a basket of roses

One day the girl simply awoke in this strange new world. This would be her new home now. After all, where else was there to go?

North had been looking for someone, but she couldn't exactly remember why. She could remember who, and the tugging on her heart was a clue to how desperately she must have searched. But a part of her felt like the reason she held onto for leaving home, was only an excuse. And perhaps that was why she couldn't completely remember the details of her journey.

Her aunt was the wolf she had planned on finding. Leigh was her name, and although North had never spent much time with the older woman, she had heard stories of the day the dragon left home. A broken heart was the reason, her father said. An emotion all too familiar and raw, one North had just recently experienced.

Rising to her feet and giving her pelt a shake, freeing it from any dust that had collected over the period of her slumber, blue eyes searched the surrounding land. Where to go next? The young woman doubted she'd ever fulfill her wish of finding her lost aunt, so for now, it was time to move on.

Smile. You look nicer when you smile.

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It came completely out of nowhere. Lightning struck the ground in a burst of fire and in its place stood an unfamiliar face.

Well that was exciting.

At first North approached carefully, taking a step or two forwards to examine the situation. Only stepping back with a light jolt as a pair of violet eyes awoke. For a moment she blinked curiously at the stranger, her mind unsure how to process the sudden surprise. In some ways, arriving in a blast of lightning from the literal sky made absolutely no sense and the woman wanted to question it in every way possible. However, on the other hand, the world was filled with unexplainable occurrences and she eventually decided it was best to avoid breaking her brain and instead simply not think too hard about it.

But then the stranger spoke, and North's heart dropped as she silently died inside.

Ew.

Of course he just had to be that type of wolf. The type with a charming smile, only to break hearts and ruin days just as someone had recently done to her. Oh, but she was jumping to conclusions too quickly. Perhaps this unfamiliar face would turn out to be decent, and maybe even a tolerable traveling companion.

For now, North would offer a kind but forced smile in response, crooked and awkward as she stared at the wolf sent down from the sky through a bolt of lightning.

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For a brief time, the air fell silent. At first, North was filled with concern, afraid her lack of words may have insulted the stranger. However his expression didn't seem to appear distressed or offended, simply distracted. Was this wolf really that self centered? Or was he just feeling lost and confused? It was difficult to tell, and unfortunately the she-wolf was unequipped to ask.

But then he spoke, and the woman's eyes centered themselves back towards the unfamiliar face, ears raised in interest to hear what he had to say. It seemed that he too was unaware of what exactly was happening, though North was a tad disappointed that a wolf who traveled through lightning didn't appear to have any answers either. She only offered a shrug in response to the inquiry.

Everything so far was fine, the air a bit quiet for her taste but she wasn't one to complain considering she had nothing to add to the conversation. That was until the stranger closed some distance and approached without any sense of consideration for her own comfort level. 

Nose to nose, he spoke once more and North's eyebrows knitted together in a moment of thought. Was this a compliment or was it supposed to be some sort of manipulation? At first the stranger's words sounded kind and sincere, but upon further thought, the she-wolf came to the conclusion that it was nothing more than flirting. Meaningless, a little irritating even.

And then she felt it. A tickle in her nose as the tip of her snout twitched. She could feel it coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

A sneeze. North sneezed right into the face of a god.

Yeah, she sure was a beauty.

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Oh no.

For a moment, complete panic instantly took over the girl's face. She hadn't intentionally sneezed on the stranger, but it was very clear that the gesture wasn't appreciated. Luckily, there was no outburst, though North was afraid that this rather... interesting situation would ruin her chances at building a positive connection.

However, that didn't seem to be the case either. After the air calmed and tension died down, relief washed over her body like a wave. She wakes up in the middle of nowhere, meets a stranger and immediately sneezes on him? Well, she was definitely grateful that his temper wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

And then he spoke once more, and it was nice to know that they could both put that whole ordeal behind them. North simply offered a nod, only to avert her gaze in thought as she considered his following words.

It seemed like a rather good and fair deal. All she had to do was travel with him, and she'd be taken care of along the way? At least neither of them would be left to explore this odd world on their own, and perhaps North could use him as an exercise to build a tolerance to any other potentially irritating wolves she may encounter in the future.

Deal.

Nodding once more in response, the young woman sealed the deal with a smile, more genuine than the one earlier.

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It was nice to finally and properly meet her soon to be companion, though North wasn't entirely pleased with presentation of his name and title. King of Olympia? Was that supposed to be where he came from? Or was it just something he used to overcompensate? Regardless, it seemed rather unnecessary.

The thought quickly faded from her mind though as the young woman soon realized the air falling silent once more, Zeus simply standing as an indication of waiting. Oh... great. He wanted her name, didn't he? Oh boy, this would be fun.

Legs crossing as she shifted her position, North took a few steps forwards as she aimed to stand directly in front her larger companion. Flashing the wolf a smile, one filled with sympathy, the she-wolf then averted her gaze downwards towards the dirt floor before raising her dominant paw. Planting it firmly back into the ground, she attempted to leave a dent the best she could, only to move on and repeat herself three more times.

And after she found herself satisfied with her work, the woman paused for only a moment to rearrange her thoughts and shift her idea upsidedown in consideration of Zeus's opposite view. Once that was settled, she then completed her little game of charades by "pointing" at one of the dots left in the ground, essentially stomping on the darn thing. She hoped that Zeus knew his directions, as the only way to know "north" was to also know where it stood among east, west, and south. And yet a part of her doubted he could conjure enough braincells to understand.

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Ah, so it seemed that he was able to understand, and that her little drawing was clear enough to do the trick. Upon stepping back to allow the other wolf to examine her work, North watched carefully as Zeus studied the drawing until the realization hit. Her once sympathetic smile was replaced with one of both satisfaction in herself and gratitude in her companion's willingness to put up with her charades.

Nodding to confirm, the woman was glad to finally have that settled. Perhaps she really did make the right decision by agreeing to be his traveling partner. At least that way she'd have someone to introduce herself for her if needed, and she wouldn't have to go through this entire process agan. The inability to speak was frustrating, but it was heartwarming to have met someone who, despite the annoyance, was patient enough. Maybe North really was too quick to judge the lightning wolf, and the faint feeling of guilt stung her heart as she silently apologized.

What are we supposed to do now?

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The compliment was nice... kind of. North still hadn't quite figured out what type of wolf her companion was, and although she had hints here and there, the fact that he descended from the sky through a lightning bolt only added to the mystery. The woman unfortunately wasn't very good at reading others or judging character. Often times the strangers she came across would simply tell her who they were, since she was permanently stuck in the role of a listener.

But she was hopeful that her relationship with Zeus would go well. He seemed nice enough, though the she-wolf wasn't entirely sure if he was the most reliable companion. There was definitely some concern over the idea that he could simply leave if another pretty wolf caught his eye.

Though for now, she'd follow and see where their journey led. North still wore a smile, though it widened at the suggestion to travel towards a particular direction. Sprinting forwards to catch up and casting him a glance, she wondered if he had any memory prior to his dramatic entrance, or if he was a little lost, just as she was.

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