To Stray Too Far From Home (Wally X Reader)

Why Puppets Fear The Puppeteer

Lying on the roots of a too colourful tree, in the too colourful world of Home, your swarming thoughts found purchase within your hysteria filled mind.

You were trapped here like a bird in a cage according to Wally, but you didn't exactly trust the trickster at the moment, not after his deception. You just wanted to go home and sweep this all under the rug of your conscious, forget about this whole ordeal in its entirety.

Why couldn't Wally send you back? He had brought you here, so why couldn't he do the same thing to bring you back to the real world?! It just didn't make any sense- if there was any sense in this cursed world to begin with.

Most of your day was spent beneath the shade of the vibrant tree, stuck within your own mind like a bug on fly tape, immobile. You were torn between finding Wally at his Home or just wandering off down the path in hopes of finding something other than the puppet's rainbow toned town.

Mulling over the two options, you remembered a scary fact that helped you settle on the latter; Wally's Home was alive, as in a living being. The mere thought of being within a sentient house had shivers wracking down your spine like an out of key xylophone.

Wandering off in search of greener pastures it is!

It was around midday when you began to follow the path in the opposite direction of Home and it was around early evening when you discovered that in going down the straight path, you had walked all the way back to Home.

What in the actual fuck?

There had been no curves in the road, no gradual turn, it was a straightforward path with no convergence whatsoever, so how in God's name did you end up back here at the beginning?

Wally's friendly consolation from the second episode of Welcome Home played through your mind, mocking you for your forgetfulness.

" And remember, if you get lost, don't worry neighbor! All paths lead to Home. "

Great! This world follows some fucked up space time continuum bullshit! Lovely!

Glaring daggers at the polished stone beneath your feet, you flipped the rocks off before darting into the forest without a single goal in mind besides getting as far away from the path as possible.

"All paths lead to Home? Ha, he never said anything about the forest!" you cackled sonorously, grasping at straws for a way out of this hellhole or at least a one up to hold above its head- though perhaps the forest would continue on forever too?

Focused on the clamoring of your black boots as they hit the forest floor, ducking and dodging between tree branches and bushes, you paid no mind to the darkening sky.

Dusk was upon you and Wally had begun his frantic search.

—

You weren't here, where he'd seen you last. Wally could practically feel his heart stop- and he didn't even have one! You had left and night had overtaken the sky, the sun slipping beneath the horizon.

You were in terrible danger and it was all his fault. He hadn't watched over you to ensure you didn't get lost, he had just left you to your own devices and now you were gone. And, worst of all, he had only around twenty minutes to find you before the Puppeteer would begin its prowl.

He had to find you fast or it would be more than just your neck on the line.

Immediately, Wally searched the surrounding area, looking for any disturbances in the greenery and, thank goodness, he found some. There were a few crumpled bushes across from where you had been lying when he'd seen you last and they followed a distinct trail deeper into the forest.