The Owl House Oneshot Collection

Give Him Back

Word Count: 5,661

Originally Finished: 06/26/2023

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death

Characters: Philip Wittebane, Caleb Wittebane, Evelyn Clawthorne, Flapjack

Relationships: Caleb Wittebane & Philip Wittebane, Evelyn Clawthorne/Caleb Wittebane, Caleb Wittebane & Flapjack

Other Tags: Pre-Canon, Heavy Angst, Murder, Fratricide, 

Summary: After spending so long alone and searching for his brother, praying he's still alive, Philip eventually finds him. But Caleb's not just alive, he's alive and thriving. Without Philip.

Philip staggered through the woods. He could feel the curse pumping through his veins. His skin felt like it was boiling. He clutched his right arm, trying to maintain his human appearance for just a bit longer as the rot and decay of the awful wild magic spread through his body. He needed magic, one of those little magical animals. That would work wonders. If he was going to get to the Collector, he needed to look sympathetic enough to get someone as a sacrifice to the beast, and looking like a monster wouldn't do the trick.

In the distance he saw the smoke of a fire rising up from the backyard of a large estate. Philip went down the hill he stood on, out of the trees, and approached the back gate, an archway with intricate patterns along the keystone holding a black fenced gateway. He got closer and was able to see clearly the residents of the home. There were multiple witches, all with fiery orange hair, skin so pale it was almost ivory, and pointy ears that were longer than most witches. None of them looked younger than 25, the oldest looking like they must be in their 60s. It was clearly a family gathering. One of the witches grabbed Philip's attention with their purposefully tattered clothes, shoulder length orange hair, and face that just felt familiar for some strange reason. Philip continued to stare, almost jealous of the fact that these witches were enjoying an outdoor family gathering, using evil spells to dispel the true cold weather while he stood freezing, ankle deep in day-old snow.

Just as he was about to try calling out to the witches to grab their attention, gain their pity, and try to snag their palismen, he heard the sound of a door and all the witches looking out to the house excitedly. Philip tried to get a better view but couldn't see who they were looking at. As he tried to get closer to the gate, he found it was actually unlocked and the gate swung open, making him fall on his face. Even though he was face-down in dirt, he could feel all the attention go to him.

"Who is that?"

"A burglar?"

"No, they look much too weak to be a burglar. A beggar perhaps?"

"Their ears. They're round. Did anyone accidentally abandon a human they brought through?"

Philip was filled with hate and anger as he felt those insufferable witches mocking him. He started to push himself up when he heard a familiar voice.

"Wait, a human?"

Philip got up to his hands and knees as the being approached him. He looked up and locked eyes with the man he had been searching for for so long. His pale blond hair was pulled shorter than he remembered, but that annoying hair noodle was as present as ever. He looked well fed, had clear skin, and was completely clean-shaven. His clothes were new and clean, looking tailor made. He looked perfect.

"Philip?" Caleb asked him, eyes widening with joy.

The curse started to calm down, though it was still present and waiting.