I was scared, not gunna lie. But I tried not to show it, for Frisk's sake. I felt small and powerless. And cold. Defiantly cold. But the coats Mom had given us were unbelievably warm. I suspected a combination of healing and heating magic.

But that didn't stop my shoes from soaking.

The snow was up to my ankles and freezing, as snow is. A long forest path stretched straight in front of us. The cavern was very high ceilinged compared to the Ruins.

"Hey Frisk can you be a pal and let my give you a piggy back ride? My arms are already starting to ache."

They smiled and moved for me.

"Thanks."

From their perch on my back they saw something glinting in the meager light.

"What's that?"

We investigated what turned out to be a camera. In the bush.

"Well kid...smile and wave! You're on TV." They giggled and grinned at the camera.

"Hello to the other side!"

While they were occupied with that, I took stock of the situation. Long forest road to an unknown town with unknown people with unknown magic who wanted us dead. Oh, and an unknown friend of Mom's. Wonderful.

"Come on Frisk. We've got a long road in front of us."

As I bent to let them hop on my back again, I felt a pair of eyes on us. The feeling vanished just as soon as I felt it, leaving me uneasy, and twitchy.

I took a step. Trees to our left. Another step. Trees to our right. There's nothing sinister about trees, right? Fifty more steps.

"Look at that stick, Allie! You could use it as a weapon!"

I laughed,

"If I could pick it up! Its massive! it's almost as thick as you."

They giggled. A happy sound. Totally out of place in the setting.

We hadn't gone ten paces past the branch when we heard a terrible "Crack!"

I whipped around, probably throwing Frisk off balance.

The branch was in pieces. As if it was nothing.

"Allie..."

"Keep an eye out behind us please, Frisk. It's going to be okay." I was trying and failing to convince myself just as much as them.

"There's something following us!" They squeaked.

"It's fine, we're fine." I muttered desperately.

"Allie!"

I whipped around, but there was no one.

"I swear there was just a second ago!"

"I believe you." I raised my voice, shouting at the unknown. God, how I hated the unknown.

"You just like seeing us squirm, don't you!"

"Shh!" Frisk pleaded with me to be quiet, so I shut up, for them. I was annoyed now. If something was going to happen, just do it. Don't toy around with it. Needless to say, I never let Frisk play with their food.

I spotted a narrow bridge across a small chasm.

"I don't trust that to hold both of us up. Hop on down." They jumped off my back and were about to run across when a deep voice cut through the silence of the forest.

"Humans. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around a shake my hand." I turned ever so slowly, shielding Frisk with my body. The dark figure held out an out stretched left hand. I shook his hand. A loud, rude, farting noise echoed through the woods. I stood dumbfounded at the figure still in the shadows. Shocked, confused and amused. Frisk's laugh broke the ice and soon all three of us were laughing. Peels of mirth echoed up and down the path.

"the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. that's the best laugh I've had in weeks."

the figure now stepped out to were we could see him. He was a skeleton. A walking, talking skeleton.

"names sans. sans the skeleton."

Again, I resisted a sarcastic reply. Instead I said,

"I'm Allison. You can call me Allie."

"And I'm Frisk!"

They popped out from behind me and shook Sans' hand. After he had removed the whoopee cushion. He looked hard at them and seemed to glare. But Frisk looked unperturbed.

"Um, Mr. Sans-"

He interrupted me to say,

"just sans."

"well then, just sans-" I got a chuckle out of him, "where is Snowdin Town?"

He narrowed his eye sockets at me, searching my face, much the same way he had to Frisk a couple of seconds ago. I wondered if monsters could see souls even if they were still in ones body.

"Up the path that way," he gestured vaguely to the right. Wow, not very helpful. Oh well it's not like we couldn't read a sign later on.

Before I could motion for Frisk to continue across the bridge, he continued,

"you're the humans everyone is talking about."

I turned sharply around, Frisk now shielded behind me again.

"listen bud. I don't want to hurt you. but you have to watch out for my brother. and the dog regiment."

I still couldn't trust him.

"I think that's him coming down the path there."

"Who?"

I said sharply, turning to look.

"my bro. Papyrus."

"Papyrus..."

I said with my eyes widening.

