Ember was glad she could see in the dark. Otherwise navigating this cavern would have been a difficult feat. Not only was the floor slick with water but it was littered with sharp rocks that looked extremely painful to fall on. But these were the least of her concerns right now. What plagued her mind was the chill in the air that was becoming stronger with each passing day. She could smell the coming winter and it made her nervous. On multiple occasions, Whitney tried to tell her it was nothing to worry about and to let him handle it.
But after a less than successful talk with Calpernia and the weeks it would take to go back to the monastery, even Whitney began to pause at the faint lit of a cold breeze with a look of concern. So the ex-princess made up her mind to find them shelter. She decided a good place to start was the mountain since she figured there were plenty of caves nestled near it. Her theory had been proven correct when she found a small cave that, judging by how long she's been walking, seemed pretty deep. After a little more walking, she saw a light glowing dimly before her and made her way to it. When she got to what looked like another cavern, she gasped at the sight of the gorgeous patch of yellow flowers that seemed to glow with a golden light.
"So beautiful." she whispered out as she bent down to touch a flower.
She paused when she recognized what it was.
Buttercups.
A flower that was known to be a harsh irritate to the skin when fresh. So she walked around them, spying another entrance on the other side of the patch. She was puzzled to see that the entrance was carved in gorgeous ornate marks; marks that could have never been made naturally.
"Did people….. Live here at some point?"
With curiosity taking the wheel, she walked through the door finding herself in a long smooth hallway. After a minute or two, she came to another large cavern and her jaw dropped open.
She was in the ruins of a palace.
Once massive stone pillars were now choked with thick vines until they crumbled. Walls that seemed to once tell the story of whoever lived here were covered in those same vines; those images struggling to peek through the large blood red flowers that dressed the vines. Ember's steps slowed as she made her way to the wall, her eyes taking in the majesty of this ancient place. When she reached it she clawed away at the vines. While she couldn't make out the language, she tried to follow the story with the carved images.
A human and what looked like a monster were holding hands.
There were monsters like me? And they lived with humans? No problem?
Then in the next panel, a group of humans were carved in deep discussion.
Then in the next panel, the humans were attacking the monsters.
Why? What did they do?
The panel after showed a jagged divide between humans and monsters. That seemed to be the end because under the image were symbols that Ember couldn't translate.
She huffed.
"Dammit. How am I supposed to know what happened now?"
Her eyes once again caught sight of another passage and she walked through it. This seemed to lead to a courtyard since the space seemed to be more open and she could see the stalagmites of the cave above her. In the middle of the court yard stood what looked like a makeshift house.
Ember sniffed the air around the house and when she smelled only water and flowers, went inside cautiously. To her disappointment, the room looked bare and dusty; obviously whoever lived here was long gone. Then she spied some firm looking wooden steps in the corner leading up, so she followed them.
When she got to the top, she saw two rooms.
She opened the one nearest to her. Two small beds sat in the dark untouched, a few dusty toys and books were lined on a shelf in between felt a heaviness as she stood before the threshold accompanied by a sadness that settled into her bones.
She couldn't explain it but she felt like it was wrong to touch anything in this room.
She moved on to the other room and found a much wider room with a bigger bed; probably belonged to the parents. She didn't feel that same oppressive sadness here, so she went inside. As she looked around, she began to plan out how to survive the coming winter. This place was definitely optimal and if she started soon, she could relocate some of the crops from the club to here and grow them; the temperature in here was perfect after all.
When she opened the closet, she was shocked to see that some clothes were still inside. She ran a hand through them and marveled at how smooth and comfy the material was; how did something like this stay together for so long? Then she took out one of the outfits on the hanger, taking care to not catch and tear it.
She was amazed to find a sleeveless tunic with two deep splits that stop at the waist adorned with an odd but regal looking symbol across the chest area.
It looked almost new.
Ember looked down at her own clothes. Her sweater was covered in dirt and sported a few holes. She was pretty sure that her pants would disintegrate if she washed them one more time.
It didn't take much deliberation before she was removing them.
As she began to slip on the tunic, she couldn't help but make little gasps of amazement at how soft and smooth the fabric was. She'd never felt anything like it before.
So firm yet so flexible.
It was almost like she was putting on her own skin.
When it was on, she smoothed and straightened the loose flaps at the side. A glance at her bare leg on proud display through the slit made her heart flutter like a bird. She couldn't tell if it was the dark or the tunic itself, but this was the best she'd ever looked in something like this. Since she started transitioning, Ember had been experimenting with different kinds of clothes and styles. So far she was favoring dresses that gave her curves and kept her distance from anything form fitting. But this mystery tunic blew away all the insecurities and doubts she had about them. She started to strut around trying to mimic the models she'd seen; her playful steps making the floorboards groan and creak.
She didn't even notice the steps of the mysterious stranger approaching the door.
"Hello? Is someone in here?" calls a voice.
Ember froze and snapped her head towards the door as it slowly opened. A bright flame, that seemed to be emanating from massive paws, lit up a goat-like creature whose height reached the top of the frame.
Ember began to back away, a scream lodged in her throat.
"A human? How did you get in here? I thought we had sealed all the entrances to the Underground."
The goat woman lowered her head, her flame revealing the huge white horns sprouting from its crown. The teen's heart thudded in her chest; it felt like it was going to break her ribs. Her mind flashbacked to the ancient story on the walls.
She now knew where the monsters were.
The goat woman, seeing the young lady's distress, dimmed her flame.
"Please don't be frightened, my child." She reached out to her.
