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The night in the Deep Woods stretched long and strange.
By the time the moon was high, Phil had stopped feeling like he was seconds away from being eaten and started feeling like he’d accidentally wandered into the most bizarre family gathering of his life.
The wolves had settled. Some lay in the moss, massive bodies curled into loose circles. Others paced the edges of the clearing, silent sentinels watching the forest. The younger ones occasionally wandered over to Techno, bumping their heads into his shoulder or nudging his hands for attention.
Techno, for his part, looked… different.
Relaxed.
Not the tense, guarded kid Phil had met years ago, not the sharp-tongued fighter everyone else knew. Here he laughed easily, making quiet yipping sounds back at a pair of younger wolves who were clearly trying to wrestle him into the ground. One of them succeeded for about two seconds before Techno rolled and pinned the wolf with surprising skill.
Phil leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching it all with a mixture of amazement and mild existential crisis.
“So,” he muttered to himself. “My little brother was raised by dire wolves.”
Night, stretched out nearby, opened one amber eye and huffed like that was the most obvious thing in the world.
Phil sighed. “Right. Of course he was.”
Across the clearing, Techno finally disentangled himself from the younger wolves and wandered back over. There were pine needles in his hair and a faint smear of dirt across his cheek, but he looked happier than Phil had ever seen him.
“…You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Techno said cautiously.
Phil snorted. “Mate, after the last few years I’ve had, finding out you’ve got wolf parents barely cracks the top ten weirdest things.”
Techno huffed a laugh, though his ears flicked uncertainly.
Phil studied him for a moment before softening a bit.
“Explains a lot, though.”
Techno tilted his head. “Like what?”
Phil counted on his fingers.
“Why you growl when you’re mad, why you can track things better than most hunters, why you sleep like something’s about to jump you, and why you once tried to bite Wilbur during sparring.”
“…He deserved that,” Techno muttered.
Phil barked a laugh.
Then he sobered slightly, glancing around at the enormous wolves resting comfortably around them.
“…They took care of you.”
It wasn’t a question.
Techno followed his gaze toward Moon and Night, who were lying close together at the edge of the clearing. Moon lifted her head briefly, ears flicking toward them before settling again.
“…Yeah,” Techno said quietly.
Phil nodded once.
“Good.”
Because suddenly the thought of eight-year-old Techno alone in the world hurt a lot less knowing someone—something— had been there to catch him.
"There was old Stormfisher, though," Techno said.
Phil blinked at him. The name sounded familiar. Hadn't Techno mentioned that name once?
"Who?"
"... Yeah. Right," Techno grinned faintly. "So basically, before I was here, there was another guy the pack was always close to. I won't tell you his real name; he has people to hide from. But around here, he tells people his name is Fisher, but that's an alias. The nickname he prefers and has gone by is Storm. You might have heard of him doing things to hybrid hunters and whatnot-"
Phil’s brows slowly climbed higher the longer Techno talked. Upon hearing the name, he froze.
“…Storm?” he repeated slowly.
Technoblade nodded, still hugging his knees. “Stormfisher, technically. Storm for short.”
Phil stared at him.
Then he rubbed his face with both hands.
“The Storm? You’re tellin’ me,” he said carefully, “that the infamous Storm— the bloke that’s been raiding hybrid hunter camps for the last couple decades, taking down corrupt leaders, and is said to have lightning powers—”
“—yeah, that one,” Techno said.
“You know him?” Phil finished weakly.
Techno shrugged. “Yes. He knew the pack.”
Phil blinked. “…He knew the pack.”
Techno gestured vaguely at the wolves around them.
Night flicked an ear.
Moon opened one blue eye.
Elder thumped his tail once like punctuation.
“…Right,” Phil muttered. “Course he did.”
For a moment the only sound was the wind shifting through the trees.
Then Phil pointed at Techno.
“And you just casually dropped his name on me once like he was some random fishing buddy.”
Techno winced slightly. “In my defense, he does fish sometimes. He doesn't do it the normal way, though. Same here, actually.”
Phil groaned and leaned back against the tree.
Techno smirked and continued.
"Anyway, he ran away from his old place as a kid 'cause... he wasn't being taken very good care of there. Better to just run. In his wanderings since then, he met the pack and stuff. He even went to the End and met the dragon."
