Lost Dog, an undertale fanfic

AN: This was originally a request on AO3, but I went way beyond the original scope of the request. I may continue this, but probably not.

This contains some drug and tobacco use in a neutral/positive light, so if that makes you uncomfortable, sorry! It's a doggo fic, it's canon.

Some of the formatting here will be weird. I was just trying to preserve my original extra line breaks. They really help me break up a scene when I read, so I like to include them when I write.

It wasn't the first time this has happened, but that only managed to make him angrier at himself.

Doggo had seen something moving through the woods. What it was likely didn't matter now, besides the slight pit in his gut telling him that whatever it was was probably closer to him now than anyone or anything else. He'd pursued for quite a distance and gotten himself turned around somewhere along the way. He could have been a few feet from the main road for all he knew, now. Or… he could have been miles out.

The dead tones and static on his phone when he attempted to report in to Undyne indicated the latter was more likely.

Damnit.

Doggo was usually able to keep himself to the road, and had a personal policy of not pursuing anything that seemed to be moving too fast or too far from the path. He could sometimes retrace his steps, and, if heading deeper out into the woods was necessary, he had his methods of getting back. A chase was different. The lack of planning would catch up with him; it always did.

So now here he was, in the middle of the woods, cold, wet. He'd crossed the river, which meant he could be anywhere. He might have been miles away. It was nearly impossible to determine a direction to head in. With effort, he tracked his footsteps back until he found a completely tamped down area he had crossed, and the trail was lost.

That was it. He couldn't find where it picked back up again. It was hard to smell anything. The snow didn't carry scent well. And frankly, that sense of his was pretty dulled down for a dog, not that he usually cared too much about losing it.

…He didn't even have a treat on him.

So he just laid down. For a bit. He was getting upset and that wasn't him and he needed the breather. He needed to think and… He was shivering. Damn. Why did he even think it was a good idea to cross the river? One step in and he should have turned the other way. He usually didn't get cold. He had fur. But getting wet and staying exposed to the elements was not a good idea for any monster. Not even a dog with his pedigree of cold-resistance.

He fidgeted with his lighter. He figured he could build a fire and warm up, maybe signal with it, but the thing wasn't working. It wouldn't even spark. He was either shaking too much to get a good click, or he'd damaged it somehow.

He threw it away after what may have been the hundredth attempt.

Stupid thing.

…Doggo didn't know any kind of fire magic. He had just lost the only hope he had of warming up without it.

…stupid dog.

He would just have to wait until someone came looking for him… but he felt the realization creep up his spine, along with a chill that was all natural, that maybe no one would. He wasn't even sure who would notice he was gone. Not until it was too late…

He had… hours, maybe. Then…

Sitting there in the snow, against a large tree to protect against the mild but constant breeze, Doggo whimpered lightly to himself as sensations dulled and thoughts froze along with the rest of him.

...

Something jostled him awake.

Doggo tried to shout, or bark, but whatever came out instead was a sound of pure panic, like a whimper at great volume, a squeak, a yip, the kind of sound a scared puppy makes, not a respectable sentry. He didn't care. He had more to worry about than his image.

He was disoriented, terrified, and just barely awake.

It felt like he was falling, but it didn't stop. There was no impact. He never felt the ground. He didn't feel anything else and that just made it all the more disorienting. He could tell he was moving, but he couldn't tell where he was. He was moving too fast and against his own will, and couldn't adjust what movements he was seeing for what he was feeling.

He tried to thrash, but he was too weak. Still, something shifted and it felt like he was being tugged, falling in a new direction before finally something in it all equalized and he was left suspended. He instinctively held his breath, body rationalizing the feeling as if he had ended up in the middle of Unfrozen Lake. He realized just as quickly that he was still in the air, however, and gasped for breath. A mistake. Too cold. He panted in his panic but that only made it worse.

Where was he? What was happening?

He'd stopped, but something moved in front of him. A figure. A human? A monster? Something else entirely? He wasn't sure. His uncertainty brought back a memory of the very thing he'd been chasing, and though the movements and form were very different, he couldn't completely ease the additional fear that thought caused. The thing was… waving… or something. Gesturing? It was accompanied by sound, he realized, but he was having trouble processing it.

"D… GG… OGG…. DOGGO? C...N… H… R… M…EE? DOGGO?"

His name.

There was something else in the garble but that didn't get picked up, and that didn't matter.

He could only whimper in response.

"...M S... S…RREE… ...NKING. PLEASE NOD … C… N ….STAND?"

He shook his head, but became unsure of what the question had been, and attempted to shrug instead.

