The sewers were dark and claustrophobic. The constant sound of drip... drip... drip... bounced off the walls between intervals, the droplets of viscous liquid gathering at the middle of the tunnel in a black, thin stream. Various creepy crawlies came and went, making Tommy's skin crawl with apparitions of six-legged insects walking up his shins and forearms. It made goosebumps raise on his skin as he continuously swiped at the ghostly feeling. Maybe it was a bad idea: following a cat into a sewer didn't sound as bright anymore.

Dream and Tubbo appeared determined to see this through, however, and Tommy wasn't about to quit because of a few bugs and enclosed spaces. He had never been a fun of cages and that storm drain was eerily close in comparison but Phil had raised no quiter! The goat brothers couldn't see well in the dark, which they figured out right after they'd stepped foot on the decrepit ledge of the drain canal; the cons of being half herbivore, he guessed. Tommy had always had good nightvision, the one thing that kept his father and his siblings hopeful that one day he, too, would have grown wings of his own. It's funny when he would think back on it: how hopeful everyone was for something that would never happen –weirdly reminiscent of their current situation, wasn't it? It's also funny how he ended up on TV even though he didn't have the complimentary pair of wings that should have gone with his eyesight.

He shook his head, ridding his mind of such depressing thoughts. Holding hands and walking in a neat line, he led them through the winding hallways, following a stray cat that could have been leading them to a sludge monster for all he knew but he disregarded the suspicion; there was no going back, they were in too deep. He didn't remember the way out to leave and that fact made him feel more trapped than the wet, low, dome ceiling did.

His legs shook and he pushed forth. Dream and Tubbo were more hurt than he was, stumbling and limping along with only Kubo to make sure that they weren't falling behind, grunting in discomfort and pain but never once protesting when they slipped or tripped on debris. They were relying on him to get them to their destination, wherever that was, and it was out of camaraderie, the planted seeds of friendship taking root and the instinct to stick together that he was helping them. Had they not been at the house, had Dream not sat at the window and watched the neighborhood like a hawk, perhaps Tommy wouldn't be there; perhaps a darker, scarier fate would have awaited him.

So, he pushed himself and put one leg in front of the other and he walked. The cat turned around at random to check that they were still following, that green, piercing gaze pinning Tommy in place for a second.

Mumbo wasn't with them and that was Tommy's first regret. Though, Mumbo wasn't human; he was safe. The only thing he'd have to deal with was a broken door and Grian's disappointment at best. They wouldn't pursue him, maybe, or they would because the three of them had been huddled inside his house. Hopefully, the man was smart enough to lie if it came down to it. Tommy ground his teeth as the thought begged to overtake his senses and the wave crashed over jagged rocks, roaring unhinged and wind howling in his ear–

His jaw relaxed, a sting in his cheek and a faint ache in the palm of his hand, stunned silence behind him. His blurry eyes focused on the grey and white form of the feline in front of him. Keep going. Keep going. He told himself to keep going, don't think, just do it. The faster they got help, the better for everyone. Mumbo needed help, Grian needed help, his whole ass family needed help but Tommy didn't know where any of them could be.

"Do you hear that?" Tubbo said all of a sudden, scaring both Dream and Tommy.

"Hear what?" Tommy questioned, not stopping in order to not lose the cat from his sight.

"The buzzing."

Silence followed. Silence and the weight of their steps as they traversed the stinky sewers. Then, something red glinted in the darkness. It blinked in and out of existence and if Tommy concentrated enough, he could make out some background noise that definitely could not have been produced by them.

"What is that?" Tommy asked no one in particular, pointing at the blinking light in the darkness of the tunnel. A moment later, he realised that his gesture couldn't be seen, so he lowered his hand. The light, however, was visible and very out of place.

"Maybe a camera?" Dream added to his question, his voice strained and breathless. The adrenaline must have died down, letting the first few nerves fire warning signals about his stitches opening. Red was starting to seep out of the bandages and onto his clothes, visible from the dark, wet splotches that Tommy could see when he looked back at them. They had to hurry; Dream was probably hanging onto consciousness by a thread and Tommy doubted that they could carry a body without a second casualty -Tubbo's wounds were bad too.

"It could be!" Tubbo exclaimed, something like hope filling his voice. "If this is the entrance to a secret base, then it makes sense to monitor it!"

"Is that so, cat?" Tommy asked the animal, who had turned to face them again, hope crawling and curling into his chest like a grapevine. The cat didn't do more than blink and then it was walking again. The next hallways they turned into was lightly illuminated by light that spilled from another corner farther down. Tommy couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Is that light or am I hallucinating?" Tubbo asked, stunned, eyes as wide as a deer's. Kubo barked, his paws patting againtst the hard cement as he trotted to the front of the line, matching the cat's pace. The cat appeared unbothered by the presence of the dog, which Tommy couldn't help but find weird. Usually cats bat and hiss at them and dogs usually chase them. Those two act like they're friends, like they belong to the same pack. He didn't pour more thought into it.

