Frisk and Papyrus kept meeting up for several more weeks and the two played together. Sans was grateful to Toriel for doing this telling her that it made Papyrus very happy. Toriel agreed because Frisk also enjoyed it. It wore them out every time but it made them happy.
The two kept going a little deeper into the woods every time. Papyrus wanted to show Frisk more and more of the place, though both adults warned him not to go too far. Frisk, however, wanted to go further and further each day and managed to get Papyrus to go just a little further each time.
One day, though, things changed. They were playfully going through the woods, exploring, when they came across a dog in a metal suit.
"Who is that?" Frisk asked.
"THAT WOULD BE LESSER DOG. THEY'RE ONE OF THE GUARDS THAT PATROL THIS FOREST," Papyrus informed.
"They look fluffy. Can we pet them?" Frisk asked.
"I DON'T SEE WHY NOT," Papyrus agreed. "GREETINGS, LESSER DOG!" he said as he walked up to them, getting their attention. "WOULD IT BE OKAY IF MY COMPANION HERE PET YOU?"
Lesser Dog barked enthusiastically, their neck extending in excitement. Papyrus put Frisk down and Lesser Dog walked up to them. Frisk just barely pat them when their neck got longer. They kept petting and the dog's neck got longer with every stroke. Lesser Dog licked Frisk in appreciation, their neck continuing to get longer and longer with every pet.
Eventually, Lesser Dog's neck was so long it towered above the trees. Frisk decided that it was enough petting, giving the guard one final pat. "Thanks for the pets," Frisk said, which Lesser Dog responded with an excited yip. Papyrus picked Frisk up and set them on his now padded shoulders. "That was fun."
"INDEED. THOUGH I DON'T LIKE DOGS THAT MUCH," Papyrus said.
"Why not? They are so cute," Frisk questioned.
"NOT WHEN THEY TRY TO TAKE YOUR LEG OR ARM AND USE THEM AS CHEW TOYS," Papyrus informed. "ANYWAYS, ONTO…"
A couple of cloaked Monsters came up just them.
"I think I smell a human," one said.
"I smell them, too," the other said.
"But where is it?" the first questioned.
"It smells like it's right next to us," the second said.
They walked around Papyrus, sniffing the area.
"Papy, who these?" Frisk asked.
"THEY ARE ALSO GUARDS," Papyrus informed. "THEY ARE CALLED DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA." He turned to the first one. "ARE YOU TWO FINISHED? WE ARE TRYING TO PLAY. OR ARE YOU GOING TO TRY AND TAKE A FEMUR AGAIN?"
"Oh, it's Papyrus," the first one said.
"And someone else," the second said. "The human?"
"I not human," Frisk protested. "I kid."
The first one, who had a moustache, pulled his hood back to look at them better. "Hmm. They might be telling the truth. They are wearing a striped shirt."
The second one came up and sniffed them. "They smell like a puppy and bones and…" She took a long sniff. "I think that's snow, but I'm not sure what the other scent is."
"That mommy," Frisk said. "You look a bit like her."
"YOUR MOM IS NOT A DOG, THOUGH. SHE JUST HAS SOME RESEMBLENCE TO ONE," Papyrus said.
The first one, Dogamy, continued to sniff. "I swear I can smell a human," he said. "And that it's right here."
"I don't see one," the second, Dogaressa, said. "Must have rubbed off from something."
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Dogamy said. "Come, wife." They trotted off, leaving Frisk and Papyrus to themselves.
"WELL, THAT WAS SOMETHING," Papyrus said. "WONDER WHY THEY THOUGHT YOU WERE HUMAN."
Frisk shrugged. "Maybe I wear something that belonged to one? Mommy did say other humans went through her house."
"THAT MUST BE IT," Papyrus decided. "THEY WERE SMELLING THE LINGERING TRACES OF OTHER HUMANS."
After all that, they finished their day together. Papyrus returned Frisk to their mother.