He couldn't speak. He could barely hear. His sense of smell seemed stifled (his nose was blocked up, he realized, the makings of an illness he would enjoy for the next few days even if he did survive this ordeal) His sense of gravity was completely astray. He couldn't feel a thing.

The only sense left untouched was sight, and Doggo had always been blind.

He was scared, confused, and he needed something. He needed to hear something, smell something, feel something , and so Doggo thrashed as much as he could, though that was not a lot. He was cold, and he was weak, but he was just scared enough to fight unconsciousness.

He found nothing to latch onto…

…until he felt a hand. Bones beneath thick fabric, something wrong with the shape of them, but a hand nonetheless, one with a grip that was surprisingly sturdy. It was something to ground him.

"S… RRY" was what he could make out, before an explanation of some kind he was already fading too quickly to hear. Whatever had been happening before, it stopped happening. He became aware of something loosening, a grip, a tightness in his soul. It didn't go away, but it was no longer as constricting. He hadn't realized it was there until it started to go slack, and with it, gravity seemed to make some sense again, and his panic quickly gave way to exhaustion.

He still felt lighter than he should have when he felt himself being held by a thin arm, the hand in his paw readjusting.

He was being carried, and though normally the thought was an embarrassing one, the only thing to process in his mind was the knowledge that he was not alone, and whatever was with him was benign.

The hand from earlier pet his head softly and everything else dulled down to nothing once again.

When Doggo awoke, he was unsure of exactly where he was.

He could tell he was in a bed, one more comfortable than his own. The smell was unfamiliar… but nice. Perfumed sheets, or a scented candle burning somewhere nearby. Another room, probably. Something fancy he wouldn't normally seek out, but a nice addition to the atmosphere. It smelled like some surface scientist's approximation of pine, tinting the scent of nearby laundered linen. There was bleach and another disinfectant somewhere in the mix, used recently, but it was faint and dulled by the others. Wafting somewhere above it all was a hint of cinnamon. The cinnamon was both distant and mouth-wateringly real.

Doggo soon realized he smelled something else, too, though he could not immediately place it, and as he became more aware, he recognized the presence of someone other than himself in the room, though at first he did not see them. There was movement, but only just barely. He wasn't sure what or who the other was. It was familiar, but not distinct. It wasn't until the other started rocking slightly, briefly, that he recognized the stranger as the tall skeleton who sometimes patrolled nearby his station, and the memories of the oddity he experienced before this came back.

That had been strange. Definitely not an experience he ever wanted to repeat.

At least he'd survived it.

Making some assumptions about the bed and its relation to the floor, the angle of his pillows and his distance from the skeleton, the other seemed taller than he should have been, doing something with his arms above his head. Tiny movements. He couldn't conceptualize their surroundings enough to figure out what was happening, but what he could make out of the others motions and stance spoke to confidence in his task. A slight sway, and it became a little more clear that the skeleton was standing on top of something sturdy. A chair, perhaps? They did seem to be indoors.

Doggo waited until the skeleton's arms lowered, form and stance stabilizing, gripping onto something and lowering to where the floor seemed to be before he made a low grumble to grab the other's attention.

"AHH! DOGGO! YOU ARE AWAKE! HOW DO YOU FEEL? ARE YOU WARM ENOUGH? DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH BLANKETS!?"

Right. The tall one was a talker once you got him alone. They normally weren't alone, so it took him by surprise for a moment. He nodded. "Yeah… I… I think I'm fine?" A little dizzy, actually, and while his nose was clear for the moment, it felt like that wouldn't last. Colds were quite literal for monsters, the name reflecting their most common cause. That's definitely what he'd be dealing with for the next day or two. That would be unpleasant, but not really his pressing concern. He'd had colds before. He hadn't had... that. "What happened?"

The skeleton tilted his head. "YOU WERE OUT IN THE WOODS. I… think you may have gotten lost?" The other lowered his volume for that, a gesture Doggo appreciated. "BUT NOT TO WORRY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A MASTER TRACKER!" The skeleton (Papyrus, was it?) was striking some kind of pose. Doggo didn't quite know what to follow that up with, which was apparently taken as a need for further explanation. "I FOUND YOU!"

Doggo grumbled. This probably warranted a thank you, but he wasn't quite there yet. "Something happened between me passing out and waking up here. I was awake for a little while but… what was that? Were you there? I felt bones. Your hands. And what's–"

"AH! YES! I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO HEAR ME BACK THERE. I GUESS NOT? NOT TO WORRY! I'M USED TO THAT!" The skeleton started rocking slightly. He'd been playing with his hands since Doggo mentioned them but the fidgeting seemed to pick up speed and purpose as the skeleton spoke. Doggo couldn't help but watch. "Uh. I MEAN, YOU WEREN'T DOING VERY WELL. SO I DO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU COULDN'T HEAR ME?"

