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Wilbur lived alone, he always had and he always will. He tried his hand in love but it just ended poorly for him. He fell in love with a beautiful woman named Sally, she turned out to be a shapeshifter and was burned at the stake. Wilbur remembers her calling out to him as they burned her alive. The way she pleaded for her life. Wilbur could do nothing to stop it. He didn't care anyways, she lied to him (he did care, he loved her). She almost got him killed as well. The villagers accused him of knowing and demanded he be burned as well. He still doesn't know how he managed to weasel his way out of that. He knew he was persuasive but convincing an entire village not to murder him is a feat he never thought to be possible. The village already hated him, that seemed like an easy way to get rid of his presence forever.
"Wilbur please!" a woman with orange hair screams. Her voice is loud and fills his hearing. His heart is beating fast but everything is moving so slowly. His body feels heavy.
"Wilbur, tell them they're wrong, please Wilbur!" the woman screams again. Wilbur stares at the woman. The woman he loved. The woman he wanted to marry. The ring feels heavy in his pocket. It feels as though it burns his skin when he touches it. The woman is tied to a wooden stake tightly. Her hair falls in front of her face and her expression is terrified.
"Wilbur, please, it was a misunderstanding, just tell them!" she screams. Her voice cracks as tears begin to stream down her face.
"Please," she says quieter. Wilbur almost doesn't hear it. Tears begin to stain his face. He is watching the woman he loves die and he is doing nothing.
The match is lit. The fire starts. The woman screams at the pain. Wilbur thinks he hears more of his name and more pleas. Wilbur knows it's useless. The villagers don't care. She's a shapeshifter. She's dangerous (is she?). Wilbur backs out of the crowd. He can't stand to watch the execution. He begins walking home when he's stopped by a burly man.
"Where are ye' goin'?" He says with a heavy accent.
"I'm just going home sir," Wilbur responds calmly.
"What, don’t wanna watch the show?" He asks, "or are ye' one of em, one of those snakes."
"No sir, I just need to get home, if I leave too late it'll be dark," Wilbur responds calmly despite how fast his heart is beating.
"I think yer one of em," the man responds. He grabs Wilbur’s shoulder and his breath picks up. Someone walks behind him and starts speaking,
"She was screaming your name Wilbur, I say we burn him too," they say. Wilbur recognizes the voice as the mayor of the village.
"I didn't know about her, and frankly I am disgusted that she lied to me," Wilbur says with an inkling of guilt.
"Then come on, the show isn't over, if you're too scared to walk home at night I can escort you," the larger man says, laughing at the end. Wilbur nods and they walk back to the burning woman. She's no longer screaming and her body is charred. The ropes finally burn and her corpse falls. The villagers shout with glee at her death. Wilbur almost vomits.
"Now let's raid that bastard's house!" Someone yells. The villagers shout in agreement and rush to his past lover's home.
While the villagers ravage through the house, Wilbur simply looks around. He opens a drawer and finds a pile of unsent letters. All labeled to her mother. Wilbur picks one up and opens it. He quickly reads it through and notices his name.
"You know that dude who I thought for sure would dump me right away? He hasn't yet. He's pretty sweet too, I just hope he doesn't find out. If things go right maybe I can betrothal him. I think that would be lovely."
The ring feels as though it's burning a hole in his pocket. He folds up the letter and shoves it in his pocket as the villagers come up.
"Oh, what did ye' find here?" One of them says. They walk over and grab an envelope. They rip it open and start to read aloud the letter. They all start the same. 'To momma'. Wilbur stops listening after the second letter.
Eventually, the villagers get tired of raiding the house and leave. Wilbur leaves along with them and starts walking home.
"See, that wasn't so bad now was it," the burly man from before says. They walk to Wilbur’s cabin in silence, only saying a short goodbye when they get to the door. Wilbur closes and locks his door before sliding onto the floor and crying.
Wilbur stood from his seat by the fire. His source of food was running low and he needed to go hunting. He grabbed his coat and rifle and slipped on his shoes. His coat is long and reaches his thighs. Logically he knows it's not a great idea to wear it while hunting, but it looks cool. Sue him. Wilbur steps outside, the cold biting at his nose instantly. Wilbur locks his door with a click and starts walking to his usual hunting area. A while ago he found a small cave that has a crack of an opening so he can easily hide and kill animals for food.
