Chapter Text
“Hey, Tech!”
Techno turned around, earning a face full of mud as Wilbur cackled, Techno quickly wiping it off and giving his twin a harsh glare.
He didn’t say anything but instead gave chase, Wilbur laughing all the while as he ran from his brother, Phil watching them with a fond smile, shaking his head in slight exasperation.
“Boys, boys !” Phil sighed, running a hand down his face to hide his smile as he watched Wilbur trip over an exposed tree root, Techno just giving him a small, smug grin as the brunette groaned in pain. “We’re here to hunt—don’t make too much noise or you’ll scare the prey away.”
“Yes, dad.” They said at the same time, Wilbur slowly getting up and Techno offering a hand, pulling him up the rest of the way, both of them exchanging a small smile.
All three of them were carrying a bow, arrows hung in the bag slung behind their backs, and it was the first time either boy had been taken out to hunt.
Phil was pretty excited to teach them, wanting them to enjoy the thrill of the chase and the euphoria of calmly sniping a creature without them even noticing.
He glanced at his boys, watching as Wilbur talked, waving his hands around for dramatic effect, Techno not saying much but grunting every once in a while to let his twin know he was listening.
To be honest, Phil was a bit worried. Not for Techno of course, no. Techno had shown his clear interest and even talent for weapons like swords and bows, able to precisely hit a target dead center with a bow and land easy critical hits with a sword while effectively using a shield to his advantage.
It was Wilbur he was worried about.
Wilbur was… more passive, to say the least. He didn’t have the strength of his twin, nor the willingness or enthusiasm to learn how to hold a weapon. Not to say he was bad with them, per se, but definitely not quite comparable to Techno.
Both of them had raw talent, but only one of them was willing to hone that talent. Such a shame, but what could he do, really? It’s fine—he loves them both no matter what.
They eventually found a rabbit, and Phil patiently showed them how to hold their bow and properly place their arrow, making sure that everything was positioned just so.
Techno took to it all eagerly, eyeing the rabbit with an almost hungry gaze, but Wilbur was substantially more apprehensive.
He glanced at the bunny, those round, black eyes staring back, seemingly unaware of its impending doom, and he looked back at his father, hesitantly asking. “Do… do we have to?”
Phil bit back a sigh, instead giving his son a small, if somewhat helpless, smile. “Well, even if we don’t do anything, the bunny might get eaten by something else in the forest. We’re just getting to it first. Besides, it’ll help feed us, so its death won’t be in vain.”
Wilbur frowned, wanting to retort, but Phil simply turned his attention back to Techno, steadying the boy’s hands as he said gently, “yes, just like that. Don’t pull it too tight—yes, yes, good. Now, keep your aim steady. Make sure you’ve got it just right, and release.”
Techno nodded tersely, took a deep breath, and then let go of the string and arrow, letting it soar across the air and landing square in the bunny’s forehead, the poor thing falling to the ground before it even had a chance to react.
Phil smiled as Techno grinned, Wilbur’s gasp of horror ignored by both of them as they hurried to collect their loot.
The rest of the day continued like that, with Techno eagerly hunting almost anything and everything that came their way, Wilbur only shooting, and missing, two arrows at a single deer, the deer running away before anyone else could take a shot at it.
To say Phil was disappointed would be a slight understatement, but it wasn’t outside of his expectations so he wasn’t too terribly upset about it.
He understood Wilbur’s reluctance towards these kinds of things and thus knew his performance would be lackluster at best, though Techno pleasantly surprised him.
Techno had managed to take down multiple deer and bunnies all on his own, and, while he still couldn’t quite handle those slippery birds or tackle something as big as a bear, Phil was proud of his son. It was highly impressive, especially for a ten year old boy.
All in all, a successful hunting trip in his humble opinion.
They made their way home, Wilbur oddly quiet the entire time and neither of the other two quite the conversationalists so they didn’t bother initiating conversation.
Phil was glad he brought a wagon along with them, thoughtfully leaving it back on the trail as they ventured off. He really didn’t want to make multiple trips back and forth, especially considering the somewhat awkward silence hanging between them all.
Surprisingly it was Techno who broke the tension first, turning his head and opening his mouth to say to his twin, “... I think I need to redye my hair.”
Wilbur blinked in surprise, looking over at the older twin. Techno held his gaze, though there was a slight blush on his face, showing his underlying embarrassment. Being a child, while he had an impressive poker face, it wasn’t perfect.
It helped, though, as Wilbur was able to tell his brother was trying to cheer him up, which caused him to beam. “Sure, I can help you. You’ll have to listen to my latest song and help me with it, though.”
“Great.” Techno rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth quirked up, showing he wasn’t as upset about it as he tried to make them believe.
Phil smiled at his two boys and just as things were settling down, a noise sounded from the forest, causing all them to halt.
They looked around at each other, and Phil’s eyes lit up when he recognized the sound, excitedly saying, “that—that’s a firebird’s call—”
“Firebird?” Wilbur questioned but Phil didn’t hear him, instead abandoning the wagon and rushing back into the forest.
“Dad?” Both of his sons called after him, and he could faintly hear their footsteps as they followed him, but Phil focused solely on the bird’s call.
Another caw, much closer this time, and Phil broke out into the open, hurriedly looking around and looking up to see the majestic bird flying freely in the sky, its fiery wings flickering beautifully.
“Dad, wait—” Wilbur wheezed, surprisingly the first of the two to get to him, Techno barely a step behind him. He looked up to where Phil was looking and his brown eyes widened in surprise, taking a few moments to choke out a quiet, “is-is that… the firebird?”
A majestic bird cloaked in flames, its golden body shimmering beautifully in the sun’s light, the firebird truly lived up to its name.
“Those are rare, and I’ve only ever seen three or four in my life.” Phil whispered in barely concealed awe. “Their feathers can make potions said to be miracles, and their meat is said to give whoever ate it immortality.”
“O-Oh.” Wilbur stammered, unsure of how to respond, but Techno just kept his eyes on the bird, watching it like a hawk.
Phil wanted to try and catch it, only to realize he’d left his bow and arrows back at the wagon.
His heart plummeted, and he watched the bird circle above them mournfully, a race chance he was forced to let slip through his fingers. Just as he was about to tell his boys to go on and go back, a low sigh escaping his lips, he heard the rush of wind and Wilbur’s surprised gasp followed by a strangled caw and a thud not too long after.
Phil whipped around, looking at the firebird now on the ground, an arrow in its neck, and back to Techno, who had taken out his bow, a proud look on his face and stunned awe on Wilbur’s, and he knew exactly what happened.
“That… Techno, did you…” He was stunned silly, unsure of what to say.
Techno smiled at him. “I got it, Dad.”
Phil beamed back at him. “That… That’s fantastic!”
“I’ll get it. It’s important, right?” Techno said, walking over to the body of the bird.
Just as he reached to pick it up, there was a rumble. All of them froze, and then…
A crack formed on the ground, and they all stared in shock as Techno slowly began to fall. Phil stood there, frozen in shock, but Wilbur jumped forward immediately, shouting out a panicked, “ Techno !”
Techno reached out for him, but their fingers just barely missed, and Wilbur was unable to grab him. So, as he fell, Techno grabbed hold of the falling bird and, with all his might, chucked it at his twin.
Wilbur clumsily caught it, the flames already having died out along with the animal’s life and posing no threat as he held it close, watching with wide, teary eyes as his twin fell.
Phil’s brain finally caught up and he rushed forward, all too late to stop his son from falling, only able to let out a heart-wrenching cry:
“ Techno !”