You visit the tree and the twin guardians often, almost daily when you can get away with it. You got caught sneaking food out last time and your papa had been very mad. You were nursing a big bruise on your cheek, but that was all that happened. Hopefully they weren’t too worried that you didn’t show up yesterday!

You loved visiting them and learning, exploring. Sometimes you’re able to pull one of them away to explore the nearby woods!

You sprint through the grasses, pouch clutched tight as you approach the tree with a beaming smile. “Night! Dream! I’m back! I have honey!” They look up from their spot napping against the tree with small smiles, but they don’t stay long as you approach, dropping in favor of wide eyes and pale faces. Well, more pale. How was bone able to be pale?

You come to a stop in front of them, head tilted slightly as you watch them. They looked really upset! Was honey a bad thing? You didn’t even have any stings from getting it!

“What happened!? How did you get that!?” Both the skeletons stand and quickly crowd you, panickedly asking you about… The honey?

“I got it from a beehive! I didn’t get stung too! An animal already broke the nest so it was easy to get. I didn’t take much!” You pull the paper wrapped honeycomb from your pouch, offering it over to the two of them with a bright smile. It was a rare treat, and you desperately wanted to share it with them.

“No, not the honey. Your face, how did you get hurt? What happened?” Nightmare carefully reaches out to cup your face, ignoring the offered honey in favor of looking at your face.

“Oh! I got in trouble. It’s ok, it doesn't hurt anymore!” They were upset that you got punished, and you understand that but it’s fine.

“It’s not ok! How did you get punished? Why? Who did this?” This was a lot more active than Nightmare usually was, it left you a bit confused though, but maybe that’s because they don’t have parents like you do? Or at least, you think, you’ve never seen their parents before.

“Papa got mad that I snuck out so I got in trouble.” You shrug slightly, glancing over at Dream to find… A frightening kind of face. Dream usually was very bright and happy so to see him frown like that, with that dark stormy look was rather surprising.

“Your father!?” Nightmare gasps, brows furrowed as he carefully runs a thumb over your sore cheek. “How could he hit you!?”  He looks so upset… What can you do? What can you do!?

“It’s ok, I just got in trouble, you get smacked when you’re bad. It doesn’t hurt for long! I brought honey for us!” You don’t like all the upset faces, you don’t get why it’s a big problem! You just want to play and eat snacks with them.

When Nightmare growls slightly, face dark and concerning, you put the comb back in your bag and proceed to slap your hands onto his cheeks where you can pinch the soft bone. “No! No sad! I’m ok!” Your touches work like a charm as he gapes at you, purple glowing from his cheekbones and warming them under your fingers. “Smile! You look pretty when you smile!” You loved seeing the small gentle smiles on his face and losing them was actually quite unpleasant.

He blinks slowly, cheeks squished in your hands, pretty purple glowing brightly on his face. He’s not smiling but it’s better! You beam and pull him into a hug now that he seems to have warmed back up to you.

“Come on! I brought honey and I wanna explore after you teach me! There's a stream with pretty rocks in it!” You release the still glowing skeleton, only to grab his hand and then Dream’s as well to pull them over to the tree’s shadow again.

Once you’ve sat down you fish out the comb once more and unwrap it, smiling as you carefully try to break it apart so you all got pieces of it equally. You hand Nightmare his and turn to Dream, finding him still frowning… Your hands are sticky now, so you do the next best thing and gently headbutt your other best friend, his little crown stinging a bit but otherwise just pressing your warm foreheads together.

“There’s enough for all of us! Come on Dream! Try it!” You pull back, getting a look at his now bright yellow face as you hold the honey out to him too.

Dream opens and closes his mouth a few times, glowing as he struggles to speak, before finally just opting to nod shakily and take the comb pieces from your hand. You giggle brightly and pop your piece of honeycomb into your mouth, wiggling in place at the delightfully sweet flavor spilling over your tongue. Maybe you could try to make a bee home! Then you could have honey more often!