Sans smiled and stood, offering a hand to a very dirty Frisk who laughed brokenly as he helped her to stand. They both were a bit of a mess, his clothes stained with the dirt from her clothes. Tear stains clung to the shoulder of his blue hoodie and with a small blush, she turned away, embarrassed to have cried like such a baby.

He just chuckled and brushed away some of the dirt, before looking down at the creature a mere foot away. The wolf was lying on its side in the dirt, a small trickle of blood flowing from a large gash on the top of its head. Truthfully, Sans didn't want to have to resort to violence, but he just couldn't help coming to Frisk's aid. She was after all, their savior, and in turn he returned the favor, regardless of the regret for the life he had took.

Before she could see what he had done, he grabbed her hand, watching as a deeper blush spread across her cheeks, and had he had the time he might have looked deeper into her reaction, but he dragged her away from the area quickly, shame filling him as he left behind his kill.

He didn't stop walking through the foliage until he came upon a small cave a little ways away from the incident. The entrance was a large crack in the stone, a few feet across and just high enough for Sans to slip through.

Turning back to the girl, he ruffled her hair before crouching down and calling into the crack, not minding her squeak of disbelief as she smoothed down her crusty hair.

"Pappy, come on out! I got a surprise for ya."

Shuffling was heard on the other side and Frisk cast a quick glance at Sans, concerned until a familiar voice reached them.

"What is it, Sans? We aren't supposed to leave until morn-"

The words died on the tip of his tongue as Papyrus finished crawling out of the crack, staring up at the human girl with wide eyes, "Frisk!"

A muffled sob broke from his throat as he scrambled from the forest floor and threw himself into her arms, effectively knocking her over in the process. A hiss escaped her as she hit the hard earth beneath them, but she forced a smile as Papyrus cried into her chest, smoothing a hand down his back in a reassuring gesture. Broken words escaped him, her name wailed into the flesh of her neck as trails of tears ran down her skin. Without even realizing it, she curled her body around his smaller one tightly, her own eyes tearing slightly as she wrapped him up in a fierce embrace.

"I missed you too Papyrus." She giggled brokenly, her voice giving out between words.

He laughed shakily as he pulled away, just enough to look into her warm gaze, his own gaze holding hers steadily as he moved to wipe at his tear filled sockets.

As soon as he noticed her disheveled state, Papyrus moved back slightly, a worried expression crossing his skeletal features, "My god, Frisk, are you okay? Sans, the human is hurt!"

Sans immediately moved over to their sides, a frown working it's way across his face as he knelt down beside her and checked her body for injuries. Her legs were littered with small cuts, some deeper than others, but otherwise fine. Her feet had taken the brunt of her endeavors, her soles had been badly scraped and were caked in mud, oozing blood from the more deep cuts she obtained from running barefoot across the forest.

His gaze traveled upward, noticing more cuts along her arms where the fabric of her sweater had torn to reveal tender flesh. Thankfully, they weren't as deep as the ones on her legs, but when he looked upon her face, he found himself completely shocked to have missed the large bump on the side of her head, no doubt from when she had hit her head fleeing from the wolf.

Stifling a curse, he glanced to Papyrus before scooping him up in his arms, ignoring his indignant squeak as he placed him on the inside of his shirt, closing the hoodie around him and zipping it up until Papyrus was secure.

Frisk giggled at his antics, finding the act cute. What with the way Papyrus was fit snugly inside Sans' jacket, she couldn't help but laugh softly. The two reminded her of that funny animal that hopped on two legs, kangaroos was it?

Sans eyed her curiously, but decided to ignore her tinkling laughter, instead standing up and turning his back to the little girl. Crouching down, he lowered himself to her level before instructing her to climb on.

She sputtered, sitting up with a muffled groan as she did so, "Wh-What? You can't be serious!"

He looked back over his shoulder, a scoff passing his teeth as he rolled his eyes, "Dead serious. You're tired and it's really late. Climb on."

Her face turned a muted pink as she watched him warily, her thoughts a flustered mess, "N-no that's okay! I'll be fine, really."

She moved to stand, but fell to her knees as pain shot up her legs. She cried out as her legs buckled once more as she tried to stand. An impatient grunt met her ears as Sans shuffled closer, but she tried in vain to stand on her own two feet, groaning as she stumbled forward an inch or two before collapsing again.

"Frisk, you're very determined, I'll give ya that, but we have to get a move on. The woods ain't safe this late at night, and you're in no condition to move, let alone protect yourself. Please, just let me help you."

With a sigh, she finally accepted his offer, sliding onto his back and shivering as his bony hands slid onto her thigh, just above her knees to support her weight. She squeaked and wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood up suddenly, the shift startling her already frazzled nerves. He gave her a brief smile before turning around and moving off into the tree line. Where he was going she had no clue, but she found herself relaxing with the gentle sway in his steps and the way his hands held her securely.

Her eyes shifted from the passing trees to the clear sky, the stars glistening high above them, almost twinkling before her eyes. She gave a small smile, thanking whoever was out there that heard her prayers, thanked anyone for the miracle that it was that she had survived that frightening encounter and had been reunited with the two friends that she was quickly growing attached to.

With a soft sigh, she snuggled her head into the crook of Sans' bony neck, smiling gently as she felt his grasp tighten minutely in response to her shifting. Her eyes fluttered closed as exhaustion overcame her senses, filling her mind with sluggish thoughts that went by unnoticed. All she could focus on was the gentle sway of Sans' steps and the lingering smell of smoke and pine that she would come to know as purely Sans. An overwhelming sense of peace filled her being and her body relaxed further against his back, her nose moving to burrow in the soft fur of his hoodie.

A small yawn passed her lips, and she could have sworn that Sans had shuddered, but before she could read anything into it, his words broke through the otherwise silence.

"Get some sleep, kid. It's gonna be a bit of a walk back."

Fighting back another yawn, she mumbled sleepily into the furred hood, "Mm, but I don't wanna.. I'm scared.."

Sans seemed to pause in his stride, but he continued on after a moment, his voice filling her mind with its gentle encouragement.

"Sleep, Frisk. We'll be home shortly. No harm will come to you."

"But," she paused to cast a sleepy glance up at his face, "What... What if you're not there when I wake up?"

He smiled softly, glancing down at her fluttering lashes, and the stifled yawns that she tried to hold back. He knew she would be out soon, but he couldn't help but put her worries to ease beforehand.

"I'll be here whenever you wake, Frisk. I won't leave again, okay?"

Silence met his question for the briefest moment before a breathy 'Promise?' reached his ears. He smiled gently, his eyes focusing on her peaceful face, her eyes now closed and breaths coming in slow, rhythmic pulls. Even though he knew she wouldn't hear him, some unknown emotion filled him, it's pull centering on the fast asleep human on his back, and with a small chuckle, he whispered the words she had so desperately fought to hear.

"I promise, Frisk. I won't ever leave your side again."