#awesamdrunz

It's Mermay and I heard @awesamdream-seasonal-prompts were doing a thing so... Sea Creatures

tbh I really like just putting Minecraft textures as a background. very funny to me

this took me a ridiculous amount of time and it didn't turn out that fancy but I am proud of it. plus also lighting guysss look at my lighting (the 2 lines per character)

but yeah they're in the prison. and they're in dream's cell. dream installed lights and an operating table and everything and frankly given how cramped it is its not the most comfortable space but dream simply could NOT pass up the opportunity to stick sam in his former cell and experiment on him. sam is really really torn between a) no no this isn't right dream is MY prisoner. IM the warden NOT him!! b) well I still have him in the prison right? I'm still keeping him here in a way, even if its not just me and him that's okay, this is close enough and c) masochism and so into it.

at first sam is kinda put off by punz being there and a little grumpy because he thought at least it'd be just him and dream but he changes his mind pretty quick. #1 most evil throuple I heart two mad scientists and their lab rat

Sam - Blaskiston's Fish Owl

Dream - Barn Owl

Punz - Snowy Owl

---

"Sam…" Dream flapped his wings, exasperated and amused all in one. "I thought we were done raising chicks."

Sam looked at him with large, pleading eyes. The fluff of his feathers puffed out until he could properly encase the new chicks in shared warmth. "The humans put them in the nest, I had to! They needed me."

Dream clicked at him. He glanced at the wooden wall where the humans sometimes came through, wondering how long ago it had been. They always made sure it was Sam that found the new arrivals, as if they knew Dream's softer mate was far more pliable than Punz or Dream himself. He could understand wanting to take care of abandoned chicks, he loved them dearly, but the last one had only left three days ago. Did every owlet in the world need to appear at their doorway so quickly?

"Have they been fed yet?" Dream sighed. Sam brightened.

"Punz brought food earlier." He said with pride. At being able to convince Punz to keep them, or at Punz's expert hunting, Dream wasn't sure. Likely both, knowing Sam.

"Then let me look them over, I'll preen them." He hopped over the edge of the entrance and leaned in. Sam, instead of letting his wings fall away like he always did, seemed to press himself harder into the floor. Dream halted.

"Sam?"

His mate twittered anxiously. "They're cold. I have to protect them."

How young of chicks did the humans give them? Dream inspected the little bits of feather and face he could find among Sam's plumage. They definitely weren't old enough to be fledgling, all downy. Young enough to trigger something broody in his mate. Dream softened, despite himself.

"Beloved mate, can't I take care of you?" He cajoled. Sam melted a little.

-

Everything was almost perfect for a Sam. The owlets placed in his care were flourishing, Dream had preened and fed him until Sam was sleepy, and now they were cuddling in the Nest that Sam worked so hard to build. The only thing that could complete this was Punz returning, and Sam knew it would be soon.

Punz liked their alone time. It was a quirk of their nature, something inherent to a bird so snowy. There used to be a bloom of insecurity in Sam that made him afraid Punz would one day leave for good. But Punz covered him with their wings and promised that their home would always be with their mates; they'd never fly too far.

The reassurance didn't take immediately, but Dream- who knew Punz best- seemed unconcerned, and Punz gave him kisses every day, so Sam found himself relaxing. He trusted his Punz.

Dream made a soft, sleepy hoot. Sam answered immediately, kissing and preening his side until Dream buried his head into Sam's feathers. The owlets twitched a bit beneath him, but didn't seem interested in being awake. It was too chilly out for that. Better that everyone Sam loved be safe inside the nest.

A fluttering of wings, not right, not Punz's, landed at the entrance to their nest. Sam blearily opened his eyes to meet the smug face of a jackdaw holding a stick.

"Dream," He pushed against his mate, covering his owlets further until the unwelcome guest could no longer see them. Dream made a displeased noise.

"What's wrong?" He mumbled. Sam flinched as the first stick was placed down. Another jackdaw followed the first, throwing bundles of grass into the entrance.

"Dream," He was beginning to panic. There were more than two of them. A larger stick was shoved in, so long that it smacked Dream in the forehead. His mate jolted, fully awake now.

"What the-"

A jackdaw cackled at him, and Dream's feathers puffed out in anger.

"Get out." He barked. He bit at the stick and tore away at the filling. The first jackdaw snickered, as if their attempt at a slow murder (to trap them until they starved) was a game.

In a swift motion, it's neck was suddenly suddenly being clawed at by snowy talons.

"How dare you," Punz hissed. The other jackdaws beeped in alarm and took off. The first tried to join them, but Punz's rage followed them like a blight. "You have no right."

Dream finally cleared out the entrance, covering it protectively. The owlets chirped curiously and tried to follow and see outside. Sam reeled them in, relief outweighed by duty.

-

Punz sat and watched from the entrance, amused.

"Sam, I can't lay eggs," Dream clicked. This was not the first time Punz had heard him say this. "It doesn't work that way."

Sam draped himself along Dreams back, clearly unhappy.

"But what if you could?" He wheedled.

