Subject WD1-S had always known there was something outside of the lab. It made sense- the scientist had to have come from somewhere, and returned there when the lights went off.

It just hadn't occurred to the skeleton how much there was.

His brother was beside him. The younger test subject was picking through the snow, a worried expression on his face. They had been on the run for days, ever since just barely escaping the lab.

They refused to stop. Stopping meant giving him more time to find them.

That had led them here. Now, the location of "here" was a bit of a mystery. They had left Hotland immediately, cutting through a damp, humid cavern. This area had left them dirty and miserable, their thin and green medical gowns being their only protection from the marsh and water. Knowing returning to Hotland wasn't an option, they just had to keep going. They couldn't stay and try to scavenge for food, fearing another monster would come upon them and they'd be returned.

They'd seen a few other monsters- ones that were colourful, looking different from them. It was strange to watch odd appendages and coverings. After all, they had only seen each other and the scientist, another skeleton, the entirety of their short lives.

Despite having passed through the watery place already, this new environment was just as dangerous. They had kept to the trees for cover, but the snow under their bare feet was cold. It wasn't the chill of the metal from the lab, but small stabbing needles. Skeletons were naturally resistant to extreme temperatures, yet even they weren't made to be out in the ice and frost for so long.

They could shift- transforming from their young skeletal bodies to draconic, wolfish blasters. However, doing so would likely rid them of their only scrap of clothing which, while not too useful, was incredibly appreciated.

Unfortunately, another drawback was that it sapped their energy. They had agreed that until they could find food they wouldn't shift, to avoid one or the other collapsing into the snow.

1-S was yanked from his thoughts by the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, glancing up as his brother helped him stay standing.

"yeah, bro? what is it?" He asked, noticing the expression on the other's face. WD2-P was in better shape than he was, surprisingly. Due to his fragile nature, 1-S took part in fewer physical tests and medical examinations, having his mental capabilities focused on instead. They may have been created by the same man and for the same purpose, but they weren't identical. 1-S had been made first, possibly as a test run. His brother was made not too long after that.

At least, usually. The elder of the two reflexively rubbed his right eye, which had been blinded several weeks ago. It was now covered in messy bandages, which they'd done their best to keep on him as they'd walked. Still, his newfound lack of depth perception kept him crashing into trees and slipping on patches of ice.

"BROTHER, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SLOW DOWN."

"can't. he'll… he'll find us. take us back." Ignoring the concerned gaze, 1-S snatched the other skeleton's hand and tugged him forward. He knew why his companion was cautious. The last experiment performed had begun simple and clear cut but quickly morphed into something new and terrifying. Maybe it was supposed to make him stronger. What it had done, instead, was treat him with pains, magic flaring up randomly. Perhaps that was the point, although he couldn't be sure.

He truly didn't know what, or why, it was doing what it did. He could only hope to ignore it until it went away or he died. He snapped his arm forward, trying to push away a low hanging and only succeeded in throwing himself off-balance as his hand snatched at thin air.

Next to him, 2-P reached over and bent it out of their way. 1-S gave a mumbled "thank you," and his brother smiled and nodded in response.

With only 1 HP, he knew he couldn't afford to make mistakes. He also knew that it was because he was so broken and weak that his brother had to be so careful around him. And yet, the younger skeleton was what had made life worth living back in the lab.

The elder gave a sigh. "it… it might be a good idea to rest, though…"

He was terrified he would all-too-soon feel that all-too-familiar, sickening lurch as The Scientist used his magic, snaring their souls and holding them in place. They weren't strong enough to take him, and it was unlikely they'd escape again. But, maybe if they were to hide, in a really good spot this time… maybe he wouldn't find them. Just long enough to sleep, and then they'd be off.

Allowing his brother to help him along, he stumbled into a small alcove underneath the branches of a fallen tree. They'd stayed in the forest, away from the road. No one should be on their tracks yet.

Just keep moving. They'd get some rest and move again in a few hours.

Pushing away the snow and leaving muddy dirt beneath them, 1-S slipped into the corner, pressing himself inside. The log gave a good back, while the twigs and branches jutting from it left them with some cover from the outside. He could hear 2-P shivering as his bones rattled together ever-so-slightly. Beckoning his brother inside, 1-S wrapped his arms around his only companion and fell into an uneasy sleep, ignoring his own hunger, pain, and chill as he fell into an unfeeling void.

They weren't in a good place. They were cold and fatigued. But, at least they were away from the scientist, whoever he was, and that was what mattered now.

Grillby was a hard working monster. He dutifully opened his restaurant each day of the week, save for Sundays, which he used to relax. Or, if he felt particularly restless, to clean and prepare for upcoming work. He was settled in a relatively small town that went by the name of Snowdin, and although it wasn't very busy or exciting there was a homey feel to it that wasn't found in many other portions of the Underground.

The bartender wasn't much for words, but he didn't really need them. People knew what they wanted to order, and he served them. His restaurant was a focal point, not just for gatherings but for monsters to come and sit, joke around a bit. The royal guard often enjoyed coming in, sometimes for meals. Other times, it was just to sit and play a game of cards or speak to the locals. Either way, it seemed to serve a fine purpose and did it well.

