Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy was currently running. 

While this might seem pretty normal on its own, perhaps he should specify that he's running for his fucking life.

You see, being a deer hybrid certainly came with some truly amazing factors! Having enhanced senses, a whole other form, being kicked out by the latest person to take pity on him and later hunted in the woods. Just swell!

Currently he could hear the crash of horses' hooves thundering after him in the not so distant distance, shouts of the people riding them echoing in his mind louder than the beat of his own heart.

He was currently in his other form, which made it make a bit more sense why he was being hunted, but changing back wouldn't help much anyways. 

He'd still have recognizable traits in his ears, tail, and hooves, and hybrids weren't exactly looked fondly upon by the empire. It was a choice between being killed and stuffed on someone's wall, or being forced into a cage for the rest of his life. Not exactly an easy decision.

Thankfully he had managed to gain some ground, but there was no way he'd be able to stay ahead of the hunters for long. Already he could feel himself gasping for air, legs throbbing as he ran desperately.

Knowing this, he searched, praying to every deity he'd ever heard of, and soon enough he saw a small thicket, a gap at the bottom just barely big enough to squeeze into.

He threw himself into it, thorns be damned, shifting halfway through and curling into a ball. He clamped his hands over his mouth, one ear flicking nervously as the hoofbeats slowed when the hunters approached.

"Where did the damn thing go," one of the hunters snarled out. He had dark hair pulled back by a bandana, and seemed about ready to tear apart the forest at the loss of his prey.

"Who knows. Don't get all upset Sapnap, it probably wouldn't have had much meat anyways. It looked barely bigger than a fawn, probably even some spots left on it from what little I could see.. I mean I could always track it with my magic if you want Dream,"  the one next to this 'Sapnap' said with a sigh, goggles covering his eyes and the glow of magic seeming to dance around his hands as he looked towards the last member.

At the reminder that he wouldn't have been more than food had he been caught, Tommy shivered slightly, freezing when the slight motion caused the final remaining member of the trio's gaze to snap to where he hid. He hardly dared to breathe as the porcelain mask the other wore seemed to see right to him, gaze locking him with a brutal stare despite not being able to see his eyes. The smile carved into the mask did little to ease his fears, and he prepared himself to run again.

Then he finally seemed to look away, scoffing at the other two. "Whatever. Don't waste your magic on that little thing George. We'll find something else before the day's over, and next time it won't get away," he said, hand drifting to the bow across his back momentarily before he nudged his white steed on, the other two following and falling into light banter.

He climbed out of the thicket when he could no longer hear any sign of them and his heart returned to a normal speed.

He flinched, lightly rubbing at the many scratches dotting his arms, face, and legs now. The clothes he wore didn't protect much, a white short sleeved shirt that he had dyed the sleeves of red, and a pair of tan shorts that were slightly too small for him. 

He didn't exactly have many other options. He couldn't just waltz into the nearest town and be like 'yes clothes for one deer hybrid. I brought my own chains too, yes.' Fuck that. He wasn't going to just let himself be taken like a docile pet.

Though his lower half was pretty much good he'd say considering they were golden furred deer legs. Or well, they used to be. Nowadays they were closer to a dull brown with the dirt, twigs, leaves and such that was caked in.

He shook it off. He was a big man. A whole 13 years old now, he could deal with some scratches. As long as they didn't get infected…

He shook his head, debating changing back into his deer form for a moment before deciding not too. He'd much rather have someone start trying to kidnap him and give him at least a chance to run than suddenly be dead because some prick was out hunting.

He limped forward, trying to figure out where he was in the forest. He had been living in it for over a year at this point, and he knew the woods like the back of his hand.

He had already been coming here before he had finally manifested his hybrid traits, being labeled a problem child by the rest of the town. He had never really felt at home in any of the villagers' houses, and sneaking out to roam the forest had become a habit.

Thank whatever gods might be out there that he did. Otherwise he might've died when he finally had to run from the people who had promised him a home when they had been ready to sell him after a night spent in agony developing his hybrid traits.

He almost had anyways. If it weren't for the calmer than usual winter and the fur his other form brought him, he definitely would've.

He shivered. Memories of that season were mostly a blur for him, and he had stumbled out of it in a haze of instincts for a large part of  spring. Spending so long as a full deer doing him no favors.

Next winter he would need to find some other option. He didn't know if his mind would last again.

But he didn't need to think about that for now, the first snow was still a few months away, surely he'd find some sort of a solution by then.

He picked a direction and began to walk, or well, limp, his way forward, hoping to find some sort of marker to tell where he was. He wasn't exactly expecting to be hunted down by some assholes when on a walk. Hunters would show up in the woods occasionally, but rarely did they chase him for so long. If he didn't know better he'd think they knew he was a hybrid.

He eventually found his way to a small river, sitting next to it and running his arms under the cool water and watching the blood turn the water a light pink before floating downstream.

He looked down, staring at his reflection in the water.

He had always been skinny, but as he reached up to touch his face he noticed how he was truly skin and bones. He had small nicks and scars along his skin, and his eyes were much more dull than they used to be.

He took a moment to wipe what caked on dirt and blood was on his face and legs away as best as he could before quickly looking away.

He stood up, shaking the remaining droplets off before following the water downstream.

The forest truly was beautiful when it wasn't trying to kill him. Large oak and maple trees spread their branches overhead, golden light filtering through the leaves. Other foliage littered the ground, and pebbles that lined the side of the stream crunched beneath his hooves.

He stumbled slightly as he walked, his delicate and thin legs not being the easiest things to stay completely stable on, especially since they were still basically that of a fawns. 

That was one of the major disadvantages with becoming a hybrid, he basically restarted over as a baby in terms of whatever animal side he was, even if your human form was completely fine and totally ready to be alone, instincts saying otherwise be damned.

He had no real destination in mind as he walked.

He had never really set up somewhere permanent to stay. He needed to find enough food everyday, and to get that he needed to wander. It didn't exactly help that he was recognized as prey by some of the animals that lived in the woods, and competed with the others.  

He'd take whatever he could get though. Berries, bird eggs, heck, he could technically digest most of the plants that grew around here.

It was a legitimate advantage he had that he probably wouldn't have cared about had he not been in his situation.

If he hadn't been left alone, forgotten, abandoned-unsafe-unloved.

He snapped out of his thoughts. He had to fight lots of the time to stop himself from  losing himself in the web of his head and spiraling. That or either entering a hyper vigilance mode that left him anxious and shaking.

He noticed that he had come to an area where the water widened slightly, just past his knees in the middle. He quickly crossed over, hoping that if the hunters from before ever did come back with some way to track him that it would throw him off.

He walked a little farther, and froze when he noticed the faint sound of music in the distance. For a brief moment he was frozen, but he eventually decided to approach. It had been so long since he had really interacted with anyone outside of being chased. And if they were out here alone too, maybe they would be like him too.

He debated approaching in his deer form, but he'd rather risk someone hating him for being a hybrid than being attacked for being a 'wild animal'.

He slowly picked his way toward, following the strumming of the guitar until he eventually found his way to a clearing.

His eyes traveled to the man playing the guitar. He was wearing a gentle yellow sweater and dark pants, undoubtedly slightly too warm for the weather, but not as bad as if they were farther south. Round golden glasses sat upon his face and brown curly hair hung down into his eyes. A gently hum could also be heard, his voice calm and melodic as it harmonized with his strumming

And then he noticed the dark brown wolf ears peeking out from his hair and the tail gently swishing across the log he was sitting on. 

He froze, a branch snapping as he took a step back without thinking. Instinctual fear filling him. 

The strumming stopped, dark warm amber colored eyes, deeper than a pool of honey, flicking up to meet his blue ones.

He didn't know if hybrids actually attacked other hybrids the same way animals did. All he knew was that in nature, the other was predator, and he was prey.

Chapter Text

Tommy was running, again.

You know he really wasn't ready to be sprinting for the second time that day, and it was obvious in every stumble, every gasp of air.

He couldn't tell if there was anyone following him, but he didn't want to take the risk. He definitely didn't have enough time to shift and gain the minimal advantage, whereas the other could already be moments away from lunging at him.

Branches whipped past his face, stinging as he pushed through any cover in his path, despising every small hindrance.

He made it back to the stream, thundering down the smal bank as fast as he could. As the pebbles shifted underfoot he swore he could hear another set of feet following behind him.

As he ran, he eventually just so happened to make a mistake. He wasn't watching where he was going carefully enough.

He went sprawling as he tripped, scraping harshly against the ground and barely missing going straight into the water.

He felt tears spring to his eyes, curling in on himself and desperately hoping whoever it was wouldnt hurt him. He wasn't ready to die. He had fought for so long, survived starvation, people hunting him, houses full of people who despised him, and now he was going to die to his own curiosity. Good going Tommy, being desperate for contact sure did you well this time.

He heard the other slowly approach, a slight shifting as he crouched down. Tommy let out a small cry, desperately hoping that the other would at least make it quick.

He felt a hand on his face, surprisingly gentle for the predator about to kill him, tilting his face up. He flinched, screwing his eyes shut and bracing for pain.

Instead, he heard a soft voice begin speaking.

"Oh you're just precious aren't you deerheart? No need to worry, I'd never hurt something as sweet as you," the other said softly, a song-like quality to his voice.

Tommy hesitantly opened his eyes, ignoring how the person's face brightened as he did.

He gulped worriedly. The other might not have done anything yet, but he had been lulled into a false sense of security by people he thought he could trust many times before.

He pulled his head back, sending as intimidating a glare as he could muster the others way. He may be young but he could pack a kick. There was also always the option to headbutt, even if without horns it wouldn't do much.

He just let out a laugh, tilting his head back for a moment. "Oh you should've seen your face. Anyway, I couldn't just let a child in the woods run off all alone, kids like you shouldn't be on your own out here. Name's Wilbur," he said, seeming to fight a dark look from his eyes as he spoke.

