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Jove huddled under a fallen tree, deep in the woods near the academy, having just run from a harmless ghoul in the school hallway. She had been flamboyantly reaching towards her locker, and the pup had only seen that gesture in the corner of his peripheral vision, but it set off alarms inside him as surely as a weapon pointed in his direction.

The pup shivered slightly, the twigs and dead leaves trapped in his fur vibrating with every shudder that ran through his tiny body. What didn't kill him (again) should have made him stronger, but his fleeing instincts had only gotten worse since that trip to the island. Something about the illusions there had made it harder to hold back, and even though his injuries had healed he was now running from imaginary threats almost at the drop of a hat.

And that's how he once again found himself out in the woods, fairly lost and so turned around he couldn't even sniff his way back. He needed help, but he couldn't just pick a direction at random. That's how he had gotten lost in the first place!

Jove wedged himself even tighter under the tree, the little body hidden inside all that ephemeral fluff able to fit where other creatures of his apparent size would fail. It gave him a safe distance from the snuffling creature who had discovered his hiding place, and just enough time to realize it was only another pup. A domestic one judging by the noises and excitement... Not to mention the distinctly un-wild scents that clung to it.

The little ghostling whimpered, communicating his desire not to leave the safety of the hollow. Maybe the other pup had an owner, and after it left, he could follow it's scent back to somewhere he recognized... But it wouldn't be the first time he had been mistaken for a play toy of some sort, and wasn't willing to take that risk today.

Jove whined again, this time something along the lines of "Please don't do that, something big and scary might hear you..." and then his eyes went wide. She was... coming in there.

The little boil stared at the cwn nose to nose, shocked that she had somehow gotten herself into his hiding place. It hadn't been that big... Was she also a ghostly thing, with more fluff than substance? At least she seemed friendly enough...

Except she carried a sharp scent Jove didn't recognize, or have a name for. The smell of antiseptic and preservatives in the confines of the hollow, even as faint as it was, made his little nose wrinkle.

Jove whimpered, catching a brief glimpse of bony cloven hooves and the swish of dark robes. Why was the other pup deciding that NOW was a good time to be noisy? The ghost had no desire to be caught by a scary thing out in the woods, and as unfamiliar as the other puppy was, Jove shared a similar desire that the white one not be eaten by a monster either.

He shoved himself back even further into the log when his field of vision was suddenly obscured by a masked beak, goggles and white forehead cast slightly red by the had the figure was wearing. All he could do was stare with wide, glowing eyes and squish himself into the log as a terrifying bony hand reached forward...

And then his pale companion squirmed out and began making happy motions. Clearly she knew this creature, who carried the strange, medicinal scents more strongly. And... did it just ask if he was lost?

Jove whimpered piteously, he was indeed lost, but could he trust this creature not to eat him?

Back to the school? Jove's fluffy ears perked, that was exactly where he needed to be! For a minute he wondered if this was another student, he couldn't quite remember smelling that acidic tang before, but neither was he so sure he hadn't. It wouldn't be the first time he had mistaken a very friendly student for a frightening creature, when he literally tripped over Ren he had no idea the gryphon was a better big brother than he was a frightening beast.

Jove took a useless deep breath and shored up his resolve. Inch by inch he crawled out of the log, until he cowered in front of the creature with his fluffy tail tucked between his legs, and a hopeful expression on his sad little puppy face. Twigs and dead leaves stuck out at odd angles from his thick coat, giving him a much more bedraggled look.

Jove couldn't understand some of what this creature was saying, but the words were gentle, and the thing made no motions to do anything other than remove the forest debris from his fur with quick precision. In fact, it even asked if he wanted to be picked up.

The ghostling's little ears fell back as he hunkered down against the forest floor. Being carried around was terribly embarrassing, a clear sign his natural form was nothing more than an adorable little poofball. How was he supposed to be all independent-like if everyone just wanted to snuggle with him and carry him around like a toy?

He glanced over at the other puppy, that one probably didn't mind being picked up, she certainly seemed friendly enough.

Jove's tail gave an ever so slight wag, unfortunately attracting more debris from the underbrush. But it didn't seem to bother him. This creature wasn't even going to pick him up, just lead him straight back to where he belonged...

With a little less cowering in his gesture he took a couple steps towards the robed figure. It briefly occurred to the ghostling that the tall thing could lead him astray, but to what end? And would Jove be any safer huddled in a log? He could only banish those thoughts and hope for the best.

With the continued non-threatening reassurance, Jove felt his spirits lift. Home sounded so good right now...

Soon he was trotting right along with a perky, high-stepping gait quite common to many foxfires, nimbly avoiding any potential missteps or obstacles. His tail even curled up into it's more natural position over his back instead of remaining nervously tucked between his legs. The other pup seemed pleased too, and Jove took some additional comfort from her happy-go-lucky attitude.