"How was it, dear?" Toriel asked.
"Real nice. I got to pet a dog," Frisk answered.
"A dog?"
"ONE OF THE ROYAL GUARDS, LESSER DOG," Papyrus explained, which caused Toriel and Sans to jolt, though neither noticed. "FRISK GOT TO PET THEM."
"bro, i told you, don't go too far into the forest," Sans said.
"WE DIDN'T GO FAR. AND BESIDES, FRISK HAD A LOT OF FUN," Papyrus defended. "THOUGH BEING HOUNDED BY DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA IMMEDIETLY AFTERWARD WAS NOT AS ENJOYABLE."
"You encountered other Monsters?" Toriel questioned.
"They said they smelled a human," Frisk explained. "But it was just me."
Toriel faked a smile for Frisk's sake. "Well, that is a relief. Now then, we shall be heading home."
"SEE YOU TOMORROW, FRISK!" Papyrus said, waving as Toriel carried Frisk.
"Bye, Papy!" Frisk returned.
Toriel returned to the door the next day. She didn't take Frisk to Snowdin every day, and today was one of those days.
And the fact that Frisk had been discovered didn't factor into that decision at all.
She heard a knock from the other side of the door.
"Greetings, my friend," Toriel said.
"heya. not visitin' today?"
"No. I am debating on whether I should even let Frisk continue visiting," she admitted.
"not so sure that's the best idea," Sans said. "the kid and my bro have gotten really close. denying them the chance to see each other would do them both harm."
"They could still meet each other like we are today," Toriel suggested.
"won't matter to them," Sans shot down. "jus' talkin' through the door ain't gonna make them happy. they wanna be able to play with each other." Sans paused for a moment. "the fact that they ran into the royal guard wouldn't happen to have something to do with your choice, would it?"
Toriel remained silent for a long moment.
"maybe you're seein' this the wrong way," Sans suggested.
"How so?"
"well, the kid came across the worst people for them to come across and got away unharmed. heck, they didn't even recognize the kid as human. maybe that's a good sign, not a bad one."
"In what way is that good?"
"well, if even the guards don't see the kid as a human – and keep in mind, they've been trained to detect them – then a random monster isn't gonna hurt them. plus, their age is gonna make people hesitant to do anythin' harmful."
Toriel considered those words. She considered them closely. Perhaps it was safer out there than she thought. "I suppose that is true."
"cool. then, might i make a suggestion for next time?"
"What is it?"
"well, you and the kid have been playin' in the forest for the past month or so. why not come all the way to snowdin town?"
"Town?" Toriel muttered. Last she recalled, it had been a village. It must have grown in the last nine decades.
"yeah. paps been askin' me if we can bring the kid here to show them around the town and our house. and frankly, i'm tired of sayin' 'we'll see'."
"You are suggesting I bring my child to a town full of Monsters who may want to capture or kill them?"
"it's not as risky as you think," Sans assured. "plenty of the folk here are nice and wouldn't hurt a kid, especially one that's on the tail end of infanthood."
Toriel pondered on that. "I… suppose. I shall consider it, at the very least."
"cool. let them know tomorrow. now, shall we get to joking?"
"Yes. That would be a welcome distraction."
After her time with Sans, she went upstairs to start making supper. She gathered all the ingredients she needed before making the fire. Once done, she conjured a small flame in her hand and shot it at the stove, lighting it. She was so engrossed with her work she didn't hear Frisk walk up.
"How you do that?" they asked, startling her, causing the egg she was holding to fly to the ceiling.
"Frisk! You startled me," she said, a hand on her trembling heart.
"Sorry. But how you do that?" they asked again.
"Do what?"
They pointed to the stove, specifically the fire.
"Oh, magic, dear," she explained. "You recall, I have told you that our bodies are made of magic, which allows us to cast spells with ease."
"Cool!" they said. "Can you teach me?"
She nearly crushed another egg she had grabbed. "Excuse me?"
