Head Down, Eyes Ahead

The light was too intense to look at, so they firmly shut their eyes as they moved forward. Frisk felt the ground below them change from smooth stone to rock to dirt. The air grew humid and their skin began to heat under the light. They put a hand in front of their face and squinted.

In front of them was the sun in the sky and a few clouds scattered about the great blue field above them. They lowered their gaze and saw the familiar campsite that they had used all that time ago. Crickets chirped, birds fluttered, squirrels chattered, and the small spring bubbled. The quiet ambience comforted them. They were really back.

Frisk turned around and saw their backpack, water bottle, and tarp still sitting at the mouth of the cave. There was a small pile of leaves around the bag and bottle. Clearly some time had passed. When they looked down at their clothes, they were still wearing the blue striped shirt that the Tems made for them. The Underground hadn't just been a dream.

There were monsters trapped under the mountain, waiting for someone to save them. Frisk had abandoned them to come home, but most of the monsters had abandoned them first. There was a limit to the sympathy they could feel. They empathized with being trapped in a situation out of their control and with no escape, but that empathy stopped when the monsters' freedom would come at the cost of their life. The monsters were no better than the humans who put them under the mountain. The monsters had hunted them and some fully intended to kill them even though they'd done nothing wrong.

The only thing they did wrong was exist in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wasn't that the story of their life?

Frisk picked up their bag and did a quick inventory check. They still had seven protein bars but no water. They collected some water from the spring to fill their bottle and put on their backpack. The sun was still high in the sky, so they had some time to start making their way back to town. They couldn't tell how long it had been.

It was hard to keep track of time in the Underground. No one there kept track of days of the week beyond whether or not they had work the next day or not. It didn't help that the school schedule that Toriel had set for them was on a four day schedule instead of a seven day schedule. They couldn't be sure how much time they spent down there. They knew it was a week from leaving the Ruins to Asgore's castle, but before that? It could have been three weeks or it could have bene three months. They didn't think it had been longer than three months, but it was impossible to know for sure.

If it had been a full three months, their parents probably thought they were dead. It was pretty common knowledge that missing people who weren't found in the first 24 hours were likely to turn up dead, if they were found at all.

If it had been three months, then they had already missed one month of school. At least Toriel had got them started on the next grade level. When they were put back into school, they shouldn't be too far behind. Hopefully they'd even be a bit ahead. Learning from Toriel was easy and so much faster than in school.

As they began their walk down the mountain, they saw the trail sign that they had passed on the way up. Be Sure. Now that they thought about it, why would a trail sign say that? Trail markers were usually coloured circles with arrows pointing out of them in the direction of the trail. Other signs were just pictures and symbols representing important locations, like a parking lot or amenities.

It was really weird. Maybe one of the campers put it up as a prank or something. Or maybe someone put it up as a personal marker. They'd never know, and it didn't really matter.

Frisk looked around as they made their way down the mountain. They tried to figure out what time of year it was now. It was still hot, so fall couldn't have come in yet. It probably wasn't much later than the beginning of September. The small amount of leaves around their stuff would seem to agree with that. More detritus than that would have built up around their things if it had been longer than a month or so, probably.

Because they were so high up, there weren't any deciduous trees to check for coloured leaves. They could only guess that it was probably some time in August, given that they had run away at the end of June.

When they got home, they'd have to get new school supplies. That is, assuming that they were still registered for school. If they were declared dead, then they probably weren't assigned to a class anymore.

Would their ex-classmates feel sad? Did they all regret their actions? Were they declared missing, resumed dead? Or was their runaway stunt declared a suicide? Did their bullies feel guilt or shame? Or did they know at all? If they knew, did they care?

Did it even matter?

Frisk didn't run away because of them. They ran away because they were trapped and needed to escape from their parents and their misplaced attempts to "help" and "fix" them. Maybe now, their parents will listen to them.

Hopefully now, their parents would just be happy that they were alive and coming home. Maybe now, it wouldn't matter that they weren't a girl or a boy. Maybe now, they could just be themselves and their parents would love them for who they were.

You never know what you have until it's gone, right? Maybe their parents could look past their prejudices and ingrained beliefs and be happy that they were back and could love them as they are this time.

That's the hope. Frisk was determined to see it happen.

They continued their walk down the mountain. The bushes along the sides of the path became larger and the trees grew denser as they descended. As sunset approached, they stopped to set up their camp for the night. They cleared a small area for a fire and laid out their tarp under a large tree.

