Luz!

A story about a baker’s apprentice named Luz, her best friend Boscha who is the best hunter in town and their life starting with the day Amity, a young wolf on her first solo, large hunt, crashes into their world. What secrets do they have? What love is in their heart? And what silliness and drama can they get into? All fueled by your questions and curiosity. If you want an easier place to catch up, this whole extended link is to the story on Ao3. I’ll be using both comments and asks in order to fuel the story as well as whatever I write myself. I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for stopping by.

#Luz #Amity #Boscha #Lumity #Lumischa #Ask Blog #the owl house fanfiction

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Little Red Riding Luz Chapter 8: The First Leap Forward

Luz's singing got to the meeting spot well before she got there. That wasn't because she was belting out the notes though but instead because Amity had shifted where they were going to meet normally. A ten minute sprint from the village was a little too close for the wolf after all so instead, she'd carved arrows into the trees to point Luz to a small clearing that was about another twenty minutes deeper into the woods. It was also farther from her den admittedly but the wolf didn't really care about that. In her opinion, the farther all of this was from her family, the better.

Now if only she knew why she was so sleepy. It felt almost like something was trying to lull her to just shut her eyes and enjoy the music. To relax and appreciate how beautiful her prey's voice was. It really was something else. Like a whole chorus of wild birds mixed together and spoken in words that she didn't even begin to understand. If she were honest, she could listen to it forever...

"Amity? I'm not finding anymore arrows."

The wolf's eyes popped open as she realized she had in fact fallen asleep. She had gotten up early, sure, but to have done so while her prey approached? It was now the second time in fact that Amity had failed setting up to attack Luz because of the other girl's voice. It was pretty, sure, but Amity prided herself on the fact that she could actually hunt birds unlike her mom so she thought herself immune to such things.

It didn't matter. She shook her head vigorously to try and clear the sleepiness from it before looking down. Just as she had hoped, Luz had followed the arrows as closely as possible and was right beneath her tree. Right where she wanted. She just needed to get her paws beneath her a-

Luz then looked up and met her eyes. The human's eyes widened before a wide, bright smile broke across her face and she said, "Good morning!"

For some reason that totally had nothing to do with how cute her blind cheerfulness was, or how beautiful the morning sun looked on her face, Amity's heart skipped a beat before she felt one of her claws slip out from under her. She tried to scramble to get purchase back on the branch she was on but it was too late and she was too sleepy still. So, instead of some graceful pounce to begin their training, she descended on Luz in a heap of fur and yelps.

Thump!

"Ow." Luz then giggled a little as she looked over her shoulder at the wolf that laid on top of her. "So, what's that one called? The falling flail?"

Amity's cheeks turned bright red as her ears flattened against her head. She then let out a growl to try and cover her embarrassment before she grabbed the ground with her claws and used the extra purchase to help launch herself off of the human. She would get it right this time and even disappeared back into the bushes in order to try and hide again. To get back to stalking her prey.

Luz slowly got back up as the other girl disappeared before remembering to put her basket down before the goods in it got too damaged. She then called out, “Hey, sorry if that was a bit mean. I, uh, don’t really know how you wolves work so I don’t know if you have much of a sense of humor. Give me one leap of death for yes you do, two for no.” She then giggled at her own joke as she tried to imagine what two leaps of death would look like.

And then felt her face burn at the thought of Amity jumping excitedly over her like a child who’s waking up her parents for her birthday. And then coming down on her neck. Okay, maybe she should be careful with her-

She didn’t get time to react as Amity hit her properly this time, leaping out of bushes that were on the other side of the clearing than where she had disappeared. She didn’t grab Luz though. No, this time she relied much more on the force of her leap so that she could keep the pads of her paws on the other girl’s shoulders so as not to hurt her. Her claws could still easily rend Luz to bits if she wasn’t careful after all.

Luz still hit the ground hard, groaning as she felt the weight of the wolf on her. Amity then seemed to press her paws in harder on her shoulder blades. “I’m down! I’m d-”

She then found out why Amity had pawed at her prey out of anger. After all, she had let herself be so preoccupied with saving face that she had forgotten the most important part of the lunge. The part that was supposed to kill. She considered just resetting but she needed practice and there was no reason to lose a chance if she had it. As such, she went for the kill.

Or, you know, pretending to. She didn’t dare use her teeth though. That would be too dangerous. As such, she cut off her prey by forcefully pressing her lips to the back of her prey’s throat before pouncing off. She did wince at the strangled gasp that escaped Luz as she did so but she could only do so much to avoid hurting the other girl. Not if she wanted to do this quickly.

Luz was… weird about it though. She just kind of sat up and rubbed the back of her neck while looking stunned. Almost like a rabbit that just watched her tear another apart before she turned her gaze to it. But Amity wasn’t staring at her. Or, well, not making eye contact with her. Did that work on larger prey? She would need to try that out later.

It didn’t matter anyways. While Luz moving would make for a more dynamic, more difficult target, Amity was just getting used to having the new way of practicing her techniques. Starting out easy like this would be for the best. It also gave her time to slip back up onto the tree above Luz undetected. To slowly move to the end of the branch. To tense her muscles, lower herself, and pounce!

This time, Amity caught Luz straight in the chest, crushing the other girl’s chest and knocking the wind out of her with her paws as she came down. She didn’t forget her jaws this time though, but the fall had her slightly off balance. Slightly off mark. She’d need to work on that. Not that the place she pressed her lips against, just off to the left of the human’s nose, wouldn’t cause plenty of damage but it wasn’t perfect and she needed to be perfect.

Luz gasped for air on the ground this time as one hand grabbed her chest and the other grabbed her face. She had expected this to be less than pleasant, that much was obvious. You didn’t really help a wolf practice murder without a few bruises or, though she hoped this wasn’t the caee, cracked ribs, but that was nothing compared to what Amity kept doing. Why though? Did she not know? Were wolves that weird? After all-

Amity’s paws didn’t even touch Luz this time as she did a short lunge to get right next to her before darting her head forward and down to get her prey. After all, she was still flat on her back and so didn’t need to be taken down. By not getting onto her prey, she was more available to run away before they could react. Not that she expected Luz to really react. She appeared to be in the middle of a full blown panic attack from what the wolf could tell which she supposed made sense. Maybe she should give her partner a break after this?

All of this crossed Amity’s mind as she forgot to in fact retreat and so instead left her lips against Luz’s neck. Her warm, moist lips that were impossible to ignore. It was the last straw for the young human and she almost smacked Amity as she flailed her arms and tried to scoot away. “W-What are you doing?”

Amity blinked a few times in confusion before tilting her head to the side a little. “Pretending to attack you?”

One of Luz’s eyes twitched before she simply shouted, “With your lips?”

Amity brought a hand to her mouth before biting her cheek. She got the feeling that she should understand what the problem was but it felt weirdly right to be attacking Luz like that. It kept her safe and it was warm enough to maybe take a little of the horror of what she was doing off. “I mean, if I used my teeth, I’d kill you.”

Luz paled at that before she managed to calm herself enough to say, “Yes, but they feel like kisses.”

There was a long silence between the two before Amity’s brain finished processing it and her eyes went massive. “Oh! Well, I mean, um, you know, that’s just one, minor way a wolf can show affecti- Not that I’m trying to show you affection! If I was doing that though, I’d stay on you, nipple your nose, or ear, or-” The poor wolf then covered her face for a second while whimpering before screaming, “Don’t make this weird!”

Luz put a hand over her chest before shouting back, “I shouldn’t make it weird! You’re the one who was kissing me!”

“I was pretending to murder you!”

“It didn’t feel like that!”

Amity let out a yell of frustration before standing up and shouting, “We’ll retry this in two days!” She then took off sprinting, hoping that her mom had a suggestion as to how to avoid the same sort of confusion happening again.

Unfortunately, she mostly just got a question as to why it was weird and why did she care, something that Amity was still trying to understand herself since her heart wouldn’t calm down until she spent an hour curled up on her perch reminding herself that Luz was prey. That was it. Period.

And she would believe that more if her mind wouldn’t stop trying to call her cute, delicious prey. ======== And that’s everything I’ve got currently! So why not start sending me your asks and we can continue with this silliness?

#lesbian amity #Amity #Luz #Lumity #TOH #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Little Red Riding Luz Chapter 7: The Deal

“Alright, Mr. Plantar, enjoy your cinnamon rolls!”

“And you keep being one!”

Luz stuck her tongue out at the old man before humming and walking away from the farmer’s stall. It had been a few days now since the wolf attack and she was more than happy to put it behind her and get back to things being normal. To deliver her pastries, learn how to make new ones, and just live. Just enjoy the sun on her face and the sound of squealing children from Boscha torturing them. Yep, all as it was-

She stopped dead before turning to the sound of Boscha and a kid arguing about something. She caught the glint of steel in the sun before her brain jumped far ahead of her and she screeched, “Boscha!”

