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It was an ordinary day in the Owl House, if by ordinary, one meant Luz accidentally opening a portal to another dimension. While the portal itself had been closed with relative ease, the things it brought into the Boiling Isles would not disappear so easily.
And so, "Let us know if you see anything weird," was the instruction Luz left Hooty as she left with Eda to assess the damage.
"Weird for the Boiling Isles, anyway," Eda added, a necessary addition when one dealt with Hooty's particular way of interpreting instructions.
"Will do!" Hooty exclaimed as he bowed after them as best he could being entirely tube.
Several long, long hours passed before anything interesting happened. Hooty resorted to chatting with a beetle he intended to eat to pass the time. (Though, let's be honest, he would have done that anyway). Hooty was mid-sentence describing his day to the beetle when he looked up and happened to catch sight of another owl demon. It was green, and its eyes seemed to sparkle with the threat of violence.
Hooty had several options here.
Option one: Hooty makes a new owl demon friend.
Option two: Hooty plays with the other demon until Eda and Luz return.
Option three: Hooty leaves it alone.
"Can you point me in the direction of the people who live here? I'm offering my help-" the other demon never got to finish their sentence.
Hooty heard them. He didn't want to hear anything else the demon had to say. Offering their help? Yeah right! Is this owl thought it could replace Hooty as the Guardian of the Owl House, it had another thing coming.
Hooty screeched and extended his neck, aiming to swallow the other demon. It dodged, and pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere.
The battle between the demons lasted a long time, with both parties getting a little banged up. Hooty had gotten scratched across his face, and several smaller scratches along his neck (tube?). The other bird had been slammed into every solid surface nearby, and Hooty had nearly gotten away with swallowing it.
A shame Hooty wouldn't be able to see the bruises that were sure to form under all those green feathers.
"I am the only Guardian of the Owl House, hoot hoot," Hooty hooted triumphantly once there was a pause in the fighting.
"That's what this is about? I was gonna ask if they needed help learning Spanish,"
"Oh," Hooty said.
"Yeah! I'm going o leave now. No use talking to a simpleton like you," the Green Owl said. Then he flew away, quickly rising above the treeline and out of sight.
Hooty was going to follow and explain that he wasn't a simpleton, but Eda and Luz came back.
"Oh my gosh, Hooty what happened?" Luz asked.
A good guardian would reveal the other demon, and Hooty prided himself on being a good guardian. Yet when he opened his mouth, what came out was, "I had a minor territory problem."
If asked, Hooty wouldn't be able to explain what made him keep the other demon a secret. But the feeling of having a secret as big as this was almost as thrilling as the green demon itself.
Nobody would ever ask, because Luz and Eda believed him. They went back to whatever they were doing without much prompting.
Hooty didn't see the green owl again for a while, but he couldn't keep them out of his head. Whenever he was left alone, his thoughts would drift back to the fight they had shared, and what might've happened if he hadn't misunderstood the green demon's intentions so drastically.
When Hooty finally met the other demon again, it was somewhere unexpected. He had heard shouting in the distance and, naturally, came the check it out. When he found the source of the screaming, it was the green owl and a blond kid. A strand of the kid's hair hung in his face.
"Hey," Hooty yelled.
The owl turned around. It was holding a knife.
"What are you doing?" Hooty asked.
"His uncle didn't complete his Spanish lesson. I've kidnapped him as extra incentive," the owl explained.
Hooty took a moment to admire the ruthlessness of the green demon.
"Uncle Belos isn't going to trade me for a Spanish lesson," the kid said.
Belos. That name was important. He kept sending soldiers after Luz and Eda.
Then Hooty remembered the other owl's comment about him being an simpleton.
"Well, you can't have a hostage in my territory. He's my hostage now. Hoot hoot," Hooty said.
Then Hooty swallowed the kid whole.
"Bye, other owl demon," Hooty said.
"My name is Duolingo!" The green owl screeched back, though he didn't make any attempts to reclaim his hostage.
Hooty went home.
Eda was cooking dinner while Luz and King had a bread pun competition. Hooty came in through a window.
"Guess what I swallowed," he announced.
Eda gave him a look that signified disgust. Hooty ignored her in favor of regurgitating the kid. He came up in a puddle of slime.
"Hunter?" Luz gasped.
"Hooty you keep finding new ways to creep me out," Eda announced.
Hooty went back through the window, and settled at his place on the door. From somewhere inside, King commented on that being odd behavior for him.
If someone were to ask Hooty about it (which they wouldn't), he would definitely be able to say that it was because he wasn't ready to let them know about Duolingo.
"Hello," Duolingo said, raising a wing as he emerged from the trees.
"What do you want, hoot hoot?" Hooty asked.
"Instead of coming himself, Belos sent a few others after his nephew. I want your help kidnapping him," Duolingo said.
"You want my help?" Hooty asked.
Nobody had ever asked him to help them with something important before.
"Yeah. Are you capable of leaving that door?" Duolingo asked.
Hooty bobbed his head (body?). Then he ripped himself out of the door, leaving a ring of worms behind.
Hooty squeezed himself into a backpack.
"Porta-Hooty reporting for duty," Hooty cheered.
Duolingo accepted this fairly easily, and put on the backpack.
"Hooty what's going on?" Eda asked, and moments later her face became visible through the ring of worms.
"I'm going on an important mission, hoot hoot," Hooty informed her.
"You can't just-" Eda said.
"Don't worry, miss. He'll be back by tomorrow," Duolingo informed her.
Then they flew away.
Duolingo (and Hooty) entered the castle through a side window. Hooty made sure he stayed silent, conscious of how dangerous it was for two owl demons to be sneaking around where there were sure to be guards all over.
When finally they reached the Emperor, Hooty was actually disappointed. He had thought the trip would be more fun.
"Have you practiced your Spanish lately?" Duolingo asked as they entered the Emperor's room.
The emperor jumped, flinching away. Moments later, he collected himself enough to demand they returned Hunter to him.
"Spanish or vanish," Duolingo countered.
"You can't take me away from here. They'll see you long before you make it out," the Emperor growled.
"That's where I come in, hoot hoot," Hooty said, lunging for the Emperor, who wasn't quick enough to evade.
He swallowed him, and burped.
"Tastes like chicken," Hooty observed.
Duolingo smacked his face with his wing, and they left.
When Hooty barfed up Belos, he was unconscious. Duolingo tied him up while Hooty boiled tea. Once the tea was ready, Hooty coiled around the clearing, and Duolingo leaned Belos against him.
Hooty set up three teacups for them, while Duo came and sat on his neck/back/tube. Emperor Belos opened his eyes.
"Release me," he demanded.
"You should have done your Spanish lesson. Now it's too late," Duo said.
"I always love the beginning of our playdates, but I must admit this part is my favorite," Hooty said before picking up his teapot and pouring tea into the Emperor's cup.
He didn't stop when it got full. The cup overflowed and the tea just kept pouring. Belos was begging them to please just release him, he would do his Spanish lesson.
When the tea touched him, he screamed. Then he melted, turning into a skull and a puddle of green goop.
Duolingo and Hooty just stared at it fir a while. Then Hooty turned to face Duolingo. They stared at each other for a long moment, before slowly leaning forward.
Their beaks met in the closest thing they could get to a kiss. Then they started practically devouring each other's mouths.
"I'm going to teach you Spanish after this," Duolingo groaned.
"My love for you is as infinite as my neck," Hooty said as a reply.