Techno paused and looked away.
"Anyway, I met him maybe two years after the wolves took me in. A group of hunters -normal hunters- had seen me with the wolves and were trying to take me away, and.... well.... Storm showed up."
The words were simple, but something in the way he said it made Phil straighten slightly.
“What happened?” Phil asked.
Techno scratched absently behind Night’s ear as the massive wolf leaned against his shoulder.
“At first the hunters thought he was just another traveler,” Techno said. “Cloak, hood up, walking through the trees like he had nowhere better to be.”
Phil could almost picture it.
“Then one of them grabbed me,” Techno continued, voice flattening. “And Storm asked them to let go.”
Phil already knew where this was going.
“And they didn’t?”
A faint grin tugged at Techno’s mouth.
“Bad decision.”
Phil huffed. “I’m guessin’.”
Techno tilted his head back against the tree, remembering.
“I didn’t understand half of what happened. I was nine. But I remember lightning.”
Phil blinked.
“…Lightning.”
“Not like a storm overhead,” Techno clarified. “Just… crack. One second the sky was clear, next second there was thunder right on top of us.”
Night gave a quiet rumble, like he remembered it too.
“The hunters panicked,” Techno went on. “One tried to swing at him. Storm just… moved. A blink and he was somewhere else.”
Techno made a small gesture with his hand, quick and precise.
“Next thing I knew two of them were on the ground and the others were running.”
Phil whistled under his breath.
“And you were just… standing there?”
“Technically I was trying to bite one of them,” Techno admitted.
Phil snorted.
“Course you were.”
Techno shrugged, a little sheepish.
“Storm told them to run and never come back. Something about how this forest had guardians already.”
Phil glanced around at the enormous wolves lying in the shadows.
“…Fair statement.”
Techno nodded.
“After they left, he crouched down in front of me and asked my name.”
Phil glanced sideways at him. “And?”
Techno scratched the back of his neck.
“I growled at him cause I was scared.”
Phil barked out a laugh.
“You growled at the most infamous hybrid vigilante on the continent.”
“In my defense,” Techno said dryly, “I was nine and feral.”
Night huffed in what sounded suspiciously like agreement.
Phil shook his head, still chuckling.
“So what’d Storm do?”
Techno’s expression softened a little.
“He laughed.”
Phil blinked.
“Just… laughed?”
“Yeah,” Techno said. “Then he tossed me a piece of dried fish and said, ‘Alright then, pup. Guess we’ll work on manners later.’”
Phil let out a slow breath through his nose.
“…That sounds exactly like the Storm people talk about.”
Techno nodded. "He took me back to the wolfden. I don't remember much of right after, cause I was terrified and clinging to Moon, but I remember him talking with Elder. He hung around a lot after that- taught me things. Made sure I could read and write. How to wield any weapon, how to analyze any situation. He even took me on some of his wanderings, once I was old enough."
Phil was quiet for a long moment after that.
Not the casual silence they often shared while traveling.
This one was heavier. Processing.
The wind moved softly through the pines, carrying the deep forest scent of moss, earth, and wolf. Somewhere deeper in the woods, an owl called.
Phil slowly dragged a hand down his face again.
“…So let me get this straight,” he said at last.
Techno sighed slightly. “This is usually the part where people start having questions.”
“Oh, I’ve got questions, mate. I’ve got so many questions.”
Phil pointed at him again.
“You were a street kid.”
Techno nodded.
“Then you were raised by dire wolves.”
Another nod.
“And during that time, one of the most infamous hybrid vigilantes in the entire region just—” Phil made a vague circling motion with his hand “—adopted you on weekends?”
Techno tilted his head.
“…When you say it like that, it sounds weird.”
Phil stared at him.
“It is weird.”
One of the younger wolves nearby lifted its head sleepily at Phil’s raised voice, then decided it wasn’t important and flopped back down.
Phil rubbed his temples.
“And this Storm bloke,” he continued slowly, “the same one that’s been wreckin’ hunter camps, taking down corrupt leaders, and apparently calling lightning from a clear sky…”
“Yeah.”
“…was teaching my little brother how to read.”
Techno shrugged.
