Chapter Text
Tommy was not having a good day. He was having a terrible, no good day actually. First off, Dream was in a terrible mood and was more snappish than usual. Not that Tommy really blamed him. He knew he could be loud and annoying and clingy sometimes, Dream made sure that he never forgot. But he was a bit worse than usual.
Usually, Dream would let him roam along the beach for an hour or two, if he was good. Then he would get a small treat, and then it would be quiet time. When Dream had two of his friends some over (he wasn’t aloud to see them anymore), he was out in his kennel and he needed to be very quiet.
Tommy could be quiet!! He could be the most quiet tiger in the world! Sometimes, if Dream was in a good mood, he would give him another treat. After quiet time or if there wasn’t any quiet time at all, Tommy was left in the beach house for the day while Dream went out to run his errands. Then, when he got back, Tommy would shift and eat his dinner, and then it was bedtime.
But Dream never really liked it when he shifted. He was an animal, a wild animal. And wild animals do not need human things like clothes or cooked food or attention. But Dream was so nice, and he gave Tommy those things anyway. After all, Tommy owed Dream everything.
Dream told Tommy that he found him as a cub, abandoned on the streets as a baby. And that he was kind enough to take him in. Dream fed him, clothed him, and gave him a roof over his head for his entire life. Tommy owed Dream everything. Especially since there were mean hunters after him. Dream would tell him that they would try to steal him because Tommy had such pretty gold fur, and that they would do terrible things to a little lost tiger cub. So Tommy was ever so grateful.
It’s just that sometimes, Dream doesn’t really… act all that nice. Sometimes, Dream would hit him until his face felt like it was on fire and wouldn’t give him food and it felt like his stomach as trying to eat itself. He would yell and scream at him for ruining his life and being a burden. He would threaten to sell him to the mean hunters if he misbehaved and would make him stay in his kennel all day. But the next moment he was apologizing and whispering that as long he Tommy listened to him, he would protect him and keep him safe.
Tommy didn’t feel all that safe around Dream though. He was really mean to him sometimes and back when he was still aloud to talk to his friends Sapnap and George, they would tell him that things like that weren’t normal.
But back to Tommy’s issues at hand, he was sore all over because Dream got really mad at him when he knocked over a cup and after he hit him he threw in in his kennel and he didn’t get any of his snacks today! It made Tommy’s eyes burn and his chest shriveled. Weren’t caretakers supposed to be nice and loving and caring? So why was Dream such a bully and so mean and hateful?
But the last straw was when Dream finally snapped and said that he would call in one of his mean hunters friends to set him straight. It made Tommy’s chest hurt even more. He thought that Dream was supposed to protect him from them, not hand him over. So Tommy decided that he was going to be a big tiger, cause he was the biggest, and go away and take care of himself. So when Dream was sleeping, Tommy used his claws to open the kennel door and get out. He had to shift to open the door, but quickly shifted back when the cold ocean air seeped into his bones.
And it was kinda fun. Tommy ran from the beach house and into the undergrowth of the forest and thicket of the trees. The further he wandered, the colder it got. It made his thick fluffy fur bristled, but he kept moving forward. He was a big man, yeah! A big man and a big tiger. He wasn’t a tiny little cub anymore!
The scenery was vastly different the further he traveled. Hours turned into days, and days into weeks. Tommy would try to pounce on unsuspecting prey, but they always seemed to escape him. But there was berries when he wasn’t able to catch himself a meal.
And if you asked Tommy, he was doing pretty okay. But everyday it seemed to get colder and it was harder and harder to find shelter to escape the frigid hands of the night, but he continued to push forward. And soon, grass became snow. It made him shutter in excitement. He had never seen snow before! Sure, he had heard of it, but to see it in person was amazing! The snow was cold, but fun to play in. Tommy would roll around and burrow under the snow which made it easier to sneak of on small mice.
But still he pushed forward. He needed to find himself a worthy den to call his own. The wind got more harsh and freezing and it made breathing hurt. The wind picked up as he drug his legs through the snow, it was getting deeper and deeper as he pushed. But Tommy was getting tied. He was tired and cold and hungry. He just wanted to cuddle into a nice warm next in a cozy well protected den. He wanted someone like Dream but not mean and scary but nice and caring. But he was a big tiger and not a cub anymore, so he pushed forward.
His steps slowed as did his breathing. His limbs felts like they were made of lead and he paws had become numb. His nose was freezing from the bitter frosty air and even his whiskers seems to weigh him down. But just as he was thinking of stopping, of maybe just laying down in the snow to shut his eyes, the was a warm, flickering light in the distance.
Tommy let out a soft trill, curious and tired. So he continued to push forward and tried the the snow once more, seemingly pushing against the harsh wind. It was a cabin, cozily nestled away, hidden in the heart of the tundra, and made its home in a small clearing. There was smoke rising from the chimney, fading the higher it went. There was the yellow tinted lights and the cabin just screamed of warmth and safety.
When he trudged his way to the cabin, he found himself in a new predicament. How did he get inside without the people who lived here noticing him. He couldn’t just go through the front door! But just as his tired frustration and agitation was getting the better of him, he found something. There was a tiny hole in the side of the cabin, just enough for Tommy to fit into. He chittered with excitement and slowly squeezed his way through the hole. And slowly, he walked forward, deeper into the cabin and was hit with a sudden warmth.
A stuttering purr erupted from his chest. He was so warm! Tommy could faintly see through the cracks in the floorboards. There was the soft warm light again. Fire, his mind whispered to him. Fire to keep you warm, it trilled. The exhaustion finally settled deep into his bones and he curled up into a ball underneath the fireplace. He payed on kind to the soft murmur of voices and the occasional rustling of fabric. For now, he felt safe and warm. And that was enough.