desert. why had she chosen the desert?

the dire wolf longed for the snow, for the familiar cold and winter of her old home. she longed for familiarity, deep inside her she wished her family were still around to hug and comfort her. to tell her everything would be okay. she was still their little girl, rough edges or not, murderer or not.

it was hot. unbearably hot. it would take time for her to adapt, to lose her thick winter coat. for now, she suffered silently, panting softly in the shade where she lay. even in the shadows it was sweltering, making her feel as though she would burn alive, but she would deal with it. perhaps when she was younger she would have complained, griped about the heat and badgered every passerby about why they would ever want to live in a place such as this. of course it came from her being a northerner. a child born in the dead of winter, grown up in the snow. she hated it. but she would not leave and she would not complain.

the dire wolf let out a few soft pants, head dipping to rest upon her paws. she thumped her tail briefly on the ground and cast her gaze around the area.

flirting. she'd never liked the concept of flirting, especially the "pick-up" lines. some were alright, only a few of them at the very best, but the one that had just reached her ears was by far the most used and annoying one she'd ever heard.

north slowly lifted her head from where it rested, eyeing ornias for a moment. "no," she murmured finally. "but i did scrape my knees when i crawled out of hell." brown eyes lingered on the male for a moment before drawing away, tail twitching lightly. "do you need something, are you only here to bother me with pick-up lines?" the girl drawled. in all honesty, she didn't mind the company, though she would have enjoyed it more had he not greeted her like... that. the dire wolf flicked her ear and returned her gaze to ornias, quirking a brow expectantly.

attention flickered to dante as he approached, ears twitching at his question. a puff of smoke escaped him, wafting into her face. she was used to the stench, but she hated it so. it was disgusting, clogging her lungs and making her cough. the dire wolf shifted slightly and sat up, holding her head away from the puffs. "north stark," she said slowly.

another creature joined the group, larger than her, but that was to be expected. she was still young. still growing. soon enough, though, she would be bigger than him. she was a dire wolf, after all. north eyed him for a moment, and despite his strange forced smile and the plain look in his eyes, she offered a small smile in return. he seemed the least unbearable of the trio gathered, perhaps she could make a friend in this hell. "please." the canine accepted his offer with a nod. his next words came as a bit of a surprise, the way they were spoken so bluntly, but that didn't stop her from releasing a small laugh.

"yes, i'm finding it a bit of a stupid decision on my part." north murmured. "i would much prefer the snow, but..." she trailed off, smile fading. a shrug of her shoulders indicated she would say no more on the subject. the young dire wolf sat back on her haunches and looked between the three for a moment. "what are your names?" she queried.

snowbound. a place she had considered before coming here, and though she wanted for the snow, it would not happen. that time of her life was behind her. a memory, and a memory that would stay a memory. no longer would she mourn the events of things she had no control over. the time of mourning had passed. she was set on something else now.

north slowly turned her gaze to dante, eyes narrowing. "don't mock me, beast." she said sharply to the hybrid. "i have no intentions of serving hot chocolate to every creature crossing the border. though it would certainly be an upgrade from your haughty attitude." the dire wolf scoffed and turned away.

a lion approached, and immediately she felt her pelt bristle. she'd always hated lions. hated them with a passion, had more passion for killing them than making friends or anything of the sort. her eyes narrowed to stryker as well, an immediate distaste for the male upon the second he opened his jaws and began blabbering on. her tail twitched slightly in annoyance. a moment of silence after he finished speaking, and finally she breathed out a sigh, tipping her head back. "i beg your pardon, stryker, but you do not know me, nor do you know my tastes." north said coolly. she chose to ignore the play on her name, instead lowering herself to the ground once more. "any other clever jokes from the lot of you?" the wolf rumbled out with a subconscious smile, one brow lifting as she looked between them.