Chapter Text
Life on the streets was tough, and Tommy knew that better than anyone.
It didn’t get any better when he was also practically the most hated person in his entire village. And on top of that, it wasn’t even possible for him to leave.
The village was the only civilization around for hundreds of miles and even if the other towns and cities were closer, he’d still have to travel through the forest to get there, which everyone knew was a terrible idea.
The forest surrounded the village on all sides, caging everyone inside their meager little town. Parents would repeatedly tell their children to never enter it, or even think of entering it. It was a known fact that everyone who had entered it, hadn’t come back out.
People always told stories about monsters who lived in the woods.
Some said they had bright aquamarine scales and a voice that could easily entrance someone. Others said that they were a huge pig-like beasts that could snap your entire body in half with almost no effort. And the most ridiculous description in Tommy’s opinion, was that they were people with massive black wings and extremely powerful magic, who could have you begging for your life in seconds.
While Tommy didn’t have any parents to tell him things like this, he still knew the rules and he obeyed them. Although he’d give a lot to leave the village, he also wasn’t stupid. Dying, getting kidnapped, or both, didn’t sound very appealing.
He wouldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t tempted to enter from time to time. Tommy didn’t doubt for a second that were probably some decent sources of food in the forest, like berries, or if he was able to catch one, rabbits and deer. But he was well aware that the risks probably weren’t worth it.
Instead, he stuck to just getting by with stealing from merchants when they weren’t looking, and pickpocketing oblivious townspeople. Stealing definitely didn’t help with his reputation but it wasn’t like he had any other options.
Tommy just made the best of what little he had. It might’ve not been the most wonderful existence, but at least he was still alive, which was definitely saying something.
———
Water dripped down onto the wooden floor of Tommy’s ‘house’. It wasn’t really even a house. It was more of a shack. It was a shed that had been abandoned for years before Tommy found it and made it into his home.
Dirty and torn blankets were thrown all across the rotting wooden floors and various flowers and plants had been pinned onto the walls. The whole thing was covered by a rusty tin roof, sporting several holes along the edges, which was what was currently causing water to leak into the tiny shelter.
Tommy groaned upon the realization that the food he’d stolen the previous day was now soaking wet. The few bread loaves were now soggy and unappetizing, along with a drenched and dirtied apple, which had been a particularly lucky steal.
He forced the food down his throat though, gagging when he ate a particularly dirty and wet chunk of bread. None of the food was very filling anymore.
Tommy sighed at the fact that he was probably going to have to steal more food today. This meal definitely wouldn’t hold him over for long.
He reluctantly got to his feet and opened the door to his shack. Tommy was met immediately by damp spring air and light, barely visible rain.
He tugged the hood of his faded red jacket up and walked across the seemingly endless fields of crops towards the village.
He highly doubted that there would be many shopkeepers out in this weather. It definitely wasn’t the worst rain Tommy had ever seen but he knew that many of the richer villagers practically lived like cats, always afraid of any sort of dark clouds.
Tommy himself had always liked rain, the peacefulness that it seemed to bring and the hope it always gave him, for a better future, for something better than this. Even though it seemed hopeless.
It didn’t take long for him to arrive at the village. The few people who were out shot him dirty looks as he passed, but Tommy was used to it.
It was hard to have a good reputation when you stole from everyone.
He knew at some point that all of the anger would catch up to him, but he had decided a long time ago that he’d let his future self deal with that. His main concern for now was staying alive.
The market would usually be a beautiful place on days with better weather. Large banners hung between the tight-knit houses, the bright colors glowing in the sunlight. People would crowd around, talking and laughing the day away as they conversed.
Today was a different day though. The banners felt greyed out and empty in the rain and fog. There were only a few small groups of people standing off to the sides.
Only two stalls were open, the potion seller and the butcher.
Neither of those were very appealing options. Obviously, potions would do him no good when it came to keeping the hunger at bay, plus if he stole one he probably wouldn’t get away with it. Potions were fucking expensive.
That left the butcher. On the outside it didn’t seem like there’d be any issue with stealing from him, but Tommy knew better. The man running the stall was strict and known to be easy to piss off.
