Branches On A Tree

In The Forest

Papyrus had no idea what to do, or where to even start looking for his big brother and Undyne. Somehow they had both dissolved and there was no trace of them by the doorpost. He blinked his damp eyes a few times before he stepped outside.

"SANS? U-UNDYNE?" he called with a shrill tone, desperately hoping to get an answer. There was no reply, but the echo of his own voice. In fact, no one at all was around. Snowdin Town seemed vacant and in the eyes of the lonely skeleton kind of frightening as well.

It bothered Papyrus how Sans had seemed so upset because he knew that it would take a lot to make his brother feel that way. Something was really wrong, so why couldn't he tell him? And what happened to him before he disappeared? That awful crackling noise still lingered in his metaphorical ears.

He decided to go see if there was still anyone left in any of the houses who might be able to help him look for them, but he didn't get a response from any of the houses in the village. Not the inn, or shop or library. Not even the ever so crowded Grillby's. Even the Ice Wolf was gone.

He looked anxiously around him. He didn't even know where to start looking, but he knew he had to find them. They couldn't just vanish into thin air. Or could they? He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to think of what Undyne would have done in this situation. He was glad that she managed to grab Sans in time. It gave him a little comfort knowing that she had disappeared together with him. She would definitely be able to protect him and take care of him until Papyrus found them himself.

The sound of footsteps crunching on the snow made the gangly skeleton turn around so rapidly that he almost lost balance. There on the main street of Snowdin Town hopped a group of Froggits, coming from the forest.

"I'm so glad we made it past that bridge," said one of them.

"You know that that wasn't really a bridge, right? It was a large and quite steady rock formation somebody just painted on," replied another.

"Oh. Well, it was real enough for me! You know how scared I am of heights!" Papyrus rushed up to the quintet of tiny frogs. Most of them drew back at his sudden influx, but one Froggit remained still. A grin appeared on its face when he came closer.

"Hey look! It's another skeleton!" it chattered cheerfully. "Are you waiting for your brother to come back?"

"H-HOW DID YOU KNOW??" he asked without even greeting them. He had no time to be polite, he needed answers.

"Well, I saw another skeleton before," said the tiny frog. "By the ruins, before we left."

"WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE? DID HE HAVE A BLUE HOODIE AND PINK SLIPPERS?"

"Uh-huh!"

"THEN THAT'S MY BROTHER! DID SOMETHING SEEM STRANGE OR WEIRD?"

"Uhm, no. He seemed a little troubled by something, but he said he was going to go find his brother in the ruins or something."

"BUT I'M HIS BROTHER, AND I HAVE NEVER EVEN BEEN IN THE RUINS!"

"Maybe he was referring to the other skeleton inside the ruins?" one of the other Froggits suggested.

"Oh yeah. Well, maybe. Hehe, come to think of it you're the third skeleton I've seen today!" said the Froggit and snorted.

That was unaccounted for. Ever since their grandfather fell down he hadn't seen any other skeletons around, but it would have to wait for now. He needed to go to the ruins to see if Sans and Undyne were still there. "WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP," he cajoled and hurried towards the snowy forest.