The rough girl looked up from where she was set up in the market with an unimpressed glare. She currently had a death grip on one of the kids from the orphanage and in the other hand was one of her smaller knives. The boy was further trapped by being pinned against a chair she had out which was really all that designated that the space was anyone’s since Boscha didn’t have a sign up or anything. She spent a moment squeezing the boy to make sure he remembered not to move before asking, “What, Luz?”

Luz ran over before looking around the area. She didn’t see Steve, the person who ran the orphanage, and none of the nearby grown ups seemed to be all too concerned about their local hunter looking like she was ready to skin someone. She then looked down and paled as she saw the hair on the ground. “You’re not attacking him, are you?”

“No.”

“Or doing this against his own will?”

“Oh, I am one hundred percent doing that but that’s because if his bangs get any longer, he won’t be able to see.”

Luz groaned at that before mumbling, “When did you start doing haircuts?”

Boscha looked at her knife for a second before taking a quick swipe in front of the kid’s face to get rid of any hair that would go in front of his eyes before shoving him away. “Get out of here before I change my mind.” She then sheathed the knife on a belt she wore that had a second scabbard for her larger knife, which she rarely went anywhere without. It also helped keep up a pair of rough pants that were what she wore on days she didn’t hunt.

Finally, she smoothed out her tunic before gesturing to the seat. “Do you want one? Steve had been lamenting about how donations had been thin this month so I offered to give it a shot and he said I wasn’t half bad with my blade. He then said he’d get me a pair of scissors but, uh, no. I’m not some gaudy fashion queen after all.”

Luz giggled a little bit before shaking her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass today. I have too many deliveries to make and Eda is teaching me how to make Monkey Bread after the shop closes tonight so I need to get going. Try not to cut off any ears though!”

Boscha grinned before shouting after her friend, “But then how are they supposed to pay,” which got a giggle out of Luz. She was serious about her deliveries though, especially since Eda hadn’t taught her a new recipe in over a month. There was always something getting in the way, like her being too tired, having indulged too much in the ‘cooking wine’, which Luz suspected was just wine and she was trying to stiff the girl on trying it, she kept in the back, or just not feeling like it. She didn’t want to push her mentor of course but she was fourteen already. A young woman by the standards of the time and she felt entirely unprepared to try and run a shop of her own, let alone anything like what Boscha did.

She paused at that before sighing. Add barber to the list of things that made Boscha better than her. It wasn’t Boscha’s fault. When her dad was alive, he had been hard on her to train her to be the master huntsman that she was and her family’s close relationship to Steve’s had opened up doors for her to learn even more. Not that she always had taken them but it felt like she knew so much. Was so much better than the town she stayed in. One day she’d finally get accepted into the hunter’s lodge one town over and probably move, if one of those hunters didn’t try to marry her first. She was still surprised no one had begun trying to court her for that matter. She was so strong, pretty, and talented…

And female. That one was always a rough one to recall. Her mom pushed her not to worry so much about being different but Luz hadn’t even come out to her about thoughts like these. It might have been easier if Boscha showed literally an ounce of interest in her like that. Or in stuff like that in general. Her stunt of running through town almost naked because of someone in distress wasn’t a first time thing after all but good luck making Boscha even flinch about it.

No, she was probably too focused on her job to even think about that sort of stuff, let alone with some weirdo like her. Of course, Boscha could always use something to eat so maybe one day she’d get to be the hunter’s lodge’s personal baker when Boscha was leading it?

But then she’d be gone from her mom… “Ugh, why does life have to be so complicated? Why can’t anything just be simple?”

“I’ll make this simple then, human. You scream, you die.”

Luz froze where she stood before slowly, very slowly turning to the side. She then felt every blood vessel in her body turn to ice as she saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing in the nearby bushes. The same eyes that kept showing up in the nightmares she’d been having. That had been making her wake up in a cold sweat that she didn’t dare tell even her mom about. Then again, she hadn’t told her mom about the wolf attack at all to try and make sure she didn’t get worried about her or make it so she couldn’t come to town for a while. Now was not the time to think about that though.

Now was time to deal with the fact that the wolf was here. She was almost certain it was the same one as the one that attacked her. Bare minimum, there was no way it was the one that had seen her near the Deep Woods. She couldn’t help but be both impressed and terrified that the wolf was this close to the market without getting spotted but Luz had managed to pick a fairly secluded spot to have her bout of gay panic in so that could have been part of it. The fact that someone could show up at anytime though was likely why the wolf hadn’t pounced on her yet.

Unless…

“Good. You can listen. Keep doing so. Meet me where I attacked you. Now.”

Luz didn’t get a chance to respond before the eyes vanished and the wolf became a blur that raced between bush to bush. If she didn’t know where to look or what to look for, Luz wasn’t sure she would have been able to tell that the wolf had been there or that it was running away but she did. She did and she now had to deal with the fact that she had three options in front of her.

Option one was the most reasonable. She’d run back to the market, get Boscha, and they would use this meeting as a trap. Boscha would get to kill her first wolf and probably would even be praised as a hero for it. She might even be able to use it to apply to the Hunter’s Lodge. Luz would need to betray the wolf though after offering another one a deal. A deal it might be wanting to take…

Okay, so that was out of the picture. Option two was just to continue with her deliveries. She was busy after all and she had a future to think of. However, that might just piss off the wolves and they’d come after her in return. Maybe to talk. More likely to hunt and, well, she’d deliver one last meal in return or the mistake at least…

Which left option three, which she had already started making her way towards before she’d even gone over the other two. She knew the other options after all but she didn’t want to treat them as options. She wanted to believe in what had happened in the woods after all. In what her mom had taught her about nature. In the fact that she was spared for a reason and maybe that could make something better out of all of this.

Maybe even finally a second friend her age. If wolves aged like humans. Or she had gotten a proper look before. She’d been too focused on the soft looking paws and pretty eyes to really take in too much of the wolf before. Was that rude? Probably. She’d just been so cute though! And wow would Boscha put her down faster than even a wolf could if she knew what she was doing and thinking right now.

“Are you going to stop?”

Luz yelped at the sudden voice before looking around her. There was no one she could see though. Not even scanning for the wolf’s eyes yielded anything which made her giggle nervously as she said, “Um, well, I was thinking that maybe we could walk down the path. Enjoy the sun. Together. Out here.”

“No.” The response helped Luz at least pinpoint where the wolf was, behind one of the larger trees, but the seriousness of the tone still made her uneasy. She still didn’t know what the plan was after all. What the wolf intended for her. At least the tree meant that the wolf couldn’t pounce on her, not immediately at least.

Her eyes then glanced at her side where she had Boscha’s dagger and she swallowed hard at the idea of having used it. If the wolf hadn’t stopped her, she wouldn’t have thought about it when the beast attacked. But… She didn’t. The wolf had stopped her herself and now kept this space between them. Luz’s breathing suddenly eased before she said, “Okay, but maybe we can some other time? I spend my weekends with my mom after all and wouldn’t mind the company out here.”

There was a pause from the other girl before the wolf said, “Maybe. Father is the one who told me I should come. After all,” another pause came with the sound of claws faintly scratching bark before, “you offered us tribute. Food for protection. Food that we can’t commonly get otherwise. My family sees that as a good start.”

Luz swallowed hard at that before whispering, “Start? I don’t really know what else I can give you. I don’t really own a lot and Eda doesn’t give me much of an allowance most of the time…”

“We only ask for a service from you.” There was then more light scratching before finally the wolf said, “My parents want me to have a living practice dummy. Something that will give me experience in chasing and taking down larger prey. That something could be you. In return, we’ll leave you be otherwise.”

Luz scratched her cheek as her blood ran cold at the idea of being ‘taken down’ by a beast like the wolf but she tried not to show it too much in her voice. “That sounds… lovely.” Emphasis on tried. “But, uh, you only really get to take something down once so I’m not really sure what you’re getting at.”

“I took you down once. You now stand in front of me again. Isn’t that enough evidence for you?”

Oh. Right. Luz sucked in her lips before asking the question that was really dogging the back of her mind. The thing that made her wonder why they were even discussing this. After all, this was a wolf. A beast. It was making a deal but… “What if I say no? What happens then?”

There was a long silence at that. The wolf didn’t even scratch at the tree but Luz slowly realized that that could mean she moved. That the wolf was getting into a better position from which to show Luz what would happen if she said no. Her heart began to speed up as she broke out into a cold sweat but she didn’t say anything. Didn’t do anything. She didn’t even know what she could do about it if they were getting ready. The knife? Maybe if her arm would move.