There was a high-pitched bark from Greater Dog as he, a member of the Snowdin Canine Unit, gave a wave and stood from his table. Lesser Dog had chosen to accompany him to eat, and once finished they had gone to head off. Leaving gold on the table to pay for their meal and exchanging goodbyes they departed, heading back off to complete one final sentry shift before heading home to sleep.

While there wasn't a day-night cycle within the Underground, the magic that helped sustain the weather did tend to leave the cavern dark for part of the time in order not to put too much of a strain on resources. It was environmentally possible to have the different biomes, of sorts, within the caves. However, the extent of them had been enhanced from a combination of this and that. Grillby couldn't say for sure, as he was no scientist. He only knew what he heard and what he did. Either way, there were very few- if any- nocturnal monsters living around Snowdin, so the fire monster preferred to lock up and sleep when darkness came.

He glanced around the restaurant, taking note of a smiling rabbit walking in. As usual, many of the seats were taken, but with the newfound absence of two dogs there was enough room for the woman to drag a chair over to another table, talking to another monster lounging there.

Seeing she wasn't interested in food, or at least for the time being, Grillby took a few moments to collect the money and clean up the table. Careful to keep the water away from him, the flame monster sprayed the wood before beginning to wipe it down with a cloth. It didn't combust, as magical flames were naturally warm but wouldn't burn anything unless the user wished for them to do so.

Satisfied that the table was in a respectable condition he turned his attention to the monsters around him. No one in the immediate vicinity was in need of anything, so he took his chance to inconspicuously listen in on their conversation.

"...yeah, there were tracks all over the place!" Dogaressa told the rabbit monster. "Dogamy and I were told to go do a quick patrol over near the entrance to Waterfall before reporting to our stations-"

"And the snow was messy and covered in strange smells!" Dogamy finished. Grillby had only been paying half attention, absorbing himself in wiping down another table that had just opened up as the lunch rush died down. That is, if anyone could truly call it a rush. Not to say nearly every seat wasn't filled.

What captured his interest was the comment about the smells. Many of the dogs in Snowdin had questionable levels of eyesight, and instead utilized powerful noses. He head overheard comments before, and for them to say something smelled odd was, well, odd. They would have recognized the smell of someone from Waterfall- not that many Waterfall residents came this way. If it were Snowdin monsters they would probably be able to pinpoint who it was.

He decided to personally settle on the idea that someone from the Capital or perhaps Hotland was visiting, rare as it was. Although he wished to listen in longer to see what their thoughts on it were, another monster walked in and he was forced to pull his attention away to focus on them.

It was cold.

That was 1-S' first thought as he pushed himself up, trying to shake off the iciness which had permeated his bones as he slept. His hands and feet felt numb, and he rubbed at them in hopes he'd get some feeling back into them, warmed as they could be due to friction.

All he succeeded in doing was scraping his bones. Giving a silent sigh, he lightly tugged at the bandages around his eye, checking that they had remained in place. Nudging his brother, he slowly climbed out of their little make-shift home.

Shivering, he glanced around before cautiously standing up. Thankfully, he saw no one.

Darkness had fallen while they rested, and it was now apparent how lucky they were to have commandeered the spot under the log. The temperature had dropped dramatically, and the cold was harder to ignore once he was up.

2-P stuck his head out from their little space, blinking tiredly. "BROTHER?" he asked in his normal fashion of clear enunciation, although the words were quieted in case someone was nearby.

Not that it was too likely. After all, they were a good distance away- as they could tell by the glimmering of lights.

The Scientist had always fed them hard brick-like bars. They didn't feel good whenever they stopped eating them- they'd been told it was called being "hungry." However, they saw that he never ate the bars and reached the conclusion that there were other foods out there. It made sense, considering they'd watched him eat something colourful once, not to mention even The Scientist often drank something dark brown.

They'd only even had water before, but if he had something else then it would make sense other monsters had other food.

1-S understood that since the town had the monsters, the town would have the food.

"hey, bro. i'm gonna go check out the light place. stay... stay here, okay?" The younger skeleton nodded, keeping an optimistic look despite his obvious cold and discomfort.

Satisfied his brother would be safe, at least for a small while, he shucked the thin gown. It wasn't going to help much, but maybe 2-P would be able to use it in some way while he was gone.

Now, for the less-fun part. 1-S was confident he'd be able to find… well, at least something helpful. Although they'd decided not to shift until they had food, he wanted to be in and out fast. Shifting meant he'd have a harder time carrying things, but he'd manage.

He had to.

Carefully, he crouched down to stand in an animalistic posture. The cold from the snow hurt, but he ignored it. It was better than falling over and hurting himself when he changed forms. Still, he was thankful as his brother hesitantly crawled out of the shelter to beside him, just in case.

Focusing on the blaster form he tapped into the inherent magic he could feel. The Scientist had magic, too, making bones and changing their souls blue, grabbing them, reminding them that there was never any escape, they'd never get away…

He shook his head. No, don't think about The Scientist. Think about shifting.

