Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Darkness and pain was all that she knew, and she hated it. She wanted freedom, but she had lost track of the last time she had seen the sky; the cell that she was confined in was the only thing she was able to wonder around. She used to have company, but the other orphans had passed since they were “failed experiments”. She scoffed into the darkness at the thought. That's all she was to the people that would poke and prod at her; they would see just how much she could tolerate before she would pass out, throw up, or until she was on the verge of dying. Oh how she hated those that jailed her. They stripped her of her name and only called her 'Sub102'; it stood for subject 102. It made her skin crawl that these people killed that many orphans.

She stopped talking once her cellmate was taken away, and the “scientists” tried to teach her sign language so she could communicate what was hurting along with the type of pain, but she refused to sign just to tell them they were successful in their torture. Hell, she wasn't sure what she was anymore since they fucked with her DNA. She paced around her cell as her ears strained into the silence to try to pick up on anything that could distract her from the boredom and dread that swirled in her mind. Trying to eavesdrop was the only way she could tell what was happening in the world; she wasn't sure how long ago it was, but she heard gossip that monsters had emerged from the mountain. The only thing she did know was that she was tormented so that she could initially be used as a trump card in war, but now it turned into her being able to kill monsters to save humanity. She was amused by that thought; these humans that kept her trapped were more monstrous that anything she had ever dealt with. She remembered hearing more recently that there was an explosion of sorts on Mount Ebott and more monsters had started to emerge, but that was the last she heard of it. Her eyes darted around in the dimly lit room; she recognized the familiar empty cells that surrounded hers, but they lingered on one door that hadn't been opened in a while. It was the door where they burned the bodies of the failed experiments. It made her sick that they weren't given a proper burial.

“Bring them over here,” a familiar voice said; it belonged to the data logging scientist.

Sub102's head snapped up and she slowly approached her gate entrance to look at what the commotion was. Two other human guards carried two unconscious skeletons and locked them in a cell across from her; she blinked, but backed away back into the darkness before the three people spotted her. Those three were the ones that carted her to the room where they would strap her down; they were not good news. The three humans ignored her as they slunk down the hallway after chaining the two monsters in the cell along the way leaving her alone with the two newcomers. She slowly crept back back to the bars that lead to the hallway as she took in their appearances. They were definitely taller than her since their bodies looked massive even though they were laying down. The smaller of the two had on a blue hoodie and a white t-shirt along with a pair of basketball shorts. Her nose scrunched up when she caught the scent of dried blood, but she didn't see any; she wondered if it was partially because of the fact his back was turned towards her. The taller one had what looked to be armor and a red scarf; she took notice of his hunch in his shoulders and crooked teeth that stuck out.

She hadn't had company after the last set of monsters were dusted; she shuddered remembering that their dust was infused with her being just to keep her alive with the remains of their magic. Her body unfortunately accepted the dust instead of reject it, so she was stuck living with guilt that wasn't even her own fault. With a sigh, she slunk back into the depths of her own cell as she paced; she learned to tune out the sound of her chains rattling as she moved since that was the only sense of exercise that she got. She wrapped her arms around herself as the damp air continued to set in around her; she could tell that it was either Spring or Autumn because of the chill that sunk into the bunker, but it wasn't quite cold to the point where she would do nothing but shiver unless she let the wolf out. The wolf was what kept her sane. When Sub102 would war about what was right or wrong, the wolf would ease her since she would push for survival. Do what was needed to survive: conserve energy, eat, watch, and plan. Her captors were always watching, and she was fully aware of it. She knew where the cameras were since she watched where they were installed, but more importantly, she was aware of the amount of guards that were on her level along with when the shift change was. It was all a waiting game; something was bound to go wrong, but it was just a matter of when. Without the wolf, she wouldn't make it. The wolf gave her hope.

A small amount of panic set in when she heard the door open again, and she pushed herself into the far back corner out of the light to try to hide despite it never being of use. Sure enough, the same three people came into view with two additional guards as they stopped outside of her cell as the scientist entered a code to unlock her cage door. Sub102 glared at the five and bared her teeth as she tried to make herself seem as big as possible; the display never worked, but it was her instinct to look as threatening as possible. Two of the four guards readied their sticks as the familiar sound of electricity rang from the prongs at the end. The scientist continued to approach, and the prisoner darted away; she never willingly went along with their idea of bettering man. One of the guards touched her with the taser, and Sub102 seized up while gritting her teeth as she tried to ignore the pain; she was knocked out as she was stuck with a familiar needle that was filled with a tranquilizer that would keep her asleep until she got to the other room.

Sans woke up to the sound of electricity, and he immediately snapped to attention. He looked around and saw his brother before frowning at the sight: they both were in shackles. His red eyelight scanned the caged area as he tried to take in details; he definitely had no idea where he was other than the fact he was underground. He watched as five people brought out an unconscious human from their cell before he looked back at his brother who remained asleep. He couldn't recall how they got captured. He grabbed at his empty eye socket as he ground his teeth in frustration. Stirring caused his attention to snap towards Papyrus as he looked at his older brother sleepily. “SANS, WHERE ARE WE?” he asked as he sit up.

“iunno, bro, but we aren't someplace friendly...” Sans grumbled.

The sound of a tray and tools clattering caused Papyrus to jump as people started to swear and shout; something was happening behind the door where the light was coming from. Sans tried to summon his magic, but he stared at his chains in confusion as he felt the cold metal absorb it; he was stuck there unless he somehow got out of the chains. “W-WE'LL BE SAFE, RIGHT?” Papyrus asked; he too noticed that his brother's magic was of no use where they were.

“yeah, we'll be perfectly fine,” Sans encouraged as he stared at the area with the white light.

The only sound that kept the silence at bay was the faint sound of a beeping monitor. The two weren't sure how much time passed, but banging and snarling caught their attention. Sans looked at the double doors where the bright light was coming from, and his eye sockets widened at the sight of the over-sized wolf shaking it's head as it fought against being dragged towards the cages. The brothers watched as the guards prodded the animal; it jolted forward away from the electricity despite not wanting to go where it was being lead. Angry snarls filled the chamber as they took the wolf where the human was removed from. “Turn back,” the scientist ordered from the back once they finished wrestling the animal into the cell.

The man was met with a snap of the wolf's jaws; he would have been bit had the muzzle not been in place. The scientist tilted his head towards the guards who then stepped in and zapped her; the wolf whimpered and yelped from the pain before it finally backed away. “Just do it,” the man once again ordered.

It was silent before the sound of bones breaking and groans broke it once again; it was the human from earlier. Sans watched with mild curiosity as they approached the wary female before she was once again chained up; the smell of blood hung fresh in the air as the five humans left the cage she was in, locked it, and left the three prisoners in almost total darkness. “H-HELLO HUMAN!” Papyrus greeted after a moment.

The female looked at the two, and Sans immediately took note of her eyes: one was a honey gold while the other was a crystal blue. He personally had never seen someone with two different eye colors, and it was intriguing. She didn't respond as she sat on the cold floor, but her eyes never left them. She was watching them just as much as they were watching her. “IT IS RUDE NOT TO RESPOND WHEN SOMEONE IS TALKING!” the taller skeleton pressed.

“Listen, monster, she can't talk,” they heard someone say. Papyrus looked to see one of the security guards shaking their head. “From what I heard she stopped talking fifteen years ago; can't even do sign language. She's too stupid.”

Sans watched as the female's eyes narrowed every so slightly. 'no, she ain't stupid,' he thought with a grin. 'she's waitin' for an opportunity. her fight ta get back in the cell is proof of that.'

“OH, WELL MAYBE SHE JUST NEEDS SOMEONE TO TALK TO!” Papyrus encouraged.

“The last time she talked was with the other subjects. She didn't even talk to the other monsters that were here before you,” the guard said with a roll of their eyes.

“SUBJECTS?” the skeleton asked.

“That I can't tell you: it's classified information,” the human said; he was making no other move to answer any questions.

Sans didn't like this guard he decided, or any of the humans that he had come across so far. They left a bad taste in his mouth at the mention of monsters being in here previously. Where were they now? He pulled at his eye socket as his eyelight landed on the familiar sight of dust in the cell right next to theirs, but he was wondering where the rest of it was since it was only a minimal amount. Chains moving around brought his attention back to the human who was once again pacing their cell. Her appearance was definitely wild looking; her black hair was long, matted, and stuck out. It wasn't parted and it hung where it felt like, even occasionally falling in her face. Her clothing was torn in many different places, and Sans assumed it was because of her turning into a wolf; he was surprised her clothes didn't rip entirely from the transformation. The guard had mentioned subjects, so did that mean that she was an experiment? Were their others? If there were, where were they? “Brother, I Do Not Think We'll Make It Out Of Here...” Papyrus said solemnly.

The female paused in her steps as she looked at the brothers; she felt pity that they were dragged into her slice of hell. The guards began filing out, and the young woman approached her bars, just as she noticed the red blinking lights of the camera were off; there was a faulty wiring, and it was shift change. “They are always watching and listening” she signed; Sans was still watching her, and he noticed. Sub102 felt compelled to talk to them since they were like her: they also were prisoners. They were trapped by the humans in this building, and the wolf wanted to take advantage of not being alone.

He grinned; he understood sign language because Frisk had also been mute. “if they are, why are ya signin' now?” he asked.

Papyrus looked at his brother before looking at the human; he hadn't realized she was chatting. “The cameras aren't recording; the light went out. It's shift change, so there will be new guards. I can answer questions only briefly,” she answered.

“where are the others? the 'subjects' and monsters?” Sans asked; he wanted to confirm his suspicions.

“They are dead; I am the only one left alive. They burned the human bodies to hide the evidence. I'll answer more questions later, they are coming,” she once again signed.

Sans watched as she once again moved into the shadows, though her eyes seemed perfectly cable of seeing in the dark; her eyes snapped to the guards that now entered, and she scowled when a young man in a brown jacket approached her cell with two guards as back up. “Hello, Sub102. Ready for another lesson?” the man asked.

Sub102 glared at him before she turned around and sat on the ground; she never made things easy, and she was proud when she got this stubborn. “I don't want to force you to face me again, but if I have to I'll have them shorten your chains so you have to face me,” he sighed.

She stubbornly turned around with an eye roll; the man smiled before laying out different paper. “Can you sign the ABCs yet?” he asked.

Sub102 only stared at the man as he waited. She didn't want any of them know that she did in fact know how to sign; she'd be damned if they used that to poke and prod her further than what they already did. The gash that now ran along her thigh was proof enough of that. “You can't tell me you still haven't learned any of it?” he asked exasperated. “I have been your teacher for years and I have gone over it all; is there something you're not getting? Can you at least write where you're lost at?”

The female continued to stare him down, her hair falling more in her face; it honestly gave her a creepy look the longer she didn't blink. She glanced up briefly, and a small frown tugged at the corner of her lips when she noticed the red light come back on; they were working again. Sans noticed and followed her gaze; he saw the camera, and he immediately set to work to find the others. He had been right though: she was planning something. But to hear she was here at least fifteen years? It had him wonder just what the hell happened down here. More importantly: how come she hadn't broken out yet?

A sigh broke the skeleton from his thoughts as the man stood up and made his way out of the cell. “We'll try again tomorrow,” the teacher said as the cage was locked once again.

Sub102 shivered as the cold began to set in further; she sighed as she curled into a ball and pulled a thin small blanket over her. She was tired, but she was numb to the pain in her leg since it was minor compared to the other forms of torment they would cause. Her bones breaking as she shifted shape was the worst, but unfortunately that was permanent; no matter how much she wished it would go away, it was there to stay. Sleep claimed the three prisoners; they all knew how important it was to stay strong.

Sans woke to the sound of chains moving; he sat up as his eye darted around wildly. His right hand tugged at his eye socket as he looked at his brother. 'paps is safe...' he thought to himself. But where were they?

He couldn't remember. The answer though sat on the tip of his tongue as he looked at the cell he was standing in. He remembered...a wolf.. no, a human? Something about sign language... food. The final thought came to mind as his stomach growled. When was the last time they had food? Were they struggling again? His grin turned more manic as he spotted five humans going to the cage across from his. Sub102; he remembered the human as he saw her trying to stay out of reach of the five, but the chains didn't allow much room for that. How did he know that was what they called the human though? Papyrus shifted which caused his head to look at his brother. The younger brother grimaced as he watched the guards tase the human until she surrendered the fight once again. After she was carted away, a different guard with two trays of food approached and slid them under the bars for the brothers to eat. Well, at least they didn't need to worry about food. Sans handed the plate that looked like it had more food to his brother before devouring the contents on his. It wasn't seasoned, but it was at least something. The sounds of a wolf snarling caused the brothers to look at the room where she was taken; Papyrus paused in his meal before looking at Sans. “DO YOU THINK SHE IS ALRIGHT?” he asked.

The older brother could only shrug in response; it was hard to say what was happening when he couldn't even use his magic to feel her soul. It bothered him that he was blind to the souls around him, but he had a feeling he'd be on a warpath if he did in fact see the humans' numbers. That's what his instincts told him at least. “What Will Happen To Us? The Other Monsters Were Dusted...” Papyrus asked quietly.

That memory came back to Sans, and he ground his teeth as he once again tugged at his eye; he didn't like that he didn't have any answers. “we'll be fine,” he said; but he wasn't so certain. “what do ya remember before we got here?”

Papyrus' face scrunched slightly as he thought; it was all vague for him. “I Remember We Had Found An Abandoned Hunter's Lodge... We Just Finished Patrolling The Surrounding Land... Then There Was A Thick Smoke That Had A Weird Scent...I Only Remember Waking Up Here After That...” he answered.

Sans' grip on his eye socket tightened as he growled; he remembered parts now. He remembered catching the scent of humans just before the smoke hit. Why were there humans in the area? What did they put in the smoke? He didn't remember details. The older brother looked at the human's empty cell; what would happen if the three of them broke out? His manic grin came back as his eyelight shrunk. If it came to it, she would make a couple meals as a wolf. He would need to remember to save her as a road snack. But what if they didn't have an opportunity to escape? He had patience. Years of hunting gave him patience when it was needed; he would wait however long was needed to get out. Papyrus watched his brother as he began muttering 'Sub102' to himself; the younger brother knew that it was his method to try to help him retain new information. It wouldn't always work, but it was at least worth a shot since Sans didn't have anything to write on.

The growling finally ceased from the room where the human was taken, and a few moments later Sub102 was being escorted back to her cage where the guards wasted no time in locking her up. Papyrus winced at her appearance as they locked the cell and left the room of cells. Once the humans cleared, Sub102 collapsed onto the ground; she had gashing wounds that littered her body, and the affects of the tranquilizer were starting to take hold. She got a brief glance at her wounds as they started to heal. She was grateful for her now amazing healing ability, but she internally wept over the means in which she acquired it. 'Be strong. Be patient. We will be free. If the monsters survive, we'll free them, too. They don't deserve the same fate as the others,' the wolf encouraged.

She knew that she and the wolf were one in the same, but if she acknowledged that, what would that make her? She wasn't human anymore, and what's worse, she didn't know where she belonged. She knew the reason she was made, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be free, and the wolf wanted to belong to a pack and run wild. To hunt, to feel the thrill of the chase... Sub102 was more than willing to give up being human all together and to live as a wolf. She didn't trust humanity since all they did was show her cruelty. Her eyes grew heavy as her breathing evened out; the tranquilizers weren't having the same affect on her as they had in the past, and she was wondering if she was building up a resistance against them. They made her groggy, but they no longer knocked her out like they had initially.

Papyrus approached his cage's bars as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes fully opened. “HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” he asked.

Sub102 glanced at the taller skeleton, but she didn't have energy to do anything else; she was hurting from what they had done. They were wanting to test how fast she could heal again. Papyrus frowned as he stared at her eyes; he could see the pain in her eyes along with the haze that seemed to coat them. Sans' eye narrowed as he took in her appearance. These humans were treating their own like shit, so he didn't like the odds of their own survival. He growled to himself as he tried to think of something, but he didn't have enough information. They would need the help of the captive human in order to successfully break out. “Sans, They Are Really Hurt...” Papyrus sighed.

The older brother couldn't bring himself to say anything as he watched her; one thing was certain though, the spark in her eye wasn't gone yet. She hadn't lost hope, not yet at least. She was fighting despite battling against all odds. Part of him admired her for it since it meant she wasn't weak. He watched as she pushed herself up so she was sitting, but his eyes narrowed when he noticed the cuts getting smaller. How was she able to heal herself? “she's healin'” he muttered.

Papyrus looked at Sans questioningly before looking back at the human; his eye's widened when he noticed that in fact she was indeed healing herself. Sans tugged at his empty eye socket as he took in this new information. Humans weren't supposed to have magic, were they? He ground his teeth as he tried to recall the information from when they had arrived in this world. What was he trying to remember? It seemed important... His grip on his eye tightened as a manic look appeared in his eye. Food. They needed food. Were they still starving? Papyrus noticed his brother's look and placed a hand on his shoulder before smiling. Sans looked at his brother questioningly as he removed his hand from his eye. “BROTHER, WE JUST ATE NOT TOO LONG AGO, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GOING HUNGRY,” Papyrus said confidently; he didn't know how long the food would last though.

Sans just nodded as he spotted the empty plates; they did indeed already eat. His red eyelight went back to the caged human who began to eat the now cold food that was left in her cell when she was dragged away. Her gaze went back to the cameras, and her eyes narrowed when she noticed that the light would be on briefly before going out. After the fifth time of random intervals, she wasn't sure what it meant since it has never happened before. She looked at the two skeletons and studied them further. She noted the giant hole in the shorter one's head, and it made her wonder what could have happened and if the humans here were responsible for it. She would ask them later. A door opened in the distance and a frustrated sigh came from someone in that room. “It looks like this fall is going to be a rough one... On top of that, the wiring needs repaired in this goddamn building. Have you seriously not been able to find someone competent enough? Do you know what could happen if the power goes out?” the man growled in irritation.

Sub102 stood up as she got closer to the bars; this was all crucial information that she was needing to hear. “Competence is irrelevant; do you not realize that if we did in fact manage to get an electrician out here that they would need to inspect the entire building? What do you think would happen if they found what we were doing? It'll be easier to have one of our own learn how to,” the voice of the head scientist said. “Having an outsider sign a contract won't mean anything. Everyone here, however, is in too deep to back out now. With society being more accepting of monsters, how do you think they'd feel knowing about our experiments? The odds of finding an electrician that will support what we are trying to do is almost in the one percent category.”

“Up the day of the experiment then. We need to have power in order to be sure it has a high chance of succeeding. Once that is done, break her. She needs to be loyal to us, and it needs to happen before anything goes wrong. She needs to get rid of that 'alpha' mentality,” the other man spat before slamming the door.

Sub102 looked at the skeletons just as the guards started to file out of the room; it was shift change, and the light was off again. “What year is it?” she signed quickly as she watched and listened the surrounding area.

“It's 2019,” Papyrus answered. “Why?”

“I didn't know. I lost track of the years. That makes it 17 years since I was brought here,” she answered as she paced; the sound of chains was heard. “I don't know what they will do, but I will get us out. This is new and hasn't happened before so it may be time to get out. If you do not trust me, you can kill me after we are out.”

“Nonsense, You Are Our Friend!” the younger brother yelled quietly.

Sans looked at his brother, his grin more strained; he had been hoping that his brother wouldn't get attached, but she was showing nothing but kindness to complete strangers. “how do ya know we'll be able ta get out?” Sans pressed.

“Because I intend to get out by any means necessary as soon as an opportunity presents itself. I want to see the moon and stars again,” she signed; she went back to the shadows when guards began to file back into the room.

Silence fell over the room again as Sub102 watched; her eyes zoomed in on one face she didn't recognize. He was new. Why was he here? Her mismatched eyes zoomed in on his patch that had his last name: Cooper. There was only one other Cooper, and he was an older man. Were they related? She scowled at the thought; that man was polluting his son into a life of racism. Corruption at its finest, and it made her sick. She growled to herself as she went back to pacing her cell. 'These humans make me sick...' she thought to herself.

'Being new he won't know the ropes too well; he will be the weakest link and the easiest to take out,' the wolf reasoned. 'He will make easy prey.'

'When the opportunity presents itself...' she started before the wolf joined in on the thought, 'he will be our way out.'

The wolf didn't see them as humans, but as obstacles; it took away any guilt about potentially hurting or killing them to get to freedom. Sub102 thought a out what that human had said, and it made her frown; they wanted her obedience. It sure as hell wasn't going to happen, and she'd be damned if they forced her into submission. She had been fighting back since they fused her soul with that of the wolf years ago, and she refused to give in to those pests who were beneath her. She continued her pacing as fur began to show along her limbs as her growling became more animalistic; she wasn't happy with the turn of events, and she was growing impatient. A door opened to the outside which brought down the scent of rain; it was making the electricity flicker as the storm started to rage. Yes, they would indeed be out soon; her previous patience was finally going to pay off. 'A little longer, continue to be patient. Wait, watch your target, be prepared to strike, and survive,' the wolf hummed.

She knew she needed to obey the wolf; she had yet to lead the human astray. She needed to follow her instincts and be the patient hunter she was. Sub102 froze when she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching her cage; this wasn't the usual time for that amount of footsteps to approach. She tensed up as the familiar five unlocked her cage and made their way to her person. She bared her teeth in warning as more fur began to take form on her body; she didn't want to be taken back to that room for a second time when she was still healing. “You need to learn; when you obey you won't get shocked,” the scientist said.

Sub102 sneered at the man, but she faltered when something caught her attention: the magic she did posses wasn't being sapped as bad by her restraints which allowed her wounds to be mostly healed; this was an interesting development. Did the power flickering have something to do with that? If so, she needed to be sure she was reserving as much as possible. She watched as the guards approached, the familiar feeling of being zapped caused her to wince before she was subdued and dragged back into the room with the white light. She tried to fight back as they strapped her to a table and moved a weird machine over her chest; this was something new that they hadn't done before, and she didn't like it. “Soul Removal on Sub102: test one,” the scientist murmured before turning the machine on.

Both Sans' and Papyrus' head snapped to the white door as a scream ripped through the silent building. It was a female scream, and it was extremely unnerving to think that the mute human had been put into for her to make a sound, especially one that loud. Sub102 bared her teeth as tears ran down her cheeks; her chest was hurting from the attempt to remove her soul the first time. It felt like a part of her was trying to break from the pain that was overwhelming. She had never been on the verge of passing out from pain before, but this was nearly too much for her to handle. She wanted to turn into the wolf, but something was keeping her from doing so and it made her feel alone. “After adjusting the magic usage, starting Soul Removal: test two,” the man said as he once again flipped the switch.

A hum from the machine started before the sharp, burning pain flooded Sub102's chest once again. She grit her teeth before she screamed again, but the pain didn't stop as they left it on. It felt as if her chest was about to collapse on her from the agony the test put on her. She panted as the machine was once again turned off; she didn't want this to continue, but when the scientist said 'test 3', she knew they wouldn't until they got what they were looking for, and that frightened her. Eventually, she did pass out from the pain, and she was brought back to her cell.

Sans and Papyrus frowned as they chained up her unconscious body before leaving the cell. They had been listening until the screaming stopped, but the feeling of magic residue hung in the air and there was something about the magic that made the brothers shudder. It didn't feel natural. Papyrus felt bad for the caged human; she had looked paler than she had when they brought her back. What did they do to her to make her scream? They didn't have a good feeling about what was going to happen.

Chapter Text

“Soul Removal: test eighty-six,” the scientist sighed as he once again flicked the switch.

Sub102 gasped as she grit her teeth; the pain had gotten to the point where she couldn't make a sound. Hell, she had a hard time breathing as her vision blurred; she could only hear her rapid heartbeat that thumped in her ears. She clenched her fists tighter than before as the pain flooded her entire body; she felt something leave, and the pain subsided slightly. When her vision cleared, she saw a heart shaped object floating in front of her. cyan and green were swirled together, but it looked like there were spots of yellow poking through along with purple? It was hard to tell since the spots were so small. They were like little pinpricks. She would have thought that whatever it was was pretty, but drowning out the pain was taking priority. Sub102 glared heatedly at the scientists who clapped and cheered at each other, obviously happy with whatever the result was; this was not good news.

Sans was pacing his cell as he and Papyrus kept a watch on the door with the white lights; their fellow prisoner had been gone for hours, and the screaming subsided an hour ago. The older brother gripped his eyesocket as he growled lowly; he was getting impatient with waiting. “SANS!” Papyrus said as something caught his attention; the sound of cheering and clapping was heard which didn't bode well.

The shorter skeleton looked at the door, and his eyelight went out when he saw a faint glow of cyan and green. Sans ground his teeth as his growling got louder; this was not good at all. The humans somehow managed to pull out a soul without having magic abilities. Was there someone who had magic? No, it wouldn't explain her screams. If it was a monster pulling out her soul, it wouldn't have been painful, and it would have happened a lot sooner than when it did. The air was thick with unnatural magic, and it was not a good omen. The older brother's eyelight returned as he and his brother watched the room. “how long have we been here?” Sans asked quietly.

“At Least Five Days,” Papyrus answered. “It's Hard To Tell Now Because Of The Inconsistent Experiments...It Was Predictable At First, But That Changed...”

So the humans had been keeping them there for almost a week. Why had they not started to torture them? Why were they brought down to begin with? He needed to get these answers. It didn't make sense – it then clicked. The monster dust. They had used the monster dust to make artificial magic. Sans' eyelight started to shake as he clawed at his empty socket. That would explain why the remainder of the dust was almost non existent in the cell next to theirs, well, and in theirs. The brothers had found traces of dust in the cell they were locked in; Sans was ready to kill the humans after he calmed his brother down. The older brother didn't like the implication to the amount of monsters that were dusted. The humans needed them to dust in case they didn't have enough for magic. Sans snarled as he banged his hands against the bars. He would kill the humans before they touched his brother. Papyrus looked at Sans worriedly, “Brother, What's Wrong?”

“they're gonna eventually try ta dust us... they're gonna use our dust for magic. we need ta get out of here...” Sans replied lowly; he didn't want to risk the guards hearing him.

Tears pricked the corner of Papyrus' eyes as fear gripped his soul; he knew Sans didn't tell him to scare him, but to prepare for what may happen. Deep down he knew that they would try since their prison smelled of death, but he wasn't ready to admit it. “We Will Get Out,” the taller brother muttered.

Sans wanted to believe his brother, but he wasn't sure. Their chance of escaping were dwindling, and if they were experimenting on souls, it spelled nothing but utter disaster. The brothers watched as the soul colors disappeared, and moments later, the five men brought the human back to her cage. She was sweating, panting, and blood could be seen on her palms. The skeletons could tell she was in pain as she laid on the floor; her eyes were pleading for it all to stop. “H-Human, You'll Be Okay!” Papyrus tried to encourage.

Sub102's eyes met his; she was tired, and there was a pounding in her head that almost distracted her from the voice of the tall skeleton. 'Will I..?' she thought. She was starting to get doubts after what they were doing.

'We will survive, and we will break out. The humans will not stand in our way. Whatever they are planning won't get in the way of our escape,' the wolf growled.

Papyrus smiled when he saw the look of determination reappear in the human's eyes; she was going to continue to fight. “You Can Do It!” he cheered.

Sans smiled at his brother, “you're so cool bro.”

Sub102 looked at her hands before bringing one to her mouth slowly. “Thank you,” she signed slowly so she wasn't noticed. Luckily for her, the security camera had been off since the wiring was failing. 'We will get out,' she thought before she fell asleep.

The brothers watched as she slept; her shallow breathing and occasional winces showed just how hurt she was. She had her guard up when she was awake, and it was unnerving to see it down to this degree. Sans sat on the ground in thought; things were not looking good. He didn't know how much hope she had left, but thankfully Papyrus had encouraged her. They needed the human to get out since she was here...how long? Why was it important for her to live? He gripped his eye socket as he once again tried to remember. He ignored the human that approached that held two trays of food; once it was slid under the cage, the human left with an annoyed grumble. Sans handed his brother the tray with more food before the two ate the contents. He noticed a weird flavor, but he pushed it aside in favor of filling his empty stomach. The brothers continued to sit in silence, until Sans started to feel drowsy. He shook his head to fight the felling, and looked to his brother who he saw was nodding off. Sans knew something was wrong since his brother never napped. Papyrus' eyes closed as his head slunk forward. Sans was about to shake his brother, but he fell asleep before he could try to wake his brother. Three guards approached the cage, unchained the brothers, and brought them into the room with the white light. “Restrain them on those two chairs, be sure that you use the bindings that absorb magic. They cannot get out,” the head scientist ordered.

The guards obeyed as they restrained the brothers' ankles and wrists to the chairs before heading back to the cells to grab Sub102. The human female was the first to awake along with Sans. She stared at the brothers in horror when she saw them strapped down. Sans' eye shrunk as he looked at his situation and his brothers; his crazed eyelight met Sub102's and he saw her panic. Something bad was going to happen. Papyrus groaned as he woke. “S-SANS, WHERE ARE WE, WHAT'S GOING ON?!” he asked in panic.

“we'll be okay, paps,” Sans tried to soothe.

Sub102 growled as she struggled against her restraints as a familiar machine was brought out. She snarled as she tugged against the straps holding her arms down. 'come on!' she thought as she squirmed.

“Start with Sub102; we need to extract her soul first,” the head scientist ordered as he grabbed his clipboard. “Once it's extracted, we'll attempt the monsters' souls.”

“now why would ya wanna do that?” Sans growled; his eyelight was shaking in silent fury. Extracting a soul was private business, and he sure as hell wasn't ready to be violated in such a way.

“If it is successful, you will find out,” the human said as he helped get the machine in position before flicking the switch on.

Sub102 ground her teeth as her fists clenched, the pain from the previous day coming back tenfold. Her heartbeat picked up as the air became thick with the feeling of magic. Sans thought he would gag if he even had the organs to; it was disgusting to feel the magic as close as he was. The brothers watched as she stopped breathing, her expression contorted in pain until her soul was forcibly yanked from her body where it floated in the middle of the room. Sub102 panted and winced as sweat and tears ran down her face; she didn't like where this was going, but she couldn't do anything. Sans stared at her soul, and noted the two colors peaking through her two main soul traits. That was unusual, was it because of what they did to her? He ground his teeth as they moved the machine to him next. His eyelight went out as he grit his teeth before his soul was also ripped out; it was hovering not far from where Sub102's was. Sweat rolled off of his skull as he panted. The pain was almost too much and he felt his soul shaking, threatening to break. Sans snarled when they moved the machine to Papyrus who was already breathing hard in panic. Sub102 bit back a sob as she heard him whimper from the pain of his own soul that was ripped out. “Soul Merging: test one,” the lead scientist said.

Sans snarled as he pulled against his restraints; this pest was forcing something on the three of them without consent. He was raping all three of them. The human ignored the angry skeleton as he grabbed Sans' and Sub102's souls and forced them together. The two groaned in pain as their souls marked the other with a soul bond; because there was no consent, it was a painful experience where there would usually feel pleasure from the intimacy. “Phase one of Soul Merging: successful. Phase two...” the scientist said as he released Sans' soul and grabbed Papyrus'.

Sans tried to fight against his restraints despite being drained without his magic as the scientist forced Papyrus' soul on Sub102's; she was now a bonded soul mate to the two brothers without anyone's say. “Test succeeded. Well done team. We'll start testing loyalty in a couple of days,” the head scientist smiled as he nodded at the guards who approached the two restrained skeletons.

The souls returned to their rightful owners before a mask was put over the two skeleton brothers mouth and nose; they struggled, but found themselves knocked back out regardless. Sub102 slumped as she watched the guards take the brothers back to their cage. They wanted to see if they could force submission: that was the whole point of the soul test. She struggled when they grabbed her arms while they removed her restraints; she would turn if she wasn't in so much pain. She was tired, exhausted, and she was barely able to struggle. The past few days have been nothing but pain on her soul, and she could hardly handle much more of it. She struggled how she could despite her not having much more strength until she was chained back in her cell. She sat up and placed a hand on her chest to try to force the pain down. She tried to steady her labored breathing and ignore the nausea. Nope. Sub102 emptied her stomach before whimpering and laying on the cold floor. It felt good on her body after the strain it was put under. She felt her eyes grow heavy, and unable to will herself awake, she gave in to slumber to rest.