"Can you teach me magic?" they eagerly asked.
Toriel didn't want to say 'no' straight up, as that would be mean. But from what she knew of humans, magic was very hard. The possibility that Frisk would be able to cast a spell would be very low. She didn't want to lie to her child, either. Perhaps if she fudged the truth slightly…
"I suppose I can show you some things," she decided. "But not fire magic, that is too dangerous at this point."
"That okay."
"But I do need to warn you Frisk, even for us, it can be hard. So do not be disappointed if you cannot manage it."
The next day, Toriel brought Frisk back to the forest. She met Sans at his station, where he greeted them with finger guns.
"heya, glad to see ya come back."
"Thank you," Toriel said. "Um, what is that you are doing?"
"they're finger guns," Sans explained. "never seen 'em before? all the kids are doin' it."
Frisk looked puzzled, trying to replicate Sans' gesture.
"anyways, what you doin' today?" Sans asked.
"I have decided that we shall visit your house, if that is okay," Toriel answered.
"really? cool. though, i'm on duty, so i can't take ya there. though my bro can. i'll give him a call and tell him to meet ya halfway there."
"Very well. Come along, Frisk."
"Wait… we going to see Papy and Sans' home?"
"Yes, if they are willing to host us for a few hours."
"Yay!" Frisk cheered from their mother's arms, throwing their own up in joy.
Toriel walked through the forest and Frisk pointed out the various things Papyrus showed them. It delighted her to hear how much Frisk had seen thanks to the skeleton. It had been a wise choice indeed to let them interact.
Part of the way to town, Papyrus came up. "HELLO FRISK AND THEIR MOM," he greeted. "MY BROTHER HAS INFORMED ME THAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO VISIT OUR HOUSE. IS THAT TRUE?"
"Yes, it is," Toriel confirmed.
"WOWIE! A PLAYDATE AT MY HOUSE! THIS IS GREAT! POSSIBLY THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" He turned back the way he came "FOLLOW ME! I SHALL LEAD YOU THERE!" With his chest puffed out, he marched back towards town. Toriel easily kept pace. As they walked, Frisk got to see all the sights they hadn't had a chance to see before. They saw another dog, though he had some kind of sight problem that prevented him from seeing them when still. Another was a much smaller dog with a suit of armor that made it as big as Toriel.
Eventually, they crossed a plank bridge that spanned a massive chasm, reaching Snowdin Town.
'Welcome to Snowdin Town' read the sign just after the bridge.
"Whoa! It so big," Frisk said, looking at the whole town.
"OH, IT'S NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE. CERTAINLY NOT AS BIG AS NEW HOME," Papyrus said. "BUT IT IS AMAZING, ISN'T IT?"
"It is impressive," Toriel agreed. "I remember this place being a lot smaller. For instance, I do not remember that inn being there," she said, gesturing to the building.
"FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, THIS PLACE HAS EXPERIENCED A LARGE INFLUX OF NEW RESIDENTS WITHIN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS."
"Where your house, Papy?" Frisk asked.
"RIGHT THIS WAY," he said, leading them through the main road. Eventually, they arrived at an impressive looking two-story house. "HERE WE ARE, HOME SWEET HOME!" he said, gesturing to it. He walked right in, Toriel behind him. She went to take her coat off before realizing the inside of the house was as cold as the outside.
"Why is it cold in here?" Frisk asked.
"OH, WELL, WE DON'T NEED HEAT, SO WE KEEP IT THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS OUTSIDE," Papyrus explained.
"That is nice, Papyrus, but Frisk and I would like it to be warmer in here," Toriel said.
"OH, OF COURSE. ONE MOMENT." He fiddled with a knob on the wall, then warm air started blasting into the living room. "THERE. IN A FEW MOMENTS, THE HOUSE SHALL BE HOTTED UP."
"It 'heated'," Frisk corrected.
"YOU SURE? I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S 'HOTTED'," Papyrus responded.
