Ink opened the door to his small cottage, the pup in his arms still shivering. He sat down and petted the tiny creature in an attempt to calm it down. Dream sat next to him and studied the dog.

"Wonder who he belongs to..." he thought aloud.

"Don't know, there's no collar," Ink carefully looked the little dog over. "He looks... slightly malnourished. Whoever had him before must not have taken proper care of him."

"He was in Sci's AU...."

Ink gasped. "Y-you don't think-"

"..."

"Dream, Sci isn't that cruel. Besides, how would he even get a dog?"

"I don't know. Whatever happened, we can't take this little guy back. He's safer here, anyway."

Dream stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Ink alone with the pup. Ink carefully set the dog on the couch next to him, and thought back to all the stuff he knew about dogs. Which wasn't much, considering he has memory problems, and he didn't get much time to learn more about them once Error arrived on the scene.

Speaking of whom, Error stood up shakily on his little paws. He stumbled over to the warmth of the person who rescued him, knowing whoever it was didn't recognize him. He hoped they wouldn't mind him curling up next to them to warm up some more. Then again, they might not want a dog they found to curl up next to them for fear he had some sort of contagious disease.

Ink's soul swelled as the tiny dog laid down next to his leg. It was still shivering, but seemed content. He took off his scarf and wrapped it around the little dog to give it more warmth. It snuggled into the scarf, and Ink thought he was going to die of cuteness. His eyelights turned to magenta and green hearts as he pulled the bundle of fur into his arms. He cradled the dog, and softly stroked it's ears.

'Oh my stars,' Ink thought. 'Who would be so cruel as to starve this little angel?'

Error looked up at the person holding him and his eyes widened.

The person holding him was none other than Ink, the creator of worlds.

Error squirmed and twisted to get out of Ink's hold, whimpering and whining to be let go. Dream rushed in, feeling the fear instantly.

"What happened?!"

Ink was struggling to keep the little dog from falling out of his arms and onto the floor.
"I-I don't know! He took one look at me, and freaked out! What do I do?!"

"Set him on the couch! He'll get hurt if he falls!"

Ink did as Dream instructed. The little dog's ears had swept back in fear, and his eyes darted from Ink to Dream. Dream thought this behavior was not normal, but if his hunch was right, then this should've been expected. A skeleton, even if they didn't look quite the same, could still trigger memories of abuse if it's bad enough. But, Ink might be right. Sci isn't that cruel. Unless....

"Ink, stay here. I want to have a friendly chat with Sci-"

"Oh no you don't!" Ink got up after making sure the pup wouldn't fall. "I don't believe this is Sci's doing. He isn't the type to experiment on live subjects, especially not one this small. He loves small creatures, and would never hurt one. That's why I took him to a petting zoo, remember? He wanted to take the bunnies home to spoil them!"

Dream sighed and looked back at the dog. The little creature backed up into the scarf and trembled as he approached. He knelt down and put his hand out, palm up.

'What does he expect me to do?' Error thought as he looked from Dream to his hand.

"C'mon little guy. I won't hurtcha." Dream smiled and inched closer. Error's ears pivoted forward, then back again as Dream lifted his hand. He scratched behind Error's left ear, then stood up. "Well, at least he isn't aggressive. But he might become so if we push him."

"I'll make a kennel for him!" Ink's eyelights sparkled with excitement. He always wanted a pet, but didn't have the time to go looking for one that was suitable. That, and he was afraid the Bad Sanses would find the pet and use it as a hostage to take advantage of him.

Error could get to him.

Ink looked over at the little dog and sighed. Maybe this wasn't a great idea, after all. Was he even prepared enough to take on this responsibility? Dream put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?"

".... Yeah. I want to keep him. Taking care of a dog can't be that hard-"

"But what about Nightmare and his gang?" Dream interrupted. "They might kill him!"

"I know, but... I wanna try," Ink looked from Dream to the dog, locking eyelights with him. "I can at least offer him safety and comfort for as long as possible." He grinned gently at the dog, who blinked and looked away. Ink sighed and walked over to the couch, kneeling in front of it.
"Ok, what to name you..."

Error looked back at Ink, ears sweeping back. He shivered and whined as Ink stroked his head. He was starving, a sensation he hasn't felt in... y'know what, why bother? It's  been too long for him to care. Besides, he always ignored the feeling since he couldn't do anything about it, anyway. His stomach growled, and if he could blush, his face would be a very dark and prominent blue.

Ink frowned, and turned to Dream.
"We're leaving, Dream."

"Where to?"

"We are gonna get this little guy something decent to eat."

Ink opened a portal to a bitty AU. He knew that bitties weren't pets, but those who take care of them knew how to treat them. Conveniently, there was a pet shop located a few blocks away from one bitty center that facilitated the adoption of skeleton monsters, particularly ones that resembled other, larger versions in the multiverse.

Ink walked into the pet shop, the tiny fluff ball buried in his scarf and held close to his chest. He approached an employee and asked where he could find some tiny dog food.

"Oh, what kind of dog?" The employee asked.

"U-uh, I don't actually know. We found him nearly freezing to death a little while ago."

