The Bull's Horns

Ch 7: Unexpected

It had taken some pep talk and sending a quick message to Doc to make his way over to his pit of a base. He had caught Doc in the middle of working on some redstone and landed nearby before exchanging hellos. Doc had offered to pause his project for a moment to chat, but Mumbo reassured him that he could continue and would just chill nearby. Mumbo just wanted company and they could chat later when Doc was finished or needed a break. He watched the creeper hybrid for as long as he could until his ears started to itch before finding a nice spot tucked away to settle down. It was close enough to where Doc was working to watch but also hidden enough that he could let his ears and tail.

If anyone were to come by, he was neatly hidden away in the shade, tucked into a carved-out slot in the side of the gigantic crater. Mumbo relaxed and watched as Doc worked, his tail swishing happily as a light breeze fluffed his ears. The serenity of the area and the safety of the creeper hybrid nearby made him dropwise. He let his eyes droop close and dozed off, occasionally waking up to the sound of pistons firing but otherwise napped soundly.

He wasn't sure how long his nap had been but yawned and stretched, he needed that nap. Sleepily he looked around for Doc, who wasn't in the same spot anymore and was nowhere to be seen. Like a splash of cold water on his face he sat up and listened for the other hybrid. His ears twitched but couldn't hear Doc nearby either. Where was his herd mate? Did he get left? A loud bellowing moo tore through him in a panic as he called for Doc, perking his ears up to listen for anything. His body tense and head on a swivel as he nervously looked around for the other hybrid. A laugh and a goat bleat sounded from around a tangled mess of blocks and redstone making him jolt.

Doc's head popped around the mess to cheekily smile at Mumbo and laugh. "I didn't go very far Mumbo." Doc chortled as Mumbo felt his face flush and burn in embarrassment.

"I didn't know..." Mumbo grumbled, he was still getting used to vocalizing around their little group and this time it just slipped out. Doc moved some shulkers hidden behind the contraption to move and work at a different spot where Mumbo could see him.

"It's alright, I was just around the corner dude." Doc laughed as he disappeared again for a moment only to come back with one last shulker. Mumbo watched him, less drowsy this time, and occasionally would point out some faulty parts or holes that caught his eye. He hopped down from his spot intent on fixing a spot Doc had missed and wanting to help. Too focused on the redstone to hear the sound of fireworks overhead and someone land nearby, figuring it was Scar or a hermit he's talked to before.

"Mumbo? What are you wearing?" A familiar voice asked behind him. A cold chill ran up his spine, he knew who that accent belonged to.

Mumbo froze in place before slowly turning to face the voice, his breath catching in his throat as he locked eyes with Xisuma. Confusion covered the admin's face, clearly visible even partly covered by his helmet, where he stood a few blocks away. Mumbo felt himself begin to tremble under X's gaze. This was it for him, X was going to kick him off the server and leave him with a few bruises if he was lucky. He had been caught red-handed. All his hybrid features were on full display for the whole server to see, to know exactly what he was.

His heart pounded loud enough that it echoed in his ears, faintly wondering if X could hear it too. His lungs seemed to fill with water as he started to take wheezing breaths. A blur of a figure moved to stand in front of him and made him flinch, too frozen in fear to understand what was happening. It took a moment, but he focused enough to see it was Doc who stood between him and X, shielding him from the voidwalker's view. Mumbo's body shivered violently as he spared a glance over the creeper hybrid's shoulder, worried about what X was going to do to him now. Doc would keep him safe right?

Xisuma looked frantically between the pair, lost and confused at Doc's hostility and Mumbo's panic, "I didn't mean it as an insult. Doc? What's going on?" X asked.