Chapter Warnings: Character death

The featured song is 'Release' by Utopian Sounds

***

Hours later, as the sun began to fall from the sky, Goth groggily awakened to Palette and his dad, Reaper, hovering nervously over him. 

His head ached, but it was a far cry from the stabbing pain he'd experienced earlier. 

Images of a strange skeleton had coursed through his mind. Wearing a scarf much like his own, a white jacket with a red mark, particles covering their right eye socket... a loving smile... a gentle touch...

Was that my mom?

"How you feeling, kiddo?" Reaper prodded softly. 

"I... I think I'm alright," Goth answered, sitting up slowly and taking in the room now that he wasn't in a panic. 

It's honestly a disaster. There's dust and broken furniture everywhere... not to mention the horrible smell.

"Thank stars you're okay! Your dad said you were remembering things," Palette said, pulling the small skeleton into a hug. 

Goth returned the hug as he replied, "Yeah... I think I did..."

His eye light fell on the lone dresser he'd seen before he passed out, being the sole piece of unbroken furniture in the cabin. 

The small skeleton felt drawn to it, crawling off the bed to walk over, his hand running over the dusty folded cloth in curiosity.

"That was your mom's... the only thing remaining of him besides his dust in that urn," Reaper explained, shuffling toward the dresser to stand by Goth's side. 

Palette joined them as the older skeleton continued, "That scarf you're wearing was his too... you used to love stealing it from Geno to cuddle with it. I guess you had it this whole time." His dad chuckled, moisture accumulating around the rim of his sockets as he smiled at the memory.

Mom... 

"What happened... back then, when I was smaller?" Goth asked, "I've got bits and pieces now, but none of it makes sense." The smile left Reaper's face, replaced with a sorrowful expression.

"Let's take this outside... it's nicer out there," he responded, turning to the open doorway, "Going to need a nice atmosphere for this talk."

Exchanging worried looks, Palette and Goth followed the old monster out into an overgrown clearing in front of the house, not having been maintained in years. 

Slumping down into a slightly-less-tall patch of grass, he patted the spot next to him. Once the pair of youngsters got comfortable, Reaper took a steadying breath and told his story.

~~~

Reaper had gone hunting that morning. Two hours into the hunt the rain had started coming down in a light drizzle, perfect for stifling his footsteps and washing away any trace of his scent in the air. After hours of searching, he had eventually managed to find a warren of rabbits, trapping and catching enough to last his family for a full week. It was a really lucky catch.

He made his way back home, striding across the wet grass with a wide grin on his face. The rain was starting to pick up. His pace quickened as the familiar tree with a wooden swing came into view. 

He couldn't wait to show his family what he caught, they would be so excited! After getting changed out of his wet clothes, they would skin the catch to store them away in the cooler. Even if they were living so far out in the woods, he had found a way to provide electricity for his family. 

They always deserved the best.

The house could be seen clearly now... and the laundry was still outside on the line? Usually, Geno would have taken everything inside at the first sign of rain. As he came closer, Reaper's curious expression morphed into disbelief.

It felt like his soul had dropped out of his ribcage. The door was broken.

Praying that his instincts were wrong, he rushed for the door. He stopped in the doorway, the sight that met him being one he only imagined in his deepest, darkest nightmares. His catch fell from his limp fingers as he took a step into the ruined cabin that had once been a warm and inviting home. The thing that unnerved him most was the silence.

There were clear signs of a violent struggle throughout the cabin, holes littering the walls and furniture... mostly his husband's doing, no doubt. The smell of gunpowder was thick in the air. A pot sat on the stove, the fire smoldering in its belly. Geno must have been cooking.

Moving deeper into the house, something caught his eye just beyond the upended table. It took him a moment to register what it was, then immediately wished he hadn't. 

Dust... a large pile of dust.

Falling to his knees, he sifted his hands through the fine powder. Finite traces of magic resided within... Geno's magic. His husband was dead. Tears fell as he wailed into his dirty hands, mourning the loss.

He was brought out of his spiraling emotions by a small ray of hope: his son. There was no trace of Goth's magic in the dust. 

That meant he might be alive!

Scrambling to his feet, he dashed out the door, pushing his senses for something, anything that could be used to track down the responsible party. Unfortunately, the rain was now his enemy, washing away any possible trail, so he had to act fast. He took off in a random direction, determined to at least save Goth.

~~~

"But I never found you, as you might have already guessed," Reaper finished with a sad chuckle, wet tracks lining his cheeks from reliving that horrible day, "I never dared to test if you were able to heal back damage from an injury like me when you were younger, Geno had a fit the one time I mentioned it... so I was thoroughly convinced you were dead as well. Dust flying in the wind somewhere I couldn't track you. "

Goth had taken to laying against Palette, skull resting on his shoulder as silent tears poured down his face while the taller wrapped his arm around the smaller in comfort.

His dad continued with a sigh, "It was hard to get up most days, some days I didn't, knowing the only things I had left to remember you and your mom were a piece of clothing, a drawing... and the chaos left behind."  

"Which reminds me...," the cloaked skeleton's voice took on a sharp edge as he locked onto Palette, "Where's this lab located? I'll need to pay them a little visit to make sure this incident doesn't repeat itself."

