tw: burning + branding
word count: 2295
don't hesitate to correct any mistakes! despite rereading and editing, i still manage to miss some
You chewed on your bottom lip as you whittled away at a block of wood in your left hand. A strong breeze blew your hair into your face, forcing you to lose your focus.
You looked up to see Tubbo obnoxiously flapping his wings as he landed beside the tree stump you sat upon.
"Hey, (y/n)!" he chirped, leaning over your shoulder to see the unfinished wooden carving.
Irritated, you grumbled in response, "I was in the zone."
"Yeah, yeah... What are you making?" the brunette hopped to your other side energetically.
"A cow—a baby cow," you said. "I'm gonna give it to Tommy as an apology for crashing into his room yesterday."
"You crashed?" asked Tubbo.
"I'm not as good at flying as you are, Tubs." You squinted your eyes at him.
Tubbo shrugged lightheartedly and said, "Well at least you have cool wings, I'm stuck with these normal, grey dove ones." He outstretched his right wing and held it with his arm.
"Hey, doves are cool, too! ...My oversized phoenix wings get me in more trouble than they're worth." You mirrored his actions, outstretching a single wing to show how vast it was compared to your body.
"Touché..." Tubbo thought aloud, placing a finger on his chin. "Anyways, race ya to Techno's!"
"Aye—wait up!" You secured your knife in its leather sheath and buttoned the unfinished carving into your coat pocket.
Tubbo was already a few steps ahead as he sprinted towards the cliff's ledge. He spun on his heel to face you, holding his right hand up in a salute before gracefully falling backwards.
Unimpressed, you scoffed at your show-off brother and dove off not too far behind. The wind pummeled your face as you held your bright scarlet wings close to your body.
Tubbo glanced to his side to see you descending at the same speed as him.
"Cheater," was all you said.
Tubbo mockingly stuck out his bottom lip and scrunched his nose. "Last one there owes three rubies."
"Deal!"
Simultaneously, the two of you spread your wings just as you were about to collide with the ground. You tended to fly higher compared to your brother, for he wasn't a fan of the cold, thin air above the clouds; you—on the other hand—loved the thrill.
Technoblade's cabin came into view as the two of you exchanged a challenging look before speeding up. The oak forest below blurred into a mural of vibrant, spring green.
You opened your wings to slow yourself down, Techno's home now only a hundred feet away.
The man himself stepped out his front door only to catch a glimpse of you and Tubbo hurtling toward him at full speed.
"Uh oh."
A strong gust of wind pushed his crown back and frazzled his pink, braided hair as the two of you landed—or rather crashed—in front of him.
You closed your wings and rolled across the grass whilst Tubbo landed gracefully on one foot.
"I WIN!" you both shouted in unison.
Technoblade grumbled and fixed his askew crown. "I just did my hair..."
"...Sorry Techno," you said genuinely, realizing you were so caught up in the race that you payed no mind to his presence. "Want me to redo it?"
Techno thought for a moment before subtly nodding his head. He moved to the grass and kneeled down in front of you, allowing you to smooth down his stray hairs.
You began to re-braid Techno's hair and said while doing so, "I still won that by the way."
"What?! Surely not! I won by at least a meter," Tubbo argued.
You shook your head in mere disagreement. "You owe me five rubies."
Technoblade cleared his throat. "It was close, but (y/n) got here just a second before you, Tubbo. At least you had a smooth landing."
"Hey!" You abruptly tugged Techno's hair back as Tubbo laughed in response.
"There's still dirt on your face," said the pig man.
You grumbled a few incoherent words, for your hands were too busy weaving Techno's hair to wipe away the dirt.
"Where were you heading off to anyways, Techno?" chirped Tubbo as he sat down next to him.
"Wilbur wanted me to drop off some books for Tommy," Technoblade answered, pulling out one of the hardback books from his bag.
Tubbo squinted his eyes and read the title aloud, "How to be a Better Brother."
"He said they were mostly 'educational'," Techno remarked.
You snickered as you finished the braid and stood up, finally getting to wipe the dirt from your cheek. "Have they not been getting along recently?"
"Nah, they've been getting along just fine—Wilbur's just bored," said Techno.
Tubbo chuckled lightly and said, "Well, Tommy could use the book anyways... Want me to come with you to drop it off?"
Technoblade shrugged his shoulders and paused. "If you have nothing better to do—then I don't see why not."
"Are you coming, (y/n)?" Tubbo briefly shifted his attention to you.
"Ah... I'll probably go back to our place. I'd like to finish this," you said, holding up the unfinished wooden carving.
Tubbo nodded in understanding and exchanged his brief goodbyes before walking off with Techno.
You secured the piece of wood in your pocket and turned to the cliff. The grass rippled around you like water as your grand wings flapped.
The trip over the valley between Techno's cabin and the home you shared with Tubbo was effortless. It was the perfect distance, and the lack of obstacles made it facile to navigate; unlike the trip to Tommy who lived in a hobbit hole under a hill.
You hummed an old tune Philza would sing to you, Tubbo, and Tommy as kids. It was catchy, yet comforting at the same time.
A sharp pain pierced the bend of your left wing causing you to cry out in agony. You struggled to keep yourself in the air as you started to lose speed.
The arrow in your wing was tipped with a poison that stung like hell. Your treehouse was only a hundred feet away—but at the speed you were descending at, it didn't look like you would make it.
The pain in your joints spread to your lower back where your wings connected to your body. The poison felt like that hellish sting when hand sanitizer would rub into an open wound.
You quickly began to fall through the air into the lush valley below. "No, no, no!" you voiced your panic as you struggled to flap your wings.
