Chapter Text
Colt woke to an aching pain in his temple. He was disoriented as he blinked in the darkness. Dim moonlight filtered down from far above his head, and he could just barely make out the jagged edges of the cave entrance. He sat up quickly, remembering what had happened. A bad idea though, as his head began to spin so badly he thought he would pass out again.
“Colt? Are you over there?”
As his eyes adjusted, he could vaguely see Beau not too far away.
“I- uh, yeah, ’m here.” The pain in his head began to fade enough he could take stock.
They must be in the cave, very far underground. Looking down, Colt could see what had cushioned their fall. Beneath them, the ground was thick with large golden flowers. Their petals shone in the gentle moonlight, and they swayed ever-so slightly in the air.
Beau walked over, an arm wrapped around his chest. He was grimacing and sluggish, clearly having landed badly.
Colt realised his hat was gone, as well as his bag, so he spent a moment peering through the dark. When he finally spotted them, he reached out and brought them to where he was sitting.
Beau sat beside him, and Colt could hear just how shallow he was breathing.
“What's wrong? You didn't break nothing did you?” Colt asked, worried.
“No, just…” He took a slow breath. “Just bruised, I think. What about you?”
“I-I'm fine, jus’ a bit dizzy, is all.”
Beau squinted through the dark, before dabbing his hand on Colt's forehead.
“You're bleeding, bad.” Beau's brows drew together in worry. “You still have that bag? Any water, or bandages?”
“You don't worry about me, okay?” Colt reached in his bag. “I'll be right as rain in a sec-”
Something wasn't right. He didn't feel his notebook or pencils inside despite it being zipped during the fall. And there was something cold and metal. He pulled it out before realising.
“It's… Dad's revolver?” His father must have packed the wrong bag. None of Colt's stuff was inside, just his fathers practical items.
“Why do you have that?!" Beau leaned away.
“I must'a taken the wrong bag!” He carefully slid the gun back inside. “Well, at least if the monsters come we can be safe…”
Beau ignored his last comment. “Did he at least pack a canteen? That gash is gonna get infected if you leave it.”
“Um-” He searched around inside before finding a familiar leather case. “Yessir,” He handed it to Beau.
Beau unscrewed the canteen and carefully moved in front of Colt.
“Alright, it's gonna sting but you have to stay still.” He held the side of Colts face firmly before lightly pouring the cool water over the tender wound. Colt squeezed his eyes shut as it stung, before Beau let him go, screwing the cap back on the canteen.
“There you go, should slow the bleeding a bit too.”
“Thank you kindly.”
The pain subsided, and Colt's mind started to clear.
“Oh gosh, what are we gonna do now? Wait for someone to come rescue us?”
“I don't really see another option. There's no way for us to climb out, and I don't think we should be walking around blind.”
Colt was struck with an idea. He again reached in the bag, before grabbing hold of a flashlight. He flicked it on, and a beam of warm, yellowish light lit up the cave. When pointed up, the light could only reach a tiny bit of the sheer, rocky walls out. They could now see that the cavern continued on one side, leading into more darkness.
“I think we should stay here…” Beau watched the dark cavern intently, waiting.
“What if there’s a way out though?” Colt couldn’t help but be curious. “I mean, ‘s not like anyone knows where we are anyways,”
“No, we have to stay put until someone comes. We’ll just get more lost if we don't.”
“I ‘spose so,” Colt focused instead on the golden flowers.
The harsh glow of the flashlight made them look strange. The flowers swayed in a breeze he couldn’t feel, and, looking closer, it seemed like they were almost moving on their own, towards the light. One in particular grew a little higher, and with the centre facing him, it felt almost like it was watching-
“Is someone there?” The boys jumped at the voice. It sounded like a woman's voice, coming from somewhere in the dark.
Colt fumbled with the flashlight before realising a flickering light was coming from the mouth of the cavern.
What looked like a… ball of fire? It lit up the dark softly, and in its light was a monster. Standing at nearly double his height, the monster was covered in white fur, with what looked like a goat or dog head. It wore an old purple dress with a strange symbol on the chest. The fire seemed to be coming from its raised paw.
“Oh my! It's been quite a while since I’ve seen anyone down here.” The monster woman took a cautious step closer.
“S-stay back!” Colt yelped. He stepped in front of Beau, trying to seem tough.
“Oh, deary…” She sighed. The monster splayed her hands in front of her in an attempt to show she was peaceful. “I do not wish to scare you, but I suppose this is quite the surprise.”
“What do you want?” Beau stepped forward, beside Colt. He held the monster's gaze, and though his brows were drawn he didn't seem to be afraid.
“If you would hear me out, children, I will explain all.” Her voice was soft, and Colt could feel the tension begin to lift. His hands steadied, but he couldn't rid his mind of the goat-face man his great-grandmother had spoken of.
“You promise not t’ eat us, er whatever?” Colt mumbled.
The monsters woman laughed. “Of course not! You may call me Toriel, I am the keeper of these ruins.” She paused for a moment, looking at the two with a sad sort of expression. “Its been a long time since I've seen a human down here, let alone two. What might your names be?”
“My name is Beau, it's nice to meet you, miss.”
“I‘m Colt,” He muttered. “‘S nice to meet'cha…”
Colt was nervous, talking so casual with an in-the-flesh monster. What if it was all a trick, to lure them in? What if she was the goat man who brought a kid's corpse out of the mountain? As much as he wanted to be careful, though, he couldn't see this woman as a killer.
It also didn't help the case against her that Beau seemed so calm. Colt trusted Beau's judgement, and he prayed to god that he was right.
“What lovely names! Now, we monsters call this place the Underground, but it's much nicer than what you might have in mind. If you boys would like, you could come with me to my home in the ruins? It's not too far.”
Beau turned to Colt with a questioning expression.
“Alright,” He sighed.
Beau smiled, as did Toriel.
“Follow me, children!” She beamed as she led the boys further into the caves.
Colt hesitated for a moment, looking back at the soft moonlight glowing on the golden flowers. The way they swayed almost made it seem like they were waving goodbye.
He held tight on his bag and pulled his hat low before following Beau and Toriel into the ruins.