Tommy let himself relax minutely, ear flicking slightly as he mumbled, "Fuck you 'm not a kid, I'm 13… and my name's Tommy."

Wilburs face seemed to light up at that after momentarily falling as he said his age, scooting back and pulling up his hands to rest his chin on them. "So, how long have you been out here?" he questioned, not seeming to bother with asking about parents or whatever normal people who didn't live in the woods alone had.

Tommy shifted slightly, glancing down, "About a year," he muttered, flinching as Wilbur angrily frowned.

He then seemed to make an effort to remove the traces of his anger, whispering to himself "those bastards," before turning. to him and changing the subject. "So how did you find me? Was my playing really that good?" He questioned, grinning at Tommy with sharp canines on display.

Tommy didn't know if it was because of how little contact he had had for ages, or because the other seemed to have something about him, but he found himself relaxing, ever so slightly, in Wilburs presence.

He scoffed lightly. "Of course not dickhead, it's just not everyday I hear or see anyone else around here," he said quietly, choosing to not say how excited he was at the thought of someone who wasn't going to lock him up for once.

He could tell Wilbur thought there was more, but seemed to choose not to push. His eyes seemed to look over Tommy for a moment, frowning when he noticed the scrape down his side from falling onto the rocks.

Tommy followed his gaze, reaching to touch the irritated skin before pulling back with a hiss.

Wilbur reached forward gently, and despite the undercurrent of fear, Tommy refused to flinch back. "I am sorry about frightening you, I just can't stand the thought of any pup forced to survive alone in this place," he said softly.

Tommy felt like Wilbur might have his own story to worry about, but it had been so long since anyone had genuinely worried about him that he didn't have room to care. He also forgave the way the other reffered to him as 'pup'. He had never really been around other hybrids, but he knew enough about his own instincts to let it slide, even if he wasn't also a wolf hybrid.

"Look maybe to make it up to you you can come to my house and I'll help fix yo-" Wilbur continued, but Tommy was already up. The sting of his injuries made it painful, yet he stood resolutely.

The thought of being trapped within four walls set him on edge, even if the man had been nothing but kind after the brief chase. He seemed to get the clue and put his hands up placatingly from where he remained on the ground.

"No, no you're not going to trick me-" he stammered out quickly, memories of families forcing him behind locked doors so he wouldn't disturb their 'real' children surfacing in his mind. Homes 'taking him in' from the streets only to become mad when he wasn't their perfect charity case.

Even before he was a hybrid he was a 'street rat' known for thieving from the marketplaces. Because of that, almost every family he was in was either taking pity on him, or trying to keep him from stealing from the other townspeople.

He wrapped his hands around his head, trying to force the pressure to keep him from spiraling.

It didn't end up helping enough, and he felt himself sinking as it felt like he couldn't get enough air in. Too many houses and too many memories causing him to freeze up.

He stiffened briefly as he felt hands clasp over his wrist, before melting as whoever it was pulled him into their arms, their body heat chasing away the phantom chills that shivered over him.

Herd

his brain supplied and he was happy to agree. No one other than his herd would want to be near him surely.

Deer weren't meant to be alone, especially fawns. They were meant to be close to the heart of the herd and protected, and this might be one of the only times he finally wasn't completely alone.

He felt their exaggerated breathing and forced himself to match it, hands dropping to wipe the tear tracks from his face with a small bleat.

He was content to lie there for longer, tears surely leaving a spot on the soft sweater they were wearing. He let out a shaky breath, ear briefly flicking as the soft hum the other was letting out reached his ears.

He murmured out a quiet, "Sorry" and he felt the others hand still from where it had been gently running through his hair.

He was more aware now that the panic had faded, and was sure Wilbur was going to take this opportunity to kill him, or at the very least chase him out of his territory. He had shown how much of a hassle he'd be to deal with, so surely the other would want to get him out of the way now right?

Instead he heard the man take a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Ok, You don't have to come to my house. How about I bring some supplies to the clearing and just help fix you up there ok?" he said softly, grinning lightly when Tommy nodded, traces of the tears slowly fading

While sleeping inside for the first time in a long time might've been nice, he definitely couldn't handle the stress that being confined like that would be. He had gotten used to being able to sprint away at the first sign of danger.

Tommy wasn't quite sure how to say that he had no idea how to get back to the clearing but that didn't seem to be an issue as Wilbur simply lifted him up.

He scrambled to grab onto something for a moment before letting himself relax as he wrapped his arms around the others neck. He had feared for his life enough today thank you, and if the other was going to carry him the whole way, there wasn't much he could do, his exhaustion making itself very known

He let himself doze off as they walked, only to jolt awake as he felt them come to a stop.

He looked around blearily for a moment before realizing they were back at the clearing and Wilbur had sat him down for a moment while he retrieved his guitar that he had left when Tommy had appeared.

He settled down next to Tommy on the log, reaching over and gently pulling him closer. Tommy let out a small sound of protest but let it happen, eyes fluttering shut.

"I really do wish you would let me give you a warm home pup, but for now just get some rest," Wilbur said softly as he began to strum the guitar.

"Not a pup," he managed to get out before the other gently hushed him, smiling at the forced half-angry face Tommy managed to make before resuming playing.

For a moment Tommy fought to stay awake, but then he let himself drift, feeling safe for one of the first times in a long time next to someone who was meant to be his downfall.

Chapter Text

Wilbur stared down at the child resting next to him, pausing where he had been lightly strumming his guitar. 

He set the instrument off to the side gently, and reached one hand over to run his hand through the other's hair, claws scratching lightly at his scalp.

He couldn't help but grin when Tommy leaned into the touch, face relaxing minutely. He seemed so tense even while resting.

Originally when he had heard the snap of the branch, he had been ready to kill whoever had dared to trespass on his pack's territory. Yet when he had looked up and met the scared eyes of a child, his instincts had practically instantly claimed him as one of his own.

Tommy reminded him of himself in a way, and he couldn't let that light die out like his once nearly had.

Maybe the other had gotten a bit hurt during the chase, but now Wilbur could ensure his safety. He could tell how desperate the other was for contact even if he didn't show it, and he was happy to oblige.

He had felt something missing in their family for a while now, and he knew Tommy would be the perfect thing to fill that gap.

He still loved his older brother and father of course, but having a younger brother was always something that seemed exciting to him.

Of course he'd keep Tommy a secret from the other two for a little bit, he had found him first after all, but the others would surely love him too once they met the little spitfire.

He was surprisingly brave for a deer hybrid, and a fawn that had clearly not had the best hand in life too. Calling him a dickhead moments after surely thinking he was going to die was a gutsy move, and one that only served to make Wilbur like him more.

Saying that though, his attention snapped back to the other as he noticed a small cry slip out. He pulled the other into his lap, humming soothingly until Tommy calmed down enough for his breathing to steady.

He was already making plans to find whoever had made the boy this much of a fearful mess and end them. Tommy should have his own pack to keep him sheltered and safe, even if the word for it might be different for deer.

He should've had the world in his palms from the moment he was born, and he knew the second that he set his eyes on him that he wouldn't be getting out of joining their family.

He buried his face in the others hair, drinking in the scent of nature and the young scent that seemingly every hybrid had.

Soon enough anyone who encountered Tommy would smell Wilbur as well, smoke and cinnamon and possessiveness curling around him.

The Craft pack was one of the most well known packs, even outside of the hybrid circle. The stupid ruler had made a peace treaty with them after one too many soldiers went "missing" after sent on a mission to capture or kill them.

They weren't above killing other hybrids either, wiping out packs who dared come after them for a shot at glory.

And soon enough their fourth member would be equally as renowned as they were, fear and reverence in their voices as they whispered of the golden deer hybrid side by side with the three wolves.

" Mine " he growled out as Tommy tucked his head into his chest, a light coo slipping out soon after.

While taking the other and simply bringing him back to his home would be the far simpler option, he'd prefer to have Tommy ready and excited by the time they would return.

He could understand why the other didn't trust him just yet, but that was sure to change soon.

He paused momentarily as he realized he'd probably need to explain why he would be staying out more often and why he needed first aid supplies without giving Tommy away.

He supposed he could say he scented hunters on the edge of their territory, and wanted to be prepared, because he had smelt the reek of hunters and fear on Tommy when he had first noticed him.

He lifted Tommy into his arms, carrying the lanky child over to the shelter of a nearby tree, leaning him against it and wrapping his trenchcoat that he had left here earlier in the day around his sleeping form.

He hated the thought of leaving him alone, but there was really nowhere safer than here in their territory. Besides, he'd rather get all the quality time he could in while Tommy was awake, and this way he could go ahead and get the supplies he'd need.

He pressed a light kiss to the boy's forehead before setting off towards the house, his tail wagging slightly.

As he got closer to the house, he pushed down his excitement, taking a deep breath before walking in and praying that his family wouldn't be able to smell Tommy on him with the scent of the forest. Or even better, that they wouldn't notice him.

That might not have been his smartest idea, as the second he walked in Phil and Technos gazed drifted over to him from the couch, a cheery "Hiya mate!" coming from Phil. Techno simply nodded, Wilbur tossing the both of them a grin in return. 

"You're back early. Was there anything new out there? More progress on your song?" Phil questioned, always the interested one. While the formal reason Wilbur went out was to check the edge of the territory, his family knew that he liked to spend the extra time working on his true passion, his music.

"Eh, not a lot of progress, can't seem to get one lyric right. I did notice traces of hunters at the very edge of our borders though so just wanted to check in before going back out," he said, trying to stay as casual as possible.

This however seemed to catch Technos attention, deep reddish ears perking to attention as he looked up from his book, eyes slightly narrowed as he tilted his head. "You sure you want to go back out alone where there could be hunters?" the older questioned, one eyebrow raised.