The ground came closer and closer until the sharp pain of tree branches cut your skin.
You held your wings close to your body to shield yourself from the splintery branches as you landed with a painful groan.
Who shot that arrow?
The bright, orange sun filtered through the trees like a warm ocean. You held your hand in front of your eyes to help them adjust to the dim, forest lighting.
The poison tipped arrow stuck out of your wing like an un-hammered nail. You grimaced at the sight and hesitated to pull it out.
The sharp tip made it difficult to remove, for it was stuck deep in your wing. With one last tug, you managed to pull the arrow out and threw it across the ground.
Your legs were weak as you struggled to pick yourself up. The air was warm and sweet like honey, and large, spotted mushrooms decorated the forest floor.
As amiable as the forest was, there was an eerie presence that made you apprehensive. The usual, familiar singing of warblers was not there to welcome you, and the red foxes who roamed the woods were strangely absent.
You felt your knees buckle beneath you—the poison was reaching your legs. Your left wing was filled with pain, so flying was close to impossible.
Another arrow skimmed your cheek as it dashed over your shoulder, and dark red blood dripped from the cut.
You whipped your head in the direction it shot from, cupping your bloody cheek with your palm. Staring at your red stained hand, you winced in pain.
Should I...
You contemplated inspecting the bush or making a run for it. Whoever was attacking you seemed to be following, so there would be no point in running.
You steadied your grip on the handle of your whittling knife and stood your ground. The attacker would have to confront you first.
Suddenly, a large net sprung towards your body. You flapped your strong wing, setting the bright orange feathers ablaze along with the net.
Without giving you a chance to think, a hooded figure charged towards you. You jumped back and struck your flaming wing across the attacker's face—or mask.
The man swung a heavy, diamond axe at your wing, but you somehow managed to dodge the attack in time.
"Who are you?!" you cried, struggling to keep up with his ruthless efforts to hurt you. The tormenting poison in your body was reaching its peak.
"What do you want from me?!" you asked again, desperate for an answer.
The masked man gave no response and used this opportunity to hook your leg. You lost your balance as well as your pathetic excuse for a weapon—the knife's blade was only a few inches anyways.
I should have taken those martial arts lessons from Techno...
The man now had full control of your movements since the poison had immensely weakened your body. You attempted to wriggle out of his grasp only to no avail.
He raised his axe above his head, taking the sinister stance of an executioner—and in one swift motion, he swung his weapon straight down. You shrieked out in excruciating pain as his blade struck the shoulder of your left wing.
A loud crack pained your ears.
He had severed your wing.
You stared at the extinguished wing in horror as it lie cold on the ground. Your lower back bled out into your clothes.
The masked man finally let go of you as you dropped to the ground, numb. Your eyes filled with wrathful tears, and your anger fueled your strength.
"YOU MONSTER!" you roared furiously and forced the mask from his face.
The male's emerald eyes flashed with fear as he stumbled back. You strengthened the fire on your right wing and tackled him beneath you.
Your wing blazed with triple its normal size as you forcefully pushed it against his face. The man screamed out in pain as you branded his skin with your fiery wing.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" he bellowed and shoved you off of him, raising his axe once again.
A fresh, bright red burn painted half his face, and the skin around his eye was inflamed. His urge to kill you was the strongest it could ever be.
Your eyes widened with fear as you stumbled in the opposite direction. The brief rush of adrenaline from earlier was now gone, and the pain in your body was more than evident.
Never in your life had you feared death more than in this current moment. Your legs felt like a thousand wasps stung them, and your attacker was giving you no time to run.
I don't want to die.
You panted in quick, uneven breaths as he grew closer. It was as if the grim reaper was chasing you.
Just as the man was about to catch you, you felt two arms pick you up from under your shoulders.
Baffled, you looked up to your savior.
"Phil...?" you said weakly.
Phil was quiet. He flew you across the valley to your treehouse in complete utter silence.
Arriving at the cliff, Philza helped you to the same tree stump you sat on just an hour ago. The brim of his striped hat hung low over his eyes with shame.
"Phil?" you muttered again quietly.
"I'm... so sorry, (y/n)." He choked on his words. "I'm so, so sorry."
"Phil—Phil, it's okay!" you lied. "I-I'm fine... I'll be fine. It's just a little—"
"It's not fine! I should have been there earlier—I should have known." He spun on his heel so his back faced you, his hands intertwined on his head. "Why was Dream even here?! How did he find us?"
You flinched back—it was not common to see Phil lose his temper.
"Dream? Was that..." you didn't finish your sentence and instead stared at the absence of your left wing.
"Yeah... yeah that was the guy." Phil's voice shook with rage.
"Gah, he wants Techno doesn't he! That deranged bastard," he spat angrily under his breath.
"Techno? What does he want to do with Techno?" you said obliviously, the pain in your body still aching.
Phil shook his head which said enough in itself.
"I'm sorry I lashed out—I shouldn't have done that," he said, turning back to face you. "And don't worry about your wing—"
You perked up for what Phil was about to say.
"—It'll grow back in a year or so, Phoenix blood works wonders with its healing perks." He ruffled your hair.
Hopeful, you rose your eyebrows. "Really?! I'll be able to fly again?"
He smiled kindly and said, "Yep, it'll take you a while to relearn, but Tubbo and I'll guide you."
You stumbled up from the tree stump and embraced Phil with the last of your strength, your eyes tearing up with joy. "Thank you... so much, Phil," you sobbed out. If it weren't for him, you would not be here right now.
Phil hugged you back as he supported your balance.
"You'll be alright," he said. "It'll be alright..."
thinking about a part 2 because i love the concept of wings—also, see that little star button? you should press it