The first time Techoblade wakes up in the nest is a frightening experience.

He's barely on the cusp of consciousness, nose twitching as smell is the first thing that returns to his waking senses. Absent is the comforting scent of his warren, the den where Techno and his siblings slept in a pile of warm bodies snuggling together. Instead, the air smells fresh and clean. While the undertones of the forest remain, he's too high up for the familiar whiffs of dirt and fallen foliage to reach him. He's alone, with nothing but a blanket to keep him warm.

He's also in a significant amount of pain, which worsens his situation. Memories of the previous night are muddled, trying to recall them is like staring into the disturbed surface of a pond. Techno remembers his home being under attack and him running away. The stinging hurt in his leg is solid evidence he didn't imagine the hunter's arrow either. And he recalls the strange hybrid who had bandaged it, a man with black feathery wings on his back.

A pitched groan makes its way out of his throat no matter how hard he tries to stifle it while pushing his body into an upright position. To Techno's surprise, said hybrid appears at his side instantly.

Speak of the devil or something.

"Don't force it," he warns, but still gently helps ease Techno into sitting up. "I can get you another healing pot. How are you feeling, mate?"

Techno swallows, noticing how unbearably parched he is. "I've been better."

"I can imagine," Philza says. Because that's his name, Techno remembers now.

Phil had found him out in the woods and taken him back to his home. He was the one who had cared for Techno's leg. Without Phil, perhaps he'd be dead by now.

Really, he should say something about that. Techno just has no idea what. He decides to play it safe. "Thanks."

Phil smiles. Slowly, he helps him take a few sips of the potion, and the throbbing of both the headache and the wound on his leg fade into a bearable echo.

Techno scoots back a bit, careful to not sit on his own tail. The sweater he's wearing isn't his own, the rough fabric very itchy against his arms. But Techno doesn't want to take it off since it's so cold. He can't help but shiver.

"I'm sorry, apparently rabbit hybrids don't maintain their body heat the same way elytrians do." As if able to read his mind, Phil pulls up his sleeve to show Techno his arm is covered in patches of dark feathers. The skin itself also looks rougher somehow, adjusted for flight and high altitude. It's a far cry from Techno's own fragile skin with only a thin layer of fur on his extremities. He was made to live underground - or near the ground at the very least. Where it's much warmer.

"We'll get you some more appropriate clothes soon," Phil promises. "First, there's somebody here who I'd like you to meet. Are you up for that?"

Techno puffs out his cheeks a bit. Phil is talking to him as if he's a child. He's already thirteen. For a bunny that's practically grown. "Yeah, it's fine."

The man that walks in is tall, way taller than Techno expected. Rabbit hybrids are often on the smaller side, sure. But even the top of Phil's head only barely reaches this guy's shoulders. Techno has to crane his neck back to even look at him. The man notices, and just like Phil did last night, he kneels down with a kind smile to speak with Techno more easily.

His cape billows behind him with the motion, spreading out a tapestry of constellations. His hair is a shining purple, twinkling as if there are stars caught in between the strands. More fascinating still are his eyes, alight with the colors of the galaxy.

Techno has a hard time pulling away from them, but he forces himself to when the man starts to talk.

"I'm Scott," he says. His voice is a lot lighter than Phil, every sentence ending in a little tilt up. If nothing else, it's very reassuring sounding, and Techno has an easier time concentrating on that than the pain in his leg. "I'm one of the people responsible for this commune. I heard you ran into some trouble last night."

At Scott's request, Techno once again recounts what little he remembers from the destruction of his warren. Since he was asleep when it happened, it's not like he had the time to figure out what was going on before everything had already gone to crap. The starborne listens patiently, nodding and exchanging glances with Phil.

"While having hunters this close to the commune is concerning, I don't think we have to worry about our glamor not holding up. They won't be able to find us." Techno gets the impression Scott is talking to Phil, not him. He still takes the information in eagerly, wanting to learn more about this place.

It's probably smart if he's going to be expected to live here from now on.

"Techno." And this time Scott is addressing him, the swirl of pinks and purples in his eyes a little brighter. They shine like meteors streaking across the sky. "I'm very sorry to hear about what happened to your home. What Phil offered last night still stands. Nobody here would mind you staying."

