Chapter Text
Tommy was cold.
His wings were squished uncomfortably in his jacket, and he could barely zip the coat up without it making his wings stand out.
He knew he had to wear it for safety reasons, and if anyone saw his wings then, well, he’d be dead, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to grumble and complain about the stiffness of his wings.
God, the things he would give to be able to fly again.
The feeling of soaring through the sky, looking down on big bustling buildings from above is indescribable.
Being able to look down on the soft glow of the yellow streetlights that flooded the town, being able to fly through the clouds on a hot day and get absolutely soaked. That was his favourite thing, even though his mom absolutely lost it on him whenever she saw him come back soaked.
Flying with the Canadian geese during their winter migration, oddly enjoying the way the cold air whipped and hissed at his skin. On a super cold day, it almost felt like nails digging into his skin, but Tommy enjoyed it in a way. He always came back home with rosy cheeks and a sniffle, but his mom always put on hot chocolate for him, and it always warmed his bones.
Those days are gone though.
Before everything happened, Tommy was seen as a person. People didn’t let his wings judge him, nor did they let any of his other hybrid features, like his playful chirping or the small black and red feathers on his face.
Hybrids were treated fairly back then, like regular humans treat others. It didn’t matter what hybrid you were, if you were a lion or tiger, even a mouse hybrid! You were welcomed with open arms. If you were an avian hybrid of course you would be asked if you could fly people around, but they never judged or looked at you weird.
But, it’s not like that anymore.
Luckily, hybrids adapted to it, like they always do.
They created a code called Lionsman code to protect others and themselves. Tommy practically knows it word for word.
Tommy, right now, just feels trapped.
The only way to get rid of that feeling would be to fly.
Flying makes him feel free. Tommy hasn’t felt free in years.
The only thing he ever feels like anymore is hunted. He feels like he’s being stalked by a lion who’s ready to pounce at any second.
He feels like as soon as he messes up, as soon as he walks into uncharted territory, as soon as he walks into the wrong town, his world is over. And all he’ll see is black.
And it basically would be. If he makes one wrong move, he’s either dead, or gets his wings plucked like a chicken, which to him is basically the same fate as dying. Maybe even worse.
Jeez, that’s a bit dark. He has to lighten up. He won’t get anywhere being a pessimist.
Tommy paused his walking for only a moment to clear those thoughts from his head. He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths of air until his head was clear and he could focus on his journey.
He reached into his coat pocket and checked the map he bought in the last town he was in. Right now he was in Rutabagaville, he could tell from the silence and the lack of people.
Usually, towns this sizs are bursting with energy, but for as long as he could remember Rutabagaville was always silent. He didn’t mind it honestly, he thought it was quite a nice change, it was just somewhat off-putting.
A gust of cold wind almost blew the map out of his hands. He stumbled forwards slightly, grabbing it before it flew off, before he found his footing.
He felt his wings flutter against his coat at the movement. Blending in as human was gonna be harder than he thought
He always forgets how cold and windy it can get here. Oh well, it’s not like he’s staying for very long.
Tommy’s plan is to head into Mantopia, the town after Rutabagaville. It's a somewhat quiet area, it’s a small brick town just on the outskirts of a giant forest.
Tommy’s heard it’s gorgeous in autumn, looks like he’ll be the judge of that.
The people are supposedly extremely friendly as well, he overheard a few people talking in a small shop about the town once. Would make for a good place to camp.
Maybe a good place to build a home.
He hasn’t had one of those in awhile huh?
The only thing Tommy isn’t sure about however, is how hybrids are treated there. Maybe he’ll take one step in and get shot.
Here comes the pessimist thoughts again. Tommy let out a huff as he kept dragging himself forwards.
In his defence, being happy and positive wasn’t easy when you’ve lost almost everything.
Almost lost everything. Tommy still had his smarts, and he still had himself. That’s what matters.
After a few minutes of walking, he spotted a small shop. He was running somewhat low on supplies, it’s better to have too much than too little. He decided to make a small detour to pick up some more supplies and hopefully some more water.
It probably wouldn’t be busy in the shop, but it’s better safe than sorry. Tommy set down his bag and pulled his matching black cloak to swing over his black jacket.
It would protect him a bit more from the wind, hide his wings, and make him look badass. Killing three birds with one stone or however that saying goes.
He pulled the cloak’s hood over his curly blonde hair, swung his bag back over his shoulders, and walked off towards the shop.