Wilbur waved him off, letting out an exasperated sigh. "C'mon Tech you know I can handle myself. It only seemed like a couple. I'll bring some basic first aid supplies if it would really make you feel better," he said while trying to hold back a grin. If he could make the other think he was only bringing the supplies to appease him, then there would be less questions.

It actually seemed to work, as Techno stiffly nodded before going back to look at his book. Phil gave him a warm smile and reached up to ruffle his hair as he walked by, muttering a 'be careful' as he returned with the supplies and a few other things he thought Tommy would need stuffed in his bag, forgoing a healing potions for now, wary of how the clearly undernourished kids body might react.

He was glad that Phil had finally seemed to get the message that he could handle himself lately, even if his brother was still overprotective. Prime he could hardly wait to see how fierce Techno would be when it came to Tommy.

He slipped out the front door, easing it shut before having to restrain himself from rushing back to the clearing.

Surprisingly, he managed to wait until he knew he was out of range of the house to be safe before shifting into his wolf form to move faster, basically sprinting as the bag bounced against his chest.

He sped up more as he got closer, knowing that he was probably wearing some stupid expression, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. If his new pup (screw whatever deer called their offspring. Tommy was his pup now) saw it, then so be it. If anyone else saw it, then he would just kill them and leave their body for the scavengers.

Once he was close enough he shifted back, patting the bag gently to make sure nothing had been damaged.

He walked into the clearing, instantly heading to where Tommy was still laying, wrapping his arms around the sleeping boy protectively and resting his chin on his head.

He began to run his fingers through Tommy's hair, combing through the mess of knots before whispering, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

Chapter Text

He thought he was going to die, the hunters from before standing over him with warped and twisted expressions that seemed to change the longer he looked at them.

Chains were held in their hands, and every time he tried to move they managed to stay the same distance close to him, always watching.

Wilbur stood nearby as well, shadows curling around him as he grabbed onto Tommy's arm and dug his nails in until blood began flowing down them in rivulets.

"You really think you deserve this? You should've stayed in the town, been killed and stuffed like a coward like you were meant to," he snarled out, disgust and anger clear on his face.

"Please Wil I- I didn't mean to do anything. I thought you said you wanted to help me," he desperately whimpered, trying to scramble away, anything to escape. 

"Really? You thought that I would want to help you, of all things?" he said with a laugh, Tommy only curling into himself more.

Maybe he was right, maybe Tommy had deserved what had happened to him, maybe he deserved worse. 

All these thoughts ran through his head, his breathing tight and restricted. Then Wilbur suddenly shifted before lunging towards him, teeth closing around his throat as Tommy let out a desperate scream.

Tommy shot up with a gasp, hands flying to his neck and tears pricking his eyes. He felt hands graze his wrists and shot backwards, going to stand before his instincts decided to take over and he began to fold to the ground in some sort of attempt to hide, just barely remembering to bring up his arms to protect his face.

He would've hit the ground too, if it wasn't for arms wrapping around him and pulling him into their chest.

Panicked bleats began to slip out of his mouth, tossing his head even as twinges of embarrassment rose up just beyond the haze of instincts and fear at behaving like a baby. Even so, he couldn't help the wave of relief that crashed over him as they let out a comforting rumble.

It took him longer than usual to slip out of the foggy feeling that seemed to rest over his mind like a blanket, yet when he did he struggled, Wilbur seemingly wanting to still hold him for a moment before relinquishing his grip.

He stumbled as he stood just away from him, looking at the ground tensely. No wonder nobody had wanted him. It hadn't been long and he had already freaked out twice on Wilbur, forcing the man to help him like he was some helpless child.

Which, to be fair, when it came to hybrids he kinda was, but he could move past that! He was a person too, and after so long of hearing from the villagers that hybrids were basically just animals, he should be able to push past that.

"I'm sorry. It was just- just a stupid nightmare," he spat out, disgust at himself for acting so dumb evident in his speech. 

"It's ok Tommy, everyone has nightmares, and we all have our own instincts, it's nothing you need to apologize for." he said slowly, holding his hands up placatingly.

And prime, prime did Tommy wish he could believe it. He wished he could just believe what Wilbur was saying to him, but maybe he could pretend for now.

Maybe he could pretend not to notice as the first person to be kind to him in the longest time crept closer, grabbing him and slowly pulling him to the ground in his arms.

Maybe he could push the doubts from his mind for a moment, and just listen to Wilbur as he told him a story of when he was a lot younger and had his own nightmare, lashing out at his adopted father where he then just smiled at the attempt to make him feel better.

Wilbur eventually grabbed a bag resting nearby, and Tommy couldn't help the part of him that tensed as his eyes snapped to the container, hoping that it wasn't anything dangerous.

He relaxed minutely when the other just pulled out what looked to be a roll of bandages and some sort of liquid, flashing a grin at him. He sat back up with a brief motion from Wilbur, flinching as he reached for and lifted his shirt, letting out a small breath at the sight of the scrape.

It wasn't actively bleeding, but it was raised and a bright red, small bits of dirt and fuzz from his shirt stuck in it.

Wilbur himself winced, giving him a sympathetic look. "That certainly looks painful, I'm still sorry just so you know," he said, his ears flattening slightly.

"No no it's fine, I'm just lucky enough you decided I was worth not killing y'know?" Tommy dismissed him. "I could've taken care of it myself too," he said, mild confusion on his face as to why Wilbur would waste valuable healing materials on him.

"We have plenty extra at the house anyway, and I feel bad, just let me do this for you 'k?" He said with a small grin, tail beginning to wag as Tommy relented with a nod. "First I'm just going to clean it out" he said, pulling out a small container of water and a rag and beginning to get the dirt and dried blood off of it, Tommy suppressing his winces.

Once that was done, "this might hurt a bit," was the only warning he got before Wilbur applied the antiseptic, his hands digging into the grass as he let out a hiss of pain.

The other simply finished wrapping his side with the bandage, letting his shirt fall back down after.

"See! All done, now why don't I show you around the territory a bit, so that you'll know how to find your way back to this clearing, considering it's definitely safer in our territory than out in the woods where you were before." Wilbur began rambling, pulling him up onto his hooves.

Tommy glanced at the sky and it had clearly only been a couple hours since he had fallen asleep, the sun still a few hours away from setting. He gave a small nod, following behind the wolf hybrid as he began walking into the woods, talking about anything and everything that came to his mind, with Tommy slowly joining in as his earlier apprehension faded away, jokes and jabs flying between the two. They couldn't go more than 2 minutes without "child" "old man" "gremlin" "bald" being tossed at each other.

Eventually the sky was painted a bright orange, and Wilbur paused just a moment before leading him up to a hill that he swore wasn't far enough from the clearing to worry about.

They sat down, the sun lowering below the treeline and the first hints of nightfall beginning to appear. He slowly let himself relax, hoping Wilbur didn't notice as he leaned against the others shoulder. 

Bright oranges and reds streaked across the sky, and for once he let himself just appreciate the scene, not having to worry about his safety for once as he felt Wilburs arm snake around his side and pull him closer.

A few stars began to peek out across the sky, and he had to fight to keep his head from drooping as he tried to make the moment last for as long as possible

Once the sun was down, he reluctantly pushed himself up, stretching and shaking the tiredness from his legs.

Wilbur seemed sad as he did so, letting out a sigh before he stood up and pushed ahead. "Cmon, let's get you back to safety" he said quietly, always within arms reach as they walked.

They eventually made it back to the clearing, with Tommy shifting to fit into a small hollow log.

Wilbur cooed at him with a dumb smile on his face, covering him with a small jacket that had been discarded in the clearing earlier. "Trust me, I'll be fine without it, and if you really won't come to a proper house it makes me feel better, knowing you're hidden with something of mine." He said with a grin, Tommy just being able to make out his stupid tail rapidly wagging with happiness.

He shook his head with a huff, closing his eyes and not pushing it. In doing so, he missed the possessive glance Wilbur flashed his way for just a moment before he picked up his guitar from before and began to head home, the moon glistening overhead.

Chapter Text

Wilbur had pretty consistently been visiting Tommy for about a month now, and it had gotten to a point where they had a routine down.

Wilbur would show up a little after breakfast, a leather pouch slung across his chest. He'd persuade Tommy to eat something small; the boy was far too skinny in his opinion. Then they'd explore the forest, talking to each other about anything that came to their minds while Wilbur tried to coax any information out of Tommy about his life. He could make guesses of course, but he wanted to know how to best help him (and what town he'd need to decimate when he got the chance).

Eventually Wilbur would pull out lunch and force them to sit down wherever they were, deciding to ignore how Tommy seemed to devour the meal like it was his last.

At first, he had had to bring very small meals, the teenager's malnourished body not used to being given real food so soon after the last meals. They had now thankfully gotten to a point where he wasn't practically hollow, still smaller than Wilbur thought he should be, but nowhere as unhealthy as before.

Then they'd return back to the clearing, Wilbur then either playing his guitar, telling stories, messing around, or just relaxing until night fell. Wilbur would occasionally bring up the idea of Tommy finally coming home with him, with the young deer stiffening every time before he changed the topic.

Wilbur would then try to get him to eat something substantial again, making any progress he could when it came to making Tommy healthier.

Once Tommy was safely asleep, Wilbur would leave, leaving food behind if he knew he wasn't going to be able to be there the next day. He had gifted the kid a small dagger within the first couple weeks, hoping he'd be able to at least partially defend himself when Wilbur wasn't there.

Tommy had already begun to look miles better than he had weeks ago. Wilbur had forced him to clean himself as well within the first couple days, helping to get the mud, blood, and other various debris in his fur and hair out. His ribs also stuck out less from under his shirt, and his eyes actually had some color in them, and prime was the blue so similar to Phil's. 

