Blue lapped lightly at the pale shoreline, the white foam coating the edges flung into the air by the breeze trotting at a slow pace and combing through the nature that made up the majority of Isle One. Sunrise was slow to come, and the air was of a frosty type at this time of dawn, where the sky was still in a daze like all the residents of Inkwell. Gentleman pink rays stretched and yawned along the vast, dark blue, glittering sky to make way for the pale yellow warmth of the sun. It was a perfect day in essence.

A particularly perfect day for two children bumbling down rickety wooden steps and shushing each other when one was too loud. For the few years that the children had been on Inkwell, they had experienced a small tradition that their guardian had designated as 'Dawn Break'. Which consisted of a hearty breakfast and watching the sun make its majestic climb into the night sky, which would lead to the two children splashing in the cool, shallow depths of the ocean where they were least likely to be pulled in by the current.

Wobbling down steps leading to the rocky shore and setting up the wicker basket they had snatched from the kitchen containing their food, the two cups giggled and whispered conspiratorially noting that they weren't that far from the house and didn't want their guardian to catch them.

Not that it mattered of course, as Elder Kettle had heard their little porcelain feet on the wooden floors, and the sound of them racing around the kitchen downstairs, rustling through a multitude of cabinets for supplies. He had the feeling he knew what they were planning on doing, and, still groggy from sleep, decided to allow them this one moment.

Seagulls pranced and hopped along the shore, beast yellow eyes catching sight of the brothers and watching intensely as they skittered around each other, desperately setting up their breakfast before the sun climbed any higher.

"Cuphead, where are the *crab muffins?!"

"In the bag!"

"No it isn't, I just checked!"

"Check again, dummy."

"..."

"...oh I- wait a minute, why's there only one muffin!"

A bashful smile. "Yeeeeaaah, um...I ate the others…"

"Cuphead!"

The red cup threw his hands in the air in exasperation, "What? They were getting cold and you barely eat these anyways!"

Mugman squinted at him. "Those were for Elder Kettle…"

"Welp…"

Rather than sling the basket at his brother's head like he wanted to, Mugs simply positioned himself with his legs under him where he sat in the sand and his hands folded in his lap. It was a little weird, not the sitting part, just Elder Kettle's presence not being there. He figured he would get used to it the older he got but they were seven now and already Cuphead was acting as if not being by their guardian's side was normal and not nerve-racking. He envied, truly, but until he found comfort in the silence he would be content by his brother and guardian's side for a bit.

"Oh don't start meditating right now!" Cuphead mumbled around a piece of crab muffin, flicking sand at his brother's face.

"Wh- WHY DID YOU EAT THE LAST ONE!" Mugman screeched in horror, already lunging for his brother to smack the muffin out of his grip. Cuphead snorted in amusement and quickly dodged him, giggling through crab meat and seasoned bread as his blue brother crashed into the sand with a muffled squeal.

His laughter stopped however when baby blue eyes glared icicles at him. "Oh so that's how it's gonna be, huh?" The porcelain toon slowly stood up, calmly dusted sand off him and with a war like cry, charged at a panicked Cuphead with half the muffin in his mouth.

It would be five in the morning when Elder Kettle would awaken from his sleep where he would be greeted with…

Silence.

An eerie silence that spoke of a terrible misfortune befalling someone.

Which was probably Cuphead since death seemed to have a magnetic attraction towards him. He was proven right of course when he made it to the bottom of the steps and found himself subjected to the sight of Cuphead's body hanging from a oak tree while his head sat in the sand with a miffed expression on his face. Mugman sat next to him munching on an apple with a content expression on his face. When the blue mug heard his guardian approach with an inquisitive look upon his face Mugman simply pointed to the basket laying on its side with contents spilled.

"Cuphead ate all the muffins."

Elder Kettle turned to the red cup with a raised brown.

"What?! I like crab muffins, okay!" The toon's expression went from one of annoyance at his circumstances to embarrassment.

The guardian snorted loudly in mirth."I'll take it you both enjoyed your breakfast then?"

Mugman snickered behind his apple. "Oh, I'm definitely enjoying mine."

"That's because you're a sadist."

"You take those words back or I'm filling your head with stones."

"Yep, a sadist."

HEADCANON TIME! Okay, so since Inkwell Isle is basically just a bunch of islands their main supplies of food would be seafood. They eat other things, too, but I imagine most of what they eat is gonna be sea related. Also, the crab muffin is a crab cake, I like those, so I figured they would have something like that on the isles!

Anyways, that's all for now!