The sun was rising over Inkwell Isle. A few stars still twinkled in the dim but swiftly brightening sky when the moon yawned widely, tipping its hat to the sun politely as it disappeared.
The woodlands below were dark but the first early risers had already begun starting their day. In a small house topped by a teapot which served as the chimney, Cuphead sat up in his little bed at the first sound of the rooster. He yawned, and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and turning to look over at the other little bed where his brother Mugman was still snoring soundly. Cuphead grinned as he pushed the covers to the foot of the bed and bounded over- Mugman was a heavy sleeper, he usually needed a little help getting up on time.
"Rise an' shine Mugsy! You'd better get up, or we'll be late!" He peeked over the bed, poking Mugman's round blue nose with a little squeak and chuckling quietly. Mugman grumbled something unintelligible and reached up to rub his nose, then opened one sleepy eye. He smiled and sat up when he realized who it was.
"Morning already? I was just having the nicest dream." He stood up, holding his nose and blowing, causing the nightcap on his stumpy little straw to pop off, fluttering back down onto the little hook near his bed that also housed a cozy robe. Cuphead was already half dressed, pulling up his trousers and stepping into his boots. Well, one of his boots anyway- the other one was nowhere to be seen.
"You can tell me about it on the way, we've gotta skedaddle if we're ever gonna make it outt'a Tableton and get to Clovertown 'fore lunchtime." He slid down the ladder that lead to the open area below their bedroom, grabbing an empty brown letter bag and throwing it over his shoulder before continuing the search for his missing boot. Mugman peered down at him from the ledge above on his hands and knees.
"Cuppy." He called his brother, a smile in his voice. Cuphead turned to look up at him, then smiled as Mugman held up the missing boot, chuckling as he tossed it down to him. He then hopped down as well, bouncing off of the couch below and landing beside Cuphead with a grin.
Mugman grabbed his letter bag from the coatrack near the door, and the two were off, running down the dirt road leading into the little town of Tableton. It was still terribly early but the place was full of activity, toons of all kinds awakening for the day- but not all. A streetlamp checked his watch, yawned, and uprooted himself to head home. He didn't notice Cuphead and Mugman, who scurried past just beneath him, running right between his legs.
While their method of travel might appear chaotic and risky to an onlooker, the cups were accustomed to dodging the foot traffic in Tableton, darting under and around the local toons with a practiced ease until they reached the postal service to collect the outgoing mail. The facility was comprised of a little cobblestone building with a brick wall at the very edge of the town, and it wasn't open yet, but it didn't need to be. A postbox was napping on the small paved platform just outside the wall, its flap fluttering with each snore. Cuphead scampered up to it, and Mugman skidded to a stop right behind him, peeking over his brother's shoulder with a smile.
The cranky post box opened a sleepy eye to squint at them shrewdly, and Cuphead gave it a charming, toothy grin in return.
"Good morning!" He greeted the grumpy mailbox who simply grumbled and made as if to go back to sleep. Cuphead put his hands on his hips, giving the box a stern but somewhat playful look. "Oh come now, give it here!"
The post box glared at them for a moment, then puffed itself up and spit out the letters they'd come to collect with very little ceremony. The cups ducked, and Mugman squeaked a bit in surprise. The box watched them scramble to collect the flyaway parchments with a little snicker, then settled back down to finish sleeping.
After the cups had snatched the last letters out of the air, Mugman took a piece of string from his bag and tied them all neatly into two little bundles, giving one to his brother before they quickly made their way out of town and into the hilly, forested countryside. The way was paved by a gravel road which gave way to a dirt footpath which eventually faded to trails that forked off in many directions. The trail the cups took wound off through a bare field and up a large hill with a wonderful view of the sun rising over the valley below, as well as the coast beyond. It proceeded to skirt along a garden before it eventually disappeared into the forest.
An orange flower curled at the base of a large tree just up the hill from the garden opened his petals and stretched, rubbing the sand from his eyes. His attention was immediately drawn to the fence across the field, where the two little figures of Cuphead and Mugman were running through the tall grass. Mugman slowed his step to wave at the flower, then scurried along to catch up with his speedy brother, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
The flower waved in return with one of his leaves, smiling brightly as he watched them disappear into the grass once again- however his smile vanished when a dark shadow fell over him. The flower turned to face the source of the shadow and went stiff with fear, shutting his petals tightly over his face and cowering until the monster had passed. Lifting one petal to peek and make sure it was gone, the flower relaxed and heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
Further up the path, Cuphead and Mugman had stopped at their favourite berry bush for breakfast. Cuphead was sitting in the grass at the side of the path with his map open while Mugman collected an armful of berries, sticking a few into his bag.
