(safe vore: giant!philza, tiny!technoblade + tiny!sneegsnag)
The whole story was about ~8k words, but I shortened it to 800 words to show the main events. So consider this as a short version of this au :D
TW: safe vore, willing vore (kinda), unwilling vore, swearing, mention digestation, fear of being digested.
Notes: I read somewhere that in an old version of English, there was a word 'hap', like 'to hap on smb.', which meant 'to accidentally meet someone'. And when I was thinking of an abbreviation or a short tag for my au, the name HAP AU sounded funny in my head. Because it fits this story. And now you'll find out why.
So let's get started!
The world is built at the level of the Middle Ages. Techno is an aspiring healer and renowned herbalist. He earned money by selling hand-made herbal medicines. Practicing both traditional medicine and techniques he had read in foreign books. Which were quite expensive.
So most of his earnings were spent on research and new books. And overall he was satisfied with his life, but he wouldn't mind some extra money. Because he was getting tired of dealing with visitors. And he just wants to do his own things alone.
One of the sleepless nights, his old friend ā a professional thief and rascal, Sneegsnag, comes to his doorstep. Who offers him quick money, namely to find an ancient artifact. Thanks to the Sneegās persuasion and the temptation of quick money, Techno reluctantly agrees.
They faced difficulties and dangers inside an ancient tomb, where a reward awaited them. Eventually, they had to split up in order to escape alive. Techno 'got lucky' and escaped with the artifact in his hands, but he stumbled (kinda cartoon movement but still funny).
And Techno watched in horror as the artifact fell into the mouth of the damn sleeping naga man! The naga instinctively swallowed it and continued sleeping!
Techno was on the verge of turning around and going home, but after some hesitation, he still descended into the ravine where the naga slept.
And how surprised Philza was. Of course, humans woke him up by sneaking attacks while he was trying to bask in the sun or sleep. But this man was poking him in the belly with a stick. What the fuck?
Phil lifted Techno by his clothes, leaving him dangling helplessly in mid-air. "Ha-ha, hello...Um- funny story! And if you don't kill me, I'm willing to tell you about it." And Phil was curious, but when Techno got to the part about the artifact, the naga told him frankly that the human would have to take it by himself. Because of how small it was compared to the naga.
Of course, Techno wasn't happy and tried to find out if the naga was lying.
Philza simply said, "If I wanted to eat you, I'd have already. Take it yourself or go home before I change my mind." He has a point, but Techno was still scared. Because this was a BIG deal after all. His life was potentially in danger.
Despite Philza's words, Techno decides to protect himself and do something nice for the naga to reduce the chance of being digested even further. They talk a bit more, and Phil admits he can't get rid of the swords in his stomach. Techno agrees to safely retrieve them so they don't further traumatize the naga from within.
So, after a few humiliating screams and new trauma, Techno finally reaches the stomach. He finds what he was looking for and does what he promised the naga.
Phil says he feels the other human approaching.
And at that moment, something shifts in Techno's mind, and he asks Philza to scare Sneeg. Phil laughs and calls Techno vindictive, but the herbalist doesn't care. He was tired, and after everything he'd gone through today, he couldn't let Sneeg miss out on such an āunforgettableā experience.
For Sneeg, everything is much more traumatic, and he apologizes to Techno in stomach for putting them both in danger. Finally, the herbalist admits it's a prank, and Philza releases them.
Later, Techno visits naga for purely 'medical' purposes, but Phil simply enjoys holding the human in his stomach while he's being 'checked.' After a while, they begin to argue, and Techno insists that he's not just 'someone who can be alive in his stomach,' but a friend.
Since Philza grew up in an unfair, cruel, and wild environment, he has to rethink some things. And Techno has to suppress his fear and hope that he sounds convincing enough to keep their friendship from becoming one-sided.
At some point, Philza realizes that he likes Techno as a person. He listens to all Techno's chatter about herbs and sometimes finds something of interest. And the naga begins to care for the human in his own way.
One day, Techno was so exhausted that he didn't notice Phil sneaking up on him. He screamed as warm breath hit him in the back.
While Techno was complaining, Phil noticed how shitty the human looked. āWhen did you sleep last?ā
Herbalist tried to awkwardly get out of the conversation, but Philza insisted that he needed rest.
So Technoblade ended up trying to sleep in naga's stomach, shutting himself off from all the worries that awaited him. He said, āNow I have an official excuse for missing work.ā
Philza chuckled, āConsider it a day off.ā Naga put his hand on the place where Techno was lying. āHave a good rest, mate.ā
That's all!
Basically, Philza always considered humans as weak creatures when they were alone, but he didn't intentionally hunt them. However, some of them provoke a fight, and then you know their fates :]
I enjoyed writing about the idea that someone could literally trust their own life to a stranger (especially a predator). And Techno taught Philza to notice small details that are also important. Sometimes he regrets that Phil has become so observant and can catch him in a lie more quickly.
Anyway! If I missed a trigger warning or tag, let me know!
Hopefully I'll return to publishing g/t stories soon, but I don't think I'll be publishing about vore often. (ācause it's not that popular, and most of it will remain in drafts)
(A/N: Kind of a sequel to my other fic, ROLL ME A 6 ! :> You don't need to read that though to understand this!)
Borrower Tommy accidentally shifts into a universe where his homebrew DND world is real. He still sucks at being a giant.
WORD COUNT: 1,341 words
WARNINGS: None.
"Tommy opened his eyes and what he saw was unlike anything he's seen beforeā¦"
Tommy listened in anticipation. What could it be? A new friend, a new foe? He looked at his dad, a smug little smile barely hidden by his serious storytelling.
Ā
"And we'll find that out in the next session."
Halfway through his sentence, he and his brothers already knew it was the end of their game for the day. All groaning and complaining about Phil leaving it in such a dumb cliffhanger, Phil only laughed.Ā
It couldn't have been hours already, had it? They barely started! He still had to redeem himself and his character into great glory! "No, come on, let's do one more hourā please, please?" He begged, holding onto one of Phil's fingers like he had all the power to hold him down and force him into another round.Ā
With his other hand, Phil picked up the die and tossed it into the containerā folding up the map before putting it back in the box. Tommy knew it was over, they'd start another session again sooner or later.Ā
But he wanted to do another hour, or maybe two more, now. "Pleasee, I rolled so low every turn, I need to redeem myself!"Ā
"I wish we could continue, mate." Phil smiled, "But I got work tomorrow and it's alreadyā¦" He stared at the clock, making a surprised sound at the 11:48 PM on the wall. Phil cursed under his breath, gently, slowly pulling his hand away from Tommyās hold. "Alright, get to bed you three."Ā
The blond borrower knew there was no convincing Dad anymore. He crossed his arms with a humph, upset with his bad luck during the game. "Cheer up, Toms! I'm sure luck will make you do justice next time." Wilbur consoled, pushing his chair into the table and picking up the box with their fantasy map and die.Ā
āYou are horrible at throwing the die for me,ā Tommy grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his older brother who had offered to throw the dice for him earlier. Wilburās luck when it came to the game was pretty good, yet whenever he tossed the die for Tommy, the luck seemed to plummet- doing worse than when the borrower himself threw the die.Ā
In the corner of his eyes, he could see Wilburās lips press into a thin line. He was stopping himself from being amused at Tommyās anger. āIt really wasnāt on purpose.āĀ
āYeah, I know,ā Tommy replied. Not upset at Wilbur, nor was he upset at the game. He swears he would be able to throw the dice better if he was justā¦ more human-sized.Ā
āYouāll do better next game, Iāll make sure of it,ā Wilbur promises.
Tommy looks at him incredulously, slightly laughing. āWhat, are we gonna cheat or something?ā
In response, Wilbur shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. āDunno, maybe.ā
Holding the game board, he placed his other hand on the desk. A trust exercise that slowly grew into a habit none of them thought was strange anymore, Tommy hopped on the hand and held onto the fingers for support. He used to have to walk from place to place, no matter how far it was because the big man was too stubborn to accept and ask for help. In response, they all worked together to install little stairs everywhere so Tommy would at least be able to reach things without having to heave himself up with a rope and a hook. He almost cried in front of them because of how much he appreciated the gesture.Ā
That night, Tommy lay in his bed, uncharacteristically quiet as he stared at the ceiling. His room looked so much like a human's room- constructed by his family after nearly a year of accidentally revealing himself to them. It wasnāt exactly like him to be upset for the dice throws during the game, it really wasnāt Wilburās fault. On a good day, he throws exceptionally well for Tommyās character too.Ā
But Tommy isnāt upset about the dice, is he?
It was never the dice, never Wilbur, never his family, but him.Ā
If he was truly meant to be their family, then couldnāt the universe make him human? Did he seriously have to be something that was never allowed to mingle with larger beings? It was a written code since the beginning of time that borrowers were never allowed to be with humans. Never share anything, what you are, what your name was. Most importantly, never be seen.Ā
Were they never supposed to be a family then? Did he have to break the borrowerās code just to be a part of something heās not supposed to? Heās not a borrower anymore, he knows that. He barely even follows the code anymore, but heās not human either. Too exposed to be a borrower, too small to be a human.
Then what was he?
Tommy released a loud, exasperated sigh. His calloused hands rubbed over his face. He knows he shouldnāt think about such things, but lately, heās been more aware than ever. He notices how Techno looms over him when they do woodwork together, Wilburās singing voice goes from soothing to too loud, and Phil barely gives him any chores (Maybe he shouldnāt complain about that one, actually).
They donāt mean it, of course, they didnāt. They probably donāt even notice it as well. Something so small and insignificant to them could be so overwhelming for him. He just wants to be bigger, to fit inā¦Ā
He should go to sleep. He'll forget about it tomorrow and everything will continue on like it usually does (until the nagging feeling returns and he feels like he's rotting in bed).
Goodnight, me. Tommy closed his eyes, unable to rid of the heavy weight in his chest.Ā
If Tommy could recall this correctlyā and while he may not have the best memory, he can certainly tell when something is just plain wrongā¦ He fell asleep on his bed, right?
His eyes blurred as he gained consciousness and though he wasn't aware of where he wasā he could sense danger even from a mile away. His shoulders ached, raised high above him. Something was holding his arms upwards. Cold, tight metal gripping his wrists, uncomfortably pressing into his skin. He tried tugging it downwards, but it barely moved.Ā
Instead of lying on a soft, warm bed, it felt like he'd been kneeling for Prime knows how long. His legs felt numb, ringing uncomfortably no matter how much he tried to move. It didn't matter because he was stuck in place.Ā
It was hot. Sweat was dripping from his forehead to his nose and down to either his clothes or the floor (he made a mental note that he wasnāt wearing his pajamas).Ā
He sucked in a deep breath, humid air filling his lungs in a way that didn't calm him down, but just made him panic more.Ā
Tommy's vision began clearing up and despite the little ache in his neck, he decided to look around. The room was dimly lit, weak artificial lighting barely reflecting the big, metal room he resided in.Ā
There were mini stairs and platforms built around him. The platforms in front of him connected through the middle and had a door on each side of the wall. Above the platform in the wall in front of him was glass, he couldn't make out anything inside, it was darker than the room he was in.
The metal room he sat in was quite spacey. The ceiling was quite high but he couldn't stand up even if he attempted toā his ankles were chained as well, shorter in length compared to the ones around his wrist. Tommy struggled against the chains, everything looked so.. small yet so oddly detailed.Ā
Where was he? Who were these stairs for? Were there more beings smaller than a borrower? Prime, how would they even look next to a human?
Cw/Tw: v0re, fear of death, g0reish, injuries, violence, angst, suicidal tendencies if you squint, donāt like donāt read and stay safe<3
Techno found one of the most relaxing things he could do was clean his weapons at dead night. It did good to calm his nerves when he would get overwhelmed by the duties of the guard, however it wasnāt helping that much tonight. He didnāt know why, but he couldnāt help but feel like something was off.
The rhythmic rain that was usually calming was much more erratic and aggressive. Lightning seemed to constantly flash in the pitch black sky. There was no moon tonight.
Maybe that was itā¦The pure darkness of the night. Perhaps Techno was weak to have such a childish fear, but he preferred to be able to see the threats that the night brought.
He let out a displeased grunt before starting to sharpen his sword. Wilbur had only gotten home right before the rain had started, he really didnāt like how risky his brother had been acting lately.
What if his twin had been caught in a flash flood? Or worseā¦
Techno had seen some signs on his patrol ofā¦somethingā¦
He wasnāt sure what something was, but he did know it was big. The only thing that he could conclude was that it wasnāt human. They always left a big mess wherever they went, making it obvious that they were in the area.
This was moreā¦ careful.
Thatās what worried Techno. There werenāt any tracks, it was almost always trees that seemed to receive the most damage, and maybe it was just his paranoia, but he couldnāt help but feel like there were eyes watching him as he did his rounds.
It had to be a predator of some type as well. There had been a decrease in the number of rabbits and squirrels in the area, Techno honestly didnāt have a problem with that. It was population control at best, and there was less competition between the hybrids and the rodents over storable food for the winter.
But at worse, that could mean if it found a hybrid like his brother in the woodsā¦ it probably wouldnāt see him as anything other than a quick snack.
The only animal he could think of that it could possibly be was a mountain lion, but even then he doubted that. They were rare in this region and never stuck around one place for long.
This thing had been around for a while. It frustrated techno to no end that he hasnāt even caught a glimpse of it.
Techno worried for his brother more than anything else. He couldnāt live with himself if Wilbur got hurt when Techno knew there was a threat. Thatās why heās been urging his twin to stay in the village, but it seemed Wilbur had other ideas.
He had no idea what could possibly motivate Wilbur to go into the forest so often. It was strange. He had tried following Wilbur before but the mouse knew him all to well to fall for that. Whenever Techno asked what he was up to it was always an excuse that he was working on his songs or improving on his training that Techno had taught him.
At first Techno had believed him. After all Wilburās stamina and strength had improved a lot over these pass few months, but Wilbur still refuses to even look the guards way when Techno suggested that he finally join.
His brother was hiding something from him. Techno could only hope it wasnāt something too bad. After all this definitely wasnāt the first time that Wilbur had distanced himself from his family.
Techno vaguely remembered the last time Wilbur ran off was for some girl he met. He had told techno she was a salmon hybrid. He had met her by the stream, and apparently had fallen deeply in love with her.
He disappeared into the forest for days at a time, only returning every now and again to keep Phil from sending out a search party for him. It had lasted a couple of months, but eventually Wilbur returned heart broken.
Apparently the girl had a boyfriend, a small detail that she apparently forgot to tell Wilbur about. Then like all salmons do, she left Wilbur and swam upstream. Wilbur had been amusing to her with his songs and lovely gifts, but she eventually grew tired of him and went her own way back to her boyfriend that she had left.
Wilbur had felt completely and utterly used. He had given his all to her and she threw it all away when she grew bored.
After that instance it was hard to even get his brother out of his room. That was a rut in Wilburās life that he hoped his brother would never experience again. But eventually Wilbur came around and his twin was back to his happy carefree self.
He could only hope that his brother wasnāt in a similar situation as before. Techno canāt stand his brother being upset.
Techno let out a hum of approval when he was satisfied with his sword. He stood up from his work bench and stretched. No matter how he tried he couldnāt shake the restless feeling in his bones.
Maybe he just needed some fresh air. He stepped out onto their porch that overlooked the village, carved to perfection with Philās own hands. The leaf roof held strong against the heavy rain, the leaves layered and pulled taut.
Techno gazed upon his home, he breathed in the crisp air deep into his lungs. The rat sat down on the ledge and closed his eyes, trying to at least get a little rest.
Techno was jolted out of his peaceful sit down by a strange sound. He waited a few more moments but the sound seemed to have stopped. He flicked his ear in annoyance and tried once more to relax.
āHELP!ā Techno shot to his feet and got his sword, adrenaline pumping through is veins. Phil shot out of the house by his side in less than a second.