It’s not like Tommy had any other options though.
Tommy waited until the butcher was distracted with a customer before taking a deep breath and walking towards the stall.
As soon as he was within arms reach of the food, the butcher turned sharply and suddenly towards him. Before Tommy even knew what was happening, a large hand closed around his wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing, kid?” The butcher hissed, practically crushing Tommy’s wrist in his grip.
“I’m not doing anything, bitch!” Tommy yelled in response, trying to squirm out of the death grip.
That must’ve been the wrong thing to say because the rage on the butchers face increased tenfold. “Everyone here knows what you were about to do, street rat. I think it’s time you finally got the fuck out of here.”
Tommy screamed as the butcher picked him up like he was nothing and threw him over the man’s shoulder.
Before he even knew what was happening, he was being carried away from the market, and straight towards the fields, although Tommy knew that the butcher was intending to go a bit past that.
He was taking Tommy to the forest.
“Put me down, you prick!” Tommy shouted, thrashing in the man’s grip, but it was a hopeless struggle.
The butcher didn’t say anything until they got to the tree line. The man threw Tommy down, back to the ground, he landed on the hard-packed dirt with a grunt of pain.
“Leave and don’t come the fuck back. Nobody wants you here anymore.” The butcher spat, turning away. “If I see you here again I won’t hesitate to take out one of my knives.”
Tommy shivered at the implications of the last statement as the butcher left, his bulky form fading off into the distance.
As if the world could somehow see Tommy’s emotions, the rain suddenly broke out into a huge downpour, soaking everything it could reach. Thunder echoed and cracked in the distance, lighting up the sky for a few fleeting moments.
He sighed, getting up into a sitting position and scooted back underneath the feeble shelter of the forest trees.
Tommy had never been one to consider running off into the forest until today.
He’d always followed the rules. They had been drilled into him since the day he opened his eyes, since the day his mother died.
But now he was questioning it, because anything could be better than this. It’s not like Tommy had any other choices anyway. He was out of options, yet again.
His heart ached at the thought of leaving his shack behind, but he knew deep down that there wasn’t really anything of importance waiting for him there. All he had in there was a few destroyed blankets and some dying plants.
Maybe he could make an actual home for himself in the forest. He could figure out to survive. Tommy would never need to steal anything from the villagers again. The monsters were probably just a myth anyway.
With that thought, he turned into the forest and left everything behind, ignoring the ominous feeling that washed over him.
———
Tommy had been living in the forest for a week now. It wasn’t terrible, in fact it was pretty enjoyable.
Every night he’d fall asleep underneath a bright canopy of leaves with shining stars overhead. Everyday, he’d wake up to the sounds of the forest animals and wind blowing through the trees.
Food was also, thankfully, easy to find. Bushes of berries seemed to appear in front of him wherever he went. The only frustrating thing was that he couldn’t seem to find anything else. It was at least better than stealing from the villagers though.
Overall, his life had improved greatly since he left the village. Tommy was almost thankful for the butcher chasing him out. Life was better out here.
Of course, that was when things began to go downhill.
———
Tommy was leaning against a moss covered tree, relaxing in the calm spring breeze. It was a bright and sunny day, and the weather was perfect. He stared up at the clouds through a large gap in the leaves.
He smiled when he saw a cloud that was vaguely shaped like a cow. Tommy had always loved cows, they were his favorite animal.
That’s when he heard it. The loud snap of a twig. It was obviously from something too large to just be a rabbit or squirrel. But it was too quiet to be a wolf or bear.
Tommy got to his feet as quickly as possible. He looked around, eyes wide with fear.
He saw a flash of yellow fabric between the tightly packed trees.
He took a step back and then another, before turning and running away as fast as he could. He hoped that whoever had been watching him didn’t follow.
Tommy ran until he couldn’t anymore, until he could barely breathe and his legs ached with every step. He collapsed against another tree, although this one was less comfortable than the last one, as he tried to catch his breath.
As his blurry vision began to clear, Tommy scanned his surroundings, letting out a sigh of relief when he didn’t see anyone.
He hoped that whoever had been watching him never came near him again.