He perked up and the hand thing stopped for just a moment. The skeleton seemed to realize he hadn't actually explained. "I USED MY MAGIC ON YOU! I DIDN'T THINK IT THROUGH. I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD WANT TO BE CARRIED AND YOU WERE IN A VERY DELICATE STATE! I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HURTING YOU BY LIFTING, BUT I THINK MY METHOD MADE THINGS WORSE..."

"What kind of magic was that?"

"GRAVITY MANIPULATION! I WAS TRYING TO… ERR… FLOAT YOU BACK. ESSENTIALLY. IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED! BUT WHEN YOU WOKE UP YOU PROBABLY HAD NO WAY OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO YOU. I IMAGINE THAT WAS VERY SCARY AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CONSIDERATE." The fidgeting picked up speed again as the monster played with his mittens "I WASN'T REALLY THINKING. YOU WERE JUST… IT WAS FASTER AND YOU WERE ALREADY… UM. ALREADY… NOT GOOD."

Right… so, gravity manipulation. He'd never even heard of that. That was…

"Do me a favor, and never, ever use that on me again," Doggo said with a growl, but when he saw the way the skeleton shrunk in on himself, his tone relented. "but thank you. I wasn't getting home on my own. Speaking of… where am I? This isn't home."

"YOU WEREN'T DOING WELL, SO I BROUGHT YOU TO THE INN!" he chirped. The inn doubled as an infirmary when needed, a single room always kept on reserve in case it became needed. Otherwise, the town had no clinic or dedicated healer. There was no call for it. The bunny sisters were decent healers and usually who people went to for emergencies. He didn't really think of this an emergency until now. It clearly was, though. "THEY WANT YOU TO STAY HERE FOR A FEW DAYS SO THEY CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOU. NO CHARGE, THOUGH!"

"A few days?" The disappointment in his voice must have been obvious. The bed was great, and he was happy to be alive, but… the Inn had rules, and there was one in particular he was desperately craving to break. One that probably got him into this mess in the first place, thinking about it. He couldn't complain, but he wanted to. Oh well.

"You didn't see anything out there, did you?"

"NO? IS THAT WHY YOU WERE OUT THERE? DID YOU SEE SOMETHING?"

"Yeah. I may have imagined it though. It was moving… strangely. Not like anything I ever saw before. Fast, too."

"WELL, THERE WERE NO OTHER TRACKS…" the skeleton looked around, as if checking to make sure the room was just the two of them. When he continued, it was barely above a whisper. His voice sounded strained. It didn't belong at such a low volume. "I did hear something. It was… not something I recognized… But I also sort of… did? It made me nervous, so I went to see if someone else heard it, or if it was my brother playing some kind of practical joke. But… nobody was around. My brother never made it to work and you weren't at your station. My cell phone wasn't working and... then I saw the tracks leading into the woods. Undyne mentioned that you've gotten lost before, once, and so I forgot about the noise and wondered about you, instead! I… I feel a little better if you were chasing what I was hearing. I thought that I was imagining things!"

"So, there's something out there. But whatever it is probably long gone. Uh, you mentioned Undyne. Do you think you could do me a favor and–"

"I WON'T TELL HER. ABOUT GETTING LOST, I MEAN. BUT SHOULD WE REPORT THE… the thing?"

Doggo considered it for a moment, then shook his head no. The action made his head hurt, stuffiness having worsened just a bit as they spoke. "What would we even report? A sound and a movement? I can't describe what it was I saw, just that it moved… wrong. And you can't describe what you heard, just that it was weird. Nah. Undyne wouldn't take that seriously coming from us. And then we'd have to explain what we did about it, and the rest of this mess."

The other monster flinched more than a little at the "coming from us" line but made no protest, humming in thought as he twiddled his thumbs.

"I'll keep an ear out if you keep an eye out. If it happens again… it'll have to deal with the two of us."

Normally, Doggo couldn't see smiles. Facial expressions were much too subtle. His fellow sentry, however, smiled with his whole body.

After a few moments of mostly comfortable silence, the skeleton continued playing with his hands as if in thought, facing away. He seemed to come to a conclusion with a pause. Standing up rod-straight, the skeleton reached into what was presumably a pocket and pulled something out in an exaggerated fashion. Doggo smiled at the action. His rescuer was trying to make sure he saw whatever he was up to. He was putting on a show of whatever it was.

