The SMP

4.5- Panic

"Whim's worth more to them than a handful of soldiers and you know that." Scarf replied, his head snapping to the right when he heard the sound of a skeleton's bow "Duck!"

The two dodged the arrow that flew in their direction, passing over their heads and into the bushes beside them, a small, pained cry sounding as Scarf rushed to the mob who'd shot at them, bodying the reanimated bones , which crumbled to the ground, killing the mob and breaking the bow, though Scarf grabbed the quiver to check for arrows, relived when he found five to put into his own. He'd dye the feathers later, also looking to the bow to detect any sort of enchantment, finding none.

Corvo, on the other hand, rushed to the bushes, finding a goat hybrid brunette, one he recognized as part of the faux police group from Bright Spawn City, an arrow sticking from his thigh. He was alone, so Corvo quickly pulled him out to administer first aid, pulling out one of Whim's potions and handing it to the taller, who eyed it nervously.

"Drink it when I say to." Corvo instructed, hearing Scarf's body falling to the ground as he threw himself into the mob that attacked the two. Corvo looked to the arrow in the brunette's thigh and grabbed it, getting ready to pull it "Brace yourself for pain in three, two, one!" He pulled the arrow from the other's body, the brunette crying out in pain as blood spurted from his wound "Drink it! Go!" Corvo watched as the other quickly unscrewed the lid and downed the healing potion, cringing at the very bitter taste.

Scarf made his way back to the two, watching as the brunette's wound patched itself up, leaving a bright red scar that showed through the rip in his pants where the sharp projectile had been. "Bad idea coming out here, kid." Scarf said "It's dangerous."

"But you know where the raiders went!" The male looked up at Scarf, who was standing, his voice even sounding young "We had to follow you!"

"We?" Corvo questioned "Don't tell me you brought your group as well."

"T-They're behind a bit." The male looked down to the forest floor "Sent me out as a spy because they thought I'm quiet because I'm smaller."

"Well, they're pretty stupid." Corvo said "What's your name, kid?"

"Oh! I'm Tubbo!" the male smiled despite the pain he'd been in earlier, which was slowly fading away.

"He's a Spawn." Scarf said to Corvo "It's not safe for him to follow us."

"But we're all Spawns!" Tubbo protested "We can't just stop now!"

"They go after Spawns, kid." Scarf said "Me and Corvo were born to this world, you all just Spawned in, which makes you vulnerable to those who wish to harm you."

"But we can't stop!" Tubbo said again

"You have to if you want to keep your life." Scarf replied, his usual cheerful demeanor having vanished in situations that involved having to go after Whim, himself and Corvo's personalities switching.

"You aren't even going after everyone!" Tubbo was almost shouting at that point "Your just going after your friend!"

"Listen, kid, it isn't our concern to go after other Spawns. The birthed mind their own families, not others." Scarf said with a deep frown "But when it comes to others being in danger when we could have warned them, we'll tell ya how it is. Stop following us if you want to live a free life." Scarf looked to Corvo "C'mon Corvo, we have a long way to go still."

Corvo nodded "listen Tubbo." He said "He's right, you'll most likely die trying or you'll get captured, and i'd say dying is the easier fate."

"But you guys are going after the raiders!" Tubbo tried one last time "You'll die as well!"

Corvo simply nodded "If we aren't careful." He said "But we have experience with busting Whim out of shit." He stood "I'm not telling you to stop following us, but it's in your best interest." With that, he turned and ran to catch up with Scarf, who was already far ahead, catching up in no time.

"We need a plan still." Scarf said after a few miles of walking, the clouds now filling up the sky

"We can't have one until we see the compound." Corvo replied, shaking his head

"We'll have to speed things up then." Scarf decided, looking down to the other "We'll have to fast travel."

"Fuck your fast traveling, I'm flying." Corvo said "You can scope out sooner and I'll touch down soon after. We'll meet up in the forest."

"Deal." Scarf said as rain started to pour "But we should get shelter under a tree first."

"We are surrounded by trees, Scarf, that should be easy." Corvo retorted, his friend laughing loudly as they ducked for cover.

"Do you think the kid took my advice?" Scarf asked

"I'd hope so." Corvo said "Because if he listened to what I said, you'd be pissed." He realized what he said a second too late "Fuck."

"What'd you say?" Scarf asked

"Just that he didn't have to stop following but he should if he valued his life." Corvo said "So technically not encouraging him?"

Scarf sighed "Whatever." he said "We should just focus on what happens if Whim falls for the cycle again."

"He won't, he's got enough scars for him to remember why he escaped that shit place." Corvo had faith in his friend. "Besides-" He was cut off by a loud swear to their right "Son of a bitch, they still followed us."

Scarf, on the other hand, already had his bow drawn, the wood seeming to be slick with an oily purple sheen, an arrow with green dyed feathers pulled back, the male aiming for the bush it came from.

"Hey!" Corvo said to Scarf "That's a bad idea!"

"Maybe they shouldn't follow us if they don't wanna get shot." Scarf growled, standing with his muscles tense, ready to release the arrow into whatever moved next "You should go check the bush." He said to Corvo

"I'm gonna get stabbed again!" Corvo protested

"Yeah, well if you do, whoever's stabbed you is dead with an arrow to the brain, we have Whim's potions, we'll be good." Scarf said "Now go and see what's up before I kill whoever's in there."

Corvo sighed, creeping to the bush a six meters to the side peeling back the rather large bush with a tail sticking out to see two teens, one being Tubbo, and the other seeming to be a tall male a mix of enderman, human, and something else, judging by his tail. The males looked up at Corvo, having previously been laying down, Tubbo seeming to try cover the taller from the water that came from the sky, the taller's black and white split hair sticking up from water already having fallen into it.

"Who is it?" Scarf called

"Tubbo again." Corvo said "There's another with him, has enderman in him."

Corvo heard Scarf cruse loudly as he rushed over, looking at the two when he made it, Tubbo in disappointment, while the other in frustration. "Really?!" Scarf said "You brought back up?"

"Hey, I'm pretty fierce when it isn't raining." The bi-color hair male tried to defend

"You look pathetic." Scarf said, not even sugar coating the truth before pulling out a large, waterproof blanket he used for times like this "Idiots." He said as he ushered the two into the open before quickly wrapping the tallest in the blanket to prevent more water-burn wounds. "Why you even follow us is beyond me."

"Hey, they were quieter this time." Corvo pointed out as he shook his wings out, the water droplets that had accumulated feeling weird

"Yeah, and I almost shot them." Scarf said before looking to the two "You both are staying with us until this shit storm passes so I get my damn blanket back, and then you're both going back to your group and you're headed back to Bright Spawn, understand me?"

The two nodded quickly, knowing that Scarf wasn't messing around, acting like a concerned mother more than anything now.

The next days would feel like the longest in the hands of strangers.