āWhereās that coming from?ā Phil asked, eyes analyzing through the thick rain. Techno squinted at the base of the tree, someone was waving their hands in a frenzy. āThere.ā
Phil spread is wings wide and dived down from the tree. Wilbur rushed out of the house panicked, āWhatās going on?ā
But Techno had already grabbed a vine and slid down the tree before he could answer.
Philza dive bombed down from the tree. The rain beating down on his wings while he navigated towards the desperate pleas for help. Despite the harsh conditions he stuck the landing with practiced ease. It was Jack. The shrew had looked like he had seen death herself. The color almost completely drained out of his face.
Techno dropped down to his side, immediately his son was scanning for threats, leaving him to deal with the panicked shrew.
He laid a hand on his shoulder to give the boy some comfort. āAre you alright Jack? What happened? Is there any danger?ā The bird spoke in a calm and clear manner.
āI-I was out hunting with my party and I got separated with my group a-andā¦āJack got choked up on his words, he gave a pained cough. āI heard a noise, It was a rabbit I thinkā¦ā Phil nodded his head and rubbed the shews shoulder.
āI thought I had found them after a successful hunt, but when I r-rounded the treeā¦ā He gasped for breath before sputtering out.
āPhilā¦ā Jack looked up to him with the upmost dread in his eyes, āIt was a Naga.ā
The Avian felt his heart sink to the depths of the earth. He was suddenly transported back to his old village. Fires raged all around him and giant snakes cackled, their bellies full of his neighbors, his friendsā¦his family.
He was just a child when it happened, he thinks he only survived due to the mercy of lady death. He had barely managed to escape, his flight feathers had barely grown in, without his wings his savior came in the form of a river. He was surrounded by flames on all sides. A great beast blocked his path before him. Itās white scales glowing in the fire light, blocking any chance to escape. It had devoured all that he held dear and he was all that was left. A freezing cold river to his back, deep and violent. He had no other choice but to jump and pray that the river would take him to safety.
He was thrown this way and that, turned around and dunked under over and over again. He found security in a floating log and clung on for his life. His small pitiful wings soaked to the bone.
Once he finally made it to calmer waters he heard the gentle calling of an owl in the distance. A sound that would usually cause fear instead filled him with a reassurance that he would be alright. He had survived.
After he was washed to the shore of the river bank a group of traveling tiny hybrids took him in. They were going to a village, a safe haven for all tiny hybrids to escape the cruel grasp of a world much to large for them.
He became a strong warrior and a skilled leader, it wasnāt long before he was asked to be put in charge after the last elder pasted on. He took his place with pride and joy in his newfound home and made the village what it is today.
Then he found a new family to protect. One that he would not fail ever again.
Phil was brought back to reality by Techno shaking his shoulders. āPhil? You with us?ā Technoās eyes were worried and Philās hands trembled ever so slightly.
He looked to his youngest with eyes that have seen devastation. āGo sound the alarms, prepare the guards for the fight of their lives.ā Phil was more serious than Techno had ever seen him before. He felt a deep pit of fear in his stomach at the look in his fatherās eyes.
Techno signaled to a near by guard tower to sound the alarms. His long pink hair clung to his face in the heavy rain. The light flashed two times and in seconds a loud clang was echoing throughout the village warning them to seek cover and hide. Soldiers rushed to the great tree. Struggling to put on their armor and get their weapons in a short amount of time.
āDad!ā Phil turned around to see his oldest rushing to him. He was surprised to see Wilbur wielding a sword, his hair an utter mess, he even had a chest plate slapped on as if it were a last thought. āWhatās going on?!ā
āWilbur, I need you to go warn the villagers.ā Phil pulled his son along to the emergency supplies station. The healers already handing out the emergency bags to each villager. āI need you to hand out these care packages with the healers. Techno and I are leading the guard.ā Wilbur looked utterly confused as big packs were shoved into his arms.
āDad, whatās happening?ā Wilburās words were panicked, he looked so unsure. Philās instincts only grew to keep Wilbur out of dangers way.
āJack got separated from his party. He finally found what Techno has been trailing for months.ā Philza looked to his son, he could since his boyās growing dread. āHe found a Naga, Wilbur.ā
Wilbur threw the supplies to the ground and grabbed his fatherās wrists. Phil was surprised to find the mouseās dull craws griping into his skin.
āYou canāt go. Please donāt go.ā His son sounded more desperate than he ever heard in his life.
āWe must. We have to protect the village, no matter how dangerous it is.ā Phil softly pet Wilburās head trying to comfort his son, but Wilbur shook off his hand only to grab it in an even tighter grip. Wilbur looked strangely conflicted.
āHe hasnāt hurt anyone. Has he?ā Phil sighed and pulled his son into a hug. āIt hasnāt hurt anyone yet. Jack said he was able to get away unnoticed.ā
Wilbur nodded his head into his fatherās chest. āDonāt worry Wilbur, weāll exterminate it before it can cause any damage.ā
Phil was suddenly thrown back from Wilbur, he was surprised to see a look of utter hatred. A vicious snarl took up his sonās face. āYou canāt go.ā
āWilbur? What are you-ā lighting struck the forest with a vengeance, the force alone shaking the ground. The smell of smoke suddenly filled the air, sending the village into a panic. Phil looked in the distance and saw a building orange glow. Tonight of all nights.
āTechno!ā
His boyās hulking frame was at his side in an instant, leaving the guardsmen fumbling with their armor.
āA fires broken out. I need you to stay here and help evacuate. Get them to the other side of the creek. I go to the Naga alone.ā Techno snorted and crossed his arms, a determined look in his eyes. āNo chance old man. Youāre the one with wings remember?ā
Phil looked to Techno with desperation. āYou and the other avian soldiers, or anyone with wings, need to help carry everyone to safety. Itās the only way to get everyone safely out of the fireās reach in time.ā Techno lifted the giant axe of his shoulder and made his way towards his black and white rabbit Carl. He mounted his trusty steed and looked back to Phil.
āIāll take the rest of the guard to handle our Naga.ā Phil crooned and reached out for Technoās hand. āI donāt want to lose you. Either of my boys.ā Techno closed his eyes and bumped heads with Phil. āI promise you wonāt Phil.ā Then his son snorted once more. āBesides, this monster has never gone up against the Blade before.ā
With that Techno raised his sword and called to his men. They began to march into the direction that Jack had come from. The hunt was on.
Philza watched Techno go. Fear deep in his bones. Heās be by his sonās side soon enough, he just had to get everyone to safety first.
He reached behind him to grab his eldestās hand only to clench at the open air. He whipped his head around. āWilbur?ā
The mouse was nowhere to be seen. The emergency kits were still scattered to the ground. Where on Earth did he go?
āWil?!ā Phil called out, looking around for his sonās familiar form in the crowds. His calls and trills growing more frantic as more smoke filled the air.
Philza groaned in frustration and fear. He turned towards the avian soldiers, already guiding the villagers away from the direction of the fire. Phil shook his wings of the raindrops that collected in his feathers. He spread his wings and joined the men of his own guard.
Wilbur knew the safety protocols well, he probably just went to help gather people when the fire broke out. Phil could only hope that his son was being safe. His son wasnāt a fighter. He was always much better with his words. He could imagine Wilbur now, calming the crowds and giving them clear directions. His son knows to stick clear of danger.
Ranboo shot awake as Tubbo shook him violently, the first thing his panicked mind processed was the village alarm. Their eyes locked onto Tubboās own worried oneās.
āThereās a fire. Itās moving pretty slow, but we still need to get out of here. Theyāre relocating us to the other side of the river.ā Tubbo quickly packed the pairās essentials, he moved quickly and calmly. He grabbed Ranbooās hand and rushed out the door.
But instead of heading towards the river, Ranboo found that Tubbo was pulling him towards the guardās facility. āTubbo, what are we doing here?ā
The bee pulled Ranboo behind a stone wall a peaked over at the scene. The soldiers were frantically strapping on their armor and harnessing their weapons.
However the thing that puzzled Tubbo, was that only the avians and other hybrids with wings were helping those evacuate. The grounded hybrids were marching into the woods.
It gave Tubbo a bad feeling. āYou see that.ā The Bee nudged Ranboo to look towards the guardsmen. āTheyāre preparing for battle. Only half of them are on fire duty.ā
Ranboo looked on in confusion before a scary realization came to mind. āYou donāt thinkā¦ā
āOh, I know.ā Ranboo squeezed Tubboās hand a little tighter, Ranbooās heart skipped a beat as he looked out at the sea of sharp weapons. Tubbo suddenly raised his arm and pointed to a familiar form. āSeems that sorry excuse of a guard over there caught sight of Tommy. It wouldāve been old Manifold.ā
Ranboo couldnāt help but let out a little breath of relief. If it was anyone other than Jack, Tommy mightāve actually been in danger.
āWe need to warn him. If the guard finds him first theyāll never listen to him.ā Tubbo nodded his head, but his eyes were kept firmly held on Jack Manifold. āJack didnāt run from the direction of our normal meetup spot. He was closer to the hunting grounds.ā Tubbo narrowed his eyes in thought.
āThe guard seems to be heading in that direction, but we can beat them if theyāre on foot. Techno may have his Rabbit, but heāll stay behind to lead his men. We can safely travel above and get to Tommy first.ā
Ranboo nodded his head at the plan but then realized one flaw. āHow will we now where Tommy exactly is? I donāt know the hunting grounds well enough to navigate them without some sort of sight aid, and neither of us are exactly trackers like the guard.ā
Tubbo gave a mischievous laugh, his eyes gleaming with delight. āWell my dear Belovedā¦ā Tubbo pulled a long strand of rope out of his bag, a smirk on his face. āThatās where our eyewitness and personal tracker comes in.ā
Ranboo sighed in disappointment. Of course Tubbo would resort to kidnapping first, but at the end of the day this was a life or death situation. Theyād just have to apologize to Jack later, after all Tommy was really the one who was in danger.
He looked up to see Tubbo was already heading in the poor shrews direction. He could only hope Jack would forgive them after all this mess.
Wilbur sprinted through the thick rain, his face stung from the many leaves and branches that whipped his face. He didnāt feel any of it. The only thing that was on his mind was Tommy.
He had to get his little brother out of here. He didnāt want anyone to hurt Tommy, and he didnāt want Tommy to have to hurt someone.
He burst into the clearing calling Tommyās name, but the naga was nowhere to be found. Even with the rain beating down, the smell of smoke was still persistent. Wilburās nerves only increased the longer he saw no signs of the snake.
Frustrated beyond belief Wilbur hit himself in the head over and over. Think think think. If I were Tommy where would I be?
It was hopeless. The snake could be anywhere. He liked to hunt all over, and if he was hunting or here in the clearing he was probably patrolling.
Wilbur curled up with his arms wrapped around his legs. Praying to whatever gods that would listen that they would help him find his baby brother.
All that answered him was an owl calling out in the distance. Wilbur sighed in defeat before another sound reached his ears. It was not the graceful calling of an owl or the mud splattering from the rain. No this was a sound he was much more familiar with.
He took off in their direction, following the familiar cries for help and the angry voice of a certain bee. He stayed hidden in the brush as he observed the strange scene in front of him.
There was Ranboo, with a rather uncharacteristic anger in their eyes, wings crossed and his ears held firmly back. Then there was Tubbo, his hands gripped firmly in Jackās shirt, screaming in the shrews face.
āWHERE IS HE?!ā Tubbo shook him more. āI KNOW YOU SAW HIM! NOW WHERE IS HE?!ā Jack Manifold looked utterly distraught, his arms tied firmly behind his back, completely stripped of all his weapons and perhaps his dignity.
āWhatās wrong with you guys?!ā Jack struggled in his restraints. āLet me go! Please! Are you guys crazy?!ā
āYOU SAID HE WAS RIGHT HERE JACK! AND GUESS WHAT? HEāS NOT! I DONāT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE LIE TO ME JACK!ā All Jack could do was to plead for Tubbo to not sting him.
āPlease! I swear it was right here! Why are you guys doing this?!ā He looked to Ranboo for mercy. āRanboo! This isnāt like you! Tell Tubbo to stop joking around! This is a little extreme for a prank! Itās not safe to be out here with it!ā
Ranboo rolled his eyes and walked forward towering over Jack. Wilbur had never seen this side of Ranboo before. The bat sneered down at Jack, their fangs on full display. āListen Jack, I tried to be civil with you at first. I know that youāre scared but our friend is in serious danger because of you. This isnāt some stupid prank, Now where is he?ā
Wilbur looked at all the hope drain from Jackās face. āY-youāre hypnotized or somethingā¦ Itās made you guys itās dark servants.ā Jack looked like he was about to pass out, Tubbo growled in frustration. āTHATāS IT!ā Tubbo raised his stinger high, Wilbur guessed that was his queue to intervene.
He sprinted out of the foliage, āWait!ā Tubbo and Ranboo whipped around towards him, but their anger was soon replaced withā¦ relief?
āWhat are you guys doing out here? Thereās a fire!ā Jack struggled to crawl towards the mouse. āWilbur! Help me! Theyāve gone insane!ā
Tubbo and Ranboo ran over to meet him. Ranboo grabbed ahold of his shoulders, āHave you seen Tommy?ā
Wilbur was completely taken aback. He began to question the last several months of his life. āYouāve met Tommy?!ā
āAll of us have!ā Tubbo supplied, āThough, I donāt know if we should count Jack or not.ā Wilbur was completely baffled.
āWhy didnāt he tell me, or any of you?!ā Ranboo looked a little guilty at that. āHe told me he didnāt want you to know. He said he wasnāt supposed to be seen by anyone else, that was one of your rules.ā
Wilbur groaned in frustration, of course Tommy would keep it secret. He didnāt want Wilbur to be upset with him. Especially if it happened after the incident.
āWhatever! Thatās not important right now.ā Wilbur looked to Ranboo with Desperation. āI havenāt found him. Heās not in the clearing, I have no idea where else he could be.ā
Tubbo cleared his throat and gestured towards their hostage.āWell he shouldāve been right here, or at least thatās what Manifold said.ā Wilbur turned to Jack who was currently trying to wriggle out of his ropes.
āWas this where you saw him Jack?ā The poor shrew wilted at Wilburās question. āOh noā¦ Not you too Wilburā¦ā
Wilbur huffed and crouched down to where the poor man was writhing. āYes Jack, me tooā¦ā The mouse sighed and helped Jack to his feet. āI know youāre scared Jack. Your instincts are probably going haywire right now . Trust me I know.ā
The mouse looked the shrew firmly in the eyes. āHeās not gonna hurt you.ā
Jack let out a sharp wet laugh. āYeah right!ā Jackās mind flashed to Blood coating sharp teeth, it slowly dripping down itās chin. āGodsā¦ you guys really are under itās control! Itās using you guys to do itās hunting for it!ā
āJack, listen to yourself! Youāre spouting complete nonsense!ā Wilbur pleaded but Jack wouldnāt hear any of it. People who he once thought were his friends lured him away from the village with the lie that someone needed help, now here he is, tied up and being lead to his death.
āYouāre the one thatās talking nonsense! You guys are gonna get us all killed! We need to leave before it comes back!ā Jack cried his voice wavering with anxiety.
Wilbur sighed, Jack was just a lost cause. He turned to Ranboo, the youngerās face coated in worry and stress. Tubbo tried his best to comfort him, but he himself had the shadow of doubt on his face.
Wilbur looked back towards West, the orange glow was growing brighter by the second, even with the ever persistent drops of the rain, but it just wasnāt enough.
āI donāt know what to do.ā Wilbur stated defeated. Tears were brewing in his eyes, Ranboo and Tubbo clung to each other.
Wilbur closed his eyes, trying to conger any kind of hope, the cold rain trailed down his face, but then suddenly it wasnāt. He opened his eyes confused, as the rain was still hitting the ground all around the group.
āWilbur?ā It was quiet and fearful. It was pure relief. It was Tommy.
Everyoneās head bolted upwards. Wilbur cried out in relief as his eyes met familiar glowing red ones. Ranboo and Tubbo cheered, while Jack shrieked in fear, backpedaling away before he tripped backwards on a root and fell hard to the ground.