"What are ya doin' that for? We can get lunch in town when we get there." Cuphead looked over his shoulder at his brother, who quickly came to sit beside him, handing over a few of the large berries.
"I want to make a pie later!" Mugman replied and leaned over to peer at the map for a moment as well. It was old but it had a habit of staying uncannily accurate- no doubt by some sort of enchantment, but neither of them ever felt it necessary to question exactly why. It was marked with a lot of notes about locations of importance, such as the berry bush, as well as lines to show where less traveled routes went.
"Oh, good idea!" Cuphead smiled, setting the map aside before gracelessly shoving a berry into his mouth. Mugman laughed loudly, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe the juice from his brother's face. It was a quick and filling breakfast, even though Mugman had been careful not to take too many berries. He and Cuphead weren't the only ones who got their morning meal here.
A funny little creature fell from the canopy above, landing softly in the grass and popping back up. It appeared to be a little acorn man, and he scurried to the bush, grabbing a berry and scampering off into the undergrowth. Mugman watched him disappear, swallowing a mouthful of berry.
"Here and gone so fast. Not so much as a glance." He mused, putting a finger to his chin. Cuphead shrugged.
"Maybe he's in a hurry- like we are! C'mon Mugsy, let's skedaddle." He grabbed his map and stood up, dusting himself off- he then offered a hand to Mugman, pulling him to his feet as well. They scurried off together quickly, and not a moment too soon. After they had left, a dark shadow crept into the glade, frightening away another little forest dweller who had come to get breakfast. The creature to whom the forboding shadow belonged swept through, slipping into the brush and out of sight.
The cups were well on their way through the forest by mid-morning, scurrying through fallen branches and along logs. Mugman stopped, however, when he realized his brother was no longer with him. Turning 'round once, he scanned the area for his brother. Cuphead, who had taken a different path that went up a log, suddenly fell from atop it with a little screech, bouncing off of a plant and falling right into Mugman's arms. Mugman fell on his bottom, dropping his brother, and they sat there in a heap, glancing at one another in surprise before laughing aloud. They had only just stumbled upright again when a loud rustle from behind them indicated they weren't alone.
"Good morning!" A deep, silky voice dripped out of the shadowy brush nearby where the sun's meagre light hadn't broken through yet. Cuphead and Mugman both turned to face the source of the voice- which appeared to belong to a tall, soot black toon with a pointed tail and a toothy grin filled with the sharpest teeth either of the cups had ever seen. His yellow eyes stood out starkly from the darkness, narrowed wickedly into slits.
Mugman gulped, grabbing onto his brother's arm- partly because he was startled and partly to keep his occasionally overconfident brother from approaching this dark and mysterious stranger. Every so often they would meet a traveler or a local while on a route- that wasn't surprising. But he'd never, ever seen a toon quite like this one, and it filled his little belly with all sorts of heebie jeebies. Cuphead, however, wasn't afraid. He almost never was- and if he was, he rarely showed it- either out of pride, or for his brother's benefit. Stepping in between Mugman and the stranger, he boldly stood his ground, his hands on his hips.
"Mornin' friend! Ain't seen you around these parts before." He returned the greeting, tipping his straw to the stranger politely. Mugman waved, smiling nervously from behind him.
"Oh, you wouldn't have. I don't get around here very often.. And I usually prefer to travel by night." The dark toon vanished into the shadow, reappearing a moment later just behind them, looming over the fallen log and chuckling quietly. Both of the cups jumped a bit, looking back at him with wide eyes. "I have a habit of untintentionally spooking folks, you see."
"Oh!" Cuphead exclaimed, smiling casually. "Well, It's mighty nice of you to be so considerate then. So, where are ya from? Anywhere on here?" Cuphead asked, opening his map to give it a once-over and looking back at the dark toon. The map, though accurate, was incomplete, with a good deal of space around the edges. He'd always assumed it was simply because whoever had drawn it had never finished, but he'd never tested the theory.. Neither he or his brother had been far outside of the few square inches that their neck of the woods was comprised of.
The stranger leaned down to observe the parchment briefly before pointing to a spot on the far corner. Days' and days' worth of a walk if the time it took to reach the destinations they traveled to was an accurate measure. Much, much farther than the cups had ever dreamed of going.
"Right about there, I reckon!" The dark creature replied, and both of the cups looked at him in awe.
"That's so far away!" Mugman exclaimed, but Cuphead was riding a completely different train of thought. Caution forgotten in lieu of excitement, he shoved the map in his pack, jumping to prop himself up by his arms on Mugman's shoulders.
