Karma is dropped off at a multiverse while his dad goes to deal with something. He has fun but he is getting worried about dad. Why are they acting like this?

——-

Forced Gods Multiverse

"Now I won't be long. Just a few things have come up, so I need you to stay here. Can you do that for me, little crow?~"

Karma felt his wings droop behind him, looking at his dad in worry.

"..will you come back?" He quietly asked, almost fearing the response.

He had been enjoying spending so much time with his dad but this was just reminding him of the many times he had been left alone, not seeing them for days, sometimes weeks later. He observed how his dads face twitched weirdly before they dropped down to their knees and cupped his face.

"I promise i will always find you, no matter where you go, my child~"

"Promise?"

"I promise. Nothing will stop me from finding you~"

Karma sniffled and wrapped his arms around his dads neck, still puzzled why they got so startled by this action lately. Surely they didn't think he was scared of them..did they?

His body slowly unwound as his dad raised their magic, letting him feed off them if he needed to. He was glad that at least they were less stressed, about magically feeding him again. He pulled back, grinning as they nuzzled him, chirping in question when they looked hesitant to speak.

"I can try and stay but that does mean we won't be able to stay here long. I specifically picked this place as it has plenty of animals and it is peaceful~"

Karma briefly considered asking his dad to stay but was distracted by the prettiest cat he had ever seen. It was pure white and had the fluffiest fur he had ever witnessed, not to mention it was huge!..he needed to pet it.

"Ok! See you later dad"

As he walked off he heard his dad shout that 'he could always call him with their bond if he needed to'. He hummed, passively sensing when they left the AU but was far more focused on following the cat.

It took at least an hour before the cat stopped but Karma didn't mind, as in the end he got to pet them.

"You are so pretty. Your fur is super soft too!"

Karma gave many compliments to the animal, purring as they leaned into his hand. He picked them up, looking at them in adoration.

"..I wonder if dad will let me have a pet?"

The white cat pushed their face against his before wiggling in his grip, so he let them down, watching as they wandered off. He had little time to be disappointed, as he soon spotted a large black dog laying in the shade of a tree, making him chirp in excitement. This place was amazing!

That was a common word that Karma used for the rest of the day, as he got to pet so many different animals. He even got to stroke a parrot, which was a large shock when it suddenly landed on him.

Feeling only animals SOULS all day and having them be so calm, was a novel experience. He really hoped his dad let him come here again.

Karma was giggling happily, exploring the AU at a steady pace. He had sensed no monsters or humans, making him relax further. His dad really did pick the best place. He walked with no destination in mind but stopped when he saw the biggest tree in his entire life. He tilted his head back and still couldn't see the top of it...he was so going to climb it.

Widely grinning he got closer, pleased at spotting some branches just in his reach. He of course readied his wings, in case he fell but was slowly feeling more confident in his climbing skills the higher he got, enjoying the challenge. He might have had to cheat a few times but that was because he was just too small to reach the next branch. He was still proud when he successfully pulled himself to the top, chirping at how pretty it was up here.

The view was beautiful and his wings fluttered with the urge to fly. Twisting his head side to side, he only spotted trees for as far as he could see. This place really was perfect.

Carefully climbing to a thick branch he made sure that his wings would not be impeded and stretched them out, preparing to just jump straight off. Maybe he could even do a steep dive! His dad wasn't here to scold him and he was sure he could do it successfully this time. He might have crashed a few times before but that was to be expected.

...He still had no idea why it had stressed them out so much.

Preparing to jump he froze when a voice rang out.

"You should be more careful. We are rather high up and being alone is rather dangerous, especially for small monsters"

Karma spun around, grabbing onto a nearby branch before he could fall. His wings flared in warning, staring at the shadowed figure in suspicion.

"No need to look like that. I'm not going to hurt you"

He twitched at words, staring as an Ink variant stepped into the light, spotting the paint vials rather quickly. He scratched his neck, shivering as their eye shapes focused on the action, making him fidget self consciously. He adjusted his scarf to cover himself more, trying to hide from the stranger. He tensed when they got closer and stared at their eye shapes, watching as they changed from question marks to exclamations marks, before settling on a teardrop and star.

He had never seen a Creator's eye shapes change so quickly and he was kind of jealous. He wished his were as cool as...he forgot their name but he still wanted to be like them!

He flinched when he saw them reach for him, glaring in suspicion. Maybe he should call his dad..

"I can show you more places! I created even more ones like this one. There is even ones that have te-"

Karma stared at the blabbering monster in confusion but was intrigued by the prospect of even more AU's like this one. Karma paused before he agreed, feeling like he had been taught something about situations like these..now what was it again?