āWilbur whatās going on? Thereās a fire somewhere and everyone smells so scaredā¦āTommy slowly descended from the tree, eyeing the shrew shaking on the floor with wariness. āAnd what are you guys doing here?!ā Tommyās voice was strained and scared, Ranboo stepped up first to answer, but was cut off by Wilbur.
āItās okay Tommy. I know.ā There was shame in the snakeās eyes, tears started to poor down the boys face, he tried to apologize. āIām sorry Wilbyā¦I-I was gonna tell you, I wasā¦I was just scared youād get mad.ā
Wilbur reached upwards and Tommy took it as his queue to wrap his tail around Wilbur and lift him up, they both tried to ignore the gasp that came from the shrew below. Wilbur squeezed the boyās tail with all his might. āTommy, I canāt ever stay mad at you. I just want you to be safe. I donāt want you to be afraid to tell me things.ā The child nodded his head and then gently pressed it into Wilbur.
Wilbur was suddenly brought back to reality by his own words, he pushed back from the blonde curls and looked his brother in the eyes. āTommy you need to get out of here. The guard is on their way.ā Tommy looked shocked. āWhat?ā
Tubbo suddenly flew to Tommyās face. āYeah, and they wouldnāt be if not for himā¦ā Tommy turned his head down to the trembling form in the mud that Ranboo was currently trying to console. āAlso not to mention the ever growing forest fire.ā Tubbo added on as a afterthought. Tommy couldnāt help but let his eyes wander back to the unknown hybrid. His pitiful struggles catching Tommyās trained eyes.
āIs he okay?ā Tommy gestured towards the hostage on the ground, Ranboo had tried and failed to remove the restraints. Jack grew deathly still as he realized all the attention was on him. It was looking right at him.
He couldnāt even muster up a scream, the noise dying in the back of his throat with any hope of survival. āHeāll be alright. Heās just a big baby.ā Tubbo explained.
Tommy felt guilt eat away at his heart. He sat Wilbur back to the ground and crouched down to their level, Jack tried to scoot away but Ranboo held him firmly in place.
āHelloā¦ā Tommy tried but Jack stayed frozen. āIām sorry if I scared youā¦ā The naga looked to the too tight ropes digging into the shrews arms. āHereā¦let me help.ā
Jack cried out as he was pushed closer to the monster as it reached out for him with itās deadly claws. He squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could, not wanting to accept his fate. But instead of the sharp claws piercing him, he found the tight pressure on his arms were cut away. He fell backwards as Ranboo dropped him back to the ground. āCalm down, youāre fineā¦ā Ranboo huffed out. Above him he was met with a soft smile and kind red eyes. Nothing like he had witnessed mere hours ago.
āThere you go, I bet that feels better.ā The naga said with a sort of kindness that reminded him of Niki. Only she would make sure to ask if he was feeling alright in a stressful situation, and here was this great beast taking her place.
While Jack was still fearful, he couldnāt find it in himself to run away. The Naga had done nothing but treat him with kindness so far, and his friends, however crazy they were, seemed to trust the giant. Heād have to give him a chance.
āCome on Tommy, We need to get out of here.ā Wilbur climbed onto Tommyās head before turning to Ranboo and Tubbo. āYou guys take Jack across the river to safety. Iāll go with Tommy to make sure heās alright.ā The pair nodded and helped Jack to his feet, determination plastered on their faces, while Jack looked unsure. āWeāll find someplace safe to hide until the guard gives up, and hopefully when the fire dies down.ā
Wilbur gently patted Tommy on the head trying to provide any comfort. āAlright Tommy letās gā!ā
Wilbur could only stare in horror at the approaching arrow. Everything was happening in slow motion and he tried to cry out to warn his little brother, but it was too late. The next thing Wilbur knew he was thrown into the air and a painful near deafening scream filled his eardrums. Wilbur hit the ground hard, his back ached, and his ears ringing. He tried his best to get back up to his feet only to see Tommy clutching his right eye in pain, the younger was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to do anything but flinch as arrows with ropes imbedded deep into his skin. Wilbur ran forward and screamed for Tommy to run before he was pulled back and away from his baby brother. They were too late.
And there was the Blade in all of his violent glory. His bow now tossed to the side after having hit his mark. A single arrow coated in weakness had struck deep in Tommyās right eye.
Little did the village knowā¦ another visitor was upon them. When the scent of this much fear and panic hits the air, it can travel for miles around even with all the smoke. Itās hard for someone to not come see whatās happening after their latest business deal. Especially if someone is quite familiar with one of the scents in particular. It seems he, had finally found one of his star pupils. A malicious sharp grin spread over their scarred white face. Snow white scales flashed with the strikes for lightning.
It was an excellent night for a hunt. The fear was almost overwhelming. He hoped he could control himself long enough to not go into a frenzy.
He first had to find what he had lost long ago, and make him pay for the pain they had caused him. It was never fun explaining how the champion you promised had disappeared with all the others, face wounded with one dead eye. It was even harder to kill half of the hunters who were less than forgiving of his slip up with his newly acquired wounds. Letās just say he was grateful that rage was a motivator.
The remaining hunters were quick to be back on his side after witnessing over half of their men be slaughtered. Shameful cowards it what they were.
The Viper inhaled deep and long, letting the scent lead him in the right direction.
Wilbur was relieved it wasnāt a lethal poison, only his father would carry those. Techno much preferred his hand combat or rather his blade combat. Wilbur watched with growing dread as Techno started to make his way towards Tommy, sword in hand, the poor child was pinned in place painfully from the many arrows and ropes tying him down.
āDonāt worry. Youāre safe now.ā It was some random solider, pulling the mouse away, white hot rage filled the Charmer as he saw the Blade lift his black sword, his baby brother crying for help. Wilbur head butted the solider and reached for his own blade . The poor guard member sat dazed on the ground with a very broken nose.
Tommy was pulled to the ground now. His arms strapped down to his sides and his head pulled back leaving his neck vulnerable to any attack.
Tommy whined in fear, his one good eye blinded by salty tears. The Blade raised his deadly sword, ready to end it all in one fatal swing. Wilbur never ran faster in his entire life.
Instead of fresh blood pouring from a wound, Techno was met with sparks as his blade struck another with all of his force. How strangeā¦ Techno didnāt hesitate, he tried to strike down his opponent but they held strong. Every swing of his sword was met with one of equal strength. After a minute of hit after intense hit the pair stepped apart exhausted. When Techno looked up to meet his opponentās face he was surprised to see the small form of his twin brother in the place of where the skilled warrior stood. Techno stood taken aback, nothing could of prepared him to see that he almost battled his own brother to the death. What was his brother even doing here? Wilbur took advantage of his shocked state and suddenly there was a sharp burning in his calf. His own brother had just slashed him. Techno fell to his knees and his hand was next. His sword dropped to the ground and was kicked away. Techno had a faint memory come to mind of him teaching Wilbur those moves when they were young.
āWilbur?! What are you doing?!ā Techno growled in pain. āWhat I have to!ā The warrior cried. āI wonāt let you kill him!ā
āHim?ā Techno looked to the Naga behind his brother. Itās one slit eye shot daggers at Techno, itās growls rivaled thunder itself, and it was all directed right at Techno.
If he were a weaker man he would of cowered under itās gaze, but Techno was not. He sat kneeled and took the beastās rage head on, and glared at the monster right back.
A cry from one of his men caught his attention and he spun around quickly. He was surprised to see his men being taken down by his own students. Tubbo had already stung half of the guard and disarmed most while he did, while Ranboo made quick work of the potions, throwing them against trees and rocks and watching them shatter and poor into the mud.
Techno was speechlessā¦ what was happening? First his own brother protecting a monster and now a revolution. He turned back forward to face his brother, utter betrayal pumping through his veins.
āYou would hurt your own Brother to protect that monster?ā Wilbur remained silent as tears trailed down his cheeks.
A hurt deeper than Techno had ever know stabbed into his gut. His face contorted into a deep scowl.This didnāt make sense. Why would Wilburā¦
The beast groaned in pain and strained against the binds. āWilburā¦ā It growled and his brother called out a desperate reassurance to it. It wanted his brotherās help?
Then Techno understood. He understood Wilbur coming back late at night or not coming back at all. Why his brother never let him follow him into the woods and always seemed nervous when Techno asked where he was going.
He understood why Ranboo would show up to his potion lessons less and less, and why Tubbo seemed to never be in his study anymore when Techno would need him.
He had heard legends of creatures that could control minds or hypnotize their prey. Playing with their food by messing with their very minds. That had to be whatās happening.
Thisā¦ this monster had made them into itās pets. It had to have them in some kind of dark bind, forcing them to the forest when it wanted and making them obey itās every whim. But worst of all It had brainwashed them into thinking it actually cared.
āWilbur, Canāt you see?! Itās forcing you to be itās pet! It doesnāt care about you, itās only using you!ā Techno desperately tried to bring his brother back to him.
More fuel was thrown onto the fire that was Wilburās anger. He stormed forward his eyes blazing. He gripped is twin by the collar now consumed by pure wrath.
āListen to me now Techno, that boy who you call a monster is just a child. He hasnāt even hurt anyone! Then here you come charging in without even assessing the situationā¦ Calling me hypnotized and under what proofā¦That is a child youāve shot down with your bows.ā His twins claws dug into his flesh. āI swear to the goddess of Death herself that if you kill my little brother, then so help me gods, I will never ever call you my brother again.ā
Technoās wounds burned from rain and sweat. He could only stare in shock at his twins words. His little brother?
Wilbur threw Techno to the ground and ran to the beast. He started slash at the restraints, desperate to get the naga free. He was soon joined by Ranboo and Tubbo. Ranboo splashing healing all over Tommyās wounds. Even Jack was at the snakeās side, helping to remove the arrows and tend to wounds.
Technoās men stood back awaiting more orders as they looked on baffled at the strange sight before them. The Blade himself could only sit and watch his brother in sorrow.
This was no longer his fragile passive twin, hiding behind him in a fight, this was a warrior protecting those he loved. He guessed Wilbur really his twin in every way.
Technoās eyeās traveled to the face of the Nagaā¦ Noā¦The child he had order his men to shoot down. Wilbur was there, gently tending to the boyās wounded eye, pouring bottle after bottle of healing potion. Techno could only pray that it wouldnāt cause permanent damage.
Only one of the serpentās arms were free. He couldnāt help but feel his heart spark with a fresh wave of fear as it reached out for Wilbur. The hand simple cradled Wilbur gently as he worked.
The thing that made Technoās stomach turn the worst were the whispered apologies from the boy, repeated over and over again. Techno could only sit as if he were frozen in time.
Philza flew as fast as he could. The last of the villagers were safely across the river in a makeshift camp, the rest of the flyers where busy setting up a makeshift camp for the next few days. The fire chased after him as he flew, it burned the forest without forgiveness, the rain was doing itās best to fight off the hellish flames, but it could not save all from the fires path.
The fire had already passed through the Village. It had suffered from the flames, shelter and cover burned away, but they had fought the flames off well enough that a majority of the trees, buildings,and shrubs survived. It would take a lot of work to rebuild and recover the lost shelter, but it could be done.
Now with his people safely out of harmās way, he could focus on the other threat. Philza prayed that Techno was holding his own well enough. The old bird knew the power of these beasts first hand.
The avian patted his side where his poison arrows stayed. Reassuring him self that they were still there. He only had three, being unprepared for a fight, but he would have to make do. He had to try his best for his boys.
He followed the guards trail the best he could in the dark night. The rain weighed down heavy on his wings.
He flew with grace. Ducking and dodging around everything in his path. His speed only increased as did his heart rate when he heard a commotion up ahead.
Philza burst through the trees with his bow drawn carefully with his talons. There it was in all of itās monstrous glory, it took all of Philās willpower to not let the arrow shoot right away.
It was down, but it appeared that one arm was free. He looked to the guard in confusion as to why the Naga was still alive. Then he saw Techno, bloody cuts lined his body, his hair a muddy mess of knots and tangles. He sat crouched on the ground almost like a plea of surrender, his sword tossed to the side.
He reexamined the Naga only to see that it was holding something in itās grip, Philzaās heart stopped.
In the claws of the Naga was Wilbur. His boy that was supposed to be far away and out of harms way, was here. They very last place that Phil ever wanted him to be.
The avian was seething. These monsters stole his family from him once before, he would not allow that to happen again.
āNAGA!ā Phil spit fire as he spoke, the rage of a thousand suns on his very own tongue. Every head snapped upwards at the murderous call.
āRelease my boy now, and I will give you the mercy of a quick death.ā
Philza flapped his wings steadily, he pulled the arrow back firmly, ready to release itās deadly power. The Naga released is son almost instantly to Philās surprise, but what had Phil questioning reality what that Wilbur refused to leave the snakeās side.
āWilbur! Move aside! Iāll protect you!ā Philza desperately called to his oldest, but instead of running to his fatherās call, Wilbur sneered and planted his feet apart and stretched his arms out wide, as if trying to shield the snake behind him. Phil was also stunned to see three others at the nagaās aid as well, there stood Ranboo, Tubbo, and even Jack?
āYou will not hurt him.ā Wilbur spat with such a venom he mightāve well become a serpent himself. āIf you dare release that arrow I will jump in itās path.ā
Philza was completely taken aback. Why are they protecting him? Why would his son threaten his own life over a Naga?
He glanced back to Techno, only to see his boy staring right back, pure shame and regret in his tired eyes. Phil didnāt understand.
āWilbur why would youāā A vicious cackle erupted from the night. One that struck Phil with such fear he nearly dropped out of the air right then and there, leaving the rest of the question to die in the birdās throat.
A single emerald green eye, glowing eerily through the rain squinted in delight, peered out of the darkness of the trees.
āWell what a pleasant surprise .ā Out of the forest crawled the devil himself. The fire was upon them now, itās golden orange glow soaked into the Nagaās pale white scales, giving the illusion that this beast crawled out of the depths of hell itself.
Phil could only stare in pure horror at the Naga who had massacred is village, and took away everything that Phil had ever loved.
A sharp gasp and heightened breathing broke Philzaās spiral into despair. It was the restrained Naga, itās breathing grew quick and panicked. The snake grabbed itās four protectors with itās one lose hand and pushed them quickly over to Techno.
āRUN!ā It pleaded frantically, itās voice strained and cracking. The White Viper howled in amusement at the scene before him. Phil suddenly realized just how small the first Naga was when in comparison to one that now towered over them all.
āReally Tommy? After all this time I would have at least hoped youād learn to not play with your food. Itās quite bad manners you know.ā The Viper clasped his clawed hands together in sick satisfaction. āAnd look at the mess itās got you in! Oh how my once mighty has fallen.ā The Naga fell back into a fit of crazed laughter.
While the Naga was focused on the smaller, Phil took his chance and aimed his arrow straight for the beastās heart as it laughed away. The bird released the arrow with a perfectly practiced talent. Timed seemed to slow before it hit itās target, but instead of imbedded deep into the Viperās pale skin, it instead bounces of its chest and fell to the ground. Phil stared in shock at the sheer thickness of this monsterās skin. The laughter had stopped.
In an instant the Vipers tail shot out towards the Avian and smacked the little bird to the ground, a snarl on the snakes face. Phil cried out in pain, the sheer force of the hit cracking several ribs instantly. He hit the ground without forgiveness, his wing snapping next. He was nearly delirious with pain, he could faintly register is sonās crying out for him. He felt hands grab is cloak and pull him back. He opened his eyes to see Techno at his side, frantically shaking him awake. He could hear frightened screams and someone desperately crying for them to run. It was the first Naga.
Tommy thrashed and clawed at the ropes, screaming for the hybrids to get away. His eye still burned violently even with all of the healing potions. Wilburās dad lay crumpled on the ground, Wilbur crying out to him. XD looked on with disgust. Why did the Gods hate him so? The monster he had gotten away from all those years ago had found him at the worst possible time.
His tormentor. His captor. His abuser. XD. The Viper was all Tommy had ever know. He was told he was found alone as an egg. Abandoned and left in the snow. Somehow, Tommy doubted that, now that he knew the truth about the snake who raised him.
