Aviarian [ Dream SMP AU ]

Chapter 7

"FUCK!" Tommy screamed, struggling to stay aloft.

Philza darted over and grabbed Tommy's arm. He chuckled nervously.

"Listen next time, mate." He flew himself and Tommy over to the spruce platform where Fundy and Ghostbur sat on. 

He dropped Tommy gently onto the wood, then touched down himself.

Tommy flopped onto his back, wings spreading out to his sides.

"You scared me for a second." Phil laughed and sat down, crossing his legs.

"Me too!" Ghostbur yelped, floating over. "Are you okay, Tommy?"

"I'm fine." He huffed.

Philza rolled his eyes.

Fundy flicked his tail and walked over. "It was kind of funny, you have to admit." 

Tommy groaned and covered his face with his hands, wings curling up towards his torso slightly.

Fundy laughed.

Tommy huffed.

"What're you guys doing?"

Tommy moved his hands and looked around, the world upside-down for a moment before he decided to sit up.

Tubbo stood a few blocks away by some stairs. A few papers were tucked under his arm, and he looked a bit confused. Ranboo stood beside him, waving.

"We were just watching Phil teach Tommy how to fly!" Ghostbur informed happily, floating over quickly. "Then Tommy nearly fell.. But Philza saved him!"

Tommy grunted and stood, crossing his arms.

"I did not!"

"Yes you did, Tommy." Philza laughed, patting Tommy's shoulder.

"Wait, why'd he almost fall?" Ranboo asked. His tail flicked behind him in concern.

"He wouldn't listen." Fundy snickered.

Tommy's face heated in embarrassment. 

"You are still learning," Phil reassured. "Don't worry about it."

Tommy huffed, but nodded.

"Well, that's pretty cool that you're learning to fly," Tubbo smiled. "But I've gotta go speak with Dream. I don't know why we're getting obsidian walls built around us."

New L'Manburg was being surrounded by obsidian walls, it had started just that morning. 

Tommy nodded. "Bye, Tubbo."

"Bye guys." Tubbo waved with his free hand before walking down the other set of stairs. Ranboo stayed.

Ranboo looked into his inventory and closed it when he had a book and quill in hand. He stepped down and sat beside a log support beam, leaning against the wood. He scribbled something down in the book before closing it.

"So you guys up to anything? Other than learning to fly, I mean." Ranboo hummed.

"Falling to your death, if that counts." Fundy snickered.

Tommy flared his wings and groaned.

The fox started to tease him a bit more, but the blonde's attention was drawn to the feathers along his arms.

"Phil?" 

Philza turned to the teenager, who held up his arms.

"Is this supposed to be happening?"

"What the fuck-" Phil muttered, crouching and shuffling closer to get a look at the feathers.

They were identical to the ones around his eyes and on his wings- tan with gold and red etched into the edges. They were beginning to cluster in patches on Tommy's arms.

Phil's brows furrowed. He didn't want to worry the teenager, but he really wasn't sure what this was.

Panic was obvious in the young man's eyes.

"I-I'm not sure what this is," Phil admitted, standing up and backing up.

Tommy stared down at his arms, then looked up at the father figure. He looked back down at his arms again.

"Get them off of me- please. I- just get them off of me. Pull them off. Please." Tommy finally begged. Phil stepped back in surprise.

"Wh-" He flicked his wings. "Why?"

"I'm scared, Phil." Tommy crossed his arms. "These just appeared one night and I have no idea where the fuck they came from."

"I'm not going to rip them off of you, Tommy." 

The other three were silent, watching the exchange.

Tommy nodded slightly.

"You just have to learn to get used to them."

"Phil?"

"Yes, Tommy?"

"Can you speak to birds? And understand them and shit?" Tommy shifted on his feet.

"No, I can't. Why?" Phil glanced to the trio. Fundy and Ranboo shrugged. Wilbur just looked flat out confused.

"I- back in Pogtopia some random chicken got down there. I was able to understand it and fucking speak to it." Tommy rubbed his arms. "What the hell does this mean??"

"I have no idea, Tommy. I'm sorry." Phil looked at the blonde sadly.

Tommy sighed and sat down on his knees.

"Has Dream said anything about it? At all?" Fundy spoke up.

"We spoke to him like a month ago," Tommy folded his wings against his back and slowly stood up. "He said he had no idea what it was. That was the last I heard from him."

"We'll speak to him after Tubbo's meeting, okay?" Phil hummed.

Tommy nodded.

He looked at his hands again, now realizing his nails were pointed.

And were curving downwards.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Phil noticed this and embraced him in a hug. He wrapped his wings around the blonde and sighed. 

"We'll figure this out, okay?"

Tommy hummed. "Okay."

Philza pulled away and opened chat when he got a ping.

He hummed and typed, then closed chat.

Ghostbur was suddenly beside Tommy, looking at his wings and face for a minute.

"What're you doing, Ghostbur?" Ranboo piped up, standing to walk closer.

"Juts looking. Maybe I can find something." He opened his inventory. "Ohh, also Tommy take this." 

Tommy opened his hand and was confused until a blob of blue landed in his palm.

"Thanks Ghostbur," Tommy blinked, opening his own inventory to put the blue away.

"You're welcome!" The ghost chirped.

Wilbur went back to looking Tommy over, moving have a look at his arms and hands.

"Hey, was this here before?" Ghostbur asked, pointing to some dark gray skin. It looked like the skin on a bird's legs. It was on his wrists.

"I just looked at my hands," Tommy muttered. "When the fuck did that get there?"

Ranboo shuffled closer with Fundy a little bit behind. The fox went to look over the blonde's wings while Ranboo stood behind Ghostbur as to not overwhelm Tommy.

The gray, bird-like skin was now in patches along his wrists, starting to spread to the back of his hands.

"What the fuck..." The blonde breathed, staring in horror at the scaly-looking skin.