Sans awoke with a grumble, and winced as he placed a hand over his sternum; his soul was aching. Why was it hurting though? His left hand went to his eyesocket and tugged. What was he trying to remember? He looked across at Sub102 and felt fury build at seeing her exhausted pale form sleeping next to a pile of her own vomit. But why was he so upset? He didn't recall feeling so upset when she was injured before, so why now? His soul thrummed with worry over the human which only confused him more. Was she important? Then he remembered the events that lead him to his current situation: the soul bonding. He ground his teeth as his eyelight vanished from his socket. These filthy humans had violated all three of them. Oh the things he was wanting to do to them. He didn't want to waste them on food, but he wanted to instill fear, hear them scream, watch them try to run as he chopped them up. He wanted them to suffer. He wanted them to watch as he removed their fingers and toes before moving up the limbs; the pests would bleed out before he reached their innards, but he thought maybe about gutting a few while they were alive just to cause the others to scream in terror. Maybe he would allow one or two to flee so he could track them down for a proper hunt. It would be a waste of potential food, but these parasites weren't worth eating after what they did. He wanted to desecrate their bodies and scatter the pieces so they could never receive a proper burial. Yes, that was the fate all of these bastards. Sans looked at his brother who started to stir; the red eyelight returned, but a new sense of rage filled him when he saw Papyrus wince and put a hand on his chest. “you okay, paps?” Sans asked; he was doing his best to suppress the growl that threatened to escape.

“My Soul Hurts...” Papyrus groaned. “Why Did They Force The Soul Bonding?”

“iunno, but i have a feelin' that it has somethin' ta do with our human over there,” the older brother grumbled. “they want her ta cooperate, best way ta do that is force somethin' that'll make her comply.”

“...We Need To Make Them Believe We Hold No Loyalty To Her Then?” the taller skeleton asked; his eyes narrowed at the condition of their human friend.

“it would be best...” Sans' grip tightened on his socket; he didn't have any loyalty to the female, but now that they were soul bonded, their souls would be damaged further if the bond broke. There was a reason that it was sacred and private among monster kind.

“Is She Even Aware Of What Happened?” Papyrus asked quietly.

“doubt it,” the older brother sighed as he stood up.

The brothers remained quiet as they watched Sub102; her breathing was steady as she slept, but the sweat that rolled off of her forehead was concerning. Sans figured she was still in pain after the days of trying to get her soul extracted. How did he know it was days? How long were they asleep? His stomach growled and he was reminded that they went through an unknown length of time since they were fed. They weren't starving though, were they? No, it wasn't a hunger pain. The skeletons were handed their meal after what seemed to be an hour, but Sans slowly tested it before allowing them to fully eat; he didn't appreciate that their food was tampered with last time. The brothers watched as a guard entered Sub102's cage and kicked at her leg. She tiredly looked at the human who put the plate on the floor instructing her to eat. Despite her exhaustion, she glared at the man as he turned to leave. She winced as she forced herself to sit up and slowly eat. She was hurting. Her heterochromia eyes looked at the brothers, and guilt filled her being. She couldn't protect them from the pain she had been enduring. She didn't know why they needed their souls to merge, but it was a serious situation, it had to be. She remembered the expression of Sans as he tried to get out; he looked absolutely manic as they forced their souls together. She felt violated, but she wasn't sure as to why.

The lights flickered as a loud rumble of thunder sounded, and then the power went out entirely. Sub102 watched as guards raced to the cage entrances and faced the prisoners with their taze sticks ready. Her eyes narrowed as she watched; it was almost pitch black. This was a good thing. She remembered how bad her vision was before her body accepted the wolf DNA, and she knew there was no way they would be able to see her until she was on top of them. The only problem though was how weak she was; now was not the time to break out. She slowly started to eat her food. 'If I try to escape now, one hit from their sticks will put me on the ground. I need to regain my strength, and I'll need to try before they start testing on the three of us,' she thought bitterly.

'Be patient, rest, eat, this will happen again...' the wolf comforted. 'Humans make mistakes. Feign being weak until the time is right. I will heal you with the magic I'm conserving.'

Yes, that is what was needed to be done. She finished the food on her plate before going to the back corner to relieve her bladder; the hole in the ground was her “toilet” that she had shared with nine others before they died. She curled returned to where her “bed” was and went back to sleep; she needed to leave the humans to believe she was starting to lose hope, but she was more determined than ever before, and she'd be damned if they kept her from freedom any longer. The brothers had watched the human, and Sans couldn't help but grin. He had seen the spark in her eyes that came with human determination, and his grin went manic when he felt some of his magic restoring since the power was out. He could tell she was still weak, so he figured she was waiting, but this was good news. They would escape soon. The brothers eyed the human guards that were standing ready at the entrance of their cage; even though they were strong, the amount of humans they had on standby was nothing to sneeze at. Unsettling was a good word for it. Four on each cage, and that didn't include what guards were also stationed throughout the facility. Sans tugged at his eyesocket as he thought further. They had no idea where the exit was to the building. The layout was completely unknown to them, so how exactly were they going to get out without that information. The older brother's eyes locked with one of the guards who immediately flinched. Sans' grin turned manic in glee at the fear that was pooling from the human; oh yes, breaking out was going to be a g o o d t i m e.

Papyrus looked at his brother worriedly; he knew that look on his brother's face, and as much as he didn't like seeing his brother get in that state, he couldn't blame him. They had wronged the three of them in more ways than one. He wanted to try to make more friends, but he had a feeling that these people were not ones that he should put any amount of trust in. This was the cruelty of humanity, and he didn't want to be a part of it. The taller skeleton sat back down as he looked back to the sleeping prisoner across the way. They both needed to talk to her about the bond and whether or not she wanted to keep it; if she chose to, they would need to build trust so the bond would heal. Forced bonds weren't healthy, and if it's not broken in time, it can actually damage the soul unless they actually tried to right the wrong. He didn't hate Sub102, but he didn't know her well enough to actually consider her a bond mate, and that's what bothered him more than anything. Maybe things would start looking up once they escape and they could set the record straight. All three of their souls were too weak to deal with a bond break at the moment, but once they were strong, it was very possible to do so with only small repercussions. They weren't sure how much time passed, but the lights did eventually flicker back on and the guards went back to their usual posts. “this'll be a challenge,” Sans muttered as he tugged at his eye socket.

“What Will?” Papyrus pressed.

“gettin' out. i wonder jus' how much she knows,” the older brother commented as he watched his surroundings; he was being careful enough to talk quietly so the humans couldn't easedrop.

“You Seem More Confident That We Will Escape,” the taller skeleton noted.

“she's determined, i saw it in her eyes,” Sans grinned.

Sans grumbled as he looked over his notes; he did all the calculations correctly, and he had the exact spot pulled up where he found it, so why was the stupid machine not picking up any readings? It didn't make sense to him. He looked over his notes as he entered the numbers in the machine, but nothing was popping up. Was it possible that the machine had destroyed the universe he was looking for? He didn't like the idea of that. He had written down everything that lead to him finding what he believed to be the anomaly that was causing the resets, and he was following everything to the letter, so why was it coming up empty. “let's jus' take a fuckin' break,” one of the skeletons grumbled as he threw his wrench on the table. He was wearing a red turtle neck; his sweater was hanging on the chair by the desk so he didn't get any machine oil on it. “we've been at dis for hours.”

“yes, red, but we have to make some sort of progress. we've been tryin' to fix this machine for months with nothin' to show,” a taller skeleton wearing an orange hoodie scowled; he was looking at the calculations over Sans' shoulder. He was double checking the math to be sure that it was all indeed correct.

“i'm with red on this,” Sans sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “i need ta go back over my notes.”

“i get that ya wanna go home, stretch, we all do,” another tall skeleton sighed. “m'lord is growin' impatient...”

Finally agreeing to pause for the day, the four skeletons took a shortcut back to their large home on Mount Ebott. They sat on the rather large sofa where a comfortable silence overtook the small group. Sans initially was uncomfortable opening up his home to other versions of himself and his brother, especially since four did indeed have a high LV and EXP, but he knew it would be beneficial to have an extra set of hands to fix the machine after it blew up in the underground once they located another anomaly reading. After that, he decided it wasn't smart to go looking for the damn thing since it was what caused the other universe versions to come to his timeline. It was rather peculiar. There was another factor that was puzzling, however: did another version of himself and Papyrus come through? With every anomaly reading, it brought with it a set of brothers and other inhabitants from the different universes. He grinned when he remembered the Undyne who was a scientist. It was rather amusing to see a shy version of the fish monster. But with that thought came other questions. Why were there so many monsters disappearing? The reported number was getting higher, and because of the numbers they had to reenlist the Royal Guard since no one was sure why it was happening. Then there were the feral monsters that were needing to be contained in the underground; they were crazy from starvation to the point they were dusting each other to try to get the magic from the souls to try to survive. Sans was uncomfortable to learn about that Undyne. She was manic, and they had to have her dusted since she was threatening to kill every version of Asgore and Toriel so she could have complete control of power. Then there was hearing about what she did to her universe's Sans... it made him shutter. Where was their Sans and Papyrus though? “SANS! THIS IS NO TIME FOR A NAP, YOU LAZY BONES?!” Papyrus shouted as he made his way to the kitchen; he was usually the one who volunteered to cook meals for the household.

“sorry, bro, i just did a ton of stuff today,” Sans grinned. “a skele-ton.”

“NO, I AM NOT IN THE MOOD FOR PUNS!” snarled a Papyrus that was wearing mostly black with red accents; the group had agreed to call him Edge to prevent any confusion.

“rough day today?” Red asked with a raised eyeridge.

“ROUGH DOESN'T EVEN CUT IT! THERE WAS A GROUP OF PEOPLE SURROUNDING THE HOUSE CONTAINING THE QUEENS AND KINGS CHANTING FOR US TO GO BACK UNDER THE MOUNTAIN! WE HAD TO PREVENT A RIOT FROM BREAKING OUT!” snapped a short skeleton; he straightened his black and purple shirt with a scowl. Blackberry always held himself in a way that screamed 'respect me' despite his short height.

“WE DID MEET SOME KINDER HUMANS THOUGH!” the other short skeleton beamed; Blueberry always tried to see the positive despite the negative situation.

“THE WHOLE RACE IS A DISGRACE!” Blackberry sneered. “WE SHOULD JUST EXTERMINATE THE ENTIRE SPECIES!”

“they ain't all that bad,” Sans interjected. “they aren't to be trusted, but we shouldn't judge the entire race based on what others do.”

“I AGREE!” Blueberry smiled.

Edge was about to throw his two sense in when a sharp, intense pain flooded their souls. The eight of them gripped their shirts as they ground their teeth. It lasted briefly before a dull ache settled in; Papyrus returned from the kitchen and looked at the others in confusion. “BROTHER, DID YOU FEEL THAT?” he asked; he was concerned.

Sans could only nod before he used his magic to remove his own soul; his eyes went wide when he saw what he did. Everyone in the room quickly followed suit and pulled out their souls. Sans took note of the purple, cyan, green, and yellow vine pattern that delicately wrapped each of the exposed souls. “MUTT, EXPLAIN!” Blackberry commanded; he was having a hard time keeping the borderline fear that was creeping in.

“well, it would appear that we all have the same soulmate, m'lord,” the skeleton wearing a purple turtle neck commented. “it wouldn't explain why it hurt though..”

“the only way it woulda hurt was if it was forced,” Red grumbled.

“but why is there four colors? even if it was human, most don't have more than two,” Stretch added.

“I WILL NOT BE SOULBOUND TO A FILTHY HUMAN!!” Edge snarled before returning his soul back into place. “WE WILL NEED TO FIND IT AND BREAK THE BOND!”

“that's not the only problem though,” Sans started. “who bonded with the human, and why is it that we are all involved? all of us are here, so that means there is another version of ourselves out there.”

The room went quiet as that information sunk in. “DO YOU THINK THEY ARE THE ONES FROM WHERE THE FERALS CAME FROM..?” Blueberry asked nervously.

“THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION...” Blackberry grumbled. “BUT THEN THAT BEGS THE QUESTION: WHERE ARE THE OTHER VERSIONS?”

“WE'LL NEED TO LOOK INTO THEIR POSSIBLE WHEREABOUTS TOMORROW AND RELAY THIS INFORMATION TO UNDYNE,” Edge said as he marched to the kitchen.

Silence fell over the group as everyone took in this information. Red, Stretch, and Mutt left the couch as they stepped outside to smoke. “this isn't good news..” Stretch muttered.

“no shit,” Red growled. “we all were basic'ly jus' raped.”

Mutt took a drag from his dog treat, “it wasn't the humans fault. think 'bout it. humans don't have magic, which means that it was a monster that forced the bondin'. by that logic, it was those alternates that forced themselves on the human...”

“ain't no way!” Red glared as he took another hit form his cigarette. “every one of us 've had some type of standard; unless you fucks are sick 'nough ta tell me ya'd be willin' ta force a soul bond.”

“that is true, but what else could it be?” Stretch wondered.

“iunno, but i don't like it,” Red grumbled.

The three finished smoking before heading back inside; they had a lot of questions that they needed answers to, but until they found the other versions of themselves, they were in the dark about the information. Sans had come to the same conclusion as the others about the human not being able to be the one to force the soul bond, so it made in uncomfortable to think that is was possible that someone from a different universe would force something like that.

Chapter Text

Papyrus was growing worried. It had been four days since the soul bonding, and Sub102 was hardly moving; the scientist even had upped the amount of food in case she was weak due to not having enough nutrients. She'd eat it all, but she'd empty the contents of her stomach once a day. Was she ill? It was hard to tell since he was in a separate cage and he didn't have the ability to check on her. Her eyes remained shut while her breathing was shallow and weak, and it didn't help that she only moved slowly to relieve herself. Did the soul bonding hurt her that badly, or was there another reason she was behaving as such? The tall skeleton had noticed that the power outages were happening more frequently as storms rolled in, so why had she not tried breaking out? “Do You Think She Is Okay?” he asked his brother quietly.

“hard to say,” Sans muttered as he gripped his eyesocket.

He had also been watching her the last couple of days, and he was getting aggravated that she had yet to make her move to escape. Was she really weak and had been acting being stubborn? He ground his teeth; no, that didn't feel right. She truly seemed ready to break out, so what was the deal? Sans watched as the power once again went out. The guards moved to stand at the doors of the cages, but they looked to be more relaxed than the previous times; they weren't expecting their prisoners to do anything. Sub102 began coughing before the sound of her emptying her stomach filled the silence; one of the guards opened her cage and placed a hand on her cheek to check her temperature. “Shouldn't we take her to David?” he asked; he was the youngest of the guards, and he was the new one at that.

“Zachary, get out of the cage! You can't trust that thing!” another guard barked.

The guard known as Zachary ignored his fellow worker as he began unlocking her chains, “I'm taking her to the lab; she has been ill and she needs help.”

'Sorry, kid, but I want my freedom and I'll do anything to get it,' Sub102 thought as she felt the last of the chains leave her body; she wasted no time in shifting into her wolf form where she promptly jumped at the guards blocking her way.

Adrenaline flooded Sub102 the black wolf's jaws snapped shut on the torso of two guards; being the size of a horse meant her jaws could take out more than one opponent at a time. Their screams were cut short as the pressure on their bones caused them to snap, her teeth puncturing their flesh easily. Their blood pooled out of her maw as the lower half of their bodies separated from the torsos that were still in the mouth of the wolf. Zachary stared in horror as the organs from the two victims hit the ground with a sickening 'splat' before the wolf threw the torsos away from her. The guard that was left at her gate screamed as he prodded her with his tazer, but with a snarl, she turned towards the the guard and clamped her mouth shut on a guard's head; it easily separated from the man's spine. Sub102 opened her jaws once again, the head rolling onto the floor, and latched onto a guard's arm that charged at her; she violently shook her head as the man screamed. His arm was ripped from his body before she also latched onto his head and snapped it. Sub102 knew that she should have felt nauseous from the blood running down her chin, but she supposed that the wolf to thank for the lack of emotion in killing her captors. The three remaining guards yelled and charged forward in their desire for revenge for their friends she just killed. She slammed her body into two of the guards before targeting the one she had separated. Her mouth clamped around the man's mid section as he raised his hands in surrender; he gagged as she crushed his ribs and allowed him to fall to the ground before picking up the last two in her jaws and killed them like the first two. Zachary emptied his stomach at the sight of his father and friends, but he was too scared to move. The scent of piss, blood, and shit hung in the air from the men evacuating their bowls as life was taken from them. The black beast's eyes locked with the terrified young man before she turned towards the cage the skeletons were in. Channeling her magic, she sprinted in the short distance and slammed her body into the cage door; the metal door collapsed under the intensity of her hit, but it came at the cost of her cracking a few bones. Sub102 merely winced briefly, her magic would allow for them to be healed momentarily, before grabbing a corpse with a set of keys, entering the cage, and dropping the body in front of the brothers as an alarm started blaring through the compound. Sans grinned maniacally as he grabbed the key to unlock him and his brother from the chains. “and here i thought you weren't gonna do anythin',” he chuckled darkly.

Sub102 merely huffed before lowering herself and looking at her back; they needed to find a way out before other guards came in. The brothers got the hint as they cautiously got on the wolf's back. “YOU REALLY WERE OKAY THIS WHOLE TIME? I WAS WORRIED!” Papyrus commented as he held onto the thick fur coat; he was actively trying to avoid looking at the dead bodies that littered the floor.

The wolf looked over her shoulders at them before smiling apologetically; she would make it up to them once they were in the clear. Wasting no more time, she carefully got out of the cage before running towards the scent of rain. She was close to tasting freedom. As the wolf charged up the first flight of stares, she was met by three guards who were standing ready with their tazers. She could smell the fear of the humans as she continued to charge forward. Sans grin widened as he summoned his axe with his magic; the scent of their panic enticing him to join in on the fun. The wolf snarled as she snapped her maw on his torso; she tasted the blood as his arms detached at the elbows where her teeth sunk while his lower body from the hips down fell to the floor from how she chomped down. The skeleton gleefully swung his weapon at the neck of the human on her left, and he tugged at his eyesocket at the sound of his axe connecting with the flesh as the human's head fell from his shoulders. Sub102 let the body fall from her jaws before biting off the head of the last guard and pressed onward; a set of doors were closed at the end of the stair case, but red magic surrounded the doors and opened them so they could continue onward. An armed guard stared at the wolf in shock as they tried to quickly fumble for their gun, but all he could do was scream in fear as she closed the distance and bit his upper torso in half at an angle; his blood fell to the carpeted floor below. Seeing computers, she through the torso towards them in hopes that the blood would ruin something important. A woman's scream of terror was heard, but she ignored her as she ran on. “Fuck! Someone stop her! Don't use lethals, fucking tranq her or something!!” she heard the head scientist bark over the intercom; he was desperate to try to regain control of the situation so his experiment wouldn't escape.

It was too late though. She darted up another flight of stairs and went through a couple more doorways as thunder shook the building. The scent of rain was stronger than ever, and her eyes locked on a door that was different than the others. There. Sans opened the set of doors, and the three of them felt relief at the sight of the horizontal rain hitting the earth as wind bent the surrounding trees. With hope, she darted into the storm and jumped over the flight of stairs that lead to the entrance. Determination filled Sub102 as she inhaled the new scents that surrounded her as heavy rain pounded on her back; it was time to put distance between her and her captors, so she took off into a sprint to leave behind the blaring alarm and the chaos they had caused.. “BROTHER, WE'RE FREE!” Papyrus exclaimed; the wolf couldn't help but smile at the sound of his joy despite the weather almost drowning out the sound of his voice.

“yeah, but it looks like we're caught in a storm. guess we're all washed up,” Sans grinned.

Papyrus could only smile; he didn't care too much about the pun at this point in time. They were free once again, and they had their human friend to thank for that. “HUMAN, WHERE ARE WE HEADING?” the younger brother asked.

Sub102 slowed to a trot as she looked around her; that was a good question. She could faintly hear the sound of vehicles in the distance over the sound of the rain and wind, and she immediately knew she wanted to be as far from humanity as possible. She saw a mountain before taking off in a run again. She decided that they would head to the other side of the mighty elevation; it would offer her distance from the humans, and it would give her peace in her chaotic life. It may also offer her a hunting spot so the wolf would be truly content. Yes, that would be ideal. The brothers took note of the mountain before them. “MOUNT EBOTT? NOT WANTING TO LIVE AMONG HUMANS?” Papyrus asked in confusion; he and his brother were tightly gripping the fur on her back to be sure that the wind wouldn't knock them off.

The wolf shook her head as she continued to run. Despite the wind pushing against her along with the heavy rain, she was thrilled. She took notice of the ocean off in the distance as the waves aggressively crashed against the shore; it seemed to be a hurricane that was currently making landfall; the storm was the reason for their escape, and she could only thank mother nature for intervening. She wasn't sure how long she was sprinting, but her lungs began to ache as she panted. She slowed down to walk despite her coat now completely soaked, the blood of the humans being washed off and she was growing exhausted as the adrenaline wore off. They needed to find food, water, and a shelter before too long. Sub102 scanned the horizon as she smelled, but the rain was pushing away the scent molecules which made it a challenge; she would have to rely on her sight instead her nose. Sans wasn't too happy that he was soaked, and he was trying not to grumble in his irritation. “we need ta find shelter,” he growled.

Sub102 nodded as she continued to walk and scan; her tongue was hanging out of her mouth as she heavily panted. Marching on, she only paused when she needed to get a good look at the surrounding trees as they moved up the hill. They were getting closer to the base of the mountain, and hopefully by tomorrow they would actually be there. The wolf huffed in frustration at the lack of river, but after walking another twenty minutes, she spotted a pond. She started running before coming to a stop at the edge of the water before greedily lapping up the liquid. 'This would make a good ambush spot,' the wolf thought as she finally got her fill. With her breathing under control, she scoped out the surrounding area and spotted a cluster of fallen trees. 'Perfect, a hovel. It will give us shelter until the storm passes while allowing us to watch for prey.'

The wolf trotted to the treed and smiled when she noticed the hole that was under; it was big enough for her and the skeletons. Crouching, she looked back at the brothers as she silently told them that this was where they would stay. The brothers got off but looked at her in slight confusion. The sound of bones breaking quickly was heard as Sub102 shifted back into her human form; her clothing was now completely torn which left her completely nude in front of the brothers. It was then that she really got an idea of how tall they were. Sans was standing at around six foot, maybe taller, while Papyrus was at least seven. With her being five foot six, she thought she should have felt intimidated, but she was hardly phased. “We can use the trees as a shelter, and with the pond in sight there is a chance that deer may use it. That will give us a source of food if we're lucky since my sense of smell is useless in the rain,” she signed; she ignored the blushes that were prominent on the skeletons' faces. “I'll let you two get in the shelter while I watch for food; there is a slight chance that the deer haven't come down for a drink yet, but with the storm our odds of getting meat aren't in our favor. I'll see if there may be berry bushes if we can't get an actual meal.”

“how do we know ya won't abandon us?” Sans asked; he didn't fully trust her despite his instincts telling him to.

“I won't,” she replied. “What are your names?”

“I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS!” Papyrus answered enthusiastically.

“It is nice to finally know you. My real name is Jasmine; the scientist tried to strip me of all humanity, and that included them giving me a number instead of using my name,” she signed with a small smile. The sound of thunder rolled through the forest, and Jasmine shivered as the wind continued to whip around them. “Get in the shelter, I'll keep watch. I won't fit in there in my wolf form, so I'll be outside. I'll stay warm as a wolf.”

The young woman wasted no time in turning back into the wolf before laying down by the fallen trees; she was sure that the bushes in front would hide her from prying eyes while she still could see between the leaves. “not one for long conversations, are ya?” Sans asked as the two brothers sunk down in the hole; they were still close enough to keep an eye on the wolf in case she tried anything.

Jasmine just looked at them before returning her gaze to the pond. She didn't know if she was one for conversation or not. She just needed wanted to know the names of her companions while they survived, and it didn't help she had no idea how to properly hold a conversation; she had her captors to thank for that. The rain eased from the downpour that it was with the high winds allowing some more visibility to return. The wolf watched and listened as time went on; she heard the brothers whispering, but the noise was drowning out most of what they were saying. She didn't mind since she was enjoying nature for the first time in a while. She wasn't sure what they would do once they were at their destination, but she would at the very least make sure they stayed safe until that point in time. She listened as the rain rolled off the leaves and hit the forest floor below; despite the weather, it wasn't completely dark which would conclude that it was during the day. Jasmine looked up at the canopy before looking at the pond; she couldn't tell the time of day, but she knew they would be in the same spot for a while. If night was approaching, they would remain here until morning, but if the storm passed and there was still light she was wanting to go further. As the rain continued to let up until it was a drizzle, the black wolf yawned; she knew it had been hours since they stopped, and there had yet to be any sign of prey going to the watering hole. 'Be patient, most deer don't like to go out in the downpour. With it being a light rain now, our chances will increase,' the wolf soothed.

Sans glanced at the wolf from where he and his brother were located and gripped his eyesocket. She had been honest with them so far, but he still didn't trust her. He knew that they needed to talk about the soul bonding, and since they burned up a lot of magic during their escape they would need to temporarily stick together. He couldn't risk breaking the bond just yet since his soul wouldn't be able to properly recover until his magic was fully restored, so just leaving wouldn't work. “jasmine, jasmine, jasmine,” he muttered to himself so he could try to remember her name; he didn't care one way or another, but he needed to be sure he didn't accidentally kill her. The consequences of killing a soul mate would be devastating.

“Brother, We Will Be Safe With Her, You Don't Need To Worry,” Papyrus stated; he was also trying to convince himself. After seeing what she did to break them out, it made him wonder. She didn't seem interested in hurting them, and that made him believe that they would be okay. He thought it could go either way, but he wanted to see the good since she did save them as well.

“sure, bro,” Sans grumbled.

Jasmine's instincts told her to wait and to get ready, so she was on high alert. At least another half an hour passed, and a buck came to the pond. The wolf's body tensed as she moved to a crouching position; her ears perked forward as her eyes locked on their target. The only sound she could hear was her pounding heart as she stilled, the thrill of the hunt coming over her. Wait. Watch. The buck cautiously scanned the area before lowering his head for a drink. Now! She felt the power of her muscles as she sprinted towards the deer, her eyes never leaving her target as the startled animal slipped in the mud as it tried to scramble off the water's edge. The wolf was on top of the buck as it started to run, but the carnivore's jaws closed on a leg; she was sure to offer the deer a quick death so it wouldn't suffer. Her wolf instincts were proud of her first successful hunt, and following her instincts, she let out a howl. The sound spread through the forest, but her howl was met with silence; it made her the wolf feel alone. Jasmine grabbed the buck by the neck and began dragging the body back to the hovel (she hadn't gone very far, but the brothers weren't able to see her since she got to the other end of the tree line); she needed to make sure that the others were able to eat. Could skeletons eat raw meat? Guess she would find out. She knew she could since the scientist had tested that out to see if it would affect her. As long as she was a wolf, raw meat wouldn't bother her. When she got back to the area with the pond, she saw the brothers walking towards her direction; it was unnerving to see the ax in his hand as his grinned widened at the sight of the buck in her jaws. “can i axe you a question?” he started before his voice lowered some. “ya gonna share?”

Jasmine dropped the deer before nodding; she felt she could eat the majority of the deer herself, but she would make sure that they got their fill. 'As alpha, we need to eat our fill first,' the wolf growled. She ignored that thought though since she wanted the skeletons' trust. She wasn't sure as to why, but she didn't want them to leave her. “THAT'S A BIG DEER, THERE IS DEFINITELY ENOUGH TO SHARE!” Papyrus said; he was trying to reassure his friend that she would also be able to eat.

Sans grumbled, but he agreed to share the meal that presented itself. Jasmine didn't wait to bite into the animal; her wolf instincts were telling her to eat while it was still fresh. It took a bit to figure out a system, but the three had found a way to work around each other. As a wolf, she went after the organs while the older brother used his ax to separate the meat from the bones. The three were able to eat their fill, and there was still some left over in case they needed to stay in the area longer. The rain had finally stopped much to their relief, and her coat was able to finally start drying. Jasmine used the break in the weather to turn back to her human form so she could wash her body in the pond. Sans stared at her blood covered form and couldn't help but feel fond and hopeful; he had a feeling she wouldn't judge him if she knew what him and his brother used to do before getting there. She would understand. Papyrus blushed furiously and turned away as he saw her nude body sink into the water. Last he checked, humans always wore clothing and were self conscious of their naked forms. Did she just not care? Jasmine dunked under the water and scrubbed the blood off of her face and arms before surfacing to scrub at the mess of hair on her head. She scowled at the knots and matting, but eventually she got it clean enough. She moved from the water and winced as she sunlight peaked through the clouds and trees. Shielding her eyes, she sat under a tree in the shadows where she could allow her eyes to adjust to the light. The brothers joined her on the ground while forming a small circle. “We need to keep moving. I don't know if we're being trailed, but I want to put as much distance as possible between us and them. The further we go on the first day the better. Now that I ate, my magic has fully restored and I have the strength to keep running. Ideally we'll find a river or a stream at the base of the mountain before nightfall; we can find caves hopefully where we can maybe build a fire. I don't know much about survival and I have to rely on the wolf's instincts to hunt. I don't know what the prey in the area will be, but I have a feeling I can hunt bears, deer, or whatever,” she signed.

“guess we can bear with you,” Sans joked. “why are ya insistin' on tavelin' with us though?”

“The wolf doesn't want to be alone, and getting you two away from the humans is what I want to do, if not I fear they will come after and trap you again,” Jasmine answered.

“I AM OKAY WITH TRAVELING WITH YOU, HUMAN! YOU HAVE BEEN KIND TO US DESPITE NOT KNOWING WHO WE ARE OR WHERE WE COME FROM! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE MORE THAN WILLING TO TRAVEL WITH YOU! NYEH HEHE!” Papyrus exclaimed standing up.

Jasmine smiled up at the skeleton as she also stood up; she was feeling rejuvenated from her short break. Sans sighed but also stood up, “fine, then let's go.”

The human nodded before shifting back into the wolf and crouching so the brothers could climb back onto her back. They continued on their journey, and Jasmine was grateful that her eyes were starting to adjust to the sunlight. They were sore, but she was able to see. She trotted along until they finally reached the base of the mountain just as the sun began to set. 'We must have escaped during the early morning,' she thought as she began scanning the surrounding area as she pressed on; the sunlight was not making it easy for her though.

“straight ahead,” Sans grunted; he had noticed that if she raised her head to high up she'd flinch, so he figured she was having a difficult time adjusting to light.

Jasmine nodded as she followed his instructions; she would allow the brothers to be her sight until she got used to being outside again. She continued to listen to Sans, and eventually they stumbled upon a cave just as night began to set. The black wolf crouched to allow the brothers to get off her back before she laid down by the mouth of the cave; she knew she'd be able to hear any potential threat that approached. “HUMAN, SINCE WE'VE STOPPED FOR THE DAY, WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU...” Papyrus started.

Jasmine looked at the skeleton curiously before standing and shifting back to her human form. She wasted no time in sitting back down on the ground. She was grateful that she had a higher body temperature than most humans, but it didn't stop her from shivering slightly as the Autumn wind blew through the cave. Sans noticed before he removed his coat and placed it over her shoulders; he didn't want her to die if it meant limiting their chance at finding food. “ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH SOUL BONDING?” Papyrus asked.

She shook her head, her heterochromia eyes never leaving the brothers. “what that scientist did... he forced our souls together,” Sans growled. “ta sum it up, we are now soul mates. he raped us.”

Jasmine's eyes went wide before she growled lowly. “That's why I felt violated... Why though? Why did it hurt? What happens when we are soul bound?” she signed.

