Well thanks to ribbons-halos latest AU which I’m currently loving the heck out of, I’ve thought about them a lot! I’d never considered Sombra as a witch, tbh, at least not the typical spoopy Halloween type.
Though after your ask, I was thinking about it for a bit (while stuck on a delayed train for like an hour) and about Mcsombra in general. It’s not headcanons but kinda like a story outline??? sorry if it’s long…just rambling here b/c I really like the idea ❤
I imagined Monster Hunter McCree afflicted with the curse of the werewolf and desperately traveling the world in search for a cure. He goes through so much pain and agony with each transformation. He wakes up the morning after each one in deep dread and confusion, wondering if this time will be the time he’s slaughtered innocents in his mindless, bloodthirsty nocturnal rampage.
His travels eventually lead him to Mexico, where a few locals point him out toward the tropical forests where an isolated witch lives. They don’t seem afraid when they speak of her but are respectfully distant. He finds her, a woman dressed strangely in elaborate patterns. She seems all too focused on her work but tells him to stop in his tracks just the same, without looking up from her task. She invites him near the doorway of her small home, not allowing him to walk in any further.
McCree’s confused by her odd customs but knows better than to question the authenticity of ‘superstition’.
He doesn’t know why, but he feels compelled to tell her everything. Out of all the helps he’s sought, this woman seems so detached and concerned with her own work that honesty seems to be best route. As he regales his story, he watches her inspect the bowl of perfect-looking apples that sit near the doorway with an arched brow, only entering when she finally deems him genuine company.
She tells him that his curse is from another land and perhaps the cure would be best sought from those same lands. He says he’s tried but each witch he’s encountered seemed too eager to help, as if they wanted something in return, despite claiming they could completely cure him. The gnarled, dark forests where he received his curse don’t feel as open and ancient as the bright, humid woods the witch lives. She tells him all corners of the earth are ancient, but some have been more tainted than others.
I imagine that she agrees to help him, only because she feels the turmoil inside of the man and knows he has no ill intention for her. She spends time teaching him about nagual and that the beast within is finely attuned to his spirit, but his anxiety and fear cause the darker aspects to overcome him, thus the painful transformations into a monster.
McCree spends the next few months with the witch, who insists on being called ‘Sombra’, and learns many new things. Herbs that will help with the pain, remedies that help soothe him when he has night terrors of the day he was cursed and the haunting visions he gets of mauling innocent people. She sends him out into the woods for his monthly transformations, telling him that there will be pain, but it is something he must endure – for now, she says, it is vital that he run, even if he’s unaware of where he’s going.
He doesn’t see why he should at first, but she sends him out into the forest to walk alone, days at a time, just to think. He questions her sanity and the usefulness of her ‘help’ until he notes the intrusive, violent thoughts slowly ebb into calm. At one point, he spots a lone wolf, standing on top of a rock formation. The sight and even mention of the animal used to be enough to send him into panic attacks. He thinks it still does, almost feeling the prickling of one beginning until he remembers everything Sombra’s taught him. The two stare at one another before it runs off, leaving McCree with an odd sense of peace.
When he returns, he finds Sombra standing at the edge of the woods with a small grin, arms folded over. “It seems you’ve learned something.”
He’s always found her a bit cheeky but he can’t help but notice that it’s just another thing that he finds himself attracted to about her. He feels more like himself than he has in ages, happy that he can now properly appreciate the beauty of her iris colored eyes, the shadowy darkness of her hair, and the rich brown of her skin. But more so, he’s grown to appreciate her company, her quirks, and dry humor. In turn, in their time together, Sombra’s respect for him has grown, seeing as he’s a foreign man who despite a few confused glances here and there, has accepted her help without stabbing her in the back afterward. He’s far more honest than most people’s she encountered.
Sombra lets him know that the curse is something incurable and she’s been secretly relieved that he never accepted the help of those who promised him as such, as in their relief, would have probably left scars even more incurable than the beast that burdens him. He will still be a monster but the locals will see him as the monster that simply is rather than the one they need fear. When he tells her that it doesn’t feel as much of a burden anymore, she smiles.
“Be free, McCree.”
His coming transformation isn’t so scary. They are still not by his choice but he does not fight it. He lets the process happen and walks the forests, unaware of the barn owl that flies above the tree line in his shadow, watching over him as he wanders in his beast form, this time part of the world rather than stumbling through it.
In the morning, she finds him and hands him a red serape to cover himself. As they head back to her home, she tells him that he’s free to leave at any time. Even though his transformations will still occur, being at peace with the wolf within will keep the darker effects at bay, so long as he heeds her teachings. He agrees, knowing he can’t stay forever and it’s about time he gets back to his regular life. He chuckles aloud and when she asks him what he’s laughing about, he tells her that in his time spent as lone wolf (ironically), he’s never appreciated the company of others. He feels saddened at the thought of leaving but confesses that he holds their friendship dearly.
Perhaps it is only friendship and nothing more but there is an understanding of his sentiments in Sombra’s eyes when he says this. The day he finally leaves, he seems hesitant but they part with an embrace. “You’ll always have a home here, Jesse.”
Shedding the cumbersome, intricate, and dark attire he once donned, he now leaves with a flap of his serape and tip of his wide brimmed hat. He knows he’ll return someday, and the goodbye suddenly isn’t so unbearable. At nights, he can now walk with the moon, instead of running from it, and in the day, she’s with him, in the long shadows that step in time with his strides.
~My Tumblr Back-Up And Stuffs~ 