The employee, who happened to be the "owner" of a bitty Sans and knew about the multiverse, was unfazed to find two skeletons walk into their shop. What they didn't expect was to be met with the tiniest Yorkie they'd ever seen.

"W-wow. That is a tiny dog." They thought a moment, then snapped their fingers. "C'mon, I can show you where to find some supplies for this little guy." They walked down one aisle, Ink and Dream following closely.
"What's his name?"

Ink looked at Dream, then back at the employee.
"I-I don't have a name for him, yet. But I'll think of something!"

"Hmm, doesn't look like he has a collar. You say you found him awhile ago?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't look like he's hurt. But he is definitely hungry, so what kind of food have you got?"

The employee rounded the corner and stopped at the small dog section. They pulled out an extra small harness, a retracting leash, a blue sweater with little white bones on it, and a tug-of-war rope.
"This stuff is pretty basic for most dogs, no matter how small they are. Do you also need some dog bowls?"

Ink nodded. This was actually exciting again! He really was gonna take care of the little dog in his arms, and he so much fun doing it! He had to think of a name, though. He looked down at the yellowish-tan markings and thought.
'Hmm, kinda reminds me of a cinnamon butterscotch pie....'

He looked up, smiling widely.
"I know what I'm gonna name him!"

The employee grinned and nodded.
"What's his name?"

"Cinnamon!" Ink stated proudly.

Error looked up at Ink. If the creator could see his expression, he'd probably see a look that resembled an 'I-am-so-done-with-you-right-now' kind of look. But, that might blow his cover, so Error looked back down at the scarf wrapped around him. He studied the little notes here and there, internally laughing at Ink's inability to remember some very basic things.

'Your notebook is by the fridge.'

'Poison ivy has five leaves.'

'Don't leave Broomie in the Doodlesphere!'

'Dream wants you to fix GZTale.'

'Huh?' Error thought. 'I don't remember destroying a GZTale. Must've been Nightmare."

At the thought of his friends, Error sighed. What if this is permanent? What if he can never go back to playing Uno with the gang? What if he never goes back to watching Nightmare get angry at Dust when he skips Killer, or Horror playing a reverse card knowing Error doesn't have that card or color? Tears stung his eyes, but he remained calm. He noticed Dream looking at him weird, so he focused more on what Ink was saying to the employee. Something about a collar with the name Cinnamon printed on it.

Dream tilted his head in confusion. The dog was exhibiting emotions. Sadness. Fear. Regret. Pain. Was this possible for a dog?
"Ink, something is wrong with your dog. I can feel his emotions, and he seems really sad."

Ink looked down at Error and petted him carefully.
"Don't worry, Cinnamon. It's gonna be ok. I'll make sure you are safe from now on!"

Error flinched at Ink's optimism. Once Ink finds out who he is, he won't be so eager to protect or take care of him. If he's lucky, Ink will just leave him in a random AU to starve and freeze to death. And with Error gone, the multiverse will collapse in on itself. Perhaps a few AUs will survive, but hundreds of billions of lives will be lost. Ink will forever wonder why, and the answer will probably never surface. Mostly because Ink wouldn't want to listen.

Ink set Error down on a counter and put the collar on. The employee showed him how to put on the harness and explained that dogs as small as this would be safer in a harness.

"It helps prevent their trachea from collapsing. It's very common for a dog this small. I mean, he's as small as a Coke can, for god's sake!"

"Thanks for telling me. Now, I'd like to get him the best kind of food possible."

"I'll be right back." The employee went back down the small dog aisle and grabbed a bag of Pedigree Small Dog Food. "Here we go. It's a healthy mix of meat, vegetables, and grains. Perfect for a growing pup. I'd also recommend you take him to a vet to get a checkup. Wanna make sure he's healthy, right?"

Ink nodded, then payed for the items.
"Thank you so much! You've been very helpful!"

"You're welcome, and good luck with your new furry friend!"

Ink made a portal back to the Doodlesphere and hopped through, and Dream followed soon after. The creator set his plastic bag of supplies on the counter in the kitchen, and set Error on the couch still wrapped up in his scarf. Ink set the bowls for food and water down right next to the wall dividing the kitchen from the living room, then poured some food in the bowl.

"Alright, Cinnamon. Here's some food for you. I'll get some water too!"

Dream rubbed his forehead when he sensed a shift in an AU.
"Gotta go, Ink. Nightmare is... probably causing trouble, somewhere. And where he is..."

"Error can't be too far behind." Ink nodded to his friend. "I'll join you as soon as I can. Be careful, Dream."

"I will. And I hope things work out with Cinnamon." He smiled as he made a portal and hopped through. Ink smiled. He hoped so, too. What he'd give for just a moment with a pet, snuggled up on the couch, watching movies and eating popcorn. Maybe he can finally make that dream a reality.

Error had tensed as soon as his name was mentioned. His true name. He watched Dream leave, and Ink approach him with uncertainty. He couldn't make a run for it without possibly hurting himself badly, so he sat in fear and apprehension as Ink knelt in front of him.

"Well, buddy. Guess it's just you and me, now."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, that was... longer than expected. I didn't plan on making the pet shop scene so long, but it was just... there. Next time, I think we'll have a bit of the Bad Sanses' reaction to Error's disappearance. They are gonna be so mad-

:)