The sound of rushing water, of a wider stream, filled the torturous silence of the drain system, accompanying the light.

"It's light!" Tommy confirmed and his chest immediately felt lighter. Behind him, he heard Dream laugh, hopeful and relieved, his movements sluggish as he squeezed both his and his brother's hands. He felt it more than he saw Dream collapse, taking a step back to catch him. "Prime fucking damnit." he cursed as he slung one of the teen's arms over his shoulders. Tubbo came and took the other one, grunting in discomfort and pain.

They had made good distance, anyway. Silently, Tommy thought that Dream deserved to rest after all the wounds, the pain, protecting his younger brother and making sure that he was safe. Wilbur and Technoblade would have done the same thing, and if you gave them a choice, they'd choose to protect him time and time again. That thought and the promise of shelter overwhelmed his senses, his finger grew tingly, there was a pep in his step even with the extra weight he was carrying.

"We made it..." Tubbo murmured under his breath full of relief and emotion. "We fucking did it..." he sobbed, his whole body trembling with it.

"Hold it together, man," Tommy told him and then he reminded him. "We aren't safe yet."

He saw Tubbo nod, his wobbly smile and the tears in his eyes illuminated in a warm, orange hue. It's then that he realises that it's firelight that is spilling into the tunnel. There were really people down there.

The cat jumped over into the light, in a wide canal that had a wider stream of dark water, that seemed to be deeper than they could see. Tommy and Tubbo hauled Dream's limp body over, carefully walking along the ledge so that they wouldn't trip and fall into the murky water. Kubo tailed them once more, guarding their blind spots like the amazing dog that he was. There were glass and iron lanterns, lit and spread across the length of the canal, making the air warm and guiding them to a safe haven.

"Just a little farther..." Tommy whispered, though his voice echoed. Tubbo nodded his head, his expression twisting into determination, one single tear spilling over his cheek and drying as it travelled down his throat.

They took small breaks to catch their breath. They could both see in there, so they could afford that much. The third time, they stopped between two lanterns, leaning themselves against the wall. They didn't let Dream fall to the ground, supporting him even when they were trying to catch their breath; Tubbo's wounds could reopen if they sat him down and then hauled him upright again. There was flora in the stream beside them, stagnant even though the stream was moving. Small and big leaves that resembled those of ivy, moss covering the gaps between the gaps.

"Is that a ghillie suit?" Tommy pointed at it. Tubbo looked at it.

"Maybe... It looks like one, maybe it's caught on a rock or something."

"Think we could grab it?"

"Ew, I'm not touching that."

Right as he said that, the leaves and moss parted and two white, glowing eyes blinked up at them.

"What are you 'ew'ing at?!" a masculine voice shouted, making them scream and push themselves into the wall behind them. With Dream's arms over each of their shoulders, they were effectively trapped; Tubbo wouldn't leave his brother to die and Tommy wouldn't leave Tubbo to die protecting his brother. Kubo barked, tail wagging and teeth bared in threat.

A body rose out of the water, taking with it the moss and the ivy leaves, dragging them up to lean shoulders and spilling into the water like a cloak. They screeched when they saw the face of a person, a man, underneath the earthy garment, those glowing eyes staring at them, the skin tan and wet with murky water, a mouth twisted in ire, tufts of black, fluffy, dry hair that appears to defy the laws of physics stuck out from beneath the leaves.

"Huh?! My moss is perfect!"

At their stunned silence, the man's accusing glare fell on Tommy, then on Tubbo and finally on Dream. The sight of the unconcsious teenager made all ire melt away from his expression and he waded with urgency towards the edge of the concrete platform, the moss cloak dragging on the surface of the water.

"What happened to your friend?" the stranger questioned a lot quieter than before, sounding worried. He turned towards the cat, who had sat down next to a lantern, basking in the warmth it emitted and then his eyes found Tommy and Tubbo's own. "Were you following her?"

"Yeah..." Tommy said a little breathlessly, his heart thumping and his hands shaking with a rush of adrenaline. "We're looking for the Sewer Cats. Big man here is bleeding, he's been shot a lot, same thing with Tubbo–"

"Hmm..." the stranger regarded them with hesitancy. His eyes moved quickly as he analysed each of them, "Sit him down."

"What– Why?" Tubbo asked, looking at the man incredulously.

"Just do it."

As he told them, they set Dream on the ground as carefully as they can. The man continued to watch them, thoughtful. Kubo wasn't growling but he was watching the exchange from the sidelines, ready to pounce at the slightest act of violence.

