Chapter Text
Phil flew over the lands of his territory, nothing out of the ordinary, no hunters, no travelers, nothing, he perched on a nearby tree, stretching his sore arms and yawning, he sighed, leaning on the tree's trunk, black majestic wings covering him like a blanket, everything was peaceful and quiet, although many would find it great, he couldn't stop the ache on his heart, as if a piece was missing
he couldn't pinpoint what it was, walking through the forest, feathery ears twitching at the occasional bird chirp or insect buzz, large trees creating shadows over the land, protecting the animals and him from the sun's heat, a memory flashed in his brain, a distant one, of his younger days, when he was still a little fledgling, him and his nest mates chasing each other in a game of tag, as his mother slightly scolded them with a soft smile on her face, laughs of joyous kids filling the nest so lively
the Elytrian sighed fondly, he missed sometimes the company of his old flock, before he left when he reached the age of maturity to start his own flock and obtain his own territory, however as the hunting begun, humans thinking they were superior to the other species, he scoffed at the thought, most hybrids were completely gone, going into hiding or slowly dying until extinction claimed them, killed by those pests that liked to play god, the lack of other hybrids, made it possible for him to have a uncommonly large territory, not having any competition around to fight for it
food was also not a problem, and much less protection, being from weather or from the hunters, they might think they were strong and mighty, but each hunter that entered his territory, didn't leave alive, body torn and mauled apart by his razor sharp talons and pointy teeth, he gained quite a reputation, even being known as the 'angel of death' by the humans, nobody dared to even enter his territory anymore, only the occasional dumb ass who thinks they stand a chance against him
he was getting off tracks, what did he need? he had everything going from the finest hoard of jewels to a perfect nest, so what was he missing? why did he feel so hollow?.. a twig snapping, snapped him out of his thoughts, turning around alarmed, before immediately relaxing again, chuckling at himself, at seeing that the cause of the sound was only a deer with its fawn passing by, having nothing else to do, the Elytrian watched the creatures
sitting on a branch, munching on an apple, as he saw the mother deer munching on the grass beneath while the little fawn chased a butterfly, it was a cute sight, the little adventurous fawn stumbling upon a pebble, falling to the ground with a alarmed bleat, the mother turned around quickly approaching her fawn, huffing what Phil assumed would be a laugh if the animals were sentient, the mother deer nuzzling her son's head with fondness, helping the younger get up before continuing to walk deeper into the forest, probably to reunite with their herd
and it was in that moment that a light bulb went on on Phil's head, that was what he was missing! a flock! Elytrians weren't truly social creatures, most preferring the solitude, most Elytrians flocks would only be composed by a couple and their fledglings if they had any, Phil wouldn't lie, the idea of having kids was quite endearing for him, someone dependent of him, that he could protect and keep safe from the world while teaching them how to survive on it, his instincts crooned at the thought alone
however, that was only a small fault on his plan, like said before, hybrids became quite rare, he wouldn't be surprised if he was the last Elytrian alive, so to find a partner, one that he loved and could start a family with, was close to impossible, although..adoption was also a option, he didn't care much for species, he knew that some hybrids didn't like each others, merlings and endermans being a prime example of that, always fighting when stumbling upon each other, and he still needed the luck to find any hybrid alive, but he would not give up, raising his wings and dashing to the skies, he flew to his home with a determined look
landing on the entrance of his house, mind already fuzzy, dashing through corridors, slamming one of the doors opened, revealing a room filled to the brim with blankets, pillows, mattresses, cushioned walls and cushioned floors, his nest, it was big for just a lonely Elytrian, but his instincts insisted that it was not enough, nest, nest, improve, bigger, better his instincts crooned on his mind
his pupils becoming so dilated that it almost engulfed the blue on his eyes, deep in his instincts his mind and body controlled by it, as he reorganized blankets, threw pillows away to replace it with better ones and adjusted the mattresses
when he was finally out of his instincts, groaning and putting a hand to his head, trying to recall the events, he was laying on the middle of his nest, that was now much bigger, he huffed a unamused dry chuckle, that was probably way to much, he would be lucky if he found one hybrid, and he still had to consider many factors, he couldn't just take an adult hybrid for example- well he could, but like him adult hybrids preferred solitude, unless they were pack oriented creatures, but even if they were, making a adult imprint on him would be much harder, although if he did find a adult that caught his eyes and fitted like a missing piece on his flock, he wouldn't mind the struggle and in those times, pups, kits, fledglings and younger hybrids in general were kept hidden by their parents and protected with iron fists
