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"The Underground"

It had just passed the hour of twilight as Guin entered the thick forest; the sounds of someone singing in the distance had lured him away from his campfire, and now he had become impossibly lost in the dense trees. The warrior had left his cloak and armor when he'd stepped away, and was dressed in a simple pair of trousers that brushed against the bushes that he'd passed. His eyes were sharp in the darkness, but even here; everything seemed to be pitch black for him. He had made a wrong turn; that much was obvious, and each time he thought he found a path that would lead him back to the main road, he found that it only led him deeper into the darkness.

The warrior was no stranger to facing the darkness; but in this literal sense, he was rather overwhelmed. He scratched the back of his leopard head in confusion as he more and more cautiously made his way along the ever-eroding trail under his feet. He didn't get lost; it was not in his nature, he always found his way. This must be some sort of a trick; he reasoned, some villainous plot to lure him into the darkness and to never be seen again. He frowned as once again, he turned a corner and saw that the trail led downward. His camp site was near the top of these hills, but finding nothing but downward trails had a dangerous foreboding that he was not prepared for. The air smelled stale here; humid and cold as he hesitantly continued to follow the trail before him. After about fifty feet down, the descent became increasingly sharp, and it was clear he was not going to find his journey here. He turned and started to head back, only to find a mass of roots directly behind him, blocking his path as though they had been there all along.

"What is this sorcery?" He asked himself.

A foul feeling crept up Guin's spine, making the warrior shudder where he stood. If his entire body had been covered in fur, it would all be raised up, but in this case it was mostly the hair on his forearms that delivered the tingling sensation. Evil was abound; and Guin knew he would need to fight through it. But he only had brought a dagger along for his protection. As his fingers wrapped around its hilt and he began to draw it from his belt, the slope under his feet suddenly became extremely slippery. He crouched low to prevent himself from sliding, but to no avail; and Guin's feet began to slip along the mud without control. He rolled to his side, falling to the ground to try and keep his body from slipping down the slope, but somehow it felt like his entire efforts were being subverted by an increasingly sharp angle. He reached up to grab the base of a tree, but his mud-soiled fingers slipped on its smooth trunk and he suddenly began to fall almost vertically down the hill. Guin slammed his dagger into the ground, stopping just short of a distinct hole that had formed at the bottom of the hill that was ready to swallow him up. He could feel a cold gust of air under his feet and tried to pull himself up on the dagger alone.

As Guin tried to pull himself up, he realized that the mud layering his fingers made the dagger's handle much harder to grasp, and soon they slipped away as well. Guin slid five feet further and through the gaping hole in the earth and into complete darkness. As he fell, the leopard man looked up to see the hole in the earth seal up with roots before the light completely vanished from above and he was falling through blackness.

It took several minutes for Guin to fall before he finally met a massive pool of water. He barely had a chance to hold his breath before the waves crashed around him, the impact causing an instant blackout, he lost consciousness.

"Nnnhh..." Guin could hear his voice echoing slightly as he came to. Opening his eyes, he could see he was shrouded in the light of candlelight, causing the shadows above his head to dance around as he placed a hand on his head. "What...?"

"I'm glad you're awake." A voice alerted Guin's attention and he bolted upright, striking his head on a low-hanging rock just over his head before a hand forcibly pressed on his muscular pectoral. "Easy now, friend. You have been unconscious for several hours."

"W-where... am I?" Guin asked as he laid back slightly. The large hand rested on his chest for several seconds longer than necessary before it pulled back, returning a moment later with a damp cloth, which then was used across the warrior's forehead. "Who are you?"

It was a male figure that moved in the darkness, as it leaned forward; Guin was shocked to see an animal man emerge from the shadow. He had white fur and a golden mane upon his face; and kind eyes that rested several inches under his thick, curved horns. "I am Asgore." He said. "I rule the underground."

Guin glared at the beast and again tried to move, but Asgore's firm grasp held him in place. "Are you responsible for bringing me here?"

"There are many holes that open to my realm." He explained. "But I cannot control them. I found you lying unconscious in the lake and brought you here in the hopes you would recover. I don't mean you any harm, warrior."

Guin stared conspicuously at the man and relaxed once more; admitting to himself that he was still in some pain from the fall. "My apologies. But the method of me being brought here; it seemed that nature itself was my enemy."

Asgore chuckled lightly, continuing to administer the wet cloth to Guin's forehead and bringing it further south, over his body. "Well, I am not nature itself."

"But you rule this place."

"I rule the denizens of this realm; New Home. But I have no say in who comes or goes."

"I see."

The beast's eyes almost glimmered in the candlelight as he observed the leopard man's body. "You seem to be a sturdy warrior." He said. "I find it hard to believe you simply fell here."

"That's what happened." Guin responded sternly, crossing his arms, only prompting Asgore's cloth to slide even lower, toward his stomach. He grunted and pulled back. "Hey! Just what're you doing, you pervert?"

Immediately, Asgore dropped the cloth. "My apologies." He admitted, sounding somewhat flustered. "I just--erm..." He chuckled nervously. "Mostly we encounter humans who fall here, it isn't often that we meet monsters from the surface."

"Monster? I am no monster. I am a human..." He cupped the leopard head. "This is just an enchanted mask--" He froze as Asgore placed a hand on both sides of the head as well, staring intently into Guin's eyes. Guin froze and watched as the beast's eyes followed his own.

"Hmm... this is no enchantment." Asgore admitted. "I can sense the heart of the beast within you...Guin."

Guin's eyes widened a bit. "How...how do you know me?"

Without much conscious effort, Asgore released Guin's head and reclined back, revealing that he too was quite massive and muscular. It didn't take much for the leopard to glance him over. "I can see your spirit." Asgore said. "A fighter to the end, yes? Not like any human I've ever encountered."

"When can I return to the surface?" Guin asked.

There was a pause and Asgore turned his eyes away. "I don't know." He said.

Guin frowned in frustration before moving to get up. "If you do not intend to help me, then I will find my own way back."

"No, wait, stop!"

Guin had already stepped from the alcove he shared with Asgore and looked around the main cavern he now found himself in. His ears could pick up the sounds of running water; it did not seem to be far away. The place he fell must be around here somewhere. He stepped down onto a rugged rocky floor and began to look around. Lit by torches, it was easy to determine that there were paths that led to and from this place; he just needed to find a way back to where he'd fallen, and he might be able to find a way to return--