Work Text:
Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!
Hunter shot up in his bed. A birdie! Normally they only sang when it was time to wake up. Outside the world was still dark. This, he decided, must be a special bird. Special birds were always so pretty. He wanted to see it. But he wasn't allowed outside on his own. Mommy and Daddy said it was too dangerous for a powerless witchling.
In the bed nearby, his big sister Zelia was still fast asleep. She wouldn't wake up for anything this time of night. He shifted and brushed against something soft. Of course! His Sprig could come with him. He grinned and scooped up the little pink frog.
"Bye-bye, Zeze," he whispered as he left.
Hunter crept further from the house, across the yard and into the edge of the woods. The bird was still chirping somewhere just ahead. He was so close. It wasn't even flying away. He was skirting a baneberry hedge when...
BOOM! CRACK!
The boy nearly jumped out of his skin. Had he been caught? He whirled around and was greeted with an even worse sight. Colorful explosions of fire engulfed his house. The flames spread quickly. His family was in there!
Hunter started to run toward it, calling out for Mommy and Daddy, for Nelu and Osmar and Zeze. But a rock caught on his foot. He crashed to the ground, pain flaring in his knee. Now there was a rip in his pajamas, revealing a painful scrape. The little boy curled up and started to cry. The tears and snot poured down his face, staining his cheeks and his pajamas and his Sprig.
After a long while, a stranger came up to him. He wore a long white dress and a golden mask.
"Hunter? Are you really Hunter?"
He sat up and nodded.
"I'm your uncle, Hunter. Serafina's brother."
"Mommy..." He pointed to the smoldering house.
The stranger bent down to his level. "I'm terribly sorry, Hunter. She's gone to be with the Titan now."
A whimper escaped him. "Daddy? Zeze? Nelu, Osmar?"
The man shook his head silently.
Hunter crumpled, wailing wordlessly. The man was silent beside him, waiting patiently as he screamed and kicked and cried. When he was finally spent, the man gently picked him up.
"Come now, child. It's time to go."
He sniffled. "Mommy..." he whimpered, reaching for what was left of his home.
"Your… 'mommy' isn't there any longer. She wants you to come with me now."
"No! No! Mommy!" His words trailed off in a screech. He thrashed hard and broke free of the stranger. Running as fast as his little legs could carry him, he made a break for the house. The man did not follow him.
"Mommy! Daddy! Zeze!" Hunter called. He reached for the rubble, as if they were just playing hide-and-shriek.
"Ow!" Hunter leapt back, hands smarting from the smoldering wood. Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. "Ow, ow, ow. Mommy!"
The stranger came up behind him with a sigh.
"Does it hurt?"
"Mm-hmm… kiss better?"
"No kiss better. If you don't want to hurt, you should listen next time I tell you something. Okay?"
He sniffled. "Okay. I'm sorry."
"That's 'I'm sorry, Uncle.'"
"I'm sorry, Uncle."
"Good boy. I forgive you."