“WE WERE HOPING YOU COULD TELL US WHY HE WOULD DO SUCH AN ACTION,” Papyrus sighed. “IT HURT THOUGH BECAUSE HE FORCED IT UPON US WITHOUT ANY CONSENT. BRINGING A SOUL OUT IS A VERY PRIVATE BUSINESS, AND HE DID SO FORCIBLY WHICH MADE IT A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE. FOR MONSTERS, IT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF MATING FOR LIFE AND USUALLY IS AN ACT OF PLEASURE...”

Jasmine's hands balled into fists as anger flooded her body. She didn't have words for the fury that raged inside of her. “there is a way ta break it, but it'll hurt, and right now our souls couldn't take another hit like that,” Sans added. “we need ta agree on it when we do it.”

“I don't want you to be forced into something with me, so when we recover I can agree upon it. I appreciate your honesty, and I am sorry you had to go through what we did. I am curious, how will we know when our souls are ready to handle it?” she signed.

“we'll need ta remove your soul ta look at it,” Sans replied.

The female immediately glared and placed and hand over her heart; she remembered the pain from when the humans forced her soul out, and she didn't want to experience that again. “IT ISN'T GOING TO HURT THIS TIME,” the taller skeleton quickly stated. “WHEN PROPERLY DONE, YOU HARDLY FEEL ANYTHING. AT MOST YOU JUST FEEL SLIGHT DISCOMFORT, BUT IT WON'T BE A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DEMONSTRATE ON MYSELF?”

Jasmine stared at the two brothers before slowly nodding; she wanted to trust these two, and this was the best way to build it. Papyrus smiled as he used his magic to ease his soul out. The female watched the skeleton's face for any sign of pain, but non showed. She blinked as an orange glow filled the dark cave, and she noticed four colors that delicately wrapped around the rusty orange upside down heart. She couldn't see it, but Papyrus had noticed that his HP was sitting lower than it usually did. “That's your soul?” she asked; she couldn't help but stare at it in wonder.

“YES, AND IT MAKES UP MY ENTIRE BEING. THE OTHER FOUR COLORS ARE FROM YOUR SOUL,” Papyrus explained.

Jasmine scooted closer to it, but kept her hands on her lap. “It's beautiful,” she smiled. She stared a bit longer before looking at the skeleton. “Can I...see mine?” she asked after a moment.

The younger brother was blushing as he eased his soul back into his body before clearing his throat. “ARE YOU SURE, HUMAN?” he asked.

The young woman hesitated before slowly nodding. It was only fair to see her own soul. She closed her eyes and pressed her teeth firmly together to prepare for the pain, but it didn't come. Just like Papyrus had said, she only felt a slight discomfort before a glow filled the cave once again. Opening her eyes, she blinked at her soul that floated. Her head cocked to the side as she noticed that her soul was made up of cyan and green that swirled together, but there was indeed purple and yellow pinpricks that peaked through the two colors. “Why is there four colors?” she wondered as she took in all the details; she also noted that wrapped around her soul were ten additional colors. One of them she recognized as the same shade of orange that came from Papyrus' soul.

“we don't have the answer for that,” Sans answered. “most humans we've have the displeasure of meetin' have had one or two colors. three is rare, but four? nah, it's not normal. But that's not what ya gotta worry about. that scientist royally fucked up....” He growled as he gripped his eye. “force bonding ya somehow gave ya ten soul mates.”

Papyrus frowned as he noticed the different colors; he recognized the dark orange as his and the dark red as his brother's, but why would there be eight others? He knew that he and his brother came into this world suddenly from their own, was it possible there were other versions of them here? He went ahead and check her stats. He blinked in shock with what he saw.

Jasmine
HP 0.3/1
LV 3
EXP 10
ATT 10
DEF 0

She only had one Hope, like his brother. To add to that, her execution points add to the ten humans that she had killed during the breakout. She had never taken a life before today. He smiled at that information. This meant that she didn't have intentions to hurt others unless her hand was forced, and he could understand why she did what she did. Papyrus used his magic to ease her soul back into her chest; he would tell his brother about this information tomorrow, though he had a feeling that Sans had also checked her soul to be sure they could trust her.

Chapter Text

Jasmine wasn't sure when she had finally fallen asleep; the sound of the forest was unnerving since she was used to absolute silence. The wolf had reassured her that this was indeed normal and she had nothing to worry about, but it was still noisy for her. She was grateful to have slept in her wolf form, because when morning came, she was startled awake by Sans coming at her with his axe. She growled as her fur stood on end, her eyes boring into his while he gripped his eyesocket with a manic grin. Papyrus jolted awake at the sound of the axe hitting stone, and he blinked until he realized what was going on. “BROTHER, WE ARE SAFE!” the younger brother shouted.

Sans' pinprick of a red eye expanded slightly in recognition and froze as his grin fell. His grip tightened along his eye as he ground his teeth. Where were they? Why was there a giant wolf? They were safe? What about food? He looked at his brother in confusion. “...safe..?” he asked.

“YES, JASMINE HELPED US ESCAPE! WE ARE ON THE BASE OF MOUNT EBOTT!” Papyrus replied.

That's right, Jasmine.. He had forgotten again. He looked at his axe before dismissing it and turning towards the wolf who was no longer growling, but her eyes were still locked on him. He didn't blame her, he knew he was a loose canon. “sorry,” Sans muttered as he stuck his hands back in his jacket pocket.

Jasmine watched him a bit longer before heading out into the forest; she thought he had attacked her because he was hungry, so she decided to hunt. The rain had remained gone, so the crisp autumn air had allowed the different scents of the forest to waft into her noes. There was a good variety, and the wolf had been able to identify the majority of animals in the area. She was grateful for the instincts that were allowing her to track; she eventually picked up on a promising scent: deer. They had deer yesterday, but she wouldn't complain if it meant not getting attacked again so soon. She followed the trail with her nose hanging closely to the ground. The longer she trotted along, the stronger the scent got, and she knew she was getting close to her target. She slowed down as her ears picked up to listen for any sound of movement that would give her prey away. She crouched as she heard a faint rustling of leaves to her left; her eyes scanned the area as she silently waited. Her muscles were poised and ready for the chase that would soon come. A doe poked its head up as she scanned for any potential danger. It wasn't as big as the buck the wolf took down yesterday, but it would do. The carnivore waited as the doe walked closer, but she paused, becoming alert. Knowing that she probably got a whiff of her scent, the wolf started the chase. The deer took off as Jasmine tried to close the gap; it wasn't long until her teeth sunk into the doe's neck and the wolf had snapped it so it wouldn't suffer via suffocation. Another successful hunt. Jasmine let out a howl before grabbing the doe by the neck to drag it back to the cave; it was a bit slow in her opinion, but she had to stop multiple times to smell where she had come from. When she did get back, she was confused as Papyrus ran up and hugged her; the action had caused her body to stiffen initially from the sudden quick movement. “WE THOUGHT YOU LEFT AND WEREN'T GOING TO RETURN!!” Papyrus said worriedly.

Jasmine dropped the carcass before letting out a soft whine and gently nuzzling the younger brother; she was trying to reassure him that she didn't have intentions of leaving at the moment. “sorry 'bout attackin' you...” Sans grumbled; he was avoiding eye contact as he kicked at a browning leaf.

The black wolf walked over to the shorter skeleton who stiffened and got ready to defend himself if she attacked, but he blinked as she nuzzled the side of his cheek before she returned to the doe she had caught. He took it as he was forgiven, and smiled a bit to himself before following her to food; he was hungry after all, and if she was going to feed them, maybe sticking around wouldn't be a bad idea. It was a little easier to maneuver around each other so they could eat, but by the time they were done, there was nothing left of the carcass other than the bones. Jasmine stood and smelled the surrounding air; she needed water so she could ease her growing thirst. The wolf was able to identify the scent of a stream nearby, and she started to walk towards where the source was. “JASMINE, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Papyrus asked.

The wolf looked back at the skeletons before nodding her head in the direction she was moving to signal them to follow her; she figured that they understood as they trailed behind her. Jasmine would occasional stop so the brothers could keep up since her longer legs meant she could cover ground a lot faster. It was about a five minute stroll, and the sound of water could be heard. The black beast trotted to the stream before lowering her head to drink; the crisp, cold liquid felt good in her dry mouth. “we goin' ta continue to travel today?” Sans asked as he washed the blood from the doe from his hands before drinking some of the water himself; Papyrus joined in on his brother's actions.

Jasmine paused in drinking before nodding and going back to drinking what she could; there wasn't telling when they would come across another body of water, and if the chill in the air was anything to go by, it was probable that they were nearing winter. Snowfall was a very real potential around the mountain if the instincts of the wolf were anything to go by. She may be stuck in her wolf form unless they find a suitable shelter to last the cold temperatures. Jasmine shifted into her human form and set to work washing the blood from her body before turning to the brothers. The skeletons blushed at her nude form, but they didn't look away this time since she only turned to chat. “We can press on, but there isn't a guarantee we will find shelter. Do either of you know how to build a fire?” she asked.

“AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DO KNOW HOW TO! I ALSO AM A VERY GOOD CHEF IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF! I HAVE REFRAINED FROM COOKING THOUGH SINCE WE HAVE BEEN PUSHED ON TIME, AND WITH THE POTENTIAL OF US BEING TAILED I DIDN'T WANT TO ATTRACT ANY ATTENTION FROM OUR CAPTORS!” Papyrus answered.

“paps right; we should avoid startin' a fire unless we don't have another choice. it's not a high chance they'll know where we headed off to, but i ain't riskin' it,” Sans added.

“I can agree with that. Since we'll be sticking together for a few days at the very least, can I make one request?” Jasmine signed.

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus exclaimed. “YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDING US WITH FOOD AND SAFETY SO FAR, ONE SIMPLE REQUEST WON'T BOTHER US AT ALL, RIGHT, SANS?”

“sure,” the older brother shrugged.

“Please do not call me 'human',” she started, “I'm not human anymore. I don't know what I am or where I belong... I know my name is Jasmine, and I am a female, but that is all I know.”

“O-OH.. WELL, I WILL ABIDE BY THOSE GUIDELINES TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES!” Papyrus said after a moment; it was saddening to know that she felt lost in that sense, especially when she seemed so confident.

Jasmine only nodded before the familiar sound of bones breaking filled the silence and the giant wolf once again stood in front of them. She crouched and watched as the brothers crawled onto her back; it was time for them to move away from their current location. With the sun hanging high in the sky, the wolf made sure that the mountainside stood at her left before trotting along. She knew she'd cover ground running, but she wasn't sure how good her stamina was, and if she was trotting then she'd be conserving energy until she absolutely needed to sprint. Jasmine listened to the sounds of the forest as leaves moved under her feet while she padded along; tranquil was the word that came to mind as she looked at the vibrant shades of oranges and reds of some of the trees. Among the trees that were starting to shed their greenery were a few that were already barren; the wind and rain must have taken some of the foliage off. She saw the beauty in nature, and she felt content despite the loneliness that plagued the back of her mind. She was at peace for the first time in a long time. Maybe it was just the wolf that was content with being where she felt she belonged. Jasmine didn't have any answers to that, but most of her stress and worries were no longer clinging to her. Sure, she did have future concerns, but that was for after her and the skeletons parted ways. “I DECIDED I WILL TRY TO COME UP WITH A NICKNAME FOR YOU!” Papyrus declared; his sudden volume caused Jasmine to slightly jump out of her thoughts which caused Sans to grin in amusement.

The wolf looked over her shoulder to glance at the skeleton curiously before turning her attention back to the road before to long so she could keep an eye on her surroundings. She had a few nicknames before from her friends in the orphanage, but that was so long ago in her mind. She wondered how they were and if they were adopted, were their lives happy like they had always dreamed about. She continued to trot along as silence once again fell over the trio; Papyrus ran a hand over the wolf's thick black coat as he thought. He was curious about his new friend, and he was wondering what he should call her; sure, he didn't know her well enough, but she had been nothing but helpful to them. He wanted to show her his appreciation somehow. But there was one thing that troubled him: how come she still didn't talk? Did she not remember how to, or did she still not want to? Her vocal chords obviously worked and were strong, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to howl or make any sound at all. “JASMINE, DO YOU THINK YOU WILL TALK?” Papyrus asked after a moment.

The wolf stilled before crouching down; she wanted to give him an honest answer, but to do that she needed to shift again. She would require another meal since her shifting burned up calories and magic like something fierce. If she did it too many times a day without enough food, her healing process would be slowed and she would risk being unable to move for at least a day along with starvation. She knew she could only turn two more times before needing to eat again, so once they took a break, she would try to hunt once more. The brothers slid off her back while looking at her in confusion; she shifted before turning to face the brothers. She watched the brothers for a short bit as she thought of how to answer. “I don't know if or when I will... I've not talked in years, and after learning sign language for twelve years it's what I know... I stopped talking because I got tired of begging for the pain to stop and wishing to die. I didn't get stubborn until I became what I am now. I figured that if all they wanted was for me to tell them what was hurting, then I wouldn't speak or communicate at all. Do I think I will speak again? I could only hope that I will gain the courage to do so once more,” she finally signed. “Maybe I will once I know where I belong, or maybe I will live my life as a wolf and try to find a pack. Now come, we must keep moving.”

Jasmine turned back into the wolf, but a groan was heard as her healing process was slowed. She crouched to once again allow the brothers to climb onto her back to continue through the woods. The chill never left the air as they pressed on, and the sun would occasionally be blocked by a wondering cloud; yes, the wolf did feel that winter would be setting in soon. She wasn't sure if a source of food would even stick around during the season, so there wasn't a way for her to predict her chances of survival. Sans stared at the back of the wolf's head as he processed what she told them. She was willing to give up her humanity entirely just to find a place to belong. The way she explained it made it seem that she had almost ran out of hope entirely, and if it wasn't for the wolf, she would have died.

It was reaching what seemed to be mid to late afternoon when they stopped by a medium sized lake. The wolf crouched to allow the brothers to get off before she lapped up the water; she would hunt again once she got her fill. The trees that surrounded the lake made it near impossible to see into the dense woods, but the view made up for it. Jasmine took a deep breath to take in the scents of the clean air. She frowned though when she got whiff of a predator, and so she knew she didn't have long to track down a meal. She'd need to leave and come back quickly. If she had another successful hunt, then the carcass would provide a safe exit strategy. She was certain she could handle herself, but she didn't know how strong the skeletons were or what they were capable of. She looked at the brothers before giving Papyrus a nuzzle to his chest before trotting off. She had picked up a scent earlier that seemed to be promising, so she followed the prey's trail. Papyrus and Sans watched the wolf trot off with her head hanging close to the ground. “SHE HUNTING AGAIN?” Papyrus asked as he sat on the ground next to the water.

“seems so. 'm not complainin' though. if she's successful yet again, we won't ever have ta worry 'bout goin' hungry,” Sans shrugged as he sat next to his brother.

“WE SHOULDN'T JUST USE HER THOUGH, ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE'S LOOKING FOR A FAMILY,” Papyrus said. “BESIDES, AFTER ALL THAT SHE'S DONE I WOULDN'T WANT TO ABUSE THAT KINDNESS.”

“we're just stickin' with her until we decide ta part ways, so don't get more attached than what ya already are,” Sans grumbled. “she would only get hurt stayin' with us.”

Papyrus fell silent at his brother's words; he knew that his brother was right since Sans did have amnesia and by morning would forget. Hell, even throughout the day he'd sometimes forget important information He wasn't safe to be around unless he somehow remembered the person, and even then there was no guarantee of safety. Sans yawned before laying down and closing his eyes for a nap; Papyrus usually would scold him for being a sack of lazy bones, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He looked at the sky and smiled to himself; he hadn't had an opportunity to admire the world they were in since they arrived, and here it was particularly peaceful. Back in their world, they had still been underground, and once they did arrive here they were captured the same day shortly after finding the cabin. This was the first true moment of peace that they received, and it made him want to never leave this world despite it not belonging to him. The peace, however, was cut short. Papyrus got the nagging feeling like he was being watched, and he discreetly took in his surroundings; nothing came into view though, and it troubled him. His instincts told him that there was something wrong despite the serene setting. “Sans,” Papyrus said as he quietly shook his brother.

Sans' eyesockets opened as his red eye shrunk to a pinprick as he sat up; he quickly looked around at his surroundings, but he didn't relax. He also felt the sense of danger, and memories of their struggle in the Underground made the older brother tug at his eyesocket while gritting his teeth. The brothers stood up and began scanning the treeline for any sign of a threat, but whatever was there was staying out of sight while they were out in the open. Sans growled as his grip on his eye tightened as he started to see his old home back in Snowdin. Papyrus noticed the intense facial expression of his brother, and turned to focus on him. “Brother, we're not Underground, tell me five things you smell,” the younger brother said placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. That was when a mountain line came running from it's hiding spot.

Jasmine had been tracking the scent that belonged to a wild boar for a good while when she felt an uncomfortable tug at her chest that told her to turn back. She frowned and paused in her steps before looking back in the direction of the lake; as much as she wanted to continue her hunt, her gut was screaming to go back. Another tug in her chest was all the convincing she needed and she was running as fast as she could to get back to the skeletons. She got the sense of danger the closer she got, and her teeth bared as a growl built in her throat; the fur on her shoulders began to rise as her muscles rippled beneath her. When she broke the treeline, she saw a mountain lion darting at the brothers; she snarled as the large cat swiped at the startled younger brother who looked to be comforting Sans. The feline had heard the snarl, and at the sight of the wolf charging, the cat started to turn tail and run; it wasn't fast enough though, and Jasmine's jaws grabbed the cat's back hips. The mountain lion yowled in pain before clawing at the wolf's face and neck while aiming its fangs at her throat. The wolf threw the cat on the ground before aiming to latch onto its neck, but the cat clawed at her muzzle as it fought back, but Jasmine ignored the stinging pain from the claws and clamped down on the cougar's neck; the wolf shook her head violently and succeeded in snapping the feline's neck. Jasmine let the body from her mouth before going over to Papyrus and looking over his body to be sure he wasn't seriously injured. Sans blinked as he seemed to be drawn back into reality at the sound of his brother's voice, but he then saw fresh scratch marks adorning Papyrus' right humerus and he immediately began looking around to see who had dared to hurt his brother. His red eyelight fell on the deceased mountain lion, and he looked to Jasmine who was worriedly looking over the taller skeleton. Sans frowned when he noticed that the wolf's cuts that covered her face weren't healing like they should have been; that must have been why she was needing food. “JASMINE, YOU'RE HURT!” Papyrus exclaimed as he looked over the wolf.

Jasmine huffed as she bumped his injured arm with her noes as if to say 'you are, too'. She watched him for a moment before going to the dead cat and began to eat; if she was to heal, she needed to eat her fill. “pap, you okay?” Sans asked as he looked closer at the scratches; dust was seen leaving the shallow scratches and it made the older brother growl lowly. This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't had an episode.

“I AM FINE, BROTHER!” the taller skeleton said. “YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Sans grunted before glancing over at Jasmine as she ate; she had come to their rescue even though she had no obligation to. She did what he couldn't in that moment and that made him wonder if they could trust her with their safety and just how much she could hold her own. Maybe he was too quick to judge her abilities as a companion. Jasmine listened to her surroundings as she ate; by the time she was finished, there were only a few pieces left. She felt bad that she didn't save any for the skeletons, but she needed to replace her energy that she had burned up earlier. When she went to drink, she could already feel her scratches healing up which gave her some satisfaction; she silently promised to try to bring back something for the brothers once they found a spot to sleep for the night. After she got her fill of water, she turned towards the brothers and crouched; with a dead carcass near them, it would cause unnecessary attention from predators. The skeletons got the hint and got on the wolf's back. Jasmine paid attention to the locale of the mountains before continuing onward. She didn't know just how far she was wanting to get from the scientist, but she did know she wanted to keep moving until she felt safe. By the time she stopped again, they came across another hovel, and Jasmine decided that it would do for the night. She allowed the brothers to get off of her before she went off to hunt, hoping this time she would be able to bring them something to eat. After she left, the brothers sat by the hovel entrance to wait for her return. “'m sorry...” Sans muttered after a moment.

“WHY?” Papyrus asked as he looked at his brother in confusion. “YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG.”

“i should have been the one to protect you from the cougar,” Sans replied as he stared at his hands.

“I DO NOT BLAME YOU; WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT, AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO REMIND MYSELF I'M NOT IN SNOWDIN ANYMORE,” the younger brother started. “WE ARE NOT USED TO THIS WORLD, SO WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. I KNOW WE INTEND TO SPLIT OFF FROM JASMINE, BUT PART OF ME BELIEVES IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR US TO STICK TOGETHER UNTIL WE LEARN ABOUT WHERE WE ARE. IF WE CAN GET SURVIVAL TIPS, I FEEL LIKE WE WON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT POTENTIAL ATTACKS LIKE THAT AGAIN.”

Sans mulled over what his brother had said; his brother did make a good point, but he was still unsure about just how much he trusted her. He blamed the soul bond for the instincts that told him to trust her, but her protecting them was not to be taken lightly. She had no reason to come running to protect them, and yet she did without hesitation. He wondered if part of that was because of the soul bond. He would need to do more research about the affects of the bond before coming to any type of conclusion. The brothers listened to the life of the forest, but looked up as they heard footfalls with what sounded to be something dragging behind whatever was approaching. Sans tensed until he saw Jasmine dragging another buck carcass. His gut was telling him that most carnivores aren't always successful with their hunts, but he figured that her size played a roll with her able to chase down her prey easier than what the average sized wolf was capable of. He watched as she dropped the carcass in front of them before stepping back; she was going to let them eat first since she ate the mountain lion. She nodded at them before turning her back and laying down and looking at the sky. “THANK YOU,” Papyrus said as he approached the deer.

Jasmine grunted in acknowledgment, but her attention didn't leave the stars in the sky. After not seeing the sky in years, she was enjoying the sight of the wild around her. Unable to contain the urge, the wolf lifted her head and let out a howl. She was content and had freedom, but she was also looking for a response. Papyrus looked at her in between cutting the carcass and watched, her deep howl filling the surrounding forest. He listened before grinning and letting out his own howl; he blinked when he felt the bond in his soul strengthen. Jasmine looked at him as his call finished before she stood and raised her head to let out another deep howl. She didn't expect Papyrus to call once again, nor for Sans to join in. She had her pack now, and she would take care of them and prove that she belonged as much as they did.

Chapter Text

“HOW IS IT YOU HAVEN'T FOUND ANY TRACE OF THE HUMAN AND THE OTHER VERSIONS OF OURSELVES?! YOU'RE USELESS!” Edge bellowed as he stormed away from his brother.

Red scoffed and glared at the taller skeleton as he stomped away; he knew better than to try talking to Edge when he got that way. With a grumble, the skeleton made his way to the kitchen before pulling out a mustard bottle and squirting the contents into his mouth. He wasn't the only one not having any luck finding the three; every couple of days his counterparts would rotate to see if they could find them, but each one turned up empty. Hell, all the Papyruses came up just as empty. They had been searching for leads while out on patrol for the Royal Guard, but they were having piss pour luck. It was uncanny that they were that elusive. Mutt looked up from the map he had been writing on and raised an eyeridge at the edgier Sans. “take it ya didn' have any luck?” the purple clad skeleton asked as he turned his attention back to the map; he had been marking where everyone had searched. The city of Ebott had been completely searched along with the area surrounding where the monsters lived and the majority of the surrounding mountain.

“no shit,” Red grumbled. “we've searched everywhere an haven't had any fuckin' luck. there's no trace of magic, an what's worse, we've no idea what they look like.”

Mutt tapped his chin, “maybe we need ta stop lookin' for traces of magic and jus focus on tryin' ta find the soul bond. since we felt the bond, in theory we should be able ta find the human if we follow the tug of the bond. downside ta that would be potentially damagin' all of our souls since it will pull at the bond.”

“it ain't that easy though; we'll need ta be close enough to actually feel the bond. knowin' that, we haven't been anywhere close,” the shorter of the two scoffed. “add that bullshit ta tryin' ta fix the damn machine an we're shit outta luck.”

Stretch entered the kitchen with Sans and sat at the table with an exhausted sigh. Sans wearily looked at Red before his eyes landed on the map; the familiar sight of where everyone had searched laughing back at him. But a thought came to him, and he pulled the map closer. Stretch raised an eyebrow at the skeleton in the blue hoodie before glancing at the map. “wait, do ya think they may be further than we thought?” Stretch asked as he pulled a lollipop from his orange hoodie.

“it's exactly what i'm thinkin',” Sans muttered as he traced his fingers along a river. “we've only explored up ta this point, but what if they're almost on the other side of where we are, or perhaps on the other side all together.”

“that would be a rough spot to be, 'specially since there's a lot of anti-monster protests in that area,” Red growled.

“MUTT! I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!” Blackberry was heard shouting from upstairs.

Mutt sighed before standing up and walking to the stairs, “yes, m'lord.”

Stretch was about to say something when the door of their cabin flew open; Papyrus and Blueberry marched in with a worried look adorning their faces. “BROTHER, WE NEED TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING! WE WERE OUT FOR OUR DAILY RUN WHEN WE CAME ACROSS SOMETHING. IT WAS UNUSUAL, AND I THINK IT'S BEST FOR YOU TO CHECK IT OUT!” Papyrus stated.

“what is it, bro?” Sans asked; he wanted to know what he was about to get himself into and wanted to be sure it would be minimal damage.

“IT LOOKED TO BE A GIANT SET OF PAW PRINTS!” Blueberry added. “NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE FELT A SLIGHT TUG IN OUR SOULS.”

Sans looked at Stretch and Red before looking back at his brother and Blue. “ya absolutely sure ya felt a pull?” Stretch asked; he received nods in response.

“you two can deal with this,” Red grumbled as he stood up; he didn't believe that they actually did since he did just get back, but he wasn't about to start anything while Edge was in a mood. Getting him involved would be bad news. “i've expended enough fuckin' magic while lookin' for the three of them.”

Sans rolled his eyes before standing up, “stretch and i'll go with the two of you in case there's any danger.”

Stretch was more eager to take a nap after their already long day, but if there was in fact giant paw prints, then there was a potential of a fight breaking out. He nodded as he stood up, and all four headed out into the woods to hopefully find at least their mysterious bond mate. “so where did ya find the footprints?” the taller skeleton wearing the orange hoodie asked.

“WE FOUND THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER! WE WERE RACING WHILE SEEING JUST HOW FAR WE COULD RUN WHEN EVENTUALLY WE FELT THE TUG. WE STARTED TO FOLLOW THE FEELING WHEN WE CAME ACROSS A PAIR OF PAW PRINTS!” Blue responded with a huge grin.

“INDEED! SINCE WE ALL WERE LOOKING FOR OUR BONDMATE, WE DECIDED TO REPORT! NOW WE HAVE ANOTHER MYSTERY!” Papyrus exclaimed; his red scarf whipped behind him as the wind blew.

Papyrus and Blue continued to lead the way; when they had gotten to the river, they crossed at a more shallow, calm section before pushing on. That's when they felt the soft pull on their souls. Stretch and Sans glanced at each other as they continued to follow, and sure enough, they were soon standing over a giant wolf's print. Sans' eyes narrowed as he studied the print; he looked at the area and noticed the entire trail that lead deeper into the forest. “it looks like the beast left in a hurry, but that doesn't explain why it is so big,” Stretch muttered.

“it's pawsitively huge,” Sans winked.

The tall skeleton wearing the orange hoodie grinned at the pun while their two other companions groaned in frustration. “BROTHER, THAT IS NOT FUNNY!” Papyrus scolded. “BUT THIS IS WHAT WE SAW WHEN WE DECIDED TO COME BACK!”

“well, guess we follow the trail and see where it leads,” Stretch shrugged; he was uneasy, but he didn't want to act as such since he could see the worry on his brother's face.

“I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE, BROTHER! I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY, AM NOT SCARED!” the short skeleton said as he placed his fists on his hipbones with a grin.

“sure thing, bro,” Stretch smiled.

They followed the trail for about an hour, and it lead to a clearing with a pond; it looked to be a little piece of paradise, but there was no sign of whatever left the footprints. “MAYBE THE WOLF RAN OFF?” Papyrus wondered as he glanced around.

“maybe..” Sans mumbled. There was a distinct feeling of magic in the area and something about it put him on edge.

“well well, look who decided to show up,” a husky voice said. The four skeletons looked to the voice and cringed when they saw the owner of it.

Sans felt uneasy at the taller version of himself; he was almost identical other than the crack on the left side of his skull and the single red eyelight. The Papyrus that fidgeted next to the manic looking Sans stood at seven feet, though it was possible he was even taller due to the hunch in his back; his crooked teeth formed a worried frowned as he looked between his brother and the four skeleton versions of them. The manic Sans gripped his eyesocket as his grin widened which made everyone uneasy. “so, let's chop to it and let me axe you some questions,” the crazed skeleton started. “why ya here?”

“we've been lookin' for ya; we have some questions for ya as well. first, however, we need ta get ya back to our home,” Stretch sad; he had scooted closer to his brother Blue since he had a feeling that these two were unpredictable.

“and why would we wanna do that?” the taller Sans pressed.

“'cause we need ta make sure i can send ya back home to your universe,” the shorter counterpart replied.

The Sans with the hole in his head tugged tighter at his eye and ground his teeth together, “don' wanna go back...”

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH MY BROTHER,” the taller Papyrus commented. “WE ARE HAPPY IN THIS UNIVERSE, AND WE HAVE A NICE COMPANION!”

The shorter Sans grimaced; usually the Papyruses from other worlds had a different way to announce themselves, but his was the exact same as his brothers. That meant that they came from a different timeline that was extremely close to their own with only a few slight differences. What had happened to the two? It was unnerving in his opinion. “who is your companion?” Stretch asked.

“none of yer business,” Sans growled; he was hungry, and the two were waiting for Jasmine to return from the hunt before they carried on. Thanks to their howling a few nights back, their bond was stronger, so he had no intentions of letting anyone try to ruin or break that. His memory may have been shot for the most part, but that bond now kept him from going too berserk on her. Other than trying to kill her the two times, he hadn't swung his axe at her since. He did occasionally find himself thinking of her as food, but he didn't act upon it.

“if it's our soul bond, it actually kind of is,” the Sans from this timeline interjected. “since it was a force bond, we have a right to decide to break or keep it.”

The manic Sans growled and took a step forward, but his brother stopped him. “BROTHER, THEY ARE BEING CIVIL. THEY AREN'T LOOKING TO HURT US,” Papyrus tried to soothe; he didn't know how true his statement was, but he needed to make sure that his brother didn't start attacking.

A long, deep howl was heard somewhere in the forest nearby which caused the four new arrivals to jump and wearily look around their surroundings. “B-BROTHER, DO NOT WORRY! I AM NOT SCARED AND WILL KEEP YOU SAFE!” Blueberry said.

“what's wrong, big bad wolf has ya nervous?” the taller Sans mocked. “you don't need ta worry, unless ya try anythin' she doesn't like.”

“we were followin' a set of wolf tracks when we came across you,” Sans commented. “is that the 'she' you're talkin' about?”

“stick around and you'll find out,” the other counterpart grinned; he never let go of his eyesocket as he studied the four in front of him. He didn't trust them, and it was taking all his being not to attack them outright. His grin only grew at the sound of footfalls and a carcass being dragged before the familiar sight of the giant black wolf came into view.

The four new skeletons blinked in shock as they felt their souls hum in recognition of their soul bond, but it made them nervous that it was wolf the size of a horse. Her shoulders were taller than the seven foot skeleton, so she was definitely not one to be taken lightly. Her ice and honey colored eye locked onto them, and they immediately went defensive as she dropped the buck that was in her maw. The beast growled as she stood between the four of them and the two skeletons; she was fully facing the four with her ears perked forward, her head held high along with her tail, and the fur on her neck began to rise as low growls were heard. “meet our soul bond, jasmine,” Sans grinned as he stepped out from behind the wolf; the beast was currently using a dominant display to dare them to try anything.