“I don’t know.”

Luz blinked a few times before staring at the tree, her eyes trying to bore their way through the tree. After all, she sounded… scared. But she was a wolf! “What?”

The wolf obviously struggled to keep their tone even as they spoke. “I don’t know. I asked the same question to my father but we don’t have an answer for you. He said it’d be bad to. I don’t know why but… But if you say no or want to get rid of any parts then you can and there’s not really anything I can do about it.”

The poor girl sounded like she was close to tears by the end of the admission and the sound of bark and wood cracking and scraping against her claws only helped make Luz’s chest hurt. Immediately, she regretted what she’d been thinking. The fact that she’d even expected this to be a trap felt wrong to her. After all, the wolf didn’t kill her before, neither did her dad, and she asked for her rather than just waiting for nightfall and sneaking into the bakery.

Luz sighed as she placed a hand on the tree before whispering, “I accept but, and you don’t need to agree to this because I don’t want to do that to you, can you avoid Boscha? Or doing anything that would make her have to hunt you down? Um, Boscha being the hunter. Your dad probably saw us out together actually but, um, well… If we’re going to be friends, I don’t want you two fighting or getting in trouble because of each other. Okay?”

The response came a lot slower than Luz expected and the voice was now closer as the wolf seemed to have moved around more to the side of the tree. “Friends?”

Luz blinked a few times before giggling nervously. “Oh, uh, I guess that’s a little much. I’m your prey after all.” She then crouched and swiped at the air playfully before adding, “But I was hoping we could at least play a bit with it. A little cat and mouse.”

One of the wolf’s paws came into view before she whispered, “You’re not scared?”

Luz glanced away for a second before grabbing her arm. “I mean, kind of? But if you wanted to hurt me, you’d have done it already, right? If you mean it though, I don’t see any reason why we can’t try to have some fun with all of this. It’s not like you can just tackle me to the ground a hundred times without getting bored after all.”

Finally, slowly, the wolf came out from behind the tree. She had surprisingly pale skin for a beast and wore a long, simple, black dress that ended at her knees and was kept pulled in on her small frame by a rope tied off at her waist. She nervously scratched at one of her paws before looking away and saying, “I guess that’s not inaccurate.”

Luz didn’t entirely hear her though as she gasped. “You’re even cuter standing!”

Amity’s cheeks immediately turned red before she pointed a finger at Luz and shouted, “Don’t call me that!”

Luz jumped at the command before holding her hands in front of her. “Sorry. Sorry. I don’t really know what to call you though. I can think up some nicknames though. Uh… Pounce? No. Shadow? Spooks? Oooh, I like that one. Oh, what about Mischief? Just like the sort we’ll be causing together.”

The wolf laced her claws together and squeezed them tightly before whispering, “Amity.”

Luz blinked a few times at the statement before gasping. “That’s such a pretty name!”

Amity’s face looked like it was about to start steaming and she coughed and turned away to try and save some face as she said, “I-I guess we understand each other then. I’ve been gone for too long though so… bye. I’ll be back tomorrow for your first tribute though.”

She then paused and looked over her shoulder. Luz blinked a few times before paling and scrambling to get out, “Oh, my name. Right. That makes sense. Um, Luz. Noceda. Two words. Two names. First and last. Do wolves have two names? Not that it really matters but… And she’s gone.” She then slapped herself with a groan and mumbled, “Thank goodness she made me stop.”

Not that Amity was faring much better as she thought she was going to have a panic attack. Why did the compliments mess with her? Why did her not forcing them to listen to her request make her happy? Was her dad onto something about what he’d said? Why was her heart about to explode?

No. None of it mattered. She needed to get home. Needed to tell her parents the news and hope she didn’t mess anything up. She would leave out the friend part though. After all, she was supposed to be doing this to become a better hunter, not to have fun.

But the idea of not just pouncing on the girl when they were together felt… nice. Really nice.

#Boscha #Luz #Luscha #Amity #Lumity #The Owl House #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Little Red Riding Luz Chapter 6: Discussing the Human

Amity panted as she balanced on one claw well above the cave floor. Her family’s den was large and could theoretically hold a pack much, much larger than the three of them. Something closer to the one that her parents supposedly were a part of before she was born. Emira and Edric would have known them but she didn’t. She’d only ever known the rest of her family when it came to other wolves, having been born after her dad had been injured.

She didn’t know if this made her too different from others of her kind. Her mom often praised her for her agility, something she thought about as she leapt up to, and scrambled onto, a ledge near the top of the ceiling of the den. It was her little spot. Where she went to rest when she couldn’t practice anymore and wasn’t allowed to go out and enjoy the air outside. From here, she could see the rest of the cave but no one could see her. Not that Odalia couldn’t still smell her daughter, but Amity also knew that her mother couldn’t get up here. She was too big and too clumsy. Even she had trouble at times and tried not making the trip up to it if she was truly dead on her claws.

She wanted the comfort now though. Dad had been gone all day and while neither of them were allowed to talk about it, it was one of mom’s rules when it came to dad’s condition, it always put them both on edge. He was slow after all. Slow and big. One of those things had supposedly been useful for him when he was a leader of a larger pack but nowadays it just made the fear that someone would find him and hunt him down all the scarier.

But they didn’t bring it up. Odalia said it was disrespectful to everything he’d ever done before now and all he did now. Amity sometimes wondered what he did now but that was really just when she was getting scolded for something. When she wasn’t feeling like she was getting enough done. It was something that still plagued her mind now. After all, that human was still out there. Taunting her. Mocking her. She bared her fangs at the thought before the other girl’s scared crying out turned the anger into pain. She was a wolf. A killer. She shouldn’t be stopped by things like that.

She shouldn’t be trapped at home and forcing her mom to work even harder than usual to bring them the food they needed. She was fourteen after all. Emira was younger than her when she began to properly help provide for the family. Edric had even been going on proper hunts by now in spite of the fact that he’d always been such a goofball. And yet here she was, grounded for two weeks while things simmered down at the village.

She shut her eyes and whimpered a little as she buried her face into her front paws. She was tired. And sad. But also restless. Wanting to do anything to make things better. It had been her mistake after all, so shouldn’t she make things right?

“Awooooo!”

Amity was on her claws almost immediately as her ears twitched and her head turned. One of the problems with their den was how it made noises harder to distinguish where exactly they came from. All of the rock muffled anything that wasn’t directly inside the cave but the acoustics of the part outside of where they lived made it so that if one of them howled, they could be just outside or more than a mile away and there’d be no difference to them.

However, they could still all tell who it was. Alador’s was always longer, more languid, and much deeper than either Amity or Odalia’s. Her mother’s was a lot more to the point. Long enough to make sure it echoed but no more. Amity’s was… Shaky. She hated it for that, especially since when she did it for purposes outside of communication it came out fine. Just a higher pitched howl that any wolf would be proud of, or so she assumed. Instead, she usually just didn’t, unless she had to or something drew it out of her like thinking too long about her siblings.

There was no doubt about who it was though and Amity crouched low on her ledge. Her muscles tensed as she scanned the room. She knew its state already of course but she was trying to be ready for anything her father might be bringing with him and so was trying to do things right. Trying to scout, even briefly, where she might go, the exits, and everything else she had done when tracking the human right up until she hadn’t.

Her path down from her ledge was the same as it always had been though. Three leaps to other perches that she commonly used for rest that her mom had an easier time getting to, even if none of them were remotely possible for her father. This brought her to a lip that was just above the entrance to their den, where she landed without a sound on the pads of her claws. She then brought herself low and waited.

Alador, with the slow, calm pace that he commonly held, soon slipped into the cave before smiling. “Afternoon Odalia.” He then glanced around in feigned ignorance before saying, with much exaggerated confusion, “Oh, is Amity out? I would have sworn you would have grounded her. I guess it’s for the best. Means I don’t need to worry about any-”

Amity pounced onto his back and flattened him onto the floor before putting one of his ears into her mouth. She didn’t use more than her lips to try and chew on it though. She wasn’t a pup anymore after all, even if the greeting still brought her the same comfort that crawling over her father had back then. Her tail even whipped through the air out of relief to see her father being so calm in spite of being gone all day but it stopped immediately as her mother growled.

The older woman put her claws on her hips as she glared Amity off of her father before turning to Alador. There was a long pause as he just laid there before he sighed. “Don’t worry. I just went for a walk. I didn’t try anything strenuous or anything. I didn’t even go into the Deep Woods.”

