"Hunger Pains"

Prologue

Dream walked quietly along one of the many trodden pathways in the server, as the soft glow of a full moon illuminated his path. He was quite fond of these nighttime strolls. Sure, he loved spending time with his friends during daylight, but he also liked to return to his roots and cherish some alone time. Just as everyone would drift into slumber, he would occasionally take some time to muse around the hub and recollect his thoughts.
On this particular night, he was softly humming a tavern song to himself, one Wilbur had sang in the Community Hall, of an ancient dragon's remains buried on a mountain. Yet he was interrupted by- something...

Dream suddenly perked up, his one left eye scanning his surroundings and stopping in his stroll. He was surprised by a peculiar smell meeting his nose, yet it quickly turned to be less than pleasant. It smelled like that of mud, sweat, and almost mildew. Unpleasant enough to make him scrunch his nose in discomfort. He lifted a hand to rub his nose as something else met his ears. He heard the rustling of leaves, as something was coming his way. "Probably just an animal," he thought. Dream turned his head slightly to look at a cluster of bushes near the cabin where Quackity, Manifold, and Charlie resided. It seemed to be the source of the rustling. He managed to pick up yet another sound among the rustling and the strange odor accompanying it, as he squinted in the dark.

Breathing. And not just any breathing, this was coarse, heavy breathing, as if each breath was a struggle. It sounded much too distinct to belong to any animal, it was undoubtedly a person. A person that sounded ill or exhausted. He tensed up to brace himself for whoever could be the source. It didn't really sound like anyone he knew.

"Hello?" Dream called out, doing his best to not startle whoever it was.

The rustling had ceased at this point, leaving only the breathing. It was quieter and more drawn out, but still tense, like they had barely begun to catch their breath. They had likely noticed him.

"...hello?" Dream repeated. "Are you hurt? I can go get help if you need it." He assured the unseen stranger he meant no harm.

The mass in the bushes seemed to hesitate, the breathing increasing in tempo yet again. He heard one final rustle before hearing quickened footsteps on grass toward the cabin. And then silence, even the less-than-pleasant aroma had departed. The mysterious stranger had sprinted off into the night.

Dream was left standing in confusion on the moonlit path, as he took a few seconds to process what had just happened.
"...you know what... I don't feel like strolling anymore." He softly muttered to himself. He turned around and went up the path the way they came, now greatly looking forward to the comfortable embrace of his bed.