Wilbur steps into the small cave and shuffles his things around. There are large animal prints, likely hybrids, in the cave but Wilbur elects to ignore them. It's none of his business. Wilbur sets his rifle up and uses the scope to look around for animals. When finds one he shoots. Hit. Wilbur crawls out of the hole and walks to the dead deer. The deer should be enough for a while. Wilbur says a small prayer and lifts the deer. He's careful not to get blood on his clothes.
Once Wilbur is home he takes off his coat, prepares the deer, and slips the meat into his freezer. The action is muscle memory at this point. He has been living on his own for a while so he had to learn how to handle himself. His parents left when he was 13, at least they had the decency to teach him how to survive. Wilbur scoffs unintentionally at the thought. Wilbur wipes his hands on a rag and grabs a book before sitting down on his couch.
Wilbur is broken from his trance when there was a knock on his door. Wilbur sat his book down and stood up. He wasn't expecting anyone and the village has no reason to visit him. Hesitantly opens the door and looks around when he sees no one. He doesn't even see footprints in the snow. Wilbur was about to close the door and chalk the knock up to his imagination when he looked down and noticed a box.
Wilbur bent down and opened the box carefully. All that was in it was paper and an intricately carved knife laying on a blanket. Wilbur takes the box inside and closes his door. He moves to the coffee table in his living room and places the box on the wooden surface. He takes out the knife and looks at the inscriptions, it looks to be written in some foreign language. He puts the knife back in the box and grabs the paper. The letter is luckily written in English and Wilbur reads it over.
Late one night in the starry sky,
A man and child sleep at peace,
At the cold, the child lets out a cry,
A cloak warms them and the noises cease.
When large hands meet small,
Hybrid and human fight no more,
They sleep with no quarrels at all,
The species no longer abhor.
The wind carries no warmth,
They freeze and shiver in sleep,
Footsteps sound from the north,
The man wakes as footsteps creep.
A magic warmth surrounds the two,
The feeling of death no longer grew.
Wilbur rereads the sonnet before placing it back down confused. It makes no sense. Wilbur assumes it was written for him as he has never seen anything like it, but it doesn't make the poem easier to understand. Wilbur closes the box and sets it aside. Wilbur looks at the time and is startled to see the clock say 4:30. Wilbur gets up and pulls his coat back on. There is a village meeting for 5 and Wilbur only has 30 minutes to get there. Luckily the walk is only about 20 minutes and once he gets there he has 10 mins to find where to be. The mayor never told him where to go, he never tells him stuff like that. Wilbur rushes out of his cabin and starts walking to the village. The sky is clear and there isn't much wind. The sun lays low in the sky when Wilbur leaves.
His footsteps crunch in the snow. It hasn't snowed in a while, they're due for another storm. Wilbur suspects one will come in within the next few days, maybe even tomorrow. A howl sounds from the woods that are forbidden to enter. Wilbur pays it little mind. It's probably some pack of wolves hunting some unfortunate animal. His footsteps create a harsh loudness in the relatively quiet space. Wilbur follows the same path every time he goes into the village, it's basically muscle memory by this point. Though if someone asked for directions he would be stumped. He is very bad at directions, he's surprised he hasn't gotten lost since he's lived in the cabin.
Wilbur eventually makes it to the village and starts walking around, no one is in the streets, making his job of finding the meeting place much harder. In the village, it's not uncommon for people to come as much as 30 minutes early. His village is very social. He is not. He hates large gatherings like this, he doesn't know why he accepted to come in the first place. It would be rude to just not show at this point so he can't go home, especially after walking 20 minutes in the cold winter air to get to the village.
Wilbur eventually finds the building, seeing a large crowd of people in the window. Wilbur steps inside just as the mayor walks onto the stage, he must have been just on time. The chatter that filled the room previously quiets as the mayor speaks up. He starts off with a casual introduction and general questions about the village. It starts off rather boring and Wilbur begins to regret accepting the invitation. The mayor starts talking about farms and food stocks and Wilbur tunes him out. He only starts listening again when someone asks about the increase in wolves in the area.