"I can't." Dream said firmly. He nudged at Sam, but didn't force him off his back. "Why would you want me to lay eggs anyway? I'm sure the humans will give us more owlets soon enough."

"It just sounded nice," He mumbled. He preened Dream discontentedly for a moment, then turned to Punz with hopeful eyes. "Punz?"

"Don't even try it." Even if Punz could somehow lay eggs, they wanted nothing to do with the idea.

Sam wilted a little. Punz hopped into the nest and pecked him lovingly.

-

Sam preened as the Zookeeper explained to the guests what type of Owl he was. It was a common thing when touring the wildlife park for the people to be introduced to him. Out of all the owls in park, Sam was the easiest to handle, and he was very proud of that.

Not that it was Punz or Dream's fault. No, never their fault. Punz was just wary after growing up alone, and humans had hurt Dream. It wasn't fair to expect either of his partners to stand on the arm of a stranger and bear unwanted touches. Sam could do the job for them. He'd keep them safe even, preventing curious eyes from trying to spot Dream hidden in the trees.

Punz didn't hide. He watched from a high branch, glaring down at any person who dared get near their nest. The humans weren't great at Owl body language however, so Sam mostly heard cooing over how pretty Punz's feathers looked. Which was the most true and correct thing to think, of course; they were a beautiful, soft white, shining in the darkness of night-

"- yes, it's very unusual for not only two, but three different species of owls to mate with each other." The Zookeeper, Bad, explained. They always got excited about this part. "Not only that, but they've been found to take care of any owlet regardless of species or coloration differences."

Of course! Sam was good at being an Owl. Other owls might falter at the sight of their chick being different, but Sam could overcome any trial, and excess black spotting on a newborn was hardly a trial at all.

"Well, Hen will take any chick." The Zookeeper chuckled fondly. He reached over and gave Sam a two-fingered pet. "His partners don't seem as keen on raising an army as he is."

The small group of people chuckled. The guest who's arm he perched on looked at him a bit closer.

"The ones in the pictures don't have white feathers." They said curiously. Bad clapped his hands.

"That's right! Hen has a rare condition that caused white splotching on his torso that goes all the way to the inside of his wings. He doesn't have them extended right now obviously, but we have photos-"

Abruptly, Sam felt a hand on him. The guest grabbed hold of his wing and tugged it out, harder than they probably intended, but it hurt.

Sam shrieked.

The guest shrieked.

Punz, claws raking over the hand and arm that dared touch his mate, screeched.

-

"They haven't come to get Sam today," Dream commented, peering out of their nest to watch the guests explore.

Punz huffed. "Good. That means they know better."

Sam preened Punz affectionately, pushing himself into their space as much as possible. His heart soared when Punz leaned up to give him pecks and kisses.

Truthfully, he didn't really mind either way. He liked being pet, and he liked the Punz-approved keepers who always made sure he got lots of breaks. But nothing could beat moments like this.

"Hm," Dream clicked. "Wait, we've got two coming towards the Nest."

"Which ones?" Punz asked, tensing and hopping to the entrance to see. Sam silently mourned the loss of cuddle time before joining them.

"Your favorites," Dream teased. Punz scoffed.

Calling the Acceptable Zookeeper and the Better Zookeeper Punz's favorites was a stretch, in Sam's opinion. They didn't even like calling the two by their names, although Sam suspected that was just because the wildlife park gave the owls new names rather than calling them by their true ones. Sam couldn't blame them for that; humans were intelligent in a lot of ways, but they had never quite been able to fully comprehend Owl language. They just didn't have the beaks for it. It was a sad thing they all had to accept- except Punz preferred to hold a grudge.

"I think I'll stay down here," Bad The Acceptable Zookeeper said. "I'm not sure he'll be comfortable with me right now."

"Sounds good! Watch the ladder for me?" Tina The Better Zookeeper agreed. It was a good decision, because Punz relaxed incrementally.

Sam wasn't sure why Tina was their 'favorite.' Bad was tolerated because Dream liked him. Tina was allowed to-

"Hi Frost!" Tina greeted warmly as Punz stuck their head fully out of the Nest. She let them inspect her fingers for a moment before gently brushing two atop their head. Punz relaxed further. "I just came to get Sam. We want to do another check-up to make sure his wings are okay."

So this AU, unnamed AU where I make Dream and Punz creeper hybrids- I've shown this art in another post but showing it again:

WELL I FORGOT TO POST THIS I THINK BUT I ADDED SAM TO THIS LITTLE IDEA FOR TRIPLE CREEPER TOMFOOLERY-

I still really like this doodle ngl-- but anyways. I actually have no real coherent thoughts for this AU other than it'd feature Sam Prime/Sam wayyyyy before the whole body swapping stuff and his self made immortality - cause I do wanna explore that era of Sam and idk I feel like Punz would have a sort of outlaw thing going on, he robs people, Dream's just here to have two boyfriends and to be very smug about that until I figure out something for him-- (I'm open to ideas or potentially discussing stuff if anyone has anything, I do really wanna do something with these designs lol)