It was calm here. They had a protein bar and some water for dinner and lit a small fire. They didn't need the warmth too badly right now, but the glow from the fire was a comfort. It wasn't the same as the child-safe fire in Toriel's fireplace, but it was still nice. The nostalgia was bittersweet.

Night fell quickly and they got themselves ready to sleep. They let the fire burn itself out before tucking into their sleeping bag and settling down. After all the time spent sleeping on the ground in the Underground, sleeping under the tree was easy. After all, they weren't being hunted anymore.

Frisk woke up with the sun and started to pack up their campsite. Bedroll was packed up, the tarp rolled, folded, and tied to their backpack. Breakfast was another protein bar and water. They still had about half of their bottle left. Hopefully that would last until they made it to the bottom of the mountain. They'd be able to refill it at the ranger's station, probably. If not, they could refill it in town. If they managed to find the ranger's station, then they might even be able to get a ride into town instead of walking or begging to be let on the bus for free. If they still had leftover money, they lost it at some point.

Until they made it back, they decided to just enjoy the hike. The nice thing about walking down the mountain is that it was faster and easier than climbing up it. It took a few days to make it up to that cave, but they might be able to make it to the bottom by tonight if they made good time. They were getting low enough that the slope was noticeably more shallow than when they had started.

They also wanted to make it back down sooner than later because they didn't have much food or water left. The remaining water wouldn't last past tonight, certainly.

Just after lunch, Frisk heard something unexpected. They heard boots stomping in the dirt. These weren't the metallic footsteps of Undyne hunting them through Waterfall. These were lighter and had the steady rhythm of someone walking and climbing. It was another person!

"Hey!" Frisk called out, "Who's over there?"

"I'm a ranger!" the ranger called back, "Are you in trouble? Keep talking so I can find you."

"I'm not hurt. I'm following the path back down the mountain. I was actually looking for the ranger's station. Could you please help me get there?" Frisk asked.

The ranger came into view a short way down the path and jogged over to them.

"Certainly I can help you find the station. Where are your parents though? Are they in trouble? Or did you get lost and separated from them?" He asked.

Frisk blinked in confusion for a moment, before realizing what he was talking about. He must have thought that they were on a family camping trip. That meant it was still summer vacations, at least.

They shook their head, "Neither. I ran away from home back in June. I intended to hide and camp here for a week or so then go back to town. I must have lost track of time though, because I don't know how long it's been. I'm almost out of food and water though, so I need to get off the mountain and go home."

The ranger stared at them for a moment. He seemed shocked. Slowly he answered them, "It's August 18th. You've been on the mountain for a month and a half. How did you survive for a month and a half on one weeks worth of supplies?"

Two more weeks until school starts again. That's something that they'll have to deal with when they get home.

"I fell into a cave and ended up in the Underground. Did you know that there are monsters trapped under the mountain? They kept me fed and healthy, for the most part." Frisk answered. They didn't think the ranger would believe them, but that didn't really matter. Unless the rangers knew about the monsters under the mountain.

"Monsters under the mountain? You've got quite the imagination kid. You said you ran away? Tell me about that on the way to the station." The ranger requested. He started walking with them down the path and sent a message on his walkie-talkie. The station at the base of the mountain would call the police and wait for them to arrive.

"I ran away from home at the end of June. I know that you guys were looking for me just after I ran away. I hid in the bushes and took care to leave no traces of my presences behind. I avoided muddy spots, kept my fires small, and did my best not to break any saplings or step in moss. I also tried to stay off the main paths, but didn't get too far away because I didn't want to get lost. I heard one of the rangers talking about me as they were looking around. I almost got caught once, but managed to hide in time."

Frisk hummed and thought about what to say next. "I really only intended to stay away for a week. The reasons why don't really matter right now. I can talk to the police about that." They looked around at the forest. They must be getting close to the bottom now.

"After a couple of days, I found a small path mostly hidden from view. There was a trail sign there that said "Be Sure." I don't know who put up that sign or why, but thinking back on it, it doesn't seem like a regular trail sign. Do you know what it's for?" Frisk asked.

"I've never seen or heard about it before. I couldn't tell you." The ranger replied, "What happened next? I assume you followed the path?"