Jasmine looked at her companion and cocked her head to the side before turning her attention back to the four skeletons. She immediately noticed the similarities between them and her pack members. Two were almost identical, but they were shorter than her boys and didn't have torn or blood soaked clothing on. The one that was wearing an orange hoodie and tan cargo shorts seemed lazier than her Papyrus, and the shorter skeleton that was almost tucked behind the orange clad skeleton had a blue scarf tied around his neck. The wolf sniffed the air and noticed that they even had their own scents separate to her skeletons. A tense silence held over the seven until Jasmine determined that the newcomers weren't going to attack; deciding to come to a diplomatic solution, she shifted into her human form. The four skeletons cringed at the sudden sound of bones breaking before immediately blushing at the naked human before them. Her heterochromia eyes were almost hidden behind her black wild hair that hung to her waist, and despite her pale complexion, scars could be seen littering her toned body. They were almost too distracted to notice her hands moving. “Why are you here?” she signed.

Blue and Stretch looked at her in confusion; they didn't know sign language since their Frisk spoke. “WHAT DID SHE SAY?” Blueberry asked; he was feeling a bit more confident now that she wasn't a giant wolf. While that was still confusing, he didn't feel like he was in immediate danger.

“she is askin' why we are here,” the shorter Sans answered. “is she deaf?”

Jasmine shook her head, but she had a look of annoyance about her; she was wanting an answer, and she didn't like that it was assumed she was deaf since she didn't talk. “we're here ta bring you three back to our cabin,” Stretch answered.

The female studied the four before looking back at her skeletons. She was uneasy with the implications that she possibly would be trapped again, but she would make sure she protected her pack mates first and foremost. Her eyes went back to the pairs of brothers as she watched them for any signs of deceit. “Why do you want us to go back with you?” she asked.

“for one, we need ta see if we can send everyone back to their homes, and two, you are the bonded soul mate to the six of us and four others that reside back at the cabin. we have a right to decide to break the bond or not,” Sans answered.

Her eyes narrowed before looking at the Sans and Papyrus that stood behind her. “What do you two think?” Jasmine asked.

“WHILE WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK, YOUR BOND WITH THE OTHERS IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD CONFRONT. YOUR BOND MAY BE STRONGER WITH US, BUT THEIRS IS STILL WEAK WHICH CAN HURT YOUR SOUL IF NOT DEALT WITH. REMEMBER WHAT WE TOLD YOU ABOUT FORCE SOUL BONDING?” Papyrus asked.

Jasmine sighed before nodding and turning around to face the strangers once again. “Fine. We'll go back with you, but only if certain conditions are met. One, you will not try to harm us or trap us while in your home. Two, you will allow us to come and go as we please. Three, you are not to call me human and only use my name when speaking to me,” she signed.

“WHAT DID SHE SAY?” Blueberry asked.

Papyrus relayed the information to the two skeletons that didn't understand sign language while Sans seemed to mull over her requests. “those are acceptable conditions. so, ya gonna follow?” he asked.

The taller Sans growled from behind Jasmine as she nodded before shifting back into her wolf form; she wanted to be ready for a fight in case they tried anything. She crouched to allow the two skeletons to get on her back before going back to her kill to drag it along. She absolutely refused to waste a meal. “well, that explains why we didn't see any other form of footprints,” Stretch shrugged as they turned to lead the way; Sans was hanging back to keep a better eye on the wolf that was awkwardly carrying the carcass.

“just so we aren't confused, we'll have ta give you guys a nickname so we don't just hear 'sans' or 'papyrus' all the time,” the shorter skeleton commented; he had checked the three of their stats, and dread immediately set in when he saw them. The skeletons' were the highest of the ten that were in his timeline, and it didn't bode well that their bond mate had LV. He would need to pry when they got back to the house in case a fight broke out.

“why don't we skip the pleasantries,” the Sans riding the wolf growled. “i ain't in the mood.”

The seven continued on in silence, and the tension was continuing to grow the closer they got to the cabin. Jasmine tried to focus on the buck that was in her mouth to keep her anxiety at bay since this was the most social interaction she's had since before her cell mates were carted off. The taste of the blood that pooled in her maw kept her grounded to the current moment in time; if she allowed the anxiety and underlying fear to overwhelm her, she wouldn't have control of her actions. The fur on her neck raised as a low growl of unease left her as the cabin came into sight. The taller Sans reached down and pet her neck. “'s alright,” he muttered.

Jasmine eased slightly at the gesture, but she refused to drop her guard; she was also growing irritated because she needed to eat since she already burned up all her energy for the day. She wouldn't be able to transform until she ate her fill, and that could bother the relations of those they haven't even met yet. By the time they made it to the front of the cabin, four new skeletons were outside and looking in the group's direction; if they were surprised, they didn't show it. Her eyes looked over the skeletons, and was a bit curious as to why they all had some similarities. All of the brothers wore clothing that corresponded with their respective brother; the pair on the left were dressed in red while the ones on the right wore purple. She took note of the gold tooth that sat in a row of sharp teeth on the shorter skeleton in red, and another gold tooth on the taller skeleton wearing purple. She shoved that aside though when she felt the tension rise again. A low growl sounded from her as she placed the carcass on the ground before straightening back up; like before, she was in her dominance display. She didn't allow for the skeletons to dismount from her back in case she needed to keep them safe. “I SEE YOU FOUND THE OTHER TWO ALONG WITH THIS...THING!” the taller skeleton dressed in a mostly black outfit; his gloves, scarf, and boots were all red and his demeanor screamed 'I'm in charge'.

Sans tugged at his eyesocket as his grin went manic when Jasmine snarled. 'How dare he disrespect us!' the wolf growled.

“best be careful, that's our soul bond you just insulted,” Sans mused; his red eye turned to a pinprick as he stared the other Papyrus down.

“DISGRACEFUL! YOU FORCE-BONDED WITH A WOLF?!” the shorter skeleton in purple scowled; his outfit was similar to the taller one, though his was black with purple accents.

“enough!” the shorter Sans bellowed before running a hand over his face. “she isn't fully a wolf, and we don't know the full story.”

“PROVE IT!” the taller red clad skeleton bellowed; his temper was getting the best of him.

“she can't until she eats,” Sans said with a growl. “she burned up her energy four times already.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Papyrus asked from his spot next to his brother.

“HE MEANS THAT IT REQUIRES ENERGY FOR HER TO SHIFT FORMS. SHE NEEDS TO EAT TO SHIFT AGAIN SO HER BODY CAN HEAL ONCE SHE DOES,” Papyrus said as he slid off of her back.

Jasmine glanced at her Papyrus before crouching to allow Sans to get off her back; her eyes never left the newest skeletons as she laid down by her kill. “IF SHE IS EXPECTING US TO COOK FOR HER, THEN SHE IS HIGHLY MISTAKEN,” the short purple clad skeleton huffed.

The wolf sneered at his remark before biting into the buck's stomach to get at its organs. The eight newest skeletons watched in disgust as she ate; her two pack mates watched the newer skeletons' reactions in amusement. Once she determined she ate enough to shift once more, she stood up before allowing the shift to happen. Her bones broke with the familiar snapping sound just as they reset themselves to give her the human shape needed to communicate. Jasmine used the back of her bloody hand to wipe away the red fluid from her mouth to the best of her ability. “GREAT, YOU BONDED WITH A MUTANT!” Edge snarled.

Jasmine's eyes bore into his with a glare that willed him to catch fire. “They didn't bond to me by choice. Don't blame them for what the humans did,” she signed aggressively.

“MUTT, TRASLATE!” Blackberry ordered.

Mutt had taken the time to study different languages since Blackberry ordered him to find everything about the world they were suddenly thrust into. “she said 'they didn't bond to me by choice and to not blame them for what the humans did', m'lord,” Mutt answered.

“THAT'S RIDICULOUS, HUMANS DON'T HAVE MAGIC,” the purple clad skeleton huffed.

Jasmine rolled her eyes as she began signing; this time it was her Sans that translated. “she said we don't have ta explain ourselves to ya, and if you aren't ready ta listen, then she doesn't have to say anythin',” the skeleton said. “i'm gonna add to mind your own fuckin' business since ya don't know what we went through.”

The female gave the taller skeleton a deadpanned expression before shaking her head; she was only mildly aware of the many pairs of eyes that roamed her body. “IT APPEARS THAT NOT ONLY CAN THIS HUMAN NOT SPEAK, BUT SHE IS A NEANDERTHAL. HER APPEARANCE IS SUBPAR AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN CARE IF SHE IS NUDE!” Blackberry scolded.

Jasmine turned her glare to that skeleton as her fist clenched; she was losing her patience with the two new loud ones. “again, mind your own fuckin' business short stack,” Sans warned as he gripped his eyesocket; his grin widened as he hoped a fight would break out. “i'll have an axe to grind with ya otherwise.”

“i'm only intervenin' one more time before all of you have a bad time,” the shorter Sans warned. “we knew that we were soul bonded with a human, and we had been lookin' for the two newest versions of ourselves. we may not like the situation, but it's best to invite them into our home until we decide what ta do. we'll have ta agree on whether or not to break the bond, 'specially since theirs got stronger.”

“i wouldn't mind givin' kitten here a chance,” Red purred; his gaze was more unnerving than threatening.

Sans' eyelight went out as he summoned his axe; he took a step forward but was stopped by Jasmine as she grabbed his forearm. After a moment, he willed his weapon to disperse. “we agreed that the three can come and go as they please, and non of them are to be harmed under our roof,” Sans said as he eyed the three new house guests; the eight of them alone were a handful since six of them had dominant tendencies, but adding two more... there was going to be a lot of butting heads. “first, you can get showered since you probably haven't showered for a while judgin' by your looks, then we can go over the run down of what we know,” he added.

“RED, WE'RE GOING INSIDE!” Edge barked as he flung open the door.

“sure, boss,” Red grumbled as he trudged behind.

“MUTT!” Blackberry called as he followed suit.

“m'lord,” Mutt obediently muttered.

The tension seemed to ease up as Jasmine watched the four of them retreat. Stretch and Blueberry silently headed in. The female looked at her two pack members before slowly making her way to the front door. She froze at the entrance, but Papyrus' supportive hand on her shoulder helped relax her as she passed the entrance. Her gaze remained on the doorway as the last two skeletons made their way in, and then they shut the door. Jasmine immediately began to panic. A growl was heard as fur began to make it's way up her legs and arms as she crouched; she was ready to shift and strike at anyone who got too close. 'trapped, trapped, we're trapped!' her mind screamed at her.

“JASMINE, YOU'RE SAFE,” Papyrus said as he slowly approached her with his hands out. Her growling eased up from the threatening tone it was taking previously. “WE ARE NOT BACK WITH THE HUMANS. YOU CAN LEAVE AT ANY TIME, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN THE DOOR,” he added; for emphasis he walked to the front door and opened it once again.

Jasmine immediately began to calm down when she saw the door open up from the inside; she slowly stood up as her fur receded. She didn't pay any attention from heavy tension and magic that hung in the air from her actions, but as she calmed, the tension went with it. “i'd advise warnin' her if ya plan on closin' any doors with her on the other side,” the taller Sans mentioned as watched the interaction.

“WHAT DID HUMANS DO THAT MADE HER THIS WAY?” the other Papyrus asked.

“THAT ISN'T FOR ME TO SAY, BUT THEY ARE THE REASON WE ARE SOUL BONDED WITH HER. FOUR DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT SHE BROKE US OUT. WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING EVERY SINCE,” her Papyrus replied. “SHE CAN TELL YOU THE FULL STORY IF SHE FEELS UP TO IT; SHE WAS TRAPPED LONGER.”

“Where is the shower?” Jasmine signed after she regained her composure.

“i'll show ya,” Sans stated as he began walking up a staircase.

The female grabbed hold of her Sans' hand as she followed the other; she didn't want to be left alone in a strange place, and she knew that her Papyrus would follow behind his brother. As he lead the three to the bathroom, Sans let out a sigh; he was exhausted from having to deal with the clashing personalities. First, there was the feral human who didn't speak. Since she could growl, that meant that her vocal chords weren't damaged. That left him to believe she had selective mutism. He had a feeling it had to do with the humans they were talking about early. Why would humans trap one of their own though? It didn't make any sense to him. Unless she was an experiment. It would explain all the scars on her body, why she needed to have a way out, her defensive attitude, and most importantly, it would explain why she had EXP and LV. If she broke the other two out, then she would have more than likely taken a life then or in defense during any amount of experiments. He stopped and pointed at a door, “bathroom is here. you can find towels under the sink.”

Jasmine nodded slowly as she opened the door before stepping in her eyes immediately adjusted to the familiar dark before the shorter Sans turned on the light; her skeletons were watching his actions very closely. “you can leave the door open if ya don't feel comfortable havin' it closed,” he added before walking away.

The female listened for any signs of approaching footsteps before fiddling with the faucet until she got the shower running. After she found a good temperature, she got under the running water to scrub the dirt and blood from her body with the bar of soap that was over by the sink. She focused on the feeling of the water running down her body that she hadn't felt in years. She would think over all this new information once she calmed herself down. Thankfully her skeletons were standing guard by the door so she didn't need to worry about any possible intruders. Once she finished her turn, she stood guard as Papyrus moved to bathe. Jasmine thought back to the information that Sans gave her; they basically all were one in the same, but also somehow different. She didn't trust any of them near her boys, and she liked it less that she'd need to come up with a nickname before the others did. She inhaled and took in the pine scent of the house; the familiar scent of her pack followed afterwards: of willow trees and rust. She found that the rust scent came from Sans' magic, while the willow belonged to Papyrus. It would have been a bit direct to call them by the scent of their magic, but she would if she couldn't come up with something else. As Papyrus swapped with Sans, she took in the sight of the hallway. There weren't any decorations along the walls of the cabin, but it still looked calm. She took note of the six rooms that ran along the second floor, but she noticed there was another floor; maybe she'd explore and find out if there was a quiet spot for herself.

Chapter Text

Jasmine and her two skeletons finished showering, but there was still silence between them. They were all nervous about being in a house with strangers so they knew to watch and listen while they stayed near one another. The young woman walked downstairs first and she studied the area around her. The base of the stairs lead to the exit, which was good in her opinion. If she chose to stay in the house, she would have an easy exit. To the right of the staircase was a rather large brown couch with two matching love seats sitting along either side of it. A beautiful dark blue Persian Rug lay under the feet of the couches, and sitting in the center of the rug was a glass coffee table. On the opposite end of the seats was an entertainment center a seventy-five inch television. Along the polished wood walls hung some paintings and pictures, but other than that the house seemed to be pretty plain. Jasmine slowly approached the seating area where Blueberry, Papyrus, Stretch, Sans, Mutt, and Red sat; they were watching a movie. The scent of tomato wafted through the air, and she could only assume that someone was cooking. While she did find the aroma pleasant, the scent of the different skeletons mixed in with the cooked food was making her a bit unnerving. The female moved slowly and quietly to see the TV better; she was curious about what they were watching. “Snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen. The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried,” the song played from the motion picture.

Jasmine found herself stepping closer to the group, her eyes locked on the movie. The Sans that sat on the couch had noticed her descend the stairs hesitantly, but he was amused to see her as curious as she was. It was like there was a switch flipped from her defensive demeanor. Now that she was showered, he could see more scars that were previously hidden by dried blood, mud, and smudged dirt. He felt his face heat up before he looked back to the TV; her boldness to walk around naked was going to be something to get used to. Red's eyelights had been focused on her as well since she made it to the bottom of the stairs. Aside from her obvious curves, the scars caught his attention more than anything, and he had to admit that she cleaned up decently despite her still mess of hair. He didn't want to get too attached to her though; he knew that his brother wouldn't tolerate being soul bonded with a human. That thought began to amuse him though. What if he did decide to intentionally piss off his brother? Sure, he'd have hell to pay, but in this world he didn't have to worry about the kill or be killed guidelines he lived his life by and he was growing tired of having to still knuckle under. He didn't believe he could trust her, but if it was to piss off his brother, he'd be more than happy to have her around. There was one thing that troubled everyone about the new arrivals: the Sans with the crack in his skull. Not only was his LV the highest out of everyone there, but his whole demeanor was unnerving. He screamed 'I'm a hunter and you should fear me', and Red had zero doubts if it came to it he would fight everyone in the house and win. It was interesting to see how the three of them stuck close together, and it made him curious as to just how long they've known together.

The female and her two pack mates stayed off to the side of the group, but she found herself starting to get overwhelmed by her senses. She crouched before slinking away from the group towards the staircase and front door; she needed to be near the exit in case she needed to go to a place she was comfortable. Blue, being the social butterfly that he was, smiled at the group. “YOU CAN COME SIT WITH US!” he said; he was blushing at trying not to look directly at her naked form.

Jasmine just blinked at him, but she didn't move. Her soul was singing to trust them, but all logic pointed for her to keep her distance since she didn't know them. They were strangers in the territory of others. Blue seemed to be disappointed that she didn't move and returned to watch the television. The young woman smelled the air a bit closer to take in the scents; pine, peppermint, smoke, vanilla, maple, hickory, spearmint, cinnamon, and tomato clung to the air along with the two familiar scents of her skeletons. She would need to determine which scent belonged to who, but her nose was burning from all the senses compacted in one tight area. The sound of pans being placed on a counter caused her to jump, and that was the tipping point. She flinched as she heard the two absent skeletons arguing in the kitchen, and she finally opened the front door to step outside. Since she did eat before turning human, she did decide to go back into her wolf form before laying down on the ground. She looked at the night sky where her eyes roamed among the stars. She felt confused and troubled about her current situation. It wasn't that she hated the skeletons that had opened their home for her, but she knew that they only did because of the soul bond. She heard footsteps as the scent of rust and willow trees wafted to her nose; she sighed before laying her head on her paws as she looked into the deciduous forest that surrounded them. After a few nights, she finally had adjusted to the sounds of the forest with the help of the wolf. She heard the brothers sit down next to her, and she was mildly amused when she felt Sans lean against her; she felt him tuck his hands behind his head along with the hood from his jacket. “THE STARS ARE QUITE PRETTY, AREN'T THEY?” Papyrus asked; he knew that Jasmine needed a distraction from the sudden stress of the previous interaction.

The wolf grunted in agreement as he eyes turned towards the sky once again. If she could have grown up like she had wanted to, she wondered if she would have maybe chosen a profession that allowed for her to study them. She did always say she would be an astronaut when she was still innocent and naive to the world around her. She felt the sorrow of missing her old friends, but the wolf reminded her that she wasn't alone anymore since she had her pack mates. That thought indeed helped ease the sorrow, but it didn't leave. Then came the question: what was she? She looked back into the forest; she could feel it calling her. She wanted to run, but she didn't want to leave her boys to the fate of the others no matter how briefly. The sound of light snoring came from Sans, and she was partially jealous; they all had a long day, and it proved to be draining to say the very least. “I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THE OTHERS ALSO,” Papyrus started. “BACK WHERE WE WERE FROM, OTHER MONSTERS TURNED ON EACH OTHER WHEN FOOD SOURCES RAN OUT. WE HAD TO DO ANYTHING TO SURVIVE. I WORRY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF FOOD DOES BECOME AN ISSUE.”

Jasmine looked over at the hunchback skeleton with sorrow; she knew how tough it could be to do anything to survive. Her killing the humans was testimony to that, but when it came to kill or be killed, you had to make that call. Without the wolf, she knew she would have died a long time ago. She thought back to the orphanage and bitterly noted just how different she was. She used to be curious, full of life, bubbly, and kind. She couldn't say the same now. She was quiet, cautious, and distrustful of her fellow man. She let out a soft whine to let him know that she was there for him. Papyrus gave a soft smile of understanding as he sat down in front of her. Jasmine placed her head in his lap to comfort the skeleton. At hearing the door open, the wolf raised her head to look at who was stepping out. Stretch, Red, and Mutt all stood on the porch as they lit up their smokes. The scent caused the wolf's nose to crinkle, but she didn't want to move since Sans was asleep, and waking him up with three strangers near him would not end well. “lucky bastard, able to nap like that,” Red grumbled.

“MY BROTHER PROBABLY NEEDS THE REST,” Papyrus shrugged.

Jasmine watched the three on the porch as they hit off their cigarettes. “what brings you three out 'ere?” Stretch wondered as he leaned against the house.

“JASMINE WANTED TO BE OUTSIDE, SO WE FOLLOWED HER,” her skeleton replied.

“not ones for conversation, are ya? how'd ya meet your wolf friend?” Mutt asked.

The wolf rested her head on her paws, but her head was still turned towards the three; she wanted to watch in case they tried anything. “WE MET HER SHORTLY AFTER WE WERE CAPTURED BY HUMANS,” Papyrus answered as he ran a hand over the wolf's head. “THAT WAS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR WEEKS AGO THOUGH. IT'S HARD TO KNOW THE EXACT TIME FRAME..”

“why? couldn' ya jus' look at the different positions of the sun?” Red asked as he took another drag from his smoke.

Papyrus looked at Jasmine who had grown tense and irritated. The wolf didn't like the prying questions, and the chatter was starting to make her uneasy. Her heterochromia eyes flickered to the forest before looking back at the sleeping Sans that was using her as a pillow. Waking him up would be a good way to get the three away from them. The hunchback noticed her gaze, and he frowned. “WAKING HIM UP ISN'T A GOOD IDEA, AND YOU KNOW IT,” he scolded.

Jasmine rolled her eyes with a huff before she pushed the taller skeleton over so he was laying down; she then pinned him there as she rested her head on his chest with a grin. This was her teaching him a lesson for scolding her. “why is it a bad idea to wake your sans up?” Stretch asked; he was slightly amused be the situation.

“HE DOESN'T ALWAYS REMEMBER THINGS... IF HE DOESN'T, HE WAKES VIOLENTLY. THE FIRST FEW NIGHTS HE WOKE UP AND SWUNG HIS AXE AT JASMINE BECAUSE OF HIS MEMORY FAILING,” Papyrus grunted as he tried to get out from underneath the wolf's muzzle. Normally he wouldn't say something so personal, but this was vital information they needed to know unless they wanted to wind up the next victim of the axe.

This further unsettled the three skeletons on the porch. Not only did they have to worry about the wolf, but the Sans that came from the same universe as the ferals had memory lapses and could potentially kill them at any given moment. This meant that when he summoned his axe earlier, he did have ever intention to kill maybe both Blackberry, Edge, and Red for their comments had Jasmine not stopped him. The door once again opened up as Edge stomped through the doorway. “THERE YOU ARE! DINNER IS READY!” he snapped; Jasmine flinched at the volume of his voice, but she didn't tear her narrowed eyes away from him. “WE ALL EXPECT YOU THREE TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS!”

Jasmine growled softly at his demanding attitude, but she didn't respond in any other challenging way as to not get her Sans wound up and ready to fight. Edge scowled at the wolf, but he turned on his heels and headed indoors without saying anything else. The three smokers headed indoors behind the demanding taller skeleton, and Jasmine finally gently nuzzled Sans to wake him up once everyone was safely inside. Sans slowly woke, but he immediately scanned the area while gripping his eyesocket and grinding his teeth together. Where were they? Why is there a house? Weren't they wondering the woods? “BROTHER, WE ARE SAFE. WE FOUND OUR ALTERNATE SELVES AND THE REST OF JASMINE'S BONDED MATES. THEY JUST FINISHED MAKING DINNER,” Papyrus said calmly.

Sans stopped grinding his teeth together and loosened his grip on his eye. “Safe...” he muttered before shaking his head with a 'tsk'.

Breaking bones was heard before Jasmine was seen standing back in her human form. She patted the taller skeleton on his shoulder before making her way to the house; the brother naturally followed her to make sure she was okay. The young woman thought that it was bizarre to be entering a building willfully a second time; she wasn't sure as to why it felt weird, but it was. She thought back to the orphanage for a split second before she shook her head to keep focusing on the present. Jasmine slowly made her way into the dining room where a beautiful hand carved wood table stood; there was enough room for ten people to sit around the massive oak table. The two end seats remained empty as Blackberry and Edge placed a plate of lasagna in front of the the other skeletons and the four other empty seats. The young woman and her two skeletons watched wearily as they made their way to the mostly full eating area. “YOU CAN SIT BY ME!” Blueberry smiled; he was trying to be friendly towards the three newcomers. He and Papyrus were, after all, always the best hosts if he did say so himself.

The sound of silverware clinking onto the table in the dining room table as Blackberry started to hand everyone a fork and knife caused Jasmine to quickly retreat in fear; the sight of the knife reminded her of the scalpels that the scientist would use when cutting into her to see how long it would take for her to heal. She growled as she backed up to the wall so no one could get behind her as her posture straightened to make herself seem bigger. In her mind she was back in her cell, the guards standing ready with their prodding sticks. She bared her teeth to look as threatening as possible as she glared at the scientist who was growing impatient. She heard something, and looked to see Sans and Papyrus in their cells across from her. Had breaking out all been a dream? One of the guards approached her, and she snarled, the voice of the wolf coming through clearly to warn them to stay back. 'The scents are different,' the wolf pointed out. Jasmine's growling eased, but her posture remained defensive, ready to strike and fight back as she always had.

“JASMINE, YOU'RE NOT IN THE CELL,” she heard Papyrus say.

If she wasn't, why did she see it so clearly? He knew her name, which meant she told him. She shook her head as her hands came up and clawed at her scalp as panic began to rise. What was real? What was happening to her? She saw a guard kneel next to her, and she snarled while scratching at the offender before backing away; the sudden movement caused her panic to rise. She saw some of the dead bodies of the guards that she killed, and she became afraid. What had she done? She didn't register herself shaking as the screams of terror rang from the terrified guards. 'You did what you had to to escape,' the wolf soothed. 'Smell the air, you're not trapped.'

She wanted to believe the wolf since it was her anchor, but her eyes were saying a different story. Jasmine felt hands on her shoulders, and her head snapped up to see Papyrus looking at her worriedly. When did he get out of his cell? “SMELL THE AIR, HUMAN, SIGN FIVE SCENTS THAT ARE THERE,” the hunchbacked skeleton ordered calmly; his brother frequently had PTSD episodes, so this was nothing knew for him to deal with.

Jasmine inhaled deeply, and her eyebrows furrowed. Where was the usual scent of mildew? “Willow trees, rust, tomatoes, peppermint, and pine,” she signed with shaky hands; the dead bodies were no longer visible.

“GOOD. NOW TELL ME FOUR THINGS THAT YOU FEEL,” he once again instructed.

She thought again for a moment before signing, “Hard floors, your hands, my hair, and warm air.”

“AND LAST THING: THREE THINGS THAT YOU SEE?”

The visions of her cell vanished, and the could see the tense expressions on everyone's face other than her two skeletons. “You, Sans, and the other skeletons,” she signed.

Papyrus sighed as he noticed her focus come back. She stood up and looked away in shame when she noticed scratch marks on her Sans' cheek bone. She had attacked her pack mate in her panicked state; she had never experienced a fit like that, and she didn't like that she lost complete control. Her stomach twisted in guilt as she hung her head before heading to the door and storming out. She didn't belong among them. Using her the last of her energy, she turned back into the wolf before grabbing the deer carcass and heading into the woods. She didn't go far, but she wanted to be alone. The wolf was grateful for the break, but both parts of her felt guilty for leaving her skeletons alone in the house with the others. They all were the same though despite their different personalities, and she had hurt someone that had grown close to her. It was another reminder that she wasn't human. She set to work eating the buck carcass from earlier while ignoring the sound of Papyrus calling after her.

Papyrus sighed as his shoulders hung in defeat; he could feel the soul bond nearby, but he figured she wasn't responding because she wanted to be alone. He headed back inside where the others looked at him for answers. The hunchback ignored them as he went up to his brother to look at the scratch marks; she must have been terrified for her nails to hurt bone. Thankfully Sans had a high amount of LV so she didn't do any serious damage. “'m fine..” his brother growled. Sans wasn't mad at Jasmine for defending herself, but it made him wonder if it was a good idea for two people who had violent episodes stuck to be in the same group. She hadn't had a reason to hurt them, which made him wonder what she had been seeing for her to act so aggressively. Fear was an interesting motivator, and he knew she wasn't to blame for her reaction, but the two with PTSD episodes was a recipe for disaster.

“HMPH, SUCH A WEAK HUMAN! IF SIMPLE SILVERWARE SENDS HER INTO A PANIC, THEN SHE ISN'T WORTHY OF MY TIME!” Blackberry scowled as he went to eating.

“I CAN AGREE!” Edge sneered.

The hunchback frowned at their words as his attention turned towards the two offenders. “YOU SHOULD WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH, AND WE ONLY KNOW A SMALL PORTION! LOOK AT HER SCARS CLOSELY NEXT TIME IF YOU'RE SO INSISTANT ON ATTACKING HER!” he said in frustration.

Blackberry paused mid bite before glaring at the new Papyrus. “I DON'T CARE! SINCE YOU THREE PESTS ARE GOING TO BE STAYING IN THIS HOUSE, YOU BETTER LEARN TO RESPECT THOSE IN HIGHER STANDING THAN YOUR FILTHY SELVES! I DO NOT TOLERATE WEAKNESS, AND YOUR PATHETIC HUMAN IS ABOUT AS INCOMPETANT AS THEY COME!” he growled before continuing to eat.

The manic Sans didn't take his brother being insulted very well. In fact, he absolutely despised it. He stood to his full height which was the same as Edge's with a deep growl while gripping his empty eyesocket; his crazed grin widened which caused the tension in the air to come back full swing. Red, Mutt, Sans, and Stretch all began to sweat as their eyelights turned to pinpricks while Papyrus, Blueberry, and the tallest Papyrus all became extremely nervous at the display. “i suggest you take back what ya jus' said. my bro ain't filth, and you'll do well to remember that out of everyone here, we have the highest stats,” the tallest Sans snarled. Everyone other than his brother seemed to flinch at those words. “what? didn' expect me to notice you checkin'? i may have my own issues, but i am fully aware of the feelin' of when i'm bein' sized up.”

“BROTHER, IT'S OKAY,” Papyrus said softly; he didn't like this level of confrontation.

“I THINK I KNOW OF THE PERFECT NICKNAME FOR YOU TWO: CROOKS AND AXE,” the purple clad shorter skeleton pressed. “YOUR CROOKED TEETH AND THE FACT YOU CAN SUMMON THE HATCHET IS REASON ENOUGH.”

Papyrus flinched at the nickname and looked down; he had nearly forgotten about his features since Jasmine had never brought it up, so his self consciousness was starting to fade. He looked at the ground and started to shuffle his feet. Sans was indifferent to his new nickname, but his eyelight went out as he summoned his axe at his brothers. “what did you say?” the now dubbed Axe growled lowly; he slowly began marching forward.

“I SPOKE CLEARLY; DON'T TELL YOU CAN'T COMPREHEND?” Blackberry scowled.

“enough!” Sans bellowed; he was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to him interrupting once again. “black, you an edge leave the kitchen. i've been lenient up 'til now, but ya can't keep your mouths shut. you forget that this is my house an if it weren't for me ya would have ta fend for yourselves.”

“YOU HAVE NO PLACE TO BOSS ME AROUND. I, THE TERRIBLE EDGE, WILL NOT TOLERATE BEING BOSSED AROUND BY THE LAZIEST SACK OF BONES IN THIS ROOM!” the taller red clad skeleton roared.

“boss-” Red tried to start.

“NOT NOW, YOU BAFOON!” Edge growled.

He and Blackberry were too distracted at Sans trying to calm the situation down to notice the wolf that had managed to squeeze back into the house and was standing in front of her two skeletons; she was standing at her full height with her tail raised in her dominant stance. Jasmine had felt the rage in her bond that was pooling around her Sans, and she wasn't happy about it. She was close enough to hear them insult her Papyrus by calling him 'Crooks', and that was when she started to force herself into the house; it was cramped and uncomfortable while in her wolf form, but it was something she was used to while caged. Her growling as she approached caught everyone's attention, and the tension became suffocating. “WELL LOOKS LIKE THE DOG IS BACK,” Edge sneered.

Jasmine bared her teeth in distaste as her eyes never left his. “SOMETHING PISS YOU OFF? GOOD, MAYBE WE CAN FIND YOU A USE, LIKE CLEANING THE SCRAPS OFF THE TABLE,” Blackberry teased.

