Take My Wings

Chapter 3

Technoblade sighed, leaning back in his chair. A cup of tea warmed his cold hands, the fire crackling next to him providing little warmth against the blistering snowstorm outside.

He watched the snowflakes flutter to the ground, the sky a dark grey. The sound of the storm almost drowned out the voices in his head, but he could still hear the faint call for blood. No matter how loud the storm was the one inside his head would always be louder.

His eyes wandered to the horizon, and for a moment he could've sworn he saw his father. Phil, his wings spread, eyes kind as they always were. Sometimes he worried for the man, but he knew he was safe, even if he was under house arrest.

Technoblade was known as a warrior. People feared his name, they feared the blood god. But the people who knew him knew that they were only rumours. Stories that'd been twisted, remade, retold.

He was a warrior, but he had a family. Even if that family was run-down, broken apart. It was still a family.

The sound of his stairs creaking made the man look up.

"Oh-hi Wilbur." He smiled, watching his brother rub the exhaustion away from his eyes. It was crazy to him, the fact that the brunette was standing in front of him, the wall behind not glistening through his skin.

When Wilbur had died, Techno had feared that he'd never see him again.

But Phil, the man who'd slain his own son, had almost managed to revive him using a totem of undying, and a few other unnamed things.

Although he was half dead, his skin was pale, his eyes holding no light, it was better than nothing.

Of course, Wilbur needed lots of rest, he was still getting used to being half-mortal again. His memories were slowly returning, he remembered little from when he was a ghost, and little from before.

Of course, his core memories were intact. Growing up with Tommy and Techno. Starting L'manberg. The wars.

Everything else was a blur, a mix of darkness and light. Of good times and bad times.

"It's warm in here." Wilbur murmured, sitting down on the small couch. He stretched, the bags under his eyes apparent even in the dim torch light. Techno nodded, resuming his potion, looking out the window to the blizzard again.

"It'd be freezing if the fire wasn't on. This one's a bad one." Wilbur followed his gaze.

"Sure is. Wouldn't want to be out in this weather."

Techno closed his eyes, shivering at the thought. Even after spending months trekking through the snow and ice and wind, the thought of being that cold again made him grimace. The two sat in silence, both listening to the sound of the blizzard. It was a peaceful silence, not awkward. It was often silent these days, the energy Wilbur had once sapped away with part of his soul.

The silence stretched out, uninterrupted. For a while, at least.

Suddenly, Carl went crazy, startling Techno from the peaceful doze he'd slipped into. He stood up quickly, Wilbur's face one of worry. "Techno? What's happening?"

Technoblade look at his brother, the horse outside sounding distressed. "Something bad." He whispered, leaving the room in a few easy strides.

~

Phil gasped, the light from Techno's cabin still just a faint dot on the horizon. Snow stormed down, making Phil sink with every step he took. He held Tommy's body close to his chest, the boys blood soaking his hands.

Attached to his belt that hung around his waist was a small light. It didn't do much past the fact it lit up the ground in front of Phil, the warm light providing little visibility against the snow.

Tommy had been injured badly. His wings, which were once big and glorious, now looked small, feathers missing, the ones left mattered and greyed. Big, oozing cuts made their way down his back, the small nicks and scratches on his face making him look like he'd just fought a war.

Hot tears streamed down Phil face, his brows furrowed. He was scared. He had nothing, no supplies to help his son. He couldn't fly in the snow; the air would be too cold. Too thin. He'd fall, that wouldn't be good for either of them.

He had to walk, carrying his son's limp body.

The trek was hard. It felt like forever before he was standing, mere meters from his eldest's cabin. Carl was going crazy, thrashing around his pen, letting out distressed sounds as he threw his head towards Phil. The smoke coming from the chimney alerted Phil that Techno was home. A small relief.

He was so tired. His eyes were dry, and he needed water. Sharp pangs of hunger scraped his insides, and his legs were weak. Weak from the hours of walking, carrying his son along with him. He needed to get Tommy inside. He needed to heal him.

But even as he looked up, his vison beginning to blur, he knew he couldn't make it.

He passed out in the snow, Tommy's body lying next to him.

He prayed Technoblade would find them.

~
Technoblade rushed outside to calm his panicking horse. He pushed open the doors, slightly startled by the freezing breeze that rushed in, causing the torches that lit up the lower floor to flick back and forth, the shadows on the wall looking ominous. Covering his face against the snow, Technoblade walked to the front of his cabin, trying to calm Carl.

"Carl, hey, calm down!" he said, the horse's eyes staring back at him blankly. He obeyed, huffed slightly then jerking his head toward the blistering blizzard. Techno followed his gaze. At first, his eyes saw nothing. Then, he saw the tiny light, barley visible through the snow. It gleamed, to yellow to be the eyes of a stranded stray. It wouldn't be a fox, Techno knew, the tundra was too cold for them to live in.

Wilbur peaked his head down from the floor above, his eyes sparked with a slight curiosity.

"Everything okay?" he asked. Techno nodded, glancing toward the small light gleaming yellow against the snow. If he looked hard enough, he could see where it darkened, signalling that someone, or something, was there. Maybe it was a lost villager, maybe someone Technoblade knew. Either way, he knew he had to check it out. He knew he'd have to trek out there. Wilbur followed his gaze, freezing up slightly. "Who is that?"

"Stay here." the other muttered back, drawing his netherite sword, glimmering with enchantments. He trekked into the deepening snow, his face not showing a hint of emotion.

~

The snow was coming down hard. So hard that Technoblade could barely see the ground in front of him. He walked quickly, his feet sinking with every step he took. Luckily, Technoblade was tall. Taller than a lot of the people that resided in the area. He couldn't hear much over the white flecks that were raining down, so he kept silent, figuring that a silent approach would be more logical, especially if it really was a stray.

The voices in his head were telling him to head back to the cabin.

It's too cold.

No. head back.

This is not worth it!

But, despite the ringing in his head, he kept walking, eventually getting close enough to make out the features of what was laying on the ground:

A man, something in his arms. Two big, glorious wings sprouted from his back, the feathers a rich, dark grey. Technoblade recognised those wings.

He got a bit closer, sheathing his sword-

The scent of blood made him recoil.

Something wasn't right. Technoblade shook his head, putting his hand on the man's shoulder and rolling him over. "Phil?"

Philza didn't answer. His eyes were closed, and his body was cold. Too cold. Freezing.

He must have passed out because of the cold. What is he doing out here anyway? Wasn't he under house arrest?

Questions flashed through Techno's mind, but he shook his head, then noticing the figure lying next to his father. Tommy.

What were Tommy and Phil doing so far from home?