A Curse Unbroken

The creative spirit has returned to Hunter. And it is a great feeling to be creating artwork again.

Mostly it is pottery that is speaking to him. His hands working the clay, forming something out of nothing. Letting himself get covered with the wetness of the clay, letting it dry on his skin. Letting the wheel spin under his hands. Letting the clay speak to him.

And when it is not the pottery studio that calls to him, it is the jewelry... making new pieces that are inspired by the Seven Sisters. A series inspired after each woman. The bold and passionate series that are inspired by Caleno. The quiet and timed series inspired by Taygete. The supportive and nurturing series inspired by Maia. The mysterious and seductive series inspired by Merope. And others...

Some jewelry pieces becoming united with pottery pieces. Necklaces. Earrings. Combining both of his passions into awe-inspiring pieces that will be available at his marketplace table.

It is a transition for Hunter. He cut his ties to New York, so he doesn't have the Foundation or the Art Studio there to worry about. And truthfully it is a little freeing. A weight off his shoulders.

And it gives him time to create again. It gives him time to study a little bit about Starfleet. To learn about a history that is ahead of his own time period. And even there is no possibility for Hunter to integrate with Jim's world... he is enjoying learning about Starfleet itself.

He still spends every night with Jim, sleeping in his boyfriend's quarters. And yes the bed might be tight for the two of them, but it is nice to cuddle with Jim every night. The closeness is nice. Being able to spend that time with Jim is very nice.

Hunter feels that he is right where he needs to be. He has his tattoos and piercings back. And the tattoo that he got on his arm -- which he got for real when the magic was taken from him -- has some new aspects to it. A little silver of gold weaved through the roots. A reminder of how he was broken... but repaired.

Hunter knew that he was still running away from some of his problems. And that weighed heavily on his mind, as he picked up his camping supplies and left the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and biked up to the edge of Lake Superior to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The coastal features of the national park was very peaceful to Hunter. And he felt almost like he could find answers, amidst the towering sandstone cliffs.

He hiked up to a camping spot, located at the top of one of the towering sandstone cliffs, that overlooked the mighty Lake Superior. It was quite quiet at the campsite, perfect for Hunter to take time for himself.

Tonight, as he sat by a campfire, and Zunar curled up in his lap, Hunter thought about the Foundation.

It had been three months since he had any involvement with the Foundation. And part of him was glad that the Foundation board was strong enough to handle business without their 'CEO' being around. Before Hunter had left for his camping trip, he had received correspondence that the board wanted to discontinue the CEO title completely, and take the opportunity to expand to other parts of the states. It was an opportunity for the Foundation to help so many others.

And while Hunter was happy that the Foundation was strong enough to flourish and grow... a little part of him was a little sad that the board didn't need him anymore.

He never intended to want recognition for his efforts of establishing the Foundation, but at the same time now that he was being asked to leave... he had wanted to be recognized for his time and dedication that he put into the Foundation when no one else believed in it.

Hunter knew it was time to let go of his CEO responsibilities. And when he got back to New York, he would contact the Foundation legal team to make the necessary arrangements.

Zunar suddenly lifted his head from Hunter's lap. And growled lowly. Hunter felt a pain in his left arm, where his real tattoo was. He gasped in pain, as the tattoo came alive for a moment, moving up the rest of his arm. And then he heard her voice again. Karlene's. "Find me. Find me."

Hunter collapsed off his chair, clutching at his chest as the pain carried over to his body. Zunar was at full defensive mode now, hissing and growling at the air, standing between where Hunter had fallen to the ground, and an invisible magical force. The voice came again, "Find me. Find me."

"Fuck off..." Hunter growled to the unseen voice. He refused to be pulled into the witch's drama again. To come to her rescue, only to be hurt again.

Zunar growled low, his fur raising in his own anger. And he yowled, creating a Protego shield spell around both Hunter and the kneazle. And that stopped everything. The pain went away. The tattoo returned to normal. And Hunter no longer heard the voice of Karlene.

Hunter moved into a seated position on the ground. Zunar climbed into the man's lap, watchful, but calming down now that the strange magical energy was gone. Hunter took several deep breaths.

It was the first time that his magic came back, since leaving New York. The pull had been strong, but Hunter was not ready to find out why Karlene needed him again. He was not ready to put himself in danger again. And he didn't feel any guilt over his decision not to follow the voice this time. It felt that he was finally standing up for himself. And it felt good.

In the garden of my life — you stand out amongst the flowers.

