A tale of Humans and Hybrids

Chapter 12

The rest of the day was spend sipping on multiple mugs of tea and just huddled up in the mess of blankets and pillows. To no one's suprise, none of the other hybrids showed up to check on Phil or even just hang out. Not even Wilbur showed up, which made the human question if he really was serious about what he said, that he doesn't regret it at all.

Tommy was the first to doze off, safely tugged away under Phil's wing and wrapped up in an extra blanket. He looked so much younger than he actually is... and the thought that a normal hunter wouldn't hesitate for even a second in killing him made shivers run down his spine. And he used to be one of them...

Now that he kid was asleep, he should get some information on this wife thing. "Phil... can I ask you something?" The bird looked up from his mug and nodded. "I was curious... about this whole human wife thing. You don't have to talk about it, I know it's a sensitive topic."

He could immediately spot the pained expression that washed over his friend's face, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"She was great... we met way before Scott and I created the sanctuary. I was hiding in a small oak forest near a village and she was out to collect some berries and flowers. We ran into each other, since my stupid bird brain got distracted by an axolotl swimming around in a river. All my instincts immediately told me to bolt and hide, but I didn't. We... kinda just stared at each other.

She didn't call for help or attacked me, just like how you didn't do anything for a while. In the end my crows finally got me to move and leave, but something made me go back the next day... and the day after. I kept going back to that spot... and she did too. No one ever followed her or tried to hide in the surrounding area. My crows confirmed that. Of course we had the same language problem that you and I had, but drawing and writing did do the trick for a while.

We just hung out and became friends. It was my first time fully interacting with a human. I ended up teaching her Enderspeak too, so we could actually talk. She needed much more time than you did, but she got it.

And... well... one thing led to another. We spent almost every day together, exploring, chatting, I even took her flying with me. And eventually we fell in love. We built a small cottage in the woods and I changed my clothes in a way where I can hide my wings and that was when I really grew out my hair to hide my ears too. It worked for a while and the very few times we had visitors, mostly people asking for directions to the nearest village, I pretended to be mute, so I wouldn't have to talk.

After two years I proposed and she said yes. We were so happy... she was happy. My hybrid heritage never bothered her... she always said my wings are beautiful and how much she loved to go flying at night. We lived another three years like that and even considered trying for a kid, but we were always worried about that. Not just genetic wise... but scared about hunters catching them.

Then it happened. She told me she had gotten a letter from her parents, that her mother was sick and dying. She wanted to be with her the last few days. I offered to go with her, to fly her over, but she refused. It would be too dangerous, hunters could spot me, my clothes could shift the wrong way and reveal my wings on accident. So I agreed to stay home on tend to our little farm while she was gone.

We kissed... and then she left. Before the sun rose the next morning, hunters broke down the door. I narrowly escaped and watched them burn down the house. I never heard from her again... my crows couldn't find her... I couldn't find her. After almost a year, I fully gave up and left the area. It hurt, but there was no use to stay around any longer. My ring is the only thing I have left... of that time."

Silence filled the room as Techno tried to process the story. Phil just stared into his mug, his wing unconsciously wrapping around Tommy a little tighter. He smiled a little and reached out to stroke through messy blonde locks. "You're right... he looks a lot like me... and for me... he's like the kid we could never have..."

"I'm sorry... now I understand why you looked so hurt when Wil brought it up." "Can't blame him though. He's right in a way. I came back to that spot... to you... because the situation reminded me so fucking much about how it happened with her. Of course not because I was hoping for a new relationship, but... okay to be honest, I don't know why I did it."

Techno laughed and set his mug aside. "Just like I have no idea why I cut you free. Don't worry about it. I'm not assuming things." Phil huffed and used his free wing to swat at Techno, trying to play off his embarrassment. "Why do I tolerate you again?" "Because you looovvveee me~" The bird groaned and flopped down in his nest, trying his best not to wake Tommy up. Said teen just trilled sleepily and cuddled more into the soft feathers of Phil's wing.

"Don't wake the kid." "Fuck off. I'm not talking to you anymore. Go to sleep." "Alright alright. Jeez. Grumpy bird." Techno cuddled into his own little nest, glad that despite everything, his friend was feeling better than he had this morning.