“i said enough,” Sans said in a deep voice that commanded everyone to listen. The room went quiet, though the wolf still stared down the two skeletons that she knew would be the most problem. She was complying, but the urge to put those infuriating monsters in their place was almost overwhelming. She would need to put them in their place before too long. “pap, show our three new guests to their rooms while i have a chat with these two boneheads,” he added; the irritation that screamed from his usually laid back soul prevented him from being scolded about his pun. Papyrus stood up and began heading up the stairs.

The wolf turned back to her human form, and continued to glare at her offenders. “Insult my pack again, and see what happens. They are my boys,” she signed before following. She knew only a few of them knew sign language, but Jasmine didn't care. Her point got across from those that could understand what she had said. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise. She would put up a fight to prove she was the alpha female, and she wasn't about to bow down to two pompous jerks.

“I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT SHE SAID!” Blackberry exclaimed.

Judging by the swearing and threats that followed, Jasmine assumed that someone did translate for him. The female stopped by the bathroom as they continued to move down the hallway to wash off her hands and face from the blood of the deer before catching up. The three silently followed Papyrus until he got to the last two doors at the end of the hall. “These Two Rooms Are Yours During Your Stay,” he said; he wasn't as cheerful as he usually was because of the tension in the house.

“paps and I can share a room,” her Sans started. “ya gonna be okay by yourself?”

Jasmine slowly nodded; she was honestly unsure how she'd react sleeping in an unknown place by herself. There was little comfort knowing that her boys were going to be sleeping across the hall from her. She silently entered her room before closing the door; she did leave it cracked so she could hear if anything approached their rooms uninvited. Other than the basic amenities, the room was empty. Two twin sized beds sat up against the wall with a nightstand between them. She slowly made her way to the bed before touching the soft surface; she couldn't remember when the last time she slept on a bed. She supposed it was back at the orphanage, but that was all a blur for her. Jasmine sat on the bed and waited for a while before deciding to move to the floor; she was used to the hard surfaces of the earth and of her old cell. She laid down and tried to get comfortable, but as the night pressed on, she found her anxiety building further. She wasn't sure what time it was when she finally left the room and made her way to her boys' room. She quietly opened the door, and she sheepishly ducked her head when three eyelights landed on her; they were still awake. Both Sans and Papyrus had felt her unease which stressed them out further since they were just as anxious about staying in an unknown home. “Sans... I'm sorry for attacking you earlier...” she signed as guilt ran through her.

“s'alright,” he grinned. “makes up for the times i tried ta kill ya.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips before her face went back to a neutral state. “I did come up with nicknames... I don't like Crooks... Papyrus, would you be okay with Willow?” she asked.

Rusty orange tears pricked the corner of his eyes before he went up and hugged her. “It Is Perfect!” Papyrus declared.

His sudden movement caused Jasmine to jump a moment, but she returned the affection before looking once again at Sans. “If you don't like Axe, would Rust be okay?” she signed.

“'m fine with either,” Sans shrugged.

Jasmine nodded before shifting into her wolf form and laying on the ground; this was mostly familiar to her and it helped ease her distress which she was grateful for. She watched as her boys pulled blankets onto the floor and leaned into her side for the night; they all knew they would be safest with each other for tonight. They didn't think about what would happen tomorrow, for now they needed their rest and to push aside what might be.

Chapter Text

Willow had quite the time trying to calm Jasmine and Axe the following morning. Jasmine had woken up growling being in a closed room which in turn caused his older brother to wake up in an episode. One of the beds was destroyed from Axe swinging his hatchet trying to get the wolf since she was too close to his brother; he saw another monster trying to kill his brother back in Snowdin. The racket was enough to give the three an audience at the bottom of the stairs when they finally emerged from the room. The hostility from the previous night was still hanging in the air, and it made the human's eyes narrow at the two she knew she'd get the most trouble from. “everythin' alright?” Sans had asked; despite his relaxed appearance, he was very tense from the sound of wood breaking.

“WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE NOISE,” Willow started. “SA-ER- AXE ENDED UP DESTROYING THE BED DURING AN EPISODE.”

Axe gripped his socket and ground his teeth together; what were their names again? Did they have enough food? Jasmine's eyes flickered over to the skeleton with the gaping hole in his head before gently patting his shoulder. She knew that it would take a while for him to get used to being around the others. “I'll go hunt,” she signed before continuing down the stairs.

“my bro here was about ta make breakfast, so ya don't need ta hunt,” Sans said.

“INDEED I WAS! DO YOU LIKE EGGS?” Papyrus asked in usual friendly manner.

Did she like eggs? When was the last time she ate them? She looked back at her boys as she tried to get the attention on them; she was embarrassed that she couldn't answer such a simple question. “eggs sound good,” Axe muttered; he could feel Jasmine's unease that was starting to move through the soul bond.

“WE'RE GOING TO SIT ON THE PORCH TO GET SOME FRESH AIR,” Willow said quietly. The three finished making their way downstairs before heading out the front door and sitting on the porch; Red, Mutt, and Stretch joined them as they lit up their cigarettes.

Jasmine's nose wrinkled in disgust from the scent and put as much distance between her and them. She had smelled the remains of the tobacco on clothing of a lot of the guards in her time in the cell, so it was all just bad memories for her. “what's the matter, doll?” Red asked through a grin.

Axe growled and tugged on his eyesocket, “she obviously doesn't like the smell.”

The young woman just sighed as she moved onto the grass and sat under a dead tree; she felt more natural, and this way she could remain a distance from potentially too much noise. She sat facing the skeletons so she could watch them. That was all she knew how to do: watch. “she isn't very social, is she?” Stretch asked. He was curious about her, but he didn't fully trust her since she did have aggressive tendencies.

“No..” Willow said with a soft sigh. “But It Isn't Her Fault.”

“what happened?” Mutt pressed.

The wolf's two skeletons looked at her; they knew she had heard the question, but they weren't going to answer unless she decided to. Jasmine hesitated before starting to sign. Her soul was the compelling factor in her decision to agree to it, but her brain thought that it may help to ease the growing tension in the house. “what she say?” Red asked.

“said she'll answer any questions over breakfast,” Axe answered with a scoff; he didn't like that she was being so opened, but he knew that she had no reason not to trust monsters.

Jasmine's gaze never broke as the five skeletons stared. She didn't feel self conscious or uncomfortable since she had a feeling that they were curious. It would explain the amount of questions they had. Maybe they were just as nervous as her as she was of them. She closed her eyes as she listened to the forest; the wolf was content with being out in the wilderness. A gust of chilly air blew past the group which caused goosebumps to form on the female's skin. Winter was definitely on it's way. That wasn't good for her since she would be incapacitated for four weeks. She wasn't sure why, but every winter and summer she would become weak and bleed heavily. Stranger still, she would become overly aggressive during the spring and fall while dealing unusually high body temperatures. Maybe it was a recurring illness that made her act and feel so strange? She mentally shrugged those thoughts away as she inhaled the air. The sound of leaves rustling caused her eyes to open to scan the surrounding area; she sat straight as her predatory instincts kicked in. Moving her legs so that she was crouching, her eyes frantically moved to find the source of the noise. More movement caused her eyes to lock in on a squirrel. She didn't have an urge to hunt, but she did want to chase. Just as she was about to, the front door opened up as Papyrus stepped through. “BREAKFAST IS READY!” he announced.

His sudden volume caused the female to jump; she looked back towards where the small critter was before sighing and standing up. Papyrus must have scared it away. Jasmine slowly began making her way towards the house where Axe and Willow were waiting before she entered. Unlike yesterday, they went ahead and had the plates and silverware already out on the table to prevent another incident of the previous day. The rest of the house other than her and her boys were already sitting when they got in the dining room, and an extra chair was brought to the table. She took a seat between her skeletons and smelled the eggs in front of her curiously. It smelled fine to her... she saw Willow pick up the fork and take a bite of his food as Axe did the same. Looking at her own for, she wrapped her hand around the handle and furrowed her eyebrows from the weird feeling. It wasn't too comfortable, but she couldn't figure out how the rest of them were holding their own so it would have to do. She continued to observe the others stick their food with the pronged end, and so she tried to mimic their actions. Sans snorted when she forcibly stabbed a bit of egg which caused her fork to scrape against the plate. Jasmine glared at the offending inanimate object before trying again. “OH GREAT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TABLE MANNERS,” Blackberry huffed; he was trying to hide his growing amusement at seeing someone so aggressive being bested by a fork.

Jasmine ignored his comment since she was too focused on trying not to take her frustration out on the plate as the fork continued to scrape against it. “HUMAN, YOU DO NOT NEED TO STAB YOUR FOOD THAT HARD. LIGHTLY PRESS THE TIP AGAINST THE EGGS,” Blue kindly instructed while demonstrating.

The female watched before following his movements and successfully getting her first bite of the egg. Her eyes lit up before quickly stuffing her mouth; she hadn't had anything that good in her life. The seasonings mixed with the egg and vegetables balanced well, and it made her happy to experience something that tasty. The only time she stopped eating was to drink from the cup of water that was by her plate. “so, ya said you'd answer some questions,” Stretch said as he watched her finish her plate; her messy eating caused Blue, Edge, Blackberry, and Papyrus to all scowl at her lack of manners.

Jasmine looked at him as she straightened up and nodded. She started to sign and had hoped that at least one of her boys had been watching. Axe thankfully was; she noticed that despite his memory issues he was extremely observant. “she said you can ask, but she wants ta know all your names first,” he translated.

Sans began pointing at each of their alternate selves as he started to list them. “sittin' next ta axe would be red then edge, stretch, blue, papyrus, myself, black, and mutt. i just go by sans,” he answered.

The female nodded slowly and then quietly waited for the questions to start. “WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!” Blue immediately asked.

Axe watched as she slowly started to sign. “she said she doesn' know. She only knows that she was kept in a building and it took us fifteen days to get to this side,” her Sans translated.

“how long were ya in the buildin?” Stretch then asked.

“JASMINE SAYS THAT SHE BELIEVES IT TO BE SEVENTEEN YEARS,” Willow said. “SHE SAYS THAT TIME OVERLAPPED AND SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER AN EXACT TIME.”

Most of the skeletons' faces remained indifferent, but they all could empathize with her; they all knew what it was like to be trapped. “DO YOU AT LEAST REMEMBER WHY YOU CAN'T TALK? YOU CAN GROWL SO YOUR VOCAL CHORDS DO WORK,” Edge sneered.

Jasmine glared at the skeleton before starting to sign; she was still trying to be civil. “she said she stopped talking when her last cellmate was dragged so her body could be burned,” Axe said as he pulled at his eyesocket. Eyelights all around the table went to pinpricks at those words. “she says she got tired of beggin' for the pain to stop, and once she started to block it out she didn' want them to increase what they were doin'. that's when they taught her sign language.”

“There Were Others In The Cells?” Papyrus asked quietly. The female nodded as her eyes drifted to her now empty plate.

“how many others?” Red growled.

Willow hesitated as she once again started to sign. “Sh-She Says She Doesn't Know The Exact Number.. She Does Know That There Were Nine Other Children In Her Cell When The Testing Started... She Thinks She Remembers Counting Ten Orphans In The Five Surrounding Cells...” the hunchback translated; he was trying to control the rattling in his bones under control. “Jasmine, What Did The Guard Mean When He Said Subjects?”

Jasmine looked at him before letting out a sigh. Willow's eyelights went out as his teeth pressed firmly together as she answered his question. Mutt, Sans, and Papyrus all felt the anger that came from the Horror brothers as they also understood what she had signed. “MUTT, TRANSLATE!!” Black ordered.

“yes, m'lord... she said that subjects are what they called them instead of usin' their names.. she was sub102. stood for subject 102,” Mutt said; his eyelights were shaking. He already hated humans, and this was making him wish they started a war on the surface.

Willow ran a hand over his face as the gravity of the situation slapped him hard in the face; he remembered counting thirty empty cells. “Was Every Cell Full?” he asked. The human hesitated before nodding.

The hunchback knew right then and there that if he was human he would have thrown up at that information. “how many were there?” Sans asked Willow; he saw him connect the dots mentally.

“...You Really Want To Know The Number?” the tallest Papyrus asked quietly.

“can't be that high,” Red muttered.

Sans only nodded; he had a gut feeling he wasn't going to like what he was told. Willow looked at everyone as he tried to muster up the strength to say. “If There Were Ten Humans Per Cell, And There Were Thirty Cells... That's Three Hundred Orphans At Least...” he finally said.

All eyes went to Jasmine as she continued to stare at the table; guilt started to claw at her gut. She hated she was the only survivor, and part of her wish she died in that cell before they got a hold of the monster dust. “...Were The Monsters Brought In Before The Other Humans Died?” Willow asked.

“'m sorry, what?” Red snarled. “they dusted monsters?!”

Sans grew tense as he started to put more pieces together. The missing monsters case was linked to the human sitting before them. “how many monsters were dusted?” he asked.

Jasmine slowly started to sign; she could feel the tension and anger growing as she continued to answer them. “she said she doesn't know, she saw too many come and go too quickly to get a count. she said they made use of the monster dust as it became useful in keeping her alive when she was on the brink of death as her body started to reject the blood infusion from the wolf,” Axe answered.

“WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE DUST?!” Edge demanded to know; without the dust, the monsters weren't able to spread the ashes of their loved ones.

As she signed, Axe snarled and slammed his fist on the table which caused the plates to rattle. Everyone waited patiently for the manic skeleton to calm down before Willow translated. “T-They Used The Dust On Her To Keep Her Alive. That's What Allows Her To Turn Into The Wolf. The Dust That Wasn't Used On Her Was Used To Make The Machine That Pulled Out Our Souls,” he said sadly.

“...so humans were the reason we were force soul bonded,” Stretch sighed.

“How Old Were You When You Were Brought To Your Cell?” Blue asked.

Jasmine's eyebrows furrowed as she thought back before signing. “...eleven,” Axe growled; his grip on his eyesocket got to the point if he squeezed any tighter it would crack. “though the youngest she believes was six... he was the first ta die.”

“Why..?” Papyrus whispered; he was fighting the tears back. He loved his Frisk, and thinking of children dying for no reason was really upsetting him. “Why Did They Do It?”

“They Originally Were Going To Use Them In Wars. They Believed That If They Could Get Humans With Abilities Of That Of An Animal They'd Have Some Sort Of Advantage. When The Monsters Emerged, Their Goal Changed To Fight Them Instead. But With Her Being The Only Survivor, They Changed It To Her Being Just The First Experiment. When She Shifted To A Wolf For The First Time, That's When Things Got Worse..” Willow Translated.

“you said that ya couldn't distinguish days. were ya held underground?” Red asked.

Jasmine nodded. Things were starting to add up in Sans' mind. It explained her behavior as to why she was showing aggression, why she panicked at closing doors, and her lack of self consciousness. She was isolated in a cell to the point she stopped talking, and her only company were those that tortured her. He didn't know what they hurt her with, but judging how she freaked out over silverware clattering and that DNA was involved, then medical tools would be the culprit of causing her any additional panic attacks. Edge studied the human who was staring at the table. He could feel the guilt that flooded through the soul bond, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her that she was pathetic. She was a survivor, and it made him want to test just how strong she was to see if she was a suitable mate put her in her place. Black was thinking along the same lines as Edge in terms of wanting to knock her out of the 'alpha' mindset. He was in charge, and he would use any trick in the book to get her to submit. “HMPH, IT WOULD EXPLAIN HER LACK OF HYGEINE!” Black scowled.

The human glared at the him before standing up from the table and heading back outside. She was done answering questions, and she wanted to get away from the number of people in the house. Sans watched her leave before sighing, “i'm gonna call toriel; since she's raised frisk, she'll be able ta help us get everythin' we need for jasmine.”

“I WILL NOT LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES CLEANSE THEMSELVES PROPERLY, SO ONCE SHE HAS CLOTHING WE'LL NEED TO GET HER A HAIRCUT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT MESS ON HER HEAD!” Edge added.

“i highly doubt that she'll stand bein' around other humans,” Sans started, “but i can ask tor if she knows how to cut hair also.” With that he left the table to go call his friend.

“I WILL CHEER HER UP! MAYBE ONCE SHE HAS FRIENDS AGAIN SHE'LL TALK!” Blueberry determined as he darted out the front door.

Stretch smiled before standing up and following his brother. Axe and Willow were about to follow, but they were stopped by Sans. “i gotta few questions about your timeline,” he said. “don' worry about her, pretty sure she can take care of herself.” The horror brothers took a glance at the front door before they followed the skeleton to his workshop to talk in private; Sans would relay any important information to the other since he was unsure how the pair would act talking about their past.

Jasmine sat under the shade of a tree that still had its leaves as she ran her hands over the browning grass. When the door opened shortly after she sat down, she watched as Blue approached her with a huge grin before sitting down in front of her. “HUMAN, I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY, DECLARE THAT I WILL BECOME YOUR THIRD FRIEND!” he said; his energy caused her to flinch slightly since she wasn't used to it. The scent of peppermint wafted from the skeleton in front of her.

“you're so cool, bro,” Stretch said as he lit up a cigarette on the porch.

The young woman just looked between the two; if she recalled, they didn't know sign language, so she didn't have a way to communicate unless she wrote in the dirt. That would be amusing. She didn't know when the last time she was able to write, and when in school grammar was her weak point. That and math. She remembered being tutored many times, but that all ended when she was imprisoned. “HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD TWO DIFFERENT EYE COLORS?” Blue wondered.

Jasmine just shrugged as she watched him. “WHAT ABOUT BEING OUTDOORS? DO YOU ENJOY IT?!” he tried again.

She nodded; he was slightly amusing to her. His voice was as loud as Willow's, but he spoke more than her pack mate, so it would take some readjusting for sure. She was curious as to how old he was. The wolf made connections of him having the energy of a pup, and it made the corners of her mouth twitch upward. Yes, he did have the energy of a pup who wanted to pester his pack mates to play with him. Her eyes twinkled as her smile went up a bit more at the mental image of a skeleton pup running around barking and howling. Cute. Blue noticed her amused expression, and his eyelights turned to stars. “BROTHER, I GOT HER TO KIND OF SMILE!” he exclaimed. “I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID, BUT SHE'S SMILING!”

She jumped slightly when Stretch was suddenly sitting next to his brother, and her nose was suddenly assaulted by the scent of maple. 'Can they teleport? I don't hear them approach at all..' she thought. Her gaze drifted elsewhere when a new scent caught her attention. Curious, she stood up and began following it.

Blue and Stretch looked at each other before following behind her. “WHERE ARE WE HEADED?” Blueberry asked.

Jasmine looked at him before pointing at her nose. Stretch picked up on that she was following a scent. “what do ya smell?” he asked.

The female only shrugged as she continued to walk. Her bare feet were calloused enough that the twigs and rocks did little to the soles of her feet. She listened to the sounds of the forest as they pressed on a bit further, and the wolf was very pleased when they came across a stream with wild raspberries growing nearby. That must have been what she was smelling. Wasting no time she knelt down and picked one before popping it into her mouth. The sweet taste was a welcome change. “WOAH! YOU SMELLED THESE FROM THE HOUSE?!” Blue exclaimed; he was impressed by her sense of smell.

Jasmine nodded before picking a few more and eating them. Food was always on her high priority list since it was what gave her energy to heal. “BROTHER, YOU SHOULD GO GET A BASKET SO WE CAN BRING SOME BACK WITH US!” the shorter skeleton smiled as he began berry picking.

Stretch nodded with a small smile before teleporting back to the house to find a basket of sorts. He made do with a mixing bowl from the kitchen before returning before a very irritable Blackberry could ask what he was up to. Jasmine found herself enjoying the brothers' company while they filled the bowl up with the fruit; sure, they weren't her boys, but she was becoming less skeptical of staying in the house with the ten skeletons. Blueberry was full of life and even challenged her to a berry picking contest over who could pick the most in ten minutes; the wolf was up for the challenge, but she was bummed when she lost. Part of her was impressed at how quickly he was able to get as many raspberries as he did. “WILL YOU BE ABLE TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO THE HOUSE?” Blueberry asked once they picked all they could; the bowl was filled to the brim.

Jasmine nodded before sniffing the air once again. As they got closer to the house, the female became tense; she felt the distress from her strongest bonds, and she started to pick up her pace with a growl. Someone was bothering her pack mates. When they broke the treeline, she was furious. Dropping the bowl of raspberries, she sprinted before the sound of broken bones was heard and a snarling wolf replaced the human. Willow had been backing away from Edge who was holding a sharpened bone tip in his face while Blackberry was fighting off a livid Axe. Sans was using his magic to keep Red and Mutt from trying to go to their brothers' aid while Papyrus was trying to help willow. All heads snapped towards the sound of the angry wolf who slammed her body up against Edge; the result was him flying into the nearby window which broke against the impact. Her gaze then met Black's before she charged. Axe wasted no time in getting over to his brother where he scanned him for any injuries. Jasmine took Black's bone attack in the shoulder, but only winced before her jaws clamped on his arm. He yelled in pain as his sharpened bone fingers clawed at her face to try to get her off. She was sure not to bite too hard to break anything, but she was going to get a point across. Edge burst through the door as he furiously stomped over towards the wolf, but she saw the taller skeleton advancing, so she threw Blackberry into him before leaping and pinning both of them under her paws. Her eyes remained on theirs as she snapped her teeth in their faces which caused Black to flinch. Good. He got her point. Her tail remained raised as she let them up; her ears remained pointed forward as her fur stood on end. They were the first to turn their backs on her to march back into the house without saying a word. When the door slammed, Sans let his magic disperse and let Red and Mutt storm after their brothers; they were pissed, but wanted to make sure that Edge and Black were okay. Sans looked at Jasmine who was just starting to calm down and winced when he saw the bone lodged in her shoulder; it looked as if her skin had healed around it. “while i'm glad ya broke up the fight, ya pull that shit again, you're gonna have a bad time,” he threatened.

The wolf ignored him as she turned towards her skeletons. She whined as she looked over them before nuzzling between the pair; she felt horrible for leaving them and she wanted to know what had happened. “I-I'm Fine,” Willow muttered quietly.

Axe just glared at the front door as his eyelight dilated; he clawed at his eyesocket to keep himself grounded as to not go after and kill the two assholes. “what happened?” Stretch grumbled; his mood had turned sour quickly.

“red eaves dropped on my conversation with those two. once he heard 'bout what they did ta survive, he told edge which then spread to black. those two decided to take matters into their own hands since they didn't feel comfortable sharin' a house with those two. edge and black callin' that papyrus 'crooks' caused axe ta lose his temper, and after edge forced willow out of he house, that's when the fight broke out,” Sans answered with a frustrated sigh.

“willow?” Stretch questioned.

“WILLOW SAID THAT IS WHAT JASMINE CAME UP WITH SINCE HIS MAGIC SMELLED OF WILLOW TREES,” Papyrus answered; he was shaken up a bit from the intensity of the fight.

Willow noticed the bone lodged in Jasmine's shoulder which made him gasp. “YOU'RE HURT!” he shouted.

The wolf only whined and nuzzled her Papyrus more. Axe noticed the injury before grabbing hold of the end and ripping it out; Jasmine yelped in pain from him removing the bone that her skin had already healed around the wound. She grimaced, but her injury soon healed itself up. The only evidence of her being injured was her blood soaked fur on her shoulder. Ghost pains was all that remained from the fight, so to ease the pressure from her shoulder, she laid down and placed her head on willow's lap. Blueberry had started picking up the spilled Raspberries when the fight finally finished up. Papyrus looked at him curiously, “WHAT ARE THOSE?!”

“JASMINE LEAD US TO SOME RASPBERRIES, AND SO WE PICKED SOME TO BRING BACK FOR EVERYONE,” Blue answered with a smile.

Sans and Papyrus looked at the wolf who was gently nuzzling her pack mates in curiosity. Did she truly mean them no harm? It was hard to tell. She could have easily dusted Blackberry during the fight, but she stopped herself from doing so. She wanted to make sure that Willow and Axe weren't injured, and she treated them like they were her mates. That night, Jasmine hunted for food so her and her boys didn't need to worry about the tension returning during dinner. One point she made very clear to the entire household: do not fuck with her skeletons.

Chapter Text

“so, toriel will be here soon?” Red asked as he squirted mustard in his mouth; he was lounging on the couch with Sans and Mutt.

“yeah, her and the kid will be here in 'bout an hour,” Sans answered.

Mutt looked out the window where he saw Jasmine staring up at a tree. “take it ya didn' tell our wolf friend?” he muttered. He wasn't happy with how the human handled his brother yesterday, and he was more weary of her because of it.

“nah, i didn' cause i wasn't sure how she'd react knowin' there would be another monster and human coming by,” Sans said as he drank some ketchup.

“that smart with the two cannibals?” the purple clad skeleton asked. “ya really think they'd be able ta control themselves 'round a human?”

“i told tha kid ta text when they got close, then stretch an blue can distract tha pair,” Sans said. “outta everyone here, other than papyrus, those two are the only ones who won't start somethin'. speakin' of, your bros doin' okay?”

Red scowled before looking out the window, “edge is fuckin' pissed. 'm not too happy with her either. bitch shoulda stayed outta it.”

“'m gonna smoke,” Mutt grumbled as he got up to head outside.

Jasmine was wearing a spare set of clothing from Sans so she wasn't walking around naked. She didn't want to, but she complied before heading outside. As she watched a squirrel scurry around the tree she was under, the urge to give chase continued to grow. Would she be able to get to it if she climbed? When was the last time she even climb one? She wasn't sure. Axe and Willow were in the nearby shed looking over unused traps; they were going to make their survival knowledge useful to be sure they had a potential for a regular source of food in case Jasmine didn't have a successful hunt. The female ignored the sound of the door opening as she grabbed the lowest hanging branch; since she wasn't well versed in recognizing rotted wood, the branch snapped as she tried to pull herself onto it. She hit the ground with a grunt before she glared at the broken piece of tree that was on her arm. She heard a snort, and she looked to see Mutt watching in amusement. The young woman sat up with a grumble before noticing Willow and Axe making their way towards her. “JASMINE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” the hunchback asked worriedly.

The female nodded as she stood up before looking back up at the tree; she was hoping to find the squirrel again. “WHAT HAPPENED?” Willow wondered as he followed her gaze.

“I was trying to climb the tree,” she signed before spotting the critter a few trees away. With determination, she walked to that tree and began scanning the branches to make sure they seemed stable before clamoring up it.

“and why were ya tryin' ta climb a tree?” Axe asked; his grin grew when he spotted the brown creature scurrying among the leafless branches.

Jasmine pointed at the rodent with a scowl. Her slight glare amused her Sans further; anyone would think that it had insulted her with that look she was giving it. “WHY WERE YOU TRYING TO CHASE A SQUIRREL?” Willow asked.

The young woman just blinked at him before staring back up at the animal. She then grabbed a tree branch and pulled on it to make sure that it wouldn't snap. Once she determined she was good, she began pulling herself up on it. Success! She grinned from her spot on the branch as she hugged the tree trunk before standing up; she forgot about the squirrel as she looked down at the two boys with a wide smile. She had climbed her first tree since she was a kid, and it brought with it a sense of accomplishment. How high could she climb? Jasmine looked up before grabbing yet another branch and pulled herself up higher. This time, though, she didn't stop to look down. With every branch she pulled herself on, she was already grabbing the next branch to continue up. Willow was growing worried the higher she got up the tree; was she aware that she was getting close to the top? Did she even care? Axe noticed his brother's face as it got more and more worried. “careful, little wolf, ya don't need ta get yourself stuck,” he said. When did he come up with a nickname for her?

Jasmine ignored him as she pressed on until the branches got too thin to support her body weight. She looked out into the canopy of trees and smiled to herself when she spotted a few nests in surrounding trees. They were empty, but that didn't mean that they would be by spring. She inhaled the crisp cool air, but when she looked down to smile at her boys, she immediately clung to the base of the tree. The wolf was afraid of heights. Willow saw the fear in her eyes, and he sighed, “YOU CAN MAKE IT DOWN!” He was trying to encourage her since he wasn't sure he'd be able to comfortably get up there to bring her down.

She shook her head as she clung to the tree. Nope, she had no intentions of moving in fear of falling. It was unnatural for a wolf to be off the ground. The door to the house opened and closed as Stretch and Red stepped out to smoke, they noticed Mutt's amused face before looking to see the human on a branch as she clung to the tree for dear life. “did she not know she was afraid of heights?” Stretch mused as he lit his smoke.

“don' think so,” Mutt responded. “she was originally climbin' ta get ta the squirrel, but then she decided to go higher. now she's stuck.”

“how do ya not know if yer 'fraid of heights?” Red chuckled; this was good punishment for her attacking his brother in his opinion.

The three just watched as Willow and Axe stood underneath the tree; they were trying to coax her down. “ya got up there, ya can get get down,” Axe said. Jasmine steeled her nerves to try to get down a branch. The result was her wrapping her limbs on the branch beneath her and not being able to let go as she stared at the ground.

The tallest Sans sighed before his single red eyelight grew bright as red magic started to form around her frame. Feeling the magic trying to pull her away from the safety of the branch, she clung tighter to it. Her soul was telling her to trust the rust scented magic that surrounded her, but her mind was protesting severely. “i'm usin' magic ta help ya down,” Axe said calmly. “ya won't fall, promise.”

Jasmine stared at the skeletons under her tree, and after a while, she finally eased her grip on the branch. Panic clawed at her when she was lifted, but her eyebrows furrowed when she was eased to the ground below. As soon as her feet touched ground, Axe's magic dispersed and she immediately moved to hug the skeleton that was a good five inches taller than her. Axe froze as his eyelight dilated; he stared at her head before looking at his brother since he was unsure of what to do. Willow just smiled, “SEE HUMAN, YOU HAD NOTHING TO FEAR! NYEH HEH HEH!”

Jasmine smiled sheepishly at the hunchback as she let go of her savior. She had learned that she definitely wasn't going to be climbing any more trees in the near future. The sound of a car on gravel in the distance caused the human to tense up. Growling, she started to back up; she was preparing to run from the sound as she grabbed her pack mates hands and forced them behind her. Sans exited the cabin since he saw Toriel's car moving up the driveway with Mutt's security cameras. If there was one thing that skeleton was good at, it was the security measures that went into place. “don' worry, 's just a friend commin' ta visit,” Sans said. “axe, willow, stretch and blue are gonna show ya 'round the property so ya can get a sense of the area.”

“what friend?” Axe growled out; he ignored it when Stretch approached the three of them. Blue emerged from the trees with Papyrus carrying a small basket full of blackberries to go with the raspberries.

“toriel,” Sans answered.

Axe tugged at his eyesocket; he vaguely remembered his old friend. He remembered that she had become queen, but that was before he lost his memory. What had happened to his Toriel? He growled when Undyne came to mind. Though, he couldn't exactly remember how she factored in. Stupid bitch... “BROTHER, JASMINE WILL BE FINE. BESIDES, SHE COULD PROBABLY USE A FEMALE FRIEND,” Willow said.

Jasmine looked at her two pack mates as panic took in; she couldn't protect them if she wasn't near them. “WE CAN SHOW YOU WHERE DEER LIKE TO ROAM!” Blue said as he took Willow's hand to lead him away.

“THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! COME, BROTHER!” Willow said as he readily followed. “AND DO NO FRET, JASMINE, WE WILL RETURN!”

Axe grumbled as he followed his younger brother; the human was about to follow, but was stopped by Sans. “they'll be fine,” he said. “tor is comin' by ta give ya clothes and such.”

Jasmine's eyebrows furrowed before looking at her borrowed clothes. “What's wrong with these?” she asked; she took note that he was just a couple inches shorter than herself.

Sans cleared his throat as he tried not to think of the implications of her adorning his clothes for long periods of time. “ya will need your own clothes along with whatever else humans need,” he answered.

The female cocked her head to the side, “What do humans need other than clothes?”

The shorter skeleton was about to reply, but the car pulling up the driveway caught his attention. Jasmine felt a spike of fear at seeing the vehicle as she started to back up. The last time she saw a car was when she was “adopted”. A growl escaped her as she started to back up away from the vehicle. Her instincts were screaming to grab her pack mates and run. When Toriel and Frisk exited the car to greet the household, Jasmine found the panic growing more intense. Why was there a human here? Did they trick her? Is she going back to her cell? The young woman continued to stare as fur started to grow on her arms and legs; her growls got more aggressive as she tried to move away from the newcomers without being noticed. Sans frowned at Jasmine's actions as he studied her with his eyelights. He was about to subdue her with his magic, but that's when he saw the look in her eyes: fear. The she wolf was afraid of something that had to do with Toriel's arrival. “don' worry, tor is just here ta help,” Sans said in an attempt to soothe the distressed human.

