The Little One's Lullaby (Huntress/Child Reader)

Finale - A Mother's Duty

(3rd Person POV)

Unedited.
-

"I'm alive...?"

"She's awake!"

(Y/n) bolts upright and catches Claudette's eyes. "Hey! Does anywhere hurt?" Claudette asks.

"Uhm..."

"(Y/n)!" A different voice shouts.

"Meg?" She mutters in disbelief, yelping as Meg drags her into a bone-crushing hug.

"I thought we'd never see you again." Meg cries, tightening her grip on her. "We searched for you every time we were faced with Huntress again but no matter where we looked, you just weren't there."

(Y/n) slowly nods, her eyes scanning the entire camp. "Where's everyone else?"

"I'll go get them! I promise you; we're never going to let anything- or one, take you away again." She said with confidence, holding the girl at arm's length. "Okay?"

(Y/n) glanced to the side, then back up at Meg, nodding. "Okay..."

Meg stood and walked over to a campfire. (Y/n) looked up at Claudette, her eyes catching a familiar shape sitting beside Claudette's leg.

"Hey!" (Y/n) exclaimed, swiftly crawling over to the mask and holding it against her chest before Claudette could react.

"(Y/n)?!" Claudette placed a hand over her lower back.

"No! It's mine!" (Y/n) shouted back, scrambling away from Claudette's touch. "You can't have it!" She cried out, squeezing the mask tighter to her body.

Claudette raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Calm down, no one's going to take the mask from you, alright?"

(Y/n) eyed Claudette suspiciously before nodding but keeping her distance. Claudette opened her mouth but was cut off by a different voice.

"(Y/n)!" Dwight shouted, Nea, Jake, and Meg not far behind.

Dwight brought her into his arms, lifting her from the ground and spinning happily. "I'm so glad you're back, we were all so worried."

"Stop smothering the poor kid." Jake huffed.

"You say that like you weren't the most worried out of us all." Nea teases with a raised brow.

"I will throw your beanie in the nearest tree."

(Y/n) chuckled at the familiar back-and-forth, her smile fading slightly as time passed--the group taking turns with hugs and catching her up.

"I've been meaning to ask--" Jake begins, all eyes falling on him. "--How'd you manage to swipe Huntress's mask? She wears that thing practically all the time, right?"

(Y/n) looks down at the mask in her lap, finger tracing one of the scratches in it. "I accidentally knocked it over..." She mumbled. "I need to give it back."

The group looked at each other in confusion, Nea leaning in slightly. "What do you mean? Whatever happened for you to have lived for so long?"

"Uh..." (Y/n) looked down at the mask again, frowning. She bit her lip, a wave of sadness washing over her the longer she stared at it. "She..." Her lip quivered and her eyes began to sting.

She sniffled and squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears escaping as she attempted to blink them away. Her body curled in on itself, her knees rising to her chin. "..----" She mumbled.

They looked between one another in worry and confusion. "(Y/n)?" Meg spoke up.

"It was because of Mama..." She repeated fully, tears pricking the edges of her eyes.