Odalia sighed at that before shaking her head and sitting. “I cannot stop you, honey, from doing as you please but a warning that you were going to be gone for so long would have been nice, especially now. We don’t know if there may already be new traps out that I need to find first.”

Amity glanced away as she thought about how she could help find them but she stayed quiet. She knew better than to object to her mother even under the best of circumstances. Right now it’d likely just get scolded like she’d expected to be yesterday, if not pinned to the floor to remind her of how easily she could be bested. How easily she could be made defenseless if a strong enough hunter got to her, all so she’d remember why they had to be so careful.

Alador showed none of this worry as he yawned and then said, “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The town’s hunter was too busy with our dear Amity’s prey.”

Odalia let out a sigh of relief as Amity’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “That’s a rel-” Her mind then caught up to what her daughter had just realized before she asked, “You saw them?”

Alador nodded as he began making his way towards the small deer that Odalia had brought down today. “Yes. I even tracked them for probably an hour before messing up where I stepped. Fortunately, my bear impression is still pretty good so the hunter didn’t bother double checking that she might be wrong. That, or she’s just overconfident. Either way, I’m not going to complain.”

Odalia looked apoplectic before she screamed, “You tracked the hunter. With her friend?” Her claws curled in slightly as she seethed at the thought before she turned to Amity and howled, “Out!”

The young girl was gone almost instantly as she scrambled out of the cave. Both parents knew it was unlikely that their daughter would go far, lest she make Odalia even angrier with the rest of them. That wasn’t the problem though, which was exactly why Alador stayed put as Odalia slashed at the ground and let out a furious howl. It was only after she spent maybe five minutes throwing a fit that he finally said, “There’s no way for you to have known.”

“No way?” Odalia bounded over before raising a claw between them as she growled out, “I should have done more scouting. Should have been pretending to simply be taking the opportunity for Amity to perform her first hunt rather than having been sincere. If I had, I would have avoided putting our daughter directly in the crosshairs of a hunter!”

Alador raised one of his paws before using it to squeeze his wife’s cheek. “And you would have been continuing to ignore that she’s growing up.”

Odalia winced at that before turning away. After all, she had nearly stayed with Amity for her hunt yesterday. Made sure that nothing could go wrong. She was almost always on top of her pup though and if she stayed that way, Amity wouldn’t grow as a hunter. Wouldn’t figure out what tactics complemented her strengths best. What would be best and worst for her to go after compared to her parents.

And she’d never gain the confidence one needed to not think and simply act when she had to. To be able to fight instead of always fleeing. The fact that Amity had brought back anything after yesterday was still surprising to Odalia. It was a pleasant surprise but the fact that she hadn’t been expecting it highlighted how little she knew of Amity as a hunter. How could she though?

Not that she could forgive herself that easily as she turned away. She clawed at the ground a few times before looking back at Alador. “What did you find out? What are they planning to do about us?”

It was Alador’s turn to turn away. After all, having something useful in that regard would have made the next part a lot easier. “I don’t know. I just know that Amity’s prey is likely going to try and make sure that the hunter doesn’t go too far. Doesn’t try too hard to find our daughter. She didn’t even seem to like the idea of holding a knife in spite of having been attacked.”

“Good.” Odalia looked at her own claws and sighed slightly in relief. She didn’t fear the guns that humans had. They were dangerous, yes, but loud and clunky and did the job that a bow did but only worse and she had rarely feared bows either. After all, a human should never see a wolf coming and both of those weapons required that. Knives and daggers gave them claws though. Something they could use to fight back and kill, even after a wolf had their jaws locked onto them. Not that it mattered. “It doesn’t change that Amity isn’t allowed to hunt them again. Preferably, none of us will see another human for at least a month.”

Alador took in a long, slow breath before simply stating, “I’m hoping that Amity will see her prey tomorrow. If not then, in a few days.”

There was a long silence as the two stared at each other before Odalia simply said, “If you were anyone else, your throat would be gone.”

That was about what he had honestly expected. The fact that he wasn’t pinned as she growled that out was a miracle in his eyes. He wasn’t going to simply back down though. “It’s not to kill her. This human is odd. She doesn’t seem to like violence, keeps secrets from a hunter, and lives in the Deep Woods. We know who else lives there and I have to assume with her age that the fact that they both share a darker skin color isn't a coincidence. We trust her, so why not her daughter?”

“Trust is a strong word for threatening to kill her if she didn’t help heal you.” Odalia even accentuated the reminder by biting at Alador’s missing eye. She didn’t come close to actually nipping him but it was still enough to make the man flinch.

He stayed firm though. “I already tried that trust. The hunter was still within a range from which she could have been called for when I revealed myself to her. She didn’t th-”

“You did what?”

Alador sighed before locking eyes with his wife and glaring her down. The two kept their gazes locked like this before slowly, very slowly, Odalia finally sat down and looked away. It was only then that Alador continued. “I was trying something. Something that I think was successful because she tried to make a deal with me. Offered me sweets to make sure that we didn’t try anything more with her. I’m thinking Amity can use that to her advantage.”

Odalia growled slightly but it was far quieter than it had been before. Her voice was much more even too as she said, “We still can’t kill her. Especially with a hunter as a friend, it would cause us all to be hunted down, not just her. They might even call in others to help them.”

“I’m not thinking of using it so she can kill the human.” He then slipped over to be next to his wife before gesturing at the cave around them. “She’s only known this den though. Our family. And even then, she lost her siblings three years ago and Emira and Edric were never perfect to her. They were always too independent, leaned too much on each other to properly include her. That’s not healthy for a wolf. She’ll never be ready for a pack or a mate if she only knows her parents after all.”

Odalia was quiet for a second before she looked at Alador and whispered, “Are you trying to say that you want them to be friends?”

“The human is her age, isn’t she? And we can phrase it as live practice. Push Amity to try and make it so the girl helps her practice stalking and pouncing at first and see where it goes from there. But… yes.”

Odalia was deathly quiet at the suggestion for a long time. Long enough for Amity to finally poke her head back in. When the two looked at her with sharp looks, she began to back away. Began to go back to hiding. She didn’t bother to question why they may be upset but simply went back to obeying what she was told.

It was the last straw for Odalia as she got up. “I’m going to go hunting. You do as you see fit and,” she said after curling her claws into fists, “And you tell Amity that she’s not grounded. Past that, I don’t want to know what your instructions to her are because I won’t be a part of this madness.”

Alador nodded at that before smiling a little. It was even closer to complete permission than he’d imagined getting, let alone having gotten it so quickly. Now the question became how to make Amity accept it.

#Alador #Odalia #Amity #TOH #The Owl House #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Little Red Riding Luz Chapter 5: A Trip to Mother’s.

“Just because Carol’s doll is prettier than your figurine doesn’t give you the right to take it without her permission. So, unless you want me to use you as wolf bait, I would ‘suggest’ that you go back, apologize to Carol, give her back the doll, and then ask Steve for a few extra chores to make up for it.”

The little boy, Braxas, nodded as he took the doll back from his older ‘sister’. “Okay, Miss Boscha.”

Boscha narrowed her eyes at the less than enthusiastic tone before patting his head. “Hey, behave and I might see about giving you a whittling lesson. What do you think?”

That seemed to get the boy excited and he immediately shifted his tone as he said in a weirdly deep voice, “Alright!”

Boscha shook her head at that before standing up and jerking a thumb to the side. “Alright, now get on back to Steve. They probably have plenty for you to do and I have an idiot to protect.”

“Yes, Miss Boscha. Enjoy your date!”

“Oh for fu- Girls don’t date!”

Luz blushed at the callout before brushing it away. After all, Boscha and her were just friends. You know, ones who had known each other for close to six years, bathed together in waterfalls, Close friends who washed under waterfalls, snuggled under the warm sun on days they both had off and one of them was so unbelievably pretty. With tan skin, long, pink hair, a scar that went from her jaw to her nose, and a second one that was a short, diagonal cut on her forehead, Boscha was a bombshell. Or, Luz expected most to think that way. She didn’t. Totally didn’t. That’d be weird.

Like she always was…

She tried to brush the thought off as she came closer and watched her friend do a double check of her gear. She was kitted out in what Luz was more used to seeing her in; her hunting attire. It persisted of a mottled green cloak that helped her blend in with the forest, leather armor that had been remade from her father’s own set hugged her body tightly, black, leather boots that went halfway up her calf for if she needed to go through water, and a pair of rough pants that were close to skintight. Then there were the knives. She had three that were easy to spot on her belt, one that was much more a dagger than a knife, one for cutting through thicker plants, and one to throw, but Luz knew better than to think that was all she had. Boscha was obsessed with the small weapons and so had probably about half a dozen stashed somewhere on her at any given time. Even when she wasn’t in her full attire, she had pulled out a twin set of them from nowhere before when she’d heard something large stalking the two of them.

