Later that day, Mumbo went out for groceries as there was nowhere near enough food for four mouths in the fridge. Seeing as the government was on the hunt for hybrids amongst its people, it was a risky trip. If he got in trouble, there would be no way any of the three boys would be able to know until it was too late.

That being said, Dream took the role of babysitter whilst the man was out. He didn't trust humans but Mumbo had saved Tubbo when he was bleeding out and he was also harboring the kid from the news broadcast; hell, Mumbo had even patched him up, when he didn't have to. Dream's wounds had stopped bleeding hours ago, before he'd arrived at the house. However, the possibility that he was simply waiting for the right opportunity to hand them all in was still there. The police force would give a nice amount of money for any tips on their tip line and even more for anyone who apprehended a hybrid.

At least, he could trust the dog. Kubo was a good boy, sniffing and licking at Dream's fingers in greeting before doing the same to Tubbo. His brother laughed when the dog jumped in his lap and sat on him.

"So, what's your relationship with Mumbo?" Dream asked Tommy, trying to keep his nervousness from showing in his voice. After Mumbo had left, they had situated themselves in the living room; the one room with multiple exits and an open view of the street. They could have a heads up if something was happening outside and that would give them time to leave unnoticed.

"Well- Uh, he's a friend of my uncle's." Tommy answered, dropping the conversation he and Tubbo were having. Dream didn't care about what they were discussing; there were greater matters at hand. He trusted Tubbo to not say too much.

"Your uncle?"

"Avian."

However, there were no avian traits showing on Tommy's body. No wings, no talons, no tail feathers, no dusting of down on his face. He didn't even have sharp teeth to indicate that he was a hybrid. By the age of four, he should have had grown one of those characteristics if not all of them. Perhaps, he was unlucky (or lucky) and the hybrid gene hadn't been passed on to him... or the government had it all wrong and he was completely human.

Dream grunted a response and moved to the other edge of the couch, closer to the window. Behind him, the two boys continued their conversation about... something; he wasn't paying attention. From his spot, he couldn't see much other than the facade of the opposite house and an old car that was parked in its driveway. Carefully, he stood up, grunting with the effort.

"Dream!" Tubbo shouted with worry and Dream pretended that his stitches weren't pulling at his skin as if to agree with his brother that he shouldn't be moving. Tommy also piped up.

"Come on, man, you shouldn't be moving like that-"

"You'll tear your stitches, idiot!"

Hands grabbed onto his forearm, pulling him away from the window. Dream didn't budge, only shooting Tubbo a warning glance to back off. His brother, being stubborn, only huffed and sent the glare right back at him.

"They won't tear if you stop jostling me."

"They will if you don't stop fucking moving!"

Regardless, Tubbo relented, flopping back on the couch with a sour frown on his face. Dream didn't pay it more mind than he had to, catching Tommy's lost gaze instead.

"So, where were you two going?" the boy asked, curious. Dream raised an eyebrow. "Tubbo mentioned you two were going somewhere safe. Where?"

That... could be a trap. Tommy, for all that he claimed to be –for what the higher ups claimed he was– he looked too human; too much of a threat. Words are as dangerous a weapon as a knife and, well, he couldn't give him such power. The least people that knew of their whereabouts, the better.

His beloved brother, however, thought otherwise or he didn't think at all. The times that he'd think before he'd spoken Dream could count on his fingers.

"We were going to the Sewer Cats." he said, too trusting and too dismissive of the obvious lack of avian. Dream's eyes narrowed in warning but Tubbo wasn't looking at him, his back facing Dream. The horns felt heavier on the sides of his head.

Tommy looked surprised. For someone who had supposedly lived with avians, his surprise was unexpected. It was common knowledge amongst the hybrids of the city that the Sewer Cats existed; it was a secret kept away from human ears.

"Sewer cats? Who are they?"

Tubbo opened his mouth to speak but Dream quickly cut him off.

"Tubbo, don't say a word."

They both looked at him; Tommy with an offended face and Tubbo with an expression that spoke of his inner realization that he had said too much already.

"Why not?" Tommy pushed. "Who are those sewer cats anyways? Hybrids, yeah?"

Dream considered him. He didn't like that he was considering answering that question but there was a detail to address about Tommy. Regardless of his lack of wings and feathers, he was still being hunted down. The media was full of wanted posters with his face plastered all over the city. He was suspected of being a hybrid, probably.

Tommy was as house-bound as Dream and Tubbo and that put them in the same boat, as much as doubt and anxiety ate away at Dream's mind. Distrust was clawing up his throat; he pushed it down.

"Fine." Tubbo looked surprised.

"Fine?" A nod and his brother beamed.

"Okay!" Tubbo exclaimed, unsettling Kubo, who jumped down after being spooked by the boy's excitement. Dream looked out the window.

"So, the Sewer Cats are protecting hybrids from the government and they have this super-secret hideout! That's where we're going."

A black van parked on the opposite side of the road.