"That's actually why we're here. Hybrids are once again fighting back, they're scaring the smaller animals closer to us humans. Because of this, wolves are moving along with the prey. As you can imagine this is very bad for us, it means less meat, and our farms risk destruction," he responds. Wilbur hums softly. He didn't pay attention to the howl before, but now that he thinks about it, he has never heard a wolf around his house before. He now understands why the mayor asked him to be here, this affects him as well as everyone else in the village.
"I think a war is among us, a war between gods," the mayor starts, "the food has been more deformed lately and the snow has stopped falling. Famine has begun to spread through our animals and children. I fear someone has angered the gods and we must pay the price."
"Maybe it's about hybrids!" Someone yells. Others seem to agree as they shout their different forms of yes. Wilbur looks out the window for a while. The sky is dark and cloudy. If he looks closely he can see small snowflakes delicately falling onto the ground.
"I say we execute any suspected hybrids or shifters! They are causing this war!" Someone yells. Others start to shout and arguments break out. Eventually, the mayor dictates that anyone who is a suspected hybrid or shifter is to be executed and anyone who disagrees shall also be executed.
The next few days are full of executions and death. Day after day people die. The famine gets worse and the vegetable stock reaches an all-time low. Wilbur has been helping a lot in the village, the loss of people due to execution has been taking a toll on the village. Many people have been leaving as well, mostly because they disagree with the actions of the mayor. The days have changed from calm and easy to long and hard. He is often helping out in the makeshift hospital. The medical tent is currently full of the worker men. The same people who have been advocating for the executions openly. Wilbur suspects this might be due to a god's action. He guesses Lady Death or one related to her. The only people not working are pregnant women who are later in the process and the mayor. Many people got upset with him for this. He had them executed. Wilbur has gotten used to the executions. The death that constantly fills the air. The only thing he hasn't gotten used to is the child executions. He doesn't think anyone has. Everyone has gotten less happy. Less energetic. Every day is work. Work. Work. Work.
"Working hard aren't ya Wilbur," the mayor says from behind him, making Wilbur jump. Wilbur stands up, his pants are covered in dirt from working in the fields.
"As hard as anyone else," Wilbur says confused. What was the mayor getting at? Did he do something?
"Yea? Working the fields is hard work, hard work for vermin like you," the mayor says harshly. Wilbur stares at him and freezes.
"What?" Wilbur says slowly.
"You heard me, shifter, " the mayor responds. A group begins to form around him, various weapons in hand. Wilbur backs up slowly and bumps into someone behind him. He turns around and a large man stands holding a pitchfork. Wilbur finds an opening and runs for it.
He can hear the people running after him. Why did they think he was a shifter? Did he do something? Wilbur runs and nearly trips. He doesn't know where he's running to, he just knows he needs to run. The sky is dark above him, tonight was the first cloudless night since the meeting. Wilbur wanted to stop and stare at the stars but he was being chased.
Late one night in the starry sky,
The weather has been crazy recently, the sun hardly peeked through the clouds, leaving little vegetable growth. It doesn't snow, yet when it does it's instant and so thick you can't see your hand in front of your own face.
Wilbur’s breath is heavy and uneven, but he can't stop. He is still being followed, he can hear their footsteps. The moonlight fades away and Wilbur looks up. Clouds have formed quickly and covered the sky in a menacing manner. Snow begins to fall, it starts slowly, but soon he can hardly see in front of him. He runs along the tree line, not trusting his luck with wolves. When footsteps no longer follow his every move he slows to a stop. He lets himself catch his breath and think. He can't go back home, the villagers will definitely find him there. What is he going to do? He doesn't have food, he doesn't have water, and he doesn’t have shelter. He'll probably freeze before he starves. The snow beats heavily on him. It's hard to tell if the snow is for or against him. On one hand, it helped him escape, but on the other hand, it would freeze him to death. Wilbur sighs heavily. He can't stay still too long, he has to keep moving.