“He said literacy was important for overthrowing corrupt systems.”
Phil closed his eyes.
“…Of course he did.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Phil cracked one eye open.
"So it was just you and this old Storm."
Techno paused. "At first. At first it was just me and Uncle Storm on those wanders. But I wasn't the only kid he'd found. He just wanted to make sure I was ok enough to meet them."
Phil slowly lowered his hand from his face.
“…Them,” he repeated carefully.
Technoblade shifted a little where he sat, still hugging his knees. Night leaned heavier against his shoulder like a warm wall of fur.
“Yeah,” Techno said. “Them.”
Phil stared at him.
“…How many is them, exactly?”
Techno tipped his head, thinking.
“Uh… more than you think.”
Phil blinked.
“Depends— more than I think?”
“Well,” Techno said reasonably, “Storm kinda… collected a small group of strays, myself included.”
Phil’s eye twitched.
“Strays.”
“Kids,” Techno clarified quickly. “Street kids, runaways, kids that got abandoned, that kinda thing.”
Phil went very still.
Techno continued, oblivious to the brewing storm beside him.
“He doesn’t keep us from doing our thing, But he checks on everyone, makes sure they’re alive, teaches stuff when he can. We meet up every few months. That was the longer disappreances, by the way.”
Phil slowly leaned back against the tree again.
“…You’re telling me there’s a network.”
Techno brightened slightly.
“Oh yeah, totally.”
Phil covered his face again.
“Of course there is.”
After a moment he dragged his hands down and squinted at Techno.
“…How many kids are we talkin’, roughly?”
Techno scratched his cheek.
“Last time I saw everyone? Maybe… six?”
Phil choked.
“Six”
“Give or take,” Techno added helpfully. “Some have their own gangs that show up with 'em now and then.”
Phil stared at him like he’d just announced the sky was made of potatoes.
“And this Storm bloke,” Phil said slowly, “just… wanders around the continent rescuing kids and teaching them how to overthrow corrupt governments.”
Techno shrugged.
“He found most of us in bad situations. Couldn't just leave us..”
Phil sat there for a long moment.
Then he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“…I think I need a nap.”
Night huffed approvingly.
Techno tilted his head.
“You don’t even sleep that much.”
“I might start.”
Techno snorted quietly.
For a minute they just sat there, listening to the forest breathe around them.
Then Phil glanced sideways.
“…So,” he said carefully, “these other kids.”
Techno tensed a little at the question, ears dipping.
Phil noticed immediately.
“Easy,” Phil said, softer now. “Not interrogatin’. Just curious.”
Techno hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“They’re… good people,” he said after a moment. “Storm makes sure of that.”
Phil believed him.
Anyone raised by wolves and vigilantes probably had a very specific moral compass.
"You're a bunch of gremlins, I'm guessing."
Techno snorted. "I'll have you know we join old Uncle Storm on some of his raids. People have just been too scared to spread word about Storm's stormlings."
"That's not comforting, Techno."
They sat for a minute.
“…Do they know about me?” Phil asked.
Techno blinked.
“Well… yeah.”
Phil’s head snapped toward him.
“They what?”
Techno looked mildly sheepish.
“I might’ve mentioned my weird bird brother a few times.”
Phil groaned.
“I am not a weird bird brother.”
Night snorted.
Moon thumped her tail once like she disagreed.
Techno grinned.
Phil glared at the wolves.
“Don’t you start.”
Elder, watching quietly from the edge of the clearing, gave a slow blink that somehow felt like ancient amusement.
Phil pointed accusingly at Techno again.
“Right. New question.”
Techno braced.
“How many terrifying vigilantes secretly know who I am.”
Techno considered.
“…Define terrifying.”
Phil groaned loudly enough that three wolves lifted their heads again.
“Stars above, Techno.”
Techno bumped his shoulder lightly against Phil’s.
“You survived meeting my parents,” he said.
Phil looked out at the massive dire wolves surrounding them.
“…Fair point.”
He paused.
Then sighed.
“…Still can’t believe you growled at the Storm.”
Techno shrugged.
“I was nine.”
Night huffed again.
Phil eyed the wolf.
“…You encouraged that, didn’t you.”
Night looked extremely unapologetic.
Techno just laughed quietly into the night.