The snow had been heavily falling from the skies for what seemed like aeons. It brought with it a crisp bitter wind that could chill even a monster with the warmest of clothes to the bones. Unfortunately, for a small skeleton monster such a Papyrus, it had no trouble reaching his delicate bones through the scarce clothing he wore.
Despite the harsh cold and endless darkness that had filled the cavern, the young monster sat alone in the fields of ice that stretched through the Snowdin forests. Although he did not feel the cold due to his lack of skin and muscle, he still shivered. The Underground was a dark and cruel place, and not only in the midst of the midwinter snows. If the elements did not kill him, there was still the chance of being dusted by his fellow monsters for a measly few points of EXP.
Papyrus hated the short days of winter when all he had for company were the whispers of the wind, and the creaking of ancient pines, perhaps even more than the freezing nights when the snow would rain from the heavens in relentless torrents. At least in the evenings he had Sans, he wasn't alone then, unlike during the hours of light when the older brother was out scavenging for food, or the little gold he could gather from performing simple jobs for people.
There never was a time when Papyrus could remember living what most would deem a 'normal' life, he had always been living on a day to day basis, constantly at the mercy of both mother nature and other monsters. Some were kind, such as the rabbit monster who ran the small corner store, who would accidentally toss them the old cinnamon buns on occasion. Others were cruel, and would try to steal what little they had, or would hit them seemingly for no reason, or shout at them and call them petty names. It was a hard life for sure, no one could doubt that, but they survived, one way or another.
Papyrus snuggled deeper into the large scarf that hung loosely around his neck, entwining his bony fingers with its soft fabric. He screwed his eye sockets closed, wishing the day would progress faster, he hated being alone, despised it. Sans had left only an hour past at most, but already Papyrus was lonely, and he knew he would have to wait; until the shadows the trees cast were long and the dark of the night was slowly creeping in to steal away the light of yet another day.
The wind picked up again, as though its presence had previously been forgotten, bringing with it another icy chill and more flakes of snow that seemed to simply vanish in the white surrounds the moment they landed on the soft ground. Every small exhale of Papyrus' breath steamed up the air, looking like tiny clouds – lasting for a few moments – then vanishing once more.
The soft sound of crunching snow broke the short serene moment. Papyrus' whole body froze, tense as a sculpture of ice, only his eyes moving, as they cautiously opened to survey the area. The red pinpricks of light that represented his eyes scanned the area, finally landing on what he had at first thought to be a tree. He quickly realised this was no tree, and it was, in fact, a leg.
He remained motionless, but listened, finally hearing the beast's heavy breath. On closer inspection, Papyrus could see that what he had earlier mistaken for the bark of a tree was rather the scales of some gargantuan reptile, what he made out as roots; were a set of lengthy talons that dug into the fresh snow creating deep trenches in their wake.
After a moment, it began to move, almost silently navigating the ice. Papyrus was in awe over how such an immense creature could walk so stealthily, placing each paw so meticulously to minimise sound. He watched each muscle stretch and contract, the way its entire body moved so graciously and calmly, yet while still remaining a formidable sight to behold.
Eventually, its entire frame was in sight, everything from the tip of its snout to the tip of its tail. The full length of its beige body was lined with the thick scales Papyrus had observed on its legs and looked a little like the chain mail armour he had seen previously on some of the Royal Guards. The beast's head was adorned by a pair of long horns that protruded directly from the back of its skull and seemed to have a simple curve half way along their length. There were also three distinct spines that jutted from the bottom of its jaw, shrinking in size the further the spine was from the chin. However, perhaps its most curious feature was the set of large wings that appeared not too different to a bat's, that sat tightly tucked into the reptile's sides.
This was unlike any monster Papyrus had ever seen before – it was certainly larger than any he had seen – but it was the distinct animalistic features that truly set it apart.
The beast spread open its broad maw, displaying its dagger-like teeth for the entire Underground to see as it gave a large yawn. Shortly after it gave a soft shake off its body, seemingly trying to rid its hide of the needles from the trees above that had fallen and become trapped in the minute gaps between each scale.
It turned its head, the slits of its eyes immediately narrowing down on the small skeleton a short way across from its piercing gaze. In hindsight, wearing red clothes had not been the wisest choice when trying to remain unseen. The beast lowered its head down so that it almost touched the snow before tentatively edging slower to the small monster in its sight as though it were trying to make itself appear smaller; less of a threat.
Papyrus, however, did was not buying into what this creature was trying to sell and hurriedly scrambled to his feet. He did not run, despite the fact he currently shook with fear; Sans had told him once that predators gave chase to that which chose to run.
It seemed to take an eternity for the monstrous creature to finally reach Papyrus, coming to a halt just short of him. By then he was trembling so hard the faint sound of bones rattling could be heard and he was trying his utmost to fend off the crimson tears that were threatening to spill down his face. However, he was momentarily shaken from his panic when the monster before him began to make a soft sound somewhat akin to the chirping of a bird.
Its eyes were still heavily focused on his small physique, and the light that reflected up from the snow caused its orange eyes to look as though there were made of living flame, but within them, he saw no trace of malice, only eager interest. Slowly but surely, as with all children, curiosity took the place of fear.
With slow, gradual movements he reached out a quivering hand, ever so gingerly placing it upon the creature's snout. To his immense surprise, the reptile either didn't notice or didn't mind Papyrus touching it, possibly because of its impervious scaled hide hindering the sensation of touch. Also to his confoundment, was just how much heat the beast was generating – it wasn't quite burning hot – just hot enough for him to handle without being scathed by its fever.
Papyrus had been in the cold snow for so many nights and days he had lost count, so the warmth was simply alluring. He placed a second hand on the creature, both of his thumbs beginning to naturally caress its face. This time it drew a reaction from the giant, causing it to let out a deep hum. Papyrus could only grin when he felt its entire snout vibrate with the pleased sound, sending tremors up his own arms.
There was something else that could be seen in the beast's eyes; intelligence. This creature knew the young monster was no danger to it, and thus was merely curious about him – a feeling Papyrus was quick to replicate. He wanted to know what this creature was, he wanted a name he could put to it.
The snow that fell on its vast body seemed to immediately melt from the heat, causing it to have several droplets of water running down, through all the nooks and crannies of its scales before finally dropping onto the blanket of snow below.
After a while Papyrus cautiously moved to embrace the creature, gently coiling his arms as far as he could reach around its snout, revelling in the feeling of the warmth seeping through his clothes and down to his bones. There was another hum, and this time Papyrus could feel the reverberations throughout nearly his entire body, particularly resonating in his chest.
A deep exhale, and he was hit by the strong scent of smoke, and the warmth of the creature's breath. The smell of smoke was somewhat off – smelling not like the smoke of a wood fire – rather more acidic.
All too soon the face Papyrus was clinging to moved away, prying itself from his grasp and lifting its head. The creature gave another shake before turning away, beginning to stalk back whence it came. By that time more snow had fallen, covering the previous tracks as it undoubtedly would once more after the beast left.
Feeling somewhat happier after the unusual encounter, Papyrus finally managed to muster the courage to use his voice. "Bye," he called softly, his voice small and still a tad nervous. Apparently despite lacking strength the creature heard, sending him another glance in acknowledgement before continuing its path.
Papyrus watched the beast leave, watching as it vanished once more into the snow.