Everyday was true hell for Tommy the moment he could slither on his own. He once had siblings, all different degrees of deadly hybrids, though he was sure they were all gone now. They were forced to fight one another, told it was to keep them healthy and strong, and to protect them from danger. They were kept in separate cages when they werenāt fighting and carted to various towns and cities. Many of his siblingās cages were taken away. Handed to humans in the cover of night with the promise of XD saying theyād be going to a good home. Tommy had once believed him when he was little.
Now Tommy knew the dark reality because his oldest brother found out the truth. His brother was something called a Warden. He was given to some humans with two of his other siblings, it was sad to see them go, but Tommy was also excited. Because Xd had said that someone was coming to pick him up that next morning. That he was going to go somewhere very special and be the Champion of a King. Tommy had never felt for happy in his life.
He had went to sleep as soundly as he could in a cage, but he quite surprised when Sam had woke him up in the dead of night.
He was alone. Blood had stained his claws and face. He let Tommy out first and then opened everyone elseās cages. He had took them away then he told them the truth.
That they weāre being sold. Sold to hunters, to kings, to fighting rings. That they were sold for their parts, for their strength, for their magical properties. Sam had been the only one to make it back alive.
XD had found them that night, screaming for them to get back into their cages, but Sam kept us safe behind him. The Viper was absolutely furious.
But Samm wouldnāt listen to XD anymore. He was a Warden after all, and they were know to be rather protective of what they loved.
They had escaped. Leaving then Naga with one less eye and more than a few deep scars. They hid in the forest, hunting and living together as a true family should. They were happy.
But then the hunters came and they had to run. Tommy wasnāt the fastest then, he wasnāt very big either. So he did what he does best. The Naga stayed out of view, hiding from the hunters while his siblings ran. He hid until the forest grew quiet and the night turned to day, but his siblings never did come back. He never saw any of them again.
Tommy was on his own. Learning to survive by himself and live among the trees. A silent and lonely life, and thatās how it was for a long long time.
Then he met Wilbur and everything changed, and he was happy. He finally had a brother again. But now that was all about to change again. Because he had screwed it all up. He had been seen and forced the guard to come after him, now XD was here and everyone was going to get hurt because of him. Why was he cursed with such a cruel fate?
āTommy? Do your little pets not have any manners? Honestly, I thought I raised you better.ā The serpent snarled and dusted off where the arrow had hit. āReally, the only good thing theyāre for is to eat.ā Tommy growled deep and long, XD only seemed more amused.
āYou knowā¦for how much you seem to care about them, they still seem rather afraid of you.ā XD hissed a smile on his face. āI just so happened to be in the area after my latest business deal, when the smell of all this fear hit the air.ā The Naga inhaled deeply though his nose and sighed in satisfaction. āItās quite a mouthwatering scent, but I was pleasantly surprised to suddenly smell your fear mixed in as wellā¦ You see Tommy, I am still rather angry for you and your siblings running away, and that Warden definitely didnāt help your cases after he took my eyeā¦.ā
The Naga gave a dark laugh as he looked at Tommyās face. āThough now, I bet you understand how painful it is to lose an eye. Would you look at thatā¦ā XD gripped Tommyās chin to meet his own scared face.
āWe match.ā XD spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone. Tommy only growled louder. āIāll be honest with you Tommy, but only because I find you situation to be so amusing. I was just going to kill you first and enjoy the spoils for myself, but now I suppose Iāll let have one last meal. After all I do love to watch these pests get what they deserve, now which one took your eye.ā He asked with a sharp grin. Tommy remained silent, not daring to make even a motion towards any of the smaller beings.
āLEAVE HIM ALONE!ā Someone shouted from the crowd. āHmmm, who said that?ā XD asked with a joyous expression. Tommy felt all the color drain from his face. His heart pounded against his chest. āIT WAS ME!ā A lone mouse marched from the crowd, his family cried for them him to stop, a single sword drawn in hand and pointed right at the White Serpent. What was Wilbur doing?
XD cackled at the sight of the mouse. Where had he got all this courage? āIāll suppose youāll do just fine instead.ā And Wilbur was suddenly scooped up in a soul crushing grip, the mouse suddenly felt bad for scolding Tommy for squeezing to tight, because it was like nothing in comparison to this. Wilbur wheezed, his lungs suddenly void of any air.
The crowd cried out, Techno and Philza louder than any of them. Techno rushed forward, his wounds gushing blood as he slayed the white scales with his sword. His constant swinging barley even left a scratch.
XD leaned down and flicked the rat away. He growled in anger and squeezed the pest in his grip even tighter, he felt something snap under the pressureā¦Itās leg.
Wilbur screeched in pain and XD laughed with pleasure.
āNo please! Leave him alone!ā Tommy begged reaching out for his big brother. āDonāt hurt him!ā
XD tsked and shook his head. āTommy, you should know by now to not get attached to your food.ā The viper scratched his head as if in thought. āI guess I canāt trust you to not just store this one. More for me I guess.ā Tommy watched in terror as Wilburās struggling form was dangled over XDās deadly maw.
XD tossed Wilbur into the air and something in Tommyās mind flipped like a switch. The restraints holding the red naga down all suddenly snapped away and he lunged for the white beast. He pushed the Viper back into a tree and bashed his head against it over and over. Wilbur landed on Tommyās head, all the air rushed out of his lungs as he tried to recover from his second fall this evening. Wilbur desperately tried to grip Tommyās golden hair to keep from falling, but his brotherās fighting didnāt create the most steady of holds.
Wilbur found himself falling once more that night before someone swooped down and gripped the back of his shirt. Ranboo held onto him tightly, but they weāre still approaching the ground at an alarming rate. Tubbo soon came from below and smacked into Wilburās middle. The mouse hissed as his leg was jostled around before he was sat far back from the battling giants.
Techno screamed for his men to retreat. If not to get out of the way of the giants, then to escape the fire that almost completely surrounded them now. Many refused until Techno ordered them to go warn the people across the river and to protect them from any other threats.
Philza was busy crawling closer to the raging giants, his bow in hand and two arrows left. Even with a broken wing, he could still use his talons to shoot. The red scaled naga was currently clawing at the White Viperās gut. Their great tails fighting for dominance against the other, squeezing and strangling. Though Phil could tell that the red one was being to lose control over white.
Phil would have to take out the biggest threat first, then heād worry about the smaller one. Phil pulled back the bow and aimed for the White Nagaās one remaining eyes. He waited for and opening. There. The white naga suddenly ducked down trying to strike at redās throat but failing. The arrow flying safely above itās head.
One arrow left.
Techno grabbed Ranboo and Tubbo and handed them to several guards. āGet them across the river and to safety.ā The two kids shouted with displeasure and struggled in the soliderās grip to try and get back to Tommy. Techno turned to Jack and gripped his shoulder. āMake sure they get there.ā
Jack nodded his head but looked unsure. āWhat about you three? Arenāt you coming?ā Techno shook his head. āNo, weāll only slow the group down with our injuries, and I donāt think I could even get Wilbur to leave anyways.ā Techno sighed as he began to hobble back to his twinās side before he turned back. āIāll try to get us to a safer spot, away from the flames, but Jack if you want to live I suggest you leave now. I know Nikiās waiting for you.ā Despair stabbed through Jackās heart and he saluted to his General for what maybe the last time. āIāll see you later Captain.ā Techno smiled and nodded his head. āSee ya later, Jack.ā Jack took off after the group, tears streaming down his face.
Techno pulled Wilbur over his shoulder shuffled away from the flames path as the nagaās clawed at each otherās throats. Techno squinted to see his father crawling closer and closer an arrow drawn. Fear pooled in Techno and Wilburās gut.
Wilburās hands were clasped tightly together, he was mumbling in prayer over and over again, āOh please, spare them Lady Death. Have mercy on them.ā Techno held Wilbur closer, and while he was skeptical of the gods, he too couldnāt help but say a silent prayer.
Tommy was losing his strength, he glanced to see that Wilbur was safely on the ground and that was enough to give him hope, but XD was so much larger than him it was only a matter of time before he could over power him.
āYouāre nothing but a sorry excuse for a Naga.ā XD snarled. āYou wouldāve been better off if those hunters got to you like the others, because at least they wouldāve given you the mercy of a quick death!ā
Tommy growled at the thought of his siblings deaths, tears coming to his eyes. XD yanked his hand out of Tommyās tail and wrapped it around the youngerās throat, his claws piercing the childās skin, Tommy fought to pull it back with his tail.
Tommy was losing strength with every second. His vision was beginning to fade to back around the edges, and his tail was growing limp. He used his last remaining strength to hold back XDās claws.
āYouāre just a stupid child! Did you really think you could defeat me?!ā Tommy whined at the lack of air in his lungs. āIāll make sure to eat your favorite pet first after I kill you. Noā¦.maybe I should make it my pet and drawl out itās suffering, then Iāll bite itās pitiful head off and watch the blood pour out!ā
Philza drew the bow back once more. He let out a shaky breath and a prayer to Lady Death. He released the arrow and fell back exhausted. Eyes rolling back into his head.
Air rushed back into Tommyās lungs as a horrifying scream left XDās lips. The Snow White serpent was clawing desperately at his remaining eyes, blood gushed from the wound. Tommyās eyes locked onto XDās unprotected throat and lunged forward once more.
Tommyās fangs sunk deep into the tender flesh and blood rushed into Tommyās mouth. The Naga began to writhe in his hold, but Tommy only bit down harder.
Once the Viperās struggles and cries turned deathly still, only then did Tommy tear back with a hunk of flesh in his teeth.
Tommy quickly spit it out to the ground with the blood that at poured into his mouth. He gagged on the disgusting taste. An oddly peaceful silence over came the forest, ever with the fire raging around them. The sky began to pour down harder than it ever had, the rain finally becoming strong enough to smother the fire.
Tommy slithered over to Wilbur immediately, the mouse reaching out to him while the Blade adverted his gaze. Tears fell with the rain as he gently cradled his big brother. āIām sorry Wilburā¦ I never meant for any of this to happen.ā
Wilbur gave a loud wet laugh that sounded more like a sob. āOh Tommy, this isnāt your fault. This isnāt anyoneās fault. Youāre still my baby brother and thatās all that matters.ā
Tommy did sob into Wilburās small frame. Wilbur gently pet Tommyās cheek before sighing and looking into Tommyās eye. āTommy Iām gonna ask of something that might be pretty big for you.ā The blonde boy just nodded his head. āI need you to store me and my family and take us back to the village. It should be a safe place for you to sleep for the night.ā
āBut Wilā¦ā Tommy looked to with with fear and uncertainty but Wilbur only smiled. āItās the safest way to travel fast with all of our injuries, and I know your instincts are going wild right now.ā The mouse laughed softly. āYeahā¦ā The boy admitted.
āThey may not like it, but Iāll be right with you the whole time.ā Tommy closed his eye and took a deep breath. āOkayā¦ā
Wilbur scooted over to Techno and pulled him closer to Tommy. āTechno, this is Tommy. Tommy, this is Techno.ā Techno glanced up at the child but quietly adverted his gaze one he saw his injured eye. āHi Technoā¦ā Tommy tried.
āIāve heard such amazing stories about you. Wilbur was right, you really are the coolest brother.ā Tears flooded from Technoās eye as he finally looked up at Tommy.
āIām so sorryā¦ I didnāt know and now youā¦ā Techno kneeled down before the golden boy. ā I donāt ask for your forgiveness, I donāt deserve itā¦ But please know Iām forever in your debt.ā Tommy nodded his head once more and then looked to Wilbur.
āOkay Techno, Tommyās gonna do something thatās kinda scary, but Iām gonna need you to stay calm.ā Techno looked a little uneasy as Wilbur approached Tommyās mouth in front of him. āHeās gonna store us. I promise that youāll be safe. Iām gonna go first so you can watch, but I need to know that youāll stay calm.ā He watched Techno for conformation.
His twin nodded his head but folded his arms together tightly. āOkay Wilburā¦ā
Techno watched in disbelief as his brother willingly crawled into the nagaās mouth, or as best as he could with a broken leg. Techno couldnāt help but imagine those sharp teeth biting down and cutting Wilbur right in two, but even with his nerves he stood his ground and let Tommy gently guide his brother inside the cavern.
Once Wilbur was fully inside, the Naga closed his mouth and tilted his head back. The blonde child sallowed in one go then he locked eyes with Techno. Soft purrs left the childās lips before he shook his head and was quiet once more.
āAre you ready?ā It was spoken softly and scared and it made Technoās heart melt, even if the action did terrify him to his very core. But there was no other way as the fire surrounded them.
āI think so.ā The bloodied lips parted before him and Techno was met with rows of deadly sharp teeth. Technoās hands trembled as hot breath washed over him. He could only hope that Wilbur wasnāt wrong about this kid.
Techno took a deep breath and jumped in. The warm air of the mouth surrounded him in am instant, and in some strange wayā¦ it was comforting. The tongue beneath him began to softly coat him in spit, the loud purring started up again. Then after a few more coats, Techno was pushed to the back of the throat and swallowed down. It was tight but not unbearable and soon he dropped into a squishy bed of warmth. Next to him was Wilbur who immediately came over to comfort him, but Technoās instincts were already please with the safe, dark, and warm surroundings. He held Wilbur tightly anyways.
āTommy, I need you to go find my dad now. He might be afraid but I need you to be as patient as you can. If he gives you any trouble, Techno and I will settle him down.ā A gentle pressure pushed down on them as Tommy laid a hand on his stomach. āIāll find him Wil.ā
Tommyās eyes became mere slits as he scanned his surroundings. The fireās light making the battlefield much easier to see. Tommyās pupils widened considerably when he laid eyes on the crumpled form of the avian. He broken wing tucked closely to his chest and his eyes closed in exhaustion.
Tommy approached slowly and cautiously. This man was still a powerful warrior after all. āExcuse meā¦sir?ā The avianās head shot up, a wild fear in his eyes. āTheyāre gone arenāt they? My boysā¦ā It was said with a sorrow of a man who had already seemed to know the answer. Tommy felt his heart break at the pure look of hatred that Wilburās father bestowed upon him.
Philza was suddenly a child again, his back to a river and facing a beast, his loved ones all gone. Fire surrounded them on all sides, and he couldnāt fly away. Grounded to the cold and unforgiving earth, but strangely this Naga wasnāt cackling with glee at Philās misery.
āNo sirā¦ Iām keeping them safe. I promise that theyāre okay.ā Phil laughed biter and cold at that. It was taunting him though.
āBeast, the Viper was right. Itās not very kind to play with your food.ā Philza spit in anger, hanging his head low, not wanting the monster to get the satisfaction of seeing the fear in his eyes. He expected retaliation, for the monster to act out in rage and finish the job.
Instead the broken cries of a child met his ears. Philzaās head whipped up instantly, his instincts calling for him to help the child. It was the nagaā¦
Phil looked up at the Naga in shock. He really was just a child. His instincts cried for the child as he realized that the Naga had the same scared look on his face that he had seen on himself reflected in the eyes of the monster that had tormented him.
Philzaās instincts began to overtake him and he couldnāt stop the soft coo that left his lips. The childās crying stopped and his puffy eyes met Philās own. Phil suddenly knew that this wasnāt a creature that would hurt someone else willingly.
āYou said my sons are safe?ā The boy nodded his head but he still looked frightened. āT-they are with meā¦tucked awayā¦ they want me to store you as wellā¦ā Phil felt his heart drop at the Nagaās words. A charred branch suddenly fell next to the pair from above, they both jumped.
The boy scooped the bird up in his palms, Philza cried out in alarm, to powerless to even try to escape, but the boy just held him gently. āI know youāre afraidā¦ but youāre gonna be okay. Youāll be with them again soon.ā
Philza heart beat in is throat as he was suddenly lifted upwards to itās lips. They parted open to reveal the creatureās deadly teeth and forked tongue. Phil was to exhausted to even fight as it dropped him on its tongue. Phil went limp and accepted his fate.
But the Naga never sliced him with his teeth, and he was gentle with Philās broken wing. This was nothing compared to what he saw his family go through.