Jasmine seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in, but her guard didn't drop. She wearily looked at the skeleton next to her before glancing back at the goat monster and teenager that approached. Both were frowning, but for what reason the she wolf couldn't tell. “hey kiddo, how are ya?” Sans asked with a grin.

“I'm well! I wanted to go see your new friend!” the teenager signed with a grin.

The she wolf blinked as the human signed; was she mute? “tor, frisk, this is jasmine. jasmine, this is toriel and frisk. tor adopted the kid a while ago after she freed us from the underground,” Sans introduced.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Toriel smiled gently.

Jasmine looked at the two; she wasn't sure how to respond. “Hello,” the young woman signed. She had questions, but with the human nearby she was feeling more cautious.

When the goat monster tried to get closer, Jasmine took a step back to maintain her distance. The she wolf wasn't paying attention to Red and Edge who were watching her every move; it was as if they were waiting for something to happen. “I won't hurt you. Come, I'll let you pick out the shampoo that you like,” Toriel said softly as she started to walk back to her car.

Jasmine looked at Sans wearily. she was unsure of the intentions of the two new arrivals, but she did wish to trust the monster; she had no reason not to trust them. Sure, Blackberry and Edge ended up attacking her boys and fought against her, but they didn't have any hidden agendas. Humans always seemed to be plotting and planning. Sans smiled and shrugged before following his friend. The she wolf frowned as she cautiously moved forward, but she stopped when Toriel opened up the car door. The young woman felt herself grow tense as she watched the goat monster fiddle around in the back seat. She jumped when Frisk tapped her on the shoulder; she growled lowly as she made herself seem bigger. What was the human going to do? “Mom won't hurt you. She's getting out the different soaps and other items that women need,” Frisk signed with a smile. “She wasn't sure what you'd like, so she bought a variety.”

Jasmine blinked as he brain tried to wrap around what the teenager had told her. Toriel was giving her items? Why? The she wolf's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she just stared at the young adult in front of her. “Sans informed us that you showed up without anything, and my mom wanted to help. She is always kind,” Frisk answered. “I was an orphan before she adopted me.”

The she wolf looked down at those words. She felt empathy for the teenager; being an orphan wasn't a good feeling. “I also was an orphan,” Jasmine signed after a moment.

Frisk blinked before smiling, “What orphanage did you live at?”

The black haired female stayed quiet before shrugging; she couldn't remember the name of it off the top of her head. She rubbed her arm as she got more uncomfortable. How long would these two stay? Jasmine's head snapped up as Toriel approached her with a large bag in her hand. “We can go inside and I'll let you go through the bag. Would it be okay if I worked on your hair?” Toriel asked.

Jasmine looked at Sans who was watching her carefully. The young adult finally nodded before following the three into the house; she left the front door cracked opened in case she needed to break out and run for it. Toriel had put the bag on the table and stood off to the side to allow Jasmine to approach at her own pace. Slowly, the she wolf finally made it to the chair in front of the bag and sat down. Curiosity won out, and Jasmine began rummaging through the bag as she pulled out a bottle that had blue soap in it that read 'Ocean Breeze'. She pushed the pop lid so it was opened before closing it just as quickly with a wrinkled nose. Nope, reminded her too much of the cell since it was near the ocean. She threw the bottle over her shoulder before quickly grabbing another. It was comical for Sans and Frisk to watch as she pulled out another two bottles and throwing them. Jasmine brought her nose up to a pink one and blinked before taking another whiff. She set the rose scented soap to the side before picking up a lavender one. This one also made it to the “safe” spot on the table. By the time she went through all the soaps, those were the only two that didn't wind up on the floor. “I can pull out the matching shampoos and conditioners along with the hygiene products after I try to detangle your hair,” Toriel said as she made to get behind the young woman.

Jasmine tensed and quickly stood up to move away from the monster. “I won't hurt you, I just need to look at how bad it is tangled,” Toriel said softly.

“Momma always cuts my hair. She's gentle so you don't need to worry about her hurting you,” Frisk signed.

The she wolf stared at them for a moment before moving to sit down in the chair again. She fought down a growl as she felt Toriel's hands run over her hair, but after a moment of her trying to separate some of the knots, the young woman was able to relax a little bit. “Well, your hair is so matted I may knot have a choice but to cut your hair short to remove them,” she said before snickering.

Jasmine furrowed her eyebrows. What was so funny? “that was rather, knotty,” Sans winked; Frisk and Toriel laughed at the joke.

The young woman looked between the three of them. “Why are you laughing?” she asked.

“gee kid, never heard of a joke before?” Sans asked.

When was the last time she heard a joke? Jasmine wasn't sure. She shrugged before staring at the table; she hadn't realized how much she had forgotten about her old life. Who was she now? Did she even have a sense of humor anymore? She was pulled out of her thoughts when Toriel showed her a pair of scissors. “I'll be using these to cut your hair, then I'll be using the electric cutters to trim up the rest of it,” she explained before moving to start the haircut process.

Jasmine was trying to remain still as Toriel started to remove the damaged hair. The she wolf found it weird how her head started to feel lighter the more she cut. Was she that weighed down before? It was something to ask about later. The more that was cut, the more content she found herself; it felt as if part of her past was leaving her, and she was more than happy to wave the bad memories goodbye. Perhaps she'd end up growing into a new person. The longer she was in the seat, the more she began to fidget; she was getting tired of being in one place. “Not too much longer,” Toriel hummed as she turned on the electric clippers. The young woman jumped from the sound, but was immediately soothed by the goat monster who started to tidy up.

It wasn't too much longer before Toriel finished cutting Jasmine's hair, and the goat mom handed the young woman a mirror so she could see the new haircut. The young woman carefully took it and stared at her reflection. Her hair was now shaved which left it feeling soft to the touch. It felt lightweight and it would no longer get in her eyes. She did have a few longer strands to form side-swept bangs, but due to the tangles, they were still relatively shorter. “Thank you,” the young woman smiled before handing the mirror back.

“You're welcome. I'll be back with the other bag; after you get cleaned up, I'll take some measurements so I can find some clothes that will work for you,” Toriel smiled as she packed up her hair cutting supplies.

After the goat monster left, Jasmine headed upstairs to shower; the hair cut left her feeling itchy, and she wanted to get rid of it. Once showered and dressed in a new pair of Sans' clothing, she headed back downstairs to find Toriel patiently waiting. Despite her being a stranger, the motherly actions from the monster was actually very welcoming. She hadn't realized how much she missed having a caring figure until right then. “So, in this bag will be shampoo, conditioner, and products for when you humans go through your cycle,” Toriel said.

Jasmine cocked her head to the side as she sat down on a chair in the dining room. “Cycle?” she asked.

Frisk blinked and looked at her mother who sighed gently. “Were you never taught about the female reproductive system?” the goat monster asked patiently; she frowned when Jasmine shook her head.

“Every month your body sheds the uterine lining which causes women to bleed for five days,” she gently explained. Sans had found the blank TV to be entertaining in that moment.

“I don't bleed every month,” Jasmine started. “I only bleed during the winter and summer seasons, and it goes longer than five days.”

Toriel looked at her in shock along with Sans. So she didn't have a regular human cycle? “Does anything happen during the Spring and Autumn?” Toriel wondered.

The young woman thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “I think I get ill. I get hot and can't stop sweating. I also get more defensive I think? It lasts for fourteen days,” she replied.

Sans' eyelights went out as Toriel looked at the young woman in amusement. “That's probably not an illness. It sounds like a heat cycle, though with you being human, that shouldn't be possible,” the goat monster explained. “What else do you feel?”

Jasmine's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the table, “I feel weird, have the urge to make claim to an area...I growl more, but that's all the odd behavior I can think of. I'm not fully human, so I'm not sure how different I am.”

“i'll be right back,” Sans muttered as he headed outside.

The young woman watched the skeleton leave in confusion before looking up at Toriel. “Don't mind him, he's probably going to find the others. If you have a heat, you'll need to be careful around the brothers. When female monsters are in heat, it puts potential male mates into a rut; since you'll be around ten males, they'll get aggressive with one another and you can get caught up in the middle of it,” Toriel explained. Jasmine didn't fully understand but nodded anyways. It was best that she tried to distance herself during that time to prevent any injuries.

After Toriel took down the measurements of the young woman, her and Frisk waved goodbye and headed on their way; as much as Jasmine enjoyed their company, she was grateful to be able to see her pack mates again. When they were out of sight, the young woman wasted no time in smelling around from her skeletons. Catching a whiff of their magic, she began trailing after them. She heard Willow and Blue happily chatting before they came into view. Smiling, she looked and saw Stretch and Axe grinning and chatting while watching their brothers. Jasmine ran over to her Sans before pulling him into a hug; she hadn't realized how anxious she was without him and Willow nearby. Axe blinked before patting the young woman's head. “gotta haircut?” he asked.

Jasmine nodded; her smile widened when Willow pulled her into a hug. “JASMINE, WE FOUND THIS AREA AND THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE IT!” he exclaimed.

The she wolf blinked before taking in the area. Sure enough, it was a clearing that had a whole bunch of wildflowers in bloom. The young woman wiggled free before leaning down and smelling the flowers; the wolf loved the smell they were putting off. The female laid down in a patch of flowers and began rolling in them with a pleased hum. Blue grinned as he watched her relax and melt into the area. The sound of bones breaking was heard and the familiar giant wolf was seen rolling along the ground before she threw her head up and howled; she was expressing her happiness in that moment. Willow grinned before cupping his hands around his mouth and howling with her, and Axe chuckled before joining in. Blue and Stretch watched in confusion, but Blue shrugged before joining in. The feeling of the bond getting stronger caused him to stare at the wolf, especially when her eyes locked on him. There was a softness in those heterochromia eyes that he hadn't seen before. Axe and Willow looked at Blue with weariness, but shrugged it off before howling once again. The black wolf let out another low howl, and Blue once again followed suit with stars in his eyes. Stretch sighed before also howling with the group; he realized what had happened since he felt a wave of affection pull through the bond. He mentally face palmed from not realizing it sooner. Wolf packs communicated through howling, and it was one thing that science could only explain so much. It was a way to strengthen the pack, to establish the pack roles, to bond, and that now made both him and Blue a part of her pack. That came with it's advantages, but what would happen if the others wanted to break that bond? Their souls wouldn't be able to handle the break at this point.

Chapter Text

Jasmine stared at Papyrus, Blackberry, and Edge who were shouting at each other while decorating the cabin with lights; the female vaguely remembered this being normal at the orphanage during a holiday, but she couldn't remember the exact name of it. She remembered trees, lights, gifts, and something about a reindeer with a red nose. It had been too long since she got to join in, and with her being captive as long as she was, she didn't remember many good memories of her childhood. She scowled as the yelling got louder, and she decided to explore the upstairs loft that was on the third story. The attic was decently sized, and the noise of the shouting match was much quieter in that room. Curious, she closed the door and was pleased to discover that the volume of the three skeletons was now equivalent to quiet talking. Yes, she wanted this room to be hers. She looked around the empty room as her mind started to lay out possible ways she could place the blankets that she claimed; she didn't need the bed since she was still not accustomed to the soft padding. After a moment of glancing around, she finally headed to her temporary room and began scooping up her biggest blanket and heading upstairs. Her actions didn't go unnoticed by Willow who was watching her curiously. The hunchback followed her up the stairs; he wasn't being quiet since he knew that her hearing was impeccable. “What Are You Doing?” Willow asked as Jasmine started to spread out the comforter on the hardwood floor.

The she wolf looked at him before smiling as she signed, “This room is on the staircase which is a straight shot to the front door, it's away from the others, and with the door closed it's quiet. I won't need to worry about the others yelling this way. The stairs to this floor is right by your rooms also, so if you needed to come up it is also available.”

“Wowie! You Do Think Of Everything!” Willow beamed; she never stopped impressing him with how prepared she was.

Jasmine's smile grew a bit before she went back to her task of making the perfect nest. The wolf didn't want there to be a nest since there was no reason to have one, but the human needed a comfortable place to sleep; this was a compromise. As long as Jasmine would occasionally hunt, the wolf would tolerate a more consistent housing situation despite wanting to travel and obtain her own territory to patrol. “I Shall Help You!” the taller skeleton declared as he headed back downstairs.

When he popped back up with more blankets, she grinned at a curious looking Axe who had his arms filled with pillows. “think they'll let ya stay up here?” her Sans asked.

Jasmine only shrugged as she took the items from her boys and continued to set up her sleeping spot; it was getting better by the moment. She paused in her task, however, when she recalled the argument. She looked at the two skeletons in her new room curiously. “What are they arguing over?” she asked.

“Well, From My Understanding, The Three Of Them Were Already Irritated Since The Christmas Decorations Weren't Already Up The First Of December. They All Then Started To Argue About How To Decorate The House,” Willow answered.

Christmas. That was the name of the holiday she forgot. Jasmine just shook her head before going back to her task; if they were going to argue over something so trivial, then she'd rather not be a part of it. The young woman furrowed her eyebrows when she heard footsteps approaching, and she looked up to see Sans leaning on the door frame. She could see the questions in his eyes, but he seemed to realize something the more he studied the room. This was intriguing to the she wolf since he only came across as lazy unless he had to play the peacekeeper. Was he more intelligent than he let on? “if ya like this room, i'll make sure the others know so they stay outta it,” Sans commented after a moment of silence.

The corner of Jasmine's mouth twitched upward into a small smile before nodding; he was allowing her to have this space. She signed her thanks as she continued to fluff up her nest with blankets. “huh, so that's where the extra blankets went off ta. just be sure edge and black don't catch ya with them; they're picky about when they swap out their sheets and comforters,” Sans said with a wink.

Axe awkwardly studied his counterpart; it was unnerving just how alike they were with only one minor change in the timeline. What made it different again? Wasn't he told? As he went to tug at his eyesocket, he froze when Sans was holding out a notebook and a pen to him. “i did some research,” the classic version began, “writin' is said ta help with retrograde amnesia. if ya want ta remember things, ya can write it down. 's an early gift from me since you'll be stuck here for a while.”

The taller Sans slowly reached out to take the notebook before muttering a thanks. The shortest skeleton just shrugged before heading back downstairs; it was a simple peace offering, but it would hopefully make the transition a bit easier. Axe stared at the pen and pad for a moment before starting to write. Papyrus and Jasmine were the first two things he wrote; next to his brother's name he added 'safe, no food shortage' before writing out 'not a danger, soulmate' next to the she wolf's. His next goal was to find out the names of the others to try to remember them; he was indifferent about the other skeletons, but since they weren't trustworthy he wanted to be sure he wrote everything down about them. Axe looked up to see Jasmine grinning proudly at her new bed. This was her own personal space, but if past nights were anything to go by, the horror brothers would either sneak into her room at night or she'd join them in theirs. She didn't complain since her anxiety always seemed to spike when they left her alone for too long. She blamed that damn scientist for her problems. The she wolf smiled at the skeletons before walking past them to head downstairs; she wanted to find that flower field that her boys were in the previous day. She ignored the looks that Edge and Blackberry gave her since she was still in her slightly torn clothing from yesterday as she opened the front door. She waved at Stretch who was on the porch smoking with Red and Mutt before turning into her wolf form and smelling the air; maybe she'd just go on a run to stretch her legs. Smelling the air, the black wolf began to pace as she decided what she wanted to do. Blue emerged from the side of the house with a hoe and some stakes before looking at the she wolf curiously. “where's the fire?” Red asked.

Jasmine briefly glanced at him, but her pacing didn't cease; she had excess energy and she needed to burn it off. She let out a small whine as she began to trot. “IS THERE DANGER NEARBY?” Willow wondered.

The wolf shook her head as she continued to scan the area to look for a good area she could start to run through. “wantin' ta explore?” Axe pressed; he was putting two and two together. He was wondering when she would get fed up with being stuck.

Jasmine looked at the tallest Sans before letting out another soft whine. “I WILL GO WITH YOU!” Blue had exclaimed suddenly.

The she wolf looked at the shorter skeleton before bounding over to him and bumping her nose to his cheekbone; she wasn't wanting to run off by herself. “BROTHER, WANT TO COME WITH US?” Blue asked as he stared at his brother hopefully.

“sure, bro,” Stretch readily agreed as he put out his cigarette.

The black beast crouched down next to the shorter skeleton who looked at her in confusion; he understood when she tilted her head towards her back. Blue hesitated before scrambling on her back rather comically. Once he was securely in place, she stood up before walking over to Stretch who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. The excess energy was getting to Jasmine, and a glint of playfulness flicked in her eyes; when was the last time she had the urge to play? The orange clad skeleton watched her wearily as a sense of mischief tugged through the bond. She then suddenly bit onto the hood of his hoodie and swiftly raised her head; Stretch clumsily fell out of the orange article of clothing, and he paused before chuckling. “i see how it is,” he said as he stood up and dusted himself off; he was now stuck in just cargo pants and a plain black t-shirt.

Jasmine was grinning as she continued to hold onto the hoodie. Blue gasped loudly from her back, “DON'T WORRY, BROTHER! I WILL GET YOUR PRECIOUS HOODIE BACK!”

The wolf looked at the shorter skeleton on her back before seeing Stretch aiming to grab his hoodie; she dodged to the right before landing on her forelimbs. Her tail wagged behind her; this was going to be fun. She heard a chuckle from Axe, and if she would have looked she would have seen the amusement that came from Willow, Red, and Mutt. Blue began climbing further up Jasmine's back to get to her face; the wolf felt this and jumped which caused the Swap Sans to fall off. Jasmine barked before trotting around the brothers while keeping the orange hoodie out of their grasp. The racket, however, caught the attention of the three Papyruses decorating the house. The three went outside where Papyrus immediately smiled in excitement at seeing the three playing, but Edge and Blackberry scowled. “WILL YOU CEASE MAKING NOISE! WE ARE VERY BUSY AND YOU LAZY BUNCH HAVE DONE NOTHING TO HELP!” Edge bellowed.

Jasmine frowned as she looked at the red clad Papyrus with disdain. She huffed as she handed the orange article of clothing to it's owner before shifting back into her human form; her clothing was now mostly torn completely leaving one of her breasts exposed along with the majority of her right thigh. “We're just having fun. Just go back inside instead of being a buzz kill,” she signed before crossing her arms with a glare.

“MUTT, TRANSLATE!” Blackberry ordered.

Axe and Willow glanced at each other worriedly as Mutt did as he was instructed. The two fell Papyruses' faces turned into that of irritation and anger as they both marched up to her. “I AM TIRED OF YOU BEING SO DEFIANT!” Blackberry started. “I BELIEVE IT IS TIME WE TAUGHT YOU WHERE YOUR PLACE IS! YOU WILL OBEY THE MOLEVELANT BLACKBERRY!”

Jasmine growled as she stood at her full height; Blue looked between them since his position was between the two. The she wolf grabbed his arm and pulled him protectively behind her person just as Axe and Willow joined her defensive position. The female started to sign, and Willow took it upon himself to translate, “JASMINE SAID SHE HAS NEVER BOWED DOWN BEFORE ANYONE, AND SHE HAS NO INTENTIONS TO START NOW. IF ANYONE IS TO LEARN THEIR PLACE, IT WILL BE YOU TWO. YOU'VE INSULTED ME AND MY PACK, AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!”

“I DON'T CARE! YOUR DISRESPECTFUL ATTITUDE ENDS NOW!” Edge growled.

Just as Blackberry and Edge were about to summon their magic (spearmint and cinnamon assaulted her nose as static started to crack in the air), they were engulfed by blue and thrown away from the five. Jasmine blinked as she saw Sans standing their; his left eye was glowing blue while his right eyelight was completely extinguished. “enough!” Sans bellowed. “i have warned all of ya to keep it to yourselves. i don' care what ya do, but go cool off alone. all of ya. when ya finish, we're sittin' down and havin' a conversation.”

Jasmine could only growl before once again shifting back into her wolf form (her body took a bit longer to heal since her magic was almost worn out) and running into the forest with a snarl; she had left the remainder of the cloth back by the house in shreds. As she ran, she thought about her pack. They would be okay without her for a short bit, right? Not that she had a choice but to leave them. This was Sans' territory, and as an alpha, she needed to be respectful to him while staying in his turf. Edge and Blackberry held the illusion that they ran the place, but Jasmine knew otherwise. Sans laid down the rules to keep the peace. This was his house, and he was merely allowing them to stay so long as trouble didn't brew. She wasn't about to start listening to the two jerks that tried to force her to obey, especially after that time they openly attacked Axe and Willow. The wolf continued to run until the scent of a doe in heat caught her attention. There was something odd about the scent; it didn't feel natural. Warning bells started to go off in her head as she slowed down to a trot. How far had she been running for anyways? She quietly proceeded a bit closer to the scent; she knew that bucks will get mindless at catching the scent of a doe ready to breed, so if nothing else she could use the scent to her advantage. Though there was something else that was hidden beneath the weirdly scented heat, but she couldn't put her finger on what the scent was. It didn't help that she was upwind from the source. Deciding to change direction, she made her way around so that she was downwind; her nose was stinging due to the overwhelming scent of the doe heat, but she also got a whiff of metal. That was odd. More warning bells continued to ring in her mind as she cautiously moved around the area. The scent of metal was almost upon her, but she didn't see anything. “Leave!” the wolf ordered. Jasmine wish she had listened.

A yelp of pain followed by whimpering ripped from her throat as a bear trap snapped shut on her left hind leg; she felt the bone break along with her flesh being cut into. She looked at the offending object in panic. Did she step in one of Axe's traps? Did he even lay one out yet? She didn't know, but she wasn't focusing on that too much. She silently wished for her bleeding foot to heal, but is was doing a piss poor job of it since she shifted three times already. Stupid decision on her part. She grew silent and tense when she heard footsteps; what was unnerving was the fact that the doe in heat was getting closer, but the footfalls didn't match. The wolf growled as she tried to get away, but the trap refused to budge so she could hide. “Jesus shit!” was all she heard before the sound of a gun firing filled the air.

Axe had been pacing the living room as the group waited for Jasmine to return. It had been about an hour since she had run off to cool down from the fight that almost broke out, and a feeling of unnease was starting to pull through the bond. Something was wrong. Willow's leg was bouncing as he also felt the bond pull in a way that bothered him. Everyone in the room was quiet. Everyone could feel the unnease, but not in the way the four pack members could. Blue was anxiously casting glances at his brother who seemed to be relaxed, but his older brother knew better than to let that facade fool him. “she shoulda been back by now,” Axe muttered as he gripped his eyesocket. Why had she run off again? Why was he concerned? Was she gone for a while?

“Maybe She Decided To Hunt?” Willow wondered.

Part of that question felt right, but something about the feeling was off. There was something that was making her uneasy during the hunt if that's what she was doing. That was when a sharp pain tugged through the bond that alerted the ten skeletons. Axe and Willow were the first to dart outside followed by Blue and Stretch since they were more compelled to comply with the bond. “We Need To Find Her!” Willow said with worry.

Axe was about to reply, but an intense pain pierced the bond causing everyone to grab at their chests just as the distant sound of a rifle firing filled the air; this was bad. She had been injured to the point her life was on the line and she wasn't able to heal herself. Another piercing pain ripped through their bodies that left their souls throbbing as another gunshot rang in the distance. Axe and Willow wasted no time in feeling the weakening bond to try to locate Jasmine. The horror Sans expertly tracked where she went; she had gone a good distance away from the house. As he and Willow followed the trail, he could feel the bond starting to weaken slightly. That was not a good sign. They didn't find her soon enough. The two found her laying down on her side next to two deceased humans who were bit in half. “shit, jasmine, ya okay?” Axe asked as he kneeled next to the injured wolf.

A growl was his response as her eyes snapped opened, but she winced in pain and settled when she recognized her pack member. She whined as she tried to get up, but her right shoulder and her ribcage was burning; she collapsed with a wince. Axe took note of her cut up face and new cut that adorned her left eye; the hunter must have cut at her with his knife when she moved to defend herself. “bro, come comfort her, I need ta go get someone ta help me teleport her back ta the house,” Axe said.

Willow flinched as he sat down next to Jasmine's head; she weakly placed her head in his lap with a whimper. Despite her pain she was telling him not to worry about her. “You'll Be Okay,” the hunchback said as he pet her head.

In that time, Axe had vanished and reappeared on the porch before storming into the house. “sans, i need ya ta help me,” the horror Sans growled out. “you're the only one i can ask to help with this situation.”

“what, i'm not good enough ta help ya out?” Red asked in irritation.

“i don't have a reason ta trust any of ya other than Blue and Stretch, but neither of them will like what they see if i ask 'em,” Axe snapped.

“I AM NO BABY BONES! I WOULD BE OF SOME USE!” Blueberry shot back.

“that's not the problem. she's seriously hurt and had ta defend herself against a pair of hunters,” the tallest Sans exasperated. “unless dismemberment doesn't bug ya, you're better off stayin' put.”

This caused everyone in the room to still. No one was sure how to respond. Sans was about to speak up, but Red beat him to it. “ya may not trust me, but i've seen my fair share of death, so I can help out,” he grumbled. “if she's as injured as ya say, then there isn't time ta argue. take us there.”

Axe stared down the red clad skeleton before nodding with a grumble, “i'll 'port us. ya do anythin' ta hurt her further, you'll be dusted.”

Red just scowled as the horror Sans placed a hand on his counterpart's shoulder and shortcutting back to the injured wolf. The fell Sans grimaced at the sight before sighing, “yeah, those swap bros wouldn't have been able ta stomach this...”

Axe just grunted before placing a hand on his brother and Jasmine, “help me get 'em back to the house by 'portin' the same time i do. ain't no way we can carry her back before she bleeds out.”

Jasmine moved her injured leg with a whine to get their attention, and that was when Axe noticed the bear trap. With a growl, he went over and opened up the contraption before tossing it aside and away from her injured body. With that out of the way, he moved back to where he was before successfully transporting them to the front of the house. “bro, go inside and get food for her ta eat; doesn't matter what kind,” Axe instructed before looking at Red. “i didn't notice any exit wounds, think you can use your magic ta pull out the bullets?”

Red nodded before red magic filled his left eyesocket; he used his magic to locate the wounds before quickly forcing them out. Jasmine loudly whined from the pain as she started to squirm from the feeling of the bullets being removed. “it's okay, you're safe,” Axe muttered as he used his magic to hold the wolf still.

Blood continued to soak her fur as her body's magic tried to heal her more serious wounds. Jasmine was coming in and out of reality as pain flooded her body. Was she back in the cell? She started to bare her teeth and growl as she fought against what was holding her. Axe's eye flared to keep her still as he started to pet her head. Willow came rushing back with two packages of raw steak; Blue came rushing out with the hunchback to see his friend, but he froze when he saw her blood-filled maw and torso. Against his better judgement, he checked her stats, and he paled further to see she had gained two additional EXP. “Jasmine, We Are Here, You Are Safe. Eat,” Willow instructed as he held the food by her maw.

This seemed to relax her further before she greedily ate the four steaks that were brought to her. This allowed her body to heal up so her life wasn't in danger any more, but she was still feeling the ghost pains. With a wince, she allowed her body to shift once again; her naked form was covered in blood, and as she tried to stand, she collapsed with a groan since her ankle was still sore from the bear trap. She would need to eat again to be fully healed by tomorrow. Willow immediately pulled her smaller form into a hug as tears ran down his cheekbones. “MY BROTHER AND I WERE SO WORRIED!” he exclaimed.

Jasmine flinched before awkwardly patting his head with her arm that wasn't throbbing; she felt guilty for not listening to the wolf when the warning bells started to go off. Her gaze met the porch where she saw the crowd that awaited her. She looked away from the tense expressions; she knew why they were looking at her like that. She had killed again. She took two more human lives because they attacked her. She had to defend herself, so why did guilt gnaw at her. She glanced at Axe before signing, “I need to get cleaned, though I'll need help.”

Axe sighed, “willow, she needs ta get cleaned up, can ya help her out? i need ta let the others know what happened from what i saw.”

“since i also saw the scene, i can vouch or add details if there is any missed,” Red added.

Willow nodded before carrying the injured female up the stairs and into the bathroom; he was initially uncomfortable with the idea of helping her bathe, but he got over it in favor of helping his friend wash off the blood from her hair and body. He was grateful that her injuries were mostly healed and were now either new scars or minor scratches; once she ate again, only scars would remain from todays events.

Chapter Text

Jasmine awoke from the feeling of panic building within her; she was feeling trapt, unable to move. When her eyes snapped opened, she stopped the growl as she saw the culprit. Willow was hugging her from behind in his sleep as Axe slept facing her. She remembered that they both had been fussing over her after the hunter incident. Sans, Blue, Stretch, and Papyrus had all been keeping a weary eye on her after learning she had killed another two humans. Despite it being in self defense, the four didn't like that she was able to easily kill her own kind. The remaining six, however, were more understanding of her actions. They knew of the kill or be killed rules to survive so it wasn't their place to judge her actions when she was close to losing her own life. Edge and Blackberry had been actively avoiding her since their last fight since Sans threatened to lock them downstairs with a magic barrier if they acted out once again; Jasmine was threatened with being locked in the attic without her horror brothers if she were to instigate, so she immediately agreed. Sans seemed to know that it was the two fell skeletons that were causing the problem hence why he added that she couldn't start a confrontation. He didn't say anything about her ending one. With a yawn and a stretch, the she wolf started to wiggle out of the brothers' grasps. She smiled to herself when she got out without waking the two before heading to the bathroom to take care of her bodily needs. Winter had officially set in, and a fresh blanket of snow covered the ground. According to Willow, Christmas (known as giftmas in the Underground) was in four days. The young woman had other things to worry about though. The wolf was quiet, and if the ghost cramps were anything to go by, her period was going to hit either today or tomorrow.

Toriel had already come by with a selecion of clothing, and she chose whatever felt comfortable since she'd just end up ripping her clothes when she shifted anyways. Maybe she should start to consider removing her clothes beforehand so long as she's not in a dangerous situation? She'd dwell on that thought later. After securing a pad in place for when it started, she threw on a t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants since there was a slight nip in the cabin, but her warm body temperature would keep her comfortable for the majority of the day. Jasmine headed downstairs where she saw Papyrus already preparing breakfast as Blue chatted animatedly next to him. The she wolf sniffed the air as she entered the kitchen just as a growl rumbled in her stomach. Blue's smile faultered briefly upon seeing her, but he did still wave. “Hello, Human!” the skeleton wearing the blue scarf greeted.

“GOOD TO SEE ANOTHER EARLY RISER!” Papyrus greeted.

“Hello. It smells delicious as always,” Jasmine signed before grabbing a handful of blackberries and popping them in her mouth; she had been craving something sweet, so this was perfect.

“THANK YOU!” the taller of the two smiled.

An awkward silence fell over the group as they all just fiddled unsure of what to say. “Look, about the other day, I really didn't want to take another life... I don't get pleasure from it, and I do feel guilty for doing what I did. I gave into the wolf's instincts to survive, and she overrides my human logic,” Jasmine explained. “Know I have no intentions to hurt any of you, but I will defend you if your lives are at stake, even if it means giving up my own. Despite what the wolf is wanting, my human side has been ready to welcome death, so if you feel it necessary to remove me I won't fight it.”

Papyrus grew stiff as she signed as Blue looked between the two of them curiously. “What Did She Say?” Blue asked.

The taller skeleton translated, and the two stared at her for a moment as they tried to find words to say. “WE AREN'T GOING TO KILL YOU, WE JUST DON'T COME FROM A WORLD WHERE KILLING WAS NECESSARY TO LIVE,” Papyrus started. “I GUESS WE JUST HAVE A HARDER TIME UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE NEED COMES FROM, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM HUMANS AND FROM WOLVES.”