———
Wilbur hadn’t seen anyone new in their forest for a long time. He especially hadn’t ever seen someone so young.
The kid looked to only be about fifteen, at the oldest. He was wearing a fraying and faded red jacket and his hair was so matted and dirty that Wilbur couldn’t even tell what color it actually was. The only thing that didn’t look damaged was the kid’s bright blue eyes, which were gazing intently up at the sky.
The kid had very clearly been accepted by the forest, based off that fact that he was still alive.
Most people who entered the forest never made it out. It wasn’t Wilbur or his family’s fault, although he knew everyone blamed them for it.
The forest was magical, and was very picky about who it let enter in. Those it didn’t like would likely starve to death, get mauled by a bear, drown in the river, the list went on.
Wilbur watched as the kid gazed up at the clouds, humming something under his breath. The kid looked peaceful and content, obviously enjoying his time in a forest that could very easily kill him in moments.
Wilbur took a step forwards to get a better look at the kid. A twig snapped loudly under his foot and he cursed himself under his breath as the kid shot to his feet, and after a few moments, took off like a bullet.
Although it was disappointing that the kid had heard him, Wilbur knew that it still wouldn’t be hard to find and keep and eye on him. Plus, he already knew Phil and Techno would be up to the task of making sure their new resident was settling in alright.
———
Unfortunately for Tommy, whoever the fuck had been watching him didn’t leave him alone.
Worse yet, they’d apparently gotten help because it wasn’t only yellow fabric he’d seen flashing between the trees. He’d started seeing flickers of a red cape and black feathers.
Tommy was getting tired of running away every time he saw or heard anyone watching him. He’d never even gotten a full look at any of the three people who’d been following him, only the same few brief flashes.
If he ever did see them though, Tommy would definitely punch them all right in the fucking face.
He didn’t see or hear anyone right now, which he guessed made sense considering the dark clouds gathering on the horizon and the damp smell in the air.
Just like the villagers, the people here must not like the rain.
Tommy watched as the clouds moved across the sky, covering the sun. The forest was significantly darker after that, making it ten times more difficult to navigate.
He knew that he should probably find shelter, based off the booms of thunder echoing in the distance, but he had decided instead to travel as far as possible from the last place he’d seen the bitch who’d been watching him. Tommy was going to take advantage of their absence.
The rain started pouring down right as he entered a wide, grassy clearing. Low, rocky cliffs surrounded it on three sides, vines hanging off the edges and waving in the wind.
Just as Tommy reached the center, he heard a deafening crack and light flooded into his eyes. Blood roared in his ears as a large tree he could only barely see through the rain, fell right on top of him.
He was hardly even conscious anymore when he let out a sharp scream of pain that echoed above the pounding rain.
———
Wilbur was worried.
The storm last night had been one of the worst he’d ever seen. The kid had been in the middle of it, and probably without shelter. Wilbur hoped that the forest had taken care of him.
That morning, he left the house quickly, determined to check on their new resident. He hoped that the kid was doing alright.
He zigzagged through the forest with ease, the trees parting for him and leading him right to where he needed to be.
The trees slowly opened up to a clearing surrounded low, rough cliffs. That made Wilbur worry even more, because the forest’s magic was weaker in areas like these.
He stepped carefully, making sure to not make a sound. Wilbur had no idea where the kid was other than that he must be somewhere within the surrounding area.
He hesitated at the edge of the trees. Wilbur knew that he’d be risking a lot if he left, even if it was only for a few moments. But at the same time, he couldn’t make himself stop worrying and it only got worse when an intense feeling of something being wrong, washed over him.
That was when he spotted it. A fallen tree, crossing right through the center of the clearing. Wilbur didn’t know how he hadn’t seen it before, but his concern only increased at the sight. He could make out the vague shape of something caught underneath the log.
The closer he got to the fallen tree, the more the shadow started looking like a person.
Dread pooled in his stomach as Wilbur was finally close enough to make out the details of the person stuck under the tree. Matted, dirty hair, and a torn and bloodied red jacket were the first things that caught his eye.
Wilbur immediately recognized them as the kid he’d been trying to protect.