"The Case Of The Fire Inside."

Im a full moon 8

"Wilbur, you've said a lot of stupid things in the time I've know you, but this for sure tops it," Techno leaned back on the couch, levelling Wilbur' with an unimpressed look. Wilbur thinks he's being a bit dramatic.

"I know it sounds ridiculous-"

"That's an understatement."

"But logically it makes sense Techno," Wilbur waved his hands around the air, trying to stress the importance of his discovery. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Yeah, like a million," Techno snorted, tossing his head back. "You do know how ridiculous you sound right?"

"What's Wil on about this time?" Phil asked, walking down the stairs with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. He had come back from the beach an hour ago and probably just got out of the shower if his soaking hair was an indicator.

"He thinks Tommy can speak to animals," Techno said, and Phil bursts into laughter, Wilbur's cheek staining red.

"Don't laugh! It makes sense!" He protested, crossing his arms. Phil patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"I'm sure it does mate," He said, walking by and pulling out their pitcher of water and a glass. "Care to explain your thought process?"

"It doesn't make any more sense," Techno warned, but Wilbur waved him off.

"He's a strange kid right?" Wilbur asked, Techno snorting out another laugh.

"No shit, that means he's an alien right?"

"Techno you saw how he was around that one seal! He said they had an understanding, that doesn't sound odd to you?"

"It sounds like something a weird kid would say about a wild animal he managed to befriend," Techno raised an eyebrow. "Which is exactly what Tommy is."

"Okay fair," Wilbur would allow him that. "But what about the birds constantly following him around? Or the goats? He's always out there talking to them and telling us things that they seem to want."

"The birds follow him because he feeds them constantly," Techno grabbed the extra glass of water from Phil's hands. Wilbur tried not to be jealous over the fact that Phil just instinctually knew that Techno wanted one as well. "And he's been around these goats for a long time, it's only natural that he can tell their behaviours."

"And what about the group of seals I saw him sleeping with?"

"Still not convinced that happened," Techno shrugged, which was infuriatingly true. Wilbur had immediately told his family about it, but both Phil and Techno were unconvinced, and Tommy refused to talk about it.

But it was true. Wilbur had walked in to see Tommy cuddled up with nearly a dozen seals, head tucked into the blubber and sleeping peacefully. When he woke up he had grumbled and talked to the seals easily, even answering one of the seals whines with a startlingly detailed answer. He had jumped badly when he saw Wilbur standing there and refused to talk to him for a day after claiming he was stalking him.

It was surreal and odd but it was also true.

"Well that's on you for ignoring the facts," Wilbur sniffed, slouching in his chair. "Think, strange kid on an island has an uncanny connection to animals. Sounds like the plot to a bad movie where the kid uses what the animals tell him to stop a robbery or some shit."

"Or maybe Tommy's just a kid living here who's a little strange," Phil said gently, leaning against the wall. "I think it's a bit of a jump to go from what we know straight to supernatural powers of talking to animals Wil."

"You're both just boring I think," Wilbur rolled his eyes, shaking his head. A bunch of cynics with no imagination, that's all his family was. "Maybe he was raised by seals? The Jungle Book style?"