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Technoblade didn’t so much arrive on the island as he did wreck his ship on it. While he was confident in his ability to steer his ship blindfolded, he had grossly underestimated her ability to stay together when facing a rapidly worsening storm head-on.
He was just beginning to stir, blinking back against the harsh radiance of the island sun high in the sky, when he was jolted firmly into wakefulness by a sharp slap to the face. Reflexively, Techno reached out to grab at the wrist, growling deep in his throat, but it stuttered to a halt as he realized that his hand met fur rather than the skin of a human’s wrist.
“Whoa, there, big man! No harm done, right?” This creature’s voice was boisterous and full of life. Instead of being fearful of Techno’s rough demeanor, he seemed eager to goad the sailor on until he was likely to meet the business end of Techno’s favorite dagger. “Let’s get you sat up, alright?” The creature deftly slid his wrist out of Techno’s loose grasp and pulled at his shoulders to help him sit up.
Groaning and aching all over, and with the creature’s help, Techno was able to bring himself to a seated position. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he finally turned to his strange rescuer, only to find himself face-to-face with a human-sized raccoon. The…raccoon’s fur was a blonde color, the mask around his eyes and rings on his tail a sandier brown. His eyes were a striking blue, and even though animals shouldn’t have been able to smile (or so Techno thought before crashing his ship), his lips were spread back in a wide grin.
“There you go, much better! The name’s Tommy, Tommy Nook. I help run this island—” As Tommy chattered on, Techno began to take stock of his situation. Was he stranded? A quick glance around at the debris along the beach, no piers in sight, gave him the feeling that he was. Injured? His head was pounding, his throat was dry, and he seemed to have a shallow gash in his leg, but other than that, he felt as fine as one could feel after getting tossed on the high tumble setting in the ocean.
Was he…safe? This Tommy guy seemed harmless enough, but that didn’t mean his companions would be— if he had any, that was. He looked past the end of the beach, but it didn’t seem like there was anyone in the direct vicinity that he would be able to suss out.
“—Hey, are you even listening to me?” Tommy whined, shaking Techno about by the shoulders. “Oh, sorry,” he said, seeming to have caught the dazed look on the sailor’s face. “As I was saying, we don’t get many boats out here. Or planes. Your best bet would be to stay awhile, make yourself at home while we wait for the next transport.”
“How long is a while?” Techno grumbled.
Tommy thought for a second. “Dunno! There isn't really a schedule for ‘em. They come when they come, and leave just as fast. Don’t be so grumpy about it!” He says, catching the hopeless look on Techno’s face. “We aren’t a primal civilization by any means. We have houses and shit, though Philza tends to build most of them. By the way, what’s your name? I’ve told you mine, but you haven’t told me yours yet. Are you a wrong’un?” Tommy asked suspiciously (a bit too late to be asking that, Techno thought to himself amusedly).
“The name’s Technoblade,” He grumbled.
Tommy’s eyes seemed to light up. “Tech-no-blade, that’s a cool name!” Techno huffed, feeling a spark of affection for this strange creature but quickly disguised it as a cough. He couldn’t come off as too soft— they’d just met one another, after all.
Tommy stood, brushing the sand off his fur. He held his hand out for Techno to take. “C’mon, Technoblade. Let me introduce you to the rest of the island!” Techno took his hand and watched as Tommy tried— and failed— to pull Techno up. “You’re heavy, man! What do you eat?”
Techno snorted before standing up on his own. “Meat and potatoes, mostly.” Tommy looked at him appraisingly before nodding to himself. He began walking off the beach, toward the island’s center, Techno assumed as he followed.
“Well, you seem strong. You can help gather the materials for your own house,” Tommy said over his shoulder, keeping a quick pace. Techno merely grunted in response, trying to get used to the feeling of walking again.
They walked for a short while before they reached the island’s center, surely enough. It was paved with stone, to Techno’s surprise, and he could only assume that most of the residents of this island were gathered here, talking anxiously amongst themselves. Techno had thought that Tommy being a creature was the single oddity on this island, but now it seemed as though he was the one who stood out— everyone else in the town square was an animal just like Tommy.
There were creatures of all kinds here— cats, dogs, mice, birds— all living together in what seemed like relative harmony. There were two animals that caught his eye, even before Tommy walked right up to them. They seemed to watch him warily the same way he was watching all of them. The older of the two, a small crow with beads braided into his crest, seemed a bit like the protector of this island. The other inhabitants appeared to be asking him questions before the two of them showed up. The other animal, a chestnut-colored horse, was watching over the proceedings beside the crow, entertaining the younger of the masses with a guitar.
Techno…wasn’t quite sure how a horse could play a guitar, but he thought this was just one of those things he’d have to accept about this bizarre situation.
“Philza, Wilbur!” Tommy called to them gleefully. The two looked over to Tommy, and their faces softened when they saw him. As their gazes fell onto Techno, the looks in their eyes hardened again just as quickly.
“It seems as though you’ve figured out the situation on the beach, mate.” Tommy nodded, smiling brightly at the crow.
“I did! I found Techno here washed up on shore. I thought a good slap would do it, just like it does Gulliver, but then he started looking at me all pitiful and I thought I couldn’t just leave ‘im on the beach!”
“Who are you calling pitiful?” Techno protested. The horse smirked at him.
“You should see the state you’re in. Pitiful is a nice way of putting it.” Unable to argue, Techno grumbled to himself bitterly. “The name’s Wilbur.”
“I’m Philza. We’ll see to it that you’re taken care of.” The crow smiled at him, though Techno thought Philza was still deciding whether or not he could be trusted. That seemed smart to Techno— he wasn’t sure if these animals could be trusted yet, either.
“Techno’s gonna stay here for a while, at least until the next transport gets in.” Tommy turned to Philza, pleading eyes turned up to a million at least. “Phiiiil, can you please help Techno build a house? I think he’s hurt but he won’t say anything, and he needs somewhere to stay.”
Phil sighed fondly, a small smile spread across his beak. “Sure, sure. I’ll help. C’mon, Techno.” Phil nodded his head to the side, indicating for Techno to follow. Wilbur followed absently, as well, leaving Tommy to address the masses.
“Citizens of Pog Island, do not worry…” Techno heard faintly before the three of them disappeared into the forest.
They walked in silence for a moment, Techno stumbling slightly. He felt the urge to say something, and cleared his throat. “Thanks…for letting me stay, not maiming me on sight, and all that.”
Wilbur laughed, and Techno thought he could see a hint of a smile on Phil’s face, as well. “Don’t worry about it,” the crow said. “Tommy may seem like a bit of an…”
“Airhead?” Wilbur supplied.
Philza sighed good-naturedly. “I suppose, but don’t let him hear you say that. Anyways, he may seem a bit oblivious, but he’s a good judge of character. If he brought you to the island’s center, he thought you could be trusted.”
“Oh,” Techno said, feeling the slightest bit touched.
“Now, let’s build you a house,” Wilbur said. Some part of Techno settled, finding a home within this island and its odd inhabitants.