Among the Stars Chaper 2, Part 2: An Unexpected Meeting
Thoughts whirled around his head as he trudged across the muddy field, yearning only for a hot mug of coffee to warm his paws and soothe his nerves as he shook the rain droplets from his fur, shivering slightly with the autumn chill. The wind picked up again as he neared the sidewalk that wrapped around the dormitories. The dorms themselves were arranged in a crescent, following the curve of the road that led under a grove of maple trees, which at present were bursting with the full array of gold, crimson, and all of the myriad colors that give fall foliage its beauty. His dorm was the last on the right, number thirty-four. "Oof!" with a startled yip, he nearly fell over backwards, but found that a strong paw had grabbed his arm around the elbow just in time before he did. He cursed himself for looking at the ground as he walked, though the strong gale that was now whistling like a banshee in the rooftops had admitedly left him little choice. "I'm really so-" he started to say, but found that all breath had left his body; looking up, he had made contact with the pair of eyes that had haunted his dreams since the first day of classes, eyes that set his fur on end, made his pulse quicken, and awoke a fiery passion within him that until that day, he had not even been aware existed. All of this passed through his mind as the wolf helped him regain his footing, and left him staring somewhat blankly at him, his ears flat down.
Luckily, the wolf was the first to speak. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that, I must have completely zoned out, are you okay?" Words started to form fuzzily in Zain's mind, which didn't seem to remember how to articulate his thoughts, his palms begun to sweat profusely despite the chill air. 'Oh, hey! You're the one from Astronomy who answers all the questions that the prof asks... Lightpaw, right? I'm Farren.' Zain realized that his jaw had been hanging open this entire time, and felt if possible, more embarrassed. "I... erm..." he stammered, trying desperately to build up his courage. 'I'm Zain.' he finished finally, in a tiny voice. 'It's nice to meet you, I've actually tried to catch you after class but you always seem to disappear as soon as it's over. Stop me if I'm being a nuissance, but you seem like you really know what you're doing in that class, and I really need to pass it, or my parents will kill me. Do you think you could maybe help me study sometime? I hate to ask, but I'm totally lost already.' The wolf had a very clear, soft, warm, and pleasant voice to listen to that matched his good-natured smile; 'As beautiful as the rest of him' Zain found himself thinking. Zain found himself saying "yes" before it had really registered. Farren's smile widened as he thanked Zain profusely, telling him that he would talk to him after class on Monday. He extended his paw, and Zain took it, simulataneously feeling both dimly aware of how surreal the situation was, and how nicely his smaller paw seemed to fit in the wolf's bigger one. Cursing the rain but still smiling nonetheless, the wolf said good-bye and continued on his way down the sidewalk. Zain continued to stand stock-still for a moment in the rain, watching the wolf's white fluffy tail disappear around the corner, until reality slowly set in, and he realized that he had been standing in the rain, staring at a guy for a solid two minutes. He mentally shook himself, and forced his paws (which seemed also to have forgotten how to work properly) to carry him back to his dorm, though once he started walking again, he felt as if a hop, skip, and a jump might carry him anywhere he pleased.