“YOU KEEP REFERRING TO THE WOLF AS A SEPARATE IDENTITY, IS SHE A DIFFERENT PERSONALITY?” Blue wondered; he watched as she thought for a moment before signing.

“SHE SAYS THAT NO, THEY ARE NOT SEPARATE, BUT SHE DISTINGUISHES THEM DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO OR WHAT SHE IS ANYMORE. SHE ISN'T HUMAN, NOR IS SHE A WOLF, BUT SHE DOES FEEL THE WOLF'S INSTINCTS AS MUCH AS SHE FEELS THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HUMANITY. SHE HAS HER PACK, BUT SOMETHING STILL FEELS LIKE IT'S MISSING. SHE CAN'T APPEASE BOTH SIDES OF HERSELF AND SHE FEELS LOST AND CONFUSED,” Papyrus translated; his voice was getting more solemn as he translated. The trio were unaware of Mutt, Red, Stretch, and Sans eavesdropping on their way to the room with the machine to repair it.

“You Don't Know..?” Blue asked quietly. “You Are One In The Same As A Wolf And Human, Why Not Accept Both?”

“If I Do, Where Do I Belong? If I Give Up My Humanity Entirely, I Could Live As A Wolf And Roam The Forests. If I Give Up The Wolf, I'd Have To Ignore Her Instincts And Live Among The Cruelty Of Humans. There Are Times I Don't Have A Choice In Deciding My Form, But The Instincts Remain. To Have Two Separate Identities Thrust In The Same Body As Polar Opposites Is Cruel. Even Axe Says My Soul Is Different From Most Humans'. If You Can Come Up With Where I Belong, Please, Inform Me. My Mind Isn't Stable. It Battles Over Simple Sleeping Arrangements. Hell, It Even Battles With Me Just Staying Here. I May Not Have Wanted To Take The Lives I Did, But With The Wolf, It Breaks The Rational Side To Focus On Survivng. It Strips The Emotion Unless I'm With My Pack. Keep Them Alive, Care For Them... That's All I Know What To Do,” Papyrus read as the she wolf signed while avoiding eye contact; as he translated, he also noted how much smaller she seemed. She wasn't relying on the wolf currently, this was her humanity trying to apologize for doing something she knew was wrong, to seek forgiveness. The sorrow and guilt that tugged in the soul bond only confirmed his thoughts.

Blue also noticed this, and he immediately ran over and pulled the female into a hug. “HUMAN! WE ARE STILL FRIENDS, SO DO NOT FRET! I FORGIVE YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU HAD TO!” he exclaimed.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ALSO FORGIVE YOUR ACTIONS! I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO BECOME FRIENDS IF THAT IS OKAY!” the taller skeleton added.

Jasmine smiled softly at the two, and she wanted to express her gratitude. She opened her mouth as the urge to speak took over, but she stopped herself. She wasn't ready to, not yet. “Thank you,” she signed.

Papyrus handed the young woman a plate of eggs and bacon to enjoy with a smile, “THERE IS ENOUGH FOOD FOR YOU, AXE, AND WILLOW. EVERYONE ELSE ATE ALREADY, SO YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THEM. EDGE AND BLACKBERRY HEADED OFF EARLIER BEFORE YOU CAME DOWNSTAIRS, AND THE OTHERS WILL BE IN THE LABORATORY TO WORK ON THEIR MACHINE. THERE IS LEFTOVERS IN THE FRIDGE IN CASE YOU GET HUNGRY WHILE WE ARE AWAY.”

The female nodded as she graciously took the food and moved to sit at the table; she smiled to herself when she saw the silverware already in place as Papyrus finished making a plate for the two horror brothers that were still asleep in her nest upstairs. The rest of breakfast went by uneventful, and the two energetic skeletons were soon out the door to head to work; Jasmine figured that their place of employment was too far from the house considering that they were walking in the snow. A wave of cramping hit her left side as the faint feeling of a headache started to form; the young woman frowned as she looked out at the white sky. She wouldn't be able to enjoy the snow until her body finished it's annoying four week discharge. Axe and Willow were soon making their way downstairs; Willow seemed to be more alert than his slouching brother. “GOODMORNING, JASMINE! I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING UP SO LATE, THIS LAZYBONES DIDN'T WANT TO GET OUT OF BED!” the hunchback said.

Jasmine smiled at the sight as Axe just grinned a bit wider, “That's fine. Papyrus made everyone breakfast. Everyone is busing doing work, so it'll just be us three for a while.”

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY TO WATCH A MOVIE?” Willow asked with a smile.

“that would be a good idea,” Axe hummed as he sat at the table to eat.

The she wolf thought for a moment before nodding; she wasn't sure if she could handle watching a movie since she was only recently getting used to a variety of sound, but she knew it wouldn't hurt to at least try. Once the two skeleton's finished eating (and ignoring the growing curiosity of how they managed to form tongues), Jasmine joined the brothers on the couch. Her headache was starting to grow and her lower back was beginning to ache; even if she wanted to, she would not be able to shift into her wolf form as her magic battled against the side affects of her cycle. Willow had put on Frozen since he remembered his human getting interested when they first arrived. As he predicted, Jasmine wasn't able to turn her gaze away from the TV. She felt that she could relate to Elsa to a degree, and it gave her hope that maybe she will be accepted for what she is currently and she shouldn't have to fear her differences. As the movie started to come to an end, the cramping started to get worse and the exhaustion started to set in. Wrapping her arms around her midsection, she leaned on Willow as she tried to focus on the movie playing rather than the growing pain. The hunchback looked down at the young woman with a raised eyebrow. This was odd behavior for her. He was about to ask if she was okay before the faint scent of blood started to fill the air around her. Willow stiffened as he studied her, “HUMAN, ARE YOU OKAY?”

Jasmine just nodded slowly as she started to sign, “According to Toriel, women have a monthly cycle where they bleed for a week, but for me I bleed for four weeks and it's only during the winter and summer seasons. She said it had to do with the reproductive organs.”

Axe wasn't sure what he was feeling through the bond, but he felt her soul weaken and it was triggering his instincts. He had to make sure she was protected and safe. Willow was trying to push aside his protective instincts; surely she was able to continue to fend for herself, right? He was starting to doubt it as she let out a small whimper and sagged into his side. Axe gripped his eyesocket as his red eyelight dialated and fuzzy. He growled lowly before standing up, “we need ta get her upstairs.”

Willow nodded before gently scooping up the distressed she wolf and started to make his way to the stairs just as the basement door opened up; Stretch was looking at them in confusion since he could feel her weakened state through the bond. Axe growled in warning as he stood in front of his brother and Jasmine. He may have been a pack mate, but he still didn't fully trust him. Willow wasted no time in getting her to her nest so she was as comfortable as possible before returning to where his brother was; he knew that his brother didn't have the best control due to his head injury. “why do i smell blood, she okay?” Stretch asked as he looked to the hunchback. “i tried askin' him, but he just says it's none of my business.”

“Jasmine Told Us That This Happens To Her Every Winter And Summer,” Willow tried to explain calmly; he was battling his instincts to protect and keep her secluded until she was better.

Stretch wasn't sure why he was wanting to help, but he had a suspicion that it was his instincts talking. He didn't know her all that well, and with her being a human with LV, he sure as hell didn't trust her. Had he not strengthened the bond, he would have been ready to break it, but no, he just had to join his brother in howling that day. He mentally scowled at the memory. He didn't want her to be his soulmate, let alone share a soulmate with nine other skeletons. Oh how he wanted to rewind time to keep him and his brother from spending any amount of time with her. “Brother, Why Not Go Upstairs? Keep Her Safe, Ya Know?” Willow said placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. Axe grumbled but complied as he slumped upstairs; when he got to her room, he closed the door behind him and began to pace while keeping his eyelight on her distressed form.

Willow sighed as he leaned against the wall at the base of the stairs that lead to the she wolf's room; he didn't want anyone to walk past in case they decided to start something. Stretch watched before going into the kitchen to grab a container of honey and proceeding to squeeze a generous amount into his mouth. Waves of discomfort traveled through the bond which made him grimace; he did his best to ignore the urge to try to go ease her pain despite his instincts nagging him to go to her. No, he wouldn't, especially with Axe standing by. Stretch knew that Axe was unhinged as it was, so he just had a feeling that the horror Sans would rely more on instinct than any of the others. The orange clad skeleton knew that this wouldn't end well. The door to the basement opened up as Mutt, Red, and Sans stepped through looking confused; Stretch noticed their gaze move to the stairs before looking at him. “'parently our human is goin' through a cycle of sorts,” Stretch said; he knew they were looking for an explanation.

“that's what this fuckin' feelin' is?” Red scowled as he opened entered the kitchen to grab his mustard from the fridge.

Sans grimmaced as he recalled Jasmine's conversation with Toriel; this would happen for a month. “i heard her talkin' ta toriel 'bout it; she said she gets like this every winter and summer... that's not what we need ta worry 'bout though,” he began. “if it's true, she goes through a heat 'cause of the wolf dna.”

This caused the other four skeletons in the vicinity to freeze before staring at the blue clad monster. “you're fuckin' kiddin' me?” Red growled. “how in the fuck are we s'posed ta handle that? we don' even know how we'll react with our current soul situation.”

“with 'er bein' the only female and bein' in heat, i don' see this goin' well,” Mutt muttered as he rubbed his sternum; he didn't like the feeling of his already weak bond aching due to Jasmine's state.

Willow quietly listened to the conversation before sneaking off upstairs; this was something that his brother had to know about. He himself had a feeling he wouldn't be as affected as the others. Sure, the scent of a female monster in heat was always alluring, but he never had the desire to act upon it unlike his brother who would get aggressive while losing some focus. Axe was going to fight if it meant he got to be with a bonded mate during her heat, Willow was almost sure of it. The hunchback hesitated at the door at the sound of a growl eminated from the room; with a frown, he opened the door slowly before peaking his head inside. Axe's stiff posture relaxed some from where he stood before he resumed his pacing. Willow grimmaced when he noticed his brother's eyelight going fuzzy as it flickered; he wasn't sure if he was all there mentally and on the verge of an episode. He heard a whimper, and he flinched at the sight of the she wolf's pale face. She looked disheveled as her face scrunched up when another painful cramp ran through her body. “Brother, You Okay?” the horror Papyrus asked quietly.

Axe's eyelight snapped to his brother and it began to steady; the older brother grumbled as he gripped his eyesocket. He hadn't meant to be losing focus of reality. “'m fine,” he muttered.

“There Is Something You Need To Know About Jasmine...” Willow began before telling him the information about the female potentially going into heat.

“i'm not worried about it; with where we came from, those thoughts haven't come to mind... not sayin' they won't, but i doubt it...” Axe huffed.

“We Don't Know That For Sure, But It Is Still Something You Need To Know,” the younger brother shrugged before sitting down by the door.

Axe sighed before plopping down next to Jasmine. The young woman looked between the brothers before signing, “I'm sorry.”

“You Have Nothing To Apologize for,” Willow stated immediately. “It's Not You're Fault You Have This Happening. If Anything, It Is The Fault Of That Scientist.”

Jasmine smiled weakly before her eyes grew heavy and she started to doze off; rest would do her good to help conserve her energy for the up coming days. Well, she would have fallen asleep had it not been for the front door flinging open. “I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THIS UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING!” Edge's voice boomed from the floors below.

The she wolf flinched from his volume and tone before covering herself in her blankets; she had no will to fight back should something happen. It was quiet for a moment before the sound of footsteps heading up the stairs was heard. Axe tensed as he gripped his socket while Willow stood up at his full height before moving between the door and the female's weakened state. 'You may be weak, but don't stand down. Show them that you are still the alpha should they try anything,' the wolf quietly encouraged.

When the door slammed open, Jasmine held her torso off of the ground as a snarl ripped through her; she winced when a cramp hit her that almost caused her arms to buckle. Her heterochromia eyes met Edge's and Black's who were scowling at her through the doorway; the scent of the others let her know that they were probably crowding the stairs in case anything started to happen. Axe stood up as his grin became more strained while his hand tugged more on his empty socket. “why are you up here?” he growled.

“I WANTED TO TALK TO THE VERMIN TO FIND OUT WHY SHE'S MAKING ALL OF US UNCOMFORTABLE WHILE SHE'S GOING THROUGH WHATEVER SHE'S GOING THROUGH,” Black scowled. The she wolf glared at the shorter skeleton before she whimpered and flopped back down in her nest; her head was pounding and the nausea was getting worse. “HOW PATHETIC,” the purple clad Sans sneered.

“IT'S NOT HER FAULT SHE'S THIS WAY,” Willow pointed out; he didn't like that he was actively degrading her.

Edge just continued to glare at the human; he wanted to put her in her place for a while, and with her being weakened he could easily kick her out of that 'alpha' mentality. Oh how he wanted to make his soulmate a beta her pay for her defying him. Her eyes locked onto his as her eyes hardened. The red clad skeleton scowled at her defying nature, but he felt a little smug when she flinched from whatever was causing her discomfort and she rested her face on the pillow. It was a start in his eyes. “HER FAULT OR NOT, SHE IS--” Black paused as he stared at her nest. “YOU LITTLE THIEF! THAT'S WHERE OUR SHEETS AND PILLOWS WENT!!”

The shorter skeleton started to march over, but the growl from both Willow and Axe caused him to pause in his steps. No, it wouldn't be smart to try to forcibly take everything away from her while she was being guarded. Mutt had been carefully watching the scene from his spot in the doorway behind the two angry skeletons. He didn't like how she was being targeted, however, she was currently weak, and with the 'kill or be killed' world he came from she was making herself easy prey to his brother. He felt pity for Jasmine as she tried to put on a front to hide her discomfort, but he could tell she was struggling. He looked at his brother and frowned slightly; he did love his brother, but Mutt knew just how manipulative and abusive he could be. He stood by as the tension in the room became overwhelming when an idea struck him; maybe his dog treats would help ease her pain to keep everyone's bonds from straining too much. The thought of sneaking behind his brother was also slightly appealing to a degree. Sans popped into existance in front of the two fell skeletons; his strained grin put the two on edge. “before ya can make yourselves into bigger boneheads, i suggest ya turn around and head back downstairs,” the skeleton warned; he didn't like what he was feeling in the bond, but he wasn't about to let a fight break out.

With a few glares tossed, the group headed back downstairs much to the relief of Jasmine and her horror brothers. The she wolf let out a breath before pulling the blanket over her head to hide. Sans looked at her curled up form under the blankets before popping out of the room to go back into the lab. She silently sat with Axe and Willow who took a seat near her; she knew she wasn't able to pull her weight right now, and it kind of ate at her. The sound of Axe growling lowly caused her to peak her head out of the blankets. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw Mutt standing there with his hands up. “easy, 'm not 'ere ta cause trouble,” he started before reaching in his pocket to pull out one of his dog treats. “was gonna off her a smoke; it helps ease my nerves and anxiety along with any pain from past trauma.”

Axe eyed the purple clad skeleton wearily before nodding stiffly; his eyelight never left the fell Papyrus as he sat down near Jasmine. Mutt watched as the she wolf stared at him before forcing herself to sit up; he grimmaced as the bond twisted from another wave of pain that ran through her. Moving slowly, Mutt moved to light the dog treat before taking a hit and offering it to her. Jasmine scrunched her nose up. “Will this help?” she signed as she eyed the treat.

“should,” he shrugged. “you humans 'ave a similar drug; 's like pot, but it's smokin' magic instead of a plant.”

Hesitating, she took the dog treat from him before bringing it to her lips and inhaling. She started to cough from the smoke which caused Mutt's lips to twitch upward in amusement. “that's normal for first time smokers,” he mused. “take a couple more hits.”

Jasmine eyed him wearily as she got control of her coughing fit before trying it again. She still coughed, but it was nothing like the coughing fit she had previously. After her third, she did notice an improvement from her receding migraine. She blinked before handing the dog treat back to Mutt before hugging him; he had helped her during one of her most painful moments, and she felt like she would be able to move and not lay about. Mutt blinked before coughing awkwardly as he pat her head, “'s nothin'... just wanted ta see if i could help everyone out..” The purple clad skeleton blinked when he felt his bond ease; his bond had grown a bit stronger than what it was previously. He stared at the she wolf when she pulled away and gave him a small smile.

“Thank you,” she signed before she let out a yawn.

Axe and Willow had watched the entire exchange, and they nodded in satisfaction knowing that he wouldn't try anything now that his bond had strengthened a bit more. Sure, it wasn't on the same level as theirs, but so long as he helped ease her pain, they wouldn't kick him out.

Chapter Text

Jasmine smiled to herself as she rolled around in the snow in her wolf form; now that she was freed of her month long period, she could now enjoy the white blanket that covered the ground. When was the last time she had enjoyed it? Like most of her memories, it eluded her. “HUMAN, IT IS TIME FOR YOUR LESSON!” Papyrus called out from the porch.

The she wolf's eyes flicked to the skeleton bofore continuing to move around on her back. When she finally rolled back onto her stomach, the white snow continued to stick to her coat. A pleased rumble moved through her before her ears perked up and she bit the cold substance. Axe and Willow watched from the shed in amusement as they set to work skinning some rabbits; they had set to work on providing food for themselves in case the main household started to run short. Sans assured them that it wasn't something to worry about, but the two horror brothers shrugged and set to work with traps. During the month of her period, Sans had also decided he had had enough of Black and Edge trying to constantly pick fights with Jasmine while she was incapacitated; to try to help them grow closer, he assigned the two and Papyrus to help teach her how to write and read. Sans had asked her about her education, and from her response she knew some basics, but her knowledge was minimal. Saying that her education level was hanging in sixth grade when she was in her twenties was not something that he was expecting. Among that conversation, the ten had agreed that breaking the bond would do more harm than good since five of the ten skeletons had become closer to the female, not to mention the four bonds that were the strongest.

When Sans had told Black and Edge that they were to assist his brother with her education, they were outraged to be bossed around and had absolutely no desire to help the female. They were excited to have a chance to boss their mate around. The pairs arms were currently crossed as they both scowled at the giant wolf that was playing around in the snow. It was adorable. “WENCH, WE HAVE A SCHEDULE TO UPHOLD! IT IS TIME FOR YOUR LESSON!” Edge barked.

Jasmine once again rolled onto her back as she stretched her forelegs into the air; this was turning into a game for her. The she wolf was intentionally ignoring the two as she continued to enjoy herself now that she could spend time in her wolf form. Axe grumbled and started to head over to his pack mate along with Willow just in case something was about to happen. Papyrus sighed in amusement before going over to the she wolf. “HU-er- JASMINE, IT IS TIME FOR YOUR LESSONS. WHEN WE ARE FINISHED YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO RETURN OUTSIDE TO THE SNOW,” he said.

The wolf looked at the skeleton before letting out a sigh and standing up; once she finished shaking off her coat, she made her way up to the house before shifting back into her human form. The sudden nudity caused Papyrus, Edge, and Black to splutter and look away as she put on her clothes that she removed before having fun in the snow. She headed inside with the three skeletons to teach her in tow. Sitting at the table, she began to fidget as Papyrus placed a pencil and notebook in front of her so she could take notes. A look of irritation crossed Jasmine's face and Edge pulled out a workbook and placed it in front of her. “YOU ARE TO COMPLETE THE WORKBOOKS SO WE CAN GET AN IDEA OF WHERE YOUR EDUCATION LEVEL ACTUALLY IS. I WILL NOT TOLERATE LIVING WITH AN ILLITERATE NEANDERTHAL!” Edge grumbled as he crossed his arms.

The black haired female's eyes narrowed as a low rumble sounded from her chest. Papyrus cleared his throat as Edge glared and took a step forward. “IT WOULD HELP US OUT; I KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE IT, BUT THEY ARE THE BEST CHOICE FOR TEACHING. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T OVERSTEP,” this universe's Papyrus said.

Jasmine watched him before sighing and opening up the workbook. She blinked as she stared at the words; her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to proccess the words on the page. After a moment, it began to come back to her slowly but surely. She ignored as the three watched her as her pointer ran under the words as she read; maybe some things she'd be able to remember from her past. Time seemed to fly by as her left hand began to fidget. As she continued to fill out what she could remember, she didn't take notice of her fur that began to crawl up along her neck as her ears shifted into two black wolf ears. Papyrus blinked as he watched them twitch towards any amount of sound; if she heard someone walking around outside, one ear would flick towards the sound. Clatter in the basement, one ear would flick towards the door that led downstairs. The skeleton's eyes wondered to Black and Edge as they watched Jasmine with blank expressions. Things remained quiet as her work began to slow from some of the material not clicking with her, but it was short lived as the sound of a car moving up the driveway caught Jasmine's attention. The she wolf let out a growl as she tensed up; her heterochromia eyes snapped to the window as more fur broke through the skin along her arms and legs. “JASMINE, WHAT'S WRONG?” Papyrus asked; the skeletons couldn't hear the vehicle just yet since it just hit the bottom of the driveway.

Jasmine's growl grew deep as she stood and began following her nose to find her four pack mates. The three skeletons were about to call for her to return when they heard the sound of the car coming up. Sans appeared from the basement as his eyebrows scrunched up. “DID YOU INVITE SOMEONE OVER, BROTHER?” Papyrus asked.

“nah bro, i didn't. where's jasmine?” the blue clad skeleton asked.

“THE WENCH RAN OFF TO WHO KNOWS WHERE,” Black responded as his eyes narrowed; he wanted to know who was tresspassing.

“W-WHAT'S GOING ON?” Blueberry asked; the small group of people that had gathered at the bottom floor looked up as they watched Jasmine drag him and Stretch up to the loft. The she wolf just remained focused before going back downstairs just as Axe and Willow came back into the house looking just as tense.

Stretch tried to follow, but he froze when she whipped around with a hard gaze; he got her silent message to stay in the room. He didn't know exactly why, but seeing the other household members on edge told him that something was going on. Jasmine grabbed hold of Axe and Willows hands before dragging them into her room and closing it with the five of them inside. The young woman crouched and made her way to the window in time to see a police car pull up before two men stepped out. Jasmine backed away as she immediately shifted; a snarl ripped through her as she started to pace the room. Axe tugged at his eyesocket as he and Willow approached the window; the horror Papyrus froze and began backing up. “S-Sans..H-He Looks Like One Of The Guards...” he muttered.

Jasmine growled before nuzzling Willow's cheek and then pushing him and Axe away from the window; she had recognized him, and she would be damned if she couldn't protect them. She paused as she thought about the other skeletons. 'You shouldn't leave them to the fate of those humans,' the wolf growled.

The wolf's eyes locked with Axe before she looked at the door to silently ask for the door to be opened. The single red eyelight locked with hers before the horror Sans complied. Jasmine made her way down the stairs as fast as she could. The six skeletons that were gathered on the first door blinked just as Sans was about to open the door. Jasmine growled lowly before moving him and pushing him away towards the stairs. “H-HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus asked in shock at her behavior.

Willow poked his head over the stairs as Sans was trying to move around the wolf in confustion. “Everyone, Come Up Here Now. We Recognize One Of The Officers,” he said quietly to hopefully encourage them to listen.

Six pairs of eyes went to Jasmine as she nodded, her teeth bared as her fur stood on end. Tension rose in the house as the rest of the six skeletons made their way upstairs to what she had claimed as her own territory. Jasmine closed the door with her nose before going back to pacing just as the doorbell rang. Sans watched this behavior as the wolf's eyes became fuzzy while occasionally coming back to reality; she was trying to keep herself from losing control. The blue clad skeleton cautiously approached the wolf before patting her shoulder. “hey, it's okay. they can't get in without us lettin' them in,” he said quietly.

Jasmine's left ear flicked back to him, but her eyes were trained on the door; she laid down as she went silent, but Axe and Willow knew from her posture that she was just ready to strike. She was in her hunting stance. Edge studied her form as she focused on what was happening downstairs. He knew perfectly well that she was anything but relaxed; he saw how tense her muscles were. The red clad Papyrus looked over her and couldn't help but admire the huntress. The doorbell sounded once again, but the she wolf made no move. Stretch snuck a glance outside and watched as one of the cops looked around the perimeter which caused his eyes to narrow. Everyone wanted to know why they were there. “ya think this has anythin' ta do with tha hunters?” Red asked as the two cops finally got back in their car.

“that would be the only logical explanation,” Mutt hummed as he joined Stretch at the window. “they wouldn' have any other reason to come by the house.”

“THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY ONE OF THEM WAS RECOGNIZED BY OUR HUMAN,” Blackberry grumbled.

Jasmine waited by the door before shifting back into her human form. Blue and Papyrus flinched as her bones broke to reshape to her smaller self. The black haired female glared at the door as her hand seemed glued on the doorknob. Axe made his way to his soul bond before placing a hand on her shoulder. “let's go downstais,” he said.

The she wolf sighed and tried to will herself to open the door, but she found it near impossible. Her eyebrows furrowed, and noticed that her hand was shaking. She had been afraid. Axe studied her face before his hand was placed on top of hers and he helped her open it. Jasmine looked at the horror Sans before ducking her head and heading downstairs; she felt ashamed of herself for feeling as scared as she was. She sat on the sofa with her feet tucked underneath her as her mind was racing. 'Why, why would he be here?' she thought before chewing her lip. 'We were the last of the experiments. Without us they have no reason to stay there. They could be searching for clues while maintaining other jobs,' the wolf grumbled. 'You need to set up a perimeter and start patrolling. Keep your pack safe.”

Jasmine ignored the looks she was getting from the skeletons as she chewed on her lip and stared at her fists that were balled into fists. “Jasmine, Do You Think They Found Us?” Willow asked as he fidgeted by the front door.

She looked at her pack mate before slowly shaking her head. “They wouldn't just send two people if they found us,” the she wolf signed.

“so they prob'ly were lookin' into tha two hunters,” Red grumbled.

“it seems so,” Sans sighed. “so one of them you recognized?”

Jasmine nodded before she stood up and headed for the front door as her skin began to burn in her silent combination of rage and fear. The household could feel the combination through the bond. “where ya goin'?” Axe asked as she reached for the door.

She paused before turning around and locking eyes with the skeleton. “Protect,” she signed before darting out and shifting with a groan and snarl.

Jasmine focused on the left over burning sensation as she tried to find something to hunt. Food first, and then making territory. She was only able to find a small doe, but it would suffice until she was back at the cabin. Once she finished eating her fill, she began walking until she believed to have reached a large enough territory for her and her pack mates. She wasted no time in urinating on some of the dried up bushes as her wolf instincts demanded her to mark her territory. Mark, patrol, protect. That was all that she thought about. She trotted along as she stopped on occasion to continue marking the area; she was a little surprised that her idea of territory expanded past where she caught the scent of Sans' magic, but she didn't pay it any mind. Any who crossed her scent mark that she didn't know would be tresspassing and she would take care of the intruders. She didn't return to the cabin until she was sure that the territory was completely patrolled and secured for the day. As she approached the door, she shifted back and blinked at her four pack members that waited for her. “Jasmine, We Were Worried About You,” Willow commented as he ran up to hug her.

Jasmine sighed as she returned it before looking over him to make sure he was okay. “I didn't mean to worry you,” she signed. “I was just marking the area to warn people to stay away.”

“this house isn't ours though...” Axe mumbled as he pulled on his eyesocket.

The she wolf growled as her hands signed aggressively, “They came too close. You are my pack and were in potential danger. We are staying here, I will protect them if it means keeping you safe.”

Stretch raised an eyebrow which Willow noticed; he translated what Jasmine had signed. The orange clad skeleton lit up a cigarette as he eyed the female thoughtfully. She was going to keep them all safe out of fear. He was surprised that she was willing to protect the entire household despite how Blackberry and Edge treated her. Her determination to fight back against her tormentors for the sake for the sake of the ten skeletons spoke volumns about her. Stretch at that moment gained respect for his bond mate. She was indeed a fit mate. A deep chuckle sounded from Axe, “ya do live up to yer soul traits..”

“that's right, you've seen her soul,” Stretch commented.

“Yes, But It Was Under Unfortunate Circumstances,” Willow murmured.

“CAN WE SEE YOUR SOUL?!” Blue asked in excitement.

Jasmine flinched as her hand subconsciously moved over her chest as the memories of the soul extraction came to mind, but the memory of Willow removing her soul allowed her hand to fall from her chest. “you know that's private, bro,” Stretch said.

“YES, BUT WE ARE HER SOUL MATES, SO IT'S OKAY!” Blue grinned.

“Don't Push Her To...” Willow said as he pulled Jasmine close; the sounds of his bond mate's screams still echoed in his head. “If She Asks, It Is Fine, But You Don't Know What They Did...”

“...how did they force the soul bond on us?” Stretch asked.

“...Artificial Magic From The Dust Of the Monsters,” the horror Papyrus said. “They Used A Machine To Remove The Three Of Our Souls Before Grabbing Them And Forcing Them Together.”

The swap brothers stood in silence as they contemplated what was said. They knew that the bond was forced, but to think that it was completely outside of the control of everyone... It angered them. Axe ground his teeth as he tugged at his socket; he remembered the pain, but he didn't remember the event itself. His mate had been in pain too. The sound of the front door opening caught the attention of the five as they all looked to the source. Red and Mutt had come out to smoke and raised an eyebrow at the group. Mutt's eyelights flickered when he caught the scent of Jasmine surrounding the territory. The message of the strong scent was clear: stay out. This was concerning. If her scent to mark territory was that strong, then she would indeed be potent if she did have a heat. The purple clad skeleton looked at Red and noticed a bead of sweat rolling down his skull. Mutt couldn't help but smirk; his fellow fell was thinking along the same lines. Oh how entertaining this would be, but also dangerous. The horror brothers would be a handful should they be contending for her attention. “what're you guys talkin' 'bout?” Red asked after a moment.

“HOW THE SOUL BOND HAPPENED...” Blue answered after a moment.

That got Mutt and Red's attention; it was something that hadn't been talked about with the group. “an' how did it happen?” Mutt wondered as he approached the group.

Willow looked to Jasmine who nodded before he told the two fells what he told Blue. Fury could be seen in their eyes as they looked at their female bondmate. No one had a say. “why, why force it?” Red growled.

Jasmine pulled away from Willow with a sigh before starting to sign. “She Says The Wolf Believes It Was To Try To Force Her Into Submission Since She Never Obeyed...” Willow translated.

That gained the attention of the four that hadn't been there when she was imprisoned. She had been fighting and used forced soul bonding as a last ditch effort to force her compliance. “YOU STILL SEE THE WOLF AS A SEPARATE BEING?” Blue asked.

Jasmine nodded before heading inside. Ignoring the glances of the others, she headed upstairs and laid on the comfort of her nest. 'You did good. You're doing what you can to protect them. They are your pack. Protect them.' the wolf said.

'Are they really my pack? I'm not a wolf... I am not human... What am I?” she thought as she curled into herself.

'You and I are one in the same. I am you, and you are me. You soon won't need me...' the wolf soothed.

Jasmine's felt panic starting to claw at her. Her hands began shaking as she dug her nails into her head as she clutched it. 'No, no, nononono! I need you! You can't leave me. I don't know what to do!'

'Hush, pup. You have your pack. Everything will be alright. It is time for you to heal. You are free now, it is time to celebrate,' the wolf pressed.

The she wolf dug her nails into her scalp as fear set in. Thoughts of her cell flashed in her eyes and she let out a snarl before backing herself into a corner. She didn't hear the door open, and she barely registered the skeletons surrounding her. She wasn't sure how long she was thrashing around, but the scent of rust washed over her and she began to calm. Her vision cleared, and she looked around to see Axe using his magic to keep her steady as Willow soothed her racing mind. Stretch looked at her worriedly as she calmed down as Axe's magic faded. Jasmine flung herself to Axe and Willow as she pulled the two into a hug. “...I...I'm sorry...” she murmured softly.

Willow pushed her away before grabbing both of Jasmine's upper arms. “Did, Did You..?” Willow started as he stared into her mismatched eyes. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes from her panic attack, but they no longer were staining her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy from her freshly fallen tears.

“little wolf...you spoke..?” Axe asked as he gripped his socket.

Blue and Stretch both stared in shock at Axe's remark. They hadn't heard her speak. Jasmine broke into sobs. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...” she continued to mutter.