Toriel set Frisk down on the couch, where they took in the whole house. "What that?" they asked, pointing to the TV.
"THAT'S A TV, OR TELEVISION AS IT'S CALLED," Papyrus explained.
"What do you do with it?"
"NOTHING AT THE MOMENT," Papyrus said. "THERE'S HARDLY ANYTHING GOOD ON THESE DAYS."
"Perhaps you could show us around?" Toriel asked.
"SURE THING. ALLOW ME TO GIVE YOU THE GRAND TOUR!"
The tour of the house took less than an hour. There wasn't much there, especially as Sans' room was locked.
Once the tour of the house ended, Frisk wanted to go outside and explore the town.
"I am not sure that is wise, my child," Toriel said.
"FEAR NOT, FRISK'S MOM," Papyrus said. "I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT SNOWDIN TOWN IS A VERY FRIENDLY PLACE, WHERE EVERYONE IS PLESANT AND NICE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT UNDESIRABLE PEOPLES DOING UNKINDLY THINGS TO YOUR CHILD."
Toriel was still hesitant, but Frisk looked at her with their begging face, and she quickly gave in. "Okay. Just be careful," she warned.
Frisk cheered before running out. Papyrus happily followed, showing Frisk around the still growing town. There was a playground, but it was still under construction. Frisk walked through the streets on their own, occasionally slipping on a slick patch, but not falling.
Frisk kept looking up at all the buildings, taking in the sights. It was drastically different from the Ruins, both in color and design. While the buildings there had been old and cold, these were new and homely. They couldn't stop looking at them all.
Which was probably why they collided with another Monster, sending them both to the ground.
"Oh gosh, sorry," the Monster said.
"I fine," Frisk assured. The new Monster had landed on them and the first thing they noticed was that it was a girl. The second was the brown fuzz covering her, different from their mother's fur. The third and fourth thing they noticed were her antlers, completely different from their mom's horns.
Both of them got up. The girl was somewhat unsteady on her feet. Frisk noticed her legs were unlike any legs they had seen. Hers ended in hooves and were built more like their mom's legs than theirs' or the skeletons'.
"Who are you?" Frisk asked.
"Uh, daddy told me I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said.
Frisk noticed the slang she used before continuing. "Well, I am Frisk," they greeted, holding their hand out, like their mother taught them.
The girl seemed hesitant to return it.
"Hey, I not hurt you," Frisk assured.
"I just… haven't seen you before," the girl said.
"That fine. I not from here," Frisk said. "My home far away. Mommy and I are just visiting."
The girl seemed to lighten up a bit with that.
"FRISK! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked, walking over.
"I fine," Frisk assured.
"HMM. GIVEN THAT YOU AREN'T CRYING, I GUESS THAT IS TRUE," Papyrus said. "OH, HELLO THERE, REINDEER GIRL. I SEE YOU'VE MET MY FRIEND, FRISK."
The girl seemed slightly intimidated by Papyrus' boisterous personality.
"Um, Papy, maybe you give us space. She scared."
"OH, APOLOGIES! I DIDN'T REALIZE MY PRESENCE WAS SO INTIMIDATING. VERY WELL, I SHALL BE JUST A FEW FEET AWAY, OUT OF EARSHOT, BUT KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU, AS YOUR MOTHER TOLD ME TO." He proceeded to walk the said distance back, leaving the two young kids there.
"So, you are just visiting?" she asked.
"Yeah, but we may come back tomorrow," Frisk said.
"Well, um, it was nice meeting you, Frisk," she said. "Oh, I'm Noelle."
"Noelle. Pretty," Frisk complimented.
"Thanks. Well, I need to get back home. Bye."
"Bye, Noelle," Frisk waved as the deer Monster ran off on her shaky legs. Papyrus returned a moment later, continuing the tour. Frisk hoped they got to come back. There was so much here, and so many new people. They wanted to see it all.
End of Chapter 3