Phil and his new hoglin friend wandered around for quite a while, searching for a trace of Techno. Obviously, they didn't find any, as Techno was walking right next to him the whole time. He just doesn't know that yet. It made the pink haired man trapped in a hoglin body feel bad, as he knew that his friend would keep searching for him but never find him. At least not while he looks like this. So while Phil was busy searching for any trace of his friend, Techno tried to find a way to show him that he is right here. But so far he had no idea how to do that.

"Where is he... something has to be wrong... I hope he's okay..." The hoglin looked at his human friend and immediately felt terrible when seeing his sad face. Oh how he hated to see that expression on him. It was already bad enough when Wilbur died. Phil wasn't able to smile for days during that time. 'Of course he's sad... he doesn't want to lose another one of his friends. He's already lost so much.'

Now the giant pig creature was determined to cheer him up, no matter what it would take. But how could he make him happy? It's a little more difficult when you are stuck in a hoglin body. Not to mention that Techno was bad at dealing with emotions anyways, especially when it comes to cheering up others. Maybe... no. That's stupid and absolutely stands against everything his dignity would allow. Then again, if it makes Phil happy, he might just willingly act like an actual pet. Like a hoglin. It's for his friend after all and it's the least he can do for him, after everything he's done for Techno.

Since Phil was still holding on to the rope that was tied around the hoglin's neck, it was easy for the creature to pull him towards a clearing in the warped forest they were currently walking through. "Woah hey! Where are you going?" The hoglin just kept going until they found a nice spot to lay down on. "Oh... I guess we can take a break. It's been a long walk." Phil settled down against the hoglin's stomach again and sighed, staring off into the distance. He's clearly still upset about not finding his friend, which is understandable. Techno is one of his closest and oldest friends, how could he not be worried to lose him?

That doesn't mean that Techno will just accept the fact that Phil is sad. Hopefully his plan works... and Phil won't laugh at him once he finds out that his hoglin pet is actually him. 'Alright. Here goes nothing. Forget your dignity for a few moments. For Phil.' The hoglin had to shift it's position a bit, scaring Phil, who was still staring off into the distance. "What are you-" Before he could finish that sentence the hoglin had placed it's head in Phil's lap and whined a little. For the first few seconds Phil just stared at it in awe, amazed that this gigantic creature was acting like a little puppy, before smiling and starting to stroke through the soft fur on it's head. This lead to the hoglin giving a pleased grumble and leaning into the touch. 'Make him happy. That's all that matters now.'

"Awww you want some cuddles?" The hoglin just nuzzled it's head more against Phil with enough strength to result in the blonde laying down on the floor. Said blonde started to laugh and ruffle through the fluffy pink fur before petting it's snout. "Awww are you a little puppy? Do you need cuddles and lots of attention?" Phil couldn't help but laugh when he saw the offended look of the hoglin. Guess it does not like to be compared to a dog. "God you're adorable. I hope Techno allows me to keep you. I'm actually starting to really like you."

Techno immediately noticed the sad glint in his eyes when he mentioned his still missing friend, so he moved his head up to Phil's chest and silently demanded more cuddles. This immediately made the sad glint fade away from Phil's eyes as he began to laugh and give his hoglin more cuddles. At least this way the pig creature was able to keep his friend distracted and happy for a little while.

Both of them don't know for how long they just laid there and cuddled, but if felt like an hour had passed, maybe more. "Alright big guy. We should keep moving now." The hoglin whined and stayed put, as they actually got pretty comfortable right now. "Come on. Please? We can't sleep out here in the open. Ghasts or Piglins could come attack us." His friend had a point there. So he lifted his head an allowed Phil to get up and stretch both his arms and his wings for a second, flapping them a few times before folding them behind his back again. Techno stood up to his full height as well, towering over Phil.

It wasn't something special, as Techno was much taller than Phil anyways, but it just amazed and terrified him at the same time to see just how small his friend is compared to his new hoglin body. Sometimes he was scared to hurt him by accident. He leaned down, allowing Phil to pet his snout a few times before grabbing the rope around his neck again. "You know... I don't think you really need this. We kinda just follow each other around anyways." 'Finally he gets it. Please, just take that stupid thing off.' Phil untied the knot of the rope and let the hoglin free, which immediately shook his head and gave a small, happy squeal. "Yeah. I get it. Sorry I put it on you in the first place."

The hoglin nudged Phil as if saying 'it's okay' before looking around. Where should they go next? That's when Phil realized just how big his new friend actually was. If the hoglin allowed it, he could probably ride on its back. That way they could travel faster and cover more ground. It's worth a shot.

When Techno felt a slight tug on the fur on his right side, he didn't expect to see Phil trying to climb on his back. 'Oh so that's how it is. First you try and drag me around on a lead, now you want to ride on me like a horse.' Yet he doesn't move a muscle while watching his friends desperate attempts to climb on top of him. It took him a few tries, but he managed to get on the hoglin's back with the help of his wings. God the creature really is huge. He felt so much taller now that he was on its back. When the hoglin looked back at him he smiled and gently patted it's back. "Is this okay? I can get off if you want."

Instead of giving some sort of vocal answer, the hoglin just started to sprint off into a random direction. Phil yelped and grabbed a fistful of fur in each hand, desperately trying to stay on top of the hoglin. Techno couldn't help the amused snort. 'That's what you get for treating me like a horse.' He slowed down eventually when the terrain became more rocky, as he didn't want to trip and hurt them both, or worse, crush Phil under his gigantic body. "Okay... I guess that was a yes... give me a warning next time. You almost gave me a heart attack." Phil smiled and patted the hoglin again.

"Alright. Let's keep looking for my friend."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I just felt like adding some wholesome stuff for once : )