When Tommy stepped inside he was instantly hit with a wave of warmth. He let out a small sigh of relief and relaxed slightly.
He made small eye contact with the cashier, who looked somewhat amused. He looked like he was in his mid forties, he had a bushy beard but his deep hazel eyes were twinkling and full of warmth. He could barely see thick strands of dark brown hair under his hat.
He reminded Tommy of home, in a way.
“Cold out there huh? You look like you’re not from here. Locals don’t usually bundle up that much.” The man spoke.
His tone seemed friendly enough. Some small talk wouldn’t hurt him.
Tommy swallowed before replying, “Yeah, I’m uh, just traveling through. Thought I’d stop for some supplies.”
The man let out a deep chuckle, “Well, let me know if you need anything, I’m here to help.”
Tommy gave him a nod before awkwardly walking through the small wooden shop.
They had a lot of stuff. From fishing rods to spring jackets, to tent posts and canned food, almost anything you needed this shop had.
Tommy was honestly impressed, there must be a lot of people coming in here if they can carry this much. Either it’s the locals, scavengers, or travelers like him.
Eh, probably a mix of all three.
He decided on getting some more food and bottles of water. He didn’t exactly know how long the journey to Mantopia would take, but he wanted to be prepared.
Besides! He was a growing boy! He needed to eat more! What if he didn’t have enough food for his 3am snack?
Tommy brought his stuff up to the cashier and paid for it all. He quickly said his standard goodbye, (Which consisted of, “Thank you, have a good one.” Or any variation of that) before spinning on his heel and beginning to walk out the door.
“Son? Come back here for a sec.”
Tommy froze. His heart rate quickened and he was getting ready to either run or fight this man. He could take ‘em. He was so close to his goal, there’s no way he was backing down from this.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt ‘cha. I just wanna fix your coat, I can see your wings.”
Tommy snapped his head back and stared at the man, “You’re not gonna sell me out, are you? I’m just passing through, I-“
“Son,” The man gently lifted his hat off his head, revealing a floppy pair of dog ears, “Rule seven,” He tapped the side of his head in a thinking motion, “Hybrids protect other hybrids.”
Tommy let out a breath he forgot he was holding and wiped a tear from his eye. He dragged himself forwards towards the man.
“How long have you been on the run?” The man asked.
“Uh, a few months now,” Tommy stammered, “Haven’t really erm, had a stable place for awhile.”
Tommy’s old town, Snowchester, was overrun by a poacher squad let in by the government. His mom passed trying to fight them off.
She died protecting him.
He pushed those thoughts quickly out of his head and listened to what the man was saying.
“Ah, I ‘getcha. Hunters and poachers are getting even more aggressive.” He said.
Tommy nodded before taking his cloak and jacket off, revealing his large wings.
Tommy was honestly proud of them. He thought they were gorgeous. They transitioned from white at the bottom, to a deep red, and black at the ends.
He was always called a cardinal when he was younger because of it, and not that he would admit it to anyone, but he’d grown pretty fond of the nickname.
It was his. It was Tommy’s. It belonged to him.
The man noticed some of his feathers were bent out of place. He gently reached an arm out.
“Is this alright? Don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” He asked.
“No, no, it’s alright,” Tommy coughed, “I haven’t really uh, had the time to clean them up. Sorry if they’re a bit messy.”
The man chuckled, “It’s alright son, I understand. I’m not too good at this kinda thing but I’ll try my best.”
Tommy nodded and let out a breath as the man began running his hands over his feathers. He began gently sticking bent feathers back into place, pausing briefly, most likely checking if Tommy was uncomfortable.
The last person that touched Tommy’s wings was his family.
A tear slipped down his cheek at the memory.
He gulped back a sob. He couldn’t start crying in a random shop in a random town. That would be embarassing, humiliating, fucking hell what’s the difference?
Before Tommy knew it, he was done. His wings honestly felt a lot better. It wasn’t the best job, some feathers were still a bit scuffed, but it was enough to satisfy his needs.
“Instead of bunching ‘em up at the back and making them stick out more, try wrapping them around yourself, it’ll make you warmer too I imagine.” The man advised him.
“Um, I can try that I guess.” Tommy nodded, “Thank you, it uh…” He trailed off, “It means a lot.”
“Of course,” The man chuckled, “Be safe out there kid.”
“I’ll try. How’s the hybrid situation here? Sorry I don’t mean to pry. I get it can be sensitive sometimes.” Tommy backtracked.