The skeleton walked over to the bed and placed something in Doggo's paw, two distinct objects he recognized the feel of instantly. He let out a very loud bark before he could even stop himself, tail trying to wag beneath him. He stopped himself from barking again, but only barely.

"I UM… I KNOW IT MAKES YOU HAPPIER WHEN YOU HAVE THESE SO…" the skeleton explained, shuffling his feet in nervousness but still standing proudly overall, "I DISABLED THE SMOKE ALARM ALREADY. BUT DON'T WORRY! I'M GOING TO PUT IT BACK BEFORE I LEAVE!"

Doggo had to stop himself from panting in all of his excitement. He felt at the lighter. It definitely wasn't his old one. That was probably in the possession of the thing in the woods, now, but the new one felt nice, with little textures carved into one side, and a smooth surface on the other. He rubbed at it between his paws a bit, calming himself down enough to feel ready to speak.

"Wow. Thank you! Papyrus, right?"

The skeleton shifted his weight from his balls of his feet to the very tips of his toes, leaning forward enthusiastically. That there was all the answer he needed to know he'd gotten it correct. Just like a pup, the other monster loved to hear his own name. "RIGHT! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU KNEW MY NAME! MOST PEOPLE… MOST PEOPLE JUST FORGET IT."

Well, that was… really sad. Papyrus had always been a bit off to the side, out of the pack. Really, he seemed almost shy a lot of the time even as he tried to make his presence known. It made sense that perhaps people would overlook him. But this monster saved his life, and sure, scared him half to death when he was already almost there, but saved him regardless. And he brought him treats! As far as Doggo was concerned, the eternal question of who was a good boy had at last been answered.

"You saved my life, Papyrus. I won't ever forget about that."

"W-wELL… TH-THANK YOU. IT… I… I'M REALLY GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!"

Doggo gave him a grin, one that was just as much in anticipation of smoking as it was in gratitude. He couldn't wait anymore, lighting up the treat and laying back into the propped up pillows.

All was right with the world. Doggo could finally relax.

He lost a little track of time before noticing his new companion pacing a bit near where he assumed the door was, if he remembered the layout of these rooms correctly. Papyrus always seemed like the goody type who worried a lot about rules and regulations. It made sense he was nervous and keeping guard. It just made the fact that he'd done him this favor even more appreciated.

He really did look nervous, though. He always seemed so nervous...

"Hey, pup," Doggo began, getting the other's attention. He held out the half finished treat. "Do you want to try?"

That startled him.

"M-ME? N-NO I COULD NEVER. I WOULD NEVER. IT'S YOURS, ANYWAY!"

"I'm offering because I want to share. You did a lot for me today. I wanna return at least some of the favor. But don't feel pressured, either. I know it's not for everyone." He felt the metal object in his other paw, the ridges on the side. It really was a unique piece. Probably custom from one of the specialty shops in the capital. That, or one hell of a dump find. "This is your lighter, isn't it?"

Oh, that was a guilty visage. "...FOR CIGARETTES. YES. NO ONE KNOWS, SO PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE! MY BROTHER WOULD THROW A FIT!"

"Hey, your brother can go ahead and smoke the wrong end. It's your business. Not his," Doggo replied without even thinking about it. He wasn't much a fan of the other skeleton, and he wasn't a fan of his new pal being worried about something that, as far as Doggo was concerned, was entirely benign.

The other monster chucked almost inaudibly, and relented. "I'LL… PASS. FOR NOW! I HAVE TO REPORT IN TO UNDYNE SOON FOR TRAINING AND... SHE'LL NOTICE IF I'M OFF. PROBABLY. ...MAYBE NOT." Doggo nodded. "BUT MAYBE... MAYBE ANOTHER TIME. I... UM... I COULD USE A SMOKE THOUGH. IF THAT'S OKAY?"

Doggo smiled, scooting over and making room for his new friend to sit next to him on the bed, and patted it. He heard the skeleton light up with fluid, practiced movements, hands seemingly only confident in motion. Papyrus took a long drag, and for the first time that Doggo had witnessed, the skeleton seemed to just relax.

Neither said anything after that, just comfortable silence.

Doggo eventually drifted off, tired, sick, and with a comforting warmth nearby. His new companion was gone when he woke back up. He left the lighter behind, an unspoken promise that he'd be back for it.

He grinned, feeling it in his paws.

It had been... an odd day, to say the least. Weird as all get out and more than a little scary, and it could have ended very, very differently. Yet it hadn't. Sure, he had a hell of a cold, was stuck in the Inn for a few days, had seen some sort of unknown being lurking the woods next to his station, got tossed around like a ragdoll, and nearly died, but... he also made a new smoking buddy.

He'd chalk this day up as a good one.