"Yeah," Frisk nodded, "I followed the path to the end. There was a small plateau in front of a cave and a natural spring. That spring probably saved me from dehydration. The water smelled okay and it was clear, so I was able to drink it. I might have gotten a little sick from the raw water, but it wasn't too bad. And I've been drinking it for the last day and a half without any side effects. Maybe I just got used to it or something."

Frisk held up their water bottle. There was only about a quarter of it left. "You can have a look for yourself. I filled my bottle up before I left, and this is what I've got left. I was hoping that one full bottle would last me until I got to the ranger's station or until I made it back to town if I rationed it correctly. I still have a few leftover protein bars too. Enough for one more day."

"I see. I didn't know that there were any natural springs on the mountain. If you know where you were, I might get you to try to show us on a map where it is. It was quite a lucky find for you. But that doesn't tell me where you were for most of the six weeks that you were missing."

"I told you. I fell into a hole in the cave there, and landed in the Underground, where the monsters live."

"Monsters don't exist." The ranger told them, "Are you sure it was monsters and not… someone else?"

"What do you mean?" Frisk asked.

"No, it's fine. The police will probably ask you some more questions about that. You said that the monsters took care of you?" He asked.

"Yep. I lived with one of them for a time, but she kicked me out after I… I was getting into a it of mischief. And then before I knew it, she kicked me out. I travelled through the rest of the Underground to the exit and got out. Then I picked up my stuff and started walking." Frisk answered. It still hurt a bit to think about how easily Toriel had discarded them.

The ranger hummed to himself. The two walked in silence for a bit before he received a call from his walkie-talkie. The sound quality was poor and Frisk had a hard time making out what the person on the other end was saying.

"I just got confirmation of a missing persons operation that we did back in June. For a young girl about your age too. Is your name [Redacted]?" he asked.

They must have just blanked out for a second when he said the name. "Could you repeat that? I think I missed it." They requested.

"Sure. {Redacted}, is that your name?" the ranger repeated.

Why couldn't they hear the name? If it happened once, then maybe they just missed it. But they were paying attention this time. What was going on?

"My name is Frisk." They answered. I'm not a girl either, but most people seem to think so. That search request was probably for me."

"Frisk, huh? Okay then. We'll check the photos when we get back to base. Not a problem." He said.

"By the way," Frisk said, "what made you want to be a ranger?" They were curious, and it was a good way to keep the conversation going.

The ranger laughed, "My that's a wild topic change. No worries though. I've always liked being outside. Nothing made more sense to me than boy scouts, and I'd beg my parents to go camping every summer. My grades sucked in school, except the years where science covered trees, ecosystems, and other nature stuff. I've always loved it."

Frisk stared at him. There was a faint purple light shining from his chest. The ranger was absorbed in talking about migration patterns on local animals and how the rangers track them. The more he talked, the brighter the light shone.

What was happening? What was the light? This wasn't normal. People didn't shine from their chests. If they did, they would have noticed a long time ago. And why did it start now?

They stared for a few minutes as the ranger rambled on. They had stopped paying attention to what he was saying and focused on trying to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly the light cut out. It was like someone had flipped the imaginary lightswitch in his chest off. They looked back up at his face.

"You spaced out for a second there. What're you thinking about? Oh, your eyes. I didn't notice before, but they're red. Is that natural? Or do you wear contacts?" He asked.

"My eyes are red?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, is that not normal for you?"

"They're supposed to be brown. I don't wear contacts. I don't even need glasses."

"Oh." The ranger suddenly looked more serious. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, "Make sure you tell the police everything you remember, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

The two walked in silence for another hour or so before reaching the ranger's station. They were given a chair, a plastic bottle of water from the local grocery store, and a peanut butter sandwich.

"You're not allergic to peanuts, right?"

Frisk shook their head and happily ate the food. It was no homecooked meal, but it also wasn't a protein bar or a water sausage. The filtered water tasted amazing too. The plasticky taste of bottled water that normally bothered them was a refreshing change. It tasted much better than raw groundwater, for sure.

There were three police officers at the station when they arrived, but let them have some food and water before talking to them. They didn't need to talk to be identified by the photos their parents had submitted when they first went missing. It was a pretty clear match, except for the eyes. The photos had been taken shortly before the end of the school year, so they wouldn't have changed much. It didn't look like they had changed at all. Their hair was still the same length too. It was a bit strange.

It was a short call to their parents to let them know that they'd ben found. Their parents said that they'd be there as soon as possible. Frisk was glad. They'd get to sleep in a real bed tonight!

