Chapter Text
Phil had never liked the Nether.
It was always too hot, too noisy. Nothing here ever rested, it was all 'fight, fight, death, blood, fireball, lava, blah blah blah'. But Phil had made a promise and he intended to keep it.
His sons, Wilbur and Tommy, had always ooo'd and aww'd at his wings. Both of them adopted, neither were hybrids like Phil himself. But that wouldn't stop them from trying. Their most recent shenanigans had caused them to somehow get on the roof and convince themselves that bed-sheets would suddenly turn into make-shift parachutes. Thankfully, Phil had caught them just as Tommy was about to 'fly'. The blonde boy's war-cries had been his saviour.
As a compromise, Phil had promised that for Tommy's birthday, - well, anniversary of when he was adopted - Phil would let he and Wilbur have a few potions of Slow Falling, Speed, and Leaping. The two boys had been ecstatic and, their father suspected, much more willing to do chores.
Nether wart and blaze rods shouldn't be that hard to get - Phil had been through Nether fortresses before, for much more dangerous items. He'd only need 3 blaze rods and six Nether wart minimum, it's not like he would be in there for more than half a day. The winged warrior decided to tackle the blaze problem first - better to get the harder task out of the way.
He wandered through the labyrinth-like fortress, putting down small amounts of loose dirt behind him as a breadcrumb trail. Phil was wary, listening to everything around him for any signs of danger, like a ghast or a wither skeleton. After travelling through the identical tunnels of the fortress for about 10 minutes, Philza heard the husky breathing of the firey blazes. Making sure his shield was protecting every vital it could, Phil ran into the literal heat of battle, his prized diamond sword swinging and slaying every blaze in sight. After about 20 minutes, the battle died down and Phil walked out of the spawn room, victorious with 6 blaze rods in his sack - having extra couldn't hurt, after all.
With a relieved sigh, Phil continued on, searching for a garden. It was really a shame Phil had never grown his own nether wart garden - after all, it's not like he didn't have the room. His fields of potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables were his main source of revenue when it was needed, always sold at the market in the village. Phil could have easily put it in a small area for nether wart, but something about it always put it off. Maybe it was the soul sand necessary for it to grow, or maybe it was because Phil despised the Nether, and would rather not have it so close to his home.
So lost in thought about the pros and cons of having his own nether wart farm, Phil almost didn't notice the small piglin sitting on the edge of the garden he had found. It wasn't a baby by any means - it, too, looked lost in thought. The piglin might not have noticed Phil, if not for the confused sound he'd made when he saw it.
The piglin shot up, about a head shorter than Wilbur. The way it looked Phil up and down, frantically, caused him worry. Normally, piglins were very social. They stayed together in packs, rarely alone. A piglin wouldn't let a member of their family be somewhere like a fortress without backup, let alone that family member be a child. No, this piglin was alone.
"Uh, hey little guy." Phil said, not entirely sure if the piglin knew a word of what he was saying. "What're you doing out here?"
It stood still, tense like a hidden mouse eyeing a nearby cat. The two stared in silence at each other for a few moments, before being interrupted by a growling sound coming from the piglin's stomach.
Alone and hungry, apparently.
Phil thought for a moment, before an idea struck him. He moved suddenly and dug through his bag, accidentally spooking the little piglin. Phil put a hand out, trying to calm it down before pulling out a couple of golden carrots. The shiny vegetables got the piglin's attention, and it sniffed pitifully.
"Hungry?" Philza motioned towards the piglin, holding the carrots out towards it.
The piglin cautiously walked over to Phil, taking the carrots and putting one in its mouth. The piglin brightened, with the exact same expression Tommy had the first time he'd ever had chocolate.
Phil smiled, taking out a couple more carrots for the piglin before finally beginning to dig out some nether wart. The piglin chewed the carrots slowly, watching Philza very carefully. When Phil finally finished up, the piglin dutifully followed him as he left, like a loyal wolf.
Philza watched the little piglin, not exactly sure of what to do. He sort of just let the piglin follow him, not one to turn away a child, even if it couldn't speak. Or look human. Or come from a hellhole.
As they reached the portal, Phil sighed and turned to the piglin.
"Okay, little guy. This, is a Nether portal. I'm not entirely sure if you want to go through here, or what'll happen if you do. By the looks of it, you don't have anybody else around to take care of you. If you need it, I'm sure Wilbur and Tommy wouldn't mind having another brother. So, if you want to, you are welcome to come through the portal and to my home."
The piglin blinked at him, looking like its brain was buffering. After a few moments, the little piglin chewed the end of the last carrot and heaved itself into the portal without any further thought.
Phil took a moment to process, before shrugging and walking through the portal after the little piglin.