"Are those gifts a mistake?" Pubba calls.

Gus and Y/n purse their lips guiltily, crawling away with their sling shot and paddle in their hands.

...

Y/n climbs the trees, following after Gus and gliding around clumsily. She most definetely hasn't learned to fly, but she knows that opening her wings just right could carry her a few feet. However, in the trees, there's nearly no room at all to open her large wings to their full span.

Gus and Y/n approach the fence. It appears the storm the other day has knocked a tree over, therefore collapsing the wire and stand.

Y/n watches as Gus takes a step forward. "Gus!" She calls, gliding down and taking a clumsy landing. She tucks in her wings against her back. It looks like she's wearing a backpack.

Gus looks around and takes a big, deep breath before stepping over the fence. Y/n takes his hand in hers as a sign of protection. If they were doing something stupid, they'd do it together.

She looks around and birds begin to chirp. Both her and Gus's ears twitch curiously. "Mama." Gus whispers. There's a disembodied growling that echoes around them. "Growl..." Gus begins fearfully, backing away.

Y/n ushers him behind her. "Duck."

A hand places itself on their shoulders.

Y/n shrieks, raising her fist only to be grabbed by Pubba. "What did I tell you!?" He scowls.

"What did I tell you!?" He repeats to himself, carrying Gus and dragging a lanky Y/n by her forearm forcefully. He shoves them both forward, standing up straight. Y/n wraps an arm over her little brother's shoulder, her brown eyes fill with concern as their Pubba scolds them.

"Someone could have seen you!"

"We heard something!" Gus retaliated. "We thought it was her." Y/n frowns dissapointedly.

"I told you, she's gone!!" Pubba shouts. His loud voice and sudden escalation in volume makes Y/n's wings fluff and her eyes widen. She shrinks away submissively, but keeps her brother one step behind her.

"It's my fault. I told you not to be afraid." Pubba says, running a hand through his hair and down his face.

He side eyes the children. "I thought I could trust you."

"You can!" Gus shouts. "We're your family!" Y/n agrees.

"No! We need to trust each other!" Pubba glares distinctively.

"You don't trust us! You say we're too little!" Gus shouts, his hands tight in little fists. "You are too little, Gus. You both are." He looks up to Y/n, shaking his head.

"And you just proved it."

"No, we didn't— We– We heard something, Pub—" She says quickly as Gus sobs and rubs his eyes, trying to stop the flowing of tears.

"Sarah!" At first, Pubba doesn't understand why Y/n cut herself off. She grabs Gus's shoulder, her eyes scanning the area as her ears twitching. Gus calms, beginning to listen as well. Pubba has to zone in a little more than they do, seeing as he doesn't have supernatural hearing like them.

"Sarah!"

"Sarah!!"

The three of them book it to the house. Y/n and Gus follow their father. He grabs a broom, hesitating, but taking it anyways.

Gus hides in a bush, while Y/n perches in a tree branch hidden by leaves.

"Sarah?? Sarah!?" The man continues, coming to a stop.

"Hey– don't come any closer!" Pubba demands angrily, holding his broom like a shotgun.

"Afternoon," Greets the man, "Mind... putting the gun down?" He asks.

"Feel better if it didn't." Pubba says, raising it a little more to emphasize his point.

"I'm just looking for someone," Says the man, raising his hands.

"Well, they're not here. Better start looking someplace else." Says Pubba, readjusting the 'gun' under his arm anxiously.

"How long have you been here?" Asks the stranger. "I realize how strange this is, but I give you my word; I had no idea you camp was here." The man swears.

Y/n narrows her eyes at him as Pubba speaks. "Who said I had a camp?"

The man expertly avoids the question, continuing, "My sister went off in these mountains a week and a half ago. It's not a place for an unarmed woman." He takes a step forward, but Pubba raises the broom.

"Don't move." He demands defensively.

"I want to know if she made it through." Insists the man.

"She didn't come through here." Says Pubba, matching the man's incessant energy. "You should get back on the road before it gets dark."

"The road's the last place you want to be, friend." Says the man, shaking his head. "You haven't gone out much lately, huh?"

