All I Wanted (Dreamnotfound)

All I Wanted

 Dream ran his hand along the cave wall, using the texture to lead them in the darkness. It was too risky to use his lantern, and his verdant eyes couldn't adjust to the perpetuating darkness. Caves were not new to him, but this one was different.

Each breath was baited with anticipation. Each footfall was hesitant with silence. Each heartbeat was clinging onto the final strands of hope.

Behind him was his informant, Ranboo. He was a gentle soul, knowledgeable and had a connection to the creatures of their world. While Dream didn't envy being part monster, it certainly gave Ranboo a cut above the rest.

The air was hot and muggy in the cave with only the distant sound of dripping water cutting through the silence. Dream strained his ears to pick up any monsters, but they were gone. Odd.

A hand gripped his green cloak, so Dream stopped. Ranboo had to hunch over in order to whisper to him, "Maybe we should turn back."

Dream shook his head, "No. You told me that it was down here, so we have to find it."

Ranboo shuffled his feet, his fingers tugging on the moss-colored fabric, "What if we went the wrong way? There were other paths."

Dream reached up to cup the back of Ranboo's neck. Then he pulled the enderkin so their foreheads were pressed together. Ranboo's red and green eyes were the only glow in the whole tunnel, and though it was as soft as the glowing lichen, it shone with his fear and worry. Their light glinted off Dream's emerald eyes, revealing their stern stare.

"We're not returning until we are sure this leads to nothing. I'm trusting your word, so I need you to trust that I can get us both out of here."

Ranboo took a deep breath, eyes closed, before nodding, "Okay. you're right."

Dream flashed a reassuring smile before he released Ranboo and continued down the cave. They'd been down in these systems for hours, just descending past the smooth grey stone into the black deepslate. Sometimes the stone would shimmer from Ranboo's eyes.

Their methodical footfalls tapped on the stone. Without his eyes to see, Dream relied on his intuition and ears to look out for danger.

Then he stopped.

Ranboo bumped into Dream, unable to see the abrupt halt, "What's wrong?"

Dream lifted one foot and stepped. It echoed like normal, repeating the tap of his heel on stone. When he lifted his other leg, the sound was muted, and the hard stone was soft like moss.

Looking down, Dream tilted his head at the odd teal flecks that radiated within the blackstone. He kneeled and ran his fingers from the deepslate over the dark moss. The teal flecks flickered and faded in a slow motion beneath his fingers, but they didn't stick to his skin. As Dream watched the eerie light, he noticed his breath come out in a thin cloud.

Ranboo peered over his shoulder, his clouded breath brushing against Dream's hair, "Skulk."

"We're getting closer," Dream stated as he stood up, nearly bumping into Ranboo. His heart strained at the knowledge and his hope mingled with trepidation.

They both fell silent as before; however, there was a new level of danger this time. The further they walked the more skulk appeared, clinging to the floor, walls, and ceiling until they were wrapped in a tunnel of the moss. With the small bouts of light, they could make out some shapes in the tunnel, but they were mere shadows to their eyes.

As Dream stepped forward, Ranboo yanked him back, throwing him off balance. Ranboo managed to keep Dream on his feet, but the axe at his hip banged against the wall, its loud clunk breaking the silence. The soundwave appeared for a moment as a blue light rushed over to a navy-colored plant that waved in the windless tunnel. It croaked as it flashed its bioluminescence before falling silent. Neither Dream nor Ranboo moved, both frozen in fear.