At some point, Wilbur had also started letting him borrow his old clothes he had found in the attic, hoping his family wouldn't notice him regularly washing clothes that definitely didn't fit him anymore, Tommy getting them dirty enough that Wilbur wondered if he was rolling in mud every second he wasn't looking at him.

They were slightly too big for him, but Wilbur wouldn't lie and say it didn't make him happy every time he saw Tommy wearing one of his old t-shirts or sweaters (thank Death it never really got hot enough in Esempi to be miserable in a sweater).

Today, the routine seemed to be different, seeing as Tommy was already gone by the time he arrived.

He let out a small growl, shifting into his wolf form and instantly looking for any sign of the boy.

Realistically, did he know Tommy had probably just wandered off somewhere for a bit? Yes. Did that stop his mind from whispering pack-pup-unsafe? No.

He caught his scent easily, recognizing the tinge of his own mixed in as he began following it through the trees.

What if he had gotten captured? What if he had gotten hurt? He couldn't stop himself from worrying about all the possible dangers in the forest.

Hunters hadn't came near their territory in a long time, but with rumors of the king getting his hands on a magic user, he didn't want to take any chances.

Before long he could hear the tell-tale sign of branches snapping beneath the others hooves, and crouched low, circling around to where he would be in front of him before leaping out of the cover of the brush

Tommy looked startled for only a moment, eyes widening and tensing as he prepared to run, before bursting out laughing.

Wilbur was offended for only a second before he quickly shifted, looking down at Tommy as he crossed his arms across his chest. "What's so funny?" He questioned, ears eagerly pricked forward.

"Holy shit what's NOT funny, you looked like a dog whose tail just got stepped on,"

He continued laughing, and Wilbur just huffed. "Well sorry for being worried about you I guess," he said annoyed, ears flattening.

"Awww, was big brother Wilby worried about me? I can take care of myself you know, I don't always need you to protect me," he teased, grinning lightly.

Wilbur rolled his eyes, "Is poor wittle Tommy mad that he got scared because he ran off on his own?" He teased back, watching the mock offended look that appeared on the fawns face, stuttered cries of "I can do whatever I want bitch!" coming out.

 And while his instincts whispered about the pup being disobedient and makehimsubmit-protect-pup, he shifted back into the chocolate fur of his wolf form, yet restrained himself from treating Tommy like he would another wolf hybrid.

 He instead simply play bowed, hoping the other would get the hint. He also had rarely seen Tommy in his fully deer form, and wanted to actually interact with him in it.

There was a reason they had their fully animal form as well, and though Wilbur knew there was some actual purpose to it, he just liked seeing the young hybrid actually look like the fawn he was mean to be, rather then like someone forced to grow up far too fast.

Thankfully, within a moment, he had shifted, a deer that was definitely not older than a fawn standing in front of him. He still had traces of spots down his flank for Primes sake! And he was barely large enough to even be considered anything but a baby! To him at least, as a wolf hybrid, he was quite a bit larger than a normal wolf.

He shook the growing anger from his mind, resigning that for another day. A day when he finally knew the names of not only the town that had likely chased Tommy away, but every hunter that had gone after him since.

For now he could just play with his new youngest brother, so as Tommy headbutted him in the chest and took off with stumbling leaps, he just let out a playful growl and followed, purposefully slowing himself down to let him get a bit further away.

He chased after him nowhere near his fastest speed, and he could tell that Tommy was actually enjoying it too, unlike the first time they had found themselves in this situation.

They bounded over old logs and mossy rocks, the sunlight bright overhead and warming their pelts.

Eventually he caught up and playfully tackled Tommy, aiming not to accidentally hurt him, pinning the other to the ground and waiting for him to finally admit defeat.

Instead of doing so however, the little shit decided to lightly kick Wilbur in the nose with a well placed hoof and leap away, letting out a playful and triumphant bleat as he did so.

Wilbur's ears lowered for a moment, oh it was on now. He took off after him, running until he was side by side with the little fawn, a wolfish grin coming across his face as Tommy briefly turned to look at him.

Then he tackled him quickly, picking him up by the back of his neck and quickly, yet oh so gently, lifting him into the air with his hooves just off the ground like Phil used to do to him when he first took him in.

While deer may not have scruffs the same way they did, it would appear that the 'relax when being held' instinct was still present, as he instantly went limp as Wilbur let out a pleased rumble. He carried him back to the clearing, setting him down and watching as Tommy instantly shifted back, Wilbur following suit.

"What was that for, prick! You can't just carry me around like a child when I annoy you" he huffed, a light blush coating his cheeks.

"Oh, but I quite literally can, as you are just a wee baby, a tiny child, an itty bitty little deer-" he was cut off by Tommy throwing himself into his lap, shoving him to the ground with a groan.

"Shut up, shut up! This is not fair, using my instincts against me and shit. It's not like I've even ever had any experience with that shit before;" he said, rolling onto his back next to him.

A frown momentarily appeared on Wilburs face, but he tried to not let it show as he spoke. "Well then I'll just be the first then. The first to indulge in your instincts, the first to show you that you're perfect just the way you are," he said, twisting to face the young pup and noticing him quickly wiping a couple small tears from the corner of his eye.

"Y'know, maybe that wouldn't be so bad," he stammered out softly, Wilbur sighing before speaking again.

"I think I know how my brother felt when Phil first took me in," he said quietly, barely loud enough for Tommy to hear.

"Techno right? he questioned, confusion evident on his face.

"Yeah. Phil took me in when I was a pup just a bit younger than you. He couldn't stand seeing a little one like me all alone when he had a safe pack with him and Tech. Techno was so protective of me when I first joined, and that's what I feel with you," he said quietly, ruffling the fawns' hair.

"Oh, well. I don't really know what he was like to you, but I think you're doing good," he said in a genuine voice, before his chaotic personality took over once more.

"Now! Let's go find something to eat and something to bother. I'm bored and hungry," he said loudly, springing to his feet and dragging Wilbur up with him with a grin of determination.

Wilbur smiled in return, knowing he could never deny his pup looking at him like that as they walked into the forest.

Chapter Text

Technoblade was starting to get pissed. While it might seem to Wilbur that he hadn't noticed his brother was doing something suspicious lately, he most definitely did.

At first, he was hoping that this little obsession would die out quickly, like most things Wilbur became interested in did, outside of a select few that stuck with him forever.

And then it didn't.

He was going out more often than he usually would, even for the relative warmth of the summer. 

Well, that's not entirely true. He was going out more alone than he usually would, denying most of the time when him or Phil would try to tag along.

He was still there though at least, and never missed their time in the den together. This was what had led Techno to notice the smell of something, no, someone else on him.

Every time he noticed it he had to restrain himself from calling him out right there, but he still had hope that Wilbur would eventually abandon this other person, or at the very least tell him and Phil.

And yet he still hadn't.

So Techno decided that it was time for him to take matters into his own hands. He was almost sure Phil had noticed too, but he had less patience than their adopted father.

The sun had nearly set, and Techno took the time to get ready without potentially disturbing Wilbur, for once doing his own thing in his room.

He had still left that day, but had come back slightly earlier than usual, yet nothing seemed overly out of the ordinary, so he didn't question it.

He changed from his more casual clothes into his white poet's shirt, dark pants, and boots, forgoing the cape since despite never getting too hot, the nights were still warm. He carefully hid a couple daggers in his outfit as well, preparing for the worst.

He slipped out of his room, quietly walking down the hallway and knocking on a door, assuming that Phil would be in his office. 

"I'm heading out for a quick check around the territory. I know Wilbur's been doing it lately but you understand how instincts are," he said lightly as he poked his head in, grinning as Phil dismissed him with a "Be back before midnight, and be safe," with a small smile.

And it certainly wasn't entirely a lie. He had quickly assumed the role of the main protector in the pack once he was old enough, and his instincts had been steadily droning protect-secure-packsafe since his younger brother had been doing territory checks instead (and he suspected that he wasn't actually doing that anyways)

He slipped out the door, hardly sparing a moment before shifting into his wolf form, nose lowered to the ground as he noticed Wilburs smell overlapped on top of itself on a singular path into the forest, with another scent just barely there.

He resisted the urge to immediately go confront whoever it was, but someone needed to actually make sure their pack was secure.

He forced himself to be patient as he checked along the edge markers, looking for any hint of human or hybrid that had breached in. 

Eventually, once the only thing he found was more hints of his brother and his newest fascination, he let himself steadily lope towards a clearing he knew Wilbur had already often frequented, but was definitely now also the place where he and his new 'friend' were…meeting up? Or perhaps the other one was staying here, he didn't find many scents of them leaving the territory to go to a home he had assumed they had.

If Wilburs little plaything didn't have a home or a family, that'd certainly make getting rid of them a lot easier.

He skidded to a stop in the clearing, dirt and debris spraying up and landing in the middle of the flattened grass. 

He shifted back into his human form with a growl, eyes zeroing in on the only viable spot in the clearing other than the bushes surrounding it, or the trees above.

Though only a hybrid in their animal form could fit into something that small, and even then, they'd have to be really small or… a child.

He crept close to the log, pulling a small dagger from one of his pockets and kneeling down to look inside.

His breath froze in his throat as he noticed a small deer, a few white spots still decorating the fawns back.

His brother's trench coat (so THAT'S where that went) was wrapped around him, the bright sky blue of one of Wilburs old sweaters underneath. Even past the scent of his clothing though, the kid absolutely reeked of his brother, and that was coming from one of his packmates.

Despite being clearly just a child, it had still been taking his brother's time from him. It wasn't even a hybrid of their own species for Primes sake!

He reached inside, the dagger just barely ghosting over the fur of the young deer as he moved closer to its face. Yet right when he was about to kill it, something made him stop. He didn't know exactly what it was. Maybe it was the fact that the pack had never killed children before, it being strictly off limits, or maybe it was something else, but there was something in him keeping him from simply just ending their trouble right then and there.

