Storm's Hand - Owl House Fanfic

Chapter 12. New Pal

It was a special day at Hexside. There would be no classes for the day because the students were about to enter a new chapter in their lives. The students had reached an age where they would get their palismen. Whether they were excited to get a new friend, a pet, or a tool was up to them. The students gathered at Hexside's Grudgby field, standing before a large, nestlike pen. Among those students were Luz, Willow, Gus, Boscha, Viney, Jerbo, and more. But... someone was missing.

"Hey, Willow. Shouldn't Amity be here?"

"Oh, sorry, Luz. I heard she stayed home today."

"Oh. Heh. That... actually makes sense," Luz said, saddened. There were so many things she wanted to tell Amity. But it seemed that today was not her day.

Before she could say anything else, she and her friends heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind. They turned around just in time to see Sturm sliding to an abrupt stop just a few yards away. Sturm had just zoomed over to the school and arranged his hair to ensure it stayed neat while keeping his ears covered.

"Wow. Guess only half of the brigade is here. Did I miss anything?" the red-eyed boy asked, briefly stretching his body.

"No, not really," Gus asked, almost unnerved to see Sturm again after encountering him at the Looking Glass Graveyard.

"Say, Sturm. Uh, is Amity still at the manor?" Luz asked, wanting to know for sure where her newest crush was.

"Might be. I haven't seen her since last night. Why do you care to know?"

"I just...wanna know if she's okay," Luz responded, slightly affected by Sturm's rude question. Sturm just waved her off, smirking.

"Pssh, she's fine. She's probably too embarrassed to show herself with that weird haircut. I'd hide in a hole if I were her. Preferably, in a coffin."

Luz shot a quick glare at him. She always disliked how he spoke about Amity. He sounded so... mean! And his uncaring attitude certainly didn't help. Before Luz could say something in Amity's defense, Eda and Principal Bump stepped beside the enclosure facing the students.

"Good tidings on this momentous day!" Bump started. "You're all about to receive your witches' staffs and, more importantly, meet your palismen. This is a crucial step in your magical development. Palismen are lifelong partners. They can be both your good friends and a powerful tool. In my case..."

Bump then snapped his fingers, and his imp-looking hat opened its eyes, jumped off his head, and turned into a staff, revealing that not only was it a palisman this whole time, but also Bump's body-length black hair and a scar on his right eye, his left one closed. The class gasps in awe.

"Whoa...!/Holy Titan!/Dang, that's luscious."

"...Frewin here, helps me see," Bump finished, giving his palisman an affectionate scratch on the cheek. Eda stepped forward to continue the explanation.

"Now, traditionally, young witches carve their staffs from the branch of an old palistrom tree."

"But sadly, palistrom trees are becoming more rare. And those that remain are guarded covetously," Bump added.

"That's why I've teamed up with Bumpy-poo..."

"Never call me that."

"...to bring you..."

Eda paused for dramatic effect, allowing the Bat Queen to descend from the sky and land on the enclosure's roof.

"Palisman adoption day!" she announced, spreading her wings as the door to the enclosure opened.

Several small palismen of different shapes emerged from it. Some represented small animals while others resembled mythical creatures. But there was one thing each of them shared: they were all adorable. The students were practically gushing over them, especially Luz.