"Jellie," the moss covered man regarded the cat, who looked bored as it blinked its sleepy eyes at him. "Stay with them," –he turned to them– "I'll go get the help squad!" he exclaimed –no... he declared, and then he stilled like he had forgotten something. "Ah, right! What are your names?"

"Tommy."

"Tubbo, and this is Dream."

The man asked then, "Are you three related?"

Tommy shook his head. "They're brothers. Tubbo and I are friends."

"Okay." the man nodded and then he turned to Tubbo. "I'll go get help for your brother, alright?"

Tubbo nodded. "Please hurry."

The man disappeared beneath the moss, the ivy leaves and the creeper twigs. None of ir followed as he submerged himself underwater, staying floating in place on the surface. Tommy wondered if the guy was still there, watching them and laughing at their misery. He couldn't tell if he had moved and the fact that he had submerged himself made him worry. The stranger was obviously some type of hybrid but he couldn't tell what it was. He knew all surface hybrids and the flying types but that one was new... or rare. Hiding in a sewer felt like something a rare hybrid would do; no one checked the sewer system for homeless people.

Tubbo leant against the wall, laid his head on his brother's shoulder and sighed. His eyelids were half-closed and he looked really tired. They had lost track of time down in the tunnels; how much time had passed? Minutes? Hours? Days? No, definitely not days; they would have had been signalled by their stomachs if it had been so long. The cat, Jellie, had lied down like a loaf of bread and Kubo sat down next to Tommy, who was crouched next to the other two.

Time passed and Tommy counted Kubo's heavy breaths like seconds in an hour. The poor dog was overheating and Tommy had to stop him from drinking from the stream. Tubbo had fallen asleep after a few minutes and Tommy didn't like that he was alone in the waking world, when anyone could turn the corner and find them–

No one would turn the corner. No one knew that they were there. Still, he couldn't halp but feel uneasy and exposed. He finally sat down, petting Kubo who was sitting guard and he waited. He waited for voices, for the moss and the ivy leaves to move. He waited for something to happen; for something to change. His eyes felt more and more tired by the second.

When he was half-asleep, it happened. Down to where the lanterns lead came the echoes of voices and the sounds of feet hitting the concrete, shadows of people dancing against the far wall. There were many of them and alertness shot through Tommy. He shot upright and hastily stood up. Kubo was already standing, facing the direction of the voices. The stranger from before resurfaced beside them, raising one hand up towards the ceiling to signal his company and pointing towards the three boys huddled against the wet and grimy wall.

"They're over here!" the stranger's voice carried far, and the walls helped get it father.

A group of people rounded the corner, holding lanterns and flashlights, as well as a few small briefcases that looked like first-aid kits. Tommy recognised none of them but he waved and hastened them towards the hybrid brothers, still asleep on the ground. There were two pairs with makeshift stretchers made up of wood poles and thick fabric. People crowded around Tubbo and Dream and they piled them into those stretchers.

"Are you hurt or injured, young man?" one of them asked; a woman with flowers in her brown hair. She didn't wait for a response, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him left and right to inspect him. "No, good. We are taking your friends to the infarmary, so keep up, love!"

He kept up with the parade of people, his pace matching with the people who were carrying his friends. Kubo kept up and the cat had disappeared as soon as the people had started to move deeper into the sewers. The stranger from before was nowhere to be seen, though Tommy had made a mental note to return and thank the man for his help.

After a quarter of an hour as they told him, they arrived at their base. The sewer canals opened up into a ginormous cavern, so tall that the ceiling was difficult to distinguish. There were buildings burried underneath, cargo containers wading through green, stagnant water. There was a bridge system that flowed on the surface: huge chunks of rocks that were connected with rope or bolted together. Tommy looked at it all in awe; and was that a whole airplane over there?!

"Well, well!" a voice sounded in front of him, cheerful. There was a man standing there, and Tommy couldn't tell why but he seemed oddly familiar. Jellie the cat was sitting next to his feet, holding her chin up high like a queen silently judging her guest beside her king. "Hello there!"

Tommy narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man before him. A fancy cane, accented with goldleaf and a fancy suit and top hat in the colour of ripe cherries. Brown, neat hair, swept to the side and leafy green eyes. The scar on his face was what made it click; for Tommy to realise who that man was. The one-sided smirk only made him more sure.

That was the previous mayor of the city, known for his diplomacy skills before he chose to walk the political branch.

Scar Goodtimes. That was Scar Goodtimes. The same man was tipping his hat at him, welcoming him to an underground operation, going directly against the wishes of the other politicians; whoever started that charade.

"Welcome to the Sewer Cats!"

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Ahahaha have you missed me? I swear I didn't forget to update no no, where did you get that idea? Anyway, I have just realised how easy it is to write chapters with small word counts oh I love this fic