The Winter Months (An MCYT Fanfic)

NOVEMBER || Part 3

Wilbur had a meeting with his own people about the war they had been dragged into by none other than Dream and his hunger for war. They had all agreed that the best way to prepare was to divide and conquer.

Tommy and Tubbo were put to the task of creating weapons such as swords and arrows. Tubbo provided the iron while Tommy melted it all down. Eret occasionally helped them out with heavy lifting if something couldn't be done by the two teenage boys.

Aside from that, Eret was paired with Niki to clear out as much snow as possible from the forests that surrounded the village. Eret was able to focus the little amount of sunlight in the sky to slightly melt the snow. Then, Niki could use her ability to make that water fly, move, and change shape, similar to what Tubbo can do with earth. In storage, that water could be used to create ice barricades. It wasn't much, but it would be effective enough to buy even just a few more seconds of time. But Eret and Niki finished their task a while ago and the snowfall had eased up for now. With their job done, they went on patrol through the forest that surrounded the village.

Wilbur was in the Community House with a map and a pen, trying to find every possible enemy entrance and every possible way to counterattack each prediction. As much as he focused, Wilbur always found his mind elsewhere thinking about something else and imagining a different scenario. As the war inched closer, a faint memory replayed inside his mind.

~~~

It was a clear summer day as a father and son played beneath the sun.

Young Wilbur had in his hands a sized-down bow, and upon his back was a satchel of dulled stone arrows that couldn't even hurt a piece of paper. He aimed them upwards at a flying figure in the sky that egged him on.

"Don't think about it too hard," Phil said as his wings beated against the air. "Just find the target and shoot," Wilbur closed an eye and stared down the wood of the arrow. As he was told, he let go without thinking. The feathers on the back of the stick wisped past his fingers as it soared through the air. It missed Phil within mere inches, but he dodged it at the perfect time.

"Good! Do it again," Phil said. Wilbur reached back to grab another arrow and brought it forward. He pulled the string back and repeated. Phil was doing a sort of infinity figure 8. Wilbur noticed the pattern. He aimed and...

Dodge left.

Wilbur adjusted slightly and let the arrow fly. Phil jerked left but ended up going right into the arrow's path. It hit him square in the stomach. He "fell" to the ground, his massive wings carrying him down gently.

"Dad!" Wilbur called as he dropped his bow and ran to him. Wilbur fell to his knees to make sure Phil was ok.

"Nooooo!" Phil cried, obviously not in any actual pain. "I'm bleeding outtt! Help me Wilburrrr!" Wilbur laughed and shoved his dad over. Phil rolled onto his back and laughed as well. Laughter meant everything was ok. Wilbur loved hearing laughter.

Phil looked at Wilbur and moved his hand to return to Wilbur his arrow. Wilbur took it.

"You're gonna be amazing someday, kid," said Phil. "More amazing than you already are,"

"And I'm gonna protect you with that amazing-ness! You and everyone else!" Wilbur said with a smile that went ear-to-ear. Phil chuckled to himself.

"No," He said kindly. "Protect yourself first, then help others. It won't feel right at first, but it's better for a person you've saved to be able to thank you than it is for you to say goodbye to a person you thought you could save. In the end, it's not your fault. Someone's death is never your fault. Remember that, ok?"