When he thought about it he guessed the Naga had no real reason to lie. Phil supposed that even if the Naga wasnāt telling the truth he would be with his sons soon.
But with each promise of the safety of his sons, Philās instincts began to believe the child more and more. Even as he felt himself begin to side backwards into the back of the throat, Phil couldnāt find it in himself to be afraid.
The warmth that surrounding him made his already exhausted eyes grow heavy. He felt his consciousness start to slip away, when his journey down came to a stop he could since his boys hugging him. Phil fell into a dreamless sleep.
Tommy purred happily at the feeling of his storage being more full than it ever was before. He could feel the healing potions finally start to take affect. Tommy could even start to open his right eye again, although everything was still a little blurry.
He slithered with caution, avoiding what was left of the fire and the flames, the rain was in the final half of the battle, and it was winning by a long shot.
Tommy approached the thicket that protected the village, a lot of it was burned away, but the old trees and many of the buildings from what Tommy could see had held up well with minimal damage.
Tommy climbed up high in the largest tree and stretched out over the many branches. He fell into a deep sleep with the feeling of his new family stored safely inside him.
Theyād tend to their injuries in the mornings, for now they got their much needed rest. From the stars above, a celestial owl looked down on the family with love. She had always know them since they were young, but now they had each other, and she wouldnāt let anything hurt them again. She sung softly into the night as the rain danced with her call.
Wilbur is a dragon, his most wellkept secret. Tommy finds out so he brings him back to his hoard in the mountains.
CW: - vore
title taken from Cold Love by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
word count: 1.7k š read it on AO3
"Let me go," Tommy spits out. Despite his aggression, there's a fearful, panicky air about him that sends pangs into Wilbur's chest.
"Toms, come on. You know me - you know I'd never hurt you." He wrestles him into the ground, easily pinning him to the dirt without having to exert real effort.
Tommy's arms shake from the effort of trying to fight him off. Wilbur is almost relaxed above him, a slight frown on his face as he easily presses the boy down. The more he tries to fight and the more he sees how futile it is, the more his hostility slips into abject terror.
"Wilbur, please." His voice cracks and he starts to go limp. He blinks back tears. "I won't tell a soul. Your secret is safe, just let me go. I'll disappear, and you'll never hear from me again."
No. No, he doesn't want that at all -
And something must show on his face too, because Tommy's eyes widen at his reaction, and he starts to writhe again, sobs building in his chest.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I don't - I didn't - "
"Hush."
He falls dead silent, tears still streaming down the sides of his face.
"You're fine," Wilbur murmurs to him, trying to imbue his words with as much love as he can. "Everything's going to be fine, okay?"
He starts to stand, pulling Tommy up with him as he goes.
He's tense in his arms, but Wilbur remains gentle.
As soon as they're both standing up, Tommy lurches away from him, but he's not fast enough.
Wilbur pulls him close, his arms still loose around Tommy. "Were you trying to catch me off guard?"
Tommy is sobbing and yelling and hitting at his chest, but he doesn't react.
"I... what are you doing? You - you know I'm much stronger than humans, sweetheart, you've got to stop fighting me."
He breaks down in his arms and tries to fall to the ground, but Wilbur catches him and holds, staring at him in puzzlement.
"How do I make this better?" He asks, almost blankly.
Tommy is still crying. "You - you ate the mayor," he whimpers. "You burned half the village to the ground. You burned the orphanage to the ground. You killed Phil and Tech - "
Wilbur swallows a lump in his throat and shoves down rising feelings of guilt. "I did what I had to do. I ate the mayor, I destroyed your village, including the orphanage. But how else could I get you?" He brushes a strand of hair from Tommy's eyes. "All that paperwork... it's easier if they think you perished in the fire. And for the record - " he conspiratorially winks at Tommy, trying to get humor him, "Phil and Techno are just fine."
He doesn't wait for a response, closing his eyes and starting to shift. He pays extra mind to Tommy's position in his arms. The change is done in seconds, and when he opens his eyes again, Tommy's just a tiny little thing lying between his clawed paws.
"Treasure," he purrs irreverently. "My little human - let's get you taken care of, yeah?"
Tommy stares up at him with wide eyes, completely frozen on the ground.
Wilbur wastes no time in leaning down and swallowing Tommy. He screams and kicks as he goes down the throat, but Wilbur's body was designed to eat live prey. Functionally speaking at least, Tommy is no different from the deer or tigers or knights he regularly eats.
He hums contentedly as Tommy settles into his brood pouch. It's padded out so he can be rough as he wants in there and it won't hurt either of them (and let it be said that he is trying very hard to hurt Wilbur).
"You're safe now, Tommy. Let's get you back to the rest of my hoard." He purrs again, a burst of delight in his chest. "I've waited so long to get you with the rest of my collection. Bit of a shame that you found out this way, but I'm a little glad too. I was going to reveal myself in a few months, but now I don't have to wait."
He spreads his wings and takes flight towards the treacherous mountains. Only the royals' finest knights could traverse the landscape, and even then, they were so tired and cold from the trip that their hands could barely grip the hilts of their swords.
He lands in the entrance and strides in. Techno and Phil sit idly on a pile of gold coins, chatting away, but as soon as their eyes land on him, they avert their gazes and seem to wilt. He's learned not to take it to heart - they've gotten better about managing their fear of him in the past few months since he added them to his hoard, and he's sure that as the years progress, all three of his humans will come around again.
He leans over Techno and Phil and opens his mouth up, finding it just the teeniest bit funny when they flinch back and start to plead with him not eat them. He brings out Tommy, letting the boy gently fall onto the two men below.
He sits back and admires them, a happy sound growing in the back of his throat.
"Finally," he says dreamily, "I have all three of you."
He shifts back into his human form and saunters up to them, ignoring how Tommy flinches backwards into Techno and Phil.
Phil pulls Tommy into his arms and starts to soothingly rub circles into his shoulder. "Wilbur, you're scaring him."
He shrugs nonchalantly. "You were scared too, in the beginning. He'll get over it soon - you all will - and then you'll be a proper part of my hoard."
Phil and Technoblade share a glance that he doesn't bother to decipher.
"Your hoard... what does that mean?" Techno asks slowly.
Wilbur grins brightly at him. "My collection! My treasure - it means you're mine now."
Tommy stares at him slack-jawed.
"Why us?" It seems like it slips out of Phil's mouth, something he says before he has a chance to apply a filter. But Wilbur doesn't mind answering.
"Techno is my twin, Tommy is my little brother, and you're my father." Those are all the human words for the familial terms, so they should understand.
Phil bites his lip. "Wil... we love you, but you can't - "
"I can do whatever I want," he cuts in, his voice edged with aggression.
Phil falls silent.
Wilbur smiles at him again. "Do you have anymore questions?"
Techno awkwardly coughs. "I hate to be the bearer of the obvious, but humans don't live as long as dragons. We're a lot less hearty, and you've stationed us on Dead Man's Hill. Because that's the name of this mountain, Wilbur - Dead Man's Hill. Are you sure you don't want to take us somewhere else?"
He feels his expression darken. "That won't be an issue. You're my hoard now. Which means your life force is tied to mine, and all three of your aging processes have stopped. If I'm to die - if - then you'll begin to age again." He turns a steely eye to Techno's. "And we will leave this mountain. But only when I know you won't try to do something silly, like leave me."
Techno nods, avoiding his eyes. "Sounds good."
"It does, doesn't it?" He agrees happily. "Now that I've taken Tommy, my collection is complete."
"Sorry - sorry, what the fuck?" Tommy chimes in, finally having found his voice.
Techno lowers his voice and says into his ear, "Wilbur is a dragon and he's keeping us now."
Tommy stares at him. "I thought you were fucking dead."
"Mm, me too," he says dryly. "But I'm not. I'm just the adopted twin brother of a dragon."
"Did you know?!" Tommy asks, sitting up and stumbling away from them.
Wilbur watches him curiously, fondly noting as he tips backward into a stack of gold coins.
"Did they know what?"
"What do you - what do you fucking think, Wilbur?!" He screeches.
Wilbur smiles, and lets himself shift again. Tommy flinches away as he approaches but he doesn't mind, picking him up in his mouth and plopping him back down next to Phil and Techno.
"They didn't know," he says soothingly, gazing down at them. He curls his tail loosely around their little group, forming a protective barrier. Or a cage.
Techno slides an arm around Tommy's shoulders. "Trust me," he murmurs, "if we had known, we never would have let you - " he cuts himself off, seeming to stiffen as his eyes nervously dart up to Wilbur. "We didn't know," he concedes.
Wilbur laughs lightly. "Can you imagine if you had? You never would have been my friend! And Phil never would have taken both of us in. I had to lie."
There's a look on Phil's face that he can't decipher. "Wilbur... I would have.Ā Of courseĀ I would have," he says gently. His words carry weight, but the meaning behind it is unidentifiable to Wilbur.
"No," he says simply. "So it's a good thing I lied. Because the years passed and you realized how much you loved me, and now that you know I'm a dragon, you won't leave."
A sharp wave of paranoid insecurity strikes through his chest. "I don't think you'll leave," he mutters in afterthought, his tail slightly tensing around them.
Technoblade looks conflicted. "We love you for you, your being a dragon doesn't change that."
Wilbur frowns down at him, puffing a plume of smoke out. "Why are you saying that?"
"What - what do you mean?"
"We aren't leaving this mountain, Techno. I'm not that stupid."
A look of surprise crosses his face. He's a good actor, Wilbur decides. "I wasn't saying that to trick you, we do love - "
"I know you do!" Wilbur sharply cuts in. "Because I spent years bonding with you as a human. And now that you know I'm a dragon, it doesn't matter!" He gives them a smile with his large, sharp teeth. He ignores how forced it feels. He ignores how it feels like he's trying to convince himself more than them.
Phil looks at him with a pained expression. "Mate - "
"You're a little scared right now, but that's fine," he purrs, cutting him off. "We have the rest of time for you to love me like you used to. You weren't supposed to find out, but you have, and that's fine. I'll just keep you here. I'll just keep you here, and we can be a proper family."
He nuzzles the three of them with his snout, ignoring how they flinch away from him. "I love you!" he exclaims. "And you love me. So everything is fine. It's fine."
I have fallen (but have faith, for I shall rise once more)
. . .
Borrower Techno with rest of sbi as god's? More likely than you think :D
2.2k words for part one, definitely going to make a part two because I'm not about to LEAVE y'all on a cliffhanger like that.
(Cw: Blood, injuries, mention of death (non happens) swearing, angst, accidental fearplay and Techno passes out due to blood loss.)
Hope you enjoy my (technically) first addition to the mcyt g/t community from my user!
. . .
Technoblade wasnāt like other borrowers.
Other borrowers didnāt have voices in their heads, who screamed at him for blood, grew emotionally attached to the most random things, or know things that helped him evade capture multiple times.
Other borrowers didnāt have memories that never existed, searing into his brain at moments when he loses themselves, of friendships with beings of power, of him being a being of power, of falling from the clouds for a crime he did not do.
When his sword is stained red from those who wronged him, then in his head it rings. When the voices, or as he called them, Chat, started chanting. It never made sense, what they chanted.
Blood for the blood god
And it scared him, not knowing what it meant. But he couldnāt dwell on it now, just like he couldnāt dwell on it yesterday. He was a borrower, and that meant he needed to borrow.
Techno stepped outside of the comfort that was the shelter that he had been using for the past week. Being a wandering borrower, he didnāt have a home, exactly. He wandered from place to place, travelling lightly and swiftly, being able to escape at a moment's notice.
He had bases in some places, so he could restock and rest for a bit, but he was exploring a new area and that came with the consequence of not knowing where safety lay, so if a bean were to see him, he might not be able to get out of there fast enough.
But it wouldnāt come to that. Techno was an amazing borrower, and his motto was literally āTechnoblade never diesā. He started walking through the long grass, humming to himself. He wouldnāt get caught, he was certain of it.
So why did he feel so uneasy?
. . .
āHey- Hey! Stop it!ā He whispered, whipping his sword out as an act of defence. The crow squawked defiantly but didnāt stop trying to pick him up with its beak.
Techno groaned. Crows were always nice to him, and they were one of the few things that gave him those memories other than blood.Ā
Memories of black wings surrounding him, feeling safety and warmth, and when he looked into those eyes-
Other things that did this were music, especially guitars or discs, the colour red, and that one statue. It had been in some rich fuckerās garden, and from what he had overheard the people in it were gods, whatever that was.
Their names, according to the beans he had been eavesdropping on, were Philza, Angel of Death, a golden blonde man with large black crow wings, a fatherly expression on his face as he stared at Soot, the god of music and chaos, a brunette who was laughing and ruffling the hair of Innit, god of discs and the wilderness.
And, standing a little bit away from the others, was a statue with its head gone. According to one of the beans, it was because they had been banished from the kingdom above, for a crime so terrible, and therefore been erased from history.
He also heard them say that it turned out to be an accident, that DreamXD, had framed him. But by that time it was discovered, it was too late, and he had been cast down, though it is said those three gods still search for him, in the hopes that they could bring him back.
They said his name was Blade, the god of war and blood. And thatās how he got his name.Ā
Technoblade.
And, another funny thing is, no matter how hard he sees those gods as Philza, Soot, and Innit, like the man described, some hidden part of his mind changes that to Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy. But that was beside the point.
The point was, that no matter how nice the crows were to him, they kept trying to take him somewhere.
Usually, theyād stop if he complained or shouted, or drew his sword (never intending to kill, just to scare them off) and theyād stop. But this one was even more persistent, and Techno realised now that heād either have to fight it (something he would like to avoid if possible, he liked crows and they sometimes brought him gifts) or run.
He chose the latter, dashing to the side the moment the crow grabbed him. It squawked in outrage and Techno realised that it couldnāt chase after him on foot, with its legs like sticks. Birds were meant to fly, not walk.
āLooks like I win this time, eh?ā
He thinks, grinning to himself. The crow that he escaped from cawed loudly, and he only had a split second to wonder what that could mean before another crow SWOOPS down out of nowhere and yoinks (heās not even sure what that word means but it seems about right for this situation) him up in its claws.
He had jinxed it. Techno didnāt believe in superstition, but he was certain that was what had happened.
The pinkette struggled in the crow's grasp, desperate to get free before it took him toā¦ Well, wherever it was taking him. But it was no use. He wondered why it was so determined to bring him wherever it was going. Techno supposed heād find out, soon enough.
Eventually, after a few minutes of flying, the borrower noticed something very, very strange. The crow was taking him up. And by that, he meant really, really high up. The world below was barely visible, as they went higher and higher, through the clouds.
And once they came out of the clouds, Techno couldnāt believe his eyes.
He muttered to himself in awe. It was made out of pristine white shining material that mightāve been made out of the clouds themselves, with magical glowing lanterns floating in the air.
Technoās first thought was that it belonged to the ruler of this kingdom, or at least some kind of person in power, I mean it was so fine and well-kept that it had to be, right? Wrong.
On closer inspection, he realised that the people walking down below wereā¦ Normal. This was a normal town here, and these were normal civilians.
The crow flew past it though, taking Techno with it. Its wingbeats never slowed, and it showed no sign of tiredness. This was no ordinary crow, he was sure of it.
And this was no ordinary place. Chat had stopped talking altogether, and his mind felt as if it was his own, at last. It was as if someone wanted him to be peaceful, but that was silly since he was literally getting kidnapped by a bird.
What a great day Techno was having, right?
Aaaaand now the crow was flying down, towards three people that looked awfully familiar, but he just couldnāt put his finger on it and then-
Oh fuck thatās Philza, Soot and Innit. Heād recognize them anywhere, after the incident with the statue. Oh, heās fucked. Heās going to die, oh stars he needs to get out of this mess-
āBut arenāt the gods his family?ā
He brushed that thought off with a shudder. Why on earth did he keep thinking stuff like that!? It didnāt make any sense, and you better believe that he was gonna get to the bottom of this.
Not today though. He was about to get caught by some of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, and heād actually rather not. He valued his life, after all. So he did what any self-respecting borrower would do and fucking stab the bird.
