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[thegcldenguard]

Hunter nodded.

He could do warm ups. He could do sheet music and photocopying and vocal drills and rudimentary choreography. This was normal. This was what he wanted to do. Sing with his friends. Share smiles when they got a dance move down and go over arrangements.

He didn’t want to think about being sick. About being asleep for three days.

So, he smiled at Jeremy.

“Yes! That sounds wise. Let’s get to it. I definitely want to hit that high note at the end first try.” 

@jere-me--oh-my

Con Fuoco - Hunteremy

[thegcldenguard]

Noli me tangere || HEW

what’s wrong with hunter pt 2

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Noli me tangere ('touch me not') is the Latin version of a phrase spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after His resurrection.

prior reading: He Has Risen (He Has Risen, Indeed)

Eilonwy and Willow take care of Hunter after he wakes up from his mysterious illness, and he confesses a secret he's been keeping...

takes place: March 31

cw: belos being a shitty guardian, death, illness, hunter's general trauma

--

@eilonwy-notjustgirl @halfawitch-willow

--

[read it here!]

[thegcldenguard]

Cozy

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter worked hard.

He got top marks in school. In all his activities, he committed fully and went above and beyond. He kept up with his training. 

And yet —

And yet, it hadn’t mattered. 

Not to Belos.

(Maybe Belos wasn’t the only person who mattered, some soft voice in the back of Hunter’s head whispered. Maybe people like Jeremy and Pip and Phineas and Willow and Ian and Edward and Eilonwy mattered).

“I appreciate that,” said Hunter. He tried to, at least, tried to remember that Jeremy was a kind person who would not just say something like that to fill empty space. “And I certainly want the spring showcase to go brilliantly!” 

@jere-me--oh-my

Con Fuoco - Hunteremy

[thegcldenguard]

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher & Peregrine Falcon

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter raised his binoculars, looking in the direction that Willow pointed out. It took him a moment to find the bird, and then another to identify it. 

He was hyper aware of Willow at this moment. Perhaps it was because he felt cold, but she was very warm next to him, and he very much appreciated that. 

“I believe that’s a brambling,” said Hunter. “A male. Usually they have brighter colors, but by the time winter rolls around they usually fade some. But you can see some traces of the orange on its chest. With the females it will be lighter. They’re most commonly in flocks so — oh look there.”

He pivoted his head as he raised an arm, nearly bumping his shoulder into Willow as he pointed up, at a group of birds landing on the branches.

“It’s the rest of the flock!” 

@halfawitch-willow

Birthdays, Birds, and Brooms ❁ Huntlow

[thegcldenguard]

all this love with nowhere to go

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter considered this. Normally, he made sure to include enough outdoor activities in his schedule (that was where the birds were, after all), but upon reflection… well, he’d become a bit of a shut in the past week or so. Going outside would be good. Healthy. The sunlight would certainly help. 

What Jeremy said next did make Hunter bluish a little. Well, it felt like he would blush, but he did not actually feel any blood rise to his cheeks.

He cleared his throat though.

“I know Logan just… cares a lot,” said Hunter. “And this was just a strange circumstance. I won’t take his passion personally. I’m used to high expectations, after all.” 

@jere-me--oh-my

Con Fuoco - Hunteremy

[thegcldenguard]

In his seat, Hunter somehow grew more rigid. He’d already been sitting very straight and proper, but now he felt like his

No one ever talked about Caleb.

Belos rarely discussed the previous Golden Guard. Only when talking about old missions or duties. Hunter had no idea who Caleb was, or what he had been like as a person. There were portraits of him in the manor, but he was always masked.

Hunter looked up at them sometimes and he wondered how his portrait might look one day. 

Back then, he’d been besotted with the idea of himself depicted nobly in his uniform and mask.

Now, he wondered if anyone would remember his face.

“I… I don’t know much about him,” Hunter confessed. “Belos doesn't discuss him. He certainly did not mention any illnesses.” He swallowed. Was it just a coincidence? Surely it had to be? Beyond their occupation, they shared little else.

At least, as far as Hutner knew. Which, admittedly, was not much. 

“Did he get better?” Hunter asked. 

@darius-dues

Ghosts That We Knew || Harius

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter nodded. 

It was a trickier question to answer than he wanted, perhaps. Because he was feeling better than he had that first day he’d woken up, where it had been like sleepwalking. That entire day had felt like he was still dreaming. Not that he remembered any of the dreams he’d had while asleep for those three days. 

(He’d tried, you know, to think back to those lost three days. It scared him that he could find no memory, not a single dream or thought he’d had. So, now, he tried not to.) 

“I think I’m still recovering, a bit tired and all. But loads better from how I was! So that’s good!” He swung his arm jauntily. “I’m trying to be a bit more mindful about when I’m going to bed and waking up. Getting back into a schedule, you know.” 