Finally, there was the part of her kit that made her uncomfortable. Her rifle. Her father’s only rifle. The rough girl had kept it in immaculate condition, regardless of the fact that most in the village knew that she very rarely used it. Her father had taught her to use a bow first after all and had passed away before he could really train her with a gun. Not that she hadn’t practiced with it enough to become a master with it too. Boscha was scary like that. If she put her mind to something, she would make it work, even if she had to figure it all out on her own.

And as the only hunter in the village, she’d had to. Boscha glanced over at that moment before narrowing her eyes at her bestie. “Okay, what’s with the look? Don’t tell me you think I was too harsh on him.”

Luz jumped a little as she was pulled out of her thoughts before awkwardly waving her hands in front of her. The fact that she had two baskets today didn’t help make it any easier. She then glanced away for a second as she collected her thoughts before saying, “Um, no. I was just, you know, wondering why you were bringing a gun along today. Feel like being lazy?”

Boscha smirked a little at her friend acknowledging how easy the rifle made things compared to the bow. It was part of what had shaped her and her father’s thoughts on the weapon, especially since that ease came with some heavy prices. One of which was exactly why she had it with her now. “The bow is a weapon for hunting.” She then slipped the rifle off of her shoulder and checked it for a second before saying, “But if that wolf shows its face, I don’t plan to hunt it. After all, when I hunt, I try not to bother the rest of the woods. Other possible prey.” She then slipped it back over her shoulder as she finished with, “But I don’t care about any of that. I just want it dead.”

That made Luz pale but it wasn’t anything new. She took her job seriously. That was also the problem for Luz though as she bumped her hip into her friend’s. “Well, hopefully we won’t see them then, right? And we can just enjoy using those knives to spread some jam on my croissants.”

Boscha smiled a little as Luz lifted up her basket before she took out the throwing knife from her belt and offered the hilt to her bestie. “I had a light breakfast so I guess I’ll choke one down.”

Luz scrunched her face up a bit in fake fury before she began to reach into one of the baskets. However, she quickly stopped as Boscha placed her hands on her neck and arm. Just like yesterday, she bent her friend’s head a bit, stared at where the larger wound had been, and then took her hands away. “Sorry. I just wanted to make sure it was staying closed.”

Luz bit into her cheek, especially since the stretching of the muscles caused the wound to flare up in pain, but she didn’t dare say anything about it. Boscha would just say she was doing her job and maybe even punch the arm for complaining. She did decide to get her friend back for it though by japping her in one of the few holes in the armor’s side, which got Boscha to almost fall to the ground from her sensitive sides. “Hey!”

Luz bounced away a little before sticking her tongue out at Boscha. “You need to lighten up. That, or stop eating so many of my scones so your sides aren’t so soft.”

Boscha’s eyes narrowed before she grinned and got up. “Alright. Think a little cardio would help with that?”

Luz tilted her head in feigned ignorance before she turned on her heels and took off down the trail that led into the woods. Boscha was hot on her heels. The rough girl could have easily overtaken Luz if she wanted to but the two lived for these days. Days when they let their hair down and ran through the forest. Enjoyed the sun shining through the leaves, the chirping of Luz’s songs that always brought some peace to Boscha, and Boscha bringing Luz to new camps she made that the two could sleep in peace in just the two of them without anyone being able to find them to stop their day off.

It was cut off short though as Boscha wrapped an arm around her friend and pulled her in close, her hand tightly around Luz’s mouth as she held a finger up to tell her to keep quiet. She then moved her head to the side, the other, and then shoved Luz away as she yelled, “Did you just lick me?”

Luz put her hands on her hips, which made her wince when the baskets hit her, before she said, “Yes! Why did we stop?”

Boscha was quiet for a second as she turned her head a few more times before finally sighing. “I was making sure that nothing was around. We don’t know if the wolves were targeting you for a purpose after all or if it was just out of opportunity.”

Luz pouted for a moment but decided to stay quiet about how she’d caught the wolf out in the open so it had almost certainly been just out of panic or the like. It would help explain why she got away. Boscha wouldn’t want her trying to dismiss the wolves though. Or anything for that matter. It had been over a year since the last time Luz had gotten herself in trouble in the woods though, something she wished she knew the reason for. Why had it changed now?

Instead, she merely sighed and slipped in next to her friend. In fact, she even snuggled into Boscha’s side before looking up at her with big, puppy dog eyes as she said, “Then should I be on you like glue? Or are you going to carry me like some big, strong princess?”

Boscha fidgeted for a second before saying, “I can’t move properly like this and you know it.” She didn’t push Luz away though. Instead, she wrapped an arm around her friend and pulled her in close. It wasn’t a tight hug though or a squeeze. Just a gentle pull to keep her close. A moment of softness from her that she didn’t even force to end as she held Luz there while they began walking again. At least, after a moment of Luz having to stumble a bit to make up for being caught off guard by her friend moving.

Neither tried breaking it though. Boscha would stop from time to time to listen to the woods but Luz would just lean in or start working on their lunch in those moments. The young baker even got to use her seriousness against  Boscha when the rough girl claimed that she was doing this to keep her where she could be moved out of the way of a lunge. Luz could make the point of her needing a hand open for her knife though so she got to help feed Boscha the two orange scones that she’d specifically made for her friend. Her favorites, while Luz always leaned more towards cinnamon rolls.

It was absolutely perfect, at least to Luz, and the warm sun even lulled her into a bit of sleepiness. Even Boscha seemed to forget about her pauses, especially once Luz began to hum. They were just two friends on a stroll, just like they were anytime they came out togeth-

Snap!

Boscha’s languid grip on her friend immediately turned to iron in less than a second and her long knife was out just as fast as her eyes darted to where the sound had come from. Whatever it had been had been large because it wasn’t just a small break. No, whatever had taken a misstep had shattered the stick underneath it. The fact that the forest rustled while whatever it was continued to move only reinforced the fact.

Slowly, as the creature continued to move, Boscha let go of Luz and pulled her rifle off her shoulder. She then slipped in front of Luz to make sure that she was between her and the noise while the sound of her heart pounded in her ears. Her eyes scanned the treeline for even a glimpse of the creature and she kept her rifle low until then. She knew how fast she could aim and fire, even with something as clunky as her old rifle, so keeping it low like this made her more ready to pivot if she had to.

Crack!

Luz flinched at the louder break as it must have stepped on a fallen branch or the like. Then one of the trees shook as they heard a thump against it. Then a low, gravelly growl shook the two girls to the core just before they watched as a branch was torn from the tree and thrown onto the path. There was then a loud thump against the tree again before the movements of the tree became more rhythmic.

It was this final touch that finally got Boscha to relax and slip her rifle over her shoulder. She then slipped close to Luz and whispered, “We just need to stay quiet but it’s just some bear. Probably just woke up and hit its head on the branch or something. Nothing we need to worry about so long as we don’t bother it but we should probably stay quiet.”

Luz nodded before looking ahead of them and paling. After all, the main part of the path was about to end. At the end of the smooth dirt was a thick treeline that quickly made it impossible to see beyond. The Deep Woods. The woods that few dared to go into. Where all sorts of beasts and monsters could lay in waiting for the wrong step by a foolish traveler.

And where Luz’s mom lived. The young baker swallowed hard before looking at Boscha. “Um, I know what you said yesterday but-”

“This is where I have to go, I know.”

Luz blinked a few times, especially as Boscha almost bumped her into a tree with her hip. She then whispered, “Wait, you’re not mad? I mean-”

“No one has ever sighted a wolf there and,” Boscha said with a sigh, “I was upset yesterday. You know the last thing I ever want to see is you hurt so seeing you like that…” She shut her eyes for a moment before smiling at Luz. “But I trust you enough to know that for whatever reasons you don’t want me meeting your mom, they’re probably good. Besides, if I didn’t, I could just track you down, even in there.”

Luz covered her mouth as she giggled from Boscha winking at her before hugging her friend tightly. “Thank you. You’re the best friend I could ask for and I’m sorry that I scared you.”

Boscha blinked a few times as she made sure her friend didn’t see the tears that were coming at the edges of her eyes. She’d meant what she said yesterday after all, at least in the moment, but Steve had convinced her to do this. That she needed to trust. She didn’t want to, not with where her mind kept flashing to when she thought about the wound on Luz’s shoulder, but there was nothing she could do about it. This was the one rule Luz asked for after all. The one thing she asked to keep secret and she’d let her keep it. She’d know one day after all, or so she hoped.