"I don't think I have any choice in the matter," Techno says easily. "There's nowhere else I can go." He doesn't mean it as a bad thing per se, he's just making an observation.

That doesn't stop Phil's frown from deepening.

"With your leg in its current state, probably yeah. It wouldn't be responsible for us as adults to let you run off like that." Once more Techno feels that heat return to his cheeks. He's not a child. But it'd be awkward to bring up so he doesn't. "Then again, there are several minors who already live in the commune alone with minimal supervision. As soon as you're healed, you don't have to live with me if you don't want to. You could set up your own base. Or we could help you find a home elsewhere."

And oh… That's not what Techno was expecting at all.

"I don't know," he decides on. It is vague, evading a real answer. He likes that. He doesn't know if he wants to make a choice already.

Inclining his head in acknowledgment, Phil's hat cuts sharp shadows across his face. "We can cross that bridge when we get to it." Techno had noticed the hat earlier and thought it a very strange thing for Phil to wear. He didn't know if he should ask about it though.

"We'll let the others know about our new resident. You better tell them off too, or they'll all be coming here to gawk at him like he was the newest zoo animal." Scott says it lightly enough, but Techno still feels a prickle of anxiety down his back.

He doesn't like strangers. The thought of the entire town coming down to stare at him is enough to send a shiver up his spine. Noticing his reaction, Phil waves it off with a small grin.

"Don't worry, they're harmless. But I'll tell them to give you some space so you can settle in." He follows Scott as he walks away, easily gliding down from the edge of the nest to the ground.

Techno wonders how he's supposed to get up and down without wings, if he's going to live here. It's probably not too high for him to jump.

Phil has barely left or there's another face peeking through the leaves and into the nest. Techno watches curiously as the kid pushes through the branches, shaking off his small wings to get rid of some twigs stuck in them. His feathers are light hay in color, only a shade or two lighter than his golden blond hair and a far cry from Phil's jet-black ones. Darker rust-colored feathers lingering on the wing's edges betray they probably change color with age.

His older brother who crawls into the nest after him confirms that theory. Techno sees that his wings are a deep brown, fading into auburn near his shoulder blades.

The older one glares at him and Techno cringes, suddenly hoping that staring at an elytrian's wings isn't some serious social faux pas he didn't even know about.

If it is, the kid doesn't care. He bounds up to Techno immediately. "Hi, I'm Tommy. I saw you last night!"

"I know," he says. It's only half a lie. Techno does remember meeting Tommy, but forgot his name. With the shock he'd been suffering from yesterday, Techno would have been more surprised if he had remembered.

"Does your leg still hurt?" Tommy asks next. He lifts up the blanket, trying to peek at the injured limb.

"Kinda." Techno tugs it back down. Tommy blows a raspberry at him.

"If you're going to be staying here, I'll need to show you around. I know this place better than anybody. I climbed all the way up to the willow one time and-"

"Tommy!" Wilbur's voice cuts his little brother's rambling off, firm but not angry. "Come here, your wings are a mess."

Sounding close to whining Tommy answers, "but I wanna talk to Techno."

"Leave him alone," Wilbur insists, "he needs to rest." However, Techno can't help but feel it's not a kindness to him Wilbur is showing here. More like he wants to keep Tommy away from him for other reasons and is just dressing it up as him being nice.

This point is proven when Tommy reluctantly scoots over to his brother's side with a pout. Wilbur pulls Tommy half into his lap then turns them both around so they have their backs facing Techno. Techno kind of frowns at that.

Wilbur really doesn't like him, huh?

For a while, he watches Wilbur fix Tommy's wings. Smoothing them down with care and plucking out the leaves and branches Tommy got stuck in them - presumably by climbing trees like he said he did. They are talking in hushed whispers, low enough that Techno would have to strain really hard if he wants to hear.

He doesn't. He's tired and despite the potion, his leg still hurts a little. So he closes his eyes instead and to the gentle sounds of the breeze gliding off the sides of the nest and Wilbur chiding Tommy with clear affection, Techno falls back asleep.


