Of a Flock

Chapter Seven

Something like a purring sound escaped Dream's throat, a bit of a warble and a little bit too human to be a bird. But it was something, and it relaxed his muscles. Plus, it filled the air and seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on Techno, who was slowly going through his fluff excuse for wings. He half-heartedly wondered when they would feather out for real and stop being two balls of lime green fluff, but was too tired to really chase down that train of thought.

Since they got out of the cave and into the forest, Techno hadn't been five feet away from him, twittering nervously and constantly checking over him. Dream wasn't sure whether to hate all this constant pestering or to nag Techno so he would continue.

But for now Dream didn't want to get out of his little nest of blankets in the middle of the forest. It felt homey and relaxing, something that he wasn't really used to. Normally, he only got to feel this content after he had robbed somebody rich and allowed himself a day to breathe and feel human again. Otherwise, he was always on the run, sleeping under the stars and shooting down food for himself.

It was the wild type of life, where might makes right, but Dream wouldn't have it any other way. He liked the feeling of being in control, even as he was running from the hunters, outsmarting them and constantly slipping from their grasp. Only rarely would he feel the harsh bond of a coarse rope, or the warm burn of a cut. They couldn't catch him for real. He was too smart for them.

"How are you feeling?"

Dream stirred from the soft voice. "M' fine," he answered, tightening the blankets around him. "Thanks." Techno's fingers ran through his wings again before drawing away and Dream cooed in disappointment. "Are you done already?"

Blade chuckled. "It could have been faster. You have tiny wings. But I think they got a little bigger."

He shot up, and threw the blankets off him. Stretching his lime green wings, he ran his eyes around them. "Really? How can you tell?"

"Fold them again?"

He complied and stood up on his knees, looking down. "I . . . still don't see how they grew."

"I think they grew an inch. See how they now touch your pants? They didn't used to."

Dream gasped and fluttered his wings. "They grew! They're actually growing! I'll be able to fly one day!" A wild grin split his face. "I got these wings roughly two weeks ago and they already grew an inch!"

"That is pretty fast," Techno agreed, stretching his own pink wings out. He smiled faintly before fixing his piglin crown. "But, if you don't mind, we kind of need to keep playing the game and find more numbers. A few players have already made it to the Nether, and I'd like to get there sooner than later."

Dream nodded and unwound the blankets, quickly folding and stuffing them into his lime green backpack. "How many more numbers do we need to find?"

Techno hesitated. "I, um, found all of mine in the cave. But I couldn't find any for you. You only need three more anyway."

Dream nettled his hidden brows together. "But wouldn't you get the achievement?"

"I did get the achievement. You just didn't see it. And technically, I could make it into the Nether, but the portal will not allow somebody without a full cast to enter." Techno cleared his throat. "So let's try to move on. By the way, were you able to see who saved you from the Warden?"

He shook his head and shrugged his backpack on. "They had sorta shiny wings, though. And they mentioned a name, Pans? Or something like that."

Techno swiped his cast. It lit up with a faint blue light and he clicked around for a few moments. "Oh, Punz? Is that who you mean? He's teamed up with Purpled and their team name is Alien Victory. Purpled is a violet-backed starling, so I'm guessing it was him that saved you."