"Woah! Could we come with you? Mumbo and I? Uh, Dream?"

Dream squinted his eyes at it, tried to see the nameplate. His senses were on high alert already and the alarms that set off in his mind at the sight of the van sent adrenaline flowing through his limbs. He straightened up to see better when armed officers in black vests filed out of the vehicle to approach the neighbor's door. One of them was carrying a ram.

"We need to go." Dream said. He stood up hurriedly, hissing at the pull of the stitches under the tons of bandages. Kubo wagged his tail at his feet but quickly got the message that the situation wasn't lighthearted.

Tommy and Tubbo stood up as well, his brother running towards him to steady his stumbling.

"We do– Why?" Dream shot a small glance at the window and the boys quickly caught on to what was happening.

"Why are they here?!" Tommy screeched at a low volume, which Dream was thankful for. The last thing they needed was to attract attention to the house before they could leave.

"They're searching for someone." Dream supplied the boy with an answer and Tubbo's eyes widened instantly.

"They're here for us– Shit, they're here for us–"

Dream didn't let Tubbo continue lest his brother fell into a spiral. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled his brother to his side, holding him steady. The armed men bashed the neighbor's door open and then there was shouting.

"Tommy is there a backdoor or something?"

The boy looked terrified. "What about Mumbo?"

"There is no time for Mumbo, we have to leave now!" he stressed his words with a frustrated hiss. "They'll check there and then they'll look here, Tommy." Tommy still seemed hesitant to leave the human man behind, despite how dire the circumstances were.

So, Dream grabbed him, too, and he pulled both boys into the hallway. Tommy's window– A gunshot sounded when they entered the room; shouting, chaos. All of it was silenced with another ear-piercing bang and they all stood still.

Tubbo pushed himself into Dream's side. Dream bit his tongue to keep from shouting as pain flared from his wounds. He could feel the bandages becoming sticky and wet with blood but he couldn't focus on that– not when he had to get his brother out of there–

A knock came from the door. Kubo ran towards it, standing on his hand legs to try and look at who it is. Panicked and shaking like a leaf, Tommy quickly called the dog to them.

"Is anyone home? We're just here for a few questions!"

And Dream knew that voice too well. Tommy, too, looked frantic. "Mumbo's room, Mumbo's room!" the boy urged, pushing harshly at them both. Kubo followed.

He didn't need to be told twice before he was shoving both of the boys into Mumbo's bedroom, closing and licking the door behind them. Kubo whined in worry and Dream almost thought twice about taking the dog as well.

"Tubbo, look for spare clothes." he ordered, moving to barricade the door with furniture; they couldn't walk around in blooded clothing in broad daylight. Tommy, looking both of them over once, ran to show Tubbo the clothes inside Mumbo's closet.

First were the nightstands, lifting them off the floor to move them so they didn't make any noise. That wouldn't be enough to hold back so many men, though, so he considered the desk. There were so many items and gadgets and knickknacks that it hurt his own heart to knock them off but it had to be done. The crash of so many metal objects and the ruffling and crumpling of paper as he misplaced everything that would fall off made him wince.

The barracade would hold, he thought. At least until the kids made it out of the room. Tubbo knew where to go, even if Dream didn't make it out in one piece – No, he scolded himself, now is not the time to think about that, be positive.

"Dream, here." Tubbo passed him a white button up and a black suit jacket. It wouldn't be the most discreet outfit but it was certainly better than the torn hoodie he was wearing. Not only was it ruined beyond repair but the soldiers had seen him in that, so it would also give him away.

"You two need to cover the horns too." Tommy reminded in a whisper. Tubbo pulled on a fresh, green button up and tucked it messily into the waistband of his trousers.

There was a bang that came from outside. The men were breaking down the door. Kubo barked at the sound, running at the closed bedroom door and pacing in front of it. Tommy tried to shush him as he looked through drawers.

A beanie was soon shoved onto each of their heads and Tommy tugged them over their horns fast before messing with his own. Dream herded them to the window and lastly, he picked up Kubo with a pained hiss. He had certainly not been cleared to lift any weight.

There was another bash and the front door had broken off its hinges. The wood banged loudly against the floor, followed by the same shouting and heavy footsteps. In the brash sound, Tommy growled.

"Do those fuckers even have a warrant?!"

Dream chose to humor him, "Probably not." –they've most likely planned to clean the whole neighborhood anyway. "Come on, climb out and I'll hand Kubo to you."

The kids started climbing out of the open window. The curtains flowed innocently with a draft of wind that rushed into the room.

"Go, go, go!" Dream silently urged. Tubbo was the first to climb out, having already done that a million times before. Goat genes had a way to make a person climb the steepest of hills.

Tommy, however, was hesitant. The drop wasn't that big since the window wasn't all that high off of the ground –by Dream and Tubbo's standards anyway. Apparently, Tommy didn't share the same opinion.

"Uhm–" but time wasn't on their side.