he flexed his claws, grabbing some of his old adventure gear, it didn't matter, he would return successful from this mission, flying to the sky, diving through clouds and watching the world from afar, feeling the breeze through his feathers, it was always such an amazing experiment, it didn't matter how much times he flew, each time it didn't fail to make him feel completed, but now, even the sky wasn't enough to keep the hollowness of his heart at bay
he trusted that his territory would be fine in his absence, few humans dared to even look at it, and if any did enter it, it would be easy to get rid of them, like exterminating a pest, it would be annoying but quick to do so, finally, after many years and centuries, Phil crossed his territories borders, with only one thing at mind, his instincts and sentience synchronized on that thought alone, to find his soon to be flock, no matter the cost
It was already dark, the Elytrian having spent all of the day flying, the moon was high on the sky, illuminating the lands, he was already far away from his territory, taking huge pride on his flight velocity and proficiency, although his wings were becoming quite sore, he might have to rest for a while soon, or else he would probably collapse middle flight, although he was quite disappointed to still have not seen even a trace of another hybrids, he was already far away from home, so he would need to also find a safe place to nap
both his wishes were heard, spotting something from far away, his eyes narrowed, raising his speed even if his wings protested
the once land filled with trees faded into an open camp, filled with flowers of all sizes, shapes and colors, the only tree visible was in the center of the camp, being huge, dwarfing even mountains, the tree was old, with small lights wrapped around it, bird houses of all sizes on its branches, many birds and animals around the tree for refuge or just relaxing, the tree seemed to have come right out of a fairy tale book, standing proud and majestic
although that wasn't what exactly what caught Phil's attention, and yes the hive on it, with many sections connected by bridges, that was definitely a hybrids job, if he had to guess by the dizzying strong scent of honey in the air, it was definitely the work of bee hybrids, he didn't have much information on insects hybrids in general
but from what he knew, bee hybrids lived in huge colonies, on a status based society, they were quite pacific, and were known for having good relationships with other kinds of hybrids, and there was one special quality that separated them from the rest of other social hybrids, while most social hybrids wanted flocks, colonies and herds to help their instincts feel at ease, bee hybrids needed their colonies, if one was alone, they would enter a state of sickness that would eventually lead to their death
Phil wasn't afraid to approach the hives and tree, perching on one of the branches, startling some of the birds around that flew away as he approached, he was quick to notice that something was very wrong, as he peaked onto the houses of the hive, they were all empty
not only that, they looked old and broken, maybe the place was abandoned, that was probably the case, or else he would already seen someone, that was disappointing, he finally reached the last part of the hive, on the highest part, also being the bigger one, where usually the leader of the colony, also known as the queen stayed, something was very wrong
the scent of honey was completely erased and replaced by the scent of blood and rot, he had to take a step back, clutching his nose in disgust, taking a deep breath of fresh air before entering the queen's room, his eyes widened almost immediately, the room was painted with blood, as many corpses laid around, with arrows and swords still stuck in them, he recognized that all the corpses were bee hybrid, left here to root "hunters..." he snarled as he walked further into the room
seeing kids, teenagers and adults left here forgotten, some missing their wings that seemed to have been ripped, his own wings shuddered at the pain that they must have felt, he felt himself becoming sick, not only from the smell, but also from the scene, he had already seen many bodies, killed by him, but they were all humans, and weren't worth the grief
he sat crisscrossed next to the youngest body in the room, the kid didn't seem to be even ten yet, with a sword stuck on their chest, he put a wing over the small one, maybe if he had arrived sooner, he could've helped the colony, the bodies didn't seem to be too old, maybe three days or two, crooning sadly, his eyes went wide once again as a small buzz from far away answered his croon, his head shot up, frantically looking around the room, he crooned again hello? hello? someone?