He has to stay in the nest for five more days before the state of his leg will even allow him to consider moving around much.

Most of that time, Techno spends sleeping. After the adrenaline of that frightful night wears off completely, Techno gets caught up in an exhaustion unlike anything he's ever felt. Both physically and mentally. Between naps, he wakes up to eat and talk with Phil or Tommy. Never Wilbur, who isn't around a lot to begin with.

One time, collecting all of his courage, Techno had pulled at Phil's sleeve.

"Why does Wilbur hate me?"

Phil had choked on thin air, which was quite an accomplishment if Techno should say so. It was mostly because he had broken into a hearty chuckle. "Oh, mate. Wilbur doesn't hate you, he's just… dealing with some teen angst. He'll warm up to you if you give it time."

Techno hadn't answered, because he wasn't sure what to say to that. He doubted it was true anyway. But one thing became clear. If Wilbur - who is older than him - is still having his behavior described as teen angst, that definitely clears up why Phil would see Techno as a child too. Elytrians must view age differently than rabbit hybrids do.

They do everything differently. They eat differently too, surviving on raw meats mostly. The first time Phil had brought him food was hilarious. Techno had made a horrible face at the meal Phil tried to serve him so graciously, nearly gagging when assaulted by the foul smell. Scott was there thankfully to intervene. He brought Techno carrots, lettuce, and some wildflowers instead, before explaining to Phil he'd have to find an alternative source of food for Techno. Bunnies aren't going to be happy with being served meat, cooked or not.

With his leg starting to get better, the other problem that popped up was getting Techno up and down the cliff Phil has built his nest on. He can probably jump it just fine, but Phil still insists on constructing a ladder. He's somewhat of an architect, Techno learns. A lot of the buildings within the commune were worked on by Phil. He hasn't had a chance to see them yet, but Tommy assures him he'll get the full tour as soon as he's up and about.

For now, he's watching them do the thing again. The wing thing.

Phil is doing it this time, pushing against Tommy's back to carefully get him to lean forward. With one hand he keeps Tommy still so he doesn't fidget. To Techno's understanding, wing grooming can be very ticklish. With his other hand, Phil is straightening the feathers out and pushing them back down.

As he does it, Phil coos at Tommy. It's a strange, soft noise. Not anything Techno ever heard before. But he can tell it's an affectionate one by the way Tommy chirps back. It's fascinating, in a really weird way. Techno never strayed that far from the warren. He never met other hybrids.

Phil notices him staring.

"Do you want me to help you too?"

Techno startles a little, shaking his head at first. Then he pauses. "I don't have wings." He kind of shrugs, as if to display the lack of feathery appendages sprouting from his back.

Phil laughs. "That doesn't mean your hair isn't a mess."

Instinctively, Techno reaches up, and oh boy, Phil's right. His fingers immediately find a tangle of long pink strands to knot themselves in, making him flinch. Keeping his hair proper hadn't been at the forefront of his mind the past week. He foolishly assumed Phil wasn't talking about helping him clean that up, but about actual wing grooming. The two are probably similar enough in function though for there to be some comparison to be made.

"Here." Phil kneels behind him when he's done with Tommy. The younger child has fallen asleep, another little fact Techno noticed often when elytrians were doing the wing stuff, it makes them sleepy. Must be a hindbrain thing.

He tilts his head back a bit, allowing easier access. The rest of Techno's body is unnaturally stiff, unsure what to do with itself when a near stranger is getting up in his personal space so casually. Phil has been nothing but kind so far and has been trying to make Techno feel welcome.

That doesn't make it any less weird to have claws working their way through his hair, detangling the mess it's in and putting it into an intricate braid.

But Phil is trying. Techno appreciates that.

"I think I'll stay," he says.

Phil stops only for a moment, before resuming his ministrations. "Oh?"

"When my leg's all better. I think I'll just stay with you guys. It's probably easier than building a whole base from scratch."

There's a small snort as if Phil can see right through him and read his actual intentions.

"Of course. We already said you're welcome to."

Phil braids his hair while cooing at him as if he were no different than the two other children that sleep in this nest at night. And Techno is almost mournful he can't chirp back.