"Are you an adventurer?" He practically shouted, looking up at the stranger eagerly, Mugman peering up as well from under Cuphead with a curiosity he couldn't hold back anymore. The dark toon grinned broadly, folding his arms behind his back with an aura of pride.
"You could certainly say that. I've been on escapades you could only dream of, sonny. Ever wonder what other lands are out there? Uncharted, unknown, lying in wait to be discovered by the keen and the ambitious.. I've been there- places you wouldn't believe." He waggled his barbed tail in delight as both of the cups gave him their undivided attention. Perfect.
"Really?" Mugman asked as Cuphead slid down from his back to stand beside him. They were quite enamoured with the silky stranger- and for that, he had them right where he wanted.
"Cross my heart!" The dark toon's pointed tail mimicked the motion over his breast before he leaned down close, gripping the mossy log in clawed hands, almost as if prepared to spring. Mugman stepped back a bit, but Cuphead continued to stand firm, leaning back only slightly.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to be in the market for a little adventure of your own, would you? I know a brassy soul when I see one.." The dark creature purred in an oily voice, snaking an arm around Cuphead's shoulders and using his tail to redirect a slowly fleeing Mugman into his other arm as well by spinning him quite like a top. "I'd wager I might be able to convince the two of you fine fellows to ditch the countryside and lend me a hand. You see, I've recently stumbled upon some very interesting information on the whereabouts of an artifact of great import."
Cuphead didn't really trust the slinky black thing- but he couldn't tell whether that was a result of the traveler's intimidating appearance, or an instinct. Perhaps it wasn't fair to allow that feeling to rule his judgement.. After all, he did say it wasn't intentional- some toons just couldn't help looking a little spooky. Caution aside, he couldn't deny that the stranger had a way of capturing the imagination. He glanced at Mugman, whose eyes were still spinning and tilted his head a bit. "Artifact? What sort of artifact?"
The black creature smiled disarmingly in response- or at least without quite so many of his sharp teeth. The result was less disarming than it was simply not-terribly-alarming. "Let's just say that I had a hunch it would be a profitable venture- and I'm never wrong about that."
Now Cuphead was dreadfully curious.. And in his excitement he actually did consider the offer briefly- he loved his home and the countryside and all the familiar faces and places found there, but he'd always wondered what it would be like to hit the road on an adventure into the unknown. It was hard to resist.. But his good sense told him they should hightail it out of there- and Mugman, who had regained his equilibrium, seemed to agree.. That is, if his knocking knees had anything to say about it. Cuphead wormed his way deftly out of the black creature's hold, grabbing Mugman's wrist and dragging him along.
"That's a really tempting offer, pal." He said, honestly. "But we're just a couple'a letter carriers." He shrugged, giving the creature a cheeky grin- perhaps appearing just a little too innocent.
Mugman followed his brother along, reaching up to pull his collar out and swallowing visibly. "He's right, we mustn't be late, you understand.. Makin' folks wait for their mail isn't terribly proper, after all."
The black creature slipped back into the shadow of the trees in a way that made Mugman shiver. The stranger was quite like a shadow himself, in fact. He proceeded to inspect his pointy claws as if he'd quite lost interest in the whole affair.
"Oh of course, I understand completely!" His tail curled as he leaned against a tree, crossing his legs and looking down at the two past his long nose. "But since you mentioned.. Might I convince you to spare just a moment more? I have a delivery of my own to make- and a pair of mail carriers might save me some trouble."
"Oh? How's that?" Mugman asked, tilting his head and exchanging an inquisitive glance with his brother as the mysterious stranger rummaged in his pack to pull out a handful of glimmering dust. The cups gasped in unison, captivated by the wonderous glimmering substance.
"See here." The stranger held the dust at their level, but before either of them could say anything more, the dark creature puffed out his chest and blew it right over them in a sparkling cloud. The both of them scrambled back, spluttering and flailing about, but Cuphead's arms dropped slowly to his sides and his eyelids suddenly grew heavy as a powerful drowsiness descended upon him. Mugman, experiencing a similar effect, rubbed his eyes and yawned, his body going limp like a noodle as he slowly dropped.
"What was thuhh.." Cuphead trailed off as he sank to the ground alongside his brother, yawning as well. Neither of them could keep their eyes open, but they could dimly recognize the voice of the stranger. It had taken on a sinister quality that made Cuphead and Mugman feel oddly chilly.
"I do so appreciate your help with my delivery. Your mail will have to wait longer than you intended.. But I never cared much for propriety anyway." He chuckled lowly.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped shortly as the sack was thrown over them, and everything went dark.