Techno hadnāt particularly wanted to stab the crow. As he mightāve mentioned before, he liked crows. There just hadnāt been another choice.Ā
And it had worked.
The crow dropped him with a screech, alerting the three gods immediately. Their gazes fell on the bleeding crow who flew over to them with a lot of effort and landed on Philzaās outstretched arm. It healed almost instantly.
But the pinkette didnāt know any of this, because he happened to be falling when that situation had played out. And when Techno hit the ground, he felt his body scream out in pain and his head ring in agony.
The world around him felt loud and blurry. His head seemed to be sticky with what he could only assume was blood. He forced himself to stand, he needed to get out of here, needed to be safe-
Chat was back now,Ā just as incoherent and jumbled as his thoughts, and from what he managed to make out, delusional. They kept saying something aboutā¦ Dadza? Who the hell was- Oh. Wait what!?
So Chat was no help.Ā
Techno winced. He couldnāt think, everything was just so loud and it hurt so damn much and he couldnāt understand and oh fuck did one of the Gods? beans just spot him and oh no theyāre all walking towards him now.
The borrowerās eyes widen, and he couldnāt help but shrink back as the three gods towered over him, eyeing him over with such a strange expression of hope and longing that made Techno wonder if he actually was delusional.
The silence was broken when one of the gods, Innit, spoke up, voice breaking slightly and eyes glazed, as if holding back tears.
āHoly shitā¦ Is it him? Like, really him?ā
Philza responded, managing to sound calm and yet so desperate that it made Technoās cold heart shatter, though he was not sure why.
āI donāt know Tommy (wait WHAT-), why donāt we ask him instead of talking over his head?ā The angel of death suggested, and now they were all staring at him again, possibly even more intensely than before.
āSo,ā Philza said curiously. āWho are you, why did you stab my crow and why did it try to bring you here?ā
There was no malice in his voice, it was just confusion and subtle amusement, but that just made Technoās nerves worse. The only reason he could think of that would involve the god being amused about his half-dead state was-
Oh fuck, were they going to torture him?
āIām Technoblade,ā He said, after a few moments of hesitation. The pinkette ignored the sharp gasp of air from above, acting like he didnāt hear it, because he did not want to think of why the god might be shocked, and instead continued.
āI stabbed your crow because I was about to get seen (and look how that ended up) and I have no clue why it brought me here.ā Techno knew it was not a smart idea to lie to a god, and he was anything but stupid. His injuries throbbed painfully, but the gods either didnāt notice or didnāt care.
Techno wasnāt about to guess which oneā¦
After a very long while (in which Techno was trying his absolute hardest not to die on the spot) Soot spoke up. āSo thatās a- a yes, then? Itās him?ā He asked, voice cracking slightly. āYes, Wilbur, (WHAT THE FUCK) Itās really him.ā
The borrower didnāt have time to question what in the world he meant by that, because at that momentĀ Philza reached down, and Techno realised what was about to happen a second too late.
He scrambled backwards as the hand came towards him, absolutely terrified out of his wits, but the god paid no mind to that, plucking him off the ground by his waist easily.Ā
Techno struggled in his grasp but fell limp almost immediately. There was no way he was escaping from Philza, even though he wanted to, and besides, it just made his injuries worse. The tight grip the god had him in didnāt help either.
āWhat do you want from me!?ā
He shouted, glaring at the gods, though it quickly fell as he remembered how easily they could crush him. Soot made a small noise (pity?) but he ignored it. āYou- you really donāt remember us?ā Asked Innit, with a look of despair on his face.
āRemember you? Iāve never seen you before in my life!āĀ
Not in this one you havenāt.
Ā Responded one of the voices, before it faded back into the clutter of noise. āChat?ā Philza asked, and Techno almost responded with āYeah, itās making no senseā¦ā when he remembered that he never told them about Chat.
Something clicked behind Sootās eyes, and he spoke up. āSo you really donāt know who we areā¦ Right?ā Techno nodded. Where exactly was (Wilbur) Soot going with this? āSo that meansā¦ā āMeans what? Iām not about to sit around all day waiting while you give me half-formed answers,ā the borrower responded, with more challenge in his tone than was wise.
Itās not like you could stop them from doing thatā¦
Said another one of those loud voices unhelpfully. āThanks a lotā¦ā He thought to himself irritatedly and stared at Soot expectantly, which was harder than it seemed because his eyes kept unfocusing, and the corners of his vision were blurry and stained red. āBlood?ā
āListen, Technoblade, I donāt know what species you think you are, butā¦ā He hesitated again, before continuing.
āYou're a god, and our brother, at that.ā Soot paused, and then started saying something more. āIām so glad we finally found you, weāve-ā
But Techno didnāt get to hear what theyād done, the blood loss had finally caught up to him, and he passed out, darkness now surrounding him as he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
. . .
Aaaaaand that's it, folks! Great ending we got there, right? Hope you liked it :] Big thanks to Beckyu for helping me choose how to end it, and start next chapter.
That reminds me...
@i-am-beckyu and @brick-a-doodle-do, thank you for wanting to be tagged! If you want to be tagged, comment, ask or dm me and I'll add you! :D
AU where a human shrinks to borrower size but instead of it being a super fast change where they're suddenly tiny, they shrink really slowly over a month or so and slowly freak as they turn OR vice versa where a borrower start slowly growing and still when the human discover him
idk why but I'm imagining the sbi with either phil shrinking or techno growing
Honestly that is such a cool idea!!!!
I love it as it is but like also imagine this situation right, but like a human Phil and borrower Techno have like known each other for a long time but they've not like met face to face. So Phil knows about Techno but Techno refuses to be any closer than up on a high shelf or behind a vent where it's safe.
Techno only really talks to Phil because he's lonely but he's to scared to do anything more because obviously all the stories of humans hurting borrowers etc.
So when he starts growing and can suddenly hit his head on the make shift door to his home in the walls, he starts getting concerned. Even if it's slow, he's getting bigger and can't tell why.
He doesn't mention this to Phil as he's not sure what the human will do with the knowledge his little friend intruder is getting to big for the walls- hence being easier to catch.
On the other end, Phil has noticed that he's suddenly getting shorter. At first it was just a few cms, him chalking it up to getting older and inevitably starting to shrink in height, but he measured his height and he was almost and whole 5 inches shorter! It didn't make sense!
He had tried to voice his concerns with Techno about it, but the borrower had been strangely silent for the past few weeks. He'd only ever gotten slight glimpses of them when chatting, and he was becoming concerned that something may have happened to his small friend.
It was at that moment that he heard a very small "hey phil" and was shocked to turn and see a what must have been a comparable barbie sized Techno standing behind him.
"I need help."
The two basically then talk about how the other has been growing/shrinking and don't really understand what's going on just that it keeps happening. Unsure if this is going to continue, Phil starts teaching Techno about how to do and use things as a human and Techno as a borrower.
I think then at some point it would be really good if the moment when they were both the same size, that Techno basically breaks down scared out of his mind with having to basically become and act human and is scared about it lasting forever. He's been alone for years and now he has to just take phils place basically and act like it's normal? Cue the two having a heart to heart again and the first hug either has had in a long long time. And they're both the same size so it's perfect.
Continuing further I think basically they'd both become the same size as the other and adjust to new life with Phil being a lot more out int the open then what Techno was and Techno just learning how to adjust. They'd probably be those sizes for a few months and then randomly they'd start switching back again.
They never figure out why it happens, just that it does and it continues on like this for basically the rest of their lives and they adapt to it. I'd say they end up doing work from home jobs lol.
That's my take. Thank you very much anon for the idea!!! I don't know if it was intentional, but you forgot to sign off lol. Def gave me a bit of brain brrrrrr action on this one.
Also sorry for my weird activity being online and not lol. Busy at work and wanting to concentrate on the fic so I'm kinda tunnel visioning my focuses on those and forgetting other socials exist at random times lol. I WILL KEEP MAKING THIS FIC AND IT WILL BE DONE BY MY BIRTHDAY! I SWEAR IT!
Hello people reading this! Some of the older members may remember an idea @apersonstories , @funtimemoth , and me came up with in the old community server (that is forever lost the time). I have finally gotten the free time to write the first chapter of this AU! I'm hoping for there to be at least six parts and that you all well enjoy it! TW will be warnings for all of the things that will be going over in the story! I hope you all enjoy! :D
Also if you have any questions don't be shy to send them to me!
TW for all parts- intentional / unintentional dehumanization, accidental fear play, feelings of being trapped and despair, and if there are any more I will add them!
"Are you sure you want to play this Phil? This game seems kind of weirdā¦" Kristen commented as she read over Philza's shoulder as he installed a simple sim game for his phone, he had happened upon the game well looking for something to entertain himself and the game seemed pretty interesting.Ā
"Kristen it's just a little life sim, these terms and conditions are probably just making sure you don't do anything creepy with the game" Philza finished installing the game and started making the custom home he would have in the game "I well say tho it's kind of annoying I can only make boxes for the rooms and not connect any of them, it would be nice to make a more complicated hallway then just a straight line."
Kristen just laughed as she sat down on the couch next to Philza and watched him work on the rooms over his shoulder, she every now and again would help setting up some of the rooms. Philza and Kristen did find it a bit strange there were certain rooms they absolutely had to have before they could add bonus rooms.
The game told them they needed three bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a bath and one without) and a kitchen with a table and chairs in it. Philza found it a bit annoying cuz he didn't even know what kind of virtual family he was going to make and put in this house but he did it anyway.
"There finally fucking done- now to make an actual dining room and living room for this house." Philza got a bit more comfortable on the couch leaning up against his wife as he added the final details to the house and made sure there were a few windows so natural light would come in, the blonde hit done and instantly got a notification saying that his house would take an hour to make.
"What the fuck- this game has literally only been out for a month at best, how is it this fucking slow?" Philza grumbled until he noticed a new notification and clicked on it "Oh wait do I not make my own tiny family for this?"
"I guess not, maybe they had to trade out the customization for the family so you can customize your house more?" Kristen noted as she slowly took her husband's phone and started scrolling through the small family's they could get, she smiled when she found a very nice particular looking pair.
"You should get these three, the Neapolitan ones!" Philza took his phone back from Kristen and smiled at the three young looking NPCs she had picked out, he clicked the check mark next to them and the app informed him that within an hour his home would be done and these three would be moved in. Philza decided to just set his phone down and talk with his wife for a bit till it was time to actually decorate the house he had made for the three, he was really looking forward to the decorating expect of this game!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Philza has been decorating the house he had set up in the game for at least 2 hours now and thankfully had only spent $10 on extra furniture for the house, plus well setting up the furniture he had learned a very fun and kind of cute thing about the three brothers.
Tommy and Wilbur were little shits and sometimes moved the furniture slightly to a different spot just to mess with Philza. Well Techno straight up picked the furniture up and completely moved it to a different room, Philza didn't really mind and found it kind of funny. The boys were all roughly the age of teenagers so it was probably in their coding to be rebellious.
"Kristen, come look at the house! I finally finished decorating!" Philza called over his shoulder as he looked over at the kitchen, he smiled as his wife walked out and sat back down on the couch next to him. Philza excitedly handed the phone to her, starting to show off each of the rooms.
"So the game gives you a tiny descriptive on the three house members so I tried to decorate their rooms to fit things they like, for example Tommy really likes animals so I gave him a bunch of different toy animals for his room- well Wilbur only likes one animal and that's a sheep so I gave him a bed that kind of looks like a sheep!" Philza explained excitedly as he finally pointed at Techbo's room "Now Techno's room was probably the hardest, his description was pretty blank and the only notable thing was that he likes to read. So I just gave him a few extra bookshelves and made sure they were full of books that he would like!"
Kristen smiled as she looked at the three tiny rooms and zoomed in to inspect them a bit more, she then noticed something a bit strange in Wilbur's room. "Hey Phil, why is there a hole in the corner of Wilbur's room?"
Philza looked at his wife a bit puzzled as he took the phone and also looked at the strange hole in the corner of the room, he and Kristen became even more confused as Wilbur suddenly dropped a pillow over the hole acting like he was trying to hide it.
"I don't knowā¦maybe the game is just glitching out?" Philza suggested as he moved over to the kitchen and went back to adding small details to the counters so it felt a bit more lived in, he set his phone down as it started to load and set up decorations.
"Why is it loading? You just added some small decorations to the kitchen."Ā
"Hm? Oh I'm not really sure but whenever I place decorations a loading screen pops up, I'm starting to think the game didn't add in the future of you placing the item down like the Sims." Philza explained as he picked his phone back up once it was done loading "Do you think I need to add anything to the living room or kitchen?"
Kristen took the phone again and started inspecting the kitchen and living room, she moved over to the dining room and pointed at one of the corners that was very bland looking. "I think you just need to add a painting here and you should be all done with decorating!"
"I'll do it later, is dinner ready by any chance?" Philza asked, turning his phone off for now and standing up from the couch, he followed his wife to the kitchen and smiled as he spotted the finished pasta.
"I have! We just need to wait for the cheesy garlic bread in the oven to finish up, can you grab my oven mitts?" Kristen asked as the timer on the oven went off and she started turning the heat off, she thought of her husband as he handed her the oven mitts and pulled out their cheesy garlic bread.
The two started dishing up their plates and getting ready for dinner Philza ignoring the notification he got on his phone from his new game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tommy inspected all of the plush animal figures that had been left inside of his room and started moving the ones that he found extremely creepy into a corner making them stare at the wall, he didn't like the stuffed animals lacking button eyes. He actually found it pretty creepy they just had weird black buttons replacing their eyes.
"Tommy? What are you doing?" Wilbur asked as he walked into his little brother's room and noticed him moving the toys around. "Umā¦why are they all just staring at the wall-"
"They are creepy evil creatures that don't deserve to stare at the room!" Tommy explained as he shoved yet another large plushie into the corner. "I hate them."
Wilbur leaned against the door frame as he watched his little brother continue to choose which stuffed animals would be staring at a corner and which ones got left alone in the room; he patiently waited a few minutes until his little brother seemed to be done.
"So now that you've exiled some of these guys to the corner do you want to go eat? Techno was able to find a small bit of food in the weird cold box thing." Wilbur asked, taking his little brother's hand and started to lead him towards their kitchen.
"I guess, when we're done eating we're going to skip and go home right?" Tommy asked with a big smile on his face as he looked up at his brother. They had been stuck with these horrible humans for at least two months now and Tommy just wanted to go back home.Ā
Tommy didn't really notice the weird face his brother made as they walked into the kitchen and he sat down at the table, the young borrower's nose scrunched up and disgusted as a plate of nothing but vegetables was placed in front of him.Ā
"Why are there so many carrots and peas? Are there any crackers, nuts, or fruits?" Tommy asked poking the two peas on his plate with his finger, he knew not to complain about food too much but this was all they had been eating for months!
"No. That's all that was in the cold box Tommy, just eat up and then go to bed." Techno said in a Stern voice as he started munching on his own peas and carrots.
Tommy wanted to protest but felt Wilbur lightly kicked his foot and decided not to argue with Techno, he begrudgingly started to eat his peas and carrots hating every minute of it. Why can't the stupid humans in the white coats give them actual food?
The young blonde finished his dinner instead of from his seat getting ready to head back to his room, he walked around the table and gave his brother Techno a hug.
"I'm sorry I complained about the peas and carrots, they weren't that bad." Techno reached up and padded Tommy on the back and then sent the young boy back to his room, Tommy tried to ignore his brothers as they obviously started to have a conversation without him.
The young blonde grabbed one of the small plushies that looked like a moth and climbed into his weirdly shaped bed, for some reason it had Wheels but both him and his brother said it was not in fact an old wagon turned into a bed. Especially with the ugly silver color it was.
