Under the Mistletoe

Chapter 1

"I still don't understand why you asked me to come to this human thing" grumbled Hunter as he walked side by side with Lilith on their way to the owl house. 

"I thought you might be interested in learning more about human traditions and since I'm no longer around I thought this might be a nice break from Kikimora," responded Lilith casually as they continued to make their way to the owl house.

Luz had invited all of her friends to celebrate what she explained was a very important holiday in the human realm. She explained that the holiday known as Christmas was a day to bring people together. Upon hearing this Lilith had thought about inviting Hunter. Over the past few months since leaving the coven, she had done a lot of self-reflecting. About the person she used to be and how she wanted to change for the better. On many of these occasions she would end up thinking about Hunter and how he was in the same place she used to be. 

Even though they shared their fair share of differences they had still been colleagues for a long time. Hunter was only sixteen yet he already carried much of the same burdens she had without taking any breaks. His whole world revolved around the emperor and the coven. So much so that he didn't have any friends. 

He reminded her so much of herself. Yet he had it worse since he was completely alone. She wanted to help him get out of that same dark place she had been in for years. He didn't even get the chance to interact with people his age so this would be good for him. 

Even though Luz and Hunter had a few altercations in the past she knew that if anyone would be able to turn Hunter around it was her. She had already proven herself with how she helped her in reuniting with her sister. Besides Luz had a special talent for befriending her enemies. 

In addition, after finding out the Blight siblings would also be in attendance she had spoken with the twins to request they try to befriend Hunter. They were the same age as Hunter and extremely charismatic. They had a knack for getting along with everyone so there was the potential of them being able to get through to Hunter if Luz failed. Not to mention they were from a good family so she knew they would be a good influence on him. 

"It's still weird that you invited me. It’s not like we have ever been close. And you've been gone for months then out of the blue you send me a message asking me if I want to go to a party." noted Hunter skeptically. 

"I know that while I was in the coven we did not have the best relationship. The environment there makes it very difficult for individuals to make friends with how competitive things are. We may not have gotten along but I have always respected you which is not something I can say for Kikimora. In these past few months, I have been thinking about how different things would be if we weren’t all so blinded by our ambitions. Since I left one of my biggest regrets was not trying to get to know you better or trying to be a mentor figure for you. I’m old enough to be your mother yet I treated you like you were nothing more than another guard. It may be too late now but I would like to be able to correct our relationship. I also thought it would be good for you to interact with people your age and relax for a change. Only the residents of the owl house know who you are and I asked them to keep that to themselves. The only thing the other guests know about you is that you are my guest. Who knows, maybe you'll even be able to make some friends."  noted Lilith trying to be as genuine as possible. She had acted as a guide and mentor to many children and guards over the years. The thought that she never tried to help the one person that seemed to need it the most weighed on her mind. If she hadn’t been so blind. If she had paid more attention to her surroundings then maybe this boy wouldn’t have had to suffer alone.  

Hunter took a moment to consider her words. They had never been close but he didn’t hold a grudge against her either. Just like she said the coven was not the best place to make friends and most were in constant competition to get ahead. He also had a good deal of respect for her before she left. Lilith was a well-beloved leader and even now those that worked directly under her were still feeling the effects of losing her. He had been skeptical at first. He thought that maybe she had been trying to lead him here for some sort of ambush but he could hear the honesty in her words. Besides, there was nothing they could gain from him. He did like the idea of possibly building some sort of relationship with her. If anyone knew about his stress and struggles it was her. Especially when it came to dealing with Emperor Belos and Kikimora. The prospect of making friends with people his age also piqued his interests although he doubted he would be able to. He had close to zero experience talking to people his age or younger and he had never had a friend before so he wouldn't know how to make one, to begin with.