It's a Long Way To Dearest Gravesfield

Chapter 1: The Boiling Isles

Author's Note:  This story takes place immediately following "Thanks to Them" and is cannon compliant at the time of writing (prior to the official release of "For the Future").

It's a long way to dearest Gravesfield
It's a long way from home.
It's a long way to dearest Gravesfield
To the sweetest home I know.
Goodbye, Noceda household,
Farewell old cabin!
It's a long long way to dearest Gravesfield,
But my heart's right there.

The first thing Hunter does when he steps back into the Boiling Isles is to find a tree to lean against, his exhaustion and grief hitting him harder than he wants. He cups his hand close to his chest and looks at the empty place where Flapjack should be.

"I'm so sorry, Flap...but thank you."

Amity steps through after a few moments and walks over to him, "Hey," she says, placing a hand on his shoulder, "What do you need"

"The one thing nobody can bring back," he whispers.

"Can I give you a hug?"

He nods and she wraps her arms around him, "Thanks." He feels a wave of fresh tears creeping forth and tries to fight it off, turning his face away from Amity so she can't see it.

Willow and Gus join them, "Hunter?" Willow asks, "Are you crying?"

"No...no, I'm fine," he says, clearly not holding his composure.

"Yeah, I'm going to call you out on that," Gus says, "Come on, let us help. We're family."

Hunter slowly turns back to them, his hand still cupped to hold his missing small friend, "I miss him so much," he says before dissolving into silent sobs.

Willow gathers him in her arms, "It's OK to cry. If somebody taught you not to, I'll smack 'em with a stick."

"I'll join her in the stick-smacking," Gus adds as he and Amity join Willow in embracing Hunter.

When Luz and Camila come through, Hunter has dropped to his knees, his friends still enveloping him.

Camila sits down beside them and reaches through to rest her hand on Hunter's back, "Let it out. We've got you."

Luz joins the hug, "I hate to tell you we need to get moving, but the skies are pretty overcast. We need shelter in case it starts raining."

Hunter nods and fights down the sobs, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. His tears keep flowing and he frustratedly tries again.

Willow tugs a handkerchief from her pocket and wipes his cheeks, "A little better?"

He nods, "Yeah. Thanks." He takes a deep, shuddering breath, "So...shelter. Let's look around, see how close we are to town."

As they step back to give him a little space, Luz turns to her mother, "So...what do you think?" she asks as she activates a light glyph so she can see.

Camila looks around, "It's not so different...at least not yet," she says, taking in the forest around her, "Trees are trees, it seems, wherever you are."

"So...where to next?" Luz asks. "How far are we from where we want to be?"

"Where do we want to be?" Amity asks.

"Home," Willow replies, "I want to know if my dads are alright."

Gus nods, "Yeah. We don't know what happened after the Collector...or if everyone made it."

"What if they didn't?" Amity asks.

"Let's not think like that," Camila answers. "We can't assume the worst before we even get to Bonesborough. If you do that, you'll only feel worse as we walk."

"Where even are we?" Gus asks.

Hunter looks around, "I think I know. But one of you should fly up to check which direction the head's in. It should be that way," he says, pointing to his left.

Amity hops on her staff and whisks herself skyward, "It feels so good to do this again!" she squeals, giggling as she soars upward. When she lands, she nods to Hunter, "you were right, and I can see Bonesborough. Let's get moving. The sky's not looking any better."

"The rain boils, didn't you say?" Camila asks.

"Yeah," Luz replies, "And I'm not making that mistake again."

At that, the five friends and Camila head through the woods toward town.

***

When they arrive in Bonesborough, the village seems too quiet. There is refuse in the street, some of the buildings look as though they've been abandoned, and a few shops have been razed. They look for something or someone familiar.

"What happened here?" Amity wonders, peering into a charred storefront, "How did it get like this? We weren't gone very long."

Camila shrugs, "A lot can change quickly when something dramatic happens. The draining spell might have made people think twice about their entire society. Who is in charge, if Belos isn't?"

Worried, Gus starts to hurry down the street, "I've got to find my dad."

Willow nods, "Me too."

"I don't think we should separate," Camila says,. "We don't know who is enforcing what laws or if there's a curfew. It might be better if you stick together and then if anything happens, at least you're with an adult."

Willow reluctantly agrees; they hurry down the street to Gus' house. The building looks untouched. He knocks, but no one answers. He pushes on the door and finds it is locked.

"Give me a minute," he says, "I know a way in." He goes around the back of the house and a few minutes later, unlocks the front door from the inside, "It doesn't look like anything bad happened. There's even dishes in the sink and it looks like they're from today. Maybe they're just out. We can come back later." He locks the door behind him, "Let's go to Willow's next."

When the friends reach her home, she knocks and also doesn't hear an answer, "I can sneak in, too. I'll be back." They watch her go around the back of the house and hear rustling in the tree branches as she heads to the second floor. She thuds to the floor and and calls out, "I'm OK!" Before they hear her shouting her dads' names.

When she comes out the front door, Gus asks, "Any luck?"

"No, but it looks like they're coming back. The coffee pot is still on."

"I hope nothing happened to them today or something..." Gus says.

Amity takes Willow's hand, "Let's go up to Hexside. There's got to be someone there. It's late, but it was kinda a heart of the resistance for the kids."

"Or we could go to HQ," Luz says, "you know, for the C.A.T.s."

"Let's try the school," Camila says, "didn't you say it was a lot closer to the town than headquarters?"

Hunter nods, "Let's get moving, then. Something feels wrong out here."

Willow shuts the door and makes sure it's locked before stepping back into the group of friends, her face still crossed with concern. Camila gives her a hug and they walk away from her home.