The police questioned them about their time on the mountain. There wasn't much more they could say. It was clear that the police didn't believe them about the monster civilisation below the mountain. Instead, they asked for details about the people who took care of them. What did they look like? Were there any defining characteristics? Did they call them goats, lizards, fish, and skeletons because they wore masks or costumes?

Were they forced to undergo any medical procedures without their consent? Were they given eyedrops or something else to put in their eyes? Did these "monsters" have any strange rituals or beliefs?

This line of questioning confused them, but they tried to be as honest as they could. The monsters behaved like normal people, mostly. They had kind of extreme personalities, but they weren't bad. Some of them were super nice too. They didn't mention that the monsters wanted them dead.

They moved on and asked questions about their parents, home life, and school. Like if their parents were nice to them, if they had friends that they trusted, if their parents paid attention to them, or if they ever hurt them, stuff like that. It was weird, but they told the truth. They had no friends, but they had no doubt that their parents loved them.

After asking them the same things in different ways several times, the officers must have decided that they wouldn't get any more useful information from them. One of the officers grabbed a chocolate bar from a cupboard and gave it to them.

A part of them was a bit too excited to eat it.

As Frisk ate the snack, the officers left the room to talk to the rangers. After finishing the chocolate, they picked up one of the guidebooks laying around the station and started reading. They needed to kill some time before their parents arrived to pick them up.

The guidebook gave information about different types of trees on the mountain and how to identify them. Among the most common were junipers, firs, spruces, pines, and hemlocks. Juniper, cedar, and hemlock they were familiar with, as those plants were fairly distinct. It was fun to read about how to tell the difference between different types of pine, spruce, and fir trees.

White pines had clusters of five needles, while red pines had clusters of two. Fir trees had short, flat needles while spruce needles had a square cross-section when they were sliced in two. This could be done by pinching the needle with fingernails.

They had never considered themselves as a science or nature person, but this was kind of cool. They'd have to test this some time. There were conifers around the edge of the field at school. They could see if those trees fit into one of these categories when they got back.

If they were still able to go to school, that is.

After some time, their parents showed up. It wasn't quite dusk yet, but it was still late in the evening.

Their parents looked at them with shock and relief.

"Oh my goodness!"

"[Redacted]! It's really you!"

Frisk ran over to them and hugged them.

"Mom, Dad. I'm glad to see you again."

Their parents hugged them back. Their mom tear up a little and their dad wore a huge smile.

For the first time in a long time, Frisk felt truly loved.

"Thank you so much for finding our daughter." Their mom said to the rangers and officers, "I can't believe that she's been found after all this time!"

The ranger that had walked them down the mountain looked awkwardly to the side when he answered, "Our pleasure, ma'am. Your kid actually found us. Called out when I was walking by. From there, we made our way back down. Thank your kid for coming back, not us."

"I don't care what happened. I'm just glad she's back. We can go home and be a family again." Their dad said.

The police seemed satisfied with how their parents greeted them, and talked to their dad privately while their mom brought them to say goodbye to the rangers. The one who found them brought over a map of the area he found them in. After explaining what the topography lines were, he asked if they could point out where they thought the path with the "Be Sure" sign was.

Frisk considered it for a bit. They followed the water for a while when they were climbing up, and the ranger traced the main path that he found them on. They pointed to a place where the water moved closer to the main path and the topography lines showed that a hillcrest was a little ways up.

Caves weren't visible on this map, so they could only guess based on what they remembered. The ranger promised to scout around the area and try to find their campsite. The seemed to hesitate on the word "campsite" for some reason.

They were tired. The sun was dipping below the horizon as they said their goodbyes and left. After spending all that time running and fighting and camping and walking, their eyes started to droop as soon as they sat in the familiar seat of the car.

"Take a nap sweetie. We'll wake you up when we get home." Their mother said in a soft voice.

That was all the encouragement they needed. They slept soundly until a hand on their shoulder shook them awake. Their neck ached from the sleeping position.

"Wakey wakey." Their dad said, "Just a shower then bed for you. We can talk about everything else in the morning. We're just so glad that you're finally home."

Frisk did as told. They took a shower, put on soft purple pyjamas, put their dirty clothes in the hamper, and climbed into their bed. It smelled like them and their shampoo.

They sunk into the familiar mattress. The pillow under their head was at just the right height. The blankets on their bed were warm and soft.

After all this time, they were home.