@jere-me--oh-my

Con Fuoco - Hunteremy

[thegcldenguard]

“Well enough,” said Hunter. He stood very straight and tall, hands folded behind his back. The door had closed behind him. He heard it, though he did not turn to watch it close, nor had he looked down to see the second golem. He kept his gaze straight ahead, but his eyes did not meet Darius’s exactly.

He didn’t know why, but something about looking directly at Darius felt a little bit uncomfortable right now.

He cleared his throat.

“I’ve been monitoring my exhaustion levels. It’s more so than before my illness, but I’m getting a reasonable amount of sleep. And I’ve been very particular about my diet. My, er, friends are helping with that.”

Everyone seemed very invested in making sure Hunter was eating, which he appreciated but also found a little silly since he didn’t think his sickness had had anything to do with a poor diet. 

@darius-dues

Ghosts That We Knew || Harius

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter understood.

After all, even if sorcerers in the Isles and Ingary never outright said it, that’s where the divide lay, was it not? Battle magic wasn’t creating anything or pushing the limits of magic. It wasn’t weaving beautiful illusions or transforming things from one form to another or harnessing the power of water or anything like that. 

It was brutal. It was violent. It was necessary. 

He didn’t hold it against Ian, though. He understood. And he appreciated that Ian seemed open to talking about it. 

“Well, I am happy to answer any questions you might have,” said Hunter with an easy smile. “At this point I’ve done more with my specialty than spellwork. It’s what my guardian wanted,” he added. “I’m curious though — and forgive me if this is intrusive, but how do your elf genes affect your sorcery? If that’s overstepping, I do apologize,” he said very quickly. But Ian’s words had piqued his curiosity. 

@ianthedisastrous

Early Bird || Huntian

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter took a deep breath before he nodded. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Yes. I’m fine. And I’ll definitely remember to photocopy the pages next time.”

He had remembered to photocopy them, for what it was worth. They had been sitting on his desk when he went to bed. They were still there. 

He tried to smile, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

“Thank you for the soup, by the way.” The story of Hunter’s mystery illness had traveled quickly, and Jeremy had gifted him a care package, mostly made of thermoses of soup. Soup was beginning to become Hunter’s main meal. Not that he was complaining. It was very good and seemed to heal him from the inside out. “It’s very delicious.” 

@jere-me--oh-my

Con Fuoco - Hunteremy

[thegcldenguard]

A couple of days after Easter Sunday, Hunter sat in the Pride University library, going over some notes. He heard some slight squelching, but didn’t think anything of it until a small purple abomination, the same one that had been monitoring him for a few days now, waddled over to him, holding a message in its little blob-like appendages. 

Hunter, of course, knew who had sent this creature. Brow furrowed, he leaned down and took the note from the abomination, waving his hand in dismissal. (The creature did not move till Hunter had opened the letter, and it plopped down beneath the table, resting its little head on one of the legs). It was a summons, or rather, a polite declaration that Hunter should meet Darius in his office later this afternoon.

Hunter read it. Once. Twice. He took a deep breath and folded it, and went back to his study.

And then at the requested hour, Hunter knocked upon Darius’s office door, the golem toddling at his heels.

“You wanted to see me?” Hunter said, cracking open the door slightly and poking his head in. 

@darius-dues

Ghosts That We Knew || Harius

[thegcldenguard]

Ghosts That We Knew || Harius

[thegcldenguard]

Oh —

Well, that was a lot of food. He appreciated it, though! It saved him a trip to the dining hall, especially since he’d overslept and it was likely that the pickings in the dining hall probably weren’t very good at this point. 

And well, it would be good for snacks later in the day. 

“Ah, Greek yogurt is also very high in protein and calcium. Strong bones are very important.” He nodded, and then after a beat of hesitating, grabbed the plastic fork in the takeaway box, and started to scoop eggs into his mouth. 

About five bites in, he paused, swallowing and glancing back at Pip.

“Er — sorry, didn’t mean to be rude. Just —” His stomach growled. “-- hungry…” 

@exsqueak-me

An Apple A Day || Hip

[thegcldenguard]

Compared the the birds on the Boiling Isles, the birds on the mainland were… simpler.

Of course, that wasn’t universally true. Hunter knew that there were large flightless birds, like the emu and the cassowary. There were peacocks and macaws and umbrella birds and birds of paradise and kiwis and kookaburas.

But there were also sparrows and pigeons and all the unassuming birds he’d come to know and love.

They didn’t have bright feathers or sharp beaks. They couldn’t breath fire or rip tears through time and space. But still, they 

The waxwing was one of these birds. A bit more colorful than your average sparrow or chickadee, but still, just a little bird in a big forest.

And Hunter loved it. He loved to see Willow smile as she looked at it and he smiled too at her comparison.

“They’re in this area for the winter,” Hunter explained. “They live more north in the summer. Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.” 

@halfawitch-willow

Birthdays, Birds, and Brooms ❁ Huntlow