The man scoffed and waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not much better here, ‘course we got some folks who take hybrids in but for the most part it’s the same. Only good thing is hunters rarely patrol ‘round here.”
Tommy perked up. If Mantopia wasn’t a good fit for him, he could possibly stay here.
“I see. I should probably be uh, heading off. Got a long journey ahead.” Tommy awkwardly laughed.
He wrapped his wings around himself before slipping on his coat and cloak. The man was right, this was a lot more comfortable.
“Good luck kid,” The man jokingly gave him a two finger salute, “Be safe out there son, there’s a few poacher camps outside the town, might wanna lay low.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tommy acknowledged while walking out of the store, “Thank you for everything.”
Tommy’s eyes met his once more. They were still filled with warmth.
Just like his mom’s once were.
As the door closed from behind him, he let out a sigh.
It was good to meet another hybrid, and he was glad he got his wings somewhat patched up, but he was nervous about these poacher camps.
Oh well, he’d be fine right? Surely nothing would happen if he was careful.
Tommy shook his head and pulled out his map once more, he had a rough idea of where he was going but he just wanted to double check.
Once he was certain in where he was going, he folded the map back up and put it in his pocket. Tommy nuzzled his nose under his jacket to protect it from the wind, and pulled his hat tighter to his head.
He probably looked like a child, but he wasn’t used to the cold! What else could he do? If anyone questioned him he’d tell them to fuck off.
Or maybe not, he didn’t want enemies.
Tommy let out a breathless laugh under his coat and shook his head. He amused himself, but now isn’t the time to crack jokes. He has to focus on getting to Mantopia.
Tommy stopped. What kind of name is Mantopia anyways? Who named the damn town and how did they come up with Mantopia out of all things?
He began to softly giggle at the thought of someone coming up with the name Mantopia. Said giggle slowly turned into a full on laugh.
He realized what he was doing and started to cough into his elbow, trying to play off his small laughing fit as a cough-attack. He shook his head and started walking again.
“Fucking stop getting sidetracked, who cares about the name, it’s a peaceful town and thats all that matters.” Tommy grumbled under his breath.
He tilted his head down to the ground and made eye contact with the brown mud. In a weird way, he liked how it squished and slopped under his boot. It was, well, satisfying.
He loves mud.
And he’s getting side tracked again.
“Jesus christ,” Tommy muttered, quickening his pase, “Focus on getting to the damn town.”
————
His legs felt as if they could break at any second.
He’d been walking for what, two hours now? Maybe longer? He hasn’t been keeping track.
The sun was still up though!
Barely.
Tommy took his hat off of his head and let in a breath of cool air. He had to be close to Mantopia. Did he pass it? Was he going the wrong way?
Tommy paused his walking for a moment and pulled out his map. He was going the right way, right? The compass on his hip said he was, and compasses are never wrong.
Unless this one is. And if so then Tommy hates it and will smash it.
Maybe the world just wants to fuck him over. He wouldn’t be surprised, he was wandering around by himself in the middle of an empty field after all.
Oh well. When he reaches Mantopia maybe he’ll find people to walk around in fields with him.
Tommy turned his head around, scanning the environment.
He saw big beautiful trees sprinkled with the deep hue’s of autumn.
A soft smile grazed his lips as he took in the sights. Some trees were as bright as his wings. Beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow were painted around the land, turning the forest into what looked like a sunset.
He loved autumn. It’s easily his favourite season. Spring is awesome too. Both are his favourites.
He saw smoke from what he hoped to be a campfire in the distance.
Should he go check it out? He should go check it out. He should look.
Tommy took a step forward before stopping himself. The poacher camps. He couldn’t. He would get caught.
But what if it wasn’t a camp? What if it was a traveler setting up shelter?
What if it were a hybrid?
“Oi. What’re you doing out here?” A voice called.
Tommy’s breath lurched in his throat.
“Uh, just traveling through? I’m on my way to another town.” Tommy quietly spoke.
“Huh?” The person stepped closer to him. Tommy turned around and craned his neck to look up at the person.
He was tall. He looked strong, but Tommy could tell he was around his age, maybe a few years older. Maybe he would let Tommy go after a quick chat? Maybe he could be his friend?
No. Absolutely not. This is a stranger who most likely has a gun.
The first step of making friends is to talk to strangers though.
Tommy clenched his fist. There was no way he was interested in being Tommy’s friend.
