Chapter Text
They ran for the rest of the night, up until the sun started to rise. After a while, when they were sure the wolves couldn’t catch up to them as quickly, they settled on walking calmly. The horses are now calm, and Wilbur pets his horse to help it calm now.
“Good girl, Sally.” Wilbur smiles, and Phil looks up at him.
“She has a cool name.” The kid remarks, and Wilbur only smiles more. “Why’d you name her like that?”
“I just thought it fit her.” The brunet replies, and the child looks back at the horse. “Reminds me of good memories.”
“Are you alright?” Techno looks over his shoulder, and feels Tommy shit behind him.
“I’m good, big guy. Don’t seem to have broken anything.” Tommy informs his brother, before looking up from where they’ve run. His face is painted with guilt and anger, and his lips are stuck into a thin line. “I just― I feel bad for Henry.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Techno says, letting Carl’s lead hang over his neck, then looks over to see his brother sulking behind him. He stares for a moment, then smiles. “Tell you what. If we can, we’ll go look for Henry and bring him back. Sounds good?”
It seems to work, because Tommy sits up and looks over his shoulder to meet Techno’s eyes, and he’s got one of the biggest smiles on his face. He nods eagerly, eyes glittering with hope.
Techno grins, then looks over at Wilbur and Phil. Wilbur’s got a piece of steak in his hand, and he’s sharing some with the kid in front of him.
“Wilbur, is your arm alright?” The piglin asks, and Wilbur hums in assent, chewing the meat inside his mouth.
Wilbur swallows, then smiles at his brother while Phil continues to munch on the small pieces he’s got. “All healed.”
The kid just finished his pieces, and although he didn’t have that much, he believes he’ll be good for a while without food. He wants them to have enough for all four of them.
Phil looks at the sky, watching it lose its blue color as spots of white and grey move around. He’s not quite sure of what he’s seeing, but it’s different and interesting to look at. Wilbur, sitting behind him, notices the way he looks at the clouds.
“Have you not ever seen clouds before?” Wilbur asks, and Philza turns to him. The man puts away his steak, already feeling the cut heal.
“No.” The kid replies, looking back at the sky.
“Have you ever seen rain?” Tommy’s voice cuts through, and Phil looks over to him. The older blond looks better, other than the dirty clothes and a few scratches on his face from the fall. He’s still sitting back to back with Techno.
Philza tilts his head and raises a brow. “What’s that?”
“You’re about to find out.” Techno comments, smiling at the kid. They raise their heads, and see the way the clouds are darker. The earth wishes for water, and it shall get it.
Techno reaches his hand out, and just like the way his axe appeared is his hand a few hours ago, his red cape materializes into his palm, and he swings it over his shoulders. Phil’s never noticed it until now, but he watches as Techno pulls his hood over his head, white fur covering the rim of the shawl. Tommy also pulls out a cape, wraps it around his shoulders and pulls his hood over his head.
Phil looks at them in confusion, furrowing a brow as he tilts his head to the side. Behind him, Wilbur also pulls out his own cape and pulls his hood over his head. The kid looks between the three brothers, clear confusion written all over his face, before he feels Wilbur pull up the hood that was resting on his back. His bucket hat is pulled away, and the hood is gently put over his golden hair.
The sky is dark, and rain falls.
A first drop hits the tip of his nose, and Phil yelps at the sensation. He shudders and leans back against Wilbur, hoping to hide himself from whatever just touched him. He lets the mask rest between his legs and he covers his face, trembling fingers wrapping around his eyes to shield them from incoming danger.
Except, Wilbur just laughs softly, and Philza doesn't understand. "You're alright. It's just rain, it won't hurt you."
Phil finds Wilbur's voice to be very soothing, and since he grew to trust the trio a bit more ever since they found him, he decides to trust the brunet's words. He uncovers his eyes slowly, and sees more droplets fall around them. He looks up at Wil, finding a soft smile on his lips. When he looks over at Techno and Tommy, he finds them smiling. The horses don't seem to mind the rain, they keep walking ever so calmly.
Tommy's got his face raised, eyes closed and allowing the rain to hit his skin. It seems to soothe him, and Philza wonders what the sensation may be. He raises a hand, and the water touches his fingers. For a moment, he's scared, but it doesn't hurt, so he keeps it there, and soon enough, he smiles too.
“Do you think we can continue on foot?” Tommy speaks up, and he feels Techno move behind him.
“Too dangerous. The ground will be soft because of the rain, and they’ll see our footprints. We’re better off traveling on the horses until the rain eases up.” Techno replies, shaking his head. Wilbur looks over at him with a frown.
“We’ll have to stop at some point. We need to set up a tent or head to a village.” Wilbur points out, only for Techno to grunt.
“We can’t go to any villages, Wilbur. Those hunters from this morning could come from there. I’m not risking it.”
Wilbur continues on with Techno, and Phil doesn’t listen, because he watches as more rain hits his skin. His smile grows, and behind him, his wings flutter under the cloak he’s wearing. His hands are soaked, and he lets out a quiet giggle as he feels the pearls of rain rolling down his arms. It’s soothing, somehow.
Suddenly, the sky lights up, and Phil jumps slightly, but he isn’t scared. If anything, he’s amazed by the light show in the clouds, and his wings continue to flutter. Then, there’s a low rumble coming from the skies, and Phil shudders as he listens. He doesn’t realize that the two brothers stopped arguing, so when he feels a hand on his shoulder, he flinches lightly.
When the kid realizes that Wilbur is still seated behind him, he relaxes, and continues to watch the sky and listen to the thunder.
Another strike of lightning flies across the sky, and Phil’s eyes widen in surprise. A quiet “wow” leaves his mouth, and Wilbur smiles as he looks down at the child.
Tommy looks over his shoulder and pats Techno on the back, who turns so their eyes could meet again. “Maybe we could travel on the horses for another day. Just until we’re far enough.”
“We can’t risk having phantoms come after us. We’ll have to stop and rest sooner than later.” Techno informs his younger brother, who huffs behind him.
“What’s a phantom?” Phil’s voice cuts through the storm, and Techno looks over to see the kid looking at him. Whatever ounce of fear that was present in the child’s eyes, has disappeared completely.
“Ah, well, they’re―” Wilbur starts.
“―a bunch of assholes―” Tommy cuts in.
“―creatures which come out at night when you haven’t been sleeping enough.” Wilbur throws a quick glare at Tommy, before looking down at Phil with a smile. The child looks at him, then nods and continues to look at the sky again.
Phil stretches out his wings, moving the cloak away and lets the rain hit his feathers. The drops roll down his appendages, and the sky continues to be lit up by the strikes of lightning. When his wings are completely soaked, and he feels that there is too much water stuck between his feathers, he flutters them gently, and the rain pools down his fluff.
Techno smiles at him, and as he leans back, Tommy also does the same, and their back touch, allowing them to lean against one another. The storm is calm, and the kid looks calm as well.
For now, they don’t have to worry.