"Check the rooms!" the shout came from the hall. Almost immediately, something hit against the door.

Dream's heart dropped to his stomach.

"This one is locked!"

Kubo barked and Dream let him down.

"Tommy, move!" he hissed at the boy, moving to help him get out. Tubbo was waiting patiently at the bottom, face focused and arms outstretched. Tommy latched onto the window sill, muttering a handful of colorful words under his breath, whining. Another hit came at the door, causing the boy to yelp and let go suddenly, falling to the ground gracelessly.

Kubo barked at the third hit. There was something being said behind the door but Dream's ears were ringing. The wood around the handle cracked and another hit sent it flying to the floor with a loud bang. It left a hole behind it and through that hole, Dream could just barely make out the outline of someone there. He grabbed Kubo again and carefully gave him to Tubbo.

"You got him?" he asked.

Another bash and the hole widened. Dream was keenly aware of the blood soaking into his bandages from his aggravated wounds. A stitch must've had come undone through the whole ordeal and he was certain that it wouldn't be the last one.

"Yeah, yeah-"

Dream passed a leg over the window sill. He spared a glance at the doorway- he caught a glimpse of the door being pushed open, heard the wood splinter and break off in chunks. He hurried to get down, almost dropping like Tommy had when the desk and nightstands scraped against the floor.

"They're getting away!"

A gunshot sounded and a bullet whizzed past Dream's head. The guard hadn't made it into the room but through the hole, their gun was pointed at the window anyway. He dropped down and grabbed the boys by their arms. Kubo barked again and whined. Dream could match his sentiment.

"Circle the house, they can't have made it far!"

To the officers' displeasure, the four of them were gone by the time they'd circled the house. One of them stood where the window was, shoes grazing the hard pavement. The plants beneath it were pressed to the ground, some stems were broken at odd angles. A particularly thorny bush had snagged a piece of fabric from the escapees. If the others found it, they would have one of the bloodhounds track them down by scent.

Then again, there were plenty of clothes in the house. Hiding that piece wouldn't do much to help. So, the soldier left it there.

"Lieutenant! Your orders?" someone called from behind him. The others didn't appear to have taken anything from the house, which was no good. He gave one last look at the depressed greenery and sighed. The air came out distorted from the filter of his gas mask. He flicked a stray tuft of black and green hair out of his face.

Sam called back.

"Search the house!"

---

They took as many alleyways and backstreets as they could. Kubo followed them at a fast pace, not needing to be confined to a leash to know that he had to stay at their side. One was bleeding, the other had been injured at the knees and the last one was trying to help both.

Dream led the way, stumbling sometimes but mostly limping. He held Tubbo's arm so tight that it could bruise but his brother wasn't complaining. Thanks to the adrenaline, he didn't feel the excruciating pain of his stitches coming undone and the bandages managed to absorb all red that flowed between them. He saw black spots here and there but he was determined to get his brother to safety.

Right. Get Tubbo to safety first, pass out second, he thought as he clang to consciousness with every cell of his body. He wanted to laugh at the obsurdity of their situation. His own brother had been shot; Dream knew that he wasn't the only one paying Hell for the distance they were covering. Aside from Tommy's scraped knees, there weren't any other injuries present on the boys.

Kubo barked at something. They all tensed but when they looked, it appeared to be a cat sitting on one of the trashcans. The feline didn't appear bothered by the dog, licking a white paw elegantly instead of running away. It was too clean to be a stray and obviously well-fed. Its coat was fluffy, coloured grey and white. Its big, green round eyes flicked at them.

"It's that way." Dream pointed towards the alley the cat was in. Tubbo and Tommy nodded with equal relief. Dream could feel the adrenaline slowly ebbing away, leaving his fingertips numb and tingly. The cat hopped off the trashcan, tail raised and head up in a defiant way. Kubo got the hint and didn't bark again.

It led them to their destination and Dream, through the haze in his mind, couldn't help but find amusing that their guide to the Sewer Cats would be an actual cat. Silently, he matched the actions of the cat to those of a bouncer.

The little fellow sat near a moss-covered storm drain. The rusted, unused metal looked disgunting and unappealing but Dream could care less in the state they were all in. They had to get to a shelter and if that meant getting his hands dirty by moving the cover of a gutter, so be it.

Surprisingly, the cover was easy to move with his hands. Well, if it were the entrance to a hideout, it would be used frequently –even though it looked old and overall gross. There was nothing but the promise of dirt, grime and the slippery rungs that had been nuilt into the claustrophobic, concrete walls of the drain.

The cat jumped down and a splash echoed up the circular opening.

"...I don't like this." Tommy said. Tubbo agreed with him and Kubo backed away when Dream tried to pick him up.

"Neither do I but..." Dream sighed. "We need shelter and medical attention."

He placed Kubo on his back and the dog dug his claws into the fabric of the suit jacket. Dream heard it rip.

"I'll go first. I'll shout once I get down there, alright?"

With that said, Dream descended into the darkness.