“I’m just passing through, I’m on my way to another town,” Tommy repeated, a little louder, “I won’t cause any trouble.”
The man gruffed and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter, “Listen bud, nobody passes through here without being checked. Take off your coat and open your bag up.”
“Is this really needed?” Tommy complained.
The man met his gaze and stared into his eyes, his deep green eyes blaring down into his sent a shiver down his spine.
“Listen kid, I’m in a shit mood and I am not asking you again,” The man reached for his hip, Tommy saw the small outline of a gun holster, “Bag down. Coat off.”
Tommy’s heartrate quickened. He tore his gaze away and slowly let his bag drop to the grassy, yet muddy ground
The man smirked, “Good. Thank you. This won’t take long.”
Tommy nodded and curled his fists once again. The man bent down to grab his bag.
Just as he unzipped the first compartment of his bag, Tommy swiftly grabbed the back of the mans head and sent his knee flying into the mans face. He heard a disgusting crack of bone and a faint gurgle as his knee connected with the mans nose, either breaking it or dislocating it. Tommy didn’t know.
He yelled out in pain and shrunk backwards, gripping his nose and writing in pain. He saw blood slowly trickling through the cracks in his fingers.
Tommy stared at him wide eyed for a minute before grabbing his bag and running away towards a forest next to the field.
He still heard the man behind him. His knee had small droplets of blood and you could see on his pant leg right where Tommy struck him.
He heard even more shouting from behind him.
Shit.
Tommy threw his bag off his shoulders and ran as fast as he could into the forest, with the extra weight off his shoulders he felt free.
If he weren’t in a life or death situation he’d take a minute and appreciate how the breeze felt on his face.
He reached the forest and started running even faster. He grunted in pain as tree branches and pine needles struck his skin and caught his jacket. He felt his cloak rip on several occasions from being snagged in sticks and branches as he ran aimlessly, trying to get away.
His cloak wrapped around his ankle, and Tommy tripped on it with a yelp, almost landing head-first into a tree.
“Fuckin’ stupid thing, I don’t have time for your shit!” Tommy yelled as he quickly tore off the cloak, leaving it for whatever soul decides to wander the forest and pick it up.
He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where he was. He just knew he had to get away.
He still heard shouting and whistling from behind him. They were still after him.
Tommy eventually stumbled into a small clearing filled with houses and buildings. He instinctively ran into the first one he saw and slammed the door behind him.
He sunk back against the door and brought his knees up to his face, panting heavily.
Did he get away? Is he safe? Will the people here turn him in?
No. They wouldn’t, they couldn’t. They wouldn’t do that to him right?
Tommy peered up over his knees and saw two figures standing opposite of him.
One was shorter than the other and had mid-length faded pink hair, be could tell it hadn’t been dyed in awhile because of her brown roots growing in at the top.
Tommy could faintly make out a small golden necklace around her neck. She was wearing a sweater dusted with some sort of floury white substance and some black pants
The other figure was tall. Freakishly tall. He had curly brown hair and black glasses. His brown eyes were frantic and wide, darting around the room trying to process what just happened. He was wearing a soft brown sweater and a pair of blue jeans.
The taller figure ran a hand through his hair and let out a loud groan.
“Niks, get Phil and hide.”
“Are you insane?” She exclaimed, What ab-“
“Just do it!” The tall figure shouted at her, “Please. Just do it.”
The small figure sighed and ran up the wooden stairs to the upper room. Tommy heard shouting from upstairs. She came down shortly later.
“Phil said he trust us to handle it,” The short one skipped over to the window just on the other side of where Tommy was sitting, “Just don’t be stupid about it.”
“Hey, weirdo kid who just stumbled into our shop,” Tommy whipped his head and looked at the tall one, “Were you followed?”
Tommy was still panting, he couldn’t get the words out, but the way the tall man’s face dropped when they made eye contact made Tommy assume he understood.
The two strangers looked at one another. The shorter one furrowed her brow.
The two almost had the same look on their faces. They were like siblings.
“Shit shit shit,” The short one tapped her foot in a fast motion, “Fuck, what do we do?”
“Take the kid and behind the counter with him.” The tall one pulled the girl in for a quick hug, “I can handle this.”
The short one broke away from their embrace, nodded, and grabbed Tommy’s arm.
“Come on, let's go,” She softly said, “Don’t have all day.”
Her voice was calming and soft. It reminded Tommy of honey and blankets, or naps when it’s raining outside.