"Listen Sans, Toriel told me-"

He cut me off a second time, which by the way is really annoying. I was about to tell him that when he said,

"you two are going to have to hide."

"But-!"

"hide now. talk later."

He motioned for us to follow him across the bridge to a sentry station.

"quick behind my station there."

No sooner had we taken cover did the fabled Papyrus burst into the clearing.

He bellowed across the clearing to where Sans was standing, unperturbed, with hands shoved into his coat pockets.

"SANS! YOU LAZYBONES, HAVE YOU CAPTURED THE HUMANS?"

My heart jerked in my chest, and I waited for Sans to casually point us out, cowering behind this sentery station.

"haven't seen 'em pap."

"THATS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU HAVENT RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES IN WEEKS. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?"

"ice see you've got a problem with me just chilling here. snow problem though."

"SANS!"

"you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT. WELL GET TO WORK ON YOUR PUZZLES. I MUST CATCH THOSE HUMANS AND THEN UNDYNE WILL SEE MY GREATNESS AND MAKE ME PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD."

Then he was gone, leaving in a flurry of snow, cackling, "nyheheh".

"he's gone, you two can come out now."

Frisk popped out and I followed, a bit more cautious, expecting him to return at any moment.

"He seemed pretty annoyed with you, considering all the yelling he did."

Sans just laughed.

"nah, pap is just naturally that loud. he's actually a cool guy once you get past the loudness."

"and the burning desire to see us dead..."

I muttered. I didn't mean for Sans to hear me, but he replied,

"Papyrus couldn't hurt a fly, even if he wanted to. his heart just isn't in it. he's not dangerous."

I got the feeling he was protecting Papyrus, and I could respect that, even if he was stretching the truth.

I'm, after all, protecting Frisk with my every move.

Speaking of the devil, where did they run off to.

I looked around but they weren't in sight.

Sans read my expression and said,

"She ran up ahead."

"They."

I corrected automatically.

"They ran ahead." Before I could leave he said,

"Listen, my bro's been kinda down lately and has never seen a human before. Like I said he's harmless and his puzzles are just as. It would really cheer him up to see one."

I opened my mouth to try to tell him I had no intentions of doing any kind of puzzles, and that I was complete crap at them, but Sans cut me off. again. for the third time.

"Thanks, I'll be up ahead. Better find your kid."

Then he vanished with a small, "pop".

I stood rooted on the spot for a couple of seconds before I realized I hadn't asked him about Toriel. I could deal with that later. For now, Frisk was all that mattered.

"Frisk!"

They were standing at a crossroads, reading a sign beside a huge box.

"Look Allie! We can put some extra food in here and get it in another box up the road! It's a magic box!"

They giggled happily as I agreed that was pretty cool.

"What's up there?"

I pointed north, to where a river was visible.

"A pick up line."

"Oka-wait what?"

They took my hand and drug me to the bank of the rushing water. A lone fishing pole lay there. I reeled it in, Frisk looking on in amusement the whole time.

A soggy picture of a fish monster winking at the camera and an equally soggy note ("Call me!") were attached to the end.

"Oh! A pick up line..."

We both giggled at the pun before heading back, and onto the next path.

Sans and Papyrus were there.

When the latter spotted us, he visibly lit up.

"SANS OH MY GOD ARE THOSE THE HUMANS?!"

"I think that's a rock."

"OH..."

I glanced behind us to see an ordinary rock in the middle of the path. Papyrus' gaze was fixed on it. I glanced at Sans who winked mischievously.

"what's in front of the rock?"

"OH MY GOD ARE THOSE THE HUMANS?"

"yes."

"OH MY GOD."

Then he cleared his throat and, if possible, addressed us even louder than before.

"HUMANS! YOU WILL NOT PASS THIS AREA, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL STOP YOU WITH MY MAGNIFICENT PUZZLES. NYHEHE!"

Then he charged down the path, presumably to check his puzzles and traps.

Sans sauntered after him, but not before reassuring the two of us,

"don't worry I'll keep an eye socket out for ya."

Then we were alone.

"wow."

I muttered.

Frisk just beamed at me.

"I like him."

"Which one?"

"both!"

*Sans and Papyrus help you stay determined*