"Hey Papyrus!"
Paps jumped and looked around frantically. No ones ever called for him after school before, nor is he referred to by anything other than 'Weirdo' by his classmates.
"Behind you squirt." Papyrus turned around to see four larger monsters, an ice cap, two snowdrakes from his class and a rabbit monster a year ahead of him. Papyrus put on the biggest smile he could muster.
"Hello friends! Is there anything the Great Papyrus can do for you?" The larger rabbit monster wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
"Actually there is," she told him as she dragged him forward. "The gang and I were gonna check out something super cool in the woods today, and we wanted to know if you would join us?" She snickered at the young skeleton.
"Wowie! That sounds great! But I should really ask my brother if I can go-"
"Don't worry about that." the rabbit monster shot back. "It won't take very long, and we'll be back before anyone knows were gone." Papyrus paused for a second. She said it would be a short trip, right? And he's never been invited to do anything with anyone after school before. Maybe they really wanted to be friends with him!
"Okay, the Great Papyrus accepts!"
"Excellent." the rabbit monster shot a quick grin back to her friends, whom snickered back. "Come on, the secret place is in the forest." They led the way over the bridge and out of Snowdin, with Papyrus excitedly following close behind. As they passed the town welcome sign, snowflakes started to fall.
/
Sans stepped through the front door and kicked off his shoes. It had been a long day at the lab, and all he wanted to do was nap. Sighing, Sans crashed on the couch and flipped on the TV. An MTT weather report was just starting, warning of a terrible blizzard later in the evening.
"yikes, looks like we'll be staying in tonight." Sans mumbled. He glanced up at the clock. 3:30. Papyrus should be home from school in an hour. Welp, that would give him enough time for a quick nap before figuring out dinner for him and Paps. With that settled, Sans yawned loudly and fell fast asleep.
/
"Were here!" the rabbit monster announced, her friends quickly running to catch up. Papyrus timidly followed, scared but fascinated by the object in front of him. It was a large, very old looking stone door set at the very back of a cave. Glowing mushrooms surrounded it, giving the place an otherworldly glow.
"Wowie! What is this place?" Papyrus gaped.
"It's our secret hideout." the icecap chirped.
"Super secret hideout, so you have to be super sure not to tell anyone about it, alright?" the rabbit monster said, putting her hand on Papyrus' shoulder. Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.
"But of course!" He said, "the Great Papyrus would never reveal his friends' secret hideout!"
"Good." the rabbit said slyly, knowing she had fully gained his trust. "Hey, why don't we play a game before heading back to town?" The others nodded in agreement.
"Okay!" Papyrus jumped excitedly. "What are we playing?"
"Hide and Seek, you know how to play that, right?"
"Of course!" Papyrus had only ever played with his brother, but always thought it would be better with more people.
"Good, then you can be the first seeker, okay?" Papyrus excitedly nodded. "Good, now you stand here and count to 200, while the rest of us hide in the surrounding forest, alright?"
"Alrighty! I'll start right now!" Papyrus turned to the wall and covered his eyes. "1...2...3...4…" The others quickly made their way out of the cave and up the hill, with the snowdrakes using ice magic to cover their tracks.
"How long do you think it will take before he realizes we left?" the taller snowdrake asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps looking till nightfall." The rabbit laughed. The others laughed along with her as they headed back to town.
/
"197...198...199...200! Ready or not here I come!" Papyrus burst out of the cave opening, only to find the snow was already falling even harder. Not seeing any footprints, he rushed up the hill and began looking behind every tree and rock he could find. "They must have picked some really good hiding spots, but I shall not be deterred!" Papyrus said, striking a triumphant pose. "The Great Papyrus will never give up!"
/
Papyrus searched for what felt like hours, but was unable to find even a footprint from his friends. The forest was getting darker, and the wind was starting to pick up along with the snow. He was tired, and he knew Sans would be worried about him if he stayed any longer.
"Friends! I think you are far too good at hiding for the Great Papyrus to find! So maybe you should all come out so we can head back?" No response. "Uh, friends?" Still no response. Papyrus was gullible, but he wasn't stupid, it only took a few minutes of shouting to realize that the others weren't in the forest anymore. Sockets stinging with tears, Papyrus began walking. Why would they leave him, they showed him their secret hideout. That should have meant they were friends… right? Perhaps they realized how late it was getting and rushed home, maybe forgetting to tell him! That seemed reasonable.
Nodding with satisfaction at his conclusion, Papyrus began looking for the trail, only to realize he didn't recognize this area of the forest. In fact, the snow was coming down very hard now, reducing visibility greatly. A sudden gust of wind blew the scarf off his neck into the blizzard.
"No wait!" he reach for the scarf but it disappeared into the storm. Papyrus zipped his coat up further, pulling his hood over his skull. As a skeleton, Papyrus didn't have to worry about freezing, though Sans had warned that cold temperatures could make their bones more brittle. As long as he tread carefully though, that shouldn't be an issue.
"Hello is anyone there!" He shouted, hoping someone could help him. The wind only began howling in response.
"Can somebody help me please!"
"Somebody! Anybody!"
"Please!"
It finally sunk in that Papyrus was completely alone. The woods started to feel a lot darker and bigger then a moment ago, and his breathing began to quicken. Picking a direction and hoping it would lead to town, Papyrus began walking. He trudged on, but strong gusts of wind and deep snow made him trip frequently. The storm was getting louder, and Papyrus' desperation and panic began to take over. As the storm picked up speed, so did his footfall until walking became sprinting.
There was too much noise. He couldn't remember the forest ever sounding like this. The wind sounded so hollow, so angry. He couldn't think straight anymore. Sans must know he's missing by now. Maybe he'll be out looking for him already. But what if Sans gets lost too, or hurt? What if he never makes it back, never gets to see his brother again?
The thoughts made Papyrus tear up again. No! He wasn't going to upset Sans! He would make it home and they would eat dinner and have story time before bed. He would apologize for not telling Sans where he went and-
That last thought was interrupted when he stumbled, realizing he had wandered too close to an embankment. Crashing forward he tumbled down, a sharp pain ripped through his humorous when he collided with a large rock. He was falling again before he had a chance to yelp, feeling like a ragdoll at the mercy of the hill. A sharp crack echoed through his skull when he reached the bottom. He laid there dazed for a few minutes before realizing he wasn't moving anymore. Papyrus tried to use the tree trunk he hit as leverage to stand with, but the moment he moved a sharp pain shot through his temple and arm. He could barely hear himself screaming over the wind, tears flowing down his face as he cried in pain.
This was it. He was going to die here. There's no way he can crawl up that incline. There was no way he can even move. His bones had begun rattling, though he couldn't tell if that was from fear or from the cold. All he could think about was how much he hurt and how tired he was. Barely able to keep his sockets open, he tried to curl up on his side with his back to the tree, cradling his injured arm. As blackness overtook his vision, all he could feel was the weight of the snow covering him, and the howling of the wind that finally silenced as he drifted into sleep.