...He was pretty sure it was 'follow strangers'? Thinking on it longer he nodded with more confidence. Yes, he was sure that was it. It was how he met his dad after all, so it should be fine to do the same thing here..right?

Karma got closer and tugged their sleeve, causing the Ink variant to finally stop talking, looking surprised that he had gotten so close.

"I think I would like that..I'm called Karma. What's your name?"

"I'm Colour! We are going to have a great day together, just you wait"

Karma did have a good day, even if he was shown many things he had seen before. He had no idea why Colour insisted on showing him the Underground in several AU's as they all looked basically the same. When he had voiced this, Colour had gone on a rant about the subtle differences, waxing poetry at the different hues they had used when making one part of another.

Karma had just blankly nodded, feeling a tad dazed at all the details that went into Creation. That sounded really hard and he made sure to compliment their creativity, going wide eyed as they nearly burst into tears, very thankful they didn't. He patted their hand, pleased they perked up.

"Now that I've shown you that, we have one final stop"

He chirped in query but had no time to question further as Colour made an inky portal, leading him straight through. Once he stepped through his wings flared in surprise, head swivelling to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"You know. Your wings really reminded me of this place, so I thought you might like it. Welcome to Outertale!"

Karma was entranced by the sight, hissing when a blanket suddenly covered his vision. Once he pulled it off he went to scold the Creator but cooed at the pretty patterns on the blanket. It had star patterns with shifting parts that reminded him of several multiverses he had visited..why did it seem so familiar?

"C'mon! The best view is over here. Laying on a blanket is the only way it should be done"

He smiled at the over the top posh tone Colour mockingly spoke in, following them to a grassy area that really did look good for stargazing. He had little time to react when Color picked him up and threw him on the large blanket already set up, glad that it was a soft landing.

"Hey!"

"You were taking too long," was the rather unrepentant response from Colour.

Colour soon lay beside him and started to point out different constellations, telling him stories associated with them. He was entranced, with Colour even pointing out that his wings matched a few constellations, which surprised him.

He chirped when a monster suddenly appeared that looked like an Error, who stared at them both before laying down next to Colour, mumbling about having a nap.

"Don't mind him. He is just grumpy. That's Monochrome!"

" I told you not to call me that! It's Mono! "

"That's not what your CHECK says~"

" It's a filthy liar, is what it is. Just look at me! I don't even fit that name! "

Karma was amused and listened to their argument, feeling rather sleepy...

-

When he next woke up he was still sleepy but realised he was in the animal AU again, with no sign of Colour or Mono. He chirped when he saw his dad, pleased he was picked up as he was far too sleepy to walk.

"It looks like someone had a fun day. I can see by your clothes you met a lot of animals~"

Karma hummed in agreement, nuzzling into his dad. He sleepily mentioned what he had found in this AU but was sure to exclude the two monsters he had met. He was worried of stressing out his dad again and he really didn't want to leave early again. Colour had promised to tell him even more about the stars and he was still curious about Mono.

He chirped in surprise when his dad tipped his head up, so he was looking at them, seeing them frown.

"...I'm sorry, little raven~"

Karma chirped, wondering why they looked so sad, letting them fuss over his scarf.

"I will try not to be away as long next time but I still have things to do. Will you be ok staying here?~"

"Yeah. You don't need to worry dad"

Frowning when that didn't seem to help he did the one thing that usually helped.

LOVE/PARENT/CARE

He giggled as he was tickled, with his dad lightly purring in response.

"You really are the best, little crow~"

Karma hugged his dad when they stopped tickling him, resting his head on their shoulder, enjoying their magic surrounding them.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Of course I do. Thank you~"

Karma felt them hug him tighter and hid a frown in his dads clothes in worry. Why did they say they were ok, when he could clearly feel them crying?

~~~~~

Karma: *Close to tears when dad says they are going, begging them to stay*

Also Karma, 10 seconds after spotting a cat: *Tears long forgotten* Bye dad! See you later

Oneiro: *Now standing alone, Karma giggling in the distance*...at least they will have fun~
-
*Karma suspiciously staring at Colour, considering on running away*

Colour: *Trying to convince them to stay* I can show you cool things? There are even more animals around-

Karma: *All suspicion vanishing* Sold! Lets go!

Colour:..that was a tad too easy
-
*Mono staring judgementally at Colour*

Colour: I didnt kidnap them! They agreed to come!

Karma: *Oblivious to the issue* I was promised more animals to pet!

Mono: *Staring at Colour*..you know that doesn't sound any better, right?