Wilbur continues plowing forward at a slow pace. His feet drag through the snow and his teeth clack at the cold. Every so often the wind blows, sending a harsh shiver down his spine. The snow was cold and unforgiving. Wilbur will probably get frostbite if he doesn't find shelter soon.
Wilbur pauses at the sound of a baby crying. A baby shouldn't be out in this weather, they could die. Wilbur looks around, listening for clues of where the baby could be. He starts heading towards where he thinks the cry is coming from and freezes as he sees a small hybrid baby wailing in the snow. The cry is loud and makes Wilbur’s heart ache (he should be disgusted, this is a hybrid). Wilbur bends down and gently picks up the child from the snow. The baby is wrapped in a makeshift swaddle, the fabric is soaked and essentially useless. Wilbur unwraps the wet swaddle and holds the baby to his chest. The baby eventually stops crying at the warmth of another person (person? Hybrids aren't people… are they?). Wilbur sits down in the snow. He is going to die anyway. He can't survive in the cold, and neither can the baby. They may be a hybrid but they haven't grown the typical cold resistance hybrids get from fur.
Wilbur closes his eyes and rests his head against a tree. The baby has stopped crying completely and has started to sleep.
A man and child sleep at peace,
Wilburs breath is labored and his heartbeat is fast. The rest is much needed and relaxes Wilbur. He pushes all his body weight on the tree next to him and pulls the child closer. The child lets out a small whine at being disturbed. Wilbur wraps his coat around the both of them and closes his eyes once more.
The two sit peacefully in the cold. Snow falls down on them and Wilbur makes sure to keep the child hidden from the grasps of frostbite and death (if the snow falls lighter on the two, neither notice). A harsh breeze wafts through the air, blowing cold air and snow onto them. The baby lets out a loud wail and Wilbur doesn't hesitate to calm them down.
At the cold, the child lets out a cry,
Wilbur softly shushes the child and pulls the cloak around them. The child stops crying but stays awake sniffling. A child should not be awake if only to suffer so Wilbur starts singing a soft lullaby.
"Sweet little baby go to sleep, dreams will flourish and you won’t weep. Sweet little baby don't distress, rest your little head and life will bless." Wilbur breaths out softly. The child rests calmly in Wilbur’s lap and he smiles. He wasn't sure his town's lullaby would work, but he's glad it did.
A cloak warms them and the noises cease.
The child's body is small and feeble. Wilbur’s hands are much bigger than theirs. Wilbur takes the child's hand in his and holds it gently.
When large hands meet small,
Despite being a hybrid, Wilbur can't help but dote over the baby in his arms. It reminds him of Sally. He misses her. He wishes he said something, maybe he could have changed her fate. Maybe she would still be alive (maybe he would have died with her).
Hybrid and human fight no more,
Wilbur falls asleep with his hand in the child's. The cold no longer bothering him (don't sleep). His eyes close slowly and he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding (don't sleep, it will kill you). His body goes slack and he dreams of beautiful things (please don't sleep Wilbur, not yet).
He was dancing with Sally. That was something he never got to do. Her laugh echoed throughout him. He missed her (what do you mean? She's right here!). A child runs up to them, they have short ginger hair with small fur ears poking out and their face is covered in fur. They look like a fox that stands on its hind legs. Wilbur smiles and lifts up the child in his arms, uncaring of the tail and ears that would typically get him killed. He didn't care because that was his child. His baby boy. The child giggled and laughed loudly. Everyone was laughing.
The species no longer abhor.
It was hot. Hot? He lived in the snow. Wilbur looks around. Everything was muffled. There was so much laughter. Wilbur’s eyes catch on a stage. His family is there. On fire. The heat they create is unbearable. Everyone is laughing. Wilbur runs to his family, he reaches out for them. But they disappear. He failed.
The wind is cold and unforgiving. It blows snow on the sleeping fair and threatens to cover them completely.
The wind carries no warmth,
The duo shivers and Wilbur’s teeth clack together as he sleeps soundly. The gods are uncaring of what he dreams of and uncaring for his life. Many humans take their lives for granted. It can be taken away easily. The gods could let out a breath and kill anyone in its wake. The gods are unforgiving. Except for when they are.
