Me: Alright Hollow Mind was mindblowing and I angsted over Hunter enough in the past week, I even started to write fics! Now I shall focus on the next episode and-
Also me: SHUT YOUR FACE IT’S BEEN A WEEK SINCE HUNTER RAN INTO THE WOODS!
After Hunter had THAT moment in the Owl House (IT HURTS MY HEART THINKING ABOUT IT GIVE MY BOY A HUG ), he left his cape on the ground. The symbol of the Golden Guard is on there, which is basically the symbol of Gravesfield.
Is this gonna be brought up at some point? Is Luz gonna recognize it and wonder about it? Maybe even making the connection with the two brothers from the history of her city? Or just why is this the Golden Guard’s symbol?
I can’t tell if this is an irrelevant point or it will actually come up eventually considering this show, so I’m just throwing it in there
I drew Hunter (Caleb?) but much older, w/ a mustache and more sleep for his eyes.
I like to think he eventually takes up the name “Caleb” since it’s a name Flapjack suggested but also a name he himself chose to take up after all the- uhh y'know…shit he’s been thru..
My thoughts on what happened to Darius, Alador and Odalia
Spoilers if you’re not caught up with at least 2x16 of TOH
I am on a roll with my TOH posts lately and brainrot so as a gift, have this draft I wrote a couple days ago
My personal headcanon until proven otherwise for why Darius is no longer friends with Alador and Odalia is that one, or possibly both of them, said something cruel about the previous Golden Guard’s passing despite knowing Darius was close to him.
A young Darius knows there’s something incredibly off about his mentor’s disappearance. It just doesn’t make any sense. Why would he leave without even telling him? Without saying goodbye to him? He’s in his final year at Hexside, ready to join the abomination coven. Why would he abandon him now?
Emperor Belos’ explanation isn’t of satisfactory to Darius. There’s too many holes in the story, he asks around and there’s no definitive conclusion, Belos is avoiding further questions, and the cherry on top of this crap cake is how unbothered Belos is about losing his right hand man. It’s fabricated grief. Darius knows bad acting when he sees it.
He brings his concerns up to Alador and Odalia. The only people who he thought would understand.
His friends. His best friends.
The three of them could be mean sometimes, he’ll admit that. They would tease other people, and even each other at times.
But he truly didn’t expect Odalia to laugh in his face while Alador stands off to the side silently. It pisses Darius off more than he can state.
So they argue. Verbally at first. Until Darius and Odalia are practically screaming at each other at the end of it and Alador is barely doing anything about it. Until finally, Alador sides with Odalia over Darius and he’s never felt more betrayed and alone. Only because Alador has a stupid fucking crush.
“Your attachment to your mentor is clouding your judgment. Belos has no reason to lie about that sort of thing. You have no proof in order to question him.” Oh Titan, how he hated Odalia in this moment.
He still hears Odalia’s tone in his head when he relives this memory. He remembers the way she sneered at him.
“He killed him, I know he did. He killed my mentor. His own family! I’ll prove Belos got rid of him, I swear on the Titan.”
“Even if Belos did kill him, he probably had a good reason. You out of everyone should know the Golden Guard can’t even do *real* magic, right? Who would want a little half-witch on their counsel anyways? The Golden Guard is better off dead, I say good riddance.”
If there’s one thing Darius hated more than dirt and hideous fashion, it was blind obedience. His mentor taught him that he has the right to question authority. He has the right to question all the adults in his life and the things he’s been told.
So that does it. Like the trigger of a gun that’s been pulled, he acts without thinking. A tiny part of him regrets it, now that he’s older. Only a tiny part. But if you were to ask Darius if it felt good, he’d say yes in a heartbeat.
In a flash, Darius was striking with abomination daggers. Alador is quick to retaliate before he and Odalia could get hit though.
The fight is short and ultimately ends in a draw. Neither of them win. Physically, everyone was fine. Darius was too tired; Alador is huffing and puffing as he stands in front of Odalia, and Darius can’t bring himself to attack anymore.
Darius walks away, hands clenched in tight fists at his side. He only turns back once to see Odalia and Alador glaring at him before he continues walking.
He hears Alador call out to him. One last time.
“You don’t deserve to be the Golden Guard’s protege.”
Who is likely to take Hunter in + How is drives the story:
Chances are I’m going to edit this post along the way but these are my thought so far just after 2x17 events.
Starting with The Owl House:
Considering we already have 2x17, they seem less likely as of now. I would’ve assumed they chased Hunter down but with all of them wanted and so close to being arrested, it’s probably not the safest for Hunter to be there. But what about after the events of the story?
After, it definitely seems possible. They’re clearly making a sibling dynamic between Luz and Hunter (as if they don’t have that already). And it would be good for him to branch out and learn the ways of wild magic, especially away from Belos. This family, especially Luz, are so good at making others see another point of view and keeping an open mind. It would be nice to see them try to help Hunter and make him feel comfortable. Showing that just because he wasn’t born like other witches or even humans, he still gets to be his own person. And we all know Eda loves adding more people to the family. But at the same time, Hunter and Eda need time to build a connection. At the moment, it seems more like a “I’ll take him on weekends and holidays” kind of deal rather than a permanent situation but I definitely see them becoming family whether they live together or not.
