Just One Night

Hollow

Dawn approached upon a heavily dreary day as the weight of last night's events settled upon the residents of the underground. Those that chose to remain in silent vigil throughout the night trudged wearily back through the cave entrance, not one without a heavy heart as the tragedy left them bitter and angry. The humans were spineless, hateful bigots that would stop at nothing to oppress their kind, leaving many in fear of what would happen next. Only time would truly tell what would become of the monsters, but one thing was for sure: they would not go down without a fight.

A weary Asgore once more turned to the sky, sighing as dark clouds rolled forward, blocking out the sun's warm rays behind a wall of dreary clouds. Fitting, considering the circumstances, yet it did nothing to lighten the already somber mood. Cerulean orbs stared up at the sky, lost in tumultuous thoughts of revenge and battle. It had been eons since the war between humans and monsters, he not even being alive during that time to participate in such events.

Expression darkening, a light scowl on his face, he glared up at the ominous clouds as light drops rained down atop his form, soaking his fur and cloak as he remained standing despite the minor inconvenience. The humans had no doubt advanced in ways of weaponry, not to mention the sheer number of them. They would be at a severe disadvantage, their measly eight thousand no match for the hundreds of thousands of humans residing in the valley below. True, they had different and unique skills that the humans would not be prepared for, but the truth was that many were untrained in the ways of combat. The women and children alone would be unable to participate as they needed to be protected at all costs, he would not send them into harm's way just to die at the hands of the human militia.

Which brought about yet another dilemma. Where would they go? They could potentially stay behind underground during the war, but was that really wise? Although the monsters knew the terrain and had established shelter back in the mountainside, there was only one way to get in and out. It would be far too easy for the humans to seal off the cave entrance, once more trapping them underground, or even in the worst case scenario, cornering them underground and eliminating them one by one.

Truly they were at such a severe disadvantage that surviving such a war would be slim to none, the odds stacked so far against them that even he in all his three hundred years of wisdom could not deny. They would not survive as it was right now. They needed to regroup and strategize.

Turning on his heel, he stalked through the cave opening, his gait quick as he sped towards New Home to call upon his most trusted advisers and prepare for what was to come.

It took longer than he personally found necessary for the group to assemble, but not once did he lose his patience with those gathered, the people who were closest to his heart. He lounged in his recliner seemingly dazed as thoughts of war crossed his mind, his nostrils exuding smoke as his thoughts turned to worries, his confidence dampening at the prospect of more loss. The gentle paw of his wife gave him much needed peace as his tired mind ran through every possible scenario that lay out before them. A furry paw reached up to grasp hers gratefully and she hummed quietly in acknowledgement to his appreciation.

His vassals sat on the sofa nearby and in chairs pulled out from the kitchen, all gazing at the King in various emotions. Undyne watched Asgore with an intense gaze, her golden eyes smoldering with unvoiced determination, her hands clenched tightly with the dinosaur next to her. Unlike her lover, Alphys was doing her best to repress the overwhelming fear that was clawing at her stomach, the sheer magnitude of the decision at hand making her jittery with repressed trepidation. The only thing keeping her grounded at this point was Undyne's strong, scaly hand entwined with hers, squeezing tightly in a silent show of support and promise. Whether the two spoke of it or not, they both knew that no matter what they faced, they would face it together.