Hunter felt a lot more collected when he woke up the two days after his panic attack. He had stayed in the tent for a full day, just taking time for himself. And was comforted throughout the time by the presence of the Kneazle, who was constantly at his side. He chuckled a little when he awoke today, running his fingers through Zunar's fur.

He did not spend a lot of time reflecting on what had happened the night before right away. Instead, he packed up his belongings. Purchased a motorcycle bike carrier for Zunar to ride in. And then headed off four hours to Indiana Dunes, the next step on his National Parks tour.

He booked a tent spot at the Sand Creek Campground. And spent the day exploring the beaches, with the Kneazle at his side. It was a perfect time for him to collect his thoughts, now that he was no longer as emotional as before.

He carried the alien flower in his hands as he walked along one of the beaches, his fingers tracing the petals of the gift sent to him by Jim. Zunar was exploring tall grass nearby, trying to track a cricket that he had spotted. The Kneazle was a bundle of energy with all the new smells and sights around him. But also made sure that he stayed within sight of Hunter the whole walk.

It was nearing night time, and the stars were coming up. Luckily, Hunter had reached his campsite and was able to start a fire, before he lost too much daylight.

He leaned back in one of the beach chairs located by the fire pit, watching the flames dance into the night sky. An ember rising up into the darkness, bringing Hunter's eyes to the stars. His thoughts went to Jim.

Immediately, Zunar jumped up and settled in Hunter's lap, as if the Kneazle knew who was on Hunter's mind. And as ridiculous as it sounds, it helped for Hunter to talk to the feline.

"I didn't think it would be this hard. Having this distance between us." Zunar looks up at Hunter with his bright eyes. And Hunter can almost picture sharing his fears with Jim himself, and his beautiful bright blue eyes.

"And it would be selfish of me to expect to be the first person on his mind... especially when he is responsible for the lives of 500 others." Hunter draws his hands through Zunar's fur. "I guess... I just want to know that he does think about me. Sometimes."

"Because I can't stop thinking about him. Or missing him."

"And I know that it was only a few months ago when we officially started calling each other boyfriend... but I just can't picture a future without him in my life."

"I should have followed my heart, instead of listening to my fear. I should have proposed to him." Hunter takes a sharp breath admitting it to himself. To Zunar.

His eyes went back up to the stars. "I can't say those words now. Not... not when I am not myself. Fuck Zunar... I don't know what I am going to do. I don't want to lose him."

Zunar had no answers for Hunter. Just more purring and comfort. Hunter just lets the sounds of nature and the crackling of the fire fill the silence. It was one of those question that just didn't have an answer right now. And Hunter knew he had to just accept that.

Hunter was still in the common ward at St. Mungos, despite the fact that he no longer felt like he needed to be there. Madame Pomfey had wanted to watch his first few days of re-growing the bone.

So while he was still in the hospital, a group of his friends had decided to descend upon his apartment, to repair the damage caused by Bellatrix. There were signs that a little cleaning had already been completed by Jim in the last few days. But there were signs of the magical battle all around the place.

His kitchen table was gone, the broken pieces already cleaned away. There was an empty space along the wall, where an entertainment center once belonged. The doors and the windows to the balcony still did not have any glass, but at least the broken glass was gone. The burned artwork was also removed. But there is now a large empty spot along the wall, where a large portrait once was displayed.

There was a lot of work ahead of them. But they had a good crowd of people to get it done.

The evening on which Schön and Hunter had agreed upon a TV marathon to watch 'Twilight Zone' episodes had come very quickly, even though it had been a couple of days since the Spring Fair and the last time they had spoken.

Hunter had a lot of artwork to keep himself occupied in the time between the two events. There were a couple of sketches in his notepad from the evening of the Spring Fair that he had wanted to get on canvas. Some are watercolors. Some are color pencils. Some are using the rose petals, soaked in paint. In all aspects, he had been busy.

During the day, before Schön would arrive at the apartment, Hunter had been quite busy finishing a charcoal piece depicting an elderly couple sharing an intimate, and touching moment. He wrapped that up right before he was expecting Schön, so had to jump in the bathroom quickly to get cleaned and dressed for the evening.

Then he went into the kitchen to bring out the snacks that he had prepared for the evening. There are delights such as cranberry pretzel clusters, brownie batter popcorn, assorted chocolate-dipped fruit (bananas, kiwis and strawberries), and a cheese platter. For a wine choice, Hunter had selected a Wild Vines strawberry white zinfandel.

With everything else in place, Hunter does one more walk-through of his apartment, to make sure everything is prepared for his guest.