Tommy wrapped himself up tightly in the blankets hugging the moth plushie close to his chest, a few moments later Tommy felt a soft kiss against his forehead and finally fell asleep hoping he would wake up home with his brother's and they could finally eat something that wasn't peas and carrots.
hereās chapter 1 out of idfk! I vehemently refuse to plan things in advance beyond just various scenes I want to happen :D
Iām actually super excited for this one and really proud of it so I hope yāall like it as much as I do!
tw: parental neglect ig this is different from what I normally write
āHonestly, Wilbur, house arrest?!ā His mother scolded him. Wilbur sighed and dropped his bags at the door, pushing up his glasses to rub his eyes, pointedly looking away from his mom. āI donāt hear from you in years and I suddenly get a random call that says youāre getting dumped at my house because youāve been put under house arrest??ā āI know, Iām sorry mum-ā āWere you just planning to drop off the face of the earth? Would you have just never come back here if you werenāt arrested? What were you arrested for? Why wouldnāt they just drop you off at your house? Youāre an adult-ā āThatās pretty simple, I donāt have one.ā āWilbur!!ā
Wilbur walked over to the couch and dropped himself on it, head in his hands. He could feel his motherās eyes on him, staring and trying to take in how much heād changed. He couldnāt blame her. Heād left when he was 18 to pursue music, and look at where that got him. Homeless, lonely, and arrested, the court ordered anklet digging uncomfortably into his skin at a measly 21 years old. He was a mess. An exhausted, hopeless mess.
He heard quiet footsteps as his mother came to sit next to him, and a warm arm laid over his shoulder. āYou know I love you. I donāt care that you were arrested, or why you were, I really donāt. Butā¦why didnāt you come home? Iāll always be here to help you, you know that, right? Did Iā¦did I do something wrong?ā āNo!ā Wilbur quickly said, head still in his hands. āNo, youāre a wonderful mother, iām just a terrible son. I..I donāt know why I didnāt come home, Iām sorry, but itās not your fault.ā His mother sighed and pulled him closer, and he relished in the comfortable silence. It had been so long since he had felt like anyone around him actually cared, and yet his mothers patience and love for him was seemingly endless, even now, even for a horrible fuck up son like him. He didnāt deserve her. If he was being honest with himself, thatās why he didnāt come back home to her when times got tough for him. Why should she have to deal with him? It wasnāt her fault that he turned out a wreck, she did the best she could as a single mother, even putting aside her passions while she put her whole focus into him.
Speaking of that, since he left, she certainly seemed to pick her interests back up, if the messy house was any indication. Or maybe messy wasnāt the right word, maybe so trashed and horder-like that it was hard to believe anyone actually lived here. Wilbur looked up from his hands to fully take in the mess that completely covered the main floor of the house. Walls were covered in taped up drawings of creatures of all kind, floors covered in similar scribbles and notes. There were some cabinets with small observation cases full of taxidermic bugs and what looked to be smallā¦weapons? Saddles?
Well, her collection had definitely grown in the past few years.
āI see your hobby has been going well.ā Wilbur said, trying to deflect the situation. Luckily for him, he knew his mother. And if there was anything that could distract her, it was asking her about her odd fascination with all things tiny. āOh! Yeah, I forgot itās been a while since youāve been here. My collection had grownā¦a fair bit. I havenāt touched your room, though! Itās the same as itās been, things have just beenā¦messier.ā She said, getting up to show him around. He chuckled softly as he watched her make her way around the room, carefully avoiding the piles and piles of documents scattered around the floor. She stopped at a wall of computers, pointing up at them. āIām close, though. I have cameras set up all over the forest, and I donāt think theyāve noticed themā¦yet. Theyāre fast, but I think I have some arguable proof.ā
His mother leaned over the keyboard, frantically searching for whatever new clip she had. Wilbur smiled. He couldnāt say he actually believed in any of it, despite what she had taught him growing up. Of course the idea was fun, but the older he got, the harder it was to suspend his disbelief that there may be tiny people living in the forest. How his mom kept that childlike faith in her beliefs despite the lack of proof for years and years he couldnāt know, but he was happy for her. She had something to put her heart into and believe in, and Wilbur had forgotten what that was like after music had proven to be a bust.
He snapped back to the screen as his mom made an excited noise and leaned back to point at the screen. āSee! There!ā Wilbur looked for a moment before taking a few very careful steps around her findings and towards the screen. It was a blurry freeze frame; one smaller brown and reddish bird, one small brown-ish spec, and a much larger black blur that seemed almost iridescent. A couple of birds and a bug, probably, the finch looking one in the lead and the large black bird and bug close behind. āMom Iām sorry, butā¦what evidence am I supposed to be seeing in a bird chase?ā āThatās a raven,ā she pointed to the black bird, āthat bird is most likely a common redpoll, and judging from the wing color and shape thatās probably a bee. But hereās the thing!ā She swung back to Wilbur, an excited, manic look in her eye. And people wondered where he got his crazy from. Certainly wasnāt his father, he never knew the bastard. āThe bee is out of the Ravens sight, so it isnāt chasing a food source.ā She continued. āRavens donāt go after other bird species, either, and thereās no reason a bee would chase a potential predator. But look here,ā she pointed back to the screen and Wilbur leaned closer, the fuzz of the old tv brushing against his face. āyou see it?ā
Looking where she was pointing, there were a few thin brown straps on the bird, and a small blurry green and slightly yellow blob on its back. The raven had a spot on it where the black wasnāt as iridescent, where it looked like something was wrapped around it. It also had something on itās back; a greyish blob with more hints of brown and black and also white, weirdly enough. And looking at the bee, it also looked like it was missing a few legs, and was built strangely, along with having something green on it. He looked back to his mom, who looked more proud of herself than heād seen her be in years. He was sure everything on screen had a logical explanation, but who was he to break his poor motherās heart?
āThatās great! Thatās really, really amazing mom.ā He said as she squealed and hugged him. āI knew you would think so!ā she leaned back, hands still on his arms as she made eye contact with him and sighed. āFuck, here I am rambling when youāve still got settling in to do. Letās get your bags and head upstairs, yeah? Your old room is waiting for you, and who knows how long itās been since you slept in a bed, you impossible child.ā She said, letting go and grabbing his two measly bags and guitar case. Wilbur rolled his eyes and took his guitar case from her, given that it was the heaviest. āHey, Iām not impossible, Iām stubborn, and I get that from you, yāknow.ā He heard his mom mockingly repeat him and scoff from the top of the steps, and he laughed. God, heād missed her.
~~~
āI swear to fucking god!ā Phil yelled, storming his way through his castle, Techno walking quickly behind, struggling to keep pace. āI need him for one thing and he just fucking disappears! Itās a miracle I havenāt strangled that child with my bare hands.ā He stopped momentarily to command more guards to triple check Tommyās room, and Techno finally managed to catch up, panting slightly. āYou know this isnāt unlike him, Phil. He likes to do his own thing, wonder where he gets that from.ā āI get that heās too much like me for his own good, but at least I was always able to take account of myself and get my shit done.ā Phil responded with venom in his tone. āHeās irresponsible, heās brash, heās rude, I donāt know how he ended up like this or what I could have done better for him.ā āIād respond but Iām assuming that was rhetoricalā¦ā he muttered under his breath. āWhat was that, Techno?ā āNothing, your majesty.ā
Phil continued his walk and ended up out of the palace, the sky above them turning a dark grey and a low rumble of thunder cracking through the silence. Phil, however, seemed undeterred, ending up by his stable, his trusty crow waiting for him. He pet the birdās beak gestured to a few more guards. āGet Brian saddled, Iām heading out for a bit.ā āDo you really think this is necessary?ā āYou forget, Techno, Tommy thinks heās so smart, but Iām his father. Heās the teenager and Iām the adult; Iām always a step ahead.ā He said, holding up his necklace. A chunky green emerald swung from a thin leather rope, identical to one that Tommy wore every day. āI thought that was to help Tommy with his magic?ā āIt isā¦mostly,ā Phil said, dropping the necklace back down to his chest. āIt has a lot of magic stored in it, Tommyās does, too. His is a chip off from mine, after all. In a pinch, though, it can be used to track. As long as Tommy is wearing his, I can get him to me. If I was truly in a desperate situation, I could call Tommy to me right now. But as it stands, that takes far too much of the necklaceās power, and he just needs to learn a lesson about refusing his duties and disobeying his father.ā āItās a magic session, Phil, he practices all the time, it canāt be that much of a deal. Besides, thereās a storm coming, this isnāt a good idea.ā āHeās been blowing them off for 2 months,ā Phil said, straddling his bird, Brian cooing softly. āAnd he knows that Iām rarely ever free for them, he needs to take this more seriously if heās going to lead. Besides, if heās still not home before the storm starts, thatās all the more reason to find him before he lets himself get hurt.ā
āPhil-ā āIāll be ok, I promise, mate.ā Phil said, eyes softening as he leaned down to his right hand man. āIāve never lied to you before have I?ā āā¦no, sir.ā Techno said, defeated. āHave a safe flight, Iāll see you home soon. If you donāt come back with Tommy by nightfall Iām coming to find you myself.ā āRelax, Iāll be fine. I run this goddamn forest, remember?ā And with that, Phil was off, Brian taking off like a shot off the stableās branch.
Techno couldnāt help the sinking feeling in his gut as he watched Phil shrink into the distance.
~~~
Wilbur was settling in as well as he thought he would be. One thing heād grown to hate in his short amount of time at his old house was his court ordered punishment. Other than the ankle monitor, he had to do ācommunity service.ā Of course, the court hadnāt known at the time that there was literally no community to service for miles and miles at his house, and he didnāt have a license anymore (you do donuts on a private frozen lake one time) (ok maybe 6 but that guy was an asshole). So his ācommunity serviceā consisted of cleaning up the forest; turns out that the one and only road near the forest was a pretty popular spot for passerbyās to toss trash. Most of his afternoons were spent along the side of a mostly undisturbed road that had way more trash that it logically should for how new the road seemed; he doubted anyone other than the jail car heād been driven down in had been on the road for months.
Still, he donned the eye-sore yellow āhey! iāve been to jail and iām serving my sentence to community!ā vest and grabbed a beanie and fingerless gloves. It was spring, but under all the overhang of the trees he knew itād feel cooler than it was, which he accounted for when he put on a yellow flannel sweater and thick slightly dirty and ripped jeans, ones he wouldnāt mind getting dirty since he was going to be kneeling on the dirt. One step onto his porch told him it was also definitely gonna storm, the sky growing dark and that spring-time smell of rain filling his senses. He decided to lace up heavy steel toed and already worn and muddied work boots and threw a thick grey hooded t-shirt on for good measure under the vest in case it (or more like when it) rained. He wished he had better than a simple hood, but he didnāt know where the umbrellas were. Heād love to ask his mother, but she had already head out that morning to double check that her cameras wouldnāt be damaged by the rain.
He hoped she just got out before the storm.
~~~
Phil flew faster as the wind started to pick up and the thunder grew louder. Brian was sturdy, and above all else fast, but Phil knew his birdās limits. He was getting tired, and Phil wasnāt any closer to Tommy somehow. He wished his stupid crystal could work better, but it was really a game of hot or cold until he got close enough to Tommy that the shard gave him some magic feeling that his son was close by and could lead him from there. It was stupid and time consuming, but he couldnāt risk just calling Tommy to him. Turns out he probably should have listened to Techno; this storm was shaping up to be a big one, and he knew heād need the extra magic his necklace provided in order to repair whatever damage the rain caused to his forest.
He ended up near the tar strip through the middle of his forest (the damn humans put it there years ago, and though their cursed machines came through the forest sometimes, those instances were few and far between, thankfully)(still, fuck those humans). He may hate it, but it ran through the forest somewhat evenly, so heād be able to hopefully sense at least what side of it Tommy was on if he just went down the middle.
The storm was getting heavier, but he couldnāt give up now. There was no sign of Tommy. Phil realized at some point that his concern had shifted from āi have to teach him a lesson about wasting my timeā to āoh god where is my son is he ok.ā He wasnāt surprised though, really. He did truly, really care about his son, even if Tommy didnāt think so. If he had all the time in the world, heād spend it with him, he would. But he canāt. Heād wanted to be the one to teach Tom to read, to watch his first steps, to see him grow into the young man he was now. But he hadnāt. Tommy had been raised by royal staff whoās names Phil had never cared to know. Heād been there to hear Tommyās first word, though, but he wished it would have been under better circumstances.
It had been āTech,ā and heād said it while witnessing one of the most brutal and gut-wrenching arguments heād ever had with Technoblade, out of the few theyāve fought. Heād learned that Techno was skipping his guard duties in secret to spend time with Tommy. And heād been outraged, for some reason. Heād burst into a room where Techno was telling a harmless tale to a baby Tommy and screamed at him for neglecting his duty and fooling off instead. Tommy had people to be there for him, and Phil had never cleared Techno to be one of them. Techno argued that Tommy needed someone who cared about him, not just people who were rewarded for giving him food and attention. He needed people who wanted him, and Phil clearly didnāt. Itād stung like a knife to the chest at the time, but he knew where Techno was coming from now.
The fight grew worse and worse for minutes before heād heard the desperation in Tommyās infant babble. They were silenced as tears rolled down his chubby infant cheeks when he realized someone who he cared about was so upset, calling out to the only person whoād ever shown him voluntary affection. And it hadnāt been Phil. It wasnāt his father, it was his fatherās guard and friend. Even now, though Tommy didnāt associate with Techno as much anymore since he was always with Phil, Tommy loved Techno more than Phil. And Phil would never resent Techno for that. He trusted Techno with his life, and if Tommy had to look up to someone other than Phil, he was glad it was his most trusted confidant, but he couldnāt stop it from hurting.
His kingdom thrived, his people were happy, and his son hated him. It was just a fact of his life, at this point. Even when Phil did his best to reconnect with Tommy when he was younger, when he was finally becoming his own person, it all went downhill. Theyād been the closest theyād ever been for those few years, but it all plummeted in one conversation, and Tommy never saw him the same again after that.
All he could hope is that someday, when Tommy is king, heāll see how hard it is, and know that his dad did his best to keep him safe and happy.
~~~
Wilbur sighed as he pulled his hood farther over his head to keep his glasses from getting wet as rain started down. Yup, heād been right. Definitely rain. Shouldāve worn contacts. Damn, and heād just started down the road, itād be hours till he was done for the day. Still, he sighed and picked up packets of chips and broken beer bottles with his cold slippery metal trash-grabber-thing and shoved them into a garbage bag.
Unfortunately, things only got worse the longer he was out there. Heād made it fairly deep into the woods at that point, but the rain pounded onto him like hail and thunder roared around him. He just honest to god wanted to go home and sit with a cup of tea and listen to his mom ramble about whatever new thing sheād seen in woods. But lucky him, his ankle shackle tracked his movements. He was only allowed to be in the house and a little ways into the front or backyard during the day. During his torture hours (thatās what he liked to call his court ordered punishments), he was not allowed to be in the house. Instead, he had to remain on the road and somewhat into the woods for his designated amount of hours or else heād get a couple of very stern police officers at the front door telling his mother that he was on thin ice and to do what he was ordered to unless he wanted jail time. He did not, thank you very much.
He flinched as lightning struck a tree a ways behind him. Holy shit, this was actually getting pretty bad. Was his mom still out here? Had she gone home when the rain started? God, he hoped so. But all he could do for now was pick shit up and wait it out.
It wouldnāt be that long till he got home.
~~~
Phil panted, barely able to breathe through his panic as he pushed Brian to go faster. Rain started to pound on him, but he didnāt care. He was becoming frenzied. Oh god, where was Tommy? Was he hurt? Was he back at the castle, having heard the thunder and realizing that it was stupid to be out on his own? Brian softly chittered beneath him, but he could barely process it. Phil had to find Tommy. He just had to. He couldnāt leave his little boy out here alone, cold, scaredā¦
Phil yelped as Brian swerved out of his control, landing on a nearby tree branch that only somewhat shielded them from the storm. āBrian, wh-ā He heard a soft coo and only then felt minute quivering beneath him. He reached out a hand and felt his wings, which were shaking badly. āIām sorry, Iām sorry, buddy, youāre probably pretty tired, huhā¦ā He said, getting off the crow and petting his head. Brian pressed his head lightly into Philās hand as a response, and Phil reached over to his saddle and pulled out some berries and a water pouch, holding them out in front of Brian. He immediately perked up and opened his beak a little bit, enough for Phil to drop the food and pour water in. Brian cooed and nestled down onto the branch a bit more. Phil sighed and sat down next to him; seemed like they wouldnāt be moving for a little while.