Recall what it was always like to be a blaster- the way his skeletal tail would whip back in forth with his emotions. How the bones on his hands became hardened and sharp. His face extending outwards, jaw separating and filling with pointed teeth. The buzzing, electric, fiery feeling as he gathered magic for an attack.

Shifting never hurt, although it felt… well, odd was the easiest way to describe it. There was a faint, barely noticeable glow around him as he silently changed. Bones would turn almost liquidus as they stretched, a muzzle forming from a flatter skull. An itch as his spine protruded, link upon link being added. A slight tingle as his claws took shape.

He testingly took a few steps, moving to make sure the change was complete. It was; instead of the childlike form he had now taken that of a new creature.

Drawn away from his thoughts by reality, he touched his snout to his brother's forehead, silently assuring the child he would be fine. Waiting for the few seconds it took the younger child to take the gown and crawl back into the hiding space he couldn't help but observe the clumsy movements. Sure, it could be attributed to age but he knew that chill and starvation played their own rolls.

Turning away, he took a few hesitant steps before breaking into a run. He kicked up snow as he rushed through the trees, narrowly dodging them with the practiced ease that had been forced into them at the lab.

He chose to travel in a roundabout way, entering the pathway that led to the town through a patch of ice. It seemed to snow often here, or at least had a stable enough weather system to create wind and spread the icy substance around. Hopefully his tracks would be covered soon enough. He'd stick to the shadows, moving without creating sound and leaving little trace of his presence.

Slinking through the outskirts, he paused in front of what appeared to be a sign. Tipping his head in confusion, he stared it down.

He was fairly sure it was written in some odd form of the alphabet. The Scientist had always written in symbols, and had taught them to read and write using them. However, these weren't like what he knew. Instead of geometric shapes, crude hands, faces, and other sorts this had seemingly random curves and lines.

Choosing to ponder over it later, he slipped into the shadow of the nearest building, sniffing the air. He didn't have lungs, of course, but through some feat of magic he was able to detect scents in the form slightly easier than in the other. He found himself thankful for this when a thread of something odd snaked its way into the breeze around him.

Taking light, measured steps he made his way around to the back. Large tins surrounded a door, although judging by the way the inside lights were off 1-S could only assume whoever lived here had gone to sleep already. That fact was fortunate enough for him, he supposed.

Grillby waved to the last customer, a dog that worked for the royal guard, as he left. The canine had come in for a quick meal just before closing, having been kept at his station for longer than normal.

That had left the flame monster to revel in the complete and utter silence for a few moments. Then, he got to work. Sweeping the floor and wiping down the tables. It wasn't that his restaurant was a mess, as he often tidied up when he got the chance during the day. Of course, he always cleaned up in between customers using tables as well. In fact, it was more out of principle and necessity although it was good to fix everything up with a sense of finality, making sure everything was in order.

Doing so gave him more time in the mornings, of course, to get the place prepared for the day but it also allowed him a chance to make sure there was nothing that had been missed during his quick touch-ups during the day.

Having already placed the trash out back and locked the door, he turned his attention to checking that everything which needed washing had been washed.

Finally, it was time for him to head back to his house. Instead of residing, say, above the restaurant the fire monster lived in a small, two-bedroom home closer to the outskirts of Snowdin. He had bought it several years back and hadn't bothered to change much of anything inside, but he supposed that just left it with a more homey feel to have a spare bedroom and bath. It worked out for visiting friends or family, so he couldn't truly complain.

So, he slipped into his jacket and crossed the dining area.

Stepping outside, he took a brief moment to lock the door. Wiggling the handle to check that the deed was done, he nodded to himself and made the short trip across the road. By this time the town had quieted itself, reminding him how much of a peaceful, sleepy village Snowdin was. Calming, no doubt.

His place of residence was nearly, but not quite, across from his business. Facing it, he would find that it was fifteen steps to the left. That extended his walk some, but he didn't mind. It was still close enough that he found no problems in keeping his keys out, clenched tightly to keep him from dropping them.

Stepping up to his door, he kicked away some snow that had managed to accumulate, likely blown by the breeze. He reminded himself to check the weather, considering he hadn't in some time, as he tended to close during extremely heavy snowstorms. There wasn't much of a point in it, as many locals would stay indoors. Fur could only go so far, and Snowdin wasn't known for its hospitable climate.

Hand on the doorknob, he was about to enter when he was started by a muffled "thud." Sighing internally, he glanced towards the edge of the town, to the shop by the inn. Probably some teenagers making a mess of the trash. He inwardly hoped they would be chased off instead of bothering with his restaurant. It was a pain, needing to clean up the trash he had so carefully bagged and disposed of.

Oh well. He wasn't about to sit vigil all night, anyway. If it happened, he'd deal with it in the morning. For such a nice town it seemed there somehow managed to be quite a lot of unprecedented, although not particularly harmful, jokes from local teens.

Stepping inside, he shut the door behind him, re-twisting the lock with practiced movements.