Tommy let himself get pulled by her. She gently shoved him down behind the wooden counter and sat down next to him, knees pulled close to her chest.
Tommy heard yelling and shouting from outside the shop, the sound of heavy boots stomping against stone and concrete getting closer and closer.
Until there was silence.
Tommy let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Was he safe?
Knock knock.
Of course he wasn’t
Tommy froze as the tall man opened the door, “May I help you?”
Tommy peeked around the corner to pay attention to their conversation. A hand instantly pulled him back.
“Are you insane?” The girl hissed between closed teeth, “He’ll see you!”
Tommy nudged her hand off him, “I’ll be fine. I just wanna look.
The girl sighed and leaned her head back against the counter, looking up at the ceiling, “Fine.”
Tommy peered around the side of the counter and saw another man, shorter than the Tall man but still decently tall.
Luckily, it wasn’t the guy he knee’d, that would be pretty awkward.
“Have you seen a blonde kid in a black jacket running around near here? About six foot three? Kind of looks like you?”
Tall man shook his head, “Can’t say I have. I’ve been running the shop all day, I haven’t really had a good chance to look outside.”
Tommy saw the man's brow furrow as he sighed, “Right, well, just scream something if you see him. Kid ran away from a checkpoint, said he was just “passing through” before injuring one of my friends back there,” He pointed behind him, “Sorry to bug you.”
“Mhm, no worries,” Tall man coughed, “Good luck finding him.”
Tall man shut the door and sighed. Tommy stood up from behind the counter and locked eyes with him.
Tall man dragged a hand down his face before speaking.
“Okay kid, what the fuck?”
“Wil,” The girl stood up from behind the counter and stretched, “calm down, he probably didn’t know wh-“
“Niki, we can’t make excuses for the shit he just pulled!” Wil retaliated, “A fuck-up like that could get us all found!”
“I know it could! You don’t gotta yell at me but just look.” Niki scurried over to Wil, stood on her tip-toes so she could reach him, and whispered something that made his eyes light up for only a moment.
“Impossible. There’s no way.”
“Possible. I smell it on him.”
“Wil,” Tommy interrupted awkwardly, “What does she erm, smell on me?”
“That’s Wilbur to you, only my sister calls me Wil,” Wilbur barked, “And don’t think I’ve just forgotten how you crashed into our sh-“
“You’re an Avian,” Niki bounced over to him, sitting down on top of the counter in front of Tommy, “Nice to meet you!”
Tommy let out a shaky breath ,”You’re not gonna turn me in are you? Please just don’t turn me in, I’ll g-“
“Hey.” Niki started.
She reached over and put a reassuring hand on Tommy’s shoulder.
He took a minute to appreciate the warmth of her palm against his shoulder. He looked up and made eye contact with her shining blue eyes and he saw nothing but warmth and kindness.
Jesus, he’s not used to people being nice to him at all.
“If I were to turn you in, I’d be breaking hybrid code, “She laughed, “That wouldn’t be very nice of me, yeah?”
Tommy blinked, “You’re a hybrid?”
“Did you just think I was being overly friendly?”
“He totally did, sorry Niks.” Wilbur joked.
“No no!” Tommy stammered, “I just, y’know, haven’t really met any other hybrids!”
“I suppose that means you didn’t catch on to the rabbit features?” She tilted her head slightly.
Tommy was still confused.
Niki sighed and pulled up her hair. Tommy’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of two pink long and floppy ears on the side of her head. They were a little shorter than shoulder length, but practically invisible under that mountain of soft pink hair she had.
“I thought rabbits all had pointy ears.” Tommy blurted out.
“Depends on the kind of rabbit. Some do! But I don’t, mine are pink and floppy.” Niki shrugged.
“Gonna be honest I thought it was your hair.” Tommy confessed.
“Well, I did dye it this colour on purpose.” Niki stated, matter-of-factly.
“Does that mean he’s…” Tommy trailed off. He pointed a finger at Wilbur, who looked at him like a deer caught in headlights.
“Yep! He’s a hybrid too!” Niki jumped off the counter and walked over to Wilbur. She jumped up and playfully rustled his hair, revealing two pointy black cat ears.
“Oi! Fuck off!” Wilbur pushed Niki away. Niki just laughed as he tried to fix his hair to cover his ears.
Tommy couldn’t help but join in too.
He felt a warmth in his chest for the first time in a long time.