Frisk hummed cheerfully to themself, waving the stick in their hand back and forth as they tromped through the small patch of trees and shrubs between their neighbor's house and their own. It was growing late, Mother would be calling them in for dinner soon. But she hadn't yet, so Frisk was ambling slowly, taking their sweet time to wander through the familiar trees. They slowed to a halt, was that music? They looked around, leading off the well worn packed dirt path was a barely visible rabbit trail winding through the tall grass and under low branches. Frisk followed it, curiously going around twists and turns as the music grew louder.

They came out into a small clearing. Several whimsuns and froggits were dancing around in a circle, the small monsters singing and dancing as they held hands tightly. Frisk had been told that this was how faerie rings were made, that when the monsters were done dancing they would make mushrooms grow where they had been dancing, the ones the whimsuns sat on would heal anyone that ate them but the ones the froggits sat on would be poisonous toadstools. And they must never, ever step into a faerie ring or join in a monster dance.

But they wanted to see the mushrooms grown when the dance was over! Would they sprout and grow quickly? Or would they just pop out of the ground suddenly? Or maybe they would appear in the blink of an eye as if they had always been there? And maybe they could pick the magic mushrooms and take them home.

Frisk scooted closer, staying close to the grass and bushes surrounding the clearing. The froggits and whimsuns continued to dance, slowing down as their voices grew louder. Hand in merry hand they slowed until they were just walking around the circle, a few steps to the left, a few steps to the right, a hop, a foot lifted and wiggled about, hands raised still linked as the pattern repeated, somehow even slower. Surely they would stop dancing soon and Frisk would get to see the mushrooms pop up. They were so slow now. They were singing so prettily now. Soon, very soon, they were so close, so close.

The whimsuns and froggits turned their smiling faces to Frisk. A froggit and whimsun let their hands go, beckoning Frisk to come join them. Musical voices all gently called. Come join us, come dance with us! They were all smiling so cheerfully, friendly hands beckoning them closer. Frisk didn't even notice their stick falling limply from their hand as they took the last few steps into the circle and took the monsters' hands, smiling down at their new friends.

The whimsun tugged on their right hand, slowly leading them into the steps of the dance. Then the froggit on their left tugged as they started slowly walking the other direction. Step, step, skip, went the monsters as they started dancing faster, Frisk laughing with joy that they could keep up. They started to go faster and faster, whirling and laughing, singing to the pounding of feet and beating of wings, louder and faster. Frisk laughed, running hand in hand with the monsters so fast they thought they would trip, just like when they danced with their friends in the village square. Whirling dizzily around and around and around.

The froggits and whimsuns were gone.

Frisk stumbled blearily to their knees, gasping and panting for breath, the world still spinning. Warm, gentle handles carefully picked them up and cradled them close to a warm body, an unfamiliar voice murmuring soothing things they couldn't quite hear over their pounding heart. Their head lolled, too tired to fight sleep as they were gently rocked.

"Tori, welcome home!"

"Hush, Gorey, you will wake them."

"Oh, what is this?" Asgore asked in a much softer voice. "Another human? Tori, this is the eighth human child you have kidnapped." Asgore put a great paw to his muzzle, muffling his laughter.

"I have never once in my life kidnapped a single person, monster or human. They were caught in a faerie dance, I merely rescued them."

"Just as you rescued Justice and Percy. And who knows what would have happened to Patience, Caoimhe, or Erol if you had not taken them in. Chara was not your doing, I will admit. That was our son doing your work for you."

"It is no fault of mine if human parents are so terrible at their job they keep losing small children in the woods." Toriel couldn't hold back a mischievous smile as Asgore muffled more laughter. "Now I am going to lay them down to rest, the poor dear. Lucky they were only danced to exhaustion by the time I found them and not worse. We can introduce them to the other children after they have had a nap."

"That sounds wonderful, Tori." Asgore gave Toriel a quick peck on the cheek before letting her carry their newest foundling to the child's new room.