Bad Dream

~Chapter 5~

Eight Years Ago. . .

Tommy jumped the small stream, wings spread open as he giggled. His bare feet thumped against the ground as he heard Fundy behind him, the younger child giggling at his uncle. “WAIT UP!” Tommy skidded to a stop, looking behind himself to see Fundy at the edge of the stream, orange eyes going from the stream to the blond avian. He looked nervous, tail swishing side to side as if he was trying to think through a problem. 
   
“What’s wrong?” Tommy asked, tilting his head.
   
“I…” He paused, looking back up from the stream towards his uncle. “Do you think I’ll make it?” Tommy paused, looking at the shallow stream before brightly smiling. 
   
“Of course!” Tommy said excitedly, wings fluttering behind him. “You can make it! Just jump to the other side!” Fundy still looked unsure. Tommy could imagine the stream looked bigger to the toddler, the blond smiling before kneeling onto the grassy ground, opening his arms up as he smiled. “Look! I’ll even catch you ok?” Fundy let a smile slip onto his face, taking in a huge breath before bracing himself to jump. He kicked off of the other side, slamming into Tommy’s arms on the other side. “See? Not that scary!” Fundy’s smile grew huge, looking at the other side with sparkling eyes. 
   
“That was fun!” Tommy chuckled, standing up as Fundy ran ahead of him. “Catch me if you can!” He giggled. Tommy was going to run after Fundy, but a rustling in the bushes nearby made him pause. He looked over, curious as the bushed shook some more. He stared for a moment before walking towards it, raising a brow slightly. “Tommy?” Fundy came back, frowning slightly. Tommy looked over towards the fox hybrid, but the bushes once again shaking made him look away. 
   
“Hello?” Nothing. He frowned. Tommy walked closer and pushed the bushes aside to reveal a scared-looking goat hybrid. His green eyes were huge, the kid frozen in place as the two stared at one another. Tommy frowned, looking at the other kid closely. He was dirty, grime covering him from head to toe, he shook in fear, and one of his small horns cracked off.

Tommy smiled kindly at the kid, letting his hand reach out for the other to take, he tried to ignore how the kid flinched at his movements. “Hey… you ok?” The kid looked like he was on the verge of crying, tears building up in his eyes. Tommy could tell that this kid had been through some things… things that young Tommy couldn’t fathom yet. 

A Few Hours Later. . .

Wilbur opened the door, a dish towel flung over his shoulder as he stared at the three before him. He looked at his son and brother with a puzzled look, but once he fully took in the boy's state, the avian knew why he had brought the boy home. “Oh….What happened?” He knelt down, reaching out for the boy only for him to cower away, hiding behind the blond child. Wilbur frowned, looking at Tommy for an answer. Tommy only sadly smiled before looking at the goat hybrid. 
   
“He won't hurt you, he’s my brother! He cares about us, and I think he’s really worried about you.” Tommy spoke quietly to the child, his huge green eyes boring into his own. He still looked unsure, but even so, he slowly walked towards to older male. Wilbur smiled kindly at him. 
   
“C’mon kiddo, let's get you cleaned up.” He held his hand out for the kid to take, in which he did hesitantly. Tommy followed his older brother into their house as they walked in, watching as Wilbur quietly asked the new kid questions as they walked to the bathroom. Tommy couldn’t help but feel bad for the child, he looked rough. 

Present. . .

Tommy stared into the fire he had started down in the ravine, his blue eyes watching the flames as he was sucked into the past. How he wished he could go back to when he was a child, clueless and just living every day one day at a time. Now, he worries about what tomorrow will bring and what could happen to him. “Oh, Wilbur… why did we come here?” He whispered, wishing the older brother would answer him. He doesn’t understand completely why Wilbur had thought of coming to the SMP, and maybe he’d never know.