The Bull's Horns

Ch 1: Bubbles of Change

Mumbo's first couple of days on hermitcraft had been rough, to say the least. But it was the best decision he ever made in his life. It took a while to get comfortable with the other hermits, evolving from a skittish mess to no longer flinching at every moment. Eventually Befriending all of the hermits and getting to know them was a breath of fresh air compared to his previous server. While he never spoke of his past server he noticed the others figured it wasn't a good one. They took their time with him, gave him space, and watched as he came out of his shell. Now he had been part of Hermitcraft for about 8 seasons, and he loved every second of it. But he had gotten too comfortable as of late, the familiarity of consistency had relaxed him too much.

So hearing that a new hermit would be joining in the next season was extremely nerve-wracking. But he couldn't help but be slightly excited at the same time. He had grown less skittish over the seasons but meeting someone new brought up old nerves and anxiety. Xisuma had tried his best to reassure him but the hermits could see how Mumbo regressed into a nervous mess. Reluctantly Doc had managed to convince the mustache man to come and meet the newbie, with the promise of protection of course.

Mumbo stuck close to Doc and waited anxiously, quickly hiding behind the creeper hybrid as the new hermit joined. Hearing the new hermit speak and have friendly conversations with the others gave him the courage to peek around Doc. It was quite a shock to see an avian standing there, colorful wings adorning his back, and a mop of short brunette hair. It was incredibly dangerous for avians to be so open about their hybridness, to the point where it was rare to meet one. Like most hybrids, they were hunted down and captured by hybrid traffickers to be used however the captors saw fit. Most exploited different species' unique abilities for profit and fame but there were many unsavory things done too.

Mumbo couldn't help but be concerned, wasn't he worried about being captured? The avian seemed so relaxed as he introduced himself and got acquainted with everyone. Grian was the newbie's name and he seemed friendly enough. None of the other hermits seemed to bat an eye at Grian being an avian. He stood back and watched as everyone else crowded around to greet the new hermit and welcomed him in. He stayed hidden behind Doc and watched, wanting to gauge the hermits' reactions. To see if they would treat him differently in any way but no one seemed bothered. They welcomed Grian with open arms before splitting up to start new builds and plan out future projects, officially starting season 6 with their new member.

As the season progressed, Mumbo kept an eye out for the newbie and, whether by accident or on purpose, they built their bases close to each other. He got to know the new hermit and they ended up helping each other build Sahara with Iskall. Grian seemed so relaxed and carefree with the way he was unapologetically himself. Enough that he had started to inspire Mumbo as the season progressed.

There was one thing Mumbo kept under lock and key when he first joined. His hybrid status. He had always been nervous to show his hybrid features, his past server kept him quiet. Mumbo found himself lucky that his features could be easily hidden and less obvious than Grian's wings. He had a pair of horns he kept shaved down, a pair of fluffy cow ears he hid away in his hair, and a typical cow tail tucked away in his trousers. His ears and tail matched his dark hair, though he didn't remember what color his horns were as it had been too long since he had them grown out.

The idea of being able to have his features out in the open, as Grian did, had been bouncing around in his head lately. Occasionally he had forgotten to shave down his horns, too wrapped up in the shenanigans Grian and Iskall were up to. Sometimes he would even forget to tuck away his tail or pin his ears on some days too. There had been a couple of instances where Grian had almost seen his ears and tail, forgetting to hide them or having Grian show up without a warning. The avian had a knack for catching him off guard with barely enough time to hide them away until Grian had left.

His less obvious features were kept hidden under his suit where pale spots that covered his body, a form of cow print but with white spots instead. Sometimes he would have to cover them up with makeup if he wore anything other than his suit. It was his signature outfit for a reason, not just a fashion statement. It served more of a purpose than the other hermits realized, though they occasionally teased him for only wearing one thing.

He let out a sigh as he looked away from the bathroom mirror. The idea of change brewing in his head, of potentially being able to be unapologetically himself, and not have to hide after so long. Maybe he'd take it one feature at a time, and get the other hermits used to one before revealing the other. Small steps.  He could start with his tail but realistically he should start with his horns instead. Let them grow out and see what others had to say about it. He had kept his horns filed down for so long that none of the hermits knew he had them in the first place. None of the hermits knew he was a hybrid either but he needed to take this in baby steps.

It would be a slow process, with awkward stages, but he did miss his horns. They would gradually grow over time so it would be less of a surprise to the hermits. He didn't want to think too far ahead in case his horns were frowned upon, but he couldn't help himself. Depending on how they react, if they react at all, he would then let his tail out next. Then move on to his ears, stop pinning them away and let them move freely. Then maybe after that, he could wear something other than his signature suit.

But there was more than one reason why he never took his signature suit off. A medium, light pink, circle sat on the lower part of his stomach, his udder that truly made him the freak he was. A male cow hybrid having an udder was unheard of but he wasn't born with it. It only served as a painful reminder of his past. An artificial addition that only provided traumatic memories and many sleepless nights. While the hermits had an idea of how horrendous his past server was, he wondered how disgusted they would be if he spoke about it with them. Surely they'd think of him as a freak too, but a part of him cried otherwise. He had known these hermits for many seasons, some even having traumatic pasts too. He had to take a deep breath to settle his thoughts. If one thing was certain was that he was going to try and give it a shot. He couldn't think too far ahead or he would end up scaring himself in the process.

First was getting his horns grown out and resisting the urge to file them down. Then gauge the other hermits' reactions as they grew and hope for the best. Nerves tugged in his gut, it felt like he'd lied to them all since joining Hermitcraft, which made his stomach turn even more. But that was enough thinking for today. He had worked hard on his vault and his bed was calling his name. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His last couple of thoughts wandered to the idea of a nest, having an article of clothing from each hermit with their unique scent on it. Maybe he would sleep better at night and help to keep some persistent nightmares at bay.