Of a Better World

A Soundless Confession

Horror took it upon himself to conduct a house wide search as Crooks managed the firewood and looked on in concern, inwardly berating himself. He should have known sooner.

It was strange, finally being granted the solitude he'd craved since Lust arrived. There was no comfort in the situation, just the knowledge that something was horribly amiss. He used to be able to  stand long stretches of time alone and still not feel lonely, enjoy them even, but now he was left for just a fraction of a day and he had felt like a puppy without its owner. 

Or maybe Lust was the puppy he needed to keep an eye one.

He only found evidence to support that claim when his search finally led him to the back door slightly ajar.

Horror wasted no time taking off like a hound with the scent of blood once he found two pairs of footprints leading away from the house. One of boots, and one of paws. He worked with the knowledge in mind that he needed to move quickly before a layer of new snow covered them.

A hundred different anxieties ran through his head as he tracked the path. He had never truly discouraged Lust from wandering outside, only jokingly warned him about it, but he had never taken Lust to be stupid enough to actually go.

While it cut down on some of his theories as to where the two went, it didn't help his concern much to find that the trail led to the Snowdin woods.

By time he was completely positive that Lust had went into the forest, the prints were hard to see anymore- and tracking any scent would have been close to impossible. If Horror's pace quickened to a run he hardly noticed as he tried to trace the tracks further. It took him a while to notice when they had finally disappeared and he was left chasing with no firm idea of what to follow. How had Lust gotten this far so quickly? How had he not come across evidence of him while patrolling? Had he been that desperate to get home quickly?

Lust wasn't built for Horrortale- at least not the part of it outside the house. He was a soft, messy thing too prone to attracting trouble. His charming, warm nature wouldn't help him avoid the areas of the forest where the snow became toxic and tar-like, capable of trapping monsters whole. His constant chatter couldn't fend off an attack. There was no chance he could survive an encounter with a feral monster, and no chance he was alive if he already had.

These were the thoughts that pushed him onward as Horror began to feel panicked and discouraged. This universe was much too sharp for Lust to wander about in, Horror at least owed it to him to find the smaller monster before the world had a chance to cut him.

Soon, it would be late and Crooks would feel the need to come out and look for him and drag him back inside. Even though he was perfectly willing to look for Lust long into the night, his brother knew that the danger that revealed itself after dark wasn't something to be tested.

Just on the verge of absolute hopelessness, Horror heard a jingle that he absolutely despised and held so dearly.

Suddenly forgetting that his feet hurt and his legs were weak and he was so terribly cold, he followed the sound. The sound rang out in short bursts, struggling to reach Horror over the sound absorbent snow, but he followed it nonetheless.

He followed it until finally, at last, he broke into a clearing.

In the center of the clearing was a small lake, maybe more accurately described as a large-ish pond. Completely frozen over, the thick ice took on a blue-gray tinge which made it evident that the water it had once been hadn't been the cleanest. And there, laid out in the middle, was Lust and his mutt; appearing not to have a care in the world.