Aviarian [ Dream SMP AU ]

Chapter 9

Despite the lack of biting cold his body wanted to feel for clarification that he was in the tundra, he wrapped his wings around his arms and body and began to trek into the village. 

There was no activity in the village, other than the echoing stomps of the iron golem that guarded the place. Tommy could pick up the distant, oh so distant, groans of zombies and the rattling of strays. A few hisses reached Tommy's ears as well, from spiders, he guessed, that got too close.

Then the sound of hooves on stone hit them next.

Tommy's feathers fluffed out. Villagers, at least the ones that Tommy's seen, don't ride horses.

The blonde shuffled into the shadow of a nearby house, huddling in on himself and listening intently.

The sounds of hooves hitting stone got louder and closer, and Tommy's anxiety spiked.

Then they stopped. The horse snorted, then sneezed.

"I smell it too."

Tommy's heart stopped.

That was Technoblade.

What was the Blade doing way out here?!

"Whoever's over here, show yourself." The Piglin grunted, the sound of his hooves hitting stone. Tommy held his breath. He could probably smell his panic at this point. The blonde shifted into the shadows more.

Apparently, his shifting alerted Techno, as the Piglin made his way towards Tommy's hiding spot. He could see his shadow from the many street lights.

If anything, Techno would kill him right here and now. And Tommy was wondering if that was a good or bad thing.

That was when Techno decided to walk straight into the alleyway-like area Tommy had found himself hiding in, scaring the shit out of the latter.

Tommy flinched violently, despite expecting Techno to walk through there. He hit the building he was hiding beside and he hissed at the dull ache that formed in his wings.

********

When Techno walked into that small alleyway, he wasn't expecting a very feather-covered Tommy who was practically wearing rags and Wilbur's old coat.

So he was staring wide-eyed at the blonde, who seemed to have shot up despite looking malnourished. He now loomed over Techno - who used to be taller.

It had only been a few months, and yet Tommy looked like he'd been covered in honey, then someone dumped multiple pillow-fuls of feathers onto the teenager. His wings, which once reached just above his ankles, now basically dragged on the ground with how long the primaries were. He seemed to have a crest-mohawk sort of thing growing on his head, and his hands-

Techno thought back to when the feathers and such had gotten bad. Phil had shown him a few pictures from his communicator, along with some pictures of gray skin forming on Tommy's hands.

-that gray skin covered the teenager's hands, and long, yet dulled, black talons replaced his nails.

"What the heck happened to you?" Technoblade blurted, finally making eye contact, slightly surprised to find Tommy's normally blue eyes to be a dull blue, which was almost gray.

Tommy's wings flicked outwards slightly- something to appear bigger, Techno thought to himself, recognizing the tactic. Phil used it occasionally - and raised his head.

"Why should I tell you?" The blonde croaked, then cleared his throat. His feathers bristled- like, all of his feathers. It was kind of weird.

'Good point.' Techno snorted at the singular voice that decided to speak. They'd been unusually silent since Techno and Carl and even scent Tommy's fear.

"You're kind of in my village," Techno said instead. Technically, it was his, he lived nearby and came to the village to trade occasionally. So he rephrased his question. "Why are you here, again..?"

At this Tommy seemed hesitant.

Unsure.

His wings flicked, and a feather drifted down. By his feet, which looked very bird-like-

'Focus.' A voice snapped.

"I don't know-" Tommy finally spoke, drawing Techno's attention. "One moment I was in Logsted, and the next I'm in the sky.."

He trailed off, brows furrowing in thought.

Techno blinked. At first he thought he was imagining things. But as he pieced things together, he realized something.

There'd just been a massive bird in the sky, coming from the direction of Logstedshire.