Pubba bites, "What's it like out there?"

The man sighs, "It sucks. No rules, no laws. Once the internet went down, it was over. Just tribes of people, scared. Fighting over whatever's left."

"What about the Sick?" Asks Pubba, faintly wondering if it was safe to go out.

Y/n looks down curiously, unsure what 'the Sick' was.

"It slowed down, but it's still out there. People think the hybrids caused it."

Pubba replied quickly– defensively, even. "Yeah, well, maybe it cause them." He scowls.

"Yeah, maybe." Agrees the man, now on edge. "Any case, ain't many of us left. So if you're out here alone, isolated and whatnot... you probably aren't in a company." He says, "Are you?"

"In a company?" Asks Pubba, more defensive than ever with these questions about his safety.

"Alone." Says the man, confirming Pubba's suspicions about the man wanting to know if he was alone, defenseless.

"I've lived here alone, by myself for nine years, four weeks, and... and three days!" He shouts.

The sudden shouting makes Y/n shrink away, causing a crackle up above. Gus looks up, sitting up as well, causing a few branches to crack underneath him.

Pubba looks up and Y/n and then down at Gus before looking towards where the man is. Or... was.

"Hey!" He runs forwards, "Hey!! Hey, where'd  you go!?" Pubba demands. "Stay back," His voice falters. But he catches himself, "Stay back!! Hey-!!" He stops at the sight of a oink ribbon. His face pales. "He marked us."

...

Pubba opens the cubby under the stairs. "Gus, Y/n, get in." He orders.

"I don't wanna." Gus says, as Y/n already has one foot inside.

"I said, get in the cubby." Pubba insists. "It's a hole." Frowns Gus. "It's not a hole. You know how foxes hide out during the day in their little fox house in the ground?" He asks as Y/n hurries to get out again, grab her paddle and Velveteen, and back into the cubby.

"What's the Sick?" Asks Gus. Y/n gets out again to grab two blankets to make it cozy inside. "It's, uh... grownup stuff." Pubba answers. Y/n grabs Dog from the bed, placing him on top of the two blankets. She also grabs their pillows.

"Why'd you say you lived alone?"

"To protect you. Sometimes, it's okay to bend the truth if it helps someone you love," Says Pubba, "Understand?"

"I'm scared..." Gus says softly. Y/n is still adjusting everything to make it as cozy as possible for her anxious little brother. "I know," Says Pubba gently, setting a hand on his shoulder and crouching down, "But I promise you, If you hide in that cubby and you be very quiet, I'll be back before the sun goes to bed."

Gus stands nervously, turning towards the cubby and eyes widening at the sight of the cozy-fied cubby. Y/n smiles, holding Dog and Velveteen under her arms and Gus's syrup in her hands.

Pubba heaves the door closed, but pauses before it shuts all the way. "Remember what I said." He reminds. "It's okay to lie?" Asks Y/n, making him snort. "That's what you took from that conversation?" He asks amusedly. Gus shrugs.

"No, I said don't come out until you hear from me." He shuts it all the way, poking his hand partway through the crevice. "I love you both. And you're not too little."

"Stay big for me." He says, turning his eyes to Y/n. She understands what he's saying, and nods. "I promise."

"Cross your heart?" Asks Pubba. Y/n takes her hand and runs it across her chest, "Until I die."

Pubba opens a small panel under the floor, grabbing syringes and tying it to the end of the broom he had threatened the man with from earlier.

...

The door creeks open. Y/n cuddles Gus, wrapping her wings protectively around him. She tenses up and covers him with the blanket. She makes a motion to stay here and grabs her table tennis paddle. She opens the door and raising it with a rock in the other. She stops, exhaling softly at the sight of an elegant doe.

Gus peeks out from his hiding spot. "Mama." He comments softly. Y/n's wings shift behind her curiously as she stands. Y/n's and Gus's ears twitch a second later at the sound of Pubba's voice.

They run outside to see their father a sickly pale. "Pubba. Pubba!" Gus shouts first, sprinting to hug Pubba. Y/n follows, hugging both of them tight. "Pubba, what took you so long?" Asks Gus. "We heard a scream." Y/n adds.