In terms of where we are this the story right now, it would be a lot to focus on. With Luz going back home, King’s new identity, and everyone clearly keeping it hidden that they’re upset Luz will head home soon, the story would be pretty thick if Hunter were added on though I wouldn’t mind much. That being said, I’m sure they’ll meet again either planning a rebellion or somewhere within the rebellion.
Willow:
Chances are Hunter is in a group chat with the Emerald Entrails after the events of 2x13 ASIAS. Out of everyone on the team, Hunter would most likely ask for Willow’s help as he clearly respects her as captain. It would be a nice place for him to stay away from Castle grounds and have somewhere cozy. Plus Willow seems to have no ill will towards Hunter as she’s awaiting “Caleb’s next day off.”
These two are clearly made to be parallels of each other via being “half witches.” I’d even make the argument that they’re foils of one another.
When we first meet Willow in S1, she’s bullied, has one friend, and is lacking self-confidence. It isn’t until she’s thrown into the plant track where we see her blossoming (hehe). With Hunter, we saw him at the top of his game as the Golden Guard and Emperor’s right hand man. Now he’s lost all of that and is disgusted at the thought of being the G.G successor. If Hunter is with Willow, we would get more Willow and Gus (I’m assuming) content. Willow would help Hunter the same way Luz and Gus helped her. She would help him find his confidence and sense of meaning in this world.
Now the problems: 1. Did Hunter have his scroll with him when he chased down Team RED (Raine, Eber, Darius) into the Night Market or did he leave it at the castle? I guess Flapjack (DAMN YOU PANCAKES) would be able to get it by flying up to his window but something tells me he wouldn’t leave Hunter alone like that even for a couple minutes in case something happens.
2. How would Willow’s dads react to having a 16 year old boy who’s literally the G.G and on the run in their house? But that could be easily fixed by having them be chill with it or making up a cover story and lying to them. Which would lead to conflict later but oh well chaotic route for the win.
Even if Hunter isn’t with Willow, I definitely think they’ll have room to grow together in the future and I’m excited to see how that happens.
Darius (Raine and Eber?):
I shall admit my bias here. I want Darius to take Hunter in. But I also think that’s the route we’re heading towards and he’s the most plausible guardian for Hunter.
Let’s start by saying Darius isn’t the kindest. He’s definitely not perfect taking into consideration “you don’t deserve to wear that patch,” and “Darius ignored me as per usual” in Hunter’s palisman observations (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s on YouTube. Dana did a stream).
That being said, it’s clearly depicted that Darius is not what he seems. He’s actively rebelling against Belos and was kind enough to give Hunter a scroll to contact his friends outside of the castle and pat him on the head. Bare minimum, I know, but that kindness has been foreign to Hunter for the past 16 years. Not only that but he shows genuine concern and panic over Hunter being trapped in Belos’ mind. I like the idea that they can make and grow their own family together. It would be nice to see them mourn and heal together.
It seems set up perfectly anyways. The fact that Hunter starts acting on his own accord the same time we find out that Darius was the previous G.G’s protege? Darius didn’t like that Hunter was Belos’ little lap dog. And that we know all of the previous G.G’s rebelled against Belos at some point and now Darius is as well and Hunter is on his way to doing so? He could help Hunter stand his ground. They could learn about Grimwalkers together as Darius knows Hunter’s predecessor, he knows the most about the previous G.G and he definitely knows something isn’t right over the fact that his mentor disappeared and this kid looks so similar. Darius has something to fight for with his connection to the G.G but now it has purpose and meaning cause he’s looking after Hunter.
Their stories align so perfectly.
Not only would we be able to focus on Hunter’s story cleanly about finding his own sense of dignity and self-worth, we get to see Darius humbled and step up, ready to fill in the role of a mentor and even a positive father figure in Hunter’s life. He gets to give back to his mentor by taking care of Hunter. It’s also worth noting, it would push Team RED’s objective and tie it to the main plot too. We’d get to see more of their story and how they started working together after Eda’s Requiem. It would be the smartest writing move with what we have so far.
Not to mention, chances are they found him already. You can’t tell me after such a strong reaction from Darius, plus Raine clearly wanting to help Eda get her kid (and their future stepdaughter) back, they just gave Eda the teleportation potion and dipped. I figured they would’ve stayed hidden to ensure Luz and Hunter made it out safely which means they could’ve seen the direction Hunter ran and followed him.
Only problem is: Would Hunter trust the three coven heads? After everything he went through, it would most likely take him a while to trust an adult in power, especially ones so close to Belos. And I feel like the only safe place they would hide him in where he can have access to basic needs are either if they have their own individual homes away from the castle, or maybe the BATS hideout that we saw in Eda’s Requiem.
Honestly, knowing this show and it’s creator, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went with none of those and surprise us somehow.
Regardless, I feel like all three of these are good choices and it’s nice to realize how many people care for Hunter and at the end of this hopefully he’ll have the biggest found family that ever found familied. Fingers crossed he isn’t just camping in the woods alone and cold.
