Time seemed to slip by him as they walked, the moon the only light that guided the skeleton as he carried his family home.

Home..

A place he never thought he'd have again.

A smile crept up on his skull as he chanced a quick glance at the girl sleeping peacefully against his back. Granted, she usually looked more comfortable when she slept, but traipsing through a forest in shorts, a sweater, and no shoes will definitely put a damper on that, not that he was complaining.

In fact, he was both astounded and touched that the tiny girl had the determination, the bravery, the sheer stupidity to wander through a forest for who knows how long just to find two monsters that imposed on her life for maybe a week. It was touching to see what lengths she had gone through to ensure their safety, and if he were honest, he found himself strangely drawn to the human girl, wanting to protect her and care for her as she had done for him.

True, they had not known each other long, but there was something about her that made him happy, made him feel at ease for once in his very long life. She was optimism at its finest, the level of trust she bestowed him was flattering although naive as it was. All it would take was the snap of his fingers and her life would be no more, and yet..

She viewed him as an equal. As a person. Not a monster, yet a monster all the same. Someone of importance in her life, and that was something he never had. No one had looked upon him and saw him as a living being aside from those of his kind, and as for them..

His soul clenched painfully as he recalled the bloodshed spattering the clean snow, the dust that flew amongst the wind as his kind died before his eyes, becoming nothing more than specks of dirt in the whipping breeze. He could still hear the deafening screams as his people were obliterated right in front of his eyes, see the face of his father as he looked back at him, smiling tearfully as he took the blow meant for him and his brother. Even as his eyes closed and a shuddering breath escaped him, he could still see his father turning to dust, slowly as if he fought every second to keep himself alive for their sake.

The last words he had ever heard before the life he knew shattered right before his very eyes..

Run..

Run..

Run..

RUN!

"SANS, RUN!"

Startled from his thoughts, he came to in time to see Papyrus pointing fearfully at a pair of glowing eyes watching them from the edge of the bushes, a low pitched growl ringing out amongst the trees as the creatures crept closer, the dim glow of the moon outlining two furred bodies sinking low to the ground as they eyed him warily.

Really? More wolves?

His eyes shifted from one creature to the other as they lurched forward, circling their prey with angry snarls and guttural growls. It was clear what their intentions were, and he had no problem taking care of the threat, but..

His gaze left the circling wolves for a split second as Papyrus huddled against his chest, shaking like a leaf.

"S-Sans," the little monster whimpered, "What are we gonna do?"

The older skeleton frowned, his magic had already been depleted from overuse having to keep them safe and undetected for the last hour or so, but he had to do something.

Sans glanced back up as the snarling grew, just in time to see the larger of the two wolves barreling at him head on. With a silent curse, he managed to flicker away just as a pair of snapping jowls flew into his face.

The trio reappeared a few feet away in the bushes, Sans quickly depositing the whimpering skeleton with a now awakening Frisk. The telltale sounds of growling filled the air as the wolves rushed to their location. With a barely muffled curse, he instructed the frightened pair to make a run for it as he summoned up what little magic he had left.

A sharpened femur appeared in his hands as a wolf broke through the bushes, just in time to find itself bashed in the face, a loud crack and a sharp whine echoing off the trees. Glancing back, he sighed in relief seeing Frisk rushing through the foliage, a teary Papyrus in her arms.

An agonizing cry escaped him as the wolf seemed to have recovered, as evident by the sharp jaws clamped down on his arms. He drew back and punched the creature as hard as he could and fell backwards as it refused to let go, instead opting to overthrow his balance with its massive weight. The other wolf pounced on his rib-cage, slamming his body into the hardened earth and forcing all the breath from him as he struggled to get free.

He had to get up, he had to protect his family!

He couldn't help but wail as the creature had managed to snap his radius while the other went for his raised fist. Pain raced up his bones and left him weak and distraught, his mind frantically working and praying that his brother and the little human girl had made it out safely.

His mind dulled as shocks of pain shot up his spine and he found that moving was growing increasingly harder to do. Blood trickled from his arms as he lie in the dirt, writhing slowly as the fight drained from him.

If only he wasn't so weak. Too pathetic to save those he cared about most, maybe then he could have had a real family? All hopes of living a happy life with his brother and dear friend flew out the window as the wolves snarled and crunched on his bones, wrenching his limbs to and fro, and all he could do was watch despairingly, praying that his sacrifice had at least bought them enough time to escape.

Just as his vision drifted to black, a low whine filled the air and the heavy weight settled on his chest had been lifted. The other wolf that had taken to munching on his arm had also fled after something he could not see whizzed by his face, connecting with the body and forcing it to let go.

A heavy grunt sounded above him as whatever it was chased off the wolves. He knew not who it was, but prayed with all his heart that his friend hadn't been foolish enough to come back for him.

A pained cry left his savior as well as a few more low pitched whines and growls, but eventually the heavy footfalls left the clearing and the person flopped down beside him, clutching at his broken arm tenderly, but nonetheless causing a whole new wave of unbearable pain to fill him. His scream echoed around them as his body slackened and his mind began to shut down, too far gone in its overwhelming pain to function any longer.

The last thing he registered was a frightened feminine voice, that of his savior and newest friend begging him to stay with her.