Instead of saying any of that though, she merely squeezed her friend back before reaching for the knife she used for cutting through the brush. She undid its scabbard before both to Luz. “I want you to keep this with you though. Just so you have some way to defend yourself if they ever try pinning you again. I know you hate violence but please. For me.”

Luz looked at the dagger and sucked in her lips at the thought of having that bouncing on her hip. About having to use it. She wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to, not with how she’d been paralyzed yesterday. There was no harm in wearing it though, right? Especially if it helped Boscha relax. “Okay, and thank you. So much.”

Boscha nodded before looking back to where the bear had been. The tree had stopped moving and she’d heard more rustling as the beast had moved away. For a second, she considered going after it and reached for her bow. The cold steel of the rifle reminded her that she hadn’t come to hunt though, even if it would possibly take her mind off things.

Except she didn’t hunt for comfort. She knew better, even if she had every intention to skin and clean any animal she might have. No, that wasn’t what hunting was for. It led to mistakes. To forgetting things. She shut her eyes tight against the thoughts, especially as Luz tried slipping in with the images of her father, before simply walking away. 

Luz frowned as her friend moved and she stayed where she was until Boscha was no longer in sight. She could have stopped her friend after all. They could have had a bit more to eat before they parted. Her mom would understand if her basket was even lighter than normal. She didn’t always know what to say to Boscha though. If the rough girl even wanted her around whenever she got all serious.

It was while in these thoughts that she noticed something in the corner of her eye. A large creature, at least two feet taller than her if it was standing properly but instead slouched so that it appeared to be more reasonable. It had on a loose, black tunic that matched the fur on its hands and feet, which would have been telling enough, but then there were the ears. The large, pointed, black ears.

Luz couldn’t breathe as the wolf’s yellow eyes turned to her. This one was nothing like the one that had attacked her previously. It was too big, too strong, and they had signs of damage from years of life. Scars along its arms, one eye that looked like it was permanently shut, and further down than its loose, brown wrap that covered its waist were even more scars. It even looked like a chunk of one of its legs was missing, though Luz didn’t really think about that too much right now.

It stared at her for a few moments before Luz slowly raised a hand and waved at the creature. “H-Hello?”

The creature’s eyes darted to her side but Luz didn’t immediately pick up on the reminder that she had a knife. She instead simply continued to stand there because her legs simply refused to move. She knew she’d be safe in the Deep Woods after all. It would take her maybe ten seconds to disappear like that. However, she simply couldn’t. Instead, her mind drifted to why she had the second basket.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Luz lifted up the spare basket. “Um, uh, o-one of you seemed interested in this yesterday. So, you know, if you want it, m-maybe we could work something out? That way you don’t feel like coming after me again?”

The wolf tilted its head for a moment before nodding slowly. It then raised the arm farther from her as it said, “Good.”

Luz’s eyes almost popped out of her skull at the sight and she just absorbed it as the wolf turned away and disappeared back into the woods. After all, ‘arm’ was a touch… off for what it had lifted up. Not when it more resembled a missing stump. The fact that she now got to properly take in the limp that the wolf had, even for a second, all helped to explain why it had been able to mimic a clumsier animal so well to trick Boscha.

She just stood there for a few seconds before looking at her basket and then shouting, “You forgot your sweets!”

There would be no answer though and she didn’t have it in her to try and chase it down. Not for something like this. Not when she didn’t understand why the beast had shown up like it had in the first place, nor why it had simply let her go either. All she knew was that her mom was waiting for her and maybe she would have some answers for her, or something she could use the next time she got jumped that was a little less stabby than a knife.

#Boscha #Luz #Luscha #TOH #The Owl House #Alador #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Red Riding Luz Chapter 4: A Failed Hunt

Amity swallowed hard as she approached the entrance to her den. She opened the basket for a moment and double checked what she had. She’d spenta bit of extra time getting home to catch a squirrel, two rabbits, and a mole but she hadn’t gotten anything too substantial. Then again, that was the point, wasn’t it? She wasn’t ready to take down things like deer on her own. She wasn’t strong or practiced enough. She could have proven otherwise but…

Amity shut her eyes tight before settling herself and trying not to show much of anything as she slipped into the cave. Her mother expected a successful hunter to come home and even if it were a lie, she could at least act like one. Cold, calculating, unflappable. In total control of her situation when she needed to be.

It was too bad that her ears refused to stop folding against her head then. She could at least pretend then, especially as she smelled the scent of a deer from further within. Her mom had been successful so it was okay that she was simply bringing what could be considered treats home.

She ran one hand along the wall to feel for when the stone broke despite the fact that she could probably find the proper entrance to her home with her eyes closed. For most, you might as well have to with how the cave wall appeared to be entirely solid but if you knew what to look for, you could find where it split into a small passageway that you could disappear into. That, plus the thick foliage that made the entrance to their cave hard to find in general, made their den almost impossible to find.

Amity dipped her head into the main room of their den for a moment and scanned the room for her parents. She didn’t immediately see either, though she hadn’t expected to see her dad, not unless he’d been eating. Her eyes did pause on the corpse of a deer in the middle of the cave and her stomach growled at her. She hadn’t eaten since the morning, too embarrassed to take from the basket before now because she wanted to make sure it looked as good as possible. If her mom wasn’t here though, she didn’t want to take more than she might be allowed to after her failure.

“You’ve been gone for a while, Amity.”

Amity paled as she turned to her side and saw her mother sitting next to the entrance. The older wolf’s yellow eyes glowed in the darkness before she stayed on all fours and whispered, “How did it go?”

Amity took in a slow breath as she reminded herself of the story she’d been practicing on the way home. The one that seemed the most plausible, even if it didn’t make her look the best. “I’m sorry, mother, but I failed. I messed up my pounce and only got her shoulder. She then used her basket to slow me long enough to scream for help and run back towards the village. I know I could have caught up but I was still close enough to their homes that I was worried about how quickly a hunter may come and join her.”

“The village only has one, at least of any sort of quality that you should be afraid of.”

Amity looked away before saying, “Yes. I apologize, mother. I promise that next ti-”

“On your back.”

Amity couldn’t help but let out a whimper before she did as she was told. She still tried to mostly be strong for her mother but it was hard to be when she felt so stupid and had for the entire day. After all, she should have had her. Should have been able to get the kill. She had had a perfect hiding spot after all and could have just lunged from there. But no, she let her emotions get the better of her.

A shiver ran through Amity’s body as her mother placed one of her claws on her neck and pressed down. For a moment, it got harder for her to breathe before it suddenly became as easy as usual. In fact, her mom’s paws then cupped her cheeks as she said, “You made the right call. Your safety is more important than success. Always.”

Amity blinked a few times before she had to blink much faster to fight back the tears that threatened to come. “Y-You’re not mad.”

Odalia shook her head as she moved one hand to run it through her daughter’s hair. “Mad? No. Disappointed because I know you can do better, but I’m not mad.” She then let out a small growl as she let go of her daughter. “We musn’t dwell on it anyways. The question now is what to do next.”

Amity shut her eyes tight for a second before jumping to her feet. “I’ll fix this! Tomorrow, I’ll find the human and take her down. I won’t fail you twi-”

“You will do no such thing!”

The voice came in stereo for the young pup and her eyes darted to a large boulder in one of the corners. A hand lifted up and grabbed the top of the rock. Black fur and long claws made it clear that it was another wolf while the deep, aged voice made it clear who it was. Her father. Amity swallowed hard at the sight as she dropped to all fours before she said, “You don’t need to get up. You need your rest after all.”

A long sigh came from her father before Odalia said, “Alador, please. I have this.”

There was silence at that before the claw pulled itself back. The man still said though, “Good job on the sweets, honey.”

Amity’s cheeks burned from a mix of shame and embarrassment before she touched her forehead to the stone of the cave. She then looked up after her mom patted her head. The older wolf kept her eyes narrowed as she stayed above her daughter. “The last thing any of us can do is to attack the human again. They’ll think we have something out for them. That we’ve turned our hunting habits personal. Hunters won’t ignore us then because they’ll think we’re a more consistent danger than we commonly are. Our best move next is to leave them alone for a while. Give the village some space until they aren’t as concerned. Understand?”

Amity nodded before whispering, with the slightest crack in her voice, “Yes, mother.”

Alador looked towards his girls before narrowing his eyes. He then shut them gently. They were okay for now after all so he could get some rest, just in case he maybe needed it.

#Amity #Alador #Odalia #TOH #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Red Riding Luz Chapter 3: The Humans

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Eda casually walked over to her front door before pulling it open and then heading back to her dough. It was still really early in the morning after all and she needed to be ready for people who were looking for a warm breakfast. Besides, what’s the worst that her apprentice could be screaming about? She probably just forgot her basket or something.