" I only wa-"
The motion tore Ember out of her shock. She leaped back into her fighting stance, baring her fangs with a growl; Claws drawn out and ready to maim.
"STAY BACK!"
Her threat seemed to work because the goat woman put a paw to her mouth and gasped; Her flame going out.
"Oh, my… A monster? Here? But I thought….. We checked the Underground so many times and….. I've never seen you before….. What on earth….."
Seeing that her fearsome display had such an effect, Ember continued.
"L-Look! I didn't know anyone lived here! I-I was just tr-trying to find shelter! I-I'm sorry for tre-trespassing just…. Please, let me leave!" She cursed herself as her adrenaline filled nerves got the better of her.
The goat woman didn't seem to notice because she kept her distance and even held her paws up..
"My child, you're not in any trouble. I'm not going to hurt you." she replied in a gentle voice.
The goat woman noticed the shake in the young monster's hands.
"The poor thing is trembling." she thought.
The goat-lady made her way to the bed and sat down, hoping to calm the strange visitor.
"I'm sorry for frightening you. I merely came back to the Ruins to pay my I heard some noises coming from here and went to investigate."
The creature's calm demeanor made Ember's panic shrink enough for her to lower her hands.
"Wh-Who are you?" She asked.
The question made the goat creature sit up a little straighter.
"I am Toriel. Once a caretaker of these ruins. This place used to be my home."
"You…. You used to live here? Do-Does that mean you're one of the monsters from that story on the wall? And what do you mean"used to be your home"? What is this place? What happened?"
Toriel smiled, glad that the teen's fear seemed to be replaced with curiosity.
"This is the Underground, my dear. The place where we currently are used to be home to the King and Queen of Monsterkind. It was our Home and prison for a long time. Long ago, Humans and Monsters used to live together on the Surface. Unfortunately, humans began to grow fearful of the magic that monsters possessed, especially when they found out that our power increased when we absorbed human souls, which was something that most of us never did. So a war broke out and the humans overpowered us; they were stronger because of their determination and it was a thousand times more powerful than our magic. Then they got their most powerful wizards together to create a barrier imprisoning us in this mountain for hundreds of years. But that's no longer the case now. We were freed from here ten years ago and made our home in what we call, "New Home"."
Ember listened with fascination. A whole society of monsters just erased from history and imprisoned in a mountain. How had she not heard of this before? They've been free for ten years so how come no one was talking about this?
"Now, I believe it is your turn to answer some of my questions. How did you get here?"
Ember considered her for a moment. The woman's manner seemed kind and her words spoke of an almost motherly nature. Maybe she could trust her.
"I…. I came through a cave on the side of the mountain. I was trying to find a place to wait out the winter."
"... That's odd. I could have sworn we covered that area." she thought. Then she noticed the torn clothes beside her.
"Are these yours?" she asked picking up her ragged pants
Ember looked away, heat coming to her cheeks.
"Y-yeah. I… I thought that since nobody was here then I could take some things….. But I'm really sorry for going through your stuff. I'l-"
Toriel ignited her fire magic making sure to keep the flame low so as to not scare the boo hag, but also get a better look at her. Her heart twisted as she took in the teen's sickly thin frame, pale skin, and trembling form. Ember stifled a moan as her head started to ache and her vision went fuzzy.
No. No. Not here. Not now
"My child, are you alright? You look unwell."
Ember leaned against the wall fighting to keep conscious through the waves of pain throbbing behind her skull. How could she need more blood already? Luch was barely an hour ago. A pair of soft paws at her shoulders startled her and she tried to push them away groaning in protest.
"It's alright, dear. I just want to help you to the bed."
The boo hag, tired and in pain, nodded wearily and let the older goat woman take her arm and lead her to the large bed. She was surprised at how soft Toriel's fur was. It was like she was being held by a living cloud; a cloud that smelled of cinnamon, butterscotch, and a distinct earthy fragrance she couldn't identify.
It was nice.
When they sat on the bed, Ember let her body fall up against Toriel's, taking in the goat woman's comforting smell. The adrenaline in her body disappeared, leaving her exhausted and a little dizzy.
Toriel took a moment before speaking again.
"What's your name?"
"... Ember."
"Ember, You need medical attention. I'm going to take you to New Home to see a doctor."
"Wait, no….. I…. I have to go back home. My blood packs are back with Whitney."
Toriel's eyes widened with surprise. "Whitney? Is he a friend?"
"More like my older brother. Just take me to him and I'll be fine….. I thought my anemia would go away by now."
"Anemia!? You hiked and climbed a mountain with anemia!? "
"It's gotten better since I switched to human blood but my body is probably still healing from then,"
"Human blood? A vampire!? I thought they had gone extinct! Killed off in the War!" Toriel thought.
Ember raised her head to look at her. Even though the woman wagered that she was at least 16 or older, the worried glitter in her eyes made her look younger.
"Please….. I know this sounds crazy and weird but….. I need to go home. Can you help me get there?"
Toriel sighed; she could never refuse a plea from someone in need.
"Alright. But I'll need you to guide me to where it is."
Ember nodded and motioned that she was ready to go. Toriel gingerly helped the teen to her feet.
"Are you sure you can walk? I can carry you if you want."
"Actually, that would be nice….. But when we get close, just put me down so I can walk into camp. Whitty is already gonna be upset when he finds out I had another episode and he'll probably blow some blood vessels when he sees you."
Toriel chuckled. "It sounds like he really loves you."
Ember smiled, "Yeah, he does."