Chapter Text

Black watched as Jasmine headed upstairs. He had felt the panic and fear clawing at her soul not long after. He observed as the four closest to the human ran up to calm her down. Letting out a scoff, he headed outside where he knew Mutt was smoking those infernal dog treats. Stepping outside, he was about to call for his brother indoors, but he froze when the wind carried the scent of the she wolf with it. Oh how troubling this was. Jasmine had marked the territory to encompass this weak world's Sans. She was directly challenging his authority by doing so, but the question was if that was her intention. Regardless, Black felt it his duty to inform Sans of this development. “COME MUTT,” Black barked as he turned to head back inside.

“m'lord,” Mutt murmured as he put out his treat before following his older brother inside; at his brother stopping in front of Sans, the purple clad Papyrus' eyebrows scrunched together. He knew Black didn't care for the lazy vanilla, so it didn't click immediately for the reason.

“SANS, YOU NEED TO STEP OUTSIDE!” Black barked before heading upstairs to his room with Mutt in tow.

Sans raised an eyeridge at Black's demanding attitude before sighing and heading outside; his eyelights turned to pinpricks when he caught Jasmine's scent. Running a hand down his face he tried to steady his nerves. He wasn't sure how to handle this situation since none of the other skeletons have yet to try marking the area with their magic; sure, their magic marked their rooms, but none outright challenged the area surrounding the house. Surely she didn't do it intentionally. He bit back a growl as he headed back inside while ignoring Edge who had stepped outside to gather his brother to head inside but had quickly changed his mind to see what would happen next. Sans grumbled as he made his way to the loft while trying to ignore his magic that was starting to itch. Opening the door, he blinked at the sight of Willow holding Jasmine while pure joy radiated from the hunchback. The she wolf wiped at her face as a small smile pulled at her lips. The feeling of content was interrupted as Axe matched the energy from Sans. Tugging at his socket, Axe ground his teeth as he sized up this universe's Sans. “problem?” horror Sans grumbled as his smile pulled a little too tight.

“i need ta talk with jasmine,” Sans answered lowly.

Jasmine's head snapped to Sans, and her eyebrows began to furrow. She felt his magic roaming her in challenge, which pulled a growl as her instincts told her to push back. San's eyelights turned to pinpricks as he felt his own instincts encourage him to push the alpha female into her place. A growl rose from Vanilla as his eyes locked with hers. Moving while crouched, Jasmine's muscles were tense as her eyes never left his; in that moment she was grateful to have eaten what she had to allow for one more shift. Fur began to poke through her skin as her growl deepened and rippled through her chest. Willow tensed as he reached out to grab his soul bond's arm, but she pulled away. She was being challenged as the alpha female in her nest and she would not tolerate it. She groaned as she shifted into her wolf form and wasted no time in charging at Sans, but he teleported out of the way which sent her tumbling to the first floor. She groaned as she smacked the coffee table, the wooden surface collapsing underneath the force along with a few cracks sounding from her body. Sans reappeared in an instant before using his magic to change her gravity to send her flying through the door outside. When the wolf felt the magic leave her soul, she scrambled to her feet with a snarl just as Sans left the house. The racket caught the attention of the nine other skeletons as they made their way to the porch to see what the outcome would be.

The wolf held her head up with her tail raised as her fur began to stand on end. She began to pace in front of the skeleton before growing still, her muscles poised as she waited. Using her magic, she sprinted at him while aiming her fangs at his arm. Miss. He had teleported before using his magic to throw her into a tree; she didn't like that his left eye was glowing while his right was extinguished. She got back up and went for another lunge. Miss. She made one final snap to try to grab him as his gravity changing magic grabbed hold, but he easily kept out of reach. Jasmine found herself smacking into yet in another tree as more cracks sounded from her body causing her to wince as she uprighted herself; without her healing abilities she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. Axe had been held back by Red's magic from trying to rush over to confront classic when Jasmine's head lowered the slightest bit before she went in for another attack. Miss. The wolf snarled as she was thrown into the shed as loud snap was heard. Sans was starting to exhaust from the force needing to throw Jasmine, but he knew he needed to keep up at it. The she wolf picked herself up with a limp as her right forelimb remained off of the ground; something had broken along her lower limb and her magic was too drained to heal her injuries. Her tail fell from it's usual height as her hears pinned back. 'No! You must not submit!' the wolf snarled.

Jasmine picked her head back up while her ears bent forward as another growl sounded from her. Sans watched her; he was quite pleased with himself that she was indeed proving to be a strong alpha to match him. They were on equal standing. He knew that should she have had only the one shift that day she would have been able to best him with her stamina. Despite her injury, she made to sprint towards Sans only to be once again thrown into a tree. She tried to get up, but a groan came from her as she fell back onto the snow. Sans approached her wolf form, but he became confused as his bond with her no longer felt as fragile. Did this have something to do with it? He would need to look into a bit later. As he stood close, he watched as her tail moved between her legs and her ears pulled back. The message was clear: she submitted. Sans sat down next to her and pat her head. “sorry...” he murmured.

The she wolf eyed him wearily before briefly nodding. The tension seemed to leave despite the fury that danced around Axe; he didn't like that she was now like that. Papyrus looked at his brother in shock, “BROTHER, WHEN HAVE YOU STOPPED BEING SO LAZY?!”

“heh, not sure bro,” Sans easily replied with a shrug. “paps, why not get her somethin' to eat so she can heal.”

Papyrus nodded before running back indoors. Black and Edge scowled at the thought of the classic Sans being the one to make her submit, and even then they knew the two now saw each other as equals. Both had been the ones that wanted to break the female. Jasmine grunted as she shifted just as Papyrus ran up with leftover cooked steak. The she wolf wasted no time in eating enough to start up the healing process. Axe had been released shortly after she began healing, and him and his brother quickly made their way over to their bond mate. The horror Sans growled as he got between Jasmine and his counterpart. “you've gone too far,” Axe snarled as he summoned his axe.

The wolf pushed her nose against Axe with a soft whine; she was trying to convey that it was okay now. Axe grumbled as he put away his weapon and resting his arm on Jasmine's neck. The wolf groaned as she stood up; her leg was still tender, but she was able to at least walk with only a slight limp for the time being. Ignoring the skeletons, the she wolf ran off into the woods; it was time for her to hunt. Axe and Willow frowned as they watched her limp off before turning to Sans with a hard stare. “you had no right to go at her like that...” Axe grumbled.

“i can't say i'm surprised,” Red interrupted. “she did mark the area which challenged sans. But knowin' that she can hold her own against classic without much magic...” the red clad Sans ran his tongue along his fangs. “definitely worth keeping her as a bond mate.”

“TRY TO CONTROL YOURSELF, YOU USELESS BAFOON!” Edge snapped while swatting the back of his brother's head.

Axe's glare turned towards Red before his attention went back to the cleaner version of himself. “you pull somethin' like that again, i'll make sure you're nothin' but a pile of dust,” he warned.

“don' worry, don't intend to,” Sans said as his grin tightened before heading into the house with his brother in tow. “i didn't come lookin' for a fight initially, just happened.”

“she has proven to be a strong mate for sure,” Mutt purred.

“QUIET, MONGREL!” Black scowled.

“yes, m'lord,” the purple clad Papyrus grinned.

“I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE CONCERNED, SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE INITIATED THE CHALLENGE BY MARKING HER TERRITORY IF SHE DIDN'T WANT TO FIGHT!” Edge pointed out.

Axe growled as he headed towards the damaged shed; Willow sighed as he followed behind his brother. Black scowled as he watched the horror brothers slink off to the shed. “MUTT, COME!” he demanded as he started making his way to the forest.

“where we going, m'lord?” Mutt wondered as he lit up a dog treat.

“WE ARE TRAILING AFTER THAT VIXEN,” Black responded; he was determined to be the next to challenge her. “SHE SHOULD BE TIRED FROM HER FIGHT WITH THAT LAZY FOOL, SO BREAKING HER FURTHER SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE.”

A loud howl ripped through the silence of the area causing both brothers to tense up. Remaining silent, the brothers followed the pair of footprints until they came across their soul bond tearing into a decent sized buck. Heterochromia eyes met the two brothers', and Jasmine lifted her head with a growl; her strength was mostly returned from what she had already ate. “I HAVE COME TO CHALLENGE YOU!” Black declared.

Jasmine eyed him before standing up and licking her chops; her tail started to raise while her ears perked forward as she showed her full height. No, she would not submit twice in one day. Her facial muscles scrunched up as a snarl ripped through her, her body tensing as she prepared for another challenge. Blackberry's smirk faded into a more serious face as he summoned a bone with a pointed end. Mutt stepped back with narrowed eyes as he watched the wolf carefully. Both of them stood as they sized each other up; neither moved as the silence became overwhelming. Jasmine lunged, and Black jabbed his bone into her shoulder before moving out of the way causing the wolf to yelp from the stab, but it began to heal relatively quickly. She studied Black for a moment before once again charging at him. He took another swing, but this time the wolf moved out of the way and proceeded to latch onto his arm with enough pressure to leave marks on his arm. Black groaned before summoning another bone and lodging it in her shoulder much like during their first fight. With a growl, she continued her hold as she proceeded to smack his body against against a tree while maintaining her grip. Mutt growled lowly as he took a step forward.

Black gasped from the force of the smack, and his eyes widened when she pinned him to the ground. The wolf snapped her jaws in his face with a snarl. Mutt blinked as his eyelights turned to pinpricks; he wanted to jump in, but there was a pull at his bond that told him to wait. The shorter skeleton grabbed hold of one of his bones before jabbing her in the paw with it to get her off. Jasmine yelped before removing her injured foot from his form due to the sudden pain. The scent of blood filled the area from the substance clinging her coat. The wolf growled as her magic healed another wound. Blackberry studied the wolf with narrowed eyes; her healing was going to be a problem if he wanted her to submit. He wasn't sure how much food was needed to keep her in top shape, but he knew that the bone in her shoulder would at least slow her down.

Jasmine glared as she maintained eye contact. She knew that he would anticipate another charge, and he knew the area since he has lived here longer. The wolf would need to set up an ambush to catch him off guard without taking another hit. Her eyes flicked to the carcass that was next to her before she quickly ripped off a piece of meat and running into the woods. She mentally cursed the bone that was lodged in her shoulder since it hurt to move like she was, but it was needed. Black's eyes narrowed as he watched her leave the are. “goin' ta give chase, m'lord?” Mutt asked.

“It's What She's Wanting,” the shorter skeleton quietly stated as he picked up the bones he summoned. “She Knows She's At A Disadvantage Charging Head On. She's Going To Try For An Ambush.”

“to think she healed enough to pose a problem for ya in such a short amount of time... with her bleedin' ya shouldn' have any issues findin' her.”

Black studied the blood trail before following it, “Maybe So, But Why Would She Bring Along More Flesh From The Deer? I Cannot Determine If It's For A Potential Trap, To Consume, Or To Hide The Scent Of Blood That Would Be Clinging To Her.”

The two silently trailed her paw prints through the dense forest unitl they came across a section that had pawprints covering the entire area. Jasmine had gained enough distance to set up an area that would hide her prints and blood trail. They wouldn't be able to follow her to find her now. Black carefully scanned the trees with narrowed eyes; he was secretly enjoying the chase and the challenge. He was pleased to know that she was a thinking huntress and didn't rely on brute strength alone. She could tank hits, but everything had its limits. Like he expected, the scent of blood covered the area to help mask her as well. Yes, very intelligent. The surrounding area remained a little too silent as snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Black could feel eyes on him as he remained still; he was waiting to react.

Jasmine had her eyes locked on the shorter skeleton's back as she silently crouched towards his still figure. She knew that she was well concealed, and he wouldn't be able to see her unless she made any sudden movements or sound. She paused when she got close enough for her to hopefully get to him before he would react. Wait. Make him uneasy. Be Patient. The short skeleton knew that she had reached the perfect hunting position, and it made him grin. To think that he would be the one to be hunted. The she wolf furrowed her eyes when she felt her bond strengthen with Black, but she shook her head and refocused on the task at hand. It was time to finish her hunt. That was her thought until bones came flying at her. Growling, she dodged before silently moving through the forest for a new area of attack. Shortstack was more observant than she had given him credit for. Moving back to a crouch, her eyes fell on Mutt who had been watching everything so far. If she charged him, Black would have to react to that versus just defending against her charges. Mutt could feel eyes on him and couldn't help but grin; she was showing that she was learning, and he knew that she was going to throw his brother for a loop by going after him.

Blackberry scowled as he waited for her to once again make her move. Silence hung over again as her footprints began to be filled in by the falling snow. Now! Jasmine charged at Mutt causing Black to growl and head towards his brother who was a good running distance away. The wolf smirked as she jumped over the taller skeleton before promptly pinning him to the snow and snapping her jaws in his face while her eyes bore into hers. The shorter skeleton tried to free his hands that had been pinned by his sides under her weight, but he couldn't get leverage. He had been beat. Grinding his teeth together while growling, he turned his head to his brother who was watching. Jasmine's growling lessened before she moved off of him to head back to her kill not caring about the bone still stuck in her shoulder. She would just have Axe or Willow remove it when she got back to the cabin.

Mutt lit up another dog treat as he approached his brother who was picking himself off of the snow. “looks like she got the jump on ya,” he mused as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

“SHUT UP, MUTT,” Black growled as he started to make his way back to the cabin. “THAT INSOLENT HUMAN! HOW DARE SHE MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME!”

The taller skeleton knew better to say anything else while his brother ranted. Black was furious over being beat despite being the one to challenge her. Mutt didn't like how she tossed his brother around, but he also held more respect for her for not backing down to his brother who needed to be put in his place. That was something he would never admit outloud in fear of how Black would react. He loved his bro, but he would go too far sometimes. When the pair got back to the cabin, Mutt watched as Black stormed indoors past Red and Stretch who were smoking on the porch. “the fuck is his problem?” Red grumbled.

“m'lord was beat by our mate,” Mutt hummed. “he's furious.”

Red couldn't help but laugh, “no fuckin' wonder. my bro would be pist also if he lost to her.”

“she was clever; she knew chargin' wouldn't get her anywhere, so she used me to create an openin'. if ya want your bro to win, be sure to keep a distance away,” the purple clad Papyrus pointed out.

“i still don't know how i feel about her...” Stretch admitted before taking a drag from his smoke. “it's not that i think she'll intentionally hurt us, but she's unstable.”

“ya can't hold it against her,” Mutt said after a moment. “none of us have a complete grasp as to what it would be like to be socially isolated for a prolonged period of time. ya also gotta keep in mind that she's not sure what sure what she is anymore..”

“that's my point,” the orange clad skeleton sighed. “who's to say she won't turn on us if she becomes unstable from what they did to her.”

“if she were goin' ta, she would have already,” Red said after a moment. “think 'bout it. we've been around her for over a month, and before we even met her she was with those freaks first. if she was gonna turn on anyone, she would've before even comin' to the house. Sure she gets a temper, but not unless those two are threatened first.”

“while you have a good argument, she's still unpredictable,” Stretch sighed. “i hold more respect for her since she pulled us into the room when she thought we were in danger, but i still can't trust her.”

The three continued to smoke in silence as darkness began to set in from the setting sun, but before they headed inside, the sound of footfalls on the snow caught their attention. Jasmine padded through the treeline with a damp coat and that bone still stuck in her shoulder. She seemed to be lost in thought as she stared ahead as she walked. “what's the matter, ya look a lil bonely,” Red said with a grin causing her head to look at him.

Jasmine blinked before laying on the snow with a sigh and resting her head on her paws. She wanted to enjoy the outside a while longer before turning in for the night. The three skeletons on the porch looked at each other before approaching the wolf. Red stared at the bone before grabbing it and ripping it out causing their soul bond to yelp and glare at him briefly as it healed. “i'm sure ya didn't want it left in. it's not exactly humerous,” the red clad skeleton smirked. The she wolf blinked before shifting back into her human form and sitting on the ground. “do ya not have a sense of humor?” Red grumbled as he also sat down followed by Mutt and Stretch.

The young woman thought for a moment as she stared at the ground. “...I don't know...” she said softly.

The two fell skeletons blinked in shock at hearing her speak; Stretch had heard it when she began apologizing while Willow was holding her. “the fuck ya mean ya don't know?” Red muttered.

Jasmine opened her mouth but paused before signing; she was still not comfortable saying much verbally. Seeing Stretch's raised eyebrow, Mutt took the liberty of translating, “she says that she doesn't remember any jokes in her time before bein' tortured.”

“where did you use to live before everythin' went to hell?” Stretch wondered.

Mutt again translated as she signed, “she grew up in an orphanage, but she doesn't remember her time there very well. her and a few others were adopted by the ones who turned her into what she is now.”

“fuckin' humans...” Red growled.

“...fuck humans...” Jasmine agreed before standing up and heading inside.

Awkwardness hung in the air from the events that transpired, but the she wolf paid it no mind as she went to the bathroom to wash the blood from her body. 'You did good today. You are now seen as an equal among two of the alphas,' the wolf praised.

While that was true, she felt more lost. She felt more of her humanity slip from her when she listened to the instincts. 'Why? Why am I the way I am? Why am I doubting myself. Where do I belong? I'm not human. I'm not a wolf. What am I? What am I?!' her brain screamed as she clawed at her head. 'Why couldn't I have died in that cell..? What good would my survival bring..? I'm a freak... I was forced upon the monsters, and now they suffer too...'

'Silence. They had the option to break the bond as much as you did. You are no longer alone. Confused, yes, but not alone. Survive. If you can't survive for yourself, survive long enough until we can get revenge on those humans,' the wolf growled.

“Jasmine, Are You Okay?” Willow asked as he peeked into the bathroom.

Jasmine locked eyes with her pack mate as she thought about the question. “...I don't know..” she replied finally. “...lost...”

“Lost In What Way?” the horror Papyrus pressed.

She stared before looking away and continued to shower, “...What am I..? Who am I...?”

Willow entered the bathroom before closing the door behind him as he thought about the question. “You Are You,” he responded after a moment. “You Are Human, And You Are A Wolf. You May Be Scared, But You Show Your Kindness To Those Who Give You A Chance.”

Tears started to fall from the she wolf's cheeks as she looked at her Papyrus. That was how she always viewed him from their time out in the wilderness. He was her first packmate afterall. “...You accept me..?” she asked.

“Of Course. I Like Who You Are,” he smiled, though his crooked teeth made it look more like a grimace.

Jasmine shut off the water once she finished rinsing before tackling Willow into a hug which caused the door to break off it's hinges. The nine other skeletons in the house jumped from the sudden racket of the door slamming into the ground. The she wolf smiled as she held onto the hunchback while muttering her thanks. She knew someone who had accepted her. Did her other packmates view her the same way? “WAS THAT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY?! NOT ONLY DID YOU BREAK ANOTHER DOOR, BUT YOU'RE ALSO GETTING WATER ALL OVER THE FLOOR!” Edge screeched.

The she wolf looked up at him and could only just smile; she was happy right now and she didn't care about his scolding in that moment. “WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!” he shouted as he placed his fists on his hip bones and leaned forward.

“Home,” she answered.

Chapter Text

            Jasmine lay under one of the trees as the sun melted some of the snow in her giant wolf form. She ignored Edge as he tried to demand her return inside for her lesson. The she-wolf groaned as she listened to the awakening forest around her. She could hear critters stirring as the first hints of Spring warmed the mountainside. Papyrus tried to coax her in with the promise of play later, but she wasn’t in the mood for that. No, today, she wanted to ignore the more human side. She had been spending so much time in her human form that she found herself wanting to be a wolf. Standing up, Jasmine shook her coat before walking away from the house. This enraged Edge, who then summoned a wall of bone directly in front of the wolf. Jasmine tensed before turning around; the fur on her back rose as she bared her teeth and her tail rose. The skeletons recognized this as her aggressive stance since she was slowly approaching at full height; Edge had just crossed a line with her. She didn’t tolerate being denied her freedom now that she had it. The red-clad Papyrus hid his smirk as she growled at him, her eyes remaining locked solely on him. He got her attention, and he would finally push her to her limits to assert his dominance and put her in her place. Jasmine paced in front of Edge, who stood with his arms crossed in front of the house; she wouldn’t pounce directly at him. Sans had made it clear that the house was not to sustain any more damage than it already had because of fights breaking out. However, she considered it because she knew that Edge was also aware of this fact. Catching him off guard would work in her favor.

            Jasmine stared him down and waited for him to make his move. She felt his magic pushing against her, but she didn’t give him the pleasure of a reaction. The hostile magic crackled against her, which put her further on edge. As a hunter, she knew he intended to instill fear as she remained roughly twenty feet from the house. No, her best bet was to catch him off guard somehow. Edge’s eyes narrowed as her stance remained unphased, her stalking form pacing in front of him. Her heterochromia eyes bore into his as she moved from one side of his peripherals to the other. His body tensed as she paused in her footing, only for her to continue her pacing. She kept him on edge to test his patience, which he was in a limited supply of. It irritated him. Then she began a faux charge between pauses; she was pushing him to see if she’d get a reaction in return. Edge’s scowl intensified as he had summoned a bone when she first began her fake approaches; her eyes glinted in defiance as she continued to test his patience. Letting out a snarl, Edge began hurling bone attacks at an alarming rate to overwhelm the she-wolf hopefully; this way, he wasn’t breaking any rules because the house wasn’t being attacked. Jasmine could only dodge the relentless attacks, which allowed her to conserve her energy while he burned through his. She had only one shift on a full stomach, so she was only biding her time until the moment to strike presented itself. She had patience in spades. After every wave of bones, Jasmine got closer, which caused Edge to throw in more attacks. The wolf in her wanted to attack, but the wolf also knew the importance of being a patient hunter. She would enjoy the chase when it was the perfect opportunity. Jasmine snarled as an attack cut into her shoulder, but she didn’t cease her dodging as her eyes remained locked on her attacker. Her wound quickly healed as she once again faux charged, to which Edge responded with yet another wall of bones. He was getting frustrated at her ability to dodge, and it was showing.

            The fighting pair remained unaware of the growing audience, nor a furious Axe and Willow, who were being held back to stay out of the way of the angry duo. Axe paused when a push to wait hit him through the bond; defiance and determination pulsed strongly as she dodged; every cut she received healed almost as soon as the wound was dealt. She had a chance of coming out on top if she continued to conserve her energy. She could use her magic for a massive burst of speed, but she needed to wait to ensure she wouldn’t be reckless as she did so. Draining her energy when she had to heal as many cuts as she was receiving would be idiotic, and she knew it. She continued to dodge until she noticed a bead of sweat forming on his skull. The hundreds of bones thrown her way were slowing, and she had her opportunity. Jasmine darted to the left as another barrage of bones was thrown her way, and rather than stopping to change directions, she gathered some of her magic reserves into the bottom of her paws and sprinted directly at the attacking skeleton; her collision with Edge would keep the front of the cabin from getting damaged, so she wasn’t about to be breaking Sans’ orders. The speed in which Jasmine proceeded to attack took Edge by surprise, but he reacted quick enough to summon a sharpened bone sword to block the brunt of the wolf’s swipe to knock him away from the house, successfully bringing him out in the open. Edge quickly found his footing as he stood tall, his eyes narrowing at the wolf. Jasmine circled the skeleton, the fur on her shoulders remaining on end, her posture stiff and guarded. She waited only a moment before striking, which ended the fight. Tanking the bone, Jasmine’s jaws around the skeleton’s left arm before pinning him on the ground, making sure he could not move. When Edge’s eyelights flickered away momentarily, all tension left the wolf as she moved her paw from the skeleton and shook her coat with a huff. Paying him no mind, the she-wolf began trotting off to patrol the territory around the home. She was a part of it more since the bond was stronger with more than half of the skeletons now. She felt the bitterness through her stronger bond with Edge, but she knew it was from him losing the fight. His arrogance is what caused him to lose.

            Wandering through the forest, Jasmine huffed as she secured the territory. Feeling the emotions of the others through the bond was still difficult for her to get used to since her feelings seemed to have left her years ago. Well, aside from fear and anger. She knew she was starting to become happy, but she didn’t recognize the feeling of happiness. It felt foreign. Then there was the schooling she was receiving from Papyrus, Edge, and Black. She didn’t care at this rate about her education, but it was to those three and Blue for whatever reason. It was overwhelming her since the scents of everyone’s magic, and volume came with it. After sitting in a mostly quiet environment and isolation for as long as she had, everything was still too loud despite being with the household for nearly two seasons. She didn’t know what she was feeling with the mixed emotions coursing through her and unusual sensations. Spring was around the corner, which meant that the foreign feelings would only get more substantial and complicated. It was why she was so intent on being left alone today. She was confused by the need to be closer to those bonded to her, and the need for more attention scared her. That was a new experience, and she needed to break away to understand why it was happening. The wolf wanted to be closer to Axe and Willow, but Jasmine was confused and scared. Letting out a growl, she picked up her pace as she allowed her magic to spread over the grass that brushed against her. The unease strangled her soul as she continued her trek around the property. How would she have any guidance when she had never felt anything remotely like how she currently did? ‘It is natural; you have nothing to fear. Wanting attention from your mates is not bad,’ the wolf stated, trying to ease her concerns.

            ‘Nothing to fear? This isn’t something that we’ve experienced before…Sure, the weird feeling is the same, but this isn’t normal. This is new. How is it natural?’ Jasmine thought with a shake of her head, a growl rumbling in her chest.

            ‘You’ll know soon enough. I can’t always be the one to tell you everything. I am you, so all I can say is trust your instincts when you are ready,’ the wolf soothed.

            The she-wolf rolled her eyes as she found the stream where she found the berries and laid down. Maybe she should spend whatever time this is away from home, isolating herself for a few days. Staying away would worry her mates, but it would allow her some peace while working out this problem she was struggling with. The sound of footsteps approaching caused her to look over her shoulder; at the sight of Papyrus, she cocked her head to the side. “I APOLOGIZE IF I AM INTRUDING, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE OKAY,” Papyrus said as he fidgeted with his hands.

            Jasmine let out a sigh before standing up and bumping her head against his with a grunt. Papyrus looked at the wolf, a bit startled from the sudden contact. “I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS,” he stated.

            The she-wolf let out a grumble before nuzzling his cheek and returning to her patrol. Hurried footsteps told her that she would have continued company. “DOES THAT MEAN YOU’RE OKAY?” he asked.

            Jasmine nodded as she walked on; this wasn’t what she was hoping for, but there seemed to be no way. Silence fell between the two, but Papyrus wanted to talk. “YOU SEEM TO BE HAVING A HARDER TIME STAYING INDOORS, SO I TOLD THE OTHERS TO GIVE YOU A BREAK. WHILE EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT, YOU ARE STILL ADJUSTING, AND WE SHOULDN’T INTRUDE ON THAT. AFTER YOUR FIGHT WITH EDGE, I WANTED TO BE SURE THAT YOU WEREN’T UPSET,” he finally stated. The wolf shook her head as she continued. “WHY ARE YOU PATROLLING AGAIN ANYWAYS? POTENTIAL DANGER? I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ACCOMPANY YOU!” Papyrus pressed. “IT IS IMPRESSIVE THAT YOU ARE THIS DEDICATED, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU AREN’T BONDED WITH EVERYONE. IT’S VERY RESPECTABLE. THOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER SINCE WE DID MEET IN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES…”

            Jasmine paused as a sigh escaped her. She wasn’t upset with him, but this added to her emotional struggle. She groaned and rubbed her head against another tree, magic coating it with her scent. Papyrus fidgeted from the discomfort of the underlying scent of minor arousal that clung to the magic, and that’s when it clicked about the discussion of heat and oddity of her behavior. His eyebrows furrowed as he focused on the bond; he could feel the confusion, anger, and fear faintly moving through his connection with her. “JASMINE, HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE FEELING..?” Papyrus asked after a moment.

            The wolf paused and looked at the tall skeleton before slowly shaking her head. If he knew what she was feeling, she’d happily sit down for a lesson. “WELL, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT’S YOUR BODY WANTING YOU TO HAVE CHILDREN,” Papyrus began awkwardly. “I HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED THE URGE BUT I’VE HEARD RED AND MUTT SPEAK ABOUT SUCH DESIRES OPENLY… TO HAVE SEX, THAT IS…”

            The wolf cocked her head to the side before continuing to walk. “Sex?” she asked; her voice came out as a rough growl.

            Papyrus looked taken aback. “YOU CAN TALK AS A WOLF?” he asked, surprised.

            “Seems so,” she grumbled as she moved.

            “NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE NOW?”

            Jasmine shook her head as she moved through the brush and the few snow patches that remained. ‘I told you, it’s a natural feeling. It is nothing to fear,’ the wolf stated.

            Jasmine huffed as she walked on. “IF IT HELPS, I KNOW THAT WE WILL BE PATIENT AS YOU TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS YOU’RE EXPERIENCING,” Papyrus said as he followed next to his bond mate. “I KNOW WHAT WILL CHEER YOU UP; HOW ABOUT A RACE! A LAP AROUND THE PROPERTY, AND WHOEVER FINISHES THE LAP AND REACHES THE HOUSE FIRST WINS!”

            The giant wolf grinned before nodding and coming to a stop; running sounded like a good idea to help blow off some steam. “NYEHEHE! ALRIGHT, ON THE COUNT OF THREE!” Papyrus exclaimed. “ONE, TWO, THREE!” Both took off through the dense trees as soon as the countdown finished. Jasmine’s paws stuck against the dead grass as she weaved through the trees with ease. Glancing to her right, she was taken aback at seeing Papyrus keeping pace with her easily. Jasmine’s grin widened as she felt her bond strengthen from the race. Papyrus noticed the increased feelings, and he couldn’t help but grin. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL WIN!”

            The two remained neck and neck as they rounded the property, and at the final sprint, Jasmine used magic to boost her speed. Papyrus noticed the sudden influx of speed and then laughed as he used his magic to continue the challenge. Jasmine had underestimated how fast Papyrus could run, but she didn’t give up. The race ended with the two tying at the front steps, Jasmine’s tongue hanging out as she panted. “THAT WAS FUN!” Papyrus exclaimed as he stuck a pose.

            The wolf barked in agreement as her tail wagged; she began trotting around the skeleton as a wave of energy hit her. Papyrus caught on that she wanted to play and beamed before slowly approaching the canine. Jasmine huffed as she lowered herself onto her forelegs, but the feeling quickly faded as a wave of discomfort pulled through her bond along with rage. Growling, she turned back into her human form and marched inside as her mismatched eyes scanned the house. She quickly felt the pull leading her upstairs as she quickly climbed the stairs. She heard Black shouting the closer she got to the second story, and she quickly made her way to the door before flinging it open. She blinked as she took in the sight of Black standing over his brother who had new scratch marks adorning his cheek. Snarling, Jasmine quickly shoved the shorter skeleton out of the way and stood protectively in front of Mutt. The short skeleton scowled as he stared at the she-wolf. “Get Out Of My Way. This Doesn’t Concern You,” Black growled.

            Jasmine shook her head as her gaze remained locked with his; she would not yield. The purple-clad Sans finally scoffed before turning to his organized desk and opening his email. After a tense moment of silence, Jasmine helped Mutt up before grabbing his hand and leading him out of his brother’s lavish room. “ya didn’ have ta do that…” Mutt muttered as he wiped some dust off his cheek.

            The she-wolf sighed before pulling the lanky skeleton into a hug; she wasn’t sure how to comfort him since she never had to before. She silently followed behind him as he headed to the porch and lit up a dog treat. Jasmine wrinkled her nose but wasn’t feeling nearly as bothered as she had been before. Mutt eyed the human as he took a hit from his smoke. He felt his bond become complete with her stepping in, but he also felt embarrassed from her doing so. He wondered if she viewed him as weak for allowing it to happen and not sticking up for himself, but he never could because he couldn’t stop his brother from doing what he felt was necessary, even at the expense of his own mental health. The purple-clad Papyrus took a deep breath, and just as his sigh was about to finish, he froze. His pupils dilated as he caught the whiff of faint arousal that clung to the she-wolf. Mutt faced her and studied her, looking for any sign that she would know what she was experiencing, but he only noticed the discomfort. Shit was about to start.