He put the knife back and stood with an aggravated sigh, ears flattening as he ran his hands through his hair.

He let out a small frustrated growl, turning to leave. He told himself he'd come back tomorrow, convince Wilbur to do something else so that he could at least meet the kid.

Maybe then that'd give him the push to get rid of him.

Or, something whispered in the back of his mind, maybe you'll understand how Wilbur feels about him.

He shook his head, but as he did so, he heard a rustling behind him, and turned around 

He noticed the kid from before had shifted into their more humanoid form, his golden hair and fur shining in the moonlight and his electric blue eyes so similar to Phil's hardened in determination, with just a hint of fear behind them that caused Techno to smirk.

He was holding up a small dagger, that evidently, Wilbur had stolen and given to him, and stood in a fighting position so bad Techno had already found many faults in it by the time he started speaking.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here, prick," he said with clear anger in his voice, obviously trying to be threatening, but it just came across as… pitiful, he would say.

He could see at least a glimmer of what Wilbur saw in him, recognizing how the small one clearly had some bravery in him.

He couldn't exactly tell him that he had originally come here to kill him, and he wanted to give him at least a chance to prove his worth, so he let out a small chuckle before moving.

Within a couple moments he had knocked the weapon out of his hands and knocked him onto his back. To the kid's credit, he got up fairly quickly, twisting to look at Techno who had already once again backed away across the clearing.

"Well runt, I'm Wilburs brother, Technoblade, or just Techno, and the protector of the pack's territory you find yourself in. And you seem to be the little thing he's found himself enamored with these last few weeks," he said with a smile, watching and waiting for his response.

"Ok, first off Mr. Blade, I am NOT a runt. Second off, of course Wilbur loves me; I'm the one and only Tommy Danger Kraken Innes, and finally, is it true you once fought off an entire hunting party with just one crossbow bolt and your bare hands?" he finished the last sentence with such excitement Techno could hardly hold back the genuine smile from his face.

At least it seemed like Wilbur hadn't forgotten about his true family during his little escapades. He had to admit, watching Tommy look up to him with such interest after having nearly been killed by him (not that he knew that) was quite endearing. 

And if he was flattered that apparently Wilbur had said so much about him that just hearing his name made the kid no longer afraid, then that was a secret for him alone.

"It is, though I've done worse with less tools at my disposal. Tell you what kid, Why don't I come back tomorrow and actually teach you some fighting skills? You held that dagger like the fawn you are, and there's less merciful people than me out there. Besides, it's getting late," he offered, holding out his hand and watching as Tommy shook it.

No, he wasn't getting attached, he would just feel bad if he didn't give the young deer hybrid a hint of a chance when he would totally definitely get around to dealing with him, ok?

He shifted, and with a small nod to the blond, ran back through the woods, stopping every now and then to brush against ferns and other foliage. If both he and Wilbur started smelling like some random kid, Phil would definitely start to get more suspicious.

And so he got back home quickly, returning to his room and collapsing on his bed with just a hint of a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Tommy had only spent about a week training with Techno, but he had already cemented himself as a cool older brother in Tommy's mind. All the stories that Wilbur had told to make him seem cooler certainly helped as well.

During this time, Wilbur had come to visit a couple times, but Techno had insisted that he shouldn't tell Wilbur about him. (Tommy figured he was embarrassed about the fact that he sooo was attached to him, he seemed the type to be embarrassed about that)

Wilbur might've been the first to act as actual family to him, and gained his trust and improved his life, but did he teach Tommy over 10 ways to kill someone without a weapon? He thinks not!

To be fair, after a few days, Techno had also started actually just hanging out with him more, talking to him about more than just the mistakes he was making.

Tommy wasn't stupid, he knew that Techno didn't exactly like him upon their first meeting, and that the pinkette definitely had ulterior motives for being in the clearing the night they met, but he thinks that his ultimate Tommy charm had won him over by now (and the fact that he was close with Wilbur probably helped)

His charm, however, was still not helpful in combat, he thought, as he landed flat on his back for what was probably the millionth time in a row. Techno just stared down at him from above as he groaned, a small twinge of annoyance and amusement both in his eyes.

"What did you do wrong that time," Techno said with his arms crossed.

"Technobladeee, I'm bored," Tommy said, out of breath as his back ached.

"Being bored will not do you any favors in a fight," he said with a small huff, a hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

"Break time pretty please?" was Tommy's only response, widening his eyes and holding up his hand.

Techno just rolled his eyes, pulling Tommy up and leading him over to the log before sitting down with a sigh.

Tommy leaned into his side without complaint, craning his neck to glance at the page as Techno flipped open a book he had brought with him, resuming where he had left off the day before.

Outside of their practice, the main thing the two did together was read. Or well, Techno read, while Tommy sat up against him and asked questions. 

And it was definitely because he just would rather let him do all the work. Tommy could absolutely read, as he had told Techno the first, and each subsequent time that he had teased him about it.

They had gotten to the story of some random dude named fucking Thesis or something. And as he listened, Techno would occasionally slice off pieces of the golden apple he had brought with him, passing them to Tommy and scrunching his nose up as he still managed to get the juice all down the front of his shirt.

"You should really bring these every time, theyre really fucking good" Tommy mumbled around the food, feeling every small bruise and scrape heal as the magical fruit worked its job.

"I only brought one this time because I knew how much you'd be getting absolutely destroyed," he teased with a smile, hardly moving as Tommy proceeded to shove him, a quiet mutter of "dickhead" coming out before Techno continued speaking.

"And I didn't exactly want Wilbur wondering who had been beating you up," he finished, ruffling Tommy's hair before he went back to reading, ignoring as Tommy sulked while eating his fruit. Tommy just barely heard the hint of rustling in the bushes behind them, but elected to ignore it, assuming it was a bird or something.

"That Thes- These-"

"Theseus"

"Yeah him, he's kinda a fucking dick isn't he? Leaving his wife on an island. I would never leave my wives, much less on an island," Tommy said, nodding confidently as he tossed the remains of the apple core behind him.

"Well it's rare if you find a Greek hero who didn't suck in some way, that's just kinda how things go, though there's a much more interesting dilemma when it comes to Theseus. So he had his ship he sailed right?" Techno questioned, glancing down at Tommy.

"Yeah, boats also seem to be a big part of these stories," Tommy said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if the ship needs a repair, and they replace the broken board, and if they do that enough times, with every board, until all of the original boards are no longer a part of the ship, and they're fashioned into a new ship, but the first ship has still been being sailed with all the replaced boards, which one is the true ship of Theseus?" Techno questioned, smiling as Tommy seemingly opened his mouth to answer before closing it and covering his eyes with a groan.

Suddenly a much louder rustling came from behind them.

"God's Tech, you're so obnoxious, not every kid has to be a nerd like you," a voice rang out.

Tommy was shoved behind the older wolf instantly, only hearing the harsh snarling that came out before it suddenly cut off, Technos expression changing to one of confusion and also… embarrassment, as he noticed that it was Wilbur who had spoken.

"Oh… Hello Wilbur," Techno said, looking awkward for what Tommy could say was possibly the first time, and it was confusing.

"I-"

"Techno, I guarantee you I care way less than you think I do about whatever you were about to say," Wilbur interrupted, cutting him off and walking over.

"Really I'm only mad you didn't tell me sooner that you had also met Tommy!" He said, switching to a brighter tone in an instant and both Techno and Tommy letting out a small sigh of relief.

"While yes he was my pup first, inevitably I did want you and Phil to meet this ball of sunshine!" he said, messing up Tommy's hair and draping his arms around his shoulders.

"Well then why didn't you?" Techno questioned, a hint of anger in his voice.

"The same reason you didn't tell me when you found him Tech," Wilbur said with a grin, lightly shoving Techno and only grinning as he ran a hand down his face in light annoyance.

"After spending so many weeks with Toms of course I'd notice when your smell started appearing on him and in this clearing as well. I'm not that much of an idiot."

"Debatable"

"Both of you are assholes for talking about me like I'm not here," Tommy piped up, arms crossed angrily.

"Awww is the little runt mad his big brothers weren't paying attention to him for one second," Wilbur said, looking down at him with a grin, pulling Tommy forward and resting his arms over his shoulders.

Tommy slipped out of his grip, going to stand behind Techno with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I've just decided Technoblade is my new favorite," he said triumphantly, watching as a small hint of anger crossed Wilburs face, and Techno started laughing, wrapping one arm around Tommy's shoulder, tail wagging triumphantly.

"You heard him," he said with a smile, watching as Wilbur rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Whatever. Whenever Phil inevitably gets to meet him then we'll finally be complete! You know Phil cant resist the adoption urge" Wilbur said with a scoff, tail wagging behind him quickly.

There was a moment of silence, and then, "And what if Phil doesn't like me," Tommy piped up smally, a hint of hesitation on his face as he stepped back out from 

Technos arm, one ear flicking.

"Don't worry about that runt, he took in Wilbur after all," Techno said with a smile, before Wilbur interrupted more seriously. "And we'll vouch for you too. Trust us, we wouldn't let him not." 

Tommy nodded, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes before letting it out. "Then for now that's good enough for me," he said, lightly headbutting Technos side with a small grin.

"Now why don't you see if you've actually learned anything and try to take on Wilbur. I feel like he might actually be a challenge you can take," Techno said, nudging him towards Wilbur while the other just looked mildly offended while he narrowed his eyes and flattened his ears.

"It's so on."

Chapter Text

Soft measured footsteps rang out through the forest, little other sound being heard through the trees aside from the occasional caw of crows and a faint whistling.

Both of these were the cause of one man, pale blond hair swaying just above his shoulders while icy blue eyes surveyed the trees around him with just the ghost of a smile on his face. 