"I know." Pubba exhales heavily, sniffing. "I didn't like it." Gus says with a frown. "But you're safe. You're safe now, he won't hurt you." Pubba sighs, falling.

Y/n, with her shocking strength, piggybacks Pubba into bed. She winced, as her joints connecting we wings to her shoulder blades are uncomfortably squished against Pubba and her body.

"Wake up." Gus says softly with confusion as Y/n hoists him up. "Pubba! Pubba?" He asks. The entire way through the door and to bed, Gus keeps pestering their father to wake up. It looked a little funny, seeing a grown man on a 10 year old's back.

Pubba mutters nonsense along the lines of "I was doing the right thing. I was doing the right thing. There's a good boy. You're safe." And such.

Y/n covers his shivering body with the blanket, patting Gus's head. "He must be tired." Y/n says softly. "So he needs to rest?" Gus asks. She nods, patting his head between his antlers. He smiles at her affection, hugging her tight despite her only being a year older. Y/n hugs him back, spinning him around once to elicit some giggles from the younger boy.

...

As Gus sleeps late at night, Y/n leaves to go gather some midnight snacks. Her e/c eyes glimmer in the dark as she gathers some berries and peas. Her ears twitch at the sound of a stick cracking. She looks up to see a deer. Her eyes glint in the faint light of the fireplace from inside. Her feathered wings shift apprehensively, her brows furrow together as she recalls her Pubba's words.

She yawns, rather tired from being unable to sleep. She's been replacing the damp rag on her father's head for hours. As she walks back inside with a can of peas and berries, she snacks on them. She walks up to Pubba's bed, replacing the rag one more time before falling asleep next to him. Her wings sprawl out behind her.

She stirs well after the sun is risen. Gus is gone. She stands abruptly, waking her father. He's weaker than last night now. "He's—" Pubba coughs out, "Gone to get breakfast." She sits down again, grabbing his hand. She bows her head and begins to zone out before her father speaks.

"Y/n," He sniffs. "Yeah, Pubba?" Asks Y/n softly, replacing the rag on his head by dunking it and wringing it out again. She smooths it out.

"You need to take care of your brother." He whispers. Y/n nods. "I will." "You need to feed him. Tell him– Tell him I love him." He whispers, his voice growing softer and softer.

Y/n's eyes begin to water. "You can tell him yourself." She says with a frown. "You can tell him when he comes back." She insists. "Y/n." Pubba smiles softly.

"You have the same attitude as your mom." He chuckles, turning into a cough. Y/n wipes his mouth with her sleeve. "You'll tell him, right?" She asks with a wavering voice, "When he.. comes back." Her sentence cracks.

Pubba smiles. "I'm so glad.. I'm so glad you've grown so well." "Don't say that." Y/n insists, her grip on his hand tightening. If it hurt, he didn't show it. He smiles at her with watering eyes.

"I love you, Y/n." Y/n shakes her head as he weakly brings her hand to his mouth, giving it a kiss. It's a miracle he could even do that.

"Pubba, please." She begs. "It's okay. You'll protect him. You'll protect each other." He murmurs, his eyes glazing over. "I'm so... proud." He whispers, falling quiet. He sighs, but doesn't inhale again.

"Pubba?" Asks Y/n, shaking him. His eyes that once held a fire within the weakness now snuffed out. They stared at nothing. She cries over his body, rubbing at her eyes and hiccuping with one hand still holding Pubba's.

She reaches over and shuts his eyes. The door slams open. "Pubba! Y/n!" Gus announces proudly. "I did it! I cross–" He falls short on his sentence, looking at Y/n's back profile and her small hands over his eyes.

She turns and falls, sobbing into her palms, unable to stop the grief from overtaking her small form. Her wings wrap tightly around herself. Gus puts down the basket of eggs, walking over. He looks at Pubba's body and kneels down next to Y/n. He takes her into a hug, which she gladly accepts. Gus sniffs, and in the next few moments, both children were crying in the fresh morning air.