They freeze and shiver in sleep,
The snow crunches loudly. They add to the whistle of the wind and the song of the snow birds. They sing of death and wariness. A man with blond hair and a green hat looks up (his hat flies off his head and he scrambles to grab it before walking back to his spot to stare ominously at the birds). His cloak waves elegantly in the wind. He continues walking onwards and the songbirds follow. They sing of death, wariness, and hope.
Footsteps sound from the north,
His steps are loud and heavy. His bow sits comfortably at his hip. His breath is visible in front of him, but that doesn't stop his trek forward. His wings lay flat against his back. The harsh winds make flying dangerous so there's no point in showing them off and making himself a target. He hums as he walks. The tune is strange and unheard of yet calming and serene. The man makes the tune up as he goes, the birds sing along. His footsteps are loud, anyone would hear them. He approaches the sleeping duo with anything but silence. Wilbur opens his eyes hurriedly at the sound. Pushes himself up, still cradling the baby.
The man wakes as footsteps creep.
His attempt to move only causes vertigo and leaves him worse than before. The cloaked man smiles at him. The birds sing of death. Wilbur looks at the man with wings terrified.
"Please sir, I have a baby, if you have any quarrels with me, leave them unharmed," he says shakily.
"A man and his baby should not be alone in the cold, tell me, why are you here?" The cloaked man responds calmly.
Wilbur takes in a sharp breath before shakily speaking, he can’t tell if it's because of cold or fear, "They are not mine, I found them in the snow as I was running from my village, I was merely keeping them warm."
The man hums and the birds sing of death and hope.
"Come here boy," he says, "I will keep you warm." Wilbur takes a step forward but is instantly his with another round of vertigo. The cloaked man rushes forward and allows Wilbur to lean on him. Warmth fills his body and the cold ebbs away.
A magic warmth surrounds the two,
"Sleep my child, fear not," the man says into Wilbur’s ear as he falls asleep. The birds no longer sing of death. The birds sing of revenge, family, and protection. The man holds Wilbur and the baby in his arms. He holds the weight of both of them with ease. The thought makes him sorrowful. The boy was too thin and the child too cold. This was not right. The man trekked high and low, forest and baren snow with his dear children in hand. His walk is long and slow but is worth it for the safety of his family. The snow steers clear from the trio and they stay warm. Death takes kindly to the boys in her angel's arms and has mercy. A thing not given often by gods.
The feeling of death no longer grew.
The world is silent. The gods continue their mighty quarrel. The gods fight with each other for selfish reasons. Right or wrong, life or death, humans and hybrids alike suffer at the hands of useless fighting. Death wraps her arms protectively around her kin. Life struggles to find his own. Younger gods take sides, the fighting is endless and useless.
Wilbur wakes up in a room. Next to him is a cradle with the baby resting safely inside. Wilbur lets out a sigh of relief and stares at the ceiling. Wilbur covers his eyes with his arm and laughs quietly. He sits up and gently strokes the baby's face. His baby's face. The baby wraps their fat fingers around his and he smiles at the sight. The door opens to the room causing Wilbur to jump and the baby to wake. They start crying and Wilbur gently picks them up and shushes them. Unfortunately, this doesn't work so he starts singing to the young hybrid.
"Hush little baby don't you cry, I will protect you, I won't lie. Let your tears go away, sweet little baby I will stay," Wilbur sings. The baby stops crying and starts to sniffle. Wilbur smiles at the baby, forgetting about the person who walked in.
"Where'd you learn that song?" They ask. Wilbur jumps slightly and looks over. It's the same man that found them outside.
"Uh, I uh made it up," Wilbur says truthfully.
"Just now?" He says and Wilbur nods. The two stay in silence for a bit before Wilbur speaks up,
"Why did you help me?"
"Why not?" He says, "You have a child and are far too skinny for my liking. Speaking of that, I have soup for you and baby food for them."
Wilbur nods and takes the food. He eats in silence as the man feeds his baby. The soup is more food he has had since the problem in his village presented itself.
"Now tell me, why were you, a human, out in the snow with a hybrid baby?" The man asks.