One of the crows swooped down from the trees, playfully tugging on a strand of his hair and letting out a sharp sound as it settled on his shoulder.

One of his pale blond wolf ears flicked as he let out a soft chuckle.

"Brian I can assure you I'm not worried about either of the boys finding out about this. I assume they were going to bring me eventually, but knowing them they were nervous. They seem to think that a wolf as old as me wouldn't be able to smell a practically newborn fawn on them; though no matter, it's more personal if I seek it out myself," he said, reaching up one hand to scratch the chin feathers of one of his personal favorite members of chat. 

He had decided to let them have at least a couple weeks with the little one anyways, letting them enjoy the mild warmth of the summers while it lasted, especially since once Phil was able to coax their youngest into coming home, he wouldn't be leaving the den for the foreseeable future. He had been busy writing letters to a nearby kingdom for the last while anyways, one that actually cared for their hybrids more than this king. He had decided this ruler's reign had gone on far too long, but even he would need a bit of support.

He had managed to get them to stay home the last few days by insisting they have some family time together after so long, and he knew Kristen was going to visit them in their dreams early this morning, so they would likely be out all day while he made his first impressions.

"It didn't exactly help that Kristen was so eager to tell me about the final member of our pack. It was best to pretend for a while that he wouldn't be mine inevitably," he said with a soft sigh, love in his eyes for his mate at her mentioning. The large crow just let out a caw, nipping his ear and fluttering back up to join the rest of the murder, Phil shaking his head and letting out a small, "You little shit."

He knew he was close, the smell of his two current sons thick in the air, with the smell of dandelions and a hint of the smell of youth which had to be the scent of his new one mingled in. He carefully made sure that his white dress shirt, green cloak thrown over his shoulder, and black dress pants and shoes were neat. A bit formal, sure, but one could never be too prepared.

He stepped into the clearing, footsteps near silent as he pushed through the foliage and noticed…

No one was there.

His ears flattened only slightly. That's ok, he should've known that the young pup likely wouldn't just spend all his time sitting and waiting for his sons to arrive every day, especially since they had been home with him the last few days.

He set off in the direction of the path the young one had clearly most recently taken, decades of tracking experience leaving it far more easy for him than others. 

Some of the crows flew ahead, wingbeats fading from a cacophony to a whisper on the wind while a select few hung back.

As he moved through the woods, he slowly heard the sound of the creek get louder. He could see the glint of golden fur and hair before he even stepped from the treeline, the flock evidently noticing as well from the way he could tell they were holding themselves back, thankfully smart enough to know to wait to swarm him. 

He pushed through the treeline, noticing the deer hybrid's ear flick but not look up from where he was staring into the flow of the water downstream. He appeared to be wearing one of Technos fancy poet shirts, and a simple pair of black shorts that came to his knees.

He went by Tommy, if what Kristen told him was correct, though he should probably wait for him to tell Phil that himself…

He stepped forward and tapped the kids shoulder lightly, letting out a small chuckle as he jumped up and stumbled into the water, swears he didn't even know could go together coming from his mouth as the waves splashed onto the fur of his legs.

He recovered shockingly quickly and pulled out a dagger, clearly his son had been teaching him from the way he stood in a decently good fighting pose for someone far too young to actually be experienced.

Realistically, he could easily subdue him if he actually seemed like a threat, but he'd rather not waste any of Techno and Wilburs progress of gaining his trust.

"Woah mate, didn't mean to startle you that bad," he said with a slight grin, hands held up placatingly from where he stood on the bank.

"What the fuck do you want from me," he spat, brandishing the weapon in a way that would likely manage to be threatening to anyone other than Phil.

His eyes hardened for a brief moment at the complete disrespect in his words, ears flattening for hardly a second before he carefully took a deep breath and returned to normal, knowing the fawn didn't know who he actually was.

"Well, I'm Philza Mine Craft, though I'm sure you've heard me just referred to as Phil by my boys," he said politely, watching as Tommy's face went from one of anger, to confusion, then embarrassment.

"Oh my Primes I'm SO sorry big man, I- I had no idea-" he stammered out nervously, quickly putting the dagger back in its sheath and walking out of the water, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"No no it's fine, I shouldn't expect you to recognize me just from what Wil and Tech might have mentioned about me. It's good to finally meet you though, I can see why they've both been so eager to spend time with you lately." And he could, from the way he had such a spark inside him at the first moment, to the way his softer side poked through at a moment of embarrassment, he was more endeared with the little ray of sunshine now that he had met him, even though he had already been excited from his wife's description.

"Not anymore I guess…" Tommy muttered under his breath, Phil just barely being able to hear it as a frown came across his face.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, tilting his head as one of the crows fluttered down from the trees above, landing in Tommy's hair and tugging on it gently. He looked at it confused for a moment before absent-mindedly reaching up to gently pet its head.

"Well Wilbur and Techno just kinda stopped showing up a few days ago. Usually they'd tell me if they wouldn't show up for a day or two, but they just stopped coming to the clearing. I just assumed they finally got bored of me," he muttered the first of his words with a kind of forced air of uncaring, and muttered the final part quietly, eyes darting to the side and refusing to make eye contact.

Phil's eyes widened, and he stepped forward quickly, enveloping the younger boy in a hug.

Tommy looked shocked, though didn't resist, instead nearly sinking into the hold before he seemed to stop himself, just sitting there instead.

"Oh I'm so sorry Tommy. I've had both of them at home the last couple days to spend a bit of time with them. I had no idea you would think they just stopped coming altogether," Phil spoke gently, tail curling around his waist to gently reach around Tommy's side.

The younger let out a slightly wet sounding laugh, headbutting Phil softly and seemingly not noticing that he had never told the wolf his name.

"No, it was stupid anyways, I'm just clingy," he said, playing it off with a joking tone despite the sadness in his voice.

"Don't say that. Anything you feel is always important, no matter how small it seems," Phil spat, anger in his tone, but never at Tommy, mostly for him.

Tommy just nodded, stepping back out of Phil's hold as he let him, laughing a little as the crow still resting in his hair gently reached down and nipped his ear softly.

"Don't worry. In a couple days all of us will be back here, and soon enough you won't ever have to worry about not seeing any of us. Once you're home you'll be perfectly safe forever," Phil said easily, a small hint of possessiveness creeping into his gaze and his smile taking on a hint of a sharper tone, though the young deer hybrid didn't seem to notice.

And for the first time since he had met Wilbur that early summer day, the thought of being in a home didn't bring Tommy even a hint of panic.

Chapter Text

A dark brown wolf and a deep red one wrestled in a clearing, playful snaps of teeth ringing out as they rolled through the dirt.

On the other side of the clearing, a pale furred wolf lay curled around a golden fawn, sunlight gleaming down from the trees and illuminating his fur.

Tommy let out a small flinch as Techno slammed Wilbur into the ground again, though the lanky bastard just leapt back up and went right back to trying to pin the older wolf.

He let out a small huff through his nose, glancing up to Phil who just looked down at him with a knowing wolfish grin on his face and lay his head back down. 

Tommy had been glad to finally have the whole pack there together, no longer feeling like he was an intruder in their territory and hiding from someone. He still hadn't quite actually gone home with them yet, though he had assured he would at the end of the week, just needing some time to finally mentally accept that he would actually be living in a home, with a family again.

A lot of the time one of them would spend the night in the clearing with him though, and it helped to ease his anxieties knowing that one of the pack was never more than a few steps away.

He watches as once again, Techno tackled Wilbur to the ground, paws easily pinning the other. A small gleam came into his eye, and Tommy stood slowly, long legs unfolding as he lowered his head.

He crashed into Technos side with all the gracefulness of a fish out of water, the wolf stumbling, but only barely due to the fawn's much smaller size.

Wilbur slithered out from beneath him while Techno turned to face Tommy, crashing into his side in the brief moment that Techno took before trying to go for the back of Tommy's neck.

Techno finally stumbled to the ground, and was seconds away from easily throwing the younger two off before Phil seems to appear from thin air and let out a small huff next to Technos head, eyes glancing to Tommy with a knowing look. Techno let out a small grumble and stopped struggling, while Tommy strutted over and placed a hoof on his chest, letting out a triumphant bleat as if he was the only one to take him down, and leaping off to prance around the clearing.

Techno shifted back into human form, still lying beneath Wilburs fluffy body as Phil steps back and shifts into human form as well.

Techno attempts to shove off a wolf Wilbur as he continues to just lay on his chest, not moving until Phil finally calls out, "Get off of him mate, I think he's been defeated now."

Wilbur rolls his eyes, but finally relents and climbs off the pinkette, opting to go and instead rest his chin on Tommy's back.

"I think Tommy gets all the credit for that win, we all know Wilbur can't win against me on his own," Techno said with a smirk, standing up and brushing the fur off his outfit while both Tommy and Wilbur shift back into their human forms.

"YES take that bitch-"

"Whatever, you're just mad that you lost at all-" 

"Oh c'mon even you're not dense enough to believe I didn't give you that-"

"Boys, boys calm down, all of you are very strong," Phil chimed in, a smile across his face.

"Says the one with brittle bones," Tommy stage whispered to Wilbur, both him and Phil doubling over with laughter while Techno let out a small chuckle.

"Oh my gods you are such a child," Phil said, straightening back up and pretending to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

"HOW DARE YOU I'll have you know that I am the most manliest adult that ever existed ok? YOU are just jealous of my sheer might and power-" Tommy started shouting, stomping over to Phil while gesturing wildly while the older man just smiled down at him softly. 

Both Phil and Wilbur noticed as Techno shifted back behind Tommy, Phil purposely looking away with a hint of mischief in his gaze as the larger wolf crouched down.

Phil stepped aside just in time as he pounced on Tommy from behind, tackling him to the ground and laying on top of him with a slight grin.