They sat in silence for a while, Phil listening to the raid patter violently on the leaves above him while some stray droplets broke through and struck where he sat. He tried to even his breathing and think with a level head, but to no avail. He tapped his foot anxiously with no other way to get his nervous energy out, pulling at some of the leaves on his wrists. If Techno were here, heād tell him to stop, but as it was, Phil was left to sit with his own thoughts as the storm raged around him.
Until the worst happened.
He wasnāt sure why his mind hadnāt registered the thunder around him. Maybe heād gotten so used to hearing it in the past few hours, maybe he just didnāt think enough of it to even process it. All he knew after the fact was that it had been so loud it made the forest around him shake and caused a violent thud in his chest, but he hadnāt heard the warning until it was too late.
The clap of lightning around him was deafening, and snapped him out of whatever anxious spell he was in. Brian practically screamed as the trunk and the branch they were sitting broke with a ear crunching snap and heat engulfed him for a moment. He felt petals burn as pain bloomed in him and felt the gust of wind as Brian lifted in the air to avoid being hit or burned, lurching his wings downwards to try and grab Phil. And as much as Phil loved Brian, he was fast, not agile.
No amount of speed could help Phil as Brianās beak barely missed one of his remaining petals and Phil felt himself free fall towards his forest floor. Those seconds felt like a lifetime, some parts of him knowing that he could save himself if he called onto his magic, some parts reminiscing on would happen to his kingdom, his best friend, his sonā¦
would Tommy miss him?
He closed his eyes as the muddied grass grew closer and closer. He wasnāt sure what he wanted his last thought to be, he wasnāt sure why he was worried about it, all he could do was accept his death, knowing that once he hit the cold ground the earth would reclaim him and heād become part of the forest heād worked so hard to lead.
Phil landed hard, butā¦it didnāt feel like the cold ground he was expecting. It was damp, sure, butā¦warm. He heard Brian screech, but shockingly heard a different noise in response. He heard a gasp from a voice heād never heard. It was a woman, he thought, but he couldnāt focus in on anything she said after or what was going on. He was fading out quickly, but he was alive, for now at least. The ground below him moved, the warmth starting to surround him, and the rain stopped hitting him. He should have been more concerned about what was going on, but he couldnāt find it in himself to stay awake anymore.
As he faded out of consciousness, he didnāt notice the lack of the weight that normally hung from his neck.
~~~
Logically, Kristin knew she should have gotten out of the storm before it got this bad. But sheād never really been on logicās side, why start now?
She had started to run home when the thunder got worse, though.
Her rain boots pounded heavily on the road as she sprinted back to her house. Jeez, she hoped Wilburās officers could cut him a break with this one. Sheād lived in this forest for over a decade and this was the worst storm sheād seen in a long, long while. Wilbur was never usually one to take instructions too seriously, so she hoped heād just given up on the minimum hours and fucked off to go home. But she knew he also didnāt want to be in jail in case the officers were as heartless as she was lead to believe, so she couldnāt really be sure.
She practically jumped out of her skin as lightning hit a tree beside her, the leaves immediately starting to burn as bits of the top broke away and fell to the forest floor. It was getting dangerous out here, she needed to go-
And she would have if a bird hadnāt screamed.
God damn her good hearted nature, it was going to get her killed one of these days.
She ran over to the tree in time to see the bird lunging down towards a broken branch, trying to reach out to somethi-
Holy fuck.
Kristinās eyes widened as she saw something- no, someone- falling, and falling fast. Someone green, though accented with yellow and a couple white petals, though most of what she could assume were longer ones had now been burnt back.
Holy shit, it was one of them.
Kristin ran faster and practically threw herself to the ground to catch them, the little person falling into her hands just in time. Holy shit, it was a little person. Here, in her hands, was a little man. She could barely breathe as she held him closer, taking in every detail she could. They seemed to be around her age, and they looked like a guy, but who knows how their gender roles worked in their role. God, who knew how anything worked! She had so much to ask! She could barely believe it, sheād finally done it! She got one!
She was snapped out of her thoughts as the bird screamed again, frantically flapping its wings and hopping towards her. She at first assumed it had just been hunting the little guy in her hands as a food source, but she then took notice of the green leaf-made saddle on its back. Ah, so the bird belonged to the green guy, it seemed like sheād been right in her hypothesis that the tiny people rode them to get around. It hobbled closer, and her thoughts were cut off as she gasped.
She hadnāt fully realized the damage to the bird; a few of the feathers were damaged on one side, especially on itās wing, and itās feet were swollen, probably from the heat. Along with that, it was shaking violently and trying valiantly to get back to its rider.
She cooed as she gently picked it up with one hand, the other still holding the small guy. It tried to fight, but in its exhaustion she guessed that it couldnāt do much. āItās ok, little birdy, I wonāt hurt you,ā she cooed, closing her hand around the tiny and holding him against her chest under her coat to keep him dry. He hadnāt made a move, so she could only assume heād fainted on impact, if he even could faint. To be honest, she wasnāt even sure if he was alive, but the fact that the crow was trying to hard to get back to him gave her hope. āWeāre gonna go back to my house and fix you both up.ā She slowly stood, and cringed when she realized her entire front was absolutely caked in mud, but she shrugged it off.
After all, an extra load of laundry and a shower were little to pay to see her lifeās dedication paid off.
She couldnāt wait to show Wilbur.
~~~
āPhil? Iām home!ā Tommy yelled. Walking into the entryway of the palace he lived in, completely drenched. He hadnāt meant to be out this long, heās just gotten so caught up with his friends that he hasnāt realized time had passed. It was hard to tell when night fell when the entire sky was dark with a storm.
Heād only gone out to help Tubbo deliver some honey, but he and Ranboo had started talking and Tubbo had more deliveries to make so Tommy and Ranboo went to the tree base and invited Tubbo to join them when he was done. Tommy would have loved to stay at Dreamās place, but in case his dad ever found out where heād been wandering off to he wanted the Bog king to have plausible deniability. He had started showing Ranboo all the stuff Tubbo had given him after trading with boggins, and it had turned into a fun game of āIāll give a completely batshit description for this and then youāll tell me what itās actually for.ā One thing looked like a torture device but was used for cutting rougher letter, and another was just a hairbrush, which Ranboo was surprised Tommy had never heard of since bugfolk used them, but hey, Tommy didnāt get out much.
Tubbo came over for a minute but left when the sky grew darker, since he couldnāt fly in the rain and had to get home before the storm. Tommy only went home once the lightning started, and Henry starting chirping, and Tommy could weirdly tell how concerned she was. Him and Ranboo also agreed that the top of a really high tree was not where they wanted to be in a potential lightning storm, so theyād parted ways for the day.
But Tommy hadnāt expected the palace to be empty, practically. Man, was the storm bad enough that the staff had gone home? He wandered his halls for a bit before he heard a voice behind him. āTommy?ā He spun frantically, only to sigh when he saw Technoblade. He dramatically caught his breath and walked over to him. āWhew, you scared the shit outta me, Blade, whereās dadza?ā āHeās not with youā¦?ā That made Tommy pause. āNoooā¦should he be?ā Tommy asked apprehensively, but Techno looked absolutely panicked. āHeā¦he went out looking for you earlier. Like, this morning. You didnāt show up for your lesson with him and he said something about wasting his time and flew off with Brian. They havenāt been back.ā
āā¦what?ā His dad had gone outā¦looking for him? Wasnāt he more concerned about the storm? The forest? Why was Tommy the concern there? His dad rarely gave a flying fuck when he missed their lessons, why did he have to pick today of all days to throw a hissy fit and run after him? āOh god, okā¦how..how do we find him?ā āI have no idea.ā Techno answered, as blatantly honest as usual, but the stoic look having been replaced with fear. They both stood in silence for a moment before Techno put a hand on Tommyās shoulder. āOk, Iām going to go looking for him. Youāre gonna stay here and see if you can bring him back.ā What? āBut how am I-ā
Techno reached to the emerald around Tommyās neck, held by a thin leather strap, the same as his fatherās. Pretty much the only tying them to each anymore. āPhil explained earlier that your crystals are connected. He went out looking for you knowing that the necklace would signal him when you were close by. He also said that if need be, thereās some magic property that can call one crystal to the other, since theyāre just pieces of each other. He didnāt earlier since it would have taken too much power and he didnāt know how bad the storm would get, but I think weāre to that point. I donāt know shit about magic, but according to him, you should be able to use the crystal to summon him here.ā
Tommy stared wide eyes at him for a moment. āI- i donāt know how to do thatā¦I canāt-ā āItās alright, you can do it, I know you can. If if you canāt, Iāll keep looking until I find him. Itāll all be ok.ā Techno said, leaning Tommy into a hug. God, this must be serious, Techno was never this emotional. āO-ok, Iāll do my best.ā Techno leaned back, smiling at Tommy before clapping him on the shoulders. āYouāre a good kid, Tommy. Iāll be back.ā He said, walking off. He hoped Techno would be ok. The storm had been getting progressively better little by little, but it was still pretty harsh.
Tommy went up to his room and sat on the floor. Ok, so he was basically trying to learn teleportation, no biggie, justā¦teleport someone. Yeah, he could do that. He bring Phil back and heād yell at Tommy for missing another lesson and heād yell back that it was how he felt when his dad missed his entire childhood and inevitably someone would bring up mom, god forbid, and itād end with two slammed doors like it had at least three other times that week. Great, he was so looking forward to that.
ā¦why was he doing this again?
Tommy groaned and hit the heel of his hand against his head. His dad may be a bigoted asshole to his two best friends and a shitty father on the best of days, but he didnāt deserve to die in a lightning storm. His heart clenched at the idea that he may be too late, that heād never see his father again and it would have been his fault since he didnāt go to that stupid magic lecture earlier.
He tried to convince himself that it was only because he didnāt want the weight of his fatherās death on his shoulders. That the sore feeling in his chest was annoyance and minor guilt. He didnāt miss his dad, he didnāt care about him at all anymore.
He didnāt.
Tommy breathed in and out deeply, closing his eyes and taking the emerald off his neck, clutching it tightly in his hands. He could feel the magic practically emanating from it, and did his best to find a similar power. His dad said when he needed to do more intense magic, he used the stone to feel out the life force in the forest that needed help. Heād taken Tommy to a cracked tree once and it had taken a while, but heād managed to ground himself enough that he felt with the tree, and used his and the stones magic to redirect energy into it and heal it. He imagined the sensation would be something like that. If he could feel specific individual forces of nature, he could feel out a magic gemstone. He could do it.
As he started to concentrate more, and as he felt his own forces spread from himself to the walls of his room and his home and the whole forest around him, the stone started to glow.
~~~
Fucking. Finally.
The storm hadā¦somewhat slowed down. Enough that Wilbur wasnāt getting even more soaked on his way home. Though, to be fair, he felt like he would never be dry again, he was soaked to the bone.
He walked down one side of the street under the branches. Since the storm had let up, the sun had come back with a vengeance and he was wearing very thick and warm clothes. He was already drenched, he didnāt want to add sweat to that.
To give himself credit where it was due, though, walking back, the road looked a whole lot cleaner than it had previously. It may not have justified hauling his giant-ass heavy trash bag all the way back to his house, but at least he was doing something.
After what felt like hours of walking back down the road heād come up from (he knew it was only a few minutes but heād been picking up trash in a thunderstorm all fucking day he was exhausted) he came upon the tree from earlier that had been struck by lightning. And shit did it look bad. He couldnāt help his curiosity as he stepped closer, observing the damage up close. The top looked like it had been on fire, all burnt and blackened, but even more confusing was the large section of land right in front of where he was standing where the grass had been shoved forward and it was nothing but a slick patch of mud. It looked like the dirt on a baseball field when a catches had to slide across the ground to get the ball.
As his attention was on the ground, though, something flashed in the dim light that shone through the trees. What in the world was that?
Maybe heād missed a piece of trash, who knows how far into the woods people can chunk things from their car. He leaned down to get a better look at it, and saw that it was shiny and a dark, deep green. Ugh, another piece of a goddamn beer bottle that someone shattered against something. Though, this one didnāt look like the large smooth but sharp edged pieces heād picked up like a hundred of. Something was odd, so he dropped his grabber and bag to examine it more closely.
None of it was smooth; it looked somehow natural. It was think and rough, but not sharp, not polished and thin and clear like heād seen. Maybe it could be a rock? It also had a weird brown strap attached to it, each side of the rope having scorch marks on the end. Wilbur guessed that the fire had split the strap holding the stone on. Maybe it had beenā¦a ring? Who uses a thin flimsy leather band as a ring? He also didnāt know who would have been in the forest to lose a ring, other than his mother. Maybe he should bring this home and ask her, and if itās not hers, canāt hurt to see what the stone is and how much it could be worth. A little extra money never hurt.
As he looked at it more closely, he realized it was greener than he originally thought. It was brighter, almost. Had the sun started hitting it differently? He held it up to a patch of sunlight, and watched in awe as it looked like it almost started to glow. Woah, maybe he could get some serious cash for this thing after all. But as he brought it back down from the lightā¦it was still glowing. Like, actually glowing. And it was getting brighter and brighter.
He confusedly wrapped his hands around it, peeking in to see if it was still somehow just a trick of the light or if it was glowing. He saw a trickle of green light breaking through the cracks in his intertwined fingers, but when he went to peer in closer, something happened. His hand jerked in the exact wrong direction, smacking him clean in the face and right against the left side of his glasses, shoving them hard enough that he heard a crack. Before he could be too confused about that, though, his hands were suddenly yanked forward, enough to trio him off his feet, butā¦
He was still upright. There wasnāt any weight on his legs, but he was upright. He looked back up to his hands and saw the glow getting brighter and brighter still, to the point it was almost shining through his hands.
His blood turned cold and pure fear flooded his body as he felt himself get lifter up higher. He frantically tried to let go of the stone, putting all his effort into ripping his hands away, but nothing. He felt tears drip down his face, he wasnāt sure when he started crying, but he paid it no mind. It swung him around again, almost slamming him into a tree. He tried to push away but he was like a ragdoll to this thing. It felt like he was in the tornado scene of the Wizard of Oz.
āHelp!ā He screamed, his muscles starting to get sore from the useless strain of trying to free himself. āFuck, Help me!ā Nothing moved. His hands stayed firmly stuck around the crystal. āSomeone!ā He started to feel nauseous, and he felt himself shaking from the fear. āAnyone?!ā The world around him started to morph as the edges of his visions turned green. āMom!!ā And suddenly he was gone.
~~~
A green flash filled Tommyās room as he shot up from where heād been sitting. Holy fuck, he did it. He did it, he actually managed to do it!! He ran to the figure as the magic began to clear only to stop dead in his tracks, his face falling.
Something stood in front of him. Not his father, not even a leafman, but something.
He wore clothes that were somewhat reminiscent of Ranbooās, but they were moreā¦patterned. It was weird material, and itās not like Tommy knew many people who actually wore clothes, but heād never seen anything like it. The man was also a weird color, not green like him or any shade of grey like a boggin. He was tall, taller than Tommy, but still dwarfed under most boggins. Maybe he was a bugfolk? But he looked too squishy. He didnāt have the hard chitin that Tubbo had, his skin looked like it felt more Like Ranbooās but without the spikes.
His thoughts halted as he noticed that the man hadnāt even seen him yet. Heād taken a second to look around, but he was just staring at the emerald in his hands-
The emerald.
That was his dadās emerald.
Tommy went to take a step closer, the dead silence in the room broken for just a second by his footstep. The manās head snapped up and he just as quickly fell over, mouth agape and breathing heavily. It was only then that Tommy realized he was also shaking like a leaf.
They both just stared at each other for a minute, neither making a move. Tommyās confusion slowly warping to anger and the other creatureās morphing into fear and apprehension.