"The village chased me out and I found them in the snow, nothing more to it," Wilbur says calmly despite his rising anxiety. Will this man kill them if he finds his explanation unsatisfactory?
"Hm, why did your village chase you out?" He asks.
"They thought I was a shifter and we've been having a bad food shortage and people have been sick so the mayor has been executing any suspected hybrids," Wilbur says, he tries to stay calm but his anxiety continues to rise.
"That's horrid," the man says. Wilbur doesn't know if he should take it as a good thing or a bad thing. His baby finishes the bowl of mush and the man congratulates them in a voice much higher than his usual voice.
The door opened again (when did it close?) and a small child peeked through.
"Hi Micheal, where are your parents?" The man says. The child doesn't respond, instead, they walk to Wilbur and gives him something close to a glare.
"Micheal," the man says again. The child, Micheal, stops and nods to themself.
"I'm Micheal, who're you?" Micheal asks. Wilbur’s heart melts at the child and he smiles.
"I'm Wilbur, nice to meet you Micheal," he says kindly.
"Phil, have you- Micheal!" Someone says from the door, Wilbur looks up to them as they walk closer, "Never do that again, you scared me and Boo so much." They hug Micheal tightly as another person stands at the door. Wilbur looks at them, they're a polar bear hybrid and have long black and white hair. The hybrid in front of him looks up and lets go of Micheal.
"Hey big man, I'm Tubbo, he/him," he says, holding his hand out for Wilbur.
"Wilbur, he/him," he says, shaking the boy's hand.
"Oh! He/him!" Micheal exclaims loudly. Wilbur laughs at his childish antics and the polar bear walks up to them.
"Ranboo, he/him," he says. Ranboo doesn’t hold his hand out and stares at Wilbur for a bit.
"Oh sorry, right, I'm Phil, he/him," Phil says holding Wilbur’s baby. He walks to the group and hands Wilbur his baby, Wilbur takes them graciously. Wilbur stares fondly at the baby in his arms and strokes their face gently.
"They yours?" Ranboo asks moving closer to look at the baby.
"No, found 'em out in the snow, couldn't just let a baby freeze, hybrid or not," Wilbur responded without taking his eyes off of his child.
"Then why didn't you take them with you?" He asks innocently.
"I may not care, but my village definitely does, I've seen them execute children before, besides they drove me out because they thought I was a shifter," Wilbur responds, this time he looks up at the polar bear hybrid's face. He isn’t surprised to see it full of horror and disgust.
"Children? Really?" Tubbo says quietly. Wilbur nods and looks back at his baby.
"There was also a famine going around, would have been cruel to bring a child into such a hostile environment," Wilbur adds. The others nod in agreement and the baby in his arms babbles. Wilbur’s heart melts at the sight.
"So you're staying here then," Tubbo says. Wilbur’s gaze snaps to him.
"That's an option?" Wilbur says quietly, "I'm human."
"So is our best friend, it'd be kinda hypocritical to deny you and your baby a home because you're human," Ranboo says. Wilbur gapes at them.
"You can stay mate, we have plenty of room here," Phil adds. Wilbur looks between them, unsure what to say.
"Okay... Okay." Wilbur finalizes, "I'll stay then, I'll make sure to help around and they won't be a problem, I promise." Wilbur holds up the baby to show who he's talking about for a second before bringing them back down.
"It's okay, we love children here, they got a name?" Tubbo says. Wilbur things for a bit before smiling and looking at his child,
"Fundy."
"Fundy?" Ranboo asks.
"Fundy," Wilbur confirms.
"Why Fundy?" Tubbo asks.
( "If you had a baby what would you name it?" Wilbur asks Sally. Her face scrunched up in thought before she says,
"Fundy, a gender-neutral name so I can let them tell me what they are," Wilbur smiles at her.
"Fundy. I like it," Wilbur says leaning back, staring at the cloud-filled sky.)
"I just like the name," Wilbur says.
"Fair enough," Tubbo responds simply.
The two stay there safely. Hidden away from the godly war. Wilbur raises Fundy genderless and he states that he is a boy. Lady Death keeps her arms wrapped around her kin and Life finds his. The war soon will come to a close but the outcome is unclear.