Techno rolled off him, immediately shifting and standing up while raising one eyebrow. "Manly and strong huh?"

The other three glanced down at Tommy, smiling for a moment, but Phil frowned and crouched down when the younger didn't move. 

He gently touched his shoulder, watching as Tommy flinched, quiet but fast breaths able to be heard now.

He sat the other up from where he had fallen forward. His arms had been wrapped around his face as he fell, so he hadn't got hurt at least.

His breathing was ragged though, and as he pulled his hands away from his face his eyes were glossed over, clearly not present.

Phil pulled him close to his chest without speaking, exaggerating his breaths and counting out loud.

"In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Easy mate, don't worry you're safe here," he whispered.

Techno stepped back, retreating to the other side of the clearing and looking regretful. Wilbur stepped closer and crouched down, shifting and resting the weight of his head in Tommys lap.

Phil ran his fingers through his hair, claws gently scratching until he seemed to come back to himself a bit, breathing slowing after what could've been an eon. They would've waited the entire time anyways. 

Eventually, once he finally seemed to be calm, and glanced up at Phil, eyes darting away in what seemed to be embarrassment, he spoke.

"I- I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to ruin our time together." he said, resting his hand on Wilburs head for comfort until Phil gently grabbed his head and had him look at him, Tommy not pulling away.

"Anything you need, anything that happens to you, could never ruin our time. It would never be a burden," he spoke forcefully, yet there was a deep sense of caring beneath the words.

Tommy simply nodded, hints of tears glimmering in his gaze.

"If you're ok with sharing of course, I'd appreciate it if you could tell us what made you react so badly so we can stop it from ever happening again." 

Tommy took a deep breath before responding, hands absentmindedly running through Wilburs fur as if to ground himself.

"Just. Just being surprised from behind mostly. Even before I was, well, kicked out, other foster kids or parents suddenly appearing behind me wasn't exactly a good sign. And then I had to worry about hunters…" he trailed off, shivering for a moment. "Um, yeah, it just kinda throws me off."

Techno slowly walked over from where he had been sitting slightly away, making sure he was in clear view of Tommy as he crouched down. "I'm truly sorry runt. I didn't mean to scare you like that, but thats no excuse, I shouldve been more careful," he said, dipping his head to the fawn.

"Just don't do it again Tech," Tommy said, a ghost of a smile across his face as he playfully ruffled his ears. 

"Don't worry Tommy, we'll make sure you never have to worry about anything like that ever again," Phil assured him.

Wilbur shifted from where he was laying, looking up from where he was still resting on Tommy's lap. "Yeah sunshine, no one will ever be able to hurt you as long as we're around," he said, reaching up and gentle ruffling his blond hair.

"I'll go home with you guys tomorrow," Tommy whispered under his breath, just loud enough for the three around him to hear him.

Wilbur sat up, eyes widening and ears perking up. 

Phil's smile just grew wider, and Techno lifted his head up.

"If you guys want me to of course," he spat out quickly.

"No no of course we do pup, we're so glad you're finally ready," Wilbur stammered, leaning in to wrap him in a hug. 

Tommy relaxed in the hold, glad to finally have the family he dreamed of so long ago.

Chapter Text

Tommy sat at the edge of the water, staring into the forest beyond the creek. He hadn't crossed it again since his first time meeting Wilbur, and he hardly thought about it either. 

The only reason he was now was because he was going to finally live with the rest of the Crafts tonight, finally be where he was meant to be.

He wanted to have some way to thank them for all they'd done, taking care of him and finally letting him do more than just survive for the first time in his life. He had told them he wanted just one day alone, and though they'd been reluctant, they allowed it, with much arguing on Wilburs part. Little did they know it was because he was searching for a gift to get all of them.

He had been using the crows and their vast collection of assorted items, as well as their eyes in the sky, to help collect the things he needed to make each of the family members their gifts. For Phil, a small chipped piece of an emerald he made into a necklace using some twine. For Techno, a deep red stone he had found on the riverbank with almost gold colored shiny veins running through it.

He had left them back at the clearing, carefully hidden so that it would be very hard for either of them to find their gifts without some extreme searching.

And for Wilbur… he still hadn't found anything. Anything the crows brought to him just didn't feel right. He had to find something really special to thank him for chasing him that day what felt like so long ago now.

He had explored enough of the pack's territory by now to know there was nothing in it that would suffice. The only option that was left was to leave the safety of their reach.

It would only be for a few moments, just long enough to look around and see if there was anything over there that would make a suitable gift. Anything that would truly show his gratitude.

He placed his first hoof in the water, one ear flicking hesitantly. He took a deep breath before crossing the creek, wading across where the water rose up to just above his knees.

He stepped out on the other side, a deep sense of uneasiness settled in his stomach as he shook water droplets from his fur.

Eventually, he pushed the fear from his mind, trying to ignore the part of him that was screaming in the back of his mind Unsafe-Alone-Danger .

His instincts had actually been relatively quiet since he had started spending more time with the pack, at least when it came to annoying him. They would pop up still to preen under their affection, or to scream for comfort at the occasional nightmare or scare, but they seemed to finally be satisfied most of the time.

Except for now clearly, as he gritted his teeth and tried to push through the haze of fear that was clouding the edge of his mind. It hadn't been nearly this bad before, but he guesses that's what he gets for actually becoming attached to people.

He was able to partially bury it, but still couldn't shake the sense of something being deeply wrong as he began to walk deeper into the woods.

It was still beautiful and peaceful in this side of the woods, a few birds occasionally chirping from the trees above and the rustle of other small woodland creatures in the brush.

He couldn't help but think that he would be able to enjoy it much more with one of the other three by his side though.

Tommy wandered for a while, unsure of what exactly he might be looking for as his eyes scanned the ground. He was sure that he'd know it when he found the perfect thing though.

A few leaves were already beginning to turn brown at their edges. A cool breeze gently ghosted over his skin. These were the first hints of the autumn to come, but this time, when the frost and blizzards came, he would be safe and warm.

He paused for a moment, one foot in the air as something caught his attention. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but something felt off. He strained his ears for a moment, listening carefully.

He figured out what was wrong. The birds had stopped chirping.

There was a certain stillness to the air without their sound, as if everything was holding its breath. 

He determined why this might be after probably nearly a minute where he was just frozen, hardly daring to breath. He heard very faint sounds of people speaking, and like a moth to a flame, Tommy was drawn to them by his curiosity.

If anything went wrong, he could easily make it back to the pack's territory. This time, unlike Wilbur, he just wanted to see what it could be, he wouldn't interact with whoever this was at all.

He hesitantly lowered his hoof to the ground before crouching the rest of the way down and creeping forward.

The sounds slowly got louder as he crept closer and closer, taking extra care to avoid making even a single noise. There was no guarantee whoever these people might be, that they would be as merciful as Wil was.

He saw glimpses of a small break in the trees, and the voices speaking seemed to sound familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint from where. As he crouched behind a tree with a thicket spread out around him, he barely peaked above the brush, and his heart leapt into his throat.

It was the three hunters.

The one with the raven colored hair and the white bandanna was polishing a sword and shouting at the one who Tommy remembered having magic.

"George holy shit you are so fucking stupid!" he said while laughing.

He had brown hair, and seemed to be busy pouting to the leader of their little group.

"Dream. Dream. Dream, Sapnap is bullying me. Tell him to stop," he pouted.

The final member, that eerily emotionless porcelain mask with its painted on smile still on his face. He didn't seem nearly as ominous as he did the first time though, but there was still an air of danger hidden beneath his skin, even as he wheezed and laughed. "Sapnap! Don't bully George! We do NOT do that," he said with a hint of joking anger.

Tommy was unable to contain his fear as he began to panic, scrambling back in a haste to get away, to be anywhere but here.

The world seemed to go silent.

"What was that," the leader, Dream, said quietly, in the same manner of a predator about to pounce.

Tommy scrambled to a standing position as he continued trying to get away, and was frozen for nearly a second, all three of the groups gazes snapping to him. 

They seemed confused for only half a second before they seemed to notice his deer ears and their eyes widened.

"Well, looks like we have an animal to hunt," he said like the crackle of lightning in the sky before the thunder to come, and Tommy twisted and ran for his life.

He could hear them behind him, thankfully at a disadvantage this time because of how he surprised them, so they were unable to grab their horses.

He could still hear the crash of their boots though, twigs and branches snapping under their weight. He could hear their shouts, something excited in them that only caused Tommy dread.

The ground seemed to thunder beneath his hooves as he ran, taking extra care to avoid tripping on anything.

His breathing was tight in his chest, tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't get captured now, not when his life seemed to finally have a purpose.

What if Wilbur and Techno and Phil thought he just left them? He couldn't deal with that kind of pain.

So despite the aching in his legs and lungs and heart, he pushed on. Despite his stupid fawn instincts screaming at him to just drop down and hide, he ran.

Finally, oh so finally, he caught faint glimpses of blue through the trees.

The hunters were so close, he almost swore he could feel their breath on the back of his neck, despite knowing he'd already be dead if they were that close.

He stumbled onto the riverbank, nearly falling, but righting himself before he made the same mistake he had with Wilbur, though this situation was oh so more dangerous.

He half leapt over the water, crashing into the shallows and stumbling out on the other side.

"He's getting away!" He heard Dreams shout as he began to head back into the forest, not daring to pause for even a second.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," was all Tommy heard before something crashed into his back, the icy cold tang of magic that he had heard described before seeping into every muscle as he fell hard, all his limbs feeling like nothing more than lead as he landed face first, only inches away from the safety of the treeline.

He attempted to push himself up into at least a sitting position, but his fingers hardly twitched before falling limp at his side once more.