maybe he was going insane, however a faint buzz was immediate to answer hurt, hurt, pain it answered, hope bloomed on his chest, getting up and searching through the place and over corpses, his clothes and hands now stained with blood, he thrilled encouraging for the bee to continue buzzing, the insect complied, but the buzz seemed weaker and weaker as the time flew by, making him more worried
finally the buzz seemed to get closer, Phil seeing movement on one of the furthest corners of the room, dashing towards there, he saw the faint movement of the wings of a bee, quick to sit next to the fallen bee, they were young, with brown messy hair, their eyes half lidded, and he could see the slow movement of their chest rising and falling, he let out a relived chuckle, at seeing the alive young hybrid
he accessed the damage, one of their wings had a deep torn on it, that he would have to sew and one of his arms was filled with deep cuts that he was afraid he would have to amputate the limb, being as careful as he could, he picked up the young bee, that weakly whined in protest "shh its okay little one, i'll take care of you now" Phil whispered, covering the bee from the world with his wings, leaving the room with his prize in hands
Tubbo was having a rough time, everything was perfect in his colony, his home, he was collecting flowers for his sister, humming a lullaby, before he heard it, the ringing of a bell, meaning a enemy was approaching, his wings opened in alarm as he saw humans approaching his hive, with weapons strapped in their backs and waists
he flew as quick as he could to his home, smashing the door open, his sister was also alarmed, with tears prickling the corner of her eyes, the protectors of the colony could already be heard fighting, he hugged his sister and they both flew their way to the queen's nest, the most secure place of the colony
while the protectors were fighting outside, the younger bees, caretakers and queen were reunited on the dark room, all trying to stay as silent as possible to not attract attention, Tubbo held his sister, chattering comfort clicks, safe, safe, okay, his sister sniffed and looked up at him with teary eyes, buzzing back scared, fear, scared
Tubbo sighed, nuzzling his head on his sister's hair, the sound of the fight was becoming quieter and quieter, and finally had stopped, he had hoped that it meant that they had won, that it was over, he couldn't have been more wrong, as the doors of the room slammed open, and it all became chaos as arrows flew, and hunters attacked
the caretakers doing their best to protect the youngest, the queen going into battle immediately to protect her colony, but they were no match, hearing the screams, cries and shouts of his colony, having to hold his sister back, she shouted at him "He have to help!" with tears on her eyes "I can't lose you!" he cried back, his sister eyes darted behind him and widened "Watch out!" she screamed, pushing him aside, he felt a blade slash through one his wings, but his sister took the rest of the damage
he fell to the ground and watched as his sister stumbled, blood dripping from her mouth and pouring out the open wound on her chest, she smiled sadly at him, buzzing a sorry, protect, live, sorry, love, before falling to the ground, he screamed until his throat became sore, holding the limp body of his sister, ignoring the war all around him
and with now rage burning in his eyes, he carefully placed down his sister's body, kissing her hairline, before going into war with a loud cry, he stabbed with his stingers on his hands as many humans he could reach, ignoring the pain that blossomed at every new slash on his skin, everything was becoming quite a blur, his head felt dizzy, and finally because of the blood loss, he fell to the ground limply, still awake, still conscious as he saw the rest of his colony be murdered in cold blood
the hunters left with their prizes, ripping the wings of some of the bees, taking the dead body of the queen and some others, and stealing their riches and items, Tubbo sobbed and cried, letting all of his emotions out, calling for anyone for anything to help, but it never came
he didn't know how long he just stayed there, laying, hunger was clawing at his stomach, his mouth felt dry, throat sore, and body numb, he finally started to feel his conscious slipping away, the sweet relief of death gripping his soul, until- he heard it, someone was here, maybe it was just a random animal, but he gripped into hope and wouldn't let go, answering the sound with one of his own