The older woman barely got back to her dough before she heard the hard steps of her apprentice’s shoes on the wooden floors. The young girl then dashed into the room before grabbing her master’s arm. “Eda! Help!”

Eda casually grabbed her cup of coffee before sipping on it. The beans were rare and expensive but she was addicted to the stuff because it helped her stay awake.Well, that, and she just liked the taste, especially with some of the weird plants her apprentice came back with from time to time after seeing her mom like ‘cinnamon’. Once she was done sipping though, she finally asked, “Alright Luz, what is it? Bigfoot? Dragon?”

Luz frowned at the casualness of it but her panic quickly got the better of her as she gestured to her shoulder. “Can you not see it?”

Eda looked at the red cloth and frowned. It did look a little off, like it was wet, but so what? She fell in a… Eda lifted the arm that Luz had grabbed as she took in the fact that it was wet. And red. Almost immediately, her demeanor shifted as she shouted, “Sit!” She then looked around herself before cursing under her breath and asking, “What happened? And take that stupid cloak off so I can see!”

Luz nodded furiously before she pulled her hood off to show that part of what was weird was that her whole right side was red as her blood had soaked into her thin, white tunic. Looking at her better, Eda scowled at herself for not noticing how pale she was or how she was shaking. Sure, the girl could sometimes overreact to things or think she saw mythical creatures that others would point out as a weird looking tree but she should have taken her a little more seriously.

Unfortunately, Eda wasn’t a healer, doctor or anything of that sort. Her answer to a burn was usually to suck on it and then suck it up. Still, she knew the bare minimum and handed Luz a towel before saying, “Pressure. Now!”

Luz nodded furiously before pressing it to the hole in her shoulder, even as she winced in pain. In fact, her whole body seemed to slump forward as her adrenaline finally began to fade. She did as she was told though as she finally found some form of speech. “I… I was attacked.”

Eda scowled for a second as she tried to figure out what to do next. She didn’t want to leave Luz alone but she needed to get going, especially if anyone else thought she might be crying wolf like she had. She needed stitches and that certainly wasn’t in her wheelhouse. She then looked back at her apprentice and asked, “Say, who wants some whiskey? Might help with the, uh, pain.”

Luz chuckled a little at that before whimpering from the pain. “Um, uh, if you think it’ll-”

Bam!

Eda and Luz jumped from the sound of the backdoor being busted in before familiar, heavy boots sounded against the wooden floors. Almost immediately, Luz seemed to perk up at the sound, even as whoever it was sounded like a thunderstorm coming down like heaven’s wrath. Not even the deep scowl on the girl who walked in’s face deterred her as she shouted, “Bosch- Ah!”

Boscha turned to the voice before her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She then stomped over with a knife in one hand and a medium sized box in the other. Luz fell out of her seat though and scrambled away for some reason. That just made Boscha growl as she yelled, “What are you doing?”

Luz took one more glance at her friend before yelling, “Why are you almost naked?”

Boscha stared at her friend with a deadpan stare before reaching forward like lightning, grabbing Luz’s arm and yanking her up. The girl didn’t seem to care about the fact that her maybe dozen scars on her arms, legs, chest and stomach were visible, or the fact that she was indeed only in a wrap over her chest and underwear. It did make, at least for one of them, the second they spent with their faces maybe an inch apart more awkward before Boscha grabbed the side of Luz’s head and forced her to bend it to the side to make sure it wasn’t blocking her vision. She then did it the other way and narrowed her eyes at the claw marks on her ‘better’ shoulder. She then finally opened up her box which held everything one needed to treat a wound out in the woods. Everything she would need to stitch up her best friend. “Well, since you won’t let me come to your mom’s place, I was thinking I would sleep in. Take a day off. Shit like that. Someone decided they had to come in like a bat out of hell and screaming bloody murder though.”

Boscha then became much quieter as she worked on getting some of the very limited alcohol she had on a cloth to try and disinfect Luz’s wound first before whispering, “And you managed to piss off a wolf, didn’t you?”

Luz glanced away at the question before chuckling nervously. “Um, well, I mean, if I’d pissed it off I wouldn’t have made it back, would I?”

To say the rougher girl wasn’t amused was an understatement as she pulled out her needle and thread, prestrung to save time, and immediately jammed it into her friend’s skin. Luz let out a yelp of pain but tried to stay still. It helped that Boscha had a vice grip on her less injured shoulder and was keeping her in place. In fact, luz kind of appreciated that in general as the last ten minutes of her life caught up with her.

Boscha worked fast, having taken lessons from the village’s one doctor so that she could be ready to treat something just like this if it happened to her while she was out on her own hunts. She didn’t dare speak more casually though until she had a bandage pressed against the wound and was wrapping it up to keep it in place and pressured so it would stop bleeding. Only then did she sigh and say, “How did you get away?”

Luz blinked a few times before yawning. It wasn’t her trying to get out of it of course, not when she knew how freaked out her friend must be, but she was exhausted at this point. “Um, you… You aren’t going to believe me.”

Boscha stood up while Eda came over with some sweets to help give her apprentice some energy back. The older woman then stood up and put her hands on her hips as she said, “Well, I want to know too so if you want to be let into your room, you’ll tell us.”

Luz spent a moment wishing she could nest in her master’s large, long, orange hair, or just nuzzle into her full body apron and breathe in the flour dust that was such a crucial part of her home most days as she faded off to sleep. Not yet though. She would behave. Or try to. “Um, well, she kind of just left. Raised her claw to attack and then ran off for some reason.” She then pouted as she looked at her hand and added, “And with my basket too.”

Eda smirked before patting her apprentice’s head. “Yeah, well maybe they finally realized just how scrawny you are and decided you weren’t worth the trouble.”

Boscha, however, wasn’t able to smile yet. Not as she chewed the side of her pointer finger before asking, “What do you mean let go?” She then waved it away. “Don’t answer. That sort of puncture could have only happened if it got its claws on you. You’re just lucky that you messed up its pounce or else it would have torn out your throat. What would scare her off though? The only female wolf I know of in the area is too old to just give up on a kill.”

“Maybe it was her mom?”

Eda and Boscha both stared at Luz, who’s cheeks quickly began to warm as she looked away. “Well, um, she wasn’t big. She was my size. Maybe a little shorter. When I first saw her, I thought she was so cute as she tried to look all menacing!” She then paused and mumbled, “I guess I shouldn’t have judged a book by it’s cover.”

“No.” Boscha was seething before she whispered, “And you sure as hell shouldn’t call any wolf ‘cute’. You were probably the first time it’s ever attacked a person. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have had enough thread to put you back together.” She then shut her eyes as a set of tears came down her face before she turned away. “I’m going with you on your next trip. Maybe if they know you’re friends with a hunter, they’ll think twice about attacking you.”

“Bu-”

“I don’t care about your rules!”

There was silence after the shout before Eda whispered, “Luz, let her go. This could have been a lot worse. Besides, if you’re still so worried about your mom, she can leave before her garden or-”

“Or you can trust me. Like a friend.”

Luz looked down at the callout, not helped by Boscha almost breaking the front door now from how hard she shut it. It wasn’t her fault she was worried about people knowing where her mom was after all. And now if a wolf was hunting her, she could end up leading her straight to them.

She thought about the look that the wolf pup gave her though before she ran off. She looked scared. Confused. Almost like she didn’t know what she was doing or… Or maybe she didn’t want to. If any of those were the case, maybe she could do something about that. Then they wouldn’t need to worry.

Though Boscha would just tell her to stop dreaming then and remind her of how many people wolves have killed without a second thought. Why hadn’t it killed her then?

#Boscha #Luz #Eda #Luscha #The Owl House #Ask Blog

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Red Riding Luz Chapter 2: Their First Encounter

Amity crouched low in the bushes as she waited for her prey. Odalia had gone off to leave her on her own for now as she had to get food for the family. She was expected to bring something back though. Preferably, as her mother had put it, the human’s liver. The thought made Amity’s stomach churn. It might be her mother’s favorite part of an animal but she had never been much of a fan. She was much more into marrow, thighs, breasts…

She blinked a few times before covering her face for a moment and burying her face into the ground. Not like that brain! It’s not like she thought about chickens like that! And she didn’t think about wolf or human breasts like that either. They were just softer, juicier cuts of meat. That was it. Why would a girl wolf even be attracted to another girl? It’s not like she could expand the pack that way and after her siblings...