Keeping his eyes open was a feat of its own, the warm darkness calling to him and promising safety if he gave in. Tears began freely flowing down his face, leaving a salty track through the blood that was on his cheek from it cutting against the ground. 

He heard the splashing of the hunters crossing the water before the gravelly crunch of their boots on the stone behind him, then a pair of black boots appeared, obscuring his vision.

He wanted to yell, to fight back, hell even to just spit at his feet, but the energy seemed to seep from him in waves, draining him both physically and emotionally.

The man harshly grabbed his chin and made him look up, and through a half lidded gaze he saw only a white mask with a black smiley face, glimpses of the magic user, George, in the background with a blue aura coming from his hands towards Tommy.

"One day every beast like you will be in a cage, but until then, you will suffice," Dream spat, letting Tommy's head fall back down to the ground.

And as tears slipped down his face and he felt hands roughly pick him up by the shoulder, Tommy slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Tommy came to consciousness in a deep darkness, though it didn't feel cold or hostile, more of a gentle night. He looked around, and he seemed to be in a sort of void, black on all sides surrounding him.

He was incredibly confused, until he remembered what had happened before. Outside of the pack's territory, the hunters, the fear, the getting captured.

He began to hyperventilate, heart pounding in his chest.

Was he dead?

The thought barely left his head before he heard a soft voice, a feminine voice, call out next to him.

"Of course not Tommy, it'll be a long time yet before you truly enter my domain."

He whipped around, noticing a large woman with pale skin and jet black long hair behind him.

She was wearing a large purplish black dress that flowed freely and gathered around her feet. Her eyes were a deep purple, and large, shiny black wings sprouted from her back.

He let out a small "Woah," looking up to how she towered above him. She crouched down and he tilted his head, confusion in his voice.

"Who are you?" he questioned as she gently took one of his hands, hers nearly as large as his arm as her wings curled around them.

"Well I'm known by many names. The most common is likely Lady Death, though I quite prefer when Phil calls me his wife or the boys call me Kristin. I'd prefer if you'd call me the last one too," she spoke, a soft smile on her face as Tommy's eyes widened.

"You're Death? Like the Death?" he questioned, the air leaving his lungs in shock.

"Well, yes, like I mentioned. But I much prefer being a wife and a mother," she said with a nod.

"Wait, Phil's married to a goddess?" he said, jerking back. No wonder the man was so powerful, if he literally had one of the strongest goddesses on his side.

"Indeed little one. Many many years ago. And the boys are mine in spirit. Every so often I find a little soul that isn't being treated right, like I did so long ago with Wilbur and Techno, and my dear angel takes them in as his own like he is with you," she said, gently ruffling Tommy's hair.

Tommy nodded, deciding it'd be easier to accept what she was telling him rather than dwell on the fact that apparently his soul had been chosen.

"Ok… If I'm not dead, then why am I here then?" He questioned, still not quite sure what this strange void place was.

"You're simply unconscious right now, and I decided it'd be best to finally meet you. Right now those dreadful hunters are taking you to their camp, though I suspect they'll be with me before too long, and in a much less… alive…state." She said offhandedly, a small glimmer in her eyes of almost excitement.

Tommy almost shuddered at the offhand cruelty, but deep down he couldn't feel anything but satisfaction, leaning into her hold at the promise of protection.

"You're waking up now, but just remember that you'll be safe soon dear," she said, and Tommy took a deep breath, relaxing in the gentle warmth of the void before he felt himself forcefully being awoken.

He jolted awake to someone shaking him, gasping as his eyes flew wide open.

The person stepped back, and as he looked up he met the gaze of the hunter called Sapnap, the open flap of a tent behind him.

He tried to twist around, but the second he tried to move he realized he couldn't. His eyes drifted around. His legs were chained together uncomfortably and the metal was stuck into the ground with a stake, the chains digging into the skin beneath his fur. 

His hands seemed to be in a similar state if the way his wrists were uncomfortably pressed together behind his back were anything to go by.

He tried to struggle for a moment, going to speak before realizing there was a piece of cloth tied around his mouth as well, preventing him from talking.

Sapnap just rolled his eyes. "Relax. I'm just here to wake you up before Dream deals with you. George ended up knocking you out pretty hard. I don't really care about you hybrids that much, but Dream does, so I'd suggest not pissing him off unless you'd rather be dead than just imprisoned," he said before walking out, leaving Tommy there.

There was only a brief moment where he was by himself, left to fume silently in anger and have his fear fester until the leader of the trilogy pushed through the fabric.

"Well well well, looks like I finally caught the glorified meal. I put together that you were that golden deer we nearly caught a couple months ago. Been hiding away all this time huh?" he said with a smirk, stalking forward and pulling the cloth from Tommy's mouth.

Tommy took a measured breath and averted his gaze, trying to stop himself from saying anything that could get him killed.

"What, nothing to say? You hybrids usually have so many insults to spout off, until I start breaking things at least," he said, and Tommy shook with rage as he spat quietly,

"You're sick."

"There we go! Not a very unique comeback but something for sure. Nothing more fun to say? Your kind always claim they aren't animals, but all the comebacks you have are as simple minded as one."

" Fuck you. You're no better than any of us with all the things you've done," he gritted out, eyes looking up to meet the cold void of the mask.

As soon as he said that, he heard the cold swish of a knife, flinching as he felt it just barely nick his ear and cut through the tent behind him as Dream threw it towards him.

Dream stalked forward, crouching down to Tommy's level and yanking his chin forward. "I will never be as bad as you pathetic creatures," he snarled with a coldness in his voice.

"Now most buyers prefer to have undamaged merchandise, but I'm lucky enough to have someone who can heal practically anything I do to you other than death," he said while standing up, and Tommy got the sense he was likely smiling cruelly down at him, and cringed back, still only partially able to summon regret for his words. 

Tommy watched as he left, his throat slightly closing up in fear with the waiting.

All he had to do was wait. Phil and the others were on the way… right?

He only had a brief moment to doubt before Dream stalked back in, a small bag in his hands.

"What's that for?" Tommy questioned, squirming as Dream's gaze turned to glare at him silently for a moment before he sat and opened it, the gleam of several weapons inside catching his eye.

Eventually, after an agonizingly long amount of time, he began to walk back over to him, intention in his walk while Tommy tried to scramble back in fear, yet couldn't move.

White hot, blinding pain emanated from his leg as the man stomped on it without a second thought, a screaming ringing out before Tommy realized it was him making the noise.

He had never felt anything worse. It felt almost like freezing and burning at the same time and he frantically blanked spots from his vision. There was a sharp stinging coming from it, and tears sprung into his eyes as he began to softly cry, praying to any end to this suffering.

Dream now stood to his side, arms crossed as he just watched as Tommy squirmed in pain, one of his leg bones now sticking out at a strange angle from beneath his fur.

He waited until Tommy's shouts faded to whimpers and sobs before he pulled out a long silver knife and crouched down, burying it in Tommy's shoulder without any hesitation.

"I will not be done until every single one of you fucking animals is put in their rightful place," he whispered as he twisted the knife, a stinging sensation radiating up and down his entire arm. He was trying to keep from sobbing too hard, despite the tears running down his face and the snot streaming from his nose. Every time he moved even a hair, extreme pain would size every fiber of his being.

While this was busy happening, a crash was barely heard from outside of the tent, Dream not seeming to notice it, and Tommy in too much pain to think too hard about it.

That was until a snarling could be heard from much closer to the tent, Dream twisting around and yanking the knife from the wound and ignoring Tommy as he collapsed backwards, his hands pinned beneath him, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

His breathing was coming in ragged gasps, and he could only watch as the hunter stalked to the entrance, pausing for a moment before pushing open the tent.

He was instantly thrown to the floor, a large ball of fur crashing into him.

Dream had barely a moment to shout before Tommy watched as blood spilled from his neck, and he only felt fear for a moment before he recognized the form crouching over his captor, relief in his eyes at seeing Techno.

The giant wolf bit down with a harsh crunch and shook the limp form of the former hunter, tossing him aside and leaving a smear of blood across the ground before he rushed over to Tommy, shifting instantly.

He broke the chains tying him to the ground with a strong swipe of the sword at his hip, unraveling them and ripping off the cloth that was still hanging around his neck before gathering Tommy into his arms.

He let out a shout, flinching even as he turned and grabbed fiercely onto Technos shirt.

He pulled a healing potion from his belt and passed it to Tommy, running his clawed fingers through his hair.

"Don't worry runt, we have you now," he whispered as Tommy greedily drank the potion, relishing in the feeling of warmth spreading through him, as well as a faint haze as the healing magic heightened his instincts.

He winced as he felt his leg bone shift as it was healed, burying his face into Technos shoulder.

"I- I was-"

"Shh it's okay now. Let's get you home," Techno cut him off, standing smoothly with the fawn in his arms and stepping outside.

Tommy could smell a distinctly copper scent, and had a feeling that Kristin had been right in her predictions earlier, but he simply softly smiled as he heard two more sets of footsteps join them, glancing up and noticing Phil to his side and Wilbur behind him, blood staining both of their faces. He was content and back with his herd finally.

Wilbur reached forward and gently stroked his cheek with his thumb, a soft smile on his face.

"Don't worry Toms, they'll never bother you again," the wolf said.

"Yeah mate, We'll never let you be in danger again," Phil said, reaching over and gently scratching Tommy's hair as he nodded.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get you a gift," he said deliriously, words slurring together while looking at Wilbur.

"What? Oh! Those trinkets in the clearing. So that 's what you were doing sunshine. It's no matter, you're the best gift I could've asked for," Wilbur said softly as Tommy tucked his head back into Technos neck, content to fall asleep safe in his arms.

And later that year, when the first snows began to drift to the ground, instead of a glimmering fawn alone among the trees, he was safe in a den surrounded by the most feared wolves in the world while a goddess watched contently.