much to his delight, someone answered back, so he continued and continued, even when he felt himself become weaker, someone was by his side, picking him up, sending shocks of pain through his body, he whined, the person said something, but it was muffled and distant for him, his mind filled with cotton
he finally let himself go, closing his eyes, falling limply at the person's arms, the person shook him awake "don' fa'l sl'p o' me- buddy" he heard the voice say, barely understanding it, he grumbled wanting this to be all over, to just fall asleep and count on his luck, but the voice wouldn't let him
time seemed to pass quicker, as he became conscious and unconscious about his surroundings at random times, pain shot through his body sometimes, it hurt, he whined and cried Help, pain, help a croon would always answer safe, okay, protected, and finally he was allowed to sleep, it felt like heaven, feeling the pain slowly fade away
when he woke up, he was warm, something soft under him, his instincts purred, but he couldn't stop the feeling nibbling at the corner of his mind that something was wrong, his mind was still fuzzy, why was he worried? he was safe, nuzzling his face closer to a pillow, his sister would love those-
his eyes shot open, remembering the events, the invasion, the war, his sister- tears flooded out of his eyes, as he sat up, breathing heavily, shaking, he looked around, where was he? the room was large, filled to the brim with soft things, his instincts crooned at it, but his rational part was alarmed, this wasn't his home
but before he could continue to try to figure out what was happening, the door of the room was opened, revealing a Elytrian with deep black wings "hi there-" The Elytrian didn't even have a chance to finish before Tubbo started screaming
Phil probably won a record for how fast he got home, the bee hybrid safe on his arms, he put his robe on top of the youngest to protect him from the cold of the sky, he had to keep the bee from falling asleep many times, it wouldn't end up well in his condition, and he wouldn't risk losing the little bee "Don't fall asleep on me buddy" he muttered
he slammed the door to his home open, the kid on his arms jumping, he chirped an apology, slowly putting the bee down on the couch laying on his belly, Phil left to get the med kit, coming back not even a minute later, patching and sewing the kid's wounds and wings, crooning every time the kid cried in pain, he couldn't give them any pain medicine on their current condition
finally after guaranteeing that the kid was stable, he let the small one sleep, thrilling in happiness, he held the kid close and brought him to the nest, putting them down and smiling as the kid hugged one of the pillows, petting the brunette's head, Phil sat down close to his new fledgling, instincts already latched onto the bee, he could feel the emptiness in his chest lessen
smile growing as the bee subconsciously leaned onto his touch with a loud purr "i swear that i will never let anyone else hurt you my little bumble bee" he promised with a dark possessive glint on his eyes, unfortunately he had to leave the room to prepare some light food for when the boy was awake
putting on a green apron, collecting some safe flowers on his garden, he started to prepare some sort of flowers and vegetables stew, his mind drifting to when the kid would be awake, they would be a amazing addition to his flock, bees weren't fighter so he wouldn't be a protector, but he would make an excellent gatherer and herbalist, he would probably love Phil's little garden, maybe even upgrade it
he lets his mind drift, of course the kid still had to grow used to Phil and recognize him as his caretaker and leader, the kid also had to recover and grow more mature before Phil could even think of letting them out of the nest without him, he would love, cherish and spoil the small one until they could fend for themselves and go from a fledgling to have a rank on the flock
he finished the stew, putting it into a bowl and going back to the room, meeting the gaze of the very awake kid "hi there-" he started before being cut off by the kid screaming like a banshee, that didn't go as expected