She shut her eyes tight against the thoughts before cutting some strands of her brown hair that framed her face as she clawed at her head to help her focus. She was here to hunt. Here to kill. She couldn’t let thoughts of family and friends enter this space. It would only distract you. Make you think of what you were killing as anything more than a piece of meat. That was all it was though. All-

Her brain then immediately short circuited as she heard singing in the air. Carefree, lighthearted singing in a language she didn’t recognize. The voice sounded like it couldn’t think of a single worry in the world and the sound of her skipping only added to the idea that whatever was coming was lost in a land of their own. It warmed Amity’s chest as she let herself relax and enjoy it.

And then immediately regretted that as her prey skipped right past her.

‘No,’ Amity screamed internally before she began to zip through the brush, silent as any mouse or squirrel as she moved. She was small for a wolf, even of her age, but that was an advantage for her right now. She might not have the same amount of power in her pounces or claws, but she moved so much easier than her mother without disturbing anything. To become the shadow of death that she was born to be.

As she went along, she made sure to keep tabs on her prey. They had gotten an idea of what the girl was like by watching her leave the nearby town and what path she chose and Amity was supposed to have just jumped her at the spot that she’d setup but now she needed to replan. Figure out how fast the girl was going, how alert she might be, and where might be a good place to get her this time. After all, if she had a knife on her, giving her more than a moment or two of life after she emerged could prove lethal but to the wrong person.

It also kept her in earshot of that song though. It was only now that she noticed that, instead of belting it like her heart seemed to think she was doing, the human was singing fairly softly. Barely more than a whisper, but a noble creature such as her picked up on the tones all too easily. Not that she stayed with it perfectly. Whenever she dipped too far away to check the path ahead, she would lose it and would feel slower, heavier, and like things came back into focus rather than the blur they felt like when she was around the song. Because it had to be the song, right?

Amity forced herself not to whimper as she pressed her claws against her head before she moved to the edge of the treeline again and poked her head through the bushes. She nodded to herself as she watched the long stretch of path she’d finally found for them. She could watch and calculate for almost half a minute from her hiding spot now. She could get the perfect pounce this way. One jump, one kill. That’s all it would take.

That meant watching the girl though. Watching her as she bounced, twirled, and spun. Listening to that beautiful song that made her think her heart might explode. She tried to focus on her prey but that didn’t help. She wore a white tunic underneath the red cloak and long, rough leather pants that had somehow been dyed a dark purple. They hid how her legs might look but her arms were spindly, weak things that probably couldn’t hurt her even if the girl tried but… But that wasn’t how humans hurt wolves. Wolves were always stronger. She needed to focus on that. Focus on this being prey. She growled at the thoughts as she tried to focus.

And the singing stopped almost immediately. Amity’s heart sank as she realized what she had done. Now the human knew she was there. She may not know exactly where but she knew she was there. That they were in danger. They would likely run because of that. She couldn’t allow that. Not when she was expected to succeed in this hunt. Not when she couldn’t let her mom down.

So, she slowly came out of the bushes. She stayed low to the ground, on all fours as her yellow eyes locked looks with the human’s. The human’s messy, brown hair was too short to possibly obscure the gaze which was good. She needed them to stay there. Let her get closer as she slowly moved. She made sure to allow her eyes to intimidate her prey though, knowing that baring her fangs may be a step too far. Not when the human was already stunned as she was.

Or, so Amity thought. The girl suddenly squatted down as she gasped and squealed, “You’re so cute!”

Cute? Amity blinked a few times as one of her paws hung in the air and she swore her heart stopped from the statement. She was… cute?

She then shut her eyes and bared her teeth at the human. No. She was a noble predator. Not something to look at like a pet. She slammed her paw onto the ground as she growled at the other girl and continued her advance. She was hunter. The human prey. This was how it went.

The look of terror in the other girl’s eyes didn’t slow Amity though. She had killed too many smaller animals or watched her mother take down larger beasts to feel sympathy from that. In fact, she’d been trained to feel nothing at all on the hunt. That was how it was supposed to be. She’d just let herself get momentarily confused. That ended. Now.

The other girl opened her mouth to say something but Amity didn’t give her the chance. Not as she finally lunged towards the other girl. Her front claws slammed into the human’s shoulders and left thin cuts on them as she curled her paws around them to help her pin the human to the ground. She was too focused on just stopping the human right now to have gone for the throat immediately but that didn’t matter. Once she had a hold of this human, that would be it.

This human who’s pretty, brown eyes looked so terrified now that she was pinned to the ground. The sound of the goody basket crashing to the ground distracted Amity for a tenth of a second as she found herself pausing. Hesitating. There was no reason for it. Not when she was a born killer. Not when she was expected to bring food home. Expected to be successful in her hunt.

Amity brought up one of her claws high into the air as she growled loudly over the human. The other girl’s entire body was shaking from being paralyzed by the fear she must feel. The terror any prey felt moments before their life was taken. For a moment, Amity hoped that she didn’t blame herself for it. It wasn’t weakness after all. It was instinct. The natural order of things. Just as was the adrenaline burning through her as she prepared to finish the job.

“Mama.”

That made Amity stop properly now. It was an odd way to say it but it was still mom. Or had mom in it. Even if she was misunderstanding the human, it was too late. She now thought of her mom, howling at the moon just a few years prior because of trappers. How much her mom had been hurt then.

How much this human’s mom would be hurt losing them.

Amity shut her eyes tight as the claw still on the human sank deeper into her prey’s shoulder. Suddenly though, she let go. She then jumped off of the human, grabbed the basket so she had something, anything, to return home with. She then looked back at the other girl, met her eyes for another second, and then ran off into the woods to see if she could find anything to go with the basket. Something for her mom so she wouldn’t be as disappointed in her for failing at even the basics of being a wolf.

At failing at her first solo hunt.

#Lumity #Amity #Luz #Beginnings

[ask-little-red-riding-luz]

Red Riding Luz Chapter 1: Finding Her Prey

“Do you see that hut?”

Amity looked up as her tail lazily flicked behind her. Her black ears twitched at all the sounds of life around her and overall she was having a good day. Normally she only got to stay in the cave her family lived in and work on pouncing and deception there but her mom had decided to take her out for a practical lesson this time. She lightly pawed at the ground with her claws before finally saying, “Yes, mother.”

Odalia narrowed her eyes as she looked at the human hut. Noble wolves like her had large, pointed black ears on top of their head, small, black noses with whiskers next to them, and black tails. Their hands, unlike the humans, were instead black furred claws, and so were their feet, but otherwise they shared many similarities with their most advanced prey. Some fools even liked to try to use those similarities as reasons for why wolves and humans should get along but Odalia scoffed at such ideas. Not when they were so obviously superior to the defenseless bags of meat. “Good. This is one you should come to know well because many people will come into the woods after leaving it. Not only that, but you know those pastries we sometimes have? The humans get those from this place so any that you bring down that comes from this place provides us with multiple meals.”

Amity nodded before she took in a long, slow whiff of the air. She then forced herself not to hum at the taste that the smells on the wind brought to her. She didn’t want her mother to think that she was allowing herself to be distracted, not when she was supposed to be focused. However, if you asked her, she’d be happy to just eat pastries all day rather than ever go out for a hunt. She liked sweet things though, while her mother was much more about raw flavor.

“Good, pup.” Odalia then narrowed her eyes before smiling as a figure stepped out of the bakery. “Oh, and it appears we may have gotten lucky today. I had planned on you merely helping me kite and take down my prey today but a human pup looks to be coming this way. Something you might actually be able to handle.”

Amity let out a small whimper as her ears flattened for a second before she looked at the human that had come out. They had caramel brown skin, a bounce to their step that made the red cloak that they wore jump with each movement they made, and bright, brown eyes that looked like they held enough life in them for a dozen humans. She also appeared to have enough meat on her to maybe feed Amity, let alone their entire family. “She’s small, isn’t she?”

Odalia shook her head. “For your first hunt, size isn’t what matters. What matters is that you learn to kill. Learn to properly stalk, track, and take down your prey. My mother in fact had me hunt a child first as well because they are old enough to possibly fight back but young enough that we may try to feel remorse for it. We cannot, for we are predators. Understand?”

Amity nodded before she looked back at the human. She wasn’t sure how much she was actually interested in killing but they did need food and she would need to get used to it someday. Not only that, but humans threatened them from time to time with their hunters. Hunting them helped keep them under control. Made sure they remembered to fear them rather than to try and come to get them.

So, even if she didn’t want to kill a cute girl that was her age, she would do so. It was part of her job as a wolf. As one of the blights of the wood that should be feared.

Wait, what had she called the human?” ========= These introductory 8 chapters were written literally TWO YEARS AGO but for a lot of complicated and dumb reasons, I never posted them. I want a new project though so let’s begin, shall we?

#Ask Blog #Amity #Odalia #The Owl House #Beginnings