The mention of the lab had Palette growling, pulling Goth closer to him as he said, "That's right, that makes two times they came after Goth now... they'll probably come after him again. We might not be so lucky to escape again if they manage to find us here."

"No...," Goth murmured softly, cleaning off his face and shaking his head, "I don't think they'll come looking. When we escaped, I made sure to slam into that barrier in a way that made it look like we were destroyed on impact. I don't think they know about me being able to move around using my magic either. As far as they're concerned, we're dead."

So, he can teleport as well. That explains how they got here... he's clever too, a chip off the old block. Geno would be proud.

"Wait," Palette stared at the smaller in his arms, horror and a hint of anger growing on his face, "you planned to hurt yourself back there? Goth, that was incredibly reckless, your wings and back were really hurt by that... what if you permanently injured yourself?!"

"And don't tell me it's fine because you can't die, it hurt you enough that you passed out!" the artist snapped, cutting Goth off as he opened his mouth for a rebuttal. The small skeleton scooted away.

Reaper shuffled over to the pair, not liking what he was hearing, "Goth, bring out your wings. I want to make sure nothing's broken."

Goth reluctantly summoned his magic. Reaper didn't miss his son's flinch as he attempted to spread the half-healed wings. The parent hissed as he ran his hand softly over the damaged and missing plumage, frowning at their dull and singed appearance.

His hands lit up in a blue glow, hovering along the left radius as he chided, "While your plan might have worked and I can heal this level of damage, I have to side with Palette on this one. It was dangerous and I'd recommend not pulling a stunt like that again. You might not be so lucky next time."

The smaller looked down in shame, his face crumbling, "I... I'm sorry... it was the only thing I could think of... I just... I just wanted to leave..."

Reaper jolted at his son's dismay. He glanced toward Palette, who was now wearing his own look of shame. He was a loss on how to handle the situation, it'd been too long since he had to calm an upset child. 

Luckily, Palette was able to take hold of Goth's hands, explaining in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry for yelling. It just upsets me to see you hurt, no matter the reason. I don't like that you felt the need to intentionally hurt yourself as a diversion.

"When we crash landed, and you were limp in my arms... I was so afraid. You wouldn't wake up and you weren't healing on your own... I thought I was losing you. You might not be able to promise never to do dangerous or painful things, but at least promise you won't hurt yourself on purpose like that anymore. Please?"

Goth gave a slight nod, smiling as Palette opened his arms for a hug that he readily accepted.

Reaper let out a sigh, staring at the darkening sky above, "Well, I've healed most of the damage, the rest of the feathers should grow back on their own. What's done is done, so there's no sense fussing. Besides, it's getting late and we've had an eventful day... we should all get some shut eye."

Goth let his wings fade as Reaper began to make his way back to the house. As he reached the porch, a thought occurred to him, "Er... let me see if I can dig out some decent blankets... the house is kind of a mess... and stinks." 

He looked away sheepishly at the unanimous agreement he received from both young skeletons.

Reaper wasn't been able to find any usable blankets, but he was able to gather plenty of clothes. After pulling the mattress off the bed frame and dragging it onto the covered porch, they created a colorful pile of laundry to sleep in. With how tired everyone was, no one was going to complain about sleeping outside under the stars, even if the pile did smell a bit funny.

Goth was the first to fall asleep, curling up like a cat with one of Geno's shirts draped over him. Palette nearly drifted off, only to be woken by a shifting noise startling him awake again. 

Reaper was sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"What's wrong?" the young skeleton murmured.

The ex-hunter answered with a tired frown, "I can't sleep knowing the ones responsible for Geno's death and Goth's kidnapping are still out there." 

His phalanges popped as his hands tightened into fists, "Even if Goth claims he made it look like you both died, I don't want to take any chances on them coming back to take away my family again. He's all I have left, I can't risk it."

Palette bowed his head in understanding. He couldn't help but want retribution as well for the atrocities he'd witnessed. 

Relaying the lab's location to the other, he looked Reaper in the eye, "Look for a balding old man they call 'Professor'. He's the ringleader... but everyone in a long white coat is just as guilty. Give them all hell." 

As the monster nodded, turning to exact his revenge, Palette added, "Oh, by the way... there were others trapped there. If it's possible, can you help them?"

Reaper was silent for a few seconds before he continued walking, "Can't make any promises... but I'll see what I can do." 

With a small pop and a wisp of dust, Reaper vanished.

Palette settled back into his sleeping spot, contented in the knowledge that Reaper would make sure the scientists would never touch Goth again.

---

Hours later, as the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, Reaper returned to the run-down cabin. His black robe was covered in dark stains, small rips, and scorch marks. 

Those bastards had been after him when they broke into his house all those years ago. They had heard about the immortal skeleton that lived in a solitary cabin... but they had only found Geno and Goth. When the child didn't dust like his mother, they assumed he was the immortal skeleton and took him instead.

They killed Geno and took Goth because I wasn't there to protect them.

Quelling his anger, he dispelled his scythe and walked up the steps of the porch in hopes of finding a cleaner outfit inside. A soft croon from the pile of clothes on his left made him pause.

Palette had curled up, wrapping himself protectively around Goth in his sleep. His son was pressed tightly into the taller monster's chest, a contented smile on his face. 

Reaper smiled as he continued into the cabin, "You kept him safe when I couldn't. You're a good monster, Palette."