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Jove thought he knew every inch of those woods. He thought he could navigate it blindfolded, with only smells, sounds, and his memory. He knew dozens of good napping spots, half as many basking spots, and an uncountable number of mushroom clusters scattered here and there. He knew where the rivers and streams ran, and where puddles tended to form after a rainy day.

So when he ran into an unusual fall of rocks... The pup was confused. He was more than confused, his expression bordered on alarmed as he looked around and tried to regain his bearings. Things looked so familiar, but there were hills he didn't recognize. Had he wandered too far from the academy?

The fluffy little ghost put his front feet on the nearest rock, and began climbing up the hilly terrain. If he could get to the top where it broke from the tree cover, maybe he would be able to see the school grounds. Or at least some landmark that could lead him home! But it was tough going in places, even for a four footed creature like himself. And in some spots he even had to rely on his invisible ghost tendrils to pull himself upwards. But he had to get to the top and figure out where he was!

There were many telling signs that Jove may have noticed, had he been paying attention. Perhaps they were just outside the borders of his conscious awareness. The warm breeze. The dusty, rocky, slightly... animal-like scent in the air.

But none of it had prepared him for the sight of that giant, golden eye he suddenly found himself facing. Just as he was stretching ghostly tendrils up to grasp the next rock ledge, his fluffy little body suspended between the invisible tendrils above and the one steadying him from below. Like a floating dust mote.

Slowly he lowered himself back to the ridge just below the eye, watching it with his own startled gaze all the while. What... What in Halloween had he just gotten himself into?

Jove's ears flattened back as he hunkered down against the stone, looking for all the world like a tiny fleck of fluff growing on the hillside. A nervous fluffy fleck. It was a good thing he flattened himself out, or he might have lost his balance as the mountain-creature shifted, or simply panicked and jumped off the enormous face the moment that large round eye rotated in his direction.

Paralysis was the best choice, because once the rumble was over things steadied underfoot. And the creature didn't seem inclined to swat at him. It gave him enough time to calm down and evaluate his surroundings.

He sat up a bit and peered over his shoulder. Could he survive that sort of drop? Probably... but it wouldn't be pretty. Maybe he had better start climbing down. But that was always easier said than done. And who's to say his movement wouldn't start tickling, and provoke the creature into dislodging him in a more forceful manner?

Jove turned back to stare into that giant eye. He was definitely in a bind.